A FAMILY AFFAIR

Mateo's pov~

" what the fuck are you talking about what shipment? It doesn't come until next month" Silvio replied.

I watched him adjust in his steps as he looked back at Don Rinaldi.

I grinned, I had successfully created doubt in his mind.

"Is that what your father told you?" I asked, looking directly at Don Argento who was now pissed with frustration.

Silvio gave me a puzzled look, with the gun still firmly attached to my temple he turned to look at his father.

"Papa, what the hell is he talking about?" he inquired.

"It's complicated," his father responded.

"Complicated?" he asked again, stepping back, and with that dislodging the pistol from my brain.

I sighed with relief, I looked around the room, and the aura of tense air circulated.

I counted each armed man, with their guns pointed at me and my wife.

Seven of them, I smiled, this ought to be fun.

"Father, what is he talking about and what is this room? What are you hiding from me?" Silvio inquired walking up to his father.

Don Argento shot me murderous glares and then briefly glanced at Don Rinaldi who shared his resolve.

probably wondering how I knew about this secret deal and why my adopted father chose to key me in on it

Because it was a double cross, but I won't reveal that now, this is my leverage over my father to walk out of here alive with my wife.

My father has always been a snake.

I watched Gloria get up and scurry out of the room.

Informing her about Silvio's engagement was a good strategy to sway Ariana back to my side and it had worked.

She gave me a small nod and closed the door behind her, shutting us in.

One of the armed men ran toward the door trying to pry his way through but it was already slammed shut.

"I don't know what your plan here is Mateo, but there's no escape for you, hand over that slut of a daughter NOW" I heard my adopted father thunder.

His weight on the cane had begun to shake, something was making him tick.

He was trying to change the conversation but Silvio wasn't having it.

I stood back and relaxed myself, all I needed to do now was watch it play out.

Silvio cocked his gun and shot in the air, a few inches away from Don Rinaldi's ear.

I smirked in delight as I watched my "Father" fall to the ground.

"Papa!" Ariana called, she tried to run to him but I held her back.

After all he had done to her, she was still willing to help this piece of shit.

There are so many layers to this woman I married.

"The next one goes through your brain and I don't care if I start a never-ending war!" Silvio barked.

Don Argento stood there with an annoyed expression.

"This is exactly why I don't involve you in everything! This fucking temper! You are my son and I love you but this anger, this fury inside you doesn't let you see reason and it's damaging you and our business!" his father exclaimed, hitting the gun out of his hand.

Silvio was quiet, unbelieving of what his father had just spewed from his mouth.

"That's not all, since we are all revealing family secrets, I would be more than happy to let you in on one other thing" I started again, I watched as they all turned to me.

"You bastard! I will kill you where you stand!" Don Argento cursed, and I laughed haughtily.

I could see his hand quiver, this was a secret nobody must ever know, a secret that would destroy his reputation.

But I needed to distract them long enough for this red light to turn green.

"You and I both know that Silvio here only knows half of the story, you don't remember Silvio? The fall?" 

Silvio glared at me with a puzzled look on his face, unable to comprehend what gibberish I was saying.

"You remember the night my father took you home instead of me" I started, "the day we were swapped by our fathers, as some sort of personal joke" I added waiting for him to put it together.

"What are you saying, Mateo? What swap?" I looked at him in horror.

How could he not remember the swap, just what the hell did my father do to Silvio that day?

"You can't listen to him, son! We all know he is a lying cheating bastard!" his father thundered.

"Kill him! Kill the bastard!" he ordered pointing straight at me.

I heard Ariana sob helplessly as she quivered behind me.

"Before you do, you should know your sister is in on it too, she's the true prodigy of your father. Not you, you are just the figurehead, Silvio. Your sister is the mastermind of every transaction that goes on behind closed doors" I finally revealed.

"That's a lie brother!" her deceitful gaze resting on Silvio, who was now standing on the edge of perpetual confusion.

"You bastard!" she cried and started walking briskly to where Ariana and I stood.

My wristwatch pinged, finally green!

I watched Sophia brim with anger, in a fit of fury she lunged at me but Ariana stepped in front of me, kicking her in the shin before she could land her blow.

She crumpled to the floor in Pain, "This is for the shit you put me through these past few days! If I'm going to die here I will go knowing I caused you pain you bitch!" I heard my audacious wife growl in anger.

Another side of this exotic woman I can't wait to explore.

"I've heard enough, my own family is keeping things from me, and you mateo have brought it to light, for that I'm grateful. But this is where you die and I will make sure your corpse, rotting and smelling, sits in the front row when I marry YOUR wife" he declared.

I heard my wife gasp beside me, "I'd rather die here with my husband than be your wife," I heard Ariana say.

I brimmed with gladness inside me, I took her hand in mine and turned back to Silvio.

"You heard her, your obsession with what is already mine needs to stop"

"Kill him!" he thundered and I heard the men cock their guns.

They raised it to our heads and aimed.

"Goodbye Mateo" I heard my father say, "you! Pry that whore child of mine out of his dead hands when it's done!" Don Vincenzo instructed, pointing his cane at the armed man in the middle.

"Not today," I smiled, and in a split second, the three of the armed men had killed the other four and turned their guns at them.

"What!" my father exclaimed, Silvio was silent, "surely by now, you should know I'm better than you in every way and I'm always 10 steps ahead of you" I started, I walked towards them and grinned deviously. 

" I know how you think Silvio, you are so predictable that I don't even have to try too hard, you have lost this round"

I could tell he wanted to reach out and strangle me, and that was exactly what he did.

He lunged at me and grabbed my neck, his palm was sweaty as expected as it kept slipping off.

"Are you afraid, Silvio? Now that you have tasted betrayal and now fear, tell me what are your thoughts?" I mocked, hitting his hand violently away from me.

I turned away from him and looked at one of the masked armed men.

"Is it ready, Julius?" I asked, he nodded before slipping the silicon 3d mask off his face.

I watched my wife's facial expression change into shock.

"I told you to trust me" I smiled, pulling her close and kissing her, making sure Silvio enjoyed the view.

"I'll call this a truce, for trying to murder my child before it could get the chance to be born, this ends here Silvio, accept it and move on" I declared, stepping back from him.

As Julius was about to press the button he got out of his pocket, he didn't see when Sophia snuck behind one of our guys and disarmed him.

She took the grenade from its pouch and held it up in the air.

"What are you going to do? Blow us all up? Fucking crazy bitch" I laughed.

"Yes and I will make sure I take you with me" she screamed.

"Sophia No! Don't do it, it's not worth it, let him go" Don Argento retorted.

Sophia looked over at her father, his face was sturdy and warning was visible all over it.

But like Silvio, she was as stubborn as a mule.

Just as she was about to throw it, Julius aimed and shot her knee, she screeched in pain and tossed the grenade in my direction,  I ran, pulling Ariana as I moved.

She missed, but it was close enough to set off the AED Bombs we planted in the tunnel walls close by.

The tunnels began to rumble, slowly the roof started to fall off and crash on top of us.

"Mateo! we need to go now!" Julius exclaimed.

I took off my shirt, wrapped it around Ariana's face and led her into the smoke.

Just as we were about to step out into freedom I heard Silvio's threats.

"This is not over Mateo!"