𝟎𝟏
(*sigh*)
"Achille was a good man, and an even better brother. The wounds left by his untimely death took a toll on us all, and they still have yet to heal."
The room was dark, only a single light bulb illuminating the dim space. A woman sat in a chair, looking around with nervous eyes.
There was a person on either side of her, one of which being someone she recognized. The one she recognized was a young man with white hair and eyes the color of embers. There was a long scar across his nose, one she'd heard the origin story of many times before, and he wore his usual gentle and easygoing smile.
He noticed the woman staring and gave her a simple smile, gently turning her head so she could look at the figure who sat across the table in front of her.
"After my brother died, it was your responsibility to take care of your son. Our Family provided everything you needed. Food, clothing, a place to stay. Hell, we could've even gotten the kid into Eden Academy." the person continued, "The money we gave you was meant to support both you and my nephew. Which brings us to the current issue..."
The woman in the chair gulped quietly as the figure seated across from her leaned forward so that the light shone across her face.
E/c eyes met a pair of grey ones as the face of the lady who had spoken was revealed to the nervous woman so was seated on the other side.
"Y-Y/n, look, I'm sorry! I just couldn't handle the stress, and I-!" the woman began but cut off with a whimper when the e/c eyed woman in front of her lifted a finger to her lips.
"I didn't tell you to speak, Edith." y/n spoke in a soft and calm tone, though there was a commanding edge to her voice, "210k dalc a month. That's how much we gave you so that you could support yourself and Kilian. And what did you do?"
(210k dalc is about 500,000 USD)
Edith sat there trembling, unable to look away as her sister-in-law's e/c eyes practically pierced through her. Achille Leone was a terrifying man, but he was powerful. Him and his Family had great influence in both Ostania and Westalis.
Their ties with the SSS made them practically untouchable, and Achille lived like a King. Edith wanted a taste of that life, and had married the man.
They'd had a kid, Edith lived a life a luxury, but things began to crumble when Achille passed. It was poison that killed him, administered by a close associate of his. After that, his younger sister took his place.
Y/n Leone was just like her older brother.
Cold, unforgiving, and certainly not foolish.
She didn't seem like much, as she kept up a ditzy and cheerful outward appearance on most occasions, but she was ruthless woman.
She weeded out everyone responsible for her brother's death and gave them all long, painful deaths. Their corpses were found by the Secret Police, and there was a short investigation which was quickly cut off and later on dismissed.
Any journalist who attempted to pursue the story went silent shortly after they began, and eventually the situation was simply forgotten.
Y/n and Achille shared cold e/c eyes, h/c hair, s/c skin, and a little beauty mark by the left eye. They both had steely gazes when they were furious, and they didn't take betrayal lightly. Y/n and Achille looked so much alike, it almost felt as though it were Achille sitting right in front of her instead of his sister.
Either way, that e/c gaze made Edith's blood run cold.
"That's a question which requires an answer, dear."
The sound of y/n's voice startled Edith back into reality, the woman's eyes widening a little bit. The brunette inhaled shakily, "I... I used it to pay for Kilian's clothing, to pay rent and to-"
"Wrong." y/n interrupted, "Three years ago, after my brother died, you used all the money on clothing and accessories for yourself. You bought a fancy car, you bought a nice house, and sold my nephew off!"
"Y/n, please listen, I-!"
"For 36 months, you kept making excuses to hide the truth, then you attempted to scurry off to Westalis when I stopped sending the money after finding out!" y/n said sharply, "7,560,000 dalc, Edith, and you decided to take it all and sell my nephew off to some shady organization!"
(Somewhere around 18 million USD)
Edith opened her mouth and closed it, gaping like a fish before she looked down at her hands. Not out of shame, but out of fear.
"I won't ask for any of the money back, nor will I take away everything you used the money on." the h/c haired woman began quietly, "But you must leave Ostania."
"What?! That's ridiculous! I can't just leave, where would I go?!" Edith demanded, standing up abruptly.
Y/n scoffed, "Maybe sell that house, that car, and all those fancy clothes of yours. The money will be more than enough for you to start a new life in a different country. Or, you could keep it all and remain here." the young woman got up and glowered down at Edith, "Just don't get too close to anyone. Wouldn't want them panicking and sparking up trouble when you suddenly disappear."
"It doesn't matter! Nothing you do will change the fact that the boy is probably dead anyways!!!" Edith spat.
The h/c haired woman paused at that.
It was a long moment before her glare turned into a look of disgust, "Perhaps I should just kill you right here... no, I wouldn't want the blood of a filthy swine such as yourself on my hands. I'm sure the Secret Police would be real glad to deal with a despicable person like you."
"You... you wench!" Edith shouted, raising a hand to strike y/n. It was a split moment before she was slammed against the table, the man with the scar holding her down with her hand behind her back, "Let me go!!! You can't do this to me!"
Y/n tuned out the woman's screeching, eyes cold as someone else took the place of the man with the scar and grabbed the thrashing woman.
The man with the scar offered his hand to y/n which she took and allowed him help her stand.
She turned exited the room, the man close behind, and the two of them ascended the steps together.
They made it up to the main level of the grand manor which y/n owned and kept as a place strictly for family business and vacations.
As the man escorted her out the front door and towards the horseshoe driveway where her ride back home was waiting for her, he decided to speak.
"Are you alright?" he asked, breaking the silence and gaining the h/c haired woman's attention as they halted just beside the car.
"Hm? Of course." y/n replied with a smile and blinked when the white haired man reached out a brushed a finger over her cheek.
"Seems like Edith's ring cut you a bit." the man murmured and y/n lifted a finger to feel the small injury, "I apologize, Boss, I should've moved quicker."
"It's no problem, Laurence." y/n said dismissively, "The cut will go away soon enough, it's no problem."
"Even so, you should have it cleaned and tended to. We don't want to risk it being laced with something and having you die as well." Laurence pointed out before chuckling, "While I am supposed to take your place if you die, I don't think I could ever be a better Boss than you."
"Aw, how sweet." y/n laughed, "It'll be fine, Laurence. After all, we have some work to do. Do me a favor and have Oleander, Corinne and Serafina investigate Kilian's whereabouts. Do whatever you must to get Edith to tell us what organization she sold him off to and find as much information on them as you possibly can."
"And if she doesn't speak?" Laurence inquired as he opened the door to the backseat of the car.
Y/n stepped in, getting herself situated before her smile faded and she gave Laurence a simple stare, "She'll talk. If Edith is anything, she's a spineless coward who will bend and break so long as you apply enough pressure. Which isn't a lot, may I add. If there's any issues, call me. I'll handle them myself."
"Very well." Laurence said with a satisfied nod as he shut the door and y/n rolled down the window, "Dinner with the husband tonight?"
"Mhm, I don't think I've got it in me to cook today so we may just head out somewhere." y/n admitted before grinning, "Or, hear me out, you plan and cook our meals."
"Are you demoting me?" Laurence asked, pretending to give her a sad little pout.
"No, who says you can't be my right hand man and my personal chef?" y/n snickered.
"Yeah, yeah, you should go on home." Laurence sighed, shaking his head, "We'll get Edith to talk, you just enjoy your evening with your husband. And, uh, don't worry about Kilian. We'll find him."
Y/n nodded, "Thank you, Laurence."
"No need to thank me, just enjoy your evening with your hubby!" Laurence exclaimed before stepping back.
The h/c haired woman gave him a cheeky grin and a thumbs up, receiving an equally cheeky grin and thumbs up in return as the window rolled up and the driver began to proceed around the driveway and towards the road.
The young woman let out a breath, resting her head on her hand as she stared out the window.
'It's always me cleaning up your messes, huh?' she thought, closing her eyes, 'Good grief, Achille.'
Y/n always admired her brother due to his unshakable resolve and strong leadership skills. He was someone she aspired to be like, and she'd always done everything she could to support him.
She remembered the day her brother introduced Edith as his girlfriend, clear as day. Edith was a simple girl, one y/n could easily get along with, but she always sensed something off about her.
She was glad to see her older brother let down his walls for someone, so she ignored her instincts and fully supported their relationship. Soon after the two got married, little Kilian was born.
Everyone was certain that the kid would be a genius, he certainly showed signs of it. And then, when Kilian was three, Achille was killed.
Y/n was still quite young at the time but she had no choice but to go with the flow as she was suddenly thrown into a world full of responsibilities and chaos. After losing his son, the duo's father just couldn't handle it any longer and decided to step down. That left y/n and Laurence as the only eligible people for the role of Boss.
In the end, since y/n possessed the drive needed to take on the position, Laurence remained second in command while y/n began living the life she thought she'd never have to live. The underworld was no nice place, but the young lady managed to adjust.
At 20 years old, after three long years of tying up loose ends and punishing those who needed to be punished, she was ready to complete the one request her brother left when he died.
Y/n could vividly remember those few seconds before his death as he grasped her hand. Even in his final moments, his grip was strong. All their life, Achille had had a strong and firm grip. It was warm, comforting, and always steadied y/n in her moments of weakness.
Achille was her pillar for most of her life.
Whenever they held hands, he'd be the last the let go to ensure that y/n had the strength she needed.
"Take care of Kilian, y/n." he'd rasped, "Please."
That day he died was the first time he let go first.
The fact that y/n had been unable to stay true to his request filled y/n with guilt, but she was ready to fix that. She would retrieve Kilian and give him the life that Achille never had the chance to give him.
But first, y/n needed to make sure his pathetic excuse of a mother could never hurt him ever again.
"One thing at a time, Miss Y/n." the driver hummed, snapping the young lady out of her thoughts.
"What the-? Claudia, aren't you supposed to be on break?!" y/n demanded upon recognizing the woman in the front seat, "You're pregnant, take a rest already!"
The ebony haired woman in the front seat only chuckled, "Heheh, my apologies. I felt restless at home, so I decided to take over for Liam for the day. Something on your mind?"
'A 💩 ton of things are on my mind.' y/n thought wearily, "No, nothing, it's just been a long day."
"Hm... how about we stop by the bakery to grab a cake before you head home?" Claudia offered, "Just as a little treat for your hard work."
Y/n exhaled quietly, "I'd like that."
When y/n wasn't managing both the personal and underworld business of the Leone Family, she was simply a housewife who happened to work as a hostess at the biggest Casino in Ostania. Uh... one of many Casinos which she actually owned...
She tried to keep her line of work a secret from her dear husband for two main reasons.
1. What sane person would willingly stay with their Mob Boss Wife??? Here's a secret: NONE
2. She didn't want to endanger him
"Thanks again, Claudia." y/n exclaimed as she exited the car upon returning home, a box containing a cake in her arms, "Go home and rest now, alright?"
"Yes ma'am, enjoy your evening!" the driver chirped as y/n turned to face the apartment building her and her husband lived in while Claudia drove off.
She carefully made her way up the stairs and into the building, trudging up the stairs and heading to the apartment her and her husband lived in.
She entered, closing and locking the door behind her before heading for the kitchen where she set down the cake which her and Claudia had retrieved.
"Hm..." y/n rubbed the back of her neck with a small pout, "I should wash up and change my clothes, I smell like Zain's cigarettes. I wonder if I should ban him from smoking in the house..."
Outside of her personal work, y/n wasn't Y/n Leone.
Instead, she was Y/n L. Briar.
Y/n Leone liked to wear formal, business-appropriate clothing at all times. It reminded her of her brother, and it made her feel closer to him even though he had passed.
Y/n L. Briar, on the other hand, wore anything she deemed comfy enough for her to go out or stay home in. So long as it was appropriate for the occasions. It didn't matter what it was, if it was comfy, she'd wear it. This often included her husband's clothes.
Y/n Leone dwelled in the underworld, held the lives on many in her hands, dined with dangerous people on some occasions, hunted down despicable people and greedy bastards on a daily basis. She was a good person, yes, but she happened to also do very bad things to do what needed to be done.
Y/n L. Briar wandered around the apartment without socks which lead to her stubbing her toe very often, cooked the best meals, slammed into walls in her haste to get to the door to greet her husband when he returned home, and was content with her life as a housewife.
Y/n was a cold hearted woman who would stop at nothing to make Ostania a safer place and keep peace between the East and the West. Even if it meant playing the murderous bad guy from time to time.
Y/n was also a kindhearted, somewhat ditzy, woman who adored and supported her husband with everything she had. She was on good terms with her neighbors, and viewed as a cute sweetheart who didn't have a single bad bone in her body.
Y/n was always y/n, it's just that specific people got to see one of the other side of her at specific times.
It did get awfully tiring though, switching up so often.
After debating on whether or not to ban her bodyguard from smoking, y/n took to preparing dinner. She was a little scatterbrained, somewhat distant as well, but she did her best to pay enough attention to make a delicious dinner for her and her husband.
Usually, she did just fine.
However, recent events had her mind elsewhere.
"Ugh, again?" y/n sighed with a disappointed pout as she stared down at the failed attempt at dinner, "Maybe I should just buy something..."
✄ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To Yuri Briar, his wife was the cutest person in the world. They had met four years prior, Yuri coming across y/n in a bit of a tight situation with a few aggressive men wielding bats and glass bottles.
Even so, the young woman was fearless in the face of danger and seemed prepared to fight them off with a little handbag stuffed with a brick.
Of course, Yuri couldn't just stand off to the side since she was severely outnumbered. In the end, he got another broken rib, a concussion, a broken arm, a knife to the left 🍑 cheek, and a brick filled bag to the side of the head.
Y/n was super freaked out about how badly he'd been injured, but Yuri had endured worse. He was a pretty tough guy thanks to his big sister.
Still, y/n had insisted on bringing him to the hospital just in case and had treated him to lunch as thanks.
Afterwards, they began to get to know each other and started dating when they were 17.
Dates were always a little... wild.
Sometimes they'd go for a walk in the park only to get caught in the middle of a damn gunfight.
Other times they'd be having dinner together at a nice cafe which would end with the two of them beating some random thugs over the head with chairs.
There'd even been an incident where someone tried to run them off the road while Yuri was driving y/n back to her place! Of course, y/n had a brick-filled bag on her so that went well.
Y/n was a pretty odd woman, Yuri had to admit.
While the two of them were dating, they would constantly be attacked during their dates for no apparent reason.
When Yuri questioned her about it, y/n's explanation was that her Father was a very rich man who had a lot of enemies. With the two of them being related, it was only natural that y/n would encounter some troubles as well.
Yuri accepted this without question because he's down bad horrendous for this amazing, independent woman.
While he would be insane enough to stay with his beloved even if she told him she was the leader of a well-meaning but very violent and unforgiving gang, it would make things very complicated.
Since... well... ahem.
The last three years had been peaceful for the young couple, especially after they got married. Income wasn't a problem, since y/n supposedly worked as a hostess at a casino and seemed to really enjoy her job.
Yuri, on the other hand, worked at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Well... uh, that's what he told his wife.
He actually worked for the State Security Service, a job that would most definitely worry Yuri's soft hearted wife. The SSS or Secret Police were known for using cruel methods to get information out of people, and Yuri figured that'd trouble his wife.
He avoided telling her this simply so that she wouldn't worry about him and could go about her day without fretting over him.
Err... fretting over him more than she usually did.
Recently, they'd been forced to reach out to the Leone Family for assistance in tracking down a Westalian spy called Twilight. If anyone could track him down, it'd be the Leone Family. They had eyes and ears everywhere, all over Ostania and all the way into Westalis.
Yuri wasn't too fond of the idea of working with a gang, and the Leone Family was super resistant no matter how much money was offered or how many threats were made anyways, but he didn't have much of a say in it.
Because of his job, Yuri didn't get to spend much time at home. So any moment he got with his wife was worth more than all the money in the world to him.
He was buzzing with energy at the thought of being by y/n's side again as he unlocked the door to their shared apartment, even if he was about ready to drop dead from how many hours of sleep he lost over work.
The thought of curling up next to y/n and resting his head on her lap while she read a book and rubbed his head was enough to get him through the day, and it was time for his find day dreams to become reality!
"I'm home!" Yuri exclaimed upon entering the apartment, closing and locking the door behind him.
The young man paused when he received no reply and raised his brows, "Huh? That's kinda odd."
Usually he'd hear the sound of stuff falling and y/n slamming into things in her haste to greet him first. There was none of that, just silence.
'She's home, the lights are on, but she hasn't said anything...' the man noted with a small frown, 'Is she asleep, maybe?'
It became the usual for Yuri Briar to enter the house only for his wife to come skidding around the corner and leap at him mere seconds later.
It was always his favorite part of the day, aside from waking up next to her and getting a goodbye kiss, so something was always off when y/n didn't greet him at the door.
Was she not feeling well?
Had she fallen asleep?
Maybe gone out that day to shop?
Or maybe she actually decided to go to work last minute and came home feeling tired...
No, y/n had a habit of leaving bags in random places based on where the contents were supposed to go. They were short on toilet paper, so there would be a bag right by the door had she gone shopping.
And if she'd gone to work, her shoes would've been haphazardly tossed by the door rather than neatly placed in or by the closet.
Something was definitely wrong.
Yuri took off his shoes first, y/n would freak out if he walked in the house with his "bacteria carrying, filthy shoes", before heading to the kitchen where he had a feeling y/n would be.
Hm... he smelled burnt food.
Either something was bothering her to the point where she couldn't focus on dinner and was stuffing her face with cake to drown her sorrows, or she was having second thoughts on what to make.
Just as Yuri peeked around the corner, he found his wife absentmindedly cutting a piece of... you guessed it, cake!
'Knew it.' Yuri thought, covering his mouth with a hand and staring at his wife with sparkling eyes, 'I know she's upset about something but she's adorable when she's in deep thought...!'
Despite her cheerful and upbeat demeanor, y/n did have her moments where she was just scary. Yuri was a little concerned whenever he found brass knuckles in her bag on dates, and he was shocked to see how easily she disarmed a knife wielding man and beat him into submission.
No, wait, he wasn't concerned.
He was even more in love than before.
Oddly enough, Yuri's typically very aware wife still hadn't notice him. She had a slice of cake on a plate and was absentmindedly twirling her fork in her hand, mumbling about something.
Out of nowhere, she stabbed the fork into her cake with an uncharacteristically dark look on her face, 'Damned woman... selling off my nephew like that. Maybe I should've stayed longer and interrogated her myself... I'd have her talking within the first ten minutes!'
While y/n was having very homicidal thoughts, Yuri was wiping away a tear from where he stood partially behind the corner, 'Ah... my wife is just the cutest... especially when she's angry. Did she have a bad day at work? That would explain the cake, she only eats cake and menacingly stabs it when she's upset.'
...oh dear.
How had neither of them figured it out yet?
Y/n blinked, snapping out of her little daze, and looked up. There, by the corner, was her husband staring at her with his eyes sparkling like rubies.
For a long moment, the two just stared at one another before the h/c haired woman beamed, "Yuri! You're home!"
Like an excited puppy, y/n darted from the kitchen only to slam her toe on the side of the wall.
'MOTHER🚚ER, THAT 💩 HURTTT!!!' y/n dropped like a damn rock and crouched, cradling her injured foot, "Oh... ow-"
"You should really watch the corner, y/n, this was the fifth time this week." Yuri laughed as he helped his wife back to her feet and pulled her into a hug, "How was your day? Aside from slamming your foot into a wall, of course."
"It was good!" y/n chirped as she rubbed her face into the crook of her husband's neck with a delighted smile, 'I might kill a woman.' "I tried to make dinner, but it isn't going so well, so how about we go to a bar instead?" 'If I try to cook right now, I'll burn the damn house down.'
In an instant, y/n's embrace brought energy back to Yuri's body which had once been ready to go into muscle failure from exhaustion.
We he embraced his wife, Yuri didn't fail to notice the little cut on y/n's cheek. It was new, from the looks of it. What could've happened there?
'Trouble at work, maybe?' Yuri wondered before his eyes narrowed, 'Doesn't look like an accident... did y/n have to deal with an unruly guest?'
"Well, how about it? Can we head to The Lazy Lion?" y/n asked, swaying a little with an eager expression.
"Is it just me or are you asking me on a date?" the ebony haired man inquired and y/n pouted, reaching to brush his bangs away so she could see both his eyes.
"Is it just me or are you asking to get burnt water for dinner?" the woman retorted, "C'mon, we're going out, and we're gonna have fun!" y/n declared, marching away.
"Whatever you say, big boss." Yuri chimed then paused, "Wait a second, you burned the water?!"
The lovely little couple went out to eat at a bar not too far from the house. Close enough to walk, but far enough for Yuri to make some excuse not to go most of the time.
The reason why Yuri was usually so resistant to going was because the bar, The Lazy Lion, was one of many establishments in the clutches of an infamous mobster by the name of Corinne Klein. The woman was dangerous, and any bar she owned was typically used to conduct shady business, meaning the place wasn't safe for y/n.
Whew... if only he knew.
Seriously! A gunfight could begin out of nowhere, the hamburgers they served could easily be made of the people who pissed off Corinne and mysteriously "disappeared", a drink meant to poison someone else could be accidentally mixed up or cross contaminated with the young couples' drinks, the possibilities were endless.
But then again, everything was dangerous when it came to his adorable and precious wife.
Yuri made the mistake of taking y/n to the bar once and she instantly fell in love with the f/f there which happened to be made just the same way her mother used to make it for her.
She started asking to go wayyyyy more often, and before Yuri knew it, she loved just about everything on the menu. Which was a little scary considering there were SO MANY DAMN OPTIONS.
As much as Yuri hated to take his wife to such a dangerous place, she was persistent and he often found himself unable to say no to his wife's hopeful eyes.
'This woman has way too much control over me...' Yuri thought, resting his head on his hand as his wife happily enjoyed some ice cream.
But that smile of delight on her face was always worth it, it was something Yuri treasured.
Looking at his wife always reminded Yuri what it was he wanted the most. He dreamed of a world where he could live happily with his wife, a world that both y/n and Yuri's beloved older sister could be safe in.
That was what he wanted, and he'd do anything to ensure that his dream would become a reality—
"Yuri, how do you feel about having a kid?" y/n suddenly spoke up and Yuri froze, speechless.
"...huh?"
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