Chapter 36 (Aliyana)


    1 year Later


    “I think it’s an idea you should consider.” My short steps rush behind Gabriel’s long strides. The touch


    of cold tickles my nose as Gabriel moves a few paces ahead of me. It’s a year since I found out I was


    the Queen of killers and so far, I’ve done well not to call them for anything.


    I meet with all my Shadows for training and my life as my mother promised is very different.


    Material ? N?velDrama.Org.


    But hiding Mero for a year is a long time and I have pushed finding Elise who is still MIA back for


    longer. The thought of hurting her just doesn’t gel with me. I believe there is always two sides to every


    story.


    “No.”


    “Gabriel, it makes sense. Think about this for a bit, a few months working with my dad could do


    wonders for your rank and we can see each other every day.” Also, I don’t have to hurt you when you


    try to prevent me from killing your Uncle.


    “Working for my Uncle is going to do that Liya and we already see each other every day. You would be


    married sooner orter. Choose a husband already. How’s Salvatore?”


    “Papa said I didn''t have to marry anytime soon. Salvatore isn’t up for discussion. And Papa isn''t your


    Uncle. Don’t you want to work for someone who is going to make you look honorable?” What I really


    want to say, is my father doesn’t have any say over how I live my life, and you should really consider


    working for my father because it is going to keep you alive so you can take over as Capo after we kill


    your uncle, when we find him of course.


    Heughs, “Your father doesn''t have an honorable bone in his body.”


    I know that, my father didn''t be the Consigliere of the most powerful man in the 5th State doing


    honorable things. And I certainly didn’t be the Queen of Shadows because I was a saint either.


    “He is ambitious, nothing wrong with that.”


    He stops a few steps before his ck Jeep, and I ignore his soldiers, and my shadows around us


    smiling at how my head knocks into his back.


    Gabriel grips my arm and brings me to the front of him.


    “Where do you get all this energy from?” His face looks perplexed.


    Like he thinks I am absurd. Which isn’t too far off the mark. I am training 3 hours a day, including a 2-


    hour run in the morning and my fortnightly sessions with Killer, the torturer who works my body for 4


    hours non-stop. But I can’t tell my friend any of that. He is clueless that his friend is the Queen of


    Shadows.


    Sincest week this has been the same conversation Gabriel and I have been arguing about. His uncle


    is the Capo Dei Capi, but he has been really bad and pissed off some really important people that want


    him dead. So, our n was to fake his death and me ourselves for ending his life. Obviously actually


    killing him is not part of the n. But he will step down from his rank and the new Capo Dei Capi will


    rise.


    My free time now mostly spent with Kylie since Diamond disappeared. It is a favor for Killer. I’m still not


    sure of the whole story with Diamond, but I didn’t pry. Kylie is the type, if she wants you to know, you


    will know. But Killer asked me and I didn’t mind. Kylie was changing and we were both worried about


    that.


    Seeing Gabriel and Michel was bing a problem. People in the 5th State were starting to talk; well


    my stepmother was doing the talking and the other people were just repeating. My link to Catelli


    Famiglia had to be kept, because if it didn’t then the 5th State would wonder and that would make me a


    target. More so now that my birthday was tomorrow.


    Filippo told me not to worry, but I didn’t want Papa to have more to worry about. There was a war


    brewing with the outfit and Amariya DeMarco was the name whispered.


    Papa wasn’t pushing marriage on me since my sister and Leonardo got marriedst year. Not that he


    had a choice but if he asked me I would do it. He knew that, we both did. And I wasn’t interested. Life


    without Marco was good. He was still engaged to Cami and my guess was after 2 years of being


    engaged, we would be attending their wedding soon. But there was no baby. I thought of asking him


    about Cami but every time I saw him the question died in my mouth and understanding that his


    business was his own. The Shadows is something bigger than our quarrel.


    I didn’t avoid him as I did before. I couldn’t, because there were a lot of times where he needed my


    answer to a problem. I found out that the Shadow’s relied on my input to make decisions because I was


    the Queen and the more empathetic of all of us.