Rising to the top

Chapter 6: Fake

I looked at my father after he said that comment. 

"What?" I said, eyebrows furrowing. 

"There's a lot of things we need to talk about, but this is the first one. Leonardo has reached out to me. He'll be arriving here at any moment. It's really important that you listen to what he has to say." A concerning look growing on his face.

"Okay.. but what-" I was about to say until I hear a knock on the door.

"Go answer it, caro." I hear my mom tell me as I begin walking towards the door.

I opened the door instantly greeted by Leonardo's smirk, "Hello mia cara. I told you we'd meet again."

"Wait you know I can speak Italian-?" I say a clear confused look on my face.

I see his smirk grow wider, "Tesoro, did you think I didn't do my research on you? I know you speak a few different languages, Italian being one of them. I just love messing with you." 

Rolling my eyes I welcome him inside and make my way to the living room where the rest of my family was. I see my father greeting him with a handshake, and same goes with my mother. It seems like the two families know each other well. 

He takes a seat in one of the empty chairs, all eyes on him as he starts speaking.

"There's a slight issue with your sudden arrival. Since you've been spotted more than once, people know you're alive, and who you are." 

I give him a strange look, clearly confused, "What issue?"

"Well, principessa, people want you dead." He says like it's nothing.

"Ok first off, what the fuck. Secondly, why?" My eyes slightly growing wider. 

"Simple. If you're here people think the two parts of the mafia will combine into one again." He says looking me straight in the eyes.

"Two parts? Combine into one? What? You're going to have to elaborate." I say annoyed.

"Oh. Seems you weren't told a thing about the mafias. Well then, story time, young one." He says with a wink.

"I'm 22." I say mumbling.

"And I'm 23. Seems I have you beat." He says.

I huff and roll my eyes at him.

"Anyways" He continues, "Once upon a time, this mafia we're apart of was one whole mafia. We were the strongest, and most powerful. Feared by a lot of people, means a lot of people also wanted us dead. The don of the Italian mafia decided it'd be best if we were split in two to half that power. This would mean less targets on our back. He gave ownership of the two mafias to my family and yours. This never fully rid of the targets on our back, it only temporarily stopped them. At time is when your mother told our family she was pregnant, and you should know the rest after us. The targets have lessened over the year as more people grow to fear us, and stop challenging us. However, it seems some people want either me or you dead." He tells me.

"So what does that have to do with you being here." I reply.

"Ah that's the fun part. I'm proposing an alliance, well a "marriage" if you'd call it that between you and myself." He says, clearly still having things to add onto that before I interrupt him.

"MARRIAGE? I don't even like you, why the hell would I do that." I scoff.

He hums, "You didn't let me finish, amore. The marriage would be fake, we wouldn't actually be married. We'd put on a show in public letting people know that the two mafias were once again aligned. People would see us as one mafia again."