Carlo's POV:
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"What happened to your face, Ethan?" Dad, seated at the head of the dining table, asked casually while cutting his steak.
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"I fell from my bed," he said briskly, pressing the ice pack against his swollen cheek, which looked more like a strong punch.
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Dad raised his brows doubtfully and took a bite of steak.
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"You should be more careful."
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"Of course, Dad, I'll stay out of danger," he said with difficulty, glaring at my two little ones seated opposite us, Marco and Sophia.
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They giggled once their eyes met my younger brother's piercing gaze.
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Okay, now I could confirm that my little nephew and niece had gotten into a fistfight with my foodie bro for candies.
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"Uncle C, when will you get us the new model toy gun?"
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Sh*t!
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I've got a final warning from Mom not to give any sort of dangerous toys to kids, especially when they are bound to be future mafias.
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All the heads snapped in my direction as if I had done something wrong.
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"Gun??? Which gun are you talking about, Marco?" I asked innocently and shook my head in defense.
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Dad, who is well aware of our little business, continued his dinner silently. Ethan rolled his eyes and continued sipping his soup.
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Strangely, Catherine was silent the whole time.
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"The advanced model of the gun you gifted him last month!" Mom entered the dining area holding a white chocolate cake and strode towards us.
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She placed the cake in the center of the table carefully and checked Ethan's swollen cheeks.
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"Mom... I don't get what you are saying... Gun?"
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"Don't you dare lie to me, Carlos... I know you are gifting them those kinds of toys to babies. How many times do I have to warn you?" She accused me as if I had smuggled weapons to my little nephew.
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"That's terrible, C, you should be more careful with kids," said the one who gifted me a real pistol for my 12th birthday.
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Dad stood up from his chair and pulled out the chair next to him for Mom. Of course, my dad plays a double standard when it comes to Mom.
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He always tries to please her and pretend like he is the sweetest soul in the universe. How ironic!
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"Jacob, this is too much..."
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"I know, darling... C might have good intentions."
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Seriously, Dad? Good intentions? There is nothing called good or bad in gifting a toy... I was just trying to find out his niche in weapons.
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Mom let out a dreadful sigh and asked him to get back to his seat.
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For the next few minutes, we had our dinner silently. Ethan would glare at the kiddos occasionally and stare at the juicy steak painfully as he wasn't in a state to have those.
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Kids left with Mom to watch their favorite series. Ethan had small talk with Dad about his new business and left to his room. Once Dad made sure Mom was out of the frame, he cleared his throat and began.
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"Carlos... Are you sure we can trust Antony?" He asked doubtfully.
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"Uhh, for the time being, Dad... Millers are cheaters, but right now we have no other choice but to trust him... He promised me to bring her back by Wednesday..."
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"Hmmm, till Wednesday, we need to be vigilant... Medias are like crazy dogs... Trying to get a piece of information to confirm her runaway and the allegations she made against you... The Russians are doing their best to spoil our name in the public. So be careful and warn Antony to make sure she won't get mixed with Media in Norway."
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"Norway?" Catherine spoke for the first time.
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"Yes..." I said, making her look astonished.
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"Any problem?"
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"No... Not at all," she said heavily and got up from her seat and left the room.
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11 PM
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It's really annoying to work for 19 hours in a day, but what if you have no other choice? I can't remember the last time I had a proper sleep after joining the mafia business. When Isabelle came to stay with us, the first thing she did was to occupy my room for herself. I was forbidden to enter MY ROOM... If Mom hadn't intervened in our argument at the right time, she would have lost one of her limbs.
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After taking a few gulps of my favorite drink, I ran my fingers through the stack of files and took one of them. This is how my life is from early morning to late night: I need to work through files, documents, contracts, negotiations, and so on. Love, compassion, happiness, caring... All these emotions are just foreign to my rigid mindset.
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I tried to date a couple of girls at my high school, but neither of them proved to be worth it. And I'm glad I haven't fallen for anyone... Once I fall for a woman and she becomes my weakness, she would be targeted by my enemies and they would try to hurt her. It's best to be single in this mafia world... No relations, commitments, nothing.
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**Knock**
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My inner thoughts were broken by a light knock, which I responded to with a "come in".
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Catherine enters the room; she wore her usual nightgown. She was acting weird the whole time since I came back from work.
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"Are you busy?" she asked softly.
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"I wish I could say no." She chuckled lightly and walked forward, taking a seat opposite my couch.
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"You look like a zombie, C. Why don't you get proper sleep?"
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"I have to be a restless zombie if I need to be the leader... So how is everything going in Germany?" I started to make conversation.
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"Good... Alex is busy with the new estate he bought at West..."
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"Mmm, that's cool. I thought he would just stick to the construction business... Oh, I forgot to ask, how was the party at Blakes?" Her bright smile fell abruptly.
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"Not bad..."
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The Blakes are well-known suppliers of weapons for the underworld and have a good connection and influence with the Spain mafia. They had a vital role in our mafia business; my Dad and Mr. Joseph Blake were schoolmates and had a healthy friendship. Once Dad rejoined the Mafia, they became great supporters of us. But for the last few years, we have lost touch with them.
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Last month, Logan, my youngest brother who now stays in Italy, reconnected with the Blakes and put forward a business proposal. As part of it, they invited us to the anniversary party of the Blakes couple. As neither of us could stay away from New York, Dad insisted Alex and Catherine attend the party.
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"Carlos... I... Saw her... at the party," she said while fiddling with her fingers.
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"Her? Who?"
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"Your future wife... The only daughter of Millers, Isabelle." It really pisses me off when someone mentions her as my future wife.
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"That's impossible! I warned Antony not to mess up." The Blakes' party was a huge, fancy event which definitely included media coverage.
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"I don't know what he promised you, C, but last night I saw Isabelle."
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"You sure?"
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"One hundred percent! She was terrified when I called her name... Before I could catch her, she ran away, left the mansion, and took a cab."
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"Bloody ra**al! I gave him a final warning last time not to make things worse," I said through gritted teeth.
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"Don't worry, C, I made sure no media found her or took pictures of her, but you need to make sure she stays out of trouble."
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Catherine and Bella do get into arguments when Bella fights with the kids for silly reasons. The only person she hasn't messed up with in Mancini is my father.
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"C, try to sort out things before the engagement." I laughed dryly and gave her a painful look.
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"Never in my life could I accept a woman like Isabelle. And I will never have a love life."
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"Don't jump to conclusions... Maybe there is someone around the corner of the world waiting for you to cherish."
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"How ludicrous! Do you still believe in these kinds of fairytales?"
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"It's a fact, man, and you would know it once fate brings you together." Catherine could be extremely poetic at some points, especially when it comes to love and romance.
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After bidding goodbye, she left the room to check on her babies, leaving me once again all alone to spend the whole night with a pile of papers.
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