Till Death Do us Apart - Episode 45&46

 

TILL D£ATH DO US APART

Till Death Do us Apart - Episode 45&46

(The•Devil•I•Loved)

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All rights reserved. 

No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, or reposted in any form, or by any means without a BOLDLY written permission from ME.

Copyright © 2025

Naomi Cindy B.

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★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

The sudden bloody order made Bobby fly to Leonardo, trying to take the phone and revert it, but Leonardo threw the phone outta the wing window, and Bobby sneered.

"I get it, you're pissed,, but you literally just sent Nino to his own death... Lalissa is going to kill him!"

Leonardo kicked the naked dead body of the s+× worker away from his path before taking his seat, silently.

"Bro!" Bobby said loudly, but nothing still came from Leonardo.

"Shit," Bobby muttered, going back to his own wing where he picked his tablet. Luckily, there are saved lines on it also, so he dialled Donna Felicia.

"Son?" Felicia picked when it has barely even started ringing.

"I need you to stop Nino from going to Stanley bridge, and if he's already out of the estate, send someone after him!" He said urgently.

"Why? Cos of what Lissa is currently doing on the bridge?" Felicia replied.

"Just send someone already! Don't ask questions!" Bobby snapped.

"Fine! I'll do whatever you want..." Felicia said and hung up.

A flight attendant entered Leonardo's wing, and when he saw the dead s+× worker on the ground, he wasn't fazed. It's not the first time Leonardo killed someone during a flight.

In fact, it's an every-flight ritual, so he called the other attendants to clean up the body and wipe the blood.

"We'll land in Tirana in thirty minutes, sir." He announced.

Leonardo wasn't even looking at him. He's not looking at anyone. He's staring deeply into space, getting a flashback about his mother again.

                       <Age 10>

It's a Sunday morning, and luckily for Leonardo, there's no training session on Sunday mornings.

Only evening training session holds on Sundays, so Leonardo had time to catch up with his juniors.

He's at the open meal table under the estate oak tree.

The siblings share meals on Sunday mornings like this, so the table is full of meals on every side except Leonardo's.

His side of the table only has two pieces of pancakes and bacon with few drops of maple syrup on top.

While he's 10, Bobby is 8, Bacardi is 6, and Sandra who's the estate top baby is just 4yrs old.

There are just two years difference between them.

Bacardi is busy tying the black ribbons on Sandra's hair, but the rest are already stuffing their faces including Sandra herself.

"Your fingers are a mess, Cardi." Bobby said from across the table where he sat beside Leonardo.

"Dad made me lift hot stones during last night's trainings, you f+kwit." Bacardi scoffed.

"With such rough hands, you'd never get a man." Bobby grinned loudly, nearly choking.

"Didn't you carry the stones too? Your palms are scarred too, stop being a f+kface." Leonardo talked smoothly, cutting his pancake into his mouth without using syrup.

"Bro, I used gloves, so my burns are minimal, but Cardi was playing superwoman. She rejected the gloves dad provided!" Bobby said sharply.

"Someone shut him up..." Cardi muttered, pointing her fork at him.

"I bet Sandra's gonna lose her v+rgin¡ty before you, watch out!" Bobby laughed, pointing his fork too.

"I enjoy watching men play than having them inside me, freak. Besides, Grandpa Marko said having a partner might signify weakness most times, so we were told to stay off opposite genders!" Bacardi spat.

"It's not mandatory for us, prude! Only Leo got the mandate! It's a taboo for Leo to ever love, but me? Watch how I erase my v+rgini¡ty when I turn 10!" Bobby said.

"You're irritating!" Bacardi threw a pizza slice st his face, and Bobby threw it back at her.

Then they started throwing things at each other while Sandra and Leonardo just sat, watching the madness of the B-square.

"Big bro... you're not using syrup on your pancakes?" Sandra said softly, staring at Leonardo.

"I hate syrup," Leonardo replied plainly, eating another dry bite from the pancake.

"But mum forces you to use it, and she also forces you to eat dark cold chocolate. Also, I noticed your meals are always small cos she always tells the kitchen staffs to keep it measured, why?" Sandra asked.

"Just eat, Sandra. I'm not in the mood to talk." Leonardo replied.

"I heard during your training session yesterday, mum gathered five v+rgin maids and ordered you to kill them with your gun. I bet you didn't like it." Sandra talked again.

This time, Leonardo looked up, smiling darkly at her as if she just asked the most intriguing question.

"No, Sand. I love it. I loved when the bullet tore into their heads, and when their blood splashed across the air before their bodies hit the ground like a dirt pack. I love how they struggled to breath as more blood poured out of their ruptured skulls. That look of helplessness in their eyes, the look of hopelessness and deadly loss... their giving up state when death's sting entered them deeply...it's my best film."

Sandra blinked after his crazy narration, and she sighed.

"Dad said mum has made you a mentally deranged boy. He said your mental health is broken with her inhumane trainings..." 

"If he says it is, then it is. Normal has never been appealing." Leonardo replied, returning to his pancakes.

Then... A loud uproar came from the estate Penthouse.

Bobby and Bacardi who're still throwing things stopped, and their eyes went to the Penthouse.

Sandra jumped down from her high chair, and Leonardo rose, too.

He was the first to smell burnt meat in the air, and his eyes streaked.

A second later, they're all running to the penthouse already.

When they arrived, it's exactly what Leonardo suspected.

Vera is on the ground, panting breathlessly.

She got an asthma attack.

Anthony is holding her head up with the inhaler to her mouth. He's pumping it fast.

"Mum!" Bacardi and Sandra knelt beside the struggling woman.

"Shit, it's been a while since her asthma came..." Bobby muttered.

Leonardo just stood there, wordless, partly because Vera told him times without number to not show emotions even to family, and the second reason is because he hates when her attack comes.

She's the most powerful woman he has ever seen, but during her attacks, she looks weak, and it's disappointing 

Whenever she gets an attack like this, he hates her...a lot.

"Get to the estate kitchen and waste the maid in charge of the chicken! Right now!" Anthony shouted.

Leonardo left the penthouse alone, stalking to the kitchen.

The whole kitchen is smoky, and the maids are all in a corner, shivering.

One of them is the reason for the asthma attack.

That particular one was frying chicken, and it got burnt.

She's not with the others in the corner. She's standing in front of the gas cooker, trembling.

"It was a mistake! I was in the restroom, taking a dump! I forgot about the frying meat please forgive me!!!" She begged, desperate.

But desperados don't end well...and never will.

Leonardo picked the hot pan of oil and poured it on her face, then he poured the remaining one into her mouth, frying her inside-out.

The other maids began crying.

                 <Present Time>

Leonardo is still on his seat inside that jet, just that this time...it's clean—free of blood.

The sèx worker's body has been dragged away and wrapped in a body bag for disposal.

The remaining three s+× workers are dressed now, and they're seated in a separate wing, eating.

Also, Bobby is out of his own wing, and he's in Leonardo's wing, sitting across him with a cigarette.

You are reading from www.mhiztaemy.com.ng 

"Mister Bobby, Sir Leo, we land in Tirana Airport in twenty minutes." The attendant announced again.

--

[Chicago, Stanley Bridge]

There's a difference now.

The reporters are gone, the crowd is also gone cos the road is free now.

The only people on the bridge is Lissa and her group of divers.

Half of the divers are in the water, and the other half are on top of the bridge with her.

They're all leaning on the bridge rails, watching for any news.

"Geez! That bî+h is always trouble! Always trouble! Why the hell would anyone jump in a large water for a cheap necklace! Urgg!!!" Lissa complained, holding her head.

Not like she cares about Ivanna's life. She's the first person on the list of people who want Ivanna dead, but Leonardo wants her alive, so she must stay alive...for now.

Sending the video to Leonardo was to make him know she's free to share his marionette with him , but now that his marionette jumped, she's in a tight dilemma.

She has been trying Leonardo's line, but it has been unreachable, and that only increased her worries.

The divers were still in the water when a black G-wagon drove into that bridge road, rough and careless.

As if it's on a mission to take lives and submit it to Lucifer.

Inside the car, sat Nino. He should have reached this bridge since then minutes ago, but it was hard to convince Leonardo's personal guards in his personal park before they could allow him take the car.

He had to play a record of their phone conversation for them before they allowed him, and now that he's here, no one's stopping him.

Lissa Armando has always been a cunning little slût. He has never liked her since he joined the clan, but the dislike has never grown to the point of him wanting to kill her.

Not until he found out what he found out at the nunnery. It was Lissa who sent the letter to deceive the siblings? And as a result, Ginny is dead.

His head was roaring as he held the steering wheel like a gun, ready to kill and ruin.

Besides Leonardo's order, his own anger is also mighty. His eyes didn't blink till he arrived.

"Miss Lissa!!!" The divers screamed when they saw what was going on.

They scattered, running for their lives, and Lissa's eyes widened.

The G-wagon cornered her with the bridge, so unless she jumps into the water, there's no escape, and she can't jump.

Ivanna jumped and hasn't been found, so she can't risk it.

She stood there boldly, and what's painful is that the wagon windows are tinted, so she has no idea who's driving inside, but...

There's a suspicion...

Only one person drives this professionally fast in this city.

Nino.

No. It better not be Nino who's trying to kill her, cos she'd off him.

She stood there, awaiting his destruction as the G-wagon drove into her, but before the car could get to her, another car drove into the bridge from the other side.

A Audi.

The Audi slammed violently into the G-wagon, and the windows of two cars shattered.

Sandra is inside the Audi, and Nino's face came to view in the G-wagon.

Using the distraction opportunity, Lissa rushed away from the bridge railings, but Nino grabbed his wheels again, reversing sleekly before resuming to chase.

Since the bridge road is one-way, it was easy for Sandra to catch up.

With her Audi, she crashed into the G-wagon from behind, and smokes enveloped the two cars, but it wasn't enough to stop Nino.

He kept going after Lissa, and Lissa kept changing angles smartly.

"I swear ony life, Nino! If I don't take your life, then I'm not Lalissa Armando you dick!!!" Lissa screamed.

"You must still be thinking this is some school play," Nino replied inside the car, about to hit her, but Sandra's Audi crashed into him by the side, changing his direction.

Lissa got hit subtly, and she fell on the bridge tar, rolling.

"Stop it, Nino!!! I'm telling you to stop it!!!" Sandra yelled from behind.

"Shut the hell up! Whoever gave you the Top Girl title must be out of his mind! You're daft!" Nino shouted back, and his G-wagon tires made a loud screech when he started the car again, going for Lissa who's still rolling on the ground.

But this time... Lissa was prepared. She pulled her gun from her thigh hostler, and from the ground, she aimed for Nino's tires.

She shot at the front tires two times each, and as the tires went down, nino nearly lost control of the car, but thanks to professionalism, he was able to rein the car back to the road.

Even with two near-flat tires, he still drove! 

He's so determined to end Lissa, but Lissa is determined to stay alive too.

She targeted his fuel pipe and shot.

The G-wagon moved in a zigzag around the bridge, and Sandra quickly reversed her Audi back so she won't get hit.

Lissa glued herself to the bridge rails, breathing heavily as her dark hair covered a large part of her evil face.

Nino bursted the car door open, and he jumped out before the car could explode on the bridge.

As the car burned, he stood with injuries on his skin from the jump, but he was grabbed from behind by Lissa, and his energy depleted.

Fighting back isn't even an option cos that one grip on him from Lissa sucked his energy.

He threw a lazy punch, and she allowed it to land on her face. 

It did nothing to her.

"You're a fool!" She spat, dragging him to the railings.

She started hitting his head repeatedly.

"How!"

Hit.

"Dare!"

Hit.

"You!!!!!!!'

Hit.

Nino bled massively, and she topped it with a hard blow to his chin.

He dropped weakly.

"Lissa! Lissa don't kill him!" Sandra blocked Lissa.

"Get away!" Lissa pushed her.

"I said don't touch him again!" Sandra pushed Lissa too.

Their clash was still ongoing when another car swerved into the bridge.

Inside, there's Island. She was sent by Donna Felicia.

She simply opened her passenger seat before she could get there, and Nino jumped inside the car with her.

She gave both Sandra and Lissa her middle fingers before driving away.

"That dry thing! This is your fault Lissa!" Sandra accused.

"Leo is 6 years older than you, and so am I! I see no reason why you should call me Lissa! It should be Aunt Lissa, you fool!" Lissa snarled.

"I saved your life, b+ch! I saved you from Nino's G-wagon cos you're Leo's best friend,but this is how you repay me? Even during the Panda Port mission, I gave you a shot cos you wanted it! Ingrate!" Sandra shouted.

"I called you a fool, but now that I think about it, you're more than that... Don Anthony and VV should have just slept that night you waste of sperm and egg!" Lissa laughed.

Unexpectedly, Sandra slapped her.

"Don't you dare mention my parents! Don't you dare! I blame mum for liking you, and that's why you're acting mighty!" Sandra spat.

"Dumbo!" Lissa raised a blow, but before it could hit Sandra...

"For your information, Leo found out about how you sent the parcel already! You and your weak games got revealed!" Sandra laughed.

Lissa's hand stopped in the air...

"Huh?"

"Yes! I bet he's the one who told Nino to crush you. You didn't see it was his G-wagon Nino drove? Now who's the real fool?" Sandra muttered.

She intentionally bumped her shoulder into Lissa's as she walked back to her Audi.

She jumped in, adjusted her sweatshirt neck before driving away.

The G-wagon was still burning as Lissa shoved her fingers into her hair, biting her lip deeply.

The divers came up from the water, reporting that they didn't see Ivanna's traces at all.

"Unless there was a ship or a boat in water at that time. Otherwise, nothing explains her disappearance," they said and left, leaving just Lissa on the dark bridge.

The bridge pole lamps got crushed during Nino's G-wagon zigzag, so the only illumination on the bridge is the one from the burning car.

With an hand in her hair, she dialled her mother's number.

"Hey, Lalissa. Are you home yet? I'll be late, don't wait for me." Penny said over the phone.

"Where are you?" Lissa asked with a calmness she doesn't feel.

She rested her second palm on the railings, and Nino's blood stained it.

"I'm at the nunnery. We promised to take care of their expenses for ten weeks after you wrote the letter, remember? I went there to take care of this week's expenses." Penny explained, and Lissa punched the railings angrily.

"I told you to not go to the nunnery without informing me! I told you to not!!! You think Leo is an idiot? He has his eyes everywhere and that's why I warned you! Do not go without my permission!!! Why did you go there!!! Now the letter secret is out!" Lissa yelled.

"What!!!" Penny screamed from the other side too.

Lissa ended the call and threw her phone into the water angrily, but her bad night was only just starting cos Bacardi's sports car drove into the bridge shortly.

She came down with Robert who's breathless.

When Robert couldn't find Ivanna outside the warehouse earlier, he concluded she went to ease her bladder, so he returned into the warehouse to resume his job.

But when he came to check again, she wasn't there, so he knew something was up, and he informed Bacardi.

Luckily, a mobster saw Lissa's live video on the internet, and they were shown. They rushed here.

"Where is my sister!" Robert demanded.

"Jump into the water and look for her, why ask?" Lissa said cockily.

Bacardi pulled her pistol out, aiming at Lissa's chest—her heart.

"Where is Ivanna?" She demanded.

"My father Thaddeus and your father Anthony have been friends since you can't even imagine. If you kill me, The Outfit shatters, you know my father is a sociopath." Lissa giggled.

Bacardi tilted her head with a lip curl, going closer to Lissa.

She's still aiming her gun, and Lissa is still giggling.

"You won't die, you'll just go and look for Ivanna in the water!" Bacardi said, and Lissa definitely didn't see the next thing coming...

Bacardi pulled out a drug spray, infused with the new xax drug.

Lissa isn't tolerant to drugs, so the sudden smoke spray messed with her system. She lost her balance and tried holding the railings for balance, but Nino's blood made it slippery.

She slipped over the railings and fell into the water too.

--

[9pm, Stanley Waterside]

After the catastrophe that happened in Panda Port lately, the traders moved to this waterside for their transactions, so it's busy here.

Seafood stalls and people buying and selling. Small ships and big boats which belongs to fishermen, and night ululations from children.

The ululations woke Ivanna up, and when her eyes opened, she realized she's laying down, facing a termite-infested ceiling.

"5 kilo of tuna, please!"

"Please tell me you have shrimps!"

The words of the customers around the waterside made her sit up, and she eventually stood when she realized she's in a waterside market.

There's a slow fire burning in a corner, and this place smells like ephedra. The smell is strong.

Her clothes is wet, and her her hair is gummy with water too.

So...she really jumped into the water after Lissa refused to give her the necklace despite her kneeling...

It wasn't a dream.

Wait...the necklace!

She moved from her spot, wanting to rush out, but a man came into the open stall, holding the necklace.

Ivanna snatched it from him without asking his identity, but when she looked up again, she saw his tattoos.

The dragon tattoo is carefully hidden in the middle of his tattoos so anyone who's not a member of The Outfit won't find out his identity easily.

"You're one of us..." Ivanna said.

"My ship was below that bridge, I was doing night-fishing with my buddies when a necklace fell inside my ship, then a second after, you fell into the water. We rescued you and brought you here." He explained.

"Oh..." She drawled, wearing her necklace back.

"You could have died, Ivanna. Your asthma is brutal, I see no reason why you should jump in the water with that condition of yours. And it's worse that you inhaled diesel oil before jumping, so I had to stuff my fireplace with ephedra. You inhaled it in your sleep, reason why you're awake." He further said.

Ivanna looked at the fire,no wonder she smelled ephedra earlier.

"If you're a member of the Outfit, why are you here and not in the clan estate?" She asked.

"If members stay accumulated, it's nonsense. Ghost has spies across all important countries, and he also has spies here in Chicago. I'm one of his Chicago spies, I snoop around for him like the rest. My disguise is a fisherman, and there are others who disguise as cops, politicians, judges and so on..." he explained.

"The more I get to know about him, the worse he gets. He's really effing smart, isn't he? He literally controls Chicago." Ivanna said, but the man didn't reply.

"So you saved me cos of my neck dragon tattoo?" She asked.

"I saved you and also made sure you stayed alive. If you had died, Ghost would kill me... You have his zodiac sign tattoo in the middle of your dragon, so you're...kinda special..." The man shrugged.

"I'm special being a cleaner in his Citadel? Pfft." Ivanna muttered. "I'm just a member, not darn special."

"You don't get to decide that, and now you have to return to the estate. I've arranged a car to take you back, and beware that you can't ask for a detour anywhere. Go back straight to the estate." The man said simply.

"Can I please make a detour at Dew Hospital? I need to check if my parents are—"

"No." The man cut her off.

"I'm only going to—"

"No. You must earn merits for your first month of membership before you can gain family visitation card. You're still new, so you can't." The man cut her off again.

"Aren't I special? So my specialness is only for getting me out of the water?" Ivanna hissed and dashed out.

"She's just as they say..." The man muttered before following her.

She tucked a new inhaler into her hand, and she took it.

"I put some ephedra inside, even if you don't have an attack, take two pumps every morning," he said.

"Thank you," Ivanna said sincerely.

Truly, a car is waiting across the waterside.

Ivanna was there in a jiffy, and as she hopped inside, the driver moved it. She's sure the driver is also a member cos it seems everyone in this city is a member of The Outfit at this point.

Ivanna relaxed on the headrest, staring out of the streets through the open window. They look ugly. 

There's no freedom to step out of admire nature, so it's ugly to her.

If she jumps out of this car right now, she's sure a bunch of Leonardo's guards would appear from nowhere the capture her.

If this ain't captivity, then it's nothing else again.

But thanks to his spy tonight, she was saved, and she's not grateful for it—she's grateful for that spy.

She felt something heavy in her pocket, and she pulled it out. It's her phone, and surprisingly, it's on.

Waterproof?

"Wonders...I guess this is all my specialness comes with." She muttered, then the car arrived in front of the estate.

The black, tall thorny gate felt new again as she stepped out of the car.

Robert and Bacardi were already waiting.

"You're safe! Thank f+k!" Robert hugged her, and she hugged back, lulling him side to side.

The car driver drove off after giving Bacardi a bow.

"Bacardi just said so far you fell into that water, you'd be safe. Thankfully, I believed her." Robert said.

"One of Leo's spies saved you, right?" Bacardi asked.

"That's right," Ivanna replied.

"Good, just go get some rest, and Robert?" She faced him." You owe me a dance, I missed it." 

"Trust me, Cardi." He replied.

They went back inside at the same time, and while Bacardi went to Don Anthony's office, Robert took Ivanna on a different route.

"Where to?" She asked.

"I heard Sir Leo asked Nino to save you from Lissa, and Nino was injured as a result." Robert said.

"What!" Ivanna frowned.

--

[Nino's Apartment]

Nino refused to visit the Healthood.

After Island brought him back to the estate, he has stayed in his room. He only bandaged his head,  and he sat shirtless in bed.

His face got few bruises.

Island is with him, and no matter how much she begged him to get treated at the hood, he declined.

"I can't believe you're still a jerk to me after I saved your arse" she muttered, sitting beside him in bed.

"Now that your skin is normal, you better stay off trouble, or you won't be able to escape it the second time." He told her and shifted away.

"You can leave my apartment, and thanks for saving me." 

"Nino are you actually demented? How could you tell me to leave after i—"

And that was interrupted by the entry of Robert and Ivanna.

"Nino?" Ivanna called.

"Ivanna! You're back?" Nino stood, his face lit up.

He wanted to hug her, but Island went between them...

"Get to the hood and treat yourself," she said possessively.

"That's true,you have to treat your head, Nino." Ivanna said.

"Of course," Nino smiled, and Ivanna took his hand, pulling him out.

Robert looked at Island, chuckling mockingly at her before leaving too.

Island swallowed nonexistent saliva, gritting her jaws ...

"Just one line, and he followed her like a puppy? I saved him, but i'm still insignificant to Nino?"

--

[Roses Sanctuary]

Obviously, Don Anthony would be spending the night in his office.

He might not be in Albania with the brothers, but Bobby would be carrying him along, so he has to stay active throughout.

Felicia has been here since she sent Island away.

She still has few roses to gather before she'd return to the penthouse.

"Mother?" Sandra entered.

"Daughter," Felicia looked up.

"Did you order Island to come save Nino or something? That skinny maid of yours gave me a middle finger!" Sandra said.

"She was only feeling hyper cos her skin is back, don't take it to heart." Felicia said simply.

"It's not as simple as you're putting it! Why would she even come to save Nino!" Sandra said.

"You don't like Nino, do you?" Felicia frowned instantly.

"Why the heck would I like a driver? He's just my underwear washer, and I refuse to let Island near him." Sandra replied and stormed out.

Almost immediately, Island entered the sanctuary too.

"You must stop her from making Nino her permanent washer! He's a man, not a slave! I love him!" She shouted.

"And you're shouting?" Felicia scoffed.

"I'm sorry...I just can't stand Sandra."

"Sandra is my stepdaughter, accord her some respect," Felicia cautioned.

Island went quiet.

"'I'll talk to Sandra, she'd listen to me, and the washer stufff will stop. I only have to crush this into his breakfast..." Felicia said, raising a black taboo rose.

"He'd lose his senses and lay with you. Once you lose your virginity to him, he's yours." 

Island smiled.

--

[Waterside Market]

Thanks to the bridge cameras, Penny found out how Bacardi made Lissa fall into the water, so she came here with her guards.

Fortunately for her, an ordinary fisherman caught her, but when he saw her dragon tattoos, he was too scared to stay with her.

He just left her beside the water, and that's where Penny found her at.

"Oh devil! My daughter! Lalissa!!" She screamed, nearly falling as she ran over to unconscious Lissa.

"Lalissa! Lalissa!!!" She held her face and pressed her stomach.

Lissa vomited a little water, and Penny hugged her body.

"How dare Cardi! How dare she do this!" She shouted.

One of her guards brought her ringing phone.

"It's Mr. Armando." The guard said, and Penny snatched the phone.

"Thaddeus, you have to leave your silly prison vacation right now! Like now! Your daughter is getting mistreated in The Outfit and it's not even funny anymore! Come back to us!!!" She wailed.

--

[Crimson Cave, Training Ring]

Time is 11pm, but it's still so full in here. 

The gangsters aren't doing individual trainings tonight, everyone's on their feet, surrounding the ring. 

Monika herself is inside the ring, and she looks different in her green training gear, but her gear is not a tight jumpsuit like most females.

Hers is a flowing palazzo jumpsuit which moves with the air at every angle she visits. Only the upper part is tight with her burts.

She even tinted her hair green at one side, and she braided another part. She goes extra at nights like this.

This is like a written training class, she's duelling with herself, making deadly moves, and as her gangsters watched her, some were using their brains to note it, but some were penning down notes for the future.

There's total silence, except for the sound of her air punches, leg kicks and her muscle cracks.

Bradshaw, Moo and Hayden are standing together at an angle in the middle of the hall, and the three have been watching attentively like the rest of the gang.

But... Hayden got bored very fast.

He secretly pulled Ivanna's picture out of his pocket. 

Thankfully, he brought it with him when he escaped his home, so it was stuck in his pocket till now.

He wrapped his palm on it, taking peeks at it and smiling dryly.

It's his third day here, and it's already feeling like he'd be seeing her soon.

Suddenly, Bradshaw snatched the picture from him.

"What the—"

Before he could say HELL, Bradshaw threw the picture in his mouth and chewed it raw.

He then spat the wet pieces at Hayden's face.

"That was my most important property you shithead!!!!" Hayden growled, going for him.

Moo stabbed his neck with a needle from behind, and he stopped, unable to move a finger.

It's like someone pressed pause on his system. Breathing is even limited.

"You're strong, but don't forget you're in the home of poisons, and there are several weakening poisons. Know your place, and whenever Leader is in the ring, everyone watches! No one stares at pictures here!" Moo said.

"Get the needle out of him, and send him into the ring with me." Monika ordered coldly from the ring.

Moo immediately removed the needle and then pushed him forward.

"Now you're dead..." Bradshaw muttered, smirking with some of the wet picture pieces on his lips.

--

[Albania, Tirana~ Valon's Manor]

It's 2am in the morning, but Albania isn't as cold as Chicago, so there's no snow yet.

The brothers landed many hours ago, and they were received at the airport by Valon's men.

Valon Berisha controls Albania just the way The Outfit controls Chicago, and his empire is large though not as large as House Of Esposito.

Not even half as large, but he still has his operations under control here.

His operations are mostly nocturnal cos at 12 midnight, his drug packages were getting transported out of the Cartel in big cargoes and trucks.

Leonardo watched everything from the window of his own suite.

He stood there like an incarnate.

He got a different suite, and Bobby got a different suite.

Bobby's two s+× workers are probably busy screaming under him right now. Bobby is addicted to s+× just the way he's addicted to gum.

They'll be meeting with Valon at 2:30, so there's thirty minutes left.

Bourbon is scarce here, but he brought enough along from Chicago, and he's with one bottle and a large roll of opium cigar which he's smoking aggressively as he stood by that window, watching how the Cartel operates with eagle eyes.

At the same time, he's thinking back to Chicago.

He knew Lissa would escaped Nino. She was trained with him, so she's not a spineless bîtch.

The thing is...if she had killed Nino, that'd make Don Anthony furious cos he values Nino a lot, and their conjoined anger would have been enough to deal with Lissa.

But Nino escaped death too, and that leaves him with just one option.

He'd have to handle this on his own when he gets back to Chicago tommorow.

He drank from his bottle, then he left the window, looking back to see his own remaining s+× worker.

The n+k£d lady is sitting nervously in his bed, trembling so much.

Her arms are covering her chest.

"Arms down..." He ordered, and she quickly dropped her arms.

He studied her br+sts for long. It's big, round, but n+ples are small.

"Why is your n+ples small? Wh+re?" He asked out of nowhere.

"I...I dunno..." She stammered.

Leonardo moved to her and pressed the cigar to her skin.

She screamed as it burned.

"It's painful?" He asked blankly.

"Very much! Please... please don't kill me! I'll do anything you want! I can make you cûm no matter how many times you want! I can—"

"Quiet," he whispered, and she held her lips together with a flinch.

He put fire on the cigar again, bringing it down on her skin...

Again, she cried out, and Leonardo smiled, watching her pain.

"Bro! Time for the meet!" Bobby's voice barged into the suite.

Leonardo checked his wristwatch, and it's indeed 2:30.

Then he looked down, realizing he has burnt the female with over twenty cigarettes. The cigarettes are all lying slanted on the floor.

"Awfully fast," he muttered, getting off the bed.

He picked his suit from the bed edge and was already exiting when he looked back at the female.

"Be out of the room before I return, or I'll kill you and shred your small n+ples" He muttered dementedly.

He left the room, meeting Bobby outside. Bobby isn't wearing a dress shirt under his suit, so his chest is all out, but Leonardo wasn't even in the mood to talk about it.

Valon's men were already waiting to take them down the meeting room.

They walked down the dark hall illuminated only by the cigar fire of Valon's men and the dim ones by the cemented walls.

No women in this empire, just men.

They arrived at the end of the hall where a small but clean room is. Obviously, it's an office, and it's the only bright place here with a round desk and official chairs.

The faces of ten men came to view. 

Ten men who're in charge of managing this empire, and of course they're headed by Valon who's sitting at the desk center.

A sturdy man with stretchy moustache like an Indian cop's. Powerful persona.

Definitely, his hold is deep, and Leonardo started studying him right from when he made his entrance.

A large tray of the velkrona drug sat in the middle of the desk—green in colour, grainy too, and it already looks like madness and sin combined.

Bobby got turned on just by looking. He's a lover of drugs, too.

Leonardo kept his poise under control, locking eyes with Valon.

"Welcome to Albernia, sorry the meeting was scheduled for this late.. I've been busy..." Valon smiled sharply, a smile that carried carnage.

--

[Chicago, House Of Esposito~ Cooper Siblings Apartment]

It's 3am, but Ivanna is sawake.

Nino is here—he came here straight from the Healthood after getting his head treated well.

He's asleep with Robert inside the bedroom, but Ivanna is here in the small living room alone.

With her phone, she's making research on what's Fast Technical Movements—Leonardo's technique, but obviously, there's nothing about it online, and that got her agitated.

If she had that skill, then she would have been able to snatch her necklace from Lissa without having to kneel for that wench.

Seems like Lissa herself doesn't even have the skill, so...

Boldly, she picked her phone, going to the contacts, and as expected, his number is there.

There's a line saved as Ghost.

She clicked, and dialled.

--

[Albania, Meeting Room]

It's been thirty minutes since the meeting started, and the ending is still not in sight.

Leonardo knew Valon was a hard nut to crack before they came here, but the man is obviously doing too much.

He's unable to count the amount of times he has wanted to snap his neck, pluck his teeth or dissemble his body parts since the start of this meeting, and with the annoyed look on Bobby's face, he feels the same.

Valon and his men are insisting on selling a kilo of velkrona for half a million, and it's not making sense.

They're still on negotiation when Leonardo's phone rang on the table.

He wanted to click red, but seeing the screen, he stopped.

It's 'Pet' calling.

He took the phone and stared at it for a full second with clouded eyes.

While this was happening, Bobby already took over the negotiation with Valon and his men, but when everyone noticed Leonardo has left the negotiation, they faced him.

"Sir Leo?" 

Leonardo just raised an hand, shutting them up.

"No noise, this is an important call." He muttered, then he swiped green.

TBC.

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