#𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 ━ patricia carosella.

[cartelheir]

@proofwhisky​

❝    I BROUGHT THIS FOR YOU.    ❞

tommy’s office looks way less intimidating after hours,   when the lights are dim like he was just about to leave.      in her hands shines a nice,   expensive-looking bottle of tequila;   and it would cost her quite a penny,   if she didn’t own the company that made it.      ❝    a sample of what we smuggle across the american border everyday.     it’s getting quite popular over there.    ❞      she sets the bottle over his desk,   carefully.

❝    have you ever tried it?    ❞

[cartelheir]

SHE’S AWARE OF WHO HE IS,   too,   and perhaps that’s what catches her off guard about the warm welcome,   the kiss on her cheek.     she’s fast to recover.      she shakes his hand for just a second too long,   holds eye contact,   smiles with all the  charm  she’s inherited from her mother.

❝    carosella.     don’t call me ríos,    ❞      she says,   finally.     she understands why ríos had been used to introduce the two of them;   carosella leaves no room for error,   no way to  not  associate her with her father,   still well-known as one of the most notorious drug kingpins even decades after his death.     but being recognized is not an issue for her.      ❝    it’s very nice to meet you.     i’ve heard a lot about your work,   as well.    ❞

‘ i'm aware of who you are, miss ríos, @surdelafrontera  ’   punctuating the recognition upon introduction whilst clutching on her palm －－ courteous simper is a mere façade, but honesty coiling upon the everlasting handshake as he leans into her ear ; beckoning further to her level for intimacy, regardless of menace laced within articulation, but he leaves an endearing kiss upon her cheek ; CURTESY 'TWINED WITH THREAT, permanently bestow unforgettable impression of pompousness &. friendliness, ‘ congratulations on your expansion, however, must be hard to get in to european market.  ’   / starter call .

[hammurabicomplex-a2]

SHE DOESN’T HAVE FRIENDS,  these days.     there are colleagues,   acquaintances,  but the number of people she’ll let personal information slip to only gets slimmer.     perhaps it’s a matter of self-preservation,   or perhaps it’s simply the  shame  of being vulnerable in front of others that stops her every time.     yet there are things she can’t ignore,   no matter how much she would like to.

❝    do you have a moment?    ❞      does she see a  confidant  in eve?     she’s not sure,   but she sees someone who’ll judge her slightly less than most for what’s going on.      ❝    i was wondering if we could talk about something.    ❞

@streetsofsecrets​   ( eve ).

[cartelheir]

@proofwhisky​​   :   “The guy I know was a cold-blooded bastard.” for pat! THE USUAL SUSPECTS,   accepting!

❝    HE IS.    ❞      it’s not her intention to defend benjamín nor to confirm the accusation,   but she doesn’t feel fazed,   much less  surprised,   by his reputation of ruthlessness.     it’s simply a  reality  to her.      ❝    how else do you think one goes through a revolution  and  a great war?    ❞

her father’s warnings to  tread lightly  when dealing with potential partnerships   ━━   or rivals,   depending on how you look at it   ━━   so far away from home almost go ignored as her eyes study the man across from her with intrigue and curiosity.     she doesn’t hesitate to lean forward and rest her elbow on his expensive-looking desk,   her head coming to rest on top of her hand in a casual,   unconcerned manner.

❝    is it an issue that i associate with him?    ❞      she asks.      ❝    does he  scare  you,   thomas?    ❞

[cartelheir]

@bornfornothin​   :   my mother was always pissed off. - for pat

❝    MINE TOO.    ❞      there’s a small smile on her lips,   but it’s sad around the edges.       ❝    everyone says i got my temper from her.    ❞

in a way,   pat understands where people are coming from.     but she also hopes that,   if she ever has children of her own someday,   she won’t lose her patience with them as often as her mom did.     there are  many  things she hopes she’ll do different than her mom did.

❝    are you any close to her?    ❞

[cartelheir]

proofwhisky​      ╱      THOMAS.

HE LAUGHS, A HOLLOW SOUND, like the absence of music in an empty room. It seems comical to him that Patricia Carosella, of all people, would ask what’s wrong with him. He takes the cigarette out of his mouth for a moment, smiling at her, with nothing behind his eyes. A wicked smile. A smile like a sharpened knife. It disappears as quickly as it comes.

“ You know, I’ve always found it interesting, this human obsession with clinging to the flaws of others to avoid looking at our own. ” He takes another drag of his cigarette, smoke flowing from his lips as he speaks again. “ What is it that you’re trying to avoid now, Ms. Carosella? Perhaps your expectations of a man who will never marry you ? Perhaps your utter inability to understand the motivations behind your own actions ? Stop me when I’ve hit a nerve. ”

THIS IS WHAT SHE GETS,   she thinks,   for allowing herself to trust him.     benjamín will always be a  raw wound,   one she very rarely allows others even a glimpse of.     to have things she’d confided to him in her most  vulnerable  moments,   ones in which she’d felt seen and understood,   hurts her worse than she could’ve ever imagined;   so much that she feels the need to hurt him back just as bad.

she forces herself to maintain her composure,   even if her anger is only barely restrained.

❝    that’s rich coming from you,   with your record of  highly successful  relationships,    ❞      she makes a small pause,   just so he  knows  her next words are deliberate,   not the result of an anger outburst slipping from her control.      ❝    one wife leaves you,   the other one  dies  before you had the chance to make her miserable.     what the fuck would you know?    ❞

[cartelheir]

@streetsofsecrets​   :   “ i think i’m just not in the mood right now. ” sonia @ pat

❝    OH.     ALRIGHT.    ❞      it’s like she  sensed  something was wrong the second sonia walked through the door,   yet she’d tried to ignore it.     maybe she was stressed out from work,   pat thought.     maybe she had an argument with franco,   or anything else  completely unrelated  to pat.     still,   the insistent little voice inside her brain is quick to assume:   you fucked up.

pat buttons her shirt back on,   and there’s a long pause before she finally speaks.

❝    did i do something wrong?    ❞

[cartelheir]

@exspiritment​   :   “ that’s very sweet of you and very unnecessary. “ for older spirit pat? GONE GIRL STARTERS,   accepting!

SHE SCOFFS,  although there’s a tiny,   genuine smile on the corners of her lips.     she looks as if she’s debating on whether to feel amused or  offended;   she settles on the former for now.      ❝    it’s not  unnecessary.     you can trade it for something else from the store if you don’t like it.    ❞      the outfit she’d gifted spirit is one she’d put a lot of effort into choosing.     she wanted it to be spirit’s style as opposed to what  she  would wear   ━━   not quite as extravagant,   she had to remind herself.     but it’s still expensive;   visibly  so,   and elegant enough for the upcoming event.

❝    you’re  my  guest.     if you show up wearing something that looks like a hand-me-down from goodwill,   it makes me look bad.     besides,   it’ll look great on you.    ❞

[cartelheir]

@parieur​   :   “you  already  have  so  much  more  than  they  do.  and  something  none  of  them  have.  talent.”  //  for   pat! THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT STARTERS,   accepting!

SHE’S USED TO FLATTERY,   but  genuine  compliments like these are rare.    one eyebrow raises ever so slightly,   a small grin pulling at the corners of her lips.      ❝    someone  pay  you to say that?     was it román?    ❞      the question is a clear attempt to disguise just how much the words truly mean to her.     while pat’s usually a very  confident  woman,   it’s hard to keep that demeanor after a meeting such as the one earlier today,   where all the ideas she’d been working on for months got shut down with just a few words from a group of condescending men.     the way they looked at her,   the way they treated her like her business was a child’s lemonade stand instead of a  multi-billionaire  organization   ━━   her skin still crawls from it.

against her will,   her smile  softens  into something gentle,   small,   like she’s trying to hide it.     sheepish  is not a word patricia carosella would ever use to describe herself,   but she allows herself this quick moment of  vulnerability  around him.

❝    i wish someone else agreed with you,   you know.    ❞

[cartelheir]

@bayoubaron​   :   “How do you shoot the devil in the back? What if you miss?”  for pat THE USUAL SUSPECTS,   accepting!  

AS STUPID AS IT SOUNDS,   that’s the  one  possibility that had never crossed pat’s mind.     often she worries about the  aftermath;   of being hunted down like a dog after the deed,   of living in hiding with a millionaire prize on her head.     but failing had never once crossed her mind,   at least not at killing benjamín.     and not at the treason she’s committing right now,   just for talking to lourdes about these matters   ━━   too much depends on it for her to fail.

❝    you don’t have to worry about that.    ❞      what she needs is for him to do his part,   and let her worry about hers.      ❝    i want him dead more than anyone in this world.     i can’t  afford  to miss.    ❞

[cartelheir]

@streetsofsecrets​   :   “The guy I know was a cold-blooded bastard.” dani abt the russian evan peters THE USUAL SUSPECTS,   accepting!

❝    I FUCKING TOLD YOU.    ❞      it’s not accusatory,   not an  i told you so  kind of statement;   more like a demonstration on how well her sixth sense works when it comes to spotting men you should stay away from.     unfortunately,   more often than not,   all it does is drive pat  closer.     however even she wouldn’t take her chances with that dead-eyed creep.      ❝    can’t trust a guy who  looks  like a serial killer.     and he doesn’t make it any better by having money and  choosing  to dress like a homeless person.     i’ll never understand it.    ❞

she stops,   hesitates for a moment before she asks the next question.

❝    did he,   like,    ❞      another pause.     she doesn’t want to pry,   and after dani had come across her picture with román in her wallet and they’d had the most awkward encounter of pat’s life,   she knows the other doesn’t deal too well with personal conversations.      ❝    ...   hurt you,   or anything like that?    ❞

[cartelheir]

@streetsofsecrets​   :   “do you believe in ghosts?” sonia @ pat

❝    NOT REALLY,   NO.     but i also don’t fuck with them.    ❞      you never know,   is what she always says.     her lack of real faith has never stopped her from being scared of ouija boards or of saying  bloody mary  in front of the mirror as a kid.      ❝    i kinda feel like if they were real,   i would’ve been haunted by now.    ❞      considering all the people dead because of her   ━   something in her features turns sadder when she thinks about román,   even if just for a split second before all trace of it is gone   ━,   it’s a very real possibility.

❝    do you?    ❞

[cartelheir]

        "Y'know the whole fuckin' reason why these videos are so appealin' is 'cause even at their worst, they lead to a lotta memes, right?"

❝    yeah,   i get that,   but it’s just━━   don’t you think they’re a little  too  corny?    ❞      /   @streetsofsecrets​​

[cartelheir]

❝    i want you to be  honest  with me.    ❞      she’d spent at least an hour applying makeup,   but no amount of color corrector and concealer seem to be enough to cover the deep bruises on her skin;   or the scabs,   or the swelling.      ❝    on a scale of  one to ten,   how hideous do i still look?    ❞

@streetsofsecrets​    ( sonia. )

[cartelheir]

❝    why  are you still in my house?    ❞

@streetsofsecrets​ (dani)   /   ♡

[cartelheir]

one liner call   ━   @sleazygoing​

❝    you can tell román to go fuck himself.     i don’t want to talk to that pinche cabrón  ever  again.    ❞      there’s a long pause on her end,   where she opens and closes her mouth several times as if debating with herself if she should ask the question at the tip of her tongue.     in the end,   she can’t resist it.

❝    just  out of curiosity,   though,   you wouldn’t...   you wouldn’t know if he’s seeing anyone else,   would you?    ❞