beautiful dirty rich

Natalia Esme Cardoza 23 y/o - @talikinz on insta Work hard, play harder.

[nataliacardoza-archive]

lucacostello‌:

Luca held his breath as Natalia reached forward ad took his hand. He wrapped his fingers around her hand, squeezing gently. She wasn’t just anyone. She was Nat. Sofia’s best friend, someone he grew up with. He’d liked her at one point, too – Luca wondered if that would have ever flourished beyond a few hook ups if he hadn’t decide to pursue things with Paityn.

She was the obvious choice, the healthy one. Pursuing Natalia would’ve been easy because it wouldn’t have pissed anyone off. But that’s not where his heart was.

“I know,” Luca said softly. He knew that she meant it, too. “Kinda breaks my heart that you’re not gonna be hanging around anymore. Things were… fun,” he said. “Thanks. For everything.” 

Everything entailed more than just the sex. She was good company, someone who didn’t mind being around Luca whenever he’d been upset. He was thankful for the escape, the shoulder to cry on, the motivation. Everything. 

But with Paityn officially as his girlfriend, Luca wouldn’t entertain things further with Natalia. So he squeezed her hand one last time, removed it from the table and brought it back down to his lap. 

“What’re you drinking? I’m still fucking miserable from last night.” Luca groaned, looked at her rather pathetically. The longer that he was sober, the faster that all of the grief came rushing back. He certainly didn’t wanna deal with all of that. 

“I might join you. We could get fucked up and terrorize my security.”

Nat felt a chill when Luca pulled his hand away from hers. It didn’t feel like rejection or disappointment, but more of a missed opportunity. For both of them. Luca may not have meant much by the small action, but Natalia picked up the message loud and clear. Though, she was never one to dwell on the past. Luca’s father was dead. He needed to grieve. 

“I’m drinking wine,” she said. “Won’t get you too fucked up, unless you drink a few bottles.” 

“Let’s do shots,” Natalia added. She didn’t want to damper his mood. Fun. That was easy for Nat; she knew how to have a good time. With Luca’s hired security, they could indulge in their wealth. “We could do a few lines if you want?” she offered. While cocaine wasn’t her drug of choice, she knew Luca had a taste for it. 

Who was she to judge in the wake of such tragedy? They were young, rich and had privilege and opportunity dripping from their pores. Access to such relief was easy. Of course they’d take advantage. “Let’s turn the world upside down,” she suggested with a smile. Luca clearly didn’t want to pursue any romantic relationship, but that didn’t mean the two couldn’t haev a bit of fun.

[nataliacardoza-archive]

where: aurea when: november with: @kaicostello

The damage done during the blackout was unfortunate, but the new renovations Leon’s been forced to make meant having a few extra hands around to get the basement sorted out. Nat didn’t know how to act around him since his father’s death, but he seemed pretty insistent that business run as normal. After she checked the progress on the basement, Nat figured she’d stay for a drink.

Besides, she needed new content for her instagram and Aurea’s neon signs made for an interesting aesthetic. She almost skipped to the bar, pleased with the work that’s been done so far. Soon enough, she’d invite a few friends from New York for a bit of a test run. At the bar, Nat sat on a stool beneath one of the colourful glowing signs. The bartender didn’t need to wait for her order to open a bottle of the best red wine they had in stock. 

Nat took out her phone and dismissed her notifications before opening her camera app. A good selfie may be vain to some, but to Natalia it meant engagement, which translated to cash.

When Kai Costello appeared in front of her, she greeted him with a smile as she placed her phone on the bar. “Did Leon beckon you here for business or are you here for pleasure tonight?” she asked, as she brought her glass of wine to her lips. 

[nataliacardoza-archive]

lucacostello‌:

Aurea still needed a lot of work done in terms of repairs, but that clearly wasn’t stopping Natalia (or Luca) from spending their evening there. Even though they’d never made things official, he still felt some guilt for the way that things had just fizzled. His apartment felt empty without Natalia, though he knew that it was for the best, given his new relationship with Paityn. 

“Not really,” Luca admitted honestly, followed by the best smile that he could muster. He took a seat across from her. "I’ll just end up in debt, or something.” Luca wasn’t drinking anything yet – he was still nursing an awful hangover from the previous night. “How’s your new place? Miss me and Lulah yet?”

Natalia smiled sympathetically, sure that Luca was still suffering from his father’s death. Hell, she was sure he was still suffering over that redhead he was supposed to marry. “I’d go easy on you. Only a $50 minimum bet,” she teased with a wink.

She took a sip from her glass, looking into the blood red liquid. Luca asked her about her new place. Miss me? She snorted. “My new place is great,” she said. “Besides, it was time for me to get out of your hair.” 

Natalia reached out and grabbed Luca’s hand, giving as much comfort as she could. “Anytime you need company you can call,” she offered. Nat knew Luca had a tendency to spiral as he grieved. No one should have to go through that alone. “I don’t have as many bedrooms as you do, and I’m still furnishing, but you and Sof always have a place with me, okay?”

[nataliacardoza-archive]

check-yesjuliet‌:

Instead of doing edits on her latest paper like she should have been doing, Juliet had decided that she would take her night off from work and enjoy a nice drink somewhere that she could disappear into the crowd. There was so much going on lately, Luca losing his father, Mason being home, school work piling up. 

As she moved through the bar with her drink in hand she spotted a familiar face at one of the tables. Natalia. Maybe if she hurried she could get away without being seen by another one of Luca’s conquests. To be fair, she didn’t really know that they were having sex. More or less it was a pang of jealousy that was lingering from a long-over relationship. 

“Oh! Uh, sure. What game are we playing?”

Natalia smiled at Juliet as she studied her face, wondering what thoughts brewed behind her eyes. Nat was naturally curious; she always wanted to know more. “Up to you,” she replied, as she started to shuffle the deck. “Though, just the two of us our options are fairly limited.”

Nat took a sip from her glass of wine, lipstick staining the crystal. She shrugged and suggested, “we could always ask them if they want to join.” She tilted her chin in the direction of a booth across the way. A pair of twenty-something men sat sipping beer as they watched whatever sporting match was playing on the TV behind the bar. They were cute. Probably a bit boring, but anyone could fill out a table.

“Think they like poker?”

[cloudsongs]

[nataliacardoza-archive]

where: aurea when: november, post-blackout & funeral with: open.

Natalia sat at a booth in the back of the bar, a deck of cards in front of her and a glass of wine in her hand. Logistics behind her new venture needed to be sorted out. She spent the day ordering movers around, organizing the apartment that took months to find. Following Marcel’s death, being a guest under Luca’s roof seemed more of a burden for him than anything else. 

He’s too nice to tell her to leave, too. 

At her booth, she watched the bar’s clientele and took notes on her phone. She took business seriously and Leon was taking a chance on her. She needed to prove her worth.

As Nat took a sip of her Cabernet, a body approached and she smiled sweetly. 

“Want to play a game?” she asked with an eyebrow raised, motioning to the deck on the table.

[nataliacardoza-archive]

sofia-costello‌:

“We should totally make a clinic for helping people deal with their phone addiction. We could make so much money off millennial parents afraid their kids are zombies. Why do I get my best ideas during the Apocalypse?” The suggestion that someone had done this on purpose gelled with Sofia’s general attitude, and she didn’t question it further. “So, do we like, fight our way across the city or are cabs still running?” She would normally book an Uber and not give a shit if it cost a grand, but that was currently off the menu.

“I vote we find hot cops and flirt for a ride,” she said. Such circumstances required creative solutions. “Less risk getting sex trafficked that way,” Nat added with a bitter shrug. Navigating Chicago sidewalks in the dark was no easy feat, but it didn’t take long to come across two officers. The men looked to be in their mid-twenties or early thirties, standing outside of their patrol car. Arm still linked with Sofia’s, with a damsel in distress look on her face, Nat approached and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Excuse me, officers? Would you be willing to give the two of us girls a ride?” her voice was sweet as she coaxed the men to leave their posts. “We’re staying at the Roma and the idea of walking when Chicago’s like this...well, I think we’d both feel safer with the two of you.” She turned to Sofia then. “Right Sof?”

[yenvengerberg]

Camila Mendes photographed by Robin Harper, 2017 (x)

[nataliacardoza-archive]

javidewan‌:

“Never. And no one is answering their fuckin’ phones cause they’re all dead.” He held up a finger, cueing the figurative lightbulb above his head, “I got extra portable batteries,” he added in sing-song as he threw an arm around Natalia’s shoulders.

“You alright?” He wet his lips, lowering the unnecessary sunglasses he was wearing indoors, giving her a quick once over, “If you’re bored I know how we can kill some time.”

Extra portable batteries. 

“I need it,” Natalia begged. She would run up a thousand dollar data bill throughout this blackout if her phone had any juice left. Though, knowing Javi, she had a hunch he wouldn’t be willing to give-in so easily. Simple economics; supply and demand. 

With his arm around her shoulder, Natalia rolled her eyes. “I’m not nearly bored or drunk enough to go for what you’re suggesting.”

[nataliacardoza-archive]

chanelxalbright‌:

Chanel had already heard the news and attempted to figure out what came next. Her job was to handle scandal, to maintain a ‘perfect’ image, but what image was to be maintained when it had just been literally torn in half by the death of their king. Most employees were running around in confusion, uncertain of where they stood in their jobs, wondering if they needed to take action or sit back. Chanel was never one to sit back though.

Heading to Leon’s room at the Roma, she had the intent of talking to every person who had held a high position even before Marcel’s death. Cassandra, his wife and Capo of the escort services. Abel, his nephew and Consigliere. And Leon, his eldest son and the next in line for the head of the business. Except now, it now was the head of the business. Or at least, that was Chanel’s natural assumption.

Entering the room, she wasn’t expecting to see Natalia Cardoza in the middle of it, cat near by as if to confirm her alibi for being there. She looked to the cat in question and then back to Natalia quizzically, wondering why the cat would have been left to starve in the first place.

“Has Leon not been around?”

When the blonde entered the room, Natalia was caught off guard. Clearly she was looking for Leon, considering this was his suite. Chanel Albright had a knack for twisting scandals in the Costello family’s favour but even the best couldn’t change the fact that Marcel was dead.

“I haven’t seen him since the party,” she replied.

Natalia stood from her spot next to Eloise and ran her fingers through her hair. She desperately craved a shower but Nat had a hunch the hotel’s hot water tank would be empty by now. She did not take cold showers. Soon enough, however, she’d cave.

Walking to the bar she continued, “he’s probably at Aurea taking care of business.” She poured herself a drink, the news of Marcel’s fate slowly sinking in. Sofia’s father, though the details have yet to be revealed, was most likely murdered. It shook her to the core.

“Do you want one?” Nat asked, raising the glass to her lips. She wondered for a moment if Chanel was the type to drink on the job. Though, as the publicist for the Costello family, her job was 24/7 and would drive anyone to the bottle. 

[nataliacardoza-archive]

sofia-costello‌:

“I’m so useless without my phone. Or fucking lights. I can barely see ahead of me.” There were lights here and there, emergency exit signs and other lights that no doubt ran on battery for moments just like this. But overall it was pitch black. Sofia wished she had more practical shoes, which almost never happened. “I sometimes question that, but okay, at least that’s a plan. My brothers will know what to do.” Stepping gingerly into the darkness, she held onto Natalia like a lifeline. “How could our power just go out like this? Doesn’t there have to be a huge storm or something? Aren’t power grids supposed to have backups and redundancies and stuff? “Admittedly, not her expertise, but it still seemed odd. 

“I’m already going through withdrawals,” Nat added. Without a phone or connection to the world, Natalia Cardoza was sure she’d go mad. She couldn’t even live-tweet the blackout. She nodded when Sofia agreed to go to the hotel, but shrugged at her question. Natalia was an intelligent woman, but knowing the ins and outs of electrical infrastructure was not her forte. “I have no idea,” she answered honestly. “Some disgruntled employee probably decided to fuck everything up.”

[nataliacardoza-archive]

kaicostello‌:

He laughed, even if it wasn’t the most appropriate of times. “He would be into something like that. I’m not checking that nightstand though. I don’t need to know my cousin that intimately.”  Kai didn’t ever ponder the relationships of his family unless it directly effected him. Violet had been one of those instances, Kai withstanding the tension that filled a room the two occupied. Then, they didn’t occupy a room together at all anymore. He missed the days when he only had to relay information to one of them, knowing they’d tell the other.

Kai tilted his head to look at her, catching the slightest tells that’d flicker across her face. She was thinking and he was pleased to see her actually take his words to heart. He watched her roll them over in her mind, finally landing on some version of determination.

I’m all in. He looked pleased, an almost cheerful smile winding across the lower half of his face. “I’m sure the new Mister Costello himself will be pleased to hear.”

“ — Or he won’t give a flying fuck.” Kai batted Natalia’s shoulder playfully, fingertips dashing across her skin without moving his arms from their resting place across the back of the couch. “I think you’re alright though.”

“I think you’re alright though.”

Nat would let that go to her head later. “I’m sure he’ll be as pleased as he’s capable of being,” she teased, though it was true as ever following the death of his father, not that Leon ever really showed much emotion other than brood. “Considering I finally got him to agree to let me use Aurea’s basement for a little business venture. I’m sure he’d be pissed if I decided to back out after bothering him for weeks on end about it.”

Nat stood up then and made her way to the bar at the other side of the room. Eloise followed, darting in between her legs as she walked. The Costellos knew how to drink and she wasn’t surprised to find bottles of pricey liquor just begging to be consumed. “Pick your poison,” she said, pouring herself a glass of cognac to sip. Nat waited for Kai’s response, filled a tumbler and brought it over to him before sitting down.

“I don’t play waitress often,” Nat said as she passed off the glass. “But I figured some sort of toast to your uncle was called for.”

[jasperburman]

Everyone was asleep, except for Javi. He’d hung out in Luca’s room until his friend fell asleep, and still feeling restless from all the insanity, he headed down to the empty bar at the Roma. It’d closed down hours ago, so Javi took it upon himself to have a good time. 

When in Roma…

A$AP Rocky blared through the speakers of his phone, Javi dancing along, hands in the air as he shuffled across the bar, finally taking a leap on to one of the tables, blunt in hand. A crooked smile cracked his features at his success, unsure if the drugs and lack of sleep had fucked with his balance. “Ha!”

He heard someone come in, or well, felt them, spinning around the the ball of his right foot to face whomever it was. He jumped off the table, swiping up the bottle of tequila he’d been drinking as he fell against the cushions of the booth. “Look, no one was here and I mean it’s a fuckin’ blackout, dude. Boring. As. Fuck.”

[nataliacardoza-archive]

Natalia couldn’t sleep. She was deprived of the internet and social media for far too long. Completely disconnected since her cell phone died shortly after hearing the news of Marcel’s death, waiting for power to return had been agony.

Dressed in a silk nightgown, Natalia donned her robe and decided to make her way to the bar and sneak a few drinks to help sleep come. Though, to her surprise, the bar was occupied by another.

Music blasted and Nat entered, arms crossed over her chest as she looked at Javi, clearly fucked up. Natalia wasn’t surprised. Every time she came to Chicago to visit Sofia when they were young, Javi was always around to cause trouble with the twins. 

“I don’t blame you,” Nat said, walking towards him. She sat down across from him and swiped the bottle of tequila from his hand. She took a quick swig and made a face. Without salt or lime, tequila was absolutely disgusting.

“Can’t sleep either?”

[riverdaleladiesdaily]

[nataliacardoza-archive]

sofia-costello‌:

“Fucking AT&T.” Not wanting to let go of her friend entirely, Sofia looped arms with Natalia and took several deep breaths. “Okay, so. We need a plan that involves not being stuck in the dark surrounded by mouth breathers and psychopaths. Any thoughts?”

“The Roma’s not too far from here,” Nat suggested. Didn’t they have back up generators for emergencies? Sofia stayed close and Natalia didn’t mind, soothed in her friend’s company. “At least there, all the mouth breathers and psychopaths are on our side.”

[nataliacardoza-archive]

kaicostello‌:

“I didn’t realize you and Leon were so… close.” A snicker. “Or that he was such a sap.” Of course, Kai was joking, because it was Kai, and because when people were sad, or worried, or generally uncomfortable, Malachi Costello enjoyed a laugh or two. Natalia wasn’t a direct relative, and while Kai could see she was shaken, he didn’t feel the same compulsion to comfort her as he might have with twins, or even Leon.

Still, Malachi enjoyed Natalia. She was interesting enough, but most of all, the pretty little thing had a solid head on her shoulders. Kai appreciated a thinker. Even more so when it was someone he trusted, mostly, with the well-being of his younger cousins. He wondered if she’d been given her opportunity yet. He decided it wasn’t the right time to talk business. 

As Nat continued to speak, Kai circled the room, peering into the bathroom and bedroom of the suite, “Violet? Hm.” Violet was easy to get along with — even more so by what she did. She was good at it too. Malachi had been impressed all those years ago when Leon brought her around; he’d been sure she was just some beautiful new fling, one that’d eventually fall to the wayside like so many other woman before her. As it turned out, he’d been wrong. Now, nearly a decade later, and she was one of the first people he’d call if he wanted someone dead. “Maybe this time they won’t avoid each other for a fucking year.” He spoke quietly, musing to himself as he searched the suite for something to provide a little light.

Is it true?

“ – Speaking of sap, where the candles or something?”

A sigh. Malachi clicked the flashlight off on his phone to preserve battery, appearing back at Natalia’s side to settle down on the couch. “If you’re asking if I’ve seen the body yet, no. Do I think it’s some bullshit? Also, no. Which means shit is about to hit the fan, sweetheart. You sure you’re still game to be around us? You can cut tail and say bye-bye. Probably the smart move too.” He leaned back, arms spread across the top of the back cushions. It was difficult to see her in the dark, but the light from the moon bled in through the window, giving him just enough to make out her face.

Natalia shrugged softly at his remarks about Leon. He was the underboss. It only made sense for Nat to try to get on his good side. Of course, he saw right through all her efforts but agreed to let her host a few games in Aurea’s basement to prove how profitable her idea could be. 

“Now will you leave me the fuck alone?”

Nat remembers his stern look and the pleased smile she couldn’t wipe off her face.

“Check the nightstand,” she said about the candles. “Maybe he likes to get burned.”

Bad time for jokes. 

Tall, dark and handsome, Kai Costello had a presence that couldn’t be ignored. Still, she could tell he was softer around her than he was with most. Perks of being young and friends with the twins, she supposed.

Kai wasn’t gentle with his words, though Natalia never expected him to be. She nodded, a wave of somber realization washing over her. She came to Chicago on an impulse, her arrival hastened by the sudden murder of Paisley Sinclair. Natalia knew she was capable but her father only scratched the surface of what the business truly entailed. He kept his daughter sheltered from the horrors of it, despite her ability to assume. 

Always so sure of herself, a confidence verging on arrogance, there was always that voice in that voice in the back of her mind that asked am I ready?

Despite the rock in her stomach, Nat turned to look at Kai, rested seemingly calm beside her. She wondered how he ticked. “I’m all in,” she said.

[nataliacardoza-archive]

lucacostello‌:

“You’re a pussy,” Luca retorted. Definitely not the best comeback, but he didn’t care. Luca walked down the steps with Natalia on his arm. He moved slowly, the steps creaking beneath their feet. It was almost pitch dark down there.

There was an old lamp, at the far corner of the room, that was lit. It was dim – not bright enough for him to be able to see much.

“Hey, is that…?”

Luca trailed off. He kept Natalia close. He leaned forward, eyes focused on the ‘figure’ at the end of the room. He stayed absolutely still. Then, without warning, Luca moved to scare Natalia.

“Boo!” He yelled out, voice loud in contrast to the absolute silence in the room. Both of his arms reached around Natalia, squeezing gently. Even before the scare was fully over with, Luca was already laughing. 

The shrill scream that left Natalia’s mouth was embarassing to say the least. When Luca started laughing at his plan coming together, Nat rolled her eyes. “Fuck you,” she said, her chest heaving and her heart racing. “You know how easily I jump.”

Aside from the lamp at the end of the hall, there wasn’t anything else in sight. Still, the noise echoed once again. She groaned, “I hate this,” despite how much she was actually enjoying herself. Either The Lincoln really was haunted or the Hawthorns could put on a convincing show. 

“This is like a bad horror movie.”