To Play The Devil’s Game

Chapter 17

‘’They didn’t manage to get anything right?’’ Luciana asked.

They had just gotten back from the operation and were now in the grand hall with Alessandro who wanted to hear all about the operation. From seeing their faces alone, he knew that their operation had gone very smoothly. If it hadn’t, Luciana would no doubt be crossed and even livid.

Alessandro couldn’t quite understand it but he knew when she was angry, sad or even happy. It was an innate feeling within him that couldn’t be quenched. Right now, he knew she was quite satisfied at the success of the operation.

‘’How did it go?’’ Alessandro asked.

‘’Splendid.’’ Luciana said.

She began to give him all the details of the operation. As she spoke, she was quite glad to see the pleasant look on his face. Luciana didn’t even want to think about what could have happened if the operation had turned out to be a disaster. No doubt, it would have been very awful and that might even quicken her father’s death.

‘’Wow! That’s really good.’’ Alessandro said.

A rare smile graced his lips and in that moment, Luciana could see that he was a very handsome man. This was actually the first time she had seen him smile and it suited him.

‘’Wow! You should smile more often.’’ Luciana chuckled.

‘’I will kid. It's just that some of the things that happen doesn’t warrant me smiling.’’ Alessandro said.

Luciana remained quiet as she thought about what he had just said. No doubt, there was a whole lot of sense in what he said. Some of the attacks they had faced in recent times weren’t good at all. They were barely living by a single thread and Luciana’s plan was the only thing that could bring back their lost glory.

‘’Then you have nothing to fear Alessandro because i will make sure that you smile henceforth.’’ Luciana said.

At that moment, she was overcomed with a lot of emotions. She rushed towards him, giving him a big bear hug. Alessandro was very surprised by this and he had no idea when he hugged her back. He fought the tears that threatened to all down his cheeks. There were many things that some of the Andreas didn’t know. Some of which he had sworn to take to his grave.

With a flick of her hand, Luciana ordered the men to leave the hall where they were. She had a feeling that she and Alessandro were about to have a very serious talk and it was one that she didn’t want the men listening to.

‘’Alright Alessandro, i think it's time to tell me what’s wrong.’’ Luciana said.

She drew out one of the high backed chairs, pushing it to face him. They needed to talk and this was the perfect time to do that. Luciana could swear that there was something going on in his mind that he wasn’t quite comfortable with to talk about.

‘’Give Alessandro.’’ Luciana said, pinning him with a very serious look.

Alessandro laughed, a full belly laughter. His deep voice reverberated all around the hall. Luciana couldn’t help but laugh with him because his laughter was very infectious.

‘’So you can laugh like this?’’ Luciana said.

Alessandro quietened down, still chuckling. Luciana who was beside him grinned like there was no tomorrow.

‘’Of course, I do laugh. I’m not a sadist.’’ he chuckled.

‘’Wait! How’s my father?’’ Luciana asked with a worried look on her face.

‘’He's a fine child. Just resting.’’ Alessandro said.

Luciana sighed, wishing that her father would get better. Sometimes, when she looked at him she really wished there was something she could do to make his pain go away. It hurt her to think that her father was slowly crawling to his grave.

‘’Okay.’’ Luciana sighed.

Alessandro placed a hand on her’s, silently reassuring her that everything would be fine. He actually knew how she felt and all of her fear. That memory was also part of the many things he was finding hard to share but with her here with him, he knew he had to tell her all about his many thoughts.

‘’So Alessandro, I know there’s many things going on in your head. What is it?’’ Luciana said.

‘’There are some things you do not know child.’’ he began.

‘’Wait! Can you just stop being childish… I’m not a child Alessandro and you should know that by now.’’ Luciana chuckled.

It was getting annoying now but she knew that there were some things she just couldn’t change. Him calling her ‘’child’’ almost all the time was something she couldn’t quite change.

‘’Okay… Okay, sorry Diabla.’’ he chuckled.

‘’Hmph much better.’’ Luciana smiled.

A dark look crossed his eyes as his mind went back to those thoughts. They were thoughts he had sworn not to revisit but it kept coming back to him with full force. The memories of those images he had seen wouldn’t leave him for a very long time and Alessandro had a feeling that for the rest of his life he would forever be tormented by that image.

‘’I can practically see your mind spinning. What’s the matter Alessandro?’’ Luciana asked.

‘’It happened a long time ago,’’ he began.

Luciana stood up for a bit as she made her way towards the liquor cabinet. She had a strong feeling that she would need a drink for whatever Alessandro was about to tell her. Luciana knew that whatever it was, it was a very difficult thing for him to reveal.

‘’My daughter, she was only fifteen when it happened.’’

Upon hearing that, Luciana gripped her glass with a tight fist. She had a very bad feeling about all this but yet, she still wanted to hear what he had to say.

‘’She was brutally r***d by some of the Fontana’s men.’’ he said.

‘’What the f**k?!’’ Luciana shouted.

Alessandro laughed but this time, it was a dry heartless laughter that was devoid of joy and happiness. It just felt like something had sucked out all of his happiness. He was a different person than how he was the last time he had laughed. Now, he was just a shell of his former self which left Luciana sad and angry.

‘’How did it happen?’’ Luciana asked.

‘’She was coming back from school one evening when these… savages blocked her path and brutally gang r***d her. They were three of them and… my little girl didn’t survive it.’’ he said the last part quietly.

Luciana downed the rest of her drink in one gulp, pouring extra shots into another glass cup for him. She took it to him as she watched him drink everything in one gulp. That had been a very strong drink but he had taken everything like he was drinking pepsi.

‘’I’m so sorry Alessandro.’’ Luciana sighed.

She placed her hands on his, silently reassuring him. She knew that there was no amount of reassurance that could bring his daughter back but she knew that the little she was doing now would go a long way in mending his broken heart. It was heartless what the Fontana’s did and Luciana silently made her vow to deal with them until the very last one of them died.

That was a promise she had made to herself and to her father but at that moment, she had to make that promise to Alessandro too because he was also a victim of Fontana's evil.

‘’There’s no need to apologize to Diabla. My little girl is gone and she’s gone forever.’’ he sighed.

‘’I promise you Alessandro that i will make this people pay even if it is the last thing i do.’’ Luciana said with venom in her eyes.

She had never been this angry in her entire life and she welcomed the anger with a renewed strength. That was what she needed to do and she was quite glad that with her anger came the determination to succeed. Nothing and absolutely nothing could ever stop her from taking her pound of flesh from the Fontana’s. They had hurt the people she cared for in ways that couldn’t even be explained.

‘’How about her mother?’’ Luciana asked.

Alessandro chuckled, pushing his glass on the table. Luciana knew he needed a refill and she gladly obliged him. This wasn’t the time to lecture him about his alcohol intake because in a way, they were all mourning and alcohol would numb all of their pains.

‘’Here.’’ she said, placing the glass in front of him.

‘’Thank you.’’ he said with a shaky voice.

Luciana had never seen him this emotional and she knew that there was more to whatever he had just told her and she badly wanted to hear it all.

‘’She died when my little girl was only five. Ovarian cancer took her.’’ she said.

‘’Oh my gosh! Alessandro, i am so sorry.’’ Luciana said.

She was also fighting back tears because in that moment, one of them had to be strong for the other. It wouldn’t do them any good if the both of them were a crying mess.

As Luciana thought about it, she couldn’t help but think that Alessandro was a sad man. He was living a very sad life and there was no amount of happiness that could bring him back to the way he was before.

‘’That is why I really want this plan to work. I want you to crush the Fontana’s with everything you have. Luciana, only that would be my happiness.’’ he said.

Luciana mulled over his words and she realized that he was actually right. His greatest happiness would come from knowing that the Fontana’s were defeated and only then could his heart be at peace.

‘’I promise you Alessandro, I will do my very best in bringing justice. Not only yo you but to the entire Andreas family.’’ Luciana vowed.

Alessandro took her hands in his, kissing her palm. In the Andreas home, that was a sign of acceptance, a sign that the person was onboard with the whole plan.

‘’Thank you.’’ Alessandro smiled.

Luciana tipped her glass towards him, accepting his response. A few minutes later, there was a loud cry that rattled the whole mansion. With horror in her eyes, Luciana knew that that cry had come from her father.

‘’Papa.’’ she muttered.

Like a lightning bolt, Luciana got to her feet, running with all her might. Alessandro followed closely behind her and he soon overtook her. This was a coy plan within him to get to where the don was before her.

He feared that what she might see wouldn’t be a good thing and he wanted to assess the situation first before he determined whether he could allow Luciana see what was inside. As he thought about this plan, he knew that it might not work because whether he liked it or not, Luciana would force her way in.

The ground doctors who had apparently heard the scream were already inside when they got there and one look at them, Luciana knew that her father was never coming back.

She held Alessandro’s hands, squeezing the life out of it but the big man took everything with a stoic look on his face.

‘’Sunset has fallen.’’ one of the doctors said.

‘’No.’’ Luciana cried out.

She rushed towards her father’s still warm body, falling at the side of the bed. Her papa was gone and in that moment, Luciana knew that she would never have someone call her Mija ever again.