Family Business

Chapter 13.

~Draven POV~

January 2036

I walk into Papà's office and see him standing at the window, holding a photo. Uncle Sal was sitting at his desk with his feet up at the table. "Sir?"

He turns and gestures to me, "Come in, Draven... Sit."

"What's the picture?" I ask, gesturing to his hand as I sit across from his desk.

"Mi Aria," He murmurs, thumbing it lovingly. "The marriage between her and Xander seemed like such a good idea initially... I did not think of the consequences."

"No, you didn't," I said sharper than I intended.

Papà shot me a glare but I kept my face impassive as I had been trained to do from a young age. "I am getting old, Draven. It's time for you to start taking over the family business."

"What do you need me to do?" I ask, running a hand through my hair.

He looks at me for a long moment and sighs deeply. "Years ago, when I took over for my father, Lorenzo, I was young and stupid. I thought that the whole world was this city, the people, and that fighting the Violante's was the crusade to our power. It was... to an extent. Now, things are changing for your generation. There are so many more things involved."

Uncle Sal nods, "Before it was just- beat a guy up, get the money. Now, it's complicated. There's the protection fees, the gambling, the drugs- where the drugs come from, who they're coming from, how to get them in. Don't get me started on bringing in the girls from overseas. If you take over, Draven, it is more complicated now than it used to be."

"I grew up with you two leading our family," I said respectfully.

"You have no wife, Draven. You cannot secure power right now without a wife. I have tried to find you a suitable bride amongst other families, but many of your age are already married off. I have finally settled on one- Anastasia Khilkov. You'll be married by the end of the month." There was a no-nonsense tone in his voice so I knew that he was serious about this. "As my firstborn, you are the heir to everything I have built. As a family, you know that we fight to the end for every opportunity presented to us, si?"

"Si," I said quietly.

"You'll marry Ms. Khilkov and it will solidify our connections with the Russians." Papà pauses and then moves to sit down in the armchair by the fire. "Last week, a reporter who uncovers government secrets came to me and told me something very troubling. She said that there is a plot of world domination from the criminal underworld... Unconfirmed, of course. I'm assuming that the leader behind this is Mr. Arnell."

I nod, "Fletcher has confirmed that as well, Papà. There's photos of Xander with Senator Caine, the senator who funded the projects of hacking into other countries' arsenals. If I had to guess about what's going down in Texas, he's going to ask us to join the revolution."

Papà nods, "I was thinking that too... I want you to take point on that, Draven. Xander's rise to power will be bloody and inevitable, unless he has an opponent." I raise my eyebrows but he holds up a hand, cutting me off. "You need to convene with the other families after your wedding and gain their allegiances. With that, we will fight Xander's rise to power."

I stare at my father, "You want me to go against the king?"

Papà's voice was tight, "I want you to become the king, son."

January 2036

I go to Mama's room to check on her, cursing softly at the pill drawer by her bedside which was open. I lift a few bottles, looking at them: Ambien, Xanax, Prozac. I toss out the empty ones and then gently shake her awake. I was genuinely worried about her well-being but there was nothing that I could say that would change her mind from the drugs currently.