"Family" isn't defined only by last names or by blood; it's defined by commitment and by love. It means showing up when they need it the most. It means having each other's backs. It means choosing to love each other even on those days when you struggle to like each other. It means never giving up on each other. ~
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Emily checked her phone for the hundredth time within the last twenty minutes as she waited for some kind of miracle to happen.
She was currently sitting at the first bus stand closest to the City A International Airport, where her flight had landed about half an hour ago.
She was about to become a fried chicken because of the burning sun when finally a shining red Porsche Cayenne stopped right in front of her.
The driver's window rolled down and in there sat a handsome man probably in his mid-twenties. His designer suit, perfectly combed hair, and dark glasses created an intimidating aura around him.
She was about to ignore both the car and the man when he suddenly opened the car door and climbed out of the car, heading straight toward her.
Emily still pretended to not give him too much attention but at exactly that moment her phone finally buzzed. Her hands trembled slightly as she opened the screen lock and found a message.
'Let's go home, Emily.'
She raised her brow in confusion as she stared at the message. Suddenly she noticed the man who was now standing exactly in front of her, only a few feet away to not invade her personal space.
Before she could have said anything, the man showed her his phone which was showing a message that he had sent to someone.
Her breath got caught in her throat as she realized that the message was exactly the same that she had received just a minute earlier, which meant that the man who was standing in front of her in his full glory was one of her brothers. But exactly which one?
Yeah, meet this poor being, Emily. She's a sixteen-year-old orphaned girl who was adopted by a man last week who claimed himself as her eldest brother along with five more elder brothers.
The worse part, she couldn't even deny it since it had already been verified by a DNA test that she indeed was the youngest member of the Alessandro family.
How would one feel if, after six years of being an orphan, they suddenly found out that they had a family? Not one, two, three, or four but exactly six elder brothers?
She should be feeling happy, right? But there was no happiness. All that she could feel at that moment was numbness.
She slowly nodded her head and stood up from the bench. She was about to reach for her suitcase when a large hand dragged it away from her.
She looked at him with confused eyes which grew even bigger when he suddenly engulfed her in a warm hug. She had even forgotten exactly how warm and comforting hugs could be.
"Welcome back little sister. Welcome back." He softly murmured in my hair and finally let her go after a couple of seconds had passed.
For a moment she thought that his eyes looked moist but when she looked more closely, she realized that she was only imagining things. Moreover what he meant by welcome back? It's her first time in City A.
She was too tired at that moment that she dismissed all the questions and silently slid into the passenger seat when he opened the door for her like a gentleman.
"I'm sorry that you had to wait here like this. Actually, Mark was supposed to pick you up but then he had an emergency at work and I was the only one who was free. But since I was at the other end of the city, it took me a little bit of time to reach here. I hope you will forgive us for such a poor welcome." His voice was full of regret and hope as he looked at her with warm eyes.
She was too shocked by his gentle tone and the fact that he was actually apologizing, that she hurriedly nodded her head to tell him that she wasn't angry at them.
She didn't even ask him exactly which brother of hers he was. At least, she knew that he wasn't Mark. To be honest, she actually didn't care which brother he was, as long as they didn't abandon her here in an unknown city.
Yeah, it had happened before. Three years ago, a foster family adopted her. She traveled to City N and waited at the airport for almost ten hours but no one ever came to pick her up. Could you imagine that?
She never got to know exactly what happened to that family and why didn't they pick her up from the airport, because according to the orphanage administration, she didn't have any right to disturb them for such mere problems.
"Did you have any kind of problems during the flight?" He asked in a way to start a conversation. He probably didn't like the thick silence inside the car.
"I'm already here. It doesn't matter now." She replied in a soft tone. It was actually true. What's the point in complaining now when it was already over?
He seemed shocked by her response or maybe her soft voice, she wasn't sure. She decided to ask her own question before he could say anything, "Which one are you?"
He stared at her in shock for a few seconds. She saw a hurt look in his eyes as his knuckles turned white around the steering wheel as his grip tightened and a vein in his neck throbbed.
All this happened so suddenly that Emily was left completely shocked. Her heart started beating so fast as nausea erupted inside her. Had she angered him? Was he going to throw her out of the car?
Her breathing was accelerating as dark thoughts took over her mind. The future which was supposed to give her some kind of hope suddenly became hazy and just as dark as her past.
She was about to start hyperventilating when suddenly a warm hand covered hers, but this only made her flinch and she immediately receded in her seat.
She saw a flicker of confusion pass through his eyes before she was pulled into a warm embrace once again. The feeling was so foreign and new that she went stiff immediately but he didn't let her go.
His large hands soothingly patted the back of her head in order to calm her down and for the first time in years, Emily felt some kind of protection in the presence of another person.
She didn't remember how long it took, how long she was snuggled up in his arms but it was a moment she wanted to keep in her heart for a long long time.
The warmth, the feeling of safety, and security that she felt at that moment was enough to bring tears to her eyes but she pushed them back. She couldn't let any of her brothers know exactly how broken she was.
She didn't want them to throw her out of their house and life. She didn't want to lose the chance that she had received to leave finally leave her past behind.
She finally pulled away from the hug and blushed slightly as her eyes landed on his amused ones.
"Sorry for my impolite behavior, Sorellina. I was so excited to bring you home that I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Daniel, 25, and your second eldest brother." Daniel introduced himself as he apologized to her. His eyes still held warmth and a sense of welcome in them.
Her breath hitched when the word Sorellina rolled out of his mouth. It meant Little\Younger Sister. The love and warmth that the word held in it was too much for her.
She just silently nodded her head, not sure how to respond. But Daniel didn't make the situation awkward as he immediately fastened her seat belt, which had come undone at some point, and after securing his own, started the car as they headed toward her future home.
The rest of the journey was silent but it wasn't awkward. Daniel didn't try to ask any more questions probably because he didn't want to pressure her or maybe it was because he didn't want to deal with an emotional little girl. No matter how desperate or hopeless this sounded but she wanted it to be the former.
It took about half an hour before the car was pulled in front of a huge black gate. The area that they had entered about ten minutes ago appeared to be slightly out of the city and she had seen only four or five villas and mansions in the neighborhood.
The next second, the huge black gates opened and her eyes landed on the tall trees that were standing on either side of the road.
It took them around three more minutes before Daniel finally stopped the car. She could see a glimpse of a house from Daniel's side window but didn't catch much due to the fact that her brother was a 6-feet tall giant and there wasn't enough space left for her to spy.
She unbuckled her seat belt and before her hands could have reached the handle, the door opened, and there stood her brother with his hand extended toward her.
She hesitated for a few seconds but then her lips stretched into a tiny-tiny smile and she slowly placed her small hand in his bigger one.
They moved around the car and she came to a halt as her eyes landed on the house...Wait! No, the mansion....a huge freaking mansion that stood in front of them.
It was built in such a way that the main part of the house was residing at an upper level. Her eyes were probably about to pop out of their sockets and her jaw was still lying on the ground.
Was it possible to drool over a house?
The first-class ticket that she received to arrive at City A and Daniel's Red Porsche Cayenne had already given her a hint that her brothers were pretty rich but nothing could have prepared her for what was standing in front of her eyes.
A chuckle that came from Daniel finally broke her trance. She blushed in embarrassment as she noticed the humor in his eyes. it wasn't mocking humor but one which held love and adoration.
"Let's go in," Daniel said as he intertwined his large fingers with hers and started walking up the stairs.
She noticed a man in a grey suit, who had appeared out of nowhere, taking her suitcase and bag out of the car.
"Why so many stairs?" She asked when they were merely halfway up the stairs.
A sweet chuckle broke out of Daniel as he lightly ruffled her hair with his free hand and answered, "Most of your brothers are foody. These stairs make sure that they exercise a little bit every day."
Emily turned toward him with raised eyebrows. She couldn't really believe his words but looking at him, it seemed like he was being honest which made her confused.
Let's be honest, the reason sounded ridiculous, right?
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A\N: "When someone treats you like you're just one of many options, help them narrow their choice by removing yourself from the equation. Sometimes you have to try not to care, no matter how much you do. Because sometimes you mean almost nothing to someone who means so much to you. It's not pride - it's self-respect. Don't expect to see positive changes in your life if you surround yourself with negative people. Don't give part-time people a full-time position in your life. Know your value and what you have to offer, and never settle for anything less than what you deserve."
Love you all! :)