"You told Ben about my past," I gathered up enough courage to just blurt it out, eyes firmly focused on Mr Capra Sr sitting next to me in the informal living room of his home.

He sighed and nodded slowly, glancing down at the glass of scotch in his hand. It was clear he had been waiting for me to say this during our catching up and discussions of his health. He wasn't even trying to deny it.

"I did, Sofia. At the time I felt it to be for your best..." he told me hesitantly, and I appreciated him greatly for at least being honest. I was still hurting, though, as I had basically lost him from my life. If there wasn't trust, there was nothing.

The fact that Tony knew that I was going to have dinner with him hadn't left my mind the whole day. At this point I knew Ben was behind it, for some reason. He had to also know about Tony and me, because he was now using it to his advantage.

"You told him about Tony," I spoke, carefully monitoring his reaction.

Mr Capra Sr closed his eyes with a sigh and nodded again, "I did."

"We broke up a while ago," I decided to just tell him, "so whatever you're trying to get him mixed up into, don't."

"What do you mean?" His brows furrowed and eyes finally met mine, confused.

"I'm having dinner with Tony as my client tonight. I'm guessing you might know something about it, since it seems like you two love to talk about shit behind my back?" I tilted my head at him passive aggressively, more frustrated now than hurt.

He seemed truly baffled and I knew then that he had had no idea of whatever his son is planning.

"He wouldn't do that," after a moment he began shaking his head while grabbing his phone, "he's not that crazy."

"Do what?" I shifted closer on the couch, trying to see what he was doing on his phone.

Everybody knew that Tony Prince was Capra Corp's biggest competitor, but Mr Capra Sr had left him alone and even worked together with him on certain projects.

"There's nothing valuable that Ben would benefit getting from him. No information or artefact or such," he muttered, tapping away on his phone in deep thought all of a sudden.

"So..." I begged him to continue, slowly realising what he was getting at. It was like this with all my clients; if there was nothing to get from them, they would all end up dead.

"He's going to kill him, Sofia," Mr Capra Sr spoke coldly before bringing his phone up to his ear, "I'll have a talk with him."

I stared at him with absolutely no clue as to what to say. My heart thud painfully at the thought of anything happening to Tony, as I still cared about him greatly as a friend.

I waited nervously as Mr Capra called Ben right next to me.

"Ben, whatever you're planning on doing to Tony, don't," was the first thing he spoke to his son.

There was silence on the other end, before I faintly heard what Ben was saying due to Mr Capra keeping the volume on his phone so high thanks to worsening hearing.

"He's our competitor. If we monopolise—"

"Leave Tony alone, the poor bastard's not even together with her anymore," Mr Capra Sr continued, pinching the bridge of his nose, "we both know it's too risky to kill him."

There was a moment of silence on the other end again.

"What do you mean they're not together?"

I felt like rolling my eyes at how teenage-like this had began to sound, but with extreme consequences.

"Talk to her about it. Just don't touch Tony Pri—"

Ben cut the call and my eyes widened even more. We both stayed quiet for a few moments, staring down at the phone in his hands.

"He's going crazy," Mr Capra Sr mumbled to himself, "I shouldn't have forced him into that job."

"You shouldn't have done a lot of things, yet you did," the anger in my voice was evident and it hurt greatly to speak this way to him, "he's told me things about you. How you raised him — actually of how you didn't raise him. How you could spill everything about me to someone who's barely even family to you is beyond me."

It was amazing how sex made Ben let down his walls and open up about his life and childhood. The things he'd told me about his father very much contradicted the way I experienced the ageing man.

I wanted to grab my bag and leave dramatically, but stayed. I needed to talk this through to get an explanation and closure before dealing with Tony and Ben.

"You've been like a father to me, you've been my best friend," I calmed down after he kept his reply to himself, speaking more gently now and letting the hurt sound in my voice, "I feel like I have no-one if I can't trust you."

"I was trying to make him treat you better when I told him about your past," Mr Capra Sr finally began, "and I knew that he was going to find out about Tony one way or the other, Sofia. I thought I'd make him see a bit of sense when telling him."

"He was horrid to me in Brussels when he already knew about my past. If I had wanted him to know I would have told him myself after every time he's implied that I'm a prostitute," I replied with, trying to keep myself calm instead of either crying or yelling, "and now Tony's in danger. Ben wouldn't have known who he was if you hadn't told him."

"He would have found out, doll," he offered me a sympathetic look, "you know how much power he has. Everybody's information is in his hands, in the same way that it was in mine. It's his choice how he chooses to use it."

As much as I had loved Mr Capra Sr for having saved me, I began to doubt this lifestyle so high up in a mafia was that much better. I couldn't run away or hide, since the Don could reach me easily wherever I was. I couldn't leave this lifestyle, at least not completely and fully intact.

"I don't forgive you. Not yet, at least," I breathed out shakily, just wanting to go home now to think.

"That's understandable," he nodded, "I promise to make sure nothing happens to Tony, though. Just go about your business as if nothing's happened."

Without another word I left.

Mr Capra Sr wasn't the Don anymore. As much power as he still had over everybody and everything, his son towered over it all.

I realised that if Ben wanted Tony dead, the only person who could in any way affect it was me.

🙈🙊