Chapter 36 What Is It In Your Head

Antonio pressed threateningly on my wound, and fearing more intense pain, I quickly agreed with him, "Understood, I understand." Only then did Antonio let go and continued to apply medicine to my wound. This time, his movements were much gentler, and the pain was less severe. I felt a cool sensation as the ointment touched the wound, and the throbbing pain eased considerably.

To lighten the mood, I asked, "Are you a shareholder of the Chemps Elyser mall? That Frank..."

"Don’t ask about things you shouldn’t," Antonio replied coldly.

I pouted, aware that there were many Mafia secrets I shouldn’t inquire about. The less I knew, the better for me.

Dante sped along the road in his McLaren, and though I knew nothing about Philadelphia’s traffic, I observed through the car window, noticing the streets becoming more spacious. Soon, Antonio finished applying the ointment, leaned back in his seat, and said lazily, "Not really a shareholder, but I've helped that Frank out of some troubles."

It immediately made me think of news about tycoons being kidnapped. Could it be that Antonio had led a rescue? But somehow, Antonio seemed more like the type who would kidnap others.

Sensing my suspicious gaze, Antonio added a bit more emphasis, "We, the Mafia, don't always need to work with guns and bombs!"

I blinked innocently and said, "I was just curious."

"In our world, you’d better not be too curious," he warned.

"I’ll try. I'm very sensitive, and I'm a keen observer."

"I'm not arguing with you!"

Alright, I always end up bickering with him over small things, but he also allowed these exchanges.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For today at the mall." I conceded, which seemed to soften his expression.

We then fell silent. The cars and pedestrians thinned as we drove away from the city center towards the suburbs.

Dante drove us to a park or campsite in Philadelphia, surrounded by vast green lawns. As the car came to a stop, I followed Antonio out.

"We can stay here until the afternoon," Antonio led me forward. The soft grass whispered under our feet. An elderly couple walked their dog, and children chased each other, creating a breeze as they ran past us.

There were many visitors around—old people, children, young men, and women, likely small families enjoying a day out with their parents and kids in the park.

Such cheerful and leisurely scenes were not uncommon, similar to the parks in downtown Boston and its suburbs where my parents, before their divorce, used to take my sister Valentina and me for picnics. Back then, I always wanted a dog that could fetch the baseball or frisbee when we played. Unfortunately, I never got a dog, though my good friend Chiara did, and it would help us retrieve frisbees. But Valentina was no longer with me.

"What are you reminiscing about?" Antonio’s tone suddenly darkened, making me look at him puzzled, as I hadn’t done anything to offend him.

"Nothing, nothing at all." How could I tell him I was missing my sister Valentina? Impossible!

Yet, perhaps the harmonious scene of many families triggered my most tender and cherished memories, and I momentarily forgot to hide my expressions from Antonio, giving him a clue.

Facing Antonio's distrustful gaze, I had no choice but to make excuses, "I'm just surprised."

I scrambled for the right words, "You seem busy, I didn’t expect you’d arrange a day in the park for a picnic."

Picnics were leisurely and fun, not something I associated with Antonio, who seemed more involved in the violent, criminal aspects of the Mafia life.

Antonio glanced at me, the pressure palpable, "You’d better really think so. Sienna, you are my woman, you belong only to me. If I find out you’re still thinking about your ex-boyfriend..."

"Of course not!" I responded loudly and clearly. Just thinking of Nico now made me nauseous.

Antonio finally showed a satisfied expression and led me to a spot Dante had prepared earlier, with a picnic blanket laid out on the soft grass.

Matteo, carrying a basket full of food, hurried over, handed me a cheese bread, and said, "This is tasty," before running back to help Dante with more things.

I sighed in relief, tore open the cheese bread packaging, and took a bite, "Do we not need to help?"

"They don’t need it," Antonio implied gently, "They'll finish their job in fifteen minutes. With your help, it might take twenty."

I paused, realizing Antonio meant that I would slow them down.

I glared at him, but he didn’t look up, instead pulling out his laptop and busying himself with work.

"You’re busy, you actually don’t have a day off," I said incredulously, watching him. He was still dressed in a neat business suit and leather shoes, ready for a business meeting at any moment.

Of course, I wasn't saying you can't picnic in a suit, I just found it odd. Honestly, I couldn't connect picnicking with Antonio; I guessed he might not have experienced it before.

"Where's your camera?" Antonio didn't answer directly but showed concern for my camera.

"What are you going to do?" I tensed up instantly.

It wasn't my fault for being nervous; Antonio had always been rough, and he could casually hand my camera over to his bodyguards. It was dangerous; they could damage my precious camera at any moment!

"Can you stop me if I really want to do something?"

I widened my eyes, and I thought I saw Antonio roll his eyes at me.

Well, though I didn't like what Antonio said, he was right; I really couldn't stop him.

"The camera is in Dante's car," I replied sullenly.

Antonio took out his phone and called Dante, "I'll have him bring it over."

"For what?"

"The weather is great today, the scenery too. Aren't you going to take pictures?"

I looked up at the playing crowd nearby, their joyful running on the grass, a red frisbee flying over their heads, a cute dog chasing after the kids with its tongue out.

The scene was beautiful, yet so ordinary, just a typical rest day for ordinary people, yet it stirred in me the desire to capture it.

"Did you bring me here to take photos?" A strange emotion flickered through me.

"I've seen your camera; there are a few photos of you and your friends picnicking."

I realized then that my camera indeed had some old picnic photos with Chiara and others.

Of course, picnics were our most common gatherings. Nico and Livia had joined us too, and there were also photos of me with them in the camera.

Thinking of this, a cold sweat broke out on my forehead. Was Antonio angry?

His expression indeed darkened as he scoffed, "After seeing your photos, I thought picnics must be fun. Damn it." Antonio suddenly burst out in anger; I wasn't sure if it was because of the photos with Nico or due to his continuous intense workload, but his demeanor turned sour, "If you're really bored, you could start taking out the food."