1 The need for an heir

The Bianchi family was well entrenched in New York. For decades they had ruled their section of the city with an iron fist. You crossed the Bianchis, the Bianchis crossed you. And their retaliation was often swift and brutal. Very few lived to tell the tale.

And in the seven years Nico had been in charge they had only grown stronger. But as time went on, Nico was becoming more and more aware of a problem…he did not have an heir.

At thirty-two, with the classic Bianchi looks, he was what many described as tall, dark and handsome. With his carefully styled brunette hair, and his designer suits, women were throwing themselves at him left right and center. But that was a problem. Nico Bianchi did not trust women.

Lying cheating snakes, the lot of them. Trusting a woman was akin to taking poison and calling it a cure, at least in Nico's books. There was no sure fire way to seal your own fate than to put your life in the hands of the female of the species.

But as distrustful of them as he was, Nico needed a woman in his life if he wanted a child. In the past, he had at least thought he would have enough time to deal with his issues with women before he started having kids. But all that had been before the…incident. He felt the scar on his chest twinge at the memory.

It had been a run of the mill meeting. Nico and an old ally of the family meeting at a football game. To the casual onlooker they had just been there as normal spectators. But in reality they had been setting times and dates for future deals. Using the jersey numbers and the movements of the players on the field as a code. Something not even the most experienced code breakers could decipher.

That part of the day had gone off without a hitch. What had not gone according to plan was the group of youths who in a show of terrible judgement, had clocked him as an easy target.

"Hands in the air, sweetheart, unless you want to give the walls a fresh coat of paint with your blood," Nico had put his hands up, internally scoffing at the boy's improper hold on his gun. The other two had moved then, patting him down.

It was then that Nico had realizes that they had not just marked him as a just a target, but a rich easy target for that matter. The fools had not just wanted his watch, they had wanted his card and its pin. All of which he had given up, not in the mood for nonsense. But the boys had mistaken his compliance for cowardice.

When the first one, bigger than the others, had swung at him, cheered on by the others, "Put him to sleep, Psycho!" Psycho? Really! Nico had caught the fist. Twisting at the wrist, and pulling, an easy dislocation that had the kid howling. The other two, upon seeing their friend in pain had lunged at him.

The fight that ensued had been brutal. Nico had left each of the boys with an injury that would be sure to need extensive rehabilitation. It was only once the fight was done, and he was staring at the bloody pile of moans and groans that Nico had noticed the stab wound. He had managed to take out his phone and call for help before collapsing on the ground. Doing everything in his power to stay awake and keep pressure on the wound. Finally allowing himself to sleep when he had heard cries of "Boss! Boss, where are you?"

His guards had not been happy. Especially since he had gotten himself hurt after giving them the slip. Had it not been for Nico, his attackers would have been in an unmarked grave, but he had ordered the guards to stand down.

He had no reason to go after small fry when life in the mafia meant he got to tangle with the big fish. Besides, the absolute terror in their faces when they had realized exactly who it was that they had tried to rob had been quite funny.

"We are so sorry, Mr-Boss-Don-Bianchi-sir. We did not mean any disrespect," The one called Psycho had begged, his friends shaking like leaves behind him. Nico had never seen anyone run so fast while trembling at the same time.

But still, even though he had come out of it triumphant, the attack had brought home something he had already known and had been wilfully ignoring. He would not live forever. Sooner or later, something maybe illness or injury would get him. One day his wounds would not get a chance to become scars. Nico would become nothing more than a memory, dead and gone. He needed someone to carry the family long after he was gone. Someone whom he could teach everything he knew to. An heir, a child of his own.

When it came to finding potential women, marriage was out of the question, there was no woman he trusted enough for that. He could go the clinical route, opting for artificial insemination, and hiring a surrogate. But that would have involved too many people, too many mouths to keep shut. Not only that, being the don was not only about being strong, it was about looking strong as well. Even in the present times with so much information on the issue. People were still shifty when it came to the matters of child bearing. If word got out that the Bianchi don needed help having kids, then it would be a problem. Not only because of outsiders, but because it could lead to the family losing faith in their leader. Nico had been mulling over it for months, looking for ways around the issue. Trying to come up with a solution, that would make sure not too many people knew his business, when out of nowhere it had fallen right onto his lap.

Gianna Alonso.

The daughter of the deceased Santino Alonso, a gambling addict who had died still owing the Bianchis a sizable amount of money. She had inherited his debt, and for a while she was a model client, paying on time and without a fuss. Buy then her small tailoring business had shut down, and she was unable to keep up with the payments.

Normally, Nico would not concern himself with debt collection. But the woman, her back against the wall had asked to meet Nico directly.

"She had threatened to hold a gun to her head in any one of our busiest establishments, if you do not meet her," The threat, though amusing, would not have made much of a difference. Whichever business she chose, all it would take would be some good publicity to get it up and running again. As such Nico had been about to decline her request, but then he had seen the picture attached to her file, and had paused.

Big brown eyes, a heart shaped face, long dark hair coming down her shoulder in soft waves.

Beautiful, that was the first word that popped into mind.

Nico had come across many beautiful women in his life, but Gianna Alonso was in a league of her own.

He had to have her. So here he was, a week after he had first seen her, doing something he never did- doing a debt collection run.

"Take me to this location," His driver slash bodyguard, Lorenzo, had looked like he was about to have a fit when Nico had given him the address. The modest little building a far cry from the places Nico usually went. But Lorenzo had still taken him where he needed to go. And now he was sitting in the back of one of his cars, parked across from apartment building. Watching as Gianna and his driver crossed the street. She walked side by side with the man, radiating fury with every step she took. Clearly unhappy that the Bianchis had come for her in her own home. She wore a simple dress and flat shoes, her hair in a messy bun. Her curves swaying with every step she took, her creamy breasts lightly peaking out at the low neck of her dress, her delicate hands crossed over them.

The picture had not done her justice, she was by far the loveliest creature Nico had ever set eyes upon.

Shrugging off the Lorenzo's grip on her elbow, she opened the car door herself and got in. Her eyes widened the sight of him, but she rather than back out, she sat closing the door behind her and meeting his gaze. Brave too, he had made an excellent choice.

"Good day, Miss Alonso, I take it you know who I am," The privacy screen came up, secluding them in their own little world.

"Don Nico Bianchi," She said, folding her arms over her chest once more, the action unintentionally drawing his gaze to her cleavage.

He dragged his eyes up before she could notice and met her gaze, deciding to get to the point.

"Why do you think you are here?" He asked, and she shrugged.

"It's to do with my father's debt. I know I have been late these past few months, but I am making a plan. You'll get your money-" He raised his hand, cutting her off.

"You're right, this is about the money. But I have a way for you to no longer owe a dime," Her gaze sharpened even further, clearly interested and Nico readjusted his cufflinks.

"Have my baby, and I will erase your debt," He left out his intent to then take the child from her( for a price of course), and raise it to be the greatest don the Bianchis had ever seen. She looked at him, eyes wide, then she snorted, which turned into a laughing fit.

Nico let her, waiting until her laughter died down, keeping his steady gaze on her. Wiping a tear, she looked him in the eye, seeing his very serious face her mouth fell open.

"Oh," She said, hand on her mouth, her nail polish chipped. Gianna gulped, blinking a few times in quick succession.

"You're serious," Nico nodded, still holding her gaze. When she accepted, which she would, she had no other choice, she would quickly learn something about him.

Nico was a very serious man. Especially when it came to matters of the family.