Flashback End (Presently)
I hadn't realized I was in a room full of gangsters from across the country, all my subordinates. I'd been told earlier that I was having a briefing with them; they doubted my capability to lead this gang back to its former glory. I'd chosen to uphold my "fake parents'" legacy, not killing for personal gain, and leading a brothel of sex traffickers where everything was voluntary. But these douchebags had been on my neck, and it was time to give them what they desired.
Aaron had been trying to pacify them, but none of them were having it. My eyes scanned the room, observing the twenty-three Dons and their head guards. This confirmed my upper hand; destroying these ants wouldn't be a problem.
Morgan, the Don of the Massachusetts districts, glared at me, his hatred palpable. "Your Highness, forgive our bluntness, but it seems you pay no heed to anything we've said," he remarked, his voice laced with mockery and contempt. "To show us how little we matter, you let a guard of the lowest order speak to us. Don't you think this is too poor, especially for someone of your caliber?"
Those present nodded in agreement as murmurs grew, but only three disagreed. I couldn't help but smile, my eyes blazing with hidden fury. "Aren't you bold, Morgan? Who gave you the right to speak to my chief guard like that, in front of me? You seem to be forgetting who's king, or do you desire my throne?" I interrogated him, my voice low and unamused, grabbing everyone's attention. "Aaron isn't just a guard, as you call him. He is your superior because he works for me. Whether I pay attention to your speech or not is not your place to question me."
Williams, the Don of Montana, laughed, his laughter echoing through the halls. "Your Highness, we mean no disrespect, but my friend here is concerned about the well-being of our casinos. The sex workers are no longer enough for the number of customers present at the clubs," he said, his head low, voice shaky. "We only ask that you reconsider and be reasonable enough to do what's best for the good of the Sigit Mafia."
Tatum Halls, the Don of Melbourne county, stood up, pointing an accusing finger at them. "Are you insane?! Who do you think you're trying to prank? The voluntary sex workers are over fifty individuals in one club, and how many clubs are in the city?" he asked, his voice filled with indignation and annoyance. They all looked away in silence. "Seventy-three clubs and thirty casinos! Multiply them. How many do you have? Or have you colluded with the Azure Dragon gang into selling your sex workers for money without legal consent?"
Aaron smirked, his knuckles white from fisting his hands. I stared at them with utmost satisfaction; finally, I had a reason to kill these annoying pests without looking back. "Does the cat have your tongue tied up in a bouquet?" Aaron asked, his baritone voice booming across the room.
Ryder Tate, Don of Carolina, stood up, pointing an accusing finger at Aaron. "Shut up! That's not true! Why would you believe what this prep scoundrel says instead of what we're saying?" he spat, slamming his hand onto the desk. "Morgan is right, the workforce is not enough."
Soon enough, a great uproar erupted. Guns were raised, but I remained seated, enjoying the show as the bickering continued and weapons were pointed at each other.
"How dare you incompetents?!" Aaron ordered, his deep voice booming across the room. "Before my master, you dare to raise your weapons?" His jaw and fists tightened. Instantly, the entire room filled with guards pointing their guns at the quarreling men. "Guards, make sure no one leaves here alive! I want to see each and every one of them in a body bag."
The guards almost pulled the trigger, but I slammed the table, attracting everyone's attention. "Aaron, that's enough for now! Let them brawl, but before that, I haven't had morning coffee yet. Why don't you join me?" I offered, urging them to sit. "Look, the coffee has been here for almost a minute, but no one paid any heed to it."
Rogers, the Don of the Eagle County, bowed, staring at the coffee cup served to him. "Thank you, Your Highness, for the good cup of coffee."
I sat among them, my silence drawing no suspicion. In fact, they seemed to welcome my unusually pleasant demeanor, a stark contrast to the owner of this face — an individual known for his tolerance of their audacious antics. They saw him as a weakling, incapable of handling anything significant. How wrong they were. Drake was a schemer, and this entire charade we were playing had been meticulously orchestrated in advance. Today, on his behalf, and in defense of my own insulted pride, I intended to issue a resounding, undeniable warning: I was not to be trifled with.
Everyone sat down calmly, enjoying their coffee, unbeknownst to them I'd spiked it with a poison that would take effect in thirty minutes. I sat down calmly, enjoying the coffee as well, but it was a good thing I had taken an antidote to neutralize the effect of the poison.
Morgan's eyes never left mine as they held my gaze. I smirked before signaling something to Aaron with my eyes. "Your Highness, we have never had this kind of conversation with such a nice coffee." Morgan smiled, setting his cup down.
I laughed silently, my expression hardening into something dangerous. "That's because I've decided to give you all a proper send-off; after all, you've come so far to have a discussion with me. How can I send you off without a bit of pleasantries?" I said ironically, while everyone turned, facing each other. "That's all for now, but dessert comes later."
Aaron cleared his throat upon receiving my signal. He walked over to Morgan, grabbing him by the shoulder, and I could feel Morgan tense up even from a mile away. "Tell me, Morgan, is there anything you'd like to tell my master before dessert is served?" He whispered into his ear, grabbing him roughly by the hair as Morgan's head guard raised his gun to Aaron's head, but it didn't stop Aaron, who gave him a cold glare, frightening him. "The fuck will you put that gun away, or else I'd blow a hole through your brains."
Morgan stuttered, his voice inaudible. "I'm not hiding anything, I swear." He stated, his voice determined, and Aaron smiled before freeing him. "I'd never hide anything. Besides, if you don't trust me, then at least let me leave with some dignity."
"Oh, you'd be leaving with just more than dignity." I affirmed, chuckling. "Calm down, I trust you, Morgan. You've been my parents' most trusted for years; how could I doubt you, even when they themselves didn't?"
The old fool calmed down, thinking I was serious, but the only thing I was serious about was ending his and his pathetic colleagues' lives like they backstabbed Drake's parents and the business I've spent the past one year building.
Aaron grinned, adjusting his tie as he walked to the wall adjacent to us. He pressed the remote control in his hand, and the projector turned on, displaying the crimes committed by the twenty Dons present. "These are evidence of your crimes, Morgan. You and the others here had refused to pay them their wages and even assaulted them while you're forbidden to assault them without consent. You even pressured the others into selling them to the Pharaoh gang in Egypt."
Morgan and the others were on their knees, their faces to the ground, with an exception to Tatum Halls, Depp Williams, and Flynn Dyke. "Your Highness, we are sorry. We just wanted to make a lot of profits for the gang?" He said, justifying, and the rest joined him.
I laughed, standing up from the far end of the table where I was seated, walking towards them with a slow and deliberate step. "Morgan, weren't you running your mouth a while ago, and now you have the face to beg me?" I asked, grabbing his jaw, which I pressed in my hand, almost crushing his jaw. "You're a filth! In all of America, we are the richest gang, and all thanks to my parents' rule and my hard work, and yet you seek to tarnish that with your atrocious behavior?"
"I'm absolutely sorry, sir, and I promise we won't do it again. Just give us a chance." They begged in unison as they trembled like a leaf on a rainy day.
I smirked, and without saying a word, I went straight to the compartment underneath the seat I was seated in and with deliberate slowness, I brought out my gun, pointing it at him with precision. "Remember to say hi when you and these sleazeballs get to hell.
The gunshot ripped through the silence, loud and absolute. Morgan's body slumped forward, a crimson stain blooming on his pristine white shirt. The others shrieked, scrambling back, but there was nowhere to go. My gaze swept over them, cold and unyielding.
"Anyone else want to question my capabilities?" I asked, my voice dangerously calm, the scent of gunpowder filling the room.
Silence. The fear in their eyes was a satisfying confirmation.
"Good," I continued, gesturing to Aaron. "Clean this up. And make sure every single one of their family members, male or female, are held accountable for their father's sins."
Aaron's smile was grim as he nodded, his eyes alight with grim satisfaction. The guards moved in, their movements efficient and swift. The three remaining Dons, Tatum Halls, Depp Williams, and Flynn Dyke, watched in stunned silence, their faces pale. They now understood the true nature of the new king.
I turned and walked out of the room, Aaron following closely behind. The echoes of the gunshots, the whimpers of the condemned, faded with every step. My mind, however, was already back to Heather. The girl who had seen through Jake, who had called him a monster. She was right, in a way. Jake had been a monster, but I was something far more dangerous.
My actions as Jake had been cruel, a twisted manifestation of my hidden feelings and a desperate attempt to control what I couldn't understand. But now, as Drake, the game had changed. The monster inside me was unleashed, but it also yearned for something else.
Could I, the king of the Sigit Mafia, the orchestrator of violence and fear, ever truly redeem myself in her eyes? Or was I destined to remain the "sick psychopath" she had accused me of being?