"Miss Santoro?"

The sound of her name being called snapped Illania out of a long maze of old memories that began at the ornate front door of her parents home. She blinked once and immediately put her business face back on. Her assistant, Henry, stood in front of her with a puzzled eyebrow raised.

"Should I have the movers start bringing your things over?"

"No. Not yet. I'm still deciding."

Henry's expression didn't change, and he replied with a slow cadence that matched his face.

"Deciding between living in a hotel for another month or moving into a huge house  that is...you know...free? That's what you're still deciding?"

Illania shot him a look.

"You've got a smart mouth for a kid who depends on my checkbook for his room and board."

Illania slid the key into the lock and turned it, jiggling the key a bit at the last quarter of the turn to get it past where it always stuck. When it was secured, she dropped the keys into her purse and headed down the front steps toward the waiting car. Henry opened the door for her and waited while she got into the back seat.

"Don't get me wrong. I've got no problem with the Butler Hotel. The room service is fantastic, and by room service I mean the cute little red head that brings my breakfast. But, seriously, don't you think it's time? The hotel left a note on your door offering you their residential rate."

Sitting back against the leather seat, Illania sighed and shook her head as Henry got in beside her.

"Of course it's time. I don't want to live in a hotel, but that house...it's so big. And empty. What in the world do I need with seven bedrooms? One for every day of the week?"

Henry rolled his eyes and pulled some papers from the portfolio on his lap.

"Nevermind. You've got three hours until Bob Bilkes is supposed to come by to do his little song and dance; so when we get to the office, you-"

Illania cut him off.

"Is his name really Bob 'Bilkes?' Why would anyone with that last name think that a career in law would be a good idea?"

Henry stared at his boss for a minute, then put the papers away again.

"This thing with the house is really bothering you, isn't it? I've never seen you so unfocused. I thought you were excited to be coming back to Philly?"

Watching the buildings whiz by, Illania nodded without looking at Henry.

"I am. It's just...I haven't been back here since I finished my undergrad. Since before Mom and Dad...."

Her voice trailed off briefly as the car rolled to a stop on front of the building that now housed her shiny, new, private practice law office. Without finishing her thought, she nodded to Henry.

"Come on. Work to do. We've got contracts to review for Mr. Mezzo."

In the corner of a dim, elegant dining room, a pianist played soft but upbeat jazz tones for the restaurant's guests. Each waiter was dressed to starched perfection, moving throughout the room and serving their tables with practiced precision. Light conversation and occasional laughter fills the air, punctuated by gentle clinks of crystal, silverware, and fine china. 

At a table for two, Illania slowly swirled her red wine in the bottom of a glass while working hard to maintain a pleasant smile. The man sitting across from her, in French cuffs and silver cufflinks, was 2/3 of the way through his fourth whiskey. 

"So, you're working for Jack Mezzo Junior? Wow, I gotta say, Lani, I didn't see that coming. What happened with Kasik and Whitney? You were doing so well in New York."

Illania's expression was pleasant, but her patience was wearing thin. Andy Morton had always been a condescending showboat, from day one in law school. Now, as the Assistant DA for the state of Pennsylvania, he was the same jerk, just more powerful. 

She took a sip of the wine before replying. 

"New York was great, but I didn't want to die young writing deeds and land grab contracts for crooked politicians. I worked hard to earn my name in the DA's office. Getting stuck in real estate law was a massive step back. You know that." 

Andy scoffed. 

"So you decided to work for a mob boss? Come on, Lani, that's ridiculous. Come to my office. Come back to the good guys side." 

Her lips tightened into a firm line, the pleasant expression long gone. 

"My client is a businessman and a real estate developer. That's to say nothing of his major philanthropic efforts for the city of Philadelphia. If you want to accuse him of something, you'd better follow a more professional way of doing it than over dinner. And if you think for a second that I'm going to let myself end up working for government peanuts as a glorified clerk for an Assistant District Attorney, you're crazier than I am." 

Illania rose from her seat and took her handbag while Andy stared at her in a moment of stunned silence. A few other patrons had taken notice of the raised voices and were looking at him. His face reddened and he scowled at her, standing and wagging a finger accusingly. 

"Don't think I'll go easy on you, Lani. If your guy ends up on my list, I'm not giving you any breaks! I'll make sure he gets the whole book thrown at him." 

Her eyes narrowed and she stepped up to him, toe to toe, and spoke defiantly through her teeth in a hushed, menacing tone. 

"You may call me Miss Santoro, or counselor; and if or when you sober up, you can call my office to formally apologize to me for acting like a horses ass while insulting me and my client. IF you do that, I might consider not telling Frank about your not very little drinking problem, or the hooker you've got stowed away in a motel room on 6th Avenue for your 'afternoon meetings.'" 

With that, Illania headed for the door with a dead stare ahead of her. Outside, her driver hopped out of his seat and ran around the car to open the door for her. In a moment, she was gone.

There was a knock at the door adjoining Illania's suite to Henry's room. Illania was still fuming as she tossed her handbag and coat onto the sofa. 

"Illania? You're back from dinner early. How'd it go?" 

Stepping out of her shoes, she moved to the door and swung it open, then turned back to head for the bar in the corner. 

"I left before dessert. Andy Morton is a pompous, overblown sack of shit and he's lucky I didn't..." 

She stopped and took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a long moment. The voice coming from her had the force and determination of her father. She recognized it as surely as it came out of her mouth. She remembered hearing him just like that in his study at the house when business went awry. That house was the seat of power for Joe Adonis and Ilaria Santoro. When she opened her eyes again, she called back to Henry. 

"Tell the moving company to start first thing in the morning. We're checking out of here tomorrow."