Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask

Xavier’s POV

Caleb’s excitement was contagious. The day before, Jude and I had finally managed to convince him to sever all connections with Veronica completely before making any moves toward Ivy regarding their future together. Veronica’s relentless harassment had become a dangerous liability, and Jude had been insistent that Caleb eliminate this threat before subjecting Ivy to any additional emotional warfare. Eventually, Caleb had agreed to our strategy.

Jude’s sisters had promised to deliver the intelligence we required by evening, since today was when Veronica’s mother would be conducting business at their salon. All we could do now was wait. My schedule was packed with territory management, which would help the hours pass more quickly.

Seeing Ivy at her desk brought immediate relief. She appeared significantly better than she had in recent days, her posture more relaxed and her eyes clearer. I exchanged brief words with her before heading to my office. Soon after, my secure line buzzed. Gemma informed me that Detective Daniel Martinez was calling, requesting to speak with me urgently.

"Daniel, good to hear from you. How have things been?"

"Xavier, I need to apologize. That background check you commissioned took much longer than anticipated. This woman maintains an incredibly low profile."

The conversation hit me like a lightning bolt. I had completely forgotten about the investigation I had authorized. When the situation with Ivy had exploded and Caleb had banished her from our territory, I had asked Daniel, my detective contact in Greenleaf, to conduct a thorough background investigation. With everything that had happened since, it had slipped my mind entirely.

"Actually, we discovered she was being manipulated and we’ve resolved everything. She’s back with our organization now."

"That’s excellent news, because I was about to tell you that this woman, aside from being absolutely stunning, is the most genuine and principled person I’ve encountered in my entire career," Daniel said with clear admiration in his voice.

"We reached the same conclusion. I should have contacted you earlier to halt the investigation, but things have been chaotic in our territory," I admitted, feeling guilty about leaving my contact in the dark.

"Don’t worry about it. It turned out to be excellent training for my team. She maintains extraordinary privacy, doesn’t even have social media accounts. Comes from humble circumstances, but her family is outstanding and completely legitimate."

"That’s wonderful to hear," I responded, genuinely pleased.

"I’ll transmit the complete file for your records anyway. But there’s something that really puzzles me," Daniel’s tone became contemplative.

"What’s troubling you?" My interest was immediately piqued.

"How does such a responsible, conservative young woman attend an underground mafia auction and end up pregnant by someone whose identity she never learned and whose face she never saw?"

The words hit me like a physical blow. I shot up from my chair, my entire body turning ice cold.

"What exactly are you telling me?" I managed to whisper.

"Exactly what I said. Some time ago, at that exclusive underground auction our department has been trying to infiltrate. She attended and became involved with a complete stranger. The whole neighborhood was buzzing when she turned up pregnant. Her former boyfriend, what a piece of work, shared all the intimate details with one of my undercover officers while drunk at a local dive bar."

"Daniel, I need that report immediately," I said, my voice tight with urgency.

"Hold on, Xavier. Something’s not adding up here. You’re not planning to eliminate her over this, are you?" Daniel’s concern was evident.

"Absolutely not, but I believe I know who fathered that child," I said, my mind reeling with the implications.

"I’ll transmit it right now. When you confirm your suspicions, I want to know how this story concludes. Just sent it. There’s even surveillance footage of her at the auction. Absolutely gorgeous. Listen, I need to disappear, but arrange a meeting soon so we can discuss this properly."

"Definitely. Daniel, I can’t thank you enough," I said before ending the call.

I immediately accessed Ivy’s file. When I reached the section about the underground auction, disbelief washed over me. If I was this emotionally affected, I could only imagine Caleb’s reaction. I printed every page, organized it into a folder, and was just standing when my phone rang again. Ivy’s voice informed me that Scott needed to see me urgently.

"Xavier, I apologize for arriving unannounced, but I desperately need your assistance." Scott appeared extremely anxious and unsettled.

"This seems urgent," I said, gesturing toward the chair across from my desk.

"Extremely, and I’m completely lost about how to proceed. This is explosive intelligence," Scott said, his hands trembling slightly.

"Another crisis?" I couldn’t believe we were facing yet another complication. "What’s happened now?"

"I don’t know how to break this to Caleb. That’s why I need your help," Scott’s worry was written across his face.

"Scott, what is it? Does this concern his parents’ assassination?"

"Not directly. It’s about the woman he’s been searching for. The report finally came through." Scott extended a folder toward me.

My hands shook as I accepted the folder and began reading. Tears filled my eyes as I considered the extensive damage Rossi had caused by blocking this investigation for so long. I cleared my throat and addressed Scott directly.

"We need to speak with Caleb immediately. But not here at headquarters. Let’s go to my safe house. I’ll gather our inner circle there for support. He’s going to need them. And there’s something else you need to see. When Ivy’s situation erupted, I had my police contact investigate her background. Look what he just discovered."

Scott scanned through the report I handed him, and his expression grew even more stunned as he read. We arranged to meet at my residence. He departed with both reports while I contacted Dominic and Finn, insisting they abandon everything and meet us at my house for an extremely urgent matter. I left my office, informing Ivy I wouldn’t return, then went to Caleb’s office where Jude was waiting.

"Caleb, we need to leave for my place right now. This is an emergency."

"What are you talking about, Xavier? What’s wrong?" Caleb looked up from his computer, giving me his full attention. "Are you alright? You look completely shaken."

"No, Caleb, I’m not alright. Come on. Leave everything and let’s go to my house immediately," I pressed.

"Xavier, you’re frightening me," Caleb said, rising from his chair. "Is Ivy safe?"

"Yes, she’s working peacefully in her office. Just come with me," I insisted again.

"Alright, let’s go," Caleb stood and followed me toward the door.

"We’ll take my armored vehicle. The driver will return later for Ivy," I explained. "Fisher, maintain close surveillance on Ivy. Don’t leave her unprotected. Is the security detail stationed at her apartment building?"

"Yes, sir. You can count on me. I won’t let Rossi, his family, or Veronica anywhere near her," Fisher confirmed.

"Perfect. Thank you." We entered the elevator, and Caleb studied my face with growing concern. "Scott has received new and critical intelligence."

"Understood. But you’re clearly disturbed by something significant," Caleb observed, analyzing my expression.

"You’ll understand everything soon enough," I replied.

We traveled the rest of the way in tense silence. When we reached my house, Scott had already established a secure video connection with Heidi on his encrypted laptop. Like Dominic, Jude, Finn, and Caleb, she had no idea what revelations awaited us.