(ngl, i cried hard writing the last one)
(and sorry for the short chapters again, I'm really busy and kinda overwhelmed. leave feedback if you want! it's always welcomed:)
{THIRD PERSON}
Inan didn't want to sound unsympathetic, but when Zhara got back on her feet, he would kick her ass.
He didn't retaliate during that evening for a reason, and what does he get for trying to hold back the only emotions he's ever felt? A gun to the head and a knife to the throat. He was beyond pissed at Zhara and her stubborn, ignorant actions that may or may not have ignited the flame that led to her getting shot.
He hoped she would live just so he could really get on her nerves as much as she did to his.
Inan shook out his shoulders to relieve the tension in his muscles before stepping into the crowded conference room. At least 4 different bloodlines filled each seat around the large oval table.
Zion sat at the head accompanied by Liam, Ren, and Isaiah. One seat in between Liam and Ren was empty, so Inan assumed that was his reserved spot while they waited for the rest of the Di Maggio's to show up.
It had been just shy of 6 hours since Zhara was transferred to the hospital that the Armani's own. Inan wasn't surprised her brothers hadn't shown themselves yet.
He sat down with a stressed look on his face, matching the other men around him.
"Did you sleep at all?" Ren asked, being the usual overly sympathetic person.
"None," Inan replied and looked to Ren for his own answer. Ren shook his head, meaning that he hadn't slept any either.
"Have any of you seen Rico or Santiago?" Flynn asks as he walks into the room. Inan said nothing and scanned the room to see the other's. Liam nodded, pointing to the doorway behind Flynn.
As if on queue, the two men they were speaking of slump into the room, obviously sleepless as well. Flynn turns and looks relieved to see the guys, quickly approaching them with quiet words.
Inan looks over at Zion for the first time this evening and was shocked by the look on his Don's face. Never had Inan seen Zion break. And he still won't ever break, but he was real close at the moment.
Sunken face, messy, untamed hair, stress painted all over his skin. The guy looked like he had just had his first teenage breakup. He was hardcore glaring at the wall across from him with his hands crossed on the table. He looked tired.
The voice level in the room rises unexpectedly when multiple pairs of heavy footsteps sound from the hallway a few minutes later. When Zhara's brothers make themselves known through the entryway, the crowd quiets down.
Ajax - the oldest and practically the leader of the Di Maggio's- stands tall in front of his younger brothers, radiating a source of anger that everyone spotted quickly. He had a right to be angry, just had to be careful who he directed that particular rage at.
Rowen Di Maggio looked even more dead than Zion, and if Inan remembered correctly, was the one who Zhara said hated her the most. Yes, they had spoken about her family often together.
Hayden Di Maggio looked almost as emotionless as Inan himself, carrying a laptop and multiple binders by his sides.
Koven wasn't even mentally there. The youngest Di Maggio was most definitely the one who Zhara's death risk affected the most.
A cautious voice broke the painful silence, coming from behind the men at the door.
"Excuse me," Inan recognized the snappy tone as Zion's sister, Adelaide. Inan winced internally, realizing the woman had probably just found out about Zhara and was not happy about it.
No one moved, not even Zhara's brothers.
"Move," Adelaide was running out of patience, and Inan knew they shouldn't test a mother like her. Inan could see Adelaide's head from the gaps in between the men and watched as they still wouldn't budge for her.
Giovanni stood up tall across the room, ready to defend his wife and call the Di Maggio's out on their shit.
The tension increased greatly while Giovanni and Ajax battled each other with glares, and Adelaide was heard muttering curses under her breath.
"Are you deaf? Let her through," Giovanni snarled, taking a step closer so he was only a few feet away from the Di Maggio's.
Zion looked up from his spot on the wall and stood as well, but not in a threatening way. Well, at least not trying to be threatening.
Ajax raised an impressed brow at Giovanni, urging him to do something about it himself.
"Christ, move!" Adelaide shoved Rowen out of the way, but was quick to get pulled back by the hair. Obviously, Rowen didn't like to be pushed around by women.
Inan and everyone else on their side stood, ready to pull out weapons as Giovanni looked like a deadly killer.
"Release my sister," Zion ordered, looking at Rowen without hatred, but it was still a command.
Adelaide grimaced at the tight hold Rowen had on her as she struggled against his arm.
"Your sister, huh?" Rowen tilted his head down at Adelaide, and Inan already knew what this was going to lead to.
"What about my sister?" he growled, twisting his wrist so Adelaide was pulled in an agonizing position.
Giovanni pulled out his gun, but Zion shut his move down quickly with one hand motion.
"My sister is dying because of you," he was fuming, grabbing Adelaide and shoving her to Giovanni as she yelped in pain. Gio was quick to check on his wife and hold her close to him, apologizing repeatedly as she told him she was fine.
"Don't pretend you give a fuck about her," Inan snarled, snapping his head over in Rowen's direction. Rowen glared at Inan with a scrutinizing look.
It was the truth, and Inan knew it. He hated how they pretended, hated it so much. Zhara deserved better.
"Excuse me?" he bit back. Inan shook his head and looked away, trying to hold himself back from doing something irrational. The nerve of these men to come in here and act like they knew her. Inan knew her. Inan knows her.
"None of you actually care about her. If you did, she wouldn't have been in this situation to begin with," Inan states the truth, knowing he had just opened a gate to a flood of responses. Responses Zion knew he had to hear again now.
The brothers knew he was right, but took the last word anyway.
"You don't know shit, figilio un cane," Rowen snapped, trying to defend something that wasn't really there. {T: son of a bitch}
Inan's fists tightened, but he kept to himself in order to keep this as peaceful as it can get.
"Enough. You and your brothers sit down so we can act civil," Zion cut in, saving something from getting even more out of hand.
Ajax turned to his kin and nodded, wanting to get this over with just as much as Zion did.
They sit in the empty seats, but when they recognize Flynn beside Zion, Ajax does a double-take. Flynn leans back in his seat unbothered, showing what things he has moved onto without them.
Inan almost smiles at the situation.
"Before we start the signatures, we would like to point out the fact that a quarter of the shipment we received approximately twenty-six days ago is still in the Di Maggio's unruly possession," Liam points out, laying files down for anyone who wanted evidence. None of the men made any comments, they just stared down at the file as Liam spoke.
He had always been talented on the business side of things. That's why he usually takes over the negotiating and persuading.
"Unfortunately, I do not have full control over my father's actions in the business," Ajax responds, crossing his arms with a blank look on his face.
Inan holds back the urge to roll his eyes.
They were here in Zion's home, acting like stuck-up children while all of them could be saving each other's asses instead.
"You will eventually have to do something about it. If not, the alliance wouldn't be thoroughly agreed on both sides," Liam says it straight up, leaving no room for any excuses. Whether or not Zhara lived, this alliance had to happen for the sake of future generations. Ajax and his brothers still looked uninterested, so Ren gave them a reason to care.
"May I ask you a question, Ajax?" Ren pondered, leaning forward as everyone's attention shifted to him. Ajax nodded shortly.
"I ask this just out of curiosity and respect; do you have a wife...or a possible partner you would have a child with in the future per se?" Ren asks, raising a brow at the man. A few men chuckle and some narrow their eyes.
"Yes," Ajax replies, and it seems his brothers were mostly aware of that.
Zhara never told Inan that.
"Well, then you would understand that without the truthfully agreed alliance, that hypothetical child would be at risk to many more things you were exposed to in your youth. I'd assume it wasn't very pretty, correct?" Ren knew the answer, so he continued without a confirmation. The brothers' faces tensed.
"So before you make the call to your father...know this;" Ren straightens before speaking, "Your decisions now will affect your bloodline as long as it lives, and that includes every child, grandchild, and whatever or whoever else you decide to indulge in," he smirks slightly, "and I swear by that."
"So be sure to commit yourself wisely," Ren shrugs like what he said was nothing but a mere statement, and the table continues on into the next topic.
Zion stayed silent the entire time, something Inan found a little uncommon.
"What does this mean for us...protection wise? I doubt you all would put your lives on the line for our defense," Ajax changes the subject, wanting to get right to the point.
Inan holds back an enthusiastic agreement nod.
Most of them look to Zion, who still looks like he's about to snap, but Liam speaks up to come to his aid just in case.
"We have contacts with a relatively small gang residence that is around a hot spot in your town. Sometime tomorrow, we will visit their central and see what we can do," Liam lays out the papers that gave information on the gang.
"So you payin' some zoomers in the hood to watch our asses from their porches?" Rowen interrupts, pushing the limits on everyone's patience. Half the men on the Armani's side rolled their eyes at the man's comment.
"Trust me, these men are far from some local street dealers. They know what they're doing," Isaiah defends, looking more serious than ever. Rowen still doesn't look convinced, but no one really gave a fuck about what he thought.
"So what do you get in return?" Koven finally spoke.
They hadn't fully thought about it, no one had really decided what would be best. Inan pondered what would benefit them on the Di Maggio side of New York. Maybe a building or factory plant, they could use another income strain.
"Zhara stays here," Zion declared, certain and sure of his demand. Half the room looked to their Don with the widest eyes, and some finally registered what was going on.
They all knew it, but they wouldn't admit the truth about the Di Maggio girl. The truth they had been feeling lately.
"Are you out of your mind? Fuck no!" Ajax stands, slamming his hands on the table in the process.
"For everything we're giving you, it is barely a small return for her to stay with me," Zion counters, staying completely calm, "And she's safer here."
"Oh, really?" Rowen says sarcastically, "She's gotten attacked here more than I can count; punched, slapped, stabbed a few times, even shot twice! She's far from safe!"
"That was before the alliance," Zion sits emotionlessly, "Before she showed what she was really capable of."
They all knew where his point was leading.
"She told me herself that she would leave when she wanted to, and I knew she could. She's the Golden Raven after all," Zion smirks arrogantly, waiting for the shouts of the angry brothers.
Inan recalled the times when the men would tease her with letting her go, and each time she acted the same. She would wave them off, tell them she can do things on her own, and then scream at Zion later for letting his men treat her like a piece of shit. Inan loved when she did that.
"Stop acting like you fucking know what's best for her!" Rowen stands as well, pointing fingers already.
Zion was clenching his jaw, biting back a million words to fight back with Zhara's brothers, but he knew what he had to do.
He had to do this for Zhara.
"I'm sure I know more than you. This is final in the deal," Zion leaves it at that, leaving no room for anyone to call him on his statement.
"Fuck the deal!" Rowen fumed, looking like he was going to break anything that got near him. A few of Zion's men stood, ready to defend anyone if needed.
Hayden, Inan assumed, stood and shook his head at Rowen, whispering something to him that somehow calmed him down. He placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and turned to Zion. They sat down together while Hayden urged his brothers to stay quiet.
"She will stay only if we get to see her periodically," Hayden contributes, giving them something to work with. Rowen didn't seem to fully agree with the statement, but whatever was said before seemed to mellow him out.
Liam looks to Zion, knowing that this whole part was up to him for deciding. Zion stays quiet for a second, looking deep in thought before motioning to one of the men for the official papers.
"You will see her on my terms. Have we reached a conclusion?" Zion insists, grabbing a pen just as Ajax does. The papers sit in front of them both, copies of many different benefits that go with both sides of this alliance.
"We have," Ajax grits out the official word, trying to be calm in a situation that wasn't technically in his favor. Ajax rubbed a hand over his face before picking up a pen. This would be ending any feud that was caused between their families. All possession of the other would be returned to the rightful place. That included the missing shipment that belonged to the Armani's. And to Zion's preference, Zhara no longer belonged to them. She hadn't since she was 18, but in this business, anyone can be bought...
Zhara had reminded Zion and his men repeatedly that no one owned her. No one would control her. Ever.
As they signed their names with the black ink, everyone stayed silent. Inan watched as they traded papers, signing again for both copies.
Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, Zion stood, leaving both copies there so witnesses could be confirmed as well.
He adjusted his suit jacket, stepping away from the table and towards the Di Maggio's with confident steps.
The rest of Zion's inner circle followed, walking around the table and Zhara's family. Ajax stood in unison with his brothers, ready to have some sort of final agreement.
Zion paused at the gesture, seeing Ajax hold out a hand for him to shake. Looking back up at Ajax, Zion kept an emotionless face.
"I don't shake hands," and with that, Zion walked past them and through the double doors, calling the end of the meeting with a smirk on his face.
Ajax Di Maggio stood there with a look of apprehension.
"He's a germaphobe," Isaiah popped in before he walked out of the room, leaving Zhara's brothers quite speechless. Liam slapped Isaiah over the back of the head once they were away from the room, but a few of the people remaining heard Isaiah's complaint about it.
Ajax was not apprehensive because of his sister, no. Ajax Di Maggio was apprehensive about the future of this treaty.
He knew then that he had made a deal with the devil.