“Yeah, I don’t think so,” she replied to my previous comment.
Alderman might have been a greedy idiot, but the one thing I liked about him was his carefree spirit. The man never took things to heart; he was skilled at brushing off anything he deemed as negative. But beneath all that calmness and plastic smiles lay a monster no one had seen yet.
I greeted a couple of people I respected in the business and introduced them to my wife, whose beauty caught their attention. Scarlett played her part so perfectly that almost everyone was convinced we were in love.
Love?
Funny.
A waiter was passing through at the time, champagne and canapes balanced on the tray in his hand. I flagged him down and picked up two glasses—one for me, the other for my lovely wife.
“Here you go,” I said, my voice smooth and enticing as I handed her a glass.
“Thank you, darling,” she replied, accepting it with a practiced smile.
“Darling?” Gladys chuckled, the diamond around her neck glinting in the light. “How sweet!”
Her husband, Derek, raised his glass at me. “I’m happy you finally decided to settle down, son,” he said. “And with a good woman too.” He gave Scarlett an approving nod.
She beamed.
“Very important,” Gladys seconded, “because the type of woman you marry determines how long you’ll live on earth. Is that right, sweetheart?” The question was directed to my wife.
Scarlett chuckled, her eyes shining with mirth. “Absolutely.”
“I guess Derek hit the jackpot then,” I said, my lips curling into a smile.
“You bet,” he answered.
We laughed, our shoulders shaking in sync as the sound burst forth in unison.
Right there and then, I caught a shadow of confusion in Scarlett’s gaze. She must be wondering why I seemed like a completely different person around Gladys and Derek. She glanced at me, shocked that I hadn’t only smiled, but also laughed.
Gladys and Derek were like family to me—and for the longest time, those two had played the roles of parents in my life. They’d been married for almost 35 years and counting, with kids and grandkids they adored.
At first glance, they looked like an innocent old couple that a mugger could easily rob in an alley.
Wrong.
Those two were hotter than lava and had sent more people to the grave than I had. They were a ruthless duo in their prime, whose names sent shivers down their enemies’ spines. They built their empire from the ground up, taking out anyone unfortunate enough to stand in their way.
Even until now, Gladys and Derek, despite their old age and gray hair, were still feared and revered in the criminal underworld.
They looked like two weary old cats on the surface, but deep down, they were lion and lioness—king and queen of their own world.
I didn’t have many role models; however, these two were among the very few people I looked up to.
Not long after they excused themselves and left us, I spotted him in the crowd, his presence commanding attention.
Lucian. Lucian Sokolov.
My expression darkened when he started heading toward my wife and me with a smug smirk on his lips.
“Well, well, well,” he began, his voice low and even. “Would you look at that! Isn’t it the newest couple in town?”
I wrapped my hand around Scarlett’s waist, gently pulling her to me. “Sokolov,” I called, my tone clearly stating he wasn’t welcome.
“Tarasov,” he answered, halting before me, dressed in a crisp white suit that matched the color of his hair.
