Cara’s POV
I watched with worried eyes as Adonis shrugged off the two pairs of supporting arms that prevented him from falling face flat as he found his footing-to my utmost disappointment, he didn’t pass out.
“I’m fine.” He grumbled.
I was reaching my breaking point. How long could it take a man to lose consciousness?
Was his brain truly in control of his body system like all normal humans, or was he the one controlling it?
However, my patience was wearing thin, and the limit was soon reached.
“We should get you admitted.” I deadpanned, ready for the disagreement that would spring up.
“You know my answer to that.” He rasped, taking a seat. “I have a few days more to go.”
“Nothing is likely to change. You heard the bombshell Luca dropped. The symptoms are worsening.” My mouth stated points I believed were valid enough to get him to change his mind, but this was Adonis.
He was as stubborn as a goat.
“All the more reason why I should be home.”
Despair washed over me. I looked at him, really looked at him, searching for any sign of the man I loved beneath the stubbornness and denial.
Why was he being so difficult?
“Seven days, or now; it is barely a figment of our imagination. What difference does it make?”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“Adonis, you-
“Cara, stop.” He raised a hand in silence, “I have a lot more to worry about… much more important things. I said two weeks, didn’t I? If all goes as planned, I should keep to my word.”
Unlike his previous words, which had been filtering into my left ear and filtering out of the right since I had no use or sense for them, this struck me.
What was that supposed to mean? That he could change his mind?
“I’m fighting for a lesser timeframe, yet you are considering increasing it. You must not know how serious this is, Adonis. The bomb in your head could explode anytime from now!” I cried out. “It’s your body; you know how you feel better than I do. You need surgery-
“Surgery?” My father frowned at the two of us and my gaze shifted to the others in the room, their curious eyes fixed on Adonis and myself. “You said he was on medications. What does he need surgery for?”
“It’s nothing.” Adonis shut him down.
“It’s not nothing.” I refuted, “You are-
“Cara-” He called lowly.
“Don’t do that. You don’t listen to me, so I’ll do whatever the hell I also want.” I snapped, turning back to address the people in the room when my father shook his head.
“If he doesn’t want you to speak, then don’t.”
My lips parted once again, yet he repeated his actions.
“El no es un nino (He’s not a child). That goes to you too.” He regarded Adonis. “I believe you both would be sensible enough to know the right thing to do.”
His expression was stern, a clear indication that this discussion wasn’t over but just set aside to deal with more pressing matters.
If only he knew…
“Now. I’ll assume that the tension of the recent activities got to you both,” my father nodded to both my husband and his second-in-command. “And ignore the act of insolence you displayed. A skilled mafia should always be level-headed. Our next step should be finding who took the men, not creating rifts between ourselves.” His voice was calm and steady yet it commanded attention.
That felt like an easy question. From the way our eyes met, I was sure we all had the answers in bold font in our minds. This step seemed simple but it was extremely complicated.
There was only one person with the motive to dominate the Bernardi family, but for now, he was untouchable.
“I’ve been invited to some celebration dinner that Adrian will be throwing tomorrow night,” Adonis informed the room, although he had already told me the moment he got back from his last fight.
“That’s refurbished grammar for saying they want to initiate you as one of their own. You’ll be taken into the underground sex ring tomorrow night.” My father explained.
“Isn’t it too early?”
“I’m… surprised if I do say so myself. It only means two things: it’s a setup or they trust you that much.”
“What about the kidnapping of the men? He can’t be unto us for Matthew, can he?” Jacob enquired, hinting at our decision to send Matthew far away until the main fight was over.
It turned out he didn’t know a thing about the fire incident, and Adrian had approached him with the story of giving him a new life to fill the void left behind by the old one, which was snatched away from him.
He had thought of it as an opportunity to also live out his dream.
Finding out the truth was somewhat comforting for both him and Jacob. He was now aware of his family and was no longer being used as a pawn in someone else’s scheme, but for Jacob, it felt nice that he wouldn’t have to let go of the last family… the last connection he had to the orphanage.
“If that’s the case, it makes more sense. We do not know his reason for taking Matthew or trying to erase all traces of him, but we have soiled that plan either way. It could be a silent warning or retaliation.” My father said, eyes flickering to mine for a brief second.
I shuffled on my feet, feeling uncomfortable, before waddling back to my seat.
“What do we do now?” I asked, hoping no one had seen the small exchange.
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” He answered. “We’ll continue as planned; go to that party and get all the evidence you can. We, on this end, would keep searching for the men. Luca?”
The man who had been standing quietly by the far end of the dining room since the little quarrel with Adonis looked up.
“For Adrian to be able to pull this off, he must’ve had help. Who do you suspect in that mansion?”
Luca thought about it carefully for a few seconds, his brows knitting together in focus. “I can’t say… right now, everyone seems suspicious. No one trusts me, so they may be doing this to get back at me.”
“Tina and Sarah?”
“Tina is as always. Sarah is… quiet.”
“Quiet as in?”
“Ever since Adonis left, she rarely speaks as before. Only when necessary. She goes out every weekend evening. I had Mario tail her for two weeks, and it seems like she takes the same path, but no one knows where she ends up. We always seem to lose her at an intersection.”
“There’s a connection somewhere. Do your homework but be discreet about it. If possible, do it yourself. For now, work alone. You know why since you said so yourself.” My father concluded.
“Would that be all?” Luca asked, and he nodded. “I’d like to take my…” He gave the room a single sweep; his cool gaze lingering on Adonis like he had something to say but decided not to. “… leave.” He finished and, without a word, exited the room.
The rest of us remained sitting, no one ready to leave as we pondered the sudden twist encountered. I was sure I wasn’t the only one who could feel the dread and thought:
The end was near…
****
That same evening, in the heart of the city, a tall, slender woman whom one could have said age had been merciful to, too, if it wasn’t for her sunken cheeks and pale face, looked left then right, clutching her bag in between her hands before walking into the reception of the building.
The tall building, being a weekend, stood isolated in the less bustling street which a few hours ago was beaming with life and a hyperactive crowd. It was as silent as a graveyard save the sound of her heels clicking on the tiled floor.
Taking a few cautious steps, she crossed into a hallway; the eerie silence and dimmed lighting would’ve scared her into turning back if it wasn’t for the huge, hard-looking men she encountered every ten steps.
Being aware of her visit, they all acted like she was as insignificant as a fly, not blinking or moving a muscle. Getting to the huge elevator at the end of the hall, she halted, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath and mentally called forth the strength she needed.
Then, raising her hand, she took three steps to the right, knocked thrice on the wall, and then took a step back.
Instantly, the wall began to shake, the elevator dropping steady beeps as it spun around once, stopped, and then opened to reveal a secret door.
Glancing around for the last time, she walked into the room, calling the name of the familiar face at the desk with his back to her as she stood oddly like she was ready to run at any moment.
“Adrian.”
The elderly man, with a faint resemblance to Adonis, turned around with a lopsided grin on his face.
“Ah Sara, sempre puntuale. Accommodation, mio caro (Ah Sarah, always on time. Have a seat, my dear).”