Fighting has always been a part of my life, something I was taught at a young age. In my family, it's tradition for the kids of the family to learn how to defend themselves and others, as well as the business at a young age.
Since I was the heir that was set to receive the business once my father retired when I turned eighteen, I started learning earlier than my sister. It was a necessity and every lesson and training session I endured was preparation for that day.
That day was three years ago. Three years ago I returned back from training ready to take over for my father.
For the first year, my father stayed close by my side, guiding me through the day to day and making sure I was able to remain level headed and organized even in times of stress or high-pressured circumstances. Slowly and surely, the more he pulled back the more that it felt like my business. I learned everything there is to know, and with his careful but reassuring guidance I took over.
"Alessandro, please come right in! We were just about to start!" Emiliano states as he walks out of the break room with a cup of coffee at the same time Matteo, Vinenzo, and I walk past.
"Hopefully we aren't too late, we hit some traffic on the way here," I reply, walking in step with him towards the conference room.
"Don't worry, everyone is just starting to get settled in there," he shrugs off the excuse, his steps faltering once we reach the door. "Plus you aren't the only one who's late..." he trails, glancing at his watch before looking to the empty receptionist desk with narrowed and concerned eyes.
"I see," I mutter, confused on why his receptionist being late is such a worrisome thing. He takes one more look towards the elevator doors as if he's trying to use his mind to make someone appear.
"Alright, I guess we can get this meeting started." Emiliano shuts the door behind him. "Scar, thank you for taking the time to join us this morning."
I glance to the man sitting across from me. He's not very keen on being in public or being so far from his wife for too long. Scar is the King of the underground. He's not in any Mafia, or some may say he holds a place in all his allies Mafia's. Scar is the one you call when situations start to get extremely out of control. Somehow, he has a hand in everything without owing anyone anything.
"I was in the area and figured I'd stop by until my wife finished with her an errand," he answers, his gaze fixed on the window behind me with his eyes easily tracking something, or someone. "So, how have things been? Any issues with...business?" He remains set on the window as he asks his set of questions, letting it known he's not asking anyone in particular.
"Everything has been running smoothly on the Italian's end. Except there was some noise a bit ago that one of my guys picked up on, something about intercepting one of my shipments. We doubled security on the last run, and my guys brought in someone who was sent to take at least one box of weapons," I admit after a couple of minutes of no one speaking up.
"Hm...You have it handled?" Scar's eyes drift to mine for a split second before they return to the window.
Unlike everyone in this meeting, besides Emiliano, Scar and I talk mostly on the daily and I'm one of the few who know who his wife is. A year ago, he called me for his help regarding a situation that involved some of his enemies and her. Ever since I helped, we've gotten to be good friends.
"You know I do. My guys started the interrogation process a couple days ago and, I have to admit, the guy was hard to crack but everyone has a weakness. He said he was working with the–"
"I am so sorry, Emiliano!" Before I can finish my sentence, the conference door is swung wide open causing everyone in the room to tense and reach for their weapons. When I look up, the hand reaching for my gun falls to my side and my throat constricts as I see who interrupted.
Her head is cast down as she fumbles with buttoning her blazer and juggling a folder full of paperwork in the crook of her elbow. "Stand down!" Emiliano harshly whispers to everyone before standing.
"I am so so sorry! I didn't mean to sleep through my alarms. I was just so tired last night from classes, especially with the added emotional turmoil that surfaced when I was in the ring with Zach. It was just—oh..." her voice trails once she finally looks up and realizes what she just walked into. "I didn't realize you had a meeting today." Her brows scrunch as she frantically looks through the papers in her hand.
"Pequena, there isn't anything on the schedule about the meeting, it was a last minute thing that just popped up before you arrived," Emiliano speaks in soft tones as he tries to calm my frantic Angel.
Now it's my turn to look at Emiliano confused. This meeting has been etched and embedded in every calendar for the same day every month.
Does she not know?
The thought makes me wonder what she thinks goes on here. Sure Emiliano owns a traveling firm or whatever the fuck he uses as a ploy to hide the real business that happens within.
Her honey brown eyes bounce from person to person, taking in their features and furrowing her eyebrows when she realizes she doesn't know any of them. They skim over Scar before traveling to me.
She scan's my face, spending extra time looking at the hair covering my forehead before her eyes slowly trail down my body. Her head cocks slightly to the left and her lips press into a thin line while a pretty blush coats her cheeks as she thinks.
While she's busy with her thoughts, I allow myself to do some looking as well. She looks just like her photo. Granted, the photo was taken during the summer before Freshman year, but she still looks almost the same.
In the photo, her blonde curls are a frizzy mess with specks of mud nestled between certain tendrils. Her lightly freckled face is slightly coated with dirt as she sits kneeling on a pillow in some overalls with a garden trowel in one hand and a couple of unplanted calla lilies in the other while she smiles brightly at the camera.
It's my favorite photo of her. Sure I don't have many photos of her after the gardening photo was taken, since every trace of her vanished.
Now I know how that happened...
Looking at her now, she still wears her hair naturally curly just neater, with each ringlet more defined. She's cleaner now than in the photo, not a single spec of dirt or hair out of place. Although her pretty freckles are covered with light makeup, she's still the most ethereal person I've ever seen.
She's dressed professionally in flowy black business pants that would be touching the floor if she wasn't wearing heels, adorned with a white button up long sleeve blouse that she's tucked into her pants along with a few of the top buttons unfastened.
Even her eyes are different. In the photo, her eyes hold so much happiness and hope, but now her once bright eyes are filled with sadness and disappointment.
What happened little Angel?
She may look slightly different, but I know who she is. She's my sweet little Angel that I've been looking for ever since she vanished. Before, I was able to follow her every move but then one day she vanished off the face of the earth.
Any record of her after that summer doesn't exist...guess I have Emiliano to thank for that.
The sound of someone clearing their throat breaks us both from our trances. Her eyes widen when they meet mine and I raise my eyebrows in slight amusement at her now embarrassed state.
The person clears their throat again and I reluctantly tear my eyes away from her to find who is making the sound. My first instinct is to look at Scar, but he's too busy gathering his things while he hums soft responses into his phone, making it known it's his wife who's on the other end.
My second instinct is with Emiliano. When my eyes find him, I have to subtly bite down on my fist to stop myself from bursting into laughter at the serious expression on his face as he glances between Angel and myself.
"Meeting dismissed," Emiliano grumbles, glaring at everyone who lingers in the room longer than necessary, including myself, but I don't budge. I tip my head at Vincenzo and Matteo, aiming towards the door telling them to follow everyone else out while I remain seated. "Don't you have somewhere you need to be?"
"No," I shrug, looking back to my Angel and watching how she stands awkwardly by the door, shifting her weight between her heels as she stares right at me.
"Very well," he grits between his teeth, clearly displeased with my decision to stay put instead of following his orders. "Angie, is everything alright?" The instantly switch in his tone almost gives me whiplash. His tone went from hostile and guarded to worried and almost frantic as he sparks conversation with Angel.
"Everything's fine just...slept in by accident. Must've forgotten to set my alarms last night."
A lie? I thought you never liked to lie Angel?
Before Angel's mom had passed, she had taught us at a young age that lying was one of the worst things you could do. In her eyes, telling the truth was always the goal even if the truth were to hurt.
When we were kids, Angel only lied once before she knew it wasn't a good thing to do. She had a tell back then and it looks to see she's carried it with her as she grew up. When she lied her left eye had the slightest little twitch, that's how her mom was able to tell. I hadn't seen her eye ever do that again, until this moment.
Evangeline always swore by her mother's words and she did it well. Ever since that one time, I never heard her lie again. Just like she was never supposed to break her mom's rule about fighting.
Looks like she broke both. Her knuckles are proof of that. Dressed in loose white gauze with specs of old blood showing through, it's clear it happened recently.
"Angie, is everything okay?" Emiliano brings my attention back to the present as he asks his question. He's now standing in front of her, gently holding his hands on her arms while she nods with a soft smile. "Okay...I'll be right back. I just have to say goodbye to a few of the gentlemen who are waiting outside."
With a glare directed towards me over his shoulder, he walks out of the conference room, shutting the door behind him. Leaving Angel and I alone.
"So...What happened with your hands?" I question after a beat of silence, gesturing to the seat next to me as a silent way to ask her to sit with me. Her gaze lifts from the spot on the floor to me, her eyes wide with surprise. As if shocked I would even think about making conversation with her.
"Oh, I-uh I teach self defense and advanced fighting classes at Emiliano's community center. This was just a result of a demonstration gone wrong." She huffs a laugh as she runs her fingers over the dark red splotches while she plants herself next to me.
"Are you alright?"
"Huh? Oh yeah! I'm completely fine," she waves off my concern with a bright smile. Her answer makes me slightly relieved and I shove my phone back into my pocket, not feeling the need to text Matteo to bring me a first aid kit anymore. "I'm Evangeline by the way."
Oh I know Angel...I know.
¸.•**¨*•❉ ❉•**•.¸
Eeee!!! Let me know what you think of the new chapters so far!! How are yall feeling about all the changes that have been made??