213 Talking To A Picture
Marcel plopped down on his office seat, his head thrown back. He then straightens up, running his palm down his face. Everything was fucked up. How was he going to commence with his plans?
Arianna was surely going to hate his ass when she awakes; he still had no clue where Elijah was, nor his weapon; Jeremy was not giving him solid evidence; his sister was still with his father; he had an organization to run and keep away from the evil claws of his relatives. But like a domino effect, everything was slowly falling apart.
Marcel groaned, digging his hand through his hair. He felt suffocated inside as if he would explode anytime soon. Good thing, he was all alone and no one was here to piss him off and incur his wrath. Or see him losing his shit.
He pulled out one of the drawers on the right-hand side of the desk and picked the picture frame of a woman. There was one thing Marcel does when heâs overwhelmed like right now and that was to stare up at the picture of his mother and converse with her.
If Arianna had been here, sheâd definitely be struck dumb by the softness and affection in Marcelâs face. Most times sheâs seen him, he always had a permanent scowl on his face as if he was at war with everyone.
Marcel tenderly caressed the picture of the woman in the frame. Just like him, she had blonde hair, and the similarities between the both of them were quite ostentatious. And his father always loathed his uncanny resemblance to that woman, his late wife.
If it wasnât for the fact that Marcel had gray eyes which was a dominant trait in the Luciano family, his father Daniel would have questioned his paternity.
And if he had turned out to be a girl? He might as well have become an orphan, Marcel was sure Daniel wouldnât look twice at him. The man was building an empire and he didnât need weaklings.
âI donât know what to do anymore, mother,â Marcel spoke to the picture as if it was an animate being and that she was right here with him, âI think Iâm way over my head with this one,â He confessed, swallowing a huge lump down his throat.
.....
Saying that, was as good as Marcel admitting defeat, hence he added almost immediately, âNonetheless, itâs my cross to bear. I was born for this and should be ready for whatever comes my way,â
Marcel licked his lips and went on, âYour husband still has your favorite person Chloe in his custody, and I have no idea where he kept her and if sheâs even okay â the both of us know his tendency for assault. And donât even look at me that way, if youâre so worried about her, you should have let me end him when I had the chance,â Marcel rolled his eyes, the tension that had been surrounding him earlier slowly eased out of his body. The season was therapeutic. And yes, there were times he was close to killing that man.
Marcel laughed sarcastically, âBut then, you were like, you canât kill him, heâs your father! Marcel, blood is thicker than water,â He intentionally mimicked a ladyâs voice.
âNow look where it got your daughter, Chloe?â He said, through gritted teeth, âAnd oh, heâs trying to get me married to this girl â a bimbo to be exact. Iâm sure you would like her,â His words dripped with sarcasm.
âWell, if you want to know more about your future daughter-in-law, then you should know she hated me to the core and would have loathed the person that birthed me as well if you were around. However....â
Marcel leaned back into his desk as if trying to see this from another point of view, âShe has suddenly taken an unhealthy interest in me and itâs really uncomfortable. I never thought Iâd come to say this one day but Iâm scared of her. What if I end up giving in to her because of my extreme protective nature, you of all people should know about that,â
Yeah, he had been so protective of his mother that his father had taken advantage of that weakness to train him â hone his skills. The man would taut and promise him what would happen to his mother if he wasnât strong enough. Well, guess what, he wasnât strong enough to save her from death.
If Marcel was to describe what happened to his mother, he would say, âshe withered awayâ. His mother and father were a miserable pair and while it might seem an option to divorce, it just didnât work that way.
The Mafia had their own code of conduct and leaving was a luxury his mother couldnât afford. She knew too much and that alone disqualified her from getting a divorce.
When Marcel had been younger, he thought his mother was weak and stupid for sticking to his father despite the abuse making him despise weak people. But as he grew, Marcel gained insight and came to understand the choices she made, not only for herself but for him as well.
Even if his mother was not captured by the police, they had so many enemies who could forcibly take or lure her to their side which was detrimental if she decided to work against them.
Penelope might not have been active in the organization, but she had one vital tool, information. She knew stuff, people, and how the Luciano family works â their weaknesses and strengths.
If that knowledge were to fall into the wrong hands, they were as good as finished. But then, Daniel was there and wouldnât let that happen, heâd probably gladly get rid of his wife to solve the problem. Moreover, appearance was everything in the mafia.
âAnd then thereâs this other girl....â Marcel breathed and started, âYou are probably not going to like her since she is everything you could never be. The girlâs stupidly brave, fierce, and fucking hot. Sheâs literally messing with my mind and I donât know what to do. Any suggestions on how to deal with her?â
But of course, no suggestion came because his mother was dead and he had been talking to a picture.