Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 627 -

*Elio*

"Twenty-four thousand square foot lot, with the majority being commercial state. I assure you this La Cienega warehouse is the best price for such a large lot." The sleazy-looking seller grinned, his teeth too brilliantly white to be real as he walked us around the massive, empty building.

I glanced around without much care. There was hardly anything to notice since it was just a cement building with no windows in the middle of downtown nowhere. Surrounded by run-down places with for-sale signs, I had seen the broken needles in the crumbled parking lot, the remnants of pots and metal spoons that had been used for who knows what.

This was a drug addicts' heaven, and it was truly the worst place to buy commercial property in Las Angeles.

And that was exactly what made it perfect for my uncle's purposes. Alessandro politely shook the seller's hand, who was a bit too enthusiastic as he pulled out the contract and deed. Alessandro didn't waste a second in purchasing it, with a nod of okay from the lawyer they'd brought.

The case of money was handed over to the seller by one of Alessandro's men.

"Thank you so much for your generous purchase, Mr. Valentino." The seller buzzed with excitement, his eyes planted firmly on the case full of cash. "I assure you this will be dealt with at the highest discretion."

"I appreciate that, Mr. Bennet," Alessandro said.

He spoke rather nonchalantly for someone who'd just spent millions on an empty warehouse that doubled as a squatter's summer villa. Mr. Bennet, like the sleazy man he was, ran off like a little rat, clutching the case of money with a huge grin. By the time he disappeared, Alessandro's polite smile dropped and he scowled, pulling off the black glove that had shaken hands with Mr. Bennett and dropping it onto the floor.

"Take care of it," Alessandro said coldly with a nod at one of the men. "And bring back the case untouched."

Two of the guards he'd brought nodded, one even cracking his knuckles with a sadistic grin as they hurriedly followed the rat-like man's trail.

"Isn't that a bit cruel?" I raised my eyebrow. "It was a fair purchase."

"You've got a lot to learn," Alessandro said, crossing his arms. "Not only was this entire purchase illegal, but he also used a fake name so he could avoid taxes. Felony tax evasion is no joke, and I'm not bringing us down like that. Plus, the only reason he had the deed to this property was because he killed the guy who had it before him. He probably buried the body here since he was in such a rush to get rid of it. Well, it works for us. We get the deed to the property, and he gets to atone for being such a bag of writhing maggots."

I stared at him wide-eyed, truly stunned by the information dump. The two guards came strolling back in carrying the black case, and Alessandro gave me a smirk as he took it.

"Don't believe everything you're told, Elio. Rule number one is that everyone around you has an agenda. You just need to see through it before they get a knife in your back, even if it means being just as deceitful as them."

Alessandro opened the case, letting it fall to the ground. Inside was just a bunch of blank paper bundles, millions of them, with single bills on top to make it look real.

"Huh," was all I could say in response.

"We'll have to invest to make this place usable," the lawyer whose name I didn't know said casually, crossing her arms with a distasteful look at the cracking walls. "Though I don't see how something so shabby could be useful in the first place." "Shabby as this place is, I think this could finally help the family get a foot in the door of the American scene. We've been trapped overseas for so long, and it'll be a good way to start up business here," Alessandro smirked. "Besides, it's in the perfect place. Major cities always overlook the working people of the slums. It'll be a perfect start to spreading our influence."

Alessandro glanced at me as if remembering himself and I shrugged, not asking for any details. I had a strong feeling I didn't want to know. Alessandro gave me a grin, a simple nod as he understood what I was saying without words. He didn't offer up any more details, simply discussing vaguely with his people for a minute before giving me an expectant look.

"Well, your parents probably have dinner ready, so want to head back?" Alessandro asked. "I haven't had Olivia's pot roast in ages, and I'm going to eat as much as I can until I have to go back to Italy."

I snorted. "You live in Italy and you're complaining about the food?"

"You'd be surprised." Alessandro shrugged, leading me out of the warehouse and to the cars. "I'm just ready for any kind of meat that doesn't have some kind of pasta or cheese in it. Though I have to admit, the gelato really is built differently over there."

"I bet," I laughed. "Aunt Dahlia spends hundreds to get it shipped, and Mom says she would consider moving back to Italy just for the gelato."

"Mint chocolate chip with a double shot of chocolate syrup." Alessandro nodded. "A classic."

I grinned, settling in the car as Alessandro took over on the wheel, automatically handing me the cord for the radio. I put on my favorite playlist, relaxing as we made the long trek back to Mom and Dad's place.

Alessandro had always been my favorite Uncle. I had nothing against Tallon-he was great-but Alessandro just always seemed to get me better. He never forced a conversation, rarely even started them, and was always straight to the point, just like me.

Mom said we were like twin personalities, and she often lamented that I had been a bundle of sunshine as a kid and blamed Alessandro for corrupting me. Either way, she loved me. I knew that.

The trip back home went quicker than I expected and soon enough we pulled into the driveway. It was a little after eight so we were pretty late, but I knew my parents wouldn't care.

I followed my uncle into the house as he burst open the door and called out a very loud, "Yo!"

"You're like forty and you still greet people like that?" I snarked as I stepped inside, kicking off my shoes and tossing them against the wall.

"It works, doesn't it?" Alessandro grinned as we headed down the hallway.

The scent of my mom's pot roast hit us both at the same time, some deliciously fragrant meat, and I could hear the hushed voices of my parents when we entered the kitchen.

Mia was the first to see us, grinning as she raised a wine glass with some kind of dark red wine in it. "Yo!" She slurred the word.

Well, apparently that was a thing. I shook my head in exasperation, greeting my aunt with a simple wave.

Her cheeks were bright red, and I spotted the empty bottle of wine in the trash already and another one open on the counter.

"You're late!" my mom popped up with a huff, her hands on her hips. "I said be back by six, not eight o clock! You took so long that Mia's drunk and your dad started working on one of his models!"

I chuckled, leaning over to glance into the living room, where Dad was sitting at the table, tiny parts all already him as he put together one of his model kits. It had been a hobby of his since he had retired and I took over as CEO of the company.

"Sorry, Mom," I said out of habit, taking a seat at the counter as I saw Alessandro head over to his wife, pressing a kiss to her lips as a greeting. The two were practically made for each other.

"Cheer up, Livi," Alessandro grinned, hugging his wife as she hiccupped in his arms. "It's rare for me to see my beautiful wife so out of it. We're only in town for a week, so chill out, okay? I promise we'll spend the whole day with you guys tomorrow."

"Oh, no you won't," Mom huffed. "You promised to take Mia out on a date tomorrow. She's hardly seen any of LA because you've left her here with us to just sit around and get drunk."

"Mm, not drunk," Mia pouted in defiance. "Just tipsy."

And to prove it, she slid off the stool, tripping on her own feet, and would've hit the floor face-first if Alessandro hadn't caught her by the waist and hoisted her into her arms. I shook my head at their childishness, but Alessandro couldn't be happier, beaming as he cradled his wife like a princess.

"Not drunk," Mia insisted still. "Can do backflips!"

She wiggled inside of Alessandro's arms, huffing as she struggled, managing to flip around so she was face to face with the floor, and then said very proudly, still hovering mid-air in her husband's arms, "See?" "Well done!" Alessandro praised her, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he maneuvered her back into her seat. She could barely stay upright, leaning on Alessandro's chest with a glaze over her eyes.

Mom just silently shook her head, heading to the oven where she pulled out two made-up plates of food. She set one in front of Alessandro and the other in front of me. It wasn't very warm anymore, but I thanked her with a grin, digging in. I had to admit that I missed my mom's cooking. Even if she had given me the recipes to make on my own, it just wasn't the same. I was a terrible cook and burned mostly everything. I mainly ate out due to how busy I was but having a home- cooked meal in the house I grew up in, just hit that spot of longing nostalgia.

Despite all her huffiness, Mom joined us as we ate, talking about everything going on, from random snippets to just how they were doing. Dad even joined us, showing off his hand-painted and put-together model plane.

But after it passed ten and Alessandro took Mia to bed after she started snoring on his shoulder, I knew it was time to get home too. I said goodbye to Dad and Mom, and they walked me out.

After Dad walked away and as I was putting on my shoes, I heard her soft voice call out, "Elio. Be careful."

Her eyes were full of worry as she watched me in the hallway, and I was a bit surprised to see the signs of aging that I hadn't noticed before.

"Of what?"

"I know where Alessandro took you today," Mom said quietly. "I know what he offered you. I can't control your decisions, but just be careful. You don't know what that life was like, the things your father had to do. It burdens you. I never wanted that for you."

"The deal was legit, Mom," I said crossing my arms in annoyance. "There's nothing to worry about."

"I'm your mother." She smiled sadly. "I'm always going to worry about you. Just... maybe it's better to leave the past in the past where it belongs. Don't go too far into things you don't understand."

My temper flared up at the sorrowful look in her eyes, and despite knowing where she was coming from, I couldn't help but feel like she was scolding me like I was a child she still had to guide. "But it was never my past, was it, Mom?" I said coldly.

She reeled back, her eyes shining with unshed tears, and I regretted how harsh my words sounded but I still stood by them.

"See you later, Mom," I said quietly, shutting the front door behind me.

It took me a minute to gather my bearings and then I took my car back to my house. I pushed all thoughts of what happened together to the back of my mind, filling it with the silence of the radio.

The blankness helped as I arrived home. Out of habit, I glanced at Cat's window, but it was dark. She was probably asleep. I sighed as I got out and headed up the sidewalk. I reminded myself to call a few people for work, locking the front door behind me.

I was barely paying attention as I climbed the stairs to my bedroom. But the moment I opened the door and flicked on the light, I noticed something was very out of place.

My jaw dropped-lying on my bed was Cat, all dressed up like a present to be unwrapped. Her sultry eyes glanced at me with a little smirk in the corner of her mouth. "Welcome home," she whispered.