The Story of Blood and Roses

["Excuse me for following the orders you gave me, sir. I thought that it was my duty and obligation to do whatever you ask me to do. YOU are the boss, not me. I'm not good with these games that you seem to love so much. Do me a favor, let me work in peace and follow your orders so that my work can meet the expectations that you seem to have of me. I'm clearly lacking in the department much like your other employees; who seem to be utterly careless with how they work and let things slip." I breathed after that. I had already spoken too much, but it didn't mean that I was done yet. I would get the backlash, anyways; I didn't give two shits about what would be the consequence of my lashing out. "That reminds me... it was your very own employee who slipped up and led you to be caught up in this mess."

"How dare you," he said with his hands awfully close to his thighs. I wondered if he would pull out his gun and point it at my head if he got any angrier. His face showed the fury that he was feeling and I didn't care. I could imagine that I wore the same expression as he. "Leave, right now." I stood up but stared down at him. His fingers drummed against his thighs as if to try and calm himself down, I somehow came to appreciate his self-control, but wanted the sick sense of satisfaction in being able to give the last blow.

"You should consider doing a more thorough background search of the people you appoint before you let them into your inner circle." His face contorted in rage. "Alec was obviously not a good choice and I think you know that."

"Maybe I shouldn't trust everyone who walks into my house demanding a position." I had been walking away with my back to him before he spoke the words. I bolted around as I absorbed the words and realized that they were directed at me.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Alec was working for Darcy. Keep your eyes open, Anthony. You never know who might stab you in the back and twist the knife so painfully that you can't think of anything else but the pain." With that, I turned to leave again. He, not wanting to lose the heated argument must have gotten up on his feet as I perceived from the sound of his feet brushing against the floor.

"Thank you for your concern, Mia. I think you are the one in need of a warning, not I. Enjoy your time alone in the guest room and finish the work assigned to you. I want the decoded message in the next half an hour." I heard the sound of his feet that grew fainter with each step and with a sigh walked away. The conversation had led us nowhere, but I was sure that it established the faulty relationship between the Boss and me.

That would become a serious problem and the others in the mob might refuse to look up to me.

Too furious to ponder on it for long, I let the thought slip and entered the room that I was lodging in and worked on the codes in silence. I must have scared off half the employees because every one of them seemed to avoid me. Even Anthony seemed silent when I approached him with the decoded sheet of paper.

The information was more of a paragraph and it made no sense whatsoever. Someone had copied the codes wrong. THAT, the Boss refused to believe.

As pissed as I was, I silently kept listening to his barks and ill-tempered nonsense. I ground my teeth together to keep from speaking as he lectured me on how I should never put the blame of my own mistakes over someone else's head. I didn't object to a word he said because I knew that the codes had been wrong when they were copied down and it hadn't been my fault at all.

Then, he questioned my loyalty. Something in me ticked.

I was there on a mission, and I would do anything and everything to get the information, but his insult forced my blood to boil. I could feel a sarcastic smile playing on my lips. I think the moment he said that I would fucking betray him someday, I got this sense of righteousness. The moment was a perfect irony. He was a man speaking the truth, the ultimate truth of his life for all I cared, and it was amusing as to how he was clueless that I would be the one to ruin him.

My loyalty to him, at that moment, was the most loyal I had been to anything or anyone. And he had questioned that. It offended me, but I pushed back the feeling because I had nothing to be offended about. I was a faithless vagabond who killed and cheated for money. I was a common criminal. I was no different, but I was surely more dangerous than most of them could ever imagine.

"Thank you for all the compliments you have bestowed upon me. Calling me a faithless gangster makes me feel satisfied with my lifestyle." At my sarcastic comeback, he pressed his lips together and I saw his hands ball up into fists from the corner of my eyes. I snickered softly, making him glare openly at me.

I loved every moment of it.]

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