Mr. Regnante (Mafioso Series Book 1)

by Serena Light

  "Thank you and congratulations!" Rosalie ended as a standing ovation following her speech.

  After the degrees had been handed out and the pictures had been taken, the students all ran to their respective loved ones.

  Arcangelo caught sight of Rosalie making her way through the crowd, smiling from ear to ear as he grinned in response. Wrapping her in an embrace, he lifted her off her feet before spinning her in joy, an ecstatic laugh bursting through her as she hugged him tightly.

  "You did it!" He exclaimed as he put her down.

  "I did it!" She proclaimed with so much enthusiasm, making her happiness contagious.

  Getting on her tiptoes, she pressed her lips to his in a much-anticipated kiss as he had to smile against her lips before she pulled away and went to hug her family. Soon, they were all chatting with her fellow graduates as Arcangelo had his arm wrapped around her waist, smiling at all the people in graduation gowns and caps.

  Suddenly his phone vibrated in his pocket, taking it out, he had to raise an eyebrow when he saw it be a message from Vincent.

  Six months of zero contact, and now a message out of the blue.

  'Claudia is sick.' The message read and instantly Arcangelo felt his stomach churn in concern.

  His niece was perfectly healthy when he saw her just yesterday, and now he was receiving a message of her being ill.

  "Go." He heard someone whisper in his ear, his attention shooting up to Rosalie who read the message from beside him. "She's your niece. I would have gone with you, but can't leave my parents hanging and you can leave Arsenio to me. So how about you see how she's doing and meet us at the restaurant later for dinner?"

  "I love you." Arcangelo sighed at how understanding she was to his situation.

  Giving her a quick peck on the lips, he rushed towards his car and made his way to his estranged sister's humble adobe.

  Without knocking, he barged into the house and looked around in concern, searching for any signs of Claudia.

  "Claudia?" He called up the stairs, about to go up when a voice halted him.

  "She's not here." A voice slurred from the lounge.

  Turning to his left in curiosity, he peeked his head through the archway seeing Vincent sitting on the floor in what looked like a week old t-shirt and dirty sweatpants, a bottle of scotch clasped in his hand as his clean-shaven face now had a bushy beard.

  "I got a message telling me she's sick," Arcangelo stated calmly with a raised eyebrow as he stood a few feet away from the man that was once his best friend of over twenty years.

  Suddenly Vincent burst into a hysterical fit of laughter as Arcangelo watched him silently, internally concerned for his mental state.

  "This is the most we've talked for six months!" Vincent wheezed between his laughter. "Six fucking months!"

  "Where is Claudia." He sighed calmly.

  "Don't know, Alyna said something about taking the kids to an amusement park..."

  "Is this some sort of joke to you, Moretti?" Arcangelo demanded harshly, watching Vincent visibly wince at his tone. "It's my girlfriend's graduation and here I am entertaining your pranks."

  "It's not a prank..."

  "Then what the fuck is it?"

  "One last desperate attempt."

  "Attempt at what?"

  "To not pull the trigger."

  Instantly Arcangelo tensed as he started at Vincent in silence, seeing a multitude of emotions reflected in his eyes in varying degrees of pain. With a heavy sigh, he glanced down at his watch before giving in to his primary instinct and sitting down on the sofa behind him.

  "What's the matter?"

  "A couple months ago..." Vincent started as he put the bottle to his lips, not being able to take a gulp before Arcangelo tore it out of his hands and put it away. "I went to a doctor. A psychiatrist to be exact."

  "Yeah?"

  "And you know what he diagnosed me with?"

  "What?"

  "Clinical depression,"

  Arcangelo stared at the top of his head for a moment, trying to absorb the words before sliding down to the floor, sitting beside him as he pulled up one leg, resting his arm on his knee and leaning his head against the sofa.

  "What did he do after that?" He asked quietly, not being able to grasp the full extent of the words because Arcangelo knew what it was like to have clinical depression--having been diagnosed with it in his early teens, he knew how it felt.

  "He gave me anti-depressants." Vincent laughed humorless as a bitter smile crossed Arcangelo's lips.

  "I don't know, man." He continued bitterly, his eyes hooded and his speech slurred due to the alcohol. "I guess I had it coming. I mean, things have been really shitty lately, so I guess it was only a matter of time."

  "What do you want to do about it?" Arcangelo jumped straight to the point.

  "Kill myself."

  "You and I both know that's not an option."

  "It actually is..."

  "Do you really want to put your wife through the loss of a spouse? If not Alyna, do you really want to do that to Claudia and Alberto? She is only 4 years old and he's not even 2 yet, do you want them to have to put through with the loss of a father?"

  "That's why I called you." Vincent choked, knowing that he didn't want to do this to either Alyna or Claudia. "You might not think of me as your best friend anymore, and I don't deserve to be, but Arcangelo, please...please, I beg you...help me...please..."

  Arcangelo sat in silence for the longest time, weighing the pros and cons of re-establishing a relationship with Vincent. He hadn't even opened his mouth to give the verdict when Vincent suddenly burst into tears. The suddenness of his sobs had him jump back in surprise as he stared at the man break down before his own eyes.

  "You don't have to put up a show for me to help you," Arcangelo stated light-heartedly as he rubbed his back. "I would have helped with or without the tears."

  "She's cheating on me." Vincent sobbed as the man beside him sighed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him to his side, having felt that his sister was having an affair. "It's just so fucking hard coming to terms with it all."

  "We'll take this one thing at a time, Vinnie." He stated softly, rubbing his back. "One thing at a time."

  ***

  "Sorry, I'm late." Arcangelo apologized breathlessly and placed a quick kiss on Rosalie's lips before settling down in the spare seat between her and her brother.

  "Where were you?" Rosalie asked with concern. "You didn't attend my calls, how is Claudia?"

  "She's better now."

  "That's good." She smiled in relief before they all opened their menus and decided what to order.

  They ate their lavish meals with light-hearted chatter and reminiscing over the past along with laughing at absurd memories.

  "Oh! Arcangelo" Donna suddenly exclaimed, gaining Arcangelo's attention. "Did you know when Rosalie was about 13, she had this whole box filled with little trinkets and items she wanted at her wedding."

  "Mom!" Rosalie drawled in embarrassment, her face flushing.

  "What? He has a right to know."

  "You wouldn't have that box by any chance, would you?" Arcangelo inquired curiously as Rosalie glared at him, clearly not wanting him to know.

  "No, I don't think we have that anymore," Donna spoke rather disheartened.

  "Well, that's alright." He chuckled lightheartedly, accidentally having dropped his napkin under the table. "We can make a box like that together, you know like a team." He continued as he got down to pick it up.

  "Oh, my God." Davide suddenly exclaimed, staring at Arcangelo's seat in astonishment as everyone turned in concern.

  Rosalie gasped as her eyes became moist with tears while she covered her mouth, her mother holding back her tears as a grin split across her face.

  "Rosalie Lucia Allegro." He spoke clearly, kneeling on one knee as he stared at her with adoration reflected in his eyes, the entire restaurant turning to look at them with smiles. "Almost two years ago w
e made a list."

  "A list of things we wanted out of the way before I propose to you." Arcangelo grinned as he took out the box from his inner pocket, a squeal escaping her. "Let me tell you a secret, I just ticked off the last item before coming."

  A laugh tore through Rosalie as she tried to blink away the tears that continued to stream down her cheeks. Elevated joy bubbling in her chest as the laughter kept surfacing along with the tears. Her brother stared in astonishment, the mother wiping her tears as Bernardo held his wife's hand, both of them feeling honored to be able to witness their daughter's wedding proposal.

  "Rosalie, princess? Please do me the honours of becoming mine forever."

  Chapter XXXIX: One to Three

  The room was silent...and white.

  The ceiling was tiled with circular lights fixated into the structure as there was the soft humming of a machine in the background. Suddenly a face came in front of the ceiling view. The person was a man in his late-twenties with raven black hair falling onto his forehead and sparkling blue eyes. His jaw covered in stubble as he was grinning widely, his eyes becoming moist at the sight. No soon did the man leans down; the face of a young boy came into view, his eyes just as blue as the man with his black hair a shaggy mess.

  Straightening up, the sniffled and rubbed at his eyes.

  "Arcangelo," A soft alluring voice called from beside the man as a woman appeared beside him. She had light brown hair and sapphire blue eyes as she hugged the man, Arcangelo. "You get so emotional." She sniffled into his chest.

  "How can I not?" He chuckled, continuing to wipe the tears. "I can't believe it!"

  With a joyous laugh, he leaned down and firmly pressed his lips to his wife's. Pulling away, he rested his forehead against her as they both smiled at each other; tears streaming down their cheeks. Arcangelo kissed her forehead before pressing her head against his chest as she clutched his white button-up shirt.

  "We did it." Rosalie murmured softly while looking to her right, tears gathering in her eyes again. "Our own little family, Arcangelo,"

  "Our own little family," He repeated after her, also looking the same direction.

  "They're so small," Arsenio spoke in awe, keeping his voice low, afraid to wake the sleeping babies. "They're my siblings, right?"

  "Yes, Arsenio," Arcangelo laughed, knowing the boy was just as shocked as them at their arrival. "They're you're little brother and sister."

  "What are their names?" The boy asked again, peering into the cots once again.

  "What should we name them?" Arcangelo repeated the inquiry to his wife as they both peered down and into the cots that lay there, in which two little newborn babies were tightly wrapped up and sleeping.

  "Serafina," Rosalie stated. "For the girl,"

  "Serafina Regnante," Arcangelo repeated with a smile. "She'll be a lot of trouble, just like her mom."

  Rosalie chuckled at her husband's antics as they both looked down at the miracles bestowed upon them.

  "How about Salvatore?" Arcangelo inquired while peering over his shoulder at his wife, noticing the soft smile on her face at the suggestion. "Salvatore Emilio Regnante."

  "What do you say, Arsenio?" He called out to the 10-year-old boy, redirecting his attention. "How do Serafina and Salvatore sound?"

  "Ina and Salvi," Arsenio grinned, adoringly looking into the crib as Rosalie smiled at her husband and older son before looking down at the infants.

  "I can't wait to take them home."

  "Neither can I," Arcangelo admitted as he turned around to face his wife. Bending down, he wrapped an arm around her knees and then shoulders as he lifted her off her feet, causing her to squeal and laugh in surprise. "But right now, you need to be resting, and we need the 'go' from the doctors." He stated as he gently placed down his wife on her hospital bed.

  "You must be tired." He spoke softly, stroking her hair. "Sleep, I'll watch over you.

  Rosalie hummed softly as she pecked his lips before settling back on the bed, her eyes drifting to a close. Arcangelo smiled down at his wife, placing a kiss on her forehead before standing up from his crouching position at the side of her bed. Silently he undid his tie as he walked over to the two cots in which Serafina and Salvatore lay sleeping. Smiling down at them, he ran his knuckle gently over the side of their face, feeling an elated sense of happiness to finally have his family complete.

  **

  Baby toys littered the floor, a play mat pushed into the corner with every single piece of furniture having gone through baby proofing. The nursery was a mess, to say the least, and in the midst of it all stood Arcangelo leaning over a changing station and changing the diaper of a hysterically giggling baby, a 10-year-old Arsenio behind him trying to pick up the mess they'd made.

  "Now stay still for daddy." He cooed at the little child that looked at him with big blue eyes, and his raven hair an unruly mess with the constant moving. "Please stay still for daddy."

  "Dad!" Arsenio laughed at him, trying to push his shaggy black mane out of his eyes. "He's a baby, he isn't gonna listen."

  Arcangelo gave the older boy a half-hearted glare, but he was right, the baby did not want to stay still for daddy and kept wriggling out of the fresh diapers laid out beneath it.

  "I'll give you ten euros if you'll stay still." Arcangelo bribed as the child babbled and tried to turn in order to crawl away, Arsenio's laughter ringing through the nursery. "Okay, fine. Here!" He exclaimed in defeat, picking up a stuffed toy and handing it to the child, distracting it long enough to fix the diaper into place before letting out a triumphant sound and throwing his hands up in victory, Arsenio clapping for his success.

  "Hello." An amused voice called from the entrance of the doorway, Arcangelo's gaze snapping up to his ethereal wife who stood with a little child sleeping in her arms. "We're back."

  "Hey!" Arcangelo greeted as he picked up the little child into his arms, the baby fussing and obviously sleepy.

  "Hi, mom!" Arsenio called making his way over to Rosalie with his father, watching him place a kiss on her lips before rocking the child in his arms.

  "How was girl's day out?"

  "Serafina and I did quite a bit of shopping." His wife revealed with a smile, stroking the baby's back before ruffling Arsenio's hair. "But she got pretty tired and decided to sleep on the way back."

  "Hmm..."

  "How was boy's day in?"

  "Salvatore is quite the explorer, but he enjoys it when his big brother reads to him." Arcangelo chuckled at the revelation about their sons, chuckling at the grin on Arsenio's face. "Although, we made quite a mess if I say so myself."

  "I can see that," Rosalie noted as she peeked at the condition of the nursery from around Arcangelo. "The twins can't possibly sleep in here tonight."

  "They'll all sleep with us then." He stated as they made their way across the hall and into their bedroom, a respective twin in the parent's hand, as they held Arsenio's hands in the middle.

  Rosalie placed their daughter onto the bed as Arsenio sat kneeling beside her, watching her sleep in fascination while Arcangelo soothed their son to sleep in his arms. Softly humming into his ear and walking around the room. Changing Serafina, Rosalie tucked the baby in the center of the bed, placing a pillow on one side as the other was occupied by a sleeping Arsenio. Pulling the duvet over the two, she went to get change.

  Once Arcangelo had lulled their boy to sleep, he too got changed and joined his wife, settling on the other side of the bed, the little twins and their elder brother sleeping between them.

  "Good night, handsome," Rosalie spoke quietly, leaning across to place a quick kiss on his lips.

  "Good night, princess."

  Turning towards the lamp, he turned it off as they got under the covers. The children sound asleep while feeling safe and protected in their parent's arms, knowing that they would catch them if they ever fell.

  That was the thing about parents. They are always there no matter the circumstances, no matter what you do, no matt
er how hard it gets, or how big you are, they are always there. Like how you know the stars are there even in broad daylight, just like that, your parents will be by your side no matter what.

  Arcangelo knew that nobody looked good in their darkest hour, but those hours made him who he is. But he also forgot that God can turn his darkest hours into his brightest ones.

  Arcangelo's head ran with that thought as he watched his children sleep, appreciating everything that his parents did for him, for if they had altered the course of one decision, he might not have met Rosalie, the love of his life, and he wouldn't have had these three beautiful children to brighten up his life.

  Sighing in content, he placed a kiss on his children's forehead, giving one to his wife as well as he lay down, and closed his eyes to fall into a calm and peaceful sleep. The entire world falling into place around him.

  Chapter XL: Big Brother is Watching.

  Arcangelo had his arm draped over Rosalie's waist as she lay with her back to his chest both of them sleeping soundly at 7:30 a.m. in the morning. That is until their bedroom door burst open as their children came running in.

  "Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom!" Salvatore ran in, yelling.

  "Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad!" Serafina exclaimed in sync with her twin as they both jumped onto their sleeping parents, jolting them awake as they tried to get their bearings.

  "What? What?" Arcangelo groaned his vision blurry with sleep as he tried to wake up. "What?" He asked, rubbing his eyes before looking at the two 10-year-old who were sitting at their feet, toothily grinning at their parents.

  "Arsenio is coming home today!" They exclaimed together as Rosalie gave them a sleepy smile, Arcangelo exhaling before laying his head back on the pillow.

  "He'll be arriving at 1 p.m. It's still 7 in the morning, go back to sleep." Arcangelo murmured as he pulled his wife closer to him.

  "We can't go to sleep!" Serafina exclaimed. "Dad! Arsenio is coming home!"

  "Yeah, dad!" Salvatore nodded.

  "At least let us sleep," Rosalie stated.

  "Go on, shoo you two," Arcangelo spoke as the twins looked at them for a moment before getting off the bed and making their way out. "And close the door."