The aroma of cooked pasta filled the air, warm and rich, dancing through the quiet corners of the tiny restaurant tucked between ivy-covered walls. The soft clatter of pans, the bubbling sauce, the mellow hum of Italian jazz.

My personal hideaway, Trattoria di Notte, It open to the public. A normal restaurant if you may say.

I set down the wooden spoon, savoring the quiet as I wiped my hands on a clean towel, then reached for the glass of Chianti. The world, for once, felt still.

Until the phone rang. Making me frowned.

The screen flashed with an international number. California.

My brows knitted as I swiped to answer. "Hello?"

There was silence, then a woman's soft, hesitant voice. "Mr. Knight?"

"Yes... who is this?"

"I'm calling from the Los Angeles Child Welfare Department," she said gently, and instantly, the air in the kitchen felt colder. "There's been... an accident. Your wife, Elena... she passed away this morning."

The glass slipped from my hand and shattered against the tiled floor.

Suddenly I wasn't able to stand. The world tilting.

"I-I don't understand," I whispered, breath caught in my throat.

"I'm so sorry. I know this is sudden," the voice continued, calm but full of sympathy. "But your daughter, Liana... she's in need of a legal guardian. You were listed as next of kin."

I didn't spoke for a minute.

I never thought this day would come.

Ever since the day Elena took her away from us, we haven't been able to find her. A hint of anger stumbled through me as I thought of Elena.

Buth the grief of her death overprowerd it.

I really loved my wife I still do.

But now...

"I will send my son Tristan. He should be there in few hours" I said

"Thank you Mr knight! I will send you the details." With that we cut the call.

For a moment, I was frozen. The news of my only daughter coming back to me was like a dagger through my chest-only this time, it wasn't pain that bled from the wound, but something far more dangerous... hope.

My heart stuttered-then pounded so violently, I could feel it in every pulse point, every shattered piece that had learned to live in her absence. Tears welled before I could stop them, blurring my vision until the world became a swirl of grief and disbelief.

I had buried her in my mind a thousand times. I had stared at the stars each night, wondering if they held her soul.

And now she was coming back.

With shaky hands I picked up my phone and again dropped a single message in the family group chat.

We're All Adopted, Right?

Snoregzilla

Stop whatever you are doing.

Come home in 15 minutes and

Stay in the living room

With that, I left the restaurant and got into my car. My phone was pinging nonstop, but I didn't care. There was only one thought crashing through my mind like a tidal wave:

My bambina... my little girl... was coming home.

I could still picture her -

The way her face would light up when I brought her ice cream, or the mischievous sparkle in her eyes whenever she got into trouble and I had to bail her out. She was my strength, my sunshine in the darkest storms.

And then Elena...Elena had ripped her away when the family was at its most broken.

I sighed heavily, gripping the steering wheel harder at the memory.

Telling my sons wouldn't be easy. They despised their mother, and honestly? I couldn't blame them. She had stolen Liana - and now, Elena was gone. Dead.

The thought felt heavy, final, and strangely hollow.

I was so deep in my head, I barely registered pulling into the driveway.

Inside, I found them. All six of my boys. Already assembled in the living room, sprawled across couches like a pack of well-dressed hyenas.

Even Dante, my eldest, was here - though predictably, he was half-distracted, murmuring something into his phone.

Six pairs of eyes turned toward me as I walked in, each frowning at my disheveled appearance.

"Why did you call us so urgently, Dad?" Tristan asked, eyebrows raised suspiciously.

Xavier leaned back dramatically, one hand over his chest.

"Don't tell me you're pregnant, Dad," he deadpanned.

Silence.

Every single head whipped toward him in perfect sync, giving him the most 'are you brain-damaged' look known to mankind.

Killian, slouched in the corner with a blanket over his lap, shook his head gravely.

"I swear to God," he muttered, "are we absolutely sure he's my twin and not some kid you guys picked up from a dustbin on discount day?"

Adriano crossed his arms, smirking.

"Yeah, because clearly someone was dropped on his head. Multiple times."

Dante finally finished his call, sighing loudly.

"Idiots. All of you." He looked at me seriously. "What's going on, Dad?"

"It's about your sister."

The room froze.

Not a muscle twitched.

It was like every molecule of air had been sucked out of the space.

"Our sister?" Adriano echoed cautiously, like he wasn't sure if he heard me right.

Xavier blinked.

"Wait. You mean... Liana? Ice cream monster? Sneaker of forbidden puppies into the house?"

Killian, still half-asleep, squinted at me. "The one Mom... took?"

I nodded once, slowly.

"She's coming home."

For a long moment, nobody moved.

Then all hell broke loose.

Tristan jumped up like someone lit a fire under him.

"WHAT?!"

Xavier shouted, "ARE WE BEING PUNKED? IS THIS A PRANK?!"

Killian who has been quiet by now, just got up and screamed "WHY ARE YOU PRANKING US DAD, THAT WAS CRUEL"

And just like that, the entire house descended into pure chaos.

I pinchedthe bridge of my nose, already regretting this family meeting.

Why did Elena take my daughter and leave me with these idiots?

I stood up straight, a deep breath filling my lungs.

"ENOUGH!" I bellowed.

Immediately, everything stopped. Every voice cut off mid-sentence. It was like someone hit pause on a movie, and the whole room turned to face me.

I held their gazes, my eyes narrowed and serious.

"I'm not joking," I continued, voice low and steady. "I just got a call from California. Liana... is with them. And she needs a guardian. Because... her mother..." I let the words trail off, the air thick with tension.

"...Elena... died."

The room froze. Nobody moved, nobody spoke. The silence was deafening as they processed the words.

And then... it all happened at once.

Tristan was the first to explode. "What?!" He jumped out of his seat like someone had thrown a grenade at him. "Liana? She's... coming home?!"

Xavier's eyes went wide, his mouth hanging open.

"She's alive?!" he shouted, completely ignoring the fact that I'd just mentioned Elena's death. "That's amazing! How does she look now? Is she taller than me? Because that's not fair."

Adriano slapped him upside the head. "You're seriously asking about her height right now? She's been gone for how long and that's your first question?"

But there was no time for more complaints, because Killian had already launched himself at me from the couch, his arms wrapped around me like a mini wrecking ball.

"She's coming back, Dad! She's coming back! I'm gonna spoil her so much she won't know what hit her!" He grinned like the sun had come out. "Ice cream! Candy! Let's throw a party!"

Lucas, who had been unusually quiet, placed his book down with a sigh. He stood up, hands shoved into his pockets, and gave me a look that was unusually soft.

"About time. She belong here and she is finally coming back.

The comment had me smiling despite myself, but before I could respond, Dante finally spoke up, putting his phone down with a tired but genuine smile.

Tristan started pacing, excitement practically radiating off him.

"We need to throw her the best welcome back party!"

Adriano clapped his hands in mock seriousness.

"I'll take care of the decorations. I already have a theme in mind: Liana's Reign of Chaos. It's perfect."

Killian immediately pulled out his phone and started scrolling.

"Okay, okay! I'm ordering cake!"

I couldn't help but laugh, my heart swelling as I watched them scramble to make plans -

Plans that were already too chaotic to ever succeed in one go.

The house was filled with energy, love, and a buzz I hadn't felt in years.

I shook my head, but my smile didn't falter.

"Alright, alright! One thing at a time."

They all stopped, waiting for me to reign in their excitement.

"You're all getting ahead of yourselves. First things first - we need to make sure Liana feels at home. Then we can throw the wildest party this house has ever seen."

Dante nodded his head "she probably feels overwhelmed by the news so we have to do everything to make sure she feels comfortable and safe with us."

Everyone nodded but Xavier frowned "Why is she coming here?"

"Have you forgotten about the mafia? Or the reason she was taken in the first place?" Xavier asked quietly, his voice cutting through the laughter like a blade.

All of us fell into a heavy silence.

The reminder hit like a punch to the gut.

Dante, who had been leaning back casually against the wall, now stood straighter, his expression unreadable. "We can't ignore it, Dad," he said. "Elena took Liana because she thought she could protect her from us - from the life we live. From the enemies we've made. From that thing"

Killian, still standing near the couch, bit his lip, looking much younger than usual. "But... she's our sister," he said quietly. "She deserves to know us. To have us." His voice cracked at the end, and my chest twisted painfully.

Xavieralways the wild one, now seemed subdued. He dropped back onto the couch with a heavy thud. "What if she hates us?" he whispered, almost too low for anyone to hear. "What if... after all this time... she doesn't want to come home?"

The fear in his voice echoed the same dread clawing at my own heart.

The thought of my bambina - my sweet Liana - believing we didn't fight for her, didn't love her, it tore me apart.

I raked a hand through my hair, trying to find the right words.

"She's coming home because she has no one else," I said finally, my voice rough. "But more than that... she's coming home because she belongs here. With us. Always has. Always will."

Silence followed my words. A heavy, weighted silence full of fear, guilt... and hope.

Dante was the first to move. He crossed the room in three strides, standing right in front of me. His gaze was steady, unshakable. "Then we do whatever it takes, Dad," he said. "We make her feel safe. We make her know she's loved. No matter what she's been told. No matter how long it takes."

"She shouldn't come back here!" he snapped, chest heaving slightly. "This isn't a fairytale. She doesn't belong in this life - in this blood-soaked world we live in!"

His words sliced through the room, leaving a raw silence in their wake.

"You think bringing her back will fix everything?" Xavier barked out a harsh laugh. "It won't! It'll drag her right back into everything she was stolen away from in the first place! Guns. Blood. Enemies at every fucking corner!"

Tristan frowned deeply, stepping forward. "Xavier, it's not like that-"

"Isn't it?" Xavier shot back. "We're criminals, Tristan. No matter how you pretty it up. We live in a world where people get hurt. Killed."

He turned to me then, eyes burning.

"You know why Elena took her, don't you?!" he demanded. "Because she was scared. She was scared what would happen to Liana with us."

The words landed like a punch.

Adriano exhaled slowly. "Xavier... she was wrong. We will protect her from the bloodshed"

Xavier's fists clenched at his sides. "I don't know! I don't know anything about her anymore! And neither do you! For all we know, she's better off without us-"

"Don't you dare," Killian said, his voice trembling but fierce. "Don't you dare say that. She's our sister."

"I'm just saying... maybe we're being selfish," he said, quieter now, more broken. "What happens when every other mafia finds out about her and they threaten her to get to her? What happen when's when she is taken again just cause she is related to us? What happen when she find about that thing?" Xaviwer spat the last word.

He wasn't wrong,

"Enough" Dante said, his voice Clam but firm. He stood infroj of Xaveir, his hand on his shoulder "are you suggesting that we can't protect her? Cause let me assure you Xavier, I will protect her. No one is going to hurt her or take us away from us. But no matter what she is coming back to this house and us"

Xavier didn't said anything, but he just stormed out of the room, Killian followed his twin out, leaving all of us. I sighed "Adriano and Lucas, make sure her room is ready for her"

They nodded and I turned towards Tristan "You are coming with me topick her up" he beamed at that.

Dante already went out, as he has a important meeting and both of us left for California.

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

It took us nearly three agonizing hours to reach the location they had given us. Now, standing outside the cold, gray building of the police station, the weight of what was about to happen pressed heavy against my chest.

A woman in her late thirties approached us, "Hello, I'm Officer Maria Hill," she greeted warmly. "You must be Lorenzo Knight. You received the call about your daughter?"

I gave a tight nod, my voice almost catching. "Yes. I'm here for her."

"I've been expecting you, sir," she said, gesturing toward the front desk. "Before I can reunite you both, I need you to complete some paperwork."

Without hesitation, I was handed a thick stack of forms. My hands, for once, weren't as steady as they usually were - a slight tremble betraying the storm inside me.

By the time I finished, my heart was thundering against my ribs.

We walked down the narrow hallway, until we stopped in front of an interrogation room.

Through the one-way glass, I saw her.

A girl - no, a young woman now - sat at the table, her back to us.

She had long, chestnut brown hair cascading down her back in soft waves. She sat upright, composed, her attention focused solely on the officer speaking to her.

There was something almost regal about her posture - proud, stubborn... resilient.

Then, as if sensing us, she turned.

Staring back at me was a younger, fierce version of myself.

She had her mother's striking blue eyes - bright, piercing, full of fire - but everything else... the sharp jawline, the stubborn chin, even the way she narrowed her gaze... it was me.

But it wasn't her features that stole the breath from my chest.

It was the expression carved into them.

Hatred.

Pure, unfiltered hatred.

Her hands balled into fists on the table. Her shoulders were tense, defensive.

She looked at us like we were strangers - no, like we were the enemy.

I swallowed thickly, feeling my son shift uneasily beside me.

For years I had dreamed of this reunion - of tears, of hugs, of whispered apologies.

I had imagined her running into my arms.

I had never once prepared myself for the reality that she might hate me.

That to her, we were the monsters.

"Liana this is your father Lorenzo knight and your brother Tristan knight"

She just glared at us and said the word that broke my heart "They are not my family, I only had a mother who is now dead"