Chapter 2

~ Ten years later

My life is completely transformed.

I am no longer Delilah. I’m Rachel Green, the nonchalant, jobless girl everyone thinks is obsessed with Richard Maranzano because I have been living my life with curiosities about his life. It is nerve-wracking how close yet far away I am from him. I know every single detail about his life - what he does, what he eats, what he wears, who he’s with. Every single detail is stored is kept in my brain.

I live to seek revenge on Richard Maranzano; the teenage boy that cared less about my mother. He is the same person that pierced my heart ten years ago and that is exactly what I am hoping I’d do to his heart. Although I will make sure that he burns more than I did.

I spend my day doing nothing but searching and looking at paparazzi’s everyday, everywhere photos of the Maranzano family. It’s really great how famous the Maranzino family are, I get to know and learn a lot about them without stepping out of my control zone. As a matter of fact, that is exactly what I am doing right now. I am sitting with my laptop on my thighs, sipping on a steaming cup of black coffee. My browser is filled with tabs about Richard Maranzano, and I can't help but dive deeper into his so-called pathetic fake life. It's become a regular routine for me, scrolling through articles and soaking up every detail while burning my tongue with the hottest black coffee ever.

I hate Richard Maranzano with a passion. I wish I could just strangle him to death but I know that it won’t be enough. He deserves worse than that…. He deserves to suffer and rot in hell.

It's been a whole ten years since that incident, and I've been painstakingly strategizing every step. I'm determined to create a flawless plan, making sure not to make a single mistake. The Maranzano family is known for their intelligence, so I have to be twice as clever to outsmart them and bring their life crashing down. I don’t care how long this takes, all I know is that I will make sure that I take my revenge and give my mom the closure she deserves.

As I stumbled upon a photo of Richard Maranzano, I couldn't help but roll my eyes in frustration. Why is this guy more famous for his looks? I personally don't find him handsome at all. To me, he's just like a cucumber that needs to be peeled, so everyone can see how rotten and disgusting he is on the inside. Richard Maranzano is nothing more than a fake, he's definitely not as nice as he pretends to be. And certainly he is not an ordinary billionaire everyone thinks he is. He is a part of a Mafia gang and I know that because I was once there too.

Trust me, he is hiding under so many skin and I am the only one that sees right through him! I know what he does; he ruins families and burns down houses. That’s exactly what he did to me, he burned my house making sure that I couldn’t come back even if I wanted.

Richard Maranzano is a devil… a devil in disguise

As I scroll past his photos, I take a sip of coffee, relishing the way it burns down my throat. "Ugh," I can't help but groan at the sound of Rebecca arguing with her boyfriend again. It feels like she's constantly in this cycle of arguments and breakups with him.

Honestly, even I'm exhausted by their relationship. It's high time they take a real break from each other.

Sighing, I grab my earpiece and pop it in my ears, ready to block out any distractions. Right now, I'm laser-focused on Richard Maranzano and his family. Sometimes, I find myself wishing I had the means to hire a private investigator to gather more information about Richard Maranzano and his illegal activities. I am most interested in that because I know that it’s one of the things that can get him at a loss easily.

I am brought back to reality when the door swings open and Rebecca peeks her head into the room. I take a glance at her and then shift my attention back to my laptop.

"Why do you look like that, what happened?" I ask

"We broke up," She admits, her voice sinking into sadness.

I can't help but roll my eyes. It's like a broken record with them, breaking up every two weeks.

"I can't believe we broke up," Her voice, barely above a whisper, carried a hint of sadness as she spoke.

I could see the weight of her emotions as she sat on the edge of the bed, seeking solace in the quiet of the room. It's difficult to fathom, but their relationship seems to go through a cycle of breaking up and getting back together every two weeks.

"Really?" I try to match my tone with hers "Tell me what happened." I’m seriously not interested in what happened, I know for sure that it has to do with something very stupid.

"Okay, so get this. Ashley wanted me to meet his mother and.."

"Wait, hold up!" I trail her off midway "Ashley wanted you to meet his mom. That's a big step! What's making you hesitant about it?"

"I don’t want to meet his mother or anyone from his family. I feel like after meeting his mother he will want to take the relationship to the next level and-"

I cranked up the volume on my earpiece and played a high-tone song to drown out any mention of Mother, Ashley, or anyone else. I just needed some peace and quiet.

Relationship things aren’t my kind of thing that’s why I keep myself far away from it. I don’t plan on settling down with anyone until I get my revenge because I believe that nothing should come between me and Richard.

While I was busy with my task, I made sure to sneak quick glances and give subtle nods to Rebecca every now and then making sure that she suspects nothing.

Rebecca and I have been inseparable for five incredible years. We first crossed paths at the Western County's orphanage, and from that moment, a deep bond formed between us. We share a profound understanding, although there are times when deciphering her can be quite a challenge. But that's what makes our friendship so special.

"Oh my god... Oh my god..." I can't believe it! I take off my earpiece and turn to Rebecca with a wide smile on my face. "Guess what!" I exclaim. "Richard Maranzano is finally back in NewYork city."

"Wasn’t he in New York City like six days ago?"

"He was but then he traveled to Italy for business and he spent three days there."

"Wow!" She exclaimed "You are really obsessed with this man."

I roll my eyes "That’s not the point, the point is Richard Maranzano is in NewYork and will be at the Downtown black club tonight!"

Rebecca's eyes widen with excitement as she jumps up from the bed. "No way!" she grins. "Are you for real?"

"Yes, I read that Richard Maranzano is buying not just the Downtown Black club but the entire team of the club."

"Oh my god! He’s going to buy our club and will be there." She exclaims. The Downtown Black club is Rebecca and I number one place, we love to go there - well she loves to go there and I just love to hang out with her.

"This idea so amazing. I can’t believe I might get a chance to meet Richard. The Richard Maranzano," She says excitedly.

Girls go absolutely crazy for Richard Maranzano. I never can understand why.

"Yes but don’t get your hopes too high, because it could just be a rumor. I've seen similar things before, and sometimes it turns out to be fake news."

"Rumor or not, who cares? This is Richard we're talking about! Any chance we get, we have to take it," She says with full excitement.

Seems like she's really moved on from her broken relationship.

I can't help but roll my eyes at her. I wish I could tell her that Richard is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He's not the genuine person she believes him to be.

"But wait a minute, why are you so excited? I thought you hated him," She says.

"I'm not really excited, I'm just happy that I might have a chance to find out more about him. You know, my internet research isn't taking me anywhere," I explain.

"I sometimes wonder why you're always so committed to searching about him. I mean, if you don't like him, you shouldn't be concerned with anything he's doing."

"You won't understand, Rebecca. It's not easy to just not be concerned. It's like a never-ending curiosity that keeps pulling me in," I say, trying to make her understand my perspective.

She gave me a puzzled look, raising an eyebrow, and asked, "Huh?"

"Never mind. What are you planning on wearing? Any ideas" I ask changing the subject

I have never told Rebecca why I hate the Maranzano family and I don’t have the intention of telling her because of her big mouth. She can’t seem to keep quiet especially when she gets drunk.

"I have a few outfits in mind, but will we even have tickets to get in? I mean if Richard Maranzano the tickets will be twice expensive or worst, sold out!"

"Don't worry, I've got that covered. I know someone that can get us two tickets," I say with a mischievous smirk

I can’t wait for this. It’s about time I meet you, Richard Maranzano.