sex-me boss.

-Richard, to what do I owe the honor of your early visit?

-Oh, my boy, you haven’t learned any manners in all these years. And I thought that four years away from you would have made you understand that I could leave one day without you being able to call me dad; Dimitri, but it’s not as difficult as that to say dad, don’t you know?

The latter nodded negatively without taking his eyes off Richard. Calling him Dad was the last thing he hoped to ever do in his life, even if it was the only way he could stay alive. The man was rotten enough to call him Dad, and even seeing him was torture for him. Four years after he’d left Russia to settle in New Orleans, he’d hoped he’d never come back, but now, two months earlier, he’d learned that he’d gone back to Russia.

-What do you want, Richard?

-I just want you to look at me as I deserve to be looked at, and then we’ll have the chance to do great things, my son. We have the chance to go even further, if only you’ll trust me. I came to talk to you about you and your business. You’re not a dreamy leader, Dimitri, you’re just content with what you’ve got and you don’t look any further, which isn’t good for a mafioso, you know that, don’t you? You’re already a king, it’s true, but you’ve only got one planet under your rule, whereas you have the potential to conquer the whole galaxy. You’ve got that power, so let me do as you say, respect the rules and act like the man you are.

Dimitri had no idea what the man was saying. He knew he’d always coveted the Russian mafia, but even when his father was alive, he hadn’t managed to get it, so he was trying to manipulate him to his own ends. The mafia had its rules, and one little mistake could turn the whole world upside down, which is why he kept his guard up.

-I’d like you to make it shorter, Richard.This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

-Russia, my boy. This global village is rightfully yours. You may tell me that you run most of it, but I don’t think this businessman really deserves to run Saint Petersburg. He’d have to bend to your will too, and that would make you lord of this country.

-Don’t even think about it, Richard. I tried to approach Finn Martinov on business, but he said he wouldn’t get involved in any shady dealings, as he’d taken over his father’s aviation business, and given his father’s hard work, he wouldn’t want him to regret all his hard work from where he is now. When my father was alive, Finn’s father had always been the lord of St. Petersburg, and I don’t think that should change today. Things will stay as they are.

Being the godfather of the Russian mafia had always been his greatest dream, and he wasn’t about to give up on the idea. On the contrary, he was going to play even harder to get there.

-It’s up to you. You’re the boss and you make the decisions. I’ve heard you’re planning a cargo transit, but given the route you’re taking, it’s going to take longer than expected, and it’s heavily guarded by the police; I suggest you take Neva Avenue, which will be more convenient.

-are you pretending not to understand, or what Richard? -this route runs through Saint Petersburg, Finn’s home town, and as I’ve told you, we’re not friends and we’re not enemies either. Something to do with the mafia should never pass through his city, so just forget about it. I’ve already organized everything and that’s the way it’s going to be.

Richard huffed and shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. A mule-headed child, he didn’t want to listen to an old man’s advice, but the old man couldn’t let it go when it was to his advantage.

-It’s not like you’re going to make a sale in his town, right? It’s too much for one hour and then it’ll be over. I assure you, you’re in the clear and everything’s insured. Don’t be a fool and see the advantage of this passage.

Dimitri could see that it would shorten his journey, but he liked to play by the rules, and since that had been the rule since his father’s and Finn’s lifetime, he didn’t want to flout it. Just drive on the main road and nothing else.

-It’s all right,” said the latter.

-What time on Wednesday?

-I think the trucks will pass through his town around noon, and by one o’clock at night at the latest, everything will be as clean as if we’d never been there.

Richard smiled and greeted him with a handshake. The first order of business had already succeeded. He was going to create mischief in order to reign better, and he was going to do it by seeing them tear each other apart.

He knew it was his secretary, but he didn’t want to be disturbed, so he ignored the call and got on with his work. Two minutes later, he heard a knock on his office door. He couldn’t send her away any longer, so he ordered her to enter in a harsh voice.

-I apologize for the inconvenience, sir, but you have a visitor and this person says it’s urgent.

Finn raised his head and looked at her a little more seriously. She was glued to the door as if she wanted to run away, and this sissy attitude exasperated him at times.

-This is the person who told you his visit is important, Caroline, but do you think it’s important?

-I… don’t know sir… he… told me that… that he should see you urgently so…

-It’s okay, he can come in.

Finn didn’t want to see her trembling in front of him anymore, because if this kept up, she was going to pee her panties in front of him, and he wasn’t ready to see that. Thirty seconds after his secretary left, the door to his office opened again and he saw Richard. The look of astonishment on his face was quite understandable; he hadn’t thought he’d ever see him again after all these years. The latter was looking rather fit and well, as if he’d come straight from heaven.

-Richard, it’s been a while.

-Richard Finn again? seriously? what would I do so you could call me dad one day? just once, you know?

-Never, never happen. Four years without hearing your voice Richard. Why are you back in Russia and you could have asked me to meet you in a famous club and not find me in my office because I know you’ve always found it boring.

-You’re perfectly right and if it wasn’t so serious, I’d have asked you to meet me where there’s movement, but no, there’s something more important. Finn, you’re a great businessman who’s already made a success of his life, and I always wonder why you don’t look for more. Conquering the whole universe would be better for you than settling for one planet, my dear son. You can do it, you can lay the whole world at your feet, you know that don’t you?

-I’m going to stop you right there, Richard. I never wanted to be a dictator who scares people. All I’m asking is that you stay away from me, because I don’t trust anyone, and for the lust you’re talking about, a whole country is useless to me. I decided to have Saint Petersburg because most of my major companies are located there and I don’t want to get involved in shady business, that’s all. I don’t really care what happens elsewhere as long as it doesn’t interfere with my hard work.

As stubborn as the other, Richard thought. These two kids were definitely trying to give him a hard time, but he wasn’t about to forget that. His idea was to reign, and he was going to succeed in the best possible way. These kids thought they were smarter, but it was only a matter of time.

-That’s why I like you so much, Finn. You’re a man of your word and you respect what you say, but do you think your counterpart is like you? You respect the fact that you don’t encroach on his territory, but do you think he could do the same?

Finn didn’t need to think at all, because he knew Dimitri would never do anything to harm him. The two weren’t friends, but they weren’t enemies either, and that pleased Finn. Dimitri was a mafia man who knew how to behave despite his ruthless side, but he was only ruthless with people who didn’t play by his rules. He shook his head negatively to let Richard know he wasn’t about to believe what he was about to tell him.

-Come on, Finn. The world hasn’t always been this perfect for ages. Our ancestors had their ways of doing things, but you youngsters destroyed them to set up your own. You’ve all become traitors and what have you. The proof is that the same Dimitri you don’t want to bump into is about to send a cargo through the main road on Neva Avenue around noon on Wednesday. Didn’t you just tell me that this was forbidden for him?

-No, I don’t believe you, Richard. I don’t know what you want, but you’d better take another route, because this one doesn’t convince me at all. The man in the shadows is loyal enough to do something like this, and if it’s true, I’m going to have his cargo bombed without mercy, and I mean it.

-A fine initiative to teach him a lesson in respect for the law. If you still don’t believe me, you can already prepare the explosives or whatever you want and you can check on this Neva Avenue line from eleven in the morning on Wednesday and you’ll see. I just wanted to warn you to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

Richard left as he had come and Finn was still confused by the whole affair. He had no idea why Dimitri had acted the way he had. The two of them had only met once, and just to reiterate their fathers’ agreements on respecting territories.