Chapter 38

Domenico POV: 

It was never easy was it? Always some little rat trying to get away, some little nat buzzing in your ear, some big dog trying to claim the throne. He had left me impressed with the big swing he took. Hitting my drug shipments was smart, that was where I made most of my money and how I used my intimidation the most. My influence stretched far with the intoxication of my goods, leaving me without them meant people would get impatient. He had left me distracted, and weak. Or he would have if I were a lesser man. 

Luckily my drug factories were aware of our ongoing distribution problems and sought to quickly ship out a new batch. How very kind of them and in turn I let them live, they got my money flowing again and kept my investors happy. 

I knew she had something to do with this, she would be out for blood after learning what had befallen her mother. She was making it slow though, and wanted me to feel afraid. I had to chuckle with pride at that. There was a reason I saw her as my successor, she had the drive and the cunning to do what needed to be done. 

Her sister on the other hand, I pinched the bridge of my nose thinking of her shrieking. 

In a desperate and foolish attempt to keep favor with me, she had attempted to kidnap her sister. If she thought she was smart enough to get one over on her elder, she was sorely mistaken. When I had heard I almost put my fist through the wall, of course, I knew kidnapping may be the only way to get my daughter under my roof again. What I had wanted was for her to be unsuspecting. 

Instead, my simpleton second daughter had jumped the gun and shown our hand. For that I'd had to punish her, she was now under house arrest. She hadn't left her room since she had returned home that day, going quite feral. She had attempted to berate the guards and seduce them, and eventually, she attacked one of them. Unfortunately, she had my temper but not my restraint. 

I did have to let her out eventually otherwise I'd be down two daughters and Guilia did have her merits. She had an exceptional capacity to turn any man into putty with the bat of her eyelashes. I needed that every once in a while and I needed it now. 

The next threat would be very clear, I wouldn't dare harm Arianna but if I could take out a good chunk of his upper men that would put a smile back on my face. 

I nodded and my man went off to fetch the headache. 

She got into the room disheveled and viscous I saw the electric sting in her eyes as she looked at me but she smiled sweetly. If only she was smart enough to cover all her face. 

"How have you been?" I asked tapping my cigar into the ashtray sitting in the leather chairs in my office barely looking at her. 

"Just. Fine," She gritted sitting down opposite me. 

"You understand why I had to keep you inside correct?" I looked over at the fire waiting for the tantrum she usually would throw. 

"I acted without your orders," She instead calmly replied. I smiled it was rare that she took this approach, trying to play me. I sighed and chuckled but let it slide. 

"Well if you've learned your lesson then you are more than welcome to leave your room," I told her. "All I need you to do is a small favor," 

She sat back in her chair appraising me. "What favor?" 

I tossed her a photo of a man getting up to pour myself another drink. "Get this man to deliver a package for me," I told her. 

She looked at the photo of him on the city street. "Daddy he's a delivery man," SHe stated it like I was the simpleton. 

I exhaled an exhausted breath not five minutes back into my presence and she was already getting on my nerves. "Yes darling but he's going to have to go into a specific building and he'll need the motivation to do so, that's where you come in," I handed her her usual drink a Cosmo. 

She took it relishing in the taste and examining the photo. "Should be a piece of cake," She shrugged one shoulder. "But I'll need a new dress and my nails done," She held her hand pointing out the chipped nail polish. 

"Of course," I handed over her purse with her cards and she hopped up and pranced out of the room without a second glance. 

I nodded over to one of my men. "Have her followed she's up to something," I told him. 

Didn't matter what it was, she wasn't capable of pulling it off, she wasn't even capable of getting her ideas off the ground. 

A few days later she returned to me dropping into the same chair and typing on her phone. "It's done he'll deliver it tomorrow morning," She kept her eyes on her phone as she texted some other girl who was just as unwitting as she was. 

"Good," I noted moving on with my work. I had no doubt that the boy would do as requested, the one thing Guilia triumphed at was fooling men. Just take Giovanni's nitwit cousin we had been poking holes in his infrastructure bit by bit taking out high ranking men and women in his organization, all with the help of Marco. When we finally struck a blow Giovanni would have no one to trust to help him rebuild. 

I slept soundly that night dreaming of the chaos the next day would bring, I wanted him rattled, and I would play on my daughter's good heart. She would feel such a heavy weight on her shoulders she might get it in her head to come home to keep the innocents safe. 

I went to the office settling in early that day, taking my espresso and morning cigar as I waited. I walked over to the window looking in the general direction, I was sure I'd be able to see from here. An eye for an eye, Giovanni. 

The explosion was close enough it rattled the office the smoke cloud puffing into the sky people clamored over to see as I grinned in content victory. It's a shame that the delivery boy had to pay the price, but it was all part of the game. 

"Your move," I told him as I walked back to my office.