Married Into The Mafia *Undergoing Re-editing*

Mafia Business

--Diana--

"Jacinda Florenzo is her real name," Nicki said, keeping keen and unbroken eye contact with me. I cocked an eyebrow in bemusement as she extrapolated. "Eloise Letter is actually the daughter of Giovanni Florenzo." I squinted my eyes together in the digestion of the revelation. So, this girl was someone else entirely? And, I'm guessing this Giovanni Florenzo fellow was important? As if she could hear my thoughts, Nicki answered my internal queries for me. "Giovanni Florenzo used to have much influence over Italy and southern Europe before he took his business over to Australia and formed what is now known as the Redback Syndicate. He is Eloise's real father. And, his wife is Eloise's real mother," Nicki loaded onto me all at once. 

My expression tightened with astonishment, overwhelmed by all of this information. Eloise Lettner, this simple girl, was the daughter of someone so powerful? No wonder everyone was kicking up such a fuss about her then.

"So, then what is she doing over here? In America? As Ashton's wife?" I needled just as a knock came at the door of the private room. Nicki allowed a waitress to come in with a notepad in her hand, ready for our order. 

I quickly dropped the conversation as she warmly greeted us and asked for our selections. I ordered the roasted duck and Nicki went with just a platter of salt and pepper squid. After we were left to our own means again, I searched Nicki's coy features for an answer. She noticed and simply picked up her glass of water for a sip. "I don't know," she lied with a dismissive shrug. It was clearly a lie. And, I knew if I prodded her own it, she would only double down on the lie. "But, it should be obvious as to why Ashton married her. It was the most legal way for him to get a hold of her. That's also why he's putting this whole front up to make it seem as if Eloise hadn't just been forced into it." 

"So, shouldn't we try to expose him and get the police involved?" I suggested, quirking a suspicious eyebrow from her. 

"We?" Nicki drawled in disapproval. "There's no you and me, Diana. And, simply handing her over to the police would be a wasted opportunity. Why not just return her to where she belongs and get a proper reward for it instead?" She insinuated, firing the engine up in my head. 

Where she belongs? Don't tell me-

"Is that your plan? You're going to rescue her just to hand her over to this man on the other side of the world?" I chastised, earning an irritated look from Nicki in return. The poor girl. They're biding her trust just to turn on her for their own benefit. Just like everyone else in this goddamn mafia business. 

"That man is her real father, Diana. He's family. Something she's sorely lacking in her life after what had happened during the wedding night," she rationalised as if their actions could be justified. They were basically going to do the same thing as Ashton then!

"But, still, she doesn't even know who he is as of now!" I retorted, causing Nicki to sigh in exasperation. 

"Why are you getting so emotional over this girl, Diana? It's none of your business. Remember, I'm only telling you this so you'll stop pestering me about it," she muttered into her glass as she went for another drink. 

I breached forward over the table to show my sincerity in this argument. Whilst what she said was true, this was not the right thing to do. It was going to ruin this poor girl's life even more than it had been already and set Nicki down the wrong path. "How are you any better than Ashton if you do this, Nicki?"

Nicki shook her head as she placed her glass back down. "I never claimed to be any better than him. I just don't want to help him get something that we could get instead. Not after what he did to betray the family," she spat lowly as I rested back in my chair. There was no changing her mind if that was what drove her to do this. Now that both Jake and Nicki have gotten close to Eloise, I doubt the people pulling their strings would want them to back out anyway.