Chapter 2 – The Sticks Mafia Family

Earlier that morning.

Grand Royale Hotel.

A masquerade party is happening at the biggest ballroom of the hotel.

To the unsuspecting eyes, it’s just a normal get-together of the wealthy families. Hiding their faces behind masks to maintain anonymity. But to the police, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to capture the members of an organized group.

The Sticks mafia family.  

The most notorious mafia in this side of town using different kinds of sticks – hence the name. But the worst part is, they don’t necessarily belong to the same family that’s why the police could not identify them. They operate based on code names, they meet with their masks on, and their meeting place is revealed via classified ads on newspapers.

No one knows who the members really are. They could be a prominent philanthropist, or a billionaire tycoon, or a high-ranking government official. There’s no way to know unless…you’re a part of it.

Amongst these masks hides an anonymous tipster, codename: Ace.

Over the years, the police force have relied on his intel to make small-time arrests but today is the most important one so far.

A change in leadership.

And they will need all the information about this new leader as soon as possible.

The force thinks Ace might be a low-level member who wanted out, while some say he’s an undercover cop. For now, no one really knows his allegiance so the police always takes his tips with a grain of salt.  

“Ace said that there are a lot of civilians inside. If we come in now, there would be a lot of casualties. He promised to give the name of the successor as soon as it was announced,” Officer Johnny Lucas reported to his boss.

Inside the ballroom, the crowd is being entertained by a sultry entertainer wearing a tight-fitting black dress with slit reaching her hips. She’s a known international superstar, but within the family, she’s the princess that has her own assignments, and her codename is Twig.

While the crowd is delighted by her performance, tension is brewing at the secluded VIP table. There’s Cane, the current head, Bamboo – his right-hand man, Club – the muscle man, Drum, Wanda, and Phantom – Cane’s driver, but also his criminal prodigy. The cause of the tension: Cane’s decision to name me, Phantom, as the next leader.

“I’ve been working with you even before ‘the split’ and I followed you when you established this family. Is this how you repay my loyalty, Cane?” Bamboo asked in a controlled, seething voice.

“We set up the rules for this specific reason, Bamboo” Cane replied calmly and the table turned silent. Because when Cane speaks, everybody listens.

“Later, I will report all of Phantom’s achievements over the years. And when I announce his appointment, I expect all of you to show that the senior members are united. Is that clear?” he asked and every one nodded in agreement.

And that’s exactly what happened.

After Twig’s performance, Cane approached the stage followed by the rest of the senior members. He started talking about the history of the family and the rules about succession. He then continued to list all of my achievements over the years which was met by resounding applause from the crowd. It’s good that my name precedes me. That way, I don’t have to work so hard to prove my worth.

When the ceremonial passing of the boss’ ring was completed, the VIPs congratulated me one by one starting with Bamboo.

“Watch your back, bastard,” he whispered and I just chuckled. The rest of the VIPs followed but their reactions are more civil than that of Bamboo’s.

“It’s my turn to warm your bed, boss. Anytime, anywhere,” Twig whispered seductively after kissing the ring on my hand.

Once the VIPs have shown their allegiance, they were soon followed by the group heads – the ones leading the members in each investment field. And one by one, they kissed the ring, sung praises to a masked man they haven’t met, trusting that I will continue to make them rich in the years to come.

When the line ended, Cane took the microphone again concluding our ceremony.

“What name should the world fear next?” Cane’s voice resounded in the ballroom.

“Nico Sticks,” I replied in a machine-altered voice followed by another resounding applause from the crowd.

When the crowd left, I slowly walked inside the ballroom taking it all in. Finally, the fruition of my dream. But as soon as I stepped out of the room, I felt a presence I haven’t felt in a long time. And when I looked towards the restaurant, I saw her. All grown up.

My heart was still pounding when I hopped in the car hoping that she didn’t recognize me. Only to realize that I’m still wearing my mask. “To the mansion,” I instructed the driver while removing the mask, revealing my face flushed with emotions.   

The Sticks mansion is in chaos when I reached home. The butler was reporting to Cane but when I arrived, he turned to me.   

“Boss, our shipment has been ransacked,” he reported.

“It’s okay, as long as we have the box, we can easily recover minor losses,” I said confidently. I’ve already anticipated oppositions to my appointment that’s why I set up pre-cautions and insurances. And the box is my biggest insurance to date.       

“They took ‘the box’ and nothing else.”

No! No! No!  

I felt the earth shook under my feet when I heard that.

“Who claimed responsibility?” I asked still in a calm voice.

“That’s the curious part. The tracker indicates it was sent to Nico Sticks but it's now offline,” the butler said.

“What the hell?” Now I’m about to explode. I just declared my name an hour ago, and now, the family’s biggest money-making asset was sent to my name. What does it look like to an ordinary member?

I noticed Cane fidgeting in his seat realizing the impact on him. He picked me from the street to join the family, gave me everything I have, taught me everything I know. This is an attack to him as it is an attack on me. But this is not his fight anymore, this is a challenge to my authority, and how will I respond.

“Bring me everything you have on Nico Sticks.” Before I could even finish my sentence, the butler gave me a tablet showing one ‘Nico Sticks’ from the internet.

This woman is not even hiding. How did she survive during Cane’s leadership?

I couldn’t count how many times my eyebrow raised and twitched just by reading her ridiculous profile. Surely, no one would grow up to be as kind as her after what she’s been through. It’s baloney and the best way to reveal her conspirator is by getting to know her. Personally.  

After putting on white contact lenses as the last piece of my disguise, I found Cane shaking his head.

“Son, she’s a..” he stopped mid-sentence when I gave him a stern look. He knew more than anyone not to disrupt me after I made my plans.

“Just be careful out there,” he reminded.

‘She’s a? She’s a what?’ I wanted to ask but instead, I just nodded before leaving for my mission.