Page 31 of Love & Power

“Excellent. Now if you could change out of those dresses, we have a girls’ outing this afternoon,” I instructed, dismissing them.

Sinking into my seat, I noticed a coffee waiting there for me, steam rising off it so I knew it was fresh. I took a sip, humming at how good it tasted before I remembered I never answered Frediano’s question.

“Thank you for the suggestion of going out. It was exactly what was needed,” I shared. “We even found a tailor who all the guys like named Ernesto. Have you worked with him before?”

Frediano shook his head. “No, I can’t say I have, but once I found my tailor, I didn’t even consider using someone else. However, Massimo passed away two years ago, so I haven’t had anything new made since. If your grandmother knew how many suits I had hanging in my closet, she’d tell me I wouldn’t need a new one for the next ten years.” He chuckled, sipping his coffee.

As he talked, I noticed a subtle change in my grandfather, almost as if he had a weight lifted off his shoulders. While I’d never describe Frediano Raffa as a relaxed, go-with-the-flow kind of guy, there wasn’t the same tension in the air around him.

Our conversation was paused as the guys joined us, taking their seats and passing around all the food that had just been set out.

“So, what are the plans for today?” Frediano asked.

“I have a friend who flew in yesterday to surprise me. I believe she’s picking me up for lunch this afternoon,” I shared, not having planned much past that. “What I would like to work on before that happens is gathering the Family together to announce the change in leadership. We need to deal with any internal issues before I even think about where to start with taking down the top two families.”

“Consider it done,” he stated. “When do you want this meeting to happen? Tonight, tomorrow, in a week?”

“Tonight, if we can. Otherwise, I’ll settle for tomorrow morning,” I decided. “The longer we wait, the bigger the risk of it getting out, and the Family gossips never tell the whole story.”

“Are you planning on doing this the same way you did taking over for your father, with an oath ceremony?” Liu asked.

I considered his question as I chewed my bacon. “People back home needed to know I was serious and willing to do whatever it took to maintain my place. They weren’t prepared for a woman to take over, but if Gramps is telling the truth, the Raffa Family is well aware of what the future holds for them.”

“Tell me, Astin, what would be the point of lying about that?” Frediano asked as he nonchalantly slathered his toast in butter and jam.

“Gramps, if I could tell you that, then I never would have been fucked over by two people I loved and considered family. The drive for power makes people do or say anything to get what they want,” I reasoned.

Frediano paused, looking up to meet my gaze. “Those men deserved the fate they met for what they did… don’t ever question that. You’re also correct about power. It’s addictive to those who have it and for those who want it, so what good would telling you I plan to hand things over to you do to build my power?”

“Simple, you lure me in, telling me I get more power being your heir and that I was trained to take over since the beginning. Before that can happen, though, I need to take out the Accardi and Leoni Families who are trying to kill me. Once that is done, the world is my oyster, and I will be queen of it all,” I proclaimed, then stabbed my fork into a strawberry. “Only when all is said and done, you betray me, taking everything I have for yourself, creating a new criminal world order that you, my dearest grandfather, control. I don’t know, that sounds like a pretty good plan to me, don’t you think?”

The room fell silent as everyone waited to hear Frediano’s response to my little story. His shoulders began to shake until the laughter he was holding back burst out. Utterly confused, I watched the man double over because he was laughing so hard. When the old man finally managed to pull himself together, wiping the tears from his eyes, Frediano beamed at me.

“You, my girl, just proved everything your father and I did to keep you safe and train you right was worth it,” Frediano announced.

“I’m sorry… have you lost your mind, Gramps?” I demanded.

“Far from it,” he assured me, patting my hand. “What you did right there was lay out a plan so perfect that no one would see it coming. That, my dear girl, is exactly what it’s going to take to destroy those motherfuckers. You, Astin Caprioni-Raffa, are a natural at thinking like a leader of one of the five families. A mind so devious and sharp that you can take the smallest details then use them in the right way to crumble an empire.”

“Sooo…” Braxton cut it. “What you’re saying is you didn’t lie about preparing your people for Astin to take over because you’d never be smart enough to plan it?”

Frediano shot a disapproving look at Braxton. “That isn’t how I would put it, but in a manner of speaking, yes. If I’m not capable enough to take out my enemies with all the connections I have, how could I possibly control running a criminal empire? No, things like that are for the young people, not the old men who have lived a life already. Although, I can offer wisdom and experience to help avoid falling into their traps.”

“Deal, you leave the main fight to me, and I’ll trust you to keep your ear to the ground and eyes on the horizon to keep us out of trouble, Gramps,” I decided. “Oh, and also a list of all the properties you own and known locations where Accardi and Leoni members live or hang out.”

“You’ll have it all by tonight. I’ll even ask Armond to see if he knows of any hangouts or property I might not be aware of,” Frediano added. “Astin, you’re not thinking of attacking them head-on, are you?”

“No, but as you said, it’s in the little details that you find the magic bullet to kill the beast,” I explained, popping the strawberry into my mouth. “I don’t care who you are, no one can keep secrets when they’re drunk or high.”

My answer seemed to appease my grandfather enough to let the matter drop and allow us to eat in peace. When we finished, I asked Anselma to gather all the staff on the estate in one place so I could address them. They would need to prepare for the family meeting and most likely already knew what happened. Gramps and I hadn’t been too subtle when talking about it in the house.

“Yes, Mistress Raffa, I will have them gather in the staff dining room if that’s all right with you?” Anselma questioned.

“Sounds perfect to me. Just send someone to let me know when they’re here, and I’ll come down,” I instructed.

She smiled and patted my hand before gathering my dishes and heading back to the kitchen.

“Astin, do you have time for me to show you something before your staff meeting?” Frediano asked as we stood from the table. “It won’t take long, but I have a feeling it’s going to be useful.”