Arranged marriage to the princess of the Red Scorpions

Richard couldn't express how troublesome he found the maze that was Jovani's estate to be. It veered off somewhere else when they thought they had found the right way to their destination. God. Could the man avoid making at least one thing in his less complicated? Indeed, protection was important against enemies. This, however, was overkill even for the traditional level of precautions that most mafia boss took.

The mafioso rubbed his forefinger and thumb together in hopes of dulling the tingling feeling that seemed like it wouldn't go away any time soon. Damn. Something must've fractured the last time he punched the Vedova Nera boss. That was no good—the only good, reliable feature about his body. Now wasn't the time for him to be going about and injuring his dominant hand.

"Jovi. You and I will talk long about what happened here once you get yourself sorted out." Richard muttered under his breath. His right hand ran along the wall as he took another corner. He'd been told by one of the few people in the estate still in their right mind that this way through the estate would lead to Samuel's room.

Thus far, however, empty room after the open space had been the only thing to greet the mafioso no matter how far down the corridor he went. There had even been a short flight of stairs. So quickly that Richard couldn't tell if he had just been put there for fun or taken to another flight of the house. Voices didn't seem to carry that far in the place either.

Well-built walls were a thing to be jealous of. Richard couldn't remember the last time he lived in a place where the chatter of the outer world didn't bleed through into his home and disrupt what were supposed to be peaceful evenings and mornings. The mafioso tapped an impatient finger against the hard plaster. Lovely as it was, how much further did one have to go?

"Sam. We already had this chat once already. It would be far better for you to stay here for now." Richard's ears perked up as he turned the corner. That sounded like a voice. An unfamiliar, muffled one but a voice, nonetheless. Had life finally been found?

"He's my cousin. I don't believe there is any real reason I can't go and check on him rather than stay here. My place of authority rules that I am in the right to do that." Now that was the right one. Bingo.

"Ah ah. I don't think that you should be heading off anywhere right now. Not after I have gone through all of the trouble of coming to find you." A firm hand on the other's chest was the only thing that stopped the two of them from colliding. The younger of the two moving as though he were on a mission to be somewhere he should've been yesterday.

The knit brow expression remained as Samuel locked gazes with the newcomer who stopped him mid-stride. Is someone else unexpected that Jovani invited over? Oh, wait…

"Richard? What are you doing here?" Recognition dawned on Samuel's face, but Emily had been the one to speak up.

"Fuck. Out of all the times you decided to drop in, why did you have to pick today?" The expletive was followed by a rough smack against the wall on her right side as she moved to put herself between the two men.

"Nice to see you as well. You can be at ease, though. The situation was dealt with, and I am not dropping by unexpectedly. Jovani had been the one to invite me here. Although, he's been anything other than a decent host." Richard absently flexed his left hand. Despite holding back, it still smarted a great deal. Should it have come as a surprise, though? Jovani had one hell of a hard head to remain so stubborn after so many years had already passed.

Next time Richard would have to use a different body part or tool.

"Dealt with? What in the world did you do? I thought that mercenary said he'd be the to sort everything out?" Emily's lips pursed as she looked between the two men standing before her. Samuel shouldn't have been there for this conversation. Emily had gone to watch him precisely to avoid this situation.

"Dealt with what exactly? I thought you had just told Emily that there hadn't been anything going on of concern?" Samuel's head turned to look at the other but halted him. A firm hand on his chin forced the other's attention to return to the older mafioso.

"While I understand that other matters are happening here, I would appreciate it if you'd put your attention back on me for now." It didn't take a genius to note the discontent expression on the young man's face being forced to turn his attention onto the other. He wanted answers from Emily first.

"Don't worry about what is going on with Jovani. That issue has already been taken care of and is hardly something you need to worry about. Right now. There are other more important matters that I want to discuss with you." Samuel's gaze lingered in the direction Emily stood as though he couldn't see the other with Richard's hand still holding him in place.

"What kind of important matters?" The mafioso motioned for Emily to leave or deal with whatever she needed knowing that he was talking with Samuel. Richard didn't want anyone else to be involved in the conversation until he found out exactly what was going on.

"I had hoped that the two of us could talk about whatever is going on with Lena. The little princess whom you're almost always attached to from what I've seen." Samuel's 360 change in expression told Richard everything he needed to know. Whatever was going on, it was no small matter. Coming to the estate might yet turn out not to be an entire waste of time.

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