THE MAFIA'S GREATEST OBSESSION - CHAPTER 9&10

Eloise’s breath caught as she stared at Vincent, her eyes wide with shock. “What… what do you mean by that?” she stammered, disbelief and outrage lacing her voice.

Vincent leaned in, his voice dripping with dark amusement. “Suck my ?ï?k, Princessa,” he repeated, chuckling softly as if it were the most casual request in the world.

Eloise recoiled, her face contorting with disgust. “Why would I do that? You have no control over me, and besides, that’s disgusting as f-__-k,” she spat back, her irritation evident in every word.

Vincent’s smile widened as he inched closer, his voice dropping to a more menacing tone. “Let me tell you something, Princessa,” he said, his grey eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her skin crawl. “You’re being stubborn, and I h@?? when my kittens are stubborn.”

A shiver ran down Eloise’s spine as she tried to hold his gaze, but the cold, piercing look in his eyes made her want to look away. “I-I-I can’t do that,” she whispered, her voice trembling as she tried to hide the fear creeping into her heart.

Vincent suddenly burst out laughing, the sound echoing around them. “Okay… fine… fine… I was just joking with you,” he said, his laughter ringing out loudly, but Eloise didn’t find it funny at all. The room felt smaller, more suffocating, and she just wanted to leave, to escape this twisted game he was playing.

“Listen, Princessa,” he said, his voice still laced with a trace of amusement, but the undertone was clear and serious. “Whenever I tell you something, you better listen.”

Eloise remained silent, biting back her anger as she mentally resolved to tell her father about everything. She was certain he wouldn’t stand for this—he couldn’t. Vincent was overstepping, and her father would surely put an end to it. The thought brought her a sliver of comfort as she struggled to keep her composure.

But deep down, she knew this wasn’t over. Vincent’s smile may have been a mask for now, but the coldness in his eyes told her that he was far from done with her.

~~

Eloise stormed into the house, her heels clicking rapidly against the marble floor.

“Daddy!” she called, heading straight for his office, but as she pushed open the door, she was met with the unwelcome sight of her stepmother instead.

Her father had married a gold-digging socialite barely a year ago, and Eloise had never hidden her disdain for the woman.

“My baby,” May purred, stepping toward her with a saccharine smile.

“Don’t touch me. Where is my father?” Eloise snapped, her eyes scanning the room.

“You’re grown up now, Eloise. You should start calling him ‘Dad.’ I’m the one who should be calling him ‘Daddy,’” May retorted with a sly grin.

“Ugh, you’re disgusting. Where the hell is my Daddy?” Eloise demanded, her voice sharp.

“Eloise,” Gambino’s voice cut through the tension as he entered the room.

“Darling,” May cooed, gliding over to him. “She’s been yelling at me,” she added, casting Eloise a look of feigned hurt.

“Eloise, you need to respect your mother,” Gambino said with a weary sigh, but Eloise rolled her eyes, unbothered by his attempt at authority.

“You think I came here to argue with your bimbo? I have serious problems, Daddy,” she said, her frustration evident.

“What’s going on?” Gambino asked, concern creeping into his voice.

“Tell May to leave first,” Eloise demanded, her tone brooking no argument. May scoffed, clearly offended.

“Honey, I need to talk to Eloise. Could you give us a moment?” Gambino asked, turning to May with a hint of firmness.

“Why? I’m part of this family too, right?” May shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“May…” Gambino’s voice hardened, leaving no room for debate.

“Fine, fine,” May huffed before finally retreating.

“Now, tell me what happened,” Gambino said, focusing on his daughter.

“You won’t believe what happened today,” Eloise began, taking a deep breath. “I was at the club with my friends when Vincent sent one of his men to fetch me. When I got there, he was so disgusting, so disrespectful—he told me to… to…” she hesitated, her voice shaking with indignation, “suck his ?ï?k.”

She paused, expecting her father’s fury, but when it didn’t come, her own anger grew.

“Are you just going to stand there? He humiliated me, Daddy!” she exclaimed, her voice rising. But Gambino only sighed, his expression troubled.

“Listen to me, baby. Vincent is not someone we can afford to provoke. Wh@??ver he asks, just do it until I figure out a way to deal with him, okay?” he said, his tone resigned.

Eloise stared at him in disbelief. “What do you mean, ‘just do it’? You want me to follow his disgusting orders?!” she nearly shouted.

Gambino nodded slowly, the weight of the situation evident in his eyes. “I know it’s not what you want to hear, but Vincent holds all the power here. If I cross him, everything I’ve built could crumble.”

Eloise shook her head, unable to process what she was hearing. “But you’re supposed to be powerful, Daddy. You’re one of the biggest businessmen around. You can stop him!”

Gambino’s expression softened, but there was a sadness there too. “Power in this world is more complicated than you think, Eloise. Vincent… he’s more than just a rival. He’s someone you don’t want to have as an enemy.”

~~

Eloise sat quietly with her friends, the recent spa and massage session doing little to ease her tension. Despite the soothing atmosphere, her mind was consumed by the chaos Vincent had brought into her life. The thought of giving herself to him made her stomach churn—he was nothing short of a psychopath in her eyes.

“What’s on your mind, Eloise?” Francesca asked, noticing her friend’s distant gaze.

Eloise sighed heavily. She was too frustrated to talk, but the burden was too much to keep to herself. “Vincent is the problem. I don’t want him in my life at all. And besides, he’s kinda old,” she admitted.

“Old? How old is he?” Francesca inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“Thirty-two,” Eloise replied flatly.

“Older men are usually better in bed, you know,” Francesca whispered with a mischievous grin.

“Like I care?” Eloise shot back, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

“Vincent is hot as hell. If I were in your shoes, oh d@mn,” Bella chimed in, her tone dripping with envy.

“Then go ahead and be me. Get some surgery if you need to,” Eloise retorted, her voice laced with sarcasm. “I get it, he has a handsome face and, unfortunately, he’s attractive. But can’t you see how he acts? He’s a complete psycho. He laughs at serious things like it’s a joke. He’s bipolar.”

Her remarks shattered the naive admiration the group had previously shown for Vincent, causing them to fall silent. Eloise looked at them, her frustration boiling over.

“Here I was, thinking I could talk to you girls like normal friends for once, but all you do is think with your asses,” she snapped, grabbing her bag and standing up abruptly. “Don’t come to my house again,” she added, storming out of the room, leaving her friends in stunned silence.

~~

Eloise stormed out of the spa, her emotions a tangled mess of anger and frustration. She pushed open the door to her sleek black car, her driver already standing by to assist her.

“Ms. Eloise, are you alright?” he asked, concern lacing his voice as he watched her fume.

“Get out,” she ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument.

The driver hesitated, clearly uneasy with the idea. “But ma’am, it’s not safe for you to drive—”

“I said, get out!” she snapped, her voice rising. Recognizing the futility of the argument, the driver reluctantly stepped away from the vehicle.

Eloise slid into the driver’s seat, slamming the door shut behind her. With a quick turn of the key, the engine roared to life, and she sped off, tires screeching as she left the spa far behind.

She drove with no clear destination, her mind racing faster than the car as she tried to escape the suffocating grip of the situation with Vincent. After what felt like hours, she finally slowed down as she approached a bridge overlooking the ocean. She could temporarily escape her racing thoughts thanks to the soothing sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below.

Eloise parked the car, stepping out to feel the cool breeze against her skin. Leaning against the railing, she gazed out over the boundless body of water. For a moment, the world seemed to quiet down, the tension in her chest easing as she lost herself in the sound of the waves.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, pulling her back to reality. She sighed, pulling it out to see Francesca’s name flashing on the screen. Eloise rolled her eyes, her irritation flaring up again. The phone kept ringing, grating on her nerves until she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Stop calling me, I don’t want to talk to you, Francesca,” she snapped into the phone, her voice sharp with annoyance.

But the voice on the other end wasn’t Francesca’s.

“Hello, Princessa,” Vincent’s smooth, mocking tone echoed through the speaker. Eloise gasped, her blood running cold as she realized who it was.

“How did you get my number?” Eloise demanded, her voice tight with annoyance.

Vincent’s laughter drifted through the phone, casual and unbothered. “The same way I know you’re standing on a bridge right now,” he replied, the amusement in his voice sending a chill down her spine.

Fear gripped her, her heart pounding in her chest. “Are you following me, Mr. Vincent?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

“Nah… I’m far too busy for that,” he chuckled, the sound dark and unsettling.

“Then what exactly do you want?” she pressed, irritation creeping back into her tone.

“I was thinking…” he trailed off, leaving a heavy silence on the line.

“What… if… you…” he paused again, clearly enjoying the tension he was creating.

“Just say the d@mn word, Vincent,” she snapped, her patience wearing thin.

“Calm down, Princessa,” he said smoothly, the pet name grating on her nerves. Eloise rolled her eyes, the frustration bubbling up again.

“Just say it,” she urged, desperate to get the conversation over with.

Vincent chuckled softly before finally speaking. “I want you to accompany me to a ball.”

Eloise’s reaction was immediate. “No freaking way!” she exclaimed, not caring how loud her voice echoed in the night air.

“That’s not a request, Princessa; it’s a command,” he replied coolly, the call disconnecting with a finality that left her seething.

“Who does he think he is?” Eloise groaned in frustration, her anger boiling over as she hurled her phone into the ocean. She watched as it sank beneath the waves, feeling a fleeting satisfaction as it disappeared from sight.

She leaned back against the railing, closing her eyes as she tried to calm herself. Everyone was suffocating her, controlling her. She was sure of one thing, she wasn’t going home tonight. Her father would be pissed, but at this point, she didn’t care. She needed space, freedom, if only for a little while.

~~

Gambino arrived at Vincent’s estate with his usual entourage, the sleek black cars lining up at the grand entrance. His men, always alert and poised, flanked him as he stepped out of the vehicle. The tension in the air was palpable, but Gambino maintained his composure, his face betraying nothing as he was led inside by one of Vincent’s guards.

Vincent’s mansion was a sprawling display of wealth and power, every detail meticulously crafted to impress and intimidate.

As Gambino was ushered into the lavish sitting room, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of unease, though he quickly buried it beneath his calm exterior.

Vincent was already there, lounging comfortably in a large armchair, a glass of whiskey in hand. He didn’t bother to stand as Gambino entered, simply gesturing for him to sit.

“Gambino,” Vincent greeted him with a smirk, his tone casual yet condescending.

“What brings you here today?”Gambino took a seat, his expression unreadable.

“Vincent, I need to discuss something important with you,” he said, his voice steady, though the weight of his words was heavy.

Vincent raised an eyebrow, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. “Important, you say? Go on, I’m listening,” he replied, his eyes never leaving Gambino’s, the smirk still playing on his lips.

Gambino took a deep breath, his voice dropping to a tone that was almost pleading. “I know you’ve been spending time with my daughter, and I’m aware of the things you’ve been asking of her…” He hesitated, searching for the right words.

Vincent leaned back, raising his hands in a gesture that urged Gambino to continue. “Go on.”

“Please…” Gambino began, his voice uncharacteristically soft, “Please don’t tell her about our Mafia life. She’s innocent in all of this, and I want to keep it that way. I’m asking you to keep her in the dark about who we really are.”

TBC.