Matteo
Manhattan, New York, United States 2019 - autumn
When he got into Hamilton College in New York, Matteo didn't even react. He wasn't aware that he had applied in the first place. His father had suggested America to him when he just turned fourteen in 2013, about to start his last year of middle school in Palermo.
"Why America?" Matteo asked. He liked his life in Italy. He had friends, activities, and nothing ever stressed him out. That was before he discovered the drug greenhouses in their backyard and saw his father pointing a gun at someone on Christmas that same year.
"It's an international private boarding school. It's better than anything you're going to get here in Italy. You're better than Sicily, Matteo. I think you'd benefit from attending an international school and meeting people outside your hometown. If you don't like the first year, I promise you we'll find something else. But public high school in Palermo shouldn't be your first option."
Matteo listened.
He met Allison at school in 2014, and she quickly became his girlfriend but got on his last nerves quite often. The main thing was that she was jealous of his friendship with Isabella, who was a year below them. By the time they'd broken up Matteo had been emotionally detached for months.
Long story short, he did in fact like his first year of boarding school in America because he had learned a lot: if you're smart, you can get ahead quickly and be one step ahead of people because they're easy to read. If you have money, you can do anything you want. And if you're smart and you have money, you're already winning.
In 2018, right after graduation, his father pulled him into his office in New York and told him he had a graduation present.
"I want you to take over one of my clubs in the city as a manager."
It didn't even take one second for Matteo to think it through. School was done, and the past two weeks had been boring.
"Which one?"
"Either The Candy Club or Redlight."
"I don't need a strip club. Too much work. I'll take Redlight."
He went to New York for the summer and his father bought him an apartment in Upper West Side Manhattan so he could be close enough to go to the club. When he found out that he would attend Hamilton College and study Economics, he didn't even question why. He knew his father had talked to someone without bothering to check with him. It should've bothered him, but it didn't because he would've ended up somewhere studying Economics anyway. At least this way he was spared the stress of admission.
Since Hamilton College is all the way up north next to Utica, his father also got him an apartment there, so he could attend classes and split up his time. Nearly all of Matteo's friends from school who chose this college were staying in the dorms on campus. But he didn't mind; he liked having more freedom and being able to move from city to city whenever he wanted.
He got through the first year okay, passed all his exams and managed to get more foot traffic into the club, so his father was proud of him.
It's the last week of October and Matteo is sitting in his chair in the staff room, trying to roll a joint. Vinnie and Marco are also there, with Marco being a new addition since he just started his first year of college. Their father wanted Marco to also learn how things worked with the family business, so he got them a bigger apartment in Manhattan so they could both fit.
"What are we doing for Halloween?" Marco asks, not looking away from the TV screen where he's currently playing a video game.
Matteo's confused. "What do you mean?"
"It's Halloween next Thursday."
"And Isabella's birthday is on Friday the 1st." Vinnie says. "I already talked to Isabella about setting up a Halloween party on the 31st, then having a second night which would also be her birthday. We can charge twenty per ticket for Halloween and have a costume contest, and Friday can be a theme night for the club which could easily be ten-fifteen per ticket." Vinnie adds.
Matteo stops rolling. "Was this Isabella's idea?"
"Yeah."
"Tell her the club will pay her a grand a night if she puts on a good Halloween event and a good theme party. If it's her birthday, her table will be on the house." Matteo tells Vinnie, smiling.
Matteo likes partying, but he doesn't like planning any further than setting the date and time. He likes showing up and partying. Then, he does the math and splits the money the way he was taught and spends his cut the way he sees fit.
***
Isabella comes over to their apartment on the upper west side of Central Park the next Monday to discuss event planning. She had texted that morning that Valentina had some appointment in the city so they would drive down to Manhattan in the morning and she would come for lunch.
Matteo was planning out being at the club anyway, because Vinnie usually attends classes and then Matteo just looks through his notes whenever he has time. Right now, his job at the club was promoted from 'general manager' to 'general manager also in charge of money laundering'.
It's not that hard: the money that comes from the organized crime business in cash gets divided throughout all the businesses his father owns. One of those businesses is the Redlight club in Manhattan. Matteo's job is to count the money, take his cut, then split it evenly throughout the entire month when he does the accounting.
For example: last week Vinnie brought in a suitcase which contained 500.000 dollars in cash. Matteo's job was to take 10%, which was his cut, then divide the remaining 450 thousand into four parts. Those parts would then be spread equally throughout the weeks of December and added to the balance sheet.
Overall, most of the money generated by the club went back into his father's investment company, which was the biggest shareholder when it came to the club's business activity. Years after moving away from Palermo, Matteo realized that the restaurant he used to hang out in every day as a kid was probably the first ever business his father laundered money through. And since it was too close to home, he had to expand internationally.
"I have a few ideas." Is what she opens with and sits down in the chair across from Matteo in the office.
"You've got a binder and everything." Matteo teases and watches her open the binder. She ignores him trying to make fun of her for caring about this and proceeds to tell him the bullet points
"On Thursday we can do a Halloween Party and have a costume only dress code. Then we charge twenty for each ticket and say that 10% of earnings from the tickets will be the total prize for the costume contest. And we can do single costumes and couple costumes, split it evenly and that'll be it. Your maximum capacity is four hundred fifty, you do the math. Plus what you'll earn at the bar-"
Matteo smiles. "You don't have to convince me that it'll make money, Izzy, I already know that. Convince me it will be fun."
Isabella looks confused for a second before she closes her binder. "Fine. We can decorate the club and the upstairs lounge to give it a Halloween scary vibe and use fog machines. It will be fun. Then, for my birthday, after I've decided on a theme, I want to give out glowing neon bracelets at the entrance so people who are single can have green and people in a relationship get red. It'll make things more interesting. And the VIP area can have customized menus and everything."
"Sounds good. Can you do it?"
"I mean, not alone. But I can find people who can help me, that's not a problem."
"You've talked to Vinnie about the whole payment thing?" Matteo asks, shifting in his seat.
If there's one thing that makes him uncomfortable, that's talking about money with friends who aren't part of the business. He would never let them do it for free, but he also won't beg someone to take his money.
"Yes."
"Hold on." He opens one of the desk drawers and takes out a credit card, then holds it out to her. "Take this and try to find decorations and whatever else until tonight."
"What's tonight?"
"I'm going to be at the club but find someone inside and ask them to bring you to the staff room. You know, where we go for a break during parties."
Isabella rolls her eyes. "I know where your little crack den is located." She jokes. "But I'll come with Valentina, because she's driving us home."
"I didn't know you two were close."
"We're in the same building and she's actually one of the very few real people I know."
"She didn't look like that to me." he snorts.
"Just because she's hot and beautiful doesn't mean she's like the girls you go for."
Matteo crosses his arms. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that the only good-looking girls you've ever encountered had sex with you and most of them only wanted your money. And while them wanting your money doesn't necessarily bother you because you have loads, them not being smart makes them boring and shallow. But that doesn't mean there are no real women out there who also look good." She takes a breath. "I mean, look at me."
Isabella's dark blonde hair and green eyes have always made her beautiful, and she has always been the smartest person Matteo knows by default.
"Yes, but you're one in a lifetime." Matteo jokes and watches her put the credit card in her wallet. "Code is 1107."
"You shouldn't use your birthday as a code to everything, you know." Isabella advises. "Thanks for the advice, I haven't been robbed yet. So..."
"Okay this discussion is becoming counterproductive, so I'm going to head out and go shopping. When will you be there?"
"I'll text you when I get there."
"Alright." And with that, Isabella stands up and leaves.
---
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“Paulo thought it ended after she ratted him out at your New Year’s Eve party.”The way he uses the verb ‘ratted’ makes Matteo feel sick.“So? He likes her, I guess.”“Has he tried to contact her?”“I think so.”“And did she answer?”“Shouldn’t you already know this is you have a cell tower? Vinnie is right next door.”Matteo suddenly realizes that his father can also probably see everything on his phone.“Don’t worry, we don’t track the phones of our family. Nor the Barone family. I am asking you sincerely.”“I don’t think she replied, no.”“So, it’s obvious she won’t be coming back to him. Get him to stop trying.”“I can’t tell him what to do, and I also don’t want to tell him what to do.”His father looks at his face, as if to check whether Matteo means it or not. He does.“How do you know who Sofia is? And why isn’t Paulo talking to me directly like he usually does?” Matteo asks.“I know her because Paulo told me what happened. And I told you.”“Fine.”“So you’ll talk to Vinnie?”
“Not really.”Matteo can’t lie and tell him that the description matches no one ever. He thinks about that time after Vinnie’s birthday, when he stayed up until the next evening with Valentina.Just because they enjoyed being around each other. When he didn’t have to check his phone or thinks of ways to entertain himself to avoid awkwardness.She was interesting and she talked about things he’s never talked about with anyone else before. He could be himself around her, and sex wasn’t even on his mind that night, nor on that day when he ended up in bed with Ariana.But she’s also insanely attractive. Not only hot, but beautiful too. And smart.Sure, he’d like to have sex with her, it would probably be enjoyable. And if it never happened, fine. Maybe.“Are you even listening?”“Not really.”“Are you high?”“Aren’t you?”Vinnie laughs at that.Matteo still doesn’t know how to bring up Valentina. They always talk about everything they do, especially when it comes to girls.“Is something g
Chapter 17Where it all beginsMatteoCapo d’Orlando, Sicily – July 22ndAs soon as Vinnie and the rest of Valentina’s guests arrive, the atmosphere around Matteo changes. He’s not as relaxed anymore, and he feels like he has to take care of five things at once before he can actually enjoy himself.First, there’s Ariana, who has been texting him more than usual since he woke up this morning. Then there’s Vinnie, who keeps asking him if he’s okay and if he’s having fun, which forces Matteo to smile and assure him that he’s okay.The third reason is the photo he saw in Valentina’s brother’s room, which he now knows he’s seen it before. In Aurora’s room, above her desk. Valentina is also somewhere in the mix, because he’s also consciously aware of her presence now.Ariana is telling him something about her past two days, but all Matteo can focus on now is that Isabella and Valentina are talking about him.“I’ll be right back.” He says to Ariana before walking over to the two of them.“Wh
Capo d’Orlando, Sicily – July 23rd, 2020Everyone sings happy birthday to me at midnight, even though it’s more symbolic that factually accurate, and it makes me uncomfortable but happy.We did some shots after, then Isaac tried to flirt with me for what seemed like forever, before Isabella finally saved me and brought me out by the pool half an hour later.Matteo and Vinnie are in their own world, talking on the other side of the pool.“What do you think they’re talking about?”We’ve been people watching for the past twenty minutes since we sat down.“I don’t know, what do boys even talk about all day?”“No clue. And I have a brother at home.”“They seem to have a very interesting discussion. Matteo looks serious, like he’s scared even.”“How can you even tell?”
Capo d’Orlando, Sicily – July 23rd, 2020 Everyone sings happy birthday to me at midnight, even though it’s more symbolic that factually accurate, and it makes me uncomfortable but happy. We did some shots after, then Isaac tried to flirt with me for what seemed like forever, before Isabella finally saved me and brought me out by the pool half an hour later. Matteo and Vinnie are in their own world, talking on the other side of the pool. “What do you think they’re talking about?” We’ve been people watching for the past twenty minutes since we sat down. “I don’t know, what do boys even talk about all day?” “No clue. And I have a brother at home.” “They seem to have a very interesting discussion. Matteo looks serious, like he’s scared even.” “How can you even tell?” “I know him.” He turns his head, as if he already knew we were talking about him. We make eye contact before he turns back to Vinnie. “Something’s off with him.” Isabella notices. “You think?” “He’s hiding somet
“Are you even listening to me?”“Sorry, I’m not.”“Are you checking out Isaac?”I look to where she’s pointing, realizing that Isaac and Vinnie are sharing a joint right behind where Matteo and Ariana are.“Uh, maybe.”“Is something wrong? Do you not feel comfortable?”I shake my head. “No, it’s not that.”“You’ve barely drunk anything. Usually, you’re already four drinks in and have had a line or something.”“I’m fine. I just feel like…I don’t know. Like I want to do something. My energy is all over the place.”“Do something? Like what?”“I don’t know.”“Or maybe do someone?”She wiggles her eyebrows, and I know she’s referring to Isaac.“With Isaac? I don’t know.”“You’ve already done it and it was fine. Plus, he wouldn’t have come all the way from Russia for no reason.”“I don’t know if I like him or not.”“You said the sex was great. And he’s an easy choice if you feel horny.”“Hmm, maybe. I don’t know. I guess I want something new.”“What about Matteo?”I panic inside for a secon