Deal with a Billionaire

Chapter 15

Getting Annabelle to the makeshift OR in the Vitelli mansion was quick after that point. After the procedure of removing the bullet and stitching her back up, she needed a couple of rounds of transfusions and the doctor left giving them strict orders to monitor her anemia. After things had considerably calmed, Michael, Christopher, and Xavier sat outside her room finally relieved.

"What do you want from her?" Xavier finally spoke up turning to look right at Michael.,

"Want from her? She's my daughter. The rightful heir to the Vitelli line-"

"You can't use her as leverage to power by marrying her off. She's married to me and I'll make damn sure every famillia is aware of it." Christopher said through his teeth as he cut Michael off mid sentence.

Michael shook his head and contemplated in silence for a few minutes before speaking,

"Even if she wasn't married to you, I wouldn't be using her like that. I have been trying to change the ways things were run by my father already. I want to get to know her, she's my daughter. The only family that I have left."

Xavier narrowed his eyes,

"With all of the power and influence you have, you couldn't have located her earlier? Why now?"

Michael was out of his chair and pacing,

"I didn't know she existed. If I knew that I had a daughter, trust me I would have turned the world upside down and found her. I remember Sarai, her mother, had said she really needed to talk to me the last time we spoke. When I got back in town, she was nowhere to be found and I couldn't reach her. At the time, I assumed she wanted to break up and couldn't find the courage and so she left like that. I saw my mother struggle in this lifestyle all of my life and so I let Sarai go. I had a team set up to keep looking for her just so that I would know she was alright and the first hit they had in over 21 years was that picture of Annabelle."

Xavier and Christopher took in his words in silence and Xavier was the first to speak up,

"Annabelle is very headstrong and with the life she had growing up in the foster system, she is not one to trust. Regardless of your reasons, I know that it will still be hard for her to accept you. Forcing her into a decision the way you did, definitely will not help your case."

Michael let out the breath he didn't know he was holding in relief at the olive branch extended to him and sank into the chair across from Xavier.

"I need to know. Tell me about her childhood"

Xavier shook his head as he turned away,

"It's not my place to share that with you. That should be between you and her. I'm sure that with time she will open up and share that with you."

Michael looked defeated as he sank back into his seat.

"With the life I lead, I see what happens to children in the foster system. I'm trying to prepare myself for what I let happen. What my carelessness years ago has caused her. If you can't tel me her end, tell me yours. There's two sides to every story so tell me your side of her story." Michael implored.

Xavier found himself relaxing somewhat at Michaels words. His sense or at least his display of a sense of responsibility for Annabelles childhood eased some of Xaviers tension in regards to his intentions. With a sigh and a deep breath, he started to tell him about their childhood,

"She was 6 when the foster parents took her in from the orphanage, and I was 10. I remember her being very quiet and closed off which was to be expected, they shipped her to a foster family while instilling in her head she's unwanted, unadoptable. Well the fosters were only in it for the money, we were shuttered off in a shed in the backyard. They made it clear that unless social services paid a visit we were not allowed in the house and that if we bothered them, we were going to be sent back and who knows what family might decide to foster us next. I'd been in a few before so I knew that there were much worse out there, so it was best to play by their rules so I could stay out of the system. When I first saw her, I just knew I had to protect her. I still remember, even back then she refused to ask me for help. When they dropped her to the shed with a trash bag of her clothes and nothing else, she took it in, found herself a spot to sit and just folded up her clothes."

He paused to compose himself before continuing,

"At first, I remember taking her under my wing because I didn't want her to mess anything up. If she blew this whole situation up with social services, I was out of this home as well. I taught her to pick pockets, and boy was she a natural! We used our earnings for fix the shed and made it livable. It was little things here and there for me, before I knew it, the closer I got to 18, I couldn't stand the thought of leaving her behind. She was my own, the closest I had to family. So the day I turned 18, I got an apartment, worked out a deal with the fosters so Annabelle could move with me. I took it upon myself to be her brother, and provide for her everything that wasn't provided for me. She worked with me for a year out of high school and then she said she wanted to try to make it on her own. She got a job, a legitimate one, started school and got her own apartment."

It was silent for a few minutes while the men absorbed his words. The idea of his child thrown around unwanted tore into Michael unlike anything he had experienced. He couldn't bring himself to speaking and was glad when Christopher broke the silence,

"When I first saw her pick a pocket, I definitely thought she could bring the professionals to shame, she's also got some great combating skills as well, did you train her?"

Xavier smiled at the compliment and leaned back as he proudly responded,

"She's trained from a young age. I started taking on some bigger jobs and making my way into this world at 16. But I had my sights set way earlier, so I trained myself from the age of 13. She was only 9 at the time but a natural and I made sure to push her so she would never be in any danger. I guess it makes sense why she was a natural, must run in her blood. But I know I trained her so that she can take over any one of your goons jobs without breaking a sweat. She spotted your enforcer and dodged him in the same night without any issues. I've respected her decision to step away from the life I live, but I keep telling her she's wasting away her skills."

"That explains her being able to take my men down, with a bullet in her. I am glad she's able to protect herself, God knows she may need to one day, once word gets out she's a Vitelli." Michael muttered as he got up to pace to the window.

"She's not a Vitelli anymore. You keep forgetting, she's married now, to me." Christopher pointed out in annoyance.

Michael rolled his eyes as he turned back to Christopher,
"How could I forget, when you so keenly keep insinuating that my only interest in my daughter is to use her as a bargaining chip by marrying her off. Need I remind you, your own family isn't much different. You may like to use your mothers name, but you are essentially the heir to the Rossi empire. I couldn't possibly marry her off to a stronger family or arrange an alliance elsewhere."

Christopher was out of his seat in an instant and the side table closest to him went flying, before any of them could react, he was gone from the room.

"Rossi?" Xavier asked in shock.

Despite his own connections and investigations, he hadn't made a single connection to the Rossi family and Christopher. The only family that could potentially rival Vitelli in the States.