Chapter 8 - The Shadow of the Past
Just as peace seemed permanently established, a phantom from Elena’s past threatened to destroy their newfound happiness.
A week later, while Alessandro was at a business conference, a man appeared at the iron gates of the Manhattan townhome. He was rough-looking, dressed in a faded leather jacket, with calculating eyes. It was Marco who stopped him at the gate.
"State your business," Marco demanded, his hand resting casually near his jacket holster.
"I'm here to see Elena Rossi," the man sneered. "Tell her Roberto’s brother is here. Tell her I know about the money her late husband owed us."
Marco didn't let the man inside. He immediately called Alessandro, who arrived at the townhome twenty minutes later in a high-speed motorcade.
Alessandro walked up to the gate where the man, who identified himself as Enzo, was waiting impatiently.
"You Enzo?" Alessandro asked, his voice dripping with ice.
Enzo smirked, unimpressed by Alessandro’s tailored suit. "Yeah. Elena’s dead husband owed my crew fifty grand in gambling debts before he croaked. I tracked her down. I see she’s living high in a fancy house now. She pays me sixty thousand today, or I tell the press how a mob boss is keeping a poor widow hostage."
Alessandro stared at him, his eyes narrowing into cold slits. He didn't raise his voice; he simply leaned in close to the iron bars.
"First of all, Elena is not a hostage; she is the mistress of this house," Alessandro said smoothly. "Second, if Roberto owed you money, you should have collected it from him when he was alive. Threatening his widow and child in my city is a fatal mistake."
Enzo’s smirk faded slightly as he felt the intense, suffocating aura radiating from Alessandro. "You can't touch me! I'll go to the cops! I'll call the newspapers!"
Alessandro pulled his phone from his pocket, made a quick call, and put it on speaker. "Marco. Execute option four."
Within seconds, Enzo’s phone chimed with a text notification. He pulled it out, opening a file sent from an unknown number. His face drained of all color. The screen displayed his bank accounts emptied, his mortgage foreclosed, and photos of his illegal stash houses surrounded by federal agents.
"I don't need to shoot you, Enzo," Alessandro whispered. "In thirty seconds, the FBI will arrive at your apartment with a warrant for federal racketeering. You have about two minutes to run."
Enzo dropped his phone in absolute terror, turned on his heel, and sprinted down the street like a panicked animal.
Alessandro watched him leave, his expression cold. He walked inside the townhome, where Elena was standing in the foyer, having watched the encounter through the window. She was shaking.
May you like
"He... he used to threaten us back in Queens," Elena whispered, tears running down her cheeks. "I thought we would never escape that life."
Alessandro walked over, pulling her into a protective embrace. "He will never bother you again. No one will ever threaten you or Mia as long as I draw breath."
