Twisted Fixation

『 Chapter 1 』

This story is dedicated to all the strong, independent women out there who dream of being told by a huge and handsome morally gray man things like "Such a good fucking girl for me." and "Come on, you can take all of me."

Part I: The Angel of Death Decided To Die

Yuri sighed while watching the news about that missing woman, whose body was finally found.

She could still remember this news when it erupted three years ago, just around the time her father died, that there was a college girl who was missing. People practically gathered on the streets of New York, mostly the woman's family and friends, to find her. and bring her home safely.

But it turns out today that she has already been dead for a long time. A homeless person found her bones and remains inside an abandoned building, and when the police did an autopsy, they were able to identify that it was Rose Davis, who was the same missing woman.

The cause of her death is still unclear, but the discovery of her body brought closure to her family and friends, who never stopped searching for her. And now, her family is demanding the truth about what happened to Rose and seeking justice for her death. They are determined to hold whoever is responsible accountable and ensure that no one else suffers the same fate as her.

"We need to talk," she almost jumped when she heard the voice. When she looked around the room, she found her mother standing near the edge of her bed.

She pressed the pause button on her phone and looked at her mother. "Why do you need to stand there and just watch me? How long have you been there?" she asked, not noticing the furious face of the woman.

"Where were you last night?"

Yuri purposefully yawned to buy herself some extra time to think of something to say. Even though her mother doesn't frequently inquire about her whereabouts, she is not that stupid to overlook any suspicious behavior.

"I was with Gillian last night. Did something happen?" She half lied.

Instead of responding, Yuri found herself stroking the slapped side of her cheek. She clenched her teeth and waited for the next one, but it never came.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at her mom who's shaking this time with her face soaked with tears. Her heart breaks at the sight but she knew that it would be better to let her be. When her mother showed her the pearl necklace, she didn't even flinch as she did not intend to lie to her any further. She knows where the conversation will go.

"We may not have enough but we are not thieves. I did not teach you to be one, so what are you doing?"

Yuri averted his eyes as she cannot afford to meet her mother's eyes especially that her voice is oozing with pain and disappointment.

But does she have other options? With the life they are living right now ever since her father died, do they even have another choice? She has been struggling to make ends meet and provide for her family. Despite her best efforts, it seems like there are no other options available to her. The bills keep piling up, and the burden of responsibility weighs heavily on her shoulders.

It's a constant battle just to survive, and she wonders if there will ever be a way out of this situation. The thought of giving up crosses her mind from time to time, but she knows that she can't afford to give up now. She has to keep fighting for the sake of her family and their future. Perhaps one day things will get better, but until then, she will do whatever it takes to keep going.

"I don't care how you are going to do it but return this at once!"

That's when she summoned the courage and finally faced her. "I do not want to. We need money for your medications and to pay some other bills that are past due already." she said in a soft voice and hoped that her mother would understand even though she knows to herself that it's impossible.

We may not have enough but we are not thieves.

"Yuriko, I would rather die than buy those damn medicines with money you got from taking advantage of other people. Your father and I did not raise you to become a criminal.  I told you; I could still work, so we –"

"No, you can't and you should not!" she yelled this time as the situation is getting frustrating. "Mom, with your condition, how could you say that you can work? And even though you can, where are you going to work? None of the people here want us because of what happened! That is the reason why I even ended up like this, because no one would accept us!"

She felt bad saying that out loud, especially since her mother is aware of how dire their situation is, but at least she wanted to justify herself even though she knew that what she was doing was wrong and nothing would change that.

"I heard from the news that the woman who owns this necklace is the mistress of Giancarlo Costa. Do not tell me that you are also doing this to try and get his attention."

She froze upon hearing that name but her mother is not waiting for any response from her. She threw the necklace on the bed before walking away.

Yuri took the pearl necklace and played it with her fingers. Giancarlo Costa. The name alone is making her blood boil but she knew that she wouldn't get him to notice her just by stealing some jewelry that does not even cost a hundred thousand dollars. For someone who is Mr. Mafia Boss himself, that amount is nothing.

Who knows, maybe he has already bought a new one for his mistress.

She was so engrossed in her rage that she didn't know she was grasping the necklace too tightly until the pain hit her. She stared at her reddened palms and decided to put it aside for the time being and take it to a fellow mercenary where she could get the best bargain on the necklace. After all, George had instructed her to keep it to herself.

***

"How did auntie find out about the necklace? Damn, does this mean I won't get to visit your place for a while?" Gillian asked as she sipped from her glass of frappe.

Yuri smirked as she realized how careless she had been. Her mother would not have found the jewelry if she had not left her luggage in their living room. But she was too exhausted last night to even change her clothing because getting the jewelry from Giancarlo's mistress is a difficult task. She had to take down two of her bodyguards, who were also good fighters because they were mafia members. She might have ended up with a gunshot wound if it hadn't been for Gillian's prompt arrival. The two guards were alive, but they did not let them go without a few damaged bones.

Giancarlo's mistress does not know anything about self defense so when she threatened to shoot her if she did not give up the necklace, it didn't take her ten seconds to accomplish her plan. 

"Just give it a rest. I know that she'll come around too once she realizes what I said last time." She answered, as she played the whipped cream of her triple mocha frappe with the straw.

If she had another choice, she would not want to become a mercenary. After all, she's been studying to become a nurse. It was her dream to make a difference in people's lives through healing and compassion but when her father died, she felt like her dream to become one died with him too The weight of her family's financial burden fell on her shoulders, leaving her with no option but to consider becoming a mercenary for the sake of survival.

With nowhere to go, she decided to walk towards a tedious path, especially that the reality that no one would help them finally sank into her. With piling bills and the declining health of her mother, she had to take matters in her own hands.

Her string of thoughts was broken when her phone vibrated. It was a message from George telling her to go to the headquarters.

"I need to go. George demands for my presence," she told Gillian and grabbed the cup of coffee with her other hand and gulped it down quickly.

"I did not receive anything from him so more likely he just wants you. I'll see you later then."

After a kiss on the cheek, Yuri walked to her motorbike and roared its engine to life. It seemed like it would rain anytime soon so she decided to drive faster than her usual speed.