Chapter 1

( Lorenzo)

“Fuck work." I muttered.

The clock ticking away and worsening my mood, as I went through the high stack of paperwork on my desk,a pen in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

I took a sip of the hot cup of black coffee, the bitter taste cutting through the stale air of my office.

Lazily, I threw my eyes around the paper praying silently for a escape.

The devil answered my prayer. The next moment the worst type of distraction came bursting out of the door.

I looked up and met the gaze of the one and only person who had the guts to barge into my office. A deep frown settled on my face. It's Giovanni, my right-hand man.

'Great, just great'

"They're here" he announced

"I see you've implemented a new policy of no-knock entries" i said, casually placing my coffee down and returning my attention back to my work.

'Yeah I chose perk over the other option’

A smile formed on Giovanni's face. "Maybe I have" he shrugged and sat down on the couch by the window staring outside

"So!" he clapped his hands trying to grab my attention, "Are you going to see the products or what?"

Putting my pen down, I look up at him and sighed. "Do I really have to?"

"Well, you don't have to . But I'm pretty sure you'd like to see this new batch" he said, a hint of a mischief in his smile

I closed my eyes and heaved. Normally I don't meet them until they've arrived at the club, trained, broken and polished and I don't go anywhere this fool suggests But, I am a bit curious as to why Giovanni is excited, it wasn't like him at all. He hardly showed any form of emotions whatsoever.

Giovanni was, without a doubt, an antisocial sadist.

He had a cool countenance, yeah but that just made it hard to ever guess what was going through his sick mind. Once he suggested slowly rolling a car over a poor old man. Life in his eyes was nothing special and the reason why he hadn't taken his own wasn't out of fear but his refusal to be labeled as a coward. Suicide to him, is nothing but a flimsy way out.

You know that saying, ‘’Birds of a feather flock together’

Well, in our case, it was more like "Birds of the same feather kill together," or something close to that.

I stood up, reached for my coffee mug and took the final sip letting the hot bitter liquid slide down my throat smoothly. I straightened the knot of my tie and slipped into my well-tailored suit jacket and casted an bloody glance at Giovanni reminding him to get his ass off my couch.

“Jeez, chill big man." He hopped off.

“Alright, let's go, We don't have all day" and with that said I walked out of the office with him.

********

"And then, I gouged his eyes out and stuck it down his throat, tied him up in chains and tossed him into a pool. Man, it was fucking satisfying, hearing the pain and terror on his voice was golden." Declan narrated with a malicious smile.

"Do you remember Gio, you're the one who thought of tying him up in chains"

"Of course I remember, How could I forget?" Giovanni said with a smile.

"It was one amazing moment, having someone's worthless life in your hands" he smiled sinisterly.

They both laughed after that. An ordinary person would be mortified if they knew these two but since I was not any better I Iet a cold smile grow on my face.

While we passed time going to the rendezvous. They chose to chit chat on this topic

It was a memory I remember quite well. The death of the Dark knights’ gang's leader, Leonardo. He let his power get to his head and actually thought he stood a chance against me… well long story short… he died the worst possible death ever.

After killing his family right before his eyes, his eyes was gouged out, fed to him and he was tossed in a pool while being binded by chains. I think he wouldn't have wished for a better way to die.

Drawing deeply from my cigarette, the smoke enveloping the car's interior, I thought about how far I had climbed. From a lowly gangster, a nobody to the ruthless Mafia lord commanding the most feared syndicate in New York City. Every level of law enforcement were all under me, and I had incriminating secrets that kept businessmen firmly under my thumb. I effectively ruled this entire city.

The path that led me to where I was now was far from clean. It was blood stained and dirty.

I smiled… only hell can accommodate me. The things I ve done, things that still kept me awake at night, that haunt me but would I do it all over again? Yes.

Rule number one about this world, accept your own darkness, keep your demons near by and learn to thrive among and along them.

I have lost my soul and conscience a long time ago and I knew there was nothing that could ever bring it back. it's something I had come to terms with.

Declan's voice disrupted my thoughts , his eyes fixed on me from the front seat. "We're here, boss."

I responded with a solemn nod, extinguishing the smoldering remains of my cigarette in the car's ashtray. As the last wisp of smoke cleared, I walked with Giovanni into the warehouse.

Gio pushed the iron gates open, a wave of damp, musty air hit me. The space was dimly lit, with only a few sparse bulbs providing illumination. The walls were covered in peeling paint, and the concrete floor was stained and cracked. The smell of mold and mildew permeated the air, along with the faint scent of oil and grease. The place was silent, with only the sound of our footsteps echoing off the walls.

I followed Giovanni deeper into the warehouse, past piles of rusted machinery and stacks of dusty crates. The further we went, the darker it became, until we reached a door that was barely visible in the gloom.

Giovanni reached for the handle and turned it, pushing the door open. Beyond the door was a room that was even darker than the rest of the warehouse, with only a faint glow coming from a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. I looked closely and noticed some dark figures on the floor

Giovanni's smug voice cut through the heavy silence. "Here they are," he said, pointing towards the bound figures sprawled on the ground.

I crossed him, walking closer towards them, my eyes inspecting them one by one.

They were young women, their hands bound behind their backs and mouths silenced by gags. They fell within the age range of 18 to 22, chosen solely for the pleasure of businessmen.

"They look good," I murmured, squatting down and running a cold hand over a brunette's trembling skin. She whimpered softly, tears dropping down her eyes. She averted her gaze in fear but I held her chin and forced her face towards mine. I could see the fear in her eyes and it did nothing but amuse me. A cruel smile grew on my face.

"Do that again, and I'll pass you around until every one of my men have their way with you-” I leaned closer. "until you stop breathing"

She stared back at me with so much fear and silently started crying again. It was bullshit; my men were strictly forbidden from such actions, but inserting fear in people was one of the few things that gave me joy. Besides, it kept them in check.

I stood up and walked towards the other side of the room signaling Giovanni to follow me.

"Have them shipped to the club tonight. It might not—" My words were abruptly interrupted by a flash of fiery red hair heading towards the door.

I reached for Giovanni's glock, pulled out his gun and shot at the figure.

"Fuck!!" She screamed and fell on the floor just at the door's entrance. She rolled on the floor wincing in pain

"Shit!" Giovanni swore and hastened towards her. He roughly pulled her from the floor and dragged her towards me.

"Let me go!" She screamed in pain and defiance as Giovanni pinned her face to the floor.

"You fucking bitch," Giovanni hissed, raising his hand to strike her. He wanted to hit her again but I signaled for him to stop.

I squatted down and held her chin, forcing her to look me in the eye. Observing the defiance in the girl's emerald eyes, I aimed the gun unflinchingly at her forehead. She opened her eyes in shock and her sharp gasp of terror filled the air. I smiled and fired the gun.