Mafia's Obsession

Julia shook a wave of blonde hair behind her ear as she wiped the table vigorously. Her mother, Mrs Bianchi, had gone out to get some stuff. They just had a few minutes till the restaurant would open. As she wiped each table, her gaze surveyed the entire area. Her father had built the place with her mother before passing away. She could still imagine him juggling the customer's orders while her mum did the cooking. A tear fell from her eye. Those days are long gone; they are now simply memories. Soon, she heard a vehicle approaching, it stopped in front of the restaurant building. She was surprised to see a customer this early so she removed her apron and walked quickly to the door. Approaching her from the vehicle was not just one but three assumed customers. “Good day, sirs. We are not fully open yet; would you want to-” Her words were cut short with a quick shove fromone of the men. The three men dressed in dark suits entered the restaurant and began scanning the whole space as if they were looking for something. Still in shock from the push, Julia rose and confronted them angrily. “What do you want?” She yelled, “and who gave you the right to push me like that?” The guy disregarded her query, “Who is in control here?” “My mom, but she is out,” Julia answered, still furious. “Like I said, we are not fully open yet so please leave.” The man who had pushed her turned to face her fiercely before grinning and asking, “Did you just mention your mum? Then you must be Bianchi's late daughter. You are really bold, just like him.” “How do you know about my father?” Julia inquired, hoping they would not perceive her dread. The man took two steps forward, leaving hisescorts behind. He grinned again as he approached her and stroked his index finger behind her ear, pulling her hair back. Julia felt uneasy at his touch and slapped his hand away. “You've got some nerve,” he smirked. “You have absolutely no right to touch me.” She yelled, but it had no effect on them, as they started giggling. The man turned to his escorts, “Don't you think Don would like her?” They both nodded. He bent over to her ears, “Soon, you won't have a say about your body.” He whispered and trailed his tongue round her earlobe. Before she could retaliate, he collected a large envelope from one of the men behind him and slammed it on her chest. “You just have a few days left, dearie.” he said as she stared at the envelope.“What is this?” “A little surprise. Why don't you uncover it with your mum.” he said and walked towards the exit not forgetting to give her a wink. “See you soon!” He grinned and licked his lips seductively before leaving. When they were gone, Julia fell to her knees trembling. She reflected on the drama that had just occurred but could not make sense of everything that had happened. She suddenly remembered the lick on her earlobe and grabbed the rag she had placed on the table to clean her ear. “Disgusting.” She murmured to herself. A few minutes later, Mrs Bianchi came back with a bag of groceries. Seeing the smile on her mother's face, she decided to wait and tell her all that had happened later. When no customer was forthcoming, Julia brought her mother to sit down and brought out the envelope. “Some men came by and left this envelope,” she said, handing it to her. On opening it, Mrs Bianchi's expression changed to a fearful look. “Did they do anything to you? Did they harass you?” she asked while examining her daughter's body. “I took care of it,” She lied, “but can you tell me what all this is about?” Her mother's voice began to tremble, “Your dad.” “My dad? What happened? What did he do?” “He took a loan from Rossini Financial Holdings to help stabilize the restaurant when it was crashing down. I warned him against it but he had high hopes that he would recover the money in five years. Then he got in that accident that claimed his life.” “The Rossini Financial Holdings?” Julia asked.