Family they say is everything, but when Alexandra "Lex" Dellarosa's family is compelled to sell her off to a mysterious buyer who turns out to be a ruthless Mafia Boss, Alfredo "The Butcher" Fabri, she's torn between her duty to her family and her quest for freedom. As the paths of these duo cross once again, long buried secrets are unearthed, Hearts are broken and Lives are taken as they navigate their way through the ruthless world of organized crime, family, loyalty and cultural tradition.
Alfredo Fabri POV
As you might already know, I am Alfredo Fabri.
Within the Family, I simply go by Fabri, but outside the Family, they call me "The Butcher".
Why, you ask?. Well, if you stick around long enough, then you might just find out.
All my life, I've always been second.
Second this, second that, and currently I am Sottocapo, ranking as the second to the Boss of the Colombo Family. I know, it sucks, but that's reality.
A street riff raff once called me "second to none" once. Unfortunately for him, he neither knew my history nor how much I've grown to detest the word. I didn't ask him what he actually meant by that, and I can't do that now either, because he no longer resides on planet earth.
È finita (it is finished). Yes, he is dead. I know right, How did that happen?
What have I done about changing the condition of things, you say? Well, I've fought tooth and nail and I've gone lengths to conquer beasts and the likes of them with my very bare hand.
You don't believe me now, do you?Well your answer doesn't matter, you can see for yourself.
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"Lil Joe,you feel so big now don't you?"
The Don, Paolo Romano's voice rang across the rooms of the Colombo's family's Palatial. It didn't require a soothsayer to tell the members that Paolo, "The Jackal" as he was notoriously known as, was furiously mad.
It had for weeks now become a trait that seemed unavoidable to the residents of the Family, and in all honesty, it was becoming hella annoying in here.
Paolo spoke to no one besides the Consigliere, Marco and I, the Underboss about the mess we had going on with Lil Joe.
"When do I get my money?, you're messing with the wrong Dog, Joe, I'm certain you're aware" He continued, honing out flames from the bellows of his mouth.
It was popular opinion that "The Jackal" wasn't one to be messed with, and anyone who had an outstanding business with him, made no mistakes to leave it pending. But Lil Joe, an associate of the Colombo's had overnight seemed to grow some wings, and had gone rogue with The Don's money. Rumor had it that he had sworn an oath of loyalty to the Gambino's.
You see, in this line of business, Loyalty for your family is a valued commodity. It is an unspoken notion but it is loud enough for anyone with two ears to hear.
"Don't hang up on me Lil Joe, Dont-" The look on the Don's face expressed his shock. He needn't say another word Lil Joe had hung up on Paolo. In that moment, I guessed that we all had for a flash moment pondered over the guts Lil Joe had seemed to acquire.
"That lil piece of crap!!!" The Don went on cursing as he rummaged the room with his unsure pacing.
"I told you not to associate directly with Lil Joe, it just speaks so lowly of what you've become." I said as I took a long sip from the cup of coffee I had in hand while everything played out.
"With all due respect" I added as Paolo flashed a death glare towards my direction as if to question the temerity of my statement.
"All I'm saying is this, What would the Family say when they find out that the Don got duped by an associate?" I continued, letting out a sarcastic chuckle.
"Watch it Fabri" Marco flashed
"With all due respect" I added again, gesturing with both arms in the air to signify that I meant no harm.
"Look Marco, I am simply trying to be plain here, void of sentiment. The Don has nothing to talk about with a mere associate but again Sentiment was brought Lil Joe into the picture and here's the result"
"I had voiced my opinions against assigning Lil Joe with a task that huge, but then again, I'm not Consigliere, so my opinions hold on weight when they're in direct contrast to yours Marco" I added in a breath, flashing a glance towards Marco's direction.
"But you have to admit, at times I give way better advice than you do. Because now, had it been my words were taken for it, we'd have kept Lil Joe put, in his place, and we'd still have our frickin $30,00 in the bag" I finished, my voice over the top this time.
"Don't you put that on me-"
" Stop it!" Paolo lashed out, cutting Marco off, banging his hands against the sleek boards of the table. I could have sworn that they didn't get off scarred.
"What's been done has been done"
"And you're right Fabri, Lil Joe could have been kept in his place and he still can!" Paolo added, a glint flashing in his eyes.
"What do you mean Still Can? Lil Joe's apparently under the umbrella of them disgusting Gambino's. How he got in, I don't know, but I do know he's got some coverage" I said, letting down my cup of coffee.
"I think we should break the news to the Family. Marco, I suggest you take the blame for this. You are Consigliere for a reason and you can come up with something. It seems like the only resolution at this point, and it'd give us some leverage because now we can work together to get the money back" I let out , directing my glance towards Marco.
"What do you mean take the blame for it?" Marco added, unable to hide his disapproval to all I had just said.
"You heard me right Marco, You're Consigliere, this is where you step in, make sure everything falls in place, protect the best interest of the Don" I spewed, but the expression on Marco's face signified that he wasn't having any of it and he'd give anything to leave the room that instant.
"Why don't you take the fall for it?" He said, fondling with both of his hands as he spoke.
In all Honesty, it was a funny sight. The thing about Consigliere, tough as they seem, loyal as they might be, rationale and smart as they portray themselves to be, in there somewhere, there's just a self will that does nothing but think about themselves. A little heat, and you'd see them crack under the intensity.
Despite undergoing the ceremonial oath of loyalty with the saints, there's still a remnant of self will that fights the bulk of loyalty attained. It's the basic concept of being a Human.
"Stay in your lane, Marco," I warned.
"I'll be back, I need to go take care of something" Paolo said, cutting in abruptly, reaching for the pistol beneath the table's drawer and tucking it into the length of his pocket.
We'd suggested tagging along, but he stopped us from doing so. He was most definitely annoyed by the back and forth between me and Marco, but we never did get an opportunity to apologize, because that was the last we saw of him.
Dead or alive we are yet to find out.
Lyric had spent her life being hated. Bullied for her scarred face and hated by everyone-including her own mate-she was always told she was ugly. Her mate only kept her around to gain territory, and the moment he got what he wanted, he rejected her, leaving her broken and alone. Then, she met him. The first man to call her beautiful. The first man to show her what it felt like to be loved. It was only one night, but it changed everything. For Lyric, he was a saint, a savior. For him, she was the only woman that had ever made him cum in bed-a problem he had been battling for years. Lyric thought her life would finally be different, but like everyone else in her life, he lied. And when she found out who he really was, she realized he wasn't just dangerous-he was the kind of man you don't escape from. Lyric wanted to run. She wanted freedom. But she desired to navigate her way and take back her respect, to rise above the ashes. Eventually, she was forced into a dark world she didn't wish to get involved with.
After two years of marriage, Kristian dropped a bombshell. "She's back. Let's get divorced. Name your price." Freya didn't argue. She just smiled and made her demands. "I want your most expensive supercar." "Okay." "The villa on the outskirts." "Sure." "And half of the billions we made together." Kristian froze. "Come again?" He thought she was ordinary—but Freya was the genius behind their fortune. And now that she'd gone, he'd do anything to win her back.
"Is it considered betrayal to develop feelings for your best friend's boyfriend? What about when fate intervenes, and he turns out to be your destined mate? You might think it's luck and thank the moon goddess for such a twist of fate. That's what I believed until the love of my life uttered those dreaded words: 'I want a divorce!' As I stared at the pregnancy test in my hands, I realized it was better to keep my secret to myself. My name is Violet, and this is my story."
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
Kara Martin was known as Miss Perfect. She was a beauty with good personality and successful career. Unfortunately, her life changed at one night. She was accused of adultery, losing her job, and abandoned by her fiance. The arrogant man who slept with her did not want to take responsibility. He even threatened to kill her if they met again. What's worse, Kara was pregnant with twins and she chose to give birth to them. Four and a half years later, Kara returned to work at a large company. As the secretary, she would frequently face their notorious CEO. Kara thought it wouldn't be a problem, but as it turned out ... the CEO was the father of the twins!
P-please, I beg you. Come let's go tell Christian I had no hand in whatever happened, p-please." I clutched the lapel of his jacket desperately. "Let's go. You need to tell my husband you were paid." "Young lady, you're harassing me." His tone was cold and his stare granite. But I could care less. "You harassed me first! You had sex with me without my consent, my husband knows and now I'm pregnant with this child he doesn't want. You ruined my marriage! I-I hate you!" ************************************ Caught by her husband with another man on their matrimonial bed the morning after her birthday, Hailey Codza could not defend herself. As though it's not enough, she gets pregnant. Her enraged husband decides to pay her back for her infidelity by having an affair with his ex-girlfriend - Denise Kellers, the family Hailey never knew she had. Losing her family's wealth and company to her husband and his ex (now girlfriend), she is devastated, homeless and penniless as all her credit cards are blocked by her husband. She sees the man who is responsible for her pregnancy. The man she has no idea how he'd found his way to her matrimonial bed - Jared Johnson. Jared is annoyed when this strange woman disrupts his meeting and accuses him of ruining her life, marriage and impregnating her. It affects his business deals and having no choice, he marries her to calm the public whilst engaged to someone else. But he loathes her and allows his family treats her badly. Hailey who has fallen in love with Jared is broken when she can no longer take the humiliation. She signs the divorce papers and leaves, only to arrive six years later to the country as a self-made, secret billionaire and a mother of twins. Now her two ex-husbands are begging to have her back...