Mafia Cinderella

Her father looked at her with such hatred and disgust that for a moment Emelia Damian wondered if he had mistaken her for his nemesis, the Mafia overlord, Xavier King.

“What are you looking at?” Salvador Damian’s face darkened as his gaze fell upon his firstborn daughter, “do you wish to kill me the way you killed your mother?”

Tears stung her eyes.

“Sorry,” she muttered and rushed off before her father said anything else. She couldn’t stand much more heartache today. Why did her father and his new wife always remind her of her birth which had caused her mother’s untimely death? Her mother had died while giving birth to her. According to her father and stepmother, Jolene, this was enough reason to blame her for her mother’s death.

Emelia ran to her bedroom in the servant’s quarters. While the main house and huge outdoor entertainment had recently been renovated, the servant’s quarters were in dire need of repair. She threw herself on her bed and sobbed her heart out. Perhaps it would have been better if she hadn’t been born at all.

“Emelia?” a gentle voice called.

She sat up slowly and wiped her tears with the back of her hands.

“What have I told you about crying every time your father and his wife insult you?” Gina Torres, her family’s housekeeper, asked her.

Emelia took a deep breath. “I should not let it get to me because that gives them power over me.”

Gina gestured for Emelia to stand. “I’ve made your favorite.”

Emelia realized for the first time that Gina was holding a plate of roast chicken sandwiches in one hand, and a bottle of strawberry juice in the other.

Her stomach rumbled despite the intense waves of sadness still washing over her. “Thank you, Gina.”

Gina had raised her since her birth. Her stepmother hadn’t once fed her, bathed her or shown her any affection. She supported her father’s belief that Emelia had killed her mother by simply being born. She could understand her father’s grief-filled fury at her but what reason did Jolene have to hate her? Why couldn’t she help her husband see that his firstborn daughter had nothing to do with his first wife’s death? After all, she had a child of her own.

“Don’t think about them. Nobody deserves to live in your head rent-free,” Gina said as if she had read her mind.

“Okay,” Emelia said and began eating her simple yet delicious lunch. Gina was the only mother she’d ever known. She’d even encouraged her to study to become a lawyer once she’d graduated from high school. Her father had refused to pay of course. Gina had arranged the money somehow and Emelia had recently completed her final year of law school. She still couldn’t believe it. Gina was truly a lifesaver.

Her housekeeper had helped her turn her bedroom into a tiny home. Gina had constructed a small walk-in closet, a study area and a small recreational space where Emelia could watch television or read books. Gina turned on the television she’d bought for Emelia.

“Legendary Mafia King, Xavier King has just announced that he will hold a Spring Ball to choose his next wife.” Gina laughed. “Who does this guy think he is?”

Emelia shook her head. “I guess he thinks he is a literal fairy tale king,” she replied.

“Exactly,” Gina said, her laugh fading. “And you know what the most annoying thing about his announcement is? Young women will think this is the opportunity of a lifetime.”

Perhaps someone with no hope for the future would think that, Emelia thought. She would probably accept the invitation if her father allowed her to go. Her stepmother hadn’t allowed her to apply for any internships after she’d completed her law degree. Perhaps her only way out was to marry the mafia king himself. How bad would being his wife be?

“Don’t tell me that you are thinking about going to the ball,” Gina said when she remained silent.

She didn’t want to lie to Gina and say she wasn’t thinking about the ball. “It would be a solid way out of my current life,” she replied truthfully, “as it is I am not allowed to leave the property at all. It’s like I am a prisoner here.”

Gina nodded. “I know. You are safe here though. The house staff watch out for you and it’s better that your father doesn’t parade you around like he does Cara.” Cara was her younger stepsister.

Gina was right. What if the underworld knew about her existence? She knew that her life wouldn’t have been the same had they known about her. She would have been kidnapped at least once and held for a million-dollar ransom. Her father took all precautions to keep his precious daughter with Jolene safe. Cara never left the house without a team of bodyguards and a pair of skilled assassins.

“I can help you attend the Mafia King’s Spring Ball if that is what you really want,” Gina said.

A part of her really wanted to go. “I would need a suitable ball gown wouldn’t I? And proper shoes.” She didn’t have any money of her own to afford a proper ball gown or the shoes that went with it.

“I am sure I could raise some money and find a decent seamstress to rustle up a spring ball gown.” Gina winked. “We have our ways of getting things done, you know.”

She did know. Her housekeeper had sent her to one of the best law schools in the country, hadn’t she? Despite being kicked out of the main house by her father and stepmother, Gina had defeated the odds and finished top of her class.

“I would love to go if it is not too much trouble,” Emelia said. A part of her couldn’t wait to lay eyes on the Mafia King.

“Nothing is ever any trouble for you my princess,” Gina said.

Emelia smiled. She couldn’t wait to attend the ball.

The ruler of the underworld, Xavier King glared at his office staff. “What do you mean you cannot trace what happened to the payment? It was received on the fifth of April. My bank records prove this. Where did the money go from there?” Why did anyone think they could lie to him? He was in his New York office conducting his monthly audit of his finances. He chose to oversee the audit process himself. Being a billionaire meant that people who’d never worked a day in their lives plotted ways to steal money he’d earned fair and square.

“Have all you gone dumb?” Xavier asked rising from his leather chair and making his way to the front of his large oak table. Nobody dared speak. Xavier’s temper was legendary.

Rumor had it that he had murdered his first wife who had cheated on him. He preferred people to believe that rumor. It added an edge to his character, something that cast a shroud of invincibility over him. He’d rather have his staff imagine what he would do if he found out one of his payments – his main source of income – had mysteriously gone missing? He shuddered to think of the consequences if his payment had indeed been swindled from his bank account. Who in their right mind would dare rob him, Xavier King, of his hard-earned money? It took real guts to do something so daring to him.

“We have a suspect, Sir,” Marcello, his accountant said after a few minutes of tense silence.

Xavier’s footsteps echoed in the silence as he made his way to where Marcello stood. Beads of sweat formed on the middle-aged man’s forehead and trailed down on either side of his face. “Well, don’t keep us all in suspense. Tell me who stole my money. Who dared to rob Xavier King?”

Marcello gripped his tablet so tight his knuckles turned white. Sweat poured down his face. “It wasn’t stolen, Sir.”

Xavier narrowed his eyes. “Are you calling me a liar? I saw the transaction from Salvador Damian myself yesterday. Barely twenty four hours later there is absolutely no trace of his money. That can only mean one thing. Someone stole the money.”

“I understand what you are saying, Sir. But I assure you that the money was not stolen by any of your staff.” Marcello fought to keep his voice steady.

Perhaps I am being too tough on my staff, Xavier thought. He couldn’t afford to soften his attitude to anyone. He was the leader of the ruthless underworld which didn’t allow any room for errors or for ‘softness’. No, he needed to maintain his ruthless stance in order to continue dominating the billion-dollar underworld industry he’d solely turned into a resounding success under his leadership. “So tell me, Marcello, who took my money?”

“Nobody, Sir. It was never paid to you.” Marcello trembled as the words left his mouth.

Xavier didn’t understand if Marcello was taking him for a fool or trying to play dumb. He reached for his gun. He pulled it out in less than a split second and pointed it at Marcello. “I am tired of listening to your nonsense. I saw the payment myself. How dare you tell me that Damian never paid me?”

“M…May I please show you what I mean, Sir?” Marcello’s face had turned red. It was a wonder he hadn’t suffered a heart attack yet.

“I am warning you that if this is one of your bullshit scams or lies I will kill you right here and right now,” Xavier warned him.

“Yes, Sir, I understand that.” He opened his tablet and pointed to a second transaction a few hours later, one Xavier had missed. “Damian reversed his payment, Sir.”

Xavier glared at Marcello. Then he glanced at the tablet. Sure enough, Marcello was telling him the truth. Salvador Damian had reversed his payment exactly seven hours and fifty minutes after making it. After eight hours he would have needed to personally visit his bank and have his banker reverse the transaction. Of course the bank would have contacted him and informed him of the reversal. But the clever, conniving sneak had chosen to reverse his transaction himself to avoid detection. Did Salvador think that he wouldn’t discover his treachery? Well, technically he hadn’t. Marcello had pinpointed the treacherous transaction and exposed Salvador Damian’s trickery.

“Thank you, Marcello. Staff, you may leave. Hans,” he looked at his internal personal assistant. “Please ensure that Marcello visits a doctor of his choice and takes a few days off.” There wasn’t much more he could do for Marcello without looking like he was a contender for employer of the year. He couldn’t afford to let his ruthless nature be replaced by normal human nature. This business he’d been born into had no room for gentleness or kindness.

Hans nodded. His staff exited his office, their relief evident. Hans returned to his office a few minutes later.

“Tell me about Salvador Damian’s family,” Xavier said.

“He is married to Jolene Damian and has one daughter with her,” Hans replied, “her name is Cara and she failed her first year at law school.”

“I thought he was married to Gemma Andrews, the supermodel,” Xavier said, tapping away on his laptop.

“Gemma died while giving birth to their first and only child,” Hans said.

“Did the child live or die?”

“We were unable to trace her if the baby survived so we assume she died,” Hans said.

“Hmm.” Xavier leaned into his chair and closed his eyes briefly. “Gemma Andrews died while giving birth to Damian’s daughter,” he told Hans. He opened his eyes. “This information isn’t hard to find. Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”

Hans hesitated. “I didn’t know that, Sir. I trusted the information given to me by my sources.”

“Well, it seems like you have to replace your sources,” he said. He dismissed Hans with a subtle nod. Now that he knew Damian had a daughter, or daughters, he had to come up with the perfect plan to teach him a lesson he would never forget. Nobody crossed Xavier King and got away with it. Nobody! Damian had stolen money from him. He would take something far more precious from him, something money couldn’t buy.