Sapphire Beauty

00 | Prologue

My reflection stared back at me from the mirror. The midnight hair and bright blue eyes were so different from my parents. I was adopted so it was no surprise that I didn't have their blonde hair and hazel eyes. My tanned skin darker than their pale complexion. Even if I didn't look like I fit in, Carol and Charlie always made me feel at home.

"Aria! Breakfast is ready!"
"Coming Mama!"

I pulled my leather jacket over my forest green crop top and rushed down the hall, sliding into the kitchen. "Am I allowed to attend anything today?" I asked my beautiful mother. She sighed and shook her head, locks of golden hair bouncing around, "Me saying no wouldn't stop you and you know it. All I ask is you don't get caught, mia bella. Your father deals with plenty of dangerous people and-"

"Yes mama, you don't want me getting caught up in a bad situation. I know. I'll be safe, always."

She gave me a smile and set down a plate at the table, tapping the seat, silently telling me to eat. I nodded and sat, humming in delight at the delicious breakfast, a short stack of pancakes with eggs and sausage.

Soon enough my father came down. He was a short man with a soft smile, never letting on all he knew, just like Mama. "Good morning Papa." I greeted as he gave me a kiss on the cheek. "The tutor can't come in today, so you'll be with me in the office all day." He told me, sitting down at the head of the table. I nodded, smiling.

Papa owned a speakeasy a few stores down, below our home was Mama's cafe and flower shop. I often helped her set up and open before heading down to Papa's bar. It was also a strip club, but that opened at 7, the bar opened to the public at 5, and the hours before that were spent cleaning up after business owners who used Papa's multiple offices above the bar to meet with each other and discuss exchanges.

He taught me a lot about the industry. He says the knowledge will be greatly useful in the future. Normally a tutor would come and teach me the basics that I'm missing out on in public school, Math, History, Science, English. All of that, from one person, but from my father there's a different kind of history, the history of the Italian-American Mafias that still run around New York. The foundations of each well known, long standing gang. I also have the full names of many of the important members that go in and out of Papa's bar.

Papa was well known throughout the industry because his bar was one of the common grounds. I knew a lot of them, not all, but a lot. I kept a notebook full of intel I had on each gang, like a child would have a notebook for a class in school. Some of Papa's bartenders and dancers worked for the big men as well, gaining intel where they could. 

Of course, nobody knew about the notebook. It would be terribly dangerous if it got into the wrong hands.

Mama didn't exactly approve of my learning all about the ins and outs of every mafia in town, though you could technically google a lot of the information so I suppose learning it from someone who actually knows what they're talking about is better as opposed to learning it on some shady wiki.

I was always the curious child, and Mama would never dare keep me from something that piqued my interest. She was never one to be as controlling as other mothers, she only taught me what's right and what's wrong, and said that from then on it lies on our own moral compass. We were all very truthful like that.

After breakfast I washed the dishes while Mama went downstairs to set up the flowers, and Papa went with her to help set up the cafe. I picked up my backpack and pulled on my black and purple boots before heading down to help finish up. The clock read 8:00 when I was walking out the door and I smiled, knowing I had about an hour to help before going over to Papa's bar.