Chapter 9

Giovanni Rossi had promised to apologize, but he remained silent, simply staring at the young man, Aaron.

"Do we know each other?" Aaron asked, trying to break the awkwardness caused by the man's intense gaze.

The question seemed to snap the man out of his daze and he replied, "No, I just wanted to offer my apologies for blocking your way."

"Oh, it's no big deal," Kira replied. "Just ask your driver to move your car."

"I'll take care of it right away. But to make it up to you, how about a dinner with me?"

"Maybe another time," Myra replied as she urged her family to get into their car.

"Goodbye," said Aaron and Kira, as Myra and her fiancé nodded slightly before getting into their own car to head back to the manor. Myra and Alexeï got into one of the cars, while Kira and Aaron boarded another.

Giovanni got into his car and instructed his driver to hurry.

"To the airport," he ordered. "And have Flavio investigate these people. I know one of them, Alexeï Dostoïevski. That's a good starting point."

"Alexeï Dostoïevski? The son of..."

"Yes, that's him. Let's go now."

Their departure was abrupt. What Giovanni felt for the young Aaron was a little too artificial to be called love or affection, but Giovanni felt a certain desire towards this young man whose name he didn't even know.

Barely arrived in Italy, the results of the requested investigation were already in his inbox. He consulted them almost immediately.

All the information about the young man he was interested in, including his family and Alexei's family, was there.

"So he's the heir of the Smirnovs!" he exclaimed with a smirk, taking a sip of whiskey.

The voice of a woman in the distance sounded, noticing the small smug smile on Giovanni Rossi's face. It was his younger sister, Olivia Rossi.

"Hello little sister, look at this photo," Giovanni showed her an image of Aaron.

"Is this some kind of artificial intelligence creation?" Olivia asked.

"No, he is a real person. Human. I have seen this individual with my own eyes," Giovanni asserted.

"No way, you're kidding!" Olivia exclaimed incredulously.

"It's the truth."

"Are you sure?"

"It's up to you to believe me or not, but I'm telling you the truth."

"And what do you intend to do with this guy?" Olivia asked, curious.

"Just have some fun! But knowing his background, and his father's reputation, it could be a dangerous but exciting game," Giovanni replied with a smile.

"And who is this guy's father?"

"It's Ivan Smirnov."

"Ivan Smirnov? The Ivan Smirnov that we know?" Even Olivia knew him. She was also a prominent figure in her brother's organization.

"Yes, exactly."

"Do as you wish, but I recommend you not to get involved in this story."

Giovanni Rossi was bisexual, attracted to both men and women. However, he had a preference for women, finding their bodies softer and more welcoming. He couldn't really be called a womanizer, as he wasn't the one chasing after conquests, but the other way around. He enjoyed the pleasures offered to him without being ungrateful.

However, it was the first time he felt a genuine interest in someone to the point of doing research and desiring them fervently in his bed.

Giovanni's sister was deeply worried about him. It was true that Giovanni was a cruel man, shaped by Alberto Rossi, one of Italy's most feared and ruthless criminals, even in the world. Rossi engaged in all kinds of illegal activities: organ trafficking, human trafficking, arms sales...But what pleased him the most was raping and torturing young virgin women, and sometimes even killing them. Being raised by this man had made Giovanni...

At the age of seventeen, Giovanni found out that his father was the assassin of his mother, that he had tortured her. The discovery of the truth about his father had been a shock for Giovanni. He already hated him but this time it was too much. He saw red, was overcome by uncontrollable rage. He put an end to his father's life by inflicting a slow and painful death on him, just as he had done to his mother, Catarina Lopez. This act marked a turning point in his life. He realized that the only way to survive in this cruel world was to be even more ruthless than his opponents.

He quickly took over his father's organization, thus becoming one of the most feared men in the country. His reputation for cruelty and efficiency had crossed the borders of Italy, making him a feared figure in the criminal world on an international scale.

Despite his charming and seductive appearance, Giovanni hid a boundless darkness. He took a malicious pleasure in making his victims suffer, mentally and physically torturing them before eliminating them without any remorse. He had become an incarnation of evil, a soulless and compassionless monster.

Giovanni's sister knew it was too late to turn back, to save him from his own darkness. She just contented herself with always being there for him, hoping that one day he would find redemption, even though she knew it was unlikely. Olivia and him had the same father but different mothers. Olivia had been raised by her maternal family while Giovanni by their father but they had always been close. Since their childhood.

But because of the upbringing he had from their father and what he had subjected him to, Giovanni Rossi became a dangerous and cruel man, a separate being who even terrified the most hardened criminals. But he hid his true self behind his mocking smile and gentlemanly demeanor.