The Mafia Man's Trophy [On Hold]

Chapter 38

"From what I've gathered, Carlile is the one responsible for the crusade against Dominic being godfather considering his marital status, or rather—lack there of." Chloe mutters taking a sip from her glass as she eases her way into one of the bar stools planted before the kitchen island.

I sigh deeply and shake my head. Of course Carlile would be behind this.

"They were all there when he was inaugurated. It was never an issue then, so why are they making a big deal out of it now?"  I frown, turning to pin Chloe with a questioning stare. She shrugs at my question, looking just as lost as I felt.

"Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is that they're demanding he choose a wife by month's end, or be demoted from his rank." She mutters grimly with a sour expression, and the frown on my deepens at words.

"What? But, they can't do that. He's the Capo dei capi!" I point out, hoping that she'd validate my words, and ease the worry forming inside my chest.

"You'd be surprise at what the mob can do as a united front." She mutters silently before rubbing a her forehead. I could tell by her body language that she was stressed out and immensely worried about the brewing conflict back home, and I didn't blame her.

The Gambinos have had power of the five families for an extremely long time. And now that their reign was being threatened, and pressure was being applied by the other families with an ultimatum, their only choices were to conform, or be removed.

"What about Rapheal? Has he intervened any at all?" I query before taking a very needy sip of the wine Chloe had earlier poured me.

"He's disappeared again. Noone knows where to." She mutters, her voice tight. I stiffen at her words as blood begins rushing to my ears. My heart beats loudly inside my chest, and I clench my teeth as the slightest sense of betrayal slithers through me.

"What the fuck?" I breathe in disappointment, too dumbfounded to say much else.

"I know." Chloe breathes, equally winded before downing the remaining contents of her glass in one huge gulp.

"He promised me he wouldn't do that again." I mutter quietly, staring off into the distance. Chloe glances at me with a wry, sad smile on her face.

"He made the same promise to me too." She mutters, her voice thick with emotion and my heart shatters at the sound of hurt and heartbreak behind her words.

"Christ." I breathe heavily. A sudden, heavy weight rests on my shoulders and I grimace, thinking about how Dominic must've felt being the one targeted personally in this entire ordeal.

He was expected to find a wife at month's end—that was within the next twenty days. If not, he'd be what? forcibly demoted? Could they even do that?

Then there was the situation at the warehouses. Did they find a loophole around this? 

Any man would buckle under these pressuring circumstances, no matter how strong of a front he put on. And to think that only after a month of being Godfather he'd come under these harsh conditions shows that there was someone in the shadows who resented the idea of him having such power.

The only silver lining is that we knew who that someone was.

"So, Dominic was right about Carlile all along. Now he has to comply to the wishes of the family and select a wife by month's end, or what? They'll strip him of his title?" I query after a few painstakingly long minutes of silence had passed between Chloe and I as we got lost in our own thoughts.

"I don't know how Carlile was able to do it, or what he told tell the other bosses, but they're all on his side." She mutters grimly, and I down the rest of my drink before shoving my empty glass infront of her which she refills instinctively.