MasukShare
91
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-03-28 22:16:00
Bab terkait
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 92
GIO’S POVMy head spun with the new information I was hearing, and I heard myself talking before I could shut my mouth. “Wait, you’re saying he killed his brother and framed it on you.”Zaverio didn’t look back when he responded, “Yes, he did. It took me a while to reach that conclusion and get the evidence providing that but I did, and that brings us right back here.”I tore my eyes away from the scene unfolding in front of me when Damien let out blood curling screams, begging and pleading as Zaverio dug into his eye socket with a scalpel.My eyes landed on Alvaro, taking in the marred side of his face, and I imagined what he looked like when Damien hadn’t walked into his life. A picture of a very handsome man planted itself in my head.“Mr. Damien here actually didn’t mean to kill his brother. They loved each other, and they spoke about everything including his cases. That information was very easy to pull up, and I realized even cops can be stupid when they’re hurting.”“Damien and
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-28The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 93
ALMA’S POV“Are we restocking the roses today?” Martha asked, scribbling something on the notepad in her hands. “I’ll be going to our local suppliers later, so I need to map out my day.”“I’m not sure about the roses, they stayed too long on the shelf, maybe because a lot of people are used to seeing roses.” I tapped my chin. “We can play with the subconscious of people by removing it entirely from our selection list.”Martha grinned. “I see what you did there, and I agree with your idea. It’s easier when they ask for it than throwing it in their faces.”I nodded, “I’ll close up early when you’re about to leave, because I won’t be able to tend to the shop and keep an eye on Zara.”Martha saw and knew how shaken I was after the incident that involved Dante, she didn’t ask questions but she didn’t let Zara out of her sight after that day which I appreciated.Dante had apologized with doughnuts but I was still wary with him around, and I felt ashamed about my actions. He didn’t know why
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-29The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 94
GIO’S POVThe news of Damien killing his brother- albeit by mistake shook the country and Kane helping him cover up the crime was not left out. The media ate up the story, milking every source until the stream ran dry.Alma’s name was cleared and the good guys were suddenly the bad guys. Riots kicked out everywhere, and a few small stations were targeted and burnt down. The people turned the case into different agendas, exploiting it however they could.That was somehow my problem, now that I had been promoted, to fill the shoes Kane left behind. It felt wrong to sit in his office when I knew how he died, and where he was- or rather how his body had been disposed.It was getting easier to stomach the reality of my new life; and I surprised myself with the kind words I spoke at his funeral. I didn’t mean any of it, but his bereaved wife appreciated it, and his children just cried along.It had been a closed casket ceremony, because the only thing they had been able to recover was his l
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-30The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 95
GIO’S POV“I heard about your recent promotion, congratulations.” Zaverio raised a glass in my direction. He didn’t show anything on his face, but he eyes roamed over Rose who was doing her best not to reach for her firearm.We were in enemy territory, and her instincts were screaming at her to apprehend the man sitting in front of her, but that was secondary. Her primary job was to protect me and I was not in danger.“It came as a shock to me as well, you see, I am not exactly the kind of person the government want to put in power-”“Because you walk the fine line of justice, and you’ll reform the world with your ideas if given a chance.” I caught the small on his lips before he took a sip of his drink, and I couldn’t help but smile myself.“Yea, that’s what I would have said a few months ago, but you’ve corrupted me. Should I thank you for polluting me?”Zaverio waved his hand. “I didn’t do anything memorable, what you saw was the other line you refused to dip your toes in. Not ever
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-31The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 96
GIO’S POVMy trip to Spain was set in stone, so the next step was to start gathering information on Alma. It would be a waste to fly Nadine out to Spain and not find Alma.“Who did you say we were meeting again?” Rose asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee..“Antonio Ferran” I waved my hand and sighed. “I saw his letter to Alma when we raided Zaverio’s home and I drove her to his office myself.”“Antonio Ferran is a hot shot lawyer downtown; apparently that’s what the blogs stay about him, if he’s so good, why is he staying downtown?” Rose scrolled through her tab.“He works for Zaverio.” I clarified, “He’s the lawyer for the Riccardo’s and likes to keep himself out of public light.”“Remind me again why you’re working for this guy.” Rose was chatty this morning, and I indulged her because I needed her on my side.“I didn’t want to work for him initially; in fact I was one of the few people intent on hunting him down because of my sense of justice.”“What happened to that sense of jus
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-31The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 97
ALMA’S POVIt was a Saturday, and everyone in my household loved Saturdays. Martha hummed as she glided around the kitchen preparing breakfast while I watched Zara play with her toys in her play pen.She wasn’t a very needy child, and didn’t require me fussing over her except she was hungry. It was incredible to watch how independent she was at only five months, reminding me painfully of where she got it from.It was easy on most days not to think about him, and on other days I didn’t, but it was getting harder now that she was becoming a mirror of her father. Gone was her cute button nose and pouty lips, the former was pointed now and the latter took on a bee stung shape.Zaverio and I created a goddess that would turn heads one day, and that day was fast approaching. My heart was at war with my head, begging me to reach out to him and share pictures or something.Or something… I wasn’t even angry at him; I was just tired of playing games. I knew he would head over heels for his daug
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-31The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 98
ALMA’S POVThe weekend passed by in a blur and Martha and I resumed work on Monday wishing for the week to roll by quickly. The shop was doing well, well enough for us to admit that we needed help.Martha wasn’t opposed to the thought of having someone around, but she had opinions about the best people to hire, and her ideas were always the best. I had an inkling that she had worked in administration somewhere because she knew how to run a business.We put out the hiring sign solely for college students, because Martha idea was to create an avenue for students to earn while they study, which was really good because all I did was work.When our college students resumed, the sudden urge to go to school almost floored me. They were different from the people I knew, Gen Z’s they called themselves, and truthfully sales did increase when I asked Sapphire, a media student to do her thing.“I don’t know how to keep up with this generation.” Martha grumbled, fumbling with the new tablet they m
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-31The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 99
ALMA’S POVDante avoided the shop after our last conversation where I left him and the cake, he did hand it over the next day to Martha, leaving an apology note in the box. Martha didn’t ask questions, but I felt her disapproval every time she looked at me, it was strange and constricting.I didn’t have much experience with men, but I hated how I had treated Dante, he was our neighbor, I didn’t want to make things awkward; but that was wistful thinking on my part.He greeted the girls and Martha when he came by to deliver the snacks they ordered but gave me a nod, a nod? Why was I getting worked up when I was the one who pushed him away?I had half the mind to refuse when Martha offered me a biscuit, but I took it, chewing angrily as I looked over the books; the same books I had checked several times.“You’re going to read the same page for another two hours?” Martha wasn’t being her kind usual self.“It’s called daydreaming Martha, I’m allowed to get lost in my thoughts once in a whi
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-31
Bab terbaru
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 131
ALMA’S POV“The men I sent to the house didn’t see anything out of the ordinary and the shop is empty and untouched. Martha wasn’t snatched from your home or the shop, so I’ll have to dig deeper and ask some people a few questions.”I nodded, half listening to what my mother was saying. I was riddled with guilt over the fact that Martha was missing, she could be anywhere with anyone who wanted to hurt me or use me to get to my mother.The endless circle of looking over my shoulders even when I hadn’t left the house was exhausting to say the least. If I had somehow dragged Martha into my family’s mess, I would never forgive myself.“You don’t have to get too worried about it, Alma. I can’t promise that nothing will happen to her because we don’t know who has her, but I can promise to bring her back safely when we find out who does.”“What if she’s dead and we’re running in circles chasing our tail.” That question hung heavily in my mind; I lost sleep thinking of Martha drowning or gett
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 130
GIO’S POVI watched the way her fingers tightened around the steering wheel and I feared she would rip it off. Her question hung in the air like a harsh noise, and I opened my mouth to answer several times but the words died in my throat.“Is this a new way to throw someone off, you send them to get breakfast and then go on a date with someone else?” Rose flexed her fingers again. “Why didn’t you tell me?”“I was going to tell you and it wasn’t a date.” The words didn’t sound believable to my own ears. “It’s not what you think I promise, I would never try to get rid of you like that.”“You’re saying what you’re saying but I saw something else, I waited outside that fucking restaurant for hours Gio with my phone in my hand, you couldn’t even shoot me a sympathy text?”I closed my eyes, “I was going to text you I swear, I calculated the time it would take you- Look, I didn’t want to you to get home and panic when you couldn’t find me but I didn’t want to be rude.”Rose nodded. “Right, y
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 128
GIO’S POVRose and I were passing a bowl of popcorn while we watched a re-run of Grey’s Anatomy in the living room. We had been holed up in this space for almost three days; it would be obvious to anyone who walked in that we were in our honeymoon phase.I smelt like her and she smelt like sin. Rose was right when she said I was the initiator in this relationship. I had never doubted my stamina but with Rose, I knew that was a battle I was never going to win.She was always ready when I reached for her, and she fucked me so good, it made me crave more like a sex junkie. Rose had turned me into a sex addict and it wasn’t even up to a week.“Do you think they are going to wrap up this series one day?” Rose asked around a mouth filled with popcorn.“Do you know when the world is going to end? If you do then maybe when the world is ending, because Grey’s Anatomy is going to be here until all the current actors die and they recruit new ones.”Rose chuckled. “I love popcorn and your legs pi
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 128
GIO’S POVI uncrossed and crossed my leg for the fifth time, trying to focus on the file I was supposed to be reading. My subordinates were going to dish their case out to me and I needed to be updated, it wouldn’t help me make up my mind, but it would paint a picture for me.I had twenty minutes to drag my brain from the high Rose had kept me in all morning to the present. Like the kiss, we didn’t talk about the fact that we had had sex. When I walked out of my bedroom, dressed for the hour, she was back to being my bodyguard.The heat lingered in her eyes but they didn’t reach mine, not when we were in a space that clearly defined our positions. I was her boss and she was my employee- not directly but if she looked at me the way she did this morning, I wouldn’t mind if she took me on my table.I bit my finger hard, it did the job of centering my focus. Why was I thinking of Rose’s fingers and the way they felt inside me, how they moved and how full I-“Miss Gio.”The file in my hand
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 127
GIO’S POVI heard the light footsteps of Rose walking past my door to the kitchen, then the telltale sound of water filling the coffee pot, she never drank coffee the way I do, but she always put a pot on for me to drink away.I hadn’t slept a wink but I didn’t feel tired. I was confused about our current situation. Was the kiss a figment of my imagination? I touched my lips and pulled my hand back when they tingled. Was that normal?What were supposed to do now that it had happened? Maybe it was a spur of the moment thing and she had forgotten about it. Energized by that thought, I jumped out of bed with a light spring in my step.I was going to go out there and behave normally; there was no need to make anything awkward she had probably just kissed me in passing or something, pushing the painful squeeze in my chest away I opened my door and stopped short.Rose was sitting at the dining table, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Her hair was wet which meant she had taken a shower and
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 126
ALMA’S POVMy mother pushed the food in her plate around, more focused on the file she was reading. I didn’t want to interrupt so I kept my movements silent; eyeing her in case she needed space.We hadn’t spoken much since her checkup with the doctor. Big Mac had tried to make me more at home in my mother’s huge house. I used the excess time on my hands to explore the many rooms that were unoccupied.Big Mac kept Zara entertained when I was busy keeping myself from losing my mind. He didn’t communicate much with me about anything, and I didn’t mind much since we didn’t have a lot to talk about.My main worry was with Martha, she hadn’t answered any of my calls since I left with Big Mac after my mother was shot. I was too worried to function properly. What if something had happened to her? I shook my head, printing the details of that day into focus.Martha hadn’t been in the house when my mother arrived, she had convinced me to let her check the store, it had been closed indefinitely
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 125
ZAVERIO’S POV“The next shipment is scheduled to fall next week.” Von said, tapping on the screen of the tab in his hands. He wasn’t a man used to advanced gadgets, but he had to get used to them seeing as our whole organization was leaving the paper trail era.“What about Ambrose? Did he like the guns we shipped to him the other day? If he did then he needs to finish paying for them.” I threw the tennis ball in my hand into the air and caught it. “Alvaro said he was going to drop by today, I have no idea what he wants to discuss, do you?”Von shook his head, “Our little bird is also back in her nest.” He was referring to Gio who had been incognito for some days. We tracked her to a rundown bar but kept our distance, leaving the overall surveillance to her bodyguard who acknowledged our presence but didn’t give room for any slip-ins. Rose was impressive, and if she decided to join the dark side, I would hire her.“We will find out what happened when she is ready to come back in, we ca
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 124
GIO’S POVMy phone vibrated on the bedside table in the shitty hotel I had found to hole myself into. I ignored it like I had for three days, staring at the ceiling until my eyes felt raw. It was my morning routine before I proceeded to drown myself in alcohol at night.I didn’t know how far I had walked after I left Rose but when I came to my senses, it was raining, I was soaked and as the universe pointed out, in front of a seedy hotel with lights that blinked haphazardly. I didn’t think twice about walking in, the girl manning the register took one look at my suit and sneered.“We don’t give rooms to cops.” She looked like she was ready to spit in my face.I blinked, looked down at my corporate attire. “I am not a cop, I work well with numbers.”She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She snatched a key from the few on the rack and threw it at me. “Keep the noise to a minimum, don’t expect any breakfast in bed and be gone in the morning.”Her eyes bore a hole in my back as I walked away.
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 123
GIO’S POVI avoided eye contact with everyone I walked past, hiding my shame in my eyes. If they looked hard enough, they would know what I had done, who I had chosen and whose blood was going to be on my hands.The pounding headache was the retribution I needed, it was a result to the restless night I had had. The five files Emily had given to me held information of a few powerful people in the world.Their deaths would shake the core of what they were heading, and that was the reason Emily was asking me to take my pick from the litter. Norma’s face had haunted my dreams, making it extremely hard to sleep.She may not have ratted me out to Emily and Rose had said she would keep my other business in strict confidence but I couldn’t trust her. I couldn’t trust anyone, not even myself.File one, Norma- Prime minister of Spain, married and divorced three times before she was elected, finally, she got married to her childhood sweetheart and they were the couple of the year. She and her on
