FEAR

0

•VERENA•

The union was welcoming another poor soul into a world of misery.

Manuel Rivera was having a child, a baby girl. Usually, it would be a blessing but everyone in this room knew what that meant the next heir to the Rivera family. Her life was fated before she was even born. For most of us, we choose this life, being born into; was a burden and not made for everyone. Drugs, prostitution, even embezzlement. There was nothing more important than money. There will never be anything more important than this union. One falls everyone falls. At the announcement, there were cheers and envy. I did neither but nothing else was expected from me anyway.

I was the only woman here that wasn't married. The only other woman wasn't here of course she was dealing with business.

"Verena, amor." Manuel stepped up to me. We greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek and a short embrace. "You made the room stop as always." He complimented. I rolled my eyes. He wasn't the first to compliment me but the difference between him and the others he didn't want anything physical. One of the few men I knew who would never cheat on his wife and a man with such power at that, was rare. We stepped away from the crowd. The only man near us was Marcus, my bodyguard.

"Is this the part where you ask me to be your child's godmother?" I looked up at him. Manuel is a good-looking man, standing at 6' tan skin with dark features there was indigenous somewhere in his bloodline, which made him all the more good-looking. We stood next to the bay window looking out to the garden. He gave me one of his signature smiles the one that probably got his wife to marry him. I snorted in response and turned my body to face the window. "Convince me." 

If I knew anything about Manuel Rivera it was he never took "no" for an answer not even from me. He didn't become this successful by missing any opportunity to become number one. He was one of the world's most wanted for a reason. "You are the most successful woman I know. My daughter will need someone like you to guide her in the world controlled by man."

"I learned myself if she made for it then she will learn herself." I only chose this life because my brother was starving and sick, I would have done a million things before building up to where I am now. Yet, I continued and now I'm here. Stuck. Standing in a room with an incomparable wealth and burden. "Let me explain, I will guide her and I'm truly honored to be her godmother but are you sure you want to pass down this life to your blood."

Hoping I could convince him to keep her away from this life the same way I wished I could've kept Mateo out.

"I'm aware Verena but nobody in this room is as powerful as you. I couldn't compare and you build it from the bottom I trust you will teach her what you know." He licked his lips and smiled again. I needed a fucking drink.

"I will teach her when the time comes, you fill her with love before I fill her with hate." At that, he frowned but nodded. He understood. It was our life. You had to be cruel to stay at the top.

"Thank you, amor." He kissed my cheek and walked away.

A waitress walked around with a tray of champagne in flute glasses, I grabbed one. I stepped out of the double door to the balcony that overlooks the garden and fountain. It was dark out the only light shining was the moon and the ballroom light from the inside of the mansion.

"Marcus, I wanna be alone."

"Yes ma'am." He stepped back inside leaving me alone to my thoughts. Or so I thought.

"You're as beautiful as rumor claims you to be." A tall man stood in the shadow. Marcus must have missed him because he would never leave me alone with a man especially with every member of the union being here. "Verena Montego." His voice was deep and sexy. I turned my body to the voice crossed my leg over the other and leaned onto the railing. If I call Marcus he'll be here in less than a second but I didn't. Curiosity sparked through me.

What does he know about me?

"And you are?" I took a sip of the champagne narrowing my eyes at him.

"They call me Keegan Russ. Nice to finally meet you." He stepped out into the light and I had to pause. He wasn't old or wrinkly. He didn't have a beer belly and he certainly wasn't from here. He was as sexy as his voice even more so. He was tall, towering over a foot taller. Strong, his shoulders were broad and his stance was powerful. His blue eyes were sharp and alluring. He wasn't from the union but if he was here he was in our world. I would have remembered a man like this. "I heard many stories about you and I wasn't expecting a woman that looked anything like you."

"You're not from the union?" I said, all the power leaving my voice even so I kept my expression as emotionless as usual. He gave me a small smile enough to see the small dimple on his right cheek. 

"I'm an arms dealer." He said, his eyes never leaving mine. "I was doing business with Rivera but before we could close our deal everyone decided to show up."

"So you decided to wait out on the balcony?" He chuckled at that, reaching his eyes. His eyes remind me of the sun behind clouds when he smiles.

"Got to meet you, the notorious woman that raised the union." I groaned.

"I have done more notorious things than that. I deserve more attention than bringing a bunch of grease balls to stop measuring their dicks." I was responsible for a lot of damage, enough to send me to hell but to everyone's knowledge outside of this world I didn't exist. There was no Verena Montego. I liked it that way.

"I know that's why I always wanted to meet you." There was nothing out of place about this man, his black hair was well groomed, and styled to the side, his black suit was perfect no lint in sight, shoes were even polished. He looked like a businessman one that should be in cooperate America, not the countryside of Mexico. "I was going to leave but I'm glad I stayed," He reminds me of the men my grandmother always warned me about.

There was more to that sentence than I bothered to decipher. "I got to go. . .Nice meeting you, Mr Russ." I finished my champagne and walked away. Quickly finding Marcus I excused myself and congratulated him and Theresa.

For whatever reason I felt like that wouldn't be the last time I'll see Mr Russ. I didn't know whether that eager me or irritated me.

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