Chapter 12 Suspicions
After about an hour, I finally got to know Antonio a bit. Based on what he said, it seems he's only doing his job in the family business because it's the responsibility his father gave to him, not out of his own initiative. Oddly enough, that makes me feel like we're the same. We live like this because this is the world we're born into, not because we desire it. However, on the other hand, despite our similarities, my heart tells me not to trust him yet. What he said today was probably just a facade to gain my trust.
"Thank you for today. I'm glad we got to know each other a little today. I'm sorry for catching you off guard today. I'll let you know if I'm visiting again in the future," Antonio says.
"It's okay. Please do remember to text me first next time. I want to be more prepared to host you in the future," I say. I hope that won't happen anymore. I'm glad that I get to gather some information about Antonio and his family, but gosh, does it drain my energy. I hope he won't take me out on a date anytime soon.
"I will. I'm sorry about today," Antonio says.
"It's fine. No need to worry about it," I say.
"Alright, then. I'll see you soon?" Antonio says.
"See you soon," I say. Antonio smiles at me and then heads towards his sleek, silver car. His gaze finds me again once he reaches his car. I shoot him a smile and then watch as he steps into his car and drives away. At last, I'm free from him. Thank goodness he's not staying any longer. His presence seriously drains my energy.
In my bedroom, I'm lying on the bed on my side. With my head propped onto my hand, I stare back at Dante, who's sitting close to me on the bed bench. His expression is unreadable. No words have left his mouth ever since Antonio's departure. I wonder what's on his mind after he listened to Antonio and I's conversation.
"What do you think about Antonio now?" I ask.
"He seems nice. However, how he mentioned Algeria got me suspicious," Dante says.
"Why?" I ask.
"From my knowledge, the Romanos are working with the biggest Algerian syndicate. The syndicate controls most of the Algerian's black market, so no one here in Italy will be able to have any sort of partnership with anyone in Algeria without the Romanos' knowledge. The Romanos and Ricci must've known each other in a way. They could be working together with the Algerians, too," Dante says.
Dante's explanation further increases my suspicion of the Ricci. If they somehow work together with the Romanos, their only goal is not only to have a stronger relationship with my family, but something worse. A simple marriage between Antonio and me might not be their true goal. What if the Romanos and Ricci planned this marriage to ruin my family? If they succeeded in infiltrating my family and our businesses, then it'll be easy for them to take away everything that's ours. Although I dislike my father and his choices and don't want anything to do with the family business, I don't want my family's hard work to go to waste. Handing everything to the Ricci and Romanos just like that would be a suicide mission. This country would be doomed. There would only be chaos every day if the Romanos controlled all the illegal business here.
How did Dante know about such information anyway? If my father knew about this already, he wouldn't even try to sell me off to the Ricci by arranging this marriage between Antonio and me. How could Dante know something that my father didn't know?
"The info about the Algerians is new to me. How did you know about that?" I ask.
"Words on streets," Dante says.
Words on the streets? There's no way it's only that. If that's the truth, how could my father miss such a crucial detail? My father is digging his own grave if what Dante said is true. If this relationship between the Riccis and my family continues, then this would only be the beginning of the Benettis' downfall.
"Anything else you know about the Algerians?" I ask.
"Not much, but everyone knows they work closely with the Romanos. From what I know, the Algerians manufacture most of the drugs they sell. They ship their goods quite frequently into Italy, about once or twice a week," Dante says.
Once a week? That's a very frequent shipping schedule. Our family also import drugs from the Netherlands, but we only ship once or twice a month, depending on the manufacturing rate. If the Romanos ship from Algeria that often, where do they distribute and sell the drugs? From my knowledge, our drugs dominate the market, about 70% of it. So, where do the Romanos drugs go? Do they deal outside of Italy as well? Or do they ship frequently because they ship in smaller amounts? That, I don't know. Probably my father knows more about that.
"Interesting. So, with what you know about the Algerians, are you implying the Riccis and the Romanos are working together?" I ask.
"That's my assumption. Are you sure he hasn't talked to you about this? If not, we should let your father know about this soon. They could be planning something against us," Dante says.
"My father never mentioned anything about this. We need to talk to him later," I say.
"We should. Let's wait until he comes back," Dante says.
My gaze stays on Dante, and then something suddenly clicks in my mind. He said he's only the head of security at one of our warehouses, but how did he know something so important? There's definitely more to him than he lets out.
"Anyway, you were working as the head of security before this, right? What did you actually do there? You know, besides guarding the place?" I ask.
"Nothing much. I watch over the place and make sure nothing and no one leaves the warehouse without my knowledge. Everyone and everything that enters the warehouse must be authorised by me. Gladly, nothing ever disappeared from the warehouse while it was under my watch. Hopefully, it'll stay the same way with the new head of security, who was one of my trusted guards, Matteo," Dante says.
"How long do you work at the warehouse on the daily?" I ask.
"I basically live there, so 24/7. However, my official working hours are 8 am to 8 pm. Matteo usually handles the night shift, but everything still need to be authorised by me," Dante says.
"If you only work at the warehouse to guard it, how do you know about the Ricci working with the Algerians?" I ask. Dante cocks his eyebrows. His once relaxed figure turns alert. With his arms now crossed over his chest, Dante stares back at me with a serious glare.
"Are you interrogating me now?" Dante asks.
"You could say that. I can't truly trust anyone besides my father in this insane life. And me, saying I trust my father, is also a stretch," I say. Dante lets out a sigh and then turns calm again.
"Understandable. About that, I have my own people. It's important to have allies outside the family in this kind of life. You can't truly survive on your own without any knowledge about others, especially the enemies," Dante says.
"Allies? Are you saying you also tell others about our family secrets, too?" I ask.
"That's not what I mean. As unbelievable as it sounds, I take loyalty seriously. Let's just say they are my informants more than allies. Having people who can provide you with insightful information is important to plan our next moves against our enemies. One time, I heard the Romanos goons were about to rob one of our warehouses. I warned the other before it happened, and thankfully, both the men and our goods are safe before they got to take them," Dante says.
That's clever of him, but how could he find informants like them? Well, I think what's important is how Dante does his job well by going to such lengths. No wonder my father trusts Dante to be my bodyguard. Gosh, I hate that his intelligence makes him even more attractive. Who doesn't want a man like Dante? Not only is he hot and intelligent, but he's also loyal, responsible, and kind.
"Now that I think about it, if what you say about the Ricci and Algerians is true, you're officially better than Giulio. I mean, how could you know more than my father's second-in-command?" I ask.
"It's nothing. I'm just doing my job in my own way," Dante says, smirking as he gives me a shrug.
"It's good to know we have someone like you in the family," I say. Dante's smirk goes even wider at the compliment.
"Just like what I've said, I'm just doing my job," Dante says.
"Sandra."
My heart stops for a second at the sound of my father's voice. Just like a child who just got caught doing something she shouldn't, I quickly push myself up and sit on the edge of my bed.
"Hi, father. You're back already?" I ask.
"Yes. We haven't found Alvaro yet, unfortunately," my father says. That sucks, but there's nothing we can do about it now. Let him hide like a fucking coward. We'll get to him at the most unexpected time in his life.
"It's okay. We should talk about something. It's about the Ricci," I say.
"Sure," my father says. He glances at Dante. His gaze tells me he's telling Dante to leave the room in silence, but my grip on his arm stops him in his tracks.
"You need to hear it from him."