Chapter 79
"Who's going to do that? You?" Vincenzo asked coughing profusely. Antonio handed him another cup of water, which he took and drank a sip before returning the cup back.
"Being the Don comes with a lot of responsibility, I already have my work cut out for me and adding the role of a Don or a leader is going to be too much. Whereas, I don't even want it." Antonio said, taking his time. He was heading towards a direction, motive, Vincenzo knew it and was waiting for him to land.
"Anna is still sick?" Vincenzo asked, Antonio sighed answering the question without speaking.
Vincenzo knew the unspoken words, Anna was Antonio's arranged wife. Most marriage by alliance never worked, his didn't, but it was a surprise theirs did. But, Anna had taken Ill years later and Antonio had never been himself ever since. Sometimes she would get well and when Antonio tried to recover, something weird would happen to her.
"Find someone else." Antonio said, bringing him back to the present.
"Who? I want Alexander to take the mantle. There's no one else good for it. This is something I brought him up to do, I forged him in my own image, he can't be replaced."
"It's not like Alexander is your only son." Antonio stated, causing Vincenzo to stare at me. If he didn't know better, get would think Antonio was high on a substance.
"Are you stupid?" Vincenzo asked his second in command and his best friend for years. Antonio knew him better than anyone and he's even surprised he would suggest something like that.
"You hate Greta, Remember? You did tell me not to marry her after Ariel died-" Vincenzo asked, his eyes filled with anger.
"You did marry her, didn't you? Despite my warnings of how she's going to milk you dry and use you for her own benefits, she's doing that just so you know, you went ahead and got married to the selfish bitch and she gave you a son. Alexander isn't ready to take up your mantle, why can't Bruno." Antonio fired with equal anger.
"Things were fallen apart in the clan, I needed allies when everyone turned against me and her grandfather came to me offering to be one. I had no choice, damn it." Vincenzo said in regret. He knew all of Greta's agenda, he knew of the things she did when he wasn't watching. He can't bring himself to stop her or reprimand her, he believes she's taking back what her grandparent gave him and it's fine.
"I didn't know, because you never told and if you had before you went offering yourself as a sacrificial lamb, I would have found a way to help. Sometimes I wonder if you hold our friendship in high esteem like I do. I'm your second in command for goodness sake, I should know this things, but I don't." Antonio said. The room went from being neutral to being sad in seconds. He got on his feet, pacing the room.
"I'm sorry, honestly I am. I couldn't because it was then Anna got sick. I knew how much you feared to lose her, you were becoming a shadow of yourself, I didn't want to weigh you down further."
Antonio sighed looking at his best friend who sat on the bed, looking weak and sick. Vincenzo wasn't that old yet, but it looked like he had added fourty years to his fifty five years of age.
"This thing with Alexander is weighing you down every day. What changed? I mean you both used to be close that I envied your relationship. How did everything change overnight?" Antonio asked, after taking slow breaths to calm himself. While he was angry at Vincenzo for not coming to him first, he understood. I mean, you can't just sit by and watch your years of hard work and suffering go down the drain.
Vincenzo sighed. He knew this day would come, the day he would have to tell his best friend the sin he committed years back. He never told anyone, it was just between him and the hit men, which he eliminated himself after the mission was a success.
"I don't know, he started behaving weird after Alessandro." Vincenzo said.
"I thought that was a hit meant for you but he got in the way to save you?" Antonio asked, repeating the same thing that Vincenzo told him years ago.
Vincenzo shook his head, looking up to Antonio who was already shaking his head unable to believe what he was about to say.
"No! Vladimir don't tell me that." He said, with an horrified look on his face.
"Your reaction tells me you know what I'm about to say."
"What? That you eliminated your own son?" Antonio asked gobsmacked.
"With the way you quickly got the answer, it might have crossed your mind more than twice."
"Jesus Christ! You eliminated your son?"
Antonio rubbed his face with his two hands, still unable to believe.
"You murdered your own son? For what? He loved to paint and be isolated from the world. Do you know how many people die just from going out? Do you know how much artist are paid? You eliminated your son because he wanted to stay away from the blood and killing that comes with being involved with you and the mafia world?" Antonio raged on. Years ago, Vincenzo confided in him about Alessandro, he loathed his son because he stayed indoors always, painting and drawing.
As usual, Antonio had told him not to do anything stupid and just let the innocent boy he, it wasn't a taboo not to like your father's line of work and not be involved in it. Barely a month later, he had met up with Vincenzo and was surprised to see him drinking and celebrating. To his shock Alessandro had gotten hit by a bullet that was for Vincenzo, the thought that his best friend actually murdered his own son crossed his mind, but he quickly waved it off. He had no idea that it was true.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
