•MANHATTAN, NY•

Third-Person POV

It hadn't been quiet all day. At one end of the Manhattan mansion was an erratic symphony of vacuum cleaners, clanging dishes, and hinges of doors being consistently opened or closed. On the other end were raised voices flinging out orders and requests.

The only nook of relative silence that remained was on the second floor in the at-home classroom.

Chilled afternoon sun rays bled through the window shade slits of the classroom as a young boy, enveloped in concentration, sat at his desk and neatly wrote out his answer to the final question on the activity sheet.

A young instructor, Jonah Napoli, sat opposite the boy and assessed his responses.

"Sei andato molto bene oggi, Nicolai." Jonah complimented.

"Than—I mean—Grazie." Nicolai smiled politely as his jaw clenched—trying to restrain a yawn desperate to escape.

Jonah nodded approvingly, "Continua a esercitarti con verbi e pronomi. Tuo padre si aspetta."

"Si. Capisco."

Nicolai folded his hands and placed them calmly on his desk as he patiently awaited further instructions. Jonah always gave him after-class work, per the request of Adrian, so he learned quickly not to rush off at the end of the school day.

It was Adrian's way of teaching Nicolai discipline and the harsh reality that "work never stopped".

As Jonah packed his belongings and pulled the usual dark purple folder from his laptop case, a cheerful knock rapped against the door.

"Si accomodi."

In one elegantly swift motion, Gaia swept the door open, flouncing in while brandishing a freshly blended fruit smoothie.

The beverage was to serve as a peace offering between her and Nicolai but was consistently rejected. First, it was whatever Nick wanted for dessert—Gaia would prepare. Then it was a new toy every week; now it was daily smoothies with a blend of Nicolai's favorite fruit—strawberries and mangoes.

"Hey, babycakes. I brought you a snack." She set the full glass on the desk and knelt to meet Nicolai's surly gaze.

Each attempt to gain approval from her new 'son' fell flat and pushed the two further apart. He may have been young, but Nicolai wasn't stupid. Two years or not, he knew who his real mother was; and no amount of fruit or gifts was going to change that.

"Non ho fame." Nick maintained his studious posture, ignoring the orange condensation-coated glass.

Jonah laid a packet of activity sheets on the edge of the desk and cleared his throat, "Gaia, I'm going to ask that you only speak Italian while in the classroom."

A deep tension captured the air as Gaia's head snapped in Jonah's direction and she steadily rose to her feet.

"First of all, it's Mrs. Maniscalco; and I'm speaking with my son if you don't mind."

Jonah's lips coiled, holding back the searing words he knew would knock Gaia back to her level while also costing him the best-paying job he had in a while.

A split pulse-pounding moment passed as Jonah took in a deep breath while retreating behind the desk and averting his glare to the stack of homework.

"Finisci questo durante il fine settimana e ne discuteremo lunedì."

Gaia snagged the smoothie and rested her butt on the edge of the desk as Nicolai nodded and placed the papers in his cross-body satchel.

"Nicky, sweetheart, your dad wants to see you in his office, okay?" Gaia informed as she casually took a sip of the drink and defiantly eyed Jonah.

"Si."

Nicolai shimmed out from under the desk, slung his bag over his shoulder, and held his hand out to Jonah.

"Grazie. Ci vediamo lunedì."

Jonah firmly returned the gesture, and Nick quickly made his way out of the room- making sure not to give Gaia the satisfaction of eye contact.

Gaia's softened stare followed the boy until he exited then darted to the well-dressed man on the opposite side of the desk.

"Gaia...." Jonah began.

"Mrs. Maniscalco.," —she corrected as a fire ignited behind her narrowing eyes— "Don't think because you've known this family for a while that I can't persuade Adrian to get rid of you."

"—And don't you think that having his last name means Adrian won't toss you to the wolves. Nicolai isn't your kid, and you can't give him more; so how about you focus on keeping that thing between your legs fresh and I'll worry about my job." Jonah hissed and roughly brushed past his opponent as he left her mouth agape.

"Thought you only spoke Italian in the classroom setting." Gaia hurriedly snarled, throwing the words over her shoulder.

"And I thought dogs couldn't talk at all." Jonah smacked his teeth—shooting a final dig and slammed the door behind him.

• • • •

Ascending the winder staircase to his father's office always created an unsettling growl that rattled the walls of Nicolai's stomach. Those feelings often bombarded him whenever he was summoned or forced to interact with any of Adrian's men.

Something about the draconian overtones that blanketed the room always sent Nicolai's anxiety soaring.

Stoically, he made his way up the staircase and firmly knocked on Adrian's office door.

"Si accomodi."

"Ms. Gaia said you wanted to see me." Nicolai strengthened his voice, forcing it to carry to the suited man behind the glass desk, as he timidly stepped inside.

"Que?" Adrian questioned, his gaze not shaking from his laptop screen.

"Nicolai sighed, "La signora Gaia ha.....detto che.....volevi vedermi."

A satisfied grin cropped up on Adrian's face and he closed the device, giving Nicolai his undivided attention.

"Sei pronto a parlare con tua madre stasera?"

"Si." Nicolai's tone and countenance glowed as an elated smile buoyed to the surface. 

"Di cosa parlerai?"

".....scuola e calcio."

"Di cosa non si parlerà in nessun caso?"

"Dove sono io o i posti in cui siamo stati."

"Bravo ragazzo."

An odd blend of optimism and apprehension buzzed through Nicolai's yearning heart as he struggled to maintain composure and finally clasped his hands behind his back.

"Um, P-Papà? Can I see her this time?"

Adrian cleared his throat and collectedly stood, pushing his rolling chair to bounce against the wall; as he sauntered toward his son.

"That's a good question." —He coolly leaned against the front of the desk and his arms folded across his chest. —"What did we agree on?"

"I can see her only if I follow the rules."

"So smart—you take after your father. So, let's revisit the last conversation you had with her. Did you follow the rules?"

Nick's chin met his chest as his lips struggled to part more than a few centimeters.

"N-no..."

"I don't listen to mumbles Nicolai." Adrian leaned forward, coming down to Nick's eye level.

"No."

"Looks like you have your answer."

Nicolai's jaw tightened while a defeated aura swelled within him, pulling his brows together, "Okay.... May I go outside?"

"Finish your homework and then you can go." Adrian's hand tenderly stroked Nicolai's pouty cheek.

A silent bob of the head followed by a solid thump against the door concluded the conversation and Nick somberly turned away —excusing himself.

Lorenzo entered, his overpowering presence pulling Adrian's attention from his son to the new guest.

"Is he here?"

Lorenzo gave a curt nod, "Yeah, he's waiting in the conference room."

"Alone?"

"Alone."

• • • •

"I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with me. I assume you've been wrapped up in accumulating all the financial benefits of territory that was once mine." —Adrian vaingloriously strode into the warm but uninviting conference room,—"I'm grateful you were able to temporarily manage—"

"Why am I here Adrian? It was my understanding that we handled all business during our last meeting." Giuseppe plowed through Adrian's thoughts. 

"We did, but I've recently made a decision that will greatly affect the terms of our family agreement."

Giuseppe's brow nearly met with his slicked-back hairline as he rested comfortably with his legs crossed while Adrian took a stroll around the oblong glossy wood table.

"My son," Adrian spoke with his chin held proudly, his back to his guest.

"What about him?"

"Next month I will begin grooming him to be my Underboss."

"That's too young."

Adrian froze mid-step as he spoke from his profile view, "Weren't you four when your father died and you began training?"

Deep creases cut into Giuseppe's forehead and streamed down his square jawline.
"Times were different back then. I didn't have a choice."

"Neither does Nicolai. His birthright is to be head of this family, and head of this family he will be. The sentimental attitude and lackadaisical ways my ex-wife taught made him weak; so I have to erase six years of garbage thinking. He's already behind."

"I'm missing what this has to do with our deal."

The large leather chair compressed when Adrian rested his weight on its back, his knuckles going white as he gripped the fabric.

"Once his training begins, I'm coming for my lost territory. Prosperity in my grandfather's eyes meant having allies; while my father thought life in this business only worked if there was peace."

Adrian's expression screwed as he took a controlled breath and ran his tongue across his top teeth.

"Allies, peace —they're abstract thoughts at best.  Money is reality. Without it, a family holds no power. And strange as it is for me to admit—I have my brother to thank for bringing that reality to my attention."

"Your family is provided with financial stability under our agreement."

"Under your authority." Adrian's voice spewed, coated with acidic overtones.

A deeply exasperated affect rolled over Giuseppe as his mouth parted and his shoulders slacked. He twirled the large ruby bejeweled ring while his eyes closely followed the short-sighted man-child as he concluded his raving monologue.

"The Maniscalco name has never operated from the shadow of another family and will not begin to do so under my control."

A/N: So that's Nick (8 y/o) in the media. He's so big now🥺. Hope you guys enjoyed♥️