Chapter 7 If He's Not Preoccupied

“I’m sorry, little princess.” Delian gingerly caressed Althaea’s plump cheeks as she snuggled with a blue monster plush, drifting through a dream-filled sleep.

“Don’t worry, she has no idea,” Danae spoke from behind him, her approaching steps light to not wake her daughter. “But she was upset that her Prince Charming had to leave early. She even threatened him that she was going to sleep forever like Sleeping Beauty until he came back.” Danae giggled at the memory. “So what happened back there, Del?”

Her stepson didn’t know how to answer. Instead, he led her out of the room and took one last glance at the sleeping figure before gently closing the door. All he was able to say was, “Sorry I put Althaea in danger.”

“You know, I’ve seen you watch him the whole night. Did he do something to offend you?” The truth was, right from when they met, Del was the offensive one. But Rein seemed to have the patience of a saint to not sock him on the jaw after the latest debacle.

Was he supposed to say that it didn’t sit right with him how that Evander guy was able to draw the crowd to him like a magnet? Or that in their first meeting, Althaea instantly had a crush on him? Or most importantly, how easily his father approved of him and how he held the newcomer in high regard?

Danae saw as Del’s face began to darken and grimace. She did have an idea of what the answer was, seeing how green with envy Delian’s eyes were when Hector presented the consigliori with such a jovial welcome. He even insisted for the celebration be done at the Leofric estate, rather than the Evander’s.

“You don’t have to answer that. Well then, have a good night, but be sure to apologize to that young man.” Her usual sweet voice turned heavy at the advice. ”From the stories I heard from your father, Rein Evander led a harsh life. He deserves a perfect presentation to the mafia.”

Delian raised his eyebrow at the statement. How could that privileged man’s life be any harsher than the other families’ children? Granted, he didn’t know much since Rein’s history was almost non-existent. But still.

Three knocks on the widest door in the mansion and one “Come in.” later, Delian found himself back in his father’s study. “If you’re here to ask for an apology, you’re talking to the wrong person.”

The son bitterly replied, “I know. I already apologized to Danae and Althaea.”

“Just them?” Hector questioned while poring through different documents. Even on a day of festivities, the mafia businesses still ran.

“That’s why I came to you. Danae mentioned something about Rein’s life being difficult. I’d like to know more about him if we’re going to work together.” Delian still won’t trust his right-hand man which meant it would be better if he was more aware of who the man was.

“Alright then.”

An hour later, Delian closed the door of the office with a face grimmer than before. Taking out his phone, he quickly dialed his assistant.

“Sir? Is something wrong?” In all their years together, Delian only called Rafiq at night when there was an emergency. Rafiq began to get dressed.

“There’s no problem. Just wanted to tell you that we’re visiting the Evander estate early tomorrow,” His boss’ tone was unrecognizable. “It must be because of what he did today,” Rafiq thought.

“Of course, Sir.”

“Oh, and make sure to take the box of Remy Martin Louis XIII Cognac. Also, Beaufort cheese and some high-quality chocolates to go with it." The assistant grew quiet for a few seconds. Well, that is one expensive apology since the said cognac was more than thirty thousand dollars. Delian must feel really sorry if he was compelled to bring gifts.  

“Would you like some flowers to go with that?” Rafiq joked. With the exception of the liquor, it sounded like he was trying to make up with a lady.

Ever his oblivious boss, Delian responded with, “Alright, if that’s how people apologize these days.”

That late night, both Rein and Delian found it difficult to sleep. Despite the cool midnight air, an unsettling feeling sat on their chests. The silence made it easier for their thoughts to go off in their heads like alarms.

Rein was still confused on why she was angry at Delian’s attitude towards her instead of his actions. Was she upset that the heir didn’t recognize her, or that he didn’t treat her the same way as when she was Eirene?

Meanwhile, Delian has tossed and turned for the last thirty minutes, replaying his father’s tale in a loop.

“People consider him an orphan,” Hector started his story. “His mother, that wretched Eris, left them when he was only three years old.”

“Why?” Delian imagined a world where he never felt his mother’s soft, warm touch and it made the story much more depressing.

“She was caught siphoning money off the Evanders and ordering their spies to do her personal bidding. Which mostly consisted of extorting from anyone and threatening loan sharks to whom she owed money. But worst of all, she was a careless mother to Rein.”

Hector sighed, remembering his friend Alexi explaining the situation. “Alexi told me how he confronted Eris over her abandonment of their child but all she would reply was, ‘I don’t care.’ After that, she just vanished, leaving only signed divorce papers. Last we heard, she was living luxuriously with a Saudi royalty.”

“So you’ve never seen Rein as a baby?”

“Never. Alexi was sure to only mention him as ‘my child’. That’s why we only discovered now that the child was a boy. Alexi was looking into a suspected traitor in the mafia at that time, so he opted to hide his child’s identity.”

“Who was it?” Delian has never heard of trouble brewing within the mafia before.

“That’s the thing.” Hector stared at the document on his table, not actually reading what was on it. The pen in his hand continued to press until a large blot of black ink stained the paper.

“It took him years to probe the issue. Then one day an  unknown assassin shot him in the head when he was about to tell me who it was.” The don gripped the pen tighter, the tip already bent from the pressure.

The image of his father’s anguished eyes was now forever stuck with Delian. “And it all happened in front of the twelve-year-old Rein.”

>>>

“Dad!” Rein frantically reached her hands out to the air, as if trying to hold on to someone. Beads of perspiration trickled down her forehead as her disorientation slowly fades. She groaned as she got up, “Ugh, you don’t have to remind me every night,” seemingly talking to her nightmare. Badly wanting to have some sleep, Rein made the bad decision of mixing vodka with chamomile tea. Thus causing her to wake up with quite a headache.

Taking off her drenched chemise nightgown, she hurriedly walked towards the shower. The cold water suddenly hitting her skin was greatly welcomed as a relief from last night’s discomfort.

Rein felt confident enough to walk around her room wearing only a short towel. “Since he made a fool of himself last night, I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t ask for me for some time.”

The door opening by itself caused her to jump and hastily run to the blankets for cover. Since not everyone in their household knew of Rein’s true identity, she had to be extremely careful even inside her own home.

“It’s me, Miss Eirene. I have your breakfast.” Linda came in with a tray of scones, sliced fruits, and a glass of orange juice. “Your uncle just left with most of the guards and asked me to check on you.”

Rein fell back on her bed and exhaled the pent-up breath. “You almost gave me a heart attack, Linda.” Taking in large bites of food, she continued, “But thank you, I was already starving.”

“You’re always starving.” Linda looked with such disappointment around the lady’s room. Suits and other articles of clothing were scattered on the floor. Exercise equipment was spread across the area, making it look like half a gym. And lastly, her eyes landed on Rein who was unceremoniously eating the pastry. “Now it’s really starting to look like a boy’s room. Fix this all up after your breakfast, Eirene. Or no dinner for you.”

“Okay, fine. But you’ve got to stop calling me that, Linda. You have to get used with 'Rein',” the Evander girl complained. “One of these days, you might make the mistake of calling me Eirene in front of the wrong people.”

The faint sound of the doorbell being rang took their attention. “That must be Damon. Let’s hear his new excuse to eat breakfast here again.”

Delian shifted on his feet as he held the box of liquor and chocolates. After Rafiq’s explanation of the joke, they opted not to get the flowers.

“Hey man, about last night-”

“Here take them-”

“My actions last night were-”

“You shouldn’t have grabbed my sister-”

“Argh!” He exclaimed in frustration. He never had to apologize for pointing a gun at someone because usually, they’d end up dead or muted by fear. The person at the end of the muzzle was always the one pleading sorry's to him. But here, Rein’s life story added more weight to that guilt.

“Sir, you should have practiced during the car ride, not at the Evander porch,” Rafiq noted how he started seeing new expressions from Delian ever since he met that mystery woman. Maybe he really did need to find whoever this Eirene was.

“What am I going to say?”

The large, ornate door opened to several women in maid’s uniforms. Their eyes widened at the sight of the two visitors. “S-Sir Leofric!” they gasped.

“I’d like to see Sir Rein if he’s not preoccupied.” Delian did his best to talk in his usual dignified tone but a shaky note still inserted itself in his request. A fact the ladies missed as they were too busy staring at his and Rafiq’s faces, engrossed in their striking appearance.

“Of course! Right this way, Sir.” The maids led them up the stairs to where the bedrooms were, competing on who should stay close to them. The woman at the top made sure to add an extra sway to her hips in hopes of the men noticing her.

It was rare to have dashing visitors such as these two grace the grounds of the mansion. And boy, were they desperate to see someone else other than Aidon and the guards. Plus, the enigmatic Evander heir hiding his face wasn’t helping at all.

The commotion outside informed Linda and Rein that it was indeed not Damon, but the Leofric guy. The two shared a panicked look before allowing themselves to move. “Why does this always happen?” Rein asked, alluding to their very first meeting. She looked down at the only piece of fabric hugging her body and regretted not putting on clothes right away.

“Get dressed, quick!” Linda threw the clothes on the floor towards her young Miss and sprinted towards the door.

Rein hastily weighed her options on how to proceed but both of them froze as they watched the door handle twist.

The door was strongly pushed open to reveal the person on the other side. “Rein.”