Pretty lies

fourty two- raise a glass to her

Alessandro Marino:

The night has just begun and I'm already pissed off. We'd be a great couple. I don't know what she is talking about but it's probably just denial.

That probably sounds like a dick take on the situation, but I know I'm not wrong. The tension is thick enough to cut with a knife and anyone could see it.

Not to mention the guy I had to kick out. I turned around one moment to see a guy with one hand on my sister and the other on my girl. There was no way I'm letting that shit slide.

I only got angrier when I realised it was one of the men from that night. The night Isadora and I had sex in my office, I had just had a business meeting gone wrong.

Koch had come in with his partners to propose starting a new club together to cover up more trades. It all went wrong when he mentioned her name.

Flashback:

"So fellas, how are we feeling about all of this?" One of the men asks us to which we raise a glass in agreement.

"Oh, Marino, who's the little bimbo you got on the floor?" Koch brings up.

"What bimbo? What the fuck are you going on about?" I joke causing him to laugh to himself.

"The little brunette one with all the tattoos." No, no, no. He's not having her, no fucking way.

"Not that one."

"Excuse you, not that one. Are you guys fucking or something?" One of the other men comment.

I don't respond to them in the case that I may overreact. I have tendencies to get angry over possession. It's a fucking problem, I know that.

"You fucked her," Koch mutters under his breath as he laughs at nothing , "how about you just give me a taste of that?"

With that, my fists begin to ball up as my nails make crescents in my palm.

"I bet the pussy is so good and right for you. She'd be fun to toss around." Koch teases from across the table before I stand up and throw my drink to his face.

I can't be in this fucking room any more. I'm out of here."

End of flashback:

Seeing his face brought up a new anger in me that Isadora had awakened. I can't watch another man touch her let alone talk about having her like I do.

The fiery liquid burns down my throat in an attempt to drown my feelings. I have to do a speech in less than an hour, but that is the least of my concern now. She is my concern.

I watch as she and my sister make their way to the bar on the opposing side of the room. They down shot after shot, but neither one out of the pair become too phased by it.  That sight bothers me, a lot ; how easily my baby sister can take a shot of whatever the fuck that was.

"Hey handsome, how you doing?" There goes that grating voice again. Juliette.

"Fuck off." I tell her bluntly.

"Come one now, don't be so mean to me. I don't like it when you're mean to me." She pouts as if that would make me fall to my knees for her. It's fucking pathetic of her really.

"Well, I happen tp think it's quite entertaining. but not entertaining enough to make me look away from her. So Fuck off, please." She's blocking my view at this point.

"What is it about her? Why is she so much better than I am?" She says her like she's choking of poison. Wow.

"Do you really want to play that game with me?"

"Oh, I'd love to play with you." She throws a wink at me before running a finger down my arm.

"Listen to me carefully because I won't say it to you again, fuck off. I've already thrown out someone for her and I'd gladly do it again."

"You're not going to do that though. I work in this house, it's my home so you can just-"

"You're fired." I interrupt her before walking away from her and subsequently, my drink.

"There is a deal Marino so you can't just-"

"Shut the fuck up and clear out your shit by the end of the night or so help me god, I will kill you." Her jaw drops open at my threat as I turn away from her one last time.

"Mario, make sure she's gone within the hour." I tell him before making a beeline to the other bar- to her.

Andrea looks up and makes eye contact with me as she rolls her eyes at me. She begins to walk away with her hand around Isadora's before I catch them.

"I need to talk to her." I tell Andrea. She looks between the two of us for a few second before letting Isadora go.

"Don't just-" Isadora tries to tell her but Andrea was already within a new crowd.

"Can we go somewhere more private to talk?"

"I'd rather we didn't." She mutters under her breath but I still catch it, just about.

"Why don't you want to talk to me?"

"You didn't seem too eager to talk to me when you were with that blonde bimbo." She scoffs at her own mention of Juliette.

"Wait, do I sense some jealousy here, Miss Rose?" I tease once I come to the realization.

"I am not jealous of whatever she is." They both do that thing where they get agitated at the mention of the other. Isadora's is the reaction I find most entertaining to watch. It's the denial.

"No, but you don't seem to happy about whatever you saw."

"You seemed happy enough." I beg to differ.

"It's okay to be jealous. I won't hold it against you, princess."

"I'm not jealous. I have no reason to be since we're just-"

"Don't you fucking call us friends. We are far from that Isadora Rose and we both know it all too well." Something in my soul sets on fire when she says that shit. It's such bullshit.

We spend the next few minutes just looking at each other and edging closer as neither of us attempt to bridge the gap. Her eyes flutter down to my lips as my hand comes to her waist to pull her into me.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?"

"Yes, but I believe before you used the word gorgeous. Did I just look better then?" She teases.

"You're a pain in my ass, Rose."

"You wish you were a pain in mine, Marino." Touché.

"I want to-" I go to say something before there is a clinking of a glass to signal a speech.

"Everyone, may I have your attention please." My- oh shit. It looks like my father decided to show up.

"As you all know, the Rose mafia had fallen after the death of Sofia Rose." Dumbasses.

"May she rest in peace." The guests call out in unison. It's tradition.

"What the fuck was that? Is the mafia just a cover up for some fucking Charles Manson cult shit?"
Isadora whispers from beside me bringing out a laugh from me and a few others close by.

"An heir has risen and is ready to take her place as the Doña of the Rose mafia. So will you all raise a glass to Isadora Rose and may her reign be one for the ages."

I raise my glass and turn to a flushed Isadora. She looks up at me with fear in her eyes as others turn their gaze on to her.

"To the queen." I whisper just loud enough for her to hear. My queen.