MATTEO’s POV
I paced the room, the soles of my feet treading an agitated path across the floor, the tension in my body radiating outward like a heat wave.
In the corners of the room, Charlie puffed contemplatively on his cigar, a silent observer of my growing agitation, while Alonzo kept vigil by the shelves, his steely gaze never wavering from my erratic movements.
“Maybe it’s traffic?”. Alonzo asked, but I shook my head.
“No. I know she must have run off to somewhere”. I said and sighed loudly. “Why do I have to deal with this?”.
“She wanted to meet up with you. That’s all”. Carter said with a smile on his face but as my icy glare met with his, the smirk that had graced Charlie’s lips vanished in an instant, as if swallowed whole by the sheer force of my displeasure.
“She’s probably out there wandering the streets of Venice. I mean, it’s her chest time in Italy. Give her some space”. Charlie said, then took a drag of his cigar.
I dialed her number and got no response and in a fit of unbridled rage, I flung my phone across the room, the device sailing through the air in a graceful arc before crashing violently against the wall.
“I’ll get another one tomorrow”. I heard Carter sigh
“She’s driving me insane”. I lamented. “I have no idea where she is or who she’s with. What she’s doing or what she might be up to”.
“You worry too much, Matteo. That won’t get you anywhere”. Carter said as he looked out my window. “It’s a great day today. Why don’t we take Aria out for a walk. What do you think, Charlie?”. Carter asked
A heavy silence descended upon the room, the air thick with unspoken meaning. Alonzo’s eyes, hidden in a sidelong glance, bore into me with an unknowable intent. Carter, meanwhile, continued to gaze upon me, his attention unwavering, yet his motivations clear as day.
“I don’t give two shits about the bitch!”. He said before lighting up another cigar. In the silence of my inner torment, the scenes of her punishment replayed in my mind’s eye like a looped nightmare, a haunting shadow that stalked my every thought.
Every single night, when I know she must have fallen asleep, I storm into her room and take her to the bathtub. I am cruel, I know that it just hurts me every time I remember she spent days with that man. I was getting sick of the punishments, but for some reason, my men fear me even more now.
“I’ll do that. I need to give her a little break” . I said to them and I saw Carter smile to himself
“Thank you”. He said, but with a furrowed brow and a gaze sharp as a dagger, I gazed upon him as his words sounded like humor.
“I’m not doing this for you, Carter, but for me. So quit smiling and help me think of ways I could find Gia”
Gia’s existence was a secret, kept hidden by my father. Her presence, a painful reminder of my father’s betrayal, shattered the illusion of our family’s stability, and of course, it left me bitter.
Discovering that I had a sister, unknown to me for so long, was a truth that weighed heavily on my heart. Marino apparently had an affair with a woman over in the States when he was out on business trips. She knew who he was and reached out when she found out I existed. I wanted to cut her off, but Carter persisted, so I let it be, but she fled the airport the moment she arrived.
“Maybe… she’s like fuck Matteo then she’s elope with some boy like your wife did”. Charlie said in the happiest tone I’ve ever heard from him.
“I’m surrounded by madness!”. I murmured.
“Don. She’s old enough to handle it by yourself”. Alonzo said, taking a seat next to Carter.
“What is she? Like 15 or something?”. Charlie asked.
“Fanculo”. I mumbled
“She’s nineteen actually”. Carter said, leaning back on his seat.
“She’s old enough to-“. Charlie started with a newly lit cigarette between his lips.
“No…”. Carter sighed
“That’s enough Charles”. Alonzo added.
“You lose brain cells anytime you smoke that shit”. I uttered, but he held my gaze as he smirked.
“I sent the men out to look for her. Where do you think she is?”. Carter asked. “Where would a nineteen year old visit first in a new city?”. He asked, and we looked at ourselves dumbfounded.
“Go to a strip club?”. Charlie asked.
“Visit a pet store?”. Alonzo asked.
“I don’t know”. I said when they all looked at me. “How would I know, and it’s definitely not a strip club. Why would she even go there?”. I asked him, but he looked in my eyes and uttered the dumbest words ever
“To strip?”. Charlie asked
“Get him out of my sight”. I almost yelled, and Alonzo, loyal and unwavering, guided Charlie out of the room.
In the aftermath, I remained, the chill of my office seeping into my bones as I sat in brooding silence thinking of the many dangers she could be facing.
“I bet she’s fine”. He said. “She’s Marino’s daughter. She’ll be tough as fuck”.
“Non lo so. She might be the opposite of what I am”. I said as I pondered where the little girl must be.
“She’s not safe”. I said, rubbing my temples.
“She’ll be fine”. He said, and just then, Carter’s phone interrupted the silence, drawing his attention. His expression shifted as he listened to the caller’s voice, a look of concern etching itself into his features.
“Found her?”. He asked the receiver. “Where?”. He chuckled. “Bring her over here immediately”. He said and ended the call.
“They found her?”. I asked with a genuine smile on my face, and he nodded.
“Where?”. I asked hurriedly.
“Strip club”. He stated matter-of-factly, his tone casual as he chomped down on a bright red apple, his teeth digging into its crisp flesh with measured deliberation.