My dear little broccolis 💚💚💚

💚 So remember that this pic is RATED M, and it is not only for the sexy times. Some dark moments will be approached in this story, and they can trigger some people. This is a fair warning to remind you that this story sets place in a dark world, which means it is bound to mountains dark themes.

Love, Mina 💚💚💚

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Chapter 48: The Maddening Ire Of A Mobster (6,2K)

💚‼️Remember that this story is rated M not only because of lemon but also because of violence and strong content! This story isn't about unicorns and rainbows, and some VERY DARK AND HARD themes are in there! ‼️

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Christian's PoV

Christian stared dumbfounded at the pictures as Raymond flipped them one by one. They were all featuring Ana with the same guy. At a café, at a restaurant, getting out of the theatre or a boutique. Most of the times, she was smiling, or even laughing, oblivious of the fact that she was being followed and photographed each of these times. Oblivious of the fact that the guy with whom she was spending her time was just using her.

The man who was the other constant of these pictures was the son of Andrea Mazarati, Luca Mazarati. Christian had only seen him a few times, not really bothering to know much about him. The problem was his father, not him. Mazarati senior had been trying to crush Raymond for some time, and it seemed that this was his latest course of action to destabilised Raymond and take his place.

Though Mazarati was of Italian descent and had many businesses in his home country, he was mostly interested in what was happening in the US, probably because each time he had made a move to either make money, either have the monopoly over a business, Raymond had beaten him to it. And each time, Mazarati had been greener and greener, not able to shake Raymond from his pedestal.

But it seemed that finally, he had found how to make Raymond bend his way. If he couldn't beat Raymond on the business level, he was going to play with his heart. Even though Christian knew the truth, he also knew how these pictures looked like from an outsider of his couple, target removed. It seemed that Ana was dating Luca. They had all the tropes, the smiles, the places usually used for dates, and even the occasional touches of the arm or shoulder.

He rummaged his memory, trying to remember if Ana ever mentioned a Luca to him, but then recalled that though she was always clear to him when she was going out with friends, came a time when she stopped saying with whom. Whether the friend was Katherine, Elliott or Jack, Ana had stopped giving names and started just saying that she was meeting with a friend. It started around the time she and he had a fight about her going to Broadway with Sebastian Velrac. And this made Christian suddenly realise that she did not get the point. He did not mind if she was seeing a guy, he minded that he couldn't take her out as he would like.

"Christian?" Raymond called, his voice blank though Christian could swear that there was an ounce of fear echoing there. He tore out of his thoughts and making him realise that he had been out of it for a moment.

He looked around the table, and most of their guests had stopped talking, looking at him and Raymond with curiousness. He glanced at his boss, seeing that his eyes were still glued on the pictures, his face void of colours, and finally, he broke out of his trance and came back to the harsh reality. At this right moment, he did not care about Idris, Raymond and the Mazarati, all he cared about was that Ana was being threatened. She was used as bait, and he was going to put a stop to it.

He stood up, surprised himself by the calm demeanour emanating from him, and took his phone out to call the one person he was blaming at this right instant. Luke picked up at the first ring, oblivious to all the anger Christian had for him at this moment.

"Where are you?" Christian demanded as he walked to the reception to retrieve his coat. He barely paid attention to Raymond and the rest of the guests who looked at him leave the table without a word to them.

"At the headquarters. I'm working on an update for the home invasion plan. Raymond has been on my back since you got back from Macau, and I would need you to try and —"

"Where is Anastasia?" Christian cut him off, really not in the mood for small talks, and pissed off that once again, Luke was slacking at his job. He was assigned to follow Ana whenever she would go out, and not just bug her phone. And he knew for a fact that she had planned to go to Broadway that very night, to see a new edition of Chicago.

"At Katherine's," Luke said, angering Christian even more. He did not even try to check his laptop (which was obviously in his grasp since he was working on an update) to see where Ana really was.

He deeply inhaled, not wanting to make a scene over the phone. If there were any problems that needed fixing, he would do it in person. "Meeting in an hour. Full staff. Get everyone on it."

Then he hung up, once again surprised by his eerie calm, and he walked back to the table, his coat on, calling the only person he knew he could trust at this right moment. When Jose answered, he barely gave him the time to say hello, that he was already telling him,

"I need you to tail Anastasia Steele. Right now."

"I thought Luke was that now," Jose questioned, startled to be asked to do something he hadn't done in months.

"Forget about him. I need you to take care of that for now," Christian dismissed, and just as he knew he would, Jose accepted without asking for any more details.

Christian hung up, not bothering to tell his friend where Ana was. He knew that Jose knew how to track her down, and how to be in her shadow without her even knowing about it. And most importantly, he knew that Jose would not fail him, that he could trust the man to look after the woman he loved, and to notice if there was some creeper taking pictures of her, or worse, aiming for a head with a rifle.

Raymond looked at him, apparently still in shock with the pictures he received, and Christian took them out of his hands as he assured him, "I'm on it, boss."

Though if he were honest with himself, what he was about to do was more for his self-gratification than for Raymond's. He left the restaurant and hailed a cab so he could get back to his place, a tiny hope in him telling him that Luke had been right and that Ana was indeed at 'Katherine's'.

Once in the back of the yellow car, he called Ryan, and gave him a simple order, "I want Andrea Mazarati at the headquarters in an hour."

There was a small silence, before Ryan argued, "Christian … Getting Mazarati is not like getting some groceries. It's —"

"I don't care. You take as many men as needed, and you get me Mazarati. Take him to the hangar, and I'll meet you there as soon as I'm finished with other businesses."

Once again, Ryan hesitated, "I don't know if raiding Mazarati house is a really good idea, right now."

"He's not home. He's not stupid enough to be in his own home with his wife and kids. Call Luke and ask him about it. I'm sure he'll be able to tell you."

Ryan agreed, telling him that he would keep him updated of any delay, though Christian could tell by the sound of his voice that he did not understand or agree with this course of action.

Though the ride to his building was short, Christian was tempted all along to call Ana and assure himself that she was alright. But there was a great percentage of chance that she was perfectly fine, and she would only be worried by him calling her. If she was at his place, he could always pretend that he had simply forgotten something, and leave again, after having been reassured by his own eyes that she was okay, if she was not … he was sure that Jose would keep him in the loop.

Once in the building, he walked straight to the lift, when the receptionist stopped him by hailing him, making Christian having to repress his desire to roll his eyes. Jerry was a nice guy, who did his job right. There hadn't been a day when Christian did not see a smile on Jerry's face, despite the fact that he was always on night shifts. But Jerry was just too nice for Christian's taste. There was nothing wrong with him, he was just too nice.

"There was some courier who came by earlier for you, Mr Grey. He left that for you," Jerry merrily said, unknowingly knocking the wind out of Christian's lungs.

He took the envelope, barely thanking Jerry as he walked back to the elevator. It was the exact same envelop that Raymond had received earlier, with the exact same content. Which could only mean one thing in Christian's eyes. Mazarati knew about him and Ana. There were no other logical explanations as to why he would send him copies otherwise.

And the only person who also knew of his relationship with Anastasia Steele was Agent Taylor, currently relocated to LA. Which meant that the little weasel did not keep his end of the bargain. When he entered his apartment, he was in a state of fury that he had never thought was possible. Especially when he asserted that the flat was empty.

He took his phone out to call Jose back but saw a text that at least helped him calm down a bit.

Intermission, Ana is having a drink with Elliott, Katherine and Jack. She came with her own car, so most likely she will go back to the mansion tonight. I'll drop by your place when she'll be sleeping. Jose

Christian let out a sigh of relief, before looking once again at the pictures threatening the woman he loved. With a sigh, he put his own envelope in his safe, before going to the parking lot and taking his car to the headquarters, Raymond's envelop still with him.

Once at the headquarters, he waited for a little before getting out of his car, so he could call one of the people who would dearly pay for the affront they have done to him. Jason Taylor did not answer the call, leaving Christian snarl with gritted teeth at the voicemail,

"You played with the wrong dog, Taylor. I'm coming for you."

Then, he left his car and walked straight to the room where he knew Luke was. As instructed, most men working for Idris in New York that had a rank in the hierarchy were there, all looking at Christian anxiously, not knowing why he had summoned them. They were all in attention position while Christian walked straight to Luke and asked a very simple question,

"Did I, or did I not warn you about doing the job that has been trusted upon you?"

"You did," Luke said, though his voice was far from emanating confidence. The other men all looked at the exchanged, not daring to make a move or say a thing as Christian finally let out his rage express itself.

"So, why didn't you do the fucking job?"

"I did, Christian," Luke assured, panic starting to show on his face. Christian glared at him, and took a picture out of Raymond's envelop to show it to Luke as he growled,

"Don't you dare lie to me, Sawyer."

Luke's eyes grew large when he saw the picture. Christian knew it wasn't much the picture of a target drawn on Ana's face that scared him, but more the consequences that such a picture could have for him, knowing Raymond's short temper when it came to his daughter.

Christian took a step back and showed the picture to all, so they could all understand the gravity of the situation. "Let me remind you all for whom you work. Raymond Steele. You're not working for some lowlife politician, you're not working for the State, you're not working for some millionaire with extravagant whims. You are all working for Raymond Steele. He owns this town, he owns your lives, he owns to your very souls.

And here," He pointed Ana on the picture. "Is the person he treasures the most in this world. So if the man tells you to kiss the floor she walked on, you do it. If he tells you to walk behind her with an umbrella to shade her from the sun, you do it. And if he tells you to become her shadow, you fucking do it!"

"Christian," Luke started, but Christian glared at him.

"I am not done!" He roared, surprising every single man in the room. Over the years that Raymond formed him to become his second, Christian had settled down his authority. Slowly, but surely, his word had become as sacred as Raymond's, and his presence as feared. And still, Christian never rose his voice. No matter what, no matter who screwed up, or who tried to sell them out, Christian had always been calm, keeping his voice at the same level.

"I don't care for your excuses, Sawyer. I don't care that you think she 'deserves' a normal life. I don't care that you think that Raymond is overprotecting his daughter. I told you before, and I'm telling you again, it is not up to you to make that kind of decisions. You have a boss, you do as he says. Why is that so hard for you to understand?"

There was a dead silence during which all eyes were on Christian who kept at looking at Luke who had his head bent down. He muttered something that Christian didn't quite understand.

"What?"

"She said that she wanted some 'me-time' and that she would call if necessary. She said she didn't want her father to know all about her life."

Though he did not show it, this shocked Christian. He didn't expect from Ana to try and act in such a devious way. This was such a Raymond move. To say one thing, and then try to find a way around it. But still, that excused nothing.

"So what? Is she your boss?" Christian inquired with a cold demeanour.

"No."

"So why the fuck do you care about what she says, then?"

"I just wanted —"

"I don't care about what you wanted! You're on a payroll, there is no want in the matter. Do you want to know what I want? I want my boss to not receive that kind of pictures in the middle of his business meal. I want my boss to know that he can rely on any of us to keep the apple of his eyes safe. I want to know that I can count on each of you. "

Luke hardly swallowed, and Christian took his fun out as he glacially said, "And obviously, you do not fit in that category."

And without much of a warning, or letting Luke try to defend himself one last time, he shot him dead in the head. His body fell on the ground with a loud thud, under Christian's cold eyes. He did not care the least in the world for his action. All he could think of was that the pictures would never have been taken in the first place if Luke had done his job right. What if the photographer had been a hired gun? He pushed the thought out his head, not wanting to go toward that dangerous territory.

He looked one last time at Luke's inanimate body, a bitter part of him even more annoyed at the dead man. He had warned him the last time that there would not be another warning. He had warned him to keep a tight leash on Ana. And yet, Luke did as he wanted, and endangered the woman Christian loved.

With a shake of his head, Christian looked up, only noticing then the presence of Raymond and Ryan at the threshold looking at him, and he pointed the corpse on the floor,

"If any of you feel like making a judgement call on how things are run here, or on an assigned mission, or disagreeing with strict and direct orders, leave now, or end up like him."

Christian let his eyes wander on each man standing in front of him, feeling Raymond's hard gaze on him. He knew that he was most likely in trouble, after all, he was the one who recommended (and even pushed) Luke to take the position, and it had obviously been a poor judgement on his part. And though Raymond did not know how much he cared, Christian couldn't even bear to think that Ana could have been the one to pay for his lack of discernment.

"Dismissed," He said with a sigh, letting the men know that they were good to go back to their previous occupations.

He watched them all leave the room, each respectfully and fearfully nodding their head to Raymond as they passed in front of him, but Raymond only looked at Christian, staying near the door, his face hard as a rock. The two of them for everyone to leave, but Ryan never left.

"I'm sorry that I failed you," Christian apologised, not really caring for Ryan's presence. He was man enough to admit when he had been at fault, and the proximity of a third party was not something strong enough to stop him from making amends.

Finally, Raymond tore his gaze from Christian's eyes and glanced at Luke, his face closed and unreadable. Christian waited for him to make a comment on his incompetence, or more importantly, on his sudden outburst and lack of usual calm; but he did nothing of the sort.

"Ana is home, with Jose staying around." Christian nodded, though he already knew that piece of information. Though she had been at the theatre earlier, her show was probably long done at this moment. "Ryan locked me Mazarati in the hangar," Raymond added, with a small nod of his chin, telling Christian to follow him there.

The three men went to the hangar where Mazarati was bound to a chair, apparently, neither bothered or shocked to find himself in this position. On the contrary, a smirk grew on his lips as Raymond walked closer to him. Ryan and Christian stopped a few feet away from them, though Christian wished that Raymond had stayed at the restaurant so he could let out all his rage and frustration on the man who dared threaten the woman he loved.

"So, I see that you got my pictures," Andrea said, making Christian sketch his feet to control himself. He couldn't tell if he would have been for quick and brutal, or long and painful if Raymond hadn't been claiming this one.

"I see that you have a death wish," Raymond placidly replied. Andrea replied, not fazed the least in the world by his enemy's cold and calm tone.

"You won't do that. We both know that you can't kill me. I'm too important for you to get rid off without heavy consequences."

There was truth in his words. Though he had never managed to take Raymond's place as number one, Andrea Mazarati still had a strong influence in the underground, and killing him would mean getting several influent people on their backs, probably important deals they had with Idris.

"No one is too important," Raymond simply announced. "No one but my daughter. And you think that you can threaten her, and leave unscratched. Have you lost your mind?"

In the blink of an eye, Raymond had his hand around Andrea's neck, squeezing it until the man's face became blue. Christian saw the tension in his boss's shoulders, understanding the internal dilemma within him. A part of him wanted to kill him, just for having laid eyes on Ana, but he still needed to know why. And also, if they wanted to kill him, they needed to make it look natural, just so Idris could steer clear of the mess his death would unfold.

With a grunt, Raymond released, turning his back on the man who was trying to ruin his life; and while Andrea was coughing up for air, he admitted, "It wasn't my idea."

Christian slightly tilted his head, interested both by the information and by the easiness it came out of the man's mouth. He attentively studied him, reading on his face that he had not expected Raymond's violence, and, given the scare now clear on his face, he had seen that for a moment, Raymond had been willing to go further and kill him.

Raymond also turned an interested head to Andrea, before removing his jacket. Knowing what it meant, Christian walked to the trunk where they kept most of their instruments, but Raymond shook his head, explaining as he rolled up his sleeves,

"When it comes to Ana, I will choke the life out of any threat to her with my bare hands. I don't need any utensils to slow me down."

Christian nodded, staying silent while his eyes went back to Andrea, a new reality coming to him. This might be his last night on Earth. Raymond was ready to beat the truth out of Andrea, and since the scumbag had sent doubles to Christian, he knew about him and Ana, and he was going to squeal. And given the state of fury Raymond was at the moment, this betrayal from his second in command was not going to end well for the man in question.

"So tell me, who had the wonderful idea to orchestrate this horror?" Raymond eerily asked, but Andrea simply glared at him. The blond man's lips twitched slightly, a vicious smirk appearing briefly on his face. "Tell me who thought I would comply if they threatened my child."

Once again, Andrea remained silent, and Christian could see what would play out before it even happened. This wasn't the first time he was seeing Raymond beat someone for information, though it was the first time it involved even in a somewhat small level his daughter. Raymond Steele was a strong man. No matter how he looked to the world, Christian knew the truth. The nice and educated way to talk might hide it, the nice designer clothes might hide it, but Christian knew how much muscles Raymond hid behind this facade. And he was about to prove how much of a bully he could be when he wanted.

He cracked his knuckles, making Ryan glance in Christian's direction, probably hoping that Christian would play the 'good cop' in this scenario, and Christian had to repress a sneer. Ryan had never been more wrong in his life. If anything, Christian would gladly be the little devil in Raymond's left shoulder, telling him to torture the man until he would die of painful agony.

"Andrea, if there is one thing that you know about me, it's that I am not a patient man," Raymond warned, his face showcasing his words as he ticked of impatience.

"I mostly know that you've been a pain in my ass for many years, stealing away good businesses and deals I could have gotten if you hadn't been constantly in the way."

Raymond clenched his jaw, and let out his first blow, making Andrea snap his head to the side and spit some blood. "Who had the brilliant idea to stalk my daughter?" He asked with a calmness that made Christian wonder if he would have been the same.

"Go to Hell!"

"Don't you see? You're already there?" Raymond snarled, before grabbing Andrea's ear and twisting it hard. "Who put you up to this?" He roared, clearly losing his patience, and when he was met once again with Andrea's stubbornness, he punched him so hard that the tied man's jaw dislocated.

With a loud inspiration through his nose, Raymond took a step back, briefly glancing at Christian for him to fix the problem. Christian walked to the man, taking his face between his hands and doing his best to repress himself from simply cracking the man's neck. He placed his thumbs inside Andrea's mouth, just on his lower molars, and snapped the jazz back into place. It wasn't much that either Raymond to him cared about the comfort of Mazarati, but a man with a dislocated jaw always had some difficulties to talk properly.

When he was done, he resumed his previous position, glancing once again at Ryan who was watching the scene passively. He wondered what the man was thinking, or if he even cared. It was probably to him an extortion of information like any other.

"Who set you after my daughter?" Raymond repeated, making Andrea snicker with difficulty as he replied,

"Really, Raymond? Is that the best you can do? Do you really think that beating me u—"

"I think there is one thing you don't understand, Andrea. There is only one way for you to leave that hangar, and it's both feet up. Now, the only question is how much pain are you willing to endure before that occurs."

As he said those words, Raymond took four fingers from Andrea's right hand and bent them the wrong way. He kept on going, until they all cracked, some dislocated, others plainly broken. Mazarati screamed in pain but still did not give Raymond the information he wanted, playing dangerously with the man's nerves. Raymond punched him in the throat, with such a force that the man and his chair fell backwards, and as Christian put him back on his feet, Raymond asked again,

"Who?"

"You can kill me if you want, but I'm never going to tell you."

Raymond rose his arm, ready to strike again, when he stopped midair, his eyes lingering on the man tied up in front of him. Slowly, he put lowered his hand, a wicked smile spreading his lips and he said,

"So, the other star of those pictures is the brain behind it all."

This revelation shocked Christian at first. He had never really taken Luca seriously. From the few encounters he had with the young man, it seemed that the Mazarati son was someone who was not interested in the affairs of his father, though, unlike Ana, he was very well aware of what kind of game his father played. But apparently, Luca Mazarati had well hidden his game, for Christian knew that Raymond never really cared for the boy either.

Now, it made sense why Andrea would rather die in a slow and agonising pain than give Raymond the answer he wanted. He did not want to bring Raymond's ire down his own flesh and blood. It was one thing he could concede to the man, Andrea Mazarati tried to protect his own till the very end.

"I never said anything," The man denied, only betrayed by the fear playing in his voice, which made Raymond smirk at him.

"Yoy don't have to say a word. But what I want to know is why your son went after my daughter? Was he trying to prove himself to you? Or maybe too much of a coward to face me directly?"

At first, it seemed like Andrea was decided to go back to being silent; but then he glared at Raymond with all the might he could conjure from his fragile position and spat in his face,

"Do you really have to ask? She's the one and only leverage that anyone can have over you. And leverage is the only way we can make you listen to reason. You can't have it all, Raymond. You can't own most of this town and eat all my business abroad away. Especially when that business takes place in my home country! It doesn't work like that. One man cannot be allowed to have so much power over others without facing repercussions!"

Raymond slightly tilted his head to the side, as if barely interested by what Andrea said before he leant forward, getting dangerously close to the man. Christian took a step forward, not wanting to kill the man anymore. But Raymond simply put his hand on the arms of the chair as he slowly stated,

"I expect always repercussions. In fact, I face repercussions on a daily basis. And the greater the power, the greater the burden. But let me tell you one thing, my daughter will never have to even think of those repercussions."

Then, Raymond stepped back, looking down on Andrea as if he was just a vermin on his boot. All his life, Christian had seen that, no matter what he did to them, or what they tried to do to him, Raymond always respected his enemies. Some more than others. But there was still that professional respect that Raymond had for his peers.

But as he circled Andrea Mazarati, that respect was long gone. In fact, Christian could easily say that Raymond had more respect for a junkie at this right moment than for the man in the chair. He watched his boss place himself behind Andrea, taking his head between his arms as he said in a sickly sweet tone,

"Don't worry, you will soon be reunited again with your son."

Before he could even think of an appropriate way to say this, Christian said in a tone that almost sounded like an order, "Don't kill him!"

And at the exact same moment, Andrea played the last card of his game, "You can't kill Luca!"

Christian caught from the corner saw Ryan snap his head at him with shock and confusion, but he kept his eyes on Raymond, and the way his arms had barely loosened the tight grip they had on Andrea's neck. Raymond looked down on the man beneath him, and asked with an amused smile,

"And why pray to tell, can't I kill your son? As you said before, there are repercussions in life."

Andrea tilted as he could his head upward before he let them know, "Are you really going to kill your daughter's boyfriend? Anastasia is falling for him, and soon, the two of them will be so infatuated that all your business will be Luca's. We all know how much you love your daughter, you won't kill my son, because it would hurt her."

Christian had to admit that Andrea's plan could make a certain sense if it didn't have the major flaw of Ana only seeing Luca as a friend. And though Raymond did not know of his daughter's love life, the statement still made him laugh, before he said,

"What Ana doesn't know, won't hurt her. Ever. Second, my daughter knows better than to love a mobster. She already has one in her life, she won't be weighing herself with another one. She's smart enough to stay away from those like you and me."

The three men from Idris distinctly heard the sigh of defeat from the other man before Raymond looked at Christian, his eyebrow up, expecting an explanation to his latest statement.

"Let him live. Let him live, and I'll kill his son. He wanted to stay passive while his son did all the dirty work, it should go like that in death as well. Let him live, with the knowledge that his inactions caused his son's death."

Though Christian wanted the satisfaction to kill himself the man who had orchestrated this whole thing, there was still this undeniable concept. Outliving a child was a horrible thing to live through, even more, when you were the reason behind his death. Christian may not have children, he still knew that this was the one thing that no one wanted to ever experienced. Especially those who loved their offspring. Andrea would suffer way more if his son died before him.

And just the way he was now begging Raymond to not listen to his send in command comforted Christian in his idea. Andrea would be devastated by the death of his son. He wickedly smiled in his direction, a whole new plan blooming in his mind, before he looked back at Raymond, hoping for approval.

He knew that Raymond was ruthless, but he was also a father, and Christian had no doubts that at this right instant, he was putting himself in his enemy's position. The phrase to not wish it upon your worst enemy suddenly had a whole new dimension to him. But the hesitation barely lasted for half a second. He loosened his grip, and put some distance between Andrea and him as he nodded his agreement, unknowingly according to Christian his desire for revenge.

With a loud sigh, he rolled down his sleeves, instructing, "Ryan, see that Andrea finds his way to a hospital who will take care of the wounds caused by his car accident."

Ryan nodded, the four men present in the room aware that this simple sentence had a whole other meaning. Beside bruises and a few broken bones, Andrea did not suffer much. Ryan had just been ordered to stage a car accident, and therefore, inflict all the wounds that such an incident could provoke.

Then, Raymond put his jacket back on, and took his phone out, signalling to Christian to follow him. Christian did, seeing as they exited the room that Raymond would be calling Ana as soon as their conversation would be over.

"Get rid of Luca. Something nice and clean, I won't give Andrea the satisfaction to have the media and the cops fussing all over his son's death."

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Christian's PoV

Christian watched as Luca Mazarati was peacefully sleeping, thinking that this was the downside of his upbringing. No matter how deep would be his sleep, Christian knew that if someone snuck up on him, he would have to be drugged to not immediately wake up. This had actually been a problem during the first weeks he had Bastille, he woke up every time the cat moved near his room until his brain assimilated Bastille's night strolls as normal background noises.

For a moment, Christian was tempted to simply kill the man in his sleep and obey the order that had been given to him. But he wanted Luca to know why he was killed. He actually wanted him to be conscious that he would die. So he pulled a chair next to the bed, drawing his gun out and aiming at the sleeping man, before he kicked the bed, waking up Andrea's son.

Luca blinked, sitting straight in his bed when he saw that he was held at gunpoint, and Christian observed that it took the young man a few seconds before recognising him. He viciously smiled, and asked,

"Do you know who I am?"

"Christian Grey."

"I guess you know why I am here?"

Luca nodded, resigned, which Christian found rather annoying. He would have rather him to beg for his life or try to bargain. Seeing him so resigned was … anticlimactic.

"I have a question that has been nagging me … Why send doubles to my place?" After having thought about it a bit, Christian had to admit that Luke had nothing to gain to sell him out like that to an enemy. Raymond would have been a safer bet. And moreover, Andrea never mentioned the doubles while being tortured, which meant that either he did not know about them, either he did not deem them and their destination important.

"Because you are Raymond's second in command. Because everyone knows that what affects him, affects you," Luca answered, making Christian nod of understanding. He ought Jason Taylor an apology. He did not betray him, after all.

"You have no idea how much it affects me," He admitted with a devious smile.

Luca opened big wide eyes, understanding what Christian was saying through half words, and Christian found a perverted pleasure of seeing Luca think that he should have played his cards differently. Would Christian had been the only one informed of those pictures, things might have turned out differently. Might have.

"So … I have two options for you. Either you drink this," He said, showing the little vial he took out of his pocket that contained an untraceable poison.

"If you do, it will look like you died in your sleep, and you won't even suffer. This will give your family to have one last good image of you. Either you decide to make it worth my while and struggle. In this case, you will die as well, but in pain, and I will make it look like a suicide, which means your family will have to have a wake with a closed coffin if you get my drift. So which option is it going to be?"

.

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💚Your thoughts and opinions are always welcomed💚

💚So many things have been showed and evoked here. And though I want to talk all about it, I won't because if I do, I might spill about what will happen next in the story. Just know that, though many of you think that there will be a big showdown like in action movies, this is a drama story, so … nope. It's a love story, in which there is still a chunk of the story missing, so don't expect guns and explosions as the final twist … it won't happen in this story.

💚Also, before some of you jump on my throat, saying that this Mazarati plotline comes from nowhere, this family has been introduced as rivals since chapter four, and mentioned several times, always being a pain in the butt. It is on purpose that I never lingered on them, because up until this point, Christian never took them seriously. In fact, he never took anyone seriously, because he knows his position of power. So this situation will actually change his way to deal with other mobsters …

~ Anyway, question time:

💚 So Christian killed Luke! In cold blood! How do you feel about this?

💚 What do you think of the hangar scene? And what do you think of Ryan staying throughout the interrogation?

💚 What do you think Christian's extra plan is? I really want to know your ideas on this one, because I want to know if anyone is as twisted as me, haha

💚 What do you think will happen next?

💚What was your favourite part??

Anyway, E L James owns the names of the characters from the Fifty Shades franchise, everything else is mine.

Love, Mina💚💚💚