Chapter 4 - Penance.

V E L I N A

The man stares at me for a long while, analysing me, as if he's taking in every feature, every detail of my face. He does not rush it either. His eyes move slowly, from my hair to my eyes, to my lips, then down again, as if committing me to memory. I push myself up slightly from the floor, my body protesting as the last traces of the drug still linger in my system. My lungs still burn from the smoke, my head still feels cloudy, yet I force myself to stay alert. Then a deep frown forms on his face as he takes a few steps forward.

Don Luciano.

I've heard of him; everyone in this city has. He is the head of the Diomani family, one of the few families powerful enough to control entire territories without question. His family and ours have never been allies, yet never direct enemies either. We kept our distance from them; everyone did. They were powerful, feared, and significantly stronger than us. My father always made sure we never interfered with their operations, never crossed their territory, never challenged them in any way. So seeing him here, inside our mansion, surrounded by his men, makes my stomach tighten as I try to understand what brought him here tonight... and could it be that my family could've done something to him?

I sit up a little more, my gaze following him as he moves closer. He towers over me without effort, his presence filling the room without him needing to speak. That is the first thing I notice about him. He doesn't raise his voice; he doesn't move quickly, yet everyone watches him. That is when I notice his jaw tighten briefly before his gaze finally tears away from me. He turns toward my father and the rest of my family, and I feel myself exhale quietly without even realising I had been holding my breath.

"It's good to see you again... looks like you've even put on a few pounds since we last saw each other..." Don Luciano speaks casually as he addresses my father, his voice deep and smooth, almost relaxed, yet no one mistakes the tone behind it. He steps away from me, his gun still clenched at his side as he makes his way toward my family. His men remain spread throughout the room, guns drawn, watching every movement. I glance around briefly, noticing how quickly they took control of the space, how none of our guards has made a move, how even my brothers stand silently. I have never seen them like this before... I've never seen them this terrified.

"Don't look so surprised to see me, you knew I would come eventually..." he continues, a slow smile forming on his lips.

My father swallows hard before stepping forward slightly. I can see the fear on his face, and that alone makes my chest tighten. I have seen my father angry, ruthless, even violent, yet I have never seen him afraid...

"Listen... the hit on your warehouse... that wasn't us..." my father begins, his voice not as strong as usual, and Luciano smiles as if everything is falling into place.

"Then how did you know about it when I hadn't yet made that information public?" Luciano tilts his head slightly, and I watch as the colour drains from my father's face almost instantly. The silence that follows engulfs the entire room, and I can hear my mother quietly crying beside Kyla.

"You know how the Underground is... news travels fast, and people talk..." my father answers, stumbling over his words.

"Not my people... not when this was a concealed incident, and I made sure of it..." Luciano replies slowly.

He begins walking around the room, his steps slow as his gaze moves across my family one by one. My brothers remain still, none of them daring to speak. Even Carmelo stays quiet, and that alone tells me how serious this is.

"You take me for a fool, Russello, that's always been your biggest mistake. Just because I allow you and your family to operate has made you think you have the freedom to do whatever you want, and that includes coming after what belongs to me." His voice remains calm as he speaks, yet the room feels tighter with every word he says.

"Your guys confessed to everything, right before I killed them myself." He lets out a quiet chuckle, humourless, before looking back at my father.

"You're not as slick as you think you are..." He finally says, then he slowly raises his arm and points the gun directly at my father.

The movement is simple, yet my heart begins racing instantly. My mother gasps quietly, Kyla clutches her arm tighter, and I feel my stomach drop as I watch the scene unfold.

"You-... You can have all of it back, and take mine as well, to compensate for all the trouble...!" my father blurts out quickly, and I stare at him in shock. I have never seen him offer territory to anyone before. That alone tells me how serious this is.

"On your knees. All of you." Luciano then orders, his tone ominous as it travels across the room, and without hesitation, my mother and sister drop first, both crying as they cling to each other. My brothers follow shortly after, and finally, my father lowers himself to his knees. I remain where I am, still sitting on the floor, watching everything unfold.

"Keep your cheap flour, I don't want it tainting my reputation." He answers, and it leads me to understand exactly what they have been talking about...

Luciano speaks calmly, his gun still aimed forward. "You came after my family. The warehouse wasn't all of it now, was it? You tried to infiltrate my other operations and take everything..." He lets out, and my father's silence confirms everything.

Luciano then pulls the safety off his gun, and the sound echoes through the room louder than expected.

"And the punishment for all of that... is death." He says slowly, and my heart jumps as he prepares to pull the trigger.

Everything happens quickly after that. My mind races, my chest tightens, and without thinking, I push myself off the floor. My body still feels weak, yet adrenaline pushes me forward. I step directly into the line of fire, raising my hands instinctively as I place myself between him and my family.

"WAIT!!" I scream, my voice echoing across the room, louder than I expected. The silence that follows is immediate, and every pair of eyes shifts toward me.

I stand directly in front of Don Luciano's gun.

I can feel everyone's attention on me, yet I focus only on him. He stares at me, his eyebrows rising slightly in surprise, his expression shifting just enough for me to notice. His gun remains pointed forward, aimed directly at my chest, and I realise how close I am to death...

I swallow quietly, forcing myself not to move...

He continues watching me, and right now I have no idea if he's going to kill me too...