All Chapters of Isadora, The Mafia Queen: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

IsadoraA week later, I called for a meeting with the round table members of the cartel.The conference room was large, in the middle of the office building.I sat at head of the table, arms crossed and my gaze fixated. Ivan and Viktor were seated on both sides of me. There were about ten other men present in the room.The meeting had been going on for half an hour, when Bruno, a bald headed guy in his mid thirties, slid a set of papers across the table towards me."I've gone over the numbers, everything looks legit and solid," his tone casual and demeaning, almost like he was doing me a favor.I took the papers without looking at them, instead studying him, letting the time drag. He was known to have a dubious reputation."Everything looks solid?" I asked, my tone light and casual."Yeah, it's all good", Bruno replied, folding his arms as if to give an intimidating appearance.A faint smile played on my lips as I scanned the papers. The numbers didn't add up, but it wasn't a mistak

Isadora"We have a problem,' Viktor announced, his voice steady but with urgency. "The shipment's been hijacked."Viktor had called for an impromptu cartel meeting. I leaned back in my chair, absently tapping my fingers against the table until the announcement. The tension in the air was palpable. Ivan sat beside me, his face unreadable always, but I could see the flicker of concern in his eyes. Viktor stood at the head of the table, as he addressed the group of cartel members seated before him.At his announcement, the room fell silent. My pulse quickened. The shipment was one of our most lucrative operations -a batch of expensive weapons and drugs being transported across the border. I could feel every pair of eyes turn towards me, expecting a reaction, to take charge. I remained calm, my expression looking unfazed."Hijacked?" I asked, my voice low and dangerous. "What do you mean?"Viktor's eyes darkened. "It was supposed to arrive at the distribution point last night. We waited

Isadora"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now, Miguel."My voice was quiet, but it sliced through the tension in the room like a blade. Every cartel member gathered around the long wooden table sat in eerie silence, their eyes fixed on the man kneeling before them. Miguel was bloodied, bruised and trembling, but he still had enough life left in him to understand the gravity of the situation.Miguel swallowed hard, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "Boss...please, I swear, I never wanted to betray you. I was cornered. I-"I tilted my head, my expression unreadable. "You were cornered," I repeated slowly. "Who?"He hesitated, then gasped for breath. "C-Cesar," he muttered. "Cesar Alvarez."Murmurs erupted around the room.My eyes darkened. "Alvarez, you mean to tell me you sold out your family to that son of a bitch?"Miguel squeezed his eyes shut. "I didn't have a choice, he had men watching my family. He said if I didn't cooperate, they'd disappear. I didn't know what to do!"

Isadora"Are you going to kiss me or just keep standing there?"The words escaped out of my mouth before I could even stop them. I should have stepped away, should have broken the moment, but my feet remain glued as my body took over my actions.Ivan's fingers lingered against my cheek, the warmth of his touch doing something to my insides.He let out a low chuckle at my words, tilting his head. "You're not a patient one, are you?""You're stalling" I muttered, my voice quieter."No, I'm waiting to see if you'll stop me."I swallowed hard, my chest beating fast. I wouldn't stop him. I couldn't. So I reached for him first.The moment my fingers reached into his shirt, feeling his bare skin, his restraint snapped. His mouth was on mine before I could take another breath- hot, demanding and relentless. I had imagined what kissing him would feel like, but this was nothing like I imagined.His hands gripped my waist, pulling me closer to him as he deepened the kiss, his tongue intertwining

IsadoraAs morning came in, reality set in. I had killed a traitor in the cartel, and we had an enemy to deal with.The four of us- Ivan, Viktor, Rafael and myself, sat around the table. Miguel's execution still lingered between us like a ghost, but there was no time to dwell on it. I avoided looking at Ivan, not sure if I could carry on like nothing happened this soon."This isn't going to work." Ivan's voice cut through the tension in the conference room.Viktor scoffed. "And what exactly isn't going to work? The fact that we're actually doing something about Cesar Alvarez? Or the fact that, for once, you're not in control?"Ivan's jaw clenched. "What's not going to work is charging in blind. Cesar isn't some local dealer we can muscle through. One wrong move, and we're dead.""So, what?" Viktor asked, leaning forward. "Right, because sitting on our asses and waiting for him to make the first move is a better idea."It's called being smart, Viktor," Ivan shot back. "Something you c