Chapter 4

|| VINCENZO RUSSO's's POV|| 

SLAP!

The slap felt unexpectedly hard on my cheeks. Even at this sixty-plus age, my grandfather, Michael Russo surely had good stamina. His whole body was trembling in rage. If it was another person, he would have been dead for slapping me already but this man held a weak spot in my place. It was truly because he was the only person who accepted me when the whole world called me an illegitimate, bastard.

His infuriating voice resonated through the hallway, shaking and piercing my ears,

" HOW DARE YOU KISS YOUR SISTER-IN-LAW IN FRONT OF A GROUP OF PEOPLE? HAVE YOU LEFT WITH ANY SHAME, VINCENZO? I GET THE FACT THAT YOU HATE EACH OTHER BUT HOW DARE YOU FORGET YOUR RELATIONSHIP? HOW AM I GOING TO EXPLAIN IT TO HER FAMILY?"

I craned my neck on the other side to rub my burning cheeks. Truth be told, I knew the whole fucking thing was wrong but shamelessly, I didn't feel guilty about that. The kiss still lingered in my mind. She tasted so sweet and intoxicating that I nearly forgot our relationship. If she didn't push me enough, I wouldn't have reacted so impulsively. One single kiss was bound to stir a bunch of controversy.

I scoffed back at his words, still backing myself,

" Her fault! She has been poking her nose in my business too much, Grandfather. Only if you held her in control, I wouldn't have to do this."

He squeezed his eyes shut, probably trying to control his rage. When his eyes flung open, they were full of rage again. He grabbed onto my collar to spat those words on my face,

" THERE WERE MULTIPLE WAYS TO BLOCK HER. KISSING ISN'T AN OPTION ESPECIALLY IN FRONT OF YOUR GROUP. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY CAN THINK?"

I bit my lips together to stay silent. I was aware of it now but I couldn't take back what I had done. One thing that ran in this Mafia family is that you are bound to be loyal to your wife once you get married. Fooling around with other girls was okay before marriage but disloyalty was never accepted in this family.

I asked with a sneer, fixing my collar,

" What do you want me to do now? Apologize to her or tell the whole world that it was a fucking mistake?"

Grandpa looked frustrated over the whole situation. He pinched between the space of his brows. Sending me a glare, he replied not long after that,

" I fucking don't know...Even when you intend to murder Viktor, did I say anything? But now, it is a matter of our pride, our reputation. Your filthy words won't fix anything."

Before we could engage in this heated conversation, the door was pushed open. Hurry & fast footsteps continued to paddle across the space. I turned my face sideways to spot her father here. He was younger than my grandfather. There was a tight frown between his eyebrows. Pretty sure, the girl had complained to her father like a spoiled kitten.

My eyes swiped behind the old man. Vincenzo was standing there, wearing a grim face. Right after our kissing moment, I refused to give her to them. Hence, they called the godfather aka my grandfather. Although I was the current Don, Godfather was always ahead of this position. Everyone respected his wish although he didn't interfere in business anymore unless it was extremely necessary.

My grandfather spoke first in a polite voice, surprised to hear his soft voice,

" Lucero! Welcome, man!"

Lucero was Sancia's father, one of the reputed Mafia gangs in the state. Although his group wasn't as big as ours, his influence was remarkable. They hugged each other briefly. Sancia stayed far behind, her murderous eyes falling on me occasionally. I winked at her playfully to see her grimacing.

Lucero's arrival raised a question in my mind. If they wanted to teach me a lesson, my grandfather was enough. Grandpa began to speak normally and finally reached the main issue here,

" I apologize on behalf of Vincenzo. I am sure that he didn't mean to humiliate her."

I blurted through my gritted teeth, glaring at Vincenzo who said nothing,

" Tell your daughter to stay the fuck away from my business. Otherwise, I won't bother to show her what I am capable of."

Vincenzo rebuked at once, her fists clenching together,

" What do you expect me to do, Vincenzo? You fucking killed my husband, even trying to destroy our group. Do you think that I don't know anything?"

I replied with a victorious laugh, forgetting about others who were around us,

" Oh my! It's your problem that you can't accept defeat."

Her lips parted again to say something but one word from my grandfather turned everything quiet,

" SILENT!!"

He let out a frustrated sigh. Lucero began to speak, his voice with concern,

" Sire! I am not feeling good about this. Bloodshed among families is never good for the Mafia. I am worried about my daughter as well. I don't know for how long she will be able to handle this responsibility. I think it's high time that you make a decision."

Sancia defended instantly, her piercing tone sipping through my eardrums,

" DAD!!! I am doing okay. I told you so many times that I don't have other plans except the wellbeing of this family."

Grandpa asked Lucero, raising his brows mysteriously,

" What do you mean, Lucero? You want to marry off your daughter to someone else?"

I looked over at Sancia whose expression turned dark instantly. I knew that she was hell in love with my brother but life never stopped for anyone. I wondered why they were discussing marriage in front of me. I mean, I didn't give a shit about the whole matter.

Lucero replied with a sigh, his voice coming out serious and strained,

" What can I do then, Sire? What about her future? She doesn't have a son who can carry the bloodline. If she continued with her duties, there would be nothing left for her at the end of time."

Grandpa growled back instantly,

" What about our promise? I gave you my word that your grandchild will be the heir of my family. I value words over everything, Lucero. I can't break it even if you don't want to."

Lucero reacted as well, his voice lacing out sadness,

" What about my daughter then? Should she stay single forever just because you gave some words? What about her future, Sire? TELL ME! What will she get from this family?"

Everyone in the room fell silent. I saw the conflict on my grandfather's face. He was a man with virtues. Loyalty was the first thing in the Mafia. He would probably kill himself to keep his word.

As if time had stopped after he asked the question. After an unknown amount of time, Grandpa suddenly lifted his eyes at me. He said his words one by one, stunning everyone around including me,

" There's only one way to keep my words to you, Lucero! Let Vincenzo remarry Sancia soon. This is the only way to fix everything."