Elena's POV:

My older brothers have been gone for the past week on a business trip. It was the first time that they all collectively went. It was a bit strange to have dinner and breakfast with just Amelia and Victor, but it was relaxing. I didn't have to fight over the tv remote with Leonardo or protect my cake pops from Nicolas.

Also I didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn for my training sessions with Silas which meant I could sleep longer. I loved sleeping longer.

But I did miss them.

Especially Theo.

I was quite attached to him. I called him everyday to tell him all about my day like I'd do if he was home. Although, I didn't want to annoy him, I could tell that our calls took some stress of him. He sounded very stressed and it made me worried.

But he'll be home today.

"Are we going to the mall Saturday?" Cecelia asked as we walked down the stairs after school.

"Yeah, I need new bras." I agreed.

By some miracle, my boobs were starting to grow. I'd outgrown all my other bras and I really needed new ones. My old ones were too tight and small.

"Okay, see you later, girlies!" She waved at me and Amelia.

Though they were still a bit tense around each other, things were a lot better than how they used to be. Ever since Amelia and I had gotten closer, my friends started to be nice to her as well. It helped that Amelia wasn't acting like a major bitch anymore.

We walked to the car where our bodyguards were waiting. Victor was already inside scrolling through his phone but he smiled when we got inside.

"They're waiting for us at home."

I grinned excitedly and couldn't wait to hug Theo. The entire ride home, Amelia and I did Rock Paper Scissors to decided who got to hug Theo first. She won.

So naturally I wasn't in the best mood when we walked inside our home. I pulled off my shoes and put on my slippers as Amelia happily ran inside to hug our favourite brother.

Victor laid his hand on my shoulder with a soft smile and guided me to the living room where our brothers were.

Something was wrong. I could tell it immediately.

Amelia was hugging Theo tightly and he hugged her back but I could see the tension on his face.

It made me freeze in my spot. Victor gazed down at me with a concerned look but he also caught the vibe.

"What's wrong?"

Things were going great. Even with my cousin Giana. After two weeks of thinking, she made the decision of getting an abortion. Nonna nearly fainted after hearing that but I was happy that Giana made that decision herself. She was now on a road trip in Australia with her best friends for healing.

My sessions with my therapist had been going amazing and I haven't had a nightmare or attack since our trip to Italy.

I don't want things to get bad again. I know that it isn't in my hands, but I wanted to be very selfish. I didn't want this happiness to stop, not when I treasured it so much.

"Emotional support, cupcake." Nicolas lifted me up in his arms for a tight embrace.

Emotional support? I held onto him tightly as I panicked. My eyes went to Theo who avoided my look.

What was going on?

I started to cry. I was extra emotional because I was on my period and I was sensitive about things going wrong with my family.

"Nobody's dying, kid, stop crying." Silas shook his head.

Theo let go of Amelia and came to me. I urgently jumped out of Nicolas' embrace to hug my favourite brother. He caressed my hair and held me as I cried against his chest.

"It's alright. Don't cry, tesoro." He told me softly.

"Something is wrong. You have to tell me." I looked up at him.

An uneasy look crossed his eyes and made me hold onto him tighter. Why couldn't he tell me what was going on?

"Sit down. I have something to tell you." Hector spoke up.

Oh, no.

Theo sat me down on the couch and I snuggled up against his side. Amelia sat down beside him as well. I looked up at Hector and tried to read his face. The only thing that I could read was tiredness. Other than that he was good at hiding his emotions.

"You know that we've been in Las Vegas for Ricci's funeral." He started.

Riccardo Ricci was the capo of Nevada. I've met him at the Christmas party and he'd been nice to me. I knew that dad and him were close friends. Dad even flew over to Las Vegas to attend the funeral but he didn't come home.

I didn't know why.

"I won't discuss the family business with you, but there is something that you must know."

It made my heart drop. Why couldn't he just get to the point and stop torturing me like this?

"To ensure our hold on Nevada, we had to make some arrangements."

That was so vague.

"Just spit it out! I'm going to to have a heart attack!" I yelled frustrated.

Theo opened his mouth to calm me down but Leonardo spoke up first.

"Theo's getting married."

Though, I was thankful for the answer, I couldn't help but be annoyed. I thought Theo and I were close. Why didn't he tell me he had a girlfriend?

"You didn't tell me that you have a girlfriend!" I pouted.

"He doesn't. We arranged a marriage between Ricci's daughter and Theo." Silas spoke up.

He looked annoyed, while I gasped in shock. An arranged marriage? I never thought our family would do that. I gazed at my big brother in concern and felt overwhelmed.

"Is Hector forcing you?" Amelia asked upset.

If he was, I'd kick his ass. No one would be able to hold me back.

"Of course not, principessa. I made the decision myself." He assured her.

I still didn't like it. And now I realised that neither Silas did.

"You put the business above your own life like an idiot." He accused Theo.

"Silas." Hector warned him.

Silas jumped up from his spot on the couch. He was raged and I could tell that he was going to beat the shit out of the punching bag again.

You don't want to be around him when he does that.

"You should've just let me tear those fuckers apart and the problem would've been solved." He snarled at Hector.

They got in each other's faces and for a split second I thought that they were going to fight. I tightened my grip on Theo's arm as I watched them with fearful eyes.

"Calm down." Victor got between them.

They immediately pulled away and Silas stormed off. Hector sighed and his tiredness became even more obvious.

He walked upstairs to hopefully go to bed but knowing him he'd just work even more.

"Is she pretty? What's her name? Did you meet her?" Amelia demanded from Theo.

Even Victor was intrigued because he sat down in front of us on the coffee table with a curious look.

"Her name is Ariana Ricci and I've met her briefly at her father's funeral." Theo informed us.

"She's fucking hot." Nicolas added.

The twins were laying on the other couch. Nicolas was snacking on something like usual while Leonardo had his eyes closed. I knew that he wasn't asleep and listening in.

"Nico." Theo told him sternly.

"What? Jealous that I'm gonna take your little fiancé?" Nicolas smirked.

We collectively rolled our eyes at him.

"Show me a picture! I don't trust Nicolas when it comes to appearances." Amelia insisted.

Nicolas was offended by that. But Theo pulled out his phone and showed us a picture of Ariana. My mouth fell open and for once Nicolas was right.

Ariana was hot.

She had wavy black hair and stunning green eyes. She had a petite face that looked so angelic and soft. I tried to imagine her next to Theo with his dark blond hair and blue eyes.

They'd make a beautiful couple.

"When are you getting married?" I asked still staring at the picture.

"Next year in the summer. We haven't pinned down a date but mama's going to take care of it." Theo replied.

"Mama approves?" Victor questioned.

I knew one person who'd be through the roof with happiness. Nonna. She'd been encouraging my older brothers to find wives and give her great-grandchildren.

"She understands why this is necessary." Theo was being vague about that.

Amelia and I shared a look. We'll call mom and get all the details out of her.

"But the engagement party is next month." Nicolas added.

Next month?! My jaw dropped even further. Sheesh, they were moving fast.

"It'll be alright. Diego Ricci told me that his sister is very sweet and caring. I'm sure that you'll love her." Theo assured us.

He shouldn't be assuring us.

"You're supposed to love her." I muttered.

"Don't worry, tesoro. It'll all be alright." He kissed my cheek.

It wasn't going to be alright. He was marrying someone he didn't even know.

"What about her? Does she want to marry you?"

"We're both fulfilling a duty. It's not about wanting."

Again, he was being vague.

"What happens when you marry her? Will you move out?" Amelia worried.

Oh, no.

More tears streamed down my face.

If Theo moved out, I'd be a mess of a person.

"You can't! I've only got to live with you for a few months. It hasn't even been a year." I sobbed.

He caught me and whispered sweet words in my ears to calm me down. I needed him. That was selfish of me but I was so dependent on him.

"We're family, Elena. Family stays together. I won't go anywhere, alright? She'll just live here with us." He promised me.

When Theo makes a promise, he kept it. I nodded against his chest and didn't want to let him go.

This was a lot to take but it wasn't even the worst thing that would happen to our family.