Ghosts from the past

Paris, present

My cab stops in front of the main facade of a luxurious mansion very well guarded by a considerable number of guards and dogs that are on the alert at the slightest sign of smell or unknown movement. 

I don't dare get out of the car or approach it as the guests who are arriving endlessly do. At least the night would pay off and it wouldn't be long before I found out what would make me profit from the Parisian Elite. Because, deep down, the Mafia is nothing but business seasoned with a little fire and blood.

  But for now, all I could do was wait for my "signal" to enter the field. And he appeared in a beautiful emerald silk dress and shoes of the purest leather. Amelia manages to surprise more and more in her looks, possibly gifts from the man she claims to have an affair with. And if she could make him fall hopelessly in love with her, this man could easily buy the whole of Paris for Amelia.  So why does she still prefer hidden ways to get more money?

I know that her personal life is a trivial detail next to the mission that awaits me, but my intuition keeps flashing for some reason that my mind intends to unravel...

“ Pardon the delay!”, She said as she sat comfortably on the bench beside me. And it wasn't even that long compared to the time she spent trying to find a way not to wrinkle her expensive fabric.

“ All right, where are we?”, I ignored the formalities and moved on to the action, not waiting for her to answer what my GPS could tell me. 

“The residence of one of the most prestigious lawyers in Paris, Jean Laurent.”

“ Laurent?”, I was taken aback. 

“Yes, residence of the Laurent family that was inherited by Jean Laurent. They were always a family of lawyers dedicated to business, however, with the murder of his parents, Jean followed the criminalistics area. He was not very lucky, his fiancée was also killed probably by revenge of some criminal he helped put in jail. Since then, he lives alone and relies on the company of a few friends and this information became forbidden subjects until it was forgotten…”, She explained.

“I understand…” I mumbled.

"Laurent"

That last name echoed through my mind like a memory whispered by a memory from a distant past. Isn't it possible that life was made of so many coincidences and that these were the Laurents that my papa

“Francisca? “,  Amelia calls out.

“Yes?”,  I put my feet back on the ground.

“We can't be seen together, so I don't need to tell you that you'll have to do your own thing to get in. I can't commit, not at this moment. See you later, darling!”,  She hustled me out of the car and didn't even look back. 

Another time, I would tell her to go fuck herself. Bringing me here and not moving a single stone was the same as me being alone in this battle. However, it's no longer just about our deal or enjoying my prospective clients, but also finding out if this Laurent was the same one I saw delivered to his death years ago...

━━━━━━✧♛✧━━━━━━

Sicily, ten years ago

Cuban cigars and the best wine in the cellar were clear warnings that my father would receive important visitors and not the usual ones that Lorena and I nicknamed house real estate, one of our numerous jokes that over time were forgotten. Having lost our mother so prematurely brought us together, but for the same reason, distance was gaining more and more ground. She was five years older, although my long legs gave me some advantage and I easily appeared to be only three years younger. Two friends, the sober strangers commented. And to the drunks, almost twins. The truth is that we looked nothing alike. I inherited my mother's looks who was Colombian, while her genetics preferred a peachy shade, eyes and dark brown hair from my Italian father. The only thing in common were our birthmarks drawn on our backs, which we cultivated the dream of being the only ones in the world to have them.

“ Daddy is getting some special guests!”, I confided enthusiastically.

 I couldn't bear to see the same faces, and who knows, maybe there would be a boy we could meet and be friends with. For me, adolescence was knocking on the door and with it, an immense desire to explore beyond our immense property. On the other hand, I dreaded it, because, when she came to Lorena, something magical from our world was lost. There was almost always no time left for us to venture down the secret corridors and passages. She lived with our father in the office or with his trusted men for jobs she preferred to keep secret. Her expression became hard and it took a lot of makeup to bring some life to what was slowly dying inside her.

“ I know…”, was my sister's only comment, then the maid came in wearing a new dress. 

“ Are we having a party?”, I wanted to know in all my innocence.

But the two ignored me and the maid quickly concentrated on tidying her unruly hair.

“ If he's handsome like his father, it won't be a sacrifice to meet him”, commented Anitta, the maid, wanting to stand up to Lorena's unwillingness.

He? 

”That man was here, years ago, with his wife, but never brought his son”, Anitta insists on the dialogue.

Who were they talking about? Without more details it was impossible for me to guess. It was obvious that I didn't belong in this conversation and that I should leave. So I did, but curiosity spoke louder and my ears stuck to the door ready to hear what they were saying.

“This doesn't make sense, Anita”, finally protested Lorena.

“ Your father promised your mother to make good marriages for you. And the Arnault family is your father's ally, so if you marry their heir, you won't just be partners, but a family. I don't need to tell you how important this is…”

Marriage? 

My eyes widened and I needed the help of my hand to close my mouth. 

“ Is he old?”, Lorena wanted to know.

“ No, he's about your age, or maybe two years older.”, Replied the maid.

“ He must have dreams like me... “,After her protest, came my sister's lament.

“ It's nonsense, young lady. You have goals and business!”, Corrected Anitta with her usual firmness.

There was a silence and I ran with the fear of being caught listening to the conversation. However, I was overcome by the idea of being able to hide behind one of the long curtains in the office to find out more. Little did I know, however, that it would be my turn to be kicked out of my own paradise....

✧♛✧

My body was curled up between the long, heavy drapes that stood firm against the sun and sea air, keeping the wooden furnishings spared from possible wear and tear. If they could talk, they would tell the worst stories and the best secrets that had followed my family for generations. They were my father's best witnesses and companions, always offering silence and never judging, no matter how barbaric his actions were.

The guests were the first to arrive.  A blond, blue-eyed man accompanied by a brunette. If they were the same age, I couldn't tell. The first had the serene air and the charm of a papa, while the other was as serious as a door.  The blond was the head of the Arnault family and a long-time friend of mine. In my view, he was not a convicted mobster, just a man who lost his way in gambling and found himself mired in a sea of debts. My father helped pay them off and save his family's company, and with that, Mr. Arnault owed him favors, which was the same as him selling his soul to the devil. The brunette was just his escort, a lawman. A terrible choice to bring into a home where you are a crime lover.

“ I have no words to express how grateful I am that you have come, Laurent”, Said Mr. Arnault.

Laurent, I tried to imitate the accent. In our business world, men address each other using only their last name and it is important to say it firmly.

“ I still don't think it's a good idea. These kinds of people are unpredictable. What were you thinking?, Scolded Mr. Laurent.

“ I was too young to measure the consequences of my actions. It seemed like the last way out. I didn't expect to one day build a family, have children! And much less be haunted by the fear of losing everyone.”

“ I know! But do you know how word and honor work for that man?”

Mr. Arnault didn't have the courage to say a single word, and Mr. Laurent understood that the two of them were in the lion's den.

“ Mondieu…”, was all Mr. Laurent managed to pronounce.

“ Adam, my son, would never accept. He is better than me when it comes to character. He doesn't lose his way easily, he has determination and a knack for business. The company will probably grow in his hands. I sent him to study with Jean exactly so he wouldn't be here. 

“ You are a mobster, my friend”, Concluded Mr. Laurent. 

Poor Laurent, he would see what a real one was.

“ If facilitating a mobster makes me one, yes, I am, and I don't want that for Adam! I don't want that alliance!”

“What don't you want?”

 My father arrived and the two men were taken by surprise. They were invited to sit down and Anitta appeared to serve them.  Then she withdrew as lightly as she entered. 

“ Scusa, I didn't give you the proper condolences on the passing of Madame Arnault. Family is an important thing, certainly our greatest wealth. We can take everything from a man, but perhaps it is the family that hurts the most. “

Daddy never got over the death of my mother, even after so many years. He was an indestructible man, yet his Achilles heel was us, his family. My mother was the first to reap the bitter fruits of power, so Dad built around us a fortress, mostly suffocating.

“ The flowers and wines were well received, my friend. I thank you” 

Everyone nodded and took a sip of their drinks. 

“ Where is your son, Arnault? Has he not come?, My father wanted to know. 

The two men looked at each other, and Mr. Arnault's lips twitched, trying to find the right words.  And my father, in turn, settled more comfortably into his leather armchair, fully certain that whatever he was going to say, everything had to come out according to his will. 

“That's what I'd like to talk about…”, He took another sip of his drink, and Mr. Laurent slapped him on the back, in a gesture of courage. 

“My son, he won't do it. He can barely see blood. Getting married and being a future mob leader next to your first daughter is out of the question”

“Nothing he can't learn. He has your blood and you are no Saint, Arnault” 

My father's reassurance, to me, was frightening. 

“ I know, but I promised my wife that I would be a better man. I can pay all my debts in cash, including this one”

My father smiled and finished his drink in one gulp. Then I knew it was his moment to confess something important.

“ Money cannot pay the word of a man of honor. I also promised my wife to marry my daughters to men from good families and build strong alliances that would ensure their safety. Why should your promise be more important than mine, my friend?”

“ It's not that it is, Calderone. It's just that it doesn't make sense to involve our children in a deal we made so young…”

“ He's right, Papa! “

It's Lorena's turn to come in and if there was any calm in my father, it has begun to evaporate.

“ I don't want to marry his son.  I want to join the army!”

Two pieces of information very hard to digest for a man who can't take no for an answer. And to make matters worse, Luigi, a secretly trusted man of my father's, was coming after. Although he was, there was still a witness to his dishonor, an evil that should be nipped in the bud.  

 With a simple glance from my father, he drew his gun and pointed it at Lorena. And for the first time, I understood how our real world worked and that all my memories were nothing but a fairy tale that she and I had created to hide from the monster of truth.

“ S'il vous plaît! Let's finish this like gentlemen”, Mr. Laurent tried to lessen the tension between everyone. But, our sense of gentleman was certainly different from yours.

“ This man makes you unworthy of his son and you agree?”

“ That man is only being fair, Papa. Why is it so hard for you to do the same?”,  Tears were already streaming down my sister's face and I was completely scared as much as she was.

“Because my word is only one and I will not break it when I have given it for the only person who has ever loved me in my life”, Shouted my father.

“ She's gone, you have us. Don't hurt the last people who love you, Daddy “

My eyes filled with tears, but not our father's. Honor tended to weigh more heavily than love, and I needed to do something.

“Daddy, I'll marry him!”, I threw myself in the middle of the room to everyone's astonishment. However, it didn't take long for everyone to ignore the presence of the twelve year old teenager that I was.

“ You don't want to get married, fine. Prove that you are a Calderone, kill those men who have made a mockery of your family. Then I will give you your freedom, you will leave my house and never come back”

He placed a gun on the table and I confess that if fear had a smell, it would beat the wood of the office. Instead, fear froze Mr. Arnault and Laurent, turning them into two targets to shoot.

“What if I don't shoot?”, Asked the still trembling Lorraine.

And no words were needed, just the clicking sound of the gun in Luigi's hands pointed at her head was enough.

“Shoot, Lorena Tatiane Calderone!”, Ordered my father. Because the second option would be painful for him. 

Lorena stepped forward and grabbed the gun. She blinked a few times, however, there was nothing to be done. Her aim was perfect and it took no more than two shots, each bullet intended for one of the men. I watched their bodies fall and there was nothing in the world that could undo that scene in my mind.

“ Well done," My father praised without any emotion, “Luigi, make sure Mister Laurent hasn't come with his wife. If so, finish the job. It's not a good option to leave clues” 

He agreed and left the office like lightning. Lorena was next and my father didn't try to stop her. He had given his word. And no one had to say out loud that everything that happened in that room would forever be a secret.

“Francisca!”, My father called out and I shivered.

“From now on, I can only count on you. I don't expect you to be ready, I expect you to always know how to get around obstacles, like now”

I didn't quite know what those words meant, but I accepted them for myself with the devotion of a cub abandoned in the middle of the jungle.

“ Yes, Papa…”