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figli di puttana = sons of a whore
famiglia = family
figlia = daughter
a fanabla = go to hell!
bastardo = bastard
buona fortune = good luck
dannazione = dammit
ti amo = I love you
sorellina = little sister

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Ciro parks right in front of the door and steps out of the car. He scans the street with his eyes, exuding confidence as he walks around the car to Scorpia's side. He opens the door for her and she swings her legs out, before getting up. She slowly checks her outfit and smooths out her skirt.

She says: "Knowing the big bosses are listening, means I will go in there fill force. Let's go."

Ciro looks deep into her eyes for second and his heart skips a beat. He sees Scorpia the killer and boss and is impressed. She takes a few steps and waits till he has locked the car. He puts his hand on her lower back and guides her into the restaurant.

The walk up to a table at the back of the restaurant, where three men are already seated. Scorpia stands in front of the table and shoots them all a condescending look. The men stay seated and she clears her throat. The men look up, but don't stand up.

"Are you all sons of a whore? Because that's the only thing I can come up with to explain why your mamma's didn't teach you to stand up. And if you weren't born from a decent Italian mamma I don't get why you made it this high up in the organization you represent. I would also like to add that I expected to meet with your bosses. I have absolutely no desire to waste my time on disrespectful figli di puttana. So get up and help me onto my chair. Now. Or I walk out of here."

Ciro gasps and stares at his little sister. Three phones start to ring, the men at the table look at them and get up immediately. They almost fight for a chance to help Scorpia onto her chair and she sits down calmly. She entwines her fingers and looks the men in the eye, one by one. "Well, the start of this meeting couldn't have gone any worse. Let's hope the food is decent. Because I doubt you want to ruin my mood any more."

She looks at the man right across from her and just knows it's Flavio's right-hand man. Because he looks the most scared. She knows Flavio threatened him and the other two guys show him respect.

"It's clear that I can just talk to you, because if we agree, so will they. It doesn't seem necessary for them to stay seated, right? And would you be so kind as to get Flavio on the phone for me? I like to speak to people directly, I hate wasting my time. I have children to save and I'm hungry."

Ciro turns around to look outside, because he has to laugh about the three guys shitting themselves. He knows all three of them and has seen them do the most horrible things, but right now they look like they could burst into tears any minute.He watches a black, stretch limo park in front of the door, as a dozen security guys gather around it. He grins, because he knows who the car belongs to. Scorpia made an impression, that much is clear. And judging by her body language she knows it.

Flavio walks up to the entrance of the restaurant, sporting a small smile on his lips. Ciro opens the door for him and gives him a respectful nod. Flavio walks over to the table where Scorpia is sitting with her back turned to him. The three capos get up at once and their eyes almost pop out of their sockets.

He lays his hand on the back of her chair and says: "They get up out of fear, but not out of respect. I have to do something about that. I'm glad you made a point of it. My mamma would turn around in her grave for that much disrespect."

Scopia turns her face to the side where the deep, rough voice is coming from and looks into the warm, brown eyes of Flavio. His face is full of scars and his square jaw gives him an impressive look. But his eyes show he's amused.

He chases the three men away with a nod of his head and holds his hand out to Scorpia. She puts her hand in his and he lifts it to his mouth to plant a small kiss on the back of it.

"Scorpia, nice to meet you. I'm Flavio. But I am sure you knew that already, because you leave nothing to chance. Am I allowed to join you for lunch?"

"Yes, I knew that already. And I don't know if it's nice to meet you yet. I wasn't impressed by your right-hand man at all and that says something about you too. But I don't want to eat alone. And I doubt you're worse than my previous company, so please sit down."

You can hear a pin drop in the restaurant, because there's never been someone who wasn't afraid of Flavio. Let alone a female who is totally unimpressed by him.

Ciro looks around and sees the respect for his sister grow in every man present.

Flavio sits down across from her and looks into her eyes. She doesn't flinch and he has to try hard not to smile at the beautiful, fearless woman across from him. He raises his hand to call the waiter to the table and accepts the wine menu from him.

Flavio looks at the menu and feels Scorpia's eyes on him. He makes eye contact with her and sees the challenge in them. "Scorpia? Do you have a favorite wine?"

The corners of her mouth go up a tiny bit and she says: "As long as it's Italian wine, I'm happy. I'm not very picky. I trust your taste."

Flavio nods and orders a wine from the menu.

He hands his glass to Scorpia as soon as the waiter has poured him a little to taste. She smells the wine and lets the fluid dance in the glass. She takes a sip while she sucks in air at the same time and moves it around in her mouth. She swallows it and says: "Mmm, tastes good. A little sweeter than what I normally drink, but definitely tasty."

"A little extra sweetness seemed fitting considering the sour start of this meeting."

She smiles a little and nods. They order soup to start with and Flavio studies her, while she drinks her wine, looking completely relaxed.

"Scorpia, I would like to hear from you personally what you want from me. Because my time is precious too."

Scorpia looks him dead in the eye and says: "No minors. An no one against their will."

Flavio leans back in his chair and asks: "Why would I do that? What's in it for me?"

"Respect from me. A collaboration with me and my company. A clearer conscience. And no reason to look over your shoulder to see if someone is watching you from the shadows, waiting for a shot to slice your throat. Someone who wants to give these kids a fair shot at life, whatever the cost."

She raises her voice and says: "I honestly don't understand at all how an Italian man, raised well by his mamma is capable of raping young girls. If I'm not mistaken we are all raised to treat famiglia with respect. Those girls are someone's sorellina or future mamma. A mamma's figlia."

Flavio sits up straight and says: "I have never raped a young girl!"

"And you never knew about it either, right? Allowing it or even worse, pretending you don't know is just as bad! Maybe even worse! Those young women feel alone... lost... like trash. They can't go home anymore and can't live with themselves. Women shouldn't feel that way. Ever! And definitely not thanks to an Italian man! And they are still kids when they get raped. A fanabla! And why? Because a disrespectful bastardo wants to have fun?"

She takes a sip from her wine and tries to calm down, before continuing. "I was raised with the belief that all Italians are family. That we're on this planet to help each other. Si, until a bastardo like Salvatore's horny, then it's suddenly forgotten. Unless incest counts, but let's be honest here, the church has caused enough trouble there. Why is installing fear needed to rule?"

Flavio's eyes shoot fire and he claims in a challenging tone: "Fear results in respect Scorpia."

"Bullshit! Fear results in fear. Respect needs to be earned. Respect comes from doing the right thing, in every situation! And if that's murder, then so be it. But rape is never the right thing! Having twelve-year-old boys fight and walk around with multiple fractures in their arms is never the right thing!"

Flavio looks down at his hands and feels the passion and pain coming from the young woman across from him. He knows she's right, but losing face is not an option here.

The soup is served and Scorpia chews on a piece of bread to calm down. She takes another sip of wine before calmly saying: "Flavio, you're sitting at this table with me. You don't want to claim you're scared of me, right?"

Flavio looks straight at her and says: "Of course not."

"I'd like you to think back to the first thing you said to me."

She sticks her spoon in the soup and keeps on eating it, without looking at him or saying anything. She already knows that she backed him into a corner and that he has to wear his mask for the rest of the people present in this restaurant.

Flavio remembers what the first thing he said was, it was about the difference between respect and fear and how he wanted to change that. He has never been backed into a corner like this. And especially not by a woman, who used his own words against him.

He starts to eat his soup to hide his smile and feels a deep respect for her. She does everything from love. Even though he's sure that she is the one who killed Salvatore, he knows that even that wasn't a hundred percent revenge. This woman is capable of turning the underworld upside down and he is going to offer her his cooperation.

She eats the last bit of soup and looks at Flavio. He looks at her and she reads in his eyes that she has won this sparring match. She looks around and notices that all the other guys are avoiding her gaze. She fakes nonchalance as she plays with her bracelet and takes another sip from her wine.

Flavio clears his throat and asks: "Is it true that chicken Alfredo is your favorite?" She nods and he says: "Good, because the chef here has won an award for it. I'm curious to hear your opinion on it."

"Oh, that makes me curious too and I'm hungry from all the talking."

Flavio calls the waiter to the table and orders two chicken Alfredo and pours more wine in Scorpia's glass.

He asks: "You box, right? For how long now?"

"Yes, I box. Ten years."

"How did you start boxing?"

"Well, my brother, Bruno is a boxer. And after I was raped by an Italian bastardo at a young age, I wanted to learn how to defend myself. Because I never wanted to be forced into anything again, by anyone."

Ciro looks around the restaurant and sees everyone cower when Scorpia says Italian bastardo. The entire restaurant is filled with guys who feel guilty, himself included. They all carry a responsibility for what happened to those kids, who became victim to what's seen as normal in the mafia. And Scorpia hit a sore spot by talking about family and mothers.

He still painfully remembers the moment his mamma shot him in the foot. Mamma already knew he was doing various things in the shadows, but being an accomplice to Scorpia's rape was a totally different ballgame. Mamma's don't stand for shit like that. And that is was done to his own sister made it worse, but if it had been a random girl, she would have still shot him in the foot.

The chicken Alfredo is served and Scorpia enjoys her meal. Flavio asks for her opinion on the dish and she gives it to him without sugarcoating it. "It was delicious. But it misses one ingredient that makes my mamma's Alfredo yummier."

"Oh really? What's missing?"

"Love."

Flavio nods and she says: "The food was good. The company was even pleasant at times. And I think I conveyed my message clear enough. On top of that, I'm a busy woman, so if you would excuse me, I have to get back to work."

Flavio gets up and walks over to her side to pull her chair back. She gets up and he leans forward to whisper in her ear. "You have a deal bella. Buona fortune."

She puts her hand in his and he kisses it. She looks at him with a shimmer in her eyes, before walking towards the door with her head held high.

Ciro opens the door for her and runs over to the Mustang to open the door for her. She gets in and pulls out her phone to pretend she can't wait to get back to work.

Ciro gets in and starts the car. He turns onto the road and drives away smoothly. Scorpia starts to shake and Ciro puts his hand on her leg. "Dannazione sorellina! I peed my pants a little. Wow. Deep respect for you, my tough little sister."

She grins and says: "Flavio is good company. I wouldn't mind talking to him again."

"I'll tell him Scorpia. I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual."

Scorpia laughs and says: "He whispered in my ear that we have a deal."

Ciro's jaw drops and he needs a minute. "Scorpia, that man never answers right away. Never."

She blows on her dark red nails and says: "Well he did today."

Ciro chuckles and says: "Ti amo. Is Dino buying a van today?"

"I love you too. Yes, a van for Thomas." Ciro looks confused and she tells him all about the children's home."

"That's so smart Scorpia. Thomas a new car, the kids get a ride and the school gets more kids. And Violetta looks like you, you say?"

"Yes, Dino says that's why he helped her."

"And the kids, sorellina? How did that go?" She tells him about Leo and Ciro smiles. "So no panic?"

"No, Leo kept me calm. I'll show you the pictures later. I couldn't before the meeting."

"I totally understand. I still can't believe how tough you were."

They arrive at the hotel and Ciro parks the car. Scorpia shows him the picture of her and Violetta and he stares at it. "Wow. She does look like you. Her face has the same shape as yours and she seems to have the same size in clothing. Ha, so weird. Weren't you surprised?"

"Yeah, it was like looking into a mirror. Like finding a lost sister. Her eyes have a little green mixed in with the brown though. And she's not as crazy as I am."

Ciro laughs and says: "She can't possibly be, there's only one Scorpia."

She shows him pictures of Leo. "Aww, what a beautiful boy. So sweet how he's resting against your chest. Did Logan see these yet?"

"Yes, Logan asked for the last photo. It was a wonderful feeling. Having a sweet baby against my chest." She looks at the pictures with eyes full of love and Ciro strokes her cheek with the back of his hand.

"You look so sweet this way." He smiles at her and says: "I'm going straight to the restaurant. I'm so hungry, it was torture to watch you eat."

"I'll come with you because I have to talk to the chef about something."

"I'd like the company sis. Come on."

They get out of the car and walk inside smiling. Waving at Annette before making their way over to the restaurant.

They sit down at a table and Scorpia says she wants to speak to the chef when one of the young people comes over to ask them what they would like to eat. The chef comes over right away and Scorpia talks about the meals for the kids. The chef tells her that Marisol offered her help. She is taking a child nutritionist course. They offered it to her at the hospital.

Ciro is munching on a sandwich and swallows his bite, before saying: "Send Marisol over to my office when you see her. I want to see if there's anything we can do from our end to help her with her career."

The chef smiles at them and says: "I'd love to. She will love that. Thanks again for giving me the chance to work here. It's so wonderful to help people by doing what you love."

Scorpia smiles at him and says: "Thank you for guiding these young people with enthusiasm. And for the tasty food day by day. I am so glad I hired you." The chef nods and walks back into the kitchen.

Ciro looks at her and says: "You look good sorellina. Strong and sweet at the same time. It's wonderful to see."

She looks at him and says: "I feel good. More balanced. And yesterday at mamma's house fed my soul. I feel connected to all of you again."

"Yes, it feels like that for me too. Eventhough your revelation was a bit of a shock. Dino handled it surprisingly well."

"Yeah, he was very relaxed this morning as well. To be honest, I didn't think of ever telling him."

"Did you have a crush on him when you were kids?"

She nods and says: "And then the thing with Salvatore happened..." Ciro looks at her with pain in his eyes as he mumbles an apology. "We're not going to talk about that anymore Ciro. It doesn't solve anything. And I am exactly where I need to be. With my brothers as brothers and Logan as the love of my life. It feels right."

Ciro cups her cheek and says: "You're right. As always."

His phone rings and he picks up quickly. "Good afternoon Dani. Ha! Yes, that's right. (...) Oh really? (...) Yeah, I can make you a list. (...) Yes, I'll discuss it with Scorpia. I'll call you back later. (...) Okay, thanks. Ciao."

He looks at Scorpia with a shimmer in his eyes and says: "You brought the entire underworld to its knees, sis. Dani has been contacted by a lot of men already, who are interested in doing business with you and who want to know where to bring the minors. Dani wanted to know if you really sat at the same table with Flavio. That restaurant was filled with men who were very impressed by you."

Ciro laughs and says: "I'll invite Flavio out for a drink tonight to find out what he really thought of you."

"Ciro? We have to be absolutely, without a single doubt, sure that there are no minors still 'working' for those bastardo's, before we even consider doing business with them, okay?"

"I know sorellina. It will be fine. I will have it all investigated. Come on, let's get back to work."

They get up and walk into the lobby together.

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It's up! Finally!

I will not bore you with the problems I ran into, but boy it was a struggle.

There could very well be mistakes in here. But I really wanted to update.If you find a mistake / typo, let me know.

I hope there's more Saturday left for you than what's left of mine.

(about 20 minutes)

Love you! XO Hankie.