𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄

VIII

D

My mind raced with a mixture of today's events. The horrified looks on the faces of my mother and my aunts paired with Olympia's cut-throat speech replayed over and over again in my head.

Her words cut deep and it left behind wounds that needed time to heal—time that I did not have as I sat in the meeting my father called for. Everyone was present, including my brother who continued to ignore me from where he was seated across the table.

My late arrival was met with apparent disapproval from the likes of my father and Romeo, who shared the same disappointed expressions. Fortunately, neither commented on my tardiness, leaving the floor open for Mr Ferdinand to continue speaking. Following the grand opening of his Cigar shop that replaced Antonia's, he was present for the meeting to discuss business and provide information about the contact 'K'.

I tried my best to pay attention to Mr Ferdinand who detailed his profits for the week but my sister's words continued to pester me.

"She deserves to be with a man who is one hundred times better than you."

My jaw clenched at her wounding remarks, my hand now curled into a fist in my lap as I ran the other over my mouth. The harshness of her tone fuelled by her resentment towards me was getting to me. It deeply bothered me, further stirring the turmoil of emotions that I felt which made it harder for me to concentrate.

When I continuously shifted in my seat, my restlessness didn't go unnoticed. Leo, who sat beside me, subtly glanced at me with a perceptive gleam in his eyes. His lips pulled into a brief frown when he took note of my clenched fist that rested on my knee which bounced up and down skittishly.

"This person K.." My father paused, leaning forward in his seat. "How can we get in contact with them?" He asked when the topic steered away from Mr Ferdinand's business.

"He talks with you. You can never get a hold of him first." Mr Ferdinand simply shrugged, lighting his own brand of his cigar. My jaw ticked at the sight, my throat running dry before my eyes regretfully looked away. "When he finds a use for you, he will get in touch."

"He?" My father repeated. "How are you sure he's a man?"

"I've met him—well partially. His face was covered." My father ran a hand over his chin in thought as Mr Ferdinand spoke.

"Who does he think he is?" Romeo scoffed. "Hiding behind a disguise like some vigilante! How can we recognise him as an ally if he can't show his face?"

Mr Ferdinand shook his head, exhaling a puff of smoke to the side. "It's not about who he thinks he is—it's what we know he is. He is a dangerous man and you don't want to be on his bad side. He's got a lot of connections and friends in the dirtiest of places. He's well known in the underground and deals mostly with gang and mafia related syndicates, hired killers, drug and sex trafficking industries too. He controls a lot of the distribution of illegal weapons and he has eyes everywhere. His anonymity is his power—he can disappear off the face of the earth after he's done with you and he won't leave a trace. This comes at a hefty price—he is an expensive asset."

Low murmurs arose at the reveal of who this K was before it mellowed when my grandfather cleared his throat.

"This is who we want to associate ourselves with?" My grandfather mumbled. "I don't like it. His loyalties are dependent on who wins, he will not side with those that may disappoint him. We saw how he abandoned Vincenzo, he could do the same to us—"

There was a chorus of agreements followed by chatter as everyone started their own separate conversations regarding the contact. It once again mellowed when Mr Ferdinand wished to speak up.