The Devilman's Epiphany ✔️

VIII-Play smarter, not harder

I and Alina were all alone because Rex had to drive Maria to her house. I was too scared to speak to Alina. She radiates so much happiness not only to her son but to everyone around her. She's everything I wanted my mother to be like.

"Oh, I've met your mother. She's a snarky little bitch." Alina said in the middle of our conversation took me by surprise and that's why I laughed. "I can't even imagine what she puts you through." She said concerned.

"No one can," I said with a sigh and helped her with the dishes. It would be really awkward between us if Alina wasn't good at holding conversations.

"You're engaged to my son now, you don't live with her anymore." She said after drying her hands and sitting next to me.
"It's all fake. Love is not in the mafia encyclopedia." I shrugged. "He'll put me down when he gets mad enough. That's how all of us are." I said numbly. Her looks were challenging.

"Is that how you are?" I nodded. "It's how I was raised to be," I said as we walked back to the room.

"I don't believe that's how you are. I don't think you want to be that way. Your mom programmed you into believing things she does but you're old enough to know better now. So why don't you try changing? Become better." She said as she took my hand.

"I don't have a reason to change for the better. It's better to be that way because I love how people think a thousand times before speaking to me. They're afraid of me." I said and she narrowed her eyes.

"You do have a reason to change but I can't tell you. Then you'll be in denial." She smiled and I narrowed my eyes.

"Why don't you want Rex to change like that? He's exactly like me." She shook her head with a frown.

"No, he's not. He wants people to think of him that way because I raised a genius manipulator. He gets the manipulative part from his father." She said not dropping the frown. He wants me to think that way.

Most mafia women die due to having no value to anyone. Only the ones like me and my mom are valued like a prize.

Rex must keep his mother a secret so why would he bring me here. He knows I want to take him down and earn his place. "So why did he do it?" I mumbled.

"Do what?" She raised her eyebrows. "I can kill you right now with no issue and Rex. Why did he bring me here? It makes no sense. No doubt Leonardo thinks you're dead. He would never keep you alive and my mother wants me to wrap Rex around my finger and kill him." A thousand thoughts were in my head.

"You're the one making it complicated. I didn't know why he brought you to me either but now I see it." I looked at her like I begged her to continue.

"You're blind Arabella. Your mom is your poison. You turned out to be a decent person but that's all on you. You need to make your own decisions and stop listening to your mom because she'll put you down the moment you give her what she trained you for."

"Rex brought you here to see a real mother." I knew a tear dropped from my eye and I kept my head down so she wouldn't slap it off of me but she held my chin and made me look at her.

"Can you-..." I gulped and lost my breath when she pushed my head on her shoulder and hugged me.

After I started feeling numb again there was a knock on the door. I was watching tv as Alina baked in the kitchen. I looked through the hole and then opened the door.

"Will you move?" He said unbothered.

I didn't want to see this side of him anymore and I knew he would never show the other to me. That's why he's known as the devilman. He looked like he wanted to ask something then he went back to being cold. I turned back and just went to the room Alina told me I'm staying in. I took out my necklace and held it in my fist when my door opened.