Page 235 of La Dolce Vita

She held the phone and waited. The longer she waited, the angrier she became.

"Mirabella?" a deep voice answered.

"You haven't won anything."

"I haven't lost anything. Have you?" Armando answered.

"I know what you've done. What you did to Catalina. And I swear to God you will pay for it."

"First, your husband threatens my family and me. He then destroys my reputation and takes my business. Now you. Am I supposed to just roll over and let him? Why? Because you are my father's bastard! Giovanni started this war with me. There are consequences."

"Marietta is pregnant."

"And?"

"Giovanni will kill Lorenzo. He will. And when he does, our sister will be destroyed. I never cared for you. But she did. She tried to know you..."

"She cares for nothing but that weakling husband of hers."

"She cares for us all. She didn't have what we had Armando. No mother or father to love her. And she's pregnant, you asshole!"

"Not my problem, is it?"

"Help them. Get them out of Italy. Bring them to Sicily. The only place they can be safe right now is with you."

Armando laughed. "I’d rather load the bullets in Giovanni's gun and help him put it to Lorenzo's head."

"Either you do as I ask, or I give my first interview as Marsuvio Mancini's bastard daughter. And I talk about you. Only you. I talk and talk about you until every ally you have doesn't trust you. Until even your own men want to be away from you. Until the last ounce of respect you have is washed away."

"Your husband already tried this," Armando noted.

"No. My husband tried a different way. He lives in your world. Remember I live in the other world. I have millions of people dying to know about my life. Your legitimate companies will crumble. I will wage a public war against you, and every dime you have will be lost, until you are drained dry. I'm an international star with a Mafia thug for a father. Who in the Western world wouldn't want to hear my story?"

Armando went silent.

"Help her, bring her and Lorenzo there and protect them."

"I don't even know where they are."

"I'll find out. I’ll let you know." Mirabella hung up the phone. She didn't know where they were, but she knew Marietta. Somehow, someway her sister would call her. Even if it’s just to say goodbye. All she had to do was wait.

***

Giovanni woke. He looked around dazed and confused. And then he knew the reason for his rise from his drunken stupor. The phone in his office was ringing. When he sat up, his head swam. The wave of nausea and dizziness almost made him drop to the floor. He waited for it to pass.

The phone kept ringing.

Giovanni massaged his temples. He collected enough of his strength to focus his mind. The ringing phone was a jackhammer to his skull. He wanted to rip it from the wall. He crawled to it. He had to knock over and shove aside so much debris and crap to find it. When he did, he snatched it up.

"Who is this?" he groaned.

"It's me."

Giovanni wasn’t sure the voice was real.

“It’s me Gio.

"Where are you, cousin?" he asked.

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