Forbidden Flame (Mafiatale Grillby x Reader)

Chapter 1 - The Incident

(~Y/N's POV~)

"Ma'am, your pearls?" I interrupt my maid with a gentle wave of dismissal. (Writer~San: For guys, it can be a tie. For others, it may be any classy accessory.) "Not today, thank you." I say to her. I observe myself and my outfit briefly in the mirror.

'I don't know why Father pushes for me to wear such gifts..'

I'm wearing a modest black dress with short sleeves and a little more curve around the hips than I would like. (Writer~San: For guys, it would likely be something close to a suit, or shirt and vest combo with slacks. For anyone else, any classy outfit will do!) To be honest, I don't like to wear such clothes at all. Each piece of my clothing is individually tailored with expensive and sometimes international fabrics.

My dad presses that we should always look our best and play our role, as we are a family of upper class. He even has a privilege of serving on the city council. It is their job to make laws and promote peace. Though, the only flaw is that councilmen are chosen by their family line and not their personality.

I sigh, putting on my best closed smile and clasping my hands in front of me. I turn to my maid with a quick "How do I look?" glance. "You look wonderful, Mistress. You've grown up to look just like your mother."

'Hm..'

I take one more glance at the mirror.

'Just another puppet for society.'

I don't understand why my father insists for me to come with him on business trips, considering what happened to my mother. Me dressing up like a doll doesn't help either. Thankfully my dad is not corrupt like some of the council have turned out to be. However, he still does not have the power to stop the injustice. Some of the injustices being the treatment of lower classes, women, and monsters... Of course, this has led desperate or power-hungry people to turn to violence and mafias as a way to make themselves heard. Seeing the pressured suffering caused by such things makes my soul sick.

'I hope they're okay.'

It seems pointless to worry about someone I've never actually met. Yet, my soul has made it impossible to ignore. I always get certain feelings about them, randomly, no doubt their soul reflecting things onto mine. It's almost like how a pregnant mother feels confident about the gender of their baby or how someone gets déjà vu. That's how I rarely find out certain facts about them. There is one fact in particular that I've held secret for as long as I've known. Only my parents and a few select servants were allowed to know as long as they swore to secrecy.

"Ma'am?" My maid chimes into the silence, being concerned by how long I've been staring at myself.

'Right. It's time to go.'

"Yes?"
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"Please be safe, Miss Y/N. I hear the mafia your father is meeting with is..."
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"Dangerous? They all are. Father hopes that we can settle a deal to minimize the crime amongst their territory. Also, it's not my first time being put in this situation."

Our family's status as a higher class has drawn a lot of the wrong attention, mostly by greedy gangs or power-hungry people. Without giving it too much thought, I head out to meet with my father in the car.

(~Time Skip~)

After a long and awkward meeting, a proposal was offered and the deal was secured. Now, I silently endure as drunk men kiss down my hand as I slip back into the car.

'Disgusting.. I'll have to shower for weeks to feel clean again..'

Once we're seated and the doors are closed, my dad lets out a sigh of relief. He says with a smile, "Well, I'd say that went well."

'If by well, you mean those drunks taking our money and looking at me like a new toy? Sure.. It went well.'

I take a quick glance out of the window as the vehicle starts to move, mostly people watching. Little do they know what happens in the shadows. That or they just choose to ignore it.

Troubled, I ask my father, "Why do you keep offering money to cover people's protection fees when you know those men will just spend it on more weapons and alcohol?" "It's about building trust, Y/N-" "It's nothing more than a bribe with no lasting effect." I retort.

There's a small pause between us before he speaks up again. "N/N, let your father handle the business stuff. It'll be okay. Besides, that gang's territory was made up of 76% monsters. There protection fees will be covered for a least a few months. They'll be given some peace." He rests a hand on my arm to reassure me. I don't have anything to talk back with because I know exactly why he chose to say that. I sigh heavily, "Okay."

I take another glance out my window and then subtly come to realize something.

'This is not the way back to the manor.'

Being in the back seat, I look forward and into the rear view mirror, specifically at our driver. He keeps glancing back at us and does make eye contact with me several times before sketchily looking down. It's enough to get my attention.

'Something is off.'

The driver's hands begin to tremble on the steering wheel. He's holding onto it pretty tight and his body language is stiff. "Is there a problem?" I ask. He avoids my gaze and doesn't say a word. I look to my father, saying with my eyes that I'm uncomfortable and that he needs to step in. He chuckles lightly and looks to the driver, "You must excuse my daughter. She forgot to mention that she has plans today-"

'A common lie.'

He continues, "Maybe we should stop for a moment. See some of downtown! Wouldn't that be fascinating?" That's the good thing about my dad. He's caring, patient, and great when it comes to handling people. Still, I can hear the firmness in his tone. When it comes to my protection, he doesn't joke. Finally, the driver speaks to him. His voice trembles like a man that's seen a ghost and he barely speaks loud enough for us to understand, "Sorry Sir. I can't do that." He looks up and shows his face. I swear the color drains from both of our faces as we come to realize...

'That's not our driver-'

My stress level goes up two more levels as the stranger suddenly hits the gas. I yelp as my body is thrown back against the car seat. My dad's voice now grows loud and urgent, "Who do you work for?! You don't have to do this! Stop the car! NOW!"

Out of panic, I swing open my car door. I don't know what's going on but what I do know is that we can't wait around to see what they're going to do to us. "Dad! JUmP!" I scream. I see my dad nod and then I jump out first. It hurt like heck as my elbows hit the sidewalk pavement. People screamed as I rolled for a moment, getting scrapes and scratches all over. It all happened so fast. Before my head could clear, the car I jumped from was soon engulfed with flames and exploded with a thundering boom.

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Writer~San: So that was chapter 1 aka the preview. oOOoO~ TwT Action packed already but it IS Mafiatale. Anyways, I have to head to bed. Good night/morning!!!