Mena
At the hotel, Pilar and Gian, who were used to luxury, insisted on the best room. That’s how we ended up in the presidential suite.
Despite his protests, I eventually succeeded in convincing Gian to stay in the same suite as us. He wasn’t fully recovered yet, and since he had been doing too much for my liking, I would be the one keeping an eye on him instead. His room was just on the opposite side of the living room, while Pilar and I shared a bed, which we all gathered on, the folder and its contents spread out before us.
It was a good thing Gian was there because a lot of the words written in the documents were too advanced for me or Pilar to understand. As he walked us through the files, his expression darkened with each detail he clarified.
The anger and frustration on Gian’s face made me a bit doubtful about my decision to involve him. I came to Pilar’s room that night because I wanted to discuss it with her. It just so happened that Gian was there at that moment, and in my emotional state, without considering his health or how personal all of this was to him-I pulled him into all of this.
On every paper, every sentence, every paragraph-it said Fanucci.
My eyes landed on a phrase Jessica had also mentioned. Operation Iron Web.
“So, what did you say it meant again?” I asked, already forgetting what was said.
Gian answered, “The iron is to trap us, and once we’re caught, we’re stuck in a web that’s impossible to escape from,” he said. “We’d be nothing more than the MISA’s puppets, selling out our own people unless-”
“You reject, and they’ll send you all to prison.” Pilar finished, her lips slightly trembling. She must’ve been thinking about her own family, now that Diego had a close relationship with the Fanuccis. Not only they would suffer, but everyone else connected to them.
Reading the documents, it became clear that Operation Iron Web had been in the works for years. By now, Isaac had reached phase two. The second phase focused on climbing the ranks to join more important jobs. That way, he could get intel on what crimes they had already committed, and would commit in the future.
As the Fanuccis were key in the East, having control over them would be the same as having control over all the families.
“Alessio is probably laughing with Levi or Isaac right now. Should we really not warn him?” Pilar asked Gian, concern written across her face.
“No,” Gian stated. “It’s a ten-year operation. He’s only in the second phase out of ten-he’s not yet a big threat, and telling Alessio right now would only… my brother can be a bit impulsive.”
“He can be,” I raised my brows for a second. That was an understatement. Alessio was the kind of person to react first and think later. That’s one of his bad traits I discovered during our time together.
“We need to be careful and smart about this. This isn’t just about us anymore. It’s about our families, our future,” Gian said, specifically to Pilar.
“I suppose you’re right,” she exhaled.
Then he looked at me, “When he gets back, and when all this Baldini mess is officially over, you give him the folder and not before that.”
Waiting for Alessio to return seemed like the longest wait of my life, but Gian was right. It was the only way.
I took a breath as I could hardly believe how I got involved. A while back, I would’ve applauded someone like Levi. Someone committed to justice, yet here I was, hoping for his failure and siding with the Fanuccis. I began rooting for the ‘wrong side’, and it was all because of Alessio.
A life without him was something I couldn’t imagine anymore, and I needed him by my side. Naty who had already grown too attached to him, needed him by her side. At all costs.
“You did good, Gigi,” Gian praised, collecting the documents. He put everything back into the folder and placed it on the nightstand. Then he ran his fingers through my hair, offering me a gentle smile. I looked up at him, puzzled. “I know you’re worried about doing the right thing, but you did good.”
Did I make it that obvious?
“I respect you for what you did, and I’m sorry for underestimating you,” he spoke, his words bringing a smile to my face. It was the kindest thing he had ever said to me. “You look tired-you should get some rest. We’ll head back early in the morning.”
Gian got up, and gave me a nod before heading to his own room. As he shut the door, I noticed he hadn’t even looked at Pilar unless she asked him a question. Thinking back, it had been like that our entire ride to the hotel.
“What’s up with the two of you?”
“Nothing,” Pilar blinked. I gave her a suspicious look, demanding her to give me more, and she responded with a sigh. “I’m going to tell you something embarrassing, and if you ever tell someone, I’ll kill you.”
I burst into laughter. “Wow, is it that serious?”
Pilar widened her eyes, “It’s that serious,” she spoke. “I almost kissed him, and then you showed up.”
I waited for more, but nothing came. “That’s it?” I scrunched, finding the whole situation more boring than I hoped it would be. “Was he going to kiss you back?”
“Yes!” Pilar exclaimed. “He has completely lost it, hasn’t he?”
I chuckled, “Actually, both of you have, with the way you’ve been denying your feelings,” I stated. “Not even Alessio was like that.”
Everything that had happened between us had been very straightforward. He wasn’t the best at opening up, yet he told me time and time again how much he loved me.
“I can’t come home with a Fanucci. It goes against everything I stand for,” Pilar lost her mind. If she was hoping I’d agree with her, she really had the wrong one.
I yawned, hugging my pillow as I laid down. “That’s what I once said.” It had been a long day, and respectfully, I didn’t want to waste any more time talking about two individuals who were both in denial.
“Don’t go to sleep yet. We’re having a serious conversation,” Pilar protested.
“Serious answer, if you’re not sure about how you feel about him-go to his room and find out, but I’m going to bed,” I spoke back, my eyes slowly closing before I drifted to sleep.
~
Waking up to sounds in the middle of the night, I rubbed my eyes and looked around. I sat up straight, noticing Pilar wasn’t beside me anymore. Then I checked the time on my phone, and it was almost 2 AM.
Curious and a bit worried, I got out of bed to follow the noises. They grew louder as I walked through the living room and ended up at Gian’s room. I leaned my ear against the door, and then I heard it.
“Harder, please don’t stop!” Pilar moaned, her voice coming through the door.
Repulsed, I stepped back with a gasp, then hurried back to bed, my cheeks burning with embarrassment. I didn’t need to hear all of that. When I told her to go to his room and find out, I meant her feelings.
Now that I knew what was going on, I could only hear those noises that were bleeding my ears. Lying down again, I tried to force myself back to sleep, but the sounds were too impossible to ignore. I said I was rooting for them, but I didn’t imply wanting to hear my brother-in-law and my best friend having sex.
When I really couldn’t take it any longer, I stepped out to the balcony for some fresh air. The door closed, so I couldn’t hear them anymore. Call it corny, but as I looked up at the moon, my mind traveled to Alessio.
What would he be doing?
Would we be looking at the same moon at the moment?
I missed him. A lot.
Hoping for the best, I grabbed my phone and dialed his number, not expecting him to pick up but to my surprise, he did.
“Alessio?” I whispered into the phone.
“Mena, are you okay? What happened? Where are you?” He asked, concerned. His voice sounded a bit groggy, like I had just woken him from his sleep.
“I’m still out with Gian and Pilar. It got late, we decided to stay the night. Didn’t he tell you?”
Alessio sighed on the other side. “He did, but why are you calling?” he sounded a bit more at ease.
“Because I want to hear your voice,” I laughed, ready to spill the beans about his brother. “You are never going to believe this, but Pilar and-”
“You almost gave me a fucking heart attack over nothing!” Alessio snapped, cutting me off rudely. “Please don’t ever call me for something this useless again!”