Every girl dreamed of a fairy tale love story. I dreamed of it when I was five. But not all dreams do come true.
I grew up in a sinful world—a world soaked and stained with blood. A world where death was just a part of our everyday life.
I'm not a princess locked in a tower waiting to be rescued by prince charming. I am not a girl with an evil stepmother and two ugly stepsisters. I am not a servant to anyone nor someone who was given an apple because my father's new wife was jealous of my beauty.
I don't have braids or flowers in my hair. I don't have animal friends or dwarves who would protect me. And I definitely don't sing and dance.
I am nothing like the princesses in those childish fantasies.
In my world, I am the Evil Queen.
I am the only child of Jorge Montreal, the former boss of the Imperial Mafia, and Luciana Montreal. Our clan had been in power for decades and no one dared to challenge us until an unknown group of men killed my parents.
I was in my third year of college, studying in a foreign country when it happened. I was forced to drop out of school and was sent home to bury my parents.
So the day that I had to take over my father's position as the new boss of our clan finally came.
I had accepted my fate a long time ago. For some, Mafia women were just used as pawns and payments for some debt, but in my clan, I am the boss and the queen of the underworld. I make the rules and the men protect me, not because I am a damsel in distress, but because I am the most important member of the clan.
My world was not as colorful as the rainbow. I was eighteen when I became the Mafia Boss and I had already accepted the fact that I will be single and alone for the rest of my life. Who would love someone like me? A woman who had blood on her hands.
But they said fate was playful and tricky. And you will never know what awaits you in this cruel world.
"Boss, we captured one of them. He's in the basement." Marco, my Consigliere said when he came into the training hall.
Three years had passed since my parents were murdered. I could not move on so I was still looking for the person behind their death.
For years, we didn't get any clue who killed them or who made the order to kill them. Now, we finally caught someone related to the person responsible for the murder.
I didn't respond. I was in the boxing ring sparring with one of my men. Hearing good news after so many months of searching brought a mixture of thrill and anger inside me. I couldn't wait to torture those who hurt my family.
My fist kept on punching one after another. I imagined it was the face of the man we just caught. Landing punches in every inch of his body brought excitement in me and seeing the man shiver in fear while begging me to kill him would give me satisfaction.
"Veronica, that's enough!" My trainer and also my uncle called.
I stopped. I didn't realize I was punching him continuously without a pause.
"I told you to focus. If you will keep on losing it, you'll never get what you want." He scolded me.
Uncle Jairus was my father's half-brother. He was also his Consigliere and a loyal member of the Imperial Mafia. I wanted him to serve me, but after the death of my father, he asked me if he could be my personal trainer instead. I agreed. He was already fifty-five years old but still looked young and strong.
"I'm sorry, Uncle." I sighed.
He patted my head and slightly smiled. His black eyes showed a mixture of worry and sadness. He never had a family so he treated me like his own.
"Do not let your emotions consume you. Remember, you are now the boss of the Imperial Mafia. Show them how powerful a Montreal is." He said softly.
I nodded. "I know. I'm sorry."
"Do not apologise. The boss never apologise. You are a woman, but you're stronger and smarter than any man in the underworld." He smiled.
I smiled back. My Uncle kept on telling me how important my role was. He knew I was not ready and unsure when I became the Mafia Boss so he was always there to make sure that I would never lose my purpose. Revenge.
And he succeeded. I became the most notorious boss of the underworld. I was known as the ruthless and indestructible villainess—the Evil Queen of the Mafia world.
I took off the gloves and walked out of the ring. Twelve, one of my loyal servants, handed me a towel and greeted me.
"Boss, are we going to the basement?" He asked.
I frowned. "Yes. Why do you ask?"
"I prepared something special for you." He answered.
I grinned because I knew exactly what he meant.
"Is it ready?"
"Yes. Ready to be stained, Boss." He excitedly said.
"Go and bring it to me." I ordered.
"As you wish, my queen."
I smirked when Twelve ran out of the training hall. My heart raised from excitement, thinking about the different ways to torture that man. I had to beat that son of a bitch to talk. I had to make sure that I could gather information before decapitating him. I felt like this would be the last chance to know my parents' killer.
"Boss, are you ready? Or do you want to take a shower first?" Marco asked.
I glared at him and sneered. "I'm not going on a date, Marco. I'm going to kill someone."
Then I started walking out of the training hall with my bodyguards behind me.