The Mafia Princess

Sofia's POV

Staring out of the cab's window, I could tell it was about to rain as darkness slowly covered the surface of the street.

"Hey, Little Miss. We're here" An old voice sounded not far from me and I tilt my head gently to see the grey-haired cabman staring at me with his dim eyes.

I guess I was distracted to notice when the vehicle came to a stop.

Quickly, I handed over a euro note to him before alighting the vehicle and slamming the door closed.

"Keep the change," I told him without looking back and I think I heard him say,

"Tante grazie" before driving off.

Eleven years old me took a deep breath and lifted my eyes to see the small bungalow in front of me.

The entrance was covered completely with the perfectly mowed square lawn except for the narrow brick pathway that lead to the door of the building.

My father had messaged me earlier that afternoon to meet him at the bungalow we had on this particular street instead of driving home after school.

As I got closer, I couldn't wait any longer to see him because this could only mean he had something special for me.

We only left our family mansion for this bungalow during vacations and unique events between the both of us alone.

Privacy was needed.

I hit the doorbell several times and decided to go in when there was no response.

The door was left unlocked so I strolled in and as I did, said with a moderate voice tone, "Papà"

There was no response from him still and I could only imagine he was playing hide and seek as usual.

Papà does not care to act like a kid around me, just to make me happy.

A smile formed at the corners of my little lips as I took the corridor that connects to the kitchen.

The Kitchen. He would always hide in one of the kitchen cabinets.

Predictable old man.

Getting to the kitchen, I shoved open the door and what I saw changed my entire life.

Traumatized me forever.

There was my father's body in his pool of blood that swam slowly and spread around the white sneakers I was wearing.

Bullet shells scattered all over the green floor of the kitchen.

My heart rate went off the normal and my ears were instantly clouded with a certain screech noise.

I couldn't hold it any longer and let my scream at the highest possible pitch. "Papà! "

..

..

..

"Papà!" I screamed out of my daydream with beads of sweat scattered all over my spotless face and my heart pounded without control.

I heard indistinctive chatters from various directions and turned my head 90 degrees to see the employees of the company whispering and laughing among themselves while stealing glances at me.

They soon returned to concentrating on the computer screen in front of them and I wiped the sweat from my forehead with a deep sigh.

How the fvck did I fall asleep?

I was here for an interview with the manager of Auro Consolidated; the big tech company in the city for the vacant seat of a software developer in the company.

"Damn!" Escaped my lips and I rest my back on the waiting chair to see some of the tech workers still staring and giggling.

Somehow, a random lady screaming 'Papà' sounded funny to them.

I grit my teeth and with a long face, cursed internally 'Fvcking peasants!'

Maybe they'll respect me when I get this job. Only--

I was distracted by the voice of a woman and turned to see Mrs. Grey approaching in her black cropped tuxedo blazer and the noise made by her classy stilettos heels announced her arrival.

Mrs. Grey was the secretary at the front desk who asked me to sit and wait while she informed the manager of my presence in the building.

Minutes passed and Mrs. Grey never showed up until my mind drift into a daydream.

"Miss Sofia, right?" She demanded as she approached with a small laptop in her hand.

I nodded intelligently and rose quickly to my feet saying, "That's right. I'm Sofia. " I wiped my face with my palm and swallowed the saliva in her mouth.

Mrs. Grey came to a halt in front of him and with a long face announced, "I'm um sorry, Miss Sofia, my manager picked someone else already. The seat is now occupied and your service would no longer be required"

The sentence she made stung my head like an angry Borneo carpenter bee and I tried to keep myself calm by shaking my head.

I have been stung by that specie years ago and it hurts like hell.

I would kill to avoid feeling that pain ever again.

"Y-you Me--mean.." My voice cracked. I wasn't sure what to say.

"We have your contact and will mail you if there's ever a vacant spot in the company. Please exit the building ma'am"

My head boiled and the rage I was trying to contain was slowly let out. "Don't fvcking call me ma'am, Is this because I have no college degree? Huh?"

"I can do this job better than anyone of you here, all I need is an opportunity to prove myself. Just give me the fvcking computer and I'll show you my superpowers"

My breathing rate was gradually increasing.

Mrs. Grey pinched the roof of her nose and raised her face to me with a narrow look. "You need a college degree, ma'am, that's right but, the vacant seat is taken"

She was trying to be polite but I could see the truth in her eyes.

The company will never hire someone without a college degree.

I rubbed my forehead and decided to be calm with Mrs. Grey who wasn't harsh at me, unlike the former companies.

"Alright, I'll leave" I strolled towards the exit and paused mid-way.

The crazy side of me would never let me walk away just like that.

They needed to know how pissed I was at the fact that I wasn't considered for the job.

Turning slowly to the employees who were once again giggling at me with their hands over their mouths.

I guess they knew I was trying to get a job without a certificate.

"Fvck y'all... Okay?" I said with a loud voice and tightened my middle finger at them, keeping my tears trapped inside my emerald green eyes.

"I have been on the computer screen for a fvcking decade and you won't hire me because of a fvcking piece of paper. You know what? One day, y'all will see me at the top and will regret this day because I'll torment you with it. Once again, fvck you and your assh0le company, you create shitty buggy software by the way "

The stream of hot tears was eventually let out to dribble down my cheeks and I raced out of the building.

I could still hear their uncontrolled laughter ringing in my head and had no idea how far I'd run until I came to a stop at the sidewalk of an unknown street.

My heart and breathing rate were uncontrolled and my eyes, well, puffy with a load of tears.

The third tech company to have rejected me in just a day because I had no degree on paper.

They couldn't even try to see what I could do and my potential.

What lazy 21-year-old lady would have zero degrees in her name?

That was me, Sofia Dante.

Actually, my real name is Sofia Di Marco and I'm not fvcking lazy.

I ran into the United States after the gruesome murder of my father in Naples city of Italy and have been in hiding for 10 years.

My teenage life was wasted in isolation.

My father was Italian and my mother; was a Native American from South Dakota.

She died of a brain tumour when I was three.

I was a replica of her and looked nothing like my father.

The fair skin, the strawberry blonde hair, the green eyes, the accent and almost everything.

I'm pretty sure Papá was jealous even if he doesn't spit it out.

I engaged myself during that period in coding with the system I had and that was the only activity that kept me sane.

Only if Papá hadn't died of an assassination; an event that changed my entire life and a story for another day.

Right now, I had to keep my head straight on repelling suicidal thoughts that would eventually creep in.

They always try to creep in.

I opened my purse and glanced at my last 5-dollar note inside, staring back at me in disgust.

That is exactly how much I had left to survive before I fade away.

If I couldn't get tech jobs, then I could try grabbing the per-time job of a waitress, butler, or even stripper.

Nay, I wasn't sure of stripping but typically anything to survive this cruel world.

I couldn't even think about flagging a taxi to drive me home.

"Think about something, Sofia" I mumbled to myself when my phone buzzed loudly inside my purse.

In shock, I quickly pulled out the device to see it was a call from an unknown ID.

I was shocked because I'd never given my digits to anyone, ever, yet someone tries a random number and it happens to match mine.

Could that be it?

There was only one way to find out, I took the call and almost immediately, a husk voice sounded from the other end.

"Am I speaking with Sofia Dante, the professional therapist on um On-help.."

Sofia's POV

What the hell did I just hear him say?

He seems to have paused, definitely waiting for my response but I was just too stunned to speak.

Was he kidding right now?

The caller continued speaking after my prolonged silence.

"Miss Sofia. Are you there? Can you hear me?"

I cleaned my face with my hand and cleared my throat. "Sure. I'm Sofia Dante; the professional therapist on On-help. How may I be of help Mr... ? "

"Good... I tried contacting you via your mail but it was invalid so I called the number on your profile" He spoke politely and calmly, and I couldn't help but smile and scratch the back of my head.

"My boss needs your therapy service. What do you say 6 pm today? I'll send a vehicle over to pick you up from the address on your profile. That's your current address, right?" He inquired.

I stammered as I responded to him. "Sure... Y-yeah. You're right, that's my address"

Did he say he'll send a vehicle over?

He also talked about a boss.

This person must be fvcking rich from the way he speaks and yet, I found it difficult to believe this was real.

"Okay then, Miss Sofia. 6 pm it is. I also noticed there's no price per session tag on your profile. I believe 20 will be okay by you?"

I fvcking knew it. This was some sort of bullsh¡t orchestrated by psychotic heads who roam the application to cause havoc.

Twenty dollars for a session? This was a joke and she understands now.

"Are you there?"

"20 dollars?" I said calmly yet annoyed that my hope was risen for a moment.

"No. 20 thousand dollars, Miss Sofia. We are paying you 20 thousand dollars for a session with the boss, he really needs it at the moment"

My eyes almost fell out of their socket, my eyes blinked a thousand times in one second and my jaw remained dropped to welcome any passing fly that desired a nice warm home.

This was definitely an imagination and not real.

"Are you there? If that's not enough, we'll double it. Forty thousand dollars per session, Sofia Dante. Would that be okay now?"

I found my voice this time even though I was still recovering from shock. "Yeah. Totally. I'll be prepared"

"6 pm then" He hung up the call and that was when I managed to close my open mouth.

I clenched the phone in my hands and shook my head, still not believing the things I just heard.

Forty thousand dollars per session?

Unbelievable!

You're probably wondering what the tech girl has to do with therapy.

That's right.

I'm not exactly a therapist; nothing close to it.

On-help was an online mobile platform, a marketplace for self-employed freelancers to connect with clients either physically or virtually and get paid per service they render.

Four months earlier, I had decided to get hooked on the application and be self-employed in a particular tech job but failed to get any clients as my profile had zero credentials to prove I was capable of the job.

To test out the mobile platform at first, I created a fake profile with another account to get used to the app's environment.

The service I claimed I could offer on my profile was psychotherapy and I used my real number and address on it.

Just for trial before creating my tech profile.

Somehow, someone had found that fake profile of mine and believed I was a licensed therapist.

Licensed? Anyone who believed that profile is real was clearly blind in both eyes.

No credential on my profile or link to a licensing board to prove I was licensed to practice therapy.

Zero reviews from clients to who I had offered service before.

Nothing!

The profile was clearly screaming scam.

I pinched the roof of my nose and for a moment, decided to think towards the positive side.

What If this was a miracle?

I used to believe in miracles and religion when I was a child but I stopped believing after Papá's death.

What if someone decided to give me a try or something like that?

I tried to think of possible scenarios that could lead one to choose my service out of several certified therapists on the app who had thousands of reviews and whose profiles screamed 'licensed!'.

If I, Sofia, was in my right senses, I would rethink this over and over again but I spent the previous night listening to a motivational speaker on Tiktok who mentioned nothing great is ever achieved without taking risk.

This was a crazy risk but I'm damn crazy.

I'm fvcking crazy.

I moved home as quickly as possible and prepared myself to play the role of a certified therapist.

Engaged myself with watching several therapy videos on YouTube and reading therapy books on Google.

I ran through the entire internet to grab anything that could help me and by 5 pm...

I was now a psychotherapist certified by Google and YouTube... The other sites only contributed a little so I'm not gonna give them credit.

I used the one hour left to dress properly in my best outfit, hung a pair of glasses over my nose and boom, I waited outside.

While waiting I had an actual rethink of the risk I was about to pull out and for a moment it wasn't worth it.

I fvcking needed money right now but this could also be greed trying to dominate my mind.

Why would someone rich seek a session with a therapist with no license and agree to pay forty thousand fvcking dollars?

He could hire anyone else, a professional and not me.

I, Sofia, was a bad choice for therapy.

You take physiological advice from me and the chances of committing suicide the following day are pretty high.

"Your craziness is beginning to go off the handle.." I scolded and hit myself continuously on the head until I was satisfied with it.

I would continue my job-seeking adventure by tomorrow and see what good comes out of it.

No credential was needed to grab per-time jobs.

At exactly 6 pm, I heard the noise of a vehicle outside and pulled the blinds carefully to see the beauty parked by the side of the road.

A white Rolls-Royce Phantom whose front door immediately pushed open revealing the driver who stepped out in a black tuxedo and had dark shades on.

I took my time to appreciate the look of the luxurious vehicle and wondered who this boss was exactly.

Either way, I wasn't gonna embark on this trip anymore.

I closed the blinds with my eyes shut, rested my head on the arm of the couch and a few minutes later my phone buzzed strongly.

I could guess who the caller was already and it was confirmed when I picked up my device and then accepted the call.

"Miss Sofia, the assigned driver just arrived at your place"

They must have waited for me already and I wasn't showing up.

"Um... I'm sorry Mr, I forgot I had another appointment around this time so I'm deeply sorry to disappoint you. Find someone else"

'Find someone else' in quotes so he doesn't make an attempt to fix another session but he did not get the message.

"The driver would be waiting then. When you're done, he'll drive you over"

My jaw dropped in shock and my eyes blinked in confusion.

Why exactly is this man obsessed with an unlicensed therapist?

The picture was becoming clear.

I quickly unlocked my door and moved down the apartment's corridor while telling him, "I'm sorry Mr, I won't be able to attend to your boss anymore. Hire someone else on On-help. I'm just gonna have to tell your driver that, he shouldn't wait"

I intended to meet with the assigned driver and apologize before asking him to leave, kindly, but the turn of events caught me off guard.

The mysterious caller seems to turn away from the phone and spoke to some person in Italian.

It was now I noticed he had the accent in his voice the entire time.

Just like me, I look and speak like an American so no one can easily guess I'm Italian.

And yes, I heard the message he just conveyed loud and clear as my head decoded to English.

"I told him it's suspicious picking the last on the list. We don't have time to arrange another therapist for the boss, Kidnap her for him by whatever means you can"

I stopped instantly and electricity passed through my system like I'd been hit by a stun gun.

My heart rate increased drastically and enough beads of sweat formed on my forehead.

Kidnap? Who the fvck is this person exactly?

I instantly cancelled my plan to meet with the driver and turned to run into my room but bumped into a huge figure who remained unmoved.

'When did he get there? ' I ask myself and quickly apologized, "Sorry..."

I made to move past him when his masculine voice sounded in the strangest way possible. "Sofia Dante, The boss doesn't take no for an answer"

Realizing he was up to no good, I turned around to make for the entrance door but immediately it pushed open and the driver in a tuxedo stepped inside.

"Are you in a rush to go someone?" He asked and it dawned on me how much trouble I have gotten myself into.

These people wanted to take me and the only thing I could do was try to scream.

My loud voice was interrupted by a firm hand over my mouth and something sharp pierced into the side of my neck.

I wasn't sure what was passed into my bloodstream but my screams became whispers, my bones weakened to the core and most importantly my vision started to become blur.

The motherfvcker drugged me.

Although I couldn't see properly again, my hearing still worked fine to hear the masculine voice behind me say. "We have the therapist now"

Fvcking hell! I don't know why these people are obsessed with a fake therapist who can cause them to commit suicide but one thing lingered forever in my head.

Who the hell is this psychotic boss they talk about?

Clancy's POV

This is not the first time I survived a near-death experience and definitely not going to be the last.

I alighted from the dirt bike in the garage with a briefcase in my possession and staggered away with pain coursing through my entire body.

I might not fear death but still, I'm a human who feels and hears the whispers of death saying, 'You might not be so lucky next time, mortal man'

My face was covered with the blood of those I'd stabbed to death that evening and my white long sleeve was soaked with my blood.

I had a bullet wound on my shoulder and it was bleeding nonstop, weakening my body with each passing moment.

I would have been able to withstand that pain but I had others coming from the bleeding slashes at my back.

Tonight was rough, like every other night I decided to take on risky mafia tasks on my own.

Call me stubborn but I spent all my life as the Underboss of the family who carried out dirty jobs while the boss relaxed and dished out instructions.

I'm the King now and yet, I do the sh*ts myself.

Sitting and serving instructions to subordinates could be sometimes boring.

I found my way down the hallway, staggering as I went until I almost bumped into one of my men who was armed with a rifle.

He was shocked to see my state and couldn't help but mutter, "Boss.."

"Where is my brother? Where is Dale?" I demanded coldly ignoring the concerned look on his face.

"He found the rat who stole from tonight's delivery, Boss. Dale is asking questions"

My countenance changed without warning and I tightened my fist before finding my way to the basement of the building.

I was in California City today for two reasons.

First; to sell an exclusive product of ours to a top-notch customer who resided here and the other; to retrieve a product of mine stolen during shipment and to be sold to a local dealer here.

The first deal didn't go through with the dealer because a considerable amount of the product was missing from each parcel when weighed.

One of my men was responsible for stealing to resell and I had no option but to cancel the deal and ask my brother to handle the situation while I deal with the other cause.

I attacked the transaction locations and managed to retrieve the package stolen from my shipment with the skin of my teeth.

Crashing a drug deal as a lone wolf was crazy but c'mon, they're just a bunch of local gangsters trying to go global the wrong way.

No one steals from Clancy McCain.

I kicked open the basement door strongly to see Dale standing in front of a dark-skinned man tied to a chair and his face was swollen.

Evidence of severe torture.

My brother never fails in his doings, a good reason I can leave tasks to him and not look back to inspect.

Dale turned to see me with a big smile on his face but it immediately transformed into a deep frown.

"You look like sh*t," He told me with a slice of sympathy in his voice and then pinched the roof of his nose.

"I got the package, that's the most important thing," I said to him and dropped the briefcase at the side of the door.

Dale had tried several times to warn me about playing lone wolf but after surviving on every occasion, he resolved to remain silent about it.

Then asked him, " So... This is the son of a b¡tch. Rafael, look into my eyes"

I squat before him with an angered look.

I cared less about the pain in my system and more about this betrayal from one of my trusted men.

Rafael whimpered with his head down and my brother couldn't help but laugh loudly, and say, "The tears won't save you, Buddy. You stole from us. Only you had access to the nose candy parcels before we moved them into the van"

"I'm sorry... Okay?" Rafael cried bitterly and his voice only added more heat to the rage boiling inside of me.

I rose coordinatively and without warning, connected my tightened fist to his nostril feeling the sharp tweak of his nasal bone.

A painful roar rushed out of his throat and as he raised his head, thick crimson liquid flowed out of his double pipe, down to wet his bushy moustache.

This was the first time I cancelled a deal with my California client because of fvcking missing stuff.

Motherfvcking greedy bastard!

"Tell me this is the first time you pinched out of my parcels and I'll take out your fvcking eyes..!" I yelled at him, pulling the gun behind me and pointing it at him with a furrowed brow.

I guess I've been reluctant the entire time and trusted them to be contented with their various pay.

"Tell me you're alone in this and I'll make you swallow my bullet!" I cursed, tightening my grip on the pistol when Dale stepped in front of me and cocked his brows.

"That's enough, Brother. We'll interrogate him when you have a clear head"

I wasn't exactly sure what he was pointing at but one thing was sure; the longer I stayed in this basement, the higher the tendency to put a bullet in the skull of this rat.

Slowing lowering my pistol, I trailed my feet out of the basement and located the living room where I collapsed into the modular sofa, and shut my eyes for a moment.

Tonight was completely fvcked up and--

"I rescheduled a new deal with the Kevins. I also have Sonia checking and refilling the parcels for the deal. She's the most trusted at the moment" My thought was interrupted by the firm voice of Dale and his footsteps resounded inside the room.

I massaged my forehead and opened my eyes to see him approaching with an open bottle of vodka in his right hand.

"Sonia will come over to stitch you up but for now...." Without warning, Dale poured the content of the bottle on my bleeding arm, soaking my shirt and sending a painful signal to my brain.

"Fvck!" I couldn't help but curse and snatched the vodka bottle from him.

I gulped in the remaining content and flung it to the corner of the room where a crash noise was heard almost immediately.

I looked over my shoulder to see the bleeding seizing up already and then raised my head to see the proud smirk at the end of Dale's lips.

"You enjoy this. Don't you?"

"Not yet" He responded and pinched the roof of his nose before cocking his brows at me.

I knew something big was coming at that instant.

"It's time to pay up"

My brows furrowed, not understanding what he meant by the line until he clarified, "You forget our bet so easily"

I gulped upon hearing this and couldn't stop myself from inhaling deeply.

If I knew better.

Dale and I had done the pinky bet thing before I left to retrieve my product.

He claimed they would know I'm coming and try to ambush me but I bet otherwise.

"Rumors spread like wildfire in California, Brother. The Lance, The Ricardos, The Lincolns, every one of them got leaking mouths to sell information regarding your presence here"

I could only nod slowly to what my brother said because he was right.

I ran straight into waiting gangsters and managed to escape.

He won the bet and now I had to pay up.

With what exactly? Whatever he wishes, I grant it to him without complaining.

That was the rule of the bet.

"So... What do you desire? My card, women, cars..."

Dale had never won a bet against me before and that's enough reason why I can't guess what he would suggest.

This was his first time and I believed it would be something enormous but alas...

"Will you see a therapist now brother?"

My jaw dropped in shock and a big annoying smile appeared on his face.

"You still struggle with the trauma that comes with Mom and Dad's death. It's time you deal with it?" He whispered to me with a concerned voice.

I waved my hand at him and rest my forehead on my open palm. "I'm fine, Brother. I need no godamn therapist. I am Clancy McCain, the--"

"Spare me the title" He interrupts and took a few steps back to relax on the couch opposite me.

Dale continued. "I spoke to Doctor Ivory about my traumas and I've been a fine brother. I don't have that madness roaming my head anymore. Look at you, you just raised a gun at Perez, the look in your eyes, you were going to shoot"

"He's a rat" I defended, almost angrily.

"I know. You've been over your head lately, Brother. The memories are haunting you again, ain't they?"

I wasn't ready to hear any more words from my brother to suggest I'm weak. "I don't need a fvcking therapist. Doctor Ivory, I ain't spilling my madness to that old woman who wants the notes. I'm out of here"

I made to walk away when Dale spoke, "Are you walking out on your bet? It's fine though"

I turned to see him resting his back on the sofa with his legs crossed and an indifferent stare.

That's it. I couldn't go back on my words else it would pave the way for him to walk out of a bet in the future.

I grit my teeth tightly and waved my hand, "Fine. Any therapist but not Doctor Ivory, and it must be here in California. I ain't seeing no therapist home. Let's be done with your crazy demand here and forever"

I swear I could see a creepy smirk curling at the end of his wide lips.

Dale knew nothing would hit me harder than being forced to see a therapist to help with the trauma that causes me to be violent at people.

It hurts harder than giving him my platinum card or favourite vehicles.

I wasn't sure if he truly cared about my mental health or if this was just vengeance on his part in relation to the bets I'd been winning since we were kids.

I've made him do a lot of things to date and he has been waiting patiently for the day he manages to win one. Today was the day.

Dale wanted me to see the one person I despise most in life.

A fvcking therapist.

I knew better not to back out of the bet and just face it.

He would lose more bets to me in the future and I'll have my pound of flesh then.

"That's the spirit, Brother. I'll arrange one for you now.." Dale rose to his feet and I said quickly to him, "Let me choose... Bring the list..."

His brows furrowed.

"I choose my therapist or no therapist. You choose..."

He sighed heavily and pinched the roof of his nose.

Dale knew better not to let me off the hook. "It's fine... Let me see...."

He pulled out his device and approached me quickly.

I watched him open the On-help app and navigate his way to the Therapy service section where an endless list went on and on.

"Professor Cruz here got thousands of reviews... I'm gonna arrange him for you" Dale told me pointing to the number one service which was highly recommended by the application but I had better plans.

Was it exactly better?

Without warning, I swiped and the list rushed up until the last came smiling at me like a woman who just discovered her fiancee is secretly a trillionaire.

"That one... Sofia Dante... That's the one I want" I revealed with a big smirk knowing full well the account was inactive and probably abandoned for all eternity.

"What?" Dale's eyes bulged out and he stared dagger at me but I wasn't moved.

"A bet is a bet, dear brother. You agreed that I can choose any therapist and now... I picked my choice. Back down now, will ya?"

I always managed to find my way out of my problems and here is Dale trying to outsmart me in a bet game.

"I'm gonna go wash up then" I whispered with a victorious smirk and walked away from him but stopped midway when his voice reverberated, "You sneaky Bastard!"

I thought Dale was gonna let go at this point but this was his only chance to force me to seat with an unwanted therapist.

He still went ahead to arrange Sofia Dante for me by all means.