"What the fuck are you doing here, you bastard?" Luca was furious. Greg wasn't supposed to be here; he was a scumbag and shouldn't be trusted.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Moreno, but Greg has succeeded in convincing the elders of the New York Mafia to allow his gang to operate officially as a Mafia," Mr. Lincoln explained in a stern expression. He wasn't too keen on the decision himself.
"Embarrassing, allowing a bunch of riff-raff into our association," Luca said, eyeing Greg in disgust. But Greg chuckled, relishing Luca's anger, standing tall with his hands in his pockets.
"Don't feel too bad, Luca. At least we get another chance to rekindle our friendship, which you destroyed," he taunted.
"You were the one who destroyed our friendship," Luca gritted his teeth angrily. Gianna held his arm, but he pulled away.
"Ahhh, don't be sad. I'm sure we're going to have a good time," Greg teased.
"Enough!" Don Martel stepped in this time. "You've gotten what you wanted. Now get out," he snapped.
Greg laughed in response, running his fingers through his black hair before motioning to his men. "Let's go grab some drinks. It's time to party."
Luca watched as they walked away, yelling and making their way to the drinks, already constituting a nuisance like some thugs.
****
Luca paced back and forth in his office, angry and tense. The party had been about strengthening and meeting new alliances, but Greg's arrival ruined it for him. He couldn't stay at the event knowing Greg was now part of their circle.
Gianna sat on the edge of Luca's desk, looking calm compared to his rage. "You need to calm down, Luca. Getting angry won't help."
Luca stopped and looked at her, frustrated. "How can I calm down when that fucking bastard is here? He betrayed me, Gianna. He betrayed all of us."
Gianna sighed, understanding his anger. "I know, but we have to be smart about this. Losing your temper in public won't help. We need to find a way to deal with him quietly."
Luca took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. "You're right, but it just makes me so mad that the elders let him in. They're supposed to protect our organization."
"They probably have their reasons," Gianna said gently. "We need to find out what they are and use them to our advantage."
Luca nodded, still angry but seeing her point. "Fine. But I won't rest until I get rid of him."
Gianna stood up and walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We'll deal with him, Luca. But we need to be smart about it. We can't let him see us coming."
"You're probably right."
"Exactly, so please, just calm down," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. But Luca gently pulled away, creating a small distance between them. She understood but masked her hurt.
"About that woman, Sophia," Gianna began, changing the topic. "Do you know what she did to me?"
Luca turned to face her, his expression darkening. "What did she do?"
"I went to the estate to find you and found her cleaning the living room. She purposely splashed dirty water on me."
"She really did that?" Luca's voice was calm but dangerous.
"Yes, and she also refused to apologize."
"I can't fucking believe it," he muttered. "She still thinks she's some princess or something." He picked up his phone from the table. "I'm going to teach her a lesson."
"I'm coming along," Gianna said, grabbing her purse and following him.
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Luca Moreno Estate
"Thank you so much for helping me out, Kim. I couldn't have done everything without you," Sophia said gratefully as she finally dumped the remaining trash. She was tired and hungry, but Carla had refused to give her food because Luca hadn't ordered it.
"I need a warm bath, but the water in that filthy bathroom is so cold," she complained to Kim, who looked a bit surprised.
"That's weird. Even the staff quarters have heaters. I'd have asked you to come over to my own room, but Carla would freak out."
"And you'd probably get into trouble. I don't want that. But if you could give me something to eat. I'm starving."
"Come on," Kim said, holding Sophia's arm and dragging her into the kitchen. "There's no one here. We might as well grab some chips." She pulled open one of the cupboards and brought out a packet of potato chips.
"Here," she handed them to Sophia, who wasted no time tearing the packet open.
"Thank you so much," Sophia said before stuffing a handful into her mouth.
"Easy, tiger," Kim chuckled at how hungrily she was eating.
The door suddenly opened, and Sophia looked up nervously, her mouth stuffed with chips. She saw a handsome man with red hair step inside. He was tall with an athletic build. She let out a relieved breath, glad it wasn't Carla, but she noticed Kim's body language change.
"Diego, you're back," Kim said, her voice softening noticeably.
Sophia noticed the change and realized Kim must have feelings for this man.
"The boss wants to see you immediately," Diego directed his words at Sophia, who rolled her eyes and dropped the empty chips packet in the trash.
"I wonder what he wants now," she muttered under her breath before looking at Kim, who seemed hurt by Diego's blatant snub. "I'll be back."
"Alright, Sophia," Kim replied, but she could barely tear her gaze away from Diego as he led Sophia out of the kitchen.
They walked through a hallway before stopping in front of a large door. Diego knocked, and Luca's baritone voice invited them in.
Diego opened the door and immediately pushed Sophia inside roughly, forcing her down on her knees. Looking up, she saw Luca sipping wine on the couch while Gianna stood up and walked towards her. Before Sophia knew it, Gianna delivered a stinging smack across her face.
Sophia was about to react when two men came up behind her, holding her arms tightly. "Let me go, you fucking bastards! Let me go!" She burned with fierce anger.
Gianna began to laugh. "How adorable. You must be dying to retaliate."
"Apologize to her," Luca spoke up, his intense voice sending shivers down Sophia's spine. But she held her chin up defiantly.
"Fuck you!" she spat out.
"Slap her again," Luca ordered coldly, not even sparing her a glance. "And don't stop until I say so."
"My pleasure," Gianna smirked mischievously, readying her hand for another slap.