Chapter 4

Anastasia’s pov:

I have to choose an outfit for tonight, It is the last Saturday of the month which means we have a dinner with all our underbosses, their families as well as of some of our important business associates, That’s our tradition, It serves as a reminder that we are a big family, that we stand always side by side no matter what happens,

After spending half an hour in front of my wardrobe, I finally, I decide on an emerald gown that hugs perfectly my body in all the right places and highlights my curves, Then, I move to makeup, Instead of my signature bold red lipstick, I put a pink gloss, I leave my hair down cascading over my shoulders, I look one last time at my reflection on the mirror before getting out of my room,

As I enter the ball room, all eyes fall on me, And, as always I am the center of attention, I walk further on the room, when Lina, the five-year-old daughter of one of our underbosses, comes running in my direction, Too short to reach me, she hugs my knees,

“Ana I missed you muchas.”, She says, (so much, Spanish),

I lift her into my arms, “I missed you too Linita.”, I plant a kiss on her left cheek and the little girl giggles,

“I love your dress.”, I compliment her, She was wearing a yellow dress that suited her perfectly,

“Oh really, Madre chose it for me.”, As soon as she fineshes her sentence Malia, her mother, comes to us,

“Lina, where have you been?, I’ve been searching for you everywhere.”,

“I came to say hello to Ana.”,

The cheek of the woman turn a little bit red, “It’s Anastasia, Lina, not Ana.”,

“It’s okay, Let her call me whatever she likes, Okay, Linita?”, The little girl nods in response,

“Come on Lina we should go, Have a great evening Anastasia.”, Her mother says, I put Lina down and Malia takes her hands,

“You too Malia.”, I answer, As she leaves, the little girl waves me goodbye with her tiny little hand,

I scan the room searching for my father, I notice that some women are whispering things to each other, I am aware of the gossip around me, Although, a lot of women in my family, like Malia, truly love me and are proud of what I accomplished during the recent years but many others are jealous of me because of the power I hold and the position I occupy, All I do is focus on myself and ignore them,

I still remember, like it was yesterday, the day I was initiated to be officially a member of the mafia, I was the first girl to have such a privilege, At first, many of my father’s men disapproved of it, But, I showed them what I am capable of, In many serious situations I took the right decisions, I tortured and even killed myself every single man that dared to go against my will, Now, all I have is their respect,

I make my way to Papa, He is talking with his consigliere, Alfredo, who happens to be my uncle,

“I hope that I am not interrupting your conversation.”, I ask out of politeness,

“No, Not at all, Hija”, My dad says,

My uncle takes my hand and spins me around: “Estas muy linda y bonita, sobrina.”, (You are so beautiful, Spanish),

“Gracias tìo.”, (Thank you uncle, Spanish),

My uncle is one of best persons I have ever known, He is the best uncle I could possibly ask for, He was always there when I needed him, As a teenager when I fought with some boy at school or had a problem, I always went to him, He just understood me so well, While papa is a serious person, my uncle is the total opposite, He is fifteen years younger than him, He is funny and sometimes careless, If you want to go out in the night and hit a bar, and want someone to accompany you then, my uncle Alfredo would be your greatest option,

My uncle looks from me to my father and then he says :”Antonio don’t you think that it is time for Anastasia to get married?, She is twenty-three now, All girls in the family at her age are either already married or promised to someone.”,

“Yeah I agree with you, But, ella es mi mas preciosa hija en todo el mundo, I can’t let her go that easily.”, Dad says as he tugs me to his side, (my precious little daughter in the whole word, Spanish),

I know that eventually I will need to marry, But, I never had the chance to discuss this matter with Papa, I am certain that he will never let me marry a man against my will or a person that I disapprove of,

I still didn’t find the love of my life, the right man for me, A man that accepts that I will never be a stay at home wife, that everyday I risk my life, that I am his equal, not just a toy for him to satisfy his desires,

As I am lost in my thoughts, the son of one of our underbosses makes his way towards me,

During recent events, he has been a pain in my ass, He has been trying to seduce me nonstop, But, I am not interested in him, He is not type, not to mention how super annoying he is,

What was his name again?,

God!, I can’t remember,

Was it Liam?, Maybe Lucas, I am not sure,

“Buenas noches, Miss Anastasia.”, He says,

“Buenas noches.”, I say putting a fake smile on my face,

I extend my hand towards him, He brings it to his mouth and places a kiss on my temple,

“Will you offer me your first dance of the night?”,

Oh no, I want so much to scream No,

“Of course, with pleasure.”, I say back,

I wish I could reject his offer but we are being watched by half of the guests,

This will be a nightmare,

We make our way to the dance floor as music fills the air, I can feel eyes on us, I bet that we are being watched by at least half the guests,

He starts talking, But, I don’t pay full attention, My thoughts are surprisingly drawn to a certain man, A very very hot one,

Dante fucking Rossi,

The man is like a Greek god, He is undeniably attractive, How can be a man like not married?,

I bet that couldn’t find a woman who can handle him,

Why do I even care?, He is the enemy even though he is so sexy and I would kill to see his chest muscles,

I refocus and I pay attention to …,whatever his name is, I pretend that I am interested in what he is saying but In reality I don’t give a shit,

He is talking about his family business, They own a chain of restaurants around Spain where we sell some of our drugs, Since he doesn’t have any siblings, he is the only heir to this legacy,

In fact, in paper, he may make a suitable choice as a husband, But, in real life, he is far from being an option for me,

I look at Matteo who is standing by the bar having bourbon, His favourite, After years of friendship, we know each other so well that we understand one another from a single look, And, I can say that he senses my boredom,

He immediately places the glass on the counter and leaves his spot, He crosses the room to come and rescue me: “Excuse me for interrupting your dance, Miss Anastasia I have urgent news for you.”,

“They are very important.”, He adds looking directly at my dance partner,

In public Matteo makes sure to keep it professional and he calls me miss, But, in private, as friends, he calls me by my name because I don’t give a shit about etiquette,

“Thank you for the danse, I am sorry for the interruption.”,

“There is no problem, Work always comes first.”,

As soon as we get away from him, I say to Matteo: “Thank you for saving me, That was pure torture.”,

As soon as we make it to our table, he says: “Anastasia listen, I need to tell you something, You really should start thinking about marriage seriously, I heard two ladies saying that you were infertile that’s why no man accepted to marry you.”,

“Fuck, They really have a marvelous imagination.”,

“Matteo, I just need some time, This is not an easy decision to make.”,

He puts a hand over my shoulder, “We will figure this out together like we always do.”,

This marriage matter is starting to get serious, I need to find a suitable husband the sooner the better,