Veila's head was pounding as she washed the blood off her skin. As it washed down the drain, it revealed her favorite little tattoo and a flood of memories.

Her favorite was the little green clover she got with Liam when they were seventeen. They got it inside their left wrists to match their fathers. It had taken them weeks to plan it all out, but still, their father seemed a step ahead of them.

…..

In secret that day, they had snuck off to their family's shop in Brooklyn, skipping their morning classes. They had thought they were so intelligent and sneaky, but the second they walked in, a phone call went out to their father.

Their father, a man with a sense of humor, allowed their underaged tattoo session with a twist.

The artist listened to what they wanted and did beautiful work. Veila had tipped him well. She didn't want her underage stunt to prevent her from coming back in the future when she would want to get more.

Liam had strutted up to their dad that night, looking smug, grinning from ear to ear, and ripped off his bandage to show their father. Her mouth dropped open, and their father burst into laughter.

On Liam's wrist was a pink clover with thin, wispy words underneath, "Lucky girl."

"What the fuck," Liam shouted, gripping his wrist and holding it an inch from his face.

Veila had a smile so wide etched on her face that night, "Didn't you look and see what they were putting on you?"

Liam shrieked, "No. How hard is it to tattoo a green clover?"

Their father laughed harder at his son's anger, "Don't worry, our shop knows what they're doing."

"Obviously not. I didn't ask for a pink fucking clover."

Grinning, their father yanked Liam's wrist closer, "I did. This is good work. Clean lines, deep color, I should give them a raise."

"What? How did you even know we were there?" Veila asked, confused.

"They called me. You didn't think they'd just give you what you wanted, did you?"

Liam shrugged, embarrassed, "They never said they called you."

He shrugged, "I told them not to. I didn't want to ruin your fun."

"I'll have to get it removed," Liam groaned, "Let's see yours, Veila."

She pulled her sleeve up and gently pulled the bandage off. Underneath was a delicate green four-leaf clover, almost a mirror copy of their fathers.

Liam frothed at the mouth as he shouted, "How the fuck did yours turn out okay?"

"When he brought out the pink, I asked why," she shrugged and pulled out her knife, "I brought out this, and he put it away."

They were silent, their faces showing concern, until Gregori burst out laughing, "Did you threaten his chlen?" he asked, pointing to his dick.

Veila grinned, "I knew what I wanted, and it wasn't pink."

…..

Her father had looked so impressed with her that night it had inflated her ego for weeks, and she had spent her time helping him as much as she could. He taught her everything she knew and helped her learn the ropes for managing their many businesses.

Her father taught her to throw a punch, do their taxes, and turn it all off when the time came. Turning it off was hard. The first time he tried to teach her that lesson, she ended up covered in blood and tears. Her tears because shoving a knife into a man's chest took something out of her. It took years to figure out where the off switch was, but when she found it, it changed everything.

…..

The brass knuckles were cold against her skin. They sent a shiver across her entire body. Fear and excitement flooded her, and the man before her, strapped to the chair with tape, looked nervous.

He had stolen almost half a million from them while doing their books. It went unnoticed for nearly six years, twisted up in donations and bribes, but when they hired a new guy, it was easy to unravel and trace back.

There was no way to get the money back, so there was only one thing left to do: one lesson left to teach him and anyone who dared to follow in his footsteps.

"Turn it off now. There's a job to be done," her father whispered

Her knuckles connected with their ex-employee's face. The hit wasn't as hard as it should have been.

The man laughed, "You're going to let her do this? She can't hurt a fucking fly, let alone kill me."

Anger filled her, and she hit harder and faster. She didn't let him breathe between hits; she just kept going. Before, the crunching of breaking bones made her sick, but now it was her metronome, and she kept going until he coughed up blood.

She wasn't in control anymore. She didn't decide to stop, but something in her pulled out her favorite blade. Tingles racked her body now, and excitement filled her with serotonin.

With the edge of the blade, she traced up and down his arm and chest. He was sweating and begging as the tip of her knife dug into his skin. It drove her further the more he screamed.

Slipping it under the flesh, she tore a chunk right off him.

His begging became desperate, but she couldn't hear him anymore. She was far gone now that her switch was flipped.

…..

She couldn't remember how long she had torn into that man, but it was hours later when her father pulled her away. She had been covered in blood, and the man's body was in pieces.

Liam was supposed to be the one to take over everything when their father retired, but he was always more interested in pussy than their family work. When their father died, she took over everything while her brother romanced and fucked a stripper he met in Vegas.

He had sworn up and down that their love was real. A few years later, she had taken all his money and run off. When he was broke again, he came home and wanted to learn the business.

For years, he was her right-hand man. He was eager to learn and supported her dream to leave the city and relax. With the current events, he wanted her gone for his own reasons.

The water turned cold, and her body was finally free of blood as she stepped out. Wrapping herself in a thick towel, she dried the water from her skin as she stretched.

"Done in there?" Gregori's thick accent asked from the other side of the door.

"Yes," wrapped tightly in her towel, she opened the door.

Gregori looked her up and down, "You've definitely grown up."

"Well, did you think I would stay seventeen forever?"

Gregori grinned, "No, but I don't think your dad would have thought you'd fill out like this."

Veila scoffed, "It has been ten years since my dad died. A lot has changed."

He nodded and followed her to the office where her suitcase was sitting, "What are we going to do?"

"About that," She pulled out her sweats and a t-shirt, "I'm going back to California with Sasha."

"What about our territory here?" Gregori frowned, plopping into a chair and watching her carefully.

"You're staying here. In charge."

"Veila? What do you mean?"

"I'm going to leave you in charge here, Gregori," She explained as she dropped her towel to put on her clothes, "Obviously, I'm still in charge. You still answer to me, but I'm opening up shop in California. I've got enough connections there, as did Dad, so we'll operate on both coasts now."

Silence enveloped them. When she turned, she found Gregori staring at her open-mouthed, "What?"

"You're leaving me in charge? Why?"

"I trust you. You've been with the family for over twenty years now, and you know everything about how to run the companies here. Our people trust you, and you know how to get things done."

"You really think so?" he asked, his voice filled with awe.

"I do. My father trusted you, and I do too."

"What will you do in California?"

"I will make more connections. Continue distributing," she shrugged, "Who knows."

"What will you have me do here?"

"You'll communicate with our partners. Keep everyone in line and call me when you need to."

"Alright. When do you leave?"

"In a few days. We'll announce that you're managing everything here and that there is a new 'branch' in California. Anyone who wants to volunteer will join us in the move."

"Do you think this will work?"

She shrugged again, she didn't have a fucking clue, but she wasn't giving up her life just because her brother was a dumbass, "Do you think you can do it?"

He stood straight and pushed his shoulders back, saying, "I can."

Smiling, she nodded, "I know you can too."

Turning serious, he held open his arms for a hug. When she stepped into his warmth, he closed her in his arms, "Thank you."

"What will we do with your brother?"

She sighed against his chest, "I'm sending him to a friend in Wisconsin who owes me a favor."

Gregori pulled back and looked down at her, confused, "Wisconsin?"

"Mhm. He'll be stuck on a farm somewhere. They'll give him a job, and if he tries to leave, they'll call," She pulled back and plopped into her leather rolling chair.

"Will this work?"

"It has to."

…..

"You're really going then?" Gregori asked as they pulled into the airport parking lot. He sat behind the wheel, dressed for business, with a look of sadness in his eyes.

Veila nodded, "Of course. I can't stay here, and I'm not going to give up my dream just because my brother is a jackass."

He embraced her tightly before letting go, "I'll call you soon."

"I expect it."

With that, Sasha gave Gregori a manly hug, and they were off. The plane ride was quick, and the taxi back to Charming was even faster.

Veila suspected that it was Sasha's doing. He was stone-faced the entire way, and no one wanted to crack his facade.

Her home was a welcomed sight. She wanted to get Sasha moved in and take a goddamned nap.

The sun's rays beating down made them rush inside, lugging Sasha's bags as quickly as possible. For a grown man who wore the same outfit five days a week, he had a shit load of stuff.

Sasha's gruff voice broke the silence between them, "Veila, why did you choose Gregori?"

She stood in the doorway, looking at one of her best men. He was with her father for ten years and with her for another ten. He would have been an excellent choice, "You're different."

His brows knit together, "How?"

"Would you have been happy sitting behind a desk seven days a week?"

"No."

"Gregori also has a wife and three children. I couldn't uproot them to move across the country," She reassured him, "Besides, we need to break into new territory. Make our way up from the bottom. I couldn't leave you out of all the violence that entails."

Nodding, seemingly satisfied with her answer, he left her to search for his room. Before she could shut the door, an angry voice rang out clearly as a large hand shoved the door open again, causing her to stumble back, "Who the fuck was that?"