Chapter 32: The Necklace

POV: Stefano

I stared at her with arched eyebrows, awaiting an answer, while feeling strongly sure that she didn't want to tell me. Worry wrinkles formed on my forehead as I tried to understand what was going on.

"Daddy, I'm hungry," Davide's voice echoed through the corridors of the almost abandoned chapel, if I didn't order them to clean up here periodically. He ran towards me and hugged my legs, touching his empty belly as he saved Beatrice from saying whatever was going on.

"Calm down, my love. Let's go with Mommy, and I'll take you out to eat, okay?" she tried to calm him down while stroking his hair. She was someone else as she spoke to him, perhaps the only one in the house who knew another side to Beatrice.

"Dad," he held my leg tighter, clearly reluctant to move away from me.

"Don, we have to talk," Giovanni's voice also echoed through the room, and I knew that whatever he was going to say about the plan needed to be alone.

I slowly reached down, touched the small arm and pulled it away from my leg so that I could stand at the same height as the boy, wanting to get it over with so that I could sort out things that really mattered.

"Hey, picollo, you need to go with your mom. She's taking you out to eat, and we'll see you later." Davide looked at me, his eyes full of confidence in me, and nodded. I walked away, that feeling that the boy was too young to see me as his hero rather than a powerful and feared criminal making me uneasy, a little disturbed. "Take him away, Beatrice." I stared at her, as I realized how she disapproved of anything that came from me, before taking the boy's hand and the two of them walked away towards the chapel exit. As they left, I turned to Giovanni.

"What do you have to tell me, Giovanni?" I asked, aware that it had taken him almost no time to find me because of the way he was breathing. My voice was low and serious, although I was a little scattered. Giovanni looked around, making sure we were really alone.

"You were right about the meeting. First, Don, we will thoroughly investigate the vulnerabilities of enemy territory, meticulously map access points and existing security measures. Then, during the meeting between Carlo and his allies, we'll take advantage of the momentary distraction and instability to launch our attack. We will have our men infiltrated among the participants, acting discreetly and imperceptibly. Our weapons have been strategically positioned in hidden places. As soon as the situation becomes favorable, we will act with precision, eliminating any resistance and taking absolute control of that territory. It will be a carefully planned coup, Don, and we were fully convinced that our strategy will lead us to victory. We are aware that it won't be an easy confrontation, especially given the power of Gamorra and especially Carlo, but we will do everything in our power to deliver it into your hands, just as the Cosa Nostra has wanted for so many years."

My feet turned, looking again at the front of the pulpit, my father's name there. He was the one who wanted Carlo, more than anything, else in his hands, because our rival was the only man capable of knocking him off his axis, and deep down I didn't hate him so much for that very reason. It was a relief when my father died, even though now I had to deal with all this around me, things I would never have allowed myself under any other circumstances. My fingers instinctively touched the necklace, the damn necklace, deep down I still expected something from it. I squeezed it, and at the same moment its metallic coldness sent shivers down my skin, as if it were a silent warning. A strange sensation ran through my body, as if something invisible was whispering in my ear that I was making a mistake.

Small drops of sweat began to form on my forehead as I struggled with what was going on in my mind. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to clear the confusion that surrounded me. I felt like I was on the verge of a decision that could change everything, although I didn't know why or how. I tried to ignore this disturbing feeling, but it persisted, like an insistent echo in the depths of my mind. At the same time, however, the voice of my ambition and desire for revenge rang out loudly, trying to suppress any trace of hesitation. It was too late to be a fucking coward, as my father repeatedly said about me. Coward, it had been a long time since I was one. I pulled on the necklace with all the strength in my body, breaking it easily, even though it was made of gold. In fact, I could hardly remember the last time I felt pain over something. I took one last look at it before throwing it into Giovanni's hand.

"Fix it. Let's get on with the plan. Make sure everyone is prepared and that the details are executed meticulously." I nodded as I turned to him once more.

"You seem bothered by something, mi amico." Giovanni looked directly into my eyes, his dark eyes revealing an intensity that was typical of him. An arched eyebrow and a slight frown showed his concern. His expression was a mixture of concern and curiosity, as if he were trying to decipher my thoughts.

"This chapel shouldn't be here, Giovanni. There's something in the air. His name on this wall, it's ridiculous that I never had this place demolished." I cursed, angry at being there, at reliving things that should have been buried in my mind forever. I hated the past, mainly because it was the only tense I seemed to be living in lately.

"Your mother liked it here, from what I remember."

"What's the point if she chose to die? This shit doesn't do us any good anyway." Giovanni didn't look away from me, he didn't feel sorry at any point, my best friend didn't judge me.

"Maybe it was the only way she found peace." I rolled my eyes. That was a ridiculous assumption, that conversation was ridiculous, and I definitely didn't want to keep having it.

"Wipe all that off the wall, I don't want to see Giuseppe's name anywhere on this property."