Tangled in the Mafia’s Web

Leandro watched as his mistake caused the death of his other half, the woman who gave him two beautiful children. She was his past, present, and future and he vowed to keep it that way. The first thing one understood about Leandro Vinci is that he does not go against his word. He is regarded as a thing of the wild, yet he retained his wildness and wiliness. He never forgets the rules because he made them. He was well built with a sturdy, indecipherable facial expression, and yet he still possessed every ravishing standard one would desire in a thirty-four years man, or perhaps more. Porzio Vinci is a mafia drug lord and technically the father of Leandro. Due to Parzio's health and age, Leandro has been handling a majority of their family's business, although that doesn't ward off the old mafia from being in control. He is solitarily gentle with his grandchildren, which made them see him as the foremost grandfather even though the sound of bones cracking never disturbed him, nor his son, or maybe that was the thing about the Vinci Family, they were begotten to make them crack. "Leandro Vinci," A male declared gutturally, as he proceeds to settle down on the seat next to Leandro in an auction venue. The place wasn't that much of a lightened interior, but still not unnecessarily dimmer than it should be. "I never imagined I'd run into you here" "Do you have a problem with my presence here?" Leandro retorted and tucked his cell phone into the pocket of his coat. "Indeed, I do say I rather not see you here. No offence" "None taken" "You know, it's unusual for you to be here" Gerardo uttered and then glanced around the room. He was the same age as Leandro and also a mafia boss, except that it's been about fourteen years since both walked the same path. "Your choice of conversation is terrible," Leandro remarked not looking in his direction. A server approached their table and began to serve them some wine, and with not much time wasting, he was gone. With a visible smirk on his face, Gerardo reached for his wine glass "I wasn't starting one. The way you think highly of yourself is absolutely absurd" He said dully, not even trying to hide the film of cynicism that wrapped tightly around his words. Leandro reaches for his wine glass. "You sure love to strike up a conversation with me, Gerardo. Don't you? Despite the fact I would have loved to, I'm not in the mood for companies" Leandro says slightly tilting his wine glass. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen" A lady well-portrayed in a classic dress greeted, drawing every person's attention. "I'm Haley Whitlock and I humbly welcome you to our evening of the event" Following a brief period of applause, "Without further ado, I would like to introduce you to the first item up for bid" She announces the item to be sold, and then she starts naming prices in ascending order as the guest lift their paddle based on how much they're willing to bid. "I suppose I have no reason to ask why you're here" Leandro sips from his glass before turning to Gerardo "You seem genuinely distressed, Gerardo. Are you okay?" "Something tells me you came for the same item I am here for. You never get tired of yearning for the same thing as me" "Oh. I have to admit, I love being the bearer of bad news" He places his wine glass back on the table "Every man believes in one simple divinity, the almighty buck. I suppose we all have our low points, but not to worry. As long as you have it, there's no need to bother" Gerardo chuckles fixedly. Applause is made in the background. "Not that I disagree, because I don't" He admits. "Good to know" "Today's next item is a very valuable piece" The auctioneer continues "Patek Philippe is one of the oldest watch manufacturers in the world with an uninterrupted watchmaking history since its founding. It designs and manufactures timepieces as well as movements, including some of the most complicated mechanical watches." She announces and the item was slowly moved forward. "This is the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime 6300A-010. This particular model is the first and only Grandmaster Chime in steel, a material rarely used by the watchmaker to create a Grand Complication. Thought to be the most complex Patek Philippe wristwatch ever made, the spectacular timepiece features 20 complications, including several acoustic functions. Two of these are patented premières: an alarm that strikes the preprogrammed alarm time and a date repeater that sounds the date on demand. Just to up the exclusivity stakes, the dial is also inscribed with the words 'The Only One. I believe this will be a good opportunity for you. The opening price is $10 million. Anyone for $10 million?" She inquiries making sure to scan the entire room. "There. What about 15 million euros? We have 20 million euros. 22 million - 24 million, 25 million... we have 28 million. There are 29 million. All right. We have 29.6 million now.." Leandro put up his paddle and she immediately pointed in his direction "35 million" She announces. "35 million. 35 million" She repeats "Sold to the client with paddle number 28 at 35 million euros, Congratulations" And the rest applause. "It's unlikely that I never saw that coming," Gerardo remarked. "Stop this crusade on me, Gerardo," Leandro let out, he picked up his glass and slowly swayed it. An art painting was brought forward "Finally we arrived at the main item of the night, Meules. Look at the unique perspective and dynamic composition of the Meules, known as Claude Monet's 'Meules'. Strong diagonal lines. Back to the history of the painting. The year 1890 was a very important moment in Claude Monet's life; he turned 50 and bought a property for the first time. It was of course his famous house with the garden in Giverny. Meules were inspired by the fields adjacent to his new home. However, as he matured as a painter, his depictions of atmospheric influences were increasingly concerned not only with specific effects but with the overall colour harmonies that allowed him an autonomous use of rich colour. You must admit that in this particular Haystacks, the colour harmony is amazing. The opening price is 30 million euros" She announced and the usual price bidding commenced. "Seventy-Five, thank you, ma'am. Seventy-Five, Seventy-Five. Oh, I see Eighty, thank you, sir" She says gesturing at Gerardo. "Eighty million euros, anyone else?" She examined the room before Leandro raised his paddle and then she points at him "Ninety. Ninety million euros" Gerardo's gaze instantly falls on Leandro although, in a rather calm manner, it was clear that they both had come for the same item. "It's Ninety-three" The announcer cracked the sudden tension that eloped between the two men as she points to an elderly woman and Gerardo likewise raised his paddle "Ninety-five. Ninety-five million. We have a Hundred million" The announcer again pointed to the elderly woman. "All right. We have - we have Hundred and thirty million" She announces gesturing at Leandro "We now have 130 million. It's 130 million. We're waiting for a bid over the phone. The highest bid is a Hundred and Thirty million euros now. Are you giving up?" She asks no one in particular. "The highest bid is 130 million" She repeated and finally, she rang the bell "Sold to the client with paddle number 28 at One hundred and thirty million euros. Congratulations Sir" She stated and applause followed. "Well, then. So that's that story" "Unbelievable as it may seem, you said that with a straight face" Leandro points out which earned a smirk from Gerardo. "Oh, God... You are undeniably terrible, Leandro" His gaze a sealed envelope. Just like Leandro you never know what he's thinking. "Well, it sounds like you have something very particular in mind" "Say hello to your kids, huh?" Gerardo uttered scornfully although Leandro didn't seem too bothered as he rose to his feet. "It been a fun evening, Gerardo" He complimented wearing a vacant expression and then he excused himself, and Alonzo, his escort who had been standing in a corner quickly follows him. Leaving the auction venue, his chauffeur drives them to a barroom. Leandro and Alonzo got out of the car. Leandro walks into the bar, while Alonzo remains by the car, inspecting the area. The mafia settled opposite a younger male at the end of the barroom which has more privacy than the rest before the bar owner attends to them. "Here is the new candy" The male slowly pushes a mini stainless rectangular box case towards Leandro. Leandro picks up the case and proceeds to open it. Taking out a mini glass vial, Leandro stares at the vial which holds some liquid inside "Gerardo calls it 'Space'." The man tells him and Leandro places it back into the case before tucking it into his coat's inner pocket. "Impressive" "Gerardo reached out to a Japanese man. I think I've heard the name from you before, something along Kusawa Onara" The male speculated. "Kurosawa Ohara" Leandro corrects. "Exactly" He admitted "Gerardo plans on meeting the man by Sunday evening. No clue of the venue" "No need for that. I suppose there's nothing else to discuss. You be careful there. If anything seems to go southwest, you immediately signal. No matter what happens, I will protect you" He guaranteed the young male and rose to his feet. "You can finish this up" Leandro motioned at his untouched drink and then walks away from the table. One clear thing about Leandro Vinci, he always protects those who work undercover for him. It's might be because he truly understands the danger in it, as he won't waste time cracking every single bone in a person that goes against him. Not much of a talker he is. Ginevra's tiny apartment was turned upside down by some men sent by the drug dealer she owed. She could only watch in fear as the men continue to destroy every single object around them. She gasped and whined in pain as one of the men roughly yanked her hair, harshly pulling it backwards that she had no option but to whine in pain. The man was barely in her line of vision, grinning triumphantly. "You have no idea what owning Russo means, huh?" He sneered then went on to pull her hair forcefully earning a whimper from her. "I warned you the next time I come won't be pleasing on your side. That's why you'll be coming with us. You work for him, you'll be Russo's b***h, you have got all he likes" He said smugly "And he might leave you be after three months, and this whole s**t will be over. The debt will be settled" He finally let go of her hair "Bring her along" Ginevra was rendered defenceless as she was being dragged out of the building into the cold night but the night wasn't the issue as she only wanted to escape into the deepest of nights. She kept observing the street to know if to make a run for it and with the little self-defence mechanism she could conjure, she kicked the male holding her right on his crotch causing the man to groan painfully, and in that flitting seconds the man's grip was loosened she instantly took advantage of the opportunity to dash out. Leandro stepped out of the bar and was about to get into his car when he heard a distance yelling. He turned and witnessed as a man chased after Ginevra, though luck wasn't on her side as the supposed gang leader cut up with her. Leandro on the other hand was too astounded to even move a muscle as he observed them from far, mostly Ginevra. Even though he was a bit far from them, he would recognize even the silhouette of his late wife if she were only a painted shadow on the wall and the lady in the distance sort of portrayed the same appearance, or perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him. "Don't push your luck with me your little p***y!" the man pulled at her angrily "You want to spend the rest of your life as a w***e? What do you think, kid? That we only sell coke? We deal with all kinds of s**t. Do you know how much they pay for white p***y like yours in the Middle East? The Arabs will go crazy, oh, they will f**k you silly" He roughly pulled her closer to his face. "Don't make this hard. Your freedom depends on your correspondence" "Leave her be" Leandro's dead voice cut in. "And just what the f**k has this got to do with you?" the man retorted barely looking at Leandro. "Mm, how unfortunate" Leandro uttered and swiftly pulled Ginevra from the man and that was when he finally looked up to Leandro, just like the paper on fire his furious expression was instantly laced with a shock like one who had just witnessed a ghoul. "You have a minute, not a second more to say how much she owes" Leandro informed him firmly as he appeared not to be in the mood for a long talk. "Russo wants her brought to him" "I don't care what your boss wants, if you don't tell me how much she owes in less than a minute, you or your boss will never get to have the refund" "She owes him 50,000 euros," The man said trying as much as he could to contain his bitterness. "Good" Leandro muttered and without any instructions, Alonzo, who stood a foot away turned and walked back to the car just as if he knew what the mafia had wanted. He returned and handed a black bag to the man and stepped back, his hand crossed in front of his other wrist. "If your boss has any other problem, he should come to me," Leandro told them dismissively and turned heading to his car. Ginevra was a bit shocked and confused by the entire situation and followed just as Leandro began walking away. "Go to bed" Leandro advised when she began walking behind him, though never turned to spare her a look. "B-but..." She shushed once Leandro turned to face her. "What? Are you surprised I helped you?" He asked with not much difference in his voice as earlier. Notwithstanding that Leandro was trying to ignore his thoughts, now she was way close, he couldn't deny the fact that she sort of resembled her in a way. Even in the dim of the night, he was able to trace his eyes on her bruises, a part of him was about to wipe off the little blood stain near her temple before Ginevra spoke up. "I...Uhm...Thank you" Her voice immediately flooded Leandro's ears but then he turned and again began to walk away. "It's late. Go to sleep" He said while walking to his car without sparing her a glance. Ginevra stood there awkwardly not sure if to listen to the man or go after him to properly expresses her gratitude to him and maybe ask what she had to do in return. "See to it that she isn't harmed" He instructed and Alonzo nodded in understanding before Leandro got into his jeep, leaving him behind. At exactly 12:36 AM. Leandro eventually walks into his house after a long day of multi-activities. "Welcome, Sir Vinci" A woman in her late thirties greeted and Leandro slowly nodded, or perhaps his head only moved in that manner. "They both have been put to bed" She informed. "Thank you, Maria" Leandro appreciated moving towards the staircase. He eased open a door and stepped into the dimly lit room. He saunters to the edge of the bed where a little girl was well tucked beneath the blanket. Lucetta Vinci, his nine-year-old daughter and the youngest of the two kids. His long finger traced the soft curve of her cheek before he leaned in and pressed a tender kiss to her temple. "Night-night sweetheart," He says softly "Love you lots" With a last lingering glance, Leandro rose to his feet and made his way across the hall to his son's room. The boy was already fast asleep, his tousled hair falling across his forehead. Leandro smiled sadly as he gazed down at his son. "You know I love you," he whispered, his fingers trailing gently through the boy's hair. He watched him for a few more moments, lost in thought, before finally placing a kiss on his forehead and turning to leave the room. Through the frame of the window arrives the vibrant glow of a new day. It was the first time in a long period Leandro had seen his late wife in his dream which left him awake for the past few hours as he lay replaying his dream and the encounter with the lady from the night. He eventually tired himself and went in for a shower which he returned a few minutes later wearing a towel around his waist. He had only stepped into his room when there came a knock and the door was benevolently pushed open by Alonzo, holding a coffee mug. "Morning Vinci," Alonzo greeted as he approached Leandro near the window before handing him the mug. "Perfect scope for the morning," Leandro commented while gazing out the window. "Don't you think so?" He adds. "Perfect it is" Alonzo replies. There was a bit of silence before Alonzo resumed speaking. "We got a piece of information on his location. Would you prefer that I handle it?" He made a slight turn to look at Leandro. Leandro takes a drink of his coffee and turns. "No. Let's pay him a pleasant visit" He offers. "Yes, Sir," Alonzo replied and start to move toward the door. "Prepare the old man's artwork" He ordered placing the coffee mug on the desk. "Yes, Sir" Alonzo assured before ultimately leaving the room. Leandro walks out of his walk-in closet after a few minutes had elapsed, formally portrayed. He approached his side desk and opened a luxury wooden watch case that had been placed there while he was busy in his closet, and then he unfurled the white piece of fabric uncovering the Patek Philippe wristwatch he had purchased at the auction and was about to pick up the wristwatch when his cell phone went off. Bringing the phone to his ear, he says "Vinci," He listens for a while "Okay. Thank you" He said and dropped his cell phone back on the desk before putting on the wristwatch which clapped around his wrist like they were specifically made for it. "Morning dad" Lucetta's melody voice intrudes Leandro's ear as he places a kiss on her temple then another on Aurelio's temple. "Morning dad" Aurelio also addresses. They each sip on a warm glass of milk. With their mother being out of the picture since Lucetta was born Leandro has been making sure they both never lack the love of a father, although his expression only changes slightly when with them, sometimes it never does, even so, his affection for his two children cannot be adequately expressed in words. They both had great significance for him. "Hey, sweetheart," Leandro says to Lucetta "How was your night?" "Fine. I'll be having a piano lesson today" She tells him. "I know, sweetheart. I know" A tender smile flickers across his face like a hologram. "Greco will be taking you both to the book store, your big brother wants to pick up some good books, you see if anyone interests you, okay?" "Okay, Dad" She nods. "Hey, tough guy," He says placing his palm on Aurelio's shoulder. "Take care of your little sister, would you?" He slightly raises a brow and Aurelio nods. "Good. I know you would" He tells him before leaving their presence. "Alonzo" Leandro calls while walking toward him. "You got?" "Bianca sent some information. Luigi Fontana has expressed interest in striking a deal with us. She's asking if to accept the contract?" Alonzo stated handing the iPad to Leandro. "How significant is the deal?" He inquires about, receiving the iPad. "The first transaction was stated to be 400 million" Leandro looked through the contract and then hands back the iPad. "What say you?" Alonzo queries. "Accept the contract" "Yes Sir" He nodded and jointly started moving next to Leandro once the mafia initiated a move. "About the lady from last night," Alonzo began. "Yes?" "The woman is identified as Ginevra Speranza. She was raised in an orphanage and is twenty-three years old. I had lodged her in a hotel last night as she's currently homeless because the proprietor of the flat where she resided forced her packing due to the damage the squad she owed had produced" Alonzo informed him. "Did you learn how she got to owe them?" "She did admit that she had assisted a man in keeping some drugs. However, she got rubbed and the man wants his drug back or the equivalent" He explains as he followed Leandro who was now making his way to the front door. "I presume she wasn't able to pay and that led to last night" Leandro didn't say anything as he walked past the entrance, although he appeared to be thinking, and yet he made no attempt to remark on what had been told to him. In contrast, Alonzo seemed to handle the sudden silence quite well, perhaps he was accustomed to his boss's attitude. They drew nearer to a black Grand Cherokee L Jeep, Alonzo instantly pulled open the backseat door and Leandro entered before Alonzo took the passenger seat. "First head to the sea site" "Yes, boss" The driver responded mannerly and immediately rounded out of the entrance heading for the long driveway across the property. A car pulls onto a driveway and is eventually brought to a stop before a man stepped out. He opens the backseat door and grabs the shopping bags from the seat. Humming to a song, he unlocks his front door only to notice his television was on. His expression became consumed by panic knowing fully well he never left the device on, notwithstanding his fear, he still managed to walk into the living room where no other but Leandro Vinci sits comfortably on the cushion watching a show on the television. "Hm-nm, I say this little vacation is absolutely invigorating, don't you think so, Callan Renato?" Leandro's voice pierces the tense silence before he turns his head in the direction of the man. "Now, hello there"