22. No Hiding From Fate

Emanuelle was watching the scene unfolding in front of him. His son was shaking hands with Jonas O'Kane. It was now official that Tristan was going to be the one to take over from Jackson since Jonas was not protesting. Jonas was first in line but his lack of interest in leadership meant the next in line after him was the one to be crowned as the Irish king of New York.

Emanuelle had mixed feelings. He had planned for his eldest son to have a proper youth like how he had. He didn't want his son to have to grow up too fast. But on the other hand he couldn't hold his son back. As a father he was obliged to let his son thrive and challenge himself. Leading the O'Kane family was the ultimate test for his son that he had spent years preparing his son for. That family had a stronghold like no other in New York and beyond. In Boston they ruled with an iron fist and their reign reached around the country in different states. After the attempt to weaken them, they had retaliated. They had lost many males in a bloody war but had gained ground, power, wealth and strength beyond reach by anyone.

Emanuelle looked around the room and then his stare zeroed at Francesco. His best friend was in no different position than he was. His son's life was not going to be the same again and he wasn't going to have proper youth just like Tristan. Time went by fast. Vincenzo was going to take over from the Don ruling Sicily and the sky was the limit to how much expansion he could do in southern Italy. The Don had already strengthened his power and Vincenzo was going to take the Rosarios even further up with his instinct and leadership. He was going to match the strength of Arturo Agostini and Ambrogio Voltolini whom were ruling most of northern Italy.

O'Neil then looked up at his wife and daughter who were sitting on the top floor leaning onto the railings. The structure of the oval shaped room was massive. There was enough room for women to come inside and watch their men from the top floor. Although not that many women had taken the choice. Jackson had made sure to make it clear he didn't mind women to witness his speech. Even Adele and Vienna had been convinced to come to watch too. Vienna was holding Clarissa's had watching Tristan intently.

O'Neil then glanced at Jackson who walked to the podium and instructed Tristan and Jonas to stand at either side of him. Jackson was going to make him watch this long display of dominance as he was an opportunist. O'Neil couldn't fault his cousin. Jackson had managed to find potential and had made sure to claim it for himself. His son was extraordinary. He was dominant. He was a born leader. He was perfection. Maybe it was partly his fault that his son was standing there with so much responsibility on him. If he hadn't trained him so well maybe Tristan could get to be a teenager for abit longer. But again according to many Tristan had it in his genes. He was special. There was no hiding from fate. Jackson always reminded him of that.

He recalled how Jackson made sure to remind him that one day he was going to collect his heir. They had clashed a lot over this. O'Neil had taken his kids on surprise vacations many times and had sent them on sudden internships to reduce contact between Jackson and his kids. He wanted to make a statement to O'Kane whenever he could that Tristan was his son. He reminded him that if he wanted to claim his son as his heir it didn't mean he could take over his life earlier than needed.

Once they were in his study drinking Irish whiskey standing next to the fire place. Jackson had stared into the fire " You know Terrence, you play with fire, then the fire will start playing with you. Don't try it."

Emanuelle had said " You know Jackson, I am not playing and neither is the fire. This is no game. This is a fight. I fight the fire and get burnt if I have to. There is nothing I won't do for my son. I told you to wait. I need my son to grow up on my terms. His uncle Jackson should just be his uncle when it's Christmas and when he has his birthday. His uncle Jackson should drop by for dinner just to have dinner. I don't want Tristan to know too much about what you want with him for now. I need to raise him my way. I need him to learn my way and not by your people's ways. Yet you persist on influencing him. Your persistence gets my resistance like always.  Why try it?"

Jackson had said " I get it. You want to give him the childhood you had yourself and mentor him too. I don't protest that Terrence. I am not trying to take away your son. But you are trying to keep him away from me. I am not patient Terrence. Don't play the hiding game. You can't hide him from me. You can't hide him from his fate. I am coming for him before his eighteenth birthday and if he is not ready then I would prepare him myself. I am taking him away either way when I decide to come for him regardless of whether he is ready or not. Do you think you can stop me?"

O'Neil knew it was hard to match O'Kane especially after he had killed his father's murderers and had taken over so many territories. But it didn't mean he wasn't going to try to stop Jackson if his son was in danger. He had replied " No. I won't attempt to stop you unless my son was at risk of getting hurt. I defend my family."

Jackson had replied " I defend my family too. Your son is as good as my own Terrence. I won't let him get hurt."

Emanuelle had replied " Either way I am raising a son who will hopefully be capable of defending himself and wouldn't need your protection or mine. But either way I will always be acting as his father. He is my son first before you are my painfully persistent almighty cousin I try to avoid.... But I honestly think it's not me who will be in your way. It would be my son. Do you think I will raise a follower or a leader? Do you think my son will blindly follow you? I don't think so. He will choose his own path. If you don't deserve to be followed then he won't follow you. If your people are not worth leading, he won't lead your people. He is my son. He won't be corruptible and won't be forced. O'Neils have honour and loyalty. That should be enough for you to keep away and wait for your turn. Don't mix business and family matters."

Jackson didn't like being told what to do. He just didn't. That was why O'Neil was reminded not to push him too far every time he defied Jackson. In fact, on that occasion like many other occasions when they clashed, Jackson had reacted in his way to send a message that he was not being pushed out. He had blocked off some of the harbours that O'Neil used on his territory for days until Emanuelle did drop by personally at his house to enquire and reason with him. Jackson liked to make a statement and so did O'Neil. For years they had been clashing but O'Neil was always careful. He knew when to stop pushing and fighting.

O'Neil came back to the present time as he heard Jackson address the room " I would like to take this opportunity to declare my heir in this meeting. If anyone has any objections now is the time to speak."

Emanuelle knew that Jackson was directing the question at him. Jackson was staring right at him waiting for him to speak. O'Neil was not going to protest. His son was ready. He knew his son could handle anything Jackson was going to throw at him. He has taught him all he knew and so had sancia. He wasn't worried about his son so he didn't wish to protest. So O'Neil looked back at his cousin and shook his head confirming he wasn't going to protest.

O'Kane looked away and carried on with his speech talking about his family's values and his beliefs earning an eye roll from O'Neil who decided to move away to the Italian side of the room and stand next to Francesco. He didn't mind being the odd Irish who didn't stand with his people at times. What did it matter? He was closer to Francesco as a brother than he was to anyone else in that room. Sharing blood didn't necessarily mean brotherhood and didn't determine who O'Neil was willing to die for.

O'Neil stood next to Francesco and whispered "What do you make of this?"

His tone was passive but Francesco knew O'Neil seriously needed his input. Francesco put his hand on his shoulder and whispered back " In the end, Our sons have their choices and their free will."

O'Neil looked away staring at his son as he whispered " He is too young for this. So is your son. All because the FBI is on our throats our sons can't have youth."

Francesco could understand where O'Neil was coming from. O'Neil had a good youth. He had fun back then. He wanted the same for his children. It was a sad truth that their children despite having the safety and protection that they had provided for them had to grow up quite fast. There was no time to waste.

Jackson wrapped his arm around Tristan's shoulder and addressed the room with a tone heavy with threat " This is an official declaration. Today, I declare Tristan as my heir. Anyone who goes against his command and authority from this moment onwards will be directly defying the O'Kane family and our partners. Any acts of defiance or insults to Tristan will be a direct declaration of nemesis that could lead to a war with the O'Kane family. I declare Tristan as my heir and his word will be taken as mine from today. Now I invite you to shake hands with my heir and attend to his welcome feast at my home tonight to celebrate his appointment. He is soon to take the Irish vow."

O'Neil whispered to Francesco " He didn't tell me he was having an after party tonight for my son. Can you believe him?"

Francesco smiled weakly. O'Neil always made jokes even in hard moments. Francesco watched as his son was the first one to walk upto Tristan.

Vienna watched her brother shaking hands with Tristan. It was a strange feeling that she felt. Her heart had been beating fast watching him be introduced as heir to everyone in the room. But now when she watched her brother embracing Tristan put her mind at slight ease. It all had happened so fast. Her brother was going to be a don and her boyfriend was going to be an Irish king ruling the city and beyond. At least what made her feel better was knowing the fact that her brother and her boyfriend were at peace with each other. Vincenzo could easily refuse to give his friendship to the O'Kanes.

Vienna cringed as she watched the other families approaching Tristan. Some knelt on the floor and kissed his hand. It was surreal. When had this happened? She felt nauseous. She turned to her mother " Mum. I need to go to the ladies." She then walked away to the exit.

Terza noticed Vienna leaving and followed her "Where are you going? It's rare for them to let women watch the meetings. You are letting go of the chance?"

Vienna stepped outside the room and turned to Terza " I am not feeling well. Come on. Didn't you just see what happened? It's just hard to get used to the sight of men worshipping Tristan. Don't you think?" She then walked away to the bathroom.

Terza followed and caught up to her walking alongside her " Its because they respect and fear him at the same time. That's how our world works Vienna. There are men who will lead and there are also those who take orders. Our brothers demand respect."

Vienna gave out a shaky breath and looked at Terza while walking " I am scared. What will our brothers do with all the responsibility. Leadership is tough."

Terza said "Vienna. I am not thinking much about Tristan or Vincenzo. They are first born Heirs. All their lives they have had training. I now mostly am curious about Viggo and Trent."

Vienna entered the bathroom and walked to the sink. She opened water tap and threw some cold water on her face as she looked at the window "Viggo and Trent? What about them?"

Terza stood next to Vienna looking at her " Come on. Now that the big brothers have a different bigger calling the younger brothers have to step up their duties. They have to come out of the shadows of their big brothers. Our older brothers have to change and so do our twins."

Vienna took a deep breath and looked at the mirror feeling unsettled. "You are right. We are lucky we are girls."

Terza smiled as she leaned to the wall " I don't feel so lucky Vienna. Sometimes I wish I was a boy so people in this world could take me more seriously regarding my father's business. But I am always Tristan's baby sister and now also Vincenzo's girl. It's hard to be taken seriously when you are a girl. I will help Tristan. I will always be there for him. That's all we can do. We can just be there for our brothers."

Vienna sighed " I know." Once she felt better she decided to go back to the meeting room with Terza watching the other discussions. Meeting was short since O'Kane family were hosting a party that night and no one wanted to be late in making arrangements. Once Vienna left the room at the end of the meeting she made her way to her hotel rooks but she was stopped on her way by Tristan " Vienna. Wait."

Vienna looked at Tristan blocking her path. She wasn't sure what to say. Was she meant to say congratulations? But before she could speak, he did " Let's go somewhere private." He then grabbed her hand and lead her away. He took her to a room and closed the door. Before Vienna could react she found herself embraced in his arms.

Moments went past in silence. She could only hear his heart beats and his breaths. It was quite calming actually. All the tension and fear left her body when he hugged. He just could make it go away.

After Tristan pulled away he spoke while staring deeply into her eyes " Vienna. I don't know when will be the last time I will see you again. I have to go to Boston just like how Vincenzo has to go to Sicily for a while. When I go to Boston I don't know when I see you next. My father will be watching over you with his men in that art school you are going to. He has made arrangements. He bought that art school for you. You will be safe. He will make sure. I will also keep an eye on you. Vienna you have to promise me something."

Vienna was processing the information. He was leaving for training. She expected that Clarisa had told her he could be gone. She was shocked that the O'Neils had bought the school she was going to. She breathed " What do you want me to promise?"

Tristan said " Don't miss me Vienna. I want you to try not to think about me. My life is changing but yours doesn't have to change. I will be seeing you soon and I will be safe. I think I will be back for your birthday hopefully. I will come back to New York when the phase I need to go through in Boston is over. Just like how Vincenzo has work to be doing in Sicily. Once some matters get settled then he will be more mobile. Vincenzo and I will have work to do. It's what we must do. I want you to not try to worry. Can you promise?"

Vienna whispered " I promise."

Tristan smiled and kissed her forehead. He then said " Let's go. I don't want to keep you. I just wanted to talk to you before we go to my uncles house. I think I will have time to get a goodbye kiss from you but wasn't sure if I could have alone time with you to talk." He then walked to the door and opened it " The journey is long. His New York home is quite far. We need to move fast to get there by night time."

Vienna nodded and understood. As much as she wanted them to spend time together they couldn't. Not at that moment. She walked outside and heard Tristan close the door " Vienna I will see you later. I have to do something."

Vienna nodded and walked towards the direction of her hotel room. As she was walking she bumped into non other than Letizia. She wasn't watching where she was going. Vienna almost fell but kept herself from falling.

Letizia said apologetically " I am sorry."

Vienna said " Its okay. How are you?"

Letizia said " I am happy to be alive."

Vienna asked " Are you going to Sicily?"

Letizia nodded " Yes. I am. I want to go with Vitale. But I won't miss New York and I certainly won't miss seeing your man around. He is a nightmare. How do you put up with him?..."

Just then Vienna watched as Letizia paled looking into the distance. She took a step back.

Vienna didn't get the chance to question what was going on as she found his strong arms against homer waist holding her the way he only could. She felt the force of his authority in the air and in Letizia's eyes who looked petrified. She heard his firm voice " Letizia. Know your place or I will teach it to you."

Vienna shivered from the force of his dominance. Letizia looked mortified as she took another step back. Just then Vitale came to her rescue as he arrived. He looked at Letizia " Here you are. Let's go." He then looked at Tristan and then at Letizia " What's the problem? Why aren't you moving?"

Tristan said " She doesn't know her place Vitale. You tell her where it is or I will. I will do it the O'Kane way. I don't tolerate personal insults."

Vitale understood and nodded quickly " I am sorry Tristan." He then dragged Letizia away by the arm who was lost for words. Vienna was glad she didn't insult Tristan. Any insult against him meant insulting the O'Kanes, O'Neils, O'Quinn's, O'Keefes, O'Callaghans and many other Irish partners. O'Kanes were Irish royalty.

Tristan said " I accept your apology on her behalf."

As Letizia and Vitale disappeared from view, Vienna voiced her question not being able to help herself " Tristan. Can I... Can I ask you something?"

Tristan kissed the side of her head while letting go of her waist " Sure Vienna." His tone was much softer.

Vienna took a deep breath and turned to Tristan slowly " Tristan... Where is my place? Do I need to know my place too?"

Tristan smiled " Your place is right here." He grabbed her arms and pulled her towards himself. He then grabbed one of Vienna's wrists and moved her hand to his chest. He held her hand to his chest " Your place is right here, with me, always." He then let go and wrapped his arms around her as he attached his lips to hers kissing her deeply and possessively with dominance.