Roman
My father blows out a puff of smoke as he continues to chuckle with Nicolis Ricci, one of his–our men. "He played that boy like a violin," my father says, coughing out a hard laugh, and hitting his chest. Nicolis laughs too, hard and says, "You would think he'd seen it coming, Malcolm never liked that family" he chuckles leaning back in the chair–my chair.
They're sitting across from me in my home office, my father came over under the pretense of wanting to talk but just instead shoved a bunch of folders of suitable women for me. He says, "I'm getting older, and my good looks are running out" and that I need to find a wife, and random hookups aren't going to cut it anymore as if he stopped having random hookups when he married my mother. I ignored him as usual because none, including my father, tells me when to get stuff done.
When he finally gave up, he invited Nicolis and has been sitting here laughing at Caspers's situation. Being in the mafia word gets around quickly, being Casper's friend, I still try to stay out of his business life because that's when the loyalties start to overlap. He isn't my problem his father is the capo of New York and me the soon-to-become don can't have favorites but what happened to him is pretty fucked up. Alessandro has been falling low on ranks and needed a power move immediately, Casper fell victim to it. Hopefully, he will learn soon none is your friend and can move back on the ranks because right now he is a target. Anyone who wants to be Capo will simply have to prove themselves by taking out the Capo or soon-to-be Capo and if they have enough sway on my men, they can do that. For Casper's sake, I hope he has a plan.
Leaning back in my seat I continue to tune the men and my mind drifts somewhere else or should I say someone else. I completely forgot about Elena but seeing her awakened something in me, something dangerous that needs to die now. But I have a feeling the raging monster inside me won't die until it has its fix.
Elena
Gretchen sets two glasses of lemonade down next to me on the side table next to where I'm lounging on a pool chair. "Thank you," I say to her, and she nods and walks away back towards the house.
We're in the backyard today, a very highly underrated spot at the house. I come here when I need a space to clear my head, the lapping of the water in the pool and the singing of the birds during the early afternoon is addicting and peaceful.
I grab the glasses and pass one to Sydney, I take a long sip through the bright pink flamingo straw savoring every last drop. Then set it back down beside me.
"It tastes better every time I have it, I swear" Sydney groans from beside me. I spare a glance at her where she is lounging beside me, in her pink one-piece swimsuit which is covered in strawberries with ruffles around the neckline. Her hair is put up today in a claw clip at the nape of her neck and she wears a pair of matching pink sunglasses which sit on her cute button nose.
"It's because our taste buds are advancing" I say with a giggle which Sydney joins in laughing too.
A ping sounds off cutting our laughter short, Sydney groans and picks up her phone from where it lay under her thigh, when she glances at the caller, she quickly silences it and stuff it back under her leg. Strange.
"Problem?" I ask her, she quickly looks at me with a forced smile tensing the lines of her face.
"Nope, stupid spam caller" she says--lies, and waves me off like it's nothing which I know isn't true but don't press the matter.
Sydney's family has always been a rough topic, so I try to stray away from it. Her mother and her don't get along quite well. She never told me exactly why, but I can assume it's because of her mother's long roster of boyfriends since her late husband. Most of them only lasted 3 months or less, rarely longer but the constant house changing and different men coming in and out of her life took a toll on her. I complain about my father's absence and mothers' death but in some ways, I think I'm grateful he left because I doubt, I could stomach having to hear my father with another woman after my mother passed. Sydney is one of the strongest people I know and how she managed to keep such a positive outlook on life amazes me. I learned early on into life that the best masks are worn on people who live a life of pretending.
Sydney clears her throat and speaks up seemingly deciding it was time for a change of topic. "How is school going," she says and then adds on with a wink, "You know I cannot wait until i can start calling you Dr. it sounds so badass".
I chuckle, "Yeah, it does sound pretty badass." and then sigh, "I still got a good 6 years until I get the officiant of being called Dr. I will most likely be Mrs. before then." I cringe remembering the future that lies ahead for me.
"You don't know that" Sydney says, "maybe the situation will fix itself and Cas will find a new organization to sell the shipment to and make back the money he spent"
"Highly unlikely" I sigh, "and even if he did it doesn't change the fact it still happened, Cas looks weak right now he is pretty much as good as dead if he doesn't revive this agreement with the Agosti's" I pick up my lemonade and take a long sip which does not help the lodge in my throat threatening to suffocate me whole. Sydney opens her mouth to speak up again but stops when a screeching sound goes off in the distance.
"What the hell was that?" We both run towards the house.
We run through the house into the foyer where the front door slams open causing the whole house to quiver, I hear my brothers raging voice but almost collapse when my eyes meet crystal blue ones, Fucking Russo.