Chapter 73: Chapter Seventy Three

*Enzo*

Grabbing my bags for the flight I head for the door. Just as I swing it open I come to a full stop seeing my father on the other side getting ready to knock. I stand there in surprise, yet also annoyance.

“What are you doing here?” My tone came out a bit harsher than I meant it too.

Seeing his face had my defenses up and my guard on high alert. He normally just comes unannounced. And usually his guard dogs paid me a visit whenever he wanted something. My muscles tense and I refuse to move out of the way to allow him to enter. Because if I did I would miss my flight and I couldn’t afford that right now.

He instantly scowls at my sudden outburst and shoves his way in anyways without bothering to ask whether or not it was alright too. To him he was the parent, and it didn’t matter how old I get he’d always take precedence in my life as far as he was concerned. And I’m sure that the fact that he wasn’t right now was driving him up the wall.

“You seem to be coming and going quite a lot these past few weeks Enzo. It’s not like you to visit your grandfather so often.” He immediately starts off.

I freeze after hearing him say that. Looking at him I couldn’t help the feeling of foreboding entering my veins. He knew that we had Gabriela, he just didn’t know where. But now I’m not so sure he was kept in the dark on that anymore. I couldn’t have him sticking his nose in this situation. He would only make things worse. For all of us.

“Well…I figure since you kept me from seeing him throughout the years, I was tired of listening and following with what you wanted. I never understood why keeping me from my own grandfather, your own flesh and blood by the way, was a distraction for me.” I needed to divert him away from the main topic.

And why not bring up the giant elephant in the room that put an even bigger rift in our relationship than that one.

He stiffens at my words, scowling even deeper, his face cast in a dark aura as I force him into a corner. For years we walked on eggshells because of what he forced me to do. And since I brought it this far why not just go all the way?

“I had my reasons when it comes to that old man. He would have raised you softhearted and weak. The more time you spent with him the more I saw how pathetic he became and making you become just as bad. I wasn’t going to have it.” He snaps angrily.

I scoff at that reasoning. “Nonno isn’t pathetic. He never was. Losing a wife and child within a year of each other does something to a man. He was depressed, lonely, and grieving. If that makes you a weak person than I would rather be weak like him. It’s people like you who falls short, father. Because at the end of the road when you’re at your lowest and no one is there to help pick you back up is when you become weak.”

I never spoke to my father this way and standing my ground seems to be proving the right choice as I watch him flare his nostrils looking ready to kill me. But it was getting old. His anger, his tantrums, his threats. For years I was terrified of what he would think of me, of what he could and would do to me. Even though I was his only son, not once did I ever feel like I was anything special to him other than a trophy to put up on his mantel to showcase to anyone who would look.

He only created me to take after the “business” and in the way he wanted. But I never wanted it and plan to never take it. And as I grew older and relied on those I could trust I was starting to see that he wasn’t this all powerful man I always thought him to be. He was just another person who was given way too much power all because he carried the name. None of those men cared about him. They only cared of what he could offer them.

“Who the hell do you think you’re talking too right now? This is why I forced you from him. Barely back into each other’s lives and already you’re sounding just like him. Thinking you know everything and wanting to be righteous and all that bullshit. He’s going against everything we were taught and born into, and I’ll be damned before I let you follow those footsteps, Enzo. You’re my son not his!”

His voice rose with each sentence, and I just stood there watching turn beet red as he spouted the words in my face. Clenching my fists tightly he stalks up to me and lowly states,

“I came here to tell you that it’s time to put everything behind you and let go of the silly things you’ve been messing around with since college. I let you roam around free long enough. It’s time to take your place to replace me, Enzo. Because if you don’t…”

He gets right into my face, our eye level right on point as we both strongly stared at one another and finishes with, “I’ll make sure you’ll never get to see your grandfather again and that little girl you’ve been playing around with will wish she had never heard of the name Giordano.”

A flash of rage spears through me at his threat. A threat I knew all too well he would fall on if I give him the chance too. Gritting my teeth I darkly say, “If you so much as touch her-”

“You won’t do a damn thing about it. I’ll be sure of that.”

He pulls back and stomps out of my room, slamming the door behind him loudly. My heaving chest wouldn’t lessen as the threat hung in the air. And the thing about all this that I hated the most was the fact that he was right.

There wouldn’t be a goddamn thing I could do about it.

Because even though his men secretly hated him, they wouldn’t dare go against him even for my sake. That’s how much power he held. The only way I could fight him on anything is if I follow through and become what he wanted for me since the day I was born.

Turning around I wrench the door open again and falter a second time to see Charlie standing there. His lips were pursed, and I knew it was more likely that he saw my old man leave just now. Charlie couldn’t stand my dad and with good reason.

“Guess I have my answer.” He deadpans, looking at me.

I growl as I grab my bag and slam my door shut behind me, not even bothering with locking it I was that pissed off. Stomping down the hall to the elevator he follows without another word. Punching the level button I nearly break the damn thing.

“That bad huh.” He casually states clasping his hands in front of him as we wait for the doors to open to let us on.

Rolling my eyes I sigh deeply as I rub my tired eyes. “He threatened me with Nonno and Gabby this time.” I spill out, knowing he wasn’t going to allow me to be quiet on this.

He was one persistent bastard when it came to making me spill my guts on things that was bothering me. By this point there was no use trying to avoid him when he knew I was irritated or annoyed.

He falls silent as the elevator finally opened to allow us on. I look over to him to see a frown on his face.

“If he threatened your grandfather than he knows that’s where you’re keeping the girl. But why hasn’t he taken action knowing that Russo is after your cousin? There hasn’t been any retaliation on either side.”

“That’s what has me worried too. And now with Ivy going back home-”

“She went home?” He demands, his head snapping in my direction.

“I just found out today. It’s the reason I had you book us the next flight out of here and back to Nonno’s. Domenico’s been acting weird, and he plans to turn himself in to Russo.” I say grimly.

“What the fuck. Why would he do something as foolish as that?” He sounded damn right pissed, just like I have been since the words came out of Gabby’s mouth not two hours ago. I shrug. “Exactly why I’m heading back. Something isn’t meshing at all with that decision. I just can’t put my finger on it.”

“Ivy came back willingly?” He mused aloud, frown reappearing as he stares at the metal doors in front of us without really looking.

“Not exactly. He threatened her from what I understand.” Which also has me worried.

“That’s not good, Enzo. Ivy doesn’t take kindly to losing. Especially with something she’s dead set after.”

“Yeah I know. Which is also why I need to hurry back over there. I didn’t tell that to Gabby, I don’t want her to worry but something feels off about all this and I feel like something is about to go down.”

“Do you need me to hack into her phone, computer, anything she could potentially set tips off of?”

I shake my head before he even finished. “No point now. If Ivy is as vicious as I know her to be then it’ll already be too late. She would have done something before she even left the property.”

The elevator door dings open revealing the lavish apartment building lobby.

And that was what I was most afraid of.