(NFTMB)Chapter 100
Alessandro
(If You Sleep)
Surprise
Speechless Surprise.
That’s all I felt.
Surprised.
It had turned out to be who I least expected and for the first time in years.
I was surprised.
The fucking thing hit me hard and strong. I was surprised to see the face of the person that was plotting with Robyn.
But then again, Robyn hacking into my system and going through my documents to falsify my signature into a document that transferred part of my shares to Castleford should have made me look at him as one of the suspects.
I had overlooked him and the prospect of him being behind it because I had underestimated him and everybody and that’s how I have become the subject of ridicule.
I initially felt that someone did it out of spite and as a way of challenging me because the public and the press, everybody who knew about Alessandro Rossi in the corporate world would know about his rival, Bernard Castleford.
I thought that that must have been the motive behind it.
To pull me down and make my rival bigger than me.
The footage that Niccolo’s man retrieved from Robyn’s apartment shows Bernard Castleford walk into the elevator and out of the elevator before proceeding to Robyn’s door.
He walks into the door and must have seen her dead body because the next minute he is seen running out like the coward and the chicken that he is.
He sprinted right out of the door and never looked back.
I can’t believe this.
Was he the one I shot at? Was he the one who left the note?
Was it business rivalry that led him to say that I killed him once? It doesn’t make sense because if it really was him that I shot at the other night then he should have been in pain. The creep on the screen didn’t look like hearing pain.
He ran so swiftly that if he was shot on the shoulder he would have had to hold it in place by clutching onto it but this one didn’t seem to have an issue with it.
Who was it that I shot at on the night of the charity ball?
How can one person hide so well that it seems like a fiction of my imagination.
How is it that nothing has been discovered about this person?
I even personally had Franco get me the list and names of the people who attended the charity gala because whoever it is must have passed the gate before walking into the house.
I personally went through the list of people and there was nothing off about it. There was no Russian in sight. There was no name to go with for that creep who bid a million dollars as well because I was quite curious as to who the hell he was.
His name wasn’t even on the list, that’s if he had a name to begin with. Only the man who represented him, Elliott, was accounted for.
I contacted the old swindler to inquire about his identity, his family and why the fuck he brought an outsider to an event strictly for mafia families and he just plainly stated that he’s of mafia blood.
That is the only description he gave. No name. No family name.
Just that stupid response.
Well, Elliott had better be prepared the next time he sees me because I’ll be wielding a gun.
For some strange reason everything about that million dollar asshole irked me. A fucking show off and an arrogant prick.
He didn’t get his mask from the door else I would have seen his face instead he had a mask on right from the moment he walked into my property with Elliott.
He’s quite smart. And he knows how to think ahead.
He knew how to not get caught in case I got suspicious about him which he was right about.
I did get suspicious about him.
He didn’t speak and only let Elliott speak for him. He didn’t take off his mask or do anything no matter how small, that would give away his identity.
For all we know he might be a thief and that’s why he had so much money to bid and why he knew how to evade the cameras and me.
I knocked on my mother’s door to see if she was awake.
This is the second one and if she doesn’t respond then maybe she really was asleep.
“Who’s there?”
“Mother?”
“Alessandro? I’m coming dear”
I waited till the door opened to reveal my mother who had a confused look on her face as she noticed my sagged shoulders and tired demeanor.
“Alessandro? What happened?”. She said while leading me into the room and closing the door behind us.
I slumped to the floor and held my head in my hands.
“I fucked up”
Knowing how much she hates hearing me or anyone curse, she didn’t bat an eyelid at the word that slipped through my mouth as she was more focused on what made me feel this bad.
“Sandro? What happened? Did something happen between you and Victoria? Is Matteo okay?”
“Victoria is fine. She’s fast asleep. There’s nothing wrong with Matteo, he’s with Victoria.” I said.
“Then why do you look this way? Did you do anything?”. She asked again, placing her hand gently on my shoulder as I leaned into her.
“It was Castleford. Castleford is working with Fabiano and Sebastian to destroy me”
“Castleford? As in Bernard the businessman?”. She asked in surprise.
“Yes”
“How? In the case of Fabiano, I’m not surprised. He’s seemingly cunning and evil. He doesn’t like you or any of us one bit.
But Sebastian. It’s quite difficult to take in.
I thought Sebastian was your friend. You both were like brothers. How could he betray you like that? Does Bianca know about this? She should stop seeing that boy right away!”
“She doesn’t know. I haven’t told her yet. I’m sure he doesn’t even like her”
“Of course he won’t. He’ll hate her since she’s your sister or maybe he’ll try to get information about you out of her”
“I thought the same too”
“People like him really are the worst. I just feel like marching up to that silly boy and giving him three tight slaps across the face for messing with you and playing with your emotions. You trusted him with your life for crying out loud!
Doesn’t loyalty mean anything to people nowadays?!”
“There are a lot of them. They’re all out to get me. It can get exhausting even for me. Sebastian wants me dead, same as Bernard and Fabiano. Fabiano also wants my money all to himself”.
“You’ll make it through this phase. You’re not a loser. Nicholas didn’t raise a loser”
“Did he have as many enemies as this? Did everyone just go out of their way to get him? It even sounds foolish coming from the one who launched an attack on him and killed him”
“Nicholas deserved what he got from you and to answer your question, he didn’t have as many enemies as this. You know why?
Because he wasn’t as successful and strong as you are.
You did things he could only dream of doing and reached heights that he only reached in his imagination. He was never the man that you are.
“Are you saying that just to make me feel better or you really mean it?”
“One thing I’ll never do is lie to you, Sandro. Your father was my husband but he was never the father and the man that you are. He was a weak man, a coward who hid behind his fists and his guns. He thrived on the menace that his men went around creating.
A horrible despicable man that knew nothing about being a father. He could never be you just like you could never be him. You’re a good father and a good man even though you don’t see it that way for now.”
“A good father? I’ll take that. I’ll believe that. But a good man? I don’t think so. Even Victoria would say otherwise”.
“I don’t care what the others say about you. I am your mother and I’m telling you this as a mother. You’re a good man who has done a lot of bad things but who really hasn’t? There is no one who hasn’t done at least a single bad deed in their life. No one.”
“But at least theirs isn’t as strong as mine. I’ve done really bad things. I’ve killed people, I’ve taken-”
“Shhh. That doesn’t matter. Nothing matters except what you think of yourself. Wallowing in guilt and hatred for yourself will only weigh you down all the more. Don’t do that to yourself. You have to fight for yourself and your family. Your children, your wife. You can’t suddenly grow tired now.”
“I want to but I can’t. I don’t know who to fight. There are a lot of them, even the ones I don’t know. Who do I fight first? Myself?”
“Never fight yourself because the moment you do, that’s when you start to fall apart quicker.
Your enemies will know when and where to attack when you don’t have your head in the right place. Keep it together and show them who you are. Show them that Nicholas Rossi raised you.”
“It’s quite difficult to do when the said man taunts me in my subconscious. He laughs at me. Him and his father make fun of me when my eyes are shut”
“Then don’t shut your eyes. Don’t give them the opportunity to do what they do”
“If I don’t close my eyes, mother, how will I sleep?”
“You don’t sleep until your enemies are all dead.
You don’t get to sleep until Fabiano and his friends are lying six feet under else they will usurp your throne while you sleep.
If you sleep, Alessandro then Matteo will grow up without a father. That is if he will be given the leisure of growing up.
They will kill him just for the mere reason of being your son.
They won’t spare anyone you know, not even I. Not even your wife and definitely not your child.
Think about that and let me know if you still want to sleep”.
“No, I don’t want to sleep, mother. I don’t want Matteo to grow up without a father or a mother. If anything happens to Victoria or the baby, it will kill me”
“Then fight them.” She said while nodding in agreement.
“You’re the boss, aren’t you Alessandro?”
“Yes I am”
“Then act like it!
Fabiano has committed treason and has broken the law repeatedly. Time and time again he has planned to steal your throne and openly thwarts your orders and makes jest of your authority. Hasn’t he, Alessandro?”
“Yes”
“And what do we do to people that break the law? You’re the mafia king now. You should know the law”
“We execute them. We kill them as a warning to others never to take the same step”
“Then that’s exactly what you’re going to do”
“But Bernard Castleford isn’t part of the mafia.”
“Then what do you want to do to him?”
“I want to kill him. I want him dead”
“Then do it”.
“In that case I’ll advise you to take a trip tomorrow until I tell you to come back”
“I’m fine with that. Bianca and I would take an impromptu visit to the island”. She said as she understood what I meant by that.
“Yes. With Matteo. Take him with you”
“With Matteo”