The crackling of the burning fire was the only sound in the large room as Axel tried to comprehend what he had just been told.

"One foolish man's orders led to the death of countless people on that night. It is said that Jordan was tortured for weeks on end before he eventually gave up and died in the cellar that he was confined to. His death did not bring any satisfaction to the Sullivan and Romero men though, they wanted him to suffer much more than that.They wanted to make an example out of him for the whole world to see so that no one would ever dare to think about going after a member of their families", Carlos continued stoically.

"I'm sure that they were quite successful in that", Axel grimaced as he tried to get the detailed images of what tortures the kidnappers had gone through out of his mind. Damn Carlos for detailing some of the most gruesome tortures to him.

"The O'Reilly's were an old family but no where as powerful as the Sullivan's and Romero's. The few allies that they had were under great scrutiny after that, everyone was in fear that the incident might somehow become linked to them and then they would meet the same fate as Aiden O'Reilly and his men",Carlos said.

"The rat that Don Vitiello spoke about, it was Aiden O'Reilly wasn't it?", Axel guessed.

"Yes, it was him", Carlos smirked.

"And what happened to him?", Axel asked even though he already knew the answer to his question.

"He signed his own death certificate the moment he even thought that he could kidnap a child of the Romero and Sullivan bloodline and get away with it. I will not go into full details with you about how he was dealt with but I will tell you this..... What happened to Jordan was a mere child's play as compared to the tortures that Aiden O'Reilly was subjected to ", Carlos said ominously making Axel cringe.

"What happened to that woman? Alyssa? You did not say anything about her fate. Was her involvement in the kidnapping proved?", Axel asked curiously.

"I do not know to what extent she was involved. It was one of the things which was kept in closed wraps. But I do know that whatever punishment she was given for her betrayal, it had garnered great tension between both the families. Bernard Romero apparently did not agree with Sean Sullivan's way of punishing her. But he couldn't do anything about it as Alyssa was a Sullivan prisoner, he could question her about her involvement but her fate could be decided only by the Sullivan Don. They almost came on the brink of breaking their alliance due to it but fortunately the tension cooled down between them though it never disappeared completely", Carlos said as he stared intently at the dying embers in the fireplace.

Axel nodded thoughtfully.

"I don't understand though.... Why are you telling me this?. As much as I appreciate you telling me this, I don't quite see what purpose you're serving here. I'm not her enemy, nor would I want to bring any harm to someone whom I hardly know", Axel said truthfully.

"What purpose does it serve, the foolish boy asks", Carlos muttered under his breath. "What do you think was I telling you all this while, a bedtime story?", he scoffed at Axel.

Axel opened his mouth to object but Carlos interrupted him and said," Use your intelligence boy, I know that you are not as dim-witted as you appear

to be. A man slapped her once and Bernard Romero cut off that arm which was raised against his granddaughter. What do you think will they do if it breaks out that you were trying to collect information about her? Do you understand how it would look to them? You would be perceived as a spy intending to bring harm to the family".

"But why would I want to harm her? I have no motive behind it. Today was the first time I even heard her name around here." Axel tried to reason.

"It is not your ability or lack there of to bring any harm to her that I'm concerned about ", Carlos said furiously, his initial ire now returning back full force." It is your curiosity about her that worries me and the implications of what could happen if anyone knows about how you hacked the Valentini security system to find out information on her. I'm worried that your unusual interest in her might be perceived in a totally different way by others and if my fear does come to pass, I don't even want to think what the Don would do to you", Carl spat angrily.

"Woah old man, stop right there ", Axel said as he stood up from his seat in disbelief.

"What do you mean by my unusual interest in her? ", he spluttered indignantly. "I admit I was a little curious about her but I'm not interested in her in that way. Heck, I don't even know how she looks to be interested in her ".

"Good luck trying to explain that to the Don while he gauges your eyes out and then proceeds to cut you up piece by piece ", Carlos said coldly before continuing, "To answer your question, I told you about that incident in particular to prevent any dangerous ideas from taking place inside that thick head of yours. You are not to repeat today's actions again. Interference of any kind in the personal matters of the family is treated with the most severe punishments. You wouldn't want to know just how severe it is Axel".

"Okay I get it, alright?", he said raising his hands in surrender. "Do not talk about the not so mysterious girl and do not poke your nose where not required. I think I can follow that", Axel repeated smiling a little to cool down the tense atmosphere.

"It's for your own good. I will explain the rules in detail later today but for the time being return to your room. It is very late at night", Carlos ordered as he saw the time on the wall clock. It had indeed taken him longer to narrate the incident than he had intended. He had a very important meeting with the Don the next morning and he needed to be in his best element to answer any unexpected questions that the Don would throw his way.

"Good night", Axel told him and turned to return back to his room. However, he stopped in his tracks as a very important detail struck him at long last. He turned towards Carlos again who raised his brows in annoyance.

"What now?", he snapped irritably.

"I read her full name, she is not of the Valentini blood. Then how is this matter a personal one? Shouldn't it be business related as her families are the Valentini allies? Just how is she related to the Valentini family?", Axel asked wide eyed. He couldn't believe that he had missed such an important detail in the whole discussion.

Somehow he was dreading Carlos' answer. Slowly his mind was piecing every piece of information he had gathered from Carlos, his every word, his extreme fear of the Don's reaction.

"This matter is a personal one to the Don himself Axel, very personal", Carlos said as Axel stared at him blankly.

There was no way that it could be a personal matter of interest to the boss unless..... 'No, this cannot be', Axel thought in denial. He had heard whispers about how ruthless, stone cold and dangerous the Don was. Unforgiving and unrelenting in his fury. The man was practically said to have no emotions, it was said that he lacked even a single bone of compassion or mercy, he was heartless.

Carlos looked at his young charge and saw the terror in his eyes as he slowly made the connection between Amara and Valerio.

"Now you understand the reason behind my ire?", Carlos asked him.

Axel shook his head in refusal.

Carlos stared at him with a tight smile on his face before replying "The high members of the family always say that If there would have been an official monarchy in our world then Valerio Valentini would be our Supreme King and Amara Sullivan Romero his Q-", he stopped speaking as he heard a loud rap on his door.

'What the devil is going on?', he thought irritably as he went to open the door only to see Antonio standing outside.

"Speak Antonio, what do you want?", Carlos asked him sternly.

"The Don wants to see you right now Carlos. He's in his office ", Antonio told him.

"Did he say anything else? ",Carlos asked him.

"Not really, but he did look extremely furious, so be careful. Now hurry, you don't want to keep him waiting longer than necessary. I have one more person to escort to boss's office. " Antonio said quickly.

"Who?", Carlos asked curiously.

"The new recruit, Axel", Antonio replied back. Carlos turned behind to look at the boy who had become as white as a sheet at Antonio's arrival.

"What are you doing here?", Antonio asked Axel suspiciously as his eyes fell on him."What were the two of you upto?"

"Nothing that concerns you",Carlos replied coolly. "You can leave if you have fulfilled your orders. I'll find my way to the office myself ".

Antonio nodded curtly and departed leaving a furious Carlos in the doorway who slammed the door shut and walked towards Axel who was rooted on his spot.

"Do you think that he knows?", Axel asked him anxiously.

"I wouldn't put it pass him to not know about it. Sooner or later the Don comes to know everything, nothing can be hidden from him for long", Carlos stated as he paced the floor anxiously. "I was hoping that I'll be able to find a suitable excuse for you in the upcoming days but if he really does know about it now then....".

"What am I going to do now ? He is going to kill me ", Axel said in a hollow voice.

Carlos stopped pacing and looked at the terrified boy. "We will just have to see for ourselves if he really does know it. Let's go, we cannot keep him waiting any longer."

*****

Axel stood behind Carlos outside the Don's office as they waited for him to permit them entry inside. On the way to the office Carlos had tried hid best to coach Axel on how to greet the Don and behave in his presence.

The door finally opened and Carlos entered inside followed by Axel who dared not look at the imposing figure of the Don behind the large office table.

"Don Valerio", Carlos murmured respectfully and bowed low. Axel too repeated his action and bowed before the Don.

The silence in the room was killing him. He just wanted to scream and run out of the room. But he composed himself as he remembered what Carlos had told him on their way to the office.

Keep your mind and face clear of any emotions. The Don doesn’t appreciate any unnecessary display of it.

After a few moments of silence Axel finally dared to glance at the Don only to pale at the sight of a gun in his hand. He seemed almost distracted as he played around with the gun.

When the Don looked at him, Axel quickly averted his eyes, Carlos' warning ringing clear in his head.

Do not stare at him in the eyes unless he calls upon you. It is considered as a sign of challenge to his authority and utmost disrespect.

When the Don finally spoke, his tone was so cold and sharp that it made him shudder in terror. It was his words though which made Axel's heart stop in his chest in unparalleled fear.

"It seems that you have been very busy"

*****

I