Come back

"Never saw one without the other, did you?"

Mariana's POV

"Carter, Carter stand still for just a moment" I sighed, trying to get his jacket on as he turned round and round in circles giggling.

"Oh look at him" Polly smiled, sipping tea from the table
I glanced at her, I don't know why she was even here
Trekking herself back and forth just to 'check up on me'
Meaning she wanted to make sure I wasn't bleeding or screaming in the night

Making sure I can look after my own fucking child.
"Is there something you actually wanted?" I asked
"She wants to manage you" Alfie said from his chair
I sighed
I wish he'd leave me alone
It was awful being without him
It was worse being haunted by him.

Even mum didn't rattle me the way his presence did.
"Yes, Tommy is back, he's asked if you would go and see him" she said
"No" I said
"I know, I told him as such, but you know how he is. He's persistent" she mumbled at the end.

"Well he can persistently fuck off" I said
"There will be a meeting soon, for all the share holders, am I right to assume you won't attend?" She asked
"Polly if I attend, there will be one less shareholder of Shelby company limited" I said, picking Carter up.

"Right" she said.
"Have you been back to the doctors?" She asked
"No" I said.
"Look, do what you want, vote for me, I bestow my power unto you in my absence" I said.

I didn't care about his company.
It could burn to the ground for all I cared

Polly's POV

She seemed... better?
More coherent
Dot had worried the life out of me when she rang
But she seems to be... good. Carter seemed happy.
The curtains were open
The door wasn't locked.
She was dressed and out of bed.
But her eyes... they kept moving to that same spot.

So who was she seeing?
Her mother?
"Where are you off to then?" I asked
"Work" she said simply
Work? She wasn't ready for work
"Then where's Carter going?" I asked
"Nala is going to have him for the day" she said

"And what are you doing at work exactly?" I asked
"Polly, I'm fine, stop badgering" she said
"You're not fine, you're prioritising" I said.
Whilst ignoring the problem at hand
"I thought that's what everyone wanted, for me to prioritise, to get myself together" she said.

I put my cup down
"Not if you're shoving all your other problems down" I said
"Oh leave off Pol, I'm fine" she said, walking out.
Yeah. Convincing

Mariana's POV

It looked so... normal
Everyone was working like nothing was wrong
Like nothing had happened
I slowly made my way through the bakery.
Men gave me glances, some avoided my eyes altogether
And then I passed by the office.

The empty office.
I abandoned my original mission and let myself in.
I only came to check in on my girls
To see if they had settled back in and that business was running as usual.
But who was running Alfie's side of things?
It couldn't be Aila

She had no head for business and certainly not illegal business.

His office was the same as it always was.
Like he'd just... nipped out.

"Mariana, I- I didn't know you would be in today" Ollie spoke up from behind me
"Yeah, I... just want to check on my lot" I said, looking around
"You alright?" He asked
"Carter doing alright?" he went on.

"Yeah, yeah he's... he's fine, he's good. It'll be his birthday soon" I said.
"Oh yes. God, nearly 3, where does the time go?" He smiled.
"Yeah..."

"It's quiet isn't it? Without him" I mumbled, changing the subject
"Yeah, lads are a little more rowdy without him though" He chuckled awkwardly.

"That you asking for help?" I asked, smiling
"No, no it's okay, they have their moments but I'm handling it" he said
"And who's handling every else?" I asked
"Oh well... you know that- Alfie's got a lot of associates, lot of people higher than me that handle accounting and dealings" he said

"But who's running things? Who's keeping people in line?" I asked
"Uh... no one really, we haven't really ran into any trouble yet though, Sabini is preoccupied with rebuilding his share, your men have also been busy trying to run your side of things, there's not really much opposition" he shrugged.

"Right... right" I mumbled to myself
Did I have to pick up his side of things?
I didn't know what to do now
Do I run everything?
Do I handle his affairs?
"Are you staying? I can make us some tea" he suggested

I nodded
"Sure Ollie, that would be nice" I said
I was worn out from all the business I'd tried to handle today anyway.
"We can talk about some of Alfie's dealings?" He asked
"There'll be a few things I think you could handle more than me" he said

"Yeah... yeah of course" I said, before he shot me a sympathetic smile and left
And I was alone again
Surrounded by Alfie
I sat down in his chair, a picture of Carter sat on his desk.

I didn't know what to do for his birthday.
Just us.
I didn't know what to do with Alfie's business.
I just didn't have a clue these days.

•

"Stay there alright darling, play with your toys" I said, leaving Carter in the living room
"Heard you were up and about" Ada said, putting her hat on the table as she sat down
"What do you want?" I asked
"There's no need to be so harsh Mari, I'm on your side here" she said bluntly

"Are you? Really? Because Tommy's driver outside... and that company bought dress, company bought shoes, the fact that you're here doing his bidding tells me otherwise" I said, sitting down
"No tea?" She asked, ignoring me.
"Tell me what you want Ada" I said.

She looked at me for a moment, before shifting in her seat
"Tommy is running for parliament" she said, in that business voice, as if it wasn't me she was talking to.
And I thought maybe another mirage had appeared
I must have been seeing things again
Because she just said Tommy was running for parliament?

"What?" I asked, trying to catch up
"Thomas, he's running to become an MP" she said.

He's...
"Mari"
I just looked at her
"What?" She asked, cocking her head
"Go home Ada" I said
"Polly said you won't listen to her"
"Go home"
"Arthur said you won't listen to him" she went on

"Ada-"
"Even Dorothy can't get through to you" she said
I stopped talking, waiting for the point
"That's reason, aggression and persuasion, and you've listened to none of them" she said
"Because they all fall under control. So what are you Ada?" I asked

"I am your sister" she said, dropping the false sense of guard she had up.
"Maybe not by blood, but we care for you, I am not here to do his bidding, I'm not here to ask you to come home or to speak to him. What he did was unforgivable, maybe necessary but nonetheless unforgivable" she said.

"Then why are you here?" I asked
"Because I don't want you to fall into depression, I've been there, I know what it's like losing a husband. I know how much Freddie's death effected you too. So I know Alfie's death must be eating you alive" she said.

"You have no idea what I feel Ada. You can't. You don't get the..." I paused, pointing at my head before my hand faltered.
"You don't get it" I said simply, I didn't want to keep going over it. Again and again.

It only made-
"Tell her to go" Alfie said, stood behind her.
It only made him come back.

"Why is he trying to become an MP?" I asked
She hesitated, before letting it go, accepting that I didn't want to talk about it.
"You know Tommy, world isn't big enough" she said, sitting back.
"But why now? After the strikes? What's he planning?" I asked

She shrugged
"I don't know, we never know do we?" She chuckled sadly.

Alfie's POV

"She's better?" I asked
"I didn't say that, I said she's out of the house" Ollie said back, his own gaze out of the window at the sea
"We had tea" he added
"She's planning Carter's birthday" he went on

"He's back home?" I asked
He nodded
Good. He needed his mother
And she needs him.
"She's asking who's in charge now though?" He said
"Her" I said instantly

"Her? You're still alive Alfie" he said
"Not legally, and not much longer, she may as well take over, what you gonna tell her otherwise? A secret someone is making the decisions, think with your fucking head lad" I said.

"What did the nurses say?" He asked, looking at the table of meds
"That I'm doing well, considering" I said.
I'm doing alright at dying slowly apparently

Didn't make dying any easier.
"Here" I said, handing him my banking folder
"What am I-"
"Take it out, take all of it out, tell Mar I told you too before I died, I'm not having fucking lawyers and accountants fuck her over with will proceedings and shit. You just give it to her, from me alright?" I said.

He nodded

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