VIVIANE’S POV

They say that sometimes, even the world can empathize with a person. And somehow, I came to believe it as I stood on this grassy ground with the rain pouring as if it could sense the pain within me. Up until now, I was still unable to process that my sister, Lilian, was forever gone. A lot of people were there but it felt like I was all alone, asking myself why I was unable to save the only sister I have.

“I’m sorry, Viviane. Even I was not able to do anything for her,” grandfather apologized as he patted me on the shoulder.

I did not say anything at all. My gaze was simply focused on the two people who were also at a loss like me. My sister’s husband, Luke, and her only daughter, Gabbie, were seeing off the guests. She clenched her fists, feeling guilty of letting Gabbie lose her mother at such a young age.

But when she came running towards me, I could only force a smile as I got on my knees to be on the same level as her. I shuffled her hair before running my thumb over her red and puffy eyes. She never said a word as she gave me a hug so all I did in return was to embrace her back… tight.

“We will go back to Italy,” Luke suddenly announced, making me look at him with surprise.

I wanted to negate his decision, however, I did not have any right to do so. Luke knew the truth behind the death of my sister and yet this was all he could tell me. I thought he would blame me for letting his wife perish but I guess, he was indeed a person of few words just like what Lilian told me.

“When is your flight?” I asked.

“Tonight.”

“Then, I will drive you to the airport,” I offered.

“No need to do that,” my grandfather suddenly interfered so I turned to him with a knitted eyebrow. He added, “I have something more important to discuss with you so meet me in my office after seeing them off here.”

Grandfather’s tone of voice was dead serious, telling me that going against him was not even an option. After he said that, he just left without even giving me a hint of what this important thing he wanted to talk about.

“Aunt Viviane, you are not coming with us?” Gabbie asked.

“I’m sorry, sweetie, but I can’t. But don’t worry, I will surely visit you in Italy if I have the time and we will eat the most delicious food they could offer. How’s that?”

Gabbie gave me her sunshine smile. I stayed with her for some time while Luke prepared their things before their departure. Their leave was so sudden that I was unable to do anything special for my niece. I’d surely miss her… her laughter, her smile that could make the clouds shy away, and her presence that somehow made me feel like my sister was still here.

After a while, I escorted her to the car.

“I love you, sweetie. I will call you later, okay?” I said, hugging her tight.

“I love you, too, Aunt Viviane. Bye-bye!”

Shutting the door, I could only watch their car grow smaller in each passing minute. Going to Italy must be Luke’s way to get over this tragedy so who am I to stop him? Heaving a sigh, I turned on my heels and got inside my car. I drove to my grandfather’s office as fast as I could since making him wait could make him go grumpy and I did not want to deal with that.

Upon arriving in his office, I found him sitting on his swivel chair as he pressed his cigarette on the ashtray. When I was not saying anything, he motioned me to take my seat but I refused since he was acting rather strangely today. Something had probably happened.

“I have guided you ever since you were young and you showed excellent results in every task I assigned you. You are an accomplished woman, if I may say,” he said out of nowhere.

He was obviously beating around the bush and surely, if I didn't stop him, he would go on and on as if this was the last minute of his life so I narrowed my sight on him.

“Grandpa,just go straight to the point,” I demanded.

A lot of things needed my attention so I did not have the luxury to waste my time listening to his speech. But, instead of telling what he actually wanted to say, he just chuckled carelessly. This unpredictable side of him was definitely some of the things I did not like about him.

After a couple of seconds, the serious expression on his face came back and looked me straight in the eyes.

“My days are already numbered so I am assigning you to become the company’s leader.

With a dopey look plastered on my face, I scoffed at how he called it “company”, making it sound like it was a decent business. I rolled my eyes.

“Grandpa, it is not a company. It’s a mafia group,” I corrected him.

This time, his laughter filled the room. Guh… this old man.

Anyway, hearing this matter of succession from him was nothing new. He had been telling me this since then that I shall be the one to succeed him. And for that reason, he decided to raise me, instead of letting me go with my other relatives just so he could train and shape me the way I was now.

He stood from his seat and turned his back on me to gaze at the rain starting to grow weaker.

“It is a mafia group that plays a significant role in running the economy of this city. Aren’t you glad you will be handling it?” He paused for a while before facing me once more. “And by the way, how old are you this year, Viviane?”

“I just turned 24. Why though?” I asked in return since I started having a feeling that he was going to drop some bad bomb on me right now.

I mean… Why else would he ask about my age in the middle of the discussion? Did he think that I was still too young for the position?

“That is good news, then!”

As he sat back with a smile on his face and looking unnecessarily energetic, I would say that I did not like the way he reacted. I did not like the way he was acting. It was for the sole reason that behind those smiles, I could sense something bad… really bad.

He grabbed something from the drawer of his desk and laid it flat on top of the table. He motioned me to come closer and have a look at a certain picture. Hence, I stepped forward and saw an image of a rather good-looking man. He’s got a good build, I could tell in one look. He was probably a regular gym member to achieve such a body. And if I was not mistaken, he could possibly be about 6 feet tall - a height befitting for a model.

If I were to compare him to a god, it would be Zeus, but make him younger. I don’t know… I just felt like he was also a womanizer so… Either way, he was probably one of the people going in the way of our business. My next assignment, probably?

“Who is he?” I asked.

“A respected man in his field of profession,” he responded. “And not only that, he is a bachelor, which means that he is not married.”

I simply nodded, not giving a shit about that last detail about him since it won’t be of any help in my investigation.

“He is not dating anyone,” he added while looking at me with expectant eyes.

I nodded again even though it was starting to get suspicious since he was reiterating the fact that Ares was a single man. But why would I care? He was not the only single man on the face of the earth. Besides, it was not like I was interested in dating him…

“Grandpa, you are not telling me to date him, aren’t you?”

I hope my instinct was wrong. There was just no way that my own grandfather would force me to date a man who was not from our own turf. If I may add, we were not going bankrupt or anything, which would make our last resort was getting married into another wealthy family… Well, if this man was even rich.

“Oh no, no. You won’t be dating him, Viviane.”

Okay, that was a great relief because I would freak out if he ever tell me that I should be with a guy. However, he looked at me with an intense gaze and honestly, I cannot tell what he was thinking.

“You will be marrying him.”

“What?”

“You and him are going to get married.”

“What?!” I snapped.

Forget about dating! Why the hell would I marry a person with a job that would put our business at risk?