CHAPTER 13
“Let me be the judge of that,” Ottavio calmly replied. “Please, start talking. I’m all ears.” He relaxed into the big leather armchair.
“I don’t know how much you remember from the report Elyan sent you about Galen’s relatives the day your son came to live with you, but it mentioned the Dixon fella having a meat-packing factory.”
“Yeah,” Ottavio nodded. “I remember. One that could be extremely profitable, but it’s not because he obstinately refuses to invest in new equipment and an advertising campaign to make its name known. What about it?”
“Did you think about expanding the family’s food-processing business by investing in it?” Baldassare winked suggestively. "Now is the perfect time to do that if you get me.”
Ottavio gave his cousin an incredulous look. “Do…do you want me to fill the pockets of those who lied to my son for eight years, saying I don’t want him in my life, abandoned him, and then filed for his permanent, full custody?”
“No. I want you to think of this as a great investment opportunity and make an offer they can’t refuse. How about… four million dollars?” Baldassare looked into the other man’s eyes. “Of course, they would have to drop the lawsuit.”
Ottavio paused for a few seconds. “Let’s say they agree, the deal is done, and all the paperwork is signed. What makes you think they would follow through on their end and not use that money — my money — to harm my son by filing for custody again?”
“What makes you think they’ll enjoy that money?
” Baldassare shrugged, a mysterious smile returning to his lips.
“With all the hackers breaking into banks’ security systems and draining people’s accounts, you never know what tomorrow may bring.
Those tech wizards don’t care whether the people they rob come from good, Christian families. ”
“You are quite something, you know?” Ottavio chuckled. “You really think everything through, but what if they decide to hide the money in a safe at home instead of leaving it in a bank? That’s more their style.”
“What can I say?” Baldassare shrugged again. “Small town where everyone knows each other. Folks talk, word gets around, and robbers from far away find out about that very advantageous transaction. They wait for the right moment when nobody's home, and... I’ll let your imagination fill in the rest."
“Sorry, I didn’t hear a word you said; I was too busy thinking about that business opportunity you mentioned earlier,” Ottavio smirked. “You’re right. I think it would be a wise investment.”
Baldassare didn’t respond to his cousin’s words; instead, he dialed a number and started talking to someone, none other than Bob Dixon’s lawyer.
This guy is something else, Ottavio said to himself when he realized who was on the other end of the line.
He came here with all the homework done, knowing he’ll convince me to agree with him.
When he discovered the company’s potential buyer, Bob Dixon rejected the offer outright, which was only half of what Baldassare had suggested.
However, when the amount doubled, greed outweighed his pride, and, unable to resist the temptation, he signed the documents, including the agreement to drop the custody lawsuit.
Two weeks after closing the deal with Bob Dixon was the happiest day of Ottavio’s life, second only to the wedding with his beloved Ives and his inseparable friends.
He was nervous and excited at the same time, because the moment of reunion with his older son had finally arrived after a few long months.
Ottavio woke at dawn, made a strong cup of coffee, and sipped it in the quiet house while Sansone curled in his lap and purred softly.
Then he wrote instructions for Basile on Post-it notes stuck to the fridge and kitchen counter.
When the nearby grocery store opened, he went there to buy ingredients for Galen’s favorite dishes.
Ives, Ivy, and Poisoned Ivy woke up, fed and changed the babies, hung the welcome sign Ivy had painted the day before, and scattered multicolored helium balloons throughout the house.
They also went into one of the upstairs guest rooms, now a bedroom for Galen, to give it a few final touches and put a couple of balloons there as well.
The sight of the entryway, with the sign above the door and balloons floating or stuck to the ceiling, made Ottavio smile when he came home from grocery shopping.
With Poisoned Ivy's help, he unloaded the car trunk, put everything in the pantry and fridge, then took the babies downstairs and waited.
The sound of tires on the driveway’s gravel made Ottavio jump from his seat and rush to the door.
He opened it and stood in the doorway, arms open, eyes shining with love, joy, and tears he couldn't hold back. When Galen finally threw himself into his arms, Ottavio enveloped him in a warm, tight hug and rasped, ”Welcome home, caro figlio mio. ”
************
Chadwick looked around his father’s office from home, a sarcastic smile on his lips.
“I suppose we are here to celebrate the success of our sisters and daughters’ perfect plans…
or not? As you probably found out, those hillbillies dropped the custody lawsuit, which means the Ottavio fella has the snotty kid. Was this your great plan, sissy?”
“Of course,” Allegra smiled with superiority. “I wanted to find out whether he really cared about the boy or only pretended to, and I did. I was also curious about how far he would go to bring him back. Mission accomplished.”
Umberto applauded softly. “Well done, darling. Congratulations! A perfect plan, just as I expected from you. And now, will you please explain why this move was so important, especially for those of us who, unfortunately, have only half a brain?”
“As I mentioned earlier, this small experiment showed us that Ottavio Sforza cares enough about his illegitimate son to pay four million dollars for a company worth at most a quarter of that amount. And I bet he would’ve paid much more if that idiot had asked for a higher price.
That makes me think he cares enough about the kid to reopen the discussion about illegitimate children having the same rights as those born in a legal union. ”
“Um…” Richard began hesitantly. “Excuse me, but based on what I know, Ottavio was pardoned by The Council around three years ago. Why would he risk damaging the valuable relationship he has with the members of the Old-World Mafia’s highest authority over such a sensitive issue?”
Allegra offered her younger brother an almost maternal smile. “Because the circumstances are different from those of ten years ago, when it happened the first time,” she answered immediately. “And because Ottavio learned to choose diplomacy over war. He did it the hard way, but still…”
“Alright, we get the point,” Chadwick said, waving his hand dismissively. "Spare us this cheap philosophy and tell us the next step in your brilliant plan.”
“There is no next step,” Allegra said with a mysterious smile.
“We’ll wait for Ottavio to find the right way and the right moment to bring changing the Laws into discussion.
Depending on the turn of events, we’ll make our existence known.
.. or wait a little longer." She smiled at Umberto. “This doesn’t mean we won’t be busy.
Your idea of buying that small company was a genius move. ”
“Thank you, darling.” The man smiled at his daughter.
“The business owners in that area came to us in large numbers, attracted by the advantageous advertising packages we offer. Of course, only a handful of them are associated with the Old-World Mafia, but they are all Italians, and you never know when or how one or another of them can become useful.”
Chadwick stretched his arms and yawned. “I’m sorry, people, but all this talk about waiting bored me to no end. Please call me when we actually decide to do something. Until then, I’m going to take a walk.”
He left the room without looking back and didn’t even glance at Esteban, who was on the other side of the door, with orders not to let anyone inside, not even the mistress of the house.
Another of the old man’s dogs, always eager to lick his boots for a bone with a bit of meat on it, he huffed in annoyance.
What a punishment for a man like the boss to have a son like this one, Esteban shook his head.
He was eavesdropping on all the conversations in the house without feeling guilty about it, because knowing what was going on—so he could intervene if things went haywire—was part of his job.
Over time, this helped him form an image of each family member in his service, as he had been for twenty years.
Allegra was, without a doubt, the best of the three in every way.
Beautiful, intelligent, well-read, creative, and quick-thinking, she had all the qualities that would make a parent proud.
Sure, she wasn’t the most loving wife and mother, but that might be because she hadn’t received much maternal affection herself.
Or maybe married life wasn’t for her, which Esteban understood perfectly because he felt the same.
Allegra also treated him and his mother, Carmela, as people and didn’t see them as mere household accessories like the others did.
Well, little Richard was another exception, but he didn’t matter much in the family dynamic.
His mother, Vanessa, and older brother, Chadwick, made that clear too many times to count.
The sound of the office door opening pulled Esteban back from his thoughts, prompting him to dip his head in respect to Allegra and Richard, who were leaving the room in a civilized manner—completely different from their brother's behavior.
The two headed toward the library, and the guard wondered what they were up to this time, though not in a bad way.
He was eager to follow them, knowing his advice would be sought and appreciated.
Esteban let out a long sigh, wishing he were more than just a guard so he could speak openly to his boss and tell him what he thought of the very risky move the man was about to make.
Messing with The Council of The Ten, even slightly, wasn’t a smart decision; on the contrary, it could have long-term negative effects on the man’s business and personal reputation.
No matter how much his father loved Umberto, he would still be considered an illegitimate son by those who controlled the Old-World Mafia. Esteban, of all people, understood his need for recognition because he was painfully familiar with the shame of that status.
However, he neither approved of the methods used to achieve that goal nor understood why his boss was in such a hurry.
After all, his boss had waited forty years and could wait a little longer.
At this point, Esteban shook his head at the thoughts running through his mind.
"It’s not your place to judge or question the one you owe so much to," he told himself.
Indeed, Umberto was the only person who cared about the fate of a young woman, a pregnant immigrant who, after an attack that claimed her fiancé's life, was alone in a foreign country, with only basic language skills, no job, and no place to stay. The twenty-year-old at the time hired Carmela as his wife’s maid, providing her with a roof over her head and food on her table.
Umberto finally left the room, gesturing to Esteban that he was released from his duties, at least for now.
The man nodded and headed toward the library.
Well, he thought, it’s my job to protect this family, and I know exactly how to do it.
No one needs to get hurt in this dangerous game of power and greed.