"Carlos!" My face remained stoic while looking at the twelve-year-old girl who just slid out of the luxury car while waving her hands wildly in my direction.

I took a deep breath and studied her silently while she was standing outside her father's bulletproof car with her bodyguard holding the car's door for her.

Do I need to babysit this little girl again?

I heard the soft chuckle of Gio who stood beside me. He was my friend and also acted as my bodyguard despite my protest. He swung his arm over my shoulder while looking at the princess of the Villante family.

"You're in for a wild ride again today.

"Shut up!" I hissed at my friend who grinned and waved back to the young girl completely ignoring me. "If you don't want me to break your neck right now.

He laughed again, sliding his gaze on me.

"Based on the wide grin on her face it seems that she still has a huge crush on you, Bro."

I couldn't help but groan. How could he remind me of that? I was aware of the teenage crush she had on me but I was hoping that it would be over by now. I felt uncomfortable with the idea because of our Nine-year age gap. I was already Twenty years old, by then for goodness' sake!

I felt that Gio elbowed me in the stomach. I threw a deathly glare in his direction.

"What?! Do you want to die?"

"You haven't greeted your princess yet." He nodded his head in the direction of the pretty girl who just arrived at our family's estate.

"Don't be so cold. She's waiting for your acknowledgement, see?"

I took a deep breath. What other choice do I have? I gave her a faint smile as my form of greeting. I heard Gio scoff beside me.

"That's so cruel of you, my Friend."

I watched the princess of the Villante family walk in our direction. Gio whispered something near my ear. "Look, at the deadly glare, her bodyguard is throwing in your direction. I think he feels that you are his competition for the lady's affection."

"Don't be absurd, " I replied dryly, looking at the man with a deadly gaze. He's barking at the wrong tree. Besides, I am a few years older than him and I have no interest in that girl.

"Should I put a bullet inside his head for you?" My annoying friend suggested darkly.

I frowned in his direction. "There's no need for that. I can handle him but his unjustified anger is not worth my time."

Gio whistled softly. "What should I expect from the future head of our Familia? The great Carlos Santorini."

Before I had the chance to answer my irritating friend, the young girl was already standing in front of us with a big bright smile in her clear blue eyes. "Hi, Carlos, I am excited to be here again," she set her gaze on the man next to me. "Hello, Gio,"

I only managed to give her a tight smile and from the corner of my eye, I saw how Gio stopped himself from laughing out loud.

"Nice to see you again, little one." Gio replied ruffling her brunette locks. "I hope you'll enjoy your visit again."

"I hope so."

My damned friend drifted his gaze on me with malicious intent. "You don't need to worry," he said jovially, placing his arm once again on my shoulder. "My friend here will make sure that you'll have a good time."

'Idiot,' I mouthed at him, making sure that this little girl would not hear the word I've been saying to my bastard friend. Gio merely raised an eyebrow in my direction looking very much amused due to my irritation.

I watched the only daughter of my father's business partner converse with Gio animatedly. She's so innocent however you look at her hard to believe that her father was one of the most notorious mafias in America and a very good friend of my father who dominates the underground business here in Italy.

Gio claimed that she's naive about her father's real business either that or her father just kept her in the dark about the true nature of his trade. Maybe she's still too young to understand why she needs to ride a bulletproof car when leaving her father's property or why there are always heavily armed men around her.

"Where do you want to go today?" I frowned.

The happy expression on her face was so obvious. She grinned at me through her braced teeth. "Can you show me , Sicily? I want to explore the city.

"Sure," I replied with a smile.

As I promised, I show her around Sicily with bodyguards discreetly following us, of course. And what do you expect of a middle school student? She was so delighted by the small things she saw in the streets of Sicily. Taking pictures of her scenery, ate a huge scoop of gelato, and asked me to take pictures of her with some famous landmarks as her backdrop.

Everything ran smoothly and I was on my guard always but in the blink of an eye, an SUV abruptly stopped where she was standing and forcibly tossed her inside the car.

"Carlos" The blood-curdling sound of her voice calling my name desperately as those masked men took her inside the SUV was enough to have my blood run cold.

Our bodyguards were quick to jump into the action and open fire on the escaping vehicle

but it was futile when it was also impenetrable. I watched it helplessly speed away...

I sat up on the bed gasping for air, beads of sweat were now forming on my forehead. It's been years since the last time I had that nightmare. I looked around at the familiar room and sighed deeply. I wiped my face with my palms trying to control my raging heart.

Then I realized that the telephone beside the side table kept on ringing in the silent room.

Only a few people knew the direct number of this phone inside my room. This must be something important, I picked up the receiver to answer.

"I need to remind you about your scheduled flight in Los Angeles today," Gio, my right-hand man reminded me over the phone.

I closed my eyes and exhaled a heavy breath. I have some idea why my nightmare was recurring lately because of my scheduled flight to the US today to fetch my new ward.

Ward. That simple word feels like an icepack poking my mind since I heard from Michael Villante's solicitor that he named me as the legal guardian of his daughter and the properties she's about to inherit until she turns at the age of twenty-five

How could that man trust me with his daughter after what happened in the past? Hasn't he learned a thing from the incident?

"Carlos? Are you still there?"

I let out an angry sigh. I still don't know if I want to fulfill this obligation my father's business partner dropped on my lap after his untimely death a few weeks ago. "Yes, I'm still here listening to you.

"Well, you have to move and get ready," Gio replied dryly. "Your plane is already waiting for you at the tarmac and I should add that it's now starting to cause traffic for the next plane that is also scheduled to leave Italy today."

My eyebrows drew together. "If I remember correctly that damned plane is at the private tarmac."

"And if I remember correctly," my friend answered back on the other line. "You're not the only one who has access to the private tarmac here in Italy. There were other rich people here in our hometown who also have private planes."

"Let them wait!" I informed him heatedly. "I will leave Italy when I am ready."

I heard him groan. "Oh, please. Stop being an ass, will you? Don't make my job more difficult than already is. If you delayed your plane at the tarmac more I need to apologize to other people for the inconvenience and I hate apologizing you are aware of it."

"Don't apologize then," I told him before rudely disconnecting the phone call. I rubbed my palms again on my face to ease my frustration. Taking care of her was the last thing I wanted to do. Besides, she has no place in this chaotic world I live in... I was interrupted by my trail of thoughts when the telephone sounded again. Thinking that it was Gio

What?!

"Carlos," a female voice on the other line chirped. I knew that instant that it was not Gio but my dear grandmother from Rome.

"I'm glad you picked up, figlio!" nonna exclaimed on the other side of the phone. I sighed and force a smile.

"I just spoke to you a few days ago, nonna," I replied nonchalantly.

"So, have you found any girl yet, figlio?" nonna asked on the phone and paused waiting intently for my reply.

God, when is this going to end?

I sighed at nonna stifling the urge to snap at her. I love her, but her tenacity was too unbearable.

"If you mean my mistresses, I have a lot of them, nonna "I quipped stifling the urge to roll my eyes"

"I didn't mean your- mistresses, figlio." she retorted tersely.

I haven't heard my nonna getting mad before, until today.

I heaved a deep sigh on the phone at her.

"You're 30 Carlos. At that age, you should have at least three kids roaming around your house." Nonna lectured.

Not again! I groaned inwardly.

"If you only need an heir, then I will give it to you nonna, but I'm not going to get married," I replied blatantly.

My lips pursed in annoyance, with my anger rises simultaneously. Then I grab the phone gripping it tightly in an iron grip.

"And, how will you give us an heir if you don't marry? Just impregnated one of your bimbos and then boom. Done. That is how you come up with the solution?" Nonna asked coldly.

I wanted to say yes, but it would only ignite her temper.

"I'm not going to marry nonna and that's final." I declared icily with finality in my tone, dripping with bitterness.

I will never fall for their bait. Not ever.

"You need an heir, right?" I asked trying to get her in a good sweet talk. I need to try other tactics.

"Yes," Nonna replied briefly. "But we don't want just any heir, coming from one of your bimbos," she added with acid in her tone.

"I will make sure my son does not come from any of my mistresses. And surely, it comes from a decent girl." I replied with reassurance as a ghost of a smile crept over the corner of my lips.

She disconnected the phone call and left me speechless by her crude behavior.

I took a quick shower and dressed before heading to the tarmac where my plane was waiting.

I sighed deeply and looked out of the plane window since it will be a long ride to California. My mind was filled with the image of a doe-eyed brunette girl with braces smiling happily at me but soon the images were filled with my nightmare of her asking for my help as they abducted her right in front of me.

I shifted my position trying to banish those images in my mind and hardening my heart in the process. I refused to think about that fateful day ever since.

"Vuoi vedermi di novo, Angel?" I muttered under my breath almost absently.