The building smells awful. The moment Simon entered the threshold, he was greeted by the smell of stale tobacco mixed with the strong odor of urine. He almost puked when the smell assaulted his nose without permission. “Damn!” he cursed. He also lived in a dilapidated building like this before but the smell here was way worse. A loud music was blaring, it was still early in the morning but the neighborhood didn't care about the noise, they could disturbed the other tenants. Shaking his head, Simon made his way to the second floor. The smell just keeps getting worse with every step that he makes. Simon saw a couple having sex in one corner of the second floor. He passed them but the two didn't care that he witnessed their nasty acts. The woman with smudge lipstick and mascara even winked at him and invited him to join the two. Simon was not new to those kinds of scenes. His father used to take him to strip clubs when he was still a teenager. He wanted him to see how dirty the worl
Mr. John Graham was a resident of the state of North Carolina but he opened a storage locker in Seattle. That’s a far place and Simon wondered what was really inside that locker for the old retired cop to put it away from him. “It must have been so important, I guess.” Simon murmured to himself as he continued to scan the contents of the flash drive that Graham had given him. Aside from the agreement papers of the storage locker, Simon has not found any significant documents in it. He hailed a cab going to the address stated in the agreement papers. It was a local storage locker that looked like a warehouse. The security let him in without any questions. There was no one as Simon walked to the counter. An old lady with strawberry blonde hair manned the counter. She was chewing a gum and didn’t give Simon any acknowledgement as Simon entered. Her eyes fixed on her cellphone while she’s watching some kind of comedy show on it. Simon stood there a total of one minute but still the
Someone was watching him, Simon knew that for sure. He scanned the surroundings, looking for someone that lurked within the shadows. But Simon hadn’t seen anyone, not even one soul in sight. He wondered where the people were. Hadn’t they heard the commotion in the house when Reiley was being attacked. He grimaced at the thought that another soul might be in danger at this very moment because of him. Reiley must have known something really important for him to be dragged like this. “Damn!” he cursed. He went inside the house again, careful not to touch a thing that would leave his presence inside the house. He once again checked the entire house, making sure that Reiley wasn't really there. And he’s right, there’s no sign of the private investigator in the house. “Where could he be?” he asked himself unconsciously. Someone knew that he’s coming here and they made an effort to get to Reiley first before he could get it. The culprit must have him followed. He balled his fist, he ha
Simon had no choice but to go back to the office and work there since it was necessary for him as the acting chairman of the board. His schedule was full, he had a meeting with the board of directors and he met with the head of finance in the company. It was still morning but Simon could already feel the exhaustion. Working in a corporate world was much more exhausting than working as a janitor in the hotel. He preferred those kinds of work. He entered his office and Elton was behind him. He was his temporary assistant until he could find someone who could do the job. He's been waiting for Janus’ call but he hasn’t heard from him yet.He sat on the swivel chair and closed his eyes, his headache was getting worse. “Coffee or vodka?” Elton asked. He was standing in front of his desk. “Vodka sounds better than coffee.” He rubbed his temple using his fingers. He just wanted to go home and take a rest. What happened in Seattle was still a mystery to him. Giovanni has no lead yet about
Simon was just in his office the whole day, he’s reviewing all reports from different departments and he’s not even halfway. He felt exhausted and he wanted to just go home and take a good hot shower. But he still has work to do. He was interrupted by a knock on the office door and Elton came in. “Sir, someone was looking for you. They said you gave them a calling card and give you a call if they are interested in finding a job.” Elton showed Simon the calling card. Simon wondered if it’s Janus. “There are two of them.” Elton continued. Simon realized who they are, those thugs he met at Janus’ apartment. He closed his laptop and leaned back in his swivel chair. “Send them in. And bring me a bottle of vodka, please.” Simon found comfort in alcohol. Whenever he felt exhausted, just a shot of vodka was enough to make him feel energized again. The door opened and Elton escorted the two thugs inside the office. They looked ignorant while they roamed their eyes inside his office,
Simon decided that he will stay in the office for the night until he finished all the paper work that needs his attention. He’s been busy with other things the past weeks and now that he’s back in the office, his workload piled up. Good thing Giovanni was there to help him with the paperwork when he was not around, but still, there were some papers that needed his signature. He glanced at the watch on his wrist, it’s almost nine in the evening and he hasn’t eaten anything since this afternoon. He was so absorbed with his work that he forgot to take his dinner. Simon pressed the bridge of his nose to reduce the pressure. He pulled his eyeglass and se it on top of the table. He needed a drink right now to ease the tension in his muscles. Leaving his swivel chair, he went to the mini bar inside his office. He made sure to have a stash of alcohol whenever he needed it. Vodka sounds better than dinner. He downed the contents of his glass in one go, and poured another before he went b
Gripping the steering wheel of the car that made his knuckles almost white, Simon drove his car at the very fastest it could get. The traffic rules are the last thing that he cared about in his state. He was enraged and at the same time he wanted to cry and shout in pure frustration. A distant memory came into his mind as he stepped into the gas, making his car fly in the busy streets of New York, several times he almost bumped into other cars but was quick to avoid it. It was his mother, her face was covered in blood, and it was dripping all the way into her body. Her eyes were open but empty, she’s not moving no matter how Simon calls and shakes her. He closed his eyes as those horrible memories assaulted him. He was not able to save her, he was powerless then, and a coward. And now his father. He died without him by his side. He died and Simon couldn’t even do something to save him, to try to stop what’s bound to happen. His jaw tightened as he gritted his teeth. The traitor.
The news about the death of one of the most powerful business men had spread and the media was so into it. They had done everything just so they can have Simon’s comment about the incident. It was suicide. That news broke and everyone was so curious as to what might be the possible reason why the most influential man in the business industry took his own life. The black coffin with gold details lay in the middle of the chapel where the funeral service was held. Businessmen from across the state arrived to pay their respect. Emiliano Morelli was not just a Mafia Lord to some people, he was a hero. He may be a ruthless lord in the underworld but he had helped a lot of people, he had saved them from death and poverty and he was actually not cruel to those who were not his enemies. The five families of New York arrived, and one of them was the Mancinis. Cassius Mancini, Simon’s godfather hugged him tight. The old man tapped his back to somehow give comfort to Simon. “I’m so sorry, so