Jovani knew that so long as he was quiet, no one would notice that he was there. That's why he chose to stick to the shadows that were cast on the alley way walls. He wanted to listen to what was being said before he took any action.
Hurting people was one of his least favorite things to do. Especially if it was unnecessary.
He leaned against the wall, lowering his head as he closed his eyes to listen to the conversation that was going on on the other side of the alley way.
"I know he's Jovani's cousin, but don't you agree that it's a bit strange for him to be suddenly coming back and be in such a good position at that?" One of the guys, he knew his name to be Armand asked
"The kid is a little weasel is what I think. I don't think it was by chance he happened to come back into the spotlight right now." Another, Darren grumbled.
"Not only is he getting favoritism by his cousin by being put into a good position, he's also somehow managed to secure himself a good spot by getting engaged to the Red Scorpion Princess. There's no way this happened by accident. I'm sure that bitch of his mother planned all of this."
"How so? Evelyn has been out of the picture for years. She left to live the common life. There's no way she would know about everything going on right now." Theo, a third man pointed out as he swung his legs back and forth as he sat on a trash can.
"You're too young and obviously haven't learned to use your brain to think yet." Darren scoffed as he kicked a can before turning to face the others.
"She's the only person who has been out of the picture who's capable of making all these pieces fall into place. She probably regretted leaving when she did and decided to groom her son to be a rich lap pet for the princess." He complained.
"Everyone knows what kind of person she can be. The only way anyone could put up with her was if they were conditioned to be a whipped pup who did whatever she said. Probably thinks if he plays the game for long enough he can rise even further in the ranks without having to put in any actual work."
Jovani smirked slightly as he continued to listen to the comments. It seemed that they had a problem with a princess as well. He was fairly certain that wouldn't go over very well if she heard what they were saying.
"Jovani likely won't do anything about it either. He's been too quick to warmly welcome that brat into the family. He's a great leader but he's too soft."
"Darren, shouldn't you be watching what you say? There might not be anyone around now, but you never know who might overhear what you're saying."
Jovani took that as his cue to make his appearance. It seemed like the right time before Darren had a chance to say anything else.
"Indeed, you really don't know who might hear what you have to say, Darren. But please do continue, I would love to hear whatever else you have to say about me or my little cousin. I always appreciate feedback to know how best I might change things to make my men happy." He had a fake warm smile on his face as he appeared before the three.
Armand was the only one of the three who seemed stunned and rather nervous about the presence of their boss. Darren didn't seem to think that there was anything to be worried about as he stood tall as Jovani approached him.
"I couldn't help but overhear some of the things that you happened to say about me. What was this about me being too soft? Perhaps easily taken in as well? My dear little cousin scheming to do something behind my back and me being too naïve to know of any such thing? You don't think that I should have given his role either? Perhaps he needs to do something to prove that he deserves his place?" He continued to approach the other and stopped when he was close enough to place his hand on Darren's shoulder. The warm smile was on his face as he gave the other an encouraging look to answer his questions.
"Is that about right? Everything you said I mean?" By this point, both Theo and Armand had moved a good distance back. They didn't want to be a part of what was about to go down between Jovani.
Darren nodded his head in response to the question. As he was about to open his mouth to speak, the Vedova Nera boss made his move. He roughly jerked the other forward by the neck of his shirt with both his hands on either side. Bringing up his left knee, he slammed it into the other's abdomen. The air was knocked out of the other with a choked gasp in response to the unexpected action.
Jovani didn't let go of the other nor did she shift his position as he began to speak as he felt the other tremble in his hands most likely out of a mixture of fear and pain.
"Would a gentle person do this?" Jovani asked close to the other man's ear as he leaned over him. Darren didn't verbally respond but he felt the other shake his head slightly. It seemed now he was far too scared to speak or try to move freely.
In the future, I might recommend that you think before speaking and make sure you know exactly what's going on before you make assumptions. You may also want to remember what your place is." He told the other as he took a step back. He didn't let the other go as he forced him to stand up straight. Darren stumbled a step as his body protested the movement after what had just happened.
"Don't worry though. This time I will give you an example to make sure you don't forget any of the things that I just told you. Perhaps it will be a useful one for your two friends to think about as well." He glanced over at them effectively stopping them in their tracks before they could shrink any further back into the alley. They dared not move when their boss's eyes were focused on them.
"If you want me to be gentle with you, it might be in your best interest to tell me what else you or anyone else has been spreading about my cousin. I would hate to have to teach this lesson to anyone else after you." Before Darren had a chance to say anything, Jovani punched him on the right side of the face with a well-aimed punch.
It was at times like these that he needed to let his harsh side out to help him address such problems.. It was all part of the job after all.
