The name Vitto had quickly become a household name across the country, after said person allegedly ascended to fame, ten years ago. Long before that, the Moretti family was just another family, having mobs and triads under their command.
And just like the other families, they all set their sights on the large seat, reserved for the top Don.
The rumours say, that the Moretti family was only able to ascend the ranks, purely because of something Vitto had done.
What he had done, and how he had done it, still remained a mystery to the common folks.
Just as his gender!
The CEO of the hospital raised a brow at the woman, who had just introduced herself as Vitto, and was busy toying with the pens on his desk.
"This office is big, too big for a surgeon" The woman named Vitto stated,"an amateur sniper can kill you in an instant." She went on to say, reclining into the chair.
"And who the hell are you?" He asked again, trying his hardest not to stare at the tattoo on her large breast.
"And how do you know I'm a surgeon?" He hardened his stare on her pointed heels, trying to guess her shoe size.
Vitto raised her left hand in the air, and signalled one of the men in the room to bring something to her.
The blonde man who stood behind her, whipped out a tablet from his suit, and placed it in her palm.
Vitto abruptly stuck her arm into her crop top, and roughly pulled out a lollipop from underneath her breasts, she tore away the bright red wrapping paper and stuck it in her mouth.
"Leonardo Ferrari..." She read out, staring at the screen, a sinister smile plastered on her lips.
"Age twenty six, blood type O, next of Kin, Mother, Giada Ferrari, father deceased. No mention of siblings or close relatives, schooled abroad for eight years. Returned and took over his family hospital two years ago, became the CEO Midway last year..." Vitto took a pause and stared at him from the corner of her eye. An amused smile planted itself on her face.
"You know who I am, so you must want something from me." Leonardo deduced, "out with it." He added, barely acknowledging the angry expressions directed at him.
"I want two things from you, but first, I have something to ask." Said Vitto, stuffing her hand into her left pocket.
She pulled out a small bracelet and slowly dangled it from side to side in from of him.
"Is this yours?" She inquired, with an indifferent tone, like she just picked it up from the sidewalk on her way here.
Leonardo took a hard look at it but it didn't ring any bells. Why something so insignificant mattered to her, bothered him.
"Then I'm keeping it! You can't ask me for it later." She excitedly told him, staring at the trinket animatedly.
"I don't care about it enough to want it, do whatever you like." He told her with little to no interest in his tone of voice.
"What I am interested in, is why you've put the entire hospital under siege, you and your men are scaring the patients." Leonardo had done a good job so far to hide his agitation, but the longer they conversed, the more he felt threatened by her.
"Like I said, there are two things I want." She said, taking her feet off the table, to sit up straight and stare at him directly.
This time however, her round brown eyes were locked on his face, as her casual personality shifted into a serious, no nonsense attitude.
"One is you, and the other is our marriage." She announced in a clear tone, speaking as though her demands were everything normal.
Leonardo who had the impression that she was going to demand something absurd, never imagined the gangster woman would be so straight forward with him.
"What?" He blurted out wide eyed and stunned.
"Leonardo Ferrari, I'm asking for your hand in marriage." Vitto rephrased, sticking out her right hand to him.
The men in the room weren't left out in the shock, they too were rendered utterly speechless when they heard what their boss demanded from him.
"Boss, you didn't say you were interested in marriage." The man who stood beside her lowered his head to whisper.
"If it's him, I don't mind it." She sharply replied, never once taking her eyes off the perplexed surgeon.
"Have you discussed it with the Don?"
Her assumed right hand man, who had a gruesome scar on his left side of his neck, calmly asked, counting his words.
"What does father have to do with it? Is he going to marry him?" The irritation in her voice was enough to shut up her subordinate, and the rest of her men.
"And what if I refuse your proposal?" He firmly asked, drawing her attention back to him.
As if on cue, her men all loaded their rifles and pointed them at the CEO in sync. If anyone of them accidentally pulled the trigger, Leonardo would drop dead in his office on a sunny Wednesday morning.
"As you can see, there are grave consequences if you refuse me." Vitto slyly told him, getting quite full of herself.
Leonardo, just like everyone else in the city, knew just how dangerous these notorious gang members were. And he knew the consequences he would face if he ended up refusing her demands, no matter how unreasonable.
But, unlike the average Joe, the Ferrari men had served as doctors for some high ranked gangs for decades. It was only after he was sent abroad to study, that he was able to break away from the family tradition.
Hence, his early childhood was spent within the confines of impenetrable mafia bases. He knew to an extent how they operated and when to call a gangster out on their bluff.
"Isn't it against your code of conduct to marry without the approval of the Don? Forcing me into marrying you is equivalent to rebelling, isn't it?" He calmly spat out, zoning his gaze on her.
Vitto who wasn't of the impression he knew the only countermeasure, couldn't help but take more of an interest in him.
"Rebelling? So you're saying if I get father's approval, then you'll say yes to me?" The woman replied, miserably misreading his words.
"Seb." She called out in a bossy tone, the man behind her lowered his head in response.
"Yes boss." He replied, taking the tablet off her hands.
"What day will father return from his business trip?" She sharply inquired, taking the trouble to peel his fingers off his gun.
"He won't be back till a month" Seb responded. The young woman made a face at that information, then returned her gaze back to Leonardo.
"It seems that we'll have to put our wedding discussion on hold, till father returns." She told him, slowly swaying her head from side to side.
"There will be no wedding." Leo firmly told her, standing his ground. He knew better than anyone, that his peaceful life would be ruined the day he marries into a Mafia family.
*Slam*
Vitto angrily slammed her palm on his office desk, and lunged her upper body forward, bringing her face to meet Leo's, which was merely inches away.
"You don't quite understand the situation at hand yet." She said in a forceful tone, using her free hand to grab him by the tie.
"Everyone in this room belongs to the Moretti family and knows my identity as Vitto. Anyone who finds out who I truly am, either has to join the family..." Vitto took a pause and sent him a piercing glare.
"Or pay with their lives." Her words resounded in Leo's head, sending chills down his spine.
The monstrous look in the woman's eye made it clear that the rumours about Vitto, were everything right.
"Let's go." Vitto announced, letting lease of his tie and straightened the wrinkled line on her jacket.
The men in Black swiftly responded to her call and orderly filled out of the room, one after the one.
The one known as Seb stood at the door, waiting for the boss to leave with the others. His lower lip twitched in rage, when Vitto's face was merely inches away from a strangers.
He had already resolved in his heart, that this surgeon, would most definitely become a thorn in their side.
"I'll see you around, Leo." Vitto looked over her shoulder and said, before taking her ceremonious exit out of his office. Leaving behind the scent of liquor and candy.
Leonardo could feel his heart almost leap out of his chest as he watched the human grenade waltz out of his office, as though she owned the place.
Just as he was about to call and know the situation update downstairs, the sound of a police siren caught his immediate attention.