SHOUTOUT TO NCJONES!! THANK YOU FOR THE FEEDBACK ON THE LAST CHAPTER!!
EPILOGUE PT2
4.5 MONTHS LATER
"YOU WHAT???! REALLY?!" Mike yells into the receiver. "I mean I should be happy, but this ruins everything!!" He paces his home office/studio, scratching his head. "Okay, I can deal with this, just give me a sec." He stops and closes his eyes briefly. His eyes shoot open. "No No NO! We are not canceling it! We aren't postponing it either. Chill your jets will ya?" He takes a seat as his eyes lazily scan the room. Suddenly, he stands to his feet, rushes over to his drafting desk. "I GOT IT! No worries all we have to do is change the style. I, am a genius! Love ya Hun!" He blows a kiss through the phone before hanging up.
MEANWHILE
The doorbell rings. Chase and Michele are lounging in the den watching Count of Monte Cristo on DVD. Chase pauses the movie and goes to answer the door.
Michele hears arguing at the door and goes to inspect. When she arrives there are four large men at the door. "What's going on?"
"The oldest of the men holds a hand out to her with a smile. "I am-"
"Leaving!" Chase interrupts. "You are not welcome here." He says looking directly at the older man. "And neither are any of you." He says toward the other three.
They all look at him slightly disappointed, but mostly hurt. "Kid! Look I know I screwed up bringing them here, but they just want to start fresh..."
Chase steels his jaw. "If you would betray my trust by bringing them here, then we are no longer...acquaintances."
The guy looks like someone just punched him. "Kid? Please, they just want to meet you. They've been scouring the planet for you. They...have changed. Please...?"
Michele takes this time to examine all of these men individually. Then it hits her. Oh My Lord...
"Bella! Are these men bothering you?"
Michele's attention snaps to their front yard to see..."GIANNI!!! MATTEO!!!" She pushes past the men, and runs into Gianni's embrace, followed by Matteo's. Both men keep their eyes on the four men at the door.
"Really Bella? You wound me." He says with a hand over his heart.
She turns and faces Antoneo. "ANTONEO!!! She hugs him.
The four men at the door gulp. "Don Salvatori...wh...what brings you here?"
They all walk to the door. Effectively making the three of the men move out of the way. "Chase! It is good to see you again. Congratulations my friend." They shake hands, ignoring the four momentarily. He then turns to the oldest of the men. "I should ask you that same question, Pietro Gagliardi."
"I am just here to meet my grandson and my granddaughter in law. Is that a crime Don Salvatori?" He says cautiously.
Gianni cocks his head to the side. "Only when they aren't your family Pietro. Did Mariana not renounce you as her father, and these..." He gestures toward the other three men. "...as her brothers? If I am not mistaken, out of the five of you, only Dominick is considered family. Which is funny because he is the only one..." He fixes them with a hard glare. ..."NOT present."
The three of them take a step back, while one of them looks a little puzzled. "He is on business in Greece Don Salvatori..." He says, now unsure.
Gianni chuckles. "Is that what Pietro told you Lucca?" He looks at Pietro. "Pietro, you and I both know that is not true...don't we?"
Pietro gulps. "H-he-"
"Silenzio!!! Lo sai che non mi piace bugiardi!" (Silence! You know I do not like liars!) He removes his shades and looks Pietro right in the eyes. "The truth Pietro. We both know that Lucca is only here to help sway Chase. Why are you here?"
Lucca looks to Pietro suspiciously.
His jaw flexes. "I am here to meet my grandson and his bride. To beg my grandson's forgiveness."
Gianni cracks his neck, Matteo rotates his shoulders. Antoneo rolls up the sleeves to his white button up. Chase pulls Michele behind him, squaring his shoulders. "You are being coy Pietro, tell the whole truth. Tell your grandson, his bride, and Lucca how you were going to get into their good graces and earn their trust. Tell them how you were going to use that to get a foot into his business, and how you were going to use that foot to get men on the inside and use his worldwide influence to further your reach. Tell them how you were going to drug your grandson into signing over half his company, or how you were going to use him against his father to get his half. Or how you were going to use Michele if need be. Oh, and how Dominick is, correction, was being kept unconscious in the basement of your seaside Sicilian warehouse." He takes a step toward him. "Now, things like this happen all the time. The mistake you made, was messing with them. " He nods toward Michele. "You and your two monkeys have 12 hours to leave The States, after 12 hours the Gagliardis will cease to be. When I get back to Italy, I will deal with you myself, understood?"
Lucca clenches his jaw and flares his nostrils at the news, his large hands balling into fists. Pietro, Paolo, and Vincenzo gulp, backing away slightly. Pietro nods.
"Use your words Pietro."
"Si, Don Salvatori." He nods in submission.
"Good. And before I forget, don't get any bright ideas. The garbage has already been disposed of, so all that is left of it is you three." He pins them with a deathly glare. "Leave. Lucca you can stay, if Chase will allow it." The three retreat. Gianni, Matteo, and Antoneo escorting them off the property. Gianni looks back at Michele. "We will return once this is taken care of."
Michele nods. "Okay."
"Don't forget my plate Bella!" Antoneo calls back with a laugh.
Michele shakes her head in amusement. They all drive off.
Lucca looks to Chase. "...I...if I would have known that...he said he wanted to make amends. Start over." He runs a tired hand through his hair. "I never...I know I made mistakes Kid, but I would never..."
Chase watches the man that was like a second father to him growing up. "I know Italy."
Lucca looks up at him in shock. Chase smirks at him. Lucca wraps his arms around him. "Its good to see you Kid."
"You too Italy." He says hugging him back.
Lucca pulls away and cups the back of Chase's head, getting a good look at him. He nods in approval. "You did good. I should know, I've been keeping track of you since you left." He laughs, hugging Chase once more. "That Russian is another story though. I have to give him credit though, he's a good promoter..."
Chase chuckles as they separate. "Italy..."
Lucca stops talking.
Chase takes Michele's hand and brings her forward. "This is my wife, Michele. Michele, this is my uncle, Lucca." He smiles, finally able to acknowledge Lucca as his uncle.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Michele." He takes her hand and kisses the back of it.
Michele retrieves her hand and hugs Lucca, surprising him. "I should kick your butt from here to the Mainland, but I forgive you."
Chase and Lucca laugh.
Lucca returns her hug. "I like her."
Chase laughs more. "Alright, enough with the hugs, she's mine." He pulls her into his arms, smirking playfully. "Come in."
The three of them walk into the kitchen to talk some more.
"Do you want anything, Uncle Luc?" Michele asks from the fridge.
Lucca looks up at her with a warm smile. "Uncle Luc, I like it." He nods. "Water is fine Bella."
She hands him a bottle of Fiji and get one for herself and Chase. "So, I want to know everything about adolescent Chase."
Chase almost spits out his water. "No, No you don't."
Lucca laughs. "He and that Russian were pains in my perfect ass. I can't tell you how many times I had to send a search party for those two..."
MEANWHILE
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Mariana answers the door. "Wh-Domi?" She wraps her arms tightly around him.
"Air is good, no?" He says patting her back.
She chuckles and pulls back with tears in her eyes. "Are you alright? Gianni told me what they did to you. I swear if Gianni wasn't taking care of it, I would." She says with fire in her eyes.
"Whoa...easy hellcat. I am Dominick Salvatori. I can handle a little drugging." He says with a sad smile.
Mariana drags him into the house and sits on the couch. Her husband walks in. "What's going on?"
"What do you mean Salvatori?" She looks at him intently.
He clears his throat. "Gianni found my location, but the old Don Salvatori is the one to save me." He swallows hard. "He looked at me with tears in his eyes. He said he should have saved Lucca and I a long time ago, but he was ashamed of himself for bedding another man's wife...twice. He said Pietro..." He frowns and pulses his jaw. "Pietro had Mama killed because he found out that Lucca and I weren't his sons." He looks away.
Mariana leans back into the embrace of her husband with tears in her eyes. She covers he mouth, remembering Pietro's words when he found out she and was married at 18, ' Sei una puttana! Proprio come tua mama!' (You are a whore! Just like your mother!). A sob escapes her.
Dominick comes to her side and takes her hand. "Mia Mari...mi dispiace(I am sorry)... Ho capito se sei arribbiato(I understand if you are angry)..." He looks at her with guilt and remorse.
She takes his face in her hands and shakes her head. "Non scusarti, non e colpa tua(don't apologize, it isn't your fault)...dovermi scusare con voi. Era l'uomo che si faceva chiamare mio papa, che e la colpa. Che era tua mama troppo(I should apologize to you. It was that man that called himself my father, that is to blame. She was your mother too). She kisses his face and hugs him, resting his head on her chest. "You are my baby brother Domi. I don't care who your father is. You will always be my little Domi." She kisses his head. "I love you and don't you forget it, ever."
He wraps his arms around her as silent tears run down his face. "...grazie Mia Mari."
MEANWHILE
Lucca clears his throat.
Chase knows from his youth that this is a sign that he has something very serious to say. "What is it?"
Lucca rubs his hands together. "I and Dominick are not Gagliardis."
Chase looks confused.
"We are Salvatoris."
Michele rubs Chase's back trying to calm them both.
Chase takes her hand in his, stroking it with his thumb. "How long have you known?"
"A couple of months. Don, well Papa and Gianni invited me to dinner and told me mostly everything. He said some things were too painful to tell, but that I would find out in due time. He told me not to tell Dominick because he wanted to tell him himself. That is why I got so angry when I found out about Dominick just a moment ago. And if that man would do that to Dominick, the man that told me when I was little that I was destined for great things. And that I would be his greatest achievement. If he knew all this time, then I was apart of his twisted plan all along." He closes his eyes, running and hand through his hair.
Michele examines him under the sense of this new information. His hair curls just like Gianni's does, same color, chin, nose, cheekbones. "Wait, so you're Gianni's uncles and Chase's uncles?"
Lucca nods, smiling at Chase."Papa has three sons; His oldest is Gianni's father Valentino, I am second, and Dominick is third. Papa wasn't going to tell us. Gianni said we deserved to know the truth." He chuckles to himself. "In Italy they refer to Gianni as 'The Just One'. Even though you never want to get on his bad side, he is a favorite." He laughs. He looks up at Chase with a smile. "I am a blessed man. Both of my nephews have grown to be great men."
Chase sits quietly for a few moments, gathering his thoughts. "My life is like a daytime soap opera."
ONE MORE CHAPTER AND WE'RE DONE WITH THIS STORY.
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