The Mafia’s Good Wife
Chapter 24

- Damon -

"Do you realize how dangerous he'll be if he has the North and South under his control? This is matter of life and death, Damon. Our life and death,"

Damon remembered the warning Adrian gave him as he sat in his private jet. He had been putting off dealing with Hugo for way too long. With Violet coming back into the picture and threats from the smaller families arising, Damon was distracted. And at that time, Hugo was losing interest in his alliance with Damon. Damon had been taking out Hugo's loyalists since three years ago and Hugo didn't like losing power. It was only natural that he started questioning Damon's motives. And maybe he found something that he didn't like. Maybe he got word about Damon's plans on ending his reign. So Hugo started taking matters into his own hand.

This marriage that Hugo set for his daughter and another mafia boss's son was no normal wedding. This was a strategic alliance. One that was strong enough to eliminate Damon and his entire family into shreds.

Although the Big Four families were always talking about keeping the peace, they were also always looking for opportunities to end each other. Damon could sense what was happening. There was nothing usual about this marriage. He knew he had to do something to stop it. Maybe even something drastic like flying to Italy and confronting Hugo in his estate by himself.

Ten hours and four thousand miles later, Damon finally arrived at the DeSantis estate. It was a huge mansion located on the rolling hills of Palermo in Sicily. It was mid-October and the fall season had started in New Jersey, but the weather was still nice and warm in Southern Italy.

Damon was riding in an Aston Martin convertible, alone with no guards by his side. He pulled to a stop as he neared the entrance of Hugo's mansion. Several guards were standing on the gates with their guns and armor. When they saw Damon was in that sports car, the atmosphere suddenly turned tense.

"Good afternoon, boys," Damon greeted the guards, sounding as casual as possible.

"Mr. Van Zandt, do you have an appointment with Mr. DeSantis?" one of the guards responded in a cautious manner.

"He's my godfather. I'm here to visit him," Damon said simply, waiting for the guards to open the gates. "Oh, come on. I'm alone and unarmed. Are you really not gonna let me in?"

The guards exchanged a look and one of them nodded their head. The other then went to open the gates. Damon gave them a wave before driving the car into the long road leading into the house.

"Mr. Van Zandt, I was told that you were coming," One of Hugo's high-ranking men greeted Damon at the door. He must be warned by the guards outside that Damon was here.

"How are you, Sonny? Where's the godfather?" Damon asked as he hopped off the car, playing with his keys nonchalantly.

"He's in the garden, but-"

"Good, I'll see myself inside,"

Damon walked with confidence into the house, ignoring the weird looks all the guards standing nearby were giving him. It didn't take a genius to notice the change in the air. These people were normally not this cautious or cold towards him. One of them even decided to follow him as he went towards the garden where Hugo would be. This guard had his gun by his side and it was ready at any moment it was needed.

"Daddy, I can't marry Stefano! I just can't!"

Damon heard Celina's voice as he neared the garden. From a distance, he could see Celina and Hugo talking by the pool.

"What do you mean, you can't? The boy loves you and adores you. What more do you want?" Hugo replied.

"I know, but we have nothing in common and I don't like him like that..."

"Celina, do you hear yourself talking?!" Hugo scolded his daughter and Celina sulked. He then let out a long sigh and held his daughter's hand. "Look, you're 21 now and I'm... old now. We need someone who knows how to run a family well and a Benigni man is a great match for you,"

"But, dad..." Celina was still whining. "I don't love him,"

"Love?" Hugo scoffed. "There's no place for that in this household. You know that,"

"Well, then I don't wanna be in your household anymore!" Celina spat angrily and turned away.

"Celina!"

When Celina turned away, she spotted Damon and one of the guards standing before her. She stopped her tracks and looked at Damon in bewilderment.

"Ehem, excuse me," the guard said cautiously, clearing his throat. "Sorry to bother you sir, but I have Mr. Van Zandt for you,"

"I can see that," Hugo said as he turned his eyes on Damon, looking him up and down.

Hugo stepped closer towards Damon and the guard stepped away. Hugo and Damon were staring at each other as if they were holding a staring contest. Both their faces were serious and stoic, no one could read what they were thinking. "Mio figlio, it's been a while," Hugo was the first to speak up, opening his arms to Damon. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Damon stepped closer and gave Hugo a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm just around the area and I thought of dropping by," he said. "We've invited you to come to our gathering in France but you didn't make it,"

"I know, I'm sorry about that," Hugo said flatly. "I was too busy with the wedding planning. Celina here can be quite a handful,"

Hugo shot Celina a look and she just rolled her eyes.

"So it's true? Celina's going to marry Roberto's son?" Damon asked.

"It seems that word travels fast," Hugo laughed.

"So is the wedding," Damon quipped. "I heard you're having the reception this weekend,"

"Is that you why decided to stop by?" Hugo asked, his tone was suspicious.

"My invitation's probably lost in the mail," Damon replied coolly.

The two men stared at each other again. There was a definite awkwardness hanging in the air.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Damon, but you have made quite a name for yourself," Hugo said suddenly. He reached for a cigar and started smoking, turning his face to the side. "You faked your own death in that wedding stunt of yours and you eliminated a lot of people in the process. Some of them are people that are loyal to me,"

"What can I say?" Damon shrugged simply. "They're just collateral damage,"

"Regardless, I found it difficult now to trust you," Hugo turned his eyes sharply back at Damon. "But you must understand why. It's not just me. Everyone in the world finds it difficult to trust you too. You've brought this upon yourself,"

"Is that why you want to marry Celina to Roberto's son? So you can build an army and take me down?" Damon shot point-blankly.

"Do you think I'm that scared of you?"

"You should be. I hold the East now and the West is never a threat. Pretty much the whole country is under my control,"

"Gianni's not gonna be happy to hear that," Hugo stifled a laugh.

Armando Gianni was the leader of the mafia world on the West coast of the United States, and Damon was holding the East.

"I think Gianni's fine with that," Damon replied. "He was the one who told me about your little meeting. The one that I was purposefully uninvited,"

Hugo narrowed his eyes at Damon. He didn't know that Gianni and Damon were this close.

"We both know where Gianni's loyalty really lies," Damon continued, staring back at Hugo.

"I

I guess we do," Hugo said knowingly.

If Damon didn't have Hugo's full attention before, he surely got it now. Hugo threw away his cigar and stood right in front of Damon, putting a hand on Damon's shoulder.

"So, tell me, did you come all the way here just to tell me this?" Hugo's hand was firmly squeezing Damon's shoulder, an act of domination.

"No. I have something else that might interest you," Damon said as he shoved Hugo's hand away.

"Interest me?" Hugo let out a mocking laugh. "I don't know about that. Lately, I'm feeling kind of... tired with everything. Nothing excites me anymore. You know what I mean?"

Hugo was feeling on top of the world right now. His daughter was marrying the son of Roberto Benigni, the strongest mafia family in Northern Europe. After the wedding, he could have all the power he wants and more. There was nothing that Damon could offer him that would be better than that.

"What if I tell you I can find Celina a more suitable husband?" Damon asked meaningfully.

"Stefano is Roberto Benigni's son. Who is more suitable than him?" Hugo asked back.

"He's only the youngest son. He's got three big brothers ahead of him. Celina and your family wouldn't be Roberto's number one priority,"

The smile on Hugo's face faltered a little. Damon knew Hugo found his argument rather compelling.

"So what are you proposing, mio filgio?" Hugo asked with his head cocked to the side.

"I'm proposing a marriage between the Van Zandt family and yours,"

Celina was instantly intrigued. She was looking at Damon meaningfully, but her father only laughed heartily.

"You don't have any brothers and your great consigliere is happily married. Who from your family can marry my daughter?"

"I can," Damon said matter-of-factly.

Hugo was taken aback and Celina gasped in shock. Her eyes were wide as saucers and a smile formed on her lips. Clearly, she liked this idea. Hugo, on the other hand, still had his poker face on. It was hard to know what he was thinking.

"Now that's an interesting proposition," Hugo said. "But a little birdie told me that your girl came back to your estate a few weeks ago. Aren't you with her now, planning your second wedding?"

Damon fell silent at the mention of Violet. No one was supposed to know that she was back there. It must mean that whoever was stalking the estate was giving information to Hugo too. If only he can get back at Hugo's good graces, he can find out who those people are and take them down.

"It's over," Damon said after a beat of silence. "We both decided that it's not gonna work between us,"

"Really? What about all that love I see between you two?" Hugo's tone was somewhat mocking.

"What love?" Damon scoffed. "First, she shot me in the heart. Now she chose to leave with some guy who lives on a farm,"

Hugo noted the bitterness in Damon's words and a smirk crept up his lips.

"She must have a good eye," he taunted, and Damon chose to ignore him.

"I think you and I both know that business comes first in this world, godfather," Damon said meaningfully. "Love can wait,"

Hugo took in Damon's words and glanced at his daughter. He saw the eagerness in Celina's eyes. Celina was pleading with him.

"Love does come second in our world, but it still has to come, especially if it's coming for my daughter," Hugo said as he turned back to Damon. "Do you think you'll love her?"

Damon threw his glance at Celina. She blushed and smiled at him, batting her eyes. It was no secret that she had the biggest crush on him for the longest time. Damon figured that out recently after the wedding failed and he was looking for reasons why Violet left. One of those reasons was her. She put ideas inside Violet's head, pushing her to doubt Damon.

"Any man would be lucky to have Celina as his wife. She's a remarkable girl," Damon replied with a stoic face.

"Daddy..." Celina spoke up and stepped closer to her dad. Hugo just put his hand up and stopped Celina from talking further.

"It seems that we're going to have a lot to talk about. If you are serious with this proposition, stay with us for a few days, let us talk about it," Hugo kept his eyes straight at Damon.

"Of course. I'll stay for as long as you want, godfather,"

Hugo and Damon held another staring contest, but this time, the air was different. Hugo's lips twitched into a smile and so did Damon's. Without breaking eye contact, Hugo waved for the guard to come closer.

"Get me Roberto Benigni on the phone," he ordered. "I have to tell him we have to cancel our plans,"