GINEVRA
The longer you danced with the devil, the longer your stay in hell would be.I had danced with the devil way too long for comfort and I’ve had to endure the hell that came with that dance.Here’s the thing, in the mafia, only one thing was held at extreme value—the code of silence. Omertà.You could be as ambitious as you wanted, you could do whatever it took to achieve great heights and none would blink an eye as long as the code of silence sworn to your famiglia stayed unbroken.So, when I became a part of the Rodriguez famiglia, I made sure to become as greedy as I desired. I chased wealth, money, fame, power and I chased it with every drop of my blood, sweat and tears.Great difficulties did I face but many times, I made sure to scale through those difficulties—I was always victorious.And today, I had once again walked another milestone. Gained another victory.La famiglia was headed by Dario Rodriguez, a man who held so much power, in politics, in the world of crime as well as in business—legal business.He owned half the country.From him, I learnt to be ambitious. To be greedy, to deal without mercy, to rid myself of any unneeded emotions, to disassociate myself from a word as useless as peace—to be a wicked entity.I became like him. A difficult task but I excelled. I became so ambitious and greedy for power that when I sensed his need for a successor—someone to take his place following his retirement, I pined for his throne.Disregarding the fact that the old man had three biological kids of his own, I pined for his throne as though my life depended on it.Of course my life depended on the power that throne would provide me with. I needed that power.As hotheaded as mio padre—Dario Rodriguez—was, he was a man with a great sense of reasoning. Always so put together, reasonable and didn’t act out on impulse no matter the situation. I mirrored him, became every thing he desired, possessed all the qualities he desperately needed to see in the person who’d succeed him.So when it came down to making his pick, he overlooked his natural heir, his son—my brother Gustavo and named me the new head of the Rodriguez famiglia.Ginevra Rodriguez had achieved the power she desired but it came with a price.A price I paid, a price that left me battling both physical and emotional scars. A price that made me question if it was all worth it.I lost and I lost over and over and over again because Dario Rodriguez was not a man who handed anything to anyone without taking from them.And now, I was at the verge of losing again.I was a fool to think that the throne was handed to me because my abilities were recognized, but that was not the case.Dario was playing a game, a game of blood and bones, a game of war and I was his soldier on the frontline of that war.I was a pawn in his game. Which was exactly why three days after I was sworn in as the head of La famiglia, a meeting with the head of the Sanchez famiglia was scheduled to hold in about a few minutes.The meeting was barely a friendly one, it was one scheduled for a difficult decision to be made. One that was either going to be my doom or one that was going to make me the most famous woman that had ever headed the Mafia.The quietness and calmness of my spacious office was disrupted when the door was thrown open, a man just around my age strutting in gloriously.A better part of his face was shielded with a black mask made out of soft wool. It was a thing of discomfort, being in an enclosed space with a stranger whose face was almost completely covered—but as soon as his fiery aura engulfed me, I quickly forgot about his face.His eyes were as blue as the ocean, the immaculate irises calling out to me like a siren and like a fool, I answered his call. I lost myself to the beauty of the glorious man standing on the other side of my table.But there was a look in his eyes, a look that could almost be interpreted as distaste. Brows raised, eyes narrowed and by the movement around his chin, I could’ve sworn his jaw was ticking in irritation. He stared like a predator catching up on his prey.As much as the man’s stare unnerved me, the act had prompted the appearance of a ghostly smile against my lips because deep down in my core, I knew it was him—the fire that would eventually burn me to ashes. I knew this man was going to be my doom and I was willing to embrace that doom with opened arms.Silently, I raised a brow, indicating that his presence confused me seeing how he was a stranger who just barged into my space like he owned the place.With an outstretched hand, his deep, rough voice reverberated. “I’m Ghost.”I took his hand, shaking him professionally but startling at how small my hand was compared to his. “Ghost?” I repeated and he hummed a response.“A messenger for the Sanchez’s.”I immediately withdrew my hand from him with a snare. “My meeting was scheduled with the head of your famiglia.” Again, he hummed a response as he threw himself on the couch with a sigh.What level of unprofessionalism was this? My brows raised as if to ask the question but my words suddenly couldn’t make it out.He chuckled, the kind that sounded as though he was mocking my inability to exert authority on him. “Don Luigi is unable to make it to this meeting today, but as far as I’m here, do consider me the Don. The outcome of this meeting is after all dependent on the decision I make here today.”I nodded in understanding.There was a rumor that an agreement was made between the Sanchez’s and the Rodriguez’s, an agreement that any henchman belonging to either party who was unfortunate to be caught alive in any circumstance, be it war or breach of territory, was to be delivered alive to the famiglia he belonged to, and could only be punished by his own and that was why we sat there in that meeting.A Sanchez henchman was caught distributing their product—at a cheaper rate—in the east of our territory.That was one crime that couldn’t ever be forgiven in the world of crime, hence, my father’s refusal to release him to his people. A refusal that had stirred up a misunderstanding between both families.With a clear of my throat, I began. “About the man, after going through a series of meetings with the people at the top, a decision was reached.”Ghost had leaned forward by the time I finished speaking, his brows raised impatiently as he tapped his fingers away on his thigh. “And?”“We have a few conditions,” my voice wavered. “A condition that might not sit well with you.”Impatience danced in his eyes more vigorously this time as though he sensed where my rambling was headed.I gulped down the lump forming in my throat and continued speaking. “You give up the products he was caught with, including all the money he made; and we want to get 20% of your sales profit from the west of your territory for a month.”There it was, the darkness I had sensed around the man surfacing. Laughter rippled out of him at my request. Throat bobbing, hands balled into tight fists and the underside of his shoes tapping against the floor.Minutes after minutes, seconds after seconds and all Ghost did was laugh. In mockery, in rage, in fascination, loathe perhaps. But all he did was laugh stupidly at my idiocy and I sat through the torture of the disturbing frequency eliciting his throat.“Greedy ass bitch.” He finally recollected himself and cursed, causing my eyes to widen.“Don’t be mouthy, Ghost.” I gritted through clenched teeth. “A person of your status has no business sitting in a meeting with me and definitely has no business cursing at me.”Again, laughter bubbled out of him. This time his hate towards me too glaring not to be noticed. His laughter died down and something immediately shifted in the room, causing the temperature in the office to drop.His voice hoarse when he asked. “My status? What do you know of my status?”“You’re just a messenger.”He hummed in agreement. “Yes, I am.”“And I am the head of my family.”“Yes, you are.” He agreed. “And yet, you have no power. To all of those greedy men, you’re just a pretty face occupying a vacant seat and that is all you’ll ever be to the people in this so called family of yours.” He rasped, rising to his feet.My blood boiled with venomous rage because in the back of my head, I knew his words were not far from the truth.I was nothing but a pretty face and a sound mind. A strategic and business oriented persona, that was all I was.The man continued speaking. “In case no one had informed you, in the mafia, all a woman could ever be offered is a seat at the table and from where I stand, without power, that seat is just as useless as a mad man roaming the streets. A smart woman would make a move to chase power instead of a seat at the table but you wouldn’t know, you’re not so smart after all.”“Ghost!” I screamed, enraged.“What?!” He retorted. “You must be a really delusional bitch to think I’d give up even a dime for a mere servant that could easily be replaced. He’s better off in your custody, but I warn you, if you don’t make a deal and I walk out that door all hell will break lose on you. I’ll make sure you lose approximately everything you demanded from me here today, I’ll tear you apart until you’re crawling on your knees and begging me to stop.” He growled and I firmly held unto the hem of my coat in fear.“It’s not your decision to make.” I breathed, hoping to change the direction in which this meeting was headed.He chuckled. “When I was sent here as a representative, I was handed the power to do as I pleased, so news flash, it is my decision to make and I’m seconds away from making that decision.”My eyes relaxed on his, a ghostly smile playing at my lips as I spoke in a monotone. “Go ahead and tear me down, I’d love to see you try.”“I wish I could say that it was nice meeting you miss. Rodriguez.”Those were his last words before he stormed out of my office.Those were his last words that left me on the edge of insanity for hours after he had walked out my door.His name was embedded in my head. His eyes taunted me as I waited for the war I had signed off on. His voice of mockery was all that rang in my head for hours.And it only took hours before he began to keep all the promises he had made earlier. He threw me the first punch—a heavy punch that almost knocked me flat out.How could Ghost, a man who had introduced himself as a mere messenger sent to stand as a representative for the head of Sanchez famiglia hold so much power that it only took a few hours before he had different enterprises of mine set ablaze?Who was he?What value was he to the Sanchez’s that he had the authority to make such decisions that ended in war?I was at a crossroads. Just three days into becoming the boss and I’d almost lost my life one too many times. This was what Dario wanted. He threw me into the lion’s den and left me for the ruin.A war that I least expected but was now fighting, a war I was inexperienced in but my opponent happened to be a master of and I was just left to survive through it all.All alone.And there we had it, a war between the two biggest names in the Italian underworld. A war the whole underworld longed to watch and now, there had the pleasure of watching us tear each other apart. They all watched us in amusement whilst waiting to declare a victor.The founders of these names never had it as brutal as this but there we were, the young bloods, hungry for blood and willing to do anything to get it, going at each other’s throat for the kill.Worst thing for me, I had never taken a life before and I planned not to until I was ready to wipe Dario and his entire family out from the face of this earth.GINEVRA I had never imagined the level of difficulty to be faced with whilst initiating peace after trouble had been stirred up. In the underworld, trouble was easy, but peace and settlement were the most prominent stumbling blocks ever to be faced. That was the reason a lot of families fell out a lot of times and made sure to burn themselves to the ground.There was no room for peace.That was beginning to seem like my case with the Sanchez’s.A meeting that was held and concluded in less than an hour, a meeting that a few words were said, a meeting that held a lot of unforeseen promises, a meeting that was merely two individuals of the same age group stroking each other’s ego—in a bad way.That meeting had resulted into something far worse than the most talked about and feared Armageddon.Days had turned into weeks, weeks into months and yet, the Rodriguez’s and Sanchez’s were yet to find common ground. Both parties at a loss of money, products and lots of lives, and yet, we remain
GINEVRA When I was bought and brought to be groomed as a part of Dario Rodriguez’s family, my life had immediately taken a turn for the worst.It was a hassle, growing up in his Godforsaken estate. The house was so beautiful and eye catching on the outside but on the inside, the people who dwelt in it made it a hell hole.Dario Rodriguez’s children loathed me, especially his eldest and only son—Gustavo.The boy detested me so much and wouldn’t hold himself back from physically harming me whenever he had the opportunity to, and whenever he set his eyes upon me.One day, whilst I was being tortured by my brother dearest, the door had swung open and the most beautiful middle aged woman I had ever seen swaggered in with a huge smile.And when he eyes landed on my tiny figure curled up into a ball on the floor, her smile had dropped at the speed of lightening.She came close, held my hand, picked me up and held me to herself. She soothed me. And for the first time since I joined the Rodrig
RICARDO Ariana Viktor Advik was dead.I was to be happy. I was supposed to be extremely happy, ecstatic, elated, grateful—but I wasn’t. Why? Her death was too easy.She wasn’t supposed to die such a peaceful death after wrecking havoc in my own life.She didn’t deserve a simple death.For me, there was always a fine line between hating a person and just not liking them. But when it came to that conniving bitch, Ariana, I hated her with all that I was.I loathed her existence to a point where I began fantasizing her death.She had taken something from me, something of great value, and I couldn’t ever forgive it.God, I desired to be her punisher. I desired to be the one who watched her breathe her last, but I had to be careful.She was the daughter of a man whom I’d never make a mistake of crossing. The Godfather of Russia—Viktor Nikolai Advik.They were only a few people whom I feared, and that dreadful man was on the top of that list. I had to be careful with him no matter what I di
GINEVRA Sometimes, I wondered how many raptures I had missed. I’d sit in my room and hear about all the massacres, the genocides, volcanic eruptions, suicides, homosides, and every natural and unatural causes of death—and I’d ask myself, was it rapture for the victims?Rapture had after all been painted that way in my head—a few would be taken, and those undeserving would be left behind.Why was I always left behind?365 days in a year, millions out of billions of people would cross over to the other side, they’d get their rapture—but me, was I unrapturable? Had I done something wrong? What was it about me that had death spitting me out? I asked these questions because at the end of the day, I desired to be raptured.I wanted to be raptured.Why was I still breathing? The thought had popped into my head as my eyes shot open. The thought popped into my head in between the pain and muscle spasms I felt.Through the strong odor of alcohol swabs. Everything was a little blurry, but I c
GINEVRA My hair in a messy bun, an all black two piece sweat pant and shirt was all I adorned myself by. Today was not an official day, today was the day I would feast on blood, today was the day I was going to let the monster that had relentlessly clawed at my soul have a taste of what it had been yearning for.Today was the day I was going to leave my mark, and gain myself a lasting reputation and respect in both my clan and all of the crime families in Cosa Nostra.In the world of crime, women were almost never taken seriously—young, vibrant women like myself especially. We were bred to become wives and mothers, we were used as tools to initiate peace treaties between rival families.We were regarded as nothing but princesses with pretty faces, nice bodies, and a good pussy.But I wanted nothing to do with that absurd arrangement. I wanted more. I had always desired to be more than a princess.And when I was declared and sworn in as the head of my clan, a lot of Capo’s expressed
GINEVRAFear had erupted deep in my soul.With every click of my heels against the floor, came fear.With every rattle of chains, came fear.With every strained whimper, came fear.I trembled tremendously as I walked through the tunnel-like structure leading into the holding cell where Maxwell was held captive.Cold shivers coursed through my bloodstreams as I had a recollection of about a week ago, when I was in the same situation as Maxwell. I was held hostage by the same man, I was familiar with that evil smirk plastered across his lips, I was familiar with the stench of blood and human feces, I was familiar with the smoke from his burning cigar, I was familiar with those chains, and I was familiar with the fear in Maxwell’s eyes.But I wasn’t familiar with the way my heart almost leaped with joy at the suffering of another.I was unfamiliar with the way my adrenaline pumped.A few hours ago when Maxwell was delivered to the Pakhan during the procession of his daughter’s funeral, t
GINEVRA When I told my father that helping his son escape Don Viktor’s wrath came with a price, he had imagined that price to be money.It was after all what the average human pined after—money.But for me, money was not an issue. Julia left me a shit ton.So, when I had demanded that ownership of the Rodriguez group of companies be passed down to me, it caused a stir of trouble in the Rodriguez home.Gustavo came at me, Sophia Rodriguez—my mamá—came at me, and my eldest sister came at me.Selfish.Insensitive.Greedy.Fool.Wicked.They had all called me names, slapped me across the face even. And all I did was wear a smile. I wore a smile with pride and sat there until their ranting died down.Mio padre knew, he knew there was no way out of the mess his son had caused him. So, when his extremely loud family had the decency to keep their tongue at bay, he simply got the documents ready and his companies were transferred under my name.It took hours, but I waited. I had no issue wait
GINEVRA The day of the hijack.“Padre Nostro, che sei nei cieli, sia santificato il tuo nome.”My shoulders slumped. “Venga il tuo regno, sia fatta la tua volontá.”My knees burnt against the ground as I had been kneeling for too long. “Come in cielo, così in terra.”The metal rosary dug into my palm, drawing blood. “Dacci oggi il nostro pane quotidiano.”I shook. “E rimetti a noi i nostri debiti.”I quaked. “Come noi li rimettiamo ai nostri debitori.”I feared the unforeseen. “E non ci indurre in tentazione.”I murmured to myself. “Ma liberaci dal male.”I begged for redemption—a chance to be saved. A chance to walk away from this unscathed. “Amen.”I rose to my full height, swallowing the lump in my throat, firmly holding on to my last string of courage.Walking out of my room, energy surged through me, adrenaline pumped, I became more resolved—more determined to emerge a winner in my conquest.Seven days had rolled by quicker than I had anticipated, and today, after so many