My Childhood Bully is a Mafia Boss-Chapter 80

Ivy

Ellie and I stormed through the aisles of the home improvement store. Our mission was clear: gather every piece of decor that would transform two empty spaces into havens for our soon-to-be-born children.

Trailing behind us were four men, each armed with enough weapons to declare war.

That was Aidan’s condition when leaving home to go shopping. Neither Ellie nor I was allowed to complain about having bodyguards.

"Wallpaper," I panted, ticking items off my list with a sense of urgency that bordered on manic. "We need wallpaper."

"Got it," Ellie called from two shelves over.

"Paint next," I directed one of the men who was pushing my cart toward the paint section.

My eyes skimmed over the rainbow of paint cans, searching for the perfect shade. Then I saw it—a soft, pastel blue that seemed to whisper tranquility. I snatched the color swatch, holding it up to the light. Perfect.

"Ellie!" I called out. "Found it. This is the one for Max’s room."

She hurried over. Well...not so fast since she was about ready to pop out Elora any moment now. Her gaze followed my outstretched hand to the swatch. "Blue? Sure?" Her eyebrows quirked up in challenge. "Is it not too typical for a boy?"

"Not at all." I clutched the swatch like a talisman. "It’s calming. Peaceful. He’ll love it."

"Okay, if you say so." She shrugged, not entirely convinced but backing down all the same.

Ellie’s hand hovered over the spectrum of pinks before snatching up a swatch—a vibrant, sassy shade. "This one," she declared, thrusting it toward me.

"Are you sure?" I eyed the pink. "Isn’t it a bit...loud? You just said blue is too basic for a boy, and now you are picking pink for your daughter?" I laughed.

Ellie giggled, a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. "Touché, Ivy. But Elora’s going to be a fierce little lady, and she needs a room that reflects her spirit."

I shook my head, smiling. "Alright, we’ll go with the bold pink for Elora. But let’s balance it out with some neutral accents so it’s not too overwhelming."

Ellie nodded, and we continued our shopping.

"Next stop, furniture," I announced, steering us toward the section with cribs and changing tables. We spent what felt like an eternity debating the merits of various pieces, but finally, we settled on matching white cribs that felt both sturdy and elegant.

"These are perfect," Ellie said, running her hand along the smooth wood.

"Agreed," I said.

One of the bodyguards stepped closer. "We should move quickly, ladies," he murmured. "Don’t want to draw too much attention."

I nodded, quickening my pace. The last thing we needed was for Giovanni’s men to catch wind of our outing. We hurried through the checkout, the cashier’s eyes widening as she scanned item after item.

"Preparing for twins?" she joked, trying to break the tension.

"Something like that," I replied with a strained smile, eager to get out of the store and back to the relative safety of home.

As we loaded the last of the bags into the trunk, I felt a sense of accomplishment mingled with exhaustion. "We did it," I said, turning to Ellie. "We’ve got everything we need."

She smiled, a glimmer of relief in her eyes. "Thank you, Ivy. For everything."

"Of course," I replied, giving her a quick hug.

"Now, let’s get home and start putting these rooms together."

The drive back was uneventful, the bodyguards maintaining a vigilant watch over our convoy. When we finally pulled into the driveway, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Think they’ll be friends?" I asked as I watched the men unload the things. "Elora and Max, I mean.

"Like us? God, I hope not," Ellie said, her chuckle rough. "They’d be plotting world domination before they could crawl."

"Elora will be leading the charge, no doubt," I shot back, and we shared a knotted laugh.

Just then, the mailman rounded the corner, a stack of envelopes in his hand. He stopped in front of us, a confused look on his face.

"Got something for you here," he said, holding out a package. "It’s addressed to Ms. Ellie Blackwood."

My heart jumped a bit. The last time we got a package, it wasn’t anything good. I held it against my ear. "Well...it doesn’t seem to be ticking or anything."

Ellie looked at it suspiciously. "What do you think this is? Another body part? A foot, maybe?"

I couldn’t help but laugh at Ellie’s joking manner. I guess nothing scared her anymore.

I turned the package over in my hands, examining it closely. The weight was substantial but not overly heavy. There were no distinguishing marks except for her name and address, typed neatly on the front.

"Let’s take it inside and open it together," I suggested, trying to keep my voice steady. "Just in case."

Ellie nodded, her expression becoming serious. We walked into the house, leaving the bodyguards to finish unloading the car. In the kitchen, we cleared a space on the table and placed the package down gently.

"Alright," I said, taking a deep breath. "Here goes nothing."

I grabbed a pair of scissors from the drawer and carefully cut the tape sealing the package. Inside, nestled among layers of tissue paper, was a small, ornate wooden box. Ellie and I exchanged puzzled glances.

"Doesn’t look like a body part," she remarked dryly, though her eyes were still wary.

I lifted the box out of the package and saw a note under it.

Ellie picked up the note and unfolded it. Her eyes scanned the paper, and I saw a mixture of confusion and concern cross her face.

"It’s from Giovanni," she whispered. "He says it’s a gift for me."

My heart pounded in my chest as I examined the box.

"Let me see it," she said, and I handed her the box. I held my breath as she slowly opened the box.

Inside the ornate wooden box was a delicate music box, intricately crafted with tiny, detailed figures. Ellie turned the small key on the side, and as the lid lifted, a soft, tinkling melody filled the room. The figures inside began to move—a ballerina twirling gracefully on one foot, accompanied by a little boy playing a flute.

Ellie and I watched in silence, mesmerized by the unexpected gift. The music was soothing, a stark contrast to the tension and danger that usually surrounded anything from Giovanni. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Ellie turned to me, her eyes wide with a mix of emotions. "What do you think this means?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

I shrugged, my mind racing. "I don’t know. Maybe it’s a gesture of peace? Or an attempt to soften us up before something else."

Ellie nodded, her gaze returning to the music box. "It’s beautiful," she admitted. "But I can’t help feeling there’s more to it."

The music box played its final notes, and suddenly a small flap opened up and a chimp popped up.

"Ohhhh!" Ellie exclaimed in delight as the chimp bent down and pulled his pants down, flashing us his tiny butt.

And then, the box went still.

Ellie and I stared at the now-quiet music box, our expressions a mixture of shock and amusement. The chimp’s unexpected antics had caught us completely off guard.

"What...just happened?" I asked, still processing the bizarre conclusion to the gift.

Ellie burst into laughter, the tension of the moment breaking. "I can’t believe it! Giovanni sent us a mooning chimp music box."

I couldn’t help but join in her laughter. The absurdity of the situation was too much to resist. "What kind of message is that supposed to send?"

Ellie wiped tears from her eyes, her laughter finally subsiding. "Maybe he’s trying to mess with our heads. Or he has a weird sense of humor."

"Well, it worked," I said, still chuckling. "It definitely got our attention."

We both stood there for a moment, the remnants of our laughter hanging in the air. The initial tension had dissipated, replaced by a sense of bewildered relief.

"Alright," I said, shaking my head. "Let’s put this weird gift aside and focus on what we need to do. We still have two nurseries to set up."

Ellie nodded, still smiling. "Agreed. Let’s get to work."

Later, when we showed the box to Aidan, his forehead crinkled in confusion.

Ellie and I couldn’t help but share another chuckle as we presented the music box to Aidan. His brow furrowed as he examined the ornate, seemingly innocent exterior.

"So, Giovanni sent this?" he asked, a mix of skepticism and curiosity in his voice.

"Yes," Ellie confirmed. "And it ends with a chimp flashing us. We figured you’d want to see it for yourself."

Aidan turned the key, letting the soft melody play. As the figures moved gracefully, he watched with a bemused expression. Finally, the moment came: the small flap opened, and the chimp appeared, performing its cheeky act.

Aidan’s eyes widened, then narrowed as the music box went still. "What the hell...?" he muttered, clearly bewildered.

"I know," I said, trying to keep a straight face.

"We’re just as confused. Is it a threat? A prank? Some twisted peace offering?"

Aidan shook his head, placing the music box gently back on the table. "Giovanni’s mind games are getting stranger. This could mean anything or nothing at all. We need to stay vigilant."

Ellie sighed, her earlier amusement fading. "I thought as much. At least it brought a moment of laughter, but we can’t let our guard down."

"We won’t," Aidan assured her, his expression turning serious. "I’ll have it checked for any hidden devices or messages, just in case."

"Good idea," I agreed.