"We are almost there, boss. Our Informant said every one is already present right now and awaiting your presence" One of my body guards reports to me over the phone. of course they have to wait for me.
No one starts a meeting without the leader of the biggest cartel being present.
"Alright, Toby. Are the secret cameras set in place?"
"Yes, sir. All six of them." He responds sharply.
I end the call and get ready to leave my tinted limo.
This is one of those times where I wish I am not the Don of the new york outfit. I know I cannot complain though. This is what I have always wanted. To continue my ancestor's Legacy. The Mafia blood runs deep in my veins and it's not something I can ever run from.
I stare down at the harsh scar that is etched deep in my skin. It draws all the way from the top of my arms to my wrist. This scar will always remind me of what I went through in the past.
They will pay. Every single one of them. I am past the point of pitying anyone.
When I am done with them, they will regret their existence. They will beg for death, but it won't come. I will make sure they feel every pain, loss and mystery I've felt for the last ten years.
I release a sigh as the car pulls up in the compound of my
building. Time to show up as the boss and control things.
I step out of the car with two of my closest men, Theo who is my right hand, and uncle Victor.
"You don't seem like you're in a good mood, boss. Does this by chance have anything to do with you almost getting hitched to your influencer bride?" Theo asks as he walks up beside me, an amused smile on his face.
"Shut the fuck up, Theo." I grunt and walk ahead of him. But of course, Theo does not slow down. He trails behind me like he always does. I can hear him chuckling with my uncle. I pay them no mind.
Theo is my distant cousin, right hand man and best friend and for that reason, he is allowed to be free with me. No one else talks to me the way he does.
Sometimes, he's annoying but I can't do without him. After I lost the most important person in my life, I was in such a bad place but Theo helped me run the empire and ensured that I didn't lose the power I had.
Uncle helped him as well and this is why I will never push them away from me. Some of my men frown at how close I keep Theo to me and how I take care of him but I don't give a shit.
After all, what is the point of gathering all this wealth, power and riches if it won't benefit those around you?
I vanish all my thoughts and walk into the luxurious lounge. The lights are dim and there's sensual music playing in the background, just how I like it. This is one of the first projects I created and it's been years but still one of my favorites. The interior is designed with dark glass so it looks like you're walking into a different universe when you walk in here.
As I and my men walk past, a few people and staff watch us with rapt attention. Some of them may know who I am, but most do not.
It doesn't take me a second to find the corner of the VIP Section where a couple of men sit, drinks on their hands and deep in conversations. Every man here is Important in their fields and we all have one common goal. Power.
See, the thing about power is, you never get enough of it. You just want more and more and after sometime, you don't realize when your greed for power starts to put you in trouble. And that's why these men are here. The extent of their greed has no limit and I'm happy to help them indulge in it. Starting with the infamous Augustus Falcone. Former prime minister and wealthy tycoon.
His face lights up the moment he sees me rounding the corner. I manage a smile even though I feel the strong urge to punch him. Augustus is a certified pretender.
At least, I know I'm a bad man and I don't try to hide it, but Augustus, he is one of those men that put up the front of a good, innocent man, but in secret they are more wicked than the devil.
"Haha! Welcome kid. You look even more bigger than the last time I saw you. You must live in the gym, no?" Augustus greets me with a grin on his lips as he beckons for me to take the seat beside him.
Instead of taking the seat beside him, I take the seat opposite him, the one that places me right in the middle of them.
There are six men present at this round table and everyone stares at me with either hidden disdain or respect for me. I'm good with either one of them, anyway.
"The next time you call me 'kid' again, Augustus, I will make sure to show you just how grown up I am. Even after I become your son-in-law, I expect to be addressed as 'Don'. Understood?"
Augustus's face goes red and I can see that he is angry at the way I just spoke to him but he dares not talk back to me. "Understood, Don Voss." He flashes his crooked teeth at me. He probably thinks he is allowed to be free with me just because I'm getting married to one of his daughters.
I haven't given much thought to my future wife because honestly, I couldn't care less about a fame hungry and unintelligent little girl who's excited about being sold to the highest bidder by her terrible father. Her sister on the Other Hand….
I shake my head vehemently, trying to clear my thoughts of her. It's nearly impossible. I can still picture her angelic face when I dragged her out of that water in my head.
I still remember the way it caught me off guard. I have met countless beautiful women, but Nayana Falcone's beauty rendered me speechless. And then she went ahead to speak to me in that sultry voice of hers.
Since that moment, I had the compelling need to conquer that defiance in her glittery eyes.
But I can't.
Nayana will serve as a distraction if I indulge in my thoughts of her so I'm ever so happy to be shackled with the not-so-pleasant sister.
I turn to the other men on the round table. "Good evening, everyone." My voice is steady and stern. Dante is the first person to nod his head as a silent sign of respect. Dante Therego is the leader of one of the biggest organizations of assassins in the world and he is a very dangerous man to cross.
I won't say we are friends, but we have an understanding and I believe we have some sort of loyalty towards each other.
Dante is just two years older than me but he acts like he is way older than that because of how cold he can be on the outside.
The man sitting next to him however, Rueben Constantino is practically my enemy. He is the head of a rival gang but we somehow just learnt to stay out of each other's way. He doesn't look at me as he mutters a reluctant "Don,"
I don't acknowledge him just like the remaining men seated in front of me. We all wait till we are served our drinks and food before we proceed to the important dealings of the day.
Our shipments and plants. One of the other men who's a lot older, talks about the things we need to fix in our crime world. After a while, I get bored with his speech.
"so," I began dryly. "May I know why this unplanned meeting was requested? This does not concern me."
Rueben sits up and glares at me. I have a feeling I know what he's about to say. "This is about our shipments. The operation did not go as planned."
"Is that so?"
"You know dawn well it is so. This is not the operation we agreed on, Don Voss. I was promised full protection
in exchange for my goods. But my operation was almost jeopardized."
"But it wasn't in the end, was it?" I drum my fingers on the armrests of my chair, my eyes piercing through Rueben's raging ones.
"Don't fucking play with me Leo, I won't keep losing my men just because you have to much pride to keep up your words. This is the last deal I will invest in on this table. I'm prepared to withdraw my hand out of this bull shit."
"Do not speak to the Don like that, Rueben. Watch your fucking tone." My uncle, Victor who sits behind me, raises his voice at Rueben who gets even more angry. I sigh, palming my face in exhaustion.
"Don't worry about it, uncle. Now, as for you," I face Rueben. "Last I remember, this operation was not fully approved by me. You didn't wait for me to give you the confirmation that the road is clear before carrying out and because of that, I am not obliged to watch your back. Am I clear?" Rueben glares at me before he lowers his head in defeat.
"Oh and one more thing, should you withdraw your contribution in this deal, every other protection will be withdrawn from you. If you don't want the backing of the Don, then by all means, go ahead." That seems to kill all the fight out of him.
I smile to myself. Good. Now I can focus on more important discussions.
After nearly two hours, our meeting is coming to an end when my cell phone sitting on the table lights up and the name I see on it instantly gets my attention.
I pick up my phone and study it for a few seconds before a smile breaks my features.
I just got an instagram notification that Nayana Falcone followed my profile.
So I have a little stalker…
***