Meeting the Don of Dons
2259 Words
Isabella's POV
Do not get me wrong. Not all of the Stevens family is like my grandparents. Bella and Blake always came to visit me, and Bella was the one that sold me Charlie's Place. She wanted to give it to me, but I insisted on buying it because of my uncle Conner and his children. I do not want to hear my grandparents, uncle, or his family say I inherited the restaurant and did not pay for it. Now, they can not say a word about me buying the place. I was willing to purchase Harmonies as well. Still, I needed to make Charlie's Place into a more profitable restaurant and do all the revamping and renovations before I could spend any money on Harmonies because Charlie's Place was more important to me. I bought it first because my stupid cousin, Rosalina, wanted to inherit it from my aunt, and we would have lost Harmonies and Charlie's Place.
Rosalina is uncle Conner's youngest daughter, and she threw tantrums when I bought Charlie's Place. She said I would run it into the ground, but that was two years ago, and Charlie's Place is blooming, while Harmonies that she and her father ran are gone, in the hands of the Mafia!
My phone rings, and I answer with a smile as I see who is calling.
"Aunt Bella, how are you?" I say when I pick up the phone.
She, Blake, and even Paul and Nina sometimes visited me, but I know they were all busy with their own lives and had children and grandchildren to worry about. They always asked me about my volunteer work, so my grandmother told them I was doing it and did not want to go home.
When my parents died, it was a shock to the whole family, as the Stevens family were close and warm to each other. I do not know where uncle Conner and his family come from, and they are the bad apples in the family. I can still forgive my grandparents as their children died, and I am sure they did not want me around because I reminded them of their children. They saw my mother as their daughter because she grew up before them.
"Hi, Isabella, I am good. Did you hear about Harmonies?" Bella asks me.
"Yeah, I am on my way to see if I can get it back," I say as my driver takes me to the Johnson hotel.
"Be careful. We do not know who this Salvatore Pistone is. He sounds dangerous, from what I hear. Please, do not get yourself into trouble to get Harmonies back," Bella says.
"I will be fine. Do not worry. I am at the hotel and will call later if I have any news. If I do not call, do not worry. It means I have failed to convince him to sell back to me. I am sure he will not kill me in the Johnson hotel, Mafia or not," I say.
"He is Mafia? Isabella, listen to me walk away and forget about Harmonies. You are doing great with Charlie's Place," Bella says.
"I will not let Harmonies go and become a drug-dealing restaurant! Aunt Bella, I will be fine. Say hi to Uncle Blake. I will see you when I can," I say and hang up before my aunt can scare me even more than I already am.
I am not planning on seeing them, and I have no clue if the Mafia sells drugs in restaurants, but hey, I am being nice. I don't like to attend family events, and I try to ignore the family as much as possible.
Bella and Blake and their children and grandchildren are lovely, but I do not feel I fit in. The same with the rest of the family, who always try to make me part of everything, and I try to ignore them and do my own thing.
I sigh as I get out of the limo. I am the cold-hearted one in the family, and I know the rest of the family are lovely and trying to make me a part of them, but those that should be closest to me do not want me near their family, so I only respect their wishes.
I take a deep breath and walk into the hotel lobby. My legs feel like jelly as I walk to the reception. I hope I look confident. I wear a famous designer outfit, and my long hair hangs loose. I hope I look professional enough.
"How can we help you, miss?" The receptionist asks.
"I am here to see Mr. Pistone," I say.
"Is he expecting you?" The receptionist asks and looks at my expensive outfit.
"No, but tell Mr. Pistone Ms. Isabella Stevens is here to see him," I say. I look at Harmonies, and my heart hurts. The head office is in town, but the restaurant is in the Johnson hotel, as all the Harmonies branches are. Harmonies work with the Johnson Hotel group and have for years.
"I will call his room and see if he is willing to see you," The receptionist says. I stand and wait, not knowing if he will see me. She talks for a while, then looks at me and frowns.
"Mr. Pistone wants to know what you want from him," The receptionist says.
"Tell him I am here to talk business," I say. She tells him what I said, and she nods before hanging up.
"His secretary will be down shortly," She says. I go and sit in one of the chairs, waiting. Damn Connor Stevens! He put me in this situation, and now I must deal with the Italian Mafia. I know they are Italian by their surnames. The elevator opens, and a tall, older gentleman walks toward me.
"Ms. Stevens?" He asks.
"That is me," I say as I keep my eyes and manners cold.
"What is your business with Mr. Pistone? He is busy and does not have time to waste," The man says.
"I want to purchase Harmonies from him," I get straight to the point. The man looks me up and down.
"Are you not too young to talk about such a big amount?" He asks.
"I am the owner of Charlie's Place. Do not underestimate me because I am a woman and young," I say coldly. I wonder what Salvatore Pistone looks like, and I bet he looks like the Godfather from the old movies.
"Come with me. My name is Ricco," Ricco says with a smile. We get into the elevator.
"Your name is Italian. Do you have Italian blood in your veins?" Ricco asks as he presses the button to go to the top floor. He also uses a keycard.
"Yes," I say. I am not in the mood to make small talk. Ricco looks at me and smiles. What the hell is he planning? Why the sly smile? I feel uncomfortable as he looks me up and down like I am a horse up for sale.
"Do you want to see my teeth?" I ask.
"What?" He asks.
"You were looking at me as if you were about to buy a horse. Normally, buyers look at the teeth of a horse. Never mind," I say, seeing he looks confused.
The doors open, and Ricco walks into a big penthouse. I am used to luxury. I worked hard and long hours to afford the luxuries I have now.
"Wait here," Ricco says as he walks to a closed door. I hear him talking to someone, knowing it must be the office. I walk to the door and push it open.
"She will be perfect! Don Marcelo and Donna Carol will leave you alone once they see her," I hear Ricco say.
What are they talking about? What will I be perfect for? Are they going to sell me to someone? f**k that! I will not go down without a fight.
I push the door open and walk in. Ricco frowns, but my eyes are on the young man standing before the window. He is tall and handsome. His black hair hangs wildly over his eyes. It looks like he has just awakened from a nap.
"I told you to wait," Ricco says.
"I am not for sale! I do not know what you two are planning, but I am here to talk about Harmonies," I say, glaring at the two men.
"Harmonies is not for sale," The young man says.
"Pistone, I presume," I say. I use his surname and will not call him Don or Sir. f**k him! He is just a bloody human like me.
"And you are?" He asks.
"Isabella Stevens. Harmonies is my family business, and Connor had no business selling it to you," I say. I can see Ricco looking at me in shock.
"Ms. Stevens, show some respect when you talk to Mr. Pistone," Ricco says.
"Why? He is not showing me any respect! What were you talking about? You said I will be perfect for what?" I ask. I want them to know I have heard them talking.
"As I said, Harmonies is not for sale, but there is something you can do to get it back," He says.
"I am not killing anyone for you or smuggling drugs," I say.
"We do not deal in drugs, do not disrespect my family like that, Ms. Stevens. Are you sure she is the right one?" Salvatore asks Ricco, who looks at me with a smile.
"I am sure. Your family will think you picked a strong, smart one. Like your aunt Carol," Ricco says.
"What the hell are you two going on about?" I ask.
"She does sound like aunt Carol. I remember when my aunt went off on my uncle when she saved us. Harmonies is not for sale, but you can earn it back. You must marry me to keep my uncle and aunt off my back. It will only be a marriage in the name, so do not worry. I have no intentions of touching you," Salvatore says.
"Why on earth do you have to pay a woman to marry you? Or is there something wrong with you? Can you not get it up or what?" I ask.
"What?" Salvatore asks.
"Or are you still in the closet? You know, you can openly be gay these days. It is not the eighteen hundreds anymore," I say.
"There is nothing wrong with me, and no, I am not gay. I like women, but not women like you. Geez, Ricco, I do not think I can stay with this woman for one day, leave alone a few years," Salvatore says. Ricco is openly laughing.
"Oh, it will be so much fun. Please, say you will marry him for Harmonies," Ricco says. He looks younger when he laughs.
"Over my dead body," I say.
"That can be arranged," Salvatore says.
"Piss off. You are not going to kill me! You marry my cousin, Rosalina, and give me Harmonies. She will be willing to take you. She is hard up enough to get a wealthy man, and you look wealthy," I say.
"Hey, you can not dish me out like I am some cheap pie. I prefer my women classy, and she does not look classy enough," Salvatore says, not looking happy.
"I see, but if I can dress her up and make her wear less makeup, will you think about it?" I ask.
"No! It is you, or I give Harmonies to the Casellas to run," Salvatore says.
"You are just being spiteful. You know she will be better for you as she will listen to you and do as you say. I have a business to run and can't keep you company all day," I say.
"Okay, fine, have it your way! Call Casella and tell him to take over Harmonies and run it for me," Salvatore says.
"Wait! How long do I have to stay married to your sorry ass? Geez, I am marrying a man that can not even get a real girlfriend," I say.
"I can have any woman I want," Salvatore says.
"So you want the only woman on earth that does not want you?" I say.
"I do not want you. I only want you to be my wife, and since you obviously do not like me, it will make things easier as you will not try to jump into my bed every night," Salvatore says.
"Yeah, that will not happen. I do not like to be touched," I say.
"Fine, five years of marriage. If I cheat, you get Harmonies and are set free. If you cheat, the deal is off. I will not let my wife run around town with another man. I will be in New York for five years, so all you have to do is move from Houston to New York. I am sure you can run Charlie's Placa and Harmonies from anywhere in the states," Salvatore says.
"Yeah, so you will let me run Harmonies as soon as we get married? I do not want the marriage over the newspapers or social media," I say.
"Only my family will know, and you can keep your surname; no need to change it and then change it back after five years," Salvatore says.
"Deal," I say.
"I will let my attorneys pull up the documents," Salvatore says, and I feel like I just sold my soul to the devil.
- Writer
