"But I don't wanna!" I whined, stomping my foot.

"Xena," Enzo said sternly, "get. In."

"No!"

Well, what happened was that Enzo decided to drive to the shop by car. However, I wanted to take the metro.

Wondering why a mafia princess would choose a metro over the car?

Simple.

It makes me feel like a normal civilian, rather than a person who is the future leader of a criminal organization, Aka: mafia.

"Enzo, try to understand," I said with a groan, "Using the metro makes me feel happy!"

He sighed. "Fine, but don't try to escape."

I grumbled but nodded.

So, we walked to the metro station, which was just 10 minutes away from the mansion.

People who were present there looked at Enzo and me wide-eyed.

I mean, it's not everyday you see an Italian mafia leader and an American mafia princess walking through a metro station.

Everyone stepped aside to let Enzo and me get on the metro first.

I sat in the extreme right seat and Enzo sat in front of me, glaring daggers.

Obviously, he didn't like the idea of travelling through metro with normal people.

3 other people were present along with us; 2 women and 1 guy.

None of us said a single word through all this.

Finally, each one of those people left at their designated stations, leaving only Enzo and me behind.

Damn it.

I'm alone with him in this stupid metro.

Noticing this as well, Enzo smirked.

He stood up from his seat and sat beside me.

Ew. I hated this proximity.

"Xena," Enzo whispered huskily, slightly nipping on my ear.

He started leaning in closer, his eyes flickering down to my lips.

Oh, hell no!

I'm not gonna kiss him!

Before I could push him away, the metro doors slid open and footsteps were heard. Taking this as an opportunity, I pushed Enzo away from me.

He still had that stupid smirk on his face.

Clearing my throat, I raised my head to meet the person who just stepped in.

My eyes locked with the familiar green ones.

Oh, fuck.

Blaze.

-

I masked my shocked face with a neutral one so Enzo wouldn't get suspicious. Seeing through Blaze's façade, I could see him looking surprised as well. But he did a good job at hiding that.

Blaze sat down on the seat in front of Enzo and me, crossing his right leg over his left.

Blazie.

I missed him so much.

He hadn't changed a bit.

The same cloudy green eyes. The same messy brown hair. The same light stubble on his chin. The same soft look in his face.

Enzo nudged me on the stomach. I groaned and glared at him.

"Why are you staring at that guy?" he gritted.

"I'm not staring at him. I'm staring at that guy's watch. It's a Rolex and it's pretty nice," I lied smoothly, pointing to Blaze's watch.

Enzo seemed satisfied with my answer and hummed.

Blaze suddenly started tapping the seat he was sitting on.

Huh?

Tap

Tap

Tap...

What is he trying to do?

Wait.

Hold up.

Shit, I knew this.

He's talking in Morse code.

Yes, he was!

Blaze was the one who taught me Morse so we could chat with each other during boring dinners and events. It finally paid off.

I started focusing on what Blaze was trying to tell me. He started tapping again:

.-- .... -.-- / .- .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / .. -. / .. - .- .-.. -.-- ..--..

I quickly translated that in my head:

'Why are you in Italy?'

Once I saw that Enzo was busy on his phone, I tapped back to Blaze:

.. - .----. ... / .- / .-.. --- -. --. / ... - --- .-. -.-- .-.-.- / .. .----. .-.. .-.. / - . .-.. .-.. / -.-- --- ..- / ... --- -- . / --- - .... . .-. / - .. -- .

(It's a long story. I'll tell you some other time)

After I saw Blaze silently glaring at Enzo, I understood that he got the message. He was very overprotective over me.

Blaze tapped back to me:

-.. .. -.. / .... . / -.- .. -.. -. .- .--. / -.-- --- ..- / .- --. .- .. -. ..--..

(Did he kidnap you again?)

Why does everyone assume that?

I sighed and replied back.

-. --- --..-- / .... . / ... .- ...- . -.. / -- -.-- / .-.. .. ..-. .

(No, he saved my life)

Blaze looked surprised but I saw his shoulders relax when he tapped to me.

-.. --- / -.-- --- ..- / -. . . -.. / .... . .-.. .--. / .. -. / . ... -.-. .- .--. .. -. --. ..--..

(Do you need help in escaping)

Why does everyone think I need help?

Sighing, I replied.

.- ... / .. / ... .- .. -.. / -... . ..-. --- .-. . --..-- / .... . / -.. .. -.. -. .----. - / -.- .. -.. -. .- .--. / -- . .-.-.- / .. / -.. --- -. .----. - / -. . . -.. / - --- / . ... -.-. .- .--. . .-.-.-

(As I said before, he didn't kidnap me. I don't need to escape)

Blaze raised his brow and I nodded to confirm it.

He sighed.

..-. .. -. . --..-- / - .... . -. .-.-.- / --. --- --- -.. / .-.. ..- -.-. -.- --..-- / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..-

(Fine, then. Good luck, love you)

I smile and tapped back.

.-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..- / - --- --- --..-- / -... .-.. .- --.. .. .

(Love you too, Blazie)

The doors of the metro slid open and Blaze motioned to me that his station arrived. I smiled and silently waved bye to him. He waved back too and walked out of the metro.

Lovely conversation.

Finally, Enzo put his phone down and noticed that the guy was gone.

We were alone...again.

"It's arriving tomorrow."

Furrowing my brows, I turned to face Enzo. "What's arriving tomorrow?"

"The watch."

"What watch?"

"The Rolex watch you liked. The watch that guy wore."

Oh.

He bought that for me?

I already had a drawer full of watches back home. One part was filled with Rolex, the other with Rado, and lastly, with all the digital watches.

"Uh...thanks?" I actually asked.

Enzo suddenly looked like he remembered something.

"Xena, did your parents ever talk about their marriage?"

Huh?

"No, not really," I replied in confusion.

"Do you know how they got married?"

"In a church, I'm guessing, when they said their vows."

He rolled his eyes. "No, not that. Do you know whether your mom was willing to marry your dad."

What was wrong with him?

"What rubbish. Of course she was willing to marry my dad. He would never force her...would he?"

All the conversations I had about my dad and mom came crashing down.

The conversation I had with dad 3 years back...

"He kidnapped you because he wanted you?" Dad spoke up with a trace of an unknown emotion.

"Yeah, he said that he 'loved' me and 'wanted' me...," I trailed off.

"Karma's a bitch."

"Karma's a bitch?" I repeated in confusion.

"Mhm. Reminds me of your mom's and my incident," Dad said with a chuckle.

The conversation I had with Aria...

Your mom had a similar situation your facing right now. That's all you need to know," Aria said vaguely.

"Similar situation? How?" I asked in confusion.

"I'm not the right person to tell you that," she said with a sigh.

Alright...but how do you know about my parent's situation?" I asked further.

"News spreads fast," Was all she said before walking out of the room.

"My dad kidna-kidnapped mom?" I stuttered, my hands shaking tremendously.

Enzo sighed and placed his right arm around my shoulder. I didn't push it away. I was too shocked to do that.

"Xena, I didn't want you to know it this way. I-"

"He couldn't! No, dad could never do that...He loves mom! He wou-would never force mom into marrying him. Would he?" My voice cracked at the end.

How could dad do this?

Dad's the same man he tried to save me from...

I thought their marriage was a happy occasion.

Now that I remember, I never saw any wedding albums or any wedding photos of them.

"Xena, I-I just got to know today. For what it's worth, I'm sorry," Enzo said softly, pulling me closer to him.

I just sat there, frozen, unable to process anything. My jaw was slightly ajar and my hands wracked with tremors.

"No," I whispered with a cracking voice, "NO!"

"Xena, calm dow-"

"NO! I can't calm down- I won't calm down! My parent's love is a lie! Dad forced mom into marrying him! They had a forced marriage, Enzo! They had a forced marriage!"

"XENA CALM DOWN!"

Before I knew it, a tear rolled down my cheek.

Enzo's eyes widened. He never saw me cry. Hell, no one except my dad, mom, and Ysaline saw me cry.

"Why did they hide this from me?" I whispered, leaning against the seat and making no effort to wipe the tear.

My hands never stopped shaking.

"Amore, your parents were truly in love. They were high-school sweethearts. But after finding out about the truth about your dad, about him being the mafia leader, she ran. She ran away to Sydney. Long story short, your dad kidnapped her and took her back to New York and married her an-"

"You mean forcefully married her?" I cut him off.

Enzo sighed and nodded.

"I don't get it...my dad told you about it, but not me," I murmured in disbelief.

"Yes, but you need to understand his point of view as well," he tried explaining, "He never told you because you would hate him for it."

True.

"Look, Xena, your mom and dad loved each other, because the way he talked about her, it seemed like they were, and still are, truly in love. She loved your dad but got scared after learning the truth about him, so she ran away-"

"And dad dragged her back to New York! It was mom's choice to stay away from him and the mafia life but dad didn't choose to respect her decision!"

"Yes, but she loved your dad! She loved him but ran away because of the mafia!"

"I know but that was her decision! She made a decision to not get involved with the mafia!"

Enzo sighed. "I know, I know."

Then there's no difference between dad and Enzo, Matteo, and Dante.

They're the same.

Forcing women to love them.

Well, in dad's case it was slightly different. Mom loved him, but chose to go away from him, but dad forced her to return to New York.

But still.

Why do men, especially those in the mafia, think that forcing a girl to love them is normal, when it certainly isn't?

I can defend myself-I basically grew up in the mafia, training to be the future mafia leader, but I wonder how mom defended herself. She knew nothing about mafia life that time.

Did she try to run away? Did she accept her fate and stayed back with dad? Or did she continue trying to escape?

I needed answers.

And I knew exactly who'll give them to me.

"I need your phone," I ordered, wiping my tears promptly.

No more crying, Xena. Enough.

Cry as hard as you want to, but just make sure that when you're finished, you never cry for the same reason again.

Enzo raised his brow but nevertheless, tossed it to me.

I dialed the number on his phone.

Please pick up.

"Hello?"

I breathe out a sigh of relief.

"Uncle Kyle?" I asked, a soft smile forming on my lips.

"Xe, sweetie, is that you?" I could hear the desperation in his voice.

"Yeah."

"Oh thank lord! I heard you were kidnapped again!"

"No, no, I'm not kidnapped again. Enzo saved me from the Ger- that-that's not why I called you."

"Oh, okay. Go on, then. I'm all ears."

"Uncle, do-do you know what happened between mom and dad?" I cut to the chase.

Silence.

"Uncle?" I asked, to make sure he was present.

"Xe, honey, why do you want to know about this?" His voice carried an unknown emotion.

"I-I just need to know."

He sighed. "Oh, sweetie...I don't think your mom and dad would appreciate me telling you their story."

"But I need to know," I sounded desperate, "I have the right to know what happened between them. The entire mafia knows about mom dad's story, but not me!"

"That's because you might start-" he paused.

"Hating them?" I asked.

"Precisely."

I cleared my throat. "I need to know about this, Uncle. Please."

He sighed again. "Alright..."

I was on the edge the entire time.

"Xe, your mom and dad were college sweethearts. They loved each other. A lot. Rylee then overheard your dad talking to one of his mafia men. She was devastated and demanded an explanation. Your dad revealed who he truly was, and your mom left. She ran away to Sydney to live with me."

He paused.

"Then, after 3 years, Lucifer showed up from nowhere and kidnapped Rylee. He dragged her back to New York to live with him. She resisted Lucifer for a long time. He made her the Donna of his mafia, even though she was unwilling to do it. He married her..."

He paused again.

"Forcefully."

My breath hitched.

"He then took her to Sicily, where you are currently, for their honeymoon. They enjoyed, but then, Eliza, one of your dad's, uh, let's say ex, showed up from nowhere. Eliza liked your dad and wanted him all to herself, and in order to do so, she needed to kill Rylee, your mom. Eliza was a part of the German mafia, so she used her power to her advantage."

"War was declared. Your dad's mafia won...but Eliza got the gun. She shot your mom, but Lucifer got in her way and took the bullet instead. He slipped into coma."

I stifled a sob hearing that.

"Your mom was devastated. Depressed. Broken. She handled the duty of the Donna really well, though. Your dad woke up after 6 months. Then, they reconciled, and he apologized to her about everything."

I stayed silent, processing what I just heard.

"So the love mom has for dad-dad...is fake?" I whispered, my voice sounding broken.

"No! Not at all! Your mom loved Lucifer from the very start, Xe. Understand this. She just ran away from him because she found out he was the American mafia king. Their love wasn't fake at all."

"But why? Why did dad have to force her back to New York? Why couldn't he have just let her be and respected her decision like a real man?" My tone was soft, but firm.

"Because he loved her-"

"No, he didn't! Don't give me all the 'He loved her' crap! If he truly loved mom, he would have left mom alone. He should have! But he didn't! He should have given mom her space!"

"Xena, darling, your dad couldn't live without Rylee"

"So he thought it was a good idea to force mom to live with him? Really? He could have talked to her, like normal exes do! He could have- he should have told her how broken he felt without mom. Dad should have talked this out peacefully!"

"You're right. You are absolutely right. Nothing I can say will or can justify your dad's actions...he was extremely wrong to force your mom into marrying him," He agreed with a broken voice, "but he had no choice."

"Of course he had a choice!"

I was appalled at how uncle was defending dad.

"Look, dear, I was, and still am, your mom's best friend. I know how oppressed she felt whilst all this. But, on the other hand, your dad needed someone to be with him, as a partner, and he only loved your mom. No one else. No one else could replace your mom in his life."

"What are you trying to say?" I gritted.

"Xe, your dad abused the power that he had as the mafia leader, that's for sure. He exerted dominance while kidnapping Rylee and keeping her as his captive. But, as I said before, your mom and dad loved each other. Truly. It was just that your mom had a hard time accepting Lucifer as the American mafia king."

"So, my mom didn't want anything to do with the mafia, right?"

"Precisely."

"She just wanted to live a normal life...as a normal person. She didn't want to get involved into the mafia or anything, then why force her?!"

"Xena," Uncle said, using my full name this time, "Mafia men, I've learned, tend to have things their way. If willingly, then good. But if not, then they use force. Again, I am not justifying your dad's actions. It's just that, he couldn't think of a better way. If he talked to Rylee in a civilized way, she wouldn't listen to him. That's why, kidnapping seemed to be a good option."

"You're contradicting your own statements, you know that? You say you aren't justifying dad's actions but that's exactly what you're doing."

"Look, I was enraged and furious at your dad when I got to know what happened. But when I saw how broken Rylee was when Lucifer was in coma, I realized it. Their love was true."

"But-but if their love was true, mom wouldn't have run away from dad in the first place and would have accepted him as the mafia leader."

"No, honey. Your mom just needed some space-"

"Which dad didn't give her!"

"Look, no one in their right mind would want to date a mafia leader. They wouldn't want to get involved with illegal stuff. Your mom did what any normal person would do. She ran. And your dad did what any mafia man would do for their woman. He brought her back. Their love was true. Don't doubt that. Their love is a bit...twisted, but it is love at the end."

I took a deep breath, trying to control my overwhelming emotions.

"Dad...he taught Gabriel, Alexei, Blaze, and me, to respect people, especially women. But-but he didn't..."

"He did. Your dad respected your mom more than she respected him. It's just that he couldn't stay away from her."

I pursed my lips and sighed.

I took a quick glance at Enzo to see him gazing at me intently, with an unknown emotion.

"Oh, sweetie...don't hate your dad for this. Please," I could hear the despair in uncle's voice.

"I-I can't hate him," I finally breathe out, "No matter what, he is my pops. I can't hate him...but this is too much to take in."

"I understand, Xe. You take your time."

"I will..."

"Now, tell me. How do I help you escape that guy?"

I chuckled. Everyone thinks Enzo kidnapped me again.

"I don't need any help in that. He didn't kidnap me this time. Don't worry."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep. Don't worry. And yeah, please don't tell mom and dad I know about their story."

"I won't tell them, I promise."

I smiled. "Love you, uncle. I miss you."

"Sweetie, I miss you too. Oh, and one more thing. If that bastard tries to- you know, kill him and dump his ass in the seas. That way, he might come of some use to the fishes for their lunch."

Compressing a giggle, I muttered a 'sure'.

"And remember, self-confidence is a super power. Once you start to believe in your self, magic starts happening."

Saying that, he hung up.

Smiling at the phone in my hand, I handed it to Enzo.

"Our station has arrived."

Surely enough, we reached.

"Let's shop!"

Urgh.