Chapter 15 Teo
fifteen
Teo
“Mr. Donatelli, excuse me sir!”
I paused at the base of my parents’ stairs, turning toward the frazzled voice. One of the catering staff stood near the front entrance, clipboard in hand, looking overwhelmed by the controlled chaos surrounding him.
“Who should sign for the champagne delivery? The driver’s asking for someone in charge, but Ms. Lidia is at the service entrance with the florists. And Mrs. Donatelli is with the bridal party.”
“Champagne?” I asked, only half-listening as I watched vendors stream through the house like ants. White peonies were being carried in by the armload, while another crew wheeled in gold Italian chairs through the back entrance.
“Yes. Cases of Dom Pérignon. The driver confirmed it’s for tomorrow’s reception.” I nodded absently, my mind still replaying my night with Yanna.
Last night, she was so... open to me. The way she strangled my dick and was so responsive.
Just picturing her dewy body, bouncing on top of me, made it extremely difficult to concentrate on the wedding details.
Particularly with deliveries. My mind wasn’t on that.
It ventured more into how she’d finally given me an inch, let her guard down, and now I wouldn’t see her until tomorrow at the altar.
We hadn’t even had time to discuss last night, before our mothers was standing at the entrance of our home whisking my fiancée away for the day. Talking about ‘traditions’.
“Just have Lidia’s assistant handle it,” I said, scanning the room for any sign of my sister. “Where’s Sophia? Is she here yet?”
“Yes, sir. I think she went upstairs, sir. With the other ladies.”
I nodded, then took the stairs two at a time, navigating around more vendors carrying linens and centerpieces.
The entire house had been transformed into wedding central, but all I could think about was the last-minute gift that was being delivered today.
I didn’t want it lost in the shuffle, and more importantly didn’t want Yanna to see it until tomorrow.
“Teo!” Sophia’s voice called from down the hall, her tone a low hiss. “What are you doing here? You know it’s bad luck to see her before the wedding?”
Was it though?
She closed the door behind her, stepping out ready to shoo me away.
The whole ‘don’t see the bride 24 hours before the wedding’ bullshit was something I never bought into.
Bad luck, terrible marriage was all superstitious nonsense as far as I was concerned.
My belief was that marriage success came down to being a good partner—genuinely loving and caring for each other, protecting each other not just physically but emotionally too.
If those things were consistent, then you were in for a beautiful and prosperous partnership. Everything else was just noise.
But since traditions mattered to my family, I honored them. Even at the expense of being apart from Yanna when all I wanted was to be near her.
“Chill,” I chuckled.
Sophia wasn’t playing. The frown line on her forehead let me know that she would likely try to punch me if I tried to get into that room.
“I’m here to see your big headed ass, anyway.”
“About what?”
I glanced around, making sure no vendors were close enough to overhear, then grabbed her arm pulling her into the small study that our parents rarely used.
“I need you to handle something for me.” I pulled the door shut behind us.
“Business?”
“Nah. Personal.”
“Okay, what is it?” she asked, curiosity overriding her earlier firmness.
A slow grin crept across my face. “Tiffany’s and Co. They’re delivering something today, and I need you to intercept the package before anyone else sees it.”
“Delivering here? To the house?”
“Yeah, should be arriving within the next few hours. With all these people running around...” I gestured toward the chaos outside. “I can’t risk it getting lost or Yanna seeing it before tomorrow.”
Sophia nodded, understanding. “And you can’t do it yourself because...?”
I shook my head. “Can’t. About to be tied up with the old man. Family wine ceremony and marriage blessing with all the patriarchs.”
She nodded, understanding the tradition well.
Every male head of family would gather to share wine from bottles that had been aging since before I was born.
Each would offer their blessing and wisdom for long-lasting marriage.
It was one of the few traditions I actually respected.
Though I didn’t need a room full of patriarchs to tell me how to make Yanna happy, I respected the hell out of the way these men took care of their women, prioritized their well-being, and built strong families.
“I’ll take care of it,” she said, then her expression shifted. “But while I have you... there’s something else we need to talk about.”
My eyebrows pulled tight, but she continued. “Have you talked to Steph?”
“Not since last week.”
“Oh,” she hesitated, choosing her words carefully. “She’s probably trying not to ruin your day, so maybe I should…”
“Nah, go ahead.”
Her expression turned serious. “This may not be anything but I figured you’d wanna know this.” She took a huge breath. “So, remember I told you about Orlando and Bianca buying property, seemingly going legit?”
My head shook slightly as I recalled that conversation. “Yeah, you mentioned they were making some moves, but didn’t think it had anything to do with the shit going on.”
Sophia’s eyes met mine with a pensiveness that made me a little uneasy. “Well, it turns out those properties they’ve been acquiring, are fronts. Which... whatever, that’s typically how business works in our circles.”
“Okay? So, what’s the problem?”
“The properties are actually being used as shell companies to move money. Specifically three of them. Large deposits weekly... that started right around Yanna’s first kidnapping attempt.”
The timing wasn’t lost on me. Nothing in this business was ever coincidental, especially when it came to making power moves. Something about this seemed... too calculated.
“We know who the shell companies belong to?”
Her head rocked from side to side. “Not all of them. Last time I spoke to Steph, she could only identify the owner of one of them... Roland. But I know he isn’t an issue anymore.”
“Not at all. But that definitely links the Moccasins to all this.” I rubbed my chin, wondering how deep their involvement really went. “Thanks Soph.”
“No problem.” She started toward the door, then paused with her hand on the handle.
“This may not be anything, but worth mentioning. Each company was receiving $50,000 payments every week. Roland’s stopped, but the other two are still getting paid like clockwork.
But one just had major activity. $150,000. ”
“When?” I asked, now on full alert.
“Yesterday”
That stopped me cold wondering why Steph hadn’t brought this to me herself. That was her job. And as if Sophia had read my mind.
“She’s probably trying to handle it quietly, and gather all the facts before bringing it to you.
As she should. However, I’m your consigliere.
My job is to assess the threat and advise.
I’d be failing the family if I didn’t inform you that someone just received enough money to cause serious problems. You needed to know. ”
I nodded, appreciating her diligence. “‘Preciate the heads up. Get back to the wedding festivities. I’ll handle this shit.”
She headed for the door, then paused. “And Teo? Don’t let this ruin your day. Whatever they’re planning, it’s not happening today.”
Once she left, I pulled out my phone and called Keem directly.
“Yo!” He answered, raising his voice to be heard over the loud music in the background.
“I need extra security on everything today and tomorrow. Double the detail at the church, triple it here at the estate. And I want additional eyes on all the family members.”
“Something specific I should know about?”
“Just being cautious. Make it happen quietly too. Don’t alarm anyone, especially the women.”
“Consider it done.”
I hung up, feeling a bit more at ease, but not quite at peace, though.
This shit was getting out of hand, and I didn’t like it.
Whatever was coming, was going to end in blood.
I could see that now. But I couldn’t let this news fuck with my wife’s wedding.
The next few days were about me and Yanna, and I wasn’t letting anyone fuck that up.