Alice got out of the rickety car, gasping repeatedly. Her best friend, Chiara Niccolo, followed next—a pretty, blue-eyed damsel.
"You're lucky I was driving by when you called. You could have gotten caught, for fuck's sake," Chiara reprimanded.
Alice had managed to change out of the black getup in the car; now she wore a simple blue gown and had her dark brown hair tied in a neat ponytail. The bag containing the gold was slung over one shoulder as she stared back at Chiara with her emerald green eyes.
"Lucky me. Thanks, though," Alice said, and Chiara smiled back at her. She got back into the car, and it took quite some time before she could get the engine running again. She drove off afterward.
Alice sighed and turned to face the large building in front of her. It was heavily fenced, making it a 'no-go zone' for intruders—Vicenzo Empire. If the mafia world had a king, it would be the Don of Vicenzo. The Vicenzo mafia empire was first in terms of rank, wealth, and affluence.
Alice walked toward the building and pushed the button by the side of the wall. The gate opened, and she entered with ease. She had free access to the empire simply because her father was the Capo—a high-ranking member of the Vicenzo empire who oversees a group of soldiers or associates.
Alice made her way to her father's chambers and entered his luxuriously appointed room. She made herself comfortable on the bed. Her father, due to his higher rank, had been allocated a room in the empire.
Sergio Antonio, an average-looking man with almost bald hair, punched the security code to access his room. An approval beep was heard, and Sergio pushed the door open.
His eyes widened when he saw Alice seated on the bed with her legs crossed.
"Father," Alice beamed as she got up to meet him.
"What are you doing here? I told you to go directly to the house," Sergio said, and Alice smiled.
"I need money, and there's none at home," Alice winked.
Sergio rolled his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his hand. "Where is it?" Sergio asked, and Alice threw the backpack at him.
Sergio easily caught it and unzipped it. His eyes twinkled with approval when he saw the three gold bars.
"You've done well. I'm sure your mother would be proud," Sergio said, and Alice hummed nonchalantly.
Sergio took out some cash from his cupboard and tossed the bundle to her. "Twenty thousand dollars. Enjoy," Sergio said.
Alice smirked as she ran her thumb through the money. "I'm out," Alice said. She opened the door and saw Sergio's right-hand man standing outside. Alice ignored him and walked away.
Matthias entered the room and bowed to Sergio respectfully. "Boss," Matthias said, and Sergio nodded.
"This is her 50th escape from the cops, and she always manages to steal the item. She's a great fighter as well because you trained her well. Why not move her position from being an Associate to one of the soldiers of the empire?" Matthias suggested, but his opinion was shut down with a glare from Sergio.
"I might just have to cut your tongue and serve it to your wife for supper," Sergio glared at him. He wouldn’t, though. Aside from the fact that Matthias was his trusted soldier, he was in an incredibly good mood. As always, Alice didn’t disappoint him.
……
In a dark, lonely cemetery, Alice stood in front of a headstone engraved with 'Alessia Francesco.' She held a bottle of champagne in one hand and a glass cup in the other.
She fell to her knees in front of her mother’s grave. Her mother had been cruelly taken from her; Alice had witnessed her murder. She had been there when the ruthless mafia stabbed her mother in the chest repeatedly. She was only eight at the time. Her mother’s murderer would have killed her as well if she hadn’t run as fast as her tiny legs could carry her. If Sergio hadn’t found her in time, she would have been dead. Sergio wasn’t her biological father; her father had died before she was born.
Since the day Sergio saved her, she saw him as her father, and he saw her as a daughter—provided she didn’t mess up her missions. Although she wasn’t proud of being a criminal, it was what Sergio wanted, and she had to follow his orders until she got her revenge.
She was determined to find her mother’s murderer and kill him with her own two hands. Afterward, she planned to join her mother in the afterlife. She was willing to shake hands with the devil if that was what it took to get the revenge her mother deserved.
"Congratulations, Mother. It’s your 13th death anniversary, and I promise you that I will get revenge on the bastard who took you away from me. We’ll be reunited soon," Alice said sadly as she drank from the glass of champagne.
Her mother might not be proud of how she turned out, but it was what life handed her, and it didn’t give her any other option but to take it.
After spending three more hours with her mother, Alice got up and began heading toward the cemetery's exit.
She clutched her purse tightly when she heard the sound of someone tailing her. She hadn’t brought her gun or any weapon to defend herself because she knew her mother wouldn’t like that.
Alice swiftly turned, her brows furrowing when she saw no one. She stood alone in the dark cemetery. It was past midnight—way too late for someone to be visiting.
Alice took two more steps, and then she felt someone hit her on the head with a heavy object. She could feel warm blood pouring from the wound as she weakly fell to her knees and then collapsed on the ground. The vision of the hooded person was blurry, and her eyes slowly closed as she succumbed to the darkness.
Alice could hear the faint sound of footsteps approaching her. She struggled to open her eyes, feeling as if she were experiencing sleep paralysis. Her eyes flew open when she felt someone pour something cold on her.She scrunched her nose in disgust as she looked at the cold liquid that dripped down her body. She was tied to a chair and gulped fearfully at the thought of Collin finding her. It had to be him.She heard the sound of steady footsteps approaching but couldn’t see because her eyes were covered with blood. Her vision cleared, and her eyes widened when she saw Alfonso Ferdinando, the Consigliere of the Vicenzo empire, standing in front of her. Alfonso was the direct advisor to the Don, giving him a rank much higher than her father’s.She was shocked to see him. Why on earth had he had her kidnapped? She hadn't done anything wrong to him unless he was related to Collin, which seemed impossible.Alfonso easily intimidated everyone with his tall frame and cold nature. His word
Alice quickly tore her eyes away from his. Luckily, a cab stopped nearby. She hastily walked towards it and quickly got inside.Zade's eyebrows creased as he watched the strange guy get into the car. His friend, Francesco, came down next and pushed his platinum hair backward."What are you staring at?" Francesco asked Zade, who seemed to be lost in thought."Nothing," Zade said, and he walked into the large building with Francesco behind him.He had been immersed in finding the little thief who had double-crossed him, but it seemed she had vanished into thin air. That was fine, though; he would definitely find her. It was just a matter of time.The workers who passed him kept greeting him, but he never responded. He wore a cold and stoic expression on his face, his aura commanding respect from passersby.He arrived at the front of Enzo's office and entered unannounced, with Francesco behind him."Zade," Enzo called, surprised by his presence in his office."Grandfather," Zade replied
Alice's heart raced even more, and she clenched her fists tightly to snap herself out of her wild imaginations.Zade Vicenzo observed her with keen eyes after he had introduced himself, seemingly waiting for her response. "I am Simone Leonardo, Mr. Vicenzo's bodyguard," she introduced herself."I heard. If you need anything, let me know," Zade smiled warmly, causing a shiver to run down her spine.Alice would have fallen for his charm if she hadn’t encountered him at the hotel. She stared at him warily. Nevertheless, Alice nodded with a faint smile. "It seemed like you were in quite a hurry yesterday," Zade drawled, his intelligent gray eyes fixed on her brown eyes."Yesterday? Ah, yes, I was," Alice replied. Did he remember? Why was he so insistent on tormenting her?"I see." Zade nodded. "We'll be seeing more of each other lately. How about dinner sometime?" he asked.Alice felt a cold sweat trickle down her back and quickly shook her head. "I have a very busy schedule. I'm not s
Zade kicked the door open and frowned at the sight he saw.. The bathroom was completely empty, with no hint of Simone anywhere. It was obviously impossible for him to have disappeared into thin air, so where did he go?Zade shoved his hands into his pockets as his eyes zeroed in on the faint droplet of blood on the floor, and a sinister smirk found its way to his pale lips.Alice walked as fast as her feet could carry her. Her stomach still hurt painfully, but she had to get out of the mansion somehow. Minutes ago, she had called Chiara and explained everything that was happening to her. Chiara, being one of the smartest hackers alive, easily hacked into the CCTV cameras in the mansion and discovered a back door she could use to escape.Alice had the faintest idea of what she would tell Enzo or Zade the next day, but she couldn't let them see her like this, or her cover would be blown. Chiara sent another text, explaining the routes to the back door. She was currently in a dark hallwa
Chapter 7: Under the Mafia's VeilAlice's heart drummed loudly in her ears as she helplessly stared at Collin Marcello—the same man who was after her life and whom she was madly in love with.For a fleeting second, she wanted to run away, as she had always done whenever she saw him. He was the red light in her missions, and she had only encountered him when trying to make her escape. This was the first time she stood in front of him, not as a criminal but as a normal person.He cleared his throat, and she immediately snapped out of her trance. His brown locks were neatly pushed back, but two stubborn strands hovered over his face. Collin was handsome; it was a miracle she was able to tear her eyes away from him."Collin Marcello," he said in a friendly tone, extending his hand. Alice looked down at his outstretched hand, not noticing when he stepped closer to her.Alice composed herself, not wanting to architect her own doom. "Simone Leonardo," she said in her pretend male voice."I kn
Alice clenched her fist tightly as she tried to think straight. She couldn’t possibly strip; she wasn't a man, and she was in a room full of them. Stripping would mean shedding her disguise along with her dignity, and 100 push-ups? Who was she kidding? Her bones would probably break before she reached 50. In summary, Enzo’s punishment was far worse than Zade’s. She had considered quitting and running as far away as possible from Alfonso or getting a new identity, but that idea collapsed when Enzo told her she couldn’t quit. She was now… a suspect.There was only one thing she could do. Alice cleared her throat and turned to face Enzo."I choose to take Zade's offer instead," Alice said in her manly voice. She bowed deeply and quickly headed toward the exit. She opened the door and stifled a gasp when she saw Zade standing right in front of her. She bowed slightly and quickly ran out, reaching her office and shutting the door with a loud bang."Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Alice ran her hands th
Inside a five-star hotel, more than ten police officers ran through the hallway, searching for a criminal. The chase left the hotel in disarray as onlookers watched the scene with anxiety. This wasn’t uncommon in Milan; officers would pop out of nowhere in an attempt to catch the legendary criminal who was always behind a mask. It had been seven years, but every attempt to catch her had been unsuccessful.Alice ran through different halls, taking various turns in the hotel. No doubt, the police were still behind her, but she had given them a significant lead. This wasn’t her first getaway, nor her tenth.Alice checked her backpack to ensure the bars of gold were still inside. There were three large bars, and she knew they would cost a fortune. She zipped the bag and adjusted it on her back properly.Her life would have been easier without Collin Marcello. From what she knew, he worked with the international crime agency and was obsessed with apprehending her. He made all her missions