5. Gunshot

NOTE: DUO POV

IVY

“The Black serpent?” I uttered the name that sounded so familiar. I have heard it before but I couldn’t recall where and why the name made me shiver.

“I didn’t say anything to you. Please save me by refraining from doing anything that would cost my life,” she said pleadingly and I could tell from her tone that she was scared.

She didn’t see as bad as I thought she would. Could that be why she asked the other maid to leave? Could she be here against her wish?

“He…”

She cuts me off.

“It would do you more good than harm if you do as told. At the end of the day, the Silver family is nowhere as powerful as the Leone family.” With that said, the maid left the room leaving me alone.

I crumbled on the floor in fear. “What have… I don’t to deserve it?”

If they had told me this was how it was going to be then I would have refused it no matter how desperate I was for the money. This life I had chosen was worse than hell, I didn’t need to stay in here for more than a day to know.

“The black serpent?” I uttered as it snapped in my head where I had heard that name.

My eyes widened in shock. “The black serpent.”

I know that name. How could I forget that name? The name of the man who killed my father. The name of the man who ruled the Sicily gang. I shook my head in disbelief.

“It couldn’t be. He cannot be the man, could he? Alejandro? The leader of the Sicily gang? The head of the ruthless Mafia gang that brutally murdered my father?” I voiced out still trying to comprehend if I was mixing it up.

Could there be another black serpent? My mother had told me about them. She had called that name numerous nights in her sleep.

That name haunted her for months in her sleep and I had sleepless nights because of it. Alejandro wasn’t a Mafia, was he? I began to put the maths together, it would make sense if he was indeed a Mafia but I’ve never seen a real life mafia so I don’t know what they look like.

Shaking off the feeling, I climb on the bed and force myself to sleep. The next day came sooner than expected and like a routine. The maids helped me bathe although I told them I could. The previous maid that was kind enough to tell me a little about Alejandro was no where to be seen.

The new ones that were in charge weren’t nice enough to give me any answers. After taking my bath, I was led to the dining room where I had breakfast alone.

The dining table was long with so many chairs that could take more than twenty people. The house felt empty. After i ate, I was led back to my room and I didn’t fail to notice the guards standing in front of my room.

One of the maids asked me if I wanted her to read me a story like some little child but I refused. I was bored, tired, and angry.

I had nothing. I couldn’t t contact anyone from the outside because my phone had been taken away. Just like that, one day turned two days and three days and in no time, I had been locked in this house like a prisoner for two weeks.

The most suffocating moments of my life. I cried myself to bed. I found it hard to cope and many times had suicidal thoughts. This life was worse than jail.

ALEJANDRO LEONE POV

While in a meeting with my men, my mind was elsewhere. I couldn’t help but think of Iris Silver. The woman I had to marry because she had been betrothed to me from a young age just like I was.

I haven’t seen her in person for over two weeks because I’ve been away working and had just returned to the mansion last night.

The Silver and the Leone families have always been rivals and to end it, my great-grandfather and her great-grandfather agreed to end the war between both families by marriage alliance and to build relationships between the two most powerful mafia families in the country.

Although the Silver family were powerful, they weren’t as powerful as my family and the only reason my grandfather agreed was because he wanted changes.

I didn’t trust the Silver family and I knew they didn’t want to marriage. They could have easily called it off since it was a deal made by men who were no longer living yet they wanted the marriage. I knew they had some other agenda and I couldn’t just end the promise already made by my grandfather and that’s why I decided to go with it.

If they thought they’d be able to bring me down then they were wrong.

“I think that would be all for now. Argon I need you to take a few men with you to the warehouse on the south side to watch over the newest goods.” I said to one of my loyal men before dismissing the rest of the gang.

I retired to my study room instead of my room. I wanted to take a look at Iris to see what it was she was doing. I had a surveillance camera installed in her room. She doesn’t know about it and she’d never know about it.

I sat in front of my computer, watching her as she lay on the bed. It was surprising that she wasn’t doing anything. The more I watched, the more curious I was as to what was happening.

Just then, she lifted her face and I saw tears in her eyes. Was she crying? I mentally scoffed in disbelief.

“Come in,” I said upon hearing a knock on my door.

My second in command Matteo walked in.

“The men have gone to the warehouse.” He informed me.

I nodded in acknowledgment before informing him about the little acting Iris Silver was doing. I found it ridiculous.

“I don’t think it’s an act though. You said it yourself, she’s a spoiled princess so it’s possible that she’s scared. Her parents might have given her up for their selfish agenda.”

I clicked my tongue while shaking my head refusing to believe it. “What makes you think that a girl like her would be given out so easily to her parents? She’s their princess. It’s all a mind game and also an act. She must have been told to make her eyes swollen before the next day so that she could use that and fool me.”

I let out a small laugh. “I am the last person that they can think they can fool. I will watch her closely for days and figure out the whole plan.”

“Never underestimate the silvers, Matteo. That’s the last thing you should do. Never underestimate anyone,” I told him.

“I looked into her before marrying her. She’s a princess who gets whatever she wants. She lives wildly and is just as sneaky. She knows what she’s doing and if she thinks crying would convince me or make me loosen my guard then she’s wrong. By the time I’m done breaking her, she will regret ever taking the bold step.”

I feel pleased thinking about the possible ways I could deal with her. I love to see people in pain. It gave me great pleasure in my heart to see people cry and beg and she will be a perfect victim for that.

“Excuse me, I will take this,” Matteo said as he took out his ringing phone from his pants pocket.

“What?” He voiced out, getting my attention.

I raised my brows slightly at him as I waited for him to finish talking on the phone.

“The warehouse has been attacked,” he informed me.

I got up from where I was in shock. “What the fuck do you mean by that?”

I left my study and rushed over to the warehouse with some of my men to see what was happening. Whoever dared to do this would pay for it as I would make sure of that.

We reached the warehouse soon but I was a little too late as many of my men had been shot and were down. I clenched my fist in anger as I dashed into my warehouse to see if my newest products were still safe.

A frown formed on my face when I saw my empty warehouse. “Who the fuck did this!”

“Argon is dead,” Matteo informed me.

He was the one who had called to inform him about the attack but ended up dead. It didn’t take long before we heard the sound of gunshots from outside. I quickly took out my pistol and headed outside the warehouse to see who was attacking and who it was that dared go against me.

Men dressed in black with a mask covering their faces shot at my men. Seeing the numbers they came with, they had come for war but are pussies to show their faces. I began to shoot back at them.

I was able to kill some men while dodging at the same time. I wanted to get the leader of the men that attacked so that I would be able to deal with them and so I took another route to attack.

I shot the men who came to my warehouse from behind, hiding behind a shield each time they shot at me. I succeeded in killing them all leaving just the leader who pointed his gun at me just as I did the same.

“Who the fuck are you? Reveal your face!” I growled, taking closer steps to him.

Matteo was standing behind the idiot who thought he could come against me and win. I will make sure that he pays with not just his life but with everything in his life.

“Don’t you dare move,” Matteo said, pointing his gun at the idiot's forehead.

“Drop your weapon and show your face,” I ordered.

“Don!” Matteo called out but I was too slow to decipher what was happening.

Pushing the man aside, Matteo rushed towards me but he was too late. Everything happened so fast and slow at the same time as I felt a bullet struck me from behind.

The next thing I heard were gunshots as my vision blurred.