The Meeting

Dave stood in front of the door, heart pounding like a snare drum in his chest. Gina had arranged everything. Davina would be waiting inside, unaware she was about to meet the man whose blood ran in her veins. To her, he would be just "Mommy's friend."

He hated the lie. But Gina had insisted — gently, firmly. "She needs to trust you first. No shocks. No drama," she had said. He agreed, even though it felt like it ripped at his chest.

When the door opened, the scent of cinnamon and old books greeted him. Gina's mother smiled kindly and led him in. The little house was quiet except for the muffled sound of cartoons playing in the background.

And then he saw her.

Davina.

She sat on the floor, legs tucked under her, engrossed in a puzzle. Her hair curled in soft ringlets, and when she looked up, he nearly lost his breath.

Her eyes. His eyes.

"Hi," she said, curious but calm.

"Hi," Dave replied, trying to steady his voice. "I'm Dave."

She tilted her head. "Like the guy in Mommy's songs?"

His heart stuttered. "Yeah… like him."

She studied him for a moment, then gave a crooked little smile. "You wanna play? I'm almost done with the ocean part."

He nodded, sinking to his knees beside her. "I'd love to."

Gina watched them from the hallway, hidden behind the cracked door. Davina's voice floated out, clear and bright as sunlight. She was happy. Comfortable. Dave was good with her. It was happening — the connection was forming. And it twisted something in Gina's chest that she couldn't name.

She was the architect of so many empires, the shadow behind more power than even Dave could imagine. But here, watching her daughter unknowingly bond with a father who had once been stolen from her… Gina felt something dangerous creeping in.

Guilt.

But there was no room for guilt in the world Gina ruled.

She had raised Davina with love, kept her safe from everything — including the truth. That her mother, sweet Mommy Gina, was also Mistress G: the unseen force behind one of the most ruthless underground networks on the continent.

Drugs. Laundered money. Blackmail. Influence.

She watched her daughter laugh as Dave struggled with the word 'quartz'.

The innocence.

The irony.

They were all playing a game