Dimitri had called him to meet him in a high-class club in New York City.
📳"Hey buddy", Dimitri chimed lazily and pushed the blonde bursty lady off his body. He had a wild night immediately after he landed in NY.
📳"Hey guy, you said you are in town?"
📳"Yes, I have this deal with the Americans and it must be closed tonight".
📳"Okay, I came here for personal issues", Lucas scrolled through the figures on his laptop.
📳"See you later buddy, I will send you the location we will meet tonight".
He hung up the phone and Lucas smiled. Dimitri had been his friend ever since he could find his way on the street of Italy. He found him one on a rainy day along an alley when he was four years old.
Taking him back with him to Antonio, the latter did what a normal grandpa would do. Love me, love my dog!
They grew up in the Mafia together but he was always a step ahead of Dimitri in any deal they were to take.
On this night, they arrived at this club at around 9 pm. Ordering so many bottles of alcohol, he invited strippers into the room. Lucas looked absent-minded as he shipped his wine slowly.
"Just choose one bro, they all look succulent and fresh".
"Not interested".
"You are so boring" he fondled one of the blonde strippers.
"I want to use the restroom", Lucas got up and staggered. He can hold his liquor well.
"Dimitri", Lucas called
The latter only raised one of his eyebrows in askance.
Staggering to his feet, he made his way to the restroom. While relieving himself, some guys came out of the cubicles and surrounded him.
With the latest pistols in their hands, they pointed them at him.
"Hands up buddy. Say your last prayers", one of the guys came forward and kicked him in the groin. Lucas groaned and pellets of sweat fell from his face.
"Who sent you?"
"You think I will tell you?" The leader of the gang smiled wickedly at him.
"Boss let's finish him up right now. He's buying time for himself"
"Keep shut", he scolded the subordinate. Lucas calculated the distance between him and one of the men. Within a twinkle of an eye, he had flipped over and got hold of the h
gun. Before the leader could react, all his men lay lifeless on the ground.
His legs shook and he fell to the ground. Throwing the empty gun away, he brought out his pocket which looked like an ear pod casing. Assembling it slowly, he approached the leader.
"Who sent you? Don't let me repeat myself".
"You are dead meat..."
Lucas shot him in both legs. "Wrong answer".
One of the men who were almost dead was about to shoot Lucas but the latter accurately created a hole in his forehead.
The guy on the ground trembled.
"What the f**k", he cursed silently.
"I will ask nicely, one more time".
"Someone close to you sold you out, he's Italian. I don't know his name but he is called Ivan he sent us".
No one else but Lucas knew that Dimitri's other name is Ivan.
Lucas stumbled out of the restroom and felt his body act up in a strange manner, Darn it!
He had been drugged with the most powerful aphrodisiac.
His vision turned blurry and there he met Violet who also stumbled forward. His body seemed to be on a fire when he grabbed her.
The rest of what happened was in a semi-conscious state. Up till today, he has not committed to mind who that woman was.
"Oh my gosh", he wiped his face in a frustrated manner.
"So did something like that happen?"
"Grandpa....."
"Hmmm", Antonio sighed. "You were so careless".
"I admit that. What am I going to do now?"
"Get your men to do some investigation and follow it up".
Violet had put the kids to bed by the time Lucas came into the bedroom.
"Where is grandpa?"
"In the guestroom"
Violet knew that it was rude to try to pry into their discussion.
Lucas stood for a long time and gazed at the woman who felt like she had something to say but kept debating on whether to say it or not.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Your grandpa... he doesn't like me?"
Chuckled, "What nonsense are you filling your brain with?"
"Then...."
"We just talked about some family issues". Lucas knew what she wanted to say.
"Treasure", he held her hands and looked into her eyes. "If I happen to have kids now, maybe out of wedlock, will you still accept me?"
Violet froze and her mind took her back to a certain small face in the room beside hers.
Lucas mistook her silence as if she was contemplating, he became frantic.
"Why not? I love your personality and everything about you", her sincere orbs sparkled and Lucas gave her a squeezing hug.
She kept wondering who is the woman who bore kids for him and where they are. She forced a smile on her face when announced that she felt sleepy.
Lucas spent the entire night in the study trying to figure out who the woman was. The face kept superimposing itself with the little woman in the other room. He later slept off due to brain exhaustion.
Sandra and her mother took a cab to one of the shopping malls in the city to shop for groceries because Kevin and his parents would be coming to their house this evening.
"Mom, I can't wait to get engaged. We are suffering and it's not funny at all"
"Thankfully, the Jones family accepted but with a condition".
"What condition?"
The mother stopped in her track and sighed. "Ten per cent of your father's shares as your dowry".
" What about the prenuptial agreement? It's not fair mom, we are being cheated on. Ten per cent is too much".
"We have no choice but to do that".
Getting to the fresh foods section, the chattering duo failed to see Violet who was being assisted in picking some choice groceries.
Getting to the countertop, Violet bumped into this mother-daughter duo. She pretended like she didn't see them and settled her bills in a fast manner. How could Sandra let her go without humiliating her? Sandra caught up with her and tugged her down jacket forcefully.
"What can I do for you?"
"You think you deserve to live a good life after leaving us?" Sandra sneered.
"Sandra I don't have time for this nonsense of yours", Violet fumed because she had had enough of this taunting from her.
Sandra was stunned, Violet had never raised her voice at her.
"You are only a kept woman by one greasy old man. What's so great about that?" Anyway, my engagement ceremony is coming up next week and guess who? Kevin Jones", Sandra laughed gleefully. Sandra was indeed happy for her but she can't stand her mockery.
"Congratulations to you".
" Thanks, anyway leave that old man and get something started for yourself. Does he know you once had kids?" she whispered the last part.
Sandra clenched her first. "Oh dear me, I almost forgot that they died on the same day", she faked sobs and Violet couldn't take it anymore. She gave her a hot slap and breathed heavily.
"You can taunt me with anything but not with the lives of my kids, Sandra Miller I hate you. You don't know what it means to be a mother so shut that trap about my kids".
Sandra didn't expect to be slapped especially by the quiet Violet. Before she could react, Violet had entered her car and driven away.
She stopped on a lonely bridge and pours out her heart in tears, her first chance at being a mother had been mercilessly cut off. That monster duo should know something about it, she had lost count of the time.
Before she reached the house, it was past 8 pm. The kids welcomed her and the memories of her cries in the labour room flooded afresh in her mind.
She absentmindedly prepared dinner and served them while keeping a portion for Lucas in the microwave oven.
At Merlin's restaurant by 8 am.
The location of the restaurant had been changed, and an entire ten floors of a building has been bought and renovated. Violet had a bigger and more furnished office to her taste. A large hall had been cleared and top-notch kitchen equipment was installed in preparation for the competition.
Violet had been tending to some files since 7 am and her phone rang when she was about to join others in the large hall.
📳" Hello, please am I speaking with Miss Oliver?"
📳"Yes, you are?"
📳"I'm calling you from Dax Media. Your name came on highly recommended for our upcoming audition".
📳"Okay... So what's the next thing now?"
📳"Congratulations! You are our VIP contestant. Your training starts next week. All arrangements will be communicated to your mail. Do you have any questions regarding anything?"
📳"Nothing at all"
📳"If there is nothing then see you next week Miss Oliver. Have a nice day".
Violet was stunned, who recommended her? Everything in her life ent came so effortlessly and she was scared about the outcome.
Is she a kept woman by one greasy old man like Sandra said?
She heaved a sigh of relief and joined the other staff in making proper arrangements for the competition. Working assiduously throughout the day, she forgot about the phone call from Dax Media.
Finally, the names of the contestants were out, and the publicity department took it to social media and all forms of media for more exposure.
There was an attractive prize attached to the first three winners and consolation prizes to the last seven winners.
Sandra had gone through the names of the contestants and her name was not included.
She had fumed and hurled her entire dressing table down. That little bitch, argh!
Surprisingly, Kevin Jones's name was listed among others and he was the happiest as he could use that opportunity to get to see Violet.
Stephanie came into the son's room to see him punching the air. She watched him quietly from where she stood.
"Care to tell me what's the reason for this excitement?"
"The cooking competition at Merlin's restaurant?"
The mom nodded and listened attentively.
"I'm among the lucky contestants"
"Really? That's good news but you don't know how to boil water for a simple coffee not to talk about cooking"
"One can always learn", he turned his back on the mother and continued to scroll through his phone.
"Anyway, we all are making a trip down to the Millers this evening. We talked about it already"
"Mom, I said I'm not interested in that marriage. Am I not too young for this?"
"Stop being a dummy and look at the benefits involved"
"What benefits are involved?"
"Do you know their company is connected to Clayton's group of industries?"