I clasped the delicate lace of my bridal gown so tightly that my knuckles turned an ashen white. The pristine fabric, meant to symbolize purity and new beginnings, now enshrouded me like a funerary veil, suffocating the remnants of my former freedom...
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24 hours ago. Milan, Italy.
I had a meeting with Giuseppe "The Blacksmith" Capano, the revered head of the Capano crime family. I had chosen to renounce my father's legacy as the head of the Rossi crime organization. Deeming Giuseppe the only man I could entrust with my family's business, conceding power to him.
The smell of smoked cigars, rich Italian leather and years of mob meetings lingered in the air as I stepped into Giuseppe's lavish office, bristling with old world charm and shadows of hard made men and even harder deeds.
"Giuseppe, apprezzo il tuo tempo. (appreciate your time)" After greeting him with a firm handshake, I positioned myself in a leather chair.
"Alessandro, è un piacere averti qui, figliolo, (it's a pleasure having you here, son)" Giuseppe responded warmly from his sophisticated walnut table, subtly radiating authority in an undoubtable manner.
I took a deep breath, gripping a black leather satchel and placing it on the table. "I'm giving up my father's throne, Giuseppe," I announced, watching his eyebrows ascend in disbelief.
I opened the satchel, revealing stacks of papers; ledgers, lists, contracts. Symbols of my life, power, legacy. "I trust them in your hands. Only you are capable of leading without misusing the power."
For a moment, Giuseppe was silent, a mixture of respect and shock reflecting in his deep-set eyes. His large hands encased the satchel, sensing the significance of the moment. He stared into my stern face, seeing the resolution mirrored in my gaze.
"Alessandro, your trust honors me deeply," he said. "But we both understand the danger of your choice. Leaving this life, without life itself leaving you, is no easy task."
Nodding in quiet agreement, I acknowledged the risks yet measures had been taken to keep Yasenia and my family safe.
Then, leaning back in his own chair, Giuseppe took a long puff from his cigar and released the thick smoke with a tired sigh. "I assure you I'll protect what's yours as if it's my own. Your safety, your family's... is under my watch from now on, I'll protect you with my life," he vowed.
Renouncing the birthright handed down to me from generations of Rossi men, it was as if a tremendous weight was lifted from me. For once, I felt liberated, without a care in the world.
════
It was truly mind-blowing how someone could have such a profound impact on your very being. They could make you feel like an entirely different person, and they could shift your viewpoint of the world, transforming your entire outlook and everything you thought you understood.
For far too long, I had taken the people and emotions surrounding me for granted, hardly sparing them a second thought. Yet now, the concept of family held an immense weight and significance. And although apologies could never fully encapsulate the depth of guilt and regret that engulfed me, but it was a start, they served as a humble beginning.
