THE SHADOWY WATCHER

Luca had planned to take Bianca shopping to change her wardrobe and get her other necessities in a bid to get her ready for her new role as an upcoming Mrs. Vincenzo. But he had somewhere to go before that.   He drove his Rolls Royce Phantom himself to the Vincenzo estate. He had to meet his father to inform him about some new developments in the family business. Their supply of drugs to L. A has been halted due to the arrest of their distributors in the area. He couldn't just sit and watch and expect a miracle to happen for them to get new distributors in the area. And besides, their rivals were beginning to infiltrate L.A slowly. It was only a matter of time before their presence in the area became heavy. When he got to his family home, he drove slowly into the compound and parked his vehicle very close to some flower hedges. He alighted and adjusted his pants and vintage shirt. He had a feeling his hair was not packed properly so he untied it as he began walking towards the Vincenzo mansion. The Vincenzo mansion is a fancy estate that was very close to the Schuylkill River. It has an exquisite marble front and big white columns. There was a tennis court and helipad surrounded by pretty gardens. Inside, there's a big foyer decorated with contemporary art and beautiful chandelier lighting. A large dining hall that could almost contain the whole family. There was a library and an art gallery. The master suite has views of the Schuylkill River. The guest and staff rooms were hidden. It also has an indoor swimming pool, a home theater, a wine cellar, and an underground garage. It was also one of the most heavily guarded settlements in Philadelphia. The mansion was a testament to the wealth and influence of the Vincenzo family. By now, Luca was already at the main entrance to the mansion. His hair was neatly packed into a ponytail. He stopped and took out a hand towel to dry his palm which became greasy because of his hair. He stepped into the house and gently walked through the foyer. The maids all trembled at the sight of Luca and he enjoyed their reactions, it made him feel dreaded. They all muttered a greeting in either Italian or English as they walked past him, but he responded to none and only kept a narcissistic smile as he walked towards the study. As he sat, he pulled his phone from the left pocket of his pants and dialed his father's number. Antonio Vincenzo picked up his phone and said in a shrill voice… 'Figlio mio, sei già qui?" ('My son, are you here already") 'Sì, padre" ('Yes father") Luca in a surprisingly chill voice. His father was the only person he spoke calmly to, maybe because he was internally scared of his father. 'I sit at the study" 'Alright, I will be with you in a minute" About a couple minutes later, Antonio Vincenzo walked into the study dressed in black pants and a white shirt. He wore fluffy slippers and carried a bottle of rum in his hand. He put down the bottle of rum on a table and motioned to Luca to come over to the table as he went to a nearby cabinet to bring the glass cups they'd drink from. 'Sembri davvero triste, figlio mio, cosa ti preoccupa così tanto?" (You look really sad son, what is this that bothers you so much?) He said as he opened the cabinets in search of the perfect cups to drink the 'Zacapa Edicion Negra rum" a highly regarded rum among the elite in Italy. 'Padre…" began Luca. 'Business is failing in Los Angeles. Dushanbe was arrested about two weeks ago and since then, shipments to that territory have been paused and movement of the product has greatly reduced in that Locale." Antonio was already sitting at this point. He scanned Luca with his eyes like he was looking for something in him. 'Va bene,(alright) he started 'If that is the only thing bothering you then I don't think there's much of a problem". He poured out the rum slowly into the glass cups and took a sip from his cup. Luca was astonished. He couldn't believe what his father had just said. At least 30% of their drug money came from L. A only and Dushanbe has been a loyal distributor of his father's for more than 9 years. He couldn't wrap his head around why his father thinks his arrest and the loss of their main distributor in the locale is not much of a problem. 'La Fratellanza della Morte is moving into our territory in L.A, due to the drought," he said and leaned back into his chair. He knew that this would trigger his father. Antonio was a man of tradition and hated when people from other clans disrespected his clan or went against the mafia legacy. And he was right. This information had triggered his dad. 'What will you do?" Antonio asked his voice cold as death. 'I will plan a hit on their next shipment to L.A, and hijack the shipment. This will pull their mind back and put them in their right senses" Luca responded with determination and rage in his eyes and his voice. Antonio sat still scanning him and thinking. Slowly he lifted his cup took another sip of rum and gently put the cup back down. 'Va bene, do as you wish son. But make sure you're not going to be present in the mission. You're now the capofamiglia of our clan. Do not get yourself killed" he said sounding even colder than earlier 'Un corpo senza testa non può sopravvivere o funzionare correttamente" (A body without a head cannot survive or function properly). 'Sì padre," Luca said as he stood. He drank the whole content of his cup and stood still for a moment with his head bent and he waited for the drink to go down a little before saying. 'I'll be taking my leave now" As Luca stepped out of the mansion, his phone buzzed. 'Luca Vincenzo?" he answered in a calm but curious voice. A gravely low feminine voice spoke on the other end of the line. 'I have valuable information about one of your lieutenants… something that could help you a lot. Luca's grip on the phone tightened. 'So… what do you want exactly?" 'One million dollars only" the woman replied. Luca was quiet for a while. 'And… what is the information?" 'I'll give that out only after I get paid" The line went dead….