Deadly Nightshade

Chapter 34: The Vote

We headed to our headquarters since it was the closest place for us to get changed. Since our previous main headquarters was blown by the Morozov's a few months ago, my dad had it under reconstruction, and the plan was to relocate there once it was done. But I thought that it wouldn't be as smart to move there again since the Morozov's already knew about that place, and whose to say, they wouldn't try to blow it up a second time. So I decided to make the second headquarters our main and only headquarters. Plus, we have the warehouse at the back of the building, and that is a huge benefit for us. I still own our former headquarters building; it just isn't used anymore since I am still deciding what to do with it. Maybe I'll sell it, rent it, or even open a new restaurant. Who knows? In the meantime, it will stay empty and locked. And yes, I did think of a backup, so in any case something happens to our headquarters, we can use the Training Center. It won't hold all of the employees as our headquarters, but it has the capacity to hold all of the data and the administrative department, which is the most important.

I walk to my office, and once inside, I walk towards my mini closet, which holds some spare clothes for me. Enzo made sure the curtains were closed before he stepped out of the room and closed the door, standing in front of it and guarding it.

I decide to put on an elegant dress that matches my designer high heels, and I set it aside to clean myself first. I walk to my desk and open a drawer that has my makeup wipes. I take a wipe, and I gently wipe away the blood that remained on my face. It is a good thing that I have light makeup on. Once my face and neck were clean, I just retouched my makeup to look presentable. Then I changed my clothes. I applied my favorite perfume, I grabbed my purse, and I headed out of the office.

"I'm ready." I say to Enzo, and we both walk to the elevator.

Once we reached the lobby, Damiano and Max were already waiting for me.

"Took you long enough," Max teases me when he sees me.

"That was faster than other times, though," Damiano chuckles.

I roll my eyes at them, but a small smile makes its way into my face.

I don't say anything, and I start walking towards our cars.

The car ride to the presidential house was quiet; everyone was in their own world. "We are here." Enzo announces. The security let us in after they followed their protocol of registering the cars and the people in them.

Max, Damiano, Enzo, Alonzo, and I walked into the presidential house. The rest of my bodyguards stayed in the cars, waiting for us. The president's secretary greeted us (since she is Max's friend, they hugged each other) and let us into the president's office. Enzo and Alonzo stayed outside the door, and the three of us walked into the room.

The president was on his desk, going through some papers with his glasses on. He smiled brightly at us and took his glasses off. "Lea! It is so nice to have you here." He got up from his chair and gave me a hug. "It is nice to see you, Mr. President," I say to him, offering him a smile.

He turned to Max and Damiano. "Maximilian! You are as handsome as I remember you." He compliments him, and Max smiles brightly. "Thank you, Mr. President," he said. "Damiano, it's good to see you." They shake hands.

"Come take a seat," the president says to us, and we follow his lead. Once we are all seated, he looks at me and says, "You have been doing a great job with your inheritance, Lea."

The president used to be a businessman back in his day. He and my dad were acquaintances. And one day, the president had so many debts that his business went bankrupt. That is when my father offered him a deal; he promised him that he would make him the next president in exchange for him turning a blind eye to any illegal business of our clan. The president was skeptical at first, and he almost said no to the offer, as he didn't want to be our "puppet". But my dad convinced him, so he ended up accepting his offer. On the document that my dad and the president signed, it said that if I were to take over while he was still running the country, the deal would stay the same. The president kept his side of the deal once my dad passed away. Now, Aurelio has always been the president's right-hand man, even back when he had his business. So, Aurelio is the one who gets his hands dirty for the president. Which means that if we get into trouble or if we need anything from the government, Aurelio is the man the president sends to help us. And as I said before, thanks to him, we don't get in trouble with the government, which is partially true, but he is not the one in charge; the president is, and he is the president thanks to us. So, in reality, I'm the one in charge here.

"You have been doing a great job as president." I smile politely at him. I know that he is not the one behind Aurelio's actions. Aurelio can get greedy, and the president is not like that; he cherishes loyalty. That's the main reason my father chose him as president.

"Which is why we have decided to give you our vote in these upcoming elections." The president couldn't contain his smile at my statement. "I love when you come visit me. You always bring in good news." He smiles widely at me.

"You know that whatever you guys need, I am always at your disposal, and I look forward to continuing to work with you guys." The president says with gratitude.

At that moment, Aurelio walks into the room looking like he ran a marathon, and his face falls when he sees me sitting beside the president. The president's secretary looks frustrated when she says, "I'm sorry, Mr. President. I told him you were in an important meeting, but he insisted."

"That's okay," he says, dismissing her.

"Well, it is great doing business with you. Please know that I don't like traitors on my team, so keep your politicians in check. It seems like traitors are walking among us, and I cannot afford any mistakes being made." I say, looking directly at Aurelio.

Aurelio gulps when I say that. I get up from my seat, and I signal to the boys for us to leave.

The president stands up as well. "I apologize if we made you feel that way, Lea. I can assure you that my loyalty is devoted to you." He says, giving me a friendly hug and a kiss on both cheeks. He says goodbye to the boys, and he walks us to the door. When the door closed, we could hear some yelling coming from inside.

"I told you Lea Cattani is damn powerful!! And you mess around with the Russians after I order you not to engage with them since they are her enemies!" I hear the president's voice and some slap sounds.

"How do you know that?"

"I'm the fucking president! I know everything, especially if you are making deals on my behalf! Deals that I don't approve!"

"I didn't realize how powerful she was until today! She seemed harmless, and Andrei seemed like a good option to make us powerful!!"

"Harmless?! She is the leader of the Cattani clan, and not only that, but there are rumors going around that she might also be a member of LZW. So, she is anything but harmless!!"

There was a moment of silence.

"She is part of LZW?! Oh my God! Why didn't you say that from the beginning?! They will eliminate me in seconds, and no one will ever know that I even existed!!"

"Calm down and keep your voice down! It's just a rumor. No one knows the members of LZW, and you better not mention Lea as one. But if that rumor turns out to be true, that means that Lea has better connections than we expected." The president's voice turns deeper. "So, make sure not to mess up again, or I swear Lea won't be the only one you have to worry about. She is the only ticket I have to win these next elections."

Everyone is looking at me. But I just smile at the president's secretary, and she smiles back shyly at me. "See you around." I say to her, and after that, we left the building.