Chapter 68Andrea sat behind his room table. The lights were put off and the only source of illumination was the blue light from the screen. An open Samsung laptop lay on his tabletop, records of bank statements lined up on the screen, arranged chronologically. He relaxed back on his office chair, hands behind his head. A rock glass stood beside the personal computer, its content a colourless liquid, quite as clear as pure water. The expensive wine bottle was on the ground, leaning on a table leg. Andrea took the glass, sipping its content. A phone call came through his iPhone.Not bothering to look at the device, he picked it from his airpods. “Hello?”“Hey babe”, Sasha's voice came from over the phone.Andrea's expression changed.“What do you want?”“Come on babe”, Sasha said, a little taken aback by his cold reply. “What's up? I have missed you . You've been gone for weeks and you aren't even picking my calls.”“I've been busy”. Andrea let out a low huff and rolled his eyes.“Bu
Chapter 69The air in the car smelt the same. It was the same choking odour of marijuana that seemed to be mixed with vapourised whisky. Franrigo put his hand over his mouth, too disgusted to even speak.Davidson on the other hand, was as still as quiet as a mouse. Who could blame him? He recounted several situations in his head, where he had had near death experiences. He was aware that in car rides like this, you had three likely situations- you could either be killed as the dealers may change their mind along the line and break the contract. You could survive attack but survival was a 1% chance. 0.01% of the time, the contract remained. One too many times, Davidson had almost been killed. So he was observant, his eyes moving from bodyguard to driver. Credo sat next to the driver, both with black clothes and shades. Davidson looked at them, noting their every body language, their glances and their mutters. Usually if they either received word to terminate their unsuspecting victims
Chapter 70Luna looked all over for it. She'd never lost it before. She searched frantically, her room fast becoming a mess. Pillows went from one end of the room to the other. Clothes flew out of hangers and wardrobes. Her walk in closet was a mess.Luna's desperation grew as she scoured every nook and cranny of her room, her usually tidy haven now transformed into chaos. More pillows scattered like fallen leaves, and clothes cascaded from hangers, painting a vivid picture of her frantic search. The once-organized walk-in closet mirrored the chaos, its shelves now a jumble of misplaced belongings. Amidst the disorder, a kaleidoscope of items lay strewn across her bed, a beautiful disarray.“I can't find it”, Luna said, hands on her waist.“Any progress?”, her mother asked, as she walked through the open room.“No”, Luna said disappointedly. She tried to recall where she last saw it.“I don't understand. It's always in my bag.”Luna looked into her empty minibag. “I could have sworn i
Chapter 71(Flashback cont'd)Luna got to The Garden.Marco sat at their special place, legs crossed, one atop the other. He smiled on seeing her but Luna kept her face straight. Seated at their cherished spot, Marco crossed his legs, a smile playing on his lips as he beheld Luna. However, her demeanor remained stoic, her face devoid of any reciprocation. The contrast of his warmth against her impassivity hung in the air, casting a subtle tension over their once-shared haven.“What's this about? It better be good”Marco pulled her towards him. “I told you. I missed you”He leaned closer for a kiss but Luna turned her face. She put his hands down gently from her waist, showing him expressly that she wasn't interested. She crossed her hands, taking a pose that added to her serious outlook.“Thought you had something important to say”“I do. Come sit”, he said, taking his former position. He patted the bench in demonstration but Luna remained standing.“Stubborn as always”“Is this all
Chapter 72Luna stared into the atmosphere, her expression turning quickly from anxious to pale. Isabella looked at her, finding it quite strange.“What's wrong, dear? Are you okay?”Luna didn't seem to have heard. She just stared into thin air. The realisation had caught her off guard. Raising her hands to head, she ran her hands through her hair, like someone in a trance.“He couldn't have”, she said, lost in her thoughts as her mind raced. “What? What are you talking about?”But Luna stared on.“No. I… I need to go. I need to get somewhere”She walked out the room, not minding her outfit. “Where are you going?”, Isabella said, getting to her feet. She looked alarmed. What was going on with Luna?She took the car keys off where it hung and walked out into the compound. Benny sat on a stool in the garage, peeling what looked like an orange. He stripped the skin of the orange off slowly, the sharp pocket knife cutting cleanly through the acidic skin of the orange. Curled orange peel
Chapter 73“I don't know why I went Benny. I felt so lonely after that day. He didn't call, he didn't even text.”, Luna said, the incoming tears choking her voice. She cleared her throat and raised her head, trying desperately and failing to push back the already streaming tears.“So?”She let out another sigh.“So when he finally texted, I … I.. was angry at first but I just decided to umm… I decided to umm… you know, hear him out. And .. so I took the smaller car cause I knew you'd be upset if you knew.”She paused to use the handkerchief in her hand.“When I… when I got there. He…”, she said, gulping down her initial words. “We had another fight. He wasn't willing to apologise for his actions. He just wanted to… you know… emotionally blackmail me into coming back to him. The insecure bastard really thought I would never get out of the spot where he put me..”“He's more than a bastard, trust me”Luna laughed a little, her heart unlightened. “I blurted out that he was selfish and
Chapter 74“Finally he's here”Andrea, shades on in a black suit, resembled the popular TV spy, Mark Crabat as he alighted . Two cars of four bodyguards each pulled up behind his own Bentley Bentayga. Marco's men, or rather, the Mafia men, two in number, stood in the middle of the empty open space. Hands in their pocket, they waited for Andrea to approach them.“Andrea Rodriguez… I thought the Boss said no extras?”"Men always bring their protection. But they won't be coming into the hall though”Andrea soon reached where they stood. Two bodyguards following him, stood behind him.“Mr. Rodriguez”, they both echoed, bowing a little to greet.Andrea removed his glasses, an unimpressed expression on his face.“Please, follow us”Andrea put the shades back on but the men stopped Andrea's bodyguards from following.“Any problem?”, Andrea said, turning back. “They have to wait here. Boss said no extras”Andrea raised an eyebrow but didn't react. He just nodded to his bodyguards to cooperate
Chapter 75“Let's not get messy gentlemen. I believe we can reach a comfortable position for a deal”Andrea smirked, taking his seat. Podrego took his seat as well, not taking his eyes off Andrea. “Gentlemen. Once again let us be reminded of the common goal here. The target is Emilio Rodriguez and we desire to eliminate his existence. Now Andrea, The re della Mafia is the king of the Mafia. He controls the affairs of every Mafia Group in the state. It's his duty to get it done and that, il mio amico, is a position that cannot be shared. Remember gentlemen, that we work with time. That essentiality is the only thing we can preserve when we work together.”Andrea looked at Marco, his eyes raised. Silence enveloped them and the shuffling of feet was the only sound echoing in the vast empty room.“Very well. Like I said earlier, I'll pay my respects”“Good. Have we reached a common ground 'Re della?”Podrego adjusted his suit. He tapped the charred end of the cigar on the table and lit i