Chapter 4 WHICH OF THE TRIPLETS

~ELENA~

I try to school my expression but I'm frozen at the base of the mansion steps, staring like a complete idiot.

Triplets.

My new stepbrothers are goddamn triplets.

And I made out with one of them.

One of them.

My brain short circuits.

Yes, they're identical, but they're not the same.

The one on the left wears a black suit like he's born in it. He doesn't smile. Doesn't blink. Just watch me with cold, expressionless eyes.

The one in the middle is all tattoos and smirks, like he knows he's trouble but enjoys it. A silver ring glints in his ear as he tilts his head.

The last one lingers at the top of the steps, arms crossed, quiet. Then his expression softens.

One of them is the mystery man who rocked my world last night, but which one??

"You must be Elena. I'm Nico," the tattooed one says, striding towards me with a lazy grin.

"That's Vincenzo...Enzo for short" he gestures to the one in the suit. "And the other one is Riccardo."

They're all staring.

I grip my suitcase tighter, trying to pretend like I'm not internally combusting.

"Hi," I say softly to them.

Nico's smile widens. "So you're the new sister."

He says it as a joke or as a challenge but I can't tell.

Vincenzo doesn't speak. He just turns and brushes Nico's shoulders as he enters the house.

Nico lingers for a second longer before following him inside.

Riccardo stays where he is, watching me.

"You look nervous," he murmurs.

I swallow hard.

"Shouldn't I be??"

"Mom isn't home and dad is away for a week. So we're the only ones at home for now" he says, and just like his brothers turns and walks away.

Then on a second thought, walks back to me and helps me carry both my luggages into the house.

"Follow me. Let me show you to your room" he says and I follow him.

We climb the long stairs that feels like it's never ending and start to walk through the long hallway.

"This is Vincenzo's room. He's the first one of the triplets" he informs me as we walk past a door.

"And this is Nico's room. He's the second one" he says as we walk past the second room. "I'm the third one."

"This is your room" he says as we stop at the next room after Nico's. "And the room after yours is mine."

So my room is after Vincenzo's and Nico's, and before Riccardo's.

I roll my eyes. I am in the middle of them.

Riccardo opens the door for me but doesn't come in.

He keeps my luggages at the door.

"Feel at home" he says, then turns and walks away.

I stare at him till he's no longer in sight, before pushing my luggage into my room and shutting the door behind me.

The room is beautiful and designed in my favorite color, purple.

It's stunning...soft lavender walls, golden lighting, and elegant decors that whisper luxury.

A cozy reading nook with a cushioned window seat overlooks the garden outside.

A plush queen sized bed, layered with fluffy pillows and a velvety comforter sits beneath a delicate chandelier that bathes the room in a warm, golden glow.

It's everything I loved, wrapped in quiet perfection.

I begin to unpack and my mind goes to Valentina and Gianna.

Oh, how they'll love to hear about this recent update..

But it'll be a gist for later. For now, I must unpack.

***

Later that night...

The dining room is enormous–vaulted ceilings, gold trimmed walls, a crystal chandelier that drips light like snow.

I sit at the long table in a velvet chair that feels too expensive to touch.

I'm not hungry.

My mother and her new husband sit at the other end.

Her new husband is supposed to be away for a week but he had returned home with mom this afternoon.

He introduces himself as Lorenzo Romano to me.

He is a man with so much authority and charisma. And for some strange reason, I can tell he's very dangerous.

He is talking in soft murmurs with my mom from where they sit.

I don't catch much, only phrases like "expanding territory" and "cleaning up loose ends."

Mafia talk.

I'm too stunned to process it.

My mom got married to a Mafia Lord???

I don't have enough time to think about it, when they walk in.

All three of them.

Dressed in black. Moving like shadows.

Vincenzo takes the seat across from me. Nico drops into the one right beside me. Riccardo sits at the other end, near the wall, barely looking up.

I can feel Nico's eyes on my bare shoulders.

"I hope you like red" he murmurs, pouring into my glass before I can even answer.

"I'm twenty two" I reply.

"That's legal" he grins.

By

But I feel his presence like heat against my skin. There's something in the way he moves–controlled, deadly.

"You don't talk much, do you?" I ask softly, looking at him.

His hands pauses. He lifts his eyes.

My stomach flips.

"I talk when it matters," he says.

That's all. But it hits harder than it should.

This is definitely not the one I made out with at the club. If he was, he shouldn't be this cold towards me.

It's probably Nico or Riccardo.

Nico chuckles. "You'll get used to his grump phase. It's lasted twenty five years so far."

Riccardo finally speaks from the end.

"You shouldn't be here, Elena."

My heart stutters.

"I didn't choose this" I reply.

"Doesn't matter" he says. "This place changes people and not for the better."

Nico raises an eyebrow. "You're worried that we'll corrupt her??"

Riccardo doesn't answer. He just stares into his wine glass like it holds the end of the world.

Vincenzo finishes his food in silence, then stands without a word.

"Where are you going?" I ask before I can stop myself.

He pauses. Looks over his shoulder.

"You don't want to get too comfortable, sorellina" he says in a voice that sounds exactly like the one in the club.

Then he walks out.

Nico watches me with interest.

"Do you even know what that means??" He asks.

I shake my head.

His voice lowers, almost a whisper in my ears.

"It means little sister."

And suddenly I'm burning.

Because Vincenzo said it like a threat. Not a warning.

***

I return back to my room after dinner. I lay on my bed big enough to lose my thoughts in. But peace is impossible.

I can't sleep.

I stare at the ceiling, heart pounding.

They all look the same and almost sound the same.

Why did it have to be triplets??

One of them kissed me like his life depended on it.

One of them whispered sweet things to me.

One of them had his hands all over me.

But which freaking one??

I groan, grabbing a pillow and pressing it to my face.

There's a soft knock at the door.

I freeze.

Then another knock...firmer this time.

I open it.

It's Nico.

Of course it's Nico.

He leans casually against the doorframe, shirt unbuttoned halfway, like he knows he's sexy.

"Can't sleep??" He asks.

"Something like that" I reply.

He raises a brow. "Want company?"

Red alert. Red. Alert.

My brain is screaming.

But my mouth??

It says, "Sure."

Idiot!!