Unwanted Marriage with the Mafia Boss (Mob Boss’s Unexpected Twins Duet #1)

7. Chiara

CHAPTER 7

Chiara

I take a peek through the window. My dad is in the middle of the group formed by our neighbors and he makes a lot of angry gestures as he speaks. Is it all about that billionaire who wants to destroy our neighborhood?

I get out of my room. As I’m passing through the hallway, I spot my mom in the master bedroom. She’s putting her things into a big suitcase. I furrow my brow as I enter.

“Mom, what’s going on?” I ask as I cross my arms.

“Oh honey, it’s a good thing you’re here. Your dad and I are going to visit your uncle Nico.”

“Why? Is everything okay?” It’s got to be something important because my parents rarely go for unplanned visits or trips. My uncle is a lawyer, and if anything had happened to him, I’m sure my mom and dad would’ve already told me.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” My mom’s gaze meets mine as she places another shirt in the suitcase. “It’s because of Adriano Gaviani... That billionaire who wants to buy our neighborhood and mow it all down for his project. We now know a little bit more about him and his plans, so we think Nico can help us. Your dad will collect all the paperwork and information, and together with Nico, we can figure out how to stop Gaviani.”

“Do you think there’s something that can be done about that? I mean, that Gaviani guy can’t force anyone to sell their property to him.”

“No, he can’t, but there are other ways he can make things difficult for us. He’s already bought some properties and some people will sell for the right price, so—”

“Gaviani could end up building something right across from our home and ruin everything,” I finish for her.

“Exactly.” She nods. “But this neighborhood is very old, and Nico said that there might be a way to protect the whole area so that Gaviani can’t build whatever he wants here. Some types of buildings or activities might not be acceptable. Then he’d have to find some other place for his project and we’d be free of him. We have to protect our history and culture.”

“The guy’s a billionaire. People like him find their way around all the laws.” It wouldn’t be the first time that the people in charge looked the other way or tweaked the laws just to suit the needs of the rich.

“Sure, but we can go to the press. Catch everyone’s attention. The whole country will know about this, and people won’t be happy. But first we need to check and know all our options. It might be easier than we think. Maybe we only need to make a small move that will make Gaviani realize we’re serious about staying and preserving our neighborhood the way it is. If he doesn’t want any trouble or bad press, he’ll change his plans.”

“Should I go with you? Maybe there’s something I can help with.” This is about my future too. I can’t just sit back and wait.

“No. You shouldn’t skip your classes, and we need someone to keep an eye on the house and the restaurant.”

“Right. Of course.” I give her a small smile. “I hope it works out.”

It would suck to have a huge hotel or something just down the street. It would completely change the look and feel of our neighborhood.

“Me too.” My mom sighs. “We’ll put up one hell of a fight.”

“Oh, we will.” Gaviani will regret ever choosing our neighborhood as his target.

I sit on the stairs that lead to the restaurant as I watch the sun disappear behind the houses. The whole street is bathed in a reddish glow, and the sky is impossibly beautiful.

Bianca, my neighbor, walks up to me and sits down next to me.

“Hey,” she says with a smile on her face. Her blonde hair is tied into a ponytail and her hazel eyes sparkle in the last rays of the sun.

“It’s awesome what your dad’s doing,” she says.

“Yeah. We all just want to protect our neighborhood.”

She bobs her head. “But my mom and dad think we’re going to have to move in the end.”

“We won’t,” I say confidently. “No one can force us out of here.”

“My dad doesn’t agree. He heard that Gaviani is a mafia boss, or that his family is the mafia or something like that.”

“A mafia boss? Yeah, I heard that before. But are you sure that’s not just a rumor?” We hear about the mafia and their wars all the time, but we’ve never had any contact with them, or at least I haven’t.

If they were out in the open, it would be easy for the cops to catch them. Some people think that any super-rich person is in the mafia, and maybe they do have some similarities in the way they operate, but I doubt Gaviani is a mafia boss.

Bianca shrugs. “I don’t know. I’m just telling you what I heard. I don’t want to have to move either, but you never know. People like Gaviani are shady as hell.”

“I get that, but why would he want all the attention on him? If he’s a mafia boss, surely he won’t want to deal with the outrage.”

The mafia has its hands in everything, but they usually do it so that most people don’t know about it or don’t realize it. Mowing down a historical neighborhood for money laundering or some other criminal activities seems a bit too much. Too flashy. Too in everyone’s faces.

“Maybe he’s already bribed or threatened everyone to keep quiet about him. You know that house that burned in a fire recently?”

“Nora’s house?”

“Yeah. People are saying Gaviani did that.”

“Caused a fire?” I raise an eyebrow at her. “Why would he do that? How?”

“Her family sold the property to him.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t prove he was behind it all. Nora left something on the stove and fell asleep. It happens.”

“So you’re saying Gaviani just got lucky?” She narrows her eyes at me.

“Probably, yeah.”

“Well, I’m suspicious about it all. Remember Agnelli? He said he wouldn’t sell and then he did and disappeared without a trace. People say Gaviani had something on him or threatened him somehow.”

“People say a lot of things.” Some of them true, and some of them pure invention. “And Agnelli maybe intended to sell all along, but he didn’t want to admit it because he knew a lot of his friends would be jumping down his throat for his decision. Maybe he didn’t want anyone to try to change his mind.”

“Maybe you’re right, but we don’t know. I think Gaviani is a threat.”

“My mom and dad will figure something out. If we have to go public about it, we will, but no one can take our homes. My family and I aren’t going anywhere. My home is here and always will be.”

“You already moved out once.”

“Yeah, and it was a mistake.” My house is the only place I’ll ever feel safe.

“It was a mistake only because you moved in with the wrong person. If it weren’t for that guy, maybe you would’ve liked your life in your new apartment.”

“It’s not only that. I never intended to stay in that apartment forever. I planned to eventually return here and run the restaurant.” Marry Filippo and build a house for us right next to my parents’.

Filippo even agreed to it. We had so many plans. But then it all turned out to be a lie. He wanted me to be his and only his, no matter what I wanted. He was only saying things he thought I wanted to hear.

“I’m sorry,” Bianca says. “I shouldn’t have brought that up.”

“It’s okay.”

She places her hand over mine. “I can see it in your eyes that it still hurts you. That wasn’t my intention. I hope you’re right, and nothing will change here. Actually, do you think we could hire the mafia to chase Gaviani out of here?”

“Terrible idea. If they get you entangled in their world, they’ll never let you go. Our neighborhood would become theirs, and that’s even worse than Gaviani.”

Bianca laughs. “I was joking.”

A smile spreads across my lips. “I know, but I still don’t want any mafia anywhere near us.”

“Agreed.” Bianca gets to her feet. “I have to go. My mom wants me to look at some apartments with her, just in case.”

I sigh. Many people said they were willing to fight for our neighborhood, but what if they change their minds? We can’t let Gaviani win and get what he wants. We came here first, and he’s an intruder. He doesn’t belong here, and it’s not like he intends to live here himself.

All he wants is to get richer and richer, which is ridiculous, considering he’s already a billionaire. Why does he need more money? More projects? Why doesn’t he care about anyone other than himself? Has he even seen how beautiful our neighborhood is? Does he know any of the people who live here? Like, really know them? I’m sure he doesn’t.

He’s a villain, and villains don’t win in the end. I just know it. Gaviani isn’t going to get what he wants. We all need to stick together. Then we’ll be unbeatable.