Damon looked around before stepping inside; Lazaro was in front of him. There were used condoms and syringes on the floor; he shivered, remembering that heroin existed. Damon had tried heroin once when he was nineteen but never touched it again after that. He felt terrible; one of his veins still feels weird when he touches it.

He followed his uncle upstairs; the building could collapse easily at any moment. Lazaro opened the door of the room in front of him and let Damon walk in first. The place looked disgusting, but this room was surprisingly cleaner than the rest of the house.

Three men were standing in the middle of the room, two brunettes and a blonde one. They all looked at Damon the moment he stepped into the room.

The blonde was on the left, being on his phone in a black Versace suit. When he saw Damon, he smiled softly and lifted his hand for a handshake. Friedrich was the middle child and the one that was made fun of as he was openly gay. If it wasn't for his brothers, he would be found dead by a dark alley by now. He was quiet and shy now, but there was a time he was the most self-centred out of three. When he came out as gay, his siblings stopped listening to him and following his rules and decisions. Friedrich had inherited the casinos in France, Spain, and Portugal.

On the right, Leon was playing with his rings. He chuckled when he saw Damon but tried to appear polite as they needed the deal. Leon was the oldest of all and had inherited the casinos in Germany, Bulgaria, Greece, and Albania. Every decision was made by him, and he was the leader. His brothers were trusting him, and he was a bit of a womanizer. He took so much power away from Friedrich when he came out.

In the middle, there was the one and only Klaus, the youngest one. As Damon could recall, he had casinos in Italy and Romania. He narrowed his eyes and growled, showing his white teeth to Damon, who was unexpressed. He hated Damon with a passion and didn't want to deal with him from the start. Hell, he didn't even want to shake his hand! He only did it when his brother, Leon, glared at him in anger.

"Damon Hopkins, what a pleasure to have you here."

"A pleasure to see you, Leon, too, along with your brothers."

"Before we start, I'd like to ask Lazaro why we are in an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. I thought we'd stay at the hotel."

"Well, the hotel has been overfilled with cops searching for you as the Italian government informed them for your arrival. They accuse you of money laundering and human trafficking. Are you sure you want to return back there, Leon?"

Leon sighed and turned around, stepping closer to the room's window looking outside.

"How's Deetra, Damon?"

Friedrich asked with a smile; he liked the twins. They weren't harsh against him like all the others. Damon was always good towards him, making deals and helping him. Maybe, Damon hated the old Friedrich. The new one that was humbled down was good.

"She's fine, Friedrich; thank you for asking."

Damon smiled, his hands in the pockets of his pants. Klaus turned to Leon and lifted his arm, talking with a thick German accent.

"Kannst du dich an sie erinnern? Diese sexy Frau mit dem kurzen Kleid!"*

Leon rolled his eyes and opened his mouth, but Damon was quick to answer.

"Ich bin nicht hier, um über meine Schwester zu sprechen, Klaus. Lass sie in Ruhe."**

Klaus turned his face towards Damon, who was clicking his tongue against his teeth. He frowned and crossed his arms. "I keep forgetting you know german...." Klaus sighed and fixed his shirt while looking down.

Klaus met Deetra at a stupid birthday party and quickly fell for her. Deetra didn't have feelings for James, yet so he gave Klaus a chance. A week later, she didn't feel like he was her cup of tea after some dates. Klaus didn't like that, though, and couldn't take no for an answer. He kept sending flowers and gifts to her every day straight for two months, asking for a second chance. Damon almost injured Klaus badly as he wasn't leaving his sister in peace. Klaus never forgot that, thinking that Damon was the reason Deetra rejected him. He never forgave him, even if it wasn't Damon's fault. Damon couldn't believe that Klaus thought that he was keeping his sister back from being with him.

"Lazaro told me you need one kilo, is it true?"

"Yes."

"That's around £50.000, as I said to Lazaro."

"£50.000, hu... Leon?"

"That's close to €58.300."

Leon added, still watching outside, enjoying the calm evening, he wouldn't help his brother this time. He had to take some baby steps and learn how to work if he wanted to survive in the business.

"€58.300!? Are you out of your mind, Hopkins!?"

"Quality equals money, Klaus, and I am not here to play. So if you want a deal, you'll have to follow my rules."

"Whatever... How about €50.000?"

"HA! No way. €56.000 and it's over."

"Minus 2.000, only!? You must be kidding me. How about €54.000?"

"Do I look like a fucking idiot to you, you bloody cunt? Last offer, €55.000."

Klaus brought his fingers to his chin, thinking. €55.000 was too much for a kilo of cocaine, but Lazaro assured the quality. His clients wouldn't be delighted if they paid €50 for some shitty drugs, and it was hard to find good quality cheap. He sighed, lifting his hand.

"I'll give you €56.000 if you let me spend a night with your sister."

"Still €55.000, and if you come near to my sister, I'll chop off both of your balls and shove them up yo arse."

Damon wasn't going to sell off Deetra like this. She mattered way more than a million. Plus, if he did something like that, James wouldn't be thrilled.

Klaus gulped and shook Damon's hand, mumbling "Deal" with a half-opened mouth. Damon smiled as he faced a suitcase that Friedrich had pulled from under the table in the room corner. He held it open and shown the money to Damon. Damon looked close and then at Klaus.

"That's about €50.000; where's the rest?"

"We'll send them when we receive the product."

Leon answered, lifting his head. Damon chuckled, closed the suitcase, and held tightly on it.

"How do I know you don't lie?"

"You speak with me, Damon. I don't want a rumour going around that I don't keep my promises and deals. That'd be a bad reputation for the casinos."

"If you say so. It was a pleasure doing business with you gentlemen, but I have to go!"

"Can I drive you somewhere, Damon?"

Lazaro was staying by the room's door, filling his gun with bullets. Damon turned around to see him before talking.

"Just by St James's park. I need to pick up my motorbike."

"C'mon, let's go."

Lazaro, Leon, and Klaus had left the room, and Damon with Friedrich was behind him. At some point, Friedrich grabbed Damon's arm and held him behind. He looked at him confused; Friedrich sighed before glaring at him with a small smile.

"Thank you for not hating on me, Damon."

Damon laughed softly and patted his shoulder.

"I would never hate on someone because of who they fuck and kiss, Friedrich. I am not that kind of person."

Damon tried to take a step further, but he pulled him back. Damon's eyes were back on Huber; he sympathized with the kiddo but just wanted to go home already.

"When I first saw you at that party, my heart started beating faster, and I wanted to meet you immediately. I had such a big crush on you; it was devastating. I-I know I sound stupid, please don't say anything to my brothers...! Pretty please..! You're such a big womanizer, I know I'd never stand a single chance, but- "

Friedrich was close to tears; he got anxious and stressed, thinking Damon hated him now. Damon giggled, finding his behaviour cute and funny. He pushed him outside of the room and whispered.

"Calm down, kiddo! I am not going to say anything, I swear..! It's okay, for real. Let's go, now."

Friedrich followed him; the others were waiting outside for them. Leon waited patiently for his brother while Klaus was in the car in anger that he didn't manage to pay less for that white powder. Damon hit Friedrich's shoulder playfully with a grin and got in the other car holding the leather suitcase along with Lazaro. Friedrich sighed and followed his brother. Damon opened the briefcase and gave it a last look, a smirk on his lips, before closing it again.

"Congrats Damon, seems like you persuaded them."

"I always get what I want, Lazaro."

Except for Abigail, of course. Lazaro laughed; Damon didn't want to return home; it felt early. He typed a number on his phone and brought it close to his ear with a chuckle.

"I'm listening, boss."

"Wait for me outside St James's Park."

"Of course."

Damon finished the call and leaned on the window, another successful deal, some more money in his wallet. But, of course, the night had a twist; Friedrich caught him off guard with his romantic words.

It's been a while since Damon get close to a man and tried to seduce him. He feared that his life would come to a painful end if he flirted with the wrong man. Friedrich had his brothers; Damon couldn't rely on Deetra for such a sensitive topic. Damon could depend on no one in his little "family". He turned his head and glared at Lazaro for a second. "He would probably skin me alive if he... found out." he thought and growled softly. He hated those old men in the mafia, thinking they were the best in their luxurious mansions with their old-fashioned thoughts and opinions. They were all mistreating their wives and kids and acted like Greek gods living in their personal Olympus, all-powerful. The truth was that most of them were only bark, not bite, and Damon knew it.

Damon felt like he was never his authentic self; he hid behind a façade for his whole life. That mask was helpful, though. People weren't hurting him because of it, and Deetra was safe and sound along with James. Until Felix came along, of course.

The car stopped out of a sudden; Damon almost hit his forehead against the window. He frowned; he was so lost in thoughts that he barely understood he was outside the park.

The drug baron got out of the car and fixed his suit in distress. He couldn't wait to get Lazaro out of his sight. Lazaro rolled down the window with a soft smile

"It was a pleasure to see you, nephew. I hope our paths cross again soon."

Damon nodded; his mind was focused on the money here and a couple of hours.

"Give my best wishes to Brianna! Have a good evening, Damon."

"You too, uncle."

He rolled it back up, and the car disappeared into the night. On the corner of the park, there was another familiar car waiting for Damon. A man in his thirties was waiting, leaning against the dark coloured Range Rover with crossed arms.

"I'm so glad you're already here, Akito."

"I'm never late, boss."

Damon rolled his eyes and left the briefcase on the bonnet before opening it for the last time that evening. Ruder smirked and licked his teeth before looking at the man beside him.

"That's about €50.000, boss...."

"Exactly. You know where to hide it."

He closed it and handed it to him. Akito nodded and left the briefcase at his car, in the co-drivers seat. He turned around and faced him with a shy grin and his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

"How are you doing, Damon?"

Akito started working for Jason Hopkins when he was sixteen. Damon was a small child then and barely remembered his young self. He had to leave Japan with his parents when he was a baby and migrate to the UK. His family was poor, and he started working when he was twelve with various people, sooner or later dipping into the dark side of London. Then, when he turned sixteen, he had the big chance to work for the biggest drug baron in the country, and he wouldn't say no.

Jason took care of Akito like his own child as long as he was around. Damon and Deetra grew up around Akito; he was like an older brother to them. He was beside them when Jason disappeared and when Selena died. In Damon's brain, he was actually part of his family, not like Brianna. Akito didn't think he belonged in the Hopkins family though, he believed he was just a good friend, plus a babysitter for the twins.

"I am trying to make more money every day without losing my mind; how about you?"

"My father's in the hospital...."

"What happened?"

"Heart attack. He's okay now, though."

"I hope he'll get well soon, Akito."

"He's gonna be fine, or that's what the doctors and the nurses said, at least."

Damon sighed and looked around. He pushed a cigarette between his lips; Akito lit it up in seconds before he managed to take out his.

"Thank you, Akito."

"No worries. What are you going to do?"

"I'll just go for a walk; I need some fresh air. I'll return soon, probably."

"Have a nice walk, boss, and good evening."

"Good evening, Akito."

Akito left Damon alone and went back to the mansion to hide the money in the secret space that his boss had in his room. Damon finished his cigarette and went for a walk in the middle of the night. He wasn't afraid of weirdos and thieves for two reasons; He was a man, and he had a gun. A loaded gun that he knew how to use.

Who knew someone was waiting for him at the next left turn, though?

* Do you remember her? That sexy woman in the short dress.

** I am not here to talk about my sister, Klaus. Leave her alone.

A/n: Remember to comment, like and add the book to your libary if you liked it :)