Beauty and the Beast: A Dark Arranged Marriage Mafia Romance

10

"Massimo wouldn't do that..." Dad stumbled, getting dizzy from the alcohol he'd drank earlier. "Not my Massimo. He was such a good man... H – he always respected my r – rules..."

"I guess you didn't know Massimo as well as you fucking thought, Dad," I seethed. "Do you even know any of us anymore? You just sit in your office all day, drinking the day away like a fucking tosser. Get your fucking shit together."

"You are to speak to me with respect, boy," Dad hissed. "I'm the man who raised you, brought you into this family, put food on your table."

"Being brought into this family was the last thing I fucking needed," I snapped harshly. "Look at what you've made me, Dad. Look at what you've fucking done to me. What this lifestyle has done to me. Look at you. You haven't been right ever since Mum died."

"This is the Cosa Nostra, and if you don't like the rules, you know there's a graveyard out there we can toss you inside," Jamal snarled, taking steps closer to me, closing the gap between us. "When there's a job that needs doing, you fucking do it. You made a big mistake killing Massimo today, you motherfu-"

Jamal spat on my face, grabbed hold of my neck, and began squeezing it. I began struggling for air as the wind began knocking out of my lungs. I doubled over, gaining the strength to retaliate, shoving Jamal off of me with such a force that he toppled backwards. He got up on his feet, wobbling about his spot, his facial expression strung with venom.

"Boys, please stop!" Dad pleaded, his eyes welling with tears.

"You motherfucker," I spat at Jamal, my voice dropping to barely below a whisper. "You've got some audacity pulling a stunt like that with me. I'm your fucking boss."

"The only person I work for and answer to is your fucking father," Jamal seethed. "He's the only man I have respect for. Things have been fucked up in business ever since you took over. Bodies dropping, left right and center. Losing our own family in the crossfire. Innocent people dying. People not paying up their debts." He broke off his sentence, rattling. "We look like fucking pussies. You shame the Cosa Nostra name. Ever since you took over, we've stopped teaching motherfuckers who was boss. Everything's gone to shit because of you. BECAUSE OF YOU!"