His Corruption

Chapter 1

~Elena POV~

Yesterday was a stain in my mind.

I always did overthink and my brothers were always impulsive, but last night was something else, it was a bittersweet reminder of the bars locking me in.

I'd never forget the image of the man hung by his feet, his blood dripping on porcelain floors as the guests stared in silence. Everyone knew getting involved with me in the wrong way had consequences, but they just got their first visual.

A car honked behind, pulling me out my thoughts. If Diego didn't hurry I was sure the man behind would get physical.

Turning my gaze out the passenger window, I prayed for Diego to come out. Finally, my brother rushed out the main apartment door covering his head from the rain before jumping into the drivers seat.

"What took so long? We're blocking the main road."

"Guy was resisting." He wiped a splash of blood off of his face like it was nothing and I grimaced, forcing my eyes out the window.

As he drove off, he tossed a heavy sack onto my lap. That must have been around 10,000 dollars right there, and it was all going to my father.

The traffic jam cost us another thirty minutes before our car rolled in through the gates of our estate. The second me and Diego stepped into our house, Papa's yelling trailed out into the lobby.

He was yelling on the phone when we entered his office, and I took a seat. Diego waited for his argument to end before he emptied the sack on the desk. Papa immediately counted the blood money- I mean money.

Chewing on a toothpick, my brother sat down on the chair in front of the desk. "I thought you said Woods was a simple man, he sure wasn't back there."

"He fought?"

Diego lifted a shoulder. "For a second before I shot him."

Bitterness exploded in my mouth. I fought hard to hide it on my expression as Papa murmured good.

I should have been used to their ways by now, but I didn't allow myself to be. To turn a blind eye towards the destruction my family caused for money would be becoming one of them. And I'd never become one of them.

Even if I was a Ricci by blood...connected to the Italian mafia for life. It was all thanks to my late grandfather, don of the Sicilian mafia who spread his "business" to New York.

My Papa naturally inherited the don position.

Not wanting to stay here any longer, I stood and when my father noticed me holding the car keys, a scowl deepened his smile lines. "Goddamn it Diego, I'm going to fucking strangle you. You took Elena with you?"

"Ask her. She begged me." Diego shrugged, running a hand through his dark hair before I threw a pillow at it.

"He was too scared to go alone. He needed a runaway driver in case something went wrong."

Diego shot me a glare, but after a lifetime of being the brunt of his WWE moves and lethal pillow throws, I wasn't afraid of his little warning.

—————

Lowering myself to my bedroom floor, I pulled out my textbooks. When I opened the first page, my eyes closed with a sickening dread.

Continuing my education sounded great a few months ago but now, I was burnt out by endless assignments, essays and lectures. Medicine was no joke.

Sometimes I considered leaving college, but it was hard convincing Papa to let me study and I wanted to enjoy the liberties of his rare agreement. College was the only time I was allowed to go out, and not be watched by my brothers.

With a painful back, I finally finished my four revision session before I plopped onto to my bed.

I only closed my eyes for a second before Papas voice interrupted me, and I jumped up.

"Elena get down here!"

———

This looked like a mens rights movement.

All 5 of my brothers were sitting inside, which meant that my father either had to lecture us or he had something important to tell us - neither of which is good, because I'm never involved with my fathers business.

I sat down on a creaky chair, scrunched my nose at the sour smell of old wood, and waited for him to speak.

"As you know, your idiot cousin is throwing a ball tomorrow." He started as he leaned back behind his desk. "You're all going, you boys better open your fucking ears. Elena's going too, so I don't expect any of you to take your eyes off of her."

"And you aren't going because?" Romeo spoke up. Papa lowered his eyes for a long second, and swallowed audibly.

"Tommorow you will go to the ball, where your cousin Elias will have more than enough security to keep you safe."

"Why? And what about Mama and Nonna?" Diego asked.

"Just listen to my orders and stay at the ball until nine. Lucio, you're in charge tommorow." He said to my oldest brother who shook his head, and the rest of us sat in silence before we could think of leaving.

We hated our cousin, even Papa never forced out communication. Why was he making us go to his ball?

Something was going on, but I knew I'd never find out. Elena was never to be involved.

———————————————————————

Caking on the last of my makeup, I finally forced myself to put my brush down.

My look was simple - my kind of simple at least. Dark blue satin flowed straight to the ground, custom made dress by New Yorks most prestigious designer Mannon Arquette that bared my shoulders and back.

As I slid a gun into the holster around my thigh, I really hoped nobody would try to get close to me again. I was not in the mood for another bloodbath, aka a reminder that a love life for me was a joke.

Once I was ready, and knew I had some time to spare I opened my double windows and slipped onto the window seat.

The breeze was as pure as a lovers caress. Fresh cut grass and an end-of-summer chill swept me up into a daze. If only life was always this peaceful, being tucked away beneath the stars. Too far to be told how to live.

Gravel scraped against my thoughts. I moved my eyes from the night sky towards the sound of footsteps, and when I'd scanned the driveway enough...my eyes locked with a deep set gaze.

And my pulse crashed.

I was looking at heartache embodied. Black hair. Broad shoulders. A set of eyes so devastatingly blue, but stained with darkness only my world could give.

Men usually visited my Papa, but they weren't half as man as he was. Even the trees danced at his presence.

As the breeze become screeching wind, my staring become obvious and I pulled my eyes away. His gaze lingered before he was on his way down the path, and I released a breath when he was out of sight.

I'd never seen a man like him before, but as fine as he was on the outside I doubted his soul was the same.

Hell was recognisable when you grew up around it, and I could say that this man was made of it.