Taken By The Mafia Lord

There was a deep scowl on Daniel's face and while one might think that it was because of the almost faded bruise at the corner of his eyes and his once busted lips that was almost healed, it was at the report in his hand.

Daniel was staring down at the photos of Eric and Natalie together on a cruise ship and he was close to boring a hole in it with his gaze alone. He couldn't believe that Natalie went for a younger man and it sent a shimmering wave of jealousy coursing through him.

What was so special about this Eric dude? He wondered as he went through photo after photo of the both of them together. His second in command had dug deeply and while he should thank him for a job well done, Daniel was too pissed off to care. This was no good news at all.

While Daniel had been sure that he would be okay even if Natalie had a man, it doesn't seem to be the case right now and it was a good thing that Eric was not beside him because he would have planted a gun in his head right now.

He never thought of Natalie as a cougar - even though Eric was not that young and she was merely older by five years. But Daniel was not happy. He hated the fate that Natalie was already with another man - that was not him - and they looked annoyingly cute.

Daniel stared at a photo of the both of them laughing happily, probably to a joke or something. How dare she be happy when he wasn't? Daniel had been satisfied with the thought that she was a widow as much as he was a widower. But to see that she had moved on already left Daniel in a not-so-great mood.

Natalie hating him was one thing - and quite entertaining if he were to say - but hating him enough not to ever consider being with him was another thing. After finding out that Natalie was alive, he must have been wishing inwardly that she would see things clearly in the end and put down her prejudice enough to be with him at last.

Together, he and Natalie would be like those cute old couples that the younger generation wouldn't help but swoon over whenever they went out. The young ones would wish for their relationship to stand the test of time too. Yes, Daniel had quite an active imagination. Unfortunately, none of his dreams was happening with Eric standing in the way of his happiness.

Daniel crumbled the pictures one after the other before tossing them into the waste bracket from quite a distance. He was pleased when all of them did not miss the target. Yes, that was where they deserved to be. In the wastebasket.

After his short therapeutic exercise, Daniel lifted his gaze to Haz, his second in command who looked like he would piss his pants anytime soon. However, he released a shuddering breath when he found out Daniel's gaze was friendly now. He had been by his side all this and witnessed the various emotions that played across his expression and none of it were positive.

He had thought that Daniel would take out his anger on him - which was pretty common - hence was surprised when Daniel asked, "Are they here?"

"Yes, they're waiting already. " Haz answered, nodding his head as well.

As Daniel rose to his feet, he directed him to the room where the makeup artist and designer were waiting already.

It had been quite a shock to the young man when Daniel suddenly wanted to be dressed up for the meeting. Most times, he was always handling his wardrobe and never cared for makeup or the feminine frivolousness of the world, as he called them.

While it would be fun to point him out for using the feminine frivolousness of the world, Haz still wanted his head on his body, so he zipped his mouth and minded his business.

The makeup artist and his partner bowed their heads in greeting when Daniel arrived, but he barely acknowledged their presence and sat down on the seat facing the mirror as everything was set up before his arrival.

They did not point out Daniel's attitude because Haz already "educated" them before hiring them for the job. Also, they had worked with other rich clients and knew how snobbish socialites could be. They had been paid a huge sum of money for this job and their confidentiality, hence they didn't exactly care about his attitude toward them.

Before the artist began, Daniel instructed him, "I don't need much of your chemicals on my face -"

"Our cosmetics are natural -"

"I didn't ask for your opinion," Daniel interrupted him and the frigidity in his tone reminded the artist that he just stepped out of line. His gaze connected with Haz immediately who gestured to him to apologize immediately.

"I'm sorry, sir," He said

"It's good to know that you are." He said nonchalantly and went on, "As I was saying, I just need you to cover the bruise and a little powder here and there so no one notices I'm wearing this shit."

"As you wish, sir," The makeup answered with a smile even though Daniel just insulted his work of art.

Daniel settled down comfortably and watched him begin his work. He didn't care about this nonsense. Daniel believed that a man's beauty was his strength and ability. He would rather look sweaty and manly than a sissy covered with layers of makeup.

But then his damned son had ruined his face and Daniel felt intimidated, no! He wasn't intimidated by Eric's youth! If he was going to meet the bastard today, he had to look the part and prove that the older men were more attractive. No one can belittle his looks.

This was not just a meeting. It was a competition to see who was the better man and Daniel was prepared. If only, Natalie would be there to see him in action.