Page 12 of Ruthless Mafia Daddy

Grandfather eventually got tired of their antics and asked them not to return unless they planned to stay. That was the last time I saw them till we received a call about their demise years later. It was a part of my life I hated confronting, staying in a monstrous house with housekeepers, no parents, or siblings. I sometimes, in those moments, found myself wishing I had never been born. I guess it’s where my empathy for kids came from. They were the only charity I cared enough to donate to.

“That’s touching,” She said, holding my gaze. “I’m sure they’re grateful.”

“I don’t need them to be,” I replied, hating the uncomfortable knot forming in my stomach. It’s been over twenty years, and still, a narrow brush with the subject had a mood-altering effect on me. I cleared my throat, steering the conversation in a different direction. “So, does this make up for the exhibition you missed?”

“Not quite.” she chuckled, her gaze sweeping through the audience. “An exhibition would’ve had art enthusiasts critically analyzing every piece. You’re the only person here who appears to have the slightest idea about the symbolism of art.”

“It appears I keep coming to your rescue in this situation.” I teased, watching as that flirty smile I had become accustomed to stretched out her lips.

“What can I say? You’re my knight in shining tuxedo.” Her eyes sparkled beneath the fluorescence of the room.

There she was—the woman who had taken up a permanent residence in my head for the past two weeks.

CHAPTER 5

Arielle

“The nerve of that bastard.” I seethe, pacing back and forth while Vivian sat on the bed, watching me with a mix of concern and amusement.

“Do you know what he said?” I whirled around, mimicking Mikhail’s poise and voice. “Kids are the only innocent members of the society, and I don’t think they deserve to suffer because someone decided to bring them into the world without preparing for them.”

I remembered it word for word. Every detail of his dishonest claim was burned into my memory. It took every restraint in me to maintain a calm facade while he spewed about his love and concern for kids.

“You didn’t expect him to magically tell you about his dealings after one night, did you?” Viv laughed, giving me an incredulous look.

“I obviously did not. I just wished I could’ve forced him to eat his words and tell everyone the charity was fake and he was only using it to cover for his true nature.”

“That’s a smart move when you think about it,” Vivian mused. “Abduct and traffic children behind the scenes while publiclysponsoring and donating to their welfare. No one would suspect a child philanthropist to be a child trafficker.”

“I just wish I could’ve done something at the moment.”

When I walked into the fundraiser, I originally thought it was merely an auction, and my only aim was to get an autographed work of Xavier’s. As a kid who grew up in an orphanage, seeing the digital banner about child welfare really warmed my heart, and I ended up donating to the cause. The orphanage and social service was a shitty place, and the only time we had a moderately nice week was after donations and fundraisers.

Even though a huge chunk of the money obviously went into the pockets of the management, for that period, we were fed better, treated better, and got a few clothes until the eyes of the sponsors were turned from us and everything returned to normal. Regardless of how short lived our joy might’ve been, we always looked forward to these donations and fundraisers.

It made me develop a deep feeling of gratitude to philanthropists. Knowing that someone who knew nothing about me would shell out their hard-earned money to support me while my parents did the great job of birthing me and dumping me on the roadside when I was a whopping two months old always brought me to tears. I spent some of the nights after these donations wondering why strangers could help me, but my own parents couldn’t love me enough to keep me.

Other nights, after some of the kids were adopted and I returned to my lumpy bed alone, I wondered why no one wanted to keep me. Was I unlovable? Then, one day, a grey-haired man with a crooked nose arrived at the orphanage, and he insisted on leaving with me from the moment his eyes met mine. Fathersaved me, and I promised to give all I could to the system that raised me, knowing how difficult life was there. It’s where most of my earnings went to date.

Watching Mikhail stand there as the model figure of a child philanthropist triggered an emotion I didn’t know I possessed. A cocktail of hate, anger, and helplessness burned down my throat, leaving a bitter feeling in my mouth. After my shock wore off from the host coming to tell him people wanted to thank him, it took all I had to not run after her and tell her he should be jailed and kept very far from children and not thanked.

Fucking hypocrite.

“You’ll get him, Ari. You’re very good at your job. Besides, there’s nothing you could’ve done at the event. We both know how obnoxious rich folks can be, and he won’t be the only guilty person there. They’d call you mad.” Vivian reasoned, pulling me into a warm hug.

“I finally understand why Father hates him so much and wants to bring him down as soon as possible. Every day he spends outside, a child is at risk.” I mused as Vivian held me.

I had often wondered why Father was very particular about bringing Mikhail down in record time, and now I understand. Mikhail stood against everything Father believed. While father adopted and sheltered kids, Mikhail abducted and sold them to fatten his pocket.

“Have you reported the event to him?” Vivian asked, releasing me from her hold.

“Yes. He maintained that the progress was slow and wouldn’t listen to reason. Mikhail is very smart and strategic. Onemistake, and we’re done for. I’m ready to give all it takes to make sure this goes well, but Father has other plans.”

“What did he say?”

“He’ll get me a job in the same building as Mikhail’s to increase our chances of running into each other. After last night, this has become very personal to me, and I need it to work seamlessly.” I said, collapsing into my bed.

“It’s not a very bad idea. It’s different from what we had in mind, but it’s not bad. You can be around him without seeming like you’re there for him. When will you start work?” Vivian asked.

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