I'm supposed to be dead. And yet, here I am alive and well. I wish the same could be said for my mother and so many others who lost their lives to the gas leak explosion.

I was three years old when it happened. My mother was a housekeeper who worked for some rich man, whose name I can't remember.

Since she couldn't afford a babysitter, she would always bring me to work with her.

I still remember it like it was yesterday.

I was playing with the origami swans she'd always decorate the dining room table with when she scolded me for messing up her napkin craft.

I started to cry, because that was the first time she ever yelled at me. She sighed, crouched down to my level and apologized.

She then explained as best she could to my three year old self that she was just stressed about some important dinner her boss was having. And then afterwards, she kissed my cheek and told me she loved me.

Her smile was the last thing I saw before my world literally came crumbling down around me.

With no other kin remaining to care for me, I was left an orphan for most of my life. Occasionally hopping from shitty foster home to shitty foster home, I quickly learned that the only person I could rely on was myself.

Once I turned thirteen, I ran away from my foster home in search of my purpose. And while on this six month journey to find myself, my purpose ended up finding me fast asleep on a train with no particular destination in mind.

A man by the name of Maxwell Lastra, who I just call Max, took me in and cared for me as if I were his own. He became the father figure that I had longed for my entire life.

We became inseparable. There wasn't a thing he didn't know about me. But, it always felt like I knew very little about him. And I had been right.

I didn't find out what he really did for a living until I was sixteen years old. And it was then that I was introduced to the world of assassins.

I was a quick learner, my skills far more advanced than anyone Max had ever trained. I became an unstoppable killing machine. It had become my way out of the fire I should've died in.

I started making hundreds of thousands of dollars killing anyone and everyone Max assigned me. Whether they were criminals, average family men with a debt to owe, or people with a high ranked status, they all were met with the wrath of my sniper, Artemis.

But even with my newfound purpose I still felt as though something were missing from my life.

And once again, I had been right.

I had no intention of going through Max's things, but something in my gut told me that if I hadn't the void in my heart would never be filled.

That's when I discovered the file Max had been keeping on me since the day I was born. It contained information not only about me, my mother, and who my father was, but about the four older brothers I didn't know I had.

And the information didn't stop there. Apparently, my father, Giovanni Fierri was leader to the most notorious Mafia in all of Sicily and New York until he was murdered in cold blood by a man he thought was his friend.

His legacy was then passed down to his eldest son and my older brother, Marcellius Fierri. And to this day, Marcellius and my other brothers remain the most feared and respected among both their allies and enemies.

After confronting Max about keeping such valuable information from me, and lying to me about who I was since the day he met me, I left and never looked back.

I was eighteen when I left. Now twenty-three years old, I decided that it was time I found my family. Which turned out not to be as difficult as I initially thought.

With today's technology, I was able to track down every home Marcellius owned both in and out of the country, as well as his cell phone number.

So I called him.

I didn't exactly know what to say, or how to say it, so when I told him I was the daughter of Giovanni Fierri, it didn't take him long to fill in the missing puzzle pieces.

The phone call was short, awkward, and ended with me being invited to New York to finally get to know the family I had hoped and prayed for since my mother died.

"Would you like some help with your luggage, ma'am?"

I looked over at the kind, elderly man who'd introduced himself as Ramzi, Marcellius' chauffeur, and handed him my backpack. I didn't have much, but my whole life was in there.

"Grazie(Thank you)."

I watched as he placed the bag into the trunk and looked back at me with his hand outstretched expectantly.

My grip tightened on the handle of the briefcase containing my sniper. This sniper rifle was my baby. And no one was worthy of holding or using her except me.

So I shook my head, gave him a small smile and said, "I'm going to keep this one with me."

"Are you sure Miss Fierri? There's enough room in the-"

"I'm sure," I interrupted, gripping the handle until my knuckles were as white as the snow elegantly falling from the bright blue sky.

Closing the trunk, he opened my door for me and tipped his hat in my direction. Thanking him once more, I sat down inside and buckled myself in.

Treating myself to the pint of Gelato in the mini fridge, I stared out the window, unsure of what to focus on first. There were just so many different colorful billboards, tall buildings, and people scurrying about like mice.

"Is it always like this?" I asked the driver.

He glanced at me through the rearview mirror and nodded. "Always. It wouldn't be New York without it."

This city was both exciting and overwhelming. Which made it difficult to decide on whether or not I'd like living in such a place filled with an endless amount of chaos.

On the drive over to my family's house, I took in the bustling streets of New York with its towering skyscrapers, crowds of locals and tourists, and bright yellow taxi cabs.

It seemed as though it would never end until he turned into a secluded area surrounded by forest green trees that reached the heavens and lacked the craziness of the city.

I didn't realize we had arrived to our destination until Ramzi's voice filled my ears. "We are here, Miss Fierri." He moved rather swiftly for an old man as he opened my door for me.

Flashing an appreciative smile, I stepped out into the fresh air, my briefcase still safely clutched at my side.

Slowly approaching the large Italian styled home, I eyed the bulky Italian man standing guard before ringing the doorbell.

My chest tightened, the grip on my briefcase loosened by the thin layer of sweat coating my palms. I'm nervous, my heart trembling against my ribcage.

I've seen pictures of my brothers all over the internet, and they resembled my, er, our father quite a lot. Especially Marcellius. It's both comforting and scary.

The only thing I took from my father was his black hair. Not just on my head, but all over. Which isn't the best trait to have received, because I have to shave twice a week, so I don't end up looking like a Lupu mannaru(Werewolf).

Going rigid at the sound of the double doors creaking open, I nervously brought my gaze up off the ground and up to meet the gaze of my brother.

I stood there speechless, my throat suddenly dry. I spoke with him just fine on the phone, or at least as best as I could without choking on my words. But this time, with him standing in front of me, I couldn't get a single word across.

I thought we were going to just keep awkwardly staring at each other until he finally spoke. I relaxed my shoulders, sighing in relief.

"Rosalie..."

The way he drew out my name was weird, like he knew me or something. I parted my lips to speak, but was cut off by his muscular arms being wrapped around me.

"Marcel-"

"We've missed you, sorella(sister)." Pulling apart, he made note of the confused expression on my face and led me inside. "We have much to discuss. But before then, Nic and Cesare have been dying to see you again."

"Again?" I questioned, following Marcellius through the house and out into a backyard with a pool perfectly fit in design for someone as rich as they are.

Marcellius was about to explain when my attention was torn away from him, Cesare and Niccolo tackling me with hugs.

"Rosalie!" Cesare cried out with tears in his eyes.

Niccolo stroked my hair, his hold on me tight. "Sorellina(Little sister)..." I didn't realize he was crying until I pulled away to look into his hazel eyes. He looked overstricken with both pain and joy. "I'm sorry," he said stepping back quickly. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It's just... we thought you were dead."

"No, no it's fine. I just wished that I could remember all of you."

It upset me that I couldn't remember the love my brothers had for me.

They all looked down sadly. "You were pretty young Roe," Cesare spoke up. "It's our fault for not trying harder to bring you home."

Looking at the three of them, I realized that one was missing. "Where's Luciano?" Although they spoke no words, their silence, and the heartbreaking look upon their faces spoke volumes. "I see," was all I said.

"Luci always wanted a sister," Marcellius said with a light chuckle. The smile on his face disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. "Just know that he loved you dearly."

I nodded, no longer wanting to relish in such sadness. So I changed the subject once more. "It seems so quiet here."

Cesare burst into laughter. "Trust me, this is extremely rare and one you never want to take for granted."

I raised a brow, my curiosity piqued.

Although hidden by the bush on his face, I could tell Marcellius was smiling. "What Cesare means is that we have quite the extended family."

"Extended family my ass. It's your fault Marcel," Niccolo complained. "You're pussy whipped."

"And you aren't?" Cesare chimed in.

Niccolo gave him an icy look. "No, I'm not. I have far more self-control than the two of you combined."

"Yeah, okay ass eater."

Niccolo drew his gun and aimed it at Cesare's head. Cesare seemed unbothered by the weapon currently threatening his life.

He smirked. "Autumn tells me everything." He looked to Marcellius. "So does Mia." Marcellius growled. "You two are some nasty ass fuckers. Mia told me how you like to-"

Everything happened so fast. One minute Cesare's mocking Marcellius and Niccolo's sex life, and the next he's flying into the pool. I don't even know which one pushed him. Maybe both of them did.

When Cesare surfaces, his suit is drenched, his hair dripping with water, and a frown marking his features. He flips up both of his middle fingers, each one directed towards each brother. "Cazzo si(Fuck you)!"

Snickering at how boyish my brothers are despite their very adult ages, I thought about how good it felt to finally be around people that I could truly call my family. And if it's like this all the time, then I can't wait to meet the rest of my family.