Author's POV.
Peering at Sofia's sleeping figure curled up to his brother. Nial sighed out of relief and turned to Nikolai that was frowning, eyebrows furrowed and his eyes deep in thought. His lips pulled in a taut line.
"О чем ты думаешь, брат?" Nial inquired of his troubled brother.
(What are you thinking of, brother?)
Sighing defeatedly, Nikolai glanced briefly at his sibling muttering ruefully, his voice raw with sadness."Я-я сделал ей больно, но она простила меня, разве мы ее заслужили?"
(I-I hurt her, yet she forgave me. Do we even deserve her?)
Nial knew how much of an overthinker and how insecure Nikolai was but he didn't want to lie to him and sufficed with consoling him without truly answering his question.
It wasn't manipulation when it protected his feelings and sometimes avoiding problems was better than facing them.
"Она простила тебя. Так что не переусердствуйте. Мы уже дважды ошиблись, и нам нужно искупить свою вину, просто набраться терпения и быть тем, чего она заслуживает. Она теперь наша жизнь. Все, что мы делаем, должно быть идеальным." Nial softly patted his shoulder.
(She forgave you. Don't overthink it. We messed up twice now and we need to redeem ourselves and just be patient and be what she deserves. She's our life now. Everything we do needs to be perfect because she deserved the best.)
Slightly comforted by his brother's words, yet a bit apprehensive that Nial didn't address his main question.
Did they deserve her?
Nikolai sped through the busy road, the tiny droplets of rain colliding with the car's windshield compelling him to feel at peace, with the peaceful symphony of tip-taps it resounded against the thick, bulletproof glass.
He had always loved the rain. It made him feel good and not many things did that.
"We have to be patient with her, we can't rush her into loving us anymore. Love takes time," Nial added with a soft smile on his rugged face, assuring his brother.
Laughing at the absurdity of their situation with Sofia. Nikolai mocked chuckling, yet his eyes still emitted the guilt that he lingered within him. His whole aura felt off. His strature rigid as a damn rock.
"Love does take time but apparently, ours, doesn't. In this case."
Nial hearing his brother's comment glared at Nik playfully and said with a grimace, "I guess we're just built different as the Americans say."
Nikolai snorted at that.
The triplets were selfish and they knew it.
They wouldn't let Sofia go no matter how much she wants them to. They couldn't let her go. They don't want to let her go.
With the mansion coming into view, Nadei grumbled under his breath when Nial nudged him to wake up since the ride took about 4 hours to their home and he was still tired and recovering from his recent injuries.
"I'm awake, asshole. Stop fucking touching me," Nadei murmured tiredly, his head turning to the side.
"Up. Now." Nial's finger jabbed him in a sore spot on his knee. The motherfucker.
Nade hissed warning his brother to cut the childish act out as he held Sofia to his chest, she unconsciously snuggled into his warmth and let out a comfortable sigh, almost making the huge man purr as she made herself comfortable on him.
If she only saw herself right now curled up to one of them, she wouldn't have liked the position she was in. Hell, she'd be pissed if she did.
"Home sweet home," Nial announced, jittery and slightly scared of how their aunt would react when she sees Sofia.
Their aunt on their 'mother's' side. Anastasia Silvestri, never liked anyone and was a bit of a hardass at times. She didn't trust anyone besides her nephews and daughter and she always wanted what was best for them.
However, she could be quite difficult to handle sometimes. She never approved of their lifestyle mostly because she didn't want any harm to come upon them.
They were all she had.
Besides her daughter Ivana and Dimitri that she considered her son as well.
The trio loved their aunt and cousin dearly and have always tried to keep them out of their mafia-related business.
They couldn't risk them being targeted by their enemies.
Family was everything in their eyes.
The car came to a halt, Nial got out of the car to be greeted by a very angry Dimitri and his girlfriend Camille that was smiling from ear to ear at the door and buzzing with joyful energy. She was so excited to have another girl join their family.
Oh shit, here we go. Nial thought to himself.
Nadei tried to wake Sofia up by brushing her hair out of her face and gently nudged her shoulder making her flutter her eyes open.
"Are we there yet?"
Kissing her forehead and caressing her flushed cheeks, Nadei answered happily, "Yes, we're here, my love. We want you to meet our best friend and his fiance."
"Okay, give me a minute", blushing Sofia mumbled trying to tie her hair up again and make herself look presentable.
She felt so awkward to even be that.. accepting of the situation. She should've made a mess. Yelling, shouting and screaming bloody murder making them regret why they took hurt but she didn't she only sufficed with sulkingly getting up after knowing what was at risk if she didn't listen to them.
Carter's life.
"Okay, love, take your time. I'm sitting right here," Nadei asserted leaning in his seat, and massaging his temples preparing for a very long scolding from their aunt.
Nikolai goes to greet Camille with their weird handshake that Nial didn't get the hang of.
Looking at Dimitri's face, Nikolai laughed when he tried to act like a stubborn child and didn't bro-hug him.
"We're okay, stop looking at us like that, dumbass, you wouldn't want your ugly face to get uglier by frowning so much. Nobody is gonna marry you then," Nial snorted side hugging Camille, to stand beside Nikolai.
Grumbling a few curses in Russian making Camille glare at him to shut up instantly, the brothers chuckled at Dimitri's scowl.
"Pussy," Nikolai coughed making Dimitri send him an angry glare and his fiance's eyes curiously drifted to Nadei that was walking towards them holding hands with a girl that was covering her face with the hood of her hoodie.
She squealed loudly, Dimitri covered his ears dramatically cringing.
"Is this what I think it?" She asked hopping in her place like a child high on sugar looking at the brothers' loving expressions when they saw Sofia walking timidly following Nadei.
"Yes," Nial answered curtly.
-
Sofia.
As I walked with Nadei to the others. He grabbed my hand softly and it had my blood boiling when I thought of how we looked like a normal couple. Tiny drops of rain falling.
This is pathetic and clichè as shit.
Trying to pull my hand from him I realized that we were at the huge wooden door. I lifted my hood off of my head hearing a feminine squeak and effective tackled into a hug.
What the fuck?
Balancing on my feet, I patted the person's back awkwardly and pushed them away slowly. I came face to face with one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen.
Woah, she's soo tall and gorgeous.
A giggle inrrupted from her as I comprehended that I had said that out loud. I blushed and waved my hand awkwardly gretting her.
"Oh god, she's soo adorable and freaking gorgeous, I love her already," she gushed, her french accent apparent.
Glancing for a second at the trio that was surrounding me, she locked her kind brown eyes with mine and said reaching to shake my hand, "Hi! I'm Camille but you can call me Cami or Cam. We're totally going to be bestest of friends," she squealed.
I resisted the urge to run the fuck away from the overly bubbly and extroverted woman's antics.
Extroverts scared the living shit out of me.
"Hi, I'm Sofia, it's nice to meet you, Camille," I smiled trying not to show how uncomfortable I was.
"D, come meet our future Don-" she gushed excitedly but got, rudely interrupted by an unapproachable and intimidating--looking man that I didn't notice standing next to the triplets till now.
I frowned. What was she just about to say?
"дорогая, хватит болтать, она явно не знает," he said to her making her giggle out of nervousness.
(Darling, stop talking, she obviously doesn't know.)
"Yet," Nadei completed.
What the hell were they talking about?
"Oh-okay come let's get in before it gets rainier," she ushered me into the extravagant mansion and the trio followed suit.
"Hello Sofia, I'm Dimitri and I'm these idiots' best friend," he cleared his throat. "- and business associate," Dimitri walked up to me and Camille to drap an arm around her waist after shaking my hand.
They were such a cute couple. Despite how I just met them, they seemed like nice people. Then I remembered what I had been too out of my mind to notice.
I slept during the drive here and didn't see where this place was located or if it was closer to civilization. Fuck.
Cutting my lane of thoughts about how I was yet to plan to my escape. I locked eyes with blue ones assessing me like a ticking bomb.
Dimitri.
Conceivably, maybe it was because because he knew what I was scheming and knew that I was here against my will and might lash out like a madwoman.
I mean I would've.
But decided against it.
Sealing eyes with all of them to settle on Nikolai. He smiled as usual and a part of my anger wavered. Why the hell did he smile like that?
Pure, sweet and full of love.
It wasn't forced or fake. He gave genuine heartwarming smiles. Gods, I could imagine myself falling for him. But I wouldn't.
Not matter how much my heart thrummed with blissful energy whenever he looked at me like that, I wasn't going to fall for this man.
Or his brothers.
"Come on, lyubov' let me take you to our room to change your clothes before you get a cold," Nikolai ushered softly not meeting my eyes.
Was he still beating himself up about what happened before?
I mean, he should've but why? And why the hell did I care? Why did this part of my heart ache whenever he looked away from me?
Oh, Gods, I was an attention whore.
I answered Nikolai with an 'okay' and took his outstretched hand squeezing it lightly taking the stairs as I turned around to see the others moving towards somewhere else.
My thoughts veered off when Nik stayed silent.
Wait? Did I just nickname him?
Waving a hand in front of me. He bent at the knees to look at me, like really actually look at me. Assess me and read my every fidgety movement.
"Are you okay, love?"
No, I'm not.
"I'm fine," I emotionlessly grumbled.
No woman was ever okay when she said that it like that.
"But-" I cut him off, "I said I'm fine. I just zoned out."
"Okay," he stretched the word out awkwardly not knowing what to say.