Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 248926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1245(@200wpm)___ 996(@250wpm)___ 830(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 248926 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1245(@200wpm)___ 996(@250wpm)___ 830(@300wpm)
As we headed to the vehicles waiting for us, snow crunched under our feet.
Snowflakes fell from the air, and Paolo squealed in delight. Perhaps, he had never seen it before.
While back home, it was clear that one of the first priorities was to get a new mansion to make new memories.
A week later, we found a new property to fit all of our needs.
Our new place.
The new mansion sat on top of a hill overlooking the city. It was a palace worthy of a king and queen with a huge courtyard and garden.
On the inside, marble floors shone beautifully. Each step felt smooth as silk under my feet. Rich and opulent, it had a numerous amount of rooms. Our main people found their place in the guest quarters, spread out on the first floor. Each suite had its own entrance, allowing for proper privacy for Baba, King David, Giorgio, Wassily, and Blue.
Paolo’s and our suites were on the second floor.
Next, Emily worked on hiring a private tutor for Paolo, not wanting him to go to school yet. Already, many of the Brotherhood in Moscow peered at him with odd looks. Paolo was the spitting image of Pavel. There would be no hiding whose son he was.
Due to that, I gave him extra guards and was adamant to everyone that the boy must not be harmed.
Emily took forever to find the right teacher. Once Emily did, she remained fiercely protective as usual and never left Paolo alone with the teacher. When Emily wasn’t monitoring his reading and math lessons, they painted in her new art studio behind the mansion and surrounded by the garden.
* * *
By the end of the month, I brought up the topic of Lunita and our need to solve the situation of her darkness.
To my surprise, Emily did not want to head to New Orleans while pregnant, believing that she should finally take the doctor’s advice and stay in one place.
How could I not support that decision?
* * *
When it came to Brotherhood business, things were surprisingly peaceful. Somehow Maxwell and Boris gained Black Axe’s trust in Nigeria, although David did report a few dead bodies coming up in the process.
The newfound trust between Harlem Crew and Black Axe guaranteed that Maxwell had a tight grip on Black Axe’s activities in Italy which meant a stronghold on the drug port to Europe.
There still had been no popping up of Rocco yet, but maybe Maxwell was keeping any news on the Vizzini Family secret from me.
I figured that due to Maxwell sneaking off to Japan the following month on some secret mission to help Misha. He told me less when he thought I was going to get angry.
Whatever shenanigans they had gotten into worried me, but all appeared to work out in the end.
And still, Lunita never appeared. But, I could not pretend that the possibility of her emergence didn’t worry me.
* * *
At the end of Emily’s second trimester, I decided to have this New Orleans witch doctor come to us. Jean-Pierre had sworn on her great power to fix my mouse.
First, I called Mrs. Delphine up personally and respectfully requested her services.
“Hello, my name is—”
“I know who you are.” Her voice rode the line. “You are the great lion.”
“Good.” I leaned back in my chair. “I prefer it when there is no need for an introduction—”
“I know why you are calling, and you must understand that now is not the time.”
I frowned. “I believe now is the time.”
“The answer is no for now.”
I sat up in the chair. “If you know who I am then you understand that I do not accept no.”
“Alright, boy. Don’t let me have to learn you something.” She hung up.
Speechless, I stared at the phone.
Next, I sent thirty men to New Orleans to grab and bring Mrs. Delphine to me.
Maxwell and Jean-Pierre both begged me on several video conference calls to not try this method.
I did it anyway.
A week after my men left to go to New Orleans, a massive solid oak box—four feet high and five feet wide—arrived at our mansion with no postage. Even our most advanced security cameras failed to capture a trace of who left the huge box there.
On top of the box, a black envelope was stuck to it.
Curious, I opened the envelope and pulled out a black card.
On the inside, the message read:
Dear Lion,
I have seen your beautiful future ahead of you.
But if you challenge me again, your bright future will be consumed by darkness.
Consider this box as not just a warning, but a gift of my immense patience.
I hope to see you soon, after the baby is born and the first set of ripe oranges dangle from my trees.
Yours faithfully,
Mrs. Delphine.
I frowned. “Open it.”
Wassily and several men went to the box with tools. It took them several minutes, until they finally pulled back the side of the box.