Humility aladdin a dark.., p.1
Humility: Aladdin a Dark Contemporary Retelling, page 1
Contents
Also by BROOKLYN CROSS
Chapter 1
ANGELO
Chapter 2
JASMINE
Chapter 3
ANGELO
Chapter 4
JASMINE
Chapter 5
JASMINE
Chapter 6
DARIO
Chapter 7
ANGELO
Chapter 8
JASMINE
Chapter 9
DARIO
Chapter 10
ANGELO
Chapter 11
JASMINE
Chapter 12
JASMINE
Chapter 13
ANGELO
Chapter 14
JASMINE
Chapter 15
JASMINE
Chapter 16
ENZO
Chapter 17
JASMINE
Chapter 18
DARIO
Chapter 19
JASMINE
Chapter 20
ANGELO
Chapter 21
ANGELO
Chapter 22
JASMINE
Chapter 23
DARIO
Chapter 24
JASMINE
Chapter 25
ANGELO
Chapter 26
JASMINE
Chapter 27
ANGELO
Chapter 28
ENZO
Chapter 29
JASMINE
Chapter 30
JASMINE
Chapter 31
ANGELO
Chapter 32
JASMINE
Chapter 33
JASMINE
Chapter 34
ANGELO
Chapter 35
ANGELO
Chapter 36
DARIO
Chapter 37
ENZO
Chapter 38
JASMINE
Chapter 39
ANGELO
Chapter 40
JASMINE
Chapter 41
DARIO
Chapter 42
JASMINE
Chapter 43
JASMINE
Chapter 44
ANGELO
Chapter 45
JASMINE
Chapter 46
ANGELO
Chapter 47
JASMINE
Chapter 48
ENZO
Chapter 49
JASMINE
Chapter 50
ANGELO
Chapter 51
JASMINE
Chapter 52
ANGELO
Chapter 53
JASMINE
Chapter 54
ANGELO
Chapter 55
ANGELO
Epilogue
Thank You
Copyright © December 2023
HUMILITY
A Dark Aladdin Retelling
Written by: Brooklyn Cross
FIRST EDITION.
ASIN: 978-1-998015-21-4
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Edited by: R. Mudawar at Just Ask Her Productions
Cover Art: DAZED DESIGNS
Book Cover Disclaimer: Individuals depicted in the images on the cover and anywhere are models and solely used for illustrative purposes.
This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without the author’s written permission. Author Brooklyn Cross.
This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events, or locales is purely coincidental. The characters, incidents, and dialogues in this book are productions of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.
The ideas represented in this book are not factual representations of anyone’s thoughts affiliated with Author Brooklyn Cross, or of any of the trademarked acknowledgments mentioned in this story. This story is simply a work of fiction.
Trademark Acknowledgements
The author Brooklyn Cross acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of familiar wordmarks, products, actors’ names, television shows, books, characters, video games, and films mentioned in this fiction work.
Created with Vellum
Also by: BROOKLYN CROSS
Fairytale Virtues
(Contemporary/Shared World Standalones/Aladdin Retelling/Dark Comedy/Mafia/RH - Dark 2-3 Spice 3-4)
Humility by Brooklyn Cross
Patience by Mia Z Staysails
Temperance by EJ Everette
Diligence by Jay Leigh Brown
Chastity by Kira Roman
Charity by Alexandra K Martin
Kindness by Sunday Mathers
The Kings of Wayward Academy
(Academy/Slow Burn/Slow Build/Why Choose/Mafia - Dark 1-3 Spice 1-4 the dark and spice will progress more as the series continues)
Disobedient Pawn
Defiant Knight
Lost Souls MC
(Motorcycle Club - Dark 3.5-4.5 Spice 3.5-4.5)
Malice
Surrender
Showbiz (Coming 2024)
Fealty (Coming 2024)
Splintered
Absolution
Handcuffed
Solace
The Righteous Series
(Vigilante/Ex Military Romance - Dark 3-4 Spice 3-4)
Dark Side of the Cloth
Ravaged by the Dark
Sleeping with the Dark
Hiding in the Dark
Redemption in the Dark
Crucified by the Dark
Dark Reunion (Coming 2024)
The Consumed Trilogy
(Suspense/Thriller/Anti-Hero Romance - Dark 4-5 Spice 3-4)
Burn for Me
Burn with Me
Burn me Down
The Buchanan Brother’s Duet & Next Generation
(Serial Killer/Captive Horror Romance - Dark 4-5 Spice 3-5)
Unhinged Cain by Brooklyn Cross
Twisted Abel by T.L Hodel
Unhinged Kallie by Brooklyn Cross
The Battered Souls World
(Standalone Books Shared World Romance/Dramatic/Women’s Fiction/All The Feels- Dark 2-3 Spice 2-3)
The Girl That Would Be Lost
The Boy That Learned To Swim (Coming Soon)
The Girl That Would Not Break (Coming Soon)
The Brothers of Shadow and Death Series
(Dystopian/Cult/Occult/Poly MMF Romance - Dark 3-4 Spice 3-4)
Anywhere Book 1
Anyplace Book 2
Anytime Book 3
Seven Sin Series
(Multi Author/PNR/Angel and Demons/Redemption - Dark 2-5 Spice 3-5)
Greed by Brooklyn Cross
Lust by Drethi Anis
Envy by Dylan Page
Gluttony by Marissa Honeycutt
Wrath by Billie Blue
Sloth by Talli Wyndham
Pride by T.L. Hodel
Chapter One
ANGELO
TWO YEARS AGO
“Shit,” I growled as the alarm sounded. I looked at Enzo. “What the fuck? I thought you shut it off.”
“So did I,” Enzo said as we heard the guard’s shouts over the screeching.
Thump. I looked at the locked door. Thump. It rattled again. This was not how this was supposed to happen. I quickly rolled the delicate Fabergé Egg in the protective cover and placed it in the padded lockbox. Thump.
“We need to move now,” Dario said as he peeked out the window—our only escape. “More guards are coming up the driveway, all heavily armed.
“I’m hurrying as fast as I can here,” I said as I stuffed the box in the large backpack. “This wouldn’t have been a problem if Enzo had done his job.
“I did do my job. There must be a secondary alarm that wasn’t on the instructions your guy gave us.”
“Sure, blame the instructions.” Reaching into the safe again, I grabbed a stack of folders and a velvet pouch, tossing them into the bag before zipping it up.
“You two can argue after we leave. Let’s move,” Dario said as the door thumped again, this time cracking.
“Okay, go,” I said, running around the desk. Dario opened the window and pulled out the grappling hook. It clicked as the four claws locked into place. He tossed the black rope out the window, and I shooed Enzo out first as I struggled to get the backpack on. He was quick and disappeared.
Bang. The door gave way a little more, and suddenly, bullets burst through. Dario jumped on me and rode me to the ground as he covered my body with his own. The door splintered, and small pieces flew into the room like it was raining wood.
“Don’t hurt the egg,” I growled at Dario.
My best friend glared at me before yanking me to my feet when the gunfire stopped.
“That egg won’t mean anything if you’re dead.”
Dario grabbed the hook off my pack and locked it into place.
“Fuck, are you guys alive?” Enzo called up from the bushes below.
“For now,” I answered as we stepped up onto the window frame together. The door burst open, revealing a mass of guards dressed in traditional black suits and Don Falcone at the front.
“Shit.”
His eyes scanned the room and landed on me just as we jumped out the window. It was dark, and the moon wasn’t bright, but I hadn’t pulled down my mask. Fuck. He saw me. This was not how this was supposed to go. I would take the egg and look like the hero when I found the assholes who’d stolen the Falcone family treasure. Not only would I bring honor to my family name, but I would demand a reward, and I knew exactly what I wanted.
“Leave the ropes,” Dario hissed as we reached the ground, and he unclipped me. He shielded my body as we raced to Enzo just as a hail of bullets rained down on us. I had no idea how we avoided being hit as we rounded the back of the house.
A few guards running toward the alarms came straight at us across the backyard. Dario was quick and shot them both before they could get their guns raised. There was a reason he was my personal bodyguard and best friend. I’d never met another man who could kill as quickly, efficiently, and without remorse as he did. I’d also seen him take a bullet in the leg and still keep fighting like it never happened.
The Falcone alarms grew louder, and lights flashed all over the property while the barking of dogs sent a shiver up my spine.
“Shit, dogs,” Enzo said, echoing the same thought in my head.
“Move faster,” Dario growled as he hauled me along. I ran every day, so I was fast, but fucking Dario was a machine, and he pushed me now.
The snarling wasn’t close yet, but we could hear the guards yelling to cut the dogs loose. We didn’t have much further to go, but each footfall didn’t feel fast enough. Blood coursed through my body as we weaved between the trees and over a fallen log. I could see the road and the glitter of streetlights ahead.
Looking back, I could just make out the shadowy outlines of dogs cresting the knoll we’d run down moments before. Shit. Their snarls were loud now, and I gave the final sprint everything I had.
The lights on our car flashed as we got near. The dogs were so close that I could almost feel their feet hitting the ground and their hot breath on the back of my neck.
“Doors open,” Enzo panted into his remote. The doors silently opened, and I aimed for the backseat. “Start car.” The fancy sports car fired up, and the engine was loud as it revved.
Bursting through the trees, I leaped for the back door and landed on the seat as Dario slammed the door shut. A dog rammed its head into the metal with a thud and a whimper. He jumped into the passenger seat while Enzo ran around and got inside just as three more dogs leaped at the glass. Their barks were loud, the large teeth biting at the window as their nails scraped down Enzo’s paint job.
“Oh, you fuckers, I just had it detailed,” he complained as he put the sports car into first and drove away from our hiding spot. The wheels squealed as he shifted quickly through the gears, pulling away from the dogs and the sound of bullets that missed the car. “I bet you’re fucking thankful now that I have automatic doors.”
I pulled myself upright, my chest heaving from the exertion of the run. “Yeah, I’ll concede that was pretty handy.” We’d all given him the gears about the car’s feature when he had it installed.
“Who gives a fuck about the car. What are we going to do now? We have to run for it. Do you get that? This is our home, and now we’re all dead men for a stupid egg,” Dario snarled, his bark far worse than the dogs that chased us.
“We’ll get something sorted out. I’m still the underboss of the Esposito family. My father will help me figure out how to spin this in our favor. You’ll see Dario. Stop worrying,” I said, gripping his shoulder. “We won’t have to leave.”
“And I think you’re delusional,” he said, glaring at me.
“No, I won’t do it. You have embarrassed me and this family for the last time,” my father, Don Mario Esposito, yelled. He pointed a finger at me, the one that held our family crest. “You will leave this house tonight. You are banned from these walls, your inheritance or claiming your name. You’re dead to me and no longer my son.”
“But Father….”
“No. I will not hear it. I do not care why you chose to steal a family heirloom from another Don, nor do I want to know how you managed to fuck it up if you say you had it so well planned. All I know is that my phone is ringing off the hook, and guess who is calling?” I shook my head. “Giovanni.” I swallowed hard as my father said the Don of Don’s was calling. He never reached out to my father personally.
“Shit.”
“Shit? That’s all you have to say?” My father marched behind his desk and slammed a crystal glass down before he filled it with a dark whiskey. He drank it down like it was water before pouring himself another.
“Father, I swear, I wasn’t trying to damage our family name. I was only trying to solidify our position and give us more of a voice at the table. I only wanted to make you proud of me.”
“What you wanted to do and what you have done are vastly different. You will leave here tonight. You are no longer an Esposito. I am ashamed of you, Angelo. This family will be lucky if we are not all found floating in the ocean by morning. Leave. Take whatever money you have and go, but you are not welcome here.”
“Father….” I started as his phone rang again, and he held it up to show Giovanni’s name.
As my father answered the phone, Dario grabbed my arm and pulled me from the room. What the hell just happened? I had a great plan that wouldn’t hurt anyone and would make my family proud. Instead, I no longer had a home.
Anger brewed in my stomach as my eyes met Dario’s. He was speaking, but I had no idea what he said.
“We need to leave. I secured us a jet out of Italy, and I’ve already packed your bag. Come on, we need to go before the men sent to collect us arrive.”
“How?”
“I had to use the leverage we have on Giovanni to make this happen, but we have our way out and we need go before the window closes,” Dario whispered.
“Are you coming with me?”
Dario glared at me as we marched down the hall. “Don’t ask me stupid questions. Of course I am. Your rank was never why I chose to be your friend or agreed to be your personal guard. Where you go, I go. Until I draw my last breath.”
Enzo waited in his car when we walked outside, and I stopped to turn and stare up at the mansion that had been my home for the last twenty-three years. I didn’t even know where to go from here. The shock of being banished was starting to lift, leaving me chilled to the bone. I’d ruined everything. My greed, my need to improve the family and the desire to win back the love of my life had spurred me into action, and now I’d been stripped of everything I held dear. I was going to be forced to leave behind the one person that had ever held my heart. Everything I’d fought for and done had been for naught. I could already see the looks on the other Don’s faces when they heard what I’d done, humiliation filling me.
“Come on, get in.” Dario pointed into the car, and I slid inside, trying to picture my life without this place or my family. I was no longer Angelo Esposito, underboss, and I had no idea who I was without the title. What had I done?
Chapter Two
JASMINE
FIFTEEN YEARS EARLIER
AGE 6
“Papa, do I have to go?” I sat in the large chair in my papa’s office and played with the hem of my dress.
“Mia Bambolina, why do you not want to go to school?” I lifted my shoulder in a shrug. “You like the other girls, yes? Gemma, Ada, Rosa? You talk about them all the time.”
“I do like them, Papa.”
“Is it the schoolwork? Is it too tough?” I shook my head. “Then what is it?” His voice was soft and kind. I’d never known my papa to be angry with me, and I didn’t want to make him angry now, but I didn’t want to go back to class and face Angelo, Dario, and the other mean boys. They put stickers on my back, stuffed old food in my desk, dumped drinks on my head, and stuck gum in my hair. They would always laugh, but I didn’t cry. Even when it took Mama hours to get the gum out, and she still had to cut a chunk of my hair off. I wore a headband so no one could see the mess and make fun of me.
