The Mafia Boss's First Love

Chapter 13

UPON ARRIVING AT THE CLUB, Samara did not get out of Elijah’s car immediately. She turned to face him and glared, causing Elijah to look back at her.

"What?"

"You’ve taken me under your wing, haven’t you? So why can’t I come with you to the manor and be there while you punish Congressman Dimaano?" Samara complained.

Samara desperately wanted to witness the punishment Elijah would inflict on the congressman, yet he had driven her straight back to the club, which had closed early due to the disturbance earlier that evening.

"It’s late. You should rest."

"So what if it’s already late at night? I’m not a child, Mr. Penelton—"

"—you have done enough today, Samara. Get off now and take your rest. I am your Don, and you must follow my orders." Elijah cut her off, which only made Samara frown harder at him.

"You are so bossy! I feel like I regret agreeing to be taken under your wing," Samara snapped, before she started unbuckling her seatbelt.

"There’s no turning back now. You are my underwing, so live with it," Elijah said, as Samara stepped out of the car and walked away.

Elijah suddenly felt a flicker of worry that Samara might change her mind. He rolled down the car window and watched her go, her back turned to him as she headed toward the club’s entrance.

"I’ll pick you up tomorrow by eight. Don’t forget—" Elijah wasn’t able to finish what he was saying because Samara had already disappeared inside the building.

"What the hell am I doing?" Elijah muttered to himself.

Elijah could no longer understand what was happening to him ever since he met Samara. Something had shifted, something was bothering him — the very reason why he ended up taking her as his underwing.

"I need to f*****g find out what this is all about," Elijah said, before starting the engine and driving away from the place.

INSIDE THE CLUB, Samara walked straight toward her room. She was already standing in front of her door when she was startled as it suddenly swung open, revealing Teresa right in front of her.

"s**t, Teresa! Why do you suddenly appear out of nowhere? And at this hour, too? What if I had a heart condition, huh?" Samara scolded, making Teresa roll her eyes at her.

"First of all, Sam, this is our room. I got up because I needed to use the bathroom. Second, you don’t have heart problems, so don’t be dramatic."

"So you woke up just to pee?"

"Isn’t that what I just said? Wait, why are you only getting back now? You bailed on us while we were cleaning the bar earlier, and now you come home late?" Teresa asked.

"You know exactly where I went, don’t you? I went along with Mr. Penelton and the others to pick up Congressman Dimaano," Samara answered as she entered the room, with Teresa following right behind her.

"Mr. Penelton allowed you to join them? Since when has our boss ever permitted an associate to come along on an unofficial mission?" Teresa asked, confused.

Samara decided not to keep her promotion a secret — that she was now part of the inner circle, the Underwing, of the Don of Senza Pietá.

"I’m not an associate anymore, Teresa. I am now part of Mr. Penelton’s Underwing," Samara announced.

Teresa’s eyes widened in shock, and she quickly moved closer to Samara.

"Are you serious? This isn’t a joke or some fantasy your mind made up, is it, Samara?"

"It’s not a joke, and it’s not a fantasy, okay? I’m not delusional. What I’m saying is true. Starting next week, I officially begin my role as Mr. Penelton’s underwing," Samara replied. Teresa looked utterly disbelieving at the news.

"But how? Wait, I’m so confused. From what I know, an associate has absolutely no chance of becoming part of Senza Pietá. So how did..."

"I know that rule, but Mr. Penelton is the one who personally recruited me. He said he saw potential in me. So who am I to say no? Especially since being his underwing puts me in a much better position to find out who really killed my parents," Samara explained.

"He… you were personally chosen by Mr. Penelton?"

"Weren’t you in a rush to use the bathroom, Teresa?" Samara reminded her. Teresa suddenly remembered why she had gotten up in the first place and quickly rushed out of the room.

Samara smiled to herself as she walked toward her closet to change her clothes, but she suddenly paused.

"Wait? Did Mr. Penelton say something earlier before he left? I heard his voice, but I didn’t pay attention because I was so annoyed with him. Maybe I just imagined it," Samara told herself, before finally continuing what she was doing.

MEANWHILE, UPON RETURNING to his manor, Elijah went straight to the basement located at the back of the estate. As he entered, he found his men stationed in their respective places:

Lorenzo was busy cleaning his gun. Vito was reading an encyclopedia. Casimiro sat quietly in the corner. And Tadeo stood watching Dimaano, who was hanging upside down, with a large drum of water placed directly beneath his head.

"Where’s Tieves?"

All four men turned to look at Elijah, pausing what they were doing.

"He took his daughter home. Do you need him here?" Vito asked.

"No. Let him be with his child."

"You spared Tieves’ life when you found out the reason why he was dealing with Congressman Dimaano in order to bring down Senza. You chose to help him and even saved his daughter. But now, you let him enjoy this moment — a moment where Tieves was supposed to be here too — even though he still tried to betray the organization. What happened to your ruthless judgment, Il Capo?" Lorenzo stated. Elijah looked at him with a cold, blank expression.

"Do you have a f*****g problem with my decisions, Salvatore? Does that bother you that much? Am I such a monster in your mind that you think I wouldn’t spare Tieves, even knowing the truth behind what he did?"

"I’m just asking a question, Il Capo."

"Asking? From the tone of your voice, Salvatore, it sounds like you actually wanted Tieves to be punished. Tieves hasn’t actually given any information to the enemy yet to deserve death. He almost did, yes — but he did it because he is a father. You wanted him dead, didn’t you? You wanted his daughter to be left an orphan—"

"—shut your mouth, Penecarte the Second! That is not what I meant, you i***t! Is it wrong to be curious about why our Don suddenly changed how he usually operates? Even if there was a good reason, the fact that Tieves almost betrayed Senza is a grave sin against our organization," Lorenzo snapped. Vito tapped his shoulder to calm him down.

"Enough with the curiosity, Salvatore. I’m sure our Don has his reasons for giving Tieves a second chance. Right, Penelton?" Vito turned to Elijah. But Elijah ignored him and turned his gaze toward Dimaano.

"Miro, wake him up," Elijah ordered.

Casimiro immediately stood up, scooped some water from the drum, and splashed it directly onto Dimaano’s face, making him cough and gasp as he woke up.

"Remind me later that I need to punch Penecarte the Second for running his mouth too much," Lorenzo muttered irritably, while Vito just patted his shoulder with a smirk.

"W-Where am I?" Dimaano stammered as he fully regained consciousness. When he realized his predicament, he turned his head to look at Elijah — seeing him upside down because of how he was hanging.

"M-Mr. Penelton… w-what are you going to do to me?! I told you, I only tried to find a way to take you down because I was following Moretti’s orders! Please spare me!" Dimaano begged.

"You wouldn't be following Moretti's orders if you didn't also want to bring down my organization. Don't try to play the victim card with me, Congressman — I won't buy it," Elijah replied coldly. He signaled Tadeo to bring what was needed.

"H-Have mercy, Mr. Penelton… I have children…"

"Mercy?" Elijah spoke in a chilling tone as Tadeo returned, dragging an electric shock machine that made Dimaano tremble in fear. "As far as I f*****g remember, I have absolutely no mercy for weeds like you who want to destroy and infiltrate my organization. Weeds like you? I cut you down completely, ensuring not even a single root remains. And regarding your children? They don’t need a father like you. Besides, your wife will never accept you back after everything she has learned. Death is the only fitting end for you, Congressman."

"Put the wires in the water," Elijah commanded.

Tadeo immediately placed the two live wires from the machine into the drum of water. Sparks of electricity crackled and danced across the surface.

"You’re gonna get roasted here, Congressman. It’ll hurt, but at least it sends you straight to hell," Tadeo mocked with a grin, while Dimaano struggled against his restraints.

"Mr. Penelton, I don’t want to die yet!" he cried and pleaded.

"Where is Moretti? Where can I find that asshole?" Elijah asked, his voice void of emotion.

"A-As far as I know, he is currently staying with his half-brother. Beyond that, I don’t know anything else, Mr. Penelton! I answered your question… you’ll spare my life, right?" Dimaano said hopefully, but Elijah only stared at him with icy detachment.

"I never said that I would spare you once you answered. Did I give you hope, even just a little bit, Dimaano?" Elijah asked. He turned his back and began to walk away. Dimaano tried to speak, but Tadeo quickly taped his mouth shut.

"Enjoy the pain of being roasted alive, Dimaano," Tadeo smirked. He stepped away from the hanging man, while Casimiro cut the rope binding Dimaano’s hands.

Dimaano fell straight down into the electrified water.

Elijah watched expressionlessly as Dimaano convulsed and thrashed inside the drum. Smoke began to rise from the water. As it overflowed, Dimaano’s blood slowly mixed and spread through it, until finally, he stopped moving completely.

"Bury him in the cemetery I made specifically for my enemies. Find the exact location of Moretti’s half-brother. And starting next week, Samara will officially be part of my Underwing," Elijah commanded.

He knew the announcement shocked everyone, yet Elijah walked straight out of the basement without waiting for a reaction, leaving the four men behind.

"Damn! Did I hear that right? Silas is now part of the Underwing?" Lorenzo blurted out.

"You heard it right, Salvatore. Whatever reason our Don has, we have no say in his decisions. I guess… Silas really captured the heart of our coldhearted Don," Vito said.

Tadeo’s jaw dropped in disbelief — because Samara was the only woman who had ever managed to catch their Don’s attention.