Chapter 35: An Eye For An Eye

Chapter 35

Enzo stood at a far corner, with a grim expression on his face, his lips pressed into a thin line. He watched Domenico and his men carry out their work. He already knew how this was going to end, and the thought of it all made him shake his head.

Yes, it was true that Diego had been his consigliere, and the least he owed him for his dedication to the empire was a decent burial, but what he also didn’t need was any of his sons going 6 feet under the ground.

His memory jogged back to the conversation he had with Leone:

“Dig around my tree, huh?” Leone chuckled, something that left him a bit starstruck because everyone knew how much he cherished that tree—the only standing memory he had left of his late mother because she planted the tree herself.

“Alright then.” Leone’s eyes remained a wild shade of gray.

Enzo knew neither of his sons were normal, but this one—Leone—his was on an entirely different level.

“So you are okay with digging around the tree, to clear your name from the list of possible suspects of Diego’s murder?” he questioned, just to be sure—but no one was ever fully sure when it came to Leone.

“Why not?” Leone smirked, one that was sinister and even made him rethink letting Domenico push through with this. He couldn’t afford to lose one of his sons. “The only thing that won’t be okay is Domenico not finding Diego’s body there. But his digging would definitely not be in vain once that happens.” Leone tapped his shoulder.

…

The only thing Enzo could do now was to pray that Domenico finds Diego’s body there, else even he wouldn’t be able to stop Leone.

Even he knew this was foolishness at its peak. Everyone in the clan knew that no one even dared go close to anything that belonged to Leone. He was highly territorial, and despite being the Don, he never once overstepped that boundary.

The butler stood behind him, head bowed as he heard and was fully aware of what was going on. He never even wanted to be in this death zone if the Don hadn’t ordered for his presence.

The real question that danced in everyone’s mind now was why Leone wasn’t here yet to stop this charade—to stop the destruction of his precious tree.

Tragically, hours had gone by and there was no sight of the corpse. They had dug up the soil so hard that it would take great luck for the tree to continue thriving healthy and not wilting.

Domenico paced around the place, checking every crook and cranny of the place—they hadn’t found the body yet. Where had he hid it then? His face scrunched in frustration.

Hours had passed, and even his men, who had gingerly begun digging at first, now seemed tired like all life had been drained from them.

“No slacking until we accomplish our mission here!” Domenico’s right-hand man, Nico, yelled at the men.

The men glared at him, and if it weren’t for their boss, Domenico, they wouldn’t hesitate to circle him and hit his head hard with their shovels. It was terrible enough that they were going to die today, but being overworked before death was even more pitiful.

“Keep digging. I don’t care if we have to uproot this damn tree!” Domenico snapped.

His veins bulged in anger, beads of sweat formed on his forehead. It was of the utmost importance that they find Diego’s corpse. They had to.

“How convenient it would’ve been to lift up the whole tree and squash Diego’s body with it.”

Domenico turned in a snap to see Leone standing behind him. Even the bright sunny sky had suddenly turned cloudy, as if blending with this devil’s presence.

Domenico’s men quickly dropped their tools. They began trembling in fear as it looked like their death day had arrived.

Truly, it didn’t make any sense at all. If Leone had truly buried Diego here, then they would have seen the body—especially with the consistent rainfall, the corpse would have pushed up to the near surface of the soil. But Domenico was too blinded with stupidity to see that.

Thunder rumbled in the sky, but not even a drop of rain touched the ground. The sky darkened even more, like a tsunami was approaching.

“Rico,” Leone called, and he was quick to stand next to his boss. “Get the special present I got for Domenico. I see he doesn’t fancy apples very much.”

Rico was quick to bow and oblige, carrying out the instructions his boss had given to him. In the next minute, two bulky men came in, carrying an empty casket.

Everyone’s eyes flew wide in shock. Enzo stood at a corner, sipping from the hot cup of tea the butler had just gotten him.

They had expected this to happen, but now that it was truly materializing, fear bit through their bones. Nevio stepped back, his eyes wide with horror as he watched the two brothers.

Domenico gulped, his eyes fixed on the black-colored casket that had been dropped on the floor and was now opened to reveal the black cushioned body.

“See, I asked your men and they all agreed black was indeed your favorite color.” Leone’s smile broadened.

Domenico’s jaw hardened. Even if he tried to put up a brave front, the mask easily cracked open to reveal the fear in his eyes—especially with his father now standing at a corner sipping tea, unbothered.

“You’re insane,” he seethed. “Everyone knows you killed him. Just own up and quit acting foolish.” Domenico tried to walk past him, but Leone grabbed his arm, and one push had him landing inside the open casket.

Fear etched on his face as Leone advanced towards him, crouching down, his hands curling around his neck like a poisonous snake, nearly squeezing the life out of him.

“What was that you were saying, dear brother?” Fake ignorance smeared on his handsome face as he asked, even though it was obvious he already knew the answer to it. “Ahh, I remember now—an eye for an eye.”