Analia Palacio, heiress to a drug empire. Marred by tragedy at a young age, she was whisked away from her birth-right. After a twelve year delay she jets back to her country of birth to claim her title. As Lady Palacio she steps into the court of or...
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Analia Quinn Palacio
I'm exhausted.
I like to think of myself as an extroverted person, I like human interaction, and thrive off a busy and slightly chaotic room, but having to deal with the gawking wives, slightly drunk generals, and their prissy daughters is a whole different ball game. My first instinct was to stick with Adrian and Valerie, but I quickly disengaged and started to mingle on my own or with my brother. He kept a light palm on my back as we formally greeted the rest of the lords, their families, and their non-inebriated second-in-commands. I greeted the Sato and Reyes families last, getting tears and a hug in the form of a chokehold from Imogen Sato, my childhood best friend. She towers over me, with her lith dancer build and raven-dark hair. She is dripping in jewels. Her smudgy eyeliner framed her midnight eyes. Elena Moreno, my mother's lifelong best friend barrels into me, quietly weeping into my bare shoulder as she squeezed my mid-section like she was afraid I was going to disintegrate. Callum hugs me next, his beard scratching my cheek lightly, his hold on me almost as tight as his wife's. Callum and my father met as teenagers and helped their fathers form the dual-cost alliance that secured our families as the most powerful in our organization. They had been Apollo's and I designated godparents, a fact that was overturned by my father's written order. Dante Palacio was nothing short of Type A, and in his will he instructed that if he and my mother were to die of illness, Apollo and I were to go to the Reyes, if they died and there was foul play suspected, we where to be shipped to Moscow to grow under the wing of the Dragos. A tactical play.
"Hello, Honey." Is what Callum whispers in my ear as he pulls back and holds me at arm's length. A clever little moniker, a play on my eyes. The ones I inherited from my mother, who in turn, inherited them from her mother. The women of the Aragon family are pinpointed by their eyes. A hue of amber, gold, or honey. The main reason that Adrian revamped the suits, changing the mask that once only covered the bottom half of the face to cover it entirely. One look at my eyes and everyone would know who to trace me back to. Not a smart play in our long game of cat and mouse.
"Hi, Callum," Is what I respond. I give him a small smile, a swift turn of both corners of my mouth. There's a lot to say, too much, but now is not the time. I have a part to play.
"Stop hoarding her dad, I wanna give her a hug, too." I turn to the teasing tone, meeting blond hair, tan skin, and green eyes. Flynn Reyes. He and I grew side by side, as I preferred his company over his older brother's. Where Sebastian Reyes is broody, entitled, and a bully, Flynn is an open book of laughter and smiles.
"Hey, Ana." His greeting is shy as he envelops me in his arms, he rests his chin on my shoulder and squeezes me- like he too is making sure I don't disintegrate in front of his eyes.
"Hello, Flynn."
And my rounds continue. Family after family. From my aunt Dionisa, who also bursts into tears, my cousin Alvaro who, tugs me into his chest and laughs, while his sister gives me a slow size-up with her blue eyes and gives me a verbal greeting. Alvaro is a big golden retriever, his sister is a slick black cat.
