Transmigrated as the Youngest son of the Mafia's don.

CHAPTER 2; A TRAP IN DISGUISE

Steven’s POV

After what felt like an endless conversation with my father, I was finally allowed to return to my room.

My entire body ached. All I wanted was a hot shower and a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. My father had made it clear that this was my last chance to prove myself. I had promised to clean up the mess I had made, though I still wasn't entirely sure how I was supposed to do that.

I barely had time to settle into bed before someone rudely interrupted my rest.

Cold water splashed across my face.

I jerked upright, coughing and wiping the water from my eyes. My gaze landed on Marcus, who stood beside my bed with an unpleasant expression.

"What the hell?" I snapped.

"Get up. We have somewhere to be."

I stared at him, still trying to shake off the shock. "Can't you knock like a normal person?"

He ignored my complaint.

"Anthony told me everything," he said. "And today, you're going to pick up the shipment. Alone."

I blinked.

Alone?

For a moment, I thought I had misheard him. I was still trying to understand this family's business, yet they expected me to handle an important weapons shipment without anyone accompanying me?

Was this some kind of joke?

Then it hit me. Perhaps they weren't joking at all.

My father's decision to give me another chance had clearly displeased my brothers. They probably thought I had escaped punishment too easily, and now Marcus had found a way to make me pay for it.

Sending me alone was practically a death sentence. I had no experience dealing with their enemies, and I barely knew the people I was supposed to work with.

"Well?" Marcus demanded. "Are you going to get dressed, or do I have to drag you out of here?"

I swallowed my irritation and pushed the blanket aside.

There was no point arguing. I had no idea what these people were capable of, and refusing could make things even worse.

As I got dressed, I noticed Marcus leaning toward one of his men. He whispered something in the man's ear, too quietly for me to hear.

The man nodded before walking away.

I narrowed my eyes.

What was that about?

I wanted to ask, but I decided against it. Whatever they were planning, I would have to be careful.

A few minutes later, I was ushered into a car. Marcus didn't bother explaining anything else. He simply told the driver where to go and settled into the seat beside me.

The journey took nearly an hour.Throughout the ride, I kept thinking about the shipment and the strange way Marcus had arranged everything. Something about the whole situation didn't sit right with me.

When the car finally stopped, I stepped out and looked around.

Several men were gathered at the location, but it wasn't them who caught my attention.It was the woman standing across from us.

I recognized her immediately,Rosa.The same woman Brian had slept with at the bar. The incident that had supposedly caused trouble with the shipment.

What was she doing here?

Before I could make sense of it, she began walking toward me. Her heels clicked against the ground as she approached, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Did you miss me, baby?" she asked.

Her Russian accent was calm, almost playful, but there was something unsettling about the way she looked at me.

She stopped close enough to whisper into my ear,"I told you that you would regret this."

My stomach tightened at her words.I pulled back slightly, studying her face. The smile was still there, but her eyes held a coldness that made my instincts scream.

Suddenly, everything began to make sense.The incident at the bar. The weapons shipment. Marcus insisting I come alone. His whispered instructions to one of his men.

None of it had been a coincidence.Brian had been set up and I had walked straight into the trap.

As Rosa stood before me, her long black hair framed her face, contrasting sharply with her fierce green eyes. There was something intimidating about her gaze, a confidence in the way she carried herself that made her difficult to ignore. The moment I looked at her, Brian’s memories began to surface, one after another, and I finally understood what had happened between them.

I didn't remember sleeping with this woman because Brian hadn't exactly gone looking for her. Rosa had brought a girl to him, claiming she was just another woman she had found for his entertainment. He later discovered that the girl was actually her younger sister.

Anna was the complete opposite of Rosa. Her chestnut hair framed her face, complementing her deep blue eyes and the delicate freckles scattered across her cheeks. She had a naturally soft and gentle appearance, one that made her seem fragile at first glance but I knew better. That softness wasn't her true nature. Years of abuse had slowly buried the brave, resilient girl she once was, forcing her to hide her strength behind a timid exterior.

Their parents despised the girl and had practically left her at Rosa's mercy. Rosa had taken advantage of that, keeping her sister's identity hidden from the mafia families.

When Brian discovered the truth the following morning, he had immediately freed the girl. By then, however, he had already been intimate with her. She hadn't been in her right mind, and neither had he.

Now, hearing that he was about to be kicked out of the family business, Rosa let out a mocking scoff.

"That would suit you quite well. My marriage to your cousin Zach can finally take place without any complications."

I almost laughed.It was becoming increasingly clear that Brian had more enemies than I could have imagined. Despite the way his family treated him, there were still people who wanted him out of the picture.

That alone told me something important.Brian must have had something they needed. Otherwise, why go through all this trouble instead of simply getting rid of him?

Perhaps that was the only reason I was still alive.Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to dwell on it.

The other mafia family's men had arrived to collect their share of the weapons shipment. The moment they began inspecting the goods, an argument broke out between them and my family's men.

Sir, the guns are fake!" one of the guards announced after inspecting the weapons.

I froze.I already knew who would be blamed when the truth came out, but that wouldn't be the end of it. They would turn on each other, questioning one another's loyalty and looking for someone to hold responsible.

Whoever was behind this had played a clever game. A perfect way to weaken their forces without firing a single bullet.If anyone had planned this, I had to admit they were brilliant.Before anyone could explain what was happening, the situation descended into chaos. Men from both sides began accusing each other of fraud, and within seconds, gunshots rang through the area.

I ducked as bullets flew past us.What the hell was going on?

My brothers and their men were nowhere to be seen. They had brought me here, but the moment trouble started, they had conveniently disappeared.

It didn't take long for me to realize the truth.The weapons had been switched.This wasn't a shipment pickup. It was a trap and I had been left right in the middle of it.

Several men began firing at one another. Some fell to the ground, while others scrambled for cover. I tried to stay out of their line of fire, but before I could find somewhere safe, a man approached me.

He looked a little older than I was, with a frightening face and a deep scar running down his left cheek. He wore a black leather jacket over a dark shirt, with a silver chain hanging loosely around his neck. His cold, menacing eyes narrowed in anger as he pointed the gun directly at my head.

"On your knees!" he barked, his menacing eyes fixed directly on me.

I slowly raised both hands.

"Please, don't shoot," I said, keeping my voice calm.

"Who the fuck are you?" he barked. "How dare you sell us fake guns?"

The men behind him turned their attention toward me. A few seemed to recognize my face, and their expressions shifted when they realized who I was.

The Carlos family wasn't one to be taken lightly. We were among the strongest mafia families, but our reputation didn't mean we tolerated betrayal or fraud. No family, no matter how powerful, could get away with cheating us.

Unfortunately, that reputation wasn't helping me right now.

"Wait," I said quickly. "I can explain. This wasn't my doing."

"Then whose was it?" the man snapped, pressing the gun closer to my forehead.

I swallowed, forcing myself to think.I had no bodyguards, no weapons, and no idea where my brothers had disappeared to. If I wanted to walk out of this place alive, I needed to give these men a reason not to pull the trigger.

" I can make up for your losses," I continued. "I can create unique, branded weapon prototypes for each family. Something exclusive that no other family will have."

The man stared at me suspiciously.I had no idea whether the offer would work, but I was willing to try anything because one thing was certain.

I wasn't going to die here because of someone else's scheme.