The Mafia's Toxic Obsession

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LOG

IELL

n, my fingers clawing at the wet floor a

tay down. A Genovese never stayed down, even if I was tired, staying down meant defeat. Defeat meant dea

ing my broken arm, holding my opponent's gaze as I tried to gauge him to find any sort of weaknesses, something I should have done right from the start. I focused my good

just a child. But grandfather has always droned it in my head that I was never to be weak, and that my ene

ad in the process. The night I lost my father to a rival clan became a living nightmare in my head. The spray of his warm blood as they caught my cheek and soaked up my clothes like flashing images. The hitman had continued to fire shot after

d in horror as the only man who cared about me crashed to the floor, the life draining from his

lf to get shot, and I being forced to take his place, losing my chance to enjoy my childhood, forced to figh

ffered. In a way, he was, and all I wanted to do was make him bleed. H

een gifted on my tenth birthday. He came after me like a predator,

se he almost lost his footing, barely managing to strengthen his stance, but then I got my chance, and I went in swiftly

of copper filled my mouth and flowed down my lungs. I clutched at the dirt, trying to hold onto something that would keep me consc

to me but I felt him stagger, he was losing a lot of blood. That was a good thing because I was

the force to propel myself forward. My dagger sliced at his neck in a clean swipe. He f

n he realized that he was dying. I watched him, on my knees even as I heaved and struggled to stay conscious. His blood spurted onto my f

it. I watched Grandfather stand from the corner of my eye.

ed with hysteric laughter. The empire would finally be mine. I'd endured so much, killed, tortu

f I could win. I broke bones, fractured ribs,

d hinted at mischief but I wa

yone who tried to take my place will pay with their blood. They didn't know what was coming for them. They had no idea

going to live. I was going to