The Photo

As time passed, I came to realise that Giovanni had chosen to take my word that I would remain silent. He never broached the issue again. And as the weeks and months went by, the events of that night gradually slipped further and further from my mind… especially as Logan never showed up for work again. It was like he slipped off the edge of the earth. No one saw and heard from him again. This, of course, left me to assume that Giovanni put it into his hands to deal with him. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to think of that, I'd put him in that situation with my blabbering. Did he deserve what he got?

Needles to say, as people connected the dots with regards to those events, I started to receive a new status in the Team Rocket syndicate. In dealing with Logan, Giovanni had in effect proclaimed that I was his property and therefore not to be touched. Was it a blessing or a curse? Back then I really didn't know.

Getting on with my job, I managed to establish myself a routine and in the process proved myself to be a hard worker – one of the few able to keep up with his busy schedule. My work load was quite large, but when I had nothing else to live for, it didn't bother me. And the harder I worked, the more information I was given privy to. Information such as locations of Giovanni's secret bases and laboratories and the miles upon miles of underground tunnels that stretched out right across not only this city but others too. Team Rocket was an organisation so entrenched in society, that to root it out would ultimately mean the collapse of the financial sector as well as some areas of government. Kanto would fall into a recession so deep that it would take years to get back on its feet.

On some occasions, I got to travel with the boss, following him around from location to location as he surveyed his empire or played an active role in some sort of major undertaking. Other times I was required to attend functions and dinners acting as his personal assistant. The perks were incredible. I was provided with gowns and jewellery worth more than everything my parent's owned. I rode in limousines, private jets and helicopters. I become the person apart from his own Persian who spent the most time with him.

We didn't speak much though, as Giovanni was always busy on his phone or working on his laptop. But sometimes on the long flights, we found ourselves caught up in conversation. And as our business relationship grew, so did his trust in me, even to the extent that in private, he didn't seem bothered when I chose to speak my mind. Sometimes, I think he even appreciated it…

Even now; almost fifteen years later, Giovanni's schedule is always booked up… that is with the exception of one day in the year. This day he chooses to do nothing but turn up to work and sit in his office, leaving me under strict instruction not to allow anyone admittance. This is also the one day in the year that he wears a wedding band…

This day is always quiet and one that I sometimes secretly relish. Though, it was also on this day when everything changed…

As I sat alone at my desk, absently typing up an email to my family - as had become my custom on Wednesday afternoons - I received a visit from one of Giovanni's executives in the business sector back at Headquarters. He didn't say much apart from the fact that he had paperwork that required Giovanni's signature right away. This he placed on my desk, giving me orders that it was to be handed back to him personally before the end of the day.

"That's not going to be possible," I said bluntly. "Giovanni isn't to be disturbed. I'll have to get it back to you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is too late. The business deal closes today. If I don't have those signatures, we don't get the deal. If we don't get the deal, Giovanni will not be happy. If Giovanni isn't happy, I'm going to make sure you take the fall for it. This deal is too important to lose. Now I don't care how you do it, you get me those signatures." And with that he stormed off, leaving me alone with the paperwork.

This wasn't good.

It took several moments of me glancing from the documents to the door to his office before I finally mustered up the courage to approach it. I hesitated just short of knocking, my hand hovering over the door. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect. Would he be sitting at his desk like he usually was or would he be doing something else? Something that he didn't want anyone to see? Did he have a woman in there? I frowned at the thought. He was alone, I was sure of that. I would have definitely noticed otherwise. The walls weren't exactly paper thin but when Giovanni raised his voice, everyone was aware of it.

I knocked on the door…

It took several seconds of waiting before I heard his response. "Yes? What is it?"

I swallowed down a knot in my throat. The tone of his voice wasn't irritated but I'd been around him long enough to know it meant that not everything was alright.

"It's the paperwork for the Jefferson deal, Giovanni. It requires your immediate attention. Just your signature is all I need."

There was silence…"Yes alright, come in."

I still didn't know what I would face when I pulled open the door, but I can say now the sight that befell me was not something that I expected.

Giovanni wasn't at his desk at all. In fact, the only part of him that remained there was his jacket that sat draped over the back of his chair. Instead, he was sitting on his couch. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows that he rested on his knees. In his hands he clutched a glass of drink and on the coffee table sat the rest of the bottle and a single framed photo of a very beautiful woman with a Meowth. He chose not to say anything. He merely pulled a pen from his pocket and signed the paperwork that I handed him. His hair was a mess; as though he'd been running his fingers through it, and as he glanced up at me there were large, round bags under his eyes.

He handed me back the paperwork, indicating that I was free to leave but I just stood there, daring to ask, "Is everything alright, Giovanni?"

"That is not your business, Delia," he said bluntly.

I nodded, "I'm sorry, I'll leave you alone." I turned to leave but his call beat me to the door.

"Delia, wait."

I stopped and carefully spun back to meet him. He heaved a loud sigh, signalling me back over with the wave of a hand. I carefully placed the paperwork on the coffee table and, after assessing that it was ok to do so, I took a seat on the couch beside him. He said nothing at first and I dared not ask again. The expression on his face was pained but serious; as though he'd ago long given up in attempting to hide this perceived weakness. I watched the picture on the table. The woman was slender and had an air of serenity about her. She was truly beautiful.

"Is that your wife?" I don't know what possessed me to ask, and the moment it came out I was sure I would suffer a firm scolding.

But Giovanni simply nodded. "She passed away the day our daughter was born."

I don't know why I was taken aback, "I didn't know you had a daughter."

"She attends a special boarding school." He took in a ragged breath, "I haven't seen her since her birth."

"How old is she?"

"Five."

So Giovanni had been a widower for five years. It was no wonder he consumed himself in his work like this. I was sure he'd never even given himself the chance to properly grieve her. But there he was, sitting in all of his honestly. My heart ached for him. The most powerful person in Kanto… was only a man. And so I did something so risky that, in my right mind, I would never have thought to do. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

As was to be expected, the gesture took Giovanni by surprise and he immediately straightened. Though as his eyes fell on mine, I gave him a smile that only friend could offer and his startle seemed to melt away. A single, small smile broke through his sadness. I was sure no one had touched him like this in a long time.

"Speak of this to no one," he whispered.