Chapter 32: Irksome Mafia

Chapter 32

Her eyes flew wide, his action accentuated by the crackling sound in the burning fireplace.

Her lips parted repeatedly, tongue-tied and speechless at what he had just done. She rubbed her now bare neck, which hadn’t been hurt when he tugged the necklace off, as he had done it with so much precision.

“You—” she tore her eyes away from the fireplace, now glaring at him, who was already looking down at her. “You had no right to do that.” She took a sharp breath in, trying to build back her resolve, which always seemed to crumble anytime she was with him.

“Hmm? Don’t I?” He chuckled, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Anna was perplexed. What was she going to say once Domenico asked her for the necklace he had given her? What if he hit her—or worse—when she couldn’t provide it?

She balled her fists as a tear slipped out of her eyes. She hit his chest repeatedly. “What the hell is your problem, Leone?” Her voice broke at the end.

She bit her lip hard, staring back at him, who didn’t seem to be even affected by the hits. Instead, her hand had begun to hurt due to how hard and sturdy his chest was.

“What do you fuckin want?” She cried, she felt so frustrated and overwhelmed already, she didn’t need him fueling it.

She pushed him away—no, he let her—and then she ran out of the library without looking back.

She ran to her room, slamming the door behind her as her heart thudded in her chest. Why had he done that? To put her in more trouble? Clearly.

She prayed Domenico never asked about the necklace, else she’d be screwed. She was well aware that it was worth millions of dollars.

Thanks to Leone, she had another problem to think about. She was too tired for all this.

Later that day, the butler informed her she was to have dinner with Domenico and the Don. Her heart skipped a beat, and she slowly nodded.

She couldn’t get her heart to be calm—it thudded aggressively in her ribcage like it could just burst out. Cold sweat rolled down her back once she got to the dining hall.

For a fleeting second, her fear was replaced with rage upon seeing Leone sitting leisurely on one of the chairs.

The butler pulled out a chair for her, one directly in front of Leone. Anna clutched her fork tightly as she ate.

“I had Antonio look into Diego today for an autopsy. His face was destroyed to a completely unrecognizable state,” the Don spoke.

Funny how the murderer sat leisurely at this table, relaxed like he hadn’t been the one to do it. Anna pressed her lips between her teeth, burying her face in the food she was eating but still keenly listening to what they were saying.

“What did the autopsy say?” Domenico asked impatiently, his eyes briefly falling on Leone, who was sipping a glass of wine.

“The body we found isn’t Diego’s body. The one behind the murder must have switched the bodies,” Enzo explained.

“Fuck it!” Domenico cursed. It was completely obvious who the murderer was, yet nothing was being done about it.

“Clearly, with the plot twist, the funeral would have to be on hold till his body is found.”

Anna noted how calm the Don remained—evidence of how much he had witnessed as the Don of the Vicenzo empire, since he seemed unphased by this. As for Domenico, he was visibly shaking with rage.

Her eyes fell on Leone, whose eyes were already shamelessly on her. She quickly looked down at her food.

The butler came in to tell the Don something, which had him leaving the dining hall immediately.

Her heart raced. The last thing she needed was getting in the middle of Leone and Domenico’s heated conversation.

Anna cleared her throat. “I’m full. I should head back now,” she said.

Domenico nodded at her, and Anna wasted no time getting up from her seat and heading out of the dining hall. As she left, her eyes briefly fell on Leone—his lazy eyes fixed on the glass of wine he twirled. Anna instantly shut the door and walked away.

…….

The butler came back into the dining hall with a glass bowl which contained red apples. He placed it in front of Leone. Leone took an apple, taking a large bite from it.

“The moment I find the evidence I need, you will be locked up in the dungeon where you fucking belong,” Domenico seethed.

“Want an apple?” Leone smirked, pushing the bowl of apples closer to him. “I usually don’t share my apples, but I feel so generous today.” 

Domenico angrily pushed his chair back with a loud screech. This twat always managed to push him to the wall, and he couldn’t wait to put a bullet through his skull.

“What the fuck did you do with Diego’s body?” he growled.

It was no secret that Domenico was relatively close to Diego. They did a lot together, and to Domenico, Diego was like a second father. Diego would advise what and what not to do, prepping him to become the next Don of the Vicenzo empire.

Leone didn’t care. He didn’t give a fuck about what the two idiots did together. He found it rather pathetic how Domenico followed him around like a little mouse.

The only sin Domenico had committed was speaking ill of his mother—a sin which could only be rewarded with a free gateway to the afterlife.

Death wasn’t uncommon here, and it was because this one mattered to Domenico that he was throwing tantrums, which did nothing but entertain Leone.

Leone pushed his chair back slowly, leaning his head on the backrest as he leisurely crossed one leg over the other.

He took another slow bite from the apple, savoring the taste. “You know what they say about apples— the better the manure, the better the taste,” he winked.