Bruno watched the scene from the Auction over and over, shaking his head. "Sadly, Lorenzo underestimates me still," he said to DiCarlo sucking on a lollipop."Did you get the ruby?" He asked DiCarlo"Yes Boss, our collection is almost complete " he replied"Good, because I owe Ray Salvatore a token" he said smiling as he stared at his computer.XXXLeah and Alexia sat watching a sleeping Delphine, she had rolled over five times in her sleep. Leah had tried to hide the wound story from Alexia but she figured it out herself."Is she often like this?" Leah asked Alexia as they stared at her."Well, usually, she leaves me with my Aunt Marie back in Georgetown before she goes on her escapades, she usually comes visiting every two weeks with a broken arm or leg. " Alexia replied which bothered Leah a lot."I'm just kidding" Alexia laughed and Leah breathed a sigh of relief"Don't do that again" she warned seriously."I'm sorry. It's been my Mum and I alone since forever, my Dad recently cam
Leah stared blankly at Delphine as she spoke. "I don't know who that is" she said keeping a clueless face."Yeah, I figured " Delphine said wiping her face with her hand. " Ortega was the most feared demon of a Maffia before the Morettis even surfaced. He and the Morettis did business together severally but the city began to feel too small for all of them to build, so he branched out, hit bigger fish and started out somewhere else." Delphine replied."So, your Father is a dangerous drug Baron and you stole from him without absolute fear or thought that you would endanger your little girl's life?" Leah asked looking at her angrily."I didn't know I was pregnant with Alexia when I ran off. I was desperate, my Father had locked me up in a little room for daring to fall in love with that bastard Bartholomew. Oh how I regret ever having anything to do with him, The Bastard was more interested in pleasing my Father than in the love we had shared. I did stupid things for love and now...? He
"We'll have two cappuccinos and two lattes with cannoli""An espresso with sticky toffee pudding""I will have a chicken sandwich and iced tea"Leah shuffled hastily through the busy cafe, taking orders with a polite and professional smile despite the burning menstrual cramps she was having in her lower abdomen, plus her aching body from working long shifts all through the week.Due to some event hosted by her college that is located just around the block, they've had a busy week, which Leah is grateful for because a busy week means extra cash.She needed the money if she wanted to continue pursuing her dream of being a fashion designer.As she returned to the counter with empty trays after serving the tables on her side she let out a sigh, flopped down and groaned in pain with her eyes closed, her brown bangs fell across her forehead, hiding the crease between her brows as she frowned"You should clock out early Leah" Matt, her coworker encouraged seeing the frown on her face as she
By the time she woke up the next morning, the strange man from the night before he disappeared leaving a note that read,"It's dangerous inviting strangers into your home princess, but thanks for the treatment and I hope you like the breakfast see you soon"Just as she had finished reading the note the doorbell rang thinking it was her roommate who had left her keys in the apartment again. Leah went to open the door with her bed hair and pyjamas.As she pulled the door open, she saw a middle-aged man dressed in a black button-up shirt paired with black pants and dress shoes, he had a black apron tied around his waist and a tiny scar on his left side eye"Good Morn… " She didn't allow him to complete the greetings as she shut the door and ran back to her room changing out of her bum shorts and a crop top into something more decent before going back to the door, she composed herself and put on a smile as he opened the door once again to see the man still standing by the door."Good morn
"The report from the club Tor has been complied, we found out their finance book has not been matching up and there has been a mismanagement of funds" Gregor, head of the finance department of the Moretti group reported, sweat trickling down his face despite sitting directly under and opposite the cool air conditioner. His massive tummy jiggled as he stood up from his seat to point out the chart on the screen.Bruno Moretti, Chairman of the Moretti group and the most feared Don in Europe sat at the head chair in the long conference hall, his eyes emotionless as he listened to the reports from his subordinate.His gloved hands went to his phone, and it lit up with a simple message that read "Duke" A wolfish grin appeared on his face and his eyes turned dark sending shivers into the hearts of everyone in the room.Who was it this time?Who incurred the devil's wrath? They thought as they watched him remove his tie before unbuttoning the first two buttons of his dress shirt."Have Enz
"Why did Aaron shift the closing hours upwards?" Leah asked noticing the new sign hanging on the counter and the new board at the entrance of the cafe as she walked in with a backpack"Haven't you heard?" Matt asked his gossiping mode switching on as Leah got closer to the staff area to drop off her things and get changed into her work uniform,"Romano and Moretti are at it again!" he exclaimed"Who are those? The names sound familiar but I can't remember who they are." Leah returned and stood by his side at the counter, overlooking the almost empty cafe"The two big groups in the state?""Ah, yes. You once told me they are rivals or something, they are fighting for something. It's been peaceful all this while why the sudden hostility?" she asked absentmindedly as she scrolled through her phone"Yes, they are!, And you know when those big groups fight it affects their surroundings. Plus, I heard the Romano tried to kill someone on the Moretti's turf just last week" Matt explained in a
"Boss, I think you made the wrong decision this time". Antonio declared as he pushed a trolley full of food into Bruno's office.Bruno squared his brows in question "What are you talking about?" he asked, removing his jacket as he noticed it was lunchtime."I'm talking about Leah, of course, she is too innocent to get involved in our world. She is just not fit for you!" Antonio complained for the nth time that week"And I told you, you are just reading meanings to it. What else do you want to hear? I'm only repaying her for saving my life. " Bruno argued"Maybe you should have thought more about it. If the other gangs notice our frequent activities around her you and I both know they'd read meaning into it and that's not good for her" Antonio complained"She's Henry's daughter, how innocent to anything can she be? " Bruno asked casually, the name sent a sore taste to his mouth"Either way no getting her involved in her father's business is the best""That's not for me to decide now
"You don't look too good" Stephen pointed out as he walked into Leah's apartment, followed by Anthonio who decided to tag along. Anthonio as usual, was carrying two brown bags filled with food. He dropped them on the table and sat beside Stephen in front of Leah."Are you okay?" Anthonio asked, concern laced his voice as he took in Leah's dishevelled state, her hair looked like it hadn't been combed in days and her face looked red and swollen from how much she had cried. "You look… homeless" he added"Did your boss send you to get me? I'm not done packing my things yet. Can you wait a bit?" Leah asked, her voice sounding hoarse and tired as she was about to head back into her room to complete her packing."Why would the boss send us to get you? What's wrong? You are not in danger are you?" Stephen asked pretending to be unaware of what was happening."Has someone been stalking you? Did someone threaten you? Did those Romano scum come to look for you?" Antonio asked and she shook her
Leah stared blankly at Delphine as she spoke. "I don't know who that is" she said keeping a clueless face."Yeah, I figured " Delphine said wiping her face with her hand. " Ortega was the most feared demon of a Maffia before the Morettis even surfaced. He and the Morettis did business together severally but the city began to feel too small for all of them to build, so he branched out, hit bigger fish and started out somewhere else." Delphine replied."So, your Father is a dangerous drug Baron and you stole from him without absolute fear or thought that you would endanger your little girl's life?" Leah asked looking at her angrily."I didn't know I was pregnant with Alexia when I ran off. I was desperate, my Father had locked me up in a little room for daring to fall in love with that bastard Bartholomew. Oh how I regret ever having anything to do with him, The Bastard was more interested in pleasing my Father than in the love we had shared. I did stupid things for love and now...? He
Bruno watched the scene from the Auction over and over, shaking his head. "Sadly, Lorenzo underestimates me still," he said to DiCarlo sucking on a lollipop."Did you get the ruby?" He asked DiCarlo"Yes Boss, our collection is almost complete " he replied"Good, because I owe Ray Salvatore a token" he said smiling as he stared at his computer.XXXLeah and Alexia sat watching a sleeping Delphine, she had rolled over five times in her sleep. Leah had tried to hide the wound story from Alexia but she figured it out herself."Is she often like this?" Leah asked Alexia as they stared at her."Well, usually, she leaves me with my Aunt Marie back in Georgetown before she goes on her escapades, she usually comes visiting every two weeks with a broken arm or leg. " Alexia replied which bothered Leah a lot."I'm just kidding" Alexia laughed and Leah breathed a sigh of relief"Don't do that again" she warned seriously."I'm sorry. It's been my Mum and I alone since forever, my Dad recently cam
Still holding her lips to stop them from trembling, Leah waited to see what the men would bring out. When she had waited for some time and they didn't show up, she tiptoed in the direction of Delphine's house but the elevator suddenly opened and she rushed back to her former spot behind the dividing wall. She watched as a random guy stepped out of the elevator and walked past Delphine's house. She wished she could warn him to be quiet but he was already singing too loud like a bloody drunk. He stopped by her open house catching a glimpse of the havoc the men were causing and bellowed out."Hey! Yo! This is private property man! Does the owner know y'all are here? Come on, out..!" And a bullet went through his head which caused Leah to gasp loudly and shudder, moving back slowly. She saw them drag his body inside and shut the door.Enough had been seen, Leah rushed back to her apartment and locked the door completely, bolting every single thing. She tried to call Delphine but the call
Leah watched through the window as Delphine spoke to a strange man outside the building."Is everything okay?" Alexia asked."Yes, sweetie, everything is fine. Just checking out the view from up here" Leah lied."My mum's always speaking to strange men, so it's pretty normal " Alexia replied exposing her lie."Oh I see, is she...is she into business?" Leah asked curious"She says she sells to them, I don't know but lately she's been really jumpy. Maybe she didn't sell too well and that's making her upset." Alexia suggested."Oh really? And she leaves you up here by yourself?" She asked but before Alexia could answer, there was a knock on the door and Leah went on to open it."Yes? How may I help you?" She said to the tall man with a baseball cap and a pizza parcel. He seemed surprised to see her but he brought down the parcel anyway."Uh, pizza delivery. Can I come in and serve? It's unsliced" he said to her but she looked at him strangely. On a normal day she'd be excited and happy t
Leah stared at Matt as he spoke, "I don't know, she walked in here looking all ruffled and upset, didn't even answer my greetings and just rushed into the bathroom." Matt said"What did she go to do there?" Stephen asked which drew stares from Leah and Matt because the question was strange."I mean, she.. she could have gone in to make a call or something or she was hiding from the two men. It's a lot of things" Stephen said trying to lessen the awkwardness of the situation."That's true, she could have been in trouble. But..." Leah tried to say"I don't think she's in that much trouble" Stephen said looking up from his phone."But..what do you mean?" She asked"I have to go, " Stephen said getting up."Huh? But we were just discussing..." Leah said"I know, I know. It's urgent, try calling her later today. Maybe she'll explain better " he said and gave her a peck on her cheek and rushed out." Well...that happened" Matt said shrugging his shoulders. Leah merely sighed disappointed an
Amanda sat at the round table waiting for the guys to come in. She had called for them over thirty minutes ago. She sat staring at the clock as they all bustled in, sauntering as they liked."You're late" she voiced out. They all stopped chattering and looked at her before bursting into laughter."Who died and made you Boss," one of them said and they all laughed."You're late" one of them mimicked. She was glad they found it amusing as she toyed with her phone which was recording everything.Immediately they were done laughing, she played their voices back to them and the room went quiet."Yeah, so, with just one click of a button, I could send this straight to the Boss who in fact put me in charge of this operation. I'm very well sure he would love to let you all know who died and made me Boss" she said looking at them squarely.The buffiest of them cleared his throat and stepped forward."There won't be any need for that, Miss Amanda. We'll behave and pay attention to you now" he s
Amanda walked into Lorenzo's office, her heart thumped as she moved. She calculated every step trying to think of what her default responses would be. She had to be confident, she had only trained for this moment her whole life. Her mother's life was at stake."Sit down," Lorenzo said to her. He wore a serious expression that said something was about to go down."I like your determination and brains to pursue the family business, young Maffia" he said. She liked that he addressed her as 'young Maffia ". It was a name he had given to her after what happened to her as a little girl."Your Father is a weak man who I had tried to make strong. I gave him the side family to run because I believed he could do a good job, one day that would become your responsibility." Lorenzo said without looking at her."I don't know what to say to that, Sir," Amanda replied."There's nothing to say anymore, it's settled. Your loyalty will be constantly tested, don't think it won't. I've always known that y
Bruno stared at the man in front of him shaking visibly like a leaf, he watched the man as his bleeding face wept."Please have mercy, Boss. Have mercy on me." He said"Oh guys, he said I should have mercy..." He said looking around."I should have mercy.." Bruno said looking the man in the eyes. He nodded vehemently."Nah, what about your little girl!? Barth, we have a rule at Moretti's and it's simple...No what?" Bruno asked"Family.." the man croaked." Exactly Barth, no family. Mucho Buenos, Arivaché. Very good, that's your name, right? Bartholomew Arivaché? Hmm, you shouldn't have Bartholomew. You shouldn't have. I should let the community deal with you personally but I don't know, I wouldn't want your former daughter whom you didn't care about to see you being burnt up" Bruno said"I…I didn't mean to. I was scared " Bartholomew tried to explain"You were scared and your six-year-old daughter became your shield? Well, I'll teach you how to make shields out of children." Bruno sai
Bruno peered through the glass at the mother watching her child. He knew she had no money to take care of the bills. Even though a lot of people had contributed to the little girl's welfare, Bruno ensured that money was given to the girl's mother for her welfare. He took care of the bills himself. What he did not fully understand was what Leah was doing there.It was a good thing he had worn his mask and shades. This was a dangerous world and the innocent had no place in it. He stared at the little girl fighting for her life. The nurse had said she was out of danger, but what he saw was a little girl who watched her Father put her in harm's way. How was she going to explain that to her mother? Bartholomew was a coward and a pig, and he couldn't understand for the life of him how he had trusted him or even done business with him."Boss," DiCarlo said with his head bowed."Yes?" He said wiping his eyes codedly and lifting up his head but not looking at DiCarlo."They found him," DiCarlo