Chapter 48
JOSEPH
Tiffany is in shock. They all are and as we head back to the hotel in our respective cars, I hold her shaking body against mine the entire time.
“What just happened?”
She sobs in my arms. “What have I become?”
“You are still the same person, Tiffany.”
I attempt to reassure her. “You are compassionate, loving, and attempting to deal with the fact that not everyone else is.”
“But I allowed my anger to make me a monster.”
“By doing what, exactly? Cutting her hair?”
I pull her in a little tighter.
“You watched something no woman should ever see. We all deal with pain differently, angel. Morgan’s life was spared, and don’t believe for one minute that she will become a better person for it. She will want revenge, and her idea of that is crueler than yours.”
“She will come after us?”
Fear shivers in her words.
“She may try, but I’m guessing she won’t have much of an army left.”
“Why not?”
“Because she created her downfall.”
“I really don’t understand you, Joseph.”
“Not many do, sweetheart.”
I kiss her head softly, wishing like hell she hadn’t seen that.
She now lives in a world she shouldn’t. Tiffany and her sisters should never witness the carnage our life offers as another day at the office.
Blood, torture, retribution are merely the tools of our trade, and the three sisters really don’t need to come to work with their men.
“What happens now?”
“Nothing. We go back to the hotel where you will say goodbye to your sisters—for now, anyway. Then we return home, fuck rather an obscene number of times and when you are pregnant, we try to do better with our kids.”
“I like the sound of that.” She sniffs.
“What about the keys? I’m almost afraid to discover what they unlock.”
“We must wait until you are twenty-five anyway, so there is a lot of time to worry about that later.”
“I guess you’re right.”
She sniffs, and I hand her a tissue.
“It’s done, angel. Now it’s my job to wipe away the memory of what just happened. To treat you like the queen you are and replace any fear with happiness.”
“What about you, Joseph? Can you ever be truly happy if that is your life?”
“Only if you are there when I come home, angel. Only if you smile at me with love and never fear. Then I can live happily, knowing that I have everything I ever need in life.”
She shifts and gazes at me with so much emotion it staggers me a little, and as she presses her lips against mine, she whispers, “I couldn’t walk away if I tried.
For some reason, you are my man, Joseph.
You are it for me, and no matter what happens around us, we will stand together in the middle of it and weather the storm—together. ”
Kissing my wife will never get old, even if we’re lucky enough to grow old together. Somehow, I found Tiffany in the unlikeliest of ways, and now she’s here, I must be a better man.
I can’t be her father, who disregarded what riches he truly owned.
I will be better than him, understanding now the love my father has for my mom.
His mistress exists because he is weak in many ways.
He doesn’t want Mom to see that part of him.
I am only weak if Tiffany isn’t the one by my side and there will be no other women in our marriage—ever.
Su Yin doesn’t count. She is more like a therapist than someone I am intimate with.
Of the mind perhaps, but never physically.
We reach the hotel and as we are once again swept up in the circus that has always been my life, I grip Tiffany’s hand tightly and wait for the storm to pass.
* * *
The girls are understandably worried, and we sit around on the couch in a circle, this time beside our respective wives.
They are close beside us, our arms encircling their shoulders as we wait for Nico to return.
“What about Sister Agatha? She must be terrified.”
Alice bites her lip nervously, a trait they all apparently share.
“I’ll call mom. She can reassure us.”
Simeon dials her number and places the call on speaker.
“Mom, any news on Sister Agatha? The girls are worried.”
Simeon’s deep voice as always gets straight to the point, and her soft voice fills the room.
“She is back in the convent. I just spoke with her. A little shaken, but her usual serene self.”
She chuckles softly. “Nothing ever has ruffled her feathers.”
“Mom, it’s Julius. Joseph says you have the three keys.”
Talking of getting straight to the point, Julius never did learn the art of subtlety.
“I do.” She pauses before saying defensively.
“We decided that it was too important to leave them unguarded. It was your father’s idea. They are secured in our safe deposit box at the bank until they are needed.”
“You could have saved us the concern, mom.”
Julius huffs and she answers him with a firm, “Perhaps, but one thing you should have learned by now is that the fewer people who know, the better. Even family. Pillow talk can be destructive and throw up many challenges, and as the girls were being pursued by every criminal in the network, there was a possibility that one of them would be successful. Without the keys, the girls would be safe to a degree and provide us with a bargaining tool to ensure their safe return. Use your chess pieces wisely, all of you, and always be four steps ahead of the game.”
Simeon nods, appearing impressed, but then again, the game has always been his love language. He is skilled at thinking four steps ahead; he gets that from our father, and I have no doubt he has played a huge part in this entire operation.
The door opens and Nico heads into the room and Simeon says quickly, “We must go, mom. Speak soon.”
“Stay safe, all of you. We’ll catch up soon.”
The call ends, and Nico takes a seat, a smile breaking his usual frown lines.
“It’s been an interesting day.”
“That’s one way of putting it.”
Julius drawls and the girls stare at him anxiously because it’s obvious he has news.
“A lot went on in the house, but rather a lot also happened outside.”
Simeon leans forward. “In what way?”
“It appears that we owe Morgan a huge favor.”
He chuckles before leaning back and grinning.
“Thanks to Joseph’s information, we sat back and watched the game unfold, a timely call to the authorities our only card to play.
When you left, we instructed the guards to withdraw, and it appears that the Monza mafia arrived just in time.
They discovered a gruesome scene, and before they could leave, they were surrounded by the Italian police.
The cops have been waiting for this opportunity for years and are not about to let it pass by, and the Monza mafia are currently handcuffed and waiting for their lawyers. ”
“But Morgan will tell the police they had nothing to do with it.”
Tiffany voices her fear and the girls nod, equally worried.
“I doubt it.”
Nico shrugs. “You see, sadly, Morgan never survived.”
Tiffany stiffens as I share a look with my brothers.
Yes, the golden rule strikes again. Leave no evidence and the guard’s final instruction was to slay the beast. It won’t matter that forensics may tell a different story.
The Italian police won’t mess around, and the Monza mafia will definitely pay for their crimes with one they didn’t commit. Karma really is a bitch.
“But her family.” Alice asks, her eyes wide. “They already know we were there. They will want revenge.”
“I doubt it.” Nico shrugs, seemingly unconcerned.
“Morgan was the last woman standing, anyway. Sadly, her two brothers never made it out of Italy. Their past caught up with them and one of their enemies got there first. Apparently, they had messed with a powerful Italian family and, luckily, they disposed of our problem for us. The Sorcusi mafia is no more, which means–”
He leans forward and smiles at each sister in turn.
“That Morgan has no claim to the Diamond Dynasty, which reverts to you. Not that there is much left after they settle the debts owed but your trust funds are still in place and you won’t have to worry about the rest because once it is settled, the homes will be sold, along with most of his possessions to pay back the bank.
If there is anything you wish to salvage, I suggest you go back there and retrieve it before the assessors move in. ”
Rose sighs. “I would like to go back one last time. To bury the past in my mind, anyway.”
“Me too.”
Alice nods and Tiffany smiles.
“We should. To lay the past to rest and draw a line under it.”
Nico nods before sighing heavily. “I’ve been here for ten minutes already and there is still no drink in my hand. I blame you for this, Simeon.”
Simeon merely rolls his eyes.
“You have quite a problem, brother. Does your wife like this side of you?”
“She likes every side of me and has no complaints.”
Nico’s expression softens at the mention of his wife, and for once, I understand where it’s coming from.
To be honest, we were the main winners in this entire twisted game because out of it we found our reason for existing.
The Diamond Dynasty for sure because we discovered three beautiful diamonds, flawless, perfect and dazzling and no amount of riches could ever compare to how invaluable they are to us.