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Mafia Book #2 - PART I - The Black Iris - Chapter 8 - The bad guy

Story masterlist - please consult it for the summary of the story, trigger warnings etc.

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Chapter 7 | PART II - The Withered Rose

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PART I - THE BLACK IRIS

Chapter 8 - The bad guy

chapter word count: 4k words

~10 hours before flying to Italy~

~Iris' POV~

"You finished packing?" Chris asked without raising his gaze from the newspaper in his hands. We were both in the kitchen; I was making a coffee, and he was waiting for everyone to come back from whichever errand they were on.

"Yea. All done. Why are you reading the newspaper?"

"Sometimes enemy gangs organise rebellions and form alliances by using keywords in the columns."

"No way!" I exclaimed.

"Yes way. Look, this one for example might sound normal to the general public."

He handed me the newspaper where a column was highlighted.

"Monthly gardeners meeting: Seeking passionate rose gardeners.

Would your heart bloom along the red roses? Would you find joy in discussing this passion among other gardeners?

If so, contact us at X5DK20 and inquire about our monthly meetings."

"This... makes no sense."

"It's the perfect advertisement. A person with no interest in gardening wouldn't even pay it any mind, let alone read it carefully enough to figure out it's a sham. Someone who would actually care about gardening would just call and they'd be told it's not available."

"But... what? I don't get it. How would you know...?"

"Why don't you give it a try?" He pointed to my mobile phone that was lying on the table screen down. "Call and see what they say."

I grabbed it reluctantly and dialled the number, and someone responded after a few rings.

"Hello, I saw an ad in the newspaper about a monthly gardeners meeting?"

"Yes, thank you for calling, could you please tell us the three most important roses for any garden?"

"Three most important roses?" I look at Chris, who just shrugged and chuckled.

"We are sorry ma'am. It appears all the spots for the meeting have been occupied. Thank you for your interest." And with that, they hung up.

"See?" Chris was still chuckling.

"I'm super confused right now."

"There used to be a powerful Mafia called The Scarlet Rose. They've been trying to revive it for some time."

"Oh, didn't you mention it before? The woman you loved was part of it, right...?"

He nodded. "We've been trying to find all the people who want to bring that mafia back, but we haven't had too much success yet. When you're back from Italy, you have to get to work too." He smiled, and I chuckled.

"Of course. Han taught me a lot. I will help him."

"Good. By the way, Minho has one last meeting to finish up all the details for the shipment, and said he'll meet you at the airport. Since I.N is the only one here with nothing to do, he's gonna take you."

I nodded. I've never actually spoken to I.N until now, so I bet the three-hour long trip to the airport will be really fun.

A few hours later, an uncertain knock on the door, barely audible, took me out of my thoughts.

"We should get going. Ready?" Jeongin asked as soon as I opened the door.

I nodded and he stepped in the room uninvited, grabbing the two suitcases.

"Wait, let me-"

"That's fine." He shrugged me off and brushed over me, carrying both suitcases down the stairs. When we reached the car, he put everything in the trunk and hopped in the driver's seat, without paying me any mind.

I settled myself in the passenger seat next to him and he turned on the radio and started to drive without saying anything to me.

The airport was pretty far away, and after a little while of going through fields and forests, the road became quite familiar, but it was hard to tell.

"Oh, I think I recognise this place." I started, and eyed Jeongin, but he didn't show anything on his face.

"Really?" He asked drily.

"Yea, I believe this is where you've buried Emilia, right?"

He side-eyed me and hummed a bit.

Something seemed off, for some reason. Was it his mannerisms that were sending alarm bells to my brain?

"Chris told me you don't go there that often."

"Mhm."

"Too bad we don't have enough time, we could've paid her a visit." I pressed further, but he just shrugged.

Something about his indifference made my mind uneasy.

"I love that you buried her next to that large chestnut tree. It's really beautiful."

"Thanks."

I froze.

Jeongin buried her alone.

He never comes to her grave.

But still, he loved her as much as Chris.

Something doesn't add up.

Why doesn't he remember what the place he buried her looks like?

"Except there's no tree." I whispered and looked at him uneasy, and he gulped.

"It's been a long time since I've been there." He replied quietly.

Still, it didn't add up. You don't forget shit like this, especially since it's a defining event that builds you as a person. Burying the one you love is traumatising enough to make you remember every fucking small detail.

He kept silent the rest of the ride and I was deep in thought, trying to make sense of the newly found information. Jeongin was behaving too weird, and maybe other people wouldn't have noticed, but I spent many years observing mannerisms, and I couldn't help but notice the way he leaned back in his seat and the strength with which he held the wheel. Also, he kept tapping his index finger on the wheel and he seemed tense. Actually, he seemed like he tried not to seem tense.

Jeongin loved Emilia.

He was the last person to see her alive, and he buried her on his own.

He never comes to her grave. Moreover, he doesn't remember what that place even looks like.

And then, the penny dropped, my mind suddenly becoming clearer.

He never comes to her grave

Because she's not there.

Jeongin pulled into the airport's parking lot and took off his safety belt, and as he was preparing to get out of the car, I decided to speak up.

"She's not dead, is she?"

He stayed silent.

My breath became ragged.

"You never buried her. It's an empty grave." It felt like the start of a manic episode, and I wanted nothing more than to drive back to her grave and start digging, to check myself if there really isn't anything buried in there.

He looked at me sharply, his brows furrowed.

"What makes you say that?"

"Jeongin, don't play dumb."

He started trembling slightly, but tried to keep his composure.

"That's why I didn't want to speak to you... fuck."

He cursed, and I stood silent, watching him. When his eyes met mine, he let out another curse, then spoke.

"I dug a grave for her..."

"But she's not dead."

"I don't know..."

"Jeongin-"

"Chris can't know about this. He can't. I promised her-"

"He won't. But I need you to walk me through what happened. What really happened."

Jeongin shook his head and closed his eyes. It was obvious that this was hard on him as well.

"I-" Just as he started to talk, a knock on our window interrupted us. Minho grinned happily and opened my door, cupping my cheeks and pecking my lips.

Fucking timing.

"How's my favourite girl doing? Ready to go to Italy?"

"... yes, I'm ready." I replied, reluctant to get out of the car. Still, I got out and retrieved the two suitcases from the trunk, and Minho and I started walking towards the entrance.

I threw Jeongin one last glance, and he nodded briefly to signal goodbye. I cursed in my head more than ever, because I had Jeongin, and I would've found out every last piece of this mystery if Minho hadn't come at that exact same time.

We went inside the airport and passed through security check, and we hopped on a plane one hour later. Minho slept the whole flight, getting back his missed night's rest while he was away to figure out how the shipment to Italy was going to happen, and I was deep in my thoughts, knowing that Jeongin's secret had the power to either drive Chan crazy, or turn him completely mad.

I wasn't sure what to do with this newfound information. Actually, I wasn't sure if I should do anything at all, or just keep silent and pretend I've never learnt of this horrible misfortune. The only thing that was certain, though, was that I needed to tell Minho as soon as possible, because this shouldn't be my burden to bear alone, and then we'd figure out what to do, together.

~6 days later~

~third person POV~

"Honey, I'm home~" Minho sang while opening the door to Iris' and his holiday home. It was a small cottage on the outskirts of the town; it had a beautiful garden full of flowers, signalling an early beginning of spring.

The temperature wasn't too bad either. Quite warm, Iris would say, as she basked under the sun's warm rays, smelling the sweet fragrance of lilies and daffodils. Except she couldn't exactly enjoy it because she's been worried sick.

"You're home? Minho, is that seriously what you're telling me after almost making me have a heart attack?! I thought something happened to you!"

"Well, nothing happened! I'm here in one piece! See? Both legs, both arms, 20 fingers, all teeth!" He showed Iris each body part, chuckling a bit at his lover's worried expression.

"Minho!"

"Aww, not even married yet and she's already nagging me!" He joked again, pinching Iris' cheek, but the girl wouldn't budge. She was already wary of being left at home to wait for him while he goes alone to finish up the trade, and after waiting for him for a few days, agonising about what he could be doing or where he's at, this indifferent attitude of his really pissed her off. He noticed it as well, so he quickly changed his stance, and tried to emphasise again that he's well and nothing happened. "Come on, doll, I'm truly fine. Don't you think I'm even more handsome now that you haven't seen my face in 6 days?"

"That's not funny." She furrowed her brows. "You said you'll be gone for a day. It's been 6. I thought you were dead."

"Iris... look, it took a bit longer than expected because one of our-"

"-shipments got caught at customs." She cut him off. "Yea, I know. Chris told me, after I called him 100 times to see if he knew anything."

"Woah, straight to the boss, I see!" He gasped. "I'm truly sorry for worrying you, I didn't mean to. My phone died and I forgot to bring the external charger. Amateur mistake."

"Did no one have a fucking charger over there?"

"We were in an old mill. No electricity whatsoever, and no one was allowed to leave until the issue's been sorted out."

Iris stood silent, so Minho wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her. It was obvious she was still quite upset, but she was also relieved to see him alive.

"You can't die before we get married." She whispered, and he chuckled.

"Can I die after, then?"

"No. You can't. You're forced to grow old with me, to get wrinkles and become ugly."

"I will never become ugly." He retorted.

"And I will never become a young widow. And you are never going alone again."

"Okay love. I'm sorry." He put his hands on her face and pecked her nose. "Shall we go get married, then?"

Minho grabbed Iris' hand and took her to the garden, collecting a couple of flowers and improvising a bouquet. Then, he took her to a small arch made of green leaves and branches in the cottage garden where three people were patiently waiting for them.

"A priest?" She whispered, shocked. Neither of them was religious, but Minho wanted to do this by the book; he talked to the town's priest and even hired two random people to be their witnesses. "When did you even arrange this?"

"Surprise!" He chuckled. "We're doing this right. Except for the giving away part, because I'm not letting a random stranger give you away to me." He muttered quickly, and they both walked to the arch, holding hands.

The priest then began the short ceremony, and Iris could barely hold in her laughter, because everything was in damn Italian, which she couldn't speak at all. Sure, she knew her "Ciao"sand "Grazie"s, but other than that, she could only guess what the dude dressed in white was talking about.

When the moment came for them to say their "I do's and kiss, both felt the happiest in the world.

"I'm freaking starving. Maybe we should head to the town and grab a bite." Minho spoke, cuddled up to the crook of his now-wife's neck.

"No mood for cooking today?" She chuckled and gently petted his hair.

"No, I wanna rest up a bit."

"So let's go get lunch, hm?"

They slowly got dressed and decided to walk until the centre of the town and enjoy the sun for a bit more until they had to go back. They had a few days of paradise left, but Minho still had to go back home and give Chris all the important documents and intel regarding the trade, and other possible expansion plans throughout Europe. Iris also wanted to get to work, to prove herself somehow that she could truly be part of Stray Kids, not just as Minho's wife, but also as a valuable asset. This didn't mean that she wouldn't wish she had more time on her honeymoon with Minho.

They sat down outside at a small metal table in front of a little restaurant, one of the few in town, and sipped on a hot coffee while waiting for their meal to arrive.

~Iris' POV~

It was truly relaxing to just sit like this and watch the people in this town go by with their daily lives. Some people were sitting around tables, just like Minho and I, drinking lemonades and smiling ear to ear, or laughing while sharing stories; other people were hurrying to work (or so I assumed), others were already working, like the server who just brought us two drinks we decided to get as desserts.

The street itself was pretty. Despite this being a small town, people were very civilised; there was no trash on the ground, the antique buildings were taken care of well, and the centre had it all: a few restaurants, a flower shop, a bookstore, a souvenir shop and a mini market. Nothing was missing.

"Oh?" I tilted my head after noticing a little girl running out of the flower shop.

"What is it?" Minho smiled.

"That little girl there is soooooo cute!" I exclaimed and squirmed with happiness. "Her hair is so pretty and curly! Don't you think so?" I asked, and Minho turned around briefly to see the girl I was pointing to.

"Oh my, yes, she's so cute! Should we go back to our house and make one?"

"Minho!" I playfully slapped his arm.

"What?!"

"Do you think it's okay for her to be alone like that on the street?" I frowned. "Oh, nevermind, her mother is apparently getting her back."

After saying this, I diverted my attention to the paper straw in the lemonade, while Minho turned around to watch the scene unfold.

Damn, I fucking hate paper straws.

"Iris." Minho said, and I raised my gaze to notice he seemed distressed all of a sudden.

"Is anything wrong?" I asked, my heart starting to beat out of my chest.

"... can you please go to that flower shop and get yourself a bouquet of whatever flowers they have?" He asked in a breath, and I didn't understand what got him so agitated. Still, I nodded unsurely and grabbed the money he handed to me and made my way to the flower shop.

"Ciao!" The woman at the register spoke cheerfully.

"Hello." I replied and smiled.

"Oh, a foreigner." The woman laughed.

She seemed around my age, and was wearing a long, black fitted dress and a bright red lipstick. She was beautiful, and oddly familiar. It felt like I saw her somewhere before, but I wasn't entirely sure...

"Yes, you as well?" I laughed back, when her daughter made her way towards me, her soft curls bouncing up and down with each of her little steps. "Oh my, you have such an adorable daughter!"

"Thank you, she's almost 3, and a menace!"

"Is that so? Are you making mommy upset?" I pinched her cheeks, and she chuckled.

"So, would you like to buy some flowers?"

"Oh, yes, I'd like a-"

"-bouquet of white lilies, please." Minho's voice came from behind me, cutting me off.

"Minho?" I turned my head around, and everything happened in a flash: the woman ran towards her daughter and grabbed her from me, and Minho reacted immediately as well, trying to get between me and her.

I don't know who was faster, but the next thing I remember is feeling a powerful blow to the back of my head.

Ugh... this hurts...

I slowly tried to open my eyes, but the pounding headache in my head was making it hard to.

"... and that's how I ended up here." A voice I didn't recognise spoke.

Ah... it's probably the woman...

"Fucking hell..." Minho replied.

"I hope you understand why I can't come back with you, Minho. I'm sorry."

What's going on...?

"No, Emilia, I'm the one who's sorry. I know you probably hate Chris. Hell, you probably hate me, and everyone else, but-"

"Yes, you're right. I fucking loathe all of you."

"Some tea?" A man whose voice I also couldn't recognise asked.

"What, are you some sort of fucking housewife?" The woman spat.

"You and that rotten mouth of yours. What if Ivy hears you?"

I finally managed to sit up straight, massaging the back of my head with my hand.

"Iris, you're awake!" Minho sat up from his chair and ran up to me. I glanced around the room and saw the woman sitting at a round table and sipping tea. Her back was straight, her red lips stained the coffee cup, and her dress reached her ankles still. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine... my head hurts a bit... what happened?"

"Emilia hit you." He sighed.

"Sorry 'bout that!" Emilia chuckled slightly.

"Wait, Emilia, as in-"

"Chan's lover." Minho clarified, and my eyes grew wide. I couldn't believe it.

I already knew she was still alive, but what were the chances of us bumping into her in a random small town in Italy?

"Am I that popular?" She chuckled. "Nice to meet you, Minho's wife."

"I have a name." I stood up and headed to her, handing my hand out for a shake. "Iris."

Emilia's gaze was so sharp, I was afraid it would cut, and the darkness in her eyes was so deep, it was hard to read her.

"Emilia, but oh well, you know that already."

"I do. So, this is where you were hiding." I glanced around the room again; simple décor, and a few photographs of her daughter – Ivy? – on display.

Minho looked at me with confusion, and Emilia's smile dropped from her lips.

"What do you mean?" She asked quietly.

"I mean – I was really wondering where you were, after I found out that the pretty grave Jeongin dug for you is empty."

The room grew silent.

"Iris... what are you talking about?" Minho asked, as if hoping he heard me wrong. "Did you... know about this?"

I sighed.

"I found out the day we left to Italy and was planning to tell you about this as soon as our honeymoon was over-"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He grabbed my arm, seething with rage. "Fuck the honeymoon,"

Ouch

"this is the type of shit you should be telling me about immediately."

"Did Jeongin tell you?" Emilia stood up and asked in a whisper, as if she could no longer breathe. "Does... does Chris also know?"

"No." I shook my head, and Minho's hand away; his grip was starting to hurt. "He's kept your secret, no matter how much it fucked him up. How could you force that kid to grow up like that? Do you know how distressed he's been?"

"Don't you dare judge me for it." She spat. "It was a life and death decision for me, and you would've done the same thing given the circumstances."

I looked back at Minho, who was still angry at me – I could see it on his face. Still, he grabbed my hand, gently this time, and brought it up to his lips, kissing it. He mouthed an "I'm sorry", and I nodded.

"Chris can't know about this." She started shaking her head left and right erratically. "He can't. I can't see him. I don't want to-"

"Emilia, calm down." The younger man who brought the tea put his hands on her shoulders, making her sit back down.

"How the fuck can I be calm, Wooyoung?!" She raised her voice and looked at me and Minho, venom in her eyes. "If Chan finds out-"

"He'll come find you." I finished her sentence.

"No. He can't. Minho, please-"

Minho squeezed my hand and looked at me. I knew what he wanted to do. I knew it wasn't right, and that we shouldn't do this. But Minho's priority was his Mafia's well-being, and my priority was Minho, so I couldn't care less about anyone else, no matter how empathetic I could get.

"I'm sorry, Emilia, but ever since you died, Chris has been a fucking mess..." Minho started. "You're the only one who can make him be... his old self."

"Fuck that. Fuck Chris. Fuck YOU!"

"You have to come back with us." I insisted and released Minho's hand, taking a cautious step towards Emilia.

"No. Not in a million years. I will never come back."

"You have his child." I continued insisting, and she burst out into a hysterical laugh.

"So what? Does he deserve a chance at parenting? Ivy baby, look, this is your daddy. He almost killed mommy and you, and he stepped on her heart repeatedly, but that's okay, because he feels bad about it!"

"I'm sorry, but it's just the way it will be." I looked at her with compassion. I knew it was unfair to her, but she needed to come back.

No, she wouldn't magically fix everything wrong within Chris. Who knows how he'll even react? But she still needed to come back.

Minho would never let her go anyway, now that he knows.

"Fuck your fake-ass compassion." She laughed again, and then I noticed she froze. "Are you seriously threatening me right now? After ruining everything for me?"

I turned around to see what she was talking about, and there was Minho, his gun raised and pointed directly towards Emilia. The other man – Wooyoung – started moving, moment when I took my gun out as well, forcing him to stay in place. I still didn't know how to use it properly, but they didn't need to know that.

"I can't believe you two." Emilia laughed again. "I invite you into my house to talk, and you dare threaten me. How fucking rude you two are. Truly a match made in heaven." She spat.

"I don't want to threaten you. We were the ones who were wrong. But if you don't come back willingly... You leave me no choice."

"So, shoot me, then! Fucking shoot me and end this already, Minho!" She shouted. "I'm not coming with you!"

"No..." He shook his head. "I won't take you with us if you don't want it, Emilia. I'm just saying that... if you won't come, we're gonna stay just like this while Iris goes to the other room and grabs your daughter. She's gonna take her to Chris and explain everything, and that's it."

"You wouldn't." She shook her head in disbelief.

"Try me."

"Fuck you."

"I'm sorry."

"Fuck you!" She shouted harder.

"So, will you come with us?" Minho asked again. He phrased it as if she actually had a choice, which she didn't. It was like that saying: when you only have two choices, you have no choice at all.

"Wooyoung," she started, her voice trembling. "what in the world..."

"I think we have to go with them, Shade..."

"But..."

"Would you let them take Ivy?" Wooyoung whispered. He was distressed as well. It was too cruel, but sometimes you have to be the bad guy in someone else's life.

I was sure that's how Emilia perceived me and Minho.

We were unscrupulous villains who were here to break down everything she built, until nothing was left standing.

And unfortunately she was right.

~THE END OF PART ONE – THE BLACK IRIS~

PART TWO – THE WITHERED ROSE (coming soon)

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(A/N) Hello!

We finally reached the end of The Black Iris and I'm so excited for this ending.

Emilia is back!

Part II is in the making right now, so we're going to have a bit of a hiatus unfortunately, but still, thank you for being patient with me and for reading until now!

What are your thoughts? What's going to happen from now on?

Does Chris have any chance to be forgiven?

I'm so excited to keep writing this story!

Thank you again!

Yours truly,

Storm

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Chapter 7 | PART II - The Withered Rose

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