Pure Poison (Pure #1)

[2]

I smoothed the dress and took a look at myself in the mirror. We were at the boutique of an established designer trying on the wedding dresses. I was getting claustrophobic, to stand in this tight dress and twirl with a smile on my face, excited about the prospect of getting married. But in the truest senses I had decided to schedule the fitting was to fulfil an ulterior motive.

I discreetly looked at Caporegime Joseph sitting on the settee. He was my cousin, son of my Father's youngest brother. He was a confidante and an accomplice to my mission. Joseph was two years older to me but still paid for the mistake of his father, a traitor to the Ricci, Carlos Ricci was an FBI informant, he had tipped off the authorities about some classified information. What followed was gnarly; he was brutally killed by my father. Joseph's mother too died soon after and our grandfather decided to take him under his wing.

I slowly walked to Joseph.

"Have you decided upon the next step?" I asked. My voice was low, almost a murmur, but I knew he had heard me.

"Your mother is following us everywhere, how would I decide upon anything with her present here?" Joseph said.

I turned to Lily, she was perusing through the dresses. Feeling my eyes on her she turned to me and gave a hesitant smile. Walking in our direction I saw her assessing my dress, a frown between her brows.

"I don't know Valentina, sweetheart I am not feeling this dress," Lily said. I nodded in agreement

"I think I am not really enjoying her collection," I said.

"Me neither," Joe quipped.

Mother gave him a tight smile and turned to me. It has been this way since the start, she had always thought of herself as superior whenever it came to Joseph, maybe it was because she had a husband who stayed loyal to the syndicate. She thought Joseph was weak, she thought that he had no response to her sneers and sarcastic remarks, but she was wrong. Joe simply didn't feel anything for the woman.

In fact he let her have her moments. After all, everyone wanted to be superior and this was her way.

"Well then we can visit another showroom," Lily said.

"I would love to have you here with me," I said softly, "but Joe just received a message from Father,"

The fear crawling into her eyes made me want to mock her but I refrained. I could feel sorry for her, she was after all very timid and skittish with the only times she felt like a superior was in front of Joe but it was all her fault, Silvano was not difficult to control, one had to just learn a way to control his anger.

I did and that's why he loved me and adored me. I think I am the only one on his good side.

Being in power didn't always mean to stand on a tower like Superman.

Being in power didn't mean having people to fear you.

Sometimes it was about staying low. It was about being manipulative and working from behind. It was about achieving your ambition in the most inconspicuous of ways.

I never considered an ambition to be small.

I once remember asking my mother something when I was young.

"What did you want to become when you grew up?" I asked as Lily braided my hair.

"A wife, I have always loved your father, being his wife was all I ever wanted to be," she replied.

I was five then but I still wanted to barf at her answer.

If she wanted to be a wife then she clearly didn't do a good job at it. Our house while filled with all sorts of opulence was still not beautiful.