Ramona drew on yet another cigarette as she oversaw the moving men. Keeping her head low had fared her well and was looking good on her. She no longer needed the seedy apartment. She was able to…acquire…a house on the edge of the city. Not quite in the suburbs—she wanted to keep away from the peeping eyes of the affluent and their tabloid shadows—but far enough out of the city that she wouldn't be bombarded with the destitute and their damned begging. She was just close enough to the action.

She stubbed out her cigarette butt in an ashtray sitting on the porch railing. Turning on her heel she sauntered inside the house. It smelled of fresh paint and wood polish. The style was certainly different from her home in Mexico, but these Anglos had a different style for everything. She tried to make it feel like home as much as possible. She had the walls redone from their lifeless pale colors to thick, bold Mayan designs. The furniture pieces she picked out to adorn the place were all leather- and velvet-clad beasts with heavy wooden frames. She almost felt sorry for the moving men. Almost.

She walked through the foyer, her heels clicking against the tile. She ran her fingers over the handrail of the stairs as she passed them, making her way down the hall to the right instead. Down the hall she passed several rooms until she got to one on the end—her office. Nodding to the two men waiting outside the door, she walked in and let her eyes adjust to the dim lighting. This room she had done differently. While the rest of the house was all bright colors and bold patterns, this room was simpler but also daring. Adorned in black and white, it was all drama. This room had another big difference from the others in the house. Every room had huge windows—except this one. This room had no windows at all, leaving it dark and foreboding. Just the way Ramona liked it.

She looked over the room to make sure it was to her liking. She had insisted this room be set up first. There was a large black stone desk at the very back of the room, several black, plush leather chairs situated facing the desk. The rug was black, lain over the white tile floor. The ceiling was white with a sun pattern carved in the wood in the center of the room, a simple chandelier hanging from it. A wet bar had been built into the wall in one corner of the room; it held several cut-glass decanters housing some of the finest spirits, matching glasses on a shelf below. Ramona gave a single, curt nod in approval at the state of the room.

Ramona checked her personal inventory secreted within the room, then walked back out without acknowledging the men posted outside. She made her way back down the hall to the foyer, where she turned to the left into a sitting room. With the rug laid and the furniture in place, this was almost looking complete. The moving men were now bringing in the numerous potted plants and paintings. Ramona reached out to run her fingers through the tendrils of a fern as one of the men walked by. She looked forward to her new home looking like an exotic jungle. She sat down on one of the austere couches, gesturing to one of the body guards standing in the corner of the room. He swiftly came over to her as she was pulling a cigarette out and had a flame ready right as she put it to her lips. Once the cigarette was lit, he then laid an ashtray on the side table beside her.

Before he disappeared back into the shadows of the room, Ramona said to him, “Please let the family know that my door is always open to them.” He nodded, then looked around taking assessment of how many men were posted in the room. Satisfied, he briskly walked out of the sitting room and through the front door. Without looking, Ramona knew that he was checking with the bodyguards posted on the property before leaving. She leaned back in the couch and closed her eyes. Not too bad, she thought to herself as she considered her new abode. It wasn't ostentatious. Just two stories, a few rooms per floor. She took a long drag of her cigarette, letting the smoke curl from her lips. It’s starting to feel like home. 

Pulling up to the house, the blacked out Lexus slowly came to a stop. The driver turned, putting an arm over the other seat to address the passenger in the back.

"Time to wake up, your highness. We have arrived."

Feeling the car come to a stop, Princess stirred slowly, sitting up to stretch. It had been a drive from Aegor's palace down to this new house, but she could not have been more excited. She had sent word to Mexico for Broken-Glass-Ramona to come and take her mother's place in the company. Ramona's mother, Santina had been very close to her own mother, Princesa. Princess' mother never wanted this life for her but it ran in her blood, so much that she knew she had to step up to avenge her beloved madre. As an infant, her mother whisked her away in the middle of the night to escape the war on the kingdom. Her father, the King, had never sent word after either of them. She knew that was due to Princesa keeping their whereabouts a secret. She knew her mother only had the best intentions to keep her safe from the kingdom's enemies, but Princess knew her mother was also trying to keep her away from the world Princesa's parents had been a part of.

Coming to a new country, Princesa had to start over without anyone. Princess grew up a rather lonely child due to this, but her ray of sunshine came the day she had met Ramona. That was the day she knew she had met her best friend, her soul mate, and her closest confidant. She knew from that day on she would never be alone in the world as long as she had Broken-Glass-Ramona by her side. They grew up playing together as their mothers sat over coffee, quietly discussing plans of expansion and loyalty within The Golden Company. The pair had been inseparable even through the tough times of teenage years, playfully flirting with the company's new bag boys to dressing up in their mothers' expensive ball gowns.

Princess smiled softly, the memories still playing in her head as the car door opened. She stepped out of the car, gazing up at the sun before straightening out her dress and following behind her bodyguards to the front entrance. Clearing her throat, she spoke sternly to the two bodyguards posted out front.

"I wish to see the owner of this property. Please send word that the Princess has arrived."

Ramona was lost in thought as one of her bodyguards whispered in her ear. Immediately her face lit up; Princess was here! Much like a young girl, she shot up from her seat and ran to the door, somewhat startling the men posted about her home. She flung the door open and enveloped her closest friend in the warmest of embraces. 

"You're here! Oh, I'm so happy you're here!" she said with such warmth. The two women held each other for several moments, letting memories wash over them both. Finally, they slowly let go their tight embrace. Ramona stepped back, her hands still on Princess's shoulders, and looked her up and down. "Mi hermana, you look absolutely fantastica!" she raved. "You must come in and have a drink!"

Grabbing Princess by one hand, she hastily led her into the home and to the sitting room, gesturing to the behemoth leather couch to sit. Snapping her fingers, she barked sharply to one of the men, "Get us some drinks, why don't you?" He hurried to the bar in the next room and poured fresh drinks over ice. Draping herself on the couch next to Princess, the guard placed drinks in both women's hands without them having to look up. "Dime, what have you been up to lately? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!" Ramona sipped on her beverage as she looked into Princess's eyes expectantly.

Princess sighed happily as she swirled her ice in her glass before taking a sip, the taste of home meeting her lips. She paused for a minute, soaking in the happiness that enveloped the room. Her eyes took a moment to take in all of Ramona's features; her familiar warm smile that she had missed so, the smell of her exotic perfume from the homeland, the way her hair fell gently over her shoulders like a deep black waterfall. Her presence was just so intoxicating in the best of ways.

"Well, mi bonita, the company business has kept me tied up for the most part. I know you heard about my mother being gunned down in the streets trying to protect the family. After that, I had to step up and take her place. Dios guarde su alma, I know this isn't the life she wanted for me, but I know she would be proud of what I'm trying to accomplish."

She took a big sip from her glass before wiping the tear from her cheek. Princess sat her glass down, taking Broken-Glass-Ramona's hands in her own, looking into her eyes intently. 

"Mi flor, I am so glad you are here with me. I wasn't sure if you would want to come back to this land after your mother's tragic passing."

Ramona sighed at that last. "Yes, it was a hard decision whether to come here. My mother, God rest her, was a fiery-spirited woman. She was fast and feisty, which is how she rose up in the ranks of those gangs back in Mexico so quickly. But it's also what ended up driving her out of Mexico to this country. I love my mother dearly, but she never knew how to take things easy. That would always be her demise. I never thought that I would follow in her footsteps, but here I am." Ramona was smiling, but sorrow darkened her eyes. She gave Princess's hand a squeeze. "Having you here by my side," she looked deeply into Princess's eyes, "definitely eases that pain." 

She took a sip of her drink, unable to feel the burn of the alcohol at all. Taking a deep breath, she shook her dark hair back from her shoulders. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the sadness wash over her a final time before letting it go. Opening her eyes again, she half smiled at her dearest friend. Reaching up, she ran her finger's through Princess's silken blonde locks. How she had missed this face, her laugh. Ramona's demeanor grew serious again as she thought of Princesa. "I was so sorry to hear about your mother's passing. She was just as much a mother to me as Santina. I know it must have been hard for you to take her place. She fought so hard to keep you from this life. You know I am always here for you, mi hermana." Ramona looked intently at Princess. "I only wonder if you gave yourself the room to grieve after her passing."