The Beginning (The Life 1)

But now, with no more distractions, there was a noticeable shift in the air. Sheila and Ma couldn’t stop singing Gianna’s praise, and the twins were laying it on rather thick. Pop just sipped his coffee and took it all in, but I’m not sure I could trust his laid-back disinterest. I didn’t hear my name, and no one asked me for my opinion, so at least for now, I’m in the clear.

Gianna showed more than a little bit of life when I picked her up later that morning; in fact, it’s the first time I’ve seen her so animated. She seemed more relaxed with the girls, not that she’d let her guard down. It was obvious she wasn’t accustomed to this, something every teenage girl sees as par for the course.

Once again, the twins carried the conversation leaving me alone with my thoughts, which was fine because I have a lot of shit to do. That afternoon at lunch, even Victoria seemed to be on her best behavior. She didn’t even look in our direction when she entered the cafeteria with her friends minutes behind us, and I could only hope that she’d come to her senses and decided to heed my warning though I wasn’t ready to believe that shit just yet.

I hadn’t heard anything on the monitor last night except for the sounds of Gianna moving around her room which is a good thing, I guess, and there didn’t seem to be anything bothering her this morning or now as she joked around with Lance and the twins while picking at her salad. “You’re gonna be okay? I’ll come back in time to walk you to your class.”

I didn’t wait around, nor did I answer the three nosy people at the table who asked me where I was going. I can do this. Watch over her for a little bit each day, leave her in capable hands, then spend some time taking care of my grand undertaking. For now, I might have to put some of my plans on hold to take care of her mess, but there’s no reason I can’t start making Ricci’s life hell in the meantime.

I looked over what I had lined up, the first line of attack. Nothing major, just enough to start the ball rolling. The plan had been to draw things out for at least a year, giving myself time to get everything in place before the final curtain. But now, with her in the picture, things might not shape up the same.

I didn’t think before I hit the send button that was going to cost Ricci a very lucrative deal. I never let emotion play any part in what I’m doing here. If I do, I might stumble. It’s not easing orchestrating the destruction of someone, no matter how horrible that person may be. It helps that I don’t see him as human. It makes it much easier to plot and scheme to annihilate him from behind the scenes.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of something leaving me, the last shred of innocence maybe as I set in motion what will ultimately be my own demise. The Ricci family, like mine, holds immense wealth and are seen as saviors to some while being monstrous to others. Coming at them financially first is the best and perhaps the only way to weaken them from afar. This first volley isn't enough to put a real dent in his business dealings, but it’s a start to something much worst. After months of hard work, it had been easy enough to hack into his computer, which these days is like reading the enemy’s personal diary. People have no idea how easy it is to piece their life together just from what they store in those things.

That’s why this one I keep hidden here is full of false information down to the VPN. I even fucked with the location so anyone looking would think I’m thousands of miles away in Azerbaijan.

I know down to the hour what Ricci has lined up and with who. It’s also been easy to find more personal information once I hacked into those closest to him. That’s where I found the rift between him and his older brother, who thinks he should’ve been the one chosen to run the family after their ailing father stepped down. I plan to use that little tidbit of information in the most vicious way when the time is right. With my first round of subterfuge well underway, I left to go back to her.

“Why didn’t you just pack a bag this morning and bring it with you?”

“I didn’t think of it. I can have my dad drive me over later if there’s a problem.”

“There’s no problem; he’ll come get you when you’re ready.” Anna freely volunteered my services. We were on our way to Gianna's house to drop her off after school. I guess I forgot to tell her the night before that she should just pack a bag and come home with us right after school, which made more sense to me than this back and forth.