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Terakhir Diperbarui:
2024-12-25 05:52:40
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The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 9
Alma’s PoV I sneezed into my elbow and sniffled, rubbing a finger under my cold nose. Walking under the rain was a wrong decision but there was no use thinking about the past, what I was reaping now was the consequence of my action. Sneezing once more, I took deep breaths praying this was all to it. Mrs. Riccardo would probably kill me if I sneezed around her and I couldn’t afford any pay cut from my salary. Falling sick was also not an option; nothing except doing my job perfectly was an option. I worked my nose every which way until I was sure it was safe for me to step out of my room, I slapped my face as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My cheeks stung but they had a healthy red color instead of the deathly pale one that had been sitting there. I winced with every step I took, favoring my right leg to ease the burn from the cuts I had sustained on my left foot. Luckily, when she was sane enough to take stock of her body, the wound had been cleared; there was no debris s
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-25The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 10
ALMA’S POV It had been a long painful week after the event that occurred in the dining hall. Mrs. Riccardo made sure to punish the staff and I ignored all the evil eyes sent in my direction. It was the only way to make it through the day without bursting into tears. All kinds of relationships were frowned upon in the Riccardo's estate. I had seen one too many couples sent packing after being discovered by the all seeing eye of the estate; Mrs. Riccardo. There had also been a few whose contracts had been terminated due to a blossoming friendship. It made the huge house dull and cold, but Mrs. Riccardo loved misery; and it always needed company. I stopped scrubbing the kitchen for a minute, wiggling my toes and wincing when I felt a painful tingle. I had been on my knees for hours, doing the chore no one wanted to do. It was a unanimous opinion that I was the cause of Mrs. Riccardo’s raging mood. I didn’t argue; there was no use. Letting out a silent breath I moved my body back t
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-26The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 11
ZAVERIO’S POV “Ple-ease, sir” The man tied to the chair in one of my many empty warehouses pleaded for his life. His eyes bounced around wildly from me to the several men standing around him. “You stole from me.” My voice sounded tired to my eyes and I squared my shoulders and snapped myself out of my momentary weakness. “Do you know what happens to people who steal from me?” “I swear, Mr. Zaverio I didn’t steal from you.” He shivered, licking his dry lips that had been cracked open with a couple fists. “You can look at the books-” I laughed, holding up several books. “You mean these ones? Yes my accountant took a look at it and it was clean.” His shoulders sagged in relief, but the terror returned to his eyes when I spoke. “But, they were too clean Damien. My father was not a fool and he didn’t raise a fool. I can smell a rat from a mile away and you smell very much like a rat.” He shook his head. “I have a family, my wife cann-” I gripped his cheeks, abruptly ending his speech
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-26The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 12
ALMA’S POV I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand, smearing sweat across my face. It was one of those hot days, and the lack of air conditioning in the house worsened the weather tenfold. The ridiculous gown I had on added to my misery, it was the latest addition to the Riccardo staff update Mrs. Riccardo had put together. She had adopted a Victorian style, eliminating the casual clothes we had gotten so used to wearing. In her words ‘It is not my intention to segregate but there are street pigeons and there are peacocks. It would do no one well in the long run to forget where they truly belong’. It was never her intention to hurt but she did it like an assassin. I was back to scrubbing duties like I never left, my knees ached and my back begged for relief but the living room needed to be done, if I listened to my body’s need and took a break or God forbid allowed myself rest, I would never get it done and Mrs. Riccardo would love nothing more than to send me to the south win
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-26The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 13
ZAVERIO’S POV A million times every day I wondered what my life would look like if I was not born into my family or if I had an older brother to take off the responsibilities that dug its nails into my shoulders every second. Irrelevant thoughts like that crept into my mind on days like today; I was seated in one of my many clubs with Von while several of my men were scattered around the place trying to blend in. The loud music irritated my ears and my thoughts came together, bounced around and scattered with every bass drop off the speakers. Von had informed me about a rival gang trying to sell their product on my turf. The fact that they had even gotten a few clients under my nose was enough to rattle my cage. I didn’t frequent the club enough to take note of a turf war. I had acquired it after eliminating the previous owner who had been too greedy to see the bullet I put between his eyes. Ultimately, allowing any gang tread on this fresh ground was bad news. If drugs needed to
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-12-26The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 14
The man whose arm I just broke stumbled to his feet and threw a punch at me with his good arm. Caught totally off guard, my head rocked back; the force also caused me to step back.“You picked a fight with the wrong person, bitch!” He spat at me, holding his injured shoulder. “You have no idea who I am.”I counted my teeth with my tongue, amused amongst other things by the audacity of this man. I had no idea who he was? “I broke one arm to be kind, but maybe if I break the other, and then your legs, you’ll be singing a different tune,” I seethed. He smirked, looking around him. We were creating a small scene but the people staring at us were too drunk to understand what was happening. “All I want is the girl. I don’t want trouble. For your sake, I will advise you to walk away before this gets too much for you.” He raised his unbroken arm, averting a lustful gaze at Alma. My jaw ticked. “I believe I said the girl belonged to me.” I blocked his view of Alma with my body, taking note
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-25The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 15
ALMA’S POVI nodded at the guard manning the gate as I walked past it. He nodded back never lifting his eyes from the computer screen. He was a middle-aged man and had been working at the mansion for as long as I remembered.I guess that was why it was always so easy for him to help us out when we wanted to go on one of our many rendezvous. Anyone who had worked at the mansion knew what actually happened under Mrs. Riccardo’s roof.The old guards took pity on anyone who needed a few hours out of the gate but the unspoken rule was none of the blame fell on them if anyone got caught. They would help, but they wouldn’t lose their jobs in the process.Approaching any of the new guards always turned out to be a double-edged sword. Under the Riccardo's roof, everyone and anyone desperately sought Mrs. Riccardo’s favor or attention.It paid more to be a snitch, but the identities of such people were never hidden and they didn’t survive for long under the roof. There was a dark cloud over thi
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-26The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 16
My body froze for a few seconds before I jumped into action. Zaverio already had his mother in his arms, and was on his feet, looking at me for directions. I opted to take the other exit that led to the kitchen so as not to attract attention. Mrs. Riccardo looked fragile and pale in her son’s arms. She was a wicked woman, but I prayed she held on to whatever threads of life she had left.Zaverio had already lost a father; if he lost his mother, I knew it would destroy him. The kitchen was empty which was a blessing in disguise.Thankfully, a guard was standing not too far from the main house; I waved at him to get a car. He looked confused, but started speaking rapidly into the mic on his jacket when he looked behind me.I jumped into the car. “Give her to me.” My words surprised me, but I wasn’t doing it for her, I was doing it for Zaverio.“I can hold her.” Zaverio gripped his mother tighter, with his jaw set. “I will hold my mother.”“She needs to lie on her back to help with bloo
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-01-29
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
