🥰😘

Matteo, Dante, and I were sitting in the VIP section of the club, which I owned.

Matteo rejected all the girls who wanted to bone him.

He remained loyal to Serena.

Yep, he found her. Matteo took one whole year to find Serena. Actually, he didn't even need to find her.

Matteo wanted to make a deal with a multi-national tech company in New York. Little did he know that Serena was the owner of that company.

Long story short, he brought her back to Italy. She still resists him.

A stripper lay on Dante's lap, grinding on him. He shut his eyes and grinned.

"Ysaline," He moaned out.

The stripper froze and glared at him. "I am not Ysaline," She spat, "Whoever that whore is."

She shouldn't have said that.

Dante's eyes flew open. His jaw ticked and his piercing blue eyes swirled with a storm.

BANG!

The stripper lay on the floor...lifeless, with a bullet right between her eyes.

Dante sat calmly against the sofa, twirled the gun around his finger and then tucked it back into his holster.

"And you're telling me to move on," I mumbled with a shake of head.

"Dante," I called out, "Why didn't you ever go after Ysaline? To find her?"

He gave me a solemn smile. "I learn from my mistakes, and especially, from others. You kidnapped Xena, look what happened. Now, if I find Ysaline and bring her back, she might...do the same thing. I can stay away from her, that's fine, but I can't loose her."

I smiled in udnerstanding.

I stood up from the chair I was seated on an ambled my way towards the bar.

Paul, the bartender, saw me and nodded. "Hey boss. Need something strong?"

I nodded with a groan, sitting down on the bar stool.

"Here you go," He piped, pushing a glass towards me. Not thinking twice, I drank it in one go.

I shut my eyes, letting the strong taste of the alcohol consume me.

I continued drinking shot after shot, stopping only when Matteo grabbed my wrist.

"Enzo, enough," He said sternly.

"Noooooo...I am the boss of you, not the other way around. I will drink!" I exclaimed, taking back the drink he took from me and drowning it down.

"Enzo!"

"Que?"

"Bro, you're Italian, not Spanish."

"Pfft...whatever. Voglio Xena!"

(I want Xena)

Matteo's face saddened. "Enzo...lei non tornerà...mai."

(She isn't coming back...ever)

"Stop lying! My Xena is strong! She can't die so easily!" I whined.

Matteo sighed. "Dante!" He called out.

Seconds later, Dante sauntered towards us.

"Ti amo!" I started singing, "In sogno, ti amo! In aria, ti amo! Si viene testa vuol dire che basta lasciamoci, Ti amo! Lo sono, ti amo! In fondo, un uomo! Che non ha freddo nel cuore e nel letto, comando io!"

Matteo and Dante stared at me with amusement.

"Enzo, come on. Let's go home," Dante said, taking my right arm and placing it over his shoulder. Simultaneously, Matteo grabbed my left arm and placed it over his shoulder.

I was basically supported by them.

They carried me to the car and dumped me in the backseat.

I lied down, my face pressed against the seat, and shut my eyes.

What would have happened if that incident never took place?

What if she never died?

She would still be here, with me...in my arms.

If I only knew she would take this drastic step, I would have never abducted her...

It would have been better to just let her go than to witness that traumatic sight.

I should have never kidnapped her in the first place....

She might have been away from me, but still, she would have been safe.

God, you should have taken me instead, not her.

I already lost 3 important people in my life.

My mind drifted back to the first time I felt so broken...

"Congrats on your mission, piccolo," He remarked, raising his glass with a smile.

"Grazie papà, ma non sono più un bambino. Ho diciotto anni adesso," I whined, clinking my glass with his.

(Thanks dad, but I'm no longer a child. I am eighteen now)

"Per me sei sempre mio figlio," He said with a chuckle.

(To me you are always my child)

He then cleared his throat. "Piccolo, you know that your mom left me for the Mexican cartel's boss, right?"

I fisted my hands, trying to control my rage, and nodded.

"They have declared war on us," He cut to the chase.

"Seriously? They're a cartel, papà . We rule the mafia. What can they do to us?" I asked, taking a sip of my drink.

"They allied with the German Mafia."

I abruptly paused and looked at him.

"So they're planning on attacking us by joining their forces with the Germans?" I asked to confirm and dad nodded.

I fisted my hands tightly. Bloody bastards.

"Papà I-" An ear-piercing gunshot sound cut me off.

The next second, our door broke down and men carrying guns strode in.

I instantly took out my gun and aimed it at them but they were faster.

They shot the trigger.

The bullet was shot...

It pierced right through dad's heart.

I stared at his body in shock , I didn't realize when those men ran away.

It felt like my mind had switched to auto-pilot. Numbness over took me and I couldn't even raise my gun to shoot those bastards.

I staggered down and grazed my fingers over dad's face, which was once filled with brightness and joy.

My heart broke.

The person who stood by my side was gone. He helped me through my toughest times.

When mom left, he was the one who told me to have faith and hope.

But...he's gone?

"NO!" I yelled, "DAD, WAKE UP!"

He didn't move a muscle.

I gently placed 2 fingers on his wrist and tried to feel a pulse.

Nothing.

"No...," I whispered brokenly, "NO! WAKE UP, PLEASE!"

He didn't move.

"Dad," I sobbed, "You said you would never leave me. You lied."

Sniffling, I slowly wrapped my arms around his. My lips quivering I rested my head over his chest.

"Ti amo ," I kissed his cheek. I felt something wet on his shirt and only then did I realize I was crying. Tears rolled one by one and I made no effort in stopping them.

I wished I could say 'I love you' one last time.

I wished I could make him proud of me one last time.

I wished I could be a better son...one last time.

But sadly, time and tide wait for none...

The car abruptly stopped, causing me to roll down the seat, and snapping me back to reality.

"Ow," I rubbed my bruised forehead.

Why do all the people close to me leave?

My mom left me...

My dad left me...

She left me...

Matteo opened the door and hauled me out of the car.

"I'll remember you," I began singing softly, "Loooong after this endless summer is gone, I'll be lonely, oh so lonely. Living only to remember you, your voice as soft as the warm summer breeze, your sweet laughter, mornings ever after, I'll remember you..."

"Enzo," Matteo sighed, "Please, try and move on-"

"Shut up!" I roared, the alcohol taking over my senses, causing him to flinch, "I don't know why Dante and you are telling me to move on! He hasn't moved on from Ysaline! Why should I move on from amore mio? Tell me, if Serena died, would you have moved on from her?"

Matteo's jaw clenched and he slammed me against the car door.

"Say one word about Serena, I will hurt you," He spat.

I glowered at him and shoved Matteo off me.

The tipsiness was still there but I cleared my head.

"I am your Don!" I yelled, punching his jaw.

He groaned and clutched his face. Wiping the trickle of blood from his lip, Matteo kicked my abdomen. "That doesn't give you any right to comment about my Serena!"

I twisted his arm in a painful angle, causing him to shriek. "You don't have any right to comment about Xena either! If I wanna move on, I will, but I don't want to! It is my decision, and mine solely!"

He frowned and pushed me away from him, freeing his arm from my iron grasp. "I just wanted what's best for you!"

"And how the fuck do you know what's best for me, huh?!"

"I am your friend! I couldn't see you live in sadness throughout your life because Xena is dead!"

This ticked a nerve.

Clenching my jaw, I fisted my hands in a dead grip and shoved Matteo on the ground. I straddled him and punched his jaw.

"She. Is. Not. Dead!"

Punch.

"Enzo, she is dea-"

"You have no right to talk about her!" I cut Matteo off.

Punch.

"If you don't want me talking about Serena, then you better stop talking crap about Xena!"

"Guys!" Dante's stern voice bellowed. He rushed towards us and hauled me off Matteo.

"Stop it! You're not babies! Talk it out like civilized adults. If you're gonna continue fighting like this, stay outside of the house and come in only when this dispute is settled!"

Matteo and I stared at him, taking ragged breaths.

What the hell just happened?

I faced Matteo with a guilty look.

"Look, bro, I'm really sor-"

"Don't be. I am sorry. I shouldn't have talked about Xena...I know how much you miss her."

Sighing, I wrapped my left arm around his shoulder as a form of a bro hug.

"Yay! This reunion brought tears in my eyes," Dante exclaimed, wiping imaginary tears from his eyes.

We chuckled and walked into the mansion.

●・○・●・○・●

"And then, we bombed the warehouse and slit their throats!" I finished, a proud grin on my face.

Matteo and Dante nodded eagerly.

"Yep, I remember that! The look on their faces was priceless!" Matteo added with a chuckle.

We all were lying lifelessly on the couch, with bottles of beer in our hands.

"Matteo," I called out.

"Hmm?"

"If Serena did-did whatever Xena had done 3 years back, and survived, would you have let her go?"

I felt him stiffen up. I expected him to lash out, but he remained calm.

"Yes, I would definitely let her go. Sure, I'd miss her like hell, but Serena's safety is my utmost priority. I could never risk that. She's my life..."

A faint smile played on my lips after hearing that.

"Okay, okay, enough of love and romance!" Dante whined.

"Yeah, be-"

The doorbell cut Matteo off.

"I'll see," I volunteered, getting up from the couch and sauntering towards the door.

"What has happened to Enzo?! Did he just volunteer to check the door!" I heard Matteo gasp.

"Someone bring the cameras out!" Dante yelled dramatically

I rolled my eyes and opened the door.

"You guys know I can hear you, righ-" I began.

My voice died in my throat as soon as I saw who was at the door.

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