Son of the Devil

Chapter Four: Devil's Contract

Enzo trudged home with little hope left in his weary body, only to find his sister Alessia waiting for him at the door. She watched him closely as he entered. "Are the kids asleep?" he asked, his voice heavy with exhaustion.

Alessia nodded, closing the door behind them. "Yeah, they waited for you, but you mentioned in the text that you'd be late, so I put them to bed. Gianna missed her bedtime story though, so you'll have to make it up to her tomorrow night."

Enzo slumped onto the sofa in the living room, fatigue weighing heavily on him. Alessia joined him, her concern evident in her expression. "What's going on?" she inquired.

"I'm fine," Enzo replied automatically.

"That's not what I asked," Alessia persisted.

He let out a sigh. "Do you happen to have half a million in unmarked cash stashed away somewhere?"

Alessia's laughter softened the tension in the room as she took a seat across from him. "What? Are you in trouble?"

Enzo hesitated, knowing he couldn't burden his sister with the dangerous mess involving Lucio Moretti. "Just... money trouble," he finally admitted.

Alessia raised an eyebrow. "Half a million seems pretty specific. Planning to start your dream bakery?"

"I still need capital for that..." Enzo muttered, mustering a weak smile. "I'll take a shower and go to bed. I'm tired."

"Enzo..." Alessia's voice stopped him as he headed for the stairs. He turned back to her, and she continued, "I'm here if you need me, okay?"

He nodded, appreciating her support. "Okay."

♡.﹀﹀﹀﹀.♡

The next morning, Enzo, Giorgio, Fonsie, Stefano, and Tina found themselves on a mission to pawn off whatever they could to make up for the missing 60 grand from the half-a-million cash they had lost. It was a desperate move, but they were willing to do anything to appease Lucio Moretti.

As they browsed through the pawnshop, Enzo held up an old lamp. "Think this will do the trick?"

Giorgio shrugged. "If Lucio's into vintage decor, sure."

Fonsie chimed in, holding a dusty painting. "And if not, we can always tell him it's a rare masterpiece."

Stefano chuckled, eyeing an antique clock. "I can already see Lucio admiring our impeccable taste."

Tina joined in, holding up a random assortment of knick-knacks. "And if all else fails, we can tell him they're priceless family heirlooms."

Enzo urged, "Guys, let's get serious."

"We're serious," Giorgio chimed in. "Seriously hopeless."

Fonsie shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips. "Seriously, Enzo, we're in deep trouble."

Stefano nodded in agreement. "But hey, at least we're together in this mess."

Tina sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Yeah, like a dysfunctional family."

Enzo couldn't help but chuckle at their banter. "Well, dysfunctional or not, we're all we've got."

Fonsie's suggestion prompted a nervous chuckle from Enzo. "Should we write our last will and testament?"

Giorgio shot back, "What do you have to leave for anyone anyway, Fonsie? A pile of debt?"

Fonsie rolled his eyes. "Thanks for reminding me, Giorgio."

Enzo sighed, feeling the weight of their predicament. "Same goes for me. I think I'd die as the most useless person in the world."

Four pairs of eyes turned to Enzo, their expressions a mix of concern and empathy, as they lapsed into a somber silence. "You're not useless," Stefano reassured him. "You're just too generous. You've sacrificed everything for your stepsisters, and even now you're taking care of Alessia's children."