TILL D£ATH DO US APART
(The•Devil•I•Loved)
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Copyright © 2025
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★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Her breaths froze with her, and she felt the chills on the core of her mind.
Their eyes met. Anger danced with defiance. Fury tangoed with deviance.
She didn’t let go of her shot arm, the blood kept pouring, and she kept losing strength.
She let go of her gun, and the moment it fell on the ground, Monika screamed from the front.
“What the hell are you doing, Joyce!!”
She directed her nozzle to them, firing at Leonardo, but he was too swift. He grabbed Ivanna by the neck, sliding behind her and using her as shield for himself.
Monika’s bullets stopped coming immediately. Her eyes widened, and she jumped down the chair she’s on.
“Joyce!”
As her feet landed on the ground, she got shot on the arm just like Ivanna, and she groaned as she grabbed the arm tightly, seeing blood.
Still, she started running towards Ivanna who’s still in Leonardo’s grip.
“Loving mother you’ve got. So loving that she killed my mother despite knowing that she wasn’t the one who killed your father…” Leonardo whispered in Ivanna’s ears.
She held her breaths.
“So loving, that she twisted the story for everyone. Fact is, Santos loved Vera too, but father’s loveless legacy made Vera break up with him. Your mother was the happiest person alive when that shit happened. She’s a poison genius anyways, so she poisoned Santos… Santos slept with her, and as a responsible man that he was, he didn’t deny the baby—you. Monika stole Santos, which is why she’s still so bitter till now. I bet each time she wakes up, all she thinks in her head is; Why did Santos love Vera and not me? Why was Vera prettier? Why was she the loved woman!”
Leonardo laughed, the sound hauntingly beautiful.
Ivanna froze yet again as the sound hit her ear shells.
Monika is still on the run to them, and she’s still screaming.
The Crimson gangsters and The Cokers’ are still clashing, and now the number of Crimson gangsters dead on the ground is too much.
Whereas, the fallen Coker mobsters are just two.
Moo is currently on the alter with Hayden, crying as she tried to raise his bloody body up.
“Used me?” Leonardo laughed again. No, whore. I wasn’t caught unawares. I was once in possession of your necklace and Monika’s locket together, and I saw the similarities which I never blew off. I weighted possibilities, and I waited for you to make your choice, but too bad you chose to betray me.” He sighed.
By now, Monika is almost with them.
“And now, you pay the damn price…” He finished up and signalled at the mobsters.
Stanley and Nino threw down smoke bombs, and as the bombs blasted, smokes filled the hall with a mixture of tear gas cos as they inhaled, forced tears crawled out of their eyes.
The smokes formed a thick fog, covering everywhere.
Monika stopped in the middle of it, gasping and waiting…
Waiting….
She couldn’t move cos she’s not even seeing herself.
She stood there.
Ten minutes went by before she could move.
By now, the smokes has cleared a bit, but it’s like the Cokers’ cleared with the smokes.
They’re gone!
They left with Ivanna.
Even the cat is gone too.
“Joyce!!!!!!!!” Monika screamed, holding her head with her hands.
She ran out of the hall, stepping on the bodies of her gang.
Moo is the only one remaining in the hall now…on the alter.
She’s sitting on the ground, holding Hayden’s body.
He’s not dead yet.
He got hit in the middle of his stomach. The gates of hell is open for him already. He’s already going.
There are tears in his eyes as he stared up at Moo’s face.
Moo is shedding tears too, hotly.
Her tears fell on him.
“Moona,” he whispered, painfully.
She nodded.
“Been three years since you last called me that. Been three years since your memories got wiped…” She sniffled, touching his face.
“And your womb got ruined,” he muttered, his eyes closing a bit.
“You remember now?” She hiccupped.
“Everything….” He replied, and her tears only fell more.
“I guess the shock you received from the gunshot sent shockwaves to your memories. That must be why…” Moo nodded, cradling his face…
“I guess I wasn’t destined to live long…I was destined to follow my parents after all.” He smiled, blood filing his mouth.
“I’m so sorry….if I hadn’t hunted you down, killed Penny’s secretary in your clinic, killed the cat and killed the truck driver to make you a wanted criminal. If I hadn’t ruined you to bring you to the cave, you wouldn’t be destroyed like this.” She sobbed, her voice clogged.
“No…” Hayden smiled faintly.
“Following you was my choice. If I allowed the cops to just take me, I’d have served term in prison and still be alive, but I chose follow you. My predicament is my fault…not…yours…” Hayden coughed blood, and it spilled on his face.
“Hayden!” She gasped, shaking her head fast.
He raised his hand, reaching for her face. She took that hand and placed it on her face for him.
Her tears fell again.
“Hayden…”
“Know my first impression of you? I thought you were just fragility wrapped under danger, and I still think so till now. You should live good, Moona. Start over.”
His hand fell from her face, and she quickly held it.
“Ha… Hayden…” She shook her head, and he smiled faintly.
“You’re…. beauti…ful.” He said his last, and her eyes widened.
His eyes closed. His body went cold.
She dragged his bloody body closer to herself, screaming out his name with despair and sorrow.
But it didn’t last.
She sucked it up suddenly and pulled her gun out of her pocket. There’s only one bullet left.
She pointed it at her own head, shutting her eyes.
With Ivanna kidnapped, Monika is gonna lose it and probably run mad again, so where would she get the weekly poison to replenish?
She’s gonna die in a week if she doesn’t take it. Why wait till a week before hugging death?
Her lashes hugged tighter, and the last stream of tears left her closed eyes before she pulled the trigger.
She shot herself in the head.
— — —
[Chicago, Two Days Later~ House Of Coker]
It’s a celebratory day in the empire.
Everyone’s having their best time of the year, and there’s laughter and jibes flying around.
In the middle of the estate, Ivanna is tied to a pole just like back then in the Painhood.
She’s chained like a bloody sinner, and she looks badly beaten.
No proper clothes. She’s in her singlet and biker shorts only, and her hair is a web of tangled history in her head. Even her face is bruised.
She looks tired, and she looks like getting one word out of her mouth would be painful.
She’s not even looking at their celebration.
Her head is down, and her scattered hair covered it completely.
Sandra finished eating marsala with her bare hand, and she got a cup of water. She walked up to Ivanna’s pole and washed her hand on her head.
Ivanna didn’t move despite the filthy water bath.
Sandra forcefully lifted her face, grinning at her before headbutting her. Ivanna’s head rang.
She groaned out, and Sandra laughed, facing the rest of the mob who instantly shared her wicked laughter with her, especially Bobby.
Bacardi isn’t around.
Tierney and Nino are supposed to look neutral, but they’re also laughing at the show.
“I’d have sued Satan if I died before today. I mean…look! It’s a whole cinematic experience here!” Bobby grinned, taking a bowl of ink.
He climbed the middle and poured it all on Ivanna, wetting her and painting her blue.
The mobsters laughed again.
“I mean… you’re a stuntwoman, this should mean nothing, right?” Bobby pushed her head with a stick.
Ivanna’s head fell to a side, but she didn’t try moving it back.
Anywhere they push her head to, she leaves it there.
Bobby almost poured another bowl of ink, but that was when Leonardo and Stanley joined them.
Leonardo held the leather whip—her whip. It’s folded regally in his hand as he advanced with that same angry energy coursing through him.
Stanley joined the mob crowd and just sat, but Leonardo went to the pole, let go of the folded head of the whip then raised it.
When he brought it down on Ivanna’s body, it made a loud, whistling sound.
Her skin peeled, and her blood mixed with the ink.
But despite the pain, she smiled.
Finally a reaction from her, and she’s…
Smiling?
Leonardo stuck her again and again, the belt clashing with her skin over and over and over…
Everyone watched in silence. Even the air seems like it’s afraid to blow. So only the sound of leather hitting skin rented the estate…
Till Anthony and Felicia entered.
“Enough, Leo. Enough!” Anthony shouted loudly.
—
[Cooper Family House]
The whole family arrived last night, and since then, there have been no sleep.
They spent their time catching up with the years they missed in this house. They spent the night at the backyard, and this morning they’re at the terrace, gazing into the morning together. Finally, their life feels like it has meaning again.
Ginny stretched out on the rails, placing her elbows on it before smiling widely.
“Nothing beats home, at all. I’mma have to go visit the places I’ve missed. My gaming arcade especially.”
“Our departure was actually for good. Three years ago, I was having ear dysfunction. Three years ago, I and Erica barely looked like humans cos of what Lissa did to us, but look at us now… Lissa is gone, and we’re back to start anew.” Leroy said, standing beside her.
Robert is on his seat, staring at the bank card with him. He used it this morning, and he’s expecting Bacardi to break in soon, either to shoot him to death or break him.
“Ivanna in the House Of Coker?” Erica sighed.
“All we can do is pray, mum. Her mum’s still alive, so I’m sure she’d scale through, though war looks inevitable as it is.” Robert said.
Ginny faced him, about to say something else, but a car grinded to a rough halt in front of the house.
Robert shot up, thinking it’s Bacardi, but it’s rather Thaddeus and Penny.
The whole family froze.
Thaddeus is holding a gun, and so is Penny. They climbed the front stairs of the house with scary precision, and the family shifted back.
Robert pushed everyone of them behind himself, smartly.
“Oh…the big brother role definitely fits you… Robert.” Penny grinned.
“What do you want from us again!” Ginny shouted behind Robert.
“Your lives, obviously. You see… paupers like you don’t deserve to share the same breathing air with the remaining people… y’all are just gonna have everything contaminated.” Thaddeus pointed his gun forward like a warning.
“Again? Thaddeus. Again?” Leroy said behind Robert, anger oozing from him, but he can’t even vent it in face of Thaddeus’ gun.
“You cheated me in our business share! You made me get fired in my workplace, and I had to sell my properties to pay debts! I managed to start a seafood restaurant but you sabotaged it, threw I and my wife in jail and made us sign undertaking to start working in your construction company before bailing us out… same construction site you started with my money?”
“We agreed, but you still went ahead to try to kill me and my wife! We landed in the hospital, no treatment, then your daughter sent a parcel to deceive my kids into the clan. They entered the lion’s den and had to face life and death situations everyday, then your daughter proceeded to kidnapping us from the hospital, took us to the sheepfold where she tortured us like animals!”
“From the sheepfold, we were transferred to Phoenix Valley where we were locked in a dungeon!!!! Now that we think we’re free, you’re here again? What did we ever do to deserve this unending circle of sufferings? Why!!!” Leroy screamed, nearly crying.
“Have you ever considered being a storyteller? Your storytelling talent is so raw you were able to cap everything from start to finish. I’m gummed.” Penny smiled, devilish like a miscreant.
“But people are born with different auras, and you could call us wicked, then yes it fits the narrative cos your aliveness is infuriating. I know you, Leroy. Now that you’re hale and healthy and back to Chicago, your aim would be to target me. I won’t leave a big loophole like you alone. You? Your family? Today is the last day…” Thaddeus muttered.
Penny aimed too just like him, their guns facing the whole family.
“Go inside! Inside!!” Robert pushed them, and Ginny and the parents did the fast run in.
As they ran, Thaddeus and Penny shot, but Robert covered them behind. Thankfully, he’s with his gun.
It was still in his body when he was taken out of the country three years ago, and he has been keeping it.
He shot back, intentionally riling Thaddeus and Penny up.
They doubled their shots, but their bullets bit the walls instead of the family. It didn’t take long before they went out of bullets since their bullets are being counted so it’s limited.
They threw off their guns and ran inside with the family.
Robert tossed his gun too— his bullet is finished.
Robert closed the door, locking his family inside Ivanna’s former room.
Then he faced Thaddeus and Penny alone. Him against the two of them.
They were folding his arms at first, but when he gave them the first hit, they rolled down the tiles, and Penny’s head slammed on the wall.
Thaddeus threw three blows at at him consecutively, but his head kept going sideways and backwards as the blows hunted.
The last one met him on the eye, and he staggered, shaking his head to shake off the dizziness.
At the same time, Penny crashed a small glass stool on his back from behind.
He groaned.
Thaddeus threw a kick to his crotch, and Robert staggered to the door heavily, groaning louder.
Thaddeus wanted to smash his head with that door, but Robert went down, so Thaddeus’ punch met with the door, creating a dent.
Robert’s fist met Thaddeus’ belly thrice, and the man fell back.
Penny threw herself at Robert for a snatch, but Robert’s knee went to her, throwing her off.
She landed on the ground, sliding off on the tile.
Thaddeus straightened, getting a knife out of his pocket.
He came for Robert with it, getting madly aggressive as he tried to stab him a number of times.
Each time, Robert swayed, swerved, ducked. He kicked the knife away from Thaddeus finally, and he flew to the man, catching him and going down with him.
Robert sat on top and began raining punches on Thaddeus’ face in repeat, till Thaddeus face turned too bloody.
His blood stained Robert’s face and knuckles, but he didn’t stop.
As he punched, Thaddeus groaned. As he groaned, Robert punched, determined to destroy that face.
Behind him, Penny is up.
She picked another glass stool, then started running to him, wanting to crush Robert’s head with it.
But she could only get halfway.
The room door opened, and the rest of the family rushed out.
Ginny, Erica, Leroy.
They’re all holding Ivanna’s metal box. So heavy and gritty.
They let it go on Penny’s head, and the moment it hit her, her head cracked in two places.
The stool fell from her, and blood ran down her face to her body, bathing her totally in red.
She stayed that way for one minute.
Sensing she was taking too long to fall, they raised the box to her head again, smashing it down for the second time.
Two more cracks appeared on Penny’s head, making four.
She fell on her knees, her mouth opened without sound.
The crash of her knees made Robert look back at them.
When he saw Penny’s body on the ground, he gasped.
Meanwhile, Thaddeus has picked the knife again, and he raised it up fast.
He’d have stabbed Robert in the throat, but a gunshot sounded in the house, and Thaddeus got shot in the throat three times.
His neck got slashed by the bullets, and his body slumped back to the ground, in blood beside his wife.
Robert stood slowly from the ground, and everyone else looked back too.
In the threshold, Bacardi stood, holding her gun tight with tears in her eyes.
Her eyes are nowhere else, just staring obsessively at Robert.
Emma is behind her, but she kept her distance.
Robert’s jaws dropped, and when he opened his mouth to talk, nothing formed for the first time.
Second time, nothing.
But the third? He bursted.
“I didn’t intentionally leave you. I wanted to stay, trust me. I didn’t mind what your family might do to me cos Iva shot Leo. I was willing to take everything, but then I got tranquilized and I was numbed to the plane. I only came back to my senses when I touched down in Dubai and it was too late! Emma here can testify to it! She was the one who shot me with the tranquili—”
“Shut up, Rob…” Bacardi cut him off, and his mouth closed back.
“Shut the fûck up and just… just….”
She broke down, then began rushing over to him.
Robert began crying too, not knowing what to expect till she got to him and held his face.
“Just kiss me… please…” She said.
Robert’s eyes nearly widened, but he held it back, and his hand went to her back, shoving her close.
“Gawd…I missed you…” He sniffled.
“I love you, Rob. It never changed. I love you…” She shook her head.
“I love you, Cardi Coker. I love you madly.” He replied, lifting her so she stood on top of Penny’s body.
Robert stood on top of Thaddeus’, and their lips crashed crazily.
Tightening with obsession and darkness looped as one.
Their arms went around each other within a second, and as they smiled into the kiss, the tears in their face rushed into their mouths
They tasted salt,but it only hardened the kiss till they couldn’t breath.
Erica and Leroy and Ginny had to look away with secondhand shyness.
Emma is still standing at the threshold. She’s smiling.
Ginny suddenly noticed Ivanna’s box—the one they killed Penny with.
It’s open on the ground. Ivanna must have left it open three years ago.
She squatted beside it, picking up the things she saw.
First was Monika’s letter to Ivanna.
Second was a study guide on how long a person can live without immediate treatment after getting shot with wooden bullets.
Third is a diary.
Ginny opened it, and the parents came closer to check with her.
The first date in the diary was when Ivanna was ten years old.
That was the first time she opened this box.
What she wrote in the diary about it goes like this…
AGE 10.
• Kill a child for her mother’s sins? I wonder what kind of person my mother really is.
• Leonardo Esposito is currently 11 years old according to my research. Meaning he was one year old when my dad’s killing happened. Why would he also pay for his mother’s sins when my mother already killed his mother?
• His mother’s death is already fair enough. Why do I have to carry the burden of killing the child too?
AGE 11.
• Finally heard more about Monika Crimson—my mother. The cruel Leader of the Crimson Cave who’re enemies to The Outfit where Leonardo Esposito is the Underboss.
• She’s skilled in poison making. A master of poisons and danger. Wish I could just catch a glimpse of her once
• No, dear diary, don’t get me wrong. If I see her once, not like I’m gonna follow her. I’m already fine with staying with this family. I love Ginny, love Robert, love Mummy Erica and Daddy Leroy, but it’s not too much to ask if I wanna see my mother, right?
AGE 13.
• I don’t have plans to kill Leonardo Esposito, but what if mother eventually comes for him? Heard he’s skilled, but he’s still a teen like me anyways. Why do I suddenly want to meet him too? Maybe protect him from mother?
• Urg! Martial arts classes are so expensive. The Armandos already destroyed us so I can’t waste money for martial arts when we’re managing
• Stunting! I just read something interesting about it. There’s a college for stunters. Men and women get trained to take arduous roles! Do I become a stuntwoman? I’ll attend college and take trainings at the same time, and if we’re chanced to meet, I can protect the boy.
AGE 23!
• Urg! I miss writing here. Can’t believe I didn’t write throughout my college days. You were covered in dust when I opened you, sorry! I got done with college last year, but I’m not influential so they don’t really invite me on set despite my abilities. Seems my stunting ability will only be useful if I meet that boy, but how?
• Oh..lest I forget. I have a boyfriend, but we’re currently on a break cos we wanna lay our individual paths first. Note: I love him madly. Can’t wait to resume our relationship.
AGE 24.
• Big news! Big f+kin news! Ok the sad news first…my parents got crashed in a construction site accident, and the arsehole Armandos wouldn’t take responsibility, but we received a parcel… inviting us to the House Of Esposito, where The Outfit mobsters stay.
• Invited to pack the Armando family money. Seems like a trap, and highly impossible, but what if it’s not? Then we can get the money… I’ll tell Ginny and Robert to escape on their own and leave me trapped in the clan estate. Maybe I’ll finally meet and protect the boy for once.
• I know it’s stupid, but I’m desperate! To save my parents and meet the boy.
• Final resolution, we’ve decided to go for it! Wish me well, dear diary.
After that point, the eventual pages were empty. She wrote nothing for four more pages. Then after four pages, she wrote again.
That must be three years ago when Erica and Leroy were released.
AGE 28.
• Hello, diary. I’m turning 29 soon, can’t believe it actually. I’ve spent almost one year in the clan estate now, and things went completely different from how we planned it, but at least, we all achieved our goals after pains and sweat and tears. Our parents are with us and recuperating, and Leo? He’s….still alive.
• Won’t lie, at first when we got trapped in the clan, I hated him cos no matter how much I tried to shake it off, he’s still the son of my father’s killer, but eventually, I shook it off.
• I saw Monika once already… during the Panda Port mission. She’s just like I imagined. Dangerously beautiful, and obsessed with taking Leo out. I’m proud of myself that I was able to cover him from her. He was safe, and I hope I keep saving him.
• Oh… he’s obsessed with keeping me alive too cos of Felicia. That man would enter fire to save me. Lol.
• He’s a wicked bastard who’d take any route to get what he wants, but then I’ll only give him half of the blame cos he was brought up that way. I pity him, always. That man is empty inside, and I’m grateful to my mum for killing his mum. If not, he’d have been ruined him beyond repair.
• We’re insanely close now, and something mad in my head is even telling me he’s got feelings for me. Sometimes,, I mistake my pity for feelings too, but no way. When I chose to love Hayden, I chose him wholeheartedly. Won’t suddenly fall for a man who touched me inappropriately at first. Won’t fall for an abuser even if he’s ready to change cos of me. Agreed, I enjoyed the s+× in the yacht, and I look forward to our next one, but that’s all there is to it. I enjoy the sexes.
• Now he’s in Paris for honeymoon with Lissa, and I have to pretend for everyone around me that I miss him, but in my mind, Hayden rules. I know Hayden and I can never happen again cos I’ve been madly defiled by Leonardo now, but who says I’m not allowed to miss Hayden?
AGE 29.
• Who knew Leonardo was a romance geek? Lol. Spent billions on drones for me and bought me the most expensive gifts I’ve ever received. We went on a date, too, and oh…the second s+× happened. I loved it more than the first. He asked why I became a stuntwoman, and I couldn’t even tell him it was because of him. Loool. But what was that ting I felt in my chest when we hugged after the s+×? I’m not growing feelings, right?
• Bury that part, the day is almost here. The day of the last mission is tommorow. Remember I told you I wanna continue staying with this Cooper family for life and never go to mother? I changed my mind. If I don’t go, Monika will never stop. If I don’t become a villain —a devil, this will never end. DEVIL ERA? HERE I COME.
The diary writings ended there, and after they finished reading, the diary fell from Ginny to the ground.
She’s already shedding tears too.
Bacardi and Robert also read with them… even Emma.
“No…no she can’t do that…she can’t… You know what she’s trying to do someone please stop her!!!” Ginny cried loudly.
Bacardi didn’t even wait for Robert she dashed out of the house, and the rest ran after her.
They packed themselves in the car with her, and she zoomed off.
—
[House Of Cokers’]
Leonardo has stopped the whippings now. He sat with Anthony and Felicia, and while he listened to Anthony’s words, the rest of the mob continued their celebration around.
“I know she sinned, but killing her would be too much…” Anthony said.
“After all you did to keep her alive?” Felicia added.
“I don’t care about my efforts, Felicia. She tried to kill me, I’m killing her today… right now.” Leonardo insisted.
Bobby suddenly came over.
“Can we talk, brother?” He asked.
Leonardo followed him away without arguing, and almost immediately, intruders bursted into the estate.
The estate gate has been left open since yesterday, so they’ve been expecting, and their expectations weren’t short.
Monika came in with Marko and Renata, with the remaining Outfit mobsters behind them.
They entered in a full bunch, and the inside mobsters stood.
Sandra and Nino first, then Tierney and Stanley and the others, stretching to the back.
“We predicted this, and y’all are actually following predictions? How low.” Stanley muttered.
“When ops find themselves shorthanded individually, then they start linking up. Cliche.” Sandra added.
“You came today of all days…that’s a win…I’m not angry.” Tierney smiled.
“The Outfit, Crimson? I actually didn’t see this collaboration coming. Padrino Marko Vitale Esposito, aka, Madman of Calabria. Monika Crimson, aka the Poison Master. Renata Esposito, aka the three ally points in human form.” Nino smiled too, clapping.
Seeing where her daughter is tied, Monika gasped.
“Joyce!”
She climbed over a table and tumbled intentionally to the ground.
The mobsters stayed still like they didn’t see her till she started running over the top.
They opened fire on her, but the Outfit mobsters opened fire too, following the orders of Renata and Marko.
Renata left Marko’s side, but his most trusted guard stayed with him, protecting him as Renata jumped into the Cokers’ mob and began tearing them off like sandpapers.
Within one minute, she killed three. Very fast and smooth with it. Her precision is insane.
No knife, no weapon in hand. With her bare hands, she scaled.
The fourth body hit the ground in front of her in another second.
By now, Monika is on the top where she’s currently unchaining Ivanna.
“I’m sorry for coming late, baby. So sorry I made you wait… Now watch as we take them all out ..”
Sandra rolled to that top and stabbed Monika’s calf.
Monika let out a pained yell.
Stanley joined Sandra, and he stabbed Monika’s thigh too.
Monika yelled out again, but she rolled the ring on her finger, releasing poisonous white mist into the atmosphere.
Sandra and Stanley rolled down, avoiding the poisonous air.
Ivanna quickly held her breaths.
With bleeding leg, Monika came back to her and unchained her properly.
The chains fell from her.
With their balaclavas on, Sandra and Stanley came back up.
This time, Ivanna joined the fight.
FTM worked in her favor.
One second was all it took to knock Stanley and Sandra down.
They rolled down from that top, and Ivanna stood back to back with her mother.
Monika rolled another ring on her finger, releasing another mist.
The mobsters who’re too slow to hold their breaths inhaled it, and they fell dead easily.
Renata is wearing a nose mask also, so she just continued slaughtering the Cokers’ mob without caring.
Right now, Anthony and Felicia are far from the area.
Anthony took Felicia away immediately the entry happened actually. They stood beneath a tree.
“I think we should go back,” Felicia said suddenly, panicking as the yell of pains and cries reached their ears.
“No, Felicia. You’re pregnant with our child! If you inhale the slightest mist from Monika, the pregnancy goes down! We don’t want that!” Anthony refused, holding Felicia’s shoulders.
“Stay here, just stay here…” He said.
“Where are you —”
Anthony was already leaving before she could get it.
“Thony!!”
—
Back in the middle, the clash is still high.
Marko still stood where he stood with his most trusted guard.
He’s spectating like an examiner.
Ivanna and Monika are still standing on top, back to back and looking at the rest with recalcitrance.
Renata is still busy slaughtering the Cokers’ mob without stopping. Their bodies lay layered around her.
But the mob is not idle too. Nino and Tierney, Stanley and Sandra and the rest. They took out tens and twenties of the Outfit mobsters.
“Get Leo out to me!!” Marko suddenly yelled, and immediately that yell happened, Anthony jumped into the center, crashing into Marko.
At the same time, Ivanna jumped down from the top, crashing into Renata madly.
—
Bobby took Leonardo to the Godfather’s office, and from there, they could hear the war ongoing outside. They expected it, so they didn’t act fazed.
“And the issue is?” Leonardo asked.
“I know you love me a lot as your little brother, and you never keep anything from me, that’s why I’m not gonna keep this. I wanna be plain with you.” Bobby replied.
Leonardo was quiet.
“After you were connected to the life support three years ago, the surgeon had a brief discussion with me.” Bobby started.
Leonardo just looked on.
“The bullets you were shot with… they’re wooden. Ivanna shot you with wooden bullets. Maybe her intention wasn’t death for you, but I thought you might start chasing her around again if you woke up and heard that, so I told the surgeon to restitch your wounds and make it look like gunshot wounds from real bullets…so that’s it.” Bobby explained.
Leonardo was still silent.
But he’s now walking out of the office.
“Leo, you’re not mad, right? Leo fuckin wait!” Bobby exited too.
—
Back in the middle, both Marko and his most trusted guard are pummelling Anthony.
Anthony’s stamina is high, but nothing compared to Marko’s animalistic energy even with his hypoglycemia condition.
Anthony was brutally beaten, and he’s already bleeding, but Marko didn’t go without wounds either.
When Anthony’s teeth met his ear, he made sure to not let go till he pulled it off totally.
“Call in help! Call help!!” Marko yelled at his most trusted guard.
The guard dialled for help…both the allies and the Private Prison-guards.
But as he called, his request was rejected. Three damn times.
No response.
“What’s going on?” He muttered.
“Quit trying, did you really think you gathered so many alliances in space of two years? It’s an illusion I made y’all believe, fools. I made them agree to be your ally, but instead…they work for me… including your Private Prison-guards!” Leonardo snarled, coming in by the left.
“The fûck!” The guard gasped.
Bobby blew a whistle behind Leonardo, and extra gates opened in the estate.
Meanwhile, Ivanna is still having it hot with Renata somewhere in that middle. They’re crushing each other.
Blow to blow, kick to kick, jab to jab and crazy rib hacks!
They’re both bleeding from the mouth and nose, but they still headbutted each other, and they both hit the ground, but Ivanna stood faster, getting on top of her.
“The main reason why you’re so jealous of Vera that you had to go use her identity to kill Santos is cos of the stupid FTM technique, right? You requested her to teach you, but she declined. You were full of rage. She taught her son that same technique, and your rage ballooned you incompetent bi+ch! Vera loved Santos, but you made him die with the believe that Vera killed him when you’re actually the mastermind! The snail-shaped ring is yours!!” Ivanna screamed, headbutting Renata for the third time.
Blood covered their faces, and Renata laughed on the ground.
But she was able to hurl Ivanna away, then she came on top instead.
“I am Renata! I’ve never wanted to be Vera! I have never!!!!!” She screamed maniacally, revealing a knife.
“No! All your life you’ve always wanted to be like her! Another truth? You also liked Santos! You liked my father! You wanted everything Vera wanted and had so you definitely liked him, but he didn’t even chose Vera! He chose Monika my mother cos Monika drugged him to sleep with her, and yet you killed him slut!!!” Ivanna yelled as Renata’s knife thrusted her by the side.
She bled, but she hurled Renata away too, coming on top again.
She removed the knife from her side and jammed it into Renata’s neck.
Renata bled, but she’s still laughing.
“Kill me! Do it if you can! Do it!!!!!!” She yelled. “Do I—”
She couldn’t say more, cos Ivanna thrusted the knife into her mouth next, then before she knew it, she snapped Renata’s neck.
She snapped it totally.
Renata’s head turned till her face is on her back, and the back of her head is on her chest.
She stopped breathing.
“Goodbye, three points,” Ivanna muttered under her breaths.
As the extra gates opened, the allies poured in with the Private Prison-guards, all on Leonardo’s side.
Marko was too stunned to act at first, but seeing it’s actually real, he moved with his guard and the remaining Outfit mobsters.
The fight resumed… hotter this time.
Leonardo, Sandra and Bobby against Marko alone.
Stanley, Nino, Tierney, rest of the mob and the allies…they faced the rest of the Outfit mobsters.
Within the first minute of the fight, Marko’s most trusted guard went down. A heavy punch from Leonardo to his neck took him out.
Just one punch, he died.
Now Marko is left alone with his grandkids, and he has to rely on luck, so he fought back with one ear.
He was tough despite his condition.
He kept receiving hits from his grandkids.
Punches from Leonardo,
Kicks from Bobby,
Since Bacardi isn’t here, Sandra used two elbows….one for herself and one for Bacardi.
She’s elbowing him.
Round and round.
This moment, Monika decided it was finally time to act…now that they’re so engrossed in their fight.
She pulled out the gun she came with from it’s hostler.
She built the bullets herself. Big and long and poisonous. She soaked it in the white distillery poison from there years ago, so it’s concentrated.
There’s no reverse, no antidote.
She loaded, set the nozzle, and aimed sharply for Leonardo.
“Goodbye, Leo.” She muttered, smiling as she pulled the trigger.
But she wasn’t expecting what took place after the pull.
The gun has two main nozzles, so two bullets flew out at once, but they didn’t touch Leonardo, cos someone covered him and took it.
Seeing the person, the gun fell from Monika, dropping soundly to the ground.
“Joyce!!!!!!!” She screamed her guts out, and that made everyone else stop, including the Coker siblings.
They turned back, seeing what just happened, Leonardo’s eyes widened.
But that smile is still on Ivanna’s face, and despite the fact that she has been shot, she’s still holding a gun.
She had snatched it from Tierney.
The gun is stretched to Monika, and as Monika began running to her, she shot with her remaining strength.
Monika got hit on the head, and the woman dropped with a sharp gasp.
Ivanna fell on her knees, tears sliding out of her eyes despite her smile.
“Let me, the product of rape… return to hell with my rapist mother,” she gasped, twice.
<Full Flashback, The Night Before The Mission Three Years Ago]
[Cooper Family House, 7pm]
After enough warmups inside Leonardo’s private gym in his Citadel, Ivanna left the estate and came here for a purpose known to just her.
She stepped into the terrace, picked the door key and opened the front door, stepping into the house.
She didn’t bother turning on the lights. She walked in the darkness like that, and she didn’t stumble for once till she arrived at her room.
She carried a box down from the top of her wardrobe. It’s a box containing her valuables, can only be opened by her own fingerprint.
She opened it, and the only thing inside the box is a smaller box.
Black, old, prehistoric.
She stared at it for a beat, malice glinting in her empty eyes.
Then…she removed her necklace.
Using the key pendant, she opened the box. It slid open easily.
Too easily.
She picked out a folded old letter from inside, and she rubbed the edges with the tip of her fingers.
She has been keeping this since she grew up to know how to read.
According to Erica and Leroy, it was found in the basket with her that day on the river.
A letter, from her real mother.
Ivanna has read it countless times, and now she knows it word for word without even looking, but she opened and letter anyways, reading the short sentence.
• WHEN YOU GROW UP, BABY, FIND LEONARDO ESPOSITO. HIS FAMILY IS THE CAUSE OF OUR PREDICAMENT. TRAP HIM, KILL HIM! I’LL KILL THE MOTHER. IF IT’S DESTINED, WE’LL MEET AGAIN. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, JOY.
Ivanna’s glinting eyes looked up again….more dangerous this time.
She smiled darkly…
“He’s already trapped, mother. Now he’s dying by my hands, tommorow.”
Then she stood from the bed and walked to the window, staring out.
“To you, mother. To you, he’s gonna die. To the world, he’d be dead. Tommorow, I’ll become a devil…a villain… But I hope he returns stronger to conquer his ops.” She muttered, opening her palm to check the wooden bullets.
She took a deep breath and shut her eyes tightly.
<Present Time>
All eyes are wide now.
Ivanna is still on her knees. The two bullets hit her stomach actually, and all her blood is nearly gone.
As blood pumped out of her mouth, she looked down at her shot stomach.
The stomach is destroyed by the bullets completely. She’s seeing two of her intestines peeking out already.
She smiled again.
“This feels so good,”
Then, Bacardi and Robert and the rest ran inside.
Their eyes widened too.
“Joy….” Leonardo’s voice broke.
He moved from where he stood.
Ivanna fell from her knees, and she started going down lifelessly.
“She became a stuntwoman cos of you!!!!” Bacardi shouted in tears.
“Joy!!!… No….. Joy!!!!!!!!!!!!” Leonardo let out an earth-shattering shriek as he began running…..
To her lifeless body.
TBC.
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