that girl

Carmen Abalos. Lead Recruiter. The Syndicate. 36.

[sethkate]

In the Dark - Bait and Switch (1.10)

[joinmeinenvy]

Francesca felt the weight of Carmen's words hit her with the precision of a well-aimed strike, but she refused to let her defenses rise too quickly. The last thing she wanted was to get into a heated argument with Donovan's closest friend, especially not here, in his shop where everything seemed to hang in the balance. She stood for a moment, taking in Carmen’s cold demeanor, the skepticism in her eyes, and felt a pang of regret. "You don’t have to like me, Carmen," she said quietly, her voice steady, though there was a flicker of pain that she couldn't quite hide. "I know I’ve hurt Donovan. But I didn’t come to cause more damage. Honest." Did a selfish part of her wish she could see him? Yes, if only to see if he's alright. Francesca knew she deserved the woman's ire.

[carmenabalos-archive]

Carmen might look dainty, but she knew how to throw a verbal punch. And with Francesca, she knew just where to aim. For the sake of Donovan and Evie she had tried to respect Francesca and play nice, but with this latest development she no longer wanted to. It wasn't Francesca's actions at 16, everyone made mistakes in their youth and she had still been a child back then. But she had twenty years to tell Donovan, twenty years of getting close to him and hiding this from him. That was what she faulted the middle D'Amiano sister with. Carmen only arched a brow higher in response. No, she didn't have to like Francesca. Maybe in another life they could have been friends, but sadly Carmen had already started off with her own Serpent trauma that made it difficult to get past when they first met. And this latest betrayal of Donovan did nothing to bridge any hope of friendship. "Then why did you come? Because you could have gone to any other tech shop in the city for your phone. And you know it, so don't try to deny it."

[moody-money-deactivated20250125]

Donovan’s eyes stayed on the ceiling for a moment, the soft hum of the house around them, the distant sound of snoring kids, all blending into a comfortable lull. His fingers drummed absently on the bottle of champagne he had cracked open, the good stuff Carmen was talking about. He shifted slightly on the couch, eyes drifting over to her as she pushed a lock of hair back, her hand brushing against his ring. His jaw tightened at her question, though, the mention of “her” hanging in the air like a weight. “No,” Donovan said quietly, the word coming out slower than he’d intended. “Haven’t spoken to her since the gala.” He let out a breath, trying to push the tension down. He could feel the weight of it in his chest, that knot of unfinished business, of things said and unsaid. But he wasn’t sure if he was ready to unpack that yet, not tonight. Not after everything else.

Instead, he shifted to give her a small, teasing smile. “As for the countdown…” His gaze flicked toward the kids in their blanket fort, their peaceful faces a far cry from the chaos of earlier. "I think we earned our own little moment of quiet. No Disney countdown needed. Just us. Maybe with some more of the good stuff." He leaned in, his voice dropping lower, matching her tone. His fingers brushed against hers, a silent reassurance. He didn’t have answers about the mess with Alessandra. Hell, he didn’t even have answers for himself. But right now, in this moment, he was with Carmen, and that was enough. “Let’s just enjoy the silence,” he murmured, eyes softening. "At least for tonight."

[carmenabalos-archive]

His silence was telling. As the seconds ticked by and all he could respond with was staring at the ceiling and tapping his fingers slowly against the bottle, she already knew what the answer was. She hated this arranged marriage for Donovan. And had since the day he told her about it so long ago. Every day she cursed their former leader for tying Donovan up in this mess. Here he was engaged to a Serpent, and one who was more than happy to make out with another man while she was engaged to Donovan. When he finally spoke, she let out a scoff and rolled her eyes. "I can't believe she hasn't spoken to you yet. The decent thing would be to talk to you. I know it's political only, but she still needs to treat you with a common decency."

But the scowl and the scoff on her features quickly slipped away as soon as he smiled at her. Donovan always had that effect on her, just seeing him smile could make her smile. He was the closest person she had in her life and 18 years together had this effect on them. "No Disney countdown? Now I'm disappointed." She teased. Carmen brushed her fingers against his in response, and then twined her fingers together. "I have a better idea." Leaning in, Carmen whispered those words as a wicked glint flickered across her gaze. Grabbing the bottle from him, she rose from the couch and pulled him with her other hand. Quietly, so as not to wake any of the kids, she led them to the door to the balcony. Opening it, she ushered them outside and grinned up at the skyline. "Fireworks, champagne and each other. It's all we need. And then some well deserved silence." The fireworks would be starting soon, a glance at her watch told her they had less than five minutes.

[glamoroussource]

shay mitchell photographed by sarah krick.

[goeslikethis]

"Exactly. Keep it up and I might have to get an officer over here to deal with it," Savannah says in jest, letting a soft chuckle slip from her lips before saying: "Guess that depends on you and what really gets you motivated. You need more drinks in your system? A pretty face batting her eyelashes and practically beggin' you for one singular dance? Or..." light eyes shift towards the bartender, eyes meeting as her smile rises, "I can get you a little bit of liquor courage that I know could change your mind."

[carmenabalos-archive]

"It's a good thing I still look good in handcuffs then." Carmen smirked as she leaned in closer, her voice lowering like it was some secret. The other was cute in the way the she was persistent in getting Carmen to drink and dance with her. "And if I said I was waiting for someone?" She asked with a grin. Her potential recruit still hadn't showed up and she was tempted to let the other try to distract her. A little game before she turned to business and the test she'd give the other tonight in the crowded bar. "Let's play a game. You guess what kind of liquor courage I would enjoy, and if you are right I will do one drink or shot with you."

[joinmeinenvy]

closed starter @carmenabalos // big brain tech shop

She had promised Donovan space after their fight, but life had other plans. When her phone stopped charging—and with no backup for the photos saved on it—she reluctantly stepped into Big Brain Tech Shop, dreading the possibility of running into him. As the door chimed overhead, her heart sank at the sight of a familiar figure.

Carmen.

Francesca didn’t know what to make of her. Carmen was one of Donovan’s friends, but they’d never quite clicked. The sight of her didn’t ease Francesca’s anxiety; if anything, it doubled it. “Um, hi,” Francesca said, forcing a smile as she approached the counter. Her voice came out a little shakier than she wanted. "I was wondering if I could get some help with my phone?" She could feel her cheeks heating and wished, more than anything, for the ground to swallow her whole.

[carmenabalos-archive]

Carmen didn't usually work in the front of Big Brain for Donovan. Or at least she hadn't in quite sometime. But she would always help him out when he needed her to keep an eye on the shop. Today had been one such day and things had been going smoothly, even if a little boring. At least until the door chimed and she walked in. Francesca D'Amiano.

Her own complicated past with the Serpents had always gotten in the way of her ever getting close to the other woman. Her last name carried a heavy burden if the woman had never actually been a Serpent. However, Carmen had always respected her role in saving Donovan and his choices to remain close to the woman. Though on the other hand she didn't trust the other woman and always expected the other to betray Donovan one day. And then there had been Evie. Carmen had always believed that Francesca should have access to Evie whenever she wanted and the little girl never needed to hear a bad word against her 'aunt'. It had all had created this complicated, layered, tangled ball of emotions towards the other that had never allowed them to grow close. But after Donovan told her about the letter, she took no satisfaction in being right about distrusting the woman. "Why?" Carmen asked, her face stoic as she raised one manicured brow. "Surely there are plenty of other tech shops you could go to? Haven't you done enough damage to Donovan?"

[saccharinexvenom]

FEATURING    ›     luciano & carmen ( @carmenabalos ) LOCATED AT    ›     somewhere neutral

there had been so few relationships within his life. even despite his otherwise young age. he could count them on one hand, and still have extra fingers. yet of those few, each had been meaningful. in their own respective ways. some perhaps more than others. for there had been one relationship in particular that rested at the back of his mind. hidden within the shadows, but never lost. and certainly never forgotten. for how could it be ? when she had been the first of so much for him. well, she and dante. which made this moment almost heart wrenching. as his gaze fell upon her .

" carmen . " why did her name slip from his tongue like that ? like a prayer. like a spell that could transport him to another time. oh, but that would have been unfair. to both of them. but particularly her. for the damage had been catastrophic. and as he looked at her now, he could only remember her words. her plea. for him to leave the serpents. to choose her. " you look good . "

[carmenabalos-archive]

Carmen knew this day would come eventually. Since her the day she had walked away from Lucky De La Cruz when he chose his precious Serpents over her - despite her begging him when she'd been bleeding in a hospital bed - she'd cut off all ties with him and buried herself in the Syndicate and those she cared for. He'd been dead to her from that day on. But when Donovan sided with them through the arranged marriage that had been forced on him she knew the chances of crossing paths with the man had gone up. Though she had expressed her wishes to Donovan to never speak to him, and of course he had understood and respected these wishes, Carmen knew she was on borrowed time.

And it seemed her luck had finally run out. Ironic considering she was facing Lucky himself. It hadn't been very lucky for her. "Don't." Her tone was harsh. Filled with a venom that leaked from the singular word. She hadn't been enough for him. A happy future with her had meant less to him than the drugs and the money. "Don't fucking do that. Don't fucking speak to me like that. I look good? That's honestly what you have to say to me?" She shook her head incredulously at him.

[bcrninhell]

@carmenabalos location: rafe's place

"The kid you told me about, MIT - hacked into the offshore accounts of that..." He waved his hand, billionaires were a dime a dozen, and he'd never been able to keep track of anything that wasn't worth remembering. "Scrap him from the list, whoever he is. He was pulled by the feds two days ago - whatever he did, it was fucking sloppy."

[carmenabalos-archive]

Carmen resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Not at Rafe, his advice was something she had always come to respect over their years together. He was almost as close to her as Donovan was among their ranks in the Syndicate. But the kid from MIT had turned out to be such a mess. She was glad she was still in the middle of her vetting process before actually recruiting this kid when shit hit the ceiling. "He's already been dropped." It had been sloppy indeed. "His skills were impressive, but he's reckless and sloppy. There were already cracks showing before the feds got him. But the other names on my shortlist aren't exactly up to our standards." Carmen sighed. "Sometimes I miss the days of just hacking myself and not dealing with all this recruiting."

[moody-money-deactivated20250125]

closed starter: @carmenabalos location: donovan's home

The New Year's Eve sleepover went well, with the six children already passed out in the living room blanket fort before ten. Donovan knew it wouldn't take long; everyone started yawning at eight-thirty. Still, he found a Disney-themed New Year's countdown so the children at least felt like they made it to midnight. The chaos was now calm. Donovan was glad to have one other person there to keep him company. "I have some actual champagne, not sparkling grape juice, if we want to do a mini New Year's. Nothing crazy, unfortunately."

[carmenabalos-archive]

Carmen's gaze found Donovan as she laid next to him on the couch. Their little sleepover had gone well. Benjie and Evie and all their friends were soundly sleeping in the blanket fort and discarded party hats, streamers and horns laid scattered around the home. "Actual champagne? Finally the good stuff." She laughed, her voice low so as not to wake any of the kids. "Are we going to have our own special countdown too, or should we put back on the Disney one?" Her eyes sparkled as she lifted a hand to push some hair back. "I don't need crazy. We just went through crazy." And she was exhausted from the tiny tots outnumbering them tonight. Her hand reached out, her fingers brushing against the ring on his finger. "Have you spoken to her at all?" Since the disastrous gala that was.

[unicornery]

[femalestunning]

SHAY MITCHELL via instagram

[turkishdizis]

✧･ﾟ: * turkishdizis’ award for best dizi shower scene *:･ﾟ✧ gizli saklı, episode 6

[carmenabalos-archive]

@moody-money

[userboygenius]

Stacy Martin in ROSY (2018), directed by Jess Bond.

[pllfanatic]

[goeslikethis]

open starter : @sinnerssquarestart

location: a nightclub (or anywhere with liquor and music)

“Now don't tell me you're sittin' here all alone .. and without a glass in sight, ” the brunette remarks with faux concern, eye taking them in for a moment before her body slips into the open space beside them. It’s not too long before the corner of her lips pull into a sweet grin, “What kinda bribin’ do I gotta do to get you out on the dance floor?”

[carmenabalos-archive]

Carmen looked up from her phone as she waited for the other to show up to the meeting. This recruit seemed promising and she was looking forward to closing that deal. But it was a business meeting and so she wasn’t going to drink. “A real crime.” Carmen chuckled. Her own lips pull into a sweet smile of her own. “What would you bribe me with? I’m interested in what your best offer is.”