𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗔𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗔𝗦 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥 ⚔︎

7

giovanni woke up, peeling his eyes open as sunlight filtered through the curtains over the hotel room's balcony doors. on the alarm clock, the time had just gone eight thirty. jesse lay quietly at his side, not a peep from the still sleeping man. his eyes were closed and he lay on his back, one leg out of the duvet. when he saw that jesse was wearing only his underwear, he quickly tore his eyes away and sat up.

the meeting with le milieu was being held at a secret underground location in a beachside town by the name of montredon, approximately eight miles south of the city centre. giovanni was horrifically anxious for the day ahead, but the adrenaline that began pumping through his veins as he crept out of bed gave him a confidence boost. he immediately began getting ready. from the hotel's semi walk-in closet, he picked out his black twill double-breasted hugo boss suit, as well as an starch, ironed white shirt, and the same silk burgundy armani tie he had worn yesterday. as he buttoned up his trousers, he heard a knock from the door and waltzed over.

chantelle was on the other side. "good morning," she said, standing in the hallway. she looked him up and down and gave a smile. "you look sharp."

giovanni accepted the compliment with a shy dip of head. "thank you. you look really nice, too."

she smiled again and brushed off her blazer as she walked into the room. it was the colour of sapphire with four big gold buttons and pointed lapels. underneath she wore a silk white shirt, the top button undone, and with that, a matching skirt that stopped midway above her knee. she wore sheer tights, black stilettos by christian louboutin, and studded in her ears were a pair of her mother's vintage pearl and gold earrings. her hair was styled, big and wavy as always with mousse.

"are you ready for breakfast?" she said.

"well, i am." he pointed to the heap on the bed. jesse was still asleep. "he's not."

chantelle sighed dramatically before coming into the room and storming over to the bed. she dragged the duvet off of her brother and threw a pillow at him, which made giovanni laugh slightly. she climbed onto the bed and shook jesse by his shoulders.

"come on, jesse!" she chorused. "wake up!"

with a loud, overzealous groan, jesse awakened like a corpse back from the dead. he sat up and pushed her off of him. "alright, alright! i'm up..."

"get dressed. we're gonna have some breakfast before we leave," chantelle said. "make sure you put on your suit. we're meeting some very important people today."

"oh, yeah— our deal with the french mob," jesse sighed, rummaging through the hotel closet for his suit. "i don't think i'd forget about that."

"i'm just making sure," chantelle said sweetly, sitting down on the bed while giovanni stood beside her, his arms crossed.

jesse put on his crisp white gucci shirt, leaving the top two buttons open. stupidly, he had forgotten his tie (or any tie, for that matter) back home. then, he practically threw on his silvery-grey perry ellis suit, the texture of the mohair catching the light that poured in from the now unveiled windows. chantelle stood up, brushing some debris from his blazer and smartening up his collar. he would have looked better and much more professional with a tie, but she decided to keep this comment to herself for the sake of everyone's sanity.

aggravated, he swatted her hands away. "you're just like dad."

chantelle blinked, taking a step back. "well, you should look smart—"

"i know i look smart. i look just fine," jesse said, fastening the top two buttons of the blazer by his waist. he raised his hands, trying to ease the tension he had created between them. "i'm sorry. just... leave me alone. let me take care of myself."