Closed A Family Matter

[Philip Capello]

Philip was worried about what was going on between the two families. For a long time now they were able to uphold the peace agreement signed between the Capello's and the Mariani's when he married Chiara but lately he noticed that someone was sowing dissent or at least attempting to do so. In order to stop anyone from doing something they would surely regret later on, Philip called for a meeting between the two families in the hope that they would be able to settle this before it would turn nasty. After putting the children to bed Philip turned to his wife and wondered what she would think of it all. He did not know whether this was related to the sports betting business or just to break the trust between the families apart but he was determined to find that out tonight. He was also determined to keep everyone who did not know about their... less legal business out of it tonight as there would be no reason for them to know about that. Philip grabbed his wife from behind and planted a kiss on her cheek. ''Arianna is finally sleeping,'' he told Chiara as he turned her around. ''Do you think they'll come tonight?'' Philip asked, wanting to hear her honest opinion. He was convinced that not everyone in her family liked the idea of a Mariani being married to a Capello given their centuries-old rivalry, but if both families wanted to prosper, the hatchet would need to be buried for good.

 

[Chiara Capello]

It had been at least eight years now that Chiara has married Philip, and she had to be the luckiest woman alive. He always treated her right, and she couldn’t understand for the life of her why her brothers and parents seemed so against the marriage. It was her life, and it had been her decision. She was happy, and that was the most important part. She didn’t exactly care if her own family disapproved, though she’d hoped that because of this, and because she and Philip had three beautiful children, they would be more lenient towards the entire situation. She tried not to blush visibly as her husband hugged her from behind and gave her a kiss. She nodded with a smile, turning to face him. "That’s good, as long as we manage not to wake them when the others arrive." Chiara really wanted tonight to go well, after all, there was nothing worse than her family not getting along with their rivals. And as a young child the woman had believed her family and her loyalties had lied elsewhere. But now, she had a different life and her views had changed when she met Philip. "They better come," she said with a slight raise of her eyebrow. They hadn’t planned this and put so much work and effort into the evening for nothing. "I’m sure they won’t be long," she added, hoping she was right.​

 

[Joseph Capello]

He knew exactly why his grandson had set up this meeting tonight because he knew that it would come sooner or later, he had told Philip so countless times before, but that it took eight years was rather surprising to him. Like many others in both families, he did not approve of the marriage between Philip and Chiara as there was simply too much bad blood between the two families for there to be peace and solidarity, ever. Joseph knocked on the door to let them know of his presence but did not wait for either of them to let him into the house - it had been his old home after all. He walked through the hallway into the living room and saw his grandson and his wife talking to each other. Even the sight of a Mariani made him nauseous. ''I hope you have prepared everything for tonight, Philip. If we do not settle this we'll be back where we started.'' He said, ignoring any pleasantries. While the old man was very much against the way the new generation was handling things, Joseph had to respect it whether he agreed with it or not. He walked over to the table and settled himself in the chair on the right of where his grandson would sit during the meeting.

 

[Thomas Mariani]

Thomas had never understood how or why his sister had managed to fall in with a Capello. Of all the men in the world, she'd chosen one from a rival family and then insisted on marrying him. The thought both infuriated and sickened him, though he had to admit the bravery of her choice, given the kind of environment they'd all been exposed to over time. This wasn't to say that he no longer loved his sister, he always would, but he was deeply concerned for her wellbeing most of the time because she was surrounded by that family on a daily basis and had little help from the Mariani should anything have gone wrong at any point. That wasn't to say that Thomas would not immediately try to help her should she need it, but the question was whether he physically could do so. Something told him that he couldn't. Looking up at the door he steadied his beating heart. Into the vipers nest then. He quickly made his presence known and waited. He could respect boundaries and borders, even if no one else could. Perhaps Chiara had seen reason by now.​