Rose and Thorns

Chapter 7

Alberto

“Thank you..” Victor thanked the guy who passed him the dossier from his father. He was seated at the head of the large black walnut desk. His men sat around in the boardroom for a general meet.

This being the first meeting after Victor’s return, his men were keeping him updated with their business that had happened in his absence.

“Boss, we have received information from the National intelligence agency that there might be a possible attack on us in the coming days since most of our rival syndicates still believe Victor is dead. We need to clarify it as a rumor if we need to stop them from striking us..” As the chief security person of the gang, Esteban got up to inform his fellow men to stay prepared in case of such emergencies.

Ricardo stopped him with a simple hand signal, “No, we don't have to clarify anything to anyone. I want them to learn their lesson to never mess with Gonzalez in a hard way.  So, let them carry out with their attack plans..”

His men blinked at one another blankly as if their boss had lost his mind.

“If there isn’t anything else, you may all leave now..” He adjured them and turned to face his son. As his guard went away, Ricardo pressed a button on his desk, which covered the glass windows surrounding them and making the room fully soundproof. He wanted their conversation to not leave this room at any cost.

“Victor doesn’t say thank you and sorry. So, stop using those words..” Ricardo clenched his teeth as anger irked him because of his son’s virtuous behaviour towards his watch dogs.

“Well, I’m not Victor..” Alberto challenged him with a stoic face.

“You are and if you f*****g deny that once again I will blow your head away..” Ricardo fumed, with rage-filled in his eyes.

Alberto was getting pissed with his father’s constant efforts in turning him into his twin brother. He didn’t want to be here first of all and above that, he hated to impersonate Victor.

They may be identical twins but from all that he had heard from his father, there were no resembles between the two in terms of their behaviors. Victor sounded like a completely different person to him than he remembered from childhood. His mother had, on many occasions told him that how kind and obedient Victor was out of all her children. He was responsible towards his siblings, and his family meant to him the world but all that was a distant memory.

Now Victor had become a cold, calculative and cruel man who enjoyed your see men submitting to him. He seldom expressed his emotions and his only prized possessions were his power and dominance. Nothing else mattered to him, not family, not relations nor friends.

Alberto was the total opposite of what his brother was. He never liked to hide his feelings and emotions from others. He was very expressive of himself, whether be it anger or sadness or compassion. Being a philanthropist and an extrovert, he loved people and always worked hard for their betterment. He, along with his mother’s family was always involved in the charity and goodwill of fellow humans.

Of course their brought-ups mattered here. They were the images of their parents’ upbringings. They were raised by two completely different people. Whatever he was today, he owed it to his mother and the same could be said to Victor and his father.

While Victor was like a black slate, Alberto was white as a sheet. How could he become someone he isn’t capable of becoming? He was torn between right and wrong. On one side, was his morale that meant dear to his heart while on the other side was his family that he had to protect from his own father.

Though he felt conflicted, he sighed and decided to oblige to his father’s command once again. “What is it that you want me to do, dad?”  

“First of all, stop calling me that s**t. I would prefer to be called father, boss, patron but not that fuck..”

“As you wish Father..” He gauged for his father’s reaction which remained quite the same, expressionless.

“Become Victor, not just by appearance but by adapting to his tough principles..” He growled. “Don’t go around saying sorry's and thank you’s because those words don’t exist in Victor’s vocabulary..”

Alberto sighed and mumbled, “Alright noted..”  

He made an internal note to never utter those words again until his stay here.

“I’m glad that you have decided to obey me. Now coming to the main purpose of this meeting. The rival mafia groups think that Victor is dead..” He was shortly interrupted by Alberto.

“Is he really dead?” Alberto’s heart squeezed under his sternum to think of his twin brother dead. They were one single soul who were separated by fate’s cruel role in their lives. If they weren’t born into this treacherous family, they could have spent their lives together as brothers and even as buddies. He would still be alive alongside him.  “Tell me father, is my brother really dead? Is he never coming back?”

Ricardo wanted to disagree with it but at the same time, he did not want to give Alberto any false hopes. If he said that the real Victor could still be alive out there somewhere, Alberto may always wait for his brother to come and take his place back. That way he might never put his full efforts into his family legacy.

Alberto was equally a Gonzalez and he was also a rightful candidate for the position of the mafia head. It was Ricardo’s lifelong dream for both his sons to be his heirs and rule the country. Victor’s disappearance was just a means to lure his other son back into the business. He had no problem if Victor came back, he would have both his sons by his sides like a proud mafia father.

“Yes he is dead, I buried his body with my own hands..” He answered coldly.

Alberto looked down and closed his eyes. His heart twisted painfully. His mom’s face crossed his mind for a nanosecond. There wasn’t a single day that she hadn’t prayed for her children's safety. She would be devastated to know of her dead child and would take the blame upon herself. She will remain with the guilt for the rest of her life.

Thinking about their ill-fated life, a single tear slipped down his eye.

“What the f**k do you think you are doing, Alberto.?” Ricardo barked lowly. His patience was tested when he saw the tear-stained face of his son. They were the Mighty Gonzalez, who only made others cry. Not even the women in their houses were seen crying.

He pressed the barren of his pistol against Alberto’s temple, “Stop crying like a woman, for f***s sake..”

Alberto slammed the desk in a fit of pique. It was only this much he could take and the next second he struck his father’s hand with the side of his palm in such a way that the pistol was now in Alberto’s hold, pointed towards Ricardo’s head.

“If you think only a woman has the right to cry then let me promise to make you cry for the rest of your life. You f*****g killed by brother just because of your selfishness and that one reason is enough for me to ruin you..” Alberto spat fire through his venomous words.

Even though, Alberto had left him astounded by his swift action, Ricardo smiled a satisfied grin. Alberto never failed to impress him. He clutched the end of the pistol and brought it down, “Careful there, my lion. It’s dangerously loaded..”

Ricardo could still feel the fire that he had ignited in his son a long time back. Despite his mother’s efforts to make him into a merciful and empathetic person, time and again Alberto had proved to him that he was a born mafia. He was still capable of becoming the inhumane and ruthless person if he needed to. The only problem was he wasn’t welcoming it but now it was time for him to accept who he really was.

“You may go now..” Ricardo ordered.  

“f*****g think twice before you place the damn thing against my head because the next time I wouldn’t mind burying the bullet into your skull..” Alberto placed the pistol loudly on the desk before dashing out of the room.

Ricardo smirked and turned to the huge portrait of him and his son that hung on the wall. “He is worse of a monster than you are. He just doesn’t know that yet..” 

Alberto strode straight to his room. No, to his dead brother’s room. Every time he thought about it, he felt disgusted. He dragged his palm over his face and entered the room only to see Victor’s son sprawled on the floor, coloring on a sheet of paper. His sister Sarah was knelt beside him, watching him lovingly.

As soon as Miguel’s attention fell on the tall figure standing in front of him, he scrambled to his feet in what looked like fear. Sarah stood up quietly and began to walk away with a similar expression.

Alberto was about to stop her. He wanted to talk to his baby sister, ask her how she was doing and how her life was but before he could turn around she was already out of sight.

“Hey, little fellow..” He went closer to Miguel but his legs faltered when he noticed the visible shiver in his tiny body.

Miguel knew how much his father hated to see him draw pictures. He was supposed to be practicing his shooting lessons with Nikolai. Miguel tightly closed his eyes as he anticipated a tight slap from his father for holding pencils and crayons instead of his practice gun.

Alberto wondered why the little boy was so terrified to see his father. To Miguel he was his father and it was the one and the only role he didn’t regret playing in Victor’s absence.

“Miguel..” He whispered and went closer to touch his silky hair that was similar to his own.

“Migu..” Alberto heard a desperate voice behind him and when he responded to it, he saw Jazmine standing there panting soundly. He saw a flash of emotion in her eyes that he didn’t recognize. Anger, protectiveness, or motherly instinct, he couldn’t rather name it.

Could it be fear that he was seeing in her chocolate brown eyes? But why? He thought she was the most courageous woman in the entire world then what was she scared of?

“Miguel..” She spoke in her thick Spanish accent and ran towards her son. The little guy hid behind her long silk gown while she glared at Victor with a questioning look.

Jazmine checked him from head to toe. His wounds had healed at an incredible speed. The cast in his arm was removed and he looked absolutely scratch-free. Except was the slight weight loss, there wasn’t much of a difference from his previous self.

“I-It was me w-who asked him to draw..” She stammered and looked at him through her long eyelashes. She could bear any amount of torture from him but she could never tolerate seeing her son being beaten by this monster. 

Alberto was shocked to see her stutter like that and he didn’t understand why.

“So?” He quirked his eyebrow.

She herself looked confused for a moment there. If she was right, she would have earned a hard slap against her cheek from Victor for allowing his son to draw and paint. Anyway, she didn’t want to remind him if he had forgotten it after his near-death experience. 

“N-Nothing..” She stammered again and tuned to her son, “Miguel, come on sweet pea let’s go to your room..”

As if that’s what he wanted to hear, Miguel clambered out of the room behind his mom.

“What the heck is wrong with that child and his mother? They don't seem normal..” He mumbled more to himself as he slumped his back on the bed.

His mind drifted back to Las Vegas. He felt bad for his mom, grandparents and William. He was certain they would be damn worried about him. He had checked the news channels for any news of his sudden disappearance but there wasn’t any. Of course, there wouldn’t be any. His father was a mastermind and he must have taken care of everything, including the media.

He at least wished to have informed his mom that he was safe here but that would only put her in more danger. His father was a very unpredictable man and even though his mom believed that he still loved her, Alberto hardly believed that. He caused the death of one of her sons and kidnapped the other. No man would hurt the woman he loved in such a cruel way.

He huffed and closed his eyes to take a short nap while he still could. He was aware that the night was going to be long and would end with a lot of bloodsheds.

****************************************************************

The estate was awfully quiet and cold.

Most of the guards had retired and some of them were keeping their watch around the mansion which was engulfed in darkness.

The only sound that was heard was the ticking of the antique pendulum clock in the hall.

Mario, one of the guards on duty thought he heard some noise from the gate and went to check. Going closer to the huge Iron Gate, he saw a group of men making their way into the estate after attacking the guard present over there.

How was it possible when the gates and doors of the estate were fully proofed. Right when he aimed his gun, he was hit on his chest by a bullet from the opposite end, causing him to collapse on his own pool of blood.

Hearing the disturbance, the other guards came running but unfortunately, they were all shot down one by one. From the way there were dressed, it was clear the men belonged to the Brazilian Criminal group who always held a grudge with the Gonzalez.

“Boss, the mansion is safe to enter..” One of the men spoke to the leader of this operation.

“Great! Let’s go kill everyone who crosses our path..” He was just a few feet away from his men waiting for them to clear the ground so that he could kill the last few Gonzalez.

He pushed the double doors of the manor and entered loudly but what he did not expect there was a tall and menacing figure waiting for them at the top of the large staircase.

“Welcome folks. I have been waiting for you..” Came out his deep and terrorizing voice. They watched him make his way down the staircase and the moonlight shimmered on his face, illuminating his hard and unique features.

Victor

The men scurried back in horror and agitation as they saw the most ruthless and cold-blooded person coming their way. They had accepted to carry out this operation only because they believed in the rumors of Victor’s death but he was here alive and as powerful as before.

“Victor, y-you.. you are alive?” The leader trembled in plain fear.

Just when he was a few feet away from them, the lights were turned on in the mansion giving them a clear sight of Victor

“Of course I am. Tsk Tsk Tsk.." Victor waked around them in slow steps. "Did you too believe in the rumor that we ourselves started to pick out our friends and foes? If you did, then I am sorry to tell you that you are trapped..”

The leader pushed his arm in the air to point the gun at Victor but he was fast enough to shoot his wrist causing him to drop the gun and grunt in pain. The next few minutes were filled with the sounds of gunshots and loud wails of men as Victor took them down one by one. There were twelve of them and he fought them alone. He was careful though to not shoot at them anywhere they would bleed to death.

When Ricardo reached the spot all the men were lying down, grunting in pain but much to his dismay, they were all still alive. It was a test for Alberto which he had miserably failed. Esteban and Ricardo’s men were shocked to see that Victor hadn’t killed them yet. They thought he probably wanted to torture them by keeping them alive.

“Take them away and torture them until they die from heavy blood loss..” Ricardo barked an order to his men who came running to obey their boss.

“Victor, come meet me in my room..” Ricardo grumbled as he walked up to his room.

Alberto knew what his father wanted to meet him for and he embraced himself for the worst before following him.

“Why didn’t you f*****g kill those mongrels?” He hissed as soon as Alberto entered his room.

“I only said that I would keep myself and my family safe but never promised you that I would kill anyone for that..” Alberto ground his jaws together that Ricardo could almost hear his teeth crushing against each other. 

“You crazy son of a bastard. You are not fit to be a mafia head..” Ricardo cursed gaining an annoying snort from Alberto.

“That’s what I am trying to tell you but it doesn’t get into your thick head. This is not where I should be. Just let me go back..” He hissed. 

“Stop talking s**t and get out of my sight before I kill you..” Ricardo yelled at his face. Alberto remained stubborn and stared at him for a couple of seconds before he stormed out of the room.

A/N: Hello my dear readers! Thank you so much for your encouraging comments. That is what makes me give you a regular update.

I hope you liked this chapter as well. Please leave your comments and feedback for a faster update.

~SwaRam~