Mafia's obsession; the beauty and the don

for the faint, irregular breath of mother, who lay unconscious in the bed beside her, every inhale sounded like it might

he pills inside were almost gone, and the money to refill them was

e an anonymous number, she h

lusive club. No questions a

er .but there was no choice . her mother's illness had drained what little saving they had left. the weight of their circumstance pr

unspoken promises that she would do whatever it took.Ev

ise hit her the low hum of laugher, the clinck of glasses ,and the sharp thrum of bass that seemed to shake they very a

tfits, applying makeup, rehearing their routines. Arianna kept to herself, drawing a deep breath as she unzipped the beg she came with and pulled out the dress, a figure-h

the floor settling deep within her chest. She stopped onto the stage, each movement fluid, instinctual, a dance she didn't know she had within her.

n she f

age, where he stood unseen by the others but not by her. His eyes were fixed on her, dark

g, still, as though the room itself bent to his will. She couldn't tell who he was not from t

the rhythm, but the sensation

y that unnerved her. And yet, there was something in th

inning of everything. Her world was about to shift in ways she couldn't imagine,