Mafia Wars: The Uprising Billionaire

6 The call

A warm, amber light radiated from the chandelier that hung from the alabaster ceiling engraved with beautiful symbols, adding to the ceiling aesthetic.

The spacious room was filled with soft light. Like the splendour of dusk, the glass and furniture glistened in the warmth.

A man who appeared to be in his late fifties was sitting on a large, brown sofa, with the edges designed with gold and gemstones.

He was clad in a jet-black suit, along with a matching pair of shoes.

His silver watch reflected the warmth rays from the chandelier, and he breathed in and out softly, enjoying the aromatic fragrance that permeated from the room diffuser.

Two, tall, muscular men in black suits were standing behind the man like statues.

Their gazes were stagnant, only piercing forward without drifting across the room.

The middle-aged man ruffled his short, wavy grey hair, which was styled in a modern quiff with a matte finish, before puffing out a thick smoke from the tobacco in his left hand.

Besides him on another sofa, another man in his mid-forties in a grey suit held a white paper as he reported different happenings that were noteworthy without minding a word.

''From our conclusion, it should begin any moment from now, chairman,'' the man in the grey suit muttered, his eyes stuck to the paper he was reading from.

''Umm,'' The man in the black suit hummed, tilting his head in a slow cadence.

''Leave.''

His tone was flat, quiet, and sharp, yet it brought chills down the spine of the man in the grey suit.

He trembled inwardly, but he did well masking it, before letting out a subtle smile.

''Chairman, if you don't mind, we can actually…'' The man trailed off as his gaze met the chairman's.

''Understood.'' He bowed, before heading out of the warm room that gave his heart nothing but frostbite.

A few minutes after he left, the chairman mumbled in an impassive tone, ''You know what to do.''

His eyes were devoid of any emotion, and neither could one figure out what his thoughts were. He appeared still, like a calm lake.

The bouncer standing behind him on the left bowed, without exchanging a word, as he headed outside too.

The room soon regained its calm as everything fell into a silent embrace.

However, this chilling silence was soon shattered by the beeping sound coming from the chairman's mobile phone.

A light frown crept its way on his face as he turned his head in his other bouncer's direction with a quizzical gaze.

The bouncer had a flat expression as he checked who the caller was…, however, his flat expression soon changed, his eyes agape, and his brows knitted.

''It's young sir,'' the bouncer announced, his voice sounding rusty as though two metallic surfaces were grinding against each other.

''Uh?'' The chairman's eyes, for a second, twitched, but he regained his composure immediately.

Receiving the phone, he answered, and he spoke into the phone before even the caller could speak.

''Boy… you remember home, he-he.'' The chairman giggled, his voice sounding tender and soft.

He didn't receive any response from the other end, but that didn't stop him to continue rambling, after all, he knew the other person was still there.

''So…'' The chairman allowed himself to trail off, ending it with a questioning undertone.

A brief silence seemed to pass before the voice on the other end finally mustered the strength to speak.

''I…''

The chairman could hear a deep gulp followed by a heavy sigh, but… he didn't push the caller.

He waited for several seconds to pass again before the caller once again spoke.

''I need your help.'' the voice sounded as though it came from a defeated knight who had failed to protect his honour. He could only cling to the little thread left for him for survival.

''Boy, you know I'm always glad to help you whatsoever way, he-he.'' The chairman once again chuckled, as he caressed his dark moustache.

''You dumped your old man, and now you're seeking for his help… I spoilt you far too much I guess.'' the man faked an offended tone.

''Just do this for me please, and I promise to accept the deal,'' the caller replied in a tired voice.

Both of them exchanged a few seconds of silence before the chairman broke the silence.

''Leave everything to me.''

The confident tone relieved Antonio, who was the caller, as he hung up the call, allowing his phone to slip out of his hand and into the snow.

'"Phew!''

A cold breath left his mouth, his eyes looking adrift as his mind flashed with shattered thoughts.

To others, this might appear as a normal conversation, but to Antonio… He knew well what he was treading on.

He was now walking on the line that separated serenity and insanity.

And it all began with this short phone call conversation.

However, to save his brother from his predicament, he would do it over and over again, without giving it a second thought.

Twenty minutes after the call ended, Antonio spotted an approaching black SUV with tinted glasses.

The SUV soon parked in front of him, and three hefty men in black suits came down, excluding the driver.

''Good. Morning young sir.''

The three of them straight away bowed in full swing motion, as they greeted him in unison, their voice filled with reverence.

Antonio watched the three men with a deadpan look, his mouth feeling heavy, refusing to say a word.

He wasn't a stranger to these people, he knew them all too well, yet they felt distant and unfamiliar at the same time.

He once again sighed, his eyes looking listless as he stood on his feet.

There was no going back the moment he made that call, and he could only brace up to meet whatever obstacle ahead of him with his full chest.

''Let's go in,'' Antonio murmured, his back already facing the three men.