Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 653 -

*Elio*

"As you can see, there's plenty of space for expansion, but it can also be blocked off with these movable walls so that it doesn't feel empty," I explained to one of my newer clients.

He was the head of an up-and-coming tech company that was buying office space for the first time. So far, we had shown him eleven different properties, but this was the only one he seemed even slightly interested in.

I understood his hesitation to sign a multi-million-dollar lease, but I was starting to get annoyed by his pickiness. Anyone who was unwilling to build something from scratch had to be willing to make a few compromises. "There's also the option of renting out the second floor if needed," Leo added, anticipating that the client was about to ask about extra space.

He always seemed overly concerned with extra space, as if his company was going to unexpectedly grow twice the size that it currently was.

"I like these windows, but does it ever get too bright in the morning? I'd hate for my people to start getting migraines."

I had to turn away to roll my eyes. Who the fuck complained about too much natural sunlight? I heard Leo stifle a chuckle as he saw my exasperated expression.

We continued to lead our client around, pointing out the various points of interest that would work well for his company's needs. This was the side of my job that I found particularly boring, which was why I was replaceing this particular client so difficult to deal with. Most office spaces were the same with a few unimportant differences. Unlike this guy, most of our clients looked at two or three options and picked the size that best fit their company. It was rare to come across someone so picky.

I wouldn't have been showing office space if I'd had a choice. Instead, I liked the chance to use my creativity and transform a space into something new. That was the part of my job that really thrilled me, and I loved that I had been able to hone that talent over the years.

I knew that it was thanks to my father's connections and money that I had been given the opportunity to pursue more creative endeavors, but for those developments that we kept in the portfolio, renting out office buildings was where the real money was at, and at the end of the day, I still had to work to ensure the company made money.

Of course, I hoped that I wouldn't have to continue with this career much longer. My mind was extremely preoccupied with joining the family business, especially now that Caterina was all in.

"Alright, well you've given me a lot to think about," our client said noncommittally as we led him back to the door.

Leo nodded and held the door open for him. Once he was gone, we both turned and looked out the windows. The view was vast despite being on the first floor. The building was situated at the top of a large hill so that we were able to look out and see several city blocks. People scurried around to wherever they needed to be as Leo and I stood in companionable silence.

"I'll bet you a hundred bucks he calls tomorrow wanting to look at more options," Leo said.

"I'll bet you one-fifty he calls in five minutes wanting to look at more options," I countered with a laugh.

We both chuckled and shook our heads, amazed at our client's mundane life now that we were getting involved in real shit.

Against my better judgment, I had found myself thinking more and more of the mafia life as "real shit" and my everyday real estate development life as "fake shit." I knew it probably wasn't a healthy way to categorize things, but it was impossible not to feel that way knowing that doing "real shit" could get me killed.

When death was on the table, everything felt so much more heightened. Everything was sharper, every emotion stronger. Even my connection to Caterina felt deeper, something that I never thought possible considering how close we had been already. But everything we had been through had only served to push us closer together.

"I got a text," Leo said after a few minutes of staring out at the city. "It's that contact that Alessandro put me in touch with. He said we need to meet."

"Alright, let's get going," I answered, heading out without another word. Finally, it was time for some real shit. I'd been craving this all day.

As I walked, I pulled out my phone and called the contact for myself. His name was Thomas and based on his texts, he was one ruthless motherfucker. I definitely never wanted to cross him, and I wondered where on earth Alessandro had managed to replace him.

"Yeah?" he answered gruffly, as though he was annoyed that I had bothered him with a call.

"I was calling to confirm," I said vaguely.

"I already confirmed with your buddy. We've secured a meeting."

He hung up without another word. Although the bastard didn't need to be quite so abrupt, I knew exactly what this meant. Leo and I both got into my car, and I drove us to the warehouse location that Alessandro had given me several weeks earlier when we first discussed this plan.

As we drove past the tall buildings of downtown and toward the rougher part of the city, I wondered what Caterina would think of what I was about to do. There was no doubt in my mind that she would support me, but in what capacity? I wasn't sure if she was ruthless enough for the mafia life. And Alessandro had drilled into my head that ruthlessness was the only way to get ahead in this business.

'If you aren't willing to be the meanest bastard you've ever met, you might as well just stick with real estate development,' he'd told me once not too long ago when I had hesitated about carrying out a particularly brutal plan.

His words had stuck with me. I'd let myself become hardened in the subsequent days. I wouldn't make the same mistake again. The last thing I needed was for Alessandro to think I was too weak and stop allowing me to make this transition. Caterina and I had decided that this was the life for us, and I was determined to make it happen.

I pulled up to the warehouse, not bothering to try to hide my car. Nobody would recognize it anyway.

"Be ready," I muttered to Leo as I tucked the gun Alessandro had given me into the back of my waistband.

I had grown accustomed to it over time, wearing it more days than not. The weight of it was comforting, especially after what had happened to Caterina's mom. Leo had his own gun in the shoulder holster that he had taken to wearing. He nodded at me, and we got out of the car quickly, walking with purpose into the warehouse.

Light barely made it through the grimy windows at the top of the nondescript building. The warehouse looked like it was one strong wind away from falling over completely, which is exactly why Alessandro had chosen it for this purpose. Nobody would ever suspect that the most powerful mafia family in Italy was running part of its operations out of this thing.

As my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, I could make out the figure of a man tied to a chair in the farthest corner of the building. I walked toward him confidently, Leo trailing behind and covering my back, although the man in the chair looked pretty incapable of doing anything at this point.

His hands were tightly bound together behind the back of the chair with duct tape, and his ankles were zip-tied to the legs of the chair. He had a strip of duct tape across his mouth.

He watched us warily as we crossed toward him, but he didn't look fearful. His chin-length hair fell into his eyes and gave him an insolent look as he glared at us. He didn't show any signs of being physically harmed, but then again, just because he didn't have bruises didn't mean he hadn't been smacked across the face a few times.

I smiled at him, mustering up all the real estate mogul charm in my body. "So happy you could join us today, I know this will only take a few minutes," I said, speaking in a tone that indicated that for me this was just another business meeting. I turned around and grabbed a chair that had been tossed haphazardly toward the wall. I placed it only a foot away from the guy and sat down, staring at him.

Like a rabid dog, he met my gaze and refused to glance down. "I need this to be quick. I have a special date to get to," I said cordially, glancing at my watch as if this was the most mundane thing in the world that we could be doing. After staring at the man for a few more minutes, allowing the silence to build to an intolerable level, I reached out and roughly ripped the duct tape off his mouth. I let the smile fall from my face and the barely contained rage in my body rise to the surface just enough to show on my face.

The man in the chair moved away from me. It was the tiniest of movements, damn near imperceptible, but I saw it. I saw the way his eyes widened slightly. I saw the way he cringed away from me, even just by a few millimeters. He was scared of me.

My heart beat faster with the sudden rush of power that flooded my body. I could do anything, absolutely anything, to this guy. I could make him tell me what I wanted to hear. I could make him beg for his life. Whatever I wanted, he would give it, because he knew I had the upper hand.

I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees, keeping my posture casual and my face devoid of emotion. I didn't want him to be able to figure out my next move. He smartly remained silent, although his mouth was now free of tape. There was a bright red mark around his mouth where the tape had torn at his skin.

Seeing that I had managed to inflict a real injury, even a small one, on him sent a thrill through me, given who this guy was. I would have to be careful to ensure I didn't start liking this shit a little too much.... "So," I finally said after another long silence, "let's talk about your boss."