Is this destiny?

~ Los Angeles, Boyle Heights neighborhood ~

7:57 PM

Angelo exited the car and observed the tall building on a busy street. It looks like any residential building, from the outside.

It is one of the buildings owned by the Army of Chaos, but he does not know that (yet).

Angelo stepped into the entry hallway with twenty of his men, and he was surprised to see sitting areas on each side and a reception in the front. It looked like he is at the entrance of the hotel. There are at least fifty people sitting and walking, minding their own business.

"Capo…", Sarah's voice got his attention. "Thank you for accepting this slight change."

Sarah is happy that she persuaded Angelo to change his plans. She spent more than half an hour on the phone with him, but she succeeded to get this stubborn man to agree to her demands and to come to this location at 8 PM to meet with Jarred.

Sarah assured Angelo that her people will secure the location and how that will not put him into a disadvantageous situation, but he is not so confident about this.

Angelo waved to his men to relax. They are aware that they are in the enemy territory, and he understands why they are jumpy.

"I didn't know that you will be on the side of Smiths.", Angelo said to Sarah stiffly.

Sarah lifted her hands defensively. "Not Smiths. I told you earlier that we have Emma's interests in mind."

Angelo snorted. "How is me meeting Jarred related to Emma?"

"Our goal is to make sure that Emma's parents find a peaceful solution to their problem."

Angelo frowned and pointed out the fact: "I am meeting with Jarred."

Sarah smiled. "Mrs. Ronin is here as well."

Angelo stiffened and he felt panic swell inside him. "Dona? You didn't tell me that over the phone!"

"I am telling you now. Are you coming?", Sarah said and gestured toward the elevators.

Angelo hesitated. His plan is to confront Jarred and to vent his frustration. His Dona being here changes things and he can't act like a savage. But at the same time, this is his chance to see her in person after more than twenty years and he is already here… it will be silly to back off now.

On the way to the elevators, Sarah explained: "Your men will be on the same floor, but not in the same room…"

"No!", Angelo growled.

At the same moment, everyone present (other than Sarah) pulled out guns and pointed them at newcomers.

A fraction later, Angelo's men also got their guns out, but they were not sure where to point them. They were outnumbered and surrounded.

Sarah exhaled. "Capo, this is my territory. My rules. I told you that over the phone."

Angelo gritted his teeth and glanced around. No matter how angry he is, acting now would be a suicide. Also, Sarah is here, but he does not see Aiden which means that there are more people in the area. He gestured to his men to lower their guns.

Sarah did the same, and people in the lobby went back to their business.

"So, this is how it is…", Angelo said angrily. The feeling that he was betrayed overwhelmed him.

Sarah looked at him seriously. "Capo, the same rules apply to the Smiths as well. Their men will wait on the side, separate from yours. In the room will be only the three of you and we will be watching. As long as you keep your interaction to talking only, we will not interfere." Sarah saw that he is not convinced, so she added: "Did I ever lie to you? Did you ever suffer a loss when working with me?"

Angelo relaxed slightly and they went into the elevator.

Aiden was waiting for them in the hallway on the sixteenth floor. He didn't like the gun-pointing situation Sarah was in, and he would snap Angelo in half for that, but they agreed previously that Sarah will handle Angelo and that Aiden should stay cool no matter what happens.

They divided the work. Aiden's part was to get Jarred and Mrs. Ronin in and Jarred's men as well. 

Angelo was not happy that in the hallway everyone needed to give their guns. And they found and took away their knives and other weapons as well.

Angelo's men were ushered to the second door on the left and Angelo went two doors further down the hallway.

Aiden opened the door for Angelo, and he stepped into a large room with a long desk and twenty chairs around it. At the end of the desk are Jarred and Donatella, his Dona.

It's not that Angelo didn't know they are together, but seeing it brought him another type of pain which he didn't suspect. He sat on the nearest chair without a word.

Angelo glanced behind and confirmed that the door is closed and that Sarah and Aiden didn't follow after him. It's only the three of them. Angelo didn't see any cameras. The walls are clean. There is not even a window, but he guessed that the mirror on his right is a one-way mirror and behind it are Sarah and Aiden, observing and making sure that this meeting sticks to words only.

It took Angelo some time to look up at Jarred and Mrs. Ronin.

"I assume that there is a reason you came from Italy other than to look at us.", Jarred broke the silence.

Angelo frowned. Just the sound of Jarred's voice irritated him.

Mrs. Ronin was losing her patience. "Evan, why are we here?"

"I wanted to talk to him.", Angelo responded. He was irritated that she called him 'Evan', but he knows that this is her way of telling him that Angelo De Luca does not exist for her because she sees him as Evan, a person he was while they dated and before he revealed his real name and background… before they were married.

"What do you want to talk to me about?", Jarred asked. He saw that Angelo pressed his lips into a line and he decided not to delay the inevitable. "Let's get to the point, Angelo. I assume this is not business, so you want to know about me and Donni. We met three months ago, and I was enchanted. She is amazing and I am lucky that she didn't reject my advances. I have an intention to spend the rest of my life with her, and that is how we reached the bump that legally she is married to a man who is out of her life for the last twenty years. If it's up to me, I can ignore your wedding certificate, but Donni wants a clean slate. I am here because of her."

Angelo listened to Jarred and his eyes moved to his Dona. Angelo noticed her gentle gaze directed at Jarred. That is the same way she looked at him a long time ago and he knew that it was over. The last spec of hope that one day they will get back together was extinguished.

It's not that Angelo is crazy in love with Donatella. Sure, he loved her immensely twenty years ago, but over time those feelings hardened, and dulled, and became a habit. No other woman touched his heart since then, and that is why Donatella is the only woman in his heart and no matter how faint her presence is, it's the only one. And it's hard to let go.

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