Chapter Thirty-Seven

                                    

                                          
Elijah's POV:
I share a look with Alessandro. 
He lifts Luis up by his collar, forcing him into the chair, "You have a minute to speak before I blow your head off of your body."
"Speak about what?" He says slickly, "I'm pretty sure I got my point across pretty well."
"Your mafia was supposed to go to Alessandro. That was the agreement," I say sharply.
"Yes, well, I suppose I've changed my mind. That was only considering the fact that my daughter took Madison and she never would have allowed me to pass the business from her to her daughter. Now that she's out of the picture and my mafia belongs to me once more, I've decided it's going to Madison," He says.
My jaw tenses. Alessandro casually puts the gun back to Luis's head, "Don't forget you're under our protection. If we kill you, there are no repercussions for me. Do you want to try me?
"I'm afraid there's nothing you can say to make me care to change my mind at all" He says, "You can kill me now if you'd like, it will only go to your precious mafia princess faster." I can sense Alessandro's want to squeeze the trigger.
"You can't seriously be considering not killing him," I say sharply.
"He's correct," Sandro says, "It'll only go to Maddie quicker."
"Then we'll just control it-"
"You're actually considering giving the business to Maddie?" Emilio says to me.
"I'm sorry, remind me what choice we have?!" I say to him.
Emilio looks incredulous, like he can't believe this. I hate that we're backed into a corner like this.
"Need I remind you how petty these bastards are? If we killed Luis now, they wouldn't take an order unless it came directly from Madison's mouth simply to make a point. And then do I need to remind you that Maddie know nothing of this? Not only that, she's 13."
I'm silent because I know there's no arguing him on this point.
"I have to ask if it's my turn to make demands?" Luis says, "If so, I'm demanding you to set me free, or I'll tell Madison what it is you do myself. How does that sound?" He says thinly.
"It sounds like you've better watch your next steps very carefully," Alessandro says, "There's plenty of power you lack. And I wouldn't challenge me before you build yourself up to even a fraction of the place where I stand. Understood?"
Luis's eyes are sharp and his glare is withering, "Understood," He responds.
"Now get up."
Maddie's POV:
That night, I can't sleep. I hate myself for being so eager to please my brothers, that I walked blindly into a diner with a man I didn't know. I know better than anyone not to blindly trust, and yet that's exactly what I did. I stand up from my bed shakily and walk down the hallway. I knock on the bedroom door softly, it isn't closed all the way, I've realized they never close them all the way at night. Alessandro's voice answers, "Come in." I walk in, standing by the door.
"Can I lay in here for a bit?"
He nods and I walk over to the huge bed, sitting on the side. I watch him type on the laptop until something bright and colorful on his right wrist catches my eye. It's a bracelet, it's bright orange  and pink made with string and beads. ALE.
[Pronounced like Ah-Lay}
It's really pretty but it doesn't look like his style at all, it's a stark contrast to everything about him.
"I'm sorry about dinner the other night," I say, "I freaked out."
"It's alright," He responds, "I shouldn't have sprung it on you." 
I wonder about him and our family.
"Do you miss your father?" I ask him.
He pauses for a moment, "Always," He says, "When we got the news I was devastated. We've sustained a lot of losses in the past few years," He continues typing but it's almost distractedly and then he stops altogether. He hesitates, "I hope you know we aren't offended that you miss your mother. I understand," He says.
"But you hate her," I says confusedly. They call her 'Elena', they act like she isn't their mother.
"But I can also be grateful in a sense, her leaving made me stronger," He say, looking down at his laptop.
"You were 13, you didn't need to be strong." I say quietly, "You deserved the chance to be a child."
He's silent, looking down at his keyboard in a still silence, before he continues typing, "You should get some sleep."