Mafia's Redemption: Terzo - Chapter 106: Chapter 106

DANI
Türkiye
Two months later
“Have you had any more dreams?”
I crossed my legs and replied, “No. No more dreams. I slept like a log without any pills.”
“That’s good to hear. What about your appetite?”
“I have no problem with my diet. I eat what I like, and of course, I have to watch my weight, especially with my current situation now.” My heart warmed.
I reached a point in my life where I no longer worried about my safety. I had no worries about where I would get money to buy food. In fact, I didn’t have to worry about finding a job anymore, but of course, I hired lawyers and a financial adviser to help me navigate my finances.
“How was your trip back to Dublin?”
My lips curved into a smile as I tried to take down memory lane. “As I looked at those pictures one by one and held and smelled their clothes, I didn’t have to remember what I’ve already forgotten. Besides, I was just a little girl. For me, enough that I remember their faces, and I know deep in my heart, I love them, and that I know they’re my parents, so I have accepted that fact that they’re gone. But I will always cherish them, no matter how little I remember about them. What matters to me is that I gave them justice.”
“Do you still continue your RTM?”
I shook my head. “No. I’m happy with the result.”
She jotted down notes again. I’d been in therapy since I left Italy. Although I needed it, I voluntarily did it to help myself with the trauma I’d experienced.
I underestimated the capability of therapy and treatment until I managed to go through it for seven weeks now. I was happy that I followed my doctor’s advice; otherwise, I would have been suffering from anxiety and stress that affected my mental health.
“This handsome boy is still here.” I opened the cage of the little boy and scratched behind his ear. A five-year-old tortoiseshell Angora stretched his neck and started purring. Though his vomiting was treated, he’d been here for a week, and the old lady owner never came back to take him home. “I feel bad for you, Milo.”
“He won’t be going anywhere. The old lady passed away two days ago.”
I turned to Lorenzo or Gian Carlo with heaviness in my chest. “Oh, poor boy.”
Uncle Lorenzo welcomed me with open arms two months ago. He owned an apartment building, so I became his tenant at one of his flats, where I knew I was going to be safe. I volunteered in his vet clinic when he refused to accept rent from me.
I also traveled within those months to the States to testify against Deck and avoided Serena while I was there. I visited a lot of places in Türkiye. I also learned Allison killed herself, and John decided not to pursue politics to live in Ohio.
I took Milo out and carried him. “Do you want a new mommy, baby boy?”
He looked right at me in the eye as if telling me yes. My heart melted for him.
Lorenzo chuckled. “Are you sure?”
“We can’t keep him here. If someone comes to take him home, then tell them I have Milo. In the meantime, I’ll take care of him.” I ran fingers through his soft fur, and I could feel he liked me already.
“If you say so.”
“Yes. It’s final. I’m taking him with me after my shift.” I put him back inside. “Later, baby boy.”
The majority of our clients had cats. I’d always been a dog lover, but after a week of working here, I learned to love domestic cats and fell in love with them.
I put on my bite-proof gloves and started working when the cutest calico kitten was brought by his owner. “Aw. What happened to you?”
“He’s here for vaccination,” Lorenzo said.
Years ago, he left Italy, his entire life, and his family to start a new life. He studied veterinary under a new identity and got married to a Turkish woman. They both loved animals. That was how they first met. Eventually, they opened a veterinary clinic and vaccinated stray cats for free.
I, on the other hand, kept my name as Danielle Leonie MacLynch. While I invested some of my money at Star Cosmetics, Osmium, and Hover Company, it was fun to work and divert my attention from the people I missed so much.
After a few hours of work, I sat down with Lorenzo’s wife, Aysel, at the reception. “There are a lot of patients today.”
“Yeah. You’re tired? You can go home before lunch. I can take care of work later. The staff is complete today.”
“Really?” My eyes lit up.
“Yes. You’re working for free, Dani.” She smiled gratefully.
“Because Uncle Lorenzo doesn’t want to accept my rent. The best that I can do is do something in return.”
“You’re a family, my dear. No need to give something back when something is given to you wholeheartedly.”
“You are so kind, Aysel.”
“You, too, my dear.”
“When is your next visit to your doctor?”
I smiled as I put my hand on my tummy. “In two weeks.”
“Let me know if you need someone to come with you, I’d love to accompany you.”
“Thanks.” I still thought of that day I found out I was pregnant. I cried the whole day alone in the bathroom, in the dark. I didn’t know if I could be a good mother, if I could take care of this child alone, but this child was made with love, and not, for a second I thought of protecting him or her with everything that I got that was why I reached out to Ruslan Olezka and Ilya Vasilyev, asking for their protection.
“Anyway, I’m taking home Milo with me. If there’s someone comes and asks for him, give him my number.”
“Really?” Aysel smiled. “He’d be lucky to be his fur mommy, Dani.”
After I brought a cat carrier and things needed for Milo, including his food, I brought him with me.
“What?” I glared at Aleksandr Gusev, one of Ilya’s men, who was sent to protect me while I stayed in Istanbul. He was bigger and taller, and he had a scar on his left cheek.
“Why not a dog?”
“Why not a wolf?” I asked.
He shrugged as he took the things from the trunk. “Anything else?”
“I’m hungry.” I took Milo inside the lobby and pressed the button for my floor.
He looked at my tummy, which stirred something inside me, making me overprotective. It wasn’t that obvious, but they had to know that I was having a baby so that they could do their job.
“What do you want to eat, Miss Dani?” Dimitri asked, scratching his goatee.
I got in the elevator. “I don’t know. Any recommendation? And not another pasta, please? I can’t eat pasta in another two months.”
“Miss Dani, we’re here in Türkiye. No one eats pasta here, just you,” said the angry-looking Aleksandr as he joined us in the elevator.
I laughed. “I miss home.”
Dimitri chuckled as he unlocked the door for me. “Your home or —”
“Shush, Dimitri. And you, too, scary giant.” I poked Aleksandr’s hard chest. He barely reacted.
“What about Sushi?” Dimitri suggested.
“No. I ate a Kebab yesterday, but I want a Simit for breakfast tomorrow. How about Manti and Pide with spinach and cheese salt today?”
They shared a look.
“What?” I rolled my eyes as I opened the carrier to let Milo out. “Just say it.”
Milo stepped out with caution. He began sniffing while Aleksandr ready the cat bed and Dimitri took the litter box and filled it with natural bentonite. I took Milo to sniff the litter box since he was already trained by his previous owner.
“Are you gonna be okay here for a while?” I kissed Milo on his forehead. “Mommy is hungry. I’ll be right back. Okay?”
“Done,” Aleksadr announced. He was also done putting wet food in the bowl.
“Did you wash the bowls?” I noticed he also put water in another bowl.
“Da, Miss Dani.”
“Thanks.” When Milo walked to the bowl, he sniffed his food and began eating. I opened the door and looked at the two watching my boy eat. “Let’s go, guys. I’m starving, too.”
“I’m also starving. Any recommendation?”
For a moment, I held my breath before I turned around. My eyes widened. “Oh, my God! Cee, what are you doing here?” I wrapped my arms around her to squeeze her into a hug. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too, Dani.” With a huge smile, she cupped my face and kissed me on the cheeks. “Damn, you’re glowing.”
“You look gorgeous.” I touched her new hairstyle. She cut her hair short above her shoulders. “And this, it suits you. You look fucking hot.”
She laughed. Celestina looked different today. She seemed carefree and bubbly. Maybe she was in love, or just got laid a lot. Away from home suited her.
“You’re here all by yourself?”
“Yes. I know how to travel alone, you know. I did all the family itinerary, remember?” She came here alone. She didn’t come with Terzo.
My smile faded. I looked away as I tried to hide the pain in my chest, knowing that he didn’t come to find me.
“Hey. I’m sorry, Dani.” She reached out for my hand, squeezing it tightly while inspecting the two giants beside me.
“It’s fine.” I gestured to Aleksandr to head to the elevator. “We’re heading to find something to eat. Join us and tell me about your trip.”
The elevator door simultaneously swung open, revealing the tall man inside in a fine blue Italian tailored suit that took my breath away.