The Mafia's Pawn

Cleo's POV

"And now, shall we all rise to our feet as we present the valedictorian award to none other person than..," the Mc instructed, and we all rose to our feet.

"Who do you think it'll be?" Amelia asked.

"I don't..." I started only to be cut off by the MC.

"Cleo Benson," he announced, his voice cutting through the tensed air of the hall.

The crowd erupted in applause and gasps, filling the room with a vibrant energy. I looked around in shock as the sound of my name seemed to echo in the hall.

My heart stopped as I stared into nothing, I staggered and sank into my chair, my hand gripping the edge of my seat.

Were they cheering for me? Or was there another Cleo Benson I wasn't aware of?

"Go, Cleo!" Amelia shouted, her voice rising above the others. "You've got this!"

It took a while for me to accept reality, but the cheers didn't stop. I was urged to come up stage, so I confidently rose to my feet and raised my gown slightly to avoid tripping, my hands trembling as I carefully walked up to the podium. I had already received four departmental awards, and to think I would receive the Valedictorian award was a dream I dared not dream.

As I stared into the sea of over two hundred graduates standing in the hall, their smiles and cheers filled me with overwhelming emotion. Tears welled up in my eyes.

"I...I didn't know if I truly deserved this award," I began, my voice thick with emotion, silencing their cheers. "But if I was chosen among all of you incredible students, then...I guess I must have."

A tear rolled down my cheek, and I quickly wiped it away. "This," I continued, holding up the award, "this is for all the sleepless nights, the sacrifices, the challenges we've all faced. I want to thank the board, the authorities, our lecturers...and I dedicate this award to every single one of my fellow students."

As I spoke, I noticed a ripple of surprise pass through the crowd. Confused, I wondered if my vision was blurred by the tears. People were pulling out their phones, recording videos, and taking pictures. Suddenly, the thought of being the center of attention, especially on social media, made me feel anxious. I instinctively turned to hide my face.

And that's when I saw him.

Miley, my boyfriend, was kneeling on one knee with a white bouquet in one hand and a small box in the other.

My heart skipped a beat.

"Cleo," he said, his voice steady despite the tremor of nerves I could see in his eyes. "Will you please marry me?"

I stared at him in shock and disbelief. Miley had been oddly quiet today; his usual easy smile was replaced with a tension I couldn't quite place. I'd caught him glancing at me several times during the ceremony, his fingers drumming nervously on the armrest. I dismissed it as pre-graduation jitters, but now, standing here, it all became clear to me.

A chorus from the crowd jilted me back from my thoughts. "Say yes! Say yes!"

Our relationship wasn't exactly a secret, everyone knew we had been together since our first year. But I hadn't expected this, not today, not in front of everyone.

Tears of joy filled my eyes again as I whispered, "Yes, Miley, I will."

He slid the ring onto my finger, and I threw my arms around him, the room erupting in cheers once more.

As the ceremony concluded and students began to file out of the hall, I lingered for a moment still rooted to the spot, admiring the glittering stone on the ring. Suddenly, I felt Amelia's on my shoulder grinding me.

"I can't believe this is real," I murmured, half to myself.

"You deserve all of this, Cleo," Amelia said softly, pulling me into a hug. "I'm so proud of you. I'm sure your parents would be too. Speaking of which, are they here yet?"

"That's true. Hold this for me," I said shoving the awards in her hand. "Let me put a call through to them."

I moved to a quiet corner, away from the noise and excitement. Dialing my mom's number, I felt a slight twinge of anxiety. The phone rang twice before she picked up.

"Mom, where are you guys? The ceremony's over and the party is starting in ten minutes"

"We're on our way, sweetie," she assured me. "Just a bit of traffic. We'll be there soon."

Relieved, I hung up and joined the party outside the hall. My friends swarmed me, all eager to see the ring. "Look at that rock!" Emily exclaimed, grabbing my hand.

"You're the newest bride-to-be!" Lucy teased, nudging me playfully. "Can I be the chief bride's maid instead of Amelia?"

I laughed, holding up my hand so they could get a better look. Across the lawn, I saw Miley surrounded by his friends, who were no doubt teasing him as well. Our eyes met, and we smiled at each other, the shared moment grounding me amid all the excitement.

Just then, my phone rang. I excused myself, expecting to hear my mother's voice again.

But it wasn't my mother. A man's voice came through the line, calm but with an edge that made my heart sink. "Hello, is this Cleo Benson?"

Cleo's POV

"Yes, who is this?" I asked, my breath catching.

"This is Dr. Stevens from St. Mary's Hospital. Your family has been involved in an accident. You need to come to the hospital immediately."

For a moment, I couldn't speak, my throat tightening as the world around me seemed to spin. "What do you mean?" I finally managed to say, my voice cracking. "Why would they be involved in an accident, mother clearly said there was traffic?"

There was a pause on the other end, one that felt like an eternity. "Please, Miss Benson, you need to come here right away."

I didn't wait for further explanation. Panic surged through me, and I bolted from the venue, leaving a trail of stunned onlookers in my wake. My heart pounded as I raced through the hallways, out the doors where I hailed a taxi.

As the taxi sped towards the hospital, my thoughts were a chaotic whirl of fear and disbelief. This couldn't be happening, today was meant to be my day, the happiest day of my life.

When I arrived at St. Mary's, I saw my father's eldest sister, Aunt Lydia, standing in the waiting room with her daughter, Ella. They looked pale, grief etched into their faces.

What were they doing here?

The moment Aunt Lydia saw me, her eyes hardened with anger. The doctor, a tall man with a kind but weary face, approached us just in time.

"Are you Miss Cleopatra Benson?" he asked gently.

"Yes," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Where are they? Are they okay?"

The doctor hesitated, his eyes full of sympathy. "I'm so sorry to inform you, Miss Benson, but your parents and your two siblings... they didn't survive the accident."

The words hit me like a physical blow. I staggered backward, clutching my chest as if trying to hold my breaking heart together. "No... no, that can't be true," I murmured, shaking my head. "I just spoke to my mom... they were on their way..."

"It was a very severe accident," Dr. Stevens continued softly, his voice filled with regret. "There was nothing we could do."

For a moment, my world stopped. Everything around me, the sterile smell of the hospital, the murmur of voices, the distant hum of machinery; all of it faded into nothingness. I was floating in a void, unable to comprehend the magnitude of what I had just heard. My mind struggled to process the words, but they felt foreign, impossible like they belonged to someone else's nightmare.

Aunt Lydia's voice cut through the fog. "This is your fault, Cleopatra!" she screamed, her face twisted in grief and fury. "If it wasn't for your damn graduation, my brother and his family would still be alive!"

"What?" I exclaimed in surprise. Wondering where the accusation was coming from. As long as I can remember, she already disowned her younger brother; my father five years ago because of an issue that was kept hidden from me.

Aunt Lydia lunged at me, her hands shaking with rage. "You killed them! You killed my only brother!"

I barely registered the first blow, a sharp pain on my shoulder, but the real agony was the accusation behind it. I could see the devastation in her eyes, the way her grief twisted her features into something unrecognizable. In her mind, blaming me was the only way to make sense of this senseless tragedy. But as her fists landed, all I could think was that maybe, in some way, she was right.

Ella tried to pull her mother back, her own eyes filled with tears. "Mom, stop it, please! Don't do this here!" But Aunt Lydia was relentless, her voice rising as she continued to vent her pain.

"You should have been the one in that car! Not them, not my brother!"

I didn't fight back. I just stood there, my arms hanging limply at my sides, my eyes vacant as the tears streamed down my face. At that moment, the vibrant, joyous girl who had walked across the stage just minutes earlier seemed to vanish, replaced by someone hollow, broken.

I wanted to scream, to cry, to tell Aunt Lydia that she was wrong, that it wasn't my fault.

What's so wrong about a parent attending their children's graduation ceremony?

But the words wouldn't come. I was trapped in a silent nightmare, where nothing made sense, and everything hurt.

Eventually, the hospital staff intervened, gently pulling Aunt Lydia away. Dr. Stevens guided me to a nearby chair, his voice soothing as he spoke to me, but I barely heard him. All I could think of as I sat there, numb and broken, my mind drifted back to this morning. We had laughed over breakfast, my mother insisting that today would be perfect, no matter what.

My father had promised me he wouldn't miss a single moment. My siblings had teased me but with pride in their eyes. Those moments, so full of life and love now felt like a cruel illusion and vanished in an instant. All the wishes, the prayers, the promises, they were gone, just like them. And all I was left with was the unbearable silence where their voices used to be.

Why me? I asked no one in particular.

***

Three days had passed since the devastating news, and I found myself standing at the burial site, the earth beneath my feet freshly turned, the air heavy with the scent of rain and the weight of loss. The sky was a somber gray as if the heavens themselves mourned with me. I stood by the graves of my parents and siblings, my heart shattered, my eyes red and swollen from days of endless crying.

As the funeral ended, Aunt Lydia, stepped forward, her face a mask of bitterness and unresolved anger. She looked down at the graves, her lips twisted in a sneer, before turning her gaze to me.

"This is your mother's fault," Aunt Lydia hissed, her voice sharp and accusing. "Your mother was nothing but trouble from the start. She seduced my brother, and pulled him away from his own family, all because we didn't approve of her. And now look, she's taken him and your siblings to the grave with her."

Cleo's POV

My breath caught in my throat, the words cutting deep, but I couldn't muster the strength to argue.

How dare she talk about my mother that way?

I had nothing left to give, no fight, no energy to defend my mother's memory. Instead, I could only sob quietly as I sniffed back the anger burning within me.

I knelt by the graves, my tears mixing with the rain that began to fall, and gently placed a single white lily on each tombstone. "I'm so sorry," I whispered, my voice cracking. "I'm so, so sorry," I repeated, pressing my hand to the cold, wet earth, feeling the chill seep into my bones, and closed my eyes, silently saying goodbye to the people who had been my entire world.

"You have just 2 minutes to shed your crocodile tears," Aunt Lydia said harshly. "Meet me in the car," she declared as she began to walk away.

I stood up, wiping my tears as I tried to regain some strength to fight back. I wasn't going to stay silent anymore.

"Those weren't crocodile tears, Aunty. You've just lost your only sibling, but you seemed to be cool with it..."

Ella who stood beside me slapped me hard on the face, cutting me off. "How dare you talk to my mother that way?"

I held my cheeks as I stared at Ella in shock.

Where did that audacity come from? Had she forgotten I'm three years older than she is?

"You're just like your mother, Cleopatra! You both are a curse to the Benson family! You're the reason they're all gone but you're trying to blame my mother, isn't it?"

I remained silent, my face a mask of pain, but I knew better not to respond. So, I paid my last respects, my head bowed, before walking away from the graves, leaving behind my Aunt Lydia and Ella.

As we drove home in silence, I stared out the window, watching the rain streak across the glass, each drop a reflection of the tears I had no strength left to shed. Just as we neared the house, Aunt Lydia pulled the car over abruptly, her movements sharp and filled with purpose. When she turned to me, her eyes were cold, devoid of any warmth or sympathy."

"Get out," she ordered.

I looked at her in absolute disbelief and confusion. "But...we're not home yet" I stammered.

"I know. You disgust me and I cannot afford to have you in my space for just a second," she declared, rolling her eyes.

"Ma'am, it's still rain..." I started only to be cut off.

"I don't care," Aunt Lydia snapped. "Get out of the car."

Angrily, I opened the door and stepped out into the downpour, the cold water immediately soaking through my clothes.

How could she be so cruel to her blood?

I shut the door behind me, and without another word, Aunt Lydia drove off, leaving me alone on the side of the road.

Like seriously? I exclaimed staring at the car till it was out of sight.

With my heart heavy and my body drenched, I began the long walk home, counting my steps slowly, each one a painful reminder of my isolation, of how completely my life had changed in just a few days. How I went from a Princess to Cinderella. As the rain poured harder, I didn't see the need to rush or hurry, I was already drenched after all.

As I approached the house, something felt off. The usually quiet street was filled with the faint scent of expensive cologne, one that wasn't familiar to me. Confused at the cars parked in the compound, I hesitated at the front door, which was suddenly flung open by Ella.

"Hurry, you have a visitor," Ella said, her tone unusually polite.

I stepped inside, my wet clothes leaving a trail of water on the polished wooden floor. "Who is it?" I asked, my voice barely audible as I tried to shake off the chill from the rain.

"Don't ask me dumb questions," Ella replied with a grin, as she stepped aside to let me pass.

With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I walked into the living room, bracing myself for what awaited me. The scent of the cologne grew stronger, and as I turned the corner, I saw a figure standing by the window, looking out into the stormy night.