*Xavier's POV*
Giving Romano a ride home didn't turn out as I had speculated.
I had to admit, the Queen knew her strategy very well. She had planned every step meticulously.
She eliminated the elder Romano while sparing the younger ones. She knew how to instill terror among the populace—a calculated move.
Standing in Romano's compound, not a single person dared to raise their head, even though their guns were loaded.
She broke the Italians' resolve. They had no choice but to retreat and heed what Riker said as the Mafia Queen's envoy.
That's the game they play. No wonder she rose to prominence so swiftly. She understood the game and played it with thoughtfulness.
Two days had passed since that incident. The external world seemed unchanged, but madness filled the King's headquarters' interior.
With the Queen missing for two days, I expected slow days ahead. Yet, her second-in-command managed her affairs quite well in her absence.
They involved me in their illicit activities but didn't fully trust me yet. If I were in their shoes, I might not trust me either.
I hadn't done anything to build that trust yet.
“Xavier, that's you, right?” I snapped my head toward the voice to find one of the gang members approaching.
I nodded in response.
“I’m Remy.” He extended his hand. I took it in mine and shook it.
“Kyle asked me to send you to his office. You should go,” he informed me.
I glanced at the door I was guarding.
Remy noticed and said, “Um... don't worry about it. I'll be here until you return.”
I looked at him for a second before thanking him and making my way to Kyle's office.
I wondered why he had called me.
I knocked on his door and waited to hear "come in" before walking inside.
“...Everything is under control here. You can rest assured and enjoy the trip. Okay, I have to go now. Take care of yourself,” he was having a conversation with someone on the phone.
He spared me a glance before hanging up the call and focusing on me.
“I have your first solo job. Are you ready?” He watched me carefully, as if to gauge any second thoughts. I had none.
“What’s the job?” I asked instead. He smirked, satisfied with my confidence.
He pulled out a package from his desk drawer and slid it towards me. I picked it up.
“Everything you need is in here,” he informed me.
I looked down at the brown package in my hands.
Opening it, I found a gun and several photographs of a man. There was also a document with his name, occupation, and address: Dhyanesh Singh, owner of a record company.
I glanced at Kyle and asked, “What has he done?”
He seemed unimpressed by my question, but he must have known I wasn't like his usual men.
“He’s in league with Romano. I got intel that he’s plotting something big with a few others. Your job is to keep an eye on him and inform me of this guy’s every move,” he explained.
“Why the gun then?” I questioned. I didn’t see the need for it to do this job.
“Don’t underestimate him. He’s unpredictable. I can’t send a soldier unarmed, can I?” Kyle smirked.
“Got it,” I nodded and turned to leave.
“Take one of the cars from the garage,” he called out just before I exited.
So here it was. My first job. A chance to earn Kyle's trust. Exactly what I was looking for.
Opting for a motorcycle instead of a car, I rode to the address where I would find my target.
---
*Rebel's POV*
The room was engulfed in silence.
Not that it had been noisy earlier. An unspoken rule at the King's Mansion mandated 'eating in silence.' Beyond the sound of utensils clicking, no other sound was permitted. Not even a single word.
That's why I waited for everyone to finish their dinner before asking Angelina for permission for the trip.
She glared at me, lips pressed into a tight line. Prepared for the worst, I was nonetheless surprised when she agreed without argument this time.
She glanced at her son sitting next to me, then back at me, and said, “Only if you assure me he will be safe and agree to take bodyguards with you.”
Her gaze did not waver as she awaited our response.
I knew it wouldn't be easy.
I exchanged a glance with Ryan, communicating silently before reaching a conclusion.
He wanted me to accompany him because he knew Angelina wouldn't let him go alone. Having grown up under constant surveillance, I understood his disdain for the idea of taking bodyguards.
“We’re taking one bodyguard,” I negotiated boldly with Angelina.
She arched her brow, clearly not pleased.
“I take full responsibility for Ryan’s safety. He will return to you unscathed,” I added, providing the assurance she needed.
Ryan was her only son, and following Evan’s death, her concerns for his safety were understandable.
I cared for Ryan too and would not let anything happen to him.
Thus, I was momentarily taken aback when Angelina simply asked instead of pushing it further, “When are you leaving?”
“At first light,” Ryan responded, thrilled that his mother had consented to the trip.
Angelina nodded. “Then you should sleep early.” With those words, she stood up and exited the room.
I held my breath until she was out of sight.
Ryan embraced me in a hug, exclaiming, “Thank you, Reb! I knew only you could convince Mom. Love you so much!”
I chuckled at his enthusiasm and ruffled his hair gently. “Go to sleep if you don’t want to miss the trip.”
He stepped back, smiled warmly, and said, “Good night.” Then he left, followed by the other family members.
I sighed and leaned back in my seat, anticipating a tiring day ahead.
Though I didn’t entirely hate the idea of chilling out.
--- “No matter how fast you run, you can't hide from your destiny because destiny has its way of finding you.” --- A tiny figure was running in the darkness of the alleyway. A fourteen-year-old girl, huffing, struggling to get enough oxygen for her lungs to function smoothly. Her tiny frame was trembling like a leaf, cheeks stained with tears. She was holding a shiny object in her shaky hands close to her chest, as if her life depended on it. The girl was none other than I, Rachael Santiago, the daughter of Raphael and Vanessa Santiago. My parents were council members of a secret society of supernaturals, Synx, and the owners of Santiago groups of companies. Supernatural, gifted, or part-human, you name it. In short, humans carry magic in their lineage. We could do stuff other people can only dream of or either pulled in movies. Every member of the special families, or as we called clans, has different and unique gifts of their own. We carried our gift from birth. We could feel
---------------Sitting in my office, I was trying to reach my contacts for help; I knew I couldn’t stand a chance against them, alone.I called my alliance like a thousand times, but every time whether it was unavailable, switched off, or complete ‘no’ in answer. I should have known that nobody would dare to step against the Kings. I cried out with frustration and threw my phone into the wall facing me to let the useless gadget crash into pieces. Before I ambled to open my weapons vault. I knew what I thought before perpetrating a suicidal plan, but I wouldn’t go to beg for mercy either, no. Never. It stated as the first rule of the underworld: ‘shoot first or be ready to die.’ I’m Ryker Romano, a mafia boss from whom people feared, a dangerous killer, merciless monster until she came into the game.I loaded my gun, ready to end what I started when my office doors burst open to show Liam, my right-hand man. He came rushing by my side, panting heavily. A combination o
--------------------- After killing Italian’s leader, Ryker Romano. I marched straight to my office, located on the 2nd floor. This floor contained my office and suite. It was Evan’s before. He loathed the idea of someone going through his stuff and gang’s details. I opened the spare door to my suite and hopped into the second door inside my room, which turned out to be the bathroom. Turning on the water, the white glass sink turned red. I washed my bloodied hands and face. I glared at my reflection in the mirror. I flinched when the face looking back from the mirror was not mine but a girl with pale skin, dark brown hair, and grey emotionless eyes. I didn’t know this girl, but I saw her running in a dark alley in my dreams so many times that I lost count. I never recognized her, but the shiny thing in her hands was something I remembered. I could tell she was running from someone to save her life. I shut my eyes and tried to escape from this horrible nightmare, but
Xavier P. O. VLoud cheering and thumping of fists on the metal walls making the surface of the ring tremble with motion. My breathing is heavy, as blood is pouring out of my jaw.With every passing second cheering for my name is continuously increasing, inflicting a sharp pain in my skull. I opened my eyes to look at the crowd gathered in the ring before turning to my opponent who was grinning at his masterwork. He is certain I have no strength left to jump on my feet now, but is it true?Hell no! I gush in a deep breath before getting a firm grip of the metal wires wall and jumping back to my feet. My opponent growled in frustration before coming running towards me with his full speed to knock me out.Seriously? I will be damned if I give him an opening this time. I ca
<Xavier POV>---------------Curiosity gets the best of me. I came back from the club late at night and went to the gym early in the morning. Today was the day I had been waiting for.I was excited to meet the King's leader. I heard a lot about her. How she doubled the King's power overnight.As instructed I reached the spot on time. Surprisingly King's headquarters were not underground, or some shady place that makes you puke. Nothing you could imagine of a dangerous mob gang trend. It was a quite elite-looking mansion, surrounded by the forest as far as one could see.Nobody could set foot inside this place until they had ordered. The whole mansion was packed with tight security, both high-tech and physical. For the exact location, I wasn't sure either. They blindfolded me before throwing me in the car.They didn't remove my blindfolds until we reached the first check post. I was cramped in the car's back seat between two bulky guys.We got through the big metal gates which were guar
After settling the Italian business, I was free to get back into my usual life. Yet not that normal. Only a bunch of people knew about my second life. Thanks to Evan, I could get the taste of mundane life without worrying about getting a bullet in my head. Apart from managing dangerous stuff, I lived the life of a 19 years old teenager, studying architecture and chilling out with friends in the evening. After collecting reports for a week and assigning new tasks, I called Kyle to handle from here: I’m going back home. Home? The King Mansion. The only place where I felt at ease. Yes, you heard me right. There was another King Mansion owned by the King family. This was the place where I bought first by Evan after he found me on the roadside. Evan was in the mafia business for so long and knew of the risk involved in it. Not just for the person getting his hands dirty, but also for his loved ones and family. To ensure his family’s safety, Evan planned a car accident tha
--------------------What was an epic fate, meeting two well-named gangs in one day? And the fun fact was, I got the job of delivering the dead body of one of the mighty ones by the order of another one. I should have posted it on social media. I bet it would hit a million likes. The person sitting in front of me in the van was another Romano. Brown hair, grey eyes, and fit built what an eighteen years old kid could have but the nerves of this guy, glaring at us as if ready to burn each one of us alive the moment we set him free. The Romano Family ruled the New York black market over the decades. Italians were the most powerful gang before Kings came into existence. Both gangs were known for their hatred for each other. They have been thirsty for each other’s blood for decades. Shit hit the fan when Evan kidnapped Johnson’s daughter (father of Ryker Romano and previous leader of Italians). Eventually, Evan King and Angelina Romano fell in love and married against the Ro
I hopped off the yacht and stared at Mr. Karim, the head of the security services, made a silent gesture to leave me alone. Before pulling out my phone from my coat’s pocket and pretending to not pay attention to him. Mom sent him with me to ensure I didn’t run away like hell I could. I knew the consequences I would have to bear if I dared to disrespect her words and did something rash. And believe me, mom turned scary, not a sight you want to witness.“Forgive me, Miss, I received orders to guard you until you enter the college building. And you are not allowed to use your mobile phone either.” Mr. Karim stated in his perfectly professional voice, which irked me off. I gritted my teeth angrily yet nodded curtly while handing my cell to him, no matter how much I wanted to run off, but I knew better. With this man as my bodyguard, it was safer to do as told, at least for now, because Mr. Karim had a sickness of endless loyalty towards his boss.Mr. Karim moved ahead to open