Sold To The Mafia Don

The flight took nine hours. And a lot happened during that period of time.

I was still gazing at the luxurious interior of the jet when he asked me sit and buckle up. The plush leather seats felt super comfy. There was a bedroom, a bar and a very silent crew. They came to welcome us and went back to wherever they were situated. The plane was larger than I expected too.

I settled into the seat with a sigh as we got ready for take off. Jace sat across me. I could feel his eyes on me as I gripped the arm rests when the plane started to take off. 

It had been so long since I flew and every time I did, I got nervous about the takeoff.

I shut my eyes tightly all through until the jet was finally in the air and somewhat stable. I opened my eyes and met his.

"Are you alright?" 

I saw a hint of concern in his eyes.

I nodded. "I'm fine."

He signalled for someone and the flight attendant came. He told her something I couldn't hear and then she came to me with a smile.

"Mrs Romano, would you like to have some champagne or espresso?"

I thought about it. I wasn't sure I was in that headspace to actually want to drink anything whether soft or strong. 

"Water is fine." I replied her. 

She nodded and left.

I faced the screen in front of me, looking for what to watch. 

The hostess came back with my glass of water but she also had a plate. I was confused. I did not ask for anything but water.

"Don Romano ordered this for you, ma'am." She said as soon as she saw the confused look on my face.

I glanced at him but he was busy on his laptop. 

"Thank you," I said to her with a small smile and she left.

I picked up the fork, sliced into the cake and brought it to my mouth. It tasted heavenly. It reminded me of the pastries I used to make at my own bakery. That made me happy and sad all at the same time. 

But it also softened a part of me because even when he was obviously a jerk, he still cared about my feelings. Kind of. 

Maybe he did have a soft spot for me, I started to think but I shook off the thought. Men like him did not know how to love. They only knew duty, performance and pleasure. There was nothing affectionate about Jace Romano and I needed to get those delusional thoughts out of my head. 

I forgot to thank him for ordering it before drifting into a nap. I hardly had a proper sleep from the previous night so it was pretty obvious that I had to nap.

When I woke up, there was a plate of food waiting for me. Some rice, peas and lamb chops.

"Slept well?"

I sat up, realizing he was sitting next to me on the bed. I felt him carry me to the bedroom during my nap. 

"I guess so. Are we close?"

"We still have a couple of hours to go." He answered. 

Somehow I noticed how unsettled he was. 

Was he... nervous? I wondered. 

But of course I could never ask him that. 

I went back into the sitting area after eating. I was holding a glass of juice as I stood to stretch my legs when there was slight turbulence. I mistakenly spilled my drink on his lap as he caught me when I was about to fall. 

I was so thankful it wasn't his laptop but it was awkward all the same. 

"I'm so sorry." I apologized quickly.

He huffed in response.

"I'll help you clean it up." I said.

"Just sit." He sounded irritated and that was enough reason for me to sit still in my seat for the rest of the flight and not utter a single word.

~~~

The flight finally landed hours later. I sighed in relief as we got off the plane.

I had never been on a flight for that long. 

As expected, there were cars waiting for us as we disembarked from the flight.

He helped me get in first.

I stared out the window as the driver sped through the city.

The city of Rome is beautiful. It took my breath away.

I couldn't help but bring out my phone to take a few videos. 

He snatched it out of my hand after I had taken just one. I gasped in shock.

"What was that for?"

"No one must know where you are." He growled lowly.

Angrily, I snatched my phone back.

"I don't even have a social media presence. I don't post anything! I'm taking these videos for the sake of memories!"

I didn't care that his driver and guard were seated in front listening to me yell at their feared boss. I had had it with him and his controlling behavior.

"Hey!"

"Don't yell at me. I did not nothing wrong. You're at fault, accept that." I retorted.

He went quiet for a bit and when he spoked again, his tone had calmed down. 

"Fine. You can make your videos."

I was already upset so there was no point anymore.

"Never mind. So I don't reveal your location." I retorted sarcastically.

"Mira." 

I could hear the warning in his tone but I did not care. I turned away from him and faced the window for the rest of the ride. There was silence all through but it was nothing unexpected.

Several minutes passed and it seemed like It was another trip entirely far out of the busy parts of the city. I was tempted to ask how long this drive was going to be. Weren't we supposed to be sleeping at a hotel? 

It wasn't until we approached the gates that led to what looked like castle that I realized that I was meeting his family.

Shit. Why didn't it cross my mind before? Why on earth did he not give me a heads up?

I immediately started to panic.

I glared hard at him. I was sure he noticed but chose to ignore me. As usual.

As the car drew closer I figured I was right. This was not a mansion. It was an actual castle. I wondered when it was built, how many rooms it had, how many underground escape routes it possibly had. I had so many questions running through my mind. These questions were cut short when the guards came to open my door.

"Welcome to the Romano residence." One of them said stiffly.

I nodded unable to even whisper my thanks as I looked up at the towering building.

Jace walked past me as I gaped up at it.

"Try not to get lost." He said as he went ahead of me.

"Cazzo!" I cussed under my breath in Italian, glad he was too far away to hear me.

That was indeed what he was. A dick.