Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Katya
Leon Moretti’s home is cozy and warm, nothing like my childhood home after my father’s death.
There’s not a single cold chill in the air, or darkness from the shades being drawn and the lights being too cool-toned.
And the smell…it’s fresh, almost sugary but light.
Like someone has been cleaning with lemon while baking cupcakes.
My mother was haunted by the loss of her husband, and without a large support system, there were weeks when I wasn’t sure if she would ever recover.
Not only is Leon’s home warm, but it’s full.
Not just of the women who are here for the same purpose as Chloe, but with family and friendly faces.
A bit of envy hits me softly in the gut, but it’s quickly smothered by genuine happiness for the young boys who are growing up here.
Leon’s children would be hard pressed to feel lonely and abandoned in such an environment.
It took me a while to get a real feel for the space of course, since Chloe was stuck to my side and almost vibrating with anticipation and nerves for several long minutes.
When we first arrived, I thought she might dig her nails so deep into my forearm that she’d draw blood.
That, or tear through the sleeves of my dress at the very least. She needed to take a few minutes to herself to acclimate and remember to trust her instincts, and I needed some space to breathe.
As Chloe has finally calmed herself down enough to leave me alone in the designated sitting room, I’m able to take in the home more fully.
The tall windows, high ceilings, and dark oak floors only made the soft lighting and open air feel more regal and rich.
The wealth of the mansion is understated to the untrained eye.
There are no obvious luxuries or flashy golden accents.
It’s classy and comfortable, a style my mother would appreciate.
Between looking around the space, and my friend’s obvious nervousness taking up my brain space, there’s no time for me to consider whether or not I should be just as anxious as her before more company finds me again.
A small, child’s size soft soccer ball rolls into my feet where I’m sitting down, and the sound of little feet quickly follows it.
I can’t help the smile that breaks out on my face as I look up to see two boys trotting over to me, one much more boldly than the other.
“My ball,” the smaller blonde one declares, crouching down slowly to pick it up. “I kick.” He reports the short sentence so proudly, explaining to me how his toy came to be in my personal space.
“You must have a very strong leg,” I tell him, widening my eyes to look impressed. “Do you drink lots of milk to build those bones of yours?”
He grins, pleased with the compliment. “I love milk,” he agrees. Patting his chest, he adds. “Me Leo, dats Bastian.” He indicates his brother by grabbing the quiet boy’s hand and tugging him closer. “My bruther.”
“I can tell,” I tell him happily. “You two are the spitting image of each other.”
Leo finds the word spitting hilarious, and tosses his little head back, giggling. His wild hair full of blonde bouncing curls makes my heart clench. He’s so perfectly young and innocent, and so freaking cute—chubby little rosy cheeks and all.
“It’s nice to meet the two of you. My name is Katya, but you can call me Kat if you like,” I offer with a small smile.
“Kat like kitties!” Leo lights up happily.
“Do you like cats, then?” I ask with a chuckle.
“Love,” he agrees.
“Well, I love your shirt, Bastian,” I say softly, wanting to include the little brunette. “Dinosaurs are so cool. My little sister actually named our cat Dino, you know?”
Leo finds Gaia’s choice in cat names hilarious, and starts giggling again, even harder this time.
I laugh along with him, tickled by the sound of his humor.
Bastian doesn’t crack up with us, but he does smile.
He seems to exhale too, becoming less on edge the longer his brother shows his comfort with me.
“Do you know Ice Age?” Leo asks, more like demands, actually. His little hands are on his hips suddenly, as if the question is of great importance and my answer is extremely important to him.
“I know Ice Age,” I agree with a very serious nod. “I love Diego the tiger.”
He lights up, his little blue eyes twinkling with joy. I seem to have confirmed his suspicions that I’m a person he can get along with. Ice Age may be his current movie obsession, but he seems to have a love of a great many things. And he isn’t shy about sharing each and every one of them with me.
For the next two minutes at least, Leo begins to chat my ear off about all of his favorite things.
Dinosaurs, animals, food, and baby Vaughn come up more than once in his spiel.
I can tell by his babbling words that he’s extremely passionate about the things he likes, and with the way Bastian nods and smiles along, it seems he is too—just more quietly than Leo.
We aren’t left alone for long though, as we’re quickly joined by two new faces.
A woman holding a baby and a stern-looking man who could never be mistaken for anyone other than who he is.
Apollo Moretti, heir to The Outfit, and first son of Dante Moretti.
The beautiful woman by his side must be his wife, judging by the size of the ring on her left hand and how closely he stands to her.
“I’m Rayna,” she speaks up first, her lips curving up into a welcoming smile. “This is my husband Apollo, Leon’s older brother. We’ve been staying here with the boys for a while, and I see you’ve met my favorite nephews.”
“I’m Katya,” I reply, refusing to get nervous.
If I fumble over my words I might make Chloe look bad.
“And it seems I have.” I smile, looking toward the two young children before turning back to her.
“They’ve been very sweet. And this must be the baby little Leo here has been telling me so much about. ”
“Baby Vaughn,” Leo agrees, nodding once like he’s proud to introduce the infant. Putting his pale little hand over his heart he boasts, “My baby Vaughn.”
Rayna laughs lightly, the sound gentle and joyous. “Mister Leo here loves to claim people as his own. He calls our cats his too.”
“My kitties,” the child reports proudly.
I smother a giggle, folding my lips in.
“Hello, Uncle Apollo,” Bastian suddenly says, voice small.
I’m getting the sense that the boy is shy, but polite. His manners seem practiced, which is supposedly common amongst young heirs. Bastian will grow up to take his father’s place one day, and even through his bashful nature, he’s trained slowly to know what that means.
The extremely intimidating man softens his gaze to look at his nephew. “Hello, Bastian. Are you having a nice time?”
“Yes, Uncle,” he reports with a small nod. “Kat is nice.”
“Kat, is it?” Apollo echoes, tilting his head.
“It’s easier for kids to pronounce,” I say awkwardly. “My little sister, Gaia, she just turned six and has called me Kat instead of Katya since she was two.”
“Aww, I like that.” Rayna sighs happily. “Jade’s babies have nicknames for all of the uncles, too. Armani is a bit of a tongue twister for a toddler.”
“Mani,” Leo chimes in, as if he’s giving an example.
“Exactly,” his aunt agrees, smiling happily.
“Where are you from, Katya?” Apollo asks out of the blue, his deep voice switching from English to Italian.
My throat goes tight as I realize what’s happening. He wants to make sure I can actually speak the language. Is he considering me a candidate?
I almost balk at the idea, I’m supposed to be here to help Chloe keep calm and make a good impression. But it’s not like I can pretend I don’t understand. I can’t risk making a member of Linus Gabris’ family look like a liar.
“Slovakia,” I reply quickly, mentally switching languages. “But I’ve lived with the Gabris family since I was fourteen years old. I started learning Italian then, wanting to contribute to his family in any way that I could. He’s very good to my mother.”
Leo gasps, his little blue eyes blowing wide and sparkling. He reaches for my arm, holding on to my wrist to capture my attention. “You speak Italian?”
“I do,” I tell him, happy to have made him excited.
“Bastian.” Leo jumps up and swings his gaze back to his brother. “Did you hear, did you hear?”
“Certo,” he agrees shyly.
“Your family is Italian?” Leo asks, the words coming out so quickly they’re almost slurred and jumbled. It’s so cute that I can’t even answer him right away because I’m too busy turning into a pile of goo.
“Her family is Greek,” Apollo tells him as if to educate gently. “But she learned so that she could talk with families like ours. It’s a sign of respect, yes?”
“Oooooh,” Leo says, looking surprised as he digests the words.
“Have you met my family?” I ask, not sure what else to say.
Apollo nods, almost making a humming noise. “Your stepfather, many times. Some of my younger siblings are familiar with your stepbrother, too.”
“Oh boy,” I mutter with a wince. “Familiar in a good or a bad way?”
“They’re friendly.” He chuckles and I breathe out shortly, relieved to hear it. “We have no issues with the Gabris family.”
I knew that, of course I did. There would be no way that Chloe and I were welcomed here if the Morettis didn’t like my stepfather.
Or at the very least, didn’t trust their working relationship.
The families are at peace, and if Ares made an enemy out of one of Apollo’s siblings, that might not be true.
Ares isn’t exactly an instigator known for making enemies, but he can be a troublemaker when he’s bored. He likes adrenaline, entertainment, and gambling. He likes winning the most, and a lot of made men hate losing.
“That’s good to hear,” I reply, not knowing what else to say.
“I hear you speak Bulgarian, too,” Rayna says in the language, changing the topic with a grin. She doesn’t seem to be testing me the way her husband was, but simply excited to have someone to speak to in what must be her native tongue.
I light up a little, hearing her speak so smoothly in a Slavic language.
Aside from speaking with my mother, I don’t often hear languages from our part of the world much anymore.
Though Bulgarian and Slovak are quite different in several ways, there are shared words and tones.
I learned Bulgarian at a young age, and always enjoyed the process.
Languages have always come easy to me, and I think it helps that I feel deeply connected to people through conversation.
“I do,” I agree happily.
It doesn’t take long before Rayna and I are chatting about our childhoods.
Hers in Bulgaria, and mine in Slovakia. When she asks what I do for fun, I tell her about my piano, and singing.
In return, she tells me that she’s a baker, and adores making pastries.
Her husband, from what I understand, doesn’t speak the language, and yet he watches her with a smile as if he hears every word.
He’s mesmerized by his wife, and I can’t help but envy her for it.
It seems like she has everything she could ever want. A good family, a loving husband, a child of her own, and the freedom to do what she loves while surrounded by support. I can see why little Leo is so fond of her, and I could see us becoming friends in the future, if she wanted to, of course.
“Daddy,” Leo says suddenly, his little voice sounding delighted.
I look away from Rayna, barely withholding a gasp as I see that we’ve been joined by the man himself. He greets both of his sons with soft Italian words and gentle smiles directed at each boy before turning his gaze my way.
“Katya, can I speak with you for a moment?”
My lips part but no reply comes.
“Come on, boys,” Rayna says in a cheerful tone. “I think it’s time for us to find a treat, hmm? Let’s give your daddy a few minutes to speak to our new friend, yes?”
Leo only pouts for a moment before agreeing to follow his aunt. But not before he tosses his tiny arms around my legs and gives me a rushed hug goodbye. My chest is flooded with warmth in an instant, feeling honored to receive such a sweet gesture so soon after meeting the little guy.
Bastian waves as he takes his aunt’s hand, and I wave as well, standing up to put myself closer to his father’s height now that we’re being left alone. I still have to look up to meet the man’s eyes, but it’s not such a dramatic difference.
“Hello, Katya Luká?ová.”
The timber of his greeting makes me shiver.