The Mafia who loved me

Episode2

When he was born Simon was told he had the strength of a toddler and was already showning signs of obstinacy even at that stage. His parents were fiercely proud of their charming and resilient son and they pampered him.

He wasn't an only child. He had a younger sister whom he adored and she was perhaps the only woman other than his mother who he had ever truly loved. It wasn't that he hated women. On the contrary, he loved women. He just felt that it wasn't in the works for him to ever be in love. He'd seen other men who had fallen in love and he knew that couldn't be him. He was too strong-headed and stubborn to ever be that way about anyone.

So when he got home after that encounter, he was surprised to find himself still thinking of the young enchanting lady who had stood up to him. The fire in her eyes lit something up in him and he wanted to see it again.

He wondered what she'd look like with her hair down blowing in the wind. She wore it in a tight bun in their meeting and she had on a pair of glasses but it did nothing to hide how lovely she was. In fact of anything, it accentuated it. It wasn't any woman who could pull of a librarian look and look like a model on a runway. She nailed it. Blue eyes, long lashes even through the lenses and a well -curved body that was well accentuated with the fitted shirt and pants she wore. It was her idea of business casual, he thought, chuckling to himself. Bet she'd look better in a miniskirt or dress.

As he pondered on these thoughts, there was a knock at his door.

It was his sister.

"Hi there, you came back early, how did the meeting go?"

"It went great, I just got back from the site and work is going smoothly."

"That's great. Anyway it's you, you ever do anything half-hazardely, you go in full commitment mode all the time."

"Well thanks. This is an important project, I cannot afford not to take it even more seriously than normal."

"I know. Mum told me why it means a lot to you. Never took you for the sentimental type." His sister quipped as she smiled at her brother.

He was so handsome and so confident. It was a shame he didn't date and find a woman to settle down with. She had even tried to introduce him some of her own friends but he wasn't having it. He met women on his own terms and it was mostly casual and noncommittal.

He would make a good husband and father, she thought. Under that extremely hard exterior was a good, kind man who didn't like to show it. I mean, otherwise why would he be spending so much time on a project to build low-cost housing for the homeless in the city? He didn't need to. He made so much money for the company from his apartments and oceanfront high-rises. He didn't need to give back, but he wanted to. He didn't publicise his intentions but she had never seen him so dedicated to any project like this one. It was personal. And she knew why.

Simon on the other hand was glad this sister and come in to interrupt his thoughts. He shouldn't be having them anyway. Too distracting. He should be focused on his project and his life as he knew it, not thinking about attractive women with bright eyes.

His sister was one of the people in the world who truly knew him and he was very tender towards her in a manner that was uncharacteristic of him with others. He protected her from danger and saw to it that's she lacked nothing. It was important to him that she find someone fitting of her in future and get settled. It was important. The city was a boisterous and dangerous place. More like a jungle and he didn't want her getting caught up in its lure. She was innocent, decent and pure and he wanted it kept that way till she married. He was old-fashioned like that. At least when it came to her. His mother often said he acted more like her dad than her brother which was not surprising. He had been an only child for nearly a decade before she was born and had loved her from the day he met her.