But in Ingram’s shitty mind, she always reminded Kiara that Ivy was a rape baby. Madam Lourd told Kiara to ignore Ingram’s remarks.
Madam Lourd was excited for Ivy. She was the first baby in the Palace for years. While Madam Lourd watched Ivy in the evening, Kiara had built her clientele at the Palace. She also had built a rep for being the most desirable woman there. That angered Ingram, knowing Kiara had brought in more money than she or Madam Lourd ever did when they were once celebrated escorts. Deep down, it scared Ingram that Kiara would take her throne one day. Meanwhile, Kiara traveled with her clients. She hated to stay away from Ivy that long, but she knew that her child was in good hands with Madam Lourd.
And when Ivy got a little older, Madam Lourd took her under her wing and trained Ivy as a lady’s maid. She tried to keep her out of the hands of Ingram, who she knew would brainwash the girl.
One client craved Kiara’s service all the time. He was Raza Hussain, better known as the crown prince of Dubai United Arab Emirates. He was infatuated with the island beauty and hated sharing her with so many men.
When she left him to go back to Costa Rica, he got upset and wanted her by his side all the time. At first, his father was against his son making some whore his new wife and bringing her into the royal family. But when Raza used the Cinderella story on him, his father gave in. Raza went to the Palace with a fat wallet ready to buy. This excited Ingram because she figured it would be big money for the Palace—and mainly for her.
But when Raza told Ingram that he wanted Kiara, that made Ingram furious. She tried to tell him lies about Kiara, which Raza didn’t believe. Then Ingram offered him other girls who were virgins, who were worth a pretty penny. But despite Ingram’s efforts, Raza still wanted Kiara. To shut Ingram up for good, Raza gave her 25 million, plus 10 million in goods and a $25-million bonus. Ingram took the deal and asked if Prince Raza wanted Kiara gift wrapped.
When it got out that Kiara was sold, she was crushed that she had to leave Madam Lourd, her second mother. More so, her now 10-year-old daughter. Kiara tried to get Raza to take Ivy, passing her off as her sister, but Raza refused. He promised Kiara a life of luxury, a marriage proposal, life in a real palace, and that she would be an actual princess. The day that Kiara left, she told Ivy that she would have to leave her for a while. She also promised she’d talk to Prince Raza into getting her soon. Lastly, she told Ivy to be happy and behave.
Ivy was saddened for weeks, feeling that her mother left her forever. She hoped one day her mother would come back and make her a princess too. She even read stories in magazines that said her mother was Prince Raza’s sixth wife.
Another article said that Kiara was pregnant with Raza’s firstborn son and heir to the throne.
It had been two years, and Ivy didn’t hear a thing from her mother. She believed that Kiara had forgotten all about her and was content with her new, fabulous lifestyle, along with her half brother, who was a baby prince. Ivy promised herself to get out of the Palace.
Ingram was still pissed about Kiara having a lavish life and getting everything she wanted. And that didn’t mean that Ingram couldn’t take it out on her child. She was going to get her revenge on the Costello women. In Ingram’s deceitful little brain, she was going to pretend to be Ivy’s friend. She told her she could be just like her mother and that she would train and guide her. Therefore, Ivy quit being Madam Lourd’s lady’s maid and started training to be a sexy escort.
Years passed. Ivy was 14 and sexy as hell. That was the year Ingram had a ball at the Palace for some of the wealthiest men in the world to take their pick of some of the most desirable women in Costa Rico. But to Ingram’s surprise, none of the men wanted her, and they felt Ivy just looked like the average classic island girl. Ivy was a cute girl who stood five feet four with long, light brown, curly hair and a shape any supermodel would kill to have. Ingram couldn’t believe the men always wanted something extra.
Hurt by the men’s rejection, Ivy decided to give them what they wanted. She cut her hair into a buzz cut, dying it platinum blond. She wore bright red lipstick and wore sexier outfits. Ingram had another ball, and this time, Ivy caught the eye of a young, hot, Italian eye-candy who was 16 years old. Bruno Bello was an up-and-coming mob boss who was following in his father’s footsteps. But like many teenagers, he rebelled and lived life recklessly. He was attracted to Ivy because she was a rebel herself. He was also the man who had taken her virginity. After having her good pussy, Bruno didn’t want any other man to touch her. He made sure Ivy had the best of everything. The best clothing, a private car, and the best room to see her in whenever he came to town.
He would also fly her out to St. Louis, Chicago, or Italy to his family’s homes. For over two years, Ivy felt like a princess when with Bruno. She thought Bruno would be her Prince Charming, buy her out of the Palace, they would get married and be a family. But all that changed when Bruno came for one of his visits, and Ivy kept getting headaches and vomiting. Bruno took Ivy to the best hospital in San José, and it turned out that she was four months pregnant. From that point on, everything he did for her stopped. He halted the visits, weekly allowances, and even stopped sending payments to Ingram, which really pissed her off. Ivy was kicked out of her luxury suite by Ingram, but Madam Lourd moved Ivy into her room until her child was born.
By Bruno leaving her with no letter or explanation, Ivy fell into a deep depression. She hated the fact that she would never see him again. She tried calling him, but all of his phones were disconnected. The last time she’d heard about him was in Entertainment Weekly. He was engaged to a Swedish model. At that point, Ivy wanted a drug to relieve her pain. All she had in life from him was her unborn child. She tried to remain strong for her child, and five months later, Ivy gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. The name came simply to Ivy because she believed that her family was of royal blood. Kiara was now a princess, Ivy lived like a princess for a while and had a very powerful mobster prince in Bruno. She didn’t believe in queens, thinking they were weak. She named her daughter something higher than a princess and a queen. She called her child King Kia Costello.
By the baby being so beautiful, and Ivy owing a big debt to Ingram, who’d lost a lot of money because of Ivy, Ingram wanted her to sell her baby. Ivy refused. Her refusal to not give up King and pay Ingram her money caused a huge fistfight between the women, which caused Ivy and King to be banished from the Palace forever. But Madam Lourd gave Ivy money to last for a while.
Not knowing anything except for living a glamourous life at the Palace, the streets of San José were a scary sight, particularly landing in the streets of La Carpio, one of the worst ghettos of Costa Rica that was known for drugs and crime. Ivy didn’t have any skills, and she wasn’t going to work as anyone’s maid. So she went back to the only thing she knew to support her and King, which was whoring. Sometimes, she would leave King with strangers.
When King was 3 years old, Ivy met a Jamaican pimp named T-Weed, who provided a home for Ivy and King and protection with Ivy working for him. Ivy agreed, and to sign the deal, she became pregnant with T-Weed’s child. Nine months later, Ivy had King’s half brother, Santana. After Santana’s birth, T-Weed pimped Ivy and his other girls all over Costa Rica and took all their money. By the time King was 8, T-Weed had introduced Ivy to coke and later on, heroin, making Ivy his zombie. He’d made her shut up about Bruno and the life she should’ve been living. His only words to her were, “You’re not a princess anymore, bitch!”
With Ivy doped up all the time, T-Weed had bigger plans in turning King out, who, day by day, was turning into a beauty. Especially with her smooth fair skin, exotic features, and her beautiful green eyes and natural blond hair that she inherited from her rapist grandfather. T-Weed knew one day King would be worth big money and was thankful Ingram threw her and Ivy out. When King would be of age, he would be the first to pop her cherry. He was getting tired of fucking Ivy and his other girls whose looks and pussies were fading. He was deter
mined to get some of that young meat.
King was aware of her surroundings, and she knew that T-Weed was up to no good. She wanted to help her mother and protect her little brother. Ivy was in the streets turning tricks to get T-Weed his money and polluting her mind due to her drug habit, not knowing she was on this earth much of the time. When Ivy was semicoherent, she would tell King that she was of royal blood. She told her about her grandfather, grandmother, and how, back at the Palace, she used to live the life of a princess thanks to King’s father, who was now a big mob boss. Ivy also wanted King to reclaim the Costello family honor. First, the Palace, then Bruno and Ivy’s mother. King took her family roots to heart. She kept her mind strong and made it her mission to fight for her rightful place on her throne. Lastly . . . not to take shit from anyone.
When King was 12 and had her first period, T-Weed wanted her to feel like a woman. In King’s mind, she wasn’t going to let that lowlife take what was hers. When T-Weed tried to rape her, she fought back and kicked him in his balls. Then she ran out of her room, but before leaving the house, she grabbed a knife.
It wasn’t long before T-Weed caught up with her. He tried to pull King back into the house, but she wasn’t going in without a fight. King pulled out the knife and stabbed T-Weed in his side. In anguish and pain, he screamed, “You little bitch!” King had heard that word all her life from T-Weed, who called his three other girls and her mother the same thing. But not King—the next heiress to the throne. She was even more determined to rid the world of this piece of shit, so while T-Weed was down, King continued to stab him. She tasted his blood while stabbing him in his face and neck. She watched the blood flow from his body as he screamed in pain, slowly dying. She smiled at his lifeless body with no emotion.
As King looked over at T-Weed’s corpse, she didn’t know that a black limousine was parked nearby, and its occupants were watching her every move. It was husband and wife, Zeus and Lewa Santiago. They were the king and queen of Cuba and the gods of the crime world. Whatever they said was bond in the bloody underworld of crime. They controlled everything from drugs, sex, and whenever the Santiagos told a politician to jump, he’d ask how high.
Instead of being grossed out at what King did to old dude, they were actually impressed with her killing technique. They didn’t know what it was about the young girl, but they got totally turned on by her skills. In their eyes, King was a homeless child with no family, and she had escaped the world of the sex trade from the hands of a pimp. Lewa, who didn’t have any children of her own, sympathized with the girl. She hated to see any child unwanted and alone in the world. So many memories flooded Lewa’s mind as she held back her tears. She tapped her husband’s shoulder and made a request. Blake Fernandez, their right-hand man, looked at the couple with a smile. Blake envied their love, and he wished he could clone Lewa. The Santiagos’ love for each other was pure and genuine. Lewa smiled at her husband.
“Zeus, I want her. Bring her to me.”
They shared a romantic kiss. “Sure, anything for you, Mrs. Santiago.” Zeus gave Blake an order. “Blake, you heard Mrs. Santiago. Bring the blond doll to us.”
Blake nodded. “As you wish.”
Blake got out of the car and rushed toward King. Her back was turned as she looked at her mother’s bloody former pimp and her half brother’s father. Blake grabbed her. King fought back with everything she had. He carried her to the limo, and after opening the door, he threw her inside. King screamed and tried to get out.
“Calm down!” Blake said forcefully.
King continued to fight. She didn’t calm down until Zeus pulled out a switchblade and pressed it against her neck.
“The man said, calm down!”
King looked at the switchblade and quickly obeyed.
“What do you want from me? If it’s money, I don’t have any. Help!”
The Santiagos and Blake laughed.
“No, child, we don’t want money. We want to help you,” Lewa said, looking at King with gentle eyes. “No one is going to hurt you, my dear.”
King didn’t know why, but she felt that she could trust the beautiful stranger. In her young eyes, the woman was simply gorgeous. She had a classy type of beauty with a china doll face. Her skin was dark chocolate, and her hair was cut short. Lewa’s smile melted King’s heart. It was the first time in years that anyone treated her nicely.
Zeus removed his switchblade from her neck and placed it in his coat pocket. King looked at the strange man next to the woman. She had to admit he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. His white skin was flawless with a five o’clock shadow that made him even sexier. He looked of Cuban and Italian descent. His hair was cut short like film legend James Dean. His body showed well in a gray Tom Ford suit. Lewa looked at King’s dirty clothes. It was difficult to ignore the stench coming from her body.
“You look like you could use a meal, a hot bath, and some new clothes. Would you like to come with us? I promise we won’t hurt you, child.”
Lewa’s words were like music to King’s ears. She nodded, and the car sped off.
As they rode to the hotel, the Santiagos and King talked and introduced themselves to one another. And when they arrived at the Apartotel La Sabana where the Santiagos had a whole suite, they put King in the tub so she could wash herself up real good. While she was bathing, they didn’t know King had ordered nearly everything from the menu. Room service delivered the food, and when King got out of the tub smelling like jasmine, she devoured food like she hadn’t eaten in days.
While hanging out with the Santiagos, King learned that Lewa was originally from Sierra Leone and that Zeus was from Havana, Cuba. They still lived in Havana and had many businesses. When they asked what King’s name was, they thought King was an unusual name for a girl. Then King told them about her family history and that one day she was going to be on top and reclaim her family honor. She also told them about wanting to get revenge on those who shamed her family. King had heard from a source that her father was living a lavish life back in America and running many businesses. Lastly, she wanted to get her hands on that fat, pig-faced bitch Ingram that Ivy told her about, and more than anything, she was going to take control of the Palace and Costa Rica.
After listening to King’s story, the Santiagos loved her determination for power. Zeus saw that King had the potential to be a good femme fatale and a future boss with the right mentoring, training, and guidance. He hoped within a few short years, she would be ready for anything. He offered to help her if she agreed to follow everything he and his wife were going to teach her. King agreed. She was ready to take back what was hers.
When Blake came back from the mall with a few outfits for King, Lewa taught King her very first lesson, and that was looking the part of a boss. She put on clothes with all designer labels and felt like a princess. But to her, King was equal to any man. Zeus taught her how to start her own empire. He told her since she killed T-Weed, she was going to take his place and pimp the three girls, but not her mother, to get whatever she wanted. She was advised to get some poor boys from the neighborhood that would kill for her and protect her. King was soaking in everything the Santiagos told her.
When they dropped her off at her home, a new King had emerged. Without T-Weed’s leadership, the three girls and Ivy were lost sheep without a shepherd. With new leadership skills, King took charge of the girls, and with Zeus’ switchblade and T-Weed’s guns, the girls knew King meant business and went to work.
Within a year, King had T-Weed’s ghetto, piss-smelling home looking like a royal palace. She formed her own little organization called The Leopard Clit. No one dared to fuck with her, thanks to the new protection and hidden protection the Santiagos hired. For many years, the Santiagos would travel back to Costa Rica, continuing King’s training and were impressed at all she had done. They even taught her how to read, write, and informed her of the keys to survival in the crime world. That consisted of book knowledge, along with a street education,
as well. Her favorite book to read was Dracula. She loved his thirst for blood.
When the Santiagos came into town, they took King with them on trips and taught her how to buy and sell workers, even how to set up shops in other countries. They also taught her how to steal, not cheap shit, but diamonds, gold, and artwork so she could sell them for millions to buyers who wanted them on the black market.
With the money King made, she moved herself and her mother, who was trying to kick her drug addiction, to a fancy hotel on the other side of town. King wanted to pimp out Santana. She both loved and hated her half brother, all at the same time. He looked like a light-skinned version of T-Weed. She wanted to kill Santana too, but she decided against it because it wasn’t his fault.
King continued to do her business in La Carpio. She made even more money and was feared by all other gangs in the area. It was all thanks to the guidance of the Santiagos, who she regarded as her mother and father figures. Since she didn’t know her own grandparents, Madam Lourd always came around visiting them in the hotel and helping Ivy with her withdrawals. She got Ivy morphine to kick the habit.
The next lesson the Santiagos wanted to teach King was the drug game, but she wasn’t interested, especially knowing what it had done to her mother. The main lesson King wanted to learn was about murder. The Santiagos gave the 14-year-old her first assignment to kill an American judge who was wrongfully putting young black men in prison on trumped-up charges. One man the judge imprisoned was the leader of the powerful St. Louis organization, The Empire, that wanted the judge dead. King killed the judge, and the Empire’s leader was released, and the evidence disappeared. The Santiagos loved the masterpiece they’d created and thought it would be a good time to leave King, but not until after teaching her one more lesson.
By the time it was King’s sweet 16 birthday, the Santiagos had thought it was time to teach King her final lesson: The Art of Seduction. That was also the night they took King’s virginity and told her to use her pussy to get all she wanted from the enemy. And that was the night King fell in love with them and wanted to run away with them to Cuba.
Hardhearted Page 21
