Chapter Thirty: A Perfect Soldier

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M A T T E O

It's been five and a half months since Gianna disappeared or died, I'm honestly not sure yet. Luca and I have been doing fine compared to Nick. He thinks he's fine and doing much better than he was when it first happened, which I guess is true but it's still pretty bad.

He's not drinking as much as he used to but the bottle is still super close to him at all times in case of an 'emergency'. He also has been lashing out at everyone that gets remotely close to him, Luca and I are exceptions but only part of the time. I've also noticed that on the worst days he's wearing Gianna's oversized clothes, which probably isn't the most healthy thing in the world, but I'm not about to have that conversation with him.

"Matteo, Luca, come here." Nick yelled from his office. Time for the regin of fucking terror.
"What do you want?" I asked, once I got into the office.
"Did you know that we have to hold the Mafia's Annual Masquerade Ball in a couple weeks?" He groaned.
"Yes." Luca said, coming up from behind me.

"But why, we hosted it last year?" He whined. This was a regular thing for Nick now, he whined about everything or he was yelling about it.
"Yes, but you know the rules. When the group holding the ball messes up they have to hold it again the year after." Luca said. I honestly forgot about that rule and I'm sure Nick did too.

"Fuck I forgot. But last year was basically fine except for when Gianna went all, 'I'm going to kill you'." He said.
"Right. But besides that point we have to get everything prepared for it, unless you feel like hosting this fucking ball again next year too." I said, trying to keep Nick from focusing on Gianna. It was never a good thing when he did, a lot of things went downhill.
"Fine, you two can fuck off while I get everything arranged with the staff. Because I'm not fucking doing this." He groaned again, as he paged the head maid to his office.

—---

"I think Nicholas needs to get out more." Luca said as he flopped on my bed.
"No, he needs to realize that Gianna isn't coming back." I said from my desk.
"I get that. But you and I both know that there is a good possibility that she is still alive." He said.

It was true. Luca and I have gone through the tapes from the hotel a million times each, and both came to the same conclusion. It would make no sense to kill her and then leave the evidence that she was killed. So it was a simple answer, they framed her death. But the not so simple part was we had no actual proof that she was alive, and without that we weren't telling Nick anything.

"But until we have proof, we also have to accept that Gianna isn't coming back." I said, trying to keep Luca's hopes from going up.
"I know. This whole situation sucks." He groaned from the bed.
"I don't like it anymore than you do, but there's nothing else we can do. We've tried every possible thing and came up empty each time."

"I feel like this is just an impossible mission. I still don't understand how Alessio got everyone under his control." Luca said, sitting up and facing me.
"I know it doesn't make much sense to me either, but there's nothing we can do about it. All we can do is hope Nicholas doesn't cut his throat out and the ball in a couple weeks." I said, internally groaning at the thought. I was not in the mood to have this stupid ball thing at our estate for a third year.

"I mean he would be doing us all a favour." He shrugged, moving to the couch.
"That doesn't mean we can let him, I don't want to deal with the clean up." I said, if it did happen it definitely wouldn't be pretty.

"I just want him to get himself under control, you know." Luca sighed, sinking further into the couch.
"I know. I want him to do the same but it's not that easy and you know that. Gianna was the first person he let in, and it has to be hard not having that outlet anymore." I shrugged, we both knew they were way closer than either of them ever let on.
"I wonder how much she actually knows about him. He's never really talked about our childhood." He said.
"I doubt he really talked about it. We both know how hard Dad was on him, he wanted a perfect soldier, one that could take over one day." I sighed, remembering the days when Nick would come in here and rant.

"I don't want to do this anymore." Nick groaned as he walked in my room.
"What happened?" I asked.

It never surprised me anymore when he barged in, he's been doing it for the past 5 years, ever since he was 13.

"He's getting on my nerves again. I had to fight some fucking idiot guards, they were half-ass but I knocked them all out in under 3 minutes." He complained from my couch.
"Ok you have to explain more. How did he get on your nerves? You fight guards everyday." I asked, I was seriously confused.
"Dad was pissed that it took me 3 minutes! According to him it was only supposed to take 2!" He yelled, standing up again.

Whenever he got to this stage, it was in my best interest to just listen instead of talking, I learned that the hard way.

"Here." I said, passing him one of the many plates I have stored in my room for when he needs to get his anger out.
"Fuck!" He yelled, as the plate broke on the floor across the room.
"Want to talk again?" I asked, as he started to calm down again.

"Fine." He groaned, as he sat next to me.
"Go." I said, leaning back. This was his time to talk not mine.
"I'm just so fed up. Does he really think that training every single day is going to get me anywhere? I'm already the best of the best and he knows that." He said.
"We all know that. But you also know what he's preparing you for, you're going to be the leader of the most powerful mafia group in Italy." I said, reminding him of his role.

"But what if I didn't want it?" He asked, although we both knew he didn't have an option.
"I guess you have to suck it up. You are the heir after all." I shrugged, I didn't know what to tell him.
"Why can't you or Luca take it instead." He groaned, this training was really starting to take a toll on him.
"You know why we can't. First reason is that we are far too young, I'm only 15 and Luca's only 11. You know we can't take on that responsibility, especially since you are technically of age. And second we haven't been training for this, you have ever since you were 13." I shrugged.

"Still, it's starting to get exhausting. How does he expect me to take over when I'm completely run out?" He groaned once again.
"Honestly, I don't know. If I was in your position I'd talk to Mom, you know she's the only person Dad will listen to." I suggested, it was true. If you wanted anything from Dad you always got Mom to ask.
"I guess." He said, as someone knocked at the door.

"Luca, you can come in. You know you don't have to knock." I said, as Luca walked in the room.
"Are you guys having the big kids talk again?" He frowned, it was partly my fault. He walked in when Nick was losing it last week, so I yelled at him to stay out.
"Yes, but you can come sit." Nick said, patting to the spot next to him.

Nick and Luca were always closer than Luca and I were. It might have something to do with the fact that we are only 3 years apart. But I guess since I had my birthday a couple weeks ago it makes me 4 years older.

"What happened?" Luca asked Nick.
"Nothing important, I just had a talk with Dad." He said.

Luca was young, and we all decided a while ago that we would try to keep as far removed as possible unless it was necessary. Of course he knew a bit, like that we are a powerful and dangerous family but he just didn't fully understand what that meant.

I wish I was more like him, not pressured to grow up as fast. I grew up the moment Nick came banging on my door 5 years ago after Dad had killed some little girl. Ever since then I knew basically everything that went on, beside some of the stuff Dad dealt with.

"Can we all go swimming now?" Luca asked, a big smile on his face.
"I guess." Nick said, letting Luca pull his hand out the door.

"Thanks Matteo." He called before he got out.
"Anytime." I shouted back.

"I guess." Luca said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah." I shrugged, wanting this conversation to be over.

"Do you think there's any way we can help him?" He asked.
"Probably not. But at least he can get drunk at the ball, that's got to be something." I said.
"We could just pray that Gianna somehow comes back from the dead." He sighed.
"Yeah, what I wouldn't do to be able to bring someone back from the dead right about now."

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