The Italian's Mistress

CHAPTER 18

December 24th.

"There, perfect!" Lilianna murmured, grinning as she pulled the cooked ham out of the oven.

Setting it on the table, she stepped back and admired the Christmas dinner that was prepared.

They were at Oliver's place which is where she was going to hold the Christmas dinner. It was much bigger so it would be able to comfortably hold everyone.

Oliver was off in his office finishing off some work and her dad and his nurse were currently sitting in the living room drinking eggnog and waiting for the rest of the guests to arrive.

Lilianna walked into the dining room and set the plate of ham on the rest along with the other meals that were already set.

Walking back into the kitchen, she set the decorated cupcakes on a tray and left them there along with the warm cookies for the kids.

She pulled off the apron and adjusted her dress. It was a burgundy square neck swing dress that reached her knees with black peep-toe heels. Her hair was up in an elegant bun with strands out from framing her face.

The clock on the wall read 7:58 and the guests were scheduled to reach at 8. Rushing to Oliver's office, Lilianna knocked before entering.

"They should be reaching soon." She stated as she walked to the desk.

Oliver sat behind it with some glasses on as he looked over some papers scattered on his desk.

He nodded his head and put them away, locking them in a drawer. He stood and approached her, pulling her into his arms.

"Don't you think this dinner will be a little... awkward? You did invite Nicoli, his girlfriend, Valentina, and your family, and not mention my father and mother." Oliver questioned, feeling a bit nervous about the night.

Lilianna rolled her eyes and patted his chest.

"It'll be fine. I want us all to be a big happy family and for everyone to get comfy with each other. Everything will be perfectly fine so stop worrying." She assured him and kissed him.

They pulled away and Lilianna pulled him from out of the room just as the bell rang.

"Great! They're here." She cheered and rushed to open the door with Oliver behind her.

Lilianna opened the door and was immediately embraced by Seriana and the kids.

"Oh my gosh, you made it. I thought you'd get lost." Lilianna said and smiled over at Dan who rolled his eyes.

"Certainly not with my totally awesome knowledge of the road." He scoffed,

Seriana rolled her eyes and took off her coat to reveal an ugly sweater. Lilianna raised an eyebrow as she realized that they all were wearing the same ugly sweater.

"We're going with the ugly sweater tradition. Beautiful, right?" Seriana asked and winked at her.

"It's definitely something." Lilianna commented,

Oliver stepped forward and greeted them.

"Guys, I'm sure you all remember Oliver." Lilianna said, moving to stand next to him.

"Yeah... your husband I believe you said before, right?" Dan said, staring firmly at him.

"It's ok, Dan. We're both all good now." Lilianna muttered and they shared a look before Dan sighed and nodded his head.

The kids enthusiastically greeted Oliver and even dragged him into the kitchen to surely snatched some cookies.

Seriana rushed after them though, telling them not to.

Dan stepped forward and helped put away the coats.

"Are you sure you're fine, Lili? You know you can trust me." Dan stated, staring at her with concern.

"It's all fine now, I promise. We talked about us and came to an understanding and I want to be with him Dan. I really do." Lilianna confessed,

Dan nodded his head and pulled her into a hug before going off into the living room.

Lilianna was going to follow him when the bell rang again and opened the door.

This time it was Stephano and Constantine. She grinned at them as they pulled her into a tight hug.

"I brought stuffing." Constantine declared as she held the covered tray up.

"Thanks, another delicious meal added to the menu." Lilianna said and took the plate so that they could take their coats off.

"So, where's Valentina?" Lilianna asked, quickly placing the plate in the dining room.

"She'll be coming with her fiance, Anthony." Stephano said and she nodded her head.

"Well, Oliver and everyone else are in the living room so you could go in." She said and they nodded their heads, walking over.

She walked into the kitchen and retrieved the tray of cookies before walking into the living room. Everyone was laughing and taking as Lilianna placed the tray next to the tray of eggnog.

"There is still people arriving, but I figured we start eating some cookies." She stated,

Nicky and Mickey cheered and immediately rushed for the tray, but Seriana grabbed them by the collar and pulled them back.

"No more cookies for you two. You've had far too much." She nagged them and they both frowned.

"Oh, come on Seri. It's Christmas Eve at least let them have a couple more. They've been good this year." Dan pleaded and the boys wholeheartedly agreed.

Seriana huffed and glared at Dan before letting them.

Everyone laughed and took cookies. Lilianna sat snug against Oliver with his arm around her, holding her close.

"It's nice to see that the both of you are truly together." Constantine commented, smiling at them.

"What do you mean, mamma?" Oliver asked,

"Well, before Italy you both were a bit... distant with each other and had forced happy looks, but now those smiles look genuine." Constantine said and Stephano agreed.

"Well, we both worked through some things. These looks are true." Oliver stated and kissed Lilianna's temple.

She blushed at the attention, making everyone laugh.

They talked some more until the doorbell rang and Seriana got up this time to get it.

Moments later voices came through and Nicoli and Amanda with Carina as well as Valentina and Anthony.

They stepped into the room and greeted everyone before taking a seat.

Valentina hugged her mother and father before sitting with Anthony.

"Ok, so this should be everyone, right?" Seriana asked and Lilianna nodded her head.

She took a seat, and everyone got comfortable with talking to one another.

Lilianna smiled at the sight of everyone together as she laid her head against Oliver.

"You ok?" Oliver softly asked and she nodded her head.

"I'm good. We should go start eating though it's almost 9." She stated,

20 minutes later they all got up and walked into the dining room to eat.

Stephano sat at the head while Dan sat at the other end after fighting with Nicoli about it and won. Everyone else filled in but sat with who they want to sit with. Lilianna sat with Seriana to her right and Oliver to her left with Nicoli across from her.

"Ok ok, everyone settle down. We must bless the food before eating. So hold hands everyone." Stephano said and everyone held hands.

He began the prayer and they patiently waited until he finished before serving the food.

"Ok, so Dan and I have news." Seriana suddenly said and everyone turned to her.

Seriana smiled at Lilianna gestured for Dan to reveal their news.

"Wait, why me? You're the one that came up with the plan." Dan whined which earned him a kick.

"Ouch, ok fine. We've all decided to move to England. Seriana's parents left a manor there in her name and Sophie got a scholarship for a school there." Dan announced and Lilianna gasped.

"Are you for real!" She asked and Seriana nodded her head.

"Yeah, I really want to take care of the house they left me, and I think it'll be a good change of pace for the kids." Seriana said,

"Well, that's good for you, darling. I'm sure you'll all enjoy it there." Bailey said, raising a glass to them.

Everyone else did the same except for Lilianna who was still in shock. Seriana stared at her for a moment waiting until Lilianna shook her head and smiled at her.

"You better invite me, or I'll be pissed." Lilianna finally said and raised a glass.

They all laughed and continued with their dinner.

"So, Anthony and I finally decided on a wedding date." Valentina announced shortly after.

"When?" Oliver asked his sister, watching as she shifted in her seat with a grin.

"Valentine’s Day." She revealed,

"It's ironic because my name is Valentina and it's going to be on Valentine's Day! Get it?" She boasted,

Oliver rolled his eyes while everyone else congratulated her.

"I'm happy for both you." Lilianna stated, smiling at her.

Somehow, they managed to be less hostile towards each other and got along better.

"Thanks." Valentina mumbled and turned her attention to Anthony.

Finally, after dinner they all separated to be alone. Lilianna stepped out to the dark porches and leaned against the railing.

Memories of being here before were brought back, and she couldn't help, but laugh a bit.

Everything was finally clicking back together and she was more than relieved. Having everyone together laughing and being happy, it somehow brought a feeling of nostalgia to her, for her mother.

If only she was here...

"What's the matter?" Lilianna jumped at the voice and looked up to see Oliver approaching her.

"Nothing just thinking." She replied as he stood beside her.

He nodded his head and they were silent for a moment.

"Do you remember? What happened here the last time." Oliver asked smirking,

"Yep." She said and they laughed for a moment.

"I want to make something right." Oliver suddenly stated and turned to look at her.

"What?" Lilianna asked,

He let out a breath before going down on his knees.

"The way we came to be, it was horrible, and I regret how much of a brute I was so... Lilianna please forgive me for everything I've done to hurt you." He said, grasping her hand.

"Say you'll remarry me."

~~~~~

Christmas and the year seemed to end all like a blur to Lilianna and soon enough she was back at work.

Lately her mind was in the clouds and not down on earth like it should.

"Lilianna, sweetie are you listening to me?" Her father's voice snapped her out of daze.

"Y-Yeah. You want to go away for some time and I totally support you, dad." She answered as they booth sat at a booth.

Bailey nodded his head and continued.

Despite the fact that she went to focus on what her dad was saying, her mind could not stop replaying what happened that night.

After getting over the shock, she knew that she wanted to be with Oliver. Her heart was screaming yes in a matter of seconds, but her mind was a bit hesitant.

"Oliver... I want to be with you believe me I do, but I just need to think this through." Lilianna answered,

His face fell momentarily, but he shook his head and got up.

"I know, I wasn't expecting a response right away and I respect that, so I'll give you some time. After all I did take a good two years of your life." He said,

He leaned in and kissed her cheek before walking back inside, leaving Lilianna to her thoughts.

Even now, she was still thinking about it.

"Well, sweetie. It's obvious you aren't listening to a word I'm saying so I'm just going to go meet an old friend." Bailey suddenly said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry daddy." She apologized and stood up as well.

His nurse walked and Bailey pulled Lilianna into a hug before leaving.

Lilianna let a deep sigh before walking into her office. Pouring herself a glass of hard rum, she sat at her desk and tried to get some work done.

After Closing Time.

Better than she expected, Lilianna managed to complete the month's inventory list and write up everyone's check.

Turning off her computer, she grabbed her things and walked out, locking up.

On the drive home, she suddenly got a message and checked it at a red light.

Can you come over. There's something I need to talk to you about. ~Oliver

Once the light turned green, Lilianna gripped the wheel and took a sharp left turn instead of going straight ahead.

The drive to Oliver's house seemed longer than usual, but as she pulled to the house, she noticed that all the lights were off.

For a moment she thought no one was home until movement caught her eye from inside.

Locking up her car, she walked to the front door and found it surprisingly unlocked.

"Oliver, I'm here. Why are all the lights off?" She called and walked towards the kitchen which was empty.

Her stomach was twisting, but not with the nerves like before, but in a dreading way.

After living with Oliver for a year, she learned a lot of things from him and his dangerous life so almost immediately instinct kicked in.

She pulled a drawer opened and grabbed a knife, clutching it tightly. Letting go of her purse, Lilianna eased into the living with great caution and her eyes widened.

The glass coffee table was broken and overturned with paper and books scattered on the floor. The rest of the furniture was not in its usual place and there was some type of dark liquid on the floor.

"This has scary movie written all over it." Lilianna muttered and walked back into the kitchen.

Pulling out her phone, she quickly contacted Stephano and not the police. One of the first rules she learned was to never call the police, instead you call one of the head family members and let them deal with the situation.

Besides, she has watched a good amount of horror and suspenseful movies to know not to be stupid.

Once that was settled, Lilianna walked towards the stairs and cautiously walked up. So far there was absolutely no noise coming from anywhere. She decided to check Oliver's room first and walked over to the door and found it slightly ajar.

Hanging from the ceiling with fetters around his wrist, Oliver was there unconscious. His shirt was shredded, and visible wounds were present as blood clung to him and dripped to the floor.

A wave of shock and horror overwhelmed Lilianna that she didn't sense some approach her from behind.

"Gotcha!" A dark voice whispered against her hair and grabbed the hand that held the knife.

The intruder pushed her roughly to the floor and Lilianna landed just in front of Oliver's body.

"So, glad that you could join us... Lilianna." She looked up and her eyes widened in shock and fear, looking at the person's face.