Chapter 14: Richie and Angie
"Go to hell, you diseased Bellagrini! Go to hell! You want a war!? Come and try us, and you’ll see if anyone from your pathetic family survives! You swine! Demon! Dog!"
The Matron shouted loudly as she began taking steps towards Aliya, but Aliya just smiled as she entered the car and told them to take her away. Fredrick held his mother back and told her to ignore the woman, and Dante just stood there with his eyes narrowed angrily as he watched the car drive away. Dante had a very complicated history with Aliya Bellagrini, but he didn’t think that she would have the guts to come here and say something so stupid. Was she really that confident in her ability to defeat the Lucas? That was the only reason why she would dare to talk to him like that.
"What the hell was that, Dante? She’s still trying to recruit you?"
Fredrick came over and spoke to Dante in a low voice, and Dante nodded to Fredrick before he said:
"They’re definitely planning something. If they are this confident, then they’ve probably gotten things ready for a full-scale war. My spies haven’t noticed anything yet, but I’ll have some men look out for any guns and cash moving around their territory."
Dante was not the sort of person to allow any situation to throw him off. Even if Bellagrini’s appearance was unexpected, that didn’t mean they didn’t learn anything from it. Now that Dante knew that the Bellagrini were confident, he knew that they would have to deal with them first before they went to deal with the Romanov.
"Get this shit out of here right now! Take it out!"
The Matron grabbed the flower from the Bellagrini and tossed it away like trash as she stormed into the house, and a few maids came forward and quickly began taking the flowers to be thrown away! It was obvious that the Matron’s mood was spoiled, so now it was up to Fredrick alone to welcome the rest of the guests. Fredrick sighed at his mother’s behavior before turning to Dante and talking in a hard tone.
"I don’t care how you do it, Dante. But I need you to find out what the Bellagrinis are up to right now! Father’s will is going to be read tomorrow, and my siblings are also coming back, so we need things to remain calm until then. But once that is done, we’re going to war. Do you understand?"
Dante nodded to Fredrick one final time as he brought out his phone, and he began making important calls as he walked into the mansion.
——
[The Royal Hotel]
In the central region of District Two, the Royal Hotel stood as a symbol of class and prosperity among the people of Stockham City. The hotel was one of the first business ventures that George Lucas had started in the city and after fifteen years of operation, it was seen as one of the most successful hotels in the entire city! Politicians, businessmen, celebrities and various people from the highest rank of society used the hotel for their meetings and to stay during their visits, and it was now common knowledge that only those with very high net worths were allowed to even think of coming into the hotel! Currently, on the highest floor of the Royal Hotel, the elevator opened to reveal a woman in a black suit. She was extremely beautiful with pale skin and full red lips that matched brilliantly with her red eyes. She looked around the floor cautiously once the elevator door opened before she stepped out and began making her way towards the only room on the floor.
The woman ran her card over the scanner on the door and it beeped with a green light before he opened to reveal an extravagant penthouse.
"Come on, you can’t even brake properly! This setting is bullshit! Maybe I should’ve partnered with Alonso instead, Hamilton is way too good!"
A loud voice came from somewhere inside the penthouse and the woman sighed tiredly before she walked down the staircase and towards the main living room. There was a man sitting on the couch in the center of the room and he was currently playing the popular Formula One game, F1, on the large hundred-inch television. The man had brown hair that was slicked back and his face held a youthful vibe that showed that he was barely past twenty years old! Once the woman appeared, the man turned over and spoke.
"Kia, you’re back already? I thought you’d watch him for a bit longer."
The woman, Kia, sighed and ran her hand through her hair before shrugging and saying,
"He isn’t really doing anything right now. His father just died, so they’re just going through the burial rites. We shouldn’t expect anything yet."
This woman was the same person who had been watching Dante for the past few days. She had been there when George gave Dante the watch and she had watched Dante’s movements ever since. The reason for this was simple: she was part of an organisation that was interested in the power Dante held, and they were currently trying to figure out the best way to acquire it.
The boy on the couch hummed and cursed as he failed to brake properly and crashed his car into the barrier.
"Fucking bullshit! That bastard rear-ended me! Did you see that!?"
He turned to Kia while pointing at the TV, but Kia just rolled her eyes and took off her jacket as she began walking out.
"I’m going to write a report. Get ready to move out and—"
BOOM!
A massive explosion suddenly echoed from behind and Kia turned around in shock to see that the boy had blown up the TV! This fucking idiot! Did he think he was still in the association?
"That shit is coming out of your paycheck! And what did father say about using magic outside the association? If they find out about this, then it’s your head!"
"Tch! Whatever!"
The boy cursed while tossing his controller away and Kia just sighed as she went to finish her report. She had to get back to watching Dante soon, so she didn’t have time to keep an eye on her idiot brother.
——
[The Next Day]
[Stockham City Airport]
"Sigh~ Finally! I’m back in my motherfucking city!"
A loud voice echoed through the front exit of the Stockham City airport as a man walked out with a spring in his step! The man was dressed like a drunken businessman who just got off a binge party with his stockholders! He had blond hair and dark eyes, with a well-proportioned oval face that would easily make him one of the most handsome men in the room, no matter where he went. He was wearing an expensive Armani suit, but his shirt was untucked, and there was a red lipstick stain on the white shirt underneath. He had a pair of expensive sunglasses in his hair and a bottle of expensive champagne in his right arm. His left arm was wrapped around the shoulders of a beautiful blonde air hostess. The air hostess released an exaggerated laugh while hanging off his hand, and the man leaned down and stole a heated kiss from her right in the middle of the lobby with multiple people watching them.
The man pulled back and a few seconds later slapped the woman’s ass to send her off.
"Don’t forget the party’s tonight at eleven! I’ll pick you up with the limo later!"
The man shouted as he watched the air hostess go, and the air hostess waved back to him with a smile before getting into a taxi and taking off. Once she was gone the man released a sigh while looking around for his escorts. This man was Richard Lucas, popularly called Richie by his friends and family, and this was the first time in the past four years that he would be setting foot in Stockham! Richie had been shocked when his father told him that he was going to study abroad four years ago! Everyone knew that Richie hated school! Richie would rather be in a club with his friends than spend even a second inside a classroom! But George had been adamant and Richie had no choice but to obey his father! If there was one thing no one in the family could ever do, it was disobeying George Lucas!
But that doesn’t mean Richie didn’t make the best of the situation he had been put in! Even though Richie had been in a completely different country, he still held on to his party-boy lifestyle and long nights out with his friends! Richie spent more time in bars and clubs than he did in his university classes, and the only reason why Richie managed to get out of that school with any degree at all was because he was brilliant enough to get passing grades even with minimal studies, and he had enough money to bribe a ton of lecturers! So Richie was returning as the proud recipient of a business degree, but that didn’t matter to him in the least! The only thing Richie cared about right now was the fact that he was back in his city, and he was going to make the most of it at the party tonight! Now, if only he could find his ride, he would be home free. Richie looked around with slightly blurry vision from all the drinking, but before he could find his ride, a voice came from behind him.
"Ugh, I thought you would have grown out of your terrible habits by now, but you’re still as stupid as ever."
The familiar voice immediately made Richie’s face brighten up, and he turned around with a wide smile as he raised his wine bottle in the air! The woman who spoke to him was someone so beautiful that it was almost impossible to think of her as anything other than a model. She had long legs covered in tight blue jeans and a figure that most women would kill for. Her hips were wide, and her bust was large enough to push her off-shoulder shirt in a way that was undeniably seductive! She had cherry red lips and dark piercing eyes, and her black hair was tied up in a rough bun that somehow managed to make her look even more seductive! She took off her dark sunglasses while sneering at the drunk Richie, and Richie cried out!
"Angie! Oh, Angie! I’ve missed you so much, dear sister! Did you miss me!? Of course you did! Come give your older brother a hug!"
Richie immediately tried to grab Angelina in a hug, but Angelina’s face squeezed in raw disgust as she pushed him away while taking a few steps back! She put her hand over her nose to block out the smell of alcohol, and she waved her other hand in front of her like she was getting rid of a fly.
"You smell like a goddamn brewery, you damn alcoholic. What the hell are you thinking, drinking this early? It’s not even noon yet!"