BLOODY TIES

VALOR DYNASTY

"Who did this?" Sofia shouted, her voice trembling with rage as she stepped into the dimly lit room. The sight that met her was more than she could bear: her sister, Elena, lay lifeless and shattered, a fragile flower crushed under the weight of brutality. The air felt suffocating, thick with grief that wrapped around her like a suffocating shroud.

"Calm down, Sofia!" an old man sitting on an ornate royal cushion replied, his voice strained yet imbued with a commanding authority. He was Mr. Valor, the patriarch of the Valor family and the leader of their powerful mafia syndicate, one known for its ruthless grip on the underworld.

"How the hell do you expect me to calm down, Valor? Just take a look at what they did to Elena! She is gone, Dad! This brutality... it's too much!" Sofia broke down, collapsing into a nearby chair, her hands trembling like leaves in a storm. Tears streamed down her cheeks, each droplet a reminder of the emptiness now overwhelming her heart.

Mr. Valor felt his own heart sink at the sight of his daughter's anguish. The words he once wielded like weapons now left him speechless. His beautiful seventeen-year-old daughter had been taken from him, mercilessly cut down in an act of violence that sent shockwaves through their tightly-knit world.

"The Alejandros did it, right?" Sofia asked, her voice shaky yet fierce, demanding answers as she locked her gaze onto the old man.

"This is not the right time for this, Sofia. The Alejandro Empire is too powerful, and we cannot afford to make a misstep. I don't want you involved in this mess. That's why I sent you far away. As for what happened to Elena, it was a consequence of our contract with the Alejandros. She shouldn't have crossed them," Valor's voice dropped an octave, overshadowed by the weight of his burdens, an unbearable responsibility that now lay heavily upon him.

"Oh wow! Really? So now it's Sofia's fault? Why are you so afraid of the Alejandros? Why have you kept me hidden from them for years? What about all those training sessions I've endured? Why me? Why cannot I be part of this? What happened between our families? What have you been hiding from us? I have so many questions, Dad!" Sofia's voice rose in pitch with each inquiry, a whirlwind of emotion fueled by pain and fury.

"Go and get ready for the funeral, Sofia!" Mr. Valor retorted, standing up, the last remnants of his patience unraveling like a frayed thread.

"I want answers, Mr. Valor! I need to know what is happening, because that's the only way I can take my revenge for Elena!" Sofia's breath came in quick, shaky bursts, adrenaline coursing through her veins like a wildfire.

Valor hesitated, misery etched on his face. The thought of his daughter following in Elena's tragic footsteps pulled at his heartstrings like an unwelcome specter.

"You wouldn't dare," he pleaded softly.

"I will! The Alejandros must pay for what they did to my sister!"

"You can't! You won't! You mustn't! If you don't want what happened to Elena to repeat itself, you must stay away!" he shouted back, desperation apparent in his tone.

"Why are you behaving like a coward, Dad? Just like the Alejandros, we are also a powerful mafia syndicate. Why are we afraid? The great leader of the Valor Dynasty is scared of the Alejandros. Why?" Her words sliced through the visible tension like a knife.

"Don't dig up what has been buried. Some things are kept a secret for a reason. Digging them up will do us no good. Just look at what happened to Elena! I warned her, but she refused to listen. And now you're doing the same thing!"

"Why did they kill Elena?"

"She crossed their path," Valor replied grimly.

"How?"

"Enough with the questions; you are not attending the funeral! Get ready to leave for Chicago!"

"Leaving for the hideout again? I won't go back to that shell! I'm tired of living up to your expectations," she fired back, eyes blazing with a fierceness that burned bright.

"You must, Sofia! I can't risk your safety," he insisted, his voice now tinged with a desperate plea.

"Risk what?" She couldn't comprehend the depth of his worries.

"The Alejandros are coming for the funeral. They can't see you."

"After what they did? Is that how it works?" Her sarcasm cut through the air, sharp as a blade.

"That's the rule of the mafia world, Sofia. No matter how deep the feud, you must always attend their weddings or funerals. I will not let them find out about you, so just get ready. Diego will take you back."

"I will not go back, Dad!" Sofia scoffed, her anger boiling over. In a moment of defiance, she drew a knife from her pocket, pressing it against her palm until blood began to drip. "I swear on this blood, dripping from my hands, that I will take revenge on the Alejandros. My sister's death will not go unpunished."

With that declaration echoing in the heavy air, she stormed out of the room, leaving Mr. Valor to shake his head in exasperation, masking a smirk of both pride and fear. It was the defiance he hoped to cultivate in her, yet he was terrified it would lead to destruction. As he made his way to the funeral parlor, each step felt weighted down by the shadows of choices made and paths chosen.

SOFIA'S POV

It's just too hard to believe Elena is gone. The reality feels surreal, like a nightmare from which I cannot wake. Adding to my turmoil is the fact that my dad seems utterly unmoved by it. I wish I had left with her a long time ago-twelve years ago when I was sent away to Chicago. My dad, the leader of the Valor Dynasty-one of the major syndicates-had always wanted a son to carry on the legacy. Instead, he had been blessed with daughters, and often lamented that fact.

At just ten years old, he had faked my death to the world, whisking me away to one of his major hideouts in Chicago. There, I underwent intensive training to become part of the mafia alongside Diego, his trustee's son. I hadn't seen home since that day, not until this moment when Elena's death shattered my isolated existence. I still couldn't fathom that I was back, only to be faced with this unbearable grief. Shortly after my return, Dad was adamant that I leave again, unwilling to let me attend her funeral.

"Can we go?" Diego's voice broke through my heavy thoughts.

"We're leaving for Chicago?" I asked, my heart clenching at the very thought of leaving my sister behind, even in death.

"We have to. The Alejandros can't see you here," he replied, urgency creeping into his tone, his brow furrowing in worry.

"So they are coming?" The tension in my chest tightened, a chilling wave of dread washing over me.

"They are already here, and that too with their new leader."

"They got a new leader?" I questioned, turning back to Diego, my curiosity piqued.

"Yeah-a guy named Adrian Alejandro," he answered, a frown creasing his brow in concern.

"I don't know him," I replied, opening the door to my sister's empty room. It felt wrong to step inside without her.

"Yeah, he just came back. Mr. Alejandro retired, and now he's the new leader," Diego continued, shifting uneasily.

"He's the reason behind my sister's death?" I asked, a sick feeling spiraling within me as my gaze roamed the room, desperately seeking a trace of her presence.

"Not sure, but he was the leader when everything went down," Diego replied, his expression blank, revealing no emotions.

"They have already to cleared the room," I murmured, glancing back at Diego, who stood a few feet away, concern etched across his features.

"You think they are hiding something?" Diego inquired, his voice low and cautious.

"Of course! Just look at how our father reacted to her death. He kills without mercy, yet he's shaken by this." Taking a deep breath, I picked up the only book that remained on the shelf, Elena's journal that she had kept close to her heart.

"Maybe he's scared of the new leader?" Diego ventured, his expression doubtful.

"Adrian? Why?" I questioned, flipping through the dusty pages. Memories flooded back-the pictures of our childhood, the dreams shared beneath the stars.

"I heard he is ruthless," Diego said, crossing his arms defensively.

"All mafias are," I dismissed, focusing on the cherished past encapsulated within the pages. I opened the first page, revealing a picture of me and Elena from that fateful day when I was taken away. Beneath it, in her elegant handwriting, it read: "Some secrets should never be found." A frown crossed my face as I absorbed the gravity of her words.

As I flipped through the pages, snapshots of our entwined lives emerged, full of her laughter and my profound longing. I was about to close the book when I spotted tiny writings at the back. Bringing the book closer, I squinted to read the scrawled letters. "Safe word: Muerte (death)," I read aloud, confusion weaving into my voice.

"What?" Diego asked, tilting his head, surprise evident.

"Nothing," I replied quickly, shaking my head dismissively. "What were you saying?"

"He's different," Diego insisted, a tinge of warning lacing his words.

"Who?" I asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Adrian," he replied, a serious look settling over his features.

"And why is he different?"

"He had his first kill at age ten ," Diego murmured, almost reverently, as if recounting a deep, dark secret.

"What?" My mouth dropped open in shock, my mind racing.

"Yes. He killed the Leonardo of the Shadow Strikers," he stated flatly, as though relaying a history lesson devoid of emotion.

"He was the one?" I asked, a chill racing down my spine, the implications settling into my gut like ice.

"Yes," Diego affirmed grimly.

"Why did he..." I stammered, grappling with this new knowledge. "I knew the story but never understood why he did it."

"He slapped his brother, Joan," Diego stated, shaking his head as if encapsulating the brutality of our world in that single act.

"Oh wow! I need to see him," I announced, determination igniting a flame within me. I was no longer willing to be a mere pawn in this dangerous game of power.

"We are leaving now, Sofia!" Diego urged, a mix of panicked urgency and concern flooding his features.

"You show me him, then we leave," I insisted, feeling an undeniable pull of fate draw me towards this new leader. The curiosity to confront the man behind my sister's fate consumed me.

"What if they see you? And why do you want to see him?" Diego's question hit me like a wave.

"I must know the killer who took down one of the most notorious mafia leaders. They won't see me. Even if they do, they don't know who I am," I replied firmly, resolution locking into place as I straightened my shoulders, ready to face the chaos that awaited me.

Diego hesitated, the worry etched across his features, but I sensed a flicker of respect in his eyes. Perhaps he understood that in our world, knowledge was power. And power... power was the only ally I could trust in this unforgiving realm.

"Alright," he conceded reluctantly, moving aside to let me take the lead. "But we need to be careful. If the Alejandros find out about you, there will be consequences-and not just for you."