002. The Godmother...

"Everyone in position, Rafael?"

"Yes, Godmother."

Ava Reed adjusted her black gloves as the dim city lights cast sharp shadows on her face. 

Dressed in all black with her long coat fluttering in the cool night air, she looked like a spy, an assassin, or even a ghost. Her dark-tinted glasses shielded her bright green eyes, but her cold, stiff posture left no doubt about who she was.

She was The Godmother.

From her vantage point on the rooftop of an adjacent building, she gazed down at the brightly lit minister’s office. The luxury suite on the top floor screamed power and wealth—evidence of the corruption she had come to cleanse.

She flexed her fingers inside her gloves. Time to begin.

With a single nod, she signaled Rafael. Within seconds, the plan was in motion.

Ava watched as her men slipped inside the building. The security cameras blinked out and went offline. The power inside the minister’s suite was cut off remotely, forcing his guards to switch to backup generators. 

By the time they realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

The building’s main floor was evacuated under the guise of a gas leak. Workers streamed out, confused but unharmed. Her men—dressed in the uniforms of emergency responders—ushered them to safety.

There would be no civilian casualties tonight.

Just one target.

Ava and her team reached the top floor. The grand hallway leading to the Minister’s private office was empty—except for two of his personal guards.

Rafael barely gave the first man a chance to react before he pressed his silenced gun against the man's temple and pulled the trigger. The body thudded to the floor. 

The second man reached for his radio, but he was too slow. Ava swiftly grabbed his wrist and twisted it, making him drop the radio. Then, she delivered a sharp elbow to his jaw, causing him to collapse next to his partner.

She barely spared them a glance.

"Secure the hallway," she ordered.

Her men immediately took position, ensuring they wouldn’t be interrupted.

Ava stepped forward, Rafael at her side, two of her best men flanking them. They reached the large double doors of the office.

She adjusted the lapels of her coat.

"Let’s say hello," she murmured.

Rafael turned the handle, but the door didn’t budge.

"Minister," she called smoothly. "It’s time for your appointment."

No response.

She exchanged a look with Rafael. He gave a small nod before stepping forward and placing a small charge against the lock. A quiet beep. Then—

Boom.

The doors burst open.

Inside, Minister Oliver Cardenas stumbled back against his desk, eyes wide with terror. He was a bloated man, his expensive suit wrinkled from fear. 

He scrambled for the phone on his desk, but Ava was quicker. She pulled out her gun and aimed it directly at him. Tilting her head, she said, “I wouldn’t try that if I were you.”

The colour drained from his face as his gaze darted to his now-absent guards.

Rafael stepped forward, dropping a thick folder onto the desk. It landed with a heavy thud.

Cardenas’s eyes flicked to the file, then back to Ava.

"Who—who the hell are you?" he stammered.

Ava took off her glasses, showing her sharp green eyes that pierced through him.

"Minister Cardenas," she began in a steel voice. "It’s your due date to answer for your crimes."

He swallowed hard. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Ava sighed, tapping the folder with a gloved finger. "One hundred children. Dead. Because you stole from the public health fund."

Cardenas flinched.

Ava leaned in slightly. "Faulty hospital equipment. Understaffed emergency rooms. Supplies that never made it to the ones who needed them most. All because of you."

Sweat beaded on his forehead. "I—I can fix this."

She smiled coldly. "You had your chance."

He scrambled back as drew her pistol, leveling it at his chest.

"Any last words?"

Cardenas opened his mouth—

The sound of the gunshot filled the room. In an instant, the minister fell to the ground, and blood began to seep out, staining the expensive carpet beneath him.

Ava lowered her pistol and turned to Rafael. "We’re done here."

She pulled an elegant black card from her coat pocket and placed it on the desk beside the minister’s lifeless body.

A single crimson rose was embossed in the centre.

La Rosa sends its regards.

And then, just as swiftly as they came, they vanished into the night.

*****************

Alex Ramos swirled his glass of whiskey, his jaw tense as he described the strange events of the evening.

Across from him, Daniel Cortez smirked over his beer.

"You’re telling me," Daniel said, barely suppressing a laugh, "that an eight-year-old tried to set you up with her mom?"

"Not tried." Alex exhaled. "Did. She handed me a damn contract."

Daniel let out a bark of laughter. "And you didn’t just leave?"

Alex dragged a hand down his face. "I wanted to, but—"

His phone buzzed.

A glance at the screen told him everything—an urgent call from dispatch.

"Ramos," he answered, his voice instantly turning professional.

"Sir, urgent matter." The officer on the other end sounded tense. "The Minister of Health has just been murdered in his office. You’ve been assigned the case."

Alex’s grip on the glass tightened. His amusement vanished. "Murdered?"

"Execution-style. Single shot to the head. Whoever did it was in and out—clean."

Alex was already standing, grabbing his coat. "Any known suspects?"

There was a pause before the officer responded.

"The La Rosa Syndicate."

Alex stilled.

La Rosa.

One of the most dangerous criminal syndicates in the city. Their operations were vast—arms dealing, underground networks, political corruption. They had their hands in everything, and yet no one had ever been able to pin them down.

And at the very top?

The Godmother.

No one had seen her. No one knew her real name. Only that she was ruthless. Efficient. Untouchable.

Until now.

"I’m on my way."

*********

Alex got out of his car and attached his badge to his belt as he walked toward the entrance. As soon as he entered the office, he was hit by the sharp, metallic smell of blood.

A uniformed officer met him at the door. "Detective Ramos."

"What do we know?" Alex asked, already sliding on a pair of gloves.

The officer’s expression was grim. "They executed the minister. One clean shot. No forced entry, no alarms triggered. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing."

Alex frowned. La Rosa always knew what they were doing.

He entered the office.

The first thing he saw was blood.

Minister Oliver Cardenas lay slumped over his desk, his lifeless eyes staring at nothing. A single bullet hole marked his forehead, and the deep crimson pool beneath him spread slowly across the fine carpet.

The second thing he saw?

A single black card.

It sat neatly on the desk.

A red rose was embossed in the center.

Alex picked it up, his jaw tightening.

La Rosa sends its regards.\

***********

Across the city, Ava Reed shed her assassin’s skin like a second nature.

The moment she stepped into the underground elevator of her private hospital, she was no longer The Godmother—the ruthless leader of La Rosa.

She was Dr. Ava Reed, the brilliant, world-renowned surgeon.

As the elevator doors slid open, she walked briskly down the corridor. Her doctor’s coat had replaced her black coat. Two nurses greeted her with relieved expressions.

"Dr. Reed," one of them said. "Thank God. We have a critical case—multiple fractures, internal bleeding. Car accident victim."

Ava nodded. "Scrub me in."

In minutes, she transformed. The white lab coat was replaced by pale blue scrubs, her hands covered with surgical gloves, and a surgical mask on her face. She tied her hair back, sterilised her hands, and entered the operating room.

The bright overhead lights cast sharp shadows on the bloodied body lying before her.

The patient, a young man in his early twenties, laid unconscious with severe injuries, including torn flesh and broken bones.

Ava didn’t hesitate.

Her hands were steady as ever as she moved and made swift incisions, suturing arteries, repairing the damage.

She could take a life without hesitation. But when the innocent were in her hands? She saved them.

Two hours later, she stepped out of the OR, looking exhausted. She pulled off her gloves, rubbing her temples as the tension from the day began to settle in.

But just as she reached for a cup of water, her phone buzzed.

A message from Selena, her best friend.

Ava… did you just see what your daughter posted?!

Ava frowned, unlocking her phone and clicking the link.

The moment the page loaded, her blood pressure went over the roof.

Pearl Reed: Getting My Mom a Husband… Stay tuned for more updates!

Attached was a photo.

Of her daughter, Pearl.

And some man.

Ava squinted at the image, zooming in.

A badge.

A cop.

Her exhaustion faded, and she tightened her grip on the phone.

"PEARL!"