Tainted Faith

Six: Sei [re-written 10/01/21]

Liliana was hiding in the kitchen that afternoon when Sebastiano found her. The older man had taken one look at her - a deep frown etched onto his forehead - before he commanded her to leave the cooking to her aunt and the other women.

"You should go see Marcello, he's beginning to resemble a disgruntled bull after having to socialise for so long. I'm worried if he doesn't escape those idiotic nephews of mine, they won't survive until wedding tomorrow."

Liliana swallowed harshly, shaking hands untying the apron around her waist. She wasn't sure whether of not Sebastiano was joking. She certainly didn't know the man or his son well enough to know for sure. Was Marcello one to execute his own family for such trivial matters?

She dared one glance towards the other women of the room, her aunt the only one she recognised, a noted the way they all kept their eyes downcast to their tasks at hand. It seemed she was not the only one fearful of this D'Onofrio patriarch.

Liliana found Marcello exactly where she had last seen him, with what seemed the exact same men he had been with since this morning on the villa's deck. From the way they had all been knocking back their glasses, and the number of drinks on the table now, she was sure they would have to be drunk by now.

No one noticed her as she approached the small group of men that remained, most of the wedding guests having had already retired to their own villa's to ready themselves for the dinner.

Marcello had his back towards her, sat down beside his brothers. From behind, it was easy to forget just who he was. He was simply another tanned, broad shouldered man with a head of dark hair - the kind that enticed so many women. But one good look at his hard, stone carved faced would send a spark of fear of any woman who had enough intelligence to recognise danger when she saw it - even the most money hungry of women would think twice before wishing to fall into his bed.

Liliana wanted neither his good looks or his money, and yet she was marrying the man anyway.

When she was no more than a metre away from him, Liliana found herself pausing momentarily, all too aware of the thundering of her heart in her chest. She wanted nothing more than to turn around and escape back into hiding, and yet she knew she had to do as Sebastiano commanded. She had to play the besotted fiancé, a woman who wanted to marry Marcello D'Onofrio despite the immense empire that followed, a woman attracted to the man whose expression rarely shifted from anything but a scowl.

Breathing deeply, Liliana continued forward and leant in close enough that her lips brushed the shell of his ear.

"Brooding, are we?" she asked, allowing her hands to first grasp his strong shoulders before sliding lower across his chest and wander dangerously south across his torso.

She had expected at the very least to muster some form or reaction from him, be it surprise or irritation. Instead the infuriating man barely even glanced back at her as he twisted, his arm curving around her waist and tugging until she fell ungracefully into his lap.

She heard the cheers of Marcello's cousin's and hated the heat that surged her cheeks. One glance at Marcello showed just how amusing he found her attempt to be, as a smirk curved across his mouth.

"Well this is a first," he chuckled darkly, only to be interrupted by one of his brothers.

"When did this happen," Giovanni questioned lowly so that the others around them wouldn't hear. Amusement flickered in his eyes as he gestured at them with a drink in hand - the amber liquid sloshing freely against the rim of the glass.

"That's exactly what I wondered when they teamed up against me yesterday," Angelo added, just as quietly.

Liliana wanted to throw herself from Marcello's lap but was all too aware of those that still watched them. Instead she settled for forcing herself to smile tightly at the gleeful brothers, hating how amused they seemed by the entire situation.