My Alpha CEO is a Mafia Lord

Episode 3

My childhood was normal. I wasn't abused; I had a perfect relationship with my parents. We weren't rich, but we were well off. Dad worked for the FBI. He climbed ranks and was soon becoming chief director before he tragically died. My mom was all that my brothers and I had.

My mother is the sweetest woman. She is strict in her upbringing but kind and thoughtful. She'd never hurt a fly. But why is she holding a gun right now, talking to Milo's father? And why does he have a gun too?

"Jeremy?" Breath caught in my lungs. "Jason." My brothers were here, each clearly with a weapon. I was tired of this; this had to be some sick nightmare.

"Olivia," my mother called out, her voice snapping me into reality. Milo set me down on the pavement at the entrance of the house. I was barefoot now, my dress almost torn at the edges from when I fell.

"Livvy," my brothers rushed to me, hugging me tightly. It felt good to see a familiar face, someone who could protect me.

"You have to help me. Milo kidn*pped me," I pleaded.

My family knew Milo all too well. He and my brothers often got into trifles when they'd come for me at work. They hated Milo just as much as I hated him. Our breakup in high school had broken me for the better part of three years. Yet, for some reason, I'd always felt that my family's hatred of Milo stemmed from something else. Something no one bothered to tell me.

"Did you hear me, Mom? Milo kidn*pped me. He's a killer, and he..." I came close to them, whispering, "He's a werewolf."

"We know!" Jason's voice cut through the air like a knife.

"Why do you have guns? Why are you here?"

"Olivia, honey," my mother said, taking a step towards me. "I know this must be confusing for you."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Confusing? That's an understatement. What are you doing here? What's going on?"

Jason stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. "We have a lot to explain, lil sis."

"Uncle Jackson, Aunt May? You too?" I looked around at the group. There were other familiar faces - uncles, aunts, family friends. And then there were others I didn't recognize, standing slightly apart. They all had an air of danger about them, and I noticed with a jolt that each person had an armed guard nearby.

The world was spinning too quickly. Everything was getting crazy.

"Come on, Milo, bring everyone in. It's time we talk," Milo's father called from inside the house. He was standing at the entrance when he said that. He was the only person without a gun, but the man behind him had one. I had a lot of theories about what was happening, but none of them I wanted to confront.

Milo led us inside. This time, he didn't need to drag me in. I walked into the house myself, keeping a distance from my family and everyone else.

Once we entered the house, hell broke loose. Out of nowhere, my brother pulled a gun and aimed it at Milo. My mom and Jason followed. Suddenly, everyone had a gun aimed at someone.

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Guns were pointed in every direction, with Milo's family and my own locked in a standoff. I was standing right in the middle of it, feeling like I was living a nightmare.

"This is insane," I muttered, looking from face to face. My mother, my brothers, even Milo's father - all people I thought I knew, now revealed as players in some twisted crime drama.

Milo stood beside me, his earlier ferocity replaced by an odd calm. He had a hand over my stomach like he was protecting me. "Everyone needs to calm down," he said, his voice steady. "We can talk this out without bloodshed."

"Talk?" my brother Jeremy scoffed. "With you monsters? I don't think so."

Milo's father, an imposing man with salt-and-pepper hair, sneered. "Watch your tongue, boy. You're outnumbered here."

"Quality over quantity, old man," Jason shot back, adjusting his grip on his weapon. "Besides, we only accepted your call because we wanted to make sure Olivia was still alive."

"Please," I said, my voice shaking. "Someone explain what's going on. Mom?"

My mother's eyes softened as she looked at me, though her gun remained steady. "Oh, sweetheart. We never wanted you involved in this life. We tried so hard to keep you away from it all."

"Oh, come on, Martha, just tell her the f*****g truth!" Milo's father shouted. He turned to me. "Sweet pea, I'm sure you're a nice girl, but your family is in bed with the crime syndicate."

I turned to look at my family. "Mom, what is he talking about?"

"Olivia. We wanted to protect you. You deserved a fair shot at life without the ties of being part of the mafia."

"Mafia?" I raised my voice, shaking my head. I felt dizzy; this couldn't be happening.

"My son, Milo, is the mafia king of our family. We run a sizable part of America, sharing with your family and another," Milo's father spoke. I turned to look at my brothers and mother. They weren't saying anything. I couldn't believe this.

"I saw Milo kill someone. Do you..." I couldn't even get those words out, but the look on my mother's face told me everything I needed to know. They were killers. All of them.

"Olivia, listen to me, there's no time for this," my mother was crying, her finger shook, and the gun almost fell. "The Orlandos are coming to collect you. If we don't seal the deal with the Novaks, we're all doomed."

There was a silence that stretched through the room. Everyone knew something I didn't.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the door. All guns were aimed at the entrance, and Milo pushed me behind him instinctively. He pulled out his gun, walking forward.

"The Orlandos!" someone shouted before the sound of gunshots filled the air. My heart stopped; my parents and Milo's family started firing. I covered my ears; the sound was so loud I felt like I was living a nightmare.

The gunshots didn't even last long. Footsteps echoed on the steps of the house. "Orlando!" I heard my mother say.

"Stay behind me," Milo commanded. His eyes were red, his voice full of authority.

A group of men had just entered. No one was shooting anymore, and I wanted to believe it was for the best. There was a man, about Milo's age, leading them. His shirt was undone, and there was blood all over his chest, but it wasn't his. He had a cigar sitting on his lips as he stepped into the light. He intimidated everyone, including both my and Milo's families.

In a moment, his eyes met mine, and something sparked.

"Olivia is mine to marry, and I won't leave here without her," Orlando declared. Before anyone could react, he raised his gun and fired a single shot.