The Price of her Name
AU - Mafia! Melissa Schemmenti x Reader
Philadelphia, 1928. Two rival families. One devastating debt.
CHAPTER ONE - The Lions Den
Nobody knew she was there.
That was the first thing Melissa Schemmenti noticed.
The second was that she was doing an admirable job of pretending not to be afraid.
Admirable. Not convincing.
Melissa had been watching her for the better part of an hour. The woman sat alone at a small table near the back of the club, positioned carefully beneath the shadow of the balcony. It was a good choice. Far enough away from the entrance that she couldn’t easily be seen from the street. Far enough away from the bar that nobody would have any reason to approach her unless she wanted them to. A discreet little hiding place. Clever. Melissa almost smiled.
Almost.
From her position above the crowded dance floor, she had a perfect view. She always did. Her private table sat on the raised platform overlooking the club, partially concealed behind dark carved wood and heavy velvet curtains. From there, Melissa could watch the room without appearing to watch it at all. And tonight, there was only one thing worth watching.
Her.
The daughter of an enemy family.
Melissa knew exactly who she was. She had known the moment she’d stepped through the door.
That was the mistake people often made about Melissa Schemmenti. They saw the music, the liquor, the smoke curling through the air and the crowded dance floor. They saw a nightclub. Melissa saw every person who entered it. Especially her.
The daughter of a family whose name had been spoken in the same breath as Schemmenti for generations.
Enemies.
Her family would sooner burn their own money than hand a single dollar to Melissa’s. They would sooner die than ask a Schemmenti for help. And yet—
There she was.
Melissa leaned back in her chair. She looked as though she’d stepped directly from another world. Deep red velvet fitted close against her figure, elegant and severe beneath the amber glow of the club. Her dress was unmistakably inspired by the newest, most daring fashions—rich and dramatic, with a fitted silhouette that made her impossible to ignore despite the shadow she had chosen to hide inside. Her red hair fell in carefully styled waves, rich and fiery against the deep red of her clothing. One side had been pinned back neatly, leaving the rest to spill over her shoulders. The outfit was completed by long dark gloves and a pair of gleaming heels.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
Deliberately theatrical.
Melissa knew how to make an entrance. Even when she had no intention of moving.
A glass sat untouched beside her. A cigarette burned slowly between her fingers.Her expression was one of casual boredom. That expression had taken years to perfect.
Because the truth was—
Melissa was interested.
Below her, the woman shifted slightly in her chair. Only slightly. A nervous movement. Barely noticeable. But Melissa noticed.
The woman looked toward the entrance.
Then away.
Again.
Melissa exhaled smoke.
She was waiting for someone.
No.
Melissa corrected herself.
She was trying to convince herself that someone wasn’t coming.
That was different.
The woman reached for her drink. Her hand was steady.
Mostly.
Melissa’s mouth curved. ‘Oh, sweetheart.’ she thought. The girl below her had built herself quite the little façade. Her posture was perfect. Her chin was lifted. Her expression was carefully composed into something calm and mildly bored, as though she had walked into a Schemmenti club every night of her life.
But she hadn’t.
Melissa could see it in her eyes. Could see the calculation. The panic hiding beneath the confidence. The momentary tightening of her shoulders every time the door opened. She was terrified. And Melissa found that very interesting.
She flicked ash into the tray, then raised two fingers. One of her men appeared immediately.“Bring her upstairs.” the powerful redhead said, not breaking eye contact with the position of her target. The man followed Melissa’s gaze. His expression changed.
“Her?”
Melissa didn’t look at him still. “Do I need to repeat myself?”
“No, Miss Schemmenti.”
“Good.”
Melissa leaned back and watched the show beneath her unfold.
The girl saw Schemmenti’s men approach.
Immediately, her spine straightened.
There it was. That little performance.
Melissa watched with quiet amusement as the man bent toward her table and said something she couldn’t hear over the music.
The woman’s eyes moved upward. They met Melissa’s. And for one brief moment—
The façade cracked. Only for a second.
Fear.
Real fear.
Melissa smiled. Then the woman stood.
‘Good girl.’ she thought. The smile turning into a sinister smirk.
She climbed the stairs alone. Melissa watched her every step. When she reached the platform, one of Melissa’s men pulled the curtain aside. The woman stepped through. The music below became muted. The room suddenly felt much smaller.
Melissa didn’t stand. Didn’t greet her. Didn’t offer her a hand. She simply watched her.
The woman stopped several feet from the table.
“Melissa.” She spoke in a confident voice.
Melissa raised an eyebrow. The confidence in her voice was impressive.
“That’s Miss Schemmenti to you.”
The woman’s jaw tightened. Melissa smiled around her cigarette.
“Sit.”
The woman sat. Melissa took her time.
A long drag.
An exhale.
Her eyes travelling lazily over the woman seated opposite her.
The silence stretched.
The woman refused to break it.
Interesting.
Melissa tilted her head.
“Do your parents know you’re here?”
The woman’s expression didn’t change.
“Why would they?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Melissa leaned back. “Perhaps because you’re sitting in my club.”
Silence.
Melissa smiled. “Or perhaps because you’re about to ask me for something.”
There it was. The smallest shift. The woman’s fingers tightened together in her lap.
Melissa’s smile widened. “Ah.” She tapped ash into the tray. “So that is why you’re here.”
“I haven’t asked you anything.”
“No.” Melissa agreed pleasantly. “You haven’t.” She paused. “But you will.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed.
Melissa found herself enjoying that more than she should have.
“You’re very sure of yourself.”
“No, darling.” Melissa’s voice softened. “I’m very sure of you.”
That landed. Melissa could tell. She leaned forward, resting her elbow against the table. “Your family doesn’t know you’re here.”
The woman said nothing.
“They would disown you if they did.”
Still nothing.
Melissa hummed quietly. “Not because you’ve done anything particularly terrible, of course.” Her smile turned sharp. “Not yet.”
The woman’s eyes flashed.
Melissa smiled. “Oh, there she is.”
“Stop doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“Talking to me like I’m a child.”
Melissa stared at her, then laughed. It was soft. Warm. Almost affectionate. Which somehow made it worse. “Oh, sweetheart.”
The woman’s expression immediately hardened.
Melissa continued. “If you didn’t want me to talk to you like a child, you shouldn’t have snuck into my club in the middle of the night hoping the scary Schemmenti woman would grant you a favour.”
“I didn’t sneak.”
Melissa raised an eyebrow. “No?”
“No.”
“You came here without telling your family.”
“That’s not sneaking.”
Melissa smiled. “That’s adorable.”
The woman’s cheeks coloured. Only slightly. But Melissa noticed. Of course she did. The mafia boss noticed everything.
She reached for her glass. “Tell me.” Melissa took a sip. “What do you want?”
The room went quiet. Below them, the music continued. The woman stared at Melissa.
Melissa waited.
And waited.
Eventually—
“I need more time.” the woman opposite blurted out.
Melissa stopped moving. Just for a moment. Then she placed her glass back onto the table. “More time?”
“Yes.”
Melissa repeated the words slowly. As though she had never heard them before. “And why, exactly, would I give you that?”
The woman lifted her chin. “I can get the money.”
“Of course you can.” The response was immediate. Patronising. Melissa watched annoyance flash across the woman’s face. She continued anyway. “I’m sure you can.”
“I mean it.”
“I know you do.” Melissa smiled. And there it was again. That horrible softness. The one that made it impossible to tell whether she was being kind or cruel.
The woman took a breath. “I just need an extension.”
Melissa leaned back. “And you thought you’d come here and ask nicely?”
“No.”
“Oh?”
The woman’s eyes met hers. “I thought I would ask you directly.”
Melissa stared at her. Then slowly smiled. “Well. She picked up her cigarette. “How brave.”
The woman rolled her eyes.
Melissa laughed softly. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you haven’t walked directly into the lion’s den wearing your best brave face.”
The woman’s expression froze.
Melissa watched the façade rebuild itself. Brick by brick. Little by little.
“Thirty days.” Melissa said.
The woman blinked. “What?”
“That’s what you want, isn’t it?” Melissa tilted her head. “An extension.”
Hope flickered. Melissa almost felt sorry for her.
Almost.
“Thirty days.”
The woman stared at her. “Really?”
Melissa smiled. “Did you expect me to say no?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” Melissa took another drag from her cigarette. “You should.”
The hope disappeared.
Melissa’s expression hardened. “Thirty days.” Her voice was calm now. Businesslike. Not a day more.”
The woman swallowed.
Melissa noticed. “If you have the money, you bring it to me personally.”
“Okay.”
“And if you don’t—”
The woman went still.
Melissa smiled. Oh, she knew. She already knew what happened. But knowing something and hearing it spoken aloud were two very different things. “Your family loses everything.”
The woman’s expression remained composed. Melissa continued. “The house.” Nothing. “The property.” The woman’s fingers tightened.
“Every possession worth taking.”
There.
Melissa saw the reaction. Small. But there.
“And your family leaves.”
The woman’s breathing changed.
“They’ll be banished.” Melissa leaned forward. “Do you understand me?”
The woman nodded.
“Use your words.”
“Yes.”
Melissa smiled. “Good girl.”
The woman glared at her.
Melissa’s expression brightened. “There she is again.”
“Would you stop?”
“Stop what?”
“Acting like—” The woman stopped.
Melissa waited. “Like what?”
Her mouth opened. Closed.
Melissa smiled. “Like I’m in charge?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed.
Melissa laughed softly. “Oh, sweetheart.” She shook her head. “You came to me. Your family would disown you if they knew you were sitting here right now, begging their enemy for mercy.”
“I wasn’t begging.”
“No?”
“No.” Melissa smiled. “Of course you weren’t.”
The woman’s cheeks coloured again.
Melissa’s eyes glittered. “But let’s call it what it is. She placed her cigarette into the ashtray. “You need me.”
Silence.
“And I—” Melissa tilted her head. “—don’t need you at all.”
The woman stared at her. The façade held. Barely.
Melissa could see straight through it. She saw the fear. The desperation. The pressure resting on those shoulders. And something beneath it all. Pride. Stubborn, furious pride. Melissa smiled. Thirty days. She wondered how long it would take before that beautiful little façade finally collapsed.
“And if you fail,” Melissa continued quietly, “there is one more thing.”
The woman looked up.
Melissa watched the colour drain slightly from her face. Good. “Your family leaves Philadelphia. Melissa spoke carefully. “Everything they own becomes mine.”
The woman swallowed.
“And you?” Melissa paused.
The woman waited.
“You stay.”
The woman’s eyes widened. “What?”
Melissa smiled. “You work.”
“For you?”
Melissa leaned back and smirked. “For the Schemmenti empire.”
The woman stared at her. “You can’t make me.”
Melissa’s smile widened. “Oh but little girl” She reached for her drink. “I can.”
“You expect me to—”
“I expect you to fulfil the terms of your family’s debt.”
The woman’s voice rose slightly. “I didn’t borrow the money!”
“No.” Melissa agreed. “But you came here asking me for mercy anyway.”
That silenced her again.
Melissa’s gaze remained fixed on her. “If you fail, your family leaves.” A pause. “You don’t.” Another. “You stay here.” Melissa picked up her glass. “And you work for us until I decide otherwise.”
The woman looked genuinely frightened now. Not enough to run. Not yet. But enough.
Melissa took a sip. Then smiled. “Now.” She placed the glass down. “Do you still want your thirty days?”
The woman stared at her.
Melissa waited.
The music continued downstairs. The city continued outside. And somewhere beyond those walls, the woman’s family remained completely unaware that their daughter had walked into enemy territory. That she had sat across from Melissa Schemmenti. That she had asked her for a favour.
Slowly—
The woman nodded.
“Yes.”
Melissa smiled.
“Good.”
She reached for her cigarette. “The clock starts now. Thirty days.”
Melissa watched her stand. The woman held herself together beautifully. Shoulders straight. Chin high. A final determined look in her eyes. Such a convincing performance. Melissa watched her disappear through the curtain. Then she smiled to herself. Because she had seen through her. Every second of it. And Melissa Schemmenti had a feeling that, before those thirty days were over—
So would everyone else.
