Roi Laurent
The dimly lit basement echoed with the haunting sound of Charles's laboured breaths. His body was battered, bruised, and broken. Result of my wrath. . Blood trickled from Charles face and split lips . He was on his knees, trembling before my imposing figure – I, Roi Laurent The mafia boss, whom he chose to betray and now he has to go through hell before he actually goes to hell after i kill him.
I stood with a chilling calmness. The flickering candlelight cast eerie shadows across my face, emphasising the coldness in my piercing blue eyes that people are scared of. My presence alone is enough to send shivers down the spines of those unfortunate enough to be in my presence.
"Please, Roi, I beg you, spare me," Charles's voice was shaky, the desperation evident in his eyes as he looked up at me. Fear radiated from every pore and he could hardly believe that the once loyal associate had come to this – at the mercy of the very man he had double-crossed.
“ trop tard ”My gaze bore into Charles, his expression inscrutable. He didn't move, didn't show a hint of emotion. The silence in the room was thick with tension, a prelude to the storm that was about to break.
Charles in his worst ever possible condition, beaten and broken, his body battered and bruised from the torment he had endured constantly for forty eight hours since the moment my men caught him red handed as he handed the important information about us to our rival mafia gang. Ropes bound his wrists, his face covered in pain and fear. The room echoed with the sounds of his muffled cries and laboured breaths.
How much I enjoy seeing him suffer, the pleasure is immense.
"Eight years, Charles," my voice was soft, deceptively calm .Yet he shivered as I continued "Eight years of trust And this is how you repay me?" In my hand gleamed a sharp knife,.its blade glinting maliciously in the dim light. I toyed with it, tracing patterns in the air as if the blade were an extension of my own thoughts. Every movement is calculated, deliberate, a display of the control I've over the situation which scares the shit out of Charles.
Charles's throat must be dry as he struggled to find words. "I-I didn't have a choice," he stammered, his voice barely audible. "They threatened my family. I had to do it."
A hint of a smile played at the corner of my lips, a chilling contrast to the intensity in my eyes. "Ah, so your loyalty was easily bought, was it? Your family's safety over my trust in you, is that it?"
Charles's gaze dropped to the floor, unable to meet my piercing stare. He knew he had no defence, no justification that could absolve him of his treachery.
“ if family was the reason…... .you could have told me…..i would have handled it…..i would have given your family full protection ... .wouldn't I ?” I arched my perfect sharp eyebrow with a knowing smile as Charles nodded silently.
“ But you didn’t…..why ?” i asked
"Why, I wonder…" my voice was a low, dangerous rumble that seemed to vibrate through the very walls. My gaze fixed on Charles' terrified eyes. "Why would you betray me, a man who has been nothing but generous to you? A man who has given you wealth, and protection all these years? A man who made you part of the empire I built ? why? "I hissed out of pure anger.
Charles' throat worked as he swallowed hard, the words catching in his throat as it seems like fear paralyzed his vocal cords.
"I'll tell you why," I continued, my tone growing colder. "Greed. That insatiable desire to climb higher, even if it means stepping on the ones who elevated you in the first place."
Charles's breath hitched as he felt the weight of his own actions crushing him under my blaring eyes.
A bitter chuckle escaped from my lips as I leaned in close, the blade of the knife barely grazing Charles' skin. "You thought you could play both sides, didn't you? Share the secret information about me with my rivals, thinking you could secure your place in their ranks. How foolish." I let out a devilish laugh that grips the pulse of Charles.
My grip tightened on the knife, my knuckles turned white as I drew it closer to Charles' throat. His eyes widened in terror, and my icy gaze locked onto his. "You see," I hissed, my voice low and chilling,
"betrayal is a funny thing. It leaves a bitter taste, like poison in the mouth. And do you know what the punishment for betrayal is?"
Charles' breaths came in ragged gasps, his chest heaving as panic overtook him. "Please, Roi, I beg you…..i was helpless…….i had no choice”
My lips curled into a cruel smile. "You always have a choice. And you chose to betray me."
With a swift motion, I pressed the blade against charles neck, just enough to draw a thin line of blood. He winced, a strangled cry escaping his lips.
"Please, Roi, I'll do anything. Just spare my life. Spare me." a cry left his mouth
A sinister smile curved my lips as I leaned even closer, my voice a chilling whisper “ enjoy your very last breath…” and even before he could take the next breath I did what I'm expert at.
Without hesitation, I swiftly slit his throat with the knife, the metallic scent of blood filling the air brought a cruel glint in my eyes. his body convulsed, his life slipping away in a pool of crimson as I grabbed the tissues from the nearest table and wiped off the blood from my fingers.
Signalling one of the men to take care of the body, I walked out of the torture room only to get informed by my right hand man about my Father, Alexander's sudden arrival.
“ clean the mess “ I commanded before storming towards our meeting room where my father is waiting for me.
***
The gloomy room exuded an air of authority with intricate woodwork and expensive paintings adorning the walls, witness to the tension that hung in the air, thick and palpable. Me and my father, Alexander Laurent sat across from each other, our gazes clashing like two powerful currents converging.
My father, Alexander Launret, a man hardened by years of navigating the treacherous waters of the criminal underworld, exuded an air of cold authority. He is a kingpin, a ruthless force that commanded respect and fear in equal measure. Blood ties meant nothing to him in his pursuit of power and wealth, and this indifference extended even to his relationship with me and my younger brother Raphel. Compared to me, Raphel is a lot different. Both in nature and mindset. If having control over people's lives and nonliving makes me feel powerful then he's the complete opposite to me as he stays away from the mafia world and believes in living his life like a normal person would. Though my father tried to bring him in the mafia business but Raphel’s constant rejection and his trauma reaction to blood and filth of mafia made my father understand that Raphel is unfit for being a Mafia.
But I'm different, I'm equally unyielding and commanding as I've inherited my father's traits of authority and dominance. Yet, despite the shared characteristics, our interactions are always marked by a simmering tension, a turbulent mixture of admiration, resentment and a deep-seated desire to prove myself.
My stance was relaxed yet respectful, my gaze meeting him without flinching. It was a familiar dynamic between us – a balance of tension and restraint, the thin line between filial duty and the desire for independence in action.
My father leaned forward, his piercing gaze drilling into mine as he spoke. "I had high hopes for you, Roi," he stated, his voice a low, measured tone that carried the weight of his disappointment. "When I handed you the Mafia King's chair, I believed you would uphold our legacy, protect our secrets. But you've disappointed me."
My jaw tightened, a restrained anger flickering within me as he mentions about the betrayal of my own man that cost my dignity as Mafia Boss. My father's words cut deep, a reminder of the expectations that had been placed upon me when I claimed the throne of the mafia empire. Yet, the reasons behind my actions are more complex, hidden behind a facade of silence.
Not in a position to disrespect my father, I kept my expression neutral. The disappointment of my father is a sentiment I had grown accustomed to. It was one of the rare occasions when we came face-to-face to discuss matters of our vast criminal empire after I became the mafia boss once my father slipped the king position to me.
"I had my men loyal to me, Father. I had no reason to suspect betrayal," My response was measured, each word chosen carefully. My father's gaze bore into me, a testament to the fact that excuses held no value in our mafia world.
Right at this moment, I wish I could go back and bring Charles to life only to shoot him multiple times on his head to unalive him again.
My father leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled before him, "Loyalty is a facade, Roi. Betrayal simmers beneath even the most trusted faces. As the heir to this dynasty, you should know better."
A flicker of defiance danced in my eyes before I reined it in. His words are a double-edged sword, cutting through my pride while also igniting the fire of my determination.
"I'm dealing with the situation, Father," My voice was edged with a mix of frustration and determination.
Dealing with my foot, I'm yet to find the location of Davies Emerson. The boss of our rival mafia gang who bought the secret information from Charles. If that piece of information gets leaked to the media then many big names will be at risk along with our mafia empire.
My father’s eyes bore into mine assessing the resolve in my gaze.
“ Did you find the whereabouts of Davies ?” he asked pointedly.
And by now i know that he knows i’m not able to locate Davies. Even though i’m the mafia boss here, my father has his own way to keep tabs on me and find things that i try to hide from him. One of the things I hate about him.
He always tried to prove that no matter where I go, what I do, he’s still the king maker and always will be. That everything I do and say is under his control, and I have to listen to him despite the fact that I am the mafia boss, not him.
Taking a deep breath I shook my head as no.
A knowing smile crosses his face as he speaks “ i know where he is…..infact i met him, “
My attention turned to him instantly as I waited for him to complete his sentence.
“ Just before coming here “ he completes the sentence with a godly smile that tells me something isn’t right.
I remain silent, offering him space to continue what he wants to say for which he’s here right now since it’s confirmed that if he met Davies, then there’s something more to it. My father isn’t one of them who lets the chance of killing Davies slip from his hand considering the history of gang war they had. So if he met Davies and left him alive, then there’s something he wants for which he lets Davies live.
“ We made an agreement, “ he says, lifting his face up with pride.
“ agreement ? “
“ He will keep the secret information about us safe with him…..and there won’t be any gang war between the two mafia gangs……along with a lot of business benefits like working together for certain diamond deals…..and a lot more“ he completes his sentence leaving me purplexed for a moment.
I know for sure that Davies is a piece of shit and he would never agree to all this condition until it benefits him in any way.
“ and what we’re offering to him in exchange of all these ?'' I couldn’t contain my curiosity knowing about my father’s adamant nature of getting what he wants.
“ A Marriage “ he utters lighting a cigar
“ A Marriage ? "I repeat in confusion.
“ A marriage of promise to bring peace between two Mafia families……” he takes a long puff before his eyes meet mine.
And as if he knows what my next question is going to be, he nods his head slowly as he answers my unasked question. “ you will have to marry his daughter, Aaria Emerson "