ROSALINA'S POV I waltzed into the crowded cafeteria with two cold lattes in my hands, scanning the room for Selena. She said she would wait for me. That was when I spotted her with Tristan at the corner booth. Tristan was in tears as he practically begged for Selena's forgiveness. The audacity. "Such a loser," Elizabetta muttered as she stood beside me. "I know, right?" Isabella said, crossing her arms to her chest. I couldn't believe he had the nerve to show up here after cheating on Selena with the whole cheerleading squad, let alone ask for forgiveness. Selena looked like she wanted to crawl under the table and hide from the embarrassment Tristan was giving her. He was making a fucking scene so Selena would give in. Like hell, that was happening. "Please, Sel! Take me back!" Tristan dropped to his knees and hugged Selena's waist. "I won't do it again. I promise. I love you!" No, he didn't. His career was ruined for good and knew no other girl would want to commit to him after

LEONARDO'S POVThe workshop owned by Pablo resembled a dimly lit cave, where the walls were adorned with various tools and shelves were stacked with sections of guns. An acrid scent of gunpowder and gun oil lingered heavily in the air. The workbenches were covered with disorganized tools and components, while the floor was blanketed with sawdust and brass casings. It was like standing in a museum of deadly weapons and I loved this place.Pablo, the gunsmith was a gruff-looking man with a thick beard who greeted me with a nod as I approached. He motioned towards a table where several guns were laid out haphazardly."These are the ones that have been tampered with," he said, his voice gruff. "Go ahead and test them out yourself to see if they're workin'." I picked up one of the Kalashnikov and examined it closely, a smirk forming on my lips.The weapon had been disassembled and reassembled, but it still seemed to be in good functioning condition again after Alessandro messed it up and

ROSALINA'S POVThis was torture. I was tired of hearing after 'how in love' Selena was with Leonardo. It was unbelievable how fast she moved on from the man she claimed to have loved for three years to someone she went on just three dates with."Leo is the ideal boyfriend!" Selena exclaimed, her eyes clouded with a pink, dreamy mist as she sighed. "The most open-minded, chill guy I've ever met and he was the best sex I've ever--""Enough!" I snapped, feeling like hurling my latte to the damn wall. "If I hear you gushing about how 'amazing' his dick was one more fucking time, I'm going to burst like a piñata at a wild party!"Selena's eyes widened in shock at my outburst."I'm sorry, Selena--" I cut myself off, taking a sharp breath through my gritted teeth. "But I can't take it anymore. I can't stand here and listen to you talk about Leonardo like he's the greatest thing since sliced bread. You barely know him, Selena. You're just infatuated with him because he's new and exciting. But

ROSALINA'S POV"I Got You Under My Skin" by Frank Sinatra played on my Nonna's beloved radio as I placed the porcelain plates and silverware on the long patio table. I never actually caught a glimpse of Lily's fiancé. As it turns out, he had visited our home earlier, but I wasn't present as I had left for my dance rehearsal. According to Sebas, Vincenzo Salvadori used to be the capo regime before becoming the "Boss" or "Capofamiglia" after Elena Salvadori, the Godmother, passed away.I had never seen that woman in my life, but suddenly I had grown respect for her. I mean, she single-handedly controlled the whole family like some Queen Bee. A Godmother was unheard-of in our world because they never trusted women with positions of power. I wondered what sort of a person she was.As Leonardo made his entrance at the table, clad in a pristine white shirt that accentuated his toned chest, along with tan pants and dress shoes, I stood out in a pink, sleeveless crop top that hugged my curves

ROSALINA'S POVThe reason I hated this life was not because of how men killed each other without a second thought, but it was the apathy toward taking a life that bothered me. I hated to admit this, but I had turned numb to murders and killings, so much so that I could binge-watch serial killer movies without getting uncomfortable. I even found it more entertaining than a rom-com.Maybe it was because my first witness to murder was at the age of six when Papa shot a man inside the basement. That image had burned into my mind and stuck with me ever since. I was shocked at first, disgusted even, but I came to accept it little by little. That my Papa was a killer.For someone not familiar with our world, what we saw as normal would likely have seemed like a crime thriller to them. This was because the La Cosa Nostra operated in a manner where we may have appeared as a blameless, white-picket-fence family on the outside, but in reality, we only reached the top by using our enemies' corpse