June 8, 2016.
"You can't leave, Zavi," Alec yelled, following him behind as they walked outside. Zavi sighed, stopping by his car.
He turned around, "Why? Why can't I leave?." He demanded.
"Look, mate. I know what I did, I don't have any words to justify myself but.." A tear dropped from Alec's eyes and he didn't care to wipe it off. He already cried a river after the death of Anita. Now, the person who he cared about the most was going to leave him too.
Zavi watched him silently, gulping down a bit, Alec looked tired, his eyes were swollen and red, he told him quietly, "I can forgive you for any wrong, brother. But this, I'm trying to."
He turned around, opened the car, and climbed in. One last look from the window, he drove out of the compound.
Zavi hit the road at speed, passing by many cars as he headed to the north of Italy. It was where he's been to clear his mind of the pain he was feeling in his heart. When Anita died, he didn't waste a tear, he stared at her corpse all day before his father, the Don insisted they take it out of his building or he would burn both him and the corpse.
He didn't speak to anyone, nor did he pay attention to his cousin thereafter. She's dead, there was no reason to weep over a dead body. He knew it wasn't the first time someone special was taken from him; his mother was taken away when he was 4.
All his life, his dad had taken every precious thing in his life. That is who his father is, he can never stand happiness. Imagine him telling Zavi that everything comes with a price, lose one, gain more. That had been his words to him, and now he didn't care, he was not going to live his life for his father anymore.
Stopping by the Luciano castle, everyone who saw him all paid respect to the heir to the leading Italian Mafia. He stepped out and leaned by his car as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
He lit the cigarettes and waited for whoever it was that knew he was coming, he didn't have to go inside, he'd just stand and they would come to him.
Matteo emerges from the front door, with a weed in his hand. Though it was warmer at the beginning of June, it didn't affect their intake of weed, because it was the only thing that provided joy to them.
"Do you say you want to be happy?." Matteo asked him, wrapping up the weed carefully. Zavi didn't care to reply, his eyes played at what he was doing. He hadn't started smoking from the one in his hand.
Matteo walked closer and stood in front of him, he said to him, "Let's have fun, Zavi. There's somewhere we need to visit right now."
Zavi turned around to open his car but Matteo stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"Usiamo il Mio, (Let's use mine)."
~
Three black cars stopped on the roadside in rows, the last car opened and Matteo stepped down, then Zavi followed behind. Matteo looked around and smirked, he looked at one of his men, "Is this it?."
"Yes boss," The man replied, lowering his head, and for the first time in their trip downtown, Zavi asked, "Where is this place?."
Matteo grinned, "Let's go. You'll find out."
They waited as one of Matteo's men pressed the doorbell. A few seconds later, the oak door opened revealing a man. The man was in his mid-forties, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was stunned immediately when he saw Matteo and Zavi at his door, his shocked expression slowly replaced with fear.
"Hello, Douglas. Can I come in?." Matteo asked, smirking. The man waited for a few more seconds before he opened it wide for them to walk in.
Zavi knew him, he was the second in command of the Luciano family, Douglas Campbell. But why are they here?
There were packed luggages in the sitting room, Matteo looked around, "I see you're about to run off again, Douglas. It was so hard locating you."
"What are you doing here, Matteo?." The man demanded, his voice on edge.
"It's Don Matteo to you, Douglas. Talk to me like that again and your head will roll." He threatened.
There was silence.
"Do we bring Vanora's plant? I'd say we sell them to…" A woman said, walking into the sitting room, her voice faltered when she met her unwanted visitors.
Her eyes widened immediately as she recognized one out of the men.
"Long time no see, Elisa."
Looking very scared, she went to stand with her husband, "How..how did you find us?."
"Believe me, it wasn't easy. I don't have much time to waste, Elisa. Answer me. Where's she?."
Her heart dropped, she tried to calm down a bit, ignorant of the question, she asked back, "Where's who?."
"You know who I'm talking about."
"Matteo, what do you want from us? Why are you doing this?." She asked, quivering in fear. Douglas grabbed her hand to calm her down.
"Elisa. Do you dare ask me that? Don't you think you're being ridiculous? Didn't I tell you that I would come?, provide her now, she's the reason I am here, not you."
"She has nothing to do with this. She's just an innocent child."
"She's not innocent. A child born to the family is not innocent. You caught her up in the game, she must pay for it."
A tear dropped from her eyes, she sniffed, "I didn't ask for this, your father is the reason everything's messed up now. You all should know how she came into this world. Please leave her alone to live as a normal child should live."
Matteo turned around, one of his men handed a paper to him, and he threw it at Elisa.
"Look what I found."
Elisa bent over and picked it up, her hands shook as her eyes went through it.
"How do you see that? He left nothing for me, not even a single penny. That is why I must get rid of her."
Immediately, Elisa went down on her knees, her hands clamped together as she pleaded, "Spare her, Matteo. I beg you. She will never step her foot on this land again. Please spare my daughter."
Matteo bent down to her level, "I cannot do that, Elisa. I'm gonna do away with the obstacles to finally be at peace."
He stood up and ordered, "Hold him."
The men pulled Douglas away from Elisa, "Please, take me. Spare them and take me." Douglas pleaded, immediately he got a call telling him that Matteo had taken over, he had planned for the nearest escape route.
"I have nothing to do with you, Douglas. All of my father's men are dead, you're alive because I'm indebted to you, I'm sorry."
"No, please. Don't hurt my wife and children, please."
Matteo paid deaf ears to his pleas, Douglas was his teacher, his companion in Luciano's home, he'd never hurt him, but too bad, his family were caught up in his web.
Zavi who had been standing and seeing everything as it unfolds did not speak a word. It wasn't his business, he just happened to accompany his best friend.
"This is the way we live, Zavi. I'm showing you how to be strong." He told him and grabbed a gun from the man beside him and stretched it to Zavi.
"See how it feels to be in power, this is the only way everything can go back to normal."
Zavi looked from him to the gun, and asked him, "Why should I be the one to pull the trigger?."
"Remember, you promised me, and we don't break promises, kill her, Zavi. This is the deal."
He only came there because it was their deal, Matteo's men were going to help him get rid of his father, that was why he came. It was their deal.
Zavi took the gun and pointed it at Elisa.
"No, please. Don't.." A blow landed across Douglas's face, stopping him from completing his words.
Zavi cocked the gun and instantly released the bullet.
"No…." Douglas's voice filled the room.
"This is the end of our bargain, Matteo." Zavi told him, turned around, and walked out on them. He was done there, now it's time for him to eliminate his biggest enemy, his father.