The Slave of Pleasure

Vincenzo

I sat across from Veronica, the woman who had been my partner in so many crimes and so many mistakes, and now she was nothing more than a shadow of her former self. Her face was lined with exhaustion and pain, but her eyes still had that calculating glint that made me feel like I was always playing a deadly game with her. I stared at her, letting the silence weigh heavily between us before asking again, "What do you mean by that, Veronica?" She looked away for a moment, as if gathering the strength to answer. When she finally spoke, her voice shook, but her words came out clear and full of emotion. "You have no idea what you made me do all these years, Vincenzo. After you left the mafia, everything changed for me. You left me alone, with the burden of keeping everything running. And why? Why did you abandon your family?"

Family. The word hit me like a punch in the gut. I took a deep breath before answering, keeping my voice steady. "We are not a family, Veronica. We never were. We were criminals of the worst kind, destroying lives and spreading pain wherever we went. I left because I knew it had to end." She looked at me, her eyes now filled with tears that were streaming down her face. There was something sincere in her expression, something I hadn't seen in years. "And yet, you left everything to me. You forced me to carry this burden alone, and I... I did what I had to do to survive." "Veronica," I interrupted, my patience wearing thin. "I'll ask one more time. Where is the child?" She hesitated, biting her lower lip as if each word was a weight she couldn't bear. Finally, she answered, "In Japan." I was silent for a moment, processing this information. My heart seemed to beat faster, but I kept my expression composed. "Why is he there?" I asked, my voice low and controlled. She swallowed hard before continuing. "I made deals with the Yakuza. They demanded something in return for my protection and the continuation of our business. Part of that involved leaving our son in their care. He grew up with their ideas and age-old family values." Veronica's description of her negotiations with the Yakuza was both plausible and chilling. She spoke with a mixture of coldness and pride, as if every detail were a trophy of her cunning. According to her, the Yakuza had a growing interest in expanding their operations outside of Asia, especially in territories where arms smuggling and information trafficking were highly profitable. The Italian Mafia, with its well-established network and political influence, was a desirable ally. She recounted how, years ago, she had set herself up as the mediator between the organizations. At that time, chaos reigned after a successful coup that left both factions in debt to each other. In exchange for unrestricted access to Italian ports and protection from local authorities, the Yakuza offered massive financial resources and an army of men ready to act in any joint mission. Veronica explained that in order to seal the deal, they needed something more: a guarantee of fidelity. And that was when she made a decision that, in her words, "defined her destiny."

"They don't just trust words or contracts. They need something tangible, something that binds the parties involved in an unbreakable way. That's when I realized that my own flesh and blood would be that guarantee," she said, showing no remorse. Vincenzo listened to everything, trying to remain calm in the face of the revelation that his son-the son he didn't even know existed-had been used as a bargaining chip.

She detailed how she convinced the Yakuza that her loyalty was genuine. The son, the result of her night with Vincenzo, was kept secret and handed over to the organization as part of the pact. In exchange, she received guarantees of safety and unconditional support in their future operations. For the Yakuza, raising the boy was an investment. They would mold him into a link between the two worlds, an individual with the blood of both organizations and a loyalty divided only by his own survival.

"They assured me that he would be raised with all the resources he needed, that he would receive an elite education and learn to command. When the time was right, he would be the bridge between the two empires," Veronica continued, her voice taking on a note of melancholy. "But I knew that also meant that he would never be truly free. He would always be trapped by them, just as I had been trapped by this life."

Vincenzo felt a mixture of anger and sadness. The idea that his son-his blood-was being raised to serve such dark purposes was unbearable. At the same time, he could not ignore Veronica's ability to manipulate situations to her advantage, even if it meant sacrificing everything that should be sacred.

And She finished her confession in a defiant tone, looking directly at Vincenzo. "Now you understand why I did what I did. It was all to protect what was left of me, to make sure I had a place in this world. And in a way, to make sure you had a legacy too." Vincenzo didn't answer right away. The words hung in the air, heavy and final. He knew he had to find a way to make this right, to rescue his son and perhaps redeem some of the past that haunted him. But at that moment, all he could feel was a crushing emptiness and the responsibility that now rested on his shoulders. My breathing became heavy, and for a moment, I couldn't say anything. Finally, the words escaped my lips in a tone almost incredulous, but with a hint of restrained happiness. "Him? ... So it's a boy." Veronica smiled, a small, bitter smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Yes, it's a boy. And deep down, I understand why you left, Vincenzo. I understand now. That's why I turned myself in. I wanted to leave too. Everything I did was to protect our son." Her words echoed in my mind. Protection. Did she really believe that turning him over to the Yakuza was the best way to protect him? The thought filled me with anger, but also with a deep sadness. "Do you think he's safe because he's with them?" I asked, standing up abruptly. My hands pressed down on the table so hard I nearly knocked it off its feet. "They fed him lies, trained him for a world I spent my life trying to escape. You've put him in the same cycle of destruction that ruined us, Veronica!" She looked down, tears streaming freely down her face. But there was a strange peace in her expression. "I did what I thought was best. He's with the most powerful family in Japan. He's not in danger there, Vincenzo. The problem isn't where he is. The problem is what they've taught him all these years." My hands shook. I couldn't let this go. My son-my son wouldn't make the same mistakes I had. He wouldn't be another pawn in the mafia's dirty game. I looked at the guard at the door and shouted, my voice echoing in the room. "I have the location of the child. You need to act now!" The guard hesitated for a moment before waving to another officer, who quickly left to notify the appropriate authorities. I turned to Veronica, my chest rising and falling rapidly. "I won't let our son make the same mistakes I did," I said, my voice full of determination. She looked at me, her eyes still filled with tears, but now with something more. Resignation. Peace. As if, for the first time, she had made the right decision. And then she smiled. A small, sad smile, but true. And in that moment, I knew that, despite everything, maybe there was hope.