CHAPTER 45

Lucius POV.

The past few days have been hell for me. I haven't slept or eaten much. I haven't been able to fully grasp the events that have been happening, I had no choice but to send Anna to the dungeon because it was the mafia's rules on persons suspected of betrayal of the family when it came to my hands being tied.

But I still feel guilty for how I reacted because the more I thought about it the more it didn't make as much sense as it did the first day.  Firstly Anna isn't involved in the mafia world she couldn't have known any of this.

But again it still proves nothing. Maybe my heart just wants to believe that she's innocent and she didn't conspire. Although the evidence was quite strong and it seemed logical but still something in my heart tells me she was innocent.

Secondly, I feel it's suspicious if truly she and Chase had something to do with each other, and let's assume originally this was the intent then they wouldn't be this careless to send a letter to my house with the full details of the information of the plan.

I know I might just be trying to escape the sting of betrayal that I felt but regardless of the messages when I examined her phone I noticed an unusual coding as opposed to the normal one. But then anyone who changed the code has to be someone who has access to the phone.

Frustrated, I punched the wall in anger my fist went through it but I ignored the lingering pain. It all didn't make sense or maybe it did and because of how I feel about her I want to believe otherwise.

The only way to bring this all to an end is to find Chase and confirm this or if it escalates it could lead to Anna's death by the mafia rules. This was one of the things I loved and hated about the mafia simultaneously and it's the finality of it.

I feel like I'm slowly losing my mind, I wish I had just had a conversation with her first and maybe investigated privately before making the decisions I took.  But I was blinded by hurt and rage, and more importantly to me then was to not appear weak and spineless.

It didn't Dawn on me that I had put her very life at risk till a day or two later when we had a mafia council meeting of course. Now Matias could show his stupid face with an ‘ I told you so ’ smirk.

I just had to quickly find a way to solve this mess. I confirmed from Wolf that she only met up with her former friends that day, there was no other guy.

But still, it couldn't mean they weren't all in on the plan when I concluded that I may have been wrong when I got a hold of her phone and after checking her messages with Chase I checked the ones she had with them and it was clear they hadn't reached out to each other before that day.

My mind kept spinning into an endless spiral of what ifs and buts till I felt like I was drowning in my thoughts. Despite the cold, I felt hot so I popped open a few buttons of my shirt, and someone knocked on my office door.

“Yes,” I responded expecting it to be Dominick or Bruno but it was just Aunt Selena.

“Oh it's you, welcome”

“ Wow you sound happy to me,” She said, smiling warmly. I didn't feel happy and cheerful at the moment so I didn't respond.

She took a seat across from my office desk, I noticed she came in with a food package. She moved a couple of files and my laptop away and placed the food bag in my front.

“I'm not hungry,” I said grimly because the food was the last thing on my mind, what was on my mind was figuring this whole mess out before I had the blood of my wife on my hands.

Aunt Selena had a very worried look on her face, she looked from me to the gaping hole which I had just punched into the wall.

“Lucius, you can't let yourself go because of Anna's betrayal. I'm glad she and her boyfriend's plan has been exposed before she could do any real damage”.

I looked at her angrily. I know she's just trying to look out for me but why isn't anyone else thinking maybe the situation could be made up against her?

“Please, you'll have to pardon. I don't want to hear such words right now.”

Aunt Selena sighed then nodded in understanding, “Please eat the kitchen let me know that you've barely eaten in the past five days, and from the dark circles around your eyes I'm sure you haven't been sleeping much either.”

“So my staff now gossips I see,” I said my tone sharp and annoyance seeping into my tone.

“Lucius please,” The slight crack in her voice made me jerk up my head and look at her I could see she was on the verge of tears and that bothered me greatly.

I stood up from my chair, came around, and bent near her as she put her face in her hands and wept almost silently. “Aunt Selena I'm sorry, I'm fine I promise please don't be upset I promise I'll eat and I'll get some sleep.”

She raised her tear-stained face, her blue eyes showing concern “Lucius I just feel so bad for what's happening. And I'm worried I don't want you to go back to being that closed-up person you used to be. I can see how your eyes are lacking their usual luster.”

I felt bad to know I was responsible for her feeling sad right now. It seems all I've done so far is make everyone feel sad with my actions, Anna is in the dungeon cold and alone now my aunt is worried and weeping.

“I'm just worried about you, you're all that's left of my brother and I can't bear to see you suffer the way you did when you lost your parents you come a long way in healing and I hate to get unsettled for any reason.”

“Thank you Selena I'll do much better and take care of myself, believe me I'll eat right now to prove it to you.”

She beamed a beautiful smile, I turned around the table and sat down opening the package to see what she had got for me and I was disappointed. She brought spaghetti with white sauce and a juicy steak with garlic bread, and as though on cue my tummy rumbled.

She laughed slightly standing to leave,  “I'll leave you to enjoy your meal, I have to get things for the trial meeting tomorrow.”

Hearing about the trial unsettled me but I decided to put up an aloof front so she wouldn't bother “Okay and Aunt Selena thank you.”

We held eye contact for a few seconds and I knew she understood exactly what I was thanking her for, which is at each step regardless of how cold and harsh the mafia world we find ourselves in and the heavy expectations of being the mafia lord.

She was the only one who treated me like I was an actual human being, providing the warmth of a mother figure and making sure I was genuinely okay.

She smiled “Always Lucius, always I'll always be here for you.”

She turned around and closed the door behind her and although when she mentioned the trial I lost appetite for her sake I forced myself to eat ignoring the mental picture of Anna in the dungeon and the guilty feelings it brought to me.

I was surprised I finished all the food, I guess I truly underestimated how hungry I was. Tossing the packing aside I slide back my files and laptop into place, trying to finish up what I had to do for the day.

The thoughts of the trial tomorrow wouldn't leave my head, if I had the choice I'd rather be absent. I hadn't gone to the dungeon to visit Anna, not because I didn't care or wasn't worried.

I was afraid I wouldn't be able to see her in the state she was in, especially knowing I caused it with my impulsive conclusions and need to seem like the tough emotionless mafia boss.

I shut my laptop screen, not being able to even concentrate on the work I had to do. The most upsetting thing is that after the first trial, which would take place tomorrow, the second trial would be the deciding trial where the penalty would be passed.

I won't be ashamed to admit I feel terrified if I can't locate Chase to tender strong evidence dismissing what's on the ground. Anna would be sent to the forest and my wild dogs would be set loose on her.