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Giovanni Xanis had never been a man of the faith. He was dutiful to the church. He spoke his prayers and broke his bread as best as any good catholic man. Yet he had lost faith in prophets and divine beings many years ago. Now, it was habit and the need to maintain appearances that we went to mass. An honorable, reputable, flawless Italian man could almost never afford to miss Sunday service if he wished to remain in the good graces of other families. He may sin, but he feared no God. Why fear a God when it was your destiny to be reborn?

Today's sermon grated on him more so than normal.
‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’
Why shouldn’t the son suffer for the sins of their father? It was no doubt the son who may be the root of the sin. The mother of the son that cause such sin? Was the son not the product of sin? It was the duty of a son to inherit all the father left to him, good and bad.

Elzo sinned just as bad as he, and was the cause of more crimes than Giovanni cared to think upon. Had he not killed for Elzo’s legacy? For the boy to have a life many would dream for? The boy had cast him off, and all Giovanni had done for him treated so… flippantly.

Yet tonight, the patriarch of the Xanis house mused, the sin of the father would punish the impudence of the son provided he played his part right.
Yvaine was a decent sort of woman. Comely even. Granted, never the sort Giovanni would normally pursue, but she was Elzo’s favored, and that was reason enough to try and seduce her with his charm and honey words. Dinner, he had requested of her, to know the woman who had caught his son’s eye. Secret of course, he did not wish to rile his boy with needless fatherly meddling. He simply wished to see one he hoped might become his daughter-in-law.

Or, his latest conquest.
Whichever.

So as he finished mulling over Sunday service in the entry to the restaurant, he wondered if in America, it was rude to arrive early. He rather hoped not.

The question of his name had him spinning, eyes seeking their speaker.

She looked very different in person, much different than his son's normal tastes now that he was really seeing her in blood and flesh. Brunette perhaps, but not that doe eyed innocent or mirthful youth; Elzo tended to desire women that he could have for his pleasures then abandon. Father like son in that aspect. So to see the women in dreadlocks, a dress that showed an rather immodest amount of skin and she wore her face rather bare. Another difference than Elzo's usual taste in women.

Giovanni was now very intrigued.

"Yvaine I assume?" He held out his hand in greeting as if to shake it, but the second he hand her hand, his closed, turning it to press a kiss on her knuckles.
The kiss lingered just a fraction of a second too long before he let go.

"Thank you for joining me this evening. I feared I had arrived too early. American customs differ than what I am used to."

He offered his arm, looking briefly at the hostess.
"Our table should be ready for us. I do so want this night to be a most-" he hummed, a smirk playing at his mouth, "-enjoyable one."

There was the hint of something wicked in his gaze, but it was not to different than the one Elzo wore upon rare occasion. There could be no doubt they were indeed, related.

Had Elzo known his father was with Yvaine he would have warned her, told her of the dangers his father posed to her, to him, to Marlo, the twins, to Jada and to everyone.
But Elzo was not there to warn her of the man who smiled so kindly to her and lead her to their seating. The man who looked at her a little too closely, appraising her worth on her looks and how she carried herself on his arm.
He thought she was indeed, nothing more than a dalliance for his son. Nothing more than a little temptation to use and discard as he saw fit.

“Ah, you say that with such sincerity Yvaine. Many would test me given the nature of my work, and in my status. But-“ He leaned down to her ear, words cloyingly thick with their accented lit, “-I can be gentle as you need Tesora, but even I will not take a refusal to my queries lightly.” He smiled, eyes holding a flase kindness, a mask of intent and ruthlessness that was every inch a predator’s gaze.
A gaze both Elzo and his brother gaze when they discussed business to those they sought to bring to heel.

Pulling out Yvaine’s seat for her, he even went as far as to dust it with his hand before motioning to take her place. Once she was seated, he took his spot across from her, eyes darting to the silverware before taking his napkin and polishing one of the forks.
“Tell me tesora, what is it that you do? My son speaks so little to me of his personal life, you will find that while I am a skilled business man, I am lacking as a father should be in his son’s life. Considering-“ he motioned to her, “his fondness of you.” Giovanni elaborated.
“The fact I know your name and he has not hidden his affection for you tells me quite a lot, but not all a father would wish to know.”

“It means treasure. I can think of no better endearment, as you are quite the catch, and given Elzo’s tendency to hide and horde information it is fitting isn’t it? He covets you, and I am beginning to see why.” Giovanni motioned to a waiter, asking for a bottle of wine. When informed they lacked his selection, he frowned. He’d called ahead to ensure his choice would be available. It was easily enough to be remedied, but later he’d take a small bit of pleasure in selling out a sommelier to the negaverse.

“As for our family. We have never been close. My son has always been distant, not quite taking after me. He is a rather secretive man and unfortunately passionate about what he loves. It is a fault in most men of the Xanis family.” The patriarch eyed Yvaine carefully, icy gaze roving seeking cracks and holes where to sink his fingers and twist until he had a hook.
“I hope he is not keeping anything from you. You would not deserve such.” He let the comment lie in the waters of their conversation. Let her take what implications from it as she would.

“Though, I am told I can be difficult at times. Perhaps that is why he feels no need to mention me. As I said before, we are not close.” The wine arrived and Giovanni had them both poured a glass. A soft white, to start them off. Slowly, he’d have the drinks become richer in flavor, masking their intensity and alcohol content. He wanted her lucid, not drunk, but just malleable enough.
“He keeps most of his life from me Yvaine,” he used her name, running it over his tongue, testing how she reacted to his tone and inflection of familiarity, “sons do not always agree with their fathers. So I am here to rectify that. Starting with you tesora.” He smiled.

“You may have wandered into my son’s life and sung to him as sweet as a siren, but I would also like to know you and embrace you… in time.” His smile did not meet his eyes.

He chuckled darkly at her seeming bashful behavior. So poised and coy. Elzo was just like him, wanting to ruin things as was their wickedness. Their Xanis blood.
“I flatter only with truth Yvaine. It would do me no good to lie to the woman my son is so fond of. As for your apology, there is no need. I expected only a woman. If you were not one, well, then I would find myself at a far greater disadvantage and loss than I would know how to properly… handle.” Elzo could be afforded many things, but perversions was not one of them. Not of THAT nature. It would jeopardize the company’s stocks too much.

Giovanni winced at the mention of Marlo, even if not by name. The worm would always managed to find a way to him. If only he had the decency to die all those years ago and solve so many issues.

He ignored it. Just like he tended to with things he had nothing pleasant to say about.

“I came for my children. As far as I know grandchildren are a bit of a ways off. Or is there a secret Elzo has been keeping from me?” He smirked at her, wondering if she knew. It would be hard for her not to miss his obvious denial of Guilia and Aiden as his grandchildren.
Downing some of his wine, he looked through the glass at her, tilting it to her.
“I will not be upset, just a bit disheartened. Everyman wishes to know their legacy. If my son has been seeking to keep you from a happiness, I will stand by you if need be.” He could raise Elzo’s brats. It would be a true twist of a knife.

“But, enough of such unpleasantness, You say my son found you? You make it seem like it was love at first sight. How did he manage to gain a lady like yourself. Certainly not his manners. The boy still cannot use the right folk as formal dinners.”

Yvaine was deceptive, he realized. While she didn’t entirely look the part, she held herself in the manner of high class, she also spoke in a way that reflected a higher upbringing that her appearance did not hint towards outright.
“My condolences.” He said, catching the past tense in reference of her mother. False empathy and sympathy was easy enough to fabricate with grief. “I am sure she and I would have enjoyed one another’s company greatly.” Perhaps in more ways than one if her daughter’s looks were anything to go by. Alas, a door closed, it was no point to think on such useless things. He was here to ruin this woman for his son. To utterly destroy them both.

“Though, I will admit, I am almost sad that there is no grandchild from Elzo yet. I would think he’d be rather aggressive on the approach but, he does have some business sense when an heir would be appropriate.” Giovanni shrugged, feigning passivity yet knowing he was presenting anything but such a thing.
“Not to assume that is. Just- he has always been rather decisive in his wants. His first wife and he- ah now that was tragic.” Giovanni swirled his wine, sipping at it while his eyes roved the woman, trying to read her.

“If you mean the meal, something light. A braised vegetable sauté or perhaps their quail? Richer but I would not a change of wines through dinner. Your drink should always pair and it is of no burden to me.” Americans tended to be so pointed with money.
“Or did you mean how to win my son’s affections in a more permanent manner?”

"The quail then. The richness of the meat yet delicate flavor profile will suite nicely with the wine chosen for dinner." He nodded, feeling that this woman was smarter than he'd given her credit for. Perhaps she was well breed and simply passed herself of as other than high society? It was not uncommon for later rebellion of parental notions, (Elzo a living testament to this).

He did not miss the unkind smile, and he felt a sharpness in his head. A click that Yvaine was something more than he'd initially assumed.

He'd have to tread carefully then- or simply not tread carefully at all.

"His previous wife died shortly after they separated. Under more than mysterious circumstances as it were. She was a good woman, decent sort. But Elzo was fiercely in love with her, put too much of his heart into her and she? She wanted what he could not give her apparently so she left him. He did not take her rejection well." He implied violence, revenge, but not with tone, with judgement, just with societal norms. Biases and notions.

"And to put it bluntly Yvaine, no. You could offer Elzo the sun and stars and he would not be sated." Giovanni did not smile at her, his face an impassive mask of indifference.
"I may not know him well, but I raised him and know him in many ways, better than he knows himself. The boy is devoted and passionate. He already loved, he already chose who he would have, and she is gone. Now, he yearns for a void to be filled. What reason does he have to devote himself to you? Why should he fill the void of his heart with a woman who gives her trust so freely? What do you offer him?"

The Italian sneered openly at her.
"He could have any woman Yvaine, any woman he wanted. So what do you have that no other woman does and why would Elzo want it enough to call you his wife?" Ice cold eyes looked at her ringless finger.
"Until you wear a ring, you are a dalliance. But- one I think might have potential." The sneer twisted to a smile.
"It is simply a matter of unlocking it."

Giovanni snorted, "Does it matter? A corpse is a corpse, and she doesn't have the Xanis name so she won't be near anyone of note." He stopped, "That I know of at any rate. Given his reluctance on the matter, she could be very well alive and have changed her name out of shame, him claiming her dead as to not shame her further and have the matter publicly dropped. Death is not always physical, it can be other things. Tell me, is he as cold and dead with his heart as I sense he might be?" Giovanni downed the glass quickly, not bothering to worry over intoxication. He could hold his own against a strong wine.

Yvaine was loyal. Very loyal to his son, and while he could admire that, he felt it foolish of her. She was too trusting of Elzo, too much blind in her own heart.

He'd rather use it as a means to break Elzo from his notions of love further. To drive away his son's chance at love once again. Women were expendable, his son was not.

"Oh Yvaine, you offer me more than you could possibly know. You want him yes? You want to wear his wedding ring? You want the Xanis name? To feel his children grow inside you and have a family with him? Mother his children? Then here is your hook. " Giovanni smiled.

"Become pregnant and do not let him know until it is too late. He wants Yvaine. To prove he is my better, that he can be the father I was not. But he has no lover to offer him her body and future without recourse. He would claim his children if he knew they were his, he'd be loyal to their mother, for their sake. He would be all that I am not. He would become yours, so long as you could hold the fate of his children in your hands."

Ice blue eyes were dark and twisted as they filled with cruelty.

"As to why he would pose as the twin's father?" He sneered, their meals coming out.
"Because I am their father, and he would not see me have them, more, he will not let me have them because once I have them?" The dishes laid before them, the Italian waited for her to begin eating before he took a bite.

"Once I have my twins, I gain much more than a proper heir to my legacy."