A MERRY MAFIA CHRISTMAS (GxG)

LIV

My Christmas List: December 24th
Please don't let Armani be too upset that I went to talk to Diana privately. 

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"First, I think a congratulations is in store!" Diana said, closing the door behind us.

We ended up going to one of the bedrooms on the same floor as the event, given that it was the only private space available.

I smiled politely, "Thank you, that means a lot honestly. This project was incredibly stressful but entirely rewarding in the end."

Diana hummed, walking over to me, "I'm sure Ms. Varese took the stress off?"

I blinked a few times, not exactly knowing how to answer that. I took a few steps back, "What exactly are you implying?"

"What am I implying? Mira, dear, there's nothing to imply—it's clear that you two are together," Diana said, her tone completely amused. I felt my stomach swirl when she kept verging closer to me, "But you were mine first you know?"

I shook my head, "No that was just a fling—"

I gasped when she grabbed my shoulders and pressed my back to the nearest wall, "It was much more than that and you know it," Diana said.

My heart raced in my chest as I looked into her dark eyes, "Diana, please let me go," I said, briefly glancing down at her hands wrapped tightly around my arms.

Diana only stared into my eyes, and the next words that left her mouth almost made me physically pass out, "You know she has to die right?"

I sucked in a sharp breath, surely she's not planning to kill her because of me? But as soon as that thought crossed my mind, Diana spoke again.

"I mean this isn't exactly about you—she has to die regardless. She's a threat. However, it'll be much more enjoyable knowing she tried to take you from me," Diana said, and my eyes widened slightly when it all suddenly made sense. 

"She's a threat?" I repeated her words back to her, slowly verging towards the truth. "She's... you're... " I trailed off in denial, hoping that what I was about to say wasn't true. Finally, I said, "You're a part of the Strix."

Diana rolled her eyes, letting me go fully, which allowed me to catch my breath. "More like the leader—but ugh! My dear Mira, she has you too deeply involved," she said, clearly irritated. "You know, I'd never involve you in mafia relations, it's dangerous."

I rubbed my arms which felt tender from her harsh grip. "Diana, you aren't going to kill her. You can't."

Diana's red lips only spread into a vindictive smile, "I can't? You know better than to tell me what I can and can't do," she said, and I felt my breathing grow shallow yet again, processing everything. "The Vipers have to be eliminated—and I'm sorry for sending you into this setup, but I figured you were the most loyal one at the company. I figured you would always choose me—I mean I quite literally fucked your brains out on a day-to-day basis."

I swallowed harshly, feeling bile rise up my throat at her words. However, I could really only grasp one thing. "Setup? What setup? Was this entire event even real?" I said, feeling my brain try to piece together any of the possible pieces.

Diana laughed, "Of course it was real, and that's the beauty of it," she said, and I felt my skin crawl with uncomfortable shivers. "You know... the Vipers ruined the Strix long ago—they took my parents away from me, so I was forced to grow up in foster care. Every day was spent plotting and planning to take them down—I went to school, studied my ass off, and built a multi-million dollar business. I made it to where she had no choice but to reach out to me for my services. And guess what?" She said, but I only remained silent, refusing to give in to her antics. Finally, she whispered, "It worked."