Family Reunion

Christian's POV...

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After her friend called her away, I watched her walk away with a smile around my lips, fully intent to find out more about her and get that date.

It was about time I tried again with a new woman. My love life was a mess and I had to always handle my romantic affairs delicately, which was why I didn't insist she stay. I needed to be calculative about my approach.

My business associate, Martin Lowe's birthday party became tiresome after a while and I was getting bored. After realizing that the beautiful Sylvia Jones was no longer at the party, I decided to leave as well. I found Martin and gave him my congratulations before I took my leave.

I rode in one of my SUVs with my driver, Jay, and my bodyguard, Silas. It was a quiet ride back home, but after a while, I broke the silence.

"Silas! Did you see the young woman I was talking to at the party?" I asked.

"Yes, sir. I saw her," Silas replied.

"Her name's Sylvia Jones. I need you to find out everything there is to know about her as soon as tomorrow. Can you do that?"

"Of course, Sir. I'll get her information to you in the morning."

We kept driving for a while until we reached the road away from the intersection that would take us to my mansion home, right on the less-bustling edge of the city. A few minutes after getting on the empty road, Jay reduced his speed until he came to a complete stop.

"Jay, why have we stopped?" Silas asked, already on high alert.

"There's a Range Rover blocking our path ahead, Sir," Silas explained.

We all looked in front of the vehicle and noticed another large car parked horizontally across the road.

"Stay in the car, Sir. I'll check it out," Silas said before stepping out, holding his hand by his side, close to his firearm.

There was a deep pit in my stomach. Such a thing hadn't happened to me in a long time and I had a feeling concerning who was in the other car.

Suddenly, the backdoor of the Range Rover opened and two suited men with automatic guns stepped out from one door, while another set came out the other door. They stood by the car and seconds later, another man dressed in a white suit stepped out and crossed his arms while waiting…for me!

"Keep the engine going, Jay. We may need a quick getaway," I said before stepping out myself.

"Sir, you should stay in the car," Silas yelled.

"It's okay, Silas. I know who they are. Just relax and let me do the talking."

We walked over to the five men and after closing the distance, I could see his face clearly now, and I smiled at the revelation.

"After all these years, I didn't think I would ever see you again, Carlos," I said to the man in the white suit.

"I didn't I'd ever see you again either, but as fate would have it, our paths were destined to cross again, big brother!"

A smile appeared on his face and he moved closer to me before we embraced in a warm hug.

"It's good to see you again, little brother," I replied.

"Likewise! I've been keeping some tabs on you. I read that you used your share of Dad's inheritance to start your own business and fifteen years later, you're a fucking multi - millionaire. Nicely done, Christian," Carlos said and he sounded impressed.

"Well, I know about your current power and status too. Except you chose to follow in our father's footsteps of crime and bullets. How's the Mafia world treating you, Capo Carlos?" I said back, not bothering to mince words with him.

The mood was getting tenser, causing Silas to slowly reach for his gun, just as Carlos' men were doing.

"If you wished to visit, you could have just stopped by at my house. I would have granted you an audience," I said.

"I didn't do that because I don't wish to stay in this city for long. I just stopped by to get my share of Dad's diamonds and after you give them to me, I'll be heading back to New York immediately," Carlos responded.

My eyes widened when he mentioned the diamonds. I tried to act unshaken but I was worried about this and Carlos noticed.

"Ah, you thought I didn't know about them, didn't you? After we split Dad's fortune between ourselves, I left Wisconsin to follow my own path in life while you remained in our childhood home…where Dad's safe was. I only found out about the safe and the diamonds in it last week when I was going through some of Dad's old stuff that I had taken with me when I left all those years ago. He wrote about it in his journal."

"I see," I replied.

"I've come for my share. I know you found them. It would explain your meteoric rise to the top. By right, they belong to us both. I want mine."

I could see the seriousness in Carlos' eyes and it was just as intense as the day we argued after he chose to leave all those years ago.

"I don't have them anymore. They're gone," I stated sharply.

"Then, give the sum of which they were worth," Carlos demanded.

"That isn't possible, Carlos."

He was getting even more agitated, I could see it in his posture, but I wasn't worried. Carlos had always been very loud-mouthed, but when it came down to it, he always chose the amicable way out of his problems.

Suddenly, he waved his hand and two of his men stepped in front of him and pulled out their guns. They fired past Silas and I, raining bullets into the windshield of my car, instantly killing Jay who was still in the driver's seat.

"Tell your dog to put down his gun," Carlos ordered and I instructed Silas to put his outstretched gun away.

Carlos moved closer to me to make sure I could hear him loudly and clearly, "You have one week, big brother! One week to give me what I'm owed or I will destroy everything you hold dear in your life. Have a nice night!"

They quickly went back into the car and drove away, leaving me and Silas completely rattled, but alive. I was certain now that Carlos meant business and I had to be ready for him if I was to come out on top.