Chapter 14 Business Trip
"Have you got everything?"
It's almost 9 am now, and we're currently preparing for our trip to Rome. I was having second thoughts about leaving, but I can't go back on my word now. This is my first step in fighting against the Romanos. If I want to bring them down for good this time, I need to be more involved in my family business and gather my strength and footing here.
"Yes," I say, staring down at my small suitcase and sling bag. We won't be spending too much time there, only three days at max, so there's no need to bring a lot of stuff. I only take a few pairs of clothes and underwear, as well as toiletries. That's all. Nothing too fancy.
"Alright. Let's go," my father says.
My father, Dante, and I are riding the same car. Dante sits at the front with Valerio, our driver for the day, while my father and I sit in the back seat. The trip to Rome won't take too long, only about 4 hours or so. Hopefully, the Romanos won't try to do anything to us while we're driving to Rome, considering Rome is one of the cities where our territories meet.
"Who are we going to meet?" I ask.
"Giovanni Di Santi, the owner of Vino d'Amore," my father says.
Vino d'Amore. It's a brand that's quite popular amongst the younger people here in Italy. While most older wineries stay true to their traditional wine recipe, Vino d'Amore has always been more creative and unique. They combine traditional grape wine with various fruits and plants, creating unique tastes that people love. I've never tried any of their products before, because they seem gimmicky, but now that we might be partnering with each other, I might as well taste their wines and see if they live up to my expectations.
"He'll be our new investor? It feels like we're the ones who should be investing in them, considering their popularity," I say.
"More popular, yes, but higher revenue than us? Absolutely not," my father says. Considering the prices of their wine, it's no wonder that they have lower revenue than our company. They might have higher sales, but their prices are the cause of their lower income. However, I wonder if our meeting tonight will be only about wine or something else.
"Will our meeting be only about his investment or more?" I ask.
"Just his investment. However, more should be expected, considering his knowledge about our other business," my father says.
"Okay," I say.
Just as I expected, it will never truly be a normal meeting when it comes to doing business with my father. This is why I never want to continue the family business. With our legal business, the illicit one will always be lurking in the shadows, waiting to be mentioned. I'd rather have someone else to take over the company than do it myself. Once I get promoted, I'll choose another person to be the leader immediately. My father can't stop me once I have the upper hand.
Back to Vino d'Amore, the company is based in Rome. As we all know, Rome is kind of our ground zero with the Romanos, despite it being a part of our territory. How would they react if they knew we're doing business in Rome?
"Wouldn't it be dangerous for us to do long-term business in Rome? Rome is still our neutral ground with the Romanos, if I remember correctly. They might attack us if we start doing business there," I say. My father scoffs out a laugh in response.
"Rome has always been a part of our territory. Yes, it's been our neutral ground with the Romanos, but why should we care? As you have said before, it's time to fight back against them. They always disrespect our boundaries. Now it's time to take back what's ours," my father says.
Finally, my father got back his backbone. After all these years, he's been too cautious with the Romanos and look at what happened to us despite being the most powerful mafia in Italy. If we keep letting the Romanos do as they please towards us, it will only be a matter of time before they take over our reign. The Ricci, on the other hand, how will we deal with them if we're fighting with the Romanos? Won't it affect our plan? What if the Romanos kill us first before we defeat them? Our effort would be a waste if we die first before taking advantage of the Ricci first.
"What about the Ricci? Won't this affect our plan with them?" I ask.
"It will be even better. If they truly work with the Romanos, then they will do everything with all their might to be closer to us and bring us down. As for the Romanos, they might be pissed about our new venture, but I don't think they'll go as far as killing us," my father says.
"Okay. That's good. If that's so, it'll also be easier for us to fight the Romanos," I say.
"You're right, so no need to worry, tesoro. This won't ruin your plan at all," my father says.
Fuck. He just jinxed it with those words. Now I'm actually worried. Hopefully, our plan won't be ruined because I desperately need the Romanos to be on their knees begging for our mercy after all that they've done to us, especially my brothers and mother. It's time for them to get a taste of their own fucking medicine. I'll make sure they taste the bitterness until their last dying breath.
"Let's focus on one thing at a time. Giovanni is more important now than the Romanos," my father says.
"Yes, father."
After a quite long drive, we have finally arrived in Rome. The city is bustling with people and vehicles, whether tourists or locals. Everyone seems to be minding their own business as they go about their day. I wish I were born to live such an ordinary life. Yes, it will be more difficult, but at least I won't have to deal with criminals on a daily basis. Other than that, I have more freedom to choose my future. Now that I'm the only heiress to my father's business, my future is set to be the next leader of the family and nothing else. I never have the freedom to be who I truly want to be, and one of them is not being a part of this crime family anymore. I feel like I should try to run away again while we're here in Rome, but if luck is against me, the Romanos will be the ones who catch me and kill me, so I don't think so.
Now's not the time to leave just yet. If I want to be truly free, then I must deal with the Romanos first. Once they've been eliminated for good, then I can live life however the fuck I want.
My father checks in with the receptionists to get the keycards to our hotel rooms for the night while we wait in the sitting area for him. After a few minutes, he returns to us with the keycards. He hands one to me, and I check the room number. 325.
Wait. Why did he give me a keycard? Am I finally getting my own room after all this time? He usually only lets me stay in the same room with him whenever we're traveling. Why do I get my own room now? Or could it be-
"You're staying with Dante."