Something New (REVENGE BRIDES: The Vece Familia Mafia #3)

1. Tuomo

CHAPTER ONE

Tuomo

S he giggles as I pull her into the space beneath the stairway in the hall of my father’s mansion.

I push her up against the wall, staring down at her.

Nerissa is the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. She is young and I know my father would be furious if he caught me kissing the maid’s daughter, but I can’t help who I fall in love with. My heart is in control of that, and who am I to question my heart?

At twenty-nine, I’ve never felt this way about anyone in my life. Girls fall over me, because of who I am, but not Nerissa. Nerissa is different. And no girl has ever made me want to willingly defy my father and get into trouble.

She is mature for her age, and even though she is just seventeen, I believe we’ve found true love in each other.

I close the door behind us, and we are pressed together in the small space beneath the stairs.

She giggles again and I press my finger over her lips. “Shh.” I whisper. “They’ll hear you.”

She pushes her lips together, sealing them shut, falling silent. She looks up at me and has my full attention. Beautiful, bright hazel eyes that catch the light and when the sunshine hits them just right, they turn to gold.

She takes a soft breath and her lips part.

I wrap my hand around her jaw, unable to control this urge I’ve had since the moment I laid eyes on her. She is my world. She is my everything.

I want her and I don’t care where she comes from or who her mother is. I don’t care that my father would disapprove. I only care about her.

She lifts her chin towards me, and I lower my lips - inches away from hers. I can smell strawberries and ice cream on her warm breath. We snuck it from the kitchen earlier and ate it in the back of the garden where no one would see us. We like to spend time amongst the orange trees, hidden from the watchful eyes of my father and my brothers.

We can never spend too much time together. We always need to be careful.

I meant to just walk her back to her room - but instead I pushed her into the closet beneath the stairs. I wanted to kiss her between the trees, but I didn’t. I regret it and now I am going to make up for it. And now I can smell strawberries on her breath and feel the heat of her beautiful body against mine.

My heart is beating so fast as I lean closer to her.

Closer, until there is no space between us anymore and my lips press into hers.

Her soft, warm, divine mouth opens, and she returns the kiss without hesitation.

Her lips are inviting, plump, pink and beautiful. Her tongue dances across my mouth and my blood boils, wild images flashing through my mind.

She is mine, and she was always meant to be mine.

I am holding her so close, her heart beating so hard I can feel it - and mine is in sync with hers. It is the most beautiful moment I’ve ever experienced in my life.

That is - until the door flies open and someone grabs me by the arm - yanking me away from her and throwing me to the floor with vicious coldness.

I gasp in shock, staring up at my father.

“What the fuck do you think you are doing, boy ?” he snarls at me, his mouth curled up with anger and disgust. “She is a child - a maid’s child. What the fuck do you think you are doing ? I asked you a question.”

The veins on his head popping and blue. They do that when he’s furious - and he’s always angry.

“I love her.” Is all I can say. “And don’t call me boy. I stopped being a boy years ago.” I snap. Although, when I am around my father, I always feel like a child. He knows how to make a person perceive themselves as small and worthless. He has never treated me like a man. He has never given me that respect or an ounce of love.

My twin brother, born mere minutes before me, is his pride and joy. Masaccio gets everything and I don’t even get the left-over scraps. He looks at me wi th a familiar look of disgust. My father only has disdain towards me. He hates me and he never misses an opportunity to remind me of that.

I push myself up onto my knees as my father grabs Nerissa from the closet. She is crying, and she lifts her hands up to protect her face as he raises his hand as though he wants to slap her.

I am on my feet in a flash, grabbing his wrist. He is stronger than me. He always has been. A brute of a man, with an icy heart.

“Don’t you dare hurt her.” I scream in anger.

He releases her, turning to face me again. I would rather his attention be on me, anyway. Anything to keep her safe.

“If you didn’t sneak around trying to take advantage of the help, you wouldn’t put me in this position, and I wouldn’t be forced to take action like this.”

“I am not taking advantage of her.” I snarl, clenching my fists at my side.

“He didn’t take advantage of me, sir—” Nerissa says, full of fear and hesitation, but showing how much she loves me by standing up for me.

He spins towards hers with hate in his eyes. “Did I give you permission to speak, girl?”

She freezes, wide eyed like an animal in a trap.

“Don’t speak to her like that.” I say, pulling his attention back to me.

My father grabs the collar of my shirt and lifts me off the ground. My feet hang limp and useless in the air. I gasp for breath.

“Let me make this clear, you piece of shit. If I ever catch you near her again, I will cut off your balls and send her so far away from here, you will forget she ever existed. It will be your fault that her mother loses her job in this mansion. You will be the reason her life falls apart. I cannot afford for people to be talking about my son - a Vece son - running around with an underaged girl who is nothing but a maid’s daughter.”

My father drops me to the floor and grabs Nerissa’s arm again. He drags her down the passage towards her mother’s bedroom. They live in a small room together in the staff quarters. I am never supposed to be in that part of the house. And Nerissa is never supposed to leave the workers’ side of the mansion. Of course, we’ve been sneaking around for months, visiting each other, spending time together. This was the first time I dared to kiss her - and it was everything I’ve dreamed of - but my father ruins all my dreams. He ruins everything. He is going to ruin my life if he takes her away from me.

I follow behind my father as he pushes Nerissa into her mother’s room. I hear him screaming at her.

“I told you to keep your brat of a daughter on a leash. And tell her to cover up. What the fuck is she doing parading herself like that around my sons? My sons don’t want trash like this. They deserve better and they are reserved for better than anything she could ever offer.”

“Sir — I am so sorry — I didn’t know — I told her —” Her mother stammers in fear. I can hear the stress in her voice. If she loses her job, she loses everything. Her home, her income, her security.

“I don’t give a fuck about what you told her in the past. It didn’t work. I am making it very clear now that if you don’t pull her leash tighter, I’ll remove you both permanently. I will make sure that you never work anywhere in this city again. Do I make myself clear?”

There is a moment of silence, and I can hear both Nerissa and her mother crying. My heart is breaking for Nerissa. She will blame herself. It’s not her fault, it’s mine. She doesn’t deserve to be treated like this.

“I - I understand. It won’t happen again. Ever.” Her mother sniffles.

My father glares into the room for a moment longer, and then turns away.

His face is pulled into a sour scowl as if he’s bitten into a lemon.

I hate him.

I hate him for doing this.

I hate him for embarrassing me.

I hate him for trying to keep me away from the first person I’ve ever loved.

He stalks towards me, his eyes locked onto mine. Predatory, he’s like a lion moving in for the kill. I know what is coming — it’s going to hurt.

Without hesitation, he grips me by the throat and body-slams me into the wall with enough force to move the painting hanging beside me.

“Did you hear everything?” he hisses into my face. “You like to eavesdrop.” He yanks my ear. I think he might rip it off.

“Yes.” I choke, my hatred growing deeper.

“Good. Then stay away from that little whore. You’ll catch the clap sleeping with filth.” He snarls. Then drops me. As I hit the floor, I clutch at my throat, choking for air.

I don’t watch him walk away because I can’t stand the sight of him.

I won’t listen.

I won’t ignore what I want any longer.

Nerissa belongs to me, and I always get what I want - no matter what I have to do. No matter who I have to step on. She is mine. She will always be mine.