The Story of Blood and Roses

I was standing in front of the mansion… again. No one stopped me this time.

It was early, too early!

Like the day before, several people were sitting in the huge hall. They seemed unaware of my presence. I wasn't important… yet.

I stood at the entrance of the room and observed quietly. Most of them were in their early twenties and thirties, while some were forty. There was only one—a young boy, who seemed to be the center of attraction. They were teasing him about some girl and hollering when he answered and blushed.

'Sean.'

My phone went off and everyone in the room seemed to jump in surprise. I sighed and looked at the ID.

'Private number.'

"Come into my office," he said sharply and then hung up.

'Asshole.'

I made my way towards his office, without acknowledging anyone else in the room and stopped in front of the door.

"Come in," I heard him say.

I sighed and entered the room. He was sitting on the leather chair with his gun in his hand. He was cleaning his gun as if preparing for some special event.

It seemed like this was the day the newcomer would be welcomed. It was going to be a display of brute power and intelligence. He was going to make sure that I understood how powerful he was.

'Bring it on,' I thought to myself and smiled.

"Good morning, Mia. I hope you slept well last night?" His lips twisted into a smile as he raised an eyebrow at me.

I gave him the blank look I had come to resort to when I didn't want to show my feelings.

I nodded slightly, and he seemed to be pleased.

"We're going to introduce you to the others today." He smiled at me without any malice or amusement in his eyes. There was warmth in his smile that I never thought I would see.

I really couldn't understand him.

Either he was a very good actor and fucking with my mind, or he had a split personality disorder.

He led me back to the hall where the people were still sitting in silence and waiting. They all turned around when they heard us enter. They were all smiling… all except one.

Cienna.

"Everyone!" Anthony shouted. Everyone turned to stare at him as he began speaking, "Welcome Mia to the Murray family. She has passed her tests and now is going to accompany us for a long time."

"But bo—" Cienna was cut off abruptly as Anthony raised his hand.

"She will assist me when we are on ground zero." They all seemed surprised at that.

It was common for someone of my age to join a mob, at twenty-one; I was more than of age to take such decisions. But it was uncommon for a newcomer to have a key position; it took years to gain the trust of the boss and have excellent skills. On the other hand, it took immense manipulation to hold your place and climb up the ladder. The others would try to pull you down like crabs often do. The jealousy and malice was something to be avoided. It seemed as though Anthony had pushed me into the lion's den without informing me.

Accompanying the boss was like winning a lottery for those who cared. It was the position in which you would act like a bodyguard if your boss was weak and a partner if he was strong. It seemed he was giving me the role of his partner.

To say that I was scared would be an understatement. I hadn't planned on becoming so popular within the first few months. It was like my silent promise to Cienna had been fulfilled before time.

"And to top it all, she is going to be replacing our dearest Scott here," he said pleasantly. My head whipped around. I heard gasps. I turned to look at the one I remembered from the day I had been 'interviewed' by Anthony.

I was replacing him? What?

"Boss, what's going on? I don't understand…" Scott trailed off, confusion getting the better of him. He gulped once and stared at the floor.

"Well, didn't Scott tell you all? I planned on sending him on a long vacation. With all the work he's been doing recently, we wouldn't want him to wear out, right?" It felt like you could cut the tension in the room with a knife. It was suffocating.

"A vacation?" Cienna voiced.

I had never heard of someone on the mob getting a vacation; it was work twenty-four seven!

"Yes. Why don't we all sit down and I'll explain?" Anthony smiled. There was a wicked glint in his eyes.

Anthony led me towards the open bar, pulling Scott with him. My curiosity was growing.

'How does this man work?'

"Someone bring Scott a chair!" A man in the corner stood up and brought in a chair. "Sit down," he ordered. Scott gulped again and sat down. Anthony sat down on the bar table and put his legs on the edge of the chair. "Now most of you must be wondering what all this is about. Yes, Scott is going to go on a very long vacation. Know why?" No one answered. "Scott has consistently done a great job!" he exclaimed.

Scott was fidgeting like a child who had been caught stealing.

"Don't get nervous," Anthony told him.

'Oh, no.'

"Why don't you tell them what you have been up to?" Anthony's voice was low. His eyes grew darker as he waited for the reply.

"Boss—"

"He's an informer. He's been stealing from us. Now… what should we do to him?" Anthony put his leg on Scott's thighs roughly, making him yelp. He slid off from the bar and walked around it to pull out a bottle of whiskey.

He poured himself a glass, his eyes still trained on Scott—his prey. Scott on the other hand, sat unmoving, waiting for Anthony's wrath.

It never came.

I watch him in wonder as he calmly downed the whiskey and then poured himself another glass. The room was silent, everyone was observing him. Anthony didn't react as most would have. Most people in this world would have just killed the bastard already, but no, not him. He had to do everything differently. He had to be intriguing.

He sat down on the counter and placed his foot on Scott's thigh, again. He looked at me curiously and then a wicked smile overtook his features.

"Why don't you introduce yourself?" he asked with amusement. My eyes traveled to Scott again. He was squirming in his chair, playing with his fingers nervously, probably hoping he would have an easy death.

I didn't think that was possible. Anthony seemed too calm to put an end to the scene too soon.

He waved his hand for me to proceed and I sighed deeply. He was building the tension so that the end would be more shocking to the onlookers.

"My name is Mia, and I'm the newest member of the family," I said in a monotone.

People furrowed their eyes and frowned at my brief introduction. I didn't understand what they would want to know. They wouldn't want me to tell them the tale of my life, would they?

I almost rolled my eyes.

Anthony gave me an incredulous look. I might have given him a look which said 'what-the-fuck-is-your-problem'. He chuckled quietly, shaking his head.

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