Chapter 12
Gianna Pov~
“We’re home!” I called as the girls and I stepped into the foyer. We dropped our shopping bags onto the floor and collectively let out exhausted sighs.
“Mommy!” The younger kids came barreling toward us, throwing themselves into our arms. I laughed as Cata, Callie, and Dantae wrapped themselves around me.
I kissed each of their heads, hugging them tightly.
“Maybe we should leave more often,” Yana teased with a grin as Lia and Bella clung to her.
“My sons are too old for that now,” Leena whined dramatically. “Let me hug one of yours.” She scooped Callie into her arms, showering her with kisses while Callie squealed and squirmed, laughing the entire time.
I smiled at the adorable sight before looking around.
“Where’s your daddy?” The second the question left my mouth, every child's expression changed. The smiles disappeared. They all suddenly became very interested in the floor.
Uh-oh.
I slowly folded my arms. “What did you do?” No one answered.
“I got this,” Miliana said, stepping in front of the kids with an encouraging smile.
“You know I’m your favorite aunt, right?” Every single one of them nodded.
“Hey!” Yana, Leena, and I exclaimed in mock offense.
Miliana ignored us. “So... you know you can tell me anything. I promise I won’t get mad.”
The kids exchanged nervous glances. I knew it was only a matter of time before one of them cracked.
Finally, Dantae spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. “We... um... made a mess in the kitchen.” He stared down at his shoes. “And Daddy hasn’t seen it yet.”
Miliana smiled confidently.
“Oh, it can’t be that bad.” She motioned for everyone to lead the way. “I doubt that,” I muttered, following behind them. The moment I stepped into the kitchen, I froze.
My jaw dropped. Milk, eggs, flour, and who knew what else were splattered across the expensive cabinets and walls.
Dirty dishes covered the sink and every inch of the countertops. Different colored liquids dripped over the edges of the counters and pooled onto the floor. The blender sat open, filled with some horrifying mixture of green and purple sludge.
Sugar coated the floor like fresh snow. Baking soda had somehow ended up everywhere. Squashed tomatoes decorated the tile.
Crushed chips, cookies, chocolate, and pieces of cake had all been dumped into one giant pot. Thank goodness the stove wasn't on.
Silence filled the room. “What...” I blinked. “...were you all trying to make?”
Yana finally found her voice. “What were you guys thinking?” she yelled, afraid to take another step into the disaster zone. I just stood there. Completely speechless.
“Where’s Ano V?” I asked.
The poor woman had probably reached her limit with these children and ran for the hills. Honestly, I couldn't say I blamed her.
Lia nervously twisted the hem of her shirt between her fingers. “She said she was going to take a shower and told us to grab a snack while she was gone.”
I looked around at all the kids. Every single one of them looked terrified. Even though I was furious, I could already tell they felt awful about what had happened.
Before Leena could say anything, I gently held up a hand to stop her. “Okay.” I took a slow breath.
“We'll talk about this later. Right now, let's clean everything up before your fathers come downstairs and see it.”
Every head nodded so fast I thought they might get whiplash. The kids immediately rushed into the kitchen, grabbing towels and paper towels, desperately trying to erase the evidence.
I sighed before looking over at Miliana and Leena. “You two as well.” I motioned them toward the kitchen. “Come on.” The smell somehow managed to be even worse than the mess itself. I glanced inside the blender and immediately regretted it.
Whatever horrifying concoction was inside looked like it had become its own living organism. I nearly gagged.
“What the fuck?” Adriano's deep voice echoed from behind us. I closed my eyes for a second before turning around. “Language.” I placed my hands on my hips and gave him a pointed look.
One day these men would finally understand they couldn't swear in front of the children. Today clearly wasn't that day.
“Language?” Adriano repeated, staring at me in disbelief. “Forget the language. What the hell happened in here?” His gaze immediately shifted past me to the children.
Every single one of them gasped before instinctively hiding behind us. I let out another quiet sigh before walking over to him. I placed both palms against his chest, forcing his attention back to me. “Calm down,” I whispered. “Please.”
I felt his body physically relax beneath my hands. Only slightly. The fire burning in his blue eyes never disappeared. Footsteps echoed behind us. Giovanni and Matteo walked into the kitchen.
“What the-” Matteo stopped midsentence.
“Don't even,” Yana warned.
His eyes slowly traveled across the room. “…Never mind.”
“Antonio!” Adriano suddenly roared. “Dean! Michel! Get your asses in here. Now!” I instinctively took half a step back, startled by the force of his voice. I shot him an irritated glare. He ignored it completely. His stormy blue eyes never left the kitchen.
Oh...
He was angry. Really angry.
A few seconds later, pounding footsteps echoed through the hallway.
The three boys rushed into the room. “What’s up, Dad?” Michel asked. Then all three of them looked past Adriano. Their eyes landed on the kitchen. Every ounce of color drained from their faces.
Uh-oh. They knew exactly what this was about.
“Didn't I tell you to watch your younger siblings?” Adriano's voice was terrifyingly calm.
Dean swallowed hard. Antonio glanced at his father before looking back at Adriano. Michel was the only one who managed to hold his gaze. “Yes.”
“So,” Adriano continued, crossing his arms over his chest, somehow making himself look even more intimidating, “what were you doing that was so important while your younger siblings were destroying my kitchen?”
Silence. The boys stared at the floor.
I sighed quietly. I hated this part. One of the downsides of having the Capo di Capi as a father was that you never wanted to disappoint him.
He had never laid a hand on any of the children. He didn't have to. A raised voice and that look in his eyes were enough to make every single one of them straighten up.
And honestly...who wouldn't be intimidated? Everything about Adriano screamed dangerous. I couldn't save the boys this time. They had been given one job, and they hadn't listened.
“...We were playing video games.” Antonio's voice wavered as he finally answered.
Leena, Yana, Miliana, Giovanni, and Matteo had long since grown accustomed to Adriano disciplining all of the children, not just his own.
To him, they were all family. He expected the best from every one of them because he loved every one of them. That was why none of us ever stepped in unless we truly needed to.
Of course, Giovanni and Matteo still disciplined their own children as well. They were their fathers. But when it came to teaching lessons, the three men stood together.
“Oh, I see,” Matteo said, folding his arms as he looked at the boys. “Video games.” He nodded thoughtfully. “So it would've been perfectly fine if Lia had cut herself trying to slice tomatoes and bled all over this floor?”
The boys' faces fell. “Or if Cata had turned on the stove and burned herself?” Adriano added evenly. “Or if Dantae had slipped off that stool and hit his head?”
His blue eyes never left the boys. “Or if Callie had picked up one of those pieces of broken glass?” He gestured toward the floor. “Or stepped on it?”
The kitchen fell silent.
“I guess all of that would've been worth it... because your video game was more important.”
“Okay...” Dean whispered, horror written all over his face. “We get it.”
“Do you?” Giovanni asked quietly. The boys immediately nodded. “Yes.” Michel stepped forward slightly. “We're sorry.”
The images the men had painted had clearly shaken them. Good, because those things could have happened. Adriano looked at the three boys for another long moment before speaking.
“You're going to clean every inch of this kitchen.” His voice left no room for negotiation. “You're not leaving until it's spotless.”
All three nodded. “Yes, sir.” The boys glanced toward us. The only comfort we could offer was a small, sympathetic smile. This was a lesson they needed to learn.
Adriano motioned for the rest of us to leave the kitchen. The three boys would probably be in there for hours. As we walked into the foyer, Callie tugged gently on Adriano's sleeve.
“I'm sorry, Daddy,” she said in her tiny voice. Adriano immediately bent down and picked her up. He looked into her little blue eyes. “Don't let it happen again.”
His gaze swept over the rest of the younger children. “All of you.” Every little head nodded.
Matteo lifted Bella into his arms as we walked over to the mountain of shopping bags we had abandoned earlier.
Giovanni stopped in his tracks. He blinked. “...Did you ladies buy all of Italy?” I laughed and smacked him lightly on the arm.
“No.” I smiled innocently. “We just got a little carried away.”
“A little,” Adriano muttered under his breath. I pretended not to hear him.
“Mommy!” Callie squealed excitedly from Adriano's arms. “Did you buy me something?”
I laughed and nodded. “I did.” Her eyes lit up. “Really?”
“You want to see?” She squealed so loudly that Adriano winced. With a dramatic groan, he gently set her back on the floor.
“Well,” I said with a sheepish smile as I looked down at the enormous pile of shopping bags covering almost every inch of the foyer, “first we have to find it.”
At this point, you couldn't even see the floor anymore.
Later that evening~
I finally unpacked all my clothes and things I bought into the many suitcases in my room. I sigh zipping up the last one as I felt my and heard my stomach growl.
My cheek heat up as Adriano smirked at me as he sprawled out on the bed. He was watching me unpack the entire time.