chapter 13: a family's dark past

Welcome, Adria," her father said, his voice warm and gentle. "I'm proud of you for making it this far. Now, it's time for you to know the truth."

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Adria sat on the edge of the couch, her eyes fixed on the screen as her father's recorded message played. Every word he spoke resonated with her, sending shivers down her spine and stirring emotions she had long buried.

"If you are watching this it means you discovered some things that doesn't make sense and you want answers and that is what I'm going to give to you." Her father's voice echoed through the room.

"As you probably know, our family has a long history with the omertà alliance and the shadowhand clan." Her father continued, his voice steady and calm.

"But what you don't know is how deep the relationship runs. I should probably start from the beginning, how it all started."

Adria's breath caught in her throat as her father's words hung in the air, the weight of his revelations sinking in. She felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach, a sense of unease creeping over her as she braced herself for what was to come.

"It all started generations ago, when our forefathers created the omertà alliance. It was built based on the idea of bringing mafia leaders from all around the world to be united as one. Many mafia leaders refused to join the alliance as it seemed to them like a restriction on the activities they would normally do. There were a lot of rules guarding the alliance but the main ones were no human or organ trafficking. If you were to be a part of the alliance, you would have to stop these activities if you were involved before. There was also a rule that was against sex trafficking. Back then, mafia leaders often bought people for their personal pleasure but the alliance was against it.

Due to most of these rules, many didn't join. There were five mafia families that created the alliance. As the alliance stated, money made would be shared with government so as to help people and the economy. But some few years later, one of the founding fathers became greedy, he wasn't content with what he was getting and he was against sharing with the government. He was able to convince another founding father and together they decided to form their revolution towards the others against them.

There were only three remaining founding family who were loyal to the cause the omertà alliance was built on. The others who betrayed them broke of and created their own clan which you know as the shadowhand clan. Though they had created their clan, they still wanted to take over the omertà alliance and promised to make them pay for the trouble they had caused them.

They became obsessed with the idea of killing of every single member of the omertà alliance and the founding families. For years they plotted and planned, wanting to have the perfect plan that would end them but somehow, the omertà alliance got wind of their plan. They found out that their generation was in danger so they made their own plan to protect their offspring.

The three founding families sent each of their successors away to different places, each with a trusted alliance to protect them and as they grew, let them know about their roots.

As you may have already guessed, the three families are Wilhelm, Lopez and kaiser. Because of the war between the two clans, the successors were separated but they had a method of communication.

The shadowhand clan did succed in killing the families but they were not able to take over the clan as they had people in high positions who Still stood for the cause

The leader of the shadowhand clan got an information some years later that they were successors to the place of power, the omertà alliance. He became obsessed with finding them and ending their bloodline completely.

The successors were your grandfather, Lopez's grandfather and the kaiser's grandfather. I don't know if you have met Klein kaiser yet, because this fight involves him just as much as it involves you and Alejandre.

Few years ago, we had all met one day and we decided that the alliance had to be brought back, and this time it would be stronger. We created a code for conversing because we knew we were being watched and we definitely didn't want them to catch a whiff of our plans. We had all agreed on a plan but what we didn't count on was betrayal from someone we had trusted a lot.

We had walked into our own trap but barely escaped with our lives. You remember the day that I had to miss Kiara rehearsal for her drama play. I had planned to come but I couldn't risk coming back because they were right on our tail and the last thing I wanted was for you guys to be involved.

We had a face off with them on one encounter and I had fought with the leader. His name is Marco fiore also known as 'the fury'. During our fight I had slashed him on his face. He now has a scar that runs from his left eyebrow down to his ear. He is in a partnership with a man named sancini. Fiore is actually using sancini for his own games but he doesn't know that, what he knows is that he has a partner that would back him up."

Adria's heart pounded in her chest as she absorbed her father's words, the magnitude of their implications weighing heavily on her shoulders. She had always known that her family was in danger, but she had never realized just how deep the threat ran.

"Adria, I know this is a lot to take in but this fight is yours now. If I were to have it my way, I would never let you get involved but you can't be kept in the dark forever. It's about time you knew the truth within the lies. You should know that you aren't in this alone, You have allies who will stand by your side, friends who will fight for you, and a family that will always love you. I want you and your sister to know that no matter how far away we are from you, no galaxy, no black hole, no millions of star up there would be able to measure how much your mother and I love the both of you.

I know the journey is hard but I believe that you with the others would overcome it. You would put an end to the shadowhand clan. You three would be victorious and be able to live your lives fully once the threat has been neutralized.

No matter the stress, remember to pause, close your eyes, take slow deep breaths and open your eyes.

We love you Adria, never forget that."

Adria's eyes welled up with tears as she listened to her father's words, the weight of the truth crushing her. She felt like she was drowning in a sea of secrets and lies, her whole life turned upside down. She thought she had known her family's story, but it was all a carefully constructed facade.

As the recording ended, Adria's composure crumbled. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed, the tears streaming down her face like a river. She felt like she was grieving the loss of her innocence, the shattering of her illusions.

But as she cried, she knew she couldn't give in to despair. She had to be strong, for herself and her sister. She took a deep breath and wiped away her tears, her eyes red and puffy.

Andre and nanny Esther had earlier left the room, giving her privacy. But right now she wished they were here. She knew they were somewhere in the building and decided to go and find them.

As she went down the stairs, her eyes took in the room looking for Andre but he wasn't there. She could hear the pitter patter of the rain as it fell outside. Though it was raining, the house still maintained it's warmness.

Adria walked in the east direction as she made to search the rooms looking for Andre. She was about to pass the third room on her left when she heard low voices from there. The door was slightly ajar so she was able to identify the voice as Andre's.

She went into the room quietly and saw he was facing the window, looking outside with one hand in his pocket as the other held his phone to his ear, speaking on a call with someone.

"Yes, I won't be able to come back tonight........ you shouldn't...... fine, you both can meet tomorrow.....I would inform peter to drive you here... I'm not sure.....*sigh* ..... good night mother." He said into the phone.

Adria tiptoed slowly to get behind him. As she had gotten close, she hugged him from behind, inhaling his cologne that smelt so much like him.

"That was your mother." She muttered into his shirt but he heard her clearly.

Turning around to face her, he caressed her cheeks, gazing into her eyes.

"Mmm Mhm, she wants to meet you and is coming over tomorrow. Is that okay with you?" He asked her.

"Yeah, of course. I would love to meet your mom. Besides it would serve as a great opportunity to ask about embarrassing stories of when you were a baby." She replied grinning mischievously.

Andre only shook his head gently, smiling at her. He pulled her along to the bed as he sat up, leaning against the headboard while Adria layed down, resting her head on his chest as he played with her hair.

As Adria lay on Andre's chest, she gazed around his room, taking in the soothing grey and white colors that seemed to envelop her in a sense of calm. The walls were painted a soft grey, and the trim and ceiling were a crisp white, creating a sense of harmony and balance. The bed, where they were laying on, was adorned with grey and white bedding, with a few pillows in a subtle grey and white stripe pattern. The room was furnished with minimal and sleek pieces, including a grey and white dresser and a white desk with a grey chair. The floor was made of dark hardwood, adding warmth and depth to the space.

"I like this room." She said a little drowsy.

"Yeah. This was the room I chose whenever I came here. I had it redesigned to my taste." He told her.

"Hmmmm, it's nice."

Adria felt a sense of peace wash over her as she took in the room's serene atmosphere. She listened to the sound of the rain outside and felt the warmth and comfort of the room, surrounded by the soothing grey and white colors. She closed her eyes, feeling the gentle rise and fall of Andre's chest as he breathed, and the softness of his grey sweater beneath her cheek. She felt safe and protected in this moment, surrounded by the calm and peacefulness of Andre's room in the Haven.