Rome, Italy.

Carlos's pov:

Another girl was in my bed the next night. There are a lot of pros and cons to being a mafia. The benefits are incredible. For the first time, I get anything I want, no questions asked.

I own a number of businesses, which means I earn millions nearly every day. But it's not just about money; it's also about authority and control.

Why do I crave power? I want power because I want to own more than just businesses; I want collaborations and banks.

I'd like to have control over the government's status because I might be brutally murdered by other wretched fuckers in Rome. I've been on probation earlier, and it wasn't too bad.

Sure, I was unable to visit certain areas or do specific things, but any option is better than prison.

I've been to prison twice; once for violating a probation rule and once for employing a hitman on someone who murdered my parents.

Let me tell you, prison is the most unpleasant and filthiest place you could attend.

They feed you putrid beverages and food. You have no privacy and only shower once a week. You have no heat.

The beds and covers are disgusting and don't get me started on the toilets.

I was released within the last two months, which wasn't surprising. Vincent Moretti was one of the best lawyers I've ever had.

Vincent has constantly been there for me and has always gotten me out of difficulties. I pay him a modest price, presumably around $12,000 per case.

But hey, he earned it.

If it weren't for him, my ass would be locked up. But enough of this unimportant case; it gives me a mild headache.

I have a lot of work and other things to take care of. Due to various promos and collaborations, I don't focus on my business, but I have an assistant for that, my best friend and brother, Kai.

Kai and I go way back; we grew up together and did nearly everything together. Kai didn't grow up with his parents because his alcoholic father abused him.

Kai's mother was a drug addict. Although Kai's mother was not abusive, she did abuse drugs. It had become so severe that CPS was called, and they ended up taking Kai to a new home with both my parents and me.

Kai is closer to my biological brother than my adopted brother. We would always be there for one another when we needed it. We both assisted each other and managed to succeed together.

The main difference between Kai and me is that Kai is extremely intelligent. He went to Harvard and earned so many degrees that I lost count. On the other hand, I could never With all of my fucking problems, I could never go to school. But that wasn't the main reason I became a mafia; my family tree is mafioso.

My father was a mafia boss, and my mother was the queen. My father was loved by every one of the citizens here in Rome, and so was my mother.

I used to see my father and mother on billboards, streets, shopping malls, the news, advertisements, you name it.

From the perspective of the citizens, I suppose they were everything and did everything to protect Rome.

This was before they were murdered by some criminals. This brings me back to the second time I was detained.

Some random bastards came to our mansion and were trying to rob us because we were rich and powerful. I was young at that time, so I didn't know what was happening. Kai was also with us. We were both extremely young.

We were all watching television in our mansion's theater when we heard a loud thud from downstairs. Before my mother and father went downstairs, the bodyguards issued a lockdown.

Kai and I were forced to go back to our rooms, which were locked. Two bodyguards stood inside our room, and two more continued to stand outside our room.

We couldn't hear or view anything.

I didn't even witness my parents' murder. It wasn't until the next day that one of the bodyguards told us what had occurred.

He told us how my father and mother both got stabbed to the point where they couldn't survive since the wound was deep.

My father has been stabbed in the neck, and my mother was stabbed in the waist.

Once Kai and I heard this news, it broke both of our hearts and managed to make us depressed for some time.

A year later, I'd say I've acknowledged their deaths because, as a mafia, you never show your weakness to the hostiles.

Kai acknowledged their deaths a year and a half later, and I was forced to tell him numerous times that they were gone and could not be revived.

I suppose he has learned his lesson and decided to move on. We both needed to move on because we knew that they wouldn't be physically present but would be spiritually present.

We had to spend a long time telling the citizens that the king and queen had been assassinated. We couldn't tell them straight away as it was too soon, and as their son, I had to mourn their death alongside Kai, and I didn't want the citizens to mourn with us as well. It wasn't the same after we told the citizens about them.

Nobody dared to leave their home after the funeral. This is how much they were loved and admired.

BANG!

A loud thud abruptly disrupted my thoughts. I got up from my bed and rolled my eyes. I woke up only to see the girl from last night drop off the bed.

"Damn babe, you fucked me so hard that my body parts went numb," she grinned. I creased my brows.

"We only did one round; I don't understand how that's possible," I worried. "You went harsh," she said, climbing onto the bed.

"I'm going to require you to leave immediately," I said as I forced her off the bed. "Are you serious?" she questioned, enclosing the sheets around her nude body.

"Did I stumble?" I spoke with a hint of annoyance in my tone. "So was I a hookup to you?" she questioned. "We talked about it last night, sweetheart, only sex," I reminded her.

I knew she remembered; she just behaves stupidly like every other girl I've slept around with. They assume that simply because we fuck means we're a thing.

"I know, but..." she began, but I interrupted her because I didn't want to hear any more excuses from her. "You already knew what had been said. So don't try to change my mind right now," I said as I walked into the closet.

I could hear her groaning and muttering something to herself. I didn't care about what she said because that's how stubborn girls are when they don't get what they want.

I ended up going out to see if she was still there, and she was. "Listen, you need to go. If you don't go, I'll have the bodyguards accompany you," I said. "Do it," she advises.

"Alright, don't say I didn't warn you," I said, smiling. I hit the button near the bed, causing two large and buff bodyguards, AJ and Denzel, to swing open the door.

"Please get her out of here," I spoke as they nodded. They snatched her and dragged her out of my room while she screamed and kicked. I rolled my eyes, "so fucking immature," I murmured as I closed my door.

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Ontario, Canada.

Alliana's pov:

I groaned as I awoke and looked around my bedroom, which was clean and well-organized, just the way I liked it. You see, being a lawyer is a very hectic and messy career.

You have a lot of paperwork and regulations, as well as less time for yourself and less for anyone else. After all, becoming a lawyer entails being in charge.

I sat up in bed, looking for my phone. Though my room appears to be well organized, I constantly appear to lose my phone. It was hiding near my bed frame when I discovered it 3 minutes later.

I opened my phone and looked through my emails to see whether any of my clients had contacted me. Only three people did: two for my payments and one for a conference.

Today was a scheduled meeting for one of my clients to talk about his case. What exactly was his case? It's a long story.

He was involved in a car accident with another vehicle and was sued by it. I've handled a few cases like that, so it doesn't matter to me if they don't have proof.

I put my phone down and ended up fighting the desire to fall asleep again, and it worked.

I always do my routine of having to get up, taking showers, changing, and having to eat. To put things into context, I don't work in a facility with other lawyers; instead, I work downstairs in my lounge.

I have no bosses or co-workers; I find it completely pointless to have them when I work by myself, but not entirely alone. I do have an assisstant, Souline.

Souline Marie is one of the best assistants I've ever had. I consider myself extremely blessed to have found her. Souline shows up at my place early to work, replies to important calls, schedules appointments, and makes decent bargains. Not to mention her culinary abilities.

There really are great restaurants in Ontario; however, when Souline cooks, it's like paradise. Souline can cook anything, and I'm certain that you'd wish for her to be your chef.

Aside from Souline, she's a fantastic best friend. Even if you don't need her, she will be there for you. That's what I admire about her. She's full of surprises, and you discover new aspects of her each day.

After I finished everything I did, I put on my clothes for work.

I went downstairs to prepare my breakfast. My door opened, and I looked to see who was there. Souline. "Hey, mama!" exclaimed Souline as she approached me and pecked my cheeks. "How are you, Soul?" I asked her as she sat down and placed her belongings on the chair.

"I'm fine; how about you?" Souline asked. "I'm fine. I'm just getting started on breakfast here. Do you want something?" I asked. "Sit down, girl, and let me do the cooking," Souline said as she pushed me away from the stove. "But," I began, but she cut me off. "No, go start your work!" said Souline, motioning me to the desk. "I'll make something quick; just start," Souline said once more.

In defeat, I sat down and turned on my laptop. I checked my emails to see if there was anything new, but there wasn't.

RING, RING, RING!

I quickly grabbed my phone from the tabletop. "Thank you for contacting Mercedes Central; my name is Alliana Mercedes; how may I assist you?" I asked the caller a question. "Hello, I'd like to schedule an appointment with you," the caller said. I took out my planner and looked for a free date.

"I appreciate your calling. "I have a free date on October 3rd," I say as I mark it. "That sounds good." "What time?" asked the caller. I checked the time. "I can do it at any time, though I recommend early in the morning," I said.

"That sounds great! "May I kindly get your email in case anything comes up?" asked the caller. "Of course, my email is AllianaMercedes21@gmail.com," I replied. "Alright, got it. I'll send you an email soon. "Thank you so much," the caller said. "You're welcome," I say as I hang up.

Souline approached me and sat down on the chair. "Who was it?" she inquired. "It was someone requesting an appointment," I explained. "Nice," Souline said, "the food should be ready in about fifteen minutes." I nodded and rearranged my desk. After fourteen minutes, Souline hands me a plate with three pancakes and some orange juice. My mouth wetted, and I began eating quickly. "Slow down; you don't want hiccups, especially when we have a client," Souline advised.

I nodded, knowing she was correct, but these pancakes were just too fucking delicious. I finished in seven minutes and cleaned up. I drank the orange juice slowly and waited for it to metabolize. I stretched and dashed to the kitchen to put away my plate. I returned to my desk and quickly sanitized everything was just too fucking delicious.

I finished in seven minutes and cleaned up. I drank the orange juice slowly and waited for it to metabolize. I stretched and dashed to the kitchen to put away my plate. I returned to my desk and quickly sanitized everything. I brushed myself off and waited for the client. I took out the documents and paperwork because I needed to finish this meeting and get paid.

THUD, THUD, THUD!

Souline hurriedly opened the door and welcomed our client. "Hello," the client said as he stepped in. "Hello! "Ms. Mercedes will be assisting you shortly," Souline said as she led the client to where I was. I stood up and smiled.

"It's good to see you again!"