chapter.1

Wrapped in secrets and dangers, Molly was raised in a rare manner for someone growing up within the mafia, like a donkey oblivious to any danger, I would say. At 17, the youngest of Caio and Matheus, professional killers in service to the late Don Teodoro who was all the trouble there, she was an enigma to her brothers. Despite growing up in the shadow of crime, she remained oblivious to the family's business, an innocence that deeply worried them.

Raised in isolation, Molly was a young woman of medium height, adorned with long brown hair framing her angelic face. Her eyes, though carrying the naivety of youth, concealed a sharp intelligence and uncommon insight. It was as if, behind the facade of an inexperienced young woman, there existed a perceptive soul ready to blossom.

As the daughter of the mafia madam, her mother harbored the desire for her to secure a good man who would protect her within the mafia, much as she had done herself, shaping her into a beautiful, vain, and attractive young lady. Her mother raised her to be a perfect bride and nothing more, which could be considered madness, and was indeed considered so by her father and brothers, but they did not oppose the upbringing of the madam Matilde, even though they felt uneasy about how she made everything seem like a bed of roses. But now, what would she do in the imminent hunt for her family, where even Molly could be killed?

Molly was numb to everything that was happening, until she witnessed her family's preparation for an imminent departure, unaware of what was happening behind closed doors. It was torture for her to be kept out, and the anguish of being excluded was consuming her bitterly.

"What a pain! Why do they never tell me anything?" Molly grumbled as she passed through each door, her brown eyes burning with curiosity.

Downstairs, her father paced back and forth, restlessness evident on his face. Molly sneaked into the living room, watching her brothers Caio and Matheus frantically packing their bags.

"Dad knows what will happen if we stay. We have to leave before the war starts," Caio whispered, his voice laden with fear despite his attempt to disguise it. At 24, he was the middle brother and had a little more experience in the mafia world.

"I know," Matheus confirmed indifferently, the eldest and grumpiest son at 30. Neither of the brothers had married yet, having managed to escape arranged marriages arranged by the family, even though they were advantageous. "We should have allied with another mafia," he suggested, casting a dark look at Caio.

"You know that means death unless it was an ally. But the only ally we had is the one who is going to start killing everyone because of Teodoro's billion-dollar debt."

"That scoundrel!" Caio growled, slamming his fist on the table.

"But we are cautious, we won't wait for them to close all the loopholes," Matheus grumbled as he organized his bags,

unaware of the sister watching him from the crack of the door.

"Come in, little sister," he invited gently, revealing that he had seen her. Matheus, although strict with everyone, was kind to Madson molly, his only weakness. She was his soft spot.

Madson timidly met his gaze before entering the room.

"I've told you not to lurk," he reprimanded her, but soon enveloped her in a tight hug that made her complain of pain. Matheus was tall and strong like a soldier, and his tattoos Hidden beneath the dress shirt only heightened his dark aura. His face was usually grumpy, but he always made an effort to smile at his sister. Caio, the younger brother, wasn't much different, just a bit leaner with a gentler expression. Both adored Madson.

"What's going on?" Madson asked, sitting on the bed to help fold the still stacked clothes.

"Actually, it's what's going to happen," Matheus corrected, returning to empty the wardrobe.

"Hey, little peach," said Caio, the younger brother, rising from the armchair and sitting beside her on the bed. He leaned his face into her hair and sniffed. "Ah... This is it! It's an incredible smell, makes me want to bite and tear a piece off," he said seriously, making Madson take him seriously.

"Oh! You can't do that!"

"But the smell of this fruit... Mom has to stop stocking up on this shampoo. One day, you'll be cannibalized," he said, holding back his laughter.

"This is my favorite, you guys always complain," grumbled Madson, sulking.

"Usually it smells like crap; sometimes it makes me feel nauseous, and other times, I feel like peach is my favorite fruit, but I don't even eat this fruit," commented Matheus without looking at them.

"Uhm... I've never eaten peach either. Seems to be a difficult fruit around here."

"But, on the other hand, you smell from head to toe," Caio added, still holding his sister's hair over his nose.

"Mom gives you a lot of these creams. Can you smuggle some for me?" Caio asked.

"They're for girls."

"I know, if I get some of those, I'll definitely think of which girl I can give them to. Maybe my future wife," Caio said thoughtfully, as if he already had someone in mind.

"Just buy some different ones. Imagine having a wife with the smell of your sister, it sounds scary," she confessed, shivering.

"True, maybe I'll order one as good from the same place Mom ordered yours," Caio commented, and Matheus glanced at him disapprovingly. He knew that the products Molly used weren't by chance, and he even wanted to throw them all away.

"We know they're not available here in Brazil. Ever since you said you liked them, our madame always buys them in bulk for you, perfumes and creams with that scent."

"True, the supplier of that is so mysterious, it would definitely be a good gift for someone I wanted to marry?"

"Are you in love, little brother?" Matheus asked in a slow and cautious voice, squeezing Caio's shoulder, making him wriggle in pain as if he had said something wrong.

"No...!" Caio yelled, pulling his brother's big hand off his shoulder as if it were a hook. "I'm not thinking about that right now... Let go!" he tried to break free feeling that grip hurt his muscle.

"Theus! Let go!" Molly asked, also trying to remove Matheus's hand, helping her brother. But they didn't have the strength against that intimidating two-meter-tall man.

"Okay... But marriage is a forbidden topic here," Matheus concluded, obeying his sister's request.

"It's happened!" their father shouted, bursting into the room. The siblings fell silent. "All accounts have been frozen; the southern mafia is starting to hunt our heads," he warned, trembling, trying to keep calm.

"Everything is ready, let's just leave," Matheus announced emotionlessly, grabbing his rifle from the top of the wardrobe and handing one to his brother as well. "Call the staff to bring down the suitcases. We'll leave in the armored car to the basement; if they've frozen the accounts, we can't leave the city."

"Matheus, we can't leave the city; they've already closed everything. I don't know how many days we'll be able to stay hidden. I'll be one of the first to be hunted down for being Teodoro's right-hand man."

"After all, is it just the southern mafia starting a war?" he asked thoughtfully, while Caio and Molly just listened in silence. Lincoln, father of the three present, was Teodoro's underboss and therefore successor, but due to the capo's debt, the southern mafia was demanding the lives of everyone in his organization.

"Yes, that's what they've informed."

"So the mafia from the eastern city won't join them, right?"

"You know they won't, after all, there's something they're very interested in our family..." he interrupted himself, swallowing hard as he looked at Molly. She was too close and couldn't know the reason why the eastern mafia wouldn't attack, which had everything to do with her.

"So, because of the alliance that was supposed to be formed, he decided not to get involved? Interesting," Matheus murmured, swallowing hard without delving too much into the subject.

"Still, he won't protect us because the alliance wasn't formed. The eastern mafia is the most influential in all organizations. If we had the free transit seal from the Seagreme family that they freely carry, we could just present it and be free from this place," her father grumbled.

"The free transit seal?"

"Yes! The seal made with the ring of the Seagreme family crest, those who rule the whole city and can go from one place to another, granting this privilege to all who trust them."

"That maniac who's about to become the mafia capo? The one you would give our..." Matheus fell silent again cautiously, but Molly was already curious.

"Let's think about it and get in touch, if..."

"No!" Matheus interrupted Lincoln, none of the brothers agreed with the father's decision.

"But if we give her up, he would give us the seal and we could leave!" his father argued desperately.

"She's not a bargaining chip, our deal is one and you'll stick to it until the end."

"Father, we're not going to accept doing that. So, you better fight!" Caio asserted, handing a rifle to his father, hitting against his chest. Madson didn't understand what was happening. For a moment, she stared at those three heavily armed men, at the same time they stared at her seriously. She could barely imagine what could be, but she thought about the transit seal.