Talia's POV

It felt wonderful to see my big brother again. It was surreal when I first saw his face; I remembered him—his name and the way he used to be with me when I was very young.

Saying goodbye to Nurse Emma, who had become like an older sister to me, and Nurse Elaina, who had treated me like a daughter, brought tears to my eyes. They wrote down their numbers so that once I got a phone, I could send them a text. I was going to miss them dearly.

Then, Dr. Alonso walked into the room. "Wait here, sweetie. Here is my number as well. If you ever need someone to talk to, remember we are all here for you," he said as he handed me his contact information.

I looked at the numbers and then up at the three people who, along with the Miller family, had made my stay here amazing. I wiped my tears as they all pulled me into a warm group hug.

"Talia, sweetie, don't cry, or you’ll make us start all over again," Emma said, her own eyes glistening.

"Please take good care of yourself, and remember we are just a text away!" Elaina added.

"We will truly miss you, Talia. You are an amazing girl. Don’t let any of those billionaire brothers of yours give you a hard time—if they do, just message one of us, okay?" Caleb said, gently wiping away a stray tear.

I nodded and gave them one last hug. I went over to my bed to grab my things, but Leon quickly took them for me.

"You need to be careful, bambina. Doctor's orders, right?" Leon asked, looking at Caleb, who smiled and nodded in agreement.

As we walked out of the hospital room, I saw the guards as well as the police officers who had been standing guard since the day I arrived. I walked up to the officers, and they both leaned down to give me a hug.

"You better take good care of yourself, sweetie!" Tyler said. I smiled and shook my head at the nickname. He was wearing his police hat, so I playfully reached up and pulled it down over his eyes, a bright smile on my face.

"I’ll miss you, Sweetie. Here, I’ll give you my number too. If you ever need a ‘get out of jail free’ card, just hit me up!" he joked, hugging me tightly.

Then I hugged Riley. "Oh, how I’ll miss you, Honey. You truly are a ray of sunshine. Work is going to be so boring without coming to hang out with you every day!" he said, sounding genuinely choked up.

I placed a hand on his cheek and smiled, giving him a supportive nod.

"I know you're right—positive thoughts. But I seriously will miss you. Here, let me give you my number as well. You’re like the sister or niece I never had, and I don't want to lose touch," he said, writing down his number before giving me one last hug.

We headed down to the hospital entrance where several cars were parked. A driver held the door open for us. Leon guided me to the car and handed my bags to the guards in the following vehicle. As we drove away, I sat back and watched through the window as Seattle faded into the distance.

The ride was quiet—not an awkward silence, but a peaceful one. I felt Leon’s eyes on me the entire time. I pulled out my notebook and wrote something down, praying he wouldn't find it rude; it was only meant as a joke.

'Take a picture, dear brother, it lasts longer. xD'

I showed it to Leon, and he burst out laughing.

"Oh, bambina, only you would be allowed to be sassy with me," he said, still chuckling. I smirked; I had a feeling I was going to have a lot of fun with him.

When we reached the airport, Leon led me to a private plane. The tail wing was marked with the name 'Bianchi.' Okay, so they are rich, I thought. Wait... Bianchi? Wasn't that one of the Mafia families Jacob mentioned they had an alliance with? Maybe I would see Kayden soon.

I hoped so. After the kiss we shared, my heart was still a beating mess. I could tell it had been just as painful for him to leave as it was for me. The time we shared over the past five days had been amazing.

So, my family was Mafia as well. That certainly explained the wealth. Leon guided me to a seat inside the plane and sat next to me while the guards took their seats a few rows back. The pilots came over to greet me.

"Good afternoon, Miss Bianchi. I’m Chief Pilot Alfred Messina. I hope you have a pleasant flight with us!" Alfred gave me a warm smile.

"Hello and good afternoon, Miss Bianchi. I’m Co-pilot Max Graham. We are so happy to have you back home with us!" Max added.

I wrote in my notebook: 'Nice to meet you both, Alfred and Max. I hope it’s okay if I call you that? And please, call me Talia. I’m not a fan of formalities unless they're absolutely necessary. I’m sure it will be a great flight with you two in the cockpit! :D'

I turned the book around so they could read it. They both laughed. "Of course, Miss Talia, you can call us whatever you want!" Alfred said.

I quickly wrote: 'Please drop the "Miss" as well. It makes me feel stuck up. :-l'

"Okay, okay," they laughed. "We will do our best to give you a pleasant flight, Talia!" Max said before they headed to the front.

Then, two flight attendants walked up. Both of them gave a seductive wink to my brother. I frowned and turned the page.

'Don’t tell me you’ve been with one of them?' I wrote.

He read it and laughed. "No, Talia, don't worry. That isn't my style." I nodded, satisfied with his answer. Then, I wrote another note to the attendants.

'It’s okay, ladies, we know you want to give my brother a pleasant flight, but I suggest you stick to your assigned tasks. Other than that, you shouldn't bother your boss!'

I turned it around with an innocent smile. Both flight attendants blushed a deep crimson, gave a small bow, and quickly scurried back to their seats.