QUEEN

EIGHTEEN YEARS LATER

Queen woke up in the morning, opened the windows, looked through them, and smiled.

Today was going to be a wonderful day because her fiancé, Bryce, was visiting. He belonged to a different gang called: "The Wild Stallions," and he was coming so they could finalize their engagement because she turned eighteen yesterday.

She had been betrothed to him since she was ten, and ever since then, she had only had him in her heart. He was strong, charming, and everything she wanted. She believed that with him in her life, everything was going to be perfect.

Queen was in her first year of college and very strong, just like her father. Andre Scorpion had trained her to be a very skilled fighter so she could take over from him when the time came.

Her family, the Black Scorpions, had been the leaders of all the gangs for fifty years. However, a week ago, they handed over this position to another family.

Despite that, they were still the strongest, richest, and most highly connected gang among the others. Moreover, marrying Bryce meant that her father's lineage would continue to enjoy that position because The Wild Stallions were next in line to become the leaders of the Mafia gangs and their inauguration was party scheduled for tomorrow.

Soon enough, Bryce arrived with his father, mother, and a few others from his gang.

Queen, her father, and her mother welcomed them into the house. They all sat, talked, and laughed, while Queen kept silent.

She wore a simple red gown with light makeup, but she couldn't help but keep staring at Bryce, who also couldn't take his eyes off her.

She listened as Bryce's father said to her father, "Well, as we agreed so many years ago, we have come today to finalize the engagement according to the rules you set.

We'd like to know if your daughter agrees to proceed with the wedding to my son and if she wants to be a part of The Wild Stallions."

Queen's father stared at her and said, "I think they should have a chat with each other. Five minutes would do. Afterward, we can discuss further."

Queen smiled, got up, and Bryce's father nudged him as well. Together, they left and went to the balcony.

Once they were there, Queen said to him, "Hi."

"Hey," he replied. "I've known you since you were ten, and ever since then, my dad has told me that you were going to grow up to be my wife. I've only seen you in my dreams, and now that you've turned eighteen, you look very beautiful and attractive."

Queen smiled and responded, "Well, it's the same for me. I've also had you in my heart since our alliance was arranged. Although at the time, I didn't really know much except that you were five years older than me, a senior, and you were attractive!"

They both laughed. Afterward, he gently cupped her cheeks and said, "You're so beautiful, Queen. I cannot wait for us to spend the rest of our lives together."

"Me too," she replied, staring into his eyes.

He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips, "We better go back and give them the answer they want to hear."

She smiled and they held hands and walked back into the living room. When they arrived, she spoke up, "Yes, Dad, I agree to the alliance."

Everyone in the room erupted in excitement, smiling and clapping. They were overjoyed by the news. They continued celebrating, discussing wedding plans and other future events.

Eventually, they got up, and Christopher Stallion, Bryce's father and leader of The Wild Stallions addressed the group, "We'll be leaving now, but don't forget, the Stallions' inauguration party will be tomorrow. As my future in-laws, I would be delighted if you can all grace the occasion."

"Of course," Andre replied, getting up to shake Christopher's hand. "You're going to be my daughter's family, so naturally, we will be there. Even if we weren't family, as the one who is succeeding me, it is important for me to be there and give you my blessings."

They laughed and hugged each other before escorting the Stallions out. After they left, Queen was all smiles. Her mother sat beside her and said, "Hmm, I can see you're happy."

"You have no idea, Mom. I am so in love."

Valerie laughed, "Really? You're in love? Your father needs to hear this."

"No, no, don't tell him," Queen pleaded.

However, the moment Andre entered the house, Valerie couldn't contain her happiness and said, "Your daughter is in love with her fiancé, Bryce."

"Really? That's interesting," Andre smiled and went to sit beside Queen. "I'm so happy that I made the right choice. You know, when the Stallions reached out to me so many years ago, when you were just ten, Christopher told me that he would love his son to marry you when you grew up.

He wanted your alliance to be fixed but I was worried and afraid that you might grow up and fall in love with someone else. I didn't want to force you into a life of unhappiness. That's why I told them to wait until you turned eighteen.

Yes, I agreed to the alliance, but you had to confirm it when you turned eighteen. Now that you have given your consent, I feel at ease. I am very happy.

According to our agreement, since you're in your first year of college, you'll proceed with an engagement ceremony. Bryce has already finished college, so he will be helping his father in the business.

After your college education, you'll both get married and enjoy your life as you want. But for now, you're allowed to openly date him, have fun, and do whatever the hell you want to do."

Queen smiled, "Oh, Scorpion, you're so cool. thank you, Dad, Thank you, Mom."

Afterward, she got up and happily ran into her room. While she was going, her mom said, "Try to wear something nice for the party tomorrow, okay?"

"Of course, I will, I mean I have to impress my fiance."

Her parents shook their heads and laughed. As Queen went into the room, she picked up her phone and opened her social media to look at Bryce's pictures. He had given her his handle so they could connect socially.

Although she had always known about him, she only saw him from a distance and never really got the chance to be close to him.

It was strange because he was the only guy she had ever loved. All her life, she had only been interested in fighting, training, and learning everything her dad wanted her to learn but now Bryce had her heart.

She thought about what she was going to wear for the party and finally settled on a black, sexy gown. Yes, she was a fan of jeans and thick jackets, however, she wanted to look sexy for Bryce, just as her mom had said.

That night, she kept thinking about how the party was going to go the next day, wondering if she was going to get another kiss from Bryce since he has stolen her first kiss.

When it was morning, she quickly took her bath and went about her chores knowing that the party was going to take place at seven in the night.

Her parents talked a lot about the party and what was expected of her as the daughter of Andre Scorpion and wife to be of Bryce Stallion.

When it was time, she went into her room and got dressed. Putting on the sexy black gown, she wore a thigh holster and strapped her gun to it.

She allowed her hair to fall freely on her back, wore black sandals, and applied red lipstick.

As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, she smiled, "You look so beautiful, Queen. I'm sure Bryce will be blown away when he sees you."

After saying this, she left her room.

When her parents saw her, her mum said, "Wow! You look like the most beautiful girl in the world."

"Did you say look like? She is the most beautiful girl in the world," Andre corrected.

"My bad," Valerie replied. "Our queen is the most beautiful girl in the world."

They all laughed, while Queen said, "Cut it out, you two. We're going to be late. Today, I want to be the driver."

"No, no, no," Andre said. "Your mom and I have already talked it out, and I am going to be the driver for today."

"Alright, you can have it your way."

They got into their car, with Queen sitting in the back while her dad took hold of the wheels, and her mom sat beside him in the passenger seat.

Most of their underlings drove behind them as they left for the party.

As they got closer to their destination, a big truck drove out from the left side of the road, disregarding the traffic light. It crashed straight into their car, and before Andre could regain control, the truck hit them with so much force that the car somersaulted, taking them toward the hill on the left side.

As the car moved downwards, Queen held onto whatever she could, screaming for her life and she could also hear her parents screaming.

Finally, the car stopped tumbling, and she found herself hanging upside down, feeling pain in various parts of her body. She struggled to get up, but at that moment, she began to hear gunshots. The shots were so loud and numerous.

She didn't need a soothsayer to tell her that her people were being attacked. She desperately tried to get out of the car, but she couldn't.

Blood was dripping from the side of her head, and as she peered out through the window, she saw that all of her father's men had been gunned down.

The attackers began running toward their car, and they all had masks on their faces, making it impossible for her to recognize any of them.

She was afraid that they were going to kill them and began struggling with the door. As they got closer, she heard them say, "We want Andre Scorpion and his wife. Get Andre Scorpion and his wife."

They were here for her parents, but why? She kept struggling, but the men ignored her. They dragged her unconscious father and mother out of the car and took them to one of the cars they had arrived in.

Refusing to give up, Queen kept struggling and finally kicked open the door, crawling out of the car.

She heaved a sigh of relief as she realized that the car was about to explode. She began to hurry after the men who took her parents.

However, before she could get far, the car exploded, causing her to fall flat on her face. She cried out in pain as the impact of the explosion made her feel even weaker.

Nevertheless, she didn't want to give up because her parents were counting on her.

She forced herself to get up and continued chasing the men.

Just as they were about to drive away with her parents, she pulled up her torn gown and retrieved the gun she had concealed on her thigh.

She pointed the gun at the car, ready to shoot, but her hands shook, and her vision suddenly became blurry.

As the world around her began to spin, she dropped her gun, fell to the ground, and gave in to the darkness.