Chapter 4

Armani Steele POV

“ I’ll reach out to my uncle first, just stall the investigation for now, ” Armani muttered. The only reason being that he didn’t want to disrespect his Uncle, Marco, as well as give him the benefit of a doubt to explain himself.

Andreas nodded, “ wise plan… I look forward to hearing from you soonest,” he said putting much emphasis on the word ' soonest'.

Armani nodded his head as he walked, “ thanks for the help, I owe you big time” he muttered, not entirely sincere. Andreas had his own reasons for helping out.

He had suspected that his uncle, Marco was doing something sneaky and dirty, but because he had not wanted to raise an issue of nothing, he had let it slide. So long as it didn’t affect the business, he was okay looking the other way.

Using the Mafia associate to distribute illegal substances was unacceptable. They never touched drugs, he knew that. Yet he had done it anyways.

His uncle was brewing trouble for them that if care was not taken, would result in devastating results.

He looked up, seeing someone move back around the corner. He frowned, wondering who it was.

Something unexplainable drew him to find out who it was. He had seen that long brown hair somewhere. He quickened his pace, two more steps and he could catch up with the person.

“ I need to get back to the office to handle some things…” Andreas said, stopping him.

Armani gave one look at the corner, and now that he was close, the shadow that he could now see on the floor before turning to the Prosecutor.

“ sorry to have kept you from your work. I’ll find my way from here…” he told the man, extending his hand for a handshake and watching as Andreas walked back to his office.

He heaved a sigh, the dreadful meeting had taken a lot of his self-control to sit through it. With Andreas constantly reminding him of his family’s lack of control now that his father was no longer fully in power.

His ringtone pulled him out of his thoughts.

Armani pulled out the device from his jacket, swiping the answer icon, “ hello…” he grumbled.

“ I’m already coming out… ” he spoke into the phone as he rushed towards the elevators, entering when it opened.

He rolled his eyes at no one in particular, “ yes, I heard you the last time Lorenzo, I’ll handle it…just give me some time.” He said before remembering he had not checked the corner, “ shit!”.

“ are you cussing right now…I’m trying to help you do your job Mani…” Lorenzo sassed.

Lorenzo was his best friend, and he loved the guy to pieces, but sometimes, the man was as annoying as hell. He was going to handle this mess that his mother and uncle was creating.

“ no, sorry…I forgot something. I’ll talk later, enjoy your day off…” Armani said, ending the call.

He dragged his fingers through his hair as he stepped out from the prosecution office into the car that was already waiting for him.

The ride back home was quick, as if the driver got the memo to drive fast. They got to the house in record time without breaking any traffic rules.

He stepped out of the car when they got to the Steele mansion, admiring the building for the umpteenth time.

The Steele mansion was build like a fortress, with Stony walls, it covers a huge sparse of land, having two wings, east and west wings and the staff quarters behind. With the water fountain at the center of the land, the mansion looked more like a royal castle.

Armani did not need to be told what to do as he entered the house. Even though he needed to just lay down and sleep, his duties came first. He took the path leading to his father’s personal study, knowing that that was where the man would be.

He knocked once and did not get to open the door because it opened from the other side.

He frowned looking at the maid who was stepping out of his father’s study.

“ Good day, Master Armani…” the maid greeted.

He hummed a reply, “ where’s my father?” he asked her, having taken a glimpse into the study before the maid had closed the door.

It was rare to see his father not in his study during the day. The man was constantly working behind his large desk. He was either in his study or the gardens when he wanted fresh air.

“ is he in the garden…?” He asked the maid who shook her head.

“ No Sir, he just went up to his room. Mr. Kane said that your father wanted to rest when I brought his meal…” the maid said.

Armani frowned, was his father sick?. He scoffed at the thought.

Nodding his head, he took the stairs that he hated climbing, to his father’s room. The man had refused to change rooms now that he was having difficulties walking, saying that, ' the master bedroom is reserved for the head of the family and no one else'.

His father’s room was one of the three rooms on the east wing side of the house. The other rooms being his mother’s and a nursery. Seeing that her door was closed, she was probably confined to the room. He knocked on his father’s door instead and entered.

Kane, their butler, was already putting a blanket over his father’s figure when he entered the room. The man turned around and nodded at him.

“ whatever it is must wait till tomorrow. Your father needs to rest” Kane told him, glancing at his father who was lying on the bed, eyes closed.

He sighed, “ is he okay?, Did you call the doctor?” he asked the man.

Kane shook his head, “ no, he just said he was tired and not to call the doctor…I’m guessing that he is stressed from recent activities..” he said, giving Armani a knowing look.

Armani bit his inner cheek, rubbing his chin. This means that his father was aware of the failed deal and possibly the police case.

“ I’ll leave you with him…” Kane said, walking out of the room.

Armani stood there, for only God knows how long, watching his father’s prone form. The man who used to be full of energy and vigor looked so vulnerable now. His domineering and commanding figure, reduced to this skinny old man who could barely walk on his own.

He sighed, turning around to leave the room when he heard his name.

“ Armi…”, his father called.

Though it was barely a whisper, he still couldn’t mistake that voice and name anywhere. Only his father called him Armi, others called him Armani or Mani for closed ones.

He walked over to his father’s bed and held the outstretched hand that his father had offered.

“ Hey Dad…” Armani mumbled.

His father offered him a ghost smile, “ you’ve barely gotten back and you’re already handling everyone’s mess. You should have rested first.” His father, Diego Steele muttered.

‘Tell that to Lorenzo and his nagging', he wanted to say, but smiled instead. Seeing his father like this was very rare, when he allowed his emotions to show in the briefest moments.

His father touched his cheek and for a moment there, Armani felt a loss, like his father was here, but he wasn’t seeing the man. He blinked that thought away when his father spoke again.

“ Try to take care of yourself son. If you fall, all these too will fall. So you are as important as the Steele Empire itself.”

Nothing and no one was as important as his father’s legacy, irrespective of what his father had said.

“ Promise me that you’ll Protect it. That you will protect the Empire, this family, promise me…” his father whispered to him with pleading eyes.

Armani would have responded quickly to that request any other time. He knew what his duties were and he would give his last to protect everything his father held dear, except, he was finding it difficult to respond.

He blinked, noticing that his eyes were teary. He held his father’s hand and planted a smile on his face that didn’t reach his eyes as he nodded his head.

Armani swallowed, “ I promise…” he whispered.

His father released a breath and nodded before pulling his hand away with a frown.

“ Get some rest Armani, before you fall on your face!” his father spoke sharply.

Armani blinked, trying to understand the change in his father’s demeanor that had just happened now. He held his father’s gaze for a few seconds before he sighed.

This was the Diego Steele that spoke and people trembled. The Italian- American Mafia head who was feared by all. Gone was the vulnerable man who had spoken to him few minutes ago.

“ Yes sir.” He replied, leaving the room.

That night, he was restless. Even as he rolled on the bed willing his eyes to close and his mind to fall asleep, he just could not figure out what was wrong.

He fell asleep at some point but his sleep was short lived when a scream startled him, waking him up from sleep. He tried to recollect himself to find out what was happening.

Armani heard the sound of footsteps coming closer to his room. Dread filled his heart before his door was flung open. Kane stood at the entrance to his room, panting as he tried to steady his breath.

The man stood and stared at him for a second, “ your father is dead”, Kane said quietly.

Armani was definitely not prepared to hear those words that shattered his heart to pieces.