Chapter 18: THE PRESENT

LORENZO’S P.O.V. Matteo and I barely and I barely got any sleep that night but it was worth it. By morning, the entire city was ablaze with the news of the charity gala and the prospect of seeing Leo. Matteo was busy handling the preparations while I planned to speak with Leo. The last thing I wanted to do was spring any kind of surprise on him. While the maids took his breakfast to him, I made my way into his room. He looked a bit better and he had regained some of the color on his face. He smiled when he saw me and I waved the maids off. I waited until the door shut behind them before I sat down by the edge of the bed. We need to talk,” I told him and he sat up straighter. There was slight worry in his eyes but he managed to hide it well on his face. “Am I in trouble?” he asked and I shook his head. “I don’t usually fall sick like that. It happens once a year, I promise.” “This isn’t about you being sick,” I assured him. “This is about a gala that is being held this weekend. You need to be there.” He stayed silent and listened intently. I wasn’t sure how to explain the politics of our world to a seven-year-old so I didn’t try. I just explained how he needed to be there and stay next to me. He didn’t need to know that all eyes were going to be on him and everyone was going to be watching out to see if he was a weak link or not. That was for me to worry about, he was my son and it was my job to keep him safe, not anyone else’s. After I had finished explaining, he just shrugged. “Will there be food?” I couldn’t help my smile. “Whatever you want. Give me a name and I will make sure that you can find it.” Once he was sure that he would have food, he nodded. “I’ll go for the galabut I have a question,” I waited patiently to hear what he had to say. “If I had said no then would you have forced me to go?” I stopped to think about it. It would be a lot easier for me if he was present, yes, but would I have gone as far as to demand his presence even if he didn’t want to go? I didn’t need to think about it for too long. I already knew what the answer was. Long before now, I had already made up my mind that I was not going to be the same kind of father that mine was. “No,” I said finally. “Eat your breakfast, I’ll call for you when the tailors are here. This will be your first time being seen in public. You have to look a certain way.” I walked out of the room to get ahead on some of my work. As expected, I had a lot of messages from allies, business deals and competitors alike wanting to know more about the charity gala but I could read between the lines. I knew they were more interested in Leo than anything. Most of them didn’t even believe the rumors until I all but subtly confirmed it. I couldn’t help but smile to myself as I realized that everything was working out just the way I wanted to. My happiness was short-lived however when I heard a commotion outside. I knew even before I peered out the window that it was my father. He was yelling at the guards but they were stopping him from entering the house. I stood by the window watching him when Matteo walked into my office. “Your father is asking for you,” he mumbled and I nodded. I could very well see that. “You could refuse and the guards will send him away.” “I know my father well enough to know that will not end nicely for anyone involved,” I grabbed my gun and put it into my holster. “Come, Matteo, let us go and say hi to my father.” Matteo turned to me with wide eyes as if asking why he had to go with me but I ignored him and made my way downstairs. I could hear Matteo following closely behind me while muttering some words under his breath in steady Italian. When we got to the front of the house, I saw some of the guards sigh in relief. Dealing with my father was not the easiest thing in the world and I could understand why they didn’t want to do it. Father was still yelling when I arrived and as soon as he saw me, he sighed in relief. “Finally, you are here,” he tucked his gun back into the holster. “Your men refuse to let me in. They say you banned all visitors for today but refuse to acknowledge that I am not every other visitor.” I waved the guards off and they were more than eager to leave. It wasn’t until just Matteo and I remained with Father that I spoke. “I made a very clear and direct order to my men and they were simply implementing it.” Father looked stunned for a second then he burst out laughing. “You are joking, right? Did you really tell your guards not to let me in? I am your father. You have no right.” “I am your capo! I have every right. You do not question me,” I shot back and he went silent. “I am spending the next few days alone with my son to get ready for the charity gala. If there is anything important that you need to address then you can schedule a meeting or better still, call me. If it is not important then you can wait until after the gala to speak to me.” Father was shocked. His mouth fell open and he stared at me like I had grown three heads. There was anger hidden beneath his shock but even he was smarter than to try to attack me. After a moment of silence, he cleared his throat and righted his shirt. “I should have known that it was about the boy,” he muttered more to himself than anyone else. “Even if the boy is your blood, he is not one of us. Why would she have kept him away for so long? She is using that boy to get to you so she can overthrow us.” “I don’t care about the rivalry that you have with Isabella, but you will keep my son out of it,” I dropped my voice into a cold whisper. “Do you understand me?” “Yes,” he sneered and I turned on my heels. “That’s it then? You will leave me out here like a beggar?” “Go home, Father,” I called over my shoulder. “You have a charity gala to attend in a few days. Your grandson is going to see our world for the first time and you have the honor of introducing him to everyone. It is such a great honor, you should be pleased, after all, there is nothing more important than a united front.”