Lethal Love: A Mafia Redemption

REINA  ❧ ❧ ❧  "How's your studies, Reina? I heard your entry didn't make it to the contest. Didn't even meet the qualifications, huh?" My ears buzzed, and I paused in slicing the steak. I lowered the knife onto the table, took a bite of the small piece of meat, and wiped my mouth with the white napkin. I allowed myself to swallow the food before responding. "I submitted it late, not because it didn't make it. I didn't have an entry to begin with," I replied to Aunt Amanda, my father's first wife. "Gosh, I thought you were preparing for it? You were even bragging about winning and didn't even submit anything in the first place?" My intrusive stepsister, Roseline, questioned. We were gathered around the long table, enjoying a feast prepared by our personal chef at home. This was the first time we had seen each other in a while, and yet, this was the first impression they chose to make. "I have my priorities. And you? When are you going to pass your licensing exam as a doctor?" With that question, the entire dining room fell silent. Only the clinking of forks and dinner knives could be heard. I knew they would shout at me for my response, but with Daddy present, none of them could do anything to me. Despite Roseline and Aunt Amanda being furious with me, they kept their mouths shut. They were careful about their image in front of Daddy, knowing he favored me, even though I was just an illegitimate child. "That's enough. We rarely have meals together, and you still want to show me that you can't get along?" Daddy replied, silencing my siblings. My stepmom and half-sister, Roseline, had just returned from Lumire. She was studying to become a doctor but had struggled to pass the exam several times, leading to repeated returns to her studies. Aunt Amanda had two children. The eldest of the four of us was brother Raymon, the only son and my ally in this house besides Daddy. He defended me when Daddy wasn't around and when my stepmother and stepsisters bullied me. Roseline follows him; she is brother Raymon's sibling, both children of Aunt Amanda. This family is unique, with three mothers, as our talented father has a penchant for collecting remarkable women. Next was me. I didn't grow up in this household initially because Daddy didn't allow news about his affair with Mama, his secretary, to come out. That affair would have ruined his career, so he only introduced us when his business was stable. I was around seven years old when he took us in and housed us in the mansion. But from that day on, my life turned upside down as Aunt Amanda made sure to make our lives difficult every day. Every day, they argued about Mama being the mistress, so every day, I experienced cruelty from my stepmom. However, the cruelty escalated when Mama suddenly died. They said it was suicide, but some claimed she was murdered. To this day, there's no clear conclusion about her death. The youngest among us siblings is Railey, the daughter of Papa's new wife, Aunt Mirabelle. She doesn't live in this house because she prefers having her own home and business. They say Aunt Mirabelle is just after Daddy's money, and it's evident because even Railey behaves that way. Among us siblings, she's the one who asks for the most from Daddy, always holding the credit card and spending a hundred thousand in a week. "Hey! Why is it so quiet? Is this really a family dinner?" We all turned to the door as Brother Raymon suddenly entered, carrying a bottle of wine and looking like he just come from work. "Brother!" The three of us greeted him warmly, and if there's one thing we all agree on as siblings—it's our love for Raymon. "You guys always look so beautiful. How are you all? Roseline, it feels like forever since I last saw you," he greeted, hugging Roseline while I smiled, gazing at Raymon, clearly happy to see us all. "We just got home with Mom, so Dad decided to have a family dinner," Roseline replied, and Raymon greeted Aunt Amanda as well. "Mom, you're still beautiful. Looks like you had a great time on your vacation in Lumire," Kuya commented, and Aunt Amanda just shrugged, chuckling. "Well, who else would you inherit your handsomeness from? Of course, from your beautiful mother," Aunt remarked, and I couldn't deny it. Despite my grudges, I admit that Aunt Amanda is undeniably beautiful, a trait passed on to her two children. Compared to their blonde hair and blue eyes, my hair is jet black, and my eyes are green like Dad's. Reiley has blonde hair, too, but she dyed it red, and we both inherited Papa's eye color. "Why does it seem like you're all quiet? Don't tell me you've fought with Reina again?" Raymon asked, and Roseline immediately shook her head. I received a disapproving look from Aunt Amanda, signalling me to keep my mouth shut if I didn't want any trouble. "No, Raymon, we're just quiet because you took forever to get here. You know you bring joy to this family," I replied, standing up from my seat and hugging Raymon. "Talk to you later; I'll go ahead." "But I just got home. Don't you want to join us for dinner?" Raymon asked, using his 'big brother' card on me. "You took too long; I'm already full." That's all I said, waving to Raymon. He shrugged and sat next to Dad. Daddy didn't stop me, knowing how much I despise these family dinners. I headed straight to my room and lay down on the bed. I feel more exhausted being in the mansion than in my condo. Just seeing the faces of my stepmom and stepsister drains me immediately. "Is this really the feeling of home? I feel more at home in my dorm or condo." I took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling. I already want to leave this house; I feel suffocated here. If Raymon hadn't arrived today, I might not have stayed for a month as they want me to during the summer break. But I don't want to waste my summer break being bullied by my stepmom. I want to go to the beach or travel abroad. I want to go shopping or book a luxurious hotel while watching my favorite movie. I just want to get out of here! Anywhere but this mansion. I suddenly sat up and grabbed my phone from the bedside table, noticing twenty notifications from Abby. I opened the screen and read her message. "Did Charles break up with her again?" It's obvious from her message that she's heartbroken again, and when she's heartbroken, that crazy girl throws a party, and I need to be there for her. "Sigh, I hate crowded places," I whispered, but as I said earlier, anywhere but this mansion. So, I stood up and grabbed my purse. I stepped out of the room, and in the hallway, I bumped into my older brother. Confusion was evident on his face. "Where are you off to? It's late," he asked, arms folded across his chest. "I need to pick up Abby." I raised my phone, showing my brother Abby's message. He raised an eyebrow as he read Abby's message, and since he knew her well, he couldn't do much but allow me to go. "Come back before eleven, okay? If not, I'll have Leo pick you up," my brother instructed, patting my head and messing up my hair. "Hey! I just fixed my hair!" I complained, but he just laughed and walked away. "Take care, okay? Call me if there's trouble, Reina," he replied, giving me a smile. I nodded in response, "Roger that." I drove to the address Abby sent me and entered the bar, where the atmosphere was filled with the scent of alcohol and smoke, accompanied by loud music, shouts, and laughter. Honestly, I couldn't stand being in such a place for long. I immediately looked for Abby inside the bar and found her hunched over the counter, holding a bottle of alcohol in her hand. Obviously, she had been in a state of distress, probably crying for a while now. Thankfully, the barista was keeping an eye on her, and no other guys were approaching her. Well, who would approach her when she looked like a ghost? Her eyeliner had smudged across her eyes and cheeks, and her hair was messy from her tantrums and crying for sure. "Oh my gosh, Abby! Here we go again! I told you to break up with that jerk of a boyfriend!" I wasn't really shouting; the music was just too loud, so I had to raise my voice, hoping my fool's best friend would hear the truth about her idiotic boyfriend. Oh, wait, they matched perfectly. One fool and one jerk. "No! I can't! I can't live without Charles!" Oh heavens, here we go again. I felt like a broken record, repeating advice about her jerk boyfriend. But it kept going in one ear and out the other, so I was done! I was tired of talking; it was time to take her home, where she could cry in her condo. "Let's go, I'll take you home." I took the bottle from her hand, putting her arm around my shoulder. The bartender hesitated to help, but I didn't need it. I was used to this; I'd done it for Abby several times. "Come on, walk faster unless you want me to drag you." "Wahhh! It hurts, Reina! Help me, my heart hurts!" She complained, and I just rolled my eyes as I led her out of the bar. "You deserve it, dummy." I drove her home, but I noticed she left her purse behind. I knew her well enough—she never lived without her purse or bag, so she must have left it inside the bar. "Wait for me; I'll get your stuff! Don't leave, okay?" I asked, and she tearfully nodded. "Okay, mommy!" I sighed and walked to the parking lot but noticed something strange: someone was following me. I took a moment to compose myself and tried to sense whether these two guys were really following me or if it was just my imagination running wild. To make sure, I pretended to check my phone as if I had an important call to take. The irony? I left my phone in the car! "Ms. Reina Morgan?" one of the guys asked before I could even enter the bar. "Do I know you?" I inquired, turning to face them. Masks concealed their faces, and a gun was pointed at me. I froze in my tracks, holding my breath. There was no one around, and if I screamed, no one would hear over the noise inside the bar. Were there any security cameras here? Anyone? Help? "Come with us if you don't want to die." TO BE CONTINUED