Becoming the Queen

BELLA ROSE 17 YEAR OLD POV

I slam Jones down onto the mat for the third time today. I train every day and have ever since Derrek brought me home. I have learned different ways to fight and how to use different weapons. I have also learned Italian and French. Right now, I am learning Russian. Over the past couple of years, I have learned how Derrek is the leader, or Don, as his men call him, of the Mafia/Bratva Syndicate called Costa Nostra Bratva Syndicate. I am the heir to the CNBS. We keep the peace between the six different families in the New York area. We keep the government officials out of the dark side of things. We also handle the money made from all the illegal businesses. A bank of sorts for the families. We also have information on everyone and everything you could want to know.

CNBS started a little over 40 years ago, because of the constant wars between families. If my dad’s father, the previous Don, didn’t step in when he did then all six families would have been wiped out. He was the go-to guy in Italy and Russia. The original families sent him over to fix their problems before they stepped in. He came up with the idea that all of the families can rule under him, and he will give the original Russians and Italians a piece of the profit for cleaning their mess and keeping the peace. He has his own family and rules over everyone else. That was the only option given to families from my understanding.

The Bratva is run by the Volkovs. I haven’t met them face-to-face, but they are pretty good people from my understanding. Well as good as you can be in the darkness. The Volkovs run Newark and they are the biggest gun supplier for the criminal underworld. They own a few restaurants, clubs, and gyms. On top of that, they have a strong foothold in Big Pharma. I am told that Mr. Volkov’s twin sons are going to take over in the next couple of years. If I am correct, he also has a daughter and his wife is deceased.

The Romano family is into underground casinos and drugs. They have clubs, restaurants, and a reality company. Don Romano has no heir and his wife died almost 20 years ago. He reigns over the Manhattan area. I don’t know much more than that about him.

The Bianchi family has a hold over Queens. Their legal businesses consist of strip clubs, escort services, jewelry stores, and hotels. Their illegal business runs close to the other. They specialize in human trafficking and jewels. Ever heard of blood diamonds? They take it to a new level. I believe the son is fixing to take over or just has.

The Gallo family resides in Staten Island. They own a few art galleries and clubs. They also run drugs but make good on extortion. They seem to be low-key and keep to themselves. Don Gallo has only been Don for about I year.

The Ferrari family handles Brooklyn. They own a few hotels, clubs, and marinas. The marinas work their import and export business. While shipping in their drugs they ship in other s**t as well. The next Don is supposed to be marrying Aria Costa, the daughter of Don Costa.

The Costa family takes care of the Bronx. They have custom mechanic shops, which get a lot of business from the ruthless. They also have restaurants and strip clubs. They have a good hold on the Black Market while also trafficking. His son Angelo will be taking over soon as Don. His Daughter is arranged to marry Matteo Ferrari.

“Bella, move over to the range. I think Jones has enough for today. Afterward, you have class and a meeting with the Boss.” He chuckles as he calls over his shoulder and walks out of the room.

“Zander, when are you going to refer to him as my father or my dad?” I ask with a chuckle as I follow him. Everyone refers to him as Boss or Don, there is no in-between. Zander and Jones are the only people who know the truth about my situation.

“Never. Get used to it, you will be the next Don someday.” He throws a wink over his shoulder at me as we head to the shooting range.

“Not for a long while though. Either when he is too old to handle all of this or when he goes out like a Don should. Knowing him he would rather go out with a bang.” I tell him as we walk into the range. Zander agrees with me and then instructs what he wants me to do here today.

There is always room for improvement. Even though I know how to fight, shoot, and protect myself, Derrek always says there is always room for improvement. You can always become better. The moment you start to get comfortable, or you start to slack even just a little bit is the moment your enemy can take you out. So, every day I train.

After training and class, I head up to my room to clean up before meeting with my father. It is just like any ensuite you find in a castle-like mansion. There are four wings in this house. I have one to myself that has eight rooms with bathrooms, plus three guest rooms and three guest bathrooms. Each wing has the same setup as mine. In the middle of the wings is a library, a couple of offices, a couple of living rooms (they have formal names, but let’s get real, that is too much.), a ballroom, two formal dining rooms, an informal dining room and sunroom that leads out to a massive garden.

After I am showered and dressed, I follow Zander and Jones down to my father’s office. I knocked twice and waited for him to tell me it was okay to enter.

“Bella Rose how is your day so far?” he asks as I walk in and sit down across from him. He insists on calling me Bella Rose all the time unless we are around others or in a professional setting. He has called me Bella Rose ever since the night we met.

“Good. Mrs. Roberts said that I should be done with my business degree by the end of next month. After that, I will start my engineering degree. She is going to start the ball on that in a couple of days.” After I got adopted, I fast-tracked my high school diploma. And started college courses. Mom calls me her little prodigy; Dad says it is just pure determination to get what I want.

“Good. We have the Gala in a couple of days your mother wants to get your dress.” Before I can say anything, he stops me by raising his hand. “You know what your mother will say. You cannot be seen in the same outfit twice at an event like this. We have kept you out of the public eye long enough. You will join us at this event. It’s for the company anyway. Just please her. She was so excited to get a daughter, even if she didn’t expect her to prefer the darker side instead of the finer things.” He tells me with a small smile he tries to hide behind his fingers. It’s true ever since that first night torturing the man who attacked me, I have been more into the darker side of the business than the other side. I don’t like going to these stupid functions with fake people. I have been able to get out of most of them except for a few, but now that I am being brought into the light, I have to fake it till I make it I guess.

“Fine, I will go dress shopping with Mom later. I will have the guys take me to meet her. Anything else?” I sigh as I claim defeat. I really hate dresses and dress shopping. Even though I hate dressing up and going to things like that I would never in my life complain to my mom about it. My parents helped me dig my way out of the black hole that was my life. I know there are people who have it worse than me. I can’t help but be thankful for the new life they gave me that I can’t possibly pay them back for, no matter what I do.

“Yes, one more thing. I have a meeting with Francesco Costa later this evening. He will be coming for dinner. You will sit in on the meeting and dinner. You will not speak unless you are spoken to. Tonight, you just observe. For now, you will sit in on meetings and attend things with me that involve the business and the family. Most of our men don’t know about you. only your guards, mother and I know the truth. Besides us, no one knows except maybe a couple of house staff who would never say anything. You won’t see any action yet. Just observing. Do you understand me, Bella Rose?” The intensity in his voice and eyes tell me how serious this is. He is slowly bringing me into the fold. One step closer to him giving me the keys to the Kingdom. The only thing I can do now is make him proud.

“Yes, Sir. I understand. Anything else?” I straighten as I keep eye contact with him. Showing him, I am taking this seriously.

“That will be all. Get ahold of your mother to pick up a few business suits that you can wear. Don’t ever wear a dress around these men if you can prevent it. I have a call to make, dinner is at seven. I expect you to be prepared.” He tells as he reaches for his phone. I stand up and make my way to the door. As I stretch my arm out to grab the handle, he stops me.

“Bella Rose.” He says in a gravelly tone. Like I am being disciplined for something I did wrong. I look at him over my shoulder. “Are you really going to leave without saying bye?” I laugh as my lips lift into a big smile. I turn around and make my way around his desk. Coming to a stop as he stands up. He pulls me into his arms. With a kiss on the top of my head he steps back and looks down at me.

“I am so proud of everything you have accomplished so far. Keep up the good work IL Mio Miracolo.” My Miracle. He says that the morning of the day we met he asked for a miracle and that night I was sent to him.

“Grazie padre. Ti render sempre orgoglioso.” (Thank you, Father. I will always make you proud.) With one final squeeze, I turn around and walk out to see Jones and Zander waiting for me. I pull out my phone and call my mom.

“My beautiful daughter, to what do I owe this pleasure of a phone call?” I can hear the smile in her voice.

“I was calling to see where you are right now. I need some business suits for tonight and I figured we could get a dress for the gala. Maybe somewhere along the way stop and get some lunch.” I explain as I make my way out the door to the SUV.

“Well, I was going to head to Romano’s in Manhattan then do some shopping afterward. We can go somewhere else if you prefer.”

“No Romano’s is perfect. I haven’t been in a while. Meet you there.”

“Love you dear.”

“Love you, momma,” I mutter and hang up as I climb into the backseat. Sometimes I drive myself but usually I leave it up to one of the guys. We are always together anyway.

“What can you tell me about Mr. Costa?” I ask them both as we make our way out of the compound. I call them my fountains of information. We spent the rest of the drive going over everything they knew.

Don Francesco Costa, in his fifty’s, has two children, and he has been Don for about 30 years. He owns four strip clubs, two custom mechanic shops, and three restaurants. His mafia deals in black market sales and selling people. His daughter will marry the next Don of the Ferrari family. His daughter has been in Italy since their daughter was about one. Out of all the Dons, they like him the least.

“Watch your back and follow the Don’s lead. Costa will try to get under your skin don’t let him. Don’t end up alone with him, I would trust you with any of the other men but not him. If you can handle Frankie, then you can handle the other Dons as well. You got this. Remember what you have learned and stick with the Don. Remember, once Costa steps into the house the Don is no longer your father, but your Don, and you are one of his soldiers. Do you understand?” Zander my biggest protector drills into me. Zander and Jones have been my best friends since I stepped out of SynCox a few years ago. Besides my parents, they are the only people I would trust blindly.

“I understand, promise, thank you.” As soon as I am done thanking them, we pull up outside of Romanos.

“Jones will go in with you. I will sit with the car.” I give Zander a nod as Jones opens my door and I climb out. As soon as I walk in, the host greets me.

“Welcome back Miss Cox your mother is this way.” She spins on her heels and leads me through the main dining area.

“Thank you.” I whispered as I slid into my chair. Jones goes to the table my mother’s guard is at.

“We will have two mimosas. I will have the Penne Alla Puttanesca, and my daughter will have the Spaghetti Alla Carbonara.” My mother tells the server as soon as I sit down. I love Romano’s different Spaghetti.

I am distracted from whatever else she says next by a man walking through the restaurant. He has an air of power surrounding him, just like my father. He probably knows he has everyone’s attention but doesn’t care enough to acknowledge it, too busy with his companions. I snap out of my trance when my mother snaps her fingers at me.

“Bella did I not teach you to not stare.” She glances over at the man to whom I was staring. “That is the owner, Lorenzo Romano. His wife died about 18 years ago or so. Sweet man, you will probably come across him now that Derrek is bringing you out of hiding.” She purses her lips, like what she said tastes sour. She is glad Dad has an heir, but she hates that it’s her daughter.

“You can tell he is a powerful man. He has the same air about him as Dad has.” I tell her as I glance away again. Something about him keeps trying to draw me in.

“Most mafia men are like that sweetie. You will realize that you need to be more cutthroat than them. The world you are stepping into is a man’s world. You will have to fight twice as hard as anyone else just to hold your ground. They will try to tear you down in every way that they can simply because you are a woman. You can’t let them. You stand your ground and fight back. Show them whose daughter you are and that you won’t put up with it.” Before I could say anything, our waitress appeared with our food.

“Mr. Romano said your meal is on him today and tell Mr. Cox thank you for the gift.”

“We send our gratitude dear,” Mom says before dismissing the girl. We make small talk as we eat then spend the next four hours shopping for suits and dresses.

After another shower, I put on a simple tight-fitting navy-blue suit with a white blouse and black high heels. My make-up is light and professional. I pulled my hair into a sleek ponytail. Before I can second guess myself there is a knock on my door.

“Come in,” I say over my shoulder as Zander steps into my room and gives me a quick once-over.

“You look good. The boss would approve.”

“Thank you, Z.” I mumble as I look down trying to hide my blush. By looking at anything but him. I look back up when I hear him chuckle almost too quietly.

“Come on. Mr. Costa will be here soon, and you need to be by the Don when he arrives.” He leads me down to one of the sitting rooms where Dad is waiting on us.

“Bella Rose, here.” He hands me a tumbler with a little bit of brown liquid in it. “To help settle the nerves you might have.” I take the drink and swallow it down at once. I scrunch my face through the burn as it goes down, once it settles it leaves me warm on the inside.

“It’s an acquired taste that takes getting used to.” Dad laughs as he pours me another. I take it just taking a baby sip this time.

“Is there anything I should know before he gets here?” I question as I set the tumbler down on the bar. I don’t want too much considering this is a first for me.

“It seems he has had an attack and he wants to talk about it. He will throw the blame around and I will let him for a few minutes. Then I will shut him up and tell him how I am going to deal with it. You just observe unless you’re spoken to.”

“Yes sir.” He wraps his arm around my shoulders and gives me a little squeeze. He drops his arm as Mom walks in.

“Derrek, Mr. Costa has arrived.” I straighten and take a step back and to the side of Dad as Mom sits down on a couch.

An older man about as tall as my dad walks in. he has black hair that is starting to grey at the sides with dark brown eyes. It’s like looking at two black holes almost. He is lean and not as big or muscular as my dad. The vibe he puts off has chills racing down my spine. He needs to be watched.

“Francesco, thank you for joining us for dinner tonight. You remember my wife, Renee.” Dad holds his hand out to her as she steps up next to him. “And this is my daughter and heir, Bella. She will be joining us later if you don’t mind?” I give him a small nod and watch as he comes closer.

“I don’t mind at all. A pleasure to finally meet you. I had no idea, Derrek.” He leers as he continues looking me over.

“Yes well, she attended school overseas with Renee’s family until a couple of years ago. We brought her home to learn the family business,” Dad tells him as he leads me and Mom to the couch.

“Is she to be married to anyone? I have a son that is unwed and learning as well. Aria has just become engaged to Matteo Ferrari.” I stiffen a little hoping he doesn’t notice. Dad does though and pats my knee like he is telling me to stay calm. Before Dad can speak up Mom takes over.

“I told Derrek years ago. He can have my daughter. He can train her and turn her into the next perfect Don of the family. He will not arrange a marriage for her unless she wants it. We still have a few years before the next Don’s step up. So we don’t need to worry about that right now. Do we dear?” Mom asks as she turns her attention to Dad. There is a fire in her eyes that is daring him to disagree. Good thing he is a smart man.

“I don’t see the need for an arrangement. Bella will do just fine as Don. She will be a great Don someday. Dinner should be done now, why don’t we go sit.” Dinner passes way too soon. They have a couple of drinks and some small talk out on the back patio. Before Dad finally decides to get down to business.

“Why don’t we step into my office and talk about why you are here.” I make my way to the right side behind my dad in his office as Costa and him take a seat.

“Are you sure she should be here?” He directs his question at my father, but he doesn’t take his eyes off me.

“Do you doubt me? How is it any different than your son sitting here? She is my heir. She will be the next Don of Don’s. Do not doubt my choices, Francesco. Are we clear?” My dad says in a menacing tone that I have only heard a couple of times before directed toward the soldiers.

“Crystal.” Costa grits out between his teeth.

“Great!” Dad claps as he places his interlocked hands on top of his desk. “Now tell us what happened.”

We spent the next hour doing exactly what Dad said we would. Mr.

Costa’s black market was attacked. He spent half an hour blaming the other families. Mainly the bratva. The rest of the time he spent sending jabs my way.

“Bella call James and tell him to get here yesterday.”

“Yes, Don.” I make a quick work of calling James one of my dad’s lieutenants and passing on his message.

“You are needed in the boss’s office immediately,” I tell him quietly as soon as he answers. Hanging up my phone I turned to my father and whisper in his ear.

“He said give him five. Liam is on his way to relieve him.” Dad just gives a simple nod letting me know he heard. I stand up and take a step back as we wait for James.

“James.” My dad calls him as soon as he steps into the office. “Mr. Costa was attacked. That is your area, investigate it and let me know who and why. If you can’t get me those answers, then get someone in the chamber who can. You have till the end of the Gala. Mr. Costa I will keep you updated.” Dad dismisses him. He doesn’t look so happy about it, but he knows where he stands in the pecking order. Rumor is that CNBS has enough soldiers to wipe out all six families if needed. We have control. Costa thanks us as James begins to escort him out.

“Bella Rose, what do you think of Mr. Costa’s problem?” As he makes his way to the drink trolley I think over his question.

“I don’t think it is one of the other families. It must be either internal or external. They all know if they step out of line, we will wipe them out. I would look at his ranking members or a foreign entity.” I speak my thoughts as I go over everything that was said.

“I think you might be right. Brush up on your family history, you’re taking the lead when James brings us, someone.” He pours us both a drink as I take mine from his grasp he continues. “A drink to celebrate this milestone. When you take over you will know everything I know.”

I swallowed down my drink as I bid Dad goodnight. Once I leave his office, I go in search of the guys. They will be the ones I ask for information.