They should never have met.
Each one of them lived in different parts of the world. She lived in the light, an ordinary existence while he kept to the shadows, the underworld.
But one fate encounter brought them together and no matter how hard the...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Stella
I sat at my desk tapping my pen while staring at the computer. It feels like every day I'm more and more behind on dress orders, scheduling my one on ones and bills.
Cracking my neck, I checked the time, the main reason I'm nervous is for the doctor appointment I finally have tonight.
"Hey?" Startled I look to see Esperanza strolling into the store. "You okay?"
"Yep." I began to nod before laughing and shaking my head. "Ugh, I don't know. I branded someone yesterday."
She plopped down in the chair in front of me. "That you did, like a champ to."
"Ha. Ha." I fake laughed.
Esperenza chuckled. "I'm serious, give yourself credit."
"Tell me if this is wrong." I fidgeted, watching her open her coffee thermos in front of me, her face apologetic that she couldn't give me any. "Since I have been with Max and getting to live in the mafia world I have felt nothing but weak."
She tilted her head taking a sip of her coffee. "I see where you would feel that way."
Blowing a breath of frustration, I found myself brimming with tension I needed to get out. "I have been kidnapped, strangled, guards follow me with guns with a shoot first rule, and I branded someone. I know mafia and normal life are two different spectrums but I don't know how to fit into yours. Since I have been, its feels like I need someone around every second to protect me or explain, I don't remember that last time I felt confident. I cannot live my life needing to be saved and I can't live my life forcing myself to be darker version of myself, to brand, or shoot, or hell kill."
Esperenza didn't say anything, letting me rant. "I love Max, I do and I want to be in his world. But what if one day I get warped into someone I am not and he looks at me as a stranger. What if I look at myself as a stranger?"
"Alright. I think you are putting too much pressure on yourself. No one expects you to be a full out mafia member in a day." She said softly while I tapped the pencil on the desk.
Sighing I nodded along. "Thanks for that. I just can't help but wonder if Lorenzo will drop any new duties on my desk and if he expects me to be a full mafia member."
"I was sixteen when I showed up at Lorenzo's door demanding to be a part of his family." Esperenza said with a faraway look on her face. "My father died when I was a kid so my mom took me and raised me with her family who aren't as up to date with female rights, still old school mafia."
Leaning back in the chair I nodded. "Max mentioned that the family is more progressive than most."
Esperenza took a breath. "Yep. By the age of sixteen I had three different marriage proposals that my mother was reviewing."
