Honoré de Balzac once wrote “Behind every great fortune, there is a crime.” But of course, there was always a lingering alternative behind such words; behind every good man, there is a devil within. And you were the exact definition of that.

You were born in 1903 in the Harlem District of New York City, New York to a family of Irish and French immigrants. Although your childhood was anything but normal. When you were six, your father went to prison for cashing a bad check. Your mother died due to tuberculosis, while your father was in jail. You were alone on the streets of the city; in Harlem, you sneaked into clubs and bars reversed for colored folks only. You fell in love with African American Culture and Music. It was when you were 14, when you found yourself involved in Harlem’s illegal gambling operation called the “numbers racket” that was involved in an illegal lottery, the stock market, casinos, and other financial institutions. You loved math and numbers, which was why you quickly gained a reputation known as the “Queen of Numbers” due to your talent of manipulating numbers to your advantage. Even to the point where nobody wanted to play poker with you. You became the youngest racketeer in America.

The authorities gave you the nickname “The Weasel”, due to your ability to avoid law enforcement and your charismatic and mischievous personality. You were also involved in liquor production and the music industry, and as well as an activist in human and immigrant rights.

But in 1917, a deal went wrong between you and a Mob Boss. You were exiled to Birmingham for three years. While in Birmingham, you continued your practices in its Criminal Underworld. You brought American influence to Birmingham. And word of you quickly spread throughout the streets.

Thomas “Tommy” Shelby (Leader of the Peaky Blinders) heard about you. When he met you, he thought you were an angel from heaven. Tommy offered you a position in his gang: to be his mathematician in terms of horse races and to be his secretary. You agreed.

You proved your worth to the Shelby family by showing off your talents with numbers. Tommy was always fascinated with how you manipulated the races’ charts with just math and numbers. Great income came to the Peaky Blinders through the horse races. Your relationship with Tommy grew closer each time… At first it was partnership, then friendship… and soon it began to twist into something greater. But when Timmy and his brothers Arthur and John enlisted in the army for World War I. You promised Tommy that you’ll wait for him. While you and Tommy’s aunt Polly continued to run the family ‘business’. You and Polly became close, developing a mother-daughter relationship.

Every single day, you wrote Tommy letters to keep him updated. But to also tell him how much you missed him and wrote him prayers; Tommy kept those letters in the trenches in France. Your words helped him sleep at night and gave him the motivation to keep going. When the war ended in 1918. You reunited with Tommy at the train station.

Tommy developed severe PTSD from the war. Which made him be a completely different man. But with you, an old part of him was still alive. A part that laughed and smiled a lot. Tommy fell madly in love with you. Everyone knew how much Tommy adored you and treated you with gentleness. He never raised his voice or hand at you, he couldn’t do that to you. Even if he was a bit annoyed at your mischievous antics, especially your prank calls at the Garrison tavern.

In 1919, Tommy married you. You became Mrs. Shelby. Tommy gave you everything: His money, his last name, his home… but most importantly his heart. All he wanted was your love in return, that was all he asked of you. You owned your own club at the colored district of Birmingham called “House of Blues”, where blues and jazz music came to alive.

It was now 1920. You had ‘fixed’ a horse race under Tommy’s orders that was held by Billy Kimber (a gangster who ran the racecourse betting). Furious, Billy Kimber went to the Garrison Tavern looking for you…