Mafia men don't cry

Mafia men don't cry
Luca's POV

I shut that thought down instantly. I’d had him under surveillance for days. Every call, every visit, every move. He had tried to make moves against me, yes... but this?

This wasn't his work, it was too sudden, too easy.

Noel liked chaos. This wasn’t chaos.

With everything he had done and with the time I had left, he would be waiting for his final move against me.

His grudge wasn't with Aria... It was with me.

This wasn't him, I could feel it.

This had to be an inside job. It just had to be.

Viola?

Her name came to my head again.

I had been trying to give reasons why this couldn't be her, but it wasn't working anymore.

I suspected everyone... Every single person.

She hated Aria the most, he wanted to kill her... But this way?

Again, it was too easy.

Using poison of this sort was stupid. Cheap.

It wasn't the way Viola would work.

If she did something, I wouldn't be able to find it out for days, months... Or maybe even years. She hadn't done anything that I knew of... But Aria accused her of being the one who initiated her kidnapping.

If Viola could do something so perfect that I still couldn't fully believe... Then she couldn't have done something so sloppy.

It wasn't her. It couldn't be.

If Viola had done this, I wouldn’t be standing here guessing. There would be no loose ends. No staff to interrogate. No poison trace to follow.

Viola never worked in ways that led back to her.

She was careful. Too careful.

So who the bloody hell did this?!

I paced the room, my thoughts moving faster than my steps.

I needed to find the stupid person who thought poisoning Aria was a smart decision.

I wouldn’t rush it.

They would pay.

If it were an ordinary servant who had a problem with her... I would make that servant pay not only with their life, but the lives of their families and friends as well.

Next time, the person would think at least three times before messing with the woman I loved.

The knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts.

Before I could say the word 'come in', my study door was pushed open.

Someone peeped from the outside, and then walked inside, closing the door behind him. “Boss…?” he called out.

It was a man I hadn't seen in a while.
“Payson.”

He looked a bit different... His eyes, which were usually cold, had hints of emotion, and his face, which used to be expressionless, held a surprised expression.

He stepped in, hesitating for a brief second when he saw the state of the room.

“What is..."

“Aria was poisoned,” I said, answering his question before he could ask. My voice sounded empty to my own ears. “She’s currently at the hospital. She’s out of immediate harm, but they can’t perform more tests on her until she wakes up, or at least leaves the coma stage.”

That was it. I said the word soon after the other... Each one hurt more than the last.

I didn't want to believe it.

I... I only had a few weeks left. I thought I could spend it with her and the baby but now... Now I could only hope they both survive this. Or she does.

I might not be able to see her again even if she does... That was if she didn't recover quickly.

I... I was going crazy.

I shut my eyes trying to take control of my emotions.

Mafia men don't cry.

I wasn't allowed to do something so... So weak.

Payson went quiet.

“Boss…”

I waited for a few seconds before opening my eyes again. I grabbed the bottle of whiskey and walked towards my chair. “Did you find out what I asked you?”

I needed good news, even if it was just a little bit at the moment.

“Yes.” He stepped forward and stretched out the document in his hands. “I’m sorry it took so long, but it was harder to find a connection between Viola and Noel than finding a needle in a haystack.”

Finally.

I took the document from him... My hands trembled a bit.

“Did you find it?”

If he did, it meant, Viola had lied. She did know Noel, and Aria... Aria could have been telling the truth about everything.

Payson didn’t answer immediately. His expression changed slightly, cautious.

“This…” he said slowly, his eye's darting to the documents in my hands “is a very interesting story.”

I looked down at the file in my hands.

If Aria was right about everything she said about Viola, then my brother's death...

I shut my eyes again bringing the bottle to my lips.

Viola better not know anything about that. For her sake.