Infatuation Of Darkness

Angelo had come down after five minutes. Alexis had hidden her smile when he came down and looked in her direction. She kept listening to whatever Isabelle was telling her but was still looking at where Angelo.

"Anyway," Isabelle said. "Come on, dinner's ready," Isabelle yelled for everyone to hear and gather around.

The head chair was taken by Angelo's father Gabrielle. As the son put it, he might be the former Don but he was Angelo's father and he would always be the head of their little family.

"Ma ain't coming tonight?" Gabrielle asked as he didn't see his mother but everyone else sit down. He didn't seem bothered but he had to put on a show.

"No, she chose to eat in her room and rest," Nikita answered. She was the one who had called her for dinner and was denied in a quite rude way.

"Ah, well her wish." He left the matter alone. "How's the restaurant coming along, my daughters?" He asked.

"Good actually—"

"It's too much work!" Nikita's complaint took everyone's attention. "Everything is being replaced and it's not as easy as Google said."

"Why is everyone googling things now?" Alexis spoke of an entirely different mystery to which Angelo grabbed her thigh. And tightened his hold pinching it making her jump a bit.

"Let it be." Isabelle laughed a little. "But Google, seriously?"

"It helped!" Nikita defended. "I knew what the basic idea was and what steps were to be taken and also, some idea about the legal system.. and stuff."

"See," Angelo chimed in. "Google helps." He glanced at Alexis as she was already looking at him.

"Heh," she laughed. Since they were sitting next to each other she leaned in and patted his crotch. "Does it?"

Hiding his gaze she peeked down and then smiled.

"Anyway," Silvano started. "Do you have any idea for how long it would take for the restaurant to go open?"

"Maybe a month or two," Alexis had a rough figure. "But no, construction of the kitchen and the remodelling is supposed to happen as well." She changed her answer. "so maybe, longer than that."

"Oh, it would be. Construction usually doesn't work the way we want it to be." Gabrielle.

"And you know that how?" Isabelle teased.

"Hey, I know a lot of things." Gabrielle defended. "and how about you Leave the remodelling to me? I could give those guys a piece of my mind and keep them in line."

Alexis smiled. It was not a bad offer. "Alright, I will inform you when the work would be started."

"And he will love it." Isabelle smiled as she continued to speak. "He loved this about work and tell people what to do."

"Which was exactly his previous job," Silvano added with a wink earning a laugh from everyone.

"True!" Angelo raised his glass to that.

"Which also reminds me," Isabelle turned Angelo, "my gift card."

"I remember." He pointed at her. "I won't dare to forget."

"Good," a smug-looking Isabelle replied on.

"For any special occasion?" Silvano thoughtfully asked. "Am I supposed to remember something that I do but I am just not talking about it?"

Angelo immediately answered, "No-" 

"Hah! Don't be smart with your mother!" Isabelle frowned upon Silvano and cutting Angelo in the process. Then she turned to her first child and smirked.

"Mama, Don't," Angelo pleaded. He knew what she was going to do. "Please, no."

"Your brother," she turned to Silvano. "had planned a romantic dinner and tour around Tuscany for your sister-in-law."

"Ohh," Silvano had a devious smile on his face and Angelo knew for sure that he was not coming out of this one.

"That had happened..." Silvano in mocking had a thoughtful expression on his face.

"When.." Alexis tried to probe in a little.

"You remember that time when—" Silvano immediately began to tell a tale like a tattletale.

"No, I remember the time you did a lot of things. Don't make me say anything " With anger, the elder brother warned the notorious one. When there was an order of business and Silvano challenged him in disapproval he was often warned and he heeded. He had to. But here, no way in hell he was going to be silenced by those eyes in the family.

"You have nothing on me!" He frowned, glaring back at his brother.

Angelo smirked, with his narrowed eyes he said, "Don't I?"

"You keep it shut," Silvano warned printing his finger at Angelo who did not look amused.

Angelo rose a questioning brow at that, "You wanna say that again?" He openly challenged.

Silvano immediately rebuked, "I sai.."

"Gabrielle," Isabelle frowned at the man who was continuing to eat his food. "Talk to them." She nudged towards the kids.

He glanced at them and then spoke, "Why? Let them die. Who cares."

"They are our kids, you idiot." She hissed. "And they are fighting at the dinner table."

"Fine," He hissed back.

"Hey!" He whistled at them effectively getting the attention.

"Fight it out, in the ring." He suggested as both of them agreed.

"Gabrielle, god!" Isabelle cried as the man once again went back to eating.

************

"Here," Nikita placed a magazine in front of Alexis. "The chef thinks that this is the ideal design."

Alexis looked at it. It was different from the current one. There were added three more shelves in the designs which were in the middle of the kitchen, exhaust hoods and the space for sinks and burners were doubled.

"Why are these doubled?" She pointed out to the sinks and stove.

"Because we are arranging for more seating capacity which means more food needs to be made," she said. "The dishes will be required to be washed hence the sinks and dishwashers."

"Ah," Alexis said and continued to look through the designs. "The flour above would have the kitchen of the same design?"

Nikita nodded. "Yes, it would. That is cheaper cost-wise and the chef thinks this design is ideal."

Alexis gave a heavy sigh and straightened her back. This was tougher than she thought. "I need to buy enough plates of the same design. Enough that if five breaks, we don't have to stock as we souls have enough."

"Isabelle knows a good company for that." Nikita leaned and kept her arms on the table. "I can have some catalogues sent over and you came to look at them."

"I feel like sometimes I don't have the time to look over anything." Alexis confessed. "there is just so much work."

"You can look at them before sleeping." Nikita offered.

"I can," Alexis mumbled. "I'll share the designs we chose for the kitchen to the Architect first thing in the morning and then I will call Gabrielle when the given load arrives," Alexis informed her plan of action to the woman who had practically become her private assistant except for Nadine who had been given some work.

"Alright," Nikita asked her next question. "what about the staff?"

"Again, I would hire the staff once the restaurant is ready. They need finance and it cannot wait for four to five months as they get the restaurant ready."

"What about the furniture? I have donated the previous ones to schools, Libraries and of course, orphanages. They have the most gone to then. The interior designer can have the designs ready, which I think they won't .."

"I think we can purchase the furniture for now." Alexis agreed. "And I am paying them for it. So if they cannot deliver, they should keep to themselves rather than approaching for business."

"Then I will take it to the first thing in the morning," Nikita took the responsibility. "Also, I will have the catalogues sent over but the end of the week if not tomorrow."

"That's done then." Alexis clicked some things off of her list. "Now the bathrooms?"

"Oh no, they have to go and be done again. I have seen a pub or a bar at the end of the street to be of more taste."

"Alrighty," she noted down what Nikita had said. "I will have a catalogue sent over." She nodded. 

"Fine by me," Nikita got up and stretched a bit. "Now if you would excuse me, I would retire for the night."

"Good night," Alexis flashed her a little smile.

"Night," Nikita answered and closed the door.

Alexis sighed and leaned back again. She had purchased something and since one bothered to check that she was sure that it would be safe for a couple of months at least.

She had to it under the raps, at least till what she wanted was done. Angelo could buy any law firm with a snap of his finger and the previous one she called could not be trusted anymore.

What she wanted could not get tampered with and she could not trust anyone for that. 

She opened the drawer in her desk and took out the principal item, she made the call.