L'Amour Fou (bxb)

Chapter 19

Alvize Inverno's POV

December 1, 2018

"This is going to be our biggest, most important mission ever. So if anyone makes one slight error, no matter what the reason is for it, they'll immediately get fired on the spot. No second chance. Nothing."

My eyes scanned around the room, making eye contact with the men sat around the table in the conference room. Despite their overall appearance and fixated posture seemed demeaning, their eyes screamed fear.

"Understood?" I declared as I clenched my jaw.
"Yes," they replied in unison with no further remark.
"Good. This mission will take years to complete and it involves one of the most dangerous, if not, the most dangerous mafia organization in the world. The Dark Aces. From what we've gathered about this group so far, it is divided into two: The Club of Aces and The Spade of Aces. The Club of Aces is our first mission which is based here in New York City. It was formed after The Spade of Aces which may mean that it's smaller and perhaps less dangerous. The relationship between these two companies is unknown, and we are unaware with the dangers of 'The Dark Aces'. They could be stronger than our group, so we have to be prepared. You have to always be vigilant at all times, whether you're at home, walking down the street, anywhere."

"Sorry to disrupt you, Mr. Inverno," a voice interrupted. I was slightly annoyed that he disrupted my flow, but I subsided my annoyance. I turned to make eye contact with a man in a suit. 'Adrian, of course,' I thought to myself.
"But how are we meant to identify the enemies before they even attack? Our previous enemies never had any disguise or even attacked us before first, how are we meant to defeat them?" He finished his sentence and adjusted himself on the chair. I always appreciate how he's never afraid to ask me any questions, no matter how dumb it may be. Adrian, being my assistant, was the most loyal to me in the entire group and would always report to me the slightest error he sees, even if it is as trivial as a typo in a document. I have told him countless times to stop doing that but he never seems to listen; that is quite sweet but annoying too.

"Obviously like most high-profile mafia organizations, they have disguises and blend in with the public. Fortunately, our database has found out that these spies share one thing in common: a tattoo. Every member seems to have a tattoo of an 'A' with a design of the club from playing cards. The design may vary from a simple club to an intricate detailed club, but they are evidently clubs. They are located in places of the body which can be hidden but also seen by others. For example, on the wrist or on the back of the neck. Definitely not somewhere completely hidden like the back but not too visible like the face." I stopped to check my watch and noticed that it had already been half an hour since this meeting started. "I don't have much time on my hands since I have another meeting soon. We will start planning this mission from the day after tomorrow. It's unsure when we will officially come in contact with this group, but it seems like it may be a few years. But just because we have a lot of time doesn't mean you all should stop working diligently. I want you all to train to the maximum potential. Not just physically but mentally too. Intelligence is more important than physical strength, especially since this is a mafia organization. More details about this mission will be given later on today. Unfortunately, I have to leave for another meeting but any questions feel free to come to my office."

I left the conference room in a haste and rushed to the next meeting. I arrived there only to see no one in the room. That's weird. I stalked over to the table to find a note.

Dear Mr. Inverno,

Don't worry I'll cover this meeting. I saw how tired you seemed yesterday and thought I could do this instead so you can leave office early and rest.

From Mr. Richards

I wasn't expecting to read something like that. That was considerate of him but did I really seem tired yesterday? Maybe he is right. Maybe I do need a break. This whole mission has been pretty tiring and today is Friday so I guess I can relax during the weekend instead of doing work on my days off like I usually do.