The City That Never Sleeps.  Well Shelley had spent a peaceful night getting all her beauty sleep in preparation for a long, eventful day of shopping.  A few jewels at a nearby store had caught her eye the other day, so she figured what the hell.  She was pulling in some decent bucks, and paid her security detail handsomely, so it was time to indulge in a bit of extravagance for herself today.  Dressed to the nines, Shelley was dolled up in her favorite red pant suit, heels, and a dash of jewelry.  She headed out for the fun filled day, curious to what goodies she would come across in her adventurous day.

By the time Shelley made it to the third store on her outing, she had collected a few bagfuls of items.  New clothes, new accessories, a few books to have to read on some lazy days ahead, but now she needed something glamorous to finish off the new wardrobe.  This store dealt in a fine collection of jewels, with a wide selection including various designs by the owners.  Oscar Heyman & Brothers was where she typically purchased any jewelry because their work was top quality.

Once she finally left the jewelry store an hour later, Shelley felt famished and a little tired.  She made her way to the Auburn Boattail Speedster, that was parked a couple stores away, stowed her newest packages in the trunk before heading in the direction of acquiring some sustenance.  Having stopped by the Cabin Tea Room, one of the local hangouts in New York, she sat at a table finally able to take a break from shopping.  Shelley motioned to the server to take her order.  An order of course to include a couple treats, firstly the iced chocolate cake, as well as the hot butterscotch shortcake, and some hot tea to go with it.

Polishing off the shortcake first because that chocolate cake looked so devilishly delicious, Shelley had wanted to savor that treat last.  After receiving a refill on her tea, she was delving the fork into the slice of cake evenly tugging away a bite sized portion, bringing it to her lips then making a soft sigh as she tasted the heavenly concoction.  It was the perfect pick me up after an exhausting but necessary shopping trip.  Her mind wandered over a few things as she continued to enjoy the tasty treat. 

Shelley had an upcoming meeting with Don Clement later in the week.  He didn't exactly specify what the meeting details were yet, so the natural curiosity inside her forged onwards, thinking of possible issues within the family or city that could be of great importance.  One final bite left on the plate, and just as she stuck the fork into the center of the cake, a man burst inside the tea room doors.  He glanced around the room, made eye contact with her then headed straight for her.  She recognized him as one of her Don's footmen.  He was outta breath by the time he reached her table.

Just as he reached her table, the two bodyguards along for her journey that day had came up from their seats at the nearby table, ready to defend and protect their boss.  In the midst of the action, that last bite of chocolate cake fell off the fork, onto the table then tumbled to the floor.  Shelley burrowed her brows as she focused those hazel green eyes down towards the lost bite then back up to the source of her distraction.  The fork clinked as it hit the plate before she spoke.

"Well this had better be good!"

He was still outta breath as he spoke, but his expression now held a bit of fear in his eyes knowing he came between a lady and her dessert.

"Don...Jemaine.  He.  He requested.  Your.  Presence.....immediately."

Shelley waved her hands to her security detail to reclaim their seats for the time being while she sorted out this information.

"Did the Bossman say anything else?

She received a shake of his head before he scuttled back out of the establishment.  This turn of events was unsettling to say the least.  First being summoned spontaneously without any solid details for her to go on, and secondly her relaxation time was being interrupted.  Her men settled the bill while she went outside to her car.  They followed behind her in another, and she tore down the streets of New York with speed back to the headquarters.  The atmosphere back at headquarters was one she couldn't place.  There were those roaming around talking excitedly, while others were talking quietly in pairs.  Something big must have happened apparently, but she was none the wiser.

Shelley walked towards Don Clement's office, knocked on the door quickly three times.  She heard his voice booming out loudly telling her to come in.  She opened the door noticing instantly the Right Hand Man, DefinitelyNotBread, off to the side of the desk.  He stood lazily against the wall, smirking a bit as Jemaine was looking directly at her.  

"Have a seat Shelley.  There's important business at hand to discuss."

"Sure thing Don."

The pair of them exchanged glances which caused DNB to chuckle softly.  She began to feel her nerves react, and she hadn't had this nervous feeling since she was brought into the family.  There was nowhere else for her to go in the family, so she began to fear the worst.  She knew there was talks of the Godfather in New York causing trouble for the family, and wondered if something was brewing that needed to be handled.  Judging by the serious look on the Don's face, Shelley felt her instincts were on target.

"Well remember the issue we were facing with the old Godfather of Brooklyn?"

Shelley fidgeted slightly in her seat then nodded knowing all too well the issues they were facing with....she paused in all her movements and thoughts, focusing on that key word....'old'. 

"You mean.....he's dead?  Who's taking his place?"

Both Jemaine and DNB smiled in reply to her questions.  The surprised expression on her face gave way to the fact the situation dawned on her with a quick understanding.  Her hazel green eyes glanced over to DNB receiving a nod before turning back to Don Clement.  No.  Godfather Clement.  All the hushed talks mixed with the excited looks throughout the headquarters were now understood.  It must have been something spontaneous to have these plans happen this quickly.  She sat there now listening to the details of the event which led to her bossman becoming the new Godfather of New York.

Once Godfather Jemaine had come to the part about expanding the district to strengthen their family, he nodded at Shelley.  He closed the book on his desk then stood up, walked around to the front of his desk.  She got a little nervous as he stood there towering over her, but remained calm.  One thing she was good at was remaining calm under pressure and not showing any weakness.  Then he spoke again.

"I've seen the dedication and hard work you have put into this family Shelley.  Don't think it has gone unnoticed.  I will be needing someone I can trust and depend on to continue to help this city grow.  You're that person Shelley.  I want you to branch out under me in Brooklyn, and build a family to work alongside me."

Shelley was completely surprised and quite excited.

"I would be honored to take the reigns.  I will continue to work for the betterment of this great city.  I look forward to seeing New York grow. Thank you for having such trust in me to allow me this opportunity.  I will do you proud Godfather Clement."

Shelley knew right away what it was that she was going to do. She never imagined that such an opportunity would befall her but she was honored and she would stay true to her words to give her all to the city and make the new Godfather proud. She pushed the other million thoughts running through her head aside for the moment and focused on the one she felt the most important.

When she was younger her mother had told her stories of Antonio Maldonado Sr. and how he had looked after her and her mother so many times in his short life. She always looked up to him and as circumstances would have it, she also knew and grew up with his son, who shared the same name.

Shelley sped through the streets heading to the place where he would usually be located knowing that he'd be there as usual. In the midst of thinking about her organization she had figured the first thing she should do is come up with a name. She wanted to have a name that stood for something and also honor the man who had looked out for her. With that in mind she had the name decided but it would only be fair if she got the last one from the bloodline to run it beside her.

Life changes quickly, no matter who you are no matter where you are. You either change with it or you get caught in it and usually end up in the bottom of a river.

Those were the words Frank taught me. He taught me a lot of other shit but this is something that stuck with me the most. Life changes fast and suddenly. Sure Frank wasn't the mot elegant with words but when you're a man of action like that you didn't need to talk all pretty. I liked to think of myself as a similar kinda guy but it would seem I just had too much of my father's brains to end up a brute who waxed philosophically from time to time like my mentor.

That may have been the reason why I was being talked to, or rather talked at, by my old friend who was like a sister Shelley. She was telling me she had just caught a big break and since Jemaine had just taken over as the official Godfather of New York City, she was being tasked to set up a crew under him to help with the continued rebuild effort. This was a lot of information in itself to take in, but the fact that she wanted me to help her run a crew, that she wanted to name after my brother's crew using our last name was a whole other bombshell in itself.

"Whoa whoa Shelly, you sure you don't wanna name it after yourself? Or somethin you think is bad ass or somethin'?" I asked her.

She wasn't having any of it. I could understand why. Sure I spent my whole life trying to get out of the shadow of my father and brothers and the family name, but the family was very good to Shelley and her mother before her. They took care of her mother, gave her a home and helped Shelley along too as much as possible. It was honestly touching, even to someone so eager to get away like me.

I had no choice but to understand where she was coming from with wanting to use the name for her own family, hell she was like family anyway it was practically her own name too as much time as she spent with us growing up. I also found myself agreeing to help her too. Just thinking about how far she had come had filled my cold heart up with pride.

"Shelley, I think there is no other person that I'd be more proud to see get this opportunity than you. You've been through so much and have worked your ass off from day one and I'm just proud to see you get what you deserve. I would be honored to help you in this journey to have your chance at leading a crew or heading a family and am honored you'd like to use my...Our last name. You're family Shelley, the sister that I didn't have so with that said, I'm proud of you and I would be more than happy to assist you in this new adventure, I look forward to working under you and helping you to succeed." I said with a genuine smile breaking out on my face.

I knew there would be a lot of work ahead but I was genuinely looking forward to helping my sister grow her crew and continue to grow our city.

The moment the headquarters was buzzing with all the new tidbits of excitement, Rachel had felt a momentary relief.  It had finally happened. The Boss had sorted out the pesky Godfather of New York, taken over the mantle for himself, and now her dear friend was being given the opportunity to build something for herself.  This news was indeed worthy of celebrating.  The city wouldn't be sleeping tonight, that's for damn sure. Nonstop celebrations everywhere you could possibly turn.

Rachel was downing the last bit of bubbly left in the glass then had planned to head on home.  First though, she needed to congratulate the lady of the hour.  She stopped in her stride to set the glass down before approaching her friend with a bright smile.  She gave Shelley a warm hug then stood back.

"I'm so happy for you Shelley to have this chance.  I can honestly say that there wasn't anyone better suited for this position than you.  The road was long, but patience perservered didn't it?  One of the many qualities a good leader has.  This is such a joyous night, and I am honored to be able to share it with you.  Let the journey continue!"

Fantastic opportunity Shelley! You've waited your time but congratulations are truly in order as you finally take to the stage. You'll make a fine leader and a wonderful addition to the city I have no doubt!