The Godfather

Sophia lingered at the door for a few minutes, wondering if Tony had sent the guards to bring her. She had to be cautious.

“Miss, please come out quickly. They are men sent by Mr. Santoro,” the lady said, and Sophia hesitated for a moment. Tony’s last name was Moretti, so who was this Mr. Santoro? She had to leave this place somehow, so she decided to trust her instincts and finally walked out.

A hostess stood there with an elegant smile, and behind her were two security men. Their uniform had the logo ‘DD’, which signified that they were workers there.

“They will take you home safely. No need to worry,” the hostess assured her, and Sophia nodded, having decided to trust her instincts. There was no turning back.

---

Luca arrived at the hotel room where he planned to have some fun, but he was no longer in the mood after he crossed paths with the lady from the corridor.

“Leave,” he ordered the half-naked woman on his bed, and she got confused but quickly left the room. Marco walked in and saw the frown on Luca’s face.

“The guards took her home already,” he reported, and Luca glared at him, unsure if he was mistaken about the lady.

“Who was that earlier?” he wanted to make sure that she was the one.

“Do you mean the guy? He is the son of Gideon Moretti, the sixth most powerful gangster family in the country. He just returned from prison a few days ago,” Marco Santoro replied quickly.

Luca frowned slightly, “I am talking about the girl.”

“Uhm, I will check right away…”

“No need,” Luca interrupted him. He thought deeply for a few seconds, before he ran away from this country with his sisters. He had a neighbor who stammered a lot, and he was her only friend because no one wanted to be friends with her because of her way of speaking. She was adorable. His lips hooked up in a smile.

Then, he finally left the casino, along with Marco as he had other things to take care of.

---

Carlo Russo finally got home and found his niece, Isabella, with his sister’s best friend Laura. It was late, and he never expected not to find his sister at home.

“She went to deliver some products,” Laura explained, and Carlo frowned, wondering why she had to go deliver so late at night.

“Where? I will go pick her up,” he said, sounding worried, but then they heard a car park in front of the house.

They hurriedly checked and saw a black, shiny Bentley, and to their surprise, Sophia walked down and waved at the car.

Carlo, being an overprotective brother, hurried outside. “Who is that?”

Sophia knew how short-tempered her brother was, and if she explained what happened tonight, then he might pull a gun on Tony, which might not end well.

“The client sent his driver to drop me off,” she lied, and Carlo sighed in relief. “Uhm, where is Bella?” she asked as they both walked in.

“She is sleeping already. It's late,” he explained, and now that they were in a well-lit room, he could have a clear look at her face, which had slight bruises.

“You lied to me. Who did this to you?” Carlo clenched his fist angrily, and Laura also noticed the bruises, which made them worried.

“It's nothing. I have work early,” Sophia quickened her pace and hurried to her room.

“Where did she go?” Carlo asked Laura, hoping that she might know where his sister got those bruises. “To deliver. I don’t know where. And yes, I have to leave now…goodnight,” Laura picked up her bag and left.

Sophia walked into the bedroom where she found her daughter, Isabella, sleeping calmly on the bed. With a soft smile, she sat beside her and used her fingers to brush Bella’s hair.

She couldn't believe Tony’s audacity today. If those men hadn't shown up, then he would have done worse to her. But instead, she acted like a spoiled brat and didn't appreciate the man who helped her.

---

The next morning, Sophia woke up in a haste and got dressed. She had to drop her daughter off at school and also make it early to work.

“Mother, I am ready to leave,” Bella was dressed in her school uniform, and she had a cute smile. Sophia had used makeup to cover the bruises on her face because she didn't want to make her daughter sad.

“Let’s go then,” they both walked out of their small apartment and took a cab. Minutes later, Sophia dropped her daughter off at school before rushing to get a cab.

She was in such a hurry that she didn't pay attention to the two classy ladies who had their eyes glued to her.

“It’s Sophia,” Valentina Greco said to her sister, who glared at Sophia for a while before nodding in agreement. “She looks different now.”

"It's been fifteen years; of course, she had to change… but she will never recognize us," Valentina Greco said, knowing that Sophia was her brother's friend before the tragedy that happened, and they had to leave the country.

Her older sister, Angelina, frowned at her. "You're not supposed to say that out loud. Remember what our brother told us. We don't know anyone here; we must keep our cover."

Valentina nodded and stared at Sophia until she got into the cab, which drove away. "Do you think our brother still likes her?"

Angelina couldn't help but laugh hard. Her brother, who had a stone heart? "Never," she blurted.

Sophia arrived at the office and was about to go in when the security guards stopped her. "You need to make an urgent delivery," the guard said, which confused her. If she had to make a delivery, then the guard was in no position to tell her that.

Was this planned by Tony?

"I don't think so," she replied when the same black car that dropped her off yesterday stopped in front of them.

"Shall we?" the driver asked.

"No… what's going on? Tell Tony to go to hell," Sophia said, scared to her wits. Would her ex-husband never get over her?

"You don't have a choice. Think about your daughter," the driver pulled out a gun, and hearing him mention her daughter, Sophia got in without hesitation when he drove away.

"Where are we going?" Sophia asked, but the driver didn't pay any attention to her. Sophia got to thinking this through. Of course, Tony was from a wealthy family, but he was not rich and couldn't afford such a car, let alone a driver.

If this was not arranged by Tony, then it was arranged by Mr. Santoro, whom she had no idea who he was.

Minutes later, the car stopped in front of a vast and imposing mansion. The paint color was dull, but the mansion was highly secured with armed men, and some men patrolled around with dogs.

This place looked like it belonged to the mafia. Sophia had tried every way possible to never get involved with one of the godfathers in this country, so how did she end up here?

"Come," the driver said as he held his gun tightly. This made her obey him as they ascended the stairs and into the sitting room.

The place was huge indeed, but what caught her attention was the familiar screams. By the window, there were some armed men, and a man was on the chair, badly injured and tied up.

It was her brother, Carlo.

"Carlo!" she couldn't believe the state her brother was in. Did he get involved with a gangster, and he ended up in this situation? "Run, sister, run!" Carlo yelled out in surprise as he saw his sister here.