Emilia took a few steps towards him and then embraced him tightly."I'm hungry, my feet are killing me and I am ready to get the hell out of this dress but yeah I'm okay." She smiled while looking up at him.

Marcello kissed her forehead."Do you want to order take out or do you want me to cook?"

Emilia's eyes widened."You can cook?"

Marcello nodded while rolling his eyes."Yes."

She placed her hand around his torso."Wow, Mr.Dellmore you are full of surprises."

He chuckled."Yeah, you can say that."

*
*
*
"This house is absolutely gorgeous. I don't understand why you don't live here and not the mansion?"Emilia said as she scanned the kitchen.

Marcello chuckled sarcastically."Yeah, let me go run that by Xavier real quick."Emilia scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Marcello turned to look her in the eyes."Ahhh how do I say this without making it sound terrible? I guess there really isn't a way to say this. What I mean is Xavier is a very controlling man. So controlling that he has to keep all his family under one roof. It's most probably the abandonment issues because his abusive drug-addicted parents just up and left him and my aunt at the of age 11. Then they went to there grandmother who after a few short months dropped them off at the orphanage because she couldn't afford two kids. Then after two years in the orphanage, they got adopted by a couple who really only wanted them for the money so they got kicked out at the age of 18. From there Xavier stopped seeking affection or so he thought and built himself from the ground up. He married my mother in his late twenties because he was seeking power and what better way to get power then marrying an Italian sixth-generation multi-billionaires eldest daughter which was my mother. He fell in love with my mother but she did not love him and she let him know that all the time. Marrying him was a sense of duty for her as well as producing his heirs which in time were also hers. So she had me and then a couple of years later she had Gabe. When my mother constantly refused to show affection towards him he took his anger out on us but nothing too bad because she always stopped him. Everything was going okay up until when my grandfather died he gave basically everything he owned to her twin sister my aunt Ava which now belongs to my cousin Antonio. The only thing he left my mother was the family company and luckily for her Xavier was a power-hungry man and of course, my mother saw this as her key out that hell hole and requested a divorce-"Marcello chocked up while speaking the remaining of the sentence.

Emilia looked into his eyes fearful."What happened?"She whispered faintly.

"Hell on earth."Marcello sighed while bringing his gaze to the ground." I remember as if it were yesterday. The minute he walked into the house he began destroying everything that was in his path. It was as if he was possessed but maybe this was within him all along and this was his breaking point. I was 14 at the time and stupidly curious so I walked up to him and asked him what was wrong with that he took off his belt and began whipping me. Gabe tried to interfere and he got whipped too. Then my Mother tried to interfere but he just pushed her to the side and continued to whip us. That whipping landed me and Gabe in the hospital. My mother tried to take us with her but she knew with no job the courts will not grant her the right to full custody. After my mother divorced him it only got worse he took out his anger on Gabe and me all the time and if we tried to leave or double-cross him he would threaten us with our mother's life."

Emilia's eyes widened."Wow."

Marcello looked up at her and then began pouring the chicken fettuccine onto the plates."Wow is right."He sighed.

"Were you mad at your mother for leaving?"Marcello shook his head without even blinking.

"No, I wasn't mad at her nor would I ever be but Gabe, on the other hand, he thought she was selfish for leaving us but he still protects her under every circumstance."He grabbed the two plates and placed them on the dining table.

She quirked her perfectly shaped eyebrow."Why not?"

He pressed his lips together before speaking."My Mom was very beautiful so beautiful that when she went out there were men who couldn't help themselves and asked her out. Xavier, of course, didn't like this and restricted her from leaving the premises without him and she couldn't refuse what he ordered her to do because she felt it was obligatory to fall at his every command for the sake of honoring her father. He didn't allow her the right to dress how she pleased, apply makeup, have friends, he barely even allowed her the right to speak to her family, and when she requested to finish her bachelors he refused and told her she was trying to find a slick way to leave him. With each year she spent with him he got worse. He didn't dare lay a finger on her but he was severely emotionally abusive. My mother fell into depression and attempted suicide by slitting her wrists. I was 12 at the time when I found her lying there in a pool of blood and beside her was the journal of her deepest darkest thoughts. Luckily she got to the hospital in time and we saved her. I didn't blame her at all she basically lived in a jail cell. When my grandfather died it was as if the key to her jail cell was laying in her hands and she took it. Her 15 years of torment were over. I knew more than anyone the hell she had been through. It would have been selfish of me to deny her the right to live just like I have."

Emilia smiled at Marcello her teary brown orbs full of a mix of emotions but one overshadowed the rest adoration."You're an amazing human being you know that?"

He shook his head vigorously."You're the first to ever say nice words about my personality you know that?"He chuckled as he placed the cups of freshly squeezed lemonade onto the table and then ushered for Emilia to sit and she did."I get cold, brooding, hateful, arrogant, selfish, conceited, know it all, demanding, rude, bitter, and heartless all the time."

Emilia rolled her eyes while taking her fork and swirling it around the pasta until it was full."It's because they don't know you."She took a bite of her food and nearly moaned at the amazing taste meanwhile Marcello was watching carefully for her reaction."This is really good, thank you." Marcello released a breath he didn't even realize he was holding.

"I'm happy you like it."He smiled and then began eating.

Emilia looked up at him."Who's Maria?"

Marcello's figure tensed."How did you-"

Emilia averted eye contact as she spoke."The other night when you were sleeping you were mumbling her name."Marcello nodded in understanding.

For some reason, he wasn't fazed by the question. Usually, when someone asked about Maria he would snap at them and close the topic. Maria is....was a sensitive topic.

He sighed."She was or really I thought she was the love of my life."Marcello placed his fork down and clasped his hands together." Maria and I were together for years and my brother Gabriel and Maria were together for years. She loved Gabe but not me and the only reason she stayed with me that long was because she was threatened by Xavier. I didn't find out about this until the day of my wedding through a pregnancy report but I had to put all my anger aside and protect the 3 of them. Sadly the lengths I went through weren't enough Xavier got to them and uh....mmm...killed her and nearly killed Gabe in the process."

Emilia's eyes widened in shock." I didn't think he was capable of...why didn't you guys try to report him to the police?"

Marcelli chuckled sarcastically."The justice system in New York is so terrible that all Xavier has to do is bribe the judge handling his case and the case is closed. Over the years I witnessed him do it over and over again. He has had multiple allegations against him with hardcore evidence and  not once did he land behind bars."