Alessandro’s heist had been successful. I didn’t know how he managed it and he wouldn’t tell me either but he had nearly every single person working on the docks in his pockets. His men had barely done anything other than take the opium and engage in a small scuffle that lasted for about two minutes before my father’s men were overpowered and sent running away with their tails between their legs. I knew Alessandro wielded influence but it was only now that I was beginning to understand how powerful he was. “Are you sure my father wouldn’t know you’re behind this latest attack on his shipment?” I asked. We were seated in the dining room a few hours after returning from the docks. It was pretty late but we were both famished and the cook had been kind enough to cook something for us. “Why? Did you notice something out of the ordinary?” Alessandro asked as he put a slice of pizza in his mouth. “They wore your mafia colors, Alessandro, and you let the men escape. They’re going to te
Alessandro’s POVMaking promises wasn’t my thing and I made it a habit not to let myself overindulge when it comes to situations like these but when I saw the dejected look on Gianna’s face, I couldn’t help myself but promise to always be there for her. I knew what it was like trying to make a name for yourself in a world like ours and I’d passed through great difficulties before I became who I was today so it was easy for me to resonate with how she felt. But I also knew that whatever I faced would be little compared to the tribulations that would come her way if she got her heart's desire. Never has it happened that a woman led a mafia and I was pretty certain that if it were up to a voting process, Gianna would still lose an election to her airhead of a brother despite everything she’s done for the mafia. Traditions were hard to break in the mafia and it took years, decades even, in some cases before certain laws were revisited and reversed. I could count on one finger the numbe
t didn’t take long for the Los Angeles police department to pin the fight that happened at the docks to my father after obtaining evidence from a hidden CCTV camera. I wondered if Alessandro knew about it beforehand but he didn’t say anything and I didn’t ask. I half-expected the police to show up on our doorsteps for questioning but they never did and my best guess was that Alessandro had taken care of the problem like he always did. The police got a search warrant for the house and a few of my father’s establishments but as I’d already known, they found nothing to back up their claims of my father being a mafia lord much to their disappointment. But if there was one thing everyone knew, it was that they weren’t going to go away. They’d always be in the shadows—waiting for one slip-up before swooping in to make their arrest. My father was a very formidable man, one of the most shrewd businessmen I’d ever seen but there was only so much one man could do. His choice of making Migu
The silence was deafening. I could detect every single sound on either side of the phone. My father’s no was still steady and mine was as well. I’d played this moment several times in my head and each time, I pictured myself fumbling my words and losing my shit in the critical moment but it didn’t happen today. My words were clear and I was eloquent. I glanced at the wall clock chiming above my head, no one had said a word for the past five minutes. I tried to envisage what would be going through my father’s head but I couldn’t. He was similar to Alessandro in this regard—they were both complicated men whose minds you couldn’t read. “I can only hope that this is a joke, Gianna.” My father said in an icy tone. I recognized that time. He was beyond pissed but I was past caring about other people’s feelings now. This was my era of being selfish and I was going to use every tool in my arsenal to make it work in my favor. “You know me better than most people, father. There’s nothing re
Salvatore’s POVThere is that sensation you feel when your life is in danger, it feels like a knife lodged in your gut with each passing second time squeezed in deeper elongating the pain till you feel suffocated. People think that hope keeps you going, that faith spurs you on to do the impossible, and that your belief is capable of getting you out of any situation, but that's a lie. It doesn't. It makes the pain from the sharp edge of the blade even worse. Because, with each chiming on the clock, you're reminded of what you've lost and what you stand to lose. I put my hand underneath my shirt as I clutched on the familiar feel of the cold metal of the crucifix. This was all I had left of my father. Rubbing the cross between my thumb and index finger, I let myself slip into the past as I remembered the good memories I spent with my family. Christmas was always the best, Tiffany would snuggle up to me on the couch while I held our children on my lap as we watched old movies. I let
The chirping coming from the crickets got cut off abruptly before starting again. It was midnight. Time was running out. A few days ago, I’d told my father that he had two options — make me his heir unfailingly and I’ll help him sort out his mess or he can decide not to and lose everything he’s worked for in the past thirty years. This was the opportunity I had been looking for and it’d been delivered perfectly.In a game of confidence, the moment just before you play your cards is the most nerve-racking. It is the point of no return. Once you make that right move, you settle down, your mind and body relaxing automatically.I crushed the butt of my cigar on the concrete as I stood and stretched my back and neck. I wasn’t a regular smoker but I liked to indulge now and then, it was a habit I picked up from watching Peaky Blinders and it’s stuck. I could hear the siren going off in the distance, I wondered what crime had been committed this time. It was becoming a daily occurrence, peo
Alessandro had advised me to drop any investigation I was planning on opening against Syrius but I couldn’t. I had to know what he’d promised my father and what my father had promised in return. Alessandro was trying to downplay the impact of this merger but I knew that he was worried as much as I was. This was easily one of the biggest and most shocking news that the mafia world had gotten in a long time and everyone who knew about it was trying to keep it under wraps before it blew up and turned into a full-blown war. “You don’t ever listen to me, do you?” Alessandro asked as he took a look at the computer screen in front of me. “You know I do, Alessandro.” I sighed, rubbing my temple. “But this is different and I know that you’re well aware of it.”“Whatever you might think it is, you don’t go around poking a bee’s net while it hasn’t stung you yet,” Alessandro said. I knew what he was trying to do. He wanted to drop the case entirely because he wanted to handle it himself but
I shook my head. I couldn’t let him proceed with his plans. He had a lot to lose and I did as well, more than everyone involved and war was the last thing I wanted as it stands. Only the strong would be left standing while the weak ones like myself would be crushed like the insignificant grains of sand that we were. I had to do everything in my power to ensure that I’d exhausted all other options available to me before giving up and letting Alessandro wage war on my father and Syrius. “I’m sorry, Alessandro. But I can’t let you do this, not before you give me a chance to fix things.” “I think you need to give yourself some sense of perspective right now, Gianna. I’ve tried listening to you, I’ve also been open-minded as well but if you think I’ll do nothing while I’m being disrespected by your father and Syrius, you must be out of your fucking mind.” His words cut right through me but I ignored it. I would react the same way if I were in his shoes. No one would ever want to be dis
I had lost my touch. That's what happens when you become docile after years of being on guard."Do exactly what I say or you die." I could feel my heart racing despite my best attempts to compose myself.I knew I was walking into a trap but I had no choice. I wasn’t entirely sure that the letter came from Syrius, maybe it was only a silly joke being played by some crazy maniac but what I was certain of was that whoever sent the letter had my son and I was willing to do anything to get my child back. The accent was masculine and Eastern European. There was no quake or tremor in the man's voice. His tone sounded calm and detailed. This was no hoax, if I went out of line, I would die.I tried to remember if either Alessandro or myself had any issues with any mafia from that part of the world but I couldn’t come up with anything. "What do you want?"I asked fearfully as the cold steel of his gun pressed into the small of my back.I needed a distraction. My first instinct was to lean
I felt dejected as I searched each room hoping to find him in there but I knew the truth, he was gone and I had no idea where he had gone to. The wardrobe was empty as well, he had packed his bags and he was probably halfway across the world for all she could know. Despite sitting in our room for hours, I knew I missed him and I could feel the tears stinging the back of my eyes. This wasn’t how I had envisaged my life a few weeks and it hurt now that I was faced with this shitty reality. Our first conversation after he’d been discharged from the hospital didn’t go too well. I couldn’t stop myself from blaming him for the disappearance of our son. I categorically told him that I believed our son was kidnapped because of the ties he has to him and the mafia. Alessandro had tried to reason with me but I didn’t want to hear any of it, all I wanted was my son. My phone rang and I retrieved it from my pocket, it was Tiffany. She had promised to call back after a couple of hours.“Hey
I had lost my touch. That's what happens when you become docile after years of being on guard."Do exactly what I say or you die." I could feel my heart racing despite my best attempts to compose myself.I knew I was walking into a trap but I had no choice. I wasn’t entirely sure that the letter came from Syrius, maybe it was only a silly joke being played by some crazy maniac but what I was certain of was that whoever sent the letter had my son and I was willing to do anything to get my child back. The accent was masculine and Eastern European. There was no quake or tremor in the man's voice. His tone sounded calm and detailed. This was no hoax, if I went out of line, I would die.I tried to remember if either Alessandro or myself had any issues with any mafia from that part of the world but I couldn’t come up with anything. "What do you want?"I asked fearfully as the cold steel of his gun pressed into the small of my back.I needed a distraction. My first instinct was to lean
I felt dejected as I searched each room hoping to find him in there but I knew the truth, he was gone and I had no idea where he had gone to. The wardrobe was empty as well, he had packed his bags and he was probably halfway across the world for all she could know. Despite sitting in our room for hours, I knew I missed him and I could feel the tears stinging the back of my eyes. This wasn’t how I had envisaged my life a few weeks and it hurt now that I was faced with this shitty reality. Our first conversation after he’d been discharged from the hospital didn’t go too well. I couldn’t stop myself from blaming him for the disappearance of our son. I categorically told him that I believed our son was kidnapped because of the ties he has to him and the mafia. Alessandro had tried to reason with me but I didn’t want to hear any of it, all I wanted was my son. My phone rang and I retrieved it from my pocket, it was Tiffany. She had promised to call back after a couple of hours.“Hey
It’s been a week since the ugly incident and Alessandro hadn’t woken up yet. I was struggling to pull it together but I knew that I didn’t have any other option, I couldn’t afford to break down right now not when I had to look after myself and Alessandro as well. I needed him to be up and running if we were going to get to the bottom of this tragic incident that had befallen us. The doctor urged me to give him time and be patient till he decided to come around. His vitals were good and his condition was improving, he was going to wake up any moment from now, the doctor would always say giving her a warm smile in return. The conviction in his voice always seemed to calm my nerves so I waited calmly until Alessandro decided to come around.I was in his hospital room, sitting on a chair next to the hospital bed, my knees were pulled up under my chin with my face buried between the latest reports from the investigators who were handling the case until Alessandro took over. Reading help
“Are you sure it’s safe to go on this trip?” I asked, nibbling on my lower lips as I shuffled from one foot to another, unable to be at peace. Alessandro had offered to take me on a three-day trip while Tiffany and the maids we hired would look after our son until we were back. “I had to spend three days convincing Ethan to let you go, Gianna. Do you think I’m not going to take you out to celebrate accomplishing the biggest goal I’ve ever set for myself?” Alessandro chuckled. “Tone down with your flattery, dude.” I laughed, playfully smacking his arm. “I’m only worried about the safety of our son and I hope you can understand that.” Alessandro pulled me close and I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I understand why you’re worried and you have every right to be. You’ve never been away from him for more than a few hours and now, I’m asking you to spend three days without him.” “He’s been through so much already, I don’t want him to suffer anymore.” I sighed, placing my head on his
I didn’t exactly know how long it had been but a few hours had passed since Alessandro left the house after our heated argument about him going out despite the doctor’s advice. Unable to bring myself to do anything tangible, I had spent the rest of the afternoons wandering around the house and counting the hours until he would return while taking care of Ethan as well. He had called me earlier but I wasn’t in the mood to talk, else I would break down and I didn’t want that to happen. For my sake, it would be best if I remained silent until I regained every trace of my composure before tackling everything Alessandro had disregarded. I couldn't be worried about him and our son simultaneously, my poor heart wouldn’t be able to take it. Alessandro had assured me that he would be back early enough and I couldn’t wait, the suspense already had me in a chokehold.As soon as she heard Alessandro’s car pull up in the driveway, I bolted off the couch where I had been sitting and rushed out
The operation was successful and the doctor assured me that my son was going to live as soon as his recovery phase was complete. The whole turn of events seemed so surreal. Never in a million years would I have ever come up with something like this. Three years ago, I ran away from Alessandro to start a new life for myself in a different state after abandoning everything I’ve ever known or had to stay hidden and three years later, the same man that I ran away from had just saved the life of the child we created together all those years ago. If this was the universe’s way of patting my back and giving me solace after everything I’d been through, I would gladly accept it after years of turmoil. “I’ve been patient enough, Gianna.” Tiffany began as she stared at me. “I think it’s time you tell me the truth about everything that’s been going on.” She was right. She was my friend—my only friend here and she deserved to know the truth. “You’re going to want to sit down for this one.” I
“I want you back home, Gianna. It’s where you belong, not here in a strange mafia with another mafia Don and you have our son as well, I couldn’t just sit back and watch him grow somewhere else. The thought of that happening didn’t sit right with me one bit.” I explained, drumming my fingers softly against the protective glass as I stared at Gianna.“Have you stopped to wonder if he’s your son or have you made yourself believe he’s yours because we were once involved?” Gianna asked. I knew she was trying to throw me off balance. I’d been expecting this. This was the only way I was going to get the answers I wanted, I was having doubts if she would willingly open up to me if I didn’t persist so I pressed on. “The months don’t tally with when you met Ethan and had that brief fling of yours,” I said after a moment’s pause. “There’s no way he can’t be my son. Nice try, Gianna, but you’re not going to pull a fast one on me. The child doesn’t look like Ethan or anyone else to begin with.