by Serena Light
"Don't look at me like that." Arcangelo sighed as he let Isaac lick his hand in affection. "I already feel bad as it is without you giving me that look."
"Dad, look who's here!" Arsenio's voice yelled as the door burst open followed by the little squeal of "Uncle!" Two voices exclaimed enthusiastically simultaneously as he sat up straight with a grin splitting across his face.
"Claudia!" Arcangelo exclaimed, just as enthusiastic as he scooped them into his arms, peppering their faces with kisses. "Here are my favorite two kids!"
"We're you're only kids!"
They burst into a fit of laughter as Claudia hugged him tightly, meeting her uncle after almost two months.
Since he accused Vincent of being a traitor, he and Alyna have become increasingly estranged, more so than usual. Despite everything, she was raised alongside the two Regnante boys and treated like family. So much so, that she wasn't even aware of her not being Helen's daughter.
But Arcangelo and her never got along terribly well. She especially enjoyed angering him. Alyna had gleefully rubbed it in his face when Vincent had proposed but got extremely frustrated when she did not receive the response she was looking for.
So, they had been estranged from the very beginning, but after having accused Vincent of being a traitor, all contact between the siblings ended with an argument between the two.
Obviously, the children were kept out of the loop and Claudia was allowed to go meet Arcangelo whenever she felt like it. However, he was not welcome in their home. The exact same home Arcangelo had gifted the two upon their marriage. The exact same roof that was over their heads because of him, and he wasn't welcome there.
"I missed you uncle!" Claudia exclaimed, jolting him out of his thoughts as he smiled at the two.
"Well, I missed you, too." He exclaimed as he hugged them close.
"Dad, can we spend the day together?" Arsenio questioned as he pulled away from his guardian's embrace. "Please? It's been forever!"
"Hmm..." Arcangelo pondered in silence, an idea coming to mind. "You know what, let's spend the day together."
Instantly the two hooted in joy, jumping on the bed with glee as Isaac watched them playfully.
"But first, let me get dressed and then we can take Isaac and go for breakfast."
"Okay!"
Getting out of bed, Arcangelo pattered across the wooden floor before going into his washroom to shower. Quickly rinsing off, he got dressed in a pair of black jeans with a corresponding full sleeved shirt. Putting on a pair of brown leather loafers, he grabbed his woolen trench coat from the hanger before stepping into his bedroom, seeing the children playing with Isaac, the scene causing him to chuckle.
"Alright! Let's go!" Arcangelo called out as the children jumped up, quickly pulling on their jackets and hats before following after him with Isaac trailing behind.
"Major. Gun. Let's go." He ordered once at the bottom of the stairs as the two guards came rushing towards him. "We'll be spending the day with the kids and Isaac."
"Yes, sir,"
Arcangelo got into his Audi. Claudia and Arsenio settling in the back with Isaac between them. However, the moment the car purred to life, the dog jumped into the front seat, cozying up before lying down.
As they drove, the children told him all about what they did in the past two months, chattering and giggling as they exchanged stories.
"Um...Dad..." Arsenio trailed nervously as a lull in the conversation had followed.
"Yeah, buddy?"
"Uh...Do you know how Rosie is?"
"Rosalie? Well, last I heard she was good."
"D-do you know where she lives?"
"Well, yes, of course, I do."
"C-can we visit her? Y-you know, just to say hi?"
"Well, we can," Arcangelo stated, not quite understanding his nephew's nervousness or the blush on his face. "But do you really want to drop by unannounced at someone's home on a Saturday."
"Y-yeah...you're right."
"Why though?"
"Because Arsenio is in L.O.V.E with Rosalie!" Claudia exclaimed before Arsenio could say anything.
"Claudia! You promised not to tell!" Arsenio exclaimed in indignation as they both started to argue.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Break it up you two!" Arcangelo yelled from over their noise, causing the two to settle down and glare out their windows.
"Arsenio, you're in love with Rosalie?" He sighed after a moment of silence.
"Well...I really like her..."
"You do know is she about 18 years older than you, right?"
"So?"
"Never mind," Arcangelo chuckled. "You do know that she is with me, right?"
"She's your client." Arsenio nodded, seemingly grasping the full extent of his uncle's words. "Although...does she have a...you know..." He trailed, almost uncertain. "A boyfriend?" He whispered the word like it was taboo.
A chuckle burst through Arcangelo at the way his nephew was reacting.
"You'd have to ask her." He stated as he put the car into parking and stepping out with Isaac bounding close behind him.
Uncertainty, the two children stepped out of the car and before the apartment complex, seemingly realizing that this was where Rosalie lived. Arsenio swallowed thickly as he followed his uncle and cousin into the building. He watched as Arcangelo greeted the clerk with a good morning before they rode the elevator up.
His uncle seemed in a pretty good mood as they went up, silently humming under his breath as he scrolled through his phone to pass the time. Once it dinged, they all shuffled out with Isaac trailing alongside them before Arcangelo stopped at the door.
Ringing the doorbell, the three of them waited before it swung open, revealing Rosalie to be standing in a bathrobe with her chestnut hair damp from her shower.
"Claudia! Arsenio!" She exclaimed in delight as she crouched down to hug them and pepper their faces with kisses. "Hey, I missed you guys!"
"We missed you, too." The two spoke up, Claudia with a broad grin as Arsenio had a shy smile on his cheeks a light pink.
"Hello, Isaac." Rosalie greeted the dog with a fond smile before standing up. "Come on in."
They all shuffled inside and instantly the children started to explore her humble abode while Isaac stayed behind with his owner. Once the children had disappeared behind a corner and were out of earshot, Rosalie turned towards Arcangelo and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head beneath his chin as he wrapped his arms around her.
"It's been two weeks." Rosalie murmured, rather despondent.
"Yeah,"
"I'm so glad that you came. And you even brought the kids with you."
"They wanted to meet you, again. So, I availed the opportunity. You want to go to spend the day with us?"
"I'd love that," Rosalie responded with a broad smile as Arcangelo gave her a smile in return. Stepping on her tiptoes she placed a light peck on his lips before speaking. "Just let me get dressed and we can go."
Going into her room, she found Arsenio peeking out her windows, seemingly mesmerized by the place.
"Do you like it?" Rosalie asked as she opened her wardrobe, taking out clothes to wear.
"It's very nice," Arsenio admitted, looking at her side table, his eyes widening to see a picture of his uncle and Rosalie in a frame. "Rosie, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, kiddo. Whats up?"
"Is dad your boyfriend?" He asked, putting the pieces together.
"Yes." She smiled fondly as she took out a black blouse with matching skinny jeans. "I like him very much."
"Oh." He whispered quietly, understanding what his uncle had meant in the car. "Okay."
With that said, he walked out the bedroom, allowing her to get changed before going back to his uncle where he sat in the lounge, Claudia perched on his knee with Isaac laying across his feet. Sitting down beside him, he leaned his head against Arcangelo's arm before Rosalie joined them.
Leaving her apartment, they all went to a nice little cafe where
they all sat down and had breakfast. Throughout, Rosalie tried to engage the two little youngsters in conversation as Arsenio would often see his uncle and her secretly stealing glances at each other.
After breakfast, they decided to walk around a bit, the children running ahead as Arcangelo and Rosalie trailed behind, hand in hand and chatting together. Their walk led them to the park, where Claudia and Arsenio played with other kids, while the two watched from the bench. They spent time there before heading back to the car, driving to a nice restaurant for lunch as Arsenio couldn't understand why his uncle and Rosalie hadn't let go of each other's hand at least once, constantly talking quietly about one thing or another
Lunch was filled with jokes and laughter as Arsenio couldn't understand the easy-going interaction between the two. It simply infuriated him to see them like that. Acting like they were a 'couple'.
After lunch, they shopped around for a while, buying things here and there and munching on a few things. Arcangelo bought the children whatever they wanted, spoiling them as Rosalie admonished him light-heartedly. However, even she wasn't spared from his spoiling as he bought her beautiful things like dresses and shoes, all that despite her protesting. And every time the children's backs were turned towards them, Arcangelo made it a point to steal a kiss or two, both of them absolutely refusing to let go of their entwined hands, lightly swinging their hands between them.
Their shopping spree somehow led them to the carnival, where the children got preoccupied with the games to notice the blatant adoration Arcangelo and Rosalie had for one another.
They had Arcangelo win all sorts of arcade games for them, getting those stuffed toys and knick-knacks and whatnots. They went on all sorts of child-friendly rides, the children squealing and laughing with delight. And it simply made Arcangelo's heart soar to see them all have such a good time.
As the night was coming to an end, they decided to go on the Ferris wheel, the children staring in awe as the lights of the city twinkled like the stars of the night. The sound of traffic drowned out by the howling wind nipping at their noses. The sight so breathtakingly beautiful, yet Arcangelo couldn't tear away his gaze from the woman beside him.
Her blue eyes dilated in admiration, her lips parted into a wide smile as her cheeks and nose were a rosy pink, her hair tousled due to the wind.
Leaning forward, Arcangelo captured her lips with his own, putting an end to a perfect night.
On the drive back, the children were so tired that they promptly fell asleep. This gave Arcangelo and Rosalie the chance to be openly affectionate to one another as they conveyed their feelings through small and intimate touches, light kisses every once in a while before it was finally time for their night to come to an official end.
Leaving the children under the watch of Major and Gun, he walked Rosalie to her apartment, both of them halting before the door with their fingers twined.
"I really enjoyed today," Rosalie informed with a soft smile.
"Me too," Arcangelo murmured as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"You should bring the kids more often."
"Yeah..."
"When will I see you again?"
"Soon, hopefully."
"Alright," Rosalie smiled as Arcangelo leaned down to kiss her, the feeling of her lips on his making feel right at home.
"Good night, Arcangelo." She whispered softly.
"Good night, princess."
With that, he reluctantly let go of her hand as she unlocked her door, opening it and looking up, a startled scream escaping her at the sight as she covered her mouth, Arcangelo's own eyes wide with disbelief.
Her entire apartment looked like someone had broken in and ransacked the whole place. Everything was turned over, all things broken and shattered. Nothing was spared and everything was rummaged through. Tears welled up in Rosalie's eyes as she turned around, burying her face into Arcangelo's chest as he wrapped her in his embrace, staring at the red spray paint on her wall, bile rising in his throat.
'We're coming for you.'
Chapter XXVIII: Nightmares
Rosalie found herself gagged and bound to a chair. Her dress torn and ripped as the ropes dug into her skin, bound her to the wooden structure. The room she was held in smelt like mold and the air was stale like the fresh air hadn't been inside for years. The interior was dark and dingy with a single light overhead.
She felt dazed and confused as she lifted her head up, a trickle of blood streaming down from her temple and onto her dress as she felt a hammer against her skull. A wince shot through her as she moved her head, a sharp pain shooting through her as her vision cleared.
Taking in her surroundings, instant panic welled inside her as fear engulfed her.
With a whimper, she struggled against her restraints, tears of fear and angst flowing down her dirty cheeks, mixing with the grime and blood. Her sobs grew louder and more desperate as she tried to get out of her bounds, a muffled plea escaping through the gag as the tears flowed in a steadier stream.
"You can't escape, sweetheart." A voice crackled from the darkness, the suddenness having Rosalie shriek in fright.
The sound of shoes clicking drew closer to her as her sobs grew louder, her heart hammering against her chest and her throat choking up.
Suddenly a pair of black dress shoes with a white line appeared in the ring of light, the body hidden in darkness.
"Shut up." The voice spoke over her sobbing as she instantly stopped, the tears still flowing as she suppressed any sound in fear of what he could do to her. "That's more like it."
A silence washed over the room as Rosalie could hear her blood surging through her veins, her heart thundering against her ribcage with her mind praying for a miracle. Suddenly, a hand shot out from the darkness, a shriek escaping her as she recoiled her head back, afraid of being hit. Instead, he simply ran the back of his hand down her grimy cheek, humming to himself.
"My, what a pretty little face you have." The man spoke, his voice thick with lust as Rosalie's stomach twisted in discomfort, causing her to squirm in her seat. "Wouldn't it be a shame if something were to mar that beauty of yours?" He continued through gritted teeth as a knife suddenly entered her line of vision, a blood-curdling scream tearing through her as he drew it nearer to her face, piercing her skin and drawing blood.
"Rosalie!" A voice yelled over her screaming, shattering the haze of searing pain in her system. "Rosalie! Rosalie! Wake up!"
She felt herself being shaken violently as her eyes snapped open, her throat raw from all her screaming and her cheeks damp with her tears. Her eyes darted around rapidly, taking in her lighted surroundings and placing everything to be Arcangelo's bedroom.
"Rosalie." A voice spoke from above her, her eyes instantly darting to the source and seeing Arcangelo's worried face hovering over her, his forehead creased and beaded with sweat and his eyes heavy with concern as he repeatedly stroked her matted hair. "It was just a dream, princess, you're alright."
She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could even get a sound across, a painful churning in her stomach had her lurch forward and throw up onto the wooden floor at her bedside. Instantly, Arcangelo was pulling her hair away from her face, rubbing her back as he had an arm wrapped around her front, keeping her upright as she grasped his forearm for support.
"It's alright, let it out." Arcangelo murmured into her ear, rubbing her back as he placed a kiss against her temple, not even angry that she was throwing up on his wooden floor.
"Major!" He yelled over his shoulders and instantly the doors flew open with Gun and Major stepping in, weapons drawn before looking at the scene in concern. "Have someone clean this up."
"Yes, sir," Major nodded as both the guards stepped out the door.
Rosalie stopped throwing up, dry heaving at the edge of the bed as Arcangelo rubbed her back, holding her against him as her throat burned, tears streaming down her face with a rancid taste infiltrating her mouth. Coughing and blubberin
g, Arcangelo spoke comforting words into her ear as he took her into his arms, allowing her to sob into his shirt as he walked them to his ensuite bath.
She blubbered incoherently as Arcangelo settled her onto the counter, telling her everything will be alright as he ran a bath for her; checking the temperature, he allowing the tub to fill up. As the water flowed in, he helped Rosalie clean her face before he placed a kiss on her forehead, feeling overwhelming concern for her.
Once the tub filled, he helped her get out of her clothes as she hiccupped silently, her hair disheveled and matted against her forehead as she got submerged into the water, pulling her knees up to her chest as she watched Arcangelo take off his shirt, cleaning himself with a wet towel before discarding both things.
With a heavy sigh, he braced the counter, staring down at the sink before running a hand through his hair.
Since the Saturday when they found her apartment ransacked, he brought her to stay with him. She had been living with him for over two weeks now, and not one time did she have a decent night's sleep. It would take Arcangelo hours to convince her to sleep, and when she would finally agree, she would always wake up screaming. Rosalie refused to sleep again, afraid of the nightmares.
And on top of that, she hardly ate.
Arcangelo was forced to divide his attention between his work and her, and things always got worse with her during the night.
She didn't talk to him about it; she couldn't bring herself to relive all the nightmares. Even now, as she sat submerged in the water with Arcangelo sitting on the edge of the tub, he waited for her to tell him the dream, but when she didn't respond he knew he has to be very patient and soft with her.
The trauma was worse than they had initially anticipated and Rosalie refused to leave the room. Worse still, she would get extra paranoid when Arcangelo wasn't with her. He was her safe haven, and he wasn't going to stop a few obnoxious Mafia bosses from making her feel protected. Arcangelo had refused to meet with anyone, at all, and had all of his work brought to him in his bedroom. There, he would stake out with Rosalie, keep an eye on her as well as finish his work.