POV: Dominic
“Boss, we have a problem. Zhang Groups of companies are pulling out their bid to invest in your nightclub. It seems like they have been poached by our rivals and I’m suspecting that it has something to do with the Capo.” Leon told me, his voice sounding urgent and pissed. Zhang Group of Companies is a famous corporation owned by a wealthy Chinese conglomerate. Its chairman, Zhang Zhou is well known for his charities and good deeds in the city. But behind the scenes, he is an international smuggler and Cartel Lord.
He is the head of the Chinese Mafia and the head of the Round Table. You see, each country has that one man who is the Cartel Lord, The Mafia lord. The round table is where all Mafia Lords sit to settle disputes and trash out our differences after fighting it out in the streets. My position at the round table is the one thing that Carlos and Raphael are unable to steal from me when they connived and stole my title and territory.
“Where is he?” I asked Leon angrily and he gave me his current location after stressing the need for me to be fierce this time. Carlos has been on my neck since I took over from my father. Our parents were rivals and the rivalry between our families made us hate each other. Six months ago, he got my best friend to betray me and he succeeded.
With Raphael’s help, he snuck into my house and attacked my family when I least expected it. He killed my fiancee and our unborn child. He shot me in the chest and thought I was dead. But I survived it, the bullet missed my heart and vital organs. I passed out for a few hours, and when I regained consciousness I found out that he had flooded my territory with his thugs and he was killing anyone who refused to acknowledge him as the new Mafia Lord.
“You can’t let it go this time, boss, you have to show that you are stronger than you were when he attacked you six months ago!” he urged me on, trying to motivate me.
“No Leon, I’m not stronger than I was six months ago. I’m the same man I was when he attacked me, the only difference is that he won’t get the chance to stab me in the back like he did before. This time I will be expecting him and this time, I’ll be ready to deal with him the way he deserves.” I corrected him, smiling to myself as I spoke.
He succeeded in hitting me where it hurts the most, but he fails to understand that being a Mafia Lord is not just about answering the name, Capo. I was not just handed the title, I may have taken over the title from my father, but I proved my worth before I got the title from my father. I fought ruthlessly for years to establish my dominance in my city and secure my seat on the round table.
Flooding the city with thugs and controlling the importation of whores, guns, and heroine doesn’t make you the Mafia Lord. Creating a brutal legacy and making a noticeable difference in the city makes you the number one man in this city. Earning the respect of every other drug lord in the city and knowing how to make your enemies shiver at the mere mention of your name is the best way to become the Capo. That is the one lesson that Carlos is going to learn the hard when I decide to come for my revenge.
He thinks I am too weak to attack him, but the truth is that I haven’t quite gotten over the death of my fiancee and my unborn child. The death of Serena and the betrayal of Raphael hurt me even more than his attack. I can easily take him out if I wanted to, I have the combined forces of the powerful men at the round table at my disposal. I can crush him like a bug and take back what is rightfully mine. But how do I move on from there, how don’t forget about Serena, and the fact that she was carrying my heir before she was murdered before my very eyes?
How do I let go of my hatred for Raphael Hawkins, the fried that I love like a brother, the one friend I was willing to go to war on his behalf. How do I move past his betrayal, how can I not hate the man that led my enemies to my doorstep and showed them how to evade my security and get to me. He hurt me, and I will not hesitate to pay him back in full. They both took away something so precious to me. I will return the favor very soon, I will hit them both when they least expect.
For now, I’m laying low and observing his movements, acting like I don’t give a fuck about him. He has been trying to get my seat at the roundtable for the past six months, but they would rather go to war with the city than welcome him into the inner circle of control. He’s been struggling to get their attention for a while now, I know he is beginning to get them to notice him, and that is why I am not willing to take any chances.
I’ve been warned by a few guys at the round table. I was told to take him out as soon as possible because he is beginning to get to some greedy ones amongst us. He must have done his research to find out what each person on the round table needs so that he can easily provide and earn their favor. He opened a nightclub at the best spot in the city, right next to mine. I was in the middle of renovating my club when I got attacked and displaced from my position.
When I heard that he had bought some buildings next to mine, I knew he was up to no good, but I still decided to ignore him. I got the information that he was poaching some of my investors and offering them mouth-watering deals that they could not refuse. A few of my investors wanted to pull out, but I used sheer force to make them stay. That is why I reacted in anger when I received a call that one of my biggest investors was about to pull out and invest with Carlos.
I had already told them that I needed more time to take care of Carlos for good. They were supposed to trust me and let me handle it. I was so pissed off at the bastard that wanted to leave and I was going to teach him not to fuck with me like that ever again. I was going to warn him to stay put or get his ass whooped. But I was blocked by Raphael on my way to see my investor and that made me so mad.
“Wow!
Look who we have here guys…
It’s the friend who stabs his friend in the back without a warning and without provocation. To what don’t owe the honor?” I asked him in a sarcastic tone, feigning a smile.
“Look, Dominic, I… I just wanted to,”
“How dare you show your face before me, Raphael?
Are you courting death?” I asked him in anger, yelling furiously at him, stopping him before he finished the rubbish he was about to spit out to me. It irks me to see him looking at me as if he is truly sorry for what he did to me and my family.
It’s been six months!
Six fucking months since he betrayed me and destroyed our love and friendship. To think that it took him all this while to summon the courage to come and see the damage he caused in my life. He never thought of checking up on me to see how I was coping after he teamed up with my sworn enemy and ripped me off everything that brought me joy and fulfillment.
“Dominic please hear me out, I never meant to…”
“You never meant to do what?!” I screamed at him furiously, swinging my hand and punching him in the fucking face for daring to lie to my face.
“Don’t you fucking stand in front of me and lie to my fucking face. You meant it, I know you did. You mean to fucking hurt me and that is exactly what you did. You don’t get to ease your guilt by lying to my face, you can’t get off so easily, Raphael. I won’t let you ease your guilt, not after killing Serena and my unborn child!” I yelled at him angrily, pointing him in the face with my eyes glaring into his eyes.
He corks his eyebrow in thought, thinking deeply about my words. It was as if he didn’t quite understand what I was talking about and I wondered what silly game he was playing with me. Six months ago, he had the chance to stick with me, but he chose to betray me and I can’t let him off easily.
“Did you suddenly develop amnesia or what, Raphael?
Are you trying to mock my pain or call me a fucking idiot!” I asked him furiously, making him squint his eyes to look at me as if I were an alien that just dropped from the sky.