****

"I hate Irish tea parties", Serena muttered, soft enough for only Amara's ears, her eyes narrowed in a glare.

Amara cracked a smile at her friend's statement. She knew that Serena didn't really mean what she said. Her friend was currently very annoyed. And the reason behind it–

".....so good looking and he's even single now. Amara, do you think you could put in a good word for me to Cian?", the girl questioned, looking expectantly towards Amara.

"No, she won't", Serena retorted before Amara could have even opened her mouth to form a reply, her eyes cold as she assessed the girl. "And I suggest you drop the idea if you don't want to be known to Cian as someone who tried to take the advantage of his sister's kindness to further their own goals", she stated coolly.

Amara glanced back at the girl who had suddenly gone pale.

She was the daughter of one of the men who worked for her grandfather.

"I-I'm sorry",she stuttered, before getting up from her seat and walking to stand in the corner where a few other girls stood, discussing something amongst themselves.

"Why did your Aunt invite so many people over for this gathering?", Serena scowled.

"It's customary", Amara admitted, repeating the same words Aunt Claire had said to her when she had raised the question earlier in the day.

Sullivan Manor was currently playing host to the wifes and daughters of quite a few high positioned employees and allies of the family. They had been invited at the estate for a tea party which was organized by her Aunt while many of their husbands and sons were in Chicago.

"I don't know why girls even try any longer, Cian doesn't give any of them even a second glance", Vanessa Avdonin spoke from her place around the round table."Even Harley-"

She paused, her eyes darting towards Amara apologetically.

"Never mind",she mumbled.

"Go on", she ordered her softly. She wanted to hear what Vanessa had to say about Harley.

Amara cringed internally when she thought about the girl. She didn't know what exactly Harley's intention had been behind wanting to compete with her and she hadn't had the time to give the girl another thought with everything that had happened between Valerio and her, and now, three days later, her mind was preoccupied by other worries.

"Well",she muttered,"Cian always kept his distance with her even while in public, so much so that we sometimes wondered if he really was dating her but then why else would he have taken the girl under his protection?", she shrugged.

"They were not together", Serena stated with so much conviction that it caused all the girls sitting at the table to glance at her with surprise.

"I-It does explain it then", Vanessa stuttered, several moments after Serena did not elaborate her statement. "Why he didn't fight against Valerio when he took Harley under his custody."

Vanessa's eyes widened suddenly,"I'm not saying that he should have", she continued hurriedly, glancing at Amara. "Harley shouldn't have tried to attack you after losing the combat, she would have seriously hurt you if it hadn't been for Valerio."

"I'm so glad that she is gone now. She did not deserve to be amongst us",Leah interjected, a disgusted expression on her face.

Amara pursed her lips at the tone of the girl when something suddenly struck her, "Gone? What do you mean?''

"She's missing", Leah declared with apparent eagerness and excitement from being directly addressed by the Sullivan-Romero princess.

Amara's eyes widened, shocked. "M-Missing?!",she exclaimed in a high pitched voice.

Leah's eager nod did nothing to sooth the dread that was slowly coiling in her stomach.

"Don't be stupid Leah", a familiar voice snapped and Amara's eyes fell on Veronica who had walked towards their table and was standing behind Leah's chair. "That girl isn't missing. She has been expelled from Wolsford."

Amara heaved a small sigh of relief but immediately felt bad for what had happened to the girl. Wolsford Academy was one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, and once expelled from there, no institute would be willing to take her in!

In the back of her mind, Amara wondered if she could perhaps persuade Caden to pull some strings to get Harley in one of the partner schools of Wolsford.

She was brought out of her musings at the sound of someone clearing their throat delicately.

"Hello Amara", Veronica greeted her, a smile on her face.

Amara simply nodded in reply and was saved from holding any uncomfortable conversation from Veronica when Serena suddenly stood up, a hard expression on her face.

"Amara, I think it's time that I leave. I have to check if the staff has packed all my bags properly",she said. "Can we talk privately before I leave?''

"Of course", she murmured as she stood up from her seat, excusing herself and walking away with her friend, the Valentini guards who had accompanied Serena following them at a distance.

"Thank you", Amara said softly, "I don't think I could have..."

"What she did was wrong", Serena told her angrily. "The Callaghan family is mighty amongst the Irish mafia but you are a Sullivan", she emphasized meaningfully, "Besides she cannot expect you to forgive her so soon and no one has the right to fault you for being angry. So please, do not forgive her just because you feel pressurized to do so", she insisted.

Amara sighed when they reached the manor entrance. "Have you heard from your father or Silvano?", she questioned.

Serena shook her head. "Not yet",she admitted,"And I don't expect to, they never call when out for business trips. But I keep asking my guards if they have received any word from Chicago and all seems to be fine so don't worry", she reassured.

Amara smiled a little at her friend's confident, but inside, her heart felt heavy with worry, an uncomfortable feeling at the bottom of her stomach. A strange, foreign, fear—

She stumbled slightly when Serena threw her arms around her, "I wish I could stay in New York for a few more days even though I'm glad that the fest is over. I don't want to return home just yet", she spoke in a soft voice.

Amara hugged her friend."Why don't you call your father and ask him if you can?",she suggested whilst pulling away, eager with the idea.

"I can't... Father has given the guards strict instructions regarding my schedule", she replied,"It'll be a security breach If I don't follow it."

Amara nodded sympathetically. She understood what Serena meant because she too had the same restrictions placed on her in the absence of the men in her family. Even now, standing at the entrance of her own home, she knew she was being followed by at least one guard at all times.

"Have a safe journey", she wished Serena,"I'll see you in a few days."

She watched as her friend left with her entourage of Valentini guards before turning around and walking back inside under the keen eyes of the Sullivan guards stationed at the entrance.

Her thoughts soon turned back to Chicago. She had received only one call so far, and that had been from her Nonno on the first of their trip. Their conversation had been very short, he had only called to ensure that she was faring fine in their absence.

But Amara had not been given a chance to ensure the same and this did not settle well with her. It made her anxious!

So lost was she in her thoughts that she didn't notice someone coming towards her from the opposite direction and stopped just short of running into that person. It was a woman. A woman Amara knew.

"Hello, Miss Sullivan-Romero",the woman greeted her.

She was Veronica's mother, Reagan Callaghan.

"Hello lady Callaghan", Amara returned politely.

Reagan Callaghan was a formidable woman who ruled the business alongside her husband with an iron fist. Amara had heard from various sources how shrewed the woman could be. Her dark eyes always took in everything around her calculatively and being in her presence alone made Amara nervous.

"I had heard about the incident with the Avdonin boy spiking your drink with chillies. You seem to have recovered now", she stated, her face blank.

"Y-Yes", Amara stammered, surprised.

"My daughter was worried about you when you were sick", she continued, her eyes assessing Amara, who winced at the mention of Veronica.

"You are angry with my Veronica", Reagan Callaghan stated again and Amara glanced at her with thinly veiled surprise at her quick deduction.

"My daughter does not need to say the words for me to know what's happening in her life",the older woman replied as an explanation.

"I was angry and disappointed with Veronica. I could not have given her my forgiveness in just name. She betrayed my trust", Amara defended herself. "And it would take me some more time to forget what happened", she continued, slightly apologetic.

The woman remained silent, her eyes boring into Amara's piercingly.

"I had always assumed that you were different from your mother",she finally stated, a glint of disappointment flashing in her eyes.

Amara stiffened.

"Holding grudges was one of Cristina Romero's many flaws",she continued coolly."But whenever your name was mentioned in any circle, it was always followed by how kind and generous you were and I felt an unexpected relief every time to know that your Sullivan blood outweighed the Romero blood flowing through your veins. I was wrong, I admit", she stated imperiously.

"What's that suppose to mean?", Amara asked her in a quiet voice, her fists clenching in anger.

Reagan Callaghan smiled at her without any warmth, stepping forward to cover the space between them, her fingers raising Amara's chin higher with a feather light touch so that Amara could look at the taller woman's face clearly.

"You have her features and you do seem to have her naivety", she stated in a soft voice, before her eyes cooled,"I hope you don't have her fate. Cristina's naivety caused a war, and if you aren't careful yours would too. She might be the woman who gave birth to you but never forget, your mother turned out to be your father's undoing."

Amara jerked away from the woman as if she was scorched, a fire burning in her amethyst eyes.

"How dare you'',she murmured, her voice low, "How dare you say a word against her? Who gave you the right to stand under my roof and speak ill of my mother?"

Reagan Callaghan lifted her imperious eyes from Amara and glanced over her shoulder.

"Amara!", she heard someone gasp her name and turned around to see Aunt Claire walking towards them, her lips pursed in a heavy frown.

"We don't speak to our guests so disrespectfully", she said once she had reached the pair, looking appalled. "Apologize to Lady Callaghan."

Amara looked at her aunt in disbelief.

"She insulted my mother", she informed her aunt in a quiet voice.

Aunt Claire's expression did not waver."That doesn't mean that you are disrespect her in return", she stated. "You must apologize to her."

"Claire", Reagan Callaghan interjected. "It's alright. She's just a little girl."

Amara bristled at her off handed comment.

"All the more reason for her to apologize to you", aunt Claire insisted, looking tensed. "Amara", she stated firmly, her eyes darting back to her.

Amara shook her head causing Claire's eyes to widen in shock.

"No", she murmured, becoming increasingly upset."Lady Callaghan disrespected my mother. I won't apologize. I won't..."

And with that she turned around and ran towards her room, trying to control the bitter tears that were pooling in her eyes.

But in her hurry to reach her sanctuary, Amara almost slammed into a girl coming from the opposite side of the corridor.

"Shit! This was such a bad idea...I shouldn't have had...",she heard the girl say but did not stop around to even look at her. She was afraid that if she stopped she wouldn't be able to hold the tears that were threatening to spill off her eyes.

Only once safely inside did she allow the tears to escape her eyes.

It upset Amara how the older woman had spoken about her mother.

A firm knock on her bedroom door made Amara jump on her spot. She ignored it but after the second knock she stood up, wiping her eyes before walking towards the door and opening it to see someone she had not expected in New York standing across from her.

"Matteo", Amara exclaimed, forgetting about Reagan Callaghan for a few moments, "What are you doing here?

"My assistance was required with some matters here, Ms. Amara", the man replied robotically.

Amara nodded distractedly, recollecting what she knew about the man.

Matteo was one of the Romero employee who very rarely left Italy for any matters. He was quite high ranked, considering how young he was and how less time he had served the business.

"Your diary Miss",he spoke suddenly, bringing Amara out of her revire. "You must have dropped it when you ran into that girl on your way here."

He extended a diary towards Amara, who took it hesitantly. "I-it's not mine", she replied."But I'll return it back to it's owner when I go to the school tomorrow, provided she is from the same school."

Matteo nodded. "Are you alright Ms. Amara?",he questioned, a brief touch of concern flashing in his eyes. "I saw your run in with Lady Reagan Callaghan but I wasn't close enough to hear what she said to have upset you so. I apologize."

Amara gulped, "I'm alright", she whispered.

Matteo nodded, although he didn't look convinced. "I'll take your leave then",he said and waited until Amara had nodded before walking away.

Amara closed the door behind her, suddenly feeling very tired. She just wanted to crawl in her bed and stay there until her cousins and grandfathers returned from Chicago. Until Valerio returned!

She missed him. He would have understood her hurt. He would have made her smile.

Amara shook his thoughts out of her head. The more she thought about him, the more she missed him!

She walked to her desk and kept the diary safely on the table and turned to walk back to her bed, but paused. She had not read the person's name on the cover. She would need to know who the diary belonged to in order to return it.

Amara picked the small book up and opened it, so fascinated by the drawing on it's cover page that she did not realize when a single paper fell out of the book and slipped under her desk.

Over the drawing was a name written in a neat handwriting, and it was–

"Abigail", Amara read.

****

"You're quite today!"

Amara startled, turning her head to look at Pietro.

"Is something the matter?",the older man questioned, concerned. "You've been very quiet lately", he observed.

He looked down at her and Amara remained silent and near unreadable. She hadn't spoken a word to him since the morning, to anyone infact, and she did not seem at all compelled to break her silence now.

"No...just tired", she mumbled after several moments, before turning her head to look outside the window.

"Did you not have a good sleep? You do seem quite tired", Pietro frowned, his eyes roving over her face. "We can turn the cars back home if you'd like a day off from school", he offered.

Amara gave no indication of having heard him.

She seemed lost, and his concern increased. Just when Pietro was about to order that the cars be turned back towards the Sullivan manor, he heard her low whisper.

"I...I miss them", she confessed in a small voice.

Pietro stilled. He somehow knew that Amara was not talking about her family who were away in Chicago.

"What has brought this on?" It came out sharper than he had intended.

Her words- full of longing and sad despondence made something inside him bristle, a promise-an oath sworn ten years ago suddenly at the forefront of his mind. An oath to never let her feel how lonley she had been left in this large world.

"You know what", Amara muttered defeatedly."I know Matteo must have reported back to you, or some other guard must have!"

His face blanked at once."It does not matter what she thinks Amara",he told her firmly.

"Do not upset yourself because of someone else's ill spoken words",he insisted, and waited silently for her to reply back.

"Uncle Pietro", she finally spoke, shattering the quiet that had fallen between the two. "If I ask you something will you tell Nonno or Grandpa?", she asked, as if needing an assurance.

Pietro shook his head, a guarded expression on his face.

"What do you remember about Mum? Do you think I'm like her?", she whispered so softly that Pietro almost didn't catch her question.

Surprise and slight worry spilled into his features."Well, you do look a lot like her, your eyes for example-"

"No", Amara interjected, tucking a lock of golden hair behind her ear, as she gazed at him apprehensively. "I don't mean physically."

Pietro frowned.

He wondered how to best answer her question because the truth was that at fourteen, almost fifteen years of age Amara couldn't have been more different than Cristina had been, polar opposites infact!

Amara, just like her mother was enthrallingly beautiful but while Cristina had been self assured about it, Amara remained sweetly unaware.

While Amara was sweet and gentle, Cristina had been unyielding and unbreakable.

Amara had more compassion within her than anyone else Pietro knew. Many a times she choose to forgive and move forward but Cristina never did.

From early childhood Cristina believed in justice, not only for others but herself too, forgiveness wasn't something that she gave away easily.

"No",he finally acquiesced. "Your personality is different from what your mother's had been at your age."

"But do you think that I'm naive?", she insisted, causing Pietro to look at her sharply.