17. Andrew
17
ANDREW
T he engine hums softly as I sit in the shadows of my car, frustration scratching at me like a persistent itch. Aria and I parted ways mere moments ago, but something isn’t sitting right.
Call it intuition or maybe just years of being underestimated, but I can’t shake the feeling that she is up to something.
There was a weird tension in the air when we said goodbye that wasn’t there before.
I watch as she reaches the corner where she’ll turn left toward her house, but instead, she pauses, her eyes darting around as if searching for something—or someone. My heartbeat picks up.
Did she think she could deceive me? That I’m some naive prick ?
I felt the change in atmosphere as soon as that man walked into the coffee shop—saw it, tasted it.
I noticed him immediately, a hint of familiarity that made my senses prickle with unease. I hadn’t seen his entire face yet, but Aria’s reaction was unmistakable.
She froze.
Her smile faltered, eyes widening in recognition. It was almost imperceptible, but I caught it.
When I asked if something was wrong, she said it was “nothing,” and that he was just an old “friend of a friend.”
Then , I saw his face. Dion Loukas .
She’s a fucking liar.
Were the text messages she received from him ?
My grip tightens on the steering wheel, my jaw clenched.
Without warning, she pivots on her heel and retraces her steps. A flicker of guilt flashes across her face before she swiftly changes direction, disappearing into the shadows of the alley behind the café we were just at.
Is she meeting with him now? After being with me?
I glance around to make sure no one is watching and slip out of the car. I need to get a better look without drawing attention. I edge forward, sticking close to the wall of the building, my eyes trained on Aria as she moves deeper into the alley where Loukas waits for her.
Fucking whore.
I need to get rid of him. Make him stop messing with what’s mine, with my future.
Ever since the Vasilakis clan inherited a new Godfather , things have been hostile. He’s one of the main people my future father-in-law, Philip , told me to stay away from.
The hierarchies have changed in the past decades. I haven’t been part of the families since my father died.
We were respected, influential, and our name carried weight. But that all changed when my father’s life was taken away too soon. With his death, it felt like the very essence of our importance dissolved into thin air.
With no family left other than me and my mother, the five families voted us out.
I was a little boy at the time, so I couldn’t take over for my father, and my poor mother was defenseless.
She told me the truth when I was old enough to understand. I was so angry. Angry that they belittled our family. Angry that they left my mother powerless. Angry that they stripped my title when I was too young to claim it.
I vowed to find a way back into the ranks.
In the years that followed, I attempted to reclaim some semblance of our former glory, but it felt like grasping at shadows. The world had moved on, and so had our place in it.
And now, the key to my re-introduction into the world is standing in an alley, getting finger fucked by an enemy.
My blood is boiling, disgust washing over me in a wave.
I swallow it down, forcing myself to remain composed, to keep my emotions in check. It’s not the time or place for a confrontation. Not yet.
I walk back to my car, barely able to grasp the handle in my furious haze.
Teeth grinding, I start the car and pull away from the curb.
People always underestimate me. But when I’ll have power again, I won’t be taken advantage of anymore.
And no one, not even Aria , will get in my way.