13. Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Thirteen
IT WAS TIME TO CHOOSE A SIDE
Aaliyah
Descending the grand staircase of the Rizzo mansion was like walking into the lion’s den. With Antonio and me leading the way, and Alessandro directly behind us, followed by Chantal and Razor, all eyes were on the children of Antonio Rizzo Sr., and especially on the new Don and his Donna just as we expected.
We needed to command the room.
Most of the people gathered were our enemies, many being a part of the Rizzo family itself. Only a few remained loyal to Antonio, as they were to his father. Now was the time to weed out the disloyal ones, including my dear mother-in-law.
The older members of his organization loathed me. Even though they remained respectful when in our presence their eyes told a different story. When I was younger even before I understood his lessons, Abasi always told me to always look into a man’s eyes if I ever wanted to know a man’s truth because their eyes would never lie even when their tongues did. It was something I never strayed from and today we were in the midst of traitorous snakes. They couldn’t hide from what I saw in their eyes, even when their words said something different.
They always spoke their slurs and smears behind closed doors or behind our backs. Did it bother me? No, it didn’t. Antonio and I both knew from the beginning how this would all play out. Having an African woman as Donna of the most powerful Italian crime family on two continents was unheard of, disrespectful in the eyes of many. But their Donna was no weakling, despite their beliefs. No other woman would run this family by Antonio’s side. It was best for all involved if they got behind the direction the new Don was taking his family.
Holding Antonio’s hand, our fingers intertwined, we approached his mother. Of course, she turned her back to us when she saw us approaching. Or when she saw me approaching. But it was okay. I learned we would never have a relationship and Papa Rizzo told me never to try. She wasn’t to be trusted. It was best I kept her at arms-length, and that was what I intended to do once she was properly taken down a peg or two.
“Marianna, Franco said you needed to see me.”
Using her first name made Marianna bristle. Antonio stopped calling her mama months ago after she continued to degrade me, and because of her never-ending attempts to get him away from me. She blamed me for corrupting her son, just like Chantal’s mother had corrupted her husband. That was the nonsense she spewed. I never responded to any of her insults, but her day was coming. While many in this organization looked down on me, I was the daughter of Abasi Sefu. They would all learn soon enough.
“Yes, I sent for you. Not her,” she sneered.
Her eyes, a vivid shade of green like spring grass, burned with contempt and anger. Marianna was a beautiful woman. Her hair, black as a raven’s feathers, cascaded down to her waist. Despite her age, her skin remained flawless. But despite her beauty, she had an ugly soul. No amount of beauty on the outside could cover the ugliness on the inside. Her soul was as dark as they come.
“Well, Marianna, where I go so does your Donna,” Antonio responded with as much contempt as his mother had for me.
She scoffed. “This is your father’s repast, and you are nowhere to be found. How does it look for the new Don to ignore his guests who are gathered to pay their respects to your father?”
“As far as these guests are concerned, fuck them.” Antonio averted his gaze from his mother and scanned the crowded main living room, where everyone had congregated with drinks and appetizers. “Excuse me!” he shouted over the chatter. “Can I have everyone’s attention?”
The guest quieted down, and everyone focused on Antonio.
“Me and my lovely wife, Aaliyah, would like to thank each of you for coming today and celebrating the life of my father. He would have appreciated all the thoughtful and kind words you have given his family in their time of grief.”
“Don Rizzo!” sounded throughout the house. “Don Rizzo!”
Antonio allowed the cheers for his father to last briefly, then raised his hand to quiet the crowd.
“Thank you again. Like I’ve stated we appreciate the outpouring of support, but now we would ask you all to exit the premises unless you are family, so we can all grieve our loss in private.”
Uncertain of what to do, everyone glanced around. According to Antonio, these things lasted well into the night, and only ended when guests decided they were ready to leave. The family usually had no say when guests decided they’d shown enough respect for the deceased.
“What are you doing?!” His mother harshly grabbed his arm whispering in his ear. “This is a day of mourning for everyone in this room. You don’t kick my guests out of my house.”
“I’m the head of this family, Marianna. Papa is dead and gone. God rest his soul. And I don’t need to explain shit to you.” He snatched his arm from her tight grasp. “Now, Aaliyah and I need to say our proper goodbyes, and then we all need to have a conversation, because it seems some of you have forgotten who the hell I am and what your fucking places are.”
We walked to the main entrance of the house leaving his mother fuming, her perfect olive skin was now beet red. We thanked everyone for coming and for their condolences that were only for show as they left. When the last guest exited, and only the soldiers, made men, and leaders of the family remained we locked the door.
“Abel, could you make sure no one comes in or out without my permission?” Antonio instructed, and Abel nodded. “Let’s go get this shit straight.”
I smirked at Abel before we walked into a room where most of the men hated my guts. He knew Antonio was about to assert his power, and I could feel the tension building in the air.
Abel informed me months ago, Tony’s men had loose lips, and he needed to get a handle on it before he ended up killing one of them. And today was the day there would be no mistake who held the power in this family.
I loved this dominant side of him and most of these men saw me as weak for one reason or another. Not good enough for Antonio and definitely not good enough to carry the title of Donna. The reason was never important to me. But today we would make it known I would not cower to any of them regardless of their feelings. In this culture where women don’t speak against the men, they would learn soon enough that was their culture, not mine. No, they did not have to like me, but they damn well better respect me. Or pay the consequences.
“Everyone, thank you for coming today. Although today is a day of mourning, today is also a day we are going to get some shit straight. So, when I ask a question, I expect an answer.”
As Antonio addressed the men in the room, everyone looked at us like we’d lost our damn minds while they shifted around uncomfortably. We always put on a united front. And there was some underhanded shit going on and today was a day of reckoning that had been a long time coming.
“If you lie to us, then you lose your life,” I chimed in, and everyone’s eyes got as big as saucers. “It’s as simple as that, gentlemen. If we can’t trust you to tell simple truths, what good are you to this family?”
“Now does everyone understand the seriousness of this situation?” Tony asked.
Yes boss, and yes Don echoed throughout the room. Antonio clapped, quieting everyone down.
“Good.” He folded his arms across his chest. “Now that we have an understanding let’s begin, shall we gentlemen? It has been brought to my attention that my mother, and I use that term loosely, has informed my men not to refer to my wife as Donna. Is that correct?”
The men looked at one another with fear shining clearly in their eyes but they remained quiet.
“Antonio this is uncalled for. You cannot threaten these men because of this woman,” Marianna shouted, pointing towards me, the usual disdain for me marring her face. “They are right. She will never be accepted. She is not one of us and will never be Donna of this family if I have anything to say about it.”
“But that’s what you fail to see Marianna,” Tony said. “You have no say in anything concerning the Rizzo family anymore. The little power you wielded when Papa was alive was buried with him today.”
She gasped, clutching the string of black pearls hanging around her neck. Marianna had no power because we didn’t want her to have any power. We took the warning from my father-in-law seriously. Marianna Rizzo was not to be trusted. And I heard just about enough from her. It was time she saw the real me.
With every step I took towards her, the sound of my heels reverberated off the sleek ebony hardwood floors, until I was standing in front of the self-righteous bitch.
“So, my dear mother-in-law what we are not going to do is disrespect me further, especially in my home.”
I spoke where everyone could hear. Today was the day I made it known that this was my home. I was Tony’s better half. And I was everyone’s Donna including my husband’s bitch of a mother.
“This is not your home!” she shouted. “It will never be your home!”
I ignored her. Unlike her, we were already aware of the specific contents of Papa Rizzo’s Last Will and Testament. We were there to witness the changes. She owned nothing. She’d been giving a home off the property in Antonio’s name and enough money in a bank account Alessandro would oversee for her to live comfortably until the day she died. But this house was now ours. The Famiglia and all its holdings were my husband’s. She was left with nothing.
“You have no say in what goes on in this family, just as Antonio has stated. It’s time to step aside, before I force you aside. And Marianna trust me, you do not want to make me angry.”
“Antonio, you will allow her to talk to your mother this way?” Antonio’s uncle Dino screamed out.
It was best he kept his mouth closed in the situation. The shit I dug up on him would have most the men in this room wanting to cut him up and dispose of the pieces. Come to think of it, I might let everyone know anyway.
“Allow?” Antonio’s laughter echoed through the room. “Aaliyah is my wife, not some fucking dog, Zio. I don’t allow her to do anything. She’s a grown ass woman and does what she pleases. I suggest you shut the fuck up and let my wife and Marianna handle whatever is between them.”
Dino scoffed but said nothing more because the Don had spoken.
“Now do we have an understanding, Marianna?” I asked, stepping closer to her when she remained silent. I leaned in where only she could hear. “I’m not the one you want to fuck with. As my mother-in-law, I’ve shown you respect even when you did not deserve it. But do not take my kindness for weakness. If you continue down this path, it will not end well for you. And it will be by my hand you take your last breath.”
I stepped back and her eyes told me all I needed to know. While fear shone brightly in them, so did hate. She was going to be a problem. A problem I’d deal with.
“You can’t threaten me!” She walked to Antonio, stepping in his face. “You would let her talk to me this way? Your own mother!”
“You are no longer my mother, Marianna. You gave up the right to be my mother a long time ago.”
She tried to slap him, but I caught her wrist, squeezing it until she whimpered from my tightening grip.
“And it’s not a threat, Marianna.” I smiled and tightened my grip, exerting a little more pressure to emphasize my point, which made her yelp. “It’s a promise.”
I released her wrist before I snapped it. While staring at me with pure anger, she rubbed the spot on her wrist that would surely form a bruise. She wasn’t getting it, or she just chose not to. It was okay. She’d learn just like the rest who thought I was weak. This was a new day in the Rizzo family. Blood in and blood out. It was time to choose a side.