JOSI

Birds chirping. The first sound to meet Josi's ears. Then there's the sun, more brighter than ever. No clouds either. No frigid weather. A clear sky.

Josi opens the door to the balcony and lets the morning air filter into the bedroom. She leans against the railing and simply views the scene before her. Swaying trees and the city in the distance, which outline is highlighted by the sun. Why not admire the view when it's this captivating? The same view that once served as a reminder to the life of solitude she was confined to. It's the same view she gazes upon now, completely elated. Thrilled. Ecstatic.

Ainse Vanetti is dead. Josi made sure of this. It's all over and done with. The nightmare is gone, the rays of sunshine have returned. She's won another battle yet again; figured out a plan and took her chances. She's dug herself out of the bear trap and has made it to safety. She's found the oasis after hours of relentless heat from the harsh desert. Josi survived.

She takes a breath of fresh air in, and with the exhale goes her worries. No more wallowing in uncertainty, in apprehension. No more hanging on by mere threads. No more living at the whim of someone else's command. Idris was first, Ainse was second. And he will remain the last.

Now Josi has complete control. She will not allow things get out of hand again. The case of the late Underboss has taught her lessons she will never forget. No more mistakes will be made. Everything will be laid out as a chess game from here on out, except Josi will be the only one moving the pieces.

The sunrays hit Josi on all sides. She closes her eyes and smiles, taking in as much of the warmth as she can. The freedom she'll get from Idris's demise will feel a hundred times more fulfilling. She knows this. It's why she's been smiling non-stop since Ainse's death a couple days ago. She's already built the image in her head. And now she's begun printing it, hoping it will stay true to its source. Hoping it will be every bit as satisfying.

Then comes more good news. A message from Dami. She tells Josi she's found their last piece to the puzzle. She tells her they're clear to move on to the next phase, that the Toulour family is in the palm of their hands.

Josi reads the message over and over again. Perhaps it's on the sixth read, or the seventh—whichever one it, Josi doesn't know. But she begins laughing. Laughter at what, exactly? Josi doesn't know. She doesn't care. She's high on victory. She's on cloud nine. Things are going according to plan as they should be. This is how they always should have been. Josi is supposed to be the victor. Because she's the heroine. And the heroines always win.

~《¤》~

IDRIS

That same morning, Idris finds himself in the dining room. He's surprised he even got himself there, because he has no idea what time he arrived. He's been sitting there for minutes now. Possibly an hour. But he's left his breakfast untouched. He just sits idly, his mind corrupt with thoughts he wishes didn't exist. It's been that way for the past couple days. He's been out of sorts, hasn't spoken or done much since Ainse's betrayal.

Betrayal. It's not anything new to Idris. He's had men stab him right in the center of his back, but it never made him sweat. It never made him doubt himself. In a world as dark and bloody as his, you have to expect these things. It's a given. You don't run a mafia family expecting rainbows and sunshine.

But Ainse is a different story. Idris never equated him to the rest of the mafia socialites. Ainse was there before his time of birth. He was there when Idris got his first gun, his first kill. He was there when he used to raid his father's liquor case for alcohol he had no business drinking while underage. He was there on his first business deal. And though he was absent during his father's death, Ainse had sent his condolences.

Idris considered Ainse someone close. But he was alone on that boat, because Ainse thought nothing of him.

A little while later, Josi comes to visit him. She greets him good morning and goes to slide the window curtains open for some sunlight. After the room has been brightened, she heads for him once again and hugs him close from behind, then plants a kiss on his cheek.

"Why don't we go out and spend the whole day together? Just the two of us."

Idris doesn't reply. He doesn't look away from his breakfast, which has lost all its appeal at this point. He just sits there.

Josi chooses to ignore his silence. "Great. I'll go get ready." She pats his shoulder and heads for the exit.

The room adopts the same silence. And with this same silence Idris closes his eyes and releases a long breath. Let the past remain in the past. Ainse is not the first to have betrayed him. All that matters is that he failed. His plans never made it full circle. And because of that, Idris is still alive today. Alive and running the family. The same family Ainse wanted him dead over.

But that matters little at this point. Idris nails it all into a coffin and buries it deep. And now he's put it all behind him.

He has no idea this is only the beginning.

~《¤》~

JOSI

"And there are more of these flash drives?"

Dami nods. "Insurance makes perfect. I left a couple with some close friends of mine."

The information Dami got from Domenico has been sealed into those drives. The Toulour family won't know what hit them when their secrets are exposed. They will go down in flames too thick for them to handle. They will be wiped off the face of the Earth. And the authorities will have a field day making sure that happens.

"I'm so happy, I could kiss you."

Dami thinks it over, then says, "I wouldn't mind a kiss."

Josi leans over the table and gives a kiss to her cheek. Dami smiles at this.

Much of the population in the Cafe has thinned out. The sun has already set outside as well, but Josi has all the time. She sits with Dami at the back corner away from much of the customers' eyes, chatting.

"So when are you planning to blow their cover?" Dami asks.

"Soon," Josi tells her. "But not yet. I have something planned before that."

"You always have something planned."

Josi can't help but laugh.

Rosari arrives moments later still in the same distressed mode she's always in. Except it seems more urgent this time around. She's holding in tears, but when she slumps down into the seat next to Josi, they roll down uncontrollably. This is something far serious than the men she spends time entertaining.

"I hate him," Rosari tells the two through teary eyes. "I hate him so much."

Josi grabs her hand. "What happened?"

Rosari sobs a little more. "My mother. She never wanted to marry him. He forced her. He held her hostage."

Josi brings her into an embrace and keeps her there, all while Rosari continues weeping. But Josi can't help but be as heartbroken herself. It should have been expected. No woman in their right senses would want to be associated with a man as cruel as Enzo. Rosari's mother probably despised Enzo as much as Rosari does herself, but kept it all hidden for the sake of her own daughter.

Rosari hugs Josi even tighter with stifling sobs. "I hate him so much."

Josi keeps her arms around Rosari and meets Dami's eyes across the table. They seem to communicate this way, until finally they reach a mutual understanding.

Josi knows what she has to do next.

~《¤》~

RAND

The library is a bit more busy that day, but the area in the back is still desolate. The books on the cases have been updated, but the ones familiar to Rand are still there. It won't be long until they go after them though. He has to read them while he can, because he won't be chasing those books to wherever else the staff takes them. He can't leave that spot in front of the bookshelves. It's where he spent his time with Annabelle.

Rand's meet-up with Josi has become traditional. Their bond through Annabelle has grown stronger the past couple weeks. He was even gifted a piece of jewelry by Josi, one he was told belonged to his daughter. A ring. Josi told him Annabelle never took it off, and that when the time came, she'd gifted it to Josi herself, which she now deems worthy of passing down to him.

Rand was grateful for the gift. But he was even more so overcome by grief. The only thing left of his daughter. Now he wears the ring wherever he goes. He never takes it off, because he would be foolish to do so. He will cherish it for the last remaining dreadful years he has left.

Rand selects a new book and skims it through. His interest in the fiction medium has increased, particularly the sci-fi genre. Josi has him read ones she thinks he will enjoy, then requests feedback on the books. Rand holds nothing back when he critiques.

And Josi enjoys his criticism. But not today. Today, she's less talkative. She has a book in her hands which she reads, or at least tries her best to. But when she can't get through a single page, she sets the book aside and brings her head down. The air around her is stiff and heavy, as if there's something big on her mind. As if there's a weight on her shoulders she has to lighten.

Rand takes notice of this. "When the mind is overcrowded, it is best to relieve it."

Josi goes quiet, and Rand expects her to heed his advice. And she does, although unexpectedly. She begins crying. Not just crying, but weeping. The way one does when they've truly lost something. Or when they're in so much agony that they can't even speak.

Rand gives her time to collect herself. She speaks only after she's found the strength. "I heard everything. I heard it all."

Rand looks at her, puzzled. "What did you hear?"

In all the ways Josi chooses to deliver the message, she chooses the one that leaves Rand shaken.

"I overheard Idris and Enzo talking the other day," she wipes the tears away. "He was laughing. He was laughing and bragging about Annabelle and her brother. About how he'd given the command knowing they were in the middle of it. About how he'd watched the life drain from their eyes."

At first, Rand isn't sure if he'd heard her right. Perhaps it's old age. His hearing isn't the best. But these are words that can't be autocorrected no matter how hard he tries. He knows what he just heard. He knows what Josi just told him, through tears and heavy sobs.

The emotions hit Rand on all sides. They tear him up from the inside and send him over the edge. His suspicions have been confirmed. Idris Verdonni greenlit the death of his children. And he lived long enough to laugh about it, to brag about the details with Enzo Maranzo of all people.

Josi sobs some more. "Annabelle was my best friend. I just can't believe they would do that."

Rand believes it. He knows the two men in question are cynical. The thought of them both laughing . . . rejoicing at the death of his family is enough to scar him deep.

Rand wants them both to pay. The hate he had for Enzo Maranzo has just shot through the roof, and the one he never had for Idris sparks itself to life.

Rand won't sit idly. He won't let this one pass him by. He won't let these men get away with it.

Rand wants revenge.

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