The Alpha Mafia King
Chapter 31

It is a general assumption that when the pain becomes too much to bear, people shut off emotionally because the pain in itself is an emotion. Lucian Oriano went to work frozen with no emotion. His gaze shifted skyward and fell on the Dorado Chemicals, the sign above reading.

He did not feel anything towards the company. Some of his Workers tried sympathizing with him, but he did not say a word back to anyone. He had a ghostly appearance. Everyone was amazed at how his skin had become pale and his eyes sunken.

He further ignored two of his female workers, Claudia and Bonnie, who had tried to sympathize with him right at the entrance. He watched them as they left, looking dejected.

He did not care if he had hurt anyone’s feelings. He did not care that those two had been devoted to working for his company for over six years. He listened to their conversation as they walked to the elevator doors.

“Damn, I feel very sorry for him,” said a female worker to another.

“Yeah, I feel so too, but a man gotta chest his losses and move on with his life!” the other woman replied.

“Yeah, you know, I think you’re right.”

“Of course I am, people come and go, and we can’t decide who is going to be next.”

“Yes, and death doesn’t care about your age, status, or something. It just swoops in and takes alongside the next one.”

“Yeah, but I’m betting he wished he was the one.”

“I’m betting on that too, considering that his wife died only a few years back. I think he would have been happier to join her.”

The elevator doorbell made a chiming sound, and the elevator doors were opened up. There was an exchange of workers, and Lucian continued down to where he was going. At this point, Lucian Oriano could no longer shed any more tears. His hollow heart was feeling nothing.

Not even the penetrating sad gaze of his workers could move him to feel a thing. He went straight into his office, completely ignoring everyone. He turned on his television as he had been doing for the past two weeks.

Alonso had given him an ultimatum of two weeks to do what he felt was right. He had done absolutely nothing. His office door was left open, and it reminded him of a riddle.

“When is a door not a door?” he asked and came up with the answer instantly. “When it’s ajar.”

The “Door is Not a Door” riddle was an example of wordplay, also called a pun, intended to elicit humor. He was too emotionless to feel the mood. There was a breaking news headline displayed on the television, and he leaned forward with expectancy but did not precisely know why.

Dorado’s Chemicals Exposed! Someone was blowing the whistle on his company, exposing the evil plans of the company. The face of the whistleblower was hidden behind all that blur. His voice, too, had been modified to be unrecognizable. His office desk phone rang, and he hesitated a while before answering.

“Accept all the charges put against you,” Alonso said and then added, “or else I’ll do more damages.”

“Hmm, Alonso, I’ll gladly live the rest of my life in solitude behind bars.”

“You’ll be fine,” Alonso said, ending the call.

–

Soon, the authorities were out to get him, and he was arrested. Some employees had fled in fear that they would be arrested. Those who had not been more inclined to running away waited until they were forcefully thrown out of the building.

The authorities sealed the place, and Lucian knew that it was the end of Dorado Chemicals for a while. Lucian did not care. He was happy he had gotten his punishment. Deep down, he thanked Alonso, the punisher.

Jail felt like an excellent place to live. Morning by morning, he had time to reflect on his sins. He had time to be more prayerful and tried to speak to God to have mercy on him. He begged the ghost of Eureka to leave him alone at night.

“Shut the f**k up!” his cellmates would yell at night when he started to talk to himself.

They would beat him up the following morning. They beat him more than once since he arrived, but he smiled through the tribulations. He sometimes talked to God to let him die, but no matter how much beating Lucian had taken, it was not sufficient to kill him.

Two weeks after the authorities had been put in prison, the miracle Lucian had been praying for happened over breakfast. A new cellmate had come in unexpectedly. The guy had been covered in tattoos from the scalp of his head to the sole of his feet.

Duties were assigned to each prisoner, and the new guy had been working as a chef. Everyone feared him! Lucian had decided to offend him greatly and on purpose. Lucian did not answer him when he demanded to know who he was or other things. Lucian refused to bow to him as the new cellmate proclaimed that he was their god.

On the particular morning of his death, during breakfast, the cellmates gathered around him while the tattooed man brought out a kitchen knife and stabbed him. Lucian was smiling, and he lurched forward so that the blade could go deeper.

—

Mazza watched him, and Taleela played golf on the mini golf course. Alonso wrapped his hand around Taleela’s own as he guided her to swing the club properly. Being a werewolf was not just about being all-powerful. It also meant to feel a deeper connection to people like his pack and mate. Taleela intoxicated him. She had the most beautiful smile.

“Steady your arm,” he said, and she looked up at his hard, expressionless face with a smile.

Alonso let go of her as she swung the club correctly at the golf ball, which she managed to hole.

“Yes, I did it!” she said, throwing down the golf club. She turned and jumped on Alonso while hugging him. He caught her and spun her around as they kissed.

“I told you I could teach you better than Mazza,” Alonso said after they pulled away from each other. Alonso saw Mazza give her a thumbs up, but he seemed off for the first time since she had gotten here.

Bianco was walking down to them, waiting for Alonso to notice him. Alonso excused himself and went to meet with the man.

“Bianco, what’s up, amico?” Alonso said.

“Not much. I want to inform you that Lucian was killed this morning.”

Bianco explained everything he had heard. He told Alonso how Lucian was killed and how the authorities thought it was suicide, but he thought story. Alonso exhaled sharply and patted Bianco on the shoulder.

“Alright, may the lord rest his soul.”

“Maybe,” Bianco replied, shrugging.

He had no reason to interfere, and so he let the tattooed man live his godlike life. Had it been one of his guys that were murdered in jail, then he would have avenged the man sevenfold. Taleela looked in their direction with a worried expression, but Alonso smiled and waved at her to continue.

“So Bianco, have you been able to locate the guy that she drew?” Alonso asked, sounding weary.

“I’ve not been able to replace him,” Bianco said and then added with a sigh, “he’s like a ghost.”

“There’s no such thing as a ghost Bianco, replace him!” Alonso said.

“It would have been easier if I had his scent.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t, so I suggest you start relying on your other senses.”

Bianco expressed his frustration with a sigh, but he understood that Alonso needed to replace this man. Alonso returned to his mate, and they continued playing for a while. Despite everything going smoothly between Alonso and his mate, he still needed to know who she was.

“Sure thing, boss, I will keep searching!” Bianco replied.

“Good, so there’s still nothing that suggests Mariyanna knowing Taleela?”

“Nothing, she even seems oblivious.”

“I don’t think she is okay, and I know what I felt the day they both met. Keep digging, Bianco.”

Bianco nodded in understanding and said, “Sure I will. What’s up with Don Palumba?”

Alonso looked at his grandfather and replied, “I don’t know. He’s a little off this morning, but he has refused to tell me the reason.”

“Okay, what about Callisto’s men in Russia?”

“Piccolo is on it,” Alonso said.

“Alright then,” Bianco said. “I’m heading out now.”

“Sure, thank you, Bianco!”

Alonso had been informed that Jamie was playing every night in his casino. Alonso did nothing to stop him following Durante’s advice. He knew that Jamie was probably seeking intelligence, but Piccolo assured him that there was nothing in the casino, and it was like searching for gold in the sewer.

Later that evening, Mazza summoned him and Taleela to the living room, and he was hoping to God that he was not going to suggest that they should get married. They both sat down on a sofa across from him. He turned down the news volume and cleared his throat, ready to begin.

“Taleela, I believe that it is time we begin to dig into your past deliberately!” Mazza said firmly. “For that reason, Alonso, we’ll be following you on your next trip to Russia.”

Alonso nodded absentmindedly and replied, “Very well then, we can as well make that trip tomorrow.”

“Good, I was kind of hoping you would say that!” Mazza said.

Taleela was stunned about how Mazza and Alonso were talking like she wasn’t there. She wondered why she suddenly felt uneasy. It seemed like they were both conspiring against her to uncover something. She gulped hard.

“Hey, Taleela, what do you say?” Alonso said, turning to look at her. She had no choice but to agree. She had always wanted to go to Russia.

“I will be delighted to come along,” Taleela responded. She rose and headed straight to her bedroom.

“Do you think she’s angry?” Alonso asked Mazza after Taleela had gone. He wondered why Mazza had to go about it this way.

“She is just feeling like she’s not ready but trust me, she is,” Mazza said.

True, they had given her more than enough time for her to remember things on her own, but she had not. Now it was time to start digging into her past life whether or not she wanted to.

Taleela was in her bedroom; she laid down and had mixed feelings. Honestly, in the last few days, as she drew closer to Alonso, her memory had started to resurface, but not all of it.

The more time they spent together, the more it did to trigger her memory. She was trying to remember who her father was, but it had her feeling like having something at the tip of her tongue.

–

Meanwhile, Mariyanna had been duly notified by agent Fox that Alonso was suspicious of her and had placed a spy on her. He wanted to know if he should eliminate Bianco instantly. He had a clear shot.

“No, don’t take him out yet!” Mariyanna cried over the phone.

Fox lowered the gun.

“Yes, ma’am! Mission aborted.”

“I can take care of myself,” Mariyanna said. “Watch over my sister closely.”

“Yeah, I have been doing so.”

“Good, return to doing that right away.”

Fox wondered if Mariyanna ordered him to kill Alyona if he would be able to do it. He shook his head and reprimanded himself for even doubting himself.

He was a trained soldier who was fully obedient to Mariyanna. Alyona would be dead within a matter of time should he be given the order. She was already dead to him.