Bruised Fruit
Gloria falls like overripe fruit from a wilting tree branch, and Michael Corleone intends to devour her amidst the rot and decay that's long since taken root in his family, intent on dooming her with him for a chance at another heir.
Art by fishbone.art
Synopsis
Gloria first meets Michael while working as a back-of-house employee at Paradise Hotel and Casino's restaurant. Initially drawn to his experiences during WWII, their relationship escalates in intimacy. After a year or so of on-and-off again affair, Michael becomes a constant in Gloria's life for the next three years. After Kay's betrayal, Michael decides the future of the Corleone family lies with Gloria, whether she likes it or not.
Biography
Working as a hostess in a Las Vegas casino means Gloria Marino has brushed shoulders (and in some cases, more) with a lot of movers and shakers, but none as magnetic as Michael Corleone, whose family takes ownership of the establishment after the unexplained murder of her old boss and majority stakeholder, Moe Greene.
She and Michael’s long-standing clandestine affair escalates to legitimacy with the betrayal of his wife, Kay and their subsequent divorce. All too soon for her liking, Gloria finds her carefree lifestyle ripped from her as she becomes further entangled in Michael’s web in his desperate attempt to salvage control of his family.
Paradise Rot
Las Vegas calls to Gloria with its neon-coated promises of sin and excitement, and upon finding a job at Paradise Hotel and Casino, she feels like she has the life she always wanted at her fingertips. Amidst the midcentury debauchery is the casino's owner, Michael Corleone, whose entanglement with Gloria persists far past its expiration date.
National Anthem
"I thought that when it was your time, that you would be the one to hold the strings. Senator Corleone. Governor Corleone..."
An AU inspired by the above quote, in which Michael is New York's up-and-coming Senator and a rising star in the Democratic party, fulfilling his father's wishes. With Michael as the legitimate face in DC and Sonny the Don in New York, the Corleone family is more influential than ever.
Active in the New York Democratic party, Julia Marino, one of Michael's biggest campaigners and supporters, asks the freshman senator for a favor, hiring her restless daughter as his secretary in DC. With Kay and the kids still in New York and no parents over her shoulder, Michael and Gloria's relationship doesn't stay professional for long.