15. Ivy #3
“Sir, but Grandfather mostly,” he says, looking toward the head of the table where Senator Hughes and his wife are greeting Grandpa Armando. “Only they get to call him something endearing as grandpa. I’ve never had the privilege or the insolence.”
I’m stunned by the ill-concealed bitterness in Vaughn’s voice.
I don’t have to wonder who ‘they’ are because I follow Vaughn’s gaze and see he’s looking at Scarlet.
It’s not about privilege. It’s more about indulgence and closeness, and it seems Vaughn has neither from his grandfather.
“Maybe you should start calling him grandpa too,” I suggest him. “After all, it seems he’s supporting you, isn’t he?”
I’m both fishing for answers and trying to comfort him, to which Vaughn cheers up a bit.
“Yeah, maybe I should give it a go one day,” he says with a smile. “They aren’t the only grandchildren.”
“How many grandchildren are there?”
“Five,” Vaughn answers. “Emmett is the eldest, then a few days after his birth came me. Five years later, Scarlet, then Xavier and lastly Lucien. He’s in high school.”
“Angelo doesn’t have children?”
Vaughn falls silent for a bit, as if he doesn’t know what to say.
“No,” he says in a strange tone.
“He isn’t married?”
“No.”
The abrupt, one-worded answers are out of character for Vaughn but then I remember what Scar told me the day we met.
Vaughn’s temperament is ruled by his emotions. I wonder what triggered him now.
From across the table, I spot Giovanni still watching me, as is Angelo.
Alarms blare in my head, demanding me to tread carefully here.
After we’re all settled in our seats, servers immediately come in and start serving the starter course, pouring drinks and cocktails, as light conversation fills the room.
I want to talk to Scarlet, but whenever I glance at her to give her signal, she pretends to not see me.
I can’t exactly call her name, as she’s sitting to her grandfather’s left, which clearly shows her position in the Family, while her father and uncles are farther down.
I’m nervous, sitting as if my ass is planted on a cushion of pins and needles.
At any moment, they might all turn their attention to me and make me make a decision .
Discreetly, I fish out my phone from my purse to check if I have any new texts, but there’s nothing at all.
Jesus, where are you, Emmett?
If he was demoted, what does that mean for me and this plan of his?
“Ivy?”
My name is suddenly called, making me jump slightly.
“Uh, yes?” I stutter, looking for the person who just called my name.
“Is everything okay?” Grandpa Armando questions. “Are you looking for something?”
Oh shit. Did he notice me looking around?
“Not at all. I was just admiring your lovely home,” I say nervously, fighting the pain in my body and the pressure of my panic.
“Oh no, it’s not mine,” he says in a kind voice. “This residence belongs to my grandson, as do the surrounding lots on the lakefront.”
With those words, it’s like a bomb just exploded in the room.
A tense atmosphere rises, and the men in the room all have varying expressions on their faces.
“Wow,” I say awkwardly. “Vaughn is very impressive.”
Grandpa shakes his head slowly, looking straight at me as Emilio’s face darkens. “I’m not talking about Vaughn, though he does have his own merits.”
Immediately, I get it.
He’s talking about the unnamed, absent, chilling figure that is Emmett.
“In fact, many of the Family’s assets were brought in or recovered by my grandson,” Grandpa goes on, looking calm, not braggy at all, but there’s a hidden message there.
“Of course, the Eastons are old money, but we’re not just what you children call ‘the Mafia.’” He makes air quotes at the end.
“We’re much more than that, embedded in many facets of the world, which is why our word carries weight in such things as American politics. ”
He looks at me sharply, but a quick glance to where Senator Hughes is sitting beside his father tells me that a message has been relayed and received.
“Yes,” Senator Hughes’s father speaks with a small smile. “The Easton Family’s power and influence is legendary. Without your support, I’d never have achieved my own success, let alone my son.”
I quickly note the respectful way in which that old man speaks to Grandpa Armando.
They’re almost the same age, I think, but the hierarchy of power, influence, and reach is clear.
The Hughes family needs the Eastons, not the other way round.
In fact, from just that little exchange, the Eastons made the Hughes family what they are today.
Also, the old man in the wheelchair holds Emmett in very high regard.
This seems to be a known fact, judging by the way the Easton men around the table looked thunderously angry and annoyed when Grandpa Armando was talking about the owner of this residence.
But didn’t Vaughn just say Emmett was demoted? Why are they suddenly on their toes when Grandpa alludes to Emmett’s brilliance?
“Sir, we deeply appreciate your support,” Senator Hughes is talking when I focus again. “I’ll never let you down, no matter what.”
Just then, the main dish starts to get served.
A plate of some type of thing that lives in the sea is placed in front of me.
The smell hits me square in the nostrils and I instantly start feeling queasy.
Beside me, Vaughn smiles, and says, “This is my favorite dish. I especially brought this chef from back home to prepare it for you tonight. I hope you like it.”
The fishy smell is so overwhelming that I can feel bile rise up my throat.
My skin starts tingling. I’m going to start breaking out in hives at this rate.
But before I can push the plate away, it’s immediately removed from in front of me and taken away in quick succession.
In fact, all the plates that were just served to everyone… all of them are quickly lifted away, including Vaughn’s, which he had already started to dissect.
Stunned, I look up and notice about a dozen tough, strong, and deadly-looking men all dressed in black, holding the plates they just removed.
“What the hell are you doing?” Emilio’s thunderous voice sounds in the room. “What kind of daring is this?”
“Apologies,” a vaguely familiar voice speaks from behind me.
Surprised, I quickly turn around and spot one of Emmett’s shadows standing right behind me.
Ty! He’s here!
He’s clearly the one who took away my plate and passed it to the man standing to his left.
“What is the meaning of this?” the old man in the wheelchair questions quietly.
“Sir, the young master declared years ago that no manner of seafood shall be cooked, prepared, served, or eaten in any of his residences.”
Everyone is stunned, but no one is more stunned than me.
“W-what?” Emilio demands. “What kind of declaration is that?”
Ty doesn’t flinch, nor does he hesitate as he looks directly at Emmett’s grandfather, dismissing Emilio’s angry question.
“The young master also left a message before he departed,” he says.
“What is it?” Grandpa Armando questions quietly, not at all angry like his son.
“He kindly reminds all guests present tonight to remember their place,” Ty states clearly. “He said a healthy serving of reality will help your brain cells to work properly, so as to prevent Alzheimer’s, as it is a deadly disease to have when so young and overambitious.”
What?
There’s no scientific evidence that claims beef helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease, but my thoughts don’t matter at all because immediately, a number of servers come into the room, all of them with covered dishes.
They place them in front of everyone and then open them to reveal steak… but it’s not ordinary steak at all!
On some plates, the steak is cooked, smelling divine. But on most plates, there’s a simple but rude single serving of thick, completely raw, bleeding slabs of fatty, bloody meat.
WHAT IN THE NAME…
“What the hell is this?” Giovanni demands in a fury, glaring at Ty.
Ty also ignores him and looks at Grandpa. “The young master said this must be to everyone’s liking, so as to promote your health.”
OMG! Emmett did not just…
The shock in the room is clear, loud, and deadly as everyone stares at their plates of blood.
“But what about my chef?” Vaughn questions stiffly, looking at Ty angrily.
“Mr. Vaughn, the young master has also left a message to tell you to not overstep your bounds.”
Vaughn’s jaw clenches tight, glaring at Ty, but he doesn’t say a word.
“The young master said to tell you that he does not do things in the manner you do, Mr. Vaughn. The young master paid the chef and his staff their dues, including a generous tip, as he can more than afford it without the family’s funds. He then had us send them back to their homes.”
Vaughn clamps his mouth shut and turns back around in anger while a ripple of shock moves through the room, but no one says a word.
There’s a deadly silence in the room that speaks volumes.
Scarlet laughs happily, breaking the tense silence.
When everyone looks at her, she squeals happily. “Yay! There’s steak! Grandpa, let’s eat!”
Everyone glances at her plate.
We all notice the perfectly cooked steak, creamy mashed potatoes with rich gravy, and perfectly grilled asparagus in sauce on her plate.
I can’t help but look at Emmett’s grandfather’s plate and notice he has the same serving as Scarlet, only his steak looks medium rare.
But everyone else’s plates all have raw, bleeding meat. Some of it looks like it’s gone bad like Melissa’s which is completely rotten.
Beside me, Vaughn’s plate has what looks like a frozen slab of raw meat, but the most peculiar thing is the fresh blood around it, as if it was intentionally added.
Jesus Christ, I’ve never seen such pettiness in my life.
Just then, a platter bigger than everyone else’s is placed in front of me by Ty.
He removes the lid, revealing a plate of… Wingstop!