Francisca inherited one of the largest Italian Mafia headquarters at a very young age. She accepted a contract marriage to the experienced Anthony to run the family business. However, a betrayal will make her follow her own destiny and build new alliances as she intends to fulfill her promise to assassinate the heir of the enemy family: the famous fashion designer and CEO Adam Arnault. However, even for a seasoned mobster, this mission will not be as simple as it seems...
View MoreSicily, Italy
The leaves fall from the trees determined by autumn, without any choice as to their fate. These are laws that command the natural order of things, and with human relationships it is not much different. There are situations that we can only follow the course, without choice, because what is at stake, is what matters and nothing else.
“Are you sure you can trust this woman?”, Asks the apprehensive maid.
“ That would be foolish, Selina. She's a greedy woman and she can change sides at any moment, depending on who pays more”, Still my eyes are following the falling leaves, and just like the tree, I have lost a lot with the coming of the seasons. First my mother and then my father.
Lorena was right. Danger is always lurking and one hour or another, your turn will come in the roulette wheel of death. I am no longer the innocent little girl who could not see the black and white of reality. I am one of the biggest leaders of the mafia and I don't deny that being able to continue the work of generations was satisfying until I learned that now a life depends on mine...
“ I need to take another direction in my life. I will run away in a week! I don't want my son to grow up here.”, It's my decision and there's nothing that will make me change it.
“ You have achieved so much, Francisca! No woman has ever come this far”, She insists.
" But not so much power was able to bring my family back. And I don't want them to take someone important away again...", I run my hands over my huge belly and it gives me a chill to think that at any moment a child would be born from me.
I feel a little young compared to my old expectations about my future. However, if I consider how much I have matured to survive these past years, giving love to such a helpless being can't be that difficult.
“And Anthony?” She reminds me of my biggest obstacle.
“ He has let himself be blinded by power. He will never know when to stop.”
“ He's coming for you, Francisca. Wherever you go! You're his queen, he knows business won't be the same without you!”, She states the obvious that everyone knows, including Anthony himself.
It's all about business, not love. And the only one I feel will be able to give me, has just kicked my belly.
It will be for you, my son.
“ So the best thing is to eliminate all traces that he might have to follow me”, My tone becomes harsh, coated with threat.
“ What do you mean, ma'am?”
“That I will start with you, traitor! “, I take the gun from my jacket pocket and fire a shot into his chest. Your body goes to the ground with your eyes still giving signs of life and your mouth tries to mutter something.
“ Save your words for the final judgment that awaits you. You ridiculous spy!”, I face the dying woman ceasing her last breaths.
Meanwhile, the noise causes the two security guards to open the door to the room. They are my next targets with two sharp shots to their heads and two more bodies go down. A quicker death this time.
I don't have much time. I grab my small suitcase ready with the most essential things, the corridors are huge, but I grew up in this mansion. I know the secret passages that my innocence believed were for playing hide, hide. And that my father would never be the men who kill and gather groups of men either out of fear or out of fragile loyalty.
In front of my eyes the illusion of my still child sister Lorena is running, encouraging me to keep looking for her towards the exit that would lead to the entrance of the vineyards. The rain-scented air is the first sign of my freedom, which is threatened by the other men to the left. The only way is through the vineyards, an extravagant physical effort for my limited condition. However, there is no choice. I follow the course like a leaf being blown away by the autumn wind. There are many drops of sweat on my face, but they are no match for the liquid leaking from between my legs.
My son is coming!
“ Calm down baby, it won't be long now!”
Amelia's car is at the appointed point. And I rehearse a few steps slower while trying to signal her to see me from the rear-view mirror. And it works, because the car door suddenly opens and she runs to meet me.
“ Francisca!”, She offers her shoulder for me to lean on.
“ My son is going to be born! “, Is a mixture of joy and fear. Nothing guarantees that at any moment the men will realize that I have escaped, “ Let's get out of here, please!”
“ Come, I already have a midwife waiting for us”, She tries to calm me down although the being inside me doesn't accept delays.
We get in the car and everything is left behind, in the past.
However, he never leaves us. He just arranges a new face to present himself as the present and settles the score using the future that is never the one we dream of....
━━━━━━✧♛✧━━━━━━
“ Go ahead! “, Shouts the midwife.
But it's so hard. It's as if the bones break and wish they would come out along with the baby.
“ There's only a few more to go! Push!”, She shouts again.
There is no hand for me to grab, Amelia remains distant, staring at me with a look I can't decipher. My vision is so blurred that everything is slowly getting darker.
“ Don't close your eyes, madam, please!”, She implores.
However, it is a request that does not depend on my willpower. But I surrender all the strength that may exist within me and have the feeling of hearing a cry until everything goes dark.
✧♛✧
One hour later
“ Amelia? Where am I?”, Both my vision and my memories are slowly coming back. “My son, where is my son?”
“ It was a girl!”, She answers.
“ Was it?”, I remain confused.
“ Oui, someone took the girl! I wasn't there and the lady was beaten. Poor thing!”
“I'm going to look for my daughter!”, I want to get up, but my legs won't obey me.
“ No, Francisca, you need to rest. You'll never find her in this state”, She stops me.
“ It can only be Anthony! He found out that I was going to run away before and not in a week like I made that slut believe”, I start putting the pieces together.
“ I don't doubt it's him either, but you can't fight him alone. You need to be on the same level. Let's continue with our partner, create a new business that is ours alone. I have the contacts and you have your experience. You promised to help me and I did my part. It wasn't my fault it went wrong.”
“I know…”, I wipe my tears. “ Where are the documents?
She opens her purse and takes out a passport.
“Chloé?”, I read the name on the document.
“French name!” - She comments.
“ I like it ... “ Also, it's not like I have any other option, “ So I will be Chloé, your new partner, and together we will build the biggest barracks Paris has ever seen …”
I burst out laughing at the scene. She barely knows how to hold a gun. “ Don't be stupid, Larissa. I'm sure your only mission here is to cause me the displeasure of your company during my return to my home. A home that doesn't belong to Anthony, and certainly not to you. You are a mere pawn in this game that Anthony revels in thinking he can strike me. Now put that fucking gun away that you don't even know how to use and let's get out of here.”, I retrace my steps to meet my luggage. “ Don't move, Chloe! Or I'll shoot.”, she threatens, “You won't come home. You won't see your daughter. I know that if you come back you will convince Anthony to forgive you and everything will be fine for you as always.” I stop, not because I owe her obedience. But, because I need to watch how far she is willing to go: “Hum and what do you intend to do? Murder me?” “Yes, I will murder you. Tell me how it feels to be about to die by the hand of stupid Lari?”, she wants to match a crazy woman in some m
It wasn't long before my aunt's suspicions were confirmed to be idiotic, so dismissed by my happiness when not even nausea could stop me from feeling so willing, at least emotionally.The CEO revealed himself to have a hidden joking side or just could not see himself missing the opportunity for the first time to be in charge of a situation that in no way would I know how to handle myself. The dispute would only end with both of us accepting rewards, me with his blazer and him holding me in his arms. The silence joined the night that came and we stopped to look at the sky and would have taken our time if it weren't for an icy breeze irritating my skin.“ I'm staying with him!”, I wrap myself even tighter in his blazer.“ Of course you can take it!”, he grants not only the garment but also a kiss.“ I'll be right back!”, he walks away, no need to ask why. I see land in sight, and soon we are on what resembles a beanstalk. I soon find that my vision has betrayed me, and it is only 15
The CEO bet even though he knew the game was a farce, he preferred fun to lucidity, the turmoil of the losers, and the vanity of him being the first even though, deep down, it wasn't true. Wouldn't it be the same with our relationship? Are we both lying, I to him and he to himself even though the signs are clear? And that before long, he will reveal that from the beginning it was a game, he knows who I am and he loves my demons just as I love his ocean eyes. No matter how crooked the path to this point has been, but he is willing to take all the risks. Not like a prince saving his beloved, but like a true mobster, a learning that is not born in a week, let alone a day. A day that confuses me with seconds as I watch Adam dress in his usual black, rejecting the simplicity of the disguise we agreed to have here. He easily sets himself up as a target, and running away is definitely not an option. That's what we did by coming here, but distance is only an obstacle for those who need an e
California, dawn“Am I still welcome in your house and in your life?”, It's Luigi, who has sneaked in. It's not a surprise to me. In fact, I've been waiting for you since I left the casino and came home. Me, sitting on the porch and him beside me, the dawn spreads in the sky right in front of us and the sea hardly imitates a sound so as not to break the peace that surrounds us all. Luigi, also surrendered, decides to sit down, waiting for me to give him his final sentence. However, my internal judgment is lengthy. My senses do not wish to miss a detail of the spectacle. It is sublime and unbelievably, there is nothing that nature asks in return to give it to us.“ If you fear that I am going to throw you out of my life, should I consider that you have done something wrong?”, my eyes are satisfied and my attention is offered to the man next to me.“ No, you know I haven't. I just don't know to what extent what we have matters more than how you feel about Adam.”“ I recognize how much
“Don't you ever lose the habit of asking questions you know the answer to?”, I close the door behind me so tightly that it is enough to hide the rapid beating of my heart. My nostrils need air on behalf of my lungs desperate to bail out, my mind one step away from hitching its anxiety.“Our argument hasn't even started, and already reason has gone your way”, he smiles cynically, keeping the gun pointed at Adam's head, opting for circular motions on his leather to test my lucidity, “ You were raised to have it all, to own it all. The Great Frances! I thought that by taking everything away from you, you would come back to me. But no! You found it!”, he pulls the gun away from the CEO and sits down next to Adam's body lying on a couch, “Is he the one stopping you from loving me, Francisca? The son-in-law of your father's dreams who should be dead?”Anthony again positions the gun in his direction, and I know that his life depends on my answer. It's logical that I need to remain indiff
“ I have never seen such a sexy and sophisticated manager.... “, Adam is dazzled, I can see him through his reflection in the mirror, which reminds me of Anthony's presence in scenes like this, although their looks and gestures are incomparable.“ My job is a bit peculiar. I won't be there to serve, just pretend I'm a stupid, silly, rich girl they can pass off as. Then they will be attracted to spend money. A sort of camouflaged manager”, I shrug, swiping my lipstick.“ That's dishonest”, he assesses. “And entering a casino expecting honesty is naïve, Monsieur Arnault…”, I do the final touches, making sure there is not a grain of sand left on my scalp. It was an endless struggle to get rid of them. A sacrifice that left no regrets when it was two hours well spent of the purest pleasure. And I would love to continue it through these white walls and huge glass windows that bring the sea closer even though it is a hundred meters away. The house in no way resembles Arnault's residence
California, presentEvery day millions of people travel. For many, just another ordinary day of time saved by one of the greatest inventions of all time; for others, the airplane is not just a machine. It is our genie in the lamp, where we lean back, close our eyes and imagine the dreams we yearn to come true. And if distance is the only obstacle, the dream is one step away from our hands as soon as the plane touches the runway to our point of arrival. But when distance is not the obstacle, how can that lamp help us if the problem lives in us and we simply cannot run away from who we are?“There will be a car waiting for us.”, Adam says, bringing me back to the present.We are waiting to choose our bags among so many others.“ Hopefully without a driver, I'll love to spend some time alone with you…”, my voice is sly, accompanied by a mischievous smile.“ You are so complicated, Chloé! “, he looks at me like I'm a riddle, “ One minute you wish I had security guards and chauffeurs, the
One day laterToday the Desiré noire did not open. The tables are empty and the silence is frightening for those who are used to seeing a full house. It is clear that I will lose a lot of money by having the doors closed. But our reunion could not be in a place other than one of CEO Adam Arnault's favorite spots. The atmosphere would stir up memories for him, and to erase the bad ones, you need an extra dose of what makes you feel at home. So tonight, no more pubs or wandering the streets like two inconsequential teenagers.It will be drinking from the best in the bar and loving like the first time.Yet, with every passing minute, it gives me anxiety not to see him walk through that door. I can't believe that Adam would be so proud as to not accept an invitation from me. After all it has been a long time since our fight. And before anyone accuses me that 24 hours is not much time, in my defense, I will say that an eternity can happen in seconds. So there is no point in waiting for hi
“ You were really serious about hurting him. That can't have been pretty…”, appreciates Luigi as he finds me picking up the shards of glass from the floor and throwing them into a bag.He arrived ten minutes after Adam left. That was the time for me to put on some clothes, wipe my tears and drink a cup of pure coffee that would make anyone awake from the feeling of still being sleepy.“ I always do what has to be done, Luigi. You gave Anthony your word, I wouldn't make you break it a second time. I have a lot to thank you for, my friend.”, I say it sincerely and I just can't stand up to hug you because our time is short.“ You will always have my loyalty and so will your descendants.”“ What descendants? I have decided to live as if my daughter doesn't exist, and a second child is not in the plans.”, I continue to pick up the shrapnel while trying to keep my attention on her reasoning.“ Francisca, that day Anthony said that having you back is a priority not just out of spite, he nee
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