Chapter 93 Ninety Three
OWEN WINTERS
The rain started with a soft drizzle, then it began to pour. I raised my umbrella as they lowered the body of my father, Mr Winters into the ground. Amy had her arm locked onto mine as a way of consolation.
I watched the people dressed in black holding their chest, some shook their heads in disapproval and me?
I didn’t know what to feel — relief that the man who ruled my life with such cruelty was finally gone, or sorrow for losing the only father I ever knew.
Mother stood at a corner, her umbrella high above her head. She stood like me, no tears, no expression… nothing. I wondered what she was feeling and thinking at the moment, but that didn't matter.
“I guess this is the real war,” Amy whispered and I sighed, turning to leave the area. It was better to be anywhere else but here.
“Let’s get out of here,” I murmured, barely hearing my own voice over the rain and wailing.
We walked away from the group of mourners because their wailing was giving me a headache.
“I think I should be crying, yes?” I stopped turning to face her.
Amy smiled a little and nodded. “But it's fine if you don't want to do anything. You're their don now, crying would make you look weak. If you ask me, I think what you need is sleep — check yourself in the mirror, Owen, you're sleep deprived!” She complained, her face twisting in worry.
I shrugged, then wrapped my arm around her pulling her close to me so that her breast rested on my chest.
“I'm fine, pumpkin. Let's spend a lot of time from now on, that'll make me okay,” I said, kissing her lightly on the bridge of her nose.
“Go to the car, I need to see some guests before they leave.” She nodded and we kissed again, this time on her lips and I almost lost control.
She pulled away and left, leaving me to myself.
I walked back to the mourning ground and it was almost empty, only three to five people stood. My eyes caught one of the five that stood, and unlike the rest, he stood alone at the grave staring at the ground.
Dylan Xavier.
I marched towards him, but before I could reach out to him, he called my name.
“Owen.”
“Yes,” I answered, going to stand beside him.
“It's hard to believe that your father is dead, and harder to believe that my dead cousin's daughter killed him and humiliated him-” he turned to face me, his eyes were dark and he wasn't smiling. I shuddered at the deathly expression he wore and immediately realized father's death affected someone more heavily than it did to me.
“So I'll give you my word, Owen Winters, I promise to bring the head of that woman to your table in a gold plate, together with her allies.”
I searched his eyes for a hint of sadness, despair or even a tweak of weakness, but found none. Dylan Xavier meant every word he said and I trusted him.
“I'll hold you to that, but first we need to strategize. Tonight, the board members will decide who the don would be…”
“And the mourning period?” He asked cutting me off.
The mourning period for when a don died was one month, but with the way things were, postponing it seemed like the best option possible.
“Ari Xavier wants us to go into mourning and she'll use that as an opportunity to destroy us. I'll shift the date of both the coronation and the mourning period. Killing that bastard should be the top priority,” I answered.
Dylan nodded, putting his hands into his pocket. His expression softened and he smirked. “Spoken like a true lord, your father would be so proud of you,” he said, making me laugh a little.
“I guess you're right. Gather all your loyal allies and I would do the same. Let's destroy her and end this quickly.”
The choosing of the next don was usually what we did for fancy because we all knew who the next mafia lord would be.
I sat legs crossed on my seat as I tapped the table uncontrollably and without rhythm. The board members were discussing amongst themselves and I would be tagged a liar if I didn't say it icked me.
After some time, they turned back to face me. “We have come to a decision…”
“And that is?” I asked, visibly annoyed.
“That you would be our next don, not just because you're a Winter, but because you have the attributes of a true leader. The coronation would be in a month's time after the mourning period,” one of them said.
I rolled my eyes and leaned towards the large table.
“Thank you for choosing me to rule you, and since I am your lord now, I'll have to change what you just said-” I assessed them trying to read their thoughts.
“The mourning period would be postponed until after the war between us and the former Xavier's, and so will my coronation,” I said and murmurs rose like dust in the air.
“That is unacceptable!”
“Preposterous!”
They argued, some cursing and some trying to fight back the words that wanted to leave their mouths.
I pushed my chair away from the table and stood walking around them.
“I know it's unheard of, and I agree it's unacceptable, but we all know that danger is coming. My father was killed by Ari Xavier and her allies and you want us to sit back and watch?!” A new kind of rage rose in me as I circled them.
They all said nothing so I continued, “My father died in the hands of some people so we have to take revenge. Ari Xavier knows that we have to go into mourning, and she'll use that time to take our territory and our honour… so I hope you understand why I pushed the date forward,” I finished and stopped back at my seat, but didn't sit down.
Time was running and I promised Amy I'll be home early.
8:15 pm.
“I guess you're right, let's kill our enemy before mourning the dead,” one of them said and they all agreed.
“Cassie,” I called and she stood in response.
“Yes sir.”
“Send letters to our loyal allies, tell them to assemble at the Winters estate, now's the time we need their help,” I instructed and she nodded.
“I'll do that right away,” she said walking away.
“Dismiss,” I ended the meeting and they all left.
A smile played on my lips, I was finally going home to meet Amy.