#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?    ❞

[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]

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 .

[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]

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]

@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]

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?    ❞

[cartelheir]

@bornfornothin​   :   he’s a good fella. - for pat about román GOODFELLAS STARTERS,   accepting.

❝    TRY DATING HIM.    ❞      despite the harsh words,   pat can’t keep the  softness  from her tone and body language for too long.     she supposes this was bound to happen at some point;   their contact with each other has been very superficial for a while,   and her brain is focusing only on the  good  parts of román,   the parts that made her fall so hard for him.     it almost makes her forget about their last fight.

❝    does he ever,   like...    ❞      she regrets saying anything already,   but might as well finish the question,      ❝    mention  me?     at all?    ❞

[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]

one liner call   ━   @crimewrought​

❝    i’m thinking i might stick around here for a little bit longer.     if  i can get used to this shitty fucking weather.    ❞

[cartelheir]

@streetsofsecrets​   :   @ grisha and pat purrhaps TEXTING MEME,   accepting!

send “@” for a  SCARED  text.

[  text : grigori 🧊  ]   i keep seeing the same car going around my building for 3 nights in a row now [  text : grigori 🧊  ]   do you think it could be vlad’s men?? [  text : grigori 🧊  ]   or did you send someone? [  text : grigori 🧊  ]   i think i’m goign to a hotel

[cartelheir]

❝    do you think i could crash on your couch,   just for a couple nights?    ❞

@exspiritment​   /   ♡

[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.    ❞