In the future, there would be a moment when Dominic wouldn't feel the pressing urge to come running every time his father demanded his presence. But that day, unfortunately, wasn't going to be it.
He nodded in greeting to some of his father's men. Regardless of rank, he still grew up with most of them, trained alongside them as well. Giuseppe, his father's former right hand, had been the one to teach him how to shoot. He was good at what he did, a skilled hitman. The closest thing Dominic had to a father figure.
That was right before his father had turned around and shot Giuseppe in the head for insubordination.
Before he knew it, he once again stood in front of his father's office doors. He raised his hand to knock but the door swung open before his fist could make contact with the cool wood.
Tobias pushed through the door with the force of a furious wind, only pausing when he spotted Dominic. Like any other day, Tobias wore his usual mask of indifference. Their gazes met and an emotion flickered in Tobias's eyes. It was an emotion he was mostly unfamiliar with.
Pity.
It was there one second, gone the very next.
Tobias walked past him without saying a single word. Dominic stood there completely motionless, listening to his friend's retreating footsteps until he could no longer tell it apart from the other distant sounds coming from the other side of the house. He stared back at his father's office, at the door that was left ajar. Sounds from the office trickled out into the empty hallway. Salvatore's voice was one of them and the distinct lack of response told Dominic his father was speaking to someone over the phone.
In the years Dominic had known Tobias he learned that the man barely did anything without a reason. With Tobias, each word was either a carefully crafted tool or a deadly weapon, each glance and expression was purposeful and calculated.
The look Tobias gave him was now burned into the back of Dominic's eyelids. It was that same look that made Dominic hesitate crossing the office threshold. He barely understood the feeling of dread that kept him pinned in place but one thing was clear to him. Dominic wouldn't like whatever his father wanted to say to him.
Minutes passed and Dominic realized that he had lingered long enough. Bad news or not, the fact Salvatore had demanded his presence for it showed that regardless of whatever it was, it was something Dominic wouldn't get the privilege of ignoring.
Dominic steeled his spine. Unclenching his fists, he pushed the office door open and stepped inside. He was taken aback by the sight of his mother sitting on the leather armchair directly facing Salvatore's mahogany wood desk. Dominic didn't let his surprise show on his face.
His mother barely stepped foot into Salvatore's office. She didn't involve herself in any aspect of the family business so seeing her there now was an oddity. Dominic was more surprised by Lorenzo's absence. His older brother never missed these kinds of meetings, he never missed an opportunity to stand by their father's side, to flaunt the fact he was his right hand.
Light streamed into the space from the open windows. There was barely anything on his father's desk except for the half empty crystal decanter and a bulging manila envelope.
Salvatore still had the phone pressed to his ear when Dominic glanced at him.
" I have to go, my son is here." Dominic heard his father say to the person on the other end of the line before hanging up. A triumphant smile adorned Salvatore's face.
Dominic had seen his father smile countless times but he had a difficult time trying to recall if any of those smiles had ever been directed at him. He watched Salvatore reach for the crystal decanter and poured himself a glass of the amber liquor.
Salvatore didn't look at him as he spoke. He might have been the one to request that Dominic be around for this meeting, it didn't mean he valued Dominic's presence. Salvatore simply got off on the fact that people bent over backwards to do his bidding.
" There will be someone new joining the family. A very special someone." Salvatore said.
" I still think she's too young. Barely even out of school yet. Perhaps someone a little older—"
Salvatore waved away Fernanda's words before bringing the glass to his lips.
" I was the same age as her when I married you." Salvatore said dismissively.
It was the one thing that was constant in his parent's marriage; Salvatore's blatant dismissals.
Fernanda's lips thinned in distaste but refused to argue the matter further.
Salvatore emptied the contents of his glass before setting it down on his desk.
" This is good news for everyone involved. Indeed something to be celebrated." Salvatore said.
Dominic felt his confusion and dread mounting with every word volleyed across the room. He hated not knowing what was going on. He had the dangerous urge to grab his father by the lapels and shake out the answers he needed.
Dominic kept his hands firmly by his sides, his face still the emotionless mask he always wore around his father. Doing anything else would be foolish.
He luckily didn't have to wait much longer for the answers he wanted because his father's next words would both clear up any lingering confusion and manage to set Dominic's world aflame.
" Lorenzo is getting married to Gabriele santoro's second born. Claudia is a very beautiful and talented young woman. A perfect match for someone like Lorenzo." Salvatore said and Dominic had to stand there and pretend like each word wasn't a massive boulder landing on top of him, crushing him under its weight.
This… this couldn't be right. It couldn't be true. This had to be some sort of twisted joke. He searched his father's expression for any signs of humor but came out blank. Salvatore wasn't the type to sit around with one leg crossed over the other, telling jokes. Nothing made sense. There had to be a logical explanation to what was happening.
Dominic must have not properly concealed his expression because his father now stared at him, a single eyebrow raised. " What is it? Spit it out already."
Words rushed to the tip of his tongue. There was so much Dominic wanted to say at that very moment. Only a handful of people knew about his relationship with Claudia. Not even his mother and sister had known. Of all people, why her? Out of all the other women Lorenzo Could have chosen, why did it have to be the woman Dominic envision spending the rest of his life with.
His stomach churned and bile coated the back of his throat. His hands were gradually turning white with how hard he was clenching them. It was a sickness, the way Lorenzo always had to have everything that Dominic owned. How his brother always managed to steal everything away, how their father always let him. It was how it had always been. It hadn't been fair any of the times it happened but this time it had gone too far.
Salvatore's gaze lazily dropped to take in Dominic's clenched fist before looking away. He tapped his fingers on his desk and each impatient tap told Dominic that his father wouldn't be open to listen to any objections. Salvatore was the kind of person that once he made up his mind, there was very little one could do to change it.
Dominic would force himself to go along with it for now. For now, he would act like everything was the way it should be, like his soul wasn't fracturing into tiny pieces with every second that passed.
Dominic had so many things to say, so many things to ask but at the end he found he couldn't voice any of them. He ended up asking something completely different instead.
" How long have you been planning their engagement?"