As is typical of her, Kaira barges into the office and begins questioning her cousin about hot-button issues related to their jobs. "Any progress in trying to locate our target, Enzo? It's been days, and I needed an exact location so we could proceed with our next course of action."
It has always been the same way for her; she is always hot on her heels about her mission. But it is even more so now considering that she is under a great deal of pressure to carry out the work assigned to her and successfully complete the mission. She needs to do this prior to tying the knot with the unknown fiance she has.
Enzo, as is customary for him, would just have to irritate his cousin in the early morning since that is simply who he is before giving her any vital information and useful advice. "Good morning, my dear cugino, and future agente dei servizi segreti. Why the sullen face? Were there not enough men to satisfy your desires at the bar last night? I don't think you had a wonderful sleep last night because of that fact, and now you seem to be too uptight this morning. Want to cruise the city for a while? Who knows, we might get a chance to have a glimpse of an unlikely man that can help lessen your stress."
"Zip it, Enzo! I am warning you. I am, really, not interested in participating in any more of your silly antics and stupid games at this time, so just shut the hell up and provide me the reports, cugino! Kaira went on to say, "I really can't do this now, not so much now when I am already stressed out about all this fucking wedding bullshit and trying to finish this hell of a mission."
As he went slightly closer to his cousin, Enzo muttered under his breath, "Shh. Kai, please be a little more quiet and be a little more careful of what you have to say. Are you forgetting that we are on your father's property right now and not at the institution? You don't really want us to get caught in the end and suffer extreme punishments, would you?"
Kaira's next reaction is one of a mixture of displeasure and annoyance. And yes, she is annoyed and frustrated, but not really with her cousin but just with the way things are going for her. Life is becoming unbearable for her at this point. She is having a hard time balancing her time with dealing with their transactions in the Costra Nostra and then having to locate the heir to the cartel, which will be her ticket to completing her mission in the institution, but what is worse is her upcoming wedding to an unknown man chosen by her father. "I actually don't give a damn right now about what happens to me. I am so freaking over this. Why does it seem like the universe is conspiring against me and punishing me for something that I don't even know why?"
"Hey there, cugino." Enzo stood up and walked toward his cousin. Him being older than Kaira by a few months, he takes it upon himself to act like the big brother that his cousin doesn't have. And besides, it is only the two of them who are partners in crime over everything that is going on. "When did you start being overly cynical? This is not the Kaira that I know, and this is not how the future agente should be. You are the fearless Kaira, isn't it? You are not even afraid of standing in the way of a bullet, but why is it that I feel extreme fear and anxiousness in you right now?"
Kaira might have been overly courageous in the past, but right now, with each day that passes, she is slowly losing that bravery she has in her, especially knowing that one day, she'll be married, and when that happens, it is a probability that all her dreams will just go down the drain, just like what she is expecting her marriage to be. "I am slowly slipping back into the depths of despair as my impending marriage draws closer. I really don't want to get married, Enzo. Yes, I have accepted it, but it still does not change the fact that I am not ready for that. And it's really hard to find the mental fortitude to even be fearless right now when all I want to do is just run away from all of this."
If Enzo could only do something for Kaira to help her get away with the contracted marriage, he would have done it by now. But there is only so much that he can actually do, and as much as he wanted to help his cousin, what can he really do against Kaira's father? No one will ever find the strength to go against the will of the Don. "I am sorry, Kai, that I am really not being of help to you with this dilemma. I wish I could do something for you about this marriage thing, but just like you, I really don't know what to do to make your father change his mind."
There is practically no way to escape the forced marriage, and that is something that Kaira is perfectly aware of. Everything here is practically spelled out for good once her father arrives at a decision. And the only thing she can think of is to split from her husband as soon as she is capable of escaping their harsh situation.
"It's alright, cugino. We both know anyway that we genuinely can't do much of anything. Papa had already made the decision for my life, and the only way I could exert control over this life that I've been given is when we are able to successfully complete our mission and move as far away as possible from this truly awful reality that we are having. And I just hope we can achieve that sooner or later. I don't want to go crazy having to deal with any more of papa's decisions over my life."
To give his cousin some sympathy and support, Enzo could only offer Kaira a pat on the back. His cousin is right to say that everything has been decided for them. Once Kaira's father has made up his mind, they are really left with no other option but to follow the orders. In this kind of costra nostra, where Kaira's father is the leader, they are still only followers. "We must simply keep looking for a means to enable you to somehow get away with this marriage."
"We need to complete the assignment, Enzo. We really do have to infiltrate the Heralde clan, and that is the only means we have. And the sooner we achieve that, the faster we can escape this world. And this is why we really have to locate the heir as quickly as we possibly can. I need to be able to start with my plans on how we might bring Luca Hendrix behind bars."
Only an unrelenting sigh could be shared between the two of them. Even though it was still early in the day, it appeared that the cousins' stress because of what was ahead of them was already starting to show. "We may be forced to travel to America again just to see him, Enzo. And the next time we come across him, I will guarantee that we won't be able to lose sight of him anymore."
"This will be harder for us, Kaira. You know your father won't easily permit your travels, not unless it was he who initiated and ordered for us to go." Enzo was right; the last time, they were given a task by his father, which is why she was able to go to America and meet Calix Hendrix. She would already have defied her own principles and obtained that man's information if she had only known at the time that he would be essential to the accomplishment of her mission. If she had done so, their circumstances would have eased by now.
All Kaira can do is massage her temples in the hope that maybe an idea will suddenly come to her, but no matter how hard she tries, she literally cannot think of any other possibilities. "Fuck it, I am unmistakably losing ideas on how to go about this." she laments.
"Why don't we start making use of our connections in the costra nostra, Kai." Enzo suddenly blurted out.
When Enzo made that statement, she raised an eyebrow in his direction. "What?"
"We obviously have a lot of connections to the underground here because of your father's influence, and so does the Heralde cartel, I believe. And since they are part of a big drug syndicate in America, they would have to have links over here as well since, one way or another, they cannot make transactions here if they don't have the connections, right? And, if I were to make an educated guess, I'd say that if their ties also happened to somehow be connected to us, we might just be able to quickly learn more and gather a lot of information about Calix Hendrix, and then we can find him easily. And the quicker we locate him, the faster you can entice and seduce him. Once you do, we can acquire the necessary information that we need. And then we can move forward with our operation."
Kaira feels grateful for Enzo's presence in circumstances such as this one. He certainly gives Kaira the boost she needs when she is starting to lose confidence in herself. "That is a brilliant idea, Enzo. We must really make use of both influences we have around here to our advantage. Well done, cugino. I'll proceed to check to see whether anyone knows about him, and then you head out and seek out more information from the institution's security team."
"I got that order loud and clear. I'm on it, cugino." Enzo replied back as he retreated to his place and began making calls to several of their team members to assist them in obtaining the needed information.
While he was at that, Kaira was thinking of the possible contacts she could tap to find Calix Hendrix. It won't be easy, of course, but at least they have somewhere to start, and with them using both their legal and illegal influences, she is sure to find Calix Hendrix in a matter of days. And when she does, it will be the start of work for her. The only wish she has, though, is that the man she deems as her saving grace will not be the cause of her downfall.
"I'm sad to say, Kai, but still no luck for us this round. I've already sent out quite a handful of messages to the underground, trying to check if anyone knows Luca or has any connections with him that we might be able to use, but still, that proves fruitless. Although the squad actually started their efforts to locate this Calix Hendrix a couple of weeks ago, it would seem that he is indeed very hard to track down for some reason. I don't even know why, in America, you have managed to bump into him out of nowhere, but now he hasn't even frequented that bar." This was the long but upsetting news that her cousin Enzo handed down to her as soon as he got back from his stint at the grounds. Kaira grunted bitterly to herself, "Just what the fucking hell is happening to us?" This is the first time during their mission that all of their possible connections and intelligence have led them nowhere. And in all honesty, she is already starting to lose the strength and determination to serious
She had that dreadful conversation with her father just two days ago. And consequently, they also had only two days during which they were able to gain knowledge about where Calix Hendrix might have been, but as she had feared, time has never been in her favor. There won't be an opportunity to allow them to travel and see him, regardless of the fact that they have managed to identify a precise area where he could possibly be seen. And given that she will be more or less duty-bound and may be forced into a marriage that she is not particularly eager to enter, how is she supposed to carry forward with this mission after that? Is she willing to put aside all of her hopes and dreams for herself and yield to her father's demands without question or complaint? Between groans of anxiety and despair, she can really only scream all her frustrations. "Agh! Dammit! Fuck
Enzo was trying very hard to suppress his laughter as he got to hear what Kaira was discreetly trying to tell him. "What? Did she in fact say that to you?" he tried to ask. His cugino nods her head towards him, her sweet smile still on her face, as her father continues to look at them from time to time. "What is she even thinking about trying to strike up that conversation with you?" "I guess to make me feel that I have a mother?" Kaira sheepishly answers in the form of a question. Together with the other members of the family, they were going to have to wait for Kaira's fiancé to start showing up for them to start this shitshow. Even though they were not particularly excited about this and were starting to feel rather depressed and gloomy about what was to happen as well, what Kaira said to him practically caused him to laugh boisterously. If they had not been part of the same room as Kaira's father and
When he just came across her again earlier, Calix really could not believe what he saw. She was right in front of his eyes, and to his surprise, she was his future bride. She would have been the woman he liked to think would be his only hope for salvation, but that is now moot since this marriage of convenience has been brought to his attention. Calix had so highly valued that one-night experience with her that he considered it his most prized encounter, a championship he never thought he could win but did. Then he came to know that he would soon be getting married to the Lombardi clan heiress, an obligation that would force him to fulfill a duty for his family. And whether he admits it or not, that thought in and of itself had a profound effect on him. There really was no way he could refuse it, even though he does not want to get married just yet. And he even had no idea that the woman he was about to marry would be the same woman with whom he had that unforgettable one-night affa
Enzo is still reeling from disbelief over the reality that the individual they had been trying to track down for weeks is finally standing in front of them, and as luck would have it, the man is actually his cugino's fiancé. "I am just so fucking flabbergasted as to how all of this turns out to be." he goes on to say. "Cugino, do I sense a shift in your heart and mind in terms of this marriage right now?" Similar to Enzo, Kaira was initially in absolute shock but has now become thrilled and delighted at the prospect as she slowly begins to put the pieces of the puzzle together. "After weeks of agony, Enzo, good fortune has finally shown up for us. And yes, I'm having a change of heart now with this marriage bullshit. Enz, things are actually beginning to really go our way right now." "After having found him, the man of the hour, what's going to be our game pl
There had been a brief period of silence between Calix and Kaira as they just stood there gazing at each other. They are having a hard time trying to strike up a conversation with one another. If they had not been a part of this miserable life that they lead, things would have turned out differently for them. And it would have been better that way, just like that night that they shared. Yes, there is a connection between them both, but if they cave in to their desires, things will become increasingly complicated and challenging. They must put their attention on matters that are considerably more crucial than yielding to lust. Yes, they both try to convince themselves that their feelings for one another are nothing other than lust. Kaira initiated the conversation after feeling uncomfortable with the resulting silence. "So what do you want to talk about?"
As her father walked through the door, Kaira looked up from the collection of wedding dress designs in front of her as she was asked, "Figlia, is everything going well? How are the preparations going? Where is Enzo, by the way?" "Papa," she remarked, trying to get up from her seat to walk over to kiss her father on the cheek. "How did you end up here? I thought you had an important meeting outside. Where's the sotto capo?" Giovanni responded, "I am just checking in on you and the preparations," as he peered around the room to see what his daughter was really up to at the moment. Then, in all seriousness, he added, "My figlia, I do not want any trouble about this. I want everything to be as perfect as it can be." Kaira can now only relieve herself by sighing. She is aware that her father appears to still have reservations about everything. "Papa, you don't need to check on me every now and then. I told you I'd be doing this. I already promised you that I would be performing this tas
Given that this is an absolutely vital and critical day for both the Lombardi and Hendrix clans, everyone else was bustling on the Lombardi estate. It is not just about the function that is about to happen that they are focusing on, but much more on the security issues. Certainly, those present here today are individuals with high stakes in the gangster life in and out of Italy, and security should be tightened at all costs. Everyone was on their toes as they will now wrap up the preparatory work that took up their time over the past few days. And after this, a bigger event will take place in the very near future. It's a signing of a marriage contract that will happen right now, but it's going to soon become a signing of a business partnership. And Luca Hendrix and Giovanni Lombardi equally cannot wait for these agreements, both the marriage and the business partnership, to happen.