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2025-03-29 23:13:35
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The 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 : 2025-03-31The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 100
ZAVERIO’S POVI was watching my men work when Von walked into my office per usual. I might as well order another table so we can share my personal work space with how often he was here.“You are avoiding me.”Was I? I didn’t know. Everything was a blur recently. “I apologize if I have been doing that, I don’t have any recollection of it.”“Everything has been a blur since Alma left.” Von threw his hands in the air. “I have no idea how you function these days, and you refuse to talk about it.”“Why are you so desperate to have me share something you think is bothering me?” I was getting tired of the same old conversation over and over again. “There’s nothing bothering me so let it go.”“We both know Alma would never leave without leaving a note or explaining why she left if she had no absolute choice but to, but she did without looking back. It has been months and she hasn’t tried to reach out once.”“Get to the point, we don’t have all fucking day.” Von wanted me to show any emotion o
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-31The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 101
ALMA’S POV“Thank you” I accepted the cup of tea from Martha, and wrapped my hands around it for the warmth.Martha had closed early when she found me crying uncontrollably in the office, she didn’t ask, but she stayed until I could get a hold of myself and took us straight home.Zara got tended to and I was thrown into bed after I drank some painkillers and two tall glasses of water. I didn’t remember much after that, but when I woke up, I felt better.“Care to share what happened?” Martha asked, taking a sip of her coffee. “I don’t mind if you don’t have anything to say, but those weren’t tears of joy.”“Some were mixed in the rest. I received news from a friend back home that was bittersweet. I didn’t know how to handle it, but I guess my body chose break down and cry.”“Did you lose anyone close to you?”“No.” I shook my head, it was now or never. “My name was cleared back home meaning I get to return anytime I like.”“Cleared?” Martha frowned. “When you say cleared? Were you a cr
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-31
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The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 110
ZAVERIO’S POVVon grabbed my shoulder when I made to move towards the door. “Are you insane? We don’t even know who’s standing behind that door. It could be a trap.”“We are trapped in here regardless if it is a trap” I shrugged his hand off. “There’s only one entry and exit, even if we want to fight our way out, we are still on the short end of the stick.”“I’ll open the door.” Von gave me his gun. “If it is a trap, I’ll get shot and you have the chance to see who you’re shooting at.”I hated it every time he tried to put my life before his, I hated the dynamics but I knew it had to be done. I walked beside him to the door, holding the gun out, praying to every being in the universe that this wasn’t going to blow off in our faces.“For a second I thought I had the wrong container.” The women said as she walked passed Von, holding up her phone. “But the tracker is hardly ever wrong.”“Who the fuck are you?” I pointed my gun at her, feeling a jolt of respect when Rose did the same.“Wh
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 109
ZAVERIO’S POVThe weather switch was a marvel to watch in this strange land. It was rare for it to be sunny one day and rainy the next. I stood in front of Alma’s fixed window with Zara in my arms.She was babbling on about something, and I nodded along as if I understood. Her tiny fingers framed my face every once in a while like she was trying to familiarize herself with me.It was the most adorable thing to watch, and I watched her a lot. I was the first person she saw when she woke up, I watched her eat, have a bath, play and most often a times she slept in my arms.Martha had whispered to me earlier that it wasn’t healthy, and she needed to know I wouldn’t pick her up at every inconvenience or she wouldn’t want to be let down. I was spoiling her, and I knew it.“What are you thinking so hard about?” Alma tightened the sash of her robe when I turned to her. We hadn’t had much time to talk, but we weren’t awkward around each other.“I think I might be spoiling het.” I kissed the to
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 108
ZAVERIO’S POVMy eyes stayed on the man holding the mother of my child. If I looked into Alma’s eyes, I knew I would crumble and botch this situation. I didn’t think I was going to walking back into violence when I landed in Spain, yet here I was itching to beat this bastard to bloody pulp.“I don’t know who the fuck you are, but I don’t think you want to have the blood of this woman on your hands.” Was this man an amateur? Did he think his words were going to make me back down? “I should be telling you to jump out of that open window; I’ll even give you a head start before I come after you. What do you say?”“Do you think this is a joke?” His hands tightened around the knife, drawing my attention to Alma’s neck. She was losing blood but not enough to cause a state of alarm.“It’s not. What do you want? There must be a reason you’re so adamant about kidnapping Alma, so why don’t we talk about what I can do for you. I will give you whatever you want.”He frowned, flexing the hand arou
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 107
ALMA’S POVI watched Gio walk through my house with Rose, looking away from the gun in Rose’s hands. The men who had invaded my house were long gone, but I felt safe with more people in the house.Martha was getting attended to in the living room by a doctor, and I was scared to check in on her. I wasn’t used to death and I was used to it- which was crazy and I didn’t want to analyze that.“Tell me what you know about these men” Gio asked, taking in the state of the nursery. To the normal human eye it didn’t look out of place, but Martha’s blood changed the scenery from calm to suspicious.“I don’t know anything about them, what I saw when we ran in was Martha on the floor with my baby in her arms.” I shook my head, “The baby cam got footage of them, but it’s useless to me.”Gio nodded, “I’ll take a look at the video soon, I want Rose to sweep the rest of the house before we sit down to track the guys who were dumb enough to break into your house.”I nodded, kissing Zara’s head. My ha
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 106
ALMA’S POVNadine and I were cuddled up in my bed. I wrapped my whole body around her like a koala and listened to her soft snores while she slept. It felt like the first week after I had given birth; how alert I was with every breath change or slight movement.After the fourth time I jerked awake, I gave up on sleep and just watched her. Her hair was shorter, which gave me a perfect view of the scars on her neck left behind by Damien.Doctor Hassan had done his best with the stitching, but it was always going to be a statement of what she had almost lost. When Damien had shot her multiple times, and all I could do was watch, I thought I was dying slowly; I had never felt so helpless in my lifeI blinked away the tears that flooded my eyes, keeping my sniffles light. My head felt heavy and my eyes were scratchy, but my fear was falling asleep and waking up to find out it was all a dream.Gio and her friend didn’t walk into my shop with Nadine, and I would wake up to the terrible reali
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 105
ALMA’S POV“Nadine?” I repeated her name like a prayer. “There’s no way, I saw Damien shoot you, I saw you on the floor, it’s not possible.”“It’s very possible my darling.” Nadine sniffed, and as she walked closer, my vision got blurrier until I could no longer see her clearly. “Your daughter looks exactly like me.”I laughed and my tears fell, it was Nadine, it truly was her. I touched her face and everywhere I could. She was alive and she was here in front of me; was this what a miracle looked like?“I wouldn’t have left if I knew you were alive.” I choked on a sob, “I thought you were dead, it killed me when I left, I even buried you in my backyard.”Nadine snorted, wiping her runny nose. “You dug a six feet hole in your backyard to honor me, now I want to die.”I didn’t fight her when she took Zara, and my heart melted when Zara didn’t pull away from her. She wasn’t a difficult baby, but she didn’t allow just anyone hold her.“Hey baby, I am your godmother. Your mommy and I grew
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 104
GIO’S POVAlma’s little store was in a cute little spot, and I watched her stand at the counter packing up orders from the shop across the street.Their treats were amazing, Nadine and Rose obviously agreed because they were scarfing down everything they could put their hands on. I washed down the sweet taste in my mouth with black coffee, smiling when Nadine looked appalled. “I don’t ha2ve a sweet tooth.” I lifted my shoulders. “I had to wash all that sweetness down with something bitter.”“That sounds like something a witch would say.” Nadine shook her head. “How old are you that you crave bitterness?”“Let’s not get started on the way she likes her coffee.” Rose crossed her hands. “I thought being in the army would ruin my taste buds, but living with Gio is proving to be worse than that.”“I can’t imagine.” Nadine shuddered, looking over my shoulder. “Are we going to sit here all day or…?”We weren’t going to sit in this nice pastry shop all day, but I knew the prime minister had
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 103
GIO’S POVI was sitting across from Rose in the private jet, and my eyes trailed her delicate features. Her eyes were closed so I took my time looking at her unmarred skin, in another life she would have made a good model, a great one with her strong jaw and- very blue eyes.“Should I be worried?” Rose’s voice was rough but her eyes were sharp. “If you’re wondering I don’t swing that way.”Nadine snorted from somewhere in the plane, and I hid a smile behind my palm. “I wasn’t thinking about you that way either. I was just staring because you don’t look like someone who should be doing what you’re doing.”“Don’t judge a book by its cover.”“You have a very fine cover.” Nadine said, winking at Rose as she walked past to the open bar.I didn’t comment on the redness that appeared on her face, or the way her eyes lowered. “It’s a miracle you’re here with us today, I thought Zaverio had killed you in his office the last time we were here.”Rose rubbed her chest. “Those rounds hurt like a m
The Mafia's Hidden Obsession 102
ALMA’S POV“Is this the part where you take your daughter and run?” Martha threw my words back at me with a smile. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, I’m sorry if I came off too strong.”I blinked, molded in place. The woman who helped me give birth to my daughter was not a midwife? She was the leader of a cartel. The same woman who had helped me start my business- it all made sense.“That’s why you knew everything there was to know about business, how you knew who to hire and what business to start.” I was talking to myself, but my brain was running at a mile per hour trying to catch up.“Is that why you helped me start the business up so you smuggle drugs through me?” I voiced the second through that crossed my mind.“That was actually on my list, but after spending months with you and your daughter, I didn’t consider it an option.” She responded. “Helping you with the shop was a great way to keep my mind sharp and also prepare myself in advance, should I need a shop of my own.”“T
