Chapter One ~
The early morning sun found Diandra in her home office going over documents from the last six months. Six shipments of firearms and other high-powered weaponry had been stolen from the shipyard on nights when she was either out of town on business or on vacation. Could Kazuya have a mole within her organization telling him the dates of certain shipments? The thought resounded in Diandra's mind as she leaned back in her large, black leather executive chair. 'Mishmash just picked a fight with the wrong woman,' she said to herself as she massaged her throbbing temples. The whole situation was giving her a major headache, especially when it came to her mysterious rival. Even though she had gone to school with Kazuya back in Japan, there was still a lot she did not know about him. All she knew was that the 'arrogant bastard' was moving in on her operations and she was not about to allow that to happen. The phone in the office rang, distracting her from her thoughts. "Hello," she quietly said when she picked up the receiver.
"How's my favorite princess doing?" It was her father who was now enjoying his retirement by traveling the world with her mother.
"Tired and upset, daddy," she said, rubbing her eyes. "How's mom doing?"
"Great. We left Greece yesterday and now we're heading for the Mediterranean for three weeks. Care to tell me what's going on, Dian?"
Sighing heavily, she answered, "It's a lot of things, dad. I was just looking over documents from the past six months and I've noticed that six shipments had either been stolen or never arrived at their final destinations. Not to mention that the Japanese are moving in on business."
"You mean Mishima?"
"Yeah, the most arrogant son of bitch to have ever walked the earth. He called me last night after I found five of my guys mutilated on the floor of one of the warehouses. He had them killed to get my attention. Unfortunately, the bastard's got it."
"Diandra, I sorry about the loss of your men but you mustn't do anything hasty to Kazuya. Remember, his father and I made the agreement interfere in other's operations or to harm the other's families. That's the straw that always breaks the camel's back in an organized business."
"I know, daddy, but I still say that you and Heihachi were dumbasses to have made such a deal knowing how much Kazuya and I hated each other. Besides, he started this whole thing with stealing merchandise that was not his. Do you know what I had to go through in order to keep certain customers from finding out what's happening to their goods?"
"My fatherly advice to you is to play it clean, Diandra, unless, and that's a strong UNLESS, he forces your hand. Never show a rival your cards until you're absolutely sure that you have the upper hand in the game. Mishima is a powerful man; he has even more influence than his late father."
"Influence, please! The man couldn't influence a whore into bed even if he was a sex god."
Francisco San Giacomo had to laugh at his daughter's last remark. "You definitely inherited your mother's sense of humor, girl. But seriously, Kazuya Mishima has more friends in high places than the U.S. Government has CIA agents in Europe and the Middle East. So watch your back, darling, he could call out a hit on you at anytime."
"Not if I call the out a hit on him first, daddy. After that little setup at the warehouse last night, I highly doubt he'll be showing his face around town anytime soon. He knows that I have it in for him, but when and where I'll nail him, he doesn't know."
"Just as long as you do not go after his brother, San Gi. Remember, man to man, not man to family; that's a coward's way of handling the situation."
"Thanks for the blessing, daddy. Give mom my love."
"I will and I love you, princess."
"I love you too, daddy. Call me when you get to the Mediterranean."
"I most certainly will, you can count on it. Bye, love."
"Bye, dad." A smile played upon her full lips as she hung up the phone. Deep down inside, she and her father both knew that he had made a deal with the devil when he and Heihachi agreed not to go after each other's families. Since then, things have changed. Heihachi had been dead for six years and Francisco San Giacomo had been living in retirement for the last three years. Kazuya and Diandra were now the heads of their respective crime families. They had contacts in all over the world, and one false move on either part would result in bloodshed in various parts of the world. The San Giacomos' were survivors, having been in the mob business for over seventy years while the Mishimas' were new to the forum. Diandra turned the chair around to look out the window. She had to do something about Mishima and had to do it fast. He was determined to move in on her territory and she was determined to keep him out of it. 'I ran the Gambinos out of town and business. And now, the same fate awaits the Mishima Syndicate....'
~~~?~~~
Kazuya straighten his blue silk tie as he rode the elevator up to his office. Whenever the thought of Diandra passed through his mind, a slight smile came to his lips. The Mishima Syndicate may have been new to the New York mob scene but it was outdoing the Italians at every turn. He knew that the San Giacomos' crew had figured out that he was the one responsible for the missing shipments of firearms over the last six months. The shipments were safely tucked away in a storehouse in Chinatown until he decided when bidding on the freights were to begin. He made a mental note to invite San Giacomo to the bidding; he would just love to see the expression on her face when she sees her merchandise up for grabs on the black market. Lee was already in Kazuya's office when the president and CEO of Mishima Zaibatsu entered the room.
"Good morning, Kazuya," Lee said as he got up from Kazuya's exec chair. "I just stopped by to give you a memento from last night." He picked up a large manilla folder and handed it to his brother. "You will be most pleased."
Kazuya set down his briefcase and took the folder from Lee. Inside were several black and white photographs of Diandra at the warehouse. The expressions on her face were priceless. He laughed as he studied the photographs, especially the ones when she was on the phone. "How did you get these?" he finally asked.
"I have my contacts. A guy I knew was in desperate need of cash, so I made him an offer he couldn't refuse. He's a former fashion photographer you know, can you believe that?"
"I believe it from the excellent quality of the pictures. Very nice touch, Lee. I was having a little difficulty imaging the expressions on San Gi's when I called her on her cell."
"What did she say?"
"She called me a few choice words before she threaten to quote "f**k me and the Syndicate up," unquote. She was livid. Of course, it also gave me satisfaction knowing that I screwed her over pretty well."
Lee tried unsuccessfully to suppress his laughter. "I can't believe this is the same sweet little Diandra San Giacomo we went to high school with. I wonder what happened to her that made her so bitter toward you."
Kazuya looked up from the photos and said, "It was something that happened back in high school, Lee. Something that I don't care to get into right now."
"Fine by me. Oh, guess who I ran into on the way over here?"
"Who?"
"Benicio San Giacomo."
"Francisco San Giacomo's brother. I haven't seen him in years."
"He told me to tell you that he's throwing a huge bash over at the Four Seasons in Manhattan tonight and that you are invited. I'm pretty sure that his lovely niece will be there as well." "I'll have to give him a call. Showing up that bitch of a niece of his will be the highlight of the night. I'm sure that she'll have a few 'kind' words for me as well. It would be nice to check out that figure of hers in person, see."
Lee took the photo Kazuya held out to him. It was a full-length photo of Diandra in the infamous black catsuit and black leather trench coat. "Stunner," he whistled. "Jay, the guy who took the pictures, said that she's almost five-ten and weighs between one-forty and one-fifty five, making her a very curvy size 10/12."
Kazuya raised an eyebrow at Lee's observations. Lee shrugged his shoulders and added, "That's coming from a guy who used to photograph models for a living, the lucky bastard. He said she would make a nice centerfold if only she weren't a Mafia princess. Rumor has it that she just as ruthless as you, Kazuya."
A frown darkened his face as he looked at Lee. A woman as ruthless as he was, Kazuya balked at the thought. How could any man or WOMAN for that part, be as ruthless and cold-hearted as he was? There was no comparison. Kazuya then pressed the intercom button and asked the secretary to look up the number for Benicio San Giacomo. "I think I'll go to San Giacomo's party just to show up that niece of his. You can come if you wish, Lee."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world. The expression on her face will truly be *priceless.*"
~~~?~~~
Diandra crossed her long legs as she sat in the back of the limo with her bodyguards. She never trusted them, so why even have people she didn't trust protecting her. Because Daddy said so. Diandra loved both her parents but felt they were too restrictive when it came to her personal safety. Her father insisted that she have bodyguards, considering the fact that she would become a marked woman once she was at the helm of the family business. 'So much for handling my own private business,' she thought as she tugged down the hem of the black asymmetrical skirt she wore, paired with a dark purple wrap-around top and strappy black, high-heeled sandals. 'I worked as an assassin for crying out loud. I can handle my own personal safety.'
When the limo pulled up in front of SG Pharmaceuticals, Diandra and her guards got out and went into the lobby of the building. Her Uncle Benicio was expecting her for lunch. Taking the elevator up to the thirtieth floor, Diandra adjusted her top and smoothed down her thick, waist-length jet- black hair. The bell dinged and they got off. Benicio San Giacomo's secretary greeted Diandra and asked her to wait as she notified her uncle of her arrival. A few minutes later, she was sitting in her uncle's massive office sipping on a Sprite while her uncle was on the phone with a customer. The pharmaceutical firm was a legitimate part of Diandra's mob business, as well as two fish factories, three shipyards, a hotel chain (Sheridan Inn and Suites), and countless small businesses. Life was good within the San Giacomo family.
"Of course you can come without an invitation. Why do think I told your brother to tell you about the party, my friend? You'll be there? Great, you are coming for lunch? Of course Diandra won't mind, the more the merrier. Okay, bye," Benicio said to the person on the phone." Hanging up, he finally turned his attention to his niece. "My darling, it is so good to see your beautiful face again," he said as he went up to Diandra and embraced her. "You're beginning to look more and more like your mother."
"Thank you, Uncle Benni," she replied as she sat back down in her seat. "You look well."
"Business is good, San Gi. By the way, did you get the invitation to the bash Helena and I are having over at the Four Seasons tonight?"
"I got it last week. Don't worry; I wouldn't miss it for anything. Working on another business deal?"
"No, that was an old friend. I hadn't seen him in almost two years. I saw his brother in town this morning and told him to pass the party invitation on to his brother for me. He called me to let me know that he would be there."
"Who was it, Uncle? I have plenty of business dealings in this town, I probably know him."
Benicio raised an eyebrow at Diandra. "You'll see him at the party, my love. You might know him when you see him."
"You're not trying to set me up with him, are you? You and Aunt Helena are bad about that," Diandra said as she drained her soda can. "So who is it?"
"No, no my Italian Mona Lisa," Benicio said shaking his finger at his niece. "You are a tricky one to fool. He said that he was in the neighborhood and will be joining us shortly for lunch. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all, Uncle Benni. It's your company and building, I'm just an investor with no say so on your business dealings."
Benicio and Diandra talked a while before the secretary came in to announce the arrival of Mr. San Giacomo's lunch guest. Diandra turned around in her seat to see who the guest was; her cheeks turned dark scarlet when she saw him. She clenched her fist so tightly that she let nail marks in the palm of her hand. So her uncle's 'old friend' was the dirty bastard who set her up the night before. Her blue-violet eyes blazed with hatred when he and her uncle walked over to where she was sitting.
"Kazuya, I believe you know my niece, Diandra San Giacomo," Benicio said, ignoring the building tension in the air.
"We've met. In fact, we went to high school together," Kazuya replied as he sat down in the chair next to Diandra. "Are you this day, San Gi?"
"Go to hell, Mishima," she muttered under her breath as she turned away from him. Her uncle should have known better than to invite her rival to lunch, especially when he knew that she was coming to visit. From the corner of her eye, she checked out Kazuya's attire. He wore a dark navy pinstripe suit, a white shirt, a blue silk tie, and black wingtips. 'He looks like a f**king pimp for crying out loud,' she thought to herself. 'How could Uncle Benni be such a dumbass in having that bitch for a friend?'
Kazuya smiled sardonically at Diandra as he studied her figure. 'Impressive, impressive for a vindictive bitch,' he thought. 'She was a major bitch in high school, and now she's a major bitch running an organized crime ring. I wonder how many people she had to knock off to get to the top, or should I say 'screwed'?'
This was going to be one of the longest lunch appointments of their lives. They only had to go an entire hour without trying to kill each other. The mutual look of disgust Kazuya and Diandra exchanged said it all; the gloves had officially come off.
The early morning sun found Diandra in her home office going over documents from the last six months. Six shipments of firearms and other high-powered weaponry had been stolen from the shipyard on nights when she was either out of town on business or on vacation. Could Kazuya have a mole within her organization telling him the dates of certain shipments? The thought resounded in Diandra's mind as she leaned back in her large, black leather executive chair. 'Mishmash just picked a fight with the wrong woman,' she said to herself as she massaged her throbbing temples. The whole situation was giving her a major headache, especially when it came to her mysterious rival. Even though she had gone to school with Kazuya back in Japan, there was still a lot she did not know about him. All she knew was that the 'arrogant bastard' was moving in on her operations and she was not about to allow that to happen. The phone in the office rang, distracting her from her thoughts. "Hello," she quietly said when she picked up the receiver.
"How's my favorite princess doing?" It was her father who was now enjoying his retirement by traveling the world with her mother.
"Tired and upset, daddy," she said, rubbing her eyes. "How's mom doing?"
"Great. We left Greece yesterday and now we're heading for the Mediterranean for three weeks. Care to tell me what's going on, Dian?"
Sighing heavily, she answered, "It's a lot of things, dad. I was just looking over documents from the past six months and I've noticed that six shipments had either been stolen or never arrived at their final destinations. Not to mention that the Japanese are moving in on business."
"You mean Mishima?"
"Yeah, the most arrogant son of bitch to have ever walked the earth. He called me last night after I found five of my guys mutilated on the floor of one of the warehouses. He had them killed to get my attention. Unfortunately, the bastard's got it."
"Diandra, I sorry about the loss of your men but you mustn't do anything hasty to Kazuya. Remember, his father and I made the agreement interfere in other's operations or to harm the other's families. That's the straw that always breaks the camel's back in an organized business."
"I know, daddy, but I still say that you and Heihachi were dumbasses to have made such a deal knowing how much Kazuya and I hated each other. Besides, he started this whole thing with stealing merchandise that was not his. Do you know what I had to go through in order to keep certain customers from finding out what's happening to their goods?"
"My fatherly advice to you is to play it clean, Diandra, unless, and that's a strong UNLESS, he forces your hand. Never show a rival your cards until you're absolutely sure that you have the upper hand in the game. Mishima is a powerful man; he has even more influence than his late father."
"Influence, please! The man couldn't influence a whore into bed even if he was a sex god."
Francisco San Giacomo had to laugh at his daughter's last remark. "You definitely inherited your mother's sense of humor, girl. But seriously, Kazuya Mishima has more friends in high places than the U.S. Government has CIA agents in Europe and the Middle East. So watch your back, darling, he could call out a hit on you at anytime."
"Not if I call the out a hit on him first, daddy. After that little setup at the warehouse last night, I highly doubt he'll be showing his face around town anytime soon. He knows that I have it in for him, but when and where I'll nail him, he doesn't know."
"Just as long as you do not go after his brother, San Gi. Remember, man to man, not man to family; that's a coward's way of handling the situation."
"Thanks for the blessing, daddy. Give mom my love."
"I will and I love you, princess."
"I love you too, daddy. Call me when you get to the Mediterranean."
"I most certainly will, you can count on it. Bye, love."
"Bye, dad." A smile played upon her full lips as she hung up the phone. Deep down inside, she and her father both knew that he had made a deal with the devil when he and Heihachi agreed not to go after each other's families. Since then, things have changed. Heihachi had been dead for six years and Francisco San Giacomo had been living in retirement for the last three years. Kazuya and Diandra were now the heads of their respective crime families. They had contacts in all over the world, and one false move on either part would result in bloodshed in various parts of the world. The San Giacomos' were survivors, having been in the mob business for over seventy years while the Mishimas' were new to the forum. Diandra turned the chair around to look out the window. She had to do something about Mishima and had to do it fast. He was determined to move in on her territory and she was determined to keep him out of it. 'I ran the Gambinos out of town and business. And now, the same fate awaits the Mishima Syndicate....'
~~~?~~~
Kazuya straighten his blue silk tie as he rode the elevator up to his office. Whenever the thought of Diandra passed through his mind, a slight smile came to his lips. The Mishima Syndicate may have been new to the New York mob scene but it was outdoing the Italians at every turn. He knew that the San Giacomos' crew had figured out that he was the one responsible for the missing shipments of firearms over the last six months. The shipments were safely tucked away in a storehouse in Chinatown until he decided when bidding on the freights were to begin. He made a mental note to invite San Giacomo to the bidding; he would just love to see the expression on her face when she sees her merchandise up for grabs on the black market. Lee was already in Kazuya's office when the president and CEO of Mishima Zaibatsu entered the room.
"Good morning, Kazuya," Lee said as he got up from Kazuya's exec chair. "I just stopped by to give you a memento from last night." He picked up a large manilla folder and handed it to his brother. "You will be most pleased."
Kazuya set down his briefcase and took the folder from Lee. Inside were several black and white photographs of Diandra at the warehouse. The expressions on her face were priceless. He laughed as he studied the photographs, especially the ones when she was on the phone. "How did you get these?" he finally asked.
"I have my contacts. A guy I knew was in desperate need of cash, so I made him an offer he couldn't refuse. He's a former fashion photographer you know, can you believe that?"
"I believe it from the excellent quality of the pictures. Very nice touch, Lee. I was having a little difficulty imaging the expressions on San Gi's when I called her on her cell."
"What did she say?"
"She called me a few choice words before she threaten to quote "f**k me and the Syndicate up," unquote. She was livid. Of course, it also gave me satisfaction knowing that I screwed her over pretty well."
Lee tried unsuccessfully to suppress his laughter. "I can't believe this is the same sweet little Diandra San Giacomo we went to high school with. I wonder what happened to her that made her so bitter toward you."
Kazuya looked up from the photos and said, "It was something that happened back in high school, Lee. Something that I don't care to get into right now."
"Fine by me. Oh, guess who I ran into on the way over here?"
"Who?"
"Benicio San Giacomo."
"Francisco San Giacomo's brother. I haven't seen him in years."
"He told me to tell you that he's throwing a huge bash over at the Four Seasons in Manhattan tonight and that you are invited. I'm pretty sure that his lovely niece will be there as well." "I'll have to give him a call. Showing up that bitch of a niece of his will be the highlight of the night. I'm sure that she'll have a few 'kind' words for me as well. It would be nice to check out that figure of hers in person, see."
Lee took the photo Kazuya held out to him. It was a full-length photo of Diandra in the infamous black catsuit and black leather trench coat. "Stunner," he whistled. "Jay, the guy who took the pictures, said that she's almost five-ten and weighs between one-forty and one-fifty five, making her a very curvy size 10/12."
Kazuya raised an eyebrow at Lee's observations. Lee shrugged his shoulders and added, "That's coming from a guy who used to photograph models for a living, the lucky bastard. He said she would make a nice centerfold if only she weren't a Mafia princess. Rumor has it that she just as ruthless as you, Kazuya."
A frown darkened his face as he looked at Lee. A woman as ruthless as he was, Kazuya balked at the thought. How could any man or WOMAN for that part, be as ruthless and cold-hearted as he was? There was no comparison. Kazuya then pressed the intercom button and asked the secretary to look up the number for Benicio San Giacomo. "I think I'll go to San Giacomo's party just to show up that niece of his. You can come if you wish, Lee."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world. The expression on her face will truly be *priceless.*"
~~~?~~~
Diandra crossed her long legs as she sat in the back of the limo with her bodyguards. She never trusted them, so why even have people she didn't trust protecting her. Because Daddy said so. Diandra loved both her parents but felt they were too restrictive when it came to her personal safety. Her father insisted that she have bodyguards, considering the fact that she would become a marked woman once she was at the helm of the family business. 'So much for handling my own private business,' she thought as she tugged down the hem of the black asymmetrical skirt she wore, paired with a dark purple wrap-around top and strappy black, high-heeled sandals. 'I worked as an assassin for crying out loud. I can handle my own personal safety.'
When the limo pulled up in front of SG Pharmaceuticals, Diandra and her guards got out and went into the lobby of the building. Her Uncle Benicio was expecting her for lunch. Taking the elevator up to the thirtieth floor, Diandra adjusted her top and smoothed down her thick, waist-length jet- black hair. The bell dinged and they got off. Benicio San Giacomo's secretary greeted Diandra and asked her to wait as she notified her uncle of her arrival. A few minutes later, she was sitting in her uncle's massive office sipping on a Sprite while her uncle was on the phone with a customer. The pharmaceutical firm was a legitimate part of Diandra's mob business, as well as two fish factories, three shipyards, a hotel chain (Sheridan Inn and Suites), and countless small businesses. Life was good within the San Giacomo family.
"Of course you can come without an invitation. Why do think I told your brother to tell you about the party, my friend? You'll be there? Great, you are coming for lunch? Of course Diandra won't mind, the more the merrier. Okay, bye," Benicio said to the person on the phone." Hanging up, he finally turned his attention to his niece. "My darling, it is so good to see your beautiful face again," he said as he went up to Diandra and embraced her. "You're beginning to look more and more like your mother."
"Thank you, Uncle Benni," she replied as she sat back down in her seat. "You look well."
"Business is good, San Gi. By the way, did you get the invitation to the bash Helena and I are having over at the Four Seasons tonight?"
"I got it last week. Don't worry; I wouldn't miss it for anything. Working on another business deal?"
"No, that was an old friend. I hadn't seen him in almost two years. I saw his brother in town this morning and told him to pass the party invitation on to his brother for me. He called me to let me know that he would be there."
"Who was it, Uncle? I have plenty of business dealings in this town, I probably know him."
Benicio raised an eyebrow at Diandra. "You'll see him at the party, my love. You might know him when you see him."
"You're not trying to set me up with him, are you? You and Aunt Helena are bad about that," Diandra said as she drained her soda can. "So who is it?"
"No, no my Italian Mona Lisa," Benicio said shaking his finger at his niece. "You are a tricky one to fool. He said that he was in the neighborhood and will be joining us shortly for lunch. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all, Uncle Benni. It's your company and building, I'm just an investor with no say so on your business dealings."
Benicio and Diandra talked a while before the secretary came in to announce the arrival of Mr. San Giacomo's lunch guest. Diandra turned around in her seat to see who the guest was; her cheeks turned dark scarlet when she saw him. She clenched her fist so tightly that she let nail marks in the palm of her hand. So her uncle's 'old friend' was the dirty bastard who set her up the night before. Her blue-violet eyes blazed with hatred when he and her uncle walked over to where she was sitting.
"Kazuya, I believe you know my niece, Diandra San Giacomo," Benicio said, ignoring the building tension in the air.
"We've met. In fact, we went to high school together," Kazuya replied as he sat down in the chair next to Diandra. "Are you this day, San Gi?"
"Go to hell, Mishima," she muttered under her breath as she turned away from him. Her uncle should have known better than to invite her rival to lunch, especially when he knew that she was coming to visit. From the corner of her eye, she checked out Kazuya's attire. He wore a dark navy pinstripe suit, a white shirt, a blue silk tie, and black wingtips. 'He looks like a f**king pimp for crying out loud,' she thought to herself. 'How could Uncle Benni be such a dumbass in having that bitch for a friend?'
Kazuya smiled sardonically at Diandra as he studied her figure. 'Impressive, impressive for a vindictive bitch,' he thought. 'She was a major bitch in high school, and now she's a major bitch running an organized crime ring. I wonder how many people she had to knock off to get to the top, or should I say 'screwed'?'
This was going to be one of the longest lunch appointments of their lives. They only had to go an entire hour without trying to kill each other. The mutual look of disgust Kazuya and Diandra exchanged said it all; the gloves had officially come off.