chapter two- i n t r o d u c t i o n s [REWRITTEN]

You know when you receive a lecture from your parents about something and two days later, they were still talking about it? That was hell.

This thing is hell.

The Don has been talking about how to do safe sex and making sure to remind us on every single slide we went through about our stay here. And when I say that I could kill myself in a heartbeat because of this thing, I would, I really would.

The Don has been talking about how to practice safe sex and making sure to remind us on every single slide we went through about our stay here. A little inconvenient as I assumed people who got accepted here are more focused on trying to secure a well-paying job after internship, rather than getting knocked up.

Turns out I was wrong as a lady a couple of rows in front of me has apparently gotten a couple of snickers and laughs being sent her way because she got impregnated four times. Yes, she repeated internship year four times in a row because she dropped out four times. No hate to the woman though, she can make her own choices, I just can not imagine having to repeat a course four times.

I simply don't have the patience for that.

The Don moves on to another slide of his PowerPoint which says, and I quote, 'How to apply a condom correctly!' Before The Don can even say anything else, people start snickering to themselves and I tune myself just before my ears scar themselves for life.

I turn to the guy beside me who had somehow shrunken himself up, almost as if he is uncomfortable with this whole thing. I smile to myself as I watch how he nervously glances around while his index finger taps his knee every couple of seconds.

"Are you alright?" I ask him and he nervously whips his head in my direction and his eyes widen like a deer caught in headlights.

Too harsh?

"Uh, yes. Sorry, I didn't mean to jump like that." He nervously scratches the back of his head and I feel amusement bubble softly inside me, "I just don't...well, this isn't what I signed up for." He nods his head in the direction of the PowerPoint and The Don now holds an unopened condom packet and a banana.

I hold back the urge to laugh and decide to torment this guy a little longer. Only because I'm so nice.

"What?" I raise an eyebrow, "This little sex-ed thing?" I say, not taking my eyes off him but pointing to the direction of the stage.

His eyes widen even larger and now I can't help the smile that rolls right off my lips. The man nods and then sends a visible gulp down his throat.

I nod my head and then rest my back on my chair, staring back at The Don who thankfully, has moved on to a whole different topic. He started discussing the positive things we'd gain during our stay here when I turned to look at the guy beside me who was staring at the Don with more interest than before.

"Are you a virgin?" I whispered, and for the second time tonight, his head whipped in my direction, his mouth hung wide, and his face had turned deep red.

"Wha-what?" He spluttered out, then brought his voice to a whisper, "Did you just ask me that?"

"Uh, yeah." I nodded, looking around to see everyone else was focusing on the Don, "I know it's not my place to ask but I'd really like to know."

His brows furrowed. "Why?"

I shrugged and crossed my arms under my chest. "Why not?"

"You don't even know my name." The guy beside me mutters, a small smile playing on his lips. The nervousness that had coated him a couple of minutes ago died down a little, and he seemed to be a bit more open to me.

I turned my body in his direction and offered him my hand. "Maliyah Halton."

He eyed me for a couple of seconds and then his smile grew, revealing perfectly straight teeth.

"Sebastian García, but most people call me Seb." His hands wrapped around mine, and he gave it a small shake. "And yes, I am a virgin," Sebastian whispered the last bit, with a small but noticeable wink in my direction.

I let out a small laugh and shook my head. He's nice, very nice. I don't think I've encountered anyone as nice and innocent as him from my time here in the Mafia. Everyone either hates a person or loves a person too much to the point they'd develop an obsession and decide to kill everyone else in their life.

I haven't been surrounded by people like that in my life, mostly because my papa had managed to keep people like that away from me. But it doesn't mean I haven't heard things; after all, word gets around when you're in the mafia.

There's no time to pause and think, there's no time to decide whether you're doing the wrong or right thing, there's no time to be human. Being part of the mafia means you find the off switch of your emotional side in your brain and leave it switched off. Everything you do—everything you think is instinctive.

I drag myself back out of my thoughts and smile at Sebastian. "Well, Seb," I give him a small nod as he releases my hand, "nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Sebastian gives me one more smile before turning back to The Don who was now discussing where to find our room and find out what groups we're going to be in.

You could think of groups as cliques in a way. Before everyone in this hall managed to get into this internship program, we'd all individually gotten interviewed and tested to see if we meet the requirements to get in. So, when they calculate the scores, they organize everyone into groups, based on their abilities. The reason for groups is to see how well everyone works together. It is also when other neighbouring Mafias such as Cosa Nostra and other important mafia's come together and pick a handful of people, they think will work well in their mafia.

The chances of that happening are low but never impossible. All I've ever dreamed about since I was a kid, is getting an offer from The Don of Cosa Nostra. Why, you may ask?

Not only are they the most popular mafia in Italy, but no one ever tries to fuck them over—well, no one that senseless anyways. As far as I know, they are one of the few mafias that own legitimate money that has been passed from their generations, and everyone who's involved with them are ruthless as fuck.

And I'm not talking about Satan-type of ruthless; I'm talking about merciless, gruesome. They never, ever forgive or forget and if you even bat an eyelash at them the wrong way, they shoot you on the spot and leave your body for the police to pack it up.

Then they kill your family. Hunt them down, make their lives a living hell.

They sound horrible, I know, but I've looked up to them since forever, and they give loads of experience too. Which is why I cannot afford to fuck up or get 'knocked up' by anyone. This opportunity only comes once, and I will not fuck it over.

I promise myself that.

"Maliyah?" Valentina taps my arm and I blink out of my thoughts. I look at my surroundings, including the empty seat beside me where Sebastian was sitting just a couple of minutes ago.

Oh.

"Are you okay?" Valentina asks, her tone laced with slight concern.

I stand from my seat and stretch my arms a little and then turn to face her. "Yeah, I was just thinking."

A smile rises on Valentina's face and without warning, she links her arms with mine and spins us in the direction where all other interns were huddled, trying to find what groups they belonged to. Some of their faces lit up with excitement, others with disappointment.

"Fingers crossed," Valentina says as we walk, arm in arm, in the direction of the billboard where the groups were plastered up.

"For what?" I questioned as we stopped in line behind a girl who was searching for her name.

"So, we can be in the same group. I don't think I'd be able to put up with someone else that isn't you." She whispers, looking over her shoulder slightly at the line of people waiting behind us.

"You've only known me for an hour, Valentina." I turn to her as we continue to wait for the girl who was taking her time, "I thought my mysterious vibes were really working."

Valentina let out a scoff that turned into a laugh and I couldn't help but let out a laugh of my own. "You definitely failed then, because you're giving me really flowery, sunny vibes right now."

"Seriously?" I ask her deadpan.

"Seriously?" She repeats my question and then her smile completely disappears, her hand landing on my shoulder, "No."

Valentina didn't even give me enough time to gather a response to that, because the woman who was standing in front of us now walked away and towards the double doors. Valentina grabbed my hand and practically tugged me towards the board.

Simultaneously, our heads tilted up towards the top of the board and it didn't take long to find my name under 'Group 17.' I searched the list that consisted of three other names, Valentina included.

"I friggin' knew it!" Valentina shouted, pumping her fist in the air and then threw herself at me while I patted her back in exchange.

I am happy that we're in the same group, but I'm not at all a big fan of hugs.

~

After a couple of wrong turns, we finally arrived at the door of our soon-to-be shared group dorm room, and I could tell Valentina was basically about to burst. For someone who described herself as e joying inflicting different levels of pain on her enemies, she sure was acting like she was a stranger who hasn't even heard of the mafia before now.

I did try asking if she was alright, but she brushed me off acting like everything was alright. Now, even if she did try to play that card again, I wouldn't believe one bit of it.

"Okay, ready?" Valentina asks me, but it sounded like it was a question for herself. Her eyes search mine for an answer, so I nod my head waiting for her to open the door.

Valentina lets out a sig and then rests her hand on the handle but doesn't try to turn it or anything. She simply keeps staring at the door like it's doing to attack her.

"Val?" I whisper, taking a small step around her so I could see her face again, "Are you okay?"

Valentina stares into the door for a couple of seconds and then turns to me, her eyes filled with obvious hesitance.

"Do you want the truth, or should I lie?"

"Truth, always." I respond, my voice quieting down as a couple of people pass by us in search of their rooms.

"I'm nervous, Mal," Valentina whispers like it's something illegal we're talking about here, "And I'm never ever nervous. I never have been."

I let out a sigh and place a hand on her shoulder. "That's okay. It's normal to be nervous, Valentina. Anyone who has a beating heart is allowed to be nervous, it isn't a bad thing."

Valentina nods and then smiles. "Okay. It's normal. It's totally not some infectious disease. Nervousness is real. I can't get sick from it, and I can totally be cool." Valentina proceeds to chant to herself, while I wait for her to finish.

At least she's calmer than before. So, if chanting works, I'll let her chant or whatever.

When she's done, Valentina opens her eyes and then a smile is back on her face and she's already back to her usual self. If I saw her again for the first time, I would've never thought she tortured people for fun.

"Why are you so nervous, Maliyah?" Valentina questions but sarcastically and I know she's gotten her small fear she had just a couple of seconds ago.

"Don't make me kill you," I warned and Valentina let out a small laugh before turning around and then pushing down the handle. She pushed open the door and walked in while waiting for me to follow in behind her.

And may I say...

"Oh, my fucking..."

Gosh.

I was not expecting anything like the dorms we were standing in right now, but this only has my standards raised to infinity and beyond.

This place looked fucking rich, hell it smelt richer than the pair of shoes my papa bought for me just last week.

The chairs are all leather and there was at least a seventy-inch TV mounted up on the wall, with wallpaper that resembled bricks behind it. And I didn't need to ask how wealthy The Don must be because once both Valentina and I caught eyes on the kitchen, I was already brushed off my feet.

Definitely better than papa's place.

"Oh my gosh, Mal..." Valentina whispers, dropping her bags and walking towards the open, polished kitchen. Her palms contacted the kitchen isle and then she placed her face to it, her mouth wide in astonishment.

"What are you doing?" I question as I pick up Val's bags and then placed them on the leather chair, my eyes still raking the whole place.

"What do you think? I'm bonding with the kitchen, Mal. Can you not see how clean this counter looks?" Valentina pulls the side of her face from the counter and then stared down at it, her eyes wide and her mouth wide, "It's clean, and white. Oh, Dios mío."

I don't know what I'm meant to say in response to that, so instead, I walked over to the coffee table where a remote sat and I assumed it was for the giant television mounted up on the wall. I would never understand why anyone would need a television this big, but I can't imagine not living with a television smaller this ever again.

I pressed the red button on the remote, my eyes lifting in the hope to watch the TV flickered on, but instead, nothing happened. I clicked the button, again and again, nothing happened. Well, that's great.

"It needs batteries," A deep voice suddenly rumbled from beside me, causing me to feel like my heart had just lept out my chest. I turned in direction of where the voice came from, to see a pair of brown eyes piercing right through mine, and his body leaning against the doorframe.

I let out a sigh and placed the remote back on the table, pretending like I am totally not affected by his presence, because I totally am. I don't know why, as it is completely irrational of me to feel a sudden tug at a man whose name I don't even know.

But can you blame me, really? Both of his arms are completely inked up, and his eyes are ones you could stare into for days without growing bored. And his voice? Smooth as fucking silk, which confuses me because he looks like a man who would have a harsh and unwelcoming voice instead of this one, he's been graced with.

I have no idea who this man is, but he is doing wonders to me. And my nipples.

"Right," I place the remote back on the black coffee table and then cross my arms, "Silly me."

This man chuckles. And normally, I'd join in too, even if my 'joke' wasn't all that funny. But this time, I didn't—I couldn't. Because, his chuckle had somehow rumbled through my body, electrifying my breasts and down into my panties.

This guy had me enthralled from a single chuckle. A deep, rich and a hell of a turn on, chuckle.

He pushed himself off the doorframe he was leaning up against and then took a couple of strides towards me.

"I'm guessing your part of my group?" He asked, his mouth forming every syllable, which shouldn't look as sexy as he made it, but it was.

"Of course," I muttered, finding myself enthralled by this man. He kept walking towards my direction and his never once strayed from my own. They were stuck on mine, like glue and so is mine.

He kept walking closer, and closer and I swear, I thought he was about to kiss me, which I wouldn't have minded, but then he suddenly bent and picked up the remote I had left on the coffee table.

He stared down at it for a couple of seconds and then his head lifted, the corners of his lips picking up in a beautiful smile that should've made my knees buckle, but I managed to hold myself up straight.

"Diego should've been back with the batteries by now," The man before me muttered, and then shrugged, placing the remote back on the table.

"Diego?" I repeated, trying to pull myself out of this trance I'm in with this man.

I must remember I'm here because I want to be the best. The best assassin anyone has ever encountered. To find my mother and make her pay for hurting me, for breaking my heart at a young age, for leaving me to fend for myself on this cruel, horrible earth.

I can't let myself be drawn to my teammate if I want to even see Cosa Nostra in action.

The man before me opened his mouth with, I believe, an intention to respond to my slight question when suddenly, he was pushed onto me, our chests bumping on each other.

I felt it. That small, magnetic, electric buzz rushed right to my core when we touched. Yes, we touched for only a second, but I felt it. Something as small as that, something I shouldn't have felt, yet it did leave me buzzed and high and was enough to show me how dangerous this man is to me.

How I shouldn't get involved with him if I even want a chance in becoming the best, how I should focus on myself. Alarm bells are ringing, and if he had been pressed up against me any longer, I would've tuned them out, but fortunately for me, he turned his head in direction of what pushed us in the first place.

"I'm so sorry!" Valentina shouted as the man in front of me now turned his back towards me and faced Valentina.

I have to thank her later.

"It's alright," The man, whose name I still did not know responded to Val. He offered out a hand which Val took while I watched how his large hands enclosed over hers. "I haven't been able to introduce myself to the both of you."

"Well, let me start us off!" Val squealed in excitement that I had never seen before as she quickly walked around our teammate then linked her arm in mine, "My name is Val, short for Val, and I hurt people for fun! Only if they get on my nerves though, I don't actually hurt people if they're not horrible to me." Valentina pauses for a second, "Well, only if they're my brothers. Yeah, sometimes I hurt them more than necessary."

My eyes drift to the girl beside me who was now bouncing on her toes.

"Are you alright, Valentina?" I question, finding myself a bit taken aback by her sudden burst of energy. Did my pep talk really do this to her? If it did; massive ego boost.

"Yes, of course! I've just never seen such clean, new furniture before. Well, I have but my older brothers somehow manage to splatter them with blood the next day." Val ends the sentence with a frown which leaves both me and my teammate in front of me confused.

"How..." He pauses for a second, trying to fight a grin off his face, but me? I don't even try.

"How nice." Valentina nods at his response.

"So, what's your name?" I finally say the question I've been dying to ask and his eyes flicker to me.

"Mateo," He replies and holds out his hand, which I place in his own. "Nice to meet you."

I don't even reciprocate the same thing. Maybe a mutter leaves my mouth or something, but other than that, my eyes are more focused on how perfectly his tatted hand fits around my own. Warm and soft; nothing that I imagined how his hands would feel like.

It's Valentina's clearing of her throat that snaps me out of my trance and back to Mateo who was looking down at me with an expectant look on his face and I realise he was waiting for me to say my name too.

What the hell is wrong with me?

I clear my throat and give his hand a shake. "Maliyah. Maliyah Halton."

Mateo's lips curve into a smile and then he nods, slipping his fingers out of my own. "You have a lovely name, Maliyah."

Don't blush, don't blush, do not blush.

"Thank you." And I'm seventy per cent sure that I did not blush.

"Well then!" Valentina suddenly interrupts the blanket of silence that had coated us, and then her arms are in the air. "Mateo, would you be such a gentleman and show us to our rooms?"

"Yeah, of course. I'll show you both around too—" Mateo didn't even get to finish his sentence when all of our gazes were snatched by the front door, opening wide and a couple of voices filling the room.

"I got the batteries!" A guy walked through the door, batteries high in the air and a smug smile on his face.

"No, I was the one who found it!" Another voice called out from outside, but they hadn't quite reached the door yet. Their voice sounded so familiar, but I swear I couldn't put a name to it.

"Boo hoo, go fucking cry about it. Maybe try growing a couple of inches taller and maybe it won't be so hard for you to grab it." The guy who was holding the batteries shouted at the door and then turned around to face me, Val, and Mateo with a high grin on his face.

"Sorry about that," he said, and then sauntered over to our direction. He stopped to face Mateo and then pulled out his hand, putting the batteries in his hand. "I just didn't expect our new roommate to be a sarcastic fucking virgin."

"New roommate?"

"What's wrong with being a virgin?"

Both Mateo and Val said at the same time, causing him to glance sceptically at Mateo and then took a step back so he was able to address us all.

"Oh, yes. I forgot I haven't introduced myself," A smile graced his face as he thrust his hand into my own and gave it a firm shake, "I'm Diego. Your teammate, best friend, and life advisor for the rest of this internship. Nice to meet you."

I glanced over to Mateo for a quick second who had a small smile on his face and then nodded, discreetly yelling me to proceed.

"Maliyah," I shook his hand in response, "Nice to meet you, Diego."

Diego nodded, a large smile on his face and then he turned his attention to Valentina whose arms were crossed and even as Diego was looking at her right now, she still didn't hesitate to eye him.

Or maybe she's judging him.

I'm not quite sure, but it's not good since there is a small frown on her face.

Diego held his hand out in her direction, waiting for her to take it. "What's—"

"What is wrong with virgins?" She asks her question from beforehand.

"Excuse me?" Diego seems taken aback and his hand drops to his sides, his smile is well gone.

Oh god.

"You described our new roommate as a," Val creates speech marks with her fingers, "' sarcastic fucking virgin'. I understand what it's like to not like someone, but what I don't understand, is why you had to input the word 'virgin' in that sentence. You made it sound like it's a crime to be a fucking virgin."

Woah. Okay, I didn't realise how passionate people are about virginity and all, supposing that I had given mine away to my high school boyfriend of two weeks, but Valentina has just proved to me that she must care a lot about virginity.

So much that her fingers have curled into fists, and her gaze is set only on Diego who looks a little bit too uncomfortable.

"I..." Diego trailed off, and then glanced at both me and Mateo before turning back to Val who was still waiting for him to say something. "It was an assumption...I didn't actually think—"

"Yeah, exactly," Valentina interrupted, lifting her index finger and pushing Diego slightly, "you didn't fucking think. How the hell did you get into this program if you can't do something my little brother learnt when he was a couple of months old?"

My mouth dropped. This Valentina is completely different from the one who was right outside this door, nervous as shit to even introduce herself. And somehow her whole personality changed from the topic of virginity.

A couple of thoughts intrude my mind. Did she get her virginity taken away from her? Is that why she grew so compassionate when Diego made it seem like being a virgin is so horrible?

Has Valentina ever gotten raped?

I mean, yes, we are part of different mafia's that police dream of putting cuffs around our wrists, but it doesn't mean anything bad has never happened to us. I'm pretty sure if I was able to interview everyone in this room, they'd all have a story to tell.

"Valentina—"

"Mateo—" Val cuts me off before I even get to complete my sentence. She's still glaring at Diego, and there is a slight edge to her words, but she continues speaking anyway, "Can you please show me to my room?"

Valentina's eyes cross over to Mateo's, her attention no longer on Diego, "I'd rather not attempt to kill someone in their sleep tonight."

Mateo glances towards my direction, his brows furrowed, asking the answer to the question that I don't even know myself.

I shook my head and shrugged, to which Mateo nodded and then turned to Valentina.

"Yeah, okay. Follow me. I think your room is at the end of the hall."

And with that, both disappeared behind the doors that must lead to the rooms, leaving just both me and Diego staring at each other, possibly in shock.

Diego lets out a sigh and then takes a seat on the couch, leaning his head back to rest while letting out a groan.

"So much for making friends." Diego whispers, his eyes focused on the ceiling of the room.

"Well," I whispered, taking a seat beside him, "I'll talk to her; see what all that was about. But I have to agree with Val, it isn't cool to use virginity as a way of insulting someone."

Diego raised his head and then sat up properly, turning his body to face me. "I know. Now that I think about it, it was kind of fucking stupid."

I let out a low laugh. "Yes, Diego. It was kind of stupid."

"I should apologize to her, shouldn't I?" Diego questions, staring off in the direction of the doors that lead to the rooms.

"Yes, you should," Diego quickly got up before I finished that bit of my sentence, but I grabbed his hand, stopping him from going any further, "Although, I wouldn't recommend trying to apologize now. Let her cool off for now and then you can try to redeem yourself again."

Diego lets out a sigh and then sinks back into the chair again. "So then what the hell should I do in the meantime?"

Before I could voice my answer to his question, the front door was pushed open and an all-familiar face walked in with a suitcase in one hand and his backpack in another.

"Sebastian?" I questioned, watching as his face filled with recognition, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Diego smiled and then stood up from the couch. "He's our new roommate."

The guy he called a virgin.

It's not even the first whole day of internship and things are already starting to knot up. But what can I say?

I don't control fate.

It decides who it wants to be its next victim.



~

[EDITED A/N] sweet jesus, this was a very long and exciting chapter to rewrite! also, took me a couple of days lol! hopee you guys enjoyed this new and fresh chap!

-i'm loving diego (don't worry, it wont be the last seeing of him) but like sis, hands off my dresses, thats a no-go.

-mateo & maliyah? ship name?! i was thinking matiyah? I MEAN TECHNICALLY, their name are already ship names, so.. BUT COME UP WITH SOME!

-anyways...MAKE SURE TO VOTE AND COMMENT!

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