Chapter 11. Guillotine Room!!

CHAPTER 11.

GUILLOTINE ROOM?!

The atmosphere immediately shifted, charged with a different type of energy.

George quickly stood up. "What?!" His brows furrowed. "What do you mean someone is trailing my guest?"

The man bowed. "Boss, I believe he has been following your guest since the beginning. Based on the security footage, it seems his main objective was to trail him," the man explained slowly.

Luca's heart sank as George and Giovanni's eyes turned towards him. They must be wondering who he had offended, or perhaps if anyone knew that he was Lord Ercole and was already attempting to have him killed.

Various thoughts raced through Luca's mind. Who could be trailing him? What did they want?

Giovanni cleared his throat. "So, what you're saying is that someone managed to sneak in here, and without the cameras, there would have been a different, untold story by now? I expected better from you, George." He mocked.

George rolled his eyes, clearly not in the mood for Giovanni's banter. "Gio, not now, please."

"Where is the intruder? Who sent him?" George asked.

The man nodded. "He has refused to say, boss."

"Take him to my Guillotine room!" George instructed, and the man quickly bowed slightly before leaving and closing the door behind him.

"Guillotine room?" Luca asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise, and George nodded in response.

Luca was clearly taken aback that George had such a ruthless facility at his disposal.

Giovanni laughed. "Did you say this is Lord Ercole?"

"I surely won't accept such a weakling, who is scared of a Guillotine, as my boss!" Giovanni taunted.

"You will not address him with such disrespect!" George snapped instantly.

Giovanni took a sip of his wine, perhaps trying to calm himself, but Luca and George looked at him intently, waiting for his response, and he didn't disappoint.

"I won't accept such a weak person as Lord Ercole! First, it seems he has a big mouth and is already making enemies even before he is known.”

Luca felt a surge of annoyance, but he took a deep gulp of wine to calm his nerves. Giovanni was really pushing his buttons! Just as he was trying to figure out who could be trailing him, here was Giovanni slandering him at every opportunity he got. 

"Give him some time to settle in. He has been away for so long. You can't take away his position, Gio! He was born into it," George snapped angrily.

Giovanni laughed. "Born into it, you say?" His smiling face vanished. "Well, a lord isn't born into the iron throne; he has to earn it, George!"

Luca slammed his hands on the table, calling both men to order. "I am Lord Ercole! And no one can take that away from me. I was gone before, but now I'm back to claim what is rightfully mine!"

George smiled widely as he watched Luca speak with such poise and respect.

"That's our Ercole right there," he mused.

But Giovanni wasn't pleased. He was always known for being stubborn, and he wouldn't easily accept Luca. And Luca didn't expect him to. It was only natural for Giovanni to argue about it for a while.

Perhaps Giovanni's ego was bruised by the idea of a young newcomer taking over and ruling over him.

"I don't accept you as Ercole yet!" Giovanni stated challengingly. "I won't until you prove your worth."

Luca smiled. "What do you want? I'll do whatever you ask."

Giovanni grinned.

However, George wasn't on board with the idea of whatever challenge they were about to embark on. He quickly nudged Giovanni, but Giovanni paid no attention. He was eager for Luca to prove his worth.

"Fine!" Giovanni smiled. "Then let's have an axe-throwing duel. If I win, you walk away from being Lord Ercole, and if you win, I'll accept you as my boss."

George shouted, "Gio, that's absurd! You're not doing that in my presence!"

Axe-throwing was a popular game within the mafia, often used as a form of exercise to hone their skills in throwing daggers. Giovanni was renowned for being a pro at it.

Luca nodded. "Fine, we have a deal. But I need to see whoever was trailing me first."

"What?" George exclaimed, exasperated. "You don't have to do that. You don't need to throw an axe with him!"

Luca turned to George. "Take me to your Guillotine room.”

Within ten minutes, they found themselves in a room. It had a stark and somber atmosphere, with concrete walls, floors, and high ceilings to accommodate the tall frame. The room was dimly lit, with limited lights. Luca observed the surroundings and noticed only one window. It was an unfamiliar sight for him, as he had never seen anything like it before. The room carried a deep sense of solemnity and dread. Luca's eyes wandered to a heavy, angled blade weighing around 40kg, attached to a chain.

Curiosity got the better of Luca, and he asked, "Is this used often?"

"No, it is only used when I need to send their heads to their master," George responded.

Soon, George's men dragged Leo into the room. As Luca caught sight of him, his eyes widened slightly. "I saw him talking to the lady from earlier."

George was taken aback. "That traitor! Is she now conspiring with my enemies?"

When Leo raised his head and locked eyes with George and Giovanni, his breathing became shallow and rapid. He knew well how ruthless these men could be, and fear gripped him.

"Who sent you?" Giovanni asked softly in a very sweet voice but his tone was dripping with a kind of sympathy sarcasm!

Leo was unable to answer the question; his hands trembled, and his legs shook in fear.

"Cat got your tongue, huh?" Luca snapped. "Just a few minutes ago, you were talking. What happened?"

Leo remained still and refused to utter a word.

"Oh, I see. You're very loyal," George laughed wickedly. "Drop him into the guillotine!"

Leo shuddered in fear, his knuckles turning white as he tried to steady his trembling hands.

The men dragged him towards the guillotine and positioned his head in the appropriate place. Luca didn't flinch; instead, he walked over to the guillotine, bent down to Leo's level, and held his chin firmly.

"Tell us who sent you, and you may live," Luca said.

Leo spat on Luca's face and shouted, "Fuck you! Kill me, because you're not getting any information from me!”

George, aggravated by the situation, swiftly pulled the lever, causing the blade to fall and sever Leo's head from his body. The head tumbled into the basket below, while Luca maintained a steady gaze, observing the blood dripping down.

Turning to George, Luca inquired, "But how will we learn who sent him now?"

"Don't worry, that information will be extracted by my men. They'll have it within twenty-four hours!" George stated confidently. However, Luca remained confused. He believed he could have persuaded Leo to reveal a name, as he had clearly seen fear in his eyes.

"I've arranged the axe-throwing challenge. If you don't mind, let's head there!" Giovanni interjected, causing George to roll his eyes in frustration.