Mafia Family?
Mafia Family?
They had fun chatting that afternoon while enjoying ice cream and coffee. Rose asked a lot about the children's school and was surprised to find that Ireland and Scotland were homeschooled.
"You both study at home? Why?"
"Well, our parents don't want us to go to regular school."
"Hmm... why don't you go to boarding school then?" asked Rose, looking puzzled. "I used to study at home too, and I was feeling very lonely. Then my parents sent me to study in a boarding school in Scotland. At first, I didn't like being away from home, but after I met my friends, I didn't like going home .. hahaha. I just want to be with them all the time.."
Rose's melodious laughter really made the atmosphere even more cheerful and fun.
Ireland sighed at Rose's words. "We actually wanted to go to school too, but our father is very strict ..."
"Why is that?" asked Rose, amazed.
"Well .. father is very over-protective. He has a lot of enemies, so he is always worried about us," said Ireland again.
Rose swallowed hard. She was now increasingly convinced that the Rune family was indeed involved in dangerous things. Maybe if he was not a spy, then maybe, his family was part of ... the mafia?
Ireland tilted his chin towards the window. "Auntie, did you see the man with sunglasses, who was sitting at the burger shop?"
Rose glanced in the direction Ireland referred to. Sure enough, she found the man.
"I see him. What's with that man? Is he a criminal?" asked Rose curiously.
"No, he is not a criminal." Ireland shook her head sadly. "He's our bodyguard. On the right, the man in black suit, who was reading the newspaper in front of the pizza shop .... Did you see him?"
Rose nodded. "Is he your bodyguard too?"
"That's right. He is, and so do the two men who were playing chess near the lake earlier," said Ireland.
"Gosh .. how many bodyguards do you have?" asked Rose in shock.
"Usually, there are five to ten people, depending on where we go and with whom," Ireland explained.
"T-ten??" It took Rose a while to digest Ireland's words. So many bodyguards. Even the president's family didn't have this many secret service officers protecting them, Rose thought.
"That's right. When we go with my father, usually there are only five bodyguards. Our father is quite capable of protecting us both," said Ireland again. He seemed pleased to see Rose's shocked expression. Ahahaha .. he knew his uncle had not told Rose who they really were, so the girl was still shocked to hear his explanation about his family.
He became tempted to shock Rose even more. He wanted Auntie Rose to know that his uncle is not just some random average joe.
"If we were traveling alone or with Uncle Rune, my father would normally send ten to fifteen bodyguards to keep an eye and protect us," Ireland said. "Today, he only sent ten because we are not far from home."
Rose swallowed hard. She was truly impressed by Ireland's words.
"Why is your father so paranoid about your safety? Does your family have many enemies?" she asked cautiously.
"Ahh ... unfortunately, we do. Our family has enemies, and we must always be on our guard," Ireland said sadly. "That's why Scotland and I want to grow up quickly so that we stop becoming our father's weak points. When we grow up, we'll be better able to protect ourselves."
"Oh, I see..." Rose could only nod. She could imagine what happened. She knew very wealthy people and aristocrats who provided such protection to their children, so she was not too surprised.
Ah, if the twins' family really had a lot of enemies, maybe Rose's guess was right that this man, Rune, came from the family of mafia. There was no other explanation.
Suddenly the girl felt a little regretful that she had asked the man to be her fake boyfriend. What if Rune really liked her and wouldn't let go after a year had passed? Shit.
Ahh .. you are too impulsive, Rose, she scolded herself. She was too confident that she could protect herself. She was a tough girl, capable of fighting and protecting herself. She could also use a gun well.
She would be able to face any man who wanted to harras her. However ... how could she possibly deal with a mafia family?
Jeez ... what have I done? Rose thought sadly.
"What happened to you?" Rune asked her.
The man could see Rose's attitude changing. Did this have anything to do with the twins' family, who had many enemies?
"Rose .. I have absolutely no enemies, you know ..." said Rune, stirring Rose's from her anxiety. He shook his head. "People don't even know who I am. So no one will target me, or target you to get to me. You're safe."
Rose coughed at the young man's words.
Uhm ... that's not what worried her. She was not afraid of being chased by Rune's enemy.
She was afraid that Rune would chase after her and didn't want to let her go.
Should Rose just cancel their fake relationship before it gets any deeper? Better end it now before this man got into deep, she thought.
At first, she had joked that Rune could try to make Rose fall in love with him. But, that was before Rose found out about Rune family's background, which seemed quite shady.
"I'm all right," Rose lied. "I'll talk to you later. Not now .. Now let's just enjoy the coffee."
They ended up discussing other things that were not related to family. Rose really didn't want to hear about Rune's mafia family. She was determined to cut ties with Rune for her safety.
"Wow ... we are so happy to meet Uncle Rune and Auntie Rose," said Summer with a beaming face after she and her two cousins finished their ice cream. "Oh, by the way... Maman and Daddy said that if you and Auntie Rose are not busy, you are invited to have dinner at our house this weekend."
Rune was delighted to receive an invitation from Marie and Nicolae. He also would love to show Rose to his inlaws so Nicolae and Marie could give him advice on how he could pursue Rose.
Their family also looked very normal and happy. They also lived in an apartment in Queens, not a big mansion in Manhattan. So, if he took Rose there, the girl wouldn't suspect anything.
Rune was still not ready to tell Rose that he was the Schneider family's youngest child and that his brother-in-law was the infamous Elios Linden.
If he brought Rose to meet Aleksis and Alaric, then that girl would have a lot of questions.
If he took Rose to meet Nicolae and Marie, the only question she would have was the couple's secret to stay looking young. Nicolae and Marie still looked very young despite the fact that Marie was now almost forty and Nicolae was over one century old.
If they went out together with their daughter, Summer, many people would think they were Summer's older siblings. However, for Rune, it was easier to find excuses to explain why Summer's parents still looked young, than to explain who were Elios Linden and Aleksis Schneider.
"My brother-in-law and his wife want to invite you to dinner. They live in Queens. Would you like to come?" asked Rune as he looked at Rose attentively. He really hoped Rose would say yes, but he didn't want to pressure the girl.
After all, at the beginning of the relationship, meeting the family was a big deal.
"I understand if you are unwilling or if you are busy," He added hastily. But his puppy eyes made it difficult for Rose to refuse the invitation.
She reluctantly nodded. "Alright ..."
Damn. I should 'break up' with this guy before we go deep, Rose thought. She scolded herself again.
Okay. Maybe I can get Rune to stop liking me, Rose thought again. She saw that this man already liked her too much, even though he had not known her for too long.
Maybe, if she could get Rune to stop liking her, the young man would leave on his own.
Rose really didn't want to get involved with mafia family members.