Chapter 9

Don Sebastian gathered his men, ordering the servants to share the drinks and the steak that he had ordered from a slaughterhouse in town. He was easily the happiest man on earth at that moment. Not only had he defeated the man that had disrespected him, he now had him in the palm of his hand.

He smiled, drinking the beer directly from the bottle.

He was doing the celebration to appreciate his men, to make sure that they even took the day off. He wasn't afraid of anything at that moment because he knew that Don Carlo was going to be too scared to ignore the fact that his son was in the custody of an enemy.

When he saw his son, Marco, he beckoned on him to come with him, then also told Giovanni who was drinking at a corner the same thing.

The two men walked behind him, and he was aware of their presence even though he had had quite a lot to drink. He was, however, still eagle-eyed.

Beer was the last thing to make him drunk, and he knew his body too well to be afraid that he had drunk himself into a stupor. He was sure he hadn't because he was standing before them having locked the door, staring at the two men before him.

In his son and Giovanni, he saw the future of the Mafia. He saw the future of the Sebastian family, of the Sebastian business. In them, he knew that he was going to die and retire a happy man, knowing that he had everything that he needed.

A wise son and a loyal and aggressive deputy and chief of his men.

That was all one needed to leave his empire. He was leaving his house in safe hands because he knew that the men before him were more than capable of not only enlarging his coast but also making his business more successful, even more than he had already done.

“I called the both of you inside this room because I believe that you know that this is only the beginning of this war. Even though we are celebrating, the end to this depends on whatever Don Carlo chooses.”

Giovanni nodded, and so did Marco, his son. They both knew of his plans. He had revealed it to them earlier during the day, also informing them of his desire to throw a party at night, which he was doing at that moment.

“Hopefully, he does as we know he will. Marco, you can get as many wives as you want, but you're going to marry this one. After she gives birth, you can do as you like to her, but we need a child that has the blood of both a Sebastian and a Carlo if we're going to end this battle.”

He smiled at his son who nodded, smiling back at him. He was happy with his son's progress. That was why he didn't berate him for drinking in his presence. He had a can of beer that he had been downing for a while now, even in his presence.

“Tomorrow, we will meet him at the Seaside Inn, where it is safe for both of us. That is no one's territory, so it is the safest place for us to meet. Now come on, drink and be merry, because tomorrow we bury the hatchet.”

Don Sebastian watched the two men leave his sight, then flopped onto the chair in his study. Retrieving his phone, he looked at the video he had sent to Don Carlo earlier, during the day. It was a very sensitive video.

It had shown him beating the poor boy, slapping him repeatedly. Then he had told Don Carlo that he was going to kill him if his ransom expectations weren't met. It had been the perfect video, catching all the angles. The boy looked as if a truck had rammed into him, and he had even done his part by weeping severely as the video was ongoing.

Standing and slipping his phone into his pocket, Don Sebastian stood, drinking the last of his beer. He wondered where his wife was, but he knew she was somewhere in her room, holed up.

He had begun to decide on the future of their marriage. Maybe, just maybe, he was going to heed her talks of divorce.

She seemed even more stiff in bed than she used to, and he knew that he needed fresh blood. Moreover, all she had succeeded in doing was just to always complain. She was a good housekeeper, but she never cared about the business he ran or tried to help the Mafia.

She was aloof to that side and part of his life.

Drinking his beer, he found his way back to the ongoing party in his sitting room where he raised a hand in his half-drunken state, telling his men to pause and allow him to speak for an instant.

The crowd of cheering men immediately went silent, recognizing him and his authority. It was a beautiful thing to watch, Don Sebastian found himself acknowledging, for even though some of them were drunk they still regarded him as their boss.

“Sebastian!”

The chanting and cheering that followed was massive.

“Sebastian! I want to thank y'all for the part you all played in making not only this party a success, but for also restoring the respect and pride we have as a unit. When we were attacked, I liked the response, and I liked that we went into action unperturbed, just like we do every time.”

Patting his chest, he stared at the faces before him, a smile gradually lighting up his face.

“And I am proud of how far we've come, how far we've come to get to this place. I am proud of every one of you in this room, and that is just what I want to let y'all know. Now, drink and be merry! Celebrate!”

Don Sebastian nodded to the music, sipping his beer as he shook hands with his men who were congratulating him.

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Don Carlo stared at his family at the dining table, unable to look them in the eye. He glanced at the empty chair where his son, Sampson usually sat and found his hands clenching and unclenching in apparent nervousness.

For all he knew, he had failed them.

He had allowed the enemy to penetrate his defense and take the spoils. For all he knew, Don Carlo felt that he had brought the disaster on his family. It was nothing but greed, purge, envy, and selfishness because he had wanted it all on his own, he had put his family at risk just because he wanted to expand his coast.

In his quest for more wealth, he had shattered his family. And he doubted he was going to get them back again, or if things were ever going to return to normal.

When he had watched the video and had seen the ransom that had been attached, he had shed tears. There was no need to fight again because he had already lost quite a reasonable number of men.

Going to war at that moment was going to be suicide. And even though he knew that Don Sebastian's malware somehow weakened because he had transported some of his men to help a friend, he knew that underestimating his rival was what had gotten him into the mess he was in the first place.

He swallowed when his wife looked at him, her brows knitted in anger.

Even though the food was on the table, no one seemed to be eating. Everybody was picking at their food, and at that moment Don Carlo could see the difficult position he had put his family in. He had made himself successful and wealthy, but at what cost?

It was at the cost of his family.

Running his hand through his hair, he stared at his daughter, Seraphina. Because of her fiery temper, he was afraid of the news he was going to break to them in the next few minutes.

Seraphina had been in the room when he had received the video, and he had successfully managed to hide it from her even though he knew that she wasn't one to hide things from. Sooner or later, it was going to reveal itself, which was just what was happening at the moment.

Pausing his eating, he gritted his teeth, ready to face his fears. Retrieving his phone from his pocket, he played the video and, then increased the volume. He placed it on the center of the table, watching his wife and his daughter instantly reach for the phone as soon as they heard Sampson's voice in distress.

By the time the video stopped, Don Carlo could see the look of disbelief in his daughter's eyes and tears of anger in that of his wife.

“Dad, I am not going to be shipped off to the son of some Mafia Lord, no! Not while I'm alive. How can you choose to do this to me? How can you agree to this?”

Sipping his wine, he swallowed hard, forcing the food down his throat.

“I didn't choose this for you, Seraphina. I would never do such a thing. As you can see, my hands are tied. We are down in numbers, and we lost a lot of weapons yesterday. Trying to fight back is suicide, Seraphina.”

He watched his daughter slam the table instead, jumping to her feet and staring him down, tears in her eyes.

Don Carlo nodded grimly. That was one thing he loved her for, her temper and her ability to stand up for herself. She was going to make a very good wife to the son of Don Sebastian. Even thinking about it made him annoyed.

But he knew he had no choice. Killing Sampson was killing the future of his Mafia, of his family business.

If only the stupid boy had agreed to remain at home!

By now, they wouldn't be having such a forced and awkward conversation. His son would have probably been on his dining chair, eating and insulting his sister repeatedly. It wasn't even up to forty-eight hours, and he missed his son dearly.

“You brought this upon usDadad. With your decisions. With the decisions you've made. From the day I learned that my father had a mafia, did drugs, and was a crime boss, I knew that nothing good was ever going to come out of such an affiliation. And yes, I was right!”

He stared at her angrily, unflinching, gritting his teeth in annoyance.

“Because I have made some bad decisions in my lifetime, Seraphina doesn't give you the right to berate me with words. Prepare yourself because tomorrow, we leave for the Inn. You will marry Don Sebastian's son so we can rescue your brother.”

“I will do no such thing, father.”

“That is my order, Seraphina, and whatever I say in this household is final.”

With those words, he left the dining room, ignoring the cries and the wailing that followed him. His heart was hammering in his chest as he made his way to his study. He had only sat down a few minutes before the door opened, revealing his wife, tears streaming down her cheeks.

At that moment, Don Carlo knew that his family was never going to remain the same. He had sacrificed a lot for them, and now it had gotten to the stage where he was even sacrificing them.

Bowing his head in disgrace and embarrassment, he refused to look at his wife's eyes, at the hurt and the pain he saw there.

“Why, Carlo, why? They're nothing but children, but their life is already ruined by this useless Mafia of yours. My God, every day I regret marrying you, Carlo Du Vanguard. I was blindly in love, and look at where it landed me.”

He couldn't speak. There was nothing to be said.

When she spoke next, her words haunted him for days on end.

“Isn't there anything you can do, Carlo? Anything to save your children, your daughter from this mess you've dragged them into?”

And when he didn't reply, she broke into a fresh round of tears, crying till his heart hurt and till his ears hurt from the sound, the blood pounding in his ears.