He’d already had a team of lawyers ready to defend each business that called Tower D its home. Their accountants had already cleaned the books, so to speak, so that nothing gave off a red flag.
Every business in Tower D was backed by the DeLuca name. Which meant, if they had legal trouble, our lawyers stepped in and handled it. But this didn’t come free. No, businesses paid a small fortune for us to make their presence in Italy seem as legit as possible.
“Are you ready to go inside, don Enzo?” Stefan asked.
Ready or not, he had to go inside. He was the don. This was his responsibility. For the next hour, his mind had to be on this and nothing else.
“Let’s go.” Enzo stepped away from the vehicle as Marco climbed inside. Stefan followed him as he headed to the front door. The secretaries bowed when he reached them.
“Welcome to Tower D, Mr. DeLuca,” they said in unison.
The doorman opened the door. Enzo entered the building and was greeted by another secretary. And standing next to her was Jonathan Walthall, an American businessman who’d had an office in Tower D for over five years.
The man’s blond hair was slicked back, and he stood as tall as Enzo. He was a cocky bastard, but he understood the rules. But because he was cocky, Enzo wasn’t surprised that he was the one who’d come to greet him.
“Hello, Mr. DeLuca,” Jonathan said. “Welcome to Tower D. I’ll escort you to your office.”
“I know where it is.” Enzo strode past Jonathan, heading toward the elevator.
When he reached the elevator, Stefan pressed the top floor button. Jonathan matched their strides and entered the elevator with them. Stefan shook his head, signaling for Enzo to keep his cool.
Though he wasn’t accustomed to holding his tongue, this was Tower D. Appearances had to be kept. As the elevator ascended to the top floor, all was silent. It wasn’t until they stepped out of the elevator that Jonathan spoke again.
“We’re happy to have you with us, Mr. DeLuca. Your office has been readied...”
“Readied by who?” Enzo asked as he strode to his office.
“The secretary. Your office is this way,” Jonathan told him.
Enzo stopped and stared behind him to see Jonathan pointing in the opposite direction of don Ermanno’s office. Enzo glanced at Stefan.
Stefan cleared his throat. “Mr. Walthall, who instructed you to ready Mr. DeLuca’s office?”
“With the untimely death of the previous Mr. DeLuca, no one knew when and where the current Mr. DeLuca would be working. I took the initiative to ready one of the largest offices on this floor for Mr. DeLuca.” Jonathan ended his little speech with a huge grin, apparently proud of himself.
I will not spill blood in Tower D, Enzo told himself.
To Stefan, Enzo said, “Follow me.”
Ignoring Jonathan, Enzo proceeded to his grandfather’s office. He listened for the quick pitter-patter of Jonathan’s feet as the man tried to match his and Stefan’s strides. There it was. Enzo inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.I will not spill blood in Tower D.
Enzo reached the end of the hall and turned right. The only office on this hall was his grandfather’s huge corner office, the largest office in the building. Usually, there were two guards stationed at the beginning of the hall.
Today, there were none. He continued forward. He glanced right as he neared the office. There was still a secretary’s desk stationed outside his grandfather's office. However, the woman behind it was not the woman he'd expected.
This woman had long blond hair that fell to her shoulders in waves. Upon seeing Enzo, she put down her compact mirror and stood to greet him. She was dressed in a bright red blazer and a tight red skirt that didn't make it to her knees.
Her gaze drifted over him slowly before she said, "Welcome, Mr. DeLuca. I've been awaiting your arrival. Would you like me to prepare a cup of tea for you?"
Enzo stopped at the edge of her desk and stared over his shoulder. "Where the hell is secretary Yang?"
Stefan was already on his phone. "Calling her now, sir."
The lady in red rushed to Enzo's side. Before she could reach him, Stefan stepped between them, blocking her.
"I'm the new secretary," she said, leaning to the side to peer around Stefan.
When Stefan began speaking in Korean, Enzo knew he'd reached Secretary Yang. But it was the English-speaking motherfucker who was pissing him off. Jonathan approached him from the left, standing on the opposite side of Stefan.