ALESSANDRO'S POV

The hour had come, ticking and running as more people entered the house.

Dante received a call back from Amelia, announcing her attendance with Alyssa.

I haven't spoken with Amelia since the stunt she pulled with Akila's parents and we had no time for anger and vengeance for the past. I swore that if I lived after the war, I'd make her pay, and learn a lesson or two for pushing Akila into such a thing.

A few small leaders and high-ranked generals joined us from the Mexican mafia, showing their loyalty when we needed it the most which was surprising but noble.

Our shaky relationship with them stays as a matter of fact that I will not obey or bow to Vicent and I didn't care about the power he held against them, I had hundreds and thousands waiting for me to unleash war upon them.

Everyone was busy when noon hit us, Emilion and Adriano were arranging flights, informing airports of our friends' landing. Dante worked his way into settling in anyone who arrived early. And I haven't seen a trail of Armando.

Akila moved from one room to another. With her mask drawn beneath her eyes, she observed our visitors and checked their pockets for any weapons or harm they dared under my roof.

A lot happened downstairs while I sat in my office, staring and trying to figure out the bullshit Marcello dropped on us.

Discovering Enzo's little game was funny on some thin lines, he'd done all of that, going through war and death just so he could have that small say in everything.

And there I thought I was a control freak.

Although Marcello gave up valuable information, I didn't know how much he actually knew, how far would he go against us and sell more information to the Romanians if we didn't guarantee his special order?

I couldn't get rid of his grin, the one he flashed me once the words floated around us, because he knew, I would rather kill him and kill myself alone than watch him take her away from me.

He may have been reckless but he was no fool. He was well aware of his chances of actually having her so that led me to the same stop, how much and how far.

The door shot open and Emilion stormed in, followed by Adriano. "We have a problem." On another evening, I would slap them both for not knocking and asking for permission first. Maybe after we survived this.

"As you already know, Amelia and her people are on their way here," Adriano started slowly until Emilion got impatient and cut in, "The Devilles are going to be here soon and we all know how they feel about each other."

Armando's family, his parents specifically, always had this riddle—clot—between them and any Albanian blood. They weren't enemies, perhaps on very bad terms which no one knew why.

When I threatened Armando to tell me, he didn't know himself. He said his parents forbid the mention of their names.

I sustained a deep breath and waved them a lazy hand, "I'll take care of it, leave me alone." They silently nodded and rushed out of the door, gently closing it behind them.

Thoughts crowded in the back of the head. I had Marcello to deal with, stop a third war and prepare for any attacks in minutes.

A part of me wondered why they haven't made a move yet, giving us time to gather more people and form forces all around the world.

I rose to my feet and walked out of the office, thoughts dragging along, eager to find an answer for their silence, their awaiting and incredible patience.

They might be waiting for Marcello, for a signal and words of our plans he may or may not know of.

He was fighting against everyone, first, he played against me and now he betrayed my father for me so it wasn't hard considering his betrayal to me for the Romanians.

My fingers curled around the knob and twisted it open. I stood still for a couple of seconds outside his bedroom in case he was naked.

His head snapped and his eyes landed on mine before he lowered them to the ground in shame.

Both my arms tangled behind my back and I spoke in a low tone, "Your family will be here in an hour." A smile toned on his lips, sending a smirk on my own for what I was about to say, "And so will Amelia Gashi and her soldiers." The weak smile immediately dropped and he realised his one and only, very hard task.

I turned on one heel and faced the other side. I took a step out and warned him through a hidden smile, "If I see one ounce of blood, I'll make sure yours is next."

My legs moved faster as I closed the door, the sound of wood cracked and echoed down the hallways.

On my way down the stairs, I could already hear Cade's broken engine's laugh.

Cade Carter was the leader of the American Mafia, well, one of them.

Their system was so complicated, they didn't have one or two leaders, they had a dozen. Each one led and ruled a few states around the country and of course, Cade was the most powerful out of the others, not that there was a huge brilliant competition.

In over fifteen years of leadership, he took over New York, Washington, Delaware, Georgia, Portland, California and a couple more cities.

He made sure the East and Western sides were both secured and under his command while lower and smaller leaders took care of the rest.

Despite his semi-horrible and extremely annoying character, I was glad to see him there because everyone knew the Americans hated me but for some reason, that thirty-four year old white male was very interested in my help.

He was wearing a hideous sage green suit, holding a glass of liquor in one hand as he whirled to look at me. "Ah, bonjorno Alessandro." I tried hiding the cringe crawling on my skin and approached them.

"Oh you look so great, perhaps I should wear black more." I took his compliment with a giddy smile when the blonde woman next to him shoved his shoulder and he stopped drinking, "Right. Alessandro, meet Sam, she's my sister's best friend or platinum soulmate. I don't know what the hell they call each other." He raised the half-empty glass and took another sip.

"You have a sister?" I haven't bothered to search deeply into his family line but I surely didn't remember a sister. "Yeah, I know. I also found out she existed two or three years ago. She went and lived with my mother when our parents got divorced and I guess I forgot about her." He brought the glass back on his lips, "and then she came to me asking for money and look, here she is." Cade pushed through people and held a woman's arm, pulling her close to where we stood.

"Jade, this is my amazing and scary Italian friend Alessandro Santoro, leader of the Italian Mafia and ruler of the entire world who will drag us all to our death."

She proceeded to take his arm off her and straighten her back, "Jade Carter." She stretched out an arm and held her hand up.

I joined our palms and shook her hand, "Alessandro." Both our gaze switched on Cade who was giggling for no reason, leaning on Sam's body as she struggled to hold their weight before he said, "Don't they make a cute couple." where's Dante when I need him, where's any of them idiots when I need them.

"Alright Cade, you've had enough to drink. Sam, can you handle him away please, thank you so much." Jade smiled at her so-called best friend and she glared back before taking Cade somewhere far.

"Sorry about my brother." She said, pulling back her caramel braided hair. Their eyes were identical, bright chocolate brown and sweet honey hair with a touch of ginger.

I chuckled and glanced back at Sam trying to keep Cade away from more drinks "It's fine. He always visits for the wine." She laughed softly and when the air dried, she cleared her throat and asked, "So how old are you?"

My head tilted, "You've never heard of me?" She scoffed, almost choking on a laugh. "Of course I have, I just thought to ask you normally and have a casual conversation. Plus, I don't want to sound like a stalker." She whispered the last word and we laughed together.

"I'm twenty-seven." She placed a hand over her heart and her mouth fell open, "No way." she giggled and I shook my head.

She looked me up and down, "So are you going to ask or have you already searched it up?" I heard laughing in my head but ignored it. "I've just discovered your existence four minutes ago."

She narrowed her eyes and bit the inside of her cheeks, "Besides, I don't particularly sniff around people who do not interest me."

Right at the perfect moment, Dante walked into the room. "Boss, Amelia Gashi and her companions are here." I sighed, seeing an image of a long night.

"I'll be there in a minute." He nodded and disappeared into the crowd. "Who is he?" She flipped another braid back, staring at me for an answer.

I bit my lower lip and leaned down to her short eyes level, "Listen Carter junior," if Armando was standing there, he would have wheezed unhesitatingly. "I am not your guide or friend around here and for your own good, do not speak a word to me unless I initiate it. And try to forget this conversation ever happened, consider it a warning. Goodbye." I didn't wait for her reaction and left the girl to meet her death.

I could feel her presence before her heels, clicked on the floor and she introduced herself to the girl I abandoned behind me.

[V]

I think. I think inviting the Deville's and putting them in the same room with the Albanians was a very bad, wrong idea.

Emilion held Alessio, Armando's older brother and Alessia's twin sibling who was ready to attack Alyssa standing in the corner of the wall, scared to death by the angry psychotic family.

Amelia held her ground, chin high and one leg tapped on the floor. "It was more than thirty years ago, Avena, get over it." Whatever happened between these two women was not forgiven nor forgotten even after more than thirty whole years for God's sake.

My brain had gone pounding with a headache from all the screaming and arguing as Cade drunkenly cheered for a fight.

Aurora stood in front of Amelia's personal guards, blocking their path while Amadeo glared behind her, scaring them in case someone thought of crossing his little sister.

Amadeo is the child right between Armando and Aurora. He turned twenty-three last week, making a two-years gap with his youngest sister and three years younger than Armando.

"Can anyone explain why people are fighting?" Ruben, the head of our Venezuela allies, asked from the other side, exchanging looks with his wife and most trusted men.

"It was thirty-six years ago, damnit" Amelia protested once again and Mrs DeVille started laughing out of nowhere, holding her stomach and releasing more concerning noises before she shot back up with a serious face, "So you do remember, do you also remember your hands on him, how you took advantage of my—" something sharp drew, the earth shook beneath our feet, the air thickened and the wind stilled to welcome her in, standing in the middle of chaos and peace, dressed in black and shadows, she took a step forwards and her hair swung left to right on an even paste, the sound of her heels following behind like trained dogs, not just any dogs, dogs and vicious creatures shaped into a pair of heels, her eyes tracing prey breath by breath, beat by beat like a hungry tigress, ready to feed off her victims.

She looked formidable, horrifying and wicked. A hunter, a predator for practising and twisting the art of murder and death.

And I couldn't keep my eyes off her, the way her hips moved as she walked, her gaze lashing out threats and whispering death, the others backing off to leave room for her.

Amelia carefully bowed and collected her guards off the youngest two DeVilles. Avena shifted with the tension in the room and went for a hunt, a question on who that woman was, a woman who silenced world leaders and managed to steal all that was left of their power.

When I was finally ready to tear my eyes away from her, I watched the rest watch her. Criminals from many empires, leaders and elders from past wars, and the sun and the moon taking position for her command and order.

Her eyes gleamed, they shimmered with Starfall, millions and millions of stars and angels falling from heaven, tripping and crashing into Hell. Hell she caught, Hell she demanded, she ruled and created. Hell, she brought to us.

"I am Venom Antonio." Her voice rang into the walls, digging holes and graves for the lives of those she took, she captured and ended. "But there's something you don't know," she lightly smiled, not to us, not to the world but to herself, the one and only person she was and became, the little girl who suffered and healed, the grown woman who summoned devils, the seven levels of the underground, the eight stages of Naraka and the ten circles of Hell.

"I am Akila Lorzeno, the one and only right heir for the Mexican mafia and your future queen." She slowly drew her gaze on them, one by one, breaking through their skull and carving her own name in their bones.

She wrapped oxygen and gravity around her finger and walked to the head of the long table where everyone sat, everyone stared unblinkingly and startled in their seats.

Her palms cupped the curves of the table, next to the head chair, she leaned in and allowed her blazing eyes to fall on mine, full of hunger and conscious flames.

My heart clutched, seized and tightened at her sigh, so murderous and so beautiful.

And I could almost hear the wind whisper in my ears, begging me to be at her side. Or maybe it was my body, my infinite need of touching her.

My legs descended on the chair, I pulled it back and looked at her once more, in her eyes I saw my dreams, in her eyes I saw my nightmares, I saw my mystery and wonders, I saw my partner and lover.

In her eyes, I saw my life and death. In her eyes, I saw my equal and beyond.

The chair remained empty for the rest of the meeting, unseated and guarded by the two of us until the very last letter of every word I spoke and every plan I revealed.

For a long period, our guests managed not to fight each given second. We negotiated and filled unfinished holes, making a few arrangements and taking notes of materials our soldiers will need and so will we.

[V]

After everything was marked and set, we watched our attendance walk out in pace, leaving their oaths to fight and stand by us in war and death before bowing and disappearing into the night.

The DeVille's stayed close behind, glaring at Amelia as she approached Akila and me, vocalising her apology for the incident that happened with Akila and her parents.

Akila showed no sign of sympathy or forgiveness, she dismissed her words as if they were a blow in the midnight breath.

"Akila, please," Amelia lowered her voice this time she may have been many things, idiotic, unloyal and betrayer but she surely wasn't the one to beg, for forgiveness or anything else yet there she was, standing in front of me, in front of my girl, hoping and praying for her approval, her anything.

"What I did was wrong, and I understand how badly it must've ruined your day but just once Akila, just once believe me for the woman I was and treated you like my own daughter, I took you in and only wanted to protect you so much that all I meant was peace brought between the three of you.

"I shouldn't have got involved and I will hold accountability for that until my last breath but know that I will always be truly sorry and mistaken for it."

A fool would think Akila would be unyielding, accept her apology and choose consolation over hatred. So I waited for her to lash out or allow me to rip the middle-aged woman in pieces, starting a new war with her people that I didn't mind taking.

But Akila raised her chin higher and adjusted her shoulder muscles, "Go home Amelia." and she'd listen. Amelia turned around to leave when Akila made sure she heard one more thing loud and clear, cold and malicious, "enjoy it, while it lasts."

And with that being said, Akila Lorzeno, The Venom Antonio gave her back to the world and her enemies and stormed back into the mansion, past the DeVille's, my men and guards, unfazed and UNTOUCHABLE.

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