Thomas Shelby never saw her coming.
With her quick wit and scary silences, Leilani Solomons was a vision to the eyes of any man. He wanted her. But she didn't want anyone. Betrayed by most men in her life Leilani wasn't ready to trust anyone. Not...
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THE LETTER CAME AROUND LUNCH TIME. Ani and Ada were in the kitchen baking biscuits with Karl most of the morning. It had been messy and Ani was pretty sure they needed new countertops after it, but it was amazing to see Karl and Ada this happy.
Of course, after Ani saw the handwriting on the letter it had all changed. 'Angharad ' Was never going to be a good start.
Luckily Ani had seen the letter first. Leaving Ada with her son, she quietly went upstairs to her room and locked her door.
Ani could have been sick as she was opening the letter.
Angharad, Dwi'n gwybod dydw I ddim yr person gorau ar cyfarthrebu hefo ti. Ond dwi angen dechrau. Rydw i di methu ti. Fy ferch Fach i. Mae'r llythyrau ddim yn digon, dwi'n gwybod. A dwi hefyd yn gwybod bod ti ddim di ateb unrhyw o fy llythyrau oherwydd fod ti'n blin gyda fi. A dwi'n deallt. Bu'n i'n blin gyda fi hefyd. Dwi just isho siarad. Mae fy cyfeiriad ar cefn yr llythur yma os wyt ti yn teimlo fel cysylltu yn ol. Rwy'n dy garu di, Angharad. ~Dad
English version (I know i'm not the best person at communicating with you. But I need to start. I miss you. My little girl. The letters aren't enough, I know. And I also know that you haven't answered any of my letters because you're angry with me. I understand. I would be angry with me too. I just want to talk. My address is on the back of this letter if you feel like contacting me. I love you Angharad. ~Dad)
Ani's hands are trembling at the end of the letter with tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. Her own father had contacted her. She hadn't seen him, ever. He didn't want to be a part of her life, he wasn't ready. Just like Ani wasn't ready for this. She wasn't ready for him to be a part of her life whenever he felt like it.
And the letters that he had so called sent had never appeared. Maybe he was saying that to try and throw her off. To try and turn her against her family. Did he know that Ani's mother had died? If so why did he take so long to write?
Ani knew she needed answers. She also knew that the only place that she could get those answers were from her brother, unfortunately.
Alfie.
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Without Ani's daily check in, Alfie had been annoyed and angry. So much so that his employers had not gone into his office for the past five weeks, after an incident in which one of his "bakers" walked into Alfies office to discuss a shipping matter, and Alfie threw a glass at him because he slightly raised his voice.
Alfie heard Ani from the moment she walked in. She had snapped at the two doormen of the warehouse, after they had warned her about her brothers attitude. They were lucky that they had missed out on a black eye, Alfie thought to himself.
Just by that, Alfie knew that his sister was still angry. Her high heels hitting the floor persistently in a quick and sharp tempo. Alfie was pretty sure that the noise of her shoes had synced with his heartbeat as it was racing in a contant state of anxiety, something that can only be caused by his sister.
She didn't knock. She never knocked when she was angry.
"Alfie" she states coldly, sending him a quick nod of greeting.
Alfie stands up to greet his sister and gestures for her to get herself a drink from his drink caddy.
"What can I help you with?" He asks calmly, trying not to make her even more upset.
She hesitates for a minute as she pours herself a drink. This being a difficult matter to discuss she didn't know how to begin. Instead, she made her drink then sat down opposite her brother before taking a deep breath. Steadying her mind.
"What do you know about my Father?" She asks, finally deciding that she should be straight to the point as she didn't particularly want to speak to her brother.
"I know that he was a welshman who treated our mother poorly. I know neither of your parents wanted to marry eachover and your father didn't want to be part of your life, so he left" Alfie states, obviously not ready for that question.
"And he never tried to contact me? No visits or letters?" Ani pushes, putting her elbows on the table and leaning closer to her brother.
"No, that's why Aleksandr raised you as his own, ignoring mother's indiscretion" Alfie says. Aleksandr was Alfie's father, he rarely spoke of him. Similar to their mother he had died when they were children. Aleksandr never got to meet his youngest son. Instead, Dorothy named her son after her late husband, but the English spelling. She knew that they couldn't have any Russian ties tied to them.
Despite the anger and upset that Alfie had caused she thought that she could trust her brother. Trust that be would tell her the truth. That he would be honest with her. Therefore, she accepted what he had said.
Knowing that the possibility of letters were the only thing relating her back to her father Ani rose from her chair and prepared to leave. Another family disappointment. She was used to it.
"Are you still seeing him?" Alfie asks quietly. Causing Ani to pause, stopping her from leaving.
Ani slumps back into her chair. This was going to be a difficult conversation again, go she couldnt catch a break.
"Somewhat" she answers shortly.
Alfie sighs, trying to contain his frustration, he had learnt that that was not the way to act around his sister if he were to get information out of her.
"I just want you to understand how much you hurt this business, how much you hurt this family" Alfie states, keeping his eyes down, not wanting to face his sister. She was his weakness.
"I understand that I hurt you"
The statement itself bought a smile to Alfies lips. Empathy, Leilani showed empathy towards him.
"But" she continues, causing Alfies face to once again fall "I want you to understand that I was hurt also. I thought that he wanted me for me, and he left as soon as I told him that I was partly Russian and that i didnt want to have sex with him. That's all. That's all it took for my own brother to turn against me. And you didn't even know about that last part. Do you see how little I have done but how much you are blaming me? Do you see how unfair that is?" Ani lists the problems which her brother has caused her.
Alfie tried to hide the way his eye physically twitched at his sister mentioning her intimate life. And how he was hiding his fists under the table. Thomas Shelby had not just hurt Alfies business he had hurt his sister.
"Are you still seeing him?"
The questions seems to fade into the tension which had built up in the room. Alfie did not address his sisters emotional outburst. If you could call it that, she stated everything calmly, but Alfie was still determined to get his answer.
"Yes. He came to see me every day for two months to try to get me to forgive him, its more than my own blood did. You didn't even send fucking flowers" Ani spits.
