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2025-03-19 22:59:20
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The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 82
GIO’S POV“Congrats.” Several agents voiced out, slapping my shoulder as I made my way to my office. I had gotten Alan Spinoza without so much as a scratch on him, he didn’t have enough time to warn the people at his warehouses, and everything we found was enough to put him away for a long time.Damien soaked in the praises, straightening his spine to look taller. I didn’t want to call him for backup, but he was the only agent who would defy the rules to get to me in time.Now was the best time to retire, hand in my letter and leave the agency, then come up years later as a special investigator in the private sector.My phone chimed and the short text killed my dreams. Zaverio wanted to meet with me to discuss something important.He never called or sent long messages, anything he wanted to say was in person or nothing. He had also never checked me for tapes or asked if I ever recorded any of our conversations.These questions never came up because Zaverio was a secure man who didn’t
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-20The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 83
ALMA’S POVSettling in Spain was tougher than I initially thought; Martha on the other hand was thriving. She knew the language, her way around town and most importantly the market.I had asked to follow her once, tired of being cooped in the house all month because of my paranoia and Martha still joked about it till this day. Long story short, I had gotten lost and made my way back home to wait for her.Martha came back with an unbothered smile, wagging a finger at me. “You’re too impatient child, the city will teach you in time, so don’t force your way in. Allow the river take you where you need to go.”I had wrinkled my nose in response, tucking her riddles into a part of my brain I had reserved for her.Zara jerked in my arms, shaking me out of my reminiscing time. I trailed her tiny face with my finger, in awe of the little human that I called mine. Martha said I would need to wait till later to know who she would take after.I didn’t tell her I didn’t need time to know, she was
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-21The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 84
ALMA’S POVMeeting the person who had kept the house clean all these years had been an unpleasant surprise for both him and me. I got sprayed with water till I was soaked, and the language barrier did nothing to help the situation.Martha arrived in time, before he attacked me with a rake. The interaction left me pissy as hell and I disappeared into my room for the rest of the day, Martha knew well not to disturb me whenever I was in one of my moods.I may have a staff under my pay, but I would never forget how it was to be a staff. Martha was also older, so it was always hard knowing where to draw the line. Thankfully, Martha drew it for me.“Are you ready for tomorrow?” Martha blew on her coffee, it was her third for the day.I didn’t know how she functioned with all that caffeine in her body, if I finished so much as one cup, I wouldn’t know where to throw all my energy. I nodded in response to her question, sipping my cold lemonadeI took the biggest leap of my life by renting out
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-22The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 84
ALMA’S POVThe shop was thriving, which made my heart full with pride and fear. It meant that my dream of being independent was on the right path, but it was becoming so real- not that I didn’t like real.There was only one problem with real, it made me forget the truth and let my guard down, which was the biggest mistake I could make because of my daughter’s safety.Maybe I was going too far with my mind painting everyone as a threat, but it was the only way to keep myself alert, it would take the police one picture to identify me and a few days to catch me.Suddenly, my business idea didn’t look so great. I had enough money to never show my face in public ever again, enough money to set Zara up for life. Why was I craving more?“Alma, I don’t know what has been running through your head, but we can’t leave Zara at home by herself.”“I don’t want to take her to the shop.”“We created a playpen just for her, and that can’t be used if she doesn’t go, and if you are so anxious about som
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-23The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 86
ALMA’S POVMartha and I never spoke about my episode at the shop but I refused to return for the rest of the week. I didn’t want to leave my daughter and I didn’t want to see Dante.I was still pissed at him for taking my daughter without my permission, and maybe I had overreacted because of my anxiety, but I wasn’t wrong for my reaction. He didn’t know my past so he didn’t know my fears, but everything else was valid.“Are you going to the shop to keep an eye on the guys coming to fix the cameras?” Martha asked. I was supposed to do that, but she was confirming if that was part of the plan since I hadn’t left the house all week.“Yes, I need to keep my brain occupied so I’ll balance our books while they work.” I said, not looking up from the breakfast I hadn’t touched.“That’s great. Zara and I are going to have a lazy day beside the pool, read some books and sleep all day.” Zara smiled at Martha and she responded with a quick kiss to the forehead.“Don’t tempt me to stay home, Marth
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-24The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 1
“Zaverio,” his name echoed in my head, and happiness surged through my veins as heat spread up my neck, setting my cheeks on fire. It had been years since I saw him, and I wondered what he would look like, but I didn’t care. I had loved him and would love him forever. News had gotten out that he was returning to town. I had heard the other house helps gossip about it, but I hadn’t dared to hope until I heard Mrs. Riccardo say so herself, ordering them to decorate the house and make the mansion beautiful. I scrubbed the plate subconsciously, my hands working by themselves out of years of experience and practice. Lady Riccardo walked in, stern as ever she scowled."Better hurry, Alma," Mrs. Riccardo's voice cracked like a whip, sending a shiver down my spine. "We don't have much time. My son will be home any moment from now. Do your job." I nodded, my lips sealed, knowing better than to utter a word. Mrs. Riccardo's grip on the household had tightened like a noose since Don Riccard
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-12The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 2
A lump grew in my throat, and my eyes widened in both fear and shock. “You will apologize to me at once, and you must be as quiet as a mouse,” he whispered with severity in his tone. “Got it?”I nodded, gripping my towel tight, hating the way my heart galloped because of the close proximity between our bodies. He let go of my mouth, and I pressed my lips together, tilting my head to stare at the floor. “I'm sorry, sir,” I apologized, and my stomach clenched in fear. Zaverio had never been this stern with me. His alcoholic breath fanned my face, and I pressed my back harder against the wall, wishing it would open up and take me. “You've grown so beautiful,” he said in a roguish voice, gripping a handful of my hair. “Damn, I missed you.”I gulped, trembling. Who had Zaverio become? He wasn't the sweet teenager I used to sneak out to the waterfall with. His hand drifted to my neck, sending electric shocks down my spine. “Why aren't you saying anything? Didn't you miss me?”“You're
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-12The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 3
The next morning, I stood in the kitchen, getting my work for the day done. My heart was heavy, and I couldn't stop the flashes of their naked bodies from flooding my head. The door to the kitchen opened, and I looked up from the breakfast I was preparing to see Zaverio standing there with a smile on his handsome face. I turned away, unable to bear the sight of him.I felt a venomous rage coursing through my veins, and it took everything in me not to lash out at him. How could he forget what we had as teenagers, when I gave myself to him completely? He had promised to come back for me, to marry me. But it was all a lie. His betrayal was like the sharp edges of a sword piercing through my heart. I couldn't look at him, couldn't stand the sight of his smile, his eyes, his face. Everything about him felt like a lie.“Please, don't come close, please don't,” I thought, but my prayers were unanswered as a huge hand landed on my shoulder and spun me around. "Don't touch me," I snarled,
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-12
Bab terbaru
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 86
ALMA’S POVMartha and I never spoke about my episode at the shop but I refused to return for the rest of the week. I didn’t want to leave my daughter and I didn’t want to see Dante.I was still pissed at him for taking my daughter without my permission, and maybe I had overreacted because of my anxiety, but I wasn’t wrong for my reaction. He didn’t know my past so he didn’t know my fears, but everything else was valid.“Are you going to the shop to keep an eye on the guys coming to fix the cameras?” Martha asked. I was supposed to do that, but she was confirming if that was part of the plan since I hadn’t left the house all week.“Yes, I need to keep my brain occupied so I’ll balance our books while they work.” I said, not looking up from the breakfast I hadn’t touched.“That’s great. Zara and I are going to have a lazy day beside the pool, read some books and sleep all day.” Zara smiled at Martha and she responded with a quick kiss to the forehead.“Don’t tempt me to stay home, Marth
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 84
ALMA’S POVThe shop was thriving, which made my heart full with pride and fear. It meant that my dream of being independent was on the right path, but it was becoming so real- not that I didn’t like real.There was only one problem with real, it made me forget the truth and let my guard down, which was the biggest mistake I could make because of my daughter’s safety.Maybe I was going too far with my mind painting everyone as a threat, but it was the only way to keep myself alert, it would take the police one picture to identify me and a few days to catch me.Suddenly, my business idea didn’t look so great. I had enough money to never show my face in public ever again, enough money to set Zara up for life. Why was I craving more?“Alma, I don’t know what has been running through your head, but we can’t leave Zara at home by herself.”“I don’t want to take her to the shop.”“We created a playpen just for her, and that can’t be used if she doesn’t go, and if you are so anxious about som
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 84
ALMA’S POVMeeting the person who had kept the house clean all these years had been an unpleasant surprise for both him and me. I got sprayed with water till I was soaked, and the language barrier did nothing to help the situation.Martha arrived in time, before he attacked me with a rake. The interaction left me pissy as hell and I disappeared into my room for the rest of the day, Martha knew well not to disturb me whenever I was in one of my moods.I may have a staff under my pay, but I would never forget how it was to be a staff. Martha was also older, so it was always hard knowing where to draw the line. Thankfully, Martha drew it for me.“Are you ready for tomorrow?” Martha blew on her coffee, it was her third for the day.I didn’t know how she functioned with all that caffeine in her body, if I finished so much as one cup, I wouldn’t know where to throw all my energy. I nodded in response to her question, sipping my cold lemonadeI took the biggest leap of my life by renting out
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 83
ALMA’S POVSettling in Spain was tougher than I initially thought; Martha on the other hand was thriving. She knew the language, her way around town and most importantly the market.I had asked to follow her once, tired of being cooped in the house all month because of my paranoia and Martha still joked about it till this day. Long story short, I had gotten lost and made my way back home to wait for her.Martha came back with an unbothered smile, wagging a finger at me. “You’re too impatient child, the city will teach you in time, so don’t force your way in. Allow the river take you where you need to go.”I had wrinkled my nose in response, tucking her riddles into a part of my brain I had reserved for her.Zara jerked in my arms, shaking me out of my reminiscing time. I trailed her tiny face with my finger, in awe of the little human that I called mine. Martha said I would need to wait till later to know who she would take after.I didn’t tell her I didn’t need time to know, she was
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 82
GIO’S POV“Congrats.” Several agents voiced out, slapping my shoulder as I made my way to my office. I had gotten Alan Spinoza without so much as a scratch on him, he didn’t have enough time to warn the people at his warehouses, and everything we found was enough to put him away for a long time.Damien soaked in the praises, straightening his spine to look taller. I didn’t want to call him for backup, but he was the only agent who would defy the rules to get to me in time.Now was the best time to retire, hand in my letter and leave the agency, then come up years later as a special investigator in the private sector.My phone chimed and the short text killed my dreams. Zaverio wanted to meet with me to discuss something important.He never called or sent long messages, anything he wanted to say was in person or nothing. He had also never checked me for tapes or asked if I ever recorded any of our conversations.These questions never came up because Zaverio was a secure man who didn’t
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 81
GIO’S POV“You look super dressed up for someone who doesn’t have a life.” Damien rewarded me with his obnoxious voice, leaning on my open door. “I didn’t know you looked this nice when you tried to pass for human.”“Whatever you’re doing, I advise you stop it now that you can still bite your tongue and leave.” Alvaro had texted me the address thirty minutes ago, but my clock didn’t stop ticking till the next five minutes.“Kane asked me to drop by and sweeten you up a little.” That was the code word for he had gone to my superiors to shove this man-child into my team and he was turned down.“That’s lovely, but I’ll be leaving in four minutes, tell Kane I said hi on your way up.” I tapped away at my keyboard, making the necessary changes to my schedule. I was too hyped about receiving information about Alan.“How else do you want me to show you I can be a valuable asset to this team?” Damien gave up his sweet charade, donning his high and mighty cloak. “You haven’t had anything positi
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 80
GIO’S POV“It’s surprising to you here; I didn’t think you would show.” I tried very hard to not look at Alvaro’s missing eye, and I succeeded some.“In case you haven’t caught the vibe. I can’t very well decline an invitation from Don Riccardo.” I folded my hands, backing the law breaking scene unfolding below meI needed to get the hell out of here and go to a church; maybe if I talked to a father and confessed my sins, I would feel lots better. My conscience was at war with me every waking moment.“I wouldn’t advise you to do that anytime soon.” He smiled at me, tucking his hands into his loose jeans. “He has been on a depressive roll since Alma left.”“I’m surprised he didn’t shoot me point blank the day he showed up at my house.” “Zaverio is never going to kill someone who hasn’t made it to the top of the shit list. You were number two at best; which is bad, but not as bad as number one.”It didn’t take a wild guess to know who occupied that space. Damien was at the top list of
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 79
ZAVERIO’S POV“The plan is to make the place safer, incorporating your turf laws. We did a good job weeding out the guys who had formed a resistance against us.” Alvaro said, “It will take a while for everything to fall into place but I have high hopes.”“I love this presentation thing you have going on, but I have to ask.” Gio raised a hand. “What the fuck am I doing here?”“You’re our eyes on the inside, it’s only right to see what you’re going to be protecting.” I responded, looking out at my men at work.“You mean the role you forced me into, is that drugs they’re packaging down there? Do have any idea how hard it is for me to sleep at night because I have to work for you?” Gio shut her eyes and took a breath. “I don’t mind being left out of the loop sometimes.”“We’re past that level now, Gio. You’re a part of the family, get used to it.” My voice sounded hollow and insensitive but I hadn’t been getting enough sleep, so my actions could be excused. “Alvaro is doing well with our
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 78
ALMA’S POVIt wasn’t hard to say goodbye to the tiny room that had been home to me for one week and a few days to my daughter. The crew cooed over the baby as I walked out and away but didn’t try to touch her because she was still so small and vulnerable to a lot of things.Also, no one wanted to be scolded by Martha who was eyeing everyone with a hawk’s eye. If anyone stepped an inch out of line, Martha was ready to push them back.The direction to my new home had been scribbled on a tiny paper which I held in my hand. My bag was slung over my shoulder and my daughter had been wrapped snugly against my chest.The tiny baby stirred when someone bumped into me, but settled shortly after, curling into the warmth of her mother’s body. I got lost staring at her like I usually did, quelling the urge to drag my hand over her face.Someone else bumped into me, and stared at me like I was an anomaly; I probably was, standing in the middle of a busy street, looking lost and unsure.Seville was
