Alessio
I walked the halls of the escort club, on my way to meet Estelle, a briefcase with her reward in my hand. She told me she had every bit of information I asked her to get, and I was eager to get this over with.
One misunderstanding with Mena was already enough, and I really couldn’t use a second one at the moment.
“Hey, handsome!”
Same as last time, Estelle was already waiting at the door with a big smile and an envelope in her hands. Still not believing she actually got the job done, I picked her up and spun her around as she giggled.
With all this information, I would be one step closer to ending all of this.
After setting her down, she handed me the envelope. I instantly ripped it open, pulling out some documents. Each paper carried valuable information. Names of families, individuals, possible attacks-all of it was there and signed by Mikael.
One of the documents contained a wedding invitation and a date, three weeks away from today. As I read through the information, Estelle rested her hands on my shoulders.
“Was I a good girl?” she asked, peering over them.
“Always,” I chuckled.
“And what does this good girl get from you?” she whispered in my ear, and I knew exactly what she was hinting at.
I lifted the briefcase. “Come on, let me show you,” I said, placing it on her bed. Her help was worth the compensation, and without her, it would’ve been difficult to gain any of this information.
Snapping the briefcase open, I revealed stacks of money and the most expensive jewelry inside.
“Oh my god!” Estelle reacted with a loud squeal, throwing her arms around me in an impulsive hug. She stamped her feet, then like a child discovering treasure, she threw some money and jewelry into the air.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she sang.
I laughed at her energy. She had never changed from the day I had met her, always cheerful and in a good mood. “Do you want to pop a bottle to celebrate?”
Her offer would’ve sounded tempting if I didn’t have Mena. How could I possibly explain having a drink with the escort I told her not to worry about?
She would hang my balls by a thread and rightfully so.
“I should get going-but maybe next time.”
“Promise?”
“Promised,” I told her, although the promise felt more like a formality than a plan.
“Bye babes!” Estelle called out as I walked away, and even in the halls, I could still hear her squeals of joy.
~
With all the important information I needed, I scheduled a new meeting for the following day. After my meeting with Leonardo, it should be clear to the other families, especially Gustavo, that negotiating was off the table.
There was only one road left, and that road was revenge.
Knowing how busy I’d be in the coming days, I decided to make some time for Naty and my little sister. She didn’t want to go with Mom and Dad to Italy because she didn’t want to get separated from her brothers, but I had barely made time for her.
I slipped into the mansion through the back, avoiding any interactions. People would see me for one second and come with the craziest demands which I didn’t have time for at the moment.
Not even Mena knew of my return. From what I had heard, she did a good job leading the matters in the mansion, and everyone grew to love her.
Quietly, I made my way to Naty’s room. As I opened the door, she turned with a surprised gasp. An excited squeal nearly left her mouth, but before she could, I gestured for silence. Naty rushed into my arms, and I pulled her into my embrace.
“You’re here!” she said.
“I’m here,” I smiled. “What are you up to?”
“Finishing my puzzle,” Naty pointed to the table.
“All by yourself?” I wondered, “Where is Melody?”
Naty grabbed my hand and led me to the table. “Melody is painting with Pilar,” she said, sitting down, and I sat beside her. “I don’t mind because I actually like being by myself.”
Her words and the way she said them made me think of Mena. Also she didn’t mind having people around her but also claimed she liked being by herself, yet I had seen her get lonely sometimes.
“Where is Mommy?” I asked, curious about Mena’s whereabouts.
“Downstairs, but she should be here really soon,” Naty said.
“Because she can’t leave you alone for a second, huh?” I chuckled, knowing she was always worrying about her. If it were up to her, she would’ve given Naty a ring with a tracker.
Naty rolled her eyes, “Yes.”
“It’s because we want you to be safe, because we love you,” I said without thinking it through. The words weren’t light, but I meant them. I had love for Mena, and for Naty.
Naty giggled, her cheeks flushing red. I never wanted her to lose that smile, and that’s why I was willing to eliminate every danger that could ever cross her path-even if it was her own father.
We worked on the puzzle together in comfortable silence. Not much had to be said anyway, I just wanted to be there for her.
“Can you teach me chess sometime?”
“Chess?” I frowned, caught off guard by her request. Since when were six-year-olds interested in playing chess?
“Yes, Uncle Dante says you’re the best, and I really want to learn,” she said, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
A warm feeling went through my heart. Dante admitting I was the best at something felt great, but hearing my daughter express she wanted to learn something from me felt even better. Yes, I said daughter.
“Sure, I’ll teach you,” I spoke.
“Aunt Pilar says we’re nerds,” she said out of nowhere.
I wasn’t surprised something like that would come from Pilar’s mouth. She said whatever was on her mind, and that’s why I avoided her. “What do you think?” I asked.
“I think we have a lot of fun together, and I like puzzling with you,” Naty responded sincerely, showing a toothy grin.
“I like spending time with you too,” I told her, meaning every word. If I weren’t so busy, I would’ve spent time with her every day to make up for the bullshit she had to experience for the first six years of her life.
“Are you in love with my Mommy?” Naty suddenly asked.
“Of course I am,” I chuckled, answering without hesitation.
“Then can I ask you something?” her voice slightly trembled as if she was nervous.
“Yes?”
Naty took a small breath. “Please don’t ever stop loving my Mommy because I really want you to be my Daddy,” she pleaded, her voice weak and hopeful.
Her words hit me like a ton of bricks because I never wanted her to believe otherwise. In that moment, I realized just how deeply I was into all of this. I wanted nothing more than for them to be in my life forever, and the thought of not having them there was unthinkable.
“Natalie, I will never stop loving you and your-”
My sentence got interrupted by Mena, who stepped through the door. “Alessio?” she looked at me with those beautiful eyes, surprised to see me.
Everything in the background faded away as I stared at the most beautiful woman in my eyes. She was so perfect to the point I sometimes had to ask her whether she was real.
“Yes, Mommy, you’re not dreaming,” Naty confirmed as if my presence was some kind of miracle.
Mena shot me a smile that could light up any room and then moved towards me for a hug. “What are you doing here?” she asked, leaning in for a kiss.
Before my lips could reach hers, Naty let out a loud cough, with the timing only she could master. “No kissing.”
Mena and I locked eyes, laughing at our interruption.
“Will you be going back to work later?”
I shook my head. “No, not today,” I said, wanting to tell her who my priority was today. “Just came to spend some time with my family.”
“I see!” Mena spoke, roughly ruffling her hand through my hair.
Once again, the door opened, and this time it was Pilar and Melody.
“Alessio!” Melody called out, running into my arms. I lifted her onto my lap. “How is my favorite sister doing?”
Melody’s giggle filled the room. “I’m your only sister,” she pointed out.
“That’s why you’re my favorite,” I stated. The fact that Melody, who mostly hated hugs from her big brothers, ran to me so freely was proof enough of how little I had been home lately.
“Hi, Ales,” Pilar nodded at me. “Do you need that eye cream already?”
I chuckled. “No, not yet-but I’ll tell you when I need it.”
Jimena watched us, a jealous pout forming on her lips. “The two of you are having inside jokes without me?” she accused us.
“You should’ve been there,” I teased her, aware it was something that would keep her awake because she was always in her head about everything. I could already see how it would go at night. She would beg me to tell her the inside joke, and I would tell her no.
“I hate to get all business with you, but did you look over the proposal for the maids’ quarters?”
Her sudden shift to business matters surprised me, but it suited her well. “You getting all bossy like that just makes me want to…” I kept my thoughts to myself, eyeing Naty and Melody, who were having their own conversation.
“It’s actually a good thing you’re here,” Pilar commented. “Mena and I were going to have a girls’ night, but now you can play with these two while we stretch some time.”
“Girls’ night?” I spoke, scrunching my nose. “I don’t mind watching them, but I will need her back before midnight.”
“No,” Pilar chuckled. “You can’t just come in here, and move around schedules because you’re ‘Alessio Fanucci.'”
“I can and especially when it’s about her.”
“We had plans,” Pilar spoke stubbornly, and I was beginning to get irritated.
“You see her every day. Change your plans,” I demanded, still managing a polite smile. Nice girl, but she knew how to get on someone’s nerves.
We both turned, “Mena-” we said at the same time before shooting each other a quick glare.
It was time for her to end this foolery. Of course, she should spend time with me because we barely had any.
It wasn’t something adults should be fighting about, it was common sense.
“God, you guys are giving me a headache. You’ve both lost it, speaking as if I’m some kind of property,” she said, rubbing her temples. “I liked it better when no one gave a shit about me.”
I felt slightly guilty for pressuring her, but we both awaited her judgment. She gave me a look that said not to take offense at her next words, and I had a strong feeling about what she was about to say.
“I’ll do the girls’ night with Pilar because we did make plans, and I’ll be with you after midnight, like always-good?”
Pilar hummed, showing me a smirk. I hated it because she thought she had won, but I also hated it because I didn’t know whether to be impressed or bothered with Mena because she had made it clear that neither of us could decide for her.
“Deal.”