GWENETH

I did not say anything for exactly two minutes and six seconds after Annie finish narrating her story. I just quietly drank my beer. Pondering deeply. never would have wildly thought that she went through any of that.

Being less favored, being sexually abused and getting her heart shattered in the cruelest way possible. It outpaces my own teenage experience as they came from someone else and not from my family. And I thought that was too much to take.

It is nothing compared to hers. It hurts more when the people who are supposed to love and protect you are the first to draw lines and treat you like you don’t exist. My mother was not exactly the best either. But now I can say that she is. At least she didn’t flush me out when she got pregnant with me at fifteen. She didn’t deny me once to her lovers. Most of them did not like that she had me. She raised me all by herself. She finally met my stepfather who was, and still is a nice gentleman. I call him Dad. I don’t know any other. But I know he is the best there is. Blood ties is not what makes one family. His amazing presence made up for my mom’s parental absence in my teens.

Annie had none of that. I pull her into a comforting hug. "I understand you. At least I am trying to understand you and him part." I say. "But being with him would only hurt and remind you of what happened."

She shrugs. "You still use a knife even after it cuts you right? Nate is a like a knife to me.

I don’t want it. But he is a necessary part of my life. And I can’t control how I feel about him. Not that I would anyway if I could."

The story made me wonder what I would have done had I been in that same situation? I hate danger. I run after seeing it from miles away. I don’t wait until it gets close. Too late kind of close. If it has to do with a person I love, I will also try to walk away even it will hurt because I don’t want to be stuck with danger and carry it in my heart for a lifetime.

CALYX

The men bow their heads and greet me respectfully in unison as I come out of the car in the Lamont ancestral manor. I arrange my suit, and make my way in. I don’t bother inquiring of my uncle’s whereabouts from his men as I know where he would normally be at this time. Checking his home itinerary is a part of my daily schedule.

I can’t help but feel uneasy about his safety even with all the topmost security I have personally placed around him. I sometimes imagine a hostage situation where I will be forced to give up something in exchange for his safe return. I truly hope that doesn’t happen. I find him frolicking by the lakeside. This version of him is very different from the stern version I have in my memory. He does not seem like the man who ordered notorious killings and sadistically trained me into man I am now. One whose name is enough for people to be shit-scared and get their head on straight whenever I am around.

There is a whole mini party going on here. One. Two. Three. Five. Eight girls. I sigh and click my tongue. They are increasing everytime. They are all in bikinis. And they are completely topless with their tits hanging and bouncing as they played around in the water. Two were sitting close to him and playing coy. I make a mental note to check on their backgrounds later.

Old Bryan Lamont must have already done it himself, but I will still do a double check. I am getting rid of them if I find a speck bit of iffy.

Being old, and having to move about in a wheelchair because of a prosthetic leg had done nothing to make him tone down his debauch indulgence. It only increases by the day. I sort of understand him though. He had spent his early years and youth safeguarding a formidable legacy from the ground up. Never thought about marrying or having a child. Now in his late years he is lonely. He brings in all these women to fill that loneliness. "Papi" I call out. "He sits up from his recliner and in between the two ladies to look at me. "Well, if it isn’t my golden nephew. . ." He enthusiastically responds. I smile and walk to him. Doing our signature handshake and bro hug that he taught me when I was 5. The girl on his right stood up to go join the other girl on the left, leaving her recliner for me to sit on. Very perceptive of her. I would have been uncomfortable having to sit with her if she had just put her legs down to give me space. I sit with my elbows on my knees, facing him. "Don’t tell me you are going at it with every single one of these girls. It is late. And you should be in bed asleep by this time." I criticize. Once again it occurs to me how time has turned the tables. He used to nag me alot. You can say I didn’t feel any parental absence in my life because of him. He is a mom and dad combined. I thought him as too much and insensitive most times. Now I am the one nagging. The realization brings a soft smile to my lips.

"Hey, stop treating like I am old. I am not that old." He flares. "I am just sixty four!"

"You are seventy four." I correct. He does that everytime. He may be old, but he is extremely young at heart. And in his lower body too—I suppose.

"Whatever." He frowns. "I should be mad at you. No, I am mad at you. The deadline has passed." The ladies left us as he dismisses them with a chin nudge. "And I did not get any positive report."

"That is because there isn’t." I say dryly, rubbing my temples. I already feel a headache coming on. His nag on the subject of me getting married and producing an offspring never fails to induce me one. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Are you falling at it? But your body medical report checks out perfectly. What is the problem?"

I exhale. "I just can’t bring myself to marry and impregnate someone."

I know very well the importance of an heir in my situation. That is the only loophole and weakness in my reign as the head of the seven mafia families. Some of them has bordered on that fact to try and oust me. While others sought to consolidate their station by matchmaking their daughters to me. I know what their actual plan is. To get me into an arranged marriage so they can easily set their eyes and goal on my spot. There are times when I have really wanted to fulfill that duty. I go at it without protection.

But then I make them take post pills after the act to prevent any oncoming "mistakes" If I am going to have a kid, it will be with a woman who has her head on straight. I don’t want the daughters of traitors either. I might just end up strangling her.

One out of a pair needs to be mentally normal to raise a kid. Nothing but a blank slate come up when I try to imagine myself as a Dad. What kind of a father will I even be?

Uncle had given me three months to handle the task. I let it waste away. Usually, I beat deadlines. But this isn’t some drug deal or fishing out moles. For me it is serious than that.

No one just understands. It is ironic that someone like uncle who has never married and had a child is the number one person advocating for me to get hitched.

"Do you know what age your father had you?" Here we go again.

"He was 21. You are 30." He firmly adds like he wants to drill it into my skull.

"I am well aware of that fact. For you have told me many times."

"Calyx, this is serious." He calmly states. "The Monteros and Pavarotti clan are not happy about this. Just chose one of their daughters and put everyone’s worry to rest." An advise that is also an order. I lean my back on the recliner and watch the girls in the pool. Eli Pavarotti and Nicolo Montero. Those two are the most power hungry out of the seven families. They bring in the least resources but are the biggest pain in the ass. "You haven’t heard?" I ask matter-of-factly. "Eli and Nicolo are in too big of a hot water to worry about me."