Her Time to Reign

Her Time to Reign Book 1 Taylor Delvaux Note From the Author This book is the first of a duo. It is intended for readers 18 and up as it depicts scenarios which are not suitable for all readers. Trigger warnings include: graphic violence, torture, and MFM. Table of Contents Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Acknowledgements About the Author Copyright © 2022 Taylor Delvaux All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, locations, incidents, and businesses are products of the author's imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, locales, or events is purely coincidental. Chapter Logo Designs: M. Hendrix Cover Art: Taylor Delvaux This book is for the women who take no shit. Chapter One Gianna The city is a dangerous place to live. Always has been, always will be. Not that the people here know much about what goes on in the shadows. That's where my family reigns. It doesn't matter that we're frequently front-page news in the socialite section, we have plenty of legitimate businesses but our true empire is the dark side of the city. We rule the shadows, the criminals, the illegal activities and we used to rule them well. Lately my father has been getting greedy, going down a darker path to line his already thick wallet with more money. That’s no way to rule, this path will only lead to our ultimate downfall. I want to build our legacy and move our family forward, there’s no sense lingering in the past but unfortunately that’s where all these old men reside. It’s hard being a daughter in an Italian mafia family. In the old days women were to be seen and not heard, we were used as bargaining chips and arm candy. What a waste. It’s the twenty-first century and our family organization has grown through the years, diving into new ventures and learning new tricks to beat the system. In some ways we might even be ahead of the game, but in others we’re still drastically behind the rest of the world. We have legitimate businesses as fronts and laundering places for the real money makers. Hotels, clubs, and restaurants all legally owned tax paying businesses running under several different company names that are all managed by us, the DeVitis family. It’s all up to code and above reproach. What the IRS doesn’t know is underneath the hotel, Le Eclissi, we have an entire illegal casino operating under their noses. Everyone who’s anyone knows about our casino, Sole. Under the city there’s something for everyone... blackjack, roulette, skilled dancers, and strong alcohol. Sole is the place to go for networking, secret deals, and secret affairs. The hotel upstairs is discrete and just as pretentious. It’s a great set up, but every business has room for improvements and I’ve spent years coming up with plans for new ventures and expansions. Unfortunately, I was born without the appendage needed to get my father to take me seriously. With all the advancements we’ve made with the businesses you would think the rest of the old-fashioned ideas would have been phased out as well. Wrong. Even now women aren’t allowed to hold titles or be involved in the business operations. There are even still arranged marriages happening, though thankfully my father hasn’t tried that bullshit with me yet. There are women who work in the legitimate businesses as secretaries or office managers, but not a single position of power has ever been awarded to a woman regardless of how qualified she was. Which is obviously complete and utter bullshit. As head of the family my father was expected to have a son to be heir to his throne. My mother died trying to give him that son, leaving him with just me and my sister. Ariana was shipped off to boarding school as soon as she was old enough, but I’ve been raised here, learning the ins and outs of our world so that one day I can marry a man our father approves of and he can run the family. My father wanted me to learn so I could make sure my husband wasn’t ruining the family legacy, what he doesn’t know is I have no intention of sharing my throne. I’ll be ruling alone. “Gianna, are you paying attention?” My father’s monotonous voice interrupted my thoughts, but unlike him I can multitask, much to my dismay I have been paying attention to his droning. “Yes father, I think the numbers speak for themselves on this.” Happy with my agreement he continues going over the changes he’s implemented, basically taking money away from his workers to give to himself. Like that’s any way to create a loyal and stable work force. In our business loyalty is everything, but if you don’t treat people right their loyalty can and eventually will be bought. Constantino DeVitis thinks he’s above such petty notions. He’ll figure out soon enough he’s not. It’s only a matter of time before people turn on him, starting with me. After spending the day listening to my father's idiotic ramblings, I’m in need of a break. I know this is my reality but sometimes it’s nice to get away from it all, just leave the baggage behind for a few hours and disappear. I’m not a complete idiot, even with a disguise I could still be recognized so I always make a plan with my bodyguard, Luca. He’s been on my side for years and my father has