The man led Valeoni to the second floor up the spiral stairs, his commanding presence made evident in confident steps and proud demeanour. Upon reaching the geometric centre of the circular gallery, the fingers of his right hand reached for a spot between two paintings. What followed was a series of taps, and the walls on either side recoiled, revealing what appeared to be an arched hall.

  He walked straight in before gesturing to Valeoni, who was standing behind with a baffled expression . Indeed, this fateful evening was Valeoni's first encounter with the lifestyle of the nobility.

  The hall was illuminated by hanging torches, which cast large, demonic shadows against the walls. The architecture was greatly similar to that of the rest of the building, except this room had no paintings. Arched pillars ran from the ceiling to the floor, marking divisions on the wall. At the centre stood a cuboidal table, with a chair on each side.

  'Make yourself at ease, Signore,' the man said with considerable amicability as he gestured for him to sit. Valeoni noted that his eyes were still transfixed upon the file he had clutched to his chest. Valeoni had involuntarily clung to that file as if it were his last lifeline, which was, of course, true to some extent.

  'This is our salle des transactions. It has hosted countless world leaders and government representatives, and today, it has the honour of hosting you,' the man continued. He tactfully retracted his gaze from the file. Instead, the predatory gaze fell directly upon Valeoni's person .

  'The honour is all mine.' Valeoni managed rather briskly.

  'Then then, shall we get down to business' the words were infact more of a statement rather than a question. He continued,'What our organization covets, as you must already know, is that file.'

  '...Yes'

  'You may name your terms'

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  'All I want is...uhh..5 million..lira' Valeoni grew more anxious with every passing second. It was as if time itself had stopped within the walls that surrounded his vicinity

  'That is easily done, but may i propose a better deal,' he said, drawing emphasis on the latter part.

  '....'

  'We have the power to make you the master of the Viscontini household which would be worth much more than a measly five million, but naturally, that calls for a higher price, only if you are willing....to make a deal with the devil'

  At this, Valeoni's ears perked up.'What price?' He blurted out.

  'The Viscontini household must serve as eyes for the organization, namely the Axis

  ..........................

  'Thus concludes the story of my great grandfather. From then on, the Viscontini household had been an ally of the Axis, and along the years both benefitted considerably from mutual coordination. With my great grandfather's underhand sources and the main house's riches, the organization was able to spell doom for numerous individuals whom they considered 'eye-sores''. That was... until recently.'

  Unrealistic as it sounds, he actually managed to complete the narration in one breath, and after having pushed his lungs to its limits, he finally stopped to catch his breath.

  'The recent generation tried to cut off their connection?' I asked

  'Yes, the recent generation, i.e., my father and two uncles decided they no longer wanted criminal ties.' He continued 'the organisation is blind, as long as they receive a deal that has something in it for them, they wont hesitate to carry out whatever henious deeds the deal calls for'

  'And your family no longer wanted to be part of it? peaceful settlement was out of the question, I suppose.' I said

  'Exactly that. When non-violent negotiations failed, we moved several times, all to no avail.' he continued 'the organisation won't rest until they have wiped out every last one of us'

  'So, you want my help with throwing them off your trail' he didn't quite let me finish before adding

  'That.. and revenge'

  'That is managea-- what what?!?!' My breath hitched, I wondered if I had misheard.

  His expression didn't change. Traces of a knowing smile were visible on his face upon seeing my expression.

  'You want revenge on the greatest underground organisation in all of Europe'. I didn't make any effort to hide the astonishment in my tone. Even for a person of my dealings, this crossed a new level of insanity.

  'And today, just like my ancestor, I wish to make a deal with the devil once again since you are the only one who can help, Averna.'

  He even stood up in an aristocratic style, I could almost hear medieval orchestra blaring in the background, and , the scene be grand if his outstretched hand clutched anything less laughable than a half-empty plastic water bottle which creaked under my grip as I took it.