Chapter 2 - Vivian

There was nothing worse than a family dinner.

Sitting down and having a meal wouldn't be all that painful if I had a different family—one that functioned normally. One that didn't make me feel like shrinking into myself every time I was stuck in a room with all of them.

Lounging in the living room while I scrolled through my phone was supposed to be a moment of reprieve, a chance to collect myself before having to sit around the table and pretend like we all got along swimmingly.

It was always Dad's idea. After spending all week ignoring his kids, he'd announce that we needed to have more ‘family time.' As if having a sit-down dinner once a week would solve all our problems and traumas.

If it wasn't clear enough, it never worked. It did virtually nothing and caused more stress than necessary.

But still, if it was Dad's idea, then it happened regardless.

Letting go of a deep breath, I continued scrolling, looking through pictures posted by the equestrian center I went to during the week. It was the one thing I had that my family couldn't ruin, and I cherished every moment I had there.

I had a few prized horses, but I had trained my best one from the ground up and spent as much time with him as possible. Being around the horses was my favorite thing, and even in the worst times, it gave me comfort and stability in a life where I had very little of both.

While I certainly had opportunities that many others didn't since money was never an issue growing up, it all came at a price. Those privileges were monetary Band-Aids—Dad's solution for everything.

If he knew he'd been gone for a while, he'd sign me up for prestigious lessons somewhere. When he missed school events, graduations, or birthdays, he'd get us something expensive. After Mom died and I caught him getting too close with a woman much younger than him far too soon, his would-be new wife, he decided an all-expenses-paid trip to Greece was in order.

It didn't matter what happened or how he messed up; Dad would find a way to use his money to fix it for him.

I didn't always mind the lessons or trips, since I never had much to do outside of those things, but Dad's absence seemed to hurt my brothers the most. Two eager boys wanting nothing more than to have their father's approval were caused an endless storm of anguish and anger when he didn't give them the time of day.

Dad may have ignored me at the best of times, leaving me to do whatever I pleased within reason, but he was something else entirely to them. He was a ghost of the man they looked up to—the man they expected to show them the ropes and include them in his work.

His disappointment in them was palpable. Whether it was because of their behavior that stemmed from his absence, or if there was just something he didn't like about them, it was evident enough.

And of course, being the youngest and only girl in the family, I was the sole target of said bad behavior.

Since he wasn't there to nurture and guide them, it certainly meant he was never there to stop either of them from picking on me and choosing me as their outlet to let out those tumultuous emotions.

It had been silent while I scrolled through the photos, biding my time until this evening was over, but the moment Dante dropped himself into the armchair across from me, it felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room.

I felt his eyes burning into me immediately, and I risked a glance up to find him staring.

Letting go of a breath, I returned my attention to my screen, hoping he'd just forget it for Dad's sake.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing," I mumbled, already aware of what was to come.

"That looks like more than nothing."

"So?"

"You're always distracting yourself with useless things." he sneered, wearing a smug smirk on his face.

I didn't say anything, knowing he always just wanted to get a rise out of me. Instead, I kept scrolling, feeling like the world was caving in around me.

But that was an obvious mistake.

With a rush of movement, Dante was up faster than I could register, and he snatched the phone right out of my hand.

"Give it back!" I said, gritting my teeth to hold back from shouting too loud.

"I don't think I will," he said, wearing a triumphant grin as I stood and tried to take it from him, but he was much taller than I and able to hold it above both our heads.

"Dante, stop it," I muttered, trying to reach for it despite how useless it was.

He flipped the phone around and noticed what was on my screen, only to pull a mocking look of innocence when he met my gaze again. "Aw, you're looking at pictures of your precious Seabiscuit again?"

"His name's Arion."

"Same thing," he mumbled, looking disinterested. "I think Sunday Roast is more like it. What a useless beast."

The thought made me recoil, disgusted. "You're cruel."

"You're still a horse girl. You could do anything with your time, and you choose horses? You're embarrassing," he chided, still holding my phone out of range while he pressed the screen. "I wonder what else you have on here…"

"I said give it back!" I snapped, tired of always dealing with the same thing from him, reminding me of when we were kids. Not much had changed since then. "You're a spoiled, rotten man-child! Harassing me won't get you Dad's attention no matter how desperately you want it."

"Ouch," Elio, our eldest brother, said as he entered the room, hardly looking up from his phone. "Watch yourself."

Immediately, Dante's eyes darkened, and he forgot all about my phone as he tossed it aside to snatch my wrists.

Pain erupted across my skin as he pinched both together, using his strength against me. He pinned me there, eyes searing into me. "Want to say that again?"

"Stop, you're hurting me," I managed, sucking in a scared breath. "Dante, let go!"

"Kids," Dad mumbled from the other room, voice distant. "Whatever you're doing…quit it…"

Another half-assed attempt to restore order in his own house. He was probably too preoccupied with his wife to care.

Of course, Dante knew he wouldn't do anything, just like always. He tightened his grip on me.

"I think you've forgotten who you're talking to," he muttered, nearly making my wrist pop from the pressure. "How would you feel if I made my way over to that precious equestrian center and put that beast down, huh? An apparent man-child with a gun can do a lot of damage."

"Elio, help me!"

Elio only snickered and got up again as he made his way toward the dining room. "You started this, so you can fight your own battles."

"But I didn't!"

"And I don't care," he muttered, already leaving the room.

Panic rushed through me as Dante brought a hand up, pointing a finger in my face. "Disrespect me like that again and you'll learn to regret it real fast. Remember that."

"Everyone get in here, dinner's ready!" Dad shouted, voice reverberating through the big, cold house.

With a final glare, Dante shoved me down, dropping me onto the couch as he scoffed and turned away from me.

I took a moment to regain my bearings the moment I was left alone, aware of how fast my heart was racing. Tears welled in my eyes, bringing me right back to my childhood, reminding me of how badly I wanted out of there.

Even in my early twenties, I was just as much of a target as when we were young.

I should've been out on my own, going to school and starting a life for myself, but Dad wouldn't allow it. He said I was his little girl still, and I couldn't leave until he ‘made arrangements.'

While my brothers were useless to him, I apparently wasn't. He was only waiting for the best offer to make it all worth it.

Sucking in a shaken breath, I reached for my phone, only to find the screen completely shattered.

The broken screen didn't matter. Of course not. There were always new ones, and Dad would tell me to put it on his card and pretend like he'd do something about Dante.

But he wouldn't. He wouldn't stand up for me or put my brother back in his place. Instead, he'd ignore him and pretend like Dante wasn't his flesh and blood.

And I would be just as alone. Just as susceptible to his bullying, his number one target.

"Vivian!" Dad yelled, snapping me out of it.

Letting go of another breath, I wiped my tears and reassured myself that Dante wouldn't really follow through with his threat. At least, I told myself he wouldn't. I pulled myself together as best I could and joined the rest of my family in the dining room as if nothing happened, despite the bruises already forming on my wrists.

Avoiding Dante's scalding eye, I looked down at my plate while the chef brought out the last of the meal, and Dad said grace before we dug in.

Having retreated within myself once again, I didn't say anything, afraid of earning more ridicule from my brothers.

Dante was always the worst of them, but with Elio's passive disposition, he seemed just as bad at times. He could help me, but he usually didn't. On the worst days, he would even join in.

Dad talked about everything and nothing at the same time, not allowing much room for anyone else to join in except for his wife, Shannon. She was a tanned, blonde-haired, and blue-eyed young woman who was far too beautiful to be with my dad, but it didn't take much to realize exactly why she put up with him.

She certainly wasn't the brightest, but she had her priorities straight, and even if I didn't agree with them, she knew what she wanted.

Shannon loved expensive things, and if it took flocking to a rich man to get her said things, then flock she would. She scarcely paid any attention to us. Even if I had been angry with Dad for the fact that he was already moving on when Mom was hardly buried in the ground, I still tried to get to know her. Yet she didn't care to give me the time of day.

While none of us particularly liked her, Elio especially wasn't fond of the situation. Shannon was nearly his age, and she was Dad's biggest distraction. Despite trying to get his attention, hoping to be brought into the fold of the family business, it never seemed to work because of her.

Dante was right behind him in vying for his mentorship, but it was always fruitless.

I would've felt bad for them if they didn't treat me like their personal punching bag.

Barely picking at the herb-crusted chicken and sautéed vegetables in front of me, I couldn't help but focus on how badly I always wanted us to be normal. How much I wanted to not feel like a prisoner in our family home.

"We were thinking of taking another romp to the Caribbean," Dad began, throwing back some of his red wine.

Elio's face tensed as he met his gaze. "Again? What about business?"

"What about it? It'll be here when we get back."

"I was hoping you might show me your recent dealings," my brother tried, reaching out once again. His hints were far too obvious, and yet, Dad still dodged them.

Dad waved the sentiment off. "No need to worry about that."

Looking down at his plate, Elio's jaw clenched, but he dropped it. Dante looked just as frustrated.

"The water was so blue the last time we went, wasn't it, dear?"

Shannon nodded enthusiastically with a pressed smile. "Yes, so blue."

Letting go of a discreet breath, I tried to ignore her half-assed attempts at seeming like one of the family, and Dad's desperation to make her exactly that.

"In fact, I was hoping—"

A loud pop traveled through the house, making us all freeze. We glanced at one another before we all looked at Dad. More loud sounds followed.

He seemed just as confused, looking toward one of the guards waiting in the hall. "What's going on?"

The guard turned to speak to him, pulling his phone away from his ear, only for a shot to sound closer, and his mouth to hung open with surprise. Red seeped into the front of his white button-up, tainting the fabric as he dropped to the floor.

My eyes widened, and my skin froze over.

Dad stood up just as a handful of men dressed in all black rushed inside, making for us immediately. Their rifles were pointed at us, shouting at us to stay where we were.

"You," one of them said, stepping into the room with a pistol aimed at Dad. He loomed over everyone with his great height, built as intimidatingly as possible. Like a wall of muscle, he commanded everyone's attention with ease. "Sit. Everyone else, get up."

Shannon was a blubbering mess as she stood, and my brothers were just as afraid, their eyes wide. When they didn't stand fast enough, the other men swooped in and roughly brought them to their feet, forcing the barrels of their guns against their necks.

Dante's hands were shaking, and something about it struck me.

They were terrified. For once, they were at the receiving end, forced into a state of complete fear and submission.

It was surprisingly satisfying to see, despite the circumstances.

But it was nice to watch them cower instead of me.

As soon as one of the men grabbed my arm and murmured a ‘get up' to me, that satisfaction came crashing down, and I snapped back to the present.

Fear coursed through me then at the reality that there was a swarm of heavily armed men in our dining room, and we were all at their mercy.

I trembled in the man's grasp, but my gaze was fixed on the man who seemed to be orchestrating the whole ordeal.

His black tee hugged every hard muscle on his body, impossible to ignore regardless of how scared I was. Even if he was wearing clothes appropriate for combat, paired with black gloves and heavy boots, he looked clean-cut, his loose black curls maintained and the sides tapered.

The moment he glanced over at me, all the oxygen in the room seemed to vanish, and I was stunned.

Those icy blue eyes found mine, hard with his fear-inducing intentions, yet a slight glimmer in them made my heart race.

He was ridiculously beautiful with his tan skin and a few tattoos peeking from beneath the short sleeves of his tee, so much so that I couldn't look away no matter how much I wanted to.

I couldn't understand why I was so attracted to him, especially while his gun was aimed at my dad and he ambushed our family dinner.

That eye contact felt like it lasted a lifetime until his lips barely pulled upward in a slight smirk before he faced Dad again, focusing on the task at hand.

That expression didn't reach his eyes, making them seem even darker than before.

With villain-like satisfaction, he murmured, "It's about time we officially met, Edoardo."