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(Leo's POV)

          After making sure Lucian had his dinner and went to sleep with the feisty little Mariana, I finally changed into sweatpants and headed out of the back entrance of the mansion toward the warehouse. Vince caught up with me, unable to drop the massive grin from his face.

          "It's happening!" he beamed with excitement.

          "It won't be if you keep showing your teeth like that."

          He immediately killed his smile and masked it with a look of the murderer that he was. Opening the door to the vast warehouse, he let me in and locked the door behind us. Eros and Belle stood over the woman sitting on the chair. She still held that sense of superiority and elegance that revolted me in every possible way.

          Her blue eyes were wearing out with age, but her botox-stricken face held her features up and brows in place. "Sembri triste e stanco (You look tired and sad)."

          "Grazie per la preoccupazione, Nonna (Thank you for the concern, Grandmother)." I walked toward her and exchanged a kiss on the cheek. "How was your flight?"

          "I remember getting on the airplane, but I do not recall getting off." She straightened her spine, tilting her head to the side in a knowing manner. "Leonardo, che cosa hai fatto (what did you do)?"

          "Absolutely nothing." I shrugged as I seated myself on the chair Vince pulled out for me right in front of my maternal grandmother. "You fell asleep on the flight. The staff didn't want to interrupt the great president's precious sleep now and get in trouble for it."

          Her eyes narrowed a tad as they bore into me fiercely. A decade ago I may have never even imagined doing what I did today. I wouldn't have even thought about raising my voice at Nonna, but the more I grew, the more I began to see her for the conniving old woman that she was. Scheming, manipulative, and hateful.

          "Dimmi la verità (Tell me the truth)," she demanded in her authoritative tone as if I was one of her stooges. "What did you do?"

          "Well," I leaned back in the chair, "there may have been a little sedative involved in your seltzer water."

          "Perché (Why)?"

          "Because we decided it was enough," Belle chimed into the conversation, not bothering to sit on the chair Vince set for her. "You've had way too much power for far too long. I thought it was time to end it."

          "Arabella," Nonna spoke her name through gritted teeth, her knuckles growing white due to the tight fists.

          "Arabelle," Belle corrected the woman as usual yet Nonna always did it on purpose for reasons unknown. "It's a bloody e at the end. You insist on testing my patience every single time, and one of these days, I'll be putting a bullet in your head, yeah?"

         "Let's not get ahead of ourselves now, Belle." Eros squeezed my sister's shoulder then knelt before Nonna, taking her hands in his tattooed ones. "Marsilia here doesn't need a bullet. A smart woman like her isn't dumb enough to have the next queen kidnapped." He placed a kiss on the back of Nonna's hand and winked like a charmer which unsettled me. "Am I right?"

         Nonna retracted her hand from Eros' grip and shot him a glare. "Next queen? A king can only have one. There has never been a second one for the same man and there never will be. This kingdom is built on rules." She turned her agitated gaze to me at once. "Your puttana (whore) died after being crowned, so she was your regina (queen). There will be no other, Leonardo. You will sit on the throne alone like your father until your boy comes of age and then his wife will be the next regina. If you choose not to accept my generous offer, I shall rip the crown from your head and hand it to Gabriele who is the rightful king. Raffaello was meant to take over after Bartolomeo, but your other nonno (grandfather), Giorgio Bonferroni, was a filthy mobster. Gabriele would've eventually taken Raff's position. Never Leona, never your father, not even you or that figlio di puttana (son of a bitch) whom you call son."

         "Enough!" I roared, but it had no effect on the woman. She watched me in silence and disdain as I rose from the seat and towered over her like a predator. "You were the queen a long time ago and your reign ended. I listened to you once when I respected you, but I have nothing left in my heart for you anymore. You lost it all. Whatever you say, whatever dumb rules that you have, it means nothing to me. Verona was my wife, Lucian is my son, and Arie will sit beside me as mia regina (my queen). I will defy all the rules that you have held up for ages for my son and my woman. Your rule has officially come to an end."

          Nonna stood from her chair and faced me head on. She was a very strong woman who could hold her ground. I remembered the time I admired that about her, but now I loathed her more than anything. Before she could get a word in, Belle gripped Nonna's arm tightly and forced her to sit back down.

          "You need to be careful at this age. You may break your back." Belle gave Nonna an overly sweet smile and tapped her nose with a single finger. "Or else you may get stabbed by another puttana (whore) and this time it'll be me. Now your body can't survive another attack, can it, Nonnina?"

          Nonna grabbed Belle's lingering index finger and twisted it backward until it snapped and elicited a cry of pain from Belle's mouth before I pulled her back. "You dare to threaten me, ragazzina (little girl)? I can end your entire existence just like your broken finger."

          "You cunt!" Belle roared, anger flaming in her blue eyes and burning her cheeks red with fury. She charged forward to assault the older woman before Eros quickly hooked an arm around her waist and held her back. "Let me go! I'm going to fucking kill her."

          Nonna smirked cunningly. "You don't realize the madness you will bring forth if you decide to do so."

          "And you don't realize how painful I'm going to make it when I gut you, you filthy hag," Belle cursed the woman out and dug her nails into Eros' arms until she drew blood, but the man didn't let go. "What I feel for you is beyond loathe. The more you looked down on my son for his dark skin, the more my hatred for you grew to the point I can't think about anything but ripping you piece by piece, and I swear to the God that you pray to so much that I will be sending you to hell."

          Nonna scoffed, almost enjoying the exchange as if it was a movie. Hell, Mike would be munching on popcorn while the drama unfolded.

          "Before I let Belle loose and have her rip into you like an animal," I seated myself on the chair once again and rested one leg over the other casually, "I need your confession and the truth. Where is Arie Noelle?"

          "And Athena?" Eros chimed in.

          "So that puttana is gone too?" Nonna chuckled conceitedly as she looked between me and Eros. "Well, her downfall was bound to happen. She thought with her fists rather than her brain, and beauty can only take you so far until it withers away."

          "Like you will be withering away pretty soon." Eros stepped away from Belle and glared at Nonna. "I don't hit women, but I will gladly make an exception for you."

          "Oh, sweet boy." Nonna shook her head with fake sympathy. "Your wife was a whore. You know that very well. She could open her legs for anyone just to get a pair of shiny heels. You don't think she warmed the beds of the Bonferroni men before?"

          My jaw twitched at her false accusations while Eros released a casual scoff. "Someone your age shouldn't be talking about opening legs since you got cobwebs between your dusty ones. Please do us all a favor and close them. I can see the fucking spiders crawling out. Even they can't survive in a musty ass place for long."

          Vince burst into a fit of laughter which attracted our attention. "Nice one, Tat!" The moment he saw me glaring, his cackling turned into a coughing fit. "I apologize. Do continue."

          Turning my gaze back to Nonna, I noticed the anger behind her stoic expression. "You're not getting out of here until you give me information. I know you are behind Arie's kidnapping, so start talking."

          "Firstly, I didn't know that American was taken. Secondly, why would I need to get rid of a low-life girl like her?"

          "Precisely the reason why you wanted to get rid of Verona and wed me off to Rosalia Ricci. Oh, and yes, she told me about the stunt you pulled by extracting my semen." My jaw clenched at the thought, but I maintained my cool and palmed the locket in my pocket as usual to calm my nerves. The thought attached to that ornament kept me sane and hopeful. "You have gotten away with plenty, but not anymore. You have much to answer for. Verona threw you in the dungeon for your supposed atrocities. What did she know about you that I don't? What did you do?"

          "Your puttana was insane. Everyone knew it. She stabbed me and then killed herself. Now you are going to dwell on the words of a deranged woman?"

          Her words brushed against me like sandpaper so cruel that I wanted to strangle the woman right away, but I forced myself to get past it. I would have time to make her pay for it later.

          "Forget about her." I waved a hand, dismissing the topic of my dead wife. "Talk about Arie."

          Nonna shrugged. "I know nothing."

          I knew she was never going to open her mouth up so easily. It was given. I could wait a bit, but not too long. She was bound to lose her patience soon and I'd be ready when she did.

          "That's fine. You have all the time to think and get back to me regarding this."

          "You cannot keep me here. There will be consequences for you to pay. I have a country to run."

A smile spread across my face as I rose from my chair and held a hand out for her. "Vieni con me (Walk with me)."

After a suspicious look my way, Nonna managed to give me her hand and stood from her seat.

"Eros, call Ray and get Belle's finger treated. I got it from here now."

Eros nodded before escorting my sister out of the warehouse. I strolled toward the door in the far corner of the vast space with Nonna quietly. Vince walked ahead of us and unlocked the door. We stepped outside and stood in front of the large metal fence. The cage stretched on for miles to give my pets enough freedom to run around and hunt any prey in their territory. It also kept them safe from humans and vice-versa.

Like a devil, the corner of my mouth tugged upward at the sight before me while Nonna's features scrunched as much as they could due to the botox. She looked away in disgust and horror but kept herself calm.

"I hope you remember my first children." I grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look back at Hades and Satan. Dead bodies were scattered around them. Some were missing arms while the others were missing legs. The tigers had even made a feast out of their guts. Dirty crimson blood had their white fur soaked around the mouth and large paws. They munched on their dinner with pleasure and fought over a single limb despite there being many. "You haven't met my newest child. She took a body with her deeper into the jungle. She's a bit of a loner sometimes."

"Who are they?" I thought I'd never witness Marsilia Drago's voice shake with fear, but she proved me wrong with the barely noticeable tremble in her body and words.

"The entourage that was on the plane with you, my sweet Nonna." With an arm around her shoulder, I pulled her closer and pecked the side of her head. "They were witnesses, and I can't risk having any alive."

          "Why?" she seethed, closing her eyes to avoid watching the tigers chew on raw human flesh. "Witnesses to what?"

          "Your existence."

          "What nonsense!"

          "Not nonsense at all, Nonna." I squeezed her upper arm with a sigh of satisfaction. "The thing is, your plane went down over the Atlantic due to turbulence and no one survived. It's all over the news. The entire world mourns you today. A dire loss for Italia."

Her lids opened in sheer puzzlement upon hearing my words. If she hadn't injected her forehead with botox, her brows would've been pinning together, but all they did was ride up a little while her lips parted.

"Cos'hai fatto (What have you done)?"

"Did you really think I wouldn't find out about what you asked Verona to do when she was crowned? Renounce the throne and her marriage to me?" I couldn't help but laugh in her face as I rubbed her arm. "I had a camera in your cell to keep an eye on you. I saw the footage after Verona's funeral, but I kept the anger to myself. After my meeting with Rosalia Ricci recently and what she told me about your plans, my mind was made up right then. You really thought you could get away with threatening me and plotting against me?"

Pushing me away, she spared me a nasty glare and snarled. "You can't do this."

Hades let out a dangerous purr and flashed his bloody canines in Nonna's direction whose body stiffened when Satan did the same thing. They slowly rose like predators ready to eliminate the threat, but I motioned a hand and indicated them to settle back down. A mighty growl left their mouths as they continued watching Nonna for another minute before they realized they still had food and got back to it.

"Be civil, Nonna, or else I may have to throw you in with them."

Nonna shook her head with disappointment. "I'm ashamed I once supported an ungrateful one like you."

"I think we are way past shame here, Nonna, and you brought this upon yourself. You tried molding me into a puppet of your liking, but couldn't stand it the moment I did something for myself."

"It was that puttana who poisoned your mind!" she spat through her gritted teeth, her chest heaving with anger. "You let small women influence you and stray you away from being the king you are meant to be."

"I'm exactly who I was always meant to be. I have everything and much more than you ever intended for me. I have a son who will take over for me one day, and I have a woman's love who will never let me fail. They're my strength, not my weakness, and I won't rest until I place a crown on Arie's head myself. It's a promise."

"You're a disgrace."

"No. I'm a king of my own making, and now you'll know of all that I can do." I looked over my shoulder and gave Vince a nod who brought in Nonna's personal guard. Distancing myself from Nonna, I patted the man's shoulder with a fake smile of pride. "I couldn't have done this without Franco's help here. He mixed the sedative in everyone's drinks and helped the pilot out to stage it all. Of course, the pilot is one of my trusted ones."

"Hai tradito il tuo paese (You have betrayed your country)." Nonna stepped forth to lay a tight slap right across Franco's face who had been by her side for years as her most trusted man. Betrayal was a part of my world and I certainly wasn't surprised when he hopped on board with the idea of taking down the woman he had sworn his loyalty to.

"Betrayal to the country indeed." I gave Vince another nod who immediately forced Franco to his feet.

"What are you doing?" Fear crossed Franco's face. It even vibrated in his voice. "I did as you asked. I've sworn my loyalty to you, my king."

"And you had sworn your loyalty to my dearest grandmother here and yet you betrayed her after decades of service." I clicked my tongue whilst shaking my head and grabbed the knife from Vince's grasp. "You're a man I can never trust. Besides, I can't have witnesses." Without wasting another second, I jerked Nonna close and put the knife in her hand before guiding it and plunging it up the man's chin and right into his mouth.

Nonna shuddered against my tight hold and gasped in horror as I shoved the knife further up and painted her hands with blood. She instantly stumbled away from me when I released her, notably shaken up with what I just made her do forcefully. Her widened eyes stared at her shaky hands in utter shock that amused me.

"It's funny how you've always made your puppets do your dirtiest work, but you can't stomach doing it yourself." In a couple of steps, I towered over her and wiped the blood from my hands on her cheeks slowly and one at a time. "That's the difference between you and me. I know how it works in the most gruesome corners of this world while you sit and bark orders. Bartolomeo only made you his queen because you were a pretty looking bitch."

Her blue eyes flickered to mine in an instant with a deathly glare that didn't faze me one bit. She gave my chest a hard nudge then raised her hand to slap me, but I grabbed it at the right time and held her wrist in a painfully tight grip. Her facial expressions spoke of her discomfort.

"You're dead to the world now. There's a wreckage of a plane in the Atlantic. There's an audio of the pilot to the Air Traffic Control as the plane was supposedly going down. He tells them about the jet engine malfunctioning due to the weather and catching on fire and then it cuts off when it crashes." I released her with a bit of force and wiped the remainder of the blood on the handkerchief Vince held out for me. "No one is going to suspect anything. I've made sure they never trace it back to me or anyone else, and that your legacy ended right then and there. No one but me, Belle, Eros, Vince, and that pilot knows that you still live. Not even Zio Raff or Omer. Not even my father. Whoever did your dirty work will come forth and I will make them suffer no matter who they are."

After tossing the dirty handkerchief aside, I dragged Nonna toward a secret room that was built into the structure. No one but a few trusted men knew of this. I pressed my hand against a scanner disguised into the wall which opened the thick door to the dark room. I ushered her inside and stood at the entrance as she watched me uneasily and with fear I had never seen in her eyes before.

"You're still my Nonna and I will let you live out the rest of your days in peace at the castello (castle) in Sicilia if you tell me what you know about Arie's kidnapping. Until then, this is your home. It's soundproof so don't waste your energy on screaming and calling out for help."

I stood there for another minute, giving her the opportunity to come clean, but instead, she went and seated herself on the small bed in the corner. She made her decision and so did I. I slammed the door shut and locked her in.

"What now?" Vince wondered. "She isn't going to talk that easily."

"We attend her funeral, act sad, and meet Pavlov."

"Are we going to kill him?"

"You'll know soon." I pointed back to the opened door past which the cage laid. "Once all three are done eating, make sure they're bathed and have all the blood removed from their fur. And clean up all the bodies too."

"Yes, boss."

As I walked back out of the warehouse and toward the mansion, my thoughts got occupied by Arie once again. It wasn't like she left my mind in the first place. I fetched her locket from my pocket and pressed it to my lips. No matter where she was, I knew I was going to get her back. Hell, I'd reach into hell, burn in a million fires, die a thousand deaths, and even lay down the lives of everyone in this pathetic world if need be just to get her back home to me and our son. No matter who stood in my path, I was going to slay each and every single one.

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Yay or nay?

I had a lot more planned for Leo's POV, but it would've taken me longer to finish too so I decided to end here and continue it in the next chapter.

And our Leo is back!!! Who missed his badassery?

Our crazy Arabelle is back in the building!!! We just gotta see her claws wounding someone now 😈

Did you expect Leo to do all that with his Nonna? Are you guys thrilled about what he did?

Is Marsilia really behind the kidnapping as Leo assumes?

Who could've been doing Nonna's dirty work according to you?

And finally... HADES AND SATAN! They are back after completely missing from Book 2. And we back in New York! Did you guys miss these bad boys?

And what could be the "third" animal Leo mentioned?

Thoughts on Leo?

Or Arie?

Further comments and questions are always welcome ❤️

HIT ME WITH THE THEORIES!

Follow me on INSTAGRAM @reetilicious for sneak peeks of the future chapters and fun question times.

Much love ❤️
~Reet