The Boss of All This Mess

Chapter 01

Mirella

I woke up this morning with the alarm clock ringing. I turned it off and grabbed my iPhone to check the time. It was 7:00 am. I stretched, got up, and went to take a shower. After doing all my hygiene routines, I went to the closet to get dressed, fixed my hair, and put on light makeup. Then, I went downstairs with silent steps.

I lived in the South Zone, in a penthouse apartment in Leblon with a view of the ocean. Sounds like a perfect life, right? But it’s not. My mother died during childbirth, and my father is an alcoholic and a gambling addict. He’s a millionaire, but one day he’ll end up losing everything because of his vices. The problem isn’t just that he’s addicted, but that he never wins—if he won two rounds in his entire life, that’s a lot. He’s not even good at that.

I don't usually get along with him. I value my freedom and love going out, to parties, dances, anywhere there's music and I can dance. I don't have friends, just college classmates. I started college this year in physiotherapy; I've always wanted to be part of this profession.

I was in the dining room having my breakfast—orange juice and some toast with jam—when my father came down, sat in front of me, and didn't even look at me, just fiddling with his phone and already in the ironed suit the maid prepared every day. Incredibly, his brown eyes weren't red today because of alcohol.

"Good morning, Dad." I said calmly. He raised his eyes to me and gave me a cold look.

"I've already released your card." I rolled my eyes. He thought I only talked to him because of the money, as if I wanted something from him. I was already tired of depending on him and having to stay locked up in that huge house with nothing to do. And when he saw me with nothing to do, he sent me to the mall. I wasn't one of those neurotic girls who love to buy clothes and shoes and did that all day long. I liked some shopping, I confess, but not enough to spend an entire day inside a closed place with so much to see out here.

He took a sip of his coffee and spoke:

"I have to go." He said as he rushed out.

"Surprise," I said sighing to myself as I finished my coffee, grabbed my bag, and went to college with the driver. I got there and met my classmate Livia, the person I always talked to. We chatted until we went into the classroom.

GB

Hey, my name is Gabriel, but in the community, I'm GB, Gabriel only for those really close, like my best friends and my sister, no one else.

I'm the boss of The Mare Complex since my father died defending the hill in an invasion. When he died, Lua and I were left with no one, but my mother, who also passed away from a stray bullet, always said that Lua and I should take care of each other because one day it would really be just me and her.

Lua is strong, I know she is, although physically she's so defenseless. But here on my hill, no one messes with her. I'm really protective and don't let any clown get close to my sister, or they'll get shot. But even so, I know she's not a virgin anymore. She insists on thinking I was born yesterday, and I love her, I would never leave her alone.

I have my two best friends who are the only ones I trust in this whole mess here, which are Vinícius and Douglas. They help me a lot with issues of the hill and life. We've been friends since we were born, grew up together, and since then we always get into trouble together.

Among the three of us, the most wanted is, of course, me. I can't just wander around carelessly, but I had my informants inside the Police, and one of them promised to clear my record this week. I keep my promises, and I expect that from other people who promise me something, or they'll face the consequences if they make promises they can't keep.

I am merciless. They didn't have any when they killed my father. I don't want to fall in love. I had a "loyal one," but she didn't know the danger of betraying a dealer and went and messed around with one of the street dealers. I was obviously angry and sent both to the t*****e room. I killed the dealer right away, and didn't care about that wimp. But Ísis, I tortured, beat, shaved that oily hair, and buried the body six feet under. But I really loved her, thought I could run this mess here with the loyal one by my side, but I was wrong. There's no one trustworthy in this world...

Now I only have my casual flings that I wear out and then throw away, but some of them always come back to GB's bed, they love not being able to walk for a week, those girls... I've always hooked up with them in the alley or at the party, never brought any to my house and never will.

Lua

Hey, I'm GB's sister, the boss of the hill. I don't usually get involved in fights, but when I'm pushed, I push back. The girls from the hill, with their tiny shorts and all their attitude, are always provoking me, but I let it slide and even mentally thank myself for not shooting them. Okay, I didn't know how to shoot—GB never wanted to teach me. Actually, he's a pain. I can't do anything; honestly, I still don't know how he lets me go to the funk parties on the hill. He's insanely protective. I love him, but his rude and overbearing ways irritate me a lot. Sometimes we fight like crazy, and other times we're fine because I try to avoid arguing. But without a doubt, he's my best friend.

I used to go to college in the South Zone. That's right, I made my brother invest the money he earned from killing people to secure my future. But honestly, I never wanted to leave the community; I loved it there. Since GB took over the hill, it hasn't been pacified by the police yet, so you could see kids playing every day, boys playing soccer, and neighbors gossiping... That hill had peace and tranquility, unlike what many people think. But when enemy gangs decided to invade, GB always put me and Sthér in the safe room. Sthér is my best friend, she lives a bit lower down the hill from my house, but she's always with me, and if she's not at my place, I'm at hers. She has a wonderful mother, Dona Lúcia, who is a sweetheart and treats me very well, but she can be pretty wild and tough when she needs to scold us. She's like a second mother to me and GB.