It's best if I don't panic. It's best if I don't panic. I have to breathe in and breathe out a little. As long as they don't find out, they'll just think I was nervous. That's fine. I have to get a hold of myself. I know I have a weak mind. That's why I want to get stronger. I want to be strong for my family so they won't go through the same things I did when I was little.
My father used to beat me mercilessly. He didn't like me. He saw me as nothing more than a tool to marry off so he could make money. And he did make money when I got married. But despite everything, I was finally living a luxurious and happy life. I will never leave Mateo. I don't want a divorce because, in the last six years since I married him, I've finally experienced happiness. I know what it means to smile because of Mateo. I never smiled once when I was with my father.
I have to do my best. I have to bring Mateo back.
Luna kept listening, still shocked that Mateo would ever be this way— leading an operation to steal, giving orders to kill. She couldn't believe it.
"Let's go meet someone," Mateo said. "There's a person I want you to meet, Lorenzo. Someone I want to bring in. He has men. I already have plenty of men, but we need more. I haven't revealed my face to him yet because I don't trust him. He needs to prove his loyalty first. You'll be the one to speak to him about everything. He's going to join our mafia group. We need more men for this operation."
"We don't know exactly how much the former boss left behind," Mateo continued. "But if we're talking about figures, I'd say at least 500 million dollars. And he had other fortunes too, I'm sure of it."
"Yes, sir," Lorenzo said. "Are we meeting him now?"
"Yes," Mateo replied. "But first, let's order something to eat."
"You didn't eat before you left the house, did you?" Lorenzo asked.
"I did," Mateo said. "But it wasn't enough. Go ahead and order something."
"Alright," Lorenzo said, then called out, "Waiter! Come here!"
"It's about time you ordered something," the waiter muttered as he approached. "I've been watching you guys, but you've just been sitting here without ordering anything."
Lorenzo narrowed his eyes. "Huh? What did you say?"
The waiter's face paled. "Sorry, sir! I didn't mean anything by it. Please, forgive me."
Lorenzo smirked and waved a hand dismissively. "Bring me a steak. And another for the man sitting next to me."
"Yes, sir," the waiter replied before hurrying away.
The waiter brought a big piece of steak for them.
"This is the steak. This the steak you ordered," the waiter said. "Are you paying by card?"
"Yes," Lorenzo replied.
"Okay." He inserted his card into the machine and paid for the steak they were eating.
Matteo quickly reacted. "Wow, I love steak. Last night, my wife prepared a really good steak for me. I enjoyed it. She is the best cook in the world. She is the most beautiful being I have ever seen," Matteo said.
"Here you go again. You keep praising your wife all the time. You act like you're the only one with a wife. I also have a wife," Lorenzo replied jokingly.
"Nah, but it's the truth. You saw her too. She looks like an angel. I'm blessed with everything. I don't even know why I still crave other things when I already have everything. I have money, the most beautiful wife—I have it all," Mateo said.
"You're right. You have everything, and I do too. We've made a lot of money since we started this. And since you became the head, we've made even more. It has been easier for us to handle things," Lorenzo replied.
"The problem isn't even about money. I have enough, and I wish I could stop. But once you enter the underworld, there's no stopping. I just have to keep going, to survive. And the reason I always praise my wife for everything she does is because I could die anytime. In the mafia, one day there could be a fight, I could get shot, and that would be it. So I treat every day like it's my last. I treat my wife like it might be the last day I'll see her. But I don't want that. I want to see her every day," Mateo said.
"You're right. We could die at any time in the underworld, and it's true—there's no going back once we've started," Lorenzo agreed.
"You see, I was right, and you agree with me. You have to cherish those moments because they are very important to me. And you need to learn because you seem distant from your wife. You have to be close to her. You have to make her happy while she's still married to you so she won't forget about you easily when you die, because in the mafia, you can die at any time.
"You made money while you were young, but you might not get to see old age. I myself am still quite young. I haven't had a child yet, but now, my wife and I are expecting one," Matteo said.
"Yeah, you're right. I don't really talk to my wife that much. We don't have anything in common. I take care of her and everything, but I don't praise her in any way. But I'm going to start trying. I'm learning from you because you're the boss, right?" Lorenzo said, smirking as he and Matteo shook hands.
"But for now, let's eat. Let's stop talking. Because of all this talking, I haven't eaten, and my steak is already getting a little cold," Lorenzo said.
"Okay, let's eat," Matteo replied.
Luna knew her husband loved her. she loved him too.
Then, she realized she hadn't eaten since morning. The only thing she had was coffee when she woke up, and now she was starving—really, really starving. She wanted to call the waiter over, but if she shouted, Matteo would recognize her voice. He would know she was there.
So instead, she waved her hand frantically, hoping the waiter would notice. Finally, he did and walked over. She spoke softly so Matteo wouldn't hear her.
"I need… I want spaghetti," Luna said.
"Okay, one plate of spaghetti coming up," the waiter replied as he walked away.
"Treat every day like it's your last," Matteo repeated. "I know it sounds simple, but it's the truth. Sometimes I like conversations like this. The way we're talking now—I love it.
"You might not get to see your wife another day. She might die. We, who have vowed to live this mafia life, have short lives. There's no turning back. I'm the head, and you're already my right-hand man. There are people who want to see us dead.
"So I treat every day like it's my last. Like it's the last day I'll ever see my wife. That's why I shower her with praise. But now, I'm done talking. Let's just focus on eating." Matteo said.
While Lorenzo nodded he was focused on food.
Has the waiter returned with Luna's spaghetti.
"Wow," she whispered, then paid in cash and gave him a tip. He thanked her and walked away.
"It's so beautiful," she thought. "Since I came to Italy to marry my Italian husband, the thing I've loved the most is the food. Italy is known for its spaghetti, and they have the best in the world."
Luna smiled as she picked up her fork, ready to eat.