Rise of the Mafia Boss(from most underated to most feared)

CHAPTER 6: CHAPPATTI CARTEL.

Andrew's head was spinning.

He looked around the hall again. The governor. The senator. The judge. All standing amongst men in red. All looking at him like he was someone important.

"I don't understand," Andrew said. "My father was a second-in-command. That's what Mr. Ciaro had told me. That's all I ever knew."

A reply came from Klaus almost immediately.

"Your father was never a second-in-command. He was the leader. The founder. The most powerful cartel boss this city has ever seen."

Andrew's mouth went dry.

"Then why—"

"Why did Ciaro tell you different?" Klaus finished. "Because that was the deal. Ciaro protected you. In return, he kept the Chappatti cartel name hidden. He kept you hidden. Until you were ready."

Andrew's head was pounding. Too much information. Too fast.

"I have so many questions," he said.

Klaus nodded. "I know. And I will answer every single one of them."

He stepped closer.

"But not tonight. Tonight, we have something more important."

Andrew frowned. "What?"

"Your coronation."

Klaus raised his hand.

The room went silent.

"The law of the Chappatti Cartel is clear," Klaus announced. "When the leader falls, his firstborn son shall take his place. But only when he reaches the age of twenty-two."

He turned to Andrew.

"Today, you turned twenty-two."

Andrew blinked. He hadn't even remembered. With everything going on—the party, Lesner, the kidnapping—his birthday had slipped his mind completely. As a matter of fact, he never even remembers his birthday because no one cares about him. He hasn't been wished a happy birthday since when his parents passed.

Klaus reached into his jacket and pulled out something gold.

A necklace.

At the center hung a crescent. The same symbol on the gate. The same symbol Mr. Ciaro had showed him the night his parents died.

But this one was different.

It was bigger. Heavier. Encircled by small diamonds that caught the light.

"This is the Chappatti crest," Klaus said. "You've seen it before. But what you didn't know—it's not just your family crest. It's the symbol of the Chappatti Cartel. Every man in this room carries one."

He pointed to the men in red. Andrew saw it then. Each of them wore a small crescent around their neck. Silver. Simple.

Then Klaus held up Andrew's necklace.

"Yours is different. Gold. Diamonds. This is the crest of the Supreme Leader. Your father wore this. His father wore it before him. And now—" He stepped behind Andrew. "—you wear it."

Klaus placed the necklace around Andrew's neck.

The gold felt heavy against his chest.

"Long live the leader!" Klaus shouted.

The room erupted.

"Long live the leader!"

"Long live the leader!"

"Long live the leader!"

A hundred voices. A hundred men in red. All of them bowing at the same time.

Andrew stood frozen. His hand went to the crescent on his chest. The metal was warm.

He was no longer a handyman. He was no longer a nobody.

He was the leader of the Chappatti Cartel.

---

The room rose from their bows.

Klaus walked back to Andrew and placed both hands on his shoulders.

"It is time," he said, "for you to take your place as the city's most dangerous figure."

" most dangerous figure?" Andrew swallowed. "What about Lesner? He holds that position doesn't he ?" He asked with a lil bit of fear in him. Though he had challenged lesner earlier due to anger but that does not mean he doesn't know what lesner was capable of doing. That guy is a certified killer.

Klaus smiled at his question.

"Lesner is a boy." Klaus said.

Andrew frowned. "A boy? He's the most dangerous man in the city."

"To them, maybe." Klaus gestured toward the door, toward the outside world. "But to us? To the Chappatti Cartel?" He laughed. "Lesner wouldn't dare match your father. And now, he wouldn't dare match you."

Andrew's heart pounded.

"You're saying—"

"I'm saying," Klaus interrupted, "that Lesner rules because we let him rule. The Chappatti Cartel has been hiding for years. Protecting you. Waiting for this moment."

He leaned closer.

"But now? Now we stop hiding. And when Lesner finds out who you really are?" Klaus's eyes went cold. "He will remember exactly why your father's name was feared."

" How powerful was my dad ? " He curiously asked.

" very powerful, more powerful than Mr Ciaro." klaus said leaving Andrew in shock.

Saying his dad was more powerful than late Mr ciaro who was the deadliest and most influential man in the drug and business sector was on a different level. He knew how everyone in the city dreaded ciaro so much. Not even lesner could breath in a meeting when Mr Ciaro is talking. He's literally one of the most ruthless gang leader ever lived. Saying his dad, Mr chappatti, was more powerful than him is stating that his dad was on a god level in the crime world.

Andrew said nothing.

His hand was still on the crest. And then, came the next phase of his life....

" First, this is a black card."

Klaus said as he dipped his hand in his breast pocket and handed Andrew a black credit card with the chappatti name written on it.

"There are millions of dollars in it that would be topped up twice in a week for every single transaction you make. That money is a fraction of inheritance from your dad. Later on, we would take you around the cities first to see most of your dad's business and teach you how to run them. But first,". He gave Andrew a serious stare as he prepared to say his next word.

"You must deal with lesner. Do not let him take Emilia from you. There's a reason Mr. Ciaro betrothed her to you. A reason you both are about to find out.

********

Meanwhile, at the Ciaro Mansion

Emilia couldn't sit still.

Hours had passed. The sun was starting to rise. And still, no word about Andrew.

She paced the sitting room. Back and forth. Back and forth.

Her mother sat on the sofa, sipping tea like nothing had happened.

"Will you stop that?" Mrs. Ciaro said.

"Stop what?"

"Pacing. You're making me dizzy."

Emilia stopped. But her hands were still shaking.

"We can't just act like nothing happened, Mom."

Mrs. Ciaro set down her cup. "What do you want me to do, Emilia? Call the police? Tell them a drug lord kidnapped my daughter's useless husband?"

"Yes!"

"And what happens when they ask questions? When they dig into our business? When they find out why Lesner really took him?"

Emilia's jaw tightened.

"We're criminals, Emilia. We don't call the police. We handle things ourselves."

"Then handle it!" Emilia's voice rose. "Do something! Anything!"

Mrs. Ciaro stood up slowly. Her face was tired.

"Andrew is dead, Emilia. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can focus on what comes next."

"Next?"

"Your wedding. To Lesner. In three dayyyssss!!!" She expressed wih a serious and overwhelmed face.

Emilia felt something crack inside her chest.

She turned and walked to the window. Stared out at the rising sun.

Somewhere out there, her husband was gone.

And her mother wanted her to just move on.

She pressed her forehead against the cold glass.

Father, you promised me. You promised Andrew would save us.

Where is he now?

She checked the wall clock and saw it was almost 2am and yet nothing has been heard from Andrew.

" Okay, i have had enough." She picked up her keys about to Storm the house.

" Wait, where are you going ? " her mom asked.

" I'm going to challenge that son of a bastard on where he took my husband."

" wait, what ? " Mrs Ciaro's quickly kept her tea, stood up and held Emilia.

" Are you stupid, he Will kill you."

"And who says I'm going alone ? I'm taking the some men with me."

" What ? Do you know what you are about to do ? You are about to start a war between the Ciaro cartel and that of lesner!!!"

" Yeah, a cartel which lesner dreads so badly."

" Oh no he doesn't. Not anymore. You dad who is the biggest threat is late. We are no match for lesner. You will get the men killed."

" Mom, i don't care if it takes the life of the entire ciaro cartel, all i wnat is my husband!!!!". Seh screamed. Emilia was loosing it and her mom was trying to calm her down. During the back and forth with my mom, her sisters walked into the sitting room.

" What's happening, we ve been hearing your voices from upstairs." Stacy said with a sleepy voice as she yawns into the room.

" You sister wants to take men from the ciaro cartel to go challenge lesner ?" Mrs ciaro reported.

" What ? thats stupid. Thats husband of yours must be dead by now so don't -----

Sophy's words was cut short when the door was pushed open and they all saw Andrew walked into the room confidently like he owned the place. No scratch, no injuries or blood stains on him.

*******

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