Uncovering The Boss

CHAPTER 2: BLOOD, REASONS AND LESSONS

Twenty-two years ago…

"Michael, why are you covered in mud, blood, and scratches? Did someone bully you while I was at work? Wipe your tears and tell me who and where they are."

I sniffed and wiped the tears from my eyes as my big brother Gabriel proceeded to get the wet cloth from my hand and clean me. Instantly, the tears falling from my eyes stopped, and I watched as he nagged me about not being careful and about crying too much.

"Remember that this life will always give you bullies and enemies that will hurt you, Michael. You can't cry every single time that they try to hurt you because you'll never get stronger," he ruffled my hair and checked every scratch and bruise.

"Well, fratellino, you're good to go. I'll start preparing dinner, so wash yourself up and get all your things ready because we leave tomorrow for daybreak."

"Grazie, but are we leaving our house again, Gabriel? Can't we stay here a little longer? I haven't had any chance to make friends or start going to school yet."

"Mi dispiace fratellino, but we need to make sure that we find the perfect place for the both of us to succeed in life. The job I have here is not yet enough to get the education that you need, and I want you to be in the best school possible."

"Mi dispiace Fratello maggiore, I know it's hard having a little brother like me. The old men near the bridge said that you are already old enough to get married if you want, but I guess you can't do it because of me. You are always too busy working because of me."

As my eyes became glossy, my brother gave me a full-on laugh. I looked at him with a confused face. Gabriel stood up to six feet and three inches in height, which easily towered over my three feet and seven inches. I was a six-year-old dwarf compared to his twenty-five-year-old physique.

"Grazie fratellino, for being concerned with your big brother's love life. However, there is no need for you to worry about that because the only thing you need to think of right now is what you want for dinner. Muoversi."

My brother and I have been traveling since the break of dawn, and I fell asleep halfway through. The car ride was either smooth, or I was too tired to even care about the bumps in the road. I failed to wake up even when my brother moved me around and carried me. When I woke up, I was already inside a huge tent, and we were in the middle of the forest. I saw Gabriel cooking meat near the fire, and I felt happy.

“Buon giorno, Michael, com esta? I thought you would wake up at noon, but it's good that you woke up earlier than expected. Come and take a bite of this rabbit I caught. It's delicious."

The life I lived with my brother was never easy, and it was often just the both of us moving from one place to another. However, no matter how cozy or beautiful the house we move in is, I still preferred camping with him. Gabriel taught me everything that he knows, and it includes self-defense and basic first aid that he insists is important in life, especially in camping.

"Gabriel, can you promise me that no matter what house we move in next, you'll never leave me? We will always be together, right? Nothing can break us apart, even if you find a wife."

"I am afraid that I can't give you that promise, fratellino. The world is too unpredictable for both of us, and we can never know how everything will unfold when the time is right. But, I can promise you that I will be with you for as long as I live. Sei il Mio Caro Fratello, and I will give my life protecting you."

Gabriel and me reached Castelmezzano, which is known to be the village carved into the mountains. The town was beautiful, and we stayed there for a year until Gabriel could save enough money for the both of us to move to Vernazza. The ocean in Vernazza was always captivating, and my brother began training me on how to survive in the sea.

"Hey, Grande Fratello? Why do I have a tattoo of a crescent moon on my right chest, and you don't? Why is mine a little moon while you have a cool dragon tattoo? I want the same tattoo to be put on my body too, Gabriel."

"I am sure you do, little brother, but this tattoo is mine alone, as the crescent moon is yours alone. We each have our own identity, and just like the dragon, I am as mysterious and as predictable. I am also as cool and as amazing as my tattoo."

"Then does my crescent moon tattoo mean that I am as small and uncool as my tattoo?"

My brother laughed at my small outburst of frustration about the small crest tattooed on my right chest. He knew that I would definitely get the same exact tattoo that he had on his left side, given a chance.

"The crescent moon has been given to you a few days when you were born, Michael. It is a symbol of light and beauty amidst the darkest of days. I hoped that you didn't have to be tattooed at such a young age, but mother insisted on you having it the day that she died of sickness."

I was shocked at the words that came out of Gabriel's mouth. He never mentioned our mother or our family because he insisted that I was too young to understand. He said that he would only tell me the whole story when I was old enough to understand the possible answers to the questions that I had.

As a child, my curiosity was never solved. However, I was raised by my brother to have the patience to wait for the proper time. So, I lived life not knowing much about the past aside from being orphans, and my big brother Gabriel has been raising me on his own ever since both our parents died of different illnesses.

"Is this the right time for me to ask questions about our family, Gabriel? Are you saying that I am finally old enough to ask and know about mother and father?"

"Si, fratellino, I believe that you can now understand whatever I will tell you about them."

"Tell me first about our mother. Who was she, what was her name, and where did we live before she died? What was the sickness that had caused her to die even before I was able to meet her?"

"Boss, the meeting is about to begin. The investors are waiting for you to discuss the further expansion of the company to Asia and a few other islands down in the Pacific."

Alex O'Connor's voice interrupted my trip down to memory lane. I guess the look I gave him delivered the message of how royally pissed I was for his interruption.

“I’m sorry for the interruption sir, but the investors are threatening to pull out their stocks if the project regarding Asia was not discussed at the specific time that the meeting was set. They said that the time they have given you to explain must be worth it, or else, there would be dire consequences.”

“Oh really? Well then, tell them they can pull out whatever investment they intended to give, because I am the one who has the authority to say when the meeting will begin. If I am still not there, then they better wait until I come.”

I closed the folder and dismissed the worried Alex. The secret drawer that I had under my table gave me the luxury of having fewer worries about leaked information like my brother's death and my horrible past.

I have decided before that I would do my best to keep my past away from my present. I still have no idea what group killed my brother in the past or why. However, now that I saw the Mondragon crest on the left side of my big brother’s left hip, I had a dreaded feeling that the Mondragon empire had something to do about his death.

I closed my eyes and collected myself as I once again regained my composure for the meeting that I was attending. If the expansion of Alpha & Omega group of companies in Asia is a success, the mafia families there would be easier to access. For now, the only person who is allowed and capable of investigating my past was Stephanie Dela Mayor, my terrifying head of security, and the Capo of the De Angelo empire.

“Stephanie, meet me at my office after thirty minutes. I’ll finish the meeting with the investors in ten minutes, and I expect you to have a final list of all mafia families around the world. Also, find out how we can contact each and every one of them for a special announcement I’ll make in the near future.”