REGINA NERA (Black Queen)

7. Regina

"Gentlemen, you're up early. I hope you came prepared. The chilly morning air can be detrimental to your health" I quip walking past them. It's nine in the morning but I'm ready for this day to be over. Dealing with underbosses who happen to be part of the family is tiring. I know how the mafioso values family but I'd rather have men who have earned the position instead of entitled assholes who are always trying to bring me down. Especially if said assholes are related to me. Distant relatives but still relatives.

"Despite our age, we are strong Regina. And if by any chance something happens to us, our sons can take our places so don't you worry your pretty head" Rinaldo says. I think in his brain, he still thinks there's a chance for them to dethrone me and have one of their dumb sons as the head of the organization. How I wish I could let those morons take over so as to prove to their fathers how stupid they are. I make them more money every year, always filling their banks while they're busy burying their shriveling d***s in whores but they still have the nerve to complain. One of these days I'll get tired of tolerating them and cut off their tongues.

"I assure you, Liberi" I use his last name so he'll understand we're not close and he doesn't get to call me by my first name "This pretty head has no space for anything or anyone that doesn't make me money" before he opens his mouth again, I move to where the new guys are and stop in front of them. There are fifteen men in total, including four fuckboys that I'm sure would rather be anywhere else than here. They look hungover. Santo, Enrico, Gianni and Orlando. Sons of Rinaldo, Goffredo, Martino, and Ruggiero respectively. This is their third attempt at getting initiated into the organization and I know without a doubt they will fail.

Instead of hiring men blindly and expecting them to naturally be skilled, I put them through a few tests first. Picking out the strongest and cleverest. This way, I don't have to deal with f**k ups. Being quick on your feet comes in handy especially when the cops come sniffing around. Those four princesses never make it past the first test. I don't know why their fathers continue to be delusional.

"Find yourself a partner," I say knowing only the dumb ones will pick a friend or someone they're close to. The quadruplets don't disappoint me. Santo throws a hand over Enrico's shoulders while Gianni fist-bumps Orlando. One guy doesn't have a partner so I tell Tobia to pair with him. He's going to love what I have in mind "Great. Only half of you will pass the test"

"How do you know that?" Enrico asks "We could surprise you, Regina. We came... Ow, what the f**k?"

"It's Signora Vincelli to all you" Tobia growls in his face. From the corner of my eye, I see Goffredo flex his fingers. As if he can do anything to my men. There's a rule in Iron Hill. Only I get to enter with my bodyguards. The rest stay outside or no one comes in. Everyone in sight works for me and if he so much as sneezes the wrong way, he'll be thrown out. These are the rules I put in place after I took over as the boss. A lot of people didn't like them and they've long stopped coming here. But while some got over it, these four didn't. Hence their insistence on forcing their sons to work for me. They want to plant spies around me but they forget that being a woman doesn't mean I'm stupid.

"The test today is simple. Knock your partner unconscious and you're in"

Five, four, three...

"Are you serious?" Gianni bellows "You want us to fight each other?"

"I don't care if you fight to the death or not. I only want to see one of you standing. But Gianni darling, you can tap out if everything gets too much. We wouldn't want to ruin your pretty face now. Would we?"

"Really?" He asks, the anger on his face melting away "Then I'm..."

"Shut the f**k up and do what you're told!" Martino barks. He throws me a dirty look before swinging his gaze back to his son "You fail and I will take away all your credit cards and that motorcycle you love so much"

"Papa, you can't be serious"

"Watch me, boy" His 'friends' snap their gazes to him and I can see the wheels in their heads turning. They are supposed to stick together and help each other. But these made men have pride. Their son's failure reflects badly on them which is why they're trying so hard to push me out of the organization. They can't stand knowing a woman is better than their precious boys. Martino just threatened Gianni expecting him to win but he forgot that Gianni's partner is Orlando. By asking them to fight, not only did I pit the sons against each other but the fathers too. Those who lose will crawl back with their tails between their legs and there's nothing made men hate more than being told they're p*****s.

Maybe I was wrong. This morning is about to get a hell of a lot more interesting.

"Boys, don't let me hold you back. You can begin"

They jump into action, fists and kicks flying. I notice the guy I paired with Tobia is holding his own. He even manages to block a few hits. Meanwhile, the four friends are staring each other down. I watch, waiting to see who'll make the first move. Because someone has to throw the first punch. The next few minutes unfold like a movie. Santo flicks his gaze to his father who glares back, silently threatening him not to fail. But while he's distracted, Enrico takes a shot. The words 'f**k' and 'really?' fly around then the show begins. Sadly, they fight like a bunch of p*****s. f*****g Orlando even pulls Gianni's hair. It's painful to watch and I'm not sure I want to employ either of them. How can I trust these morons to do anything?

"Ma'am, there's a Pierre at the front gate claiming to have an appointment with you"

"Let him in" I'm impressed he found this place. While associates and family members frequent Iron Hill, the location is kept hidden from the public. It's on private land and there are two checkpoints before making it to the front gate. Cops and reporters don't make it past the first checkpoint. The main house is more like a resort with fifteen bedrooms, all ensuite, two kitchens, a dining area, a games room, a cinema room, three soundproofed offices, a conference room, and a ballroom. There's a swimming pool in the back, a tennis court, a vineyard to one side, and a forest on the opposite side. Christian used to joke that if I ever wanted to leave the mafioso, all I had to do was open this place to the public and it would make me enough money to sustain the lifestyle I'm used to.

"Signora Vincelli, thank you for making time for me"

"Convince me to work with you," I tell him. He's in a suit minus the tie. Like Bianchi, he's young and ambitious. There's an air of confidence around him which is one of the reasons I agreed to meet him.

"I'm organized. I've spent years picking out the best men and training them. I know everyone personally, their background, their families. What I'm saying is you won't regret using us. We'll ensure your product arrives at its destination on time. Not to mention we're also discreet and know these streets like the back of our hands"

"What makes you think I need you?"

"I know you have your own people but if I'm going to be honest, they're not really yours. I'll bet my life that you don't trust them since they worked with the previous boss. Make me your man, Signora and you'll never have to doubt where my loyalty lies"

"Gambone is the safer choice. He's a man and he's been in business for far longer than I have. Why didn't you go to him?"

"I don't trust him not to kill me and take my men"

"And you think I won't?"

"The difference between you two is that you will kill me if I'm disloyal and he'll do it if he's having a bad day"

Not true. I know firsthand that Federico pays people to spread most of these rumors and only twenty percent of them are true. According to him, reputation is everything. I still don't believe he wasn't the one who gave me the nickname 'black queen'

"I'll get back to you"

"Thank you, Signora. I look forward to working with you" I never said I was going to work with him. He turns around but instead of leaving, he pauses. Contemplating whether he should speak or not. Eventually, he says "It's not my place to say but those four should be disqualified. My fifteen-year-old nephew can fight better them"

The old geezers glare at his back but his eyes are on me. He nods and then walks away. Not once looking at the older men even though I know he can feel their stares. Are they ashamed of coddling their sons yet?

"Would any of you like something to drink? This might take a while" I probably should have started with that but since they invited themselves, they shouldn't expect me to be the perfect host. They grunt and huff, making me smirk. Riling them up is quickly becoming my favorite pastime. The scene in front of me is ridiculous but suddenly I have an idea. What would happen if I turned the sons against their fathers?

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