Masterstroke

"Our destiny was chosen by stars,

My heart accepted you and raised its bars.

I waited so long for you, My Princess,

But that Psycho again came back and blocked the ingress

He snatched you away from me, leaving me to bleed and scream

I panicked and opened my eyes, realizing that was nothing just a bad dream

But I can't take any chances, now I can't ignore

Enough of this cat and mouse chase, now it's time to declare a war

I have lost my patience now; I don't care even if the world witnesses my insanity

I just know, I will do anything to stop this dream from becoming a reality."

CIA'S Headquarters, America

"THAT FUCKING ASSHOLE"

An ear-splitting angry roar resonated inside the closed room as Vincent whisked the things kept on the table harshly making them land on the floor with a loud bang. Rosaline's shocked face flashed in front of his eyes. He growled as he recalled her soft pale neck which was covered in red bruises. He closed his eyes in anger when Xavier's satirical chuckle echoed in his ears fuelling up his anger more.

'That wasn't a hickey but a cute, sweet love bite'

"URGG!! I'LL KILL HIM!!!"

He screamed while fisting and pulling his hair in frustration. The fire of his wrath was slowly taking a gigantic form, his emotions were now out of control. All he was seeing was red, everywhere. His state was dishevelled and his appearance looked deadly. Eyes blood-red, jaw clenched, teeth chattering. The only sound which could be heard in the room was his heavy and deep breaths.

Vincent loosened his tie with trembling hands, his body shaking in anger. He had no longer control over his senses. He couldn't understand anything, all he could see was Rosaline's bruised neck and all he could hear was Xavier's sinister chuckle.

Vincent was frustrated but also sad. He was feeling helpless and defeated. His evil plans to steal Rosaline away from Xavier turned infructuous. He thought that after marrying her he had finally defeated Xavier. He had already started planning his future with Rosaline but what he forgot that the heart in which he was trying to find his name was already carved with His.

'You are playing with fire Vincent. You had just given her your name but Xavier, he rules her heart. She maybe your wife but he is her first love.' his conscience mocked him.

"But now she is mine."

Vincent growled while glaring in space.

'Claiming her doesn't mean that you have won her idiot, you call her as yours but does she even consider herself as yours?', his conscience scolded him again.

Vincent turned stiff. The voice of his inner self was right. No wonder he had married Rosaline but for her, he was still her friend, only friend. Her companion or considering their situation, he was nothing just a..

'Good Samaritan?', the voice in his mind his laughed at him.

"SHUT UP!!"

Vincent yelled and kicked the table fiercely, it crashed on the wall with a loud thud.

"Planning to bring the whole building down today Chief?"

Vincent swiftly turned back hearing the familiar sneering tone.

"What do you want Matt?"

Introduction:

Matteo Valentino

-29 years old

-Senior Detective in Central Police Department (CPD)

-Also known as the 'Budding Genius'

-Vincent's right-hand man and elder brother.

Matteo entered the room while staring Vincent with his dark brown eyes, taking in his slovenly state. His hair was all messed up, his face looked dour, beads of sweat were rolling down his forehead, his coat was thrown on the floor, his shirt was uncuffed and rolled up to his elbows giving a perfect view of his popping veins. Overall, his appearance looked deadly yet horrible.

Matteo sighed and closed the door. He scanned his ravaged office and then shifted his gaze back to Vincent who was staring him with murderous eyes.

"What's all this brother?"

He spoke in a calm tone but his expressions were enough to tell that he was furious with his brother's sick behaviour.

"None of your concern, now leave."

Vincent spat and looked away from him.

"None of my concern? Really Vinci? Because the last time I checked, you are still my brother."

Matteo snickered.

Vincent rolled his eyes and turned around. He flipped his damped hair back and walked towards the couch, his shoes crushing the pieces of glasses scattered all over the floor. He took off his tie and sat on the floor while leaning his back on the door. He rested his head on his hands and spoke in his deep voice while staring Matteo intensely.

"If you're here to give me another lecture on decorous behaviour then please leave. I am in no mood to hear your rants or to bear with your extraneous remarks."

Vincent sneered. Matteo scoffed and shook his head in disappointment.

"When you're in mood brother? You only like sugar-coated lies while I only know how to speak the bitter truth."

He rasped. Vincent curled his fists in anger. His jaw got clenched but still he kept his calm.

"Leave me Matt, I am really too pissed right now."

"Why? Is it again because of the lovebirds?"

Vincent's eyes shot open as he threw a killer look to Matteo who was standing in front of him while grinning mischievously.

"Go.away."

He snarled with gritted teeth. Matteo sighed and walked closer to him. He crouched down to his level and placed his hand over his left shoulder.

"Listen Vinci, you are trying to dig your own grave by stepping in the lion's den. We had decided to deal with Xavier in a professional way not in an unethical way."

Matteo tried to explain him. Vincent scoffed.

"Unethical? Matt, Rosa is my wife. MY WIFE, SHE IS NOT A KNIGHT ANYMORE, SHE IS A VALENTINO. Moreover, what that bastard is doing with her is unethica-"

Vincent started yelling but Matteo immediately cut his querulous comments in midway sternly.

"Nope, he has his right."

Vincent looked at him in shock and anger but Matteo ignored his burning gaze and continued.

"Xavier isn't doing anything wrong and let me tell you, Rosaline is still his wife as they aren't divorced yet. Don't forget that. In fact, if Xavier files a case against you, you would be at loss because legally Rosa is still his, not yours."

He spoke while glaring him. Vincent was tongue-tied. Matteo was absolutely right.

Vincent rested his both hands on his knees and clutched his head. The situation had turned too complicated and vexing. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths to calm himself down. After few minutes when his temper finally dropped, he looked at Matteo and spoke in his deep voice.

"If that's the case then I will make Rosa file for a divorce. And I am hundred percent sure that she will do that."

"And I am hundred percent sure that Xavier will never let her do that."

Matteo interrupted him quickly. Vincent glared him but he ruffled his hair gently as he stared him with a sad smile.

"Listen Vinci, stop making things complicated. We both had initially decided to bring Xavier and his gang down but you got deviated from the path. You just laid your eyes on his wife and stole her from him when you yourself knew that she was that Psycho Mafia's possession. I warned you about the debacle but you were blinded to keep Rosaline with you and see what happened? We lost our best Agents- Nick, Mark, Noah, Katherine, and even Rebecca. Xavier killed everyone. Our plan was to send Rosaline away from his life not to make her a part of your own life dammit. Because of you only Rebecca got killed who could have been proven so beneficial for us."

Matteo tried to give that cantankerous Agent a piece of his mind but Vincent being the stubborn brat was still stuck on his words.

"She didn't get killed because of me. She was Xavier's biggest rival. They had personal enmity."

Vincent spat while glaring him. Matteo huffed in frustration.

"About which you were aware yet you told her to go in his room?"

Matteo glared him.

"I didn't know that he will kill her?"

Vincent replied. Matteo scoffed at his words when he found that he couldn't meet his eyes.

"Really? You can fool everyone but not me. I am your brother. I knew you did it intentionally."

"YES, I DID!!"

Vincent bellowed on his face as he finally exploded.

"YES, I PLANNED EVERYTHING!! I WAS THE ONE WHO TOLD XAVIER ABOUT NICK AND MARK!! I WAS THE ONE WHO PERSUADED XAVIER TO KILL MICHAEL!! I TOLD REBECCA TO GO INSIDE XAVIER'S ROOM IN THE HOSPITAL SO THAT HE CAN KILL HER AND I CAN FRAME HIM!! YES, YOU RIGHTS MATT!! IT WAS ME, IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN ME!!"

Matteo became stunned after hearing his confession. He couldn't believe his ears.

"W-What? You were behind everyone's murder? You plotted all this?"

He stuttered as he stood up on his wobbly legs. Vincent looked at him and then...

A sinister smirk crept on his face as his eyes glimmered with evilness. He started chuckling darkly.

"Yes Bro, I did everything."

He replied in a spooky tone.

Matteo became appalled by his eerie tone. Vincent wasn't looking normal. His eyes were red but a wicked smirk was plastered on his face which made him look like a psycho, a deranged man.

Vincent smiled. He stood up from the floor and walked towards his petrified brother with predatory steps.

"Yes, it was me. It had always been me, Matt. And why are you getting so surprised? You were the one who told me to backstab Xavier, didn't you? So see, I did it. But I also wanted something in return. Nothing comes in free Matt. Everything has a price. And my price was Rosa, Xavier's love, his life."

He spoke menacingly. Matteo glared him.

"I told you to backstab Xavier so that we can take him down but then I came to know that he was changing himself. He was changing himself for Rosa. Vinci, you yourself told me that and then I told you to-"

"Stop this mission, yeah I know."

Vincent completed his words. Matteo nodded but frowned when Vincent shot him a smirk.

"Why would I do that? Come on Matt, I am not your puppet. You turned me against my own friend for your own benefit and when I agreed to your wicked schemes, you again changed your plans and decided to bring everything back to square one. Am I joke to you? I am the head of this Agency not a dickhead. I obeyed your every command because I respected you, loved you. But it looks like you never did."

His voice turned heavy at last. Matteo looked at him in shock.

"No Vinci, what are you sayi-"

Vincent raised his palm in front of his face making him shut his mouth. Matteo became shocked and looked at him with a pained expression.

"Enough Matt, enough of your ingratiatory tactics. I am done being the puppet of yours. I have a life too. What did you thought that you will again threaten me with your fucking principles and I will change my tune? And by the way, you were the one who brought me closer to Rosa and now when I had developed feelings for her, you want to snatch her away from me? Then sorry Bro, that's not gonna happen. That's not the way things work with Vincent Valentino."

Matteo turned furious as he couldn't take his younger brother's nonsense anymore. He grabbed his collar and shook him violently.

"ROSALINE IS NOT A TOY, YOU IDIOT!! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU EVEN SPEAKING? MOREOVER, SHE IS XAVIER'S WIFE GODDAMMIT!! HAVE YOU GONE INSANE? DO YOU EVEN KNOW YOU COULD BE ARRESTED FOR THE SHIT WHICH YOU HAD PULLED UP?"

He screamed on his face. Matteo was beyond angry and a bit scared to see Vincent behaving as a sick lunatic.

"Yeah, I know that but that's not a shit, it's called Masterstroke. And I also know that if Xavier pulls up such a stunt, he would have to face the consequences."

Vincent grinned as he shot Matteo a bored expression.

"What?"

Matteo looked at him in confusion. Vincent scoffed and removed his hands from his collar and pushed him back.

"Don't forget Brother, I have trapped his little Doll in between my fingers. She may be away from me now but the bond of trust and loyalty for me is still in her heart and I know it damn well that Rosaline will never go against me. After all I was the one who made her what she is today. I lend her my shoulder to cry on when she needed the most, my parents helped her and her family. Dad loved her as his own daughter. Everything was a plan Matt. Mom and Dad were also involved in this. And after what that buffoon had did with Rosa, she may love him back but she will never trust him the same way she used to do earlier. And that's my key. If I want, I can simply call her back now and she won't be able to deny my words too."

He spoke with a smug smirk and the confidence in his tone made Matteo scared for Rosaline.

"Why? Why won't she deny?"

Matteo narrowed his eyes at him. Vincent chuckled darkly.

"She doesn’t have a reason Matt. What she will say? Don't forget that I send her for a mission. It was me who decided to send my wife to that Devil's cage. Rosa never wanted to even see Xavier again. I can simply call off the mission and tell her to come back...to me."

He spoke the last words in a spookily but Matteo ignored his idiotic words as he was hell bound to elicit the wicked plan which he was fabricating in his sick mind.

"What if Xavier forbade her? What will you do?"

Vincent shot him a glare and replied harshly.

"Don't be such a curious little kitty, Big Bro. It will be better if you just stay away from this matter and stop putting a spoke in my wheel, Hmm?"

Matteo clenched his jaw at his snarky comment.

"Watch your mouth Vinci. I am still your big brother."

"So, it will be better if you act like one."

Vincent growled. Matteo looked at him in shock and disappointment. Vincent shot him a smirk and left the room while slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

Matteo stared the door quietly. His eyes held a lot of pain and sadness in them but one emotion was also hidden behind his dark brown orbs. And that was none other than...

Regret.

His heart became heavy as the burden of guilt was slowly hollowing him inside. Matteo came back just for his brother; he came to back to ask him for his forgiveness. He won't even hesitate to beg for it. Matteo knew what he had done was wrong but his intentions were pure as he was just performing his duty but he immediately retreated his steps when he got to know the truth. But the moment the blinds from his eyes fell, it was already too late as he had never thought that the hands which were trying to catch the Mafia had unknowingly pushed his own blood in the pit of darkness.

Matteo looked down in defeat. A lone tear escaped his eyes because now the damage was done.

"I was trying to clean the blood from His hands but I had never imagined that at the same time I was painting my own brother's hand with it."

~~~💗~~~