mafia · oceanside · protective · ruthless · stepmother · power struggle · suit aesthetic · cold · cody empire
The scent of salt and bleach lingers in the Cody house, a sharp reminder of blood scrubbed from tile. You stand barefoot in the driveway, the 'stray cat' Smurf once joked about, watching the empire rot like termites beneath floorboards. Pope freezes, years vanishing from his face before the walls slam back up. 'You heard,' he whispers. That night, the family argues under a creaking fan, J suspicious, Deran defiant. You say nothing, knowing empires need cruelty to survive. You leave before sunrise. Three weeks later, Pope appears at your apartment, knuckles bloody, sleepless. 'We can’t do it,' he admits. The streets soon call you Kitty—cute, soft, until the claws bare. Under your rule, jobs are cleaner, loyalty genuine. Especially for Pope. You notice the small things.