♥ EXTRA: Continued.♥

Alessio Vecchio.

20:40 Restaurant. '' Portevecchio.

As we toast, the restaurant seems to disappear, and everything that matters is in front of me: my queen and my two little princes. We are immersed in our bubble of happiness and love, when suddenly the harmony is interrupted.

A half-drunk man stands up from a nearby table, accompanied by his friends, staggering towards us. Before I can react, he bumps into Isabella's arm, causing her to spill her juice all over her red dress.

'' Oh, sorry, lady. '' Says the drunk, with an idiotic smile on his face.

Isabella's expression becomes tense, but she tries to remain calm.

'' It's okay, Alessio. It was nothing. '' She says, trying to ease the tension.

'' It's not okay. '' I mutter, standing up quickly and grabbing the man's arm to pull him away from Isabella.

The drunk tries to apologize, fear visible in his eyes as he sees my fury. Meanwhile, one of the drunk's friends looks at Isabella inappropriately, with desire in his eyes. Before I can react, Orion takes a knife from our table and plunges it into the man's hand, piercing it.

'' Ahhhh! '' The man's scream of pain echoes through the restaurant, and everyone is in shock.

'' What are you looking at, you pervert? '' Orion shouts, quite irritated.

'' You son of a bitch! ''Another friend of the drunk tries to attack Orion, but Isadora acts quickly. With surprising precision, she throws a knife that hits the man's shoulder, making him flinch.

'' Stay away from my brother, you bastard. '' She says in a cold voice, without looking like the same girl as moments ago.

The restaurant is paralyzed. Everyone looks at us, shocked and afraid. I am immensely proud of my children for the courage and speed with which they acted to protect our family. Isabella, still trying to remain calm, pulls Orion close to her, while I hold Isadora. But I can see that Isabella is on the verge of a breakdown with all this chaos.

I decided to put an end to it.

'' Let's get out of here. '' I declare firmly, taking Isabella's hand and guiding our children out of the restaurant.

As we leave, the silence is broken only by the frightened murmurs of other customers and the sound of our footsteps. The chaos we leave behind is just a reflection of what we would do to protect our family.

'' Dante, we did something interesting at the restaurant. Have someone take care of it. Get rid of anything that could involve the police. '' I whisper to Dante as Isabella and my children get into the car.

'' Yes, my lord. '' He responds in a whisper.

I get in the car, and the silence is frightening. Isabella says nothing; she just looks out the window. I glance at my kids, and the only thing I think is: We messed up.

The way back home is marked by a terrible silence. Nobody says anything. When we arrive, Isabella gets out of the car first, and then the three of us follow her, entering the house. She turns to us, clearly annoyed.

'' Is it so difficult not to get into trouble? I asked for our night to be perfect. The guy spilled something on me, but I didn't mind. Orion, you stabbed a guy. Isadora, you threw a knife at the man. My God, I know your father is teaching you to defend yourself, but I don't want you to go around killing everyone who looks at me.

Isabella is visibly upset. Orion and Isadora, with their gazes down, seem to understand the gravity of the situation. I need to intervene to calm things down.

'' Baby, they just wanted to protect you. '' I say, trying to ease the tension. ''They acted on instinct.

'' Protect? Alessio, this is not protection. This is unnecessary violence. I don't want them to grow up thinking that violence is the only answer.

Isadora begins to cry silently, while Orion, his eyes shining with anger and regret, tries to hold back his tears. Isabella notices her children's reaction and softens her tone.

'' I just want us to be a normal family, at least sometimes. '' She says, in a calmer voice. ''I want you to be children, not soldiers. I understand that you want to protect me, but I don't want you to be a soldier. I wish they were just children, not killing machines. 

I kneel next to Orion and Isadora, holding their hands.

'' You listened to your mother. Let's strive to do this right. I promise we will find a balance. Now, let's rest. We had a long night.

Isabella sighs, visibly tired, and nods.

'' All good. I want a hug.

The children quickly ran to her, hugging her tightly. Isabella laughs lightly, a soft sound that breaks the tension a little.

'' I'm sorry, Mommy'' they whisper, almost in unison.

She wraps them in a tight hug, running her hand through their hair.

'' It's okay, my love. The important thing is that you need to be careful. I love you.

I walk over, kissing my children's foreheads.

'' Now for your rooms. Let's rest.