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31 : Action
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In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 32 : Prep
• Piazza Di Valtieri • Grand. Spacious. Bricks and stone. Freshly trimmed grass. Well-maintained. For aristocrats.As part of his preparations, he had to study the blueprint of the entire lot and villa for days—which he had already done a week ago. Théo already knew what to expect, but of course he would pretend as if this was his first time ever seeing the property. The estate's security setup was also quite impressive. Familiar with the basic rigs, he glanced at the security cameras obscured by lampposts towering above the tall, shiny white gates welcoming their vehicle and their escorts. Well, Anastasia's security escorts, to be specific.The thick iron gates ostentatiously showed who owned the entire place. "Piazza Di Valtieri"—which basically meant "The Valtieri Estate"—was etched in eye-catching golden letters in the middle. It immediately reminded him of the last time he'd been in a private property as secure and extravagant as this prime real estate. That time, he had been
In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 33 : Break
• Cape May, New Jersey •"Qu'est-ce que tu veux faire demain?"Veronica fixed her hair into a ponytail and grinned to herself, noting her friend's French had improved greatly over the past year. Jamie's once atrocious accent was nearly gone. "Snorkel, or something." Veronica glanced around.As expected, the late summer crowd pretty much crammed the entire beach resort. Beside the resort was a private property for rich folks with vacation homes in the area. Everybody seemed to be enjoying the long day. Bikini-clad teenagers showing off their tanned bods played volleyball near the cabanas. An amplified car stereo somewhere nearby had also been blasting dubstep music for the past hour. The band had to play a live set and do an interview the previous night, right here in New Jersey. It was almost an hour-long program and they had to show off their new singles from their newest record.It was also their first public show they performed at without Kyle, who was still recovering in th
In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 34 : Face Time
•"Dammi il telefono."The heck? He hadn't even gotten past the backdoor yet. And now this prick was already itching to snoop on his phone?"Why?" Théo squinted at the guy with the slicked back hair and watchful eyes that looked as dark as his demeanor.The guy had on a leather jacket and tight black jeans. Like every other henchman in a mafia flick. What a cliché. It wasn't one of Anastasia's bodyguards. Probably her parents' head of security, or something, tasked with looking after the entire estate's security systems. "Cellulare. Per favore." The guy dared to take a step forward after glancing at his phone again.The dude's grating voice was as authoritative as much as it annoyed Théo. The goon's breath smelled like an ashtray, and his aftershave just worsened the scent. Théo gripped the phone and stared back at the guy. Of course the prick was just doing his job, and since he was the outsider here, Théo knew he had to cooperate. Otherwise he'd look like he was hiding something
In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 35 : Intro to Théo 2.0
•"Where are your parents from?"Théo smiled at the older woman awaiting his answer. He sat opposite her while Anastasia sat next to him, quietly swirling her creamy pasta. The head of the family, Ana's father, sat at the end of the table and seemed more focused on his daughter at the moment."My mother is Canadian, my father Parisian. They're both living in France," Théo replied."And you have siblings as well?" Alissa Valtieri took a sip of her water and maintained a modest smile. Her questions for the past ten minutes had been focused on his background more than anything else.Hugo Valtieri, on the other hand, was busy trying to coax some straight answers out of his daughter. Apparently, Anastasia didn't make a habit of updating her parents about her itinerary for the past few weeks. The two spoke in fluent Italian, almost conversing in hushed tones.Théo pretended not to eavesdrop. Acting like he didn't understand the language was easy enough. But then again, maybe they were only a
In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 36 : Enigma
•Veronica unlocked the passenger door and put on a smile while she waited for her ex's best friend to get in her car.Tomek stepped inside the vehicle the next second. Wearing a plain gray shirt and dark pants, he gave her a quick hug and smiled timidly while she drove away from the sidewalk."Want something to go? Coffee?" She focused on the busy road and stepped on the gas. It was barely nine in the morning and the band's schedule was a bit crazy this week. But when Tomek called to inform her he wanted to meet up to talk about something, she couldn't decline. Based on his tentative tone over the phone last night, she knew it was something pretty urgent and important.Tomek never was the one to call to meet up, much less meet up with her alone. It was either Théo who would call him to hang out with them, or one of their close friends."Yeah. Coffee's great." Tomek cleared his throat and buckled up in the passenger seat. "No shows or shoots today?" Veronica glanced at his profile w
In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 37 : Damper
•"What'd he say?" "About what?" Tomek didn't bother to glance at her and kept his gaze focused on his phone screen."I never told him I need money," Veronica replied in a rather hushed voice. Her brain was still busy figuring out why her ex, who was probably busy canoodling with his new girlfriend somewhere in Rome, just gave her a lot of money she didn't even ask for.Did he think it was a good enough apology? What the heck was wrong with him?It wasn't merely jealousy, though. It was the fact that he didn't even tell her anything about it, and now she couldn't even call him to ask about the money because he had already blocked her number. "She's with him, huh?" She scoffed at the thought. At her assumption, Tomek finally put his phone away and made an effort to smile. It looked awfully fake. "Don't know for sure.""They went to Rome together.""What'd he tell you?""Lying piece of shit." She shook her head, recalling bits and pieces of her last argument with her ex. "Didn't even
In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 38 : Pleased To Meet You
•The art auction was a success.A total of 175,000 euros worth of art sales and donations in check had been raised by the event.The funds would go into the Valtieris' new foundation dedicated to helping and rescuing refugees from war-torn nations such as Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.Hugo and Alissa Valtieri seemed to be earnest in achieving their philanthropic goals as much as they were proud of their contributions to society.The Valtieris, along with another well-known, well-connected Italian family, the Falcos, pledged to help the young migrants and refugees receive early education, as well as build supplemental housing and feeding centers for the refugees here in Italy.Or at least that's what they said in their meticulously prepared speeches before the host and hostesses got busy selling overprice
In Wounded Rhymes [Mafia Games X] 39 : Suck It Up
16 days left• Folic acid.Vitamin D.Iron supplement.Proper diet, rest, and enough sleep daily.Less stress.Well, the first three, she already got them covered. Easy. Just pop a pill every day, and done. No hiccups.The last two...not so much. Her appetite had been sporadic, sometimes nonexistent, while avoiding stress and getting more than six hours of sleep every day had been a bit challenging.Especially since the band was already running behind schedule on some tasks and professional commitments they had scheduled for this season.It didn't help that Kyle, the band's main guitarist and her co-songwriter, was still in the hospital, not even halfway through his full recovery.If she could just undo the past few months, or reverse time in some way, she would. In a heartbeat. But real life didn't care about undoing mistakes, or best laid plans. That much she knew now.An unexpected pregnancy at this crucial time in her career and adult life just didn't sit well with what she ha
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