Chapter 2

Riccardo's POV.

It has been a while since I used the gym room so I woke up today and decided to do a little workout before I attend to the shit that has probably piled up on my table. I have been at it for close to an hour now or more, I can't tell cause I lost track of time already and I was enjoying myself a little too much to care.

Four days later and I am yet to hear a word from Enzo. I trust him to be doing his work and I am not going to admit that the silence on his end is a little bit deafening. I want to get this task over and done with. How hard can it be to find a woman anyways? It couldn't be that heard. There is also the fact that I haven't heard from Roberto since the day he dropped that bomb on me, he just disappeared off the face of the earth and that is disturbing too but you won't see me admitting that either.

I increased the speed of the treadmill in an attempt to clear my thoughts. I have better things to do than to be thinking about Roberto's empty but not-so-empty threats like the fact that I am yet to hear an update about the goods that were sent out to different countries yesterday. I trust my boys to do a good job but one thing about this cartel business thing is the risk that comes with it and as much as people know not to mess with the Italian drug cartel, they still do it anyways either because they have a death wish or maybe they just always hope that luck will be on their sides this time around.

The goods sent out yesterday cost an entire fortune though and they either send it successfully and correctly without any issue or they die. Not to be brutal or anything but that is just the way of life here, you either do things carefully and correctly or you pay for your mistakes with your life. Make any mistakes and you pay for it with your life— it has been a long-standing tradition here in the mafia.

You can't afford to make mistakes and there is no such thing as being too careful because you never know when your enemies will come for you, you will never be able to tell where the attack is going to come from, and the craziest part of this is that you can't even fully trust your own people.

Everyone has a price, you can buy anybody over to your side as long as you are willing to pay his or her price. I learned my lesson the hard way. It does not matter how close or how loyal you might think that friend of yours is, you can not exactly read people's minds, you can only see their lying faces.

I let out a low groan when I heard the footsteps of someone approaching the gym room. Even with the music on, I can still hear and sense who it is.

"This had better be good, Angelo," I commented before turning off the machine and getting off it. I grabbed my face towel that was around my neck and used it to dry my face and neck before turning to face Angelo whose face is a visual representation of his name. He certainly looks like an angel who can do no harm but like I said...faces can be deceiving.

He bowed his head in greeting. "I have news about the goods that were sent out yesterday." He said

"Well?" I prompted.

"The goods were delivered successfully but the Spanish mafia has refused to pay for the goods...again." He said.

"This will be the third time if I am correct," I said and he nodded.

"Great. You can ask them to return. I will take care of the Spanish mobs myself." I told him.

"Yes, Don." He answered. "Enzo also asked me to inform you that he has very important information for you and that he would be waiting for you in your office." He added.

"Tell him I will join him soon," I replied and he nodded his head then bowed again and left me alone in the room.

Those Spanish bastardo have been testing my patience for a while now. I would say the mess up started from me, from the moment I allowed them to have the goods the first time without making payment, I literally gave them the go-ahead to do as they please and trust that bastardo of a Don they have to take advantage of it. Not anymore though, you try to mess with me and you will pay with your life. I am going to take care of this mess as soon as possible but first thing first, I should probably hear what Enzo has for me today. Hopefully, he would have found a girl so I can get this shit done and over with.

I left the gym room and debated on whether to go and freshen up a bit before joining Enzo but I decided against it. I might as well hear what he has to say and be done with it. I started heading for my office which was on the very last floor for security reasons. The room is not accessible to other people apart from me, Enzo, and Roberto, and Roberto rarely comes up here. The old man refused to use the elevator and his legs are too weak to carry him upstairs which is why we always have our meeting in the great hall on the first floor.

I got into the elevator and scanned my access card on it—I am the only one who can get on this elevator without the access card, all I need to do is scan my fingerprints of my eyeballs and I am good to go but I find scanning the access card easier and a lot more faster than the fingerprint thing.

The door to the elevator opens directly into my office so I spotted Enzo immediately. He was sitting on one of the lounge couches and bouncing his legs— which indicates that he was getting too excited about something which immediately puts me on alert.

You see, I and Enzo might be best friends but we are wired differently. What he finds exciting is what I find disturbing and just downright annoying so that explains why his excitement always puts me on alert.

"What have you so excited about, Amico?" I asked and he turned to look at me. The fact that he missed the ding of the elevator was also disturbing.

He smiled brightly, a little too brightly if you asked me. "I have the best news ever." He announced while springing to his feet.

Huh-uh.

"You have found a girl, yes?" I asked him.

He beamed. He actually beamed. "I found something even better than a girl." He said.

"I am not sure I am going to be happy with whatever news you have for me but out with it, Greco," I said.

"Do you happen to know a certain Miss Emilia Salvatore?" He asked.

I didn't have to think twice about it. "No," I answered plainly and took my seat on the office chair signaling for Enzo to take the seat on the opposite side. All those standing and bouncing of his was starting to get on my nerves.

"You might want to think a little harder on that, De Luca. Take a moment to think about it." He said.

I closed my eyes and prayed to God to give me patience so I wouldn't end up killing my best friend.

"I already said I don't know anyone by that name, Greco," I replied.

"Alright... no need to get your panties in a twist." He said.

"I am glad one of us finds this amusing," I commented.

He pretended as if he did not hear what I said and instead started looking for something in his bag. It took him about thirty seconds to pull out what looked like a photograph out of his bag and handed it over to me.

"Do you know the woman in that picture?" He asked.

I stared at the picture for a while....just because I couldn't not look at it. She looks so beautiful that it almost hurts to look at her. She has the most beautiful hair I have ever seen on any woman and it was styled to perfection and those smiling dark eyes looked like every man's dream and nightmare at the same time. She has a perfect dentition too. God definitely took his time creating this one. Her hair was styled in a way that made her face pop and her eyes shine and those bow-shaped lips...God, what I would give to have them wrapped around my...

"I know that look, Riccardo and I promise you this is not even the time for that," Enzo said clearly amused and I sent him a glare that would have made others cower in fear but it only made his smile grow bigger.

"Well...do you know her, scratch that, do you remember her?" He asked.

"No, I don't know her," I answered.

"Are you sure about that? You are sure that you have never met her before?" He asked.

"I have never met her before, Enzo. I would never forget a woman with a face like that." I answered and it is the truth. Who forgets a woman with a face that looks like it was sculpted to perfection?

Enzo scoffed. "Apparently, you would."

I sighed. "What exactly is this about? Is this the woman you found? If she is the one then I have no complaints." I said.

He shook his head and started digging in his bag again and I suddenly felt the urge to snatch that bag from him and throw it across the room but knowing Enzo, that bag probably contains some of his very important computer shits and he would have my head if I broke anything in it. He finally stopped digging and pulled out another picture again.

"I need you to brace yourself for this one." He said.

"Just hand it over."

He nodded and placed the picture on the table directly in my front. I glanced at the picture and rolled my eyes.

"What is this, Enzo? She is a child." I said.

"And you think I don't know that? Look at that picture again, Riccardo, and tell me whose face you see on that girl's face." He said.

"What..."

"Just indulge me, will you?"

I sighed and looked at the picture halfheartedly.

"I need you to actually look at the picture, Riccardo." Enzo prompted and I indulged him.

The first thing I noticed was the hair. Thick and long and full just like the hair of the woman in the first picture and then those eyes....those round eyes and the nose even the face. I blinked twice as if I was trying to clear my vision and picked up the picture like I was in a trance. Why does she look so familiar and yet...

"She is...she looks just like..." I trailed off. I couldn't bring myself to say the word out loud.

"Yes, my friend. She looks just like you." Enzo completed.

"But...how is that even possible?" I asked unable to take my eyes off the picture.

I did not need to see Enzo's face to be able to tell that he was smiling in amusement. 

"It is very much possible considering the fact that you are her father." He said and gave a dramatic pause before adding.

"Congratulations Amico. You have a daughter!"