Riccardo Mancini

My name is Victoria Scorzoni. At sixteen, my father, a small-time accountant, got into trouble—he learned too much about Don Ricardo's money. He was found in a ditch with his throat slit. My mother disappeared. And I remained. The streets taught me how to survive. First, stealing, then my first orders. I was noticed. They taught me how to cut so the victim wouldn't even cry out, how to poison wine, how to disappear from sight. Ricardo Mancini isn't just a boss. He's the king of this hell. He once destroyed my family. And now I work for him.

I sat down on a chair and took out a cigarette. The lighter flickered, briefly illuminating the scar on his cheek. “Salvatore is no longer with us,” I said simply, blowing out smoke.

Carlo nodded, not surprised.

— Is Don happy?

• I don't know yet.

He pulled out an envelope. Inside was a photograph. A young girl, about twenty years old, with blond hair and a naive smile.

• Who is this?

"Anna Maria Lombardi. The judge's daughter," Carlo lowered his voice. "Riccardo wants her to disappear. Quietly."

I slowly rolled up the photograph, feeling something cold stir in my chest. Children are always difficult.

• Why?

Carlo shrugged.

"The judge is asking too loudly about the missing cargo." Don decided to remind him that everyone has a weak spot.

I finished the whiskey, feeling a burning sensation in my throat.

• When?

— Tomorrow. She returns from the university through the park at seven.

I nodded and stood up. I didn't sleep that night.

Memories filled my head. Memories of myself, sixteen years old, in a dirty alley, holding a knife. My first contract. My first death. Will you do it, Victoria?—a voice inside me whispered.

She walked, wrapped in a light coat, turning the pages of a book. She had no idea she was being followed.

I moved parallel, hiding behind the trees. My heart beat steadily. My hand didn't shake. "Just work," I repeated to myself.

But when she stopped to adjust a strand of hair, I saw her eyes. Brown. Like my mother's. I froze.

"Who's there?" the girl turned around, peering fearfully into the darkness. (Should I betray Rick?)