Heartless People

TWO

We still think of a powerful man as a born leader and a powerful woman as an anomaly.
~ Margaret Atwood

CAMILA.

At eighteen, I became the first ever female Boss of the Italian Mafia and to this day I can still remember, the shock, the horror, the disgust on their faces. How dare a woman try to lead them? It was not possible. It was not plausible and in
their eyes, it was a sin. I did not know my place. So one by one, they sent men after me, or brought men to replace me and one by one, I tore them down. I
spared no one. No mercy. No fear. Just death. Not just to them, or the ones that sent them, but their families, their neighbors, and even their mailmen. I didn't just kill them, I wiped them off of the face of the goddamn earth as a lesson to the next motherfucker who thought he could stand against me. It was a lesson learned very quickly.

By twenty-four, I was married to the next Boss, the Ceann na Conairte, of the Irish Mob, Lauren Michelle Jauregui. The Italians and the Irish were like water and oil. Our families had been at war with each other since their grumpy asses came off of the boat in the 1850s. To say our first meeting was anything but love at first sight would be an understand statement. I shot her. I've shot her a
couple times in our marriage, to be honest. Ive bruised ribs, broken fingers, and spit blood from my lips in my battles with her. She was just like the rest of them.

She saw my breasts and for some reason thought that meant I wasn't capable. But she too learned.
Now at 33, I stand as the most powerful woman in the goddamn state.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, without further ado, please join me in welcoming my personal friend and our Governor, Camila Cabello Jauregui," the Mayor spoke into the microphone. His body turned towards me as he and the rest of the guests clapped.

Lauren rose as I did, kissing my check quickly before I moved to the podium in the center of the stage.

"I don't have friends, Benjamin. You should remember that," I whispered into the ear of the old man as he congratulated me, gripping tighter on his hand.

He smiled for the cameras, but in his blue eyes, I saw a mixture of fear and hate, something I was not only used to but also proud of. Benjamin Weston, the fiftyseven-year-old lanky, white-haired snake, who tried to move heaven and earth to make sure I didn't get re-elected.

Standing behind the podium, I couldn't get past the irony. Our enemies, the police, were being fed by our own hands now. Meanwhile, Lauren and I were the ones who drove them to the brick to begin with. It seems they have learned their lesson as well.

"Five years ago," I spoke into the microphone, "the people of this great state elected me as their governor in the hope that a better and safer state would be in their future. Today, with the help of community organizers, congressmen of both parties, the mayors office, and staff, along with Miami's Police Department, we are finally seeing that future. From the beginning, I understood the key to a
better society has always been the safety of its people, this safety could only be brought about by the support of our brothers and sisters in uniform, who put brought about by the support of our brothers and sisters in uniform, who put their lives at risk every day, not only in Miami but all across Florida."

"This is why I passed the Roman Bill, which not only increased the pay for police officers but all other civil servants. On top of that, we have provided better healthcare benefits for them and their families. In doing so, the number of civil servants has doubled in the last five years, but best of all, the crime rate across Florida has dropped by sixty percent. It is a great honor that I welcome representatives from police forces all across the state here tonight in celebration. Thank you all for your service."