Their Rivalry

42

You can change what you do, but you can't change what you want.

London, England ~ Ava's POV

My father left before I could ask him any further questions. What the hell did he mean by the American mafia was back at it again? I had never known the American mafia to be a thorn in the flesh of the top four mafias.

My fingers drummed the table as I thought over the new threat. A knock on the door pulled me out of my reverie, and Eli walked in with his tablet in hand.

"Adamovich, you've received an emergency notice from the Russo family." Eli pulled the chair opposite me and took a seat.

I reached out for the tablet and opened the message. Isabella Russo, the new Donna of the Italian mafia, would be arriving in London tonight to discuss a nuisance in her territory."

"Eli schedule a meeting for tonight, an hour after her arrival. Get one of the rooms on our wing prepared for her stay. I want you and Henry at the meeting, do not be late." I cautioned.

He nodded his head in reply, reached for his tablet from me then left. I ran a hand through my hair. It hadn't even been a full twenty-four hours yet since I returned to my home country, and I was already getting exhausted. If the American mafia was the problem then it'd be a bit difficult to shake them off.

When Isabella called to inform me that she'd arrived, I drove over to the WIA to pick her up myself. It'd take a while before I'd be able to trust my men again. Until then, the gang or I would personally take on the sensitive tasks.

I tried to get my cousin to fill me in during the ride back, but she refused. Bella never did enjoy telling a story twice. I guess I'd have to wait till the meeting took place.

Eli was waiting for us when we arrived. I left Bella with him so he could show her to her room. I ordered for my dinner to be served in my study before leaving them.

Great. Not only had I inherited my father's businesses and fortune, I had also inherited his attitude.

It couldn't have been any other way either as there was a lot I had to do. I still had to take ownership of the businesses that were anything but legal. I had to schedule a meeting with the drug lords to discuss international trade, storage and distribution.

I had put my brother in charge of recruitments and division of labour. The list of teens who had decided to get involved in the mafia was due this week, and they needed to be divided into the various fields and businesses. Most of the time, those whose families were already in the mafia loved to follow in their family's footsteps, but at other times they wanted to try different fields.

It was about fifteen minutes past ten when I heard a knock on my door. Henry entered with Eli and Isabella right behind him. Isabella took the seat opposite me, Henry moved to stand at my right, and Eli to my left.

"I believe your father has briefed you already about the situation." Bella begun.

"And you're here to shed more light." I guessed.

"That, and to solicit for your help and co-operation."

She didn't need to solicit for anything. She was family. I'd drop everything to do all I could to help her.

"The American mafia only strikes when they get wind of a recent change in power or an unstable leadership. Considering that there were a lot of witnesses to what went down in Russia, I'm sure by now that they've figured it out."

"Figured out what exactly?" Eli prodded.

"There's an estrangement between the top four mafias. Under normal circumstances we're supposed to be allies not enemies, united and not divided."