Chapter 39: The three powerful Confraternities

"Now go home," Xavier instructed after taking a seat.

Rachael dramatically gasped, placing her hand on her chest. "I feel used"

"I never said you could come in the first place"

Rachael shrugged as she sat on his table while he punched speedily on his computer. He snickered at her guts but didn't say anything.

"I don't think you realize how big your house is"

"I do, I designed it"

"Oh really" she was slightly taken aback. "No wonder every detail in the house screams Xavier," she confessed and he looked up at her.

"Excuse me?"

"Did I lie?" she shrugged, tucking her hair behind her ear. "What are you typing?" She tried poking her head through to get a glimpse of what he was typing, but he closed the screen swiftly before she could take a proper look.

"Hey! What is that? Top organization secret?"

"Why are you always so nosey, Miss Anderson," he said.

He had to be testing her for him to call her that!."Hey don't you dare you call me that" she shot at him and he chuckled.

"Now you have a problem with your name?"

"I don't have a problem. The way you call it is so just..... Infuriating. There is always a tone in your voice when you say it"

"Hmmm," he humphed. "I had no idea," he said feigning ignorance. Rachael was sure he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"What were you typing?" Rachael decided to push further, but Xavier would be damned if he ever let her in on a bit of his confraternity's secret.

"Rachael go home," he started stiffly and she frowned.

"I don't want to"

"Then I will take you home" he stood up almost immediately, not waiting for her approval.

"But..." Before she could finish, Xavier had already grasped her hand.

"Shall we?" he said and she pouted, playfully.

"I am not happy with this" she grabbed her purse from his table nevertheless and they walked out.

Rachael wasn't conscious of his hands wrapped around hers. It was when they had gotten to the office foyer with people staring that she realized it. Codedly, she tried to unwrap his hand, but each time she attempted to, he tightened his grip.

The office workers stared at her in amazement. They knew her as the intern and were surprised at their sudden closeness to the boss.

She and Xavier got out through the main entrance and she breathed out in solace. At least she was away from their peering eyes. She was certain Xavier was aware of the stares they got, but he managed to pull off his regular casual demeanor.

"I'm still angry you left the house without a guard. Sneaking out is something you are bigger than" he uttered as soon as they got into the car.

"I didn't sneak out. I just walked out"

"And they let you?" his eyes widened in bafflement.

"Yeah" she shrugged.

"Those lunatics" he cursed under his breath.

"I still don't know why you are still cranky about it. We have talked about this haven't we?"

"You seem to have forgotten Magnus is still after you. Until I get rid of him, you can't leave without my guards. Well, not the ones at home because they are surely getting fired. " He said in a gruff tone.

******
"He just started something he will not be able to finish," Magnus let out with anger visible on his face.

"You didn't think about your resources before stepping on somebody like Xavier" Marco, the Italian boss of the Banda confraternity said to cranky-looking Magnus. "Xavier knew the warehouse was your weak point and he destroyed it" he added.

Magnus boiled in anger that even his lips seemed too heavy to speak."If I lay my hands on him, I will snap his head off his body"

Marco's aged eyes partially closed as he took a sip from his drink. "You will kill your brother?" He asked the moment the drink left his lips.

Magnus gritted his teeth in anger. "He is not my brother"

"You can lie to everyone else, but you can't lie to yourself. Even Xavier doesn't hide the fact that you two are brothers"

"He can go to hell"

"So what do you plan on doing to retaliate?" Marco asked, dropping the previous topic. If Magnus wanted to leave it, there was not much he could do about it.

Vatos locos of the Callum family, Della of the Alfonso family, and Banda of the Marco family were strong alliances years back. Frederick Callum, Leonardo Alfonso, and Marco Lorenzo were partners. They traded weapons and resources between themselves.

Things went on smoothly between the three confraternities until Isabella came into the picture. She got married to Frederick Callum, Xavier's father, but didn't stay faithful to him. She slept with Leonardo behind his back.

When she got pregnant with Xavier, she was certain it belonged to Frederick, but when she got her second pregnancy, she wasn't sure if it was for Leonardo or Frederick. Out of fear she ran away and had her child. She and Fredericka already had their issues, so her absence didn't bother him so much.

When she gave birth to Magnus, she gave him to Leonardo as his child even though she wasn't sure who he belonged to. Her love for Leonardo and the desperate need to create a bond between the both of them made her do it.

The truth stayed hidden for quite a while, but it was eventually revealed. Frederick was furious. Out of that annoyance, he shot Isabella and was going to do the same to Leonardo, but Leonardo was too powerful to be put down.

This pulled the confraternities away from each other and conflict struck. Both Frederick and Leonard were furious. Leonardo was furious at Frederick for killing his lover and vowed to make him pay for it. He got the chance eventually. He shot Frederick from a story building. He fell off and that landed Frederick in a coma. Leonardo was tracked by one of Frederick's men and he was brutally killed. The only boss that lived to tell the story was Marco. The tension didn't die after all these years. The hatred transferred from fathers to sons.