Hating The Mafia King

33: Ezra

Our flight back to London was smooth and relaxing. Richie went into work mode immediately after boarding the plane, taking numerous amounts of calls and writing things down. I guess this vacation really piled up a lot of work for him. Speaking of work, I have to get back to planning my next move on Richie. The past few days might have taken the best out of me but not anymore. I need to focus just as much as Richie needs to focus on his work and his revenge on the Russians. Richie will be too busy trying to make their life hell while I will be too busy making his life hell. It will be a win-win for both of us just that my win doesn't have a regret.

Richie continues to go through his paperwork and talk to random people in the Italian language until we arrive at the city. The moment we stepped off the plane the humidity hit me. It's 3:00 a.m. and the weather is this hot. I've been living here for many years but it's now I know why London is known for their weather.

"How on earth are you wearing a suit?" I ask Richie while we approach the car. I wave at Calista as she enters their car. I'm so glad she's trying to pull herself together.

We got into the car and Richie sits next to me. He shrugs and responds to what I said "I'm used to this humidity. Besides, I don't spend much time outside"

"Well, that isn't good either," I say giving him a pointed look.

He is about to speak, but his phone starts ringing stopping him from continuing. I look down to see the caller ID; it's Papa.

"Why is he calling you by this time?" I ask. No one knows that we are coming back today so it's a bit of a surprise that Papa is calling Richie, especially by this time of the day.

He shrugs "He must have heard about Calista."  He responds before answering the call. He begins to speak in Italian and I silently groan if only I know how to speak Italian language fluently. I can understand a few words Richie says but I can't merge them into a sentence. He is speaking too fast for me to understand every single word he says.

I rest my head against the comfortable headrest, feeling the exhaustion from all the tension that has been building up. Finally, I close my eyes, hoping to catch up on the sleep I missed. And speaking of tension, it seems like Calista is doing much better now. I think she's come to accept the heartbreaking truth that her baby isn't coming back. It's a painful realization, and I truly wish she never has to go through that kind of pain again.

Just as we arrive home, Richie finishes his call and we enter the house together. He must have noticed I slept through the entire journey because he remarks, "I noticed you slept throughout the journey."

"Yeah, I really needed it but it's not enough. I think I'm going to bed immediately," I reply with a tired smile.

He chuckles and says, "You're one of those girls, aren't you? The ones that get to sleep all day but still need more sleep."

"Not really, but is that a bad thing?" I ask.

"No, not at all," he replies with a smile. "I think it's cute. I believe the cutest girls are the ones who love sleeping."

I playfully roll my eyes and am about to respond when the maid suddenly approaches us. Her gaze is fixed on the ground as she speaks, "Sir Richie, Papa is asking for you. He's in the study room."

I notice Richie's expression change, his face tense with a hint of worry. "Okay. I will be there," he says to her before she walks away. As he turns his gaze towards me, he adds, "Too bad I can't be next to you while you're sleeping. Papa needs me now, and I think it's gonna take a while. So why don't you go get the much-needed sleep, and I'll meet you when I can."

"Okay," I respond, trying to hide my curiosity. I turn around and begin walking to the room, with each step I take, my curiosity grows. There is absolutely no way I will just walk away like that. Papa and Richie are up to something, something very important. It only makes sense why Papa wants to meet Richie by this time of the day. I mean yes he can meet Richie whenever he wants but at this time- I don't believe it. Something is up and I will find out what it is.

I could feel Riche's eyes on me as I walk. I am sure he wants to make sure I get to the room before he goes to meet Papa. I got to the room only to go back downstairs when Richie had already left to meet Papa. I carefully walk towards the study room not wanting to make any noise. I can't imagine being caught eavesdropping on their conversation.

Approaching the study room. I stand some feet distance from the entrance. I rest my ear on the wall to hear what they are saying. Their voices aren't really audible especially Papa's. That man is very good at talking, he talks so quietly that even the walls won't be able to hear him.

I take a step closer, straining to listen to their conversation which is in Italian. It's frustrating not being able to understand what they're saying. I consider giving up and going to bed, but curiosity gets the better of me. I decide to stay a little longer and try to piece together some of their words.

I stand there for what feels like an eternity, but I can't make sense of anything they're saying. Just as I'm about to give up, my ears perk up when I hear them mention a man named Ezra. It triggers a memory of Richie mentioning someone with that name before.

Suddenly, Papa says something that startles me. He starts the sentence in Italian but then switches to English. It takes me a moment to process his words, but I manage to piece them together. He says, "[Se qualcuno lo scopre] I will be dead," which translates to, "If anyone finds out about him, I will be dead."

My heart races as I exclaim, "Oh God!" It's clear that Ezra is someone important, and Papa is desperate to keep his identity a secret.

I couldn't help but wonder why Papa was being so secretive about Ezra. What could be so important that he would risk his own life to keep it hidden? I stood there for a few more minutes, trying to catch any additional information, but their voices became inaudible. I realized I couldn't waste any more time eavesdropping on them.

I head back to the room satisfied with the information I had heard so far. Now I know what my next move will be on... Ezra

I am determined to find out who Ezra is and why Papa is hiding him.