Chapter 4

Mia’s POV

I walked out of the station with my father, who has t hat look on his face. The look that says “what the fuck did you just do”. He clearly isn’t happy about what I did.

We walked towards the nearby alley which means he probably parked out back. There was this tension between us, which is never good. I see him clench his jaw, a habit he does to try and stop himself from hitting someone or something.

“How could you be so reckless?” He said in a sharp tone as he continued walking.

“Reckless?” I scoffed out. What the fuck does he mean reckless? Isn’t this what he wanted, for me to be as violent as he was?

My thoughts were then interrupted when he abruptly stopped in his tracks. I turned around and see his darkened expression, which made me stop as well.

“Tell me, what’s the second thing I taught you?” He lifted his chin up as he put his hands in his pockets.

My father had taught me many things, especially at a young age. As soon as I turned 18, he wasted no time and taught me the way things were done in this business. Of course I had no choice but to oblige, the consequences were way too severe.

“Never leave evidence.” I say in a low tone and he takes a step closer.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” He says in a somewhat aggressive tone.

I clench my jaw and look at him. “Never leave evidence.”

“Never leave evidence.” He was a bit louder, overlapping my words. “Leaving someone alive? That’s the biggest piece of evidence you could leave behind.”

“Leaving someone alive means their suffering doesn’t end. Killing them would just end it all, it wouldn’t teach them a lesson.” My tone is cold and my expression hardens. One of the things my father taught me was to always make sure they understood what they did wrong. Because without a lesson, punishment is just empty cruelty.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong, but this whole situation is reckless. Why start a fight in a bar? Where everyone could see? Why leave them alive or at least conscious enough to remember what happened?” He says in the coldest, most heartless tone. “I taught you better than this.”

“They deserved it. They don’t deserve the mercy of death.” Anger rushes to the surface once again. Just thinking about what they did makes me want to hurt them again.

He takes a long breath as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “I know what they did was wrong, I have no doubt about that. Trust me, I would’ve had them taken care of if that happened to you, but-”

“Well, I did, I took care of them in my own way. They’re lucky I didn’t cut off their dicks.” I snap back, cutting him off before he could finish his sentence.

“They’re lucky enough you kept them alive.” He gritted through his teeth.

I stay quiet. I couldn’t say anything else even if I wanted to, because he was dead set on his point. I shouldn’t have kept them alive because it puts me and this whole business on the line. Nothing I say now can change his mind.

After a few moments of silence, he finally speaks up. “Listen, I don’t blame you for what you did. I’m just saying, if you’re going to do something wrong, do it right.”

“It is right, killing them would be wrong. It would end-” I try to restate my point but he cuts me off once again.

“That’s not the point! Don’t you get it, Mia? What if I wasn’t here to release you today? To clean up your mess? What will happen to this business when I’m not around? You can’t afford to be this reckless, this whole thing lies in your hands.” He says in a harsh aggressive tone, his accent slipping out slightly.

I stay silent, just looking at him with a straight face. So that’s what this is about. Not about leaving evidence or my own safety, it’s about the business. He couldn’t care less that I got into a fight, that my hand was injured, that I was in a fight. No, he cared about the business. My father had told me I was going to be the one in charge, the one running this whole thing once he’s gone. That is the very thing he’s been training me for ever since I turned 18. And I had no choice but to comply.

“This is the type of bullshit Tristan would do! Now remind me, where is he now?” He points a finger to my face as my expression darkens.

Tristan was my brother. My father cut him off entirely when I was 17 and he was 21. He had betrayed our family completely, giving off information about our business to our enemies. Ever since then he’s been dead to my father, he won’t even recognize him as his son anymore. We never speak of him until it’s a situation like these where he reminds me what happens if I make too many mistakes.

“No one knows.” I forced out as I clenched my jaw. Sometimes I wonder where he is now. He may not have been the best person, but I still wonder if he’s even still alive. People not knowing his location was something my father had made sure of. He sent him away, told him to never come back unless he wanted to die. Ever since then he’s been out of touch with us. It’s as if my father was ashamed to have the same DNA coursing through our veins.

“Exactly. Now, if you don’t want to end up like him, you follow what I say. Understood?” He says through gritted teeth. I nod in response, murmuring a soft “Yes.” before letting out a shaky breath.

“You can’t be running the business like this when I’m gone, it would all go down- everything I’ve worked so hard for would go down.” He says, raising his voice slightly at the last part.

I wanted to convince myself that he cared about me, even a little bit. But in reality I knew none of it mattered, that I never mattered to him as much as our business. I was never his daughter in his eyes, but an heir who will run this business when he’s gone. I know I wasn’t his ideal heir to all this, but after the shit Tristan pulled he had no choice. And somehow that motivates me even more, to prove that I could be a better heir than Tristan. 

“Don’t be weak, never be weak. That’s lesson number one. It’s the first one because it’s the most important one.” He says in a stern voice, leaving no room for argument. “You let your emotions get the best of you, and you better make sure this is the first and last time this happens.” He walked away afterwards, his shoes clicking against the ground as he made his way to the car, not even bothering to check if I’m following him.

I stay still for a moment, putting my hands in my pockets and letting out a breath. I close my eyes and try to stay calm, to stop myself from being so frustrated. My father was only hard on me at times I needed to be dealt with. At times I didn’t do things the way he would’ve done it.

I eventually followed him to the car, letting him drive me home. The car ride back was silent, filled with tension both of us weren’t bothered to break. I was frustrated with him. It always had to go his way. I understand why he’s this way, he just wants to make sure I’m trained for when he’s gone, to make sure I know what I’m doing. I make sure to prove him right everyday, to never disappoint him as much as Tristan did. 

I took care of other matters as the day went on. I decided to go visit my best friend, my only friend actually. The only friend I’d quite literally do anything for. I wait in Sloane’s office, the best place to be at the moment since no one goes here but her. I knew it was a risk going here, but I couldn’t not see her. Not after what happened.

I look around to see the awards displayed on her shelf, all she’s worked very hard for. Ever since she left the mafia she’s been dead set on helping other people. Which is why she became a doctor. Not just any doctor, but a general surgeon.

Sloane was 3 years older than me, but she also grew up in the mafia business since she was an orphan and my mother took her in. She was once a huge part of our business, she too has had her fair share of illegal shit, until one day she had enough and decided to leave. My father was too occupied with training me to not let her go, so she left. She tried to convince me to leave with her, but everything just happened so fast. My mother passed away, caused by my brother betraying our family and our business. I couldn’t just leave that easily.

I leaned against her desk, looking around the office as I tried to entertain myself while waiting for her to come. I look back at her desk and find a picture of her and her husband, and anger starts to flow through me again. My grip on the picture frame tightened, to the point my knuckles turned white.

I quickly snapped out of it when she walked in, wearing her scrubs and her blonde hair tied back. As soon as she saw me, she quickly closed her door and locked it. “What the hell are you doing here, are you crazy?” She says in a tight tone

I put the photo back on her desk before taking a step closer to her. “Are you okay?”

She looks at me with furrowed brows, her expression mixed with confusion and concern “You shouldn’t be here, what if someone saw-” 

“No one saw me, I made sure of it. Are you okay?” I asked again in a concerned tone.

She didn’t say another word, just looked at me with the same expression. I can tell she was deciding whether to tell the truth or simply brush it off and say she’s fine. Her gaze then shifted to my hand which was wrapped in gauze and bandages, blood seeping through at my knuckles.

She shook her head and headed towards the other side of her table. We were now on two opposite sides of the room. I turned to look at her, but she had her head down while both hands rested on her table.

“I told you to leave it alone.” She says in a soft, calm tone but I could tell she was upset.

I still remember the night it all went down. A few weeks ago she had knocked on my door at 3am, crying her eyes out as she told me what happened the previous night. As she told me, the man she once loved and adored had sexually assaulted her while she was drunk. I was ready to torture and punish him that night. All it took was one phone call to have him at the mansion for me to do whatever I wanted, but no. She begged me not to do anything, she made me promise I wouldn’t kill him because apparently it’s none of my business. Bullshit. I still kept my word, I didn’t kill him. It was never my intention to kill him.

I didn’t believe killing someone was the worst punishment. I believe torture is far worse and leaving them alive after would truly teach them a lesson. I was going to leave it alone, to let it go. But she had called me crying, telling me he had come to see her last night. If no one had stopped me last night at the bar, I would’ve knocked him unconscious and brought him to the mansion to teach that cunt a lesson.

“What did you expect me to do?” The words came out more bitter than I intended it to.

“I don’t know, maybe let the police handle it like a normal person?” Sloane argued, her tone growing more aggressive.

“The police?” I scoffed out, a bitter laugh coming out of my mouth. “Have you even said anything to them?”

She stayed quiet as she slowly turned her head up to look at me. Her expression was a mixture of anger and sadness. “It’s not that easy-“

“Are you fucking kidding me, Sloane?” I said in a frustrated tone as I placed my hands on the chair in front of her desk.

“Look, I don’t need this shit from you right now, Mia. I know I have to report it eventually but-” She says as she put a hand to her forehead, clearly this isn’t the only problem she has right now. It was a problem I was willing to take care of but I guess my way isn’t really ideal.

“Eventually? No, you need to report it now. Those two fuckers are currently unconscious and once they wake up, the police will want a statement.” They would probably make up some stupid alibi, maybe even rat me out and say it was me who put them in the hospital. But that wasn’t my concern. My father probably talked to the police and bribed them in order to not get a statement from them anymore and instead just imprison the guy we had confess.

“Report it now so they can be taken care of or I’ll take care of it myself.” I say as I cross my arms, looking at her with a straight face. I just need the police to know what he  did to Sloane in order for him to get what they deserve. Even if it isn’t my way, I’m sure those two pussies won’t survive prison.

“Okay I’ll- I’ll report it, just.. give me time.” Sloane says the last part in a softer tone before letting out a long breath. The energy in the room changes, she takes a seat as she brings out a patient’s chart as if we didn’t just have this conversation.

I took a seat in front of her, fidgeting with my bandages. I didn’t want to leave her just yet, I needed to know more. I was about to say something to break the silence but she beat me to it.

“How’s your hand?” She says in a soft tone, her gaze never leaving the patient’s chart.

I look at my hand, opening and closing it as if I didn’t know it wasn’t broken. “It’s been through worse, at least it isn’t a fracture this time.” I offer her a smile as I look back at her.

Her expression didn’t change, she was still upset and she still wasn’t looking at me. I technically didn’t even do anything, if anything I did her a favor by not killing him too soon. I kept my word, I didn’t kill him or his friend.

“How are you?” I say in a softer tone as my expression shifts to a more neutral one.

She glanced up at me before returning her attention back to whatever it was she was writing on that chart. I don’t really do well in these situations. I’m more of a break his car down type of person, not a talk about it type. I find it awkward to talk about these things.

I stayed silent as I waited for her response, even if it had been a good minute already. I know she wasn’t okay, her silence says it all.

“I’ll be fine. Eventually.” She says before finally settling the pen down and looking at me as she leans back into her chair. I nod in response as I try to read her expression, though it isn’t really giving me anything at the moment.

“Look, I know I’m not the type to.. I mean, you do know that I’ll always-” I try to say but can’t seem to phrase it right. As I said, I don’t do well in these situations. I was never one to talk about my feelings. I just wanted her to know I’ll always be here to talk, even though I don’t give the best advice.

“Mia.” She says, stopping me from finishing my sentence. Thank God. I had no idea where I was going with that. I sat uncomfortably in my chair as I waited for her to continue. “I know.” Two words came out of her mouth, but it had seemed pretty clear we came to an understanding on what I was trying to say.

“I just.. I don’t think this is something I want to deal with right now. It’s not something I want to be reminded of and it’s not something I want to talk about.” Her tone was calm but I knew she was hurting deep inside. This was new for me, she was usually the one trying to get me to open up. Sloane avoiding this topic completely and not letting it out just means this really took a toll on her.

“Okay, well if it’s not something you want to talk about then let’s talk about something else” I say in a more enthusiastic tone, trying to brighten up the mood. If avoiding it would help her right now, I was truly the right person to call. “How’s work, Dr. Beaufort?”

Her expression finally softened and that gave me some sort of relief. The Sloane I knew wasn’t completely gone.

“It’s going good so far. Haven’t lost anyone today.. yet” Her tone was softer, the corner of her lips slowly turning up. The solution to make her feel better is to not talk about it at all, got it. No problem with that at all. “What about you? How’s.. what’s her name again?”

“Andrea.” I say with a nod. “I haven’t heard from her in a while.”

“Haven’t heard from her, meaning she ghosted you or you ghosted her?” She raised her eyebrow as she crossed her arms. She knew me way too well.

I cleared my throat as I shifted slightly in my seat. “Well..”

“Mia, come on. She seems great, what’s the problem now?” Her tone grew annoyed, as if I was making such a stupid mistake. Trust me, it wasn’t. I swore off relationships ever since my mom died. We all die one day, and I didn’t want to deal with that feeling again. Being in a relationship with someone and letting them in would mean they could leave at any moment, whether it was dying or just leaving out of nowhere, I didn’t want to deal with it. Which is why I make sure to keep these walls up, to only let people know the important things about me. If I don’t have anyone then I don’t have anyone to lose. I never open up to anyone. The only time I ever did was with Sloane, and even then she had to basically force it out of me.

“She’s too.. needy. She treats me like her girlfriend.” I shrug, slightly cringing at the thought. She left me 12 voicemails last night and 35 missed calls. I don’t reply for a day and she thinks I’ve passed away.

All of my so-called relationships have been casual. Which means strictly only sex. Some girls I’ve been with understand that, but some of them, like Andrea, don’t believe me when I say I’m not looking for a relationship. They think they could change me, but no. I have no intention of finding someone and spending the rest of my life with them. That’s a mistake my mother made with my father, and look where it got her.

Sloane looks at me with a disappointed expression. “I told you, I’m not looking for a relationship. Not now, not before, not ever. I don’t want someone giving me 35 missed calls”

“35? Oh, I just feel bad for her at this point” She leans forward with a slightly shocked expression.

“Well don’t. When I go back to France, I’ll end it.” I say as I cross my arms. “I can’t deal with her, especially with everything going on.”

“When are you going back?” Sloane asks with a curious expression.

I honestly wasn’t planning on going back until next month, but there are some problems that need to be dealt with. Problems that aren’t my own, but problems of this so-called business my father runs. I was honestly so fucking done with this shit.

“Soon.”