My Everything

A Final Conclusion

Composure is always important, I thought as I looked into the lens of the camera. 

“What do you plan to do next, Ms. Russo?” Rose asked me.

“Are you following Linda?” I retorted, my eyes turned to the bodyguard now beside me. 

“Yes, we have eyes on her,” he responded, my men are in position and will take care of those that are following. I have ordered the police outside of the building to keep Linda trapped inside.”

“What about the men that are in the meeting room?” I asked.

The security replied, “They are still in there with the two guards you positioned outside.”

I pulled out my phone, looking at the room on my screen that was deeply under surveillance. I zoomed watching every face, looking and waiting to see if there was any reaction, any telltale sign that would give me a clue of betrayal but I had nothing. It was simple what the person wanted. It was all about power in the chaos that would ensue.

What should I do now? It would be best to see if they are more people following her first before I act. Get everyone involved, I had nothing yet. I would have to press the envelope and see who would buckle under the pressure. Who would try to leave or get away?

“Good, just follow her for now. We will continue with the interview of course. This time you will bring up information that you and I discussed.”

“No problem,” the host responded as I took my seat down.

“Be more aggressive with me.”

It was greeted with the host smiling and the camera man showing his hand to show we were going back live.

Rose smiled at the camera shuffling through some papers. “Welcome back and sorry for the lengthy interview. We are continuing tonight’s discussion as Linda Mercel has left for a stunning turn of events that’s led my interview to be with Billionaire Valentina Russo.”

I smiled at the mention of my name towards the host and the camera.

“Ms. Russo, we have some information that Linda had specifically on you. That she was planning to reveal with us tonight.”

“Information? I ask, pausing, shifting my head to her and adjusting myself in the seat. “What exactly do you mean?”

“She said here that she had recorded information of you and prominent known Boss of the Mafia Angelo Morello in the city on a call.”

“What?” I said, shifting towards Rose. “That’s nothing but a lie. That’s not the truth at all.”

“We have the recording do you want us to play it?” Rose asked.

There was silence between us.

“Ms. Russo?”

“You can play it I know nothing towards what you’re talking about.”

The recording played.

Angelo's voice rang over the room after a click. “How much more money are we going to put in that failed venture of Peter for a wizard of Oz. I feel all I do is cleaning up the mess from him.” 

My voice replied, “Do what is necessary nothing more as long as the wheels continue to move. Forward is the only direction as long as we remain in the shadows.”

I bit my lip.

“How do you respond to this Ms. Russo!?” Is that not your voice and Angelo the boss of the Mafia?” 

“Listen, I don’t know what you did or how you created that, but that’s not me. This interview is over if this is how you would look to push across noncredible information.”

I got up from the chair and left. Rose shouted for me to come back and as an assistant tried to stop me the body guard intervened blocking the cameras that were on me.

I smiled as I slammed the door. Hearing the loud ruckus inside it was perfect. I stood outside waiting until both Rose and my security guard came.

“My apologies for my behavior in there, Ms. Russo.”

“It was fine it was done well and made the stakes a lot higher. Good job. I would like to talk to Linda now.”

“We have the men that were following her held, and she is also in the next room. We will figure out soon who hired them and who planned the whole thing.”

“Do nothing to Linda. I am talking to her alone. Carry me there now you’re coming to Rose.”

The body guard nodded and led us back to the elevator as we passed a few people along the way. It was quiet the entire way until I opened the door and entered as Rose was about to follow.

“Wait outside for a moment. I will tell you when to come back in. That goes for you to.” I said towards the men in the room.

Linda sat in a chair her arms were tied and mouth was gagged as everyone left the room. 

I walked towards her. “Don’t scream.” I removed the gag from her mouth.

“Help me!! Help me!!” She shouted each time louder than the last shaking to free her from the chair.

“I told you not to scream, and you did it, anyway.”

She continued screaming without paying me mind.

I pulled out a seat, holding my ears. “It doesn’t matter how loud you scream, no one on the outside will hear you the walls are soundproof.”

There were tears in her eyes. “What do you plan to do me?”

“Nothing much honestly, I just want to talk and then you can go on your way.”

“This is this is illegal. I know my rights.”

“Do you want to leave or not?”

“What do you want?”

“I said I want to talk to you. Didn’t you hear me the first time? Tell me Linda, why did you decide to do this? Who sent you to do this?”

“No one sent me I knew what you were I saw.”

“You saw nothing, you couldn’t access anything, and I shared no information with you. Nothing at all.” I sat back in the chair. “I want you to think about the situation that you are in every single thing that happens in this city, I know. You came here to do an interview. If you knew so much about me, why didn’t know you came to a place that I secretly own. The stuff that you were doing would have gotten you killed and not at all by me. This isn’t a game.”

Linda’s eyes fell.

“Do you understand me?”

She nodded.

“Then tell me who sent you to almost have yourself killed!” I shouted.

“The name he told me was Angelo, he said to talk like this and say that.”

“Did you meet him in person?” What did he look like?”

“I only met him once, he was slim, but I heard someone say OZ.”

OZ the name resonated in my head, Peter the Casino King. “Did he have gold teeth and talk with a slur?”

“Yes, he did.”

“What did he promise you?”

“To clear all of my outstanding debt, I have tax collectors running me down for money that I owe. They seized a lot of the stuff I own, and I was on my last leg. It was an honest mistake. I didn’t think it would get so far.”

“I see,” I got up and walked towards the door.

“Wait, please don’t hurt me.”

I knocked on the door, and Rose popped her face.

“Untie her and set her free,” I said.

“Ok,” Rose responded.

“You the host, you were in on it to, how, I knew it. I didn’t mean any harm tell her.”

“Rose, I am going upstairs, and Linda, get a new identity leave the city I never want to see you ever again.”

Our eyes crossed for one moment before I left.

***

I was back here again seated in the chair as the dynamics of the room changed most of the men stomped around in circles arguing, cursing with one another. I had to have the guards in so they didn’t each other alive. It was necessary since I wasn’t one hundred percent sure on anything. Body language would have toreveal the man and Peter seemed rather cool. He was always a fool, but did he have a poker face on at the moment. I only had to wait until it fell apart.

“Valentina, how can you sit there so silently that information went all over the news linking you to the Mafia. It’s only a matter of time before this gets out further to the police.”

“I understand the situation Angelo take a seat. We will get through. They are a lot of phony recordings. I have the best lawyers they will make up something to dismiss whatever they come with.”

“But would that really be good enough?” Peter asked, his gold teeth on display.

“Do you have a better solution?”

“Yes, eliminate the girl, I think that if that was done when Angelo had suggested it wouldn’t be so bad. I didn’t want to mention because of the closeness of the two of you. The next step would be for Angelo and you both remove yourself from the Mafia for a while and we would decide a new interim boss until things settled down.”

“What? Angelo responded, knocking his glass of the table it crashed on the floor. “Get out of here with that.”

The men bickered for a while about the suggestion that was put forward. 

“I see what you’re saying that makes sense,” I replied, placing a hand to my chin and waiting for quiet. “But if we were to do this, who would be best to take over here.”

“I think I would be the best to get things done.”

“Oh,” I responded.

“I have been calm and collective throughout this total scene. What we need now is an interim leader that can follow what was intended by the boss and keep things running in the shadow before anything is revealed or made public. We have many ventures that no one knows about even between ourselves,” Peter’s eyes fell on me, “except for your boss.”

I drank the water in front of my table. It was hot, but I was parched and it disappeared in a few seconds before I placed the empty glass back on the table.

A smirk was on my face as water ran down my lip.

“What if I told you that everything that you saw on that TV screen was a lie?”

The men looked at me confused.

“What if I told you that the only people who saw that interview were the people in this room? What if I told you that the girl and the persons following her I had caught and trapped in this very building? What if I told you that a man was going to betray me seated among you all? What if I told you that man was you, Peter? I wonder then what would you say?”

Peter stuttered over his words.

“You met her, didn’t you?”

He had nothing to say as the guards closed in around him.

“Were you planning to take me and Angelo out after sending us in hiding,” I laughed so disappointing after everything I had done for you, Peter.”

“She… lies…. I…”

“Talking was never your strong suit, take him away, rake up some baloney charge and put him in prison.”

Peter struggled as they dragged him out of the room kicking and screaming so much of an end for the Oz. It was checkmate. I had won again as I watched the others to stun to respond to what they had witnessed.

Angelo, I said, pulling another cigarette from my purse. “I am going on vacation. You will be in charge until I get back. I heard hunting is nice this time of year.”