Chapter 274: Father, It’s Been A While

Antonio hung up and returned to his whiskey.

Enzo was in Rome. That was interesting. His younger son had been operating out of New York for the past few years, building his own operations separate from Dimitri’s sphere of influence. Building relationships. Building power. Building something that was entirely his own.

And now he’d come back to Rome.

That meant something. Everything meant something in this world. Random acts didn’t exist. Every move was calculated. Every presence in a city served a purpose.

Antonio had forty minutes to prepare himself for whatever conversation was about to happen. Forty minutes to understand why his younger son had returned to the family homeland without prior notice.

He finished his whiskey and poured another.

***

Enzo arrived exactly fifty-three minutes later.

He walked into the office with the kind of confidence that came from knowing you had a right to be there. Valentino blood, Inheritance that couldn’t be taken away no matter what happened.

But there was something else about the way Enzo moved. Something that suggested he’d been building his own power base. Something that suggested he wasn’t just the spare anymore, he was becoming something in his own right.

"Father," Enzo said, settling into the chair across from Antonio’s desk without waiting to be invited. "It’s been a while."

Enzo was thirty-four years old. He looked more like him than Dimitri ever had, same sharp features, same cold eyes, same dark hair. But where Dimitri had inherited his ruthlessness mixed with something almost thoughtful, Enzo had pure calculation. Detachment. The ability to stand outside the game and see it clearly.

"It has," Antonio agreed, studying his younger son carefully. He didn’t miss anything. The way Enzo held himself. The confidence in his voice. The fact that he’d come to Rome without warning. "Two months? Three?"

"Two months," Enzo corrected. "I was here in March. We had dinner with Marcello. You were in Sicily."

Enzo had always been good with details. Good at remembering things other people forgot. It was one of the reasons he was useful. One of the reasons he had allowed him to operate independently, because Enzo had the kind of mind that could manage complex operations without needing constant oversight.

"What brings you back to Rome?" Antonio asked, though he suspected he already knew part of the answer. Or at least, he suspected there was more to it than Enzo would initially reveal.

"Business," Enzo said simply. "I’m establishing operations here. Building relationships with the families. Reminding them that the Valentino name still means something in Rome."

"You’re building power," Antonio said, understanding immediately.

"I’m building presence," Enzo corrected. "Dimitri has New York. You have everything else. I thought Rome needed Valentino blood here. Someone managing the local operations. Someone the families can talk to directly instead of going through intermediaries."

Antonio sipped his whiskey and watched his younger son. There was something deeper happening here. Something Enzo wasn’t saying directly.

"How did Dimitri react to this?" Antonio asked.

"He gave his blessing," Enzo said. "He understood that Rome was underrepresented. That having family presence here would strengthen both our operations."

That was interesting. Dimitri giving his blessing for Enzo to come to Rome and build operations independently. Which meant either Dimitri didn’t see Enzo as a threat, or Dimitri saw him as useful. Or both.

"Tell me what you’ve actually done so far," Antonio commanded.

Enzo leaned back in his chair. For a moment, he didn’t speak. Just looked at his father with those cold eyes that revealed nothing.

"I’ve made contact with the families who have loose ties to us," Enzo finally said. "The Russos. The Romanellis. The Caruccis. I’ve let them know that I’m here. That I’m available for business. That the Valentino family is still a force in Rome."

"You’re consolidating loyalty," Antonio said.

"I’m offering alternatives," Enzo corrected. "The families don’t need to go through you for everything. They can come to me. I can handle local matters. I can make quick decisions without waiting for approval from the top. It makes the system more efficient."

Antonio understood what Enzo was suggesting. A management structure. A tiered system where Enzo could handle day-to-day operations while Antonio maintained overall control. It was actually smart. It was the kind of thing a man with good strategic sense would propose.

"And your loyalty?" Antonio asked. "It’s still to the family?"

"Always," Enzo said without hesitation. "I’m Valentino. The family comes first. Everything else is secondary."

Antonio studied his younger son and believed him. Enzo had always been loyal, not in the passionate way Dimitri was loyal, but in a calculated way. Enzo understood that his power came from the family name. Understood that working within the structure was better than working against it.

"How long are you staying?" Antonio asked.

"Indefinitely for now," Enzo said. "Unless you tell me to leave. Rome is my home. The family business is my inheritance. I have every right to be here."

"You do," Antonio agreed. "Then we need to establish protocols. Territory boundaries. Who reports to whom. The families need to understand the hierarchy."

"I know," Enzo said. "I grew up learning the structure. I understand power better than you think I do."

Antonio poured himself another whiskey. His hand was completely steady. His mind was already calculating the implications of Enzo’s presence in Rome. How it would shift the power dynamics. How it would create new efficiencies.

But underneath all of that was something else. The knowledge that Dimitri, his eldest son, his heir, the one he trusted most—was doing something. Building something. Moving against something without Antonio’s explicit knowledge.

And Enzo knew about it. Probably approved of it. Probably supported it.

That meant something.

"Dinner tomorrow evening," Antonio said. "You, me, and Lorenzo Russo. I want you officially introduced to the families as a new presence in Rome operations. I want them to understand that you’re here with my blessing. That you speak with my authority."

"I’d like that," Enzo said.