Chapter 3 #2
Sybls was created with strict rules and protections in place.
Everyone there was there by choice, and anyone who crossed those boundaries faced consequences.
Severe ones. In our family, loyalty mattered.
Respect mattered. And anyone who abused their position or harmed someone under our protection paid the price.
I looked at Marcio. "We'll deal with him later."
He nodded. "But right now, we have other responsibilities." I grabbed my backpack from the chair. "We need to check in with the guards and then get to school."
The two of us gathered our things and walked out of the office. I locked the door behind us.
For the first time, I truly understood what Pops meant. Being Boss wasn't just about giving orders. It was about carrying every problem that came with them.
Marcio and I made our way downstairs to the foyer, where the guards assigned for the day were already waiting. The moment they saw us approach, they immediately straightened.
Not because we demanded it but because they understood. For the next few days we were in charge.
"Alright, men." My voice came out steady and controlled. "You are assigned to the school grounds today."
I looked over the group. "Raf and Damien already gave you your instructions, correct?"
They nodded. "Yes, Boss." I gave a short nod before turning toward the second group of guards. "You will continue your normal routine around the estate. Inside the property, around the perimeter, everything stays the same."
I paused. "If anything seems wrong, you contact me. If I don't answer, you contact Marcio or Leonardo. Understood?"
"Yes, Boss." I nodded. Good. Simple and direct. Exactly how Pops would have handled it. Before we could leave, I noticed Uncle Stefano and Uncle Niccolo motioning us over.
As we approached, Stefano had a small smile on his face.
Uncle Niccolo...
Well, Niccolo had what could barely be considered a smile. For anyone else, it would've looked like his usual emotionless expression. But we knew him. That was basically a grin.
"You seem to be handling this pretty well," Uncle Stefano said.
I shrugged slightly. "I'm trying."
Because honestly...I was. I turned toward him.
"Did Leo give you your assignment for the day?" Both of them nodded. "I've got everything covered," Stefano answered.
I looked at Uncle Niccolo. "You'll be responsible for protecting the mothers." His expression immediately changed. Just slightly but enough.
I laughed. "I know you can handle them." I patted his shoulder. Marcio immediately started laughing.
Poor Niccolo. The man could handle armed enemies without blinking.
But four women? That was a different kind of battlefield. "Good luck," Marcio teased. Niccolo gave him a dead stare. The funny thing was...He wasn't scared of anything. Except maybe our mothers when they were all together.
"We need to get going," I said, looking between them. "Call me if anything happens." They nodded. I gave them one final look before turning toward Marcio. "Let's go."
Before we could take another step, a loud voice echoed through the foyer.
"Let's go now!" Leo's voice rang out as he walked in with all the kids following behind him. I raised my eyebrows.
Actually...
I was impressed. He somehow managed to get all of them down here at the same time. That alone deserved an award.
"Stop pushing me, Antonio!" Lia yelled as she rushed toward the door.
"I never touched you!" Antonio shouted back, following behind her.
I shook my head. And this was just the beginning of the morning.
"AJ," Dean called as he swung his backpack over his shoulder. "If I skipped class, would you kill me?"
I stared at him. "Yes."
His eyes widened slightly. "Now go." I gave him a small shove toward the door.
He laughed as he walked away. "That was a serious answer, wasn't it?"
"Very."
Then came the real challenge. "Mommy, I don't want to go!" Callie's voice echoed through the foyer. I turned around just in time to see Mom struggling to hold onto her.
Callie was fighting like her life depended on escaping school. For someone so small, she had a ridiculous amount of strength.
Mom finally gave me a look. The kind that said your turn.
I sighed. She handed Callie over. I lowered myself slightly and gave my little sister the most serious expression I could manage.
The same look Pops always gave us.
Eventually...she stopped fighting. I blinked. That actually worked. I handed her off to one of the guards, who carried her toward the SUV.
Usually, I was one of the first people out the door. Which meant I never actually saw the insanity that happened before everyone left. Now I understood. This family was chaos.
"Dantae."
My little brother walked up to me and looked me up and down. Then he tilted his head. "I don't see it."
I frowned. "See what?" He shook his head, then he walked away. I stood there completely confused. A second later, Kalani and Kaia walked behind him, laughing. I smiled. I see those two made up. Finally, after what felt like an entire hour, everyone was outside.
The foyer was finally quiet. Almost. The only ones left were me, Leo, Marcio, and Damien. Raf had already gone ahead with the kids in one of the SUVs.
Then our mothers approached us. All four of them. Smiling. That immediately made me suspicious. They looked like they knew something we didn't.
"Have fun, Bosses." Aunt Yana smiled brightly at the four of us. "You're going to have one hell of a day."
We all exchanged confused looks.
"Thanks?" I said.
She just smiled wider. That somehow made me more nervous. We said goodbye and headed outside, climbing into one of the many SUVs waiting for us.
Finally...
We were on our way to school. Our private school was located in upstate New York, only about ten minutes from the estate. Which meant we had just enough time to prepare ourselves.
Because apparently...
Running a Mafia family before first period wasn't enough.
We still had math class.
A.J.'s POV~
The moment we pulled up to the school, everyone's eyes immediately went to the four SUVs. They always did. We had attended this school for years, and somehow people still weren't used to seeing us arrive like this.
Four black vehicles. A group of siblings. Guards surrounding us.
It definitely wasn't normal.
But for us it was.
Everyone climbed out of the SUVs and immediately started heading toward the school.
The younger kids broke off first, each going in their own direction with their assigned guards following closely behind. Every one of us had protection.
Two guards assigned to each person. Even me.
Pops would never allow me to come here without someone watching my back.
The only reason I had one less guard today was because Raf, Damien, and Leo were also assigned their own.
Technically, since I was acting Boss, I could dismiss them. But if Pops found out I did that? He would probably kill me himself.
I checked my watch. Ten minutes before the first bell. Perfect. Enough time.
"Let's handle Mr. Fielder before we get to class."
Everyone immediately nodded. We walked through the double doors of the school entrance. The second we stepped inside, the attention followed.
Whispers, stares, people moving out of our way. Honestly? I was used to it. After a while, being watched became normal.
"What exactly are we going to do about Mr. Fielder?" Raf asked as we walked through the hallway.
I kept my eyes forward. "We're going to have a conversation with him." I paused.
"If he cooperates, it ends there."
"And if he doesn't?" Marcio looked over.
I glanced at him. "Then we'll handle it."
Marcio smirked. "Okay, but I still get to punch him."
I rolled my eyes. Typical Marcio. There were always rumors about us around school.
Some people believed the attention came from Dad being the CEO of the largest tech company in the country.
They weren't wrong. That was the public story.
The one everyone knew. Others whispered that we were involved in something darker.
That maybe our family wasn't just wealthy. That maybe there was something else behind the money and security. Technically...
They weren't wrong either.
Then there were the people who thought we were arrogant.
That we thought we were better than everyone else.
I wouldn't call it that. We were raised differently.
We had responsibilities most people didn't understand.
But that didn't mean we were better than anyone. It just meant our lives were different.
We reached Mr. Fielder's classroom. Damien stepped forward and opened the door. I walked in first.
Marcio moved to my right.
Leo moved to my left.
Raf and Damien stayed outside, guarding the entrance.
A.J.'s POV~
Mr. Fielder stopped writing on the chalkboard the moment his eyes landed on us. The second he recognized me, his expression changed.
My father had met him once. Apparently, that was enough to make him nervous.
I stepped farther into the classroom. "Mr. Fielder, sorry to interrupt, but we need to have a conversation." I made sure my voice carried the same authority I had heard Pops use my entire life.
Mr. Fielder immediately straightened. "I don't think so, Mr. Basilio."
His voice became louder. "You are not in this class, and you need to leave. Now."
I tilted my head slightly. A small smirk pulled at my lips. "We tried to do this the easy way."
I glanced toward Marcio. He already knew what I meant. "Handle it."
Marcio moved forward. Within seconds, Mr. Fielder realized he had lost control of the situation.
His eyes widened as Marcio restrained him and pulled his arms behind his back. "What are you doing?" His voice rose. "Let me go, or I will call the dean!"
I couldn't help but laugh. So did the others. "The dean isn't going to help you."
I motioned toward the chair. Marcio forced him into the seat before stepping behind him. I walked forward slowly and lowered myself until we were eye level.
Fear.
That was exactly what I saw in his eyes.
Good. Because maybe now he understood the seriousness of what he had done.