Owned by Him (rewrite)

16. Voyage of Discovery

The ticking noise of the clock filled the absence of sound in the room. As I was lying flat on a large and cozy bed facing downward, I slowly pulled my lids up, trying to adjust my vision in the low light. Feeling my naked body under the warm blanket, I sensed a certain presence beside me, unmoving yet breathing so calmly. Proud, I rendered a melodious whistle in my mind.

Look at what I found!

I scanned Marvel with my vision; his appearance was pretty much the same as the last time I saw him; a verification about everything that happened last night was not a dream, even though I just woke up from my shallow sleep.

He was still sleeping, and how defenseless I thought he was. How could he sleep so soundly next to someone he barely knew? If I happened to be an enemy assassin who planned to kill him, he would have stopped breathing now...

Still, seeing myself doubting this much meant I was utterly skeptical about my situation. Before, I was thinking of a way to get closer to his territory, since Gilbert chose the farthest place from Marvel's bedroom for mine. But, today I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was Marvel himself, on the same bed, under the same blanket, less than a foot away from me.

Recalling our first night together, I thought the first thing I learned about Marvel was his touch, but I noticed that his ring was.

He was wearing a black ring on the pinky finger of his right hand, never even once taking it off. It was a hereditary ring of the Yerevan Family. Despite knowing that the diamond ring was very expensive, I believed it must have been the most important thing for him as a leader.

The ring itself was made from thousands of crushed diamond crystals that were designed and built into new solid material. Diamond, though, as the strongest substance in the world, was extremely durable, and would never fade and change color.

The black diamond didn't sparkle, instead, absorbing light than reflecting it. The "Yerevan" in capital letters was engraved on the inner part as an absolute reminder.

The meaning of the black diamond was transcendence. It was symbolized power and authority, also charisma. And pinky finger represented loyalty in the Mafia circle.

From my investigation, I found out that to become a full member of the Yerevan Family, a novice must take part in an initiation ceremony. The ceremony involved significant rituals, oaths, blood, and an agreement was made to follow the rules of the Family as presented to the inductee.

The sequence of the ceremony had several features. First, the recruit was led into the presence of other official members. Sometimes, the real boss would expose his face to the new members, but sometimes they were only shown to the acting bosses to avoid disclosure.

In the ceremony, the association was also explained, including the Family's basic rules, then the pinky finger of the newcomer would be pricked with a knife. A few drops of blood were spilled on Yerevan's representation card, then that card was set on fire and passed rapidly from hand to hand. The boss was the last who held the card until it became ashes, and finally, the novice took an oath of loyalty to the Family.

Those who broke that rule, depending on the severity of their mistake, should confess, apologize, and if forgiven by the boss, must cut their pinky finger as retribution. But, if it was a betrayal, even worse case; the person became an enemy, they would be executed right away.

When the Family members incited the other Family members with money and position, it indeed was hard to refuse. Youngsters got easily persuaded, and many of them were new members who had just joined after passing probation. Unfortunately, they were all talented. One of them might have even been a spy like me.