Subgated by the mafia

7. Matteo

“You spent $50 million on a woman?!”

My cousin Romeo's surprise did not surprise me; it was something I expected, especially because it was not a decision I consulted or discussed with anyone.

“Yes, and I would spend it again if I could use it for my plans," I answered him without further ado.

He frowned and then looked at me suspiciously.

“You didn't have Operation N activated for nothing.”

Romeo was very intelligent, so much so that sometimes it was at odds with his role as a pretty boy, with which he cajoled everyone. He was a blond with an easy smile, but with a mind as sharp as his lethal moves.

“No, I did it because I was sold a very valuable piece of information about the Cosa Nostra, one that I didn't hesitate to use to finally run Operation N,” I admitted, and Romeo arched his eyebrows. “Old Massimo got his heiress, the lost granddaughter he's always been looking for.”

“What does La Cosa Nostra have to do with Operation N?”

“It has to do with everything because old Alberti has compromised her with nothing more and nothing less than that asshole Lorenzo Lombardo. And she is now in my power.”

“This must be a joke.”

“It's not; the old fox decided to associate himself with the 'Ndrangheta, even after assuring me that he wouldn't get involved in my war with the Lombardo's,” I spat angrily. “To me, it's not only an idiotic move; it's his death sentence, and he's going to pay for it.”

“Matteo, you have to play the game right; Massimo Alberti is not only a mafioso; he's a politician to be reckoned with and one of the richest men in Europe," he suggested tentatively. “It is easy to deduce that when they find out where and how you have his heiress, they will react in the worst way.”

“That's why I set Operation N in motion, and you are going to help me pull the strings in that direction, only with a slight change of plans," I told him bluntly, and I handed him a piece of paper with the instructions. “It's time for the Lombardo's to pay for all their sins.”

Romeo nodded tensely.

To say that he and I were among the few survivors left from a war that took my entire family was an understatement. We were just young men leaving high school when that wave of violence hit us to such an extent that the Camorra, led by my family, the Mancini, and the 'Ndrangheta, led by the Lombardo, never had a truce.

It was a war that left me without my father, without my mother, and without my twin sisters.

That was why the hell I would unleash on them and extinguish them to ashes.

“Sir," said one of my men after knocking on the door. "May I come in?”

“Go ahead," answered Romeo.

The soldier entered with a certain tension in his body that made me alert.

“I'm sorry to interrupt you, but Mrs. Charlotte called to report that there's been a problem at home," he said bluntly. “She says it has to do with Miss Giulia and her slave.”

That was not a good combination.

“Get the car ready; I'll come home right away," I ordered him, and he got out.

“Giulia is like a tick," said Romeo before shaking his head. "If she finds out you paid $50 million for a woman, she'll think you've decided to honor the family traditions, and she must feel insecure.”

“I don't give a damn about Giulia's feelings.”

“Then tell her,” He advised. "She has freely said that she will be your wife and that letting you have fun is part of that, and that at some point you will calm down.”

“That's stupid; she knows I'm not marrying anyone.”

“You're the only thing she's craved for as long as she can remember, and you having casual s*x with her doesn't diminish her desire for power," he said with disgust. “I guess that's what keeps Basile out of it because he must have the same desires for his daughter to marry you; he's just more discreet in saying it.”

“Basile knows his place well.”

“But he does nothing to make his daughter understand it, and you must take charge.”

I got up with Romeo's words in my mind and headed home.

I owed Basile a lot because, after my parents' deaths, he was the one who helped me take power. But that didn't mean that his daughter could interfere in my life, as she was damn well pleased, and when I got home, I didn't expect Charlotte to be at the door, looking worried.

“What's wrong?”

“Miss Giulia has assaulted her slave, sir. She got into the room with the help of the new soldiers, and I don't know what she did or said to her slave; the latter reacted badly and assaulted her. Miss Basile took her to the dungeon and…”

I heard no more. I went straight to the back of my property and went down the stairs to the basement that we used as a dungeon when necessary. The men, seeing my expression, got out of my way. I saw the crowd in one of the torture chambers and the pressurized water hose lying to the side, and I knew I was going to kill someone.

I walked straight into the room and saw the naked Alberti heiress lying on the floor with blue lips. Her greenish eyes looked at me with fear as she trembled.

“What the hell happened here?”

I went straight to carry her. I hugged her to me, and she clung to me with what little strength she had as I noticed the blood coming out of her mouth and the shock on her face.

“Charlotte!” I shouted, "Charlotte!”

“I'm here, sir.”

“Call the doctor and run a hot bath," I ordered.

“It's done, sir; I was just waiting for you to come because no one would let me in.”

Listening to her, I couldn't help but look at the soldiers with rage, one that I didn't calm even as I hugged my slave. They had dared to harm her and see what they were not allowed to see.

They were going to pay dearly.

I stood up with her in my arms and carried her to her room. Several of the women from the service were with Charlotte, and the doctor from the organization came in right away, saw her, and understood the whole situation. I went to put her on the bed, but she wouldn't let go. She was mortified.

“They will help you," I told her confidently, and she closed her eyes.

I left her with everyone so she could get attention, and I didn't hesitate to let my darkest side come out. They didn't call me Diavolo for nothing.

No one was ruining my damn plans.

I saw them all in formation, and Abel, one of my most loyal soldiers, looked at me with shame because he was one of the ones responsible for training these assholes.

“What happened?”

No one said anything, which made the man come closer.

“Miss Giulia came home, talked to the new boys, and they helped her into her slave's room," he admitted, and I clenched my fists. “I didn't hear from them until I saw Miss Basile hurrying out of the house.”

“Who dared to touch my slave on Giulia's orders?”

Nobody answered, so I took out my gun and aimed one by one, but none of them opened their mouths. Then I smiled when Abel brought me a tablet with the recording of the cameras in the house.

At that instant, all the new soldiers shook on the spot.

“With whom had you left them in charge while you were gone?”

“With Dino, sir.”

I approached Dino and looked at the tablet under his nose. I noticed that she had come to talk directly to him, who looked fascinated by it, and then he ordered three of the new ones to accompany him inside the house, so it was easy to deduce that he followed Giulia's requests to the letter.

I stopped watching and looked straight into his eyes, eyes that were full of fear.

“Sir, I'm sorry. Miss Basile told me I had permission to visit the toy.”

At that moment, I gave him a punch on the nose that disoriented him.

“Giulia doesn't have permission to visit my slave!” I spat angrily; normally I wasn't so expressive, but my patience had been exhausted. “I spent 50 f*****g million, and my plan was not to get rid of her the next day. What Giulia says is insignificant compared to an order from me. What was the f*****g order?”

“To guard the house and keep her slave from escaping," he said with difficulty.

“And why didn't you comply with that?” I asked before kicking him, "Giulia Basile is forbidden to enter my house, and everyone is forbidden to touch my slave, even to see her.”

They all decided to look at the floor, and I turned around, making them think I would leave.

They didn't see how I arranged my gun and unloaded it directly on the four assholes who had followed Giulia's orders, not caring very little about the rest. I spent each and every one of my ammunitions; I had no clemency with any of them, and when there was nothing left but a deadly silence, I dared to say:

“This is a warning; you are out of line with my slave, and you are going to die.”

She was mine, and everyone had to learn to respect her.