A woman walked down the polished corridors of the huge campus, her heels clicking against the marble floor. She moved effortlessly, her elegance evident in each step she took, her purple hairs flowing down in waves up to her waist and her emerald green eyes sparkling with happiness. She wore a grey tank top with high-waisted black jeans, highlighting her curves and radiating a youthful confidence. She felt elated and excited having finished her MBA and now heading home.
A shrill, clear voice squealed her name from a distance, "Jade!". Jade turned back swiftly on her heels, just in time to catch a red-haired girl falling into her arms. She instantly recognized her as Scarlett, her bestie, who was now hugging her so tight that she could hardly breathe. Jade groaned while struggling to stabilize herself and Scarlett,"woman, I can't breathe!" Though, Scarlett had no plans of listening to her and only hugged her tighter as if her life depended on it.
"I am going to miss you." mumbled Scarlett, her voice sounding strained as if she was holding back her tears. Jade's heart melted at this and she started rubbing Scarlett's back to soothe her. She whispered,"shh, Don't cry, you are an ugly crier." Scarlett hit her lightly on her shoulder and let go.
Scarlett's amber coloured eyes were slightly red with tears threatening to spill out. She quickly rubbed her eyes to clean the tears, only to smudge her eyeliner. Jade giggled looking at her with an 'I told you so' look. Scarlett whined in annoyance but with a slight smile gracing her lips," I hate you."
"You don't and we both know that." Spoke Jade, wiping her non-existent tears.
Soon, they started walking to the gate, talking and reminiscing the memories they shared.They looked outside the gate of the university campus and saw 10 black cars waiting, with armed men standing beside them. Jade was a bit surprised because only her dad moved around with such a huge convoy. Her face instantly lit up at the thought of her father picking her up.
She went to the car at the centre. The guard held the door open for her but her father wasn't inside. She waved at Scarlett to say goodbye and sat in the car. She asked the driver," Where's dad?" He gave a short reply,"At home." She got silent and started staring out of the window as the drive began. Her life was going to change, she would have to take care of her family's Business Empire. She braced herself for it.
She didn't realize that she had reached the mansion. She got out of the car and involuntarily her lips stretched in a full smile. She took a deep breath to take in the smell of her home, the place where she grew up, coming back here felt like she had everything on Earth.
But.....
Something was wrong, the ominous feeling inside her grew tenfold as she started walking inside, the feeling was so intense that it made her stomach churn.
She tried her best to ignore it. The smile on her face had already disappeared. As soon as she reached inside all heads turned towards her and they made way for her to go inside....inside her father's office. The moment she stepped inside the office, the sight in front of her made her blood run cold. She froze.
She stood frozen with shock. Her father lay in a corner of the room, in a pool of his blood. She couldn't believe what she saw or simply refused to believe that her father was dead. She finally got enough strength and courage to move from her place. She walked over to his body and kneeled beside it.
She lifted her hand, her slender fingers trembling slightly, and placed it on his cheek. It was cold this time unlike before. She sat there for what felt like forever, just staring at her father's lifeless body. Somewhere deep down she still hoped he would get up and pat her head with affection but it was just a hope, a false hope.
She sat there reminiscing the memories she shared with her father when her uncle walked into the room and asked her to come with him. She took a last glance at her father and got up. She took a moment to steady herself and then followed her uncle silently, keeping her head held high.
She wanted to cry her heart out but she couldn't cry in front of everyone. She had to stay strong. She followed her uncle to his room. Her uncle, Caleb, spoke grimly," Promise me that you will not breathe a word about this conversation to anybody." He continued,"you will take over your father's business empire and I have something else to tell you "
She looked at her uncle, to say she was shocked was an understatement but she hid it well behind her calm expression. Her father was dead and her uncle, his brother, was telling her to take over his business as soon as possible. 'Did my father's death not affect him? Did he not care for my father?'
"I promise," said Jade.
Her uncle, as if reading her mind, replied," I cared deeply for your father, and his passing fills me with sorrow but I must not show weakness. You have to take over your father's empire, his business empire and his Mafia empire. You are the heiress of the Collins family and you have to take over in order to save the Collins family from breaking. There would be a power struggle, they would not accept you as their leader but you have to prove your worth to become a Mafia boss. You have to show them who you are–"
"Who am I??" She asked and she feared the answer.
"The head of the Collins' empire. You have the Collins family's blood running in your system. Show them that you are the real boss."
"We are Mafia??"
"yes"
She couldn't believe her ears but she knew it was the truth. She wished it to be a lie, a joke but it wasn't. It was her reality. She stormed out of the room and headed towards her room. As soon as she reached it, she went inside and slammed the door shut.
She stood facing opposite to the door with her back leaning against it. Her legs felt weak and she fell to the ground. Her facade was slowly crumbling down. She hugged her knees to her chest, cupped her face in her hands and her strong facade finally crumbled. She started sobbing. She started crying her heart out. Tears poured down her face freely.
'Why?? Why?? Why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this? I loved my father more than anyone. And now he's dead!! And that is not the only thing, the thing is that I have to take over the whole empire and not just the business empire but also the mafia empire!! We are Mafia! And now I am the mafia head. My father is dead and I don't even have the right to show my weakness or shed a single tear in front of anyone.'
Her father was gone and there was no one left in her life who would care for her. This thought broke her. His words, his smiles, and his memories were all buried in her heart making everything even more painful as they started swarming in her head. She held her head tightly, it felt as if it would burst.
She stood up and went in front of the mirror. She promised herself that it was the last chance she had, to cry her heart out because after this she wouldn't cry. After all, the last person who deserved her tears was dead. She went to her bed and lying in a fetal position, cried herself to sleep.
Tristen watched everything from the shadows with a sinister look in his eyes. He liked how everything unfolded. It simply made his revenge easier.