Page 13 of In Ruins
“Ma! How the hell do you even know about that? I’m going to kill your husband!”
“You leave your father alone. He wasn’t the one who told me, which he’s going to pay for later,” she mutters. I roll my eyes at her, making sure she doesn’t see, as we make our way out of my office.
Ugh! That means one of her damn spies in my office must have said shit to her. I’m gonna shoot somebody in here sooner or later for going behind my back. Everyone in the office is acting busy as we pass by and head for the elevator. I should fire her damn mole, her friend Beatrice. But then again, it’s not worth the hassle when it comes to Ma and her spies.
When we pull up to the house and head inside, there’s a flurry of activity everywhere I look. The whole place is filled with people doing last-minute shit to make sure everything goes smoothly later. The party starts at eight, so they have a little while left, and since Ma is a perfectionist, I’m sure they’ve all been working double time since this morning.
I usually hate these parties because the attendees leave much to be desired. It’s just other assholes in the Mafia—the rich and crooked pieces of shit who pretend they’re on the up and up to the public, and seedy politicians who’d sell their mothers just to be on top, though thankfully the flesh trade is not something our family would ever take part in. Then there are the socialites and Mafia princesses, most of whom are just looking for a rich bastard to snag as their husband.
The rich assholes and the politicians may not like that we’re around, but they have no qualms about trying to get a piece of the pie where our money is concerned. Whoever said that crime doesn’t pay clearly wasn’t doing it right.
It’s supposed to be about making connections yada yada yada, but I don’t care about any of that shit. My reputation precedes me, so I don’t have to bother with all the unnecessary fanfare. All I really care about is doing what I need to do with the businesses, not this damn pony show. I have a reputationfor being ruthless, and with that, my place in the underworld has been cemented. But it’s always a fight to keep it because someone is always looking to prove themselves by trying to steal everything from you.
However, Ma lives for these damn parties, and whatever her little heart desires, Dad always makes sure he gets it for her. No one has ever tried anything at any of our parties, though, because we always keep this place secured with lots of extra soldiers posted throughout the house and the perimeter. I didn’t think anyone would be desperate enough to attack a party, but that shit happened maybe about a month or so ago, if I’m remembering correctly. Someone attacked the Bellucci compound, and their heir, Luca, has been missing or dead since. We’re being extra cautious about this party, since it's too late to cancel and Ma didn’t want to anyway.
I’m going, even if I don’t really want to, because she’d probably disown me if I missed it. I think about sneaking out later, but then I figure I had better not rock the boat with my mother tonight. This is her chance to shine and be the social butterfly host that she is, and I don’t want to take that away from her.
I might gripe at some of the shit she and my father get up to, but my overall goal is to always see them happy. If that means being paraded around like a piece of meat to the hungry socialites for a few hours, then that’s what I’ll do.
As soon as we get inside the house, she starts doling out orders to people as we pass by them. I decide that now is the time to hide until the party begins, or she’ll have me running up and down doing shit for the rest of the afternoon, even though she has a whole team here.
“I’m going to rest my eyes until the party starts. I mean, you want me looking my best for your guests, right?” I question,knowing that it will work on her if she thinks I’m agreeing to her ludicrous idea.
“Oh yes. Go rest. I guess you need your beauty sleep to look your best if you want to get snatched up tonight.” She chuckles, giving me a kiss on the cheek before she’s hustling away, yelling at someone. I shake my head before making my way up the stairs toward my old suite.
The minute I get there, I pour myself a stiff drink and down it in one go before throwing myself onto my bed. I turn on the television with the intent to watch something and relax until it’s time to get ready and head back down to the ballroom. There’s no way in hell I’m going down there too early.I’d rather shoot myself in the head first.
The time goes by fast as I chill in my room, and now it’s already past eight. Ma had already sent one of the maids up an hour ago to remind me to get ready. I told her I was already doing that, but really, I just kept lying here.
When I can’t put it off any longer, I get up and shower before heading into my closet for my tux and mask. When I’m done, I fix my hair and make sure I look good before finally leaving my suite.
It’s already ten by the time I make it downstairs, and hopefully my mother doesn’t kill me. I can hear the chatter of people from outside the ballroom and the thumping of the music as I make my way in that direction.
When I step into the room, I spot my parents right away, standing by the little stage. Neither of them wears a mask since they’re hosting, but almost everyone else is. There are a few others here and there that have forgone theirs as well. The room has been transformed into a masquerade-style setting. The walls are covered in a black-and-red net-like fabric, and there are a couple of huge mask cutouts as well.
The table and chairs use the same color scheme, and they’re set all around the room, leaving space in the middle for the dance floor. There’s a bar at the back of the room, which is the first thing I head for. I’m going to need another drink right away if I’m going to survive tonight.
I get a glass of cognac and down it in one go. I take one more from the bartender and hold on to it as I make my way to where my parents are standing, talking to someone who excuses himself when I get closer.
“Mother, Father,” I say as I step up to them. “You look gorgeous as usual, Ma.”
“Don’t even try to butter me up. I’m so mad I could spit! You’re late! And must you wear that mask? How are the ladies supposed to see you?” she questions with a huff.
I’m smiling even though she can’t see my face since I’m wearing an Ombra Volto mask, which covers my entire face. This mask is designed with half of it white and half of it black. Around the eyes and face, and straight down the middle, is decorated in gold.
“I’m not late, and I think this mask is quite fitting, don’t you think? I mean, you’re the one who wanted a masquerade ball, and people wear masks at these things.”
“You’re two hours late. This isn’t funny,” she mutters. “You know damn well that wasn’t the mask you were supposed to wear!”
She’s right, of course. The one she had picked out for me only covered my eyes, which means she wanted all the ladies to see me so they could get their claws into me.
“But I’m not laughing, Ma.”
“Ooo, you’re in trouble,” my father singsongs, trying to hold back his laughter.
“We’re going to have words about this later! Now let's go. I’m going to introduce you to a few of the beautiful young ladies whohave been dying to meet you all night,” Mom demands.And so it begins…
“You’re going to pay for this!” I lean over and mumble to Dad before she pulls me away and along with her. The asshole has the nerve to laugh his stupid ass off. We walk a few feet away from where Dad is still standing, and Mom stops in front of a woman.
