***Upper East Side, New YorkAlessandraThe car was parked at the driveway, prompting one of the available guards posted at the entrance to make his way to it and open my door."You can get out now. I have business to attend to."Draken's words were cold, dismissive and certainly out of character for him. Whereas he wasn't a very expressive individual, I had grown used to his ocassional jokes and the rare glimpses into his true emotions through the barely-there smiles and smart comments. Is he mad because of what happened at the funeral? Was he embarassed by the remarks made by Lucia? Does he feel disappointed that he didn't get to make his grand entrance like he wanted to?Every single speculation about why he could possibly be in such a bad mood irked and annoyed me. He had no right to be angry, not when my family had suffered the brunt of the shame and embarassment from Lucia's spiel.If anyone should be pissed the hell off, its me. I'm the one she came after...We had barely spok

***Brooklyn, New YorkDrakenI took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as I glanced out of the window at the building before me. Within were the pioneers of the Criminal Underground. The old and new generation, gathered so as to discuss the fate of one of their own."I'm surprised they picked Brooklyn again this time. They usually don't repeat a location on these meet ups. The security must be insane."Ioann commented, a small frown on his lips as he also took in the building before us.The Mafia Men of our world did not conform to schedules or habits. They were a cautious bunch, a necessary skill if one is to survive in this bloody world we live in. They didn't like to take chances, give anyone ideas that would result in any sort of altercation.They liked to keep things on the down low as much as possible. Reduce attention on them from anyone that is not of our world. A reasonable undertaking for those who worked in the shadows and thrived off of them.Exposure was not an option.

** Brooklyn, New York Draken I pocketed my phone, acutely aware of everyone's eyes on me. Ioann chuckled silently beside me as he shook his head, clearly amused by my ability to stun every single person in this room. Being able to hold that kind of power and attention, no matter the nature of the situation, still confirmed what we already knew. We had piqued every single person here's interest. They are within my bubble now and I will make sure some of them never leave... "Pardon the interruption. I'm afraid my wife required my attention for a moment. You know how it is...newly wedded bliss and all. Please do go on, Don Rinaldi." I made sure that my gaze was solely trained on the man I had come to enjoy pissing off. Emilio Romano watched me with a neutral expression, seemingly fooling everyone else in this room but not me. I could see the restrained rage deep in his gaze. He was barely holding onto his anger, trying hard to fight it because it wasn't supposed to be there in the

*** Upper East Side, New York Alessandra "Yes, place it right there please. Thank you." A sacharrine sweet smile graced my lips as my husband's men went about placing everything I had purchased in its place. I was excited, ready to literally jump outside my body at how perfectly my plan was coming together. This was everything that I wanted and so much more and the reactions from all around were cementing my decision even further. Whereas the guards placing every purchased item in place looked more so confused, I focused on Frances and Vladmir's reactions. The two men looked literally sick to their stomachs, almost as if they would pass out at any given moment. Faces pale, eyes darting between my ridiculous purchases and the location each of them was going to and my sweet smile, they seemed to be on the verge of a heartattack. "You really are stubborn as hell. I do hope that Mr. Zolotov spares you. I have come to quite like your company." Frances murmured when I stepped over to

*** Upper East Side, New York Alessandra The nightmare assailed me, its ruthless claws digging deep into my sub conscious as I felt the fear poison my veins. It had been a blissful four months since I had the displeasure of experiencing the familiar and unpleasant peak of my heartbeat and the swirl of darkness that seemed to chill my body to the bone. I was back in the usual dark hallway, the flickering light up ahead doing nothing to illuminate the space that seemed to stretch for miles but I knew well enough that that wasn't the case. I couldn't quite see it due to the poor lighting but I knew it was there. My entire body knew the damn thing was there. A red door. I was shaking, not only from fear but also from a bone chilling cold that could only be described as inhuman. It was the weirdest mix of emotions, chilling cold on the outside whereas my insides felt like they were melting under the pressure of the dread that coursed through me as I looked towards the menacing door th