Chapter 3
After Massimo’s departure, I retired to my bedroom and began my daily routine.
First I did my exercises: one hundred pushups…
Two hundred crunches…
And 20 minutes of calisthenics.
Our enforcer, Lars, had trained our family’s foot soldiers. From the very start, he had requested that my brothers and I join in – both for our own good, and to increase morale amongst our men.
Besides military tactics and marksmanship, Lars had placed a huge emphasis on physical conditioning. Although my duties as the family’s Chief Financial Officer had forced me to abandon the military drills, I still kept exercising on my own.
I wanted precise control over my body as well as my mind. Lars’s punishing routines gave me exactly that.
Sweat dripped off my body when I was finished. I immediately stripped naked and took an ice-cold shower.
As the freezing water rushed over my head and back, I forced myself to breathe deeply and slow my racing heart.
Control.
Always stay in control.
After three minutes, I shut off the icy water, toweled myself dry, and shaved at the bathroom sink. After I applied a dab of cologne, I got dressed.
Silk boxers…
Dress slacks…
Socks…
Gucci loafers…
Armani dress shirt…
Hermès tie…
Vest…
Golden cufflinks…From NôvelDrama.Org.
Rolex.
I decided not to wear a jacket. I rarely did during the summertime unless I had a business meeting.
Then I walked down the hall to my private office and got to work.
I fired up my computer and ran reports on the family’s holdings…
Revenue from our various business dealings…
And our expenses.
So many expenses…
I’d had to take off the previous day for Adriano’s wedding, so I decided to work through lunch and eat once I was done.
I was deeply engrossed in my work when I heard the gunshot.