___________________

THE HILLS

♧

THE WEEKND ____________________

I GOT up at 7 a.m., later than usual thanks to yesterday's exhaustion. Celine was beside me, hanging off the edge of the bed like touching me would set her on fire.

Perfect. I didn't want the whore anywhere near me.

I got up, showered, and got dressed. When I came back, the room was empty. Celine was gone—not that I cared.

I headed downstairs, intending to leave for the day, but the moment I went for my car keys, I realized they weren't where I'd left them.

I turned around sharply, already tense, and in the blink of an eye, my knife was at Celine's throat—and her gun was pressed to my temple just as fast.

"You make it really hard not to kill you," I growled, the knife pressing lightly into her skin.

"Why? You can't kill a little girl?"

"Trust me I've envisioned many ways how I could." I responded truthfully.

"Then what's stopping you?" She pressed the muzzle deeper into the side of my skull.

I pushed the knife deeper into her skin. "I can do it Celine, believe me."

She didn't flinch. Instead, she let the tension stretch, lowering the gun slowly and tossing it to the ground. Then, standing completely still, she stared me down.

"Go ahead," she challenged, her voice calm, steady. "Do it."

I kept my knife at her throat, but she didn't waver. Her chin tilted up slightly, a subtle dare.

I could kill her. Easily. But I knew the mere fact that I had a knife at her throat was putting me on the Luciano black list. Killing her wouldn't just have me killed, it would have the entire Genovese bloodline obliterated.

When I didn't move, she smirked, pushed my hand away, and leaned in just enough to whisper, "Pussy."

Before I could respond, Albert stepped into the room with an exasperated sigh.

"I see you've started your first day of marriage at gunpoint. Classy," he deadpanned, surveying the scene like this was all entirely normal.

"Stay out of it, Albert," I snapped, but he ignored me.

He glanced at the knife still in my hand. "Mr. Genovese, I'd hate to have to call for cleanup already. Try not to stain the floors."

Celine's smirk grew, and for the first time, I realized she might actually enjoy pissing me off.

"Celine," I said tightly, ignoring the butler, "I suggest you hand over the keys before I—"

"Before you what?" she cut me off, arching a brow.

Albert cleared his throat. "If I may, perhaps you two can figure this out without destroying the house?"

Celine picked up her gun from the floor, brushing past me. "I'm going to work with you."

I blinked, caught off guard. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," she called over her shoulder as she walked away.

For a moment, I stood there, stunned, my knife still in hand. Albert glanced at me, his expression unreadable.

"Good luck," he said simply, before heading off to clean up yet another mess we'd left behind.

"The trainees need me."

"No, they don't."

"You see, that's where you're wrong," she replied, her tone so infuriatingly smug it made my teeth grind. "I think you forgot the whole point of this marriage is for our mafias to join together. Remember the first time you met me? In the warehouse?"

I did remember. Unfortunately.

"Yes, those were my trainees. And now, since I'm your wife," she said the word like it was poison on her tongue, "I have to go with you to your office. It's in the wedding certificate."

"Bullshit."

She shrugged, completely unbothered. "Go ahead. Read it yourself."

I swore under my breath. If I left her behind, she'd still find her way to my office eventually—and that would probably involve chaos, death, and most likely mine. As much as I hated to admit it, she was useful. The trainees might actually benefit from having the Taipan breathing down their necks.

I glanced at her, taking her in for a moment. Her braids were tied into a bun, with a few loose, curly strands framing her face. She wore a black, off-shoulder crop top that left just enough skin visible to be distracting, paired with green cargo pants and combat boots. Practical but undeniably striking.

Celine caught me staring and raised a brow. "Done ogling? Or do I need to start charging you?"

I rolled my eyes, already regretting my decision. "Fine. But don't get in my way."

She smirked, grabbing her gun from the table and tucking it into her waistband. "Wouldn't dream of it, princess."

I was starting to think this marriage might actually kill me before anyone else had the chance.

We arrived at work just before 9 a.m., my brothers already waiting at the entrance.

"There's the married couple," Alessandro said, his grin way too smug.

"Mr. and Mrs. Genovese." Emilio gave a mock bow, smirking.

"Shut up," I said, walking past them.

"Mother sent us to remind you both that this is your first appeal to the mafia as husband and wife," Alessandro said. "Clearly, she was right to worry. Where's the wedding ring?"

"Seriously? I have to wear it?" Celine asked, her tone dripping with disdain.

"That is what most married people do, yes," Emilio replied, deadpan.

She rolled her eyes, pulling the ring box out of her pocket like it was some cheap trinket. Sliding the diamond onto her finger, she made it look as effortless—and disinterested—as possible.

"Great. Now look in love," Alessandro said. "Hold hands."

We exchanged glares before reluctantly interlocking fingers, the tension between us thick enough to cut.

"Kiss his cheek for extra flair," Emilio added, clearly enjoying himself.

"What if I shot you for extra flair?" Celine snapped, her voice sharp enough to make both of them laugh.

♧

We stepped onto the training grounds, hand in hand. My brothers trailed behind, clearly enjoying the attention this spectacle was about to draw. The moment we entered, all eyes turned to us, conversations dying down instantly.

I let go of Celine's hand and stepped forward, raising my voice to make sure it carried.

"RATS!" I barked, and like clockwork, the trainees snapped to attention. Every pair of eyes was on me now, though many of them darted curiously toward Celine.

I let the silence stretch before speaking again, my tone sharp. "You've all heard of the Taipan. The devil herself." I turned slightly, motioning toward Celine. "She's also my wife."

The words felt strange on my tongue. My wife. It still didn't sound right. Not because she wasn't capable—God knows she was—but because this whole circus of a marriage wasn't my idea to begin with. Yet here I was, introducing her like we were a power couple straight out of hell.

There was a noticeable shift in the group, the realization hitting them like a slap. Some of them stiffened, others exchanged quick glances, but none of them dared to speak.

"She's here to teach you how not to die," I continued, my voice calm but pointed. "If you don't listen, that's on you. But let me be clear—if you fail, you won't just regret it. You won't survive it."

I stepped aside, gesturing for Celine to take the floor. Her smirk was sharp, her presence commanding as she scanned the room.

"If you can't shoot, you're gonna die," she said simply, her tone smooth but lethal. "If you can, don't miss."

The weight of her words hung in the air, and even the cockiest among the group seemed to shrink under her gaze.

I leaned toward her, muttering just loud enough for her to hear, "Try not to kill them all. We need some left to train."

She didn't so much as glance at me. "No promises, Genovese."

Turning her attention back to the trainees, she snapped, "Line up. Now."

The men scrambled into formation like their lives depended on it—because they did.

Satisfied, I stepped back, watching as she took complete control of the field. This was her element, and everyone knew it.

My wife. The thought still made me want to laugh, but I kept it to myself. It wasn't like I had much choice, and if I was being honest, there was something wickedly satisfying about watching the so-called tough guys pale under her command.

With a nod to Alessandro, I turned and started toward the main building. The Vargas situation wasn't going to resolve itself, and as far as I was concerned, the Taipan—my wife—had this under control.

As Celine commanded the training ground, I stepped back, feeling the tension in the air that only she could create. The Vargas case was the next big problem on my plate, and I couldn't afford to waste any more time.

I made my way toward the office, my mind already on the task at hand. The situation with Vargas had been brewing for too long, and if I didn't deal with it now, it would explode in ways I couldn't control.

Alessandro and Emilio were hot on my heels, their footsteps quickening as they caught up.

"Vargas is becoming a bigger issue than we thought," Alessandro said, his voice low but urgent. "He's making moves against our supply routes. He's trying to hit us where it hurts."

I rubbed my hand across my jaw, considering the situation. "I know. I've already had people working on it."

Emilio raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that? We've been getting whispers that Vargas has been meeting with people from outside the city. If he's looking for alliances, that could get dangerous real quick."

"Which is why I'm dealing with it now," I said, my tone sharp. "I need all our resources focused on this. We can't let Vargas play us like this."

We entered the office, and I took a seat behind my desk. "Alessandro, I need you to take the men we have available and follow the supply chain. Cut off any outside contacts Vargas might have. No exceptions."

He nodded. "And what about Vargas himself?"

I leaned back in my chair, steepling my fingers. "I'll deal with him personally."

Emilio gave me a skeptical look. "You sure that's the best move? Vargas is dangerous."

I gave him a cold smile. "So am I."

The phone on my desk rang, cutting the tension. I grabbed the receiver without hesitation, hearing the voice of one of my men on the other end.

"We've got intel. Vargas is meeting with a contact in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town," the voice said. "We believe they're discussing a new shipment. Should we move in?"

I glanced at my brothers. "Yes. But don't do anything until I'm there. I want to be the one to deal with him."

I slammed the receiver down and stood up, already feeling the adrenaline kicking in.

"Put some bullets in his brain," I muttered under my breath.

Emilio and Alessandro stood, ready to follow me.

"Let's go." I turned toward the door. "La morte non fa distinzioni."

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I'm so sorry for the ass chapters YALL I swear it's gonna get better 😔 and for everyone who's upset about how slow it's going yall hated needed me for being as fast as it was so what do y'all really want? This is also connected to the me series yall dont forget you might see your favs but the question is, which members of the me series will you see???

anyways y'all tysm for reading hope y'all have a good day and remember to eat !!

- zio 🍸