The Mafia’s Forbidden Desire

ROSALINDA.

The morning sun emitted a gentle warmth. The temperature was just right-neither too hot nor too cold-creating perfect weather.

Papà and I were seated on the porch, enjoying the tranquilly of the atmosphere. He immersed himself in a magazine while I scrolled through social media on my phone. At that moment, my mind was clear, and I wasn’t thinking about anything bothersome like I always did-well, not until my father suddenly broke the silence.

“Rosalinda.” He called, and I lifted my head to meet his gaze. “There’s something I observed and want to discuss with you.”

Quickly turning off my phone’s screen, I gave him my full attention. “What is it, Papà?”

“You and Sofia have been acting strangely.” He said that, and my heart sank to my stomach. “What happened?”

I knew it was only a matter of time before my family noticed, but still, I wasn’t prepared for the question. What could I possibly tell him? Sofia was mad at me because she thought I had a thing with Antonio. Definitely not. That would cause a very big stir, and I couldn’t allow that.

“Rosa?” He prompted me when I didn’t respond immediately.

I cleared my throat in an attempt to hide my nervousness. “What happened? Why do you think we have been acting strangely?”

Feigning ignorance was the only thing I could think of, but I knew Papa didn’t buy that when he pressed his lips tightly together.

“Try again. You can’t fool me. Now, tell me. What’s going on?”

The sound of tyres screeching diverted our attention, and we both swung our heads to the source of the sound to see a car pulling up in the driveway. Antonio’s car. I recognised the black Porsche instantly.

“What is he doing here?” Papà wondered out loud as Antoinio stepped out of the car, hinting that this wasn’t a planned visit. So, was he only here because he wanted to keep the promise he made to Carlo yesterday?

“Good morning, Roberto.” Antonio greeted Papà as he approached us. And like he always did, he didn’t spare me a glance.

“Uhm… We weren’t supposed to meet today, or did I miss something?” He asked, raising a brow.

“You didn’t miss anything. I should have told you beforehand, but-”

The front door suddenly opened, and Joy appeared, holding Carlo. Carlo’s face lit up the second he noticed Antonio; the latter also grinned in response to Carlo’s excitement.

“I’m here for this little man. He literally begged me to come back today, and looking at how cute he is, I couldn’t say no.” Antonio explained, leaving Papà all confused. “I think he likes me.”

You think? He loves you, Antonio. I said it inwardly, and I couldn’t help the smile that crept to my lips as I thought about it. Who would’ve thought that Carlo would like a man who’s as intimidating as Antonio?

Carlo, eager to be with Antonio, snatched his hand from Joy’s and pranced towards him. He didn’t hesitate to lift him up and throw him in the air playfully, the two sharing a joyful moment.

Carlo began to play with Antonio’s beards, coiling them in his little fingers. “You promised to take me to the park today.”

“I did?” Antonio feigned a sad face. “Unfortunately, that promise I can’t fulfill. Your grandpa won’t allow me to.”

“Please.” Carlo whined, and Antonio turned to look at Papà.

“This gentleman here wants me to take him to the park. And I would hate it if I couldn’t fulfil his wishes. Do you mind if I take him to the park?” He asked.

“We could go with the mom if you aren’t comfortable with me going alone.” He added, leaving me bewildered.

Me, Carlo, and Antonio at the ark? No. No. No. As much as I loved the idea, it was a very terrible one.

“You know the park is a busy place and-”

Antonio cut him in.

“Protection? I got that covered. I’ll have my men stationed at every corner.” He assured him, and Papà nodded, but reluctantly. It was clear that he didn’t want us to go, but lacking a better excuse, he had to succumb.

“So-” Antonio darted his gaze at me. “What do you say, Mama?”

The term ‘Mama’ never sounded better, and coming from him, my core twitched. Why did I have to relate everything about him to something freaky? I was too attracted to him, and it was a terrible thing.

“Eh?” He continued when I didn’t respond immediately.

Even if I wanted to say ‘no’, I couldn’t. It was what Carlo wanted, and I didn’t want to spoil his fun.

“Fine.” I exhaled.

Antonio’s gaze swept over me. “So, do you need to change or-”

“I am good to go.” I told him, and I started heading towards his car without hesitation.

“Don’t worry, Roberto, I’ll protect them like my own family.” He assured Papà before following me.

The drive to the park was full of Antonio trying to make a conversation with me and me ignoring him. After trying multiple times and failing, he finally gave up. If I wanted to get through the day with him without giving in to temptation, I had to ignore him. It was the least I could do to help protect myself from the irresistible devil.

Upon entering the park, Carlo spotted an ice-cream stall and jumped excitedly, saying he wanted some.

Antonio turned to look at me. “Is it okay if he…”

I nodded vigorously before he could finish his sentence.

He gave me a ‘what’s up with her look’ before nodding and starting to walk in the direction of the ice cream stall.

“This gentleman here wants three cones of ice cream.” Antonio told the vendor when we got there.

“And you’ll get what you want.” The vendor replied, smiling as he quickly prepared three cones. He was done in less than two minutes, and he handed the ice cream to Antonio.

“You know he can’t finish all that by himself, right?” I stated the obvious, and he swung his face to the side to look at me, feigning surprise.

“Oh, she talks.” He teased, and I rolled my eyes. I hadn’t said a word to him since we left the mansion.

“It’s for the three of us.” He informed me, and my brows knitted together. “Oh, don’t worry. You don’t want to have it with us. We could finish it alone. Right, buddy?”

“Yes.” Carlo beamed, and Antonio high-fived him as they both grinned, annoying the hell out of me.

What a little betrayer!

After we found a place to sit, Antonio handed me one of the ice-cream cones, and he didn’t even have to persuade me before I took it and started licking it while stealing glances at each other.

“A butterfly.” Carlo beamed, motioning in a particular direction. He chased after it in a nearby garden, and although we didn’t stop him, our eyes never left him.

“So, why have you been trying so hard to ignore me?” Antonio broke the ice after a while.

“I’m not.” My response was short.

“Are you trying to resist me?” He pressed on, surprising me. He took his hand to my lip, gently rubbing it. “You had a little ice cream there.”

My breath heaved as I felt the feel of his hand on my lips. I wanted to resist him. I tried. But it was incredibly hard to resist the man sitting beside me, and he knew that.

His hand moved down, cupping the side of my neck in his big palm as we continued staring intensely into each other’s eyes. My core began to twitch uncontrollably. Damn it! I desperately wanted him, and my control was only a strand away from snapping.

“Mommy, I caught it.” Carlo’s voice beamed, saving me from doing what I would have regretted for the rest of my life.

Drawing in a sharp breath in an attempt to cool off the desire burning within me, I curled my lips into a small smile and swung my head in Carlo’s direction. But my smile quickly faded when my eyes caught sight of the person lurking a few feet away from us, looking at us.

Ruby.

The second I spotted her, she took off, running as fast as her legs could possibly carry her. Without hesitation, I sprung up and began to run after her, hoping I would be able to catch up with her and ask her what the hell I did to deserve such treatment from her.