Hollywood Zenith

She softly touched his face as Samuel observed her face. The wrinkles on her face told him she was nearing old age, despite which her natural beauty couldn\'t be hidden.

" Thank you."

" It\'s alright."

" Mother, what do you think? I can tell you he is very handsome! Especially his bright green eyes." Isabella commented from the side.

" It\'s hazy but I can tell he is very tall. I remember Liliana like tall men."

" Right"

Hearing their praise was embarrassing, but Samuel didn\'t stop them. They looked happy while talking about Liliana; he also got to know a few things from their conversation.

" That\'s enough; you can talk to him later. The food is getting cold; we should eat first." Enrique said, calling Samuel to his seat.

The ladies left after grumbling for a few more minutes; they also knew they had extended their stay. More and even the grandma would not be able to help them.

" I am sorry about them. Both of my daughters are mischievous, you must have noticed by now."

" I don\'t mind. We should dig in." Samuel picked up the spoon and started eating.

...

...

...

After the meal, Enrique thought it was best they talked alone. The initial uneasiness was already gone as they were more comfortable in each others\' presence. He led Samuel to an empty study room; it was more like a document room where they used to store papers.

It was like a bit of office, but Samuel concurred by the dust at the corners that this room hadn\'t been used much over the years.

" I know what you are thinking. This room is a memento or a lost era in which I tried to emulate other Mafia groups."

" You mean a boss room?"

" Something like that but it was quickly scrapped when I lost interest. I don\'t like to keep records unlike my competitors. It looks cool in the movies but this is where my family lives, I can\'t be having them harass them over pointless things." He didn\'t go into details, so Samuel dropped the subject.

" The main reason I called you here was to meet you in person. Even if you are from a prestigious family, I can\'t have bad people in my daughter\'s life. All concerned fathers think like that.

" I can understand that sentiment. My father is also similar in retrospect, my whole family is like that."

" Can you blame them? Can I ask you something?" Enrique paused between his questions.

" Yes?"

" Are you adopted? There has been a rumor regarding it but with another heir in the mix... Succession battle can be difficult; I just want to cover all bases." His question surprised Samuel. It was the first time someone asked him that directly which shows how much he was worried about his daughter.

" I am but you are worried over nothing. They don\'t care about it so much so that I completely forgot about it over the years."

" I know you will not say ill about the people that took you in but-"

" No, you don\'t understand." Samuel began to tell him a few events from his childhood. He also disclosed how he built his business and a few things he planned for the future. Samuel rarely opened up to people about such things, but for some reason, the image of a troubled father reminded him of his father, Robert.

" I see. They really sound... eccentric, to say the least. I am sorry, but it is tough to believe because there is nothing concrete about Rothschild family members anywhere." What he said was the truth; the family was said to be so private they were designated as one of the great mysteries around the world.

It was not on purpose; that\'s how the people who interacted with them characterized them. But with Samuel\'s emergence, it was changing fast. Who knew what would happen in the future?

" I can\'t deny that."

" Now then, the second reason I called you here is to give you a warning."

" Warning?"

" How do I say it, now that you are seen together with Liliana there might be some trouble coming your way. I am sure you know about my two sons, the younger one is the more sensible one but Raul is a different case." He paused before continuing.

" Raul takes after me the most because he is most dissatisfied with how I run things. As a result, he started admiring our other half, which is more prone to violence; he became the sworn brother of the 89th street leader, Felipe Fernandez, about the same age as him.

Felipe had always fancied Liliana; it was the reason she ran away from home. She was essentially a bird in the cage here; as long as she was under my protection, everything was fine, but now that you came into her life. I don\'t know if he would stand still."

" I understand but don\'t she get a say in this? She could have rejected him and went about her way."

" Do you think it is that easy to get away from people like us? Why do you think she never had anyone in her life? She knew if she got too close she would be putting them in harm\'s way."

" That\'s messed up."

" Well, that\'s how things are done around these parts. So, are you up for it?"

" It doesn\'t matter to me. I will avoid violence as much as possible but one thing I learned over the years is that sometimes fear is the best motivator to teach someone a good lesson."

" Hahaha, are you sure you are not one of us? I am starting to like you." Enrique chuckled. He was impressed with this young man. Although young, Enrique never felt he was talking with a greenhorn.

" With that out of the way, let\'s move on to more pressing matters." Enrique became severe all of a sudden. Was there something else that was more important than what they discussed?

" Yes?" Samuel said with a puzzled look.

" What do you think about my other daughter, Isabella? Isn\'t she pretty?"

What the fuck? Samuel was speechless; how the hell should he respond? Was the old man getting senile already?