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Family

Posted on Thu Jun 3rd, 2021 @ 6:00am by Esperanza Roman

Mission: The Factions
Location: Miami/Roman Towers/Penthouse
Timeline: Early morning

Esperanza stood on the balcony, enjoying the cool morning breeze off the ocean. It wouldn't remain cool for long, she knew, not in the summer. Already the heat waves were starting to rise off of downtown below, but here at the top of Roman Towers the breeze could still be felt.

Esper was naked, and without her image inducer on, revealing her true nature. Trim of waist and with a curvy figure, she was a very beautiful Italian-American young woman with full, pouty lips, arched eyebrows, and an aquiline nose. Her musculature was toned, but soft, not overly defined. Her hair, skin, and eyes were completely white, with no visible pupils or irises in the eyes. But it wasn’t like albinism, which left no pigmentation and left the skin translucent, but more like her pigmentation went white, like being dipped in white paint. She looked like a Greek marble statue come to life, a true Galatea from myth. Her skin, nails, and hair were flawless, as well. Her body retains its normal suppleness, a sculpture of feminine perfection come to life.

Esperanza felt strong hands on her back, then strong arms slid around her waist, pulling her against a hard, warm male body, equally naked. She smiled softly and leaned back against the man as he moved her long white hair out of the way and kissed her neck.

“Good morning,” Marco’s voice rumbled against her.

Buongiorno,” Esperanza returned. She turned her head to kiss him. When she pulled back, her blank white eyes stared into his dark Italian ones as she caressed his face. He looked away first, still slightly unnerved by her unreadable eyes, the coldness of her skin against his.

“I can’t stay,” Esper said. “I have to get to Washington. Destiny texted. Claudio is up to something.”

“Isn’t he always?” Marco asked, looking for his boxers. “Forget about him. You’re the head of a multimillion dollar international entertainment conglomerate.”

Esperanza sighed and shook her head. “I can’t,” she said. “I am responsible for my uncle. I let him live.”

“Let him live, or couldn’t kill him?” Marco asked. He found his boxers lying under the bed. With a small gesture, they flew into his hand.

“Is there a difference?” Esper asked. “I can still mitigate the damage he does. My company is still tied to him -- to my family. And since the world went to hell, that side of the family is doing booming business,” she pointed out.

The conversation was interrupted by sounds from outside the bedroom, and Esper frowned. “I thought Stephanie wasn’t back until this afternoon,” she said.

“I was picking her up at the airport then,” Marco confirmed, frowning.

Then the bedroom door opened and a beautiful, dark-haired young woman entered and pulled up short, seeing Marco and Esper naked.

“Really?” Stephanie said, staring at Esper. “I know you two have your little...flings when Marco visits you, Esper. I know you have his heart, and I only have his daughter. But in my own bed?” She looked over at Marco. “With your daughter -- your goddaughter,” she looked at Esperanza, “just down the hall?”

“I’m sorry, Steph,” Esper said, pulling on a robe. “I just...was in town for the night, it’s convention season and the hotel was booked. I--” Esper actually looked pained, and she wasn’t one for shame in her sexual dalliances.

Stephanie just looked exasperated. “You’d better say hi to your niece before you leave,” she told Esper.

Esperanza smiled and went over and hugged Stephanie. “I love you, too, Steph,” she said. These two -- no, three -- were the only people Esperanza genuinely cared for in her life, and ruining their marriage was the last thing she would ever want to do, but Marco had been her lover before her death, and her death had driven the two of them together.

Esperanza and Marco got dressed, and Stephanie had coffee ready for them when they emerged. Esper sipped it gratefully, though she did need some water after her night with Marco. “How are operations going in New York?” Esper asked.

“We got the casino deal through the legislature,” Stephanie said.

“For how much?” Esper asked.

“Cheaper than expected,” Stephanie admitted. “I imagine a certain guardian angel spread around some slush funds, and God knows the governor is in enough hot water with his wandering hands on various former interns, and putting plague victims in nursing homes.”

“How long until we break ground?” Marco asked.

“Hopefully next spring. Still some legal issues to hash out with the New York City mayor.”

“And then there’s that annoying congressional twit from the Bronx,” Marco reminded.

They were interrupted by a soccer ball caroming down the hall into the kitchen, followed by the sound of running feet, and a pretty dark haired girl of about ten ran into the kitchen in soccer shorts and jersey, her hair in two braids.

“What did we say about soccer balls in the house?” Marco asked, gesturing, and the ball flew to his hand.

“No soccer in the house,” the girl dutifully said, and then her face lit up. “Auntie Esper!” she exclaimed, running over to give Esperanza a hug.

Esper got down on the girl’s level and hugged her tightly in return. “Hello, Selina,” she said. “Got a game today?”

“Yes,” the girl said. “Can you come?” she asked hopefully.

“Unfortunately I have to be in Washington,” Esper said sadly. “But you make sure your mom and dad record it and send me the video,” she told her, booping her nose with a finger.

Selina giggled. “Okay.”

“And take the team out for pizza after,” Esper said, digging out a hundred dollar bill. “Spend the rest on yourself. Or save it.”

“Thanks, Auntie Esper!” Selina said, staring at the money. “You’re the best!”

Esper smirked and looked at Stephanie and Marco, who both rolled their eyes a bit.

“Well, I am off,” Esper told them, touching the blue sapphire pendant at her throat. Instantly her all white body was replaced by normal skin tone, black hair, and black eyes of her Italian-American heritage as the image inducer hid her physical mutation behind a hologram.

As Selina kicked around her soccer ball, Stephanie and Marco walked Esperanza to the penthouse elevator outside the apartment.

“It’s likely I will be in New York at some point,” she told them. “I will look in on things, talk to some people.”

“In New York for who?” Marco asked. “Us -- or him.”

“Does it matter?” Esper asked. “Since Fisk’s disappearance, things are falling apart in New York,” she reminded. “That’s when Claudio likes to strike. Chaos is a ladder, he likes to say. Now that he has Chicago relatively well in hand after Zajic’s collapse, I imagine he’ll want to set his sights on his home turf. Remember, Fisk kicked us out of New York. We have just as much right to it as anyone else. Someone needs to bring some order to the chaos, or more innocent people will get hurt.”

“And so La Dama Blanca comes to the rescue,” Stephanie said with a sigh. “Just...take care of yourself, Esper.” She hugged her cousin. “New York is full of heroes and such.”

“Not anymore,” Esperanza pointed out. “And no one I can’t take.”

FIN

Esperanza Roman
President, Roman Enterprises
Business/Economics teacher, Drake Academy

Marco Montague
Chief Operations Officer
Roman Enterprises

Stephanie Roman-Montague
Chief Executive Officer
Roman Enterprises

Selina Montague
Esperamza’s niece and goddaughter

 

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