My Childhood Bully is a Mafia Boss-Chapter 79

Ivy

I watched Lucas play in the garden, and warmth spread through my chest.

Soon, Max would be here, and I’d get to watch him play in the garden, too. My very own little boy.

"Auntie Ivy, look! A butterfly!" Lucas chimed, snapping me out of daydreaming.

I smiled. "Where?"

"There. You see that? It’s blue," he chirped.

I followed his pointing finger and spotted the delicate blue butterfly fluttering above the flowers. It danced in the sunlight, its wings catching the light in a mesmerizing display.

"It’s beautiful," I said, watching Lucas’s eyes widen with wonder.

He nodded eagerly. "I want to catch it!"

I laughed softly. "Butterflies are free spirits, Lucas. They don’t like to be caught. But we can watch it together."

Lucas accepted this, and we sat on the grass, our eyes glued to the butterfly’s erratic flight. As we sat there, I couldn’t help but think about Max and the moments we’d share in this same garden.

"Do you think your baby will like butterflies?" Lucas asked, breaking the silence.

"I think he will," I replied. "Especially if you show them to him."

Lucas grinned at the thought, and I felt another wave of warmth. Our family was growing, and the garden, with its simple joys and wonders, was the perfect place for us to share these moments.

Amongst the violence.

I winced at the thought. Could I really do it? Could I really raise my son in this chaotic life? I knew when Max grew up, Aidan would expect him to take over his business. The thought made me scared. Would I be able to let my son adapt to this dangerous lifestyle?

I glanced at Lucas, so innocent and free, and wondered if Max could have the same carefree childhood.

Aidan’s world was far from safe, and the future felt uncertain. But as I watched Lucas laugh and chase the butterfly, I resolved to protect Max’s innocence for as long as I could.

My thoughts were interrupted again when I noticed something strange.

There was a rustling in the rose bush, followed by a sound of soft whimpering.

Hmm?

It seemed like Lucas also heard it because he had stopped paying attention to the butterfly.

"Auntie Ivy, what’s that noise?" Lucas whispered, edging closer to me.

"Stay here," I said, standing up cautiously. I moved slowly towards the rose bush, trying to peer through the dense foliage.

The whimpering grew louder, and I parted the branches gently to avoid the thorns. There, nestled in the undergrowth, was a small, shivering puppy, its fur matted and eyes wide with fear.

"Oh, you poor thing," I murmured, reaching out to the trembling creature. It hesitated but didn’t resist as I scooped it up into my arms.

Lucas’s eyes widened with surprise and delight. "A puppy! Can we keep it, Auntie Ivy? Please?"

I looked at the fragile little animal and then back at Lucas’s hopeful face. The puppy was just as vulnerable and innocent as the children I wanted to protect. It was another life I could try to shield from the chaos around us.

"We’ll take care of it and see if it belongs to anyone," I said, giving Lucas a reassuring smile. "But for now, let’s make sure it’s safe and warm."

Lucas beamed, and together, we carried the puppy inside.

The three of us ran into Ellie. She looked at us wide-eyed as she noticed me holding the little pup. Her cheeks were rosy, and her hair was wet, as if she had just gotten out of the shower.

"Oh gosh! Where did you get that dog?" Ellie exclaimed.

"We found it in the garden," I said. "It was hiding in the rose bushes."

Ellie reached out to pet the puppy, who leaned into her touch. "Poor thing. It must be so scared."

"Can we keep it?" Lucas asked again, his eyes full of hope.

Ellie glanced at me, then back at Lucas. "We’ll see, sweetie. First, we need to make sure it’s okay and check if anyone’s looking for it."

Lucas nodded, satisfied for the moment. Ellie smiled at him and then turned to me, a hint of concern in her eyes. "Will Aidan be okay with this?" she whispered.

I shrugged. "I have no idea. But if I say it’s okay he has no choice but to say yes."

Ellie giggled. "Why do I get a feeling my brother is scared of you?"

I raised my eyebrow. "Well...not scared. But he is treading carefully around me."

Ellie laughed quietly, glancing back at Lucas to make sure he was still distracted by the puppy. "That’s a good thing. You need to keep him in check. Especially with everything going on."

I nodded, the weight of her words settling over me. "Yeah, especially now."

We reached the kitchen and placed the puppy on a soft towel. It whimpered again but seemed to relax a bit with the warmth and comfort. Lucas knelt beside it, gently stroking its fur.

"I don’t see a collar on him," Ellie said after examining the dog carefully. Turned out, it was a male dog.

"Could be from a litter of stray dogs," I suggested. "What kind of dog do you think he is?"

Ellie squinted, studying the puppy’s features. "Looks like a mix, but I see some hints of a shepherd in there. Maybe a bit of lab, too. Hard to tell at this age."

Lucas looked up at us with wide eyes. "Does that mean he’ll be a big dog?"

"Probably," Ellie said with a smile. "But that just means there will be more of him to love."

Lucas beamed, returning his attention to the puppy, who was starting to wag his tiny tail. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight. "How do you know so much about dogs?" I asked.

"I worked at an animal shelf once," Ellie said. "Ivy, we should probably take him to the vet," she suggested. "Make sure he’s healthy and doesn’t have any microchip."

"Good idea," I agreed. "I’ll make an appointment for tomorrow."

Ellie nodded, then glanced around the kitchen. "In the meantime, let’s get him some food and water."

We worked together, finding a small bowl of water and some leftover chicken that we could shred for the puppy. The dog eagerly lapped up the water and nibbled at the chicken, looking more relaxed by the minute.

Lucas watched with fascination. "He’s so hungry."

"Poor thing," I said, petting him gently. "But he’s safe now."

Ellie smiled at the scene.

Just then, the door opened, and Aidan walked in with two men trailing behind him. I recognized one of them as James but couldn’t remember the name of the other man.

Aidan’s eyes immediately fell on the puppy in Lucas’s lap. "What’s this?" he asked, a mixture of surprise and curiosity in his voice.

"Ivy and Lucas found him in the garden," Ellie explained quickly. "He was hiding in the rose bushes."

Aidan raised an eyebrow. "And you decided to bring him inside?"

Lucas looked up at Aidan with pleading eyes. "Can we keep him, Uncle Aidan? Please?"

Aidan glanced at me, his expression softening slightly. "What do you think, Ivy?"

"I think he needs a home," I said, meeting Aidan’s gaze steadily. "And Lucas already loves him."

Aidan sighed, then nodded. "Alright. But the mutt needs bath. He smells like shit."

Lucas giggled at the word ’shit’, and I shot Aidan a warning glare.

"Aidan," I said, my tone disapproving.

Aidan raised his hands in mock surrender. "Sorry, sorry. He smells really bad," he amended, giving Lucas a playful wink.

Ellie chuckled, shaking her head. "Come on, Lucas. Let’s get him cleaned up."

Lucas eagerly followed Ellie to the bathroom, the puppy trotting along behind them. I turned back to Aidan, who was watching them with a faint smile.

"Thank you," I said softly. "For letting him stay."

Aidan nodded, his expression growing serious again. "Just make sure he’s taken care of. We don’t need any more surprises."

"I will," I promised. I decided to turn to a more serious topic. "Did you find anything else about what Giovanni wants?" I asked tentatively.

Aidan shook his head, his expression grim. "Has Ellie said anything about it?"

"She still doesn’t know. But Aidan, what was on the flash drive, and what documents did you find in Slava’s safe?"

Aidan sighed. "There was some incriminating information about a lot of important people in there. I am guessing Slava wanted to use it to blackmail them. I am not surprised. Slava was a sleazy asshole." Aidan paused.

"So...is Giovanni after those papers?" I asked.

Aidan wrinkled his forehead. "I don’t think so. There was no information about Giovanni in there. So I don’t see why he would care about those papers or the information."

"Maybe Giovanni wants to protect one of those people?" I offered.

Aidan shook his head. "I doubt that. Giovanni Leones is not the kind of man who would care about other people. The man is kind of a...recluse. He is after something else. Something that wasn’t in that house."

"Then it must be something Slava gave to Ellie," I mused, feeling a sense of urgency growing.

Aidan nodded. "Yes, but Ellie insists she doesn’t know anything about it."

"Maybe there’s something she overlooked," I suggested. "Some small detail that didn’t seem important at the time."

Aidan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We need to keep pressing her. But carefully. I don’t want to stress her out more than she already is."

I nodded in agreement. "We’ll figure it out together. We just need to be patient and thorough."

Just then, Lucas and Ellie returned with the puppy, now clean and wrapped in a towel. Lucas was beaming, and the puppy looked much happier.

"Look, Uncle Aidan! He’s all clean now!" Lucas announced proudly.

Aidan smiled, a rare sight given the current circumstances. "Good job, Lucas. He looks much better."

Lucas grinned, holding the puppy close. "Can we name him Blue? Like the butterfly!"

Ellie and I exchanged a glance, and I couldn’t help but smile. "That’s a great name, Lucas. Blue it is."

Aidan nodded in approval. "Just make sure he doesn’t cause any trouble."

Lucas promised he would take good care of Blue.