The Foiled Plan (War of Sins Book 2)

‘What…’ his words are drowned out by a sudden commotion.

We move towards the source of the sound. Cisco takes the stage, a microphone in his hand as he draws everyone’s attention. Yuyu is by his side, their hands linked as he addresses the crowd.

‘Thank you everyone who decided to attend tonight’s event, and trust us not to shoot first and ask questions later,’ he starts in an amused tone, getting the crowd relaxed.

Raf’s hand engulfs mine as he places me slightly behind his body in a protective stance.

His attention is riveted on the stage, and I have to wonder what he was going to say…

‘By now you should all be aware of the purpose of this meeting and I’ve likely met in person with most of those present here.’

There are nods all around.

‘I want to propose a toast for the union of DeVille and Guerra.’ He raises a glass towards us. ‘But most of all I want to take this moment to make our comeback official. DeVille is back. And it’s here to stay.’

More cheering as the crowd approves.

‘And I know we all have a common enemy—Michele Guerra.’

‘We know that at least half of those present here today have had some type of run-ins with Michele. All unpleasant, I’m sure,’ Yuyu interjects.

‘Indeed,’ Cisco nods at his wife. ‘As most of you are aware, he has taken power by force, when in fact it shouldn’t even belong to him. Isn’t that so, Raf?’ Cisco asks, motioning Raf to come towards him.

My hand still in his, he leads us towards the stage as he takes the microphone. I try to make myself as small as possible, the attention overwhelming.

‘For those who don’t know me, I’m Rafaelo Guerra,’ Raf starts, and immediately, questions are directed towards him.

Why shouldn’t Michele be the head of the family? He’s first born.

It’s the order of our world. The first son always inherits the power.

Is this for real? What is he trying to achieve?

Raf doesn’t seem perturbed by the whispers going around. Instead, he merely gives them a bored look as he continues.

‘You are right. As tradition dictates, the first born son has always been the designated heir. Some of you, however, should be familiar with my father’s wishes that I be the next in line for the leadership position.’

Shushed voices comment on his statement, some criticizing Raf’s father, while others saying we should honor his wishes.

Raf merely holds up his hand, and immediately everyone is quiet.

‘I understand your concerns. Which is why I’ve decided to make public a piece of information that my father never wanted revealed. But alas, the dead can’t protest,’ he gives a tight smile.

Everyone’s eyes are on him, waiting for him to talk.

One small nod from Cisco, and Raf continues.

‘Michele was not Benedicto’s biological son,’ he simply states.

Gasps erupt in the crowd at the pronouncement, and more questions seem to make the rounds as some demand proof of the veracity of the claims.

‘I can help with that,’ Marcello, the man we’d met earlier, interjects. ‘You’ll see a DNA test on the screen,’ he points to the wall behind us. ‘That should be proof enough that Michele was not Benedicto’s son. In fact, his real father was my uncle, Nicolo Lastra.’

A few clicks and more pictures appear on the screen, showing different degrees of kinship, including one of Marcello’s half-sister, Sisi, who also happens to be Michele’s half-sister.

What?

I whip my head to look at Raf, trying to gauge his reaction.

His lips are pursed, his features tense. Still, there’s no trace of shock.

He knew.

Michele isn’t his brother—not his biological brother, anyway.

And I’m the last one to find this out.

‘So now you see why my father was insistent on stripping Michele of his inheritance. Of course, like any proud man, he did not want to make it public that his own wife had been unfaithful,’ Raf continues, and by now people have quieted down.

As I look at him, I can’t help but admire the calm way in which he’s relaying the information, a quiet confidence to him that managed to convince everyone of his claims.

‘I also understand why some of you would be wary of my approach since Guerra and DeVille have always been at war. Cisco and I have reached an understanding that would benefit both our families in the long run, and, we hope, you too,’ he smiles as he makes a few changes to the screen.

‘You are probably aware that for years now strangers have tried to infiltrate the city and take advantage of its ripe market for their own gain. Our plan is rather simple. As long as we all cooperate, we can keep those people out. A closed circuit, if you will.’ He goes on to explain how some families are already interconnected and their businesses are linked together, so it wouldn’t be a hardship to enlarge that network.

‘Instead of seeing each other as enemies and competitors, we would unite our forces towards a common enemy—outsiders.’

Both Raf and Cisco go over a detailed plan of getting the current big players to cooperate with each other by sharing information and potential customers.

‘Think of a supermarket. You go there thinking you need some milk and cereal. But on the way out you also pick some chocolate, some soda and some pop tarts. Did you need them? No. But they were there,’ Raf explains.

Essentially, by joining hands, each branch would profit from the other.

‘And because everyone knows everyone in this room, it will be rather easy to keep intruders out.’ Cisco concludes.

‘You do realize that would make them more likely to want to infiltrate. Because from the outside it will seem like a gold mine,’ Sisi’s husband, Vlad, intervenes, his stance laid back as he looks at Cisco with a raised brow.

‘I am aware. But together, we also stand stronger if anyone should come knocking,’ my brother smiles.

There’s a pause as Vlad narrows his eyes at him before he shrugs.

‘More conflict. I like that. I’m in.’

A few more issues arise as people start debating the merits of such a union.

And just as the topic of voting comes up, a loud boom erupts in the room.

Turning, I see something on the screen, the image initially lagging before slowly becoming more clear.

‘Cisco…’ Yuyu’s panicked voice barely filters through my ears as I focus on the video.

A silhouette draped in black appears on the screen. The scene seems to have been filmed in a warehouse as the person walks inside, both hands going to the back, grabbing the hilt of two swords and swinging them in the air. Battle cries resound in the background as men charge at him, all wielding various weapons.

No one stands a chance, though. Not as the person swiftly dispatches one after another. It only takes one contact with his sword for their heads to fall.

‘Wow,’ the words are out of my mouth before I can stop them, and I feel Raf’s hold on my hand tighten.

‘Stop this,’ Cisco barks out, storming off the stage and sending some directives to the tech team.

Still, the video keeps playing.

It’s a bloodbath as the person in black slaughters every single one of the men around.

Out of nowhere, my brother appears in the frame, a white handkerchief in his hand as he brings it to his forehead to remove a few stains of red.

‘All?’ he asks, and the black silhouette turns, coming towards him.

‘All,’ he nods.

One hand up, the person tugs on the obsidian mask that hides his features, wrenching it from his face and…

I hear a gasp, but I don’t know if it’s coming from me or someone else.

‘Yuyu…’ I whisper, the person’s features in full view.

There’s a commotion on the side as my brother is trying to stop the broadcasting of the video.

It’s all in vain, though, as the video continues, showing my brother and Yuyu engaged in a passionate embrace among the bloody corpses.

Clothes are already starting to come off, and that’s when my brother reaches the end of his tether. Pulling out a gun, he starts shooting at the screen in a last attempt to make it stop.

The pixels shift, the image distorted, but the sounds still reverberate in the room.

Until they don’t.

‘You can’t say I didn’t learn from the best now, can you?’ An amused voice resounds, though the video is already broken. ‘I merely borrowed some of your tactics, Cisco, since you’re not a stranger to public viewings of… R rated content,’ he chuckles.

‘Michele,’ Raf grits his teeth, his eyes on the screen as his hands are clenched by his side.

‘Your brother?’ I point towards the broken screen that nevertheless still works.

He gives a brisk nod.

‘I decided to return the favor, and let everyone know the identity of the elusive Black Monarch. I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t heard of it. Well,’ he pauses, amused. ‘Meet the Black Monarch.’

Everyone is silent at the proclamation, and one glance to the side is to see Yuyu clutching to her pregnant belly, her face full of shock.

‘And you, brother,’ he tsks. ‘You should have stayed away. Because now it’s game on.’

The transmission stops.

For the longest time, no one speaks. No one dares to…

Michele just publicly challenged both my brother and Raf.

The war is on.