**REBEL SIMMONS POV**
I walked into the closet and threw on a pair of black jeans and a long sleeve white shirt. I threw on a pair of socks, and glanced at the clock - 7:50 PM. I finished making my lock pick contraption out of a bobby pin and paperclip, and made my way to the door. It was a simple door lock, and I opened the door within seconds. I opened a desk drawer, and hid the contraption underneath an empty folder.
The Vino estate was bigger than I thought. The mansion was modern, the light grey wooden floors were pristine. The ceilings were at least 20ft high, and bright LED lights adorned the walls. The enticing aroma of garlic and spices hit my senses, and I followed the smell and commotion down another hallway. Eventually, I made my way to a set of stairs. The air was filled with conversations accompanied by the sound of utensils clinking. I walked down and was immediately hugged by Gigi.
"Oh, Rebel, I'm so glad you could join us. Dante said you weren't feeling too well, I was starting to get worried," she said as she held me at arm's length and examined me.
"How thoughtful of Dante to let you know that," I said slowly, hiding the sarcasm in my voice.
That bastard.
"I'm feeling much better now," I said. Telling Gigi what he did would be too easy. I'd rather him be anxiety-ridden with anticipation as to when and if I was going to disclose to his intimidating aunt that he locked me in my room.
"Glad to hear that honey. Please, come sit. We're just waiting on a few more people," she said as she led me into a dining room. The dining room was modern, much like the rest of the house. The light grey floors glowed underneath an expensive and intricate chandelier. The dining table was long with eight plush grey chairs surrounding it. The table itself was just as elegant, the grey and white marble design brought to life with the white plates resting upon it. The familiar family crest decorated a large portion of the wall behind the dining table.
"So this is the Rebel I've heard so much about!" A middle-aged woman exclaimed as she rushed over to me, her ashy brown bob bouncing with every step. She was absolutely stunning. She was wearing a dark red sweater, and blue jeans. She was slender and petite, standing at about 5'3. She has a pointy slender nose, and a perfect facial structure. I could tell immediately that this was Mrs. Vino. Angelo and her shared many similarities, but Dante inherited her full lips. Her brown eyes sparkled with life as she pulled me into a tight hug.
"Gigi has told me so much about you over the years!" She exclaimed as she released me from her clasp.
"All good things I hope," I said as I smiled slightly. There was something about her that lit up a room. Her smile was enormous, displaying her perfectly straight pearly whites.
"Oh, of course dear. I'm Florence Vino. It's such a pleasure to finally meet you!" She said still smiling and holding onto my shoulders. Another pang of guilt struck through me as I remembered the fact that I stole from this delightful woman.
I looked around the room and noticed that everyone was already seated at the table. Harry and Giana sat next to each other, whispering sweet nothings into each other's ear. Angelo sat across from them typing away on his iPhone, while Dante sat at the head of the rectangular table. He was leaned back on the lavish chair, his arms resting on the armrests as one hand was resting underneath his chin, covering his mouth with his hand. His grey eyes were locked onto mine, anger looming behind his calm demeanor.
"Florence, I just wanted to apologize for what I did. I-" I said as I lowered my voice to prevent the others from hearing. She pulled me into another tight hug.
"Darling, if I was in your situation, I would have done the exact same thing." She whispered, calming my nerves. Does everyone here know about my pathetic situation? About my mother? Florence pulled away from me and took in my uneasy expression.
"Gigi told me about your mom." She whispered as if reading my mind. "Don't worry, I'm the only one here that knows besides her and Harry. I hope that's okay." She asked with concern etched on her face.
"That's fine. I don't mind," I said with a small smile.
"Don't worry love, it'll be our little secret." Florence said as she winked as me. Relief washed over me. I didn't want pity, I didn't want sympathy for my situation. If you pity someone based on their circumstances, you make them weaker instead of stronger, something I hated.
Before I could respond, the sound of a door slamming echoed throughout the house, followed by the echo of heels clinking against the stone floor, which gradually became louder. A younger woman walked into the dining room, her hands filled with shopping bags. Her blonde hair was straight and fell a bit past her shoulders. Her hair was dyed a pale pink, complementing her tan skin. She was taller than me, standing at about 5'7, adding to her model-like appearance. Her eyes were light brown and she had very minimal makeup on. She was wearing a baggy light pink sweater, light-washed ripped jeans, and beige thigh-high boots.
"Natalia, what did I tell you about wearing shoes in the house!" Florence scolded her as she put her hand on her hip.
"Shit, sorry mom. I'm going to go put my bags away. I'll be right back." The blonde woman apologized. She walked away and gave me a slight smile before she disappeared.
I went to go take my seat, Dante's eyes still locked onto me, watching my every move. As soon as I took my seat, the pink-haired woman returned. Now she was wearing a black tank top, a black bomber jacket, and leggings. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, and she had a bored expression on her face as she typed away on her iPhone. She looked up at the table, and her light brown eyes met mine.
Damn she changes fast.
"Who's this chick?" She asked curiously, her perfectly shaped eyebrow raising as she sat down in the seat to my left. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.
"My names Rebel." I said extending a hand out. She took it and shook it firmly.
"Cool name." She said smoothly as she took off her jacket. Confusion hit me momentarily as the original pink-haired woman wearing a pink sweater walked back into the dining room, her shoes now removed. She quickly walked over to the table and took the seat to my right.
Fucking twins.
"Sorry for rushing out of here before I properly introduced myself. I'm Natalia." The girl in the pink sweater said sweetly as she held out her hand.
"Rebel. Nice to meet you." I said shaking her hand.
"I'm Isa." The twin in black said, smiling slightly.
"So how am I supposed to tell you two apart?" I asked as Florence sat down next to Natalia.
"Easy. I'm obviously the more attractive sister." Isa smiled playfully as Natalia flipped her off.
"People usually can't tell us apart," Natalia explained. "I usually wear bright colors. Isa tends to only wear black or grey, the color of her soul," she said dramatically as Isa rolled her eyes.
"So what brings you to the Vino house? You're way too pretty to be dating either of our idiot brothers," Isa stated, a playful smile plastered across her face.
"Agreed," Natalia stated, smiling. "If you are dating one of them, I will seriously question your sanity." Both of the twins burst out in laughter, and I couldn't help but join.
I caught Dante's glare from across the table, his eyes still locked on mine. His face was unreadable, and his hateful glare softened a bit. His fingers grazed the stubble on his face, something I assume he does when he's deep in thought.
The rest of the dinner went by peacefully. The twins continued to make jokes about their brothers, causing my cheeks to hurt from laughing so much. Dante only threatened to kill Angelo and his sisters four times before Giana intervened, then he threatened to kill her which led to his mother throwing a fork at him in an attempt to make him behave.
Who would have thought that the most feared Mafia family in Europe would be this... normal?
"Angelo, I swear to God if you make one more joke about my beard I will shove this knife so far up your ass, your tongue will get cut!" Dante screamed as he held out a knife to his laughing younger brother.
Well... somewhat normal.