The Mafia's Greatest Obsession

Eloise asked, her lashes drooping slightly as she spoke, "Is there someone else, Jeremy?"

"No, I... I...", he stuttered.

"You fool," she whispered, giving him a crazy look that said she knew everything. "For a man whose father runs a big business, you sure do stutter a lot."

"I'm sorry."

"How stupid of you," she said, standing up with her eyes spitting fire. "You think you can break up with me? Tell your father the contract is canceled."

"No, please. He'll kill me!"

"That's not my problem,” she said and walked away. As Eloise stepped out of the café, her chauffeur was already waiting by the car, holding the door open for her. She slipped inside with a sigh, the weight of the encounter pressing down on her.

"Home," she instructed curtly, and the car glided smoothly away from the bustling streets. Eloise’s mind was agog with her next move as she rode home. She doesn’t like to feel defeated.

Suddenly, she ordered her chauffeur to head to her favorite bar for a drink to clear her head. The chauffeur looked at her through the mirror in amusement.

At the bar, she burrowed through her bag as she fished out her phone and dialed some numbers. “Free for a drink? Reach the others. The usual spot”, she said and hung up.

"These are too pedestrian for my liking," her voice choked with disgust and disappointment as she ran her eyes through the rows of champagne. “I am afraid this is all we have," the pitiful-looking bartender answered.

"Domain Pérignon is what I expected, not this." She said loudly, drawing everyone's attention. Her friends who had just walked in were ashamed of the fuss she created over nothing. “We can make do with what they have”, one of her friends Francesca suggested.

Eloise's eyes flashed with annoyance. "Make do? You want me to settle for this...swill?" The pitch of her voice rose higher. Swallowing hard before shaking her head, she followed after her as she stormed out of the bar.

Arriving home, she allowed some feigned tears to moisten her eyes as she yanked open the door to her father’s study room. Gambino Escobar's stern expression softened immediately when he set eyes on her.

He noticed the tears that lined her eyes ready to fall at the drop of a hat. "Eloise, what's the matter?" he asked with concern evident in his voice.

"Daddy," she began, her voice trembling as she approached him. "Jeremy... he broke up with me." Gambino's eyes darkened with anger. "What? Why would he do such a thing?"

"He said... he said I'm too controlling and that I don't make him happy," she sobbed, her tears flowing freely now.

Gambino pulled her in for a comforting embrace. "That ungrateful bastard. How dare he treat my daughter this way?"

She buried her face in her father's chest. "I just wanted to make him happy, Daddy but he was so mean to me. I couldn't take it anymore."

"Don't worry, my princess. I'll take care of everything. You won't have to see him again." He assured. "But Daddy," Eloise continued, her voice small and pleading. "What about the contract with his father?"

His eyes hardened. "The contract is off. Jeremy will pay for hurting you." She pulled back slightly, looking up at her father with wide, tear-filled eyes. "Thank you, Daddy”, she said as her father planted a kiss on her forehead.

~~

Admiring herself before putting on her shimmering short gown for a night out, Eloise texted the meeting venue to her friends. At the venue, she began to narrate all that happened between her and Jeremy.

“…and then I told him to fuck off because I didn't like him anymore," she said, her voice carrying a note of triumph. All her friends roared in laughter.

"I didn’t even like him. He was such a dick," she added, rolling her eyes. "He sure was," Francesca agreed, her voice wavering slightly. "That bartender looks so hot," Sophia, one of her friends, said, her eyes twinkling with interest.

"Yeah... but unfortunately, he's poor," Eloise replied, her tone dismissive. Then, with a sudden gleam in her eye, she stood up. "But I can get him in a second."

"He wouldn't be too hard to get," Francesca said, a hint of mischief in her voice. As Eloise sauntered toward the bar, A guy in the company of his goons suddenly bumped into her, causing his drink to spill all over her.

Instantly, her face flushed with fury. "What the fuck? Are you blind? Oh my God," she exclaimed in one breath, looking down at her now-soaked dress.

Turning to face the offender who remained silent, she thundered, "Are you stupid? Do you know how expensive this cloth is?" His eyes had a striking shade she had never seen before, and for a moment, she was lost in their depth.

"You should say sorry," she said, her voice softer but still edged with irritation. The mysterious guy frowned and stormed out of the bar like one who had an urgent appointment to catch up on, his friends trailing him like chicks following after the mother hen.

Eloise returned to the table and had more fun with her friends for close to an hour before leaving the bar and heading home partly angry, partly mesmerized.

As her chauffeur drove into the compound, she noticed a strange-looking jeep parked to the side with two hefty guards leaning on it with guns in their hands. Her heart skipped a bit.

It skipped the more when she stepped down from the car and was almost scooped by her father’s guards into her room. Wriggling furiously, she broke free from their grip and throttled upstairs calling out to her dad with each step she took to report what had just happened.

"Dad! Your men tried to drag me into my room!" she exclaimed, her voice echoing through the room. Gambino's eyes widened in alarm. "Eloise, this isn't the time—" But before he could utter one more word, she turned to look at Vincent. "You!" she exclaimed, sounding both shocked and enraged.

Vincent slowly turned his head to look at her, a wry smile playing on his lips. "Ah, Miss Escobar. We meet again.” Gambino's heart sank as he realized the gravity of the situation. "Eloise, please—"

"You have some nerve showing up here after what you did," she cussed, ignoring her father’s plea. "Eloise," Gambino tried to intervene, but Vincent held up his hand, stopping him.

"Let her speak," Vincent said with a chuckle.

"Daddy... this guy spilled his drink on me tonight at the bar without apologizing," she exclaimed, her voice filled with rage.

"Uhm... maybe you should let it go, baby," her father suggested, but her eyes went wide immediately. "Let it go? Daddy!" she exclaimed, turning back to Vincent. "Arrogant thing!" she said, rolling her eyes in disgust before storming out of the office.

"I am so sorry about her, Mr. Lucchese," Gambino apologized, but Vincent just smiled. "Ten years ago, I remembered the way you held her hand in a bid to comfort her when you lost your wife. Now, she’s all grown.

“Grant me access to your distribution network. Exclusivity for my shipment,” he said with a tone of dismissal before marching out of the room.

Driving out of Gambino’s mansion after making his demands for compensation known to him, he reminisced how his entire family was wiped out in one night.

It all happened on a warm evening when Vincent was barely six years old. A loud bang echoed through the house shattering the quiet stillness of the night. His young mind racing with fear and confusion, he sat up quickly on the bed and called out to his mom but nobody answered.

His heart hammered itself to silence in the dark hallway as he cried out once more. There was still no response.

Vincent crept down the stairs, the darkness closing in on him. There, in the living room's dim light, he saw them: five black-clad men, each with a gun in hand.

TBC

CHAPTER 2

He quickly ducked behind the dining table as fear took hold of him. His eyes, wide with fear, darted all over the room until they settled on his mother.

She was on the ground, her hand clutching her stomach as blood began to form a pool around her. Vincent covered his mouth with his small hands to contain the cry that was about to burst out.

His eyes strayed to his father, who was also lying on the ground, his body limp and lifeless. Sitting next to him, with her eyes closed as though she was sleeping was his older sister. She was dead.

A bump on the road brought him back to reality as the tires screeched to a halt before crossing the region of the bump. He kept hearing his mother’s last words resounding in his ears as he approached his castle.

Arriving at his castle, he walked into the small room where he normally tortured offenders to see a man strapped to a chair, his head covered with a black sack.

"Remove it," he commanded. One of his men nodded and swiftly pulled off the sack, revealing a disheveled and bruised face.

"Oh wow... dear cousin," Vincent said, letting out a chilling laugh.

"Fuck you," the man spat out in a voice full of defiance. Vincent's laughter echoed throughout the dimly lit room, adding to the tension.

"How's your father?" He asked, stepping closer as his eyes gleamed with relish.

"None of your fucking business," the man retorted, trying to sound brave.

"Aaron, Aaron, Aaron," Vincent called, his voice dripping with mock affection as he caressed the cold metal against Aaron's head. "How would you feel about your brains being blown out?"

Fear gripped Aaron, his bravado crumbling. "You won't do it," he stammered. "I might change my mind on one condition," Vincent said, his tone suddenly businesslike. "What?" Aaron asked, desperation clear in his voice.

"It's not hard... I want all the information about your father's business. Every detail about his operations, shipments, contacts, everything," Vincent demanded.

"No... that's not possible. I can't give you that," Aaron protested, his voice wavering. "Well, we made a deal... except...." Vincent pressed the gun harder against Aaron's throat, his eyes cold and unfeeling.

"Fine, fine... I'll tell you," Aaron said, his will finally broken. "Wow... such a good boy," Vincent said with a smirk. "His weapons will be shipped next week Thursday," Aaron began, his voice trembling. "And he's planning a major deal with the Russian mafia. That's all I know."

He smiled, pulling the trigger without warning. The bullet ripped through Aaron's jaw and lodged in his skull, permanently silencing him.

Turning to one of his men, he signaled him to get the place cleaned up and the Colombo family properly investigated. Vincent's smile faded as he noticed a splash of blood on his pristine suit. His expression turned to one of disgust instantly.

"Eww," Vincent murmured, brushing at the stain. He hated blood stains so much. "Burn these clothes," he said, immediately pulling off his suit jacket and shirt.

"Yes, boss," one of his men responded, quickly taking the garments away. With a sigh, Vincent ran a hand through his hair as he fished out his phone that had just buzzed from his pocket.

Even though the message he had just read from one of his informants was unpleasant, the information he had managed to get out of Aaron was priceless. It would keep him ahead in the never-ending struggle for supremacy within the mafia and tip the scales in his favor.

"Get me a new suit," he ordered. "And ensure there are no more loose ends,” he added, turning to face the door that had just creaked open. "Boss," Bellamy said as he entered the room, his tone cautious but laced with urgency.

Vincent’s smile returned. He loved it when Bellamy entered the room—it meant news, and he had a particular fondness for news, whether good or bad.

"What's the news, Bellamy?" he asked, his eyes fixed on the gun in his hand. Bellamy hesitated for a second. "Your uncle is pissed," he began, but Vincent held up a hand to stop him.

"I'll correct you for the last time, Bellamy," he said, his voice dangerously soft. Bellamy’s head bowed slightly in submission. "I’m sorry, boss," he murmured. "Adone is pissed, and he said he’s going to come for you," Bellamy corrected himself, his voice firmer now.

Vincent burst out laughing, the sound echoing off the walls. It was as though the thought of dealing with Adone brought him a deep sense of pleasure. His eyes drifted back to Lipari.

"Lipari," he called. "Yes, boss?" Lipari responded immediately, his posture straightening.

"Keep a tab on Miss Escobar, I want to know all of her movement," Vincent said, his smirk widening into something darker and more dangerous as he climbed up to his bedroom to retire for the day.

~~

Eloise felt a wave of unease and anger wash over her. She demanded, trying to keep her voice steady but shaking slightly, "What are you doing here?"

Vincent had a calm smile that was infuriating. "Just enjoying the evening. It was unexpected to see you here, though. Quite a coincidence, isn't it?"

"This is a private room. You're not welcome here."

Vincent chuckled, gazing at her friends, who were now watching the exchange with rapt attention. "Relax, Miss Escobar. I'm not here to cause trouble. And besides, I own this place.

"Then I'm leaving," she said, dropping the cue stick and moving to walk past him when she saw Jeremy at the entrance of the gaming house talking and laughing aloud with a bunch of guys whom she hadn’t seen him with before.

“Could Jeremy be stalking me? He should lick his wounds and back out of my life for good”, she muttered to herself as she halted in her tracks. Jeremy caught sight of her and approached her before she turned to exchange more words with Vincent.

“After influencing the withdrawal of my father’s deal, you still stalk me?” he asked with a tone of bitterness as he pranced around her with gritted teeth.

“Who has the time to stalk a riffraff like you? Get your facts right!” she warned.

Jeremy looked at her with a smirk and taunted, “I see you are with a new guy. Just don’t suffocate him like you did me.” He said audaciously and walked away.

"Feisty. I like that. Especially in bed," Vincent said without acknowledging what had just happened. "What do you want from me?" she quizzed, her voice trembling with restrained rage.

"Let's place a bet," he said his eyes glinting with challenge. "What on earth would make me want to bet with you?" She snapped back, rolling her eyes with reckless abandon.

He moved in closer until she could feel the heat emanating from his body and said, "You might like it." Her heart pounded in her chest, a mix of rage and a strange attraction.

"What?" she questioned, attempting to sound unimpressed. He nodded to the snooker table and said, "Let us play a game."

"And what is the bet?" she inquired. "If you win, I will apologize for pouring my expensive drink on you," he said mockingly. "You believe I am not going to win?" She scoffed; her confidence boosted by years of experience.

"Why not find out?" he asked, a chuckle escaping his lips. His smirk widened. "If I win, you will be my pet for two months," he said, his gaze locked into hers. "Looks like little Miss Escobar is not so confident after all," he teased.

"Quit calling me that. "My name is Eloise," she yelled. "So, are you on board with my terms?" he asked, holding out his hand. She grasped his hand reluctantly and gave it a firm shake, her eyes narrowing. "Deal," she uttered, her tone oozing out determination.

Eloise became more confident as the game progressed. She was leading but Vincent's sudden comeback had thrown her off her game. She didn’t see that coming.

Their scores evened out, and Eloise felt her anxiety spike. The idea of spending two months at his mercy was too much for her to handle. She felt nervous as she lined up her final shot and took a chance at shooting but the cue ball bounced off.

Vincent approached her immediately with a smile on his face. His eyes shone with more than just a glimmer of victory and excitement.

"Well played, Miss Escobar," he said, his voice dripping with condescension. "But it seems I'm the winner." He turned to his men, grinning mischievously, as he walked away.

A shiver ran down Eloise's spine upon realizing what she had gotten herself into. She was his "pet" and would do as he pleased for the next two months.

She looked at her friends but they were carried away by his masculine features. "I could see his abs through his shirt," Francesca blurted, her eyes still lingering on the door where Vincent had exited.

"Are you serious right now? Did you not hear what just happened?" she snapped. Lila shrugged. "Sorry, El. But you have to admit, he’s something else."

Eloise glared at them, clearly frustrated. "I am going home," she declared, snatching up her stuff and storming out of the private room.

It was an uncomfortable drive home. In a bid to calm herself, she inhaled deeply as her chauffeur arrived at her residence. Her heart raced with every step she took as she walked up to her father’s study room.

Giving the door a gentle tap, she pushed it open. "Can I talk to you, Daddy?"

TBC