Chapter 8: Goodbye, right?

[Where is your boss? Will you stop pretending not to know?! Where is your boss?!!] 

I could hear Isabelle shouting at the security I arranged for her on the other line. They had been having a hard since she returned home from work. Noticing everyone was not home, Isabelle was on everyone's tail since she noticed Code X was gone too; which never happened. Throwing a fit, these guards' patience had reached its peak. 

"Mmm, I'm almost done."

I turned around with Antonio at the end of the table and the important heads of the family seated on the side, waiting for someone to speak or break the ice. It was rare for everyone to be in the same place at once to discuss important matters but no one dared to speak. Even though Edward was there, he did not take his chance to speak nonsense but instead, he kept looking at my assistant, Richard. 

"Will you stop undressing my assistant for a minute?" 

Edward looked at me and rolled his eyes before he refuted, "Will you stop being a nuisance—"

"Enough!" 

Hearing my father say the word "enough" three times tonight made the word useless. He was trying hard how to handle the issue. The evidence Richard presented to the family was refuttable and he had to make a decision or the family heads from different divisions would take actions he did not want. When the excitement slimmed down, the dangerous aura dissipated, and everyone finally calmed down, he simply tapped the table and his secretary came in. 

"Where have you been?" Looking at me with his stern face. 

"I went somewhere peaceful to recuperate." 

"Blood was found in the shoot-out, you should see a doctor after today. As the current head of the family, you should've been more careful. We have wasted a lot of energy and money on dealing with this one. This is your slowest by far."

"Geez, thank you for the compliment, Dad. I almost died by the way. But no worries, I had a wonderful nurse who took care of me."

I looked around with them expecting I would flip out like usual but I calmed down and I was determined to put Antonio in the right place, this time. "Anyway, your incompetent son took time but believe me I had fun dealing with them. This man got smarter and I can't figure out why."

"I've always been the smart one in the family, you're just too high on your throne to see it."

"Shut up!" Secretary Han spoke and immediately zipped Antonio's foul mouth. 

The idea of Antonio growing brains was still an improvement from his easy-to-guess strategy to a better ploy this time. The family could see how desperate he was but none were interested in joining hands with him or punishing him. 

"What do you think we should do, Secretary Han?"

"I have informed the master of the options but he wants you to deal with it. This time the enterprise and Association plus the Cartel were involved with the young masters' games. He expressed his utter disappointment with how this was handled. He mentioned you know best what to do."

"Deal with the Cartel separately and have the authorities handle them, drugs are involved. Tell the Association, Rossi has no interest in taking a seat in the council, no negotiation will be needed." 

As his secretary continued to jot down his instructions, the family stayed quiet until he looked at my assistant and said, 

"You,"

My father was known for his strict implementation of rules and he was never pleased if one committed a mistake, not even to his own son. 

"You should smile a little and relax. You did good in handling these trivial things, my son was not wrong in putting his trust in you."

Gasping in harmony, everyone in the family was speechless, even my stoic assistant had a sudden change in expression on his face as if the world had sullen his future. 

"Sir, I know I did not do the right thing in protecting the young master but I will do better this time. If you—"

"I am not kicking you out of the family, I am telling you just now that your decisions and actions are commendable. I want you to sort this out on your own. And you, Dominic, learn to grow up a little and stop playing games."

"Life without a little fun will become more boring than Richard."

"You chose your own people, you handle that. Antonio, see me in my office after tonight."

***

"Where have you been?!" Isabelle shouted as soon as I opened the front door. 

Seeing my cousin Emily eating the food I had in the fridge, and even emptying my fruit bowl, I felt relieved, they were waiting for us to come home and the anxiety must have eaten them out. 

"Enjoying yourself, aren't you?" Asking her was pointless but I had to. "The last time we saw each other, you've gained weight."

She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out, apparantly everyone in the family was eccentric. My cousin Eddie was the most eccentric one, he lived by that comment and continued to prove everyone he was. Emily was more like a spoiled kid trapped in a woman's body.

"Where have you been?"

"In the hospital," I briefly answered her, and Isabelle was all over the place. 

"Why? Did you get hurt? Is your wound hurting you? Did you drink your medicine? Where's Code? And why aren't you answering any of my questions?!"

"You asked too many questions, just chill. Look, I'm fine. I went to the hospital because I was dragged there. Code is currently in the hospital for further observation. We are all fine, Antonio is dealt with." 

Isabelle's facial expression continued to change and as soon as she knew about Antonio's situation she became ecstatic.

"So that means I can go home?" She asked. 

"Mmm…"

"I can go to work without these flies around me?"

"Mmm…"

"I can finally leave this prison cell, right?!"

I stopped, even hesitated to look at her. I was not even sure what I should tell her, but to see how happy she looked when she knew she could finally leave me and forget this experience, I felt something different. After all, after tonight, it would be our goodbye.

"You went out early this morning, I thought you'd leave without saying anything. But good thing you are back. I have something for you."

She looked genuine in what she said until she handed over a list of receipts and looked at me, 

"If you could please reimburse all of the things I paid for you during the recovery, then this is goodbye." 

Isabelle was an ordinary person who unfortunately got involved in our business, implicating her further was never a choice for me. I would hate to see her suffer because I wanted to be part of her life. So before we fall, I should stop and let her choose her peace. 

"I'll arrange everything, you'll hear from Richard. If there's nothing else, I'm going to turn in for the night."

"I won't see you in the morning, will I?"

I looked back at her and asked, "Do you want to see me?"

She gently shook her head and reached out her hand for a handshake;

"It was a great pleasure to know you, Dominic Rossi. I hope our paths will never cross again."

And gave a smile that became my nightmare for the next three days. 

***

I would lay awake all night wanting to hear the same noise Isabelle would unconsciously make, the hush tones of her innocent questions whenever she would have a chance to ask Richard. But now, those had become a distant memory.

I could no longer hear her hurried footsteps in the morning or the smell of her shampoo as she passed my room. The smell of the coffee machine in the morning and her incessant refusal of the security team.

"Boss," a knock on my door was heard and that brought me back to reality. A reality that I forgot existed, I had a company to run and a family to manage. 

"Antonio?"

"He was given a choice by the master, leave the family or suffer the consequences."

"And what did he choose?"

"He chose the latter one and was demoted to work under Edward's business."

"Edward? That's crazy."

"The second young master requested for him...personally."

Working under Edward was a strange choice and a bad one. That man worked in the entertainment circle, he had an outgoing personality and would meet anyone who wanted to meet him and do business. He owns and co-owns entertainment companies and bars. So if Edward requested Antonio then it only meant one thing, he wanted Antonio to work like a dog for him. 

"That's bad news." 

***

[Your newest acquisition, how was it? Have you met the board of directors? Are we calculating our profit—]

"Dad, we're fine. I did not use any of the funds from the Rossi. I'll handle this on my own."

[You better be. Stop playing in your mom's condominium and go home.]

"Mmm"

My relationship with my father had become complicated over the years and we never speak of it or discuss anything outside work and the family. My father was a different person after my mother died. 

Arriving at the hospital to formalize the acquisition changed everything, a 'mafia' owned hospital would change a lot of things. I sat in the meeting for almost half a day, these meetings were done virtually in the past but,

"We'll take you around the see the whole hospital and the facilities."

"Mmm…"

Richard was standing behind me as the current chairman explained each department and facility the hospital offers, acquiring the hospital was a spur-in-the-moment decision. Something I did not want to do but I still did. Listening to the endless chatter of the hospital chairman I may need to hire him back as the CEO and just let him run it. 

"I don't need the details if you have something—"

I was about to finish what I wanted to say when a group of nurses passed around the lobby, laughing happily and discussing something interesting. I could see her smile and live a life without worries, seeing that hazel eyes flickered brought a new emotion to me. 

"Dominic? Sir, are you listening to me?"

Richard cleared his throat and President Garner continued as I fixate myself to the woman standing in the vendo machine,

"Thus, the hospital hopes that during the acquisition, our employees will have a place in the new management."

"Don't worry, President Garner, I won't involve myself much in the business, you still have the power to decide on important things for the hospital. I'm simply putting a lot of my money into owning a hospital for the future of our family."

"Well, it's all settled then. We will have the turnover next week and send you a monthly report. You can check the other department if you have time."

I gave him a polite smile before shaking his hands, "Another time, I still have business meetings to attend to. I'll see you around."

No one knew how much I wanted to say hi to her and looked at those hazel eyes but my world, my people and my power intimidated her and I could not destroy her promising future, so I chose to leave without saying a word to her. 

***

From the noisy hustle of the town center, Edward had a quick business in the area. He was managing his newly opened bar when a familiar figure came in with a glass of lemon water on the tray, 

"Your water is here."

"Excuse me?"

"Your water is here, young master Edward." 

"Good, know your place or else."

Antonio rolled his eyes as he followed Edward to the next room he greeted a few of his investors and flirted with some of the girls who were desperate to throw themselves to him. Antonio had a good laugh at it privately as he knew his real preference. 

"That will be all for tonight, I'll see you in the morning, do not be late."

"Excuse me?"

It was half past 3 am and Edward wanted to see him at 7 in the office the next morning, if this was not the punishment he deserved what else could it be? Antonio was not in the position to complain, his hands were shackled, and he had no friends and no money. 

All who colluded with them disappeared overnight and worse his contact with the outside world was controlled and monitored. 

"This is worse than prison." 

He was standing in the alley waiting for a car ride, he took out a cigar and forgot he did not have a lighter with him, when a mysterious man in a black coat volunteered to light it for him. 

"Do you want to know why Dominic Rossi survived the attack?"

"Who are you?"

"I think my name is not important, but an enemy of an enemy is a friend,"

Antonio looking all amused puffed out his cigar and said, "What's in it for you?"

"You kill her, you'll have your revenge."

"Her?"

The man showed a photo of a nurse working in the university hospital, wearing scrubs and was guarded by Dominic's men, 

"The untamed lion finally has a weakness after all." 

—

3 am my phone vibrated until it committed suicide and fell from my bedside table, it did not stop until I decided to take a look at it.

Richard left 50 missed calls and it was unusual for him to reach my whereabouts until I listened to one of his voice messages, 

[Sir, we have a problem.]

I immediately called him back and I knew he was gasping for air as if he was trying to catch someone or running away from someone, 

"Speak…"

[Ms. Harper is gone.]