Family Business

Chapter 11.

3 November 2035 (17 years old)

I woke up slowly and heard my family arguing around me. I opened my eyes slowly and was grateful that I was in my bed. I slowly sit up and cough, touching my throat. "W-water?" I croak.

Greta brings some over, "Here!"

I sip from the glass she gave me, wincing at the pain in my throat. "Is he gone?" I ask, looking around at my family. Papà, Mama, Greta, Draven, Ryker, Fletcher, and Beck were all gathered around my bed.

"Yes... He left you on the floor," Ryker says softly.

I bite the inside of my cheek and look down. "I-I'm sorry-"

"Don't!" Papà says, crossing his arms. "I am sorry for everything, Aria. I thought that he would help with our problem with the-"

"Stop! Don't tell her," Mama interrupts.

I set the cup down and look at them. "No, tell me everything. I need to know to understand why you offered me to him."

Draven sighs deeply, running a hand through his hair; it messes up the gelled back hairstyle he usually wore. "Clean up and come downstairs. We'll tell you everything then."

I nodded and once they all left my room, I got out of my bed. I go to my mirror, staring at the cut on my cheek and the dark bruising around my neck. A tear slid down my cheek but I brushed it away quickly, showering before I came downstairs. I put on leggings and one of Fletcher's old t-shirts.

I leave my room and see Beck at the end of the hallway. He looks up, "Aria, I'm so sorry. I should have protected you more-"

"It's fine... I'm sure you did as much as you could," I said softly. We went downstairs and my family was sitting around the dining room table.

"Well?" I ask, crossing my arms as I stand.

"Sit, dolcezza," Papà says.

I glared at him, "Just tell me!" I snapped.

"Well..." Papà starts before pausing for a long moment. "We... make the rules of this city. We decide who pays us protection fees, who can open a new bar or club, who can enter the port and get a commission of their profits."

"Last summer, in Milan," Draven says, "we went to this casino..."

"We lost half a mil," Ryker mutters, looking down.

Fletcher sighs deeply, "I tried to hack the casino to earn it back but then I got caught and then we got wrapped up in this whole thing-"

Ryker coughs loudly, "Basically we ended up moving a shipment of girls through Greece but the authorities caught us. Xander offered to buy us out and we agreed... When we got back here, we realized what that meant."

"He owns this family now or else we go serve time in the Athens prison system," Draven murmurs quietly. "We've been doing odd jobs for him-"

"Hai fatto cosa?!" Papà growls. //You did what//

"And Xander has been expanding his empire ever since," Draven finishes, ignoring Papà. "I'm sure that he's giving a deal of some sort to the Violante's."

"Is it binding?" I ask, crossing my arms. "Is there a way out of this?"

Ryker shrugs, "Doesn't seem like it."

"How big is his empire now? How many crime families is he involved with?" I press, frowning deeply.

"There's no way to tell officially, but the last time I hacked his phone, there were at least 12... The Violante's included," Fletcher says softly. "Mind you, these are incredibly powerful families brought to their knees and destabilized by information he has found out about them."