No Sloppy Seconds Chapter 06
Late at night. A black Cayenne pulled up silently in front of the Moretti estate.
The gates were massive and cold, flanked by stone pillars carved with mafia totems.
I dragged my heavy suitcase out of the car. Standing before the keypad, my fingers trembled violently in the air.
I didn’t have the courage to punch in the code.
Seven years ago, I fought my parents over Silas. They hated the match, but I walked away and cut them off completely.
Look at me now. Covered in dirt. Wrecked. A homeless stray. What right did I have to come back?
I took a deep breath, bit my lip, and turned away.
“Cleo?”
An old, disbelieving voice called out from under the porch lights.
My whole body went stiff. I whipped around.
Under the warm light of the porch, my parents stood there frozen.
The lit cigarette slipped from Dad’s hand, sparks flying on the pavement.
Mom dropped her soup bowl. Porcelain shattered into pieces, splashing broth everywhere.
“Dad… Mom…” My throat was raw. Tears spilled instantly.
“Cleo! It’s really my Cleo!”
Mom let out a scream. Ignoring the broken glass on the ground, she stumbled toward me in a frenzy.
She slammed me into her arms, hugging me so tight I could barely breathe. “Where have you been?! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!”
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” I held her tight, sobbing out of breath.
Dad walked over.
I hadn’t seen him in years. His hair was mostly white now, his straight back slightly stooped.
He looked down at my red, swollen eyes and dirty clothes. His voice was icy, but buried deep under it was pure, agonizing pain. “What happened? Did that bastard Silas hurt you?”
Inside the living room, flames flickered in the fireplace.
I sat on the couch, telling them everything that happened today, word by word.
The air in the room plunged to sub-zero.
BANG!
Dad slammed his palm onto the solid wood table. The force shattered a porcelain teacup to dust!
“That worthless piece of shit!” Dad stood up abruptly. His eyes were bloodshot, exploding with the long-lost killer instinct of a mob boss. “Does he think the Moretti family is dead?! How dare he trample my daughter like
this?!”
Mom held me close, tears streaming down her face. She gritted her teeth so hard they clicked. “Our Cleo stayed with him for seven whole years! She suffered so much for him! And he lets that bitch walk all over us?!”
Dad took a deep breath, forcing down the rage in his chest. He threw a cold glance at me, then turned and went upstairs.
Two minutes later, he came back down carrying a heavy iron bux.
He slammed it onto the table with a sharp metallic clatter.
The lid opened. Inside lay a black-gold medal glowing with a blood-red sheen, alongside three black chips with high-end biometric scanners.
My pupils shrank.
That was the ultimate military power of the Moretti cartel-the Blood Oath Medal. And the keycards to three core underground armories across North America!
“Take them.” Dad pushed the medal and keycards to me. His eyes were ruthless and dead set. “A Moretti girl steps on others. Nobody steps on us.”
“Doesn’t he think you’re nothing without the Syndicate? Doesn’t he think his throne as the Godfather is nice and steady?”
Dad leaned in close, every word cutting like a blade. “Go. Take back everything that belongs to you!”
Mom took a towel and gently wiped the tear stains from my face. Then, she pressed that cold, heavy medal into my palm.
The sharp edges of the Blood Oath Medal dug deep into my flesh, bringing a sharp sting.
That sting shot through my entire body, instantly shattering all my weakness and guilt.
I gripped the medal tight and slowly raised my head. The vulnerability in my eyes vanished, replaced by a cold, bloodthirsty chill.
I whispered softly, “Mom, Dad… I’m sorry.”
Mom rubbed my hair, her voice soft but filled with unconditional love. “We’re family. You don’t apologize to us. As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”
Just then, my phone rang sharply in my pocket.
I slid the screen open, and Silas’s cold voice instantly shattered the quiet room:
“Cleo! Have you had enough of this drama?! If you don’t get your ass back to the hall in ten minutes, I’ll have your parents’ estate seized right now!”
