"Get up and come with me downstairs," Emilio said, his voice sharp and clear, Sofia was slowly getting used to the fact that it was just the way he spoke, he didn't really look like he was mad at her or anything.

Of course, she planned to ignore him but then, he suprised her.

"Fine, I will let Ianniellos know that you don't want to see them," he said in a satisfied voice and was about to leave when Sofia jumped out of bed and ran towards him.

She grabbed his hand to stop him from leaving ignroing his suprised experession and asked. Wait, are you serious? They're here?!" mix of hope, joy, and mistrust in her eyes.

"Yes. They're here, unfortunately" he replied.

She started running downstairs as fast as she could and when she arrived in the hallway she saw them.

She was so glad to see them, so happy.

Alessandro was the first one she needed to hug. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" she chanted.

"Are you okay, piccola?" Alessandro asked quietly, and Sofia nodded in response.

Then she was attacked with hugs by Valentino and Francesco.

"I missed you, you idiot" Valentino said hugging her tightly, he was still mad at her about running off just to save him but he was also extremly happy to see her.

"I'm sorry" she felt the need to apologize to everyone, including Francesco who was probably worried sick about her.

"It's okay," he said, stroking her back slowly. "I'm so happy to see you, Fia," he said while hugging her tightly.

"Let's sit down" Emilio invited them to the table, using a formal voice.

"I will get straight to the point - we want Sofia back" Alessandro said the moment they sat down. He wanted to make this clear from the very beginning.

"You know I started this meeting feeling generous and even planned to let her see you once or twice a month on a neutral ground but if you keep speaking nonsense I might change my mind" Rosario responded, he looked bored as he was sending his very real threats. Sofia has never seen someone being so relaxed and having a threatening aura at the same time.

"If you want me to start a war over this I will" Alessandro replied, determined to fulfill his wish.

"Oh, believe me, I would love that" Rosario replied without missing a beat. "I've been waiting to get some new territories for a while. Unfortunately, things got messy and now ending your family would be a problem" he said taking a quick glance at Sofia.

"I'm not leaving this place without my sister," Alessandro said without dignifying Rosario's remarks with a response.

"She's my sister and she's not going anywhere," Rosario said firmly.

"Stop it!" Sofia yelled. "Stop talking like I'm not here and stop acting like children from a kindergarten who both want to take the same toy. I'm not a toy" she said.

Rosario chuckled.

"This is good, oh gosh I would never imagine having my little sister comparing me to a child, you're something," he said wiping a non-existent tear from the corner of his eye.

Sofia wasn't laughing. This was not a joke for her.

"Sofia, this wasn't appropriate" Alessandro scolded and she exactly looked down. Right, her serious brother was still here, and she was sure he didn't appreciate what she just said.

"S-"

"Don't apologize to him," Rosario said, now his voice was more serious. Two gentlemen were now in a staring contest.

"Then let me disappear," she said quietly.

"What?" That brought attention to everyone in the room, the smirk disappeared from Rosario's face and the rest of her brothers weren't smiling in the first place.

"All of this is happening because I have to live with one of you, I can live on my own, if I do there won't be a problem" Sofia started speaking, and seeing that everyone is listening to her she continued "Just send me somewhere. Can be a boarding school, like Cynthia. Just not the same that Cynthia goes to. But somewhere. Right now I don't want to live with either of you anyway if you're going to fight all the time I don't need to see it"

"No," both Alessandro and Rosario said simultaneously. Then they looked at each other with unimpressed expressions.

Oh, Lord.

"I'm so done with this shit," Alessio said rudely.

"Excuse me?" Rosario asked.

"Control your brother" Alessandro warned.

"Mind your own uncultured siblings" Rosario sneered.

"Who are you calling uncultured?!" Valentino yelled.

"She wanted to kill herself," Alessio said, his voice was quiet but clear. In that sense, he remained Alessandro.

The whole room went quiet.

"What?"

Alessio continued his thought as if he was undisturbed.

"Sofia, explain"

"I. I am just really sad lately, I'm sorry?" she didn't know what to say.

"Why? Why on earth would you do that?"

What was she supposed to say to them? She just shrugged her shoulders.

"I am just... I am just sad. I can't explain it" she started speaking then paused for the moment before taking a breathe and continiuing her speech "But I will be okay, I promise. Just don't fight over me please"

Her brothers went quiet. No one knew how to respond to it either.

Alessandro looked at Rosario, this time without anger "None of us are really willing to give up living with Sofia, right?" He said quietly, without directly addressing her.

Rossario shortly nodded, with interest watching what Alessandro has to say.

"None of us wants her to send her away anyway" here his piercing gaze rested on Sofia and she had to look away. He really didn't like what she said and he wordlessly made sure she knows that.

"That goes without saying" Rosario snorted. Over his dead body she's going anywhere. He just found her.

"That is the case for our family too. We can't do it like a divorced couple, we can't just have her on odd days and you on even days, that would never work" Alessandro continiued his speech.

"So what are you proposing?" Rosario asked.

"We need to unify our families. We're already connected by blood through Sofia, it is already clear that for her sake we cannot go against each other"

Valentino took a deep breath.

What just happened was insane, everyone, maybe except Sofia understood the gravity of this decision. "You know, I agree. Sofia is biding our families together, none of us can hurt each other because that would hurt her. However, I think our alliance should be made through an old way, that is marriage"

Valentino's shocked expression, unfortunately, drew Rosario's attention as an evil smirk appeared on his lips "We don't have another sister but we may get him engaged to Cynthia, just in case"

"I'm not getting married with that b-" he started saying angrily but was stopped.

"Don't finish that, she's still our family I can still shoot you" Emilio warned darkly.

"You did not just threaten to shoot my brother," Francesco said with a threatening voice.

Oh boy. Things were about to get nasty.

"Is there any woman in your family who's not Cynthia?"

"Which year is it why are you arranging someone's marriage like that?!" Sofia yelled completely shocked by what she's witnessing.

"Arranged marriages are very common families in families like ours who still can use marriage as a way to unify and cooperate without fear of betrayal" Francesco explained patiently.

"One woman from your side one woman from yours" Rosario proposed, looking at Alessandro with amused expression.

That proposition was simply because it was meant to be equal or it wasn't to be at all. They were still CEOs of one of the biggest companies in the country after all.

"I agree, but we need time to find appropriate candidates" he replied.

Rosario nodded. "Deal. Now all we need is a new family home, because I assume you don't want to move in here"

"We're in real estate business getting a house is not an issue here" Francesco spoke for the first time.

"Then I will leave it to you to prepare good propositions, I want them on my desk on Friday" he said with a smug face and for a moment no one could speak because of his audacity. Rosario was truly of another kind to order Francesco around like this.

"Go f-" then he cleared his throat "Of course" he said in a calm voice. Wow, that was truly a quick transformation.

Sofia couldn't believe it was happening. She would live with both Ianniellos and Denaros? Six brothers under the same roof. Oh, boy.

"Yes. And now that we're all here you're going to eating normally, right?" Emilio asked, giving her intimidating stare.

"Y-yes," Sofia replied.

"She wasn't eating? Fia"' Francesco asked with concern in his voice.

Intensive stares of everyone involved.

"Well now that's it's all settled I will go to sleep" she said shapeishly.

All six of her brothers looking at her, in unamused expressions. Six against one. Not. Fair.

"Oh, really. So aren't you going to tell us anything about your trip to Denaro's house? Like when you stole a motorcycle from us without having a driver's license and just escaped?" Francesco changed the topic, making her situation even worse.

"I'm sorry?" Sofia said quickly, adapting from Valentino his hate to this sort of task.

Alessandro started speaking before Francesco could respond.

"And I would love to ground you but unfortunately it's not our priority at the moment. But don't think we're letting this behavior slide," Alessandro warned. Then he directed his words to everyone "Kids should leave the city for at least two weeks. Things can get heated due to changes that are about to be made"

"You're right, two weeks will be enough. They will be back at the beginning of the spring semester" Rosario decided.

"So it's settled" Rosario decided.

"No school for two weeks?!" Valentino said in excitement.

"Nice try. No, we will get private teachers to come with you" Francesco said.

Valentino and Sofia moaned simultaneously, Alessio seemed completely content with this solution.

"Why can't we just go on holidays? We have a house in Marseille" Valentino.

"Or Santorini" Alessio suggested.

"Sofia, where would you want to go?" Francesco asked gently.

"Me? Um... New York? Maybe?"

That settled it.