The Mafia's Affair ( #4 in the Mafia Series )

three

{ Flashback / Third Person POV }

Athena called in a favor from a family member named Artemis, who happened to be the mafia leader in Greece at that time. Artemis also happened to be good friends with Valente, who was the Italian mafia Don.

So Athena knew she could count on Artemis for her protection after all they were cousins, and back then family protected family. It was like a unspoken law, that most people with honor followed.

Artemis put Andrea and Athena in a safe house with a few guards, and no body outside of him and his underboss knew where they were.

It was a little cottage, and although it was like something Andrea saw in storybooks.

It felt empty and dull.

Everything did.

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Every day for a few years Andrea had nightmares about her mother's death. She remembered it all.
It kept replaying in her mind anytime she slept, and worse sometimes when she was awake. In fact for the first year and half she slept in the bed with her Nana, Athena.

The two guards that were assigned to them even started taking shifts with Athena, so she could get some sleep. Because Andrea would often wake up screaming and crying.

One guard was older around Athena's age, his name was Hector... and the other one was actually younger than Scarlett was when she died, his name was Jason.

Surprisingly he was Artemis's son.

Jason ended up being like the father Andrea never had. He understood her, because he watched his mother die.. so he knew how to handle it more than Athena and Hector.

Together Athena, Hector, and Jason raised Andrea.

They could never replace her mother, or fill the empty space in her heart, and they knew that. They were just doing the best they could, she was so young, but she needed to be prepared for life when she grew up. Because life throws curve balls, such as death, and the next time they wanted Andrea to be prepared.

Maybe they were wrong for it, but they hoped she would grow to appreciate it.

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Athena taught Andrea how to cook. She told her stories about her mother daily, and told her about her own life as a child. Athena taught her about their family, and what it was like to be a woman or young girl. She also instilled how dangerous and cruel the world could be. Especially to woman.

Athena felt like she failed her daughter, she didn't want to make the same mistake with her granddaughter.

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Hector taught Andrea how to never show weakness, and he told her his war stories. Surprisingly she was never afraid. It just made her look up to him because he was like a hero in her little world.

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Jason taught Andrea self defense moves. Sometimes Hector would help, but she tended to trust Jason more. Jason even told her about his childhood and teenage years, and told her about his mother and father Artemis.

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Yes Andrea went through something tragic at the age of four, and she'd always remember it..

But from the age four through fourteen she lived in that cottage with Athena, Hector, and Jason.

She learned to be happy, but she never saw anything as innocently like before. She didn't believe in happily ever afters, she just believed in each day and the people she loved.

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Athena and Hector got married, Artemis actually married them. Andrea sang I Cant Help Falling In Love With You.. because her Nana Athena and her mother use to sing it in the kitchen while they danced. It was a moment where Andrea could've sworn her mother was with her. Athena could've sworn that Andrea was a spitting image of Scarlett.

The moment was pure and full of love.
Much like they were before.
Only there was still an empty space.

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Artemis visited a few times per year to see his son, Jason.. and over the years he grew close to Andrea. Over the years he vowed to make sure that she would always be protected as long as he had say in the matter.

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Andrea was like a broken angel, and that never changed. She never saw the beauty in life, because she never really had much of a reason too. She would look at flowers wondering how long they would live, before they would die and leave her.

It was sad and tragic but Andrea found happy moments where she felt pure love with those around her, but deep down she always wondered when they would leave her.

And after she turned fourteen they did....

Her whole life was flipped.

Again.