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Those words have been a guiding force for me throughout my entire adult life. Sometimes good people have to do bad things. And sometimes bad people do good things. But I’m a daddy’s girl. Which means I’m just like him. And I’m definitely not good people.
My car skids to a stop on the pavement and as I cut the ignition, I hear my elder sister.
“Real smooth, Soph,” she calls from the front of the double doors leading into the mansion.
I roll my eyes. My driving skills leave much to be desired. I don’t usually drive myself unless I can help it and especially not at night. But recently, I’ve been seeking a place to escape, somewhere to be alone and the rooftop of a hotel has provided that solace. I was there earlier, until I got a text from my sister asking me to come home. My dad summoned us.
“You didn’t have to personally roll out my welcome mat,” I state, stepping out of the car.
A man appears immediately to park the car somewhere more appropriate. I climb up the stairs leading up to my home. My sisters offers me a small smile.
“I was just making sure you didn’t crash into the side of the house or something.”
“That was one time,” I return with an eyeroll.
She links our arms, leading me into our home. Our heels clack in tandem as we walk across the marble floors. My sister and I are a lot alike. She has brown eyes and I have blue ones and I guess I have softer features. We both have blonde hair. Although hers is much lighter than mine, more of a golden brown that shines in the sunlight. She’s also an inch taller than me.
Personality wise, I’d say we each have our own strengths. But Kat’s much more serious than I am, she’s more focused as well. She’s a go getter, meaning she’ll stop at nothing to get what she wants, regardless of what means she has to go through. It’s admirable, but also necessary. Especially if she plans to inherit my father’s empire and become the next Don.
We stop in front of the door leading into our father’s office. Kat knocks once before opening it.
“We’re here, Papa,” she announces.
The first thing anyone notices when they see my father is how short he is. People look at him, a man that’s only about 5 foot 10 inches and they have a hard time believing he’s Eduardo Mincetti, Don of the Mincetti family. Their disbelief usually doesn’t last long though. One look at him, a few seconds in his presence and you feel it. I think it’s his eyes. Piercing brown eyes that immediately intimidate you.
“Le mie principesse,” he says adoringly. That’s all the greeting we get before he swiftly moves on to business. “Sophia, I trust you fulfilled your duties well.”
We both take our seats in front of the table opposite him.
“Of course, Papa.”
I went on a short trip to Milan to take care of some loose ends. I only just returned today.
“Any trouble?” my dad questions.
“No, The investor won’t be causing any problems for us anymore. It was a clean job.”
“That’s my girl. I need you to take care of tax returns on some of our casinos. The men I put in charge have been slacking off. And you know how I feel about being a law abiding, tax paying citizen.”
I smile, “Sure, I do. I’ll handle it.”
“Why did you call us here, Papa? Is anything wrong?” Kat question, unable to keep her curiosity at bay any longer.
“Everything’s fine,mi amore. But I do need progress report on the De Luca’s and the Russo’s.”
I lean back in my chair, tempted to tune out what my sister says. For some reason, my father has always been on edge anytime the De Luca name comes up. I’m not sure why. He hasn’t told me and I haven’t asked. But he has had Kat surveilling the family for a while now. I couldn’t care less about either family, they’re under my radar, insignificant.
“As you know, Enzo Russo got married to Rosa De Luca a couple of weeks ago. The couple went on vacation and only just returned to the city. There doesn’t seem to be anything else happening with them. No suspicious behaviors.”
“Hmm.. and the consigliere?”
“Nothing from him either,” Kat replies.
My dad taps his finger against the oak wood of his desk. “So he’s still keeping his family in the dark. Not sure if that’s smart or stupid.”
“It could go either way.”
I’m clearly not in loop when it comes to this conversation. I would ask, but I tend not to stick my nose in anything my father clearly doesn’t want me to. If they need to me to something, they’ll ask.
