"Milo?" Salvatore asked, his voice growing stern.

Milo began to panic. His hands were shaking at his sides. "I... I have it... but Fredo has it right now. He needed it to open a chest. He said you told him..."

Salvatore’s expression went blank. "So, you gave the key to him?"

Milo nodded slowly, smiling nervously, his chin trembling slightly.

Salvatore let out a long, heavy sigh. He rubbed his temples. "Didn’t I tell you to keep it? I told you that no matter what happened, you were not to give it to anyone. Not even to me."

"But..."

"You can’t handle a simple task?" Salvatore asked.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it was filled with a disappointment that hurt more than a shout.

Milo felt his heart pounding. He felt like a total failure.

"Repeat what I told you this morning," Salvatore commanded.

"To... to keep it," Milo whispered.

"To keep it, even from myself. Right?"

Milo nodded. "I’m sorry..."

Salvatore looked at Milo with a sharp, piercing gaze. "Okay, so let’s treat the key as confidential information, something you have to keep from everyone. Even from me, your boss. I asked you to keep it private. And... you just gave it away, to... Teo and Fredo?"

Milo gulped. How did the man know he had given it to Teo?

"As a guard, you’ve just committed two fatal mistakes. You trust people because they’re ’nice’ or because they use my name. That’s how people get killed."

Milo felt a wave of nausea. He realized it had all been a setup. He had just made a huge mistake.

"So, let’s imagine the key was vital information, as I told you before. You just shared it with not just one, but two people! Information that could kill me, for example." Salvatore looked at Milo sternly.

Milo pressed his lips together. He looked down.

Just then, the door opened. Fredo and Teo walked in. Fredo walked over to Salvatore and handed him the golden key.

"I asked them to test you," Salvatore said, looking at Milo. "And you’re so weak. You trust people so easily. And that’s not what I’m looking for in a guard."

Milo’s hands were trembling. "I’m sorry..."

Salvatore interrupted. "Sorry won’t take the information back."

Milo looked down.

Salvatore showed Milo the key. "You made two fatal mistakes. I would have killed you on the spot if it had really happened. But now I’m just giving you a test, and you failed. Do you know what your mistake was?"

Milo nodded, tears stinging his eyes. "I should have kept it myself, no matter what."

"What do you think I should do to punish you for that BIG and FATAL mistake?" Salvatore asked.

Milo gulped. He looked at Salvatore in fear. He didn’t want to be shot. "Please... don’t kill me."

"I asked you, how should I punish you?"

Milo looked at the floor. "P-push-ups?"

"How many?"

"Fifty?" Milo guessed.

"Fifty for each time you gave the key away," Salvatore corrected. "One for Teo. One for Fredo. That’s a hundred. When can you do them?"

Milo gulped. Damn... 100 push-ups.

Milo thought hard. "Tonight?"

"Okay. Tonight." Salvatore stood up and handed the key back to Milo. "Keep it. For real this time."

Milo grabbed the key, gripping it so hard the metal dug into his palm. He promised himself he would never let go of it again.

Salvatore signaled for Fredo and Teo to leave. He looked at Roderick. "Prepare the car. We’re leaving now."

Roderick nodded and left. Salvatore turned back to Milo. "I’m going to meet your old master. Do you want to come with me?"

Milo’s face twisted in horror. Nero? The image of that man in his mind made his skin crawl.

He shook his head violently.

Salvatore smirked. "I didn’t think so. I won’t take you then."

He began to walk toward the door, passing Milo. He stopped abruptly in front of him.

"Wait. Let me see the key."

It was a casual, normal request. Milo, acting on instinct, placed the key in Salvatore’s open palm.

Salvatore held the key up in front of Milo’s face. "Another fifty. That’s a hundred and fifty push-ups. Ready tonight."

Milo’s jaw dropped. He looked at Salvatore in total disbelief.

Salvatore dropped the key back into Milo’s hand. "You forgot the rule again. ’Not even to me.’"

Milo realized he had just been tricked for the third time in ten minutes. He felt a surge of frustration at his own stupidity.

Salvatore smiled. It was a wicked, challenging smile. "Give me the key again, Milo."

Milo gripped it tightly in his hand. He shook his head. He didn’t want another push-up.

Salvatore nodded. "Okay, I’ll make you do 50 push-ups if you don’t give it to me."

Milo panicked. He looked at the man.

Seriously?

He slowly placed it in the man’s palm.

Salvatore just smiled. "200 now."

What??

Milo felt his cheeks burning. "Sir?"

Salvatore handed the key back. Milo was pale now.

Milo held the key. Salvatore was really cunning.

Salvatore smiled. "Give me the key."

Milo stepped back, his eyes narrowing. He gripped the key in a tight fist and tucked it behind his back.

He ran out of the office. "No! I won’t do another push-up!"

Salvatore’s chuckle was deep and genuinely amused. He watched as Milo ran outside for his life.

***

Nero paced the length of the hotel meeting room, his polished shoes clicking sharply against the floor. He checked his watch for the third time in sixty seconds.

Five minutes had passed since the scheduled start time. Five minutes, but for Nero, it was too long.

He wanted to see Milo.

"He’s doing this on purpose," Nero hissed, turning to his father.

Andro sat at the long conference table, his hands folded. He looked composed, but the tension in his jaw gave him away. He didn’t like the venue.

Salvatore had refused to meet at the Hartley mansion, and he had flatly denied them entry to the Portello estate. This neutral ground felt like a compromise they shouldn’t have had to make.

"Sit down, Nero," Andro commanded quietly. "Don’t lose your temper. You should control yourself."

Before Nero could answer, the doors opened. Salvatore stepped inside, followed by Felix and Roderick.

Salvatore didn’t offer an apology for being late. He scanned the room, his eyes lingering on Nero for a second with a faint, mocking smile before he pulled out a chair and sat down.

Nero’s eyes darted to the doorway behind Roderick. It was empty. The hallway was clear.

No Milo. Salvatore hadn’t brought Milo!

"I believe I made it clear that you were to bring Milo with you," Nero said, his voice trembling with suppressed rage.

Salvatore leaned back, crossing his legs. "I don’t think I agreed to that. I’m here to discuss business, not to transport my man for your convenience."

"Seriously, Salvatore?" Nero stepped toward the table. "You’re going to keep him?"

"I don’t play with my words," Salvatore replied. His voice was calm, but his gaze was steady. "He is mine. He lives in my house now. That topic is closed."

Andro leaned forward, sensing the conversation was about to derail before it began. He knew that if this meeting failed, the Hartley business would suffer.

"Salvatore, let’s look at the bigger picture. We’re here to maintain our relationship. For years, we’ve provided a great deal of support to the Portellos. I want to continue that partnership."

Salvatore looked at Andro and smiled thinly. "Yes, sure. But what my uncle did and what he got don’t match. I don’t think you understand how dangerous the path you’ve chosen is, or how much we’ll have to pay the police for that."

Andro shifted uneasily in his chair. "You have the power to handle those things easily. You haven’t lost a single penny."

"I know," Salvatore said. "But it’s a bad deal for us. I don’t count ’gifts’ or ’goodwill’ as payment. I want cash."

"And what else do you want?" Andro asked. "Milo?"

Salvatore chuckled. "I told you, the boy was a gift. I don’t count gifts as payment. Did my man already tell you what we want?"

Andro took a deep breath. He knew exactly what was on that list. Salvatore wanted a specific commercial building near the city border, a property Andro had acquired as a debt settlement from a client.

It was a valuable piece of real estate, and giving it up would be a significant loss.

Andro tried to keep a calm expression, though Nero’s angry breathing echoed loudly in the quiet room.

Andro looked at Salvatore. "How about this? I’ll give you the building, and in exchange, you return Milo to us. That boy is part of the Hartley family. I can’t simply trade a human being for a business deal."

Salvatore’s smile widened. "You don’t trade humans? You were the one who sent him to my house like an object. You delivered him to me to be used. Don’t start talking about family values with me. It’s nonsense."

Andro clenched his fists. He was a man who expected respect, and being spoken to this way by someone much younger than him was a bitter pill to swallow.

Before Andro could retaliate, Salvatore continued. "If you want our continued protection, you will pay in cash. And you will sign over the building. If not..." Salvatore paused, his eyes turning cold as he looked at both Andro and Nero. "Don’t ever come to us again."

Nero looked like he was about to lunge across the table, but Andro looked at him, signaling him to hold back.

"Think about our proposition," Andro said, his voice tight. "We will accept your terms if you give back our Milo. That is our final offer."

Salvatore stood up. He smiled, looked at Roderick, then back to Andro. "I think I’ve said everything I came to say. Take the deal or leave it. Roderick will call you tomorrow for your answer. I won’t be waiting any longer than that."

"Give Milo back!" Nero shouted as Salvatore turned toward the door.

Salvatore stopped and looked back over his shoulder. "He isn’t a statue. He has feet. He’ll come back to you if he wants to. I never chain him."

Nero’s face turned red. "Are you serious?"

"I am," Salvatore said. "And as long as he decides to stay in my house, you will not touch him. I am very protective of my men. I would hate to get your family’s blood on my hands over something so simple."

Salvatore said it so calmly that Andro and Nero fell silent.

The man walked out of the room, Felix and Roderick following close behind. The door clicked shut, leaving Andro and Nero in heavy, frustrated silence.

Nero kicked a chair, but Andro just stared at the door, realizing that the power dynamic in the city had shifted completely.