《Married to the Mafia Boss》


 #1 Chapter 1

    Alessandro


    A picture of Romero and Helena Sorvino hung firmly on the wall above themissioner¡¯s head. It was one of only three pictures of him smiling. The tug on his lips was so damn obvious. It was always surprising to me how few people seemed to notice it.


    ¡°Mr. Klune,¡± I interrupted whatever he¡¯d been saying, nodding to the picture, ¡°what do you think of that picture?¡±


    Themissioner, Mr. Murray Klune, was not your typical fat fool who got drunk off power and embezzling taxes like many of the representatives in this city. He was intelligent, quick-witted, and sensible, but even he nced at the picture and didn¡¯t react in the most original of ways.


    He ogled my parents with an open mouth and then scoffed. ¡°I mean no offense, Mr. Sorvino, but that looks like a man that doesn¡¯t know how to smile.¡± He faced me again, adjusting his over-starched suit.


    My lips twitched. Unlike my father, I was very generous with my smiles. They made conversations much easier. ¡°It doesn¡¯t, does it?¡±


    The grand table stood between us, with a half-drunk bottle of brandy and two sses in the center.


    ¡°Not at all. His reputation does him no favors either. I¡¯d be surprised if there were even one photo of him smiling.¡± There must have been a joke somewhere there because Murray chuckled at it and reached for his ss. He was the only one with ice. ¡°Must have been hell growing up under somebody like that.¡±


    There were three pictures, in fact, and only one of them was a family photo.


    The one we¡¯d taken the week after my father had stepped down. The corners of his lips had twitched slightly just as the camera had gone off-that one sat over the dining room mantle.


    The third one was a picture from my parents¡¯ wedding. That was the only picture that clearly showed Romero Sorvino, and it sat in my mother¡¯s sitting room.


    And, it hadn¡¯t been hell growing up. Not at all.


    It had been much worse.


    ¡°You can¡¯t even imagine, Mr. Klune.¡± My smile didn¡¯t falter, and neither did my gaze. I let them burn into him, making him squirm in his seat and want to leave as quickly as possible.


    Murray cleared his throat. ¡°Yes¡­eh¡­well, I¡¯m sure I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    I liked smiles. Maybe it was because my father opposed them, but they were like my personal weapons. Like the ace card up my sleeve. A smile could charm, ease, and intimidate, sometimes all at once. It was one of the many tools I used when talking ¡°business¡± with associates.


    Like I was now.


    Dom had caused trouble again, taking what was supposed to have been simple intimidation and turning it into a homicidal spree. Now there was a crime scene with twenty dead men, killed in particrly brutal ways, and Dominic¡¯s name was sprawled across the scene. If our family name hadn¡¯t been sprawled beside his, that man would have been in prison ages ago-a gift from me so he could finally learn the consequences of the chaos he loved to inflict so much.


    ¡­or maybe not.


    In a business like ours, a man like Dom was essential. Frankie and I were calm and level-headed because that was how deals got made, but Dom was wild with an inherent bloodlust, like a wolf that was always starved. It was bnced in its own way.


    That was old news though. I¡¯d shut that particr chapterst week, but here we were again. Together in my office on the top floor of the NYC building, talking business.


    Somebody had tried to y a game right under my nose, and I was here to put things right.


    ¡°So, how is the investigation going?¡± I asked, putting the small talk aside and leaning more into my seat. ¡°I believe you were about to talk about some hup?¡± Murray was destabilized now. That was his third ss since I¡¯d asked him to look at the picture, and he still would not raise his eyes to meet mine.


    ¡°Ah, the Bologna case? No, there¡¯s no hup with that.¡± He was all too happy to get there. It meant he could leave quicker, which was what we all wanted. I had other business to attend to today. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not going too well. There aren¡¯t really any leads.¡±


    ¡°Oh? That doesn¡¯t sound good, but I¡¯m sure the police will deliver in the end. They usually do. However, that wasn¡¯t what I was talking about Mr. Klune. You must know about this issue with the bank and one of my properties. I was asking how that was going. The bank says there might be some legal issues with the police department, and since I had a friend there, I thought I might as well investigate it.¡±


    He was already shaking his head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing, believe me. It¡¯s all legal. A building sold without your permission and a breach of contract; you are properly within your rights. Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± I nced at my watch, the meeting had onlysted thirty minutes, but it felt like forever. ¡°So how much longer will this interferencest? Is the police department hoping it somehow bes a bigger case?¡±


    ¡°What? No, never¡­I-¡± He drank and cleared his throat. This was clearly a ploy for more money, Murray needed funding for his ambitions, and he¡¯d wanted to milk it out of me. To my face though, all that bravado had evaporated.


    ¡°You?¡±


    He opened his mouth and closed it. He was about to open it again when somebody knocked at the door. Frankie. He had a very distinct way of knocking.


    Dom never knocked, just kicked the door open as if it owed him something.


    ¡°Commissioner Klune,¡± Frankie greeted with a raised brow as he entered, heading straight to sit beside me and take my ss. ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d be done by now, Ales. You know themissioner is a very busy man.¡±


    I nodded slowly. ¡°True, we were just about rounding up actually. Apparently, the Bologna case isn¡¯t something to worry about.¡±


    Frankie looked up. ¡°Really, that¡¯s good to hear, Commissioner.¡±


    Murray swallowed and tried to smile. ¡°Yeah, uh, well, thank you, Mr. Francesco.¡± He gave a pathetic chuckle and licked his lips.


    He was sweating up a storm now despite the sting air conditioners.


    ¡°But¡± I added, interrupting Frankie again from filling the ss. ¡°I think our friend was about to point out an issue.¡±


    Frankie had cold eyes. A blueish grey color that could freeze you on the spot. He looked the most like our father, except he was taller and even less inclined to say too many words.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    Smiles were my weapons of choice. The silence was his.


    The color drained from Murray¡¯s face.


    One Sorvino was too much for anybody to handle. Two would have been overkill. Murray fished for the napkin in his suit pocket to wipe his forehead, licking his lips profusely. ¡°We-well, you see. It¡¯s not a big problem, really-¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Frankie¡¯s voice interrupting.


    I got things done easily and quickly, but with Frankie, it was even easier, quicker. Cleaner.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that the other party-¡±


    ¡°The other party?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, they have¡­uh, substantial ims that might inme the entire thing if-¡±


    Frankie reced the ss on the table gently, but the echo must have been the loudest thing I¡¯d heard since I entered the building that morning. ¡°Commissioner Klune, I know you are a very busy man. There must be a million other things you have to do today, aren¡¯t there?¡±


    Murray nodded, wiping his brows again, reaching for his ss with shaky hands before thinking better of it.


    I could smell the threating. Frankie had been short-tempered since Dom¡¯s outburst because otherwise, I was the one that doled out thinly veiled threats to keep things interesting.


    I raised a hand to interrupt him.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t any need Frankie. This business is already concluded, right, Mr. Klune?¡±


    I knew who the other party was. They¡¯d bought our property and overturned one of the primary ces we used tounder money. You would think they would have known better than to mess with us.


    That was another thing I would have to attend to.


    My smile was long gone. I¡¯d grown tired of the meeting.


    Murray didn¡¯t look like somebody that would agree, but he looked into my eyes for the first time in more than half an hour and nodded.


    Unlike Frankie, my eyes were expressive. I¡¯d hated them for that as a kid, before I¡¯d learned how to use them properly. But now I could, and along with my smiles, they were weapons I used very often to get my way.


    The most effective threats were not always the most brutal, sometimes they were the ones that reflected clearly in my eyes. Like the ones Murray must have found when he looked.


    My smile returned. Who didn¡¯t love it when business was concluded sessfully?


    ¡°Then have a lovely day, Commissioner,¡± I said. ¡°And be sure to give my regards to Christine and the girls.¡±

 #1 Chapter 2

    KatyaC0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    My blood was on fire.


    ¡°What?¡± I hissed into my phone, ¡°What did you just fucking say?¡±


    Danial Billow, the fool from the bank that had overseen the building I¡¯d just taken over, went quiet for a moment. ¡°It was authorized from above, Miss Petrenko. There was nothing we could do.¡±


    I choked a chuckle. ¡°How about giving me my fucking money ba-¡± The deadline was like a p. I started at the screen for several seconds, just trying to understand.


    The deal I¡¯d sealed just days ago had reversed. Even though I had done everything ording to n, it had been done so clean, that it was never supposed to turn on us.


    I¡¯d taken over a Sorvino building. Everything was done. Concluded. Finished.


    And now this.


    My breathing hitched. Everything was too hot, and I saw red everywhere. The fire in my veins made me scream and throw my phone with all my strength, so it went smack on the wall all the way across the room, shattering on impact.


    They had something to do with this, no doubt.


    I¡¯d boasted about how I could do this to my father. He¡¯d given me the money. He¡¯d given me the order. He¡¯d also thrown me a quizzical look that said perfectly that he didn¡¯t believe me. But I¡¯d held his eye, those cold orbs, and I¡¯d said that I could and would.


    I¡¯d given him my word, and now I was left with nothing.


    Not even the fucking money he¡¯d given me to seal the deal!


    I wanted to punch something. No, that was an understatement. I didn¡¯t just want to punch something. I wanted to scream and beat someone bloody.


    Gritting my teeth so hard they could have cracked just to stop myself from aiming my fist at the wall was all I could do. I¡¯d only end up with broken fingers, and nothing would have changed.


    At times like this, Paulina was the go-to. Maybe it was because we¡¯d been friends since high school, but she understood me the most. When things like these happened, and I wanted to see everybody go up in mes, she usually knew exactly what I needed.


    Tonight, it was the most exclusive lounge in New York.


    Samantha drove my hummer, and we all strutted out in our glimmering dresses. Short, tight, ck, with heels that could kill a man. My straight blonde hair flowed around me as I led the girls in.


    ¡°Miss Petrenko.¡± The bouncer gave a firm nod as we walked up the steps. There was a long line of people dressed to the teeth, most of them with more than a grand in their pockets to bribe their way to the floor we were heading for.


    The bouncer looked away and raised the velvet before his eyes could proceed to roam down my frame. The effort was admirable, he wouldn¡¯t have lived to the end of the week if he¡¯d dared, so I smirked and gave his arm a little caress as I passed.


    ¡°Spasibo, moi drug.¡±


    The lowest floor of the building was a club. High-ceilinged, dark, and somehow ssy. The Red ce somehow managed to maintain its ss despite its clientele.


    ¡°Sometimes I think you¡¯re the devil,¡± Sam confessed as we made our way to the elevator.


    We were walking into the foyer, but the thumping of the club¡¯s speakers vibrated everything. I could feel it rattle my ribs. It was down the other way, at the end of a long corridor lined with people flirting, kissing, dry humping.


    We were going to the lounge on the top floor, the ssiest ce to have dinner.


    Paulina scoffed. ¡°I heard that one ages ago,¡± she said, looping her arm with mine. ¡°The devil wearing¡­what,¡± she nced down, ¡°¡­Versace.¡±


    Iughed.


    ¡°No, really, you¡¯d have socked that guy just now if he had looked at you a second longer.¡±


    I¡¯d have done more than that, and if I didn¡¯t go all the way, my father would the moment he caught wind of it.


    ¡°You worry too much Samantha,¡± I said and hit the top floor button. Paulina was staring at her reflection, primping up. Sam noticed her reflection and turned this way and that to check up. I shed my reflection a smile.


    I was the princess of the Petrenko family, and the world was my yground. Throughout the rest of the night, I wouldn¡¯t think about the problem with the bank, but I¡¯d get back to it soon.


    Loses weren¡¯t for me to take, not sitting down.


    The elevator dinged at the top floor. ¡°Let¡¯s have fun, girls,¡± I said as we walked into the lounge foyer, ¡°It¡¯s all on me.¡±


    The lounge wasn¡¯t thumping with bass music like it¡¯d been downstairs. On the stage below were a pianist and a blues singer, both creating the perfect background music for the chatters, clinking sses, and popping champagne bottles. A blue crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling, and the giant paned windows let in the brilliant night view of the city and the sky.


    The best table was tucked at a dim corner of the VIP section, between two giant windows, so it could feel like you were floating when you sat there.


    The lounge was exquisite. The windows were open in a thin slit in the middle so the breeze and some of the sounds of the city could get in. Paulina, Sam, and I sat there for dinner,ughing and catching up with news of their lives.


    Mattis nch was the manager of The Red ce. He was the guy that knew everyone around town, the charismatic guy that had enough guts to hold a stare. If anybody were going to interrupt the table of a VIP client, it¡¯d be him.


    Himing with bad news.


    ¡°What?¡± Paulina elbowed me. The frown on my face was piercing as I watched the smiling brown-haired man approach my table.


    He used that cheap smile to sweep around the table, holding everybody¡¯s eyes for a second before settling on me. ¡°Good ev-¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± My voice was sharp. Mattis was handsome, but he wasn¡¯t the fine bottle of wine I¡¯d ordered for my table. The waiter bringing the wine wasing up right behind him.


    The apologetic look came first, before the piercing, embarrassing words.


    ¡°I sincerely apologize, Katya, but this table was reserved, and the person that reserved it is here.¡±


    The silence in my ears was instant. Paulina and Sam exchanged looks, then looked at me wearily.


    I almost burst outughing. This had to be some kind of joke.


    The waiter arrived with the wine and was about to open it to fill our sses; it was an old bottle of Catn white wine. Mattis stopped him with a hand and took the bottle.


    ¡°Truly, I am sorry for this mix-up. I know it can¡¯t make up for it, but please ept this bottle of wine as a gift and the dinner as well.¡±


    The waiter got the tip and expertly tucked the bill away.


    I wasn¡¯t going to make a scene. I wasn¡¯t some cheap girl from Manhattan riding off her father¡¯s back. I was Katya Petrenko, the heir of the Petrenko family.


    Still, my smile was stiff. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± Sam said hesitantly, locking eyes with Paulina. They were talking without speaking, and I could understand everything.


    There really was no need to be worried. There was a difference between being dangerous and being unhinged. One did not equal the other.


    ¡°Hand the wine back to the waiter. I don¡¯t need you to follow me.¡±


    The instant relief on Mattis¡¯ face was not mistakable. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°But who is it?¡± Paulina asked Mattis as we headed back for the elevator. I didn¡¯t ask. A part of me felt like it already knew, but that was only a hunch, and I¡¯d give plenty of things for it not to be right.


    That cheap smile stood by the elevator as we got in.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Fritz, but I don¡¯t give out customer information.¡±


    Despite myself, I said aloud, ¡°I don¡¯t care. It¡¯s fine so long as it¡¯s not Alessandro Sorvino.¡±


    As the elevator doors closed, I didn¡¯t miss Mattis¡¯s widened smile.

 #1 Chapter 3

    Alessandro


    There weren¡¯t a lot of ces in this city that were worth anything. Most of them were overpriced dumps that people made too much noise about.


    The Red ce was not one of them.


    I loved the lounge on the top floor almost as much as I loved my brothers. The food was immacte, the atmosphere was exquisite, the music, the lighting. I loved that there was a crazy, loud club on the ground floor, I loved that from the lounge you could look across the city, and even more, I loved that I could have Katya Petrenko and her posse shuffled out like children.


    ¡°I swear, one day you¡¯ll have me killed,¡± Jaricho echoed in my ear over the phone. ¡°Mattis has alreadyined. He¡¯ll quit if I pull shit like that again.¡±


    I chuckle. ¡°You¡¯ll live.¡±


    ¡°I really won¡¯t. Didn¡¯t you hear anything I just said?!¡± Iughed and ended the call.


    Jaricho wasn¡¯t very active in running the ce, so too many people assumed Mattis was in charge, but Jaricho was my friend and the owner of The Red ce. Sometimes, I liked to think he had me in mind when nning the damned thing.


    There was no other eptable exnation.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    The Petrenko car sped away, and I winked it a good night. It was hard to say why it felt so damn good to have them kicked out. I¡¯d gone up to have a drink alone. Sometimes, being with my thoughts was what I needed; if not, getting somebody to keep mepany wouldn¡¯t be too hard. I already wasn¡¯t going to tolerate anybody at the table I liked, but there¡¯d been other great tables unupied.


    It hadn¡¯t taken too long for those tables to go, though. This was The Red ce, after all. Then I¡¯d decided to ruffle her a bit, just a bit, because she¡¯d tried to y with a tiger¡¯s tail.


    Any kitty that did that deserved to be ruffled a bit.


    The line into the building was as long as ever, and I walked past all of them without a second nce. Coming downstairs had been to make a particrly mean call and watch the embarrassed kitty drive home.


    I already knew her looks were something to write home about but watching her across the lounge had done something to me¡­I would needpany after all.


    Extraordinarily straight blonde hair and firm, long legs, she wasn¡¯t shy to show off in that little ck dress. And there was that severe gaze. Those icy blue eyes nevernded on me, but I wish they had, just to see what I might have done.


    I pressed for the elevator and waited, tapping my feet to the pounding bass from the club. There was that weing vibe. Not exactly noisy. There wasn¡¯t a constant booming, just the vibration. Jaricho had made it all possible. I¡¯d told him many times about how impressive it was.


    The elevator dinged open, and¡­


    I smiled, I couldn¡¯t help it and got in.


    The doors closed, and we were thrust into perfect silence, no thumpinging off the walls to affect your body.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going up? The top floor, I believe.¡±


    I bit my lower lip, but the chuckle still came out. ¡°How cute¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Katya Petrenko drawled, ¡°very adorable.¡±


    I didn¡¯t move. Both my hands were shoved in my pockets. ¡°Is this what you do in the Petrenko family, y cheap tricks on your enemies.¡±


    Her reflection in the elevator was perfect. Her curves were evident in her body-tight dress, her legs crossed by the ankle and her head thrown back against the elevator wall. Not the most ttering pose on anybody else, but God, she was working it.


    Sheughed-a short, brief bark. One hand came up as if she was a delicate woman to cover her mouth as sheughed. ¡°Please. I have better things to do than to take someone worthless like you for an enemy.¡±


    I turned my head slightly to look at her. Mistake. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Cheap moves like a 20th-century gangster, pranks like a high school child, and goodness, who advised you to wear that rubbish?¡±


    Now, I turned to her fully. I couldn¡¯t help it. Something about her kept calling out to me, and I wasn¡¯t the kind of man that resisted temptation.


    I indulged in it.


    ¡°A 20th-century gangster? Do you mean my irresistibly convincing and charismatic nature?¡±


    Sheughed again and pushed herself off the wall. ¡°No, I mean the single-dor tricks you learned from your grandfather. Disappointing really, with all the noise about the Sorvino don, I had expected something¡­¡± she gave me a slow look over, walking around me as if I were a piece of meat. ¡°¡­I¡¯d expected somebody with at least a better sense of style.¡±


    ¡°Liar,¡± I teased with a smirk and took a step towards her. ¡°This piece fits me to the T. It was custom-made.¡±


    Those icy cold eyes rested on mine. A pale blue that put my own to shame. They were maic, and I stumbled forward again one step. Her lips twitched. ¡°A tasteless suit for a tasteless man. Do you have your tailor¡¯s number? I¡¯d like to award them.¡±


    I shed her a smile. Somehow, by some magic, the grand elevator had shrunk and heated up because we were so close. So close I could have stuck my tongue out and licked her pert little nose. ¡°I think,¡± I said slowly, ¡°that you¡¯ll find I¡¯m very tasty. A mouthful, I¡¯ve been told.¡±


    She leaned in. there was no space between us, but this woman leaned in, and I thought I¡¯d have her against the wall in a blink. But I didn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t exin how I could be having so much fun, be so damned aroused, and somehow still be so sensible.


    It felt like if I moved wrong, it¡¯d be the end.


    In the elevator wasn¡¯t a kitty and a tiger. It was a tiger and a tigress.


    ¡°You should go up, Mr. Sorvino, and get some ss.¡± She leaned back before the fog around me could clear up enough. If she¡¯d waited for even a second longer, I would have tossed everything to the wind.


    She pressed for the elevator doors to open. ¡°Whatever you have tonight will be on me. A treat from the Petrenko family.¡± She pressed for the top floor and eased out, leaving me.


    The elevator closed and started up, and all I could do was smile uncontrobly at my reflection and wallow in the scent of her perfume.


    So, that was Katya Petrenko. No wonder it¡¯d been hard for the bank to reverse the ownership of the building. When the elevator reached the top floor, I didn¡¯t step out.


    All I wanted was to drag that woman back in so we could continue our conversation right where we stopped.


    ¡°Mr. Sorvino,¡± Mattis called just as I pressed the button to go back down.


    ¡°Another day, Mattis. Keep my table.¡±


    I saw him mouth a frustrated, ¡°you¡¯ve got to be shitting me!¡± before the doors closed again.


    Everything was the same, the thumping walls, the noisy crowd outside, but my car wasn¡¯t there.


    I pulled out my phone to call David, my driver. Maybe he went to grab something to eat somewhere.


    ¡°David,¡± I said the moment he picked the call, ¡°where are you?¡±


    ¡°Taking me home.¡±


    That was Katya¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Walk. I heard exercise was good for the body.¡±

 #1 Chapter 4

    KatyaC0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    There was a stupid saying about sess and how addictive it was. I couldn¡¯t remember the whole thing as I found my way back home, straight into my room.


    Dad was out working as usual, and since it was past ten, all the live-in employees were fast asleep in their rooms. I practically skipped to my room.


    Not literally, but there was an extra bounce to my step, and I felt the adrenaline in my blood. Maybe this was why Alessandro had been so annoying. First, taking my building and then getting me kicked out of my favorite restaurant.


    Maybe now he understood very well that I could keep up with him and his cheap tactics.


    First, I took a long, honeyed soak to wash all the grime that dealing with that man had umted on me.


    Only to myself, I admitted that calling his suit tasteless had been a bold move on my part. An inch taller than me, Alessandro was a six-foot-tall devil with raven ck hair and blue eyes like a harpoon swimming through the sea. That pale brown suit had fitted his build so perfectly. My knees weakened when that elevator door slid open. Leaning against the wall had been me trying to save face so he wouldn¡¯t know what the sight of him was doing to me.


    And his scent.


    That smile that he kept trying to use to smother me.


    A very dangerous man indeed, the cool air around him was evident enough. I could be very threatening. Too many times, in fact, I have. Yet that man had chuckled like I was a schoolgirl trying to sell him candy.


    Clearly, he was used to danger.


    Getting ready for bed when it wasn¡¯t even past midnight was not an everyday thing for me, but since my evening ns had been ruined, I idled away, plotting.


    I would have to face this shoring head-on when I met my father. I could already see him giving me that look, that one that was a mixture of worry and resignation.


    My hair was damp from the bath, and I brushed it with my mind away, sitting at the vanity my mother owned when she¡¯d been alive.


    The window was open behind me, and the frilly curtain was dancing in the cool breeze. My room wasn¡¯t well lit. I didn¡¯t like too much light at night. There was just the standingmp closer to the bathroom door, the single dim light by my bed, and the wall light hanging on the wall beside the vanity.


    The shadows weren¡¯t heavy, but they might as well have been because Alessandro Sorvino stepped out of them like he was a magician.


    I gasped at the reflection in the mirror, taken by surprise only for a moment before I regained myself.


    I never put my cards on the table.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how to use a door?¡± I asked through the mirror.


    He wasn¡¯t wearing that damned dazzling smile, but the amusement on his face was evident as he marched towards me, hands sped behind him. I was not a small woman, and my room wasn¡¯t child¡¯s y either. I liked the high walls and plenty of space, yet Alessandro managed to seem imposing even with the suit jacket missing, and two buttons were undone from his dress shirt.


    ¡°I thought I should pay a visit, seeing as I was already walking this way to meet my driver. Have I thanked you for that?¡±


    He stopped at the foot of my bed and patted the duvet.


    ¡°Not yet, but I think you were just about to.¡±


    He breathed out. Maybe he smiled, not enough lights were on, and I didn¡¯t intend to have him out of my sight even for a second.


    ¡°As thanks for that¡­wonderful attempt, I came here to let you off with a warning.¡±


    One of my brows raised, and I crossed my arms, watching him through the mirror like a hawk. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    He walked around, and my heart skipped a beat-because, for a split second, I thought he wasing to me. Instead, Alex perched at the edge of my bed, and met my eyes through the mirror.


    ¡°I am not the kind of man you y games with, you know.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no? I thought clowns were for ying with.¡±


    ¡°I know all about the Petrenkos, your father is really admirable, but this world of ours isn¡¯t for girls ying house and dress up.¡±


    My head snapped around in a blink. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Death was in my eyes.


    ¡°You should stay where you are with your friends-clubbing on Fridays, dating boys, spending daddy¡¯s money. You shouldn¡¯t get mixed up in this, Katya. With me.¡±


    In middle school, I elbowed a boy in the face. Broke his nose and didn¡¯t even get suspended. He¡¯d told me girls should just stick to ying with dolls.


    Maybe he¡¯d seen it from how my muscles tensed under my sheer night dress, but Alex dodged the brush when I threw it.


    Not fast enough, though, not for me. He hissed because it might have scraped his cheek, but then, I had been aiming right for that devilishly handsome face.


    He caught both my wrists, and when my knee jerked, he stepped around the strike and swept me clean off my expensive carpet.


    My back hit the bed, and Alex was on top of me, both hands holding my wrists above my head. He still had a foot on the ground, even though he was right between my legs.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t start things you can¡¯t finish. If we kill ourselves, it will start a war.¡±


    I didn¡¯t care that my nightgown had ridden up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not trying to kill you.¡±


    In a blink, I threw my legs up to wrap him around the hips and flipped.


    The punchnded squarely beside his head because he¡¯d dodged it, and before I could aim again, the room flipped, and my cheek was being pressed to the duvet. One arm above my head, held firmer than before, the other twisted behind my back.


    ¡°Basta!¡± he swore in my ear, hot breath flushing my face. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    I kicked to flip us again, and we fumbled on the bed. For all hisrgeness, Alex was thoroughly swift, dodging or catching everything I threw at him.


    ¡°Stop it!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    We ended up on our feet, standing a bit apart from each other, our clothes and hair messed up. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. We were both breathing hard.


    ¡°Stop dodging and fight.¡± It was a challenge. ¡°If youe into my house to insult me, you should be ready to fight me as well.¡±


    Alex closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. ¡°I did note here to fight, I don¡¯t need to start something with the Petrenkos, my family has enough on its te already.¡±


    I took steps towards him so that I could sneer in his face. ¡°Then what did youe for? Huh?¡± In our tumbling, there¡¯d been no weapon on him-no gun or knife.


    Officially, my family and his weren¡¯t enemies, but we also weren¡¯t allies. Usually, we just ignored each other as best we could.


    Still, there was no proof that I wouldn¡¯t kill him. It was foolishness to havee without a weapon.


    But a part of me trusted him slightly because of it. The same part of me that was still hot with the feeling of his hands on me¡­that firm grip.


    He stared down at me. Eyes hot like liquid fire.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a good man,¡± he said, taking a step to get closer to me. ¡°I am the most dangerous person in this damned city. My attention is not a good thing for anyone.¡±


    And? Whatever he wanted to say, he needed to say it fast enough because something I didn¡¯t appreciate was happening to my body and mind.


    He stared at me and drew me into the deep blue sea of his eyes. I couldn¡¯t register much other than the heat that radiated off him, seeping into my skin through my sheer dress. Like a moth drawn to a me, I mindlessly pressed in, savoring the sound he made when my breasts pressed against his chest.


    Then he put his hands on my arms, his mouth only a breath from mine, and stepped aside, stealing away the heat I had been getting used to. Without another word, he walked toward my door, cast me back a look, and left.


    My mind was in a puddle.


    A very dangerous man, indeed.

 #1 Chapter 5

    Alessandro


    It was hard not to bang my head on my desk, very hard.


    Who cockblocks themselves?


    The feeling of her breathing against my chest, her full tits pressed into me soft as a feather pillow, was still strong. If I closed my eyes, I could see the heat in those icy eyes, the lust. I could see the challenge, do it.


    I groaned to myself and threw the thoughts out. Leaving wasn¡¯t wrong. It had been the right thing to do. She might be from a brutal family, the Petrenkos didn¡¯t get so high up by being fucking peace-loving angels, but it didn¡¯t mean she deserved to be dragged into the dangerous mess that was my family.


    I knew everything about everybody worth knowing in this city, and how the Petrenkos preferred to conduct their business was child¡¯s y to how we did it. They preferred persuasion, but the Sorvinos were more into coercion.


    We got things done faster and more efficiently, in my opinion.


    The only downside was the danger, and even though I¡¯d never bothered curbing my desires, never resisted any tempting offer, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to throw Katya into this mess.


    I just couldn¡¯t, and the reason for it wasn¡¯t worth my time. I didn¡¯t need to know why.


    I settled into my office, reminding myself to regain my fucking senses back, when my door was kicked open.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    ¡°One day, that door will be locked, and your fucking toes will break,¡± I said without bothering to look up, sifting through the reports on my desk.


    ¡°I¡¯ve broken my toes before, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ve got something worse for you.¡± He threw a file on my desk and headed straight for the minifridge in the corner. It always had beer, even though I wasn¡¯t a fan.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I asked, reaching for it. The bad news just kept oning.


    He mmed the fridge and opened the can. ¡°Just read it, you¡¯ll see.¡± Nobody in the family knew when he had the time or sense to form the habit, but Dom never drank from a can. For all his crudeness, he was particr about drinking from a cup.


    Even as kids, I¡¯d never seen him drink milk from the carton.


    ¡°ADA?¡± The first document in the file was headed by the name of the cargo ship that would be arriving by eight this evening. Would have been.


    Surveince pictures, and written testimonials of dock workers. We had lost the ship.


    Flipping through, the frown on my face deepened. It was a shit show, and not even a funny one.


    Anybody that was climbing up the ranks in New York gradually became aware of a set of unspoken rules. They never needed to be said, but everybody gradually became aware of it.


    No matter how little it was, nothing given to you was free. Sooner orter, you¡¯d have to do something to earn it. Every gift was a debt. That was a very important rule, but not the first.


    Especially not in this part of the city, the dark side that only thrived when it was night.


    There were plenty of rules on the dark side, but the number one rule was never to bite off more than you could chew.


    Never start something you won¡¯t be able to finish.


    The. First. Fucking. Rule.


    Calmly, I closed the file, I¡¯d seen everything I needed to know. I¡¯d just lost millions of dors worth of goods, and the reason for that had been highlighted in red.


    Maxim Triev. A new fish looking to y in the ocean.


    I was going to drown him.


    Standing up, I adjusted my suit, picked up the file and started out. Dom followed me with a can of beer in one hand and an almost empty ss in the other.


    ¡°Are we going to Central?¡± Central was Triev territory, at least a very small part of it.


    ¡°Blue Range.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t going there yet. I needed to understand why that bastard would attack my ship. There had to be more of this, and I wanted to know it all before I sunk five bullets in Triev¡¯s head.


    Crucially, I needed to know if there was a way to get my money back.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Dom poured the beer into the ss as he stepped into the elevator. ¡°Petrenko territory.¡±


    He probably didn¡¯t understand why I was going there. Dom didn¡¯t like to mix withplex things, unless it was absolutely necessary, but he didn¡¯t ask. Maybe it was something to do with us being brothers, but I enjoyed it, the absolute confidence in my decisions.


    Blue Range was a securitypany, a front of course for Yuri Petrenko and his dealings. It was littered with brash-looking men who knew better than to stand in the way when two of the three Sorvino brothers were walking by.


    Especially when I was pissed as hell.


    ¡°Alessandro Sorvino,¡± Yuri said, weing us from behind hisrge desk as we entered his office. ¡°And you too, Dom Sorvino, wee.¡±


    Yuri was prepared for us even though he must have received the call from my assistant less than an hour ago. Five cans of Dom¡¯s beer were on the coffee table, a bottle of brandy, two sses, and a small bucket of ice.


    Dom didn¡¯t even hesitate to sit and enjoy the beer.


    I went straight for Yuri and tossed the file on his desk before sitting on one of the chairs right by the desk. I leaned back, crossed my legs, and gritted my teeth, waiting for him to read through the file.


    A corner of his mouth twitched into a half smile, and he shut the file and pushed it. Dom opened another can of beer.


    ¡°Was there a joke in the file?¡± I asked, tilting my head to the side a bit.


    Yuri shook his head. It didn¡¯t help that I could see a lot of Katya in him. The eyes, although hers were a much lighter shade of blue, the shape of their jaws, their noses.


    Did they both get hard-ons trying to step on my toes.


    ¡°Of course there was, isn¡¯t Triev a rich joke.¡± He leaned back in his chair, wearing an amused look.


    ¡°Does anything on my face suggest that?¡±


    Yuri regarded me coolly, and he took off that infuriating smile. ¡°Triev has been a thorn in my side for a year now. They¡¯re new to the city, trying to break ground andy foundations. It was only a matter of time before they became your problem too.¡±


    ¡°Forty million,¡± I said, sping my hands in front of me, ¡°I just lost forty million because of a fucking building project.¡±


    And that was not counting the connections I would have made with some of the more¡­discreet things on that ship.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make me happy to tell you that you¡¯ll lose more. The first bite is always the smallest one. He¡¯s tasted and when hees back, it¡¯s to take a much bigger bite. Take it from me.¡±


    I regarded him. The aged lines of his face. The crisp blonde hair.


    That I hadn¡¯t noticed the Petrenkos were having trouble with the Trievs as well was almost like a testament to how well Yuri must have handled it.


    Persuasion must be doing him much good indeed, but I was a Sorvino. We preferred coercion. I leaned forward and ced my sped hands on Yuri¡¯s desk.


    ¡°I intend to get my money back.¡±


    Yuri cracked another half-smile. ¡°Naturally.¡±


    ¡°Plus, damages,¡± Dom added, opening yet another can of beer.

 #1 Chapter 6

    Katya


    My head was high in the elevator as I headed to my father¡¯s office. I¡¯d already told him about the n falling apart, and he hadn¡¯t said much.


    He¡¯d just fixed a meeting with me for three.


    My hair was in a severe bun piled on top of my head while I was in a ssic id suit. I wish I¡¯d seeded. I¡¯d havee with my biggest smile because it would have been hardcore evidence that I was made to take over after him. That I could be that stone-cold leader, taking the family higher and keeping it from the vultures.


    Deep breaths. Nothing in the world terrified me. Not heights, not guns, not fucking knives. Never in my life had I admitted it out loud, but my single fear was my father. He was strong, powerful, and loving. He¡¯d freaking pampered me as a kid.


    He was the best father in the world, and I was afraid that I couldn¡¯t measure up as his only child.


    I was the only one my mother had managed to give birth to before she passed. I was all he had for a sessor, and I never wanted to hear it from him, to even see the flicker of that look pass by his face. The look that said I wasn¡¯t fit to take the business on after him.


    Both my hands gripped the handle of the basket I was carrying tighter. It was after lunch, and I was sure he hadn¡¯t eaten.


    Even though I behaved as if we lived together, my father didn¡¯t live too far from Blue Range. He had a room in our house, but since I¡¯d been old enough to legally live on my own, he¡¯d spent what little free time he had in that apartment.


    Our house was now just a ce he visited and asionally spent the night.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    I understood.


    There were too many reminders of my mother, and I knew how much he¡¯d loved her.


    Besides, I was not the type to keep a roommate for long. In college, I only had a roommate for the first week of the first semester of my freshman year.


    I started for my father¡¯s office, nodding to Sasha, the secretary. The door opened, and I stopped in my tracks, narrowing my eyes out of instinct.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I sounded slightly breathless and narrowed my eyes further. Something always happened to me when this man was close by.


    Alessandro Sorvino gave me a stern look that made a shiver run down my spine. From head to toe, very slowly, taking in the basket in my hands. ¡°I came on business.¡±


    There was somebody with him, the half sane brother, Dom, drinking from a ss. He winked at me.


    I nced between the both of them as they walked past the men, heading for the elevator.


    ¡°What business would you have with my father?¡± I put the basket on Sasha¡¯s desk, turned around, and followed them.


    Alessandro kept walking, not once looking at me.


    ¡°What did you talk about?¡±


    Nothing.


    I stamped around them and stood in front of the elevator, blocking them off.


    ¡°Well,¡± Dom sped a hand on Alessandro¡¯s back. ¡°I¡¯ll go try with that lovely secretary. Take your time.¡±


    He left, and I crossed my arms and raised a brow.


    ¡°You will look at me and fucking answer, or you¡¯ll use the stairs.¡±


    His eyes came down then. Eyes so hot my breath caught in my throat. There was barely any time to think before he rushed me, hands against the elevator on either side of my head, my back pressed against the ice coolness of the iron doors.


    ¡°I came to confirm that there was a man I needed to kill, Katya. Slowly and terribly.¡±


    I raised a brow, my throat was trying to work itself, but I was resisting so hard. I wouldn¡¯t swallow when he was this close, when he could see and hear it.


    But the flesh is weak. I think a reverend had said that once, because I swallowed, and his eyes locked on my throat.


    I licked my lips. Every thought that ran through his mind was leaking into me.


    But he didn¡¯t crack that devilish smile. He stared at my throat for a minute with a perfectly serious face. Then, he stepped back and pressed the elevator button.


    I stood up straight just as the doors started to open. Alessandro stepped around me, my eyes trailing him.


    ¡°Is this the famous anger of the Sorvino don?¡± I asked, halting him before he could press the button. ¡°I¡¯d heard so much about it, but it¡¯s a bit disappointing.¡±


    He regarded me for a while before talking.


    ¡°If you want to test me, P, you¡¯ll have to try on another day. If I get too close to you, I¡¯ll touch you without a care for where we are, and if I do, I guarantee you won¡¯t be able to get up.¡± He thought about thatst part. ¡°Very much like the man on my mind¡­except for apletely different reason.¡±


    I looked at Alex for a minute. Something stirred inside me. More than one thing, actually.


    Today, I knew that one of them was desire.


    I smiled at him. ¡°I think I like seeing you like this. Furious. Out of your mind.¡±


    Alessandro pressed the button, and the doors started to close.


    ¡°I think it runs in your family.¡±


    ***


    I had Martha¡¯s delectable borsht in the basket, a small loaf of rye bread, and a bottle of brandy.


    Anything more, and I¡¯d have been pushing it.


    The mouth-water scent of Martha¡¯s borsht filled my father¡¯s office as he ate what I¡¯did down for him.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked because I couldn¡¯t possibly have heard right.


    My dad chewed, nodding his head probably to the taste. I had a live-in maid, cook, and gardener that came three days a week, and then, there was Martha, who¡¯d been with me since I was a child.


    Her cooking was the only way I had been able to force vegetables down my throat.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what he thought of our family, but he came here a few weeks ago to form an alliance.¡±


    I snorted and crossed my arms where I was seated on the couch. ¡°He must have been joking.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, even if he had been joking, I still turned him down. The Petrenkos will never sully themselves with human trafficking. Some bridges aren¡¯t even worth crossing.¡±


    I nodded, thinking back. ¡°He¡¯s the reason Alessandro left here seeing red.¡±


    My father paused to look at me, his beautiful eyes sparkling. ¡°Triev caused him lose forty million dors today after one of his cargo ships was sunk.¡±


    ¡°Do you think Maxim will try to make an alliance with the Sorvinos?¡±


    He helped himself to more soup and bread, chewing for a short while. ¡°They will, it¡¯s new territory. They might be rabid and disloyal, but they won¡¯t run around like mad dogs unless they¡¯ve been turned down by everybody worth anything. Making new ground is always the most dangerous time for any mafia family, they know they are surrounded, and they fight brutally. The stake is high for them, and they be very desperate. You know what they say about a desperate man.¡±


    ¡°He will eat his own legs for food,¡± I said even though it hadn¡¯t been a question.


    ¡°Yes, but only after he has eaten the legs of everything around him. Turning him down means he won¡¯t consider us allies again. There won¡¯t be any need for him to go easy. If everything until now has been child¡¯s y, it will get a whole lot worse.¡±


    ¡°They wille for us.¡± Brutally and with the intent to kill.


    My father nodded, finishing up the simple lunch I¡¯d packed. A perfect choice on my part. He¡¯d practically wolfed it down. You¡¯d have thought a rich man like him would know to eat more.


    ¡°If you keep skipping meals, you¡¯ll lose weight,¡± I warned with a keen eye as he opened the brandy. Half a ss of water to put down the whole meal, but I knew that he would drink that brandy until it was empty.


    ¡°Or I¡¯ll get fat like a baby because you keep bringing me food.¡±


    I didn¡¯t like the lines on his face, the ring reminder that he was aging. Even more, I didn¡¯t like that he was skipping meals more frequently. He¡¯d barely resisted it when I¡¯d plopped my basket on his desk.


    Usually, he argued like they were medicine.


    That I was only just learning of Maxim Triev bothered me the most. My father must have been busy handling all the troubles, which concerned me.


    ¡°He won¡¯t be getting his hands on anything of ours,¡± I said aloud, a reassurance to us both.


    My father started to shake his head and tut at me. ¡°There you go again, talking like that. I am still the head of this family, Katya, I am the one who is responsible for everything, you should not worry yourself with it.¡±


    ¡°I am the only heir you have, papachka. What use would I have if I could not keep the business from falling into the hands of a mad man?¡±


    My father looked at me for a while. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to remain rational if things went sideways with you involved.¡±


    I stood and went around the desk to pack the dishes back into the basket.


    ¡°That works out well then,¡± I said, ¡°I don¡¯t n on having things go sideways.¡±


    My father gave a small, amused smile. ¡°Of course not, my little baby.¡±

 #1 Chapter 7

    Alessandro


    By the following day, I was resigned. My ship was truly gone now, but my temper had lessened and calmed enough, so I didn¡¯t want to shoot everybody.


    That didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t still going to y that fucker when I caught him. It just meant that everybody else could breathe easier now.


    The phone on my desk rang just as Frankie¡¯s signature firm knocks thudded against my door. It must have been my secretary, because Frankie had the power to be a ghost even though he was the biggest of us all. It was talent, something I sometimes envied.


    Dom came five minutes after, rubbing at a lipstick stain on the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Are we going to do something about Triev?¡± he asked, going straight for the fridge.


    ¡°Triev?¡± Frankie looked at me. ¡°Get me a can too, Dom. What is this about the Triev?¡±


    ¡°Our darling Maxim sunk ADA,¡± I answered and stood up from behind my desk to sit with them on one of the couches.


    Frankie watched me like I was joking until I settled on the velvet couch opposite him.


    ¡°Are you joking?¡±


    Dom came, cradling three cans of beer in one arm and three sses in the other arm. ¡°Yeah, Frankie, because Alex knows how to tell a good joke.¡± He set down the cans and sses and plopped beside me, putting his feet on the coffee table. ¡°Everybody knows I¡¯m the funny one in the family.¡±


    Frankie swept Dom¡¯s leg off the table with a hand and red at him. ¡°That¡¯s over thirty million dors of our assets.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Forty million, to be exact.¡±


    ¡°Lost because of what? Retaliation?¡± He gave Dom a pointed look.


    When people started things with us for no reason, it was usually because of Dom. He was the wild card that created many of our famous feuds. He looked at us both with a sheepish smile and shrugged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I haven¡¯t run into any of them¡­yet.¡± He added thest part after a thought. ¡°You both will be able to tell when I finally do.¡±


    ¡°So, what then? Who just starts shit of this magnitude?¡± Frankie asked with that firm calmness in his voice.


    ¡°Apparently, the Trievs do,¡± I said, reached for the beer, and opened it. It was halfway to my mouth when Domi cleared his throat and looked pointedly at the sses he¡¯d brought.


    ¡°Is there a reason we haven¡¯t shown them why that is a bad idea yet?¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I put the beer down and gestured. He could pour it if he wanted it so much.


    ¡°There is,¡± I continued. ¡°I haven¡¯t decided what to do.¡±


    Dom opened the beers and poured them into sses. He was humming to himself in the short silence. ¡°I don¡¯t see what¡¯s there to decide on, Ales. We have guns, they have blood, we can just bleed them dry.¡± He sank back and raised his ss. ¡°Cheers, fratelli miei.¡±


    ¡°Something must be seriously wrong,¡± Frankie said, leaning forward to take his ss, ¡°because I actually agree, it¡¯s not a bad idea.¡±


    ¡°You cannot be serious.¡± Frankie was the least hot-tempered in the family, our mother included. When we wanted blood and saw only red, he was the one that you could count on to be more¡­rational.


    He shrugged. ¡°I am. They¡¯ve cost us forty million and bonus points with some new city officials. A gunfight is very much due.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t wholly unreasonable.


    ¡°But,¡± Frankie wasn¡¯t done. ¡°You are right, just going in over this might be overkill. This isn¡¯t the dark ages, and we still aren¡¯t clear on who their allies are. So maybe something small. Lighting up a few of their properties.¡±


    Dom cheered. ¡°Blow it up!¡±


    A more usible, less drastic idea. ¡°Bombs?¡±


    ¡°You know I have my supply. Any range, any type.¡± Dom smiled wolfishly.


    ¡°Now you have a list of options,¡± Frankie said, ¡°pick.¡±


    Bloodbath, arson, bombing, a whole list indeed.


    The bloodbath was out of it. Frankie was right about the allies and all the things that could follow.


    We were very cultured men, after all.


    The phone rang again.


    I ignored it. My secretary knew to bring anything urgent to my door.


    ¡°How about we all pay the Trievs a visit?¡± Dom suggested, watching us through his empty beer ss. ¡°The Raven Boys, going to see the wolves.¡±


    ¡°Raven boys?¡± Frankie asked with a raised brow.


    It was a scrappy nickname Dom had been singing for a few years now.


    ¡°Yeah, because we have ink-ck hair like ravens do.¡±


    Frankie gave me a look, and I shrugged. Far be it from me to point out any more of Dom¡¯s scrappy ideas.


    I was about to say something when the door interrupted us.


    Millie came in, trying not to look in Dom¡¯s direction. ¡°Sir, a call came in from Mr. Ananas. He says there¡¯s a problem at 13 Octove Avenue.¡±


    ¡°A problem?¡±


    ¡°The bank, the construction, the union, and the site¡¯s new owner.¡±


    All of us looked up at her. Millie swallowed and took a step back.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    ¡°New owner?¡± I asked because the shit show didn¡¯t seem to know how to end.


    Millie nodded. ¡°Yes sir. He says you need toe because things are getting out of control.¡± And she hurried away.


    We stood and started for the door in perfect silence, my mind running with thoughts.


    Something about this was too familiar.


    ¡°I¡¯ll grab more beer,¡± Dom said behind us.


    It was almost a war zone when we got to the site, to the small tent that had been set up for administration while the construction was ongoing.


    Imagine myck of surprise when I recognized the woman in the middle of everything, with her hair up and the most disinterested expression you¡¯d ever see.


    I scoffed under my breath.

 #1 Chapter 8

    Katya


    The Sorvino brothers walked in like harbingers in a tragic folktale. Tall, imposing, with perfectly chiseled faces, and an aura that screamed they were not people you wanted to fuck with.


    Yet here I was again. Honestly, at this point, it was as if the universe had something against me as it kept throwing me into messy situations with Alessandro. My eyebrows shot up slightly before I recovered myself.


    I bought this site at an auction.


    There were documents to show everything. The bank had been auctioning some properties, and I¡¯d made an offer that was epted. I didn¡¯t care what was going to happen here. This site wasn¡¯t going anywhere.


    ¡°The Petrenko Princess,¡± Dominic called with a smile. The other two were always in suits, but he was never without his jeans. Pants and jacket. ¡°Did our Alex invite you?¡± he nudged Alessandro, who didn¡¯t even bother looking away from me.


    Shaking my head and uncrossing my legs, I leaned forward on the table. ¡°No, actually. I came because the previous upants of my new property were being unnecessarily difficult.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a coincidence,¡± Alesandro¡¯s smooth voice. ¡°Because it almost sounds like the reason we¡¯re here. Except in our case, the person being¡­difficult¡­is somebody iming to be the owner of my property.¡±


    I smiled.


    ¡°Well, just take a look at the papers your brother is reading. I think you¡¯ll find, Mr. Sorvino, that whoever is causing you trouble is doing it on your former property.¡± I rxed into my seat. ¡°You handed this site over to the Mercedes Bank to auction off exactly a month ago from today, in fact, and I made an offer during that auction. An offer that was epted, documented, and resulted in theplete transfer of ownership.¡±


    Francesco sighed and scratched his chin. ¡°She¡¯s right, Ales, everything is documented right here. Very properly prepared, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I had a very traumatizing experience with myst property,¡± I said with my most honeyed smile and voice, ¡°so I was fully prepared to handle it. Here, and outside.¡± I emphasized.


    The bank had been careful not to disclose the identity of the previous owner of the lot. I had every other legal detail except anything that could have told me to watch out for the one man that had been hunting me for days now.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter, Frankie, because she wasn¡¯t supposed to acquire this lot. There was already an intended buyer.¡±


    I tilted my head a bit. ¡°Really? For an auction?¡±


    ¡°If I may-¡± One of the bankers tried to speak but was interrupted by Dominic.


    ¡°You may not, Michael, shush.¡±


    ¡°I know, Ales, but these are genuine documents. They can¡¯t be turned.¡±


    I was enjoying this, this absolute win. Maybe the universe was not as bitchy as I thought, and this was herpensating me.


    Alex gave his brother a look before facing me across the table again. ¡°I¡¯ve done it before, Frankie, I can do it again. In fact, why don¡¯t you all go back now, I¡¯m sure Miss Petrenko and I can handle things from here.¡±


    The bankers, workers, and union representatives gave each other uncertain nces before shuffling outside the tent. Francesco followed with a nod to me and another for Dominic to follow.


    The jeans-loving brother tossed me an unopened can of beer. It was slightly cold. ¡°Enjoy. Alex has no sense for humor.¡± Then he winked and went away.


    Leaving just me and Alex in the tent.


    ¡°I had somebody making an offer in that auction.¡±


    ¡°I do recall someone making shitty offers.¡±


    Alex propped his elbows on the table and leaned forward. ¡°This is the second time, Katya, you cannot expect me to treat it as a coincidence.¡±


    I raised a brow at his stern face. ¡°You have to be joking.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    He wasn¡¯t joking.


    I chuckled and opened the beer. ¡°Dominic was right, you do have no sense of humor.¡±


    Alex cracked a smile and pushed himself up, walking around the table toward me. I watched him over the rim of the can.


    It was actually a good beer. I¡¯d remember to look at thebel.


    After Alex was gone.


    He perched on the table right beside me, that husky scent of his invading my space, and took the beer from my lips to empty the can. Then he ced it gently on the table and spoke in a very calm, suspiciously gentle voice.


    ¡°I have warned you, Katya, haven¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to be more specific.¡±


    I hated what that smile did to my stomach. My mind.


    ¡°I told you I wasn¡¯t somebody you should mess with. Around me, there is only danger. Always constant.¡±


    ¡°So, this is how you stole my building from mest time?¡± I asked, pushing back my chair so I could face him properly. ¡°Still using cheap threats.¡±


    Alessandro didn¡¯t smirk. He just considered me in silence, giving me time to notice his long, darkshes, and the fullness of his brows. Then he licked his lips, and my eyes followed the slow movement of his tongue.


    His eyes were on mine when I looked up, searing and steady, forcing sensations in my stomach.


    Then, he reached with his feet under my chair and pulled me towards him, until I was right at the table, between his legs.


    He leaned forward, holding himself up with one hand on the back of the chair and the other on the armrest, right up against my arm. He was so close, and I liked it.


    Loved it.


    I might have leaned forward to kiss him if he was not threatening me to take away my property.


    The desire to do it was almost blinding¡­until he spoke.


    ¡°I have done it before, and I will again, Katya. You are a tiny kitten trying to y with a tiger. You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    The smile on my lips died. This was a joke, that he genuinely thought I was just a little girl stumbling around in the dark.


    I stood up, not caring that he was basically leaning over me. He eased back because there was almost no space between us, my chair being shuffled back by my legs.


    My hands rested on the table on either side of his hips, and I leaned forward, only a breath away from him. His warm breath was right on my lips.


    ¡°First thing Alessandro,¡± I said, enunciating each word, so he got everything, ¡°I am not a tiny kitten. I am Katya Petrenko, heir to the Petrenko family. And even though you managed to get one over me that one time, I swear there will not be a second time, not unless I allow it. I know how to y dirty too.¡±


    His blue eyes became even darker and staring into them felt like swimming in the sea.


    ¡°Secondly, I know exactly what I¡¯m doing, and on my say so, I will have it if I want it. Know this.¡±

 #1 Chapter 9

    Alessandro


    Life was full of lessons. I think a teacher might have said that to me once. You always learned, even up to the time you died.


    ¡°Of course, Yuri,¡± I smiled, chatting over the phone with the head of the Petrenko family.


    Clearly, I had underestimated Katya. She was a deceptively wrapped present. Everyyer I discovered only made me want her more.


    Her breath had been hot on my lips, and thest of my imperfect patience had nearly frayed from the effort it had taken to not flip us around and have her back against the table.


    Especially when she had said that she knew precisely what she was doing.


    She knew.


    And had made it clear she could have it if she wished. I chuckled to myself.


    Because she could, I was already at the end of how much temptation I could resist. If she walked into my office right now and demanded I fucked her, goodness knew I¡¯d have her against the wall before the end of the fucking sentence.


    ¡°You¡¯reughing, unexpectedly happy for somebody surrounded by mountains of problems.¡±


    It was almost wrong the thoughts I was having about his daughter when we were just forming a kind of friendship.


    Almost.


    ¡°Exactly why. The small victories should be enjoyed, no? You¡¯ve just solved one out of my mountains of problems.¡±


    Yuriughed as well. ¡°I agree perfectly. You are a very persuasive man.¡±


    ¡°I have been used of that on enough asions.¡±


    Katya had been clear that I wouldn¡¯t be able to pull the shit I¡¯d pulled before, so there was only one solution.


    Yuri Petrenko.


    That determined look had beenpelling, but there would be little she would do against her father.


    I buzzed my secretary on the phone. ¡°Get a bouquet of white roses to Katya Petrenko at Blue Range in¡­.¡± I nced down at my watch, ¡°an hour. I am inviting her to lunch at Nova, an attempt to appease her. Make sure to mention it in the card.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    There were many things I liked about being a part of one of the crime families in New York, many things. Now, meeting Katya Petrenko was one of them.


    I¡¯m thirty-three, far from a kid, but I¡¯m almost giddy with the anticipation. What she would wear, her scent, all the expressions she would make.


    Her steely eyes.


    I didn¡¯t even think that she might note. Not her. Challenges didn¡¯t faze her, plus I was sure she¡¯d be pissed out of her mind after meeting with Yuri.


    She¡¯d probably being to start a fight more than to be appeased.


    Still, I couldn¡¯t get to the restaurant fast enough.


    The table I reserved for two was very private. Nova was the best ce for a potential confrontation.


    Katya came only minutes after I¡¯d sat down, wearing a ssic pink dress that ented her frame. There was no teasing smile, no sly glitter in her eyes. Just that fiercely sensual aura.


    Yes, she was pissed off.


    As a gentleman, I made to get up and pull out her chair.


    ¡°If you get up, I will strike you across your face.¡±


    I paused, fought a smile, then settled back and gestured to her seat. ¡°Then, help yourself. I¡¯m happy that you decided toe.¡±


    She settled quietly and ordered when the waiter came to us. Not a word was uttered, and I decided not to try to start a conversation, at least not until we¡¯d eaten.


    ¡°I see you met with my father,¡± she said, knifing violently into her chicken.


    I reached for my champagne flute. ¡°I did. Your father¡¯s a very pleasant man, you know. I think he is starting to grow on me.¡±


    Her eyes flickered to mine predatorily. ¡°You went behind my back.¡±


    ¡°Wrong. I saw a loophole and used it to my advantage. The site is mine again, I didn¡¯t go through any unsavory means, and I know you got every dime back this time.¡±


    Gently, she put down her cutlery. ¡°Your attempt to appease me is downright bullshit.¡±


    ¡°Only because you insist on making it that way. I had a series of events perfectly nned out for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? A pathetic lunch in this private dining room, and then what? Hot, back-breaking sex on this worthless oakwood table?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking against the wall,¡± I said, leaning back into my seat, ¡°but if you¡¯d prefer on the table, adjustments can readily be made.¡±


    Something that could involve me licking a bottle of wine off her body. I wondered how those eyes would be when she was whimpering for more.


    Katya red at me for a moment, as if she would read my thoughts, and the room heated up despite the AC. I could see the heat in her eyes swell. ¡°I hate how you¡¯ve bested me continuously,¡± she admitted, and I swore there might have been angels blowing trumpets.


    Her admission made me adjust in my chair, forfort.


    I cleared my throat because, fuck, now I wanted her on the table, against the wall, under the sun.


    In my bed.


    I had to down my flute and breathe.


    Maybe a private room with this woman wasn¡¯t the best ce for a meeting, not when I had intended to have my senses with me throughout.


    ¡°I¡¯m not turning down the invitation,¡±


    ¡°What invitation?¡±


    ¡°But we have more pressing matters to discuss.¡±


    I adjusted again, and she noticed the movement. The tension in her shoulders eased up, and her full lips stretched into a teasing smirk. ¡°Sure.¡± She picked up her cutlery and continued eating her lunch.


    ¡°Your father told you about Triev?¡±


    ¡°The human trafficking crime family trying to pull something? He might have mentioned it in passing. It¡¯s a problem I have every intention of handling.¡±


    ¡°Handling how?¡± I could stop my eyes from narrowing. Impulsivity flowed through Katya¡¯s veins, not blood, and I didn¡¯t want her messing with the Trievs. Especially when I had a hunch, she would try to do it on her own.


    ¡°Handling in a manner that doesn¡¯t concern you at all, Sorvino. I am not in the business of spilling my ns topetitors.¡±


    ¡°Katya, we aren¡¯t enemies.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re also definitely not allies.¡± She put her cutlery down and dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin.


    I drew a deep breath. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re thinking, I discourage it.¡±


    She regarded me quietly and leaned forward on the table. ¡°Then I suppose it¡¯s a lucky coincidence that I don¡¯t need your opinion, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Her voice dropped low and sultry, pushing the blood in my veins.


    Her predatory eyes were trained on me, so I didn¡¯t adjust forfort even though my pants were drawn tight.


    ¡°What? She asked with a teasing smile. ¡°Won¡¯t you adjust yourself? I¡¯m sure your pants must be ufortably tight by now.¡±


    The corner of my lips twitched, and I leaned forward on the table. ¡°What would make you assume that?¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°Look at me, Alessandro,¡± she said, standing up slowly, allowing me to take in the way her dress hugged her curves. This bloody woman, I swallowed. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you still had enough blood in your brain to try and influence my decision.¡±


    I breathed out,ughed, and leaned back into my seat, just reveling in the hard on she was giving me. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re testing.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Oh please. Since I¡¯ve had my lunch, I¡¯ll take my leave, if there¡¯s nothing else we¡¯re doing here.¡± She said thetter part giving me a look that made me want to get up and¡­


    I chuckled. ¡°Believe me, Katya, there are many¡­many things I would like to do here.¡± I could already taste the wine I could be licking off her skin. ¡°If I get up, I would have you against that wall behind you faster than you can imagine.¡±


    One of her perfectly curved brows rose in question. ¡°Then why are you still sitting there?¡±


    That broke myst thread of decency. True to my word, I had her pressed against the wall in a heartbeat, our mouths crashed together, tonguesshing each other, and our hot breath mixing.


    My hands held her waist as I pressed her harder against the wall, and her arms wrapped around my neck. Fingers digging into my hair.


    Fuck. I groaned when she raised one leg to my hip and reached down to grip it and hold it up.


    Then I started to rock against her as I trailed kisses down her throat.


    Katya let out a strangledugh. ¡°You don¡¯t go slow, do you?¡± she used, but she moaned when my other hand lowered to grab her ass.


    Shit. I was so aroused, rocking hard into her, her hot gasps tickling against my ear.


    We were going fast, and hard, and¡­


    Katya¡¯s phone started to ring.


    I growled against her neck, and she groaned too. Slowly, as the phone rang, we disentangled. She had to ce a hand on my chest for a second to stand properly, and I could help the smirk that tugged at my lip.


    ¡°Yes?¡± she answered while I ran my hands through my hair. At least I wasn¡¯t the only one frustrated.


    Then her eyes widened, and I paused.


    ¡°What?! I¡¯ll be there in a few minutes.¡± She grabbed her purse and was about to rush out, but I reached for her hand, confusion evident on my face.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Katya dragged her arm back and rushed out. ¡°Ask the motherfucking Trievs.¡±

 #1 Chapter 10

    Katya


    Nebesa was a strip club my family owned.


    It had a very unusual theme; I¡¯d made sure of that when I¡¯d restructured it two years ago to increase sales. ssiness was its ongoing theme, and between the Greek-style short columns decorating outside, the high pastel walls, and the prime flowered garden wrapping around the ce, elegance was what it represented.


    It pulled the clients with the highest profiles year-round. Even though it wasn¡¯t a prostitution ring, I knew very well that the girls working there made serious cash every night doing¡­extracurricr activities.


    The elegantly seductive ambiance enticed millionaires, CEOs, celebrities, and people with the fattest wallets to pay ten times the actual amount for a ss of beer.


    I loved all my family¡¯s establishments, but Nebesa had a particr ce in my heart. It was the first project I¡¯d overseen for my familypletely on my own. Every decision I¡¯d taken, I hadn¡¯t consulted my father about it, and it had turned into one of our biggest sesses.


    Now, Nebesa was a ruined, burned building sending fat billows of smoke into the sky, surrounded by police officers and firefighters that were starting to clear out. There were also people that couldn¡¯t mind their damned business loitering and talking.


    Three ambnces were parked around, and the paramedics were attending to the injured. There wasn¡¯t a lot of them, and I hoped to all the saints and angels that there was a better reason for it than what kept stubbornly popping into my head.


    I was staggering towards the building, my mind overflowing with things I needed to do.


    I had to find out if anybody had died, how the fire had started, the extent of damage, and what the insurancepany would be doing about this.


    Hannah made her way towards me, stopping short so she didn¡¯t get too close.


    ¡°Miss Petrenko,¡± she called, and it took me a minute to realize that she was calling me. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    She was a model slim redhead, a mother to two boys, and one of the top girls at the club. There were a lot of regrs that came just to see her.


    ¡°Hannah,¡± I breathed, ¡°what happened here? Where is everybody?¡±


    ¡°We were preparing to open for the evening, so people were stilling in. Plus, we¡¯d been booked for a private event, so not all the girls needed toe. There weren¡¯t many of us here, thank God, and we all got out in time.¡±


    The relief that flooded my lungs was instant.


    I looked around at the destruction-my very first project to prove myself to my father¡­gone.


    ¡°How did this happen?¡±


    Hannah gave me a wary look that made me instantly suspicious. ¡°Well, I think Carlos told the police we didn¡¯t know, but it was them.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The Trievs. They showed up and started up shit even though Carlos told them we weren¡¯t opening for the public.¡± As she talked, I looked around. Carlos wasn¡¯t here. ¡°The goons cornered Carlos, and then the rest went backstage. I was at the bar, but I heard the girls scream and run out. They were screaming about a bomb, so everybody ran out with them. Then, the explosion happened.¡±


    I was picking at the back of my lower lip with my teeth, getting more agitated as I listened.


    They were already a problem, thinking they could pull crap on my family, but now they¡¯d just made it personal.


    But Hannah didn¡¯t look like she was done.


    ¡°Mel didn¡¯te out.¡±


    ¡°What? You just said nobody got hurt in the fire?!¡±


    Hannah shriveled back at my tone, eyes wide, shaking her head. ¡°No-not the fire. She didn¡¯t run out with everybody else. They took her with them.¡±


    My teeth mped down on my lip, hard. The metallic taste of blood made me realize and let it go.


    I nodded to myself and took a deep breath so I could speak calmly. ¡°Ok, thank you Hannah. Do you know where Carlos is?¡±


    ¡°He left in an ambnce. The Triev guys did a number on him, and a few of the guys had to help him out.¡±


    Mel was another of the top girls in the club. A petite frame and a sweet, angelic face. She had a lovely singing voice.


    In my house, I sat at the bar, without the lights on, thinking. About the strip club, about Mel, about the Trievs.


    It was as if they were determined to get under everybody¡¯s skin.


    My dad called, and in less than an hour, I was walking into his office, stopping in my tracks because of his expression.


    ¡°Something about the Triev?¡± I asked, casting a suspicious eye on the package sitting on top of the coffee table. The news about the club was still cooking inside me. I hadn¡¯t told him yet. I thought I could keep it until tomorrow when the wound wouldn¡¯t be as fresh.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    My father nodded, the death stare on his face rigid as he gestured for the package. ¡°There¡¯s a note too,¡± he pointed at a folded birthday card lying on the edge of his desk. ¡°This is getting out of hand now. They¡¯ve be too aggressive.¡±


    I didn¡¯t flinch when I got closer to investigate the package.


    Blood, bone, sinews. Beautifully tinum blonde hair matted, ratty, and stained with blood and shards of bones.


    It was Mel.


    In the card was a warning.


    No, it was a threat.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have this disposed of,¡± I said solemnly, kissing my father on the side of his temple and reaching for the office phone.


    This was the veryst straw.

 #1 Chapter 11

    Alessandro


    ¡°It¡¯s gotten out of hand now,¡± Frankie said with a scowl on his face, as if nobody could tell by watching a reporting channel or reading a fucking newspaper. The situation with the Trievs was well beyond ¡°out of hand¡±. ¡°The Calientes, Marnovzs, Viskovas. Yesterday, they nted a bomb in one of Yuri Petrenko¡¯s strip clubs. They¡¯re like wild dogs!¡±


    Dom was rxed on the couch, legs widely apart, looking like he didn¡¯t have a care in the world, like all of this was of no interest. ¡°Well, all that isn¡¯t technically all that bad for us. They¡¯re all high-standing mafia families that aren¡¯t allies¡­kind of sounds like a not-our-problem type of thing.¡±


    Despite his words, he wasn¡¯t drinking, hadn¡¯t even looked at the fridge since he got here, and had been toying with his flick knife. Both my brothers were deeply bothered by the matter. It didn¡¯t take much to get Dom pissed. But it took a lot, a whole fucking lot, to get him anxious about anything.


    Frankie let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°That¡¯s not the point, Dom.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know, but still¡­.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re trying to start something,¡± I said finally, drawing myself out of the sea of thoughts I¡¯d almost drowned in just moments ago.


    Since Katya had run off at lunch yesterday, I hadn¡¯t been able to think about much else. Then, I heard the news about Nebesa, and I¡¯d almost grabbed the keys to my car and gone to her house to see if she was okay.


    But that wouldn¡¯t have gone well. I knew enough about her to know that she was not somebody that needed a hug at times like this.


    She¡¯d be pissed off and out looking for blood. Even worse, she had it in her to go find it too.


    Since the stunt with the first property, she had tried to take from under my nose, I¡¯d had Katya¡¯s number saved on my phone.


    I had debated all night about calling her, just to hear her voice so I could finally fucking rx. In fact, even up until this meeting, my fingers had been itching.


    We¡¯d never talked on the phone before. I didn¡¯t want her mixed up in all this.


    Mixed up with me.


    But it was changing now. Perhaps they had already changed, and all I wanted was to see her. To know she was ok.


    Fuck, even just hearing her voice would have been something.


    Pushing thoughts of Katya away took a lot of effort, but there were too many things on the table now. I had to trust that Katya knew how to take care of herself.


    ¡°I think they¡¯ve already started it.¡±


    I shook my head, disagreeing with Frankie. ¡°Not yet. We¡¯d know if there was a fucking n war in the city.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, but families have already started merging up. That mutual agreement that the mafia families here could only have alliances with families outside the city isn¡¯t holding much water. I think it¡¯s only a matter of time before the Trievs actually start breaking ground.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Dom threw his head back and let out an exaggerated sigh. ¡°This is why you should have let me bomb them a long time ago.¡±


    Frankie was quiet for a while.


    But maybe Dom was right. ¡°I hate to admit that your n might have been a better idea than I¡¯d originally thought.¡±


    Sure, there would have been consequences, but they would not have cost my family forty million dors, connections with officials in the state, and control over our part of the city.


    It wouldn¡¯t have disturbed the systems that the mafia families had already implemented.


    ¡°Well,¡± Frankie said, ¡°we can¡¯t bomb them now. They¡¯ve grown and gained a reputation. I¡¯m sure they have deals in ce with some of the city officials. Attacking might jeopardize our own rtionships.¡±


    I leaned back into my chair, sitting behind my desk.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± I suggested, ¡°it¡¯s time to work together with another family.¡±


    Both my brothers looked at me, then at each other. ¡°What?¡± Dom asked.


    ¡°I think working with the Petrenkos is what we need right now. You disagree?¡±


    Frankie looked as if he was thinking about what I¡¯d just said but wasn¡¯t convinced.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a decision you should think about.¡± He said finally. ¡°We haven¡¯t shed with the Petrenkos, but they¡¯ve tried to take our property twice now. Having them as allies would make us susceptible to being backstabbed.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anymore, but I could see it in his expression. Is that what we really want?


    It wasn¡¯t, and something like that wouldn¡¯t happen. Yuri was a very¡­unusual man to be the head of a mafia family. He had all the blood-curdling qualities you needed to attain a level of power in this damned city, but he was not one to feign or pretend loyalty.


    And Katya¡­


    Dom stood up, picking at his sleeves as if he¡¯d ever been one to focus on primping. ¡°It¡¯s already three. I¡¯ve got people to beat, stab, and or shoot.¡±


    Frankie nced at his watch and stood too, giving me a nod. ¡°I think you should really mull the alliance idea over.¡±


    I smiled as they left, thinking about Yuri and the alliance.


    I needed to have a meeting with Yuri.


    Yes, joining hands would be the best. The Trievs were wild and unpredictable, having somebody to watch your back was very well needed, and who better to do that for the Sorvinos than the Petrenkos.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Yuri asked, surprised at my proposal. I noticed that he did not refute me right away. ¡°As Don, you can make the decision on your own, but I think counseling with your brothers would be better, they are sub-heads, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    Frankie was second inmand, and Dom oversaw the muscle of the family, protecting the clubs and bars.


    ¡°I already did, they were hesitant, but I wasn¡¯t refused right away. The hesitation is understandable, but they¡¯re very sensible, they might ept with enough reason.¡±


    ¡°Well then,¡± Yuri said, leaning forward across the desk, ¡°I have told you that you¡¯re a very persuasive man. I suppose I can¡¯t turn you down, as long as we cane up with a way to have our families ept this arrangement.¡±


    He offered his hand, and I shook it.


    Now came the more difficult part, what we had to do to have our families ept the decision. We needed to cooperate fully and havemands flow seamlessly to stop the Trievs from zeroing in and tearing our organizations to shreds.


    ¡°Would you like a drink while you brood, Mr. Sorvino?¡± Yuri offered.


    I chuckled. ¡°dly. I don¡¯t want to leave this meeting without concluding this.¡± He was a busy man, yet even though I hade without an appointment time, he¡¯d received me immediately.


    Yuri called his secretary for brandy, and two shots of vodka. ¡°Well, have you considered marriage?¡±


    I looked at him. ¡°Marriage?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Some might think it¡¯s old-fashioned, but that¡¯s still the best way to join families, by bing as part of each other.¡±


    But a marriage meant more than that. Yuri had only one child, only one heir. ¡°A marriage would mean-¡±


    ¡°-that you would have influence over Petrenkos affairs,¡± Yuri gave me a small smile, ¡°especially after I retire.¡± A knock came in while I thought over everything he was proposing, and the secretary brought in a tray of brandy and vodka. ¡°Of course, that would be only if Katya allows it. She isn¡¯t very good with listening, in my experience.¡±


    In mine too, if the past few weeks had been any indication.


    Yuri served me a ss of brandy. ¡°You can take your time to think, Ales. You are still young. I can understand your hesitation to marry. And I can only imagine the impression Katya has made so far with the¡­incidents.¡±


    Iughed. ¡°You have no idea.¡±


    Thinking about it, marriage was the only sensible solution. As an extension of our family, there wouldn¡¯t be much opposition.


    ¡°Have you decided? You look resolved.¡±


    ¡°I am. Maybe it¡¯s about time I settled down.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Yuri looked very pleased. ¡°Then wait, let us start with the vodka.¡±


    He took back the ss of brandy and put the shot of vodka instead.


    ¡°A toast?¡± I proposed.


    ¡°Yes. To duty and family,¡± Yuri said, raising his ss. I raised mine too.


    ¡°Za nas!¡±


    ¡°A noi!¡±

 #1 Chapter 12

    Katya


    From the first time I met Ales, it was as if he was born to infuriate me. As if the universe had given him the exact ingredients to drive me crazy.


    My father had been very scrutinizing when he¡¯d broken the news to me. He¡¯d watched me very closely for any reaction. As a child, I learned quickly how easily my father could perceive my moods. He was very watchful of everybody, but even more so of me. I could keep a passive face around everybody in the world, but with my father, I had to be extra careful.


    I had to wear a mask. It needed to be glued to my skin, airtight because otherwise, he noticed.


    When he hade overst night to have dinner, I should have known he¡¯de with bad news. He was especially busy at the moment, and our organization was in crisis, soing to the house seemed unusual. It¡¯d been months since we¡¯d eaten together at our family dining table.


    The words he¡¯d said, the way he¡¯d said it, still floated in my mind even now.


    Because of that zloi mudak the Petrenkos and Sorvinos had decided to partner up, and to severely reduce any chance of internal conflict in both families, marriage had been the best solution.


    This meant, I not only had to get married, but it was going to be to Alessandro Sorvino. The very thorn that had been lodged in my side for weeks now.


    He was equal parts annoying and sexy.


    Wounding me up like a toy every single time his name so much as came up.


    In front of my father, I¡¯d been passive, unbothered. My father would never cage me. I knew if I even looked slightly bothered, he would undo the decision regardless of the consequences.


    I¡¯d agreed.


    For our organizations, for my family, for my father.


    When I told Paulina and Sam, they burst outughing.


    ¡°No, no,¡± Sam said betweenughs,pletely out of breath, ¡°because I seriously thought you were joking.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, keepughing.¡± I rolled my eyes at the both of them,ughing and holding on to each other as the driver drove us to a club for the night.


    My shoulders were tensed. Losing two properties, having my first contribution to my family¡¯s business blown up, having a girl that had been under my care cut up like an animal, and now I had to get married to a man that infuriated me.


    Whoever said life was a bitch knew exactly what they were talking about.


    Paulina wiped at the tears in her eyes. ¡°I know you said it over the phone but hearing it from your lips is just¡­.¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± Sam was still hysterical.


    ¡°I always thought Sam would be the first one to get married.¡±


    ¡°And you would be thest.¡± Sam added. ¡°Not just thest, but probably a widow in less than ten years because of that shitty temper of yours.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you were supposed to be our ck widow, not fucking Mrs. us.¡±


    I sighed and turned my face to the window as my friendsughed and joked all the way to the club.


    Paulina whooped at the packed club. ¡°Barely in, and I can already see ten hotties.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to attempt chastity before your marriage or¡­?¡± Sam asked with a raised brow, and they both looked at me quietly for a while before a wicked smile broke across my face.


    Theyughed again, and we went on to party.


    The music was pumping, and the dancefloor was packed with writhing bodies, but the sense was sharp and clear.


    Somebody was watching me.


    ¡°Katya, are you good?¡± Paulina yelled over the music when she saw I¡¯d stopped dancing.


    Looking around, I couldn¡¯t make out much. Too many people, most of the moving, plus the shing lights.


    ¡°Yeah, keep dancing. I¡¯m going back to the table.¡±


    The VIP section was a lot less packed, and getting visuals was better because the lights didn¡¯t sh, although they were dim.


    I could survey better from my seat up here. Watching the dance floor, I couldn¡¯t catch the person that was watching me.


    But they were still there because the feeling was still here, at the front of my mind.


    I turned my eyes upwards. If they were still watching me, maybe it was from the VIP section.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Carefully I scanned the room until I stopped at a figure enjoying a drink on the other side of the VIP section.


    Maxim Triev.


    His eyes were on mine, and he gave me a dirty smile.


    I usually always carried a Swiss knife or small handgun, depending on my outfit, but I couldn¡¯t fit both into what I was wearing tonight.


    Maxim put his drink down, stood up, adjusted his cor, and started to head away towards a corridor that led to the more¡­private spaces of the bar.


    I went after him.


    For what he did to my Nebesa and Mel, for the fact that because of him, I now had to get married, I was going to gut him like a fish, and I was going to enjoy it.


    The corridor had even less lighting than the VIP section, but I didn¡¯t slow down.


    Obviously, he¡¯d have hidden somewhere close to get me by surprise.


    Men and their cheap tricks.


    I smirked and went in, conscious of the knife strapped to my thigh. Despite my heels, I was fast on my feet, and whirled around just as the piece of shit charged at me, my back to the wall.


    ¡°Hello precious Katya,¡± he said, his handgun pressed to my stomach, and a hand braced on the wall beside me.


    The edge of my knife was pressed against his rib, ready to push in upwards for his lungs. ¡°It is Miss Petrenko to you, and I advise you to step back. We¡¯re not friendly enough to be standing this close.¡±


    Maxim pouted, his lips downturned. ¡°That wounds me.¡±


    ¡°Not the way my knife is about to, I assure you.¡±


    He pushed forward a bit, the edge of the knife biting into his skin through his shirt. A small patch of red started to form.


    A gun clicked, safety off.


    ¡°I advise you to step back before I start that war you seem to have a hard-on for.¡±


    Maxim looked to the side, and I took my chance, pushing forward with my knife.


    But Maxim stepped back, and Alex grabbed my hand to stop me, the gun still aimed.


    Blood leaked into Maxim¡¯s shirt, and the bastard stared at it, pressing his fingers against it as if to confirm it was indeed blood.


    The smile was crude and made me was to rush forward again, but Ales¡¯ grip on my wrist was iron, and if I fought, his aim on Maxim might have been disrupted.


    ¡°The only thing I have a hard-on for is your seductive bride-to-be. Ah, that reminds me, I think congrattions are in order, yes?¡±


    Alex took a menacing step forward, and, for a second, I thought he was going to shoot. I hoped he would.


    ¡°Repeat that, Triev. One more time to test my patience.¡±


    Maxim red at Ales, looked at me, and smirked. ¡°I won¡¯t y a losing game, Alessandro.¡± Then he licked his finger, winked at me, and walked off, back into the VIP section, running away like a coward.

 #1 Chapter 13

    Alessandro


    Even after Maxim had disappeared from view, I didn¡¯t lower my gun. It was aimed squarely at the entrance because you could never trust a man like him to be consistent.


    He coulde back.


    My grip on Katya¡¯s hand tightened, and she tried to pull away.


    ¡°He¡¯s gone. Let me go.¡± She said, pulling harshly and hitting my hand.


    ¡°No.¡± I hadn¡¯t turned to look at her, I couldn¡¯t look away just yet.


    ¡°I have a knife, Alessandro¡± she said, and I felt the de¡¯s edge against my wrist.


    ¡°If you cut me, Katya, I will shoot you, don¡¯t test me.¡±


    When I was sure he wouldn¡¯t being back, I lowered the gun and turned to re at Katya.


    This. This was exactly why I couldn¡¯t be at ease since that lunch incident.


    I¡¯d been here, drinking at my usual table in the VIP section. My eyes had zeroed in on her the moment she¡¯d climbed up to the VIP section with her friends. I¡¯d been watching when she¡¯d gone to lean against the railing to watch the dancefloor.


    In that ysuit that showed off her gorgeous long longs, and wless back, taking my eyes away hadn¡¯t even crossed my mind.


    Then I watched her start to survey the VIP section, and my heart went wild with the anticipation of her locking eyes with me.


    But she hadn¡¯t. She¡¯d locked in on somebody else, and I¡¯d shaken my head when I traced the person. Because even though he was alone, she wouldn¡¯t, shouldn¡¯t have thought about confronting him on her own.


    But she was Katya Petrenko, and she didn¡¯t know how to back down from a challenge. She must have wanted blood for what had happened.


    That stopped her from struggling, and I turned around to face her. I intended for her to see just how pissed off I was, but she held her head up and stared right into my eyes as if I wasn¡¯t holding a loaded gun.


    ¡°Do you want to die?!¡±


    ¡°Oh please, I had my knife where it needed to be, and if you hadn¡¯t interrupted, his body would have been limp on the ground by now, so thank you for that.¡±


    ¡°He had a gun pressed against you, Katya. What were you going to do after he shot you?¡± Because he would have.


    ¡°Stab him in the lungs. As nned! The gun was aimed at my stomach. I would have survived.¡±


    She didn¡¯t understand the danger. He could have killed her. He could have nted his henchmen all over the club, waiting for a signal to carry off a wounded Katya and do only God knows what.


    Roughly, I shoved her against the wall and tightened my hold on her wrist until she hissed and let the knife drop to the floor. Then I pressed my gun to her stomach gently, and she gasped when she felt it, eye-widening just slightly.


    ¡°Is the thought of being my wife, so terrifying, Katya, that you¡¯d want to die.¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Katya scoffed, tilted her chin up, and red. ¡°Don¡¯t tter yourself, Ales. To me, you¡¯re only slightly more terrifying than an unfed puppy.¡±


    I looked into her eyes for a moment, the both of us filled with adrenaline from our encounter with Maxim. I could hear her breaths, and feel her heart pounding, despite the thumping electro music of the club.


    If I hadn¡¯t spotted her in time¡­if I hadn¡¯t interfered in time¡­


    ¡°He could have shot you,¡± I said atst.


    ¡°And I would have survived it.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked with my head tilted slightly to the side, ¡°but that¡¯s assuming the bullet stayed lodged in. What if it came out? What if it passed through you and came out hitting your spine? What if it injured a vital nerve in your spine and left you dead from the neck down? Then what, Katya? Exin to me what your contingency n is for that situation, I would love to hear it.¡±


    She red at me but didn¡¯t say a word. Her eyes were still defiant even though she¡¯d clearly just been shown how stupid she¡¯d been.


    She dragged her wrist from my hold, and I let it go. Removing the gun from her stomach, putting the safety back on, and tucking it back where it belonged, I didn¡¯t take my eyes off her, or take a step back.


    We stood close together, our bodies not touching even though they almost were, just watching ourselves.


    Then she crossed her arms and gave me a quizzical look. ¡°And why are you still standing so close?¡±


    My lips teased into a smile. ¡°We will be married soon, Katya, isn¡¯t that exciting?¡±


    She let out a shortugh, it was so damn filling to hear. ¡°I thought I already told you not to tter yourself, Ales.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if you¡¯ll call me by a pet name, I already have one nned for you.¡±


    Now she looked more at ease, I could see the tension in her shoulders ease up, and she leaned back against the wall. ¡°This is only a marriage of convenience. I will call you nothing but your name.¡±


    Now Iughed. After all the teasing, in her bedroom, and at that restaurant, she had to be joking. Her desire for me was so damned obvious it could have directed traffic. ¡°Katya Kitten,¡± I started, moving closer to her. I loved the feeling of her chest against mine. ¡°I am single-handedly the biggest pervert you will find in this fucking city. The things I n on doing to you, you will not believe. Since we have met, I¡¯ve wanted to see you wearing nothing but sweat, so if you think I¡¯m going to allow this to be a marriage of convenience, you have grossly overestimated my ability to resist temptation.¡±


    Katya leaned closer, her nose brushing gently over mine, her eyes on me, and her breath hot against my lips. ¡°And if I refuse?¡±


    I leaned closer and tilted my head as if I was going to kiss her. Her breath caught in her throat, and her eyes flickered down.


    But I didn¡¯t kiss her. Instead, I whispered gently, almost against her lips. ¡°Then you¡¯ll find out that along with being a big pervert, I¡¯m also a master at seduction.¡± Then I leaned back and finally took a step back as well.


    Katya¡¯s smile was like that of a predator.


    ¡°Then, you have given me something to look forward to in this sham of a marriage, Mr. Sorvino. Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± Shepleted and walked away.


    I couldn¡¯t if I tried, I thought as I watched her walk.

 #1 Chapter 14

    Katya


    The wedding was a whirlwind of our business partners, political connections, and Sorvinos.


    Paulina had insisted, almost violently, that Sam nned the wedding. We had a bachelorette party that was just us in Rome. We rxed and shopped for my wedding dress and bridesmaids¡¯ dresses.


    The ceremony was small. It was at a catholic church, and it was the first time I¡¯d stepped into one since college.


    My father looked at me in my gleaming white wedding dress and gave me the warmest hug. ¡°Malyshka.¡±


    It was supposed to be for just business, an agreement because there was amon enemy trying to uproot us and everything we¡¯d built, but my father pulled back and smiled at me.


    ¡°The most beautiful bride in the world.¡±


    ¡°Papa, you¡¯re embarrassing me.¡±


    Heughed heartily. Yes, agreeing to this had been the right thing to do. It made him so happy, and nothing in the world made my heart asplete as my father did when he was happy.


    Just as he was now.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one that embarrasses everyone. Beautiful, fierce, intelligent, God had spared no expense with you. Me, I am the lucky one to have you as my daughter.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile, if he continued like that, I might have pinched him, but he put out his hand for me to take so he could lead me inside the church and down the aisle.


    ¡°Three sons the Sorvino has. Wonderfully strong men, each of them, but with you, Romero will learn like I did, That you are worth more than any son.¡±


    ¡°Papa!¡± I said under my breath.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Nobody could tter like my father.


    The doors opened, and he led me to the front, where Alessandro was waiting in a deep red suit, looking as handsome as ever.


    It was just a business arrangement, I reminded myself. My heart skipped several beats, but I arranged the features on my face, so they didn¡¯t show. Whatever Alessandro was doing to me, I refused to allow it.


    The ceremony was crisp, and after, I was introduced to all the Sorvinos.


    Romero was a powerful-looking man. I could see easily how he and Helena had the dangerous looking litter they did. With Helena, I was weed into the family with a firm hug.


    ¡°Wee to the family, my dear,¡± Helena said, patting my back before pulling away to smile at me.


    ¡°Katya, hi!¡± Arianna Sorvino, the only daughter in the Sorvino family, came toward me, hardly giving me time to adjust before enveloping me in a hug. ¡°It¡¯s so great to have a sister.¡±


    I was ttered, but also slightly confused. This was a business arrangement. Nothing more than a way to join our family for business, but they were being so¡­weing and warm.


    My dad was with Romero, chatting very casually.


    ¡°Are we going to sleep here,¡± Dom interrupted everybody, ¡°or can I go to the reception already?¡±


    ¡°Alcoholic,¡± Arianna said under her breath.


    ¡°Thank you, little sister. I do try, don¡¯t I?¡±


    The reception was grossly opposite of the wedding. The political connections of both families were invited. Celebrities, politicians, billionaires.


    The introductions were plenty, with me introducing Alessandro to the Petrenkos people and him doing the same for me to his people.


    I frowned whenever someone from my side didn¡¯t need an introduction, mostly because I didn¡¯t miss the smug look of satisfaction on Alessandro¡¯s face. Every. Time.


    The party continued well into the night, and even when I left the banquet hall at three in the morning, there were still many people at the reception.


    I still owned all my properties, but I¡¯d agreed to spend the wedding night in his ce. Just because my dad had insisted, something about saving face.


    I was driven back alone, but it didn¡¯t take long for Alessandro to return too.


    ¡°Did you not think to tell me before you left?¡± he asked, storming into the room, still in the suit he¡¯d worn to the wedding.


    Red was his color.


    ¡°Oh? I¡¯m sorry, I forgot I was supposed to seek your permission for everything I want to do.¡± I retorted, peeling away the cream floral dress I¡¯d changed into for the reception, trying not to overthink about what he¡¯d said at the club, and what could happen now that we were alone.


    He growled behind me. ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I meant.¡±


    I pushed down the dress and allowed it to pool at my feet. There was only one bedroom in this damned ce, not my fault if I had no privacy.


    Slowly, I stepped out and bent down from the waist to pick the dress up.


    His intake of air was sharp, it made me smirk.


    When I nced back, his dark eyes watched my every move, locked on as if I were his prey.


    But I wasn¡¯t prey, I was a predator.


    ¡°I remember there being a lot of noise about perversion, and all that rubbish.¡± I said, stepping closer. He had a hard-on and was making no attempt to hide it from view¡­but then again, what was marriage if not about familiarity. ¡°Where did all that bravado go hm?¡±


    Alexughed and stepped up to the teasing. ¡°I¡¯vee to understand that ying with fire is your hobby, Kitten.¡±


    ¡°Kitten?¡±


    His lips twitched into a yful smirk as one arm snaked around my waist, pulling closer. ¡°I promised you a nickname.¡±


    ¡°And I promised you a marriage of convenience.¡± I said without trying to get out of his hold.


    He pulled me closer until I was flush against him and could clearly feel his hardness. The dress in my hand dropped to the ground, my hands sying on his chest.


    He leaned down, so close, our mouths were only a breath away. He reminded me of the restaurant, of the hot wet feeling of his tongue against mine, his hands prodding and groping.


    His hips rocking.


    With every ounce of strength in me, I pushed against him and broke free of his warm hold.


    He let out a frustrated growl, but I shed him a smile and a wink. ¡°Nothing a cold shower can¡¯t fix.¡±


    Then I turned my back to him, heading for the bathroom.


    ¡°Have you heard of sex y, Kitten?¡± he asked behind me, making me pause.


    ¡°Of course, I have. I didn¡¯t grow up under a rock.¡±


    When he spoke again, he was much, much closer. ¡°Good.¡± Right behind me.


    I turned, and before I could make any remarks, both my hands were knotted in his tie, and he pulled me by them toward the bed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s y a game.¡±


    He sat on the bed, dragging me down with him until I was syed across his legs, my tied hand above my head.


    I turn back to look at him. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Setting some ground rules, I thought you did not grow up under a rock?¡±


    My eyes narrowed at him. ¡°Even if I wanted to do a sex y, I would be the one doing the spank-¡±


    I gasped before I couldplete my sentence. Alex had spanked me. His hand rested on my ass, squeezing lightly.


    ¡°Did that hurt? Should I give it a kiss to ease the pain?¡±


    My breathing was uneven. What the hell was that? The feeling when he¡¯d spanked me. His hand resting there, just rubbing.


    My sex throbbed, and I wanted him to do it again, but that would have been thest thing I¡¯d ever admitted. I opened my mouth to say something, I didn¡¯t even know what I was going to say, but Alex spanked me again.


    On the other cheek. It sent a wave up my spine.


    ¡°It¡¯s funny, how I don¡¯t hear youin, Kitten. It feels good, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Then he spanked me again, and again, and then he rubbed at it, leaning to blow on my ass cheeks.


    My thong was soaked by now, but I was biting my lip to keep me from moaning, to keep me from letting him know how much I liked what he was doing.


    The way I wasying across his legs, his hard-on was right underneath me. My hips buckled when he spanked me again, identally rocking against his erection.


    The moan escaped my lips. I couldn¡¯t hold it in.


    He leaned to his side and nibbled on my ear. Then he spanked me again.


    Spanked and rubbed, until I was sure that I was going to cum.


    ¡°Let us see how you like it.¡± He said and stopped.


    My heart was beating fast, my breath hitched, my thongs soaking wet, but Alex stopped andid me on the bed, off hisp.


    He started to peel off his shirt, watching me. When he took off his pants, I licked my lips.


    He smiled before turning to go into the bathroom. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Kitten, nothing a cold shower can¡¯t fix,¡± he said with a wink.

 #1 Chapter 15

    Alessandro


    Having the upper hand and leaving Katya high and dry had felt great.


    Fucking great.


    She was pure heat that singed my fingers every time I tried to touch her, butst night, I had been the one to burn her.


    At least a hundred business deals sealed, and more than a fortune made, but somehow that had be one of my most satisfying victories.


    Maybe now she would think twice of teasing, and if she didn¡¯t, I was game for whatever challenge she nned on throwing at me.


    I¡¯d rise to it.


    Life was all about learning. You lived, and you learned. You found out the things you liked and didn¡¯t, and the things that make you kill somebody in cold blood.


    This morning I learned something vital, maybe about myself, but definitely about Katya.


    She was somebody that would strive to have the upper hand.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Fucking shit!¡± I tossed the duvet aside, and Katya was there between my legs, with my dick in her hands.


    Her very warm, soft hands.


    She raised her head to meet my eyes and stretched the corners of her mouth into a sly smile.


    ¡°Good morning, husband,¡± she purred, and my dick reacted.


    I¡¯d been sleeping just a second ago, but I was sharp as a knife now. Raised up on my elbows, my eyes traveled down her body.


    Her hair was messy from sleep, and the very thin short dress she wore as a nightgown rustled with both of its spaghetti hands slipped down her shoulders. One of them had slipped so low one breast was almost spilling out, the sheer material barely staying in ce, hanging on to her amazing tit.


    I groaned when she pumped my dick once, biting her lower lip before leaning forward to push me down with one hand.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to lie down for this.¡±


    Like bloody hell I did.


    I grasped the hand and held on to it, almost pleading with my eyes.


    I was the furthest thing from a saint. When I¡¯d told her I was an obscenely sexual person, I hadn¡¯t meant it as a joke.


    Sex was a staple and for years I¡¯d never gone a week without fucking, but then she¡¯d whirled into my life like the fucking storm that she was, and I¡¯d been left consumed by thoughts of her.


    The thought of bending her over my table and spreading her cheek apart. Propping her on the edge of my bed and diving between those long legs.


    Having those legs in the air, and my name rolling out of that teasing mouth.


    But there was only so much I could do.


    ¡°Stop it.¡± There was only so much I could take.


    Katya regarded me in silence, a secret smile etched on her face. ¡°Stop what?¡± she asked innocently, running her tongue over her lips. ¡°Where is some of that ¡°perverted master seducer¡± spirit I sawst night?¡±


    She rose to her knees and nudged my legs further apart as she scuttled closer. The lower thin strap of her night rail slipped even lower, and a perfect, ample breast fell free.


    Fuck.


    ¡°Katya¡­¡±


    That was the smile of a devious person, but Katya made it so damned sexy. She stroked my straining hard-on slowly, her hand going from hilt to tip, her eyes locked on me.


    My eyes couldn¡¯t stay on hers, lowering to her free breast, and I couldn¡¯t resist licking my lips.


    It looked like it would fit perfectly in my hand. Even more perfect in my mouth, with my tongue working it.


    She didn¡¯t bother getting me to lie back, she just took the hand back.


    ¡°Fine, stay that way if you want,¡± she said, moving back and lowering herself to settle properly between my legs.


    ¡°Katya-¡±


    ¡°If your hands evene close to me, Ales, I will stop.¡±


    Before I could say another word, Katya¡¯s tongue whipped out, tasting my dick from the shaft up, slowly.


    I groaned and shuddered, closing my eyes, and rolling my head back.


    She slowly took me in her mouth, going deeper and deeper until I swore. English wasn¡¯t an option. The only thing in my head was how she worked her mouth, starting slow and working faster while ying with my balls.


    The feeling of her hair, her breath, that naked tit that rubbed against the side of my leg as she moved.


    My hands were twitching, but I grabbed fistfuls of the bedsheet instead.


    I needed this. Needed her to finish.


    The momentum built up, driving me towards the climax.


    I was going to cum-


    Then Katya stopped. Just pulled away altogether as if she had never been there at all.


    I shot up and found her standing at the foot of the bed, still looking ruffled, and with her tit still out.


    ¡°No!¡± I growled at her. She couldn¡¯t, wouldn¡¯t do this.


    But it was Katya, and if she wanted to do something, she would do it.


    ¡°Yes.¡± She smiled at me, licking the corner of her mouth as she fixed her night rail. ¡°Take it as a warning for that little stuntst night.¡±


    I fell back into the bed, hands syed, with Katyaughing to herself as she went to the bathroom and took a shower.


    I was almost there, she¡¯d left me right before I could cum, and now I had to finish myself.


    My kitten could put Satan to shame.


    By the time I showered, Katya was gone from the suite, and I had to get the day started.


    I called Frankie to gather all the managers we had in the city for a meeting.


    ¡°No honeymoon?¡± he asked jokingly, but I was in no mood for that. Not after Katya¡¯s little stunt.


    ¡°Cut the crap and get them together.¡±


    I was going to make it clear that none of them would dare to question Katya¡¯s authority. Not if they wanted to live long enough for their Christmas bonuses.


    Frankie wasughing when I cut the call.

 #1 Chapter 16

    Katya


    The Sorvino coverpany provided financial services as its front. There was a general meeting for all the managers in the region.


    That was the first thing my newly appointed secretary informed me of, even before I could step into my office.


    It was a new front. There would be people who would have reservations about this decision, naturally, and I¡¯de prepared to handle them. Even as a Petrenko, it had been the same. I¡¯d never been given an official office or position other than Don¡¯s daughter, the princess, or the heir, and before I¡¯d proven myself, there had been people who¡¯d thought they couldn¡¯t take me seriously.


    That hadn¡¯tsted a week, this wouldn¡¯tst one day.


    I entered the meeting room and found it was packed. Heads turned, to watch me walk in, and I met as many eyes as I could meet before heading to take a seat at the front. The silence was brutal, as it should be, and I made sure to keep my head high.


    I was the head of the Petrenko family now, and nobody would debase me.


    They wouldn¡¯t survive it if they tried.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Alex was in front, standing and watching me walk towards him. The seat I took was right beside him, the one with his name. He waited until I took my seat to continue, giving me a very entertained look.


    Not surprised at all by the move.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure everybody is aware of my marriage,¡± he continued, casting a look across the room. ¡°This is Katya Sorvino, the newest executive manager in our very humblepany.¡±


    He gestured toward me, and I leaned back into the chair, crossing my legs.


    I liked that it made one corner of his mouth lift in an amused smile, and that it made his gaze darken.


    Then he faced the room and became very serious. ¡°All Petrenko activities are under her, along with two of our own projects. There will be no question to her authority and decisions,¡± he added with a very deadly tone, ¡°otherwise, there will be dire, irreversible consequences.¡±


    That took me by surprise. My father had allowed me to do the breaking, he didn¡¯t step in for me, but I¡¯d handled it.


    ¡°Now,¡± Alex said, ¡°the reports.¡± Then he went to the other side of the table, to where my seat was and sat down.


    My office was nice. Polished leather chairs, a beautiful pinewood desk, and velvet couches. I liked it, but was very d I¡¯d be outside most of the time. Working outside was what I preferred rather than just sitting in some airconditioned room.


    A knock on my door, and my secretary opened the door and let in a group of people. I was given the employee records, and Alex allowed me to make my choice for my team from Sorvinos¡¯ people too.


    Some of the groups were people I already worked with, Petrenko people who didn¡¯t need to be debriefed because they already understood the situation.


    ¡°Please take a seat, thank you all foring. Lisa, some refreshments please.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mrs. Sorvino.¡± I still preferred Petrenko, but I suppose that name was something I would have to start getting used to. I smiled at her from behind my desk and watched the group settle into the couches.


    It was a big office, and there were two sets of sitting areas. The bigger one of the two was directly in front of my table, a set of two three-seater couches on one side, two coffee tables, two loveseats, and two armchairs to bnce the ratio on the other side of the coffee table. All of it set on an imported woven oriental rug.


    The second sitting area was smaller and tucked to the side of the office-a set of one three-seater, a loveseat, one armchair, and a coffee table. The rug was very simr to the first, they had almost the exact same qualities, except that the second one was in a darker green shade, and it was smaller.


    The sitting areas had different but ovepping themes. They were both elegant, but one was with a lighter, more gentle grace, and the other had darker, muskier undertones.


    A very good office, I had to admit.


    I introduced myself even though they all knew very well who I was and asked each of them to introduce themselves too, as we would all be working together.


    Then, I started to discuss the work. The projects I needed to be supervised and the people I wanted to supervise them.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that,¡± Ackam David objected when I assigned his new role. ¡°I have been the boss at the Hour-ss Club for a decade now, you have no right to just waltz in here and change anything!¡±


    I looked at the files, the one about the Hour-ss Club he managed. It wasn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t already know what they said, I¡¯d read through everything before this gathering, I just looked through it pointedly.


    ¡°David, do you know what it says in this file that I¡¯m reading?¡±


    Of course, he was quiet, but I stood up, carrying the file with me, and started to walk around my table.


    ¡°It does say that you¡¯ve been manager of the Hour-ss Club for a decade. It says you were a supervisor in the building work, and naturally were appointed the manager when it waspleted. Now, do you think I would be foolish enough to take you from this position if you were any good at it?¡±


    He still said nothing, just red at me from behind his round sses.


    I put the file down, rolled my sleeves, and perched on my desk to address t=everybody in my office.


    ¡°You did splendid as a supervisor for the construction, but not so great for the operational side. The monthly ie statements are very disappointing, really. That¡¯s why I decided to appoint you elsewhere, where you would be a lot more useful, instead of tossing you to the streets like a rag.¡±


    He opened his mouth, but I raised a finger to silence him.


    ¡°Hush. I will say this once to all of you. We will operate a friendly, one-screw up allowed policy. That means if you mess up one time, I will forgive you. But if you slip up a second time, I will not.¡±


    The room was deathly quiet. I could hear the traffic outside and the whirring of the air conditioner.


    ¡°If you want to know what it looks like when I¡¯m pissed off, then you can urge our friend David here to try his luck, he has already used his first screw up card.¡± My cold gaze washed over everybody in the room. ¡°And if you think this is unfair, you are very free toin, I promise I¡¯ll forgive you.¡±


    The first time.

 #1 Chapter 17

    Alessandro


    My apartment was on the penthouse floor of a five-star building.


    It was the whole floor.


    My mother had resisted us moving out, her theory had been because our family home was sorge, and us staying together was safer. Yet, all of us had a ce.


    Even Arianna, and she was our mother¡¯s favorite.


    However, since I¡¯d be Don of the Sorvino family, I had basically moved out despite her reservations.


    It was grand and worth millions of dors, I¡¯d picked it out to be on my own, but there were times when I didn¡¯t mindpany.


    Katya and I were having dinner together. We had been married for days now, but she had her living arrangements, and I had mine.


    I hadn¡¯t expected her to agree without putting up a fight, but that was exactly what had happened.


    So far, though, we hadn¡¯t said a word to each other.


    I wanted to change that. ¡°I¡¯ve given it some thought, and I think that it would be best for you to move in with me, Kitten.¡±


    ¡°I think that you should stop thinking then, Ales.¡±


    I reached for my wine ss. ¡°Again, with my name, would it not be better to call me something¡­sweeter?¡±


    Her eyes flickered up to re at me from across the table, and I winked at her.


    ¡°I can call you Alex or Mr. Sorvino. You can pick.¡±


    I chuckled and put down my cutlery. ¡°I suppose Alex will do for now, then. When do you n on moving in?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll set my calendar to remind me next century. I don¡¯t know what part of this arrangement is difficult to understand. It is a marriage of convenience. We married for business purposes, and it was bad enough that I took your surname, I will not move in with you.¡±


    ¡°You changed your name by your choice, Katya, I had no hand in it.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± She put her cutlery down and red at me full on. ¡°Are you sure you did not¡­I don¡¯t know, go behind my back to speak to my father?!¡±


    This was really getting to her.


    I couldn¡¯t stop myself from smiling. For the shit she¡¯d started the morning after our wedding, I didn¡¯t know how this evening would turn out.


    I leaned forward with my elbows on the table, pretending that I was trying to remember. ¡°I cannot say that I did you know.¡±


    ¡°Oh please!¡± she scoffed, reached for her ss of wine, and downed it.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t talk to him about the surname, but I will say something to him about us living together.¡±


    ¡°You will do no such thing.¡± Her eyes narrowed to slits.


    I scoffed and raised a brow. ¡°No?¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°My house is enough for me, thank you.¡±


    ¡°The house you continue to live in because your father sometimes sleeps over?¡± She gave me a look, and I shrugged. ¡°I had a¡­an investigation done when you tried to steal my property¡­the first time.¡±


    ¡°My god! You-¡± she was losing her head, but just then, Katya caught herself and gave me an inquiring look.


    She caught me, that I was purposely pushing her buttons, and sheughed. Throwing her face to the side for a moment.


    ¡°This fucking shithead.¡±


    ¡°Come now, Kitten, you need to lower your voice even more if you don¡¯t want me to hear what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    She sighed and turned back to me, giving that smile that told me it was on.


    ¡°Fine. I stay there because it is my family¡¯s house. I still won¡¯t move, Ales, nothing you say here will change that.¡±


    She was smiling, drumming her fingers on the table.


    ¡°Katya, must we do this? I suggest we move in, and you disagree. I know I can¡¯t make you do anything, so I go to Yuri, who has a very soft spot for me, and we both know what you will do after that.¡±


    I liked that she was strong against everybody but her father. For him, she would do many things.


    ¡°A marriage of convenience, Ales, means that the parties involved do not have to do anything that was not agreed to beforehand. All I agreed to, in this case, was to marry you. Which I have rightfully fulfilled.¡±


    ¡°Kitten, I already said that I had no intention of keeping this marriage strictly¡­for convenience.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Well, you also said something about being a master seducer so that I can add that to your list of lies.¡±


    I stood up as she spoke to walk around to her side of the table. Pushing her te aside and gently cing the wine ss further away. I settled to perch on the edge of the table.


    ¡°Baby, I have you in my apartment, alone with me.¡± I ced a hand at the back of her chair and leaned closer, so we were at eye level. ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time before I have you in my bedroom.¡±


    She smirked. I could smell the wine off her breath as she spoke. ¡°But not in your bed.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sure I will have you against the door, or the wall, or the floor, before we make it to the bed.¡±


    Katya considered me for a moment. ¡°You seem very confident.¡±


    The games we yed were fun, they kept things interesting, but my eyes were made for telling and I wanted her to see everything I wanted to do to her. I wanted her to see herself bent over my dining table, ass in the air while I ate the rest of my dinner off her back.


    A shiver ran through her, this up close, I caught it as it did. I smirked.


    She must have seen it.


    ¡°I would rather not waste any of our times, Kitten, we are both very busy people after all. One way or another I will have you living with me. From there, it will be only a matter of time, and you know it.¡±


    Heat passed between us, and after a moment, Katya rose from her chair. Standing up with her nose pressed against mine.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sure I can make you reconsider my moving in. Don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°That would depend on what you n to negotiate with, Kitten.¡±


    She started to move, to undo the button of her suede zer. I pushed the chair away and held her hand in ce.


    ¡°After that shit you pulled this morning, Kitten, anything you start, I¡¯m not going to allow you to leave until you finish.¡±


    With her eyes still on mine, Katya stepped closer, pressing into me with her body and scent, making me lean back again.


    Her hand snakes up my chest, and she fingered the button of my shirt.


    ¡°That¡¯s a coincidence, Ales, because what I n on starting, will end with the both of us finishing.¡±

 #1 Chapter 18

    Katya


    Tempting Alex had be a very bad habit.


    From the first day when he¡¯d given my body that slow sensual appraisal, a part of me had wanted him.


    He¡¯d pushed my buttons many times, reiming every prize I¡¯d managed to secure, and then scrambling my head with his voice, scent, and sea-blue eyes.


    After he¡¯d riled me up in my bedroom and had left just like that, every time I¡¯d ruffled his icy exterior had been a victory, vengeance.


    Now, none of those things mattered. The voice reminding me that I¡¯d intended to keep this marriage strictly for convenience was drowning in the sounds of my moans and Alex grunts as our mouths locked on each other.


    At the restaurant, I¡¯d thought immediately how good Alex was with his mouth, with his tongue. His hands wandering.


    Nothing flowed in my head but the feeling of his teeth scraping my upper lip while his hands worked my ass through my pants.


    My hands were syed on his chest, the shirt he¡¯d been wearing was unbuttonedpletely. Hot and hard, I pressed into it, running my hands up and down, scratching down slowly with my nails.


    He¡¯d said he hadn¡¯t wanted to waste time, but he hadn¡¯t even started taking off my shirt.


    The zer was already off, but when I reached to start undoing my shirt, Alex stopped me, taking my hands, and pulling them behind my back.


    ¡°What? What are you doing?¡± For a second, my mind shed back to our wedding night, the tie, me on across hisp, biting my lips to keep me from moaning.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had your chance, Kitten. I¡¯ll be the one in control tonight. Just me.¡±


    Then he was on his feet, my hands still behind my back, pushing me until my back hit the wall.


    I smirked up at him. ¡°Do you have a fetish for walls?¡±


    He chuckled darkly as he lowered his head. ¡°I have many fetishes, Kitten.¡± Then he grabbed my ass, hard, lifting me up slightly. ¡°I n to teach you every single one of them.¡±


    Then he lowered his head, trailing kisses down my jaw while my hands went to his back, trying to lift his shirt so I could feel his warm skin.


    I wanted these clothes gone-


    His teeth sank into my neck, and I let out a strangled sound. My hands were on his back, underneath his shirt, and my nail dug into his back as he sucked and licked away at my neck where he¡¯d bitten.


    He and the wall were keeping me from the ground. He pressed me so hard into it, as though my legs were nothing.


    I was breathless. ¡°The bed. Ales, the bed.¡±


    The clothes. The clothes needed to go.


    He was going so damned slow I was going insane.


    Ales¡¯ body vibrated with his chuckle. He ran his tongue one more time along my neck.


    ¡°Slowly, Kitten, we have all night.¡± He nuzzled my neck slowly, his breath grazing my sensitive skin and making me shiver. ¡°Besides, you were the one that wanted to make me reconsider.¡± Breathless, I stared at him, at his eyes zed over with darkness and lust. Those eyes that never failed to do things to my insides had hands of their own, reaching inside me to caress everything, everywhere.


    I wanted him so much.


    He did too, but I couldn¡¯t trust him not to torment me with this. I couldn¡¯t trust him not to draw it out until I ran mad. My mind was already gone, no thoughts, nothing.


    The only thing that registered was Alex and how much I wanted him to fuck me.


    I wanted him now.


    Slowly, I tried again, and he allowed me to pull his shirt off. When it came off, he started with my buttons finally.


    Leaned forward to trail kisses and bites under my throat, down every expanse of skin he revealed.


    My arms wrapped around his shoulders; my hand buried in his rich, soft hair.


    I pulled him back up, so he could kiss me. As we made out, we started to move, barreling our way to the bedroom our mouths locked on each other. We bumped into things, and I couldn¡¯t think well enough to even open my eyes and see where we were going.


    When he pulled down again to kiss my chest, I could barely make out the bed. Because before I could open my eyes, he pulled down my bra and ran a hot tongue over one nipple.


    The room became blurry as he licked and bit, massaging the other with his hand until he switched.


    I wasn¡¯t sure who was muttering or what they were saying, but my hands were on his pants, tugging and pulling at his belt.


    Alex growled when I wrapped one leg around his hip. He jerked his hard-on against me and the leg on the ground dissolved.


    His strong arm had to hold me up, allowing me to wrap him with both my legs.


    He kissed his way back up, to my lips, and turned us around, heading towards the bed.


    He tossed me on the bed, dug one hand into his pocket and then started to take off his pants, breathless with his ck hair mused and dark eyes on me.


    My hands fought with my pants too.


    Somewhere in my muddled mind, I made a mental note to tease him about having a condom ready for the dinner with me.


    Not now though, too many sensations, too many feelings, not enough space in my head to think or in my throat to talk.


    One minute we were like that, the next, he was on me, pulling the pants all the way down, past my strappy heels.


    He reached down for me, clinging to my body with his hot, hard, body, iming my mouth passionately. His hands were everywhere. In my hair, on my breasts, between my legs, and every sound I made, his mouth swallowed it.


    I was a schoolgirl again, hot-blooded and impatient. I wanted to feel every solid inch of his skin on mine, rocked against him impatiently and the length of his erection.


    ¡°So fucking wet¡­¡±


    One hand held on to my waist, and I felt his cock rub against my core.


    Very slowly.


    Up and down, taking his time. I wanted to rock wildly against him, but the hand on my waist me still, taking the relentless assault.


    Then he slid into me, and I gasped.


    We gasped at the same time. Watching ourselves, eyes locked on each other as he started to move. Very deep and slow.


    He pressed against me with every thrust, bringing a hand up to caress my breast roughly. My arms were around his neck, one hand in his hair and the other on his back, digging my nails into him as his speed increased.


    Soon he was going hard and fast, and I was rocking with him.


    Together we rocked, the tension building inside.


    Alex leaned forward and assaulted my neck, roughly palming my tit and pushing me closer and closer to my climax.


    ¡°Ales¡­¡± I moaned his name. On and on until I came, with his name rolling off my tongue.


    He kept thrusting hard as I rode my climax, and I felt his body tense, and then he shuddered, resting on me while he came, hands caressing my body, with small kisses.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even take off my shirt,¡± I said, still breathless.


    Alex chuckled, and I savored the rumbling on it against my skin. ¡°I was too busy,¡± as he spoke, his hands slid up my body, from my waist, going higher and higher with each breath I drew. ¡°I promise I will try to take it off before we continue.¡±


    ¡°Try to?¡±


    He rose on one hand, continue?


    I was about to say something when I heard my phone ringing.


    It was barely audible from the dining room where I¡¯d left it, but I caught it.


    Groaning at having what would have been a very long night interfered with, I had to get the phone.


    Alexughed as I made my way out of the bedroom.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What?! This better be importa-¡±


    It was my father. The Trievs had attacked him.

 #1 Chapter 19

    Alessandro


    From the first time I met Katya, I could tell one thing. She was not somebody you walked over.


    By the time she¡¯d tried taking my second property, I¡¯d seen that she did not just look hard as rocks, she was as hard as rocks. Maybe even harder.


    I¡¯d known her a while now, and I wouldn¡¯t have been able to name one thing that could be her weakness.


    One thing that anybody could use to get to her.


    She had none, no weaknesses. Except for her father.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Unconditionally, Yuri Petrenko was the most important person to her. The only person that could tame the wild tiger that was my wife.


    I knew I could never force her to do anything. If she made up her mind, nothing would change it. No one could change her mind.


    No one but her father. He was that influential.


    If I had proposed joining hands against the Trievs, Katya might have agreed, she was a leader, and she would always choose what was best for her family, but if I had proposed a marriage to make everything easier, she would have disagreed with the same breath.


    Maybe she would have handled any issues that arose, maybe she would have found a different, less efficient way, but she would never have agreed to marry me.


    Regardless of whether she was attracted to me or not.


    The only reason she had.


    Her father.


    Her father who was now in the hospital, was in a private hospital room resting after undergoing a surgery.


    He was a tall, strong, reasonable man, somebody who was not as ruthless as many powerful mafia dons.


    Even when the Trievs had caused him trouble, he hadn¡¯t used that as a reason to go after them. Instead, he¡¯d dealt with every problem sensibly.


    ¡°I think Katya is going to burn down the city if you don¡¯t do something,¡± Arianna came to sit beside me in the corridor, outside Yuri¡¯s room. ¡°She¡¯s been muttering since about fire and damnation. I¡¯m sure the nurses don¡¯t understand a word of Russian, but even they¡¯re terrified.¡±


    ¡°Good, at least we¡¯re both on the same page on that.¡±


    Ari gave me a look. ¡°I should have gone to Frankie instead. Goodness knows he¡¯s better at talking sense into you.¡±


    My eyes were locked on the door, my mind thinking about Yuri, the bullet wounds that had peppered his body before surgery.


    Bloody, weak, still reassuring Katya even though he¡¯d been bleeding out.


    ¡°Even if he could, who¡¯ll talk sense into Katya? The one person that could is unconscious.¡±


    She was quiet for a while, then she sighed and stood up. ¡°This was really obvious, but I just didn¡¯t want it to be on the record that I didn¡¯t try. Plus, I really liked Yuri. They should pay for what they¡¯ve done.¡±


    She looked at her phone.


    ¡°But you should go back in, I¡¯ll go get the food.¡±


    When I returned, Katya was sitting by the bed, holding Yuri¡¯s hand. That was the position I had left her in.


    Going to stand by her, I put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Arianna said you were summoning demons in Russian.¡±


    She was quiet, unmoving.


    ¡°I want to y that bastard. Hear him scream. I want his head on a spike like we¡¯re in the Middle Ages.¡±


    Yuri¡¯s chest rose and fell very slowly.


    ¡°You¡¯re a part of our family now,¡± Dom said leaning on the wall close to the window, looking outside. ¡°Yuri is a part of our family.¡±


    ¡°This is grounds for war,¡± Frankie continued the point Dom had been trying to make. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be the ones that started it, they threw the first blow.¡±


    I understood everything they were saying.


    I gave Katya¡¯s shoulder a reassuring squeeze.


    ¡°We won¡¯t take this sitting down. None of their establishments will be safe, not from me,¡± I said as a promise.


    ¡°I want to kill him myself.¡± Katya turned and looked up at me. ¡°I¡¯m the one that gets to dismember Maxim Triev.¡±


    I nodded my agreement.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hand him over on a golden tter.¡±


    Her lips twitched slightly before she turned back to her father.


    The war I had been careful to avoid was here. Every fucking thing with a Triev¡¯s sticker on it was going to burn down.


    I did not start this shit, but I had every intention of finishing it.

 #1 Chapter 20

    Katya


    Paulina¡¯s apartment was on the top floor of a high-rise building.


    As an actress and a model, she made a lot of money and got to have plenty of fun, at least until recently.


    The war we were raging on the Trievs had gotten very hectic, and they must have had iron connections in the police force-especially since the formermissioner that Alessandro had ties with was disposed of and reced.


    The police were breathing fire down my back, interrupting some of our businesses as much as they could.


    But now, they¡¯d stretched that fire to Paulina and Sam, which was incredibly distressing for them as workers in the entertainment industry.


    Paulina is an actress and model on the rise of her career, and Sam is a hair and makeup artist.


    They were both in Paulina¡¯s apartment, gathered in the kitchen, looking visibly distressed.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked, going to them to cradle them against my chest.


    First my father, now my friends.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to ask you.¡± Sam said patting Paulina on the back and gently handing her over to me before going to perch on a stool. ¡°I feel like there have been eyes on me every day for the past week, and not the good kind. It¡¯s the same for Paulina too, worse actually. The police came to take her away during a shoot, for no reason. She lost a role.¡±


    I froze. What?


    Sam sighed and looked over Paulina again, reaching to brush her hair. Her hair that looked unwashed and as fed up as her.


    ¡°I think the word spread too because some of her other jobs were withdrawn. Nobody wants to hire an actress that¡¯s in some kind of shit with the police.¡±


    I looked down at my best friend. Her arms were around me, but they were so weak.


    ¡°They took me in too, but you know in my field, my reputation isn¡¯t as important as it is in hers.¡± That was true, but Sam wasn¡¯t done. ¡°They asked me questions about you, your dad, your husband, and his family. I think they were going to get aggressive, but mywyer showed up in time. So, what gives? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    I took a deep breath. Paulina had always known that I was the daughter of a mafia boss since I came clean in high school. It was something Sam also knew, but I never really went into details, the mafia world wasn¡¯t for everybody.


    And even if it was, it wasn¡¯t for the girls. I never wanted to expose them to more than they needed to know, but now I had no choice.


    They were suffering, and it was all my fault. The careers they were building were starting to crumble, but they wouldn¡¯t copse.


    I would never allow it.


    As gently as I could, I propped Pauline up so she leaned against the counter. It was like she was dead inside, but I didn¡¯t draw attention to it.


    She was so good as an actress because she¡¯d always been overly dramatic, but maybe this time it was warranted.


    The fridge was packed with plenty of alcohol, but I pulled out an orange juice andbed the cabs for sses.


    ¡°So,¡± I said as I ced the sses in front of both of them and poured the juice. ¡°It¡¯s connected to my dad being in the hospital.¡±


    Sam and Pauline looked slightly concerned, but I didn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°There are people responsible for that, and well, we¡¯re fighting them. They¡¯ve been going off the rails for weeks, months now, and we¡¯ve had enough of their bullshit.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Sam phrased carefully, ¡°is it some kind of n war or something?¡±


    I scoffed, closing the orange juice, and tucking back into the fridge. ¡°Yeah, because I¡¯m the queen of the Vikings. No, it¡¯s more like a turf war, if we must use movie terms. They¡¯re trying to take away our businesses, and we¡¯re not giving shit up.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°But I am sorry that you guys have to be affected by it.¡±


    Sam managed a little smile, for her and Pauline. ¡°It¡¯s ok. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll recover from this, right Pauline?¡±


    We both looked at Pauline expectantly, and she sighed. ¡°What if I don¡¯t and have to waitress again?¡±


    ¡°You waitressed? Sam asked, surprised. She looked at me, and I discreetly shook my head.


    Then she raised a brow, and I gave her a pointed look, and she snorted, quickly looking away and feigning innocence when Paulina nced up suspiciously.


    Paulina grew up in an upper-middle-ss home. The only time she waitressed was during ourst summer vacation in high school when she wanted to try her hands at ¡°the original start-up journey of sessful A-list actresses.¡± She¡¯d worked at that first-ss restaurant for just one month, quitting immediately after she got her sry.


    She gave me a suspicious look, and I shrugged.


    Then Paulina shook her head and Sam and I burst outughing.


    ¡°You¡¯reughing because you don¡¯t know how hard it was being a waitress.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Sam joked, ¡°forgive us oh mighty waitress goddess.¡±


    Paulina rolled her eyes and slumped back on the counter.


    ¡°I guess I could enjoy the break for a while, as long as you promise it won¡¯t go on for too long, whatever it is, and that you¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    It was my turn to scoff. ¡°Please, it¡¯ll be child¡¯s y. You know I¡¯m not the type to lose.¡±


    Paulina rolled her eyes and grumbled under her breath, but loud enough so we all heard her. ¡°Except that one time at cards.¡±


    Sam lost it again.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t lose that time, Sam cheated! We did another round.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Yeah, sure, Mrs. I¡¯m Not a Sore Loser.¡±


    The mood had lightened up, and I was d.


    I¡¯d make sure Paulina got her gigs and more back when everything was over.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    We were telling more jokes when the doorbell rang.


    ¡°Are you expecting anyone?¡± Sam asked Paulina, who groaned dramatically because she really didn¡¯t want to get up and get the door.


    ¡°No. Who would even want toe see me? It¡¯s Friday, don¡¯t they have a social life?¡±


    I gave her a look. ¡°I came to see you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you called first.¡¯ She pushed herself off the stool and went to get the door, checking the monitor first to see who was at the door.


    ¡°Shit, it¡¯s the police, what do they want now?¡±


    I¡¯d left some men outside to guard the door. If the police were here, they¡¯d have called me first to let me know.


    It took only a millisecond, but before I could shout for her to stop, Pauline opened the door, and Maxim¡¯s men rushed in, heavily armed.

 #1 Chapter 21

    Alessandro


    I was eighteen when my father started giving me tasks from the family business to help with. He¡¯d send me to ces to collect, repress or shoot someone in the face. Romero Sorvino had been a brutal father, but there had been lessons to learn.


    One of the people he¡¯d been conducting business with thought they could get a one-up on him, make him bend to their whims, so they¡¯d targeted Dom¡¯s boarding school and kidnapped him.


    It¡¯d been the first time I¡¯d really understood what it had meant to be a part of a mafia family.


    They tortured him, just sixteen or probably less at the time, and had sent the tapes to our father, and whenever he had to watch it, he¡¯d call Frankie and me to sit and watch with him.


    That was the first ¡°real¡± job he gave me. Saving Dom.


    Frankie, me, and some of our men found where they were keeping Dom. I¡¯d lost it when I saw him cowering in the corner of a cage like a dirty rat.


    It hadn¡¯t even been the kind of anger that made you scream like a wild animal. It had been the kind of anger that made your senses sharper and calmer.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    That day I understood what my future would be like, having to protect my family when I became the Don.


    That anger paled inparison to what I was feeling now.


    My armory was open, and I was carefully strapping myself with the weapons I needed for my hunt. Humming to the tune of an old kindergarten rhyme.


    Gun, knives, hand grenades.


    I hadn¡¯t done field violence in a while, that was officially Dom¡¯s territory, but tonight, I couldn¡¯t have cared less.


    Katya was missing.


    No, not missing, taken. Like a bad joke, I¡¯d gotten the report only a few hours ago, and it had been hysterical.


    I¡¯dughed for half an hour straight, tears leaking from my eye. Somehow the men that had brought the report hadn¡¯t seen the humor, they¡¯d passed silent nced among themselves.


    Of all the things in the world to do, Maxim Triev decided to take Katya.


    He was already a dead man when he¡¯d made a move on Yuri, now, what I wanted to do to him would have made him unfit even for hell.


    God would look at his fucking body and let him into heaven just to make up for it.


    But even that, I paused, I couldn¡¯t do.


    I¡¯d promised him to Katya.


    I drew a deep breath and continued, before pulling on my jacket and wristwatch.


    Maybe Maxim wouldn¡¯t face my hands, but I was pissed as shit, and somebody was going to pay for it.


    Frankie and Dom were in on the hunt too, nothing much, just looking for a little bit of information to help us with Maxim¡¯s whereabouts. They would let me know as soon as they had a lead, meanwhile, I was going out on my own tonight.


    Nowhere fancy, just the shitty hotel the Trievs had bought and remodeled.


    I leaned against the passenger door of the van, whistling to myself-I¡¯d been ying the tune of the rhyme, but I couldn¡¯t remember the words-while the men I¡¯d brought with me wreaked havoc inside. The screams reached me, and asionally somebody would run out to try and escape.


    Since the ce was remodeled, it wasn¡¯t officially operating. Instead of a hotel, it was more of a joint for Triev operations. A ce for his people to drop off reports, victims, or whatever the hell they did,


    If they ran up the street, in front of the van, I reached inside the passenger seat for a shotgun, aimed and fired. And if they went the other way, I had a man at the back to shoot them.


    There was chaos inside and, on the street, but that was only the beginning.


    I was going to turn up the heat until somebody gave me something I could use to find my fucking wife.


    With all the noise, nobody dared move on the street, but some of them must have had the good sense to phone the cops.


    The cops wouldn¡¯t being though, not when I¡¯d already made a very direct call to the attorney general. A man on the Trievs¡¯ payroll.


    The little shitty stunt that they had been pulling for the past weeks, breathing down our necks and disrupting our businesses, had only been taken with humor because of the merger between the Petrenkos and us, but since my wife was now fucking missing, and her father was being guarded in the hospital, there was no Petrenko left to whisper in my ear about being reasonable.


    If they so much as made a sound I didn¡¯t like, I¡¯d made it clear to him that there would be instant, significant, and very severe consequences.


    All he had to do was receive his fat bribery check and stay put until I had my wife back.


    By the end of the raid at the Triev hotel, I had five business managers captured for me. I intended to question them until I found out where she was being kept.


    Preferably before I lost my mind.


    I didn¡¯t even know how they¡¯d taken her, but she was missing, and all fingers pointed to the Trievs.


    And since they had a history of human trafficking and were not above using medieval methods, as they had with the stripper from the Petrenko strip club they¡¯d raided, I needed to get her back quickly.


    I hadn¡¯t slept since I had gotten the news, and this was the second establishment of the Trievs I had visited.


    Katya.


    If anything, anything at all, happened to her, I was going to go insane and that was going to mean crap for everybody.


    All I¡¯d done so far was think, and it was true. We might have started fast and hot, tossed on a fucking rollercoaster that didn¡¯t know how to slow down, but somewhere along the way I must have fallen for her without realizing.


    It wasn¡¯t just how she looked, she was the most beautiful woman, yes, but it was more. Every time I was alone, it was her scent, that subtle mix of a delicate flowery scent with musky undertones that made me want to bury my nose in her neck and stay there.


    I wanted to catch a whiff of that scent and follow it to her.


    I wanted to see her challenging smile, hear thatugh, and watch those icy blue eyes scrutinize her environment before settling on mine.


    I hadn¡¯t said it to her, but by fuck when I got her back, I would. Every damn day I would tell her I loved her until she understood it and more.


    My heart ripped when I realized she was missing, and I hadughed like a psychopath because it couldn¡¯t, shouldn¡¯t, have been true.


    Ibed through hallways and corridors littered with dead or dying people. Not batting an eyelid as they led me to where the men I needed were.


    Tied to chairs, the five men were in a small windowless room. Maybe it was the wreckage from the attack, the bloodstain on the walls, carpet, and ceiling, but I hadn¡¯t been overly impressed with the hotel¡¯s interior.


    Maybe I¡¯d just done Triev a favor because this hotel wouldn¡¯t havested half the year if it had started operating.


    I entered the room, and one of the tied men opened his mouth.


    ¡°Do what you want, we¡¯ll ne-¡± he was starting to say before I fired at one kneecap, and he screamed.


    Then he tried to talk again, and I fired at the other kneecap. ¡°Now you¡¯ll never fucking walk,¡± I said with a surprisingly calm voice. Inside me, I was falling apart. I snapped for a chair and dragged it to the front of the man I¡¯d just shot, and my boys filtered out of the room, shutting the door, and getting to work cleaning up the street. They didn¡¯t need to bother with this ce, it would be burnt to the ground soon enough.


    I pulled out a knife and started the torture, digging out for the bullets lodged in his knees.


    His screams were blood curdling and distracting, so I stopped after getting the second bullet out.


    ¡°Normally, I would have asked you a question, but I think you were just about to say that you¡¯d never talk, yes?¡±


    If looks could kill, I¡¯d never have made it past twenty years old, but here I was, well into my thirties, being given a death stare that was severelyced with fear.


    It was unlucky for him that the death stare wouldn¡¯t hurt him the way I nned to.


    I pulled out a knife and went for the tongue. If he wasn¡¯t going to talk, then he didn¡¯t need it. Hisrades watched me mutte him in perfect silence.


    A scapegoat was what I¡¯d been looking for, and the universe had provided it ordingly.


    I started humming again after tossing the tongue to one corner of the room, listening to the heavy breathing of the other managers.


    ¡°There are only two things you can do if you want to live,¡± I said, ripping the man¡¯s shirt so I could start carving out his torse, ¡°one would be able to tell me where the fuck your boss took my wife to. The other, if you could remind me what the fuck I¡¯m trying to sing. I can¡¯t remember the words.¡±


    The first time I carved a living thing must have been a rat from my childhood; it had snuck into my stash of snacks, and I¡¯d set a trap for it.


    With his stomach open, the first man died very quickly.


    When he went limp, I pushed him back, so his chair tripped and fell over, and scooted my chair to the next man.


    He was soaked in blood from the first man¡¯s spray, sweat, and tears.


    ¡°Will you also not tell me what I need to know?¡±


    He was shaking his head and already begging. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I swear, I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t have the level to know, they didn¡¯t tell me anything, I swear.¡±


    ¡°Not even the rhyme?¡± I asked, wiping the blood off my knife on his shirt.


    Sanitary was preferred.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know¡­¡± his replied in a pleading tone.


    Not good enough.


    I didn¡¯t know how many hourster before I was the only living man left in the room, with blood everywhere on me, but there were five dead men tied to chairs on the floor, and I still wasn¡¯t any closer to finding Katya.


    I called Frankie first, but he too had nothing. He¡¯d raved through another of Triev¡¯s property but found no fucking information.


    Dom too, only that he was having a lot more fun with the torture.


    I threw my head back and looked at the badly painted ceiling, finally remembering the rhyme that was stuck in my head.


    Wherever she was, I was going to find her.

 #1 Chapter 22

    Katya


    Five men in police uniforms hade with guns, and I¡¯d shot one in the skull with my handgun before one of them had taken Paulina hostage.


    I knew better than to continue to shoot because they could have sprayed the apartment with bullets, and I would have had two dead friends. Still, the moment three of them led me out, I rushed at them, managing to stab one and shoot the other two before more of them, not in uniform, had rushed out of a corner at me.


    The bodies of the men I¡¯d brought with me were crumbled on the ground with blood leaking from their heads and onto the carpet of the hallway.


    Fucking cowards.


    They came in droves, and I shot at them. Ten dead but they didn¡¯t let up. How many hade to take one woman?Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Maxim was apparently very good at estimating his enemies because the goons kepting. But I wasn¡¯t a loser, and I refused to be taken without putting up a fight.


    It was a concussion gas grenade that took me out.


    ***


    I opened my eyes, and I couldn¡¯t recognize where I was. All the muscles in my body were killing me, but I could attend to thatter. First, I looked around me to evaluate my surroundings.


    I was in a bedroom, big with simple but excessivelyvish furniture, and on a bed.


    I went for the door I assumed led out of the bedroom, and tried to open it, but it was locked. Then, I went for the windows. The blinds were drawn, but I pushed them aside and tried. The windows were sealed shut.


    Literarily.


    I wasn¡¯t in some apartment building though. Outside, through the window ss, was thepound of a private residence: manicured garden, trimmed hedges, patrol men were everywhere armed with big guns.


    Then I started to search the room for anything. Anything I could use as a weapon, anything I could use tomunicate, anything I could get intel out of that I could use when I got out of here.


    But I found nothing. I was trying to look under the bed when the door lock turned, and somebody entered the room.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re awake.¡± An older woman entered, pulling a service cart covered with a drape in before locking the door again.


    I stood up slowly and looked her over. Possibly in her sixties, either German or Dutch because she had a very faint ent, and very much a bitch because who else would look at a captured, injured woman with such condescending eyes. Especially because of the ck uniform that looked like something that belonged to a housemaid in the 20s and the tight mignon her grey hair had been forced into.


    ¡°Sit there so I can tend the wounds. Otherwise, they¡¯ll scar,¡± she said, pushing the cart to a desk with a chair but it. When she pulled the cover, there were first aid tools, pomades, and a covered dish that might have been food.


    Even though I was weary, I still took the seat. The injuries I¡¯d gotten from resisting were many, and first aid was very needed, especially since I was going to try to escape.


    Soon enough.


    ¡°Where is this?¡± I asked as she took my arm and started treating me.


    ¡°Where do you think? Are you not that newly married Sorvino woman?¡±


    ¡°I know this is Maxim territory, but where in New York are we?¡±


    She nced at me with her disinterested brown eyes, before focusing on my arm again.


    ¡°If I answered questions like that, then I would have lost this job ages ago.¡±


    I looked at her closely. ¡°And what job would that be?¡±


    ¡°Tending to the girls he brings back.¡± She reached for spirits on the cart. ¡°They¡¯re always a pretty lot like you, but a lot less sensible. Too much crying and begging, as if I was somebody that could let them go. At least you have the sense to understand your situation.¡±


    ¡°So, Maxim brings some of the girls he traffics here? For what?¡±


    She was done with my left arm and gestured for the right. There were fewer injuries on itpared to the left.


    ¡°Different reasons, but not one of them has gotten out before, and he¡¯s never brought them into his bedroom, not for their first day at least. Maybe it¡¯s a special treatment because of who you are.¡±


    ¡°Nobody¡¯s gotten out before.¡±


    ¡°No. trying to escape will only make him angry at you, and you don¡¯t want that.¡±


    Don¡¯t I? I thought to myself. Maxim could go fuck himself with his worthless anger, I was going to get out of here and fuck him up terribly for kidnapping me, especially if so much as one hair was hurt on Paulina¡¯s or Sam¡¯s head. The woman finished the treatment, put the food on the table, and started packing up.


    ¡°A stic spoon, really?¡± I asked, lifting the spoon as if it was a dirty rag. She didn¡¯t even answer, just tucked the metal cover under the cart and packed up the medicine.


    I attacked her before she could start pushing the cart towards the door. Nothing too severe, she was an old woman after all.


    Just a chokehold while twisting one of her arms behind her back, then I pulled her toward the closet where there were a few clothes, but I was sure Maxim wouldn¡¯t have missed them.


    After tying her hands behind her back with a shirt, I searched her for the keys she¡¯d used to lock the door, then I stuffed her mouth with a different shirt and went for the door.


    As an afterthought, I went back to take the metal cover she¡¯d used to cover my food, and the ceramic te, tossing the scrappy food on the ground. I needed as many weapons as I could get.


    The woman wasn¡¯t struggling, she hadn¡¯t put up much of a fight when I¡¯d started to tie her up, but it might just have been because of her age. I stood behind the door and pressed my ear to it.


    There were people in the corridor outside, but there was no other escape route, and I needed to get out of here before Maxim came back from wherever he was.


    When I unlocked the door, one of the two men standing on either side of the door frame peeked back. ¡°Done already, baba? He asked before I smashed the ceramic in his face and lurched for the other guy with the metal cover.


    Quickly, after knocking him out, I reached for his belt because there were already sounds of people shouting and running, attracted by the noise I¡¯d made.


    No guns.


    Neither of the men had guns I could use. Iughed when the goons came at me after turning into the corridor, with bats raised and guns raised.


    I didn¡¯tst long in the fight before I was knocked out with a bat to the head.

 #1 Chapter 23

    Alessandro


    In the hospital, it was almost too calm.


    Theforting white walls, the tranquil room where all I could hear was my breathing, and the sound of Yuri¡¯s monitor was a sanctuary at this point.


    I stood over Yuri¡¯s body, watching him sleep. He¡¯d regain consciousness soon enough, but he looked peacefully asleep for now.


    Peaceful because he didn¡¯t know that Katya had been kidnapped by that bastard, if he did, I wondered if he¡¯d be able to sleep as well or if he¡¯d be like me that hadn¡¯t been able to get more than an hour of sleep each day.


    We were razing down Triev properties one after the other and every time turned up as empty as thest.


    It was as if all my effort was futile, a waste, but I had no ns of letting up.


    Somebody knocked on the door, and my brothers entered, quieter than they ever did in my office, out of respect for Yuri.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d be here,¡¯ Frankie said,ing to stand beside me. Dome went around the bed, to lean on the windowsill.


    ¡°Nothing still?¡± I asked them both even though I already knew the answer. They¡¯d have called me the moment there was new intel.


    ¡°Nothing about Katya yet,¡± Dom answered, frowning. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think maybe his taking her wasn¡¯t something too many of his people knew. No matter how high up.¡±


    Frankie nodded. ¡°That¡¯s very likely, it would have been the cunning thing to do.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re practically undoing all the progress they¡¯d managed to make in the city so far,¡± Dom opined, ¡°I mean, we¡¯re tearing down a lot of properties he¡¯d managed to acquire for his family, and he still refuses to make a move.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. He¡¯ll be making demands soon enough.¡±


    I nodded at what Frankie said.


    As if on cue, my phone rang, and I answered it without bothering to check who the caller was.


    Maxim would call with a burner phone.


    I wasn¡¯t even surprised when I heard his voice.


    ¡°I¡¯d hoped you¡¯d take longer with your demands,¡± I said coolly into the phone. Both my brothers looked at me, listening quietly.


    Hisughter irritated my ears especially through the phone. ¡°Come now, I couldn¡¯t let you ruin everything I¡¯did down.¡±


    ¡°What? Besides sorry excuses for businesses and warehouses, what else does the Trievs have?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m surepared to you we probably don¡¯t have a lot, now, do we? Except maybe your precious wife.¡± I gripped the phone tighter and narrowed my eyes. ¡°Who, may I say, is downright seductive, especially when beaten up. If I¡¯d known she was in the market for a husband, I might have snatched her right up¡­earlier than I did, I mean.¡±


    ¡°I will say this once, Maxim, so listen carefully. I will forgive everything you have done so far, from my cargo ship to kidnapping my wife, but only if you return her now.¡±


    He whistled into the speaker. ¡°Well, that¡¯s great, Ales. Exactly what I was hoping for because I do, in fact, n on returning your precious Katya. But first, I have demands, as you might have already guessed.¡±


    I didn¡¯t say anything, he¡¯d start listing them soon enough.


    ¡°No, wait, I have just one demand actually, aren¡¯t you a lucky man? I want all your assets in New York.¡±


    That made no sense.


    ¡°In exchange for my wife, you want me to hand over everything in my territory?¡±


    Maximughed again, and the sound of it reached inside my ear for my brain, to grate it. ¡°Come one, Ales, I am not a fool. I know how to make demands. I meant hand over your New York territory. Since the merger with the Petrenkos, I¡¯m sure you are managing such arge territory must be straining.¡±


    He was being unreasonable, and if he was as sneaky as I suspected, it might have been on purpose.


    It hurt to say, but as much as I loved Katya, this exchange waspletely unreasonable. ¡°I will do nothing like that,¡± I stated clearly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I can change your mind, Ales. I really can, but I cannot guarantee you will like my¡­methods.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    He was using Katya to threaten me.


    ¡°Give me a reasonable offer I can ept. I won¡¯t trade everything we have built here for her.¡±


    Frankie¡¯s eyes narrowed when he heard what I said.


    ¡°Oof! I¡¯ll be sure to ry the message, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d love to hear just how little she means to you. Honesty is, after all, the best policy. Be expecting my mind-change methods soon, Mr. Sorvino.¡±


    The call ended.

 #1 Chapter 24

    Katya


    The escape n was a big failure, but only in one way. I was restrained now, but I¡¯d gotten a good look at theyout outside Maxim¡¯s bedroom. The next attempt would be a lot better.


    Sessful.


    As soon as I could get out of the restraints.


    ¡°You know, Baba Geneva didn¡¯t appreciate being hustled and tied like a cow.¡± Maxim¡¯s voice,ing from behind me. I turned my head as far as it could go, but barely caught a glimpse of him. His footsteps made me know he was moving,ing closer to me.


    ¡°And as punishment, you have decided to tie me to a chair?¡± I asked, my voiceced thickly with my disdain for him. ¡°Very original, Maxim Triev. I am sure this trend you¡¯ve started will catch on.¡±


    ¡°Is that humor, Katya? In your situation, I¡¯d have thought you¡¯d be a bit more¡­.¡±


    ¡°Afraid?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡± He walked around to stand in front of me, arms crossed across his chest as he stared down. If my legs were not also tied to the legs of the chair, I would have crossed them. As things were, I lifted my chin defiantly and red because that was all I could do.


    For now.


    ¡°The only person who should be afraid here is you. When I get my hand on you, I promise to do things to you worse than death, so better make sure you kill me before I can.¡±


    He tutted and leaned down so his face was level with mine.


    ¡°I¡¯m ttered you want your hands on me, Katya, but please remember you¡¯re a married woman. I am many things, but not an adulterer.¡±


    Then he stood up and turned around. I thought he was going to walk away, but he whirled around and struck me across the face.


    Hard.


    My left cheek hurt, starting to sting very slowly. There would be a cut there, courtesy of the silver ring he wore on his right hand.


    Then he rushed for me. Reaching behind my head to pull at my hair and force my head back so I was staring up at him.


    ¡°Your husband has refused my terms, apparently, to him, you are not worth as much as you had thought.¡±


    I leaned closer, as close as the chair allowed me to get, and sneered. ¡°Or you are shittier at your job than you had thought.¡±


    Maximughed. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that, Mrs. Sorvino.¡±


    Then he went out, leaving me alone in the bare room. It was hard to tell whether it was a space connected to his bedroom or somewhere else entirely in the mansion. Looking around was when I noticed the camera he¡¯d set up, standing in the corner, pointed at me.


    When the door opened again, Triev goons carried in a table, andid out plenty of tools on it, with Maxim leaning against the door frame, watching with disinterest. When they¡¯re done, he tells them in Russian to connect the video to the Sorvinos.


    All the while, I watch with my head still up, a little bit of blood isn¡¯t enough to make me afraid.


    Not even when I¡¯d been a kid.


    ¡°Are you ready, my beautiful starlet? We¡¯re about to make a mind-blowing production. Although I suppose in this case I should say mind changing.¡±


    Something came through on the earphone plugged into one of his ears and his smile widened. Then he winked at me and whirled theatrically.


    ¡°Wee, Ales, to the fulfillment of my promise. Watch carefully because if you blink, you just might miss an important scene.¡± Maxim went to the table, humming, and brought back a sledgehammer.


    He walked behind me and tutted. ¡°You need to look at the camera honey, if you keep trying to look at me, you¡¯ll break your neck. Which wouldn¡¯t be great because I would prefer to do that myself.¡±


    As he spoke, he caressed my cheek with the back of his hand. He tried to, at least because I moved my face away.


    Then he paused, and for some seconds, nothing happened.


    Then he backhanded me so hard my neck almost broke from the force. The inside of my cheek cut, and I spat out blood. Wincing when I licked over the ce with my tongue.


    ¡°I said look at the camera you fucking cyka!¡± he was close to me when he shouted that, I felt the spittle.


    I looked away, turned my head to the side to stare at the wall, and heard him heave a sigh behind me.


    ¡°If you won¡¯t listen, then maybe you don¡¯t need your ears. Maybe you don¡¯t even need your whole bloody head.¡±


    I saw him raise the sledgehammer from the corner of my eye, but then he stopped, maybe for the camera.


    ¡°Wait, this could kill you,¡± he said, and I heard the crack when the hammernded on the concrete floor of the room. ¡°I don¡¯t want you dead just yet.¡±


    His hands grabbed me by the sides of my head, and he forced my head back. He was bent over me, smiling, his medium length brown hair falling forward.


    ¡°Did you know, lovely Katya, that I asked your darling Alex to give me everything you both have in New York in exchange for you, and he refused.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes at him. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine why.¡±


    ¡°Really, because I can. He just doesn¡¯t understand what could happen to you here, that¡¯d why I decided to make an educational video. To teach him.¡±


    My lips were sealed.


    Maxim leaned closer to me and whispered. ¡°That¡¯s why I need you to beg him to save you. Cry and weep like a little baby because I promised some dogs a bone, and you¡¯ll be what I¡¯ll throw to them if I don¡¯t get what I want.¡±


    ¡°If you think I will cry, Maxim, then you don¡¯t deserve the credit people give you.¡±


    He hushed me and shook his head as if he was scolding a child. ¡°You don¡¯t understand what these men will do to something so¡­seductive as you. If you think I¡¯m a wild animal, wait until you meet my friends, it will be a whole treat, I promise. They will tear into you like cardboard, so do something for yourself, my dear. Do what I tell you, ok?¡±


    He eased up a bit, but I spat in his face and said loud enough so Alex and anybody else watching could hear me.


    ¡°Khuy teb¨¦! I will do nothing for you.¡±


    Maxim let me and wiped his face.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Then he took my head again and bashed my face with his forehead. I grimaced, but he¡¯d only just started.


    The assaults were fast, hard, precise.


    He walked around to my front, stepping to the side so the camera could capture it perfectly. Then he ced a hand on my shoulder, gripping it tightly, and buried a punch in my stomach.


    I lurched forward against the restraints and his strong hold, but he didn¡¯t stop. The punches kepting until I coughed out blood, whether from the assault on my stomach or the injury in my mouth, I couldn¡¯t tell.


    I didn¡¯t care; all I focused on was not crying out.


    Not a sound woulde out of me, not for his pleasure.


    He came back again, gripping my throat and pulling at it while pushing down on my shoulder with his other hand. It felt as if he was trying to dislodge my neck from my body, all while strangling me.


    ¡°You know,¡± he said, staring down at me with darkened eyes. ¡°I just realized that this is no way to treat a woman. I mean, of course I¡¯m having fun, but there¡¯re better ways to have even more fun, wouldn¡¯t you agree, Katya?¡±


    I gasped for air but red at him with hard eyes. My hands gripped at nothing bound behind the chair. I was starting to feel lightheaded.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He let me go, and I fell forward, coughing and gasping for air. Maxim walked around me and gripped my hair, pulling my head back and exposing my neck. Then he leaned down and ran his nose along it, sending bile up my throat.


    He took in a deep breath and sighed.


    ¡°Ales, I know you have no children yet, but if there were any children about, I advise that you don¡¯t let them watch the next video. Since you refuse to give me what I ask for, I fully intend to enjoy all the assets I currently have at my disposal.¡±


    My hatred for Maxim Triev could not have intensified if he turned out to be the devil himself. But I would allow that video to end like that.


    As loud as I could, gritting through the pain maxim was inflicting on my skull, I shouted to Ales, because I knew he was watching.


    ¡°Forget me, Ales,¡± I said, ¡°don¡¯t do anything he says. If you find me dead, I want you to burn everything to the fucking ground!¡±


    Every fucking thing.

 #1 Chapter 25

    Alessandro


    There wasn¡¯t any sound when the video ended. The sounds stoppeding when Maxim had the balls to put his hand in Katya¡¯s beautiful hair and run his nose along her throat.


    ¡°Ales!¡± Frankie has his hand on my shoulder when Ie back into myself. He had a worried look on his face.


    Maybe I wanted to say something. Maybe he wanted to say something, I wasn¡¯t sure because it felt like all the threads holding my mind together had loosened and now everything was rolling everywhere, like a handful of marbles thrown on the ground.


    Somebody was about to say something when my door burst open. Dom was already up with his gun aimed, but it was just my secretary, breathing hard. Her eyes were wide with fear.


    ¡°For goodness¡± sake Dom, lower the gun,¡± Frankie said. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked my secretary.


    Millie swallowed and tried to talk but kept stammering. ¡°Th-the hospital called, s-sir.¡±N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    I shot up from the couch. ¡°Yuri?¡± There was a stable rotation of my men that kept guard over Yuri¡¯s room, switching shifts, and making sure even the doctors and nurses were never alone with Yuri in the hospital room.


    But she was already shaking her head. ¡°Then-they said somebody was asking about the Sorvinos.¡±


    I furrowed my brows. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Samantha Thomas.¡± It was one of Katya¡¯s closest friends.


    We were at the hospital in less than an hour, and found Samantha in the emergency unit, having her injuries treated. Deep and shallow cuts, bruises all over her body, a ck, busted lips.


    She looked terrible. When she saw using, she left the nurse and started limping toward us even with her ruined, bare feet.


    She stumbled and almost fell, but Frankie was fast and caught her before she could hit the ground. Clinging to him, she cried, begging for help.


    ¡°Paulina, please, you have to save Paulina. I don¡¯t know what they¡¯ll do to her when they find out I escaped,¡± she cried, ¡°You have to save her, please.¡±


    I went down to the ground, one knee on the floor, not minding my suit pant at all, so I could be at eye level with her. She was sniffling and looked too broken, crying for her friend.


    I knew Paulina and Samantha were like sisters to Katya, it angered me that Maxim had left nothing untouched, but I wanted to reassure her, to calm her down.


    I spoke as softly as I could to keep her calm. ¡°Nothing will happen to Paulina, alright? You are both very precious to Katya, and I will protect whatever is precious to her. But first, I will take you to a private room, have a nurse treat your wounds, and then you can tell me everything you can remember. Ok?¡±


    Samantha sniffled. She was shaking terribly, and maybe it was because Frankie was such a big man, but she looked terribly small in his arms. She nodded her head and tried to stand up from Frankie¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, let me help you,¡± he offered and helped her stand.


    I hadn¡¯t known how Katya was taken. The war was on, and she had been overlooking some of it when I¡¯d gotten the call from my guys from the hospital where Yuri was that she had called them and was supposed to have been with them over an hour ago. Then I¡¯d tried her phone, and it hadn¡¯t even rung. Switched off.


    It was as if she¡¯d just disappeared.


    Now, I knew that she¡¯d gone to Paulina¡¯s apartment to visit her and Samantha, because the police had been harassing them. She¡¯d gone to reassure them, but they¡¯d been interrupted. Maxim¡¯s men, disguised as police officers had gone to Paulina¡¯s apartment to take Katya away and held Samantha and Paulina hostage.


    ¡°¡­she managed to lure them away, pretending that her manager was going to pay them a ransom for her. That was how I got the chance to go through the window and escape. I didn¡¯t have any money with me, and I¡¯d rushed so no car key either.¡±


    Her feet were getting bandaged now, the sores and wounds numerous. ¡°You walked here?¡±


    ¡°I ran. I needed to get to you guys quickly but didn¡¯t really know where to go. After everything, I couldn¡¯t go to the police station.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s smart,¡± Frankiemented, ¡°the Trievs have very strong connections in the police force. We¡¯re still trying to weed it out.¡±


    ¡°So, they are still there?¡± I asked, getting up. My heart was pounding, my hands itchy. This was the breakthrough I had been searching for.


    Samantha nodded. ¡°They¡¯ve turned the ce into some kind of horror dungeon where they drugged and tortured us. They¡¯ve started to use it as some kind of base. They were just two at first, but now there¡¯s more of them, and I think even more wereing.¡±


    I nodded. The more, the merrier, I had a lot of tension I needed to let out.


    ¡°So, are you both nning on staying here or are we going to kill some Triev goons?¡± Dom asked, posted by the door. ¡°Our boys are already gathered and ready.¡±


    ¡°She said there might be a lot of them,¡± Frankie added sensibly.


    Domughed. ¡°I doubt it¡¯ll be something we can¡¯t handle, especially not after Maxim¡¯s award-winning documentary.¡±

 #1 Chapter 26

    Katya


    It smelled rank in this ce. Like vomit, stale piss, blood, and a corpse. I was chained to the wall with a leather cor linked with steel chains and sat on the ground with my arms around my knees.


    It was difficult to breathe, and the foul smell made my stomach turn. But I wouldn¡¯t be throwing up anything, not since I¡¯d already thrown everything in my up in a puddle five feet from me, close to the severed hand and ear I¡¯d stumbled upon.


    I watched them bothy there, closer to the bars of this cell, rotting away, and shuddered.


    Somebody had died here, and maybe I would too.


    I even with the gun firing at me in Paulina¡¯s apartment, I hadn¡¯t believed I¡¯d die. Get shot and be injured, maybe, but death hadn¡¯t been on my mind.


    Now it was.


    Maxim would rip into me like the madman he was. Before Alex or anybody else would find this ce, I¡¯d have been long gone.


    I didn¡¯t want to die. If there were a clear choice, I¡¯d choose to do whatever it took to remain alive.


    Unless the condition for staying alive were anything even mildly rted to forgiving Maxim, in which case, I¡¯d drink the poison.


    It was cold down here, and I was still in the simple brown dress I¡¯d worn to Paulina¡¯s. Funny to think that I¡¯d almost debated between this and a spaghetti strap mini dress.


    The dress had a sleeve that went halfway down my arm. I still shivered, but I was grateful for it.


    Cold, hungry, and with injuries from Maxim¡¯s movie and the beating I¡¯d gotten for putting up a fight when they¡¯d dragged me here, I still managed to rein in my emotions.


    He could batter me like a rag if he wanted, I had no ns of giving him anything. No deals, no tears, not even a fucking scream.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    High and dry until myst breath, and I¡¯d die knowing that Alex would make him pay.


    I¡¯d told him to burn it all to the ground, but I knew that once he got a hold of Maxim, he¡¯d make the bastard beg for death.


    The couching fits came again, forcing me to lurch forward on my knees and hands, coughing and spitting out blood.


    I kept coughing, even as I caught the sounds of somebodying towards the cell. Keys jangled and hinges squeaked as the cell gate was opened and shut.


    When the fit resided, I still stayed in that position, just breathing. Every cough had tugged on my intestines, and they needed time to slide back down.


    ¡°If you attack me again,¡± the creaky voice of the German/Dutch elderly woman, ¡°it will be thest time I will tend your wounds. A scarred girl is not one he¡¯ll keep alive. You can ask thest girl to be locked in here.¡±


    I pushed myself back into a seating position, wincing because the pain all over my body was blinding plus, I was starting to develop a raging headache.


    ¡°Yeah, we had that conversation right before you came in. She knows how to tell a great joke.¡±


    The woman red down at me, the same as the first time we¡¯d met, and then went down on her knees to set the first aid box down.


    ¡°I¡¯d thought you were a smart girl, but you resisting Mr. Triev has shown otherwise,¡± she said, grabbing my arm forcefully. All the care she¡¯d given it the first time was gone in the scuffle when they¡¯d chained me to this damned ce, and now she couldn¡¯t care less.


    Still, it was the best form of treatment I could get, so I allowed her to handle me roughly.


    ¡°If you just do what he says,¡± she continued with that froggy monotonal voice, ¡°it would be better for you. He is capable of violence far above your nightmares.¡±


    My head was against the damp wall, resting because I was hungry and weak, and had no strength to give smart remarks to the nonsense.


    ¡°I think there is something wrong with him sometimes. His bloodlust is terrible, and I¡¯ve seen him tear into a girl with the stick of a broom. Ruined her insides and left her for the men to clean up.¡±


    Not a word came from my mouth, but I would have liked nothing more than to give the older woman several punches to the face.


    Maybe bash her head against the wall and knock a few teeth out.


    But I was saving my strength for when Maxim came back. There was bound to be a round two, I knew it.

 #1 Chapter 27

    Alessandro


    Breakthrough.


    The heavy weight in my chest lifted slightly. But that weight was immediately reced by the thirst I had for revenge, and I was d for it. The men that had been involved in Katya¡¯s kidnapping were still in Paulina¡¯s apartment, a low-rise two-story luxury apartment building.


    That was why Samantha had been able to scale down through the bedroom window without breaking any bones.


    Dom had already gathered the muscle we needed, but I insisted on them not rushing in.


    I would go in first, after we had reced Samantha, so they didn¡¯t do anything go crazy on Katya¡¯s other friend.


    ¡°What¡¯s the status?¡± I asked Dom through the phone. Samantha had wanted to go back, but her injuries were brutal and many, and I wouldn¡¯t allow that. So, she was in her hospital room, and we were waiting for everything to be ready.


    Dom made a humming sound into the phone, as if he was looking through something. The instructions had been very clear.


    In ce of Samantha, Frankie had suggested we could take somebody vaguely simr back to Paulina¡¯s, and when everything was in ce, we could storm in.


    She hadn¡¯t been clear on the number of people in the apartment, and some of the information seemed confusing. Probably due to her injuries. We didn¡¯t know the exact number of Maxim¡¯s men in the apartment or their n.


    The only clear had been that some men disguised as the police hade in with guns, and they¡¯d taken Katya away while one had stayed behind. Then there¡¯d been a struggle, both in the apartment and outside with Katya.


    But Paulina had been knocked out, and Samantha was subdued, and after the noiseing from outside had settled, more of them had entered the apartment, dragged them into a room, and beaten them. Especially Paulina because she was a model and actress, perhaps she had more worth, and they were thinking of getting some ransom money.


    They also wanted to take ownership of the apartment and use it as a front for the Trievs while it was under Paulina¡¯s name.


    They were nning on expanding.


    We couldn¡¯t be sure of how many would be in the apartment, especially because it wasn¡¯t a small property. We needed somebody that could pass for Samantha, briefly, and Dom knew someone who would fit the bill.


    A stripper in one of the Petrenko strip clubs Katya managed. He shrugged when I looked at him, but the stripper¡¯s resemnce was passable, especially after Samantha suggested they add the bruises with make-up.


    She said they¡¯d locked her in Paulina¡¯s workroom and left her there after beating the crap out of her.


    All their attentions were on Paulina because she was the cow they wanted to milk.


    All these steps were necessary because Maxim was a cunning bastard. The men couldn¡¯t suspect the stripper wasn¡¯t Samantha until we¡¯d confirmed their numbers and stormed the ce.


    I had every intention of getting my wife back within 24 hours.


    ¡°We snuck her back in time. I can hear them kicking the living shit out of her, they must have just gone in to check up on her. She¡¯s good at this though, currently, we know there¡¯re at least two guys in there with her, maybe seven or eight more close by, she can¡¯t hear where Paulina is to know how many more are in the apartment. There are more, but probably not many more.¡±


    I stood and Samantha shot up on the bed, I had to gesture with my hand for her to calm down. ¡°I¡¯lle now, try to get theplete number, and if they¡¯re expecting any more goons.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, big brother.¡±


    I cut the call and looked at Samantha¡¯s expecting face.


    ¡°What happened? Is Paulina ok?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re going to storm into the apartment the moment I get there.¡±


    ¡°Ok, thank you.¡± She rxed a bit before looking up again. ¡°And from the people in Paulina¡¯s apartment, you¡¯ll be able to get where Katya is?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Everything will be over tonight.¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    She nodded andid back into the bed, turning to look toward the window on the other side of the room. With a voice that seemed far away, she said, ¡°I hope she¡¯s ok, and that they didn¡¯t treat her as bad as they did Paulina.¡±


    I looked at her for a while before heading out, leaving three men to guard the door.


    Fourteen men in all were waiting for me, not all of them with guns.


    I went up the borate steps with a gun, loaded, ready, and with a silencer.


    The two at the door had bullets in their head before they could register who I was, and I knocked on the door.


    Behind me, Frankie and Dom, and behind them were a few of the men Dom had gathered.


    The whole thing didn¡¯tst two minutes. In the main living room, they dropped like flies with muffled shots on the light-colored carpet, staining it with their worthless blood. They weren¡¯t shot to be killed, so as they dropped, my men nuzzled them and dragged them out.


    ¡°I counted eleven,¡± Frankie said behind me.


    In the kitchen that was separated from the living room by a line of counters, Dom opened a can of beer. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because of the closed bedroom door and the girl being tortured behind it?¡±


    ¡°I will hit you with the butt of my gun,¡± Frankie answered.


    The door wasn¡¯t locked, but what was behind it made me stop in my tracks.


    Even Frankie drew a breath behind me.


    ¡°Hey! You better stop there,¡± one of the men shouting a threat, raising his gun, the others scrambling around for weapons.


    I took steps into the room, my eyes on the bed where Paulinay, almost lifeless. I remembered how she¡¯d looked at the wedding. Even though she didn¡±t hold a candle to Katya, she was beautiful.


    Had been.


    Frankie was already saying something, but I couldn¡¯t hear him. The white noise in my ears muffled his voice and made it sound distant when I kicked the door behind me. ¡°Don¡¯te in.¡±


    ¡°Ales, we need them alive to que-¡±


    The door shut and cut him off, and I turned the lock without looking away from the men.


    They must have recognized who I was.


    This was what Samantha had meant when she¡¯d hoped Katya wasn¡¯t treated as terribly as Paulina.


    There was only one bullet left in my gun, but that was all I needed.


    The door thudded wildly as I let loose all the frustrations of Katya¡¯s kidnapping on them. I was holding one of them up by the neck against the wall, lifting him up so his feet were off the ground when the door burst open.


    ¡°For fuck¡¯s sake, Ales, we need to find where Katya is. I told you not to kill them.¡±


    The one I was holding up was the only one living, just barely, but I intended to put that to an end soon enough.


    ¡°Frankie, get Paulina to a hospital.¡±


    ¡°Fucking shit!¡± Dom eximed behind me. In Russian, he called two men to take her to the hospital soon. ¡°Overdosed her on the drugs too, by the look of it.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s on her way to a hospital now, Ales, let that one go.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I tilted my head, staring right into the swollen eyes that were leaking blood from the cuts around them and tears. He wasn¡¯t even fighting back anymore. ¡°We have eleven of them alive, one more won¡¯t be missed.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°We have nine alive, you killed the two by the door.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I will allow this one live, but only if he can prove himself useful. How about it?¡± I smiled at the max choking in my grip. ¡°Tell me where my wife is.¡±


    An hourter, Dom was out, happier than I¡¯d seen him in a while, to gather more men. We¡¯d gotten Maxim¡¯s location and I was going to get Katya back.


    My hands were dirty from torturing, and I wiped violently with a handkerchief that would never be white again.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you d I interfered before you killed him?¡±


    I finished cleaning my hand and trashed the handkerchief. ¡°Relieved more like, but still, thank you.¡±


    Frankie smiled. ¡°Revenge atst?¡±


    I smiled too. My brothers knew me so well.

 #1 Chapter 28

    Katya


    I was on my guard when I heard the stomping. Angry, fast footsteps marching towards my goddamn cell.


    Standing so quickly left me a bit lightheaded, but I was ready for whatever crap Maxim intended to throw at me.


    That miserable old woman had said a lot of things maybe in a bid to make me afraid and submissive like an obedient little tramp, but that was not me.


    I did not submit to those that were inferior to me. I¡¯d rather die fighting.


    Three of them came. One aimed a gun at me, so I slowly raised both my hands in the air while another opened the cell for them to enter.


    ¡°Nice to see the Petrenko princess living in shit like a fucking pig,¡± the one with the gun said in Russian and spat at my feet while hisrades loosened the chain from the bolt on the wall and shoved me forward to get moving.


    ¡°Shove a dick down your throat.¡± I sneered back.


    They shoved me to a different room in what I assumed was the underground floor of Maxim¡¯s estate because I hadn¡¯t passed even one window.


    When they shut the door, the one with the gun gestured to me. ¡°Strip, princess. Let¡¯s see your royal tits.¡±


    The other two guys stood back,ughing lecherously.


    ¡°You must be joking.¡±


    He gave me a daring look and smirked. ¡°Then you should startughing.¡±


    Around the time I became friends with Paulina in high school, I was a fighter.


    If somebody so much as said something that pissed me off, I¡¯d be on them with my fists. The constant fighting was how I had gotten better at it.


    You only had to throw one bad punch to learn the right way to do it.


    With my father, I got into trouble for fighting just once. Around the first time I got into a serious fight during a school vacation.


    He¡¯d chewed me out in Russian, not only for starting the fight, but also for not finishing it. For breaking my fingers and needing to get treated at the hospital because of it.


    That was when he¡¯d shown me how to throw a proper punch.


    One that could dislodge a jaw without making me break my fingers.


    I threw punches like a madman, kicking and scratching because they were trying to strip me. Two of the men attacked me, while the third tried to reel me in by the chain leash I was attached to.


    My fists connected with their faces and abdomens, but they gained on me, kneeing me in the stomach, and forcing me towards a table. I was already severely wounded, and weak, so they managed to get me in a hold.


    With a switchde, they tore my dress and exposed me to the draft in the grey room.


    The one with the chain attached to my cor yanked at it violently, trying to force me on the table.


    It was a long battle, but they strapped me down on the cold surface of the table, and I was writhing, tugging at the binds.


    ¡°My goodness,¡± Maxim¡¯s disgusting voice echoed into the room. He was standing by the door. ¡°It was like trying to give a bath to a wild cat. I mean, darling Katya, look at what you did to my men.¡±


    I didn¡¯t bother with a retort. Instead, I calmed down, stayed still, and tried to gather my strength.


    There was this feeling that I would need it for whatever Maxim had nned for me.


    The men propped the table up, so I wasn¡¯t lying down anymore and was instead forced to get a better view of the ugly room and Maxim.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°No smart words for me Katya? You¡¯ll wound my delicate heart. I¡¯ve always thought you were¡­ fierier¡­disappointing.¡±


    Before I could even process anything, a needle was buried into my neck.


    Then, they set up cameras and tools, arranging different torture weapons on a smaller stand close to where I was propped while the room swam.


    ¡°I promised Alessandro a much better episode in this series, as a man of my word, I intend to fulfill it.¡±


    Then he rained punches on me. My jaw, my chest, my stomach. Everywhere. It was as if whatever they had injected me with heightened the pain, or maybe it was because he was mercilessly assaulting old wounds too.


    I was out of breath when he took a break, my head hanging as I tried to bring air back into my lungs.


    ¡°You know,¡± as he spoke, I heard the distinct ringing of steel clinking against each other-the tools on the stand. ¡°I think I really wanted to be a doctor when I was a child. That was, of course, before I found my true calling, and maybe also before I realized I didn¡¯t have enough of a brain to be a doctor.¡±


    He came to stand in front of me again, stroking my hair. ¡°Wow, even in a piss cell, your hair still manages its mour, eh?¡± Then he dug his fingers in and held my head up. He had a scalpel in his other hand. ¡°How about we y doctor? To help me relive an old dream.¡±


    Then, there was a shattering explosion.

 #1 Chapter 29

    Alessandro


    Dom was a force of nature, something to be reckoned with. With a talent for causing chaos, he had been the natural fit for his position in the family.


    The go-to guy for anything rted to knives, guns, bombs, or just inly killing.


    How he¡¯d gotten Maxim¡¯s mansion rigged so quickly was impressive. He knew exactly where to ce his premade explosions for maximum effect.


    The explosion created the perfect environment for us to invade, raining bullets on everybody on the property.


    The explosion told Maxim his life was ticking down to its final seconds.


    The mansion was the perfect environment for revenge. People shouting, to retreat, for mercy, shots firing simultaneously. I walked through it all, heading for rooms with closed doors, looking for Katya.


    Carmina Farci, our for-hire assassin, appeared beside me as if by magic. Smiling with her mischievous bright hazel eyes.


    ¡°The universe has literally delivered this guy right into your hands, no?¡± I jogged up the stair to the second floor, and she followed me, gesturing at the violence everywhere. Bullets flying, bodies dropping, weapons shing. Somewhere close by, we heard Domugh maniacally, followed by a loudly shouted prayer. ¡°See? Dom¡¯s always having a good time, and even he is having the best time of his life right now.¡±


    My gun, the same one I¡¯d used in Paulina¡¯s apartment, was silent, loaded, and in my grip. I raised and fired at anybody who tried to interfere with my search as I walked briskly through the mansion, searching for Katya.


    A spectacrly foolish man jumped out from a corner with a knife. I caught the hand holding knife without even paying attention and shot a bullet into his forehead, letting him slump to the ground after letting him go.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to find my wife, Carmina, preferably before I lose my damn mind.¡±


    Carminaughed, skillfully stepping to the side just as somebody using an opened door for cover started to shoot. He only managed to shoot once before he fell, bleeding from the wounds to his heart and head. She had her double guns out.


    ¡°If that was all, then you really should be happier. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s an underground level, your search might be more fruitful there.¡±


    I stopped walking and stared at her. ¡°And how would you know this?¡±


    ¡°Shitheads like Maxim Triev are a staple for assassins like me. I must have broken into a million mansions exactly like this one¡­some of them were actually better than this, the d¨¦cor here is absolute trash. I can¡¯t exin why their dicks get hard for dungeons in basements, or why they always keep valuable things there. It¡¯s just one of those things, you know.¡± A wide smile spread across her small face. ¡°You have fun now, Ales, I have to go get some action before this party of yours ends without me.¡±


    Then she was off, running and firing her semi-automatic handguns down the corridor. ¡°You better save some for me, asshole!¡± she shouted for Dom, wherever he was.


    He must have been somewhere close because he answered, ¡°Not in this life Carmina!¡±


    I retraced my steps and went back down, heading for the underground floor.


    Assuming it existed.


    If Maxim were half as smart as I gave him credit for, he¡¯d know better than to still be here. Whether he had taken Katya with him as a contingency n or not, if he was here, he was dead.


    What I was banking on was that he would try to escape without taking Katya with him.


    Carmina was right about the basement. The door leading to it was wide open, and the corridors were empty. Going deeper into it, the noise of the violence above ground was muffled, and it was possibly the quietest ce on the property at the moment.


    My phone rang at that moment, as I went to the rooms searching. It was Frankie calling.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got eyes on Maxim.¡±


    I paused, my heart pounding. ¡°Katya?¡±N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t have her with him.¡±


    Good. I continued walking.


    ¡°Take good care of him, Frankie. Show him some Sorvino hospitality. He¡¯s to be our highly esteemed guest.¡±


    I ended the call and continuedbing through the rooms and cells, until finally, I found her in a dank grey room.


    Katya was alone, and strapped to a table standing against the wall, half naked and terribly bruised.


    Like a dying man, I stumbled into the room, something knotting tightly in my chest.


    A camera was set up at the front of the room, pointing right at her. The bruises were many, darkly colored, the cuts were deep in some ces. There was a stand beside her, disying many torture tools, none of which were coated with her blood.


    Her head lolled forward, and when I reached her, trying to raise her head up gently by her cheeks, her skin was cold. I checked for her pulse. The draft in the underground level was terrible, but still they¡¯d stripped her until she was almost naked.


    Maybe they would have taken this all the way.


    Whatever they¡¯d done to her, whatever they would have done to her if we hadn¡¯te in time, made my blood boil, but I could trust my family to act on it for me.


    I had Katya again, and I was going to make sure it stayed that way. Taking one of the many knives on the stand, I cut through the straps that bound Katya to the table, and she fell limp on me.


    She was bloody and dirty, but I didn¡¯t care, having her in my arms was the greatest feeling, and for a moment, I held her there, just hugging her.


    Just telling myself that I¡¯d gotten her back.


    That it wasn¡¯t a dream, and she really was with me again.


    I hefted her into my arms and carried her bridal style. She was my Kitten, my Katya, my bride.

 #1 Chapter 30

    Katya


    The feeling of somebody touching my body awoke me.


    I didn¡¯t open my eyes immediately but steadily regained consciousness. At this point, passing out was almost a routine.


    All my life, I hadn¡¯t lost consciousness before, but for the past few weeks, I¡¯ve managed to lose count of how many times I was knocked out.


    Trying to sense my environment without exposing that I was awake, I listened and tried to feel.


    There were hands on me, wrapping and prodding and applying cool wet substances to ces that made me want to suck my teeth. That old witch was here again.


    I wasn¡¯t back in that terrible cell. The ce didn¡¯t stink like I remembered, but it smelt faintly like medicine and spirit. There was a draft, my face was cold, but the rest of me was warm, except for the ces the old woman was treating.


    I couldn¡¯t point out where I was, nothing about it struck me as familiar. Not in Maxim¡¯s room or the cell. I was lying on a bed that felt a lot smaller than Maxim¡¯s had been, maybe a different ce then.


    A working theory was that they kept switching the ces they held me hostage so I wouldn¡¯t try to escape, but there was something they had overlooked.


    I wasn¡¯t restrained this time. The body ache was a bitch, but there was nothing on my neck, nothing on my wrists, nothing holding down my ankles.


    The old woman moved quietly, covering my leg back because she was done treating it anding back up towards my face level.


    I was going to escape this time, and when I came back, it would be with bullets that had Maxim Triev engraved on their sides. She moved, and I risked a peek at her.


    Her back was turned to me, wearing white for the first time, that was the first and only thing I noticed before I sprang from the bed and on her.


    She would have screamed, but I had her in a headlock, tugging at her throat, so all she managed was a squeak.


    I had a strong hold and brought my other hand up to pull at her face hard enough to break her stupid neck. The wounds all over my body were screaming, but this was my chance, and I was determined to go all out.


    Before I could snap the old woman¡¯s neck, the door opened and-


    ¡°Ales?¡± It couldn¡¯t have been him¡­no. Maybe the injuries, hunger, and maltreatment had gotten to my brain and was making me see things. This-


    ¡°Katya, let her go,¡± it was his voice, that rumbling voice that did things to me. ¡°Trust me, ok? You need to calm down and let your nurse go.¡±


    My¡­what?


    Nothing was making any sense, but I trusted him, so I let the old woman go and stepped back.


    Blinking, I realized that it wasn¡¯t that batty old woman. This was a younger, frightened, blonde woman in white.


    My¡­nurse.


    ¡°Ales?¡± I called, looking at him with wide eyes. He just stood there while the nurse scrambled out, clutching her neck. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s happening is that I have my wife in the hospital, awake after being unconscious for a whole week,¡±


    ¡°A week?¡±


    ¡°After being rescued from being held hostage. When I found you, there was an empty syringe on the ground, and the tests showed you were drugged. I don¡¯t even want to think about what would have happened if I hadn¡¯te in time.¡±


    He came to me, and enveloped me in a bear hug, hands wrapped around me in my hospital gown.


    ¡°What are you made of that you could even move like that with all those injuries? Broken ribs, yet the first thing you did after gaining consciousness was to attempt to choke your nurse.¡±


    He drew back and stared down at me.


    ¡°If I wasn¡¯t impressed, I¡¯d be a terrible liar.¡±


    It was definitely Ales; his warm body and the charming smile were all the evidence I needed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been here a week,¡± I said, my mind racing. ¡°We need to go. Paulina and Samantha, they mi-¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re doing well. It¡¯s thanks to them I was able to find you in time.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    My friends were ok. I had been afraid Maxim would kill them now that I was gone.


    Maxim.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. But we have to go. I know where that bastard¡¯s estate is, we should go and get him before he packs up and flees, if he already hasn¡¯t. I made some promises that I¡¯d love to fulfill.¡±


    Alexughed and drew me closer.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s a bitte, Kitten, but I have a wedding gift for you. The very best gift you¡¯ve received in a while, I¡¯m sure.¡±

 #1 Chapter 31

    Alessandro


    We brought Maxim to a club, on Katya¡¯s insistence.


    She didn¡¯t want it to be somewhere isted and quiet, she wanted to slowly torture Maxim Triev to death at a club. With the music pumping, swallowing his screams if they got out.


    Plus, she¡¯d argued, a dead body would be easier to dispose of from a club. Less nosy people and more cover for sketchy shit.


    It was one of my clubs, which had a lot of exclusive inner rooms, upstairs and underground.


    The whole underground was off-limits tonight, just for Katya.


    She¡¯d hummed to herself on the drive here, had basically sang to herself as she poured out her tools and arranged them.


    I had sat back in the room, determined to watch what she wanted to do.


    I¡¯d almostughed when she¡¯d set up the camera, something about preserving memories.


    Then, she¡¯d pulled out the sledgehammer.


    Until then, Maxim had been saving face, taunting Katya and me. Going on about how we didn¡¯t know what his family was capable of.


    Even he kept quiet when Katya lifted the sledgehammer.


    Although that hadn¡¯tsted too long before his mouth had opened again, to scream in agony.


    Every day was a lesson, and watching Katya, I learned that the saying about a scorned woman was true.


    Hell could not have had fury like Katya did. For the first few minutes, I¡¯d been able to sit, but then it turned very dark very quickly, and there were some things I hadn¡¯t even thought possible.


    Dom hadn¡¯t thought allowing her to torture Maxim would be good enough.


    I wondered what he thought while I prepared myself a drink at the bar on the underground floors. Frankie came to join meter, quiet as I served him a drink from behind the bar.


    He raised his ss in a toast. ¡°The good Lord help me not to get on that woman¡¯s bad side.¡±


    ¡°The good Lord help us both.¡±


    ¡°Amen.¡± We said together.


    We clinked our sses and drank without a word, listening to the thumping music and cheering above mixed in with the horrific screams of a dying man.


    ¡°How long has it been?¡± Frankie asked.


    I nced at my watch. ¡°Almost three hours now.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡±


    I smirked and started on another drink.


    ¡°I know. Even Dom is very impressed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think I saw him taking notes.¡±


    I chuckled.


    He¡¯d thought he should take over the torturing for Katya, he¡¯d handle the tools, and she¡¯d sit down to watch and satisfy her thirst for revenge.


    Katya had refused him with a smile and arms crossed. She¡¯d said clearly that she could handle it.


    And now she was.


    Maxim¡¯s scream did not stop for two more hours.


    Even then, it was Dom that came out first, beaming.


    ¡°And here I thought you were joking about the notebook.¡± I said to Frankie as Dom settled on a stool, tapping the bar for a drink as if I was a bartender.


    I shook my head at him and set to making my third round of drinks.


    ¡°I take it that she¡¯s done then?¡± Frankie asked.


    Dom made a sound and shook his head. ¡°Not yet. She¡¯s doing something to his head.¡±


    ¡°Putting it in a jar?¡± I asked, reaching down for a bottle of Irish rum.


    Dom nodded. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°She promised him that she would do just that.¡±


    Domughed.


    ¡°Holy shit! I am so happy she¡¯s a part of the family now. We can have some good times together.¡±


    I opened my mouth to say that Dom would not have any kind of fun with Katya because I didn¡¯t want him exposing her to that part of our lives, but then, Katya was born into this kind of living. And even if they did anything together, I waspletely sure that she would be the one exposing him to new dangerous, and unsightly things.


    So, I just shut my mouth back and smiled, mixing the drink in the shaker and setting it out in sses.


    Katya came out just then, dabbing her neck with a napkin that was a shade of red so deep I couldn¡¯t tell the bloodstains apart.


    And there had to be blood stains on that.


    ¡°Is there a drink for me, boys?¡± she asked,ing to sit on a stool too, beside Dom.


    ¡°It depends on how you n to pay for it.¡± I said with a smirk and a wink.


    Frankie made a sound and rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Please, I love you both, but I will vomit if you do that in front of me.¡±


    Katya gave me a half-smile and leaned on the counter on her elbow. ¡°I¡¯ll set up a payment n when we get home.¡±


    Frankie groaned, and Iughed as I ced the fourth ss I¡¯d made in front of Katya.


    We got home some time past midnight.


    Katya hadn¡¯tpletely agreed to live with me, but she had agreed to spend most days in my apartment while still retaining all her properties.


    The first thing she did when we got back home was head straight to the bathroom.


    I went in with her, watching her strip out of her body con dress while I leaned back on the counter.


    ¡°I was thinking of shifting your responsibilities,¡± I said, starting the conversation I¡¯d wanted to have at the club before her torturing session had taken the whole night.


    She stepped into the shower and started to rinse herself off.


    This was an important conversation but watching water cascade down her voluptuous body was not helping me focus on the importance of the conversation.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be taking Dom¡¯s job,¡± she said dryly.


    I chuckled. My eyes locked on the perfect curve of her ass. I wondered if the reason she didn¡¯t close the shower door was because of the conversation we were having or because she wanted me to watch.


    With Katya, it could be for no reason at all.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t nning on handing his duties over to you, Kitten, I wanted to have you participate more in the Sorvino businesses.¡±


    ¡°Ales, while I do appreciate the thought,¡± she said as she worked ather on her body, ¡°all I can think about right now is why you¡¯ve been standing there, watching me when I left the door open for you to join me.¡±


    I smiled and started undoing the buttons of my shirt. ¡°You know, it is a coincidence, but I was just thinking about the same thing.¡±


    After I stripped, I joined her in the shower, helping her rinse the soap off her skin.


    My hand slid up and down her body with ease, mesmerized by the smoothness.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You are so fucking perfect, Kitten.¡± I whispered to the back of her head as she backed into me, rubbing my hardening member against her soft, full ass.


    Katya turned off the shower and kept on rubbing against my shaft. Up and down. My mouth fell on her shoulder, kissing and scraping my teeth along it until it got to that sweet spot between her shoulder and neck that she licked, and I felt goosebumps prickle on her skin, with my hands on her hips.


    With a hand on the shower wall, Katya started to rock, slowly, moaning music to my ears when my hands slithered up to cup her breasts.


    Her perfect tits fit so well in my hands.


    They fit perfectly.


    Squeezing her tit between my fingers and roughly massaging her breast, Katya¡¯s rocking tempo increased, and a curse escaped my mouth.


    She was going to drive me to climax if it continued like that, so I reached up for her hand, pressing them to the wall while I leaned my hips back, out of her reach.


    She let out a growl and I hissed between my teeth, suckling a path up her shoulder. This was for her. This time, I was going to take my time, to draw it out because I¡¯d wanted to feel her against me for the days she¡¯d been taken from me.


    I drew her hands up, putting them together. ¡°If you move, Kitten, I¡¯ll stop.¡±


    Then I let my hands slide down her sides. Felt them raise goosebumps as they passed and felt her shiver against my chest.


    I¡¯d missed her so much.


    My mouth found the back of her neck, her wet hair tickling my nose as I nibbled against her skin while my hand kneaded her hips.


    Her breathing was brash, but not enough.


    I wanted her panting like a fucking animal in heat. I wanted her too weak to stand, all her pride shattered as she begged me to take her deep.


    My hands slithered forward. Slowly, evil, teasing. Her breathing shook with anticipation, and I leaned into her, slowly.


    Easing my hard-on closer and closer until it pressed against her ass, and she muttered under her breath in Russian. I felt her hips buckle and paused.


    To let her know I wasn¡¯t joking.


    If not for the interruption that night, I would have taken her more times. Different ways until we couldn¡¯t remember where our bodies started and where the other began. Until we were both so fucking exhausted.


    My fingers tapped between her legs, gently grazing where she wanted me and easing away. They dragged up the front on her while my hips pressed into her ass and stayed there, my dick firmly between her ass cheeks.


    I nipped my way up her neck. To the back of her ear, dragging her ear lobe between my teeth.


    Katya let out a gasp and eased into me. Already, it was getting too hard to keep standing.


    ¡°Kiss me Ales, I want your lips on mine.¡± She managed between gasps as I kneaded her breasts, swerving my hips slowly against her.


    I blew a breath against her ear and chuckled. ¡°¡­then you¡¯re out of luck, Katya.¡± I dragged my tongue down her ear, and she turned her head slightly, so she could look back at me.


    My dick was throbbing, but I stopped. Those eyes were hot, scalding. I could have held her by her hair, thrusting like a madman, and her eyes told me they would allow it.


    ¡°Forward, darling. Look forward or I¡¯ll walk away, and you can finish up yourself.¡±


    Her eyes narrowed and I saw her about to say something, but instead, she mewled and bit her lips. My hands were on her tits, hard at work.


    I dragged my lips between my teeth to draw her attention and savored the desire in her eyes as she stared at them.


    ¡°Forward, Katya. Now.¡±


    She leaned her head against the wall, her head still half-turned to watch me. It wasn¡¯t forward, but I¡¯d be damned if I walked away.


    Pressing closer, so my hands were trapped between her warm body and the cold wall, I continued caressing her. Staring into that mesmerizing eye as I moved against her and teased her. One hand was still on her breast while the other trailed down again.


    Her eyes fluttered shut as it closed in on that sweet spot.


    She was hot and heavy, but she wouldn¡¯t beg. Not my love, Katya. Her pride wouldn¡¯t allow it.


    My hand stopped just shy of it, my palm spread wide against the soft hair there. I used it to guide the sway of her hips, so that we were moving in a rhythm, slowly and together.


    ¡°Beg me,¡± I said, leaning closer to her, so I was only a breath away so that the kiss she so desperately wanted was so close. ¡°Beg me to kiss you, Kitten. Beg me and I¡¯ll do make it all end.¡±


    As I spoke, my finger dove in slowly, sliding against her clit in one slow motion.


    ¡°Beg.¡±


    My nose was on her now. Her eyes were hot, as hot as mine were. Were both wanted to move and moan, I was sure she could see that in my eyes the way I saw it in her eyes, but I wanted her to beg, and she didn¡¯t want to.


    I didn¡¯t trust that I would have left her if she didn¡¯t beg.


    But she did. She licked her lips and said begged very quietly.


    ¡°Please, Ales,¡± her hot breath tickled against my lips, ¡°finger me. Kiss me. I want everything.¡±


    With my tongue, I licked the water off her lips, smirking against her moan as my hand found her sex.


    ¡°So needy.¡± I muttered against her mouth.


    Her hand reached into my hair, holding me against her as our tongue started their rhythm.


    We were rocking together in the shower soon enough, my dick thrusting between ass cheeks, my fingers fingering her clitoris vigorously, while my other hand palmed her breast, teasing her nipple.


    She liked it when I handled her tits roughly.


    She was muttering nonsense in Russian, half words that didn¡¯t make sense to either of us as we chased ecstasy. She was just a mess of sounds, her mouth hanging open as she moaned toward her climax.


    Our eyes were on each other, watching as we fucked in the shower. No sounds but our harsh breathing.


    I thrust against her ass faster, pumping my fingers faster, rougher.


    Pushing us further and further until her grip on my hair hardened and I felt her knees buckle.


    I reached down my other hand to hold up a knee and continued pumping my fingers.


    My eyes could leave hers. They were entranced, watching here undone, watching that icy wall shatter into pieces as she moaned out my name.


    I pumped into Katya, thrusting against her ass until we both shuddered in pleasure, both of us riding the climax of our pleasures with jagged breaths and butterfly kisses.


    Then we stayed there for a moment, breathing hard with our eyes still on each other. I reached for the shower and put it on, rinsing my cum off her back.


    ¡°Well,¡± she said with a sly smile, ¡°that was fun.¡±


    I chuckled as I rinsed her off, dragging my eyes pointedly down her body.


    ¡°Oh, Kitten, we haven¡¯t even gotten started.¡±

 #1 Chapter 32

    Katya


    ¡°No.¡± I said, frowning over a cup of my morning coffee at the picture of the house Alex was showing me on his iPad. ¡°I will not live in another ssless house.¡±


    He looked at me from across the table. ¡°Another?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± I said, trying to smile, ¡°I moved in with you, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Alex looked incredulous. Something glinted in his eyes that I knew was reflected in my own.


    ¡°Well, Kitten, you¡¯re going to have to make a choice, since my exquisite house doesn¡¯t suit your taste, unless, of course, you¡¯d like to stay here.¡±


    ¡°This is an apartment.¡±


    ¡°An apartment that I own.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how that makes any difference.¡±


    He was full on smiling now. ¡°What exactly is your goal this morning? If it¡¯s to piss me off, I can assure you that you¡¯re out of luck, I find even that part of you terribly sexy.¡±


    I scoffed and put my coffee down. His eyes were darkening, and he was starting to look at me with eyes that I very much recognized. ¡°O Gospodi, is your mind ever clean?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather that remained a mystery.¡± He said watching like a predator as I stood up, still in my suggestive nightgown.


    I couldn¡¯t allow him to start what was clearly running in his head, but I wanted to have a little fun.


    ¡°I assure you, that part of you is not a mystery.¡±


    ¡°Really? I was sure I was keeping it under wraps.¡±


    I went to his side and perched on the table beside him.


    ¡°We need to pick out a ce today.¡± We¡¯d decided to move to a property, a bigger one so we couldbine both the Petrenkos and the Sorvinos properly.


    The dress rode up my legs, very high up my thighs, and he dragged his hand slowly from my ankle, moving up without taking his eyes off me. ¡°That¡¯s what the rest of the day is for.¡±


    I didn¡¯t stop him, instead, I put my leg on the chair he was sitting on, between his legs.


    Our eyes were locked.


    ¡°You¡¯re tempting me, Kitten, that¡¯s very dangerous.¡±


    I leaned forward, allowing one spaghetti hand of my dress to slip down my shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re the one tempting yourself, husband.¡±


    He bit his lower lip looking at me with a dare in his eyes. I stared right back. He imed to know me, he knew I would always be game.


    ¡°This round,¡± he said reluctantly, ¡°I¡¯ll let you have this round.¡±


    Laughing, I fell on top of his legs. ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m sure there were no rounds this time.¡±


    ¡°Fucking tease.¡±


    I stood up and went to the bathroom, swinging my hips because I knew his eyes would be trained on them.


    We decided on a mansion in the Hamptons. A grand house with almost twenty rooms, all of which were up to my standard. I made the realtor bring me pictures of every room in every property I considered and ended up with the best mansion in my opinion.


    Alex decided to buy the mansion next door and merge both properties to build argepound for both our families to live and run our businesses from.


    Helena Sorvino was the most excited, about the whole thing.


    She¡¯d never called me so much before.


    To celebrate finally dealing with the housing problem, Alex and I decided to host a small party for all our family and friends.


    Samantha and Paulina were a lot better, happier too. I was already gearing up to help Paulina get her gigs back. There had been calls, and maybe a few tense conversations, but it wouldn¡¯t be anything permanent, she¡¯d get back on track.


    She was beautiful and talented, just that the Trievs had managed to slow down her career pace.


    There were still injuries on her face, but they¡¯d heal.


    This page was over, and I¡¯d never allow anything like it to repeat itself.


    If ever a situation started to even warm up slightly, I would diffuse it. Like I could have at the club when I confronted Maxim the first time.


    Even if it endangered me, I¡¯d make sure I ended it quickly next time.


    I looked at the hall, it was a lot bigger than I was used to. My dad was still unconscious, but he was fine and soon, he¡¯d wake up.


    ¡°Is my wife smiling at herself because she¡¯s realized how lucky she was to have married me?¡±


    Alex came up behind me, brilliant in his beige suit. His stark ck hair and green eyes sparkling under the light.


    I did realize how lucky I was, even though he¡¯d never hear it from me¡­not too often at least.


    ¡°I actually was just in fact, realizing how lucky you were that I agreed to marry you.¡±


    He sucked in a breath and came to stand beside me so that he could watch the party together.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sure, Arianna doesn¡¯t think so.¡±


    I drank from my champagne ss, catching Ariannaining over a table of cards, Samantha and Paulinaughing their asses off at her. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s because Helena¡¯s called me a hundred times in the past week.¡±


    ¡°Well, she does love the Hampton Mansion.¡±


    ¡°Of course, she does, Helena has great taste.¡±


    ¡°She said, actively avoiding her mother-inw.¡±


    I turned to him and looked him up and down. ¡°I¡¯m very happy tonight, Ales.¡±


    I said before I could manage the words.


    Something about him made it hard to think too much of what I was going to say¡­it might have been his scent.


    Alex eyed me cheekily, then he took my free hand, cradling it in his before he gently lifted it to his lips, and nted a kiss on the back of it.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°So am I, Kitten.¡±


    He put my hand gently on his chest, smiling fondly at me.


    Just then, one of the servers came to interrupt us.


    There was a message from the Trievs. Apparently, they wanted to meet.

 #1 Chapter 33

    Alessandro


    First impressions mattered the most. The first rule of business is that first impressions determine the sess of every deal you¡¯d ever make.


    The Trievs¡¯ first impression had been bull crap. A rancid madman trying to force himself into spaces he should never have looked at. Maxim hadid down a terrible reputation for the Triev as far as I was concerned. He kidnapped and tortured my wife and assaulted my father-inw.


    Not to mention causing me over forty million dors in losses.


    Now, we were negotiating a truce.


    ¡°¡­those are our terms,¡± the speaker for the Trievs, Dmitri, said and leaned back into his seat. ¡°Now, you can state yours.¡±


    The board room was divided in two, the Trievs and their people on one side, and me and my people on the other. No guns had been allowed into the meeting room, but the bodyguards each side had brought were standing like statues with eyes trained to catch any suspicious movements.


    The real bodyguards with their weapons were outside in the corridor.


    I cleared my throat.


    Unlike them, I had a stable and well-defined reputation-Alessandro Sorvino was not somebody you wanted to be tangled with.


    ¡°First of all, you will pay me back the fifty million dors owed.


    ¡°The cargo ship was worth forty!¡± Dmitri interjected with indignation.


    ¡°If I wanted to hear you shout at me, Mr. Triev, I would have arranged for this meeting at a bar.¡± His eyes narrowed at me, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Good. At least this brother could learn. ¡°You can think of the additional ten as a fee for interfering with my business in the first ce. Compensation that is wholly inadequate considering everything Maxim did. I believe my father-inw is still in the hospital.¡±


    He was, but only because he wasfortable. Yuri had woken up just fine after a few days, he was still in the hospital because he wanted to be there. He had announced his retirement and was even thinking of going traveling.


    Dmitri¡¯s face mellowed. He couldn¡¯t argue the point, making peace was the primary goal of this meeting after all.


    Revenge was at the door, and he suddenly remembered how to call for a truce and negotiate terms.


    Katya wasn¡¯t in the board meeting, otherwise, she would have been watching them like a hawk, catching even the slightest change in expression.


    ¡°I also want the Trievs to take over the expenses of rebuilding my wife¡¯s strip club. She already has the ns drawn and will have them delivered to you by the end of the day.¡± I added with a pleasant look on my face.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± Dmitri asked.


    I looked pointedly at them before calling Katya in. ¡°Kitten?¡±


    She came holding something in her hand, draped over it was a dark red cloth.


    My lips twitched into a smile as she ced it on the table.


    She looked at Dmitri with the most innocent look on her face. ¡°We will hand Maxim back right now if you watch my video. I¡¯m trying out something new, you know, and I can¡¯t trust my husband¡¯s opinion.¡±


    ¡°I am very biased,¡± I confirmed with a severe head nod. The Trievs looked at each other, and Dmitri gave a single nod.


    ¡°Wonderful,¡± she said with a predatory smile on her lips.


    The video was put on the giant screen.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said before they could y the video. ¡°I think I¡¯ve had a change of heart.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Dmitri asked from across the room.


    ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t think I can tolerate human traffickers in my city. A man needs to have principles, you know.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being loud, Mr. Triev,¡± Katya¡¯s warning voice. I suggest you keep quiet and pay attention. ¡°Are you done, my dear?¡±


    ¡°No. I was saying that I no longer want this truce. I don¡¯t want Triev trash on my turf, in my city.¡± As I was talking, the video started, the video of Katya torturing Maxim.


    It took a moment for Dmitri to get it, but when he did, he shot up from his seat, and Katya saw it fit to pull the cover off the jar at exactly that moment.


    Inside it was Maxim¡¯s head.


    ¡°What-¡± Dmitri started but would never finish because there was a bullet between his eyes, and a gun in my hand.


    On cue, my men flooded into the room, taking out everybody on the Triev¡¯s side of the meeting room.


    I stood close to Katya in the chaos, listening to our enemies die.


    She leaned close to me, wrapping her arms around my neck.


    ¡°I love you, Kitten, so fucking much,¡± I confessed. Putting my arms around her waist to hold her tighter.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Katya chuckled. ¡°I love you, Alessandro Sorvino. Who could believe it? Who would have thought you had been telling the truth when you said you were a master seducer¡­¡± her lips hovered so close to mine.


    ¡°I told you that wasn¡¯t a lie.¡± I leaned down and imed her mouth.


    *****


    THE END of book 1

 #2 (The Marriage)-C1

    AmeliaC0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    This day couldn¡¯t possibly get worse, could it? I flick my brown curly hair over my shoulder and sigh softly, waiting at the bar of La Club. What else is there to do after yet another horrible breakup but drown my sorrows?


    ¡°What will it be?¡± the beefy bartender asks as he approaches me.


    ¡°Vodka and lemonade,¡± I order, ¡°make it a double.¡±


    I watch him make the drink, knowing my father would be pissed if he knew I was out drinking again. Then again, he¡¯d been pissed I¡¯d been with Dave, to begin with.


    I sway to the rhythm of the music, tapping my long nails against the wood of the bar while I wait for my drink. I can¡¯t remember why I haven¡¯t been to La Club in so long, but it¡¯s nagging my brain. Something about the ce doesn¡¯t sit right with me, but it was in the neighborhood after my sudden and catastrophic breakup with Dave, and I just wanted to unwind and enjoy myself.


    A few sleazy guys have their eyes on me, I can tell just by scanning the room, but I¡¯m not in the mood for a rebound tonight. Everyone already questions my choices when ites to men. I don¡¯t need to add to my reputation so soon after a breakup.


    I tip the bartender and take my drink, heading straight to the dance floor to let loose. Earlier, I messaged my best friend Emily to join me, but she hasn¡¯t replied. I check my phone again and shoot her another text.


    Then I pocket my phone and dance, hanging onto my drink as the crowd dances around me, sometimes bumping into me. It¡¯s a rock night, so they¡¯re ying quite an interesting collection of music. Some heavy, some punk, but I don¡¯t care as long as I can dance to it. In fact, it suits the rage I feel within me, so I bop and bounce along, joining the crowd in their frenzy until my drink is finished and I¡¯m tired.


    Maybe a Jagerbomb will go down well, something that will give me energy. I head back toward the bar, weaving through groups of people shouting at each other over the music.


    I never saw the point in trying to talk at a nightclub. The point is to dance and have fun. Go outside and have a smoke if you want to talk, or go out for dinner where you can have a quiet conversation without cracking your voice box trying to be heard.


    A man blocked my path to the bar, and I waited a moment before I started getting annoyed. I never was a patient person. To begin with, my father liked to remind me, but I¡¯m also not a scared little girl. I tap him on the shoulder and call, ¡°Excuse me, can you move?¡±


    He turns and looks at me, and I freeze in ce. I know those grayish-blue Sorvino eyes anywhere. Francesco Sorvino, or Frankie, as everyone calls him, looks deep into my eyes and then up and down my body, causing a shiver to run over me.


    ¡°Hey, Frankie,¡± I call, trying to be polite. ¡°You look good.¡±


    I mean it. He does look good. Fuck, why am I being nice to him anyway? The dickhead broke my heart the most out of all my exes.


    I wait for his response, but he sidesteps me and heads to the office. That¡¯s when it dawns on me. The reason I didn¡¯te to La Club was that the Sorvino mafia family owns it, and Frankie handles the business. I consider leaving. The sting of his ignoring me like I was nothing burns deep, but there¡¯s also defiance in me that wants him to see me having a good time. To show him I¡¯ve moved on to bigger, brighter, and more fun times.


    I go to the bar, my shoulders squared away and ready to take on whatever this shitty day decides to throw at me next.


    ¡°Another?¡± the bartender asks as he recognizes me.


    ¡°And a Jagerbomb,¡± I add.


    ¡°Coming up,¡± he calls over the music and grabs what he needs. I watch him. Maybe I should grab a rebound guy. Specifically in front of Frankie to remind him of what he¡¯s missing out on. I mean, his office is right there. I could wait until hees out and just make out with someone. That¡¯ll rile him up. ARGH! Why do I care so much that he ignored me?


    This really should be a non-issue. I take my phone out and see six messages from Dave. Ah, Dave, I¡¯m not responding to you, honey, you¡¯re fifty shades of fucked up, and I¡¯m already over dealing with your brand of crazy.


    I text Emily again to ask if she ising out or not. She¡¯s probably asleep. Bitch is getting tired in her old age. I chuckle to myself at the joke. I do love my best friend. She¡¯s been working hard, though, so I have to make do with what I¡¯ve got. I put my back to the bar and nce around. Lots of guys in suits, pretentious fucks who want to look important but really, they¡¯re not. The suits are cheap, and any person with actual money can tell from a mile away.


    One looks directly at me, but he¡¯s so far from my type that I almost gag. He steps toward me, so I roll my eyes and shake my head, turning back to the bar. He better just stay in hisne if he knows what¡¯s good for him,


    ¡°Here you go,¡± the bartender says, setting my drinks in front of me. I knock back the shot and smack my lips, grinning. ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll be back for another soon.¡±


    I grab my drink and turn to head back to the dance floor, but the sleaze ball is there. ¡°Hi, I couldn¡¯t help but notice you looking at me.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t by choice. You have something gross on your face,¡± I say.


    His eyes widen, and he moves away quickly, heading for the bathroom. I grin and make my way past Frankie¡¯s office, but I¡¯m stopped dead in my tracks when an arm grabs me and spins me around, causing me to spill my drink.


    Dave.


    ¡°What the fuck do you want?¡± I demand to know, ring at him and shaking my hand, trying to dry it.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t answering me, so I tracked your phone,¡± he growls, ¡°We¡¯re not fucking done talking.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are,¡± I shout. ¡°You don¡¯t fucking own me, Dave. It¡¯s over. We are over. ept it and move on.¡±


    I turn to leave, but he grabs me again. This time when he spins me around, I throw my drink in his face. A few people around us gasp and watch in horror as Dave¡¯s face turns a deep red.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know who you¡¯re fucking with when you fuck with me,¡± Dave shouts.


    ¡°And you fuck very poorly. I didn¡¯t finish once,¡± I mock him, trying to pull myself out of his grip. ¡°So take your limp dick somewhere else.¡±


    The blowes out of nowhere. Suddenly I am disorientated and dizzy, struggling to keep my bnce. I can hear shouts around me and people screaming about a gun.


    I raise my head slightly to look at Dave and see him holding a piece. I touch the side of my head and pull my hand away to see blood. Did he shoot me? Or did he just hit me?


    Someone pulls Dave off of me, but without him holding onto me, I tumble into darkness.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C2

    Frankie


    There is always something to take care of at one of the numerous businesses that the family owns. We know how to run a tight ship. I know how to run a tight ship, but sometimes things happen that will need my attention.


    Like stolen money.


    I don¡¯t like it when money goes missing from my clubs, and La Club is one of my favorite ces tounder money because it runs so smoothly, so when the intake and the output are grossly mismanaged, I get a little bit agitated.


    Agitation doesn¡¯t begin to exin how I feel when I¡¯m tapped on the shoulder to move out the way by none other than Amelia. Her brown curls cascade down either side of her face and her back, and she looks beautiful with simple makeup. When her amber eyes locked with mine, the first thing thates to my mind is the memory of the kisses we shared, the intimate nights we had together, and the breakup that ruined me. My emotions do a tumble, and I almost lose my calm demeanor. I look her up and down, taking in her scantily dressed, toned, and tanned body, and then I walk toward my office without a word.


    I don¡¯t think I can speak to her without keeping the emotion out of my voice, so I decide not to acknowledge her. It¡¯s for the best. I sit down at therge oak table, and James, my ountant, brings a tablet to me to look at. I scan the figures. ¡°Do we know who it is?¡±


    ¡°We think it¡¯s one of the bar staff,¡± James exins. He delves into the details of what¡¯s missing as I try to read the information on the tablet, but my mind keeps swinging back to Amelia and the look in her eyes when I walked away from her. It¡¯s the same look as the first time I walked away from her, but that was for her own good. I just couldn¡¯t tell her that.


    My agitation rises as I realize I haven¡¯t heard a word James has said. My concentration is all over the ce. I hold a hand up. ¡°Get me a drink, whiskey on the rocks, and not the cheap watered-down shit we serve those business graduates.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± James leaves to arrange the drink, and I sit back, rubbing my chin. I need to focus on the task at hand because if someone is robbing me, they will be catching the hiding of their lives. If it doesn¡¯t end their life. An example must be made, after all.


    It irritates me so much how seeing Amelia can bring my world down again. I really thought I¡¯d moved on. I certainly don¡¯t think of her while she¡¯s out of sight. I don¡¯t even know why she woulde to La Club, maybe just to irritate me. Perhaps she intended to set me off. Who knows what that little minx thinks sometimes?


    I turn my attention back to the tablet when I hear shouting outside the office. I ignore it at first. The bouncers throw out loads of drunk patrons all the time. It¡¯s not my job to get involved, but suddenly a voice sounds familiar. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s Amelia.


    There¡¯s a hard knock and screams, and I get up quickly, my hand going to the gun holstered inside my jacket. My men follow me out to see a guy waving a gun, and a bleeding disorientated Amelia in his clutches. I calmly walk behind him and hit him in the back of the head with my gun, bringing him down. The club empties quickly, so my men grab him and drag him out back while I catch Amelia.


    I lean over her. ¡°Amelia? Can you hear me? Amelia?¡±


    It¡¯s no good. She¡¯s passed out. Slight panic builds up within me as I turn to James. ¡°Keep the asshole in the back. I¡¯ll sort him out once I¡¯ve arranged for her to go to the hospital.¡±


    I gather her in my arms and carry her outside to my car. I wave over a bouncer. ¡°Shut down the club for the night and let the boys know I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    With that, I climb into the driver¡¯s side and start my car. Joining traffic, I throw my hazard lights on and zoom through the cars to the nearby hospital. Once there, I gather Amelia carefully in my arms. I didn¡¯t even acknowledge her, and yet she was hurt under my watch. A small sense of guilt creeps into me.


    The nurses rush to me when they see me carrying her, and bring a gurney. ¡°She was attacked, hit in the head with a gun. I have to go. Is there someone I can give her father¡¯s contact details to?¡±


    A nurse walks up to me with a clipboard, and I quickly give Amelia¡¯s details, at least what I know, and then I give her father¡¯s contact details. He¡¯ll have to deal with her when she wakes up. I need to get back to La Club.


    The drive back does nothing for my temper. I drive quickly, parking outside my building. I go into the club and make sure the bouncers have shut down everything. It¡¯ll cost us, but I have more important things to deal with tonight. She might not be in my life anymore, but I don¡¯t take kindly to men who hurt women at the best of times., let alone someone I cared deeply about.


    I walk into the back section of the club where my men have zip tied the idiot to a chair. He¡¯se to and is shouting profanities at them. He won¡¯t be heard, though. This room is soundproof from the outside world.


    ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡± he yells at me. ¡°Are you the jackass that hit me? Because you¡¯re going to regret that asshole.¡±


    I raise an eyebrow. It¡¯s unlikely that people don¡¯t know who I am. The media has undoubtedly mentioned me enough for people to know my name. I look into this guy¡¯s eyes and see his pupils are dted.


    ¡°Why did you attack Amelia?¡± I ask, dragging a chair over to sit in front of him.


    ¡°What the fuck do you care? She¡¯s my girlfriend, not yours.¡± Ah, now that makes sense, I think. He¡¯s a loser boyfriend, now ex-boyfriend, and clearly thinks he owns her.


    ¡°My name doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is that I¡¯m from the kind of family you don¡¯t fuck with,¡± I say calmly. ¡°So you¡¯re going to start being polite, or you¡¯re going to have your ass handed to you on a silver tter.¡±


    ¡°People like you don¡¯t scare me, Francesco,¡± he spits, ring at me.


    ¡°So you do know who I am,¡± I point out. ¡°And yet you still disrespect me. You disrespect me bying into my club and attacking someone under my protection, and then you speak to me like I¡¯m some piece of shit at the bottom of your shoe. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°His name is Dave,¡± my one bodyguard Leroy says, handing me Dave¡¯s ID card. ¡°In his thirties, he lives in Brooklyn. No known connection to any families that we can find, and he¡¯s high as a kite.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Dave screams, trying to thrash around. ¡°If you don¡¯t let me go, you¡¯re going to regret it.¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    ¡°The only one who will regret anything is you, Dave. Teach him a lesson, boys, then drop him outside the hospital. I won¡¯t go as far as killing you tonight, Dave. But cross me again, and you won¡¯t find yourself so lucky.¡±

 #2 (The Marriage)-C3

    Amelia


    I feel like a ton of bricks hasnded on me as I slowly try to force my eyes open. Someone is holding my hand, and for a moment, my mind thinks of Frankie and how soft his hands were. They were also big and very nimble. I smile stupidly and then groan. ¡°It hurts everywhere,¡± I moan out.


    ¡°It could be much worse,¡± my fatherments, withdrawing his hand from mine. ¡°Amelia, what the hell are you thinking, dating these guys?¡±


    I crack my eyes open atst to look at his angry face. It doesn¡¯t quite reach his eyes, though. No, I can¡¯t interpret what that look is. Probably disdain. I try to sit up, and he moves to help me, but I quickly push back, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t need help. I¡¯ve never needed your help.¡±


    He clicks his tongue at me, a habit that annoys me, mostly because I find myself doing it too. I just want to be free of Gustavo Fernando and all his controlling ways.


    ¡°You date these losers who then attack you. They attack you, Amelia. Where is your judge of character? Where is yourmon sense not to get involved with these types of men?¡±


    My father paces, only he would be pissed at me while I¡¯m in a hospital bed with a head injury. The head injury! Dave had clocked me on the head with something hard¡­ my memory is a little hazy.


    ¡°Who brought me here? Was it Dave?¡± I ask. ¡°What happened to him?¡±


    ¡°Do you care?¡± My father spits. ¡°No, he¡¯s in another room. He¡¯s already been dealt with, and he¡¯s lucky it wasn¡¯t by me.¡± His dark eyes meet mine, and I get his meaning. My father wouldn¡¯t have let him live to tell the tale. I don¡¯t feel sorry for Dave. The dick deserved what he got. I can¡¯t help but wonder, though, if Frankie had something to do with it.


    My attention is brought back, once again, to my father. ¡°What do you care about who I date?¡± I seethe. ¡°Since when do you care about how I feel or who I see?¡±


    I can feel my emotions bubbling over, but I can¡¯t seem to stop myself. Getting attacked and seeing Frankie, it¡¯s too much. ¡°I¡¯m sick of you trying to control my every move as though you own me.¡±


    ¡°You are my daughter. You represent my family, and you will do well to behave like it,¡± my father raises his voice. Normally I¡¯d back down at this point, but I¡¯m too emotional and sore to give a single fuck, let alone any flying ones.


    ¡°Oh, now I¡¯m your daughter. But when you disappeared and left me with Mama, then I wasn¡¯t your daughter. I wasn¡¯t your daughter when she drank, did drugs, and prostituted herself. When she used to take me out of school so she could walk me around and convince people to give us money because I was a poor, hungry child, was I not your daughter then? No, not until you just pitched up one day and took me from her and decided to call the shots. Only then was I your daughter.¡±


    My father¡¯s eyes widen with anger, and he roars back, ¡°I had to leave. I had done things, Amelia, things that ced you in danger if I stayed. I would havee back sooner. I would have stopped your mother¡¯s abuse if I had known. I have made mistakes, mistakes like your mother. But I don¡¯t regret having you, and I don¡¯t want to see you make the same damn mistakes I made. cing your trust in the wrong people all the time.¡±


    ¡°She beat me ck and blue almost every day for nothing, but at least I was free to leave, free to live my own life.¡± I¡¯m sobbing now, but I¡¯m still angry, and I want him to know how I feel. ¡°She didn¡¯t give a fuck about me, and neither do you. You only care about your precious image.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We must show a strong front,¡± my father shouts, although I can see the nurses outside getting agitated at themotion. ¡°We must not show weakness, or our enemies will use those weaknesses against us. And you, Amelia, you are my greatest weakness. I will do anything to protect you. Yes, if that means I control aspects of your life, so be it. If you hate me, so be it, but I always have your best intentions at heart.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Fernando, this is a ce of healing. You can¡¯t be causing amotion like this,¡± a brave doctor says from the door.


    My father looks at him, and the doctor withers, reaching to close the door instead. My father whips back around to me. ¡°I know you are not scared, that you are brash, a bit like me, and impulsive. But don¡¯t be an addict like your mother, especially to the kind of guys that treat you like a piece of shit.¡±


    ¡°Like you do?¡± I say, wiping my eyes on my bed sheet. ¡°Your cold, calcting decisions about who and what I can see and do. I¡¯m tired of it, Papa. I¡¯m tired of being ruled over as though I have no thoughts of my own.¡±


    ¡°Mia,¡± my nickname, he never uses my nickname, ¡°you have such a strong spirit that the gray in my hair is from trying just to get you to stay on some sort of path, let alone the one I want you to take. I¡¯m d you think you listen to me.¡±


    ¡°I do listen to you. I¡¯ve listened to you my whole life, all I ever wanted was your approval, your love, and all I ever got back was the coldness you give everyone.¡± I look away, crossing my arms. My head is aching now, and I want the conversation to end so that I can get more painkillers and go back to sleep.


    There¡¯s a momentary pause before my father moves forward toward me. ¡°Mia, do you know how terrified I was? When the hospital called me saying you¡¯d been attacked. I felt awful. I thought my whole world was crashing down around me. I didn¡¯t know if you were going to be okay, if you would have permanent damage to your brain, or if you would need care. I knew, though, that I would provide you with whatever it is that you need.¡±


    I look at him, finally, and I notice how disheveled he appears. His clothes aren¡¯t pressed straight like they normally are, and there are bags under his eyes. Even the gray in his hair is more prominent. I soften a bit.


    Maybe he is telling the truth, that all the years of trying to control me were because he cared about me and wanted what was best for me. I never thought of it that way because he disappeared during a really shitty part of my life, and the next minute, he reappeared throwing money at whatever problem came my way. I didn¡¯t think he actually cared about what I did or who I was bing.


    I reach out my hand, and he takes it in both hands. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I made you worry, Papa. I didn¡¯t mean for it to happen. The guy who attacked me, Dave, I won¡¯t be seeing him again. He attacked me because I broke up with him. After all, he¡¯s not good enough for me.¡±


    No one is, I think to myself, and I¡¯m sure that my father feels exactly the same way. He kisses the back of my hand and gives me a rare smile. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, Mia. You just need to be a better judge of character.¡±


    I may beid up in the hospital, but at the very least, I think I trust my father a little bit more.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C4

    Frankie


    What I like most about the business I¡¯m in is the routine. I get so annoyed when things crop up unexpectedly, even though I know it¡¯s part of the job. Things happen, but those things still fall under my routine. Those problems are routine. Paying off some cops, paying off politicians, getting ns through, starting a new business, or buying newnd. This is what life is about, and I¡¯m good at what I do.


    I can¡¯t help but wonder if I¡¯ve ever been a fun person as I sit with my bodyguards in my office. I wonder if that¡¯s what Amelia is searching for, adventure and fun. If it is, she¡¯s looking for it in all the wrong ces.


    My phone is resting on the desk, and I nce at it as it buzzes, lifting it to my ear.


    ¡°What do you need, Alessandro?¡± I say by way of greeting.


    My brother doesn¡¯t beat around the bush, ¡°We have a meeting shortly. I want you there. Dad will be there as well as Dominic. We¡¯re meeting with a family friend about a problem he has that I think you can take care of.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°Amelia,¡± Alessandro says casually, and I don¡¯t falter as I reply. ¡°Where and when?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet at the bistro on Fifth that dad likes so much. I¡¯ll arrange a private area for us to talk.¡±


    I don¡¯t doubt he¡¯ll clear the entire bistro for this. ¡°I¡¯m leaving shortly.¡±


    I hang up and go to stand in front of the mirror in the corner of my office. I smooth my hair back and pick up my suit jacket from the back of my chair.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to the bistro on Fifth,¡± I say to Joel. The six-foot-six bodyguard nods. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    He leaves to get the car ready, and I turn to the young men sitting opposite my desk. ¡°I¡¯m trusting you to take care of business while I¡¯m at this meeting. If anything goes wrong, just leave town because you don¡¯t want to know the alternative.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± they chorus, getting up to go out.


    I walk out of the office and down the steel stairs. We¡¯re in the factory that we use to ship a lot of our drugs through. Various people work the lines, sorting the drugs out of the false bases we use. Different family soldiers walk amongst them, keeping an eye on them, so no one gets clever and steals a stash. We¡¯ll keep this factory for a week or two before we relocate. We can¡¯t have the DEA busting down our door.


    I walk through the small side door and to the Mercedes-Benz A-ss that sits idling in front of it. A cursory look around the area tells me it¡¯s safe as I climb into the back with Joel.


    The car pulls out into traffic, and I allow my mind to wander. I don¡¯t know what game Alessandro is ying, but he is one of the few people who knows about my previous rtionship with Amelia. I doubt he knows how much I cared for her, though.


    I hope he never finds out.


    A man is weak when he is emotionally charged, and that woman emotionally charges me off the scale.


    It doesn¡¯t take us long to reach the bistro, and I leave Joel outside to monitor the street while I go in.


    Alessandro is already there with Romero, my father, who was the previous head of the family. Dominic stands near Alessandro. He never was one for sitting. Then to my surprise, I see that Gustavo is also seated at the table.


    I should have known.


    If anyone were going to try and protect Amelia, it would be her father. The man would take down all of New York for her and then some.


    I nod my greetings. ¡°Gentlemen,¡± I say lowly. ¡°Mr. Fernando, it¡¯s a pleasure to see you.¡±


    ¡°And you, Frankie,¡± Gustavo says, pouring me a ss of red wine.


    ¡°You were telling us about what you want, Gustavo,¡± Alessandro says, sitting back. ¡°Can you repeat it for Frankie, so he¡¯s up to speed?¡±


    ¡°I want my daughter married into the family, to Frankie. No offense Dominic but I want her safe, and you¡¯re¡­.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m what¡­?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re known to be a dangerous man with many enemies,¡± Gustavo says evenly.


    I stare at Gustavo. Marry Amelia? Me? I don¡¯t want to be the one to break that news to her. She hates how her father controls her, and this will set her off like a rocket. Though I wouldn¡¯t mind, I mean, it would strengthen our family ties, and I¡¯m positive I could keep her in line, mostly.


    ¡°What are you offering for this?¡±


    ¡°ess to my businesses, and I¡¯ll give a sizable dowry,¡± Gustavo says. ¡°A donation to the family through a non-profit organization. Something that will keep the tax man out of the transaction.¡±


    I run a hand over my chin. ¡°She¡¯s a wild card and difficult to control. It¡¯ll be a lot of work for me. Work I don¡¯t exactly have time for.¡±


    Alessandro shoots me a look, and I nod. ¡°It¡¯s Alessandro¡¯s decision, though. If this is what he wants, I¡¯llply.¡±


    Alessandro nods. ¡°I¡¯ll have the contract drawn up. You can tell your daughter she¡¯ll be married soon.¡±


    Gustavo stands, and I hold a hand up. ¡°Perhaps I can tell her. She knows me. She doesn¡¯t like you controlling her life, Gustavo. Perhaps hearing it from me will help a little.¡±


    Gustavo nods, and I¡¯m sure I see a sh of relief on his face. ¡°Grazie, Frankie.¡±


    He leaves, and I stand. ¡°I have arrangements to make if I¡¯m going to bring this up with her. Do you need me for anything else?¡±


    ¡°Is it that simple?¡± Romero asks me, my father¡¯s eyes looking up at me. ¡°You have no protest about this arrangement.¡±


    ¡°It is my order,¡± Alessandro says. ¡°This is what¡¯s best for the family.¡±


    I button my suit jacket. ¡°The familyes first. Don¡¯t worry, Father, I will treat her as well as you treat Mama.¡±


    Romero nods and turns back to his food. ¡°You better, or I will step in, head of the family or not.¡±


    I nod and leave, giving Dominic a curt nod.


    I dial Amelia¡¯s number once I¡¯m in the car, and I¡¯m surprised when she answers. ¡°Frankie?¡±


    ¡°Amelia,¡± I say, business-like, ¡°I¡¯m d to hear you¡¯re out of the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. My father said it was you who brought me,¡± she says. ¡°I appreciate your help.¡±


    ¡°Make it up to me. Let mee pick you up for a light early dinner,¡± I say. ¡°Just tell me where you are.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll meet you at Vinni¡¯s,¡± she sighs. She knows I want something. ¡°Let¡¯s make it quick, though. I wanted to go out with some friends tonight.¡±


    ¡°Of course, this won¡¯t take long,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in half an hour.¡±


    I hang up and turn to Joel. ¡°Vinni¡¯s, pronto. I want to be there before her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± He taps the driver. ¡®Vinni¡¯s on Justice Avenue.¡±


    I sit back, trying to work out the best way to break this news to Amelia. As we arrive, I decide that it doesn¡¯t really matter whichever way I do it. She¡¯s going to be one pissed-off woman. That¡¯s one of my favorite things about her, her fiery spirit. It can be such a turn-on.


    I get us a booth at the back and tip the hostess generously to keep the tables around us free. I order wine for both of us, an expensive bottle.


    ¡°Frankie,¡± Amelia says as she arrives at the table.


    I stand up and kiss both her cheeks before I help her into her seat. ¡°You¡¯re looking well for someone who got clocked by a gun.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she seems awkward. There¡¯s a lingering aroma of perfume in the air, her perfume. I recognize it as one I introduced to her. Thierry Mugler¡¯s ¡®Angel¡¯ perfume, the scent always suited her. She fidgets, and I feel a bit put out, noticing how she picks at her nails. I feel hyperfocused on her, and for a moment, I forget why we are meeting in the first ce. My heart is thumping hard in my chest.


    ¡°Amelia,¡± I say but then sit back as the waitress brings the wine, ¡°What can I get you to eat?¡±


    ¡°Two specials,¡± I say quickly, ¡°and a garlic bread,¡± I add, remembering it was her favorite here.


    Amelia nods in agreement. ¡°Still making choices for me, I see.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really not going to like the next one that has been made for you then,¡± I say, trying to keep my emotions to myself.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± she narrows her eyes. Yes, she¡¯s getting pissed quickly. ¡°What decision?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been decided, by your father and my brother, that you and I are to get married.¡±


    She stares at me for a moment, and I see something sh in her eyes, but then it¡¯s gone and reced with rage. ¡°What?¡± she hisses. ¡°What the fuck did you just say?¡±


    ¡°Calm down. There¡¯s no reason to overreact,¡± I say, but I know it¡¯s futile.


    She ms her hands on the table.


    ¡°No one gets to decide that for me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s done. You know, once the families make a decision, that is final,¡± I say, sipping my wine. Her one finger is bleeding from her picking at it so badly. I notice the sweet pink eye shadow she¡¯s lightly applied, but then I look back into her amber eyes to see the rage that¡¯s bubbling there.


    ¡°It¡¯s for your own protection,¡± I say. ¡°You got yourself into this by mixing with the wrong people. Getting hurt. Your dad wants to protect you now, so that¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do.¡±


    ¡°And if I say no,¡± she spits.


    ¡°Have you ever said no to Don Alessandro? Have you ever heard anyone say no to him?¡± I ask curiously, trying to y it cool.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    ¡°I won¡¯t do it,¡± she stands, downing her wine. ¡°Go to hell.¡±


    She storms off, and I feel something stirring in my soul.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C5

    Amelia


    I storm out of Vinni¡¯s and text the girls who I was going to meet to let them know it¡¯s canceled: I have an emergency. I hail an Uber to get to my father¡¯s ce. I am not letting this shit happen.


    I really thought my father and I had turned a corner after our altercation at the hospital. I thought I could trust him more. But this? This is too low to just gloss over as him being his usual controlling self.


    Only my father is archaic enough to arrange a marriage in this day and age, Not to mention it¡¯s with the guy who broke my heart. There have been many guys since Frankie, but none that damaged me quite the way he did.


    Only Frankie would consider an order from his family like this eptable. What game is he trying to y? He¡¯s pretended I haven¡¯t existed for ages, and now, suddenly, I must be his wife. He was so calm about it too, and I didn¡¯t like it. I feel dirty, as though I¡¯ve been sold as a possession my father no longer has any interest in.


    As I sit stewing in the Uber, I think back to Dave. He was also controlling, but he was aggressive and violent, too. I definitely have issues with finding people who like to try and control me.


    My father has another thinging if he thinks I¡¯m going through with this, but I¡¯m too angry to think of a logical argument to give my father right now.


    No.


    He¡¯ll get my wrath and fury, and I will rain hell down upon his pitiful little life.


    The Uber pulls up to the gate, and a guardes to my window. I roll it down. ¡°It¡¯s me, Amelia. Is my father home?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s in a meeting,¡± the guard says. I don¡¯t recognize this one, but he clearly knows me. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can wait for him in the library.¡±


    The gates open, and the Uber driver takes me to the front door. I forget to thank him and only realized how rude that was after he left. Dammit. I hate being like a typical primadonna. I like things my way, but I don¡¯t have a carrot stuck up my ass. No, that¡¯s Frankie and his entire bullshit family.


    My father is enving me to freaking mobsters!


    The more I think of it, the more I think my father haspletely lost his mind. I walk into the library and toward the drinks cart that is kept stocked there. I pour a neat whiskey and sit by the window, sipping it angrily. I want to down it like I normally do, but I don¡¯t want my father to think this is a drunken rant and that I will change my mind in the morning.


    The minutes tick by agonizingly slow before I hear voices outside the room. It¡¯s my father bidding his guests a good evening. It must be family business if it¡¯s thiste. I set my ss down and stand, my hands on my hips.


    When Gustavo walks in, I re at him.


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard,¡± he says calmly. ¡°And you¡¯re unhappy.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Who arranges a marriage in this day and age?¡±


    ¡°Frankie is a good son. He will take care of you, provide for you, and most importantly, protect you,¡± my father says, pouring himself a drink. He loosens the buttons on his suit jacket and sits behind the heavy oak table that dominates the far corner of the library.


    I lean on the table, on the opposite side, so I¡¯m facing him. ¡°Let me exin something. I am not marrying Francesco Sorvino. Not over my dead body will I marry into that family. You have no right selling me like I¡¯m something you own.¡±


    ¡°Don Alessandro has agreed, and his decision is final. There is no fighting this, Amelia. Just take it in your stride, and you might evene to love him in time.¡± my father gives a weary sigh.


    I re at my father and stand straight. ¡°You understand that you can¡¯t make me do this. I will not do this. This is not something you can force to happen. I will never, ever go through with an arranged marriage, no matter who you choose to be, my husband. That is my choice, father, not yours.¡±


    Gustavo¡¯s demeanor changes, and his shoulders straighten. ¡°You will learn to respect my decision, Amelia. I am warning you to let this go. I am tired of fighting you on every decision when you have done nothing but prove that you cannot make good decisions for yourself.¡±


    ¡°I have free will. If I want to marry a homeless man, I will,¡± I spit at him. ¡°I won¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°Then say goodbye to the family,¡± he yells at me angrily. ¡°Because let me tell you, Amelia, you will not see one person from this family again unless you marry the Sorvino boy.¡±


    Only he could call Frankie a boy. My heart freezes in my chest. I might not get along with my father, but I love my family. My cousins and aunts, and uncles. I love them to pieces. They¡¯re such good, loving people.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this,¡± I plead. ¡°You can¡¯t force me to do something that will make me miserable. You don¡¯t know him, Father. You don¡¯t know what he¡¯s capable of.¡±


    Gustavo waves a hand at me. ¡°I know what he is capable of, and that¡¯s protecting you. Also, he was brought up right. He won¡¯t hit you around and abuse you like some of these other men you¡¯ve dated have done. He won¡¯t put you in the hospital. My decision is final, Amelia, marry Francesco Sorvino or leave our family for good. God knows we¡¯re tired of our hearts breaking watching you destroy your life.¡±


    I fall silent. This wasn¡¯t the fight I was expecting. Never in my life has my father ever threatened to cut me off from my family before. They are all I have. I have some friends here and there, but they¡¯re party friends. Family is so important. I was brought up learning that family is everything. Now, if I want to keep my family, I have to trade my soul.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you,¡± I say, softly but angrily.


    ¡°Make your decision but make it now,¡± my father warns me. ¡°Because I am tired of waiting around for a phone call that one of your boyfriends has killed you.¡±


    ¡°You say you care about me, you say you¡¯re doing this out of worry for me, but they¡¯re mobsters. They¡¯re just as dangerous.¡±


    ¡°They are from the old stock. They have morals and values. They know our ways, and they know how important family is. It¡¯s time for you to settle down. You¡¯re not changing my mind. You¡¯re just confirming to me that I¡¯m making the right decision. You¡¯re a loose cannon, and you need to live in reality now. What do you choose?¡±


    I¡¯m seething. For a moment, I consider telling him to hell with him and the family, but I know in my heart that¡¯s not what I want. I love my family so much, and I don¡¯t want to be cast out into the world alone with no one.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I snap, ¡°I agree to your terms. I will marry Francesco.¡±


    My heart plummets in my chest. I¡¯m feeling a mixture of anger, hate, and sadness for what my life is about to be. I will have no say in my future or what I do with Frankie as my husband. He will be more controlling than Gustavo Fernando has ever been.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C6

    Frankie


    No reception.


    That was my one condition about the wedding, and it was one that Amelia thankfully agreed to. I stand in front of the priest as he asks me to recite my vows. I repeat the words he says as I didn¡¯t bother writing my own. Neither has Amelia.


    When he says I can kiss my bride, I lift Amelia¡¯s veil and peck her cheek to the apuse of the families attending the affair. It is a family-only affair, aside, of course, from guards. I don¡¯t want anyone getting hurt today, especially with so many of us gathered in one spot. It makes us an easy target for our enemies.


    I offer Amelia my arm. She hasn¡¯t smiled once. She looks at me coldly before formally cing her arm on top of mine, and I escort her down the aisle and out of the church.


    Paper confetti rains down on us as we walk out of the church and toward the limousine that is waiting for us at the end of the small crowd.


    I open the door for Amelia and help her inside. Her dress is simple, a figure-hugging ivory gown with sequins and white beads sewn into the hems in in lines that make the dress sparkle prettily. The veil is simple as well, attached to a basic clip that slides into her up-styled hair. A few loose curls frame her face, and she only wears light makeup. I prefer her without makeup. She has a natural beauty that shouldn¡¯t be hidden.


    We drive back to Alessandro¡¯s new house to a ¡®not reception,¡¯ which means it¡¯s just our immediate families having dinner together.


    Amelia doesn¡¯t speak to me during the drive, and I don¡¯t force her to. I know she feels like she just signed her life away, and maybe she has. However, she¡¯ll have to live with it because this decision is final. You don¡¯t divorce out of the family once you¡¯re married into it. Death is the only out.


    When we pull up, I see some of the Petrenkos are here too. I frown, but Alessandro wouldn¡¯t have just invited them for fun. The Russian mafia would be here for business alongside my wedding celebrations. The family¡¯s business never stops, not for anyone.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Amelia and I walk in, and we¡¯re met by a waiter with a tray of champagne. We each take a ss, and I look at Amelia.


    ¡°People will want to speak to us both. Best we stay together,¡± I exin, touching her arm to lead her to a nearby table.


    She follows but doesn¡¯t say anything, she still has a rather sour look on her face, and I can¡¯t help but wonder if she¡¯ll smile in any photos.


    ¡°Mia, smile child. It¡¯s your wedding day,¡± Gustavo says,ing over.


    ¡°No, Papa, it¡¯s my sale date,¡± she says spitefully.


    I roll my eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not a ve. This is for your own protection.¡±


    Amelia doesn¡¯t look at me and I realize that¡¯s her game. She¡¯s just going to ignore me for as long as she can.


    Gustavo sighs and moves off as more family members head in our direction. I touch her arm. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude. I mean it. You could be rude to the wrong person. And smile, dammit.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t say anything, but she puts a small smile on her face as my Nonnaes forward to greet her, speaking Italian so quickly that I can see Amelia is struggling to keep up. I take Nonna¡¯s hand. ¡°Grazie Nonna, please get something to eat.¡±


    A tall woman steps forward. She has amber eyes like Amelia, but she¡¯s done a bad bleach job on her hair, and her nails are so long my mind instantly demands to know how she doesn¡¯t rip her ass open every time she wipes.


    ¡°Amelia,¡± she says curtly.


    ¡°Mother,¡± Amelia says, trying to broaden her smile, ¡°Thank you foring today.¡±


    ¡°I had to. It is your wedding day, after all,¡± she says, turning to me. ¡°Catharina Fernando, I still go by my married name.¡±


    I take her hand gently in mine. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to bring you into our family, Mrs. Fernando.¡±


    ¡°Catharina, please, I¡¯m not that old. Amelia,¡± She turns back to my bride. ¡°You have gained so much weight. I must send you the diet I¡¯m on. It will work wonders for your love handles.¡±


    I can see Amelia starting to feel subconscious as she tries to press her arms against herself. ¡°I just haven¡¯t had time for the gym.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to look like your father when you¡¯re older or like me?¡± Catharina says with a smirk. ¡°Good grief, Amelia. Look at the wrinkles you already have, and you¡¯re not even thirty. You need to start using a decent night cream. I¡¯ll send you what I use.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, but if you¡¯re just going to stand here and belittle her, you can actually leave. Today is her wedding day, and no one has the right to make her feel she¡¯s worthless,¡± I say, snapping, making several people nce in our direction.


    ¡°Well, I never¡­ She is my daughter, and I have her best interests at heart, unlike you, you thug. She needs someone to be honest with her, not someone to mollycoddle her.¡± Catharina res at me. ¡°If I want to say she¡¯s fat, she¡¯s fat. If I think she¡¯s ugly, she¡¯s ugly. You can afford this house but couldn¡¯t afford a proper reception or at least decent makeup to cover those dark circles under her eyes. Never mind how hideous her wedding dress is.¡±


    I step toward her, towering over her, my nose inches from hers. As rude as she is, she falls silent, realizing she has crossed a line with me as I say, ¡°My guards are going to escort you out now, and you are never going to see Amelia ever again, do you understand?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± she starts to say, ¡°She¡¯s my¡­.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a mother,¡± I hiss. ¡°You won¡¯t being within an inch of my wife ever again.¡±


    I snap my fingers, and Joeles forward. ¡°Escort her out. She¡¯s never to contact anyone here again.¡±


    The whole room is silent as Joel walks Catharina out of the house. Amelia storms off, and I follow her, concerned she¡¯s going to try to make amends with her mother. She stops in the entrance hall and wheels around. ¡°You had no right.¡±


    ¡°So, you like the way she treats you like shit?¡± I ask, straightening my jacket and looking at her.


    ¡°You do not interfere with my family, and I don¡¯t interfere with yours. You don¡¯t get to dictate to me or speak for me. I can take care of myself, Francesco.¡±


    She only ever uses my name when she is angry with me, and from the looks of how today is turning out, it is going to be that name for a while.


    ¡°You are such a stone-cold asshole you don¡¯t think of anyone but yourself,¡± she says loudly. ¡°You and your family are all you care about.¡±


    Anger bubbles inside me, and I square my shoulders. ¡°You don¡¯t know me, Amelia. You might think you do, but you don¡¯t. Everything I have ever done has been to protect you and was in your best interest. Look at the decisions you make. Do you really think they are good ones?¡±


    ¡°So, you broke up with me because you wanted to protect me?¡± she snarls. ¡°Is that what it was?¡±


    I clench my jaw, realizing I¡¯d said too much. ¡°Believe what you want to believe. I don¡¯t care if you hate me, we¡¯re married now, and we have to make that work.¡±


    ¡°Over my dead body,¡± she spits the words out, and I can see how much she hates me right now.


    That¡¯s probably for the best. I can¡¯t let her get too close. I can¡¯t let her know why I broke up with her in the first ce.


    I turn and walk back to the room without another word, leaving her there with angry tears in her eyes.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C7

    Amelia


    There are no words that can convey how pissed off I am that Frankie thinks he can already control me. We haven¡¯t even been married a couple of hours before he¡¯s dictating who will be in my life and who won¡¯t. I have to watch my mother be escorted out of Alessandro¡¯s house, and no one does a thing to try and stop them. Is there no respect for my family? Or what I want? Yes, my mom can be harsh, but once you get to know her, you see a different side of her.


    After the wedding, I am allowed to stay at my ce for a few more days before the honeymoon, after which I must move into Frankie¡¯s ce, signaling the end of my life as I know it.


    The fight we had at the wedding weighs on me as I start to pack another box. I don¡¯t understand why he gets so fired up. He clearly doesn¡¯t care about what I want or need. He is just following orders like the dutiful son and brother that he is.


    I start to fill the box with the little trinkets my father has bought me over the years. Every year he gets me a beautiful figurine from Sicily, a tradition he started when he used to go over for business trips there.


    I sigh and sit back, picking up my ss of wine and sipping from it. I feel like I¡¯m just going to drink my way through this marriage if I can.


    I decide to pack a few more boxes before I head to see my mom. Just because Frankie said it wasn¡¯t allowed won¡¯t stop me. I need to apologize for the way she was treated at the house. She didn¡¯t deserve that.


    Once I finish this box, I realize that my wine ss is empty, so I go to fill it. I shouldn¡¯t get too drunk before I see my mother. She doesn¡¯t like that I enjoy a drink. She thinks I¡¯m on my way to bing an alcoholic.


    My mind drifts back to Frankie. I wish I could figure out his angle and what he really wants from me. I wish he would just admit he hates me so we could both move on with our lives. I wonder if he¡¯ll let me sleep with other men since I¡¯m definitely not sleeping with him-never again, not in his wildest and wettest dreams. For a brief moment, I think about having children with him and get a sour taste in my mouth.


    What if the family wants me to provide them with new heirs? Lord, I think I will kill myself first. I put the thought out of my mind. I¡¯ll have to deny that issue if it arises.


    Besides, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s in a rush for children. He¡¯s been weird since the wedding. I have to meet him for lunch every day. That¡¯s ¡®our thing,¡¯ and sometimes he speaks to me nicely, and sometimes he just snaps at me for making a simple suggestion. The man is like a broken faucet, hot and cold, hot and cold¡­ wait, isn¡¯t that a song?


    Yes, Katy Perry. I smile to myself. I have such a good memory. Okay, maybe I am a little tipsy. I guess I better get to Mom before I get any further along.


    I freshen up and grab my keys and phone. I don¡¯t have to order an uber because Frankie has given me my own driver. I climb into the car. ¡°Take me to Sixty-Four A, Third Avenue.¡± I don¡¯t say please. These are Frankie¡¯s men. If they want my respect, they will earn it.


    The drive feels like it takes forever, and Ie to realize I¡¯m a lot soberer than I thought, and suddenly, I¡¯m filled with dread. I¡¯m not sure how my mom is going to take this apology.


    One thing is for sure: if I can stand up to Frankie every day, I can stand up to anyone.


    I walk up to her apartment, leaving the driver to park the Audi. I knock on my mother¡¯s door, and it swings open. A maid in uniform smiles. ¡°Mrs. Sorvino, such a pleasure to see you. Your mother is in the sunroom.¡± She gestures for me to walk in, and I do so, heading straight for what my mother refers to as the sunroom. I don¡¯t think apartments even have those, but it has lovelyrge windows, and it is very sunny.


    ¡°Amelia, I thought I¡¯d never see you again. What took you so long toe to see me?¡± my mother asks, standing up and air kissing my cheeks.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mama, I haven¡¯t had a chance to get away.¡± I won¡¯t admit the truth that I¡¯ve been a bit afraid to defy Frankie and had to work up the courage. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for how Francesco spoke to you at the wedding. He shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a brute.¡± My mother sighs, all but dramatically copsing back into her seat. I sit opposite her as she continues. ¡°My blood pressure was through the roof, and I had to get two massages to release the tension that built up. I can¡¯t believe you had to marry that ogre.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I say softly. ¡°I will speak to him about letting youe back.¡±


    ¡°You think I want to? After how he treated me? A formal apology and perhaps covering my medical costs would be a step in the right direction.¡± She reaches over and takes my hand in hers. ¡°Oh, my sweetheart, you mustn¡¯t frown so much. You¡¯ll get worry lines. In fact, I think it¡¯s toote.¡±


    She sniffs the air as I open my mouth to protest. ¡°Have you been drinking? Amelia, it¡¯s not even midday!¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I sigh. ¡°Mama, I¡¯m a grown woman. I can drink a ss of wine during the day if I want to.¡±


    ¡°Is that something your husband says you can do?¡± She clicks her tongue. ¡°They know no culture and have no honor. Although after your choices, I suppose he might be one of the better ones.¡±


    ¡°Not all my choices are bad,¡± I say loudly, and she looks at me with wide eyes.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say they were, but honestly, Amelia, a lot of them are,¡± she clutches her pearl ne, ying with it. ¡°I me myself. I didn¡¯t teach you how to judge character properly.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the worst judge of character there is,¡± I stand up. ¡°And let¡¯s not talk about drinking, Mama. You were blind drunk for many years after Papa left. I would go days without food, without a bath. And when you were awake, you¡¯d pick on me all the time.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, Amelia, your memory is terrible. That didn¡¯t happen at all,¡± my mother flusters. ¡°I had some problems, but I never neglected you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all anyone in this family has done. Papa would travel constantly, and then he left for years only toe take me away from you and give me a cold, loveless life. You constantly criticize me. I¡¯m too fat, too skinny. I look tired, I look old, I have saggy boobs.¡± She opens her mouth, but I hold a hand up. ¡°Enough, Mama. I didn¡¯t need Francesco to defend me at the wedding. I can defend myself. If you want to stay in my life, then you need to make a choice to change how you treat me because I won¡¯t stand for it anymore.¡±


    Adrenaline pumps through my veins as I turn to leave. I paused at the door. ¡°Another thing, Mama, you shouldn¡¯t frown so much. Your worry lines are far worse than mine.¡± Feeling triumphant, I leave the apartment and hurry down the stairs before I lose the little bravery I have.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C8

    Frankie


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you are so insistent that I go?¡± I ask Alessandro, pacing in front of his desk. ¡°I have several projects that I need to take care of.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more than capable of handling my own business, Frankie.¡± my brother looks at me with steely eyes. ¡°You haven¡¯t taken a break in as long as I¡¯ve known you, and that¡¯s your whole life. Go, have a honeymoon, get to know Amelia because you¡¯re tied together now.¡±


    I wave dismissively. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of time for that.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a request.¡± Alessandro sits back. ¡°Understand?¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± I say, leaving the office.


    Amelia is waiting in the car outside. This was myst-ditch effort to try and get out of going on a seaside honeymoon.


    It¡¯s a long drive to the resort and an even more tedious process to check in, but once our luggage is brought up, Amelia and I are left standing in the living area of our room. Her bedroom is behind her, and mine is behind me.


    Amelia looks around awkwardly. ¡°I think I¡¯ll go tan. What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°Watch the news,¡± I say, ncing at the wall-mounted t screen.


    ¡°Seriously? Youe all the way to the ocean to watch the news. Why don¡¯t you grab a book off the shelf,e to the beach, and read? Lord knows you probably need to work on your tan.¡± she grabs the handle of her luggage. ¡°It¡¯s a once-off invite.¡±


    I feel suitably scolded and sigh, the tension mounting between my shoulders. I go to change into my swimming trunks and grab my sunsses before I browse through the books that are avable on the shelf in the living area. I find a decent horror-looking novel and grab it-Buried, it¡¯s called. Its cover is worn from being read many times, telling me it¡¯s a good choice.


    Ameliaes out, and I gawk at her, d I have my sunsses on so she can¡¯t see the lust in my eyes. She¡¯s wearing a bright yellow bikini top and bottom, with a sheer blue and purple sarong tied around her waist.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°This ce does have towels down there, don¡¯t they?¡± she asks, looking at me. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I clear my throat. ¡°And yes, they generally do.¡±


    ¡°See, you¡¯re taking my advice?¡± She says.


    I hold the book up. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t like a good horror on the beach?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going to ask you this, but when we get down to the beach, will you rub oil on me so I can get an even tan.¡± She blushes. ¡°I¡¯m only asking you because I don¡¯t want some shady guy touching me.¡±


    ¡°So, at least you don¡¯t consider me shady.¡± I smile, and she swats my arm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too clever. This doesn¡¯t change anything.¡±


    ¡°I know, but we¡¯re stuck together now, so let¡¯s try to be nice, at least,¡± I say calmly. She eyes me, but I turn for the door.


    Once on the beach, we find two hotel loungers with towels and make ourselvesfortable. I watch as Amelia rubs oil everywhere she can reach before she holds the bottle out to me and turns around to rest on her stomach.


    I kneel in the sand beside her lounger and rub a generous amount of oil on her skin. The sheen of the oil makes her skin feel and look luxurious.


    I wipe my hand down my leg to get the excess oil off and put the bottle down, going back to my lounger. I rest back and open my book to the first page, and that¡¯s how we remain-soaking in the sunlight as I read, and Amelia, I presume, is sleeping.


    A waiter from the hoteles around to offer us drinks, and I nudge Amelia. ¡°Do you want something to drink?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, a cocktail, you pick,¡± she turns her head to nce at me.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take a cosmopolitan and a beer,¡± I say, returning to my book.


    ¡°Is it any good?¡± she asks suddenly.


    ¡°What?¡± I look at her, confused.


    ¡°The book,¡± she says.


    I smile. ¡°It¡¯s quite creepy, actually. Not an author I¡¯ve read before, but if the plot keeps developing like this, I might read her other books.¡±


    Amelia smiles. ¡°How does it feel to actually rx?¡± she props herself up on her forearms.


    I run a free hand over my stubble. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Is this rxing?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re still thinking about work!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always thinking about work. If you want something done right, you do it yourself,¡± I say, looking back at my book.


    She lies back down. Her face turned toward me. ¡°Yes, but a break doesn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Except there¡¯s going to be a pile of shit for me to fix when I get back.¡± I give her a grin. ¡°But nothing I can¡¯t handle.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± she deres, grinning back at me, ¡°there¡¯s nothing you can do about it now, so there¡¯s no point worrying about it. You should just unwind and rx.¡±


    The waiter arrives with our drinks, and I take my beer. Amelia sits up and takes her cocktail, sipping on it.


    I turn my attention back to the book, and Amelia reclines against the backrest and looks out over the ocean as she drinks.


    ¡°I should have brought a book, too,¡± she muses, and I wonder if she¡¯s talking to me again. ¡°Tell me about yours.¡±


    I snort. ¡°It¡¯s about a haunted underground mansion and a film crew that goes to prove it isn¡¯t haunted. So far, they¡¯re getting ughtered likembs.¡± I look over at her. ¡°I can lend it to you while I have a nap.¡±


    Amelia shakes her head. ¡°I¡¯m more of a romanticedy fan. I didn¡¯t realize you were into horror.¡±


    It dawns on me that the tension between my shoulders is dissipating. I feel like I¡¯m finally rxing. ¡°I was when I was a kid. I loved horror books and horror movies. It was an escape from the family for me.¡±


    ¡°You seem to love your family, though,¡± shements.


    ¡°I do,¡± I say seriously. ¡°My family is my everything, and I take it very seriously. They have given me everything in life, and I would be nowhere without them.¡±


    She falls silent for a moment, sipping on her cocktail some more.


    I sip on my beer, feeling slightly awkward. ¡°This is nice,¡± I say, ¡°that we can talk without trying to kill each other.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t change how I feel,¡± she says quietly. ¡°I¡¯ve been sold like a possession. That¡¯s all this is. I just want to have a pleasant holiday.¡±


    I nod. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I can work with that.¡±


    ¡°Nothing is going to change,¡± she says again, and for a moment, I believe she is trying to convince herself of that.


    My heart tears a little. There¡¯s a piece of me buried deep inside that wants to say that I still care deeply about her, but I can¡¯t bring myself to do that. I can¡¯t ce her in harm¡¯s way.


    I sigh and watch as she gets up. ¡°And now?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I¡¯m going into the water to cool off a bit,¡± she says, tossing her sarong onto the lounger. ¡°Be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t drown,¡± I say, with just a hint of sarcasm.


    She gives me a strange look before flouncing down the beach toward the water, her ass swaying just the right amount to catch my attention.


    It¡¯s weird not to be busy with work, and I know it¡¯s going to be frustrating if we start fighting again and there¡¯s no work to distract me, so I hope we can keep this peace up for the few days we¡¯re here.


    I watch as she dips into the water, her luscious curls blowing with the wind that bounces off the water. There¡¯s a radiant beauty about her that I will always admire, at least from afar.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C9

    Amelia


    Thank God we don¡¯t have to share a bed. It makes this honeymoon just a little easier. I wasn¡¯t looking forward to this at all, and Frankie was so on edge when we arrived that it was giving me anxiety. Now, though, he¡¯s rxing, and I must admit it brings back fond memories for me.


    The easy banter that existed between us was something I always appreciated. He doesn¡¯t speak down to me like I¡¯m a stupid woman, and we¡¯ve always had interesting conversations. That was never our problem.


    I won¡¯t lie, I partially attribute the easiness of this trip to the numerous sses of wine and cocktails I¡¯ve been enjoying, and I note he hasn¡¯t been shy about the beers and whiskeys either.


    On the third day, I leave the room and pass a man wearing a suit in the hallway. I give him a small smile and notice he has a tattoo of a cross and prayer hands on his neck. He doesn¡¯t smile back at me, and I shiver as I walk away from him. He¡¯s kind of creepy.


    I take the elevator downstairs, and I go to the dining hall. I dish up a generous helping of eggs and bacon with some toast and sausages and then find a table. Frankie has probably noticed my absence already and will be down in no time, I¡¯m sure.


    As I eat, I stare absently ahead at a man seated by himself, reading a newspaper. He doesn¡¯t touch his food at all. He turns the page, and a tattoo on his hand catches my eye. Another cross and prayer hands. It must be popr around here or wherever they are from. Maybe they¡¯re together! Oh, perhaps they are brothers. Why do I even give a shit? I chuckle to myself and blush when the man nces at me. I turn my gaze down to my breakfast and eat quickly. I wonder what the ns are for today.


    Once I¡¯m finished, I decide to see if there are any activities today and as I walk out through the front door, I bump into a burly man dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, though he looks awkward in them, as though he¡¯s not used to dressing that way. He grunts at me to watch where I¡¯m going, and I re at him as he walks off. On the back of his calf is a cross with prayer hands.


    That¡¯s so weird. It must be a conference or something happening at the hotel.


    The weather outside doesn¡¯t look promising, and I nearly scream when I hear Frankie¡¯s voice behind me, ¡°Looks like rain.¡±


    I turn to face him. ¡°No beach today, I guess.¡± I shrug.


    ¡°A day in, reading perhaps?¡± he offers, and I nod. ¡°Sounds great.¡±


    ¡°We can get room service for dinner and watch some movies if you want?¡± he offers.


    ¡°Sure, if I can pick the movies.¡± I smile.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    He nods. ¡°Of course, you can.¡±


    These first three days have been easygoing, and I¡¯m actually enjoying myself.


    We spend the day sitting in the living area, and so far, we haven¡¯t killed each other. We checked with the hotel, and the weather seems to be an unexpected storm passing through. It should be sunny again by tomorrow, so we spend the day unwinding and reading.


    I order us food and wait until the room service arrives, and I let the waiter wheel the cart into the living area where there¡¯s a small table to eat at. Heys the food out and is about to leave when I pipe up, ¡°Hold on.¡±


    I take Frankie¡¯s wallet from the side table and pull out a fifty. ¡°You forgot your tip.¡±


    Do I feel bad about just taking money from Frankie¡¯s wallet? Not at all, the guy needed a tip, and I don¡¯t have any cash on me.


    I put the wallet back as Frankie walked out of his room, dressed in a pair of cks and a golf shirt.


    ¡°A bit formal for dinner in our room,¡± Iment. I¡¯m in my pajamas, and Frankie eyes me out. ¡°A bit casual for dinner in general.¡±


    ¡°This is proper home attire,¡± I say, trying to sound posh.


    Frankie raises an eyebrow and runs a hand through his hair. I smile, ¡°Your hair is perfect, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    He smiles and sits down. ¡°What did you order for us?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t be Italians unless we try the actual Italian dishes.¡± I lift the metal cover off his te. ¡°Spaghetti with a creamy sauce.¡±


    Frankie looks at me skeptically. ¡°Do we know if the chef is an Italian Nonna with years of family recipes passed down?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it.¡± I beam at him. ¡°So it isn¡¯t going to taste like Nonna¡¯s cooking.¡±


    Frankie sighs. ¡°I resign myself to that fact. Right, first dinner and some wine, and then a movie. Do you know what you want to watch?¡±


    ¡°There are some options picked out on the table.¡± I sit in my ce. ¡°You can browse and pick the least offensive chick flick you¡¯ll watch.¡±


    ¡°Do any of them have action?¡±


    ¡°Define action? Like adventure and guns or great in the sack? Cause they all have only the one kind.¡± I grin at him evilly.


    He chuckles. ¡°I¡¯ll lookter. Buon appetito!¡±


    ¡°Grazie,¡± I say, uncovering my food.


    We eat in silence for a moment until Frankie stands and pours us a generous ss of wine each. I take a long sip. ¡°At least the wine is good.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just me then,¡± he says, pulling a face. ¡°Did you order dessert, at least?¡±


    ¡°Ice cream and chocte sauce,¡± I push the rest of my food away, ¡°which sounds much more appetizing.¡±


    ¡°I know we shouldn¡¯t drink on an almost empty stomach, but we¡¯re not novices. We¡¯ll survive,¡± Frankie says, reaching for a bowl of ice cream and standing up. ¡°Let¡¯s watch while we eat.¡±


    We both flop onto the sofa, and Frankie looks at the list I¡¯ve prepared. He flips the TV on and selects one of the more romantic movies. ¡°This should be right up your alley.¡±


    We settle back and soon abandon our ice cream for more wine. I notice how freely it flows, but both Frankie and I are seasoned drinkers.


    I lean against him, gettingfortable, and turn my head to look up at him to find him inches from my face, looking into my eyes with those piercing gray-blue Sorvino eyes. I¡¯m not drunk enough to do this, and it would be a mistake, but I can¡¯t help but lean up and kiss him.


    He kisses me back, and we start to kiss hungrily. We turn to face each other, our kisses getting more heated until he pulls away from me. Forever the controlled one.


    I just want closure from him. Is that too much to ask for? Instead of asking him to exin himself, I get up and straddle hisp, looking down at him. I lean down and start to kiss him again. I feel his hands cup my ass and squeeze. He always did like my ass.


    His hands move from my ass, up and inside my shirt, cupping my bare breasts. I moan into his mouth, grinding my hips down onto his hardening cock. He flips me over and starts to undress me, and my mind drives me wild. It isn¡¯t long before he carries me to his bed, his perfectly made bed, and drops me onto the sheet, wing at my pajamas to get them off.


    I paw at his pants, undoing his belt and dropping his cks to the ground. He¡¯s hard and ready for me. His fingers dip between my legs, and I groan as he ys with me, he always had a way with his hands.


    He picks me up and tosses me up the bed so I¡¯m higher and he¡¯s lower. I know what he¡¯s going to do, and I have noints.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C10

    Frankie


    I kneel between her legs. I¡¯ve been in this position before and am fortunate to have already experienced what she likes. I kiss the inside of her thigh softly, looking up at her, then kissing again, teasing her as I look up again.


    ¡°Frankie,¡± she purrs, ¡°Please¡­¡±


    I grin and kiss my way up slowly until my mouth covers her already wet, shaved pussy. I know just how to lick when to suck, and what kind of nipping she likes to make her writhe under my grasp. All too soon, I¡¯m straining too much and no longer want to wait.


    She seems to read my mind as she takes a handful of my hair to pull me back up to kiss her. I mount her and slide my hard cock into her, burying myself deep inside her. The warmth is incredible, and she contracts her muscles around my dick.


    I ravage her, moving in and out quickly, trying not to hurt her. She just moans and cries out my name. She doesn¡¯t seem to mind the pace at all.


    I feel her hand between us, teasing her clitoris as I move. She¡¯s close. She only does that when she¡¯s close, so I thrust as hard as possible, chasing my own release.


    I lie with her in my arms, letting her doze with her head against my chest.


    I feel as though this is a fresh start to our marriage. This night has brought us together and shown me that we are on the same page on what we want from the marriage. It certainly won¡¯t be a typical marriage. We¡¯ve discussed that at length. But the passionate sex makes me believe it can be even more.


    I stroke her back softly. She has always had this way of winning me over. Maybe I can do something nice for her in the morning, something she¡¯ll like.


    I wake when she stirs, climbing off the bed to get dressed. I turn to watch her, the sun is just rising, and the room is filled with soft gray light.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± I ask sleepily.


    ¡°Back to my room,¡± she says; her tone is short, and I frown.


    ¡°Everything okay?¡± I ask, sitting up.


    She turns to me and smiles. ¡°Last night was amazing, but¡­ Frankie, we¡¯ve been clear about what we expect from this marriage. It¡¯s working the way we¡¯re doing it. We shouldn¡¯t change anything.¡±


    Of course, I should have known she wouldn¡¯t feel the same way as me. I¡¯m a walking sucker. I thought things could change, but it¡¯s clear that she doesn¡¯t feel the same way.


    For one insane moment, I want to tell her how I feel, but I don¡¯t want to be left with dust when she runs away because I have feelings she doesn¡¯t return.


    So, I nod.


    ¡°Sure, whatever you think is best.¡± I get up. ¡°Although I am having a run and a shower before breakfast.¡±


    No emotion is needed when you treat it as a business rtionship. That¡¯s all that is. That¡¯s all it needs to be. I won¡¯t be mean, grumpy, or take my moods out on her. She didn¡¯t ask me to have these feelings. She had an itch that I could scratch, and that was allst night was.


    She stands awkwardly at my door. ¡°Are we good?¡±


    I reach for my sweats. ¡°Sure, the weather should be good today. We should head down to the beach again.¡±


    She nods. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll see you there.¡±


    All through the run, the shower, and even as I have breakfast with her, I slowly bottle up my feelings for her. There is no room for them.


    I bring an action book to the beach, sit on the lounger, and look for a server to order drinks from. Amelia stares wistfully out at the ocean. The waiteres over, and I turn to him. ¡°A beer and a cosmopolitan,¡± I order.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Amelia says suddenly, and I nce at her, ¡°those stic toys in the sand. Do they belong to kids, or can anyone y with them?¡±


    I raise an eyebrow at her. ¡°You want to y with the toys?¡±


    ¡°I want to build a sandcastle,¡± sheughs. And the sound is so beautiful.


    I look at the waiter, who answers. ¡°Yeah, there are no rules that only the children can y with them.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Amelia stands up and reaches a hand down to me. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s see if you can build a sandcastle.¡±


    I pull a face, and she shakes her head. ¡°No, no, you have to try.¡±


    I take her hand and stand. She almost immediately lets go of mine and leads me toward the stic toys. Rather ungracefully, she plops down onto the sand and pulls some toward her, using a stic shovel to fill it with sand.


    I sit down next to her and watch her for a moment before she looks at me pointedly. ¡°Come on then.¡±


    I shake my head and pull a bucket to me, filling it with sand.


    The waiteres and goes, bringing us drinks as we try and build a sandcastle. I notice he¡¯s not the same waiter that took the order, and I take note of the tattoo of prayer hands and a cross on his hand. I¡¯m so focused on trying to build my sandcastle that I don¡¯t pay attention to Amelia. I throw thest dump of sand in the middle and nce over at her, and my jaw drops.


    She¡¯s built a beautiful, albeit amateur, sandcastle, but it does look like a proper castle. When I look at mine, it looks like a heap of sand, with other heaps of sand in the corners of it.


    Amelia sees me looking at her and nces at my sandpile. She bursts outughing and tumbles backward into the sand. ¡°That is terrible, Frankie.¡±


    I chuckle. ¡°I tried,¡± I say.


    Amelia shakes her head. ¡°No, seriously, that is the worst sandcastle ever made.¡±


    As she sits up, I push her over into the sand. ¡°I¡¯m going to read. You can keep ying with your sand.¡±


    I get up and dust myself off. I walk back to my book. More people are on the beach now, but one man particrly catches my attention. He¡¯s wearing a suit, sitting just off the shore, but on his neck is the same tattoo as the waiter from earlier: a cross and prayer hands.


    That is no coincidence.


    Matching tattoos means there¡¯s a gang, and the fact that two of them are in our vicinity lets me know it¡¯s us they¡¯re after. They won¡¯t do anything while we¡¯re in public, maybe not even when we¡¯re in the room, but we lose that protection once we¡¯re on the road heading home. A perfect situation to take us out.


    I don¡¯t know who they are or what they want, but I¡¯m damn sure we¡¯re in danger. I won¡¯t let Amelia know. I don¡¯t want her to stress just yet. First, I need to act natural and then reach out to my brother. We need toe up with a n to get us home safely.


    I rest back in the lounger, and although I hold my book up, I don¡¯t read. I keep an eye on Amelia as she tries to fix my dump of a sandcastle. She might not love me the way I love her, but it¡¯ll be a cold day in hell when she gets hurt because she¡¯s linked to me.


    I take out my phone and message my brother, describing the tattoo and asking him to find out what they want with Amelia and me.


    The first waiteres to take my next order, and I get a sparkling water. There can be nothing clouding my judgment, especially not alcohol. This is a life-or-death situation, and I need to make sure we¡¯re the ones that are left doing the living.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C11

    Amelia


    We manage to be friendly, despite the sex, and Frankie¡¯s back to his casual but business-like self. The honeymoon is fun, but Frankie seems distracted, ying on his phone more often.


    He steps out of the room to take calls, and I wonder if there¡¯s a problem with business back home. Not that it¡¯s any of my business, but I wonder if it will cut our holiday short.


    I wouldn¡¯t mind either way. Staying here is fun and going home just means returning to life. However, it would mean finding out where I fit in with this new life. I guess it could kind of be an adventure, and if Frankie isn¡¯t going to be a dick the whole time, then it won¡¯t be so bad.


    He¡¯s good in the sack. I¡¯ll give him that. He always has been, but I have terrible shagging regret. I got the closure I wanted. Frankie made it clear in the morning. We can just keep things the way they are now. In other words, he has no residual feelings for me.


    I will be fine. I know I will be. It¡¯s just something I have to ept.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    What I don¡¯t ept is the weird sense that we¡¯re being followed around. Frankie keeps me to the public beach, the dining hall, and our room. He has asked me not to do any private activities until he lets me know. This makes me nervous.


    I have seen the same three men with the weird tattoos almost everywhere we¡¯ve been. Normally, it¡¯s not something I¡¯d notice, but they stick out. It¡¯s clear they aren¡¯t here for a holiday.


    I walk out of my bedroom and see Frankie sitting in the living area in a suit, his legs crossed and his arms on the back of the sofa.


    ¡°We need to talk,¡± he says gravely.


    I keep my poker face. ¡°Are we done? Are we going home?¡±


    ¡°Just sit, Amelia,¡± he says, and I can tell he¡¯s really serious.


    I sit down. ¡°Is everything okay? Is my family okay?¡±


    Frankie leans forward, and I hate that he takes his time to tell me what¡¯s going on, only to ask me the strangest question.


    ¡°What do you know about your ex-boyfriend, Dave?¡±


    I frown. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be seeing him again if that¡¯s what you¡¯re trying to get at. It¡¯s really none of your business.¡±


    His eyes are bluer than his usual gray today, a clear sign he¡¯s worried about something.


    ¡°That¡¯s not why you want to know,¡± I say slowly. ¡°What¡¯s he done?¡±


    ¡°Did you ever meet any of his family? Know anyone that he knows?¡±


    ¡°We ran in the same circles. I know he¡¯d asionally deal drugs to some of the people I know.¡± Frankie frowns, and I hold up my hands. ¡°I didn¡¯t party like that. Alcohol is my friend. But¡­¡± I pause. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t really know his family. We weren¡¯t that close yet, and he was a bit secretive.¡±


    ¡°And with good reason¡­.¡± Frankie says, sighing deeply. ¡°Amelia, your little ex is the nephew of a rather prominent drug mogul.¡±


    I look at him with raised eyebrows. ¡°Oh, wow, he didn¡¯t seem that important.¡±


    ¡°This is no time for jokes, Amelia. We¡¯re being followed by members of his uncle¡¯s gang. We¡¯re in danger.¡±


    I stand up. ¡°The men with the tattoos.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve noticed them?¡± he asks me.


    ¡°Yes, I mean¡­ I bumped into them once or twice and noticed they¡¯re always where we are. The tattoos give them away. At first, I thought there was some kind of conference or something, but it started getting creepy.¡±


    ¡°I noticed them, too, ever since the other day when we built sandcastles. They¡¯re trying to get close to us. I assume to kidnap us.¡±


    ¡°Why would they want to kidnap us?¡± I ask, mouth slightly open. ¡°I mean,¡± I stumble over my words, ¡°surely Dave isn¡¯t that hard up that he¡¯s having his uncle get me back for him.¡±


    Frankie looks away, and my eyes instantly narrow. ¡°What did you do?¡± I use him. ¡°Francesco, what did you do?¡±


    He sighs, looking up at me with those piercing eyes. ¡°He clocked you with a gun, Amelia. What do you think I did?¡±


    ¡°You hurt him,¡± I say, shaking my head. ¡°Must everything be a beat down for you?¡±


    ¡°He needed to be taught a lesson.¡± Frankie stands, towering over me. ¡°And quite frankly, even knowing who his uncle is, I¡¯d still kick his ass. It¡¯s not like I killed him.¡±


    I snort. ¡°Which is surprising.¡±


    Frankie runs a hand over his hair and walks to the window, looking down at the beach below. ¡°They¡¯ll probablye for us when we leave the hotel, but I¡¯ll deal with travel arrangements.¡±


    I feel a pang of guilt. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Frankie, this is my fault. I really do have the worst taste in men.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say.¡± He offers me a smile. It¡¯s a truce for now.


    I sit down on the sofa and put my head in my hands. ¡°What if they try and attack us in the room?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t,¡± Frankie exins. ¡°It¡¯s not their way. They¡¯re not about public disys. They¡¯re about revenge, though.¡±


    I sigh and sit back. ¡°I don¡¯t really feel like going to the beach today.¡±


    ¡°We have to.¡± He turns to me, looking at me seriously. ¡°In fact, we will enjoy the rest of our honeymoon as though we don¡¯t know a thing about what¡¯s going on. We can¡¯t alert them to the fact that we¡¯re onto them. Otherwise, they may make this public and hurt not only us but innocent people, too.¡±


    ¡°Since when do you care about innocent lives?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± he says, giving me that steely look, ¡°but that will draw attention to us, the family, and what our family does in the background. You need to learn to be part of this family, Amelia. Family is everything. You take care of the family, and the family will always take care of you.¡±


    ¡°My family has never taken care of me,¡± I mutter bitterly.


    ¡°It¡¯s different now,¡± he sits beside me and strokes my hair behind my ear. ¡°Our family is different. We take care of our own. Now, Alessandro is sending us back up. So, until they get here, we simplyy low, do our thing, and enjoy our honeymoon. Okay?¡±


    I nod. ¡°Got it. Try not to let the drug lords know we know they¡¯re here.¡± I give him a somewhat sarcastic thumbs up.


    ¡°I debated telling you because I didn¡¯t want to worry you, but I know your poker face. You won¡¯t give anything away.¡±


    I snort. ¡°You know me a little too well.¡±


    Frankie pulls away from me and stands. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go downstairs? I saw the hotel has a small casino. We¡¯ll gamble a little and have some fun.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to change.¡± I point to him. ¡®You¡¯re a lot more formally dressed than I am.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I mean business.¡± He tries to give me a reassuring smile, and I nod, getting up and walking to my room.


    I dress in a little cocktail dress and heels and join him. We walk down the hallway, both acutely aware of the man pretending to get into a room near ours.


    Straight poker face, I think, that¡¯s all that¡¯s needed. The man looks at me, and I give him a small smile. He nods to me, and I continue to walk, looping my arm through Frankie¡¯s without hesitation.


    Once we¡¯re in the elevator, Frankie nces at me. ¡°Whatever happens, don¡¯t go somewhere where there¡¯s no one around, and you can be taken.¡±


    I nod. ¡°I¡¯m not a fool. I¡¯m a woman. That¡¯s a normal rule for us.¡±

 #2 (The Marriage)-C12

    Frankie


    When I first saw Dave in my club, I didn¡¯t recognize him. That¡¯s really dangerous because I always make sure to know every key operator and family member of the important crime families that interact with or around us. The world of mobsters and mafia is unforgiving, and there are rules you don¡¯t break. It¡¯s an eye for an eye, you hurt one of their family, and they¡¯re entitled toe after one of yours.


    I wouldn¡¯t have gone to town on him if I had known that Dave was the lovechild of the Catn Don¡¯s brother. I probably would have reached out to Jose Catn to deal with Dave himself. It¡¯s how things are done.


    Now, I must deal with the consequences of my actions, and Alessandro is beyond irritated about the situation.


    After all, Jose and Alessandro had a peace treaty in ce even though every family knew that Jose wanted to take over our territory in New York. He can¡¯t attack us outright without cause because the other families will rally behind us. Another unspoken rule, but now he has leverage to get his revenge, and I know he won¡¯t stop until he gets it.


    I frown; it¡¯s a weak excuse at best. I didn¡¯t kill the kid. I just had him put in the hospital. I don¡¯t have any regrets, and that¡¯s probably what Alessandro finds most annoying about the situation. I¡¯ve given them an in, and I would do it again if I were presented with the same problem.


    Amelia is still asleep as I sit in my room, scanning over the files sent to me on my phone. Jose Catn reigns over the drug trade in most areas of South America, and he¡¯s made several ys to get into the US. We allow him in our area under supervision. I know he doesn¡¯t like that. He¡¯ll like it even less when Alessandro denies him trade in our territories because of this move. It¡¯ll start a war between our families, one that we may find difficult to fight.


    I know he has a few states already under his control, but he¡¯s been after our territories for a while. He¡¯s never satisfied, which is a bad trait for a Don. You have to know when to y your move, not just y what your temper says you should. It¡¯s how Dons fall, fast and hard, but until we have a solid n for how to deal with Jose and his goons, I need to make sure that Amelia is safe. We must get out of Marnd and back to New York, pronto.


    No other family will get involved in this, but I know they¡¯ll be watching closely to see whoes out top. Not everyone is happy with us. Although we try to keep good rtionships, sometimes our paths cross in an unpleasant way.


    It¡¯s just the way things are.


    I get up and pour myself a whiskey. I¡¯ve booked a ticket on a bus for Amelia to take back to New York. I¡¯m hoping that traveling away from me in an unexpected way will make her less of a target since I¡¯m the one who attacked Dave.


    I¡¯ll be going my own way, and I have some people who resemble the two of us taking another route. Hopefully, it¡¯s enough to confuse the people following us, and we can get back under my family¡¯s protection without a hitch.


    I¡¯ll have to exin this to Amelia. I don¡¯t think she will be afraid, but she needs to be vignt.


    My phone rings.


    ¡°Alessandro,¡± I say in greeting.


    ¡°Frankie, your transport leaves this afternoon. I¡¯ve sent some extra guys to see you guys here safely. Don¡¯t take any chances. Jose won¡¯t care about hurting a few people to get to you.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t attacked us here,¡± I say quietly.


    ¡°I said a few. That¡¯s too many people,¡± Alessandro says grumpily. ¡°Now listen, you get back here, and you get straight to safety. Don¡¯t go around town trying to do any business or anything. We don¡¯t know how many of his soldiers are in town and waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± I say with a sigh. ¡°I didn¡¯t know this guy, Alessandro. I didn¡¯t know he was connected.¡±


    ¡°I know, Frankie, neither did we. When the guys first asked around about him, they were told he¡¯s some low-rolling drug dealer to the stars. No one knew his connection to Jose.¡± Alessandro breathes deeply. ¡°But what is done is done. I know you would do it again. Stupid, but I know you would do it for Amelia.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s family,¡± I say calmly. ¡°Familyes first. Surely, we can say he attacked her, and she¡¯s our family.¡±


    ¡°Tried, but we¡¯ve received word that Amelia had been with Dave the same day when the fight happened, so she couldn¡¯t have been with you or nned to marry you. They¡¯re angling this well to make us look like we did this as a direct attack on them.¡± Alessandro sighs, then continues, ¡°I¡¯ll figure something out. I just need to think things over and work out how I¡¯m going to do this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking on it too. There must be a way to either get him off our backs or put him in his ce, though I feel like putting him in his ce is going to be the option we¡¯re going to have to take.¡± I sip my whiskey. ¡°Would be nice.¡±


    ¡°Could be deadly,¡± Alessandro points out to me. ¡°Be logical, Frankie, don¡¯t let your feelings for Amelia start to cloud your judgment. You¡¯re the business-minded one. I trust you¡¯lle up with a solution long before I do. I have to go. I have a meeting. Don¡¯t get killed, baby brother.¡±


    I smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t intend to.¡±


    I hang up and look out over the ocean. I hear Amelia¡¯s door open, and I leave my room, whiskey in hand, and I watch as she walks toward the living area, already dressed.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± I say calmly.


    ¡°Morning,¡± she greets me. ¡°Are there any updates?¡±


    I nod. ¡°We¡¯re leaving today to go back home. We are to go straight home, with no detours. But there will be a few adjustments to the n. I¡¯ll exin shortly.¡±


    She nods. ¡°Have you ordered breakfast yet? I¡¯d rather eat here.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯ll have whatever you have,¡± I say.


    ¡°Eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast,¡± she says. ¡°That¡¯s the n.¡±


    She goes to the phone and orders the food, and we sit silently while waiting. I¡¯m musing over the n in my mind, going over thest few details of how this is going to go down.


    Once we¡¯re eating at the table, Amelia gives me a steady gaze. ¡°Tell me the n, Frankie. I want to be prepared.¡±


    I nod, swallowing some scrambled eggs. ¡°We¡¯re going to split up.¡±


    ¡°Is that safe?¡± she asks immediately. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we stay together?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have some folks who look like us take one way. I¡¯ll take another and you another. Don¡¯t worry, there will be guards with you to protect you,¡± I exin.


    She continues to eat, not saying anything, so I continue, ¡°The n is to throw them off our trail or split them up at least. Get home, stay home, and make a new n from there.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s rted to a drug lord,¡± she says softly. ¡°I should have known.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t even know, and we make it our business to know Amelia,¡± I point out. ¡°He¡¯s a love child. His father is the brother of Jose Catn, and his mother was a mistress that got pregnant. There¡¯s no direct tie or name matching or anything. He is basically a blot on the family name. But they¡¯ve wanted something on us for a while, and now they have it. So, they¡¯re going toe for us.¡±

 #2 (The Marriage)-C13

    Amelia


    I listen to Frankie exin who Dave is to the drug-lord family.


    ¡°We¡¯re waiting for our men and the woman to arrive, and then we¡¯ll leave this afternoon,¡± he says.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Whye for you?¡± I ask. ¡°Why not go for Alessandro? As head of the family.¡±


    ¡°Because,¡± Frankie says, ¡°I¡¯m the one directly suppressing his influence in our territory. I¡¯m the one who is keeping him at bay. This is the territory that I manage for the family. Taking me out will destabilize the family and the territory, and while we try and regroup, he can make his move to take over.¡±


    I think about what he says. ¡°So, Dave is the nephew of this Don Catn?¡± I ask.


    Frankie nods, so I continue, ¡°And he has been looking for a reason to get to you, so he¡¯s using the fact you put Dave in the hospital to put a hit on you.¡±


    Frankie nods again.


    I think about it for another while, and we sit in silence before I say, ¡°Do you think that¡¯s why Dave dated me? Because we have a history? Maybe he wanted to goad you.¡±


    Frankie¡¯s expression changes. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought of it that way, but you never know. It could be the case because Jose really has wanted to make his move for some time. If they found out we had been together before, it may be the reason Dave was bold enough to attack you in my club.¡±


    I sigh, feeling somewhat hurt. ¡°I guess no one can just love me for me.¡±


    Frankie looks like he¡¯s about to say something when there¡¯s a knock on the door. Frankie¡¯s hand goes to the holster on his side that I hadn¡¯t noticed, and he stands up. ¡°Stay here.¡±


    I watch as he approaches the front door. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Joel,¡± a familiar voicees through the door. ¡°We¡¯re here for the main course.¡±


    I pull a face. It must be some kind of code to let Frankie know it¡¯s safe. He opens the door, steps out, looks around, and steps back in, followed by several buff guards and a man and woman who look very simr to Frankie and me. I stand, no longer hungry, and I get a bottle of sparkling water out of the room bar.


    Frankie and Joel immediately start discussing the travel arrangements while the look-alikes simply stand to the side, waiting for their orders. I always knew the Sorvino family was powerful, this is the world I grew up in too, but I think they are more powerful, with more loyal supporters than any family I¡¯ve ever seen.


    Frankie turns to me. ¡°Change of ns. They couldn¡¯t get tickets for this afternoon, so we¡¯ll make a break for it early in the morning.¡±


    I nod. ¡°No problem,¡± I say. ¡°Are we just going to stay shut up in the room today, at least?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s safer,¡± Frankie says with a nod.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    I nod back. ¡°I¡¯m going to read in my room then.¡±


    Frankie holsters his gun. ¡°We¡¯re splitting into four groups rather, as per Alessandro. It¡¯ll be safer once we¡¯re on our own territory.¡±


    I blurt out. ¡°I want a gun.¡±


    Frankie eyes me out. ¡°That¡¯s a bit dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I know how to handle a gun, Frankie. My father made sure of that. I¡¯m not being separated from you and going unarmed.¡± I cross my arms over my chest.


    Frankie looks at Joel. ¡°Get her a small handgun, something that can fit in her purse.¡±


    Joel nods, going to one of the men and then bringing me a small revolver. ¡°Use it wisely, don¡¯t forget to take the safety off.¡±


    I nod and take the gun to my room, putting it in my purse. I spend most of the day reading and packing my bags. I try to sleep at night, but I¡¯m too unsettled to get any real rest. Then, while it¡¯s still dark outside, Frankie knocks at my door. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡±


    I take my overnight bag, the only one I¡¯ll be taking with me. Other me, I discovered her name is Heather, is taking my main luggage with her. I wind a scarf over my head and have my sunsses on hand. Cars are waiting downstairs to take us to airports, bus stations, and train stations.


    ¡°How are we going to get out without being seen?¡± I ask.


    Frankie holds out his hand. ¡°Move with me, quickly. When we get downstairs, get in the front car. Don¡¯t wait or look around or look back.¡±


    I nod and take his hand, it¡¯s warm in mine, and I can feel the electricity that flows between us. But I know the sparks are from me, not him.


    We wait at the door, and then it happens-all the power goes out.


    ¡°Go,¡± Joel says, opening the door. Frankie leads me down the dark hallway, moving quickly. I keep up with him.


    We get to the stairway and go downstairs quickly, not stopping to see if anyone is following us. We¡¯re arge party, but it¡¯s early, and there¡¯s no one else on the stairs. When we reach the front, the staff scramble to get the power back on, but we don¡¯t stop. We burst through the front doors to see four cars waiting, all running.


    I let go of Frankie¡¯s hand, and a cold shudder passes over me. Me, and two of the guards, I climb into the front car, and the driver pulls off without a backward nce. I don¡¯t look back, either.


    We pull up to the bus station, and the guards hand me my ticket. ¡°Quickly,¡± the dark-haired one says. I have not even had a chance to ask their names. ¡°We¡¯ll sit behind you, so it¡¯s less obvious.¡±


    I take my bag and climb out. Looking at the ticket, I scan the busses and find the one going to New York. People are already boarding, so I join the queue. I hesitantly nce around, the sun has just risen, and the first light is showing.


    I climb aboard the bus and hand my ticket to the driver, who checks it and lets me through. I stow away my overnight bag at my feet as I sit down in a single seat toward the front. Then I watch carefully who boards the bus, always keeping my purse slightly open and within reach.


    The guards board the bus and sit down two rows behind me, on either side of the bus.


    I only rx a little when the bus pulls off fifteen minutester, and we¡¯re on the road, but I can¡¯t shake this feeling that I¡¯m being watched. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just nerves because I know Jose¡¯s men are after me, but the hair on my neck prickles.


    I try and close my eyes. I¡¯m so tired I don¡¯t know what else to do. I¡¯m restless, though, and it¡¯s hard to sleepfortably on a bus at the best of times.


    I pull some crisps out of my bag and eat them slowly. Shifting in my seat, I nce around the bus once more, see nothing suspicious, but then I look again and notice two men sitting at the back. They¡¯re dressed as tourists, but somehow, they don¡¯t belong. Everyone except my guards and I are tourists. It¡¯s a luxury bus with only about twelve passengers, but those two men sitting in the back right corner don¡¯t fit in. They¡¯re too stern, too hard. I wave at the guard near me to bring him over. ¡°I think we¡¯re being followed,¡± I whisper.


    He nces around. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I think we¡¯re safe. It¡¯s just a bunch of tourists, and no one followed us from the hotel. It¡¯s impossible. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    But, as I sit there, worrying is all I can do.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C14

    Frankie


    I climb into the car at the very end of the procession, and we take off in a different direction from the other three. We¡¯re driving the whole way to New York with no stops. I have my phone in my hand, watching it carefully for updates.


    I am overwhelmed with worry about Amelia, and I don¡¯t feel relieved when one of her guards texts me that they made it to the bus without incident because that doesn¡¯t mean anything. Are they watching her carefully enough? Are they keeping an eye out for Jose¡¯s men? Alessandro has sent some of our best men, but I should have sent Dominic.


    I wish I had, but Alessandro disagreed.


    I look out the window for a moment before I nce back. It seems like regr traffic flowing in and out of Marnd. No reason to worry. Except there is always a reason to worry, this isn¡¯t a game. This isn¡¯t like the movies where it¡¯s an easy getaway. There is danger around every corner, and you never know when your enemies will strike. It¡¯s a lesson a lot of families have learned the hard way.


    I think about Amelia, and a sense of annoyance ovees me. This is the reason I didn¡¯t want to be with her again. This marriage was a bad idea. I tried to keep her out of danger, and it was the reason I had broken up with her in the first. There is no ce for emotions in our type of family business, and that¡¯s all Amelia gives me. Emotions. I can¡¯t think straight when I¡¯m with her. I can¡¯t even think straight when I¡¯m not. It¡¯s a constant battle to think about anything but her, her lips, her eyes, her hair¡­ everything about her drives me absolutely insane.


    I have never really had an interest in dating women aside from her. I am dedicated to the family, the business, and my brothers. I was taught my ce in this world, and it wasn¡¯t to be an emotional wreck because of a woman. Women have no ce getting mixed up in family business at all.


    All my problems started when I bumped into her at La Club that night. If she had just stayed away, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten involved.


    A tiny voice inside me points out that she may have ended up dead if it hadn¡¯t been for me, but that wouldn¡¯t have affected me as much, would it?


    Feeling so intensely, I know this is love. I know I want to love and cherish her and protect her from any harm, but how do I do that when Ie from one of the biggest crime families in the States? I¡¯ve always had to look over my shoulder, and now, because we¡¯re married, she¡¯ll have to do the same.


    But I can¡¯t let her go. I can¡¯t let her go off anywhere because I do love her. I know that now. There can be no doubt in my mind that I want to spend the rest of my life loving Amelia. I want us to be a proper family. I want us to have everything my parents had. My parents made it work. Surely we can as well.


    My phone goes off. Rob, my look-alike, has sent a text that they were followed. I breathe a sigh of relief-at least they¡¯re going for the wrong people. I text him and tell him to be safe at all costs. I don¡¯t want this to cost him his life, though he and I both know it maye to that.


    I text Amelia¡¯s guard, Johnny, and ask him how things are going. I wait for his response, everything is good, and I sigh again.


    ¡°Everything okay, boss?¡± Joel asks from next to me.


    I shake my head. ¡°I can¡¯t shake this feeling that something is going to happen.¡±


    Joel looks at me skeptically as I continue, ¡°Rob is being followed. I¡¯m waiting for an update on Heather, and Amelia is safely on the bus.¡±


    Joel takes out his phone. ¡°I¡¯ll phone Caleb and check on Heather.¡±


    I look out the window, and then something just tells me to look back. I turn around in my seat and look at the cars behind us. I recognize the car positioned twones across. It¡¯s been behind us since not long after we left.


    ¡°We¡¯re definitely being followed,¡± I say loudly, turning back. ¡°ck Audi behind us.¡±


    My driver Ricardo looks in the rearview mirror. ¡°I¡¯ll shake them.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything to draw attention,¡± I say sharply, but I could have saved my breath. The Audi cuts across thenes and drives into the back of us, propelling us forward, so I say, ¡°Change of n, speed up.¡±


    Ricardo changesnes and speeds up, diving in and out of traffic, even driving on the wrong side of the road. The Audi keeps up, bumping into us every now and again.


    I hear the shots, but they miss the car at first. Luckily, the ss is bulletproof. Before I can be grateful for that fact, a crack appears where one bullet hits.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Faster, Ricardo,¡± I shout, taking out my own gun. I roll down the window and start firing back, Joel shifting beside me. He opens his window and climbs out of it, sitting half in and half out. He starts firing on the Audi as well, which is not bulletproof.


    ¡°Aim for the tires or engine,¡± I shout, aiming for the front tire.


    I move back and forth, dodging bullets and trying to get my own in, when the Audi swerves hard into us. I shoot the thug in the passenger seat in the back of the head. I then turn my attention to trying to hit the driver, who is the closest to me. He¡¯s got one hand on the steering wheel and one with a gun trying to shoot us, but it¡¯s a toss-up between looking where to shoot and trying not to crash as we both weave in and out of traffic. Cars hoot or stop, and some speed off or pull to the side of the road. I hear a siren start and know the cops are on to us.


    Joel slides back into the window as Hank, my guard in the front seat, gets a bullet in the neck and gurgles slowly to death.


    I growl, shifting my position. Holding my gun with both hands, I aim and wait for the Audi to drive closer to us. I fire a shot, hitting the driver in the head and causing his vehicle to swerve to the right and off the road.


    We speed off so fast that the cops are having difficulty following us through the traffic, and we soon lose them. I sit back, staring at the back of Hank¡¯s head with anger.


    ¡°They¡¯re going to pay for this,¡± I say angrily, then realize that both Rob and I were followed, which means that Heather and Amelia may have been followed too.


    They had more men avable at the hotel than we had suspected, and now we were all in danger. I search my pockets, but I can¡¯t find my phone.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joel asks, looking at me frantically, feeling around the floor.


    ¡°I need my phone,¡± I bark. ¡°I need to warn Johnny they may have been followed.¡±


    Joel helps me search for my phone that had fallen under the front seat, and I dial Johnny¡¯s number, but the call doesn¡¯t connect. ¡°Dammit.¡±


    Joel tries to phone Johnny¡¯s partner, Evander. ¡°They must not have a signal.¡±


    ¡°Or they were attacked,¡± I say, punching the chair in front of me with frustration. I text Amelia and wait for it to go through, then I look at my phone. ¡°It¡¯s not them who doesn¡¯t have a signal. It¡¯s us.¡±


    I tap Ricardo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Get us back quickly. I need to call Amelia and make sure she¡¯s okay.¡±

 #2 (The Marriage)-C15

    Amelia


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, those two in the right corner are Jose¡¯s men,¡± I whisper to the guard.


    ¡°You¡¯re being paranoid. Now stop calling me over here. It looks suspicious,¡± he says shortly but quietly before returning to his seat.


    I see a gas station ahead and lean forward, asking the driver, ¡°Are we stopping here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, for the restroom. Only a ten-minute stop, so don¡¯t be long,¡± he says.


    I sit back, but I don¡¯t look behind me. I don¡¯t need to look back to know Jose¡¯s men are staring at me. I don¡¯t care if Frankie¡¯s guards think I¡¯m being paranoid. They¡¯ll have the shit kicked out of them when Frankie finds out they¡¯re not taking my worries seriously. It¡¯s so misogynistic, and it will cost me my life.


    But I have a n already. I¡¯m going to call Frankie in the restroom once we stop. They won¡¯t follow me in there.


    I wait until the bus stopspletely before I take my bag and get off, heading for the restroom. Frankie¡¯s men follow me, and I enter the bathroom, assured no one else wille in while they¡¯re standing around.


    I take out my phone and dial Frankie¡¯s number, but it goes straight to voice mail which confuses me. I know Frankie would be expecting updates from the guards, and me, to know we are traveling safely. The bottom of my stomach drops as I realize that he might have been attacked. I swallow hard and try to think. I need to think like Frankie. Make a decent call that could save my life. Frankie isn¡¯t avable to save me, and his thugs aren¡¯t listening¡­ but the police might.


    I dial nine-one-one and wait. ¡°Nine-one-one, what¡¯s your emergency?¡±


    ¡°Hi, yes. There¡¯s been a major ident on the I-ny-five north. People are hurt, and we need emergency services to help. It¡¯s after the,¡± I nce around, ¡°It¡¯s after the gas station three-quarters the way between Marnd and New York.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, what¡¯s your name?¡± the dispatcher asks.


    ¡°Heather,¡± I lie, ¡°Heather Fernando, and loads of people are hurt and in danger. My phone is going to die, so please send as many police as possible.¡±


    I hang up and take the gun Frankie gave me out of my purse. I check to make sure it¡¯s loaded and ready. I¡¯m not going to depend on some brain-dead thugs to protect me when they don¡¯t even acknowledge I¡¯m in danger.


    I leave the restroom after washing my hands, and they escort me back to the bus. Jose¡¯s men embark shortly after us, and I meet the one¡¯s eyes. I can see a burning rage inside of him, but don¡¯t avert my gaze.


    He passes, and he and his cohort sit back in their seats. Before we know it, the bus is back on the road, and everything is quiet. I feel uneasy because I know they¡¯ll want to do something before we reach New York. All I can do is wait for the opportunity to escape.


    There¡¯s nothing around us. It¡¯s all open roads with bushes and trees. I know I can run if need be. I wore trainers today, especially for that reason. I¡¯d have to leave my overnight bag, but that doesn¡¯t worry me, it¡¯s only clothes. My phone and my gun are in my purse anyway, and that¡¯s what I need most.


    ck smoke billows out the front of the bus, and the driver pulls over. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong,¡± he calls. ¡°I¡¯m going to check it out.¡±


    Oh, I know something is wrong. I knew they¡¯d mess with the bus while everyone was in the restroom. I peek behind me and see them shifting around. They¡¯re getting antsy, so as the bus driver stands up, I call, ¡°I need to pee again. Can I go behind a bush while you¡¯re busy?¡±


    The bus driver sighs. ¡°Fine, but don¡¯t be long. I¡¯m sure I can fix whatever it is in no time, and we need to be back on time.¡±


    I nod and follow the driver off the bus. He calls, ¡°You might as well all stretch your legs while you can.¡±


    I walk toward a nearby bush as everyone disembarks. I nce back to see the two men and Frankie¡¯s two guards walking after me. I can¡¯t help it. I break into a run.


    Gunshots and screams ring out in the quiet open air, and I scream as bullets whiz by me, dangerously close.


    I run into the trees, snaking my way around them as quickly as I can move. I draw my gun in case I need to shoot and click the safety off. I go deep into the trees before I find a good spot to hide, panting hard. I check my cell phone, but there¡¯s still no signal out here. Shit, I hope the cops find the bus soon.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    I can hear bullets in the distance. Jose¡¯s men and Frankie¡¯s men must be shooting at each other, which is good because at least they¡¯re not shooting at me or pursuing me.


    I get up and start walking to the right so that if theye into the forest, they won¡¯t walk straight into me. I move quickly, picking my way through the roots and nts, doing my best to be silent. The sound of gunfire has stopped, and I sit down, catching my breath. I hold onto my gun tightly, listening for the slightest sound.


    I hear a wailing siren in the distance and realize I now have a new challenge. I need to circle back to the road and back to the bus so that the police can find me, or I¡¯m going to be stranded out here, possibly with Jose¡¯s men, because I don¡¯t know if Frankie¡¯s men are still alive or not.


    If they are, Frankie¡¯s going to kill themter. I told them that those men were following us.


    I stand and pick my way back toward the road. I do so as quietly as possible to hear if I¡¯m being followed or if anyone is near me. The forest is shadier than it was. It must be moving intote afternoon because the shadows are deepening. I don¡¯t even know how long I¡¯ve been out here or how far into the woods I ran.


    Suddenly, this doesn¡¯t seem like such a great idea, but, I reassure myself, I am still alive. No thanks to my so-called guards.


    I reach into my purse and search, finding the bottle of water I¡¯d taken from the hotel. I open it and quench my thirst. It¡¯s warm, a little too warm, and I¡¯ve worked up a sweat and thirst from running.


    Soon my water is finished, and I regret downing it all. My thoughts turn to Frankie. I keep an eye on my phone to see if I get a signal again, so I can try to call him and let him know I¡¯m okay. So I can make sure he¡¯s okay.


    I swear if they have done anything to him, they can stop worrying about Alessandro because I will be after them, starting with my ex-Dave.


    My legs are getting tired, and my muscles ache. I really need to start running again and get into shape if I¡¯m going to be a crime boss¡¯s wife. I feel like I¡¯m going to run for my life more than once.


    I see red and blue shing lights up ahead, and that spurs me on, the siren is off, but I can see police cars through the trees. I move quickly, seeing an ambnce as well. I wonder briefly who got shot.


    Although, I don¡¯t think I care. I just want to get back to Frankie.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C16

    Frankie


    As the car pulls up in front of the house, I get out and wince. I pat myself down and find the source of the injury. A bullet has grazed my arm. Okay, it¡¯s more than a graze. I¡¯ve been shot, but I¡¯m more worried about Amelia. I¡¯m trying to call her, but there¡¯s no answer from her or Johnny and Evander.


    I pace up and down Alessandro¡¯s driveway as I try to connect the call, but it¡¯s no use. She¡¯s not in range, or something worse has happened, something I don¡¯t even want to consider.


    ¡°Get yourself checked out,¡± Alessandro says,ing down the stairs to see me. ¡°And get inside. It isn¡¯t safe outside.¡±


    I follow him back inside, Joel following behind me, and Alessandro summons the nurse he keeps at his home for our mother.


    ¡°He might need stitches,¡± he tells the nurse.


    ¡°Did Amelia¡¯s bus arrive on time?¡± I ask, we¡¯d been held up making sure we didn¡¯t get followed again, but it should have arrived at midday, half an hour ago.


    ¡°No, it hasn¡¯t, but I¡¯ve sent men out to scout where it is,¡± Alessandro assures me. ¡°We can only wait.¡±


    I¡¯m fidgety as the nurse sews me up, never once giving away how painful it is to have the needle and thread stitch my skin back together. Once she¡¯s done with the final stitch, she goes off, and Alessandro brings me a ss of whiskey. ¡°That should dull the pain.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not in pain,¡± I say, taking the whiskey. ¡°Have they called yet? Have they found the bus?¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Frankie,¡± my brother says seriously. ¡°They will find it. It can¡¯t just go missing.¡±


    ¡°With the Catn¡¯s it can,¡± I point out, standing and going to the window.


    Alessandro sits behind his desk, leaning back in his chair. ¡°You care a lot about Amelia. Does she know?¡±


    ¡°I made a promise to keep her safe,¡± I say. I refuse to admit my true feelings, even to my brother, though I know he doesn¡¯t believe me.


    ¡°Yes, you did. You have done so. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s fine, Frankie.¡± He¡¯s trying to reassure me, but I can¡¯t stop worrying about her. Surely, they¡¯d be within range of a cell tower by now, able to take or make calls.


    My phone rings, and I nce at it. The caller ID says New York Police, and my blood runs cold. I pray it¡¯s a business call. ¡°Hello?¡± I answer.


    ¡°Frankie?¡± Amelia¡¯s voicees over the line. She sounds relieved, and therefore, I feel relieved.


    ¡°Amelia, are you okay?¡± I ask quickly. ¡°Why are you with the police?¡±


    ¡°The bus broke down, and there was shooting, but I got away. I don¡¯t know where your men are.¡± I feel my temper rising, but I let her continue. ¡°I was brought to the NYPD with the others. Can youe to get me?¡±


    ¡°Which precinct are you at?¡± I ask her, looking at Alessandro and downing my whiskey.


    ¡°Fifty-fourth street,¡± she says, ¡°Midtown North,¡± she adds.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be about ten minutes but sit tight and don¡¯t leave with anyone else. I¡¯ming personally,¡± I exin. I hang up and walk toward the door.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Alessandro warns me, and I wave him off. ¡°You know I will be. I¡¯ll let you know once we¡¯re home.¡±


    Joel follows me, but I shake my head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Check security at home and make sure it¡¯s airtight. I¡¯ll be fine collecting her.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡± Joel asks me.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I nod. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    I take the car keys from Ricardo. He¡¯s pulled the blue Mustang around, and I climb in. Revving the engine, I pull off and join the traffic.


    I¡¯m observant as I drive, ensuring no one is following me. Luckily, it seems Jose¡¯s men have backed off for now. I find parking as close to the precinct as possible and walk in, looking around.


    Amelia is sitting in the waiting area with a nket around her shoulders.


    ¡°Amelia,¡± I say, walking toward her. I want to wrap my arms around her, to tell her I love her. I want to kiss her as though it was ourst chance.


    She looks up at me with big eyes. ¡°Your idiot guards nearly got me killed,¡± she hisses quietly.


    So much for that moment.


    I look down at her. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I told them we were being followed. I pointed out the guys to them, but they just said I was being paranoid. If I hadn¡¯t called nine-one-one for a fake ident, I would have been shot.¡±


    She keeps her voice low, ncing around to ensure none of the other tourists are listening, but they seem to be wrapped up in their own problems.


    I sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with them. Let¡¯s get to the house.¡±


    She follows me out of the station, and we move quickly to the car. I don¡¯t open the door for her, telling her to jump in quickly.


    I rejoin the traffic, and as I drive, I keep ncing at her. ¡°You¡¯re sure you¡¯re okay?¡± I ask.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    She nods. ¡°I am. I escaped into the woods and doubled back when I heard the police sirens. I¡¯m d you got back unharmed.¡±


    ¡°Not entirely,¡± I admit. ¡°They followed Rob, too, and I haven¡¯t heard from Heather.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean not entirely?¡± she asks.


    I sigh. ¡°I got shot. They tried to take us off the road. I got them first, though, so that¡¯s the end of that¡­ for now.¡±


    ¡°Only for now?¡± she asks, looking desperate. ¡°You mean they¡¯re going to keep on trying?¡±


    I nod. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so, but Alessandro and I wille up with a n, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m just happy you¡¯re safe.¡±


    She scoffs. ¡°You mean because you promised my family that you¡¯d keep me safe.¡±


    I frown, pulling the car up to the house. I turn to her after locking the doors, and my hand guides her face to look up at me. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m d you¡¯re safe. I¡¯m d you¡¯re unharmed. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt because of me. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    She nods slowly, her eyes wide.


    I can¡¯t help but lean down and gently kiss her lips. I kiss them again and again until she responds and starts kissing me back passionately. She slides her arms around my neck, and I put a hand on her waist. It¡¯s awkward, but she presses herself against me as much as possible, and I can feel the raw emotion emanating from me.


    She bes forceful, kissing me with determination, and I pull away from her, looking into her eyes.


    We breathe heavily, but we don¡¯t say anything. We just sit there, panting, looking at each other, and I want to tell her how much I love her. I look at her as though I would devour her, and I know she understands.


    ¡°I love you with my whole heart, Amelia,¡± I say roughly. ¡°I would do anything for you. I will burn this world to the ground to see you safe and happy, I swear it.¡±


    She turns away from me, and it stings. I let her know the truth. It¡¯s her decision now.


    I get out of the car and go around, opening the door for her. I lead her up the stairs and into the house. ¡°We¡¯ll stay here while we make a new n. I¡¯ll have Joel show you to your room. If you want to go outside, use the back garden instead. It¡¯s more secure.¡±


    Amelia nods. ¡°I understand, right now, I¡¯m really tired, so I¡¯m going to head upstairs and get some sleep. I¡¯lle downter for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Get some rest,¡± I say. ¡°Try not to stress.¡±


    She sighs. ¡°I know. I just feel like a caged bird.¡±


    I watch her go upstairs after Joel.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C17

    Amelia


    I won¡¯t do it.


    I can¡¯t believe Frankie has confessed his love to me as though it¡¯s that easy. It isn¡¯t that easy, and it sure as hell isn¡¯t fair. I fell for him once, and he decimated my heart. That won¡¯t be happening again any time soon. I won¡¯t let him get to me.


    The moment the words came out of his mouth, I want to hit him. Those were the words I wanted ages ago when we were together the first time. It was what I wanted. Truemitment and love, and he told me then it could never be, and now I won¡¯t ever let it happen, no matter how much I feel for him.


    He¡¯s taken the closure I got and ripped a gaping hole into it. I¡¯m questioning everything now, everything that I¡¯ve decided and wanted.


    And I choose never to be broken again-by any man.


    I sleep for what feels like ages, and when I wake up, my phone has numerous missed calls and text messages from my father. I text him that I¡¯m fine, and he replies almost instantly, saying he¡¯sing to see me.


    As I sit on my bed, I fume. This marriage wasn¡¯t supposed to be binding. It¡¯s an arranged marriage. We agreed to keep it casual, with no obligations. Now he¡¯s dering his love for me as though that changes everything.


    It doesn¡¯t change the past, and it doesn¡¯t change how he broke me. It doesn¡¯t change the months I grieved for us, our rtionship, and what we could have been.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    I had a funeral for my feelings for him, and now I¡¯ve moved on.


    There¡¯s a knock at my door, and Joel¡¯s voice floats through it, ¡°Mrs. Sorvino, your father is here to see you. He¡¯s in the garden.¡±


    I open the door. ¡°Thank you, Joel. Can you show me where he is?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He offers me a smile and leads me downstairs, around the banister, and to the back. There¡¯s a deck outside. Vines provide shade and grow up the walls and over them. My father strides toward me when he sees me. ¡°Mia!¡±


    He cups my face in his hands and kisses both my cheeks. ¡°Thank God you¡¯re okay. I heard what the Catn crew tried to do to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, Papa,¡± I say. I¡¯m being honest because I will be okay. I¡¯m stronger than anyone thinks I am and smarter, and I can hold my own, even against Frankie.


    ¡°Did they hurt you?¡±


    ¡°No, they shot at me, but they missed. Come, let¡¯s sit,¡± I say, tugging his hand toward the furniture in the corner.


    A waiter brings two sses of red wine and sets them down. My father takes arge sip of his and stares at me. ¡°I¡¯m worried about you, Mia. This Dave really was no good. He¡¯s not going to stoping after you. What did you do to him?¡±


    I sip my wine slowly. ¡°All I did was break up with him when he got aggressive with me. He treated me like I was his possession. Everyone treats me like a possession, as though I can be exchanged, bought, sold, or given away at a whim.¡±


    I look at him pointedly, and he meets my gaze. ¡°Sometimes, you need some direction, and guidance to somewhere safe, Mia. You have made a lot of poor decisions in the past.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying this is my fault?¡± I raise an eyebrow. ¡°That it¡¯s not Frankie¡¯s for putting Dave in the hospital?¡±


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t been with a drug dealer in the first ce, none of this would have happened,¡± my father says, sipping his wine again. ¡°But please, Mia, I don¡¯t want to fight. I¡¯ve been stressing about you since Alessandro let me know what¡¯s happening.¡±


    First Frankie and now my father-only when my life is in danger do all the men around me dere their love for me. Something I¡¯ve craved and groveled for, now they¡¯re worried they¡¯ll lose me.


    It didn¡¯t matter months ago, and it didn¡¯t matter years ago. It didn¡¯t matter that my mother abused me or that my father barely spoke to me growing up.


    No, I must forgive everything they have done and move on. I can maybe forgive my father, especially now as I look into his worried eyes. He clearly does care for me. I know Frankie does, too, but Frankie broke me the hardest, and I just don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anying back from that.


    I reach out and take my father¡¯s hand into mine. ¡°Papa, I promise I¡¯m fine. I took care of myself the way you taught me to. You would have been proud of me.¡±


    ¡°I am proud of you, Mia,¡± he says, stroking my hand. ¡°I¡¯ve always been proud of you. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not a more emotional father or more involved. I have a family to run. I don¡¯t have time for things like that. But I do care for you, my child.¡±


    I tear up and look away, wiping my eyes quickly. I pick up my wine and sip it. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s going to happen now?¡±


    ¡°They are busy discussing the best course of action,¡± my father says, sitting back with his wine. ¡°I¡¯ve made it clear that you are under no circumstance to be harmed at all, or there will be problems between our families. Alessandro took my meaning.¡±


    Of course, my father would throw the weight of our family against the Sorvinos. I give him a small smile. ¡°He can¡¯t have liked that too much.¡±


    ¡°He has enough enemies without making another,¡± my father says thoughtfully. ¡°He will make sure you¡¯re safe. That¡¯s all I want.¡±


    I sigh and trace the rim of my ss with my index finger. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m a caged bird, Papa, and that I will never be free to fly.¡±


    My father gives me a sad smile. ¡°Mia, you are so beautiful and so special. I¡¯m sorry that you were born into a family like ours, but it does nothing good to dream. It will just make you more miserable. The best thing you can do is ept your situation and make the best of it.¡±


    ¡°Is that all there will ever be?¡± I ask miserably.


    ¡°There¡¯ll be moments of joy. You¡¯ll see, you¡¯ll find them, my darling. But you are going to make many sacrifices to get them, like I have,¡± my father exins, finishing his wine. He sets his ss down and watches me. ¡°Maybe having children¡­¡±


    ¡°No children,¡± I say shortly. ¡°I am not bringing children into our families, not so they can live a prison sentence like me. If it¡¯s a boy, he joins the business; if it¡¯s a girl, she¡¯s married off as a bartering chip. How is that fair? How will that bring me joy?¡±


    My father keeps quiet before he finally says, ¡°There can be good things about the family, Mia, especially if you learn to love them.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t learn to love things, Papa. You either love them, or you don¡¯t,¡± I say with a note of finality.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± my father says. ¡°You¡¯ve learned to love me with time and patience.¡±


    I falter slightly, then quietly say, ¡°You can¡¯t love someone who breaks you, Papa.¡±


    ¡°How have you been broken, Mia? Speak to me.¡±


    I don¡¯t want him to know how Frankie hurt me before, but he continues, ¡°Frankie made a foolish mistake letting you go once. It doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s going to do that again. Maybe you can learn to trust him again.¡±


    ¡°He told you about us?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I always knew,¡± he says. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like you hid it very well.¡±


    I look at my hands. ¡°There is no redemption for Francesco.¡±

 #2 (The Marriage)-C18

    Frankie


    Amelia hasn¡¯t looked me in the eye since I confessed my love for her, but there isn¡¯t time to wallow in self-pity. I can¡¯t deal with her and Jose at the same time. As it is, I can¡¯t leave the house to deal with the family business like I normally would, and it¡¯s driving me insane that I have nothing to do to distract myself.


    Joel walks over to where I¡¯m standing in the garden, getting some fresh air. ¡°Boss, Don Sorvino wants to see you. It¡¯s a family meeting.¡±


    I nod, adjusting my suit and running a hand through my hair. ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°The dining hall, right now,¡± Joel says. ¡°He says it¡¯s time to discuss the problem with everyone.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Joel,¡± I say, walking away from him and back into the house. I walk into the expansive dining hall to find my brothers sitting at the table, as well as my father, some uncles, and Katya, Alessandro¡¯s wife.


    She¡¯s a formidable character on her own. Next to my brother, they are king and queen.


    I take my seat and look around. ¡°Is there anyone else we¡¯re waiting for?¡±


    ¡°Katya¡¯s father will be here shortly,¡± Alessandro says, looking around.


    As though on cue, he walks in. ¡°Good afternoon, everyone,¡± he says with his thick Russian ent.


    ¡°We are ready to begin,¡± Alessandro says as he sits down. ¡°As you all know, Don Catn has dered war on the Sorvino family. He wants Frankie, and he wants him dead.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± my father asks, stroking his beard. ¡°Why Frankie?¡±


    ¡°A guy attacked Amelia and Frankie put him in aa, with some permanent injuries. It turns out it¡¯s Don Catn¡¯s bastard nephew.¡±


    My father shakes his head. ¡°He¡¯s using that as an excuse to move into our territory. That man has wanted to own New York since he ascended.¡±


    I listen, taking in what they¡¯re saying. My uncles are muttering, but it¡¯s Katya who speaks next, ¡°We¡¯re obviously not handing them Frankie, which means there¡¯s going to be bad blood between their family and ours.¡±


    She looks around as though challenging anyone to disagree with her. I see a small smile on Alessandro¡¯s lips; he loves her power ys. She continues, ¡°Frankie needs to lie low, away from New York, until we can figure out what to do with the Don and his soldiers. New York isn¡¯t safe. He has many people here.¡±


    I sit straighter, looking over at Katya. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t run from him. It¡¯ll show him we¡¯re weak.¡±


    Alessandro speaks, ¡°We aren¡¯t going to run. If they bring war to our door, we will fight, but for now, they just want you. So we¡¯re going to hide you away until we cane up with a n to stop him. This isn¡¯t a request, Francesco.¡±


    When he uses my full name, it means business, and everyone at the table murmurs. I look into Alessandro¡¯s eyes and bow my head in submission, I may be key to the family, but he is the Don. He leads us.


    Katya starts speaking again, ¡°It¡¯ll have to be out of state, some affiliate establishments that you can visit and check on in different states. Instead of keeping you in a safe house, which undoubtedly will be traced, we¡¯re going to keep you moving. Not settling in one ce for too long will make you hard to trace. Burner phones only, and an untraceable VPN for emails and video calls to us.¡±


    I nod. I¡¯ve done this for other members who¡¯d needed to hide, so it is familiar to me. We don¡¯t take the typical approach to things.


    Hiding in safe houses just makes you a sitting duck because Katya is right. They always find out where you are.


    Katya¡¯s father stands. ¡°We are happy to have him check in on our establishments for Katya as well,¡± he says. ¡°That should keep him plenty busy.¡±


    At least I¡¯ll have work to distract me from Amelia¡¯s coldness. I nod to the old man, and Alessandro ps his hands. ¡°It¡¯s decided then. You leave tomorrow morning for Pennsylvania. Do you want us to tell your wife?¡±


    ¡°I can do it,¡± I say with a frown. ¡°She won¡¯t be happy about it, I¡¯ll bet, but it¡¯s probably best ites from me.¡±


    Alessandro nods and stands. ¡°Thank you, everyone, foring. We will meet to discuss what to do about Don Catn in the future, but for now, our priority is to keep Frankie and Amelia off the radar. That means telling no one of this n, not even your most trusted guard.¡±


    Everyone murmurs their agreement, and they start to stand, heading for the door. I meet Alessandro¡¯s eyes, is that worry? I don¡¯t have time to find out. He turns and leaves through another door with Katya next to him.


    I leave through the main exit into the entrance hallway and then climb the stairs slowly. I reach Amelia¡¯s room and knock. ¡°Amelia? We need to talk.¡±


    ¡°We have nothing to talk about,¡± she calls back. She clearly thinks I want to talk about us.


    ¡°About the n for our safety,¡± I say calmly, trying not to let my emotions get the best of me. ¡°You need to pack.¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    The door swings open. ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°On the run, essentially,¡± I exin. ¡°We¡¯re going to be out of state at least until Alessandro figures out how to deal with Jose.¡±


    She frowns. ¡°How long will we be gone?¡±


    ¡°You know I don¡¯t have the answer for that, Amelia,¡± I say honestly.


    She sighs and looks away before meeting my gaze. ¡°How much should I pack?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it. We¡¯ll be in a standard car that won¡¯t draw attention to us, but you can probably do an overnight bag and one piece ofrge luggage.¡±


    She nods. ¡°Thank you. When are we leaving?¡±


    ¡°In the morning,¡± I say. ¡°Although I would prefer to leave tonight since no one would be expecting that.¡±


    Amelia looks behind her. ¡°If I get packed quickly, can we go to Papa¡¯s house? I want to say goodbye because I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll see him again.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I say. ¡°That¡¯s probably a good idea, something else they won¡¯t expect from us. Leaving from there, we can jump onto the interstate and head straight for our destination.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± she asks.


    ¡°The less you know, the safer it is, but I promise to keep you safe. Pack your bags. We¡¯ll go straight to your father,¡± I say.


    I rush off to my room and pack my bags. There¡¯s a knock on my open door, and I see Dominic standing there. ¡°You put a guy in aa?¡±


    ¡°He touched what wasn¡¯t his,¡± Iment, looking at my brother seriously.


    Dominic chuckles. ¡°You make me proud, and here I thought you didn¡¯t like violence.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s necessary,¡± I say, packing my bag.


    ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Alessandro asks as he walks in.


    ¡°Dominic is jealous I was the one to put Dave in the hospital,¡± I smirk at Dom.


    Dom shrugs. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll get over it. I have other people to see, so travel safely, Frankie. If you need me, call.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± I say, giving my brother a brief smile. He leaves, but Alessandro doesn¡¯t. ¡°When do you want to leave?¡±


    ¡°I know you said the morning, but we¡¯re going to Gustavo¡¯s ce now and leaving from there tonight.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s wise. I said the morning, so if anyone does betray us, that¡¯s when they¡¯ll expect you to leave the house. I was going to suggest leaving tonight. Leaving Gustavo¡¯s is a bonus. Did Amelia protest?¡±


    ¡°She knows it¡¯s for our own safety. I think she¡¯s epted that,¡± I say, putting in a fewst-minute items. ¡°Alessandro, do you think you can stop Jose?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll die trying,¡± he promises me.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C19

    Amelia


    I finish packing my bags, and Joeles to collect them. As I walk downstairs, I meet Katya halfway down.


    ¡°Be safe,¡± she says to me, a glint of warning in her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t let Frankie get hurt by anything.¡±


    I get her meaning. She doesn¡¯t want me to hurt Frankie. I won¡¯t. I n to nothing our rtionship into oblivion until we are simply two ships passing in the night.


    At least Frankie has agreed to take me to Papa¡¯s house before we have to leave the state. I¡¯ve never thought he cared about me, but I do love him, and I want to say goodbye, at least.


    I finish walking down the stairs, and I wait at the front door for Frankie. Hees down soon enough, followed by another guard carrying his two bags. He looks at me. ¡°You ready?¡±


    ¡°Ready,¡± I say as confidently as I can.


    We walk out and go to the car. The luggage is loaded, and we leave without even saying goodbye to the others. I wonder if the family already said their goodbyes privately. Maybe they didn¡¯t want to draw attention to us leaving. Come to think of it. I didn¡¯t see anyone but the two guards and Katya around.


    We don¡¯t say anything as we drive to my father¡¯s house. He¡¯s expecting us, so the gates are open and shut directly after we drive in. Frankie parks the car on the side of the house, out of sight, and we get out. I lead Frankie in through the living room.


    ¡°Papa?¡± I call.


    ¡°In the kitchen,¡± he calls back.


    I look at Frankie and nod for him to follow me. We walk into the kitchen where my father is slicing tomatoes.


    ¡°Are you cooking?¡± I ask. ¡°I haven¡¯t had your home-cooked meals since I was a child.¡±


    ¡°Since you have to go, I wanted us to do something nice together. Mia, put the pasta on to boil. Frankie, you help dice the vegetables.¡±


    Frankie gives me a quizzical look, and I ask, ¡°You do know how to, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he says gruffly before grabbing a knife and joining my father.


    I get started on the pasta. It¡¯s ready to go in the pot, so I heat some water.


    My father smiles wryly. ¡°Mia, do you know how a penguin builds his house?¡± he asks.


    ¡°No,¡± I say slowly, confused about where he is going with this.


    ¡°Igloos it together,¡± my father chuckles, and I shake my head. ¡°That¡¯s terrible, Papa.¡±


    I watch Frankie for a moment, but his expression doesn¡¯t change.


    ¡°Well, what do you callzy shoes?¡± my father asks.


    I knit my eyebrows together. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­.¡±


    ¡°Loafers,¡± heughs a little at this one, shaking his head. He nudges Frankie. ¡°You like jokes? Mia used to love my jokes when she was little.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I say. ¡°He is the master ofme dad jokes.¡±


    Frankie doesn¡¯t smile, and my father and I look at each other. I snort. ¡°Frankie, can you seriously not let loose for one moment?¡±


    Frankie looks up at me, puzzled. ¡°No, I just, um, this is clearly your thing.¡±


    ¡°Do you even know any jokes?¡± I ask with a grin.


    Frankie sighs and thinks for a moment before he says, ¡°I can¡¯t think because I¡¯m afraid for the calendar.¡±


    We look at him as he looks at me seriously and says, ¡°Its days are number.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    I snort, and my fatherughs. ¡°That¡¯s a good one,¡± my father says. ¡°I like that one. I will have to remember it.¡±


    Frankie smiles and nods. ¡°Like, have you ever thought how great singing in the shower is,¡± he says. ¡°At least until you get soap in your mouth. Then it¡¯s a soap opera.¡±


    I burst into giggles, that was a good one.


    My father grins, saying, ¡°I thought the dryer was shrinking my clothes. Turns out it was the refrigerator the whole time.¡±


    Frankie and Iugh.


    We cook dinner and exchange many jokes. I¡¯m surprised at how funny Frankie is. He¡¯s as good at dad jokes as my father is.


    Soon the meal is prepared, and we are sitting at the table, eating.


    ¡°Where will you go?¡± my father asks me.


    ¡°It¡¯s best we don¡¯t let many people know,¡± I say before Frankie can offend him. ¡°They could try to hurt you to find out.¡±


    My father scoffs. ¡°These drug lords are all the same. They want all the territories and no responsibility. Just money. They take the easy way out, using muscle rather than negotiations. They¡¯re smart, very smart, but they¡¯re also impulsive. They act on their emotions, and a business cannot be run like that.¡±


    Frankie nods. ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more, though some drug lords realize the benefit of alliances. It¡¯s only a select few like Jose that don¡¯t like to work with other families.¡±


    ¡°Pah,¡± my father shakes his head, ¡°Jose has too much power to recognize his weakness.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s his weakness?¡± Frankie asks. I look at my father carefully.


    My father shakes his head. ¡°He thinks no one can get to him because he only surrounds himself with his family. He relies on that loyalty, but if you stay in this business long enough, you¡¯ll eventually find out that not even family is always loyal.¡±


    I sigh and sip my wine, setting my fork and spoon down. ¡°Frankie, if you¡¯re done, can you give us a moment before we have to leave?¡±


    Frankie nods. ¡°I¡¯m done. I¡¯ll wait for you in the car. Gustavo, thank you for dinner. I¡¯ll take good care of Amelia.¡±


    My father stands and shakes his hand, and we both watch him leave.


    ¡°Will you really not tell me where you are going first?¡± my father asks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, he hasn¡¯t told me, but I have to trust he will keep me safe, Papa,¡± I say. ¡°It¡¯s one of those things you were talking about, a thing I have to ept.¡±


    He nods his head. ¡°This is for your own safety. It¡¯s a sacrifice you have to make.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°I hope I can see you soon.¡±


    ¡°I know you think I didn¡¯t care back then,¡± my father says, taking my hand in his, ¡°But please try and understand, Mia, that every choice I¡¯ve made, every path I¡¯ve ced you on, I have done so with your best interests in my heart. I never wanted this life for you, but because of who you chose to be with, this life is the only thing that can keep you safe now.¡±


    I nod slowly, keeping quiet for a moment before I finally admit, ¡°I have made some terrible choices, Papa, and I¡¯m sorry I put you through that. Thank you for always taking care of me and for loving me, even when I didn¡¯t love you back.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Mia,¡± he squeezes my hand. ¡°You are my pride and joy. I will always be here for you.¡±


    We both stand, and I rush the short distance between us and wrap my arms around him, tearing up. ¡°I love you so much, Papa.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, my sweet daughter,¡± he says, stroking my hair. I can hear he is choking back his own sobs. We stay like that for a moment, and then I slowly pull away.


    ¡°I should get going. We need to be out of state as soon as possible.¡± I squeeze his hand. ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll stay strong and be safe until we see each other again.¡±


    ¡°I promise,¡± he says. ¡°And you promise to stay safe and listen to Frankie. He knows this n well and will be able to keep you both hidden.¡±


    ¡°I promise,¡± I say, though I¡¯m not entirely sure I can keep that one. I kiss both his cheeks and, with a final nce backward, leave the house and walk to where Frankie is waiting by the car.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C20

    Frankie


    ¡°I don¡¯t get why we don¡¯t fly out,¡± Amelia asks me as we join the little traffic on the freeway leaving New York.


    ¡°They can trace us easily,¡± I exin, keeping my eyes on the road.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you guys have private jets?¡± she asks, staring out the window.


    I nod. ¡°We do, but there have to be flight logs and manifests, still easy to trace.¡±


    ¡°So basically, we¡¯re going on a road trip. Can we at least have fun?¡± she asks, looking at me now.


    ¡°As long as we don¡¯t draw attention to ourselves,¡± I say. ¡°Though I don¡¯t know what you¡¯d constitute as fun.¡±


    ¡°Just seeing sights and doing tourist-type things,¡± she exins. ¡°Eat good food and mingle with the locals.¡±


    I snort. ¡°Okay, we can do some tourist things.¡±


    ¡°Can I get a camera?¡± she asks. ¡°So I can at least get some pictures.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll buy you one tomorrow, though strictly cash. No swiping cards while we¡¯re doing this.¡±


    She reaches for the radio and turns it up. ¡°At least there can be good music.¡±


    I shake my head a little, but she doesn¡¯t notice. I let her bop her head and sing to the music. I¡¯m trying to make sure no one follows us. I know Katya and Alessandro will work on this problem until it¡¯s solved, and we cane back home, but I can¡¯t help but dread spending who knows how long on the road with Amelia.


    My heart aches for her and I had hoped that confessing my love to her may stir some feelings, that she would at least try to love me back. It¡¯s clear now we¡¯re past that point, and this will never be a loving rtionship, only an amicable one.


    I have always been the cool, logical one in the family, but now it¡¯s like my wires are crossed, and everything is short-circuiting. We may be amicable, but I will spend as little time with Amelia as I can. My heart and mind can¡¯t take feeling this intense passion for her when she doesn¡¯t feel it back.


    It¡¯ste when I pull into a hotel, almost eleven, and I drive the car into the underground parking. I get out and look around, keeping my hand on my gun. No one seems to be following us, which is good news.


    ¡°We¡¯re spending the night here,¡± I say. ¡°You just need your overnight bag, I guess.¡±


    We get our bags from the car, and I carry them to the lobby of the hotel. The receptionist looks up at me, and I can see a certain interest in her eyes. I feel nothing, though. I want Amelia to look at me like that. Once upon a time, she used to.


    ¡°Hi, how can I help?¡±


    ¡°Booking under Evander James,¡± I say. ¡°Booked in advance.¡±


    She types away on her keyboard. ¡°Yes, we have room 154 ready for you, sir. If you¡¯re not too tired, there are many things still happening in the casino and entertainment rooms.¡±


    I nod, though I doubt I¡¯ll be doing anything more than sleep. She hands me the key, and I pick up the bags. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    While in the elevator, Amelia turns to me. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go gamble a little? I¡¯m sure they have card games.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s reallyte, and we need to leave early,¡± I say simply, but she pouts.


    ¡°Frankie, don¡¯t act like an old man, or this road tripping is going to really suck. I¡¯m trying to make it more enjoyable for both of us. Let¡¯s just go down for an hour, and then we can sleep until seven and hit the road. We can grab breakfast at a gas station or something along the way.¡±


    I consider her for a moment. I don¡¯t want to make her miserable on this trip because I¡¯d have to deal with the fallout of that. I sigh deeply. ¡°Fine, we can go down for an hour, but don¡¯t be grumpy when the rm goes off early in the morning.¡±


    We check into the room, freshen up and head downstairs. I¡¯m vignt about our surroundings. I don¡¯t want to be caught off guard if anything happens.


    The casino isn¡¯t Vegas standards, but it¡¯s nice. It¡¯s pretty full for the size of the hotel, and we find ourselves at a poker table after I buy us chips to y with.


    Ameliaughs through the game, teasing me about my poker face. I want to give her a smile every time, but I¡¯m trying to keep my emotions in check.


    At one point, she loses all her chips and drags me to the nearby bar. While I sip a beer, she dances on the small wooden dance floor, swaying to the music. My heart is thudding in my chest as I watch her. She¡¯s so sultry. She¡¯s so beautiful. I watch the way her body bends and curves. Trying to keep myself in check bes that much harder.


    I buy some more chips, and we try the ckjack tables next. She has a little more luck at these, but in between games, she¡¯s dancing. ¡°The music is great.¡±


    Her grin sets my heart on fire, and I shake my head. ¡°You¡¯d dance to anything.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t dance at all,¡± she points out. ¡°You should live a little.¡±


    I don¡¯tment, but soon enough, I check my watch, and it¡¯s one in the morning. ¡°Come on. We¡¯ve been down here longer than an hour. Let¡¯s cash in.¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    She doesn¡¯tin or argue, which I find surprising, but she is in the middle of a fit of giggles. I cash in my chips and take the notes handed to me. I put my hand on the small of her back out of instinct and guide her out of the casino and back toward the elevators. While we wait, she turns to me. ¡°Why won¡¯t you dance?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like dancing,¡± Iment as the elevator doors slide open.


    We step in, and I hit the floor button. She sways to the elevator music, and I shake my head. ¡°You¡¯ll dance to anything. I have proved my point.¡±


    She smacks my arm. ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t know how to dance. Should I teach you?¡±


    No! My mind screams, thinking about our bodies being indescribably close to each other, grinding and swaying. The thought is enough to get my dick hard.


    I frown. ¡°I can dance. I just choose not to.¡± I climb off the elevator and check the hallway before leading her to our room. I open it, ready in case someone attacks. But the room is clear.


    ¡°I can teach you the foxtrot or the waltz,¡± she says with a grin as she gets her toiletries out of her bag. ¡°But first, I¡¯m going to brush my teeth and then change.¡±


    I leave her to it, pulling out what I need from my bag and waiting for my turn. She¡¯s surprisingly quick, and once I¡¯m ready for bed, I find her sipping on a whiskey from the hotel bar fridge.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°A nightcap,¡± she giggles, taking a bigger sip. ¡°You want some?¡±


    There are twin beds in the room, a personal request from me. I sit on the opposite bed and take the tiny bottle. I down it and toss the bottle in the trash. ¡°We have to check out early.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± she stretches and yawns, and the shift of her breasts through her nightie is not lost on me.


    ¡°Well, goodnight. While we¡¯re driving tomorrow, I¡¯ll try to find some stops we can make for fun,¡± she says, sliding into her bed.


    ¡°I still have work to do,¡± I say, climbing into my own. ¡°So we can¡¯t stop at every attraction.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± is all I hear from her before she dozes off. I shut my eyes and try to expel her from my mind so that I can get a good night¡¯s sleep too.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C21

    Amelia


    Another day on the road, and all I can think about is the intense fire I see whenever Frankie looks at me. It¡¯s nting a seed of doubt in my mind over my decision never to forgive him. To give him a second chance.


    We stop at another hotel that night, making good headway on our trip.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to dinner, and then maybe we can see what else we can do,¡± he says, setting his luggage on the bed. ¡°We need to shake things up, so we¡¯ll leave tomorrow night instead of the morning.¡±


    I nod. ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just have a shower, and then we can go eat.¡±


    The hot water does little to soothe me. In fact, it makes the butterflies in my stomach fly harder and faster. I imagine his lips on my neck, his hands on my breasts and between my legs. I want to groan out loud, but I know he¡¯ll hear me, and that¡¯s thest thing I want. I just wish he¡¯d stop looking at me like he wants to devour me.


    We walk in silence to the dining hall downstairs, and once we¡¯re seated, I try to give him a small smile. I¡¯m really trying to make the most of this shitty situation we find ourselves in, but he just can¡¯t seem to rx.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    ¡°Oh, garlic snails,¡± I say. ¡°I haven¡¯t had garlic snails in forever. I think I¡¯ll have that as a starter and then some steak and maybe dessert after.¡±


    He nods to me, though it doesn¡¯t feel like he¡¯s actually paying attention. When his eyes meet mine, though, there¡¯s that fiery passion I can¡¯t deny. It makes my body hot and makes me wet. I¡¯ve never felt so desired before, well, I have, but it was with him when we were first together.


    I have to keep reminding myself that this can never work and that it will lead to more heartbreak. I need to keep myself in check.


    The waitresses over to take our order, and he speaks, ¡°For starters can we get garlic snails and some prawns? For the mains, she¡¯ll have the steak, medium well, with a side of vegetables, and I¡¯ll have a steak, medium well, with a side of sd. Please bring us a bottle of Roxton ck and two sses.¡±


    The waitress writes everything down, takes our menus, and leaves.


    ¡°Roxton ck, you like good Italian wine,¡± I try and make small conversation, trying to get him to settle into the amicable rtionship we agreed upon.


    ¡°Lord knows I need a drink,¡± he runs a hand through his hair. ¡°You certainly drive me to it.¡±


    I grin. ¡°Good, that¡¯s my job. To drive you insane!¡± I fiddle with my cutlery. ¡°Can I find out where we¡¯re going yet?¡±


    I don¡¯t expect him to tell me, but he nods. ¡°Pennsylvania,¡± he says. ¡°There are some businesses there that need to be checked on.¡±


    I smile. ¡°I¡¯ve never been there. It could be fun.¡± I grin. ¡°Maybe we can see some sights when you¡¯re not busy working.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be very busy, and it really isn¡¯t a good idea to go out too much,¡± he says. ¡°I know you want to n a fun road trip, but you can¡¯t forget we¡¯re on the run, trying to stay alive. If anyone sees us or gets wind of where we are, we ce ourselves in a lot of danger.¡±


    My heart sinks. ¡°I know, but one or two ces can¡¯t hurt. Right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see how busy I am,¡± he says, looking away from me.


    I don¡¯t know what else to say. I was hoping to treat this more like a holiday than a prison sentence since that¡¯s all I seem to be dealing withtely.


    We sit in silence until the foodes. At least now, I have something to preupy myself with. The food, at the very least, is delicious and Frankie made a good choice in wine though I don¡¯t drink as much as I normally would. I¡¯m worried I might make some more bad choices if I be too intoxicated. The main meals are served, and Frankie nces at me every now and then. He probably thinks I don¡¯t notice, but every time he does, it¡¯s like a jolt of electricity surges through me.


    The waitress brings back our menus but only I take one. I scan the page and say, ¡°I¡¯ll have the death by chocte.¡± I hand her back the menu, and she turns to Frankie.


    ¡°Whiskey, neat, something high-end,¡± he says. ¡°That¡¯s all I want.¡±


    Such a man, I think, can¡¯t even indulge a sweet tooth. I remember the cringy jokes he and Papa made when we were cooking. I wish it could be fun like that. He has a sense of humor. I know he does, he just won¡¯t let loose. I think that¡¯s because I don¡¯t return his feelings.


    The death by chocte is an orgasm in my mouth, and the chocte leaves a delicious lingering taste once I¡¯ve scraped the bowl clean. Frankie pays the bill and stands, offering me his arm.


    I take it, and he escorts me out of the dining hall and to the elevator. Once we¡¯re in, I let go of his arm and stand awkwardly to the side.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asks softly.


    I shrug. ¡°Yeah, just a bit tired, is all. It¡¯s been a long drive.¡±


    He nods. ¡°I¡¯m taking us a long way in case someone tries to follow us.¡± He stretches slightly, and I hear his spine click into ce. God, that is sexy.


    We walk into the hotel room, and I rummage through my luggage to find my nightie and toiletries. ¡°Once we get to Pennsylvania, I¡¯ll have to find aundromat to wash our clothes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have someone take care of it,¡± he says. ¡°I don¡¯t want you out on the streets more than necessary.¡±


    I frown. ¡°So, I¡¯m going to be cooped up all day?¡±


    He sighs. ¡°Amelia, don¡¯t make this more difficult than it already is.¡±


    I look up at him. He¡¯s not that far from me. Sincest night he¡¯s been looking at me as though he would take every inch of me and worship it. I can¡¯t help but lean up to him and press my lips against his. It might be the wine, but I need to taste him. We kiss softly at first, small kisses over and over again, until I press my lips firmly against his and swipe my tongue over his lips to gain entry.


    His tongue slides out to dance with mine, and soon, he pulls me against him, gripping my waist. I can feel his semi-hard dick against my upper leg as the kiss bes more passionate. I slide my arms around him and run my fingers through his hair, messing it up as I grip it and tug, silently begging him for me.


    He pulls away slowly and looks down at me with an expression I can¡¯t trante.


    ¡°Amelia are you sure you want to do this?¡± his eyes are searching mine, and I lean up again, but he stops me this time. His burning gaze holds mine, and he murmurs, ¡°Do that again¡­ Kiss me again, lean into me and beg for me with your body and I won¡¯t ignore it like I did in Marnd. Submit to me, and I will consider you mine again, that you want to be mine again. That this won¡¯t just be a transactional marriage, we will be lovers.¡±


    I bite my lip and stare at him, thoughts racing through my mind.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you what I want. You can¡¯t tease me like this. Make your choice, kiss me or back away.¡±

 #2 (The Marriage)-C22

    Frankie


    There is no going back from this, not this time. I¡¯m not going to let her toy with my feelings just because she has an itch she needs to scratch. The reality of the matter is that she¡¯s either mine or she¡¯s not, but one way or another, this game needs to end.


    If she chooses me, I will not let her go, not this time. I will possess her in every way, and I will protect her. She will be mine, my wife, the love of my life. She knows how I feel. I can¡¯t be any blunter than I have been. It¡¯s up to her now.


    The night we slept together in Marnd was everything to me. I felt as though a piece of my soul that was missing had been stitched back together with me. It might sound sappy, but it¡¯s the truth. I felt like I was home in her arms, with her in mine. It¡¯s meant to be, or it¡¯s not.


    She pretended it was nothing, and I allowed that. I allowed her to act as though what we had meant nothing, and I won¡¯t let that happen again. If she wants me, she has tomit. There are no two ways about it.


    I step back and watch her. ¡°If you want to be mine, thene here and dere it.¡±


    This isn¡¯t going to be a one-night, every now and then thing. If she wants this, truly wants this, she¡¯s going to have toe over here and kiss me. Then I¡¯ll finally know it¡¯s meant to be and that we can start our lives as one, together, forever.


    I see a look on her face as though she¡¯se to her senses. It unsettles me, but she blushes. She turns away from me and goes to her bed. No word, not even a goodnight. I get into my bed and turn off the light.


    It¡¯s her decision. I will never force her to be mine. As much as it hurts now, at least I know for sure, and I can now guard my heart and my feelings. This is just a marriage of convenience, and that is all it will ever be.


    I try to sleep, but there¡¯s a dull ache in my chest. It¡¯s like I¡¯ve been spurned, and now only half my heart resides in my chest. The other half is asleep in the bed opposite mine.


    I eventually fall asleep, and when I wake up, she¡¯s already dressed. She¡¯s sitting on the bed, reading a book. She looks so beautiful, but that¡¯s not the sort of thought I can think of anymore.


    The decision is made.


    I get up, go to the bathroom, and prepare for the day.


    I take out the securedptop and check on my emails. Alessandro has exined where I need to go first and what he needs me to sort out.


    It feels so weird not to be able to make these decisions for myself. I¡¯ve worked hard for my position in the family, and now I¡¯ve lost that as I¡¯ve lost her. And it¡¯s all because of her. Ever since I bumped into her, my life has turned upside down, and nothing has gone right.


    Maybe this decision is for the best.


    We spend the day mostly in silence. She asks me if she can order room service and if I want anything, but that¡¯s about it, really. I respond to Alessandro about some emails and work that needs to be done and then I take a nap. I¡¯m driving at night this time and need to be rested. Before I do, I tell her not to leave the room, and she doesn¡¯t seem to because when I wake up, she¡¯s still there.


    ¡°I¡¯ve ordered dinner,¡± she says. ¡°So, we can eat before we hit the road.¡±


    ¡°Did you get some sleep?¡± I ask, trying to y it cool.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll sleep while you drive.¡± she shrugs. ¡°That way, if you¡¯re too tired to drive tomorrow, I can.¡±


    I nod. It makes sense. Logic, I can deal with. We pack our things and wait for dinner. She¡¯s ordered us toasted sandwiches, and I scarf mine down with a soda from the minibar.


    She seems too quiet, and I sigh. ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about,¡± she says quietly. ¡°We¡¯ve both made our decision.¡±


    I nod. ¡°We can still be amicable, try and make the most of what we¡¯ve been given.¡±


    She nods. ¡°I will, just¡­ stop looking at me like I¡¯m a piece of meat.¡±


    I fluster slightly but nod. ¡°Okay.¡±


    We finish our food and take our luggage down to check out. Once I¡¯ve paid the bill cash, I walk her to where I parked the car the night before. We load the luggage, and I slide into the driver¡¯s seat. I check around us and drive out, driving to the freeway where there is almost no traffic thiste. We pass a car every now and then, but mostly it¡¯s just us on this long road.


    She does as she promises. She props her head up on a travel pillow and falls asleep, snoring slightly because of the angle she is lying at.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    My mind is exploding with doubt, wondering if I should have been more forceful, if I should have begged. If I have made a terrible mistake by marrying her.


    The thoughts keep me awake, along with the bright truck headlights that pass me by now and then. Oneforting thing about driving at night is that it¡¯s easy to tell if you¡¯re being tailed.


    I¡¯m alert to any cars thate up behind me, and I move onto the shoulder of the road so they can overtake me. I don¡¯t want toe off as suspicious, and through the night, there¡¯s no one that stays behind me or seems determined to tail me.


    I stop at a gas station and shake Amelia lightly. ¡°Do you want to stretch your legs and grab some snacks while I put in gas?¡±


    She nods sleepily, and I hand her some cash. I go to the pump and fill the car, keeping a wary eye and looking around for any suspicious activity.


    I think we may just have made it out of New York without detection.


    Alessandro has mentioned that some of Jose¡¯s men have been outside my ce and his and that they follow some of our people around as though hoping they¡¯ll be led to where Amelia and I are. So maybe we got lucky, and we got out right on time.


    I finish pumping the gas and go inside to pay. Amelia is at the counter chatting to the cashier about interesting things to see along the highway.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ll find many of these cute little towns along the way which have an attraction of their own. It¡¯s to generate business,¡± he says as he rings up her snacks.


    Ie up behind her and raise an eyebrow at her.


    She falters slightly and pays for her goods. ¡°Thanks so much for the advice.¡±


    ¡°Have fun in Pennsylvania,¡± he calls.


    My blood boils, and I pay for the gas quickly. I wait until we¡¯re back on the road before I round on her, ¡°This is why I didn¡¯t tell you where we¡¯re headed and why I won¡¯t be giving you any more information.¡±


    She looks at me wide-eyed. ¡°He¡¯s just a cashier.¡±


    ¡°Jose has men all over the country. You can¡¯t trust anyone,¡± I raise my voice slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t be a naive little girl, Amelia, because you will get us both killed.¡±


    She huffs and turns her back to me, hugging her travel pillow.


    I stare straight ahead, wondering what to do next.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C23

    Amelia


    After we stop at the gas station, I close my eyes but can¡¯t sleep. All I can think about is what has happened between Frankie and me thest two nights. He was so emotional, passionate, and determined that it¡¯s making me question everything. I mean, does he really love me? Did he mean what he said about me being his again?


    A part of me ignited on fire when he said those words, and I wanted to walk to him and kiss him like my life depended on it. It¡¯s all I wanted since we broke up: a chance to be together again. To be something, because we belong to each other, I can feel it. But there¡¯s still that little voice inside me that reminds me about the heartbreak he put me through. He left me. He left me, and I barely survived. I drank myself into oblivion and tried to party away my feelings, but every night, no matter how drunk I was, I would cry for him. I don¡¯t understand how he could leave me so coldly then and want me so passionately now.


    I don¡¯t think I¡¯d survive if he walked away from me again, and what¡¯s going to stop him from doing that? He¡¯s made it very clear that the family businesses first, and I¡¯ll never be his top priority. I¡¯m expendable.


    I thought I¡¯d moved on, but I now know I haven¡¯t. I didn¡¯t get any proper closure. I didn¡¯t move on. I¡¯m still as broken as the day he told me it was over and walked away.


    I was stupid to talk to the cashier about where we were going, and I know Frankie is livid, but it¡¯s not like I can speak to him after everything that¡¯s happened. I was trying to be amicable, and I was trying to get along and make the best of a terrible situation, just like Papa said, but it¡¯s backfired so badly now, and I don¡¯t know what else to do.


    I doze off eventually, and when I wake, the sun is rising, and we¡¯re driving up a winding dirt road.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± I ask curiously, stretching as much as I can in the cramped space.


    ¡°This is where we¡¯re staying,¡± Frankie says, but he offers no more information than that.


    We turn around some trees, and a cabines into view. ¡°How far are we from the town?¡±


    ¡°Not far. It¡¯s just down the road,¡± he says, his tone cold.


    ¡°Frankie, I¡¯m sorry I spoke out of turn, but we can¡¯t act cold to each other while we¡¯re on the run,¡± I say irritably. ¡°I made a damn mistake.¡±


    ¡°A mistake that can cost us our lives,¡± Frankie snaps. ¡°Don¡¯t do it again.¡±


    I fall silent and sit back. There¡¯s nothing more to say.


    He pulls up to the cabin, and I get out, getting my own luggage and lugging it toward the door. He doesn¡¯t say anything, and I¡¯m grateful he isn¡¯t pushing the issue of us being together, either. It seems he¡¯s going to ignore me for the time being, which suits me better. It gives me time to think about what I want.N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    We get settled in separate rooms, and when I return to the living area, Frankie is there, talking on the phone. I frown and wait until he¡¯s off it. ¡°I thought we weren¡¯t allowed our phones.¡±


    ¡°This is a burner phone,¡± he says. ¡°I¡¯ll toss it in a few days.¡±


    I sigh and look around. ¡°Do we have food?¡±


    ¡°Everything is fully stocked. There¡¯s another car for us to use around the side of the house. We¡¯ll take that one when we leave. I have to go into town to do business. Stay put.¡±


    ¡°So, I can¡¯t go anywhere?¡± I ask incredulously.


    Frankie looks at me. No, his eyes bore into mine. I don¡¯t see the passion from the other night. It¡¯s a cold, piercing gaze. ¡°We¡¯re on the run for our lives.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re going into town. Can I at least eat at a restaurant or something? Just to get out.¡±


    He sighs and takes out some money, handing it to me. ¡°Don¡¯t stay out all day, and Amelia,¡± he steps closer to me, and my breath catches, ¡°don¡¯t tell anyone your real name or where we¡¯re staying. If you see anything suspicious,e downtown West Chester to The Congo, it¡¯s a big club, but I¡¯ll be upstairs in the main office. Report straight to me, don¡¯te back here alone.¡±


    I nod. ¡°I understand,¡± I say quietly before he turns and leaves.


    I¡¯m surprised he¡¯s not getting some sleep first.


    I spend some time going to restaurants each day, and sometimes I go to the clubs in the evening to hang out because at least there¡¯s music there. Everything is so dull, though, and I feel like I can¡¯t talk to anyone in case I let something slip. I also feel paranoid, like I have to constantly check that no one is following me.


    Frankie lets me know we¡¯ll be leaving on Saturday for the next venue, but he refuses to tell me where we¡¯re going, so I decide to grab lunch at the restaurant that¡¯s quickly be my favorite.


    On Monday, I order a steak with fries and vegetables and sip a ss of wine while I wait. The atmosphere is so friendly here. It¡¯s somewhere I like toe because I can forget about who I am and who owns me just for a while.


    I tuck into my food when it arrives, and I¡¯m satisfied. I think about how I¡¯m trapped in this world, this mobster world. The one that I had wanted to distance myself from for so many years. I thought I could escape it, but now my fate is tied to it, and I will never get out. The realization hits me like a ton of bricks, and I silently mourn the life I could have had, the freedom and the normality. I envy my friends back home who don¡¯t have their moves and lives dictated to them because it might be bad for the family.


    I finish my food but decide to order some pumpkin pie for dessert-I¡¯ll have a different one every day until I¡¯ve tasted them all. After this, I will go to the club and maybe blow off some steam dancing. Also, I know it irritates the shit out of Frankie because so many guys buy me drinks.


    The chair opposite mine slides out, and I look up into a familiar face that makes my heart stop.


    I set my fork down and stare into the eyes of Andres, Dave¡¯s older brother.


    ¡°Amelia,¡± he says quietly, tilting his head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not here to hurt you. I haven¡¯t been sent here by anyone. I¡¯m here on my own.¡±


    I eye him suspiciously. Frankie warned me not to trust anyone. ¡°Your family is trying to kill Frankie and me. How am I supposed to believe anything you say, Andres.¡±


    He nods, his hazel eyes meeting mine, and he smiles. When the waitresses over, he orders a milkshake and a te of fries. The waitress nces at me to check if I¡¯m okay, and I nod. I don¡¯t want to make a scene and draw attention to myself.


    We sit for a moment in silence, and Andres finallyces his fingers together and rests his hand on the table. ¡°I know my uncle is looking for you both and that he means to kill Frankie to gain power over New York and other territories.¡±


    I sip my wine. ¡°Tell me something I don¡¯t know, Andres. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I want to offer you a proposal. An alliance to topple my uncle from power.¡±

 #2 (The Marriage)-C24

    Frankie


    I feel like I¡¯m back where I belong: behind a desk attending to the family business. I see many areas that the club can improve in, and I know the people we need to get on board and on our payroll. It shouldn¡¯t be too hard, and I make the necessary meetings and calls.


    Amelia doesn¡¯t seem to be bothered by the fact that I¡¯m not home much. She acts as though it doesn¡¯t matter. I know she goes into town every day for lunch even though I¡¯ve told her to keep a low profile, and shees to the club in the evenings.


    While I¡¯m happy to have her where I can see her, I also see the many men who flock to her each night to buy her drinks in the hopes of getting lucky. It¡¯s this kind of situation that¡¯s going to get us killed.


    There¡¯s one in particr that she seems to hang around every night and have intense conversations with. It makes me nervous. He¡¯s too familiar with her, and I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s telling him. If she¡¯s giving away information about us, that can be used to target us.


    I send one of the bouncers out to call her in, and when shees in, I stand. ¡°Amelia, who¡¯s the guy you¡¯re talking to?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I actually know him from way back when,¡± she admits, and I growl, ¡°He recognizes you, Amelia. That¡¯s dangerous for us.¡±


    Before she can say anything, I continue, ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be lying low, not having men follow you around like puppy dogs. Now someone actually recognizes you. We need to move on from here.¡±


    ¡°Frankie, it¡¯s nothing serious. We¡¯re not in danger. You need to stop trying to micro-manage every damn situation in my life.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never been to Pennsylvania before, so how does he know you?¡±


    ¡°Through some mutual friends, if you really need to know. I think it¡¯s best you back off from telling me who I can and can¡¯t talk to. I¡¯m tired of being lorded over like a little servant.¡±


    I growl, ¡°Because you act like a petnt child with no regard for your own life or others. Stay away from other men or stay home, Amelia, I mean it.¡±


    She ces her hands on her hips. ¡°I don¡¯t need to be bossed around, Frankie. I spent years trying to get out from under my father¡¯s thumb because he controlled my every move. All I¡¯ve ever wanted is to make my own choices, good or bad, and have freedom. I was sold like a ve to you, and now you¡¯re worse than he is.¡±


    There¡¯s so much I want to say, including telling her not topare me to her father, but she¡¯s already turning for the door, so I keep quiet.


    I watch her on the cameras as she goes back to the bar and orders another drink. Her friendes to join her again, and they get stuck in animated conversation again. I know I should trust her not to put us in danger, but she¡¯s so naive. She doesn¡¯t understand this world as I do. She¡¯s always been sheltered from the risks, first by her father and then by me.


    They look like they¡¯re having a serious conversation. I use the controls to zoom in on his face and take a still photo of him.


    I take out a burner cell, and I call Alessandro.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I think we have a potential problem,¡± I say, walking to my desk and sitting down. ¡°I¡¯m going to send you a photo of a guy. I need to check out his background and if he¡¯s tied to Jose in any way.¡±


    ¡°You sure you¡¯re not just being paranoid? I know you¡¯re on edge,¡± Alessandro says. ¡°What¡¯s he doing that¡¯s so suspicious?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been talking to Amelia,¡± I say.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s jealously then,¡± my brother chuckles, but I remain stoic.


    ¡°She says it¡¯s a friend she knows, and she¡¯s never been in this area, so he¡¯s probably from New York,¡± I exin.


    My brother falls silent. ¡°Destroy this phone after you send the picture.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call back in three days. I need the information by then so I can plot my next move. I might skip the next destination and go straight on; in case he¡¯s trying to figure out our n.¡±


    ¡°Noted. Keep an eye on Amelia and have one of the guys keep an eye on the friend, who he talks to, and where he stays. We need to find out as much as possible,¡± Alessandro says. ¡°I have to go. I have a meeting now. Send the photo. I¡¯ll expect your call in three days.¡±


    He hangs up, and I take the phone apart. I cut up the sim card and drop the phone parts in a pitcher of water.


    I press a buzzer on my inte. ¡°Romeo,e here.¡±


    Arge, intimidating bouncer walks in and stands in front of my desk. ¡°What do you need help with boss?¡±


    ¡°See that guy talking to my wife?¡± I point at the camera, and he nods.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on them all night,¡± he says.


    ¡°When he leaves, I want you to tail him, find out as much information as you can about where he¡¯s staying, if he has anyone with him, and what his ns are. Everything you can find out,¡± I instruct him. ¡°I need to know if we¡¯re in danger.¡±


    ¡°You got it,¡± Romeo says, walking out again.


    I get up and go back to the cameras. I watch Ameliaughing with the guy until, eventually, he stands up and leaves. When he doesn¡¯te back, I simply watch Amelia.


    She¡¯s been oblivious to the fact that I haven¡¯t paid any attention to her. It¡¯s clear she doesn¡¯t return my feelings. I turn away and go back to my desk, opening the ledgers on the table.


    I don¡¯t know if staying another three days is a good idea, but if this guy is connected to Jose, I don¡¯t want him to know we¡¯re onto him. If he is, we¡¯ll slip away quietly, and Amelia will be under house arrest for the remainder of this road trip.


    My fists clench as the thought crosses my mind about whether this is more than a friend, maybe an ex-lover.


    I tell myself it doesn¡¯t matter because she doesn¡¯t feel that way about you. You can¡¯t control her. You can¡¯t keep her caged up forever.


    But I do need to protect her, not only because her father asked me to but because I know it will kill me if something happens to her.


    I finish up bncing the books, making everything ready for the ountant to sort out. Then I pack up for the night, grabbing my car keys, and walking out of the office. I make my way to the bar where Amelia is talking to two guys, flirting to high heaven.


    I tap her on the shoulder and nod my head toward the door. ¡°Come on. It¡¯s time to go home.¡±


    ¡°Hey buddy, move off. We were here first,¡± the blond twenty-something-year-old tells me.


    My eyes sh dangerous, and I incline my head. ¡°My wife is going home with me. Right now,¡± I say dangerously. ¡°And if you ever step into this club again, it¡¯s thest steps you¡¯ll ever take¡±


    I signal for the bouncers whoe over and grab the two wide-eyed guys. Amelia is staring at me in horror. Once the bouncers have left with her two friends, she grabs her car keys, res at me, and storms through the partying crowd.


    I follow with a sigh. Sometimes I feel more like her parent than her husband.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C25

    Amelia


    I cannot believe Frankie! I am not some teenage kid sneaking into a bar and having perverted old men flirt with me. I¡¯m in my twenties. I¡¯m a freaking adult! Oh my God, there is nothing that pisses me off more than being treated like a child. I¡¯m his wife, not his daughter, and he acts like he owns me. I scream in the car as I race down the road, anger boiling over.


    The very reason I never got along with my father was that it didn¡¯t matter how old I was, he treated me like a little kid who had to be bossed around and told what to do. He and Frankie treat me as though I have nomon sense or can¡¯t think further than my nose. I¡¯m not aplete idiot. I know how to handle my drinks and my men.


    Frankie seriously needs to have a reality check, or, I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m going to make a run for it on my own. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯d get anywhere without cash, maybe I could use one of Frankie¡¯s burner cells to call Papa for help.


    I¡¯m tired of Frankie using me of being the problem, the one who lets everything slip, the one whose fault this is. He got us into this mess by putting Dave into the hospital, it¡¯s his fault, and I¡¯m done taking his usations lying down.


    As soon as I get home, I storm to my room and m the door shut, locking it. I change, wash in the en-suite bathroom, and get into bed, furious.


    I hear the front door open and close, and I hear Frankie set down his briefcase. I wait, wondering if he¡¯s going to continue the fight here or if he¡¯s going to leave it. Either way, I¡¯m ready to take him on. He doesn¡¯t scare me.


    After ten minutes, when he doesn¡¯t try my door, I turn over with my back to it and curl up. I¡¯m angry and want to cry angry tears, but I¡¯m not letting him have the satisfaction. I take a few deep, steady breaths, keep my eyes closed and drift off to a fitful sleep.


    I wait until Frankie leaves in the morning, give him a ten-minute head start, and then go to meet Andres for breakfast. He wants to tell me his full n today, and he hasn¡¯t hurt me yet. I don¡¯t know why but I trust him.


    Even when I was with Dave, Andres was always kind to me, unlike his brother. He was involved in the family business, but his own, and he has promised me he¡¯s not here at Jose¡¯s request.


    I pull up to the diner, climb out of the car, and head inside. I find Andres sitting in a booth at the back. Breakfast is already waiting for me, along with arge cup of coffee with cream.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I say, starting to tuck into the food straight away. He also begins to eat.


    As I eat, I say between bites, ¡°Tell me your n.¡±


    He pauses and sips his coffee. ¡°There are those in the family that are tired of Jose¡¯s tyrannical rule. He doesn¡¯t care for the family. He only cares about enriching himself. There are those who would help me destabilize the family in Columbia, and he would have to shift his focus from his war here to the war I start there.¡±


    ¡°Why do you need me then? Go start a war. I approve,¡± I say.


    He shakes his head. ¡°It isn¡¯t that easy. Jose has banned my immediate family and me from ever returning to Columbia. We step foot in that country through normal routes, and he will find out and have me killed. I¡¯m hoping to avoid that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand how I can help you, Andres. I have no way to get you into Columbia,¡± I say sadly.


    ¡°But your husband does.¡± He says the word husband as though Frankie and I are close. I almost want to correct him, but there¡¯s a hope shining in his eyes as he continues, ¡°If the Sorvinos are willing to form an alliance with me and get me into Columbia, I can talk to the allies we need and get them to assist in taking Jose down. The family needs a strong leader, and I believe I can be that leader.¡±


    ¡°You want to lead the family,¡± I say quietly. ¡°So, you want our help.¡±


    ¡°I care about my family deeply, and I want to see them treated better. Jose sometimes shoots family members just for beating him at a card game.¡± He sighs. ¡°It¡¯s how I lost my Uncle Hector.¡±


    I reach across for his hand. ¡°How can I help?¡±


    ¡°Set up a meeting with Frankie,¡± he says earnestly, and I falter. Frankie already has issues with the fact that one of my ¡®old friends¡¯ is around and speaking to me. I can¡¯t imagine what he¡¯ll say when I tell him the old friend is Jose¡¯s nephew who wants to overthrow him.


    Still, it¡¯s a good solution for everyone involved.


    ¡°It won¡¯t happen overnight,¡± he says. ¡°I will have to take my time. Rushing may cost me my life. But I believe that we can take my uncle down within a year and installw and order again. I know the traditions the families have, and I respect them.¡± He smiles. ¡°And I will call off the manhunt for you and your husband.¡±


    I nod. ¡°I¡¯ll speak to Frankie,¡± I say, sounding braver than I feel. ¡°I¡¯ll ask him to meet with you.¡±


    Andres smiles, and we finish our meal. He pays while I leave to go to the club. I walk in, despite the fact it¡¯s closed at this time, and a few of the bouncers eye me suspiciously.


    I knock on Frankie¡¯s door, and when he calls toe in, I open it and walk in.


    ¡°Frankie,¡± I say, ¡°can we talk?¡±


    He looks up from the papers he¡¯s reading through and sits back. ¡°What about? Is there trouble?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a solution,¡± I say, trying to inject the bravery back into my voice.


    Frankie raises an eyebrow. ¡°From who?¡±


    ¡°Andres,¡± I say. ¡°The friend we argued overst night.¡±


    ¡°You told him why we¡¯re here?¡± Frankie hissed. ¡°You put our lives in danger again.¡± He stands up quickly, but I hold up a hand.


    ¡°He knew already. He¡¯s here to help us, not to hurt us. I just need you to hear him out.¡±


    ¡°Hear him out? Is he one of Jose¡¯s men? Did you really believe he¡¯s here to help you instead of kill you?¡±


    ¡°I know him, Frankie,¡± I say.


    ¡°You knew Dave, Amelia,¡± he spits at me.


    ¡°Exactly, and Andres is nothing like his brother,¡± I almost regret the words as I say them.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Ah, his brother, so he is affiliated with the family.¡± Frankie shakes his head. ¡°We¡¯ll have to leave. We¡¯repromised.¡±


    I m my hand on the table. ¡°You¡¯re not listening. He hates Jose, and he wants to overthrow him. He has a solution and wants to meet with you to broker an alliance to take down Jose. It¡¯s a golden opportunity to solve our problem.¡±


    Frankie stares at me. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure he wants that. He can¡¯t just be lying to you to get to me? He can¡¯t be making this up?¡±


    ¡°All I¡¯m asking is that you hear him out,¡± I say, and then I decide to take a chance. ¡°If you still feel he¡¯s lying, you can kill him. Shoot him if you want. Piss Jose off even more. I don¡¯t care, but while we have this one chance, at least listen because you will regret it if you don¡¯t.¡±

 #2 (The Marriage)-C26

    Frankie


    If it sounds too good to be true, it¡¯s too good to be true.


    That¡¯s my general rule for business because nothing good happens in this line of work. I¡¯m listening to Amelia tell me about Andres, but all I can feel is the anger bubbling inside me. She betrayed us. She¡¯s given us a way to Jose¡¯s own family.


    ¡°I cannot believe you. I can¡¯t believe you are talking to Jose¡¯s nephew while we are on the run from him for our lives.¡± I raise my voice, but she doesn¡¯t back down, she¡¯s squared her shoulders, and I can see this is the hill she¡¯s going to die on.


    Amelia res at me. ¡°It¡¯s a solution to a problem your entire family hasn¡¯t been able to solve.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t trust him,¡± I roar. ¡°Jose has probably sent him to scout us out, and the rest of his men are probably on their way here now. You should havee to me the moment you got into contact with a Catn.¡±


    ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t listen,¡± she says. ¡°You just don¡¯t want me doing anything of use. You are so damn possessive that I couldn¡¯t possibly get involved ande up with a solution for us. You just want to lock me away forever and have no one ever touch me again.¡±


    She takes a step closer to my desk. ¡°I am handing you a solution on a golden tter, and you won¡¯t even consider it,¡± she shouts at me. ¡°You don¡¯t even want to think about it. Tell me, Frankie, is it because it¡¯s a solution you didn¡¯te up with?¡±


    I stare at her for a moment, and then I m my fist into the table. ¡°I have done nothing but try to protect you. Everything I¡¯ve done was to make sure you were safe. You don¡¯t know this world, Amelia. You don¡¯t know what people are capable of. I never wanted this life for you. Our families have known each other for ages, but you¡¯ve never known this side of the family. It¡¯s dangerous, it¡¯s lethal, and many people die every day because of it. It¡¯s the reason I left you.¡± I throw my hands in the air. ¡°I left you to protect you from this.¡±


    Amelia throws her own hands up and points out the window. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that ironic because now I¡¯m married to you and on the run to hide from people who want to kill me?¡±


    ¡°It was your ex-boyfriend who hit you,¡± I yell.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to put him in hospital, Frankie. That¡¯s always your solution. You don¡¯t care about me, but anyone who hurts me, you practically end their life. You put us in this situation, not me. If you had just thrown Dave out, we wouldn¡¯t be here. I wouldn¡¯t be stuck in this stupid marriage, and we both wouldn¡¯t be on the run.¡±


    I re at her, but she turns and storms off without another word.


    I sit down at my desk, seething, and summon one of the bouncers. ¡°Follow her and make sure she goes straight home, no detours to speak to anyone.¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    He leaves, and I sigh, sitting back. I rest my chin on my hand, my elbow on the arm of my chair, and I look out the window. Yes, I didn¡¯t have to put Dave in the hospital, but in this business, you¡¯re taught a lesson when you go too far. She isn¡¯t grateful for that. I mean, I don¡¯t me her because of the shit this hasnded us in, but to conspire with the enemy we¡¯re running from behind my back, that¡¯s inexcusable.


    I rey the conversation in my head and wish I could call Alessandro and ask him what to do. Do we take a chance and hear out the Catn? It isn¡¯t unheard of for younger family members to topple older ones, especially with leaders like Jose. I mean, he won¡¯t let anyone but family near him. Is this our only chance to get to him?


    No, I can¡¯t consider this a possibility. I put my head in my hands and try and think of the most logical solution, but there isn¡¯t one. My brain is telling me to pack us up and move on to the next destination, but my gut is telling me that I should at least hear Andres out. Maybe he can help.


    I nce at my watch and wonder if Alessandro has gotten anything on him.


    I take out a burner cell and send him a text.


    Friend is a nephew. Family suffering. Possibility for a snake to strike.


    I know my brother will understand my message, though it may not be obvious to others. I have two days before I can call him for an update, and the work I have to do isn¡¯t going to be enough to keep me busy, not when my mind is constantly worried that Amelia is going to go back to Andres and give him potentially life-threatening information about us.


    I pack up what I need and get into my car, driving back to the cabin. I see her car parked there, and I climb out. I walk inside to find her watching television on the sofa.


    She looks at me angrily. ¡°What are you doing back so early?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I snap. ¡°Are you expecting Andres? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you told him where we were staying.¡±


    ¡°You sound like a jealous ex, is that the problem here?¡± she shouts. ¡°And no, I didn¡¯t tell him because I¡¯m not a four-year child with no brain, Frankie. Stop acting like I am.¡±


    I throw my briefcase onto the table and sit down, getting ready to work.


    ¡°I¡¯m staying right here to make sure you don¡¯t go anywhere until I reach a decision,¡± I say.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re thinking about it?¡± She sounds a little excited but weary.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up. I¡¯m mostly considering whether or not to kill him,¡± I say. Then I tune her out and focus on the paperwork. After a few moments, she shut the television off and goes to her room, mming the door. So much for not being a child, I think.


    I work throughout the afternoon, and only when my stomach grumbles do I realize I haven¡¯t eaten anything. My stomach doesn¡¯t feel great. It feels as though it¡¯s tied in a knot, but I do need to eat.


    I rummage through the fridge and bring out the ingredients for a chicken pasta sd. I try not to think about Amelia and Andres while I¡¯m cooking. I try to focus on the food, but intrusive thoughts push through. Were they lovers as well? Are they in love now? Have they had sex? Does she want to leave me for him?


    It makes the knot in my stomach tighten, and I take a deep breath to calm myself down. Once the sd is done, I whistle loudly. ¡°Amelia, dinners ready.¡±


    I wait, and then I hear her door open. I dish up two bowls of the sd and bring it to the table, having moved my paperwork out the way.


    Amelia sits down and pulls the bowl toward her. ¡°Thank you,¡± she says quietly.


    I don¡¯t respond, I sit, and I start to eat. It¡¯s an awkward silence that I don¡¯t like, and it gnaws at me.


    ¡°I want to get some information,¡± I finally say to her. ¡°Then I will consider your proposal, but if you want me to seriously consider listening to this guy, you cannot see him for the next two days.¡±


    Amelia looks up at me. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Just see him because I believe what he¡¯s saying,¡± she says. ¡°And I think this is how we¡¯re going to get our lives back.¡±

 #2 (The Marriage)-C27

    Amelia


    As angry as I am with Frankie for his stubbornness and possessiveness, I can¡¯t help but feel a bit speechless. There¡¯s a sense of understanding thates to me.


    He had wanted to protect me from his family, from the life that they lived.


    This was such a Frankie thing to do, to make a decision for me without actually speaking to me. Only he would think he and he alone could make the best possible decision for me. For anyone, in fact.


    After the brief conversation over dinner, I feel awkward. I have a burning desire inside of me.


    He chose to protect me, but that¡¯s no longer an option. I¡¯m part of the family now, I¡¯m in this world, and he needs to ept it.


    He takes the dishes to the sink to begin washing up, and I go over to help-a peace offering. I dry the dishes while he washes them.


    I can¡¯t stop reying the notion in my head that he didn¡¯t leave me because he didn¡¯t love me. He didn¡¯t break my heart because he didn¡¯t care. He left me because he loved me and wanted to keep me safe. He sacrificed so he wouldn¡¯t lose me to something worse.


    I set the bowl down and say softly, ¡°Frankie.¡±


    He nces at me. ¡°What?¡± he says gruffly.


    ¡°Do you honestly care about me?¡± I ask softly, looking at him. He pauses, washes the cutlery, and shakes his head. ¡°I told you how I feel about you, Amelia. You¡¯ve made it clear how you feel about me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to love me like I¡¯m a possession, Frankie,¡± I continue, my voice steady but quiet. ¡°I want you to love me for who I am.¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t?¡± Frankie rounds on me, but it¡¯s not anger I see in his eyes. It¡¯s hurt. ¡°I love everything about you. The way you pick at your nails when you¡¯re nervous or fling your curls over your shoulder when you¡¯re trying to make a point. I love the bounce you have in your walk when there¡¯s music ying, and I love how fiery and rebellious you can be. I hate that you challenge me, but dammit, Amelia, I love it about you. You constantly confuse the fuck out of me because I don¡¯t know what you want, but I¡¯ve told you before, and I¡¯m telling you again now that I would have given you the world.¡±


    I look up at him wide-eyed. I believe him. I believe he¡¯s being sincere, and I feel my heart bursting.


    ¡°But¡± he continues, ¡°I told you in the hotel, either youe to me, and you¡¯re mine, or you walk away, and we don¡¯t talk about this again. So why are we talking about this again if you don¡¯t feel the same way? Why are you trying to torture me?¡±


    I can feel tears prickling my eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t want to torture you, Frankie. I just don¡¯t want another broken heart. I loved you from the first time we were together. I loved everything about you. I didn¡¯t care about your family or what you did. It was you I loved. I still love you.¡±


    His eyes widen, but I don¡¯t let him speak. ¡°But you broke me, Frankie. I thought you left me because I wasn¡¯t good enough, and I settled for so much less every time after that. I did that because I couldn¡¯t have what I knew belonged with me. I hate that you¡¯re annoying and so uptight and want to control my every move, but when I¡¯m not with you, I feel like my chest is closed, and I¡¯m gasping for air like a fish out of water.¡±


    I start to cry and hold my hand up. ¡°I didn¡¯t go to you in the hotel because I know, if ites to that again, if you walk away from me, I will die, Frankie. I cannot survive you leaving me again.¡±


    Frankie doesn¡¯t even dry his hands as he pulls me to him, my head on his chest, and he holds me. We stand there in silence, my tiny body shivering against his as I cry. I can feel he¡¯s shaking, too, as he strokes my hair softly.


    ¡°I never meant to hurt you, Amelia. I meant to protect you,¡± he says softly. He pulls away from me, and instantly, I miss his warmth. ¡°And I swear I will never do anything, ever, to hurt you again.¡±


    I wipe my eyes and nod. ¡°Can we¡­can we just take this slow?¡± I ask. ¡°Try and be together again?¡±


    He smiles softly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like that very much. Does me cooking dinner count as our first date then?¡±


    I grin and giggle and punch his arm. ¡°Finish the dishes, but yes. That was a nice first date.¡±


    We¡¯re in high spirits now as he passes me dishes to dry. Afterward, we pack them up together, and I drag him to the living room and sit him down. He looks at me curiously. ¡°I found something in the cabin.¡± I dere, running off to a cupboard and pulling out a game of monopoly.


    He raises an eyebrow. ¡°You want to y a board game?¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re staying here until your meeting with Andres, then yes, I want to y board games and watch movies and read together,¡± I say, grinning. ¡°Are you going to give me what I want?¡±


    ¡°I did say I always will,¡± he promises, opening the box and helping me set up the game.


    I get us each a ss of wine, and we start ying. ¡°I¡¯d like to point out,¡± I say, ¡°that you have an unfair advantage because you¡¯re used to working with money.¡±


    ¡°It says I have to go to jail,¡± he holds up a card. ¡°Who do I pay to stay out of jail?¡±


    Iugh, and it feels like a genuinely goodugh. ¡°This isn¡¯t Mafia-opoly. You go to jail until you pay your bail or throw a double.¡±


    He pouts. ¡°I would never go to jail in real life. How is real life helping me win.¡±


    I grin and throw the dice. ¡°Yes! I am so buying this property!¡±


    I count out the money, and he crinkles his nose. ¡°It¡¯s a cheap property. Are you sure you want it?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± I ask him suspiciously.


    ¡°I could buy it from you,¡± he offers.


    ¡°No!¡± I yell. ¡°No, I¡¯m keeping it because you¡¯re up to something.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    It¡¯s a fun night, and we stay up veryte. He beats me at monopoly, although I im he cheats. We pack up everything, and he walks me to my room. I look up at him, and he shakes his head. ¡°We¡¯re doing this the right way, nice and slowly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d,¡± I say softly. ¡°It¡¯ll make us stronger together.¡±


    ¡°Alessandro and Katya will have nothing on us,¡± he grins. ¡°We¡¯ll show them what a power couple looks like.¡±


    I stand on my toes. ¡°I don¡¯t care as long as we¡¯re together.¡±


    I kiss him softly, and he returns the gentle kiss, and we leave it at that. Nothing more than a soft kiss before he whispers, ¡°goodnight, sweet dreams,¡± and goes to his room down the hallway.


    I bounce into my room, and before I do anything else, I squeal and throw myself onto my bed. I haven¡¯t felt this happy since when we were first together. I feel like I can fly higher than any bird and swim faster than any fish. My whole world is a kaleidoscope of color, and he¡¯s the light shining through that brings the patterns together.


    I get up to get showered and changed and then copse back into bed with the biggest smile on my face, and I know this is going to be the best night¡¯s rest I¡¯ve had in a long, long time.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C28

    Frankie


    I have guards everywhere I can possibly think to ce them, and Amelia is by my side. I wait patiently with a file on Andres in front of me. Alessandro confirmed he is an outcast from the family, that there are problems within the family and that everything Andres said is true. He¡¯s given me the go-ahead to negotiate as needed.


    I keep a calm, cold disposition as the young man walks in. He¡¯s tall and does bear a resemnce to Dave, but I don¡¯t let any emotion cross my face.


    I nce down at the file. People within The Catns are dissatisfied with how Jose¡¯s handling things. Some are greedy, while others are previously loyal members he¡¯s mistreated and betrayed or whose loved ones he¡¯s murdered.


    I stand and hold out my hand, giving Andres a firm handshake, ¡°Andres, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I¡¯m Francesco. I believe you have a proposition for me.¡±


    We both sit down as he says, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Francesco. May I call you Frankie? It¡¯s how I know you.¡±


    I give a slight nod, and he continues, ¡°Thank you for meeting with me. I know you have no reason to trust me. I respect that you are still hearing me out.¡±


    I don¡¯t let emotion cross my face, this is purely business, and I don¡¯t want to give him any ammunition against me. ¡°Amelia says that you have a solution for my problem. My problem is that your uncle wants me dead. Am I to believe you want your uncle dead?¡±


    Andres nods. ¡°He murdered my father and one of my brothers in cold blood before we were banished from Columbia. I say banished, but we fled with what few things we could to get to the States and away from him. He hasn¡¯t hunted us since, but we¡¯re not wee back. But first, let me apologize for my brother.¡±


    He shuffles in his seat. ¡°We¡¯re not raised to treat women like he does, but he has always been the ck sheep of our family. Mollycoddled more than anyone else, and he thinks he can do as he pleases. I am nothing like my brother. I am about business. I have logic and understand that some things happen, and you must let them go. There won¡¯t be a repeat of this behavior from me.¡±


    I incline my head. ¡°It¡¯s good to know, though I¡¯d prefer your actions to show me that, but thank you for your words.¡±


    ¡°I will show you everything I am capable of, and I will have no doubt you¡¯ll see my intentions are as I speak. Like with most families, the Catns have subsidiaries, and they are not happy with what Jose is doing with the family. That expands outside of the family to other territories in other countries. Jose is currently holed up in Mexico with an extended family that protects him like guard dogs in a yard, so infiltrating Mexico will be my final step. What I need is a way into Argentina. There is a lot of unrest there. Many people are unhappy with Jose, and I know I can get them to form an alliance with me and with your family to overthrow Jose.¡±


    I lean back slightly. ¡°Argentina, you say?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s far enough away from Jose that I can operate right under his nose. I will work my way in from there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good n,¡± I say. ¡°And you n to use our name in this? To say you have the backing of the Sorvino family?¡±


    ¡°It will sway many people by knowing a powerful family is on their side,¡± Andres says.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been thinking about this for a while,¡± I say. ¡°You clearly know what it is you have to do.¡±


    Andres nods. ¡°I¡¯ve been dreaming of knocking Jose off his pedestal ever since we fled to America. The man has no loyalty to his followers and doesn¡¯t know how to treat those that work for him. I¡¯ve seen the traditional Irish and Italian families in America and how they work, and I want to bring that into my family.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re going to get your alliances and then y your move on, Jose? That could take some time,¡± I say.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s not an immediate solution to your problem, but it will be permanent once it¡¯s done. Once we make our first move, Jose¡¯s attention will be withdrawn from the States and back to South America and the various families he¡¯s scorned. He¡¯ll want to regain control, and I¡¯m hoping to attack from enough sides that he won¡¯t know where to move first.¡±


    ¡°And once this is done? What then?¡± I ask.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Andres asks back.


    ¡°Say I do this for you, I give you what you need and throw my family into this war. What happens once Jose is gone and you reign as Don Catn?¡±


    Andres looks straight into my eyes. ¡°The alliance won¡¯t wane because I win. I remember those that are loyal to me.¡±


    ¡°I want more than that.¡± I sit forward. ¡°I want a formal alliance between our families and you to withdraw all Catn influence in New York. Leave my territory. I don¡¯t care where else you go.¡±


    Andres falls silent. New York is a big bargaining chip, but I need to ce our family in power. ¡°Do we have a deal?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Andres says, reaching out his hand. I shake it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get you into Argentina, and you can have ess to my contacts that can move you around without Jose being aware, but if you cross me¡­there is nowhere you can hide that I won¡¯t find you.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Andres nods. ¡°Understood.¡±


    I stand, and he also stands. ¡°I¡¯ll have my family contact you about the arrangements. For now, I also expect that if you hear of any plots against my family from the Catns that we will be warned in advance?¡±


    ¡°Of course, if my family here in America needs protection, they will be provided for?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I say. ¡°A man by the name of Joel will contact you. He will help you get what you need.¡±


    Andres nods and turns to leave. I watch him exit and sit back down. Amelia, who has not said one word, steps forward. ¡°And? Do you trust him?¡±


    ¡°I think we can, for now. Though I never throw all my trust at a person until their actions have spoken for themselves.¡±


    ¡°This could work, though, right?¡± she asks hopefully.


    ¡°It could. He seems to know what he¡¯s doing, so it¡¯s not just a power y from a jealous kid. Revenge is an excellent motivator for many circumstances. If it gets them to leave New York as well, that will be a big bonus.¡±


    ¡°Can you really get him to Argentina without detection?¡±


    ¡°His uncle¡¯s men haven¡¯t found us yet, have they?¡± I ask. ¡°Despite your best efforts.¡±


    She blushes slightly and nods. ¡°You¡¯re right. They haven¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Though we should leave now, we¡¯ve lingered here too long.¡± I stand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll get him there; hopefully, he keeps his word.¡±


    Amelia beams at me. ¡°Thank you for listening to me and trusting me.¡±


    I smile down at her. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to listen to you in the future. Now I need to call the key yer in all of this.¡±


    Amelia looks at me confused, and I smile mischievously. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know, do you? There¡¯s only one person suited to get him in, around, and out of South America?¡±


    ¡°Joel?¡± she asks hesitantly.


    ¡°No, Dom,¡± I say, taking out my phone and dialing his number.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C29

    Amelia


    It feels kind of surreal that we have a n now. I mean, it¡¯s not a n that¡¯s going to take effect soon, but it will eventually, and then one day, we can return to New York.


    I don¡¯t know, though. My gut tells me that traveling the road with Frankie will be much better than us being stifled by the hustle and bustle of the city. He doesn¡¯t have to be as busy when we¡¯re on the road, and we can make lots of stops together.


    I¡¯m packing up thest of my things, and hees to my door. ¡°You nearly ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I just need to throw some things in my overnight bag, and we can go,¡± I say. ¡°Frankie,¡± I call as he turns away. He turns to me, so I ask, ¡°Do you really think this could work?¡±


    Frankie smiles andes over to me, hugging me. I breathe in his musky scent and sigh.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to be patient, but it will eventually happen. Soon we won¡¯t have to drive from city to city and hide away from the world. We can live normal lives.¡± He kisses my head, and I beam up at him. ¡°Now get finished. We¡¯ve already stayed here way too long. I want to get on the road before the sun sets.¡±


    I finish packing and bring my luggage out to our new SUV. Frankie insisted we travel in a bit morefort and let me pick out the next car. I love it.


    He loads the luggage into the trunk, and I climb into the passenger seat. I buckle myself in and sit back. I think about how nice it was when we hit the road initially, and I¡¯m excited about our road trip now. We have a few stops along the way, and Frankie has promised we can even stop at some tourist attractions. New York business will be taken care of by other family members, and Frankie will just call in to check on things every now and then.


    The open road is beautiful, and I connect my phone to the car radio so I can y some rock music. Even Frankie bops his head to some of the songs I y while I enthusiastically sing my heart out.


    When I put on some more casual, calm music, I rest my hand on his upper thigh, stroking the small patch of leg gently. I don¡¯t know why, but I really want to just be consumed by him at this moment. I stroke a little higher, and his hand reaches down and moves my hand to his knee. ¡°I¡¯m driving,¡± he chides me.


    I blush. ¡°A little fun never hurt anyone.¡±


    But I don¡¯t raise my hand again. Instead, I browse through my phone to find songs about having sex and st them on the radio, singing them to him, hoping he catches my drift. He smiles but doesn¡¯t look at me or mention anything. I flop back into my seat and blow my fringe out my face.


    When we get to a gas station, I buy a hot dog and eat it as slowly as possible, fitting as much of the dog into my mouth as I can, right in front of him. I¡¯m trying everything to turn my man on, but his dick doesn¡¯t even flicker at the sight of me sucking on the sausage. He pumps gas and pays, and we¡¯re on our way again.


    When we reach the hotel, he checks us in, and once we¡¯re in our room, I rearrange the fruit bowl. A banana and two apples, and while I leave that for him to find, I go dress in the sexiest underwear I have in my bag. Although it¡¯s not that sexy, it should do the trick.


    I wrap myself in a robe and hear hisugh echo through the room.


    I walk out to see him chuckling at the bowl of fruit. ¡°Did you do this, or are the hotel staff a bit questionable?¡±


    I grin. ¡°Oh, it was me. I thought maybe we could have some fun.¡±


    He looks down at me and grins. ¡°You¡¯ve been at this a while. We need to sleep.¡±


    I start to protest, but he puts his finger to my lips. ¡°No, no, we need to sleep. We¡¯re leaving at the crack of dawn tomorrow, especially if you want to see that museum.¡±


    I pout. ¡°Fine, but Frankie¡­¡±


    He raises an eyebrow at me as I say, ¡°We don¡¯t have to sleep in separate beds, you know.¡±


    He chuckles. ¡°We¡¯re taking it slow, remember?¡±


    I crinkle my nose. ¡°Yes, but¡­I¡¯m ready for a jog now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what,¡± he says with a grin. ¡°Let¡¯s get ready for bed and put a movie on while we cuddle.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°Okay, if you insist.¡±


    He kisses my forehead. I don¡¯t know what his game is, but it worries me slightly. Maybe his game is to try to deny me as much as he can. When he goes to shower, I sneak into the bathroom and rearrange his towel and clothes like a dick and balls. Then I sneak out.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    I¡¯m in my nightie in bed when hees out, whistling a soft tune. He doesn¡¯t say anything about his towel, but he¡¯s dressed and slips into bed next to me. I reach down, but he doesn¡¯t react, so I stop.


    ¡°There¡¯s a nice romantic suspense on,¡± he says, flicking through the channels. He sets the tv remote down and settles back. I rest on his chest, and we fall asleep as we watch the movie.


    We stop at a gas station on the road, and I¡¯m in a cute little sun dress. Making sure no one else is around, I bend down in front of him, as seductively as I can manage, but he skirts around me and carries on walking. Slightly embarrassed, I straighten up and glower at him. He¡¯s making me chase him.


    I, too, can y this game. He doesn¡¯t understand how well. When we¡¯re in the car driving again, I let a dress strap fall from my shoulder, and I leave it there, waiting for him to notice.


    When he doesn¡¯t say anything, I drop the other one and fan myself. ¡°It sure is hot.¡±


    ¡°Let me turn up the AC for you,¡± hements, reaching for the dial. I don¡¯t say anything but stare at him for a moment. He has to be messing with me.


    We stop at another hotel, and I walk around in my underwear, trying to act cool, but he doesn¡¯tment again. It¡¯s driving me insane. Why can¡¯t I turn my husband on?


    We sleep together again, and I try touching him while he sleeps, but he turns over and moves my hand away. Not even in his sleep can I get some nookie.


    Back on the road, I wear a crop top and extra short shorts, showing a lot of leg. ¡°There¡¯s a waterfall on a side road up ahead.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going swimming,¡± he says. ¡°We need to get to the next hotel. We already stopped twice more than I said we would, and we¡¯re running behind.


    I pout. ¡°But I can cool off under the waterfall.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to make do,¡± he says.


    When we pull into a gas station, I stand near him. ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore. I¡¯m too hot.¡±


    I open my water bottle and hold it above me, letting the water flow over my chest and down my body. It¡¯s cold, and I shiver slightly, but Frankie just chuckles. ¡°People are watching.¡±


    I see the cashier inside watching me with hungry eyes, and I blush. I rummage through my bag and grab a towel. I dry myself off and get back into the car, beetroot red in the face.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C30

    Frankie


    I take our luggage up to the room of ourst hotel. It¡¯s thest stop before we get to the next destination, and I know Amelia is trying her best to seduce me. To be honest, it¡¯sical how hard she is trying, but some of the things she¡¯s doing are also driving me wild. I¡¯ve masturbated more than once in the shower because of her.


    I don¡¯t just want to give in, though. I want that passion to build up. I want the next time for us to be like fireworks, and I want her to have such an itch that when I scratch it, she¡¯ll never think of another man for the rest of her life.


    I am teasing her, though. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s noticed. I walk around the hotel room in tight jocks and nothing else. I sleep half naked with my arms around her, my dick pressed against her ass.


    As I pull my shirt off, Amelia cries, ¡°Okay, enough torturing me.¡±


    I lower my shirt and look at her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I want you, Frankie. I want you inside of me. Is that what you want to hear?¡± she res at me. ¡°I am so ready to ride you. It¡¯s not funny, and you haven¡¯t even looked at me once. No matter what I do.¡±


    I chuckle. ¡°What were you trying to do?¡±


    ¡°To seduce you, am I not sexy?¡± she pouts and crosses her arms.


    I smirk. ¡°You¡¯ve been very sexy, but I am a very patient man.¡±


    She stares at me, and I lean down to kiss her softly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let me seduce you?¡±


    Her eyes glint in the light. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, put on a cute little cocktail dress, and let¡¯s go for dinner. I¡¯ll wine and dine you off your feet, and then maybe we can sort out that frustration of yours.¡±


    She grins and rushes off to her bag, and Iugh. I dress in a suit and tie and wait for her to finish getting ready. I sit on the bed, ncing at my watch.


    Shees out in a short red dress that blows my socks off. The cleavage alone makes me want to cancel dinner and eat her, I mean, eat in.


    She walks over to me. With her heels on, she¡¯s taller but still not as tall as me. Close, but as I stand, I still look down at her with a soft smile. ¡°You look stunning.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± she says, taking my arm. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    I lead her out of the room, and we make our way to the elevator. We patiently wait for the ground floor, but as we exit, a bullet whizzes past my head. I push Amelia to the floor. ¡°Get down.¡±


    I reach for my gun, and another bullet whizzes by, and then another. I¡¯ll need to wait for whoever it is to reload.


    I nce in the mirror of the elevator and see, of all people, Dave walking toward me and shooting. Amelia starts to crawl away from me, kicking off her heels.


    I return fire when I can, but when I think he¡¯s run out of bullets, he switches to a gun in his other hand and starts firing again.


    I wait for my chance, and when it goes quiet, I turn to fire, only he¡¯s not there.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    I hear Amelia scream, and I know he¡¯s got her. I rush out of my hiding spot. ¡°Amelia?¡± I call. ¡°Amelia?¡±


    Panic and adrenaline course through me, and I rush into the lobby. Frantic people are pushing this way and that to get away from Dave, who is pulling Amelia through the front door. I follow as best I can, shoving people to the side as I go.


    Once outside, I see Dave heading toward a car, and I raise my gun. ¡°Stop, or I swear to God, I¡¯ll shoot you in the head, Dave.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t belong to you.¡± He whips her around and puts her in a chokehold with a gun to her head. ¡°She belongs to me, and she¡¯sing with me now. Then Jose can deal with you any way he wants.¡±


    I try to still my breathing, keeping my hand steady. ¡°You can walk away from this, Dave, and I won¡¯t have to kill you. If you kill her, I promise you will feel a world of pain you didn¡¯t think was imaginable.¡±


    He shifts slightly to adjust his weight, and I see my opportunity. Praying, I take the shot, and it hits him in the forehead. He copses, and Amelia pulls away from him.


    ¡°You okay?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she sobs. ¡°I¡¯m okay. You saved me.¡± She rushes into my arms, and I hold her. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get back upstairs. We can grab our stuff and find another hotel to stay at.¡±


    We¡¯re out of there before the cops show up, and no one stops us. It seems like everyone is trying to get out of there. We don¡¯t even stop at the front desk. They have bigger problems right now than our bill.


    My adrenaline is still coursing, and I drive us to a hotel an hour away and check us in. Once in the room, with our luggage set down, I grab Amelia¡¯s arm and pull her to me, holding her against me. She rxes against me. She knows she¡¯s safe in my arms.


    ¡°I will never let anyone take you from me,¡± I mumble into her hair, kissing the top of her head.


    When she looks up at me, it¡¯s with raw energy, and I lower my lips to kiss her. ¡°Fuck seduction,¡± I whisper into her mouth before I kiss her lips again, my tongue probing to find hers so we can intertwine them.


    I reach behind her and unzip her dress before I break the kiss and guide her to turn around in front of me. I slip the dress off her shoulders to the floor, and the sight of her naked back already arouses me.


    All she¡¯s wearing is a tiny pair of ck panties that barely cup her ass. I brush her hair to the side and kiss her neck. ¡°You belong to me now,¡± I murmur. ¡°And I belong to you.¡±


    She shivers slightly as I kiss down her back slowly. When I reach her hips, I slide her panties down, taking my sweet time. Then I stand and start to undress myself.


    ¡°On the bed,¡± I say. ¡°On your back, legs spread.¡±


    I can see the effect mymanding tone has on her, but she¡¯s not quick toply. She saunters over to the bed and lies down, crossing her left leg over her right. She bites her lip and looks up at me with lust-heavy eyes. ¡°Are you going to punish me if I don¡¯t listen?¡±


    I grin as I finally strip off my underwear. ¡°I¡¯m going to make you beg for forgiveness and more.¡±


    I crawl toward her on the bed and lift her leg gently, spreading her for my full viewing pleasure. I lower my face to just above her pussy and kiss her so softly that goosebumps erupt on her skin. I kiss my way down until I¡¯m at the top, right by her clit. I gently rub it in circles with my tongue and feel her muscles clench on either side of my face.


    ¡°Frankie¡­¡± she moans softly, ¡°Frankie, don¡¯t tease me, please.¡±


    I grin and move my tongue further down, dipping inside her to taste her sweet juices. It¡¯s tart, but it drives me wild.


    I push two fingers into her, moving them in and out while my tongue teases her. I wait until I get her to the edge before I stop and sit up, crawling on top of her.

 #2 (The Marriage)-C31

    Amelia


    I feel his hard cock pressing against me, and it feels so engorged that for a brief moment, I wonder how it will fit. I¡¯m so wet, though, he rubs the tip up and down to lubricate himself before he guides it into me.


    I pull him down into a fiery kiss, my hands going to w his back as he thrust into me, then slowly pulls out until only the tip is in. Then he thrusts hard again, I shift around slightly, and on the third thrust, he hits the sweet part, and I whimper into his mouth.


    I feel like putty in his hands, and we¡¯re both sweating as he starts to move at a more steady pace. It¡¯s not fast, but it¡¯s hard, and I¡¯m at just the right angle to enjoy every push of his hips.


    I bite his lip, pulling on it slightly. I open my eyes and see that fighting spirit in him. He¡¯s holding back because he doesn¡¯t want to hurt me.


    I put a hand on his face. ¡°I¡¯m not fine china. Go harder¡­ go faster¡­¡±


    He nods and starts to move harder and faster, still resisting a bit but definitely better.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I feel like my world is exploding around me. I don¡¯t even know how long it is before I guide him to roll over, and I¡¯m sitting up, riding his cock like a rodeo.


    He reaches up and teases my nipples as I ride him, and I can feel he¡¯s close.


    ¡°Do it,¡± I moan. ¡°Do it.¡± He thrusts his hips up to match me until he suddenly grabs my hips and drives deep inside me, releasing a torrent of sticky cum. I pant, sweat dripping down my body.


    He runs his hands up and down my side, then one hand changes course and moves between my legs. ¡°Your turn.¡±


    I groan as I grind against his hand, already so sensitive, but he doesn¡¯t stop until I¡¯m screaming his name in ecstasy.


    We shower together, and he washes my hair, then we climb into bed, and I rest in his arms.


    I sigh deeply, stroking his chest.


    ¡°It¡¯s not so bad,¡± I say. ¡°All my life, I felt like a caged bird, and now, with us being on the road, I feel like I¡¯m free.¡±


    Frankie strokes my back with his strong hands. ¡°I know what you mean.¡±


    We fall asleep, and it isn¡¯t until we¡¯re on the road the next day that I ask a question that¡¯s been on my mind.


    ¡°When do you think we¡¯ll return to New York?¡± I ask, though I dread the answer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s going to be a long while before that decision is made,¡± he breathes. ¡°Jose isn¡¯t someone who can be overthrown in a day.¡±


    I look out the window. ¡°At least we can have some adventures until then.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t lie, even I like being a remote mafia member,¡± he chuckles at his own joke, and I grin at him. ¡°It¡¯s nice not to be in a stuffy office tending to problems the whole day. I like moving around.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re usually professional and so stiff, but what about your responsibilities to the family?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d still do them, but I don¡¯t know. I want to live a little too. I want to see more and do more. I can have both,¡± he says.


    I grin. ¡°I like this new you. I could absolutely get used to it.¡±


    I look back out the window with a smile. ¡°We¡¯re going to have a lot of fun.¡±


    *****


    THE END of book 2.


    Hope you¡¯ve enjoy reading. I love you.

 #3(The Trade)-C1

    Dominic


    I am the guy they call when there¡¯s a problem that needs to be solved because no one else can do what I do. I will go to any lengths to protect and help the family. I have already gone to great lengths to do so. Many people think I¡¯m nothing more of me than a heartless killer, but I simply have a particr set of skills, and those skills yield results-results my family need.


    So, when Frankie called me to tell me I¡¯d be escorting someone rted to the enemy we¡¯re currently fighting to a meeting with another enemy family. I did what I was told. Andres is rted to Jose Catn, who wants my brother dead. I don¡¯t trust Andres, but I do what I¡¯m told.


    We¡¯re meeting with Facuno Lopez, a family from Argentina that Jose controls. But not by choice. I could be walking into a trap, though I¡¯d be more worried for them if that¡¯s the case. I wait outside the airport for Andres to arrive, my sunsses hiding my blue-gray eyes. I have received a photo of him, so I know who I¡¯m looking for. I doubt he knows who I am.


    He walks out of the arrivals gate and stops, looking around carefully. I walk toward him.


    ¡°Andres?¡± I ask, standing straight.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± he asks suspiciously.


    ¡°Dominic Sorvino, themb to the ughter,¡± I say, using the security phrase I¡¯d sent to him earlier. He rxes visibly.


    ¡°Thank you, what time are we meeting them?¡±


    ¡°Immediately,¡± I say. I don¡¯t offer to take his bag. I¡¯m a go-between, not a personal valet. I lead him toward the armored car waiting outside. The driver opens the door for me, and I climb in, shifting along so Andres can get in as well. ¡°We¡¯ll be there soon.¡±


    ¡°If all goes well, I¡¯ll be in Argentina soon, and your brother will be free to return to New York,¡± Andres says with a smile that I do not return.


    ¡°Best you make it happen. We don¡¯t take betrayal lightly,¡± I say. ¡°Especially when it¡¯s us getting betrayed.¡±


    ¡°I have no fight with the Sorvinos, only with Jose,¡± Andres says, looking out the window.


    Traffic is surprisingly light, it is still early, and we arrive at therge beach house on Long Ind. The guards wave us through, and my driver parks just to the side of the house. I climb out and wait for Andres. ¡°Leave your luggage. If they agree, we can get itter.¡±


    ¡°If they don¡¯t?¡± Andres asks though he doesn¡¯t seem nervous.


    ¡°Then you bettere up with another n, and you probably won¡¯t need your luggage,¡± I say, leading him up to the door of the house.


    A young woman in a ck and white maid¡¯s outfit opens the door and curtsies. ¡°Mr. Lopez is expecting you out on the deck.¡±


    She leads us through the house. It¡¯s grand, but I¡¯ve never been one for expensively decorated homes. It serves a function, and I don¡¯t see the point in making it pretty.


    ¡°A Sorvino and a Catn walk into my house, and I don¡¯t shoot them. It is an amazing day,¡± an elder-looking manughs, pping his hands together, a cigar clenched between his teeth.


    ¡°Sit, sit,¡± he waves to some chairs around a table to his left. ¡°Do you want a drink? A cigar? Theye from Cuba.¡±


    I shake my head and sit down, leaning back. Andres takes a cigar and sits down. Facuno lights it, and Andres inhales.


    I watch the exchange carefully, keeping my senses tuned to any movement or approaching guards. Facuno sits opposite us and spreads his arms wide. ¡°So, you¡¯ve made it clear you want to overthrow Jose Catn, someone we both dislike. That¡¯s a dangerous game, Andres. He has many families that support him.¡±


    ¡°They support him out of fear,¡± Andres says quickly. ¡°But if we can garner their support, and turn them against him, then we stand a chance of recing him with a more agreeable Don.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡± Facuno asks. ¡°There are many who would take that seat.¡±


    ¡°I would take that seat,¡± Andres says. ¡°I would be fair, keeping trade open and profitable for all families.¡±


    Facunoughs. ¡°You have big dreams, and now the Sorvino family provides the muscle.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m no one¡¯s muscle,¡± I say, crossing my legs. ¡°But he has our family¡¯s backing.¡±


    Facuno stares me out. I can tell he¡¯s sizing me up, but what he says next surprises me.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help you. Unfortunately, something hase up that prevents me from going against Jose,¡± Facuno sighs. ¡°I would have done it, though, please believe me. And he won¡¯t hear of this betrayal from me.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯se up?¡± I ask before Andres can speak.


    ¡°He has taken Sofia, one of my daughters, to bear him children. He wants to seal our ties to him, a wise move on his behalf, a tragedy for our family.¡±


    ¡°Where are they now?¡± I ask, reaching for my phone.


    ¡°Westhampton Beach,¡± Facuno eyes me out again. ¡°But not for long, as they will take her to New Mexico to be with Jose.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± I stand and walk a bit away, dialing Alessandro, who answers, ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°Jose¡¯s men have taken Facuno¡¯s daughter. If I can get her back, we might stand a chance.¡±


    Alessandro pauses and sighs. ¡°Do what you must. Try not to get killed.¡±


    I hang up and go back to the chair. ¡°If I get Sofia back to you, would you consider the allegiance?¡±


    ¡°If you get Sofia back for me, it will mean I openly dere war against Jose. It won¡¯t be easy.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be bringing her straight back here,¡± I say. ¡°We¡¯ll move around the boroughs for a few days. Then when it¡¯s safe, I¡¯ll bring her here,¡± I stand up. ¡°Do you have a photo of her?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Facuno snaps his fingers, and I smirk. He knew I¡¯d do this. He was prepared. A guard brings me a photo of a beautiful woman. She has dark, shoulder-length ck hair and bright brown eyes. She will be easy to spot at apound full of thugs.


    I look at Andres. ¡°You stay here until Ie back. Make your ns with Don Lopez, and make your arrangements. If you need something, contact my cousin Michael. I¡¯ll send you his number. I won¡¯t have my phone on me until we¡¯re back.¡±


    Andres nods. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re able to do this?¡±


    I snort. ¡°Save a princess from some thugs, easier than most of my jobs.¡±


    I turn as an older man shuffles out of the house. Facuno smiles. ¡°This is Bruno, my second inmand. If you need anything, just ask him.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I have my own resources, thank you, Don, but I will have to leave now. We don¡¯t know when she will be moved, and I don¡¯t want to miss her. I will be in touch as soon as I can be.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Facuno nods. ¡°Andres, Bruno will show you to your rooms.¡±


    I walk out without an escort though I can feel the guards¡¯ eyes on me. I walk down the stairs quickly, Andres behind me. He takes his luggage and touches my arm. ¡°If you can¡¯t do this, they¡¯ll probably kill me.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s best you let me do my job,¡± I say, climbing into the car.

 #3(The Trade)-C2

    Sofia


    I knew I was done when they pulled me out of my father¡¯s beach house. Catns didn¡¯t just take you for no reason. My fate was sealed.


    They drive me through New York. I¡¯ve been here for a few weeks, but I haven¡¯t quite got my bearings, so I look for signs along the way. From what I can tell, we¡¯re in Westhampton Beach.


    The car pulls into arge estate and parks in front of a beautiful house. That¡¯s all that is beautiful about this ce. As they walk me inside, it¡¯s like a fortress, cold and sterile. I can hear voices off to one room and the shuffling of things being moved about. This must be a front for a smuggling operation. I¡¯m not so naive that I don¡¯t know what the families do to earn their money.


    They open a door and take me downstairs. It¡¯s a strange basement. The walls look like they¡¯re made from steel, like a bunker. We go around a corner, down a hallway, and turn right. I try to remember the turns we take. You never know if you¡¯ll need that sort of information.


    ¡°Please, why am I here?¡± I ask again, pleading with the burly man with a vice-like grip on my arm.


    ¡°Because Jose wants you,¡± he finally says, opening a door and pushing me inside. ¡°Now, if you¡¯re a good girl, you might leave here in one peace.¡±


    ¡°If Jose wants me, you won¡¯t be allowed to touch me,¡± I snap, looking up at him defiantly.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    He grabs my chin, forcing me to look him in the eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll take you if I want you, every which way until Sunday because if Jose found out, he¡¯d kill me then you because you¡¯re sullied.¡±


    I swallow hard and try to pull away, but he digs his fingers into my jawline. ¡°Do you understand, little princess?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m no one¡¯s princess,¡± I snarl, but my voice is quieter.


    He releases me and walks out of the room, shutting and locking the door. I rush to it and hear him speaking to someone outside.


    ¡°Keep an eye on her. She¡¯s feisty,¡± my kidnapper says before I hear his footsteps retreating.


    I look around the room. There¡¯s a window, but there are bars over it, so I can¡¯t climb to safety. It¡¯s high, but I push the bed against the wall and open it anyway. I can¡¯t see past the garden. It¡¯s well kept, obviously, to keep up appearances. I can¡¯t see anything further, but I can smell seawater and hear the ocean¡¯s waves crashing against an unseen shore. I wonder if there¡¯s a way I can get out and get to the beach, there¡¯ll be people there who could help me.


    I sit back on the bed. This wouldn¡¯t have happened if my father wasn¡¯t who he was. I rue the fact that we can¡¯t be a normal family who does ordinary things. Even the other children I grew up with are involved in this sort of life, some moved to New York to start afresh, but I know they will always have ties to the mafia. There¡¯s no escaping the family.


    I wanted toe to New York to study, so when my father said I could go on a trip here, I was excited. I was even more excited when he told me a few days ago that he wasing up for a meeting. He may be a mobster, but he¡¯s still my father, and I love him, my mother, and my siblings dearly.


    I think about all the life lessons my father has taught me about what to do in situations like this, and I can¡¯t help but try and formte some sort of escape n. I know my father will send someone to find me. He won¡¯t let Jose just take me even though he practically owns our family.


    My great-grandmother married Jose¡¯s Great Uncle, and we were tied to the Catns through that marriage. I know my father is resentful of it. He always says we could be a more remarkable family if we didn¡¯t have to follow Jose¡¯s orders.


    I don¡¯t care. I want out of this mobster life. I want my own future, to make my own choices. That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m going to do now.


    I get up and stride to the door, knocking. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    The door unlocks, and I step back as it opens. ¡°Hi, sorry to bother you, but I need the bathroom.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try anything stupid,¡± he says, patting the gun in his holster on his side.


    I shake my head. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid.¡±


    He takes my arms and guides me down the hallway to a room a few yards away. He opens the door and lets me in. ¡°Be quick.¡±


    I shut the door and looked around. It¡¯s disgusting here. The toilet obviously stopped flushing years ago, and the sink is moldy and dirty.


    There is no window, so there¡¯s no way to escape. The guard has a gun, so I can¡¯t exactly walk out and then run away.


    I grimace and open the door. ¡°Well, that was disgusting.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your royal pce,¡± the guard says, taking my arm again.


    ¡°I know, it¡¯s just¡­I¡¯m going off to Jose, and I¡¯ll never be able to do anything I want to again.¡± I sigh dramatically. ¡°Like I¡¯m still a virgin. I don¡¯t want to lose my virginity to him.¡±


    The guard eyes me out. I can see he isn¡¯t sure whether he believes me or not, and I p his arm. ¡°Are you questioning my honor?¡±


    The guard looks admonished. ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­ Just get back in the room.¡±


    ¡°If youe with me, if you promise to be gentle, you could make myst free day a memorable one,¡± I say seductively, stroking his chest.


    He shoves me back into the room and shuts the door. I sit down on the bed, disappointed. I try to think of another way out when the door opens again, and he hurries in, shutting it behind him. ¡°We do this quick. If the boss finds out, I¡¯m dead.¡±


    I smile and get up, sauntering over to him. ¡°He¡¯ll never know.¡±


    I put my arms on his shoulder, and steeling myself, I kiss him deeply, moaning softly as I press my body against his, angling it just right. He groans softly back, but before he can even wrap his arms around me, I bring my knee up with as much force as I can muster, using my hands on his shoulders to pull my leg up hard. It connects with his groin, and he cries out, cupping his balls instinctively. I quickly pull his gun out of the holster. It¡¯s heavier than the ones I¡¯ve held before, and I use both hands to swing it at his head.


    He goes down, groaning. He¡¯s not out, but he¡¯ll be incapacitated long enough for me to get out.


    I hurry through the door, locking it behind me. I hold onto the gun tightly and quickly go down the hallway. I pause at the end and peek around the corner. A guard is walking with his back to me. I doubt I could take him out.


    He then turns down another hallway, and I creep down after him, crossing that hallway quickly and making a beeline for the exit.


    As an explosion rocks the world above me, I quickly hide in a closet near the stairs. There are shouts and the sound of gunfire upstairs. I hear footsteps running past the door, and I wait with baited breaths.


    My father must have sent someone to get me, and they mean business.

 #3(The Trade)-C3

    Dominic


    It¡¯s simple. I choose a motorbike because losing people on a bike is easier. You can get to ces that no one else can. I don¡¯t bother with a helmet. If you¡¯re wasting time trying to put one on, you¡¯re giving the enemy a chance to shoot you.


    Just don¡¯t have an ident.


    I park the bike a few yards from the entrance to the house, and I walk casually toward it. I stop short just before the property line. I can hear guards talking, and I kneel, listening to what they¡¯re saying.


    ¡°She goes to Jose in an hour. Make sure the transport is prepped,¡± a burly Latino man says, puffing on a cigarette.


    I don¡¯t have much time. I was initially going to do this discreetly, but I see now there isn¡¯t time for that.


    I take out a grenade, pull the pin, and roll it toward where the guards are standing.


    I take cover behind a tree. The force of the grenade exploding makes the tree lean over and causes a slight ringing in my ears. I pull both of my handguns out of their holsters and walk into the yard, firing at everyone I see. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s a guard, a dealer, or an innocent bystander. Everyone goes down until I find Sofia and get her out of here.


    I walk toward the house. Doors open, and guards spill out in all directions. I fire at them, ducking behind a tree as they fire back. I hear them shouting, and I hear women screaming.


    I also know the neighbors will call the cops because of the explosion, so I have a limited amount of time before the pigs arrive.


    I peek out, assess where the guards are, and by stepping out and back behind the tree, I fire and take out four. A bullet grazes my arm, and I wince slightly. There¡¯s no time to cry about flesh wounds now.


    I kill two more guards before the sirens sound off in the distance. The guards no longer care about me. They need to move whatever illegal stock is in the house.


    I walk toward the house quickly, taking out another guard. The front door bursts open, and I raise my guns, but a group of Hispanic women dressed in overallses rushing out. I scan their faces, but Sofia is not among them.


    Behind them, a guard surfaces, shouting when he sees me. A bullet to the head stops his train of thought very quickly, though I don¡¯t know who else he has alerted. I walk into the house, checking around corners to make sure there aren¡¯t guards hiding around them.


    A door near the front opens, and I swing around as a beautiful woman steps out and points a gun at me. I scan her face and lower my gun. ¡°Sofia?¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± she asks, her hands trembling from holding the gun up.


    ¡°We need to get out of here. The cops are on their way.¡± I turn toward the front door and motion for her to go through without bothering to tell her my name.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere with you. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Your father sent me,¡± I exin, annoyed because we need to hurry. ¡°I¡¯m not with the Catns. I¡¯m with the New York family, the Sorvinos.¡±


    ¡°That means nothing to me.¡± She lowers her arms slightly. It looks like she¡¯s getting tired of holding the gun. I quickly disarm her. ¡°We haven¡¯t got time for this bullshit. Get your ass moving.¡±


    She looks afraid as we quickly make our way across the front yard. I take her arm and yank her in the direction of the bike. We¡¯re barely past the property line when a car arrives, and more men get out. It doesn¡¯t take them long to realize I have Sofia. There are shouts, and bullets start flying past us.


    ¡°Run,¡± I shout, running alongside her. Once we reach the corner, I pull her to the side where I¡¯ve parked the bike. ¡°Get on.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no helmet,¡± she whines, but she climbs on behind me.


    The bike roars to life in a split second. ¡°Hold on,¡± I yell. As I pull off onto the road, I feel her surprisingly strong arms around my waist. I can hear the police are closer, but I also hear the revving of a car. Checking my side mirrors, I see that the ck car is full of men, and it¡¯s chasing us.


    Instead of driving back toward Long Beach, I hop onto a freeway and head toward Riverhead. They expect me to go straight back to Facuno, but I¡¯m going to get them a little lost first.


    If I go straight to Long Beach, they¡¯ll just pick her up again, and it¡¯ll all be for nothing.


    I zig-zag through traffic, and Sofia clings to me hard, winding me slightly. She¡¯s got quite the grip. Now and then, the sound of a bullet sounds off, but I keep moving, trying to avoid the car, and soon enough, they fall back, trapped by the other vehicles on the highway. When I think they¡¯re suitably far enough back, I take the exit and drive through the suburbs, taking multiple twists and turns so they can¡¯t tail me.


    Even though it doesn¡¯t take long to get the car to drop back, I drive for another half an hour. Stopping now and then to look around before I take off again, making sure we¡¯re not followed. Each time I stop, Sofia asks me where we are going, but I shush her. Doesn¡¯t she understand that I¡¯m working here?Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    I¡¯ve never had time for princesses, not even for Arianna, my sister. They don¡¯t grow up in the family as we do. They don¡¯t have to face the sullied underworld that we do. They just get to spend money, cook and look after the men. They have it so much easier than we do.


    Sofia is probably just like my sister. She¡¯s got a bitchy streak in her, but the only thing backing her is her family¡¯s name tacked onto her own.


    She tries to say something when I stop, and I snap, ¡°Just shut up, will you.¡±


    She looks offended, but I don¡¯t have time to deal with this bullshit. I start the bike again and circle the block twice before I take off toward East Main Street. There¡¯s a good restaurant there that will be a decent ce to stop. Sofia¡¯s grip has lightened around me, and I almost warn her not to fall off, but it seems she knows how to handle a motorbike. I slow down, not wanting to draw the attention of a traffic officer. As we near the busy street, I give a cautionary nce around, but there¡¯s no sign of the car. We¡¯re safe, at least for now.


    I never trust anything, so I stop a block from the restaurant and wait there in silence. I can feel Sofia getting antsy and wanting to speak.


    ¡°You can get off and stretch your legs,¡± I say. ¡°We¡¯ll walk from here.¡±


    ¡°Like back to Long Beach?¡± she says incredulously.


    ¡°No,¡± I say slowly as though she¡¯s an idiot, ¡°To where I n the next part of our little trip together, Princess.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± she snarls. ¡°If you call me anything, call me Sofia.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say, Princess,¡± I say, smirking at her. No one outside of my family tells me what to do.

 #3(The Trade)-C4

    Sofia


    ¡°You just drove us in circles repeatedly,¡± I say. ¡°I really don¡¯t think that was necessary.¡± I wait for him to dismount the motorbike.


    ¡°In case you hadn¡¯t noticed, we had a tail,¡± he says irritably, which just annoys me more. Talk about a grumpy fish. ¡°I had to make sure we lost them so that I didn¡¯t just kill a dozen guys for no reason.¡±


    I swallow slightly. ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about what?¡± he asks, starting to walk down the block.


    I walk quickly to keep up, my small steps hardly a match for his great strides. ¡°Sorry you had to kill people.¡±


    He shrugs as though it isn¡¯t a big deal. I stare at him for a moment. I can¡¯t believe he can shrug something like that off so easily. He obviously kills often.


    He stops outside a restaurant and holds the door open. ¡°Get in.¡±


    I walk in and look around. It¡¯s a nice-looking ce, everything is neat, and the waiters are dressed impably. I realize what state I am in. My hair is a mess, and my clothes are dirty. I definitely stand out.


    My rescuer walks in behind me, makes a hand gesture to the hostess, and leads me toward a booth in the back. ¡°Sit, order something to eat.¡±


    I sit as he tells me to, and the hostess herself brings me a menu, ¡°Anything you want, on the house for the Sorvino family.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    He nods and pushes his menu back. ¡°Give us two beers. I¡¯ll have a pepperoni pizza and whatever she wants to eat.¡±


    I look at the menu and look up. ¡°Um, can I have the Chicken Cordon Bleu?¡±


    She takes my menu and leaves, ¡°Beer, really?¡±


    ¡°You need to rx after what you¡¯ve been through,¡± he says.


    ¡°Can I at least get your name?¡± I ask.


    His blue-gray eyes look into mine, and my heart skips a beat. ¡°Dominic,¡± he says. ¡°Dominic Sorvino.¡±


    I hold out my hand. ¡°I¡¯m Sofia Lopez.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t shake my hand. ¡°I know. I came to save you.¡±


    I retract my hand, frowning. ¡°You¡¯re not very pleasant, are you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m being paid to be nice,¡± he says, sitting back as the hostess brings the beers and sets them down on the table.


    He takes out his phone and starts scrolling on it, leaving me to my own thoughts. He¡¯s grumpy, self-absorbed, and irritable, and I¡¯m not. I¡¯m like the sunshine, and he¡¯s a hurricane. At least he isn¡¯t bad to look at, but God, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stand being around him for any length of time.


    He starts clicking away at his phone, and I ask, ¡°So, is there a next step in your n?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he says, but he doesn¡¯t borate.


    ¡°Care to share it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he doesn¡¯t even look at me. I decide to add rude to his description.


    The hostess brings the food over, and the smell makes my stomach grumble. He puts his phone in his pocket and starts to eat his pizza. I start on my chicken, and the silence hangs thickly between us. I realize I don¡¯t even want to talk to him because his moodiness irritates me, but I¡¯m curious about the n.


    ¡°Where are we going next? Where is my father waiting for me?¡± I ask.


    ¡°At Long Beach,¡± he says after swallowing. ¡°They¡¯ve probably gone to check there now and will be there for a few days waiting to see if youe back.¡±


    I frown. ¡°So, you¡¯re not taking me back to my family.¡±


    ¡°Not yet, princess,¡± he says. ¡°Not until it¡¯s safe. Otherwise, again, this was pointless.¡±


    He speaks down to me like I¡¯m a petnt child, which sets off my temper. I eat in a huff, and while angrily thinking of ways I¡¯d kill him, I identally choke on a piece of chicken.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know how to chew your food,¡± he says impatiently, getting up and smacking me on the back. I cough, and the piece goes down the right pipe, and I re at him. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to hit so hard.¡±


    He snorts. ¡°That was a love tap, honey.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not your honey, and I¡¯m not your princess,¡± I snap. ¡°So just call me Sofia.¡±


    He rolls his eyes and continues eating, so I point a fork at him, ¡°Tell me the n, or I¡¯m not budging.¡±


    ¡°You can stay, get caught, and get taken to Jose. Firstly, you would have to bear God knows how many children for his little army, and secondly, your father will be unable to break away from the Catns and give the rest of your family freedom.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t let that happen,¡± I point out. ¡°Otherwise, it¡¯s pointless.¡±


    ¡°My family can find other ways to fight Jose Catn. You¡¯re not my only option, so don¡¯t make my life difficult because I will leave you stranded.¡±


    I look at him, surprised. He simply mutters, ¡°Now eat your food. We need to get going.¡±


    When we¡¯re done eating, I walk with him a few shops down from the restaurant to a pharmacy. He buys a first aid kit, a ratherrge one, and I wonder who¡¯s injured. I then realize he might be, and I feel slightly guilty, only slightly, though, because he¡¯s still an asshole.


    We return to the motorbike, and he packs the first aid kit into one of the panniers. He then climbs back on, and I slide on behind him.


    We don¡¯t go far, and we¡¯re only on the bike about ten minutes before we pull up outside a Holiday Inn. He parks the bike in a parking space and climbs off, opening the pannier to grab a duffel bag and the first aid kit.


    I¡¯m quiet as he checks us in and leads me to our room. Thank God there are two beds. He leaves me in the room to go shower, and I flip on the television. There¡¯s a news report about an explosion, and I know that¡¯s the house they were holding me at. I¡¯m so engrossed that I don¡¯t notice Dominice out of the shower in only his pants. I catch his bleeding arm in my peripheral vision, and I almost get whish swinging my head. ¡°Are you okay?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Just have to wrap it up,¡± he says, opening the first aid kit.


    I watch him struggle for a moment before I say, ¡°Here.¡± I take the bandage from him and wrap his arm gently. I think he¡¯s about to thank me when there¡¯s a knock at the door. In a sh, he has a gun in his hand and stands in the bathroom doorway. ¡°Call, it¡¯s open,¡± he whispers.


    ¡°It¡¯s open,¡± I call.


    The door opens with a bang, and two suited thugs walk in with guns. I scream when Dominices out of the bathroom and shoots the one in the head before hitting the other with his weapon. Then he aims and shoots him three times when he¡¯s on the ground.


    ¡°Grab the bag,¡± he shouts, pulling his bloody shirt back on.


    As we run out of the room, people poke their heads out of their rooms to see what¡¯s going on. We don¡¯t stop, though, and Dominic grabs the bag, throws it into the pannier, and climbs onto the bike.


    I get back on behind him. ¡°We should go to my father.¡±


    ¡°If they found you here, they¡¯ll definitely find you there.¡±


    I hold on for dear life as he speeds off.

 #3(The Trade)-C5

    Dominic


    I drive until I see a rundown motel to pull off into. I park at the back just in case and go to the front desk.


    ¡°What will it be?¡± Thezy receptionist asks me, staring at television to the side.


    ¡°One room, two beds,¡± I say, taking out some cash and tossing it down. ¡°And don¡¯t tell anyone we¡¯re here.¡±


    The receptionist takes the cash and slides a room key to me, ¡°Not here, got it.¡±


    I take the key and check the number before I lead Sofia up to the room. Once the door is closed, she turns to me. ¡°Are we safe here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not safe anywhere,¡± I say, setting the duffel bag down.


    ¡°You look like you could use a shower,¡± I say. I dig out tracksuit pants and a shirt and toss them to her. ¡°These will be a bit big, but they¡¯re clean, and you¡¯ll befortable.¡±


    She leaves to shower, and I step out of the room, taking a burner phone out of my pocket and slipping a preloaded sim card into it. I dial Alessandro¡¯s number.


    ¡°Dominic, are you okay? I saw the news, and I assume that¡¯s your handiwork.¡±


    ¡°A quiet, discreet option did not present itself,¡± I justify my actions. ¡°I got here, though.¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Best not to say over the phone. I don¡¯t want to be long either, in case they track me. You never know.¡± I pause. ¡°I think there¡¯s more to this kidnapping than Facuno lets on.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Alessandro asks. I can hear he¡¯s shutting a door. He¡¯s probably gone to his office.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s a gut feeling. They knew where to find us at thest hotel I booked, and I used a burner cell for that too. No one could have known we were there.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they tailed you, and you didn¡¯t notice them,¡± Alessandro points out.


    I scoff. ¡°Me? Alessandro, how long have I been doing this? And I was on my bike, which you¡¯ll have to pick upter.¡±


    Alessandro pauses. ¡°Stay near New York but don¡¯t go straight to Facuno. I¡¯ll send word that Sofia is fine and that you¡¯ll contact him on where to meet. I¡¯ll dig a bit more into his family and their background.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll contact you tomorrow,¡± I say. ¡°Speak soon.¡± I hang up and break up the phone and sim card, tossing them in a nearby trash can.


    I walk back into the room as Sofiaes out of the shower. My clothes are bagging on her, and her hair is sopping wet, but she looks fresh and clean, and I¡¯m sure she feels better.


    Pretty girls like this are always a problem. One I don¡¯t intend to get involved in.


    I take out the next phone I¡¯m using as a burner phone and organize a car rental from a ce not far away. I use a false name to book it under, double checking that I have that driver¡¯s license on me.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re from the Sorvino family¡­¡± she says quietly. I look at her. She¡¯s using a hair clip tob her hair. She fixes the pretty clip into her hair and sits cross-legged on the bed.


    ¡°I am. I did say so early,¡± I say irritably. Man, was this princess stupid or deaf?


    ¡°What¡¯s your family like?¡±


    I look up at her, exasperated.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really speak to people outside of my family, okay? I like to keep to myself, and you should do the same.¡± I sit on my bed and open the duffel bag. I reload my guns and check the other firearms and ammunition in there.


    She turns back to the television and puts on a movie while I busy myself with polishing the guns. I nce at her now and then when she giggles at the movie. She has a beautiful face, but she is extremely frustrating.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°How did you get out?¡± I ask quietly. ¡°Away from your captors, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡± she says, looking at me.


    ¡°You were running out of the house when I came in,¡± I say, looking at her. She makes me feel exasperated. ¡°How did you get away from them?¡±


    ¡°They left me with one guard,¡± she says. ¡°I tried to get out through a bathroom, but that didn¡¯t work, so I seduced him, kneed him in the groin, and hit him with his gun. I then locked him in the room and sneaked out. I hid in a closet when you detonated your explosion because I knew the guards woulde running past, and I didn¡¯t want to get caught again. Once I thought it was clear, I came upstairs and bumped into you.¡±


    ¡°You talk a lot,¡± I say. ¡°You could have just said you kneed the guard and sneaked out.¡±


    She res at me. ¡°Don¡¯t ask if you don¡¯t want to hear the story. I¡¯m so sorry that I have an extensive vocabry.¡±


    I roll my eyes. ¡°Do you always talk this much?¡±


    ¡°Do you always talk so little?¡± she snaps back.


    I smirk. ¡°I¡¯m not a man of words, it¡¯s true, but I am a man of action.¡±


    She rolls her eyes and looks back at the television.


    ¡°Stay here,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m going across the road to get us some food.¡±


    ¡°Am I safe here?¡± she asks.


    ¡°You asked that earlier. You¡¯re not safe anywhere, but I can see this room from across the road, so I will keep an eye on you, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    She nods and hugs her knees. She looks so vulnerable. A small part of me twitches with a tiny need to protect her, but I bury that strange feeling fast. Emotions cloud your judgment, and that gets you killed quickly.


    I leave the room, locking it behind me. I walk across the street to the fried chicken ce, keeping an eye on the room as I ce my order.


    I sit at the window and watch the room as I wait for my order to be called. Twice cars drive past slowly, catching my attention, but they pass by without circling back. Something just feels off to me.


    How did they know we were in the Holiday Inn?


    The guy calls my order, and I get up, hurrying to pick it up before I walk back across the road. I keep checking my surroundings to ensure that no one is watching me or following where I am going, but it seems oddly quiet. I nce at my watch, it¡¯s after nine, but there should still be some traffic.


    It makes me feel uneasy, but I go back into the room and drop the food on the bed. ¡°Help yourself. I just got chicken pieces, gravy, chips, and soda.¡±


    She pulls a face, looks at me, and I deadpan her. She shrugs and opens the food up, starting to eat. I wait for her to take some for herself before I dig in, sitting on the edge of the bed with the cardboard container in my hand as I rip into the chicken.


    She sits opposite me, watching me. I roll my eyes. ¡°Please stop staring at me as though I¡¯m going to grow a third head or something.¡±


    ¡°You mean you have two?¡± she asks curiously.


    I smirk and wait. She finally gets the joke and pulls a face. ¡°Seriously childish.¡±

 #3(The Trade)-C6

    Sofia


    I¡¯m still full from the chicken earlier. Unlike Dominic, who seemed ravenous, I ate my chicken as politely as possible before moving on to some chips and gravy. I¡¯m not generally a fan of greasy food, but I guess beggars can¡¯t be choosers, and it¡¯s not like this ce would have room service.


    The clothes feel baggy on me, and I feel awkward, almost naked, in front of him. I didn¡¯t like how he looked at me when I came out of the shower.


    Dominic throws his box of chicken bones away and goes back to his guns. I know it¡¯s stupid to try talking to him, but I¡¯ve always been curious, and I want answers.


    ¡°Why did my father send you? Why didn¡¯t he send someone from our family?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯splicated,¡± he says in his short, gruff way.


    ¡°Uplicate it then,¡± I say. ¡°How do I know you¡¯re not working for Jose, and this is all just a rouse?¡±


    He snorts. ¡°You think if I worked for Jose, you¡¯d still be in America?¡± He looks at me. ¡°I¡¯m starting to question your intelligence, Princess.¡±


    God, I fucking hate how he calls me princess. If he keeps it up, I don¡¯t care how scary he is. I¡¯m going to p him. I shake my head and take a deep, calming breath. ¡°So why didn¡¯t my father send someone from our family?¡±


    He huffs and puts his gun down, turning to me. ¡°I¡¯m going to exin only once, so keep up and don¡¯t interrupt.¡±


    I nod, and he immediately starts talking, ¡°Firstly, your father wouldn¡¯t move against Jose unless he had security, say from another family, that the rest of his family wouldn¡¯t be taken out by the Catns who basically rule South America. Secondly, I need your father¡¯s allegiance to my family in our efforts to overthrow Jose Catn because he wants my brother, and probably the rest of my family, dead. Got it? So, I have to keep you safe for a few days because they will be expecting us to go straight to your father like idiots. Once my brother says it¡¯s safe, we will meet up with your father, and you can fly back to Argentina and be with your family and get married and live happily ever after. The end.¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    I stare at him for a moment. That¡¯s the most he¡¯s said in one go, and it kind of floors me. I stroke my hair behind my ear. ¡°All you had to say was that my father and your family are working together to overthrow another Don.¡±


    He res at me, and I smirk. ¡°Just saying¡­ But I don¡¯t want to return to Argentina. My dream is to study digital art in New York.¡±


    ¡°Well, unfortunately, we can¡¯t all have what we want. It¡¯s not safe for you in New York, so you¡¯ll have to make do with whatever you can study back home.¡± He goes back to his gun, but I¡¯m persistent. He needs to learn that.


    ¡°They don¡¯t offer as good a qualification back home. The prestigious schools are here. It¡¯s not safe for you, but you live here, I assume?¡± I gesture around me. ¡°I mean, how can you live here when you¡¯re in danger and I can¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Because my job is dangerous, I ept that. To remain here, you would need full guards, twenty-four-seven, escorts, drivers, and all kinds of things.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t think my father can provide these things?¡± It¡¯s my turn to huff. ¡°You think you¡¯re better than our family because youe from New York and we¡¯re from Argentina. Argentina is rich in resources and culture, unlike any you will ever know. You get your drugs, your weapons, everything you smuggle you get from the South American countries. Without us, you are nothing.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t respond, and I partially turn my back on him, so I¡¯m facing the television again.


    ¡°Does my father know you think your family is better than ours?¡± I ask angrily.


    He sighs. ¡°Every family thinks they are better than the other families. Some through virtue, some through morals, and others through power. Your father and my brother need this allegiance to overthrow a family that has abused their power and has no virtues or morals regarding the rest of the family.¡±


    I hug my knees. ¡°So, this is just a job.¡±


    He nods, and I shake my head. ¡°You¡¯re just going to keep me safe?¡±


    ¡°You are safer with me than on your own,¡± he says.


    ¡°You¡¯re a killer,¡± I retort. ¡°You¡¯re not exactly a safe person to be around.¡±


    He looks up at me. ¡°I only kill when I¡¯m ordered to kill. I only kill who I¡¯m ordered to kill to get what I need if necessary. You shouldn¡¯t beining about me being a killer. I killed many people to save your life. What? Did you think they wouldn¡¯t overpower you because you had a gun? You were shaking when you held that gun? Do you remember? Because it¡¯s heavy and you¡¯re not used to that weight, firing that would have hurt you a lot.¡±


    I frown and rest my head on my knees.


    ¡°You¡¯re brave, probably stupid, Princess. But you are brave, and now I need you to trust me, do as I say, and we¡¯ll bothe out of this rtively sane.¡± He starts to pack away his guns. ¡°If I were you, I¡¯d get some shut-eye. We¡¯re going to be moving around a lot to evade detection.¡±


    ¡°How much can we move around New York?¡±


    ¡°Oh, there are lots of ces to hide,¡± he says. ¡°We won¡¯t be going into the city just yet, but we¡¯ll get there. I have a general idea of which direction we should head.¡±


    I pick up the food and deposit it on the side table beside the bed. I curl up in my bed, pulling the thin nket over my body. I don¡¯t like the way he watches me.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to scout around before I settle in,¡± he says. ¡°Stay here and don¡¯t open for anybody, got it?¡±


    I nod and watch him leave. I¡¯m wondering how long he will be when hees rushing back in. ¡°Get up. They¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°How¡­¡± I start to say, but he roars, ¡°Just get up and get moving. I¡¯m going to shoot to the left as we step out, move to the stairs on the right and get down to the bike as fast as you can.¡±


    I nod and wait at the door. He counts to three and steps out. I wait, and when I hear his gun go off, I run behind him and to the right. I try to hold my hands over my ears to block out the gunfire, but it¡¯s not as bad as I thought it would be. Only two shots ring out, and then it goes quiet. I get to the bike, and as I turn around, he pushes me out the way, frightening me.


    ¡°Are theying?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re dead, but I need to figure out how they found me. I¡¯ve made a n for the morning. We have a couple of hours before the rental ce opens. We¡¯re going for a bit of a drive now. Try not to fall asleep. I know you¡¯re tired, but you can sleep in the car when I¡¯m driving tomorrow.¡± He gets onto the bike, and I quickly climb on behind him. I look around as we zip away, worried more of Jose¡¯s men wille out and follow us.

 #3(The Trade)-C7

    Dominic


    I drive around and only stop to put in gas and let Sofia stretch her legs, but I need to keep moving. I don¡¯t know how they¡¯re following us, but they are.


    My only concern is that I get us to the rental ce as soon as it opens, grab the four-by-four vehicle I¡¯ve rented and get some distance between us and this area.


    I park outside the building. I can feel Sofia has gone a bit ck, and I know she¡¯s exhausted, but she can sleep in the car. She protests but climbs off the motorbike. I have her wait just inside while I call Alessandro.


    ¡°Everyone is looking for you two,¡± he says immediately. ¡°Every single affiliate of Jose¡¯s is out for your blood and to bring that girl to him.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°They¡¯re cropping up everywhere. I¡¯ve had to move the whole night. But I think I¡¯ve lost them now. I¡¯m switching vehicles. Is there any news on Facuno?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s only loyal to Jose because he¡¯s been bullied from what I can tell, but there¡¯s something that doesn¡¯t add up. I agree. Something feels fishy.¡± He sighs. ¡°Just get somewhere safe. Try one of the safe houses if you have to.¡±


    I nce around. ¡°I will. I¡¯ll call youter today.¡±


    I hang up, take the sim card out and get rid of it. I¡¯m running out of burner phones. I¡¯ll have to get some more.


    I go to the checkout desk and hand over my license. It¡¯s not long before I¡¯ve signed everything and got the keys. We check over the vehicle to ensure there are no scratches or dents, and she lets us leave. I throw my stuff in the trunk and climb in. As soon as Sofia is in, she curls up and closes her eyes.


    I don¡¯t me her.


    I pull out of the parking and start to drive.


    I consider all the safe houses I can go to, but something keeps throwing me off. I just feel like I¡¯m missing something, but I can¡¯t put my finger on what that is.


    I pull off into a game reserve and park. I settle back to sleep for a while with Sofia. It¡¯s been a long night, and I don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll next get a chance to sleep.


    I wake up to a knock on the window and reach for my gun, but it¡¯s a park ranger standing outside the car. I roll down the window, ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sir, you can¡¯t sleep here. There¡¯s no loitering. You¡¯ll have to move on,¡± he says, looking at me seriously.


    I roll my eyes and start the car. ¡°I was done sleeping anyway.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    He walks away, and Sofia stirs next to me. ¡°Where are we?¡±


    ¡°Leaving,¡± I say with a huff. ¡°I stopped to get some shut-eye.¡±


    Sofia looks around. ¡°Where are we going next?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still trying to decide,¡± I admit. ¡°At least the car is morefortable. There¡¯s going to be a lot of driving.¡±


    Sofia nces around and settles down. ¡°I think I know this area.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± I say sarcastically, as though I need directions from someone when I¡¯ve lived in New York all my life.


    She frowns and mumbles something under her breath, but I don¡¯t catch what she says. I look in the review mirror and see a car behind us with three burly-looking men in it.


    ¡°Dammit, they¡¯ve found us again!¡± I growl, speeding up.


    ¡°How?¡± Sofia cries, ncing back at the car speeding up to keep up with me. I take a sharp right and punch the gas. I weave through traffic, regretting not having the motorbike now.


    ¡°Go left, go left,¡± Sofia says. ¡°I know where we can hide.¡±


    ¡°Just shut up and buckle up,¡± I shout back, hitting a right and driving as fast as possible. I mount the sidewalk twice to maneuver around traffic. Horns re behind me as I do so, and people on the sidewalk jump out of the way, screaming obscenities.


    ¡°Just go around the block. I know where we¡¯ll be safe,¡± Sofia shouts angrily.


    ¡°Will you just shut up!¡± I yell, turning into an alleyway. It¡¯s a dead end, and Sofia panics.


    ¡°Oh, God, what now? What now?¡±


    ¡°Get low and stay low,¡± I growl, getting out of the car and opening the back door to crouch behind.


    The car crawls into the alleyway behind us, knowing we¡¯re trapped. They stop the car and slowly get out.


    The passenger in front calls, ¡°Give it up, Sorvino. We got you trapped.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to give her up, but I wouldn¡¯t want to punish you guys. She¡¯s really annoying,¡± I call back before I position myself in the gap between door and car and start firing. They duck behind their doors and fire back. Three times they hit the car, and I groan. There goes my deposit.


    I focus and fire, hitting one guy in the chest through a window. The back window of my car shatters, and Sofia screams. ¡°Stay down,¡± I yell.


    I could roll a grenade, but then we¡¯re trapped here. We won¡¯t be able to reverse out and get out of here, which could be precarious.


    I watch them as they reload. The other passenger has moved forward to take over from his fallenrade. His head is just peaking over the lip of the window-too small a target to try and hit.


    I snort and aim low, hitting the guy in the leg and bringing him down, then I fire consecutively until I¡¯m sure he¡¯s dead.


    The driver doesn¡¯t seem to want to take a chance and jumps back into his vehicle, reversing out with squealing tires. His open passenger doors rip off in his efforts, but he doesn¡¯t stop.


    I wait to see if he¡¯sing back, but he races off, so I climb back into my car, shut the door, and start the engine with a small prayer.


    It doesn¡¯t start. ¡°Dammit, Princess, get out. We need to get out of here.¡±


    She is shaking as she opens the door and slowly climbs out. I grab our things from the trunk and roar, ¡°Hustle, Princess, hustle. There¡¯s no time for bullshit.¡±


    She¡¯s staring at the bodies lying in the alleyway, and I grab her arm, marching her past them. She looks at me fearfully, but I don¡¯t have time for this. We need to find a new set of wheels and fast.


    I lead her down the block and toward a busy area. I look around, trying to work out where we ended up. It always looks different when you walk, at least to me anyway.


    Sofia pulls out of my grasp and walks beside me. ¡°You killed those men.¡±


    ¡°Those men wanted to kill me and to take you,¡± I point out, leading her toward a shopping mall. ¡°Come on. We¡¯re going to jack a car for now.¡±


    ¡°But won¡¯t the police arrest you?¡±


    I stop and stare at her. ¡°Really? That¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about?¡±


    She blushes and looks away. ¡°I just thought we were supposed to be lying low.¡±


    ¡°We will be, we just need to get away from this area, and they know what car we were in,¡± I say, walking toward the far end of the parking lot where there are cars.


    Sofia keeps up, running a hand through her hair. ¡°How do they keep finding us? I thought you were good at this!¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± I growl. ¡°Something isn¡¯t adding up.¡±

 #3(The Trade)-C8

    Sofia


    Dominic pulls me along until I pull away from him and simply keep up. ¡°If you had just listened to me, we wouldn¡¯t be in this mess.¡¯


    ¡°Listen, Princess¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop calling me princess. I have a fucking name,¡± I snap at him, sick of his bullshit.


    He sighs but doesn¡¯t say anything to me. I walk beside him, ¡°Men! It¡¯s impossible for you to take directions, especially from a woman!¡±


    We weave through the cars in the parking lot, and I point to some in the middle. ¡°Those look reliable if you can break into them.¡±


    He snorts. ¡°We want something a little less conspicuous. This will do.¡±


    He stops outside a rusted sedan. I roll my eyes. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    He opens the door, which is unlocked, and tosses his things in the back. ¡°Get in or stay here. At this point, I don¡¯t give a fuck.¡±


    I hurry around the car and climb in. I can¡¯t believe the gall of this guy. He needs my father¡¯s help and is treating me like shit.


    ¡°Can I at least know where we¡¯re going now?¡± I ask as he pulls out some wires and starts hot wiring the car.


    ¡°Central park,¡± he says. ¡°Hold onto your hair clip, honey, ¡¯cause this isn¡¯t going to be as smooth as the Land Rover.¡±


    I roll my eyes, he is some it isn¡¯t even funny, and his cutesy names for me are wearing me down. The sedan revs to life, and he puts it into gear, pulling out of the parking lot.


    Strange noises areing from the engine almost as soon as we join traffic. ¡°How long until we get there?¡± I ask, concerned as I spot some smokeing from the engine.


    ¡°About an hour and a half. Why?¡± he asks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this car will get us that far,¡± I say wearily. ¡°There¡¯s smokeing out the engine.¡±


    Dominic waves a hand. ¡°The owner has been driving like this, so it should be fine. We¡¯ll drive slower and take a little longer to get there.¡±


    I shake my head but settle back and look for my seat belt. There isn¡¯t one. Great! Isn¡¯t this super safe!


    After driving for almost twenty minutes, Dominic mutters to himself, ¡°Shit.¡±


    I look over at him. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Car¡¯s getting a bit hot. We may have to pull over for a bit. I¡¯ll stop at the next gas station and top up the water,¡± he exins, hitting the steering wheel.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just steal a car that isn¡¯t from a thousand years ago and that actually runs?¡± I ask with a hint of snark in my voice.


    Dominic doesn¡¯t look at me. He stares straight ahead, and I think I see his lips move for a moment.


    ¡°Are you counting?¡± I ask with a frown.


    ¡°Counting, so I don¡¯t shoot you myself,¡± he retorts. ¡°Just keep quiet and stop trying to be helpful. You aren¡¯t helping. You¡¯re just irritating me.¡±


    I look out the window. ¡°Fine, see if I offer any more help.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the point,¡± he snaps. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to. Just shut the fuck up.¡±


    I don¡¯t respond, he¡¯s angry, and I don¡¯t know how far he¡¯ll go before he does snap and does something to me. He¡¯ll make sure my body is never found. I don¡¯t have to remind myself that he¡¯s a killer and a good one at that.From N?velDrama.Org.


    While driving, he takes out a phone and dials a number. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s me. I need a car. Can you get one to me?¡±


    I listen, but I can¡¯t determine what the other end¡¯s voice says.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you where you can drop it once I stop,¡± Dominic says. ¡°Just get it there. I¡¯ll do the rest.¡±


    He pauses, and the voice gets slightly raised, so he says, ¡°They attacked me, I just¡­ took them out. They¡¯re the ones doing this in public, Alessandro.¡±


    I look at him, confused. Is he getting into trouble for shooting those men? I frown, I know he had to do it to save us, but clearly, someone isn¡¯t happy we just left the bodies there.


    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯ll clean it up once I¡¯ve delivered her. Just rx. I¡¯ll speak to youter.¡± He hangs up and tosses the phone to me. I catch it.


    ¡°Take the sim card out,¡± he exins. ¡°And break it in half and toss it out the window.¡±


    I start to open the phone. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°So they can¡¯t track us,¡± he says. I break the sim card in half, which is really hard because it¡¯s small, then roll down the window and toss it out. As I finish rolling the window up, the lever for the windowes off in my hand. ¡°This is seriously a piece of junk.¡±


    Dominic shakes his head. ¡°Please stop whining.¡±


    There is a spluttering sound from the front of the car, and Dominic and I look at each other.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to be helpful. I¡¯m just pointing out the obvious, and it¡¯s obviously not a good sign,¡± I say, holding my hands up in surrender.


    Dominic¡¯s eyebrows knit together, and he growls, ¡°Piece of shit car. Let¡¯s take the next off ramp and find somewhere to stay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really grateful you saved me, but can we also get me some clothes and some food?¡± I ask. ¡°¡®Cause I¡¯m fucking hungry, and your clothes are literally falling off me. Again, I¡¯m super grateful you saved me.¡±


    Dominic mumbles, something I don¡¯t catch, but I don¡¯t ask him what it is. He takes the next turn-off, and I see a sign that says India. I know more or less where we are-about another half an hour or so away from New York City, in a normal car.


    Dominic pulls into the parking lot of a casino hotel and gets out. ¡°Let¡¯s check in, grab some food, eat in the room and rx a little.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Sounds like a n I can go along with,¡± I say.


    Dominic nces at me and then leads me inside the hotel.


    ¡°Wee to Jake¡¯s Fifty-Eight Casino Hotel. Are you checking in?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d like to book a room,¡± Dominic says. ¡°Cash. You can book it under Mr. Sam Miller.¡±


    The receptionist¡¯s nails click-ck against the keyboard, ¡°We have a room avable on the fourth floor, single bed.¡±


    I open my mouth to protest, but Dominic cuts me off, ¡°That¡¯s fine, we¡¯ll take it.¡±


    After more typing, a payment, and a rather generous tip from Dominic, we walk toward the elevators. The receptionist wanted to get a bit flirty, but to my amusement, Dominic wasn¡¯t having it.


    We go to the fourth floor, and in a few minutes, we find our room. Dominic lets me go in first and locks the door behind himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sleeping in the same bed as you,¡± I protest, looking at the double bed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the sofa,¡± he says, pointing to a two-seater in front of a television. ¡°Just don¡¯t snore.¡±


    I offer him a smile, but he doesn¡¯t return it. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a little while. I¡¯m going to go get some food.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we just order room service?¡± I ask. I don¡¯t like the idea of him leaving. Every time he does, wend up running for our lives.


    ¡°Because if I go get food, I can scout around and make sure we weren¡¯t followed,¡± he says shortly. ¡°Now, don¡¯t go anywhere.¡±

 #3(The Trade)-C9

    Dominic


    I leave the hotel room and make sure the door closes behind me. I just need five minutes without this stupid woman whining at me. You¡¯d swear she thinks she¡¯s some important Don the way she carries on.


    The door opens almost immediately, and I stare at her. My face goes red. ¡°Did I not just say to sit tight?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not staying up here by myself while you get food. I¡¯ll gamble or something if you don¡¯t want me near you,¡± she says stubbornly.


    I let out a deep breath and count to five in my head. ¡°You are supposed to stay safe.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say I¡¯m safer with you?¡±


    If I were the kind of person who hit women, she¡¯d be knocked out.


    I turn and start walking. There is obviously no point arguing with her. I hear her hurried footsteps trying to keep up. I could slow down and take smaller steps, but she can work for her right to irritate me constantly.


    We reach the elevator and take it down to the ground floor. I follow some signs toward the casino while Sofia tries to fall into step with me.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Can you slow down a little?¡± she asks. ¡°You¡¯re always striding everywhere as though you are in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°I am in a hurry,¡± I say, ¡°that¡¯s the point.¡±


    We find the casino, and nearby is a ce called Bistro58. It looks like it serves good food, so I divert to walk there. Sofia follows, and a hostesses to us. ¡°Table for two?¡±


    I look at Sofia, then sigh. ¡°Yes, a table for two, please. Somewhere private.¡±


    She leads us to a table in the back, and I pull the seat out for Sofia. ¡°Here.¡±


    She sits with her back to the entrance of the restaurant. I sit opposite her and wait for the waiter toe over.


    ¡°Two sses of a decent red wine,¡± I say. ¡°And we¡¯ll have two specials, whatever they are.¡±


    ¡°You want me to read you what¡¯s on special tonight?¡± the waiter asks. His name tag reads Todd.


    ¡°No, Todd, just order them. Thank you,¡± I wave him off.


    The waiter leaves quickly, and Sofia looks at me. ¡°What if I don¡¯t want the special?¡±


    ¡°Do you have money? ¡°I ask. ¡°Are you paying for dinner?¡±


    ¡°No, but what if I have allergies,¡± she argues.


    ¡°Do you argue¡­ just for the sake of arguing?¡± I ask her, then hold up my hand. ¡°Just keep your thoughts inside your head, and don¡¯t let them spill out of your mouth so often, okay?¡±


    ¡°Wow! Sexist much,¡± she rolls her eyes. ¡°So, when we¡¯re done eating and you go scout, can I go gamble?¡±


    ¡°No, I scout, and you go upstairs to the room and stay there.¡± I shake my head. ¡°This isn¡¯t a holiday.¡±


    She stops talking and thankfully stays that way when the wine, and then the food, arrives.


    The special is a fish dish, and I dig right in. I¡¯ve always liked fish. She doesn¡¯t seem to mind either as she eats, licking her lips.


    I sip my wine and look around, keeping an eye out for anyone who may look suspicious. I enjoy the food, though, and now that Sofia is quiet, I¡¯m content in herpany.


    At least she¡¯s gorgeous to look at. While she¡¯s distracted, I study her face. If I had to be with someone, I¡¯d be with her. I¡¯ve taken on a role in my family, which means I don¡¯t really have the pleasure of regr rtionships because everyone needs to see me as a stone-cold killer. I can¡¯t be seen to let my emotions get mixed up in anything.


    If you don¡¯t think with a clear head, you¡¯re going to get killed. I have spent years honing my skills, including training with elite military specialists from across the world. I don¡¯t have time for pansy-ass emotions and getting my panties in a bunch.


    Sofia looks up suddenly and sees me looking at her. Her eyes widen. ¡°Is there something on my face?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°No, I was just looking at you. That¡¯s all.¡±


    She looks at me as though I¡¯m the creepiest thing alive, and I realize now that all I want is a cigar. I g the waiter down and slip him a hundred-dor bill. ¡°Organize me a cigar, and I¡¯ll tip you generously.¡±


    Todd nods and hurries off.


    ¡°Cigar? Really?¡± Sofia asks. ¡°You can¡¯t smoke in the room.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be scouting outside for a while. I can smoke then,¡± I say, wiping my mouth on my napkin. ¡°Hurry up and finish so we can get going.¡±


    Sofia¡¯s shoulders drop. I know she doesn¡¯t want to be cooped up in the room, but it¡¯s the best ce for her right now.


    Todd brings me the bill and the cigar and ces them on the table. There¡¯s a hotel box of matches with it, and I smile. ¡°Thank you, Todd.¡±


    I pay for the meal and tip him a hundred dors. ¡°There you go, don¡¯t spend it all on a girl. They just break your heart.¡±


    Todd nods. ¡°Thank you so much, sir.¡±


    I stand and offer Sofia my hand. I mean, I do have manners.


    I let go of it as soon as she¡¯s up, though. There¡¯s something about touching her that gives me goosebumps. I don¡¯t like it.


    I lead her toward the front desk. ¡°You go to the elevator and get upstairs. I¡¯ll scout outside and be up in ten. If you see anything unsettling, run. I¡¯ll find you.¡±


    She nods and walks away. I watch her get onto the elevator and turn to leave the building. As I walk toward the entrance, two men in suits walk in. There are a lot of men in suits in the hotel waiting area, but these two are definitely South American, and the bulges where their guns are holstered are unmistakable. So much for my cigar.


    I pocket it and turn around, heading for the elevator. I nce back and see the one thug holding up his phone as though reading something. It dawns on me.


    The reason they keep finding us is that they¡¯re tracking her. Something on her is giving her location.


    Dammit, I¡¯ll have to get her out of here first, then we can take care of that problem.


    I take the stairs to the fourth floor, it doesn¡¯t take me long, and I rush to our room. ¡°Sofia, open,¡± I call through the door. ¡°And hurry, they¡¯re here.¡±


    The door opens quickly. ¡°How did they find us?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that shortly. Come, we need to get out of here.¡± I grab my duffel bag and lead her out. I lead her to the other end of the hallway, where there are stairs. We hurry down, but I stop her from exiting through the ground floor entranceway. I lead her behind the stairs to the staff exit. ¡°Through the back,¡± I say softly.


    We make our way through, and there¡¯s a wiry teen standing just outside. ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t be here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can.¡± I show him my gun, and he holds his hands up. ¡°I¡¯m not looking for trouble, kid, just a way out the back.¡±


    He points to another door at the end. ¡°Out there, and to the right is the parking lot.¡±


    I take out a hundred-dor bill and hand it to him. ¡°Keep your mouth shut.¡±


    He hurries away, and I lead Sofia out of the building and to the cars.


    I break into a sleek ck truck and hot wire it while Sofia climbs in. ¡°What¡¯s on you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What do you have on you that you¡¯ve had since they picked you up at your father¡¯s house?¡± I ask.


    She touches her earrings, and I turn her head. ¡°Something has a chip, and it¡¯s tracking you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wearing these since I got my ears pierced years ago. I don¡¯t change them out. They¡¯re diamonds from my father.¡±


    They¡¯re small studs, so I doubt they¡¯re big enough. ¡°What else?¡±


    She runs her hands over her body as though trying to remember something. She runs a hand through her hair, and then her face lights up. ¡°The clip.¡±


    She hands it to me, and I put it on the dashboard. It¡¯s got a cheap-looking crystal on it. I smash it with my gun, and it crumbled, revealing the tracking device.


    ¡°Who gave this to you?¡± I ask, tossing it out the window.


    ¡°Bruno did,¡± she says worriedly. ¡°When he arrived with my father, he said it was just a little gift to remind me where Ie from.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the one who is betraying your father,¡± I growl, putting the truck into gear. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±

 #3(The Trade)-C10

    Sofia


    Dominic drives effortlessly through the back roads. We¡¯re not rushing now that we know I can¡¯t be tracked anymore. I¡¯m livid that Bruno would betray our family like this.


    ¡°We need to warn my father,¡± I say to Dominic. ¡°He needs to know.¡±


    ¡°We will. Don¡¯t worry,¡± he growls. ¡°Nothing worse than betraying your family.¡±


    ¡°Bruno is second inmand. He wants to be Don,¡± I exin. ¡°He thinks my father is too soft. Ha! Wait until my father deals with this betrayal.¡±


    We¡¯re on the freeway now, and Dominic turns the radio up. ¡°We need to get somewhere safe. With Bruno being in on everything, I don¡¯t trust even my safe houses.¡±


    I sit forward. ¡°I have friends in New York. Carm! Carm lives in New York. We can stay with her. Her family isn¡¯t mafia, and they¡¯re not involved in this mess. We¡¯ll be safe there.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. It¡¯s too risky.¡±


    ¡°Bruno doesn¡¯t know Carm,¡± I insist. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know who she is or where she lives. I made friends with her online before I came up here. We¡¯ve been friends for three years. We can hide in in sight.¡±


    I can see he¡¯s thinking about it, and I say, ¡°If it¡¯s not safe when we get there, you can just bundle me up and drive me somewhere else.¡±


    He sighs. ¡°Fine, what¡¯s the address?¡±


    I give him the address, and he nods. ¡°I know that area. I¡¯ll get us there.¡±


    It¡¯s dark out, so I hope we¡¯re not going to wake her. Knowing Carm, though, she¡¯s at a party or hosting one. She¡¯s a wild child, and I love her to pieces. I know we¡¯ll be safe with her.


    As predicted, a party is in full swing when we arrive. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a good idea,¡± Dominic says.


    ¡°It¡¯s a perfect idea. No one would think to look for us at a party,¡± I say and climb out of the truck before he can change his mind. He grumbles and follows me, carrying his stupid duffel bag of weapons.


    ¡°Sofia!¡± Carm shouts when she sees me. She runs over and hugs me. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s so good to see you. I didn¡¯t know you wereing. And who is this handsome guy?¡±


    Dominic looks down at her with a cocked eyebrow, and I ce a hand on his arm. ¡°This is Dominic. We need your help, honey. Can we stay here for a day or two?¡±


    ¡°Are you in some kind of trouble?¡± Carm asks, wide-eyed.


    ¡°A little, please. We won¡¯t be a bother.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re staying, let¡¯s get you changed and ready for the party! This way, guys!¡±


    My tanned friend leads us into the house, and I deposit Dominic in one room to shower and change while I go with Carm.


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± she asks as I shimmy into some of her clothes.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just family stuff,¡± I say, smiling. ¡°Thanks for doing this. You¡¯re literally the best.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no big deal,¡± she grins. ¡°Come on, head out. I need the bathroom, and then I¡¯lle to do shots with you.¡±


    I smile and walk out. I recognize some of the people from previous parties and greet them enthusiastically. I nce around and see Dominic sitting in a corner with a soda. I walk over to him.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a drink with me? Ande dance?¡± I hold out my hand.


    Dominic snorts and sips his soda. ¡°No thanks, I¡¯m not the dancing kind.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°You know what, Dominic? We¡¯re not on holiday, but you don¡¯t have to be a killjoy.¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    I look behind me when I hear Carm¡¯s voice and say, ¡°I¡¯m going to have a drink and enjoy myself for the first time in days.¡±


    Dominic shrugs. ¡°I¡¯ll be here watching out for you and the guys who want you.¡±


    I shake my head and walk to Carm, who hands me a red solo cup filled with something that looks like beer. I lean toward her and whisper, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Cider,¡± she says. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s good.¡±


    I take a sip and nod my head. ¡°It is good.¡±


    A songes on that I recognize, and Carm raises her hands in the air. ¡°Woohoo! Let¡¯s go dance.¡±


    I follow her, and we spend the next hour dancing. I actually get hot and feel like I¡¯ve gone for a jog. It¡¯s nice to rx for once, and Iugh at all the jokes Carm tells me.


    We go to where the drinks are. Carm and I smile at each other. ¡°Let¡¯s do shots,¡± she says.


    I shrug. ¡°I¡¯ve already had quite a bit to drink.¡±


    ¡°So, where have you been thest couple of days? And where are you going to next?¡±


    It¡¯s an innocuous question, but I remember how Dominic wouldn¡¯t tell me where we were going because it was dangerous, so I say, ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll decide once we¡¯re on the road. We¡¯ve been all over the ind, really.¡±


    Carm nods and holds out a shot for me. ¡°Here you go.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I¡¯m actually exhausted. I think I just need to catch my bearings and my breath.¡± I smile at her. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    She drinks her shot and sets mine down. I walk to where Dominic is sitting. I might as well check on him. I nce around and see Carm slipping inside. She must need the bathroom again.


    I sit next to Dominic, letting out arge breath of air. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to dance? It¡¯ll keep you fit.¡±


    Dominic shakes his head. ¡°No, you look like you¡¯ve got that covered, Princess.¡±


    I sigh. I give up trying to get him to call me Sofia. I cross my legs and rx. My body is sore from the dancing, and I feel a bit ill from drinking so much so quickly.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had a drink with me before,¡± I point out. ¡°Why not now?¡±


    ¡°I trusted the ces I got drinks from then,¡± he shrugs. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s in these drinks. I see your friend wants you to do shots with her.¡±


    ¡°I declined,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m not aplete idiot. I think I¡¯ve had enough to drink.¡±


    We both watch as Carmes back and talks to a few of her guests. I smile, content with where I am.


    ¡°This is the first time I genuinely feel safe,¡± Iment. ¡°Even with a killer beside me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down,¡± Dominic warns me. ¡°You don¡¯t want to be caught off guard.¡±


    A few guestse over, and one of the taller men says, ¡°Why are you two sitting at a party? Come drink with us.¡±


    Dominic holds up his soda. ¡°I¡¯m the designated driver.¡±


    ¡°I have had enough to drink for now,¡± I grin at the guy. ¡°Maybe in a bit.¡±


    He shrugs, and the little group goes back to the drinks table.


    I try to look at things from Dominic¡¯s perspective, where the danger would be. There are many ways to get into the property, but we¡¯ve gotten rid of the tracking device. It¡¯s not like they know what truck we drove here with or that we were even driving a truck. This is a safe space. I can feel it.


    I p my hands together. ¡°Well, when I prove you wrong, I¡¯ll happily have you pay for a few shots for me when this is over.¡±

 #3(The Trade)-C11

    Dominic


    Several guests havee over to ask me why I don¡¯t dance, and several more have tried to get me to drink. I don¡¯t know, maybe because it¡¯s out of myfort zone, but I just don¡¯t like being at this party. It doesn¡¯t feel right. We should be covering our tracks, getting distance between Jose¡¯s men and us, and lying low-not attending a wild party for people who weren¡¯t even in high school when I was.


    That makes me sound like an old man, and I smile. I¡¯ve always been an old soul since I was young and taking care of my brothers. Alessandro was older, but I protected him-it¡¯s what I did. It¡¯s always been that way.


    When Sofia sits beside me, I sip on my soda and answer her few questions and statements. She¡¯s even cheekier than usual, and I can¡¯t lie-it¡¯s entertaining.


    At least she¡¯s not a wild alcoholic swinging from the rafters singing at the top of her voice. Lord knows I have met enough of those.


    She seems to handle her drink well.


    I see a few guests leaving, and Iment, ¡°Looks like the party is wrapping up.¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°That¡¯s weird,¡± she says. ¡°Normally, Carm throws wild parties thatst all night long.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯ve run out of drugs,¡± I suggest. ¡°Generally, parties like that are fueled by illegal substances.¡±


    She shrugs. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe this is just the prep party. Maybe there¡¯s another party happening somewhere else that everyone has to go to. That¡¯s happened a few times.¡±


    I keep my eyes on Carm, and once or twice her gaze meets mine. There¡¯s something about the way that she looks at me that unsettles me. She¡¯s so casual about me, as though she¡¯s known me forever. Is it confidence? Friendliness? I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s too much.


    ¡°We should move sooner rather thanter,¡± I say. ¡°Moving around is what¡¯s keeping us alive.¡±


    ¡°Can we not just rest for one night?¡± Sofia asks. Her whining sounds less irritating and more endearing. It¡¯s not a whine. It¡¯s just a request from an exhausted woman-an exhausted, beautiful woman.


    I give myself a mental p. NO! Not going there.


    I look at her. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Sofia. I have a feeling. I always trust my gut.¡±


    She puts a hand on my arm again, and there¡¯s that electricity, that spark of something. ¡°We can leave at like five in the morning if you want. Let me just sleep in a bed, please.¡±


    I sigh. ¡°Fine, but we¡¯re leaving at four, not five. I¡¯ll wake you up.¡±


    She nods. ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a deal?¡± Carm asks as she walks over. I¡¯m surprised when Sofia answers, ¡°That we¡¯ll be leaving in a day or two.¡±


    Good girl, she¡¯s learning not to trust everyone.


    Carm smiles. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to get something quick, then we can take the party inside.¡±


    I wait until she turns around, then stand up. ¡°Where¡¯s the bathroom?¡±


    ¡°Inside, down the hallway, second door to your left. But you can use the one in the room we showed you earlier as well,¡± Carm says with a friendly smile.


    I nod, and I follow her into the house.


    By sheer dumb luck, I look out the window and see two cars pulling up quickly.


    They¡¯re here.


    I re at Carm. ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she says with a smile, ¡°Jose sends his regards.¡±


    I whip out my gun and point it at her head. ¡°I send mine.¡±


    I pull the trigger, and everyone screams at the noise. A few people who look in start crying hysterically and immediately run off.


    Sofiaes rushing in and looks between my gun-holding hand and Carm¡¯s lifeless body on the floor. She res at me. ¡°What have you done? How could you!¡±


    I grab her. ¡°We need to go. They¡¯re¡­¡±


    A gun is ced against the back of my head, and I freeze.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± a voice says, and I hold my hands up, gun still in my hand.


    ¡°Drop it, or I blow your brains out. I don¡¯t mind doing it even if you do drop the gun,¡± he says from behind me.


    I consider whether or not I could disarm him. The problem is that there were many people in the cars I saw.


    I drop the gun, and they grab me by my arms, taking my other weapon. They grab Sofia, too, and we¡¯re taken to one of the cars. They slip cable ties over our hands and shove us into the back of one of the vehicles.


    I don¡¯t know how long we¡¯re in the car, but we¡¯re dragged out to a room where two chairs face each other. They¡¯re about three yards apart. I¡¯m ced in one, and Sofia is ced in another, silent tears streaming down her face. I hadn¡¯t even noticed she¡¯d started crying. A dull ache echoes through my chest at the sign of her distress.


    A few goonse in, and I know what I¡¯m in for when I see one with knuckle dusters on his hands. I look up at them. ¡°Hello, gents, any chance of a whiskey? Maybe some wine?¡±


    One of therge men punches me through the face, and I¡¯m momentarily dazed.


    ¡°Where are your brother and his wife?¡±


    I look up again and can feel a bruise forming on my face. ¡°Alessandro and Tatya are in New York, don¡¯t you know that?¡±


    They hit me again. ¡°Where are Francesco and his wife?¡±


    I spit some blood onto the floor next to me. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not in charge of his security detail.¡±


    I get hit a few more times before the next question is asked. ¡°What does Alessandro know about Jose and the people nning to betray him?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m muscle, my friend, just like you. They don¡¯t tell me their borate ns. They point, and I shoot, that¡¯s all.¡± My one eye is swelling shut, but I¡¯ve withstood worse torture than this.


    A dark-haired goon takes out a gun, and I look into his eyes. I¡¯m not going to be afraid of dying. He points the gun at my head, then my leg, and fires. The shot hurts, but the bullet doesn¡¯t go into my leg. ¡°Jesus, can¡¯t you aim! You idiot!¡±


    They move out of the way, and I see Sofia sitting opposite me. She¡¯s gagged. I was so focused on what they were doing to me, trying to keep the pain in my mind only, that I didn¡¯t recall she was here. The sight of her scared, wide-eyed lights a fire inside of me. I have this irrational desire to protect her. I shift around slightly. ¡°Man, this is ufortable.¡±


    I have a de by my ankle. If I can get free and get to it, I¡¯ll make mincemeat out of these thugs before they have a chance to fire off another shot. Hand-to-handbat was always my favorite thing growing up.


    I get punched again, and again, and again. Arm, face, chest, stomach-you name it.


    My body is aching, a dull throb, and they repeat the same questions over and over again, but I stop speaking altogether. I don¡¯t answer to anyone except Alessandro, even if that means it costs me my life.


    I¡¯m a bit dazed from the blows to the head, and I¡¯m unsure if I can stay awake much longer. But whatever they think they¡¯re getting out of this, they aren¡¯t.

 #3(The Trade)-C12

    Sofia


    I watch as they pummel the daylights out of Dominic, and I cry. I cry because Dominic killed my friend, I cry because Jose¡¯s people now have me, and I cry that the only man who can save me is not only my friend¡¯s killer but will probably be killed anyway.


    The men take off my gag and leave the room, and I watch Dominic, who slowly raises his head. He looks at me through one bloodshot eye. The other is swollen shut and already turning ck.


    ¡°You okay?¡± he croaks out.


    ¡°You killed my friend,¡± I say quietly, sniffing. ¡°How could you do that.¡±


    ¡°Your friend betrayed us.¡± He spits a ball of blood onto the floor between us. ¡°She called Jose¡¯s men. She set us up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bullshit,¡± I yell, and I see him wince, but I don¡¯t care. I keep my voice loud. I don¡¯t care who is listening. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t betray me. She¡¯s one of my best friends. She would never put me in harm¡¯s way.¡±


    Dominic snorts, and he grins at me. ¡°You are naive. She probably became your friend because she has connections to the underworld-our world. You can never escape this life, Princess. You can only make do with the shit cards you¡¯re dealt with. They probably saw you were lonely and sent your little friend along tofort you, and all along, she¡¯s been feeding information back to Jose.¡±


    I shake my head, tears welling up. ¡°No, you¡¯re just a killer. You have no fucking heart. You don¡¯t even have a fucking friend. What would you know about friendship?¡±


    Dominic shakes his head. ¡°I know about family and loyalty, and I am not stupid enough to think that this life isn¡¯t dangerous. You can¡¯t help that you were born your father¡¯s child, but you can¡¯t ignore what that means for you for the rest of your days.¡±


    ¡°Well, that won¡¯t be long. I¡¯ll kill myself before I let Jose near me,¡± I snap at him.


    Something dangerous shes in Dominic¡¯s eyes, as though those words struck a chord. I look away. ¡°I never want to see you again. You deserve to die for what you did for Carm.¡±


    Dominic sighs. ¡°I can¡¯t convince you that I got revenge for you, but I will say, Princess, I probably deserve to die. I¡¯m not a hero. I¡¯m not a knight in shining armor. I¡¯m hired muscle and a hitman. That¡¯s all I¡¯ve ever known and all I¡¯m ever going to be.¡±


    I don¡¯t say anything further to him. I don¡¯t want to look at him. We sit there in silence, his breathing ragged. I briefly wonder if he will make it, but then I steel myself. I don¡¯t care. He is a monster.


    And I meant what I said. I¡¯ll kill myself before I bear Jose Catn¡¯s children.


    Three guardse in, and I watch them from underneath my eyshes. Theye directly for me. Shit.


    ¡°Come on, honey. The boss wants to see you.¡±


    ¡°Jose is here?¡± I ask as they untie me.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough,¡± a guardughs darkly, and they take me by my arms and escort me out. I nce backward once over my shoulder to look at Dominic before another guard shuts the door.From N?velDrama.Org.


    I¡¯m brought through the garden and into a house to a beautiful room with lush sofas and throw pillows. This isn¡¯t like the other ce at all, where the outside looked good, but the inside was shit. This house is clearly a residence, not a base of operations.


    A man sits in an armchair, and I¡¯m escorted to the sofa.


    ¡°Sofia,¡± he says with a big smile, ¡°Do you want something to eat? Something to drink?¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­are you Jose?¡± I ask, confused. ¡°Your ent sounds¡­.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m from Argentina too. I¡¯ll be taking over your father¡¯s territories. My name is Amancio. We should get to know each other because we will see a lot of each other for the foreseeable future.¡±


    I swallow hard as he pours some iced tea into a ss. ¡°Drink, help yourself. How can I call myself your husband if I treat you like a prisoner?¡±


    I frown. ¡°I was told Jose is going to make me a mistress,¡± I reach for the ss, not wanting to anger Amancio.


    ¡°That was before. He feels you¡¯ve been too much trouble now. He¡¯s decided to align our houses, mine and your father¡¯s, through our marriage, and I will take over your father¡¯s businesses. See, Jose takes care of those who are loyal to him.¡±


    I frown and sip my iced tea. It¡¯s sweet. I set it back down. ¡°And if I don¡¯t want to marry you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Amancio chuckles. ¡°Did I give you the illusion that you had a choice?¡±


    I swallow hard. ¡°But don¡¯t you want a wife that will love you, care for your every need and raise your children.¡±


    ¡°If you know what¡¯s good for you, you¡¯ll be doing all those things. I may seem like a friendly person, Sofia, especially because of my bright Hawaiin-themed shirts, but make no mistake. I won¡¯t kill you quickly. I will tie you to our bed, rape you, force you to bear me children, and that¡¯s all you will do. I won¡¯t give you the peace of a quick death.¡±


    I look at him, horrified. ¡°Why¡­¡±


    ¡°Because my family has been waiting faithfully in the wings for long enough now. Perhaps you know my cousin, Bruno. He¡¯s your father¡¯s second inmand.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my Uncle,¡± I say defiantly. ¡°He betrayed our family.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s adopted,¡± Amancio says calmly. ¡°nted in your family to grow from a seedling to a mighty tree. Now I am going to have your father and the rest of your family tortured and butchered for their betrayal, and I¡¯m going to send your father¡¯s head to Jose as a gift, a token of my loyalty.¡±


    ¡°Please, no,¡± I beg. ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever you want. I¡¯ll marry you and have your children, and I¡¯ll be a good wife, but please don¡¯t kill my family.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid my decision is final, Sofia. Such a pity, too. Your father really does rule the roost of Argentina.¡± He clicks his tongue and sips on his ss of iced tea. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to rule with a more iron fist.¡±


    ¡°The people are loyal to my father. He isn¡¯t soft. He¡¯s just patriotic,¡± I say, sniffing.


    ¡°He¡¯s a fool, a fool that¡¯s going to die sooner rather thanter.¡± he sets his ss down. ¡°Now I imagine you¡¯d like to have a nice rxing hot bath and get into some proper clothes. Those definitely aren¡¯t appropriate for someone who will be my wife.¡±


    I look down at Carm¡¯s clothes and remember she¡¯s dead.


    ¡°How did you find me?¡± I ask, looking up at him.


    ¡°I have little birdies everywhere, my dear,¡± he says, standing up. ¡°Now I have to deal with your little Sorvino friend, put an end to that, and then I will see how much of the wedding I¡¯ll let you n. That should make you feel better, right? Women love nning their weddings. I promise we will spare no expense.¡±


    I look around, looking for an exit.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find this is a rather heavily guarded house, Sofia. I wouldn¡¯t try to run. If I have to kill you and take your father¡¯s territories by force, I will. Don¡¯t try me.¡±

 #3(The Trade)-C13

    Dominic


    I watch as they escort Sofia out of the room I¡¯m trapped in. There¡¯s a part of me that wants to rip through the cable ties and kill everyone on this property with my bare hands.


    But I won¡¯t need to do that.


    I know I still have my knife on me, and I just need the perfect opportunity to use it.


    I sit there for what feels like forever, but I know it¡¯s just the minutes passing by and my worry for Sofia making it worse. I need to get to her, to get her out of here and to safety. There is a burning rage inside me that wants to forgo all careful, calcted action and rip everyone to pieces.


    The thought of what they might be doing to Sofia, if she¡¯s even still on the property, drives me mad, and I realize I¡¯m crossing my boundaries here.


    Two of Jose¡¯s goonse back into the room. ¡°You¡¯re lucky. The boss wants to kill you himself. At least it¡¯ll be quick.¡±


    I let my head roll forward as though I were still dazed. My body is ck but ready. They bend down and cut free my hands. The one takes my left arm, and I slump forward. As his friend bends down to take my right arm, I throw a punch straight to his throat, causing him to choke.


    The idiot holding my left keeps holding my arm but tries to get his gun with his free hand. I quickly lift the hem of my pants, grab the knife and heave several quick short stabs into his abdomen. He releases me and slumps to the ground, and I slit his throat.


    I whip around to see the other idiot lumbering toward the door, still unable to call for help because I punched him so hard. Quick as a bullet, I cross the room and put an arm around his neck before drawing my de across it. Blood spurts out and washes the walls as I stand beside him. I probably look like a madman.


    I frisk both of them and take their guns and holsters. I check how many bullets are in each magazine before I attach them to me and keep my knife ready in my hand.


    I sneak toward the door. I don¡¯t know how many guards will be out there or where Sofia is, but two things will happen: I¡¯m going to kill every motherfucker in this ce, and I¡¯m going to get Sofia back.


    She may be a pain in the ass, but for now, she¡¯s my pain in the ass. I never fail at a job.


    I pull the door open confidently to find only one guard standing outside, so I stab him in the neck as quickly as possible. He gurgles some bloody words and slumps to the ground. I retrieve my de and crouch, sneaking across the garden toward the main house. I keep to the boundary, in the brush and nts, hoping I won¡¯t run into more guards. Onees out from a hidden spot in front of me, but he doesn¡¯t notice me and keeps working his way across the garden. I cross quickly, trying not to draw his attention. There is another guard at the back entrance to the house. He¡¯ll see meing if I go for him and immediately alert the others. It would mean a firefight.


    I look around for anything I can use. I need to keep moving because the patrolling guard coulde my way at any moment. I find a pebble and move back behind a tree to throw it to the other side of the deck. The guard whips around and holds up his gun. He slowly stalks toward where the pebblended, and I quickly and quietly sneak into the house. I want to let out a breath, but I¡¯m too scared that someone will hear me at this point.


    I crouch behind some furniture and peek over the top, scanning to see where I am and where I can go. I¡¯m in what looks like a bedroom, behind some armchairs near the door. I crouch as I walk toward the door and slowly peek around both ways. There are no guards to be seen, but that doesn¡¯t mean there aren¡¯t any in the house.


    I don¡¯t know which way to take to get to Sofia. I listen carefully, trying to see if I can hear her voice, but I don¡¯t hear anything. The rooms must be soundproof.


    A door opens to the right, and I hide behind the door of my room. A goon walks past the door saying, ¡°Is it safe to leave her there with him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll kill her if she tries anything. It¡¯s not like she can go anywhere,¡± a voice answers.


    They walk past the room I¡¯m hiding in, and I wait until they turn a corner and are gone. I slip into the hallway, and I draw a gun. I reach the door they came out of. Either this room is full of guards, like a break room, or this is where Sofia is being held. Either way, I have to find out.


    I m the door open and aim my gun at the only guy in the room. He¡¯s in a loud Hawaiian shirt and cks. He looks at me, surprised, and opens his mouth to call the guards, but I cock the gun. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    Sofia is sitting on the sofa, tears streaming down her face.


    ¡°You are going to die,¡± the man says. ¡°No one leaves my house alive unless I instruct it.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I¡¯m not just anyone,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m a Sorvino.¡±


    I walk to him and grab him by the shirt, turning him around and pressing the gun to his head. ¡°If I¡¯m going to die, I¡¯m going to take you with me, so let¡¯s think carefully about that. Sofia,e. Stay behind me.¡±


    Sofia gets up and holds the back of my shirt. I hold onto the rich guy¡¯s shirt and push him forward. ¡°Off we go. We¡¯re going to walk right out the front door.¡±


    He growls, but he walks, his hands in the air. We walk down the hallway slowly, and when we finally bump into some guards, they raise their weapons, and I push mine hard against the back of his skull. ¡°Try it. I¡¯ll shoot him before you even pull the trigger.¡±


    The man shouts in Spanish, and the guards lower their guns.


    ¡°Back up until you¡¯re out front. Stay where I can see you. Sofia, keep a lookout behind us,¡± I say.


    We walk slowly to the front door, and the guards reverse out, ring at me. Some other guards shout, but the man calls out in Spanish again.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, friend?¡± I ask.


    ¡°It¡¯s Amancio, and you¡¯re a dead man, friend,¡± he says.


    ¡°Amancio, I don¡¯t think so,¡± I say, leading him toward a car and casting my one good eye around the yard. ¡°We¡¯re going to borrow your car. Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ll ditch it soon enough because I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll track it. But today we¡¯re going for a drive. Sofia, can you drive?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she says shakily. I can feel her hand trembling.


    ¡°Get into the car and start it,¡± I exin. ¡°Amancio, get in the back before I shoot you.¡±


    I open the door, and he climbs in. I get in straight after him. Sofia puts the car into gear and drives us onto the road. ¡°Go a few blocks, then stop, count to ten, and drive as fast as you can again.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Sofia asks.


    ¡°Just do it,¡± I order.

 #3(The Trade)-C14

    Sofia


    Once I stop, I start to count to ten, and while I do that, Dominic hits Amancio in the head with the butt of his gun before kicking him out of the vehicle to the curb. I finish counting and hit the gas, racing down the road.


    ¡°They¡¯ll hopefully stop and pick up their boss before they get around to tracking us,¡± Dominic says. ¡°Pull off at the first mall youe across.¡±


    Zipping through the streets, I¡¯m concentrating too hard to make conversation. Dominic breathes heavily and points out a mall. ¡°There! Pull into that one. We need to get out of here quickly.¡±


    I pull haphazardly into a parking space, and we get out. Dominic limps beside me, looking around for our new getaway vehicle.


    ¡°The bus,¡± he says suddenly, pointing to the bus approaching the nearby stop.


    We hurry to where it stops, and the driver gives Dominic a horrified look when he sees how beaten up he is. ¡°You¡¯re not going to be trouble, are you?¡±


    ¡°No trouble,¡± Dominic hands him a fifty. ¡°And keep the change.¡±


    The driver turns back to face the road and waits for the rest of the people to get onto the bus. Dominic leads me to the back, and we sit down, each on the aisle seat but in the same row.


    As the bus pulls out, I sigh in relief, sitting back in my seat. I look out the window because I can¡¯t bring myself to face Dominic, not after what he did to Carm. I¡¯ve always known the kind of things that my father did to ensure that his business operations ran smoothly. I knew people died. I just never, I don¡¯t know, thought about it. I never thought how innocent people might lose their lives in the name of money and power.


    But I cannot deny I¡¯ve benefited from that money and power.


    I don¡¯t know how I feel about it because I¡¯ve always known. I just never really cared. Yet now, I want to crucify Dominic for killing Carm because she was my friend.


    We sit in silence, and all I have are my thoughts to sit with because I just don¡¯t have the words to express what I¡¯m feeling to Dominic, and I¡¯m pretty sure he wouldn¡¯t care anyway.


    We get off the bus we¡¯re on after a few stops, and we get onto another going in a different direction. Again, he pays off the driver, and we sit in silence. A part of me wants to mourn and cry and grieve for my friend, but there¡¯s the tiniest seed nted in my heart-what if she did betray me? It just couldn¡¯t be true. She couldn¡¯t be involved in this world-I would know. I¡¯ve grown up in this world.


    I can¡¯t stand it anymore and finally turn to Dominic. ¡°How do you know Carm betrayed me? What evidence did you have?¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    Dominic opens his one good eye and looks at me. ¡°I knew because I knew,¡± he says.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a good enough reason to shoot someone,¡± I say.


    ¡°You¡¯re a princess. You don¡¯t understand this world and what it takes to survive. When you¡¯ve been doing this as long as I have been, then you know what you know when you know it.¡±


    I frown and look away. ¡°And if you¡¯re wrong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m seldom wrong,¡± he says.


    ¡°But what if you are?¡± I ask.


    Dominic sighs. ¡°I¡¯m not sorry if that¡¯s what you¡¯re looking for. I don¡¯t have time to regret my decisions. I have to do what I must to protect my family and ensure they survive. Your father¡¯s probably done simr things. I doubt worse, though.¡±


    I feel sick and hold my stomach. I can¡¯t believe this guy. He doesn¡¯t even regret killing innocent people. The bus approaches the next stop, and he stands. ¡°We¡¯ll get off here. Come on.¡±


    It¡¯s outside another mall, and he leads me inside. It¡¯s gettingte, but some stores are still open. ¡°Get some clothes,¡± he says as we walk into a general store. ¡°And anything else you might need, get an overnight bag as well.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I say quietly, heading off on my own. It¡¯s weird to be alone after being with him for so long, but I¡¯m happy for the respite. I pick out three outfits and find some underwear, toiletries, and a bag to put it all in. When I¡¯m done, I find him in the men¡¯s section, picking out his own stuff.


    Everything happens in silence.


    Checkout, back outside, stealing a car.


    Silence.


    We pull into another motel, and he checks us in and lets me into the room.


    I set my stuff down on the bed and look around. ¡°I¡¯m going to go shower.¡±


    ¡°Look, Princess, you can hate me for what I did. But your friend betrayed you. I didn¡¯t do that. What I did was to do you a favor by removing her toxicity from your life. You¡¯d always be in danger with her.¡±


    I can¡¯t help myself. Before I even blink, I raise my hand and strike him through the face. There¡¯s a tense moment where we look at each other.


    He grabs me, and I gasp as he nts his lips over mine, kissing me hungrily. Clearly, aggression turns him on.


    I push him off me and p him again. ¡°Stay off me. I¡¯m not yours to touch.¡±


    He chuckles and rubs his face. ¡°You hit hard for a princess.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a fucking princess,¡± I shout.


    ¡°Own it. Own what you are, and then you can live free of the shame people attach to it. I¡¯m a killer. It¡¯s what I am. I¡¯m not ashamed of who I am or what I do. I don¡¯t have time for that bullshit. It¡¯s always moving forward, onto the next task, the next job.¡±


    I stare at him and shake my head. ¡°What you are is a monster!¡±


    ¡°Maybe I am, but I know I¡¯ve killed more killers than I¡¯ve killed innocent people. No one is perfect,¡± he says calmly. ¡°No one is sin free. No one is so-called innocent.¡±


    I pick up my things. ¡°I¡¯m going to shower. I need to wash¡­everything away.¡±


    Tears well up in my eyes, and for a moment, I almost think I see a sh of concern on his face, but I know it isn¡¯t real. Dominic has no heart.


    I go to the bathroom and shut the door, locking it behind me. I run the water so it can warm up while I get undressed. I feel tired, my whole body aches, and I start to cry. I let the sadness wash over me until I climb into the shower, slide to the bottom, and hug myself, sobbing.


    I don¡¯t care if Dominic can hear me. I just need a fucking moment. I was always sheltered from this part of my father¡¯s life. I don¡¯t want to be involved or near death, destruction, and cruelty.


    I know Dominic thinks he can reason his way out of being a killer, but I just can¡¯t understand it. My heart is breaking for Carm. She was a huge part of my life, and I don¡¯t know if I believe him that she betrayed me. You can¡¯t just believe someone has betrayed you. You need evidence.


    I rest my head against my knees and let the water wash away my grief.

 #3(The Trade)-C15

    Dominic


    I can hear her sobbing in the shower, and it stirs something that I long thought was dead. Feelings deep inside of me that I had buried a long time ago with my conscious. I want tofort her. I want to wipe her tears away and make her feel better.


    I don¡¯t feel bad about killing Carm. I know what she did. She admitted it. But I wish it could have been different. I wish Carm had been different, and we had avoided the whole situation.


    I need to find a burner cell and contact Alessandro about what¡¯s happened and who is involved. I need to let him know everything. Bruno is going to pay for this.


    I also need concrete evidence that Carm was involved. I feel like I should at least justify myself to Sofia. A part of me doesn¡¯t want her to hate me.


    I shouldn¡¯t feel this way; it makes me soft, and soft is not something you can afford to be in my line of work.


    Shees out of the shower and doesn¡¯t say anything to me as she climbs into bed. I try not to watch her. I try to focus on the ceiling above me. I try to think about what the next step is in my n of action.


    I doze off, my mind constantly trailing back to the idea of Sofia naked in the shower.


    When I wake up, it¡¯s early, and I look over to where Sofia is snoring softly. She looks like an angel when she is asleep. The anger and worry are gone from her face. I look at the time on the clock on the wall and sigh. We need to get going.


    There¡¯s a safe house not far from here. We can probably walk. I stifle a groan as I sit up, the pain shooting through my body. I run my hand through my hair and go to the bathroom to relieve myself. I step into the shower. The hot water soothes my aching body but stings the open cuts.


    When I¡¯m done, I dry off, get dressed, and then shake Sofia gently. ¡°Princess, hey, Princess, wake up.¡±


    Sofia¡¯s eyes flutter open, and she looks around, confused. ¡°What time is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s eight, but we need to get moving. Get up.¡± I say, stepping away from her bed and sitting on mine.


    I wait for her to get cleaned up and dressed before I stand up, slinging my bag over my shoulder. I ache everywhere, but I¡¯m careful not to let her hear me wince.


    I take out my wallet and check the contents, not much money left after booking this room. I¡¯m surprised they didn¡¯t take it off me, but then, they hadn¡¯t expected me to leave alive.


    We check out, and I lead Sofia down the road. ¡°Are we walking there?¡± she asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s a couple of blocks. We won¡¯t die,¡± I say. I keep looking around to check that no one is following us.


    I don¡¯t know. Maybe now that I¡¯m awake, I remember how irritating she is. But a part of me still wants to protect her, not just because it¡¯s my job but because I feel something for her. I frown at my thoughts.


    After a few blocks, she startsining, ¡°Can we at least get something to eat? I¡¯m so tired. At least get us some water!¡±


    I sigh and stop. ¡°Rx, we¡¯re almost there.¡±


    ¡°Are we going to spend the night there?¡± she asks.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to contact my brother and see what the n is and let him know about Bruno,¡± I exin. ¡°And ask him to confirm how Carm was involved.¡±


    I shouldn¡¯t have said anything. The minute I mention her friend¡¯s name, Sofia gets a stony expression and shakes her head. ¡°Just let it go. Let the poor woman rest in peace.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you I¡¯m worried about,¡± I say without thinking. There¡¯s an awkward pause before I speak. ¡°Come on. It¡¯s about four blocks away.¡±


    We walk in silence until we reach the house. A keypad is next to the gate, and I punch in my code so the gates open. I lead her inside, punching the code into the keypad by the front door as well. As we walk in, the lights turn on to reveal a well-stocked house.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the kitchen? I need water.¡± She looks around, and I point down the hallway. ¡°Wait there for me. I¡¯lle to tell you the n shortly.¡±


    She leaves, and I go to the study, where I get a burner cell and dial Alessandro¡¯s number. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± I say. ¡°I ran into some trouble.¡±


    ¡°Are you both okay?¡± he asks, sounding concerned.


    ¡°A bit bruised but okay,¡± I admit. ¡°The assholes got what they deserved for it. We¡¯re at a safe house. I won¡¯t say which one over the phone, but there are some things you need to know.¡±


    ¡°Tell me,¡± my brother says.


    ¡°Bruno, Facuno¡¯s second inmand, is the traitor. He nted a tracking device on Sofia before she was taken. It was a hair clip. Also, a girl, Carm, was somehow involved, and I need you to find out how she is connected to all this.¡±


    ¡°Wait, a girl called Carm was shot recently. Was that you?¡± he asks.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, but I need proof that she was connected.¡±


    There¡¯s a moment¡¯s silence. ¡°Why? She¡¯s dead.¡± Alessandro sounds hesitant.


    I frown. ¡°Just consider it a personal favor to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on Facuno¡¯s second inmand, but it¡¯s perhaps for the best if you tell him in person.¡±


    ¡°When should Ie back?¡± I ask. ¡°Is it safe?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll ever be safe, but give it another day or two and then call Facuno and arrange to meet,¡± Alessandro says. ¡°We will need a n of action now that we¡¯ve managed to piss off Jose Catn twice.¡±


    I sigh quietly and nod. ¡°Okay, we¡¯re going to get out of here for now. I¡¯ll be in contactter today.¡±


    Alessandro hangs up, and I get supplies. I pack a bag with weapons, money, and some burner cells before going to the kitchen. Sofia has made herself a bowl of cereal and is eating it on the counter.


    ¡°This house is so quiet, and I still didn¡¯t hear youing,¡± shements, spooning another mouthful to her face.


    I pour myself some cereal and add milk. The milk is room temperature long-life box milk, but it¡¯ll do. I start to eat. ¡°We¡¯re going to stay in Central Park tonight, a bit closer to home. I¡¯m going to see about getting you back to your father soon.¡±


    ¡°Thank God,¡± she says after she swallows her food, not bothering to hide her bitterness.


    I know if I can just show her Carm was involved, she might change her mind, but I¡¯m still a killer. That won¡¯t change. Do I really want to drag her into my life?


    Alessandro found a Mafia princess, and so did Frankie, but they¡¯re different. They don¡¯t kill. Instead, they order me to kill. It will never bother me because it¡¯s just what is done, but it would bother her. It would bother Sofia.


    I eat in silence, and once we¡¯re done, I say, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    I lead her out through the back to a Jeep and grab the keys from the locked keypad box outside. We both climb in, and I start the car.

 #3(The Trade)-C16

    Sofia


    At least I¡¯ve eaten something, even if it was just cereal. We¡¯ve only been on the run for a handful of days, but it feels like forever, and I don¡¯t want to spend any more time with Carm¡¯s killer than I have to, so I¡¯m d to hear that I¡¯m going back to my father soon.


    From there, my father¡¯s men can protect me, and I don¡¯t ever have to see Dominic again.


    It feels like some errant feeling is tugging inside me when I think of leaving him. He disgusts me. He¡¯s a killer, but at the same time, I¡¯m starting to see a new, caring side to him, and it¡¯s causing a conflict to stir within me.


    I stay quiet as we drive out of the safe house and hit the freeway, heading back toward New York Central. I hate the silence, though, and my curiosity is irritating me, so I finally ask, ¡°So, what are your brothers like?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Dominic says, slightly distracted.


    ¡°Your brothers, you mentioned you have brothers. What are they like?¡± I ask again.


    ¡°Alessandro leads our family now that our father has stepped down for retirement, and Frankie is very business-minded but on the run because Jose Catn wants to kill him. That¡¯s why we¡¯re keen on bringing Jose down, aside from other reasons.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Do you all look alike?¡± I ask.


    ¡°We do, including my sister. Same dark hair and blue-gray eyes, and none of us take bullshit excuses,¡± he says.


    I nce behind us to make sure no one is following us. I feel slightly paranoid being this out in the open again.


    ¡°You have a sister?¡± I ask. ¡°What¡¯s she like?¡±


    ¡°Arianna is a princess, like you,¡± he scoffs, but I¡¯m not offended by how he says princess this time. ¡°She¡¯s fiery and hellbent on getting what she wants, and it drives both my parents and my brothers insane.¡±


    ¡°And you?¡± I ask. ¡°Does she drive you insane?¡±


    ¡°Maybe I have a bit of a soft spot for her because she¡¯s the baby of the family or maybe just because we¡¯re closer in age, but I find her fun to be around.¡±


    ¡°You know how to have fun?¡± I ask, genuinely surprised. ¡°What do you do for fun?¡±


    He scowls. ¡°Of course, I know how to have fun. I just work a lot.¡± He pauses, considering my question. ¡°Mostly drink together, go dancing.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t dance, though,¡± I point out.


    ¡°Arianna doesn¡¯t believe that, and she¡¯s normally plied me with alcohol, so I¡¯m more¡­. flexible.¡± He grins and indicates to changenes.


    ¡°What is your family like?¡± he asks suddenly. ¡°And why do they hate the Catns so much?¡±


    ¡°Well, I told you a family member married into the Catn family, and, well, it was forced,¡± I exin. ¡°Our family really didn¡¯t have a choice, and we¡¯ve been Jose¡¯s ves ever since.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised by how much you know,¡± he says.


    ¡°I eavesdrop a lot. My father mistakes me for a pretty face, everyone does, but I know a lot about what goes on. More than my sisters, but probably less than my two brothers.¡±


    He nods. ¡°My sister wanted to be involved with the family business as well. My father put his foot down and refused t out. The family business is no ce for women. It gets really messy.¡±


    ¡°Women can handle messy, I assure you,¡± I say, raising an eyebrow. Hisment irritates me.


    He chuckles. ¡°Wait until you meet my brother¡¯s wife. You¡¯ll see I know that better than most.¡±


    There¡¯s silence again, and I¡¯m thinking about what else we can talk about when he asks, ¡°So, what did you say you want to study in America?¡±


    ¡°I want to be a digital artist,¡± I exin, and when he scoffs, I frown. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°You get irritated that I say women have no ce in family business, but you want to study something that cannot help your family. Why not be awyer or doctor?¡± He nces at me.


    I shake my head. ¡°I said women can handle messy. I didn¡¯t say I wanted to.¡±


    He grins. ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    ¡°What did you study?¡± I ask curiously.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. I trained with private elite forces to hone my skills to assist the family.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you wanted to do?¡± I ask curiously, wondering if he had always wanted to be a killer.


    He shakes his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I wanted. My life was chosen for me from the day I was born. Every decision made throughout my life was to groom me to be a good family member, and that¡¯s what I am. A good son, a loyal brother, and a soldier.¡±


    I look at him, and for a moment, I feel pity for him. I imagine it must have been such a lonely life growing up.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I say quietly.


    Dominic shakes his head again. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s what I¡¯ve always known, so it doesn¡¯t bother me. You wonder why I don¡¯t let killing get to me? Because I was surrounded by it my entire life. When I was seven years old, I saw a man get executed for crossing our family.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s horrible,¡± my eyes widen, and my mouth drops open.


    Dominic shrugs. ¡°It is what it is. It wasn¡¯t exactly on purpose, I was spying on my father, but he knew and didn¡¯t chase me away. So it was identally on purpose, I guess.¡±


    As we join city traffic, I look at the road ahead. ¡°You must need therapy, and like tons of it.¡±


    ¡°I deal with it my own way. Mostly, Ipartmentalize.¡±


    I¡¯m surprised by his honesty, and we fall into a morefortable silence. His honesty makes me reconsider what he has already told me, including Carm¡¯s involvement. What if he was speaking the truth and she had betrayed me? Would I want her dead? I mean, if she did, it¡¯s her fault we got captured and my life nearly ruined.


    I honestly don¡¯t know what to think now, but Dominic seems to be a bit softer with me now, as though he¡¯s afraid I¡¯ll break.


    ¡°Can you teach me how to shoot?¡± I ask quietly.


    ¡°I can, but we¡¯ll have to do itter,¡± he says, sighing as traffic slows to a crawl.


    ¡°Do you honestly think Carm betrayed me?¡± I ask, the question almost gets stuck in my throat, and I feel as though my chest is being crushed with emotion.


    Dominic doesn¡¯t look at me, not even a nce, but he does say, ¡°I do. She had this smile about the whole situation, and she just¡­ I can¡¯t exin it, but I¡¯ve dealt with enough evil people to know one when I see one, Sofia. I¡¯m sorry your friend betrayed you.¡±


    The fact he uses my name and doesn¡¯t call me princess makes me want to believe all the more. He is being genuine with me, and if it were different circumstances, I know I could probably fall for a man like him with his piercing eyes and no-nonsense attitude.


    I sniff and wipe my eyes, looking out the window to my right to hide my tears.


    We don¡¯t speak again as Dominic pulls into a parking garage and finds a spot. Once we¡¯re parked, we grab our bags, and Dominic holsters his gun. ¡°You ready?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± I say, trying to sound braver than I feel.


    I follow him toward the park, unsure of how I feel.

 #3(The Trade)-C17

    Dominic


    I lead Sofia into Central Park, and we walk for a while before I lead her down a trail and to a park bench, where arge tree provides shade for us. ¡°We can sit here. I¡¯m going to make a call quick.¡±


    Sofia sits and watches some joggers going by as I dial Facuno¡¯s number. ¡°Lopez residence, how can I help?¡± a woman answers.


    ¡°I need to speak to Don Lopez,¡± I say. ¡°It¡¯s about his daughter.¡±


    ¡°One moment,¡± she says before she hurries away.


    I hear a click and nothing for a moment, and I know someone has picked up another line in the house. I frown as Facunoes on the line. ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°This line is not secure. Give me your cellphone number,¡± I say.


    ¡°Dominic?¡± There¡¯s a click on the line as someone hangs up. ¡°Who else was on the line?¡± he calls through the house. ¡°Here¡¯s my number.¡±


    I put it on another burner phone while he reads it to me. ¡°Get somewhere no one can eavesdrop on you. You have a traitor in your ranks.¡±


    I hang up and give it ten minutes before I dial him again. He answers, sounding furious. ¡°What do you mean there¡¯s a traitor in my house?¡±


    ¡°Bruno,¡± I say calmly. ¡°He nted a tracking chip on your daughter, we nearly got killed several times because of it, but your daughter is safe now.¡±


    ¡°Call me back in five minutes,¡± he says before hanging up. I know he¡¯s going to have Bruno detained.


    I wait and dial him again after five minutes. ¡°Are you sure?¡± he asks.


    ¡°Positive. Sofia will exin when she sees you,¡± I say. ¡°Also, one of her friends betrayed her. We got caught because of it. They no longer want to marry Sofia off to Jose. They want to marry her off to another guy so he can execute you and take over your family. Get more guards from my brother, don¡¯t trust anyone.¡±


    ¡°Mother of Mary,¡± he mutters. ¡°I¡¯ll get it done. What about Sofia? Where is she?¡±


    I walk over to Sofia and put the phone on speaker. ¡°Make it quick, and don¡¯t give away our location.¡±


    ¡°Papa?¡± she asks, her eyes brimming with tears.


    Facuno sounds relieved, ¡°Sofia, my angel. I¡¯m so d you¡¯re okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very lucky, Papa. You sent a very brave man to save me.¡± she looks up at me, and I look away.


    ¡°Sofia, I¡¯m going to bring you home, then we¡¯ll decide our next course of action. Listen to Dominic and do as he says, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Papa, I promise,¡± she says.


    I take the phone off speaker and walk away. ¡°I¡¯ll be in touch soon to bring her back. Then I suggest you get yourself and her, back to Argentina as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± he says, ¡°I will make the arrangements. I will also deal with Bruno and anyone connected to him.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°While you¡¯re busy with him,¡± I say, ¡°do me a favor and see if he¡¯s aligned with someone named Carm.¡±


    ¡°His Goddaughter¡¯s name is Carm,¡± Facuno says immediately. ¡°We nted her in New York to keep an eye on Sofia. Why?¡±


    ¡°She betrayed Sofia. It¡¯s how we got caught. He¡¯s definitely the one then,¡± I sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll speak soon.¡±


    I hang up, break up the phone, and motion to Sofia to follow me. I toss the phone in the trash as we walk.


    ¡°Listen, Princess, I got something I have to tell you, and it isn¡¯t going to be nice or easy to hear, okay?¡±


    Sofia looks at me and nods, so I stop walking and turn to her. ¡°Your father knew Carm. She was sent to New York to keep an eye on you. It¡¯s why she befriended you.¡±


    ¡°But if she works for my father, why would she betray me?¡± she asks, her questioning eyes seeming to pierce into my soul.


    I shake my head. ¡°She was ced there by Bruno. She¡¯s his Goddaughter. I¡¯m really sorry, Sofia.¡±


    Angry tears well up in her eyes, and she shakes her head. ¡°My life is always a lie. I just want an opportunity to make my own life and decisions.¡±


    I nudge her, so we start walking again. ¡°Maybe one day you can break away from your family and do that, but this isn¡¯t the time. Right now, you need their protection and mine.¡±


    I take out another burner cell and dial Alessandro as we walk. I let Sofia walk a little ahead so that I can talk to him.


    ¡°Alessandro,¡± I say as soon as he answers, ¡°the traitor is taken care of, and I figured out how Carm fits into all this. I¡¯m ready to take the princess back to her father.¡±


    ¡°Do it soon,¡± he says. ¡°There¡¯s family business I need you to attend to. Our lives are more than just one family Andres needs on his side. We have businesses to run and people to sort out. Your absence is definitely felt around here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take her back tonight,¡± I say. ¡°Do you want to meet me there?¡±


    ¡°Seven,¡± he says. ¡°I¡¯ll be there. Don¡¯t bete.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha,¡± I say, hanging up and destroying the burner cell. I catch up to Sofia and say, ¡°Change of ns. You¡¯re going home tonight.¡±


    ¡°Tonight? Is it safe?¡± she asks.


    ¡°It will be. Alessandro will make it safe,¡± I assure her. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s grab lunch, then we can go back to the car and drive around until it¡¯s time to take you home.


    We leave the wooded trail and join the main section of the park. There¡¯s a hot dog stand on the main pathway that I lead Sofia to.


    ¡°Two please, and two sodas,¡± I say.


    He serves us, and I tip him generously. My father always said to be generous because you never know who¡¯ll have your back when you need it most.


    We sit at a free bench and eat in silence. Sofia looks deep in thought, and I don¡¯t want to bother her.


    ¡°What will you do once I¡¯m back with my family?¡± she asks.


    I shrug. ¡°Go back to mine, deal with family business. The wheels never stop turning.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even get a break to recover from your injuries?¡± she asks.


    ¡°Injuries happen,¡± I exin. ¡°If I took a break every time I was injured, I¡¯d hardly ever work.¡±


    She stares out at some kids ying in the park. ¡°I wish you had freedom to choose who you want to be,¡± she says quietly. ¡°Or at least do something you want to do.¡±


    I stare at my hot dog. ¡°It¡¯s been so long; I wouldn¡¯t even know what I wanted to do if I had the chance.¡±


    She frowns. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you want for yourself?¡±


    I shrug. ¡°Not that I know of. I¡¯m paid well. My house is paid for, my cars and my clothes. I want for nothing, and therefore I want nothing.¡±


    She smiles sadly at me. ¡°You should think about it sometime. Think about something that you want and go for it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not be disappointed,¡± I admit. Dammit, why am I so honest with her? I feel so raw.


    The way she looks at me annoys me. It¡¯s as though she pities me.


    ¡°Maybe I want to be free enough to go back to work instead of babysitting.¡± It was meant as a joke, but I see the hurt in her eyes, and I know I went too far.

 #3(The Trade)-C18

    Sofia


    I feel relief as we pull up the driveway to my father¡¯s home. I see the familiar faces of his guards, as well as guards I don¡¯t recognize but know to belong to Dominic¡¯s family.


    The shock that Carm was nted in my life and that she betrayed me is still weighing heavily on my heart, but I can¡¯t lie; as much as I detest killing, I¡¯m secretly d she¡¯s gone for what she did.


    I feel a bit guilty for feeling that way, but maybe Dominic is right, and it¡¯s time to stop being a naive little princess.


    I climb out of the car as my father steps out the front door, his arms open. I run to him, wrapping my arms around him as I hug him tightly, and he crushes me against him.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Oh, Sofia, my angel. I¡¯m so d you¡¯re okay.¡± My father lets go of me and kisses my head. ¡°You¡¯re safe now, don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re going to go straight to the airport and straight back home.¡±


    I frown. I know I¡¯m in danger, but I¡¯ll always be in danger. I don¡¯t want to abandon my dreams of studying because of it.


    ¡°Papa,¡± I say quietly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to return to Argentina.¡±


    My father shushes me and reaches out to shake Dominic¡¯s hand. ¡°Sorvino, thank you for looking after Sofia. We dispatched the remainder of Jose¡¯s people who were watching the house. We should be safe.¡±


    Dominic shakes his hand and nods. ¡°You¡¯ll never be safe, not while Jose is in power.¡±


    A manes out of the house and grins at Dominic. ¡°Well done, Sorvino. Ah,¡± he ps his hands together, ¡°Here is your brother now.¡±


    A car pulls up, and a man looking like Dominic gets out, so it must be his brother Alessandro. Two guards are by his side instantly. My father walks to him, leaving me standing there, and shakes his hand. ¡°Thank you, Don Sorvino, for your brother¡¯s skills and for saving my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside,¡± Alessandro says, walking toward the door.


    I watch as they all file inside, Dominic instantly by his brother¡¯s side. My curiosity gets the better of me, and I follow them.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t something for you to sit in on,¡± my father says as he stands outside the study.


    ¡°I¡­¡± I pause, then say, ¡°I would feel safer if I¡¯m closer to you.¡±


    It melts my father¡¯s heart, and he nods. ¡°Fine, but say nothing.¡±


    I nod and follow him. I sit at the back nearby Dominic, and true to my word, I feel instantly safer.


    ¡°Don Lopez,¡± Alessandro says, ¡°Have you considered Andres¡¯ proposal to take down Don Catn and free both our families and others from his retaliation?¡±


    ¡°Straight to the point,¡± my father says. I¡¯ve never seen him look so in charge. ¡°I like it. Don Sorvino, understand, although I appreciate that Sofia is alive and well, I now have a war on my hands.¡± He motions behind him. ¡°Back in Argentina, the Catn allied families are attacking my families and those families who answer to me. Jose is not happy about your brother¡¯s rather public use of violence. Explosions, shootings¡­ He should have been more discreet.¡±


    Dominic shifts slightly, and I can tell his annoyed. My father has a point, though, and I can see it.


    ¡°My brother did what was necessary to secure your allegiance. The war back in Argentina is exactly why we should ally ourselves so that we can take down Jose.¡±


    Dominic steps forward. ¡°I had the choice between being discreet or saving Sofia. I think you¡¯ll agree I made the right choice.¡±


    My father stares him out, but it¡¯s Alessandro who holds a hand up. Without a word, Dominic stands back.


    I look at my father, who sits back. ¡°And how do I know the Sorvino family will not betray me if I do this?¡±


    Alessandro remains quiet, and I wonder what he¡¯s thinking when he leans forward. ¡°A trade then, my cousin, for one of your family members. I expect you¡¯ll treat him well.¡±


    I see the opportunity before my father can speak. I know I should sit quietly and not interrupt, but it¡¯s now or never.


    ¡°For me!¡± I say loudly.


    Everyone looks at me except Dominic, and I continue. ¡°I want to study in America. It¡¯s why I came. I want to stay, Papa. Let me be our family¡¯s representative.¡±


    My father frowns. ¡°I don¡¯t want you here where Jose¡¯s men can take you again.¡±


    My eyes widen. ¡°Please, Papa, it¡¯s all I want. I ask for this one thing.¡±


    My father sighs. ¡°You¡¯re as stubborn as your mother. Don Sorvino, can you offer my daughter the best protection so she can study in this country?¡±


    Alessandro indicates for Dominic to step forward, and I see him clench his teeth as Alessandro says, ¡°She can stay with Dominic.¡±


    I frown. I thought I¡¯d be given guards. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d actually have to stay with the family.


    ¡°But¡­¡± I start to say, but my father silences me with one look.


    ¡°That suits me fine. Your brother has proved to be a worthy adversary to the Catn family. In that case, I will align with Andres and the Sorvino family. I support Andres taking over the Catn family.¡± My father stands. ¡°Now, please, join me for a drink in celebration of our union.¡±


    Everyone follows my father out of the double doors of the study onto the deck and to the bar. ¡°What will it be, Don Sorvino?¡±


    ¡°Whiskey, neat,¡± Alessandro says. ¡°For both of us.¡±


    The drinks are slowly handed out, and the man called Andres raises his ss. ¡°To new friends and new families.¡±


    ¡°To new families,¡± I murmur as I lift my cooler to my lips. I sip it, and my gaze catches Dominic¡¯s. He¡¯s looking at me, but there¡¯s anger in his eyes, and I wonder what happened to the soft side I witnessed earlier.


    I don¡¯t want to stay with him any more than he does with me, but I¡¯m not that angry. I¡¯m annoyed, though, that he is. I¡¯ve done everything he¡¯s made me, listened to his stupid instructions. He can give me a goddamn break, for fucks sake.


    I re back at Dominic before I turn away to hear my father tell Alessandro about our home in Argentina.


    Alessandro listens. He seems to pay careful attention, nodding and acknowledging at the appropriate moments. My father loves having an audience, so heps it up. I don¡¯t know if the Sorvino family is more powerful than ours. I suppose they are the New York family, so here they outstrip us. My father seems to enjoy having the head Don¡¯s attention.


    I stand up and excuse myself, leaving to go upstairs to my room. Realizing that I¡¯m safe and somewhat free hits me like a ton of bricks. I see my clothes in the closet and the familiar decor of my room. I start to tear up, and before I know it, I¡¯m sobbing. I copse onto my bed and sob into my pillow.


    When I¡¯m done, I shower and change intofortable clothes, not something I wore when I was on the run.


    There¡¯s a knock at my door. It¡¯s Alessandro. ¡°Miss Lopez, you need to pack what you want to take for now. We¡¯lle back for the rest at another time.¡±


    I nod, getting up to do as he asks.


    ¡°We¡¯ll wait for you downstairs,¡± he says. ¡°And Miss Lopez, while we¡¯ll make you asfortable as possible, you must adhere to Dominic¡¯s rules while staying with him.¡±


    I nod, he seems to emanate power, and I don¡¯t want to argue with him. I can see why he¡¯s the Don.


    He leaves, and I turn to pack.

 #3(The Trade)-C19

    Dominic


    There are moments when I figuratively want to kill my brother. I was prepared to move on from this job, stow away my emotions, and get back to what needed to be done.


    Now I have to have the princess living under my roof.


    How can Ipartmentalize my feelings for her if she¡¯s constantly there? Not only that, I am practically a glorified babysitter now. Do they know what this will do to my reputation?


    I¡¯m the muscle behind the family, not some small-time guard. I execute hits. I make things happen. I don¡¯t help little mafia princesses get to school and back. I¡¯m not a ser mom.


    Not even my own mother was a ser mom, for fucks sake.


    Alessandroes back downstairs after speaking to Sofia and leads me outside. ¡°Let them say their goodbyes.¡±


    ¡°Alessandro, can I be frank with you?¡± I ask, clenching my jaw.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be. I know what you¡¯re going to say, and I overrule it anyway. No one else will give her the protection she needs like you will, Dominic. Besides, It won¡¯t be forever.¡±


    He gazes into my eyes. ¡°Unless you¡¯re not up for this simple task?¡±


    ¡°What about my other responsibilities?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to stay glued to her side. She¡¯ll be safe at any of our houses, and a driver and guards can take her to whatever school she wants. I only expect you to oversee it and keep her at your ce.¡± He smiles. ¡°Besides, she brings out a rather raging side of you. I like it.¡±


    I raise an eyebrow and shake my head. ¡°She doesn¡¯t do anything to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard you refuse an order before, yet you want to?¡± he points out, and for the first time in my life, I can feel my cheeks color.


    ¡°See,¡± Alessandro puts a hand on my shoulder, ¡°Now, get home and get the doctor toe over and treat you before you get an infection. I¡¯ll expect to see you bright and early tomorrow.¡±


    I sigh and nod. ¡°Okay, I guess there¡¯s no other way out of this.¡±


    ¡°No, there isn¡¯t.¡± Alessandro almost looks like he¡¯s gleeful, and I hate it. He¡¯s torturing me for amusement. What an asshole.


    I smile. ¡°If she has to stay with me, then I will be staying at the estate.¡± I look at him smugly. ¡°After all, my normal ce is too small for the two of us.¡±


    ¡°Your apartment is big enough,¡± hements, ¡°but there is more security at the estate. Make the arrangements. See you tomorrow.¡±


    I wave him off and wait out front. Andreses out and offers me a cigar. I take it, and he lights it.


    ¡°Well done,¡± Andres says. ¡°This is the start of a glorious union.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m more like a point-and-shoot guy. Point me in the right direction, and I¡¯ll shoot.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but now you get to defend the beautiful Sofia,¡± Andres grins. ¡°Not too bad, I bet, getting to watch that gorgeous woman every day.¡±


    I scoff. ¡°She¡¯s a pain in the ass. She¡¯s a real princess who doesn¡¯t know how the world actually works.¡±


    ¡°Most women don¡¯t know what happens in this world,¡± he agrees with me. ¡°But she¡¯s not stupid and knows more than she¡¯s letting on.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s stupid. I think she¡¯s na?ve. There¡¯s a difference.¡± I take a deep drag on my cigar, and a throat clears behind me. I turn to see Sofia looking at me coldly.


    ¡°The princess is ready to go now,¡± she says with an icy voice.


    I sigh. Excellent-I¡¯ve managed to piss her off, and now she¡¯s going to be staying with me on the estate.


    I nod and hand the half-finished cigar to Andres. ¡°Good luck on your mission.¡±


    ¡°Good luck yourself,¡± he says quietly. ¡°Because if looks could kill, you¡¯d be dead.¡±


    I shake my head and walk toward the car. I help Sofia get her bags into the trunk, and finally, we climb in. I pull out of the driveway and into traffic, not saying a word.


    ¡°I¡¯m not any happier about this arrangement than you are,¡± she says, spitting with anger, ¡°but don¡¯t underestimate me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been with you for a few days, Princess. I know what you¡¯re like. You¡¯re probably going to get us all killed,¡± I snap, irritated that I upset her. I know it doesn¡¯t make sense. Why do I get irritated with her when it¡¯s my fault she¡¯s angry, but I can¡¯t help myself?


    She turns away from me, watching the road.


    I pull into the driveway of the estate up to the gate a whileter. It¡¯s a beautiful, old home in an older suburb of New York but with decent security. The guard at the gate lets us in, and I drive us to the front of the house.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Iment, wanting to see if she¡¯s still mad.


    ¡°No shit.¡± Yup, she¡¯s still mad.


    We climb out, and she ms the car door. I sigh and reach to get her bags, but she tries to shoulder me out the way. It doesn¡¯t really work, but I step away and give her space.


    ¡°I can do it myself. Contrary to what you believe, I¡¯m not a princess,¡± she lifts her bags and carries one in each hand up the stairs leading to the front door.


    I reach the door and open it for her. ¡°You can stay in any of the bedrooms on the second floor except the one at the end to the right. That¡¯s mine,¡± Iment.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking the one furthest away from yours,¡± she says, marching up the stairs. I follow slowly and wait until she gets to her room. She looks at me. ¡°Are you following me for a reason?¡±


    ¡°I need to go grab some things. There are guards here, should you need anything. Otherwise, just stay put. The kitchen is stocked if you¡¯re hungry, and there¡¯s a bar in the entertainment room if you want a drink.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    She moves to close the door, and I stop her. ¡°I mean it, Princess, stay put. My guards won¡¯t let you out, so don¡¯t try them.¡±


    She res at me and snaps, ¡°Is that all? I¡¯m fucking tired and want to get some sleep.¡±


    I let the door go, and she ms it shut in my face.


    God, this is going to be a seriously trying time.


    I drive to my apartment and pack three bags with everything I need. I¡¯ve stayed at the estate before on security detail, and it¡¯s mostly got what I need regarding weapons, so it¡¯s just clothes and toiletries that I grab.


    I look at myself in the entrance hall mirror and grimace. My eye is still swollen shut, and my face is colorful with different shades of bruises.


    I take a moment to rx and take a deep breath in and out until my heart rate is down. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to be around Sofia and not want to get involved with her, but I must stick to my guns.


    Besides, her father might not be impressed if I shack up in her bed with her, and that could jeopardize the n to overthrow Jose, and then my brother will be ordering my execution. Best to keep it business-like and without anyplications.


    I turn and leave, carrying my bags downstairs and trying to think about anything but Sofia.

 #3(The Trade)-C20

    Sofia


    I unpack my things and arrange the closet since I¡¯m going to be here for a while. I need to have the rest of my stuff from the house sent to this estate so I can be morefortable. I try to think about anything other than the hurtful words Dominic said. It¡¯s not like he hasn¡¯t said to my face that I¡¯m a naive princess but somehow discussing it with someone I don¡¯t know, who he hardly knows, hurts more.


    Once I¡¯m done unpacking, I decide to go downstairs and explore the house, seeing what there will be to do here while I¡¯m alone during the day. Maybeter, I can look at my college applications.


    I walk through the vast home, trying to learn my way around. As I finish my little tour, I hear a car pull up and look out the living room window. It¡¯s Dominic.


    I trace my steps back to the kitchen and the back door. I don¡¯t feel like looking at him right now.


    It¡¯s dark outside, but a spotlight illuminates the garden when I step onto the patio. It¡¯s beautiful with a lot of flowers. I stand and admire it until I be aware of his presence behind me.


    ¡°Are you finding everything okay?¡± he asks. I can tell he¡¯s trying to be nice, but I¡¯m not in the mood for his hot and cold temperament.


    ¡°Do I have a choice?¡± I ask, crossing my arms.


    He walks to the garden furniture near some potted flowers and sits down.


    ¡°Look, we can at least be civil since we¡¯re stuck with each other, okay?¡± he sits back and sets his hand down on the table. Suddenly he springs up shouting, ¡°Fuck!¡±


    I jump back in fright. ¡°What is it?¡± I ask, my anger forgotten and concern in my voice. I go over to him immediately and look at his hand. I see a bee, and its stinger is still stuck in his hand.


    ¡°Oh, that shit hurts,¡± I say. ¡°Come on. I¡¯ve got a tweezer to get it out.¡±


    He follows me upstairs, and I get my tweezer out, turning around to look at his hand again. I frown. ¡°Is it swelling up?¡±


    ¡°It hurts like a fucker,¡± he says, sweat beading his brow.


    ¡°Are you allergic?¡± I ask, wide-eyed.


    He stares at me as though I¡¯m mad and then coughs slightly. ¡°My chest feels tight, Jesus. I think I am allergic. I¡¯ve never been stung before.¡±


    I take his hand and quickly pull the stinger out, wrapping it in a hand towel. ¡°We need to get you to the emergency room.¡±


    I hurry him downstairs, and I can hear his breathing gettingbored. Luckily, I know of a hospital not far away because we drove by. We throw ourselves into the car, and I floor it. I scream at the guards to open the gate, and once they do, I rush into traffic, hazard lights on. I hoot as I weave in and out of traffic as fast as I can. It takes about ten minutes to reach the emergency room, and once there, I can hear he¡¯s really struggling to breathe.


    I get him out of the car and hurry him into the emergency waiting room. ¡°Please, someone help!¡± I yell. ¡°He¡¯s been stung, and he¡¯s allergic.¡±


    Some nurses rush to us and usher him off while one nurse takes me to the front desk toplete some forms. I stare at the forms as if theye from another nt.


    ¡°I¡­uh¡­don¡¯t know him that well,¡± I admit to the nurse, who gives me a rather judgmental look. I frown at her. ¡°We only met recently. He was¡­visiting when he got stung by a bee.¡±


    She takes the clipboard from me. ¡°He¡¯ll have to fill it out before he leaves then. You can take a seat, and someone wille to get you once he¡¯s in the clear.¡±


    I wait anxiously, sitting on the edge of the seat. Every time someone walks out from the ICU area, I look up hopefully. Oh God, I hope he didn¡¯t die. That wouldplicate my current situation, and I¡¯d also feel terrible because I¡¯ve been such a bitch to him.


    I eventually pick up a magazine and try to read it while I wait. Then I go through another. On the third one, a doctores out. ¡°Is anyone here for Dominic Sorvino?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± I jump up and hurry to him. ¡°Is he okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯ll be fine. He will need to carry an EpiPen with him going forward in case it happens again. We¡¯ve issued three to him in the meantime. He has to stay for observation for an hour or so, but then you can take him home. He¡¯s a bit groggy, but he should be fine. The nurse will take you to him.¡± The doctor smiles and heads off to his next patient, and I follow the nurse to a bed where Dominic is resting, looking a bit drunk.


    I smile at him. ¡°Hey, you look terrible.¡±


    ¡°I feel terrible,¡± he slurs, bobbing his head from side to side.


    ¡°Did you fill in the forms?¡± I ask.


    ¡°I spoke, a nurse wrote,¡± he says. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m going to throw up.¡±


    In anticipation, I move my seat a little bit away from the bed, but he simply sways his head from side to side. ¡°It hurts like a bitch. Look how swollen I am.¡±


    He holds his hand up, and it does look terrible. I feel bad for him and give him a reassuring smile. ¡°It¡¯s karma. You were a dick to me, and this is how the universe paid you back.¡±


    ¡°I am a dick; I won¡¯t deny it.¡± he grins at me, and I swear his eyes are cross-eyed. He rests back and closes his eyes, so I say, ¡°Rest. I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± he mumbles. ¡°Thanks.¡± He starts snoring shortly after that.


    I sit there for an hour and a half before he wakes up again. He snorts as he wakes up and looks around, wincing. ¡°My hand is so sore,¡± he groans. ¡°This is some next-level bullshit.¡±


    I smile and stand up. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get home, and I¡¯ll make you something to eat. Food always makes me feel better.¡±


    He grumbles, but he gets up, staggering a little. I grab the little packet marked for his attention with his EpiPens and painkillers and help him back to the car. There¡¯s a ticket on the window because I didn¡¯t move it, but I don¡¯t care. It¡¯s not my car. I help him into the passenger side before I go to the other side and climb in.


    We drive in silence as I join traffic, making the quick trip home and stopping outside the gate. The guardes to see who is in the car and then nods, opening the gate.


    I help Dominic into the house, and he grumbles, ¡°I think I¡¯m just going to take some painkillers and go to bed.¡±Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fine. Did the doctor check out your other injuries?¡±


    Dominic nods. ¡°Just bruising. The painkillers will help.¡±


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll see you in the morning,¡± I say, handing his medication to him in his good hand.


    After a few missteps, I help him up the stairs and to his room, then leave him there. I¡¯m not undressing the guy and getting him in bed.


    I go back to my room and flop onto my bed with a sigh.

 #3(The Trade)-C21

    Dominic


    To say I don¡¯t sleep well is an understatement. I toss and turn the whole night, having painkiller-fueled dreams about Sofia and bees. It¡¯s like I¡¯ve taken acid or something, and I¡¯m tripping.


    The smell of bacon and eggs wakes me up. I sniff the air and lick my lips. I feel parched, and I cough lightly. My chest hurts a little.


    My hand and face still ache, but the swelling is gone from my hand, so I go to the bathroom and drink some water, swallowing two painkillers just in case. My face looks slightly better. I can see out of both eyes, at least.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Once dressed, I head downstairs, following Sofia¡¯s soft hums to the kitchen. The sound of the sizzling bacon is music to my ears, and I¡¯m surprised to see two ces set at the ind counter in the middle of the kitchen.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± I say gruffly.


    ¡°Morning,¡± she says.


    She¡¯s wearing a summery dress, and she has legs for days. I can¡¯t help but give her an appreciative once over.


    ¡°You were pretty out of it. Are you feeling better?¡± she asks, sliding the bacon onto a serving te. ¡°I made your eggs sunny side up. Is that OK?¡±


    I blink, slightly confused, then startle slightly when the toaster pops up suddenly. I frown. What is wrong with me? Sofia chuckles.


    I take a deep breath and smooth my hair. ¡°Yes, thank you for your helpst night. I appreciate it. Sunny side up is perfect, thanks.¡±


    I don¡¯t offer to help. My mom always hated it if the guys tried to do anything in the kitchen, so I sit at the ind counter and watch her.


    She starts humming again, a song I don¡¯t recognize, and she sways her hips to the imaginary music as she moves around the kitchen.


    Soon enough, a te with buttered toast, two eggs, and a heap of bacon is in front of me.


    ¡°What do you want to drink?¡± she asks, holding up a bottle of orange juice.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I feel uneasy and very ufortable. She was so pissed with me yesterday, and today, she¡¯s being so nice. ¡°You didn¡¯t poison the food, did you?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t tell you if I did.¡± She grins. ¡°No, I just felt like bacon and eggs and decided to make you some too.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll make an excellent housewife one day,¡± Iment, picking up my knife and fork.


    She gives me a strange look as though there¡¯s something horrid on my face. ¡°Seriously? Can we stop with the good girlments already? Jesus, what century are you from.¡±


    She picks up her te, utensils, and juice and walks out in a huff.


    I watch her leave, confused about what I¡¯ve said this time to irritate her. Jesus, fuck, she is infuriating. She¡¯s so damn emotional, and this is why I bottle my emotions because you act like a twit if you let your emotions rule your life.


    The emotions I¡¯m feeling confuse me. She irritates me, but at the same time, I find her so fascinating. Dammit, I need to clear my head.


    ¡°I¡¯m going out,¡± I yell, leaving my half-eaten food on the counter. ¡°I¡¯ll be backter.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t answer, but I grab the keys and leave, not bothering to look for her.


    I drive to Alessandro and let myself in.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up?¡± Alessandro asks me, looking up from some papers.


    ¡°This is a bad idea,¡± I bark. ¡°She should stay with one of our cousins or with Arianna. That would be a better idea.¡±


    Alessandro sighs and rubs his forehead. ¡°It¡¯s not up for discussion. Just deal with it, Dominic. I¡¯ve never known you to be so whiny.¡±


    I re at him. ¡°She is impossible to look after or to live with.¡±


    ¡°I said make it work,¡± my brother snaps. ¡°What you need is something to take your mind off things. We¡¯ve captured one of the Catn soldiers. I need information on their operations here in New York. Why don¡¯t you go let out your frustrations on him?¡±


    I clench my teeth but nod. He¡¯s making it sound like he¡¯s doing me a favor, but we both know it¡¯s not a request. It¡¯s an order.


    I walk up to his desk. ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°At our warehouse in Brooklyn, the downtown one. You¡¯ll find him there with some of the guys. Try not to kill him too soon. Get as much information as you can,¡± he says.


    I nod, turn on my heel, and walk toward the door, but he says, ¡°Dominic, don¡¯t lose your shit with me, or we¡¯ll have a problem. Whether you¡¯re my brother or not, don¡¯t forget your ce in this family.¡±


    I¡¯ve never been scolded for my behavior before because I¡¯ve always fallen in line. Now though, I feel ashamed. I¡¯ve never acted like this, and I need to get it under control.


    I take the car to Brooklyn and park it at the back of the warehouse. I walk in and see the various workers moving stolen goods, and I ignore them, heading upstairs to the office.


    When I walk in, I see a man on the office chair. One hand is tied to each arm, and his legs are tied to each leg. Three of my cousins are there, and they look at me when I walk in.


    ¡°Alessandro wants me to get information,¡± I say.


    They nod and step back. I walk over to the table where various weapons are on disy. Clearly, my cousins were about to start this little show. I¡¯m d I didn¡¯t miss it.


    I pick up a nail gun and walk over.


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell you anything,¡± the heavily ented man spits in my direction.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you anything yet,¡± I say, aiming for his hand and shooting a nail into it. He cries out, and I pause, watching him squirm. After a few minutes, I shoot one in his other hand. If I don¡¯t kill him today, the infection will eventually. It¡¯s easier to kill him, though, and get rid of the body now.


    I shoot eleven nails into his arms before I aim for his kneecap. I shoot one into his knee, and he screams. If it bothers anyone outside of this room, there¡¯s no way to know. Our workers know not to interfere.


    ¡°Are you ready to get started?¡± I ask with a smug smile.


    He looks at me with anger, fear, and pain in his eyes as I aim for his other knee. ¡°We can do both your legs. I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    I move to squeeze the trigger, but he shouts, ¡°No! Please, Jose will kill me if I say anything.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll kill you anyway, and he hasn¡¯t sent a rescue party, so either I can spend the next few days torturing you, reviving you, and torturing you again, or I can give you a merciful death.¡±


    He looks up at me. The defiance is back, so before he says anything, I put a nail through his other knee. He shrieks in pain, rocking back and forth. The problem is the nails don¡¯t rock back and forth, so they tear at his flesh.


    He whimpers, hanging his head.


    I get the blow torch next. ¡°I doubt you¡¯ll need both your eyes. I love the look of a runny eye after I¡¯ve had eggs. It reminds me of breakfast. Most important meal of the day, you know.¡± I turn the blow torch on and approach him slowly.

 #3(The Trade)-C22

    Sofia


    After Dominic storms off and I finish my food, I wander around the house again. I¡¯m bored. I should ask Dominic for a phone so that I can contact my family.


    I make a mental note to speak to him once he calms himself down. Jesus, living with him is going to be unbearable.


    I explore the rooms upstairs and find one with a study and aptop. Curious, I boot up theputer to find it¡¯s just a standardptop with nothing installed. It must be brand new. There¡¯s no login, so I¡¯m able to get on and ess the Inte.


    I immediately browse my art school¡¯s website and look at its courses. I¡¯ve already sent in my application and been sent my student login details, but now I need to register for my sses. I also have to update my residential details in case they want to post information to me, though who uses post in this day and age, I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s what email is for.


    I start toplete all the information, and I¡¯ve just finished updating my address when I hear someone open the front door and call, ¡°Hello?¡±


    Frightened, I sneak out of the study and peek over thending railing. Two women stand there, one older and one younger. The older one looks around curiously. ¡°I think her name is Sofia.¡±


    ¡°It is Sofia, Mama,¡± the younger woman says before calling, ¡°Sofia? Are you here?¡±


    I take a deep breath and step to where they can see me. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hi,¡± the younger woman says. ¡°I¡¯m Arianna, and this is my mother, Helena. My brother Alessandro thought you might get bored being here all day by yourself, so we¡¯vee to take you shopping and to lunch.¡±


    I swallow hard. I don¡¯t know if I should trust them. I move down the stairs, and as I approach Arianna, I see Dominic¡¯s features on her face, and she has the same eyes. ¡°Is it safe to do that?¡±


    ¡°We have our own guards,¡± Helena smiles. ¡°Would you like to join us?¡±


    I blush, realizing I¡¯m not dressed to go out. ¡°Maybe I should change first.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll wait,¡± Arianna says with a grin. ¡°We¡¯ll be in the living room once you¡¯re ready.¡±


    I hurry up the stairs and into my room. I quickly throw on a pair of jeans, a tube top, and my sneakers. I grab my handbag and head downstairs. I don¡¯t know if my father has put any money in my ount, but there should be some left.


    I go to the living room, where the women chat quietly in what I assume is Italian. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Arianna helps her mother up, and they lead me outside to a car with tinted windows. I¡¯m hesitant to follow them, and Arianna seems to notice. She smiles and takes out her phone. ¡°Here, I¡¯ll phone Dominic so you can get his clearance.¡±


    She holds the phone to her ear, and once he answers, she says, ¡°Hello, Dom. Sofia is a bit nervous about going out with us.¡±


    He says something that makes Arianna pull a face. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Just reassure her so we can go have fun.¡±


    She hands me the phone, and I press it to my ear. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Just go with them, it¡¯s fine. The guards will keep you safe,¡± he says. ¡°I have to get back to work.¡± A man screams in the background, and the phone goes dead. It was definitely Dominic.


    I hand Arianna her phone back with a small smile. ¡°This is very kind of you, thank you.¡±


    ¡°No stress at all. If you have to stay with my asshole of a condescending brother, then the least I can do is take you out.¡±


    We climb into the back of the car. It¡¯s more spacious than I thought, with two sets of seats facing each other. I sit opposite Helena, but Arianna sits next to me.


    ¡°I admire your defiance,¡± I say with a smile. ¡°Your brother can be a bit of an asshole. I hope you don¡¯t mind me saying so,¡± I say.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Arianna smiles at me brightly. ¡°We¡¯ll train him, though, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    We sit in afortable silence as we join traffic, driving through the city with ease. I can¡¯t remember thest time I did something fun like shopping. It feels like I¡¯ve been a prisoner for months, not days. I turn to Arianna.


    ¡°Thank you so much for thinking of me. I didn¡¯t even think I could leave the house.¡± I blush slightly.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a prisoner,¡± Arianna says with a look of shock, ¡°You¡¯re wee to go where you please. You just need protection when you do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a rough few days, I know,¡± Helena says softly. ¡°But you¡¯ll get used to it soon enough.¡±


    We arrive at Fifth Avenue and get out, the guards staying close.


    We spend the whole day shopping, and the Sorvino women won¡¯t let me spend a dime of my own money. They insist on buying me clothes, jewelry, and perfumes. We have lunch nearby, and weugh as we eat. I tell them about how grumpy Dominic gets and how frustrating he is, and Arianna is not surprised. He¡¯s been that way since he was a child.


    We sip onrge sses of red wine and settle down for a moment, letting our food digest.


    ¡°You look like you¡¯re enjoying yourself,¡± Arianna smiles. ¡°Maybe you just need to unwind some more. My family owns a club here in New York called La Club. You shoulde out tonight with us. We¡¯re going in a group to get absolutely wasted.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s notdylike to get wasted, Arianna,¡± Helena chides her daughter, but Arianna doesn¡¯t seem to notice.


    I blush. ¡°You¡¯ve done so much already for me. I feel so spoiled.¡±


    ¡°Come, we¡¯ll talk to Dominic when we get back to the house and let him bring you. He also needs to unwind and believe it or not. He can be fun.¡±


    I snort. ¡°No way. I don¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to show you,¡± Arianna says as she calls for the bill. ¡°He should be home by now, and he¡¯ll never say no to me.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re impossible like your father,¡± Helena smirks.


    Arianna pays the bill, and we go back to the car with our shopping. The guards help us pack it all away while two of them stand watch. Soon we¡¯re driving back to the estate.


    True to her word, Dominic¡¯s car is parked outside the house, and he is in the living room when wee in. I dump my shopping in the entrance hall, for now, I¡¯ll take it upter. I follow Arianna into the living room.


    ¡°Dom,¡± she says, grinning brightly and kissing both his cheeks.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± he asks immediately. ¡°You¡¯re only this sweet when you want something.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯reing out with us tonight,¡± Arianna says. She shushes him as he protests. ¡°You¡¯re bringing Sofia to La Club, and we¡¯re all going to have a ball.¡±


    Dominic rolls his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood.¡±


    ¡°Too bad. You¡¯reing, and you¡¯re drinking with me, or who knows what mischief I¡¯ll get up to.¡± It almost sounds like a threat.


    Dominic shakes his head. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll bring Sofia to La Club, but I¡¯m not promising I will drink.¡±


    Arianna grins. ¡°You will.¡±


    She turns and hugs me. ¡°See you in a few hours. Eat something hearty because we drink a lot.¡±


    I smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be ready.¡±

 #3(The Trade)-C23

    Dominic


    Ie downstairs, dressed in jeans and a tight-fitting button-up shirt, to find Sofia waiting for me. She¡¯s wearing a very short, very tight red strapless dress. She has gorgeous ck heels on, and as Ie closer, I can smell her perfume, which nearly sends my body into shock.


    I stare at her for a moment before she says, ¡°What? Are you surprised I clean up well?¡±


    I give a slight cough. ¡°No, I just¡­you look really nice.¡±


    She blushes and picks up her thin-strapped red bag that matches her outfit. ¡°I¡¯m ready just to let loose and party.¡±


    ¡°We still need to be careful,¡± I warn her. ¡°It¡¯s not safe.¡±


    ¡°I thought La Club belonged to your family,¡± she says, and I nod.


    I say, ¡°It does, but I don¡¯t think I should drink tonight.¡±


    She smirks. ¡°I don¡¯t think Arianna will give you much choice.¡±


    I know she¡¯s right, but I won¡¯t admit out loud that my baby sister has a certain hold over me. I¡¯ve always had a soft spot for her, born ten years after me. I¡¯ve always done what she wants to keep her happy.


    I open the door. ¡°Ladies first,¡± Iment.


    Sofia walks out and toward my car. Two guards are waiting for us. I¡¯ve opted for them to drive us tonight, just in case. I open the back door for Sofia and let her slide in and to the other side of the car before I get in, shutting the door behind me.


    As we join the traffic, I keep an eye out for anyone who might be following us. Sofia puts a hand on my arm. ¡°Rx. Tonight is about letting go.¡±


    I look at her and snort. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to rx, and I don¡¯t think people really like me when I do.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± she asks.


    I shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t get invited out a lot, so I assume they don¡¯t.¡±


    She smiles. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because you¡¯re intimidating. I¡¯ll see what you¡¯re like tonight and let you know if you¡¯re better or worse.¡±


    I don¡¯t know why but that makes me a little nervous, as though I have something to prove.


    The driver pulls up to the entrance of La Club, and I get out, holding a hand out for Sofia to help her out. Two guards nk us as the bouncer removes the rope blocking the entrance. ¡°Your sister is at the bar near the office.¡±


    I nod to him and ce my hand lightly on Sofia¡¯s back, guiding her in the correct direction slowly through the club. She¡¯s looking around, and she seems fascinated. I don¡¯t really think La Club is that morous, but it is popr, so it¡¯s busy.


    I see Arianna standing at the bar with Carmine, one of our mercenaries, and I frown. I didn¡¯t know he was assigned to protect her.


    Sofia taps Arianna on the shoulder. ¡°Hey!¡± she shouts over the music. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡¯


    ¡°Sofia!¡± Arianna squeals and hugs her. Clearly, she¡¯s started the party early. ¡°Time for shots.¡± She waves down the bartender, whoes to help her immediately. ¡°Eight shots of tequ, please.¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I groan. I hate tequ. I can drink it, but I hate the aftertaste it leaves. Arianna dances to the music and grins at Sofia. ¡°Do you like the club? What do you want to drink?¡±


    Sofia looks around. ¡°A cocktail, maybe a long ind iced tea.¡±


    Arianna looks at me, scoffs then turns back to the bartender who is lining up shots. ¡°Two high-end whiskeys, two long ind iced teas.¡±


    Once the shots are poured, he leaves to get our drinks. Arianna hands us each two shots, then holds her own. ¡°To new friends, old friends, and great friends.¡±


    We clink the sses, spilling some tequ, then throw back one shot after another. I smack my lips and shake my head, argh.


    I tap the sses on the bar and then leave them there. Sofia looks at us as Arianna does the same. ¡°Why do you tap them?¡±


    ¡°Good luck or something stupid,¡± I say as the bartender sets down the drinks. Arianna hands Carmine and me a whiskey, then passes Sofia a long ind iced tea before dering, ¡°To the dance floor.¡±


    The night blurs together the more we drink, and I feel unsteady on my feet. We dance a lot, and I¡¯m sweaty and gross after a couple of hours. A high-beat songes on, and I hold my hands up. ¡°I need a break.¡±


    I ignore Arianna¡¯s protests and head toward the office where I know there¡¯ll be air conditioning. I don¡¯t realize until I reach it that Sofia has followed me. I turn to her, and she says, ¡°I just need some fresh air.¡±


    ¡°Come on.¡± I lead her into the office and shut the door, sighing as the cool air envelopes us.


    Sofia grins at me with a silly smile before she rests her head on my chest. ¡°I feel a bit drunk.¡±


    ¡°You are a bit drunk,¡± I tease, chuckling. I¡¯m not entirely sure I can control myself right now. I put an arm around her and ce my hand on her round ass.


    ¡°Are you groping me?¡± she asks, looking up at me through heavy-lidded eyes.


    I think about it for a moment before shrugging. ¡°Maybe. Why? Don¡¯t you like it?¡±


    She reaches down and cups my dick. ¡°Maybe I do or maybe I don¡¯t, but I can get payback.¡±


    My dick grows stiff as she rubs it slightly. I wonder to myself what we are doing and I know we should stop. We¡¯re not in control right now of what we are doing. I can¡¯t remember why but I¡¯m sure she irritates me. But I look down and see her cleavage, and I groan, my balls feeling tight.


    I grab her and pull her against me, kissing her hungrily. I grind against her, causing her dress to ride up slightly. I reach down and touch her through her panties, she¡¯s already wet. She moans a little into my mouth as my fingers teasingly search for her clit.


    I pause and pull away, putting my hands on her hips I walk her backwards towards the desk. It¡¯s a bit more of a drunken stumble. Once her ass hits the desk, I press myself against her, my stiff cock straining in my pants. She grinds against me as well and then she puts her hands on my chest and turns me so I¡¯m against the desk. She unbuckles my pants and slides them down. She hitches her dress up higher and sinks to her knees and knowing what she¡¯s about to do, I look down at her.


    She pulls my briefs down to free my dick and then takes it in her hands, stroking it slowly. I groan, she looks up at me as she licks the tip and the lust I see in her eyes drives me wild. She swallows my cock and takes as much as she can without gagging, then she bobs her head up and down, up and down. I grab a fistful of her hair and move my hips, moving a bit quicker. She puts her hands on my hips to slow me down and I reluctantly do so.


    Her mouth enveloping me is warm, wet and wonderful. She is an expert with her tongue, and when she pulls off to catch her breath she strokes me steadily.


    I hold out my hand and pull her up, I whirl her around and against the desk, ¡°I¡¯m going to fuck the defiance out of you,¡± I growl.


    She looks up at me with heavy-lidded eyes and then slowly she hooks her fingers into her panties and pulls them down, kicking them off. She slides onto the desk and spreads her legs, ¡°Promises, promises¡­¡± she says, licking her lips.


    I sway slightly as I kneel down, I sloppily kiss her inner thigh, then I nip it. I grin as she whines for me to hurry. I nip her skin again, caressing her other thighs with my hands.


    I lower myself to her neatly trimmed pussy and kiss the top softly, then I probe with my tongue and I feel that she wants to tighten her legs with my head in the middle. I hold her legs with strong hands, keeping them open. I kiss and probe again,zily sliding my tongue between her folds to taste her wet juicy hole. I lick through her lips once, twice, then I bury my tongue inside of her, making a rudimentary noise as I thrash it about quickly, flicking it and teasing her. I keep my tongue inside of her and shake my head from side to side, letting out an animal sound. She bucks slightly and still I hold her.


    I suck her clit, pinching it very softly between my teeth before sucking it again. She cries out and she tries to stifle it, but I¡¯m sure if someone was passing close to the door they would have heard it. Her hand finds my hair and grips it tightly, holding me, burying me deep in her wet pussy.


    I dive back into her with my tongue, then out, then in¡­ creating a motion that has her rocking her hips for more. She lets go of my hair and I slowly get to my feet, licking my lips.


    I put two of my fingers to her lips, ¡°suck.¡±


    She sucks on my two fingers, flicking her tongue around them. I won¡¯t like, watching her tongue y with my fingers just makes my hardon rage more. I pull my fingers away, slick with her spit, and I lower my hand to her mound. I rub up and down, sliding my fingers between her lips to get her ready. She moves her hips against my fingers, biting her lower lip seductively.


    I push my index and middle finger into her slowly, moving them in and out. I also thumb her clit, I can see I¡¯m driving her wild and I¡¯m loving it. My fingers get slick with her juices and I pull them out and lick them, ¡°Hmmm, delicious.¡±


    I grab her hips and position myself, I rub against her, groaning.


    ¡°Tell me you want me to fuck you,¡± I murmur, leaning down so I¡¯m close to her ear, ¡°Tell me you want me.¡±


    ¡°I want you so bad,¡± Sofia whimpers, ¡°Please.¡±


    I know it¡¯s the alcohol, but I haven¡¯t felt this on fire in a long time. There¡¯s a burning heat that wants to escape my body and into hers. I push into her slowly, then I pull out until just the tip is inside. I repeat the action a few times. Then I slowly push inside of her again, burying myself to the hilt, my balls pping against her skin. I start to move steadily, not hard and not fast, but steadily. She groans and tries to move her hips with me. I hold her hips, ¡°No¡± is all I choke out as I move a little harder. I move a bit faster and I watch as her eyes flutter closed in pleasure. I lean over her as I move, kissing her neck hungrily. She bites into my shoulder and groans, using my body to stifle a louder cry. I rest my head in the crook of her neck, we¡¯re both starting to sweat, not caring at all.


    I pull out of her and pull her off the desk. I pull her towards me then turn her around, ¡°Hold onto the desk,¡± I say.


    She leans on her elbows on the desk and I bend my knees slightly, I hold my dick in my hand at the base and slowly guide myself back into her. She groans out, tipping her head back. I grip her hair, not too hard but with a bit of a tug, and I start to move my hips quickly. The sound of our skin pping together is loud enough that I can hear it even with the music. She whimpers and I move harder, letting go of her hair. I wrap an arm around her hip and tease her swollen clit and she clenches around me.


    I give a gruff groan and m into her once, almost, twice, almost, on the third time I stay buried in her as Ie.


    I wait there, standing straight with my dick buried in her.


    ¡°Wait,¡± she breathes, reaching between her legs. I know she¡¯s ying with herself, and she groans. I lean on her and yank her dressed down, my hands go around and tease her nipples as her fingers work faster. She¡¯s rocking against me, not sure which is more pleasurable.


    I grunt as I grope her breasts roughly and she pressed back against me, crying out weakly and almost buckling as she chases her own orgasm.


    I hold her, so she doesn¡¯t fall.


    There¡¯s a knock at the door, and we quickly separate to fix our clothes as I yell, ¡°One second.¡±


    There¡¯s a giggle behind the door, and I know it¡¯s Arianna. I can¡¯t meet Sofia¡¯s eyes as I make sure we¡¯re both dressed properly, and I head out of the office, knowing my sister will make fun of me for this.

 #3(The Trade)-C24

    Sofia


    At some ungodly hour, Dominic pops his head into my room to tell me he has work to do, so he¡¯s going. I groan in response and go back to sleep. When I wake up again, it¡¯s already afternoon, and I feel a little less like a truck hit me.


    I don¡¯t feel like making breakfast, though I¡¯m sure a grilled cheese will make me feel a ton better. I go to the living room instead and turn the television on, lowering the volume.


    I scroll through the channels until I get to the news channel, which is covering arge explosion in a warehouse. I quickly turn the volume up and listen to what the reporter is saying.


    ¡°This warehouse is rumored to belong to the infamous Catn cartel. Some are whispering that this is a hit from another mobster family in retaliation to gang wars held here in New York. Several people associated with mafia families have turned up dead this week, and police are trying to find the perpetrators as fast as possible. Several immigrants died in the bomb explosion. It seems a small explosion went off but triggered off a bigger explosion with chemicals that were illegally stored in the warehouse.¡±


    I stare at the screen and wonder instantly, or rather I know, Dominic had something to do with this. He left early today and had more than enough time to do this. I need to know if he killed those people.


    I eventually make myself something to eat, and while I¡¯m eating, hees in.


    ¡°Dominic,¡± I say.From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You need to get dressed. We¡¯re going to my family for lunch,¡± he says, ncing at me. ¡°My brother Alessandro¡¯s orders.¡±


    I frown and stand in front of him. ¡°What did you do this morning?¡±


    Dominic looks down at me, expressionless. ¡°That¡¯s none of your concern.¡±


    ¡°Did you set that bomb off? At the Catn warehouse?¡± I ask. ¡°There were innocent people killed there.¡±


    ¡°There are no innocent people in the underworld; everyone is fair game.¡± He runs a hand over his hair and shakes his head. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to understand, Princess, but for now, I need you to get dressed for family lunch. Okay?¡±


    I shake my head as well before I go upstairs and change into a cute summer dress that Arianna bought for me. I put on some of my new jewelry and brush out my hair.


    I slip into a pair of sandals ande back downstairs, where Dominic is waiting for me. He¡¯s in those damn jeans again, well, different ones, but him in jeans elicits feelings from me. He has a golf shirt on and is wearing an expensive watch I haven¡¯t seen before.


    I don¡¯t speak to him as we leave the estate, and I don¡¯t say anything to him in the car. I understand what he means by some things have to happen in this underground world of ours, but I still carry a heavy sense of guilt. Maybe if he showed he felt it too, perhaps I wouldn¡¯t feel so bad. But I don¡¯t know how to say that to him without him bing upset or offended.


    He leads me into Alessandro¡¯s gorgeous home, and a beautiful woman in a white pants suit happens to be crossing the entrance hall when we walk in.


    ¡°Katya,¡± Dominic greets her. The woman looks somewhat intimidating but gives me a curt smile. ¡°You must be Sofia, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I say quietly, and she holds her hand out. I shake it as she says, ¡°Katya, I¡¯m Alessandro¡¯s wife. Wee to our home.¡±


    I give her a hesitant smile back. ¡°Thank you for having me and for protecting me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our pleasure. It¡¯s in the best interest of the family. Everyone is already outside in the garden. Follow me.¡±


    I follow her, ncing at Dominic, who doesn¡¯t seem surprised by her dominant nature. We are led to the garden, whererge benches are interconnected to make a ¡®U¡¯ shape on thewn. At the head of the tables is the older-looking version of Dominic, who I now know to be Alessandro.


    I look to Dominic for where I should sit when Alessandro stands. ¡°Ah, Sofia and Dominic, please join me here.¡±


    I awkwardly walk to the head table where two chairs are free next to Alessandro, ¡°Sofia, sit next to me. I want to get to know you.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Thank you, Don. It would be my honor.¡±


    Alessandroughs. ¡°Ah, but that¡¯s not the feisty woman my brother has moaned about.¡±


    I look at Dominic, but he just smirks as he sits down.


    I sit, and everyone talks to each other while the women bring out the food. Once everyone is settled and has food, Alessandro turns slightly to me. ¡°Tell me, Sofia. Your father says you want to study digital art in New York. Have you applied to university?¡±


    ¡°I applied to two but only got into my second choice. I actually registered yesterday and updated my address details so that I am ready to start,¡± I say casually.


    Dominic quickly says, ¡°You did what?¡±


    Alessandro waves him off. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you get into your first choice?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I say honestly. ¡°Maybe because I am a foreigner.¡±


    Alessandro shakes his head. ¡°They discriminate badly against people not from this country, even Italians. But I wish you the best of luck with your studies.¡± He turns back to his food, and I¡¯m unsure what to say, so I quietly say, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He asked me a few more questions about Argentina and my experiences there during the meal. What I love about New York and my family, but not my family¡¯s business. I don¡¯t think he has any bad intentions towards me, or so it seems.


    On the other hand, Dominic keeps ring at me as though he could kill me on the spot with a look.


    I try and ignore him and answer Alessandro¡¯s questions politely. Once lunch is over, Dominic stands. ¡°We should get going,¡± he says tersely. ¡°Alessandro, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    Alessandro raises an eyebrow but doesn¡¯tment on Dominic¡¯s mood. ¡°Bright and early. I have things for you to do. Sofia, lovely to meet you again.¡± He looks at Dominic as he says, ¡°You are safe in my brother¡¯s hands.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Thank you for having me.¡±


    I get up and follow Dominic to the car. He doesn¡¯t say anything the whole way home, but I can tell he¡¯s fuming. Once we¡¯re inside the house, he turns around. ¡°Are you really that stupid?¡±


    I frown. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°You used your actual name and address to register for your sses?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± I say incredulously.


    ¡°Would you like to phone the Catns and let them know you¡¯re here to pick up?¡± he roars. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be hidden from them, and you¡¯re advertising where you are.¡±


    I am taken aback, but before I can apologize, he continues to rant, ¡°You never think before you act Princess, and that¡¯s your biggest problem. You¡¯re supposed to run things past me¡­.¡±


    ¡°Just because I had drunken sex with you once doesn¡¯t mean you own me,¡± I snap at him angrily.


    ¡°You must run it past me because I¡¯m your security detail. God, you don¡¯t think at all.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t give a damn about anyone except your family,¡± I say, storming upstairs.

 #3(The Trade)-C25

    Dominic


    She¡¯s infuriating. Everything about her just pisses me off, and I am so turned on by it, which is frustrating the fuck out of me. I feel like I can¡¯t decide what I want, especially not after having her at the club. This was the first time she mentioned it, and not in a good way, and I¡¯m not going to bring it up with her.


    We spend the next three days ignoring each other, and although I find it peaceful, I miss hearing her annoying princess voice.


    While I¡¯m sitting in the kitchen having coffee, shees in and puts her hands on the countertop, standing in front of me. ¡°We need to talk.¡±


    Oh, God, the conversation I¡¯ve been dreading.


    ¡°What about?¡± I ask, not looking at her.


    She crosses her arms. ¡°I hate that I¡¯m dependent on you for everything. If I want to do something or if I want something, I have to run it past you. This has toe to an end. Also, I want a cellphone. I don¡¯t care how you block the signal, but I want to be able to contact my family and friends in Argentina.¡±


    I sigh and set my coffee down, finally looking up at her. ¡°I can maybe swing the cell phone. That won¡¯t be too hard since you¡¯ve already given out your exact location.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t flinch, and I continue, ¡°But you do have to run things past me because I am your security, not because you¡¯re beholden to me. I need to know what measures to put in ce to ensure you¡¯re not taken by the Catns again.¡±


    She sighs. I can see she¡¯s frustrated already. ¡°I want a job,¡± she says. ¡°Can I run that past you?¡±


    I frown. ¡°Why would you want a job? Firstly, your father is a rich man, and secondly, if he really won¡¯t give you money, my family will. We vowed to take care of you.¡±


    ¡°Because the whole point of meing to New York was so I could be independent, and now I have to ask pretty please anytime I want to do something or buy something.¡± She shakes her head. ¡°You don¡¯t understand how frustrating it is.¡±


    I stand up and take my mug to the dishwasher, putting it in, ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t, but maybe I do. If you want a job, fine, but it must be at one of our family establishments.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to run drugs,¡± she says immediately.


    ¡°We have some legit operations to front the illegal ones,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯ll speak to Alessandro about making you a waitress at one of our restaurants, will that suit you?¡± I ask.


    She looks at me suspiciously. ¡°No favoritism? I¡¯m treated like a regr worker.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want,¡± I sigh. ¡°Is that all because I really have to get going to work.¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    She hugs herself, suddenly seeming insecure. ¡°Thank you. That would be a start.¡±


    She sways slightly, and I groan. ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I want to try to apply for my first choice university again for next year, and I was wondering what details I should use,¡± she says quietly.


    I take a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯ll have Katya email you your identity, and you can go from there.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I can get in with a new identity?¡± she asks me quietly.


    ¡°Do you want the truth or a guarantee?¡± I ask her curiously.


    She looks at me seriously. She knows exactly what I¡¯m implying. My family has connections everywhere, including schools, and it won¡¯t be hard to influence her application.


    She nods. ¡°I want a guarantee.¡±


    I nod. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it. Send me the details once you apply so I can give them to my brother to deal with. Now, I really have to go.¡±


    I walk out of the kitchen, and she doesn¡¯t say anything further. I grab my car keys, and as soon as I¡¯m in traffic, I dial Alessandro.


    ¡°Dominic, I¡¯m d you called. Are you on your way over? There¡¯s some business I need you to take care of in Brooklyn again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± I say. ¡°But, Alessandro, I have a favor to ask you from Sofia.¡±


    My brother goes quiet, but I don¡¯t continue because I¡¯m unsure how to phrase this request. I¡¯ve never really asked my brother for favors, so this is a new one.


    ¡°Spit it out,¡± Alessandro says.


    ¡°Sofia wants to get into the top school in New York, an art school that is, and she wants a guarantee she will get in,¡± I exin.


    My brother is silent for what feels like the longest moment before he says, ¡°Dominic, I¡¯m going to say this once and once only. Do not go down this road. Don¡¯t be soft. It will make your job that much harder. I won¡¯t stop you, but if you go down this road, we may have to reevaluate what you do with the family.¡±


    Before I can say anything, he continues, ¡°Not saying you¡¯ll be thrown out, just that there¡¯s no room for emotion in your position.¡±


    I try not to let my temper get the better of me. ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying, but nothing is happening between Sofia and me. She¡¯s just a spoiled princess, and her father wanted us to make herfortable, and this is what she wants.¡±


    ¡°Okay then, as long as we understand, things will change if you get involved with her,¡± Alessandro says. ¡°I have to go¡­.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± I remember Sofia¡¯s other request, ¡°There¡¯s something else for her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s certainly demanding. What is it?¡± Alessandro asks. I can hear Katya calling him in the background.


    ¡°Well, she wants to work. She wants to earn her own money, so I said only if she works for one of our fronting restaurants. Do you think you can make that happen?¡±


    ¡°You know I can.¡± I can hear the frown in my brother¡¯s voice. ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll speak to Katya about getting her application done to the university,¡± I say. ¡°But I¡¯ll be there in like ten or fifteen minutes.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m hanging up. Bye, Dom.¡± The line goes dead, and I toss the phone onto the seat beside me.


    I think about what my brother said and how my role in the family would change if I got involved with someone. I don¡¯t know why it should. I¡¯m good atpartmentalizing my feelings and can do my job and be with someone. Not with Sofia, of course. She¡¯s just a pain in the ass. But I mean, what if I meet someone I like and want to be with them? It doesn¡¯t automatically make me bad at my job.


    The thought irritates me, but I know better than to cross that line with Alessandro. Frankie has always been his favorite. They grew up close, and Arianna and I grew up close. We all love each other deeply, there¡¯s a deep sense of loyalty between us, but it is what it is.


    Alessandro is a good Don, but he¡¯s not someone to be fucked with, especially not after what I saw him do to get Katya back when she was taken.


    Together they are a dynamic power couple, and I wonder, just for a moment, if I¡¯m missing out on something special. All this time, I never wanted to be with anyone because I was loyal to my family. Is there no room in my life for me to be loyal to one more person?

 #3(The Trade)-C26

    Sofia


    I feel like I¡¯ve won a battle in the greater scheme of things but not the war. I still have to answer to Dominic, which isn¡¯t ideal, but I¡¯ll let it go for now. I¡¯m getting the job, and I am getting into the university I want to get into.


    As much as I hate to admit it, it was a stupid move to update with my exact address. I basically lit a homing beacon on my location and said, ¡®pleasee kidnap me¡¯.


    I won¡¯t ever tell Dominic he was right because I know he willud that over me for all the time I¡¯m with him, but I will do as he says and run things past him, for now.


    We¡¯ve reached a level of civility with each other that makes a living on the estate a touch less awkward and tense. We greet each other but don¡¯t speak much. Sometimes I cook for him if he¡¯s home for lunch, but he is seldom back for dinner, so I just put a te for him in the oven. It¡¯s never there in the morning so he must enjoy my cooking.


    It¡¯s Friday, so Ie downstairs to make bacon and eggs for breakfast. I¡¯m not sure if I want fried tomato or not, but I¡¯m distracted when I walk into the kitchen to find Dominic making pancakes.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I ask curiously, pausing at the door.


    Dominic nces at me. ¡°I felt like pancakes.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could cook,¡± Iment, sitting at the ind where everything we could possibly put on pancakes is already set out.


    He chuckles. ¡°Who do you think fed me when I lived alone.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, your mom,¡± I smile. ¡°Isn¡¯t that generally how that works? Mom¡¯s make sure the family is fed.¡±


    He shrugs. ¡°Sometimes I would go to my parents for dinner, but that¡¯s for specific nostalgic meals that I want.¡±


    He brings over two tes of pancakes, setting one in front of me and one next to me. ¡°Dig in. I¡¯ll pour the coffee.¡±


    I¡¯m not sure why he¡¯s being so polite. I don¡¯t trust it. He must have bad news for me, but my stomach rumbles, and I reach for the syrup, pouring on a thickyer over my pancakes.


    He sits down, sets a coffee mug in front of me, and puts one by his te, filled with a creamy cappino.


    ¡°Okay, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you spoiling me?¡± I ask, looking at him thoughtfully.


    ¡°Rx,¡± he says with a cheeky grin, ¡°I¡¯m not spoiling you. I wanted something, and I just made some for you too. Enjoy it.¡±


    I side-eye him but start to eat. These are the fluffiest pancakes I¡¯ve ever eaten. They are divine. I moan softly as I take another bite, stuffing my face.


    He chuckles. ¡°Don¡¯t choke, Princess. I don¡¯t know CPR.¡±


    I nod, grinning at him. I swallow. ¡°These are the best pancakes I¡¯ve ever had.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s my sister¡¯s recipe.¡± He starts to eat, and afortable silence falls upon us.


    ¡°Dominic,¡± I say, ¡°Can I ask you something without you just saying no off the bat?¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    He raises an eyebrow but doesn¡¯t look at me. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    I fiddle with my fork. ¡°I want a car to drive myself to work.¡±


    He sighs, and I quickly say, ¡°Please, don¡¯t just shoot it down.¡±


    ¡°From a security point of view, it isn¡¯t viable right now,¡± he looks at me, ¡°But I promise as soon as it is, I¡¯ll let you buy whatever car you want.¡±


    ¡°What if I learned to drive defensively?¡± I say quickly. ¡°So I can get myself out of situations.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Princess, just use my guards and drivers for now, and I promise, I¡¯ll get you a car as soon as Jose is overthrown. It¡¯ll be a celebratory gift.¡± He gives me a small smile, and I nod.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I say quietly, going back to my food.


    After I¡¯ve eaten, I load the dishwasher with all the dishes and put it on, before going to curl up in the living room to watch a movie. Dominic walks in shortly after I sit down. ¡°Get dressed in somethingfy and sneakers.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± I ask curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s a surprise, nowhere fancy. Just get dressed in a tracksuit and sneakers.¡±


    I get up and do as I¡¯m told,ing back down quickly.


    Dominic leads me to the car, and I get in. We drive for what feels like forever until wee to a national park. Dominic pulls over and climbs out of the car.


    ¡°Am I getting murdered?¡± I ask as he opens my door.


    ¡°Jump into the driver¡¯s seat,¡± he says. I climb over the middle console and into the driver¡¯s seat. He¡¯s taller than me, so my legs just miss the pedals.


    ¡°Adjust the seat and buckle up,¡± he says, putting on his own seatbelt.


    ¡°What are we doing?¡± I ask, but I¡¯m already kind of excited.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to drive fast,¡± he says. ¡°So we can get that out of your system.¡±


    I grin at him. ¡°Okay!¡± I put the car into drive and slowly push the gas pedal, so we crawl forward.


    ¡°Give it gas. We¡¯re in the middle of the park. No one¡¯s going to arrest you,¡± he chuckles.


    I nod and give the car some more gas, speeding up. Soon the scenery is flying past me, and Dominic is telling me how and when to brake to take corners so we don¡¯t roll the car. My blood is pumping, and my heart is beating so hard I think I can hear it outside my chest. I¡¯m sure Dominic can.


    Only when the tank gets to a quarter does Dominic say, ¡°Okay, we need to turn around and go back now. Do you want to drive home?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I say a little too excitedly.


    ¡°Go on then,¡± he says, resting back. ¡°But keep to the speed limit now. You haven¡¯t got your license and don¡¯t want to get caught.¡±


    I drive us back through the park. ¡°You know, I think I am a pretty good driver,¡± I say, picking up speed again. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have anything to worry about¡­ Squirrel!¡± I shriek and m on the brakes, and we both get caught by our safety belts as the gray fluffball runs across the road.


    I wait, knowing Dominic willpletely lose his shit with me for being spooked by a damn squirrel.


    A moment passes, and Dominic starts tough. I¡¯ve heard his chuckle before, but hisugh is something surreal. It¡¯s a hearty, full-bellyugh, and he ps his knee. ¡°Oh, Lord. You should have seen your face, Princess. This happened to Arianna once. She totally had the same look.¡±


    I blush crimson. ¡°Maybe you should drive home.¡±


    He sighs. ¡°Ah, maybe. Just for the future, if there¡¯s wildlife on the road, just drive straight. Don¡¯t swerve because they¡¯ll move out the way, and you¡¯ll probably hit them anyway.¡±


    I nod and climb back into the passenger seat as he walks around the corner. ¡°Shoo, that was seriously funny. I¡¯m going to have to tell Arianna it¡¯s a woman thing, to be afraid to drive over squirrels.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± I pout. ¡°Squirrels are adorable and shouldn¡¯t die just because people can¡¯t drive.¡±


    He chuckles. ¡°Yup, Arianna said something along those lines too. Come on, Princess, let¡¯s get you home.¡±

 #3(The Trade)-C27

    Dominic


    I won¡¯t lie. It was fun driving around aimlessly through the park with Sofia. Her happiness got under my skin and made me happy as well. She has an infectiousugh, and I feel like I want to make her that happy every day.


    And that¡¯s how I know I have a problem.


    Maybe Alessandro is right, and I should step away from my position in the family until I can get my emotions under control because I can¡¯t stop thinking about her.


    As I walk through New York City, going from one business to the next, checking how things are going, my mind is constantly pulled back to her smile.


    I enter La Club and head to the office. Carmine is there with Arianna and Katya. ¡°Afternoon,¡± I say.


    ¡°Dominic,¡± Katya says.


    ¡°Hello, brother,¡± Arianna says with a naughty grin. ¡°How are you?¡±


    I roll my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Ari. How are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. How¡¯s Sofia?¡±


    Katya nces at me, and I try to keep my face expressionless. ¡°If you want to know, why don¡¯t you call her? She has a cellphone now.¡±


    ¡°I think I will,¡± my sister says before Katya nudges her. ¡°Can we get this finished?¡±


    I nod to Carmine, who nods back to me, and I sit down. ¡°So, what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°One of the bartenders is skimming off the top. We think they might also go to the police if we threaten them,¡± Katya says. ¡°So we need to skip threatening them and politely remove them from the equation.¡±


    ¡°Do we have concrete proof this is what¡¯s happening?¡± I ask, and the three of them stare at me.


    Katya is the first to speak, ¡°Since when do you care if there¡¯s a concrete proof?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I¡¯m just curious.¡±


    ¡°Since when are you curious?¡± Arianna asks, narrowing her eyes.


    I clear my throat. ¡°Forget I mentioned anything.¡±


    ¡°His name is Ricardo,¡± Katya says. ¡°Frankie hired himst year, but the bouncers say he¡¯s been acting sketchytely and talking to other bartenders about ratting us out to the cops.¡±


    ¡°Carmine can handle Ricardo,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯ll get ahead of the situation and meet with our detectives downtown.¡±


    ¡°Have you got any other stops after this, or will you go straight there?¡± Katya asks.


    ¡°Straight there,¡± I answer. ¡°Wait, why is Arianna even here? Since when does Alessandro allow her to be involved.¡±


    ¡°She has excellent business sense and is just looking after a few things while Frankie is on the run,¡± Katya says. ¡°Nothing sketchy, just the business side.¡±


    I nod. I don¡¯t like my baby sister being involved in family business, but I know I can¡¯t overrule Alessandro.


    Katya gives me another strange look before she stands. ¡°I have to get back home. I have a lot to sort out. Call me if there are anyplications.¡±


    I nod and take out my phone. ¡°Carmine, sort out this Ricardo. Make sure he leaves New York and knows he¡¯s a dead man if hees back.¡± I search through my phone book and dial Detective Everett.


    ¡°Everett,¡± he answers.


    ¡°We need to talk,¡± I say. ¡°Can we meet at the bistro on Sixth Street?¡±


    ¡°I can be there in an hour,¡± he says. ¡°Alone.¡±


    I smile. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you there.¡±


    I look at Arianna. ¡°I¡¯m going to walk a couple of blocks to Sixth Street, maybe pick up some stuff for dinner. If you want to check on Sofia and give her something to do, you can.¡±


    Arianna rolls her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going to visit her because I like her and think she¡¯s good for you, not because I¡¯m acting as a babysitter on your behalf.¡±


    ¡°Love you too.¡± I lean down and kiss her head. She swats me away, and I leave, humming to myself as I walk.


    It¡¯s four blocks until I get to the butchery, but I¡¯m in no rush. Maybe I¡¯ll pick out something for my friend the detective as well while I¡¯m there. Once I cross to the second block, I have this feeling like I¡¯m being watched or followed, so I stop at a window and casually nce back. I see two Latino-looking men stop at a store across the road.


    I need to get into the next alley, draw my gun and take them down before they get to me.


    I start strolling again, secure in the knowledge that they are following me. At the first alleyway I find, I turn into it, walk about a yard and turn to face them. My hand is on my gun when they turn into the alleyway, grinning.


    I¡¯m about to crack a wise-assment when someone hits me in the head from behind. I try to get to my gun, but someone kicks me in the ribs. I grunt, and someone holds my arms back, takes my gun, and hits me across the face with it.


    I blearily look up at the two men who followed me and the bigger one leans down. ¡°Tell Alessandro this is a warning. If he doesn¡¯t back off, then next time you die, friend, and then he does and all his family.¡±


    He hits me across the face again. They drop me and start kicking the shit out of me, and everything goes ck.


    All I feel is pain as I slowly open my eyes, everything is so bright, and my head is throbbing.From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Try not to move.¡± I recognize Alessandro¡¯s voice immediately.


    I try to open my mouth but instead, I just groan.


    ¡°Slowly,¡± Alessandro says. ¡°Here¡¯s some water.¡±


    I feel a straw touch my lips and open my mouth slowly, locking around the straw and taking a tentative sip. I open my eyes again and look at him. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°You got fucked up good, and someone called an ambnce for you. I assume it was Catn men.¡± Alessandro sits on the side of my bed. ¡°They¡¯ll pay for this.¡±


    I frown, remembering the men who jumped me. ¡°They said they¡¯reing for the family. For you and Katya and our family. We need to up security.¡± I try to sit up, and he holds me down gently.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve already increased security. Rx, there are also two guards outside your room, so you¡¯re safe,¡± he sighs. ¡°I don¡¯t know if this war is a good idea, but if we back down now, we will look like cowards.¡±


    I shake my head which hurts like hell. ¡°I don¡¯t think this war is a bad idea. I think it was inevitable. Catn just wanted an excuse to take over New York.¡±


    Alessandro sighs and runs a hand through his hair. ¡°You¡¯ll be discharged tomorrow. Your nose is broken, but otherwise, you¡¯re mostly bruised. Oh, wait, you do have two cracked ribs.¡±


    I sigh, which also hurts, and I smile. ¡°Nothing I haven¡¯t felt before.¡±


    ¡°Rest,¡± Alessandro says, ¡°I¡¯ll have some men pick you up tomorrow and take you back to the estate. Sofia should be fine without you for one night.¡±


    I grimace at the sound of her name, and it doesn¡¯t go unnoticed.


    ¡°If you want to make a move, I need to know,¡± he says quietly. ¡°I won¡¯t begrudge you a rtionship, Dominic, not after everything you¡¯ve done for the family.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a pain in the ass,¡± Iment, trying to deflect the heartfeltment by my brother.


    Alessandro grins. ¡°Perfect for you then. I don¡¯t know a bigger pain in the ass than you.¡± He gets up. ¡°Sleep, I mean it. We have work to do.¡±


    He leaves, and I settle back down, thinking about Sofia.

 #3(The Trade)-C28

    Sofia


    I worry when five p. m. rolls around and there¡¯s still no sign of Dominic. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t expect him to be outte, but he said that he would be home in time for dinner tonight. I hope something didn¡¯te up.


    I take my food to the living room and eat alone, watching a romanticedy while I wait.


    I think about messaging him, but at the same time, if he¡¯s busy with something for the family, I don¡¯t want to irritate him or sound like a nag. I don¡¯t know how I feel. I just¡­I guess I miss him.


    The front door opens just as I set my te on the coffee table, and I get up, hurrying out of the living room. Arianna turns and grins at me.


    ¡°Hey, Sofia, how are you?¡±


    There¡¯s something sad about her smile, and my stomach plummets.


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± I ask, wringing my hands.


    Arianna looks taken aback but shakes her head. ¡°I just came over to keep youpany because Dominic¡¯s been taken to hospital.¡± She quickly adds, ¡°He¡¯s fine. He just got a little beat up by some guys. He¡¯ll be out by tomorrow.¡±


    My heart feels like it¡¯s breaking in two. Poor Dominic. I feel like this is my fault. He¡¯s been getting hurt ever since he rescued me, and this all kicked off.


    ¡°There are extra guards,¡± Arianna says, ¡°So you¡¯re safe, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    I give her a brave smile. ¡°Do you want some coffee?¡±


    ¡°How about I make us something? I used to live here, you know,¡± shements, leading me through to the kitchen. ¡°We all did, growing up before we moved to the bigger family home where Alessandro stays now.¡±


    ¡°Do you stay with Alessandro?¡± I ask, trying to keep the conversation going.


    She shakes her head as she takes out two mugs. ¡°No, I have an apartment that I pay for. Despite my brothers trying to convince me otherwise, I wanted it that way. I did, however, agree to a security detail.¡±


    There¡¯s something wistful about the way she looks, and I remember the bodyguard drinking with us at the club. ¡°Do you have feelings for your security detail?¡±


    She grins mischievously. ¡°A topic for another day. For now, I want to know how you¡¯re holding up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just really worried about Dominic. He keeps getting hurt because of me.¡± I look at her sadly. ¡°I feel terrible.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± she says matter-of-factly, ¡°This is the life my brothers chose to pursue. This is an inevitable oue. If it weren¡¯t you, it would be some other reason. Don¡¯t beat yourself up about it.¡±


    There¡¯s a moment of silence. I stare at my hands when her next question catches me off guard. ¡°Sofia, do you care for my brother?¡±


    I look up quickly. ¡®I¡­¡±


    ¡°Like, do you like like my brother?¡± she asks, and she gives me a small smile. ¡°Because he wanted to kill you the first couple of days, but now he seems to only care about yourfort.¡±


    I blush. ¡°Your brother is being very kind to me at the moment, but he¡¯s still an ass.¡±


    She giggles. ¡°You can still care for him, faults and all.¡±


    I look back at my hands and then take a deep breath, revealing the truth, ¡°I don¡¯t know how I feel. I don¡¯t know how to reconcile my feelings for your brother with the fact that he kills innocent people. It¡¯s just something that makes me hesitate.¡±


    She sets her coffee down and sits beside me, facing me. ¡°My brother only does what is necessary to protect the family.¡±


    ¡°He says that,¡± I say, sipping my coffee. ¡°But it¡¯s like he doesn¡¯t feel remorse.¡±


    Arianna shakes her head. ¡°Could you imagine having to feel remorse for that, though? Don¡¯t get me wrong, it¡¯s a shitty thing for anyone to do, but it has to be done, and if you don¡¯t pack that away, if you don¡¯tpartmentalize that, it will drive you mad.¡±


    I nod slowly. ¡°I mean, I get it¡¯s hard to deal with, but I just feel like it makes him so inhuman.¡±


    Arianna and I sit there for a moment, thinking about our conversation, when she perks up. ¡°You know¡­if you don¡¯t fight it. If you treat the family as your own, something to protect and be loyal to. Something to bemitted to like a rtionship, it is easier to think of the horrible things that happen because they be a necessary evil.¡±


    ¡°A necessary evil,¡± I echo, finishing my coffee. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    Arianna smiles warmly. ¡°I mean it. Think about it. If you really like him, you should ept him warts and all.¡±


    She stands and takes her mug to the sink. ¡°If you need me, call me.¡±


    ¡°Can I go see Dominic?¡± I ask and then quickly follow up with, ¡°To take him things from home to make him morefortable.¡±


    Arianna nods, and I blush. ¡°Thank you,¡± I say.


    ¡°I¡¯ll chat to you soon.¡± Shees toward me and envelops me in a hug, and I hug her back, feelingforted.


    Once she¡¯s gone, I pack some food into a container because I¡¯m sure the hospital food is absolutely disgusting. Then I go upstairs and pack him some fresh clothes for tomorrow. I¡¯m not sure how hurt he is, so I go with something easy to get into, cks and a t-shirt.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I also pack his toothbrush and some toiletries. While standing alone in the bathroom, I see his cologne and spray some in the air before I sniff it. I immediately feel a sense of warmth spread throughout my body.


    I take everything to his bed and sit there, looking at where he sleeps. I feel like I¡¯m some kind of creepy stalker at this point, but what he doesn¡¯t know won¡¯t hurt him or me.


    I think about what Arianna said. I close my eyes and picture them as my siblings and their parents as my own. I try and feel it with my entire being. Then I imagine someone threatening that, and I¡¯m instantly filled with rage.


    I open my eyes, and I sigh. I know what it is that I want. I don¡¯t know if he wants the same thing as me, though, and confessing my feelings to him might just lead to heartbreak. It would be so awkward to live together afterward.


    I think about the sex we had and the hungry look in his eyes when he was inside me. I lick my lips.


    I have to try.


    He is a pain in the ass. God, he is so annoying. He¡¯s bossy, controlling, and overprotective, but the more I think about it, the more I appreciate the lengths he¡¯s willing to go to for the people he cares about. I mean, shit, he nearly got killed for me and he didn¡¯t even know me at all then. Now, though, I know he would kill anyone who came near me. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m okay with that, but I know I need to try. I need to try because I think I¡¯ve fallen hard for him.


    I pick up his things and go downstairs, grabbing the container of food.


    I walk out the front and smile at the guard standing there. He¡¯s new. I don¡¯t recognize him. I walk to the car where the driver is waiting for me, and suddenly, everything just goes ck.

 #3(The Trade)-C29

    Dominic


    I wake up, and my head is less sore than it felt yesterday, but my body is still in pain. I¡¯ll adapt, though, because I¡¯m used to pain.


    I eat the stupid hospital breakfast they bring me only because they won¡¯t let me go if I don¡¯t. Once I choke it down, they give me another once over before the doctor deres I can be discharged.


    The nurse brings the paperwork to me to fill out, and I think about Sofia. I wonder if she has missed me at all. She hasn¡¯t called to check on me ore to visit, but I hope she¡¯s happy to see me when I get home.


    ¡°Hello, big brother,¡± I look up at Arianna¡¯s smiling face.


    ¡°Ari,¡± I say. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Picking you up.¡± She sits on the side of my bed. ¡°Wanted to make sure you were okay.¡±


    I snort. ¡°You know this isn¡¯t the worst I¡¯ve been.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t worry,¡± she singsongs. She looks around the room and then at me. ¡°So, did you and Sofia talk?¡±


    ¡°About what?¡± I ask curiously. ¡°Thest time I spoke to Sofia was yesterday morning.¡±


    Arianna frowns. ¡°She said she wasing to see youst night.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she fell asleep,¡± I say. ¡°Or changed her mind.¡± My sister looks away, and I frown. ¡°Arianna Amelia Sorvino, what did you do?¡±


    She grins. ¡°Don¡¯t say my full name. It¡¯s bad luck.¡±


    I raise an eyebrow, which hurts. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I went to see her,¡± she says, drawing azy circle in the bedspread. ¡°And I chatted to her about how she might feel about you.¡±


    I balk. ¡°Arianna, that is none of your business.¡±


    She looks up at me. ¡°Well, someone has to intervene between you two. It¡¯s like watching two ships pass in the night, except the lighthouse is on and shining at both of you.¡±


    We fall silent, and I look out the window at the buildings across the road. ¡°What did she say?¡± I ask quietly.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best she speaks to you. I just made it clear she needs to make up her mind and that you¡¯re more than what you appear to be.¡± Arianna stands up. ¡°Are youing or what?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a killer, Arianna, nothing more than that. You shouldn¡¯t put ideas in her head.¡± I stand up and wince, holding my ribs.


    Arianna observes me for a moment before saying, ¡°You¡¯re more than what you think you are, brother, and the ideas were already there. I was just watering the seeds.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t, please. This doesn¡¯t need to be moreplicated than it already is.¡± I walk with her out of the room, and the guards follow us as we exit the hospital.


    I see Carmine waiting for us at the elevator and look at Arianna. ¡°Is there something I should know?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that you¡¯re full of shit, and I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay.¡± She touches my shoulder gently, so I lean down. She kisses my cheek and grins. ¡°I¡¯m not going to drive with you home after all. I think it¡¯s better you two have some alone time. Ciao.¡±


    She walks off with Carmine toward the stairs, and I roll my eyes. She knows I can¡¯t keep up with her in my current shape. I take the elevator down to the ground floor and get to the car, sitting back and rxing in the back seat.


    I close my eyes as we drive. Traffic is shit at this time, so I know I can doze off for a while, at least. I think about what Arianna said about Sofia having a choice to make. What if she chooses me? I don¡¯t know what I would do with that.From N?velDrama.Org.


    Do I return her feelings? Alessandro might not like that, although he said he would simply change my role in the family. Do I want to change my position?


    I try and clear my mind. This stress is making my headachee back quickly.


    ¡°Boss,¡± I hear my driver say as we slow down.


    I open my eyes and lean forward. The gates to the estate are wide open. There is no one to be seen.


    ¡°Get to the house,¡± I say, realizing Sofia might be in danger.


    ¡°It could be a trap,¡± Carlos, my guard, says.


    I re at him. ¡°Shoot any motherfucker that doesn¡¯t belong to us.¡±


    My driver pulls up to the house, and we exit quickly. Moving fast is painful, so I let my guards go first. I see three dead bodies near the front door.


    My men.


    I don¡¯t know where the others are, but I know they¡¯re probably dead. I walk into the house without a qualm. ¡°Sofia!¡± I yell. ¡°Sofia, answer me!¡±


    The house has been turned upside down, and everything that could be destroyed has been destroyed-shards of ss and pottery and pieces of torn artwork litter the floor. Cushions have been ripped and strewn about.


    I look at the top of the stairs to see a graffiti tag emzoned on the wall.


    The Catn tag.


    This is what their soldiers use to deliver warnings to other families. They¡¯ve taken Sofia, and they¡¯re basically saying I¡¯m not getting her back, and I¡¯ll die if I try to.


    I take my cell phone out as my men sweep the house and dial Alessandro. ¡°You home?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve taken Sofia,¡± I say immediately.


    Alessandro goes quiet for a moment. ¡°Do you need help?¡±


    ¡°I just need your permission to do what I must to get her back, regardless of the consequences,¡± I say.


    ¡°You do this. There is no going back,¡± Alessandro says, then, after a pause, ¡°I would do the same thing for Katya. I have done the same thing for her. Go, do what you need to do.¡±


    I hang up and hobble out to the side of the house, where there¡¯s arge shed. Carlos follows me, and I say, ¡°Get a few men ready, as much ammo as they can get. I will ping her cell phone to see wherest it went off. We must do this carefully, or they will take us out at the knees.¡±


    ¡°How carefully?¡±


    ¡°By carefully, I mean not one of those motherfuckerses out alive, do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get Carmine,¡± Carlos says, walking away.


    I enter the shed that remained untouched due to the security locks and switch on the light. Weapons of all kinds line the walls and the table in the center. I look around and nod, ¡°This will do,¡± I say to myself.


    I carefully change into a bulletproof vest, as painful as it is. I know I could send my men on their own, especially since Carmine is an amazing mercenary. Second only to me.


    Once I¡¯ve finished strapping as many weapons to myself as I can manage without being weighed down, I grab one set of keys from the many hanging in a box to the left of the door.


    I walk into therge garage at the side of the house and hit the button, unlocking the armored vehicle sitting to the right.


    I climb in, start the car and rev it.


    I¡¯m getting my Sofia back, she¡¯s my princess, and no one touches my things. Least of all some filthy mug like Jose Catn.


    He has dered war, not only on my family but on me personally, and war is what I¡¯m best at.

 #3(The Trade)-C30

    Sofia


    There are three guards. Each one takes a chance to punch me in whatever part of my body they choose. The bigger one, they called Wretch, tears my shirt open and howls withughter.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    I won¡¯t lie. I¡¯m terrified they¡¯re going to rape me. I know in my heart that once Dominic knows I¡¯m gone, he¡¯lle to rescue me, but I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll be here in time to stop this.


    The short guard, whose name I don¡¯t know, ps me across the face. I can feel the blood running down from a cut near my temple. I groan and spit. Blood muddies my saliva that hits the ground.


    ¡°Untie her,¡± Wretch says, standing up straight.


    The third guard, Storm, cuts the cable ties holding me to the chair, and he and no-name force me onto my feet. Wretch punches me in the gut, and I double over, crying out.


    ¡°You see, you¡¯re just a fragile little ything,¡± Storm sneers.


    I look up at Wretch defiantly. ¡°When the Sorvinos learn I¡¯m missing, they wille and kill all of you.¡±


    Wretch lets out a gutturalugh, holding his belly. ¡°Oh, we expect Sorvino toe after you. I mean, you¡¯re his ything. When he does, we¡¯ll kill him and you together. How romantic. But first, maybe we should make you our ything.¡±


    He uses a finger to lift my chin, and I move quickly, biting into it. He punches my head, and I release his finger, feeling dazed.


    One of the two men holding me kicks my knees out, so I¡¯m kneeling on the floor.


    They twist my arms and pull them behind me. It feels like the pressure is going to dislocate them when suddenly they kick me in the back, releasing my arms at the same time. I m into the floor, and I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve chipped a tooth. I¡¯ve definitely bit my lip. The taste of blood is stronger in my mouth.


    Wretch looks down at me with a smirk. ¡°Leave her. We¡¯ll y with her some moreter.¡±


    Storm kicks me onest time for good measure, and he and Wretch leave. ¡®No-name¡¯ stands at the door. I lie against the cold floor and breathe, trying to adapt to my pain.


    Dominic would want me to be strong. He would be strong. I know he¡¯lle to get me.


    I swallow some more blood and grimace, lifting my head slowly. I have to push through. I have to put up a fight, no matter what. I am no one¡¯s ything.


    I shimmy out of the torn rags of my shirt so that I¡¯m left standing in just my bra. I hear a chuckle from ¡®no-name,¡¯ but I don¡¯t do anything to give him any satisfaction. Instead, I turn my back on him and press the torn rags to my head to stem the bleeding.


    I hobble over to the corner, my legs feeling weak. I sink down with my back to the corner, keeping an eye on ¡®no-name.¡¯ I gently touch my face. I can tell it¡¯s bruised from the amount of pain I feel when my fingers press lightly against my skin.


    They¡¯re going to regret this so much.


    If I try to seduce ¡®no-name,¡¯ he¡¯ll know I¡¯m up to something. I need him toe to me. I need him to feel like he has the upper hand and that I¡¯m too weak to retaliate.


    I whimper softly in the corner, holding my head. I look up at him. ¡°Dominic will kill all of you. Just wait and see. The Sorvinos are the toughest and most organized family in New York.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you think,¡± he says. ¡°Don Catn is going to take over New York, and things are going to change around here. No more stupid rules to follow. We will make this city ours, and no one, not even the Sorvinos, will be able to take it back from us.¡±


    I let out a snort, despite it hurting. ¡°Please, Jose doesn¡¯t have the balls to defeat Alessandro. The man is a genius. He will lead a war against the Catn family and ughter them all. I can¡¯t wait to watch it.¡±


    ¡°You talk big for a woman,¡± he says, smirking. ¡°Your big mouth is going to get you into trouble if you don¡¯t watch out.¡±


    I pretend to struggle to my feet. Some of my strength hase back, fueled by the adrenaline rush I¡¯m feeling. ¡°Jose is nothing but a tiny dick in a huge world. He probably doesn¡¯t even know what to do with a woman.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find out soon enough,¡± ¡®no-name¡¯ says. ¡°Maybe I should put you in your ce first, just to remind you that there is only one thing women are good for.¡±


    I spit on the floor. ¡°Funny. I thought you were a woman.¡±


    He res at me. He holsters his gun but doesn¡¯t clip the holster shut. He walks casually over to me. ¡°You¡¯re going to regret that, little girl.¡±


    He pushes me back against the wall hard, and I raise my hands to his shoulders, pretending to fight him off. ¡°You don¡¯t want to do this.¡±


    He leans in. ¡°Don¡¯t I? Scared now?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I sound more confident than I feel. I thrust my head forward, and my forehead connects with his nose. I feel dazed, but I tense my shoulders on his hands and hold tight as I bring my leg up to his crotch. An old but reliable trick for any woman to use, and it¡¯s gotten me out of one mobster family situation already. ¡®No-name¡¯ keels over, and I ram my knee into his head. I feel like I¡¯ve broken my knee, but he keels backward, groaning again. I rush forward and grab his gun.


    He tries to stop me, but he¡¯s too dazed. I hit him in the head with the gun. I don¡¯t want to fire it in case everyone hears. I just need to hide somewhere safe until Dominices to get me.


    I hit ¡®no-name¡¯ again and again until he¡¯s out cold. He could be dead. I don¡¯t know, and I don¡¯t care.


    I get up unsteadily and limp toward the door, wincing every time I put pressure on my right knee.


    I slowly open the door and nce down the corridor. There¡¯s no one there, but I hear voices nearby.


    I slip into the hallway and move away from the voices as quietly but as quickly as possible, constantly checking my surroundings in case someone tries to sneak up on me. I reach a dead end and have to turn around; my heart is hammering in my chest.


    I make my way to the first door and press my ear against it. There¡¯s no sound behind it, but that doesn¡¯t there isn¡¯t anyone in there.


    I hold the gun unsteadily. Dominic was right about needing a smaller weapon, so I don¡¯t shake so much. I slowly open the door and peer inside. It¡¯s just an empty room with boxes.


    I get inside and shut the door. I move around the boxes until I find a hiding ce in the back. Once Dominices, I¡¯ll make my way out of the room and find him. Then we can go home and put this behind us, I think optimistically.


    I settle down, holding the gun with both hands in case someonees in. I try to take slow, quiet breaths. Tense, I wait for my Dominic.

 #3(The Trade)-C31

    Dominic


    Sofia¡¯s phonest pinged near the industrial area in East New York. I know there¡¯s a warehouse owned by the Catn family there. A branch of sorts, and I know it¡¯s heavily guarded.


    I¡¯m a man with a n, though, and sometimes it¡¯s best just to walk straight through the front door. It¡¯s the least expected way to go.


    I drive through the streets of New York calmly, which is probably the most dangerous state for me to be in.


    Calm.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Like the time I was calm in High School when some punk tried to hit Frankie, and I broke both his kneecaps and got suspended.


    Calm, like when Arianna¡¯s first love broke her heart, so I broke his nose and his arm.


    Calm is how I¡¯ve killed many men and lived to tell the tale.


    As I¡¯m approaching the fenced-off warehouse, I breathe serenely, even, and a smirk crosses my face. These fuckers don¡¯t know who they¡¯re dealing with. Alessandro can be reasoned with. Frankie can negotiate.


    I choose violence every time.


    As I approach the front gate, several guards move in ce to guard it. Onerge asshole opens it and steps out, holding an automatic weapon in his hands.


    Ooooh, scary.


    I chuckle to myself as I stop the car and open the door.


    I climb out of the vehicle and shut the door. I walk around to the front, leaning back against the hood.


    ¡°Well, well, well¡­ Jose not here himself?¡± I ask. I will never refer to him as a Don. Hemands no respect from me.


    ¡°You made a mistakeing here tonight to save your girlfriend,¡± the big guy says. ¡°You¡¯vee to your death, as ordered by Don Jose Catn of the Catn family. Soon to be the ruling family in New York.¡±


    I smack my leg. ¡°Well, jeez, if you had told me that before, I would have worn a suit. Ruling family, huh? See, Sorvinos don¡¯t like little threats like that. This is our territory. Now I¡¯m going to give you ten minutes to collect your men, pack up whatever supplies you want to take, and exit this warehouse.¡±


    I look at my watch. ¡°Failure to do so will result in your death and the death of all men in this facility, whoever they¡¯re affiliated to.¡±


    The guards allugh. ¡°You think one man can take us?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Just a side note,¡± I say, ignoring hisment, ¡°If you have hurt Sofia Lopez in any way, even if you do leave, I¡¯ll hunt you down and kill you with my bare hands.¡±


    I look between the guards and pause, pointing to one. ¡°You¡¯re one of the fuckers that jumped me. You¡¯re definitely going to die tonight.¡±


    The guardsugh again, and the big guy steps forward. ¡°You can die inside or out here. Make your choice.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re choosing death?¡± I nod a little. ¡°Admirable.¡±


    Suddenly, the big guy¡¯s head all but explodes as he¡¯s taken out with a high-powered rifle. The men raise their weapons in my direction, but my mene out of various hiding ces along the fence and other warehouses and start shooting at them, so they¡¯re distracted. As I walk toward the gate, I have a handgun in each hand, taking out most of the men I¡¯d been talking to myself.


    One or two think to fire at me, but Carmine quickly guns them down on the high-powered rifle.


    I walk through the gate, and several of my men follow, then spread out. They take out every Catn soldier they encounter.


    I walk toward the main warehouse and kick the door open. Two shots hit me in the bulletproof vest, and my cracked ribs scream in pain, but I bottle it. Now is not the time.


    I shoot the asshole who fired at me, and a few of my mene in behind me and start to search the rooms.


    A door to my left opens, and I whip around with my gun, but I¡¯m facing Sofia. We stare at each other as bullets fly around us. I hold my hand out to her, and she drops the weapon she¡¯s holding and takes it. She¡¯s just wearing her bra, and I growl. ¡°Who did this to you?¡±


    She shakes her head. ¡°They just beat me and ripped my clothes. Can we get out of here?¡±


    I gingerly take off my jacket and wrap her in it, leading her back toward the armored car. One or two men try and stop us, but Carmine is a great shot. Sofia keeps huddled against me, at least as much as she can, and I open the passenger door to let her in.


    I walk around to the driver¡¯s side and climb in. I turn the car on, throw it in reverse, and floor it.


    Before we know it, we¡¯re driving through New York toward Alessandro¡¯s house.


    ¡°You need a doctor. Alessandro has a personal one on standby,¡± I exin. ¡°You say they just beat you?¡±


    ¡°They threatened to rape me, but that¡¯s as far as it got. I managed to goad the guard, attack him, and get away. I was hiding, waiting for you toe to get me.¡±


    ¡°You knew I would,¡± I say. It¡¯s not a question.


    ¡°There was never any doubt,¡± she says, her voice cracking. ¡°I¡¯m so tired and sore.¡± I can hear the tears in her voice, and it tears my soul to shreds.


    ¡°Rest. Cry. Do what you need to because you¡¯re safe, and I¡¯m not going to let anyone get to you again. I don¡¯t care what it takes.¡±


    Sofia curls up, facing me. ¡°I know you¡¯ll protect me. Thank you, Dominic.¡±


    ¡°Rest, Sofia,¡± I say softly.


    We get to Alessandro¡¯s house, and it breaks my heart to have to wake her. I won¡¯t let her walk, though. I don¡¯t care that I feel like I¡¯m dying. I have a high pain threshold. I carry her inside and sit her on the living room sofa.


    A doctores in and immediately starts seeing to her.


    I leave them to it and go to Alessandro¡¯s study. He¡¯s on the phone, so I wait patiently for him to finish.


    Once he¡¯s done, he looks at me. ¡°They¡¯re all dead, all Jose¡¯s men, including two cousins.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sorry,¡± I say.


    ¡°I¡¯m not either. I¡¯ve told the men to remove the cousin¡¯s heads or hands and send them to Jose as a gift.¡± He stands. ¡°We are now openly at war. We need to call the families that are loyal to us together.¡±


    ¡°Any word from Andres?¡± I ask.


    ¡°He¡¯s started his own war. Argentina and Columbia have both turned against Jose and joined the cause. Andres is moving toward Mexico.¡± He gives me a small smile. ¡°What are you going to do with Sofia?¡±


    ¡°Protect her,¡± I say, trying to sound casual, ¡°But that won¡¯t affect my role in this family. You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±


    Alessandro observes me for a moment and nods. ¡°I trust you¡¯ll be man enough to let me know if that changes.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I say with a nod, ¡°You will be the first to know.¡±


    ¡°The estate waspromised. I will find out how. For now, stay here and rest, heal. I need you back to a hundred percent as soon as possible. Take time with Sofia, though. Carmine will take over your duties for now.¡± Alessandro looks to the left as Katyaes in, sliding up next to him. ¡°We¡¯re going to bed. It¡¯s been an exhausting day.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight,¡± I say, leaving them to their own devices. I go back to Sofia.

 #3(The Trade)-C32

    Sofia


    Dominic put me down gently on a soft bed, and I give him a small smile. My body hurts all over, and I¡¯m exhausted, but I don¡¯t want him to leave me alone.


    ¡°Will you stay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll never leave you again,¡± he says, and I know he means it.


    I smile. ¡°Please lie by me.¡±


    He slides onto the bed without hesitation, and I curl up against him. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he says. ¡°Now that you are, Princess.¡±


    I don¡¯t even care that he calls me princess; I¡¯m his princess. I rest my head against his chest, listening to his heart beat steadily in his chest.


    ¡°Do you want to return to Argentina, where it¡¯s safe?¡± he asks quietly.


    I look up slowly because moving hurts, and I frown. ¡°No! No, I don¡¯t want to. And not because I want to study here. I want to be with you, Dominic. I¡¯m ready to do what is necessary. I understand now. I understand your loyalty.¡±


    I freeze, but it¡¯s toote to back out now. ¡°I¡¯ve fallen so hard for you. I know you don¡¯t like to express emotions, but if you give me a reason, I¡¯ll dly stay and serve the family alongside you,¡± I say.


    I stare into his eyes, trying to figure out what he¡¯s thinking, and I panic that I¡¯m wrong, that he doesn¡¯t feel anything for me.


    Then he leans down and ces a kiss on my forehead. ¡°We can do that.¡±


    I smile and sit up. I take off the shirt Katya gave me to wear. The doctor removed my bra to treat me. I can feel Dominic¡¯s eyes on me, but I don¡¯t look at him. ¡°How hurt are you?¡±


    ¡°Really? Now?¡± he chuckles.


    ¡°We can be gentle,¡± I say. ¡°I just feel like¡­if we¡¯re going to do business together, we should seal the deal.¡±


    Dominic¡¯s hand trails up my back softly. ¡°Really? You¡¯re horny after everything you¡¯ve been through.¡±


    I turn to look at him over my shoulder. ¡°What can I say? You really turned me on tonight. Marching in there like my knight in shining armor.¡±


    He raises his eyebrows but says, ¡°I¡¯m going to get you your own gun.¡± He sits up slowly. ¡°That way, you don¡¯t have to try to shoot people with a heavy one and hurt yourself.¡±


    I grin, turn, and straddle him. ¡°So about sealing this deal?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re both seriously injured,¡± he protests but runs his hands up and down my sides anyway. I tug at his shirt, and he lets me take it off. I kiss his bare shoulder softly, and he buries his face in my breasts, sighing.


    I feel his hands making small trails up and down my sides, then to my back where he rubs me gently. He lifts his head and kisses my left nipple, then the right, then he sucks on the right one softly. I groan, leaning forward. His hand moves to my left breast to tease the nipple while he captures the right one between his teeth gently. I whimper, both from pain and pleasure, as I arc slightly.


    He pulls away and I stroke his face softly. I lean down and kiss him, avoiding his broken nose.


    I shift so that he can pull my panties off but instead of letting me stay on top, he guides me to rest on my back. He kisses my inner thigh softly, meeting my eyes. Those blue-gray eyes have me hooked. He tugs softly at my underwear and eases it off, tossing it away.


    He settles between my legs and I know what¡¯sing, and I¡¯m not prepared for it. His tongue slides between my lips and around my clit. I groan, shivering.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    I can feel his smile against me as he kisses me, before he gently licks me again, ¡°So tasty¡­¡± he murmurs and it turns me on, ¡°So wet,¡± he adds.


    I whimper softly and spread my legs as wide as I can without hurting myself, ¡°Please Dominic, don¡¯t tease¡­¡±


    He grins and gets up, slowly undressing. He¡¯s going slow to tease me and I¡¯m both enrapt and impatient. He settles on his knees between my legs, stroking himself.


    It doesn¡¯t take him long to get hard, and I can¡¯t help but think he has such a beautiful dick. Most dicks are so ugly looking but his brings me nothing but pleasure.


    He rubs the tip between my lips and whine, ¡°Dommmmm¡­.¡±


    He chuckles and he slowly pushes into me. He rests a hand on either side of my upper torso, leaning over me but not on me. I can see he¡¯s taking a bit of strain but he doesn¡¯t protest. I want to but he captures my lips with his, sliding his tongue into my mouth. I can taste myself, and it drives me wild. He moves, but not like before, not like the first time. This is a slow, gentle movement. I feel empty when he pulls out of me and whole when he fills me. I rock slightly, trying not to hurt myself. We¡¯re both soon panting, I can feel his heart breath on my neck and the gooseflesh raises on my skin.


    ¡°You¡¯re in pain, let¡¯s switch,¡± I murmur. He doesn¡¯t protest, he pulls out of me and rests back on his back, breathing hard. I straddle him carefully, holding his cock to guide him back into me. I lower myself gently and instead of moving up and down, I rock backwards and forward.


    His hands snake up and tease my nipples again and I bite my lip. God, I want him to touch every part of me.


    I put my hands over his and squeeze my breasts, moving a bit faster. It hurts where I¡¯m stiff, but at the same time, I¡¯m in ecstasy.


    He grunts and I know he¡¯s close so I guide his one hand between my legs. He takes the hint and starts to touch and rub my clit, teasing me. I clench my muscles around him as he tenses up and I know I¡¯m close, ¡°Wait¡­ Wait¡­¡±


    He teases me a bit faster, and I groan, ¡°Noww.¡±


    He thrusts up into me as I clench hard, my orgasm raking through my battered body. He holds me, and I am remiss to say I¡¯m not aching more.


    We curl up in each other¡¯s arms and I sigh, happily.


    ¡°I won¡¯t lie, I could get used to this,¡± Dominic says, kissing the top of my head.


    I make a ¡°hmmm¡± sound in response and close my eyes, ¡°So tired,¡± I whisper.


    I doze off in his arms.


    When I wake up I see Dominic watching me closely. I give him a wry smile and he chuckles, ¡°You¡¯re going to be so much trouble for me, I can tell.¡±


    ¡°Trouble is fun though,¡± I say, ¡°Besides, I¡¯m your princess.¡±


    ¡°Yes you are, princess,¡± he says, stroking my back, ¡°If you¡¯re finished sleeping we can go shower together.¡±


    ¡°Are we just showering?¡± I ask with a mischievous grin.


    ¡°You¡¯re insatiable,¡± he says, pauses and then adds, ¡°I fucking love it.¡±


    I giggle and slowly get up, walking naked towards the en-suite bathroom, ¡°See you inside.¡±

 #4 Chapter 1

    AriannaBelongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I push the elerator down, and my car thunders. It¡¯s a mighty sound that dwarfs the cars on either side of me. Oh, they try to make their voices heard, but my Tia is feisty, loud, and rambunctious, all the things I am in life. People thought I¡¯d probably get a bright pink car, but my souped-up Chev Imp is a beautiful matte ck with a thin gold racing line down her body. The words: Cup Cake are stenciled in gold down my driver¡¯s door. It¡¯s the term of endearment my father called me growing up. I was always his Cup Cake, always two words, not one. He¡¯d sometimes pause in the middle when calling me, I don¡¯t know why but it would make me giggle.


    At twenty-five, though, all five foot six of me likes being in what my oldest brother considers a death trap on wheels. My ck hair is braided down my back. Most drivers wear a helmet, but I only do that when I¡¯m unfamiliar with the track. The industrial area just outside of Brooklyn is not unfamiliar territory to me at all. In fact, my family owns most of the warehouses down here.


    A beautiful, much more petite blond in a busting boob tube and too-tight leather chaps walks to the safe point between the three cars lined up, with me in the middle.


    I rev my car again to spook her a little, and I don¡¯t miss the briefly sour look she gives me before she dons that perfect bama smile, small white teeth almost sparkling in the high beams of the cars parked around us.


    She raises her hand with a handkerchief, and I can feel my pupils dte in concentration. I squeeze and rotate my hands on the steering wheel, checking my grip. She suddenly drops her arm, and I punch the elerator.


    Jarrod, driving the Mustang to my right, pulls in front of me by a fraction, and Hans, who drives the GTI to my left, falls behind me.


    This will not stand.


    I don¡¯t do second ce.


    But I have an advantage that Jarrod doesn¡¯t. I¡¯m intimately familiar with where the roads are broader and where they narrow. I¡¯ve been driving through this area since I could operate a golf cart to get from one of my family¡¯s warehouses to the next.


    I feint left, and Jarrod turned left. I feint right, and he follows. He¡¯s not going to let me pass him easily. Although, I don¡¯t mind if my ride gets a few scratches, and I can¡¯t say the same about his feelings for his car.


    I feint right and jerk left as we round a particrly open corner. He doesn¡¯t quite buy it, but I manage to gain enough speed that he can¡¯t get me back without causing a crash.


    The radio in my car starts crackling, ¡°We¡¯ve got pigs. We¡¯ve got pigsing in hot. Bail! Everyone bail!¡±


    I pick up the receiver and hit the side button, ¡°Not until I fucking win this.¡±


    Han¡¯s voicees over the static, ¡°I¡¯m out. I forfeit.¡±


    I hit the button again, ¡°What¡¯s it going to be, Jarrod?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you and the cops in my dust, cupcake,¡± he says arrogantly.


    I deliberately fall behind him, and as he moves to upy the space I leave to prevent me from pulling up again, I pull to the right and overtake him, clipping the front of his car. I hear him swearing at me over the radio, but above that, I hear sirens in the distance, even over my thunderous engine. As I fly past the finish line, a few stragglers hang out of their cars. I don¡¯t wait to see if they leave. I radio in, ¡°I¡¯ll be back to collect my winnings, don¡¯t spend them.¡±


    I fly between two warehouses as the cops pull into the area through the gates to my left. There¡¯s a gap in the chain link fence just big enough on this side, and I doubt they even register that I¡¯ve raced out past them.


    No, unfortunately, they did register my move. I look in my rearview mirror to see two cop cars turning around to give chase.


    ¡°Sorry, boys, I got bigger fish to fry,¡± I change gear and go through two red lights before I turn right, then left, and soon I¡¯m on the highway heading back toward the estate where we live.


    I keep my speed down once I¡¯m far enough away from the cops following me. I don¡¯t want to attract any more attention.


    I pull into the hidden driveway, not the main one, and use my clicker to open the gate. Once in, I open the garage door and pull Tia into her parking space. Next to her is my lime green Honda Civic, also modified, and next to that is my Camaro in dark purple.


    I climb out of my car and flip my braid over my shoulder. At some point in the race, it had flown over my shoulder to fall down my right side. I stretch, and as I raise my hands above my head to get a good long stretch in, a light suddenly floods the garage.


    I look to where the door that leads to the kitchen is, and Carmine, my brother¡¯s best mercenary, is standing there with his hand near the light.


    ¡°Homete, I see? Was it worth it?¡± he asks. Taking the two steps down, he walks toward me, chuckling.


    ¡°I won if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking. Also, I didn¡¯t get caught this time.¡± I bat my eyelids at him, and he gives a deeper chuckle. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end as though electricity is coursing through my body. Our eyes meet, and he holds my gaze. I look deeply into his eyes. Hees closer to me. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good news. I¡¯d hate to give your brother the news if you did.¡±


    ¡°If you did what?¡± Alessandro¡¯s voice shatters the spell that seems to have befallen us, and I look over Carmine¡¯s shoulder. I just see the top of Alessandro as Carmine is six feet, so I look up at him the same way I look up at my six-foot brother.


    ¡°If I got taken in by the police again,¡± I say casually.


    Carmine steps aside as Alessandro approaches. ¡°Why do you insist on sneaking out at all hours of the night to race cars illegally?¡±


    ¡°Because I like it, and what I like, I get,¡± I tease with a grin. ¡°Besides, what else is there to do if I¡¯m not allowed to be involved in the family business,¡± I add.


    Alessandro ignores myment, and I know I¡¯m not in trouble because a small smile ys on his lips. ¡°How much did you win?¡±


    ¡°Three thousand,¡± Iment. ¡°I have to pick it up tomorrow.¡±


    Alessandro kisses my forehead. ¡°Hmm, of course, you do. And if I were a gambling man, which sometimes I am, I¡¯d wager you¡¯ll use that as a buy-in to another race, probably tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the Camaro. You know I don¡¯t race that baby,¡± I say with a grin. ¡°Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me,¡± I nce at Carmine, who has a sweet smile as he watches me, ¡°I need to get to bed. I¡¯m obviously somewhat sleep-deprived from being up sote.¡±


    Alessandro chuckles. ¡°Go home, Carmine. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow at lunch.¡±


    Carmine nods. ¡°Sure thing, boss. Have a good night.¡±


    I can¡¯t help but wonder if he stayed sote because he was waiting to see me. I grin as I walk to my room, closing the door behind me. A bit flustered, once I¡¯m between the cold sheets of my bed, I close my eyes and picture Carmine¡¯s smile.

 #4 Chapter 2

    Carmine


    I¡¯ve never been a church fan, mainly because of the line of work I¡¯m in. I don¡¯t like the idea of any deity judging what I do, regardless of why I do it. I go, though, because we¡¯re expected to keep up appearances. I sit behind my boss, next to my best friend, Dominic. As the priest is praying, when our heads are supposed to be bent and our eyes closed, I nce over to the row in front of me to the right. Arianna has her head bowed, but her eyes aren¡¯t closed. She has those beautiful blue-gray eyes. The Sorvino eyes, but somehow on her, it¡¯s different.


    I¡¯ve loved Arianna since I was a child, not that I would ever admit that to anyone. Her brothers would surely put a bullet in my head if they knew what I was thinking about their sister. I would never act on those feelings. I am loyal to the Sorvinos. They have been my family since my parents died when I was young.


    They died, but not before exposing me to an endless amount of trauma. The abuse still shows as physical scars on my body. They¡¯re faint now but still there to remind me how grateful I should be Romero took me in. They are my family now.


    Still, I can¡¯t see Arianna as my sister. She¡¯s always been more to me, and I think, on some level, her brothers know that I would die to protect her. But I can¡¯t cross a certain line.


    The service ends, and I wait as the front pew files out before I follow behind. Dominic sighs heavily and whispers, ¡°Every Sunday, it feels like this takes longer and longer.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I whisper back. ¡°It¡¯s so painful.¡±


    ¡°At least there¡¯s food waiting at home,¡± Dominic says cheerfully.


    We thank the priest as we exit, gripping his hands briefly. Alessandro is standing off to the side, lighting a cigar. We move over to join him. I nce up as Arianna moves toward the vehicles with Helena and some of the other females of the family. Katya, Alessandro¡¯s wife, was among them. The women are going ahead to make sure everything was ready for lunch.


    ¡°Carmine, care for a cigar?¡± Romero offers me, standing next to his son.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I say, taking the thick cigar from him. I clench it between my teeth as he lights it, inhaling.


    ¡°We have business to attend to after lunch,¡± Alessandroments.


    ¡°Not while we¡¯re at church,¡± Romero chides him. Alessandro might be Don now, but he still minds his father on certain matters, like church. He doesn¡¯t apologize, though. He would never do that.


    We stand and smoke, talking about baseball and football. I don¡¯t say much. I observe our surroundings, ensuring no one will try to take out my family while their guard is down at church.


    Soon enough, we are mbering into vehicles and on our way back to the estate.


    The women rush around the tables in the garden, putting out loaves of bread and various snacks as the men stroll in. Some stand in groups and speak while others find their ces to sit and talk.


    Kira, one of the older cousins, bumps into me by ident and blushes. ¡°Oh Carmine, it¡¯s so nice to see you again. Are you working out more than usual?¡±


    She¡¯s trying to flirt. The cousins always try and flirt, but I¡¯m not interested. I used to make more effort in my twenties when I was more flexible with my feelings, but now I don¡¯t feel the necessity.


    ¡°Hi, Kira,¡± I say, giving her a gentle smile. I don¡¯t want to hurt her feelings after all. ¡°Just the same as usual.¡±


    ¡°Well, you look great.¡± She tucks a curl behind her ear only for it to escape again and hang in her eyes.


    ¡°Careful, Kira,¡± Dominic says, joining us. ¡°This yer will break your heart into pieces.¡±


    He ps me on the back, and I roll my eyes. I¡¯m about to tell him off when Alessandro gives a hearty chuckle. ¡°Better Kira than our sister. Carmine could use some settling down, I think.¡±


    Dominicughs, and Romeroes through to the garden. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re trying to marry Carmine off to Kira,¡± Dominic says.


    Poor Kira is now crimson and hurries off. ¡°Aw, I was just joking,¡± Dominic calls after her.


    I look at him. ¡°Who breaks whose heart? Good job, dumb ass.¡±


    If he weren¡¯t my best friend, if this weren¡¯t an informal family setting, I¡¯d be put in a world of hurt. But he is my best friend, and we¡¯re joking around.From N?velDrama.Org.


    He chuckles, and we both walk to where Alessandro is. I sit next to Dominic as the women start to bring out various dishes for us to eat. Roasts, tes of pasta, and bakes of all kinds. They always overdo it on Sunday lunch.


    Alessandro looks over to Dominic. ¡°What news do we have about our South American friends?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re doing well, and they¡¯re closing in on Jose Catn, and soon, he won¡¯t be our problem anymore,¡± Dominic says.


    I interject, ¡°That¡¯s not our only problem, though.¡±


    Romero, Alessandro, and Dominic look at me, so I sip my wine and continue, ¡°There are whispers that a Russian family wants to invade our territories. Apparently, they make Katya look like a Disney princess.¡±


    Alessandro snorts and shakes his head. ¡°Have you met my wife?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what worries me. I have,¡± I say. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with it as ites. Best not to y our hand before we see what cards are on the table.¡± Alessandro looks up as Katya joins them. ¡°Apparently, you¡¯re a Disney princess.¡±


    Katya frowns, not getting the joke, and Dominicughs a bit too hard, choking on a piece of food. Alessandro and I p him on the back until he coughs it up.


    Most of the women are sitting down to join us for food now, and my eyes briefly meet Arianna¡¯s. She gives me a small smile as though she and I share a secret. I guess we do because I know from the looks she gives me that we would be together if it were an option.


    I look away and back at Dominic. ¡°Are you alive?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he croaks out, ¡°I just imagined Katya in a poofy yellow dress.¡±


    A few of usugh, and Katya shakes her head. ¡°Even in a poofy yellow dress, I¡¯d torture you so badly you¡¯d be kissing my ss slippers in no time, Dominic.¡±


    Dominic holds his hands up. ¡°I do not doubt that, Kat.¡±


    Everyone falls into a rhythm of eating and having genial conversations. Every now and then, my eyes flit to Arianna, to how her mouth moves as she smiles and chats with her cousins. I think about the times I¡¯ve been close to her, the smell of her perfume, and then Dominic smacks me.


    ¡°Hello, are you listening?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, no. What did you say?¡± I ask, looking at him.


    ¡°I said stop staring at Kira. You¡¯re going to give her the wrong impression,¡± Dominic says. ¡°Unless you really are interested in her.¡±


    I chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in being in a rtionship right now. I actually just spaced out a bit there.¡±


    Thank God he didn¡¯t notice it was Arianna I was looking at. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d live past this meal. I try not to look at her for the rest of the afternoon.

 #4 Chapter 3

    Arianna


    I wait outside the house near the car. Just because I don¡¯t mind getting down and dirty with the boys doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t like to do my hair and nails, and I love spending time with my mom when I do these things. I will say, though, that she takes forever to get out of the house and get going. It must be nice being old and not in a rush anymore.


    After I get my hair and nails done, I want to take Tia to the shop to have some modifications done. That¡¯s one thing you learn about cars. When you¡¯re really into them, there are never enough modifications. You¡¯re always looking for the next best thing to put you ahead of the game.


    I glimpse Alessandro through the window of his study, talking to Dominic and Carmine, and I study Carmine¡¯s profile. I can¡¯t see him clearly, but I know it¡¯s him. That nose and haircut gives him away, and I wonder what the rest of him looks like.


    I wonder what he tastes like.


    ¡°Ready to go,¡± Helena calls as she exits the house. ¡°Cup Cake, what are you staring at?¡±


    I grin at her. ¡°I was just wondering if Alessandro still has any fun or if his life is boring now.¡±


    ¡°That boring life affords us a lot, like these girls¡¯ days out.¡± Helena pats my cheek. ¡°So even if it is boring, we should be grateful he does what he does for us.¡±


    I think my mother chooses to be naive about the fact that people are murdered and butchered by my brother and his men, that he moves illegal goods and substances around the city, and that he has a hand in many moneyundering schemes.


    No, he just works really hard, ording to her.


    ¡°We need to pick up Sofia,¡± Helena says as she climbs into the back of the sedan we¡¯re taking. ¡°She could also use a day out.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± I say as I climb in next to her. And I don¡¯t, Sofia is so good for Dominic, and I love talking to her about Argentina. One day I¡¯m going to race the streets of Buenos Aires.


    A driver and a guard climb into the front of the car, and soon, we are pulling out of the estate and joining traffic. I look out the window at the passing cars and scenery while my mother clicks away on her phone. I¡¯m surprised that she¡¯s adapted so quickly to smart technology. It¡¯s as though she was born to use it.


    A sense of unease envelopes me. I don¡¯t like being a passenger at the best of times. I know how quickly a car ident can happen, and I prefer to be in control.


    We pull up to Sofia and Dominic¡¯s home, which isn¡¯t far from ours, and I watch as Sofiaes downstairs and climbs in, sitting opposite me.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± she leans over and kisses my mother¡¯s cheeks first, then mine. ¡°How are we today?¡±


    The driver starts to drive, and I smile at her. ¡°Good, if a bit tired.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all thatte-night partying and racing,¡± she says with a small smile.


    ¡°One day, I¡¯ll take you driving around a racetrack, and you¡¯ll see how addictive it is,¡± I say.


    Sofia shakes her head. ¡°I¡¯ve been in enough high-speed chases, both on a bike and in a car, not to like speed. Just call me a tortoise.¡±


    Weugh, and my mother looks out the window. ¡°It¡¯s such a beautiful day. We should have lunch at the bistro today after we get our nails done.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a n,¡± I say, looking out the window. ¡°When we¡¯re done, I want to take Tia to the shop to get some mods done.¡±


    ¡°You spend way too much money on those cars,¡± my mother says disapprovingly. No one approves of my racing cars, although I think Dominic might do so secretly. We¡¯ve always been closer than I am to Frankie and Alessandro.


    We all love each other. Hell, I¡¯d die for them, but Dominic is closer to me in age, and we have always just been as thick as thieves.


    With Carmine, I mentally add.


    The boy who joined our family when he was twelve and I was eight. The boy who protected me from bullies at school and always had my back when I made up my mind about something.


    Suddenly a car strikes us from the side, and the driver yells. The car strikes again, and my mother and Sofia cry out, holding out their hands to keep their bnce. I look to my right and see a car with what looks like three thugs with dark sunsses on. They deliberately swerve for us again, and this time, the driver loses control of the sedan, and we drive into the wall of a building. The guard and driver doors open quickly while the three of us in the back are still dazed.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    I hear the first gunshots going off, Sofia screams, but I grab her and my mother. ¡°Get down!¡± I scream, getting as low as possible and covering them with my arms.


    It doesn¡¯tst long before I hear the squeal of tires racing off. Carlos, our driver, opens my door. ¡°They¡¯re gone. Are any of you hurt?¡±


    I examine my mother and then Sofia. ¡°No, just a bit shook up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call Don Sorvino. He will send someone toe and get you while we deal with the police,¡± Carlos assures me.


    In no time, another sedan is there to collect us, this one with an escort car to protect us from another attack. We go straight home again, and as soon as we reach the estate, Dominic, Alessandro, and my fathere down to the car.


    Sofia throws herself into Dominic¡¯s arms, shaking, while my mother reassures my father that she¡¯s fine, just a bit shaky. Alessandro looks at my mother and then at me. ¡°You three need to stay here for now while we figure out where this attack is from. You¡¯ll have to do your hair and nails another day.¡±


    I groan, and he looks at me. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to take Tia in for mods,¡± I say. ¡°Can¡¯t I take a few guards and go do that.¡±


    ¡°Stop being a child,¡± he hisses immediately, and I can see he means business. It doesn¡¯t make me any less annoyed as he continues, ¡°You were nearly killed with mom and Sofia. You want to mod your car, mod it yourself here at home.¡±


    I don¡¯t say another word to him. I flip my hair over my shoulder and stalk off toward the garage, not wanting to say anything else that may get me into trouble with him when he¡¯s in a mood like this.


    I braid my hair and put on some overalls before I jack up Tia and roll under her to do minor checks, ensuring she¡¯s okay for the next race. Alessandro can try to stop me from doing that. Good luck.


    ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡± I jump slightly and hit my head on the bottom of Tia.


    ¡°Carmine?¡± I ask. I feel his shoe on my creeper, and he pulls me out to look up at him.


    ¡°Did I scare you?¡± he asks, concerned.


    ¡°A little.¡± I give him a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m probably still a bit nervous from the attack.¡±


    ¡°I heard about that. I want to make sure you are okay.¡± He smiles down at me. ¡°So, do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡±


    I cock an eyebrow at him. ¡°Do you know how to shoot a gun?¡±

 #4 Chapter 4

    Carmine


    I cock my head to the side. ¡°I know how to shoot just perfect.¡±


    ¡°Well then,¡± she says, ¡°Why are you questioning my ability to work on a car? You men are all the same.¡± She gets up and brushes a strand of hair out of her face, leaving a greasy mark. I chuckle and pick up a clean-looking rag, and move to wipe her face. She lets me.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t women supposed to be at the house, barefoot and pregnant?¡± I¡¯m teasing, but I try to sound serious.


    She pulls away and punches my arm. ¡°That¡¯s such a sexist thing to say. Can youe back to the twenty-first century?¡±


    I set the rag down. ¡°I¡¯m just saying you could pay someone to do this for you.¡±


    ¡°Except Alessandro won¡¯t let me leave the house for the rest of the day,¡± she sighs. ¡°Also, if I do it, I¡¯ll do it properly.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Uncle Donny should never have taught you how to change the oil on a car.¡±


    ¡°Why? Uncle Donny saved me a lot of hassle and being ripped off. Men see a womaning and think they rub a brand-new air filter in dirt and insist they have to install a new one for triple the cost of the part.¡±


    Her face is a bit flustered, and I raise an eyebrow. ¡°Did that seriously happen?¡±


    ¡°To a friend, who called me, and I sorted that mechanic out real quick,¡± she says, picking up a wrench.


    ¡°Still, women and men should each have their ce,¡± I say, waving a hand in disregard. ¡°We should all have our ces.¡±


    She looks like she wants to throw the wrench at me, and I can¡¯t take it anymore; I burst outughing. ¡°I¡¯m joking, Ari. Just joking.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Ari,¡± she mumbles, getting back on the creeper and sliding under the car. I can hear her tinkering around as I sit on a stool near the workbench.


    ¡°So no racing for you tonight then,¡± I point out, fiddling with a screwdriver left carelessly lying about.


    I swear I hear her curse, and then in a muffled voice, she asks, ¡°Are you just here to torture me?¡±


    ¡°I came to check on you,¡± I say sincerely. ¡°I was really horrified to hear about the attack on you all. Mom is still shaken up, and she¡¯s gone to rest. I was worried about you. Are you okay?¡±


    She doesn¡¯t say anything, so I get up and roll her out. She looks up at me. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I expect this sort of thing to happen. I know what my family does, Carmine, as much as you all don¡¯t think it¡¯s women¡¯s business to know. Which is so stupid because Katya is involved, and she could whip you all in one swoop.¡±


    I crouch down so that I can be closer to her. ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t be careful. I would hate for something to happen to you, Ari. I¡¯d never live with myself.¡±


    Is that a blush I see creeping up her face? I get up again, and she sits up. ¡°Who was it? What family targeted us?¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t discuss that,¡± I say, sitting back down and watching her. ¡°Alessandro doesn¡¯t want us to discuss family business with you, Sofia, Amelia, mom, or any of thedies except for Katya.¡±


    ¡°Katya thinks that¡¯s stupid. Doesn¡¯t that count for anything?¡± she asks.


    ¡°I am loyal to Alessandro. What he says goes. I respect Katya as my Don¡¯s wife, but I follow his orders.¡±


    She hugs her knees and looks at the tire of her car for a while before she says, ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to get back into shape. It¡¯s been a heavy carb winter.¡±


    I chuckle. ¡°You have no weight to lose. You¡¯re skinny.¡±


    ¡°I gained a few pounds,¡± she says. ¡°And I feel good when I work out, only I doubt Alessandro will let me workout on my own at a gym or go for jogs around the neighborhood.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it too,¡± I say, swinging from left to right on the stool.


    ¡°Perhaps it would be more agreeable if you were jogging with me.¡± I recognize that sweetness in her voice. She¡¯s after something, and she means to get it. A small voice inside me hopes it¡¯s me that she wants to get. And another voice is equally terrified it¡¯s me that she wants to get.


    ¡°I¡¯ll speak to your brother, but I see no harm in it,¡± I reply. ¡°We can start with just around the track nearby.¡±


    She grins, and we look at each other for what feels like an eternity. Those blue-gray eyes bore into my soul, and I felt like I shivered within myself.


    The door to the garage swings open and bangs against the wall. We both jump, and I¡¯m up with my hand on my gun. Dominic looks at both of us and then chuckles. ¡°Jesus, jumpy much. Do you really think they¡¯d get this far?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t be too careful,¡± I say, dropping my hand.


    He looks between Arianna and me. ¡°What are you two up to?¡±


    ¡°I was checking in on Ari¡­anna.¡± I am ufortable using her nickname when others are around, ¡°And¡­.¡±


    ¡°And¡­I was teaching him how to change oil,¡± Arianna butts in. ¡°Do you also need a lesson, Dom?¡±


    ¡°I know how to change the oil just fine,¡± my best friend says. ¡°But you better not get any ideas about rolling out of here to race. Alessandro means business when he says you¡¯re to stay home.¡±


    ¡°I got it, I got it,¡± she snaps. ¡°I¡¯m a prisoner until further notice.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair, Cup Cake,¡± Dominic says. I watch their interaction, not wanting to interfere. ¡°You know it¡¯s for your safety.¡±


    ¡°Had I been driving, we wouldn¡¯t have been in an ident,¡± she says matter-of-factly, lying back down on the creeper. ¡°We probably would have outpaced them even in that shitty sedan.¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Dominic says and turns to me. ¡°Alessandro has a job for you. It¡¯s why I was looking for you.¡±


    I nce at Arianna¡¯s legs and nod. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be there shortly.¡±


    Dominic looks between us again, and I nudge Arianna¡¯s leg. ¡°You¡¯ll have to finish teaching me how to change the oil another time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re always wee to pop in and learn,¡± she calls, then starts humming to herself.


    I follow Dominic out of the garage, and he stops just outside. ¡°What¡¯s up with her?¡±


    I panic slightly, wondering if he correctly interprets the looks I give his sister. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You came to check in on her. Is it just because she can¡¯t leave the house that she¡¯s being a brat?¡± Dominic asks.


    I raise an eyebrow. ¡°Well, if you were still calling me Cup Cake and a brat when I was twenty-five, you wouldn¡¯t be my favorite person either. Especially since Cup Cake is what the folks call her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. I like to annoy her. But she¡¯s okay, right?¡± Dominic asks, and I see a glimmer of worry under his hard exterior. It¡¯s there in his eyes. Her eyes. The Sorvino¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°She seems fine. She wants to lose a few pounds, so I might take her jogging at the track tomorrow.¡± Dominic is about to say something, and I hold a hand up. ¡°We¡¯ll take an escort, and you know she¡¯s safe with me.¡±


    ¡°Try telling Alessandro that.¡± Dominic makes a good point.


    ¡°I will.¡±

 #4 Chapter 5

    Arianna


    After I¡¯ve showered, Ie to the kitchen, where my mother is busy with dinner. I take over kneading the dough for the bread for her. I work steadily, and we don¡¯t say much to each other. After a while, though, she stops and looks at me. ¡°Are you okay, Cup Cake?¡±


    I give her a warm smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Ma. How are you holding up?¡±


    She smiles back. ¡°I feel much better. Always worried about you kids, though.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯m the good one of the family.¡±


    She kisses my head and pokes my nose with a floury finger. I rub my nose roughly on the back of my sleeve. ¡°Ma!¡± I draw out the word in a whine, and sheughs. It¡¯s a sweet sound that I love to hear.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    Once the bread is in the oven and we¡¯re preparing thesagne, Katyaes in.


    ¡°Need help?¡± she offers, already reaching for tes.


    ¡°You can set the table,¡± Helena says gently. ¡°Thank you, Kat.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure,¡± she says. She may be a mafia boss, but she still has a lot of respect for her elders. My father would say it¡¯s the tell-tale sign of a well-raised woman. Iyer pasta and ground beef, and cheese in a dish with a bechamel sauce on top and more cheese. I pop it into the second oven to cook and wash my hands.


    Once we¡¯re done cooking, we carry the dishes to the table Kat set earlier. Katya is just uncorking a bottle of red wine to serve for dinner.


    Alessandro, Dominic, and Carmine walk in with my father,ughing and joking. Sometimes I think I¡¯m envious that I¡¯m not part of their world.


    Sometimes, although rarely, Alessandro will let me help with the legit business side of the club, especially now while Frankie is away. However, he never gets me involved in anything serious.


    We all sit down and take up hands. My father says grace, and after we all say amen, the men pass their tes down for the women to dish for them.


    I look at Carmine, who is passing his te to my mother. His eyes meet mine, and I¡¯m drawn in by the fire I see burning in them. Such dark eyes, yet so bright, so alive.


    Especially when we¡¯re looking at me.


    ¡°Ma,¡± I say casually as I dish up for myself once the men are fed, ¡°Can we go do our nails and hair tomorrow?¡±


    Alessandro lets out a grunt as though his food went down the wrong pipe, then he points a piece of garlic bread at me. ¡°You just can¡¯t sit still and stay home, can you? Can¡¯t you, I don¡¯t know, watch horror movies or something for a day and just rx?¡±


    ¡°Alessandro,¡± our mother chides him, ¡°Don¡¯t speak with a mouthful of food.¡±


    Alessandro swallows. ¡°Sorry, Ma. Arianna, answer me. Why do you have to get out?¡±


    I shake my head, sipping my wine to wet my mouth. My brother is so intimidating sometimes. ¡°Because it¡¯s boring. Maybe if I had something to do, like maybe something to do with the family business, I wouldn¡¯t be so restless.¡±


    Everyone falls silent, and surprisingly, it¡¯s my father who speaks. ¡°Cup Cake, why do you need something to do? You want for nothing.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m bored,¡± I point out.


    Alessandro shakes his head and hands his te to our mother for moresagne and sd. ¡°You¡¯re not getting involved in the family business. It¡¯s no ce for women.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Katya says, raising an eyebrow, and I smirk. Katya would definitely defend me on this front.


    My brother looks at his wife wearily. ¡°You¡¯re different. You run a family. I couldn¡¯t stop you if I tried, but I¡¯ll be damned if Arianna gets messed up with all this.¡±


    Katya eyes him out. ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean she can¡¯t. I respect your decision but let¡¯s not act like women are useless.¡±


    Alessandro wisely doesn¡¯t answer that; we all resume eating in silence. When I look up, I see Carmine eying me curiously. I know he knows I¡¯m not staying home and being a good girl.


    I help clear the table, and Alessandro corners me. ¡°I mean it, Arianna, no getting involved in the family business.¡±


    ¡°I understand, I don¡¯t like it, but I understand,¡± I say, just wanting to keep the peace. He takes out a cigar and heads toward the garden area, followed by the rest of the menfolk while we good womenfolk know our ce and wash the dishes and pack them away.


    Katya stands near me as I¡¯m washing dishes and says, ¡°Don¡¯t take it personally. He had no faith in me at first, either. He would cross me every chance he could get.¡±


    I smile gratefully at her, but she just doesn¡¯t understand. She was raised to lead a family, and I was raised to be a princess, not wee in the light of the world but not a part of the dark. I¡¯m in limbo, between spaces with nowhere to fit in.


    I wait until everyone is tucked in bed before I quietly sneak downstairs. I go out the back door to the garden and around the estate slowly. I open the garage door and, standing, well, leaning with their backs against Tia, are my brother Dominic and Carmine. Their arms are crossed over their chests, and frustration rises within me. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m being babysat like this.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Alessandro tell you to stay home?¡± Dominic asks.


    I bat my eyelids at him. ¡°Dom,e on. We all knew that wasn¡¯t going to happen. Let¡¯s not act like this is a surprise.¡±


    He chuckles and shakes his head. ¡°Arianna, it¡¯s not safe for you to be out and about in the city right now.¡±


    I look at Carmine, and an idea strikes me. ¡°What if I take Carmine to the races with me?¡± I ask. ¡°He can protect me, and we both know I¡¯ll outdrive anyone who tries to take me on behind the wheel.¡±


    Dominic and Carmine look at each other. Carmine shrugs. ¡°Alessandro suspected you¡¯d say something like that. He said as long as I protect you, you can go out, but we¡¯re toe home at the first sign of trouble.¡±


    Dominic gets off my car and walks to me. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll find something for you to do that Alessandro will approve of. Just don¡¯t get killed until then.¡± He kisses my head affectionately and turns to Carmine. ¡°Look after her, or I¡¯ll cut you.¡±


    Carmine smirks. ¡°You know I will.¡± Dominic walks back toward the house, and Carmine and I climb into my car. I pull out of the estate and start driving toward Long Beach.


    ¡°Do you want to stand on the sidelines while I race, or do you want to be in the car with me?¡± I ask.


    ¡°You know I need to be with you, just in case,¡± he says. ¡°Besides, I¡¯d love to be in the car while you¡¯re doing your thing.¡±


    We bothugh, and I rx for the first time since this morning¡¯s car crash. I miss the gear stick, and my hand brushes against Carmine¡¯s leg. We both fell silent for a moment before bursting outughing again.


    The awkwardness of the situation quickly dissipates, and we fall into afortable silence together as I hit the highway.


    ¡°Long beach, here wee,¡± I say.

 #4 Chapter 6

    Carmine


    I wind the window down on the Imp and let the cool night air whip my face. It¡¯s a wonderful feeling after the warm heat of the day. Arianna has the music on, ying some alternative rock. I think it¡¯s ACDC. She¡¯s so strange with her tastes. She goes from listening to rock and roll to jazz to alternative rock to house music. And she enjoys it all.


    She¡¯s very versatile, and now that I think that, I also wonder how flexible she is physically as well.


    I put the thought out of my mind. When she brushed my leg earlier, it took me every ounce of self-control not to react physically to her touch so close to my crotch.


    ¡°How do you enter these races?¡± I ask.


    ¡°There¡¯s a coded message sent out. People pay when they arrive, and you race and collect if you win. At the moment, we¡¯re having a bit of a tournament,¡± she exins.


    I grin. ¡°You don¡¯t need the money, you know. So why do you race?¡±


    ¡°Because I enjoy it.¡± She smiles. ¡°It makes me feel alive and gives me purpose. I really will die from boredom if all I do is shop and have nail and hair appointments. I love mom, but there¡¯s only so manydy errands I can take.¡±


    ¡°Lady errands,¡± I snort. ¡°You are ady.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me.¡± She giggles, and the sound is like sweet nectar to my ears.


    We approach the outside of Long Beach, pulling into what looks like a car show. Several muscle cars are lined up on the sides, their headlights giving light to the track that lies before them. Arianna pulls up and parks. Leaving her lights on, she climbs out, and I follow her.


    She walks up to where a group of men, and a few scantily dresseddies, are huddled together.


    ¡°Arianna,¡± a beefy jock says, making space for her, ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯de.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss this for the world,¡± she says. She waves at me. ¡°This is Carmine. He¡¯s my partner tonight.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Carmine.¡± He holds out his hand, and I can see he¡¯s sizing me up. He¡¯s clearly a steroid bunny. I¡¯m just a weightlifter. I shake his hand, my grip overpowering his easily. ¡°Nice to meet you¡­.¡± I pause to let him finish.


    ¡°Justin,¡± he says, ¡°But everyone calls me Daddy Bones.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be calling you Daddy anything,¡± I say, deadpanning him.


    There¡¯s a moment of silence, and then everyone roars withughter. Justin nods his head. ¡°I like you. So, Arianna, we¡¯re taking final bets. Are you in?¡±


    ¡°Three thousand?¡± she offers, taking a wad of cash out of a bag she has strapped to her side.


    She hands it over to Justin, and he flips carelessly through it. ¡°That¡¯s it, prize money for tonight is a cool ten thousand.¡±


    Arianna nods. ¡°Who am I up against?¡±


    ¡°Megan and Rolls,¡± Justin says, indicating a woman dressed in a red jumpsuit with steampunk goggles on her head. I suppose it¡¯s a statement or whatever. He also indicates a heavy-set Asian man who looks displeased to be mingling with lower-ss people.


    Arianna grins. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll wait our turn.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve missed most of the first races. You¡¯re one of ourst. Since you wonst night, it¡¯s between the three of you who gets the money.¡±


    Arianna looks at me. ¡°You sure you want to ride with me?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t change my mind for anything,¡± I say, grinning devilishly.


    We get back to the guard, and Arianna makes the engine roar. We pull into a position. Megan pulls up next to us on the left in a Ford Torino Cobra, and Rolls pulls up in a Lexus. I nce at Arianna. ¡°You sure you can win?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± she says, tightening her grip on the steering wheel as one of the scantily dressed womenes out to a safe spot between the cars where all three drivers can see them.


    She holds a handkerchief up, and it¡¯s almost like the calm before the storm. I see her hand fall, almost in slow motion, and then with an indescribable force, I¡¯m thrown back in my seat as Arianna pulls forward and ahead of the other two racers.


    The speed at which we¡¯re driving makes my heart thunder in my chest and adrenaline pump through my veins. I¡¯ve had excitement in life, but this is different. I see what Arianna means about feeling alive.


    Shees first, and I¡¯m proud to stand by her as she approaches Justin with a smirk. ¡°Guess I take the money.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you need it,¡± Justin says with a big smile. ¡°Besides, people say you took off before the chief dropped.¡±


    Arianna¡¯s smile fades, and she res at Justin. ¡°I won fair and square. Now hand over my winnings.¡±


    Justin snorts. ¡°Or what?¡±


    Before Arianna can respond, I¡¯ve grabbed a fistful of Justin¡¯s shirt and have my gun under his chin. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did she stutter?¡±


    Justin¡¯s eyes widen as I continue, ¡°She won fair and square, and you¡¯re trying to take advantage. I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you. Whether I¡¯m here or not, because I will find you.¡±


    Justin splutters, and I let him go, holstering my gun. Everyone around is silent.


    Justin takes out a bag of cash and throws it at me. ¡°There.¡±


    I throw it back at him, and he looks at me, puzzled. Then I say, ¡°Hand it to her politely, you asshole.¡±


    Justin looks like he wants to say something, but then a few others start calling him out, saying he isn¡¯t ying fair and they won¡¯t race with him if this is how he treats racers. He begins to sweat and grimaces, looking around. ¡°It was just a joke, guys. Just a joke. Here Arianna, congrats on winning this round. I hope you¡¯ll race in the next one.¡±


    Arianna takes the money, a small smile on her lips. ¡°I¡¯d love to, don¡¯t forget to text me. Come on, Carmine, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Everyone starts to disperse, and we don¡¯t look back at Justin as we get into the Imp and pull off. Ariana startsughing her head off. ¡°I thought you were going to shoot him.¡±


    ¡°I was going to shoot him,¡± I say, grinning.


    ¡°Jesus, I need to convince Alessandro to let me carry a piece for when I run into shit like this,¡± she says.


    We take the long way back home, a peaceful silence between us as she puts some house music on.


    I¡¯m about to ask her where we¡¯re going when she takes the wrong off-ramp, but I soon realize precisely where she¡¯s going.


    La Club-her favorite ce to celebrate.


    ¡°We¡¯re supposed to head home,¡± I say, not really meaning it.


    ¡°Just a drink and a dance, and we¡¯ll go,¡± she promises, her eyes alight with excitement. ¡°I owe you at least a drink.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t owe me anything. I¡¯m happy to help,¡± I say, but she pulls into the private parking area of La Club, and we get out and into the club in no time. She signals down the bartender and orders two whiskeys.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t drink,¡± I protest, but she hands me the drink. ¡°Okay, but don¡¯t tell your brother.¡±


    We both down our whiskeys then she takes me to the dance floor, where we start dancing together, a thin film of sweat forming on my body and hers. She turns her back to me and dances backward, seductively close to me. I can feel the heat rising up my neck as I grab her ass and grind into her. This is more than anything we¡¯ve ever done before, further than we¡¯ve ever gone, and we¡¯re doing it in a ce her brother has eyes on.


    We have a few more drinks and dances, but we don¡¯t go beyond that.


    On the way home, she smiles at me. ¡°I had a lot of fun tonight.¡±


    ¡°So did I,¡¯ I say. ¡°See, life isn¡¯t that boring.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± she sighs, almost hauntingly. ¡°I just want more.¡±


    She pulls into the garage, and I look at her as she stops the car. ¡°Just find something you¡¯ll enjoy that Alessandro would approve of.¡±


    She smiles and leans over, kissing my cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll give it some thought. Thanks for tonight.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I say quietly, keenly aware of how close we are.


    I pull away first, getting out of the car. ¡°I should get home, and you should get some sleep.¡±


    She stands next to the car for a moment before she smiles and nods. ¡°Goodnight, Carmine.¡±


    ¡°Night, Ari,¡± I say and watch her walk inside.

 #4 Chapter 7

    Arianna


    It feels like everywhere I go; I see Carmine. Every time I turn a corner, he¡¯s there, and most of the time, he¡¯s alone.


    And so am I.


    Since the night of the race, his dark eyes have been seeking mine out far more regrly. I remember the feel of his bulging cock against my ass as he ground against me, holding onto me, and the feeling of his strong fingers digging into me, iming me as his own.


    I¡¯ve always liked him. I¡¯ve always thought he was more than good-looking, buttely, I don¡¯t know. Recently, I want to risk everything and just kiss those lips, and run my fingers through his hair. There¡¯s an animalistic undertone that has entered into whatever you call this rtionship we have. A raw, bare instinct that draws us together.


    As I sip on some fruit juice in the kitchen, I think about ourtest encounter. It was this morning just outside the bedrooms. Carmine was walking down the hallway when I opened my room, and he stopped right in front of me to look down at me. He¡¯s only four inches taller than me, but he has such a presence that I feel like he towers over me, casting me in a shadow of protection.


    He had smiled that wry smile that I love so much and had given a little bow. ¡°Good morning, Ari,¡± he said slowly. ¡°If there was such a thing as beauty sleep, then you¡¯ve slept too much.¡±


    It was corny, and I grin now into my juice as I think about it. He left when Alessandro called from downstairs, and I noticed Katyaing out of her room at the end of the hallway. I hustled downstairs without a word to her, and I hoped what transpired stayed between us.


    Whatever I¡¯m feeling now, I have to keep it in check. My father and brothers would never allow me to see just anyone. It would have to be someone they approve of, and although Carmine is family to us for all intents and purposes, they would never agree to us being together. They¡¯re so overprotective of me, and I know Carmine was a yer in his twenties, but I don¡¯t remember him being with anyone recently.


    I wonder, if I brought it up casually, maybe with Dominic first, perhaps I could get away with seeing him. Would he want to see me, though? Maybe I¡¯m reading too much into it, and he¡¯s just being friendly.


    Then I remember how we danced together, and a heat settles between my legs, a heat I¡¯d love Carmine to attend to personally.


    I look up as my mother walks in. ¡°Ready to go?¡± she asks.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I say, setting my now empty ss down.


    We leave, getting into an armored vehicle. We make it to the salon with no incident. As I sit down and they start taking off my old nails, I watch, mesmerized at what she¡¯s doing.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s been happening with you?¡± Sonya, the nail technician, asks me.


    ¡°Nothing much, racing around and being bored,¡± I sigh. ¡°My brother won¡¯t let me do anything I want.¡±


    ¡°Like?¡± she asks.


    I stare at her, and she asks again, ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    Join the family business, but I can¡¯t say that. ¡°It¡¯s just that anything I propose he shoots down and doesn¡¯t think it¡¯s my ce to interfere with business.¡±


    ¡°My mother was the same,¡± Sonya says, chewing on her gum. ¡°You just have to figure out something they will be agreeable with that will benefit you and them.¡±


    ¡°Nothing will benefit my brother,¡± I mutter.


    She looks at me seriously. ¡°You keeping out of mischief would. Find a good hobby or something you are passionate about. Preferably something that costs money so that you can stick it to him at the same time.¡±


    My mother sits at the desk next to mine, and we fall silent.


    I think about what Sonya said. There¡¯s nothing I¡¯m inherently good at-except for racing. I¡¯m good with cars, but you have to be a trained mechanic to work on cars, or you can get into a lot of trouble.From N?velDrama.Org.


    Not just working on cars, though; I love to race. I turn to my mom and find her looking at me thoughtfully. ¡°What?¡± I ask.


    ¡°You looked so seriously now. What¡¯s worrying you?¡±


    Perfect opportunity.


    ¡°The fact that I have no ambition or drive in life, Ma. I mean, I have no purpose, no reason to live.¡± I pout slightly. ¡°And everything I think of Alessandro denies me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Cup Cake, we¡¯ll find something for you to do,¡± she promises me for the hundredth time.


    ¡°I know what I can do, or I¡¯ve thought of something I can do that I¡¯ll really enjoy and that I can work hard for every day,¡± I say, waiting for her response.


    Her eyes are curious, and she prompts me, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Racing,¡± I say, grinning. ¡°I could be a professional racer. I¡¯ll practice at Yonkers or Aqueduct raceway. I can represent the family in car racing.¡±


    My mother looks away, and I know she¡¯s against the idea, so I give a heavy sigh. ¡°But no one cares what I want.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± She turns back to me. ¡°Just racing is notdylike, and honestly, Arianna, it¡¯s so dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Have I caused or been in one ident when I was driving yet?¡± I shoot back. ¡°Have I ever totaled my car or written off anything?¡±


    She sighs, looking at her nails. ¡°Not too long,¡± she tells J, her nail technician. ¡°No, you haven¡¯t, but I don¡¯t see how I could convince Alessandro to let you do this.¡±


    ¡°If he lets me do this, I¡¯ll practice until I win all the races. I¡¯ll be the best female racer that New York has ever seen. Please, Ma, please help me. At this rate, I will wither away into a ball of nothing.¡± Okay, maybe I went a bit far.


    She rolls her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll speak to your father about speaking to Alessandro, but I can¡¯t make any promises.¡±


    I can¡¯t move to hug her, but I give her an award-winning smile. ¡°Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!¡±


    ¡°No promises,¡± she says, and we return our attention to our appointment.


    Sitting at dinner that night, Alessandro looks dead straight at me and says, ¡°Dad says you want to be a racer. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°She already is a racer,¡± Dominic says through a mouth full of food.


    ¡°I want to be a professional racer, legit and above board.¡± I look at Alessandro. ¡°I mean, I¡¯d need help getting started. Getting the right car and gear and teams and stuff.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to set this up all yourself?¡± he asks.


    I nod, my fingers crossed under the table.


    He sighs and spears some lettuce onto his fork. ¡°What¡¯s with all the healthy food, Ma? I hate sd.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ungrateful. You need to take care of your heart,¡± my mother says.


    My shoulders drop. It looks like he¡¯s going to move on to another topic now. There was that dream.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he says after a moment, ¡°If it will get you to stop nagging me, fine. First, you get the team together and find decent people, too. I don¡¯t want my sister dying on a racetrack.¡±


    I squeal and jump up, almost knocking over mine and Sofia¡¯s wine. I run around the table and hug him. ¡°Thank you, Alessandro! I will make you so proud.¡±


    He nods, ncing at Katya, who is smiling brightly. I don¡¯t think my mother spoke to my father at all. She talked to someone with far more influence over my brother.

 #4 Chapter 8

    Carmine


    She¡¯s everywhere I go.


    Everywhere.


    She¡¯s like a drug I¡¯m addicted to that I can¡¯t shake. A high that I¡¯m chasing, and like with drugs, it¡¯s a dangerous game I¡¯m ying. I¡¯m ying with my life because the Sorvinos will murder me if they discover what I want to do to Arianna, their precious Cup Cake. Only I know she isn¡¯t an angel. I¡¯ve felt her dance against me. She¡¯s seducing me, and she knows it, and I don¡¯t know how to stop myself.


    It¡¯s driving me mad.


    I¡¯m distracted, and I need to get out of the house. I see Dominic heading for the front door, and I follow. ¡°Dom! Dom, wait up. Where are you off to?¡±


    ¡°Check out some of the warehouses Alessandro wants to buy,¡± he says. ¡°You want toe with me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I got nothing better to do,¡± I tell him, acting as though I¡¯m being offhand. I¡¯m grateful for the distraction.


    We take my car, a gift from Alessandro for my hard work. It may not be a Ferrari, but the truck is a beautiful piece of machinery.


    I drive, pulling out of the estate. ¡°Which ones are we headed to?¡±


    He gives me the address, and I punch it into my GPS when we stop at the traffic light.


    ¡°You need directions?¡± he asks.


    I grin. ¡°I like using the car to its fullest.¡± I turn the radio up. It¡¯s on a country station, and I know Dom is partial to country music. He says it has soul.


    We drive, singing softly to the tunes that flow from my car radio. When I find parking, Dom hops out and immediately draws a gun as a man approaches him from the side. ¡°What the fuck you want, buddy?¡±


    ¡°Woah! Woah!¡± the stranger says. ¡°You Dominic Sorvino?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s asking?¡± I have my gun drawn and move up behind the guy. ¡°Spread your legs. I want to check for weapons.¡±


    He keeps his hands up and faces the car, spreading his legs. I search him quickly while Dominic keeps his piece aimed at him.


    ¡°He¡¯s clean,¡± I say, backing up. Dominic holsters his gun. I do not.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Dominic asks. ¡°I could have blown your head off, buddy, justing up to me like that.¡±


    ¡°Paranoid, aren¡¯t you?¡± the man all but sneers, and Dominic grits his teeth.


    ¡°Tell me what you want, or I¡¯ll reconsider doing it,¡± he growls.


    I shift my weight, and the man notes that my gun is still aimed at his head. He nods. ¡°I¡¯m just here for some money.¡±


    Dominic snorts. ¡°I¡¯m not Santa use, buddy, and I am not a charity. Get the fuck out of here.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± the guy continues, ¡°I¡¯ll dly ept the money in exchange for information.¡±


    Dominic is half-turning when he stops. ¡°What information?¡±


    ¡°On the attack on one of your vehicles this week,¡± he says. ¡°I believe there were three women, thankfully unharmed.¡±


    Dominic steps toward him. ¡°Depending on what information you give, yeah, I¡¯d be willing to pay. First, you spill the beans, and then I¡¯ll decide what it¡¯s worth to my family. I¡¯llpensate you, either with money or your life or maybe if I¡¯m feeling generous with both.¡±


    The guy swallows visibly and nods. ¡°Okay, okay. Apparently, a Russian mobster has taken exception to Don Sorvino. Something about killing his cousin. He is hell-bent on revenge, not only trying to get your territories but to get to your family members too.¡±


    ¡°Did he say he¡¯s targeting all family members?¡± Dominic asks, stepping closer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that. I just figured that you¡¯d want to know about this.¡±


    Dominic looks at me. ¡°You got more information, you call me,¡± he takes out a business card and hands it to him, ¡°and I¡¯ll take care of you.¡± Dominic then takes out his wallet, pulls out five hundred dors, and gives it to the guy.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± I ask.


    The guy looks at me curiously, and Dominic asks, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The man shakes his head. ¡°Call me Buddy. That¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Get out of here, Buddy. We have business to attend to,¡± I say, holstering my gun atst.From N?velDrama.Org.


    The guy doesn¡¯t need telling twice and quickly leaves, going to an empty car on the opposite side of the lot. He gets in and drives away. Dominic climbs back into the car, saying, ¡°We have to speak to Alessandro.¡±


    We rush back to the estate, and Dominic knocks on Alessandro¡¯s door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± he calls.


    We both walk in. Alessandro¡¯s sitting ying chess with Romero. I guess it must be nice being the boss, though I know how ruthless he is and what he¡¯s done to protect the family, so maybe not always so nice.


    ¡°Dad, give us the room,¡± Alessandro says.


    Romero gets up and takes one of Alessandro¡¯s cigars. ¡°I¡¯ll be in the garden if you need me.¡±


    ¡°Dad should stay,¡± Dominic says. ¡°Some Russian family has beef with you, something about you killing their cousin. They want to move in on our territories, and they were the ones who orchestrated the attack on the girls.¡±


    Alessandro sits back while Romero sits down. Alessandro scratches the stubble on his face. ¡°This information good?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, a guy approached me, but he seemed pretty legit.¡± Dominic sighs. ¡°I¡¯ll obviously check it out, but if they¡¯re targeting our family as this guy says, the girls should be ced under immediate protection.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy for your Ma, Katya, and Sofia, but you try and get Arianna protected.¡±


    ¡°Carmine will do it,¡± Alessandro says slowly, looking at me. My face must have shown him I think he¡¯s crazy because he continues, ¡°She trusts you. She likes you. She¡¯s known you since she was eight. Tell her I¡¯ve assigned you to assist with assembling her team. Let¡¯s keep this as quiet as possible.¡±


    Dominic nods and looks at me. I try to shrug nonchntly. ¡°She¡¯ll see right through me but okay, when do I start?¡±


    ¡°Right away. You¡¯ll stay at the house for now.¡± Alessandro stands. ¡°Dominic, arrange the best guys we have for the others.¡±


    ¡°Where is she?¡± I ask Romero.


    He smiles. ¡°She¡¯s in her room, studying up on the car she wants to race.¡±


    I nod. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave then.¡±


    I give another curt nod and leave the room. Dammit, twenty-four hours a day with Arianna will drive me to drink-day drink! I go upstairs and knock on her door softly. ¡°Ari?¡±


    She opens the door and looks up at me curiously. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯vee to help,¡± I don¡¯t like lying to her. ¡°Alessandro said I could take some time off and help you assemble your team.¡±


    ¡°Why you?¡± She ces her hands on her hips, so I know she doesn¡¯t believe me. ¡°What do you know about assembling a pit team?¡±


    I shrug. ¡°I know how to vet guys that aren¡¯t going to hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Like the guys who caused our crash?¡± She raises an eyebrow. ¡°You have two seconds to tell me what¡¯s going on, or I¡¯m going to be seriously pissed.¡±


    I look around. ¡°You¡¯re going to get me into shit for doing this, but if you really must know, I¡¯ve been assigned to protect you because some Russian family has a grudge against Alessandro.¡±


    She looks at me, shuts her door behind her, and before I can stop her, she¡¯s marching downstairs. ¡°Alessandro,¡± she calls, marching into his room.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t evenst ten minutes,¡± Dominic says quietly to me. ¡°You can¡¯t let her scare you.¡±


    ¡°Alessandro, I¡¯m not going to be babysat every night and day. I have things to do.¡±


    ¡°You wanna do those things, you stick with Carmine; otherwise, you can forget about your little racing car,¡± Alessandro says seriously. ¡°For fucks sake, Arianna, it¡¯s a genuine threat. You can get fucking killed.¡±


    ¡°Then give me my own gun,¡± she growls.


    ¡°Stick with Carmine, or it¡¯s a no-go with anything,¡± Alessandro counters.


    I touch her shoulder. ¡°Come on, Arianna, you know I¡¯ll go anywhere with you.¡±


    Dominic gives me a strange look as Arianna shakes her head and turns to leave. I follow, ncing back at Dominic.

 #4 Chapter 9

    Arianna


    As I pull into the pit after going around the racetrack three times, I see Carmine frisking someone. I roll my eyes as I stop the car and get out.


    ¡°Good run,¡± John, my pit leader, says. ¡°You¡¯re improving your time with everyp.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I say to John, watching Carminee over. ¡°Why were you searching that guy?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Because my job is to keep you safe,¡± he says nkly, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world. His tone annoys me.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m done for today,¡± I say, handing my helmet to John. ¡°I¡¯ll be back tomorrow or maybe the day after to try again.¡±


    ¡°No problem, Arianna,¡± John says with a big grin. He¡¯s rather flirtatious, and I can see Carmine¡¯s jaw clench. I find that amusing.


    ¡°So, back home now?¡± he asks.


    ¡°No, I want to go shopping,¡± I say. I don¡¯t really, but I like the idea of torturing Carmine.


    He stands outside the changing rooms as I get back into my jeans and shirt, tossing my hair over my shoulder. Ie out to find him standing like a proper guard with his arms crossed in front of his body.


    ¡°So, are you seriously going to search everyone every day?¡± I ask as we make our way back to my car.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He looks at me. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°How do I know you¡¯re searching them properly? What if you miss something?¡±


    Carmine chuckles. ¡°I¡¯m really good at searching people, Ari. I¡¯ve been doing it for years.¡±


    ¡°But how do I know you¡¯re doing it right?¡± I ask.


    We reach the car, and he smiles. ¡°Okay, put your arms out against the car, facing the car, and spread your legs,¡± he says.


    I look at him, surprised. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you how I search people,¡± he says. ¡°Stand, hands up against the car, and spread your legs.¡±


    I do as I¡¯m told, and he starts at my shoulders. He slowly pats me down. I¡¯ve seen him doing this a few times, but he never goes this slow. Every time he touches me, a bolt of electricity courses through my body. He pats down my sides, and I¡¯m hyper-aware of how his fingers brush the sides of my breasts. He moves down my body, patting my abdomen before kneeling behind me and starting feeling his way up my legs. He¡¯s seriously high up when he starts on the other leg and makes his way up high once again. I lick my lips. They suddenly feel too dry.


    ¡°You¡¯re clean,¡± he whispers as he stands behind me. The air is palpable with tension before he steps away from me. ¡°So, where do you want to go?¡±


    ¡°Fifth Avenue,¡± I breathe out, trying to shake myself free of his touch and yet wishing itsted longer. ¡°You can help me pick out some outfits for La Club¡¯s anniversary party.¡±


    I swear he rolls his eyes, and I grin. ¡°Get in.¡±


    We drive over to Fifth Avenue and park in the private parking of the bistro my family owns. We walk up to the shops, and I explore the stores. I find a few outfits at the third one and make Carmine sit on the sofa while I try them on.


    I walk out like a runway model and put a hand on my hips. ¡°How do I look?¡±


    He gives a wolf whistle. ¡°You¡¯ll knock them dead, Ari.¡±


    I grin and go back, changing into another. ¡°How about this?¡±


    He gives another wolf whistle. ¡°I like this one more.¡±


    I try on a few more, and he disappears now and then to find something he thinks I¡¯ll look good in. The ones he doesn¡¯t like, he groans, rolling his eyes, like the exceptionally bright yellow sun dress I put on.


    ¡°It just isn¡¯t you,¡± he moans, pretending to shield his eyes.


    We pay for the clothes and head to the next store, repeating the process.


    I find a pair of barely-covering-my-ass denim shorts and a tight boob tube. When I walk out with my hairing loose from its braid, Carmine stares at me for a moment, and there¡¯s an awkward silence.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± I ask nervously.


    He shifts on the sofa and shakes his head. ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just¡­you look really sexy in it.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t blush. It¡¯s not Carmine¡¯s way, but had it been any other guy, they probably would have. ¡°I think you should get it,¡± he adds.


    I grin and try on a few more outfits before we pay for those.


    We get a hot dog each and slowly start to walk back to the bistro. Carmine gets mustard and ketchup all over his face, so I startughing. He then startsughing, and soon we can¡¯t walk,ughing too hard to do much more than stand on the spot and giggle at each other.


    I take his napkin and carefully wipe his face, aware of how close I am to him.


    He looks at me, then above me, before he suddenly drops his food, grabs me, and pulls me to the floor.


    Bullets fly above us, and I scream, crouching, covered by his muscr arms. It feels like they shoot at us forever, but I doubt it is more than a minute before I hear a car¡¯s tires squealing as they get away.


    Carmine stands first, looking around apprehensively before he says, ¡°Okay, you can get up now.¡±


    He helps me get to my feet, and I¡¯m shaking. I¡¯ve been in danger before, but that was a little too close forfort if Carmine hadn¡¯t seen them behind me. I look at the bullet holes in the building, dimly aware of the people running away from the scene in fear.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call Dominic to smooth this over with the cops. Let¡¯s get you home,¡± he says, putting a hand on my arm.


    ¡°You saved my life,¡± I murmur, looking up at him lovingly.


    ¡°It¡¯s my job, Ari. I would die to protect you,¡± he says quietly, knowing he means it.


    He starts to lean down to get my shopping, but I put my hands on his chest, and before he can react, I close my eyes and kiss him deeply. After a moment, I feel his arms encircle me and bring me close to his body as his tongue probes my mouth. I open it happily for him, my arms encircling his neck.


    It feels like the momentsts forever, as though everything is moving slowly, like through water. But when I break away, nothing much has changed. People are still freaking out. Some are on their phones with the police.


    Carmine looks down at me with heavy-lidded eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll always save you, especially if that¡¯s my reward.¡±


    My eyelids flutter, and I rest my head against his chest. I feel so secure and safe in his arms.


    ¡°We should go,¡± he says finally. ¡°Let¡¯s get you home.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    We separate, and a coldness fills the gap between our bodies now, not from each other, but ack of contact.


    He scoops up my shopping, and we walk back to my car together.


    ¡°I¡¯ll drive,¡± he says, taking my keys. He opens the passenger side door for me, and I climb in, buckling in.


    He climbs in behind the steering wheel and starts the car. I hesitate for a moment, then I rest my hand on his leg, looking out the window.

 #4 Chapter 10

    Carmine


    The house is silent as I lie in bed in a room on the guest floor. It¡¯s not far from Arianna¡¯s room, and all I can think about is that kiss. That perfect kiss and the exquisite feel of her lips against mine. My tongue slid into her hot mouth and explored it.


    I think about everything-how she smelled and trembled slightly in my arms as we pressed ourselves together.


    I¡¯ve already rubbed one out tonight thinking about her, settling between her legs and making her mine.


    I want to taste the sweet nectar between her legs as we make love.


    I turn over and try to close my eyes. I am driving myself insane thinking about her and wondering if she is thinking about me. Was it a spur-of-the-moment thing? Pushed by adrenaline because I saved her life? Or is this something she¡¯s been thinking about for a while? We¡¯ve flirted a lot over the years, especially in thest weeks, but neither of us has crossed that line-a boundary put between us by Alessandro and the rest of the men in the family.


    They would kill me if they knew we kissed. It wouldn¡¯t have had to be more than a sweet kiss. They would cut my dick and balls off and mount them as a reminder to anyone who dared touch Arianna without their permission.


    I try to settle down, trying to think about anything but Arianna.


    Morning dawns bright and rather intrusively. I must have dropped off without realizing it because it doesn¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve been asleep for long.


    I get washed and dressed and walk downstairs to the dining room, where the family is settling down for breakfast.


    ¡°Carmine,¡± Alessandro greets me, ¡°you have the day to yourself today. Arianna will be with me, and my guards will take care of her.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Thank you, Don Sorvino.¡±


    ¡°We can go grab some chow on Fifth then,¡± Dominic says, already shoveling food into his mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯re having breakfast,¡± Alessandro points out, ¡°and you¡¯re already thinking about more food.¡±


    ¡°A healthy man¡¯s got to eat,¡± Dominic shrugs, and I grin.


    ¡°Fifth sounds fine,¡± I say, pouring myself some coffee from the pot on the table. ¡°I¡¯ll skip breakfast then, though.¡±


    ¡°Chicken,¡± Dominic says with a mouth full of food.


    Arianna joins us, though she doesn¡¯t quite meet my eyes. ¡°Good morning, everyone.¡±


    Everyone murmurs their good mornings.


    Once breakfast is done, Dominic and I go check out some of the businesses around the city, stopping at sites where construction is taking ce and doing a few cash pickups for the family.


    It¡¯s around one when we reach the bistro and sit down, ordering a bowl of pasta each.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Dom,¡± I continue our conversation, ¡°it wasn¡¯t like they were trying to kill her. My gut tells me they aimed for me and meant to kidnap her.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a hit on us. It¡¯s nothing unusual,¡± Dominic says, tucking into his pasta.


    ¡°Well, at any rate, with the amount of time I¡¯m spending with Arianna, I may as well marry her,¡± I joke.


    Dominic¡¯s face immediately goes dark. ¡°Not a fuck,¡± he growls. ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck if you¡¯re joking. Joke or not, you stay away from my sister, Carmine. You¡¯re there to protect her and only protect her.¡±


    I hold my hands up. ¡°Easy, man, it was just a joke.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke about Arianna.¡± Dominic spears some pasta onto his fork and puts it in his mouth.


    ¡°You make me sound like such a bad guy. I¡¯m not that bad, Dominic. I treat women well.¡± I go back to my food.


    ¡°I¡¯ve known you most of our lives,¡± Dominic says, sipping his wine. ¡°And you¡¯ve always been a yer, man. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting you anywhere near Arianna.¡±


    We eat silently for the rest of the meal, and you could cut the tension with a blunt knife.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Carmine, I¡¯m going to ask you something, and I want you to be honest.¡± Dominic wipes his mouth on a napkin and looks at me seriously. ¡°You understand?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll always be honest with you.¡± The first lie I tell him.


    ¡°Are you making moves on Arianna?¡± he asks, staring at me.


    Without missing a beat, I chuckle. ¡°Oh man, don¡¯t take life so seriously. I¡¯m not making moves on your sister. I¡¯m not suicidal.¡± The second lie I tell him.


    He nods, sips his wine, and pushes his bowl away. ¡°Good, ¡¯cause I¡¯d kill you, family or not.¡±


    I nod gravely. ¡°I know you would.¡± My voice is low and quiet, but he hears me.


    We don¡¯t have to pay, so we get up and leave, not talking again until Dominic bids me goodbye at the house.


    I walk in and look around. Alessandro is nowhere to be seen, so I check upstairs for Arianna. Did they go out?


    I pass Helena and smile. ¡°Hi, Mom. Did Arianna go out with Alessandro?¡± I ask.


    ¡°No, she¡¯s around somewhere in the house,¡± she says with a wide smile. ¡°Alessandro and Katya have gone out to meet with friends.¡±


    Friends. That means they¡¯re doing family business. Alessandro doesn¡¯t have any friends.


    ¡°I¡¯ll look around for her then,¡± I say, ncing at my watch. It¡¯s not toote, so she shouldn¡¯t be sleeping. I go upstairs to her bedroom and knock on her door. ¡°Ari? Are you in there?¡±


    I wait and knock again, but there¡¯s no answer. Hesitantly I open the door, but the room is empty. I frown and walk around the house. I check the various rooms, living rooms, dining rooms, and even the kitchen. I check the garden, and it¡¯s only while I¡¯m out there that it dawns on me that Arianna wouldn¡¯t wait for me to get back to go off and do something.


    I hurry to the garage, and as I guessed, her Imp is gone. I take out my phone and dial her number, holding my phone to my ear. It rings, but there¡¯s no answer. I try again and again, but she doesn¡¯t answer at all.


    I plug into the family¡¯s phone tracking service and ping her phone. She¡¯s near Long Beach-she¡¯s gone racing.


    I look at the cars avable in the garage. If something happens to her, my head will not only be on the chopping block, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to live with myself.


    I take the keys off the neatly named hook and climb into Alessandro¡¯s jaguar. I could take one of the town cars, but I want to get there fast, and the jaguar is fast. Its sleek ck body will race through the streets with ease.


    I take off, and in no time, I¡¯m on the motorway toward Long Beach. I keep my phone on the tracking service. She¡¯s moving, but it¡¯s around an isted area. She must be in a race or looking for one.


    I curse her under my breath, knowing that she could be attacked at any time. I put my foot down so that the jag shoots forward, the force pushing me back in my seat.


    I¡¯m not Arianna. I¡¯m not a professional race car driver, but I¡¯m a damn good one, and I can definitely navigate a fast car when the need arises.


    I take the exit toward Long Beach and weave in and out of traffic, my mind focused on finding Arianna.

 #4 Chapter 11

    Arianna


    If there¡¯s one thing I hate more than being babysat, it¡¯s being babysat by my own brother. I love Alessandro with my whole heart, but God, he can be so overprotective. All I can think about the entire day is the kiss that Carmine and I shared. Even as I drive out of the garage, I can feel the warmth of his body pressed against mine. I don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll be back, but I just needed some time.


    I enjoy the drive to Long Beach, it isn¡¯t too long, but it¡¯s long enough to rx me. Traffic seems lighter than usual, and the kiss reys in my mind repeatedly. I¡¯m just going to drive around for a while before I find a race to join.


    God knows I need some adrenaline.


    I don¡¯t pay that much attention to the passing scenery.


    Carmine.


    That¡¯s all I can think about.


    I remember the way he searched me, the feel of his hands working their way up my legs. Searching is kinky, I won¡¯t lie, and I¡¯d be jealous if he did to other women. Jealous? What am I jealous of?


    Alessandro, Dominic, my father, and Frankie will never let me see Carmine as anything more than a mercenary for the family and an old family friend. If they got wind of the thoughts I¡¯m entertaining, of being on top of Carmine while I ride his sizable cock, they would kill him and lock me away forever.


    What if Carmine doesn¡¯t even feel the same? Dominic is always saying that Carmine is a yer and always has been. I haven¡¯t seen him with anyone recently, though. Also, we keep bumping into each other, all the heavy flirtations and nces that pass between us.


    I wonder if there¡¯s a way to convince my family to see him as a good man for me, someone I could be with. I doubt it. I doubt anyone would ever be good enough for me.


    Alessandro has made that very clear when I¡¯ve dated men in the past. No one is good enough for the princess of the Sorvino family. Baby sibling and illegal racer.


    Well, I¡¯ll soon be a professional racer, so I¡¯ll have that going for me.


    I sigh and pull up to a traffic light. ncing out of my rearview mirror, I see a vehicle with tinted windows. I keep an eye on the car before I go to the next block and turn. The vehicle turns with me. I turn down the next block, and they follow. Are they my brother¡¯s men?


    I fumble in the bag next to me on the seat and fish out my phone, trying to keep my driving speed the same so they don¡¯t suspect I¡¯m reaching out for help.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    I see a bunch of missed calls from Carmine, and I dial him back, putting it on speakerphone.


    ¡°Arianna, where are you?¡± I hear his voice over the roar of an engine.


    ¡°Are you in the jag?¡± I ask, distracted.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Where are you?¡± he asks again. ¡°It¡¯s not safe for you to be out on the streets by yourself.¡±


    That reminds me of the car following me, and I turn to head back toward the motorway. ¡°I need some guards to meet me at South Central Park. I¡¯m being tailed. I thought maybe it was our guys, but now I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not our guys,¡± Carmine says. ¡°Don¡¯t dilly dally. Drive like it matters and lose the tail. We¡¯ll be at South Central Park soon.¡±


    I drop the call and put both hands on the steering wheel. I reach a red traffic light, wait a moment, spin my tires, and take off through the red light.


    As suspected, the vehicle follows me at speed, but I have a slight advantage with the head start.


    I weave my way through the traffic, clipping my mirror once or twice as I get too close. Sometimes I hear people hooting or cursing me as I pass, but I don¡¯t care. I swerve onto the on-ramp of the motorway and gun my elerator.


    I feel something drive into the back of me, and I nce back. They¡¯re trying to push me off the road. The heavy-duty vehicle is close, and they speed up, clipping my car again.


    I ramp over the side embankment andnd inches from another car, forcing the tinted car to fall behind them. I changenes quickly and take off, not giving them a chance to weave back into the samene as me.


    My heart is thudding in my chest. I swear I can hear it.


    After half an hour, I nce back, but I don¡¯t see the vehicle anymore. I still don¡¯t let off the gas. I keep going until I reach South Central Park and see Carmine and the Jag parked there with three other cars. A group of smart-dressed and probably armed men is standing by the vehicles. I pull up next to the jaguar and climb out.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Carmine asks with his hand on his gun.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I breathe out. ¡°I think I lost them.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever do that again.¡± Did Carmine just raise his voice at me? ¡°Don¡¯t you ever leave without an escort again, Arianna. This isn¡¯t some bullshit game you¡¯re ying.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak to me like that, Carmine,¡± I spit back. The men watch on ufortably.


    ¡°Get in the jag. You¡¯re driving with me,¡± Carmine says, opening the door for me. ¡°Give Carlos your keys.¡±


    I re at him before I drop my keys on the floor in defiance. I feel bad for Carlos but fuck Carmine. I can¡¯t believe I wanted to have sex with him. He is as bossy and demanding as Alessandro.


    He shuts the door, and everyone piles back into their cars, Carlos in my Imp.


    Carmine starts the car, and we head back toward the estate. I don¡¯t say a word to him. I think if I do, I¡¯ll take his head off his shoulders.


    A film of sweat forms on his face as the sun shines through the windscreen. His lips are pursed, and there¡¯s a different kind of fire in his eyes-it¡¯s almost scary.


    I know he kills people for the family, I¡¯m not deaf, and I¡¯m not stupid. I, however, have never felt anything but safe with him. I¡¯ve never seen him as someone who could hurt me. Having him angry at me now, though, does scare me. Why? Does it scare me because I¡¯m scared he hates me now? What a childish thought. He obviously doesn¡¯t give a shit about me at all, or he wouldn¡¯t boss me around.


    Or would he? Is this his reaction to being afraid of losing me? He still has no right to boss me around, but it would make more sense.


    He pulls into the estate and opens the garage.


    While he¡¯s waiting for the door to open, he turns to me. ¡°You go where I say you go.¡±


    ¡°Get fucked,¡± I spit, climbing out of the car without another word. I don¡¯t care if I like him or if he likes me. I¡¯m tired of everyone feeling like they can control me. I storm through the garage and the kitchen, and I ignore my parents as I storm up the stairs and into my bedroom, mming the door closed.

 #4 Chapter 12

    Carmine


    I can¡¯t fucking believe that she doesn¡¯t take this as seriously as we do. I know she¡¯s been raised in a bubble, but she¡¯s not naive, and I know that. We both know that.


    My anger is beyond anything I¡¯ve ever felt. I¡¯m not Dominic. He thinks he controls everything, but the man has temper issues. I¡¯ve always been calm and calcted. n the move, execute, and resolve the problem.


    How do I resolve Arianna?


    Not only do I want to ravage her, but I also want to keep her safe. I¡¯d spank her, but that might seriously give off the wrong idea.


    As I leave my room this morning, I don¡¯t even want to speak to her. It¡¯s too much. She ced herself in such unnecessary harm. She could have been taken or, worse, killed. And even then, we know that in the underworld, there are things worse than death that many families are willing to do to get what they want.


    I sit at the kitchen table, and she follows in a littleter. She looks at me, then at her brothers, and greets them. I don¡¯t say anything, and Dominic nces at me. Shit, I don¡¯t want him suspecting anything has happened between us.


    I start to dish some fresh bread onto my te with homemade jam. Mom¡¯s clearly been busy.


    The rest of the family speaks amicably as Arianna and I eat in silence. Dominic is now concentrating on his food, thank God, and has stopped giving me weird looks.


    We disperse afterward, and I follow Arianna to the garage. She puts on some overalls and opens the hood of her car. She nces at me. ¡°I¡¯m not going to run off.¡±


    Her voice is cold, and mine matches her, ¡°If I didn¡¯t have to watch you, I wouldn¡¯t be here. I¡¯m just doing my job.¡±


    I stand to the side, out of her way, my arms crossed in front of me. I¡¯m sure I see a flicker of something in her eyes. Is it hurt? I don¡¯t know, but I can¡¯t let my feelings cloud my judgment now.


    She gets in her car and turns the radio on, sting music as she works. She wouldn¡¯t hear me even if I did speak to her. I watch her in disbelief. She doesn¡¯t look at me at all while she fixes her car.


    I¡¯m about to tell her to get some lunch when an explosion rocks the house. She nces up at me in panic, and I draw my gun. ¡°Stay behind me.¡±


    She reaches under her workbench and withdraws a gun as well. ¡°Okay.¡±


    I nod and lead her toward the garage door. It bangs open, and three men I don¡¯t recognizee storming in, guns in their hands. We both stop and start to shoot at them. We hit one immediately but the other two duck down behind one of the cars. I push Arianna behind one of Dominic¡¯s cars just as they rise and start shooting at us.


    ¡°Are your keys in the ignition?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she says breathlessly. ¡°What about my family?¡±


    ¡°My job is to get you out of here, Arianna. You need to do as I say.¡± I hear the firing stop and assume they¡¯ve gone to reload. I stand, and a bullet barely misses my face. I aim and shoot a guy through the head before I duck down again.


    ¡°Get to the car, start the engine. I¡¯ll get in and go with you.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± she asks desperately.


    ¡°Get in. I¡¯ll direct you once we¡¯re on the road. We need to get out of the estate. I can smell smoke. Something¡¯s on fire.¡± I nudge her and peek over the car. The third man has made his way back to the garage door and calls through it.


    I get up quickly. ¡°Go now!¡± I fire at the man who dives through the door, although I¡¯m sure I got him in the leg as he lets out a desperate cry of pain.


    We rush to the Imp, and I click the button for the garage to open as I pass it.


    Arianna starts the car, and I stand guard while the door slides open, watching for more men. When it¡¯s almost entirely open, I slide into the passenger side. ¡°Go! Go! Go!¡±


    She reverses out of the garage like a bat out of hell, and I hold onto the window frame as she spins around and drives toward the wide-open gate, dead men lying on the floor-my men.


    She swerves into traffic amidst a lot of honking and brakes squealing, and she takes off.


    ¡°Where to?¡± she asks. ¡°What about my family?¡±


    ¡°They will each have their own means to get out. They have their own guards,¡± I exin, reloading my gun with myst rounds.


    ¡°Will they meet us wherever we¡¯re going?¡± she asks.


    ¡°Go toward West Hampton. There are numerous safe houses there.¡± I move, and my neck stings. I check in the rearview mirror. I¡¯ve got a cut, maybe from the bullet I thought had missed me, and it¡¯s bleeding.


    I take out my phone. ¡°I¡¯ll direct you once you get there.¡± I dial Dominic¡¯s number first. Alessandro will be busy.


    ¡°Did you get out?¡± I ask as soon as he answers. ¡°Is everyone okay?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about anyone else. I was with Sofia when it happened,¡± he says. ¡°But we¡¯re out and on our way home. Have you spoken to anyone else? Is Arianna okay?¡±


    ¡°Shook up but okay.¡± I nce at her. Her hands aren¡¯t trembling, which surprises me. ¡°Mostly taken by surprise. Your parents?¡±


    ¡°They were with Alessandro. I will try them again shortly. I¡¯ve spoken to Frankie to let him know what¡¯s happened ¡¯cause he¡¯s going to see it on the news and panic.¡± Dominic sounds so tired.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking Arianna to a West Hampton safe house. I¡¯ll let you know which one when we arrive. I¡¯ll give Alessandro a moment and call him, see if everyone got out okay.¡± I sigh. ¡°Dominic, they better have gotten out or else.¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°I know,¡± Dominic says seriously. ¡°They won¡¯t get away with this, even if everyone is okay.¡±


    ¡°Agreed, talkter.¡± I hang up and turn to Arianna. ¡°Dominic is fine, and so is Sofia.¡±


    ¡°My parents, though? Did he say anything about them?¡± she asks, her eyes wide.


    ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t know any more than we do. We¡¯ll get to the safe house, and then I¡¯ll call Alessandro to get an update.¡±


    She nods, and I plug the address into her GPS. I look out at the passing traffic. When we arrive, I¡¯ll make sure she has some sweet coffee to calm her nerves and maybe a shower to rx her.


    ¡°That was good shooting,¡± Iment. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had a gun in there.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. Alessandro does,¡± shements. ¡°But I¡¯m not an idiot. I know how to shoot.¡±


    ¡°Clearly,¡± I offer her a smile. ¡°Try not to stress, I¡¯m sure everyone is fine, or we would have heard something.¡±


    ¡°Why hasn¡¯t Alessandro called?¡± she asks. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t he checked on me?¡±


    ¡°He will,¡± I promise. ¡°He¡¯s probably doing disaster management right now. There are things at the house the cops can¡¯t find,¡± I point out. ¡°He¡¯ll be taking care of that and any of the attackers that remained behind before the cops pull in.¡±


    She nods numbly.


    I wish I could make her feel better, so I squeeze her leg. ¡°They¡¯re all¡­.¡± My phone goes off, and I read the text aloud. ¡°Everyone okay. Are you all safe? Get to safe houses. Further instructionster.¡±


    I smile at her. ¡°See, that¡¯s from Alessandro.¡±


    She looks visibly relieved, and I feel the same.

 #4 Chapter 13

    Arianna


    I lie here, wide awake. There¡¯s nothing I can do, no position where I¡¯mfortable enough to let go of my fear and fall asleep. I¡¯m exhausted, but every time I close my eyes, I jolt awake, thinking someone is in the room.


    It¡¯s too much for me to handle, and there¡¯s no point staying in bed if I¡¯m going to stare at the ceiling all night.


    I slide out of bed, fixing my tank top and pajama shorts that I found in the cupboard. Apparently, in every safe house, there are supplies for me-Alessandro thinks ahead.


    I walk to the living room. I don¡¯t turn the main light on because I don¡¯t want to disturb Carmine. I close the door as quietly as possible and open a curtain to let in the moonlight. I can more or less determine where everything is, so I grab the remote and flip the television on.


    I feel like my eyes are seared as the bright light fills the room. Thankfully the sound is muted, and I can raise the volume slowly.


    The news channel speaks to me softly about an explosion that rocked a quiet neighborhood earlier. I look at the burning picture of my home, and I shiver, sitting on the sofa to watch.


    The door opens, and I jump, snapping my neck to see Carmine walk in. He gives me a sad smile. ¡°Can¡¯t sleep either?¡± he asks.


    It¡¯s rhetorical, but I answer anyway, ¡°Nope. They really did a number on our house,¡± I say, gesturing toward the screen.


    He walks in and stands two feet away from me, just in his briefs, and he watches the news. ¡°It was calcted and nned. Alessandro never shared the house ns with anyone and didn¡¯t even update them at town hall. He paid someone off to ignore the alterations.¡±


    ¡°You know a lot about the estate,¡± I murmur.


    ¡°I was part of security. It was my job to know a lot about the estate.¡± He looks at me curiously. ¡°Watching this isn¡¯t going to set you at ease, and it¡¯s not going to help you sleep.¡±


    ¡°What do you suggest then?¡± I sit back, watching him.


    He holds his hand out for the remote, and I pass it to him. He sits on the sofa beside me, his bare leg brushing against mine. He flips through channels, pausing on each one until he finally finds a movie.


    ¡°It¡¯s not great, but if you like chick flicks, you¡¯ll enjoy this.¡±


    I smile. It¡¯s the Hallmark channel. Bless this man¡¯s heart for thinking I¡¯m a chick flick, Christmastime, lovey-dovey kind of girl.


    Still, I settle down to watch. He stands. ¡°I¡¯ll get you a nket and something warm to drink. Tea, maybe,¡± he offers. ¡°It¡¯s what Mom would make me¡­.¡±


    ¡°When we couldn¡¯t sleep,¡± I finish with a grin. ¡°I know. I¡¯m her kid too.¡±


    He chuckles and leaves the room, and I realize that when he entered, the fear I had dissipated at the sight of him. Having him near me is soforting. I forget for a moment that men tried to kill my entire family with a bomb and guns.


    Now that he is gone, that fear creeps back in again. What if they attack here? What if he is in the kitchen when they attack? I feel a panic building up inside me, a panic I¡¯m not used to. I wasn¡¯t even this scared when I aquaned for the first time.


    I take several deep breaths and try to focus on the movie. It¡¯s a cheesy holiday movie, and I run a hand through my hair and tuck it behind my ear.


    It feels like he takes forever, but Carmine returns with a nket tucked under his arm and two cups of tea in his hands. He sets the tea down on the coffee table and shakes the nket, covering me with it.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I whisper in a soft tone. I startle myself at the softness in my voice.


    Carmine has noticed, too. He¡¯s looking at me with worried eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be scared. I will protect you no matter what happens.¡±


    I look away, scared I¡¯ll start crying if I think about it too much.


    Carmine picks up a cup of tea and holds it out to me. ¡°Here, sip this.¡±


    I take it, blowing on the top of the liquid as Mother showed me all those years ago. I sip it and watch as he sits beside me with his tea. We both turn our attention to the movie as we drink.


    I finish my sweet tea slowly, then put the cup on the side table. I curl my legs under me and wait for Carmine to put his cup down.


    ¡°Get under,¡± I say, tugging at the nket. ¡°I¡¯m ufortable.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t argue with me. Instead, he gets up, climbs under the warm nket, and sits beside me. I lift his arm and ce it around my shoulders so I can rest my head against his chest. We watch the movie together, and slowly, my eyes close.


    ¡°What the actual fuck?¡± My brother, Dominic¡¯s shout, jolts me awake, and I panic that we¡¯re being attacked again.


    Carmine removes his protective arm from around me and stands up. ¡°Dominic, it¡¯s nothing, man.¡±


    ¡°Nothing? You cuddling with my fucking sister is nothing?¡± my brother demands to know.


    I step toward him. ¡°I asked him to stay with me because I was scared,¡± I snarl. ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything.¡±Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    Dominic looks like he wants to shoot both of us. He res at Carmine. ¡°You¡¯re my best friend, Carmine, but stay the fuck away from my sister. You may be like family to us, but you will never be good enough for her.¡±


    I can¡¯t believe what I¡¯m hearing. My brother is being the biggest dick in the world right now.


    Carmine looks furious, but he holds his hands up. ¡°I wasn¡¯t making a move on Arianna. I wasforting her.¡±


    ¡°And even if he wanted to,¡± I snap, ¡°it¡¯s none of your fucking business.¡±


    Dominic res at me andes close to my face. I can see the anger set in his eyes. ¡°Stop acting like a fucking slut, cuddling up to whatever man pays you attention.¡±


    I¡¯m not just anyone. I¡¯m his sister. I p his face before he can say another word, and I know he¡¯s stunned because I¡¯ve never raised my hands to my brother before. It¡¯s always been about respect, pleasing, and falling into line.


    Dominic touches a hand to his reddening cheek, but I don¡¯t care. I push past him and walk out of the room. I hear him yelling at Carmine, and a pang of guilt hits me in the gut like a sucker punch. I can¡¯t do anything about Carmine, but if Dominic hurts him, I¡¯ll be having a very unpleasant conversation with Alessandro. Dominic is way out of line. I know they want to protect me, but so does Carmine. I don¡¯t understand why they can¡¯t see that Carmine is literally willing toy his life down on the line to keep me safe.


    Something needs to change in this family, something needs to give, or I¡¯m going to be alone for the rest of my life because no one will ever be good enough for the innocent and pretty little Sorvino¡¯s family princess.


    I wait until I hear Dominic leave before Ie back downstairs. I look in the living room but don¡¯t see Carmine there. A sweet aroma reaches me, and I head to the kitchen. Carmine is dressed now, with an apron over his clothes, cooking.

 #4 Chapter 14

    Carmine


    I am so fucked off with Dominic.


    Not good enough?


    Not good enough!


    Since I was orphaned, I have run after the Sorvino boys cleaning up their problems. I was raised as part of the family. I spent schoolyard days protecting Frankie, avenging Alessandro, and kicking ass with Dominic. Any kids they asked me to, even if it meant I¡¯d get my ass handed to me.


    I joined elite ops for the family. I learned to kill for the family. I¡¯ve never once turned my back on them.


    Dominic is acting as though I¡¯m just a random someone who joined the family and not someone who ate at their table for thest twenty-odd years. Someone who watched them grow, who helped them y chess against the other families, figuratively speaking.


    Yes, I get it. I was a yer in my early twenties, but that ended years ago. As my best friend and my closest brother, Dominic should have noticed that. He should see that I have settled down and that I don¡¯t treat women like they are disposable.


    I don¡¯t understand why he hasn¡¯t seen that and how he can think I¡¯m not good enough for Arianna. I¡¯m practically a Sorvino in everything except name.


    Jesus Christ.


    I try and contain my anger. I get dressed, and I go downstairs to the kitchen. Arianna has been in her room for a while, and I know she hasn¡¯t had breakfast. It¡¯s halfway to lunch, so I decide to cook her something.


    I throw on some bacon in one pan and sausages in another. I get the ingredients out for an omelet. I whisk the eggs, set them aside, and grate some cheese. I dice some tomatoes. All goods Dominic had brought on Alessandro¡¯s instructions.


    Alessandro.


    Dominic is probably running his mouth off about me now to the Don. He might not be as restrained as Dominic. Alessandro isn¡¯t known for his rational thinking when ites to the people he cares about.


    ¡°Smells good?¡± I nce up at Arianna standing in the doorway. ¡°What are you making?¡±


    ¡°Toast, omelets, bacon, sausage, and all with some fresh orange juice,¡± Iment. ¡°Your brother brought extra food. It¡¯s why he was here.¡±


    ¡°My brother,¡± she says curtly. ¡°So when he agrees with you, he¡¯s your best friend, but when he¡¯s pissed you off, he¡¯s my brother.¡±


    I¡¯m about to say something when I see the teasing smile on her face and rx. ¡°Yeah, well, he¡¯s always your brother. I¡¯m just coteral.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡± She walks closer to me. ¡°You matter as much as any Sorvino son.¡±


    I give her a half-hearted smile and turn back to start on the omelet. ¡°You pour the juice.¡±


    She gets out two sses, and I turn my back on her while I work. It¡¯s a moment before she says, ¡°I¡¯m sorry my brother had a go at you. He isn¡¯t right, you know, you are good enough for me. More than good enough.¡±


    I swallow hard. This isn¡¯t a conversation I want to have with her after I promised Dominic nothing was happening between us.


    ¡°It¡¯s just how things are,¡± I say quietly, and we fall silent. I prepare the food and set it out on the table. We sit opposite each other, and she smiles. ¡°Looks great.¡±


    I grin and let her dish up first before I help myself. ¡°If you want another omelet, I can make one.¡±


    She shakes her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m good.¡±


    We eat in silence, just enjoying each other¡¯spany. Arianna nces out of the window. ¡°I guess we can¡¯t go out, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s too dangerous,¡± I say. ¡°We shouldy low for now.¡±


    ¡°Dominic is driving around,¡± she points out,zily stabbing a piece of omelet with her fork.


    I roll my eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t know what he¡¯s capable of.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware of what my brothers do,¡± she says, looking at me with narrowed eyes.


    I shake my head. ¡°You might think you do, but trust me, your mind is romanticizing it. It¡¯s worse in real life.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do if we can¡¯t go out?¡±


    ¡°Well, we stock safe houses like these for situations like this, so we probably have a few board games stashed, and we can y those and watch movies to pass the time.¡± I push my te away, clean.


    Once I¡¯ve cleared away the dishes, Ie back to the dining room to find Arianna setting up a game of monopoly, and I grin. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re in for trouble now. This is my best game.¡±


    ¡°Well then, consider yourself challenged because I rock monopoly.¡± Arianna smiles at me. ¡°I¡¯m the car.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the hat,¡± I say, picking up my piece and cing it on the board.


    I settle down and say, ¡°Ladies go first. You¡¯ll need the head start.¡±


    ¡°No, we roll for it. The highest number goes first, fair and square.¡± She shakes the dice in her hand and releases them onto the board. ¡°Nine!¡±


    I scoop up the dice and shake them in my hands, making a show of blowing on them in my closed fist and rolling them on the board. She squeals, ¡°Six, me first.¡±


    As she scoops the dice up again, my phone rings. I pull it out of my pocket and look at the screen. ¡°It¡¯s your brother, Alessandro. I won¡¯t be a minute, don¡¯t y without me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I can cheat,¡± she scolds me but gets up. ¡°I¡¯ll go get us something to drink.¡±


    ¡°Don Alessandro,¡± I say respectfully as I answer the phone.


    ¡°Is Arianna okay?¡± Alessandro asks me.


    ¡°Yes, sir, we¡¯re just sitting down to y a board game to pass the time,¡± I say honestly.


    Alessandro pauses and then says, ¡°Well, keep her at the safe house and keep her safe until we can rebuild and improve security. I don¡¯t know how the fuckers got a hold of theyout of the house, but when I find that rat, I¡¯m going to drown him personally.¡±


    ¡°Noted, boss,¡± I say, not wanting to incur his wrath.


    There¡¯s another pause, and I hesitantly ask, ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Carmine, I¡¯m going to be candid with you. Dominic was here and said he was worried that you might be making moves on Arianna. I want you to tell me if it¡¯s true. Are you making moves on my baby sister?¡±


    I don¡¯t hesitate to answer; there can be no hesitation, ¡°I¡¯m not. I¡¯ve assured Dominic of that. I wasforting Ariannast night, and we fell asleep. Nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°Nothing better happen,¡± he says, and I hear the threat in his voice. ¡°We go way back. You¡¯re like a baby brother to me. But she¡¯s my only baby sister, Carmine.¡±Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    ¡°Dominic made it very clear that I will never be good enough for her,¡± I say coldly.


    Another pause.


    ¡°He¡¯s right. No one is good enough for Arianna until I say they are good enough. I know you¡¯re loyal to the family, but this is not the life I want for her,¡± he sighs. ¡°Keep me updated if anything happens. We¡¯ll get another security detail to you as soon as possible so you can rx a little.¡±


    He rings off, and I sigh, setting my phone down. I look up and see Arianna standing in the doorway, holding two sodas. ¡°It¡¯s not up to them to decide who is good enough for me,¡± she says.


    ¡°I know,¡± I say, and I mean it. ¡°For now, though, let me kick your ass at this board game.¡±


    She smiles appreciatively and sits down again, handing me a soda.

 #4 Chapter 15

    Arianna


    I sleep well after whipping Carmine¡¯s ass at monopoly. I am still the reigning champion.


    I wake up with a jolt and see the early morning light filtering through a break in the deep red velvet curtains. I rub my eyes and nce at the smartwatch on my arm. When the small screen illuminates with the time, I squint; it¡¯s way too bright for first thing in the morning.


    After a moment, I make out that it¡¯s after seven, and I slide out of bed. I head to the bathroom and wash up and brush my teeth. I dress in a simple shirt and shortsbination. Carmine might not be awake yet, as it¡¯s still early. I decide to explore the safe house some more. I haven¡¯t ventured far. I say house, but it¡¯s bigger than an average house, that¡¯s for sure.


    I plod downstairs and look down the three various hallways branching from the entrance room at the bottom of the stairs.


    I take the one closest to my left, and it leads to some spare rooms, a board room, and, amazingly, a home theater room. I bet Alessandro designed this ce. The man has talent.


    I go back and go down another hallway. There¡¯s a home gym-nice, we can work out-and there¡¯s a locked door that I can¡¯t open. Knowing my brothers, it stores something important like weapons. The other two doors are also locked. I¡¯ll ask Carmine about them when he¡¯s awake. I go down the final hallway. There is only one door, and it¡¯s open. As I step in, I silently whoop.


    Indoor swimming pool.


    It¡¯s not huge, but it looks deep. I don¡¯t have a bikini here, but I don¡¯t care; I¡¯m not shy to skinny dip, and if Carmine finds me¡­well, I hope he appreciates the show.


    I strip out of my clothes and walk to the edge of the pool. I dip a toe in; it¡¯s heated. I look around and find the pipes running through the ceiling out of the room. It¡¯s sr-heated, nice.


    I dive in enthusiastically ande up for air. The warm water feels amazing on my body, and I start to swim to the other end of the pool. It isn¡¯t a big pool, but I can swim around a bit.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Carmine¡¯s voicees from the door. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re naked.¡±


    I see him turning around, and Iugh, the sound echoing off the walls. ¡°Carmine, rx. It¡¯s no big deal.¡±


    He stops but doesn¡¯t face me. ¡°I¡¯lle backter when you¡¯re dressed.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. Come and join me.¡± I can see he wants to turn his head, and I swim to the edge of the pool. ¡°Am I that ugly to look at it?¡±


    That gets him. He whips his head around to look at me, his face red. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. Arianna, I promised your brothers I would protect you. I can¡¯t be distracted.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s distracting? Are we not allowed to swim?¡± I ask casually.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think your brothers would be pleased to know we¡¯re swimming naked together,¡± hements, looking away again.


    I snort. ¡°We¡¯re both consenting adults, and we¡¯re just swimming. Come on. You got to see me naked. Now, don¡¯t I get to see you?¡±


    He shakes his head. ¡°It isn¡¯t right.¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Are you scared?¡± I tease. ¡°Because if this is the thing that scares you, I¡¯d totally understand.¡±


    I can only see the side of his face, but there are frown lines, and I know he¡¯s grumpy now. ¡°No, I¡¯m not scared. I¡¯m being respectful.¡±


    ¡°Stuck up,¡± I say, sshing in his direction. ¡°You¡¯re an adult and can¡¯t even be in the same room as me because you¡¯re ashamed of my body.¡±


    He sighs and turns to me, taking a hesitant step toward the edge. ¡°Stop goading me, Ari. Get dressed, and we¡¯ll find something to do.¡±


    ¡°I want you to swim with me first,¡± I say breathlessly, using my arms to keep me high in the water, my breast floating to the surface. ¡°Come on, the water¡¯s lovely.¡±


    ¡°Your brothers will kill me,¡± he says, but I can see he wants to as his eyes drift over my body.


    ¡°I won¡¯t tell if you don¡¯t,¡± I say. ¡°Please.¡±


    He sighs, and I grin as he takes his shirt off. He pushes his pants down and approaches the pool in his briefs. ¡°No, no, all of it off. We¡¯re doing this properly.¡±


    His eyes meet mine, and I can see them alight with mischief. He pulls down his briefs after a moment, and I can¡¯t help that my mouth drops open slightly.


    ¡°Like what you see? Not the only one with the power to persuade,¡± he grins and dives into the pool behind me. He swims to the other end and waits there.


    I swim slowly toward him. ¡°You¡¯re so concerned about my brothers, what they think, but do you care what I think?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± he asks, floating toward me just as slowly.


    ¡°I think I want to make my own decisions. About my career, my life¡­my love life. I should be able to have a say in who I want to see.¡± We¡¯re a few feet apart, and I reach for his hand, hees forward, and I take his hand, pulling myself toward his body. We aren¡¯t touching, but we¡¯re close. ¡°Did you ever think I wanted to see you? In a more romantic way? I know you¡¯re hesitant, but Carmine, we can¡¯t deny that there¡¯s a passion between us. There¡¯s definitely something.¡±


    Carmine stares at me, a fire in his eyes. ¡°My loyalty dictates what I do.¡±


    ¡°Is there no loyalty to me? You¡¯ve known me as long as you¡¯ve known my brothers. Or don¡¯t I matter?¡± I breathe thest words out.


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair,¡± he says quietly. ¡°You know you mean the world to me. Your family gave me a home when I had none. I have to abide by the family rules.¡±


    ¡°Rules were made to be broken,¡± I say. Standing on my tiptoes, I press my body against his, feeling his dick twitch slightly as I kiss him deeply.


    He slides his arms around me and lifts me slightly, holding me firmly against him. We kiss hungrily, licking and biting each other¡¯s lips as though it¡¯s thest thing we will ever taste in our wasted lives.


    I feel his semi-hard dick press against my thigh, and I groan softly into his mouth. He moans as well, one hand entangled in my wet hair.


    I feel like he¡¯s going to draw blood if he kisses me any harder, and just when I think he¡¯s going to cave in and slip his hand between my juicy thighs, his hold on me loosens, and he reluctantly steps back.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I ask, breathless.


    ¡°We can¡¯t, Ari. I¡¯m sorry.¡± He turns and wades through the water as I watch him. He climbs out of the pool and grabs his clothes, walking out of the room without a backward nce.


    I float there for a moment, still aroused from our closeness, our nakedness. I can¡¯t stay here forever, so I slowly gather myself and swim to the steeldder leading out of the water.


    I don my clothes, though I am still wet. I¡¯ll go up and change them after I¡¯m dry, but one thing Carmine should know about me is that when I want something, I don¡¯t give up very easily.

 #4 Chapter 16

    Carmine


    I can¡¯t!


    I can¡¯t do this, but I want to so badly. If I didn¡¯t walk away from Arianna in that pool, I know I would have done unspeakable things to her. My dick is still semi-hard, and the more I think about her perky breasts pressed against my chest, the harder it gets.


    I go to my room and straight to the bathroom. I discard my clothes on the floor and get into the shower, running the water. I lean one hand against the wall as the water washes over me in waves.


    I don¡¯t even think a cold shower will help this erection. I think about what Arianna said, the fact she wants me. I think about her lips against mine, her tongue probing my mouth not so innocently.


    This isn¡¯t her first rodeo, I¡¯m not naive, but God, I want to be herst. I reach down and give my cock a squeeze before slowly pumping my hand up and down my shaft. I grunt, trying to keep as quiet as I can. I think of what it would be like between her legs, what she would taste like when I assault her with my tongue. If I thumbed her clit enough, would she be a squirter? God, so much to think about.


    I pump my fist around my dick a bit faster, my hips moving involuntarily in motion with my hand. I tip my head back. I know I¡¯m getting close, but that¡¯s when I sense another presence in the bathroom. I just feel like someone is watching me.


    My eyes snap open, but I keep my hand on my dick, moving, as I look to the side to see Arianna standing there, still naked.


    I stop moving my hand. ¡°Get out, Ari.¡±


    ¡°I can help,¡± she says rather quietly and steps forward. ¡°I know you want me as much as I want you.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t,¡± I groan. I can¡¯t look at her, and shivers rack through my body.


    The next thing I know, her hand pushes mine away, and she starts to stroke me in long, slow strokes. ¡°My family doesn¡¯t have to know, and what my family doesn¡¯t know won¡¯t hurt them.¡±


    I shift and turn to let her under the water with me. I tilt her head up and kiss her. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t,¡± I murmur into her mouth.


    She squeezes my dick gently, and I buck slightly. ¡°God, Ari, don¡¯t tease me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tease me,¡± she counters before kissing me again.


    My handse up to her breasts, and I thumb over her nipples. I y with them until they¡¯re standing to attention and then pinch them between my thumb and index finger.


    She whimpers softly, her other hand reaching down to touch her sex as we kiss.


    I move her hands, guiding her to turn around and bend over. Realizing what I¡¯m doing, she whimpers softly, ¡°Yes.¡±


    I don¡¯t need more encouragement than that. I guide my cock to her hole and slowly push myself in. She cries out, and I hold her hips until I¡¯m buried inside her, my balls hitting her skin.


    I move slowly, teasing her. I watch as she holds onto the wall, her breasts swinging freely under her. I leave one hand on her hip, and the other goes to her breast, giving it a firm squeeze.


    She tips her head up, and I see her eyes are clenched shut, her mouth slightly open in an ¡®o¡¯ shape.


    I continue to move slowly, but as I push in, thatst inch or two, I thrust forward hard. She yelps and I hold onto her. I do it again, and there¡¯s that little yelp again. It¡¯s not from pain. No, I¡¯m hitting a sweet spot that is just doing it for her. This time I go halfway in before thrusting forward hard, and her yelp is louder.


    God, she¡¯s driving me insane.


    Her pussy clenches around my cock, and I move my hips harder, more steadily. She bounces against me, and the wet sound of skin pping skin fills the bathroom, echoing off the tiles.


    I bury myself deep inside of her, and I cum hard. I hold her up, feeling how her legs are shaking underneath her. I pull out of her and turn her around to kiss her. What felt like an eternity of making love, something we¡¯ve clearly both wanted for a long time, probably took less than ten minutes.From N?velDrama.Org.


    I hold her against me for a moment before I wash her down and then wash her hair. She, in turn, washes my body down before kissing me and climbing out of the shower.


    As we dry, I say, ¡°Arianna, I can¡¯t be cast from the family. That¡¯s worse for me than death. I haven¡¯t had any other family since I was twelve. Your parents took me in when no one else would have. They cannot find out about us.¡±


    She looks at me, yful mischief no longer in her eyes. ¡°I promise, Carmine, they won¡¯t. I won¡¯t let them find out about us. Carmine, I¡¯ve loved you since eighth grade, and I don¡¯t want you to have to leave our family either. Maybe they¡¯lle around with time, but I won¡¯t say anything until you do.¡±


    I go to her and kiss her much more gently than I did earlier. ¡°You are a Goddess, Ari. I will always treat you like one,¡± I promise. ¡°You are my everything.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so weird we¡¯ve finally been together,¡± she says, a slight blush gracing her cheeks. ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve always thought about it, but I never thought you¡¯d give in.¡±


    I chuckle. ¡°Apparently, I have less self-control than I thought I did, but you didn¡¯t make it easy.¡±


    I lead her into the bedroom. She sits naked on my made-up bed. I rifle through the cupboard and pull out some briefs, slipping them on. ¡°You better get dressed in case your brother decides to drop in again.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about him and ruin the moment,¡± she grins. ¡°Let¡¯s just enjoy this right now.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, good thing I¡¯ve activated the security system to let me know if there¡¯s any movement by the gate or property.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean we¡¯ll have a warning?¡± she asks, sliding back on the bed.


    I lick my lips, already knowing where she wants to go with this. ¡°Ari, again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m insatiable,¡± she murmurs, her knees together but her thighs apart so I can see her perfect shaved mound.


    ¡°I can definitely satisfy you,¡± I say proudly, crawling onto the bed. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, but I don¡¯t want to tire you out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m young,¡± she says back to me. ¡°I have energy and legs for days.¡±


    I stroke a finger from her ankle, up her leg, over her knee, and down her thigh. ¡°I¡¯ve known that for years.¡±


    I lie beside her, propped up on my right arm, my left free to caress her.


    ¡°So,¡± she finally says, ¡°are you just going to tease me, or are you going to do something about my needs.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what needs are those?¡± I yfully ask.


    ¡°Well, I need your head between my legs, making me happy.¡± She grins, snuggling down onto the pillows.


    ¡°My head, between your legs.¡± I kiss her tanned stomach softly and then kiss her a little lower, trailing kisses down to her thigh. ¡°And I must make you happy? I can do that.¡±

 #4 Chapter 17

    Arianna


    Every single day this week, more than once a day, we¡¯ve fallen into bed with each other.


    Bed.


    Sofa.


    Kitchen counter.


    Any surface that had never experienced wild sex before in this house certainly has now. I can¡¯t keep my hands off Carmine, or my eyes, though sometimes it is nice just to settle down together and cuddle.


    We leave my bed unmade so that anyone whoes over thinks I¡¯m sleeping there. Carmine has always been known as a neat freak, so they would never question why his is always made.


    Every time Dominic hase over, I¡¯ve been nothing short of a feisty saint of a sister he loves very much. Carmine has mentioned that Dominic has asked again if there¡¯s something between us. While I¡¯m concerned he suspects something, it doesn¡¯t really deter me from throwing my legs open and weing Carmine¡¯s pulsating dick into me.


    Seven dayster, and I¡¯m not tired of him. Many people talk about the honeymoon phase, but I feel like we¡¯ve always been in that phase. We were just too chicken to do anything about it.


    As this brand-new week starts, I stir sleepily in Carmine¡¯s arms.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s too early,¡± he mumbles.


    ¡°Dominic will be here in an hour,¡± I mumble back, just as sleepily, checking my watch. ¡°Get up.¡±


    I slide out of bed and pad to my room, pulling out some clothes and getting dressed for the day. I feel like I¡¯m still half asleep as I go to the kitchen to put the coffee pot on.


    As Carminees in, his phone chimes, which means there¡¯s a security alert. ¡°He¡¯s early,¡± Iment.


    ¡°I know,¡± he says, ncing at me. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the living room.¡±


    He leaves, and the room feels empty. It¡¯s about five minutester when the door gives a small squeak open and then a small thud shut. My brother is trying to be sneaky, apparently. I roll my eyes. Whatever he thinks we¡¯re doing, we¡¯re doing it, but we¡¯re not dumb enough to let him catch us.


    I am, however, surprised to see Alessandroe into the kitchen.


    ¡°Hello, Cup Cake,¡± he says with a grin. ¡°Where¡¯s Carmine?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I say. ¡°But I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°I know. I wanted to surprise you. It¡¯s been forever since we¡¯ve seen each other. Is that coffee fresh?¡±


    ¡°Just made it. Here, I¡¯ll fix you a cup.¡± I put together a cup of coffee for my brother and take it to him.


    ¡°Thanks, smells delicious. Oh, Carmine, I was just wondering where you were,¡± he says as Carmine enters from the door.


    ¡°Hey, Don Alessandro,¡± he says respectfully. ¡°I¡¯m so pleased to see you alive and well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, yes, we¡¯re still trying to figure out which family is behind it, but once we do, you can extract your pound of flesh.¡± Alessandro downs his hot coffee. He¡¯s always been like that. He turns to me. ¡°Well, you better get packed up. We have a new estate that we¡¯re moving into. Everything that survived is already there.¡±


    ¡°Did my cars survive?¡± I ask instantly.


    ¡°A few dents and scratches, but nothing the family can¡¯t sort out for you,¡± he says, grinning and putting an arm around my shoulder. ¡°Pack what you need, and Carmine can bring you in a few hours. Carmine, I need to speak to you.¡± He lets me go, and Carmine and Alessandro leave the room to talk privately.


    I¡¯m a bit nervous, but I¡¯m ny-nine percent sure he wants to talk to Carmine about the family business. There¡¯s no reason for him to suspect anything between us. Thank God we had the warning, or he might have caught us in bed together. Carmine would be a dead man instantly. I¡¯d be locked away in a tower for sure.


    I hear the front door shut, and Carminees back after a while. ¡°You need to get packed up. We¡¯ve decided to go back sooner rather thanter.¡±


    I pout. ¡°What about us?¡±


    Carmine gives me a sad smile. ¡°They can never find out about us, Ari,¡± he says softly, kissing my forehead.


    ¡°I know, but we¡¯ll still make a n to see each other, right?¡± I ask. ¡°You¡¯re not going to ditch me for an easier girl now?¡±


    ¡°Ari, you are anything but easy,¡± heughs. ¡°If I wanted easy, I¡¯d date one of your cousins.¡±


    I smack him. ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know about the ones you have dated.¡±


    He grins and kisses me deeply. ¡°We¡¯ll find a way to be together, I promise.¡±


    I leave and pack what I want to take with me. The drive to the new estate is tense and quiet, as though we know what risk we are taking ying this game. No one ever won against the Sorvinos or lived to talk about it. Carmine himself had seen to that many times.


    The estate is on the opposite side of New York from where we were staying. When Carmine pulls into the driveway, we¡¯re stopped by four guards who confirm our identities before letting us in. Men patrol every inch of the area, and I realize how difficult it will be to find time alone with Carmine.From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°There¡¯s a beautiful orchard,¡± hements, motioning to behind the house.


    I nod, but I¡¯m not happy.


    I lead Carmine into our new house and pause in the entrance hall, unsure where my room is. People are moving quickly about, moving things into ce and cleaning.


    ¡°Cup Cake!¡± I hear my father call from the upstairsnding. I smile and drop my things, meeting him at the bottom of the stairs with a huge hug. ¡°Papa! I¡¯m so d that you¡¯re okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay, too,¡± he chuckles. ¡°I believe Carmine has taken excellent care of you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he has,¡± I can¡¯t help but giggle, ¡°very good care of me. I even got him to beat him at monopoly.¡±


    If my father picked up on my suggestive tone, he doesn¡¯t show it. Instead, he lets me go to shake Carmine¡¯s hand. ¡°Are you well, son?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Pa,¡± Carmine says with a grin, it¡¯s weird that he sees my father as his own, but at the same time, it¡¯s not.


    ¡°Cup Cake, I¡¯ll show you to your room. Carmine, you¡¯re downstairs,¡± he points to the back left. ¡°Down that hallway, none of the rooms have been assigned yet.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Carmine says, picking up his stuff and heading that way without question.


    I gather my things, and I¡¯m about to head upstairs when I see Alessandro. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m home!¡±


    Alessandro gives me a sad smile, and I know he¡¯s got bad news, so I instantly ask, ¡°What now?¡±


    He sighs. ¡°Arianna, I don¡¯t want you going outte and racing around New York. It isn¡¯t safe at the moment. You need to stay close to home.¡±


    I frown. ¡°I am not a five-year-old child, Alessandro.¡±


    ¡°Believe me, I know. Katya chewed me out as well, but I want you to stay at home.¡±


    ¡°No, this is fucking bullshit,¡± I say.


    My father instantly steps in, ¡°Arianna, mind yournguage with your brother.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m tired of being bossed around about what I can and can¡¯t do. I¡¯m not a child, and I¡¯m certainly not Alessandro¡¯s child. I will do whatever I like. Don¡¯t worry about showing me my room, Papa. I¡¯ll find it myself.¡±


    As I storm upstairs, I hear my father call me back, but I¡¯m too angry to stop.

 #4 Chapter 18

    Carmine


    I have to find her after I hear her and Alessandro arguing. It hasn¡¯t even been five minutes at the new estate, and he¡¯s trying to tell her what to do, and she, as always, is defiant.


    It takes me a few tries, but I eventually find her bedroom. When I knock, she says, ¡°Fuck off.¡± I know it¡¯s her.


    I say quietly, ¡°Arianna, it¡¯s me. Let¡¯s take a walk.¡±


    She flings the door open. ¡°Fine, but if you¡¯reing to defend my brother, don¡¯t bother.¡±


    I smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go check out the orchard.¡±


    I can see she¡¯s reluctant to follow me because she already knows what I¡¯m going to say.


    She takes off, and after turning around a few times downstairs, she leads me out the front door. ¡°If you calm down, we could even explore your new house.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Alessandro¡¯s house,¡± she says snidely, ¡°I¡¯m just a captive.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Arianna. Alessandro is just trying to protect you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing. Someone always has to protect me as though I can¡¯t protect myself! I¡¯m notpletely useless, you know. Katya protects herself,¡± she barks as we enter the trees.


    ¡°Katya has her own security detail as well,¡± I point out. ¡°There¡¯s a legitimate threat, and we need to take it seriously.¡±


    ¡°One minute back near my brother, and you¡¯re already bossing me around.¡± She frowns, walking ahead of me.


    I don¡¯t rush to keep up. I want her to spend her energy and her anger.


    We reach what I assume is more or less the center of the orchard, as there¡¯s a bench set here. The old timers used to like doing that. Arianna sits down in a huff. ¡°You could speak to him, Carmine,¡± she says. ¡°You could convince him to let me race while you¡¯re with me.¡±


    ¡°That would raise a bit of suspicion, don¡¯t you think,¡± I point out, sitting beside her. I look around slowly, then take her hand in mine. ¡°Sometimes you need topromise and listen to your family.¡±


    She shakes her head. ¡°That¡¯s all I ever do, and look what it¡¯s gotten me. All I am is a prisoner, and a trophy to them, nothing in my life makes me happy.¡±


    I squeeze her hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ari, but I can¡¯t go against your brother¡¯s wishes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask him if I can do it if youe with me. Will you at least back me up?¡± I bring her hand to my lips and kiss them. ¡°I suggest you approach him with a level head.¡±Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡± But she smiles, and I fall in love with her all over again.


    I nod. ¡°Let¡¯s go speak to him¡­calmly,¡± I add.


    She nods, and my hand feels cold when hers leaves my grip. We walk back from the orchard and find Alessandro sitting outside having a cigar with Romero.


    ¡°The answer is still no,¡± he says when he sees Arianna approaching him.


    ¡°At least hear me out before you shoot me down,¡± she growls.


    Alessandro raises an eyebrow. ¡°Fine, out with it. What loophole do you think you can worm your way through?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take Carmine with me to the races. He¡¯ll protect me.¡± Alessandro looks at me, and I give a curt nod. ¡°I will.¡±


    Alessandro sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. ¡°Are you going to keep attempting to sneak out regardless of what I say, Arianna?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she says confidently, ¡°but this way, I won¡¯t get killed.¡±


    Alessandro sighs and says, ¡°Are you okay with this, Carmine? You¡¯ve basically be a glorified babysitter.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind taking care of any Sorvino family members,¡± I say with a smile. ¡°Even the spoiled ones.¡±


    Arianna punches my arm, and I chuckle. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine with me, Alessandro.¡±


    ¡°Arianna, go unpack so long. I want to talk to Carmine about your security.¡± He nods to Romero, who also leaves, snubbing out his cigar in the ashtray on the table.


    Arianna nces at me and then walks inside with her father.


    ¡°Have you been cuddling with my sister again?¡± Alessandro asks, blowing out ast ring of smoke.


    ¡°No, Don Alessandro, nothing.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t making a move on her? Because Dominic is convinced you are. Now, that boy can be paranoid, I¡¯ll be the first to admit, especially when ites to our baby sister, but I¡¯d hate for there to be truth to his beliefs.¡± Alessandro meets my eyes. ¡°You have always been a yboy, Carmine. It¡¯s the only way we¡¯ve ever known you. A yboy isn¡¯t good enough for my sister, no matter how much he does for the family. I won¡¯t risk Arianna¡¯s heart being crushed by someone who doesn¡¯t think twice about sleeping with a woman and never calling again.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing between us,¡± I say, clenching my jaw. ¡°And I haven¡¯t done that in ages, Alessandro.¡±


    ¡°Once a yboy, always a yboy,¡± Alessandro says calmly.


    ¡°By that logic, you¡¯re all still yboys, too. You, Frankie, and Dominic. You were all there breaking hearts alongside me,¡± I point this out cheekily, though I know my limits with Alessandro.


    He considers me for what feels like an eternity before he re-lights his cigar. ¡°Don¡¯t get involved with my sister, Carmine. That¡¯s my final word.¡±


    He leans back against the wall, looking past me, which is my cue the conversation is over. I return to the house, where Arianna is waiting just inside for me. ¡°Meet me tonight at the garage. Ten.¡±


    I watch her leave and go back to my room to unpack. I stay there for the rest of the day until ten minutes to ten. Then I go to meet Arianna.


    The race is exhrating, to say the least. These chumps don¡¯t stand a chance against Arianna¡¯s skill, and it makes my blood pump.


    When we pull up to collect the winnings, I get out of the car with her.


    ¡°Konstantin, I believe I need to be paid,¡± Arianna says with glee.


    ¡°I think not,¡± he says with a thick Russian ent. ¡°Why don¡¯t you and your little boyfriend fuck off and never show your faces at one of my races again. People don¡¯t want to race when you¡¯re always the winner.¡±


    ¡°Pay me, or you¡¯ll regret it,¡± Arianna says.


    ¡°Will your boyfriend try to hurt me,¡± Konstantinughs, but before I can do anything, Arianna has a gun out and points it at Konstantin¡¯s head, then points it at his crotch. ¡°Give my friend the winnings, or I¡¯ll blow your cock off. Don¡¯t worry about meing again. I don¡¯t like racing for someone who doesn¡¯t pay.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making a mistake.¡± Konstantin slowly picks up a bag and throws it at me. ¡°Don¡¯t show your face around these parts again.¡±


    ¡°My brothers own this area,¡± Arianna says. ¡°So if you want to keep racing, you¡¯ll remember who you¡¯re speaking to.¡±


    She puts away the gun, and we climb back into her car, speeding off.


    I chuckle, ¡°Seems like you don¡¯t need me.¡±


    She grins and then shouts, ¡°Whoop! That was exciting.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get home before your brother kills us,¡± I say, but she doesn¡¯t turn toward the new house. ¡°Are you lost?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re making a quick stop,¡± she says, grinning. She pulls into a darkened lot near Central Park and cuts the engine. She immediately starts undressing.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I gasp.


    ¡°We can¡¯t fuck at home, so we¡¯ll do it where we can,¡± she grins, unsping her bra and letting her breasts spill out.


    ¡°Who am I to argue,¡± I say, starting on my jeans.

 #4 Chapter 19

    Arianna


    After breakfast, I walk toward the door to the garage, but a voice stops me, ¡°Arianna, can we talk.¡±


    I hate that line. I look at Alessandro waiting for me at the dining area door while everyone else moves away to start their mornings.


    ¡°What¡¯d I do now?¡± I ask, exasperated.


    Alessandro shakes his head. ¡°I just need to talk to you. Come with me.¡±


    He leads me into what is going to be his study. There¡¯s still a library of books to unpack, but the maids won¡¯t do that until Alessandro¡¯s left for the morning.


    He sits behind his heavy oak table andces his fingers together. ¡°Arianna, you and I always butt heads, but there is a level of respect you need to show me. Your attitude is getting out of hand, and I need you to know I can¡¯t let that slide. It makes me look like a weak leader, and I am not weak.¡±


    I lower myself into an armchair facing him. ¡°Alessandro, I¡¯m tired¡­¡±From N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Let me finish.¡± He holds up a hand. ¡°Stop interrupting me, and let me finish.¡±


    I fall silent, a coldness settling on me.


    ¡°I want to know if you¡¯ve been seeing Carmine in a personal capacity.¡±


    ¡°A personal capacity?¡± I ask. ¡°As in, like a friend? ¡®Caus I do, I even drag him drinking with me sometimes.¡±


    Alessandro¡¯s eyes bore into mine. ¡°A more romantic capacity. I want you to be honest, Arianna. I need to know the truth.¡±


    ¡°Nothing is happening between us,¡± I say, keeping a straight face.


    Alessandro stares at me, and I frown. ¡°Even if there was, what business would it be of yours? You seem to want to control every single aspect of my life, and it¡¯s not on.¡±


    Alessandro sits back and shakes his head. ¡°Carmine has always been a yboy, Arianna. If you get involved with him, you¡¯re courting heartbreak. I won¡¯t let that happen.¡±


    ¡°Well, you have nothing to worry about,¡± I lie, ¡°because there isn¡¯t anything between us. I mean, there¡¯s no one in my life because you and my other brothers constantly drive away any boyfriend I find. You don¡¯t think anyone is good enough for me. Because of you, I¡¯m going to end up dying alone and unloved.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll understand one day that we¡¯re looking after your best interests,¡± Alessandro sighs. ¡°I don¡¯t like it any more than you do, but I promise I¡¯ll find you a suitable partner one day, and you can throw avish wedding. I¡¯ll even pay for it all. Then you can do as you please with him.¡±


    I glower at him. ¡°An arranged marriage? You really think that¡¯s what I want.¡±


    ¡°Until then, you keep things strictly professional with Carmine. I don¡¯t want to hear any more stories of you two cuddling on the sofa or being too close.¡± He inclines his head to the side. ¡°Do you understand me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice, so why bother asking me,¡± I say, standing up. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, Don Alessandro, I¡¯d like to enjoy the little freedom I have while I have it. Before you sell me off like some ve.¡±


    ¡°Arianna,¡± he says, and there¡¯s a hint of sadness in his voice.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± I turn and leave, walking to the garage immediately. Carmine is already there waiting for me, and when I walk in and see him, I can¡¯t help the angry tears that stream down my face. Concerned but knowing it would be dangerous to hold me here, he grabs the car keys and opens the passenger side door for me.


    I climb in, and soon we¡¯re making our way toward Long Beach in silence. It¡¯s not until we¡¯re nearly there that he asks, ¡°What happened? Do they know?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I shake my head, d the tears have stopped, but they¡¯re still threatening to spill again. ¡°It¡¯s worse than that. Alessandro suspects something is between us, and he says we¡¯re to keep it strictly professional. He says you¡¯re a notorious yboy and that he will arrange a marriage for me with a suitable partner.¡±


    Carmine keeps quiet for a moment before he says, ¡°Arranged marriages aremon in families like yours, but this time I have to say it¡¯splete bullshit.¡± I see his grip on the steering wheel tightened. ¡°They don¡¯t think I¡¯m good enough because I used to be a yboy. I used to be, Arianna. It¡¯s no secret. I didn¡¯t hide it from anyone. They were yboys too, but they handle monogamy just fine.¡±


    I put a hand on his leg. ¡°It isn¡¯t fair, Carmine. We should be allowed to be together. I don¡¯t understand how he thinks I would be okay with an arranged marriage.¡±


    ¡°He expects you to do your duty as a daughter of the Sorvinos,¡± Carmine exins. ¡°Being with me brings the family nothing in wealth or investments.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like I don¡¯t matter to them. I¡¯m just a meat sack for exchanges,¡± I growl. ¡°They¡¯re supposed to be my brothers. They¡¯re always on about family and being loyal, but no one is being loyal to me and how I feel.¡±


    We drive in silence for a moment before a thought urs to me. ¡°Maybe we need to build up alliances of our own within the family to change Alessandro¡¯s mind.¡±


    Carmine pulls into a parking lot near the beach and cuts the engine, turning to look at me. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°My mother! My mother would surely understand that love is more important than status. She loves my father to pieces. Maybe if we approach her and get her on our side, along with others, maybe when we reveal to Alessandro that we want to be together, he will see we have support and concede.¡±


    Carmine shakes his head. ¡°Alessandro isn¡¯t like that. He doesn¡¯t care for the opinions of others, especially not women. The only woman that can sway him is Katya.¡±


    ¡°Then we speak to her,¡± I say eagerly. ¡°If we get her on our side, we may win Alessandro over. We¡¯ll start with my mother and Katya, and then we¡¯ll get Sofia and Amelia as well.¡±


    ¡°Arianna,¡± he says, taking my hand in his, ¡°it¡¯s too dangerous. If one of them reports what¡¯s going on to Alessandro, you¡¯ll be under lock and key for the rest of your life, and I will probably be shot in the head. This isn¡¯t a fairytale where a miracle is going to happen. I need to prove myself worthy to your father and your brothers.¡±


    I frown. ¡°You don¡¯t even want to try,¡± I say angrily, trying to pull my hand away from his.


    He holds on and looks deeply into my eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t ever say that. This is my problem to fix, my reputation that is the problem. I just think we need to be more patient. We¡¯re not going anywhere.¡± He brings my hand up to his mouth and kisses my fingers gently. ¡°Whatever happens, I won¡¯t let him marry you off to someone.¡±


    I reach my free hand out and stroke his face. ¡°I¡¯m so in love with you, Carmine. I know you won¡¯t break my heart.¡±


    ¡°I never will,¡± he promises me, leaning forward and kissing me softly. I return the kiss. It¡¯s not a passionate kiss but a sweet one-a gentle summer breeze of a kiss that calms thest of my anger.

 #4 Chapter 20

    Carmine


    At church, I can see that Arianna is giving Alessandro the cold shoulder, which she¡¯ll undoubtedly be reprimanded forter. She¡¯s normally feisty and defiant, but this is unlike any behavior I¡¯ve seen from her before. I swear she¡¯s looking for trouble.


    I drive her back home, but Dominic and Sofia are in the car with us, so we can¡¯t talk about her behavior. Dominic instead is rattling off to Sofia about his favorite baseball team, and she¡¯s smiling and nodding, inputting her favorite yers now and then.


    While the family gathers out back for therge Sunday lunch that Alessandro is hosting, Arianna asks me to walk with her through the orchard. She does it in front of Alessandro, who doesn¡¯t seem to read too much into it other than I¡¯m escorting her for her safety.


    We walk deep into the orchard. We can¡¯t touch because children run through the trees, pick fruit, and y, but we can talk in quiet voices.


    ¡°Ari, you need to watch how you treat Alessandro. You¡¯re not winning his favor by giving him the cold shoulder,¡± I say, ncing at her.


    Arianna sighs. ¡°I¡¯ve always done what the family wants, Carmine. I¡¯ve always put aside what I want and what I believe in doing as my brother tells me. He won¡¯t give me this one thing. Does that mean I have to be loyal to him, but he doesn¡¯t have to be loyal to me?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°He¡¯s doing what he thinks is best for you. He isn¡¯t in afortable position; you must try to understand that,¡± I exin. ¡°I¡¯m not defending his choices. I¡¯m just saying that we¡¯re not going to win him over by treating him like shit.¡±


    ¡°I love my brothers more than anything,¡± she says. ¡°I just want them to love me enough to let me be with the person I want to be with.¡±


    I keep quiet, and we walk past the center of the orchard, the bench we had sneaked off to not so long ago. We continue to walk. ¡°I think we should tell my mother. I know we can trust her.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°We can¡¯t trust anyone yet, Arianna. They all hold this view of me that I¡¯m just going to use you and toss you aside. I¡¯m not proud of what I¡¯ve done in the past, but I need to show them that I¡¯m not my past self anymore. If you tell your mother, I¡¯m worried she will tell Pa, and then he¡¯ll tell Alessandro. Then we¡¯re both in hot water.¡±


    She sighs, and I continue, ¡°Just sit tight. I¡¯m trying to figure out a way to show them I can be trusted with you.¡±


    She looks around. We¡¯re at the far end of the orchard now, so she quickly kisses my lips and backs away. ¡°Fine, but please be careful.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back before theye looking,¡± I say gently, turning around and walking next to her. All I want is to hold her, tofort her. To be able to hold her hand while I stroll around the estate, and although I won¡¯t tell her, it hurts me that Alessandro doesn¡¯t think that after all my years of loyalty to him, I would be faithful to her. I have always been treated as though I¡¯m a part of the family until they considered I could marry into the family and actually be their brother.


    The closer we get back to the gathering, the more children run around us. As we reach where everyone is mingling, Arianna breaks off from me and goes to speak to Sofia.


    I get a drink and stand to the side, keeping an eye on everything. Ever the watchdog for the Sorvinos. This whole situation with Arianna has really got me wondering about whether they really are loyal to those that are loyal to them. I give myself a mental shake. Arianna has always been off-limits. That¡¯s never changed. What¡¯s changed is that we¡¯ve made moves on each other, whichplicates things.


    ¡°Carmine,¡± a sultry voice says beside me, ¡°you get sexier every time Ie over.¡±


    It¡¯s Be, Arianna¡¯s distant cousin. Her father is involved in the family, too, but in a smaller capacity. I nce at her. ¡°Thanks, Be. I hope you¡¯re well.¡±


    I move to leave, but she slides her arm into mine and holds me there. ¡°Where are you running off to? I thought maybe we could sneak off together.¡±


    Her speech is slightly slurred, and I frown. Retrieving my arm from her grip, I say coldly, ¡°I¡¯m not interested, Be. I have a lot going on.¡±


    Be looks up at me with a frown before going off the other way. I turn and almost spill my drink as Dominic stands right behind me. He¡¯s eying me. ¡°What was that about?¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Be¡¯s drunk and trying to put moves on me,¡± I exin honestly.


    ¡°And since when do you turn down a free romp?¡± Dominic asks with narrowed eyes.


    I snort, ¡°I¡¯ve told you a thousand times, I¡¯m over the yboy lifestyle, Dom. Have been for ages. Time to update your opinion of me.¡± I pause, tilting my head to the side. ¡°Funny, you and Alessandro used to be yboys. And now that you¡¯ve both found women you love, you¡¯re not. No one gives you guys grief about it.¡±


    Dominic shakes his head. ¡°We each have our ce in the family, Carmine, you know that. You¡¯re better off being a yboy and a mercenary than ying the doting husband. Don¡¯t meddle with things you don¡¯t understand.¡±


    I frown. ¡°I¡¯ve been in this family since I was twelve years old. There¡¯s very little I don¡¯t understand about how this family works. I¡¯ve always been a loyal brother to all of you-always. You have no reason to question me now.¡±


    Dominic is about to say something, but Sofiaes over, ¡°We¡¯re bringing out lunch, boys. Find a seat.¡±


    Dominic gives me a rather stern look, and my heart feels as though it¡¯s been stabbed. Dominic has been my best friend for over seventeen years, he¡¯s my brother, and I hate to feel as though we¡¯re drifting apart. We were all very close, but Dom, Ari, and I were closest growing up.


    We¡¯d terrorize her boyfriends together and support each other. We always had each other¡¯s back. When Romero asked me if I wanted to be a mercenary for the family, I didn¡¯t hesitate to agree. He¡¯s always been proud of me, treating me like I¡¯m one of his sons. He would be so disappointed if he learned about Arianna and me being together. I don¡¯t know how I would handle that.


    For now, I go sit down between some of the male cousins. They banter with me about theirtest news, and I listen with a small smile though now and then, my eyes pass over to where Arianna is seated near Alessandro. She¡¯s talking animatedly to Katya, and I wonder what she¡¯s saying. Should we speak to the women in the family and get them on our side?


    I don¡¯t know though. Katya is dangerous and powerful; she¡¯d kill anyone who messes with her baby sister. That is what Arianna is to her, her baby sister.


    I thought she was mine, but I¡¯ve realized that what I¡¯ve always felt for her is a way deeper love.

 #4 Chapter 21

    Arianna


    The looming thought that I could be married off to someone I don¡¯t even know consumes me. I can¡¯t focus on anything else, and I just want to run away with Carmine and never look back. I know, though, that no matter how far we run, my family will find us. This isn¡¯t the kind of life you can run away from.


    I know Carmine is worried about Alessandro finding out, but I can¡¯t help but think that my mom would know what to do. She always knows how to fix things. She always has.


    She¡¯s much stronger than people give her credit for. If I can get her on our side, she could convince my father, and then we¡¯re pretty much on the winning side. I know Alessandro will listen to my father¡¯s advice, even though he has stepped down as Don.


    I don¡¯t want to discuss it at home though, because who knows who will overhear us.


    When I finish breakfast, I leave the dining hall and walk toward the stairs to go back to my room to mope about my current situation.


    ¡°Cup Cake,¡± my mother calls, and I stop and look at her, wondering if she¡¯s read my mind.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we go get our hair and nails done? A full pampering session.¡± Helena smiles at me. ¡°It¡¯s been an age since we¡¯ve spent time together.¡±


    I smile. This is perfect timing. If I believed the universe gave signs, this would be one. ¡°Sure, Mama, let me get into somethingfortable, and I¡¯ll be right down.¡±


    I go upstairs and change into a pair of summer shorts and a tank top. I grab the purse I use whenever I go out with her and leave my room, almost bumping into Carmine. I grin and look up and down the hall before I peck his lips quickly. ¡°My mom and I are going out.¡±


    ¡°She said,¡± he smiles. ¡°Alessandro has something he wants me to take care of, so Carlos is going with you two. Be safe.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I promise, giving him another quick kiss before hurrying away.


    I nce back and see him grinning at me stupidly, and I feel like I am falling even more in love with him. That grin, that body, the intelligent mind contained in that head of his, there¡¯s nothing I don¡¯t love about him.


    I meet my mother outside, and we get into the sedan together. I don¡¯t like being driven around, but my mother doesn¡¯t like how fast I drive, so being chauffeured is my only option.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking,¡± she says as we pull out of the estate. ¡°I know you¡¯re bored sitting at home. Why don¡¯t you study something like Sofia is doing?¡±


    I try not to groan. ¡°Mom, I have studied. I took business management at university.¡±


    ¡°I mean something else, something that can keep you entertained.¡± She puts a soft hand on mine. ¡°Something that doesn¡¯t involve you and the family business.¡±


    ¡°If Alessandro would just trust me, I could prove to him what I¡¯m capable of. Everyone seems to think I¡¯m an airhead.¡± I look out the window. I don¡¯t want to make her angry, but at the same time, I¡¯m tired of being treated as though I¡¯m clueless.


    ¡°You are brilliant,¡± my mother says. ¡°Defiant, caring, and so much like your father. We just don¡¯t want you to get involved in the family business. This isn¡¯t the life we wanted for you.¡±


    ¡°Then why does Alessandro want to marry me off? Why can¡¯t I choose who I¡¯m with, then?¡± I ask, looking at her seriously.


    The car stops outside of the salon, and we get out. With all her charms, we walk in, and my mother speaks to the front desk. ¡°Two manicures. I want my hair washed and blow-dried. I think Arianna can use a bit of a trim. What do you think?¡±


    I nod. ¡°And a blow dry.¡±


    We¡¯re escorted to two tables next to each other. While we wait for the nail technicians, I turn to my mother. ¡°It¡¯s unfair that I can¡¯t choose who and what I have in my life, Mama. What if I find someone I truly love and want to be with them, and Alessandro disapproves.¡±


    ¡°He probably doesn¡¯t approve for a reason, Cup Cake,¡± my mother exins. ¡°He doesn¡¯t just decide things for no reason.¡±


    I fidget slightly with my fingers, and she notices. ¡°You¡¯re not talking hypothetically, are you?¡±


    I blush and shake my head. ¡°There is someone I have been seeing that I know Alessandro doesn¡¯t approve of. Neither does Papa or Dominic. If Frankie were here, I bet he¡¯d have a shit fit too.¡±


    ¡°Who is it?¡± my mother asks immediately. ¡°Who have you been seeing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already said too much,¡± I try to backtrack, but my mother reaches for my hand.


    ¡°Tell me who it is, Arianna,¡± she says seriously, and for a moment, I¡¯m scared of her.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Carmine,¡± I say quietly, and I see a coldness in her eyes. I instantly know I¡¯ve made a grave mistake.


    ¡°Mama, please. Promise me you won¡¯t say anything to Papa or the boys, please. They¡¯ll kill him.¡± I reach for her hand this time, but she pulls away.


    ¡°This is family business,¡± she says without looking at me. ¡°I can¡¯t not tell your father, Arianna.¡±


    I stand. ¡°No,¡± she calls after me as I rush out. I hail a taxi and give them the address to the estate. Carmine would kill me knowing I¡¯ve left without Carlos, but I don¡¯t care. My mother could be calling my father right now.


    I try to call Carmine, but he doesn¡¯t answer. I can only pray that he¡¯s back at the estate and that I can find him before my family does. He needs to leave. He needs to run away and never look back. My heart is breaking with the thought that I¡¯ll never see him again, but better than living with the knowledge that I am the reason he¡¯s dead.


    The drive feels like it takes forever before the cab pulls up to the gate. When the guards see it¡¯s me, they let him through. I pay him generously and climb out, running into the house and calling, ¡°Carmine?¡±


    ¡°Carmine?¡± I call again.


    I dial his number, and he answers, ¡°Hey, is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°No, where are you?¡± I can¡¯t fight the tears for much longer.


    ¡°I¡¯m at the house, in the back garden. Do you want me toe to get you?¡±


    I hang up and run out the back. I find him alone, having a cigar, and I rush to him, hugging him tightly. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. You need to leave. You need to run away as fast and far as possible.¡± I start to cry.


    Carmine drops the cigar and holds me, rubbing my back. ¡°Who knows?¡±


    ¡°I told my mother. I¡¯m sorry I thought I could trust her,¡± I sob into his chest. ¡°Please, Carmine, get out of here before theye for you. I couldn¡¯t live with myself if they hurt you because of me.¡±


    I feel Carmine tense, and he holds me tightly, ¡°Whatever happens, it isn¡¯t your fault? Promise me you won¡¯t think that if anything happens.¡±


    ¡°But it is,¡± I sob.


    ¡°No, I chose to be with you. I gave in to this. This isn¡¯t your burden. Please don¡¯t ever think it¡¯s your fault.¡±

 #4 Chapter 22

    Carmine


    ¡°I need to go,¡± I say finally. ¡°They¡¯re probably already on their way.¡±


    I let her go and kiss her head, then I see Dominic standing at the back door, Romero behind him.


    Arianna turns around to see what I¡¯m looking at, and her shoulders fall, ¡°Dominic. Daddy. Please don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Carmine, Alessandro wants to see you right now,¡± Romero says coldly.


    Arianna grabs my arm. ¡°Leave him alone, please,¡± she cries. Dominic walks outside and stares at me. I can see his fists are clenched.


    Her final action has sealed my fate, but I wouldn¡¯t give up any of the time I spent with her for any reason. I don¡¯t regret my decision. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me.


    What hurts is how Romero looks at me as though I mean nothing to him. Dominic looks like he wants to attack me but is under strict orders to take me to Alessandro. I pry myself from Arianna, saying, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry. Remember what I said.¡±


    She sobs as I follow Romero back into the house with Dominic behind me. Fighting now would be futile and would only cause more problems.


    Alessandro will probably put a bullet in my head, I¡¯ve seen him do it for less, and I will embrace death. Better to have loved Arianna for the time I knew her than never to have known what love was at all.


    Alessandro isn¡¯t sitting at his desk when we walk in. He¡¯s standing behind it with his back to us. His hands sped behind his back. Romero goes to stand behind the desk on one side and Dominic on the other.


    I stand to attention. I won¡¯t show weakness in myst moments.


    ¡°You promised you wouldn¡¯t get involved with her,¡± Alessandro says suddenly. ¡°You promised me there was nothing between you two. Everything you¡¯ve said is a lie,¡± he turns and moves to sit down at his desk. ¡°How can I trust my best soldier if he lies to my face? To my brother? To my father?¡±


    I look him in the eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to lie, but I knew what would happen if I were honest. How can I be honest with my Don when he doesn¡¯t even trust me.¡±


    Dominic takes a step forward, and Alessandro holds a hand out. ¡°I don¡¯t trust you. I definitely don¡¯t trust you know. You¡¯ve been seeing my baby sister, who I told you waspletely off-limits. You broke what trust I had with you, Carmine. This family has treated you well all these years, and this is how you thank us?¡±


    Romero growls, ¡°I took you in, boy. I gave you a roof over your head, the same level of education I gave my boys. What my sons got, you got too. You were like a son to me, and you do this? You betray me by taking advantage of my daughter?¡±


    I can¡¯t meet his eyes. No, not my father¡¯s eyes. I say steadily, looking at Alessandro still, ¡°I¡¯ve always done what is best for the family. I¡¯ve always taken care of business without hesitation or mistake. I have been loyal to no one else. I can¡¯t help that I fell in love with Arianna anymore than you can help to breathe air. I guess I¡¯ve always loved her, but I couldn¡¯t deny it anymore once I knew she felt the same way about me. I believe we are made for each other, she and I, and I am not sorry for that.¡±


    Alessandro raises an eyebrow. ¡°Very poetic, Carmine, but I told you I don¡¯t want a yboy with my sister.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°A yboy or an orphan?¡± I ask. ¡°Someone who can¡¯t bring something important to the family? Because I haven¡¯t been a yboy in a long time, Don Alessandro, and I think you know that.¡±


    ¡°Watch how you speak to your Don,¡± Dominic says through gritted teeth, but Alessandro waves him off.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s time we were all honest here. Carmine, you are like a brother to me. You really are. I didn¡¯t value you any less than Frankie or Dominic, but this crosses a line that I can¡¯t allow.¡±


    He stands up, and I tense my body, ready to meet my end. ¡°I understand, Don Alessandro, but please know I will always be loyal to the Sorvino family and Arianna.¡±


    He considers me for a moment before he says, ¡°Leave. Don¡¯t evere near any Sorvino ever again. I don¡¯t care how distantly rted they are. You have done a lot for the family, Carmine, so to pay you back, I¡¯m going to spare your life. If you ever contact Arianna again, if I ever hear you so much as think about her or what color her eyes are, I will personally put a bullet between your eyes, Carmine. Don¡¯t mistake this for weakness. This is a final kindness I¡¯m offering to you as my brother.¡±


    I finally look at Romero, who seems so livid, and then at Dominic, who I know is itching to rearrange my face.


    ¡°I understand,¡± I say quietly. ¡°Thank you, Don Alessandro, for giving me this kindness. I will do as you ask.¡±


    I turn to leave, knowing Alessandro won¡¯t shoot me in the back, nor would he allow anyone else to. I go to my room and pack my things up before I head out the front door. A driver is waiting to take me back to my apartment. As I walk toward the car, I hear Arianna call out for me, and I turn. She¡¯s trying to get out the front door, and Dominic is holding her back.


    ¡°Carmine, no! Don¡¯t go! This isn¡¯t fair,¡± she shrieks, ¡°Carmine, please.¡±


    I swallow hard and raise a hand before I climb into the car, shutting the door. I see her start hitting Dominic as hard as she can to get away, but he¡¯s stronger than her. He won¡¯t let her go.


    They might have gotten rid of me, but Arianna will never forgive her family for this. I know that for a fact.


    They can try to do what they want, but she will neverply.


    And I¡¯m d she won¡¯t.


    I hope she defies them every single step of the way.


    Carlos doesn¡¯t say anything as he drives me out of the estate, and I think I¡¯m grateful for that. We¡¯ve been working together for a long time, and I¡¯d hate to hear he¡¯s disappointed with me too.


    It¡¯s as though I¡¯m the ultimate disappointment to everyone, but I think the person who will most likely feel Arianna¡¯s wrath is Mom. She betrayed her in the worse possible way. Arianna should never have trusted her, but even I thought she might simply discourage Arianna rather than run to Pa with the information. I always thought she saw me as a son too. Clearly, that was a mistake.


    I feel like I¡¯ve lost everything that keeps me sane, and I don¡¯t know how I will deal with the future. I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m going to do for a living. I guess I could enlist. My skill set will get me promoted quickly. I could also take a private contracting job, but there¡¯s time for thatter. I have enough saved away to befortable for a few months.


    I won¡¯t befortable, though. I¡¯m going to be heartbroken.

 #4 Chapter 23

    Arianna


    As I watch the car with Carmine drive off, Dominic finally lets me go, and my hand ps him hard enough to leave a red mark.


    ¡°I will never forgive you for this,¡± I seethe at him. ¡°You are all dead to me.¡±


    Dominic doesn¡¯t say anything. He just stands there and stares at me, shocked. I turn around and see my mother, Helena, standing with my father at the entrance of Alessandro¡¯s office. ¡°You.¡±


    Helena holds up her hands. ¡°Arianna, you have to understand¡­.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to understand anything,¡± I shriek. ¡°What I understand is Carmine loved me for no other reason than he loved me. There was no gain to get from being with me. You made him leave, and now I¡¯ll never see him again. I hate you all.¡±


    ¡°Arianna,¡± Alessandro¡¯s deep voicees from his office, e here.¡±


    I stalk past my parents and into Alessandro¡¯s office, letting the tears flow freely down my face. ¡°Don¡¯t speak to our parents that way,¡± he says. ¡°Have some damn respect. You wouldn¡¯t be in this situation if you didn¡¯t lie to me.¡±


    ¡°Carmine would still be gone if I hadn¡¯t lied to you,¡± I argue. ¡°You are so against my happiness. I don¡¯t understand why.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want you to be happy. It¡¯s that I want you to be safe and protected,¡± he says.


    ¡°Carmine¡¯s my bodyguard. How much more protected do you want me to be?¡± I turn to leave, and he says, ¡°I¡¯m not done, Arianna, don¡¯t turn your back on me.¡±


    I turn to face him, more tears welling in my eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re no longer allowed to leave the house unless escorted by myself or Dominic. If you do, if you leave this house to see Carmine, I will put a hit out for him, and I swear it won¡¯t be pretty.¡± He looks so cold and calcting. I know he isn¡¯t joking.


    ¡°I hate you,¡± I say quietly, then I think, fuck it, and I raise my voice, ¡°I hate you and everything you stand for. I will never, ever speak to you again, Alessandro Sorvino, for as long as I live. You are all dead to me. I don¡¯t care what any of you say. If you had any love for me, you¡¯d cast me out of the family so I could be with Carmine and no longer live this unhappy life. Do you enjoy torturing me and making me unhappy? Does it get you off?¡±


    He stands up, and I shake my head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter because you don¡¯t give a fuck about me and what I want, so what does it matter. Don¡¯t speak to me. Don¡¯t engage with me at all.¡±


    I turn and march toward the garage, not caring that he just told me I couldn¡¯t leave. I hear footsteps behind me, and I¡¯m sure Alessandro will pull me back and hit me for my insolence.


    My mother tries to call me, but I flip her off and m the door behind me.


    I grab my car keys and go to open my door when a strong hand shuts it. ¡°Alessandro just said you¡¯re not to leave without an escort.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the racetrack to clear my head,¡± I growl at Dominic. ¡°Leave me the fuck alone, Dominic.¡±


    ¡°If you want to go, then I have to go with you. I¡¯m not allowed just to let you go. Alessandro has spoken. As head of this family, he has the final say.¡± Dominic looks at me with a mixture of sadness and anger, and I push him. ¡°Get in then but don¡¯t fucking speak to me like you care about me.¡±


    He goes around the car and gets in.


    My tires squeal as I reverse out of the garage, spinning in a circle to turn around. Dominic holds the handle above the passenger door with a look of worry.


    I hit the elerator, and before long, we¡¯re on our way. I turn the music up as loud as my sound system allows it without popping, and I act as though Dominic isn¡¯t even in the car.


    When I get to the racetrack, I sign in. No one else is there at the moment, so I pull onto the track and start driving as fast as I can. Dominic looks at me, I can see it out of the corner of my eye, but he wanted to be my escort. This is what I do to rx. He reaches to turn down my music, and I smack his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t touch my shit. This is mine. You don¡¯t touch anything that¡¯s mine. Ever again.¡±


    Domini frowns and yells, ¡°I just want to talk to you, Arianna. This isn¡¯t like you.¡±


    I ignore him, and he continues to yell, ¡°We¡¯re looking out for your best interests. You don¡¯t know Carmine the way we do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say I know Carmine a lot better than any of you,¡± I yell back, taking a corner.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Dominic looks a bit green, but I don¡¯t slow down. He better not puke in my car, or he¡¯s cleaning it.


    ¡°Maybe in some ways, but you didn¡¯t know him a couple of years ago. He was a yer, Arianna. I don¡¯t know how to convince you of this.¡±


    I slow down, then hit the brakes. Dominic ms forward because he isn¡¯t wearing his safety belt. He holds his head. ¡°Fuck, Arianna, was that necessary.¡±


    ¡°I was there,¡± I snarl. ¡°I was there all those years. I partied with you guys. I drank with you guys. Did you forget that I¡¯ve been present in your lives for my entire life? I¡¯ve known Carmine since I was eight years old. I¡¯m not oblivious to how all of you acted toward women. Alessandro, worst of all. The way he treated women was disgusting, and if our parents knew, Pa would beat the shit out of him. But I never ratted you guys out or told you not to have fun and explore life. Meantime, I¡¯m expected to marry someone I don¡¯t know for the good of the family. Really, Dominic? That¡¯s what you think will be best for me?¡±


    He stares at me for a long moment, but he hasn¡¯t got an answer. I know he wouldn¡¯t because he knows I¡¯m right. I was there all the time, I knew exactly the kind of men my brothers and Carmine were, but I also paid attention as they matured and stopped fucking around with women.


    I put the car into first gear and rev the engine, pulling off suddenly, making Dominic m back into his seat. He doesn¡¯t say anything while I zoom around the racetrack a few more times before I leave to take us home.


    He doesn¡¯t say anything on the way home, even when I turn the music down. He just stares ahead as though I¡¯ve revealed some great mystery to him.


    I park in the garage, and I get out. He climbs out andes around the car. ¡°Arianna, listen¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I meant what I said, Dominic,¡± I say, looking up at him coldly. ¡°You, Alessandro, our parents-you¡¯re all dead to me. If I were allowed to leave, I would, but I¡¯ll probably get shot if I do, or worse, Carmine will.¡±


    I swallow hard.


    ¡°Everyone else got their happy ever afters with the people they chose. Alessandro got Katya. You got Sofia. Frankie got Amelia, and Mom and Dad have each other. What did I do to you guys that was so terrible that I couldn¡¯t have the same courtesy? Don¡¯t answer. Dead men speak no tales.¡±


    I leave him standing there as I head to the house.

 #4 Chapter 24

    Carmine


    I don¡¯t know what to do with myself. My life feelspletely void of meaning because I don¡¯t have Arianna next to me. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s safe or if she¡¯s being punished for being with me. I don¡¯t even know if she¡¯s allowed to race anymore.


    I¡¯ve done nothing but drink, I think, as I open another beer and move to sit on my sofa. There are empty beer cans strewn about the floor, and if someone walked in here, they¡¯d assume I am an alcoholic.


    Despite what they¡¯ve decided, I¡¯m still loyal to the Sorvinos. I won¡¯t serve another family. Sometimes families have disagreements and fights, and this is one of those times. Everything is wrong, and I wish there were a way I could get the Sorvinos to see that I would take excellent care of Arianna.


    I look up as there¡¯s a knock at my door. I don¡¯t really have friends, so this puts me on edge. I grab my handgun and approach the door slowly, wondering if Dominic has decided to put a hole in my head regardless of what Alessandro promised.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± I call, holding onto the gun tightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s Mom. I¡¯m alone,¡± Helena says, and I frown. I put the gun in the waistband of my pants and open the door slowly, ¡°What do you want?¡± I ask a little rudely.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak to your mother that way,¡± she says briskly. ¡°I need to speak to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, now you¡¯re my mother,¡± Iment, stepping aside to let her in. She walks in and nces around the messy apartment before looking at me.


    ¡°You¡¯ve always been a neat freak,¡± shements. ¡°This isn¡¯t like you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the new post-family me. Want a beer?¡± She shakes her head, and I shut the door to sit down. I notice she¡¯s carrying a bag in her hands, and she sets it on the counter before turning to me.


    ¡°There¡¯s some homemade food for you. I know you¡¯re terrible at feeding yourself, which is why we always make you eat with us.¡± She shifts slightly. ¡°And I wanted to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°What could you possibly have to say that the rest of the family hasn¡¯t already made clear? I haven¡¯t tried to see Arianna, so it¡¯s not that.¡±


    ¡°How do you feel about Arianna?¡± she asks, sitting on the armchair to my left.


    I snort, ¡°What I feel doesn¡¯t matter. That¡¯s been made clear.¡±


    She leans forward and puts a hand on my arm. I don¡¯t pull away; instead, I look into her blue eyes. ¡°How do you feel about her?¡± she asks again.


    I swallow. ¡°I feel like I can¡¯t breathe when I¡¯m not around her, Mom,¡± I cave in. It must be the alcohol. ¡°I feel like no one can keep her safe like I can. That no one can love her the way I can, I realized that I¡¯ve always loved her and that my yboy ways were just a bandage because I knew I could never have her. When she said she felt the same way about me, I felt like two halves of a soul joined together. That we could face anything together, even Alessandro, I would be loyal to her like no other man and love her for the rest of eternity.¡±


    Helena purses her lips and then rummages in her bag. She hands me a business card. ¡°Be here at nine sharp, sober.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Just do it and trust me.¡± She gets up and kisses my head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I betrayed you.¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    She leaves, and I set the beer down, looking at the business card for a boutique. I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s nning, but she seemed quite serious. I pour the rest of my beer down the drain, shower, and eat some of the cannoli Mom brought for me. Then I go pass out in my bed after setting the rm.


    Standing outside the boutique, I¡¯m worried this is an borate setup to get me killed, but I¡¯m here now, and I can only hope that Mom wouldn¡¯t do that to me. That would definitely break me.


    I open the door, and a bell jingles above me. A severe-looking womanes storming over to me. ¡°Carmine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, why?¡± I ask, surprised.


    ¡°I was expecting you. Come quickly before someone sees.¡± She shoos me toward the back and into a huge fitting room. ¡°You stay here.¡±


    I look around at the mirrors that cover every wall except for a back door which might be an exit, and the curtained entrance we walked through.


    There¡¯s that jingle again of the door, and I clench my fists; I have my gun just in case. I hear Helena¡¯s voice. ¡°Juste over here. I don¡¯t have time to exin. You can hate meter.¡±


    The curtain draws back, and a pissed-off Arianna steps in. For a moment, there¡¯s just silence as the shock registers on her face, then I rush to her, and she to me, and I wrap my arms around her and hug her tightly.


    ¡°Carmine,¡± she says softly. ¡°How? Why?¡±


    I look at Helena, who stands at the entranceway. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Cup Cake. I didn¡¯t know. I thought I was doing what was best. I know now that I was wrong, that you also deserve happiness.¡±


    ¡°Dominic spoke to you,¡± Ariannaments, although she looks hesitant to forgive her mother.


    ¡°I overheard you two talking,¡± she admits. ¡°And I¡¯m so sorry I caused this. Please, my sweet angel, give me a chance to make this right. I will fix this.¡±


    ¡°Women don¡¯t get involved with the family business,¡± Arianna says quietly. ¡°How can you?¡±


    Helena steps forward slowly, and Arianna doesn¡¯t move as her mother reaches up and strokes a stray strand of hair out of her face. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised how much women affect family business. Our husbands listen to us, and speak to us. We know everything that happens and mention what needs to be mentioned. I¡¯ll deal with your father, don¡¯t you worry. For now, you have an hour to spend together. Then, Arianna, you must leave. I¡¯m going to tell Carlos to wait outside in the street for you, that you¡¯re being fitted for clothes.¡±


    I look down at Helena. ¡°Thank you,¡± I say, my voice slightly hoarse with emotion.


    She pats my face. ¡°My children deserve to be happy, all of them.¡±


    She smiles at us and walks out, and Arianna turns to me. I kiss her deeply, wrapping my arms around her and holding her against me. When we part, I stroke her face as though I¡¯ll never see her again. ¡°I love you so much,¡± I murmur.


    ¡°I love you with my everything,¡± she says quietly. ¡°I¡¯d give up my racing days to spend one more night with you.¡±


    I smile sadly. ¡°We can¡¯t bank on Mom getting Pa to change his mind. We might not be able to see each other again,¡± I swallow hard. ¡°And that kills me, Ari. Please know it fucking kills me.¡±


    She kisses my lips softly. ¡°Shhh, let¡¯s just be in each other¡¯s arms for now. I don¡¯t want to think about being apart when I¡¯m with you.¡±


    I lead her to a bench where we settle down, her leaning against my chest. I stroke her side softly and kiss her head.

 #4 Chapter 25

    Arianna


    After seeing Carmine, it hurts more that I can¡¯t be with him. I know we¡¯re meant to be together in my heart, and I know my brother will never allow that for as long as he lives. I know my mother wants to make amends, and I appreciate the gesture, but everything is lost unless she can convince Alessandro to change his mind.


    After we leave and go back home, I go to my room and spend the next few days moping there. Ie out for meals but refuse to speak to anyone and barely eat. Alessandro has tried to force me to eat, but even he doesn¡¯t have that much power.


    Every time he speaks to me, I just stare at him nkly until he gets annoyed and tells me to leave. Katya has also tried to convince me to eat, but I¡¯m not interested.


    My life has never felt moreplete than it did with Carmine by my side. I know that now. He¡¯s always been the one to make meugh when I¡¯m upset or support my wild ideas when no one else would. He¡¯s always had my back since I was eight, and I¡¯m a fool for not realizing it sooner. Maybe it would be different if we had started dating before he was a yboy.


    No, it wouldn¡¯t. I know that¡¯s just a lie I tell myself to make me feel better about my position in this family. I¡¯m just a pawn, easily sacrificed for the protection of the king. That¡¯s all I mean to them.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    I don¡¯t feel like eating with them today, but I do feel like eating some fruit. I grab a bowl of fruit sd from the kitchen and got to sit in the garage, my only safe haven. Alessandro knows I¡¯m here, but he never bothers me when I am. No one really does.


    Dominic has tried to crack a few jokes with me, he¡¯s even invited me out to parties, but I¡¯ve not spoken to him either. He¡¯s just as responsible as far as I¡¯m concerned. My father as well.


    I look up from my bowl of fruit as the door opens. My father stands there for a moment and then says, ¡°I¡¯d like to talk if that¡¯s okay.¡±


    I can¡¯t help myself. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I want. I¡¯m just a ve, waiting to be ordered to whatever old man¡¯s bed you want me to go to.¡±


    He purses his lips. ¡°That¡¯s a bit dramatic, Arianna.¡±


    I roll my eyes and swing my chair, so my back is to him.


    ¡°Cup Cake,¡± he says softly, ¡°please speak to me. I know you¡¯re upset about this situation, but you must understand where we areing from.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± I say coldly. ¡°Please leave. This is my space.¡±


    ¡°How can you possibly be sure Carmine is the right man for you?¡± he asks, and I can tell he¡¯s moved closer to me.


    I swing around and re at him. ¡°Firstly, I¡¯m twenty-five. I¡¯m not an idiot. I am a university-educated woman who has, at times, run the legit side of the family business when Frankie wasn¡¯t avable. Have you got that?¡±


    He nods, waiting for me to continue.


    ¡°I repeat, I am not an idiot. Carmine has been there for me since I was eight years old. He never let anyone pick on me or take my toys, and if a boy broke my heart, Carmine wouldfort me after he broke their legs.¡±


    Romero nods again. ¡°I remember this, sweetheart. If he weren¡¯t around, you¡¯d sob until he got there because he was the only one who couldfort you.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s taken me forever to realize that I¡¯m like that because I have always been in love with Carmine. He¡¯s always been in love with me. We fit together like pieces of a puzzle. We are meant to be, I don¡¯t know how I know it, but I feel it with all my heart. I would expect you and my brothers to understand what that feels like since you all profess to love your women so much.¡±


    Romero pulls up a stool and sits opposite me. ¡°It could just be lust or a honeymoon phase. What if he does turn back into a yer?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m perfectly capable of shooting him myself. But I know I won¡¯t have to. Carmine will never do anything to break my heart. Would you do it to Mom?¡±


    He shakes his head. ¡°Family means everything to us, Cup Cake, you know that.¡±


    ¡°Except when ites to me,¡± I say. ¡°You suffocate me so much, Pa, that I¡¯m a bird that will never get to fly because I constantly have my wings clipped to keep me from falling. Birds have to fall to fly; that¡¯s how nature works. I used to think you did this because you loved me so much, but then Alessandro talks about finding me someone suitable to marry, and now I wonder, am I just a bartering chip for our family?¡± I shake my head. ¡°That makes me sad, Pa.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t mean it like that, Arianna. He just meant that someone who is better suited to you wille along,¡± Romero says with a sigh. ¡°He didn¡¯t mean he¡¯s going to find someone for you to marry.¡±


    I shrug. ¡°It¡¯s what it sounded like. Do you know what Carmine said? He wanted to prove to all of you that he was worthy of me. That he wasn¡¯t a yboy and that he could take care of me. The entire time we were together, he was wracked with guilt. He didn¡¯t want any of you to hate him or be disappointed in him. You say we value family, Pa, but Carmine is family. Look how you guys treated him.¡±


    My father looks at me, surprised. ¡°You always surprise me with how much insight you have. You are right, Carmine is our family, but he lied, Arianna.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t want to give in and be with me,¡± I add, ignoring my father¡¯sment. ¡°He denied me time and time again because he was so loyal to you guys. I almost had to beg him to be with me, to give us a chance. He lied because he didn¡¯t want to jeopardize that trust. In this family, honestly is only the best policy if it suits.¡±


    I put down the bowl I¡¯m holding. ¡°Is that what you wanted to talk about, Pa?¡±


    He nods. ¡°You¡¯ve given me a lot to think about, Cup Cake. I would suggest you don¡¯t see Carmine behind your brother¡¯s back. It¡¯s a betrayal, and he will have to punish Carmine. He can¡¯t look weak. Not with other families making moves in and around New York. We sometimes need topromise what we want to protect the family that gave us everything.¡±


    ¡°Trauma and issues, that¡¯s what this family has given me,¡± I say. ¡°And I never held it against anyone. If you are taking this back to Alessandro, I suggest you let him know this: If he doesn¡¯t make this right, then one day he will wake up and not have a sister anymore, and he will regret it.¡±


    I walk past my father and back into the house, not bothering to see if he¡¯s following me or if he has anything else to say.

 #4 Chapter 26

    Carmine


    I¡¯ve been sitting in my apartment for a few days just thinking about Arianna. I wonder how long it will take Helena to convince Romero to trust me, if she can at all. I don¡¯t know what I expect to happen, but I know I can¡¯t give up on us being together.


    I can¡¯t take this waiting anymore. I grab my bike keys and leave the apartment, driving to Brooklyn, where I know she likes to race. I pull into the lot and see no cars around, but I decide to wait. Maybe she¡¯lle past to look for a race and see me. I can only hope.


    I see headlights sh, and my heart swells with excitement. The car stops, the lights turn off, and my blood runs cold.


    It¡¯s Dominic.


    He climbs out of the car and walks toward me. ¡°What are you doing here, Carmine?¡±


    ¡°Getting some fresh air,¡± I say, cocking my head to the side. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°You just can¡¯t stop lying, can you?¡± Dominic growls. ¡°This is why you can¡¯t be trusted with my sister. Now, we told you not to see her, so what do you think you¡¯re doing at a ce she likes to visit.¡±


    ¡°Why are you acting like this?¡± I ask. ¡°You are my best friend, Dominic. We are brothers. Do you really think so little of me that I can¡¯t see your sister?¡±


    ¡°My sister has always been off-limits, brother,¡± he sneers. ¡°You crossed that line.¡±


    ¡°I love her,¡± I say, raising my voice. ¡°I love her more than you could ever understand. Or maybe you could, ¡®caus I reckon you love Sofia like I love Arianna.¡±


    ¡°Leave both of them out of this conversation,¡± Dominic snarls.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I respect Alessandro doesn¡¯t want me to see her, Dom, but nothing you say will change how I feel for her. I fucking love her. Whether I can be with her or not, I love her. There will never be another person for me.¡± I move to get my helmet, and Dominic watches me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want some yer breaking my sister¡¯s heart,¡± he says.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard that, like what? A thousand times now. I don¡¯t know if you are even listening to me, but I¡¯m not a yer. I won¡¯t hurt her, ever. I would kill myself before I did.¡± I get on my bike and turn my head in his direction. ¡°What would you do?¡±


    ¡°What would I do about what?¡± he asks.


    ¡°If Sofia weren¡¯t allowed to see you because of your yboy past? I mean, are you going to cheat on Sofia? Are you going to break her heart? I don¡¯t think you will, yet you¡¯re dead set I can¡¯t have changed. Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Stay away from my sister,¡± Dominic says quietly. ¡°I mean it, Carmine.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say, brother.¡± I put my helmet on and start my bike, revving it loudly before zipping out of the parking lot back toward my apartment.


    The door is slightly open when I get there, and I pull my gun from the holster on my hips. I nudge the door open slowly, but the lights are on, and Arianna is sitting in the living room, which I can see from the front door.


    I lower the gun. ¡°Ari, what are you doing here?¡±


    She gets up and rushes to me, throwing herself against me. I wrap my arms around her. ¡°Ari, what are you doing here?¡± I ask again. ¡°If your brother finds out.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t. He thinks I¡¯m asleep in bed,¡± she says softly.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t think that,¡± I say, putting her at arm¡¯s length. ¡°He¡¯s a really smart man.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I put measures in ce to make sure if he checks on me, it looks like I¡¯m there,¡± she grins. ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy to see me?¡±


    I shake my head and chuckle. ¡°Of course I am. I mean, I just came back from looking for you in Brooklyn.¡±


    She stands on her toes and wraps her arms around my neck. ¡°Then kiss me.¡±


    I do kiss her. I kiss her as though this is myst moment on Earth, and I need to make it count. I put my gun on the counter and hold her ass, lifting her so she wraps her legs around me. I stumble slightly with the added weight but quickly navigate my way to my bedroom.


    I drop her on the bed and grin. ¡°I¡¯m going to make you scream my name,¡± I promise.


    I reach down and pull her shoes off, tossing them aside. Then I grab the hem of her tights. ¡°Lift,¡± Imand and pull down as she does so, leaving her in just a sheer pair of panties.


    ¡°Yummy,¡± I growl. She props herself up on her elbows as I spread her legs. I kiss her thigh gently. ¡°I do love the way you taste.¡±


    ¡°How do I taste?¡± she asks, feigning curiosity.


    ¡°Like a breeze on a hot summer day,¡± I say quietly, kissing further up her thigh.


    ¡°Like a cold bottle of water after a marathon,¡± I continue, kissing closer to her mound.


    She tips her head back. ¡°Stop teasing, Carmine.¡±


    I grin, hook a finger in her underwear, and tug it to the side. I ce delicate kisses all over her lips before I slide my tongue between them, groaning softly for her pleasure. She whimpers, and I know she¡¯s aching for this.


    My dick is already standing at attention. I y with her clit with my tongue. Ringing that doorknob of Satan as though I own hell. I can tell by how she tries to shut her legs, arches her back, and whimpers that I¡¯m doing the right thing. I slide two fingers into her and start to move them while I noisily slurp at the juices that spill out of her.


    ¡°Oh God, that is hot,¡± she cries out, bucking her hips slightly. ¡°More.¡±


    I grin and move my head quickly, so my tongue flicks quickly, driving her insane. Then I stop and slurp between her lips hungrily.


    I stop and get up, and she whines slightly, but she grins as she sees me undoing my pants. ¡°Oh yes, I don¡¯t want no love involved tonight, Carmine. I want you to fuck me.¡±


    I grin. ¡°I¡¯ll do that dly, darling.¡± I push my pants down and pull out my rock-hard dick. I spit on my hand and rub it up and down the shaft before I position myself.


    I don¡¯t ask if she¡¯s ready. I just push into her. I don¡¯t wait for her to get her bearings. I just start to pound in and out of her, moving my hips quickly. ¡°Oh, fuck, yeah,¡± I groan, feeling the heat rise to my face.


    I sit up and yank at her shirt, pulling it roughly over her head. She unsps the front of her bar, and her boobs burst out as though begging for air. I put both hands on her breasts and squeeze as I continue to pound in and out of her. ¡°Fuck, I¡¯m going to cum real soon,¡± I grunt, her hips moving with mine.


    ¡°I want you to cum in me so badly,¡± she cries. ¡°Make me your dirty little girl, Carmine.¡±


    ¡°You are mine,¡± I growl, letting go of her breasts and cing a hand on either side of her head. I kiss her roughly. ¡°You belong to me.¡±


    A few minutes of rough pounding go by, and I ejacte the hardest I¡¯ve ever done. I sit there panting, my dick softening while still in her. I pull it out and copse next to her.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got me bewitched,¡± I finally breathe out.


    Sheughs, and it¡¯s the sweetest sound. ¡°Well, we can do this all night.¡±


    ¡°I wish we could.¡± I turn on my side and prop myself up. ¡°But it¡¯ste, and you should be getting home.¡±


    She pouts, and it breaks my heart. I kiss her nose. ¡°We¡¯ll see each other again soon. I promise. I meant what I said. You belong to me now.¡±


    She smiles and kisses me softly. ¡°For once, I don¡¯t mind.¡±

 #4 Chapter 27

    Arianna


    After giving Carmine several kisses goodnight and almost losing my clothes again, I get into my car and join the traffic, ready to go home and sleep in. Traffic is a bit hectic, so I decided to take the scenic route through the outer suburbs. I¡¯m not in a rush to be a caged bird again.


    After the discussion with my father, I wonder if he¡¯d speak to Alessandro for me, but I don¡¯t want to ask. I don¡¯t want to y into their hands where they feel they can control me.


    I¡¯m tired of being controlled.


    Suddenly, my car veers to the side as arge SUV collides with my left side. I try to right myself, but it hits me again and sends me onto the shoulder of the turn and into the barricade. I hit my head on the steering wheel, and the world spins around me.


    I feel nauseous, and I put a hand on my head. Ites back wet with blood.


    My door wrenches open, and rough hands yank me out of my imp by the arm. I stumble and fall to the ground before two sets of hands drag me to my feet. A sack goes over my face, forcing me to walk blindly. I hit my head again and cry out in pain as they try to get me into a car. Probably the SUV.


    My arms are twisted and tied behind me, and I¡¯m left to lie on the vehicle¡¯s floor. I can feel it start to move, and I feel every bump in the road as we leave my car behind.


    I don¡¯t know what this is about, but I think that if Carmine were still protecting me, I wouldn¡¯t be in this situation. Whatever¡­whoever is doing this is after my family. Again, I¡¯m just a pawn to be sacrificed for my family.


    I close my eyes, my head is still spinning, and a headache is forming now around the area I hit it. Maybe I¡¯ll bleed out before they can do anything really sinister to me. I hope so. I¡¯m not naive to what families do to each other when an enemy member is captured.


    I don¡¯t know for how long we drive, but I feel whatever vehicle we¡¯re in stop, and I¡¯m roughly dragged out by my legs. I hit the tarred road hard, my chin hitting the rough surface, causing my teeth to tter together and my headache to worsen. Luckily I didn¡¯t bite my tongue off.


    Roughhousing to get me back to my feet, I¡¯m half walked, half dragged along. I know we enter a building because I hear the squeak of a door opening, and the temperature changes almost instantly.


    We go up some stairs; obviously, thanks to my shins hitting every metal step going up.


    ¡°Can you at least let me walk normally or warn me if there are stairs?¡± I ask loudly, but there¡¯s no response. Up another flight of stairs, I stumble, trying not to hurt myself, and then we walk along what sounds like a metal tform.


    I¡¯m forced into a chair. My arms are untied and then retied to the chair itself. I can¡¯t chance to attack whoever brought me here without knowing how many people are in the room. As though an afterthought, I¡¯m patted down for weapons, but I left my gun at home this time.


    The sack is ripped off my head, and I squint at the bright light shining in my face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but you just contact Alessandro Sorvino, and he¡¯ll sort you out with whatever you want,¡± I shout.


    ¡°Whatever I want,¡± a male Russian voice says from the shadow. ¡°Will he give me his wife¡¯s head on a tter? With his own?¡±


    He steps into the light, and now that my eyes are adjusting, I can see he¡¯s tall, with graying hair and a bunch of ugly scars across his face. His one eye is milky, definitely blind, and he has yellowing teeth as he sneers at me. ¡°Did he offer my cousins what they wanted?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about the family business. It¡¯s my brother you want to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll get to him eventually. After I pick off every single person that he loves,¡± he pauses and ps his hands. ¡°Where are my manners? My name is Igor Triev, my brothers were head of the Russian mafia family, and your brother and his wife killed them. Are we all caught up on our family history?¡±


    He leans down, and his breath reeks. I turn my face away and gag, but I don¡¯t say anything. This is not something I can talk my way out of, and my brother¡¯s advice ising back to me now that my head isn¡¯t pounding so hard. Don¡¯t talk. It¡¯s what they want.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, little sparrow? No more songs to sing?¡± he asks, tilting my chin toward him with his dirty finger.


    I pull away hard and re at him.


    ¡°I have no time to go into details to cate you,¡± he says, standing and backhanding me. My head snaps to the left hard, and I taste blood in my mouth. I swallow, and I can feel my face stinging.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to torture you, little sparrow until your brother starts to feel your pain. Do you understand me?¡± he grins down at me. ¡°Then I am going to torture your mother. Your father. Your brothers. Your baby cousins. When I am done in New York, there will not be a single Sorvino left to take over the family business, and the family will be a lost thought in the air,pletely forgotten.¡±


    I re at him defiantly as he says, ¡°Bring the pliers.¡±


    I mp my mouth shut, and heughs. ¡°Oh, I won¡¯t do your teeth just yet. This has to be slow. No, there are many ways to torture a person without having them die from shock or pain. I don¡¯t want you to leave us too soon.¡±


    I can feel the fear pumping through my body, but I refuse to let it show on my face. When Alessandro sees I¡¯m not down for breakfast, he¡¯ll know that I sneaked out, and he wille to find me. Then I feel sorry for this fucking clown because my brother does not y nice with people who hurt his sister.From N?velDrama.Org.


    They tten my hand against the handle of the chair, and I try to clench it, but he¡¯s already holding one of my fingers tightly.


    I breathe hard through my nose, trying to tune out the pain. I shake my head, trying to keep myself distracted. I feel the pliers mp on the nail. It has my fake nail as well as my real one. I try not to whimper, but I don¡¯t think I have the pain threshold to deal with this.


    As Igor starts to pull, I moan through my mouth. I pray he¡¯ll stop. That he isn¡¯t really going to go all the way, but as the nail parts with my finger, I keep my mouth mped but shriek anyway.


    I open my eyes to see the blood spurting out of my finger, and I feel hot tears on my face. I shake my head as he mps the pliers on another one. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that fun?¡±


    I shake my head, but he starts pulling anyway.

 #4 Chapter 28

    Carmine


    I sit bolt upright in bed as I hear my door gets kicked in. I grab my spare gun from my side drawer and point it at the door. I¡¯d been fast asleep after Arianna left, but her brothers must have found out about us and decided toe and collect.


    Dominic enters the room first, followed by two guards and Alessandro. I keep my gun trained on one of the guards, I would never point a gun at my Don, and he knows that.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± I demanded, ring at them, ¡°Can¡¯t a guy even sleep in peace.¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Where is Arianna?¡± Alessandro asks casually, inspecting the room slowly.


    I shake my head. ¡°I don¡¯t know where she is.¡±


    He lifts his gun suddenly and fires above my head. I don¡¯t twitch. I was put through desensitizing training, among other things, so I don¡¯t flinch when people shoot at me. You aren¡¯t a safe shooter if you flinch.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you once more, and then I¡¯m aiming for either your dick or your head. I haven¡¯t decided. Where is Arianna?¡±


    ¡°She was here,¡± I say after a long pause. ¡°She was here but left around four or five in the morning.¡±


    Alessandro steps toward my bed and points his gun at my head. ¡°I told you to stay the fuck away from Arianna.¡±


    I look up into his eyes, not at the gun, into the eyes of my older brother, and I say, ¡°I¡¯ve never minded dying for the people I love. Including you. Including Arianna.¡±


    Alessandro¡¯s finger moves over the trigger, but I don¡¯t close my eyes. I want him to look at me when he pulls the trigger.


    His phone rings, and he sighs, rolls his head slightly as though his neck is stiff, and holsters his gun. ¡°Keep him here.¡±


    He pulls out his phone and answers it, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He walks out into the living room and talks while Dominic and the guards hover awkwardly over me with their guns trained on me. I look at Dominic, and I¡¯m surprised to see sadness in his eyes. I give a slight nod of understanding, and he looks away. I think that¡¯s the first time he¡¯s ever done that.


    Alessandroes back in. ¡°Dominic, they¡¯ve found Arianna¡¯s car. It¡¯s been in an ident.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I say, sitting up straighter. ¡°Is she okay?¡±


    ¡°Stay out of this,¡± Alessandro says, looking back at his younger brother. ¡°There was a tag on her car. A Russian tag. It seems the Triev family havee to collect on the brother¡¯s deaths.¡±


    Dominic holsters his gun but reaches for it again as I scramble to get out of bed,


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Alessandro asks, ring at me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a flying fuck if you try to shoot me or not, but I¡¯m going to find Arianna and bring her home,¡± I exin, pushing Dominic aside and opening my closet to get clothes out. I get dressed unashamedly, ignoring the guards¡¯ stares.


    ¡°You think you can take on the Triev family on your own,¡± Dominic says. ¡°You¡¯re insane, Carmine. They¡¯ll chop you into pieces and leave you out for the cats to eat. And that¡¯s if you can find them.¡±


    I start strapping a holster around my hip, then one across my chest. ¡°There¡¯s a Russian who does races. He has an issue with Arianna. She threatened him thest time. I¡¯ll bet anything he¡¯ll have an idea how to find them.¡±


    ¡°How many men do you need?¡± Alessandro asks, watching me carefully.


    ¡°I¡¯ll decide once I have the location. I have my own contacts that I can use. I don¡¯t need to use family men.¡± I slide a gun into each holster, then reach down and grab a pair of heavy-duty army boots.


    ¡°You can, though. I will allow it this time. You bring Arianna back, and I¡¯ll consider letting you back into the family as a reward, with provisions.¡± Alessandro stands at the door. When I¡¯m done putting my shoes on, I approach him. We¡¯re close in height, so I look him in the eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck about being in the family right now. All I care about is getting Arianna back safely and protecting her. I don¡¯t care if I have permission to do that or not.¡±


    Alessandro regards me carefully and then steps out of the way. I walk out of the bedroom and grab a jacket, slinging it on. I grab the car keys hanging by the door. I don¡¯t know what shape Arianna will be in, so the bike is out of the question.


    I leave them in my apartment. I take out my phone and dial a number, waiting for Richie to pick up.


    ¡°Hey, Carmine, what¡¯s cracking?¡±


    ¡°Konstantin, the guy who does the races. I need to know where he stays.¡± I say. ¡°It¡¯s urgent.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know him. Shit doesn¡¯tnd far from the ass if you catch my drift. He holes up in a ce near Long Beach. I can text you the address, is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Ritchie, send me that address and tell no one where I¡¯m headed,¡± I say as I enter the building¡¯s parking lot.


    ¡°What did he do?¡± Ritchie asks.


    ¡°He touched something that is mine,¡± I answer, hanging up.


    I climb into the Ford Pickup. Armored and tinted, this is my baby. I wait for Ritchie to text me the address.


    The passenger side door opens, and Dominic climbs in.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± I ask angrily.


    ¡°It¡¯s my sister, and you¡¯re my best friend,¡± he says, looking me in the eyes. ¡°My brother. I¡¯ming with you to get her back.¡±


    I stare at him for a moment, then nod. ¡°Okay, call up some of the guys from the security days. Get Bones, if you can. Tell them that we have a job, and it pays well. Rescue mission. Tell them that this one is personal as well.¡±


    Dominic takes out his phone and starts making calls as I receive the address from Ritchie. I know exactly where Konstantin stays, the little rat.


    I start the truck and pull into traffic, not caring about anyone in my way or traffic lights that are either in or not in my favor. I need to focus on one goal and one goal only.


    I need to get Arianna back.

 #4 Chapter 29

    Carmine


    Dominic sits beside me as we drive toward Long Beach, a tense silence between us.


    ¡°If I knew you were going to be a drama queen about my sister, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten involved,¡± he says, and I know, in his way, that¡¯s an apology.


    ¡°Yeah, well, have you met your sister? She drives people to insanity, personally, and then leaves them there for a few days before shees to pick them up again,¡± I say, a way of epting his apology.


    ¡°I¡¯ll speak to Alessandro¡­.¡±


    I cut him off, ¡°Don¡¯t. I can handle my own affairs with Alessandro. Right now, all that matters is Arianna. The Trievs didn¡¯t kidnap her for an exchange. They¡¯re going to make an example of her.¡±


    ¡°Who is this guy we¡¯re going to see? Is it Konstantin?¡± he asks.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had the pleasure, I see,¡± Iment.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t always the one who protected Arianna. It used to be me. I¡¯m familiar with the asshole,¡± he says coolly. ¡°What makes you think it¡¯s him?¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°He threatened her. He knows her car, and he knows the family. He could gain from the Russians taking over,¡± I point out.


    Dominic nods. ¡°All valid points.¡±


    I nod, and we fall into a morefortable silence, something we¡¯re used to. I pull up outside the address and look at Dominic. ¡°This is it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do business,¡± Dominic says and climbs out of my truck.


    I climb out, and we both walk to the front door. I knock while Dominic stands to the side. The door swings open, and Konstantin looks at me, confused. ¡°Who the fuck are you?¡±


    I pull my gun in a sh, grab his shirt and push him backward, with Dominic following. ¡°Check the rooms.¡±


    Dominic goes off, and I force Konstantin into a chair. ¡°You and I need to have a little talk.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even fucking know you,¡± Konstantin whines. ¡°What do you want? I don¡¯t keep cash here.¡±


    I snort, ¡°Probably bullshit, but don¡¯t you recognize me, Konstantin. I was with Arianna not so long ago when she threatened to shoot you.¡±


    ¡°You,¡± he narrows his eyes, ¡°you¡¯re the guy who was in the car with her.¡± I see a light sweat develop on his face. ¡°What is this about? I gave her the winnings that night. I don¡¯t owe her anything.¡±


    ¡°You owe me her location,¡± I say as Dominices back in. ¡°All clear?¡±


    ¡°All clear,¡± Dominic says.


    ¡°Good.¡± I shoot Konstantin in the leg, and he screams. ¡°Now, you told the Trievs what car Arianna drives and how to find her, did you not?¡±


    ¡°No! No! No!¡± Konstantin cries, but when I raise my gun to his other leg, he holds his hand up. ¡°A guy came around asking about her a while ago. I didn¡¯t think anything of it.¡±


    ¡°Russian guy?¡± I ask, keeping my gun trained on him.


    ¡°Yes, some guy called Igor,¡± he says, sweating hard. ¡°Please, that¡¯s all I know.¡±


    I shoot him in the other leg. ¡°You¡¯re going to bleed out real soon, Konstantin. Where is your friend Igor hanging out?¡±


    He doesn¡¯t even fight the usation. ¡°In one of the warehouses in Brooklyn, not far from the warehouses your family owns.¡±


    He pants hard. ¡°Now, please call me an ambnce.¡±


    ¡°This is your fault. No one ising to help you,¡± I say coldly and raise my gun, putting a bullet in his head.


    ¡°Call the guys. I¡¯ll get Richie to find out which warehouse it is.¡± I take out my phone and call Richie again. ¡°Hey man, it¡¯s me. Russians own a warehouse in Brooklyn, recently acquired. Igor might be the name of someone linked to an Igor. I need a location stat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send it to you as soon as I have it,¡± Richie says and hangs up.


    I get into the truck and wait for Dominic. Then we both head toward one of the houses with an armory shed nearby. We need to stock up on weapons.


    It takes two hours to secure a team and a location, and it¡¯s the longest two hours of my fucking life. I could murder someone. I¡¯m so tense.


    I need to clear my mind. I¡¯m no good to Arianna wound up. I pull up next to Bones¡¯ vehicle in the lot, two warehouses away from the address Richie gave us. I get out and shake the hands of my fellow mercenaries.


    Bones nods to the warehouse. ¡°They¡¯re not expecting anyone. Hardly any guards, in or out, but Carmine, we did hear a woman scream.¡±


    My blood boils, and I take a deep breath. ¡°Bones, cut the electricity, everyone on radioms. Our priority is to secure the package and get her out safely. Kill any motherfucker in your way.¡±


    Everyone agrees, and Bones slips away to the main electric box for this section of warehouses.


    ¡°Get ready to switch to night vision,¡± I say into my radio.


    The lights go out. ¡°Switch to night vision and breach.¡±


    We move quickly. As we approach the warehouse, two assholes with guns walk out to see what¡¯s happening. We snipe them-two down.


    We walk in and fan out, and before I know it, bullets are flying everywhere. Three of us head upstairs to the first floor and sweep through the various nooks and crannies. There aren¡¯t really rooms in this warehouse, so they could have her anywhere.


    ¡°I found her,¡± Bones¡¯ voice sounds into my ear. ¡°Second tform, one ugly motherfucker has a gun to her head and is threatening to shoot her.¡±


    I look around and then up. I can just make out the heat signatures. I quietly go to the end of the tform, and using the pipes on the wall, the machinery rising through the warehouse, and some rather incredible bnce, I manage to make it to the second tform silently.


    The shooting has died down, and I can hear the Russian shouting that he¡¯s going to shoot the princess if anyonees near him. He doesn¡¯t realize I¡¯m behind him.


    I lie on my belly and train my rifle on the back of his head. I need him first to move that gun away from Arianna¡¯s head before I can take the shot.


    ¡°I need a clear shot,¡± I whisper into the radio. I see someone approaching from the Russian¡¯s right and bang the barrel of his gun against the railing. The Russian quickly points his handgun toward the mercenary, and I lean in, steady my breathing and take the shot.


    Straight through his head. He copses, dragging whoever he¡¯s holding down with him.


    Please, God, let Arianna be okay.


    I get up, and we all rush to where he was standing. I pull off my night-vision goggles and turn on a shlight, shining it on Arianna¡¯s bruised face. ¡°Ari. Ari. Are you okay? Can you hear me?¡±


    She groans. Thank God she isn¡¯t dead. I give her a quick once over and Bones, to my left, hisses when he sees all her fingernails are missing. ¡°Good thing you shot that son of a bitch.¡±


    ¡°I need to get her home. They have a special doctor that can take care of her privately. Cover me.¡± I sling my gun over my shoulder, so it rests on my back and scoop Arianna into my arms. We slowly make our way downstairs. We move slowly and carefully and get Arianna to Dominic and the car.


    ¡°Dom, call Dr. Harper. Tell him to meet us at the estate,¡± I say, sitting with Arianna in my arms.


    Bones gets in to drive while Dom calls the doctor and Alessandro.

 #4 Chapter 30

    Arianna


    I wake up, and everything hurts, but my fingers feel like they¡¯re on fire. I whimper, and my eyes close and open again. I turn my head to see I¡¯m in my room, with Carmine asleep in an armchair he must have brought in here. I try to smile, but my mouth is so dry it feels like my lips will crack. I close my eyes again and turn my head the other way, looking at the window. Alessandro is standing there. His arms crossed over his chest as he watches me.


    I try open my mouth again and wince. Alessandro walks over, knowing without a word what I need, he offers a straw to me, and I sip on some cool water. I lick my lips afterward and then have some more.


    ¡°How?¡± I croak out.


    Carmine jolts up in the armchair, which makes me wince. Hees to kneel beside the bed, stroking my arm. ¡°Oh, Ari, you¡¯re awake.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°She¡¯ll get hungry shortly. Get her something to eat. Ask Mom for soup or something like that, so she doesn¡¯t have to chew,¡± Alessandro orders.


    I want to ask Carmine to stay, but Alessandro sits on the bed beside me. ¡°There¡¯ll be time for thatter.¡±


    I feel tears prickling my eyes, and I sniff, ¡°It was awful.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m so sorry, Cup Cake,¡± he says gently, stroking the tears from my eyes. ¡°But you¡¯re safe now, and that fucker is dead.¡±


    We both remain quiet for a moment before he strokes my arm. ¡°I thought I¡¯d lost you. I felt so hopeless and heartbroken like I¡¯d never be happy again. I never want to feel like that again, Cup Cake.¡±


    I¡¯m too tired and emotional for kind words right now. I really thought I was going to die in that warehouse. I start crying a little harder, whimpering, ¡°I was brave. I didn¡¯t give up anything about the family.¡±


    ¡°I know. You make me so proud,¡± Alessandro whispers. ¡°But there are more important things to talk about now¡­ if you¡¯re up for it.¡±


    I slowly nod, swallowing hard. ¡°I can try. I guess you want to know how I got taken and by who.¡±


    ¡°No, actually. Carmine filled me in on all that,¡± he says thoughtfully. ¡°What I want to ask is if you¡¯re absolutely sure Carmine is the man you want to be with?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking my opinion,¡± I croak. ¡°God, I must have died ande back.¡±


    Alessandro smiles at my jab but doesn¡¯t say anything, so I continue. ¡°Alessandro, I know he¡¯s the one for me. My heart tells me, and my brain agrees.¡±


    ¡°Katya is so mad with me,¡± hements. ¡°She says I try too hard to control the women in my life under the guise of protecting them. She says if she can be the head of a family, you should be allowed to choose who you can be with.¡±


    ¡°Your wife is smart. You should listen to her,¡± I say softly. ¡°Can I have more water?¡±


    He holds the straw to my lips, and I sip it gratefully before resting back. ¡°Carmine will never hurt me, Alessandro.¡±


    ¡°Katya seems to think the same thing. And I don¡¯t know how you convinced Mom and Pa or Dominic, but everyone seems to be down my throat about this.¡±


    I smile. ¡°Because they¡¯ve seen how much we love each other. Look, I know I¡¯m a pain in the ass, especially to you, but I just want to live my life the way I want to.¡±


    Alessandro nods and sets the cup of water down. ¡°I¡¯m letting Carmine back into the family, but I swear to Heaven and Hell, Arianna, if you cry once for any reason because of his, even if it¡¯s an ident, I will shoot his cock off myself.¡±


    I try not tough, but my smile hurts just as much. ¡°Deal. I¡¯ll even hand you the gun.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡± He leans down and kisses my head gently. ¡°Also, I think it¡¯s time we put your business skills to some use for the family. If you¡¯re still interested in helping out?¡±


    I nod. ¡°As long as you pay me well,¡± I say.


    He grins and stands just as the door opens. Carminees in with a tray and sets it on the bed beside me.


    He looks at Alessandro, who raises an eyebrow. ¡°Well, you better feed her. She can¡¯t feed herself.¡±


    He¡¯s switched back to ¡®business Alessandro,¡¯ and I have to say I love him for it. He walks around the bed and stands in front of Carmine. ¡°If you ever so much as nce in the direction of another woman or if therees a time that you are not bringing absolute sunshine and happiness to her life, I will shoot your cock off and leave you to bleed out.¡±


    ¡°As an older brother should,¡± Carmine says calmly.


    Alessandro puts a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Thank you for bringing her home, don¡¯t let her out of your sight again.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Don Alessandro,¡± he says respectfully.


    I watch the interaction from my bed, my heart ready to burst in my chest.


    Alessandro leaves, and Carmine sits beside me. First, he helps me sit up a bit better, propped by some pillows, then picks up the soup.


    ¡°No kiss?¡± I pout.


    He smiles. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be in too much pain for a kiss,¡± he says, leaning toward me. He¡¯s right; it does hurt when our lips meet, but I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m just d we can be together.


    ¡°You can have a kiss for every quarter of this soup you finish. So four kisses on the line here,¡± he teases.


    I settle and smile. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±

 #4 Chapter 31

    Carmine


    ¡°Just trust me,¡± Arianna says as I continue to follow her. She¡¯s mostly healed from her attack, but she still has nightmares. At least now I can be there to soothe her when she wakes up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust you, though,¡± I tease, ¡°because whenever you talk about me to your brother, I¡¯m sure he figures out another way he¡¯d like to kill me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± she insists, but the cheeky grin on her face tells me otherwise.


    I take her arm and pull her to me, kissing her softly. ¡°Just tell me before you go in.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, trust me,¡± she murmurs again before slipping out of my grasp and knocking on Alessandro¡¯s door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± his voice calls from inside.


    I follow her in, knowing she¡¯s up to something and that big mouth of hers is going to get me killed.


    ¡°Alessandro,¡± she says with a smile as she walks in.


    Alessandro nces up from the paperwork on his desk and pauses. ¡°You only ever have that shitty smile on your face when you want something you know I won¡¯t give you.¡±


    I nod, and he nces at me, so I stop. ¡°I have no idea what it is. She won¡¯t tell me.¡±


    ¡°I feel stifled,¡± she says, sitting in an armchair in front of his desk. ¡°I don¡¯t have any freedom to do things I want to do.¡±


    ¡°Things?¡± Alessandro asks. ¡°What sort of things?¡±


    ¡°They are of a personal nature,¡± she says calmly, and I stare at the back of her head, willing her to keep quiet.


    Alessandro coughs slightly. ¡°What is it you want?¡±


    Arianna shines with happiness. ¡°My¡­our own ce,¡± she corrects herself quickly. ¡°I know you want me close by for business, so I propose the cottage on the edge of the property we use for storage. It should be emptied so Carmine and I can move into it.¡±


    Alessandro rubs the five o¡¯clock shadow on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Arianna. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea you¡¯re out of the house just yet.¡±Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    Arianna frowns. ¡°I¡¯m almost twenty-six, Alessandro. You need to give me more freedom, and having my own ce will do that.¡±


    ¡°What freedom can you have in the cottage that you can¡¯t have here?¡± Oh, I wish he hadn¡¯t asked that because I already know the answer.


    ¡°Wild, horny sex,¡± she says instantly. ¡°If I can¡¯t have rampant bunny sex all over my own space, if I can¡¯t feelfortable having sex, then I¡¯m not happy. Couples have sex, Alessandro. It¡¯s what they do.¡±


    He looks at me sharply, and I swallow hard, flustered slightly.


    Arianna raises a hand. ¡°Look at me, not him. He really didn¡¯t know I was going to do this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s fully aware of what he does to you, though,¡± Alessandro growls.


    ¡°Alessandro, keep to the point.¡±


    ¡°Fine, you can have the cottage, and Carmine can stay there with you,¡± he throws his hands up. ¡°Any other demands?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you,¡± Arianna says, getting up. ¡°It¡¯s always a pleasure chatting.¡±


    We both walk out, and I can feel Alessandro¡¯s eyes on me the entire time. As soon as the door is shut, I look at her. ¡°What were you thinking?¡±


    ¡°Shock value always works,¡± she says with a grin. ¡°Now we can have our own ce and do what we like.¡±


    ¡°We were doing what we liked anyway,¡± I point out. ¡°Or did you already forget this morning?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I remember,¡± she purrs, pecking my lips. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m starving.¡±


    I grin and take her hand gently in mine. Even though the bandages are off, I don¡¯t want to hurt her. It¡¯ll be a while before her nails grow back.


    I drive us to Fifth Avenue to the bistro the family owns. The hostess is expecting us and seats us in a private booth in the back.


    All through the meal, a part of us is touching: our legs, our hands. She has consumed my very being, and I have no regrets. I still work for the family, and I don¡¯t mind doing that because she doesn¡¯t mind. She knows I have a job to do and that I¡¯m loyal, and she respects that.


    I draw a luxurious bath as soon as we walk into the house. Arianna sneaks a bottle of champagne to the bathroom, and we both settle into herrge tub, sipping out of crystal sses.


    ¡°If Alessandro knew what we were up to, he¡¯d throw a fit,¡± I point out, sighing.


    ¡°Well, if we¡¯re going to get in trouble, we should go all the way,¡± she says back, smiling mischievously.


    ¡°Again?¡± I chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re going to wear me out.¡±


    She sets her ss down and shifts onto her knees. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. You seem to have a lot of stamina.¡±


    ¡°Then to the bed we go,¡± I say.


    ¡°Oh no, right here¡­¡± she reaches between my legs and gently feels around until she finds my cock. At her touch, it twitches slightly, and I lick my lips. ¡°You¡¯re really going to y me dirty like that.¡±


    ¡°I love it when I y you dirty,¡± she teases. ¡°Shift up.¡±


    I shift around until her legs are on either side of me, and then she reaches down and strokes me. I lean my head back with a small groan. ¡°You are amazing,¡± I murmur, my eyes closed.


    I hear her giggle, and I smile, enjoying the firm grip she has on my dick, which is steadily growing hard.


    I lift my hands and ce them on her hips. ¡°Save a horse, and ride a cowboy, baby.¡±


    Sheughs and shakes her head. ¡°That¡¯s terrible.¡±


    ¡°I saw it on a shirt,¡± I chuckle.


    She raises her hips and holds my cock in ce before she slowly rubs it between her lips. I bite my lip as I watch her, my eyes feeling heavy.


    She slowly lowers herself down, guiding me inside of her.


    I grip her hips tightly, and the water sloshes as we both move slowly. ¡°Don¡¯t make a mess,¡± she whispers in my ear.


    The ends of her hair are wet, and it tickles my skin. I leave one hand on her hip and grab her hair with the other, pulling her down for a hungry kiss as I thrust a little harder. Water sshes onto the floor and I groan.


    ¡°Come on, cowboy,¡± she says as she sits up. ¡°Let¡¯s take this rodeo to the bed.¡±


    I grin as she climbs out. She doesn¡¯t even dry off. She just walks, wet and naked, out of the bathroom. I follow suit and watch as she gets onto all fours at the end of the bed.


    ¡°Hell, yeah,¡± I say quietly as I get to position myself behind her. ¡°Tell me you want me to fuck you, Ari.¡±


    She looks over her shoulder at me with fiery eyes. ¡°Fuck me hard, Carmine.¡±


    I swallow slightly, my balls clenching tightly at her words. With my cock in my hand, I guide myself back into her, just the tip. Once she starts rocking back and forth, I grip her hips and start moving in and out of her, slowly building up a rhythm until the sound of wet skin pping wet skin fills the room.


    I see her grip the bedsheets, and for a moment, I wonder if it hurts, but then she clenches around my dick, and I groan, moving harder. I put a hand on her back and move my hips quickly, doing my best to get in hard and deep because I know she likes it.


    She clenches again, and this time my balls respond. I push deep inside of her as Ie.


    I pull almost all the way out and m back into her to elicit a seductive ¡°Ah¡± from her.


    I grin, pull out, and m back into her with my own moan and another, higher-pitched ¡°ah¡± from her.

 #4 Chapter 32

    Arianna


    After I¡¯ve hammered the nail into the wall, I pick up the painting on the floor below and hang it up, making sure it¡¯s straight. I turn to see two of the movers bringing in a sofa. ¡°That needs to go in the living room there,¡± I point.


    They¡¯re followed by Sofia, who grins at me. ¡°I thought I¡¯de help.¡±


    ¡°If by help you mean drink wine, then sure,¡± I say with a grin, leading her to the kitchen. I pour us each a ss of white wine and rest back against the counter.


    ¡°The cottage ising along nicely,¡± Sofiaments, looking around. ¡°At least Carmine isn¡¯t as stubborn about furniture and decor as Dominic is.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding? He is so militant! God help me I don¡¯t make my side of the bed perfectly,¡± Iugh, and then I notice something sparkling on her left hand.


    ¡°Is that an engagement ring?¡± I ask with a wide smile.


    She sets down her ss and holds out her hand. ¡°Yes! He asked mest night.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Sofia.¡± I set my wine down and hug her tightly. ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you guys.¡±


    I pull away from her and hold her hand regarding the ring. ¡°Huh! My brother didn¡¯t hold back. Good thing he knows how to treat you properly. So, does this mean there¡¯ll be a baby soon?¡±


    She throws her head back andughs, and when she¡¯s done, she smiles at me, her eyes shiny with tears. ¡°No, but that¡¯s the first thing your parents asked. I want to finish studying first, and Dominic is a bit hesitant about being a father.¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯d make a good father.¡± I sip my wine. ¡°Follow me; I¡¯m going to unpack some boxes.¡±


    We unpack a few boxes in the living room and talk about our men. Sofia leaves, and it isn¡¯t long before Carmine walks in.


    ¡°Hello, gorgeous,¡± he says, walking over to me.


    I stand and wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. ¡°Hello, handsome.¡±


    He grins and grabs my ass, holding my body against his. ¡°Did you hear the news?¡± he murmurs.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°About Sofia and Dominic? She told me today,¡± I grin, releasing him reluctantly. ¡°Let¡¯s make dinner.¡±


    I take out some vegetables and start to chop them up as Carmine prepares to fry some steak. As we eat, he tells me about his day, and I tell him about things I want to do to the cottage. Before too soon, we¡¯re both in our bed, with me resting against his chest, his arm around me. He hums softly, and I find itforting.


    When it stops, I nce up and find him staring at me. ¡°What?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Nothing, I just¡­do you think one day we¡¯ll get married and have kids of our own?¡± he asks with a cheeky smile.


    I grin. ¡°Maybe we should try for a child now. I bet we could have twins.¡± I stroke his chest softly.


    His eyes widen, and he shakes his head. ¡°Ari, I love you, but I don¡¯t think either of us is ready to have kids. I mean, you¡¯re still healing from your attack, and the cottage is definitely not big enough. God, all three of your brothers and your father will murder me for real.¡±


    Iugh heartily and smack his chest yfully. ¡°Rx, I¡¯m only joking.¡± I rest my head on his chest again. ¡°Maybe in five or ten years, we can have kids. I don¡¯t want to be too old, but I also want to have a lot of fun before I settle down.¡±


    ¡°I hope this lots of fun n includes me in some way.¡± He strokes my back gently, and my eyes feel heavy.


    ¡°Hmm, you are all the fun,¡± I murmur. I drift off slowly, content just to rest in his arms.


    End of book 4. Hope you¡¯ve enjoyed reading this book ? ?

 #5 Chapter 1

    Kira


    I walked into the beautiful church for the first time since I was eighteen. My son¡¯s hand is sped tightly in mine as we walk behind my father to take our seats near the rest of the family.


    I can see some family members look at me, their eyes lighting up with excitement as they realize I¡¯m back from Italy. It¡¯s been thirteen years, but nothing has changed aside from everyone looking older. We all sit in the same order, only now there is space for Raphael, who wasn¡¯t here thest time.


    My father ushers us into a pew, and we take our seats. Raphael is used to church. We went all the time in Italy as part of our routine. I insisted he learns English because I knew in my heart that one day we would return to New York to be with my father and my family-how I¡¯ve missed them all!


    Alessandro takes his seat at the front of the church, and I smile. He nces back at me and gives me a warm smile. I¡¯ve been home awhile and over to his house, but a lot has been going on, so we haven¡¯t really spoken.


    Now that everything is settled, I¡¯m sure we can speak today at family lunch.


    We sit obediently, Raphael and I, as the priest begins mass.


    After the church is done, we wait our turn to file out, following my father, Sonny, to where the priest greets everyone at the door.


    I wait for my turn and let Father James take my hand in his, ¡°Sweet Kira, I¡¯m so pleased to see you back in our parish. The church shines brighter with your smile looking up at me. And who is this?¡±


    I nudge Raphael forward, and he holds out his hand. ¡°Hello, Father,¡± he says politely.


    ¡°This is Raphael,¡± I say to Father James. ¡°He is my son.¡±


    ¡°A child is such a blessing,¡± Father James says. ¡°I look forward to seeing you every week, Raphael. There is a lot to learn about God¡¯s work.¡±


    ¡°Amen,¡± Raphael says quietly. It¡¯s his go-to response with priests. Father James gives him a bright smile, and we shuffle out the door into the sunshine.


    It¡¯s a lovely warm day. Usually, I¡¯d take Raphael home to change and y in the park, but today we have family lunch.


    Sunday lunch at the head family¡¯s house was a big deal. We were all expected to show our faces, whether my father wanted us to or not. He generally didn¡¯tin about it.


    Things haven¡¯t changed in my absence, except now it¡¯s held at Alessandro¡¯s house. Father isn¡¯t happy about my return, but there¡¯s nothing I can do about it, as Alessandro requested it-at least, that¡¯s what I suspect.


    We all file into the cars parked on the street, me behind my father and Raphael next to me.


    ¡°Nonno,¡± Raphael says, ¡°have you beening to this church for long?¡±


    ¡°Since I was younger than you, our family has alwayse here,¡± my father says, opening the car door for us to file in.


    We weave our way through the suburbs, the houses here are beautiful, but Italy has a homeliness that I miss. Especially my grandfather¡¯s estate where we lived, it was beautiful and open, and Raphael spent many days ying in the vineyard.


    ¡°Raphael, are you excited to y with your other cousins?¡± Sonny asks.


    ¡°Some of them, I know, but I¡¯m excited to meet new cousins. I love my family.¡± Raphael grins.


    My father nods his approval and adds a pat on the head for my son. My son that he hadn¡¯t wanted me to have, but I was too far along to have an abortion. So Raphael was born, and my father just hid us away from the world, far away, and told me to make my own way.


    The problem is that the Don of this family grew up closely with me. His siblings and I were great friends, and we were practically siblings. We spent almost every day ying together. There was only so long he could hide me from the Don.


    We pull into the estate and the car parks. We get out, and I immediately reach for Raphael¡¯s hand. ¡°We must greet Zio first, Alessandro, and then I¡¯ll introduce you to your cousins so you can y.¡±


    Raphael nods as we walk through the house to the backyard near the orchard. It¡¯s set up beautifully, and Alessandro sits at the head table when we enter.


    ¡°Ciao, Kira,¡± he says to me, standing and kissing both my cheeks, ¡°I will never grow tired of seeing you at our home.¡±


    I grin. ¡°Raphael, say hello to Zio Alessandro.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Zio,¡± he says with a confident smile, ¡°my mother has the most beautiful smile of all.¡±


    ¡°She does, my boy,¡± Alessandro chuckles. ¡°Go y with your cousins while I steal your mother away to catch up with her.¡±


    Raphael grins. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to introduce me, Mama. I¡¯ll introduce myself.¡± With that, he leaves my side to join the children ying in the orchard.


    ¡°I should help with the food.¡± I smile at Alessandro.


    Alessandro shakes his head and raises a hand. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I told Katya that I wanted to speak to you. Let¡¯s go for a walk.¡±


    I watch as the other family members gush over Raphael, and I smile, looping my arm through my cousin¡¯s. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°About you. Why did you leave New York? It was so sudden, and Zio Sonny says he¡¯s too ashamed to tell me. Is it because you got pregnant?¡±


    ¡°Basically,¡± I sigh, ¡°I got mixed up with the wrong people, got sent away, and then found out I was pregnant. My father is mortified by it, and although he loves Raphael and loves me, I don¡¯t think he wanted us toe back.¡±


    Alessandro nods. ¡°Who was it?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t ask me that,¡± I say quietly. ¡°I have shamed our family enough.¡±


    He squeezes my hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have some other news for you, though. There¡¯s a position for a chef opening up at the bistro on Fifth Avenue. I¡¯ve told them to hire you for the position. Zio Sonny says you finished your chef course in Italy.¡±


    I smile softly. ¡°You don¡¯t have to take care of me, Alessandro. I¡¯ll get on my own two feet.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t acknowledge what I said. ¡°I¡¯ve also arranged for an apartment for you and Raphael nearby. Arianna has arranged a small car for you. The apartment has its own parking spot.¡±


    We stop at a bench in the middle of the orchard and sit together as the children run around us. ¡°You¡¯re too good to me,¡± I say quietly.


    ¡°You¡¯re like a sister to me.¡± He leans over and kisses the side of my head. ¡°I will always take care of you.¡±


    Raphael runs past, and Alessandro stops him. ¡°Are you making friends with everyone?¡±


    Raphael nods excitedly. ¡°Yes, Zio, everyone is being very friendly. I¡¯m having a lot of fun.¡±


    ¡°Good, you¡¯ll probably make many friends at school then too. Do you like New York?¡±


    Raphael beams. ¡°I love it. Did you know my father is from New York? Mama says when I¡¯m sixteen, she¡¯ll tell me all about him.¡±


    I blush slightly and usher Raphael along, ¡°Go y. It¡¯ll be lunchtime soon.¡±


    Raphael runs off, and Alessandro helps me up as Dominic approaches us. ¡°Kira, it¡¯s so good to see you.¡± He kisses both my cheeks.


    ¡°Remember when we convinced you to ride Nonno¡¯s one goat?¡± Alessandro chuckles as we walk together.


    ¡°Or that time we said you couldn¡¯t go to a party with us, so you told my father we weren¡¯t at church but at Marilyn¡¯s house ying spin the bottle,¡± he says,ughing.


    ¡°The four of you were just trouble,¡± I tease.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Oh, and the three of you weren¡¯t?¡± Alessandro asks. ¡°You and your siblings were just as naughty as we were.¡±


    We walk back to the tables to sit down and enjoy lunch together, reminiscing about what we got up to as children.

 #5 Chapter 2

    Miguel


    It¡¯s two in the morning, the hour of poets and gangsters, especially in New York City. You¡¯re either one or the other-there is no mingling in those worlds. The crime lords of this city have no tolerance for the arts other than to use them to cover up illegal business dealings.


    Entertainment is our game, the Rossi game. We run casinos, movie production studios, art galleries, and anything in-between.


    My driver pulls into the back lot of a quiet industrial area. We don¡¯t own many warehouses to move our products, but the few we have are well isted. I step out of the car and button my suit jacket. I look around warily, ensuring no unwanted eyes see me walk into the building.


    I always have to be on my guard.


    ¡°Don Rossi,¡± the guard greets me, buzzing me into the building.


    ¡°Where is he?¡± I ask. I don¡¯t have to speak loudly to be heard.


    The guard motions to the right. ¡°At the back. Lyle and Jarred are with him now.¡±


    Suddenly a scream sounds from the direction Harry pointed in. I nod and take long strides, navigating the empty stations to the back, where my two cousins are looking down at a man strapped to a wooden chair.


    ¡°Mr. Kippler,¡± I say. My cousins part ways, allowing me to get nearer the man.


    He¡¯s nearly fifty with graying hair. One eye is swollen shut, and his lip is bleeding. There are bruises all over him and more blood stains than I care to count. He¡¯s also pissed himself, which is always charming.


    ¡°I apologize for my cousins. They tend to get carried away sometimes. I, on the other hand, am a man of simple pleasures. Tell me what I want to know, and we¡¯ll return you to your family. No further harm will befall you. You have my word,¡± I exin.


    He spits blood onto the ground in front of me. ¡°The word of a Rossi means nothing, especially since I have told your cousins I don¡¯t know anything about the Sorvino family ns. I am only a friend.¡±


    ¡°A family friend who often goes to Don Sorvino¡¯s house. I know that you know the supply routes that the Sorvinos use and that they use your bakery as a cover. What I also know is that you have a beautiful family. Two girls, right?¡±


    ¡°Leave them out of this,¡± he whimpers. I¡¯m not moved. I don¡¯t care about children, even my nieces, and nephews. You fall in line, or you¡¯re dealt with, family or not. There is a pecking order, and I am at the top of it.


    ¡°Alessandro helped Andre Catn gain power in Mexico not so long ago. Is Alessandro making a power y for other territories?¡± I ask, picking up a scalpel from the small table to my right.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He stresses the words, and for a moment, I consider believing and trusting him, but I¡¯ve learned you cannot trust anyone in this industry. Not in our world. There is no one you can trust. Everyone will betray you eventually.


    I hold the scalpel to the older man¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m going to slice your eyelids off so you can never close your eyes again,¡± I murmur. ¡°And you can watch every little thing I do to you until you have the balls to tell me what I want to know. If you fear the Sorvinos, I can have you and your family moved under our protection. I¡¯m willing to offer you that, Mr. Kippler.¡±


    He stammers a little and then shakes his head.


    ¡°No? You don¡¯t want my protection?¡± I ask, tracing the de lightly on his cheek, not hard enough to break the skin.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t betray Alessandro. He has been good to me and my family. He is a good man,¡± Mr. Kippler says.


    I nod to Lyle, who grabs the man¡¯s head and tilts it up, holding it steady. ¡°There are no good men in families like ours, Mr. Kippler. Only powerful men and a few men willing to do whatever it takes to control that power.¡±


    I slowly grab his eyelid, and he screams as I slice at it, pulling it at the same time. Lyle holds him as still as he can, and I shush Kippler. ¡°Now, now, I wouldn¡¯t want to take your eye out. We still have so much to do.¡± I grin, slicing thest bit and pulling the eyelid off. ¡°There, that¡¯s better. Now the other one.¡±


    He screams again but offers me no information. He is a fool-brave, but a fool, nheless.


    I stay until four in the morning. I look at his lifeless body. He has just died. The torture was finally too much for him to bear, and his heart must have given out. Suffering can do that if you¡¯re not equipped to handle it.


    He handled it better than I expected but not as well as a Rossi would. I wipe my hands on a cloth hanging nearby. ¡°Roll his body into the Hudson and get some rest. I¡¯ll call a family meetingter.¡±


    Lyle and Jarred acknowledge my words and get to work. I leave the way I came, casting a wary nce once more when I¡¯m outside. Alessandro will not be pleased if he finds out I killed a family friend, but he doesn¡¯t need to know yet. I will make my move, and when I do, the Sorvino territories will fall under mymand.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    My driver takes me back to my apartment, and I take the elevator to the penthouse. I wash my hands properly and change into some sweatpants and a wife beater. I climb onto the treadmill and start running, speeding up every ten minutes until I sprint. Then I lower it slowly only to speed it up again.


    I run on the treadmill for over an hour before turning it off and going to the shower.


    As the hot water sshes over my body, I let my mind wander just a little. It isn¡¯t a good idea to focus on negative things when you¡¯re a businessman. You need to focus on the positive and keep the money rolling in. Being responsible for the family now that my father is retiring is a new challenge but something I¡¯ve been training for my entire life.


    As I rub the soap into my stiff muscles, I consider what I need to say at the family meeting. We need to make a move against the Sorvinos sooner rather thanter. They won¡¯t be expecting it because they¡¯re still celebrating their win over Jose Catn, the Don from Mexico that threatened their family.


    I pull on some briefs and slide into bed, lying down on my back and staring through the ceiling at the sky. I specifically had ss ceilings installed in all my residences so that I could see outside. It is shatter-and-bulletproof so no one can use it as a weakness, but I don¡¯t sleep. I don¡¯t sleep at all, so I look at the stars and spend the night nning my next move.


    I haven¡¯t slept since I was twenty. If I¡¯m honest, I haven¡¯t slept since she left. She just left me, upped, and vanished without a trace, and Lord knows I tried to trace her. I used numerous family resources to try to find her, but no, she¡¯s more than likely dead.


    I stare at the brightest star in the sky and give a little sigh. My doctor says it¡¯s insomnia, but I feel like it¡¯s more than that. There¡¯s a piece of me missing; without it, I can never rest. I will never sleep.


    I only know that the Sorvinos made her disappear, and I have spent a lifetime nning to make them pay for it.

 #5 Chapter 3

    Kira


    The Italian has been in my family for years. It was a bistro that my mother¡¯s Nonna opened. Well, it was probably her husband as a front for his underground business dealings, but she ran it with pride.


    Many of the recipes have been passed down through generations, and I remember wanting to work here during my college days so that I could learn them too.


    Inded up learning them from a Zia in Italy while I was there.


    I¡¯ve been at The Italian for three weeks now, and I¡¯m thrilled to see it¡¯s getting increasingly popr as I add more dishes. I¡¯ve also been working on the social media presence so that we get the name out there.


    At first, the staff was apprehensive of me, but after teaching them several valuable new methods and listening to them about how they like to run the kitchen, wepromised. Now we run a tight ship-if I do say so myself.


    Everyone is amicable, and I know Alessandro pays more than the usual rates to keep the staff loyal to the family.


    Every day one of my family members is in for a meal. Usually, Carmine and Dome in around lunchtime. I know their favorites, but I want them to try something new today.


    They haven¡¯te in yet, but the dish I want to serve them has been slow cooking for hours. I came in early to start it, and I know they will love it.


    I have already told the hostess to let me know the minute they arrive. While I wait, I make a gremta, a green sauce from chopped parsley, lemon zest, and garlic that I¡¯ll serve with the meal. I also have some polenta made up.


    ¡°Chef? They¡¯re here,¡± Kim says, sticking her head into the kitchen. I nce at her. ¡°Just the two of them?¡±


    ¡°And Mr. Alessandro,¡± she says with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve seated them in the VIP section.¡±


    ¡°Excellent, take them white wine, not red. Wait,¡± I stop her, ¡°get me the wine, and I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    I make sure I look respectable as I step out of the kitchen. Kim hands me a bottle of expensive white wine, and I walk over to the private booth at the back. ¡°Gentlemen, lovely to have you here.¡±


    ¡°The chef herself,¡± Alessandro chuckles, ¡°We must be important.¡±


    ¡°I must be important to warrant a visit from you, Don Sorvino,¡± I say respectfully because I know the staff are watching the interaction.


    ¡°Dominic says you¡¯ve improved on the recipes left by Bisnonna. I¡¯m interested to see your improvements, especially because I see how popr The Italian is getting.¡±


    I blush slightly and nod. ¡°I have prepared a special meal today for Dominic and Carmine, as I know theye in every day this time for lunch. They order the same thing every day, and I¡¯ve decided they will try something special today. I think you will enjoy it, too, Don Alessandro.¡±


    I show them the bottle of wine. ¡°This meal is bestplimented with white wine.¡± I uncork the wine and start to fill their sses. ¡°While you sip on this, I¡¯ll get your meal.¡±


    ¡°Please bring a te for yourself, Kira,¡± Alessandro says, ¡°I insist.¡±


    I nod and go back to the kitchen to te the food. I leave the waitresses to bring the food while I join the boys.


    ¡°This is Osso Buco, beef shank seared with vor before slow cooking for hours in white wine to make the meat tender. Apanied with vegetables and gremta, a sauce I learned in Italy.¡±


    They don¡¯t say anything at first, then Dominic moans, ¡°This is delicious, Kira. I¡¯m going to order this every day.¡±


    Iugh and taste it myself. I did pull it off rather well.


    We chit-chat as we eat, no one dares to interrupt us, but I know the kitchen can handle itself for an hour or two while I take lunch.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been working so hard,¡± Dominicments. ¡°That¡¯s one of the reasons we¡¯vee here.¡±


    ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡± I ask curiously.


    Dominic shakes his head. ¡°Not at all. I have decided to babysit Raphael while you go out with Arianna tonight to La Club.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t¡­.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but you should,¡± Alessandro says with a smile. ¡°Meet Arianna at her cottage on our property at seven. Dominic will be at your house just before then.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Okay, then I guess I¡¯m going out.¡±


    We finish our meal, and I go back to work.


    Later, I¡¯m a bit nervous about leaving my son with my cousin, but if I knew one thing about Dominic, Raphael would be more than protected with him there. I knock on the cottage door, and Arianna throws it open. ¡°Kira!¡±


    She flings her arms around me and hugs me tightly. ¡°Right, you look like a nun.¡± I look at my smart ck dress and ck pumps, and she continues, ¡°Luckily, I got you an outfit today. It¡¯s in my room, get changed, your makeup is fine. Then we¡¯ll go.¡±Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    I try to protest, but there¡¯s no point with my cousins. They are always like this.


    I change into the rather short red dress and the high heels that have been provided. When I walk out of the room, Arianna ps her hands together. ¡°Magnificent, just let loose your hair, and we¡¯re ready to go.¡±


    I don¡¯t move and look at her. ¡°Arianna, I hope you¡¯re not trying to hook me up with someone.¡±


    ¡°While I love that idea,¡± she grins, ¡°I am not. I just want to have a good time.¡±


    I take the clip out of my hair and put it in my purse. Arianna uses her fingers to brush out my hair, and the strands curl down my back and over my shoulders.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she says gleefully, a little too much so, dragging me out of the house.


    La Club has definitely changed a lot since I¡¯ve been gone, but at the same time, it¡¯s the same. I don¡¯t know how to exin it other than that although the interior may have changed, the crowd and vibe haven¡¯t.


    We order drinks and start to dance. Carmine joins us after an hour, but the shooters and ciders are already making me a bit tipsy. Once the song is done, Carmine drags us to the bar for two shots each of Absinthe. I grimace, but I do it. I used to be able to drink a lot, but I haven¡¯t really drunk that much alcohol since Raphael was born.


    I wave a hand in front of my face. ¡°I need to fix my makeup.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Arianna walks with me to the bathroom, where we both use the facilities and touch up our hair and makeup. We loop arms as we walk out and straight into a crowding in.


    The one I hit grabs my arms and snarls, ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going.¡±


    I re up at him, irritated and a little drunk. I can smell alcohol, and it¡¯s nothing I¡¯ve been drinking-it¡¯s clearlying off him. I meet his eyes, and I recognize him immediately, he doesn¡¯t seem to recognize me at first, but when he lets go of me, I know the ball has dropped.


    ¡°Kira,¡± he murmurs. He straightens himself up and waves his party on. Arianna smiles but doesn¡¯t leave me. She hovers to the side.


    ¡°I have to go,¡± I say, turning to walk back to Carmine. But Miguel grabs my arm and whirls me around,ing down for a kiss. I p him across the face and hiss, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡±


    ¡°Don Rossi, is there a problem?¡± I didn¡¯t even see Carmine get over to us so quickly, ¡°I can contact Don Sorvino.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± Miguel says before he looks at Arianna. ¡°You two could be sisters. Aren¡¯t you Don Sorvino¡¯s sister?¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening her?¡± Carmine growls, but Miguel waves him off.


    I look at Arianna. ¡°I have to go. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I don¡¯t give her a chance to answer as I leave La Club and hail a cab. I give him the address to my apartment, and I do my best to hold it together.


    Dominic is awake and watching television. He looks surprised when I walk in. ¡°Finish so early?¡± he asks.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I wave off the implication. ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯m no fun. I was just exhausted.¡±


    Dominic gets up and hugs me tightly. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can try again another time.¡±


    I smile at him. ¡°Thanks for watching Raphael.¡±


    ¡°Anytime you get some sleep.¡± He kisses my head and leaves.


    I go to the bathroom and shut it. Locking the door, I sink to my knees, put my face in my hands, and silently start crying.

 #5 Chapter 4

    Miguel


    I stand there, staring at the Sorvino brat¡¯s boyfriend after, who I thought was Kira, storms out of La Club. I can¡¯t believe it. I¡¯m pretty sure that I am way drunker than I thought I was. I must be hallucinating.


    I shouldn¡¯t even be here, this is Sorvino owned, but I like to live dangerously. The idiot boyfriend asks me again if I have a problem, and I wave him off and turn to the group I¡¯m with. ¡°Go home. I have things to think about.¡±


    We all file out of La Club, and I get into my car. Revving the engine high, I take off into the night and go straight back to my apartment.


    Once inside and drinking a steaming cup of coffee, I sit at the window overlooking the city.


    Kira.


    She isn¡¯t dead. She¡¯s back in New York City. Where has she been? What has she been doing? Why did she look so angry to see me? Fuck, I tried to kiss her. If the families find out, there will be hell to pay.


    I¡¯ll tell them I don¡¯t know who she is and would drunk-kiss anyone. I used to be a party animal, especially after she left, so it¡¯s believable.


    I run.


    I shower.


    I climb into bed.


    I toss and turn and picture her raging eyes looking into mine. I wanted to kiss her because-back then-it had been such a natural thing we did, such a habitual thing that even after thirteen years, I want to do it just because it¡¯s her.


    I see her. Her dark curls. Her curves I adored and devoured so many times before. All of her. She¡¯s stuck in my head.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    After breakfast, I send a notice to my family for a meeting at ten. You can¡¯t trust someone to take care of the family business for you. It¡¯s how you end up being shot and overthrown. I go to my office and start addressing the matters on my table. There¡¯s always a pile of things to do, and I¡¯m the man who has to see to it.


    Peoplee and go, wanting answers to problems or their next set of instructions from me. Just before ten, I step outside onto the balcony of my apartment and light a Cuban cigar. I inhale deeply and look over the city.


    New York. The city that never sleeps.


    Like I don¡¯t ever sleep.


    I was born and raised here, and I suit the city well.


    I hear a knock at my door, and I stub out the cigar, leaving it on an ashtray outside.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    I sit back at my desk as everyone files in, andst but not least, my father. He¡¯s the one who¡¯s retiring. He is mostly retired now. He doesn¡¯t get involved much in family business anymore. Everyone knows I¡¯m the one they answer to now.


    My brothers, cousins, uncles, and father are all in one room. One of my cousins, Lyle, is missing, but I know he¡¯ll be along shortly. I sit on my high-backed chair and say, ¡°We need to decide what we¡¯re doing about the Sorvinos.¡±


    ¡°They pose no immediate threat to us,¡± my father says. ¡°I still think we should leave them be while we build our forces to overthrow them as New York¡¯s main family.¡±


    ¡°This move to dethrone Jose Catn is basically begging for a war.¡± I look around, and about half the room looks like they agree with me, while the other half looks apprehensive.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    The door opens, and Lyle hurries in. ¡°Don Rossi, I¡¯m so sorry. I have urgent news. It¡¯s why I amte.¡±


    The frown lingers on my lips. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°One of our main supply warehouses was blown up about twenty minutes ago. Everyone is dead. I had to pay the cops to sniff around without acknowledging the drugs and counterfeit money. They¡¯re keeping the crowds away, but it¡¯s sure to be on the news.¡±


    The rage must be showing in my eyes because I feel everyone, except my father, shrink back from me. I look around. ¡°I want to know who did it.¡±


    Lyle clears his throat, ¡°There was a calling card, boss. It was the Sorvinos.¡±


    He takes a square piece of paper out of his pocket and passes it to me. On the back is Alessandro¡¯s signature, and when I turn it over, I see it¡¯s a crime scene photo of Mr. Kippler¡¯s body. They knew we killed him, but this was going too far. This is going to set back the family thousands of dors. He also killed my people-men and women who didn¡¯t deserve it. I¡¯m not the warm and fuzzy type, but those workers were loyal to the family.


    I crumple up the photo and quickly toss it aside. ¡°Fucking Sorvinos.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re dering war,¡± my brother Ricardo says. ¡°It¡¯s all-out war.¡±


    ¡°We should give a strong response. Show them we won¡¯t back down or cower.¡± It¡¯s my father¡¯s suggestion, but I shake my head.


    ¡°Cool heads must prevail. If we start retaliating, they¡¯ll attack us, and on it will go. No, we need to hit them where it hurts.¡±


    Everyone is silent as I think, I go outside, leaving them standing there, and I light my cigar ande back. I don¡¯t normally smoke inside, but I make exceptions.


    ¡°We need to take one of their own to bargain with. Not only will we get our revenge, but we will also get a piece of their pie.¡±


    ¡°Jose Catn tried to take members of that family, but it didn¡¯t end well for him,¡± Jarred says from his spot in the back right.


    I shake my head. ¡°They tried to take Frankie and Dominic, strong men who know how to fight back. We need someone easy to take, the weakest link in the family that Alessandro will bend the knee for. We need to take Arianna Sorvino.¡±


    I smirk as my father nods his approval. ¡°It could just work.¡±


    I look at Lyle and Jarred. ¡°She¡¯s about five foot four inches with blue-gray eyes and dark hair. She¡¯s often with her brother Dominic at La Club. Go find her and bring her to me discreetly.¡±


    They hurry off without a word, and I sit back in my high-back chair. ¡°The rest of you set up tight security here and at the estate at Long Beach. I want everyone on this.¡± I take a deep drag of my cigar as everyone starts filing out.


    ¡°You look like you haven¡¯t slept¡­.¡±


    ¡°In thirteen years?¡± I finish my father¡¯s question. ¡°That¡¯s because I don¡¯t sleep, Padre. Now, you¡¯re not hanging around just to check if I¡¯m getting a good night¡¯s rest, are you?¡± My green eyes meet his hazel ones, and he nods.


    ¡°So much like your mother. You have her eyes,¡± hements.


    ¡°So you tell me every chance you get,¡± I stub out the cigar. ¡°What is it, Padre?¡±


    ¡°Be careful dering war on powerful families because you don¡¯t know if the other families will side with you or betray you,¡± he says casually as though I don¡¯t know this simple fact. It¡¯s very hard to respect him when he speaks to me, his Don, with such a condescending tone.


    I sit back and steeply my fingers over my knee, my leg crossed over the other. ¡°I don¡¯t need other families to align with me. If they take the losing side, I will simply wipe them out of New York like I will Don Sorvino.¡±


    My father chuckles. ¡°I admire your spirit, boy. Use your head. You were always excellent at long-term strategies. I trust you, don¡¯t make that an unfounded fact.¡±


    He gets up, takes a Cuban cigar out of the box, and pulls his lips down in a gesture that shows he¡¯s mildly impressed. He pockets it and walks out.


    I watch as the door closes behind him, and I sigh. My father is a tough man to please, but I won¡¯tpletely disregard his advice. I know what I¡¯m doing will be seen as a deration of war.


    Maybe it¡¯s time.


    Maybe it¡¯se to that.


    Maybe Kiraing back is the sign that it¡¯s time for this battle to begin.

 #5 Chapter 5

    Kira


    I open Raphael¡¯s door to find him still asleep. Good. I go to him and tuck the nkets in around him. Seeing Miguel at La Club was jarring, and then of all things, he tried to kiss me. As though thirteen years haven¡¯t passed between us. I didn¡¯t understand back then what our families being at war meant, now I do, and he acted as though I was just his for the taking.


    I kiss Raphael¡¯s head and smile. Miguel can never know about him. I will not let him take my son away from me.


    I walk back to the living room, where Sofia is setting up herptop.


    ¡°Thanks again for doing this, Sofia. Arianna offered to send someone to collect the financial reports, but I have to go to the dock anyway to get fresh fish for the bistro,¡± I say.


    Sofia smiles brightly at me. ¡°It¡¯s really no problem. I have to study for an uing exam anyway, so I don¡¯t mind the peace and quiet at all. Dom has already gone off to do whatever he does now, so I was alone anyway.¡±


    ¡°Still, thank you. If you can, just make sure Raphael eats all his breakfast and takes his lunch. He catches the bus just down the road, but I don¡¯t like him to walk alone,¡± I exin to her.


    She nods. ¡°That¡¯s easy. I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s all done. You go, and just be safe, OK.¡±


    I smile and slip on my coat. Grabbing my purse and car keys, I leave the apartment.


    As I walk to the car, the hair on the back of my neck stands on end, and I look around. There¡¯s light traffic from those who get up early to get to the office before dawn, missing the worst of the traffic. Some people on the pavement are talking in quiet voices but nothing else to cause rm.


    I climb into my car and am about to start it when there¡¯s a knock at my window, causing me to jump out of my skin. I hear my cousin¡¯s low chuckle and roll my eyes before I open my window. ¡°Dominic Sorvino, you could have given me a heart attack.¡±


    ¡°I dropped Sofia off and decided to hang around to apany you to La Club. It¡¯s where Arianna is working on the reports.¡± He grins at me mischievously. ¡°Good to know you¡¯re on your toes, though.¡±


    I roll my eyes again. ¡°Will you follow me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m parked right behind you. I¡¯ll follow you there,¡± he says, walking away.


    ¡°You¡¯re still an ass,¡± I call, then realize the time, quickly start my car, and pull off with a slight giggle. Hopefully, I didn¡¯t disturb anyone¡¯s sleep.


    Dominic and I arrive at La Club, and he opens the door for me to get out. I left the reports in my car overnight, so I grab them off the back seat.


    The bodyguard at the door lets us both in. The club is silent and a bit eerie. This ce is normally pumping, but I know it closed about an hour ago. The staff is still cleaning up, wiping down bars and tables, and mopping the dance floor, and I hear someonein loudly from the bathroom. No doubt someone threw up the little food they had in their stomach.


    Rather them than me, I¡¯m d I work at the bistro.


    We walk into the office where Arianna sits at aputer with piles of papers around her. She smiles at me. ¡°Hey, I still can¡¯t believe you¡¯d get up at this hour to bring me reports.¡±


    ¡°As I said, I had to get up anyway. Today¡¯s specials are fish based, and I need fresh catches. I¡¯m going to bepeting with all the other restaurants this morning at the dock.¡± I hand her the paperwork and stand back. ¡°If you need anything else, just give me a call and let me know.¡±


    ¡°This should be perfect,¡± she says as she flips through the paperwork. ¡°You¡¯re really thriving over there. I¡¯m so d.¡±


    The door behind us opens, and Carminees in with some coffee. ¡°Hey guys,¡± he says with a grin, handing a coffee to Arianna and then one to Dominic. ¡°You want one, Kira?¡±


    ¡°No thanks, I¡¯m trying to cut down on caffeine.¡± I smile. ¡°And I have to be off, you guys have a fabulous day, and I¡¯ll chat with youter.¡±


    They all bid me farewell before I leave and go to my car. The hairs on the back of my neck are standing again, and I nce around-just the usual amount of people going back and forth, regr traffic. I give myself a mental shake.


    I climb into my car and drive toward the dock.


    Once there, I park, get out and look around again. The sun is just about to rise, and I see several people walking between various fishermen to inspect their goods. I hurry along, not even locking my car.


    I take the list out of my purse and smile as I approach the first area. A fisherman is packing out fish on ice, disying his catches.


    ¡°Beautiful tuna,¡± I say, inspecting therge fish, ¡°I¡¯ll take this one and this one.¡± I point to two of the fish. ¡°For The Italian.¡±


    ¡°Delivery, or will you take it now with you?¡±


    ¡°Delivery, please,¡± I say. ¡°Do you have any sole?¡±


    ¡°None today, but Freddie got a haul of some decent-sized ones at the end.¡±


    I smile at the man. ¡°Thanks so much.¡±


    I hurry along the dock and pause at another fisherman. I pick out ten lobsters and ten crabs for delivery and pause. I feel itchy, as though I¡¯m being watched. I look around, but most people are engaged with the fishermen.


    I shake it off and head toward the fisherman at the end. ¡°Freddie?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me, love.¡± He gives me a toothy grin.


    ¡°Excellent. Can I see your sole please?¡±


    As he¡¯s packing out his catch, I nce around. Down the wharf, two burly men casually walk down toward me. They are wearing jeans and coats, and their beanies are pulled down, so I can barely make out their faces, but I know their eyes are boring into me.


    Once I¡¯m done with Freddie, I walk to the other end of the dock, past the men, and up again. I nce back once to see they¡¯ve changed direction and are walking after me.


    Nope.


    I¡¯m outta here.


    Something is wrong.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    I hurry toward my car, trying not to break out into a run, so they don¡¯t realize that I know they¡¯re following me. I fumble for my keys before remembering I hadn¡¯t locked my car. I hurry to get in and shut the door. I lock the doors just as the two men reach the vehicle. One knocks on the window while hispanion stands guard.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help you,¡± I say loudly as I get the key into the ignition and start the car. The starter turns over, but the car does nothing else. I try again and again until the guy knocks again. ¡°Trouble with your car, miss?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I say, panicked. I grab my purse to rummage for my phone when the window behind me smashes, and I scream. A hand reaches in, unlocks my door, and yanks it open. I scramble to the other side of the car, but an arm wraps around my waist and pulls me back.


    I scream again, but if anyone hears me, they pretend not to. People don¡¯t get involved in family business down here.


    I¡¯m pulled away from my car and carried to a ck SUV with tinted windows. They throw me into the back, and one of the men climbs in with me. I cower on the floor of the SUV. As his partner starts the car to leave, the one in the back grabs my hands and starts to tie a cable tie around them.


    ¡°Please, my cousin will pay handsomely if you let me go. Please don¡¯t hurt me.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t going to hurt you, Miss Sorvino. Our boss just wants a little chat.¡±


    He pulls out a ck sack, and I shake my head, but he gets it on easily enough and then binds my legs.


    ¡°Sit tight. It¡¯s a bumpy ride,¡± I hear his muffled voice.

 #5 Chapter 6

    Miguel


    I sit in the chair overlooking the city. Dawn slowly creeps up to the east, and the twinkling lights of the buildings fade away as the sun bathes the city in light.


    I haven¡¯t slept¡­again.


    This time it was because my night was filled with thoughts about how I¡¯m going to approach Alessandro. How I¡¯m going to handle this when he finds out his sister has been taken by another family?


    Lyle sent a text message a while ago to tell me they had her. They had followed her to La Club, where she was with Dominic, and then she left, and they had tailed her, picking her up at her next destination.


    I bring the lit cigarette in my hand up to my mouth, and I take a deep drag. It¡¯s a terrible habit, really, but one I mostly indulge in when I¡¯m stressed.


    The door behind me opens, and I hear scuffling as Lyle and Jarrede in and drop a heavy object on the floor behind me. I stand and drag the chair I¡¯m sitting on to the center of the room.


    ¡°Put her on there,¡± I say, stepping back.


    They lift her onto the chair, and I eye her out.


    ¡°Untie her feet and take the sack off. Let¡¯s take a look at the precious Arianna Sorvino,¡± I say.


    Her muffled voicees from the sack, ¡°Who?¡±


    I frown and walk forward and rip the sack off.


    Kira looks up at me defiantly. Before she can say anything, I turn to my cousins and roar, ¡°This is not Arianna Sorvino! This is Kira Sorvino!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s exactly as you described her, Don Rossi,¡± Lyle says defensively. ¡°And she went to La Club with Dominic Sorvino and everything.¡±


    I pinch the bridge of my nose with my fingers. ¡°I can¡¯t expect you two to do anything, can I?¡±


    I put my cigarette out in a nearby ashtray and light another, inhaling deeply and staring at Kira.


    ¡°What the hell am I doing here, Miguel?¡± she demands to know.


    ¡°It¡¯s Don Rossi to you,¡± Jarred seethes, and I don¡¯t correct him.


    Kira snorts, ¡°So because you¡¯re a Don now, you think you can take whoever you want from the streets? Don Sorvino will not stand for this.¡±


    I watch her carefully. I don¡¯t particrly want to be near her, not after how she left me, but I know she matters a lot to Alessandro. She matters almost as much as Arianna.


    I don¡¯t know what to do. My emotions are running high, and I can¡¯t think straight. Mostly, I want to let her go so she¡¯s not near me. Being in her presence is intoxicating, and it brings back memories I don¡¯t want to remember, feelings I don¡¯t want to feel.


    I lift a hand to wave her off, but she spits at my feet. ¡°If you think I¡¯ll do anything for you, you¡¯ve got another thinging.¡±


    That coldness in her voice, that resentment and hatred, it¡¯s so clear that I find I can immediately shut off my own emotions. Coldness reces my confusion when I¡¯m around her, and I tilt my head to the side and chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s fine, cousins. She¡¯s right. She does mean a lot to Don Sorvino, enough for us to continue with our n.¡±


    ¡°Should we leave her here with you for now?¡± Lyle asks, shifting awkwardly. He can sense the tension between the two of us, and he doesn¡¯t like it.


    I shake my head. ¡°You can untie her and release her into the guest bedroom. Nothing she can do from there. Thene back so I can tell you how to send a message about her to the Sorvino family.¡±


    I watch as my cousins cut the cable ties holding Kira¡¯s feet and hands together, and then they each take an arm and lead her toward the guest room. I turn to face the city again.


    The sun is high now, and the city has lost its magic. Now it¡¯s just another grimy, industrial city with a section of trees just visible in the distance: Central Park, one of my favorite ces as a child.


    Of course, the park is enormous, but it¡¯s surrounded by the concrete jungle of apartment buildings and office blocks. The roar of the city rises as traffic congests, and more people join the pedestrians on the sidewalks.


    Most people would find the view dizzying if they were not used to heights, but New Yorkers are used to it. We love being on top of the world because we are just that, on top of the world. Everyone wants to live here, work here, and be here. New York is an experience, a culture shock, and it will be all mine to rule over when I dethrone Alessandro Sorvino and pull all other families under my rule.


    Lyle and Jarrede back. I hear their footsteps and turn around. ¡°Have the kitchen make her something to eat. We should, of course, showmon courtesy to our enemies. It¡¯s what is done. Lyle, you stay. Jarred, you go organize that.¡±


    Jarred leaves, and I turn to Lyle. ¡°Did she have a car?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s down at the docks. We had to smash the back window to get in to get her,¡± he exins.


    ¡°Okay, see if you can get it and drop it off at one of the warehouses. Then I want you to send a bike messenger to La Club with a message for Alessandro.¡±


    I lead him into my office and sit down at myputer. I pull up our family letterhead on the screen and type a letter underneath it.


    Don Sorvino,


    By the time you¡¯re reading this, you may already be concerned for the welfare of your cousin Kira. She is safe in my custody for now.


    Should you try and retaliate against my family again, she will no longer be enjoying the hospitality of the Rossi family.


    We need to meet for negotiations for her trade.


    I prefer to meet in neutral territory: one guard each, no other guns allowed.


    Should you agree to this, send word with a messenger to my casino on Seventh Avenue, a stamped envelope marked for my attention.


    I look forward to hearing from you.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Don Rossi


    I print that off, and as my printer clicks and cks, I look at Lyle, ¡°Make sure it gets at least into his sister¡¯s hands at La Club. She¡¯ll ensure that it gets to him. Do not go yourself. They will kill you instantly.¡± I pull the sheet of paper out the printed and fold it neatly. I tuck it into an envelope and seal it. I pick up a stamp on the side of the table, ink it on an ink pad, and stamp the Rossi family symbol where the envelope seals.


    I hand it over to Lyle and nod. ¡°Be quick, so you can get her car before the family does.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do with her while you wait?¡± he asks curiously.


    I give him a look. ¡°Are you questioning me?¡±


    ¡°No, Don Rossi,¡± he says respectfully, bowing slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way.¡±


    ¡°Leave Jarred here. He can stand guard in case she tries to escape. Sorvino¡¯s like to try their luck at the best of times.¡±


    Lyle leaves my office, and I realize my cigarette has burned out in the ashtray. I take another and light it. Sitting in my high-backed chair, I contemte what I¡¯m about to do.


    I should contact my father and seek his advice, but at the same time, I want to demonstrate to the family that I am solid in my decisions and that they are good decisions.


    I take a drag on the cigarette before I get up, bncing the cancer stick between my fingers and pouring myself a ss of whiskey neat.


    I sit back down and sip the whiskey with a sigh.

 #5 Chapter 7

    Kira


    As soon as they close the door behind me, I rush to the window and open it. There¡¯s no ledge to climb onto or shimmy along, and we¡¯re too high up to do much else-a downside of high-rise buildings. There isn¡¯t even a fire escape close enough to climb onto.


    I look down at the street and consider screaming for help to the people below, but again, we¡¯re too high up. The sound of the city will easily drown out my voice before it reaches the people walking below. I try waving my arm to get attention, but no one looks up at me. I sigh and shut the window looking around the room.


    It¡¯spletely empty, not even a bedsidemp. I open the cupboards, and they are bare as well. I m the door shut and check the bedside tables. They¡¯re fastened to the headboard as a set and won¡¯te apart, so I can¡¯t throw them at someone. I need a weapon.


    I check under the bed and in the other cupboards and then go into the en-suite bathroom. There¡¯s nothing in the medicine cab. There are some built-in shelves, but the only thing on them is towels. Nothing much I can use. I stare at the mirror.


    Maybe if I wrap a towel around my hand, I can break the mirror and use arge shard as a weapon. It would be sharp enough to stab someone or at least pose a threat.


    Dammit! I should never havee back to New York. I knew the risks when I did, but I missed my family so much and wanted them to meet Raphael. Now I run the risk of Miguel finding out about the son he doesn¡¯t know he has. He would take Raphael from me-of that, I¡¯m sure.


    I sit on the bed. If I break the mirror, they will undoubtedly hear it ande charging in. Besides, a piece of mirror versus guns? I¡¯m not that naive.


    I need to wait for the perfect opportunity to try to get out and run away, maybe call the police for help. I know that¡¯s really frowned upon in our family, but I also know the police are on the Sorvino payroll. My father has needed their help more than once in the past, so I know I can trust them.


    I hear voices outside my room and try to decipher what¡¯s being said. I hear mention of eggs, and now I¡¯m confused. I sit for what feels like an eternity when the door opens suddenly, and a petite woman enters, leaving the door behind her open. She is carrying a tray with a te of food and what looks like a cup of coffee.


    I don¡¯t even give it a thought. I get up and charge the woman. She freezes in surprise, and I push her to the side, sending food and hot coffee flying as she ms into the cupboard to my left. I run out of the room and look for an exit quickly. As I¡¯m about to take off toward what looks like the front door, arms wrap around my waist and hold me tightly.


    I scream and scratch at the arms. When they move higher to hold me in a better grip, I bite at the arms, forcing them back down. I wiggle and move as much as possible, but whoever has me won¡¯t let go. Eventually, he picks me up, and although this allows me to kick him better, I can¡¯t seem to connect in a good enough spot.


    I hear the click of metal and turn my head to the right to see a gun. I stop instantly, breathing hard. Another goon has joined the one holding me and is pointing his gun at me. ¡°Calm the fuck down and get back in the room.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± a voice says from nearby, ¡°bring her to eat with me. Let me exin the rules of my house to her.¡±


    I¡¯m picked up like a doll and carried into an open dining area where Miguel sits, enjoying a hot English breakfast. He always did like English breakfasts when we were in college together.


    They sit me in the chair, but they don¡¯t go far. I re at the don. ¡°Release me, Miguel.¡±


    ¡°Bring her a te of food, and clean up whatever messed is in the guest room,¡± he says, ignoring me.


    One of the goons leaves, and the other stands directly behind me. The woman I attacked soones shuffling with another te of food and sets it down in front of me.


    ¡°Eat,¡± Miguel says, starting to eat his own food.


    I cross my arms over my chest and look at him stubbornly. ¡°Release me, Miguel, and I¡¯ll tell Alessandro not to kill you.¡±


    Miguel chuckles coldly. This isn¡¯t the man I remember. The man¡­the boy I remember, was fun-loving, full of life and feeling. I always thought he should be a poet or an artist. This, in front of me, is a cold man with no heart. I can see it in his eyes.


    ¡°Eat, Kira, because if you irritate me enough, I will stop feeding you altogether. I am only extending you this kindness because of Don Sorvino and your rtion to him. I could easily treat you like the other Sorvino soldiers I¡¯ve picked up over the years.¡±


    I don¡¯t want to test that theory, so I calmly pick up a knife and fork and start to cut up the bacon and an egg.


    ¡°Good.¡± He goes back to his food and looks at me almost thoughtfully.


    ¡°The first thing you need to realize is that you are my hostage,¡± he pauses to take a sip of coffee, ¡°and that means you do what I want you to do, or I get to torture you. Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t, Kira. I am not a naive little college boy anymore. I will do whatever is necessary to advance my family.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°But you wanted Arianna, not me. It¡¯s not toote to let me go.¡±


    ¡°You will be enough,¡± he says. He eats so carefully. Utterly devoid of enjoyment. Not the way he used to. ¡°You will eat with me when I eat, you will stop trying to escape, and every time you try to escape, I will treat you like a petnt child and discipline you, do you understand? Nod if you don¡¯t want to speak to me.¡±Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    I nod slowly. I don¡¯t understand precisely what he means by disciplining me, but whatever it is, it can¡¯t be pleasant. I eat more of my food, choking it down. The woman from the kitchen brings me a ss of orange juice and sets it down.


    ¡°Miguel, I have responsibilities¡­people that need me.¡±


    ¡°My family needs me,¡± he says coldly. ¡°They need me to do the right thing for our family, and the Sorvinos have taken far too much in their time here. If they don¡¯t willingly negotiate territories, I will take them by force.¡±


    As if on cue, there are gunshots nearby. I whip my head around as the goon standing behind me rushes to the front door. Several otherse out of rooms, and I gasp as I realize how many guards are here. I mean, it makes sense. Miguel is their Don, and he must be protected.


    Cold hands grab my arm and force me to the ground. ¡°Stay down. You could get shot by a stray bullet.¡±


    It¡¯s Miguel. He puts a hand on my back as I curl up on the floor. Shouting and more gunshots ensue, but after a few moments of silence, I look up to see the goonsing back in.


    ¡°Sorvino men,¡± one of them says. He¡¯s one of the men that kidnapped me. ¡°But they¡¯re dead now. Three of them.¡±


    Miguel stands and nods. ¡°Pack up, boys, time to go to the Long Beach estate. Security to be increased immediately.¡±


    He looks down at me. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re as valuable as I thought.¡±

 #5 Chapter 8

    Miguel


    We leave the apartment quickly, with a gun pressed discreetly against Kira¡¯s back. She gets into the car without hassle, and we take off, making sure we aren¡¯t followed. As we exit the city and head toward Long Beach, one of my cars pulls up behind us to escort us into the estate.


    Kira doesn¡¯t say anything as we travel. She keeps looking out the window as though waiting for her family to attack us so they can save her. They would be foolish to do so. They know I¡¯d shoot her immediately. They cannot win this one.


    We pull into the estate, and the gates close behind us. The guard dogs are released, and patrols will already be underway. My men are well trained, much like the Sorvino men, and they would have a hard time getting through all my guards.


    The car pulls up to the mansion, and I step out, not bothering to offer Kira my hand. She climbs out of the car and looks around curiously, probably trying to figure out a way to escape.


    I push her towards the door. ¡°Move, Kira.¡±


    She res at me but walks into the mansion. Guards are also patrolling inside the mansion and stand to attention when I enter, the way it should be. I take off my suit jacket and hand it to the butler nearby. ¡°Thanks, Jeremy.¡±


    I look at Kira. ¡°This is going to be where you¡¯ll be staying for a while. You can go to most ces in the mansion. I suppose I have nothing better to do, so let me show you where everything is.¡±


    I start to walk. ¡°The dining room and living room downstairs are avable for you to use. You cannot make your own food. The kitchen staff will prepare it. You are in no way allowed further than the kitchen door over there in case you think about getting sharp knives.¡± I look at her pointedly. ¡°You may not go into the garden without an escort, and Kira,¡± I pause to look at her, ¡°I have guards everywhere, so don¡¯t bother trying to sneak out.¡±


    I walk up the stairs and lead her to the left. ¡°Your room is opposite mine here to the left.¡±


    I open the door and lead her into a grand room with a four-poster solid made from oak bed. There¡¯s a window overlooking the garden, and a light breeze blows through, bringing the scent of the ocean with it.


    She looks around and nods but doesn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°My study is down the hall to the right of the stairs. You¡¯re forbidden to go in there,¡± I say with a note of finality.


    ¡°And clothes?¡± she asks suddenly. ¡°Toiletries and stuff? Am I just supposed to live in my own filth until you decide what you¡¯re doing with me?¡±Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I already know what I¡¯m doing with you,¡± I smirk, and I feel rather evil. ¡°You can give a list to my guard of what you want, but Kira, this isn¡¯t kindness. Do not think I am a kind person.¡±


    Kira¡¯s eyes meet mine, and she looks a little scared. She should be scared. But beneath that fear is a fire of defiance I don¡¯t remember her having when we were younger.


    ¡°I will fight you every step of the way,¡± she says quietly, bravely standing her ground.


    I suppress a chuckle and take a step toward her, so I¡¯m looking directly down at her.


    ¡°I¡¯ve exined this situation, Kira. You can try, but I¡¯m not above disciplining you. There are consequences to your actions.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to be told there are consequences to actions,¡± she snaps angrily.


    ¡°I will discipline you,¡± I repeat myself coldly. ¡°If you do try me, I will punish you, and you will not enjoy it. That¡¯s my final word on the matter.¡±


    I lead her out of the room and back downstairs. I know she is following me because she wants to find an escape route, but she won¡¯t find one, not here.


    We stand at the base of the stairs, and I look at my watch. ¡°I have guests arriving shortly. You can go back to your room and remain there until dinner. Your exploring for an escape route can wait until then.¡±


    She looks at me, surprised, but I motion for one of the guards toe forward. ¡°Harry will escort you to your room and make sure you stay there. Someone will be up with clothes for you to wear to dinner. I expect you to be on time. I¡¯m not a patient man, don¡¯t make me wait.¡±


    Harry motions for her to go upstairs, and she res at me onest time before she goes upstairs with my guard.


    I wait until I hear her bedroom door shut then I go upstairs and head to my study. I pull out a cigar, not my Cubans, as those are kept exclusively at my apartment in the city. I light the cigar and sit down in my office chair.


    I don¡¯t have to wait long. Everyone is aware of my patience level.


    My three brothers, two uncles, my father, and Lyle and Jarrede into my office as soon as they arrive, all finding a ce to stand except the older men who find seats.


    ¡°Gentlemen, you¡¯ve obviously heard of my cousins¡¯ blunders.¡± I nce at Lyle and Jarred, but that¡¯s all I say on the matter. ¡°We have Kira Sorvino as a hostage, and Alessandro has already tried to get her back once.¡±


    ¡°Don Rossi,¡± Lyle says, and I look at him, ¡°they¡¯vepletely destroyed the apartment. It was not long after you left. They left a message on the wall that they are dering war on us if we don¡¯t return Kira.¡±


    I smile. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting a response so soon, and the apartment can be redone.¡±


    I look at my father. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to keep Kira here until I can negotiate more territories with Don Sorvino. I¡¯m sure he will call for the meeting as soon as he realizes he can¡¯t take her by force.¡±


    ¡°I advise against this war,¡± my Uncle Fabio says quietly. ¡°A war against the Sorvinos? Jose Catn would tell you what a bad idea that is if he were still alive today.¡±


    My other Uncle Marcel nods in agreement. ¡°Sometimes we have to give a little to the big families to protect our smaller family.¡±


    ¡°See, that¡¯s where you are wrong,¡± I say, heat rising on my face. ¡°We¡¯re not some shitty small family. We¡¯re the secondrgest family in New York. We¡¯ve risen over the years under my father¡¯s guidance, and I intend to take us all the way while I rule.¡±


    Fabio and Marcel both hold up their hands in surrender, and I stand, turning my back on them. ¡°We¡¯ve been taking shit from those Sorvino bastards for too long. They think they can walk all over New York as if they own it. They need to think again. We need to show them, through force and power, what we are capable of.¡±


    ¡°What do you suggest? We start attacking their territories and risk the lives of our people and their families?¡± Marcel asks from behind me.


    I chuckle. ¡°Zio, you think too much of Alessandro. The man has gone soft as he has aged. He doesn¡¯t want to risk any more lives than you do. He will fall to his knees quick enough.¡±


    My father hasn¡¯t said a word, and this worries me. I turn to look at him, and he¡¯s staring at me. Everyone looks at him, and he nods. ¡°I think it is worth taking the risk. It could pay off handsomely. But remember to keep your emotions in check, Miguel, don¡¯t make rash decisions.¡±


    I stand stock still. Everyone¡¯s waiting for my reaction, but I remain calm and cold. I nod. ¡°Of course, Padre. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    ¡°You are Don. We follow what you say.¡±


    I nod and sit back down to plot out our next move.

 #5 Chapter 9

    Kira


    I sit at the window. It¡¯s open and overlooks the garden where I watch the guards patrolling. I count as they walk, timing how far they go, how long they stop, and where they go next. How long does that take? I track it in my mind.


    When you¡¯re a chef, you¡¯re required to remember manyplicated things, from ingredients to measurements to tastes to how to tell if something is perfectly cooked. How to select fresh items. I smile. I excel because I have an excellent memory, and it¡¯s serving me well now.


    I strip my bed and start to knot the sheets together. I don¡¯t know if this will actually work or if it will hold my weight because I¡¯ve only ever seen this done in movies, but I need to try to get out of here.


    What¡¯s Miguel going to do if I get caught? Ground me?


    I time the guards carefully. I don¡¯t want to mess up this chance. I give it an hour, maybe two, to ensure that there is a routine to their patrol. It¡¯s getting closer to dinner, and they¡¯lle to tell me to get dressed soon. I have to get out of here before that.


    A guard walks from the left toward my window. I count slowly to a minute, then another minute. I watch as the guard passes under my window and wait until he turns the corner. I have four minutes before the next guard walks by.


    I toss the makeshift rope out the window and throw my legs over the ledge. I take a deep breath, don¡¯t hesitate, and shimmy down the cloth quickly. I hear a slight tearing noise, but it holds just long enough for me to get to the bottom. I¡¯m about five feet from the bottom, so I dangle at the edge of the cloth and drop, bracing myself.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    I don¡¯t pause but limp to the right. High hedges cover this side, so no one could have seen me once I hit the ground, but someone is sure to notice the makeshift rope hanging out the window.


    I peek around the corner, it¡¯s clear, so I shuffle around it and make my way up the pathway.


    I need to find the exit, and I need to find it fast, but moving too quickly will get me chased and probably caught since I don¡¯t know my way around the garden. So I sneak as quickly as possible, hiding in the bushes.


    I pass a guard facing away from me, holding my breath again so he doesn¡¯t hear me. I don¡¯t let my breath out until I¡¯m a few yards away. I nce past the bushes and see a pathway around the garden to the gate.


    The gate! I inspect it closely. Guards are posted on either side of the gate, so there won¡¯t be a way to sneak past them down the middle; there¡¯s no coverage. I look at the corner nearest the entrance. It¡¯s far enough away and covered by enough bushes that I could hide while I scale the wall. There are also vines growing up the wall and fence in the corner, which will give me more purchase if they¡¯re thick enough.


    Now to get there.


    I slowly creep along the side of the garden until I get to the section of hedges lining the end. Again there¡¯s a small pathway between the tall hedges and the boundary wall, but the nts and vines here are more unkempt. It doesn¡¯t look like this is a regrly patrolled area. I grin at my luck and slowly tiptoe my way down the pathway, casting a nce back every now and then to ensure no guards can spot me. I keep low, even though the hedges are high because thest thing I want to do is be spotted. I reach the corner without a problem and quickly dart behind therge bush hiding the corner of the estate.


    The guards at the gate won¡¯t be able to see me until I scale the fence here, and by then, it will be toote. I can run for it as soon as I¡¯m over and get to someone who can call the cops or get somewhere I can call Alessandro.


    I start to scale the fence slowly, and it shakes more than I would like it to. Starting to panic, I climb quickly and pause when I reach the top. Thin wires run across the top.


    An electric fence.


    They generally hurt, but if I¡¯m quick enough, maybe it won¡¯t be more than a sting. However, there might be an rm attached. I bite my lip, but I¡¯ve hesitated too long and been too distracted with my contemtion.


    Hands roughly grab my legs and drag me down the fence. Two guards shout to each other as I hit the ground hard. My ankle pains, and I cry out. They each grab an arm, and although I kick and scream, they drag me back toward the house and into the living room.


    ¡°Kira. Kira. Kira.¡± Miguel looks at me from his seat on the armchair. The guards drop me in front of him. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you, you would be punished if you didn¡¯t behave?¡±


    I re at him but don¡¯t give him the satisfaction of a reaction.


    ¡°I¡¯ve ordered the guards to nail your window shut, don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s air conditioning in the house, so you shouldn¡¯t be too hot. Also, I will now be posting a guard under your window as well as outside your doors.¡±


    ¡°Asshole.¡± I spit at him, then throw a slew of Italian curse words about him, his mama, and his nonna his way just for good measure.


    I stop when I see the cold look in his eyes and shake my head. ¡°I¡¯m going back to my prison now.¡±


    ¡°You give no orders in this house. This is my kingdom. I warned you, Kira.¡±


    He stands tall and foreboding above me.


    ¡°Get out.¡± He looks at his guards, and they leave, shutting the door behind them.


    ¡°What are¡­Miguel!¡± I cry out as he drags me up by my arm. His grip is tight and painful. I try to pull away, but he¡¯s too strong. I try to kick him, but I miss him, and my ankle pains again.


    He sits on the armchair, yanking me down, stomach first, over hisp.


    ¡°What the fuck do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± I shriek.


    What little dignity I have is gone as he yanks down my pants and thong. There¡¯s a moment of stillness.


    Smack.


    I grimace as his hand hits the bare flesh of my ass cheeks. I don¡¯t cry out, though. I¡¯m not giving him that. There¡¯s another pause. I¡¯m wondering if that¡¯s all there is.


    Smack.


    Harder this time, my skin stings and burns where his hand made contact. I shake my head, I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes, but I¡¯m willing them not to fall.


    Smack.


    His grip loosens, and with a nudge of his knee, I¡¯m tossed to the ground in front of him.


    ¡°If you want to behave like a child, I will treat you like one, Kira.¡± His voice feels cold and distant. I hurry to pull my thong and pants up and re at him, tears still threatening in my eyes.


    ¡°Fuck you, Miguel.¡±


    ¡°You did once,¡± hements. ¡°It was good.¡±


    I look away, and he snickers.


    ¡°Guards.¡±


    Theye back into the room at that point ande to stand near me.


    ¡°Take her back to her room. Make sure the maids bring her new bedding, so he¡¯sfortable.¡± He kneels next to me. ¡°Better make your list of what you want, or you will be living in your own filth.¡±


    He steps over me, almost on me, but I move at thest moment. Hisrge stride takes him out of the room and out of sight.


    One of the guards reaches for my arm, and I snarl, ¡°I can get up myself.¡±


    He backs off, surprised. I limp out of the room and toward the stairs. It takes me a while to get to the top, and then I slowly go to my room, mming the door behind me.

 #5 Chapter 10

    Miguel


    I sit in my office with my hand stinging from hitting her. I hit her. I¡¯ve never hit a woman before that didn¡¯t want it. I certainly never hit her when we were together. I stare at my hand, and I shake my head. I warned her. How many times had I warned her?


    I light a cigar and move to sit in front of the open window that overlooks the garden, and I remember. I remember what it was like the first time I ever saw her.


    Thirteen Years Earlier


    University has been the best escape from my father. It¡¯s the best idea-he wants me to have an education, and I want to be anywhere he isn¡¯t. It¡¯s a win-win situation.


    sses are interesting enough. There¡¯s so much to learn, but even better are all the women on campus. I¡¯ve certainly flirted with my fair share of them, but they¡¯re all the same-cookie-cutter girls looking for an American boy to build an American life with.


    I am in one of the top frat houses, but I suffered for it. My first year of university was hell on Earth. I was the greasy Italian kid until one frat boy took it too far, and some of my cousins paid him a visit.


    Since then, I¡¯ve quickly risen in poprity, and everyone knows I throw the best parties around town.


    Today is no exception to the other happy days I¡¯m enjoying. I sit in my Economics ss, listening to the professor drone on and on. I¡¯ve already taken down the notes for this ss, it¡¯s almost finished, and then I¡¯m free for the remainder of the day.


    The bell sounds, and the professor yells out reminders about uing tests over the noise. I pack away myptop into my backpack and throw it over my shoulder. I run a hand through my hair and follow the throng of people out of the lecture hall.


    Outside it¡¯s a beautiful sunny day, and my friend Jeremy waits for me. He¡¯s been nagging me to get in with my family even though I¡¯ve warned him that it isn¡¯t the kind of life people want. He insists, so maybe in summer, I¡¯ll invite him over to the beach house and introduce him to my father.


    Jeremy ps a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Interesting lecture?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Easy enough, didn¡¯t really have to use the old brain to work out what the professor was talking about.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cause you¡¯re too smart for your own good, Miggie.¡± I hate that nickname, but everyone calls me Miggie on campus. My father would have a coronary if he heard it. Miggie doesn¡¯tmand respect. Miggie doesn¡¯t instill a sense of importance.


    ¡°I named you Miguel after a strong man in our family for a reason!¡± That¡¯s what my padre would say if he heard what people called me. I¡¯d have to tell Jeremy not to use that name when we¡¯re at the beach house, or my father will do worse things to him than not let him in the family. He¡¯d probably do worse things to me too.


    We step onto the grass outside the main building and walk toward the courtyard, where everyone has lunch. A few of the frat brothers are meeting us there, and from there, we¡¯re going to decide what we¡¯re doing for lunch.


    The loud and obnoxious groups of Delta Kapa Delta¡¯s can be heard from far away at the noise level they¡¯re at. I smile as they all start smacking me on the back in their aggressive greeting. It¡¯s how they show they care about you in a very manly way. None of them would cop to that, though. I certainly wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°What¡¯s for lunch, boys?¡± I ask, sitting on a stone table that they¡¯ve surrounded.


    ¡°I need to carbo-load, so I say pizza from Capizzi. We can get two each and see who finishes the fastest.¡±


    ¡°Capizzi¡¯s makes decent food. I won¡¯t lie. But I¡¯m not buying today. It¡¯s someone else¡¯s turn. You guys arm wrestle and see who¡¯s paying.¡±


    I move off the table, and immediately they start challenging each other. I feel so powerful when I get them to do what I want. I nce around the courtyard and am about to issue my own challenge when I see her.


    She¡¯s definitely Italian, with dark hair that falls in luscious thick curls from her head. Her nose is stuck in a book, so I can¡¯t see her eye color, but she¡¯s got a nice body covered in curves. My brain is already picturing those in just lingerie.


    ¡°Boys, I¡¯ll be back,¡± I call. They all nce at me and then start wolf-whistling, cheering me on. I ignore them. Running a hand through my hair, I go over to where she is.


    ¡°Can I join you?¡± I ask, smiling widely.


    She doesn¡¯t even look up. ¡°No.¡±


    I frown. ¡°That¡¯s not very friendly.¡± I sit down regardless. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    She still doesn¡¯t look up. ¡°Why must something be wrong just because I don¡¯t want to pay attention to you?¡±


    Ouch. I smile again. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to be helpful. You look new. I generally know everyone whoes here. I like to be helpful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the otherdies thank you for your service,¡± she says sarcastically.


    I don¡¯t know what this woman¡¯s problem is, but I have never wanted to win someone over quite as badly as her. She is challenging me. She doesn¡¯t care who I am or what I represent. This is definitely going to be fun.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry. Let¡¯s start over. I¡¯m Miguel, from Delta Kappa Delta Frat house. I¡¯m sorry I came over and bothered you, but I just saw you, and something about you spoke to me.¡± I sit back. ¡°Is that cheesy?¡±


    Finally, she looks up at me, and I feel as though the air has been knocked right out of me. Those blue-gray eyes bore into me, and she quirked an eyebrow. ¡°Does that line actually work?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes,¡± I tease. ¡°Sometimes I get chewed out. Not this bad, though.¡±


    She shakes her head. ¡°Look, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re good at what you do, and I know you¡¯re trying to impress Fred and the gang over there. I¡¯m here to study, not to y with little boys.¡±


    I cough slightly. ¡°I can assure you. I¡¯m anything but little.¡±


    She snorts, ¡°Now you really have something to prove. I¡¯m just not interested, Miguel.¡±


    ¡°At least tell me your name.¡±


    She sighs. ¡°If I tell you my name will you leave me alone?¡± she asks.


    ¡°For today,¡± I assure her, ¡°but I¡¯m going to find you every day and ask you out until you go on a date for me. I¡¯m determined now. I can¡¯t be stalking someone without a name, though.¡±


    ¡°Stalking is creepy,¡± she shakes her head, ¡°and I have boundaries.¡±


    ¡°If I cane up with an interesting way to ask you out,¡± I say, ¡°without being creepy or an asshole or crossing any boundaries. Will you go out with me?¡±


    She studies me, and I almost hold my breath in anticipation.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°My name is Kira,¡± she says. ¡°You have a deal. Youe up with a way that isn¡¯t shy or expensive, and that isn¡¯t embarrassing, and I¡¯ll go out on a date with you. Good luck with that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna try every day,¡± I promise her as I stand up, ¡°¡¯cause you¡¯re worth it.¡±


    She shakes her head again and returns to her book while I saunter over to the boys.


    Present Day


    Just thinking about how enamored I was with her makes my blood boil. I stub out the cigarette, the fifth cigarette I¡¯ve smoked, and stand up. I need to work off this excess anger, or something is going to go terribly wrong.


    My hand at least has stopped stinging, but now I can¡¯t get those blue-gray eyes out of my mind.


    I decide to change and go jogging on the treadmill, but first, I take out my phone and call Lyle.


    ¡°Yeah, boss?¡±


    ¡°Call Dr. De Oliveira, tell her toe to see our hostage¡¯s ankle in the morning. Can¡¯t be returning broken goods to the Sorvinos.¡± I don¡¯t wait for his response. I hang up and leave my office-still haunted by those blue-gray eyes filled with passion.

 #5 Chapter 11

    Kira


    Once the guards leave me in the bedroom, I limp over to the bed and lie down. My ankle is aching terribly, and I wish I had some painkillers. I rest back on the bed and stare at the ceiling, trying to ignore the throbbing pain.


    I won¡¯t be able to try to escape again if my ankle is sprained because it will stop me from running. I need toe up with another n to get out.


    Miguel is probably my only way out. Perhaps if I can convince him to take me somewhere outside the house, I could slip away and get a message to my cousins. Maybe I could seduce Miguel. If he ever had real feelings for me, that could work.


    I groan as I get up and limp to the bathroom. I ssh water on my face before I hunt down a pen and paper. I need fresh clothes and toiletries. If I¡¯m going to try something, I can¡¯t smell like soil and sweat.


    I rummage around the bedside table and find a pen and paper. I sit down with my leg propped up and begin to scribble the things I will need while I¡¯m being held captive. Maybe I can lull them into a false sense of security if I y along for a bit.


    I hobble to the door and open it, looking at the guard.


    ¡°Don Rossi said I could give you a list of what I needed. Here it is.¡± I hold out the paper to the surly-looking man, and he takes it.


    He doesn¡¯t move, though, and I notice another guard on the other side. Even if the surly one takes the list to Miguel, there¡¯s still someone else watching the room.


    I shut the door and hobble back to the bed, exhausted now from the effort. I crawl under the sheet, leaving the duvet to the side. Too much pressure on my foot, and I feel like I might die.


    I don¡¯t remember falling asleep, but the next thing I know, my door is swinging open, and a woman talking loudlyes in.


    I sit bolt upright and wince as my ankle twinges.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I demand to know, ring at the woman. I don¡¯t know what Miguel is up to, but I don¡¯t trust anyone he sends.


    ¡°Hello, sweetheart. Don Rossi said that you hurt your ankle. I need to take a look at it.¡± She sets a medical bag on the chair beside the bed.


    ¡°Why? What are you going to do to me?¡± I ask, trying to shuffle away.


    She reaches out. ¡°Try not to move. You could make it worse. I¡¯m a doctor, and I just want to see how badly it¡¯s hurt and set it if I have to.¡±


    I eye her out. I don¡¯t trust any of Miguel¡¯s people, but if this woman is going to help or at least give me a painkiller, I¡¯ll let her. Then it dawns on me that maybe she will help me further.


    I shift my weight to sit up with my legs extended in front of me. She lifts the sheet and pulls it down to reveal my legs. She sits at the bottom of the bed and gingerly takes my foot in her hand. She moves it slowly, and I wince.


    ¡°How bad is the pain?¡± she asks, although she¡¯s staring at the opposite wall as though she¡¯s daydreaming.


    ¡°Not terrible now. I can hobble long around the room.¡± I wince again as she moves it slowly. ¡°I¡¯d love a painkiller, though.¡±


    The doctor smiles graciously at me. ¡°I think that¡¯s all you need. Some painkillers and a day of rest, and you should be fine. It doesn¡¯t seem to be anything serious.¡±


    She starts to rummage in her bag, and I whisper, ¡°Can you help me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to help you,¡± she says, looking at me confused.


    ¡°No, I mean. I¡¯m Kira Sorvino. I¡¯m being held hostage here. I need to get a message to my cousin Alessandro Sorvino. Can you help me, please? Please! They might kill me.¡± I look at her with pleading, wide eyes.


    She looks shaken, and my hope slowly rises, but she quickly pulls a bottle out of her bag and hands it to me. ¡°Take two every four hours. I have to go.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± I call, ¡°please!¡±


    The doctor hurries out of the room, and I groan and fall back into the pillows. I¡¯m not alone long, though, as the door soon opens again, and Miguel walks in carrying a food tray.


    ¡°I thought you might be hungry,¡± he says, though there¡¯s no trace of warmth in his voice. I shift my legs so he can set the tray on the bed. ¡°Eat it while it¡¯s hot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry, actually,¡± I say, trying to keep my distance.


    ¡°You need to eat if you want to take the painkillers the doctor gave you.¡± He reaches for a pitcher of what looks like orange juice on the tray and fills the empty ss beside it.


    It would be a tender moment if he weren¡¯t so rigid and cold.


    ¡°I¡¯m having a dress and shoes sent up for you. I picked a pair of t ones because of your ankle. You¡¯re to dress and join me for dinner tonight. Perhaps we can arrange someforts for you while you stay with us.¡± He stands up. ¡°Don¡¯t bete. I don¡¯t like to be kept waiting.¡±


    He walks out and shuts the door behind him. This isn¡¯t the boy I knew from university. There¡¯s no passion there, no fire and love for life. This is a man molded after his father. Everyst emotion has been beaten out of him.


    For a brief moment, I wonder if it¡¯s my fault. If it¡¯s because I left. Surely not. Our love was passionate but brief, and we both knew our families would disapprove.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    I eat lunch, and with some difficulty, I move the tray to the chair so I can lie down again. I look out the window. I can see the blue skies from where I¡¯m resting, and I wonder if I can keep my snotty attitude to myself long enough to convince Miguel to take me out.


    I just can¡¯t get over the fact that he kidnapped me. I know he meant to take Arianna, but he got me and could have let me go. We both know that. He knows that. He chooses not to.


    Suddenly I¡¯m angry again. Raphael needs me. I think about how scared and confused he must be that I¡¯ve suddenly disappeared. I have protected him from the kind of life that my family lives. He won¡¯t understand why I just didn¡¯te home. He might think that I¡¯ve abandoned him.


    All because of Miguel.


    Now the Don of the Rossi family wants me, his hostage, to dress up and entertain him over dinner? He can get knotted. That¡¯s not going to happen.


    When they bring me the bag of clothes and toiletries after lunchtime, I pretend to be asleep so no one speaks to me.


    Around five, though, the guard shakes me, and I can¡¯t pretend to be asleep any longer.


    ¡°What?¡± I snap.


    He points to the chair where a beautiful dress rests. ¡°Don Rossi says not to bete for dinner.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going,¡± I say, ring up at the guard. ¡°Tell him I¡¯m his hostage, not his entertainment. I won¡¯t do a thing he tells me to.¡±


    I turn my back to the guard and curl up.


    ¡°Don Rossi doesn¡¯t like being crossed, ma¡¯am. For your own safety, I would suggest you get up, get dressed, and go to dinner before the Don loses his patience.¡± The guard stands there waiting, so I snap.


    ¡°I said to tell him it¡¯s not happening. I¡¯m not his fucking toy to y with. You tell Miguel that I don¡¯t have to abide by anything he wants just because he kidnapped me. Now fuck off.¡± I pull the sheet over my head and hear the guard retreat.


    As soon as he shuts the door, I get up. I toss the dress and pumps into the trash can in the corner, and I hobble to the bathroom and shut the door, locking it behind me.

 #5 Chapter 12

    Miguel


    I sit at the table, waiting. I told her not to bete, so my patience is wearing thin. I cannot stand how defiant she is. I remember how passionate she used to be, but I also remember how reluctant she was initially to break the rules, especially family rules. We both may have taken that too far, but we were young.


    I look up as Jarredes into the dining room.


    ¡°And? Where is she?¡± I ask, sighing. ¡°Is she really in that much pain that she¡¯s walking so slowly?¡±


    ¡°No, Don,¡± he says, averting his eyes. ¡°She says she won¡¯t join you. She then locked herself in her bathroom.¡±


    I clench my fist and stare at the te of pasta in front of me. It¡¯s a family recipe, something I thought she might enjoy. I¡¯ve never been one to show kindness, but the protocol is to treat other families respectfully.


    But honestly, I¡¯ve had enough.


    ¡°Go back upstairs and lock her room,¡± I snap at him, causing him to take a step back. ¡°She¡¯s not to receive meals in her room anymore. Unless she¡¯s willing to dress ande downstairs and eat with me, she will starve.¡±


    I pick up my cutlery and start to eat without another nce at him. I hear his retreating footsteps. I stab at my food, angry at the insult. When a Don tells you to eat at his table, you eat at his table.


    My mind wanders as I eat, still hyper-focused on her.


    Thirteen Years Earlier


    As the bell tolls for the end of the period and the end of my test on politics, I get up and shove my stuff into my bag to race out. Pardoning myself as I bump into irritated people, I get out into the sun to see my frat brothers waiting for me outside. I pump my fist in the air. ¡°Freedom!¡±


    ¡°Freedom!¡± they yell, and we dive into a massive group huddle.


    It doesn¡¯tst for long because people startining loudly that we¡¯re blocking the way, so we all break away and walk toward the courtyard.


    ¡°Is everything in ce?¡± I ask Jeremy.


    ¡°Ready and set. Good luck.¡± He grins.


    They break away from me, but I know they¡¯re not going far because they want to know what the oue is going to be.


    I¡¯ve been trying for days now to get Kira to go on a date with me, but it¡¯s been a no-go. From flowers to expensive perfume to one of the music students serenading her. She hasn¡¯t liked any of it. I know she said not shy, but dammit, I didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Until today.


    I know I¡¯m going to get her today.


    I stroll up the path toward the table where she sits every day studying. There¡¯s a tree nearby which is key to the program.


    I stroll toward the bench and sit opposite her, closest to the tree.


    ¡°Afternoon, Kira. How did your sses go?¡± I ask with a genuine smile.


    She nces up. ¡°Miguel.¡± She goes back to her book almost immediately, but she does respond, ¡°They were fine, thanks. What is it today?¡±


    ¡°I realized I¡¯m going about this totally wrong,¡± I say, giving her a cheeky grin. ¡°I get that you don¡¯t want to go outte at night with a guy you barely know, especially a desperate one like me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mostly right so far.¡± She sets her book down to watch me. I¡¯ve piqued her curiosity.


    ¡°Well, I propose something different then. Not shy, not expensive. Something simple and private. I, Miguel, hereby invite you, Kira, to join me for a lunch date.¡±


    She looks surprised. Good. I continue, ¡°So, if you are willing and avable, I would love to take you on a pic in some private gardens not far from here and well within earshot that if you want to scream for help, you can.¡±


    She giggles and shakes her head. ¡°I admit it¡¯s an interesting proposal.¡± She pauses and sighs. ¡°If I give you one lunch date, would you promise to leave me alone?¡±


    ¡°I swear it on my family¡¯s name,¡± I say quickly. I would just have to win her over so that she wants another date.


    ¡°Fine, when?¡±


    I get up and walk to the tree. Tucked behind it is a nket and pic basket strategically ced there by my frat brothers.


    ¡°Does right now suit you?¡± I smile.


    She snorts. ¡°Fine.¡± She gets up and picks up her book bag, carefully putting away her textbook. ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    ¡°Follow me.¡± I lead her through the campus, not far from the courtyard to a little garden tucked away around a corner. She freezes as I open the short gate.


    ¡°This is the Dean¡¯s private gardens,¡± she says. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re allowed in here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The Dean will never find out.¡± I grin and lead her to a grassy patch strategically hidden among high rose bushes.


    I spread the nket down and kneeled, unpacking the pic basket.


    ¡°We have a sandwich each. A sports drink to keep us hydrated and energized. Some fruit-you look like a fruit kind of girl-and a brownie each.¡±


    Her smile widens. ¡°What¡¯s on the sandwich?¡± She sits on the nket next to me.


    ¡°This is a Miguel special. Cheese, bacon, mushrooms, scrambled egg, and a secret family sauce.¡± I hand her one of the sandwiches wrapped in wax paper. ¡°Try it.¡±


    I watch her bite into the sandwich, and she looks at me, surprised. After she swallows, she beams at me. ¡°This is delicious.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d you like it.¡± We getfortable, and around eating my sandwich, I ask, ¡°So tell me about your studies and what you do for fun.¡±


    Kira doesn¡¯t miss a beat. She swallows the bite in her mouth. ¡°My father picked my degree. He wants me to be an ountant. I would have preferred to study to be a chef. I am very food motivated.¡±


    ¡°I can tell,¡± I chuckle, passing her a napkin.


    ¡°As for what I do for fun, it¡¯s mostly the usual things. Get my nails and hair done, cook and bake, eat out¡­things like that. I have a rigid schedule, so I try to use my time as best I can.¡±


    I nod, and she inclines her head to the side. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°Studying business economics because my father wants me to take over the family business,¡± I say offhandedly, as I don¡¯t want to mention we¡¯re a mob family. She can find outter. ¡°For fun, I like to party with my frat brothers, but honestly, I like quiet activities like reading, stargazing, and eating out.¡±


    ¡°We have something inmon then,¡± she grins as she finishes her sandwich and reaches for her drink. She sips it and then holds her hand out. ¡°Hand over the brownie. Let¡¯s see if it¡¯s any good.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s great, but it is store-bought.¡± The admission makes me blush slightly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯d have to teach me how to bake actual brownies.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re easy, but I like brownies with Oreos in the middle. And they mustn¡¯t be dry. I hate dry brownies. They must be gooey.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    I chuckle. ¡°I¡¯d definitely eat those.¡±


    She bites into the brownie and nods, pursing her lips. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not bad.¡±


    I grin and bite into my own. ¡°Not bad at all.¡±


    We talk idly about our professors and where our favorite ces off campus are to eat. She mentions a bistro on Fifth Avenue. It sounds familiar, but I can¡¯t quite ce it. For some odd reason, it seems important to me that I know what this ce is.


    Once the food and drinks are done, she flips her hair over her should and gazes at me.


    ¡°So,¡± I say, ¡°is there a chance for a second date?¡±


    She shakes her head, and I panic slightly, but a wry smile ys over her lips. ¡°Maybe, I¡¯ll have to think about it. You did a good job today.¡±


    She gets to her feet, and I get up quickly too.


    ¡°Thank you for lunch,¡± she says. She leans up and kisses my cheek before she turns and leaves the gardens.


    I can¡¯t stop smiling to myself.


    Present Day


    I nce up as Lyle walks in, he looks worried, and that¡¯s a problem.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I ask, pushing my te aside. Her te is still there, on the opposite side of the table. So far away.


    ¡°Sorvinos have struck our operation near East New York,¡± he says hurriedly. ¡°They let our people go but dumped all our cocaine into the Hudson. They left a message with one of the guards that if we don¡¯t return Kira, they will hit all our operations.¡±


    I stand and brush off imaginary crumbs from my shirt. ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have to send a message of our own.¡±

 #5 Chapter 13

    Kira


    I¡¯m fucking starving.


    I can walk better now, it is only a dull ache, and the painkillers help a lot. I go to the door and bang on it, shouting, ¡°Hey! I haven¡¯t had food the whole day, assholes!¡±


    The door unlocks, and I step back to see the guard, whom Miguel called Jarred, ring at me. ¡°You¡¯re not washed and dressed to eat with Don Rossi, so you don¡¯t get food. The next meal is at dinnertime. If you¡¯re dressed and ready, you can eat.¡±


    ¡°I fucking won¡¯t,¡± I snap at him. I¡¯m not ying Miguel¡¯s little game.


    ¡°Then you go hungry,¡± he says, shutting and locking the door.


    Frustrated, I sit by the window. I don¡¯t know how much time passes, but I hear the door unlock again, and I stand hurriedly. Thank fuck they decided to bring me food atst.


    Miguel walks in with another guard, Jarred, and arge man holding a video camera.


    ¡°Bring the chair to the center and sit her down,¡± he pulls something out of his pocket. It¡¯s duct tape.


    I try to move away, but Jarred and the other guard catch me and force me into the chair. My arms are taped to the chair, and then Miguel smirks at me as he tapes my mouth closed.


    ¡°Roll it.¡±


    The camera is lifted, and I see the red blinking light indicating it¡¯s on.


    ¡°Don Sorvino, I believe you visited some of my premises today and destroyed some of my property. Let me make this clear. This is not a game I am ying. Every time you attack what¡¯s mine, I will hurt what¡¯s yours. Here she is. She¡¯s alive and well. If you leave my property alone until we have a chance to negotiate my demands, then I won¡¯t hurt her. She is perfectly safe here so long as I say so. Make your choice.¡±


    The man lowers the camera and instantly leaves. Miguel looks down at me as Jarred cuts through the tape. He looks so evil as he says, ¡°Join me for dinner or starve, Kira. It¡¯s your choice.¡±


    He leaves before the tape is off my mouth so I can respond.


    The two guards leave, and the door locks behind them. I move to the bed and curl up-a sob building in my chest.


    Thirteen Years Earlier


    I won¡¯t lie. Miguel has charmed me quite a bit. He is persistent, but it¡¯s actually not in a creepy way. It¡¯s very endearing. I¡¯ve had my fair share of boys chasing after me, but they just want what they can¡¯t have. I wonder if Miguel learns myst name and how I¡¯m tied to one of the most prominent mob families in New York, he will stay.


    I try to focus on what my professor is saying, but I keep picturing Miguel sitting beside me, our hands almost touching. He is very handsome-tall, with dark hair and green eyes, which I love.


    The bell sounds, and I jolt slightly, frightened. I hadn¡¯t been paying attention. I¡¯ll have to carefully review the work in the textbook, or Padre will have my head.


    I pack my book bag and wait for my turn to join the throng of students leaving the lecture hall.


    Once outside, I walk to the left and toward the courtyard. It¡¯s so lovely to sit there, it¡¯s my favorite spot, but I have a test I need to study for.


    Someone pokes their fingers in my side. ¡°Boo!¡±


    I jump and clutch my chest, turning to see Miguel chuckling. ¡°You ass,¡± I say, swatting at his arm.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I saw you were not paying attention and had to do it,¡± he grins and runs a hand through his perfect hair.


    ¡°Where are you headed?¡± he asks.


    I shrug. ¡°I was going to the courtyard, but then I thought I might study in the main library, where it¡¯s quieter. I have a testing up.¡±


    ¡°So do I,¡± he says excitedly. ¡°For our second date, why don¡¯t we make it a study date? I¡¯m free now if you are?¡±


    I feel a bit flustered, but after a moment, I nod. ¡°Okay. But we have to study.¡±


    ¡°I take my studies very seriously, Kira,¡± he assures me.


    We walk together down the hallway, and he doesn¡¯t say much. From the corner of my eye, I see his goofy smile and how he nces at me every now and then, making me want to blush slightly.


    Once we¡¯re in the library, we find a table to sit at and take out our textbooks. He grins. ¡°Even though we won¡¯t be chatting much, this is still our second date.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Agreed.¡± I smile and turn to my textbooks.


    We sit there for about forty-five minutes, making study notes. I write mine neatly on study cards while he highlights everything.


    As I¡¯m working through a particrly difficult section, I realize I¡¯m going to need a book from the shelves. I get up without saying anything and disappear among the stacks.


    I know the book¡¯s location because I¡¯ve used it before, so it should be in the same spot. As I¡¯m scanning the shelf for the spine, I sense someone watching me.


    I nce to my left and see Miguel standing there, leaning against the shelf.


    ¡°You are so beautiful,¡± he says. ¡°How are you so beautiful and fiery and passionate and unlike any woman I¡¯ve ever met?¡±


    I blush this time and shake my head. ¡°You¡¯re being ridiculous. Compliments won¡¯t win you points.¡±


    ¡°What will?¡± he asks, and I realize he¡¯s moving toward me.


    I turn to face him. ¡°Well, being unique and treating me like I¡¯m worthwhile will definitely help.¡±


    ¡°You are so worthwhile. More than.¡± He is a few inches from me, and I nce down. He uses the tip of his finger to tilt my face to look at him and gives me a warm smile. ¡°So much more.¡±


    He leans down and kisses me softly. At first, I want to resist, but he tastes so damn good. I try to stifle the little moan making its way out of me, but I can¡¯t stop it.


    Miguel turns me so my back is against the shelf and kisses me passionately. I melt into the kiss, sliding my arms around his neck as his arms slide up and down my curves. He presses us together, and I can feel the ratherrge, rather hard erection trapped in his pants. It¡¯s enough to bring me back to my senses.


    I gently push him away, and he doesn¡¯t resist. He steps away and clears his throat.


    I blush and say, ¡°I should get back to my books. The one I¡¯m looking for isn¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± His voice sounds strained.


    I walk back to the table and sit down. After a while, he emerges from the stacks, adjusting his pants. We both settle back into our studies, but I struggle to concentrate as I can¡¯t shake the feeling of his lips against mine.


    Present day


    After having a good cry, mostly because I miss Raphael, I steel myself and have a shower. I dress in the red dress they bought and the ck pumps. It fits me perfectly and hugs my curves wonderfully. I would actually be excited for wearing this outfit under different circumstances. I leave my hair down as it¡¯ll curl by itself. I knock on the door submissively, and Jarred opens it. He eyes my dress and nods. ¡°Good idea. The food here is delicious.¡±


    I don¡¯t say anything, but he steps away from the door so that I cane out. He leads me down to the dining room, where Miguel is tucking into a steak. There¡¯s a covered te on the opposite side of the table. I sit down, and Miguel looks up. ¡°Eat.¡±


    A butler removes the cover. Steak, egg, mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn. A very American dinner. I pick up my cutlery and begin to eat. I¡¯m only about a quarter into my food when I realize Miguel is just staring at me as he eats. I meet his gaze, but before I can look away, he asks, ¡°So, where have you been?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I ask with a frown.


    ¡°Where have you been thest thirteen years, Kira?¡± he asks, cutting up another piece of steak.


    I don¡¯t answer him. I can¡¯t tell him about Raphael. I look down at my te for a moment but look up sharply as his fist hits the table. ¡°Did you decide to just whore around as much as you could?¡± he shouts. ¡°Decide to see how many people you could use.¡±


    ¡°I never fucking used you, Miguel,¡± I raise my voice to him as well.


    ¡°Then where did you go?¡± he stands. ¡°Tell me where the fuck you disappeared after you promised me everything.¡±


    I re at him. ¡°It¡¯s none of your fucking business where I went. I don¡¯t answer to you. I am a Sorvino, not a Rossi.¡±


    He sweeps his dishes off the table into the wall to my left and storms out of the room. I quickly return to my food because I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re going to let me eat again or finish what I¡¯ve been given.

 #5 Chapter 14

    Miguel


    My patience is wearing thin with Kira.


    Is it really hard to tell someone where you¡¯ve been for thirteen years? Probably, if you have something, you¡¯re trying to hide. The thought of her being with other loves over these years sends me into a blind rage.


    Without a word, she just upped and left me to go fuck whomever she wanted. I hadn¡¯t thought her capable of that. I thought her father had married her off, but I couldn¡¯t find a trace of her in New York. She¡¯s clearly not married. There¡¯s no ring.


    I need to take a walk. I need to clear my head. It¡¯s six in the morning, and I¡¯ve had an even more restless night than usual.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    I get dressed and walk out into the garden, taking a slow stroll around it. I modeled this garden after the Dean¡¯s garden at the campus, where we had our first of many dates. We sneaked into there a few times while we saw each other. There was just more privacy there. We felt like we were in our own magical world, away from all the demands and pressures of living a mob life.


    I walk into the center of the garden. My guards make themselves unseen, I know they¡¯re still there, but they don¡¯t disturb me. Mercenaries. Killers by trade who were looking for an easy, well-paying job. It was easy to get them into the family, to convince them to pledge their loyalty to first my father and then to me.


    When you have the money, you have what people all dream of having. Money. It¡¯s such a simple thing toe by if you just disregard the rules.


    Unlike love.


    I did love her. I loved her with my whole heart, and looking at the tall rose bushes that line the inside of the hedges just makes it even clearer that emotion is a weakness I can¡¯t afford. I can¡¯t lose my head with her, and I can¡¯t let her see she affects me. Otherwise, she wins, and she can never win after what she did to me.


    The sun rises, and the gardenes to life in the rays of light. The fresh smell of damp earth and blossoming flowers fills the air. Once upon a time, I would have spread a nket out,id in the middle, and gotten lost in my thoughts about love, life, and death while I enjoyed the stillness the garden offered.


    I walk away from it now. It¡¯s now a living monument to the life I left behind. A symbolic reminder that no woman will ever take advantage of Miguel Rossi ever again.


    I wave Jeffrey away. ¡°I¡¯ll take breakfast in my office.¡±


    He¡¯s surprised. I don¡¯t usually take my meals in the office. Growing up, my father impressed upon us the importance of the dining room table. Important decisions are made while eating. The best decisions and memories are made while you fill your belly. The dining room table symbolizes the unity of a family, the core where all members meet on equal grounds to share their lives.


    Well, as long as it isn¡¯t about family business.


    The men don¡¯t discuss family business with the women. It¡¯s not how things are done. Of course, there are rumors about the Sorvino family, especially Alessandro¡¯s wife, who runs her own family.


    Many families questioned the situation at first, but I¡¯ve heard Katya has proved her worth in rather violent and merciless ways. I wouldn¡¯t expect much less from a Russian family leader.


    I sit at my desk and turn on the screen for myputer. I check my emails first as there are documents I need to sign and approve and certain senators I need to, well, assist.


    I¡¯ve also been sent financial reports that I¡¯ll need to go over before I see our ountant next week.


    Jeffreyes in with a tray and sets it down on the table to my right. ¡°Your breakfast, sir.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I say quietly, drafting an email to the senator who got caught with his mistress. It is always good to do things for senators because they do things for you. I could use some favors.


    A notification pops up, and I read the sender as Sorvino.


    I quickly finish my email to the senator, ensuring that it looks perfectly ¡®clean¡¯ before I open the new email and read.


    Let¡¯s meet.


    Tonight at nine, at The Italian on Fifth Avenue.


    Two guards only.


    Don Sorvino


    I take my time to respond. I need to be careful. I know they own The Italian on Fifth Avenue, so they will have the home advantage. No, I don¡¯t think that will suit me at all. I hit reply.


    Tonight at Nine. West Central Park near the entrance.


    Two Guards only.


    Agree to venue change or no meeting.


    Don Rossi


    I send it and wait, refreshing my emails constantly until a reply finally hits my inbox.


    Agreed.


    Don Sorvino.


    I smirk to myself and go to eat my breakfast. It¡¯s fruit today with some toast and preserves. I sip the coffee that has been brought with it.


    The rest of the day passes in a blur, but I don¡¯t see Kira at all. I keep her tucked away in her room. I¡¯ll see her at dinner, and I¡¯ve already arranged a dress for her.


    At eight, I get into the car with two guards and leave the estate for Central Park. We¡¯re there early, and my guards patrol the area while I sit on a bench near the entrance.


    I see arge figure walking toward me. I don¡¯t stand. I have no respect to give Alessandro, so I won¡¯t give him power over me.


    If it bothers him, he doesn¡¯t show it. He sits beside me, and we don¡¯t look at each other.


    ¡°What is it you want, Don Rossi? In exchange for Kira?¡± he asks in a low voice.


    I see his guards join my guards on patrol. They eye each other warily.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet, Don Sorvino,¡± I say. ¡°But what I know is that if you continue to attack my establishments or my warehouses, if you continue to destroy my products and ie, then you will get her back,¡± I pause before saying, ¡°in pieces. Consider her payment for damages.¡±


    ¡°I think not,¡± he says. He sounds pissed.


    Good.


    ¡°State what you want, Don Rossi. You don¡¯t just kidnap a Sorvino for fun. You wanted something when you nned this. Let¡¯s get it out in the open and get on with business.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°I know what I originally wanted, but things have changed. I think Kira is worth far more than what I initially wanted or who I initially wanted.¡±


    ¡°So she wasn¡¯t your intended target,¡± hements. ¡°You should train your men better.¡±


    ¡°You Sorvinos all look alike, so I¡¯m not surprised my cousins picked up the wrong girl.¡± I let that sink in. ¡°But I didn¡¯t bargain on getting Kira. That is quite the prize. More valuable to me than you could even know.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± he asks.


    ¡°I have my reasons. If you want to know what I want, I¡¯ll give it to you in a list if it¡¯s easier for you toprehend. Start with item one, call off any attacks on my family and businesses.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d so readily agree. I wonder what card he has to y.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be in touch, Don Sorvino.¡¯


    ¡°Don¡¯t take too long, Don Rossi.¡± He stands and finally looks down at me, a power y I didn¡¯t think of myself. Well done to him.


    ¡°I am not a patient man.¡± He says it with an air of finality before he strolls off and out of the park, his two men following him.


    I give him a chance to get ahead in case there¡¯s an ambush. I stand and allow one of my men to go ahead and one to follow me as I walk out of the park, ncing around for any potential attackers.


    There are none.


    At least Alessandro ys by what few rules the mafia has.


    I get into my car and head back to the estate. It¡¯ste, but I still expect Kira to join me for dinner. Can¡¯t waste a perfectly good meal.

 #5 Chapter 15

    Kira


    Being cooped up in this room is driving me insane. The least Miguel can do is bring a television in so I can watch something. I understand he doesn¡¯t trust me to stay put, but God, this is the most bored I¡¯ve been in a long time.


    I spend most of the day resting on the bed, staring at the ceiling and worrying about Raphael. I know Alessandro will take care of him, but my bigger fear is that Miguel will discover his existence. I don¡¯t want Raphael to have this life. I want better for him.


    Maybe it¡¯s inevitable, though. You aren¡¯t born into a mafia family and get to choose your fate. You are forever tied to your family and their name and the things that they do.


    I can¡¯t take it.


    I get up and dress in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, thefy clothes I had requested when I made my list. I knock on the door and wait.


    Jarred opens the door and looks at me. ¡°You¡¯re not dressed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, because it¡¯s totally time for dinner,¡± I say sarcastically, and he frowns. ¡°I want to explore the house. I¡¯m bored. Either let me explore or bring me something to do.¡±


    Jarred rolls his eyes and shuts the door, and locks it. I¡¯m about to knock again, but I hear footsteps receding, so I assume he¡¯s gone to check if it¡¯s okay.


    I wait for what feels like forever before the lock turns and Jarred opens the door. ¡°Don Rossi says you may explore the house, except the kitchen, and you¡¯re not to go outside into the garden.¡±


    ¡°I ept,¡± I say, desperate for a change of scenery.


    He steps aside, and I walk out, ncing around. I don¡¯t know which way to go first.


    I decide to explore to the left, down to the end of the hall. I might as well start at one end and make my way to the other. I try the door at the end, and it¡¯s locked. I sigh and go to the next one, and it opens, so I walk in.


    There¡¯s a home theatre inside, and it¡¯s incredible. The screen is enormous, and there¡¯s a remote control on one of the tables between the various armchairs. The armchairs are two side by side, but the row behind is lifted. I count; there are six rows, so twelve armchairs.


    I¡¯m tempted to sit in one, turn on the system, and give it a test run, but I want to stretch my legs more. I continue down the hall, and most doors lead to guest rooms. I pass Jarred, who seems to be keeping a wary eye on me.


    I go to the other side of the mansion and find a music room with an expansive LP record collection. There is also a sauna and a massive home gym room next to that. It¡¯s three times the size of my bedroom, and there are all kinds of equipment.


    I get bored exploring upstairs and head downstairs. Instantly Jarred is following me. I didn¡¯t explore all the rooms upstairs, but they mostly seem to be bedrooms.


    I walk around the lower level. I already know the dining room and don¡¯t go near the kitchen, although wonderful smells permeate the air. I find a library filled with plump armchairs, sofas, and hundreds of books. I doubt Miguel has time to read, though the one armchair does look a little worn in.


    The next room I find is a living room with arge television. I decide to plop myself down and watch some shows. I find the Spanish Drama channel and rx as I watch it, smiling to myself. I almost forget where I am until Jarred clears his throat. ¡°It¡¯s time for dinner. You need to go get dressed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± I say.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten all day.¡±


    I nce at him and snort, ¡°and you care because?¡±


    ¡°Come on, upstairs. You get dressed,e down for dinner, and Don Rossi won¡¯t punish you,¡± he says,ing to take my arm. I wrench my arm out of his grip and yell, ¡°Don Rossi can eat alone.¡±


    ¡°I could, but then I will stop extending the courtesy for you to eat until you¡¯re so malnourished your cousin can collect you with a tweezer.¡±


    I look at Miguel standing at the door and shake my head. I get up, and walk out of the room to go shower and change. I look presentable but not beautiful. He doesn¡¯t get that level of effort from me. I go back downstairs with Jarred and sit at the table, but I refuse to speak to Miguel. He doesn¡¯t seem to be in a chatty mood either. I nce at him, remembering how handsome his smile was.


    Thirteen Years Earlier


    I sit on my bed with my textbooks spread out around me. I make notes meticulously. Most of the people are out tonight because there¡¯s a massive party on campus, but with exams soon approaching, I want to bepletely prepared and take advantage of the peace and quiet.


    There¡¯s a sudden and loud knock on my door. I look up sharply and frown.


    ¡°Kerri?¡± I call, wondering if my roommate forgot her key.


    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Miguel calls through the door, and I roll my eyes. I set my textbooks to the side, prying myself out of the mountain, and go to open the door.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Well, you weren¡¯t at the party, and it sucked without you there, so I came to get you,¡± he grins. ¡°Get dressed ande on. I can¡¯t have you miss out on the best party of the year.¡±


    ¡°I have to study, Miguel. You know exams areing up soon, and I need to be prepared.¡± I smile. ¡°Go ahead and enjoy yourself.¡±


    ¡°No, you study too hard. College is supposed to be fun as well as about studies. One night out is not going to flunk you, Kira. Come on,¡± he bats his eyes at me. ¡°Please, I want to show you off.¡±


    ¡°Our families¡­¡±


    ¡°We both picked toe here because our families aren¡¯t tied here. Nowe on.¡± He holds his hand out. ¡°You don¡¯t even have to change. You look great.¡±


    I blush and take his hand. ¡°Fine, but only for an hour.¡±


    Only an hour turns into several as we drink our way through various kegs, and Miguel introduces me to all the people he knows. I find it hard to believe that one person can remember many names. At one point, I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s guessing.


    ¡°I need to sit,¡± I shout at him as another great song starts. ¡°My legs are killing me.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Come on.¡± He takes my hand and pulls me along, leading me up the stairs of the frat house. Two levels up, and I¡¯m exhausted, but he keeps me going until we reach a room at the end of the hall.


    ¡°This is my room,¡± he announces, pushing open the door. It¡¯s a lot neater than the other areas of the frat house, and I¡¯m pleasantly surprised. Seeing his bed, I sigh happily and sit down. ¡°That feels better.¡±


    He sits in his desk chair and swings back and forth. ¡°I am so d you¡¯re having so much fun.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired now, though,¡± Iugh. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep all of tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Nah, you¡¯ll get up and study. I know you will.¡± He gets up andes to sit beside me.


    ¡°So¡­¡± he says, stopping there.


    ¡°So?¡± I ask, turning to look up at him.


    He takes the cup from my hand and sets it down on his bedside table.


    He shifts closer to me and kisses me softly. I return the kiss. I¡¯vee to love the kisses he gives me.


    He breaks the kiss to trail smaller kisses down my neck and back up. I close my eyes and tip my head so he has better ess.


    I feel his hand on my leg, slowly stroking his way up, paying special attention to all of my curves and edges. He seems to be obsessed with those.


    ¡°Miguel,¡± I open my eyes.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, we don¡¯t have to,¡± he says, moving away. I look at him, and something inside me stirs-a defiant little fire. I shake my head. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± I say, and he kisses me again, his hand stroking its way up my leg again. It snakes under my skirt, and I spread my legs just a little. As his finger traces my vagina through the fabric of my thong, I groan softly and shift against his hand.


    ¡°You¡¯re so hot,¡± he murmurs in my ear. ¡°Come on.¡±


    He stands, and I look up at him as he pulls his shirt off. He offers me a hand, and I stand.


    He slowly pulls my blouse up and off. He massages my breasts held up by thecy bra I love best. I groan softly and put my hands over his, encouraging him to keep going. He moves my hands and pulls my bra down so my breasts spill out. He pinches my nipples, and I gasp. He takes advantage and kisses me, sliding his tongue into my mouth.


    I moan as our tongues dance, and he guides me to lie on the bed. He lies on top of me, kissing me, and massaging my breasts. I can feel his hard dick pressing against my thigh, and I find myself curious. I¡¯ve never done this before, so I tentatively reach down and touch him through his pants. It twitches, and I feel it again, stroking it lightly through the material.


    He grunts, and I take it as a good sign. He releases me and sits up. He pushes my skirt up and takes hold of my thong. He grins as he slowly inches it down and off, tossing it onto his desk. I smile, blushing when he lowers himself.


    Stars burst in my vision as he sucks on my clit. I¡¯ve yed with myself before, but it¡¯s never had this effect on me. I buck my hips slightly and turn my head, biting my lip as he circles my entrance with a finger, lubricating himself on my juices.


    The smell of sex fills the air, and I arch my back slightly as he pulls off my slit and rapidly moves his tongue and head over it. I feel like a porn star with the noises he¡¯s making while he pleasures me. Wet, slurping noises, and it¡¯s exciting that he enjoys tasting me so much.


    Suddenly there¡¯s a finger in me, exploring my forbidden chamber like a tomb raider. Careful, gentle, but determined. I move my hips again, now with his tongue quickly flicking over my clit and his finger buried in me to the knuckle. I¡¯m not sure how long I can take this.


    When I think I¡¯m going to climax, he pulls away, and I¡¯m left feeling empty. I open my eyes, my jaw and hand sore from biting on my first to stop from crying out.


    ¡°What¡­¡± I¡¯m dazed with pleasure.


    He¡¯s undoing his pants and pushing them down. I spread my legs further and swallow hard. ¡°I¡¯ve never¡­.¡±


    ¡°It will hurt, but I¡¯ll go slow¡­¡± he says. His dick seems enormous to me as he strokes it in that strong hand. He positions himself and smiles. ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I breathe out. He slowly pushes into me, and there is pain. There¡¯s pain, but there¡¯s also a spark of pleasure. It¡¯s not as painful as I thought it would be, probably because I use a rather thick vibrator, but he goes deeper, which hurts. Once he¡¯s buried inside me, he puts a hand on either side of my head and his face inches from mine.


    ¡°Need a moment?¡± he whispers.


    ¡°No,¡± I murmur. ¡°Not with you.¡±


    He kisses me deeply and slowly starts to move.


    Pain.


    Pleasure.


    Pain.


    Pleasure.


    Pleasant difort that I know will get easier with time.


    He goes a bit faster, and he¡¯s breathing hard through his nose as he continues to kiss me. I groan into his mouth, my hands on his shoulders, my fingers digging into his skin. If it hurts, he doesn¡¯t seem to mind.


    I feel like I¡¯m going to climax, but I don¡¯t. I urge Miguel to, though. He thrusts a little harder, and soon it¡¯s one hard thrust. Another. Another. Then he buries himself balls-deep into me, and I feel the warmth spreading inside me.


    A calm sense of satisfaction fills me, and I smile at him.


    ¡°I love you, Kira,¡± he says gruffly. ¡°I mean it.¡±


    I swallow hard and admit what I¡¯ve been fighting for a long time, ¡°I love you too, Miguel.¡±


    Present Day


    I feel a tear escape my eye and roll down my cheek, falling into my half-eaten food. He was so tender then, so loving and so kind.


    He clears his throat, and I look up. ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡± he asks.


    ¡°When did you be a monster?¡± I ask quietly.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± he growls, standing up.


    I stand up as well, and we both approach each other. ¡°I asked when you became such a heartless, cold, unfeeling monster?¡± We are inches away from each other.


    His green eyes study mine, and he leans in, talking barely above a whisper, ¡°You¡¯re the one who left Kira. Who is the monster really?¡±


    He brushes past me and leaves me standing there, my heart in my throat.

 #5 Chapter 16

    Miguel


    A monster?


    A monster!


    I might be a monster to most people, but she has no leg to stand on by calling me a monster. That whore left me, she broke my heart, and I swore never to be that broken again. My father doesn¡¯t know what happened. He knows I had a girl, but he doesn¡¯t know it was a Sorvino. He would have cast me out of the family. Unless he did know and just never said anything.


    It bugs me, another reason to keep me up at night. I can¡¯t be seen as weak.


    At six in the morning, I get up and shower. I¡¯m still thinking about Kira and what she did to me. I need to shake this, but I don¡¯t know how. I don¡¯t know how to get her out of my head again. Last time it took heartbreak. This time, I don¡¯t know what to do.


    I need to send Alessandro my demands so I can give her back and get her away from me. Then I won¡¯t have to see her again. Maybe one of my demands will be to send her back to wherever she¡¯s been thest thirteen years.


    My family would want to know why that¡¯s a demand.


    I can¡¯t give them the answer.


    I walk out of the house and toward my convertible. The sky is a little overcast, so I change my mind. I wave to my driver, who is busy washing one of the other cars.


    Hees running. ¡°Yes, Don Rossi? Apologies, I wasn¡¯t expecting you to leave so soon.¡±


    ¡°I have urgent business to attend to. Take me to my father¡¯s house,¡± I say, climbing into the back of the SUV.


    The driver quickly fetches the keys, and a guard climbs into the front passenger seat while the driver gets in and starts the car. I check my emails on my cellphone while we ease through the light traffic that litters the roads this morning like forgotten trash. It¡¯ll be busy enough soon. New York never sleeps.


    My father doesn¡¯t live far, though, and within half an hour, we¡¯re pulling up the driveway to the main Rossi estate and stopping in front of the expansive mansion.


    A butler opens my door, and I climb out. ¡°Is my father awake?¡±


    ¡°Having his morning coffee in the library, sir.¡±


    I leave it at that, quickly taking the stairs to the front door. It¡¯s already open, so I walk through and make a beeline for the library where my father sits doing the crossword puzzle in his morning paper.


    ¡°Padre,¡± I say respectfully, ¡°may I interrupt you?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯te here this early unless something is on your mind, Miguel.¡± He sets his paper to the side and gestures to the chair opposite him. ¡°Tell me your problems, my son.¡±


    I sit down, and a maid brings me a cup of hot ck coffee. There¡¯s already milk and creamer on the table, so I add them to my cup and sit back, sipping it slowly.


    My father watches me, not rushing me into anything. He knows I¡¯m formting the best way to speak.


    ¡°Padre,¡± I start, ¡°I have met with Alessandro Sorvino, who has said I must send him my demands. I said my first demand was to leave our operations alone. Any further damage, and we¡¯ll send the girl back in pieces.¡±


    ¡°A wise move. The Sorvinos value the girl greatly. They won¡¯t put her in danger,¡± he sips his own coffee.


    I nod and set my cup down. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to n for the best possible demands we can negotiate without fear of severe retaliation. Something that would give us an upper hand and won¡¯te back to bite us when we¡¯re not looking.¡± I sigh. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what is the best option. Territory? That they could take back easily once Kira is returned. Money? They have so much of it; it won¡¯t make a difference.¡±


    ¡°You underestimate the value or rather the symbolism of acquiring territory, no matter the means.¡±


    ¡°Exin?¡± I ask curiously, picking up my coffee again.


    My father smiles. ¡°If Alessandro submits even a medium-sized territory to you, it would be known among the other families. That action, the fact he caved and gave you your demand, will make him look weak to the other families. It will damage his reputation as the most ruthless Don in New York.¡±


    I nod, listening intently.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask for something extravagant. That¡¯s where most families falter because their demands aren¡¯t met. They¡¯re simply killed. Ask him for something reasonable but worthwhile. Perhaps a territory and five million dors. As you say, the money would make no difference to him. If he agrees, it¡¯s a power y on your part. You¡¯ve brought Alessandro down in negotiations. You have prevailed.¡±


    I finish my coffee and put the cup down. ¡°Symbolism. I never thought of that.¡±


    ¡°The families know we have taken a Sorvino, and all are watching with bated breath to see who will sumb to who. You cannot let our family down, Miguel.¡±


    I stand. ¡°Thank you for the advice. I won¡¯t let anyone of the Rossi family down.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my son, good luck.¡± My father picks up his paper again, clearly finished with this conversation, and I turn to leave. I don¡¯t stay for breakfast even though I know my mother would love to see me and spend quality time with me. We seldom get alone time together, but I need to return to the estate. I have some thinking and nning to do.


    On the drive back, I texted Jarred to ask him what Kira was doing.


    She¡¯s walking on the treadmill.


    My treadmill?


    Yes, Don, should I tell her to get off?


    No, it¡¯s fine. Just keep an eye on her. I¡¯m on my way back.


    Once we¡¯re home, I take off my suit jacket and give it to Jeffrey to take to the closet. I take the stairs two at a time and head toward the gym room. I stand at the door, looking in to see Kira walking on the treadmill with her back to me.


    She¡¯s not going fast, but she must have been going for some time. She¡¯s in a white tank top that is soaked through with sweat, so much so that I can tell she¡¯s not wearing a bra.


    The thought that my guards could see her like this angers me, but they¡¯re keeping out of sight, which is probably the best thing they can do right now if they know me well enough.


    Kira nces up into the mirror and see¡¯s me. She presses the stop button on the treadmill and climbs off. She wraps a towel around her neck, walks toward me, and then brushes past me.


    Bitch.


    I grab her arm and pull her back to me, her body pressing against me.


    ¡°You will greet me when you see me in my home,¡± I growl.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your fucking ve,¡± she snaps back, trying to pull out of my grasp, but I¡¯m stronger than her.


    The fire in her eyes, her visible skin through her sweat-soaked top. It drives me wild, so I kiss her hungrily. She fights against me, trying to push me away as I force my tongue into her. I break the kiss and loosen my grip. She pushes me and runs down the hallway to her room. I hear her door m shut.


    I shouldn¡¯t have done that.


    I shouldn¡¯t lose control like that¡­if my family found out.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    I go to my own room and shut the door, my dick straining in my pants.


    I strip down and let my dick spring up. I could take a cold shower, let my body calm down, and let my dick soften, but it¡¯s been a while.


    I turn on the hot water tap, and the shower hisses on, water thundering down from the three shower heads-each side and above. I love this shower. I slip under the water and sigh, closing my eyes. I put my left hand against the wall and take my dick in my right. It twitches in my hand, the veins popping. I move my head slowly up and down at first, thinking about that first time in my room and how she felt so tight around me. I think about her curvaceous body. I remember her taste, that twang that ignited my senses. I pump my hand faster, picturing her spread in front of me, touching herself as I watch from a chair in front of the bed. Her cheeks flushed as her fingers danced inside and around her clit. Her clit is so sensitive. I remember how easily I could drive her wild.


    I grunt and pump a little slowly until the thick cum spurts out of my dick and hits the wall, only to be washed away by the hot water. I let go of my dick and stand on shaky legs. This is getting out of control. I can¡¯t reignite my feelings for her. There¡¯s nothing left between us.

 #5 Chapter 17

    Kira


    He kissed me! The monster fucking kissed me as though he owned me. I won¡¯t lie. The familiarity of the kiss stirred some feelings within me, but how fucking dare he. I am not his possession to do with what he likes, and I certainly don¡¯t want to encourage this behavior.


    He says I¡¯m the monster, but he is so cold, so heartless, and then he does something like this, and I¡¯m left wondering about everything.


    What did I do that was so terrible to him? I was taken away from him, but surely he could get over that. We weren¡¯t together that long, well, long enough to conceive a child.


    Maybe I should tell him about Raphael? Maybe he would let me go? But there are other things that worry me about him finding out about our son. What if he takes him away? What if he kidnaps Raphael and tries to groom him to be the next Don? What if I never see my son again? What if he turns Raphael against me?


    I¡¯ve always been candid with Raphael about his father. I told him the truth, his father didn¡¯t know about him, but his father was a dangerous man and was dangerous to our family. We had to protect our family at all costs.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Would Raphael be taught otherwise? Would he believe otherwise when he learns that his father is now Don of a very powerful family?


    How powerful is the Rossi family? Especially given that Miguel would cross the Sorvino family. I know my family is the most powerful in New York.


    I lie restless in bed, staring out the window and dreaming of my freedom. I didn¡¯t have this problem in Italy. I resent Alessandro for bringing me back now. Yes, I missed my family, but Raphael and I lived a good life at the vi. A safe life.


    I eventually doze off because the sun is rising when I open my eyes again. I get up, feeling stiff and sore, and go shower. The hot water washes over me and rxes my stiff muscles.


    I rewash my hair, mostly because I¡¯m bored, and I want to cost Miguel as much as possible by using up all the products he had bought. The shower doesn¡¯t take long, but I feel it¡¯s much needed.


    I get out and get dressed, leaving my hair wet, and tentatively try the door. It¡¯s unlocked, so I open it to see Jarred standing guard across the hall. He inclines his head in greeting, but I ignore him.


    I walk out and go downstairs. The sun is now fully risen, and there is activity in the kitchen. I wish I could check it out. Obviously, I love the kitchen so much and would love to cook up my own food to pass the time. I wonder if Miguel would let me, probably not because he doesn¡¯t want me near knives.


    I don¡¯t me him. Personally, I¡¯d totally try to escape using a kitchen knife.


    I walk into the dining room, where Miguel is sitting reading his paper. I sit down and start on my breakfast. Another full English breakfast again, how boring.


    ¡°What did I tell you about greeting me in my home?¡± he asks from behind his newspaper.


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± I say after I swallow a bit of sausage.


    He sets the newspaper down and gets up, walking around the table to me. I grip my fork tightly and raise it when he¡¯s near, but he grabs my wrist and twists it, forcing me to drop the fork.


    He yanks me to my feet and grabs my shoulders, bringing me closer to him again. ¡°There are rules to follow, Kira. I told you if you¡¯re not going to follow them, I will punish you.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I gasp out, but it¡¯s no use. He spins me around and forces me over the table. I try to push back, but he¡¯s so damn strong. He yanks down my pants and wallops my ass. It stings, but at the same time, it ignites something in me. He hits me again, hitting the other side, and I bite my lip. I scold myself for the feelings I¡¯m getting. I stifle a groan when he hits me a little lower and too close to my lips. He yanks my pants up and steps back.


    ¡°You will obey me,¡± he says authoritatively.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your fucking toy,¡± I snap, and he forces me down again. My pants go down again, and he spanks me again. It¡¯s not so hard that it¡¯s that painful, but it¡¯s more the humiliation of the action. Also, the feeling of him being so close to touching me arouses me, and I hate it. I feel disgusted with myself.


    Suddenly the pressure holding me down releases, and I hear him walk off. I pull my pants up and turn to see as he leaves the room. His no-fuck attitude is rather appealing. He was so soft and sweet when we were in college. This is a controlling side of him that I¡¯m not used to, and while a part of me is disgusted with how he has changed, another part of me secretly wishes he would touch me.


    Argh! How can I be thinking like this? The man literally kidnapped me and is holding me hostage. I can¡¯t be falling for my captor.


    Especially when he is such a dick.


    I sit back down, wincing slightly, and finish my breakfast. After that, I decide to give the home theater a spin to pass the time. I don¡¯t see Miguel anywhere as I walk through the house. Jarred is always nearby, but he doesn¡¯t say anything to me.


    I scroll through the movies and put on one of Raphael¡¯s favorite Disney films. As it ys, I think about my son and the smile on his face whenever he watches this. I remember how sweet he looked sleeping thest morning I saw him when I left him with Sofia. Who is taking care of him now? I hope it isn¡¯t my father.


    I wish there were a way I could check on him. A way tomunicate with him without telling Miguel why I need a way tomunicate with my family. I don¡¯t want him to take Raphael, and I don¡¯t know how he will react to the news that he has a Sorvino son. He might even have him killed so he doesn¡¯t threaten to take over his position as Don one day.


    I nce around and note that Jarred is sitting at the back, but his head has dropped forward.


    It dawns on me that he¡¯s dozed off because of the boring kid¡¯s movie. This could be my opportunity to try finding a phone orputer to contact Alessandro.


    I leave the movie ying. It¡¯s loud enough to cover the sound of me going. I hold my breath until I¡¯m out. I nce around. There are no other guards on this level, so I quickly make my way through the various rooms, trying to find one with a phone orputer.


    Finally, I enter what must be an office. It must be Miguel¡¯s office.


    I sneak into it quietly and sit at the table. Theptop is already logged in, so I bring up his browser and log into my emails.


    Ipose a new one and am typing in Alessandro¡¯s private email address when there¡¯s movement at the door. I quickly close the browser and look up as Miguel enters the room. He res at me.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re fucking doing?¡± he growls.


    I swallow hard.

 #5 Chapter 18

    Miguel


    She stares at me stupidly, and I roar, ¡°Jarred!¡±


    There¡¯s no answer, and she stares at me. The door for the home theater crashes open, and Jarredes running down the hallway breathlessly.


    ¡°Don Rossi,¡± he says, terrified of the look in my eyes.


    ¡°How¡¯d she get into my office? Were you too busy watching a movie?¡±


    He doesn¡¯t answer me, and I backhand him. ¡°Go get your brother. He¡¯ll take over your duties since you¡¯re so incapable.¡±


    He slinks off, looking mortified, and I wait until he¡¯s down the stairs before I turn to Kira.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m exploring,¡± I can tell she is lying. She blinks a lot when she lies.


    ¡°Bullshit,¡± I say. ¡°You didn¡¯t have toe into this office to explore it. It¡¯s only open because I stepped away for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t have done that,¡± she snaps. So cheeky. She clearly didn¡¯t learn this morning.


    Lylees up behind me, and I hold a hand up to keep him at a distance. ¡°What were you doing?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to speak to my family,¡± she barks. ¡°I wanted to let them know I¡¯m okay.¡±


    ¡°If you weren¡¯t okay, they would know,¡± I snarl. ¡°I would have sent you to them in pieces. That can still be arranged.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t say anything at first, then she stands. ¡°I can¡¯t believe what a monster you¡¯ve turned into. You were so kind. How? How the fuck did you go from being such a kind, caring person to this fucking atrocity?¡±


    I step into the office. ¡°You made me this way, Kira. This is your doing.¡±


    ¡°How? What did I do that was so terrible, Miguel?¡±


    ¡°Is your memory so bad?¡± I wave for Lyle toe closer. ¡°Did we really mean nothing to you?¡±


    She looks taken aback, but before she can answer, I turn to Lyle. ¡°Lock her in her room.¡±


    I turn and leave. I can hear her arguing with Lyle, but I know he won¡¯t put up with it. I take the stairs quickly and go into the library because I know there¡¯s a stocked bar at the back of it. I pour myself a ss of whiskey and sit down at the bar, slowly sipping on the drink.


    Thirteen Years Earlier


    I can¡¯t believe we¡¯ve been together for two months already. Exams are fast approaching, but I spend most of my time studying with Kira. My frat brothers totally understand, and I make time for them when I¡¯m at the house, but mostly I¡¯m focused on my studies and Kira. My grades can¡¯t slip, or my father will poke around and ask about it, but at the same time, Kira is just intoxicating.


    It¡¯s really early in the morning, but I want to get to Kira¡¯s dorm to walk her to ss. The day promises to be glorious, with lots of sunshine and no clouds. It seems like such a waste to spend it indoors with old professors lecturing on shit we already know from textbooks. A n formtes in my mind.


    I wait outside for Kira, whoes out a few minutes after I arrive. She kisses me softly. ¡°Hi.¡±


    ¡°Hi,¡± I murmur before kissing her again. ¡°Listen, I have an idea.¡±


    ¡°You always have an idea,¡± she giggles, and the sound fills me with unexinable joy.


    ¡°I know, but you have to trust me with this one. Why don¡¯t we skip today? Just go to Central Park, lie on the grass, eat some hot dogs, and spend the day together.¡± I grin mischievously.


    ¡°We can¡¯t just skip ss,¡± she says. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s such a risk to go off campus. What if one of our family members sees us together.¡±


    ¡°I doubt your family knows who I am, and I doubt my family knows who you are, so we would be fine. Besides, our families don¡¯te from this side, really. Their businesses are all on the other side of New York. I mean, the reason we both came here is that they don¡¯t really have influence here.¡±


    She looks up at me and bites her lip. ¡°I guess.¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± I take her hand, ¡°I promise it¡¯s going to be an awesome day.¡±


    Kira squeezes my hand and smiles. ¡°Okay, let me go put my textbooks away. Give me yours I¡¯ll stash them in my room. Kerri has gone home for the week so that she won¡¯t notice.¡±


    I grin and wait for her. Once she¡¯s back, we head off campus. No one stops us, and we are both nervous and excited. I call a cab, I could take my car, but I don¡¯t want it to be recognized. We climb into the cab and tell the driver to go to Central Park, and then we snuggle down together.


    Kira strokes the back of my hand softly.


    I pay the driver, and we go into the park. We spend the day resting under the trees, talking about our dreams and what we want for our futures. What we wish we could actually study. We steal kisses, and once or twice, a little more, with a brush of fingers. I get us hot dogs and soda for lunch, and soon enough, we¡¯re just rxing in a quiet part of the park. She¡¯s sitting with her back to the tree, my head is in herp, and my eyes are closed.


    She¡¯s stroking the slight stubble that is growing because I haven¡¯t shaved.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Miguel?¡± I love the way she says my name.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I sigh contently.


    ¡°I know we said it that one night. But I really do love you. You are my whole world, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.¡±


    My eyes snap open, and I sit up abruptly, turning to her. ¡°Kira, that¡¯s all I want. I don¡¯t care if we have to run off together. I love you so much.¡± I lean in and kiss her deeply.


    When I break the kiss, she says, with a heavy voice, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go back to my room?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡±


    We get up and hurry to exit the park.


    We try our best to keep our hands off each other in the cab ride back and giggle as we rush through the mostly quiet campus back to her dorm. She opens the door, and we get in. She shuts it a little too loudly behind her.


    I push her against the door, pressing my body against hers. We kiss hungrily, and her hands rub my chest as I squeeze her waist, grinding my hard dick into her. I feel like a boy who¡¯s just discovered what an erection is, and I want to chase the finish line. She nudges me, and I move, but she guides me, so I¡¯m against the door.


    She gets on her knees and undoes my belt. I groan with expectation. She frees my erection and immediately starts stroking it.


    ¡°I want to be dirty with you,¡± she breathes, slightly blushing. I lick my lips and nod as she starts to suck on the tip of my hard-on. I groan loudly and grab a fistful of her hair, willing her to take more. She slides my cock into her mouth while she sucks on it. She takes as much as she can until she¡¯s gagging on it, and I can¡¯t exin what that gagging sound does to my twitching cock.


    I start to move my hips, holding her head in ce while I fuck her pretty little mouth. She fondles my balls as I move, and they tense; I can¡¯t help myself. I want to push deep into her throat, but she pulls away and starts stroking my dick, sticking her tongue out.


    ¡°Jesus, where did you learn this?¡± I gasp, bucking my hips slightly.


    She grins as Ie on her tongue, getting a little on her face. She wipes it off with her finger before she sucks on her finger and swallows my cum. My dick aches with need.


    ¡°Your turn,¡± I growl, taking her hand and pulling her up. I lead her to her desk, which is against a window. ¡°You want to be a dirty little girl?¡± I tease, I know what I¡¯m doing, but I don¡¯t know if she does.


    ¡°I am a dirty little girl,¡± she says seductively.


    I smirk and pull her pants, and she steps out of them. After paying special attention to my favorite part of her body, her curves. I lift her onto her desk and spread her legs. I sit on her chair, nestling myself between her legs. Her thong is already wet with desire, and I can smell it from where I am. I get closer, and I lick her through the fabric. She tips her head back.


    ¡°Tell me where you got this idea,¡± I murmur, taking control of the situation.


    ¡°I read about it in a book,¡± she breathes.


    I chuckle and lick her through her thong again, soaking it with my saliva. ¡°Smutty books, hey? Not bad.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°Say something dirty to me,¡± I murmur, tracing a finger down the barely visible line where her lips meet.


    ¡°I¡­ um¡­¡±


    She is breathing harder, so I stick my tongue out and flick at her clit through the fabric. ¡°Say you want me to eat your pussy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, God,¡± she gasps and reaches a hand down to touch herself, but I smack it away, so she says, ¡°Miguel, please eat my pussy.¡±


    I smirk and move my face close, using my tongue to lick up and down between her folds through the fabric. When I pull away, I see she¡¯s pulled her shirt up, and her one breast is out. She¡¯s ying with the nipple.


    I pull the thong to the side and lick between the folds. She¡¯s so wet she coats my tongue. She¡¯s trembling, and I want to rock her world while my dick gets ready to fuck her.


    I suck on her clit, and then I flick it with my tongue while I move my head quickly from side to side to give that full vibrator feel. She all but slides forward to be as close to my mouth as possible. I hold her legs as I continue to move, and she starts to whimper. I feel her grab my hair, her turn, I guess, and she starts to buck wildly against my tongue. It¡¯s hard because I¡¯m holding her legs. She tries to squeeze them closed and pull me away, but I hold her tight because I know what¡¯s about toe.


    It¡¯s her.


    She cries out and leans back. Suddenly, a wave of warm liquid flows over my tongue and lips as she cries out my name. I finally pull back with a smirk and watch her, exhausted.


    ¡°Take off your top,¡± I instruct her as I stand up.


    ¡°Miguel,¡± she breathes, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­.¡±


    ¡°Take off your top,¡± I say again, and she sits up shakily, pulling her top off. I yank her bra down and grab her waist. ¡°Turn over.¡±


    ¡°Miguel, people could see,¡± she protests, her eyes wide.


    ¡°Let them see,¡± I grin. ¡°Let them see how vulnerable and beautiful you are.¡±


    She and I stare at each other for a few seconds before she finally turns over on her desk, scattering stationery off it. She¡¯s on all fours, pressed against the window. I glimpse her breasts squished against the ss and then raise her front a little, lowering her rear. I guide my now hard again dick into her, and I instantly start to fuck her. I want us both toe this time.


    ¡°Mig¡­Miguel, someone is watching,¡± she whimpers, her hands on the frame of the window.


    I look over her shoulder. It looks like a professor is standing below. He¡¯s standing by a tree, his hand in his pocket. I grin and move harder. ¡°Your pussy is so good.¡±


    ¡°Miguel,¡± Kira cries out, ¡°fuck me harder.¡±


    I move faster, and I feel her clench around me. I grab her hair and pull her head back. She cries out, and I nce down at the professor, who is clearly being entertained.


    I slow down and then thrust hard, and she cries out. I thrust again, harder. She cries out again. I do this four or five times before my dick can¡¯t take it anymore, and I bury myself inside her, releasing a stream of hot cum.


    I reach a finger around her and toy with her clit until she¡¯s clenching around my dick again, shaking violently. Another stream of liquid. I didn¡¯t know she was such a squirter. It¡¯s a massive turn-on for me. I love satisfying her.


    The professor is gone now, so I gently slip out of her, pick her up and ce her on the bed. I spoon her and kiss her head.


    ¡°That was hot,¡± she breathes. ¡°So fucking hot. I¡¯ve never¡­I¡¯ve never gushed like that before.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so pleased I could please you,¡± I murmur, kissing her bare shoulder.


    Present Day


    I throw my ss across the room and into the wall. Jarredes in to check on me, but I snap at him, ¡°Fuck off.¡±


    He leaves, and I stare at the mirror opposite me.


    I wish these thoughts would go away just as easily.

 #5 Chapter 19

    Kira


    I¡¯m let out of my room again in the morning, but I have breakfast alone. Miguel is nowhere to be found, and I dare not try his office again. I¡¯ve discovered my new guard is Lyle, Jarred¡¯s brother, and they are both Miguel¡¯s cousins.


    He follows me downstairs and into the living room. He stands at the door while I curl up on the sofa, turning on the television. It¡¯s still on the Spanish drama channel I left it on the other day, and I just try to vegetate on the sofa, trying not to think of anything. I can¡¯t help it, though-the thought of Raphael being confused and sad that I¡¯m not there is too much for me to bear.


    Tears fill my eyes, and I sniff, trying to keep them at bay. I wipe furiously at my eyes, but they keep falling until I start sobbing, first quietly, then louder. I just want to hold my son in my arms and make sure he is taken care of. It¡¯s all I¡¯ve wanted from the day I found out I was pregnant, and no one, not Miguel or my father, could stop me.


    I hear the front door open and close.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I hear Miguel¡¯s voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, she came here and was watching a show, and then she started sobbing.¡±


    I hear footsteps and look up, the tears streaming down my face.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Miguel demands to know. ¡°Did one of my men hurt you?¡±


    He is such a fucking idiot. I stand up angrily and push past him and Lyle. I continue to sob as I hurry upstairs to my room. I m the door after me and dive into the bed, sobbing heartily into my pillow.


    The door creaks open and then shuts.


    ¡°Kira, what happened?¡± Miguel asks again. ¡°Who hurt you?¡±


    ¡°Who hurt me?¡± I shriek, scrambling to get up. ¡°Who hurt me?¡± I shriek again.


    I start punching his chest. ¡°You fucking kidnapped me, Miguel. You took me out of my life, a life I was just getting back, and you took me as a hostage. What do you want with me? What good am I to you? What is so important that you had to kidnap me?¡±


    ¡°You think I wanted you?¡± he roars at me, stopping my tears. ¡°I wanted the Sorvino sister so I could negotiate better territories for my family, and instead, I got you. The one person I had hoped I would nevery eyes on again. Do you want to know what I want? I want you to go back from wherever it is you ran off to and fucking stay there while I make things better for my family. I have treated you fucking well. My hostages are beaten and tortured, not housed and fed at my estate where they can rx on my furniture.¡±


    ¡°Let me go, and I¡¯ll make your dreame true,¡± I shout at him. ¡°You¡¯ll never see me in New York again.¡±


    ¡°Not before I get what I want,¡± he snarls. ¡°You¡¯re still close to Don Sorvino, and he is willing to negotiate with me for your safe return. You¡¯re not fucking going anywhere, so get used to it.¡±


    I want to p him, but I control myself. Instead, I turn my back to him and cross my arms.


    ¡°Get ready for dinner.¡± It¡¯s amand, not a request. ¡°I expect you down within twenty minutes or else.¡±


    I hear the door swing open with a loud creak and then m shut, rattling the window. I clench my fists and try to think straight. I need toe up with a better n because fighting with him isn¡¯t resolving anything. It¡¯s just making things worse.


    If he gets sick of my bullshit, he could start beating and torturing me. Alessandro always told me never to underestimate what a person will do for their family.


    I had heard about Arianna, how they had removed her fingernails before Carmine had saved her. I don¡¯t want that to be my situation. I picture Alessandro receiving a package with my fingernails or, worse, my fingers. I don¡¯t want to be maimed, so I need another n.


    I go to shower so I can freshen up, and as I wash up, I wonder about Miguel. He¡¯s so desperately passionate about hating me¡­could that mean he still has feelings for me? If he does, could I use that to my advantage? I mean, if I could convince him that I¡¯ve started to have feelings for him again too, maybe I could seduce my way intox security or an excursion out of the estate, then I can escape.


    I don¡¯t know if it will work. It might entail sleeping with my captor, and I know that won¡¯t be easy. I will do what I must, especially to get back to my child, but I know it will stir old feelings I might not want back.


    I must take the risk, though.


    If there is even the slightest chance I can make it out of this, I have to try-before Miguel starts sending me back in pieces.


    I dress and do myself up, I take care this time but keep in mind I only have twenty minutes in total, and I¡¯ve used at least ten for showering.


    I put on the heels he¡¯s provided and grimace at his grotesque idea of hospitality, is it even that?


    I open the door to find Jarred standing there instead of Lyle.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Lyle? Are you out of trouble?¡± I ask.


    Jarred keeps quiet, and I know he¡¯s still pissed that I gave him the slip. I bow my head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I got you into trouble. We¡¯d better get to dinner.¡±


    I walk past him and sense rather than hear him behind me. I sweep into the dining room, and as Miguel looks up, I give him a small smile.


    ¡°Good evening, Don Rossi,¡± I said submissively.


    Miguel snorts and shakes his head, returning to the te of food in front of him.


    A te is ced in front of me, and I quietly say, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Miguel casts a nce in my direction with narrowed eyes. I wait until he starts to eat before I tuck into my food. I chew on my food quietly, and when a few moments pass in silence, I decide to break it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for how I¡¯ve behaved,¡± I say quietly. ¡°I am grateful for your hospitality and the kindness you¡¯ve shown me.¡±


    I don¡¯t know if he can tell if I¡¯m sincere or not, but I give it my all.


    ¡°Perhaps we can start over?¡±


    ¡°From when,¡± he asks, and his voice is dripping with sarcasm. ¡°From when I kidnapped you or from college?¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Miguel¡­¡±


    ¡°Don Rossi to you,¡± he snarls.


    ¡°Don Rossi,¡± I concede, ¡°please, I really thought about how I¡¯ve been behaving, and I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve been rude to you in your own home. I promise to be absolutely golden from now on.¡± I meet his green eyes, and he stares me down until I look down at my food.


    We continue to eat in tense silence, and every time I nce up, he¡¯s looking at me-not looking, leering. Goose flesh erupts on my skin, and I shiver slightly.


    ¡°Are you cold?¡± he asks, his voice is low, and to me, it sounds dangerous.


    ¡°A little,¡± I say quietly.


    ¡°Jarred,¡± he looks to the door, ¡°start the fire in the library. We can have drinks there after dinner and see if Miss Sorvino and I can start this kidnapping over. With a little more grace,¡± he looks at me pointedly.


    It¡¯s working. He¡¯s warming up to me. I¡¯m a little suspicious that it was so quick, but I do think he has old feelings for me. They are clearly fueling his rage, and now he thinks there¡¯s a chance to explore those feelings with me.


    I feel sick for emotionally manipting him like this, but I know what my priorities are.


    We finish eating in silence, and when our tes are cleared, I go to stand, but Miguel holds up a hand. ¡°You¡¯ve never stayed long enough at dinner to realize there¡¯s dessert before drinks.¡±


    I try to give him a warm smile as a big slice of cheesecake dripping in strawberry sauce is ced in front of me with a fork.

 #5 Chapter 20

    Miguel


    She honestly thinks I¡¯m aplete idiot. I try not to smirk as we tuck into dessert. Shees down and suddenly starts being nice to me, trying to reconcile, and what? Flirt? Does she really think I¡¯m dumb enough to be manipted like that again? And by her? Fool me once, shame on me, but there isn¡¯t going to be a second time, you whore.


    We eat our dessert in silence, but I keep an eye on her, trying not to smile or give myself away. She nces up periodically, and the third or fourth time she catches me looking at her, she clears her throat. ¡°This cheesecake is delicious.¡±


    I sit back and give her a sly smile. ¡°It¡¯s your favorite, I remembered.¡±


    ¡°From that ce in the city center?¡± her eyes widen, and she smiles. ¡°You got me one every weekend to share while we watched movies.¡±


    I nod. ¡°That¡¯s right, and you¡¯d always eat more than me when it was a sappy chick flick.¡±


    She grins and nods, taking another bite. She¡¯s about halfway through the cheesecake. She¡¯s not lying about enjoying it. I know that, but she is straining to try to talk to me. It seems hard for her to be nice to me, her captor, but she should know how to do it by now.


    I finish my cheesecake and push the te away and wait for her.


    ¡°So, what did you do today?¡± she asks as she starts on thest part of her cheesecake.


    I shake my head. ¡°I don¡¯t discuss business at the dining room table.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, my family is like that too. Did you do anything that wasn¡¯t business today?¡± she asks, pushing her te away.


    I stand. ¡°I only deal with business on a day-to-day basis.¡±


    She nods and stands, gathering her dress around her like a princess. ¡°Well, thank you for a wonderful dinner.¡±


    ¡°Drinks, remember?¡± I ask. ¡°We¡¯ll have them in the library by the fire.¡±


    She awkwardly smiles widely and nods. ¡°Okay, yes. That would be lovely.¡±


    I hold my hand out to her, and she takes it. I escort her to the library, and a sofa in front of the roaring fire Jarred has lit. Jarred stands at the door, and I wave him off. ¡°Wait outside. We want some privacy.¡±


    She looks slightly panicked under her smile, and I try not tough. I wonder how she would feel if she was used and tossed away. I go to the bar and pour two sses of whiskey, handing one to her and sitting beside her. I put one arm around the back of the sofa behind her.


    She smiles at me, and I take in the dress. It looks better on her than I imagined. Strapless, corset sewn to a long wispy skirt made ofyers of chiffon with an underskirt as the bottom-mostyer. I look down into her eyes, remaining quiet.


    ¡°So,¡± she says, sipping her whiskey, ¡°you haven¡¯t gotten married or had children?¡±


    I despise small talk, she should remember that, but clearly, she doesn¡¯t care. I shake my head. ¡°No, never found the right person. I don¡¯t really want children. You?¡±


    She falters, and I raise an eyebrow, but she shakes her head. ¡°No, me neither.¡±


    I get an unsettling feeling in my chest, but I brush it off. Once upon a time, I imagined her to wed me and be the mother of my children.


    That will never happen now.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    She swirls her drink in the ss, staring down into it.


    ¡°Miguel, I¡¯m sorry I went away. Things happened¡­¡±


    I shush her. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±


    ¡°But If I could exin¡­.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it,¡± I say again. ¡°It¡¯s history.¡±


    ¡°Is it a history we could look at starting again?¡± she looks up at me with heavy eyes, and I smile. She thinks she has me. What an idiot.


    I pull away from her and down my drink before I sit back. ¡°How could I trust that you won¡¯t leave again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a naive little girl anymore, Miguel. I have learned a few things since youst saw me.¡±


    I¡¯m sure she has. The thought disgusts me, but if she wants to go this route, then that¡¯s exactly what we will do. I sigh and settle back. ¡°Kira, that¡¯s a lot of talk for someone who¡¯s been cursing and disrespecting me for days. I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t take your word for it. Action speaks louder than words.¡± I look at her pointedly, and she swallows.


    ¡°Is there nothing I can do?¡± she asks, and I¡¯m pleased her voice is shaking.


    I shrug. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can think of many things for you to do to prove yourself, but I want the inspiration toe from you.¡±


    She swallows what¡¯s left of her whiskey and sets the ss down. She stares into the fire, and I¡¯m almost sure she will return to her room and try another day. She stands up, and I smile at her, but she reaches behind her to tug on thece holding the corset.


    I watch her curiously as she slowly drops the corset and skirt to her feet. She¡¯s only in a ck thong, with her hair cascading down her back. She turns to face me, swallowing hard, and to me, her breasts seem a little heavier. I don¡¯t even act at this point.


    I spread my legs, unzip my pants and pull my dick out. I leave it lying there, and I look at her expectantly.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t going to suck itself, Kira,¡± I say after she doesn¡¯t move.


    She blushes, and her eyes are shiny, but she kneels between my legs and slowly starts to stroke myid cock, coaxing the beast awake. It grows as it stiffens, and I sigh, keeping an eye on her.


    She looks me in the eyes before she bows her head and softly sucks on the tip of my now-hard dick. I getfy and watch her. She¡¯s gentle as she ys with my balls and licks up and down my shaft.


    Hesitant.


    I click my tongue. ¡°Come on, Kira, I know what you¡¯re capable of. Give it your best.¡±


    She pulls off and blushes. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    I snort. ¡°I thought you wanted to prove yourself?¡±


    She nods and takes my cock in her mouth again. I don¡¯t give her a choice this time. I grab her hair and force her head down, the tip of my cock grazing the back of her throat. I grunt and let her up for air before I push her down again, causing her to gag loudly. There¡¯s a loud slurping noise as I release her, she is panting now, but she goes down on me again, taking as much as she can before she gags and pulls off.


    I close my eyes and rx for a moment before I push her off and stand up. ¡°Here, let me help you.¡± I hold her head in my hands, hips height. ¡°Open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue.¡±


    She does as she¡¯s told, looking up at me fearfully. I smile and push my cock into her mouth deeply, and then without warning, I start fucking her mouth. She holds my hips for bnce and tries to breathe around my member shoved into her throat again and again. Tears begin rolling down her face, and I smirk at her. I pull her off me hard, and she tumbles back against the table.


    ¡°Get up,¡± Imand, and she scrambles to her feet. ¡°Bend over the table, Kira.¡±


    ¡°Miguel¡­¡± she says shakily.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to,¡± I sneer, looking into her eyes.


    She turns around and bends over. I shove her thong to the side, line up my tip with her pussy, and push into her. She cries out as I bury myself balls deep inside of her. Fuck, she¡¯s tight. I forgot how tight she felt.


    I hold her hips and start pounding her, the sound of pping skin filling the air along with the crackling of the fire. I work up a sweat as I lean forward to grab her breasts. I grope them as I pump my hips, thrusting hard and ignoring her cries. I can¡¯t even tell if they¡¯re from pleasure or pain, but soon enough, I feel my balls tighten. I grip her breasts hard and bury my cock in her as Ie.


    Once I¡¯m done, I pull out and get dressed. Kira stays there for a moment before she turns to look at me, and I look down at her coldly, ¡°That was fine. You can go to your room now.¡±


    She looks like she¡¯s going to cry, and I ignore the stabbing pain in my chest as she pulls her dress on loosely and hurries out of the room.

 #5 Chapter 21

    Kira


    Once inside the room and the door shut behind me, I hurry to rip the dress off. I don¡¯t even care if I damage it. I can still feel him inside me, and it feels like some of his cum is dripping out.


    I¡¯m so ashamed of myself. I feel so dirty. Worst of all, I want to cry because it felt so damn good to have him inside of me again.


    Once I¡¯m out of the dress, I rush to the toilet, lean over it, and throw up. He used me like a rag doll, and a part of me remembered the passionate sex we had with each other in college, and I wanted more.


    I climb into the shower and slide down to sit down as the water washes over me. I cry quietly, remembering how brokenhearted I was when my father sent me away. I wasn¡¯t allowed to say goodbye to anyone, my studies were down the toilet, and no one could ever know I was banished. I don¡¯t know what he told them, but when I got back, I was told to say that I had gone on vacation to Italy and loved it so much I decided to stay.


    I was also told I must never reveal who Raphael¡¯s father is. But my father knew he couldn¡¯t stop me from telling my son when he turns sixteen, and he¡¯s old enough to make his own decisions.


    I find the strength to stand in the shower and wash myself. I wash away the feeling of him groping me carelessly, I wash away all traces of him, but the reality is that this will probably happen again.


    I saw a flicker in his eyes. He may think he is cold and cut off, but I know I saw something in him when I turned around, and he saw me naked.


    I shiver and turn the water off. I dry off, change into a tank top and shorts, and climb into bed.


    I am so exhausted I fall asleep almost immediately and don¡¯t wake up until there¡¯s a soft knock at the door.


    ¡°Miss Sorvino, it¡¯s time for breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Coming,¡± I call sleepily, rubbing my eyes and sliding out of bed. I look into the cupboards with the dresses they¡¯ve packed in there. I look out the window, see the clear skies, and pick out a summery dress to throw on over my underwear. I brush through my hair and leave the room with Jarred following me to the dining room.


    Miguel is reading a paper, so I sit down, ¡°Good morning, Miguel.¡±


    ¡°Morning,¡± he sayszily.


    ¡°Are you busy today?¡±


    He ruffles the newspaper and looks at me. ¡°I¡¯m always busy. Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful day outside. I thought you might like to have a pic with me,¡± Iment, spooning sugar into my cooked oats.


    ¡°I have work, and you¡¯re not allowed in the garden because you try to escape.¡± He goes back to his paper, and I shake my head.


    ¡°I promised I wouldn¡¯t, and I meant it. Please? It is such a beautiful day, and we can talk about things.¡± I pout at him until he nces at me and sighs. ¡°Fine. Jarred, have the kitchen pack a pic basket.¡±


    Jarred leaves, and I try not to look too pleased with myself as I eat.


    ¡°We can have the pic once I¡¯m done in my office, around lunchtime,¡± he says offhandedly.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯ll watch television until then.¡±


    He sets his paper down and starts to eat breakfast, we do so in silence, and I wait until he gets up and leaves before I go to the living room to watch a show. I worry about what I¡¯m going to say and do, and I¡¯m also concerned that he wants to have sex in the garden. We did some wild things in college, a lot of it instigated by me with the books I read.


    I try to push the thoughts out of my head and almostpletely forget the n when Jarred appears at the door. ¡°Don Rossi said toe to the garden. He¡¯s waiting for you.¡±


    I jump up, turn the television off, and follow Jarred out the door to the front garden. He leads me between some hedges, and my stomach leaps to my throat. The middle of the gardens, which I hadn¡¯t glimpsed when I tried to escape, is precisely like the Dean¡¯s private gardens on campus. There is a table and chairs set out in the center with a pic basket on top. Miguel is sitting at the table, working on his phone.


    I walk over and open the pic basket so I can start unpacking it. There¡¯s a little bit of everything: fruit, cheese, bread, dip. Miguel doesn¡¯t say anything as Iy everything out.


    I sit down and smile. ¡°There we go, isn¡¯t this lovely?¡±


    Miguel looks at me disapprovingly and sets his phone down. He takes a little bit of everything and puts it on one of the tes I unpacked.


    ¡°Did you have a busy morning?¡±


    ¡°Can we cut the bullshit chit-chat, please?¡± he snaps. ¡°You know I hate small talk.¡±


    I swallow and shake my head. ¡°It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t seen you in thirteen years.¡±


    ¡°And who¡¯s fault is that?¡± he sneers. ¡°Never mind. Just stop talking about being busy and the weather. It¡¯s fucking boring.¡±


    ¡°Have you arranged my exchange then?¡± I ask pointedly, ¡°or is that still being negotiated.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the works,¡± he says. ¡°So if you behave, you have nothing to fear.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t fear you,¡± I lie. ¡°I¡¯ve never feared you.¡±


    He looks smug, and there¡¯s a moment that I want to p it off his face, but I focus on eating instead.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be Don so soon,¡± Iment. ¡°That¡¯s a real honor. Is your dad okay?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with my father,¡± he says shortly, so I m my te down almost hard enough to break it.


    ¡°I am trying here, Miguel.¡± I¡¯m irritated now. ¡°But we both have to try. Otherwise, it¡¯s pointless.¡±


    ¡°It is pointless,¡± he says, standing.


    I stand as well. ¡°Why? Because you¡¯re so perfect and I¡¯m not? Because you¡¯re a Rossi, and I¡¯m a Sorvino. That mafia bullshit is just that, bullshit.¡±


    ¡°Watch yourself, Kira. You promised to behave,¡± he warns me, taking a step closer.


    I look up at him, trying to regain control of my emotions. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to get to know you again, Miguel. To do that, I have to ask questions.¡±


    ¡°Why do you care so much?¡± he asks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I raise my voice. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m an idiot.¡±


    We¡¯re close now, and he pulls me against him and kisses me aggressively. For a moment, I lose myself in that kiss. I remember that passion and how we¡¯d kiss like fireworks on the fourth of July.


    As I think about it, I think about how cruel he has been to me, and I feel hot tears start streaming down my face. He must feel them, too, because, after a moment, he lets me go and looks down at me.


    ¡°You¡¯re excused,¡± he says, turning away.


    I hurry away from the garden, with Jarred closely behind, and I go upstairs to my room. I shut the door quietly and sink to the floor, letting the tears flow.


    I am grieving for the boy I fell in love with. In so many ways, he¡¯s still here. In so many ways, he¡¯s still within that body. But a cruel man upies so much space, and I don¡¯t think I can get through to him. At the same time, I¡¯m scared I will and won¡¯t like what is left of that frat boy who bothered me day after day to get a date.


    The garden.


    It can be no coincidence that it looks just like the Dean¡¯s gardens. That¡¯s on purpose. What did he think? That I would juste back, and our families would allow us to be together. Surely he worked out that I was sent away by my father. I mean, it was obvious. Wasn¡¯t it?


    I hug my knees and sob harder, wishing I could turn back the time.

 #5 Chapter 22

    Miguel


    As she hurries away, I feel a pang in my chest. A part of me, a distant part, wants to go after her, but I have business to attend to now that I¡¯ve entertained her little pic.


    I have my driver take me to the family bar we own in Long Beach, and I walk in. One of my brother¡¯s father-inw needs some help, so my brother asked me to meet with him.


    I sit in my office and don¡¯t have to wait long until he arrives.


    ¡°Don Rossi,¡± he greets me, shaking my hand.


    I nod. ¡°Mr. Silva, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. My brother says that you are having some problems. Tell me about them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Don Rossi,¡± he all but wails, ¡°I have had the most unfortunate luck, and I don¡¯t know where to turn. I own three grocery stores, and two are doing very well, but there¡¯s one in Brooklyn, it¡¯s in Sorvino territory, and we have to pay them protection, you see. Well, a gang has started harassing my store managers and cashiers to pay them protection instead of the Sorvino men. Don Alessandro does not have my loyalty. Please be assured, Don Rossi, but we need proper protection.¡±


    ¡°I cannot step onto Sorvino territory without sparking a war, Mr. Silva. You should know that.¡±


    ¡°I know. I know.¡± The old man wrings his hat in his hands. ¡°I want to move the store out of Sorvino territory and to Rossi territory, like my other stores. That way, I am assured good protection by the best family.¡± He swallows hard.


    ¡°And how can I help you to do this?¡± I ask, although I already know the answer.


    ¡°Moving to a new location is very costly, and with that store being robbed constantly and always harassed, I don¡¯t have the money to move it right now. If you could please loan me the money, I would happily pay you back¡­with interest, of course, over a period of time.¡±


    I tap my fingers on the table and watch him. ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m short a hundred thousand,¡± he says wearily. ¡°I can make payments of five thousand each month.¡±


    I nod my head. ¡°You are right to approach the Rossi family. You are one of us, and we take care of our own. I will arrange this money for you, Mr. Silva, but the monthly repayment is seven thousand dors. Five of which count toward your actual debt. Do you ept my terms?¡±


    He looks worried but nods eagerly. ¡°Yes, I do, sir, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Lyle will take down your details, and we¡¯ll wire the money to your bank ount. Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Silva, you will be very well protected under my family.¡±


    I offer him my hand, and he kisses my ring, an archaic power y. ¡°Thank you, Don Rossi. I appreciate your kindness so much.¡±


    I nod, and he gets up. Lyle guides him out of the room and leaves to get his details. It¡¯s not a lot of money in the scheme of things, but they¡¯re married into my family and will pay me back with interest when they want to use family funds.


    I have a few other sites to inspect on my way home. By the time I¡¯ve reached the estate again, the sun has already set. I let Jeffrey take my suit jacket as usual, and I look at Lyle. ¡°Go tell her it¡¯s time for dinner.¡±


    I go to the dining room and sit down at my ce. A te of steak and vegetables is ced in front of me with a side of gravy and mashed potatoes. Kiraes in and sits down, mumbling a hello.


    I ignore her and start to eat. Once I¡¯ve taken the first bite, she picks up her utensils and starts to eat as well. We sit there in absolute silence, save for the clicking of cutlery on tes.


    Out of the blue, she looks up at me and asks, ¡°Why are you being so cruel to me? I haven¡¯t done anything horrible to you.¡±


    I m my cutlery down, unable to contain my anger. ¡°You haven¡¯t done anything horrible to me, Kira?¡±


    ¡°You act like I have, then tell me what I did?¡± she raises her own voice.


    I push my chair back and stand, screaming at her, ¡°You fucking left me, Kira. Without a word or a note or anything. You just fucking left, and I spent months trying to find you to get you back, but no one even knew you¡¯d left New York. I risked people¡¯s lives to try to find you, but you couldn¡¯t give one fuck about us or me and let me know where the hell you had gone to.¡±


    She pushes her chair back so fast that it topples over and screams at me with full force, ¡°Because I fucking couldn¡¯t, Miguel. My father forced me to go back to Italy because he found out about us. He was so ashamed of me that he didn¡¯t even want my cousins to know what I had done-sleeping with a Rossi. It was against my wishes, and I had no way of contacting anyone because I was under lock and key. You had freedom! I was alone, scared, and pregnant¡­¡± she cuts herself off, promptly turning around and storming off.


    I¡¯m caught off guard, both by the revtion and the announcement. I rush after her and catch her at the stairs grabbing her wrist as she starts to run up them.


    ¡°You were pregnant? Was it mine?¡±


    She res at me.


    ¡°Kira, was it my child?¡± I shout at her, taking a step up but holding onto her really tightly. ¡°Kira, you tell me now, was it, my child? Did you abort? Are they alive?¡± I feel like I¡¯m losing my mind. ¡°Where is my child, Kira!¡±


    ¡°It was a boy,¡± she shrieks, trying to pull out of my vice grip. I stare at her as she continues, ¡°I had your son all alone in Italy, and I¡¯ve been raising him since then. Is that what you want to know? Congrattions, Don Rossi, you have an heir to the throne of your family. But I¡¯ll be dead and fucking buried if you ever get to see him. You don¡¯t know him. You don¡¯t know how to raise a child. I¡¯ve spent twelve years teaching, nurturing, and instilling goodness in him. He will not be a monster like you.¡±


    I step back, letting go of her wrist. I¡¯m in shock. I know I am. I need to respond, but I leave her to scramble up the stairs and to her room. I wait to hear the door m, and once I do, I turn and sit on the stairs.


    Lyle emerges from the shadows he was standing in. ¡°Miguel?¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    He only does that in intimate moments, and I look up at him. ¡°Did you hear that?¡±


    ¡°So, it is true. You were with the Sorvino girl when you were in college. There were rumors, but none of us believed them.¡± He doesn¡¯t look disappointed. He looks as though he pities me. I frown. ¡°Remember your ce, cousin.¡±


    ¡°You have a son,¡± he says quietly. ¡°You should tell your father before he hears it from one of the workers.¡±


    ¡°Or you?¡± I ask, standing up again.


    ¡°He won¡¯t hear it from me,¡± Lyle says. ¡°I know my ce.¡±


    Ie down the two steps separating us and nod. ¡°Good. Loyalty is rewarded. Please have the maids clean up the dining room. Give them something extra today for all the mess.¡±


    Lyle nods and walks off. I stand at the bottom of the stairs. I am Don Rossi, I am a man of action and am not someone to be questioned, but right now, I¡¯m questioning everything.


    I have a son.


    Of all the things I thought she¡¯d done when she was away, that one had never crossed my mind. It makes sense that her father forced her out, but I had spies everywhere. I tried everything to see if she had been made to leave, but there was just no trace of her.


    I look upstairs and slowly walk up them and to her room. I can hear her sobbing through the door.

 #5 Chapter 23

    Kira


    It feels like all I do is fight and sob. I sob into my pillow, but I feel as though my heart is broken. I have put Raphael in direct danger now, and now Miguel knows about him and will want to im him for himself. I sob until I have nothing left in me, and I fall asleep just as I am.


    When I wake up, the room is dark, the sun hasn¡¯t risen yet, so it must still bete. There¡¯s a nket pulled over me and a weight on my bed. I curl up and look down to see Miguel sitting at the end of my bed.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    I sit up and hug my knees, keeping the nket on. He is staring ahead at the shut door. He looks disheveled and haggard, as though he¡¯s been up all night. I didn¡¯t think the idea of having a son would have that much of an impact on him. Not with him being so cold and ruthless.


    ¡°Tell me about my son.¡±


    His voice is low but not mean, not horrid. He is simply talking now. I remain quiet because I don¡¯t know what I can say to him that wouldn¡¯t put Raphael in danger. I¡¯ve already said too much. I don¡¯t want Raphael to get to know Miguel. I wanted him to choose his own path.


    ¡°Tell me about my son,¡± he says again. This time it¡¯s amand and the threat, although veiled, is there. He is out of patience and won¡¯t be jerked around on this topic.


    I swallow hard, and my voice is raspy as I speak, ¡°He¡¯s twelve. Last month was his birthday. He speaks Italian and English, and he is obsessed with ninjas. He wants to be a samurai when he is older.¡±


    ¡°A samurai is not a ninja,¡± Miguel says. ¡°It¡¯spletely different.¡±


    I sit there for a moment before he speaks again. ¡°What happened, Kira? How did they find out?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Miguel. You were away with your family for two days, and that¡¯s when they came for me.¡± My voice is quiet now.


    Thirteen Years Earlier


    I miss Miguel so much. He¡¯s only gone for today and tomorrow, so I¡¯ll see him tomorrow night, but dammit, I miss his face. I also can¡¯t wait to give him the news. I know he¡¯s going to be as excited as me.


    I took the test twice and then went to the clinic to confirm. Now that I have the confirmation, I have an borate n to announce that he will be a father.


    I don¡¯t know what we¡¯re going to do about our families, but maybe they will ept us together now that I¡¯m pregnant. I touch my belly softly before I pick up my book bag and head out of the dorm room. I have two sses, and then I¡¯m free for the rest of the afternoon. I can go to the frat house and set everything up in his room to surprise him.


    As I exit the dorm room and turn to walk toward ss, I hear someone shout, ¡°Kira! Hey Kira!¡±


    I recognize the voice instantly. It¡¯s my brother Joey. I smile and whip around, and I run toward him. He¡¯s walking up the walkway toward the dorm room. Iunch myself into his arms, hugging him tightly.


    ¡°Hey, baby sister,¡± he says affectionately.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call and let me know you wereing?¡± I ask, smiling.


    ¡°Well, I wish I could say it was because I wanted to surprise you, but Pa sent me. He needs you at home today. It¡¯s urgent.¡¯


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± I ask as he takes my book bag. ¡°Do I need anything?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He just asked me toe and get you.¡± He shifts his gaze, and I frown. ¡°You¡¯re lying; you can never look at me when you lie.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just get home,¡± he says quietly, taking me by the arm.


    ¡°Is Mama okay?¡± I ask desperately.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s fine. Listen, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure everything is fine.¡±


    I walk with him, but I can¡¯t help but worry. I want to ask him if it¡¯s about Miguel, but if they don¡¯t know about him, and if I ask, then they will learn about him, and that will make whatever situation this is worse.


    I get into the car with him. Two guards sit in front of me, facing us. They sent the family car. That¡¯s probably a good thing.


    I look at Joey, and he gives me a hesitant smile.


    I smile back and settle back. I hate waiting. I¡¯ve never been a patient person, to begin with. I get that from my mother.


    We pull into my father¡¯s driveway, and the door is opened for me. I walk up the stairs and into the house. Joeyes in behind me as we approach my other brother, Gustavo. I hug him, but he¡¯s very stiff with me.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I ask.


    ¡°You should know,¡± he says coldly, ¡°Father wants to see you in the study now.¡±


    I nervously follow him, Joey behind me, and I walk into my father¡¯s study. My father is sitting at his desk, a cigar in one hand and a drink in the other. He sets the cigar down and looks at me gravely.


    ¡°Be, my child. How could you?¡± he stands up, setting his drink down. I stand there awkwardly and want to ask what he means, but he doesn¡¯t give me a chance.


    ¡°I let you go to the school of your choosing, outside of our territory, and you fraternize with a fucking Rossi child,¡± he raises his voice as he speaks. ¡°Have you no loyalty to your family?¡±


    ¡°Pa,¡± I begin to say, ¡°I can exin.¡±


    ¡°Exin? Exin to Gustavo why he saw you with the boy all over you on campus, kissing you and touching you like somemon troia.¡±


    I swallow hard, tears forming in my eyes. ¡°Pa, he isn¡¯t a bad person. He is kind to me, and he treats me well. Please, if you would just meet him.¡±


    ¡°Meet him? Meet an enemy of our family because you couldn¡¯t keep your legs closed. No, this ends now, Kira Gabrie Sorvino. You will not be going back to that school. My security will collect your things, and I will decide where you will finish your education if I decide you can be trusted to have one.¡±


    ¡°My grades haven¡¯t fallen; we study together and work hard to support each other. Please, Pa, I¡¯m in love with him. Please don¡¯t do this.¡±


    ¡°You love him? You love this, bastardo? This piece of shit that would wipe your cousin¡¯s face in dog shit? No, you are never to see anyone from the Rossi family again. You¡¯d be lucky if I don¡¯t move you out of New York.¡±


    ¡°Pa, no, please.¡± I start to sob. It might be the hormones; I don¡¯t know. ¡°Please, we¡¯re nning a family together.¡±


    The room goes silent, and my father¡¯s voice is barely a whisper, ¡°You¡¯re pregnant with this filth¡¯s child?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please, he will be a good father and provide for our family,¡± I plead.


    ¡°You are a disgrace. You speak as though my brother, the Don of the Sorvino family, would not provide for you. As though he would cast us aside. Who are you? If it were not against my catholic faith, I would have you abort the child.¡±


    ¡°Pa!¡± I gasp.


    ¡°I will not spit in God¡¯s face like you spit in ours. But I will be dead before I see you raising a child in the Rossi family. You will leave for Italy immediately. You will be apanied and someone will make sure you are settled with your aunts there. You are to have no contact with New York. No one is to know why you have left or that you have left at all.¡±


    I sob, ¡°Please, Pa, I¡¯m a grown woman.¡±


    ¡°While you are in this family, you will abide by our rules,¡± he screams. ¡°Gustavo, take her. She can buy whatever she needs there.¡±


    I sob as the securtiy takes my book bag from me, and then my upper arm, dragging me out of the room. My father turns his back on me as I call for him.


    Present Day


    Miguel stands up from the bed without a word and walks out.

 #5 Chapter 24

    Miguel


    This.


    This changes everything.


    I have a son! I didn¡¯t even ask her what his name is. I was too absorbed in the story of how she was forcibly taken away from me. Gustavo was the reason she was taken to Italy to be hidden away. It makes me so angry. All this time we could have been a family, all this time I spent hating her for leaving me, that I thought she found someone else.


    God, the way I¡¯ve treated her thesest few days.


    I¡¯m ashamed.


    An old part of me has awakened, and it feels the shame heavily. I¡¯m that college boy again who wants to sit under the stars and talk about poetry.


    I walk out of her room and to the office, shutting the door behind me. I want to be alone right now because now everything is difficult.


    I have a duty to be loyal to my family. The objective of taking Kira, well, the goal was to take Arianna. But the reason we have kept her is to further our family¡¯s gains. To give my family better territories and money.


    But she¡¯s the mother of my child. My child is in the hands of the Sorvinos right now. I want to meet him, but at the same time, I¡¯m terrified to do so.


    I need advice right now, and I know it¡¯ste, but he¡¯s the only person I can think of calling with something on this scale.


    ¡°Pa,¡± I say when he answers the phone, ¡°I need your advice.¡±


    ¡°It must be serious if you¡¯re phoning at this hour. Let me get to my office, and I¡¯ll call you back. I don¡¯t want to disturb your mama.¡±


    I hang up and wait, sitting at my desk and staring at my phone, willing it to ring. I don¡¯t even know what to tell him at this point. Do I tell him about my son? What will he think about me sleeping with a Sorvino woman?


    Kira¡¯s father had reacted badly because there¡¯s always been tension between our families. The Sorvinos always had the bigger stick.


    My phone buzzes, and I pick it up, ¡°Pa.¡±


    ¡°Miguel, what is it? What has happened?¡± he asks, and I can hear he¡¯s tired.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to worry you sote at night,¡± I say, ¡°but I need your advice. I¡¯ve run into a big problem, and I need to tell you something before I can tell you what the problem is.¡±


    ¡°Ah, story time at midnight. My favorite,¡± he chuckles. ¡°I joke. Tell me.¡±


    ¡°Pa, I fell in love with a girl when I was in college. We were together for a couple of months before she disappeared off the face of the.¡± I take a deep breath. ¡°I thought she had left me because she found someone else, but it turns out she was forced to leave because she was pregnant with my son.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re calling me to tell me you have an illegitimate child running around? Marry the mother, and we¡¯ll smooth everything over. No matter how old the child is. A Rossi is a Rossi.¡±


    ¡°It was Kira Sorvino, Pa.¡± I say quietly.


    I wait, and a long moment of silence passes between us before my father growls, ¡°You betrayed your family for some pussy?¡±


    ¡°I loved her,¡± I retaliate. ¡°We had something special, Pa. We belonged together.¡±


    ¡°Well, Sonny Sorvino didn¡¯t think so, or he wouldn¡¯t have sent her away, now would he? Now you¡¯re telling me I have a grandchild with Sorvino blood? A child that is the first in line to take over from you? This is bullshit. Negotiate her return, deny the parentage and move on with life, Miguel. This is not worth the trouble.¡±


    ¡°She very much is.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s gotten to you,¡± he uses me. ¡°Did you ever think maybe it¡¯s not your child? That she¡¯s trying to escape.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t, but something in me told me she was being honest.


    ¡°He¡¯s mine, Pa. And I want to im him as my own.¡±


    ¡°You cannot be Don of this family if you¡¯re going to disrespect the name our family has built,¡± He growls. ¡°Your ancestors, including me, put blood, sweat, and tears into making sure this family can hold its own, and now you want to toss it all for some chick who ims she birthed your heir.¡±


    ¡°I am Don,¡± I responded coldly. ¡°I will decide what the future of this family is. You are retired, and the men respect me as a businessman.¡±


    ¡°Then think like a businessman, Miguel. Disown the boy.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that,¡± there is no emotion in my voice as I speak. ¡°I will im him and do it while strengthening our family.¡±


    ¡°You are weak,¡± my father snaps at me.


    I hang up and set my phone down. There¡¯s no point speaking to him when he¡¯s that angry.


    I get up and walk to the decanter to the side. I pour myself a drink and sip it, sitting back at my desk. I need to work out how I¡¯m going to strengthen our position while still being able to be involved in my son¡¯s life.


    My phone buzzes with my father¡¯s number, but I don¡¯t answer. When my brother calls me after that, I don¡¯t answer that either.


    My brothers start shooting me text message after text message, saying they¡¯re going toe over so we can talk.


    I message them back to let them know I¡¯m busy making an important decision and cannot be disturbed. I will summon them when I¡¯m ready.


    More texts, but I ignore those. I open my office door and ask Harry to go tell the guards not to let any of my family members in until I say so, and he marches off to do as he¡¯s told.


    I look down the corridor where Jarred is standing guard.


    I walk over there slowly and open the door. I¡¯m silent as I go over to the bed where Kira is sleeping. I tuck the nket around her once again and sit on the edge of the bed. I stroke the hair out of her face, and I remember how well I slept in her arms. She said we fit perfectly together like a puzzle piece.


    I stopped sleeping the day she left.


    Insomnia is what my doctors called it, but it was a broken heart, and I¡¯ve held onto that for thirteen years. I wish I¡¯d known. I would have traveled the world to be with her, no matter the cost-even if it meant losing my family.


    But I can¡¯t think like that now because people rely on me, and I need to do what¡¯s right. Kira and my son are also my family, though. I need to incorporate the Sorvinos and Rossi into one unit so we can coexist peacefully.


    I don¡¯t know if my family will go for it, but Alessandro, I can at least speak to Don to Don.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    I walk out of the room and stand near a vase with roses. I pluck one out and step back into the room,ying the rose on the pillow beside Kira before I kiss her head and leave.


    I go downstairs, feeling weary.


    ¡°Lyle?¡± I call. ¡°Where are you lurking?¡±


    Lylees out from the kitchen. ¡°Yes, Don Rossi?¡±


    ¡°Get word to Alessandro Sorvino, I want to negotiate to hand over Kira, and I want to do it where we met in Central Park. Two hours.¡±


    Lyle nods and shoves what looks like thest bite of a sandwich into his mouth. He dusts off his hands and walks toward the front door. He pauses there and turns around. ¡°What about us? What will happen to our family?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be stronger than we ever have been,¡± I say, smiling.


    Lyle nods. ¡°I trust we will.¡±


    He leaves, and I go back upstairs to shower and get changed for my meeting with Alessandro.


    I¡¯m not entirely sure what I¡¯m going to say, but I know I need to get the ball rolling, or my world will always be aplete imbnce between what I have to do and what I want to do.


    And I always do what I want to.

 #5 Chapter 25

    Kira


    I feel so rested when I blink my eyes open. I sit up and see the rose sitting on the pillow beside me, and I smile softly. That can only be a good sign. I hope Miguel is open to listening to reason today.


    I¡¯m surprised I slept so well, but getting everything off my chest to Miguel in the early morning hours had rxed me.


    I get up and go shower. I take a long one, not out of spite but because I want to feel fresh when I approach him this morning. I¡¯ll judge his mood at breakfast, and from there, maybe we can talk about him releasing me back to my family. Especially now that he understands I need to take care of Raphael.


    I dress in cks and a shirt, and I open the door. Jarred isn¡¯t there. In fact, there is no guard in the hall at all-another positive sign.


    I walk out and down the stairs, crossing the room to the dining room entrance.


    Miguel is sitting in his usual spot, reading the paper. I suddenly feel awkward and a little less confident about my negotiating skills.


    I sit in my chair and smile at the maid, who sets down some boiled eggs on the table. I start to crack one, ncing at Miguel periodically.


    He shakes his paper and closes it before looking at me. ¡°Are you going to keep staring at me or say something?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± I admit, blushing slightly. I take a bite of an egg but continue to look at him.


    ¡°Good morning, for starters.¡±


    There¡¯s a trace of a smile on his mouth, and I return it. ¡°Good morning, Miguel.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Kira. Now, I think it¡¯s in both of our interests to discuss the current situation and what it means for us.¡±


    ¡°For us?¡± I ask curiously.


    ¡°Yes, because there are two parents to every child, generally.¡± He starts on his own egg, and I don¡¯t respond. This is what I feared.


    ¡°See, I want to be a part of my son¡¯s life¡­.¡±


    I cut him off. ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Sorry?¡± Miguel raises an eyebrow.


    ¡°You want to be a part of a child¡¯s life that you don¡¯t even know the name of,¡± I say. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a little crazy?¡±


    ¡°I realize I didn¡¯t ask for his name, but you can imagine that I was in a bit of shock. I intend to get all his details from you.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°No. I told Raphael that he could get to know you when he was sixteen and that it would be his choice if it happened or not. I wasn¡¯t going to force a rtionship.¡±


    ¡°Is this you talking or your father?¡± he challenges me, ¡°because the Kira I knew would have had no problem with me having a rtionship with my child whose name I love, by the way. Ironic that my ninja-loving son is named after a mutant turtle.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a joke, Miguel. The girl you knew was naive. I have raised him, and I know what¡¯s best for him,¡± I say, trying not to get angry.


    ¡°Kira,¡± I can see he¡¯s also trying to reel himself in, ¡°this isn¡¯t a request. He is my child. I have a right to see him.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    I stand up. ¡°Miguel, you are not seeing my child.¡±


    ¡°Sit down,¡± hemands.


    I slowly sit down, but I re at him as he continues, ¡°If you don¡¯te to an agreement with me so that I can see my child, then Kira, my negotiation with Alessandro will simply be a trade. You for Raphael, and you can see him in twelve years after I¡¯ve kept him from you.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it intentionally,¡± I retort.


    ¡°You are now. You are denying me my right to have a part to y in Raphael¡¯s life, and I will have what I want.¡±


    It¡¯s a reflex, really. I grab the egg cup and hurl it at him. It crashes behind him, and before he can say anything, I toss a ss at him. He moves out of the way quickly.


    ¡°Stop acting like a child,¡± he yells.


    ¡°Like you?¡± I shout, throwing a te at him. I work my way through everything close to me, but in my rage, I don¡¯t notice that he¡¯s getting closer to me. When I turn around to grab something else, he grabs my wrists and holds them so tightly it hurts.


    ¡°Stop it,¡± he growls, ¡°you¡¯re being ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°I have spent a lifetime protecting him, and I will die for him.¡±


    ¡°You once promised to die for me,¡± he says quietly. ¡°Remember that promise? You promised you loved me and that we would build a life together for the rest of our lives. Why do you get to pick and choose what you¡¯re going to follow through with.¡±


    I¡¯m right close to him, and I can smell that intoxicating musky aftershave he wears. I shake my head.


    ¡°You assume my family will let you see him. They don¡¯t even know you¡¯re the father. Only my father knows. Alessandro has no clue, and he doesn¡¯t pry.¡±


    ¡°Then I think it¡¯s time I told him,¡± he says.


    I shake in his arms. ¡°He¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°Or he¡¯ll be reasonable like a Don should be. We have united our families through this child, so I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll attack me. Not immediately, at any rate. I want to talk to him, then if you don¡¯t want to see me, that¡¯s fine. We can arrange visitations through our families. You can be rid of me. You¡¯ll never have to speak to me again.¡±


    The thought makes me sad, which must show on my face because he looks at me oddly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I want,¡± I say quietly and stop struggling. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you, but I do. I don¡¯t know how to sort through my emotions right now, but Miguel, I¡¯m begging you to let me get back to Raphael. He needs his mama.¡±


    Silence fills the room as Miguel¡¯s green eyes stare into my blue-gray ones.

 #5 Chapter 26

    Miguel


    Those passionate eyes. I studied them for so long that I could never forget them. I¡¯d remember every speck. I lower my head, and we kiss gently. I let go of her wrists, and she rests her hands on my chest. I hold her arms more gently. We continue to kiss gently, and as I inhale the scent of her soap, I kiss her more aggressively. She whimpers in my mouth but returns the kiss, so I press her against the wall, forcing our bodies together. Where we touch is that old spark that we had thirteen years ago.


    I break the kiss to kiss down her neck, and she tilts her head to let me make my way down to her corbone. I take her breasts in my hands and squeeze them gently. I kiss her other corbone and kiss back up her neck. I breathe heavily into her ear, pausing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do, Kira,¡± I admit finally, nuzzling the side of her head with the side of mine.


    She takes my face in her hands and turns me to face her, she kisses me again, and I groan into her mouth. Everything about her is as I remember.


    She breaks the kiss and whispers, ¡°You need to let me go, Miguel, because while I¡¯m kept here, Alessandro won¡¯t give you ess to Raphael. He¡¯ll want me to confirm you¡¯re the father.¡±


    ¡°There was no one else?¡± I ask, feeling as though my voice might crack.


    ¡°Never,¡± she breathes, and we kiss again. She slides her arms around my neck, and I wrap mine around her waist. We part after a moment, and the space between us feels cold.


    ¡°I will let you go if Alessandro agrees to my terms,¡± I say finally. ¡°I have to take care of family business, Kira. It¡¯s nothing personal.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she says, looking up at me. ¡°Just do the right thing, though.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± I say, stroking her hair out her face. ¡°Go to your room. I¡¯ll let you know once we¡¯re ready to go. It won¡¯t be safe for you if my fatheres here. He wasn¡¯t happy about the news.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I trust you, Miguel.¡±


    She leaves and goes upstairs with Jarred in tow.


    I take my phone out and message the family toe to the house, meeting in the dining room. I order the maids to clean up quickly as we¡¯re having guests.


    I touch my lips where we kissed, and I close my eyes. I¡¯m sure there is still magic, but I have to let her go. It would never work between us. We¡¯re two different families now united by a little boy. I n to use that as leverage.


    The men of my family arrive, including my rather annoyed-looking father, and they all sit down in the dining room. I stand at the head of the table, and as I¡¯m about to speak, my father opens his mouth, ¡°We¡¯ve already discussed what you should do with the girl.¡±


    ¡°You would go behind your Don¡¯s back to make decisions without him?¡± I ask, looking at each person. They all avert their gazes. ¡°I won¡¯t hear your idea because this child unites the Rossi and Sorvino families, so I n to use that to our advantage.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t negotiate with the Sorvinos for territory or money because your bastard is one of them,¡± my father roars.


    ¡°And yet, that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do. Now, you have all shown great loyalty to me. We have made so many advancements for the family together. Would I really steer you wrong with this?¡±


    Several of them murmur, but my father stands. ¡°I will not recognize a Sorvino rtive as a Rossi. It¡¯s not how things are done.¡±


    ¡°Then you deny your own blood, and that is not done,¡± I spit back, and my father does a double take. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to ept a Rossi, then leave the Rossi family because we¡¯ve always protected our own.¡±


    More murmurs from everyone, and Lyle steps forward. ¡°I trust you, Don Rossi. I trust you will do what¡¯s best for us.¡±


    There is a general agreement though two or three people look unconvinced. My father just stands there, silent.


    ¡°Padre, I know you don¡¯t want this, but sometimes we have to make necessary changes that are better for the family. I want your blessing on this.¡±


    My father looks at all the faces turned in his direction and sighs. ¡°This will not end well, but I hope you prove me wrong, Miguel. You have my blessing.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    My father knows he was outvoted, especially because he denied his own blood. It was his biggest mistake.


    We go over a few details together before I send them all away, except Lyle.


    ¡°Go get her,¡± I say. ¡°She¡¯sing with us.¡±


    ¡°He could just take her then,¡± Lylements.


    ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing,¡± I say, though I have a seed of doubt in my heart.


    Lyle leaves to fetch Kira while I slide into my suit jacket. Shees down, and I gesture to the front door. ¡°The car is waiting.¡±


    She looks up at me with wide eyes, so I quickly say, ¡°Don¡¯t hug me. I have a reputation to maintain.¡±


    She nods, and we leave through the front door to the car.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± she asks quietly once we¡¯re on the motorway.


    ¡°I told Alessandro to meet me at Central Park,¡± I say, unable to look at her. I know what this means for us-I have to let her go.


    ¡°Thank you, Miguel,¡± she says softly, and I feel her hand take mine and squeeze. I squeeze it back and then move my hand away.


    We walk into Central Park together, and I see Alessandro already seated on the bench, smoking a cigarette.


    ¡°Alessandro,¡± Kira gushes. He gets up and opens his arms. She rushes into them and hugs him tightly.


    ¡°Were you hurt?¡± he asks gruffly.


    ¡°No, Miguel treated me well,¡± Kira lies. I didn¡¯t treat her well, I hurt her, and she will probably never forgive me for that.


    ¡°Don Sorvino,¡± I say seriously, ¡°I am willing to let your cousin go home with you now if you agree to my terms.¡±


    ¡°Name them,¡± he says, looking at me distastefully.


    ¡°Raphael is my son and, therefore, future Don of the Rossi family by birthright. I want to see him and teach him about his Rossi family.¡±


    ¡°Is this true?¡± Alessandro asks Kira, and she nods. Alessandro looks back at me.


    ¡°When he is Don, I expect the Sorvinos to pay tribute by giving the Rossi family the territories that would go to the next in line in the event of Sonny Sorvino¡¯s death. They are his then, not yours or under you.¡± I keep my eyes trained on his.


    Alessandro looks down at Kira. ¡°Is that why your father made you leave?¡±


    ¡°He thought he was doing what was best for me,¡± she says softly. I know she¡¯s defending her father because Alessandro is not above killing his family members if they cross the line.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Alessandro says atst. ¡°However, only two of the territories can go to Raphael. I¡¯ll ensure they¡¯re the bigger operations, so the Rossi family makes good money from them. But only once he is Don.¡±


    I hold my hand out, and Alessandro shakes it. ¡°Nowe, Kira, he misses you terribly.¡±


    Kira holds onto Alessandro as they walk past me. Our eyes meet, and I see a sadness there that I haven¡¯t seen before. Although I secured my family¡¯s future, I feel defeated. Because Raphael is a Rossi, they will respect the Rossi territories out of respect for Raphael. That protects my family, and we will have a higher ieter.


    But at what cost?


    I watch Kira walk away, and I know I¡¯ve lost out because what I should have done is professed my undying love for her and begged her to stay with me-begged her to let us be a family together instead of a family apart.


    She nces back as they reach the gate, and I hang my head. I can¡¯t look at her. I will wait until they¡¯ve definitely left before I take my own leave.

 #5 Chapter 27

    Kira


    I get into the car with Alessandro, and he puts an arm around my shoulders. I rest my head against his chest.


    ¡°Did he really treat you okay?¡± He asks.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I say quietly, ¡°but I¡¯m so d to being home.¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°I was so worried about you. I even brought Frankie home to help out so we could get you back.¡± He strokes my hair gently. ¡°Is what he said true? Is he Raphael¡¯s father?¡±


    I nod gently. ¡°We were so in love in college until my father found out. We were going to build a life together. My father was sure your father would have me killed for betraying the family.¡±


    Alessandro grunts and shakes his head. ¡°It¡¯s moreplicated than simply having you killed. My father would have heard you out.¡±


    ¡°I heard about what he did to Carmine when he fell in love with Arianna,¡± I say. ¡°Would he not have done the same thing?¡±


    ¡°He was angry, but he came to his senses, and so did I.¡± Alessandro sighs, and we fall silent for a moment.


    ¡°Do you still love him?¡± he asks suddenly.


    I consider his question before I answer, ¡°I do. I do still love him. I love him very much even though he¡¯s changed a lot.¡±


    ¡°The women in this family give me a headache,¡± he says, rubbing his head. ¡°Even the ones through marriage.¡±


    I sit up and look at him, confused. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    He gives me a knowing look. ¡°If Miguel Rossi were a problem, I¡¯d have him taken care of unless you don¡¯t want me to. I will give you my blessing if you want to be with him. I¡¯ve learned long ago not to stand in the way of the Sorvino women and what they want.¡±


    I smile softly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what lies in the future, Alessandro. I don¡¯t even know if Miguel wants to be with me. I know he wants to meet Raphael.¡±


    ¡°Let him,¡± Alessandro says. ¡°A boy should know his father. Don Rossi may be many things, but he is, first and foremost, a family man. He always has been.¡±


    I nod and look out the window as we pull up to Alessandro¡¯s house. ¡°What did you tell Raphael?¡±


    ¡°That you were called away for work, and he¡¯d be staying with us for a while. At first, he was a little upset, but he coped fine with it. We treated it as though you had a work emergency.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you¡¯re like a baby sister to me,¡± he chuckles. ¡°I really would have done anything to get you back.¡±


    I hug him tightly, and then I climb out of the car. Katya is standing at the front door, holding Raphael¡¯s hand. As soon as he sees me, Raphael lets go of Katya¡¯s hand andes running to me. ¡°Mama!¡±


    I scoop him up in my arms and hold him tightly. ¡°Oh, my sweet child.¡±


    He holds me tightly, and I kiss his head before I lower him back down. He¡¯s getting heavy.


    ¡°Howe you didn¡¯t say goodbye? Or tell me you were going away?¡± he asks, looking wide-eyed at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my sweet boy, it was an emergency. If I could have, I would havee back to exin everything to you.¡± I stroke his face. ¡°You¡¯ve grown so much while I¡¯ve been gone.¡±


    ¡°Did anything interesting happen on your travels?¡±


    I pause for a moment, then give a small smile. ¡°I bumped into your father.¡±


    ¡°My father?¡± he asks curiously. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I decided that maybe it¡¯s time you meet him.¡± I stroke his face. ¡°I think it¡¯ll be good for you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± he asks excitedly. ¡°Is he excited to meet me? When can I see him? Does he live close by?¡±


    I grin, but Alessandroes up behind me. ¡°Raphael, let your mother get settled in and rested, and we can decide when you¡¯ll meet your papa. I also saw him, and he¡¯s excited to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Zio Alessandro, can I have ice cream?¡± he asks suddenly. That attention span of his makes me smile. So much like Miguel.


    ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m sure Zia Katya will cave and give you ice cream if you go ask her really nicely,¡± Alessandro chuckles.


    As we walk up the stairs, I nce at Alessandro. ¡°Anything interesting happen while I was away?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing major,¡± he says with a cheeky grin. ¡°Carmine proposed to Arianna on her birthday, and Katya is having twins. Nothing much at all.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± My eyes widen. ¡°Twins?¡±


    ¡°I know. I already have my work cut out for me with her on her own,¡± Alessandro rubs the stubble on his face. ¡°But imagine! Me a father? This is going to be a disaster.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t picture a better father if I tried,¡± I gush, hugging him suddenly. ¡°I¡¯m so excited to meet my little nephews or nieces.¡±


    ¡°Just keep the pizza away from Katya. It seems to be her number one craving,¡± he jokes.


    It feels good to be back with my family, but I know that as the days pass, I¡¯ll have to reach out to Miguel to arrange for him to meet Raphael. I don¡¯t know how to do it or where to do it. I have no doubt that Raphael will be safe with him, but I¡¯d rather be present just in case and also because I¡¯d like to see Miguel again.


    As the days pass, I celebrate with my family as they announce the pregnancy and the engagement. My mind, however, is on Miguel. He has sent messages to Alessandro, and I eventually conceded to let him have my phone number.


    At first, he texts me for updates on Raphael, but then he starts to ask me how I am doing. I answer happily, but I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m willing to admit my feelings for him just yet.


    After a month of not seeing him, I finally text him to meet us at the Bistro for lunch. He quickly agrees to a Saturday lunch date, not questioning the location.


    I arrive with Raphael, it¡¯s my day off, but I check in on the kitchen anyway. I make sure they make three Pancetta and pesto pasta for our table, and as I walk out with Raphael, I see Miguel at the entrance. He nods to me, and I give him a small smile. I guide Raphael to him.


    ¡°Raphael, this is your papa. Miguel, this is your son, Raphael,¡± I say awkwardly.


    Raphael partially hides behind me, and Miguel reaches into his pocket and withdraws a small box. ¡°I brought you something.¡±


    ¡°Go on, Raphael,¡± I say, and he reaches to take it from Miguel, whispering, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s open it at the table,¡± I say, nodding to the hostess, Kimber. She smiles and leads us to the VIP booth at the back. Raphael and I sit together, and Miguel sits opposite us. Raphael puts the small box on the table and starts to unwrap it.


    I meet Miguel¡¯s eyes and give him a small smile before watching Raphael.


    Raphael opens the box to find a gift card for Kung Fu lessons. He reads it slowly and then beams. ¡°Really? Kung Fu?¡±


    I snort, ¡°That¡¯s going to be fun.¡±


    Miguel nods. ¡°Every ninja should know Kung Fu, and if you like, I could take you.¡±


    Raphael nods shyly. ¡°I would like that. Howe you didn¡¯t know about us?¡±


    Taken aback, Miguel fumbles a bit before saying, ¡°Well, I can exin that to you when you¡¯re older, but I didn¡¯t know your Mama had left. I would havee to Italy to bring you both back if I had.¡±


    Thankfully the food arrives, and we all sit back, but Raphael isn¡¯t done, ¡°Zio Alessandro says you are the Don of your family. Does that mean someday I can be one as well? What if I don¡¯t want to be it? I want to be a ninja.¡±


    Miguel chuckles as he picks up his cutlery. ¡°You can be whatever your heart desires, Raphael. If you don¡¯t want to be the Don of our family, then one of my brothers or their children will be. Or if I have another child, they will be.¡±


    ¡°Are you and Mama going to have another baby? Will I be a brother?¡± Raphael asks quickly, not missing a beat.


    I nearly choke on my pasta, but Miguel shakes his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I hope your mama will give me another chance. Would you like that?¡±


    Raphael looks at Miguel, then at me, and says wisely, ¡°Only if Mama would like that.¡±


    Miguel chuckles. ¡°You¡¯re definitely my child. That¡¯s exactly what I would say.¡±


    The rest of the afternoon is spent with Miguel asking Raphael questions about his life and where he grew up, and I sit back quietly and appreciate the moment. They are perfect together, just like Miguel and I were perfect together. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s in the future for Miguel and me, but I hope there is something.

 #5 Chapter 28

    Miguel


    I¡¯ve been enjoying the few times I¡¯ve seen Raphael. He¡¯s a great kid, and he¡¯s definitely mine. There can be no question about that. I waited until today, at Sunday lunch, to make the official announcement. As everyone starts eating, I tap my knife against my ss for everyone to look at me.


    There are a lot of smiling faces, and I wonder if this is a good idea. I¡¯d spoken to my father about it, and he thought it was best to get it out in the open since I¡¯ve decided to be a part of my son¡¯s life.


    ¡°Everyone, family. I wanted to make an announcement.¡± Everyone pays close attention, and I keep a straight face. ¡°For those of you who haven¡¯t heard, I had a love interest in college that was from another family. The Sorvino family, to be exact.¡± There are a few worried looks. ¡°And she was sent away when they found out she was pregnant with my son. They¡¯re back now, and I intend to bring Raphael into our family to unite the Sorvino and Rossi families for a brighter future.¡±


    There¡¯s absolute silence, and my father stands. ¡°Salute, Don Rossi, congrattions on your son, and may he make the Rossi family proud.¡±


    Everyone raises their sses and excitedly starts talking over each other to ask questions. I smile and begin to answer them one at a time. The biggest one is when they could meet Raphael. I hadn¡¯t thought about that, but it is a good idea.


    I would have to speak to Kira and Alessandro about bringing him over for a Sunday lunch, as I know they have their own.


    The rest of the day goes off great, and when I¡¯m back in my office, I text Alessandro.


    Don Sorvino,


    Are you avable to meet me at my family¡¯s bar this afternoon for a private drink? There are matters I wish to discuss.


    Don Rossi.


    I wait patiently, and my phone sounds off.


    Don Rossi,


    Yes, I will be there in an hour.


    Don Sorvino.


    An efficient man, I prefer things that way. I wonder if he¡¯ll agree to what I¡¯m about to propose or if he¡¯ll hate the idea. I hope he epts because it would strengthen both our families and bring Raphael into the fold.


    I get Lyle and Jarred and head for the bar. I¡¯ve moved back to my apartment now that it¡¯s been repaired, but we had Sunday lunch at my estate in Long Beach, so the bar is close by.


    I walk into The Little Man, my quiet little bar on the corner of the street, and go to the back section, which is reserved for our family. I order two whiskeys just as Alessandro is led over.


    ¡°Don Sorvino,¡± I stand and shake his hand, ¡°thank you for meeting me so quickly.¡±


    ¡°Don Rossi,¡± he says, ¡°I am always happy to meet with people tied to our family.¡±


    We both sit, and the whiskeys are brought and ced in front of us.


    ¡°What did you want to speak of? My wife will nag if I don¡¯t get back soon,¡± Alessandro says with a chuckle, sipping on his whiskey.


    ¡°The unity of our families,¡± I say. ¡°We agreed that I could see Raphael, but I thought that united, our families could conquer more territories and do more business together. It would benefit both of our families.¡±


    ¡°The best way to unite a family is through marriage,¡± he points out, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Are you asking me if you can marry my cousin?¡±


    I smile. ¡°That would be Kira¡¯s choice, not mine or yours. She never liked people making decisions for her, but I want Raphael to spend time with our family.¡±


    ¡°And you want to be close to Kira,¡± Alessandro says. ¡°I¡¯m not a fool, Don Rossi. I¡¯ve seen the way you look at my cousin. She¡¯s like a little sister to me, and you crossed a line kidnapping her, a line I would kill for. If you hadn¡¯t treated her well, I probably would kill you. I¡¯m not really for mercy.¡±


    ¡°Nor am I, but what are you going to decide to do, Don Sorvino? Have me murdered?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He looks me dead in the eyes. He has the same eyes as Kira. ¡°Kira thinks highly of you, and I know not to cross the women in my family. Everyone thinks men hold all the power, but God, what we would do for the women we love.¡± He downs his whiskey. ¡°If Kira agrees to the unity, I am happy to draw up papers about where we can have joint business ventures. I respect you as a Don, and I respect the Rossi family. We can both benefit and have territories at the same time. Thank you for the drink.¡±


    He stands up and leaves, and I know where my next stop must be.


    The Italian.


    I have my driver take me there, and I make Jarred and Lyle wait outside. I let Kimber, the hostess, seat me and ask her to summon the chef for me personally. She clearly knows who I am because she doesn¡¯t protest.


    I wait a moment before Kiraes out, holding two tes ofsagna. She sits one in front of me and the other in front of herself as she takes a chair. ¡°I saw youe in.¡±


    ¡°I was just with Alessandro,¡± I say, starting to eat.


    ¡°Oh, really? What did you talk about?¡±


    ¡°Business,¡± I say. ¡°And he says he wants your approval before he agrees to my proposal.¡±


    She smiles as she eats. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it then.¡±


    I exin to her what I want. Only when I¡¯m done, do I start eating. ¡°So? What do you think? Could our families join?¡±


    ¡°You have to be more active in Raphael¡¯s life,¡± she says, wiping her mouth on a napkin. ¡°Like taking him to school, picking him up, and taking him to Kung Fu. You have to attend Teacher Parent conferences, and you have to co-parent with me. Those are my conditions.¡±


    I reach for her hand. ¡°That¡¯s something that would be easier to do if we were together again.¡±


    She shakes her head, and for a moment, my heart drops.


    ¡°What do you think? We can just pick up from where we left off?¡± she asks in a very gentle tone. ¡°Because we¡¯re older now, and you¡¯re a Don. Not a college boy who falls for pretty girls.¡±Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I have loved you from the day I met you, Kira. I knew a few things for sure. You were going to be my wife. You were going to be the mother of my children. You were going to be a Don¡¯s wife, and you would understand what that entails. We can still make those dreamse true.¡±


    Sheces her fingers through mine. ¡°If we take it slowly, I¡¯ll consider it. I mean, I¡¯d like to go out on a proper date. I haven¡¯t been on one in thirteen years.¡±


    ¡°A pic, perhaps?¡± I suggest. ¡°Central Park is lovely this time of year.¡±


    She gives me that mischievous smile I love so much as she says, ¡°Sounds like a n.¡±

 #5 Chapter 29

    Kira


    One Year Later


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re stressing so much. Both our mothers are in the kitchen preparing lunch,¡± Miguel says to me, rubbing my shoulders.


    I can¡¯t believe we¡¯ve been back together a year, and we¡¯re hosting the first official united family Sunday lunch at our new vi.


    ¡°Because the food has to be perfect, and what if our families break into a fight,¡± I moan. ¡°And if we don¡¯t have enough seating, what are we going to do.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve nned this to thest letter. I promise it¡¯s going to be fine. Alessandro will make sure there are no fights, especially because Katya is stressed with the twins.¡±


    Raphaeles running into the house, his tie askew. Miguel lets me go and pulls Raphael to him. ¡°Mimmo, what are you doing? You know your mother is stressed today.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Papa, I was just ying,¡± he says. He¡¯s thirteen now. I can¡¯t believe how tall he¡¯s getting, just like his father.


    ¡°You must make sure your cousins are entertained today,¡± I say to him. ¡°Don¡¯t let them get too dirty, though, Raphael, especially Giovanni. Your Zio Frankie will have a heart attack.¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯ll do a good job babysitting, Mama,¡± he whines. ¡°I won¡¯t let them get into trouble or get dirty, I promise.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good boy,¡± Miguel says, patting his head. ¡°Now, don¡¯t run off too far. People are going to start arriving soon.¡±


    He turns and kisses my head. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, Amore Mio. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Easy for you to say, you¡¯re the Don of half the family,¡± I say, and he chuckles. He turns as he hears a car pull up. ¡°They¡¯re here. Let¡¯s get this show on the road.¡±


    I nod and pat down my dress. One of our maids opens the front door, and Alessandro walks in with Miska in his arms. Katya follows with Mattia in her arms. They¡¯re followed by Dominic and Sofia, freshly returned from their honeymoon.


    The maid is about to close the door when Frankie walks in with Amelia. Their son, Giovanni, is toddling next to Frankie, holding his hand. Behind them is my sister who has recently graduated and moved back to New York. We¡¯ve never been truly close, but I hope we can now work on changing that. I am hopeful her being here today is a great way to start.


    Raphaeles forward and greets his uncles and aunts before he offers to take the little ones. Alessandro chuckles, ¡°You¡¯re just babysitting Giovanni and the older cousins today. Zia Katya will tend to the babies.¡±


    Raphael takes Giovanni¡¯s hand and leads him off to the y area so we can greet the family.


    We stand there greeting as more and more people stream in. Miguel takes my cousins to the area we¡¯ll be sitting in and offers them drinks and cigars. I go to check on the food in the kitchen and hear our mothers howling withughter at each other. Who knew they would be the ones to get on best?


    Once everyone has arrived, and the food has been served, we all sit at the table and eat. Miguel and Alessandro sit together at the head of the table and talk about the children¡¯s futures.


    Arianna and Carmine arrivete because Arianna was flying back from a race, but we¡¯re excited to see them as they walk in. I get them tes and sit them near me. Arianna and I were always considered twins.


    It isn¡¯t until everyone has left, and I¡¯ve tucked Raphael into bed, that I rx.


    Ie back downstairs and outside to see Miguel holding a pic basket.


    ¡°I thought we¡¯d go rx out in the orchard, just the two of us,¡± he says with a big smile.


    I sigh, ¡°I would love nothing more than to rx, Miguel.¡±


    He takes my hand and leads me deep into the orchard. ¡°What about Raphael?¡± I ask.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. One of the maids is sitting upstairs listening for him,¡± Miguel assures me. We get to the middle of the garden, and I see a nket already lying out.


    ¡°It¡¯s a nice warm night. We should have some nice cold champagne,¡± he says.


    ¡°Champagne? Are we celebrating our families didn¡¯t kill each other?¡± I tease.


    ¡°Oh, we are celebrating, I hope¡­.¡±


    ¡°You hope?¡± I ask.


    We both sit down, and he pours a ss of champagne for me, handing it to me. He then sits a small box on myp.


    ¡°I really hope¡­¡± he says, ¡°that you would do me the honor of marrying me.¡±


    I swallow hard. I¡¯ve been waiting for this moment for so long. I set the champagne down and open the box. It¡¯s a simple but beautiful ring. The jewel is the same color as my eyes.


    ¡°Miguel¡­ Of course, I will,¡± I say quietly, choking up, ¡°but I can¡¯t have champagne, my love.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s your favorite one,¡± he protests. ¡°I double-checked with Arianna.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I know, but I can¡¯t have any¡­.¡± I smile at him, slip the ring onto my finger and then rest my hand on my belly.


    Miguel stares at my hand for a moment and then lets out a deep breath he seemed to have been holding. ¡°Are you?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I say excitedly, ¡°I was waiting to surprise you on your birthday.¡±


    He downs his champagne, then mine, and then puts the sses away. ¡°This is the best surprise ever, my love.¡±


    ¡°Good, because we have to tell Raphael, and I¡¯m not sure how he will react.¡±


    ¡°A problem for tomorrow,¡± he murmurs, leaning over to kiss me deeply.


    I slide my tongue over his, taste the champagne on his lips and tongue, and moan softly.


    He strokes my belly gently and then breaks the kiss. ¡°And here I thought I¡¯d make love to you under the stars.¡±


    ¡°Who says we can¡¯t?¡± I tease, shifting to sit up. I lower the straps of my dress over each arm and shimmy out of it.


    Miguel leans back and watches me, his eyes taking in my body in the moonlight.


    In my underwear, I lean over and kiss him, my hand rubbing over his groin gently. He grunts into my mouth, and I feel his dick stiffen.


    ¡°What do you wanna do with that?¡± I whisper against his mouth.


    ¡°I can think of things,¡± he murmurs as I reach down to undo his pants.


    He helps me get them down, and I take his cock in my hands. I know what my man likes, and soon enough, I¡¯m deep-throating him. I make delicious slurping sounds every time I make my way up his dick. My tongue traces the veins that pop out along his shaft. He groans softly, a hand on my head as he moves his hips slightly.


    I pull off him and look at him hungrily.


    ¡°Stay there,¡± I say as I shimmy out of my thong and straddle him. I carefully lower myself, so his thick member pushes deep inside me. I whimper softly until he¡¯s all the way in.


    Miguel reaches up and tugs the cups of my bra down, releasing my breasts. He runs his thumbs over my nipples that, despite the warm night, are standing erect.


    ¡°You have never looked more beautiful, Amore Mia,¡± he groans, shifting around. I whimper softly and start to raise and lower my hips. ¡°I love you so much, Miguel Rossi.¡±


    ¡°I love you, Kira Rossi,¡± he says, and the name sounds so perfect. I move a little faster. His hand has trailed down my body and is ying with my clit. God, I love when he does that to me, his erection hitting me just right while his fingers tease the devil¡¯s doorbell.


    He knows that drives me wild, and I feel the tension building inside me.


    ¡°Come with me,¡± I groan out, rocking my hips back and forth.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± he cries out, moving his hips to meet mine as theye down. His one hand still has my right breast in it, he¡¯s teasing the nipple, and then he lets go and grabs me. He gets into a sitting position, still inside of me, and buries his head in my breasts as I start to move again. I push harder. I¡¯m so close my toes feel like they want to curl, and his hand is there again, teasing. I whimper as I clench around his cock, and he tries to push his hips up as much as he can. I know he¡¯s orgasming while his fingers y with my clit, and then it happens, and I arch my back as I orgasm, squirting hard onto him.


    We copse into a wet, spent heap, and I roll off him. He chuckles and says, ¡°You exhaust me, woman.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± I breathe.


    He rolls over and rests his head on my belly, kissing it softly. I stroke his head as we lie here and catch our breath. Then I hear his soft snores, and I smile.


    Ever since we moved back in together, he¡¯s been sleeping like a baby.


    End of book 5.

 #6 Chapter 1

    Vittoria


    I¡¯ve been home for a week, and it¡¯s as though nothing has changed at all. My sister Kira got pregnant in college and shipped off to Sicily to learn to be a proper chef, only to be weed back recently as if nothing happened. Luigi is still the golden boy of our family that can do no wrong, just like when we were young. And then there¡¯s me, the self-sufficient one who¡¯s always just ¡®there.¡¯


    I was always told I was an easy child. Though because everyone acted like I wasn¡¯t there, I don¡¯t think what I said or did mattered anyway. I mean, I know my family loves me, but they don¡¯t consider my opinion to have any weight. So, I withdrew from them, immersed myself in books, and focused on getting good grades.


    Okay, maybe some things have changed. For example, I¡¯ve just graduated top of my ss and have myw degree in hand. It has to bear some leverage when I approach Alessandro about helping with the family business. I want them to take me seriously, and what better way to prove it than by showing what a hard-working, intelligent person I am? I mean, I bet I can even run circles around Frankie now.


    I¡¯m going to ask him today at my graduation party that my father is hosting. I know he will arrive any minute, and I¡¯m ready to bend his ear and get him to ept my help for the family business. I¡¯m ready to make my mark.


    I step out into the garden, and my family and a few guests are already milling around. The tables are set out in a giant U shape. Alessandro will, of course, sit at the head of the table with me and my father, Sonny. His parents will probably sit with us as well as Katya.


    My father smiles as he sees me. ¡°There¡¯s my superstar. Are you pleased with everything?¡±


    I kiss both his cheeks. ¡°It¡¯s perfect, Papa, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Anything for my princess,¡± he gushes, stroking my hair out of my face. I pull away.


    ¡°Papa, leave my hair.¡±


    ¡°Show your face, honey. You¡¯ve got such a beautiful face,¡± he says.


    ¡°Papa, please don¡¯t embarrass me today. I want to show everyone how I¡¯ve grown up and am ready to start working for the family.¡±


    ¡°This again,¡± he sighs. ¡°I told you, you need to open up your own firm. Alessandro will fund it. You don¡¯t need to be involved in the family business.¡±


    I roll my eyes. ¡°Enough, Papa. Let¡¯s just get through today, okay?¡±


    I lead him to the head of the table, and we sit side by side, standing only when guestse to greet us. I feel nervous, I¡¯ve always blended into the background, but today, I¡¯m the center of attention. Everyone is congratting me and saying how proud they are of me. I see there¡¯s a gift table that¡¯s slowly piling up with boxes and envelopes.


    When Alessandro arrives, my father hurries to greet him and escort him to where I¡¯m standing. I¡¯m seated next to him, which I deliberately arranged.


    The foodes out, and soon, everyone is talking loudly while they eat. I eat quietly, waiting for Alessandro to turn his attention away from Katya. He nces at me and smiles. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I want to discuss my future,¡± I say sternly.


    My father instantly groans from my right. ¡°Vittoria, this is not the ce¡­.¡±Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It¡¯s the perfect ce,¡± I say, turning back to Alessandro. ¡°I want to be the family¡¯swyer. I want to be part of the family business.¡±


    Alessandro chuckles. ¡°Tori, you¡¯ve just worked so hard to get a legit degree all on your own. You don¡¯t want to taint your name by getting involved with the kind of things we do.¡±


    ¡°On the contrary, that¡¯s exactly what I want to do,¡± I say hurriedly before my father can shush me. ¡°I think I can be a valuable asset to the family.¡±


    Alessandro nces over my head at my father and then sighs. ¡°Tori, after we lost your mom to the other family, what they did to her¡­ I don¡¯t want to put you in danger and cause your father that kind of heartache. It wouldn¡¯t be right.¡±


    ¡°I can work behind the scenes, help work around legality issues. I graduated top of my ss,¡± I insist.


    ¡°And I¡¯m really proud of you, Tori, I really am. But you have a shot at a normal life, unlike the rest of us mixed up in this business.¡± Alessandro says, and before I can argue further, he puts a hand on my shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s my final word on the matter.¡±


    Disappointed, I turn back to my food. I mostly pick at it, and my father nudges me when Alessandro is preupied. ¡°Don¡¯t be a brat, Tori. Enjoy the day. We¡¯ll find you something to do soon enough.¡±


    I nod and give him a sad smile.


    As usual, it¡¯s as though no one realizes I exist. They talk over each other, drink, eat, and are generally merry while I wallow in my self-pity with a sad smile.


    When it¡¯s time to leave, my father insists I walk Alessandro to his car because, apparently, he¡¯s donated a generous gift to me. I walk next to Alessandro and Frankie, who are joking with each other. Dominic and Sofia are already in their car, and I don¡¯t see Carmine and Arianna anywhere, so I assume they¡¯ve left. I nce back at the gate where my father has paused to speak with my Uncle Romero.


    When I look back, I see a tinted car driving slowly down the road. I nce at the tes before the window rolls down, and a gun is shoved out.


    Alessandro has also seen it, and he pulls me down with Katya. The gun goes off, and bullets fly everywhere. I put my hands over my ears and wait until the squealing tires spin-off. We all stand up, and Alessandro calls, ¡°Is anyone hurt?¡±


    ¡°Sonny! Sonny!¡± My Uncle Romero calls, and my blood runs cold. We all turn and see my father lying in a pool of his own blood with my uncle hovering over him. ¡°Someone get an ambnce.¡±


    Frankie hurries to him. ¡°There¡¯s no time. Alessandro, help me.¡±


    ¡°Get inside and stay inside,¡± Alessandro yells at me as he hurries to where my father is. I hesitate, but the re I get from my uncle makes me rush inside and into the house. I pace up and down the entrance hall.


    I can¡¯t just stand here and do nothing. I take out my phone and search through my contacts before I dial Danny¡¯s number. He¡¯s the only cop I know who might help me.


    ¡°Danny, it¡¯s Tori. I need you to run some tes for me, no questions asked,¡± I say. ¡°Can you do that?¡±


    ¡°As long as it¡¯s nothing illegal, sure,¡± Danny says. ¡°Give it to me.¡±


    I recite the tes to him, and he goes quiet for a moment. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯d stay away from this, Tori. These guys have ties to the mafia.¡±


    ¡°Which one? Which family?¡± I ask. ¡°Please, Danny, I need to know.¡±


    Danny sighs and says, ¡°You didn¡¯t hear it from me, but it¡¯s the Volkov family. The head guy is Ivan Volkov, and that¡¯s all I can tell you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I need,¡± I say. ¡°Thank you, Danny.¡±


    I hang up and grab my brother¡¯s car keys. I hurry to the garage and get in, heading straight to the hospital. When I walk into the waiting room, Alessandro gets up angrily. ¡°Tori, I ordered you to stay at the house.¡±


    ¡°I found out whose behind the attacks,¡± I say quickly. ¡°I got the tes and ran them through a friend.¡±


    Alessandro¡¯s frown remains, but he takes me aside. ¡°Who was it?¡±


    ¡°Ivan Volkov¡¯s family, that¡¯s who the vehicle belongs to,¡± I say. ¡°I want to help get revenge.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re to stay out of this, Tori,¡± Alessandro growls. ¡°This is not yours to handle.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my father,¡± I spit, and Alessandro is about to say something else when a doctores out. ¡°Mr. Sorvino?¡±


    Alessandro goes to him, and they talk in hushed tones. I go to stand by Luigi, who is ring daggers at me. I ignore him as I watch Alessandro. The doctor leaves, and Alessandroes over to us. We all huddle in as he speaks, ¡°Sonny is being put in a medically induceda. It isn¡¯t looking good, and they don¡¯t think he will make it. I¡¯m sorry, guys.¡± Alessandro looks at me. ¡°If your information is good, I¡¯ll send my message to the Volkov family.¡±


    My heart breaks, but I swallow my tears. I need to focus now to enact my revenge. My lips draw into a thin line as the men continue talking.


    ¡°Why would they attack us?¡± Luigi asks quietly.


    ¡°Probably because of how much we¡¯ve expanded. We¡¯ve united several families. They wanted an alliance with us at one point, but they might see us as a threat. But for me, this is an eye for an eye, and I will have men from Miguel¡¯s family send a personal message to Ivan The Bear Volkov.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s he called the bear?¡± I ask stupidly.


    Everyone stares at me, and Alessandro shakes his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is you shouldn¡¯t be involved in this.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my father, and this is my family too. I am not backing out now.¡± I cross my arms.


    Alessandro looks at Luigi. ¡°Go home, both of you. I¡¯ll send additional security to the house to keep you safe. When I hear something, I¡¯ll call you both.¡± He looks at me pointedly. ¡°But the decision of what to do is mine and mine alone, as head of this family. You will both respect that.¡±


    I nod, and Luigi takes my arm, leading me out of the hospital.

 #6 Chapter 2

    Ivan


    My favorite meal of the day might be dinner, but lunch at my mother¡¯s restaurant is always worthwhile. What I hate is being interrupted while I¡¯m eating, so when my brother Leonides into the restaurant carrying a soggy box, I¡¯m praying for his sake that it¡¯s noting my way.


    When he puts it on the table, I don¡¯t look up as I say, ¡°I¡¯m eating.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Uncle Dimitri,¡± he says quietly. ¡°Or at least a piece of him.¡±


    I sigh and wipe my mouth on a napkin. I nce at my cousin Evgeni who is eating beside me. ¡°Did I not just say I¡¯m eating?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s from the Sorvinos,¡± Leonid says, and I look at him and push my te to the side.


    I pull the box towards me. The soggy bottom leaves a disgusting streak of wetness on the table. I open the box and see the hand of my Uncle, wedding ring and all, sitting neatly in the box. The blood has soaked the bottom, and there can be no doubt that he¡¯s dead. I take out the hand and examine it before I look at Leonid. ¡°He was utterly useless anyway. All the man did was drink vodka and fuck painted whores.¡±


    I set the hand down on the table next to me, push the box away and pull my te back to me. I continue to eat, mulling over the message from Alessandro Sorvino.


    Leonid sits opposite me. ¡°The messenger said Don Sorvino says to stay away from his family and those under his protection.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that sweet,¡± I say snidely.


    ¡°Should we tell our people that we¡¯re at war with them,¡± Evgeni asks.


    ¡°Always so quick to make a rash judgment when it¡¯s better to think things through first.¡±


    I eat some more of my fish, enjoying the vors. It reminds me of home.


    Leonid shifts in his seat. ¡°I have a shipmenting in a few months, maybe seven. I¡¯m not entirely sure. I¡¯m waiting for confirmation. It¡¯s going to bring in a lot of money.¡± He signals to the waiter to bring a ss for him. Once it¡¯s set down, he pours from the bottle of vodka on the table. ¡°Money we¡¯ll need if we go to war.¡±


    ¡°War is costly,¡± I say, wiping my mouth again and sipping my vodka.


    ¡°So we will dere war?¡± Evgeni asks, clearly confused.


    ¡°No, but I have a message for Don Sorvino. One that I will personally deliver to him.¡± I stand up, and both my cousin and adopted brother stand up. ¡°I¡¯ll do it alone.¡±


    ¡°Is that safe?¡± Leonid asks. He¡¯s always been my right-hand man and second in charge. Originally he was my cousin, but his parents were killed in a bombing, and my parents took him in as my brother. I smile and ce a hand on his shoulder. ¡°It will be fine. You worry too much.¡±


    I leave them behind at the table, pausing by the kitchen to bid my mother farewell with a kiss before I leave to go to my car. I nce at the time. I¡¯ll be a little early, but I know the grocery store that Alessandro frequents. I¡¯ll go there and wait for him to make an appearance so I can talk to him.


    I once sought an alliance with his family, and I think about that as I start to drive. Once upon a time, I felt that if we united, we¡¯d be unstoppable, but Alessandro married Katya, a rival family. Then his brother married the daughter of another family. His other brother married the daughter of an Argentinian Don, and then his cousin is getting married soon to another prominent Italian family. Their family is getting too big, and they need to be put back in their ce, but perhaps now is just as good a time to make an alliance. Avoid war with numerous families by uniting under one.


    I park across the street from the grocery store and turn my engine off. I wait patiently. There are various ways to unite, and I¡¯m sure Alessandro doesn¡¯t want a war any more than I do, although he may want revenge.


    Alessandro and a woman walk into the grocery store, and I get out of the car, casually walking across the street and into the store.


    It¡¯s a proper Italian grocer, not something I would frequent often, but I know Alessandro owns the building and the family here is good to him. I make it my business to know things about my enemies.


    I stroll around the store pretending to browse. It¡¯s rtivelyrge for a grocer, and I find Alessandro in the deli section with a woman I know is not his wife, Katya. I observe them for a moment. She¡¯s beautiful and definitely family. She has those eyes, and when she speaks to Alessandro, she has admiration and a smile to dazzle.


    I walk over and stand next to him as though it¡¯s the most normal thing to do.


    Alessandro doesn¡¯t look in my direction, but I feel the tension rise between us. I pick up a sausage and inspect it as I say, ¡°I got your message, Don Sorvino.¡±


    The woman falls silent, and I can feel uncertainty roll off her. She knows this is business but isn¡¯t sure if she should stay or not.


    ¡°If my uncle dies, Pakhan Volkov, there will be a blood tribute to pay,¡± Alessandro says, as though this is just everyday shop talk.


    I smile. ¡°I expected as much. You know these things happen between families from time to time. It¡¯s an unfortunate consequence of being in our line of business.¡± I put the sausage back as a worker hurries to assist me. ¡°I¡¯ll take some Mortade and porchetta.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡± the worker asks nervously.


    ¡°Half a pound each for my mother,¡± I say before looking at Alessandro, who is being helped by an older gentleman.


    The woman he is with is staring at me with anger in her eyes. From the anger I see reflected there, I can only guess she¡¯s closer to the man my guys shot than Alessandro is, perhaps his daughter.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Alessandro asks, turning to me atst.


    ¡°Unity, wars are so expensive, especially the cost of lives lost. Perhaps a marriage between our families and an equal distribution of territories to ease over a transition,¡± I suggest, turning to watch the young man preparing my order.


    ¡°I would suggest trying the pancetta. Your mother would like it,¡± Alessandro says. ¡°You can try every meat here, but you won¡¯t be marrying anyone from my family, Ivan.¡±


    ¡°Alessandro,¡± I say, addressing him by his first name as well, ¡°there must be unity, or more blood is going to be spilled.¡± I change the subject, hoping to jar him. ¡°Who is your lovelypanion? Surely Katya won¡¯t be happy with you keepingpany with such a beautiful woman in your spare time.¡±


    Alessandro clicks his tongue. ¡°Leave my cousin alone.¡±


    ¡°Ivan Volkov,¡± I hold my hand out to her. ¡°What is your name?¡±


    She nces at Alessandro, who gives a slight nod. She doesn¡¯t take my hand, but she says coldly, ¡°Vittoria Sorvino, you shot my father.¡±


    I tilt my head to the side. ¡°I do apologize for that. My men can be a little overzealous at times when I give orders. I had no intention of dering war. This is not the first time I¡¯ve asked to unite our families. Alessandro, we would be indomitable if united. You seem to like marrying into other families to grow your power after all.¡±


    Vittoria eyes me out, but I don¡¯t pay attention. My focus is on Don Sorvino and what his next move is.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be marrying any of my family members to you, Ivan, but we can talk of peace negotiations.¡±


    Vittoria moves forward, and Alessandro puts a hand on her shoulder. ¡°At my estate, you may bring guards if you wish but no more than three. I offer you this opportunity to discuss peace and assure you I won¡¯t take your life. Yet.¡±


    I snort and take my packages from the young man. ¡°Many people have tried Don Sorvino, but very few have gotten that close. I ept your offer to discuss peace negotiations. I will mull over what I want from these negotiations. Perhaps we cane to an agreement that suits us both.¡± I look at Vittoria. ¡°I do hope your father pulls through, Miss Sorvino. Losing a father is a very difficult thing to deal with.¡±


    Alessandro steps between us protectively. ¡°Don¡¯t address her. You¡¯re here to deal with me.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Send me a date and time. You can leave a message for me at my family¡¯s restaurant in Brooklyn. I¡¯m sure you know where it is.¡± I turn to the cash register to pay for my packages, but the owner shakes his head. ¡°It¡¯s on the house.¡±


    I smile. ¡°Thank you for your kindness.¡± I leave through the doors, noting the guards that have appeared. I nod to them and cross the street to my car. I climb in and start the engine. I see Alessandro and Vittoria standing at the register, looking out where I am.


    Some would call me foolish for approaching the Italian Don without security, but I know he¡¯s a traditional man who follows protocols. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll have a time and date for our meeting in the next few days. For now, I¡¯m curious to know what my mother will make with the meats I got her. I pull away and join the traffic, thinking about Vittoria¡¯s angry eyes.

 #6 Chapter 3

    Vittoria


    I don¡¯t care what Alessandro says, I¡¯m going to be part of the family business. I¡¯ve been preparing what I¡¯m going to say the whole morning. The documents I have gathered are my academic records, reference letters, CV, and all my credentials. He can¡¯t deny that I will be good for the family. I run through what I¡¯m going to say in my head once more.


    I knock on his office door and hear his weary voice call, ¡°Come in.¡±


    I open and step in. I¡¯m dressed smartly and ready to mean business. His face instantly lights up. ¡°Tori! What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I want to talk to you,¡± I say as confidently as I can manage. ¡°And I don¡¯t want you to say anything until I¡¯m done.¡±


    He sits back andces his fingers together. ¡°Okay, go ahead.¡±


    Iy the documents on his desk. ¡°Here I have my CV, credentials, reference letters, and academic records. I didn¡¯t go to school to be a goody-two-shoeswyer who upholds thew, Alessandro. I want to run through these documents and exin how I will help the family.¡±


    He nods but doesn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Firstly, I have an excellent business mind, and while I might not be the most socially adept person, I¡¯m able to find the loopholes that will allow our family to expand, loopholes that I don¡¯t think even Frankie can find¡­¡±


    The door opens suddenly, and we both turn, and Alessandro holds a hand up. ¡°I¡¯m busy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Ivan Volkov,¡± Carmine announces. ¡°He wants to see you immediately.¡±


    Before we can say anything, Carmine steps back, and the man from the grocery store walks in. I¡¯m struck again by how handsome he is. Tall, with a beard and with gorgeous eyes. He looks strong and mature, and I can¡¯t help but feel something very strange but strong draw me to him despite my obvious hatred toward him for shooting my father.


    I stand behind Alessandro¡¯s desk and wait, irritated that I¡¯ve been interrupted.


    ¡°Pakhan Volkov,¡± Alessandro stands up, and they shake hands. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you.¡±


    ¡°I prefer it that way,¡± the Russian leader says. ¡°Keeps us all honest, but my visit will be brief, Don Sorvino. I¡¯vee to deliver my request for the unity of our families.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had time enough to work out which would be the best way forward,¡± Alessandro says, motioning for Ivan to sit down, but he doesn¡¯t.


    ¡°I have my terms, and I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not moved to negotiate on them.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Alessandro asks, cocking his head to the side. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem to be in the spirit of unity.¡±


    ¡°I want to unite our families through an arranged marriage,¡± he says, locking eyes with me.


    I don¡¯t look away, his bright eyes seem to drink me in, and I almost feel lost in them.


    ¡°Who do you want to marry your daughter off to, then?¡± Alessandro asks. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s more out of curiosity than anything else.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I¡¯m not marrying my daughter to anyone,¡± Ivan says. ¡°I want to marry Vittoria.¡±


    ¡°Never,¡± Alessandro doesn¡¯t even wait for him to finish his thought. ¡°I will never agree to this.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a choice, Don Sorvino. You have two weeks. I will n the entire wedding. We¡¯ll have the reception at a ce of your choosing. If Vittoria doesn¡¯t show up to marry me, I will systematically kill off everyone in the Sorvino family and anyone affiliated with them. Do you understand my meaning?¡±


    ¡°I could dere war,¡± Alessandro snarls, clenching his fists. ¡°You don¡¯t juste into my home and make demands as though you own me.¡±


    ¡°Let me be clear, Sorvino, you wouldn¡¯t even have time to dere war before each person you love would be dead. Besides, I don¡¯t want to own you, but your family is getting too big for its boots, and someone has to put you back in your ce. We will evenly share the territories between our two families as payment for the wedding. Consider it a deal you shouldn¡¯t want to refuse.¡± Ivan looks at me again. ¡°Be there, Vittoria, or I will fulfill my promise.¡±


    Ivan turns and leaves, and I am not sure what¡¯s wrong with me when I admire his tight ass as he strides out of Alessandro¡¯s office even after hearing what¡¯s he willing to do to my family.


    My desire to prove myself and to protect my family is stronger than fear though, so I turn to my cousin. ¡°Alessandro¡­¡± I begin, but he cuts me off.


    ¡°Not now, Vittoria. We need to meet with the family,¡± he says.


    ¡°I want to be in on that meeting,¡± I say sternly. ¡°It¡¯s my life.¡±


    Alessandro looks at me and then puts both hands on my shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m not marrying you off to that monster.¡± He hits a button on the phone on his desk. ¡°Carmine, summon everyone in the family to meet in half an hour at the bistro. Close it to other customers. This is urgent.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Carmine¡¯s voicees through the speaker.


    ¡°Come,¡± Alessandro gestures for me to walk ahead of him. ¡°We need to get there as soon as possible.¡±


    I get in Alessandro¡¯s car, feeling nervous. I don¡¯t understand why Ivan insists on marrying me specifically. I mean, he must be like twenty-plus years older than me. I think of my father in his medically induceda in the hospital, and my blood boils. How dare this Russian asshole assume he can own me on a whim?


    We reach the bistro and don¡¯t have to wait long for the rest of the main family members to arrive. It¡¯s mostly immediate family from Alessandro and my side, as well as my cousins from my Aunt Louisa¡¯s side. Once everyone is settled, Alessandro stands to speak.


    ¡°The Volkov family insists that Vittoria marry Ivan Volkov in two weeks, or they will attack our family.¡±


    There is an uproar from everyone, some of the family members look at me, and I blush slightly, feeling once again like an outsider. Although I want my opinion to carry weight, I¡¯ve always felt socially awkward, even with my family. As though I don¡¯t belong here.


    Alessandro holds his hands up. ¡°Obviously, we¡¯re not going to allow that to happen, so we must prepare for a war against the Volkov family.¡±


    ¡°Alessandro,¡± Luigi stands up, ¡°it¡¯s going to be hard to fight a war against them. They¡¯re a powerful family.¡±


    ¡°So are we,¡± Alessandro says, ¡°and I¡¯ll be dead before I let that many his hands on your sister.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but maybe we should make them think they¡¯ve won,¡± Luigi says, ncing at me. ¡°Tori is smart. She can handle herself. She could feed us information about their operations, affiliates, and territories, and we could break the Volkovs from the inside out.¡±


    ¡°Are you mad?¡± Dominic roars. ¡°You want to put Tori in danger in the hopes she can gather information from a dangerous man and feed it back to us.¡±


    Luigi holds his hands up. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that Tori could help us end this without bloodshed. On our side anyway.¡±


    I incline my head, and as everyone starts grumbling, Alessandro shakes his head. ¡°I¡¯m not cing your sister in the hands of this madman in the hope we can win that way.¡±


    ¡°I can do it,¡± I say, sounding more confident than I feel. ¡°It¡¯s just like a court case: taking what the opposition has and using it against them. It¡¯s strategic, and Luigi is right. We could avoid so much bloodshed this way.¡±


    Alessandro looks into my eyes. ¡°Tori, I¡¯m not arguing with you over this.¡±


    ¡°He is my father,¡± I say. ¡°I want revenge more than even you do.¡±


    Alessandro sighs and looks at Frankie. ¡°Care to weigh in?¡±


    ¡°I agree with Luigi,¡± Frankie says with a sigh.


    Luigi perks up. ¡°She¡¯s our best shot. She¡¯s intelligent and knows how to get the information we need.¡±


    ¡°I can do this, Alessandro.¡± My voice is clear even though I feel timid.


    Everyone falls quiet as Alessandro¡¯s phone rings. He checks the number and holds his hand up before answering it. He steps away from everyone and has a quiet chat with whoever is on the phone. When he hangs up, hees back to us and looks at all of us gravely.


    ¡°Tori. Luigi. Kira.¡± I know it¡¯s bad news, and I try to brace myself. ¡°Your father¡¯s condition has taken a turn for the worse. They¡¯re saying it could be weeks or even a few days, but they don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to make it.¡±


    I clench my fists. ¡°It¡¯s all the more reason to take down Ivan. He did this.¡±


    Alessandro watches me for a moment before he looks around at each of our family member¡¯s determined faces. I know they¡¯re all standing with me on this front.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he says atst. ¡°You¡¯ll marry Ivan, but you do know what that will entail, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m prepared to do what it takes to save our family,¡± I say coldly. ¡°I can do it.¡±


    Alessandro sighs and runs a hand through his hair. ¡°You need to promise me you¡¯ll be careful, Tori. You need to understand that you grew up in an Italian family. Russians are different from us. They do things differently, and they¡¯ll be suspicious of you from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± I say quietly, ¡°but it doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re Italian or Russian. All men are the same in the end, no matter where theye from.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send word to Ivan. I guess you¡¯d best pick out your wedding dress, and I¡¯ll have Be and Aunt Louisa¡¯s family prepare the reception at the estate. Remember, everyone, you need to be on your best behavior. It¡¯s going to be tense and ufortable, but I want no fighting at the wedding or the estate afterward. Tori¡¯s life very much depends on how we behave.¡±

 #6 Chapter 4

    Vittoria


    The days leading up to the wedding are the most nerve-wracking of my life. Under other circumstances, I¡¯d consider myself lucky to be marrying someone as handsome and powerful as Ivan. As it is, all I do is go for gown fittings and sit through strategic nning meetings with my cousins and brother. I visit my father often, but I can do nothing for him except get my revenge.


    Kiraes into my room on the day of the wedding to help me get dressed. Her belly bulges out in front of her, and she gives me a warm smile. ¡°What you¡¯re doing is incredibly brave, Tori.¡±


    My siblings and I have never had an easy rtionship, but I appreciate the sentiment.


    ¡°Today, I marry the man who essentially just made us orphans,¡± Iment, looking in the full-length mirror.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°The makeup artist and hair stylists are here to get you ready,¡± Kira says softly. ¡°It would be best not to talk about these things in front of them.¡±


    I nod. ¡°I know, Kira. I¡¯m not a fool.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you ready then,¡± she waddles to the door and opens it. ¡°You cane in.¡±


    Two women enter and immediately start fussing over me. They lead me over to a chair and begin unpacking tons of things. At least I was able to pick my own makeup artist and hairstylist. They speak in Italian, fast, and I listen to them gossip away about how lucky the groom is to have such a beautiful bride. I don¡¯t talk much, withdrawing inside of myself. I need to steel myself for what I¡¯m about to do. I always wanted to help the family, but some things worried me. I don¡¯t think my family realizes I¡¯m a virgin. It¡¯s less expected these days, and I didn¡¯t want to bring it up because I knew they¡¯d then freak out, but what if Ivan is some sort of weirdo in bed? What if he wants me to do weird things? I wouldn¡¯t even know where to start. Oh, God.


    Kira seems to notice something is up and strokes my hand softly. ¡°It¡¯s all going to be okay. If you need help, just call. It¡¯s not like you won¡¯t be able to see us once you¡¯re married.¡±


    I nod slightly then the makeup artist turns my head sharply with the tip of her finger, so I¡¯m looking at her. ¡°Hold still.¡±


    I sit still but keep my eyes downcast. It takes almost three hours to get the makeup and hair done. I¡¯m wearing dark eyeliner, which makes my blue-gray Sorvino eyes really pop. My hair is gathered at the top of my head in a bun, and curls spill out of it and cascade down to my shoulders. I really should cut my hair shorter. I only ever keep it tied up anyway.


    Kira helps me into my wedding gown. The bodice is figure-hugging, then the skirt balloons out like a proper princess dress. We get my heels on, clip my tiara into my hair, and add the veil.


    Many people will wear a veil and wear white whether they are virgins or not. In my case, it¡¯s because I am. No one needs to know that, though.


    There¡¯s a knock on the door, and it opens. Alessandro smiles at me. ¡°You look absolutely gorgeous, Tori.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Alessandro,¡± I say, smiling sadly at him. ¡°I¡¯m going to make you proud.¡±


    ¡°I know you will,¡± he kisses my cheek, but I can see the sadness in his eyes.


    ¡°Cheer up. We need to act like we¡¯re happy about this,¡± I say, taking his arm. ¡°Thanks for walking me down the aisle.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my honor,¡± he says as he escorts me out. ¡°I hired a special limo just for the asion.¡±


    I smile as we walk out together, a genuine smile because I know I am finally helping my family, even at this cost. The drive to the church is quiet, and my nerves are quickly setting in.


    ¡°Is everything set up at Kira¡¯s vi for the reception?¡± I ask, fiddling with my bouquet.


    ¡°Yes, everything is perfect. We¡¯ll show them how to throw a party,¡± Alessandro says as the limo stops outside the church. We get out, me with some difficulty, and then Alessandro takes my arm. Kira waddles up with Miguel on her arm and wishes me luck before she enters the church.


    I wait nervously, and when the music starts, I walk slowly with Alessandro up the stairs and through the doors. Everyone is standing and watching as I walk. There are Russian family members to my right and my family to the left-a clear division.


    I see Ivan standing at the front of the church, watching me. I can¡¯t tell what he¡¯s thinking, I¡¯m not a mind reader, but I catch my breath. He looks exceptionally handsome in his three-piece suit. He has two groomsmen standing to his right, and there are two bridesmaids I don¡¯t recognize to the right. One looks like him, perhaps a sister.


    We reach the front, and Alessandro reluctantly holds my hand out for Ivan to take. Ivan nods and leads me to stand in front of the priest. It all happens so suddenly. We use generic vows, and I hardly listen to the priest lecture about marriage being an evestingmitment. Suddenly Ivan is escorting me out of the church, and people are showering us with rice as we make our way to our limo.


    We¡¯re both silent as we drive toward Kira¡¯s vi, it¡¯s not far away, but I have nothing to say to him. As we get out, he turns to me. ¡°At least pretend to smile for the photos. You¡¯ll get used to the situation soon enough.¡±


    A smile that probably looks like a grimace is all I can manage. We do wedding photos first, and I try to smile naturally even though Ivan is quite serious. Then we¡¯re announced to the families and escorted into the garden, where again, the Russian and Italian families are sitting separately. Alessandro is seated at the head table with Katya, and Ivan and I sit so that Ivan and Alessandro are ced together, with me to Ivan¡¯s left and Katya to Alessandro¡¯s right.


    The families talk, drink, and eat amongst themselves. There isn¡¯t a dance floor, and I almost feel as though that was done on purpose to avoid punches flying between drunk family members. What I do notice is that neither Ivan nor Alessandro drink alcohol. This is telling to me because it means they both don¡¯t want to let their guard down around each other.


    While we are busy with dessert, Ivan asks me, ¡°Do you like the wedding?¡±


    ¡°Not sure like is the adequate word here, but you¡¯ve been very generous,¡± I say politely, wiping my mouth on a napkin.


    ¡°Unfortunately, my daughter couldn¡¯t make it. She¡¯s only flying inter today so you will meet her at home.¡± Hepletely ignores my jab.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had a daughter,¡± Iment, no one had mentioned me being a stepmother, and he catches me off guard.


    ¡°She¡¯s about your age, so maybe the two of you could be friends,¡± hements, sipping on his water. ¡°You¡¯ll certainly be spending time together both at home and out of it. I¡¯m sure once you take the time to get to know each other, you¡¯ll get along well.¡±


    ¡°So she¡¯s about twenty-three?¡± I ask curiously.


    ¡°Yes, I had her when I was twenty. The best thing that has happened in my life.¡± He doesn¡¯t seem to want to speak further. Maybe he feels he is revealing a weakness, which he certainly has. I couldn¡¯t stomach the idea of killing someone, though, and a part of me hoped Alessandro doesn¡¯t think of killing the young girl either. That¡¯s not what I signed up for.


    Once all the food dishes are out of the way, Ivan stands up and offers me his hand. ¡°One dance, as husband and wife, before we take our leave and go home.¡±


    I know all my stuff was already packed and shipped to him this week, so nothing is left for me here. I take his hand and stand, holding my gown in my other hand. He whisks me onto the dance floor, and a slow bad begins to y. I don¡¯t understand it, it¡¯s in Russian, but it almost sounds sad. He sweeps me around in a waltz, and to avoid getting dizzy, I keep my eyes trained on his. He looks down at me, and I see something inside his eyes, a softness mixed with desire. I swallow hard as the song ends, let go of him, and give a slight bow.


    He bows back and smiles, then says something to his family in Russian before turning to Alessandro, ¡°We will take our leave now. Thank you for inviting us to your family¡¯s home. Once Vittoria is settled, your family is wee to visit her at my apartment. With prior arrangement, of course.¡±


    Alessandro stands and shakes Ivan¡¯s hand. ¡°We look forward to being on better terms with the Volkov family. Long may our families be united under amon cause.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be in touch about dividing the territories. Come, Vittoria,¡± he holds out his hand but first, I go to Alessandro and kiss his cheeks. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Alessandro squeezes my shoulder and lets me go. I take Ivan¡¯s hand, and we file out with the rest of the Russian guests to our car.

 #6 Chapter 5

    Ivan


    The elevator doors open, and I lead Vittoria into my apartment. I pause once we¡¯re over the threshold and signal to my guard Aleks toe over. ¡°Search her for weapons.¡±


    Vittoria looks at me, surprised. ¡°Excuse me? No one¡¯s putting their hands on me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be a fool to trust my new bride toe in here unarmed, with an aim to kill me. These sorts of alliances can turn sour very quickly. So you get searched, and then I will take you to our bedroom.¡± I stand there, and Vittoria looks at me disdainfully before she holds her arms out. Aleks begins to check her over, and while he does, I speak to her, ¡°I know this isn¡¯t what you want, but no matter how beautiful you are or how I feel towards you, you are now part of my family, and your loyalty should be with me. Be loyal to me, Vittoria. You might evene to love me, and I will never hurt you.¡±


    Aleks stands up. ¡°No weapons, Pakhan.¡±


    ¡°This way, Vittoria,¡± I say, but before I can move, she crosses her arms.


    ¡°Tori.¡± She says simply.


    I look at her. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I hate being called Vittoria. Everyone calls me Tori. If we¡¯re going to be together, then I would prefer you call me Tori.¡± Her blue-gray eyes bore into me, and I smirk at her resistance.


    ¡°Fine, Tori,e this way so you can unpack.¡± I walk down the hallway. ¡°Your things are already in our room. We¡¯ve cleared some space for you to unpack your things, and if you need anything, I will give you my bank card so you can purchase what you want.¡±


    I walk into the bedroom. Her things are piled on one side of the king bed, and I look at her. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll want to change out of your wedding dress as well. There¡¯s a garment bag to hang it up in.¡±


    ¡°Where will you sleep?¡± she asks quietly, almost shyly.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    I cock an eyebrow. ¡°Next to you. We are husband and wife. Normally, that means we share a bed. If you need time to settle, I won¡¯t consummate our marriage yet, but you should know it will happen sooner orter.¡±


    She looks stricken, but I have other things to deal with, so I leave the bedroom and head back to the main living area. I take out my phone and dial my cousin¡¯s number, waiting for him to answer.


    ¡°Evgeni,e in the morning so we can discuss our ns for the Sorvino territories. I want to go over every possibility,¡± I say.


    ¡°Sure, no problem,¡± Evgeni says, I hear giggling, and I know he¡¯s with a woman. I shake my head and hang up. The front door opens, and Leonid walks in.


    I nce at him as I walk past, going to the tray where I keep my finest whiskey and vodka. I pour us each a drink and offer him a ss. He takes it and sips it slowly.


    ¡°We could have the Sorvinos now where we want them,¡± Leonid says casually. ¡°We should treat your bride as a bargaining chip, a hostage, and negotiate better terms if they don¡¯t want her to die.¡±


    The thought of Toriing to harm doesn¡¯t sit well with me, which in itself is strange. Since my wife passed, I¡¯ve been a pretty cold person. I don¡¯t believe in allowing myself to get emotionally attached to people, though I see the power of them getting emotionally attached to me. Loyalty gets you very far with people. I wave him off, annoyed. ¡°I¡¯m not going to do that. I¡¯m a man of my word if nothing else, and now that I¡¯ve married Tori, you will treat her with the level of respect she deserves in our family. As my wife, she holds more standing than even you, Leonid, as my second in charge.¡±


    Leonid looks sour, but I down my drink. ¡°Anastasia will be back soon. Why don¡¯t you go home and worry about your own affairs for once, my brother? We will meet tomorrow to discuss my ns for our family.¡±


    Leonid also downs his drink and sighs. ¡°Yes, Pakhan.¡±


    I know he¡¯s annoyed when he addresses me formally, but Leonid is always a bit touchy. It¡¯s why I keep a close eye on him. He has a temper and is impulsive, so I have to ensure he doesn¡¯t do something rash. I know it was he who ordered the hit on the Sorvinos, but I had to support him after the fact to avoid fractioning my own family. I don¡¯t condone what he did. It almost sent us into total war. It did, however,nd me with my beautiful bride.


    I spend the rest of my evening reading. Tori doesn¡¯te out of the bedroom, so I assume she¡¯s taking her time unpacking her things into the walk-in closet. I nce at my watch: almost ten at night. I sigh. My daughter¡¯s flight must have been dyed, which happens asionally.


    I¡¯m trying to concentrate on this new book by Celeste Riley, but my mind keeps drifting back to Tori. Her figure, her hair, and her eyes are all I can think about-how physically perfect she is. I haven¡¯t felt this way about someone since Anastasia¡¯s mother, and I never thought I¡¯d feel this way again. This is physical attraction. That¡¯s all it is, I mentally scold myself. It¡¯s a physical attraction.


    I hear the elevator ping, ce my bookmark between the pages, and set the book down. I stride out of the library and see Anastasiaing in, my guards helping her with her luggage.


    ¡°Father!¡± she deres, throwing her arms around my neck. I hug her tightly and kiss her head. ¡°Ana! Wee back. How were your travels?¡±


    ¡°They were fine, dyed as usual, but I¡¯m d to be back.¡± She gives me a bright smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t home in time for your wedding.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re home now, and that¡¯s what matters the most.¡± I stroke the hair out of her eyes. ¡°Talking of my new bride. Let the guards take your things to your room, and I¡¯ll introduce you to her.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡± Anastasia asks as we walk together.


    ¡°She wants to be called Tori, but her name is Vittoria,¡± I exin, opening the bedroom door to find Tori, changed and dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, hair tied up, sitting on the bed with her hands folded in herp. She stands up as I walk in.


    ¡°Tori, this is my daughter, Anastasia. Ana, this is Tori,¡± I say, gesturing between them.


    Anastasia gives Tori the once-over nce I know too well, and then she extends her hand. ¡°Hi, Vittoria. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    Tori seems awkward as she shakes my daughter¡¯s hand, and yes, I can see how it would be a bit weird being my bride and the same age as my child.


    ¡°Thank you, Anastasia. It¡¯s a p-pleasure to meet you, t-too.¡±


    Anastasia lets go of Tori¡¯s hand, turns around, and leaves the room. I chuckle. ¡°My child is impatient and probably tired from her travels. Is there anything you want before we go to bed? Did you manage to unpack everything?¡±


    ¡°I managed to unpack everything, thank you,¡± Tori says awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯ll change in the bathroom for bed then. I don¡¯t need anything else.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll change here and freshen up once you¡¯re done,¡± I say, waiting for her to grab her things and leave the room.


    I strip down to my boxers and put my clothes in the hamper. My mother always ran an immacte house, and I like to run the same. Everything is in its ce, and everything is in order. An ordered mind is a clear mind.


    Tories out dressed in long pajamas, and I smirk. ¡°You might want to consider putting on something more light. The duvet is thick.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± she insists, looking around. I point to the hamper. ¡°You can put your dirty clothes in there. We have a maid who will wash everything and pack it away.¡±


    As she does that, I go to the bathroom to brush my teeth and trim my beard. I like to keep it short and neat.


    After I finish washing up, Ie into the bedroom to find her beside the bed. ¡°Well, get in.¡±


    She slides the duvet back and slips into bed. She pulls the duvet right up to her chin, turning her back to where I would be.


    I turn the main lights off, slide into the bed, and turn the bedsidemp off.


    We aren¡¯t touching, but there¡¯s a heat between us that I can sense, and it has nothing to do with the room temperature or the thickness of the duvet. She is a remarkably attractive woman. There¡¯s no reason I shouldn¡¯t be attracted to her after all.


    Those blue-gray eyes are legendary in her family, and I can see why. They are a gateway into another world. A part of me wants to turn on my side and spoon her, feel her body against mine. I promised I¡¯d wait to consummate the marriage, though, and I am a man of my word.


    She needs to get settled, I don¡¯t know what kind of experience she has, and quite frankly, I don¡¯t trust her mouth near my dick just yet. However, the thought makes me turn my back to her as my dick gets semi-hard at the idea.


    I try to think of other things before drifting off.

 #6 Chapter 6

    Vittoria


    The days have passed slowly, and I have spent most of them trying to figure out a way to establish myself in a position to get information for my family on the Volkovs.


    Ivan is like a brick wall regarding information, and it¡¯s clear he doesn¡¯t trust me. He gave me my own debit card and said I could move the apartment around to suit my own needs. Wanting to appear appreciative, I¡¯ve done my best to invent a space where we all can cohabit together, although Anastasia is less than pleased about this.


    The penthouse apartment is bigger than any apartment I¡¯ve ever been to, and that¡¯s saying something. I¡¯ve discovered many different rooms, from the gym to the home theater, but my favorite is the library. Ivan clearly is an avid reader, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve found one untouched book in his library.


    I spend most of my time there pouring over stories in-between napping on the sofa since there isn¡¯t much for me to do. I don¡¯t even see Anastasia that much because she¡¯s always going out, which I¡¯m thankful for. I¡¯ve never been really good at social interaction, and I wouldn¡¯t know what to say to her, even though she¡¯s my age.


    Even if I wanted to get to know her, she¡¯s useless to me. My family trusts me to get the information they need to destroy Ivan and his family, and I need to focus on that.


    The only problem is that I haven¡¯t found an in, and I feel the pressure to do it soon.


    It¡¯s been five days, and after a particrly long nap on the sofa, I decide to order some pizza from my favorite pizzeria for lunch. As I walk through the apartment, I pause when I see Leonid and Ivan talking. They don¡¯t seem to notice me at first, so I just stand there.


    ¡°We need to negotiate decent territories with the Sorvinos, or this would have been for nothing,¡± Leonid insists. ¡°I¡¯m more than capable of choosing what is best for our family.¡±


    ¡°Contracts will be drawn up, and Evgeni¡¯s father will look at them and confirm they¡¯re the best possible thing for us,¡± Ivan says. He finally notices me and frowns. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I can help,¡± I say suddenly, unsure where that came from. ¡°I am awyer, top of my ss. I could review the contracts and make notes before your uncle looks over them. He can have the final say. It would give me something to do.¡± I¡¯m rather proud of my exnation, but I still wait with bated breath.


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. You would side in favor of your family,¡± Leonid snarls. ¡°You have no loyalty to us. Ivan, tell her.¡±


    Ivan¡¯s eyes meet my own, and I try to keep my face neutral. He¡¯s hesitating, which is a good sign, but I don¡¯t want to seem overeager.


    ¡°Okay,¡± he says at longst.


    ¡°What?¡± Leonid roars.


    Ivan turns and grabs Leonid¡¯s throat in his hand, giving me a fright. He res at him. ¡°Remember who you are speaking to.¡± He doesn¡¯t look at me, but he addresses me. ¡°This is an opportunity to prove that you are loyal to your new family. Don¡¯t screw us over, or you will regret it. The Volkovs are your family now. You must do what is in our best interests.¡±


    I nod and turn to leave, but he speaks again, still holding Leonid¡¯s face in his hands, his eyes ring at his second-inmand. ¡°Also, you need to go get dressed. There are a few events that we are going to soon, and I need you properly dressed. You are going to go shopping now for appropriate clothes.¡±


    ¡°Will you being with me to approve?¡± I ask curiously. It could be an opportunity to source more information.


    Ivan snorts and finally releases Leonid who struggles getting back for air. ¡°Not my area of expertise. My mother, Arina, will meet you there and help you pick out what you need. She¡¯s familiar with what I like and the kinds of events that I attend.¡± He walks off, and I shiver slightly when I see Leonid looking at me as though he¡¯d like to murder me.


    I try to ignore him and get changed before I meet Aleks at the elevator to be escorted to the stores. I¡¯m nervous about meeting Arina. She was at the wedding, but we didn¡¯t say a word to each other. She¡¯s a rather severe-looking woman who scared the shit out of me.


    The car ride there is in absolute silence. I¡¯m almost tempted to ask the driver to put the radio on, but it¡¯ll probably be a Russian radio station or something. We arrive on Fifth Avenue, and I know we¡¯re going boutique shopping. My family loves shopping on Fifth Avenue, and while I¡¯ve found decent work clothes here, I¡¯ve never branched out into formal wear for events.


    Aleks escorts me into the store and leads me to the woman I recognize as Arina.


    ¡°Moy rebenok,¡± she says and gives me a warm smile, easing my nerves. I must look confused because she chuckles and exins, ¡°It means, my child because that is what you are now. Ivan exined that you need some formal wear for some of the events he is attending. I hope you don¡¯t mind if I help. I couldn¡¯t resist getting to know my daughter. Ivan¡¯s first wife was like a daughter to me for the longest time, and I miss having a woman to do things with.¡±


    Although I am hesitant, I feel a slight warmth in my heart and quickly say, ¡°Of course, I am looking forward to getting to know you as well.¡±


    ¡°Ivan told me your size, and I have selected a few modest but beautiful dresses with essories for you to try, but if you don¡¯t like them, you must say so because I want you to befortable. Nothing worse than attending these snotty events and feeling ufortable the entire evening.¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What kind of events would we attend?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Premiers, theater, formal charity balls,¡± she exins, leading me to the dressing room. ¡°Ivan donates a lot to charity. He¡¯s a good child.¡±


    I hesitate, and sheughs. ¡°I know what man my son is, but that doesn¡¯t mean there isn¡¯t good in him.¡±


    I feel so awkward, I hate social situations so I quickly nod. ¡°Sorry, I meant no offense.¡±


    ¡°It was my husband¡¯s wish for Ivan to take over the family,¡± she says as she pulls back the curtain and closes it behind us. ¡°Not mine. I wanted him to be a big-shot ountant or investor.¡±


    I smile because that is such a typical mother thing to want, and mothers are not typical in families like ours. She points to the pile of clothes she¡¯s hadid out for me. ¡°If they are ufortable, please don¡¯t hesitate to say so. There¡¯s nothing worse than going out for hours in something you¡¯re notfortable in.¡± She repeats.


    ¡°Thank you, you¡¯re so kind,¡± I say, and I mean it. I like her a lot. If there¡¯s going to be anyone in this family I like, it will be her.


    We start to try on the clothes, and aside from adjusting a size up and down here and there, they are veryfortable, and I have to admit they make me look exceptional in a way I¡¯ve never seen myself. It makes me feel a bit more confident. I know I look beautiful.


    The essories are just as stunning. She¡¯d chosen white-gold jewelry with sapphire stones which brings out my eyes. I almost sparkle.


    All in all, I had a ton of fun, and I don¡¯t even know why I was nervous, to begin with, because she is the sweetest woman I¡¯ve ever met. For a moment, I feel a pang of guilt because I know my n is to overturn her family. I try to push the feeling away and not think about it because I know it won¡¯t do me any good.


    When we¡¯re done and ready to go, she pays for everything despite my protests. I blush and fumble over my words. ¡°Ivan gave me a card.¡±


    ¡°A mother should be able to spoil her daughter,¡± Arina says kindly as she pays. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s probably from the same ount anyway.¡±


    I smile, and we walk out of the store. She hugs me around my packages. ¡°You¡¯re going to do fine. I¡¯ll see you soon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for everything,¡± I say genuinely. ¡°I really appreciate what you¡¯ve done for me.¡±


    She pats my face with her hand and walks away with her bodyguards. Mine load my packages into the car as I climb in, rxing back as we drive to the apartment.


    Without any warning, a car suddenly hits ours from the side, t-boning us. Our tires squeal as the driver tries to maintain control. There are suddenly bullets flying through the air and they shatter the window next to me. The guard yells at me to get down and I listen. There is fire from both sides and I keep my hands over my ears and wait for it to be over, annoyed at feeling so useless, but also scared the other side would win and kill me. When the bullets stop firing, I feel the car moving again, fast, and I nce up shakily, ¡°Is it over?¡±


    ¡°For now,¡± the guardments, ¡°They were clearly out for blood, though. We must report this to Pakhan.¡±


    When we arrive at the apartment I take my parcels upstairs, and the guard stands at the door, staying there while I walk in. I nce around, but I don¡¯t see Ivan anywhere. I feel shaky though and just want to wash the ss out of my hair. I see his brother is there, Leonid, and as he looks at me, I see a raged-fueled hate that makes me deeply uneasy.


    ¡°Wasting money on shit already?¡± he sneers, walking toward me. He grabs a dress from one of the bags, holds it up, and then tosses it at me. I put my packages down and put the dress back.


    ¡°Ivan arranged it,¡± I say quietly, unsure how safe I am, ¡°We were attacked.¡±


    Leonid steps toward me, and I back right into a corner. He takes my chin into his hand and presses it with much pressure, so I am forced to look at him. ¡°I know you¡¯re going to fuck over my family. I don¡¯t trust you to handle anything for us. Your family probably arranged that attack to make you seem innocent.¡±


    ¡°Ivan trusts me.¡± I try to sound steady, but my voice trembles. The door opens, and Evgeni, Ivan¡¯s cousin, walks in. Leonid quickly backs off from me. I don¡¯t waste a moment as I grab my packages and flee to the bedroom, shutting the door behind me.

 #6 Chapter 7

    Ivan


    When I walk into the apartment, the first thing I notice is Evgeni and Leonid talking in hushed voices in the corner of the dining room. The quiet conversation stops immediately when they notice me, and it raises my suspicions. They must be able to tell because Leonid steps forward. ¡°Ivan, we want to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Has something gone wrong?¡± I ask curiously, pouring myself a ss of vodka.


    ¡°We want to talk about the negotiations with the Sorvino family.¡± Leonid has always been straight to the point. I do like that about him.


    I wave him off. ¡°It¡¯s being handled.¡±


    ¡°I think I would be in a better position to negotiate territories with the Sorvino family,¡± Leonid says bluntly, ¡°I have the family¡¯s best interests at heart, and I can secure the best possible deal for the family.¡±


    I sip my vodka and unbutton my suit jacket. ¡°Tori is already assigned to sort it out. She knows her family best and will secure a great deal for our family.¡±


    ¡°You would trust a traitorous Sorvino over your own brother?¡± Leonid snaps.


    My eyes meet his, and he goes quiet. ¡°I appreciate your willingness to always help our family, but in this case, you¡¯re not the best person for the job. You are always on the attack, Leonid. You are too aggressive and rash to make these sorts of decisions. You¡¯re ying football instead of chess. We need to think ahead of our opponents, and this gives Tori a chance to prove she has a ce in this family. She is being double-checked, so it¡¯s not like I¡¯m giving her free reign. If she does double-cross me, she will regret it.¡±


    Leonid res at me. I know thements sting, but that¡¯s not my problem. I also know he knows better than to start with me. I¡¯m not one to easily bow down to someone who thinks they¡¯re an alpha male. Leonid isn¡¯t an alpha, although he likes to pretend he is.


    Evgeni steps forward. ¡°We, of course, support all your decisions as the head of our family, Ivan. We just have concerns.¡±


    ¡°Do you both think I¡¯m a blind fool? That I would just let her choose what we get and trust she¡¯ll do the best. No, this is one of many tests to ensure shees into the fold and learns her ce.¡±


    Evgeni nods and falls silent, but I can see Leonid isn¡¯t finished. ¡°Was there something else?¡±


    ¡°The shipment mighte in earlier than expected. I don¡¯t think you need to be there when it¡¯s opened, I can handle it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make time for it, don¡¯t worry.¡± I wave my hand and down my vodka. ¡°Now leave. I have work to do, and so do you. Unless you¡¯ve sorted all your problems before presenting me with what you think mine are?¡±


    ¡°Tori was attacked,¡± Evgeni says, ¡°That¡¯s the final news.¡±


    ¡°How? By whom? Was she hurt?¡± I ask with a frown.


    ¡°No, she¡¯s fine. Our men contained the situation. We¡¯re already working on finding out who¡¯s behind the attack.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Make sure you find it sooner rather thanter. There¡¯s nothing else I need you for, you are free to leave.¡± Iment, wondering who would attack Tori.


    Leonid seems to want to say something, but Evgeni puts a hand on his arm. ¡°We¡¯ll leave. Thank you for hearing us out.¡±


    I watch as they walk out of the apartment. I can see my brother isn¡¯t impressed, but he must remember his ce. He is only my brother because his parents, my aunt and uncle, were killed, and my parents took him in and raised him as their own.


    I go to the kitchen, get a bottle of orange juice, and take it to my office. I sit down and enter my password, bringing up my work. Before I do anything else, I try not to focus too much on this mysterious event and whether it was nned by the Sorvinos. I start to answer a few emails, and I check our secret messages through reviews on online retailers and respond ordingly. Then I pull up the financials for thest quarter. Everything is cleverly disguised behind a ¡®legit¡¯ business. We have perfected this.


    I open the bank ount and see that my mother had paid for the clothes today. I¡¯m sure she made Tori feelfortable. It¡¯s why I asked my mother specifically.


    An amount on the bank statement catches my eye. A hundred thousand dors was transferred without any reference of who it was transferred by, to who, or to what ount. My family doesn¡¯t generally ess this ount. This is the business ount. They have cards to pay for things but can¡¯t log on and initiate transfers. Only the ountant and I can do that.


    I email Will, the ountant, and ask him to look into it because I feel like something is going on, and if someone is doing something behind my back, they will pay dearly for it.


    There¡¯s a light knock on my door, and I nce up from the email I¡¯m drafting to see Tori standing in the doorway. I sit back and rub my beard. ¡°Did you have fun? At least before you were attacked.¡±


    ¡°Your mother is really sweet,¡± she says, shifting from foot to foot, ¡°She knows her way around a clothes store. The attack was frightening, but I wasn¡¯t hurt.¡± She looks shaken but gives me a small smile.


    I return the smile then it fades quickly. I can¡¯t give in to my emotions on a whim. What I feel for Tori might be physical, but I can¡¯t let it get emotional. She is a business transaction, and that is all.


    ¡°I wanted to ask if there¡¯s anything that I can help with. I¡¯m not doing anything at the moment, and I¡¯m kind of bored,¡± she exins.


    I sit up straight. ¡°The contracts will being soon, and you¡¯ll be spending a lot of hard hours working on those to secure us the best possible deal. For now, find something to do, rx and watch a movie or something.¡±


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s okay, I¡¯d like to go see my sister Kira,¡± she says quietly. ¡°She¡¯s pregnant and nning a wedding, so I want to see if there¡¯s anything I can help with. I mean, I can still help my family like that, can¡¯t I?¡±


    I look at her for what feels like the longest time, our eyes locked onto each other. Finally, I nod. ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of you going to your family on your own. It¡¯s a trust thing, but I understand how important family is. Take one of my men, and you can go. I won¡¯t have an issue if one of my men escorts you.¡±


    If Tori is annoyed by the usation, she doesn¡¯t show it. Instead, she gives a small nod. ¡°Thank you, Ivan. I appreciate that. I¡¯ll take Aleks. Is there a specific time you want me to be back?¡±


    ¡°Dinner is at six. Anastasia is eating with us tonight before she goes out,¡± I exin. ¡°You can then tell me how your day was.¡±


    She nods. ¡°I will be home just before that so I can freshen up a little.¡±


    She turns and leaves, and my eyes nce at her rounded ass. Something twitches inside me as I imagine what it would be like to hold that ass as she rides me, but I shake it off. I am already looking forward to it. Now, I better focus and deal with work matters.


    I finished the email to Will and sent it before returning to the financial reports. There¡¯s something not quite right here. It¡¯s as though we¡¯re losing more money than we¡¯re making. This gets my heckles up because I know we¡¯re doing well. I visit sites to make sure of it myself, and I get reports from Evgeni and Leonid regrly. Someone is stealing money from me, and I want to know who it is.


    I get up to stretch my legs. I open my bottle of orange juice and take a deep drink before I pace my office for a bit, trying to work out the pins and needles. I think of Tori, her wanting to visit her family so soon. Leonid might be right, she may be plotting to do me in, but at the same time, I know Sorvinos are about integrity. Also, I¡¯m drawn to her like a moth to a me. If I were an oyster, she would be the pearl I want to hide away from others. She¡¯s beautiful, in a different way from Russian girls. Firstly her olive skin is smooth and tan, and her hair, when down, is even more gorgeous.


    I should tell her to wear it down more often. She seems to prefer to have it tied up constantly. I wonder why that is?


    She¡¯s so quiet, but I see a confidence in her that I know can shine. She¡¯ll be drawing the attention of many people at the events we attend. Such a beautiful woman on my arm for the first time since¡­


    I push the thoughts back and bury them deep down. I can¡¯t think of her now. It hurts too much. Anastasia used to often ask about her mother until I asked her to stop. I told her the past is in the past, and there¡¯s nothing we can do to change it. She stopped asking, but sometimes I question if that was the right thing to do. To deny my daughter the knowledge of her mother because it felt like my heart was ripped out whenever someone reminded me of her, mentioned her, or we went somewhere that meant something special to us.


    I sit back at my desk and pull up the individual reports for each of my businesses to see how much money is going through them. I will figure out who the thief is, and God help them when I do because I won¡¯t let my men deal with this. This is a direct insult to me, and I will deal with whoever this is personally. My father always said you had to start at the bottom and learn everything you could before being the head of the family, so I know many ways to draw out torture with those who cross me.

 #6 Chapter 8

    Vittoria


    The drive to my sister¡¯s Vi is quiet. Aleks isn¡¯t a big talker, but that¡¯s fine. I prefer him to be silent. When we arrive, the guardse to check who¡¯s in the car, and upon seeing me, they open the gates, eying Aleks and the driver wearily.


    Kiraes out to meet me at the front door. The guards must have radioed ahead to let her know I had arrived.


    Her swollen belly seems more prominent than thest time I saw it, and it excites me. I love Raphael, but I didn¡¯t get to watch him grow up. I will get to fawn over this little one.


    Aleks walks with me up to Kira, and she side-eyes him. I hug her tightly. ¡°Ignore Aleks. He¡¯s just protection.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Kira says softly before turning and leading us into her home. She shows us to the deck outside, which has arge umbre for shade. We sit down, and a maid brings us iced tea. I offer Aleks some, but he shakes his head and stands to the side with his hands sped in front of him.


    ¡°How¡¯s the wedding nning going?¡± I ask Kira, sipping on my tea. ¡°Are you having it before or after the baby is born?¡±


    ¡°After, because I¡¯m so far along, they might want to induce. We¡¯ll get married about three months after.¡±


    ¡°Do you need help nning everything?¡± I hesitantly ask, my eyes imploring her.


    Kira smiles sweetly. ¡°Of course, you¡¯re my sister. You need to be involved every step of the way.¡±


    We¡¯re startled when Aleks¡¯ phone rings, and he steps away to answer it.


    Kira quickly whispers, ¡°How are you really? How is Ivan treating you? Do you need me to contact Alessandro?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Surprisingly, Ivan is not controlling or forceful toward me, and he¡¯s also given me the go-ahead to negotiate the territories between our families. Obviously, he¡¯ll have someone checking me, but I¡¯ll be doing what¡¯s best for our family.¡±


    I know this was the n all along, but I feel guilty about betraying Ivan. There¡¯s nothing for it, though. This is what I agreed to do.


    ¡°Please just be careful,¡± Kira reaches for my hand, and I let her take it. ¡°I worry so much about you.¡±


    Alekses back toward us as my brother Luigi walks outside. ¡°Hey Tori, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Visiting Kira, I didn¡¯t know you were here,¡± Iment.


    ¡°When can Ie to visit you at your new ce?¡± he sits down next to me. ¡°I want to see how my baby sister is living it up.¡±


    I know that¡¯s not the truth, but I y along. ¡°Why note back with me now? I¡¯m heading home now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll drive you. Your driver can follow us,¡± Luigi says, and Aleks steps forward. I hold a hand up. ¡°Aleks will have toe in the car with us.¡±


    Luigi sizes him up and then nods. ¡°If that is what makes you happy, then we can do that.¡±


    Aleks nods and looks at the time, and I pre-emptively say, ¡°I know it¡¯s a quick visit, but I¡¯m actually quite tired.¡±


    Kira struggles to stand as I do and then hugs me, her belly making it a bit awkward. ¡°Take care, Tori, and call me if you need anything.¡±


    ¡°You call me and let me know what you need help with for the baby and the wedding.¡± I smile at her. I¡¯ve never been close to her, but maybe we could be. After all, if the worst happens, Kira and Luigi are all I have.


    Aleks exins to the driver to go home and gets in the backseat of Luigi¡¯s car. He seems alert and prepared for anything my brother might do, except my brother¡¯s actual driving. This secretly amuses me as my brother zips through traffic.


    My phone rings, and I answer it, ¡°Tori, hello?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Ivan. Tell the driver to bring you to my mother¡¯s restaurant for lunch. Anastasia is eating with us.¡±


    I bite my lip, ¡°Um, Luigi, my brother is driving Aleks and me back to the apartment.¡±


    ¡°He can join us for lunch. It¡¯s fine,¡± Ivan says and then hangs up.


    ¡°Detour,¡± I say to Luigi, then turn to Aleks. ¡°Can you direct us to Ivan¡¯s mother¡¯s restaurant?¡±


    Aleks nods. ¡°It¡¯s not far.¡±


    While Aleks directs Luigi, I sit back and try not to let my nerves get the best of me. On the bright side, Luigi can chat everyone¡¯s ears off while I sit quietly.


    Luigi finds parking, and we walk into the restaurant. I feel out of ce here, like I don¡¯t belong, yet I know I will be expected to be here often. We join Ivan and Anastasia at the table. I introduce Luigi to Anastasia and then sit back. Ivan and Luigi discuss racehorses for a moment, something I didn¡¯t know either of them was into. Luigi soon turns his attention to Anastasia and starts quizzing her about her studies.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    While they talk, Ivan looks at me, reaching for my hand and squeezing it. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I am¡­ Oh, look, the food is here.¡±


    ¡°A stew my mother¡¯s restaurant is famous for,¡± Ivan exins as the dishes are set in front of us.


    ¡°I quite like stews,¡± Iment, taking some bread and dipping it into the gravy. I bite it and eat thoughtfully.


    ¡°It¡¯s one of my favorites too. Nothing like a hearty beef stew to make you feel strong.¡± He smiles and starts to eat.


    ¡°How is your sister?¡± he asks, and I¡¯m surprised by the question. I exin how she¡¯s getting married after the baby is born and how I¡¯d like to help her as much as possible.


    ¡°That is what family is for,¡± Ivan says after he swallows. ¡°Of course, you should help her.¡±


    I smile at him and squeeze his hand. He grins and says, ¡°So you studiedw. What made you do that?¡±


    I don¡¯t want to go into too much detail with Luigi here, but I exined how I wanted to help with the family business in the best way I could. We then talked about his studies, which made me realize how much older he is than me. Then we discuss our favorite restaurants, food, music, and the fact that we both like the theater.


    Lunch ends too soon, and I don¡¯t know how but I know Ivan feels the same way. We bid Luigi farewell, and he seems reluctant to leave Anastasia. I¡¯ll have to put an end to that very quickly.


    Anastasia brought her own car, so she says goodbye to Ivan, waves me off, and leaves. Ivan leads me to his car, and we get in with our guards. I¡¯m content as we drive back to the apartment, as though this is the most natural thing in the world.


    Once we¡¯re back in the apartment, Ivan takes off his jacket, hangs it up, and stretches. I see his shirt pull up slightly, and I see a trail that sneaks down his belly. My heart beats a little too fast.


    Ivan smiles at me. ¡°I¡¯m going to spend the remainder of my day reading in the library.¡±


    ¡°Can I j-join you?¡± I ask, blushing slightly.


    ¡°Of course, I would love thepany,¡± he says, leading me down the hallway toward the library.


    When he walks in, he picks up a book he¡¯s clearly been busy with and sits on the one armchair while I search the shelves for a paranormal romance to indulge in. Once I find one I haven¡¯t heard of before, I slide it off the shelf and sit in the armchair opposite him, kicking my shoes off and curling my legs under me.


    ¡°Paranormal romance? That¡¯s rather girly,¡± hements, although to me is his say he¡¯s amused.


    ¡°What are you reading?¡±


    ¡°Brandon Sanderson,¡± he holds the cover up. ¡°I do love fantasy a lot. My favorite would have to, of course, be the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Tolkien was an absolute genius. They just don¡¯t make authors like that anymore,¡± he sighs and meets my eyes.


    I look at the book I¡¯m holding. ¡°I chose this one because I¡¯ve never read it before. I like paranormal romance, shifters, and fantasy, but I also enjoy psychological thrillers and true crime books.¡±


    ¡°Thought you¡¯d be sick of true crime with the families we have,¡± Ivanments.


    I smile. ¡°You learn so much from other people¡¯s mistakes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± He chuckles.


    We fall into afortable conversation about the books we enjoy for hours until there¡¯s a knock at the door, and a maid announces, ¡°Sir, dinner is ready.¡±


    He looks at his watch. ¡°Lord, it¡¯s six thirty already.¡±


    I get up, setting my book down, and we head to the dining room.


    ¡°What about Anastasia?¡± I ask curiously as we sit down to steak, egg, and chips.


    ¡°She switched to lunch because she wanted to go out tonight,¡± he exins.


    Time passes quickly as we eat and talk, and finally, it¡¯s time to go to the bedroom. He lets me wash up and change first, and I climb into bed after rubbing cream into my skin. I curl up on my side sleepily and full, and I feel like today has been busy even though it wasn¡¯t that busy.


    I feel Ivan get into bed next to me, and I shut my eyes. They shoot wide open again when I feel his arm slide around my waist, he traces a line along my thigh but decides to spoon me. Probably because I clenched my whole body even though the movement apparently had a direct connection with my libido. His body is warm against mine, and at first, I feel awkward, but we fit well together. I rx and close my eyes again. I wonder when he wants to¡­ consummate our marriage. It would be my first time, and I wouldn¡¯t ever admit it to anyone, but I¡¯m excited it¡¯s with him.

 #6 Chapter 9

    Ivan


    My phone buzzes on the bedside table, where it¡¯s charging. I open my eyes slowly and immediately notice how Tori is curled up with her back against me. Whoever is phoning had better be nearly dead because to leave thisfortable position is going to be irritating. I turn over and grab my phone and look at the number. I don¡¯t recognize it, so I kill the call. I was hoping not to disturb Tori, but she is waking anyway.


    I lean over and kiss her shoulder. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Morning,¡± she mumbles sleepily. She gives me a cute smile with bleary eyes before she slowly sits up and stretches. I admire the curve of her breasts under her top as she stretches out, tempted to take them in my hands and give them a solid squeeze.


    Instead, I sit back and check the business messages on my phone while she gets up to use the bathroom. I get up and go to the guest bathroom to relieve myself, and when Ie back in, I hear the shower going. A small smirk spreads across my lips as I imagine what she must look like under the spray of the water-her olive skin glistening and moisturizing. I could moisturize her.


    I can¡¯t help myself.


    I walk into the bathroom and undress. Tori has her back to me, so she doesn¡¯t notice me until I step into the shower and almost touch her. She shrieks, and I catch her as she almost slips.


    ¡°Come now, surely that wasn¡¯t enough to spook you,¡± I tease her.


    Her cheeks redden as she holds an arm across her breasts and turns slightly away from me.


    ¡°I need to shower, too. This way, we save water,¡± Iment.


    I try not to stare at her naked form as I start to wash my body. She doesn¡¯t immediately get out, so that has to count for something. She just stands there, and although she¡¯s tense, I feel her eyes admire my body.


    ¡°Rx,¡± I murmur, turning to her. ¡°Don¡¯t be so tense.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± She¡¯s blushing again, and I smile,ing closer to her. ¡°We can take this slowly. Why don¡¯t we start small.¡±


    ¡°Small?¡± she asks. ¡°You¡¯re nothing close to small.¡±


    Iugh heartedly, then step away. ¡°Do you ever pleasure yourself? I mean, it¡¯spletely natural.¡±


    Tori slowly nods, and I smile. ¡°Show me.¡±


    Her eyes widen, and I stroke her arms gently. ¡°Just show me. I want to see what makes you happy. I want to know how I can make you feel good when we¡¯re together.¡±


    She stares at me for a moment before she takes a deep breath and slowly lowers her arm to reveal her young, perky breasts. It makes my dick twitch as I watch her. She backs up against the shower wall and lifts one leg, bending at the knee and nting her foot against the wall to spread her legs a little.


    I don¡¯t say anything. I don¡¯t want to distract her from her thoughts. With women, I learned it¡¯s a mental game. Though I know I¡¯m going to need a release after this. My dick is already getting hard.


    She licks her lips and closes her eyes. She puts two fingers in her mouth and sucks on them gently. While she does that, her other hand starts to massage her breast, twisting the nipple. The fingers she¡¯s sucked on quickly go between her legs, and she starts running them between her lips. She¡¯s trimmed neat, so I have a full view.


    I reach down and stroke my dick slowly, matching her fingers¡¯ up-and-down motion. Then she starts to circle her clit, and watching her bite her lip drives me wild. This goes on for a while before I can¡¯t take it anymore.


    I kneel before her, and her eyes shoot open. ¡°Wha¡­¡±


    ¡°Shh,¡± I say. Tori lowers her leg, and I move them apart. My tongue tastes her juices as I lick from her opening to her clit, letting it twirl around there for a moment. I slowly push one finger into her and curl it up, massaging her vagina wall-that spot. I know that spot well.


    Suddenly her hands are in my hair and gripping tightly. Her knees are shaking as I move my finger and tongue-fuck her clit. She¡¯s getting wetter by the second, and it¡¯s only when she starts to move her hips that I leave her clit. I get to my feet and push two fingers into her, in and out, in and out, until she has her hands on my shoulder and is bucking against my hand. I use my thumb to y with her clit as I move.


    It takes a few minutes, but then her nails dig into my shoulders, and she gets weak. I wrap my arm around her waist and continue to finger her nub while her orgasm rips through her. Once done, I wait until she¡¯s steady on her feet before I let her go and step away with a wry smile.


    She can¡¯t look me in the eyes and mumbles what I think is a thank you before she hurriedly gets out of the shower. I turn back to wash down and finish jerking off my rock hard dick. Once my cum has washed down the drain, I rinse off and turn the shower off, getting out and getting dressed with Tori nowhere in sight.


    Once dressed, Ie out of the bedroom, calm and rxed, and walk to the dining room, where Anastasia and Tori are waiting for me for breakfast.


    The meal is quiet, and Anastasia eats quickly before saying she has ns. She kisses my head and leaves, and I wonder if she has an issue with Tori. Tori picks at her food for a moment before she seems to pluck up some courage to look me in the eyes. ¡°Can I ask you a personal question?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I ask, wiping my mouth on a napkin.


    ¡°What happened to Anastasia¡¯s mother?¡± she asks quietly. ¡°I mean,¡± she adds, ¡°if you don¡¯t want to tell me, I understand.¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    I never talk about M, I don¡¯t even think about her, but for some reason, I feel like this needs to be exined no matter how cold my tone is or what Tori makes of it, ¡°M was killed by a rival family when Anastasia was about eight. We were in negotiations with a family known as the Catns, and someone was rising to power within them. Jose was his name. He put a hit on me when I wouldn¡¯t pay tribute to him or bow to him as my leader. We were in the park, ying with Ana when the shots were fired. I didn¡¯t even think. I just grabbed Ana and ducked. When it was over, I saw M on the floor, lifeless, her body riddled with bullets.¡±


    I look away, but I feel her hand on top of mine. I¡¯m pull away when she says something unexpected, ¡°A rival gang killed my mother. Both my parents technically because they don¡¯t think my father will survive.¡± I am surprised that I feel a small twinge of guilt. My men ordered that hit, but she continued, ¡°My mother had juste home from a trip to Italy and had pulled into the driveway. They had taken my father¡¯s car instead of hers because hers was in the shop, so they thought they were attacking my father. She died instantly too.¡±


    I reach out for her hand, unsure of why I feel I need to justify myself to her. ¡°I didn¡¯t personally order the hit on your father¡¯s life, Tori. I hope you believe that. But I allowed my men a bit of freedom, and they took the opportunity. I never wanted war.¡±


    We look at each other for a moment before Tori lets go of my hand. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to read some more. When you¡¯re done working, maybe you could join me.¡±


    I stiffen slightly, realizing how soft I¡¯m being with her. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    We both leave, and I head to my office. I want to see how far back those strange withdrawals from the ount go. I feel like something isn¡¯t right.


    I¡¯m only at it for an hour when Evgenies in with a stack of paperwork. ¡°The Sorvino contracts?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Evgeni says. ¡°Their first proposal.¡±


    I stand. ¡°I¡¯ll get Tori. Set it down at the spare table.¡±


    I get up and go to the library. ¡°Tori?¡±


    She looks up from arge book. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Are you ready to work?¡± I ask. ¡°Because it¡¯s time.¡±


    She shuts the book and sets it down,ing to me. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    She isn¡¯t looking directly at me, so I tilt her chin up with my finger, ¡°Let me make this clear, if you don¡¯t get this right, you won¡¯t live to see your niece or nephew, whatever your sister is having.¡± And then I kiss her wildly. I can see the fear in her eyes before I lead her to the spare table in my office. ¡°Give Evgeni a list of what you¡¯ll need for stationary or if you need aptop, and he¡¯ll arrange it.¡±


    ¡°I can use my ownptop,¡± she says. ¡°If you¡¯d prefer me not to, then get me a decentptop with a solid-state drive, and I¡¯ll make a list of stationary.¡±


    She sits down, starts on her list, and I return to my financial reports. Evgeni stands close by until Tori finishes her list and hands it to him. I wave my hand. ¡°She can use herptop. Just install the security software. You understand that it¡¯s a necessary precaution.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± she says quietly. ¡°I know I have to prove myself to you.¡±


    My heart beats fast in my chest, and I want to tell her I already believe her, but it would be foolish, especially in front of my cousin. I look at him. ¡°Get the stuff as quickly as you can. I want this sorted out as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss,¡± Evgeni says, hurrying out.

 #6 Chapter 10

    Vittoria


    As I work through the contracts, my mind keeps returning to the shower and how he touched me. I¡¯m notining. That was one of the most incredible sensations I have felt without a vibrator.


    I hope he didn¡¯t figure out this was my first time being touched by a man. God, I would be mortified if he found out I¡¯m a virgin. He¡¯ll probablyugh at the idea, and I don¡¯t think I can handle that.


    When Ivan pops his head into the room, I get a slight fright and then smile shyly.


    ¡°It¡¯s dinner time. You can carry on tomorrow,¡± he says to me, motioning for me to follow him.


    I shut down myptop and make sure everything is neat and tidy for tomorrow. I follow Ivan to the dining room, and as we¡¯re about to sit down, Anastasia pops out of her room and goes to him, kissing his cheek. ¡°I¡¯m going out partying with some friends. I¡¯ll try not to be in too early.¡±


    ¡°Have fun, and please be careful,¡± Ivan says, looking at her meaningfully.


    ¡°I always am,¡± she sing-songs as she prances out of the apartment. I sit down at my seat and wait for Ivan to start eating before I start on my food. I¡¯m pleasantly surprised at the everyday meals we eat, considering everyone who works here is Russian. Perhaps they¡¯re just trying to amodate me, I don¡¯t know.


    Ivan is quiet as we eat, and when he suddenly speaks, my head snaps to attention.


    He chuckles, ¡°you¡¯re very jumpy.¡±


    ¡°Call it a character quirk. My brother would jump out at me a lot and scare the bejesus out of me,¡± I exin.


    ¡°I just wanted to know if you don¡¯t miss going out. Don¡¯t you miss spending time with your friends or partying?¡± he asks, cutting up his food.


    I pick at my food. ¡°I¡¯ve never really been one to party. I don¡¯t have any people I can really call friends, so I guess I just skipped that part of my teens.¡±


    ¡°You sound too old for a twenty-three-year-old,¡± hements to me, and I smile broadly.


    ¡°Hardly. I¡¯ve just always been the responsible one. Luigi was a golden child to my parents, and my sister became pregnant in college and got shipped off. No one really paid attention to me because I¡¯ve always been independent and able to take care of myself.¡±


    Ivan sets his cutlery down and looks at me pensively. ¡°Why don¡¯t I take you out to the theater then? There¡¯s a beautiful Russian y on nearby. We won¡¯t be outte.¡±


    I feel so shy when he¡¯s nice like this to me. ¡°I¡­ Okay, why not? That could be fun, though you might have to tell me what¡¯s happening.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± he says. ¡°Change into something a little more formal, and we¡¯ll get going. I just have a few business calls to make before we leave.¡±


    I nod, and as soon as I¡¯m finished eating, I select one of the dresses Arina purchased for me. The left shoulder is covered, but the right is bare. It clings to my figure, and at my hips, it flows out just a little. I put on high heels and some of the new jewelry.


    When Ivan walks in to change, he pauses for a moment and drinks me in. I feel shy, but at the same time, I feel beautiful. I wait in the entrance hall while he changes, and when hees out in a tuxedo, I¡¯m floored. This man, my husband, is so damn sexy in so many ways. His salt-and-pepper hair and beard don¡¯t bother me at all. In fact, I think he¡¯s so much more handsome than some of the younger guys.


    We arrive at the theater, and everyone mingling outside seems to know Ivan, respectfully inclining their heads in his direction as he escorts me up the stairs. A few females whisper to themselves as they look at me, and I feel more than slightly awkward.


    Ivan isn¡¯t bothered at all. He doesn¡¯t even present tickets. He just sweeps me through the crowd and up some more stairs until we¡¯re in a private box close to the stage. I look around and feel so out of ce. There are other boxes with couples who I¡¯m sure are more important than me.


    Once everyone is settled, the y starts, and I¡¯m immediately lost because it¡¯s all in Russian. Ivan chuckles next to me, to my right, and leans in, whispering the story to me. The two lovers have known each other since childhood and always knew they would be together. The evil antagonist is a third person from their childhood who has always wanted the girl.


    The y goes on about how the evil antagonist tries to get rid of the hero so many times until finally, he rises to a position of power and sentences the hero to exile in Siberia. The woman is distraught, so she kills the antagonist in the hopes that she will be exiled as well. Instead, she is hung for the crime, and when the hero returns from Siberia, he finds she is dead and impales himself on a sword.


    I can¡¯t help the tears that well up in my eyes as I listen to the detailed description of the story, and Ivan offers me a handkerchief to dab at my eyes. The final song of the y sounds so forlorn, and Ivan smiles. ¡°It ends with two new loversing together and promising to love each other forever, even in death.¡±


    I see to the side a third actor and ask, ¡°Let me guess, it suggests history may repeat itself.¡±


    Ivan shrugs nonchntly. ¡°Doesn¡¯t all history?¡±


    ¡°I hope not,¡± I say quietly. ¡°I hope they marry and are happy together.¡±


    ¡°I hope so, too,¡± Ivan says quietly. The curtain falls, and we stand up and join the loud apuse echoing in the room.


    We leave, and Ivan takes us to a private section where we can have drinks. We sit down at a private booth. He has vodka, Russian imported, and I have a ss of white wine.


    ¡°You seem incredibly shy for an Italian,¡± hements. ¡°The ones I¡¯ve dealt with are generally outgoing and rather boisterous.¡±


    ¡°I just¡­ I¡¯m not a people person,¡± I say, sipping my wine. ¡°What about you? Do you like mingling with people?¡±


    ¡°Back in the day, I was quite the yer when I was younger. I had many lovers, not something I¡¯m proud of now, but I stopped once I met M. Russian girls all wanted to date the heir to the Volkov family, but none understood what they were getting into. M did. She was amazing in every way.¡±


    ¡°She sounds wonderful,¡± I say, and I mean it.


    Ivan gives me a sad smile, then clears his throat. ¡°What about you? Any memorable past lovers?¡±


    That blush instantly takes over my face, and I try to hide it behind a sip of wine.


    ¡°Um¡­ well¡­¡± I obviously hesitate too long because his eyes widen.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t been with anyone, have you?¡± There¡¯s no judgment in his voice, but I still feel ashamed. I set my wine down and look away.


    I feel his hand on my hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay. There¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has a first time, and I won¡¯t lie; I¡¯m turned on by being your first.¡±


    I meet his eyes, and I can see he isn¡¯t lying. There¡¯s a lust in there that I¡¯ve seen when he¡¯s looked at me before. I swallow hard and fumble over my words, but heces our fingers together. ¡°I mean it. I¡¯m d.¡±


    I give him a shy smile and finish my wine. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day of work. Would you mind if we go home now?¡±


    He downs his vodka. ¡°Yes, I need some rest myself now. It¡¯s going to be another long day tomorrow.¡±


    We walk out together, but Ivan lets go of my hand, hooking my arm through his instead. We get in the car, I sleepily rest my head against his shoulder.


    All too soon, we¡¯ve done our evening routine, and he¡¯s once again holding me, spooning me, and I feel so safe in his arms that I doze off withoutint.


    After breakfast, I¡¯m back at the office working. I want to cram in as much as I can before church. There¡¯s a knock at the door, and I nce up to see my brother there.


    ¡°Luigi! What are you doing here?¡± I ask, standing up.


    ¡°I brought some more paperwork from Frankie, and I thought it would be nice to drive us all to church today.¡± He grins at me.


    I smile and take the paperwork, setting it down on the table. ¡°Let me check if Ivan wants toe with us. Then we can all go. Wait in the entrance hall by Aleks.¡±


    I hurry to the bedroom to find Ivan dressing for church. ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± he asks.


    ¡°Actually, Luigi is here. He wants us all to go to church together. Are you keen?¡± I ask.


    Ivan looks at me, puzzled, then shakes his head. ¡°I should have been clearer. Now that you are my wife, you will attend church with me. That is how this works in our family.¡±


    I pout slightly, disappointed, then ask, ¡°Can we go to my family afterward for lunch?¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We normally have lunch with my family at the restaurant after, but you can invite your brother, your sister, and her husband and child. That will be fine.¡± His tone is cold and final.


    I nod, even more disappointed, but I try not to let it show as I hurry back to Luigi and exin the situation.


    I see Anastasia walking past Luigi, and he greets her. She kind of waves him off, and he teases her. She leaves, and I walk up to him. ¡°Don¡¯t start with her. Listen, I have to go to Ivan¡¯s church and have lunch with his family, but you, Kira, Miguel, and Raphael cane to the restaurant after church for lunch.¡±


    Luigi nces around and asks, ¡°Will his whole family be there?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± I say. ¡°So I¡¯ll see you guys there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, I¡¯ll definitely be there. I¡¯ll let you know about the others.¡±


    He leaves, and I wait for Ivan so we can attend church. It¡¯s different, but not different at the same time, although I definitely need to learn some Russian because I have no clue what is going on most of the time.


    As we drive to the restaurant, I¡¯m in the car with Ivan and Anastasia. We don¡¯t speak in the car, and I must admit I always feel awkward around her.


    Once we reach the restaurant, I see two cars I recognize and my family hovering outside. Ivan shakes Luigi and Miguel¡¯s hands, and I hug Kira and Raphael.


    Anastasia nces at Luigi when he greets her, but then she walks into the restaurant alone.


    Ivan arranges everything in a way that I can sit with my family while still being beside him. He says they¡¯re his honored guests.


    The food is to die for. The meat is so tender it falls off the bone, the potatoes drip with rich gravy, and the vegetables are crisp and fresh. Everything is so good that most go for seconds.


    I don¡¯t talk much. Ivan talks to Miguel, and I can hear Luigi and Anastasia whispering to each other, almost bickering like a couple. I need to keep him away from her. This could be trouble.

 #6 Chapter 11

    Ivan


    It was an enjoyable lunch, but I¡¯m d that Tori and I are alone at the apartment once everyone has left. In the library, I bring her a ss of wine and put my whiskey on a coaster on the table between us.


    ¡°Today was nice. Thank you for inviting my family,¡± she says quietly.


    I give her a slight smile and shake my head. ¡°I won¡¯t deny you reasonable things, Tori.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to realize that,¡± she says with her lips turned up.


    ¡°Listen,¡± I sit forward, ¡°my grandmother is turning ny next week, and we¡¯ve been nning a party for her. I was hoping you could go over everything and make sure it¡¯s done or being done. Can you do that for me?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she agrees quickly, ¡°I may have questions, but I can absolutely oversee that.¡±


    We read while we finish our drinks and then freshen up in the bathroom. I rest back on the bed, waiting for her to get in so I can hold her, but when she gets in, she slings an arm over me and settles her head on my chest. I can smell her orchid shampoo, and it¡¯s divine to me. Fresh, down to earth but with a surprisingly sweet, lingering smell you don¡¯t expect.


    I haven¡¯t held a woman like this in years. It stirs feelings inside of me that reminds me of M. I feel guilty, as though I¡¯m betraying her, but still, my arm wraps around Tori. I¡¯m so confused. I didn¡¯t want something emotional. This was meant to be a business transaction, after all.


    I doze off thinking of M and Tori and what M would think about her.


    When I wake up, Tori is already up and out of the room. I nce at my phone and then get up to shower and dress. I don¡¯t see Tori at the breakfast table, and I assume she¡¯s having breakfast in the office. I consider stopping in to say good morning, but my thoughts are still lingering on M from the night before, so I decide to go to the restaurant for breakfast and to see if my family members have any reports. I need to clear my head.


    I know Evgeni and Leonid are there, and as I arrive, I find them eating fresh bread, jams, fruits, and coffee. They stand as I enter, and when I sit, they sit down.


    ¡°What¡¯s the news?¡±


    ¡°That shipment ising in sooner than expected,¡± Leonidments. ¡°I¡¯ll be ready for it when it arrives.¡±


    ¡°I want to inspect it, so I¡¯ll handle it,¡± I say, starting to butter some bread.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t a good idea, Ivan. The point of having Evgeni and I is so that we can do these things for you.¡± Leonid is argumentative this morning, and I¡¯m not in the mood.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    I scowl at him. ¡°Are you giving me orders now?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Leonid backtracks quickly. ¡°But if I may say one thing¡­.¡±


    ¡°It better not annoy me,¡± Iment, taking a bite of the bread.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that since that Sorvino woman came into our family, it¡¯s like you don¡¯t trust us anymore,¡± Leonid nces at Evgeni, but he¡¯s tactfully avoiding looking at both of us.


    ¡°Nothing has changed. As the head of the family, I can inspect my products whenever I like, is that understood?¡± I ask, to make my point I take one of the sharp knives and stab it into the table.


    ¡°Yes, boss.¡± It¡¯s said with contempt, but I let it slide as my mother brings out some meat for me. I hate fighting in front of her.


    On the drive back to the apartment, I think about Tori. I haven¡¯t lost faith in my men, but perhaps they have lost faith in me for joining our families. Thest thing I want is betrayal. I need Tori to prove herself to them so we can put this to bed. I mean, I¡¯d like to put her to bed. The curve of that ass¡­ I chuckle to myself; the distraction amuses me. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve felt this way about someone.


    I walk into the apartment and nce around. No one is around except the guards at the front. ¡°Where is my wife?¡± I ask Aleks.


    ¡°In the office working on the reports,¡± Aleks says. ¡°She came out a little while ago to get something to eat and went back in.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Keep¡­ Keep everyone out of the office for now. I want no distractions.¡±


    Aleks nods, and if he¡¯s figured out what I want, I don¡¯t really care.


    I walk softly into the office and watch Tori hunching over the papers, reading them carefully. I shut the door without a sound and walked up behind her, trailing my fingers down her back.


    ¡°Ah!¡± she screams, nearly jumping out of her skin. I grab the chair and her to stop them from falling.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to scare you,¡± I say, watching her breasts move up and down as she breathes hard.


    ¡°Sorry, I was just so focused,¡± she says, putting a hand on her heart. She plops back down into the chair, and I kneel beside her. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you this morning,¡± she says.


    ¡°I had things to attend to, and I didn¡¯t want to bother you, but surely you need to take a break,¡± Iment, gazing at her.


    She smiles and reaches out hesitantly and then strokes my beard. ¡°I think the beard makes you look so handsome.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll never shave it, I swear,¡± I say to her, grinning softly. Her eyes sparkle in the room¡¯s bright light, and I softly stroke her back.


    Our eyes are locked as she leans forward and gently kisses my lips. Such an innocent kiss. So sweet. I might be gentle at first, but she¡¯s definitely going to learn to like it rough and dirty when I¡¯m done with her.


    ¡°Come,¡± I say, getting up and holding out my hand. ¡°Come with me.¡±


    She stands and follows me to my table. I sit down in my chair and pat my leg. ¡°Sit.¡±


    ¡°Will your chair hold us?¡± she asks.


    ¡°It will.¡± I pull gently on her hand, and she sits on my leg. I wrap one arm around the back of her to hold her in ce and use my right hand to tilt her face down so I can kiss her again. We kiss for a few seconds before I open my mouth and lick at her lips. Hesitantly she slowly cracks open her mouth. When she doesn¡¯t send her tongue out to meet mine, I send mine to find hers. She swallows, and I can feel her shaking as I explore her mouth, cupping her face with my hand.


    She gets braver, and soon, our tongues are doing the salsa together, and the energy in the room has changed from a calm, professional one to an electrified one. I drop my hand to her breast, and through her shirt, I give it a good squeeze, eliciting a loud moan from her. I can feel her practically melting into me. I squeeze her breast again and then drop my hand to lift her shirt. She squirms a little, but I distract her with another kiss. I let her go to lift her shirt over her head and discard it to the side. She¡¯s wearing a deep purplecy bra, and I lick my lips. A quick inspection shows me it¡¯s a front clip one, but I don¡¯t want it off yet. I reach into her bra, squeeze her breasts, and tease her nipple. She squirms on myp, and I won¡¯t lie, It¡¯s making my dick harder than the ice in Siberia. I take my hand out of her bra and tug it down, freeing the girls. The bounce is perfect, and with the bra tight underneath, they look even perkier. I take her hand and guide it to the front of my pants. She hesitantly rubs the front of my pants, so I let her go again to undo my pants and open the fly. I pull my dick out and sit back. ¡°Just stroke it gently,¡± I murmur before tilting her down for another kiss.


    Her hand shakes as she slowly works up and down my shaft while I tweak her nipples. She loves nipples and clit. That much is clear.


    I grunt as my balls tighten, and my hand is over hers, stopping the motion.


    ¡°Did I hurt you?¡± she asks worriedly.


    ¡°No, I just don¡¯t want toe yet.¡± I smile. ¡°Do you want to be on top your first time?¡±


    She looks at me, and I can see she¡¯s unsure, so I say, ¡°It might hurt a little less.¡±


    She nods and stands up. She slips out of her pants and panties and stands there awkwardly for a moment. I drink in her sun-kissed skin before I hold my hand up. ¡°Sit on the desk. I¡¯ve got this.¡±


    She sits on the edge of my desk, and I scoot forward. ¡°Spread your legs for me, Tori, as wide as you can.¡±


    She blushes, but she obeys, which is a good sign. I kiss her soft mound. Again. Again. Soft kisses, and I know the anticipation I am building up. Then my tongue divides her lips and runs from hole to clit to hole again. She tips her head back and groans loudly. I continue to tease her with my tongue, which I¡¯m rather good with if I say so myself.


    I dip into her hole and taste her tart juice. It hits just right, like a good cigar.


    My dick is dripping with pre-cum, so I gently rub it between her lips. She looks at me, her eyes wide but lustful. I make sure she¡¯s lubed up and then line up the tip of my cock with the petite hole.


    She sits up a bit straighter and whispers, ¡°It¡¯s not going to fit.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± I assure her, ¡°you¡¯re going to enjoy this.¡±


    She looks at me, clearly worried, but I slowly inch my cock into her, spreading her as I move. The thick veins in my cock are prominent as her tight hole squeezes my dick. I groan, and it takes me some time to push deeper into her. She cries out twice, but I keep going. Once I¡¯m entirely in, I wrap an arm around her back and bring her forward. ¡°I¡¯ll be gentle¡­ this time¡­.¡±


    She nods against my shoulder.


    I move slowly, and she cries out again. The sound turns me on. No other cock hase in this pussy before. It belongs to me and me alone.


    I start to move steadily, and she falls into a rhythm with me. I grunt as my balls tighten again. She¡¯s so tight. It¡¯s like her vagina is devouring my dick. I reach down and roll my thumb over her clit as I move, and she tips her head back, calling out, ¡°Oh, God, yes.¡±


    I smirk and move a little harder, keeping up my actions. She clenches her legs around me and starts to shake, and I know it¡¯s time.


    I bury myself deep inside of her ande. Then I pull out and m back into her, releasing another shot. Out, in, and another stream, and I¡¯m spent.


    I hold her against me for a moment. Kissing her head, I slowly pull out. ¡°Get dressed. We¡¯re going to bete for dinner.¡±


    She looks like she can¡¯t even stand, and I smile as I do my pants up. ¡°It won¡¯t always hurt. The more we do this, the more pleasurable it will be for you.¡±


    She nods, standing shakily and slipping back into her clothes. She runs her hands through her hair, and we leave the office.


    She turns to the bedroom, but the thought of my cum trapped inside her turns me on even more. I take her hand, wag my finger in front of her and kiss her before pulling her toward the dining room, where Anastasia is waiting for us to eat.


    Tori sits down on my left side and squirms slightly. I know my cum is dripping into her panties, and I try to hide my smirk.


    ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re in a good mood,¡± Anastasia says, ¡°because I was thinking of going out somewhere different tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± I say as I start to eat, ¡°where do you want to go?¡±


    ¡°Well, since we¡¯re family with the Sorvinos now, I wanted to go check out La Club,¡± she says, batting her eyes innocently.


    I frown and nce at Tori, then at Anastasia. ¡°You would have to take security.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t Vittoria arrange security there for me?¡± she asks. I knew there¡¯d be an argument, but then it strikes me-a brilliant idea.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go with Tori?¡± I ask, and I can see both she and Tori are trying to hide their disappointment from me, but it¡¯s a good bonding experience. ¡°You can both get to know each other better. It could be fun.¡± I look pointedly at Tori, who gives me a hesitant smile. ¡°Sure, we could take Luigi with us as backup.¡±


    ¡°There, it¡¯s settled. You two go out tonight and have fun. I won¡¯t wait up,¡± I say, returning to my dinner. I can sense Anastasia rolling her eyes at me, but I think it will do the two of them some good.

 #6 Chapter 12

    Vittoria


    I can¡¯t believe Ivan volunteered me to go with Anastasia to La Club! I hardly went there myself, even with my siblings. I was always considered too much of a goody-two-shoes.


    It¡¯s done, though, so I dress in a smart pair of pants and a halter-neck top. I tie my hair up in a bun and walk out of the bedroom. Anastasia takes one look at me, and I know she isn¡¯t impressed.


    ¡°You are not going out with me looking like that. You look like you¡¯re going to a board meeting.¡± She shakes her head. ¡°Have you not got something stylish and pretty to wear? And is that the only way you know how to do your hair?¡±


    Her remark stings, and I¡¯m lost for words, blushing a dark crimson.


    Anastasia must realize what her words are doing to me because her expression softens a little. ¡°Maybe I can help you figure it out? You¡¯re about my size.¡±


    She moves forward and says, ¡°Come on, I might have something in my cupboard for you, and I can fix your hair.¡±


    I follow obediently, not sure what else to do. I wish there were a way I could back out of this without disappointing Ivan. I have to keep in his good books, though, so I walk into Anastasia¡¯s room. It¡¯s a lovely room. It looks like a studio almost, with bright lights andrge mirrors. She goes to her walk-in closet and rifles through some clothes. I wait patiently near the door, and shees out with a pair of heels hooked on the fingers of one hand and a dress on a hanger on the other.


    ¡°This should do the trick. You can get changed in my bathroom, then we¡¯ll do your hair,¡± she says, handing me everything.


    I feel ufortable as I change into the skin-tight, rather short strapless dress. I¡¯m not entirely convinced it covers all the essential parts. I slip on the heels, which are a bit tight but will fit for the night-nothing I¡¯m not used to.


    Ie out, and Anastasia ps her hands together. ¡°Already sixty percent better, now just let your hair down quick and sit at my vanity.¡±


    I do as I¡¯m told and sit. She uses a curling iron to give me big, beautiful curls and then turns me around to apply some makeup. I feel weird as I¡¯m not usually this kind of woman. I¡¯ve never really worn much makeup, and I have never been in a dress this short.


    Once we¡¯re done, I walk shyly out to where Ivan is waiting in the entrance hall. There¡¯s a look in his eyes, a primal hunger that kind of turns me on. His mouth is slightly open in surprise at how I look, and I smile. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be back toote.¡±


    ¡°Ignore her,¡± Anastasia says. ¡°We¡¯ll be backte, don¡¯t wait up.¡± She kisses his cheek, scoops up her small purse, and heads for the elevator. I¡¯m taller in the heels, so I don¡¯t have to lean far up to give Ivan a sweet kiss before I follow her.


    Luigi is downstairs waiting for us with security, and we¡¯re about to climb into the car when Aleks appears with two men. Anastasia groans, ¡°I told dad no security.¡±


    Aleks shakes his head. ¡°He says, no security, no clubbing.¡±


    Anastasia looks at Luigi and then at Aleks. ¡°Fine, follow us.¡±


    We all mber into the car, and Anastasia and Luigi chat as we drive toward La Club. I¡¯ve only been there a handful of times, but they¡¯ve really renovated the ce. As we¡¯re about to enter, Anastasia holds a hand up to Aleks. ¡°This club belongs to the Sorvinos. I don¡¯t want trouble. You guys stay out here while we party. We¡¯ll call if we need you.¡±


    Aleks doesn¡¯t look impressed, but a nce from therge bouncer seems to cement the deal.


    We go inside, and Anastasia instantly goes to the bar where some of her Russian friends are waiting. She introduces me so fast that I don¡¯t even catch their names. I smile awkwardly before Anastasia orders us all vodka shots and some cocktails. We go to find a table to sit down at. Anastasia and her friends are talking excitedly in Russian. Since I can¡¯t understand them, I sit at the table next to theirs. I don¡¯t know where Luigi ran off to, probably to call some of his friends for the rest of the girls. Anastasia waves a hand at me and asks, ¡°Come join us? We can switch to English.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± I say, a sense of dread filling me. I hate social interaction.


    ¡°Sure? We¡¯re going to go dance?¡± Anastasia says with a warm smile.


    I shake my head. ¡°I¡¯m not a good dancer, so I¡¯ll stay and watch the purses.¡±


    Anastasia nods. ¡°If you¡¯re sure.¡±


    I watch them dance their way onto the dance floor and form a small group. It¡¯s sweet. I wish I had girlfriends like that growing up. It must be nice to have friends and people to talk to. I keep my eye on the bags and sip my drink. A few songs pass, and a rather raunchy one starts to y. I turn my attention to the group of girls and see a guy harassing Anastasia.


    I look around for Luigi, but I can¡¯t see him or any of his guards. I keep an eye on her, but the guy won¡¯t let up, and when she tries to pull away, he grabs her ass and pulls her against him.


    That¡¯s it for me. I get up, push through the crowded dance floor, and grab Anastasia. ¡°It¡¯s time to go,¡± I say, pulling her away from the guy. I can see her friends standing around awkwardly.


    Before I know what¡¯s happening, this fat, balding asshole raises his hands and pushes me away from Anastasia, yelling at me to mind my own business.


    He turns back to Anastasia, and I feel the anger seething through me as I tap his shoulder. As he turns around, I throw my hand back and p him in the face. His face jerks to the side with the force of the hit.


    He roars with rage and pain and steps toward me, but before he can do anything, my brother thankfully appears and steps between us. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    I look around and see a few of my brother¡¯s guards are also around. The music is still ying, but everyone on the dance floor is watching the exchange.


    The balding guy points angrily at us, standing in a huddled, united group. ¡°These Russian bitches are causing trouble.¡±


    ¡°He was groping and grabbing Anastasia,¡± I shout over the music. ¡°And when I tried to move her off the dance floor, he pushed me, so I pped him.¡±


    Luigi looks at me and then at two of the guards. ¡°Get rid of this punk. He¡¯s permanently banned from La Club.¡± Before the guy protests, Luigi leans in. ¡°Be thankful that¡¯s all you¡¯re getting for putting your hands on my sister and her friends.¡±


    The guy swallows and follows the two guards off the dance floor.


    I look at Anastasia, and she hesitates a moment before giving me a hug, ¡°Thank you so much. I really appreciate that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get everyone a round of drinks,¡± Luigi says. ¡°You girls go back to dancing.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    I turn to go back to the table, but Anastasia grabs my hand. ¡°No, stay. You can bop around with us. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re professional dancers.¡±


    I swallow hard and hesitantly nod, although it does feel like we¡¯re finally connecting.

 #6 Chapter 13

    Ivan


    I wake up earlier than usual and find Tori asleep, curled in a ball next to me. I don¡¯t know what time they came home, but it must have beente. I get up, freshen up, and get dressed. As I¡¯m trimming my beard to keep it neat, I think about how hot Tori lookedst night. I won¡¯t lie; I had a restless night thinking about all the horny men who were probably making eyes at her the whole night. I certainly would have.


    I walk out of the bedroom and toward the dining room, where my coffee will be waiting. As I pour some into a mug, I hear the elevator open and see Leonid step out. I fill another mug and take it to him. ¡°What are you doing here so early,¡± I say, handing him the coffee and leading him to my office.


    ¡°We have a problem,¡± Leonid says seriously. ¡°Your wife got out of linest night.¡±


    I sigh loudly, sitting my coffee down and turning to Leonid with impatience. ¡°What now, Leonid? It¡¯s no secret you hate her.¡±


    ¡°Last night at La Club, your wife let a guy harass Anastasia, groping and grabbing her.¡± He looks at me seriously, and I frown.


    ¡°Once the girls wake up, I¡¯ll talk to them about this,¡± I say.


    ¡°You expect that Italian to tell you the truth? I have witnesses,¡± Leonid says.


    I shake my head and am about to say something when I hear the creak of Anastasia¡¯s door.


    ¡°Ana?¡± I call, getting up and walking out of the office with Leonid in tow.


    My daughter looks a bit rough, and I know she partied hard. She yawns. ¡°Morning.¡±


    ¡°Is it true some guy was harassing you at La Club?¡± I ask, straight to the point.


    She rubs her eyes and nods. ¡°Yeah, there was this really fat ugly balding guy who kepting onto me, and when I pulled away, he groped my ass and pulled me to him.¡±


    I can feel my blood boiling, but then Anastasia continues, ¡°Then Tori came to get me, and he pushed her. So she pped the shit out of him. It was actually hrious. Then Luigi showed up and had the guy banned. So we carried on partying. It was a really fun night.¡±


    Behind me, my bedroom door opens, and Tori steps out, looking tired but happy, and I turn to her. ¡°You protected Anast night? You put yourself in danger for her?¡±


    Tori blushes. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡± I try not to smile too broadly in front of Leonid in case he thinks I¡¯m soft. ¡°Thank you, Tori. Thank you for taking care of Ana.¡±


    Anastasia smiles. ¡°Morning, Tori.¡±


    ¡°Morning Ana, let¡¯s get some food,¡± Tori says, walking past us.


    ¡°Ana,¡± I stop her, ¡°where were Aleks and our guards?¡±


    Anastasia blushes, and I look at her pointedly, so she exins, ¡°I asked them to stay out. Luigi had guards inside for us. I just didn¡¯t want there to be a situation.¡±


    I nod and turn to Leonid. ¡°You should tell your sources to get their facts straight as much as I appreciate you keeping an eye on things. We only need facts.¡±


    Leonid bows his head in submission. ¡°My apologies. Perhaps we are lucky to have Mrs. Volkov in the family.¡±


    I smirk. ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Are you joining us for breakfast?¡±


    ¡°No, I have affairs to attend to. I just wanted to sort this out.¡±


    He gives me a dark smile and then leaves, so I join the girls for a nice, rather greasy breakfast.


    After breakfast, Anastasia leaves to have her nails done, and Tori apanies me to the office. We both sit in silence, working on our documents. I enjoy thefortable silence between us as two hard-working individuals.


    After a few hours of working, I hear her make a noise, and I nce up. ¡°Everything okay?¡±


    ¡°I have another report here, but I don¡¯t think it belongs to this situation. It¡¯s about some buildings you want to buy,¡± she says, swinging her chair to look at me.


    ¡°I was going over it thinking it was one of mine, and I see some discrepancies,¡± she says. ¡°Can I show you?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about those,¡± I say. ¡°Those are actually for me from Evgeni and Leonid.¡± I hold my hand out, and she hesitates. ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re losing a lot of money paying bribes you don¡¯t have to pay. Like, there are legal loopholes that you can exploit here and save yourself some cash.¡±


    I knit my eyebrows together and tilt my head. ¡°Really? Can you show me?¡±


    She wheels her chair over and opens the folder, setting it down between us. She takes her pen and points to a paragraph. ¡°Technically speaking, you don¡¯t have to rezone here. This area is already zoned as industrial. Whoever told you this wasn¡¯t zoned that way is an idiot. It¡¯s such an unnecessary step. You can literally just move your business in and start operating.¡±


    She points to another paragraph and exins how I can set up a legit-lookingpany here that I can then pass money through without it being noticed. I watch her in fascination. She is so intelligent and clearly knows what she is talking about. I try to listen intently, but she amazes me, so eventually, I stop her. ¡°Redo this report with your suggestions, and give it to me to look over. Make your suggestions in red, and I¡¯m going to see what idiot is making these suggestions and costing me money.¡±


    ¡°I hope no one is going to get hurt on my ount,¡± Tori says anxiously. ¡°I mean, I know that¡¯s what families like ours do, but it¡¯s probably just that they didn¡¯t know any better.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about that,¡± I say with a smile, reaching for her hand and squeezing it. ¡°You¡¯re doing great things for the family, and I¡¯m pleased about it. You¡¯re proving everyone wrong, especially Leonid, that you can¡¯t be trusted. I knew you could.¡±


    I raise her hand to my lips and kiss her fingers gently.


    ¡°There¡¯s also a bunch of inspections you can bypass if you divide the units into smaller units,¡± she says shyly. ¡°But I¡¯ll make a note of it on the document. This one will take me a day, so I¡¯ll do it now and get it to you by tonight.¡±


    ¡°Your family really lucked out,¡± I say suddenly, surprising even myself. ¡°You¡¯re by far one of the most intelligent people I¡¯ve met, and you could have really boosted your family if they¡¯d let you.¡±


    ¡°Try telling them that,¡± sheughs. ¡°My family doesn¡¯t exactly think I stand out. As the youngest of my cousins, I¡¯m generally protected and kept in the dark about things.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°They¡¯re idiots, Tori. I mean that.¡±


    She gives me a dazzling smile, and I can see she isn¡¯t used to this kind of praise. That smile, though. I will praise her all the time if that¡¯s what I get to see. Making her happy makes me happy in a way I haven¡¯t felt in a long time, and even though there¡¯s a pang of nagging guilt about M, I feel like my deceased wife would have loved Tori.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.

 #6 Chapter 14

    Vittoria


    With guilt gnawing at me, I sit down at breakfast with Ivan. I have practiced this speech in my head over and over again. I need to do this.


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± he asks me as we tuck into our eggs.


    I smile at him. ¡°I miss going to the public library. I know we have so many books here, but it¡¯s non-fiction I¡¯m after.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go this morning, then?¡± Ivan asks as I hoped he would.


    I nod. ¡°I think I will go this morning and get something light to read in the non-fiction section.¡±


    With that, we settle into ourfortable silence as we eat. Ivan doesn¡¯t seem to sense anything else is off with me though I worry he¡¯ll send Aleks with me. However, after breakfast, he simply gives me a soft kiss before I leave.


    I ask the driver to take me to the public library, and I sit back and rx. The hard part at this point is over, convincing Ivan I wanted to go to the public library. Technically speaking, that¡¯s exactly where I want to be, but for nefarious reasons that are building a guilty feeling within me.


    The driver finds parking a block away, and I walk toward the library, trying to appear casual, just in case anyone is following me. I can¡¯t just go in, get a book, do what I need to, and leave. I need to make out as though I am actually enjoying myself there. Whoever sees me must think I¡¯m a regr person browsing for books.


    I walk through the doors and look around. I find the non-fiction section quickly but take my time running my hands over titles. Every so often, I pull one off the shelf and browse through it as though I¡¯m interested in its contents. I actually would like to check out some psych books while I¡¯m here.


    I move to that section and slowly browse the books, ncing around now and then to ensure no one is watching me. I move deeper into the section where it is harder to see me. I quickly skim through the books before I find the one I am looking for.


    I open it to page one hundred and twenty-seven, slip a folded letter into the pages, shut it, and put it back. The letter details to Alessandro what he should be negotiating for and what he should make look appealing to Ivan. I want to do right by my family and focus on the fact that my father¡¯s still in hospital in aa to squash the guilt building in me. There¡¯s a part of me that wants to do right by Ivan as well. It¡¯s a strong feeling, one that doesn¡¯t want to betray him. It¡¯s the part of me that feels safe resting in his arms at night. Who enjoyed the feel of his hard dick stretching me out.


    I move to the more modern section on psychology and pick three books. I checked the time; it was almost noon. I¡¯ve been here long enough.


    When my phone rings, I jump slightly and look apologetically at the librarian, who is sternly gazing at me over her sses. I answer quietly, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Ivan says. ¡°I want to meet for lunch at the restaurant if you¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I found some good books to read. I¡¯ll be there soon,¡± I say before hanging up.


    I check out the books with a different librarian, pack them into the book bag I brought, and then leave the library. I go to the driver and asked him to take me to the restaurant. We¡¯re not far away, so when I get there, there¡¯s no sign of Ivan.


    A beautiful hostesses to me. ¡°Mrs. Volkov?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me,¡± I say, feeling terribly awkward, everyone treats me like I¡¯m so special here.


    ¡°This way, Mr. Volkov will be here soon. He is stuck in traffic.¡± She leads me to the private booth and sits me down. ¡°Your waitress will bring you a ss of water and take your drinks order shortly.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I say and then look at her curiously. ¡°How do you say thank you in Russian?¡±


    ¡°Spasibo,¡± she pronounces it slowly for me.


    ¡°Spasibo,¡± I say with a grin. She gives me a warm smile and walks off to seat other guests.


    I¡¯m just settled when Leonid, of all people, sits opposite me. I instantly tense up.


    Leonid looks at me for a moment, then heces his fingers in front of him, ¡°You and I both know you¡¯re going to betray Ivan, why not let me make it easier and help you.¡±


    I can¡¯t believe what I¡¯m hearing, I sit back nervous and can feel a blush creeping up my face as I answer him, ¡°I¡¯m not nning on betraying Ivan, you¡¯re mistaken. Perhaps he should know about this conversation?¡±


    ¡°It was just a test,¡± he chuckles darkly before taking out his gun and cing on the table, ¡°Of course, if you don¡¯t think so and decide to run to Ivan with any misgivings, you may not find yourself breathing for much longer.¡±


    I swallow hard, ¡°Understood.¡± When he looks up sharply, I nce behind me and see Ivan walking in. Leonid gets up, puts his gun away, gives me a disgusted look, and leaves. Ivan sits down and smiles. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t keep you waiting too long.¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± I say with a genuine smile.


    ¡°So, what did you check out at the library?¡± he asks.


    A small part of me is nervous that he knows what I did, but I shake my head. ¡°Just some books on psychology. I¡¯ve always been interested in how the brain works.¡± I take them out to show them to him then I put them back in the book bag.


    ¡°Interesting, you¡¯ll have to teach me some new things,¡± he smiles.


    After lunch, we head back to the apartment.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Ana?¡± I ask, setting my things down.


    Ivan hangs up his jacket. ¡°She¡¯s gone out with friends. That child is a socialite and doesn¡¯t sit still.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s sweet and very kind,¡± I say without thinking. Ivan pauses and thenes over to me. ¡°You know, we¡¯ll be alone for the rest of the day.¡±


    I grin. ¡°Really? Whatever will we do with our time.¡±


    ¡°I have an idea,¡± he says softly, kissing me, his handsing up to y with my breasts.


    ¡°Ivan,¡± I breathe, ¡°what if a guard walks in.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll walk right back out again,¡± he says teasingly.


    I¡¯m hesitant, this is all so new to me, and his smiles and soft touch catch me off guard, this man is a monster and a killer, but I like to touch his body. I think back to my college days and how girls would talk about what they did with their boyfriends. I reach down and cup his crotch, massaging it gently.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    He closes his eyes. ¡°Are we getting over our shyness?¡±


    ¡°I just want to please you,¡± I say softly.


    I rub his dick until I feel it get hard in his pants. ¡°I¡¯ve never¡­ I want to¡­.¡± I fumble over my words. ¡°I know men like blowjobs.¡±


    He chuckles and starts to undo his pants. ¡°Is that what you want to do?¡±


    I nod, looking down, but he tilts my face up. ¡°You have to look me in the eyes while you suck my cock.¡±


    I nod and slowly sink to my knees. I swallow hard as Ivan holds his cock out. ¡°Lick the tip.¡±


    I do as I¡¯m told, swirling my tongue around it. He groans, letting me know I¡¯m doing a good job.


    I cover the head with my mouth and suck softly, and I feel his fingers grip my hair as he mutters, ¡°Move it in and out of your mouth as you suck it.¡±


    I do as I¡¯m told again, trying to fit as much of his cock in my mouth as I can without gagging. He holds my head, so he¡¯s in quite far, and holds me there. I breathe heavily through my nose and tilt my head to look up at him. His lust-filled eyes are gazing down at me, half closed in pleasure. Then he starts to rock his hips back and forth, sliding his cock in and out my mouth. I stick my tongue out, thinking it might be easier. He groans and moves his hips harder, going a bit deeper and causing me to gag. Suddenly he thrusts deep into my throat, and I choke slightly. He holds me there until I think I¡¯m going to suffocate, then pulls out.


    I won¡¯t lie; the roughness has my panties wet in anticipation. He holds out his hand, and I take it. He pulls me up and walks me over to the dining room table. He turns me around and bends me over it. Shaking with excitement, I prop myself on the table. I feel him pull my pants down, and then he moves my thong to the side, rubbing the wet tip of his dripping cock around my entrance.


    I whimper softly and try to back onto it, but he holds my hips in ce. He sweeps my leg with his foot, and suddenly my legs are wider apart, and my top half is t against the table. He puts a hand on my back, keeping me there as he pushes his cock deep inside me, this time a little faster than thest. I groan out and pant slightly, rocking my hips.


    ¡°You¡­¡± he says, ¡°your body belongs to me. Say it.¡±


    ¡°I belong to you,¡± I whimper out. ¡°Please¡­¡±


    He pushes into me deeply, and I cry out in pleasure. He starts pumping his hips, and I slowly feel the tension building up inside me. He¡¯s moving roughly this time, but I¡¯m enjoying the pain and pleasure mixed. When his hand leaves me, I lift myself slightly and pull my top off. He reaches around me and cups my breasts as I pull my bra down. The angle he¡¯s hitting inside me is so pleasurable that I¡¯m already sweating from trying to hold back.


    He pulls out slowly and then ms into me, lifting me a little each time. And when he does, the head of his cock hits my g-spot, and I cry out his name.


    ¡°Scream it louder,¡± he murmurs.


    ¡°Ivan,¡± I cry out louder. ¡°Yes! Yes! Yes! God, yes!¡± I continue until I feel my walls clench around his dick like a vice.


    He moves a little as though he is just pushing himself over the edge. I feel his cum fill me up inside, and the warm feeling makes me orgasm. He holds me as I do, and I know I¡¯m falling hard for him.

 #6 Chapter 15

    Ivan


    I can¡¯t stop thinking about how amazing it is to be with Tori. It¡¯s throwing me off slightly, I want her, but I feel like I¡¯m betraying M. I need to get over this. M is gone, Tori is here now, and she¡¯s making a considerable effort to help my family. That in itself is surprising, I never thought a Sorvino could be so useful. Yet she¡¯s trying her best, to please me in every aspect of life. That¡¯s more than what I thought I would get when I married her.


    After breakfast, I kiss her goodbye and head downstairs with my car keys in hand. I have a meeting with Leonid at one of our warehouses to inspect the workers packing the drugs.


    As I pull out of the parking garage, I get an uneasy feeling. I brush it off and join the rush hour traffic that I will sit in for a while.


    My mind wanders to Tori as we slowly make our way through the streets, myself and the hundreds of others trying to navigate New York. I hate driving at this time, but I get frustrated with my actual driver because he always tries to make detours and gets us stuck in more traffic-a sweet old guy, one of my cousin¡¯s uncles, but not a great navigator.


    I arrive at the warehouse and see the usual cars parked in the bay. I park in the open so that I can get in and out and back on the road, back to Tori.


    I climb out of my car and button my suit jacket. I realize I¡¯ve left my phone in the car and bend down to get it. As I do, bullets whiz over my head. I keep ducking down as bullets rain down upon me, hitting my car but missing me. I crawl back into the driver¡¯s side and try to keep my head down. I start the car and pull off at speed, leaving the industrial area while weaving through traffic like a maniac. I don¡¯t dare stop or look to see if someone¡¯s following me.


    Calm but annoyed, I grab my phone and call Aleks.


    ¡°Yes, boss?¡±


    ¡°Someone just tried to kill me,¡± I roar. ¡°Get Evgeni and Leonid to my apartment immediately.¡±


    I hang up and concentrate on my driving. Sirens sound behind me, and I sigh, pulling off to the side and waiting.


    The cop touches the back of my car and thenes to the driver¡¯s window. I roll it down and look up at him.


    He looks at me, and I see he knows who I am. ¡°Um, just your license and registration, sir.¡±


    I get him both, and he checks them, nods, and gives them back to me. ¡°You¡¯re free to go. Thank you, and sorry for the bother.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± I say before pulling away and driving toward the apartment.


    My guards are waiting for me in the parking garage, and I¡¯m surrounded when I climb out of my car. I give Aleks the keys. ¡°Take it to be repaired and bulletproofed, and tell them to send the bill to the restaurant.¡±


    Aleks leaves, and I take the elevator with my guards to my apartment. I don¡¯t want to freak Tori or Anastasia out, but I need to ensure they¡¯re safe. I pause at Anastasia¡¯s room, I can hear her talking to her friend on the phone, so I go to the office.


    Tori is hunched over the reports marking through them in red pen. I clear my throat, and she nces at me. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re back early?¡±


    ¡°I was nearly killed.¡± I instantly see the worry in her eyes and I¡¯m taken by surprise again. Could she actually have feelings for me? She gets up andes to me.


    ¡°What do you mean? Are you hurt?¡± I can see the concern in her eyes and brush a stray lock of hair back from her face. ¡°I¡¯m okay, they missed, but we need to¡­.¡±


    ¡°Ivan?¡± Evgeni calls, rushing in. ¡°Thank God. Where did they attack you? Were you injured? Should I call the doctor?¡±


    I hold my hand up. ¡°They missed,¡± I say as Leonid hurries in. ¡°But they knew I¡¯d be there, and if I hadn¡¯t forgotten my phone in the car, I¡¯d probably be dead.¡±


    ¡°Thank God you¡¯re not,¡± Leonid says, then he turns to eye out Tori. ¡°Is this your cousins doing?¡±


    Tori frowns, but I involuntarily snap at Leonid before she can say anything. ¡°Give it a damn rest. Not everything is the fucking Italians.¡±


    ¡°There was an attempt on your life, Ivan, and the Italians will gain a lot from your death,¡± Leonid says, looking sorry for himself.


    I turn to Evgeni. ¡°Find out who ordered the hit. I want to return the favor as soon as possible.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Evgeni leaves immediately, and Leonid perks up. ¡°It could be the Italians. It is a possibility.¡±


    I turn to Tori. ¡°Speak to Don Sorvino. Find out if he ordered the hit?¡±


    Tori nods. ¡°I can, but they won¡¯t tell me anything with your men there.¡±


    ¡°Phone your brother to collect you, and tell him to bring guards. I don¡¯t want you getting hurt,¡± I say, then watch her leave.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bad idea to trust her, Ivan. This could all be part of their n to get revenge. Don¡¯t you see that? You¡¯re assuming she will be honest if the Italians did put a hit out for you.¡± Leonid is frustrated. I can see that. I pull my gun out, grab his shirt and m his back into the wall, cing my gun under his chin as I growl, ¡°I trust her, Leonid. That is the end of this goddam discussion. Now piss off and make yourself useful, and find out who the fuck put a hit on me! The Sorvinos are not the only fucking enemies I have.¡±


    Leonid looks livid, but he won¡¯t talk back to me. I¡¯ve effectively chosen Tori over him. We both know that, but Leonid leaves without a word after I release him. I feel fuck all. Does he think I¡¯m an idiot? That I don¡¯t know who to trust.


    Until Tori proves she can¡¯t be trusted, I will trust her. I¡¯ve given her no reason to lie to me.


    I sit at my office and shoot a text to Anastasia toe to see me. I pour myself a ss of bourbon while I wait for her, sitting back and sipping on it. I go over and over in my head who could possibly have it out for me. That list is long. I¡¯ve fucked with many people in my life as a career criminal. There¡¯s no shortage of people who would be happy to see me dead.


    I still don¡¯t think it was the Sorvinos, though. If I die, Leonid takes over. They don¡¯t want me out of the way until they gain some of my territories.


    There¡¯s a soft knock at the door, and I look up at my daughter. ¡°Ana, we need to talk. Sit down.¡±


    She knows when I¡¯m serious and hurries to sit in the armchair in front of my desk. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, father?¡±


    ¡°There was an attempt on my life today,¡± I won¡¯t sugarcoat it for her. She knows what kind of life I lead. ¡°And I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll try to get to me through you or Tori, so I don¡¯t want you going anywhere without your security details. Do you understand me? This is serious. Don¡¯t evade them or leave them outside. Have them with you at all times.¡±


    Anastasia looks sad and asks, ¡°Are you okay, though?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, honey. They were lousy shots, to begin with.¡±


    Ana gets up andes around to hug me. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll take security everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Good girl. For now, though, stay in the apartment for the day, okay?¡±


    She nods and leaves quietly.


    I sip on my bourbon, going over my list of enemies in my head.

 #6 Chapter 16

    Vittoria


    While I wait outside, Ivan¡¯s guards protect me. Luigi arrives in his car, followed by security from our family. I bid Ivan¡¯s guards farewell and got into the car. Luigi pulls into traffic and immediately asks, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Someone tried to kill Ivan,¡± I say calmly. ¡°He wants me to ask Alessandro if this is from him.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°He trusts you that much?¡± Luigiughs. ¡°The fucking idiot.¡±


    I feel so guilty when he says that. Ivan has been very trusting of me and always defends me against Leonid, who clearly suspects I¡¯m up to something. I fidget slightly, and Luigi asks, ¡°Is anything wrong? Is he hurting you?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m taking care of myself.¡±


    We reach Alessandro¡¯s estate, and I¡¯m led to his office to wait for him. Luigi promises he¡¯s just outside the room if I need him, which I find sweet of my brother.


    I don¡¯t wait long before Alessandroes in, closing the door behind him. I stand respectfully, and he kisses each of my cheeks. ¡°Caio, Tori, what brings you here? Has something gone wrong?¡±


    I sit down with him and fidget slightly. ¡°I can¡¯t stay too long. I need to sort things out.¡±


    ¡°I got your letter in the book. Frankie has used the territories you suggested and is fudging the numbers to make them more appealing. Don¡¯t worry. If anything goes wrong, we¡¯ll get you out of there.¡±


    I nod. ¡°I know you will, but there¡¯s something else we need to discuss.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asks, looking worried.


    I take a deep breath. ¡°Ivan has sent me here to ask you for your honest answer. Did you try to gun him down this morning?¡±


    Alessandro looked surprised, and I knew it wasn¡¯t him. I sigh in relief. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would, but he wanted me to ask you.¡±


    Alessandro shakes his head. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t me. He must have more enemies than us, Tori. You can tell him it wasn¡¯t me who ordered the hit and that I honor our unity through marriage.¡±


    I nod and breathe deeply. He asks, ¡°So is it going all right? Is he hurting you in any way?¡±


    ¡°No, no. Nothing at all.¡± I feel awkward speaking about this because I don¡¯t know how to exin to my cousin that I¡¯m falling for the man responsible for my father being in hospital.


    Alessandro nods. ¡°If you need anything, contact me. I¡¯ll have men over in minutes.¡±


    I stand. ¡°I will. Don¡¯t stress too much. I can handle this.¡±


    As I walk out, my smart watch goes off, and I nce at it. Day three of my period. Weird. I frown; I¡¯m as regr as can possibly be. My period should have started three days ago.


    I doubt it¡¯s anything special, but I ask Luigi to stop at the pharmacy on our way to Kira¡¯s ce. I don¡¯t tell him what I need, and I make them pack it in a brown paper bag so it can¡¯t be seen.


    We arrive at Kira¡¯s, and I greet my sister. She looks even plumper than before, so I say, ¡°You look ready to explode.¡±


    ¡°A big baby girl,¡± shements with a smile. ¡°We are thinking of names at the moment, so if you have any good ones, go ahead.¡±


    Iugh. ¡°I would probably pick something terrible, but before we sit down, can I use your loo?¡±


    ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll wait in the living room for you,¡± she says, leading Luigi off. I go to the loo and hurry to unbox the pregnancy test. I read the instructions and awkwardly pee on the correct end of the stick. I put it aside and wash my hands. I don¡¯t flush because I don¡¯t want them to know I¡¯m done just yet.


    Time feels like it ticks by so slowly, and I know they wille looking for me soon. I figure it¡¯s a negative, and I pick it up to throw it away when a faint line catches my attention. A line that turns the image into a plus sign.


    No. No. No. No. No.


    I feel panic rising as I realize I¡¯m pregnant with Ivan¡¯s child. This can¡¯t be happening. I wasn¡¯t nning on staying long-term with him. I am to screw him over and get out without any problems. I can¡¯t be having a baby.


    A sudden rapping on the door makes me jolt, and I hurriedly say, ¡°Almost done.¡±


    My voicees out strained, and Kira says through the door, ¡°Tori, are you okay? You don¡¯t sound okay.¡±


    I realize I didn¡¯t lock the door toote when she turns the handle and walks in, seeing the pregnancy test in my hand.


    ¡°Oh shit,¡± she says loudly. ¡°Oh shit. Oh shit. Is that? Are you pregnant?¡±


    I look at her with wide eyes. ¡°Please, Kira, don¡¯t tell anyone. I need to figure out what I¡¯m going to do.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t have that asshole¡¯s baby,¡± she says even louder. ¡°Tori, it will tie you to him forever. You have to get out of here.¡±


    I flush the toilet and throw away the stick in the trash. ¡°Kira, listen to me. Promise me you won¡¯t tell anyone until I have this figured out,¡± I say, looking at her sternly.


    She swallows and sighs. ¡°Okay, but you better think of something soon.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pregnant?¡± I hear Luigi¡¯s voice behind Kira. Kira turns and grabs his wrist, dragging him into the bathroom.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to say anything to anyone about it,¡± Kira growls. ¡°Do you understand me? We need to stick together, we¡¯re the only family we have.¡±


    Luigi eyes us both, then sighs. ¡°Fine, but let me know if I can help.¡±


    I nod. ¡°It¡¯s agreed then. This stays secret until I¡¯m ready to say something.¡±


    They both nod, and I look at Luigi. ¡°I better go home before they suspect something. Can you take me?¡±


    ¡°How else are you going to get there, dumbass?¡± he asks, joking with me. I smile and nod, and we all three leave the bathroom, much to the surprise of a nearby maid.


    Luigi and I hug Kira goodbye, and we get into the car, and he drives me back toward the apartment. We don¡¯t say a word. There¡¯s nothing to say. No one can find out about this.


    I take the elevator to the penthouse, cing a hand on my womb and removing it quickly when the doors open. I walk in and call, ¡°Ivan?¡±


    ¡°In the library,¡± I hear him call back. I head that way, and as I enter the room, I see him sitting in the corner reading a book.


    ¡°What did he say?¡± He sets his book down and locks eyes with me.


    ¡°He had nothing to do with it, he swears. He is honoring our family unity through marriage.¡±


    Ivan nods. ¡°I didn¡¯t think he would do it. He¡¯s smart, and he wouldn¡¯t start an unnecessary war. No, someone else is up to something. You need security everywhere you go from now on.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± I say, then shift around awkwardly.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m actually exhausted,¡± I say with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m just going to go lie down. You read.¡±


    I go to him and nt a soft kiss on his lips. ¡°I¡¯ll see youter.¡±

 #6 Chapter 17

    Ivan


    Something is bothering Tori, and that worries me. I¡¯m not sure what to do, though. When I sit down for breakfast with her and Anastasia, I can see the worry on her face, and I want to ask her, but I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯ll open up to me unless we¡¯re alone. Maybe I can get her aler and ask her.


    I do trust she isn¡¯t lying about her cousin not ordering the hit, but sometimes I wonder if Leonid is right, and I¡¯m too trusting. M was killed because I ced my trust in the wrong person. I defended them as well, believing they would do what was right. The love of my life died as a result.


    A maid puts the paper next to me, and I open it, scanning through the articles to see if any catch my interest.


    Anastasia and Tori eat in silence while I do this, but there¡¯s no tension. Once I¡¯m done with the paper, I finish off my breakfast.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to check on babushka,¡± I tell Anastasia. ¡°Do you want toe with me?¡±


    I stand as she¡¯s about to answer me, but she doesn¡¯t get a chance as the emergency stairway door bursts open, and armed men stride into my home, shouting as they enter.


    I yell for Tori and Anastasia to get down, pull my gun out from under the table where it¡¯s secretly holstered, and fire at the men, forcing them back for a bit to give my guards a chance to respond.


    As I hear my guards¡¯ footsteps, I duck down to look at Anastasia. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she says.


    I look at Tori, who has buried her head in her knees, and I put a reassuring hand on hers.


    The noise dies down, and I slowly get up. Aleks stands with one man who is bleeding from his arm. ¡°We kept this one for you, boss.¡±


    ¡°Take him to the guest room and make himfortable,¡± I say coldly, helping Tori and Ana to their feet first.


    ¡°I want you both to stay in the beach house. It¡¯s more secure. I¡¯ll send extra guards. Go, I¡¯ll follow soon enough,¡± I exin, leaving no room for argument. ¡°Don¡¯t pack. I¡¯ll have the maids send your things over.¡±


    They leave hurriedly with some of the guards, and I go to the guest room, where Aleks is strapping our captive in a chair.


    This specific guest room is soundproofed, and the cupboard is full of toys to use when you want someone to fess up to something they did.


    I stand at the door for a moment, looking at the man in question. I walk in, and Aleks shuts the door. I go to the built-in wardrobe and open the door, looking at my selection.


    I look at Aleks. ¡°The car battery should do.¡±


    Aleks removes the car battery and sets it next to the man¡¯s feet. Leonides in as Aleks stabs two metal rods into each of the man¡¯s legs. He cries out and whimpers, and I know this isn¡¯t going to be too hard. Alex connects the battery to car cables and attaches one to a rod in the man¡¯s leg. He holds the other and looks at me until I nod.


    ¡°Who are you working for?¡± I ask.


    ¡°The Sorvinos,¡± he grumbles, and I nod to Aleks.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    He taps the jumper cable against the other rod, and electricity shoots through the man¡¯s body, causing him to clench his jaw but still cry out.


    ¡°No one would betray their family that quickly. This is a setup. Who do you really work for?¡± I ask.


    He mumbles something in Italian, but I can tell it¡¯s broken Italian. He¡¯s trying to frame the Sorvinos. I nod to Aleks, who taps the other jumper cable to the rod again, causing the man to scream and pant hard.


    Leonid steps forward and says, ¡°I told you the Sorvinos were up to something, and you wouldn¡¯t listen. You cannot trust Alessandro Sorvino.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°No, he has assured me he isn¡¯t involved. I believe that. This man is covering up for someone, someone closer to home.¡±


    We torture him for almost two hours, but he doesn¡¯t give up anything, Eventually, I have enough and take out my gun and shoot him between the eyes, turning to Alex, ¡°Ditch the body in the river, clean this ce up.¡±


    Leonid follows behind me, ¡°If not Alessandro Sorvino, then who?¡±


    A thought urs to me. I don¡¯t want to believe it, but it is within the realm of possibilities. ¡°Leonid, I trust you most of all. I think someone within our family is making a power y against me. I think Evgeni has betrayed me. I trust you because you are my brother, so look into it discreetly.¡±


    Leonid puts a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Of course, I will let you know as soon as I have any information.¡±


    I nod and squeeze his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t let Ma know that anything is going on, okay? She worries enough about the two of us without learning someone close to us is sabotaging our family.¡±


    Leonid nods. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She won¡¯t know a thing. No one will.¡±


    I watch him leave and look around. The maids are all hiding in the kitchen, so I go there and exin that I want them to pack everything of my, Tori¡¯s, and Ana¡¯s and have it sent to the beach house. They can then sort out this apartment for when we want to return.


    They all agree and hurry off, and I turn to see Aleksing in. ¡°Two of my trusted guys will dispose of the body. There¡¯s an evil glint in Aleks¡¯ eyes. He¡¯s always enjoyed killing. ¡°What do you want to do now, boss?¡±


    ¡°Gather my guards. I¡¯m going to the beach house. I want more men sent over there, men we trust, Aleks. You vet them. I want my women guarded at all times. Do you understand me?¡± I ask.


    Aleks nods. ¡°You know I will always have your back, boss, after everything you¡¯ve done for me.¡±


    I nod, loyalty isn¡¯t cheap, but loyalty like Aleks¡¯ is irreceable. He leaves andes back a few momentster with my personal guards. They escort me downstairs to our armored car, and I sit back. I texted Anastasia, and she confirmed they arrived without problems and were rxing by the pool.


    This satisfies me, but I¡¯m on high alert as we drive through traffic. A lot of my enemies won¡¯t hesitate to take me on in broad daylight. Although the beach house is secure, nowhere is truly safe. Not really.


    We arrive at the estate, and the guards shut therge gates behind us once we¡¯re safely in. We go through two more sets of wrought iron remote-operated gates before we reach the house.


    I nce out the back as I walk past the living room and smile. Tori and Anastasia are lying in bikinis, tanning in the sun. Anastasia is on her phone, and Tori is going over what looks like contracts, ever the workaholic.


    I decide to join them, changing into swimming trunks anding out. I kiss Anastasia¡¯s head, then Tori¡¯s lips, and dive into the pool to let the water wash away the tension.

 #6 Chapter 18

    Vittoria


    I stand in front of the mirror and ce my hands on my firm stomach. Falling pregnant wasn¡¯t in my ns to get my revenge against Ivan. It was never the n. I already know what is valuable to him and what isn¡¯t, and I¡¯ve let Alessandro have all those intimate details through reference books in the library.


    I pull my shirt down and check that I have thetest information for Alessandro in my book bag before I leave with Aleks for the library.


    I wander the sections for a long time until Aleks finds a ce to sit down and says he¡¯ll wait for me here while I browse for books. Taking the opportunity, I slip the note into the correct reference book and put it back on the shelf before browsing more psychology books to read.


    I find them interesting. At least there¡¯s that. I wonder about the tiny human growing inside of me. Is it a boy? Is it a girl? I¡¯ve never really thought about whether or not I want children, but now that it¡¯s happening, I¡¯m even more confused.


    Ivan put my father in the hospital. I don¡¯t care who ordered the hit. He is ultimately responsible. I think of my father dying, and I have to stop and take a few deep breaths. They said there was no chance, but I¡¯ve been praying. Surely God can hear me. If my father dies, he¡¯ll never meet my child. The thought chills me to the bone, and an incredible sadness falls over me.


    Ipose myself and then meet back up with Aleks. ¡°We can check these out.¡±


    He follows me to where the librarian is, and we check out my books. I put them in my book bag and try to suppress the feeling of guilt building up inside of me.


    Ivan is getting royally screwed over. I think as we walk back into the house. I instrumented that. He will lose so much, his family will lose so much, and I¡¯ve made it look like they¡¯re gaining a good deal. I rush to the bathroom and throw up. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the morning sickness starting or just the overwhelming emotions I feel. I flush the loo and wash my face, patting it dry with a towel.


    I go to the home office and get back to work, setting the books on one side. I read the contracts carefully, wanting to make sure there was nothing that I missed. Somewhere in the house, I hear Ivan¡¯s phone ring, and I perk up slightly, trying to hear what¡¯s being said.


    I can hear him talking excitedly, and then he goes quiet.


    ¡°Tori?¡± he calls, ¡°you around?¡±


    ¡°In the office,¡± I call back, swinging my chair around to see him walk in. He smiles and holds a hand out, and I take it. I stand and look up at him. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Actually, something is very right,¡± he says to me, kissing my fingers. ¡°I just got news from the hospital. I managed to pull some strings with the Russian specialists to look after your father again, and they¡¯re confident he can recover fully. He¡¯s going to be fine.¡±


    I don¡¯t know what I feel. Numb, I guess, and then panicked and overwhelmed. The tears begin to fall without me realizing they formed at all.


    Ivan strokes my face. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be happy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your fault,¡± I sob, punching him in the chest. ¡°It¡¯s your fault he was ever there to begin with. Your men put him there, and he could have died. They said he was going to die. They said he wouldn¡¯t make it.¡± I try to turn away, but he takes my hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Tori. You are right, it is my fault this happened, but I¡¯m d he¡¯s making a full recovery and that it brought you into my life,¡± his voice is soft and gentle, and I shake my head. I don¡¯t know what to say back. Everything feels upside down, and I sob harder.


    He wraps his strong arms around me and draws me against him, my head resting against his chest. I can hear his heartbeat through his chest, and the rhythm makes me feel better. I try to time my breaths with his breaths. I eventually stop sobbing, and once I¡¯m calm enough, he lets me go, and I look up at him. His eyes are filled with regret. I can see it clear as day.


    ¡°I promise I will never let anything or anyone hurt you like that again,¡± he says softly. ¡°I won¡¯t let anyone you love get hurt.¡±


    I swallow hard but don¡¯t break eye contact with him because I believe him. I think he would kill anyone who broke my heart. And here I am, about to break his at any moment Alessandro decides.


    ¡°I should get back to work. The distraction will do me good,¡± I say quietly, and he steps back.


    He looks down at me, then closes the distance again and kisses me deeply. I melt against him, returning the kiss passionately. I feel electricity charge through my body, my skin feels on fire, and there are butterflies in my belly.


    Not to mention his child.


    I pull away slowly and smile. ¡°That¡¯s also a good distraction.¡±


    He chuckles and kisses my forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to work.¡±


    We don¡¯t talk much for the rest of the day. At dinner, I¡¯m quiet while he and Anastasia discuss ns for her to change universities because she wants to study something different. They don¡¯t ask my opinion, and I don¡¯t offer it. I simply eat my food and excuse myself, going to shower.


    I sit on the edge of the bed and slowly rub cream into my body, taking extra care of myself. I¡¯m still emotional, but I can¡¯t wait to see my father. Although I think he will flip when he finds out about our n, he may want revenge too. I don¡¯t know what to think.


    I slide into the bed and curl up, hugging my pillow under my head. I don¡¯t fall asleep, and Ivan is quiet as he cleans up and slides into bed. I turn over and curl up with my head on his chest. He wraps his arms around me and strokes my arm gently with one hand. It feels right.


    This feels right.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    I¡¯ve never felt at home anywhere, constantly the odd one out. The overlooked one-the one who doesn¡¯t matter. Here I feel treasured, as though I¡¯ve finally found my ce.


    But Ivan is an evil man. There is no getting around that. Just like there is no denying Alessandro is evil, along with Katya, or Miguel.


    There¡¯s something more, though. I sense it. I think there¡¯s more than meets the eye. More than what the families see.


    Is love possible in families like ours? I mean, between enemies. I don¡¯t know but what I do know is that right now, I feel safer than I¡¯ve ever felt, and I close my eyes, starting to doze off to the sound of his heartbeat and the rhythm of his thumb stroking my arm.

 #6 Chapter 19

    Vittoria


    I¡¯m so damn nervous. In all the chaos, report checking, and deal-making, I¡¯ve had to work around nning Ivan¡¯s grandmother¡¯s birthday party. Well, not n but oversee. I was handed the n that had already been made, and I had to ensure it was all ounted for and sorted.


    A lot of it was rtively normal, what you would expect at a fancy birthday party, but some of the more cultural elements threw me a little off guard.


    Anastasia finishes curling my hair. ¡°Perfect.¡±


    I stand up, stare at the figure-hugging revealing dress in the mirror, and look at her pleadingly. ¡°I¡¯m basically nude.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not. You look great,¡± she assures me. ¡°Hair and makeup are on point, smoking hot sexy dress, and some nice t shoes because you¡¯ll be dancing a lot, trust me.¡±


    I pout and look in the mirror. The dress is a v-line that makes my cleavage pop. My somewhat growing cleavage. My boobs are starting to get so tender I don¡¯t know what to do with them.


    It¡¯s a backless number and reaches the floor, sweeping a little behind me. It¡¯s dark red, a color I¡¯m told Ivan is especially fond of on women, and the off-shoulder straps feel like they¡¯re going to fall off. The whole dress feels like it¡¯s just going to fall off.


    Anastasia notices my panic and shakes her head. ¡°It¡¯s secure, don¡¯t worry. You¡¯re going to be the talk of the family.¡±


    ¡°I never was with mine, and now I¡¯m not sure I ever want to be of anyone¡¯s family,¡± I confess.


    Ivanes into the room, and Anastasia smiles. ¡°She¡¯s ready. Let me go touch up my makeup.¡±


    It¡¯s an excuse to leave, we all know it, but she hurries off, and Ivan ogles me.


    ¡°Do I look okay?¡± I ask quietly, sping my hands in front of me. Unfortunately, I realize it makes my cleavage pop more, which I can tell from how Ivan¡¯s eyebrows raise.


    ¡°You look magnificent, Tori,¡± he says,ing over and kissing me softly on the lips. ¡°The most beautiful woman I¡¯ve ever met.¡±


    Knowing how much he loved Anastasia¡¯s mother really tugs at my heart. I¡¯m such a dog.


    I try to push the thoughts out of my head as I take his arm. He leads me out of the house with Anastasia ahead of us and into the limousine.


    I sit nervously, fidgeting with my fingers as we drive to the venue where everything is set up for the party.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be perfect,¡± Ivan says, cing his hand over mine to still my fidgeting. ¡°We¡¯re a big family, but everyone will love you.¡±


    ¡°Except Leonid,¡± I can¡¯t help butment.


    ¡°He¡¯lle around,¡± Ivan says. ¡°My brother is just hard-headed sometimes.¡±


    Once we reach the venue, we¡¯re expected, as the head of the family and hosts, to stand at the door and wee all the guests. Ivan is to my left, Anastasia is to my right, and we greet everyone as they walk in. Ivan introduces every person to me, but I¡¯m already struggling to pronounce some of the names, and I forget others. I¡¯m pleased when Arina arrives, looking gorgeous in what looks like a longer version of a jazz-style dress right out of the musical Chicago.


    She hugs me tightly and kisses my cheek. ¡°You look radiant, my dear. I¡¯m so d to see you again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy to see you again, too,¡± I gush, giving her another hug before she moves over to embrace Anastasia.


    I¡¯m getting antsy with everyone stilling, and Anastasia must pick up on my nerves because she excuses us from her father and takes me to sit at our table.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I say. ¡°It¡¯s a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°Some of them are just business partners or people who work for the family,¡± she says, pouring me a ss of ice-cold water. I sip it slowly.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We get that too. Our families have a lot inmon, actually,¡± I mention.


    ¡°I wish my mother were here,¡± she says wistfully. ¡°She loved Babushka Maria so much.¡±


    I reach for her hand. ¡°Your mother sounds like she was amazing.¡±


    ¡°She was. Always the life of the party and always the one to heal any rifts that happened. She was a peacemaker and tempered my father a lot. Many people didn¡¯t like that. The guy who gave away our location the day it happened was my father¡¯s best friend. My father trusted him over everyone else even though everyone warned him that Donald was up to no good. My father regretted trusting him so much.¡±


    ¡°My mother was also killed in a family-rted incident,¡± I say gently, holding her hand. ¡°So, on that front, I can empathize with you, but I want you to know I am in no way a recement for your mom. I could never take her ce. It would even be kind of weird if I tried.¡±


    We bothugh nervously, and I continue, ¡°But I am here if you need anything at all.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she squeezes my hand, and we sit back as Ivan joins us now that all the guests have arrived.


    As we make our way through the meal, Anastasia, Arina, and I have a fun conversation about how men are all the same. We agree that they only want one thing. That the more ambitious they are, the more dangerous they are. They are all stubborn mules who never realize the women standing behind them get them so far in life.


    Ivan raises his eyebrows at a fewments we giggle over, and I squeeze his hand.


    The music starts, and everyone watches as Ivan takes his grandmother out for the first dance. Everyone apuds, and soon a few people join them.


    I turn my attention back to Anastasia when I feel a tap on my shoulder and look up at Ivan.


    ¡°We should dance, as the head of the family,¡± he says.


    ¡°I can¡¯t dance,¡± I say, worried. ¡°Like I have three left feet and nine big toes and cannot dance.¡±


    Ivanughs heartedly, drawing more attention to us, but then he takes my hand. ¡°We danced at the wedding. All you have to do is trust me and follow me.¡±


    I swallow nervously as we walk into the center of the dance floor. A song starts, one I don¡¯t know, but Ivan puts my hand on his shoulder and takes my other hand, cing his hand on my waist.


    ¡°Ready?¡± he whispers.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I say with a giggle.


    He slowly starts to sweep me around. I lean against him, responding to the way he moves. I try my best at least, and several couples from the tables apud.


    ¡°Look at me. Focus on me,¡± Ivan says, and I look into his loving eyes. He sweeps me around, and I feel like an absolute princess. It wasn¡¯t until after the song ended that I realized everyone is watching us. I blush, but Ivan chuckles and takes me in his arms for another dance.


    We spend the night dancing, talking, andughing, and I get to know a few more of his family members who seem enamored with me. I thought my social awkwardness would be my undoing, but I find Ivan¡¯s family easy to get along with.


    We eventually get home, and I can¡¯t help but admit that I¡¯ve fallen for Ivan in a big way and that this is a very big problem. I wonder if I can stop Alessandro from screwing him. Maybe I can ask Alessandro to help me leave the country like Kira did, and I¡¯ll raise our child overseas. The thought of leaving Ivan and raising our baby without a father makes my heart ache, and I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do to fix this situation.

 #6 Chapter 20

    Ivan


    Sweeping around the dance floor with Tori, watching her infectiousughter fill the room, and her intellect challenge others made me fall even harder for her. I¡¯m head over heels, and I cannot deny it anymore.


    It¡¯s as though I can feel love again, like a piece of me that died with M has been resurrected. I feel as though M has given her blessing for me to move on, to start again, to love again, and feel warmth and happiness.


    Tori is so much more than her shyness. Behind her shy smile and demeanor is a brilliant young woman who has ambition and can go far in life. She is not only intelligent but strong, and I know she is the perfect queen to rule by my side for the rest of our lives.


    While I¡¯m sitting outside sipping on my afternoon coffee, I toy with the idea of having more children. Am I too old? I imagine any children Tori and I make would be absolutely gorgeous, like Anastasia. I seem to pick women with good genes. I think about what I would do if I had a son, someone to inherit the family. Someone who would take over when I¡¯m done. Someone who will be brilliant, well-read, and fun.


    I hear footsteps and nce to my left. I see Leonid approaching and set my coffee down.


    ¡°Why are you so happy?¡± he asks curiously as he sits to my left.


    I shake my head. ¡°Just nning the future, and it looks good, my brother.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t get too excited about the future just yet,¡± Leonid says with a sigh. ¡°You were right. There is a faction of men within the family that want to overthrow you.¡±


    ¡°Evgeni has nned to overthrow me?¡± I ask, feeling a heavy disappointment settle in my stomach. ¡°My own cousin?¡±


    ¡°The only one I can think of at this point.¡± Leonid looks at me sadly. ¡°But I can handle it. I will make our little problem go away.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°No, I want to deal with this directly myself.¡±


    ¡°Ivan, you are the head of the family, you delegate. Don¡¯t get your hands dirty over a traitor,¡± Leonid insists, but I shake my head again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask Evgeni toe to speak to me. I¡¯ll get to the bottom of this.¡±


    Leonid sighs again, so I ask, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s gone to arrange another trade with a family and will be out of state for two weeks,¡± he shrugs. ¡°That¡¯s why I say I could just send someone to handle him, and poof, our problem is gone.¡±


    ¡°No, I want him to admit it to me before I put a bullet between his eyes for betraying me.¡± I stand up. ¡°Thanks, Leonid. Just keep this between the two of us for now. I don¡¯t want Evgeni to get wind and make a run for it.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Is there anything else I can help with?¡± he offers.


    ¡°No, nothing for now. Go to your family and enjoy your day,¡± I say, turning to go inside. I wander around for a moment, musing over the betrayal. I find Tori in the office, and I sit down heavily. She turns to face me.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asks gently, scooting over to me.


    I take her hand in mine. ¡°Evgeni is the one who tried to have me killed. He¡¯s betrayed the family.¡±


    Tori looks distressed, and I give her hand a squeeze. ¡°It¡¯s always harder when it¡¯s someone we¡¯re close to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Ivan,¡± she pulls my hand to her lips and kisses my fingers the way I do to hers.


    ¡°I always try to do right by my family. I always try to make sure everyone is taken care of, but there¡¯s always one ungrateful miscreant that has to betray me,¡± I say with a heavy sigh.


    ¡°You¡¯ll figure this out. Speak to him and ask him for reasons,¡± she says. ¡°There must be a reason. He seems to adore you so much.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    She swings around, pulls papers from her desk, and hands them to me. ¡°I¡¯m finished with the contracts,¡± she says. ¡°You¡¯re getting an excellent deal out of my family.¡±


    I take the paper from her and start to rifle through them, reading her notes. ¡°Your family isn¡¯t getting anything too bad from me either,¡± I point out. ¡°In fact, a few of these assets are really nice.¡±


    ¡°A mutual exchange,¡± she says quietly.


    ¡°Seems good to me,¡± I say, setting the paperwork down on the desk and pulling her off her chair and into myp. ¡°Now that you¡¯re finished working like a ve, why don¡¯t we curl up on the sofa and read.¡±


    She smiles down at me and kisses my mouth softly. ¡°That sounds like an amazing idea.¡±


    I kiss her back, and for a moment, we simply sit there, kissing each other over and over again. I touch her breast, and she moans loudly, and I raise an eyebrow. ¡°Horny much?¡± I tease.


    She blushes and climbs off myp. ¡°Let¡¯s go read before you get other ideas of what we should be doing.¡±


    ¡°But those ideas could be fun,¡± I point out as I let her drag me to the library. We both have books we¡¯re busy with, and there¡¯s arge sofa in here we both curl up on. She leans against me slightly as she reads. I love watching her read. She concentrates so hard as though she could telepathically transfer the information into her brain forever.


    I¡¯m reading a horror novel at the moment, but my heart isn¡¯t into it after learning about Evgeni. I keep thinking that he, or whoever decided to go rogue, also was behind the missing money from my ount and the situation with the contracts.


    I decide to put an arm around Tori and lean back, closing my eyes and rxing. ¡°Read to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s psychological stuff. It¡¯s boring,¡± she murmurs.


    ¡°Read to me anyway,¡± Iment.


    She shifts around and starts to read. Her voice is so pleasant to listen to, and it turns out that the stuff she¡¯s reading about actually isn¡¯t that boring. I listen intently at first, then a little less so. I¡¯m tired, so I shift and lie down with her lying between my legs, her head on my chest. I getfy and close my eyes. She stops reading after a moment, and I nudge her. ¡°Carry on, or I won¡¯t fall asleep.¡±


    She giggles and carries on reading, and I slowly close my eyes.

 #6 Chapter 21

    Vittoria


    With each day that passes, I feel worse and worse. At first, I med the morning sickness, which seemed to have hit me very hard. Pregnancy. Zero out of ten. Do not rmend it if you hate puking.


    It¡¯s not just the morning sickness, though. I love Ivan, and I feel so bad for betraying him. The contracts have been handed to the familywyer, and I know they are going over them. I¡¯m stressed they¡¯ll pick up that something is wrong or point out that the Volkov family is being screwed. I don¡¯t know who thewyer is or how good they are. I can only hope they don¡¯t pick up on what I¡¯ve done.


    I can¡¯t ask any questions as that will only rouse suspicion, and I don¡¯t want to do that. It could put my and my baby¡¯s life in danger. I can¡¯t just sit here doing nothing, though, as the wait is killing me, and I feel so useless.


    It¡¯s after the tenth day that I¡¯ve finally had enough. I go from the library to Ivan¡¯s office and knock softly on the door to get his attention.


    He looks up and smiles, happy to see me. That¡¯s the worst part. He¡¯s always so excited to be with me.


    ¡°What can I do for the most beautiful woman in my life?¡± he asks, holding out his hand. ¡°A massage? A date night? A holiday somewhere exotic?¡±


    I take his hand, and he pulls me onto hisp. He kisses me deeply, tangling his fingers in my hair. I don¡¯t hold back. I kiss him hungrily before I start to giggle into his mouth. ¡°You¡¯re insatiable.¡±


    ¡°For you, every day,¡± he growls, kissing my neck softly and giving me shivers.


    ¡°I came looking for something to do,¡± I sigh, closing my eyes until he¡¯s done trailing kisses on my skin. Then I look into his eyes. ¡°I feel absolutely useless now that I have nothing to keep me preupied. I wasn¡¯t made to y housewife.¡±


    ¡°While there¡¯s nothing wrong with being a housewife, I know you need a challenge. So tell me, what is it you want most in life?¡± he asks.


    I go quiet and think about it for a moment before saying, ¡°Well, I want to practicew. I didn¡¯t work this hard at my studies to be top of my ss, not to practicew.¡±


    ¡°What kind ofw do you want to practice?¡± he asks curiously, stroking my back gently. I love when he does that.


    ¡°I want to focus on corporatew, maybe some criminalw if the family needs it, but mostly, I want to be an active part of the family business, yours or mine. Even more than that, I want to build a sessful business.¡±


    I sigh and pout at him, and he chuckles before he runs his thumb over my bottom lip that¡¯s jutting out.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we start by getting you some offices for your new firm? You better think of a name so we can set it all up.¡±


    I balk at the idea and shake my head. ¡°No, no, that¡¯s too much, Ivan. You can¡¯t just give me aw firm.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re brilliant, Tori, you¡¯re absolutely amazing, and I have no doubt that it would be a raging sess under your guidance,¡± he says, inclining his head to the side. ¡°It would be an investment, really.¡±


    I sigh and shake my head. ¡°You¡¯re too kind and too generous. I don¡¯t want to take advantage of that.¡±Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    Especially because I¡¯m betraying you, I think but do not say out loud.


    He kisses my nose. ¡°You will have everything your heart desires, and you can¡¯t stop me from giving it to you. However, I need to finish this work, so can we discuss thister?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll visit Kira to distract myself,¡± I say, kissing him softly.


    Aleks drives me to Kira, and from there, he hangs out with other guards outside the vi while we talk inside the library.


    ¡°Tori, this isn¡¯t good. You need prenatal care and scans, and you need to make sure the baby is healthy. You can¡¯t just ignore the situation,¡± she says in a hushed, worried tone.


    ¡°I know, Kira. I¡¯m not stupid. I¡¯m just figuring it out,¡± I say. ¡°You don¡¯t understand howplicated the situation is!¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t I?¡± she says with a raised eyebrow. ¡°As though I didn¡¯t sleep with Uncle Romero¡¯s rival¡¯s son and have his son, now with a second on the way.¡±


    ¡°Miguel didn¡¯t try to kill Uncle Romero and Papa,¡± I point out. ¡°I just don¡¯t know what to do at this point.¡±


    ¡°Are you nning on keeping it?¡± she asks suddenly. ¡°Because you have to decide soon. After you reach a certain number of weeks, they won¡¯t do it anymore.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m catholic. I would never have an abortion,¡± I hiss at her, shocked and hurt. ¡°You can¡¯t suggest things like that, surely? Papa didn¡¯t make you have one.¡±


    Kira reaches for my hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean you should. I¡¯m just presenting you with your options, judgment-free.¡±


    I squeeze her hand and sigh. ¡°I know I have to deal with this soon, but I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    ¡°You should tell Alessandro to get you out of there first of all,¡± Kira suggests. ¡°And tell him you¡¯re pregnant. He will protect you from Ivan. I swear Alessandro has more power at this point. Ivan wouldn¡¯t dare hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Ivan wouldn¡¯t hurt me at all,¡± I say confidently. ¡°You don¡¯t know him. You don¡¯t understand him.¡±


    ¡°Are you defending him?¡± Kira asks, raising an eyebrow


    I shake my head quickly. ¡°Not at all. I know what I have to do for my family.¡± I stand up. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t stay too long. Ivan likes to have dinner with Anastasia and me at six sharp.¡±


    Kira struggles to her feet and reaches for me. I allow her to hug me and awkwardly put my arms around her. She says, ¡°I love you too.¡± She says it quietly, and I doubt what I heard for a moment.


    I look into her eyes, and I can see the love she has for me. I¡¯ve always felt ignored and unloved, but now, I can tell my sister would kill for me.


    I kiss both her cheeks. ¡°I love you too.¡±


    We hug again, and then she escorts me to where Aleks is waiting. ¡°I¡¯m ready to go, Aleks,¡± I say, smiling.


    Aleks throws his cards down. ¡°Full house,¡± he says, taking the three cigars in the middle while Kira¡¯s menin. Kira clicks her tongue. ¡°He won fair and square, so stop moaning.¡±


    Aleks escorts me to the car, and when I get in, I snort. ¡°How do you know to y poker so well?¡±


    ¡°My mother was a ckjack dealer at a casino. I¡¯d sit at the poker tables when they weren¡¯t busy, and the guys would teach me.¡±


    I think it¡¯s the most I¡¯ve ever heard him say. I smile and sit back, a hand absentmindedly stroking my belly. Should I tell Alessandro? I need to decide soon because Kira is right. I¡¯m going to start showing soon, and then I have no option.¡±

 #6 Chapter 22

    IvanBelongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    I¡¯m sitting out front enjoying a cigar, something I don¡¯t often do when Tori arrives home. When she gets out of the car, I can see worry etched on her face. She¡¯s upset about something.


    I put out the cigar and catch her as she walks up the stairs. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    She shakes her head. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. I¡¯m just hungry and need a rest.¡±


    I frown. ¡°Tori, I¡¯vee to know you better than that. If something is bothering you, you can tell me. I can help you fix it.¡±


    She shakes her head again. ¡°It¡¯s just silly family politics with my sister. I don¡¯t really want to talk about it right now.¡±


    I kiss her forehead. ¡°I hope it gets sorted out. Having siblings is a blessing in any family.¡±


    She nods, and I let her go inside, but I wait for Aleks. As soon as hees up the porch, I ask, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°She was fine one minute, and the next, she was emotional,¡± Aleksments. ¡°Don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong.¡±


    I frown and nce down the hallway she walked down. ¡°I don¡¯t like to see her unhappy.¡±


    Anastasiaes toward me as I walk into the house. ¡°Father, who I love,¡± she says sweetly, and I snort, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Come with me,¡± she says, taking my hand and leading me inside to where Tori sat down in the lounge.


    ¡°Sit,¡± she instructs me, pointing at the couch beside Tori. Tori nces at me, but I shrug. I don¡¯t know what this is about.


    Anastasia smiles brightly. ¡°Father, who I love,¡± she teases again. ¡°Whatever are you up to tonight?¡±


    ¡°Rxing?¡± I suggest. ¡°That was the n, at least.¡±


    ¡°You rx too much,¡± she says with a p of her hands. ¡°I¡¯m in the mood for some good-hearted old-school fun. The three of us are going to the arcade to y games and bowl.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Ana, don¡¯t you have friends to do that with? I¡¯m far too old to be ying arcade games.¡±


    She widens her eyes and juts out her bottom lip. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to spend time with me?¡±


    I groan and look at Tori. ¡°See what I live with between the two of you? Fine,¡± I concede. ¡°Fine! We will go with you tonight.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she squeals and hugs me tightly. ¡°Like, we¡¯re leaving in half an hour.¡± She prances off, and I shake my head. ¡°Change into somethingfortable. This child can bowl for hours.¡±


    Tori gives me a sad smile and nods, getting up and kissing my head before she makes her way to the bedroom. Maybe this will cheer her up. I go into the bedroom after her, changing into some track pants and a golf shirt. Nothing fancy, but I¡¯m still presentable.


    Tori side-eyes me, and I smirk. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You have some, um, definition happening in those pants.¡± she blushes, looking away.


    ¡°Something you can look at all night long,¡± I tease, going to her and wrapping my arms around her. I kiss her softly, then smack her bum lightly. ¡°Come on, we better hurry, or my child will be most upset.¡±


    She smiles that sad smile again, and it breaks my heart.


    She¡¯s still subdued when we arrive at the arcade, but I know my daughter, her bubbly personality will make it fun, and Tori will soon have a good time.


    We start by ordering pizza at the bowling alley and getting our bowling on. We y against each other, and Anastasia wins the first round easily against us. I¡¯m surprised. I didn¡¯t realize she¡¯d been practicing.


    Tori just barely lost to me, but every time she threw the ball, it would spin, and she would burst into giggles-it was a lot of fun. In the second round, Tori and Anastasia tied. I may have deliberately made a few gutter balls on idental purpose. In the third round, though, I don¡¯t hold back and wipe them both out on the scoring board.


    ¡°You¡¯re a cheater,¡± Tori deres as she eats another slice of pizza. ¡°You lulled us into a false sense of security.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m strategic,¡± I say, sipping on my beer. Nearby some guards watch over us, ensuring no onees over and bothers us. Anastasia waves down a waitress, ¡°Can we get another pizza and arge cheesy fries.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Who is paying for all this food?¡±


    ¡°You are,¡± she says with a grin. ¡°Because you love us.¡±


    I chuckle and sip my beer again before setting it down. Once the extra pizza and fries arrive, the girls devour them. I don¡¯t know who is more hungry, but it¡¯s fun to watch. I manage to squeeze in one slice for myself.


    After we¡¯ve paid for everything, we go into the outdoor arcade. The indoor arcade has video games, but the outdoor games have bigger prizes you can win, and I know Anastasia has her heart set on a giant teddy bear. We find the cutest one of the lot, and luckily for me, it¡¯s a shooting game.


    I pay the guy for two rounds and pick up the pellet gun. I make my stance, take aim, and let her rip, hitting the targets perfectly.


    Tori looks at me amazed, and I chuckle, ¡°My father was an avid gun collector, and he always said he¡¯d never raise his kids not to handle guns safely.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unfair if you¡¯re a professional,¡± the booth owner says.


    I look at him, raise an eyebrow, and Anastasia picks up the pellet gun. ¡°My turn.¡±


    She also fires off urate shots, missing only two.


    ¡°You won one giant teddy,¡± the booth owner gloats. I look at him, then grab him and pull him to me, so our faces are inches apart. ¡°I believe I won two.¡±


    ¡°Of¡­of¡­of course,¡± the man stammers as he sees the guards advancing. ¡°My mistake.¡±


    He gets the two giant teddy bears, and I take them. I give one each to Tori and Anastasia and then smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go y some more games. I¡¯m enjoying this.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Tori says with a genuine smile.


    The rest of the evening is filled withughs, more food, and more games. By the time we get home, we¡¯re exhausted. Leonid is waiting for me on the front porch, so I send Tori and Anastasia in to get ready for bed without me.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I ask, sure it has something to do with Evgeni.


    Leonid holds out paperwork to me. ¡°I don¡¯t know what makes you think you can trust a Sorvino, but Ivan, you can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I will trust her until she does something that breaks that trust,¡± I roar at him, now at my wit¡¯s end with this conversation. I rip the papers from his hand and look at them. It¡¯s the contracts.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t sign if I were you,¡± Leonid says quietly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do as I see fit,¡± I say coldly. ¡°Now get out of here.¡±


    He leaves, and I dump the contracts on my office table before getting changed and washed up. Tori is already in bed. She seems to be asleep already. So at peace. I climb into bed behind her and spoon her. I stroke her hair softly, careful not to wake her up because I need to admit this before it makes me explode.


    ¡°I trust you so much. I trust you¡¯ve done the right thing for our family and us. Dammit, I trust you with my heart, something I thought I didn¡¯t have anymore. Vittoria, I love you so damn much.¡±


    I kiss her bare shoulder and settle down, closing my eyes.

 #6 Chapter 23

    Vittoria


    I can¡¯t believe what he said. I know I shouldn¡¯t have pretended to be asleep, but I didn¡¯t want him to ask more questions about why I¡¯m upset. I find lying to him difficult, but I know Leonid brought the contracts back. I stayed in bed when Ivan got up, and I¡¯ve been too scared to have breakfast in case he¡¯s waiting for me for an exnation.


    He loves me. Oh my God, he loves me. He trusts me with his heart. And I fucking love him. I love him so damn much that I feel like I can¡¯t breathe. And I haven¡¯t even told him about the baby. Oh God, what if he finds out how I screwed him and kills the baby and me.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    I touch my belly protectively. I can¡¯t let anything happen to my little one. I¡¯m seriously considering having Alessandro pull me out of the situation, but leaving Ivan would break me.


    I don¡¯t know what to do, and I¡¯m craving cheese so fucking badly.


    I eventually drag myself out of bed and go to the bathroom to shower and freshen up. I wear a loose-fitting cardigan over some tights and my sneakers.


    As I walk out of the bedroom, I see the office light is still on and go over there. Ivan is pouring over the paperwork, and I knock softly. ¡°Hey.¡±


    Ivan smiles when he looks up. ¡°You¡¯re looking cheerier.¡±


    I give him a small smile. ¡°I¡¯m always happy when I see you,¡± I say, and I mean it.


    I walk further into the room and stand by him. ¡°Is there anything you need me to exin?¡± I try to sound as casual as I can.


    He chuckles. I love his smirk and his damn chuckle. He looks up at me. ¡°You¡¯re so shy, but you really shouldn¡¯t be. You¡¯re seriously intelligent and will go far in life, Tori. You just need a little self-confidence.¡±


    I blush slightly and stroke his hair back. ¡°I¡¯ve always been overshadowed in my family. I fought to prove that I had a ce there and was worthy, but I still felt like an outcast. I still can¡¯t find my voice.¡±


    Ivan strokes my hand with his thumb as he holds it. ¡°I¡¯ll help you find your voice, and until you do, I will be your voice. Don¡¯t ever be afraid to speak to me or in front of me about anything.¡±


    I consider telling him to scrap the contracts, that he¡¯s being swindled, but I can¡¯t bring myself to betray my flesh and blood like that. Yet Ivan feels like family too. I¡¯m torn between two worlds.


    Ivan shifts his chair so that I can sit on his leg. ¡°You like me sitting on yourp, huh?¡± I tease him, running my fingers through his neat beard.


    ¡°I like having you close to me,¡± he murmurs. ¡°Any part of you. I will never let you go.¡±


    I shiver as he caresses my back, and I lean down to kiss him softly. ¡°You have been so good to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about to get better, quick, jump up and stand by the door,¡± he tells me.


    I do as I¡¯m told and wait.


    ¡°Close your eyes,¡± he says, and then I feel him tying something over my eyes. ¡°Ivan?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stress. I want to surprise you,¡± he assures me. ¡°I¡¯m going to escort you out of the house to the car, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I say shakily.


    He guides me forward, but all I can think about is how he¡¯s taking me somewhere to kill me, that he found out I betrayed him, and this is it. I¡¯m going to die.


    I try not to whimper. I don¡¯t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he scares me.


    We reach the car, and we get in slowly. He¡¯s trying hard to avoid bumping my head.


    I can feel when the car starts, and we¡¯re moving, and I won¡¯t lie, being blindfolded in a moving car does nothing for my morning sickness. My stomach turns, and I fidget with my fingers. God, I am so scared. I pray silently that it¡¯s quick and that he won¡¯t torture me for what I¡¯ve done.


    The drive feels like it takes forever, and when the car stops, Ivan sounds amused when he announces we¡¯ve arrived.


    He helps me out of the car and guides me to stand facing a certain way.


    ¡°Okay, Tori, now you¡¯re going to get what you deserve,¡± I can¡¯t tell from his tone what he means, but I¡¯ve resigned myself to this being the end.


    He takes off my blindfold, and I blink in the bright sunshine. We¡¯re standing in front of an empty office building. I look at the building, then at him, then at the building, and then back at him. ¡°I¡¯m confused, Ivan.¡±


    ¡°You want to practicew, so I got you your offices. This is going to be the starting home of the greatest corporatew firm in New York.¡± He deres it so happily, and I can¡¯t exin the relief I feel now that I realize I¡¯ve not been taken to be murdered. I turn back to the building and walk toward it. ¡°Is it open?¡± I ask curiously.


    He opens the door. ¡°After you.¡±


    I walk into the carpeted reception area. It¡¯s huge. Ivan starts leading me around. ¡°This is where we can set up two board rooms for you to meet with clients, and then this would be your office. It¡¯s the biggest and gets the most light. I was thinking of putting up some wall-to-ceiling ss cab bookcases, dark wood, of course.¡± He¡¯s rattling the stuff off as though he¡¯s had this nned for years, and not like we¡¯ve just recently discussed it. My stomach turns and tears well up in my eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you like it?¡± he asks with concern. ¡°I can get you somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°No, I love it. I don¡¯t deserve it.¡± I start to cry, then ster on a smile. ¡°I¡¯m just so happy.¡±


    Ivan smiles and pulls me to him. ¡°We¡¯ll have to have secret,te-night office meetings just the two of us,¡± he purrs, leaning down to kiss me deeply.


    I throw my arms around his neck, and he lifts me as we kiss hungrily. Desperate to devour each other-as though we are two halves of opposite worlds that somehow make a whole.


    He puts me down and rests his forehead against mine. ¡°I told you, I will give you everything you desire. If you want me to burn this world to the ground, I will.¡±


    I look down, sighing softly. ¡°I would do anything for you.¡±


    He kisses my forehead and nces around. ¡°We can get you an L-shaped desk, lots of space. I know you need lots of space to work. I¡¯ve seen how you work.¡±


    I smile and look around. ¡°It¡¯s perfect in every possible way, Ivan. Thank you so much. You will never understand how much this means to me. No one¡¯s ever done something this grand for me. Just¡­thank you.¡±


    Ivan smiles and kisses me passionately again.

 #6 Chapter 24

    Ivan


    There¡¯s a spring to my step as I make my way to the family restaurant from my car. Tori is beyond happy, and that makes me happy. Nothing in this world can break my spirit right now.


    My Uncles Boris and Grigoriy are meeting me here today to finalize the signing of the contracts. A bright future for my family, a future with Tori, and not even the knowledge that Evgeni has betrayed me weighs me down.


    I enter the restaurant to find my uncles talking amongst themselves. They stop when they see me, standing up until I¡¯ve taken my seat.


    The waitresses past. ¡°Whiskey, neat.¡± I know she knows which bottle is reserved for me. I p my hands together. ¡°Tell me the good news, guys.¡±


    They look at each other, crestfallen, as though they can¡¯t decide which of them should speak to me first, which makes me hesitant. ¡°Come on, out with it.¡±


    Boris leans forward and taps his finger on the copy of the contract in front of him. ¡°Was this their final offer?¡±


    ¡°Tori vetted it herself and said they¡¯re being very generous,¡± I say, narrowing my eyes. ¡°Why?¡±


    I went through those contracts, and we seemed to be getting a lot, but that didn¡¯t raise any gs for me. Maybe it should have.


    Grigoriy leans forward and sps his hands in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s shit, Ivan. Everything they¡¯re offering is useless shit. Areas where we can¡¯t own the cops, can¡¯t bribe inspectors. These are territories no one would fucking want, not even the damn South Americans. They wouldn¡¯t even run their cheapest shit drugs through these ces.¡±


    I clench my fists. ¡°How obvious is this?¡±


    ¡°Obvious if you¡¯ve been paying close attention to it,¡± Boris says. The implication is there. I take a few deep breaths. The waitress sets my whiskey down and hurries off. I down it and m the ss on the table. ¡°That fucking bitch.¡±


    I feel like I¡¯m in one of my supernatural story books where the demon has reached through my skin to wrap his hand around my heart and squeeze it until it bursts. Rage and pain course through my body. I trusted her. She made a fool of me. She pretended to care about my family and me. She lured me in like a hopeless idiot. I let her in.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± I yell suddenly, causing everyone to jump. I m my fist onto the table and get up, walking out without a backward nce.


    I get into my car and drive, ncing at the time. I shake my head; I¡¯m not thinking rationally, but this is worse than killing a family member. They¡¯ve gone too far.


    I pull up to La Club and step out of my vehicle. The guards look at me curiously, but Luigies out and says, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Where is Alessandro?¡± I ask, trying to calm myself.


    ¡°He¡¯s in the office with Frankie. This way.¡± He gives me a side eye but leads me in. I fear fucking nothing. They gave me my love back and ripped it from my life. It¡¯s worse than when I lost M.


    I walk into the office, and Alessandro looks up at me, standing. ¡°Ivan.¡±


    ¡°Alessandro,¡± I say, sitting in the armchair.


    ¡°Drink?¡± he asks.


    ¡°No. But I¡¯d like to congratte you. It was fucking clever, it really was.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± he asks me.


    ¡°nting Vittoria in my family, getting her to warm me up, and then having her betray me,¡± I shake my head. ¡°I was a fool, and you exploited it. Tell me, how did shemunicate with you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Alessandro tries to brush me off.


    I snarl at him, ¡°Don¡¯t fucking lie to me.¡± I sit back and take a deep breath. ¡°I won¡¯t kill her. You used her as a pawn, and she obeyed. It¡¯s what happens in our families. Have her collected today.¡± I stand up. ¡°But I dere open war on all Sorvinos and rted parties.¡±


    Alessandro stands up, ¡°Ivan¡­.¡±


    ¡°Collect her before I change my mind,¡± I say before walking out. I don¡¯t look at a single person as I walk out. I get back into my car and drive back to the house.


    When I walk in, I find Tori in the library reading. I stand at the doorway, watching her. My heart aches to hold her because she crossed me. How could someone so beautiful be so cruel? She didn¡¯t seem cruel at all. It was clearly all an act.


    She¡¯s the enemy.


    As I turn to leave, she looks up. ¡°Ivan,¡± she smiles broadly. Alessandro must not have phoned her yet.


    She looks into my cold eyes, and her smile fades. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± I turn to walk away but hear her running after me. She grabs my arm. ¡°Ivan?¡±


    I yank my arm away from her and whip around; I can¡¯t control myself. I want to hurt her, she doesn¡¯t deserve peace. ¡°You betrayed me. You fucking took me for a ride and thought I wouldn¡¯t find out,¡± I snarl. ¡°I know about the shitty territories you were negotiating for us. We would have lost millions.¡±


    Tears well up in her eyes, I can¡¯t tell if she¡¯s sad or afraid, but she¡¯s probably both.


    ¡°Ivan, I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t think I would fall in love with you.¡± she starts to cry. ¡°At first, it was about betraying you, but I fell for you. I love you. I feel like being with you is where I belong. Please, please give me a second chance. I will make this right.¡±


    ¡°Lies,¡± I roar, and she steps back. ¡°I don¡¯t fucking believe you. Pack your shit. Your brother is on his way to fetch you, and I never want to fucking see you again. Don¡¯te near my family or me; my patience for you will wear thin, and I will have you killed for betraying me.¡±


    I turn to leave. The sadness in her voice as she sobs my name does nothing. I shut down. I can¡¯t feel. I get my driver to take me to our warehouse, and I walk into the office where Leonid is working.


    ¡°I should have listened to you,¡± I say after a moment.


    ¡°Boris phoned and told me,¡± he says quietly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ivan. I know you were fond of her. A Sorvino is a Sorvino, though, and you were taken for a ride.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m having the marriage annulled. But I don¡¯t want her hurt, not yet anyway. We will dere war with the Sorvinos, trample over them, and rule New York City.¡±


    ¡°I agree. We should, as you would say, y chess, not football. Clever attacks where it hurts them, but we must first deal with a situation closer to home. Evgeni is back this weekend.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with him swiftly,¡± I say. ¡°I¡¯m only a fool once. I should have believed you, brother. I¡¯m sorry.¡± His hand sps my shoulder and squeezes. ¡°You thought you were doing right by the family. We can learn from this.¡±


    I nod and look out at the warehouse. All I can hear in my mind is Tori sobbing my name.

 #6 Chapter 25

    Vittoria


    As soon as Ivan walks out of the house, I crumble to the ground, holding my belly. I sob as hard as I can, but soon Alekses in and nudges me with his foot. ¡°Pakhan Volkov said you were to pack your things and leave. Your brother is here to collect you.¡±


    I pick myself off the floor and go to the room, packing what I brought with me and leaving the things that Ivan and Arina bought me. Anastasia passes and sees me sobbing. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Ana.¡± I pull her into a hug. ¡°Please, I know your father will say I betrayed him, but I do love him more than anything.¡±


    She looks at me wearily, and I take off my wedding ring and leave it by the bed. ¡°I hope you live the best life possible.¡±


    I lug my suitcase onto its wheels and wheel it out the door. Whatever I¡¯ve left can be reced. Luigi is waiting on the porch with Aleks.


    ¡°Goodbye, Aleks,¡± I say, tears free-flowing down my face. ¡°Thank you for protecting me.¡±


    Aleks remains stony-faced, but I see he nods slightly, and I know he will miss me too.


    Luigi takes my bag and puts it in the trunk before helping me into the car. We pull into traffic, and I hug my knees and sob hard. I don¡¯t think I cried this hard when Mama was killed.


    Luigi pats my back. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, sis. You¡¯ll see. You¡¯re better off back with us.¡±


    This just makes me sob harder, so he falls silent.


    We arrive at my sister¡¯s house, and I climb out of the car, miserable and feeling nauseous, and I walk inside. I want to find a bed to curl up on and grieve the loss of the one person I will ever love.


    My ns are haltered, though, when I find Alessandro in the entrance hall waiting for me. I look at him sadly, then he opens his arms, and I hug him, crying into his shoulder. ¡°I fell for him,¡± I sob. ¡°I know I wasn¡¯t supposed to, but I did, and I regret betraying him, Alessandro. I want him back.¡±


    He pats my back softly. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be done about it now. Ivan will never forgive you for this. He has dered war on our family and will never trust one of us again.¡±


    I pull away and look up to see Alessandro looking at me sternly. ¡°Is it true you¡¯re pregnant with his child? Luigi says you are.¡±Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    The sudden change in my emotions is surprising even to me. I¡¯ve never stepped out of line. I¡¯ve never talked back. I wasn¡¯t even grounded ever because I was a good child and did what I was told, and the one thing I asked my brother to keep secret, he told the head of our family.


    I ignore Alessandro and round on Luigi, who is standing awkwardly at the door. ¡°How fucking dare you! How fucking dare you! You promised it would stay between us until I was ready to tell Alessandro.¡±


    ¡°Vittoria¡­¡± Alessandro says, surprised.


    Luigi holds his hands up. ¡°He¡¯s the head of our family, and you were acting weird. I had to tell him. Just in case¡­.¡±


    ¡°In case of what? In case I betrayed our family. The family that has cost me the love of my life and the father of my child. Fuck you, Luigi. I will never forgive you for this.¡±


    Before he can say anything, Alessandro¡¯s voice booms, ¡°Luigi, leave it. Scram, let me speak to Tori.¡±


    After my brother leaves, I breathe heavily and move to sit down, holding my belly. ¡°You mustn¡¯t stress yourself out,¡± Alessandro says quietly. ¡°Stress you feel is stress the baby feels.¡±


    He stands there for a moment. ¡°I assume Ivan doesn¡¯t know, so if you want, I can send you out of state to a private ce where no one will find you, and you can have the baby there.¡±


    ¡°No, I need to make things right.¡± I look up at my cousin desperately. ¡°I think I know someone who can help. Please, Alessandro, let me try to make this right.¡±


    He looks at me for what feels like the longest moment before he nods. ¡°Just be careful. Call me if you need backup.¡±


    I get up and hug him. Ivan doesn¡¯t want to see me, and Evgeni has betrayed him. There is only one person I can try to turn to, and I know he hates my guts, but I have to try.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go in the morning,¡± I tell him, getting up. ¡°For now, I just want to be alone.¡±


    He nods and lets me go upstairs.


    I take one of my brother-inw¡¯s cars in the morning and drive to the main warehouse. I only know where it is from the reports I looked at with Ivan.


    I park a safe distance away and approach carefully but try to appear casual. I have no weapons, but I know Ivan doesn¡¯t want me hurt. I know he still loves me. I go to the guard and say, ¡°I¡¯m here to speak to Leonid.¡±


    The guard looks at me for a moment, then opens the door. ¡°We know who you are. I wouldn¡¯t stay long.¡±


    I nod, and he points to a set of stairs. ¡°Office at the top.¡±


    I knock on the door and hear Leonid call for me toe in. When he sees me, he raises an eyebrow. ¡°You have some nerve.¡±


    ¡°Leonid, please, just hear me out,¡± I say, wringing my hands. ¡°I need to speak to Ivan, and I know you can make that happen. You¡¯re his most trusted person.¡±


    ¡°Well, he definitely couldn¡¯t trust you. I was right about that,¡± he smirks, and it¡¯s nothing like Ivan¡¯s. It¡¯s cold and heartless.


    ¡°Please, Leonid, I¡¯m begging you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you get on your hands and knees and lick the shit off my shoes, Sorvino. It¡¯s not happening. Now I suggest you leave before I have you shot. The only reason you¡¯ve made it this far is because Ivan made the stupid mistake of ordering us not to harm you. I can have him change his mind.¡±


    The tears roll down my cheek as I walk out of the warehouse. I pretend to walk toward my car when I see a familiar ck car. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s Ivan¡¯s. When I¡¯m sure no one is looking, I hurry around the back of the warehouse to see if I can sneak in and see him. I am desperate.


    I pause as I reach the enormous open warehouse doors. I can hear Leonid talking to someone around the corner.


    ¡°Yes, the dumb bitch thought I¡¯d help her get back to him. She did me a huge favor by betraying him. He¡¯s more vulnerable now.¡±


    ¡°When do we do it?¡±


    ¡°We kill Ivan this weekend,¡± Leonid says, and I p a hand over my mouth, my eyes wide. ¡°He¡¯ll never see iting. He¡¯s an idiot. We need a strong leader.¡±


    ¡°Like you,¡± his mysterious co-conspirator says. ¡°That¡¯s what this family needs.¡±


    I hurry away, having heard enough. I get in my car and speed to Alessandro¡¯s estate. I don¡¯t wait. I barge into his office, where he is talking to Katya.


    ¡°Tori, what the hell?¡± he says, standing up. ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re going to kill him. Ivan thinks his cousin betrayed him, but it¡¯s his brother, who is a cousin but adopted. I don¡¯t have time to exin. You need to warn Ivan.¡±


    Katyaes to me and puts an arm around my shoulders. ¡°Calm down, Tori.¡±


    Alessandro pours me a ss of water and brings it to me. ¡°Alessandro, please. I¡¯ve never asked for anything of this family. Please do this for me.¡±


    Alessandro looks at me sadly. ¡°It¡¯s not our affairs to get tangled up with. He wouldn¡¯t listen to me anyway. I¡¯m sorry, Tori, but you must stay out of it.¡±

 #6 Chapter 26

    Ivan


    All I¡¯ve thought about this week is Tori. The touch of her body, the sparkle in her eyes, the way she always tied up her hair. And how she broke my heart. I¡¯ve always put faith in the worst people, but I swear this is the final time. I will not trust anyone outside of the family again.


    I thought my heart was dead and gone after M. I only had love for Anastasia. Tori brought that love back out of me and made me believe it¡¯s possible to be happy. Not people like us. We don¡¯t get happiness. We get karma for the evil we do to the world.


    I thought she was different. I thought she was sweet and innocent and that she loved me.


    I was wrong.


    I stand in the living room looking out at the pool when Anastasia walks in. I turn to her. ¡°Do me a favor and have your hair and nails done today. I¡¯ve got some serious business to take care of. Take guards with you. I¡¯ll see you tonight for dinner.¡±


    Anastasia looks at me, puzzled, but she just nods. She knows I¡¯ve been grieving over Tori, and I know she has too. She was just starting to bond with her. I wish I could take it all back.


    I wait until she leaves before I put my gun in my holster, throw my suit jacket over it, and walk out of the house.


    ¡°Want an escort, boss?¡± Aleks asks.


    ¡°Leonid¡¯s sorted it, don¡¯t worry,¡± I say. ¡°Make sure Ana gets back safely.¡±


    I get in my car and pull into traffic. It doesn¡¯t take me long to reach the pier at the dock Leonid told me to be at. Evgeni is going to pay dearly for what he¡¯s done. I might not hurt Tori because I still love her in a sick, twisted way, but he is not exempt.


    I step out of my car, and as I do, someonees behind me and smacks my head with something hard. Stumbling forward, my arms are twisted behind my back, and my gun is quickly taken from me. Distracted by my thoughts of Tori, I hadn¡¯t seen the guy sneaking up on me. Another person takes my other arm, and I am dragged into a nearby building. They throw me onto a wooden chair and cable tie my arms behind me and my ankles to the legs of the chair.


    I look up and try to focus on the person in front of me.


    It¡¯s Leonid.


    I narrow my eyes. ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time for a change,¡± Leonid says, strolling toward me. ¡°You¡¯ve gone soft in your old age, especially after M and now this situation with the Sorvinos. The family needs strength and unity, not dividing our territories between our rivals.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°Evgeni didn¡¯t betray me.¡±


    ¡°No, he has no clue, and when he¡¯s back tomorrow, he will bow to me as the new head of the family, or I will do to him what I¡¯m about to do to you. I considered giving you a quick death, Ivan. I really did. Because we¡¯re family, after all, but that¡¯s just it. You say I¡¯m your brother, but you would not name me the next heir to the family. Why Ivan? Because I¡¯m not really your brother? I¡¯m just the adopted one.¡±


    I look up at him and swear at him in Russian, rather descriptively, before I say, ¡°You¡¯re always rash. That¡¯s why. You don¡¯t think things through, Leonid. You just react.¡±


    ¡°Well, you say that, and yet here we are. How was this for the ultimate checkmate, brother?¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°The family won¡¯t bow to you. They won¡¯t forgive you for getting rid of me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Ivan,¡± Leonid says, looking thoughtful. ¡°Unless I kill Evgeni and his men before they return and me it on them. Then they would definitely recognize me as the heir apparent.¡±


    I smile. I refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing me beg for my life or plead for anything, in fact. I have honor. I have dignity.


    My head snaps to the side as a resonating sound echoes from the back.


    ¡°Poydi posmotri chto eto bylo,¡± Leonid says, ordering two guards to go check out what made that sound. Once they are away, Leonid nces around, and one of his men suddenly hits the floor. We both look at the neat bullet hole in his head. Before Leonid can react, the doors burst open, and men rush in, detaining Leonid and the men he has with them.


    Evgeni walks in behind his men and res at Leonid, ¡°Traitorous bastard. First, you make out that I¡¯m the one who would betray our family, then you try to kill our Pakhan? Worthless shit.¡±


    Leonid¡¯s eyes are wide. ¡°Evgeni, you have to admit he¡¯s gone soft. We can share the power. We don¡¯t need Ivan.¡±


    Evgenies to me and cuts the cable ties. ¡°Sorry we took so long.¡±


    I smirk and take Evgeni¡¯s gun. ¡°d you showed up at all.¡±


    Leonid squirms, and I raise the gun. ¡°I¡¯d torture you, but you¡¯re not worth anything to this family.¡±


    Before he can respond, I pull the trigger. My men let his body drop to the floor, and I turn to my cousin. ¡°I thought it was you who betrayed me. It feels like everyone betrays me these days.¡±


    ¡°Ivan, I have no thirst for power. I don¡¯t want to be in your seat, making the decisions you have to make. I¡¯m pleased to be by your side.¡± Evgeni grins. ¡°Now, if we¡¯re done being emotional¡­¡± he turns away, but I stop him.


    ¡°Evgeni, one question.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± he asks.


    ¡°You¡¯re back a day early. How did you know I needed to be saved from Leonid?¡± I raise an eyebrow. ¡°Sorry, but my trust is thin these days.¡±


    Evgeni chuckles and puts a hand on my shoulder. ¡°That girl of yours, Vittoria, got my number from Ana, saying it was an emergency. She called me in a panic, sobbing her heart out, begging me to save you. Naturally, I came back and did just that.¡±


    Tori.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Tori saved me.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re surprised. I heard what she did. But in the bigger picture of things, it¡¯s not so bad. Perhaps peace is possible between our families.¡± He looks at Leonid. ¡°He didn¡¯t understand how costly war is. The money, the lives. Tori understands. She wants peace.¡±


    I look away, my thoughts racing in my head. Tori wants peace, not war. She sent Evgeni to save me.


    ¡°I owe her a life debt, and I hate owing people,¡± Iment, straightening my jacket. ¡°We will meet with Alessandro and discuss mutually beneficial terms for our families. That will be my repayment. Then I never want to see them again.¡±


    Evgeni smiles. ¡°I think that¡¯s a wise decision. Also, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve gotten soft in your old age. I think you¡¯ve gotten scarier because you used to hesitate when it came to taking a life. It was predictable. Now, you are tactful, thoughtful, and strategic. I never know what to expect anymore with you.¡±


    I smile. ¡°Rewards for your loyalty, at least.¡±

 #6 Chapter 27

    Vittoria


    I have never felt more confident than I feel right now. Alessandro keeps ncing at me as though I¡¯ve grown something on my face, but I just smile.


    ¡°You seem very sure of yourself,¡± Alessandroments as we sit at the table.


    I nod. ¡°I know he loves me. It might take time for him to trust me again, but even if he doesn¡¯t, there can now be peace between our families.¡±


    Alessandro shrugs. ¡°I¡¯ve reached a point with this family that I fucking give up. You all fall in love with random people who we¡¯re supposed to be fighting with, not making babies with. But at least he¡¯ll know.¡±


    I grin and pat his arm. ¡°Like you¡¯re any better.¡±


    He snorts, but he doesn¡¯t say I¡¯m wrong.


    I push my sses up the bridge of my nose. It¡¯s a little-known fact that I need contacts or sses to see. I even hid it from Ivan.


    The door opens, and my breath catches as he walks in. I forgot how handsome and intense he is. He looks surprised to see me, or maybe surprised I have sses on.


    Maybe both.


    He hesitates, then slowly sits down. ¡°I don¡¯t see how bringing her here can help settle peace between our families.¡±


    His words hurt, but I deserve it after what I did to him. Alessandro nods. ¡°I am sorry about that, Ivan. We weren¡¯t thinking straight. We just wanted revenge. Tori tells me you hired specialists that saved my uncle¡¯s life.¡±


    Ivan looks away, and my cousin continues. ¡°I should never have let this go down the way it has, but I think what we have to offer willpensate for that. It was Vittoria¡¯s idea.¡±


    Ivan looks at me, and I push two pages to Ivan. Two simple, straightforward contracts. Ivan picks them up and reads them, his eyebrows knitting together. He sets them down and looks at Alessandro. ¡°These are excellent offers, but I¡¯m confused. Why is this going to my next-born child? I¡¯m not nning any more children, so does this go to Ana?¡±


    ¡°Ivan,¡± I say quietly, and he looks at me. He¡¯s trying to be cold, but it¡¯s hurt, I see in his eyes. I swallow my pride and continue, ¡°Ivan, I am so sorry. I wanted to prove a point to my family. I wanted to get revenge for them and let them see how useful I was. I didn¡¯t expect to honestly and genuinely fall in love with you. I didn¡¯t know how kind and generous you and your family are. I didn¡¯t expect you to love me the way you did, and I didn¡¯t expect to fall pregnant with your child.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    I leave thatst sentence hanging in the air, and I see the surprise on Ivan¡¯s face as his eyebrows raise and his eyes widen, ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say. I don¡¯t want to make any hasty decisions. There will be a lot to be discussed. I need time.¡±


    He stands up suddenly, takes the contracts, and leaves. I hug myself and look at Alessandro. ¡°If nothing else, there will be peace,¡± he says quietly, rubbing my back.


    I know Alessandro¡¯s trying tofort me, and I don¡¯t know what I expected. For Ivan to forgive me and be in love with me again? What I did was dog dirty.


    Alessandro takes me home, but I can¡¯t sit still. Kira is overseeing an important meal at the bistro tonight, our cousin Be¡¯s first date with some politician. I decide to head there and keep herpany.¡±


    I arrive, and I find Miguel there. He and Kira are sitting in one of the back booths having drinks.


    ¡°Tori!¡± Kira smiles and stands up, her belly protruding far ahead of her. I hug her and smile. ¡°Soon, I¡¯ll look like that.¡±


    ¡°God, I hope your baby arrives on its due date. We¡¯re five days over, and I can really have this baby now.¡±


    I sit down with a smile, but Kira¡¯s face falls, and I turn to look at what she¡¯s seen. Large armed men are filing into the bistro. I recognize some of them as Evgeni¡¯s men, and I realize Aleks is one of them.


    I get up to my feet to face Ivan as he walks in. I don¡¯t make hime to me, but I¡¯m nervous as I slowly walk toward him. I¡¯m unsure of what his intentions are.


    He stops in front of me, gazing down at me. ¡°Vittoria.¡±


    ¡°Ivan,¡± I say quietly, hating that he¡¯s using my full name.


    Our eyes are locked, and I can taste the tension in the air. I¡¯m about to apologize again when Ivan holds up a hand. ¡°It¡¯s my turn to speak, your turn to listen.¡±


    I nod obediently.


    ¡°What you did to my family, that¡¯s unforgivable. You betrayed our trust after everyone tried to make you feel wee. It¡¯s unforgivable,¡± he repeats, then pauses. ¡°For now. You took responsibility for your actions, paid tribute to keep the peace, and did it favorably for the family. You did the right thing.¡±


    I swallow hard, tears forming in my eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the right decision is in this case, but I¡¯ve spoken to my family, and we all agree on one thing. I love you. I haven¡¯t loved anyone since M, and the love I have for you is indescribable.¡±


    I look away, but he tilts my face back to him. ¡°I want you to know I can trust you again because I love you. You¡¯re my family now too. I want you toe home.¡±


    I wipe at my eyes, sniffing rather unceremoniously. ¡°Ivan¡­ All I want is toe home.¡±


    He smiles softly and leans down, kissing me deeply. I slide my arms around his neck and kiss him back. I hold myself against him, and he wraps his arms around me. We simply stand there in silence, holding each other.


    When we part, I start crying harder, and he smiles. ¡°Those are pregnancy hormones. Those I¡¯m familiar with.¡±


    I p his arm yfully and look at Kira. ¡°I have to go.¡±


    Kira smiles as Ivan takes my hand and ces my wedding band back on my finger. I look at it sparkling in the light and grin at my sister. ¡°I¡¯m going home.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± Kira starts, then pauses. There¡¯s a strange look on her face then she widens her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going intobor.¡±

 #6 Chapter 28

    Ivan


    I tilt my head to the side. I don¡¯t know if I like this art. Suppose you could call this art. The weird painting on the wall of the nude guy bothers me, and I wave to the interior designer. ¡°This is a no.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all the rage right now,¡± she says gleefully, and I stare at her. She backs down. ¡°But we don¡¯t want trendy. We want uniqueness. I¡¯ll get rid of it.¡±


    I smirk and go back into Tori¡¯s office. The Sorvino Volkov Firm ising along nicely. Tori is interviewing potential employees soon, and I know she¡¯s looking forward to that. I nce behind me as I hear Tori and Ana¡¯s voices. They are walking arm in arm, each carrying a brown bag. I head back out to meet them in reception.


    ¡°Luigi¡¯s just invited me to this random birthday dinner, like. He is such a nag. He¡¯s always asking what my ns are and if he can take me out.¡±


    ¡°Do it,¡± I hear Tori tell my daughter, I know she¡¯s been helping them see each other for a while now, and I frown.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a terrible idea,¡± I say to them as they walk up to me. ¡°I think Ana should set her sights elsewhere.¡±


    They stare at me, and then it is an onught from the two of them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think my brother is good enough?¡±


    ¡°You have zero say over who I want to see or don¡¯t want to see.¡±


    ¡°Luigi and Ana are perfect for each other.¡±


    ¡°Even if we¡¯re not, I decide, not you.¡±


    It goes on for several minutes before I hold my hands up in surrender. ¡°You¡¯ve both made very valid points. I am a terrible person who should not decide things.¡± I look at Tori. ¡°Except for the artwork on your walls.¡±


    ¡°I told her to get rid of the hairy, naked man,¡± Tori says with wide eyes. ¡°Did she not?¡±Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ¡°She did after I asked,¡± I smirk.


    Tori smiles evilly. I love that smile. She¡¯s gotten so much more confident, and I know she¡¯s excited both for the arrival of our baby and to start working in her own firm.


    Anastasia rolls her eyes. ¡°You two love birds carry on. I am going shopping and then to a birthday dinner, apparently.¡±


    Tori smiles and hugs her. ¡°You be safe, and if he¡¯s an ass, tell me, and I¡¯ll kick his ass.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll nothing,¡± they both shout to me.


    I hold my hands up again, and Tori waves Ana off before she turns and holds up the brown bag. ¡°I have lunch.¡±


    We sit side by side at the table in boardroom one. Tori unpacks the lunch for us. Two containers of an Italian pasta dish.


    ¡°From your sister?¡± I ask curiously.


    ¡°From the bistro, but no, she¡¯s home with the baby today,¡± she smiles and hands me cutlery. I lean over and kiss her deeply, dropping my hand to hold her belly. Then we start to eat.


    In between bites, Tori smiles at me. ¡°So, with the baby joining us soon,¡± she grins. ¡°Have you decided how we will introduce the little one to our families?¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I ask.


    She looks thoughtful. ¡°I¡¯ve always been pushed to the side. I don¡¯t want that for any of our children. I want a huge venue, a big party, and all our family members to attend.¡±


    I chuckle. ¡°Not much, but we can definitely do whatever your heart desires.¡±


    She falls silent for a moment and then looks up at me. ¡°Can we paint the nursery walls a light blue?¡± she asks quietly.


    I nod. ¡°Of course¡­¡± I stop mid-bite. I swallow hard and look at her. ¡°A boy?¡±


    She smiles broadly and nods. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been waiting to tell you.¡±


    I drop my cutlery and put my hand on her belly. ¡°I¡¯m having a son? Oh, Tori, you¡¯ve made me the happiest person in the world.¡±


    ¡°I hope I always do,¡± she murmurs. We kiss softly and then go back to our food. Tori prattles away about what she wants to n for the introduction party, and I listen, nodding in agreement. I would give her the world.


    After a few hours, I can see she¡¯s starting to get tired after being on her feet all day, so I insist we go home to our new estate near her sister¡¯s vi.


    We walk in, and she drops her oversized purse on the front table in the entrance hall. She stands there and groans, ¡°This baby muste out now.¡± I smile and sneak up behind her, putting my arms around her to hold her belly. ¡°There are ways and means to inducebor,¡± I whisper in her ear.


    ¡°Oh really?¡± she murmurs.


    ¡°If youe upstairs, I¡¯ll show you,¡± I tease her, walking in front of her now and taking her hand. She¡¯s lost that initial shyness about sex, and her confidence turns me on even more. She giggles, and we go slowly up the stairs to our room. I shut the door and undo my tie, tossing it to the side. Tori walks up to me and starts to unbutton my shirt. ¡°So what are these magic ways of inducingbor?¡±


    I chuckle as she suddenly pushes my shirt off and down. ¡°What am I? Your stripper?¡±


    ¡°That would be fun,¡± she teases before leaning in and kissing my chest. She trails kisses against it and then smiles at me. ¡°Although my back is sore.¡±


    ¡°You get undressed and get on the bed,¡± I say. ¡°Leave the rest to me.¡±


    She smiles and slowly undresses, dropping her clothes on her way to the bed. She climbs on the bed, leaving her thong and bra on and propping herself up on pillows. Fuck, she knows my weakness. I love fucking her with her underwear still on. My woman knows me well.


    I grin and undo my pants, swaying my hips like I¡¯m dancing. Tori giggles as I drop my pants and boxers. I¡¯m already semi-hard just looking at my beautiful pregnant wife. She is absolutely perfect to me.


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± she asks, narrowing her eyes.


    ¡°How perfect you are, especially for me, and I¡¯m so d we¡¯re together,¡± I say, crawling onto the bed and resting beside her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you think that,¡± she said yfully. ¡°Or how we¡¯re going to get this right with me this huge.¡±


    I smile, we¡¯d only been doing oral sex for thest few weeks, but I know she¡¯s horny for more.


    I trail my hand up her belly to herrge breasts, swollen and ready for our baby and me. I tug her left cup down and free her breast. The bra underneath keeping it lifted. I trace a circle around her nipple slowly. She closes her eyes and sighs. I know she loves nipples and clit. Sometimes my girl can be a bit dirty.


    I lean in and whisper, ¡°Turn on your side.¡±


    She nces at me, and I motion for her to turn to her right side. I grind my erection against her ass as I squeeze her breast. She makes these little gasping noises, the ones she knows drive me wild. Little whimpers and gasps, feeble, as though she needs saving, but at the same time, she begs for more.


    I pinch her nipple between my index finger and thumb and roll it between my fingers. She tips her head back, exposing her neck. I kiss and suck on it, grinding harder against her.


    ¡°Stop¡­ teasing¡­¡± she moans out, grinding back against me. My hand lets go of her breast. I use my right arm to prop me up as I slowly walk my fingers down her belly. ¡°Lift your leg over mine,¡± I whisper.


    She lifts it, and we adjust for a moment, my cock rubbing against her lips. I slip my hand around her leg and to her clit. It¡¯s swollen already, and I swear it¡¯s throbbing.


    Tori arches slightly as I use my index finger to swirl it around. ¡°Do you like that?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she whimpers, ¡°but you¡¯re still teasing¡­.¡±


    ¡°I want to make you soaking wet,¡± I whisper, nibbling on her exposed ear.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill you if you don¡¯t stop teasing,¡± she groans as my finger moves faster, flicking her Satan¡¯s bean up and down. She¡¯s panting now, just how I like it. I take my hand away and use it to guide myself to her now sopping-wet hole. She tries to spread her legs as much as she can, but I like it tight, so I don¡¯t mind that it isn¡¯t much. I shift my weight and push into her slowly.


    She forms a fist with her hand, gripping the duvet we¡¯re on top of tightly.


    ¡°Sweet mother of Mary,¡± she growls.


    I stroke her belly softly, ¡°Gently, love.¡±


    I start to move slowly, letting her build up that tension that I know will rip through her body. It¡¯s hard, though, as my balls are aching for release, but I control myself. I cup her breast again, and she turns her head, and we kiss somewhat awkwardly as I move a bit faster.


    I steadily move faster and faster as the minutes tick by, building us both up for a blistering orgasm.


    Tori squirms next to me, touching her clit between her legs, then ying with her nipples and gripping the duvet tightly.


    ¡°You ready?¡± I murmur, kissing her neck.


    She can¡¯t speak, so she just nods hurriedly, and I move a bit harder, not wanting to hurt her but wanting to chase that release we¡¯re both waiting for.


    My balls tighten, and I bury myself balls-deep inside her pussy, reaching around to stimte her clit. She shakes like she¡¯s possessed as her orgasm rips through her, her eyes rolling back in her head as she cries out.


    It takes a while but soon enough, we separate, and she turns over, resting her head on my chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m not inbor,¡± she says after a few minutes. ¡°So I think we¡¯ll have to do that again.¡±


    Iugh and kiss her head. ¡°Let¡¯s try the shower next.¡±

 #6 Chapter 29

    Vittoria


    I hold Roman close to my chest. He¡¯s a few weeks old, and I¡¯m absolutely in love. I look out the car window. ¡°Are we nearly there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, love,¡± Ivan says, stroking Roman¡¯s head.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to be so sick of introducing him by the end of the day,¡± Iugh. ¡°Hello, thanks foring. Here is Roman Sonny Volkov, have a nice day.¡±


    ¡°You wanted a huge party,¡± Ivan says with a smirk.


    ¡°Who is bringing Anastasia?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Aleks is fetching her after her hair appointment,¡± Ivan says, settling back.


    I look out the window. My own hair is down. Anastasia has been teaching me all the best ways to wear it, and I can apply proper makeup now after watching some video tutorials. I look down at Roman, asleep in my arms, and stroke his face. ¡°Have you ever seen someone so perfect?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ivan says. ¡°You!¡± He kisses my head as the car pulls to a stop.


    Evgeni opens the door and helps me out. We walk up the stairs to the front of the venue. I peek inside, and it¡¯s decorated beautifully in ck and blue. The decorations are perfect, and the tables are set out nicely so the families can intermingle and get to know each other properly. I know Arina is excited about meeting my father at longst.


    Ivan gets me a chair to sit near the door, so people can greet me as they pass. I¡¯m thankful no one expects me to wear heels or stand all day in them. Ivan walks off with Evgeni to have a cigar and talk business, which I frown at but don¡¯t say anything. Hees back when the guests start to arrive, and they form a rather long line as everyone stops to ooh and ahh at Roman. The only person who skips the line is, of course, my cousin Alessandro, along with his wife, twins, and my father. Everyone lets them in front.


    Alessandro shakes Ivan¡¯s hand and excuses them both so they can talk. I shake my head, but Katya brings the twins to me.


    ¡°They¡¯ve gotten so big,¡± I gush. ¡°Can you believe they¡¯re walking already?¡±


    ¡°I know, more like running around being chased by nannies,¡± Katya smiles. ¡°Roman is gorgeous, Tori. You¡¯re going to do a great job raising him.¡±


    ¡°That means so much to me. Thank you, Katya.¡± She leans down and kisses my cheeks before shuffling inside so the rest of the line can proceed.


    Anastasia also skips the queue, but she gets a chair and sits next to me.


    I¡¯m surprised when my brotheres up to me with a bombshell of a yboy girl on his arm. He smiles brightly. ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you, sis. This is my date, Kate. Kate, this is my sister and Anastasia.¡±


    Anastasia gives Kate and Luigi a cold look I¡¯ve seen her father give. ¡°Excuse me, Tori, I need a drink.¡± She gets up and strides off, and Luigi gives an awkward smile.


    Kira and Miguele up with Raphael and their new little one, Be. We chat for a little before they go inside as well.


    Once everyone¡¯s in, we settle down for Sunday lunch, something we will do together often, alternating between our family homes.


    Ivan stands up and taps a knife against his ss to get everyone¡¯s attention. I smile up at him as he speaks.


    ¡°Thank you, everyone, foring to meet Roman Sonny Volkov and to celebrate the unity of our two great families. As time moves on, so too does humanity. We evolve, and we adapt. We make things better. Years ago, this would never have happened. We would have war and death and anger and hatred. Blood would flow down the streets with no side giving an inch. We are proving that families like ours can move past this and settle things amicably. I hope other families take note. If not, well¡­ Alessandro will agree that we¡¯re not above reminding everyone where their ce is.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Everyone cheers and the celebration carries on.


    By the time we¡¯re back home, I¡¯m exhausted, but I manage to get Roman to sleep. He¡¯s an easy baby like I was, but he will not be ignored or treated like I was. He is a prince, and he will be king.


    I go to the living room when I hear soft music drifting upstairs. I find Ivan standing by the sound system.


    ¡°There was something missing today,¡± he says quietly, walking to me and holding out his hand.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I ask curiously. I thought we had covered all bases.


    ¡°There was no dancing,¡± he says, pulling me close. I put my hands on his shoulders, and he dances in a circle with me. ¡°I want to dance with you every day as though it¡¯s ourst. I want that to be our thing, something special just for us.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t make me happier than I am, Ivan,¡± I say softly, stroking the back of his hair. ¡°All I ever wanted was to feel like I was part of a family and that I mattered. Now I¡¯m a Queen with two amazing families.¡±


    We kiss softly, and he holds me. I could dance all night with him.


    End of book six. I hope you¡¯ve enjoyed reading this book ? ?

 #7 Chapter 1

    Shirley


    I¡¯ve missed New York.


    Not enough to move back, but enough to appreciate how much things have changed since I left. Yet, also remained the same.


    The West Coast is fabulous and keeps me busy and distracted. Alessandro hasn¡¯t called me back to the city for a long time. Hopefully, he¡¯s happy with how Pierce and I run his operations there.


    I briefly wonder how my brother Pierce is getting on with the business while I am out here, but I put the thought out of my head. My yboy brother knows better than to mix business and pleasure, and I trust he¡¯ll keep things in order.


    The limousine pulls up to the house, and a guard opens the door for me.


    I get out and look up at Carmine standing just outside the door.


    ¡°Shirley McCannister,¡± he deres with arms wide open. ¡°The little sister has returned.¡±


    I smile broadly. ¡°Carmine, I hear you¡¯ve been up to no good with other little sisters while I¡¯ve been away.¡±


    Carmine dutifully inclines his head. ¡°Perhaps, but you know, I love her.¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    I leave the guards to bring in my luggage, walking to Carmine and letting him envelop me with a hug. Like Carmine, we are considered family to the Sorvino family. Arianna and I were like twins when we were younger, and Pierce and Francesco were thick as thieves. It¡¯s so good to be back.


    ¡°Alessandro is already waiting for you,¡± hements. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to his office before I get your stuff to your room.¡±


    I loop my arm through his. ¡°Straight to business, just how I like it.¡±


    ¡°Most importantly, he just wants to see you. It¡¯s been a long time since you¡¯ve been back to New York,¡± hements as he walks me through to Alessandro¡¯s office.


    He opens the door for me, and I let go of his arm to walk ahead. Alessandro is kneeling, tying Miska¡¯s shoes. Katya is standing with Mattia in her arms, and he is wriggling, trying to get down.


    Alessandro groans as he stands up. ¡°Now, next time, you can do it, Miska,¡± he rubs her head lovingly as he turns to me. ¡°Shirls, you look amazing.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re getting seriously old if you¡¯re groaning when you stand up,¡± I tease.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m heading to forty faster than I like. You remember Katya?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I kiss her on both cheeks before kissing Mattia, ¡°Hello, bambino.¡±


    Miska hides behind Katya, and I smile. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to say hi to Aunty Shirls?¡±


    Miska shakes her head, and Katya smiles at me. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you both to your work. I¡¯m taking the twins out on a y date with the rest of the kids.¡¯


    She kisses Alessandro deeply before leaving the room, Carmine following behind her.


    ¡°They¡¯re getting so big,¡± Iment before I hug Alessandro. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, sore,¡± he chuckles, holding onto me a little longer than usual before moving away. ¡°Sit. Sit.¡±


    I sit in front of his desk as he returns to his high-backed chair. ¡°I¡¯m so d you coulde up. How¡¯s Pierce?¡±


    ¡°Depends. Are we talking about his professional life or his personal life? Although, ording to him, he¡¯s rocking both,¡± I joke, grinning from ear to ear.


    Alessandro shakes his head. ¡°Forever the yboy.¡±


    There¡¯s a brief moment of silence,fortable, and then Alessandro sighs and leans forward. ¡°I¡¯ve brought you here because I need a massive deal negotiated. Something that has never been done before is going down, and I think you¡¯re perfect for the job.¡±


    I perk up. ¡°Never been done before?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with what you know. Are you familiar with the Pacheco family?¡± he asks, standing up to pour us each a drink.


    I nod. ¡°Don Ettore, two sons. They operate a huge opioid gig in Staten Ind. Worth a pretty penny to any family, really.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, well, Don Ettore, for whatever reason he holds personally, wants to essentially sell his family, the business, and the area to another family. He wants to return to Italy, apparently.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s selling the family?¡± I ask, confused.


    ¡°Basically, everyone who works for him, so that they still have work and positions and no one gets left behind,¡± Alessandro sets a ss of whiskey, neat, in front of me.


    ¡°You can¡¯t sell loyalty,¡± Iment. ¡°How do we know no one will try to overthrow us?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t, but we can easily put any stragglers in their ce,¡± he sipped his whiskey and sat down again. ¡°I want you to bid against the other families and get me everything they have.¡±


    I wait for a moment before asking. ¡°What¡¯s the catch? If it were just straightforward, you¡¯d send Frankie or Miguel?¡±


    He smiles at me. ¡°You know we¡¯ve joined with the Volkov family through marriage? Vittoria married Ivan?¡±


    ¡°I missed the wedding, but I know it happened,¡± Iment. He knows that the Bratva family is a sore point for me, and I didn¡¯t attend the wedding because of my history with them.


    ¡°Well, you may have missed that we share a lot now. Ivan is as giving as we are, and we keep things peaceful. But I want this for us. I want the Sorvino family, not our little coalition, to run Staten Ind. Ivan won¡¯t retaliate if we bid against him, but he knows most of the other family members and how they will bid. You¡¯re a mystery to him.¡±


    Maybe to him, but definitely not to his cousin. That¡¯s the first thought that runs through my brain, and it¡¯s almost as though Alessandro reads my mind.


    ¡°Ivan is going to send Evgenii to acquire Staten Ind. He¡¯s a good businessman who makes good strategic decisions. Are you going to be able to handle that?¡±


    I nod confidently and without hesitation. ¡°I can handle it. We have history, but that¡¯s what it is. History.¡±


    Alessandro looks a little doubtful, and I smile reassuringly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ve always got our family¡¯s best interests at heart.¡±


    ¡°Once you acquire Staten, we can call in Pierce and ask him to manage things in the area while you return to the West Coast and head up operations there. This time on your own.¡±


    It¡¯s a promotion or the promise of one. One I¡¯ve hoped for, for a long time, and I fill with pride. ¡°I¡¯ll get this done, don¡¯t worry, Fratello.¡±


    He chuckles and turns as his phone rings. ¡°Give me two seconds,¡± he stands up and walks away to take the call, and I sit there, pondering my dilemma.


    Evgenii, that fucking dickhead! I knew he couldn¡¯t be dead yet, though I had hoped. The traitorous little rat didn¡¯t deserve anything other than pain and death. I wish I could be the one to dish it out.


    I grow frustrated and angry as I think about him and what he did to me those years ago. If I see him at Don Ettore¡¯s house, I might identally drive over him with the car I¡¯m going to borrow from the family, or maybe I can take out a hit on him. No, the two families are united, and Alessandro would never allow that, despite knowing my history with him. It¡¯s nice to think about though. All the ways I could torture him for hours before finally ending his life.


    Alessandroes back and sits down. ¡°So, are we all sorted? Just let Carmine know if you need anything, and he¡¯ll get it for you.¡±


    I finish my whiskey and smile. ¡°Perfect, I¡¯ll do that. Don¡¯t worry, Alessandro, the Sorvino family will get Staten Ind and all it has to offer.¡±


    Alessandro¡¯s smile is more like an evil smirk. ¡°Oh, I know. It¡¯s why I called you.¡±


    I stand up. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m going to get settled in now so I can see Don Ettore as soon as possible toy down a foundation for the acquisition.¡±


    ¡°Ever the businesswoman.¡± Alessandro stands as I stand. Manners are everything to him. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at dinner.¡±


    I leave his office, waving at Carmine as I pass him in the entrance hall and walk upstairs. My room is on the second level, to the right, and my legs ache slightly as I reach the top. Having sat for the flight, the drive, and now the meeting, my legs feel stiff. I should hit the home gymter to stretch out my muscles.


    I shut my door behind me and grimace, a slight doubt creeping into my heart now that I¡¯m alone.


    I don¡¯t particrly want to deal with Evgenii, but I know he¡¯ll speak to me if I see him. He will enjoy unsettling me, and I can¡¯t let that happen.


    Whatever happens, if I see him, I need to remain calm andposed, cold and businesslike. This isn¡¯t a family gathering where we all love each other. This is a deal the likes of which I¡¯ve never heard of. Families never ¡°sell¡± their territory. Their children or someone high up in the family must inherit it. When I check with Don Ettore Pacheco, I can guarantee that he doesn¡¯t feel confident that anyone can run the family business without running it into the ground.


    The numbers are already crunching in my head. Staten Ind is notorious for its opioid use. The market is booming day by day. We¡¯ve tried to get in there before, but the Pacheco family runs good substances for a sustaining price. They¡¯re good at business. They know how to keep their customers.


    I will bowl over the Pacheco family with my bid, make Evgenii look like aplete idiot, and seal my promotion with Alessandro all in one swoop.

 #7 Chapter 2

    Evgenii


    I drive through the gates of Ivan¡¯s property after the guards confirm who I am. It¡¯s gettingte, and I know that as the sun sets, Tori will want to put Roman down, and I hope I can see him before she does. I walk into the house and to Ivan¡¯s office, where I see Tori ahead of me with Roman in her arms. I can¡¯t help the little smile on my face. My little Romy is everything to me-an heir to the greatest family in the world. Tori doesn¡¯t notice me, so I stand at the door watching her take the little tyke to his father.


    ¡°Time to say goodnight Papa,¡± she says as Ivan sits back and reaches for his toddler.


    ¡°Goodnight, baby boy,¡± Ivan says, kissing Roman¡¯s cheek and making him giggle. He then sets Roman on hisp and starts tickling him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get him excited!¡± Tori groans though she¡¯s smiling. ¡°I just bathed him so he¡¯d calm down.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± Ivan says though he doesn¡¯t sound it. He rocks Roman for a moment before he nces at me, making Tori turn to look at me. ¡°Hi, Evgenii.¡±


    I don¡¯t hold back my broad smile. Since we rescued Ivan, Tori and I have be fast friends. We¡¯re both fiercely loyal to him. Even the Sorvinos ept that of her, and we both adore Roman, who I approach. ¡°Hi, Tori. Romy,e here.¡± I walk in, and Roman holds his arms out to me. Ivan gives him another kiss before depositing him in my arms. ¡°Hello, little king.¡±


    Roman coos in my arms, and I kiss his forehead. ¡°Go sleep nicely for mama, don¡¯t give her grief. Maybe tomorrow we¡¯ll y.¡±


    I doubt he understands me, he¡¯s just over a year old, but I hand him back to Tori, and she smiles.


    ¡°How are you, Evgenii?¡± she asks, cradling Roman.


    ¡°Always great when I see my favorite cousins,¡± I chuckle, kissing her cheek. ¡°We should have lunch together tomorrow. We can take Roman to the park.¡±


    ¡°Text me to arrange it,¡± she says. ¡°I¡¯ll be with Roman if anyone needs me.¡± She kisses Ivan softly and then leaves.


    ¡°Drink?¡± Ivan asks as he stands up.


    I move out of his way, stepping toward the bookcase that lined the impressive room. ¡°Please, a nightcap while we discuss business.¡±


    ¡°Tori wouldin that we only ever talk business,¡± he chuckles. Both our beards and hair are streaked with silver, mine more than his, and it reminds me how old we¡¯re getting in the grand scheme of things. I push the thought out of my mind, reasoning that I can still get twenty-somethings out on a date.


    I study the titles on his bookshelf for a moment before I respond. ¡°She¡¯s a fine one to talk. She¡¯s always working.¡±


    ¡°Not always,¡± Ivan walks over and hands me a drink. ¡°Come, I have the documents in my desk drawer.¡±


    We both move back to his desk, and I sit in front of it in one of the winged armchairs. He opens the center drawer, takes out a man folder, and hands it to me.


    ¡°What has Don Ettore asked for Staten Ind?¡± Ivan asks as he sits back in his chair with his drink, sipping it but keeping his eyes on me.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple enough. Each of the families can put in their bid for the family business, its members, and its territory. Don Ettore will agree to the best offer. There¡¯s potential for fighting amongst the families over this one. He doesn¡¯t want bloodshed or war, it¡¯s too costly both in money and lives, but I don¡¯t know, Ivan.¡± I open the folder and look at what we have to offer the Pacheco family. ¡°Thanks for this. I can work on our proposal now. But as I said, it might be easier to take it by force.¡± I nce up. ¡°There are very few families who can match our power and reach. We would find little opposition.¡±


    ¡°No, that will definitely cause war.¡± Ivan sits up again. ¡°We¡¯d be spitting in Alessandro¡¯s and Miguel¡¯s faces, for one thing, and other families will take it as a threat and go on the attack or even unite against us. That¡¯s thest thing we want. We will adhere to the terms and prepare the best bid. Our best way forward is to infiltrate the biggest threats in terms of bids, find out what they are bidding, and outdo them. We don¡¯t have to start a war, but we don¡¯t have to y fair, either. I doubt anyone else will.¡±


    I flip to thest page in the folder, which is a recent photo of a womaning off a ne. I instantly recognize Shirley and raise an eyebrow. She was my girlfriend six years ago, and I haven¡¯t seen her since we broke up. Not even at Sorvino and Volkovbined family events. As far as I know, she was working on the West Coast operations for Alessandro.


    ¡°She¡¯s negotiating the Sorvino bid,¡± Ivan sips his drink. I can feel his eyes trained on me, and I do my best to keep my expression neutral.


    ¡°That¡¯s one person I won¡¯t have to worry about,¡± I¡¯m overly confident about it, and Ivan instantly shakes his head.


    ¡°She¡¯s a hard ass now. She¡¯s not that naive, twenty-one-year-old girl you slept around with back then.¡±


    Our eyes meet, and I sip my drink. ¡°I know. She looks very serious.¡± I¡¯m trying to break the tension with humor, but I can see my Pakhan is not impressed with me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking, Evgenii,¡± Ivan¡¯s tone drops. ¡°You took advantage of her and got us information about the Sorvinos when we were enemies. She has a reason to approach this hard, especially when she learns you¡¯re handling our bid. She¡¯s going to want revenge, and seeing you fail to outbid her is exactly the sort of thing she¡¯ll be after. I need you to keep her in mind and your emotions out of this.¡±


    ¡°I know Ivan, rx,¡± I finish my drink and set the ss down. ¡°I can handle this. She¡¯s still young. I can use that to my advantage. Just because she learned some things the hard way doesn¡¯t mean she has experience in all areas. I¡¯m twenty years her senior. I can definitely still manipte her.¡±


    Ivan shakes his head and sighs. ¡°Okay, but don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you. Don¡¯t mess this up.¡±


    ¡°I never do,¡± I grin.


    ¡°She¡¯s be rather infamous,¡± he says casually, almost as though he¡¯s trying to stoke the fire he¡¯s apparently trying to put out. ¡°She apparently rules the West Coast with an iron fist.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. After what happened, Alessandro wouldn¡¯t put that much faith in her. She works for Pierce. That¡¯s all it is. Pierce runs the West Coast between being a yboy. Also, she¡¯s younger. She wouldn¡¯t be above Pierce. At most, she¡¯s a glorified secretary.¡±


    Ivan simply looks at me, but he doesn¡¯t look confident. He sighs, though, and moves to stand up.


    I also stand as he says, ¡°You get home. I¡¯m going to spend some time with my wife. Keep me updated on this. I want to make sure this deal doesn¡¯t go south.¡±


    ¡°Another kingdom for Romy to rule,¡± I say happily.


    Ivan shakes his head. ¡°Stop calling him Romy. His name is Roman.¡±


    I shrug. ¡°It¡¯s my special name for him. As Godfather, I should have a special calling card for my little king.¡±


    Ivanughs as we go out together. ¡°Also, stop calling him a King. He¡¯s going to develop a big head. I want to raise someone humble, smart, and business minded.¡±


    ¡°As you wish,¡± I smile. ¡°I doubt I¡¯ll stop, though. I make no promises. See you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Do svidaniya, Evgenii,¡± he turns toward the living area of the house, away from his office.


    ¡°Do svidaniya, Pakhan,¡± I say, turning to leave.


    I wave at the guards to open the gate before I climb into my Ferrari. Cars-one thing Italians definitely did right. I speed out of the property and quickly join the flow of traffic to my beachside house.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Once there, I leave my car for my men to park and take the man folder inside, holding onto it tightly. I set it on my desk and sit down, looking at it for what feels like too long. I can¡¯t resist. I pull out the photo of Shirley. If possible, she¡¯s even more beautiful than I remember her.


    I trace the photo, admiring her straight hair falling forward because she¡¯s looking down. I don¡¯t think she looks very confident, and I doubt she¡¯ll be a problem. Still, it would be a good idea to monitor her. You should never underestimate yourpetition.


    I think about it for a few minutes before I make my final decision. I¡¯m going to worm my way back into her personal space so that I can find out what she¡¯s negotiating. I¡¯ll have to pay people to spy on the other families, but if Shirley is as emotional and impulsive as she once was, she may just let me back in, giving me a lead on our mainpetition.


    I set the photo in the drawer of my desk and go out to the deck. I pour myself a small ss of vodka and sit outside. The sun has set, and the sr lights surrounding my pool and backyard garden have turned on. I sit lost in thoughts of a dark-haired girl years ago.

 #7 Chapter 3

    Shirley


    I¡¯m about to walk into the dining room the morning after I arrive when I spot Dominicing through the front door.


    ¡°Dom-Dom,¡± I dere, rushing to hug him.


    ¡°Little Shirls,¡± he gushes. ¡°How¡¯s the West Coast treating you?¡± He hugs me tightly and then lets me go.


    ¡°Are you here for breakfast?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Kinda,¡± he grins. ¡°I¡¯m taking you out for breakfast. I want to catch up. I¡¯ve cleared it with everyone, so grab what you need, and let¡¯s get going.¡±


    ¡°Bistro?¡± I ask with a grin.


    He nods. ¡°You know it.¡±


    I grab my purse and sunsses and follow him out to his car. I slip into the passenger side and buckle in. As we pull off, I nce around the area, pensive.


    ¡°Penny for your thoughts?¡± Dominic asks.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. Just checking out the neighborhood,¡± Iment.


    We arrive at the bistro, and Dominic opens my door for me. I sh him a mischievous grin. ¡°Thank you, kind sir.¡±


    I breathe in that rough New York air, masked slightly by the delicious food smells wafting out of the family bistro. We walk inside, and I see Kira standing just outside the kitchen, talking to the hostess. She sees me, and her face lights up. She hurries over and gives me a tight hug. ¡°Shirls! I¡¯m so happy to see you.¡±


    ¡°You look fabulous, Kira. Being a married mom-chef suits you.¡± I kiss both her cheeks.


    Kira walks with us to our private section. ¡°I can¡¯t stay long. I¡¯m on the morning shift.¡±


    ¡°Always running around, just like when we were growing up,¡± Dominic teases. ¡°Especially when it was to rescue Shirley and Pierce.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°When the mafia family is more stable and sane than your own family, you should know how bad it is.¡±


    The three of us chuckle before Kira says, ¡°We must make a n to have a big family lunch and get everyone toe.¡±


    I wave her off. ¡°I don¡¯t want a fuss made just because I¡¯m visiting.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re family. I¡¯m going to make it happen,¡± Kira says sternly, using a very ¡®mom¡¯ voice.


    She hurries off when someone calls her back to the kitchen, and Dominic orders two cappinos.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re going for Staten Ind.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a question.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I smile confidently. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can outbid anything the other families throw our way.¡±


    ¡°Well, once you win, you will have to return to the West Coast and let Piercee over because everyone here is too busy to run that operation,¡± he picks at the breadsticks as we speak.


    ¡°I prefer the West Coast,¡± I say as casually as I can. I would never admit that I prefer it because I want to be as far away from Evgenii as possible. I look out the window, my thoughts drifting.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Dominic touches my hand lightly.


    I beam at him. ¡°Never better.¡±


    A Few Years Prior


    I sit on the sand next to Ariana, Vittoria, and Be. The four of us have decided to kick off my twenty-first birthday celebrations with a day of drinking cocktails on the beach before we go outter.


    Ariana and Vittoria are on their fronts, tanning their backs. Ariana has fallen asleep, while Tori has her nose stuck in a book. Be and I stare at the ocean from where we¡¯veid down our towels,ughing at each other¡¯s jibes.


    A shadow falls across our bodies, and I shield my eyes to look up at a handsome older man. His hair has just started to grey in areas, making him more dashing. He looks foreign and enticing, or maybe that¡¯s the drinks talking.


    ¡°Afternoon,dies. I was just wondering if my friends and I could join you?¡± he sweeps his hand behind him. We all look that way to see four friends wave at us.


    We go quiet and then burst intoughter before I take over the situation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this is a private birthday party.¡±


    His smile doesn¡¯t fade as he nods. ¡°Understood, we won¡¯t push. Who is the lucky birthday girl?¡±


    My traitorous friends all point at me and startughing.


    ¡°Can I at least know your name? And maybe your number?¡± He grins. I can see he knows he is charming, which is exciting. I love a man with confidence.


    ¡°My name is Shirley, but I¡¯m not going to give you my number.¡± I try not to blush. I¡¯ve been working on maintainingposure since I started working for Alessandro, but it¡¯s so hard after a few drinks.


    ¡°Well, Shirley, I am Evgenii, and it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you,¡± he holds out his hand, and I offer mine. He leans down and brushes his lips against my fingers, almost triggering a shy giggle.


    ¡°You know what?¡± Ariana sits up. ¡°Why don¡¯t you join us after all? The more, the merrier!¡±


    I nce at her wide-eyed, but Evgenii ps his hands and waves his friends over. ¡°Wonderful. Perhaps Miss Shirley can tell me more about herself.¡±


    As weze on the beach, now in a muchrger group, Evgenii and I talk about each other. It¡¯s as though we are separate from the others in our own space, and physically we¡¯re just encroaching further and further into each other¡¯s space.


    When it¡¯s time to leave, Evgenii walks us to the parking lot, where a driver is going to pick us up. My girls seem to be putting on a united front because they conveniently walk ahead, leaving me alone with Evgenii. He¡¯s old enough to be my dad, and the fact that he¡¯s interested in me just drives me wild.


    ¡°I hope you enjoy the rest of your birthday,¡± he says quietly, standing before me.


    I look up at him with bright wide eyes. ¡°Can we see each other again sometime?¡±


    He slips a card into my hand and then uses his other hand to hold my chin, tilting it up. He leans forward slowly, and I can smell his earthy aftershave and the beer he¡¯s been drinking. Our lips meet, and I know instantly that this is fate.


    My eyes flutter closed as he wraps his arm around me and pulls me against him, kissing me deeply.


    When we part, he chuckles. ¡°Call me if you want to see me again.¡±


    I¡¯m still dazed by the kiss, so I awkwardly wave goodbye. When I return to the girls, they all squeal and tease, but I¡¯m so excited.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Evgenii is simply perfect.


    Present Day


    I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn¡¯t even notice Dominic had ordered the full breakfast for both of us. I sip my lukewarm coffee and pull a face. ¡°Sorry. I was distracted.¡±


    ¡°I noticed,¡± he teased, picking up his cutlery and tucking into his food.


    I start to cut up my sausages and bacon, then set my knife and fork down and look at Dominic seriously. ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you something. Hear me out.¡±


    ¡°Is this about the bid?¡± he asks, his hand pausing its trip to his mouth.


    I nod. ¡°Kind of. I want to scope out what thepetition is bidding to make sure we win, and I think I¡¯m going to have to do a bit of digging.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve got people who do that for us,¡± he says, finally eating his waiting egg and sausage.


    ¡°Yes, but I prefer to dig into it myself. There are things that other people won¡¯t know to look for.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so how are you going to do that?¡± he asks.


    ¡°By spending some time with who will probably be our biggestpetition,¡± I say casually.


    Dominic frowns. His forehead furrows when he does this. Then he sighs. ¡°Are you talking about the Volkovs?¡±


    ¡°Evgenii is the one making the bid. We have a connection that I can use to Sorvino¡¯s advantage. I could find out what he¡¯s nning, slip him false information about what I¡¯m thinking, and then, before Ivan Volkov knows it, we own Staten Ind.¡± I grin, nodding with a sense of finality as though this is the best n ever because, well, it is.


    Dominic shakes his head as he talks around his food, ¡°That isn¡¯t a good idea, Shirls. You remember what happened thest time you got mixed up with the Russians. Alessandro will not like this idea at all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a naive little girl anymore, Dom. This time I know what I¡¯m dealing with and who I¡¯m dealing with. You know I would never do anything to betray our family,¡± I insist, trying to keep it professional and my emotion out of it.


    We finish our food, and Dominic wipes his mouth on a napkin. ¡°Shirls, I trust you more than anyone else. You know that. You are family. You have always been since that day we came and got you. But I don¡¯t want you to get hurt by doing something you might not be able to handle.¡±


    I nod as though I agree with him, then finish my coffee. ¡°I acknowledge your fears, but I¡¯ve got this, Dom. Watch, you won¡¯t believe how I y the little Russian yboy at his own game. Trust me, okay?¡±


    Dominic sighs and nods. ¡°I do. If you need me, just call.¡±


    I smile warmly, and we get up, stopping to say goodbye to Kira as we leave the bistro. I have many happy memories here and one or two not-so-happy ones.


    Dominic drives us back to the estate, and as soon as I¡¯m inside, I go to my makeshift office on the second floor. I scroll through my blocked contacts and see Evgenii¡¯s name. I hope that his number hasn¡¯t changed. I unblock him. Long ago, I cleared all messages from him as I just wanted to forget he existed, and now I¡¯m willingly putting myself back in his crosshairs.


    He has no idea what he¡¯s in for.

 #7 Chapter 4

    Evgenii


    I nce at my watch, my meeting took longer than needed, but the young wanna-be CEO of the startup was very chatty.


    My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out, surprised at the name on the screen.


    Shirley McCannister.


    Thoughts fly through my mind. The way she looked, the way sheughed, and the way she tasted. I had seen an easy-to-use little girl of the Sorvino family, and I had taken advantage of that. I had taken advantage of her naivety.


    I hit the green answer button as I climb into my car and shut the door to block out the noise of the street. ¡°Shirley, this is a nice surprise.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Evgenii. I hope this isn¡¯t a bad time?¡± she asks, her voice seeming different, almost sultry. I smirk.


    ¡°I always have time for you,¡± I say casually.


    I had used her, and I¡¯d fallen for her. Then everything fell apart.


    ¡°I¡¯m in New York for business,¡± she continues, drawing me out of my thoughts. ¡°And I was thinking about you. I thought we could catch up for old times¡¯ sake.¡±


    I raise an eyebrow but keep my suspicion out of my voice, ¡°Really? I¡¯m surprised. We didn¡¯t part on good terms.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a child anymore. I¡¯ve matured. There were good times, too,¡± she responds. ¡°If you¡¯re not interested, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    Before she hangs up, I say. ¡°We can go to that bar, what was it called-O¡¯Malleys.¡± I wait, drumming my fingers on my steering wheel.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave now to meet you there,¡± she says before she hangs up.


    I pocket my phone and grip my steering wheel for a moment. I think back a few years. She was so beautiful, but she neverpeted with the Sorvino women. I always wondered why she didn¡¯t consider herself as beautiful as them.


    I¡¯m certain Shirley is trying to see what information I¡¯ll let slip about Staten Ind, but still, it would be pleasant to see her.


    I start my car and drive toward the bar, humming to the rock music ying on my radio. Traffic is pretty bad, so it takes me almost an hour to reach my destination and find parking.


    As I walk into the bar, I look around. Shirley is sitting at the end of the bar facing the door. She raises her hand in almost a half wave, and I nod that I see her. I make my way over and sit in the seat next to her. We¡¯re at the corner of the bar, so she¡¯s half-facing me.


    She smiles warmly. ¡°Thank you for joining me.¡±


    ¡°The pleasure is all mine,¡± I say, signaling the bartender toe over so I can order. ¡°Vodka, neat. You can leave the bottle.¡±


    The bartender hurries to attend to my order when he sees me put down a hundred-dor bill on the bar as a down payment. Shirley sips her wine. ¡°I see you still always know exactly what you want.¡±


    ¡°I always get what I want,¡± I smirk at her before shifting in my seat to getfortable. ¡°How are you? How is the West Coast treating you?¡±


    As she speaks, I realize she is no longer that awkward girl I had taken advantage of. She¡¯s confident, which surprises me, especially because she has such a strong presence that was absent when I approached her those years ago.


    It makes me wonder if we could have been something. Maybe something strong and powerful, a couple not to mess with. I brush the thought away. Admitting something like that would be admitting I regret what I did, and I don¡¯t.


    I tell her a few non-work rted things about Ivan and Tori, and when I speak about work, I talk about my new role and the deals we work on with her family. I¡¯m careful not to let anything private slip.


    We move to a table and ce an order for some food as we continue chatting.


    ¡°You look far more beautiful than I remember,¡± I say after a brief silence. ¡°Unless old age is just making my memories foggy.¡±


    She gives a smallugh. ¡°You always were a flirt.¡±


    ¡°Well, I do love to tell women they¡¯re beautiful when they are.¡±


    ¡°I bet you tell every woman you cross that they¡¯re beautiful,¡± she smiles yfully.


    We sit back as the waitress sets our food down.


    She keeps brushing off my attempts to flirt, which,bined with the alcohol, stirs apetitive fire inside me.


    ¡°You know, I mentioned we ended on bad terms. Despite that, we were still amazing together,¡± I try and make thement casual. ¡°I mean, I remember the things we did in bed, and that was amazing.¡±


    It doesn¡¯t even stir a slight blush from her.


    ¡°I know, but that¡¯s in the past now,¡± she says with a glint in her eyes.


    ¡°Not everything has to be about business,¡± I say, reaching across for her hand.


    She doesn¡¯t withdraw her hand, but she doesn¡¯t hold mine. We eat, chatting about her brother Pierce and his charity work. It¡¯s all a cover for illegal business, but it¡¯s smart.


    The waitress takes away our dishes, and Shirley sighs. ¡°This has been fun. It¡¯s nice catching up, but I should get back. I have an early start tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave,¡± I say, trying to sound calm. ¡°There are other ways we can catch up, you know.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡± she asks, her eyes boring into mine.


    ¡°Drinks at my beach house. You loved it there.¡± I smile. ¡°We can take it from there.¡±


    She nods. ¡°Okay, but I¡¯m bringing my car. I have an early start and can¡¯t wait for you to drive me around.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± I say, raising my hand for the bill. I pay for our little catch-up and then stand.


    ¡°You remember where it is? Or do you want to follow me?¡± I ask.


    She smiles. ¡°I remember where it is. Let¡¯s see who gets there first.¡±


    We both hurry to our cars. I don¡¯t even look for her as I race home, taking a route I know isn¡¯t normally one the police watch.


    I don¡¯t know how she does it, but she¡¯s parked in front of my house in her Mini Cooper when I arrive. Iugh. I forgot how much fun she is.


    I get out of my car, handing the keys to my bodyguard. ¡°Leave her car parked out front. She has an early start tomorrow.¡±


    I walk toward her and offer her my arm. ¡°Please, this way.¡±


    She loops her arm through mine, and I lead her to the deck out back. It looks out over the ocean but is fenced off. There¡¯s a bar out there, and I pour us each a cocktail and a shot of vodka.


    ¡°Are you trying to get me drunk?¡± she teases.


    ¡°I never had to before,¡± I tease back. I cheers my shot against hers, and we down it. I instantly refill it.


    ¡°We were terrible together,¡± she says with a smile. ¡°I was way too immature to be with you.¡±


    We drink another shot.


    ¡°To be fair,¡± Iment, ¡°I flirted with you first. You¡¯re young enough to be my daughter.¡±


    We drink another shot.


    ¡°You are seriously stubborn. It¡¯s always your way or no way,¡± she retorts with a giggle.


    We drink another shot.


    ¡°To be fair, you never defended or spoke up for yourself. You let people walk all over you.¡± I grin and move closer.


    We carry on like this, steadily getting drunker.


    Everything seems hazy, but I pull her unsteadily onto myp. She looks down at me with her bright eyes, and I smile, leaning up to kiss her.


    She¡¯s hesitant for the first time tonight. For a moment, I¡¯m reminded of that twenty-one-year-old whom I met years ago. Then we¡¯re locked in a fierce kiss. She holds onto my face, and I grind up into her, holding her firmly in myp.


    We break the kiss, and she breathes hard. I lock my eyes with hers and then kiss her again before trailing kisses down her neck.


    She groans softly as she tips her head back before I feel her pulling away.


    I feel a tad cool without her on myp, but then I see her kick off her high heels and step between my legs. I adjust in my seat, hungrily watching her.


    She slowly lowers herself down, trailing her fingers down my chest.


    My dick is already straining in my pants. She rubs over it and leans forward to kiss me again as she unzips my pants. I feel relief as she tugs my underwear down to let my dick spring free. She looks up at me, and there¡¯s a lust in her eyes I¡¯ve never seen. She slowly lowers her head and kisses the very tip of my dick, which is already dripping with pre-cum.


    She licks her lips and twirls her little tongue around the tip of my dick, and I groan, dropping my head back.


    ¡°God, that¡¯s so good,¡± I murmur as she sucks on the head of my dick and then slowly takes in more and more.


    She gags slightly when my cock hits the back of her throat, and she slowly pulls back. I rest back and enjoy the feel of her hot mouth enveloping my shaft.


    But I don¡¯t want to cum, so as we approach my orgasm, I stop her. ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere more private.¡±


    She smiles, and I stand, leaving my cock standing at attention. I lead her to my bedroom, and once in, I pull my shirt off and drop it on the floor. ¡°Bend over the bed.¡±


    I can see she¡¯s swaying slightly. I feel like I¡¯m swaying, but all I can think about now is her wet pussy hugging my erection.


    She smiles and pulls down her pants and then her panties. She steps out of them and undoes the buttons of her shirt to reveal herrge breasts straining in her bra.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    I pull her to me. ¡°Bend over now,¡± I growl the words, my desire for her burning like a fire deep inside me.


    She smirks and climbs onto the bed on all fours, her ass in the air. I smirk and run my fingers through her lips, feeling how wet she is for me. I remember this pussy so well. It always tasted good and always pleasured me. I move two fingers in and out of her, stretching her slightly. She rocks back and forth, and my dick strains toward her. I pull my finger out and spit in my hand. Tacky, I know, but it does the job. I lube up my dick before I position it at her entrance. I hold onto her hips, remembering how she liked being dominated, how she liked it rough. I don¡¯t hesitate to thrust into her and immediately start pounding in and out of her.


    The cries out of her mouth only make me hotter, keeping a firm hold on her hips as I chase my orgasm. Her right hand slips between her legs, and she yelps out little cries as she rubs her clit while I¡¯m pounding into her.


    I can feel my balls tightening in anticipation, and I reach forward, pushing her upper body down. Then I ce one hand on the small of her back while the other continues to hold her hips. I m into her hard and hold myself there while Ie deep inside her. I then move again and m hard after a moment, releasing the rest of my cum.


    I feel spaced out, drunk on alcohol and pleasure, as I pull my semi-hard dick out of her and watch my cum slowly drip out.


    She¡¯s still fingering her clit, and I see her clench up as she chases her own orgasm.


    In a mixture of mess and bodily fluids, we shift around until we both copse onto the bed. I¡¯m so tired, but I ce an arm around her as she rests her head on my chest, and soon I doze off.

 #7 Chapter 5

    Shirley


    I blink my eyes open and nce at my watch. It¡¯s almost two in the morning, and Evgenii is snoring softly in the bed beside me. I briefly study his face in the light from the moon filtrating the room. He looks good with stubble, and I¡¯m almost tempted to stay. But I can feel a headacheing on, and I still have a lot to do.


    I slip into my clothes, knowing I¡¯ll have to return to the bar area to get my shoes. As I sneak back through the house toward the front door, I notice his office door is open. I look around for guards, but none seem to be in the house. I tiptoe into his office and look around.


    There¡¯s moonlight streaming in through the open window, lighting up this room as well. I take out my cell phone and turn the shlight on to investigate his desk.


    It¡¯s a mess, as usual, but I ruffle through the papers quietly, trying not to disturb them too much. My effort paid off as I found the first draft proposal for Don Pacheco.


    Iy it out and take a photo with my phone before returning it where I think it belongs.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    I then creep my way to the front door and let myself out. Guards turn to look at me. One nods and offers me my car keys. ¡°Drive safely, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I say casually, getting into my car and starting it up. I pull onto the road, plugging Alesssandro¡¯s address into the GPS since I don¡¯t know the way from here.


    I pull up to the gate, and once the guard identifies me, I drive through to the garage.


    Arianna and Carmine are having drinks while she works on her car. I smile as I get out of the Mini Cooper. ¡°You two are upte.¡±


    ¡°We just got back from a race,¡± Carmine says, sipping his beer. ¡°You look rough.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°One drink too many.¡±


    Theyugh, and I know they want to tease me, but I hold a hand up. ¡°Mock me all you want tomorrow. I¡¯m exhausted.¡±


    I wave them off and head into the house. I walk toward the stairs but stop when Alessandro¡¯s office door opens.


    ¡°I was wondering when you wereing home,¡± he says as he walks out. He is in a satin robe and long pants but without a shirt, from what I can see. He looks much older than I remember.


    I give him a warm smile. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you were waiting up for me.¡±


    He smiles and walks over. ¡°Of course. You are like my sister, Shirls. I can¡¯t sleep knowing you¡¯re out on those streets. What were you doing anyway?¡±


    ¡°Gathering information,¡± I say with a bright smile as I take out my phone and show him the photo. ¡°Look, it¡¯s Volkov¡¯s rough proposal for Staten Ind.¡±


    He takes my phone and looks at it carefully before scrutinizing me. ¡°How did you get this? Were you with Evgenii? After everything that happened and the danger you put the family under, he should be thest person you¡¯re near.¡±


    ¡°Our family is united now,¡± I point out. ¡°And that aside, I¡¯m older and wiser now. I know I can manipte him so that we can present the best bid for Staten Ind. I will do what it takes to get our family this win.¡±


    Alessandro looks at me and sighs. ¡°Goodnight, Shirls.¡± He kisses my forehead and walks toward the staircase, muttering to himself about the woman in his family driving him to drink.


    I smile. He¡¯s an excellent leader and ruthless to anyone outside of our family. I go upstairs to shower and then get into my bed. I fall asleep thinking about Evegenii.


    The following day I stretch as I wake up. I get ready and go downstairs, walking into the dining hall. It is bigger than the old one. I suppose it has to be with the ever-expanding family. I sit down opposite my adoptive parents Romero and Helena. I set my phone on the table and start to dish up some scrambled eggs and toast.


    My phone buzzes, and Romero nces at it but doesn¡¯t say anything about it.


    Helena smiles. ¡°You don¡¯t visit often enough, Shirls. You really shoulde back more often. The kids are getting so big.¡±


    I smile at her. ¡°I know, Ma, but the West Coast keeps me busy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not right for a youngdy not to have time to start a family,¡± she chastises me as my phone buzzes again.


    The third time it buzzes, Romero nces at me again. ¡°Who¡¯s trying to get hold of you so urgently?¡±


    I grin. ¡°Who isn¡¯t, Pa? But it¡¯s not polite to answer the phone while I have a lovely breakfast with my parents.¡±


    ¡°Remember when she first got a phone?¡± Romero nudges Helena. ¡°It was that summer we took the kids to theke for Pierce¡¯s thirteenth birthday. Got them each a new phone to gush over something and got Pierce that gamingputer he wanted so badly.¡±


    I smile brightly as other family members join us. ¡°I remember that! That was a great summer. We had so much fun with Nonno taking us out on the tube connected to the boat.¡±


    ¡°He loved making you kidsugh,¡± Helena says lovingly.


    I have so many fond memories of the time I¡¯ve spent with the Sorvinos, who I consider my true family. My biological family¡­ Well, Romero made sure that my father would never hurt Pierce or me again, and my mother didn¡¯t argue when, at seven, we moved in with the Sorvinos permanently. Dominic used to say that Romero had my abusive father offed and paid my mom off to let us go.


    I¡¯m so grateful he did.


    My phone buzzes again, and I turn the vibrate off, not bothering to see who¡¯s messaging. As other family members sit down, we chat about uing ns for some of them toe out to stay at our properties on the West Coast to watch Ariana race. Alessandro and Frankie will remain behind to manage the business side of things, but Dominic will be there, along with Kira and Tori.


    I still find it strange that our family is connected to the Volkovs. I won¡¯t lie, it felt like a bit of a betrayal at the time. I know Tori isn¡¯t fully aware of what happened between Evgenii and me, but it stings. Only Alessandro and Frankie know the truth, so I can¡¯t me everyone else.


    I finish breakfast and excuse myself, kissing my parents¡¯ heads before leaving the room. I pause when I reach my room and check my messages. There are several missed calls from Evgenii and quite a few messages. Thest one asks why I left so early and didn¡¯t wait until he woke up.


    I shoot him a quick text back to let him know that I had said I had an early start and that I just thought it would be better to have that start from home. I send the text and grab my things, going into my makeshift office and powering up myptop.


    I transfer the photo of Evgenii¡¯s proposal to myptop and go over it. It isn¡¯t a bad proposal for what looks like a first draft. He¡¯s not just offering them money but detailing positions for Pacheco family members within the area should his family take over. I can definitely up that, add a few shares to the profits we make to give him a pleasant retirement, and I¡¯m sure I can sway him my way.


    I have a meeting with themter today that I need to prep for. I want to get a feel for what it is, exactly, that they are looking for out of this deal. It¡¯s surprising that Pacheco isn¡¯t passing his legacy on to one of his sons. This kind of trade, this kind of negotiation, is entirely unheard of. I¡¯ve never known a family to willingly give up a territory permanently for retirement, not when there are sons who are heirs. It¡¯s just not how things are done, and even more so because of how profitable Staten Ind is for moving Opioid products.


    I start drafting my proposal, noting what questions I need to ask. I keep ncing at my phone to see if Evgenii has sent another message. I don¡¯t want to message him. He¡¯ll think he has me on a hook. I want him to be on his knees, begging me for mercy when I¡¯m done with him. I want him to know how I felt when he broke me six years ago.


    I sigh, I can¡¯t let that be my main focus. Alessandro will be so pissed if I mess this up. He called me to do this for a reason. I¡¯m known for making deals and closing them. It¡¯s why I run the West Coast operations. I didn¡¯t think Alessandro would ever trust me after I leaked family operational secrets to Evgenii when we dated, but he did trust me. He knew I¡¯d never purposefully put the family at risk. He gave me a second chance, and I didn¡¯t only grow our West Coast base, but now we are thriving and making more money than ever. Slightly trailing behind New York, but just.


    I nce at my phone again and then put it away so it won¡¯t distract me. Evgenii cannot distract me from what I intend to do.

 #7 Chapter 6

    Evgenii


    I read the message over and over again, my pride a little stung. I set my phone down and sighed. I don¡¯t need this right now. Shirley is a distraction I can¡¯t afford to have, and yet, despite my recollection being a little hazy, I do remember most ofst night and how pleasurable it was, hopefully for both of us.


    My heart feels like it¡¯s hammering in my chest, and I¡¯m unsure what to do, so I sit back in my chair and rest, taking deep breaths as I look out my office window at the ocean.


    I think about our first proper date together, the first time I took her out alone. I remember how beautiful she was.


    A Few Years Prior


    I straighten my suit jacket,fortable and confident despite being old enough to be my date¡¯s father. This is simply business. I need information about the Sorvino family, and she¡¯s an easy in.


    I wait outside the restaurant, wanting to escort her in. I¡¯ve secured a private booth for us and have asked for a special menu to impress her.


    A taxi pulls up next to the curb, and Shirley emerges. For a moment, just a moment, my breath catches. She¡¯s in a short blue figure-hugging dress with thin straps over her shoulders. No sign of bra straps, so either she¡¯s gone strapless, or she isn¡¯t wearing one. The idea of thetter really pleases me.


    She has sparkling blue heels, and the whole look gives the impression that she has had legs for days, or so the saying goes. Her hair is down in big curls, framing her face. She hasn¡¯t got a lot of makeup on, but her eyeliner andshes are stark, making her eyes really stand out.


    I walk toward her with a big smile, d she felt the necessity to put so much effort into a date with me.


    I smile. ¡°I am so lucky such a beautiful woman has agreed toe out with me tonight.¡± I offer her my arm, and she blushes slightly as she slips her arm through mine.


    I escort her into the restaurant, where several couples are talking quietly over the clink of cutlery against dishes. I smile and lead her toward the back.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we wait to be seated?¡±


    ¡°I know where we¡¯re seated already,¡± I exin. ¡°I know the owners. They gave us a private section.¡±


    She looks pleased, and that makes me happy. She¡¯s easily won over and clearly likes to feel important. This will be a breeze after all.


    I pull out her chair for her, and she sits down, setting a small blue handbag I hadn¡¯t noticed next to her. I keep smiling as I go around the table and sit down in my seat.


    A waitresses over to us with a cheery disposition. ¡°Good evening. Can I get you anything to drink while you look at the menu?¡±


    We both take a menu from her, and I nod. ¡°A bottle of your best red wine and a ss of water each.¡±


    I take full control of the situation. I want to test how pliable she is. She smiles and sets her menu down. I know I can order for her, so before the waitress leaves, I say, ¡°We¡¯ll take two dishes of Pozharsky. Bring extra gravy.¡±


    The waitress nods and takes the menus, leaving quickly.


    Shirley looks at me curiously. ¡°What is Po¡­?¡±


    ¡°Pozharsky,¡± I pronounce slowly for her. ¡°It¡¯s a good dish. Breaded plump Chicken cutlets, served with mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy. I know the chef here. It¡¯s delicious.¡±


    Shirley nods. ¡°That sounds divine.¡±


    I smile and lean forward. ¡°So, tell me about yourself.¡±


    She seems shy again but smiles. ¡°Tough one. I¡¯m not sure what to tell you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your favorite color, for starters?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± she giggles. ¡°Blue is my favorite color, I won¡¯t lie.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to assume,¡± I chuckle, sitting back as the waitress brings our drinks.


    We chat about a few of our favorite things, and at one point, I reach across the table to hold her hand, happy that she doesn¡¯t pull away.


    We stay like that until our piping hot food arrives, then we sit back, and I smile. ¡°I always have extra gravy. This ce makes the best mushroom gravy.¡±


    She smiles and picks up her cutlery. ¡°I do love gravy.¡±


    We start to eat, and she gives a soft moan that makes me raise an eyebrow. ¡°Enjoying that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡± Her voice is low, and she takes another bite, another small groan.


    I chuckle softly as I pour extra gravy on my food before tucking in. She isn¡¯t wrong. My aunt has outdone herself, as usual. We eat quietly before I strike up a conversation about what she does for a living.


    ¡°I¡¯m helping my family with some business, a few, actually. At the moment, I¡¯m not much more than a glorified receptionist, but my older brother says that I could go far.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t all brothers say that?¡± I ask curiously. ¡°Surely you want to strike out in the world?¡±


    She smiles knowingly. ¡°No, this is what I want. I want to work my way up, I don¡¯t just want it handed to me, but I want to do it for my family. I mean, they¡¯re technically not my biological family, but for as long as I¡¯ve been friends with their children, they¡¯ve pretty much raised Pierce and me.¡± She sips her wine.


    ¡°Pierce is your older brother?¡± I ask, inclining my head.


    She nods. ¡°Yes. And because we¡¯re like part of the family, I also count Alessandro, Frankie, and Dominic as my older brothers. I consider Ariana as my sister.¡±


    We finish eating, and as the waitress clears the tes, I smile. ¡°The bill is already covered. You know, there¡¯s an entrance to Central Park nearby. Why don¡¯t we take a walk.¡±


    She smiles and nods. ¡°That sounds very romantic.¡±


    I stand and offer her my hand again. We walk out of the restaurant and toward the park. I know we¡¯re safe here. Nobody would dare attack me in this neighborhood.


    We reach the entrance to the park and walk down the pathways.


    ¡°What do you do for a living?¡± she asks quietly as we stroll hand in hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m an investor,¡± I say. ¡°Properties mostly, but I own shares in other ventures, as well. I¡¯ve always been interested in it, and luckily, I¡¯m good at it.¡±


    She starts to tell me about a property that her family is trying to secure, they think she doesn¡¯t know, but she does. I listen intently and offer some advice, perhaps not the correct advice by all means, but some.


    We settle on a grass embankment and simply enjoy each other¡¯spany until, at one point, she nces at the expensive watch on her wrist. ¡°Shit, it¡¯s already one. I should get home. I¡¯ve got work tomorrow.¡¯


    I smile and help her up. ¡°My car is near the restaurant. I¡¯m happy to drive you home.¡±


    She shivers slightly, and in seconds, I¡¯ve slipped out of my suit jacket and hung it over her shoulders. ¡°Here, that should keep you warm until we reach my car. I¡¯ll turn the heating on then.¡±


    She smiles, and we walk, not entirely fast, to my car. I open the door for her and let her in. ¡°Let¡¯s get you home.¡±


    I climb in and pull onto the road. ¡°What¡¯s your address?¡±


    She gives me her apartment address, and I drive there and exit, opening the door for her. I walk her upstairs to her front door, and we stand there for a moment. She slips out of my suit jacket and hands it to me. ¡°I had a lovely evening.¡±


    ¡°So did I,¡± I say quietly. ¡°I¡¯d love to see you again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d really like that, too,¡± she murmurs.


    I smile and lean down, gently kissing her lips.


    She moans softly and presses her body against me. I know I can go in there right now and ravage her, but I want her to think of me as a gentleman, so we kiss a while longer before I break it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you a text,¡± I say softly, kissing her once more before I leave after watching her enter her apartment.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    Present Day


    I don¡¯t want to think about the past. It hurts my heart to remember what I did to her, how things ended, and the look on her face when she realized I¡¯d been ying her all along.


    I sigh and run a hand through my hair. The guilt gnaws at me relentlessly, and the only reprieve I get is when there¡¯s a knock at my door. The guard, Igor,es in. ¡°Sir, your sister, Natalia, is here.¡±


    I stand quickly. ¡°Bring her in straight away.¡±


    Igor stands aside, and my gorgeous sister strides in. ¡°Evgenii!¡± She throws her arms around my neck and hugs me tightly. The guard is nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°How was visiting our parents in Europe?¡± I ask, motioning for her to sit.


    She sits opposite me and smiles brightly. ¡°They¡¯re doing very well. They love their whole travel the world for their retirement n.¡±


    I smile brightly. ¡°A wonderful gift from Ivan. Our Pakhan is very generous.¡±


    ¡°Are you feeling generous?¡± Natalia asks me.


    I quirk an eyebrow and smirk. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Just to stay here,¡± she says quickly. ¡°I¡¯ve decided not to travel to Ennd anymore. I want to stay here in New York. Our aunt has already offered me a sous chef position at the restaurant.¡±


    I smile. ¡°How could I ever say no to my baby sister? Unfortunately, though, you will have to get yourself settled as I have some business to attend to. You¡¯ll be fine on your own, right? If you need a car, I have a Chrysler in the garage that you can use.¡±


    We both stand, and she hugs me again. ¡°Thank you, that¡¯s perfect. I¡¯ll see youter.¡±


    I kiss her head and leave, taking my car and driving toward the warehouse we share with the Sorvino family-one of our future Pakhan¡¯s ventures. Roman is inheriting a massive legacy.


    When I arrive, I instantly recognize the Jeep that¡¯s parked nearby. That¡¯s Francesco Sorvino¡¯s Jeep. He¡¯s probably here for the same reason as me-inspecting goods.


    He looks up at me as I approach him. ¡°Evgenii.¡±


    ¡°Francesco.¡± It¡¯s a curt response, and I look around. ¡°Anything to report?¡±


    He hands me a folder. ¡°The sales from this month. I thought it would be easier to go over instead of trying to capture them together.¡±


    I chuckle. ¡°Do you hate my spreadsheets that much?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t make sense,¡± Frankie says good-heartedly. ¡°Also, you look exhausted.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I had a few drinks and dinner with Shirley,¡± Iment casually.


    Frankie frowns. ¡°Never a good idea, Evgenii. Most of all, I don¡¯t think my parents have forgiven you for taking advantage of her because it broke her heart. Please leave her alone.¡±


    I hold my hands up. ¡°Hey! She called me. She wanted to meet up with me.¡± I feel as though it¡¯s a challenge, but I know Frankie is right. I should stay away from her.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, stay away from her.¡±


    I don¡¯t answer him, and he leaves shortly after. I stand there for a moment before taking out my phone. Frankie might be right, but I can¡¯t help myself as I text Shirley to ask when I can see her again.

 #7 Chapter 7

    Shirley


    I step into the high-rise building, dressed in smart pants and an expensive blouse. My hair and makeup are done on point, and I¡¯m ready to tackle Don Pacheco for more information on what he¡¯s looking for. I doubt the other families would have thought to do that. It¡¯s really business one-on-one.


    A female guard frisks me down and checks my bag for weapons, a standard in my profession. I¡¯m escorted upstairs to a meeting room where a young receptionist brings a tray with espresso coffee and teeny cups. I help myself to one cup and drink it as I look out over the bustling city.


    The door behind me opens, and I turn, watching as Don Pacheco walks into the room. He¡¯s elderly, far older than most Dons who retire, and I smile softly. He reminds me of Nonno, who I was so fond of and who loved me like his own.


    ¡°Don Pacheco,¡± I set my cup down and moved to shake his hand. Instead, he turns my hand and nts a kiss on it. I give him a heartwarming smile.


    ¡°I was expecting one of the Sorvino brothers to handle these affairs. Not only you¡¯re not a Sorvino, but you¡¯re a woman. Alessandro is getting soft, allowing women to tend to his business.¡± I pour him an espresso and set it down in front of him. I know he¡¯s very traditional. If Nonno Sorvino were alive, he would also have a heart attack.


    ¡°What better person to know how to take care of a family than one who has closely worked with one of the most powerful families? Someone who values family more than anything?¡± I smile gently. ¡°I may seem soft, Don Pacheco, but I can be ruthless if my family is threatened.¡±


    He eyes me out, almost like a predator, and I can see the gears turning in his mind. He thinks he could use me, like Evgenii, because I¡¯m just a stupid woman with silly ideas. I¡¯m d he underestimates me, this will make the win so much sweeter.


    ¡°Tell me, Don Pacheco,¡± I take out my notepad and pen, ¡°has anyone asked what you want for your territory?¡± I keep my voice steady but inviting. I lean heavily into the role the Don has already assigned me.


    Ettore Pacheco considers me for a moment beforecing his fingers together and resting back, his hands on his round belly. ¡°I want a smooth transition. My men, the ones who already work for me, must be incorporated into the new family and taken care of. My sons are to be given high positions or possibly married into the family.¡±


    I make notes, nodding my head in agreement. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°I want a purchase amount. You can decide what you think this area is worth to you. But I also want a monthly retirement share that will see me through my old age, which will be transferred to my eldest son to take care of our family upon my passing.¡± He smiles. ¡°Can you offer such things?¡±


    ¡°It is my job to put together a proposal for you that Don Sorvino approves of,¡± I say confidently. ¡°What kind of percentage of sales are you looking for to see you through your retirement?¡±


    ¡°Forty percent.¡± It¡¯s said with such finality that I have to suppress augh.


    Instead, I nod and say, ¡°I understand why you¡¯d want toe in so high, but I¡¯m afraid if we¡¯re going to talk forty percent monthly shares until the end of time, or your lineage, then we take off the down payment for the area, which I can assure you, is a satisfying amount,¡± I make a few notes. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone else would agree to those terms.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°The Russians will,¡± he smiles, a knowing smile that tells me one of the Russian families, probably the Volkovs, has already been here.


    I purse my lips and nod. ¡°Perhaps they would, and I won¡¯t lie, Staten Inds operations are valuable to us. But I can offer more than the Russians can.¡±


    I don¡¯t know what that is, but he doesn¡¯t need to know that. I need to know what Evgenii is offering him that didn¡¯t appear on the paperwork I photographed.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you allow your sons to inherit the area and continue operations?¡± I¡¯m trying to divert the conversation now, and it works.


    ¡°They¡¯re soft. They¡¯ve never gotten their hands dirty, always asking others to do their bidding. They need good positions. They¡¯re good with paperwork. Something easy.¡±


    I make a note of this and smile. ¡°I think we have perfect positions for them, but you¡¯ll see that in my proposal.¡±


    Ettore stands. ¡°I have another meeting to attend. I will expect your first proposal. We are open to negotiations once the first proposal is sent if it is mostly satisfactory, and from there, we will reach a final proposal and decide who gets the area without any fuss.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that you don¡¯t want to shed any blood or cause any wars.¡± I pack away my notes and stand. ¡°Don Pacheco, thank you for seeing me, and I am excited to give you the Sorvino family proposal in three days.¡±


    A guard escorts me out of the building, and I walk toward my car. I notice Evgenii parking across the road but don¡¯t look directly at him.


    I get into my car and casually drive off, not acknowledging him at all. I can¡¯t even be sure that he saw me. My mind is reeling with thoughts about him.


    Last night was¡­well, it was the best sex we¡¯ve ever had, from what I can remember. Maybe it¡¯s just because I haven¡¯t had sex in a long time that it had an extra impact on me. I¡¯m busy. I work all the time. I don¡¯t have time to y boys¡¯ games, no matter how much interest they show.


    I park at La Club to discuss what I can offer Ettore with Frankie, but when I stop, I hear my phone buzz. I take it out, and I see I have a message from Evgenii. He¡¯s trying too hard anding off as desperate. Does he think I¡¯m that stupid to fall for his tricks again?


    The message asks if I would go to dinner that night with him. I sigh, I already have a charity event on for Miguel.


    I message Evgenii back and propose a counteroffer that he can meet me at the event and take things from there.


    A sudden knock on my window gives me a heart attack, and my hand flies to my chest. ¡°Jesus!¡±


    Dominicughs. ¡°Nope, just Dominic, thanks.¡±


    I get out of the car, rolling my eyes at the jackass. ¡°You¡¯re an ass. You know that?¡±


    ¡°You love me, though,¡± heughs. ¡°I was on my way out and just wanted to say hi. You looking for Frankie?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have some figures I need to discuss with him,¡± I grab my bag and lock my car. ¡°Off you skedaddle then. All our numbers will probably bore you to death.¡±


    ¡°I never did like Math,¡± he says. He kisses both my cheeks and walks off, straightening his jacket.


    I walk toward La Club, Evgenii still on my mind. Did he fall for me toward the end? Does he regret what he did? I fucking doubt it.


    He knew exactly what he was doing, and you know, that¡¯s just business in this industry. It¡¯s cut-throat, and you do what you have to do to seed, which is why I have no issue returning the favor.


    I walk into the office where Frankie is staring at hisputer screen. He nces up. ¡°Hey, Shirls.¡±


    ¡°Dominic just scared the crap out of me, knocking on my window while I was distracted,¡± Iment, setting my bag down.


    ¡°There¡¯s actually something I want to talk to you about,¡± he says, pushing away from the desk to look at me.


    Uh-oh.


    I sit down opposite him. ¡°You always were the most serious one of us.¡±


    ¡°What were you doing with Evgenii Volkov?¡± he asks, his eyes boring into me as though he could extract the truth from my mind.


    ¡°Just returning the favor,¡± I try to brush him off, taking out paperwork. Is that really what I did?


    Frankie sighs. ¡°Stay away from him, Shirls. He¡¯s not above breaking your heart a second time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not above breaking his,¡± I say a little too harshly, then shake my head. ¡°Trust me, I will not let him take advantage of me again. I¡¯m not a silly girl anymore. I will use him to find out everything I need to know about his proposal, and then I will leave him behind and go back to the West Coast, where I have a life.¡±


    Frankie shakes his head. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t see him again, Shirls. You have a history with him.¡±


    ¡°I have a history with a lot of people, Frankie,¡± I¡¯m colder than I intend to be, and his eyes widen slightly as I continue. ¡°But I¡¯ve learned from past mistakes, and I¡¯m ready to ensure that no matter what happens, our family will get Staten Ind.¡±


    Frankie nods, sighing softly. ¡°Okay. I trust you know what you¡¯re doing. How can I help?¡±


    ¡°I need to know what figures I can offer Ettore because, apparently, he¡¯s already favoring a Russian family.¡±


    I hand him my paperwork, and we start going over everything together. I find it hard to concentrate because, despite my big talk, I only have one thing on my mind: Evgenii Volkov.

 #7 Chapter 8

    Evgenii


    I straighten my bow tie and ensure my tuxedo jacket is straight. I¡¯m both nervous and excited, and that frustrates me a lot. I feel like I should just shoot someone to calm down because killing idiots has always made me feel better.


    I¡¯m waiting for the driver to arrive. It¡¯s a rented-out limousine from one of our distant cousin¡¯spany. Ivan¡¯s having them pick me up first, and then we¡¯ll get Ivan and Tori and make our way to the event.


    I hadn¡¯t realized Ivan was invited until I mentioned to him that I was going. He seems weary of me spending time with Shirley. He doesn¡¯t want my rtionship with her to affect our families.


    I had to assure him I wouldn¡¯t hurt her in any way, or he¡¯d have to intervene. I also had to assure him that it was just harmless fun.


    My guards let me know the limousine is outside, and I pocket my wallet and cell phone and walk out. It doesn¡¯t take long to reach Ivan, and our cousin has included some drinks for the drive. Once we are on our way to Miguel¡¯s event, Tori nces at me. ¡°Evgenii. I have to ask. How do you know Shirley so well?¡±


    I nce at Ivan because, clearly, Tori doesn¡¯t know what happened.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to bid on something useful this time,¡± Ivan says to Tori, trying to redirect the conversation.


    Tori nods and looks back at me. ¡°Did you know each other before?¡±


    Ivan gives me a warning nce, and I smile. ¡°Suffice to say, we were a couple once, and I broke her heart. Now we¡¯re just friends.¡±


    Tori nods, and Ivan squeezes her leg. ¡°Something to talk about another time. Let¡¯s enjoy the evening while my wife bids on everything to support charity.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good charity, and it makes us look good,¡± Tori says. ¡°We could use some good press right now.¡±


    When we arrive, there¡¯s a red carpet rolled out from where we step out to the entrance of the art gallery where the event is being held. I see a few celebrities ahead of us as we climb out. There are also some politicians, and the people of the press are shouting questions at them.


    Ivan takes Tori¡¯s arm and leads her down the red carpet. Tori looks beautiful in a powder blue gown that trails after her. The press instantly starts snapping pictures of them together and hurling questions, which Tori answers diplomatically.


    I follow at a distance because the press doesn¡¯t like people being in their shots. As we pass some of the more high-ranking people we know, we greet them, shaking hands and kissing cheeks.


    As we walk into the main area, I take note of everything around me. There¡¯s arge area in the center for dancing, and to the far side are tables set out for dining-a bar to the left and a band on a tform to the right. I see an open door, and I know it leads to a room where the auction pieces are kept for viewing.


    I spot Shirley standing with Alessandro, Katya, Frankie, and Amelia. Shirley holds myplete attention, though. She¡¯s wearing a deep emerald figure-hugging gown that ends just above her feet. It¡¯s sleeveless and has a tight bust section that makes her breasts look like they¡¯re ready to spill out.


    It¡¯s an instant turn-on.


    A smile breaks across my face, and Ivan nudges me. ¡°That¡¯s the goofiest smile ever. You look like an idiot.¡±


    I chuckle and ignore him, walking over to Shirley ahead of him. Shirley turns to me and looks me up and down.


    ¡°Evening, Don Sorvino. Francesco.¡± I nod to the two men and then give a slight bow to their spouses. ¡°Ladies, you look beautiful.¡±


    I turn to Shirley. ¡°No wonder the jaws around here are dropping to the floor.¡±


    Shirley rolls her eyes and shifts her weight slightly. I offer her my arm. ¡°I¡¯ll hold you up.¡±


    Shirley shakes her head with a small smile and loops her arm through mine. I can tell Alessandro and Frankie don¡¯t like it, but they don¡¯t say anything as Ivan walks over. Everyone greets each other, and thedies drift to one side to start chatting. Not Shirley, though, she stays on my arm.


    Several peoplee to the group to smooth-talk Ivan or me. Same for Alessandro and Frankie.


    The music starts, and several couples start dancing as drinks are brought to us. It¡¯s a round of whiskeys and a fine one by all ounts. The women take champagne, except Shirley, who takes a whiskey. She¡¯s clearly trying to prove a point.


    Ivan and Alessandro start discussing a new business venture, and I nce around. I hate talking about work at a party, so I lean to whisper in Shirley¡¯s ear. ¡°Want to go dance?¡±


    Shirley nods and sets her ss down. ¡°Why not.¡±


    I smile and set my ss down, excusing us from the group and sweeping Shirley into the center of the room. We start to dance, my hand on her waist and the other holding her hand. It¡¯s old. It¡¯s traditional. But I think it¡¯s romantic, and the way she¡¯s looking at me, she might consider it romantic too.


    We dance in silence for two songs, break for a quick drink and then return to the dance floor. At this point, I study her face and ask, ¡°I don¡¯t understand something. Why did you forgive me?¡±


    A strange expression quickly crosses her face, something too fast for me to pinpoint but definitely a reaction to what I said.


    She looks away from me and takes a deep breath before looking back at me. ¡°I¡¯m not a teenager anymore, Evgenii. The things I¡¯ve done and the things I¡¯ve seen. The people I¡¯ve gotten rid of, both in person and not, have shaped me and changed how I see things. I grew up and realized that what you did was just business. It¡¯s a hazard of the upation we¡¯ve chosen. Business is business, and I can¡¯t hold that against you because you just did what you had to.¡±


    I mull over her words. Although they weren¡¯t said harshly, I feel scolded for some odd reason. Like a knife has been plunged into my chest to remind me, I betrayed her so badly that she doesn¡¯t feel anything at all.


    We dance again in silence until it bes unbearable for me. I don¡¯t understand how she isn¡¯t bothered by it.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    ¡°You know, toward the end, it wasn¡¯t all business.¡± My voice is trembling slightly, and I take a breath to calm myself. I¡¯ve never had a shaky voice, not even with a gun to my head. Something about Shirley sets me off.


    Shirley turns her head away from me, but I can see her eyes are hard with anger.


    ¡°Shirley, in the end, I didn¡¯t want to hurt you. I fell for you hard, and I wish I could go back and change it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to make me feel better,¡± she snaps at me, quietly enough that no one notices but that I hear her tone. ¡°I was naive and young, and I paid for my decisions. You don¡¯t have to pretend it was anything other than it was. Fishing for information.¡±


    Anger boils inside of me. I know I was a dick, but I¡¯m baring my heart here. I¡¯m being vulnerable, and isn¡¯t that what all women want? It raises my suspicions. If she holds so much resentment toward me, why is she dancing with me? Why did shee home with me and let me fuck her brains out? Does she really think that we mean nothing at all? That we meant nothing to me?


    The song finishes, and we stop dancing, our hands falling to our sides. The next song starts, but we don¡¯t resume dancing. We just stand in the center of the dance floor, looking deep into each other¡¯s eyes. I lean forward slightly, thinking maybe a kiss could ignite any sort of passion within her, but she turns her head slightly, and I know it¡¯s unwee.


    I nod and clear my throat.


    ¡°Let me get you back to Alessandro,¡± she loops her arm through mine reluctantly, and I escort her back to our group. Ivan and Tori are dancing, and Frankie and Amelia are seated at a table nearby. When I stop by Alessandro, I drop her arm and nod. ¡°Please excuse me. I just need to step out for a moment.¡±


    I walk toward the sign that indicates where the bathrooms are. A few guys are there, and I take the first stall. I put the toilet seat down and sit on top of it. I just want a break. I need to get Shirley out of my head. She¡¯s made it clear there¡¯s nothing left between us. Nothing that means anything.


    But there¡¯s a raging, fiery piece of me that is demanding I fight for her. That I show her that I really did fall for her and that she and I could be something. I mean, fuck, our families are joined through marriage. This is something no one ever thought would happen. They wouldn¡¯t have even considered it. Yet here we are, and if Ivan and Tori can be in a loving rtionship, then so can Shirley and I.


    There still has to be love there. There was an intensity to her anger-a passion. I just need to remind her of her passion for me.

 #7 Chapter 9

    Shirley


    As Evgenii walks toward the bathrooms, I turn and walk toward Alessandro, Katya, and Arianna, who are sitting at a table. I sit beside Arianna and smile. ¡°Having fun, guys?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing, Shirls?¡± Alessandro asks me suddenly. ¡°This isn¡¯t a good idea.¡±


    I reassure him because I don¡¯t want to cause a scene. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Alessandro. I know what I¡¯m doing and have everything under control.¡±


    I can see he wants to say more, that he doubts me, but thankfully, Katya nudges him and gives him a reproachful look.


    I nce around the room and recognize the tall, lithe man walking straight toward us. Despite being rivals, he is from a family that has a truce with Evgenii¡¯s family. He¡¯s looking straight at me with his dark eyes, and I feel my breath catch in my chest. I don¡¯t need moreplications, but he is delicious to look at.


    He approaches Alessandro and smiles. ¡°Don Sorvino. Such a pleasure to meet you. I am Mikhail Golubev.¡±


    Alessandro nods, but he doesn¡¯t return the smile. ¡°A pleasure indeed. How can I help you, Mikhail?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but notice the beautiful youngdy sitting alone and was hoping I could steal her away for a dance?¡± He¡¯s a charmer and oozes it, holding his hand out for me.


    Alessandro looks skeptical, but I take Mikhail¡¯s hand and stand. ¡°It¡¯s just a dance.¡±Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    He sweeps me onto the dance floor and holds my waist higher than Evgenni did, his other hand holding mine. We waltz around the dance floor, and he grins. ¡°I am so lucky a beautiful woman like you would grace me with a dance. Hopefully, another one after. I haven¡¯t seen you around before, and I make it my job to know everyone.¡±


    I return his charming smile as we move about the dance floor. ¡°You can call me Shirley, and I work for Don Sorvino in another region.¡±


    ¡°What could you possibly be doing for Don Sorvino?¡± he asks, seeming genuinely curious. I¡¯m not a teenager anymore, so I shake my head. ¡°I¡¯m not important in the greater scheme of things.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is a pity you¡¯re from another area because your beauty is breathtaking. How long are you here for? Perhaps I can tempt you to join me at my family¡¯s cabin up north. We can spend the rest of the weekend getting to know each other more intimately.¡± He twirls me around, I move away and then back toward him, and he holds my waist again.


    I smile up at him, maintaining a friendly disposition. Mikhail startsparing my beauty to nature, and I realize that Evgenii is standing to the side of the dance floor, with Ivan, watching me with an angry expression on his face.


    I won¡¯t lie, that makes dancing with Mikhail and his cheesy analogies worth it. Evgenii can¡¯t say anything because I¡¯m not doing anything wrong, technically.


    I turn my attention back to Mikhail as he pauses between analogies. ¡°You haven¡¯t said much about yourself. Why don¡¯t you tell me more about who you are?¡±


    Mikhail tries to appear shy, but ites across more as a smirk. ¡°There isn¡¯t much to tell. I¡¯m just a man who wants what¡¯s best for his family. I like cars and beautiful women, and I love to ride them both.¡±


    If he¡¯s expecting me to be embarrassed, it doesn¡¯t work. I look him in the eyes and smirk back. ¡°Your family is Bratva, the Golubevs, and I know they have been putting pressure on the Volkovs for better areas.¡±


    ¡°I guess you know more about me than I expected. You¡¯re smarter than you let on, which is good for someone who runs the West Coast operations for the Sorvino family,¡± he pulls me slightly closer so he can talk more quietly.


    I raise an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m not the only one who knows more than they¡¯re letting on.¡±


    He rests the side of his head against mine. ¡°We could be great together.¡±


    It¡¯s a murmur in my ear, but I withdraw, giving him a confident smile. ¡°I already work with the greatest family.¡±


    The song ends, and I incline my head. ¡°Thanks for the dance, but I should get back to my people.¡±


    He gives a slight bow, and I walk from the dance floor. I see Evgenii make his way toward me, and we meet on the edge of the dance floor. He takes my arm, gently but determined, to escort me to the side of the room, where he res at me.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±


    I look up at him, slightly taken aback by his aggressive tone. It gets my defenses up, and I wrench my arm from his grasp.


    ¡°I do not belong to you.¡± If he¡¯s clever, he¡¯ll back off because I¡¯m not ying this fucking game with him.


    Evgenii doesn¡¯t touch me again, but he stands close to me. ¡°We agreed toe to this event together. It¡¯s rude to go dancing with someone else,¡± he says quietly, angrily, as he nces around.


    ¡°Afraid of embarrassing yourself?¡± I hiss, ring at him. ¡°You don¡¯t own me, Evgenii. I can dance with anyone I like, and there¡¯s nothing you can do about that.¡±


    Evgenii can¡¯t seem to let it go. ¡°What did Mikhail want? Did you give him any information about operations?¡±


    I clench my fists. ¡°You really won¡¯t get over using me like that, will you?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it¡­.¡±


    I cut him off, ¡°Excuse me, they¡¯re serving the food.¡±


    I storm off to Alessandro, who raises his eyebrows at me. I try to smile at him and sit between Arianna and Katya so I¡¯m surrounded. Evgenii goes to the table next to ours where Ivan and Tori are.


    The food smells and tastes delicious, but my argument with Evgenii has left me without an appetite. I pick at my food, lost in my thoughts, until Katya touches my arm. ¡°Shirls?¡±


    I smile at her instantly. ¡°Yes, sorry. Thinking of work as usual.¡±


    She gives a small smile and nods. ¡°I was just saying that it¡¯s a pity Pierce couldn¡¯t be here. To have the family all together would have been amazing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Pierce wanted so badly toe, but there were some deals I was waiting for deliberation on, and he needed to finalize them,¡± I exin. ¡°Always work, as I said.¡± We both giggle to ourselves.


    I can feel Evgenii¡¯s eyes drilling into me as I eat, but I don¡¯t look in his direction. Instead, I listen to thedies at our table chat about the various charity pieces they want to bid on, and one specifically Katya wants interests me.


    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful white gold tiara with sapphires and emeralds,¡± she exins. ¡°It looks stunning.¡±


    I nod my head. I used to love shy jewelry once upon a time, but I prefer a minimalist look now. Still, I know thedies like to be spoiled, even if they only wear it at events like these.


    Once the empty tes are whisked away, the music starts again. I don¡¯t feel much like celebrating, and I¡¯m not going to bid on anything tonight. I¡¯ve been here long enough to justify leaving.


    I lean over to Katya. ¡°I have a lot of work to do tomorrow. I¡¯m going to call it a night.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Katya asks, inclining her head. Alessandro looks at us, unsure of what our exchange is about.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not really in the mood to bid on anything anyway,¡± I exin. ¡°And I don¡¯t want to be a Debbie Downer or anything just because I¡¯m tired and grumpy.¡±


    Katya smiles and squeezes my hand resting on the table. ¡°You could never be a Debbie Downer. But I understand your difort. I saw your argument and can only imagine the words exchanged.¡±


    I sigh and shake my head. ¡°He has no hold over me. He needs to learn that hard and fast, and although he doesn¡¯t bother me, I don¡¯t want him harassing me all night.¡±


    ¡°If you need anything, or if you need an escort, just let me know.¡± Katya leans over and kisses both of my cheeks.


    ¡°I will. Have a fun night.¡±


    I stand while Katya leans over to tell Alessandro what¡¯s going on. I don¡¯t miss the fact that Evgenii gets up shortly after I start walking along the outside of the dance hall.


    He is a few steps behind me and quickly catches up. ¡°Shirley.¡±


    I slow down but don¡¯t stop. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have work tomorrow. I¡¯m calling it a night.¡±


    ¡°At least let me escort you home and make sure you get there safely.¡± He steps in front of me as he speaks, forcing me to a stop. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I upset you. Let me make it up to you.¡±


    I look at him stiffly. ¡°I don¡¯t need an escort. I¡¯m not a helpless damsel in distress. Now, please move out of my way.¡±


    He reluctantly steps aside, and I know his eyes don¡¯t leave me as I stride out of the hall, through the various throngs of people mingling, to a car waiting outside for me.


    I climbed into the car, and the driver shuts the door for me. Knowing the windows are tinted so no one can look in, I finally look back at the event hall door, where I see Evgenii standing. He looks forlorn and miserable, and I thought this would satisfy me, but instead, I feel sorry for him. Something I wish I didn¡¯t feel at all.

 #7 Chapter 10

    Evgenii


    As I cruise through the streets the following morning, my mind is thinking of Shirley. My heart ached so much when I upset her, yet I don¡¯t regret it. I was protecting her from that hyena, Mikhail. I don¡¯t understand why she feels I think she¡¯s just going to spill secrets. She wouldn¡¯t do it on purpose, but Mikhail is a slimy snake who will coerce the details out of her.


    I pull through the gates and up to Ivan¡¯s house. I shake my head. Women are so difficult to please. I have tons of experience with them, yet I can never seem to get it right.


    I walk into the house and down the hall. Just through a door to my right, I see Anastasia checking her makeup in a mirror, so I pause. ¡°Where are you going, littledy?¡±


    She smiles brightly as she smacks her lips and looks at me. ¡°Just going out with a friend.¡± She slips her lip gloss into her handbag and swings it over her shoulder.


    ¡°Is it a male friend?¡± I ask teasingly.


    As she walks past me, she smacks my arm. ¡°No details for you. You¡¯ll run off to my father. See youter.¡±


    I wave her off as I walk to Ivan¡¯s office. Ivan has mainly been working from home because it¡¯s safer and easier to protect. It¡¯s an environment he has more control over. He also doesn¡¯t like missing milestones in his son¡¯s life.


    I stroll into Ivan¡¯s office. He¡¯s concentrating on hisptop, so I go to his mini bar and pour myself a drink, sitting down in front of him.


    Ivan finishes what he¡¯s doing and settles back away from his desk. ¡°Hello, Cousin.¡±


    ¡°Pakhan,¡± I say respectfully. ¡°Having a productive morning, I see.¡±


    ¡°Sort of.¡± He seems worried about something, but I leave it alone. If he wanted me to know, he¡¯d tell me. Instead, his eyes search mine, and he asks, ¡°What happened with Shirley?¡±


    I scoff, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±


    ¡°The charity ballst night. We saw the two of you arguing, and then she left straight after the meal, and you were a grumpy drunk the rest of the night.¡± Ivan straightens his tie slightly and tilts his head to the side. ¡°It was rather obvious.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°She was being childish, and she left.¡±


    I don¡¯t want to go into the details, but I know there is something I must bring up. ¡°I mean, did you see how Mikhail just approached her like that? It certainly raises a lot of questions.¡±


    Ivan shakes his head. He knows I¡¯m deflecting, but he doesn¡¯t push the issue, and I¡¯m thankful for that.


    ¡°Mikhail will always look for an opportunity to strike, he will always go for who he perceives as the weakest link, and he¡¯s dead wrong this time. Many people tell me Shirley is not someone to be crossed if you like to live.¡±


    I snort, ¡°Unlikely, but I¡¯d like to know what he¡¯s after.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s probably after the same thing you are: Shirley¡¯s proposal.¡± Ivan sighs and stretches, his neck clicking into ce with a loud, satisfying crack.


    I won¡¯t admit to him that I¡¯d love more than Shirley¡¯s proposal. I always put the family first in every way, but why can¡¯t I have Staten Ind and Shirley? Why can¡¯t we have our toxic ever-after?


    Ivan¡¯s phone rings, and as he answers it, mine does as well. His eyes open wide as one of my soldiers speaks quickly in my ear, ¡°Sir, there¡¯s been an explosion in Lower Manhattan. It¡¯s one of our office spaces that¡¯s been blown apart.¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    I look at Ivan, who is frantically pacing up and down now, ¡°Tori¡­ Tori¡­. Answer¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call you back.¡± I stand up. ¡°Where is Tori?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s supposed to be near there with Roman, Kira, and Be,¡± he says, his face filled with anguish.


    ¡°Oh, thank fucking God, where the fucking hell are you?¡± he demands, putting her on speakerphone so I can hear.


    ¡°Calm down,¡± she snips, ¡°we¡¯re at Central Park. Why?¡±


    Ivan sits down on an armchair, his hand shaking. ¡°You said you were going to lower Manhattan today.¡±


    ¡°It was a beautiful day, so we changed our minds,¡± she sounds confused and worried. ¡°Why? Is everything okay?¡±


    Ivan lets out another deep breath, and his hands stop shaking. ¡°Stay clear of there. There was an attack, and one of our buildings was blown up. I¡¯d prefer you get home soon.¡±


    ¡°Kira has guards with her,¡± Tori says quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll ask them to escort us home.¡±


    ¡°Do that. Keep me posted every step.¡± Ivan hangs up and glowers at me, his face tight. ¡°I want to know who did this.¡±


    This is the side of Ivan that not many get to see. They always see him as mature and wise, but they don¡¯t realize how deadly he can be when under threat.


    While Ivan goes to pour himself another drink, I start making calls from one soldier to the next and through the ranks of our family. No one has any clues, and the cops on the scene aren¡¯t on our payroll.


    I turn to Ivan. ¡°I¡¯ll find out who this is, and they will pay. I¡¯ll be in touch.¡±


    Ivan waves me off. I know he has his way of dealing with things. It¡¯s now just a case of who finds the culprit first.


    I speed through the streets to La Club and park haphazardly outside the doors. The bouncers are about to say something when I sh them a look, and they back off, recognizing me.


    As I walk toward the office, I see two women sitting at a booth, drinking. It¡¯s Shirley and Arianna, and I pause at their booth. ¡°Afternoon,dies.¡±


    My heart is beating hard in my chest, and I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s the adrenaline from our territory being attacked or just from being in the vicinity of the woman who is driving me wild.


    They both give me quiet hellos, and I lean against the booth. ¡°Shirley, I¡¯d love to get together soon. To make up for what happened at the event.¡±


    Shirley swirls her ss and sips it. ¡°Is that what you drove here to say?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ No, I¡­ I wanted to see Frankie.¡±


    Shirley and Arianna both look up at me, puzzled.


    ¡°Is everything okay?¡± Arianna asks, starting to stand up.


    Frankiees out of his office. ¡°Evgenii,e in.¡±


    I nce at Shirley again. ¡°Let me know.¡± I hurry into Frankie¡¯s office, and he shuts the door.


    ¡°Did you hear about the explosion in Lower Manhattan?¡± I ask.


    ¡°That¡¯s a territory we share with you, so of course I have,¡± Frankie says. ¡°I assumed that¡¯s what you are here to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Who do you think it could be? Do you think the Golubevs or Pachecos are ying a game with us?¡±


    ¡°Why would you assume the Golubevs are involved?¡± He pours us each a ss of whiskey. ¡°I doubt it¡¯s the Pachecos. They¡¯re trying to get out of New York.¡±


    ¡°Mikhail. He was targeting Shirley the other night.¡± I take the whiskey.


    ¡°For what? I doubt that, after you, Shirley will ever share so much as the memory of a dream with anyone,¡± he sits in his chair and watches me. ¡°So if that was Mikhail¡¯s n, it was a piss poor one.¡±


    I grunt. Talk about a low blow.


    Frankie crosses his arms. ¡°I think it¡¯s in everyone¡¯s interests if you and Shirley stay apart.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know she had a keeper,¡± I retort, and I can see the muscles in his jaw flex with irritation.


    ¡°She¡¯s my younger sister in every way, bar blood. Our alliance won¡¯t stop me from whooping your ass.¡±


    I hold my hands out. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, she can more than handle herself. And I¡¯m not looking for a fight. Both our families have been affected by this bombing, so if you hear anything, keep me in the loop, okay?¡±


    Frankie rxes slightly and nods. ¡°You do the same. They¡¯re starting to report the deaths, and we¡¯ve lost a lot of good people there.¡±


    I finish my drink and set my ss down before standing up. ¡°I should get going. I want to see the site myself and see what I can find out about the type of bomb used.¡±


    Frankie nods but doesn¡¯t stand. ¡°I¡¯ll be in touch.¡±


    I leave the office and notice Arianna and Shirley are still nursing their drinks. I walk toward their booth, but Arianna holds up a hand. ¡°This is a private conversation. You know the way out, right?¡±


    I chuckle. ¡°I can take a hint.¡± I look into Shirley¡¯s eyes. ¡°Call me, so I can apologize properly for being a dick.¡±


    She shrugs, and I leave because I don¡¯t know how Frankie will feel if I linger too long near the girls.


    I jump into my car and rev the engine to life before pulling into traffic and heading straight toward lower Manhattan. I want to concentrate on what¡¯s going on, but I just keep thinking about how Shirley shrugged me off.

 #7 Chapter 11

    Shirley


    A Few Years Prior


    It has been incredible being the center of Evgenii¡¯s attention thesest couple of weeks. I haven¡¯t been quite brave enough to tell my family about him. My brothers can be overprotective. I am starting to feel very serious about our rtionship though. Evgenii is wonderful. He¡¯s so patient and kind and such a good listener. He dotes on me and is always gentle and caring, and I feel like we have a future together. I believe in it so much that I¡¯m almost ready to bring him to meet the rest of the family.


    I opened up to him about the abuse my father put me through and how he would call me names like slut and prostitute to ¡®deter¡¯ me from sleeping with boys. So Evgenii hasn¡¯t pressured me into anything more than a few stolen kisses and holding hands. I appreciate it so much. I have appreciated it so much, I should say, but I think I¡¯m ready to move on to the next phase. I want to n a huge night for the two of us, hopefully ending it together in each other¡¯s arms in my bed.


    Mom, well Helena, knows that I¡¯m seeing someone and is excited to meet them, but I want to have him to myself for a little longer. I start deep cleaning the apartment and set out some fresh scented candles around the room.


    I text Evgenii to confirm he¡¯sing over for dinner at seven and that he mustn¡¯t bete. He texts back quickly and promises he will be on time. He sends a cute row of little X¡¯s kisses.


    I¡¯m giddy with anticipation. I start cooking early, a recipe Nonna wrote down for me. I¡¯d bought all the ingredients fresh, and I¡¯m not bad at cooking. Every woman in the Sorvino family learned to cook with Nonna sometime or another.


    I work hard making proper garlic bread from scratch, Ricotta Gnhi, and a pesto bolognesesagna. I make homemade Italian kisses, ice cream, and some creamy chocte sauce for dessert.


    The smell from the kitchen wafts out into the living room of my apartment, and my mouth is watering. I light the candles around the room, turn some lights on low, and put music on in the background. Instrumental music, nothing with distracting lyrics.


    With the food on low heat and the desserts in the freezer and fridge, I shower and get dressed. I give myself big cascading curls and light makeup, specifically outlining my eyes and lips. I wear a low-cut top with a push-up bra and a sexy ck thong. It feels weird, and I¡¯m really nervous about our night together, but I know Evgenii is the one.


    The dinner goes amazing, and although he tells me how delicious the food is, I can see how much he enjoys it while he eats. Afterward, I make an Irish coffee for each of us, and we move to my living room in the low light and sit beside each other, close.


    ¡°This has been incredible,¡± Evgenii says with a soft smile. ¡°I feel so spoiled.¡±


    I set my coffee cup down, ¡°I¡¯m not finished.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more? I don¡¯t know if I can eat another bite,¡± he chuckles, but his eyes watch my body as I stand.


    I swallow and blush. ¡°What if it involved¡­eating¡­.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± he breathes and licks his lips slowly. ¡°I could probably do that.¡±


    I swallow hard as I stand in front of him. He sets his coffee down on the table to his right and shifts, opening his legs. ¡°Straddle myp,¡± he says softly.


    I do as I¡¯m told, and my soft breasts are at eye level for him, but he looks up at my face. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I say nervously, ¡°I do.¡±


    Evgenii smiles. ¡°If you want to stop at any time, just say so, okay?¡±


    I nod. It¡¯s my turn to lick my lips as his hands slowly trace their way up the sides of my body and then onto my breasts, which are straining for freedom. Evgenii slowly pulls my shirt down to expose my push-up bra and breasts. I watch him, familiar with the tingling sensation building up between my legs.


    He leans forward and kisses the tanned flesh of my breast that is exposed, kissing them slowly everywhere. As he moves to kiss the right breast, his left hand grabs my opposite breast. He swirls his fingers around, and I gasp as he finds my nipple. I can feel him smile against my flesh.


    He reaches with both hands and undoes the sp on the front, releasing me. He holds a breast in each hand and gently massages them as he looks up at me. I lean down and kiss him tentatively but then with hunger. I can feel something hard in his pants underneath me, and I know he wants to be satisfied.


    He breaks the kiss to suck on one nipple and then the next as his hand slips between my legs and rubs my clit through the fabric. I buck slightly, and he chuckles. ¡°You really are horny.¡±


    I blush, and he shakes his head. ¡°It¡¯s enticing.¡± He suddenly grabs my hips and guides me to lie on the sofa. He continues kissing my lips, neck, and breasts, and I close my eyes and tip my head back. I can feel his hands busy with something near my legs and then feel it: the tip of a hard erection at the entrance to my pussy.


    My eyes flutter open, and I look up at him. He strokes my hair out of my face and whispers, ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you, I promise.¡±


    I nod and kiss him deeply as he slowly teases me with the tip of his dick until it¡¯s lubricated enough with my juices to push into me slowly.


    He keeps his word and moves gently in and out of me. It¡¯s an experience that I could never replicate with anyone else. He hits me in all the right spots, his thumb teases my clit, and I whimper and squirm under him in pleasure.


    I¡¯m sure he will orgasm before me, that¡¯s what I¡¯m told most men do, but he doesn¡¯t. He stops at numerous points to pleasure me, and there¡¯s a build-up, an intense fire coiling between my legs. A tension that I can¡¯t deny, and my legs start to mp shut around him as he moves his finger faster, his dick buried deep inside me. I arch my back, yelping like a little dog, until I cry out, gushing juices all over him.


    I¡¯m embarrassed and try to stammer an apology, but he kisses me passionately, starting to move again, murmuring about how hot I am, how that was so sexy.


    We eventually get ufortable and transfer to my bed, where we continue. At one point, he has me on all fours and is pounding in and out of me, his hands roughly groping my breast, and I¡¯m crying out his name because of how sensitive the walls of my vagina are post-orgasm.


    After trying out several positions and having several orgasms, we fall back into my bed with satisfied smiles. I throw a leg over his leg, an arm around his waist, and rest my head on his chest. He puts an arm around my shoulders and kisses my head.


    After we both catch our breath, we lie there as he gently strokes my back.


    ¡°I got a promotion at work today,¡± Iment to break the silence.


    I don¡¯t have to look at him to see his big smile. I can feel it in how his body moves under me. ¡°That is so awesome. I¡¯m so proud of you, Shirley.¡±


    I grin, feeling a little sleepy. ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re going to allow me to choose properties in Lower Manhattan to purchase to run legit businesses from. They said I could oversee those projects.¡±


    ¡°Lower Manhattan, huh? Any interesting leads?¡±


    I nod. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a lot of potential there that not many other families see, so we¡¯re taking it while we can.¡±


    We talk a bit more about my work before I finally start to doze off on his chest.


    Present Day


    After ignoring Evgenii and leaving La Club, I go back to the estate and my makeshift office. I¡¯m not there long before there¡¯s a knock at my door.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    It¡¯s Carmine holding a beautiful bouquet of dark purple and bright blue flowers. I frown, thinking Evgenii is trying his luck again.


    Carmine smiles as he sets them on my desk. ¡°Nothing suspicious about them other than they¡¯re from Mikhail Gobulev. The man seems to be obsessed with you.¡±


    I shake my head. ¡°He thinks he can use me.¡± I read the card. It¡¯s an invitation to dinner that night.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust him, but I might be able to get some useful information from him. Please let Alessandro know where I¡¯ll be tonight. I won¡¯t need a guard.¡±


    Carmine looks hesitant but then nods and leaves.


    I text the number on the card and confirm I¡¯ll have dinner with Mikhail at a restaurant of my choosing near the beach.


    I remind myself that he, Evgenii, and everyone else outside our family just want to use me to gain power.


    As I return to work, I wonder about Mikhail and Evgenii, mainly about thetter, and I wonder what his problem is.


    A wave of nausea hits me, and I decide to lie down until it passes. I hope I¡¯m not getting a stomach bug.

 #7 Chapter 12

    Evgenii


    I lightly knock on my sister¡¯s bedroom door, despite it being open. My sister used to be part of an elite Russian army operation. She¡¯ll take my head off before I can blink.


    Natalia looks up from where she¡¯s resting on her bed, ying on her phone. ¡°Brother?¡±


    ¡°I thought it would be nice to get out a little.¡± I smile my charming smile. ¡°The family we have joined forces with owns this bistro on Fifth Avenue. I thought we could go have dinner there.¡±


    ¡°You want to use me for cover so you can see your little American girlfriend?¡± She shakes her head, but she¡¯s smiling. ¡°You know you¡¯re a yer. Why get involved with one you¡¯ve already yed.¡±


    I keep my calm. ¡°I don¡¯t, I just want to take my baby sister out to get some nice food, and then we¡¯lle back. I¡¯m not thinking about Shirley at all.¡±


    That was the biggest lie I¡¯ve ever told anyone in my family. All that I¡¯ve been able to think about is Shirley. What she¡¯s doing, what she¡¯s wearing, what she looks like when she¡¯s not wearing that, and how warm her mouth is when it¡¯s wrapped around my¡­


    ¡°Okay,¡± Natalia jolts me from my thoughts, ¡°I know you¡¯re lying, but I am hungry. We can go.¡±


    I don¡¯t retaliate, although it¡¯s hard because she and I both have that signature smirk that belongs to our immediate family.


    We leave the house, taking my car into New York toward Fifth Avenue, where the bistro is. It¡¯s hard to find parking because the bistro is busy, but I eventually find a spot, paying off the Sorvino guard to ensure it isn¡¯t towed or mped.


    We both look around as we walk in. Natalia admires the decor while I¡¯m looking for Shirley. If she¡¯s not here, she¡¯s at La Club, and I¡¯m sure I can go there after dropping Nat off.


    We wait for the hostess to fetch us to take us to our table when I see Kira.


    ¡°Kira, hey!¡± I try and look casual. ¡°I thought I¡¯d bring my sister Natalia to taste your fine cooking.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Natalia,¡± Kira smiles, holding her hand out. ¡°The special tonight is to die for.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take two,¡± my charming smile activates on its own. There¡¯s a moment¡¯s pause before I ask, ¡°I¡¯m surprised the rest of your family aren¡¯t here. Where¡¯s Dominic? Miguel? Arianna and Shirley?¡±


    Natalia snorts butposes herself quickly as Kira says, ¡°They don¡¯t eat here every day, you know, Evgenii. Dominic is probably home. Miguel is looking after our kids. Arianna is out with Carmine, and Shirley had some date.¡±


    My mood sours, but I try not to let it show on my face. ¡°Oh, okay. Oh, look, it¡¯s our turn to be seated. We¡¯re looking forward to the excellent food.¡±


    Kira smiles at me and walks back to the kitchen as Kimber, the hostess, leads us to the private booths reserved for family and friends. I sit opposite Natalia, but all I can think about is Shirley and who the fuck took her on a date.


    ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to be distracted by her,¡± Natalia¡¯sment is quiet and casual but to the point, and my head snaps up in defense. ¡°What? No, I don¡¯t care what she does with her time. That¡¯s her problem.¡±


    Natalia smiles but says nothing more as the waitresses over to take our drinks order.


    Our first round of drinkses, and I settle back. ¡°So you say Europe was good? Our parents are fine?¡±


    ¡°As fine as can be, they¡¯re living in thep of luxury,¡± Nat says, sipping her cocktail. ¡°Maybe you should try to see them sometime.¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± I brush her off. ¡°They will never be happy that I didn¡¯t be a surgeon, CEO, or some sort of leader.¡±


    ¡°They are proud of you,¡± she says, reaching for my hand.


    I grin and squeeze her hand in mine. ¡°Tell me about you. What made you decide to set up shop here?¡±


    ¡°I needed a job, and Ivan was kind enough to agree to help me out.¡± She looks away as she speaks, and it rouses my suspicion.


    ¡°Is there something you¡¯re not telling me, Natalia? Is everything okay?¡± I ask, leaning forward and keeping my voice low.


    She nces at me, and our eyes meet briefly before she shakes her head. ¡°Nothing happened. I¡¯m just not feeling well.¡±


    ¡°You should see a doctor then. We have one that wille to the house to see you.¡±


    ¡°Evgenii, please. If I need a doctor, I will ask for one. Can I just be left alone to deal with my life for a few days?¡±


    I don¡¯t answer as the waitress brings our food. It smells delicious, and Nat instantly tucks in, moaning softly as she tastes the food.


    ¡°Almost as good as Aunty¡¯s food,¡± Iment, stuffing a piece of cheesy garlic bread into my mouth.


    ¡°Almost, but not quite,¡± Natalia agrees. The conversation bes lighter, and we reminisce about our childhoods and the trouble we used to cause and get into, especially with Ivan.


    After eating and drinking our fill, I return Natalia to the car. She climbs in while I pause to message Shirley and ask her if she wants to meet for a nightcap at La Club. I know she¡¯ll feel safe there.


    After pocketing my phone, I get into the car and drive us home. Natalia hasn¡¯t said much since we finished our meal, and I can tell there¡¯s something she¡¯s hiding, but she won¡¯te out and say it. Briefly, I wonder if she is questioning her loyalty to me or my loyalty to Ivan, but no, she has clearly been off since her trip. Something must have happened in Europe. I¡¯ll have to ask my parents if they know anything-without her knowing-because if she finds out I¡¯m prying into her private life, she will make me pay for it.


    Natalia kisses my cheek when I pull up to the house. ¡°Don¡¯t punch anyone. It¡¯ll make you look like the bad guy.¡± Young but wise, my sister knows me too well. I watch her walk into the house, my phone to my ear, as I get one of my tech guys to trace Shirley¡¯sst known location.


    I wait in my car, wondering if Shirley has a type. If her type is me. What if it¡¯s someone entirely different from me? Does that mean I don¡¯t stand a chance at all with her ever again?


    My phone buzzes, and Jessie is talking quickly in my ear.


    She¡¯s at a restaurant, or at least was there five minutes ago, and it isn¡¯t far from my house. I sit in my car for a few moments, considering how Ivan would feel if he found out I was doing this, that I was going insane over an ex. Then I turn my car back on and pull out of my driveway. I have to know who she agreed to go on a date with. I won¡¯t do anything. I¡¯ll just look and leave. Nothing serious, and Ivan and Alessandro will never find out I was there anyway. No harm. No foul.


    Surprise, surprise, it¡¯s a cheesy, over-priced French restaurant, the kind new money kinds take their dates to so they can sh how much cash they spend in the hopes it¡¯ll convince their date they¡¯re worth going home with. I go to the hostess and am about to ask for a seat at the bar when I see Shirley.


    Talking andughing with Mikhail.


    My blood boils, but I smooth down my suit and smile at the hostess. ¡°My friends are already here.¡±


    I stride past her despite her protests and head straight for their table. I stop to the side of them and smile. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this a small world?¡±


    Mikhail looks at me with irritation, while Shirley looks livid. ¡°What are you doing here, Evgenii?¡±


    ¡°I was just looking for a bite to eat,¡± I say innocently. ¡°Imagine my surprise when I find you here. Why don¡¯t we make this a party?¡± I grab a free chair and sit down on the open side of the table. ¡°This way, we can all have some fun.¡±


    Mikhail smiles at Shirley and then turns to me. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to party some other time. This is a private dinner.¡±


    I widen my eyes and act surprised again. ¡°Oh! Oh! Shirley,¡± I turn to her, ¡°do Ivan and Alessandro know about this? Because I¡¯d doubt either of them would be happy about this development.¡±


    ¡°You certainly aren¡¯t,¡± Mikhailments, wiping his mouth on his napkin.


    I smirk. ¡°Now, now, Mikhail, you came to us for a truce so we wouldn¡¯t wipe you out, not the other way around.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps Ivan should reel in his dog and train it better,¡± Mikhail snipes at me.


    ¡°Jesus!¡± Shirley exims. We look at her as she picks up her handbag and jacket. ¡°You are both acting like damn toddlers.¡± With that, she walks away without another word.


    Mikhail stands and fixes his jacket, intending to go after her, but I stand, a head taller than him. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. You stay away from her.¡±


    He snorts and gs a waitress. ¡°The bill, please.¡± He turns to me with a smirk. ¡°You have no authority over me, Evgenii. You can¡¯t tell me what I can and can¡¯t, will or won¡¯t do.¡±


    I want to punch him, I do, but instead, I decide to go after Shirley. I nce back twice as I walk out and realize Mikhail isn¡¯t following me.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

 #7 Chapter 13

    Shirley


    I stand at the edge of the curb, waiting for the cab that I ordered. I am so angry that I feel like the next person who speaks to me will severely regret it.


    I¡¯m not surprised when that person is Evgenii.


    ¡°Hey,e on, it¡¯s cold outside. Let me take you home,¡± he says gently, not too far from me but not invading my personal space. I want tosh out at him. I have long nails. I can scratch that handsome mug so he never makes another girl feel how I felt when he used me.


    My fault.


    That¡¯s what everyone has constantly reminded me of over the years. It was my fault that I was naive and let myself be vulnerable to anyone, let alone someone from a rival family.


    I don¡¯t respond to him. I keep my arms crossed over my midsection and stare across the road, trying my best to keep my anger contained inside. Personal feelings aside, our families are aligned, and if I go too far, I could cause a war.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t ignore me.¡± He gently takes my arm. ¡°Come with me.¡±


    I wrench my arm away from him. He¡¯s gone too far by touching me.


    My voice is like ice. ¡°I don¡¯t have to do anything, anything at all, that I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    I can see the recognition dawn on his face as he remembers telling me, when he broke it off with me, that he didn¡¯t make me do anything I didn¡¯t want to. There¡¯s a hurt in his eyes as I re at him, a softness, almost a regret.


    A cab turns the corner, and I raise my arm, not taking my eyes off him. I want him to feel my anger and my hate.


    I think he knows better than to try to open the door for me. I climb into the cab, but before I shut the door, I lean out, looking down rather than up because I won¡¯t look up at him. ¡°Unless it¡¯s business rted, I don¡¯t want anymunication from you.¡±


    With that, I shut the door and settle back. ¡°The Rosa Orchard Estate.¡±


    The cab driver thankfully doesn¡¯t try to talk on the way home. If he senses I¡¯m upset, he doesn¡¯t show it, so I shuffle through my wallet and pull out a fifty-dor tip plus what the fair should be.


    When he pulls up to the gate, I roll down my window and signal to Leo, one of the guards, that it¡¯s me who has arrived.


    They open the gates, and the cab driver takes me to the front door. I hand over the cash. ¡°Keep the change.¡±


    ¡°Hey, thanks,dy,¡± he calls as I shut the door and walk toward the front door.


    I didn¡¯t realize it was sote, and it seems no one is up. I slip out of my noisy heels and carry them as I move through the dimly lit entrance, up the stairs, and to my room.


    I drop my things on the armchair in the corner of my room, make sure the door is firmly shut, along with the curtains, and flip the switch for the light.


    I sigh angrily and sit on the bed, tapping my food as I think about the audacity of what Evgenii did tonight. I stand up and pace slightly before I go to the bathroom and undress as I look at myself in the mirror.


    A sigh of relief escapes my lips as my bra drops off. My breasts are swollen and tender. It must almost be that time of the month. I stand there naked, leaning on the basin and staring into the mirror.


    I am so angry with Evgenii for stepping into my matters and my engagements, but at the same time, a small nagging voice at the back of my head tells me¡­ it was kind of hot. He was very protective and very defensive. Then he was so tender when we were alone outside and just wanted to get me home safely.


    I roll my shoulders and start freshening up before bed. I slip into a nightie and then into bed, thinking about Evgenii as I drift off to sleep.


    The violent urge to throw up jolts me awake, and I dash to the bathroom to spill my guts. Well, that¡¯s my wake-up call.


    I get washed up, showered, dried, and dressed before I head downstairs for breakfast. I can smell the pancakes from upstairs already. Everyone is there as I sit next to Helena. We pass pancake stacks and syrups and jams around.


    ¡°Here, Shirls,¡± Dominic says, holding a te of lemon curd out to me. My stomach does a flip flop, and I pull a face, bile rising in my throat. I quickly pass the te along.


    ¡°You? Not piling on the lemon curd?¡± Alessandro asks. ¡°You used to eat that from the bowl with a spoon.¡±


    ¡°I think the food was off at that French cest night,¡± Iment, d when the smell is no longer close to me.


    We chit-chat as we eat, and as people finish up, they start to leave to attend to their duties.


    I finish breakfast and walk toward the stairs to my office. At the base of the stairs, I feel a hand on my arm. ¡°Shirls.¡±


    It¡¯s Helena who smiles at me warmly. ¡°Pleasee with me.¡±


    Curious, I follow her through the house and out into a greenhouse. I haven¡¯t seen this before, and I smile. ¡°This is so beautiful. It suits you, Ma.¡±


    ¡°Alessandro built it for me. He¡¯s a good child. You all are good children. Come sit with me.¡±


    I feel slightly panicked, as though I¡¯ve done something wrong and been caught out. We sit together, facing each other, and Helena looks into my eyes. ¡°Are your breasts feeling swollen? Heavy? Tender? Are your hips maybe sore? A little food aversion to things you normally love?¡±


    I look at her, confused. ¡°How¡­ I¡­ I mean, yes, some things are making me feel sick. I guess the food here is richer than on the West Coast, and I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s almost time for my period.¡± I try to work out my cycle as she speaks to me.


    ¡°Well, there are two options here that I recognize. Either you have a bug and need to go to a doctor, or you¡¯re pregnant and still need to go to a doctor.¡±


    I stare at her. I can feel the color draining from my face. ¡°Pregnant? Why would you think I¡¯m pregnant?¡±


    ¡°I assume, as an adult, you do have sex.¡± Helena gives me a wry smile. ¡°Must be a family thing. I am surprised that Dominic and Arianna aren¡¯t parents yet, to be honest.¡±


    An awkward silence hangs between us before she takes my hand. ¡°Have you been seeing anyone? Maybe had sex recently? Cause I¡¯ve only noticed your symptoms recently, so it can¡¯t have been too long ago.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t know about Evgenii. She can¡¯t.


    My mind is spinning, and I think of my drunken one-night stand with my Russian ex-lover and how passionate we were. We weren¡¯t passionate. We were drunk. I scold myself. But did we use a condom? I would have! I can¡¯t be on birth control anymore, so I¡¯m always careful to use a condom.


    My eyes dart back and forth as panic settles in my abdomen and chest, a frantic feeling that the shit is about to hit the fan.


    This CANNOT be happening.


    I stand up. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m pregnant,¡± I say hurriedly. ¡°I think it¡¯s the food, Ma. I don¡¯t eat as much rich food as before.¡±


    Helena reaches for my hands, but I step back. ¡°And I have so much to do for Alessandro. For this new deal he wants me to manage. There¡¯s so much paperwork, and I¡¯m trying to find out what others are offering so we can win. You know, in fact, I¡¯mte for a meeting with one of our business partners.¡±


    I know I¡¯m talking at lightning speed. Helena stands up. ¡°Shirls, calm down.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m calm. I¡¯m calm.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    I am anything but calm.


    ¡°I need to go.¡± I turn to leave.


    ¡°Shirls.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll catch up with youter, Ma,¡± I call as I hurry out of the greenhouse. I pass by several family members as I rush up the stairs to grab my purse. I can¡¯t be pregnant.


    I¡¯m not pregnant.


    One time can¡¯t¡­


    Was he even inside me when¡­.


    No, I would have used a condom.


    I look in the mirror and take several deep breaths. I need to confirm this. I need to get this distraction, this simple misdirection, out of the way. Once I confirm I¡¯m not pregnant, I can rx and continue working, sit down with Mater, and tell her she had it wrong.


    I fix my hair and pick up my purse. I almost bowl Carmine and Frankie over as I exit my room.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Carmine asks.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in like an hour,¡± I call, taking the stairs quickly. ¡°If you need something, see me then. Something urgent came up.¡±


    I hear them mutter behind me, but I don¡¯t have time for anything other than getting this test. I go to one of the drivers. ¡°I need to get some medication at the pharmacy. Can you take me to the closest one?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± he says with a deep, thick Italian ent. He opens the back door, and I slip into the car.


    I settle back and close my eyes.


    I can¡¯t be pregnant.

 #7 Chapter 14

    Evgenii


    I haven¡¯t slept at all. I always knew I¡¯d hurt Shirley, but I guess I was blind to how hard she had fallen for me. And now, in hindsight, I see how hard I had fallen for her. I¡¯m still so in love with her.


    As I pull into Ivan¡¯s driveway, my mind is groggy with fatigue and jumbles of thoughts and emotions. I get out of my car and nce over my shoulder at the sound of steel grating on steel. Something¡¯s jammed the gates.


    I look to my right. Ivan ising to see what the noise is, and that¡¯s when it happens: A car with dark-tinted windows pulls across the driveway, and the windows roll down far enough to push an assault weapon through the front and back windows.


    ¡°Ivan! Get back!¡± I shout, preparing to dive to safety myself. Bullets start flying, and I feel a sharp pain in my arm. Guards are shouting around me, and I hear Ivan calling my name.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m fine!¡± I call back, crawling toward the house despite the pain in my arm.


    The car speeds off as fast as it pulled up, and we¡¯re left in stunned silence until my men start shouting. Two of our guards are not breathing.


    I get up off the floor and stumble forward. Ivan catches me and leads me into the house, barking orders to his guards to send the injured to the hospital and to cover the bodies of those who didn¡¯t make it.


    We go to the living room, where Tori is holding a sobbing Roman against her chest. ¡°Oh, Evgenii, are you okay?¡±


    I give her a soft smile. ¡°Flesh wound, barely felt it, Tori.¡±


    Ivan insists I lie on the settee while Tori takes Roman out of the room, probably to one of the staff to watch him.


    ¡°I won¡¯t stand for this,¡± Ivan growls. ¡°No one attacks my men or my house.¡±


    He gets up and takes out his phone. ¡°I¡¯ll get the doctor to give you stitches and something to prevent infection.¡±


    Tories back in quickly with a first aid kit and some anti-septic. I shift and pull my shirt up and off, lying back down. ¡°Don¡¯t mind my hairy ass.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a chest, not an ass,¡± she smiles, looking at the wound. She pours some antiseptic onto some gauze and holds it to my injury.


    I focus on Ivan as he hangs up the phone. ¡°It was the Golubev family,¡± I say.


    ¡°Why would they attack us?¡± Ivan asks. ¡°What proof have you got?¡±


    ¡°I pissed Mikhail offst night when I interrupted his dinner with Shirley. He¡¯s clearly making moves on her to get information, and he¡¯s pissed I messed it up for him.¡± I tilt my head and nce at the blood leaking down my arm that Tori is trying to stem.


    She switches gauze as Ivan sits near my head. ¡°Evgenii, I¡¯m only going to say this once. Get your emotions in check. You are acting like a jealous husband. You¡¯re distracted, and it¡¯s dangerous. I want to know who really attacked us, and don¡¯t just say Golubevs. Give me proof. If it is them, they will pay for it dearly. But I¡¯m not dering war because a girl whose heart you broke doing family business is seeing someone else.¡±


    The words sting and I fall quiet. I look at the ground, considering what he said. He¡¯s always been a leader since we were kids, and I trust his advice wholeheartedly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such an asshole.¡±


    Tori¡¯s deration shocks both of us, and I nce at her. She¡¯s ring at Ivan. ¡°You know for damn sure that you would start a war if the roles were reversed, and it was me instead of Shirley. This is no different.¡±


    Ivan¡¯s eyes softened because Tori was defending me. He leans forward. ¡°My love, I would burn the world for you, but you¡¯re my wife. Not my ex-girlfriend that I can¡¯t get over.¡±


    I put my free hand over Tori¡¯s. ¡°He¡¯s right.¡±


    Ivan looks at me sadly and continues, ¡°Even if Evgenii loves her now, after what he¡¯s done, Shirley will not forgive him, so there¡¯s no point. He should let it go.¡±


    ¡°You forgave me,¡± Tori said, looking deeply into Ivan¡¯s eyes.


    A deep silence hangs about the room when there¡¯s a sudden knock at the door, and we all jump slightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s the doctor,¡± Aleks says, leading the older gentlemen in. Ivan and Tori leave the room as the doctor patches me up before giving me an antibiotic injection in the arm.


    I get up, get dressed once he¡¯s done, and go into the hallway where Ivan is. I don¡¯t see Tori, she must have gone back to Roman.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to see if the Sorvinos know anything of the attack or if they¡¯ve also been targeted. I¡¯ll report back as soon as I have something,¡± I say, standing straight and emotionless.


    Ivan looks into my eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t go near Shirley. Ask one of the other brothers like Dominic.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I say, giving him a small smile. ¡°Be safe, Pakhan.¡±


    ¡°Also, take Aleks and Gregori,¡± Ivan demands. ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone getting to you once you¡¯re off the property.¡±


    I nod and leave. I groan as I see the bullet-ridden body of my car but turn to the left to where Aleks is waiting for me with one of Ivan¡¯s bulletproof sedans.


    The trip to Dominic takes a while, and I think about what Ivan said about me having to let go of Shirley because she won¡¯t forgive me.


    But Ivan forgave Tori.


    Maybe there is a chance¡­


    I shake my head. I can¡¯t be distracted now that I have a job to do. We lost young guards today, men who just wanted to provide for their families as we provide for ours.


    Once we¡¯re let onto Dominic¡¯s property, I¡¯m escorted with my guards to the back of the house, where Dominic is assembling a table.


    ¡°Evgenii, I¡¯m surprised you¡¯vee here.¡± He nces up at me and sees my bloody shirt. ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡±


    ¡°An attack at Ivan¡¯s home. I have some questions. Firstly if you or your family were attacked?¡±


    ¡°Not that I¡¯ve been informed.¡± Dominic sets down the screwdriver he¡¯s holding. ¡°Do you have any leads?¡¯


    ¡°What do you know of the Golubev family? How are they toward your men?¡± I ask, sitting nearby Dominic.


    Dominic motions for one guard to get us drinks. ¡°I know Alessandro doesn¡¯t like them, but there¡¯s a truce in ce so that our families aren¡¯t at war. I don¡¯t trust them at all. Other than that, they¡¯ve been very quiet, which is always suspicious.¡±


    I nod my head. ¡°They¡¯ve also made a truce with Ivan, but I have a very good reason to think they are going to betray both our families.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that reason?¡± I have Dominic¡¯s full attention now, and it makes me ufortable. Obviously, he knows what I did to Shirley years ago, so bringing this up now might be a sore point.


    There¡¯s nothing for it.


    ¡°Last night, I interrupted a dinner date between Mikhail and Shirley,¡± I say quietly. ¡°Mikhail wasn¡¯t happy.¡±


    Dominic studies my face. ¡°My sister Shirley?¡± I can hear the threat in his tone.


    ¡°Yes, but she left shortly afterward. I don¡¯t think she was giving¡­.¡±


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t. She learned the hard way after you took advantage of her,¡± his words areced with venom, and I know I deserve them. ¡°But that¡¯s history, and although I wanted to kill you then, I have forgiven you and promised Alessandro I wouldn¡¯t cut your dick off.¡±


    I give him a strained smile. ¡°It won¡¯t happen again, I can assure you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, it won¡¯t. Keep your dick away from all of my sisters.¡± He sighs and looks away. ¡°Okay, Shirley was probably just trying to get information from him. She¡¯s brilliant and charming, and I bet she probably would have got a lot out of him if you hadn¡¯t interrupted.¡±


    I swallow back the rage I feel, thinking of what might have been between the two of themst night. Dominic seems to read my mind. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I would have interrupted too.¡±


    They bring us some lemonade, and I sip mine as Dominic turns back to the table he¡¯s assembling. ¡°I¡¯ll speak to Shirley. I¡¯ll see what she found out and if Mikhail dropped any interesting hints that might assist us in figuring out who attacked Ivan¡¯s house.¡±


    I finish my lemonade. ¡°Rather you than me, she¡¯s made it clear that she never wants to speak to me again unless it¡¯s to deal with family business.¡±


    It¡¯s clear Dominic approves of this decision, and I stand up. ¡°Be safe.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let Alessandro know to increase security,¡± he says, reaching out. We shake hands, and I leave.


    In the car, as we¡¯re driving out of the property, I take out my phone. I can¡¯t help myself. I know that, but I have to try.


    I text Shirley about what has happened at Ivan¡¯s house and how she needs to move around with security because I think it¡¯s Mikhail behind the attack. I ask her if she¡¯s okay and if she needs anything.


    I¡¯ll say anything, really, to get any response from her, whether it¡¯s good or bad. I just want to stay connected to her. I know she may move on, and I can¡¯t hold onto this forever, but while I can, I¡¯ll protect her with every tool of the trade at my disposal.

 #7 Chapter 15

    Shirley


    My hand is shaking a lot, but it¡¯s definitely there, that bastard little red line that means I¡¯m positively pregnant.


    Fuck.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Fuck.


    Fuck.


    It rises inside me from the pit of my stomach as though I¡¯m going to throw up and settles as an intense pressure in my chest. I feel like I can¡¯t catch my breath. This is a panic attack. I try to reason with myself. I tell myself I need to calm down, or someone might notice something.


    I sit on the closed toilet lid, and my right leg bounces up and down as I stare at the little red line forming the plus sign. My world is over. My life is going to end. What the hell am I going to do?


    When the Sorvinos informally adopted me, I was also christened and baptized a catholic. I can¡¯t just run around and have a fucking abortion.


    And what if Evgenii finds out? I haven¡¯t slept with anyone else in months. It¡¯s definitely his. Goddammit, I¡¯m so thick! Why did I get drunk with him and fall into bed with him again as though he didn¡¯t rip my soul to pieces and scatter it to the wind?


    My phone makes a sound, and I look up sharply. I¡¯m fighting back the tears as I take it from the nearby counter and look at the messages from Evgenii. A part of me wants to call him and tell him I¡¯m not okay and that we should sort this out together. We can sort this out together and figure out how to make this work. I know I still have feelings for him, love and hate, but I don¡¯t know if I can do that.


    I put the phone back on the counter and hung my head. When I discovered what Evgenii had done to me and how he had used me, I vowed to put on my big girl panties and never rely on him or another man again and that I would never show weakness.


    Oh, God, Helena suspects I¡¯m pregnant. If she figures out I¡¯m going to get an abortion, I will be disowned by the family, professionally and personally. I can¡¯t disappoint them like that.


    I need a n. I wipe my eyes. I¡¯m going to tell them I¡¯m pregnant, but only when I absolutely have to, and when I do, I¡¯ll just say I was pregnant by a boy back home that left me, and I want nothing to do with him anyway.


    I open the window. There¡¯s a hedge outside. I¡¯m not an idiot. I¡¯m not going to leave the pregnancy test in the dustbin for someone to find. I throw it into the hedge as far as I can, and you can¡¯t see it from where I¡¯m standing. I shut the window, flush the toilet and wash my hands.


    I go back to my office quickly, and as I enter, I find Alessandro sitting in my chair, looking thoughtful. He has papers in his hands, which I recognize as my rough first draft. He¡¯s reading over it.


    I wait until he sets it down and looks up at me. ¡°Shirley.¡±


    Shit.


    No one in the family calls me Shirley.


    I look into his eyes. ¡°Don Sorvino.¡±


    It¡¯s respect, and I will always show him respect.


    ¡°Tell me about your date with Mikhail Golubev.¡± He sounds torn between curiosity and disappointment. I move to sit down opposite him. ¡°I¡¯ve been having ¡®dates¡¯ with bachelors from the various families to see what they are going to propose to Don Pacheco, so I can secure us the best chance of winning.¡±


    Alessandro¡¯s eyes don¡¯t leave my face as I speak. Once I¡¯m done exining, he sits back, stroking his chin. ¡°I¡¯m worried you¡¯re letting your emotions get the best of you, Shirls. This could backfire.¡±


    Inwardly, I¡¯m relieved. I¡¯m not talking to my boss anymore. Technically, I¡¯m talking to a man I consider my oldest brother.


    ¡°Everyone brings up the fact that I made the mistake of trusting Evgenii when I was a kid. How often do I have to prove myself before I¡¯m forgiven? Have I not proved I¡¯m trustworthy? Don¡¯t I run your operations wlessly, without question?¡±


    Alessandro stands up and leans on my table. ¡°You¡¯ve been more emotionaltely, swinging from rage toughter. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t notice, Shirley. Everyone has a breaking point, and I think Evgenii is yours.¡±


    I keep as straight-faced as I can. ¡°Evgenii is thest person I¡¯ll ever trust or care for. I am emotional, Alessandro, and I am exhausted. This is a big deal, and it takes a lot of work to protect the family and secure the best territories and positions. I¡¯m notining, but until this deal is sealed, I mighte across as a bit stressed, a little tired ¡¯cause I don¡¯t sleep, and maybe I just have a lot on my mind.¡±


    Alessandro studies me for a moment and then gives a heavy sigh. I know the weight of the family has been on his shoulders for a long time now. All his siblings and some cousins have certainly added to the gray in his hair and beard. I feel bad, but I can¡¯t tell him I slept with Evgenii. I¡¯ll lose everything.


    ¡°Shirls,¡± he says quietly,ing around the table to where I¡¯m sitting. He leans against the table and takes my hands, holding them gently. ¡°I will murder any fucking clown that starts with my family. You are my family. Please, if you need to talk to someone, you can talk. I¡¯m willing to listen without judgment. If not me, anyone else in the family would be happy to sit and talk with you.¡±


    Oh, God, my heart is breaking. I cannot cry.


    Instead, I let a warm smile spread across my face. ¡°Thank you, Alessandro. I know that I am safe and protected in the family, that we are family. I love you all and will always put you first in my life. I promise that I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Our eyes stare into each other¡¯s before he leans down and kisses my forehead. ¡°Send me the final draft of the proposal when you¡¯re ready.¡±


    I nod, and Alessandro lets go of my hands, walking out of my office.


    I give it a moment before I hug myself and breathe deeply. I don¡¯t know if he believed me. Alessandro is quiet but so much more clever than all of us. Even if he weren¡¯t the eldest, he¡¯d be our leader. He has been since we were children.


    I move to my chair and look at the proposal papers. I pick up a pencil and try reading through it, but I can¡¯t concentrate. I lean back in my chair, close my eyes, and ce a hand on my stomach.


    A child? Not something I ever wanted. I love my nieces, nephews, and cousins but never thought I was mother material. Lord knows everyone has asked me enough times to have children, settle down, and get married.


    I am married-to my work, and it¡¯s why the Sorvino presence is just as strong on the West Coast as it is in New York and other strategic ces. Everyone in the family has gone through a lot over the years, and I don¡¯t want to add to it.


    Maybe I should tell Helena. She would know what to do, and I wouldn¡¯t have to tell her who the father is. Just a nobody from the West Coast, a bad drunken decision.


    Isn¡¯t that what this is, after all?


    I open my eyes and feel a calm settle over me.


    I hear my phone vibrating as texts stream in, and I know it¡¯s him. I didn¡¯t respond earlier, and now he¡¯s worried. Does that mean he really does care about me? Does that mean that he does love me? I can¡¯t take a chance to find out because there¡¯s only a tiny fragment of my heart left, and if that¡¯s crushed, I think I may die.


    And now I have a reason to live.

 #7 Chapter 16

    Evgenii


    I have been texting her for hours, and I¡¯m pretty much in stalker mode now. I want her to tell me she¡¯s okay because if she¡¯s okay, then maybe we can be okay.


    Sitting alone at home, I stare at my phone. She¡¯s read the texts but not answered. I sigh and decide to draft a slightly more honest text. The simple solution is to go to the expert.


    I knock on Natalia¡¯s door and exin the situation before handing her my phone.


    I know you¡¯re reading my messages.


    I¡¯m sorry I interfered with your datest night. It was really condescending. To be honest, I was jealous that you would be into someone like Mikhail because that means I¡¯m the bottom-of-the-barrel choice now. I know you said you wanted nothing to do with me, but I really want to make it up to you. I¡¯m sorry forst night, and I would love to see you again to make it right. If you¡¯re willing, meet me at the pier tonight. There¡¯s a carnival in town, and I promise a fun night. I remember how you used to love carnivals.


    Ev.


    ¡°Ev?¡± I look at her, scandalized. ¡°And you already sent it without me approving it. I look like some emotional wreck of a man.¡± I stare at my sister, who smiles smugly.


    ¡°My older brotheres to me about a girl he hurt, that he can¡¯t stop thinking about and that he desperately wants to prove himself to. No matter how fucking badass you are in the Bratva, you¡¯re an emotional wreck of a man when ites to her.¡±


    She has a point, but I keep my grumpy face, grumble to myself, and leave, saying, ¡°If she doesn¡¯t reply, I¡¯ming for you.¡±


    I try to focus on the work I need to do in my office, trying not to check my phone constantly. I even set her a unique sound so I can ignore other messages.


    An hour passes until she finally messages, and I almost fall over reaching for the phone that has somehow made it to the outer rim of my desk. I open the message and read it quickly.


    ¡°What did she say?¡± Nat asks from the doorway.


    I roll my eyes. ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah. It worked.¡± I smile brightly. ¡°She¡¯sing, and I can pick her up at six.¡±


    Natalia pretends to be impressed and thenughs. ¡°Have fun. I¡¯m going out now. I have ns with some friends that involve me getting a tan.¡±


    I look up sharply. ¡°Please take a guard with you¡­at Ivan¡¯s house¡­.¡±


    ¡°I heard,¡± she interrupts me. ¡°I will take two guards, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    I watch her leave and decide to get ready. I don¡¯t want to dress as a businessman, so I put on a form-hugging white tee and a pair of jeans. I wear my Nike shoes but leave my stubble, which has gotten long.


    I walk back to my office, where a guard is waiting for me. I frown. ¡°And now?¡±


    ¡°One of our northern warehouses was raided. None of the blues on the payroll know anything about it, and they¡¯ve confiscated everything, boss.¡±


    Those warehouses are well-kept secrets. You¡¯d have to be told about them to know where they are. I nod. ¡°Get me a list of the cops involved in the raid. Maybe they can join our payroll.¡±


    I nce at my watch. I have just enough time to go to my barber, and then I can fetch Shirley. My men drive me into New York City to this out-of-ce barber. There are high-rise buildings on either side of his two-story office. He lives on top of his shop on the ground floor.


    I walk in, and he nces up. ¡°Cutting it close, Mr. Volkov.¡±


    ¡°No pun intended.¡± I smile. ¡°A quick haircut and some beard maintenance, please. I am going out this evening.¡±


    ¡°In the chair, please.¡±


    My guards stand nearby as Charles works his magic. I rx as he scalps, cuts, shapes, and otherwise makes me look a lot younger than I am. I stare into the mirror. Surely there wasn¡¯t that much gray in my hair and beard before? I shake my head. It is my birthday soon. A sudden thought strikes me. I should throw a celebratory party and invite the Sorvinos and, therefore, Shirley.


    It¡¯s genius, but I think Natalia will have to put it together. I¡¯m useless at that sort of thing. That would also give her something to keep her busy.


    At six sharp, I¡¯m outside Alessandro¡¯s home. Instead of driving with my guards, they are following in another vehicle. I want privacy with Shirley, and I don¡¯t want stories getting back to Ivan.


    I stand outside the car and watch as Shirley walks toward me wearing tights, trainers, and a knitted jumper. She also has a fluffy scarf wrapped around her neck.


    I offer her a smile and my hand, she takes it, and I help her into the car before I get into the driver¡¯s side. I wait for her to buckle up before I drive toward the pier.


    She doesn¡¯t say much, and the silence is a little awkward. When we arrive, I help her out of the car. She seems different. I don¡¯t know why, but something about her screams that she isn¡¯t the same as she was thest time I saw her when she got in that cab.


    I smile and take her hand. ¡°Tonight, we are going to y all the games until we win you a giant teddy bear prize.¡±


    She rolls her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not a kid anymore, Evgenii.¡±


    I pout. ¡°But you loved it when I won you bears.¡±


    She looks away, but I see the smile tugging at the corner of her lips, so I lead her toward the entrance. My guards do a great job keeping us safe, but at a distance, as we move from one game to another. We win various prizes until the very end, when I manage to win her an oversized panda.


    She holds it happily, beaming at me. We walk to the food section and gorge ourselves on the deep-fried and sugary goods that we should sensibly deny ourselves. I won¡¯t lie, I feel stuffed when we¡¯re done and somewhat sick. I don¡¯t eat sugar in that quantity.


    I lead Shirley to the Ferris wheel, another fan favorite, and I get us tickets to get on. The night is drawing to a close, and it¡¯s chilly, so we sit right up next to each other, and I put an arm around her shoulders. The wheel moves slowly, and for a moment, there is silence but not an awkward one. It¡¯s veryforting. The view is stunning, looking over the ocean and seeing the city lights on the opposite coast in the distance. I smile softly. ¡°Thank you for letting me take you out tonight.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± she says quietly. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve just wanted someone to talk to.¡±


    ¡°Why? Is something wrong?¡± I ask quietly.


    ¡°Mikhail¡¯s proposal is good. I know Don Pacheco is leaning toward him,¡± she says quietly. ¡°And I don¡¯t know if my offer is any good.¡±


    I pull back slightly and say, ¡°You don¡¯t have to discuss business with me, Shirley.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I feel like there¡¯s no one else I can be vulnerable with. I can trust you, right?¡± The way she looks up at me seals it. She is my everything, and I will kill any motherfucker to give her what she wants.


    ¡°You can,¡± I say confidently. ¡°What are you proposing?¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    She smiles, almost sadly, and takes a deep breath. ¡°Well, I¡¯m thinking a 20-million-dor down payment, with a monthly stipend of ten percent of sales for the rest of time or until we lose control of the area. Also, I want to position his sons in charge of some of our more legitimate businesses. They¡¯ll distract the cops from what we¡¯re actually doing.¡±


    I nod as she speaks. ¡°It¡¯s good, but I can¡¯t imagine Don Pacheco taking that. Mikhail is probably offering more than that. I would work on it a little more.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been in and out with Don Pacheco for a while now, he semi-approved my rough draft, but I think he¡¯s negotiating between families, but he¡¯s so secretive. That¡¯s why I was trying to get Mikhail to tell me what he¡¯s offering.¡± She looks up at me again, her eyes sparkling.


    I lean down and kiss her lips softly. She raises a hand, but she doesn¡¯t push me away. She returns my soft kiss. That¡¯s all we do-soft small kisses on the lips and face, enjoying each other¡¯s taste.


    ¡°I am falling for you¡­.¡± I murmur between kisses. ¡°I don¡¯t think I ever fell out of love with you¡­.¡±


    That¡¯s when I feel her tense. I¡¯ve said the wrong thing. She withdraws from me and looks the opposite way. ¡°I can¡¯t do this again. I¡¯ve already told you too much.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t use what you¡¯ve told me,¡± I say, reaching to turn her face back to mine. ¡°Shirley, please tell me what I must do.¡± I¡¯m hurt, but I need to focus on her. ¡°Tell me what I must do to prove my love to you.¡±


    Shirley sniffs and looks away. It¡¯s as if the Ferris wheel has the worst timing ever as it starts its slow descent back to the ground.


    ¡°Right now,¡± she says quietly, ¡°I just want to go home.¡±

 #7 Chapter 17

    Shirley


    After spending the night at the carnival with Evgenii, I¡¯m frustrated because I didn¡¯t get any information from him. I want him to feel what I felt. I want him to see what it¡¯s like to fall in love with someone who is just using you for information.


    After breakfast, I follow Helena as she makes her way to the greenhouse. She notices I¡¯m there just as she steps out.


    ¡°My girl, what is it?¡± she asks gently.


    I want to cry, but I don¡¯t. Tears aren¡¯t going to do anything for me. I need to be strong, but I don¡¯t want to go through this alone.


    She leads me over to the bench we sat on before, and we sit facing each other. She takes my hands gently and looks into my eyes. ¡°You can tell me anything.¡±


    I look down at first and give a big sniff before I look up at her. ¡°You were right. I¡¯m pregnant and don¡¯t know what to do about it.¡±


    Helena purses her lips because she understands what I¡¯m implying, and she says, as gently as she can, ¡°In this family, there are no mistakes. Each member has their ce, and so will your baby.¡±


    I nod, understanding that she means I need to have the baby.


    She squeezes my hands. ¡°Who is the father, Shirls?¡±


    I feel like it¡¯s not a question, but I nce away and then back at her. ¡°A guy I met on the West Coast, I thought it would amount to something, but he left me for another woman.¡±


    I feel so bad lying to her, but I feel worse when she quirks an eyebrow. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to, but please don¡¯t lie to me. I¡¯ve been your mother since the day Arianna and Dominic brought you and your brother home for a shower, fresh clothes, medical attention, and food. You¡¯ve been our family since that day, and we will always love and protect you.¡±


    A lone tear rolls down one side of my face, and I release her hand to swipe it away. ¡°Please, can we go with my story, just for when the family finds out? I don¡¯t want to disappoint Alessandro or any of the others. I don¡¯t want them to think less of me.¡±


    Helena, my mother, squeezes my hands. ¡°I know it¡¯s Evgenii. I know he¡¯s the father.¡±


    My eyes widen. ¡°Please, Ma, please don¡¯t tell Alessandro. Please promise me you won¡¯t. I didn¡¯t tell him anything. We got drunk, and¡­one thing led to another. I didn¡¯t mean for it to happen.¡±


    Helena pulls me into a hug against her chest and strokes my head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t hear it from me, but I really think you shoulde clean with Evgenii. We¡¯ve been through this before in our family. You shouldn¡¯t stop a father from knowing he has a child.¡±


    I breathe in her perfume and close my eyes. ¡°I will. I just want to get through this proposal and secure Staten Ind for the family, and then I¡¯ll tell him. But I don¡¯t want to tell him before that, and I don¡¯t want him in my or the baby¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t your choice to make,¡± her voice is soft as she continues to stroke my hair. ¡°But we will work out the detailster. For now, your secret is safe with me.¡±


    I sit up and wipe my eyes. ¡°Do I look okay?¡±


    Helena smiles and nods, ncing at the door. ¡°And not a moment too soon, herees Amelia to call us for church.¡±


    ¡°Ladies,¡± my sister-inw says as she walks in, ¡°everyone wants to get going.¡±


    We stand and follow her out. I put a smile on my face and feel much more relieved now that Helena knows about the baby. At least I have her in my corner.


    We drive in convoy to church, and I sit alongside my family. Alessandro, Katya, their children, and mom and dad sit in the front pew while the rest of us fill in the pews behind them.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Church passes in almost a blur, and as I take the sacrament, I think of how hypocritical I am. I¡¯m not supposed to bear children out of wedlock, and here I am acting as though I¡¯m not carrying the bastard of a Bratva senior member.


    We only mingle for a few minutes after church. Enough time for the men to chat to the priest about things he needs for the church before we all file back into the cars and are driven back to Alessandro¡¯s estate.


    Several of the women stayed behind, the older aunts and grandmothers, to direct and help with the preparations for the family lunch.


    As I step into the garden, it urs to me that the Volkovs will also be at Sunday lunch. I sit with Arianna as they arrive, and she insists we find Kira and Tori and sit with them. I reluctantly follow, and we sit at a table together to talk.


    ¡°I really want Roman to have a sibling,¡± Tori tells us, her eyes ncing at her son, who is bouncing on herp, wanting to escape. ¡°But I¡¯m torn because I want to focus on my career, but I don¡¯t want Ivan to be too old if we have another child. Argh, I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    I feel so awkward as she discusses children, knowing that I¡¯m incubating my own. Arianna grins mischievously. ¡°I think you and Ivan make pretty babies and should just have a dozen of them. Popte the family with these drop-dead gorgeous children.¡±


    We allugh but try to cover it up as Ivan walks over. He nces around curiously and then shakes his head. ¡°You know what, I don¡¯t want to know what you lot are up to. Here let me take Roman. He can run around while we talk business.¡±


    He scoops up his son, who giggles happily. Tori smiles lovingly at her husband, and I look away because I am jealous. That¡¯s when I see Evgenii. He catches my eye and turns to make his way toward our group. As he starts crossing the yard, I get up. ¡°Sorry,dies, but I need the loo. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    I walk quickly toward the house, and initially, I go to the bathroom, sit on the counter and read my emails on my phone. I can¡¯t stay there forever, but I don¡¯t want to return to the group or to see Evgenii, so I pretend to finish up and go to the library for a breather. I browse through Alessandro¡¯s collection of books. It¡¯s a well-kept secret because everyone thinks they¡¯re Frankie¡¯s books because he¡¯s the nerd of the family, but Alessandro loves to read. I¡¯ve heard him read to the twins at bedtime, and he does impressions and everything, it¡¯s adorable.


    I hear someone clear their throat behind me, and I know who it is before I turn around. He¡¯s so good-looking, but dammit, I wish Evgenii would leave me alone.


    ¡°Shirley, please just listen to me. I never apologized for what I did, not properly. What I did was absolutely rotten. Something no person should ever have to experience, not even in the name of family business. I toyed with your feelings, and I am so sorry I did because I honestly did fall in love with you. It wasn¡¯t just family business back then, and it is the greatest regret of my life because we could have had all these years together. I can¡¯t go back and change what I did, but I have changed as a person since then. I will do anything to have another shot with you, please.¡± His eyes are sparkling with emotion, but all I feel is anger. I¡¯m angry that he brought this up and that he thinks words are enough to gloss over the situation, that it would mend my heart. I¡¯m mad he lied about the whole situation, and all his apology does is stoke the fire of revenge burning deep inside me.


    I take a deep breath and try not to show how angry I am. ¡°Evgenii, we can try again.¡± I see the hope in his eyes. ¡°But we need to take it slow. We¡¯re not picking up from where we left off. We¡¯re going to start fresh.¡±


    And I¡¯m going to shatter your heart the way you broke mine, I think to myself.


    Evgenii walks forward and nods. ¡°Agreed. Anything you want.¡±


    I nod. ¡°I¡¯m hungry and want to spend time with my sister and cousins.¡±


    Evgenii nods. ¡°Of course, let¡¯s go enjoy lunch.¡±


    He seems so much happier, and I ignore the little spark of guilt I feel for doing this. No, the anger is greater, and it buries that spark.


    After lunch is done, we escort the Russians out to their cars, and Evgenii stops by me and smiles down at me. ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon, okay?¡±


    I nod, giving him a small smile. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll be in touch.¡±


    ¡°Can I give you a kiss?¡± he asks softly.


    I nod, and he leans down, softly kissing my lips.


    I can feel everyone¡¯s eyes on us, especially my mother¡¯s, and Evgenii pulls away and grins. ¡°See you soon.¡±


    I watch him walk off with Ivan, who gives him a strange look. I turn and walk back to the house, knowing I will have to exin myselfter.


    As I walk near Katya and Alessandro, I hear my brother say, ¡°Personally, I think the women in this family are far scarier than the men.¡±


    I smile.

 #7 Chapter 18

    Evgenii


    I have a smile on my face the whole way back to Ivan¡¯s house. Tori keeps ncing at me skeptically while she cradles a sleeping Roman in her arms. Ivan also seems quiet, but it doesn¡¯t bother me. I have prayed and hoped a heartfelt apology would make Shirley see that I was sorry, for her to give me another chance, and it¡¯s worked. Honestly, it was Natalia¡¯s idea after I spoke to herst night, so I really have her to thank.


    We reach Ivan¡¯s house, and Tori excuses herself quietly to put Roman down. I follow Ivan to the back deck, but he still hasn¡¯t said anything. He pours us each a drink, and I thank him, sighing with contentment.


    Tories back, and Ivan hands her a ss of wine while we drink our Vodka neat.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Ivan asks after several moments of silence. ¡°If you break Shirley¡¯s heart again, I won¡¯t stop Alessandro from stringing you up.¡±


    I frown and shake my head. ¡°No, you¡¯ve got the wrong idea. I want to be with Shirley, guys. I am head over heels in love with the woman. I apologized for what I did, I exined everything to her, and she said we stand a chance together. I need to try because I see a future with her.¡±


    Ivan nces at Tori and sips his drink. ¡°You¡¯re my favorite cousin, Evgenii, but surely you realize you shouldn¡¯t trust Shirley. You destroyed her worldst time. You convinced her you loved her, and then you broke her heart. I doubt she¡¯s just forgiven you and decided to build a life with you.¡±


    It¡¯s riching from him, but I can¡¯t say that. He may be my cousin, but he¡¯s also the head of our family. Instead, I smile. ¡°Shirley has always been a good, kind, loving person, and I know she won¡¯t hurt me.¡± I feel confident as I speak. ¡°I know if she says we stand a chance, we do. She isn¡¯t like me. She isn¡¯t cold and ruthless. She¡¯s matured since we dated, and to be honest, I didn¡¯t pretend to be in love with her. Looking back, I now know I always was in love with her. I just kept my blinkers on and wouldn¡¯t admit it.¡±


    Tori clears her throat. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. Shirley is well known to be harsh, especially on the West Coast. She gets things done, whether you stand in her way or not. She may not be the same person you remember. Do you really think Alessandro would let her run the West Coast if she was soft?¡±


    I finish my drink. ¡°I¡¯ll show her my intentions every step of the way and win her love back, you¡¯ll see. I will prove to her we deserve to be together, that we belong together.¡±


    I know I sound like a hopeless romantic, but I also know that if everyone else can find their better halves, so can I. I know it¡¯s Shirley, and I know that together we are stronger than apart.


    Before they can say more, I excuse myself. ¡°Thanks for the ride, but I need to work on our proposal for Don Pacheco. I don¡¯t want to keep him waiting and give a chance to rival families to take Staten from us.¡±


    ¡°Not even Shirley,¡± Ivanments, raising an eyebrow.


    I give him a small smile. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, Pakhan. Enjoy your Sunday.¡±


    I leave, and I try not to let what they¡¯ve said get to me. Shirley isn¡¯t a pushover, but she isn¡¯t heartless. She has always had a heart of gold. I think about Tori saying Shirley runs the West Coast. I wonder if that¡¯s really true. I thought her brother Pierce ran the operations there.


    I arrive back at the house and immediately start working on my proposal for Staten Ind. I remember what Shirley is offering and will keep it in mind as I draft our proposal. I remember what Ivan said before I left. He is doubtful that I will want to win the bid because I¡¯m against Shirley. To be honest, I am hesitant, but I know I have to put my family first. Well, unless I can devise a way to convince Ivan to do me a favor.


    A notification sounds on myptop, and I see it¡¯s an email from one of my informants. I open it, and as I read the writing, my eyes widen.


    Don Pacheco was attacked and is currently in the hospital, fighting for his life. They don¡¯t know who or which family is behind it.


    I know this will cause a war.


    I race back to my car and drive to Ivan¡¯s house.


    ¡°I can assure you, I wouldn¡¯t instigate a war like that without forewarning you,¡± Ivan is on the phone as I walk out to the deck. ¡°I trust you weren¡¯t behind this either, Alessandro.¡±


    He¡¯s quiet for a moment and then nods. ¡°Even though we¡¯repeting for Staten Ind, I would not go behind your back like that. Our families are tied together, and a slight against your family is a slight against mine. I will, however, have my men investigate who is behind the attack so we can form a united front and deal with the offending culprit before it esctes to full-blown war.¡±


    Ivan falls silent again, listening to Alessandro. I get myself a soft drink and sit on a lounger as I wait for Ivan.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have the best man for the job. I¡¯ll keep you updated.¡±


    Ivan hangs up and looks at me. ¡°What information do you have?¡±


    ¡°None.¡± I shake my head. ¡°I came straight here to find out if it was the Sorvinos, but clearly, it isn¡¯t. I do, however, think the only other family with enough manpower to challenge either of our families is the Gobulevs.¡± I meet his eyes, and Ivan sighs.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your feelings for Mikhail cloud your investigation into this. Find out what you can, and if Mikhail has instigated this, I will personally deal with him.¡± Ivan sips from a water bottle. ¡°And be safe. Who knows who the culprit will attack next.¡±


    I nod, and Ivan walks back into the house. I take out my phone and dial Shirley¡¯s number.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Her answer is short, but I can hear chatting around her.


    ¡°Sorry, I thought you might be home,¡± I say quickly. ¡°This is clearly a bad time.¡±


    ¡°I have a few moments,¡± she says. ¡°Kira and I are just outside the bistro about to tuck into some delicious food.¡±


    I stand up and pace. ¡°Did you hear about Don Pacheco?¡± I ask curiously.


    She pauses, then says, ¡°I did. Did you have something to do with it?¡±


    ¡°No, our family didn¡¯t, and I heard Ivan confirm with Alessandro that yours didn¡¯t either.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea of who it can be?¡± she asks.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s Mikhail¡¯s family behind it,¡± I answer truthfully. ¡°But I need to prove it before Ivan will deal with him.¡±


    ¡°Every family has a secret they don¡¯t want to expose. I bet this one is Mikhail¡¯s.¡±


    I don¡¯t like the tone she is taking, as though she¡¯s forming a n to personally extract the information from him. Maybe she has a secret she doesn¡¯t want anyone to know, which bothers me. What could she possibly be hiding?


    ¡°Maybe you and Kira should go home. First, there was an explosion at our territory in lower Manhattan, then an attack at Ivan¡¯s house, and now this. Someone is determined to get what they want, and I will die if something happens to you, Shirley.¡± I wait for her response, my hand shaking slightly.


    Shirley says something in what sounds like Italian to Kira. At least, I assume it¡¯s Kira. ¡°No, Kira says we¡¯re safe here. No one would dare attack the bistro. It¡¯s one of Alessandro¡¯s biggest ventures, and they would be asking for a death sentence.¡±


    I don¡¯t feel better because if it is Mikhail, he won¡¯t care. He¡¯s brazen enough to pull something like that off, especially if he thinks Shirley snubbed him.


    ¡°Just, please be careful,¡± I ask. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything to happen to you.¡±


    My mind goes back to herment about everyone having a secret they don¡¯t want to share, and I decide to ask her about it.


    ¡°Shirley, what did you mean when¡­¡±


    There¡¯s a loud explosion, and the line goes dead.


    Dread envelops my body, and I dial her back, but it goes straight to voice mail. I try again and again, hoping it¡¯s just a bad signal.


    That¡¯s when one of my guardses in. ¡°A store next to the Sorvino¡¯s Bistro has been blown up, sir.¡±


    I feel the blood drain from my face. I grab my holster, throw it across my body, slide my gun into it, and throw my jacket over it. If I see Mikhail there, I will fucking shoot him in the head.


    Shirley had better be all right, or I won¡¯t wait for him to arrive.


    I call Dominic. I have to dial twice before he picks up. ¡°You heard?¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m on my way there,¡± he says. ¡°I¡¯m with Frankie and some of our men. It¡¯s a disaster.¡±


    The pit of my stomach falls away, and I feel like my world is turning upside down. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now. I¡¯ll be there soon. Shirley, she was there. She was with Kira.¡±


    Dominic swears, and I hear him tell Frankie that Shirley was with Kira there.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s okay,¡± he says. ¡°I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    I hang up.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    I¡¯m not sure of anything.

 #7 Chapter 19

    Shirley


    There¡¯s dust in my nose. It¡¯s so fucking irritating. I try to wiggle my nose, but that seems to wake me up more, and then I realize I¡¯m incredibly sore. There¡¯s pain and dust, and I cough some of it out as I blink open my eyes. Noises around me seem distant, almost as though something is blocking my ears as I try to remember where I am and what I¡¯m doing.


    Something sharp digs into my back, and I groan out loud, using my aching hands to push myself up. A single thought urs to me.


    My Baby.


    I can hear people crying, and that barrier, that blocked ear feeling, is going away, and the sounds of cries intermingled with screaming bes clearer. Where had I been?


    I¡¯d been at a table outside our family bistro with Kira. We were about to share a dessert when there was a huge noise, an explosion, from the store right next door. The force had flung us in the opposite direction, into the middle of the street. The thing stabbing me in the back must be rubble.


    Kira.


    ¡°Kira?¡± I call weakly. My voice cracks, so I spit and clear my throat. ¡°Kira?¡± I call, barely louder.


    ¡°Shirls.¡± It¡¯s little more than a groan, but it¡¯s her, thank God. I manage to sit up and look at myself. I¡¯m bleeding, mostly from grazes and scrapes on my arms and legs. I put my hand on my belly and close my eyes, praying my baby is okay.


    I hear the sirens getting closer, and everything is so disorientating. I need to close my eyes, just for a moment.


    I¡¯m jolted awake as the ambnce rumbles on the road beneath me. I¡¯m on a stretcher, an oxygen mask over my face. There¡¯s a young, traumatized medic next to me. He sees I¡¯m awake and puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay, ma¡¯am. We¡¯re on our way to the hospital.¡±


    I open my mouth, but he shushes me, ¡°Don¡¯t speak. Conserve your energy.¡±


    I shake my head because I have to tell him so they know, ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m pregnant, but I don¡¯t want anyone¡­don¡¯t tell anyone about my baby.¡±


    His eyes widen, and he nods. ¡°We¡¯ll check your baby is okay as soon as we¡¯re at the hospital.¡±


    I nod and close my eyes again.


    A strange beeping sound stirs me from what feels like a very short nap. I can feel the cool sheets beneath me and covering me, and I¡¯m sitting up at an angle. My back burns, probably from where the skin grazed, along with the other ces I hurt. When I open my eyes, a handsome man in a white coat stands next to me.


    He smiles. ¡°Wee back, Mrs. MacCannister.¡±


    ¡°My baby¡­¡± I try to finish the sentence, but he also puts a hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°Your baby is perfectly fine. You have nothing to worry about. You¡¯re also doing great, aside from some disorientation. The old brain got a bit knocked around, but with a few days¡¯ rest, you¡¯ll be right as rain.¡±


    He pats my hand on the bed and turns to leave just as Evgenii rushes into the room. ¡°Shirley!¡±


    He approaches my bedside and gingerly takes my hand. ¡°Oh my God, I¡¯m so d you¡¯re okay. When the line went dead, I thought the worst.¡±


    I can see the worry in his eyes. He isn¡¯t pretending. His voice is shaking, and I almost think he¡¯s going to cry. I feel a sharp stab in my heart that isn¡¯t from the explosion, that¡¯s guilt.


    There¡¯s a light knock at the door, and I see Alessandro standing there, looking both livid and concerned.


    Evgenii steps aside respectfully andes to the other side of my bed so they¡¯re both by my side.


    ¡°I¡¯m so d you¡¯re okay,¡± Alessandro says, stroking my hair back.


    ¡°It¡¯s Mikhail,¡± Evgenii says suddenly. ¡°He¡¯s been coordinating these attacks, I know it.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    I am instantly annoyed. Evgenii just wants to me Mikhail because he¡¯s jealous I went on a date with him.


    ¡°You have no proof of that. Mikhail isn¡¯t stupid enough to attack the Volkovs and Sorvinos. He wouldn¡¯t dere war against the strongest families in New York.¡± I shake my head.


    Evgenii frowns. ¡°You don¡¯t know what men like Mikhail are capable of.¡±


    ¡°I think I know Mikhail better than you do,¡± I snap.


    Evgenii clenches his fists, and Alessandro walks to the bottom of my bed. ¡°Go get yourself something to drink and calm down.¡±


    Evgenii rxes and nods, looking at me onest time before leaving.


    Alessandro looks at me meaningfully. ¡°Stop letting your emotions cloud your judgment. I mean it. You¡¯re letting them get the better of you.¡±


    I¡¯m about to say something when he picks up my chart. I panic. ¡°Alessandro, I¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pregnant.¡± He puts the chart back. As he walks to the door, I worry, thinking he¡¯s leaving and that¡¯s it, but he shuts the door and sits on the edge of the bottom of my bed.


    ¡°You¡¯re not far along. I assume you would have told me eventually.¡± I feel contrite.


    ¡°I just wanted to sort out my own feelings on the subject.¡± I¡¯m trying to keep emotion out of it, but I care deeply about what Alessandro thinks of me.


    ¡°You can still tell me things like this, Shirls. I won¡¯t judge. I mean, with the drama our family goes through, this is minute. The women in our family are pretty crazy,¡± he gives me a small smile. ¡°But you should probably tell the father of your child. Every man deserves a chance to prove himself as a father and to dote and love on his children.¡±


    I nce away from him. I want to tell him who the father is, but I can¡¯t. He¡¯ll think I¡¯m a fool. ¡°I just want to work out what¡¯s best for the baby and me before I do that.¡±


    Alessandro breathes heavily and pats my leg gently. ¡°Evgenii is a lucky man to be able to start a family with you, so think about it carefully before you make any harsh decisions.¡±


    He stands up, and I want to ask him how he knows, but of course, he knows. Everyone probably knows. I swallow hard and rest back against my bed, closing my eyes.


    An hour, maybe a little more, passes when another light knock at my door disturbs me. I open my eyes to Evgenii with his arms full of flowers and balloons, and a giant stuffed get well soon panda bear.


    ¡°Pandas are your favorite, so I hunted this little shit down. You should name him, he¡¯s cute. Well, cuter than me, at least.¡± Heughs at his joke, and I offer him a smile. He straightens my nket and my IV and adjusts my pillow, fussing over me something terrible.


    ¡°How are you feeling now? Do you need more pain meds because I¡¯ll hook you up? How is your pain level?¡±


    ¡°I just want to go home,¡± I sigh. ¡°I¡¯m sore and tired, but I¡¯d prefer to rest at home.¡±


    ¡°You should stay here until they clear you,¡± he says protectively. ¡°You don¡¯t want to go home too soon, and they might miss something.¡±


    A firm knock at the door draws our attention. Mikhail is standing in the doorway with a massive bouquet of roses, and before anyone can say anything, Evgenii hasunched himself from my side toward him, tackling him to the ground.


    I try to sit up, but my body is stiff, so I know I¡¯m not going to separate them. I hit the call nurse button, but nurses and security are already rushing to the fight that has now spilled out into the hallway.


    They manage to split the men. Evgenii is nearer to me, so I re at him. ¡°Go calm down while I speak to Mikhail.¡± It isn¡¯t a request, and although he looks reluctant, he gives Mikhail onest re before slowly walking away.


    Mikhail straightens his clothes and runs a hand over his hair before walking to me.


    ¡°Sorry, he¡¯s on edge.¡± I give him a hesitant smile. ¡°How did you know I was in the hospital?¡±


    ¡°News travels fast among families,¡± he smiles and scoops up the bouquet of roses. He sets them closer to me than Evgenii¡¯s flowers, and I know he¡¯s trying to assert dominance.


    I rest back and fold my hands over myp. ¡°I imagine so, but I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be that important to warrant news.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re important to me,¡± he smiles, sitting on the edge of my bed.


    I give him a stern look before I soften. ¡°Are there any leads as to who it could have been?¡±


    ¡°Media are saying thesetest bombings are terrorist attacks, and they are hunting down the ones responsible. You and I, and our families, know this isn¡¯t radicals. This is someone who is targeting your family.¡±


    ¡°Someone who has a lot to gain, especially if the Volkovs and Sorvinos either start fighting amongst themselves or simply fall away slowly.¡± I raise an eyebrow. I can see he knows what I¡¯m implying.


    ¡°That someone is ying a dangerous game.¡± He straightens his tie, not breaking eye contact. ¡°Luckily, my family has a truce with both the major families. I have no reason to harm them.¡±


    I don¡¯t believe him at all, but I also don¡¯t suspect him. He¡¯s handsome and charming, but I¡¯m on guard. I give him a warm smile. ¡°Well, whoever hurt me, is certainly going to have to deal with Evgenii. He doesn¡¯t like it when people attack me.¡±


    ¡°Like a faithful little guard dog,¡± Mikhail chuckles before standing up. He knows he isn¡¯t going to dominate me.


    ¡°I hope you make a speedy recovery, Shirley.¡± I nod and smile as he leaves before I rx.

 #7 Chapter 20

    Evgenii


    I¡¯m ordering what feels like my hundredth cup of coffee. I stand at the cart waiting, annoyed that Shirley thinks speaking to Mikhail is okay. I have one of my guards stationed close to her room, keeping an eye on her in case he tries to hurt her again.


    ¡°Evgenii,¡± I nce over my shoulder to the right to see my sister walking toward me, waving her hand. I look at the makeshift barrister. ¡°Double my order.¡±


    I turn as Nataliaes up to me and hugs me. ¡°How is Shirley? I heard from the guards that there was an explosion.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± I say grumpily, and at her questioning look, I add, ¡°Mikhail fucking Gobulev is busy talking to her right now.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that who you previously suspected of interfering with the family business?¡± she asks, tilting her head to the side.


    I nce at her curiously, ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°You talk loudly on the phone,¡± she grins. ¡°But seriously, if it¡¯s that guy, she can¡¯t be talking to him. He shouldn¡¯t be anywhere near Shirley. I thought you two were giving it a try?¡±


    I pay the barrister and hand her a cup of coffee. ¡°I can¡¯t control who she sees and speaks to, it¡¯ll just make me look controlling, and she won¡¯t want anything to do with me.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m here now. We have an excuse to go to her room because I want to say hey,¡± she smiles brightly. ¡°I¡¯d love to meet my big brother¡¯s girlfriend.¡±


    I roll my eyes. ¡°Surely you¡¯ve met before.¡±


    She shakes her head. ¡°Nope, and that¡¯s shitty of you. You should have introduced me ages ago.¡±


    I pause, and my mind briefly realizes that Natalia is never at church with us or at family lunches, and she doesn¡¯t go to any events with us. I know she went to school with Kira and Tori but probably doesn¡¯t know the rest of the family because they weren¡¯t exactly friends. ¡°Natalia, what do you do all day?¡±


    ¡°Ivan is busy helping me set up a business I can run so that I can get my own house or apartment and get on my feet and settled here in New York.¡± She sips her coffee. ¡°So, are we going or not?¡±


    I nod, resisting the urge to roll my eyes at my very private sister. I lead her back to Shirley¡¯s room. Two doors away, my guard stops me. ¡°He left. Nothing happened. They didn¡¯t get too close or anything. In fact, she seemed to be giving him a hard time. Very stern.¡±


    I smirk. ¡°That¡¯s my girl. Come, Nat.¡±


    For the third time today, I knock softly on Shirley¡¯s room door. ¡°Hey,¡± I say quietly. ¡°Uh¡­I¡¯m sorry about earlier, but guess what?¡±


    Shirley looks at me curiously as I continue, ¡°My baby sister Natalia came to wish you well and meet you.¡±


    Shirley looks slightly embarrassed and adjusts her hospital gown. ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    Nat sticks her head in through the door. ¡°Hey. Evgenii, move.¡± She forces her way between me and the door and walks over to Shirley, holding out her hand. ¡°Everyone calls me Nat.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Nat, I¡¯m Shirley,¡± she gives my sister a small smile, and I move further into the room, holding out the cup of coffee. ¡°Want some?¡±


    Shirley takes it gratefully. ¡°Thanks. So, the doctor was here. He says I can go home tomorrow.¡±


    I smile. ¡°That¡¯s good news, but I want you to promise you¡¯ll rest. You were flung quite far and hard.¡±


    Nat hushes me. ¡°She knows she must rest. Shirley, tell me about the West Coast. It sounds fabulous.¡±


    They talk quietly, and Shirley seems to perk up speaking to Nat. I sit in a chair nearby and listen to their idle chit-chat, nothing personal or confidential. Shirley has learned her lesson.


    Nat finishes her coffee with a smack of her lips. ¡°I also want to see Kira, so I¡¯m going to go find her room.¡±


    ¡°How do you know Kira?¡± Shirley asks curiously.


    ¡°I went to school with her and her sister,¡± she smiles. ¡°Since I¡¯m here, I might as well check on her. We¡¯re family and all that now.¡±


    Shirley gives her a warm smile. ¡°That¡¯s very sweet. She shouldn¡¯t be far.¡±


    Nat waves goodbye and leaves the room, so I get up and sit on the chair she abandoned beside Shirley.


    Shirley fiddles with her fingers for a moment. She doesn¡¯t look at me, but she finally speaks, ¡°I¡¯m going to fall so far behind on my work. I wanted to finalize everything and get back to the things I usually do.¡±


    I nod. ¡°If Ettore recovers from his injuries, then we can both present our bids, and once he makes a decision, we can take it from there.¡± I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m reassuring her or myself.


    ¡°It does seem logical to bid from the bigger families,¡± she concedes. ¡°I just wish we could do it and be done.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I say suddenly. ¡®What if we made our proposals identical?¡±


    Shirley looks at me skeptically, and I continue, ¡°I mean it. We put through the same options, and Ettore can just pick whichever, and that way, we¡¯re not trying to one-up each other constantly.¡±


    She looks away thoughtfully and nods. ¡°That isn¡¯t a bad idea. That might actually work because then our families won¡¯t bicker.¡±


    She yawns, and I stand up. ¡°Listen, you get some rest. I¡¯ll tell the guards no more visitors except your family. Get some sleep, and I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    I lean down and kiss her cheek. ¡°I¡¯m happy you¡¯re okay.¡±


    ¡°So am I,¡± she says, lying back and watching me through heavy-lidded eyes.


    I leave the hospital with two guards escorting me out in case Mikhail tries anything. I leave two guards, with two of the Sorvino guards, outside Shirley¡¯s room.


    Once on the road home, my phone buzzes, and I answer, ¡°Evgenii speaking.¡±


    ¡°Boss,¡± It¡¯s Aleks. ¡°We got some footage of who may have nted the bomb. Someone dressed as a courier on a bike. We¡¯ve tracked him and brought him to your house for questioning.¡±


    I feel that fiery rage building up inside me. ¡°I¡¯m on my way. Secure him.¡±


    I look at my driver Gregori. ¡°Move it. I want to be home asap.¡±


    We push the speed limit, and we¡¯re home in record time. I step out of the car and button my suit jacket as I walk into the house. Aleks is in the hallway. ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°The informal guest bedroom,¡± Aleks smiles.


    I smirk, the only guests who end up in there are the kind that aren¡¯t seen or heard from again. Aleks leads me into the room and shuts the door. This room is soundproof, and I can see the guy, head hanging, sweat dropping off his face. A deep ck bruise is forming near his right eye, and it¡¯s already started to swell.


    I pick up a chair and ce it in front of him, sitting on it. There¡¯s enough distance that there is no way he can reach me, but I know he can hear me if I murmur.


    His head sways slightly as he looks up at me with bleary eyes. I nod, I have no smile to offer this man.


    ¡°You nted a bomb today next to a bistro. Is that correct?¡±


    He starts to shake his head, but Aleks stabs a sharpened welding rod into his leg, and I say, ¡°We have it on camera, so really that was just to test you.¡±


    He whimpers, tears forming in his eyes.


    ¡°Aleks, I think the dogs need something to nibble on. It doesn¡¯t seem our guest listens very well, so I doubt he needs both ears.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    The man¡¯s eyes widen, and he shakes his head, ¡°No! No! No!¡±


    He shrieks as Aleks expertly slices off his right ear, and I nod, sighing. ¡°So I don¡¯t need the details. I don¡¯t care who your target was, and I might consider letting you live to send a message. What I need to know, though, before you can possibly dance your ass out of here, is who asked you to nt that bomb?¡±


    He swallows hard, his breathing is harsh, but I lean forward. ¡°Who put you up to nting that fucking bomb?¡±


    He looks haggard when he looks up. ¡°Miguel Rossi.¡±


    I derive two things from this, this guy is an amateur, and he¡¯s lying.


    ¡°Miguel Rossi?¡± I ask. ¡°The cousin of Don Alessandro Sorvino? The don of the Rossi family?¡±


    He res at me and nods, and I strike him through the face sending him and his chair to the left, tipped over. ¡°The man whose wife works at the bistro,¡± I raise my voice. ¡°Who has dered if anyone so much as looks at his wife, he¡¯ll personally carve off their cock and serve it to the lions at the New York Zoo as an appetizer?¡±


    I walk toward him. I realize toote that I¡¯ve made a mistake. The chair cracked when it hit the floor. Before anyone can do anything, he has an arm free. A guard approaching him pauses in surprise, and the courier grabs his gun from the holster on his hip and puts it to his head.


    ¡°Long live Don Rossi,¡± he spits out before he pulls the trigger.


    I close my eyes and hold my hand out. Aleks hands me a handkerchief, and I wipe the blood and brains from my face. ¡°I need to contact the Pakhan and clean up this mess.¡±


    I leave the room, pull out my phone, and dial Ivan¡¯s number.


    ¡°What have you got?¡±


    ¡°We caught the guy who nted the bomb. He¡¯s fingering Don Rossi,¡± I say.


    Ivan is quiet for a moment. ¡°Is it possible?¡±


    I snort, ¡°He called him Miguel Rossi. No one in this situation, who works for any of the families, would be so informal with their Don, even if they¡¯re rted.¡±


    Ivan gives a short breath in agreement. ¡°I want to know who hurt my sister-inw and her cousin.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t mention Shirley by name, but I simply say, ¡°I¡¯m on it.¡±


    ¡°I want to know which family is behind these attacks, and I want to know like yesterday.¡±


    He hangs up.


    I am at the hospital the next day, ready to collect Shirley. I was surprised when Alessandro agreed that Shirley could stay with me while she rests as my location isn¡¯t as widely known as the heads of the families.


    I also want to work on our proposals together so we¡¯re on the same page.


    I thought Shirley would be mad, but she willingly lets me help her to my car. Arianna already dropped off her things, so I take her straight home.

 #7 Chapter 21

    Shirley


    My stuff is already in my room. Natalia has packed it away for me. I don¡¯t need a tour of the house since I¡¯m already familiar with it, so I ask Evgenii where I can set up to work.


    He has a desk in his office cleared for me, and afy chair is there. ¡°I got it just for you, so you wouldn¡¯t ache.¡±


    He is so proud, and I give him a soft smile. I almost feel bad I¡¯m going to break him, but I remember time and time again how he just dropped me. It was like a bombshell, and I¡¯m not letting him get away with that.


    I worked on my proposal a little in the hospital. Setting up fake figures that I want Evgenni to see, and he¡¯ll submit his while I submit a much better offer.


    I nce at him but don¡¯t feel the satisfaction I thought I would. But I havemitted to this, so I¡¯m not backing out now.


    A Few Years Prior


    I carefully carry the tray of coffees into the office, smiling brightly as I see Romero at his desk. He res at me, and I slowly set the coffee down. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± My voice is quiet. I¡¯m not feeling as confident as I did a few moments ago.


    ¡°Did you ever think to ask your boyfriend his full name?¡± he asks, his voice dripping with venom. ¡°Did you think of asking him where he is from or who his family are?¡±


    I am so confused, and I¡¯m sure I look it because Romero throws his hands in the air. ¡°You stupid, naive little child.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ He definitely isn¡¯t Italian or Irish, I¡¯d know,¡± but that isn¡¯t a good answer.


    Romero whips around. ¡°What about Russian, Shirley!¡± He has raised his voice, and I flinch. In all the years he¡¯s treated me as his daughter, he¡¯s never raised his voice that loud with me, not that aggressively.


    ¡°You¡¯ve literally handed the Bratva Volkov family our ns on a silver tter, and they have bought and secured all the territories I had ns for,¡± he shakes his head. ¡°What were you thinking? You have betrayed your family with these stupid decisions. And why? Because an older man paid attention to you?¡±


    His voice is low now, but I hear the disappointment breaking my heart.


    ¡°Pa¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think, that¡¯s the problem. When I expected more from you.¡± He waves me off. ¡°Just go. You¡¯ve done enough damage for Alessandro to fix.¡±


    I feel the tears stinging my eyes, and I grab the car keys and hurry out. I pass Alessandro, who looks at me confused, but I don¡¯t stop to tell him. I couldn¡¯t stand it if he were ashamed of me as well. I know he¡¯s taking over soon, and I¡¯m sure he will want me to leave because of this.


    I don¡¯t care that I¡¯m speeding, and I don¡¯t care that the police might pull me over. It doesn¡¯t take me long to reach the apartments where Evgenii is staying. Everything works on a number code, which I know very well from the nights I¡¯ve spent here.


    I let myself into his apartment and hear him on the phone in the living room. He turns around as I storm in. ¡°Hang on. Something¡¯se up. I¡¯ll call you back.¡±


    As he hangs up, I pick up a nearby statue and throw it at him. He steps back, raising his hands, but he doesn¡¯t stop me.


    I pick up and throw picture frames, awards, decorations¡­ Anything that I can destroy, throw at him, or throw around as I scream what an asshole he is. I don¡¯t know how long I am there as I continue to tell him what a user he is. That I had loved him. That he said he loved me.


    Eventually, I sink to my knees and sob into my hands.


    He still doesn¡¯t say anything immediately, and I look up at him, knowing my mascara is streaking down my face.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t make you do anything you didn¡¯t want to,¡± he says with a smirk.


    A chill settles over me. He doesn¡¯t care about stuff. I could burn his apartment to the ground. It doesn¡¯t matter because I¡¯ve already given him everything he needs to hurt my family.


    I leave and drive around momentarily before stopping at central park. As kids, Romero and Helena would often bring us here for family pics. I remember feeling so included and loved in everything. I sit on a bench and sniff, wiping my eyes on the back of my hand. Passersby give me weird looks, but I don¡¯t move until I feel a heavy weight; someone has sat down next to me.


    I don¡¯t look up until the most unexpected voice starts speaking next to me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up about it. I once ratted out one of my cousins to an undercover cop for doing drugs.¡±


    I look at Alessandro and shake my head. ¡°it¡¯s not the same.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still just a kid, Shirls. He took advantage of that. He took advantage of the fact he has more experience in life than you, and you can¡¯t hate yourself for that. And I promise, Papa doesn¡¯t hate you either. He will forgive you, and you will still work within the family.¡±


    My shoulders shake as I hold back more tears. ¡°I feel like such a fool.¡±


    ¡°Love does that,¡± he looks out at the park. ¡°Which is probably why I¡¯ll never get married and have kids.¡±


    ¡°That makes you a shit catholic,¡± I say quietly, and he chuckles.


    I feel his arm around my shoulders. ¡°These horrible things that happen to us, you have to take this experience and let it harden you a little and teach you how dirty people are. So you grow into a force to be reckoned with, Shirls. You have that power. You just have to tap into it.¡±


    I rest my head on his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re the best big brother.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± He chuckles.


    Present Day


    We spend most of the day in the office working until mid-afternoon when Evgenii keeps disappearing. Eventually, when evening falls, my curiosity wins out. ¡°Okay, what are you up to that you keep disappearing?¡±


    He smiles. ¡°My chef needed instructions. I was actuallying to get you for dinner.¡±


    I raise an eyebrow. ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    I get up and gingerly follow him outside to where he¡¯s prepared a beautiful-looking table with a roast chicken, various vegetables, rice, potatoes, and gravy. All my favoritefort foods remind me of Nonna¡¯s kitchen when we were on winter break.


    He lights the candles and pulls my chair out for me. ¡°This is a nice surprise.¡±


    ¡°I promised to treat you right,¡± he says with a big smile. ¡°So this seemed like a good start.¡±


    The meal is delicious, and Evgenii does most of the talking. I hadn¡¯t noticed how little he had spoken to me when we first met, but now he regales me with stories of Europe and Russia and his family¡¯s escapades traveling.


    ¡°That¡¯s why Nat wasn¡¯t here before. She was doing stuff in Europe with my parents. I don¡¯t know what happened that made her want toe to settle here with me, but undoubtedly she¡¯ll eventually tell me.¡±


    I haven¡¯t stopped smiling. I pretend to sip my wine and look out through the window. ¡°This has been so nice.¡±


    ¡°I would do anything for you,¡± he promises. ¡°I would die a thousand deaths if it meant I could be with you for a minute. I was a fool for not realizing that sooner.¡± His eyes shine with longing as he looks at me.


    ¡°We should get to bed,¡± I shift in my seat. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte.¡±


    I pause outside my room, and he stands just in front of me.


    ¡°Do we have to sleep apart?¡± I ask quietly.


    He looks at me, hopefully. ¡°No. We can do whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°I want toe to bed with you. Let me get some things.¡±


    I fetch what I need and follow him to his bedroom. He washes up as I brush my hair out and remove my makeup. I hear him go to bed as I get washed up. I pull out the silk nightie I smuggled into his room and slip into it and a g-string.


    I am going to ensure, no matter what, he thinks I love him, even if it means having to sleep with him.


    I guess I at least get decentlyid.


    I fluff up my hair and check my breath before Ie out of the bathroom.


    He¡¯s reading a book, and it¡¯s a moment before he realizes I haven¡¯t walked to the bed. He nces up, and I see him swallow.


    ¡°I forgot you had a thing for silk,¡± he says quietly.


    I nod. ¡°I always have. I love the way it feels on my skin.¡± I slowly and deliberately run a hand up the side of my nightie, lifting it slightly so he can see the front of the redcy g-string.


    He shifts in bed, adjusting the nkets.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I say, tilting my head to the side. ¡°I want to.¡±


    He licks his lips slowly, and I give him the sexiest smile I can manage. ¡°Move the nket away. I want to see that you want me too.¡±


    He throws the nk off him, his dick pitching a tent in his boxers.


    ¡°Pull it out,¡± I say quietly. ¡°You know, I haven¡¯t¡­ Not since us.¡±


    He lets out a little groan, and I can¡¯t lie, it makes me a little wet too. I squeeze my legs together as he rests back and pulls his hard, thick, veinced cock out of his boxers.


    My breath catches, and I grin. ¡°Really happy to see me.¡±


    He slowly strokes himself, his eyes locked on mine as I speak, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m still sore, so I want you to be gentle.¡±


    ¡°I will do whatever you want,¡± he murmurs.


    I raise my hands to cup my breasts, easily finding and teasing my nipples through the fabric. I swap, letting my left hand tease my left breast while my other hand snakes between my legs and rubs between my lips. The material is soaking.


    ¡°Shirley¡­you¡¯re driving me insane.¡±


    I smirk and stop, slowly walking over to him. ¡°I can¡¯t be on top. My scrapes are still healing. You¡¯re going to have to¡­¡±


    He shifts over. ¡°Get in.¡±Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    I giggle and slide into bed, lying down.


    Evgenii carefully settles between my legs, and I pull him down, whispering in his ear. ¡°Skip the forey. I want toe.¡±


    He rests his head next to mine, and I smile against his cheek. He raises his head and reaches down, tugging the redce to the side. It creates more pressure in my groin, and my lips arepletely dry as he guides the thick mushroom head of his cock between my lips, then slowly up and down. I shift my hips, trying to raise them.


    ¡°I need you to lube up my dick,¡± he murmurs, ¡°so I don¡¯t hurt you.¡±


    I tip my hair back, and he takes the opportunity to kiss me and bite my neck.


    He then kisses me deeply while at the same time spreading my hole as he enters me. He¡¯s always been a little too big, but I like it that way.


    He pushes slowly into me and pauses, keeping his weight on his arms. His tongue dances with mine, sliding into my mouth and tasting every inch of me.


    I know I¡¯m supposed to¡­ God, this feels so good as he slowly pulls out and pushes back in. I bend my legs so my knees are in the air, but my feet are t on the bed. It gives him a good angle, and I whimper as he fills me to the brim.


    He bnces on one hand, and with the other, he pulls down my nightie so my breasts pop out. This nightie is tighter than my usual ones, and my breasts arerger and more sensitive because of the pregnancy, so the fabric binds my breasts and makes them bulge even more. He gently ys with one breast while his mouth finds the other nipple. God.


    ¡°God,¡± I cry out. ¡°Oh yes. Yes.¡±


    He moves a little harder and sparks jump through my body. I¡¯m filled with a tingling sensation as he continues to trail his hand all over my skin. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the pregnancy, the gentleness, or how he¡¯s submitted to me entirely, but I don¡¯t have words to describe how amazing I feel right now.


    He doesn¡¯t stop, and he doesn¡¯te. He ces feather kisses on every inch of skin his mouth can reach and whispers sweet nothings in my ear.


    ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy you¡¯re mine.¡±


    ¡°I love you so much.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re perfect in every way.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re like a drug.¡±


    I shift and start bucking my hips to meet his. It¡¯s too much. The pressure is too much. I¡¯ve never felt an orgasm build up so hard in me. My pussy starts to flex around his cock, and now, only now, he starts moving faster. His hot breathes in quick short bursts in my ear. In between, he whispers, ¡°Do it. Come with me, Shirley. Own me.¡±


    I buck my hips a little harder and then hold them up as my pussypletely mps down on his cock. I can feel his cum inside of me, and I cry out desperately as my own body releases, and I squirt against him. It feels like forever as we are tangled in this intense orgasm.


    He rxes a little, and so do I, though it feels now like my vagina pulsates with life and is the most sensitive it¡¯s ever been.


    I try to take a deep calming breath, and he rests beside me, breathing hard.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± I murmur.

 #7 Chapter 22

    Evgenii


    I stir slowly, feeling Shirley curled up in front of me. I¡¯m spooning her and have to gently extract myself without waking her. The sun hasn¡¯t quite risen yet as I shower and dress. An idea urred to me as we were falling asleep, and I¡¯m d I still remembered it this morning.


    I go to the kitchen and put the coffee machine on before going to my office. I quietly edit my proposal, lowering what I have to offer so that I can ensure that the Sorvinos, and therefore Shirley, win Staten Ind.


    I make sure to keep a copy of the original so that Shirley thinks I¡¯m still matching her. I want to give this to her, though, and the only thing I have to do is get Ivan on board.


    I know he isn¡¯t going to be happy. Because of Ivan¡¯s age and quietness, everyone thinks he¡¯s gentle. He¡¯s ruthless and constantly works toward advancing his family first. He will torture, murder, kidnap, and extort anyone to get what he wants. He¡¯s just not as public about it as other families.


    I hear the shower going, and I print everything, putting the original proposal in one folder and keeping it on my desk while cing the other in another folder and slipping it into my briefcase.


    I answer some emails while she showers, and when she emerges, she looks a lot more sleepy than I expected. In fact, she looks exhausted. I get up, walk to her, ce my hands on her butt cheeks, and pull her against me. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, good morning.¡± She leans up and kisses me softly.


    I sigh as I return the kiss, holding her firmly. Once we break the kiss, I grin. ¡°Coffee should be ready. You can have some while I fry some eggs and bacon for breakfast.¡±


    She rests her head on my chest for a moment, and I treasure it. My body feels as though I¡¯m being inted with happiness.


    We eventually move to the kitchen. She sits at the ind counter while I make breakfast and drink coffee. We enjoy the silence. It¡¯s not awkward or strange-just a calm, peaceful silence.


    I serve her breakfast and sit beside her. ¡°Do you have any ns for today?¡±


    ¡°I want to see Alessandro to confirm everything in the proposal is fine,¡± she says between bites. I can¡¯t help as my eyes trail down to her breasts, which seem to be straining under her top.


    ¡°Are you listening?¡±


    I give her a goofy grin. ¡°I am. Just. Everything about you turns me on.¡±


    She rolls her eyes, and I chuckle. ¡°Listen, with everything happening, at least take one of my guards with you. In fact, I insist because we don¡¯t know if you were the main target of that bombing or not.¡±


    She raises her eyebrow. ¡°Uh, okay. That¡¯s fine. I didn¡¯t actually think of that.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be scared, just sensible.¡± I go back to my breakfast.


    My staff wash the dishes as we gather our things to leave. ¡°I am going to Ivan to give him my copy of the proposal, so let me know once you¡¯re done. Maybe we can do something.¡±


    I lean down and kiss her on the lips, lingering for a moment before pulling away. ¡°Please be safe.¡±


    ¡°You too,¡± she says, smiling at me.


    She leaves just before me. I watch my guard Konstantin drive her out, and then I get in my car with Gregori. I practice what I¡¯m going to say to Ivan over and over in my head until we pull up to his house, which is almost like a fortress now.


    He¡¯s in the office when I walk in, and I feel nervous. ¡°Pakhan,¡± I greet him. ¡°Where¡¯s Tori and Roman?¡±


    ¡°Outside ying on his new yground thing,¡± he says, not looking up from his papers. ¡°Did you find out who¡¯s behind these attacks?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m working on it.¡± I have never been this nervous around Ivan. ¡°But I have a draft of the proposal for Don Pacheco that I¡¯d like you to review. Preferably with an open mind.¡±


    Thatst sentence makes him look up, eyebrows furrowed. He holds his hand out, and I give him the folder from my briefcase, watching him sit back and read the paper.


    His frown continues to deepen as he goes through the text. ¡°This is a fucking terrible proposal,¡± he looks up at me angrily. ¡°Ettore Pacheco will be insulted by this. Where is your brain?¡±


    I take a deep breath and recite what I¡¯ve been practicing. ¡°Ivan, I haven¡¯t asked you for anything. Nothing that I haven¡¯t worked for in all the years I¡¯ve loyally served you. But please give me this.¡±


    Understanding dawns on his face, and he tosses the folder to his desk. ¡°Are you insane?¡±


    He stands up, and I flinch, sure he is going to strike me.


    ¡°What is it with this woman that you would want to give up one of the most prime run spots, already set up, already making money, to her family?¡±


    He storms past me and to the window, where he pours himself a drink, sipping on it slowly. ¡°Evgenii, you are my favorite cousin, everyone knows it, but I can¡¯t let you be my second inmand if you let your feelings rule your gut.¡±


    I don¡¯t say anything because I know the weight of what I¡¯m asking him.


    The silence is long and painful, and I know Ivan is trying to make a decision. I console myself with the fact I¡¯m still alive, and he¡¯s at least considering it


    I see he¡¯s staring off, and I follow his line of sight to where Tori is helping Rowan climb and slide down his little stic slide. They¡¯reughing together.


    My cousin sighs, and his shoulders fall. ¡°Fine.¡±


    I look at him optimistically.


    ¡°You deserve happiness, and I want you to be family. I do all this to ensure my family¡¯s happiness and prosperity. Otherwise, there¡¯s no point. But Evgenii Volkov,¡± he looks at me seriously, and a shiver runs down my back, ¡°don¡¯t turn this into a habit. I¡¯m happy with our unity with the Sorvinos and our other allies, but it¡¯s foolish to give them what is rightfully ours.¡±


    I bow my head. ¡°You are a great Pahkan, father, and cousin. Thank you, Ivan.¡±


    ¡°Get out of here before I change my mind,¡± he grumbles. ¡°I have other things to attend to.¡±


    Somehow I know he wants to spend time with his family.


    I leave the house buoyant, knowing I can do this for Shirley. This could make up for how I used her, giving this to her family to make up for what I took.


    I¡¯m practically bouncing in the car on the way home, and Gregori seems amused. There¡¯s a traffic jam a few miles from the house, and I settle back, looking out the window.


    ¡°Turn on the news. Maybe they are announcing what¡¯s causing the backup,¡± I say.


    Gregori turns the radio on and finds a station broadcasting the news.


    The presenter simply says that the area is backed up for an unknown reason and to avoid going through those roads. I roll my eyes. ¡°Americans. Why don¡¯t they just say what¡¯s happened? Always so mysterious.¡±


    Gregori shrugs. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s the secret to their power.¡±


    I chuckle. ¡°Maybe.¡±


    The traffic is backed up all the way to my road, which is closed off with police tape. My heart flops as Gregori pulls up and is approached by a patrolman. ¡°You can¡¯t go into an active crime scene, sir. Only residents are allowed through to their homes.¡±


    Gregori points down the road. ¡°We live down there, one of therger gated houses.¡±


    The patrolman nods and lifts the tape over the car as Gregori drives forward slowly. There are marked and unmarked vehicles outside my house, and I tell Gregori to park outside.


    I get out and hurry toward the house. I recognize one of the detectives who immediately stops me. ¡°Evgenii, they¡¯re not going to let you in.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s my sister?¡± I ask immediately. ¡°Natalia. Where is she?¡±


    The detective shakes his head. ¡°They¡¯re still going through the house.¡±


    I pull out my phone and dial Nat¡¯s number. As I call her, I stare at the bodies littering the yard. ¡°Pick up. Pick up.¡±


    My heart flutters when I hear her voice. ¡°Hey, Ev, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Natalia, where are you?¡± I ask immediately, my eyes darting from body to body.


    I can hear the sound of people in the background as she speaks. ¡°Shopping with Anastasia for a party she wants me to go to. We won¡¯t be long.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯te back to the house. Go to Ivan¡¯s and¡­¡±


    My eyes fall on Konstantin¡¯s body, and I realize what this attack is about.


    ¡°Ev?¡±


    I hang up and dial Shirley.


    It goes straight to voice mail.


    No. Not when I just got her back.


    I dial her again, but it rings off.


    My heart beats harder, and sweat forms on my face.


    Donald, the detective, puts a hand on my back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve made sure the case is getting no press, and the file will be conveniently lost. You don¡¯t have to stress about anything. I owe you for getting my ass out of the firest year.¡±


    I nod mutely and say, ¡°I should go so you can do your job.¡±


    I don¡¯t want to tell him about Shirley.


    But I need to find her.

 #7 Chapter 23

    Shirley


    Earlier in the Morning


    As the car pulls out of the property, I tap Konstantin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s an appointment I have before my meeting with Alessandro. Just my yearly check-up with my gynecologist.¡±


    He nods, and I give him the address I¡¯ve memorized off my phone. Dr. Green is not my usual gynecologist because, of course, she is on the West Coast, but I need to do my first proper scan of the baby and start learning what I¡¯m in for.


    I know I need to decide whether I¡¯m telling Evgenii or if Alessandro has something to say about it, but I will deal with that after the Staten Ind deal is finalized.


    Konstantin waits for me in the lobby as I take the elevator to the third floor. After filling in the usual new patient forms and waiting a while, the receptionist, Fiona, leads me into a room.


    ¡°You can change here. Everything you need is there. The doctor wille in five minutes to assist you,¡± she smiles and goes out of the room, shutting the door behind her.


    I get undressed and into the gown they¡¯ve provided. I leave just my socks on.


    Dr. Green is lovely and very calming. I actually think she¡¯s nicer than my doctor back home. She does the scan and shows me the tiny sesame seed that is my baby.


    She talks me through pre-natal care and how I must schedule my appointments for what weeks. She also gives me a lot of reading material, and I am grateful.


    After seeing me off and getting dressed, I pay Fiona for the consultation and put the reading material in my purse. I don¡¯t want Konstantin to see it.


    As I step out of the elevator, I¡¯m surprised to see Mikhail walking into the lobby. I¡¯m also instantly suspicious. Mikhail seems surprised to see me as he walks over. ¡°Shirley, such a pleasure to see you on your feet.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    ¡°Thank you, recovery is going well,¡± I say, ncing at Konstantin, watching us like a hawk.


    ¡°You muste past my condo sometime. I breed peacocks and would love to take you on a tour of my bird sanctuary I¡¯m slowly filling.¡± He shes me a charming smile, and I return it.


    ¡°Oh, no, sorry. I¡¯m allergic to birds,¡± I lie. ¡°But perhaps another time, maybe for coffee.¡±


    ¡°You have my number,¡± he walks away from me, and I hurry to Konstantin so we can leave.


    I can¡¯t rx. I know in my gut that seeing Mikhail was not an ident, and I consider phoning Evgenii or Alessandro. I nce behind us and see a sedan with dark-tinted windows pull into traffic rather suddenly, right behind us.


    As we slowly move through traffic, I keep an eye on them before my nerves get the best of me. ¡°I think we¡¯re being followed.¡±


    Konstantin nods. ¡°We are. I didn¡¯t want to rm you. We¡¯re going back to the house where there are more guards to provide backup.¡±


    I nod, settling back. I¡¯m still uneasy but d Evgenii¡¯s men are organized.


    He weaves through traffic until we¡¯re at a good cruising speed, driving straight to the house. The sedan doesn¡¯t relent, staying on our tail. I¡¯m worried they will try pushing us off the road or worse.


    I can see the gates are open as soon as we turn into the road, and Konstant swears under his breath. I gasp as we realize our mistake toote.


    Evgenii¡¯s guards are shooting at enemies as we pull in. The sedan pulls in behind us, blocking us in. Konstantin shouts, ¡°Stay in the car.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t go,¡± I shout. I would prefer he bashed his way back into the street, but he gets out of the car, gun in hand, and a bullet flies through his head. Blood and brains stter everywhere.


    I stay low as I slide out of the car, hoping to get somewhere safe before anyone sees me. I crawl toward the nts that line the garden, hoping I can hide there when someone suddenly grabs me from behind and pulls me into the sedan. I try to fight off the assant, but cloth is ced firmly over my mouth, and I know what¡¯s next.


    Complete darkness.


    I groan in pain as my head pounds. I can¡¯t seem to ce what¡¯s happening. I¡¯m lying on something soft. I dry heave and sit up at the same time, but I don¡¯t open my eyes. I still feel like I¡¯m spinning, and I breathe deeply through my nose and out my mouth. I shiver and blink my eyes open.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry you¡¯re not feeling well from being sedated, it really isn¡¯t the most pleasant thing to wake up from, and I do apologize if you were scared of the attack on Mr. Volkov¡¯s property.¡±


    I look up to see a young, rather gaunt man standing next to a firece, looking at the fire as though making sure it¡¯s doing its job.


    I recognize him instantly. His name is Pietro Pacheco, Ettore¡¯s youngest son.


    ¡°You see, I didn¡¯t appreciate that my father thinks he can just hand off the family business to another family because he thinks his children can¡¯t handle it. Then he still expects us to work for whatever family he chooses, as though we haven¡¯t worked hard enough helping him build his little¡­. ind.¡±


    I frown and put a hand on my stomach. ¡°Pietro, even if you have to work for another family, if you work hard enough, and I¡¯m sure you will, you¡¯ll rise in rank as well.¡±


    ¡°No one born outside of a family ever rises that high in rank,¡± he spits. ¡°If you¡¯re not blood, you¡¯re nothing.¡±


    I shake my head, then stop because it makes me want to heave again. ¡°That¡¯s bullshit. I wasn¡¯t born into the Sorvino family, and now I run the entire West Coast and all territories the family controls there. I¡¯m not blood, but they treat me like I¡¯m family. It¡¯s loyalty they reward, not birthright.¡±


    Pietro scoffs. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that the Sorvino family does seem to have a soft spot for you, which is why I¡¯m going to hold you hostage. I¡¯m sure if you¡¯re as important as you say, they won¡¯t take issue with meeting my demands.¡±


    ¡°Pietro, I wouldn¡¯t challenge the Sorvino family, especially because they¡¯re united with the Volkov and Rossi families.¡± I stare at him. ¡°They will end you.¡±


    Pietro chuckles and sighs. ¡°Oh, Shirley, no. See, I have also united with another family, and they are just as interested as I am in bringing down this little coalition that deems themselves the overseers of all families. Alessandro and Ivan will be brought to their knees.¡±


    I¡¯m feeling better, but I don¡¯t move. I don¡¯t want to give him an excuse to hurt me and my baby that he doesn¡¯t know about.


    He looks at the watch on his arm and nods. ¡°Right, I have to go. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to lock you in here. I don¡¯t want you wandering around and getting out. Don¡¯t worry, though. I¡¯ll send you something to eat and drink to settle your stomach.¡±


    I¡¯m not sure what look he¡¯s aiming for with his pained, forced smile, but he does stride out of the room. I hear the lock clicking in ce.


    I move carefully so as not to trigger my gag reflex, and I test the windows. They¡¯re all sealed shut, but I notice even if I could open them, I¡¯m on at least the third story of a huge mansion. I can¡¯t see many houses around so we must be away from the city center.


    I look around for something I can use as a weapon, but there aren¡¯t many choices. There are a lot of paintings, and I consider breaking the canvas of one to get the wood out to use as a sort of club, but I feel like it won¡¯t do much damage.


    I need something sharp, but if I break a window, I¡¯m sure someone will hear. I doubt he just left me here. He probably has guards outside my room.


    I look around again, and my eyes fall on a wide-brimmed vase. I look at the scatter cushions on the sofa, and I go to them, pulling a cushion out of its cover. I put the vase inside the cover and put it on the floor. I gingerly step on the vase to break it within the cushion and wait to see if anyone heard the noise.


    I pick up the cushion and take out a long jagged piece of ss.


    I sit down and rip up the cloth from another cushion, it¡¯s hard, and my arms ache, but adrenaline courses through my veins.


    I use the strips to wrap around the base of the ss so that I can wield it without cutting my hand, at least not badly.


    I¡¯m not sure if this is going to do, but it really is the only option I have. I go to wait by the door, listening carefully for footsteps. I try to steady my breathing and remember what Evgenii¡¯s breath sounded like in my ear in bed and a pit forms in my stomach.


    I shake off the thoughts and steady myself. I might be standing here awhile. I press my ear to the wooden door and listen with everything I have for the footsteps of anyoneing to this room.

 #7 Chapter 24

    Evgenii


    As Gregori drives from the property, I call Ivan¡¯s phone. He doesn¡¯t answer, it just rings. I tell Gregori to head for his house, he¡¯s probably not near his phone or trying to arrange something.


    When we pull up to the house, I run inside and nearly bowl Tori over. ¡°Evgenii, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    I am frantic as I say, ¡°Shirley¡¯s been kidnapped. I need Ivan to give me men to go find her.¡±


    Tori¡¯s eyes widen. ¡°He isn¡¯t here. He said he had a meeting.¡±


    ¡°Did he say where?¡± I ask, running a hand through my hair. I can¡¯t think straight. I know it¡¯s that fucking Mikhail who¡¯s behind this. Even if Ivan doesn¡¯t believe me, I can¡¯t rule him out as the most likely suspect.


    Tori shakes her. ¡°He didn¡¯t say. He just told me to stay here, not to go out anywhere because it¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    I nod. ¡°Okay¡­ Okay.¡±


    ¡°Go to Alessandro,¡± she says suddenly.


    Yes, Shirley is like a sister to him. He must know by now she¡¯s taken. He¡¯s the next best person to help me, even if I¡¯m acting erratic.


    I get to the house, and a guardes out of it as I walk quickly toward it. ¡°Evgenii, calm down.¡±


    ¡°Is he here?¡±


    He steps aside, and something tells me Alessandro is expecting me. I vaguely recall where his office is, and my attention is quickly caught by the sound of Ivan speaking to someone. I walk in that direction and into his study.


    Alessandro and Ivan both look at me, calm and collected.


    This pisses me off, so I storm forward. ¡°Have you any idea what¡¯s happening? Shirley¡¯s been taken! A dozen of our finest men have been ughtered. My house looks like a horror film. Give me men, give me the best soldiers from both families, and I¡¯ll go find Mikhail and ring his fucking neck until he tells me where she is.¡±


    Ivan gives me a harsh look. ¡°Remember your ce, Evgenii.¡±


    I clench my fists, but I don¡¯t respond.


    I watch as Alessandro gets up from his table and walks to a small table to his left. He pours some expensive-looking whiskey into a ss andes to me. ¡°Come sit down.¡±


    I know they¡¯re trying to keep me calm, but I don¡¯t want to be calm. The woman I love has been kidnapped. I can¡¯t step out of line, though, so I take the ss and take a huge gulp.


    Alessandro doesn¡¯t seem surprised and sits back down, crossing his legs. ¡°We¡¯ve already got our best men on the street scouring for any clue. Shirley isn¡¯t like my sister. She is my sister, as much as Arianna is, and I will do whatever is necessary to find her and bring her home where we can keep her safe.¡±


    I look at Ivan as he sips his own drink, nodding while Alessandro speaks. ¡°We also need to manage damage control for the mass shooting at your property. I suggest we sell it and move you somewhere safer. Your days of anonymity at that address are clearly over.¡±


    I look at Ivan incredulously. He¡¯s worried about damage control. ¡°Mikhail is instigating this. The truces with our two families are just a ruse. I would stake my life on it.¡±


    Ivan looks at Alessandro as the younger man speaks. ¡°I also think Mikhail is running this. The man is just¡­ too present at the moment. Especially where Shirley is involved, but¡­¡± he pauses as I down the rest of my drink, ¡°I think he¡¯s doing this against his father¡¯s wishes. Rumor is that his father is back as Don because Mikhail was basically bankrupting the family with parties, drugs, and prostitutes.¡±


    I turn back to Ivan, feeling like I¡¯m the tennis ball between two yers looking back and forth. ¡°Personally, I don¡¯t think Mikhail would have the balls to betray his father. The man¡¯s love for puncture wounds, salt, and lemon juice are legendary is his fondness for slowly burning the skin off with acid.¡± He says it so casually, and I¡¯m not surprised because I¡¯ve heard the same thing. ¡°But Alessandro believes he is cunning enough to work through others to achieve what he wants.¡±


    Alessandro gets up and collects our sses for a refill. ¡°If you¡¯re wondering why we¡¯re calm, Dominic and Carmine are tracking down the little asshole right now. Once they know where the little rat has holed up, they will pick him up. We can then extract what information we need from him and return him to his family to be dealt with.¡±


    I put my head in my hands. ¡°If they hurt her¡­¡±


    ¡°Evgenii, I give my word, I will find Shirley before any harmes to her or the baby.¡±


    I almost get whish from looking up so quickly. ¡°Baby? Shirle¡¯s pregnant?¡±


    ¡°So many pregnant women, sometimes I mistake who¡¯s pregnant and who¡¯s not,¡± Alessandro tries to backtrack as casually as he can, but I see Ivan doesn¡¯t buy it either and looks at his business partner knowingly.


    Alessandro sighs. ¡°I promised Shirley that I wouldn¡¯t tell you she¡¯s pregnant. She wants to tell you herself.¡±


    I¡¯m bbergasted. Of all the surprises that have been sprung on me over my forty years of life, I never thought of myself as a father.


    But that just cements that I need to be the one to save her.


    I put my ss down with a thunk and practically leap from the armchair I¡¯m sitting in, but before I can even consider raising my voice, Ivan snaps, ¡°Sit down, Evgenii, you¡¯re no good riled up, and you won¡¯t solve any problems going in half-cocked.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    ¡°I need to do something,¡± I plead with him. ¡°Waiting for something to happen will drive me mad. You know this, Ivan. You have a wife and children you adore.¡±


    Before Ivan can respond, there¡¯s a loud knock on the open door, and we all look at Carmine standing there with Dominic.


    ¡°We have CCTV footage that proves Mikhail was thest person to speak to Shirley. She went for an appointment with a Dr. Green, then she spoke to him in the lobby, and finally she got into the car and was followed to the house,¡± he exins. ¡°We got the tes of the car that followed them, and you won¡¯t believe this power move, but it belongs to the Pacheco family.¡±


    I nce at Ivan as he stands up and buttons his suit jacket. ¡°Alessandro can gather his men and go to the Pacheco mansion. It¡¯s barely protected because they¡¯re so remote. Also, they don¡¯t think we know, so they won¡¯t expect an assault of any kind. If I were a gambling man, I would bet that is where Shirley is being held. Carmine, Evgenii, and Dominic can take some of my men and go pay back the Pacheco family for their kindness by attacking the biggest drug-distributing houses that belong to them. Kill anyone who¡¯s armed. We will send a message that our families are not to be trifled with.¡±


    He looks at Alessandro, who nods. ¡°Except I doubt Evgenii wants to go anywhere but the Pacheco mansion.¡±


    He¡¯s right. I want to be in on that, and I want to get Shirley back. I look at Ivan, who nods. ¡°Don¡¯t let your emotions cloud your judgment.¡±


    Alessandro smirks as he stands next to Ivan. ¡°Oh, I have no doubt Evgenii will kill everyst person in that house.¡±


    I look at them, clenching my jaw. ¡°Do you have weapons?¡±


    Alessandro chuckles. ¡°Do I have weapons?¡±


    He starts walking, followed by Ivan and the others. I follow. He leads us out the back door and toward arge building. There are three on the property that I can see from where I¡¯m standing. The other two buildings look like cottages, so probably family members that live here. The third looks like a vast storage unit with guards surrounding it. A guard scans a card, and his fingerprint and the big garage door rolls up.


    The lightse on automatically as we walk into what is definitely an armory stocked well enough for a small city coup.


    Alessandro holds his arms open. ¡°Bags are in the back with the body armor. Tech will be provided from another location by Carmine. Help yourselves, except for that little enclosure in the back. That is my personal collection.¡±


    Ivan and I curiously walk over to see some fast-action revolvers, somewhat over-the-top-looking guns, and Ivan chuckles. ¡°Not bad. You shoulde to mypound sometime. I¡¯ll give you a tour of our stock.¡±


    We spread out, and I pick up a bag, and after selecting several handguns, I start loading the bag with ammo. Then I load the guns and put them in the holsters I secure to my body.


    When I¡¯m done, I walk to the entrance, where most of the team is waiting for me. Alessandro raises an eyebrow. ¡°You really are going to kill everyone in that mansion.¡±


    I nod thoughtfully. ¡°Every person there knows Shirley is being held captive, possibly being hurt. They all will pay for not having a part in freeing her.¡±


    We walk out of the storage building that starts to lock up.


    I¡¯ming, Shirley.

 Chapter 1.

    ¡°The rules are still the same, Liam. If you want my throne then find a girl. Say I do in front of a priest. Fuck her and then the throne is yours.¡±


    Liam clenched and unclenched his hand on the paperweight trying to control the rage busting inside him while listening to his father, the current Don of Montreal crime family.


    His hands itched, to kill someone, anyone, him! But again,


    He reminded himself that the man was his boss and his father. Liam knight might be a twisted man but even he had certain limits. He respected the man, it¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t like what his father was suggesting.


    ¡°You will turn thirty this year. Time is slipping Liam. Find the girl or let me find one for you?¡±


    Liam eyes his father. ¡°You found one for yourself, she ended up six feet under the ground, I think I will pass on that offer.¡±


    Ryan only chuckled, a glint came to his eyes. ¡°Jealous that you couldn¡¯t say goodbye to your mama onest time.¡±This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Liam only raised a brow. As if it mattered to the man who killed his own wife brutally and Liam understood it, clearly. The woman deserved to die, no one could remain alive when you fed information to cops. She wanted to run away from them, Liam understood it better than Ralph, his brother because it was him who found his mother cheating on his father when the manwhore was fu**ing loyal to his wife.


    In the end, She got what she deserved. Death!


    Ryanughed! Heughed but Liam would not be Liam if he couldn¡¯t see that the man was still not over it. His wife. Why else would he not have married another woman? Simple, he couldn¡¯t give her ce to anyone else.


    Even dead, the woman still ys with his mind.


    ¡°I have something for you,¡± Ryan said.


    Liam frowned, his fingers drumming the ck mahogany desk, waiting for his father to proceed. He then ced some pictures on the desk, in front of Liam.


    Liam¡¯s eyes stopped on the pictures of a girl, a beautiful girl with blonde hair, ocean blue eyes, sharp cheek and that luscious curvy figure of her. The girl was pure perfection. Liam could feel the blood rushing into his male part.


    Liam knight desired her, he could feel himself drowning in her warmth.


    Ryan gave him another crooked smile.¡± calm your di*k, son, she is not that easy to get! Don¡¯t you want to know who she is?¡± He asked, gesturing at the pictures.


    ¡°The only thing I know is that this is going to be my new mistress¡­¡± Liam chuckled, eyes still on those pouty lips. He could imagine his cock in her mouth.


    ¡°She won¡¯t be your mistress but your wife, Liam. Marry her, fuck her and rule the heart of Canada.¡±


    Ever so slowly, Liam raised his eyes and settled them on his father¡¯s. He leaned forward, ¡°I won¡¯t marry only to fuck a girl¡­¡±


    ¡°She is Ethan King¡¯s daughter. Aurora King and the only way to control Ethan and his territory. You are lucky that she is pretty to look at, she could be an ugly duckling.¡± Ryan jabbed. He could see the wheels running in his son¡¯s mind.


    Ethan king¡¯s daughter. Liam knew what that meant. She was off-limits. Her father was a cruel man. It¡¯s not like Liam feared him, oh not at all, he just respected the man, he was also aware of Ethan¡¯s influences and power. He was someone who could not be taken lightly and the other reason was sitting in front of him. His father considered Ethan his friend.


    ¡°There is another way to rule the territory¡­¡± Liam still jibed, just to see his father¡¯s reaction.


    The smile on Ryan¡¯s face vanished. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it. He is a friend, there are things you don¡¯t know and I want them to remain that way.¡± Ryan sighed, calming his own beastly anger.


    ¡°I know you want to rule the mafia world, for that you need to win the heart of it. This is your chance, Ethan had no better choice than you. He would agree to the alliance, I am sure of it. Make your decisions calmly, son because your time is running away,¡± Saying that Ryan left.


    Liam gritted his jaw. Time was certainly running away. Getting married was never in his mind and now his throne depends on this marriage.


    He picked the picture of that blonde temptress, his eyes sharpened as they took in every single detail of her body. That curvy body, that¡¯s exactly how he liked his woman. His feral body was throbbing with need. A fierce need to im the temptress aroused inside him. She was the wet dream of every teenager.


    He put the picture back on the desk when a knock sounded on his door.


    ¡°Enter,¡± he ordered, his brother Ralph entered with a fuck-off look on his face. Liam¡¯s mind stiffened. Again, the bad news as if it would ever end.


    He waited for his brother to recite the reason for being in a spoiled mood and then his hands twitched. They twitched for violence when his brother told him. ¡°ess denied.¡±


    ¡°Who denied the ess?¡± Liam knight asked his brother Ralph once again even though he never did that, asking the same question twice.


    ¡°Who other than Ethan King? This is the third time he denied ess to our shipment, Liam. He wants us to pay him fifty per cent of our profit to import drugs in his territory,¡± Ralph muttered.


    Liam fisted the paperweight in his hand. Tightly, so tightly that his knuckles turned white and why not when he was seething in a hot raging fury.


    He needed to calm down because Ethan king was not someone who could be dealt with lightly.


    If it was anyone else instead of Ethan he would have gone to that bastard¡¯s territory and killed that man for denying Liam knight but no, Ethan was not someone else. He was the strongest man in Churchill, the man who even at the age of fifty, still ruled over his territory like a king. His name certainly justifies his character. He was truly the King of Churchill and he ruled like one.


    But Ethan forgot one thing that in every story the knight has the power to overthrow the king. So, better one must not mess with the knight and certainly not with Liam knight.


    ¡°If he is asking for war then who am I to deny it to him? He denied the ess when I gave that man the respect he deserves but now I will give him what he wants!¡± Liam chuckled as his one lip tugged upward.


    Now, Liam would himself go to Churchill and deliver the drug, personally. But the question arises why would he go there himself when he had hundreds of people under him to do the deed.


    The answer was simple. To prove his point, he would go into Ethan¡¯s territory to warn the man that his actions would lead him to trouble. The trouble with the Vancouver crime family of which Liam was going to be the next boss.


    Second, he respects Ethan enough to give that man onest chance to stop the war and not to miss that Liam knight was interested in Ethan¡¯s most precious thing.


    His daughter, Aurora King!

 Chapter 2

    On the other hand


    Ethan king took a long puff of his cigar and released the smoke. He was enjoying the painful screams of that Mexican spy who was crying, begging to stop the torture but he should have thought about it before stepping the foot in his territory.


    You enter the Lion¡¯s den. You end up dead. Shredded into pieces but the man didn¡¯t think about it or he would not have dared to enter his streets.


    The Mexicans had be a pain in the ass. They forgot what Ethan did to their boss two years ago. How brutally he was killed.  It seems another reminder was needed. This time the man who will die would be Juan, the current boss of the Mexican cartel, Le Eme.


    ¡°He is ready to speak, boss,¡± Thomas said, wiping his bloody hand with a white towel. Ethan eyed the man critically.


    ¡°Make sure the towels are ck from the next time,¡± he ordered his right-hand man.


    White was the colour of innocence and righteousness and there was only one thing in his life which represented innocence and purity. His daughter and he would be damned if he would let anything which symbolises his daughter get tarnished.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    He might be the dark king with a dark soul but his daughter was pure and innocent and he wanted her to remain that way.  Pure like an Angel.


    Ethan sat in front of the man, his face was bruised and beaten like a pulp. Blood dripped from every corner of his mouth. Blood and flesh.


    Ethan fisted that man¡¯s hair in a painful grip. The cigar is still loosely hanging between his teeth.


    ¡°Speak.¡± He ordered. The man spit near his shoe and earned a punch in his jaw from Ethan whose eyes turned hard and violent.


    ¡°Cut every part of his body, piece by piece, in the most painful way,¡± Ethan ordered the two men standing behind the chair.


    Ethan stared directly into his captive¡¯s bloody eyes. ¡°No easy death will be granted to you.¡±  The man stiffened, Ethan king was truly the cruellest monster ruling in the mafia. He shrieked in pain as a knife pierced through his thigh and then the warehouse was once again filled with painful cries.


    One thing people should be aware of was, Ethan King was the biggest monster among other monsters. Don¡¯t enter his territory because the moment you did, the papers of your demise were signed by Ethan Knight.


    ¡°Boss, Aurora called!¡± Thomas informed Ethan and his posture changed instantly. Instead of the monstrous mafia boss, now, he was a loving father.


    ¡°What did she say?¡± He asked Thomas who raised his brows, ¡°what else except for your Jet? She wanted to go to Vancouver for some jewellery exhibition of his favourite designer with her friends.¡±


    Ethan sighed. His daughter was exactly like his wife. Naive and innocent.


    ¡°Make sure that guards were there, I want her protected all the time.¡±


    Thomas nodded. ¡°As you say boss, I don¡¯t understand why she has to struggle so much to meet this so-called designer. Order me and he will be here, on his knees by tomorrow?¡±


    Ethan shook his head before speaking. ¡°You don¡¯t know that?¡± He questioned Thomas who was not only his Right-hand man but a friend too. A friend who has been with Ethan since he married his wife, Savannah.


    Thomas fisted his hand. ¡°She is like Savi.¡± He chuckled when Savannah¡¯s face shed in his memory. They grew up together, she was his godsister.


    Thomas nodded, still missing her but what could be done now. She has been dead for the past twelve years. ¡°Ethan, there is another thing you need to know about,¡± he said as they both started walking towards Ethan¡¯s office in the warehouse.


    Once settled on their particr seats Ethan spoke. ¡°Yes,¡± he gestured to Thomas to continue.


    ¡°Ryan¡¯s son, Liam asked for permission to sell his drugs in our territory, again.¡±


    Ethan leaned back in his chair, propping his elbow on the armrest armrest of the chair, his hand loosely fisted. ¡°Agreed to pay the money?¡± He asked.


    Thomas shook his head. ¡°No, they said they had this peace treaty¡­¡±


    Ethan¡¯s lips pulled into a smile. ¡°I had that treaty with his father, not him, Thomas. Deny ess, that boy needed to learn how to show respect to the big bad Lion before taking up the throne from his father.¡±


    Thomas grinned. ¡°You and your twisted ways to remind people of their ce.¡±


    They bothughed while opening the bottle of their favourite whiskey.


    Ethan took a sip of the amber liquid from his ss. ¡°It¡¯s about teaching the young man that to rule the world you have to choose your enemies and friends cautiously. His father is a friend and I value our friendship but is Liam going to be one too.¡±


    ¡°You want to assess him before he takes over the position of next mafioso in Vancouver?¡±


    Ethan shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s see what he does next, friend or foe, his next step would define that¡­¡±


    ????


    Liam Knight was in the ne, clenching and unclenching his hand. He should be focussing on Ethan right now, but no, there was one person who was distracting him with her curves.


    Liam knight¡¯s thoughts were focused on Aurora, Ethan¡¯s daughter. He closed his eyes and her blue eyes shed in his memory.


    Liam knight has fallen in lust over the temptress known as Aurora Kings.


    ¡°F**k!¡± He cursed and gulped down his scotch in one swig. He needed to focus on his meeting with Ethan. Liam closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair, trying to take his mind off the hardness between his legs.


    But he couldn¡¯t, the throbbing was still there and getting wild with every passing second. Liam wanted to own Aurora.


    Self-control had always been the issue for him but never had he lost control like that over a woman. The throbbing in his d**k was the proof that he, for the first time lost it.


    With no other option left he called his whore, Grace to suck him off or if the throbbing didn¡¯t calm he would f**k her too, depending on her skill and Liam was aware of her skills but today he doubted them.


    Exactly, after twenty minutes he was sitting calmly with his seatbelt on as the nended. The trip was shortly nned. It would be a surprise or shock, depending upon Ethan how to take it.


    Friend or foe, Liam would soon get to know it.


    The ck Mercedes was waiting outside for him. The small packet of cocaine was stuffed in his pocket, he wanted to trade them to Victoria the only way to do that was through Yellowknife and the territory came under Ethan¡¯s control.


    It was a matter of need not want and he needed Ethan at least for now.


    On the other hand, Ethan raised his eyes to Thomas. ¡°He came to my territory.¡±


    ¡°Asked for a meeting with you, boss.¡±


    Ethan¡¯s eyebrows pulled together, ¡°asked or demanded, Thomas?¡± Ethan enquired.


    ¡°It was voiced as a request with a clear hint towards a demand. So the right word would be, he wanted you to acknowledge him as the new boss of Montreal. As your counterpart, your equal.¡±


    Ethan King threw his head back andughed. ¡°Let¡¯s meet the boy!¡± He said and Thoman¡¯s eyes widened into a grin.


    The night won¡¯t be a boring one, certainly. Oh, it would be fun, too much fun because Ethan was going to show Liam his ce in Ethan¡¯s eyes.


    But they were unaware of the fact that Liam Knight had his eyes settled on the Queen. His queen and Ethan¡¯s princess, Aurora.

 Chapter 3.

    Liam eyed the huge table between him and Ethan. He was truly the man everyone said he was, cruel and brutal.  No exaggeration, the man was the dark king of Churchill through and through.


    The respect he had for Ethan increased at this moment. After his father, he might be the only man who impressed Liam with his darkness.


    The same darkness which was inside him.


    The other man eyed Liam, assessing not only his body but soul too. Liam¡¯s confidence ingrained Ethan, he could see the same madness he once saw in his own eyes. There was only one thing different, today Ethan¡¯s body was on high alert.


    Oh, No, Not because he feared that Liam would attack him. No one dared to do that if the person was in the right mindset. He was on alert because he could sense that Liam could be the foe, and a dangerous one to add.


    Ethan knew how to protect his territory, he had done that but the darkness in Liam¡¯s eyes told him that he wouldn¡¯t be a fair yer like his father. He couldn¡¯t risk the war with Montreals, not when Mexicans were biting his ass off but that doesn¡¯t mean he would bow down to this young boy. Oh, no, not at all, Ethan King would never bow to anyone and certainly not to this youngster.


    Liam could see the little wheels turning in Ethan¡¯s mind. He needed to know that Liam was not someone to be taken evasively. He might have not taken the chair of the boss yet but he was in the Mafia since he could remember. He knew all the rules not that he liked them, or yed by them but the knowledge was something that kept him moving in the business.


    ¡°You entered my territory, without my permission, demanded a meeting with me for what, sitting on the chair quietly, boy?¡± Ethan jabbed, Provoking Liam intentionally.


    Liam¡¯s body stiffened at the insult. He fisted his hand to stop it from twitching. He reminded him to stay cool but he was losing it, his mind was losing the calmness.


    Liam leaned back in the chair, leisurely. Oh, he knew the rules, others learned them but he was born into them.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    The most important rule of the Mafia: Never let your emotions show on your face.


    He casually shrugged, ¡°I came to show respect. To say that I am a friend, not an enemy, old man,¡± he answered.


    Take it any way you want, Ethan.


    Something shifted in Ethan¡¯s eyes. Liam could observe it. He had not expected it, not everyone could dare to insult Ethan, that too in his territory, sitting in his office and not to mention the right to his face.


    ¡°Look, Ethan, we could do that any way you want, war or peace. I came here to show my respect to my counterpart again,  and if you want things to run smoothly, everything depends on your will.¡±


    Ethan¡¯s eyes fixed on Liam. Anger and admiration were both present in them at the same time but he wouldn¡¯t ept a youngde to his office and insult him.


    ¡°I have already told you, my decision Boy, if you want to trade your goods in my territory, you have to pay me the tax. Fifty percent of what you earn,¡± Ethan said.


    Thomas¡¯ eyes moved to Ethan, asking what game he was ying. Even Thomas didn¡¯t expect Liam to be so hard. Guess, people were right about him. Liam was really the reincarnation of Lucifer. King of hell!


    ¡°We had this understanding¡­¡±


    ¡°I had it with your father, Not you.  If you want to trade in my area, pay up!¡±


    Liam shifted in his seat. He was on the verge of losing hisposure but reminded himself to remain calm.


    ¡°Tax, we are not running a government here, Ethan. Fifty percent is hype!¡± He snapped, gritting his jaw.


    Ethan leaned back in the chair, a smirk ying on his lips. ¡°In Churchill, I am the bloody government. You want to enter my market, pay up or don¡¯t show up here again.¡±


    Liam took a breath. ¡°Pay up, hm!¡± Liam pulled out his phone from his coat. Dialled his brother Ralph, put it on his ear and met Ethan¡¯s eyes one more time.


    If you could y dirty, so can I¡­


    ¡°Liam¡­¡± Ralph answered.


    ¡°I want you to cease all the consignment that belonged to Churchill, Evacuate the goods and burn them!¡±


    Hot rage shot through in Ethan¡¯s body. His eyes turned hard and angry, full of rage. Thomas shook his head ever so slightly, requesting Ethan to stay cool when Ethan was on the verge of pulling his gun on Liam.


    ¡°I had an understanding on this with your father.¡±


    This time it was Liam who had this smirk on his lips. He got what he wanted, leaning back in his chair leisurely, ¡± Right, but I will be the new boss, so my rules in my territory, Ethan. You see, this was just to show that I could y any way you want me to. I already told you that I respect you but don¡¯t take my respect for my weakness.¡±


    Ethan closed his eyes. He didn¡¯t want to fight a two end war. ¡°Status quo, Liam. That¡¯s the only thing you will get. Now get your ass out of my office and certainly from my city.¡±


    Liam stood up, buttoned his coat and looked at Ethan. ¡°I told you, I am a friend, only if you treat me like one, Ethan. I believe you will see the reason, now,¡± he let out, saluting him with his two fingers.


    ¡°Oh and I forgot to mention, my shipment is standing at the border of Churchill, call your men and order them to allow my men in your territory.¡± Liam said, putting the small packet of cockaine on Ethan¡¯s desk.


    Ethan didn¡¯t even blink. Only gave him a terse nod. Not a friend nor a foe.


    Liam Knight was dangerous on both ends.


    After Liam walked out, Ethan nced at Thomas who had this grin on his face. ¡°That boy reminded me of you. The same aura, the same insanity¡­¡±


    ¡°And the same dangerousness, Thomas. He was admirable no doubt but we need to be aware of him. I  don¡¯t trust him.¡±


    On the other hand, Liam¡¯s phone pinged. A message from his friend, Alexandrios pops up in his notification.   It read: ¡°Come to the jewellery exhibition tonight in Vancouver.¡±


    Liam was about to decline the offer but stopped when he received a call from his brother. ¡°She will be in Vancouver tonight for a jewellery exhibition.¡±


    Liam¡¯s brows pulled together in question. ¡°Which one?¡± He asked.


    ¡°The Belle.¡±


    Liam only chuckled. He epted his friend¡¯s invitation for two reasons. One, he knew that he might have won the battle but not the war and he had no intention of fighting the war with Ethan.  Second, he wants to meet the enchantress who stole his mind with just her pictures.


    Tonight, Liam will meet Aurora and the meeting will decide her fate.

 Chapter 4.

    Only if words could define her but that would be an insult to her beauty. She was perfect. Her shining blonde hair, blue eyes, sharp chin and that small nose made her look like the angel from the heavens. Oh, No. Liam Knight didn¡¯t believe in Angels, heaven or hell.


    But seeing her, he could turn into a believer. The girl had everything Liam liked, curves, beautiful curves in all the right ces. His hands twitched to touch that soft glossy skin.


    His throat swelled in need. It¡¯s not like he had not seen a beautiful woman, he had but on her, Liam felt a im. His im.


    Maybe marriage will not be a bad option. Maybe, maybe not¡­


    Liam tilted his head, his current mistress was clinging to his hand. He went closer to her ear and whispered: ¡°you see that girl, Grace?¡±


    Grace followed Liam¡¯s gaze and nodded. ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Good, her name is Aurora,  go and start a conversation with her, respectfully. Compliment her about her beauty or whatever you girls do and then call me to join you. Understood?¡± He asked.


    Grace nodded. ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    Liam liked her till now, Grace was the kind of woman Liam liked. She did what she was asked to do. No questions asked. He hoped that his seductress would be like her.


    Who likes to use fewer words. Unnecessary chattering was not something Liam tolerates. He took a sip of his champagne and watched his mistress starting the conversation with the woman who made him desperate for her body.


    ¡°You look beautiful, Aurora, just like a princess. The dress suits you¡­¡±


    The woman who, Aurora, didn¡¯t even knowplimented her. Aurora raised her perfectly shaped eyebrow and gazed at the woman who was standing in front of her with a sparkling champagne ss in her hand.


    One of those. Everyone wanted to be in the picture with me. These social climbers!


    Aurora nodded at her. ¡°Thank you, Miss¡­¡± she asked her name and the woman smiled. ¡°Grace Brown.¡±


    Aurora smiled politely at the woman when she saw an old woman passing by her. She nodded at her, once the woman walked away to wherever she was going and then paid her full attention to the woman standing in front of her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to look like a princess, Miss Brown because I am a princess and I suggest you try some other way to gain the attention of the celebrities here¡­¡± she pointed out and the girl¡¯s face flushed in embarrassment.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± she whispered and took her to leave from there.


    Aurora turned back to her friends who were both giggling, Champagne sses shaking in their hands.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°That was so bitchy of you, Aurora,¡± Emily let out, trying to control herself fromughing out loud.  Aurora rolled her eyes.


    ¡°These social climbers are everywhere, I mean go get a life girl,¡± Aurora mumbled, taking a sip of her non-alcoholic champagne while eyeing her friend¡¯s alcoholic drink enviously.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it, I won¡¯t handle your drunk ass, again, Aurora. Last time, I tried to hit on a bloody highway patrol officer and still ended up getting a ticket,¡± Susan warned Aurora who sighed and gulped her sparkling, over sweet Champagne in one go.  Embarrassed to the core.


    You heard it right. Aurora Kings was embarrassed for what she did when she was intoxicated two months ago. She banged the patrol officer¡¯s car.  On her friend¡¯s birthday. After drinking ten sses of vodka. And her friend tried to hit on the officer.  Still ended up getting the ticket.


    What a birthday it was!


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me of the day and let¡¯s do some shopping. I mean look at all these designs. The exhibition has beautiful options for us. Let¡¯s robe it,¡± Emily tried to change the topic and bring it to the present moment.


    ¡°Not at all, I can design better than these. But still, it¡¯s The Belle¡­¡± Aurora put out a little over confidently. And why not, she was Aurora King, daughter of a billionaire. Her dad could buy everything she wanted in a snap of his finger.


    So she was not wrong when she said that she was a born princess.


    Both Susan and Emily nodded. ¡°We know that darling,¡± They air-kissed Aurora.


    ¡°Okay now girls, straightened up. Kevin is about toe and you my dear Aurora, need to talk to him, we need him for our brand,¡± Susan ordered.


    Aurora cleared her throat, put on a polite smile once again and waited for THE BELLE¡¯S head designer to take the grand entry.


    People pped, Aurora and her friends being one of them, everyone congratted him for yet another sess as he received the designer of the month award.


    Susan pushed Aurora slightly, taking the hint she moved further in the designer¡¯s direction and introduced herself.


    He smiled at her, ¡°Ah! Ms Kings, hope you liked the designs.¡± Kevin asked, a smile not leaving his face.


    Aurora nodded. ¡°They are amazing, Mr Rawls but have you decided anything about the offer I made to you?¡±


    Kevin sighed. ¡°I have already told you about my offer, Miss Kings. I won¡¯t join you.¡±


    Aurora didn¡¯t like the way he replied but she kept quiet. ¡°You are Ethan King¡¯s daughter, the world is under your feet. You don¡¯t need anyone if you want to open your brand but my suggestion would still be the same. You need to study jewellery designing first. Rest is up to you, best of luck for your future,¡± saying that he took his leave.


    Aurora kept staring at him. Her pride was hurt, how could he deny her like that.


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Susan asked,ing near to her. ¡°That he won¡¯t join our brand. He advised me to study jewellery designing first. Can you imagine that?¡± She snapped, snatching the ss of hard liquor from Susan and gulping it in one go.


    ¡°Aurora, you can¡¯t handle hard liquor.¡±


    Aurora was not listening, ¡°you just see, he had to see my designs, I am sure he would ept my offer after it.¡±


    Susan shook her head.  ¡°He declined twice, Aurora.¡±


    Emily joined them both. ¡°Oh no! Don¡¯t tell me he declined.¡±


    They both red at her with murdering eyes. ¡°He did!¡± Both said at the same time making Emily snatch two sses of Cocktail from the passing server.


    Aurora snatched one from her. ¡°I need it today. To hell with consequences.¡± She muttered and again gulped it.


    ¡°Wait for me here,¡± Aurora again went to meet Kevin one more time and again his answer was the same.


    ¡°Arh!¡± Aurora screamed silently under her breath. Her eyes went to thesing server and she picked a ss of some alcoholic drink and took arge gulp.


    On the other hand, Liam was enraged when Grace told him what Aurora said. He fisted his hand, and walked in search of Aurora.


    ¡°Mr Knight? It¡¯s so nice to meet you here,¡± It was the mayor of BC. Liam smiled and politely shook his hand.


    ¡°Mr Wendell, nice to see you here,¡± His eyes searched for Aurora but couldn¡¯t find her and he couldn¡¯t walk away from the man. Apart from Mafia, Liam knight was a legitimate business or so he wanted people to believe in.  Finally, after  the man left. Liam¡¯s eyes wandered in search of Aurora again and he found her alone with a drink in her hand.


    He started walking up to her and found Alexandrios in-between. ¡°Bud?¡±


    ¡°Alex, introduce me to her.¡± He ordered his friend who looked at Aurora and was stunned.


    ¡°Ethan, she is..¡±


    ¡°I know who she is and I want you to introduce me to her, now.¡±


    Alexandrios didn¡¯t like Liam¡¯s tone but he could see there was something on his mind so he ignored it. ¡°Come.¡±


    ¡°Miss King, you look beautiful¡­¡± Aurora heard the words again and she was irked.


    Why can¡¯t they just stay away from me?


    ¡°Buzz off!¡± She muttered without even ncing at the owner of that voice and walked away from there, leaving Liam and Alexandrios standing there.


    ¡°Guess the woman was not in the mood ofpliments¡­¡±


    But Liam was not listening to his friend. His eyes darkened in fury. The vixen had just insulted him.


    He was furious. Liam fisted his hand and walked behind her, he came to meet her and he will meet her. End of discussion!


    Aurora was in the back of the gallery, there was a small garden. She kept staring at the liquid in the crystal ss. Her friends would be searching for her but she didn¡¯t care, not at this moment at least.


    She wanted to call her dad and ask him to make Kevin ept her offer but no, she would not do it but she would call him and ask him to arrange for a meeting with Kevin. ¡°Arrogant owl!¡± She sniffed.


    ¡°Bad day?¡± She heard a voice and got irritated again. Another one of her admirers.  She knew she was beautiful and she didn¡¯t need anyone to tell her that. She was tired of these tters.


    Aurora turned. Her vision was swirling around but she still managed to be sober at least in her voice. ¡°Get away from me, don¡¯t you get tired. Go get a life!¡±


    Liam was stunned. ¡°I came to start a conversation¡­¡± he still tried to be polite.


    ¡°Oh fuck off dude, I am not interested in your ugly face so get the fuck away from me.¡± She snapped in anger.


    And Liam had enough.  Done being gentle with this vixen. He grabbed her hand tightly, ¡°Shut up!¡± His eyes turned dark.


    Aurora was in a rage. ¡°Ha! How dare you touch me, you bull?¡±  She shouted and threw the remaining drink on his face. Liam instinctively closed his eyes and his grip on Aurora loosened a bit. But he didn¡¯t leave her hand. The girl needed to be taught a lesson for insulting Liam Knight.


    ¡°Get your dirty hands off me, arrogant owl,¡±  She snarled, attacking his face with her sharp nails.


    ¡°F**k¡± he cursed as her nail poked in his right eye. Liam¡¯s grip on her hand losend a little and she pushed him away from her, Liam lost his bnce andnded straight into the water fountain, and Auroraughed seeing him like that. The sound of herughter piercing through Liam¡¯s ears as if someone had poured hotva into them.


    ¡°Aww! Poor Dirty pig!¡± She mocked before running away from there, leaving an angry Liam behind.


    Liam¡¯s nose red in anger. He wiped his face with his hand. His one hand was still  on his right eye. ¡°You will be punished for this, Aurora. Severely punished.¡±


    He decided then and there that the vixen was going to be his wife even if he had to paint the whole Canada red with blood.¡±I will make you mine. Mine to punish and mine to pleasure, Wife! Till death do us apart!¡±

 Chapter 5

    ¡°Hey Susan, Let¡¯s go to some Italian Restaurant, I¡¯m craving some Italian food.¡±


    I don¡¯t know but from some time ago, at the restaurant which I went tost time, the taste of the food was still lingering in my mouth. It sted all my taste buds and left an ecstasy in my mouth.


    I¡¯m craving the same food again and again.


    I know being a celebrity I should keep myself out of reach for these high-calorie foods but the taste is so delicious that I keep thinking about the same food again and again.


    I know this is insane, me being  Aurora king, daughter of Ethan king( the no. 1 billionaire of America), talking about food like this doesn¡¯t suit me but what to do, I¡¯m a big foodie and it¡¯s my biggest weakness. My mother was the best chef in the world and she always made great dishes for me, but after her demise, I crave delicious food. But after such a long period, I got the same taste from this restaurant¡¯s food. I just hope the taste remains the same as I tasted itst time.


    ¡°Susan, Susan are youing or not?¡± Ah!!! This Susan always makes mete but what to do I¡¯m so in love with my bestie that no matter how much she troubles, I love her so much.


    ¡°Aurora, I¡¯ming.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, you are cumming and from cumming, I mean the cumming in sex.¡±


    Yeah, she is the biggest sex addict whom I¡¯ve ever known. She can live without food, but she cannot live without sex.


    ¡°Uff! So, finally, you got time for your best friend huh?¡±


    ¡°God Aurora, I Can¡¯t tell you how hot the guy was, I Can¡¯t help it, you see. I love the way he fucked me.¡±


    I shrieked at her crudenguage.¡±Yeah, yeah whatever!! Now let¡¯s go, I¡¯m dying out of hunger.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Aurora,  you and your hunger, I seriously don¡¯t understand how you have such a beautiful hourss figure when you eat so much.¡±


    ¡°Now, enough of your talk, let¡¯s go and have my favourite food.¡±


    I don¡¯t know but this ce gives me sce. The beautiful wooden furniture on the top of the roof with exotic nts and the cool breeze of air that passes through my Hair. It feels like my mother is caressing my hair. I got my eyes wet but I know I can¡¯t cry or it will be headlines in tomorrow¡¯s news.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    s! The beautiful memories of my mother. She used to be the centre of my universe but after her death, it was just dad and me.  Shaking my head to clear the memories away I looked for the ce to sit but luck was not on my side today.


    There was no ce to sit inside. That¡¯s the problem with these small yet cosy and famous restaurants. They pack up immediately after opening up. So here goes my lunch n.


    ¡°Are we going to eat lunch standing on our legs, Aurora?¡± Susan asked in her high octave voice, raising her brows dramatically.


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°No. A server wille here to invite us inside and give us the best table here,¡± I imitated her but as if God just granted me a moment of luck. A man dide to us and not only that he invited us inside.


    ¡°Wow! That was quick.¡±


    I ignored Susan and epted his offer. My stomach was screaming in hunger and the delicious aroma of Italian food, the smell of garlic and herbs made me drool over the food.


    He took us to a small table for two in the corner. It was a little away from the other tables and near the manager¡¯s office.


    ¡°Here is the menu madam.¡± The server said, handing me the menu card. Unlike the five star restaurants, I usually go with dad, here the menu was not fixed in the leather cover. It was a thick red and green paper which wasminated to protect it from getting damaged with continuous touching from an nth number of people.


    ¡°The ce is small but the aroma of food is mouth-watering,¡± Susan started, I nodded in agreement.


    The waiter left, leaving us both to decide our order.


    The Menu read:-


    Caprese Sd with Pesto Sauce.


    Panzane.


    Bruschetta.


    Focia Bread.


    Pasta Carbonara.


    Margherita Pizza.


    Mushroom Risotto.


    Pasta Con Pomodoro E Basilico and so on.


    ¡°There is a lot to decide, Aurora. Hmm! I am confused?¡± Susan said, reading the menu.


    ¡°Try Mushroom Risotto. It¡¯s delicious.¡± I told her deciding that I would be having the same with


    Focia Bread and Pasta Carbonara.


    ¡°Drinks?¡± She asked again. ¡°You know what, let¡¯s order the ssic Italian red wine¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t drink Susan, I have to drive,¡± I told her firmly because I knew she would start persuading me to drink again. I didn¡¯t want to get a ticket once again likest time.


    ¡°Been there, done that, not going to do it again, Susan.  I still remember thest time.  If dad had not interfered that day we would be facing a court trial.¡±


    ¡°Ya well, I tried to save us,¡± she muttered evasively.


    ¡°By hitting on the traffic inspector. He was married for God¡¯s sake!¡±


    She pursued her lips in a thin line.¡±He feared his wife, he was into it but got scared because that whiney bitch came to meet him. Anyway, let¡¯s finish this discussion and order your boring lemonade. That¡¯s the only thing we would be drinking anyway,¡± she murmured, moving her hand in the air to dismiss the talk we were having.


    I sighed, she would never ept what she did was wrong and my hunger would kill me if I didn¡¯t get anything to eat soon. I looked for the server but as if he had disappeared in the air.


    ¡°Let me find a server, I can¡¯t wait for anyone to notice us ande to take our order.¡±


    I told her and stood up to find myself a server. I was about to walk over to a waiter when a man bumped into me. ¡°Can¡¯t you see?¡± Iined, rubbing my hand to soothe the pain.


    ¡°I apologize, but it was you who bumped into me.¡± He said and that made me raise my head to see the man who dared to me me for his mistake.


    ¡°Excuse me!¡± I snapped at him but when I saw his face I was short of breath.


    The man standing in front of me was handsome, I have never seen someone like him.


    Blonde hair, blue eyes, Sharp cheekbones. He was around 29 or something. Definitely in thete twenties. Looking at his height I could say he was 6¡¯1 or something as I was 5¡¯6 myself.


    ¡°Yes, it was your mistake¡­¡± he said as if he owned the world.


    Too bad he didn¡¯t know who Aurora King was. Only a nice face, not nice manners. Bloody arrogant!! ¡°Look Mr¡­¡±


    ¡°Gabriel,¡± the man told me his name like he was my king and I was one of his subjects.


    ¡°Ya! Mr Gabriel. It was you who bumped into me¡­¡± I told him.


    He sighed, scratched the side of his head with his forefinger. ¡°Alright, it was my mistake. I ept it.¡±


    I smirked. ¡°I know it was your mistake. You should stop behaving like some demi-god and ept your mistake¡­¡± I was telling him about his attitude when he cut me off.


    ¡°Wow, listen to medy, I apologize to you not because it was my mistake but because there are people around us who are watching us and I don¡¯t want any kind of unwanted attention and second, my uncle once told me to avoid fools because there is no good in talking to them,¡± he told me and walked away from me.


    It took me a moment to understand that he just called me a fool and walked away. My mouth hangs open, ¡°did he just call me a fool?¡± I whispered to myself.


    Fisting my hands in anger I walked behind him but he was gone. I sprinted to the table I was sitting on. Susan was chatting with someone over her phone.


    I sat down in anger, she nced at me and stopped her chatting. ¡°What got into your pants? Why this red face? Wow! Did you just have a quickie into the corner with some hot man?¡± She asked, whistling.


    I red at her in anger. ¡°No. A man just called me a fool.¡±


    She gasped, her eyes as wide as saucers. ¡°Wait what? Right! Did I hear you, right girl?¡± She mocked me in her thick Das ent and then let out a sharpugh that screeched my ear.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t stopughing I promise I will kill you with this¡­ this,¡± I tried searching for something to scare her off and found nothing but a stic fork and knife.


    I picked the knife in my hand. ¡°With this knife.¡±


    She roared inughter. ¡°You¡­ and kill someone, Aurora,¡± she shook her headughing. ¡°Give me a break! You can¡¯t even kill a fly let alone me. So cut the crap and put this deadly weapon down.¡± She mocked, raising her hands in a surrendering gesture stillughing like a maniac.


    I put that stic knife on the table. My hunger died meeting that arrogant, abhorrent man.  ¡°I don¡¯t want to eat here anymore. Let¡¯s go somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°No way. I am hungry and I want to try whatever this dish is called. I told the manager to send a waiter here. He would be here anytime so chill.¡±


    I huffed. ¡°Alright let¡¯s wait for the server.¡±


    ¡°What would you like to order, Madam?¡±


    I heard the same voice again, I looked up from my phone and stared at the man in front of me. The same arrogant,  abhorrent man who called me a fool was standing in front of me. He was the server!!!


    ¡°Yes, two Mushroom Risotto, Focia Bread and two Pasta Carbonara with a ss of sparkling water and two sses of lemonade,¡± Susan ordered.


    ¡°Anything else madams?¡± He asked as if I was not sitting here and he had not insulted me five minutes ago.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s just enough and we would be happy if you could make it on time. Your service here is ridiculous and you guys need to learn hospitality manners,¡± I ranted out.


    He merely nodded as if he understood what I said and left.


    ¡°Susan, sh! Listen to me.¡± I whispered, bending on the table. She frowned, shook her head in question.


    ¡°What?¡± She whispered.


    ¡°That man, he was the one who called me a fool,¡± I told her.


    Her brows pulled together, she nced towards the kitchen and then she startedughing. ¡°This is truly an interesting day today, Aurora. You got insulted by a waiter. I mean just imagine, A server of some local restaurant called Aurora King, daughter of America¡¯s top businessman, A fool!¡± She said in betweenughing.


    I hit her under the table. ¡°Ow!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ow! You are horrible Susan.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry but this is unbelievable¡­¡± she started but stopped when That idiot Gabriel came with our food.¡±


    He ced the tes of food on the table. The aroma of the spices was amazing. Susan moaned sniffing the food.


    Gabriel smiled at her and ced the Sparkling water in front of us. Susan started eating while he ced our lemonade sses in front of Susan but when he was cing my ss of lemonade it fell on my dress and the lemonade sshed all over my dress.


    ¡°Ha!¡± I gasped as I stood up.


    ¡°I apologize madam. It was unintentional¡­¡±


    ¡± Unintentional!¡± I snapped at him, picking the tissues from the table and cleaning my dress but of course, the ship had already sailed the sea. My dress was already ruined by that man.


    ¡°You did it intentionally. It was one of my favourite dresses. You are useless Mr Gabriel. You walk around this ce as if you own it. You insulted me five minutes ago when it was you who bumped into me but that was not enough for you. Right? So you intentionally sshed lemonade on me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you are thinking madam.¡± He tried to say but I didn¡¯t let him finish this time. ¡°It is exactly what I am thinking. You know what,  call your manager here. I want you out of this ce. You are not fit to be a server Mr.¡± I yelled at him.


    ¡°Aurora¡­ people are watching us,¡± Susan said, jerking my hand. I snatched it away from her, let people see for all I care.


    ¡°Look miss, I can pay you for your dress.¡± He said calmly.


    I couldn¡¯t believe it if he was calm as if he didn¡¯t just ruin my dress. And he was showing me his money.


    ¡°Really? Instead of apologizing to me, you are showing off your money!! Don¡¯t show off, you don¡¯t know me Mr.¡±


    With all the sound a man wearing a ck suit came out. He frowned when he saw us and ran to us. ¡°Is there any issue, Miss?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No, there is no issue¡­¡± Gabriel said but I cut him off.


    ¡°Yes, there is. You need to fire this man right now. He ruined my dress and insulted me. If you don¡¯t want me to sue your restaurant then fire him,¡± I told the manager, crossing my hands to the chest.


    ¡°Madam¡­¡± the manager stuttered.


    ¡°Look Mr,¡± I nced at the batch on his coat. ¡°Yes, Mr Cameron. If you don¡¯t want me to call the owner of this ce and order him to fire you both then fire this man right now.¡±


    ¡°Enough! Go and call the owner of this ce, Miss¡­¡± Gabriel told me without any hint of fear of losing his job.


    My eyes went to Susan but that girl was eating the pizza. Amazing! What a friend I got.


    ¡°Yes, I will do the same. And your boss will fire you both,¡± I told him and asked him to call the owner here.


    ¡°Madam, he is the owner of this restaurant.¡± The manager said and I gasped, smacking my hands to my lips.


    What the fuck!!! That server was the owner¡­

 Chapter 6.

    I looked at the server, bbergasted. ¡°I¡­I didn¡¯t know that you are the owner of this ce¡­¡±


    He arched his brows. ¡°And what difference does it make, Miss? Would you have treated me differently if I had told you about my identity here? If yes, then I am d I didn¡¯t tell you about myself at least I came to know what kind of person you are!¡±


    My eyes widened at his words. ¡°Excuse me but now you are being rude. How dare you talk to me in this manner!!¡±


    ¡°Miss, that¡¯s how you have been talking to me all this time, do you see how rude you were to me? And why because I was just a mere server and now when youe to know about my real identity you changed your tone. This shows how low you think of people around you,¡± He snapped.


    ¡°You are nothing but a rich snob.¡±


    He kept scolding me. I stood there like a statue. My throat felt heavy at his words. Never in my life have I felt this humiliated.


    Even Susan tried to interrupt but he didn¡¯t listen to her. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to hear anything anymore.¡±


    He turned to his manager who was standing there. ¡°Serve them whatever they want but don¡¯t charge them anything.¡± He looked at me then, ¡°I hope it willpensate for your dress and if it still doesn¡¯t do that then my manager is here, ask him whatever amount for this dress. He will pay you,¡± Saying that he walked away to his office.


    ¡°Madam, do you need anything else?¡± The manager asked me.


    Tears pooled in my eyes. My Throat felt heavy with emotions, ¡°No!¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Your bill is around 100$. Is it enough for thepensation of your dress or do I need to pay you more?¡± He asked.


    I didn¡¯t bother with a reply.  Susan touched my back, ¡°We don¡¯t need any money   from you.¡± She snapped at the manager and took both our handbags from the table.


    I gulped. Susan held my hand and started walking outside. She opened the door of my car and helped me inside. She sat on the driving seat and started the engine.


    I couldn¡¯t get his words out of my mind. Was I rude to him? No one had ever talked to me in this


    manner let alone scolded me.


    ¡°Aurora?¡±  I heard Susan calling my name but I couldn¡¯t answer her. My mind was fixed on Gabriel¡¯s words. Do I think so low of people around me? Was I one of those rich snobs who think so low of less rich people?


    ¡°Aurora? Are you alright?¡± Susan asked worriedly.


    I wiped the tears with the pad of my thumb. ¡°Holy Fuck! Aurora kings, are you crying?¡± She asked bewildered and stopped the car unexpectedly.


    People cursed her, horns sounded wildly around us.


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t you know how to drive??¡± A man barked from his car window.


    Susan gave him a middle finger. ¡°Fuck off! Motherfucker!!¡±


    ¡°Susan¡­¡± I jerked her hand inside the car and apologized to the man.


    ¡°Stop it! Why the hell is you apologizing to him, he is a fucking rat!!¡±


    The man drove away and Susan started our car as well. ¡°Got lucky we didn¡¯t get a ticket again, Susan!¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°I am up to a thousand tickets if it gets you out of your trance. Chill girl! And just forget about that Restaurant owner.¡±


    My shoulders slumped again at the mention of Gabriel. ¡°Susan, was I really rude there?¡± I asked her.


    Susan sighed, her brows arched upwards. ¡°Well! I won¡¯t say rude but you were kind of mean to him. I mean it was just a little water and you threw a big tantrum there. Actually, you created a scene in front of all his customers there, Aurora.¡±


    I pinched my lips in a thin line. ¡°And he, was there no mistake of his? He could have told me that he was not a server¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ what difference does it make? It was clear from the way you reacted that you were some rich snoot who was behaving irrationally. Now forget that I didn¡¯t even eat food, let¡¯s make some Ramen noodles. The rats in my stomach are fighting a wrestling match.¡±


    ¡°Ya! Well, I am calling dad, you go ahead and start cooking.¡± I told her and she gave me a thumbs up. ¡°Cool!¡±


    I went to my room and dialled Dad¡¯s number. It rang thrice but still, dad had not epted the call.


    I sighed when he didn¡¯t pick the call and left a voice message. ¡°Hey Dad, Umm! When will you be home? I was thinking about having dinner with you tonight. Do call me when you get free.  bye! Love you.¡±


    I ended the call and stared at my phone¡¯s screen for a while. I was nk right now. I wish dad was here with me. He was the only person who I could talk to when I felt off. But dad was always busy and I understand that he had a lot of work to handle but still I miss my dad.


    I sighed deeply. ¡°I miss you, mom! Wish you were here today,¡± Shaking my head I took a shower to ease the heaviness in my head.


    ¡°Aurora, get your ass out here right now! I cooked us the divine Garlic vour Ramen noodles and you ran to your room.¡±


    I heard Susan. I shook my head and chuckled. I didn¡¯t know what I would have done without her. She was the only one after Dad on whom I could rely on.


    ¡°Coming!¡± I shouted so that she could hear me. I towel dried myself as fast as I could manage or I would be eating the cold noodles. I didn¡¯t bother with putting on the clothes and wore a bathrobe and ran out of the bathroom. I applied a little moisturiser to my face to save my skin and went out to eat my lunch.


    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s a day of many surprises today. Since when has Miss Perfect started eating food like this?¡± She said, patting her head.


    ¡°What?¡±


    She made a face and walked up to me. ¡°You forgot to remove the shower cap. Anyway, Let¡¯s start our lunch or I would faint.¡±


    We finished our lunch cum Ramen noodles and then I was left alone because one of Susan¡¯s infinite number of boyfriends called she went to talk with him, probably having phone sex with him.


    With no option left, I opened my sketchbook and started making designs for the next Jewellery catalogue But my mind was not into it.


    All I could see was Gabriel¡¯s face and hear his words. Was I really a rich snob? Putting down my pencil and sketchbook with a thud, I stood up, wore my flip flops and went to the other side of the house where Dad lives.


    It took me seven minutes to reach my Dad¡¯s portion of the house. It was practically seven in the evening and Dad mighte home soon. I knocked on the door. Our housekeeper and once my nanny, Mrs Dn, opened the door with her warm smile.


    ¡°Aurora! What a pleasant surprise, my darling. Come in, dear.¡± She said in her soft voice.


    I walked inside, my lip wobbling and I wanted to cry badly. ¡°Mrs Dn¡­¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Jesus! What happened to you Aurora? Why are you crying?¡± She asked, shocked seeing my crying face.


    I gulped. ¡°It¡¯s nothing Mrs Dn, I am just missing my mom today.¡±


    Her brows pulled together thin lines formed at the corner of her eyes. She looked at me sharply, ¡°Stop lying to me, Aurora Kings and tell me what the matter is?¡±


    I love Mrs Dn. She was the mother figure after mom died. Even Dad fears her sometimes. I still remember the day of my twelfth birthday. It was my first birthday after mom, I was missing her but Mrs Dn prepared everything like mom used to do. She told me that my mom was always with me in my heart. She died in this materialistic world but she was alive in my heart and memories.


    I epted the reality of my mother being dead that day. Mrs Dn called all my friends from school to celebrate my birthday but I was still lonely because Dad was busy at work. After mom, he was always busy. I missed my dad so much and refused to cut the cake till he came back.


    All my friends left. I cried and slept without cutting my birthday cake and the next day when Dad came from the office, Mrs Dn was making breakfast, dad asked her about me and the woman threw a spat at dad in anger.  It hit him on the shoulder.


    Even dad was dumbfounded by her actions.


    She started scolding him for his irresponsible behaviour and dad was listening to everything she was saying like an obedient child. When I came downstairs from my room I found Dad standing in the corner with their head down.


    She ordered dad to apologize to me and from that day, Dad was always there for me.


    ¡°Speak, Aurora!¡±


    I sat down on the sofa and told her what happened. ¡°He called you a snob?


    ¡± A rich Snob, Mrs Dn.¡± I sighed and raised my eyes. ¡°Do you think I am a rich snob?¡± I asked scrunching my nose in question.


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t say anything about it. You need to ask yourself this question, Aurora. Do you think what you did was wrong?¡± She asked, crossing her hands to her chest and raising her brows.


    I looked down with an angry pout. ¡°Now,e in the kitchen and help me with the dessert, your dad will be home in ten minutes.


    I was whipping the cream for the cake but all I could see was his face. ¡± Aurora kings,e out of your La-Land right now!¡±


    I gasped when I felt a sting on my hand. ¡°Mrs Dn!!¡± I cried and rubbed my hand when she hit me.


    ¡°Stop ruining my dessert and go to your dad, he just arrived. That man was freaking out.¡± She ordered me.


    I sighed and walked out of the kitchen in search of my dad.  I found him in his study. He was taking an aperitif before dinner.


    ¡°Dad¡­¡± I called him.


    He raised his eyes and looked at me. ¡°Aurora,¡± he walked towards me. Apprehension was clear on his face. Come inside.¡±


    I went and hugged him. ¡°Is there any issue? You sound sad in that voicemail. And Mrs Dn said that something happened?¡± He asked, patting the ce beside him on the leather sofa.


    I sat beside him and put my head on his shoulder. ¡°Dad, I don¡¯t feel good today.¡±


    He touched my chin in affection. ¡°Why? What happened, darling?¡±


    I sighed. Dad put his hand on my shoulder and hugged me from the side. ¡°I went to a restaurant today and bumped into a man. He bumped into me. I scolded him and asked him to apologize to me. He didn¡¯t on the contrary he scolded me and told me that I am a rich snoot. I don¡¯t respect people around me¡­¡±


    Dad chuckled. ¡°Dad,¡± I raised my head and looked at him shocked.


    ¡°Well, he was not wrong. I spoiled you,¡± Dad told me.


    My mouth hung open. ¡°Dad¡­¡±


    ¡°Aurora, You are lovely but sometimes you behave like a brat.¡± He patted my back. ¡°If you feel this bad about this incident then go and apologize to him. That¡¯s all you can do.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Okay, now stand up and let¡¯s have dinner.¡± He called Mrs Dn and asked for dinner in the study.


    Dad served me dinner by himself. ¡°Here¡­¡± he said, offering me a piece of tofu. My eyes went to his knuckles.


    ¡°Dad, what happened to your hand? It¡¯s bruised.¡± I was worried about the condition of his hand. I remember mom was always worried about dad when he went out for business and the course didn¡¯t change after her death except for one thing, now it¡¯s me who was always worried about him not mom.


    My dad had always been a perfectionist. He didn¡¯t like making mistakes and hated when someone else made them. The bruised hand was just a minor reflection of his Anger.


    ¡°Dad, it looks as if you have punched someone in the face.¡±


    I said touching his hand, winced when I saw how badly his hand was injured.


    Dad stiffened under my hold and snatched it away. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I bumped my hand on the table in anger, a meeting went wrong.¡±


    ¡°Dad, please try to control your anger,¡± I pinched my lips in A thin line ¡°Let me bandage it.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No, I will do it, you go and sleep.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Goodnight then.¡± I kissed his head and walked out of the study and walked back to my home.


    Laying on the bed I closed my eyes and decided that tomorrow I will go back to that restaurant and apologize to him.  Yes! I will do that.


    The next day when I went there Gabriel was not at the restaurant. I was disappointed and decided to go there again the next day and didn¡¯t find him again. It was the fifth day I met him or I say I bumped into him again. A small smile broke on my lips. I was happy to see him but he was not. I wanted to say so many things to him but he didn¡¯t let me speak and the next thing I knew he was mocking me.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I am sorry, miss high and mighty and I apologize if I ruin your dress¡­¡± he said in anger.


    I bit the inside of my lip. ¡°Please tell me how much I need to pay you for¡­¡± he was mocking me and I had enough.


    ¡°Enough! Okay, I get it I was wrong that day but that doesn¡¯t mean you will insult me whenever you see me,¡± I snapped at him.


    ¡°Look..¡±


    ¡°No, you look! I¡­ I have beening here for the past five days to apologize to you. I get it. I was rude that day but now you are doing the same with me¡­¡±


    A tear strolled down my cheek and I wiped it with a shaking hand. ¡°I¡­ You Know what,  It was my fault that I came here¡­¡±  I said and started walking away but the next thing I knew he grabbed my hand tightly and pulled me towards him.


    I tried to struggle out of his hold but it was too tight for me. ¡°Stop crying!¡± He ordered.


    ¡°Leave me!¡±


    ¡°I said wipe your tears.¡±


    I was still trying to get away from him but stopped when he raised my chin with his thumb and stared into my eyes. My vision blurred due to tears in my eyes. He wiped them, ¡°I am sorry if I hurt you.¡±


    I gulped and nodded. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    My throat turned dry at the intensity of his voice. ¡°Aurora.¡±


    ¡°Aurora, I am hungry and alone, would you grant me yourpany for lunch?¡± He asked me.


    I searched his eyes. ¡°Yes¡­¡±  I replied in the same shaking voice. I was lost in those beautiful blue eyes and didn¡¯t even know why I epted his offer.


    He nodded, ¡°after you, Madam.¡± He said leaving me and gestured his hand for me to walk first.


    Inside he held the chair for me like a proper gentleman. We were in his office, he ordered the best dishes from his restaurant and they all were delicious.


    That¡¯s how my friendship with Gabriel started, we started as friends but slowly our feelings started growing for each other and today after three months of dating he proposed to me to be his girlfriend. I was on cloud nine.


    ¡°Yea or No!¡± He asked,  his thumb moving on my hand making my stomach jittery.


    ¡°Yes! Yes, Gabe, I love you.¡± I cried and hugged him tightly. It was one of the happiest days of my life.


    ¡°I love you too, Aurora¡­¡± he whispered, holding my face in his hand.


    ¡°I love you.¡± He said and ced his lips on mine softly and kissed me.


    My toes curled in excitement, it felt like hundreds of crackers were burning in the sky.


    Today, a new journey started in my life and I hope the journey turned out as beautiful as I wished it to be but there was this small voice in the back of my mind which was constantly bugging me that something bad was about to happen.


    I just pray to God that nothing like that would happen.

 Chapter 7.

    ¡°Wow, nice dress!¡± Susan whistled, checking me up from head to toe.


    I met her eyes in the mirror. ¡°You think so?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Yup. You look edible, cupcake. I wish I could turn into a man to have you myself.¡±


    I turned around. ¡°Susan, are you into girls now?  What! tired with the opposite sex. Find someone else because I still prefer boys.¡±


    She rolled her eyes and stepped me aside from the mirror and checked herself. ¡°I still prefer boys but right now I am getting more with the dumb boys. I mean they are so normal, I want someone who can hold my interest.¡±


    I raised my brows. ¡°Hold your interest. The man has not been born yet, you get tired with men in two days.¡± I told her, shaking my head.


    She sighed and rolled her eyes. ¡°Ya! I am choosy so what not everyone is like you who get serious about your first boyfriend. I mean seriously Aurora, you have not been with anyone before him and you are getting serious about that Gabe. He could have ws. Like real ws¡­¡±


    I smiled, shaking my head. Susan and her overdramatic histrionics.


    ¡°Stop ignoring things, Aurora. I won¡¯t allow you to be with him if he doesn¡¯t meet the standards I set for man.¡±


    At that, I sighed. ¡°I am not asking your permission, Susan.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t care. You have not even explored your sexuality yet. What if he smells bad, what if he had hairs on his chest and there¡­ I mean hairy men are gross!¡±


    ¡°Wow! Stop there, Susan,¡± I told her. I held her shoulders to gain her attention. ¡°Susan, my dear Susan. I love Gabe. I do, so please do me a favour and stop making him look bad.¡±


    Her lips were pinned in a straight line. ¡°Alright!¡±


    I hugged her and we both paid for our shopping. When we were going back to our house I received a message from Gabe. It read: ¡°Have lunch with me?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±  I typed back and hit send. A small smile broke on my face.


    ¡°Must be your boyfriend if you are smiling like this,¡± Susanmented.


    I nodded, ¡°it was, he asked me for lunch.¡±


    ¡°And you said yes!¡± She asked while she took a U-Turn.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t say anything as I promised earlier but at least test your product from buying it. You never know it could be a defective one.¡±


    I closed my eyes and sighed deeply. ¡°Susan, we have been dating for two months only and Gabe never tried anything which makes me feel ufortable¡­¡±


    She stopped the car. ¡°Girl, that¡¯s what I am worried about. He is a man and which man can keep it inside for long. Look at yourself Aurora, you have a perfect body, I mean you look fucking sexy in a nightdress and he never initiated anything with you till now. I know from experience that boys want what they want on the first date¡­¡±


    Now I was losing patience with her. There was a big difference between the boys she dated and my Gabe. ¡°Susan,  you date boys for a time pass, tell me truthfully have you ever been serious about any of them. No, you have not? That¡¯s the difference between Gabe and them. I am serious about Gabe and so is he. We are taking it slow. Second, you said that boys wanted only one thing but look at Gabe. He never pressured me for anything I am notfortable with and I respect him for that.¡±


    Susan kept mum for a while and finally spoke. ¡°Alright, but I always believe in testing the water before swimming. You never know how deep the water is! I love you like a sister Aurora and I don¡¯t want you to make a mistake. I like Gabe but he is far too straight for my taste.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°I like my straight man. Keep calm, and drop me off at his restaurant will you?¡±


    ¡°Aye, Aye Captain.¡± She said and started the engine and started driving. I looked outside the window, huge buildings were passing by, and roads were filled with many other vehicles. Subconsciously I wrapped a lock of hair to my finger. A small smile broke to my face remembering how Gabe loved touching my hair.


    Two months, yes it¡¯s been two months since we have started dating. The most beautiful time of my life started two months ago, Gabe was what I always wanted. He respects me, my thoughts. Most importantly he loves me because of who I am not who my dad is! He knew that I came from a rich background and he never talked about it. It¡¯s like he didn¡¯t care about it.


    And what Susan said was not true, it was not like he didn¡¯t want me physically it¡¯s just he didn¡¯t want to push my boundaries.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    There were never any restrictions on me about dating but dad always told me to be cautious and that¡¯s it. I decided to wait, unlike Susan. It might be because of my mom. She was a firm believer in sex after marriage. An Orthodox Christian one would say but that¡¯s how mom was and after her death maybe I wanted to cherish her memory the way she always wanted me to too and Gabe agreed when I told him so.


    How could I doubt his sincerity for me? Susan was just being Susan! I sighed.


    ¡°Miss Kings¡­ Miss Kings¡­¡±


    I was lost in my thoughts but then I felt a sharp pain in my hand. ¡°Ow!¡± I whimpered and looked at the hand where Susan had pinche. me.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I have been calling you for thest five minutes but you were lost in your dreand. Get out now we reached your Gabe¡¯s restaurant.¡±


    I pinched my lips in a thin line and stepped out of her car. She drove away and I entered inside. ¡°Hey, George!¡± I greeted the manager of the restaurant who smiled back at me.


    ¡°Hello, Miss kings¡­¡± he greeted me back without even raising his head from hisputer.


    I shook my head and walked right into Gabe¡¯s office without knocking. He was talking to someone over the phone. When I entered he looked annoyed but his expressions changed seeing it was me who disturbed him and not one of his staff members.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call you back, Uncle. My girlfriend is here to meet me,¡± He said before ending the call.


    I ran to him and hugged him tightly. ¡°Your uncle won¡¯t like it, every time you end his call when I am near you.¡±


    He pulled me even closer to him, I raised my chin and gazed into his blue orbs. ¡°As if I care, you are the most important person in my life,¡± saying that he ced a soft kiss on my head.


    I clung my hands to his neck, ced a soft kiss on his lips. ¡°You are ttering me Mr,¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±  He scooped me in his arms and took me to his apartment upstairs.  It was a beautiful bachelor apartment with ss ceilings, contrary to my liking it was a dark themed apartment. The curtains were ck with with patches on them. I liked it but it was not ording to my preference.


    He ced me on the bed, I bit my lip in shyness. ¡°Gabe¡­¡± I Whispered.

 Chapter 8.

    ¡°Sh!¡± He ced a finger to my lips. I gazed into his eyes. My breathing turned heavy seeing the intense look in his eyes. I curled my toes in anxiety. I could feel the butterflies fluttering in my tummy.


    He sat down beside me, his thumb stroking my skin smoothly. ¡°Beautiful Aurora¡­¡± he muttered and came closer to me.  I could feel his breath on my face.


    Our eyes were locked, I waited for the moment for so long and today it was just a second away.


    And here Susan told me that my man was not a man!! Duh! Susan.


    I closed my eyes and waited for him to kiss me. And waited¡­ but it never came. I jerked my eyes open and what I saw made me angry to the core.


    Gabe was chatting to someone over the phone.


    That bloody phone!!! I want it to die a brutal death.


    ¡°Gabe..¡±


    ¡°Hmm!¡±


    ¡°Gabe, you were kissing me!¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    I gritted my teeth and snatched his phone out of his hands. ¡°To hell with your phone and yourmitment!¡± I told him and ced my lips on his. His eyes broadened. It took him less than a moment to deepen the kiss and by God! I was lost. So lost in it that I forgot to breathe.


    He left me only when I couldn¡¯t breathe. ¡°That was awesome!!¡± I said in between breathing. He only chuckled and pulled me in his arms.


    ¡°You want to try stuff, Aurora?¡± He asked in his deep voice and a shiver of goosebumps ran down my whole body.


    I hid my face in his chest, I couldn¡¯t speak after the daring step. ¡°You are so naive!¡±


    I frowned. ¡°I am not naive. Just a little inexperienced.¡±


    ¡°A little? You are a pure virgin Aurora. Count yourself as a fresher in this field.¡±


    I pped his chest and hugged him even more tightly. ¡°I love you, Gabe!¡± I love you back to the sun and moon.¡±


    He kissed my head and in a childlike voice spoke: ¡± I love you more¡­¡±


    I smiled and closed my eyes, hugging him. The feeling of his arms around me, the warmth of his body gave me a feeling of love and protection. How did I get so lucky!!


    I didn¡¯t know when I fell asleep but I woke up with the best mouthwatering aroma of pasta.


    ¡°Wake up, sleepyhead!¡± I chuckled and sat on the bed¡­ he held a fork for me to eat from it. I opened my mouth and took the piece of pasta from the fork.


    That was when my phone buzzed. I checked it while Gabe started kissing my neck.


    My eyes bugged open. Five missed calls!! I epted the call immediately, ¡°yes dad!¡±


    ¡°Aurora, where are you? I have been trying to call you for three hours.¡±


    I closed my eyes hearing the worry in his tone. My dad was always busy but when I didn¡¯t ept his call he got scared over the top of the world. I rolled my eyes not understanding why and who he feared this much. It¡¯s not like I am the only one who was a rich man¡¯s daughter.


    ¡°Dad, chill! I mean calm down.¡± I cursed Susan in my mind. That girl surely changed my polite and beautiful vocabry into a rich one.


    ¡°Aurora Kings, I want you at home in thirty minutes. Do you understand me!!¡±  He shouted and I sighed.


    He didn¡¯t even wait for me to speak and just ended the call.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think  I am going to like what you will say?¡± Gabe said, raising his brows.


    I shrugged my shoulders and pursed my lips. ¡°Dad ordered me toe home in half an hour.  I have to go.¡±


    Gabe frowned. Thin lines appeared at the corner of his eyes as if he was in some deep thought. He cocked his head to one side. ¡°Why? Has something happened? I don¡¯t like this Aurora. It¡¯s like you always keep me at the second ce in your life.¡±


    I  closed my eyes in irritation. This topic again. In these past two months, this was the topic of our continuous fighting.  He thinks that my dad was going to be the viin in our story. He would not ept him as his son inw because of his status in society.


    ¡°Gabe, my dad is worried about me!¡± I tried to make him understand knowing very well that I was trying in vain.


    He scoffed. ¡°Can you sound any more childish Aurora? For God sake why does he worry about you constantly, you are not a five-year-old child who requires a nanny. God damnit.¡± He said standing up from the bed and pinching his nose in anger.


    I stood up as well. ¡°You are stretching this again Gabe. He is my dad, he can worry about me¡­¡±


    ¡°I too have a family but they don¡¯t disturb me every time like your dad. He likes to poke his nose every time we spend some time together.¡±


    ¡°You have an uncle Gabe, not a dad. You don¡¯t know the love of a father because you don¡¯t have one.¡±


    Gabe¡¯s eyes widened. And I smacked my hands to my mouth. What have I said!!This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Gabe!¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Get out, Aurora!¡±


    ¡°Gabe, I am so sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡±


    ¡°I said get the fuck out of here¡­¡± he snapped and I stiffened the violence in his voice. A tear rolled down my cheek at his tone. Owing about? And who will ept what! Why did he say that looking in my direction?¡± I asked him.


    Dad raked his hand in his hair, sighed and rested his hand on my shoulder lightly.


    ¡°Aurora, I arranged your marriage with his son, Liam knight!¡±


    I stood there like a statue, shocked over what dad just told me.


    Arranged my marriage with Liam Knight!!!! Is this some nightmare?

 Chapter 9.

    I stared at dad for a while, pletely lost in words. Did I just hear him correctly? He couldn¡¯t do that to me!


    He must be joking. No, he was joking. Arranged marriages didn¡¯t exist anymore. It used to happen in medicinal time, it didn¡¯t happen in the 21st century and even if it still exists it certainly did not exist in the USA.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that dad!¡± I said after getting my voice back. He halted in his steps, ever so slowly he turned towards me. His eyes stared into mine and for the first time in my life, I was scared seeing my dad¡¯s facial expressions.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Dad, I am not marrying someone I didn¡¯t even know. How could you decide something like this for me!¡± I asked him?


    His brows cleared.  ¡°Aurora, you don¡¯t know what you are saying. Liam is a nice man, you will like him when you meet him. I know him since he was a child.¡± He tried to persuade me into meeting this Liam or whatever his name was.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to marry him. Dad, what is all this about? Arranged marriage  didn¡¯t exist in the modern world. I can¡¯t believe you did something like this to me. How could you?¡±


    I sobbed, the day was getting worse and worse. First, my beautiful day with Gabe was ruined. He practically threw me out of his apartment. Hell! I didn¡¯t even know where I stood with him and now this.  A freaking Arranged Marriage!


    Dad pulled me in his arms. I couldn¡¯t hold myself anymore and cried in his chest. ¡°My lovely Aurora, my darling. Stop crying baby. Stop crying¡­¡±


    Dad rubs his hand on my back, soothing me. He kept reciting beautiful words to calm me but I couldn¡¯t stop crying.


    ¡°Love, Don¡¯t cry please. I apologise for hurting you. If my moon doesn¡¯t  want to marry the man of my choice then  I will cancel this arrangement. Just don¡¯t ruin your beautiful face.¡±


    I gulped. Finally, calmed after hearing that dad will cancel the arrangement. I raised my head from his chest and looked into his eyes.


    ¡°Why did you do that dad? Why did you even gave it a thought?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask him the reason for doing such a ridiculous thing.


    Dad sighed. He ced his hands on both of my shoulders, kissed my head lightly before speaking. ¡°Darling, I am worried about you. I won¡¯t be with you forever. What if something happened to me, who will take care of you. You are an innocent girl and this world is cruel Aurora. You have no idea how much I am worried about you. I want someone who I can trust. Who will take care of you, who lives you as much as I love you my darling.¡±


    I searched into his eyes. ¡°Dad, you are talking as if you are going somewhere. Are you hiding something from me?¡± I was scared to see my dad like this. For the first time I noticed something around his eyes.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    My strong dad, who I never seen tense. The man who used to make everything possible for me was tense. My dad was getting old and I never noticed it. A sudden fear erupted in my heart and I hugged him tightly just like I used to do when I was a child. It was the safest ce for me. My dad¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Dad, please don¡¯t scare me. I love you and nothing will happen to you.¡± I whispered.


    Dad kissed my head and sighed. Now I felt even more bad thinking about Gabe. Even the thought of something bad happening to my dad scared me to the core and I told him that he didn¡¯t have a dad.


    I was such a foolish girl. that¡¯s it I am going to meet Gabetomorrow and will


    Apologize to him,  I decided.


    ¡°Come on now, let¡¯s go and sleep. I know how much you hate it if someone disturbs your beauty sleep.¡±


    I chuckled at that, my dad knows me too well. I got away from him and held his face sweetly. ¡°But before going I want a promise from you, dad.¡±


    His brows pulled together but then he spoke: ¡°anything for my baby.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t do something like this again. I have a beautiful life nned for myself dad.  I want to live it the way I want.¡± I told him, for a moment I wanted to tell him about Gabe and me but stopped myself. I couldn¡¯t tell him alone, I needed to talk with Gabriel first.  And I will talk to him tomorrow¡­


    On the other hand¡­


    A man was sitting in his office with an Ipad in his hand. He was scrolling down the pictures of Aurora one after another. A small smile came to his face when he saw her beautiful body move while dancing in a nightclub. The carefree look on her face, the beautiful smile of hers and the most attractive thing about her was that attitude of hers.


    Liam Knight never felt this kind attraction towards anyone except for her. She was like a forbidden fruit he wanted to taste and taste her he will.


    Liam knight had this urge to own Aurora King, he wanted to break that attitude of hers. He wants to possess her in every way possible.


    The girl has be his obsession since he saw her in that Jewelry exhibition his firm organized three months ago. Every girl in that ce was dying to get his attention but Aurora didn¡¯t even nce his way and he was mesmerized by her beauty.


    The girl was the definition of beauty, her sapphire blue eyes, golden blonde hair and that sexy body of hers. The girl was perfect in every regard. When he saw her there he didn¡¯t know who she was but when his man who Liam assigned to get details about Aurora told him that she was Ethan King¡¯s daughter Liam was shocked.

 Chapter 10.

    She was his dad¡¯s friend¡¯s daughter. As if destiny wanted them to end up together.  Well, Liam Knight didn¡¯t believe in Destiny, God or anything but seeing her he turned into a believer.


    He would have met her sooner but couldn¡¯t, business came between them. He couldn¡¯t ignore business after all, he was going to be the next boss of the Montreal crime family.


    Liam Knight was a man with perception. He wants something, he gets it, no matter what price he has to pay for that.  When he came back after cleaning the weeds in his territory what his man told him Aurora made him insane with a feeling he never felt before.


    Jealousy! Yes, Liam knight was jealous and he knew that now, no one could stop him from acquiring the girl who ignited this feeling in him. He would have used some different method but couldn¡¯t because of Ethan Kings. The man he respected like his father. Yes, he couldn¡¯t just bring her here. So he decided to try a different route. He asked his father to form an alliance with Ethan kings, his father was stunned hearing Liam but he knew there was nothing he could do.


    He talked with Ethan about the arrangement and Ethan was happy about the prospect of Liam marrying Aurora. He was worried about her safety now that Maxicans are trying to get their hold on his territory once again.  He knew no one could protect Aurora better than Liam.


    He was a killing machine, Ethan epted the proposal with a happy face. Now Aurora Kings was in Liam¡¯s grip still, he was not satisfied. His whole self was burning in rage, he wanted to smash something.


    His girl, his would be wife, was spending time with a low life Restaurant owner. He couldn¡¯t tolerate that, he wanted to kill that man but what stoped him was the truce with Ethan. He couldn¡¯t kill in his territory even if he want to. He was even angry about the prospect of Aurora walking alone on roads with that son of a bitch without any guardBelonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    He took Ethan as an intelligent man but where his daughter was concerned he overlooked things. The girl was paniled and it needed to be changed. He decided that since married she would have to live with rules, Rules set by him!


    Liam gritted his jaw in anger when he eyed the picture of his would-be acquisition walking in some shopping centre, hand in hand, smile staring at each other as if sun bloody rose from his.


    His eye started twitching in anger, his hand turned into a fist. He was trying to control his anger, trying really hard but couldn¡¯t.  Image of Aurora with that low life bastard bed made him so furious that he couldn¡¯t control the rage inside him anymore and threw the Ipad against the wall which broke.


    He stood up abruptly and looked around, searching his stress ball. He started pressing hard in his fist imagining it was not a ball but that bastard¡¯s neck which he was breaking.


    It was when his phone buzzed, he checked the caller I¡¯d and found that his right hand man, Jay was calling him.


    He epted the call. ¡°Speak.¡±


    ¡°Sir, the man declined paying the loan.¡±


    He cocked his head to one side, chuckling slightly. ¡°Where is he right now?¡± Liam asked Jay.


    ¡°In the Golf park, ying Golf with his father.¡± Jay replied.


    Liam ended the call and threw his stress ball away, he got a new toy to release stress today. Checking his appearance in the mirror he went out. He might be going to kill someone but still appearances matter a lot.  They tell about the ss of a man and Liam knight didn¡¯t belong to any ss. He is the ss!


    His driver was waiting for him, seeing Liam, he  opened the door and Liam settled inside, opening the button of his suit. It took him thirty minutes to reach The Golf Park. For thirty minutes he was clenching and unclenching his hand.


    The car stopped, Driver opened the door and Liam Knight stepped out of his car. Jay was already waiting for Liam at the entrance field.


    ¡°Where?¡± Liam asked.


    ¡°In the north west park sir.¡± Jay replied.


    Liam walked towards the north west park without any hurry. Jay followed behind him but of course he knew that his boss needed no help in handling a rich brat.


    When Liam reached there he saw that the man who took money from him was ying Golf with his father without a single flicker of tension.


    That irked Liam even more, the man not only took money from him but also declined paying and he was ying Golf! Golf! Without any worry about paying it back.


    He sprinted towards the father son duo and gave them a sinister smile.


    ¡°Mind If I join the match?¡± He asked, raising a brow.


    ¡°Mr knight, what are you doing here?¡± Santino asked him, shocked to see Liam there.  Santino knew Liam for a long time. He was the one who had his election ticket. It was a give or take rtionship. Knights paid for his Election campaign and in return he did what he could for them that was lobbying for them. But Santino was wise enough not to be in his contact when nit needed and today seeing the heir of Montreal crime family here shocked him to the core.


    Liam¡¯s eyes were focussed on Santino¡¯s son who turned pale seeing Liam. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask this question to your son, Santino?¡± Liam nodded at his son who gulped.


    ¡°Ask my son, what exactly Mr Knight?¡±


    Liam¡¯s lips tugged upwards. He walked further and stretched his hand for the Golf club. Santino handed him to Liam.


    Liam eyes the ball on the ground, nodding at Santino to step aside. Took his position to make a shot. His eyes were focussed on the goal, ¡°ask your son when he will pay me my money back because I am losing my patience, Santino.¡±


    Liam checked the distance, and finally he made the shot. The ball went straight to the hole making Liam smile.


    ¡°What money? Ray. What is Mr Knight talking about?¡± Santiago asked his son who shook his head from left to right denying the usation.  ¡± he is lying dad¡­¡±


    And Liam Knight lost his shit! He hit Ray in the stomach so hard with the Golf Club that blood oozed from his mouth. ¡°What did you say? Speak again!¡± He demanded hitting him on the shoulder with the Gold club.


    ¡°Mr knight¡­¡± Santino screamed in anger. Liam red at him and he stopped in his tracks. The look of Liam¡¯s face scared him senseless.


    Liam kicked Ray in the head, Ray screamed in pain, he was wiggling in the ground like a fish without water. Trailing here and there in agony of pain when Liam hit him hard on the knee joint. ¡°You thought swallowing my money was easy, hmm!¡± He kicked him again right on the ligaments.


    Ray was near losing consciousness. Liam sat down to his level and grabbed his hair, yanking his head upward he red into his half closed eyes. ¡°Pay me with seventy percent interest now or I won¡¯t leave you with a mere warning.¡±


    He stood up, Jay gave him a sanitised mapping to clean his hands. He looked at Santino, ¡°i left him alive because of our rtionship Santino. Make the payment till tomorrow afternoon or this time it would not only be him who was going to pay.¡±


    Liam gave him a curt nod and walked out of the club. His mind went to Aurora once again and he smirked.


    Liam knight wants Aurora knight, have her he will. If shees to him willingly, good, if not, fear was the beautiful tool because there was no one who was not scared of him. If he wanted to catch someone, there was no way he could not. This was due to his way of thinking and his train of thought


    Liam was going back to his house, his mind still focused on Aurora,  it was when he received a call from his father. A small smile appeared on his lips, his little bird was about to get caged in his golden prison. He epted the call, scrolling the green icon.


    ¡°Is it a yes, dad?¡± He asked without even bothering about greeting his father.


    Ryan Knight chuckled. ¡°Getting eager are you, son?¡±


    ¡°Very, now, is it a yes.¡± He demanded.


    ¡°Come home, have a drink with your old man and I will tell you,¡± saying that Ryan ended the call. Liam sighed and asked the driver to take him to his father¡¯s residence. It took him more than thirty minutes to reach there.


    His father was a man who wanted everything perfect. Maybe Liam got this from him. He respected his father very much, he was the one who never left him and his brother alone unlike his mother. He hated her, the woman became a snitch and once you enter in this business, there is only one way to get out.


    Death! Of course his mother wanted another way, she became a police. His father loved her, he could have done anything for her but she didn¡¯t understand that. She was ready to leave her children and leave alone. Of course his father¡¯s love for her knew no bounds he would have epted the decision but when he came to know about her affair with a police man he lost it. Still, he loved her so much he gave her what she wanted.


    Freedom! He let her leave him, he let her leave her children. He even helped her himself in doing so, by killing her with his own hands. She wanted out but she got out but on his terms. That was the first time he saw his father crying. But after that he didn¡¯t even blink a tear, even in his mother¡¯s funeral. And mind you! what a grand funeral it was.


    People talk about wedding receptions but in Canada his mother¡¯s funeral became the talk of the whole nation.


    The Montreal crime family was the most powerful crime family among the five families. The Don without a wife looked weak but his father never married again. He spent 20 years of his life with a new whore who looks like his deceased wife which he changes after every month. The man still misses his wife with pure hatred.


    One day his father was drunk, he said only one thing to him, ¡°son, marry a girl who didn¡¯t let you sleep even when she was not with you. And be ready to kill her or get killed, trust me life will be pretty interesting.¡± He could feel the pain behind his father¡¯s words. He hated his mother to the core. If she would have been alive he would have killed her with his own hands.


    s! Nothing could be done now, so he waited calmly for the car to reach his father¡¯s estate.


    The car finally stopped and the driver opened the door for him. He waited for the driver to open the door for him. Once he stepped down the car he closed the button of his coat and sighed deeply.


    His father was waiting for him with a huge smile on his face and of course his whore standing beside him. ¡°Dad¡­¡± he greeted him.


    ¡°Son.¡± Ryan greeted him back and invited him inside. They walked inside  and settled in Ryan¡¯s office while his whore was setting the diner table for them.


    Liam was sitting with a leg crossed over his other leg. He waited for his father to start the talk but of course he won¡¯t. The man likes to y with other people¡¯s minds .  With no other option left he asked: ¡°what exactly happenedd there dad?¡±


    Ryan smiled.  ¡°I met your would be wife.¡±


    Liam¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°Would be wife, means she agreed.¡±


    ¡°Nope, we didn¡¯t speak about any arrangement with her but Ethan happily agreed.¡±


    Liam¡¯s brows frowned. He started drumming his forefinger and middle finger on the mahogany desk.


    ¡°What exactly would you talk about if not for the arrangement dad?¡± Liam asked, leaning forward in his chair, ring at his father.


    ¡°About her likes, dislikes¡­. You know the casual stuff!¡±


    Liam was losing control, he was telling himself that the person sitting in front of him was his father and he could not beat the hell out of him even if he want to.


    His father¡¯s eyes sparkeled. ¡°Want to hit me boy?¡± He mocked Liam.


    Liam shook his head in annoyance. ¡°Really hard but I won¡¯t. Now, dad, stop this nonsense and tell me what exactly happened there.¡±


    He threw his head back andughed, shaking his head slightly. ¡°Oh boy! You remind me of my youth but I know your woman won¡¯t be a bitch like mine.¡±


    I closed my eyes for a second to get hold on my emotions. ¡°Dad!¡± I gritted, evenparing Aurora with the woman who gave birth to me made my skin crawl.


    ¡°Alright! The girl is beautiful no doubt but she is a free bird¡­¡±


    That I know and I will handle her but¡­¡± Liam was asying but suddenly his father¡¯s phone buzzed.


    Ryan¡¯s brows pulled together when he checkr the caller id, it was Ethan. Ryan epted the call immediately.


    ¡°Ethan!¡± Ryan said but the tone clearly show that he was not epting his call, not so soon at least. Liam¡¯s brows cleared hearing Ethan¡¯s name.


    Ethan sighed on the other hand. ¡°Aurora denied marrying Liam. She is not happy with an arranged Marriage and if she doesn¡¯tt want it I can¡¯t force her, Ryan.¡±


    Ryan¡¯s eyes shifted to his son who was close to losing his patience level anytime now. ¡°Ethan, Liam is the best choice for her. You know that,¡± He muttered.


    ¡°Yes, but if Aurora is not happy, I won¡¯t force her.¡±


    Ryan nodded. ¡°Very well, let me inform my son about your decision,¡± Saying that Ryan ended the call.


    Liam was looking at his father. ¡°What did he say?¡±


    Ryan sighed. ¡°Aurora kings denied marrying you.¡±


    Liam was stunned, his eyes shed. ¡°Who the hell does she think she is? She denied marrying me. Liam knight! That girl is mine and I will have her, by hook or by crook,¡± Liam gritted out standing up at the lightsing speed.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡±


    But Liam was not listening to his father anymore. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled his right hand man Jay who picked up the first ring.


    ¡°Sir¡­¡±


    ¡°Call the pilot and ask him to get the ne ready. I am flying to Boston in two hours,¡± he ordered and ended the call.


    The girl insulted him twice and he couldn¡¯t forget it. Aurora Kings, the world didn¡¯t revolve around your wishes anymore because Liam knight entered in your world.


    You will pay for this insult and you will pay it dearly¡­

 Chapter 11.

    Aurora POV:-


    ¡°The Number you are trying to call is not reachable, please try againter¡­¡±


    I ended the call and threw the phone away in anger. It¡¯s been two hours since I was trying to call him but his phone was out ofwork coverage. I felt suffocated without talking with him and remembering what I said to him. I felt even more bad and guilty about the words I said to him.


    ¡°What happened, babe? You look sad!¡± Susan asked, closing the door behind her as she sat down on the bed beside me. I facepalmed myself and sighed deeply.


    ¡°I fought with Gabe and now his phone is out ofwork. I don¡¯t know what to do, Susan. I just want to hear his voice and apologise to him for the way I behaved.¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Have you freaking lost your mind, Aurora Kings!!¡± She shouted, making me flinch at the violence in her voice. I gasped and turned towards her, ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    She pinched her like in a thin line. ¡°You are an idiot Aurora. Don¡¯t you know the rules of dating a man?¡± She asked, raising her brows in questions.


    I scrunch my nose as my brows pull together. ¡°What Rules?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°What rules!¡± She put a hand on her chest dramatically. I rolled my eyes at the drama she was doing when I was serious. ¡°Susan, please stop this drama, I am serious and not interested in your acts.¡±


    ¡°Girl shut up alright! You are really dumb when ites to dating. How will you survive in this patriarchal society of dating if you don¡¯t even know the basic rules! But don¡¯t worry, Susan is here to guide you in every step of your life¡­¡±


    She patted her back, ¡°well I think I could make a career as a Love Guru but of course that¡¯s the talk for some other time now I have to focus on you. Now, Listen to me carefully, Aurora.¡±


    She made me look directly into her eyes. raise my brows in curiosity over what she would say.


    ¡°There are certain rules in the dating world which every girl must know. Rule no. 1: When you fight with your partner, Never and I mean never apologise to him first. It boosts their ego and once you apologise you have to do it every time you fight.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me that I should not apologise to him?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Yes, dumbo! You should not.¡±


    ¡°But it was my fault that he asked me to leave, Susan. I said such mean words to him that even I would not forgive myself let alone him. I should apologise to him¡­ no I will apologise to him as soon as he epts my call.¡±


    She showed me her hand, ¡°girl, you will not call him anymore. Stop giving him such importance when he didn¡¯t give you the same. He could have called you but he didn¡¯t because of some mean words c¡¯mon Aurora!! we say mean words to each other all the time. Big deal! We still talk to each other.¡±


    I sighed, slumping my shoulders. It will take me a whole life to make Susan understand the depth of the situation. She thinks that my rtionship with Gabe was like her but unlike her, I am serious about Gabe when she is anything but serious about her nth number of boyfriends. She won¡¯t understand the pain I was going through right now. So I just sat there silently and listened to the rules she told me about dating.


    Even her bickering was better than me sitting alone and thinking about Gabe. My pain doubled thinking about what he was going through right now. Mrs Dn was right when she told me that I should think before speaking because sometimes words cut more sharply than a sword.


    ¡°Are you even listening to me, Aurora!!¡±


    I heard Susan¡¯s loud voice and flinched. ¡°What! I mean yes, I am listening.¡± I closed my eyes in annoyance as she continued her chatter.


    ¡°Susan, I am not feeling well, you know that time of the month. Would you mind if I sleep for a while?¡± I asked when I couldn¡¯t tolerate her endless chatter anymore.  She raised her brows and stared at me for a whole minute. ¡°Stop lying Aurora Kings, you just had your periodsst week.¡±


    And here goes my sanity. Now she won¡¯t spare me with her melodrama of I thought we don¡¯t lie to each other. ¡°I am sorry¡­¡±


    She showed me her hand. ¡°Stop it, and sleep, if you want me gone then say so no need to lie.¡± Saying that she stood up and walked out of my room but not without throwing the door so hard that it hurt my ears.


    I sighed, wow! Now I have an angry friend to coax as well. What luck I was born with. I picked my phone from where I put it on the bed and dialled Gabe once again and just likest time it was out ofwork. With no other option left I sent him a voice message.


    ¡°Hey, Gabe. Hope you are fine, baby, please call me. I am sorry for what I said. Trust me it was not my intention to hurt you. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± I stopped because the words on my tongue could make the situation even worse.


    ¡°Just call me, please. I love you¡­¡± saying that I hit send and a single tick shows which means the message has been sent but was not received by the other party.  With no other option left I closed my eyes and tried to sleep and the sleep took over me.


    The next day when I came up I didn¡¯t wait for Susan to wake up and walked out of the house as soon as I could. Took my car out of the garage and drove to Gabe¡¯s restaurant. When I reached there only cleaning staff was there. I walked inside and looked for the manager. He was on his usual seat doing the books on MS Excel.


    As if sensing my presence he raised his head from theputer. ¡°Boss is inside his office, in a  bad mood until yesterday.¡± He reported the situation here.


    I blew him many air kisses. ¡°Thank you so much, George. You are the best friend one can ask for!¡±


    ¡°Is that so, then talk to that hot friend of yours about our date?¡± He wiggled his brows.


    And here goes his cuteness. ¡°Sorry, but she won¡¯t agree, anyway let me go inside and check the war room.¡±


    He gave me a thumbs-up sign and I walked inside Gabe¡¯s office and again he was talking to someone over the phone. He looked angry at first but when she saw me his features calmed a bit.


    ¡°Yes, Uncle, I know I don¡¯t have a dad but you are just like him to me even if people think otherwise. I will ept your decision¡­¡±


    Okay! That was a low blow but I understand that he was still hurt by my words. I gulped and waited for him to end the call but he kept talking to his uncle for about fifteen minutes while I stood there waiting for him to acknowledge me. It felt humiliating when he didn¡¯t even ask me to sit, so I kept standing there in his office while he pretended that I was not even there.


    Those fifteen minutes turned into fifty minutes and I was still standing. I was close to crying, tears gathered in the corner of my eyes. I looked down to control my tears but failed miserably and a sob left my throat.

 Chapter 12.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± I heard him. I couldn¡¯t control my emotions anymore as I burst into tears. I didn¡¯t know when he ended the call and when he walked to me.


    ¡°Aurora, love. Please, stop crying.¡±


    I was feeling humiliated by the way he treated me. No one had ever treated me this disrespectful in my life but he did, The man I love humiliated me today. I have been trying to change myself for the past two months for him. He didn¡¯t like going shopping with me when I love shopping, so I learned to live with it not only that there are many things which I won¡¯t do because he didn¡¯t like them.


    Going to dance clubs for one, I love going there and dancing my heart out while he likes watching some stupid Football League. I love watching romance movies and he didn¡¯t like them. I love talking about fashion events and designers as I am a jewellery designing student but he doesn¡¯t like any of those things. Still, I was trying to like the things he likes, I was trying to adapt to his ways but he doesn¡¯t see them.


    What he saw was I said something which hurt him, it was not like I said those things to hurt him and I am feeling ashamed for using those words.


    ¡°Aurora, please look at me¡­¡± he spoke, making his voice soft. I shook my head and he held my chin softly, raised my head and made me look at him.


    ¡°I am sorry love, it¡¯s just that I was angry with you¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what came over me and  I started beating his chest with my fists. ¡°I hate you¡­ I hate you¡­¡± I sobbed while beating him. ¡°I hate you¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t try to stop me and when I stopped beating his chest he pulled me in his arms and hugged me tightly. ¡°Calm down, love. I am sorry for the way I behaved with you.¡±


    I was still sobbing in his arms. ¡°I hate you.¡±


    ¡°But I love you, my darling. I love you more than anything else in this world.¡± He said, caressing my hair with his hand. He scooped me in his arms and took me to the couch. He made me sit on it and held my face, wiping the tears from my cheek. He ced a soft kiss on my head.


    ¡°I am sorry again, love.¡±


    I hugged him again. ¡°No, I am sorry for what I said but Gabe, it was not my intention to hurt you. It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t like the way you were talking about my dad.¡±


    Gabe sighed. ¡°I know¡­ but whenever someone mentions my dad I feel as if someone was burning me alive. I couldn¡¯t forget the way I saw my dad burned alive by his enemy, Aurora and I am telling you for thest time, don¡¯t ever mention my father again. I didn¡¯t know what came over me when someone did that.¡±


    I raised my eyes and gazed into his. I could see the pain in them and I wanted to share it. I touched his cheek softly. ¡°Gabe, can you tell me what happened to your dad?¡± I asked him.


    He sighed, fisting his hands tightly and nodded. ¡°My Dad was getting life threats from some wrong people sometimes two years ago. But he was brave, I never saw my dad getting feared by anyone. He was the strongest man I knew but one day I lost my strong man, I lost my dad forever¡­¡± he took a deep shaky breath.


    I held his hand tofort him. ¡°Gabe¡­¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°My dad wasing back from a meeting at one of his restaurants. I was going to surprise him but couldn¡¯t because some people attacked him, he fought with them but what can a man do against twenty men. They tortured him and burned him alive, I couldn¡¯t even give him a proper funeral.


    I was stunned to hear him, his body was stiff in anger as he told me about his father¡¯s death. A shiver ran down my body hearing how his father died.


    ¡°Gabe, who were these people? Why would they do something this horrible to your dad?¡± I whispered.


    He sighed. ¡°As I said, people from the wrong side, My dad denied giving them money and they killed him.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°So, what happened to them, did the police arrest them?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Ya! Police are in their pockets, Aurora. Unlike what we believe, the police don¡¯t work like that. Serving the people is just a slogan for them, they don¡¯t stand by it. But I have filed aint against them, what else a normal citizen like me could do!¡±


    ¡°I can help you,¡± I stopped and rested my hand on his softly. ¡°I mean I can ask dad to help you with this. He knows the governor¡­¡±


    Gabe snatched his hand and red at me with hard eyes. ¡°Enough Aurora, I don¡¯t need your dad¡¯s help. You don¡¯t have to show how powerful your dad is? I get it he is rich and I don¡¯t stand a chance against him but I have my self-respect.¡±


    Here is the topic again.¡±Gabe why do you get so protective when ites to my dad. Whenever I mention him you just¡­¡±I took a breath to remain calm as I didn¡¯t want our talk to turn into an argument.


    ¡°Gabe, why are you so insecure with my dad?¡± I asked him the question I wanted to ask for a long time.


    He linked the fingers of both his hands and pressed them hard into a fist, turned his head towards me and spoke: ¡°because I am afraid of losing you, Aurora. I am afraid that he will snatch you from me¡­¡±


    ¡°Gabe, are you even listening to yourself? He is my dad and he loves me. He will never do something that hurts me.¡± I tried to tell him but he shook his head.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, It¡¯s just¡­¡± he sighed and added. ¡°It¡¯s just you are the most important person in my life Aurora and that¡¯s the only reason I am trying to change you. I see my future with you and you might hate me for this but I want you to ept my reality. I can¡¯t give you avish lifestyle like your father. That¡¯s why I tell you to quit doing things I can¡¯t afford. I know I sound selfish here but I love you and¡­¡± he dropped his hand and walked up to the window. He was staring at the tree outside with his hand¡¯s stuff in his pockets.


    I was stunned to hear him. He was this scared of losing me and here I was, oh my God! I bit my lower lip from inside. My poor Gabe!  Standing up from the sofa I walked up to him.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Resting my hand on his shoulder I ced my head on his neck. ¡°You don¡¯t have to fear anything, Gabe. I don¡¯t care about money or status. All I want is you. Don¡¯t be afraid darling, and as far as my dad is concerned. I will finish this topic once and for all.¡±


    I pushed his shoulder a little to turn him towards me. He stared into my eyes, his gaze holding questions.


    ¡°Tonight, I want you to join me for dinner with dad.¡±


    Gabe¡¯s brows pulled together. ¡°You want me to meet your dad?¡± He asked surprised.


    ¡°Yes, and I will tell dad that I want to be with you, forever,¡± I told him, meeting his gaze.


    His eyes shed. ¡°You are serious¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Gabe, I want to be with you only.¡± He picked me in his arms and swirled around. ¡°Oh, darling, you just made my day, you have no idea how much I love you.¡±


    ¡°Haha!! ¡± I held his neck for support. ¡°Gabe!¡± Iughed. ¡°Love, I promise you won¡¯t regret this ever. I will always love you and cherish you. Baby, I promise you that.¡±


    He said finally putting me on the floor.


    At that moment I was on cloud nine. That was the most beautiful day of my life. I was happy that day with lots of beautiful dreams in my eyes but I was wrong. That day I was happy with my prince charming unaware of the fact that a monster was waiting for me at home.


    A monster named Liam Knight!

 Chapter 13.

    Aurora POV:-


    ¡°Good evening, Mrs Dn!¡± I greeted, kissing her soft cheek.   She was baking pumpkin pies. Sniffing the aroma I was lost. ¡°Hmm! They smell so good Mrs Dn.¡± I tried to steal a piece but she pped my hand.


    ¡°Ow!¡± I rubbed where she hit me.


    ¡°For the guest, go and change. You have to be present at the dinner table.


    I frowned. ¡± wait!  Who ising for dinner? I have invited a guest myself, Mrs Dn¡­¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Then Cancel it Aurora, your dada¡¯s guest has already arrived and he is an important person. Ethan won¡¯t like it if you invite one of your friends for dinner tonight!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t invite a friend but someone special, Mrs Dn and who is this guest for whom you want me to cancel my invitation?¡± I asked her.


    She didn¡¯t speak for a while and left a deep breath she was holding. ¡°Liam Knight is here to meet your dad.  He is with your dad right now in his office and your dad asked me to inform you about the dinner tonight¡­¡±


    And I didn¡¯t need to listen anymore. I was dumbstruck! ¡°I t out said no to meet that man, Mrs Dn! How could dad invite him here?¡± I almost shouted?


    Mrs Dn red at me. ¡°Down your tone youngdy! And for your information, Ethan didn¡¯t invite him, he came to meet your dad himself. So stop this brattish behaviour and change into a nice dress to host the dinner table.¡± She ordered me by crossing her hands to her chest.


    I gritted my teeth. ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± I told her thumping a foot on the floor. ¡°And as far as Liam or whatever his name is concerned I will finish the topic with him itself. He needs to learn that we don¡¯t live in a Machiavellian era anymore, but in a modern world and here arranged marriages cease to exist.¡±


    I turned on my heel and sprinted towards dad¡¯s office. Not bothering with a knock I opened the door with a loud thud. Two pairs of eyes turned towards the source of the noise.


    Dad looked confused but the man sitting across from him looked angry. His eyes were hard and his posture stiff. ¡°Dad, I need to talk with you.¡±


    I said not even ncing at that barbarian. ¡°Aurora, I am busy right now darling!¡±


    I crossed my hands to my chest. ¡°Now, dad! I want to talk to you right now.¡± I demanded and Dad sighed but before dad could speak that monster spoke up.


    ¡°We are in between some important talk¡­¡±


    And I was in a rage. Who the hell does he think he is? Here I was talking to my dad, who was he to interrupt us?


    ¡°Excuse me! But I am talking to my dad, not you, so if you don¡¯t mind, shut up and let my dad talk!¡±  I snapped at him, crossing my hands to my chest.


    His brows pulled together. He gazed in dad¡¯s direction. ¡°Mr Kings, kindly tell your daughter to leave from here.¡±


    Guts of this man!! I walked inside and stood in front of him. ¡°Look mr, I don¡¯t know who you think you are but you have no right toe to my house, sit in my dad¡¯s office and order him to do something. You have to understand that you are not some kind of King¡­¡±


    He stood up abruptly, making me gasp in surprise. He was around six feet two inches while I was just 5¡¯6 and barely came to his chest. He was intimidating but I knew he couldn¡¯t do anything to me. I was Aurora Kings, Ethan King¡¯s daughter and no one can harm a single hair of my head in front of my dad.


    ¡°And you need to learn some basic manners!¡±


    I scoffed. ¡°Manners! You need to learn them much more than me. Bloody hypocrite! What do you think of yourself ha! Send your dad with an arranged marriage proposal as if you are some kind of demi-God with whom  I was dying to get married. News sh! Mr this Is modern times not ancient where you can marry a girl without her permission. And if youe here to woo me then news sh again¡­¡± I said, gesturing my hands in the air to underline the words.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like you and I would never marry you even if you were thest man alive on this earth,¡± I told him in a single breath.


    He turned to my dad who sighed, shrugging his shoulders. ¡°Yes, he is on my side, so take your uninvited ass out of my home right now!¡±


    ¡°Aurora! ¡°Dad scolded me lightly but I didn¡¯t care. ¡°No dad, Tell him to leave right now!¡±


    Before he could even speak he took a step in my direction and instinctively I backed a step, our eyes locked with each other and I would be damned if I blink before him even if my eyes turned dry.


    Okay! I couldn¡¯t control it anymore and blink twice. ¡°I would love to teach you some manners, Mrs Aurora Liam Knight,¡± Saying that he nodded at dad gesturing a salute with his two fingers and walked out of the office while I was staring at his back and then stiffened when I got what he just called me.


    Mrs Aurora Liam Knight! That arrogant egoistic bastard!


    ¡°Did you hear what he called me dad, I will not leave that Machiavellian man now you just wait¡­¡± I was about to run behind him when Dad snapped at me.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Stop right there, Aurora!¡±


    I halted in my steps. He walked up to me.¡± you will not do something like this again, do you understand me?¡± He asked sharply. I was stunned hearing him, my dad never in his life talked to me like this and today he was scolding me for that arrogant man.


    ¡°Dad¡­¡± I whispered, hurt hearing his scolding tone.


    ¡°Do you understand me or not, Aurora kings?¡± He yelled this time and I stiffened. Tears gathered in my eyes and I gulped the heaviness in my throat.


    He was staring into my eyes, waiting for me to speak. ¡°Yes, dad.¡±


    Dad nodded. ¡°Now go and change, till I call and apologize for the mess you created. Go now.¡±


    I fisted my hands tightly. ¡°Before I go, I need to tell you something,¡± I said with a heavy throat. Even my voice came out in a sob, a few tears rolled out my cheek.

 Chapter 14.

    For the first time in my life, dad didn¡¯t wipe my tears and hugged me. Still, I gulped and continued. ¡°I invited my fiance to meet with you tonight for dinner.¡±


    His eyes turned wide, ¡°what did you say?¡± He demanded.


    ¡°Yes, I got engaged today dad, his name is Gabriel and I love him,¡±  I informed him, meeting his gaze head-on.


    ¡°Stop this childish act and tell me clearly who this man is? What does he do! I want to know everything about him, Aurora, I won¡¯t let any gold diggere in a ten-meter radius with you.¡±


    ¡°He is not a gold digger, dad. He is earning well on his own and we both love each other.¡± I stressed on the word love while looking into his eyes to show him how serious I was about Gabe.


    He continued staring at me for a long moment of time. ¡°I want to meet this man!¡± He said, sharpening his eyes.


    I shrugged my shoulders and crossed my hands to my chest. ¡°I already invited him to dinner tonight. He will be here in two hours.¡±


    I found a sudden change in dad¡¯s energy. His body stiffened hearing my words. I thought he would be angry but contrary to my beliefs he said something unexpected. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s meet this fiancee of yours, my baby.¡±


    I was stunned. ¡°You¡­ you will meet him, dad?¡± I asked, unable to believe that he said that when a moment ago he was ready to start a war with Gabe.


    He smiled warmly. ¡°Yes, you have no idea how special you are to me, Aurora. I can do anything for you, anything my baby.¡±


    My heart melted at his words. I knew how much he loves me. My dad was my life, he can do anything for me and I can do anything for him too. We were always like this even with mom. Whenever she used to get angry with me I ran to dad¡¯s office and hid behind his chair while mom used to scold him for spoiling me but dad being the dad he always coaxed mom and helped me.


    ¡°I love you, dad¡­¡± I went in his arms and hugged him tightly. ¡°I am so sorry for talking like this but I was angry at that pathetic man, not you. Please forgive your Aurora.¡± I whispered in his chest.


    He rubbed his hand on my hair, whispering warm words. ¡°My baby, my sweet baby. It¡¯s okay,e on now, let me do some work, you go and change into something presentable for dinner. And I keep my guns ready for the man who ising to snatch my princess away from me.¡±


    I giggled in his chest. ¡°Na! I will live with my dada, forever.¡± I called him Dada like I used to call him when I was a child. He kissed my hair and broke our hug. ¡°Go now, darling.¡±


    I smiled and missed his cheek before walking out of his office. I went to my room and called Gabe who picked up the first ring.


    ¡°Did you talk with your dad?¡± He asked immediately without even bothering with a hello.


    My poor baby. *sigh*  How scared he was of losing me. ¡°Yes I did, Gabe.¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± He asked.


    ¡°He wants to meet you, Gabe. I told you, you are worrying in vain. My dad loves me so much that he will ept my decisions. Anyway don¡¯t bete, he is very particr about everything so doe on time. Please!¡±


    ¡°Oh thank God!¡± He sighed in relief.  ¡°You have no idea how anxious I was about you talking to your dad about us, Aurora. I just¡­¡± he sighed again.


    ¡°I just love you so much that I am scared of losing you, you are my only hope in life Aurora. You are my salvation in life.¡±


    Aw! My baby. I clutched my phone tightly and pinched my lips in a thin line at the sweetness of his words. ¡°And you are mine, now don¡¯t make me emotional, I need to dress up for my fiance¡¯s arrival and you are wasting my time.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°I will see you when Ie there, Miss kings. Now tell me which wine your dad likes to let me make an impression on you dad.¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    I told him the name of dad¡¯s favourite white wine before ending the call. I turned in my heels and went to my walk-in closet. I needed to change but I didn¡¯t know what to wear. After checking my whole closet I was still confused. I have tried at least fifteen dresses but was not satisfied with any of them.


    My room looked as if a tsunami hade over here and littered the whole floor with clothes but it was not a tsunami, it was just me not able to decide what to wear. Biting my cheek from inside,  patting a finger to my lip, I was trying to choose when I heard a loud chirpy voice that sang my name.


    ¡°Oh, Aurora¡­¡±


    I rolled my eyes and turned towards the one and only girl who can make my blood pressure rise and fall at the same time. ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± I mocked her.


    ¡°Wow! Wow! Are going somewhere, miss kings. Or you have decided to clean your wardrobe yourself for once! If that¡¯s the case I am going to faint.¡±


    I snickered and put on a fake smile on my lips. ¡°What do you want, Susan Kelly?¡± I raised my brows in askance.


    ¡°Okay, being snappy only means two things: that something good and bad happened at the same time. Am I right, dy?¡±


    I left the breath I was holding. Kicking off some clothes so that I could walk to my bed I sat on it. ¡°Yes¡­¡± I told her.


    She walked to me and cocked her head to one side. ¡°Spill up,dy!¡± She demanded.


    And I told her some things about my meeting with mr high and mighty. ¡®What the fuck are you barking?¡± She said in her rich colourfulnguage and today I didn¡¯t mind her beautiful cursed terms. Not even the F* word, Mind you!

 Chapter 15.

    ¡°Tell me the whole thing without missing a single detail.¡± She demanded.


    Let me tell you the bad one first,¡± A son of a bitch came to our house, he bloody threw tantrums on me and that also in front of my dad¡± Can you believe it.


    ¡®He threw tantrums on the Aurora kings!! Can you believe it?¡± I said pointing a sharply manicured finger at myself.


    Oh Gosh! I can¡¯t believe my ears, Aurora. You swore, like seriously you swore, it means that person had seriously created a mess for you, I¡¯m sure.


    You are making me even more eager about it,¡± She fretted, widening her eyes dramatically.


    ¡°You remember I told you about Mr Ryan Wolfe who came to my dad¡¯s  house bringing a marriage proposal of his son for me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I remember, so?¡± She asked.


    ¡°So, today his son Liam Wolfe came and that pathetic, egoistic, self-centred man gave me orders in my own house! The nerve of that person! He ordered me to get out of Dad¡¯s office in front of my dad.¡± I told her in a single breath.


    ¡°He did all these things and on top of that, he asked me to learn manners like seriously, he is the one who needs to learn them first.¡±


    ¡°I seriously wanna kill him by hearing you but what he said before leaving, which made you this mad?¡± She supports me.


    ¡°You won¡¯t believe it, Susan! He called me, Mrs Aurora Liam Wolfe!!!¡±


    Who the hell does he think he is? Bloody barbarian!


    I scream in anger and frustration¡± How dare he call me that? I will kill him with my bare hands if I ever meet him again.  I am telling you, Susan!¡±


    ¡°Damn girl! You are burning in rage. You know what, we need to clean your energy. There is a lot of negativity around you right now, we need to clear your chakras!¡±


    And I looked at her with rage-filled eyes. ¡°Susan, don¡¯t start your tarot reading sessions here or I will tear them apart! Now, stop this negative energy shit and help me choose a dress. Gabe ising here and I need to dress up for him.¡± I said standing up and kicking the red off-shoulder dress away to walk back to the wardrobe.


    ¡°Why is heing to dinner, any special asion?¡± She asked while scrolling the hanging dresses to help me choose one.


    I stopped scrolling the hangers and cleared my throat. I needed to tell her about Gabe proposing to me but I knew she would throw a fit but still, I need to take a risk.


    ¡°Gabe proposed to me today with a ring,¡± I muttered and she gasped, turned her head towards me, her eyes widened, the hazel brows stuck in the centre, shocked hearing my words.


    ¡°Did I hear you right, Aurora Kings, that cleaner proposed to you and you are telling me now! How dare you hide it from me?¡± She barked with authority.


    ¡°How dare you do this to your own and only best friend? I can¡¯t believe you have done this to me!! How could you? How could you do this to me? Damn, God!! Kill me, please kill me. No one in this world loves me!!¡±


    I raised my eyelids and rolled my eyes, here goes my peace and time to dress up for the important dinner, now I had another thing at hand and that was coaxing my best friend.


    ¡°My dear Susan, I am so sorry but you know everything happened so fast that I didn¡¯t have time to inform you and after that when I reached home, I saw that barbarian which made me see only red in  front of my eyes¡­¡± I didn¡¯t want to remember that scoundrel and continued cajoling my BFF. Finally, all my hard work paid off and she forgave me.


    ¡°All things apart Aurora, but are you sure you want to get married to that cleaner?¡±


    I huffed when she called Gabe a cleaner for God sake and her analogies. ¡°Yes and Susan, he is not a cleaner, stop calling him that he owns the restaurant.¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Ya well! When I met him as your boyfriend he was washing dirty dishes, so he is a cleaner in my eyes. Big deal but leave his profession aside and tell me what I am asking you, are you sure about marrying him?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°In this life, I will marry only my Gabe.  I love him from the depth of my heart, Susan. He is the only man for me. Today he proposed to me with a ring, and I said yes. Look how beautiful the ring is?


    ¡°But what about the way he treats you? I am telling you Aurora, he wants to control you¡­¡± she reminded me of the things I told her about how Gabe was treating me or I say was trying to control me.


    ¡°I know I told you how Gabe was trying to change me from who I am. But today I got to know why he was doing that, Susan the man was scared of losing me. He was scared that dad would not ept him as my husband and I would leave him because he couldn¡¯t give me avish lifestyle.¡±


    She nodded at me, gesturing to me to continue. ¡°Oh, Susan! I thought he was losing his interest in me when he didn¡¯t take me shopping that day but no, he was not ignoring me, on the other hand, he thought I would not be able to live without this grandvish lifestyle but he didn¡¯t know that all this luxury is nothing in front of him. I can leave all this in a blink of an eye just to be with him.  I can sacrifice anything for him, even this life¡­ he is here.¡± I pointed a finger at my heart. ¡°And I love him.¡± I dered.


    Susan blinked, she cleaned the tear that rolled onto her cheek. ¡°You bitch! You ruined my makeup. What should I tell Harry now?¡±


    I frowned. ¡°Harry, who?¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Tonight¡¯s crush! Anyway, let¡¯s get ready now. You for your dinner and I for my fuck date.¡± And we both spent the next two hours getting ready for the night.


    On the other hand¡­


    Ethan kings were talking to Liam Wolfe over the phone.


    ¡°What else I could do, Liam, I can¡¯t see my daughter getting hurt. I don¡¯t care about anything except for her happiness.¡± Ethan told Liam who was pacing back and forth in his room with pent up anger on none other than the girl he was obsessed with.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Liam wished he could deal with Ethan like the people who he didn¡¯t like but couldn¡¯t for an nth number of issues.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, Ethan. We had this arrangement,¡± he sighed trying to calm himself. He fisted his hand, ¡°let me handle, Aurora!¡± He gritted out.


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t even think about it, Liam. I chose you for my daughter and I want her to marry you only but don¡¯t make me regret my decision. At the end of the day, I couldn¡¯t see tears in her eyes¡­¡± Ethan warned Liam which made him even more madder.


    ¡°Let me meet this man she chose for herself but for now, everything is off from my side,¡± saying that Ethan ended the call.


    Liam threw the phone against the wall, it broke down into many pieces. His eyes turned red in rage, his body stiff in anger and his mind was bursting like a volcano. ¡°No Ethan, I won¡¯t let you end things between us. Your daughter will be mine whether you like it or not. Whether she epts me or not, I am her destiny and she will end up with me only¡­ ¡±


    As Mrs Aurora Liam Wolfe, End of the conversation!!!

 Chapter 16.

    ¡°Dad, meet Gabriel and Gabe, he is my dad.¡± I introduced the two most important men in my life.


    Gabe offered his hand to dad who didn¡¯t hold it but was looking at Gabe, assessing him from head to toe.


    I shrank my eyes in embarrassment. Dad! Why are you being so obvious about it?


    Sighing I cleared my throat and dad finally epted Gabe¡¯s stretched out hand. ¡°It¡¯s nice meeting you sir.¡±


    Dad didn¡¯t reply, only gave him a curt nod. ¡°Please have a seat Mr¡­¡±


    ¡°James but you can call me Gabrielle¡­¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I prefer Mr James, thank you.¡±


    Okay! So dad was not going to be easy on him. I need to intervene or there would be a world war three and the cause of that would be the Aurora Kings.


    ¡°Did I tell you that Gabe is an excellent chef, Dad?¡± I tried to start a conversation that did not include certain death res.


    Gabe patted my hand once and squeezed it as if he understood what I was trying to do.


    ¡°Hm! You did not, darling but now that you told me I am sure Mr James would like to tell me more about himself and his business.¡± Dad spoke ncing in Gabe¡¯s direction while Gabe being Gabe didn¡¯t lower his eyes and met his gaze head-on.


    Wow! I never expected their meeting would be like this. One could cut the tension in this room with a knife.


    ¡°Certainly, I will tell you whatever you want to ask about me Mr Knights,¡± Gabe answered, staring at dad without even blinking once.


    Dad leaned back and crossed his one leg over his knee, he turned his eyes in my direction. ¡°Aurora, darling, why don¡¯t you go and help Mrs Dn with the dinner table. I am sure she would need your help till then let us both have a man to man talk.¡±


    I stiffened, ¡°dad¡­¡± I never expected my dad to behave like this with my fiance.


    I would have said something else but Gabe gave my hand another squeeze, I turned my eyes to him and he nodded at me. He was asking me to leave so that he could speak with my dad.


    I gulped in anger.  I walked to dad and hugged him ¡°don¡¯t forget I love his dada!  I used the words Dada, the word which I use when I want something and dad didn¡¯t want it. Dad shook his head as if he was disappointed about something but I didn¡¯t care. He started giving attitude to Gabe and I am just standing beside my love.


    I kissed dad¡¯s cheek to show that he was still the best man in my life but my love for Gabe was also not less than the love I have for him. Passing a smile to Gabe I walked out of the living area and went to the kitchen.


    Mrs Dn was setting the tes. ¡± You need help, Mrs Dn?¡± I asked her. She raised her head and frowned but then her brows cleared up.


    ¡°Oh yes, darling! Help me with the tes,¡± I kept thinking about what was going on between Dad and Gabe, what they would be talking about. I prayed that dad was not being too hard on him.


    ¡°Aurora, look what you are doing!!¡± I heard Mrs Dn¡¯s sharp authoritative voice and looked down at what she was talking about.


    My eyes widened seeing what mess I made this time. I knocked down the whole jig of water on the dining table and the water was sshed over the once neatly set dining table.


    I didn¡¯t dare to meet Mrs Dn¡¯s gaze. She would definitely make me clean the whole table, that too without the help of a single server. I mean really!


    ¡°Clean it now!¡± She ordered me, putting a hand on her waist and shaking her head.


    ¡°But Mrs Dn¡­¡±


    ¡°Now Aurora kings, your dad has spoiled you too much for my liking. I wish your mother would have been here to teach you some values but not that man, ¡± she muttered referring to dad.


    ¡°You have him wrapped around your pinkie finger. Bless the man who marries you and has to suffer this bratty attitude of your¡­¡± she kept muttering while I was cleaning the table.


    And here I was mentally worried about the talk my fiance and father had while physically I was cleaning the dining table wearing a twenty thousand dors dress and five thousand dors shoes and didn¡¯t even ask the cost of my jewellery. I would be the most expensive maid right now.


    ¡°Clean it from there as well!¡± She said pointing a sharply manicured finger at the corner of the table and I cleaned it obediently.


    ¡°Enough now, go and change your dress till I make everything ready. God knows, instead of helping me you always increase my work.


    And I put the cleaning towel on the table, didn¡¯t even look at Mrs Dn and ran towards the living room where dad and Gabe were talking. I wanted to go and sit with them to make them both behave but what I heard made me stop in my tracks.


    I was stunned, hearing dad and Gabe!


    ¡± I know people like you well, so let¡¯s just cut this drama short boy, and tell me how much money you want to get out of my daughter¡¯s life,¡± Dad Asked Gabe in his professional business-like tone.


    My eyes widened, I asked dad to be nice to Gabe and he was practically insulting him.  I was about to interrupt dad but Gabe spoke and I stayed at the door to listen to what he would say. There was something in me which needed to hear his answer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need or want anything from you Mr Kings, I love Aurora. I don¡¯t know about you but for me, she Is not for sale!¡±


    ¡°Enough boy! See who you are talking to. I can ruin you with a single node,¡± Dad snapped. ¡°I raised my daughter like a princess, I don¡¯t want some gold digger toe and trap her in his love talks to gain his hands on my business and money. And I am well aware of people like you¡­¡±

 Chapter 17

    ¡°Stop right there Mr Kings. I might not have billions in my bank ount like you but still, I earn well with my restaurant. You raised her like a princess and I will make her my queen. She loves me and I love her, I don¡¯t care what anyone else thinks about us or our rtionship, for me she is the one that matters the most, her happiness. So if you¡¯re looking for some man who will ept this cheque from you, sorry to disappoint you but you didn¡¯t have enough money to buy my love for your daughter.¡±


    ¡°You¡­.¡± Dad took a step in his direction and I couldn¡¯t stand there anymore. So I walked inside with a smile on my face pretending I didn¡¯t hear anything they were talking about.


    ¡°Dad¡­¡± And he stopped, turned around and smiled at me.  I walked and stood beside Gabe, ¡°What were you both talking about?¡± I asked casually, passing a smile to both of them.


    Dad raised his eyes to Gabe. ¡°Nothing we were talking about football, love. We both like different clubs.¡± Gave replied, meeting Dad¡¯s gaze. I gazed at both of them and I saw dad giving a node to Gabe.


    My baby! He was trying to save Dad and my rtionship. His respect in my eyes increased tenfold on the other hand I decided that I needed to talk to dad. He needs to respect my decision and ept Gabe in my life now.


    Finally, Mrs Dn came there and asked about dinner. ¡°Yes, I am really hungry, Mrs Dn.¡±


    We all sat for dinner and even there I could feel the uneasiness in the atmosphere. But bravo to both Gabe¡¯s and Dad¡¯s performance. They both tried to initiate a conversation with me and each other.  I know they both love me. I know they both want my happiness and of course, both were behaving like stubborn fools.


    Uh! May God give me enough strength to handle these two thick-headed men. I need to do Yoga for strength and patience to deal with these adult wannabe children.


    Anyhow, the dinner ended and dad was the first to stand up. He stretched his hand, and Gabe epted it.


    ¡°It was nice meeting you, Mr James.¡± He said, watching Gabe with calcting eyes. Dad nced my way and something shifted in his gaze.


    ¡°Drop your fiance to the door, Aurora. I have some important work to do.¡±  Dad nodded at me and gave one more nce to Gabe. He turned his back and walked downwards to his office.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    *uff* I huffed and raised my brows at Gabe. ¡°I am sorry¡­¡± I whispered silently.


    Gabe¡¯s brows pulled together. He pulled me towards him, our bodies touching each other, I gasped at the sudden motion. ¡°Gabe¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you sorry, Aurora?¡± He asked, his eyes focussed on mine while I gulped in the anxiety of being this close to Gabe in my Dad¡¯s house where anyone coulde and see us.


    ¡°Tell me,  why are you apologizing, Aurora?¡± He asked again.


    I huffed. ¡°For how my dad treated you, I heard you both talking to each other in the living room but pretended that I didn¡¯t.¡± I stood on my toes and kissed his cheek lovingly. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He stretched his face a little in question. ¡°Why are you thanking me?¡±


    ¡°For pretending that you and dad were really talking about football and dad was not using you of being with me because of my money.¡±


    Gabe only chuckled. ¡°I was prepared for this, Aurora. I understand where your dad wasing from. I mean in front of your dad I am nothing and you are his daughter. His heir and he is obviously scared of someone taking advantage of your nativity. Also, you are wrong in one regard. The money belongs to your dad, not to you. ¡±


    I frowned at that. ¡± I am not Naive. And of course, whatever belongs to my dad belongs to me as well. There is no difference.¡± I tried to resonate with him but he just shook his head.


    ¡°No, you are wrong here Aurora. You see your dad loves you too much and doesn¡¯t let you see the real world. Here, you have the identity as Aurora Kings, Ethan king¡¯s daughter but where is Aurora¡­ your surname defines your worth not your name.¡±


    I bit my lower lip from inside, controlling myself fromshing out at him. He always does that, whatever  I am excited about he just says the opposite. If Susan would have been here she would have used him of breaking my spirit and demotivating me.


    But I kept mum, what else could I do? If I said something which he didn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t even think what he would do. Ah! Sometimes I feel so frustrated in this rtionship but my love for him was more important than anything else.  I wanted to give us time, I mean it¡¯s only been two months since we started dating and he proposed to me today.


    I had to be considerate about my rtionship. My mom used to say this to me, rtionships are easy to break but hard to maintain. It takes a lot of love and patience to save it, honey. Love your partner like there will be no tomorrow. Live with him like it¡¯s yourst day.


    When I epted Gabe¡¯s rtionship I promised myself that I would give my everything to this rtionship and I would. It¡¯s just sometimes I didn¡¯t feel he was being supportive like right now!


    I sighed and tried to focus on what he was saying. ¡°Look Aurora, you need to step into the real world. The world you live in is created by your dad in which you get whatever you want but in my world, you have to struggle for everything. You give a hundred dor tip to people but in my world every single penny counts, a single cent could decide if they would be bread on my table or not.¡±

 Chapter 18

    He held my face in his hands, his thumbs caressing my cheek lovingly. ¡°I want you to be ready for everything, every kind of situation to be with me, love¡­ I am not saying that I won¡¯t be able to give you thisvish lifestyle ever. I will, I promise but it won¡¯t happen anytime soon. I have ns, it¡¯s just that it will take time¡­¡±


    And he always does that as well.  I feel ashamed after he shows his soft side or I say the meaning behind his harsh words. I mean I know that my dad is a billionaire and I might not know what it takes to earn money but still I never took anything for granted. I meanst year I wanted to go to the Maldives for vacation but dad denied me his private ne because it went for servicing and I didn¡¯t get angry instead I hired a chartered ne. If  I could understand Dad¡¯s problems then I could understand Gabe¡¯s as well.


    ¡°I understand Gabe¡­¡±


    He patted my cheek as we started walking towards the main door. ¡°Aurora, I know my words could hurt you but after we get married I want you to quit your designing and help me in my restaurant.¡±


    And I was stunned. ¡°Huh!¡± My eyes broadened hearing him. ¡°Gabe, what would I be doing in your restaurant?¡± I asked him, not able to believe his words.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, you can¡¯t chop vegetables as I am sure you didn¡¯t know and I don¡¯t want you to chop your fingers.¡±


    I grimaced when he said chop your fingers, I was looking at him expectantly. ¡°But you can wash dishes¡­¡±


    My throat swelled up hearing him. He wants me to give up on my dream of jewellery designing and do dishes in his restaurant. I was bewildered by his thought process.


    ¡°Gabe, I have ns for a jewellery business¡­¡±  I told him, gazing into his eyes.


    He chuckled. ¡°Oh, Aurora!¡± He held my face in his hands and ced a soft kiss on my forehead, stared into my eyes. ¡°Darling, I love you but you need to know the harsh truth about yourself. You stand no chance in the business world and, you can do anything because of your dad¡¯s contacts and money but love, I can¡¯t afford all this and at the end of the day, you will be dependent on me. Think about it.¡± Saying that he leaned to kiss me and I turned my head away a little.


    ¡°Mrs Dn mighte.¡±  I cleared my throat and forced a smile. He squeezed my hand affectionately, caressing my face with another hand while looking at my face warmly.


    ¡°I just want you to be with me, every second of the day.¡± Again I maintained the smile but inwardly I was near to tears. He finally walked out of the house giving me the onest smile before sitting In his car and drove away. Finally,  I left the sob I was holding. His words be the axis of my thoughts.


    Was he saying the truth? do I not have an identity of my own? I nced at my perfectly manicured hand and imagined them washing dishes in Gabe¡¯s restaurant. My eyes widened in horror.


    When I turned around I gasped seeing dad standing there. ¡°Aurora¡­¡±


    I pinched my lips and tried to walk away but he stopped me. ¡°Darling you look hurt, did he do something?¡± He asked me.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Tears pricked in my eyes, I wanted to hug him just like I used to do when I was a child and someone or something hurt me but remembering Gabe¡¯s words of me being Daddy¡¯s little girl stopped me from doing so.


    I fisted my hand to gain strength. ¡°Yes, I am hurt but it¡¯s you who hurt me dad, not Gabe.¡± Ished out at him in anger recalling the words he said to Gabe.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying, Aurora?¡± His brows pulled together and he asked me.


    ¡°I heard what you said to Gabe in the living room. You wanted to buy his love, you wanted him to leave me, dad!¡±


    He raised his brows in surprise. ¡°Yes, and I was right to do so.  You see you are my only daughter and I wanted to see how he would answer me. I have the right to check whether the man was good enough for my Princess or not.¡±


    I gulped in emotions. I want to hug you right now dad. ¡°And¡­ and what have you decided?¡± I asked him, fidgeting with my fingers.


    ¡°He seems nice and proud, I like him.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t hold my tears anymore and ran into his arms. ¡°Oh, dad! I¡­ I am so sorry for the way I talked with you.¡±


    He caressed my back. ¡°It¡¯s okay love. You have the right to your old man.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°Na, my dad is still one young handsome man.¡±


    ¡°That I am¡­¡± he sighed, broke our hug, now let¡¯s go and some father-daughter time.


    We both were talking about everything and anything at hand. But suddenly, dad asked me about thepetition I took part in. ¡°What about that jewellerypetition, Aurora?¡±


    I shrugged my shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t have any news yet.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°I can help you, darling, I have some contacts in this line, I will give them a call and you can meet them¡­¡±


    Gabe¡¯s words telling me that I have no identity of my own came to my mind. ¡°No dad, I want to do something on my own now. I don¡¯t need your help, let me grow my wings on my own.¡±


    He nodded, ¡°as you wish darling but don¡¯t forget that your father is always here to help and support you,¡± he assured me.


    I nodded, I know you are always with me dad but now it¡¯s about my identity and self-respect. I will prove it to Gabe that I can earn my own money and name. I was not born to wash dishes in his restaurant.


    I will show him what the Aurora King is capable of doing¡­

 Chapter 19.

    ¡°Aurora Kings, we did it!¡±


    And I sat down on the bed, my sleep formally ruined with my assistants screaming over the phone.


    I managed to sit up while rubbing my eye to get rid of the sleep. ¡°Emily Smith, have you looked at the time, it¡¯s 2 AM. What was so important that you couldn¡¯t wait till the morning? Or at least for a  civilised hour, two in the morning! Girl, you ruined my beauty sleep.¡± I muttered in anger as I stood up and went to the mirror checking if I had any baggage under my eyes.


    Yup! I take my beauty really seriously.


    ¡°To hell with your beauty sleep Aurora, You will scream louder than me when I tell you what exactly happenedy


    I rolled my eyes, she was talking as if we got selected in my Miss Worlds. beauty pageant.


    ¡°What happened Emily?¡± I asked.


    ¡°My dear Aurora kings, We got selected for the world¡¯s biggest jewellery show. Oh My God, I can¡¯t believe our designer house got such a big opportunity.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°What! But how is that possible Em! We never participated in any show?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± she cleared her throat and took a  dramatic pause before speaking again. ¡°It was me who sent your designs to them, as yourst design was unique in itself. And I thought why not give it a try.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, you did it, without asking me?¡± I was shocked. How could she do that!


    ¡°I know I should¡¯ve asked you, but at that time, we were running short of time, so I sent it urgently and forgot to ask you. Please don¡¯t be angry Aurora, and see we got such a unique opportunity, isn¡¯t it?¡± She said, When I remained silent she started speaking again.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be like this, Aurora.  It¡¯s a great opportunity for us. Many big Jewelry designers crave to be in this show but we got this opportunity. Can you believe it? You know, in excitement, I¡¯m still pinching my arm as I think it¡¯s a dream in which all these things are possible. Damn! I can¡¯t believe luck has done such a huge favour. If we win this show, our Jewellery house will be recognised just like Tiffany and many renowned and well-known personalities of the world will get associated with us.¡±


    ¡°Just imagine, our dream of having our own brand wille true if we win this show. We would do it on our own, Aurora, you will do it on your own.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to feel. I was nervous, excited, happy and everything. A shiver ran down my body imagining Emily¡¯s excitement. I wanted to believe it but couldn¡¯t. There was an nth number of emotions running in my mind right now.


    ¡°Oh Aurora,  If we win this show we could be the next, Belle or Tiffany¡¯s¡­¡±This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    My heart was beating so fast that it took me a minute to calm myself and control my emotions. ¡°Emily, tell me everything now!¡±  I ordered her.


    ¡°Okay, so we were the final contestants of this contest. There are almost 19 more contestants. There will be some jewellery shows in every round based on the themes given by the judges and you will cry happy tears hearing the name of the judges of the show.¡±


    ¡°Who are the judges?¡± I asked, her excited smile rubbing on me now.


    ¡°The names include Rawls, you know that famous designer from The Belle¡­¡±


    I was astounded. ¡°Rawls¡­¡± I whispered. That man was one of the most celebrated designers in North America. He worked with The Belle, one of the most popr jewellery designers here in the USA.  And everyone knows how strict he is about his work. I still remember the day when I first went to meet him with my designs after dad called him. There he told me that he couldn¡¯t ept me as an intern because my designs were not fresh. Since then, I have worked day and night to bring out the rawness in my designs.


    I went numb for a moment hearing his name. Do I even stand a chance in thispetition, a feeling of self-doubt immersed inside me? I bit my lip in anticipation but then Gabe¡¯s words came to my mind over me having no identity of my own. His words hurt me fiercely when he suggested that I would be depending on him after marriage and offered me a job as a dishwasher in his restaurant. The feeling of self-doubt was still there but another feeling enthralled inside me.


    The feeling of self-respect. Yes, my dad treated me and still treats me like a princess but I have an identity of my own and after marriage, I would not be depending on him.


    I can earn my own money and I will prove it to everyone.


    ¡°Hello¡­ Aurora, are you listening to me or not!!¡±


    I shook my heading out of my thoughts. ¡°Yes, I am listening. Tell me about the details.¡±


    ¡°Alright, so listen to me carefully now. We have to go to Vancouver for two months as thepetition will be held there. If you ept the contest rules then you can¡¯te back to Boston  before two months due to the copyright issues over the designs. The sponsor of the show could ask you to work for him and ording to the rules you can¡¯t deny that¡­¡±


    I was listening to everything carefully. The details, the rules and everything she told me. ¡°Emily, what if I don¡¯t want to work with the sponsor¡­¡±


    ¡°Well! That¡¯s the point, Aurora, you can¡¯t deny and it¡¯s not like they won¡¯t pay you and trust me girl it¡¯s a big opportunity if you get to work with the sponsors. They will pay you handsomely for your designs and most importantly you will get experience to work with one of the most precious Jewellery brands in the world. You could get an opportunity to work with Rawl itself.¡±


    I was excited and anxious at the same time. Cupping My chin between my thumb and fingers, I thought about all the pros and cons of epting this show¡¯s rules.


    ¡°Ohe on Aurora, what are you thinking about? It¡¯s once in a lifetime opportunity, grab it. Trust me on this girl, I am your agent and I have gone through all the details of this contest¡¯s contract. It¡¯s only about two months.¡± She tried to persuade me.


    I sighed, lowering my hand. ¡°But Two months in Vancouver, without Gabe¡­¡±

 Chapter 20.

    ¡°This again¡­¡± she whispered but I heard her. ¡°Aurora, Gabe is not going anywhere but this opportunity will. You see if you didn¡¯t sign the contract till tomorrow, they will rece you with someone else. There are thousands of people who are dying to grab this opportunity, and here you are thinking about it.¡±


    I closed my eyes, trying to make a decision and the scene of Gabe telling me about washing dishes in his restaurant appeared like a dream or I Say nightmare.


    I opened my eyes, determined. ¡°I am ready Emily. Send me the contract and I will sign it.¡±


    ¡°Bravo! So I have already shown it to ourwyer, and Anderson is pretty much okay with it. No need to go through it again, just sign it and then we are off to Vancouver, baby.¡±


    ¡°Wow! Just thinking about winning the contest is like a dream to me¡­¡± she squealed over the phone.


    Even my tummy fluttered in excitement.¡± oh and yes, I am standing outside your home, open the damn door, sweetheart.¡±


    I walked downstairs and opened the door. There stood my agent, manager, or whatever you call it. She stepped in and I hugged her tightly in excitement. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it, Emily.¡± I almost screamed in happiness.


    ¡°Wait till you win it, babe¡­¡±


    I nodded because I couldn¡¯t find the words to exin my feeling. We both walked to the living room and settled on the sofa.


    ¡°Want something, water or coffee¡­¡± I asked her out of hospitality.


    ¡°Coffee would be great but of course you don¡¯t know how to make one so I¡¯ll pass the offer because I don¡¯t want to make it myself.¡± She mocked me and I pouted.


    ¡°Well, servants are sleeping and I don¡¯t want to disturb them because a guest appeared at the ungodly hour so sue me! At least I asked.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Hm! Anyway, leave our jabs for another time and sign it so that I can send it to sponsors.¡± She said give me a rich leather folder which has the contract inside it.  My eyes sparkled seeing the Logo of The Belle on it. My favourite jewellery brand!


    ¡°Sign it, girl!¡±


    I didn¡¯t think twice before signing it. It was like a dream to me. If I win this I would be working with them, The Belle! I could work with Rawl, the man who¡¯s designs are an inspiration for me.


    And without thinking about it again I signed the contract.


    Emily pped. ¡°Here wee to Vancouver!¡± She chirped.


    I nodded as we high five each other.


    ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± We heard a startled voice of none other than Susan. We both looked at the walking figure of Susan as she came to us and stood with a hand on her hips, raising her brows in question.


    ¡°Hey, bitch!¡± Emily greeted Susan who rolled her eyes at her and gave her a middle finger. ¡°Fuc* you!¡±


    ¡°I am all in¡­¡± Emily teased Susan who gave her a disgusting look. Then she turned towards me and raised her brows in askance.


    ¡°What is going on here, Aurora?¡±


    I sighed and told her everything. She blinked, once, twice and then let out an ear wrenching scream putting both her hands to her cheeks, her eyes as wide as saucers and mouth hunger open while she jumped up and down on the floor.


    ¡°We¡­ we.. got selected! Omfg!¡±


    I stood up. ¡°Wait, you knew?¡± I asked, stunned.


    She didn¡¯t even look at me but Emily who patted her back. ¡°You, I know I am great and you are really thankful for what I did but if you really want to thank me then make a cup of coffee because I am tired as fuck and this woman over here is good for nothing in the kitchen,¡± She said pointing her finger at me.


    Susan faked a smile. ¡°Girl, why would I thank you when it was I who chose the designs made by our darling Aurora but because you gave me a mind fucking good news I will make that coffee.¡±


    She nced in my way. ¡°You want some, ?¡±This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    I fluttered my eyelids and shed my teeth in mocking. ¡°Me!¡± I said pointing my fingers at myself. ¡°Oh! So you both remember that I am present here. I thought you forgot that?¡±


    Susan moved her hand evasively. ¡°If we would have informed you, your first words would be¡­¡± she cleared her throat and started mimicking me.


    ¡°Alright! Let me ask Gabe first¡­¡±


    Okay! That really hurts. Even my friends are mocking me over Gabe now. ¡°I meane on, Aurora. It¡¯s your career, you can¡¯t behave like a lovesick puppy all the time. I mean I went on a date tonight, had fun and came back. That¡¯s It, I can¡¯t allow my personal life to take over my professional one and mind you girl! You need to be clear about your life now!¡±


    I crossed my hands to my chest and gulped. They both didn¡¯t know the depth of my love for Gabe and even if I try to tell them they won¡¯t understand. ¡°Susan, I love you but you don¡¯t know what you are saying. I ammitted to my career but Gave is an important part of my life now. I am happy that we got selected for this show but think about it. I have to be in Vancouver for two months without Gabe.¡±


    I heard Emily sighing. Susan shook her head in annoyance. ¡°Look, Aurora, You are going for work in Vancouver and if I remember correctly Gabe always moves from one city to another without even informing you about it.  Then how is that different from you being Away from him¡­¡±


    I gulped. I had no answer to it. Susan always hit on the head of the nail. She was absolutely right, Gabe left two weeks ago to New York without even telling me and came back after two weeks. And when I asked him about leaving without informing me he just gave me a single line answer that he went for work.


    I tried to ask him more but he told me in a strict tone that he didn¡¯t like any interruptions in his work and asked me not to ever question him about it again.


    I was lost in my thoughts when Emily and Susan hugged me from both sides. ¡± we love you Aurora and we can¡¯t see you getting blind in love.¡± Emily said while Susan sighed, got away from me and said.


    ¡°Girl, You have been my best friend since we were eight years old. My Dad even forgot that he has a daughter from his first wife now that he is on his sixth wife.¡± She rolled her eyes and continued.


    ¡°He might give me a monthly allowance but you are my real family Aurora. Trust me when I am saying this, I won¡¯t let Gabe or anyone else walk all over you. I like Gabe and his pride, I understand where he ising from but that doesn¡¯t mean he will transform you into a woman you are not.¡±


    I remain silent. What else could I do? When I feel the same way about Gabe sometimes but what would I do with this stupid heart which beat for Gabe only.


    ¡°I love him, Susan,¡± I whispered, fidgeting my fingers and looking down.


    ¡°I know and that¡¯s the only reason I am not telling you to break up with him because at the end of the day.  You decide to make it. But Girl, don¡¯t let him decide things for you. Please.¡±


    I looked at Emily who nodded in agreement with Susan. I left the breath I was holding and looked at both my girlfriends.  shing them a smile, I pulled my phone out of my night suit pocket. Typed a message telling, not asking! That I would be going out of the States for work and turning it off!


    ¡°Cool!¡± I asked them and they both gave me their best smiles.


    ¡°So cool! Let him taste his own medicine for once.¡± Susan chirped while we three hugged each other.


    Yes, let him have a taste of his own medicine. I love you Gabe but now you need to learn to respect my boundaries and my decisions. Susan was right, I might love him but that doesn¡¯t mean I will give up on my identity and you were wrong in that case too, Gabe.


    I have an identity of my own. My selection in this show proved it and when I won this show everyone would get to know about my identity.

 Chapter 21.

    ¡°Hello, Vancouver city¡­¡± Susan sang while stepping down the stairs. Emily and I are behind Susan.  The city greeted us with good weather and a lot of sunshine.


    ¡°I have nned the whole stay here. Hiking, boating, shopping¡­¡± Emily started but was immediately interrupted by our workaholic Susan.


    ¡°Nope! We are here for work, not holidays, girl.¡±


    Emily curled her lips to one side. ¡°Will you stop telling me what to do and what not! God Susan, you behave like a mother hen.¡± She said, throwing her hands in the air, clearly showing her irritation towards Susan.


    I nced at Emily and Susan, sighed and walked slowly without any of them noticing me. Our Limousine was waiting for us, upon seeing me the driver opened the door for me. I passed him a smile but before settling inside I looked at my friends who were fighting like Tom and Jerry. I chuckled imagining Susan as Tom and Emily as Jerry.


    Ah! My imagination sometimes made me imagine the weirdest things. ¡°Hey Girls, if your world war three has finished, join me or I would be leaving without you both.¡±  I squealed at both of them.


    They both gave me a pointed look but stopped their bickering. Walked towards the limousine and settled down inside it calmly. The driver started the car and the journey started. I looked out the window, the beautiful scenery of the city was passing through my eyes. A small smile came to my lips though I travel a lot but Vancouver was always the city I felt connected with and why not! My mom was basically from here. Even though Dad was settled in Boston, USA and mom was happy there but she never forgot her city. The city of Vancouver.


    The beautiful maple trees around here turned red in this season which increased the beauty of this city ten fold. It looked as if a red haired angel had casted a spell here. The sunlight brightens the red leaves making it look like gold. The joy of passing through this beautiful scenery could make anyone fall in love with the ce.


    Smiling, I touched  the pendant on my neck. Whenever I feel nervous I wear it, it makes me feel closer to my mom.


    I wish you would have been here mom. I just wish you would have been with me today¡­


    s! The emptiness I felt without my mom was like an empty box. My parcel of happiness was never fully filled, yes, I have dad and now, Gabe but still the ce of mom left the emptiness in my life which could never be filled by anyone. I brushed the tear that gathered in the corner of my eye with my little finger.


    Clutching the pendant tightly in my fist I made a promise to my mother that I would make her proud today.


    I promise to try with everything inside me for this show to win. Because it was not about my name only but my grandfather¡¯s name as well, he used to be one of the most famous jewellery designers of his time. I traced the design on my pendant which was designed by my grandfather.


    ¡°I will make you proud grandpa.¡± I whispered and once again looked outside the window ignoring my two hot-headed friends who were busy ripping each other¡¯s hair out of their skulls. Finally, our journey came to an end.


    The driver opened the door for us as we descended the car. Emily being Emily put on her goggles like a pro. ¡°Girls, let¡¯s show everyone that future winners of this show have arrived here¡­¡±


    I smiled and mirrored her gesture of putting my own goggles on, Susan following my gestictions.


    When we walked inside and told the receptionist that we were here for the jewellery show Contest they informed the manager about it. After some time  two people arrived. One man named Joshua and a woman named Katie. Both wearing formal dress, a blue suit with white shirt.


    Joshua was a well built six feet tall man. He didn¡¯t look like someone who worked a nine to five job but more like a bodybuilder or a wrestler while Katie was a beautiful brte with ck hair and hazel eyes. She looked like a perfect model out of some fashion magazine and I felt envious seeing her perfect body. The size zero figure made me hide my big hips with my Chanel handbag. I looked at them when the woman started speaking.


    ¡°Good Evening miss¡­¡± She checked the Ipad, ¡°Aurora Kings and Susan Kate, right?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Yes,¡± The girl offered her hand to me. I epted and we shook our hands then she offered it to Susan and Emily likewise.


    I offered my hand to Joshua, he nced at it and then at my face. He didn¡¯t offer his hand and it felt really deplorable when my hand was still hung in the air.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice meeting you Mr Joshua,¡± I mumbled to fill in the gap inmunication and the gap was from his side not mine. He gave me a curt nod but still didn¡¯t ept the offered hand. Clearing my throat I lowered it.


    Katie smiled. ¡°Please don¡¯t be offended. Mr Joshua has germophobia, he never shakes hands with anyone.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± I muttered while Susan and Emily nodded.


    ¡°You are assigned to the presidential suite. Our contest will start tomorrow, all other contestants have arrived and are taking rest In their particr rooms. Please enjoy the services of the hotel but be ready till eight in the morning with your designs in the auditorium. There you will be introduced to the judges.¡±


    We all nodded at the information. ¡°Best of luck for the show¡­¡± She said shing her perfectly white teeth as she handed me the electronic key.


    ¡°Your luggage has already been delivered to your suite.¡±


    ¡°Thank you..¡± Susan said as they walked away.


    I widened my eyes in excitement. ¡°We are going to rock this show¡­¡± I sang, pping my hands softly and arching my brows.


    Emily blew me a kiss. ¡°We¡¯re gonna do that, but now let¡¯s go to our suite.¡±


    We walked to the elevator. ¡°What figure she has!¡± I remarked as we entered the elevator.


    ¡°Who?¡± Susan asked, arching brow as she raised her head from her mobile.


    ¡°Katie, she has the figure of a perfect model. I was envious of her body. Wish I could be slim like her.¡±


    ¡°This again¡­¡± Emilymented.


    ¡°Girl, you have a perfect body. Look at yourself, you are stuffed in the right ces. A man would die to be with you. Just look at those sexy curves¡­¡± she touched my butt area, nodding at the mirror for me to look at.


    ¡°But Gabe asked me to do a little bit of dieting¡­¡±


    ¡°Aurora Kings! If you took that man¡¯s name in front of me one more time I promise I will go back to Das and kick him in the shins!¡± Susan barked.


    ¡°Susan please. Don¡¯t say that again, he is right because I feel the same way about my body.¡± I tried to reason with her but she just shook her head.


    ¡°I pray to god that you break up with him.¡± Susan muttered and that was not eptable to me. She was a dear friend. I love her but that doesn¡¯t give her the right to speak anything about my rtionship with Gabe.Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 22.

    ¡°Stop it Susan!  I snapped at her. ¡± and don¡¯t ever say that again. You have no idea how much I love him, so please just don¡¯t judge my rtionship on your terms.¡±


    I said and walked out of the elevator as soon as it pinged leaving both Emily and Susan behind me. I opened the door with the electric key and walked inside. A bellboy was cing our luggage there.


    ¡°Good evening mademoiselle,¡± he greeted me in his slightly French ent. I sighed and pulled out a hundred Canadian dor  bill to tip him.


    He smiled. ¡°Thank You, mademoiselle,¡± he said politely and walked out of the room.


    I checked my cell phone and found two Missed calls from Gabe while many messages from Dad and Mrs Don asking whether I was fine or not.


    I fidgeted my fingers in confusion of whether to call Gabe or not. I left the breath I was holding, hit the call and ended it immediately.


    ¡°Uff.¡± I bit my lower lip in anticipation.


    Should I make a phone call? I didn¡¯t know what to do? I huffed in anger.


    ¡°Arh..! ¡± I stomped my foot in anger at not being able to decide whether to make the phone call or not?


    I cleared my throat and straightened my shoulders when I heard Susan and Emily¡¯s squabbling.


    ¡°Aurora, I am so sorry baby, I didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡± She rested her hand on my shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s just that I am worried about you!¡±


    I jerked my shoulder and moved towards the window. ¡°Then don¡¯t worry about me Susan. I know you love me but you have to ept that Gabe is a part of my life now and I won¡¯t hear anything against him.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± Susan raised her hands in the air.  ¡°I agree with you,  I won¡¯t interfere in your love life any more. I promise babe! But don¡¯t be angry with me, you are my only family, Aurora. Please forgive me.¡±


    Arh! Why is it so hard to be angry with her? Pity on me, I can¡¯t even pretend to be mad at her.


    I turned around and smiled. ¡°Okay.¡± I epted her apology as she hugged me.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t leave me alone!¡± Emily said as she walked up to us and joined us.


    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s getting awkward now!¡± Susan said, breaking our hug.  ¡°You know what, let¡¯s take a long shower and I¡¯ll order pizza for us.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I needed the shower badly.¡± I told her and went to my room to take a shower while Emily went to hers and Susan ordered Pizzas on the hotel inte.


    I threw my handbag on the bed and got out of my dress. Taking my IPod with me I went inside the bathroom to take a long refreshing shower.


    Meanwhile¡­.


    ¡°Pizza is here, Susan!¡± Emily called out as she checked the trolley of food delivered to their suite.


    Susan walked out of her room, dressed up in a short satin nightie. ¡°Where is Aurora?¡± She asked Emily.


    ¡°In her room.¡± Emily replied, picking a can of cold drink and opening it with a pop sound.


    ¡°I am going to call her.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I aming with you,¡± Emily said while taking a sip from the cold drink can and walking beside Susan.


    ¡°Aurora¡­¡± Susan called Aurora but she was nowhere in the room.


    ¡°She is in the bathroom, taking a shower,¡± Emily told her. Susan nodded and turned to leave but her eyes went to Aurora¡¯s blinking phone. Thinking it might be Mrs Don or Ethan but when he picked the phone from the bed and checked caller ID.


    She thinned her lips, ¡°This man!¡± She muttered under her breath in anger.


    The phone stopped blinking and ten message notifications appeared on screen. All of them from Gabriel.


    Emily checked the screen and gasped when she saw Susan unlocking Aurora¡¯s phone.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± Emily asked bewildered.


    Susan raised her eyes, putting her hand in Emily¡¯s mouth and she stopped her from speaking. ¡°Shh! Don¡¯t make a sound.¡±


    Emily nodded. Susan lowered her hand. ¡°Why are you opening her message box and how did you know her lock?¡±  Emily asked when Susan unlocked the pin code of Aurora¡¯s phone.


    ¡°Susan I am telling you again, don¡¯t intervene¡­¡±


    Susan  red at her. ¡°Shut up, I want to see what he said to my babe!¡±


    Susan snooped the message box and was shocked to see Gabe¡¯s messages.


    There were a total Ten messages from him, which read: Aurora, how could you leave without asking me?


    Second message read: Aurora, stop wasting your time ande back.


    And the third one read: baby, pleasee back, your Gabe is missing you. At least pick up my calls¡­ Goddamnit Aurora¡­ I want you toe back here.¡±


    Fourth one read : Aurora, it¡¯s okay. If you want to stay there. I will always be with you and please don¡¯t be disheartened If you lose the contest. Don¡¯t forget I am always with you my love..


    Even Emily was shocked. The man was clearly trying to discourage Aurora. ¡°See what I was talking about!¡± Susan hissed.


    ¡°But you don¡¯t know who is standing in your way, you SOB!¡± She muttered while deleting the messages and calling history.


    ¡± Susan, Have you gone mad? What if Auroraes to know about it¡­¡±


    Susan nced at her way. ¡°Who Is going to tell her, you?¡± She asked Emily who shook her head.


    ¡°Of course not! But we should not get involved in her matters.¡±


    .


    ¡°Em! That man is practically breaking her from inside. Just read these messages again and tell me what he was doing.¡± Susan whispered.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Emily only sighed and watched Susan Blocking Gabe¡¯s number and adding another number.


    ¡°Whose number is this?¡±


    ¡°One of my old numbers but I don¡¯t use it anymore.¡± Susan told her and added that number as Gabe¡¯s in Aurora¡¯s phonebook and deleted his original number from Aurora¡¯s phone. She knew Aurora inside and out. She couldn¡¯t remember phone numbers of anyone andpletely relied on her phone book..


    Susan smirked as she used her IT skills and blocked the number from her email as well. ¡°Serve in hell, SOB!¡± Susan smirked, blocking him from every social media ount of Aurora.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s perfect!¡±


    ¡°Trust me I don¡¯t like what you are doing but I don¡¯t like Gabe In Aurora¡¯s life anymore, ¡± Emily said while Susan smirked.


    But they both gasped when the door of the bathroom burst open suddenly making Susan and Emily stiffened in fear of getting caught.

 Chapter 23.

    ¡°What are you both doing here?¡±  I asked Susan and Emily while towel drying my hair.


    Susan sat on the bed and leaned back with her palms t on the bed sheet. ¡°What do you think, we came to call you, Our Pizza is getting cold girl!¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± I whispered and walked towards the mirror, starting the hairdryer. I started drying my hair, when I finished with my hair I turned towards her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then, I am dying of hunger.¡±


    They both smiled, I scowled at them ¡°are you both alright?¡±


    ¡°Ya!¡± They replied at the same time and I sharpened my eyes at them. ¡°No you are not! What are you both up to as a human version of Tom and Jerry?¡±This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Susan raised her brows. ¡°Human version of Tom and Jerry? Really Aurora Kings!¡± She asked.


    ¡°I am sure, I am Jerry in your eyes. Am I right Aurora?¡± Emily asked, crossing her hands to her chest.


    I giggled. ¡°Well, Susan behaves like Tom.¡±


    ¡°Very funny!¡± Susan said, ¡°Now let¡¯s go. I don¡¯t want to eat a cold pizza.¡±


    I raised my hands in surrender. ¡°Alright! Tom..¡±


    She shook her head and walked out while Emily and I bumped our fists together.


    I was having my Pizza when my phone buzzed. I nced at its screen to check the caller ID. A small smile crossed over my face thinking it was Gabe but it was not him. Even Susan and Emily nced my way.


    Instead of Gabe it was Dad who was calling me. I gulped and epted the call sliding the green icon.


    ¡°Hey, Dad¡­¡± I greeted him, trying to make my voice look happy and chirpy when I was anything but that.


    ¡°You reached safely,  love!¡± Dad asked me.


    I smiled. ¡°Yes,  and I am having Pizza with my girls, don¡¯t worry Dad, I will take good care of myself.¡±


    ¡°I know, you will, Aurora. I know You will. Aurora¡­,¡± he whispered and sighed deeply.


    ¡°Dad,  is everything alright? You sound different?¡± I asked him, worried.


    ¡°Yes, yes..¡± He cleared his throat and added. ¡°I know how important thispetition is for you. It¡¯s not about you only. You are in this because of the legacy of your grandfather and mother¡­¡±


    I touched the pendant on my neck, my thirst felt heavy recalling the day Mom gave it to me. ¡°Love, I know you will win this show. I have full faith in you.¡± He whispered.


    I closed my eyes and a few tears dropped down my cheek. ¡°Thanks dad, I will make Momo and grandpa proud.¡±


    ¡°You will, Love! You will¡­¡± He was silent for a while, we both appreciating theforting silence.  And then started the conversation again. ¡°I will give you Ryan¡¯s Number just in case you need any help. He will be there in a few minutes if¡­¡±


    ¡°No, No!!  Dad, please don¡¯t take that insane man¡¯s father¡¯s name in front of me. I am telling you if I ever see him again I will rip his skin open with my nails!¡± I told him.


    ¡°Aurora! Don¡¯t forget your manners!¡±


    I pouted. ¡°I am sorry but that¡¯s how I feel for that father and son duo. Ryan was at least tolerable but his son was not! Hispany was not less than a disaster to me. I hate him!!¡±


    Dad sighed. ¡°Alright, we won¡¯t talk about it again but still I am sending you his number and his yours, just in case of an emergency. I trust him fully, Aurora. If you find anything fishy just call him immediately¡­¡±


    I frowned. ¡°Dad what are you talking about, you sound as if an assassin was behind me,¡± I said, rolling my eyes.


    I nced at Susan and Emily who looked at me in horror when I took the name of an assassin. I shook my head and gave them aforting smile to tell them that it¡¯s nothing but just a casual conversation between dad and me.


    ¡°Aurora!¡± Dad almost shouted, making me gasp. ¡°Dad¡­¡± I whispered, stunned by the tone of his voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever joke about things like that, do you understand me?¡± He asked in a tone I never heard from him.


    I gulped. ¡°Dad¡­¡± Susan came to me and jerked her chin upwards to ask me if everything is alright. I couldn¡¯t even answer her, my eyes turned blurry.


    ¡°Answer me!¡± He asked darkly and I nodded, scared of my dad for the first time in my life. ¡°Yes¡­ yes.¡± I stutterd.


    Hearing the stumble in my voice, Em came to me as well and raised her cries in question. When I didn¡¯t say anything she looked at Susan, who shrugged her shoulders and they both again looked at me.


    ¡°Aurora!¡± Dad left the breath again and spoke: ¡°love, I am so sorry it¡¯s just that I am worried about you. Forgive your dad, please.¡±


    I gulped. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Dad.¡± I answered in a small voice.


    ¡°Thank you, it¡¯s just¡­¡± he was silent again. ¡°Juste back as a winner, Love. I would be waiting for you. Goodbye,¡± saying that he ended the call and lowered my hand, kept staring at the cell phone. Stunned at how dad talked with me.


    ¡°Will you tell us, what the fuck happened or will just stand here like a statue?¡±


    ¡°You know Susan, for the first time, Dad sounded very scared and he shouted at me!¡±


    I don¡¯t know why but he sounded very disturbed like he is scared of something or someone¡±


    For the first time I¡¯ve heard him so stressed like someone has pushed him into a dark abyss and he can¡¯t find the way toe back. He sound so defeated and the moment I took name of the assassination, he snapped at me like I have pressed his weak point.


    I don¡¯t know Susan but I felt his behaviour was very odd like something is going on in his mind and he is not sharing it with me. I just hope everything is fine.


    Ohmon Aurora, you are the daughter of Ethan king, off course if you say your dad about some assassination and all he will be tensed. After all he is a multi Billionaire with you as his only heir.


    ¡°But Susan, what if Aurora is really in danger and someone wants to kill her!!!¡±

 Chapter 24

    Aurora POV:-


    ¡°Good morning everyone, hope you all had a good night here but now the battle starts,¡± Miss Kaitie announced over the mic while Mr Joshua was standing beside her again with that stiff face.


    ¡°She is hot!¡±


    I heard a man whisper beside Emily who rolled her eyes. ¡°Men!¡± She whispered.


    ¡°Well he is not lying, is he?¡± I asked, being jealous over that perfect slim body of our hostess. .This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Will you both shut up and focus on the big picture? We are here to win this battle. Our future depends on this and you both are worried about her figure. Grow up!¡± Susan scolded us in a mere whisper but looking at the features of the girl sitting beside her I guess she heard it.


    Susan followed my gaze and faked a smile to the other girl who nced at Susan head to toe and rolled her eyes before ncing back at the stage where Katie was speaking.


    ¡°Now, let me introduce you all to the judges of our show: Everyone in the jewelry business world knows him. The man who has The ornaments jewels award under his cap. Please wee, Kevin Rawls. The head designer of Our brand ¡®The Belle¡­¡±


    We all pped while some hooted when he entered on the stage, wearing a formal suit and his trademark smile. He waved his hand at us nodding.


    ¡°Now the second Judge of this show, She was Miss world in 2011, judged many beauty pageants and the brand ambassador of our Jewellery house, Miss Maya Smith¡­¡±


    It received an even louder pping from us. I could feel goosebumps all over my body right now. It¡¯s not likeI have not met them before but at this moment I am standing here not because of who my dad is, but at this moment I am standing here because I deserve to be here. I deserve to meet them on my own.


    ¡°Andst but not the least please wee, Alexendrios Kyschove, one of the sponsors of our show. The billionaire businessman from Russia.¡±


    ¡°Wow! I am having hots for him, Aurora, just look at that hot body.¡± Emily whispered to me slowly but obviously Susan heard her and she earned a death re from her. Emily rolled her eyes and nced back at the stage.


    ¡°So, these are our judges, we have three rounds to decide who will earn the mentorship under Kevin Rawls and not to forget the ten million Dors plus the opportunity to work in our uing designs.


    ¡± hm! Whatever, I know I will be the winner.¡± I heard someone and nced at the source of the voice. A man was sitting with an overconfident smirk on his face.


    Susan thinned her lips while I just ignored him. It¡¯s a healthypetition. I didn¡¯t want to get into unnecessary politics. My mom used to say that do your work and let unnecessary people talk. They do that because they don¡¯t have anything else to do.


    ¡°So, our first round will start in the evening. You all have approximately 8 hours to make your designs and then you have to present it to our judges with a two hundred words exnation behind the inspiration of your designs.¡±


    Katie smiled and get off the stage with Mr Joshua following her. All the judges walked past the contestants to boost our morale with their kind words. I waited for my turn and smiled at Mr Rawls who recognised me at one nce.


    ¡°Aurora! Is that really you sweetheart?¡± Mr Rawls asked.


    I nodded in affirmation. ¡°Yes,  Mr Rawls.¡±   Susan and Emily smiled at him as well as nodding at them.


    ¡°You told me that my designsck freshness, since then I am trying hard trying hard on my designs and the result is in front of your eyes.¡± I said, referring to getting selected in thepetition. He patted my hand.


    ¡°I am happy for your sess, Best of luck Aurora kings.¡± He said and walked to the other contestants.


    Then I met Alexandrios Kyschove, a man with a charming smile and body. Emily cleared her throat as she offered her hand to him. ¡°It¡¯s so nice to meet you Mr Kyschove.¡±


    Susan and I bit our lips at Emily¡¯s dreamy eyes. ¡°It¡¯s nice meeting you as well Miss¡­¡± he nced at the Identity card on her neck. ¡°Emily. ¡± he said, epting her hand and shaking it.


    ¡°Um! Miss¡­¡± he said politely trying to free his hand but Emily was still shaking it as if she was stuck in the moment.


    Susan kicked her tightly and she left Alexandrios hand with a shirk. ¡°What?¡± She barked at Susan who smiled apologetically at Alexandrios.


    ¡°She was a little lost seeing you, Mr Kyschove, actually she is a big fan of yours,¡± Susan tried to cover Emily¡¯s contemptible moment.


    ¡°Really, since when  you are following me, Emily?¡± He asked Em, frowning.


    Emily again made the blunder with her words. ¡°What time is it?¡± She asked him.


    He checked his wristwatch and answered. ¡°9 o¡¯clock exactly.¡±


    ¡°ording to the time, I have been following you for forty five minutes.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± He chuckled, shaking his head and nodded at us. ¡°Best of luck for the show,¡± saying that he moved on to other contestants.


    Emily fanned her face and she looked at his moving figure. ¡°Such a hot piece of ass he is!¡±


    ¡°I will burn your ass if you ruin this show for me, mind you Emily!!!¡± Susan warned her.


    ¡°Gals¡­¡± I almost yelled at both of them to stop their fright. ¡°What?¡± They spoke at the same time.


    ¡± We have only six hours and I need to work on the designs so if your buckering session is over then let¡¯s go.¡±


    They both agreed. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Once we reached our room, we sat at our particr ces with our particr work in hand. While I design Emily was doing research on the idea of design. Susan was creating PPT files for the presentation as she was the one with IT skills among us.


    ¡°So this is what I have in mind!¡± I showed them the basic rough sketch of my design. ¡°The blooming rose.¡±

 Chapter 25.

    ¡± Blooming rose¡­¡± Emily whispered.


    ¡°What inspired you to create this design? Tell me and I will check the facts.¡±


    ¡°Mom used to love roses. I still remember the smile on her face during spring. One day I was walking with her in our garden and tried to pluck a rose.


    But a thorn nipped in my finger. I told her that I hate roses. That day mom taught me a lesson. Never hate something because it hurts you. What that poor thorn did was protect itself. She told me to be a rose in life. Ady with beauty and mind¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± Susan whispered. Emily cleared her throat while I gave them an emotional smile.


    ¡°You know what, no facts needed, we are going to use this in our presentation. This will surely rock our design¡­¡± Susan told me while Emily gave me a thumbs up.


    After that we all got so engrossed in our work that we didn¡¯t even know where the time flew away. It took me more than six hours to finish the design. But the final design was the product of our hard work and we all were satisfied with it.


    ¡°Now, I need a long rxing bath, girls¡­¡± I chirped. They both gave me flying kisses while Emily was busy with her phone and other on herptop.


    I went to my room and got out of my dress. Now I was only in my undergarments. I took off my sports bra and undies, opened the bathroom door and stood under the shower¡­


    On the other hand¡­


    In one big room, a man was watching all the participants  who came to join thepetition, but his sharp eyes were on only one person. His tigress. Yes, for him, Aurora Was a tigress who is fierce and has fire in her. Her fire keeps attracting Liam towards her like a moth.


    Damn brother, one day this girl will be the death of you. Your Tigritsa. I must say her designs are as unique as she is. I¡¯m impressed by your choice.


    The man¡¯s sharp yes turned towards his Friend Jonathan like a hawk. He warned him with his eyes. Apart from him, no one can call Aurora a tigress. Only he has the right to call her tigritsa. Yes she is his tigritsa. His wife Mrs. Aurora Liam knight.


    He knows how to make his tigritsa submissive in front of him. He would very well like to tame her to make her obey his everymand. To fulfill his every wish.


    Jonathan I want You to keep a check on Aurora, though I want her to win but I want her to win on her own merits.


    But brother, you want her to be submissive?


    Yes, I want her to be submissive but only in front of me. In front of me, she will be my sweet little wife who will need my protection, my care, my love but in front of the world, I want her to be powerful so that no one can break her.


    She is mine to break, mine to hurt and mine to love.


    Okay Liam, as you wish, said Jonathan.


    I will make sure that thepetition goes fair and my best wishes are with your girl as she truly deserves it.


    godarnost(Thanks) buddy, said Liam.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Nah, we are sworn brothers so no need to thank me. I¡¯m d that I could be of some help.


    Okay Alex, now you can leave as it¡¯s time for you to be in the show.


    Aye aye captain!


    Yes, it was Liam who nned everything for Aurora, at first he thought he will make Aurora win by his power but after seeing her designs he changed his mind. His tigress has her own capabilities and he wanted her to feel them by exploring herself.


    His blood boiled when he saw how that  so-called Gabriel touched and kissed his Aurora. Aurora is only and only his.


    He focused on the screen. Every Single Screen was focused only on Aurora.


    He zoomed the screen to see every single detail of her body.


    His eyes moves towards her big doe like eyes, he would love to see his face in those big doe eyes. Slowly his eyes roamed towards her plump luscious lips which are looking so inviting, he imagines how those lips will look around his penis. Thinking her lips around his penis, he got a hard on. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!


    He slowly moved his eyes towards her through, he imagines how he will hold her by the throat when she will be taking him inside his mouth. After imagining about her throat, his eyes roamed towards her beautiful mounds which are standing so proudly like an invitation for him. He badly wants to take them inside his mouth and suck them and shape them. There are nth number of things he could do with them and not to forget her beautiful  rosy nipples. He would definitely pay attention. Taking them in his hot mouth. He wants to bite them and squeeze them with his fingers.


    Creating the perfectbination if


    By having all these thoughts, he started doing mastarbation while imagining Aurora in front of him. He zoomed the screen towards his are¡¯s heels which looked so full and so round. He imagines how it will feel when he will spank those full round arse cheeks of hers.


    Slowly he looked between her legs where she has hidden her beautiful treasure. Damn! How his big length will fit inside her.  But by seeing her beautiful pussy p, he imagined how he will suck her pussy, how he will plunge himself inside her and how good it will feel to hear his name as screams out of her mouth. by this thought he jerked him off.


    ¡°Soon you will be in my bed as my submissive, my tigress.¡±

 Chapter 26.

    Aurora POV:-


    ¡°Please be confident during your presentation Aurora,¡± Susan whispered. I tried to look confident but seeing the presentation of the current participant I was a nervous wreck.


    She was not only confident but famous too in the jewellery world. Three years ago, She was one of the most talked-about designers in New York fashion week. I mean she was none other than Evelyn Rodriguez.


    Even the Judges were impressed with her presentation. ¡°Girls, she is our mainpetition. I am telling you both.¡± Emily whispered.


    I gulped because after fifteen minutes we three were staring at each other in apprehension. If Evelyn was a storm then George was a volcano.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we stand a chance today girls, omg! We will be out in the  first round.¡±


    Susan red at her. ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡±


    ¡°Do I stand a chance among them, Susan? They are both world-famous jewellery designers,¡± I muttered and Susan thinned her lips in a straight line.


    ¡°Aurora Knights, I don¡¯t give a damn even if they are the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. What I give a damn about is that you will go to that stage, stand tall like the fucking princess that you are and present your design with as much enthusiasm and confidence as you have. Do you fucking understand me?¡±


    I nodded not in understanding but because I didn¡¯t have any other option. I was walking on a two-edged sword. Although I was nervous and wanted to run away, I was still sitting here because of four people.


    First was mom, I am here in this contest not for me only but because of the legacy of my mom and grandfather. Second, my Dad who I wanted to make proud. The third was Gabe, I wanted to prove to him that I would not be depending on him in future. I can earn my own money and I won¡¯t be washing dishes in his restaurant andst but not the least, I was sitting here because of the person sitting beside me.


    Susan would eat me alive after cutting me into tiny pieces and boiling in hot oil if I ran away with my tail between my legs.


    Fuck, I was stuck!


    I stood up with shaking legs when Katie announced my name. nced at both my girls, Emily at least smiled to boost my confidence but Susan red at me like a cruel stepmom.


    Today I felt like Cindere and Susan was my cruel stepmom. ¡°Go¡­¡± she whispered while gesturing to me with her hand to walk further but my legs felt like they had been glued to the floor.


    ¡°Our Next contestant, Miss Aurora Knight¡­¡±  Katie announced again and Susan this time pushed me towards the stage. Somehow managed to walk there with my jelly legs. I touched my mom¡¯s ne to have courage and when I stood in front of thirty-five talented people I was a nervous wreck.


    ¡°Miss Knight, are you alright?¡± Kevin Rawls asked me.


    I passed him a shaky smile. ¡°Yes¡­¡± and then cleared my throat. The PPP started. There was my design on the big projector.


    ¡°What inspired you for this design, Miss Knight?¡± Maya smith asked me.


    ¡°My mom is my inspiration behind this design,¡± I replied with a smile trying to look confident when I was anything but¡­


    I pointed at the blooming rose ne. ¡°The blooming rose represents youth, beauty and pleasure. My designs are for everyone. Doesn¡¯t matter what age you are, as the blooming rose we all can bloom in whatever age¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think an eighty-year-old woman will like this design, Miss Knight?¡± Kevin Rawls asked me.


    I smiled. ¡°Yes, as I said Mr Rawls it doesn¡¯t matter what age you are, what matters is how old you feel. And this design represents Youth, not physically but emotionally. A woman could be ten, twenty, fifty or eighty, everyone likes flowers! It symbolises love and harmony.¡±Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°You are trying topare your designs with beauty and youth. Nice idea, Miss Knight.¡± Kevin Rawls said.


    I smiled at the remark as I nodded at everyone and walked back to my seat.


    ¡°That was impressive,¡± Emily whispered. Susan on the other hand sighed deeply.


    ¡°But nowhere near Everlyn or George. Now I am just praying for our selection in the next round.¡± She muttered dejectedly. I looked down with remorse that I somehow failed my friends but Susan squeezed my hand in assurance.


    ¡°You tried your best. That¡¯s all you could have done, Aurora. Rest is not in our hands.¡±


    I looked into her eyes, searching if she was disappointed but found nothing but genuineness. ¡°Thanks for the pep talk.¡±


    ¡°And hey, nothing is decided yet, let¡¯s wait for the result, there is still a possibility of us getting selected for the next round,¡± Emily said, cheering our mood and we all nodded.


    ¡°That was one hell of apetitiondies and gentlemen. I am impressed by the designs but we all know many of you have to leave this journey. Only five contestants are going to be In the next round which will not be in a hotel but on the cruise¡­¡±


    There was a loud pping and pop sound from the constants.


    ¡°I want to be on that cruise with that hot piece of ass!¡± Emily said, her eyes fixed on Alexandrios kyschove. The Russian billionaire on whom she was drooling over.


    Both Susan and my eyes broadened when this whore winked at him as their eyes met and he smirked.


    ¡°You whore!¡± Susan whispered.


    ¡°Ya! Well, that¡¯s in your portfolio, not mine. You find a new fuck every night not me,¡± She retorted back making Susan kick her leg.


    ¡°Nowdies and gentlemen please enjoy the services of our hotel. The results will be out in the evening.¡± Katie informed and all the contestants stood up to leave.


    The judges were still sitting and talking as the constants left one by one. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I said to Emily but she wiggled her fingers gesturing us to leave.


    ¡°What?¡± Susan snapped.


    ¡°Girls, we are not going anywhere from thispetition without God damn winning it even if I have to fuck that judge for victory.¡±


    ¡°Stop being crude, Emily.¡±


    She raised her brows. ¡°I am not being crude, Aurora. Look, I don¡¯t know if I will see him again or not.  So I am going to try my luck and second, about that victory fuck, you think that¡¯s gonna happen.¡±


    I bit my lip. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I sighed, throwing my hands in the air. ¡°It¡¯s just that I want to win the contest on my own, not because my friend fucked the judge.¡±


    Emily gave me an unimpressed look. ¡°Girl! I like him, you know like really like him,  and trust me on this nothing like that will happen because he doesn¡¯t seem like a man who will select you in return for a casual fuck. Girls die to be with him. So just finish this topic and wish me luck because I want this man.¡±


    ¡°Get lost!¡± Susan said and Iughed. ¡°Best of luck, Em! Just go live your life.¡±


    Emily rolled her eyes and gave us a middle finger. ¡°Fuck you both!¡±


    ¡°Na! I prefer my own man. Now shoo away.¡± Iughed and suddenly felt a pinch in my heart remembering Gabe.


    Emily went towards the judges while I checked my phone, not even a single message from Gabe.  Somehow I managed from throwing a fit of crying in suffocation.


    ¡°I am hungry, let¡¯s go and check out the restaurant here.¡±


    ¡°Hm!¡± I hummed as my mind was on my phone but what Susan was saying. I opened my Instagram ount just to check if Gabe was active or not and to my horror he was but he didn¡¯t even pin me. I bit my lower lip from inside over the thought that he was ignoring me.


    I opened the Dm and was about to send him a message but Susan snatched the phone from my hands.


    ¡°Susan¡­¡± I snapped at her but she looked at me with anger-filled eyes. ¡°You are a fool Aurora, an emotional fool.¡±


    I gasped at her words. ¡°Excuse me!¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t excuse you, you fool! How could you do that to yourself? That man doesn¡¯t even bother to ask about your well being. He has his ego set on his ugly nose and you just bow down to him like a submissive bitch! If he is giving you the cold shoulder then why can¡¯t you return the favour.¡±


    I got angry at her. ¡°Susan, don¡¯t get involved in my rtionship. I told you¡­¡±


    But she didn¡¯t let me finish this time. ¡°Hey, I am not getting involved alright. I am just telling you to have a spine, you used to be a girl who valued herself before anyone else and now you are just roaming behind him as if you are some lost puppy who always needed its master. Goddamn it! It is my first time seeing you like this. You love him I get it, but does he love you the same way, I think not! But as you say I am not giving you any advice.¡±


    I opened my mouth to speak but she raised her hand and I snapped my mouth shut. ¡°Yo knows what Aurora, I never thought I would say this to you but girl, for mine and  Emily¡¯s sake, please focus on this contest. It¡¯s just a matter of three more weeks so see if you can manage that and not call him till we are here¡­¡± saying that she ced the phone in my hand and wandered away leaving me there standing alone with tears rolling over my cheek.


    I checked the phone again, he was active still but not even a hi from him let alone a call. I fisted my hand and decided that I won¡¯t be calling him till I am here.


    Yes, for now, my whole focus would be on winning this contest.

 Chapter 27.

    Aurora POV


    I sighed in suffocation. I have two options: either I walk back to our room or I wander around the hotel. I didn¡¯t want to face Susan right now, I was too emotional for that. So I decided to roam around the hotel. I walked to the gym area lost in my thoughts.


    I cringed at the sound of loud musicing from inside as the haze I was in broke out. I turned to leave but bumped into something hard.


    ¡°Jesus!¡± I cursed as I fell on myzy bump. A hand was offered to me to help me stand up. I took it and got on my legs. ¡°I am so¡­¡±


    I was talking but stopped when I saw who the person standing in front of me was. That Arrogant ass, Liam Knights!


    ¡°If you pay attention to your surroundings then you wouldn¡¯t have to apologize to me,¡± He said with a proud arrogant expression on his face.


    I snatched my hand away, ¡°what are you doing here?¡± I snapped.


    He raised his eyebrows, ¡°I should ask you this question, Aurora, what are you doing in my city?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Your city! How much money did you buy it from the government of Canada?¡± I jabbed at him and he only chuckled.


    ¡°I need not buy it from anyone, Aurora, because I own it. Now, cut this crap and tell me what are you doing here?¡±  He asked in his deep voice.


    ¡°Why should I tell you, who are you to ask me anything? What right do you have to question me about anything you arrogant fool!¡±


    And his eyes changed the instant I used the word arrogant fool. The expression was changed from something calm to dangerous.


    He grabbed my elbow in a tight bruising hold and pulled me close to himself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Ever. Disrespect. Me. Again!¡± He gritted out every word with so much force as if he was controlling himself from hurting me. I blinked twice in fear. The man looked dangerous at this moment.


    I tried to wiggle out of his hold but he tightened his grip making me wince in pain. He grabbed my neck from behind with his other hand and fixed it in one position so that I couldn¡¯t turn it around.


    He came near to my face,  our eyes locked with each other. He was so close to me that his warm breath fanned my face. He might have had a ss of bourbon because I could smell it.


    ¡°If it was anyone else instead of you who used this kind of tone with me. I would have ripped his body apart piece by piece and fed it to my dogs but you are lucky that I want you Aurora¡­¡± he said in his deep voice. I even forgot to blink, a shiver ran down my body hearing him.


    I sucked in a breath when I felt his thumb over my lips, ¡°this beautiful face of yours is making me insane. The things I have nned to do with this body of yours is making me hard¡­¡±


    To my horror, my breathing quickened hearing his dirty words. ¡°But you are in urgent need of getting disciplined, you need to learn many things but worry not I will teach you them, Trigitsa!¡±


    I gulped, my chest heaving up and down. His lips tugged upward and suddenly I felt his hand on my right bosom. He gave it a gentle squeeze and I was shocked at his action.


    How dare he touch me without my permission. A fury ran down my body as I pushed him away with all my strength. ¡°How dare you touch me like that, you bastard!¡±


    He sharpened his eyes and pulled me in his arms again. I tried to get out of his arms while he onlyughed at my attempts. ¡°Many have tried to get out of my clutches, Trigitsa! But no one seeded. Stop trying in vain.¡±


    ¡°You are nothing but a scoundrel¡­¡± I said and stopped my attempts as an idea came to my mind.


    I managed to sh him a flirty smile,


    He frowned. ¡°You want to have me¡­¡± I asked him.


    He raised a brow in question. His hold on me eased a little and that was the only thing I needed. I dug my long sharp nails on his hands, he got distracted by my sudden attack which gave me a chance to ram my knee straight between his legs and I did it.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    He hadn¡¯t expected such a reaction from me, his face scrunched in pain and his eyes filled with rage. I don¡¯t know but for the first time, I felt a kind of victory in my heart, which made me feel proud like I¡¯ve achieved something big.


    I smiled at his shocked and painful expression as he got hurt twice from me. ¡°Next time don¡¯te near me or I will scratch your face, not your hands you arrogant ass!¡±


    He tried to take a step in my direction but before he could gain his posture back, I ran away from there with lightning speed. I reached the pool area and sighed in relief. I turned to look if he was following me when I was sure that I was not being followed by that arrogant ass. I burst outughing recalling his face after he found blood on his hands.


    I looked at my nails proudly. ¡°Thank you for helping me today guys¡­¡± I giggled and then stoppedughing. My mood improved in just a few minutes today. Ah! The joy of seeing that shocked expression was wonderful.


    I walked further towards the poolside. It was magnificent. My legs itch to swim but I didn¡¯t have a bikini on so I skipped the thought and just sat on one of the sun chairs there and ordered myself a ss of white wine to refresh my mood. The server bought it for me and I gulped it in one go enjoying the beautiful weather of my¡­ oops! His city and I burst outughing again his expression got fixed in my memory.


    Arrogant ass!


    On the other hand¡­


    Liam kept staring at his hands with a fury that was raging in his mind right now.


    That girl was waking a side of him which he was scared would consume him if he didn¡¯t get her. She was like a drug that he wanted to take. He could do anything to have her, his mind and body craved her nearness.


    He inhaled sharply as her scent still lingered in the air. ¡°Tristan, you are driving me insane with that ripe body of yours.¡± He whispered. Adrenaline shot through his veins, he wanted to calm himself or the right words should be, he needed to calm his mind or nothing would stop him from going to her and having his way with her.


    So he did what he did in these kinds of moments. He called one of his skunks and asked her to meet him in his room. He walked to his room and there stood his whore.

 Chapter 28.

    Blonde hair, blue eyes and plump lips, Ste was her name. She was theplete replica of Aurora.


    He sat on the sofa and gestured to her with his finger. She walked with seductive steps and smiled getting on her knees.


    Their eyes met once, Liam red at her in anger and she lowered her gaze. ¡°I apologise, sir.¡± She whispered.


    Lian grabbed her hair in a tight fist, she opened his zipper and pulled out his hard on reaction out of his pants. Rolling her them swiftly over the precum she took it in her mouth.


    Liam closed his eyes and imagined Aurora instead of Ste and the image made him wild in need.


    I had felt a conundrum of emotions by seeing Aurora on her knees waiting for me, I couldn¡¯t believe my obsession for her. How she brings out my dark and possessive side, the wild animal which I¡¯ve hidden from the worldes out in front of her. She brings out every emotion in me which I¡¯ve locked inside me.


    ¡°Liam, I want you to make me feel all the emotions which I¡¯ve never felt before! It¡¯s you who taught me that to be even pleasured in pain, that the darkness can also be beautiful in its way.


    ¡°Liam, I¡¯m feeling hot all over l, it feels like my blood is burning in my veins. I¡¯ve not felt such a feeling in my entire life!¡±


    Liam never thought how a woman can look so beautiful on her knees. ¡°Aurora, do you want me? Do you want to feel my touch?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Liam! Yes!¡± She moaned wildly.


    ¡°Then Stand up,¡± I ordered her.


    Aurora stood up in one fluid motion, obeying him. She was wearing Redce panties which looked exotic on her naturally blushed skin.


    Now ¡°get out of your panties.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s fingers twitched as she hooked them in the waistband of her panties and then pulled them down.


    ¡°Give them to me Aurora¡± she made her doe-like eyes big while handing over the panties to Liam.  Liam took them from her and smelled them. It¡¯s the most beautiful smell I¡¯ve ever smelled.


    While seeing him smelling her panties, she bit down on her bottom lips and whimpered. She blushed in the brightest shade of pink like a fresh pink  Rose blossom in the morning.


    ¡°Turn Around and get on your all fours Aurora¡±


    Liam watched as she followed his Command. Turning around and then bent down from the waist. Does it hurt you Aurora?


    No, I¡¯m fine, she replied in a throaty whisper like she is more than expecting this hot session between them!


    Then bnce your weight on. Your elbows on the mattress with your feet apart. Show me your plumped curved arse and your hidden treasure.


    Now Liam wants to touch her from behind. He touched her sweet pussy lips that peeked out from between her thighs.


    He touched them and started rubbing his thumb on her sensitive nub running a current of pleasure in her veins. He took her plump arse in his hand and lifted her a little in the air, to suck her from behind. He started sensually sucking her.


    She has never felt such pure ecstasy in her whole life. It was too much for her to take in at once.


    Liam had closed his eyes to please Aurora, but all of sudden his eyes snapped open when the girl in front of him started makingpletely fake sounds.


    He came back to reality, he imagined  Aurora in that girl¡¯s ce but no matter how good a replica this girl looks of Aurora, no one can be Aurora, as she will never make such cheap sounds. She was a tigress, my tigress and she won¡¯t moan like a cheap whore!This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    He jerked the girl away from him. ¡°Get the fuck away from here!¡± He ordered her darkly and the girl stood at once seeing his scary expression.


    ¡°Fuck! The girl was making me insane with her luscious body and those curves¡­¡±


    Liam punched the table hard, his mind was raging in fury. He wanted nothing but her under him, moaning his name when he fuck her raw.


    He opened a bottle of whiskey and took a long swig. He turned when the door opened and nced at his friend, Alexandrio who had this smug look on his face.


    ¡°What?¡± He snapped.


    ¡°I should be the one asking you that? What happened to you, Liam. You look rejected!¡±


    Liam made a grunted sound and sprinted towards him. ¡°Who can reject me, Alex? Did you forget who I am?¡±


    Alexandrio chuckled. ¡°You tell me because as far as I can see, you don¡¯t look like my friend to me anymore.¡±


    Liam turned. His anger was at its peak. ¡°I want her, Aurora. She is making me insane, Alexandrio. I am losing my mind thinking about her all the time.¡±


    Alexandria frowned at that. He was taking it as a joke but seeing the look on Liam¡¯s face he knew that what Liam was feeling for her was far more serious than a casual fuck. ¡°Man, you are serious about her! I thought it was just a fling you want¡­¡±


    Liam shook his head. ¡°That girl is here, Alexandrio,¡± he said pointing his finger to his temple. ¡°I have tried other girls but every time I end up with a blonde with blue eyes. I try to find the replica and everytime I close my eyes to imagine her. She is messing up my mind!¡±


    Alexandria ced a hand to his friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Or is she messing your heart, Liam? I think you love her!¡±


    Liamughed at that. ¡°Love!¡± He said with a disgusted look on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t do love, Alexandrio. I don¡¯t believe in this term but you are right about one thing, what I feel for her is something serious. No one ever was able to mess with my head and this girl did that, there is something about her, about that attitude of her a which made me her fan and swear, one day that girl will beg me to fuck her and that day I will meet.

 Chapter 29.

    Aurora POV:-


    ¡°OMG girlz! That man could kiss like a pro, I could still feel myself in his arms,¡± Emily chirped dreamily.


    ¡°Will you stop your telling a tale about that fucking session with your hot price of ass and focus on work. Some might not need it but we do, at the end of the day it¡¯s important for our career unless you are someone who just wants to think about a man who didn¡¯t care about her.¡±


    I closed my eyes and fisted my hands to remain calm but this continuous taunting from her was making her furious. ¡°Em! Tell that person sitting in front of you that the person she was  talking about knew her responsibilities really well and her personal issues will not be a hurdle in her career.¡±


    ¡°Ya right! I saw that myself how that person was just being submissive as the other person wished her to be and if her best friend told her something about it she just became angry at her and fought with her. So I know how responsible that person is.¡±


    We both were talking to each other through Emily who looked at us both with a disgusting expression on her face. ¡°Alright stop it both of you and tell me what the fuck happened between you both again?¡± She snapped at us.


    I nced at Susan who let out a deep sigh, ¡°what happens is I am fucking worried about us and her! Just tell me Em, since she started dating has she given us enough time? No, her day starts with Gabe and ends with him. It¡¯s like we are not important in her life. I would have epted that trust me, but she is taking her career for granted as well!


    I gasped at her usation, I pushed Emily aside and walked to Susan. ¡± Are you using me of forgetting our friendship?¡± I snarled at her.


    ¡°Yes! I am saying exactly that Aurora. Okay, my thoughts could be biased because I don¡¯t like Gabe but Emily is here, ask her about it.¡± She gestured at Emily with her chin. I turned to her and she raised her brows and shrugged casually.


    ¡°Do you feel the same way Em?¡± I asked her hurt by Susan¡¯s way of thinking. I love her and Emily both. Yes, Gabe was one of the most important persons in my life but Susan and Emily were part of my life way before Gabe. How could she even think like that about me?


    ¡°Tell me!¡± I snapped at Emily.


    ¡°Well, please don¡¯t mind Aurora but Susan is right. Since Gabe came into your life your priorities changed. Before Gabe, you were focused on your career even when we had no orders and now, when we have a golden opportunity in our hands you are still distracted because of Gabe. You might not feel it but we do, Aurora. You have changed a lot¡­¡±


    I blinked twice, all I could feel at that moment was horrible. I turned my head to Susam who had her hands crossed over her chest and looked away from me. She rolled her shoulder to her cheek and cleared her throat. I felt like aplete failure. How could I be such an idiot?


    Susan had no one except for me, we were together since kindergarten. Our mom¡¯s used to be friends and we were more than friends, we were sorority sisters to each other. After her mom died and her dad married thrice she felt dejected with him. She called me her only family and I failed her. I failed my bestie.


    I nced at Emily who nodded at me in encouragement. With heavy feet, I walked up to Susan. She still didn¡¯t look my way. I rolled my lips inward and moved closer to her, so close that our shoulders touched. She stepped back and I moved a step further again.


    Susan rolled her eyes. I touched my shoulder with hers and cleared my throat. ¡°Alright, I am sorry, Susie¡­¡± I apologised using the name I used to call her in kindergarten because I found Susan hard to. She let out a throaty chuckle.


    ¡°Don¡¯t use that name¡­¡± she said in fake anger but I could see a little smile on her lips and the next thing I knew she pulled me in her arms.


    ¡°I am so sorry, Susan,¡± I said, hugging her tightly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me out, you both always do that!¡± Emily whispered and joined our hugging out session.


    She broke our hug and gazed into my eyes. ¡°I love you, Aurora and I can¡¯t see you spoiling your career for a man.¡±


    ¡°Sus¡­¡± I tried to speak but she shook her head.


    ¡°No please listen to me first, I know you love him but girl, loving someone doesn¡¯t mean forgetting everyone else. You are forgetting everything else. Your dreams of bing the World¡¯s best jewellery designer. Your dream of opening your jewellery brand showrooms. Your mind nowAdays is stuck on only one thing, Gabe. Will Gabe like this or not? Gabe Gabe Gabe¡­ Aurora gives herself a break. You are his fiancee, not his ve goddamn it!¡±


    I kept my mouth shut. What else could I do? I know whatever I would say Susan won¡¯t understand it. She didn¡¯t know why Gabe wanted me to behave in a certain way. He was scared of losing me. I saw how scared and emotional he was but Susan would even negatively see that.


    So I ignored talking to her about Gabe. If she and Emily feel that my rtionship with Gabe was making me forget my rtionship with them then I won¡¯t let her feel the same way again.


    ¡°Alright, tell me what do you want me to do?¡± I asked her.


    She nced at Emily who nodded. ¡°I want you  not to call Gabe till he calls you himself and focus on this contest only.¡±


    I raised my chin proudly. ¡°Done deal! I gave her a thumbs-up sign and she smiled.


    Emily and she shared a look. ¡± Alright, then get ready because the results of today¡¯s presentation were about to be disclosed and we only have 15 minutes left.¡± She said with wide eyes and a look of horror on her face as her eyes went to the wall clock and the reality hit her that we only have fifteen minutes to get ready!


    Yea! Fifteen minutes, it would take me at least thirty minutes to do my hair only. We all ran to our rooms to get ready on time and we managed to dress up in fifteen minutes.


    Today was the day of achievements for me. First I kicked that arrogant asshole in the shins, the look on his face still made me proud of myself. I mean dad was worried about me in vain, see how cleverly I defended myself.


    And second I got ready in barely fifteen minutes. This was a huge achievement for me.


    ¡°What did you do with your hair?¡± I asked Emily, who gave me a look of disappointment. ¡°Girl, I had fifteen minutes, what more do you want from me?¡±


    I stopped myself fromughing out loud seeing her messy bun.


    ¡°Ya! Whatever, it¡¯s not like we are going to win based on how impressive your hairstyle is!  Anyway, let¡¯s go girls. Whatever the result would be but always remember we have our hundred per cent¡­¡±


    I nodded. ¡°We will start again, in a different manner Susan even if we didn¡¯t win this contest. Our dreams didn¡¯t end here.¡±


    We three hugged each other and squeezed our hands together. ¡°Let¡¯s hope for the best,¡± Emily said and we walked together towards the auditorium.


    Exactly after fifteen minutes, twelve contestants were disqualified. I left a shaky breath in fear of being disqualified. Susan squeezed my hand while Emily was squeezing hers in assurance.


    ¡°And the first contestant who is going to the second round is Evelyn Rodriguez.¡±


    I closed my eyes. ¡°We are going home today..¡± I cried in anxiety. Susan pped my hand which she was squeezing till now in assurance.


    ¡°Stop barking!¡± She scolded me.


    ¡°And the second contestant who is going in our next round is¡­.¡±


    My heartbeat turned up and down in fear of eviction if someone else got qualified for the second round.


    Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh, God¡­


    ¡°¡­. is none other than George Thomas¡­¡±


    My legs gave up, I sat on the chair while everyone else was standing. Thin lines formed between my brows and my lips tugged downwards. I let out an anxious sob without making any sound.


    ¡°The third contestant is Joseph Samson,¡± Katie announced. A loud pping voice sounded and I buried my face into my palms, crying without a single tear.


    ¡°Aurora, get up!¡± Emily whispered to me but I shook my head. My heart was beating so fast that there was a chance of heart failure today. My body turned cold in anxiety.


    ¡°The fourth contestant is¡­¡±


    And this Katie was increasing my heart rate with her suspense. Why couldn¡¯t she just tell the names in one go? I would sue her if I died of a heart attack today.


    ¡°The fourth contestant is Judith Sylvester¡­¡±


    Now there was no chance of me getting in the next round. My dream of winning this contest and making my mom and grandpa proud in their country and city died today. I failed my family, my friends and myself.


    I eyed my perfectly manicured hands and an image of me washing dishes in Gabe¡¯s restaurant popped into my mind.


    ¡°No¡­¡± I screamed in horror and everyone else turned their eyes to me.


    ¡°What no! Yes goddamn, it yes!¡±  Susan squealed, hugging me tightly. I was stunned.


    Oh, my Poor Susie! She lost her mind after the result. We lost the contest and she was hugging me in joy. I needed to calm her even though I was crying inside.


    ¡± I Am so sorry, Susan. Please control yourself. We will try another way to achieve our dreams¡­¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about? Did you hear what I said¡­¡± She asked me and I frowned.


    ¡°I know we are out¡­¡±


    ¡°Aurora kings, we are in the next round. We are going on that cruise¡­¡± Emily yelled in happiness and I looked at her dumbfounded.


    My eyes widened and my mouth hung open! Did she just say that we are going on that cruise¡­

 Chapter 30.

    ¡°Are you alive?¡± Susan whispered, shaking my elbow when I didn¡¯t respond. I was frozen to the core. My mind needed time to process this information. Goddamn it, I did it. We did it.


    We are selected in the second round!! OMFG!


    My eyes were fixed on my beautifully manicured nails, I would not be washing dirty dishes in the future. The thought made me squeal in happiness, I was astounded to the core.


    ¡°We did it, girls¡­.¡± I screamed, swirling around in joy not caring that I was standing in a crowd of fifty hundred people here.


    ¡°Well someone is happy here¡­¡± I heard Katiementing on my victory dance and everyoneughed at my childish act.


    ¡°Okay, stop it now!¡± Susan gritted out stopping me from making a fool of myself in front of everyone anymore.


    Emily air-kissed me and I gave her a kiss of mine. ¡°Thanks, girl, now I will be going on that cruise with that hot piece of ass!¡±


    Susan rolled her eyes but I gave her a thumbs up.


    ¡°So nowdies and gentlemen we wish best of luck to every single contestant who got evicted today but you all will be rewarded with a certificate from us and a sum of ten thousand dors for your future endeavours.¡±


    We all pped. I was sad for the people I know everyone came here to win but as the saying goes may the best man win.


    ¡°Now for all the five finalists, please be ready till eight in the morning tomorrow.  We will leave for the cruise at 9 am. Till then goodbye and good night!¡± Katie informed us.


    People started congratting me and my girls. We wished luck and exchanged numbers with a few of them whose designs we liked. We never knew if we needed them in the future. At the end of the day, we nned to open a big brand that would require a workforce of at least fifty people.


    After an hour we were in our room with two champagne bottles finished and a third one on the go.


    ¡°Wow! I am flying, look at me, Aurora, I am flying¡­¡±


    I giggled at Susan. ¡°And I am behind you, Susie¡­look at us Em! We are flying in the sky without a ne.¡±


    ¡°Bruh!¡± She let out a throaty giggle.


    ¡°Stop this fake flying, you want to know what flying without a ne really means¡­¡±


    She stood up with slurred legs. ¡°It felt awesome, I was in the stars In the evening while fucking that hot billionaire against the wall!¡±


    And that made me and Susan giggle. ¡°You did a victory fuck!¡±


    ¡°Nah! He said no to that but girl, he was wild, so wild¡­¡± she fanned her face with her hand.


    ¡°Wooow!¡± Susan whistled.


    ¡°Wild? Is he a B man or V man?¡± She asked Emily and I frowned at them.


    Emily let out a throaty giggle before answering Susan¡¯s question. ¡°He is a B man.¡±


    Susan made a face. ¡°Lucky you, I only got only V till now.¡±


    ¡°What is B and V man, Susie?¡± I asked them.


    Emily rolled her eyes. ¡°What! You don¡¯t know what B and V man is,  Aurora?¡± She asked, stunned.


    I pouted. ¡°No! That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you, Em!¡±


    ¡°B means Bo**s and V means Va**na, Aurora.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°What does it mean to have a B or V Man,¡± I asked again.


    Susan sighed. ¡°B man loves to cuddle with your bosom more while fucking you and V loves touching you Vag****a while fucking.¡±


    ¡°And mind you, Alexandrios could make mee just by touching my Boobs, ah! The squeeze he gave my pinky made my legs weak. I felt the friction straight between my legs.¡±


    I was silent while they both were sharing their sex stories with each other.  I didn¡¯t want to listen to their dirty secrets so I said them goodbye and walked into my room.


    In my room, I stood in front of the huge mirror and looked at myself.


    Am I not pretty? If I am then why has Gabe not called yet? I checked my phone one more time. Still, not even a single message, Dm, or email met alone a phone call from him.


    I bit my lip. Should I call him myself? I asked myself and in answer, I saw Susan¡¯s disappointed face.


    ¡°Arh!¡± I threw my phone in anger over Gabe¡¯s stubborn attitude.  I was raging in anger and decided to take a shower. I got out of my tank top but then Emily¡¯s words came to my mind.


    Alexandrios could make a woman cum by just touching her boobs¡­


    I look at my bosom in the mirror. Tracing the outline of them with my forefinger my mind went to Gabe. He touched me there a few times but I never felt what Emily was talking about. Then how was it possible for anyone to cum by just getting a little touch on their breast?


    Yes, Emily was just glorifying the act. I never felt anything between my legs when Gabe touched me.


    But then Gabe¡¯s words of me being frigid came to my mind. It means he was not lying. I was frigid, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t feel anything when he touched me.  I nced at the mirror as my  mind drifted back to the day¡­


    Two months ago, One fine evening, me and Gabe, we both went to a restaurant as I wanted to try some Chinese food. I¡¯ve heard a lot about their Chinese food and being a foodie, I wanted to try it. So, I asked Gabe to take me there.


    He agreed because wanted to make up with me because of our fight. He took me to the restaurant. The restaurant was located near the beach side.


    ¡°I must say, they have taken efforts in decorating the ce and the view is amazing. It feels like there is romance in the air¡±


    Every single thing is speaking about love and affection. From the off white scented candles to the beautiful illuminating lights, the cool breeze of air, the smell of  the wet sand as a small drizzle of rain came here before we reached the ce, everything is so perfect for a romantic date, that it creates butterflies in my stomach.


    Both me and Gabe haven¡¯t nned any date but the whole ambiance is pushing me to try something naughty with my handsome lover.


    Damn! He looks so yummy with his six pack abs, he has worn a white shirt with his above two buttons opened up, sleeves rolled up to the elbows showing his beautiful tanned skin.


    The waiter served us white champagne with some starters. Gabe poured champagne for both of us. Just by looking at him, I don¡¯t know when I started drooling over him.


    And suddenly a naughty thought came to my mind.


    Biting my lip, I started rubbing my right toe on his left leg and my fingers on his left hand. Slowly I started moving upward towards his shoulder while he was busy doing something on his phone.


    Damn him and his phone!


    Today, no matter what it will be me on whom he will have his whole attention. So, I started caressing my hand on his chest and started moving towards his nipple.


    I gave him a light pinch on his nipple so that he would pay me full attention.


    ¡°Aurora, baby what are you doing? Huh!¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Gabe, i Want it!¡±


    ¡°What do you want dear?¡±


    ¡°I want to feel you! I said while pouting my lips while punching him lightly on his chest. I want to  have a taste of you. I¡¯d like to know how a girl feels when her boyfriend touches her!¡±


    I was close to tears but suddenly a small, hidden voice in my mind spoke clearly. But that voice said something scandalous which I wanted to run away from.


    The voice said: you feel all that Emily described feeling when that Arrogant ass touched your breast.


    I gulped at the thought. I was shaken to the essence. My eyes widened in horror. How could I feel something like this with a man who I hate to the core of my being?


    I felt like I had cheated on my Gabe. That man loves me with every single fibre of his body. He never even nced at any other girl and I practically cheated him today.


    You are overreacting Aurora! My mind said.


    But I shook my head and touched the ne on my neck. Mom used to say that a woman loved once and lived her whole life with one man only.


    A woman loves one man in many ways. And I want my daughter to value true love.


    I knew Gabe loves me and I love him too, I was one man woman like my mom was then howe my body betrayed me. I didn¡¯t like that infuriating man still, my body reacted to his touch!


    Why? The question was making me insane. It¡¯s okay Aurora, you didn¡¯t cheat on Gabe, remember how you kicked that Arrogant ass in the shins.


    A smile came to my face recalling his face.


    I stood up in front of the mirror again and touched my ne. ¡°Please call me Gabe. Show me that you love me, please¡­¡±

 Chapter 31.

    ¡°Are you ready girls¡­¡± Emily asked in her chirping morning voice.


    ¡°Ya¡­¡± I drawled, frowning at her attire.


    ¡°What the hell are you wearing?¡± I asked, giving her an unimpressed look. She was wearing a gown, a godforsaken gown with a hat. And not just any gown she was dressed in the fashion of the 1920s.


    ¡°I am going on a cruise, a goddamn cruiser Aurora and that too with Mr hot billionaire. Oh! How I always wanted to recreate the Titanic signature scene. So I dressed ordingly,¡± she joined her hands together, her face holding an overwhelming expression with her eyebrows raised and lips curved in a smile. Her eyes held a dreamy look.


    ¡°Em! I think you really need a shrink.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t need a shrink, I need another orgasm.¡±


    I huffed, shaking my head. She won¡¯t stop her idiotic chatter and I need to get ready for the cruise. I could not  afford to bete.


    I was about to move but the door of Susan¡¯s room opened and she stepped outside wearing a simple white off-shoulder dress.


    ¡°Are you both ready¡­¡± she asked but stopped when her eyes moved to Emily.


    ¡°What the hell are you wearing?¡±


    Emily gasped at the tone of Susan¡¯s voice. ¡°What?¡± She snapped, putting her hand on her chest.


    ¡°We are contestants of a Jewellery designingpetition, not some fancy dress contest. So do us a favour and change into something modern.¡±


    ¡°Madam wanted to recreate Titanic¡¯s signature pose with that hot billionaire,¡± I told Susan about Emily¡¯s n with crossing my hands to my chest.


    ¡°Yes, so what is the problem with that?¡±


    Susan walked to her and rested her hand on Emily¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If you don¡¯t want your fate to end up like Titanic¡¯s then just go and change into something tolerable, Emily Samson or I will throw you in the sea over the top of that cruise, I promise or so,  Help me god!¡±


    She pinched her lips in a thin line. Her brows pulled together as she stood up from the couch she was sitting upon. ¡°You both just can¡¯t see me happy, Hm!¡± Saying that she turned on her heels and thumbed the door of her room soundly that our ears screeched at the sound.


    I shook my head in irritation but then, Susan looked my way ¡°and why the hell are you not dressed yet?¡±


    I raised my hands in the air, gesturing surrender. ¡°Okay, I am going.¡±


    ¡°Do that.¡±


    I turned and rolled my eyes because I couldn¡¯t do that in front of her. Susan was like a Mamma hen when she was angry. I walked to my room and changed into a beautiful baby blue tank top and a white skirt. I was confused with my hairstyle so I decided to do a French braid.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Iplimented myself with a flying kiss to my impression in the mirror. Gripping the handle of my handbag I walked out of the room and found Emily dressed in a sect high slit ck dress.


    ¡°Em! Really, are we going to a ball?¡±


    She rolled her eyes, ¡°look both of you, I changed my dress once already and not going to do that again. So whether you like it or not I am wearing it!¡±


    ¡°God, give me patience today with both of you!¡± Susan muttered under her breath.


    ¡°What did I do?¡±


    ¡°You took thirty-five minutes to get ready, goddamnit!¡± Susan snapped.


    I rolled my lips inward and sighed. ¡°Only thirty-five minutes Susan.¡±


    She raised her hand to stop us from talking any further than she rolled her fingers inward and pointed her forefinger at Emily and me both.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to waste on these stupid things, girls. I am begging you both to please be serious about thispetition now because not it¡¯s only between five contestants. Now it¡¯s the fight for our survival.¡±


    She looked at me and I straightened up my spine. ¡°Aurora, your dreams, our dreams,¡± she pointed her finger to Emily and her both. ¡°depends on your next designs, don¡¯t forgetst time it was nothing but pure luck that we got selected.¡±


    I nodded in understanding. She was right, enjoying the trip was okay but I don¡¯t forget that I came here for work, not for holidays.


    ¡°Are we clear, girls!¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Emily and I spoke at the same time. We both squeezed our eyes and blew her a kiss. She smiled and we all walked out of our room and met Katie in the auditorium where she informed us about the Cruise and the next round of the contest.


    ¡°A designer must realise the importance of the development of their designs. Drawing a design on paper was another thing, but crafting it, in reality, was different. So in the next round, you all have to craft your designs not on paper but metal. Yes, you hear me right now you have made them yourself too using real diamonds, so be careful while doing it because a single mistake and your journey here in this contest will be over.¡±


    I took in a sharp breath to calm my racing heart. ¡°I can do it! No need to be scared,¡± I reminded myself.


    ¡°Now a minibus is waiting for you all outside the hotel to take you to the port. Don¡¯t forget to enjoy the trip,¡± she said smiling.


    We ascended the minibus which took us to the Vancouver, BC port and we finally ascended the cruise ship.


    ¡°This is perfect,¡± Susan whispered and I nodded in agreement.


    ¡°It¡¯s more than perfect Susan, it¡¯s breathtaking!¡± I mumbled. Although I have travelled through private nes and lived a luxurious life and seen every kind of luxury. This felt different because I was here on my own and not just spending dad¡¯s hard-earned money, it¡¯s not like there was any difference.


    I  mean my Dad¡¯s money is my money, right! But still, it felt more fulfilling, I guess.


    ¡°Weedies and gentlemen.¡± Katie greeted us with her all-time smile pasted on her lips. I looked at her perfect slim body again and felt jealous over it. How could someone be this perfect? She handed us keys to our cabins and we left for our cabins with an attendant.


    Emily whistled when the attendant opened the door of our cabin. ¡°It¡¯s magnificent, babe!¡±


    I was even astounded by the beauty of our cabin. It was just too beautiful to describe in words. The balcony in our cabin gave us the view of the pacific ocean making us enjoy this cruise even more closely.


    ¡°Okay, now girls. Let¡¯s rest a bit. we have to meet Katie in two hours,¡± Susan instructed us whileying down on the bed.


    I went to the balcony and looked at the beautiful blue water of the pacific ocean. I touched the ne on my chest. ¡°I want you to be with me, mom. I want to win this contest and make you and grandpa proud.¡±


    I closed my eyes and mom¡¯s smiling face shed into them. I bit my lip in happiness. It felt as if she was just here with me.


    I sniffed the salty sea air. It felt liberating to be here at this moment and I feel rejuvenated being here.


    On the other hand¡­


    Liam was sitting on his chair clenching and unclenching his hand while listening to his brother over the phone who was in Das.


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that Ralph, I knew Ethan was hiding something from me. Find the reason Ralph because I won¡¯t let him back down on his words!¡± Liam gritted out every word.


    ¡°I will but we both know Ethan, he is good at doing his business. All I know is that he met Mexicans twice. Why? No idea¡­¡±


    Liam Punched the table in front of him so hard that things ced on it scattered all over the table.


    ¡°If he is good, then I am the best in doing business, Ralph. I want all the details, why did he meet Mexicans when there was an old rivalry between him and Antonio.¡±


    ¡°Let me dig up more.¡±


    Liam ended the call after that but his body was raging in cold fury.  Adrenaline shooting down his body with such proximity that he found it impossible topose. Liam Knight needed something or someone to calm his mind.


    There was this feeling in his body that was making him insane with every passing second. It was a feeling as if someone would snatch his favourite toy from him and he couldn¡¯t let that happen. He couldn¡¯t allow anyone to have something that belonged to him.


    This time that favourite toy was none other than Aurora Kings. The temptress who had made him insane to the level of destruction. For the first time in his life, Liam knight was stunned because a mere girl almost seeded in kicking him in the balls.


    He was shocked at his rxation. He could counter back even if he felt something was wrong. He could kill a man with it even blinking a second and here a girl who didn¡¯t even know how to kill a fly almost kicked him in the balls!


    That stunned Liam knight!


    He was beyond angry. He was raging like a volcano that was about to burst.


    He was clenching and unclenching his hand when a knock sounded on his office door.


    He took a sharp breath and ordered the person to enter.


    ¡°Sir, the best cabin of the cruise is given to Miss kings as per your orders,¡± Katie informed Liam who turned and looked at her.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    He gave her a nod. ¡°Make sure she settled well and also make the next round of thepetition impossible for her to win¡­¡± he ordered Katie and she was shocked to the core.


    ¡°But sir¡­¡±


    Liam raised his brows and Katie looked down.


    ¡°I apologise for questioning your decisions sir but couldn¡¯t stop myself from asking,¡± She mumbled.


    Liam smirked outwardly but inwardly he was still in a rage. ¡°Do as I say, Katie and wait for my next order.¡±


    Katie nodded and left. Liam sat back on his chair with a mocking smile on his face.


    ¡°My little tigritsa! You need to get punished for the little stunt you pulled on me yesterday¡­¡±

 Chapter 32.

    My eyes widened and my mouth hanging open hearing Katie telling me about the challenge for the next round.


    ¡°Design inspired by world art and culture!!¡±


    I bit my lower lip from inside. I didn¡¯t even know the history of the USA, let alone the world. I mean obviously, I know about jewellery designing but I didn¡¯t study it.


    Right now the only thought that was running in my mind was, I should have taken a professional jewellery designing course for two years instead of going on vacation in Sweden for about eight months two years ago.


    But back then, that was my way of getting motivated and getting out of that depression that I felt after Rawls rejected my designs. And here I am standing with an open mouth and an idiotic expression over my face of just thinking about the next round.


    Four hours that¡¯s all I have and In these four hours, I have to design a masterpiece on metal that is inspired by some art or culture.  These people have gone mad even thinking that I would be able to do it.


    ¡°Aurora, do you remember how we used to skip Mrs Jhonson¡¯s history sses in high school?¡± Emily whispered, I just gave her a single nod.


    ¡°Well, karma just came to bite us in our asses now. Fuck! Are you sure she said world art and culture?¡±


    I gulped. ¡°Yes¡­¡± the voice came out like a grumble.


    ¡°Aurora!¡± A sharp voice came from Susan and my heart quickened its speed. I didn¡¯t dare to nce her way.


    ¡°Look at me, now!¡±


    Blinking continuously like a child, I looked at her with a crying face but straightened my expression when I saw her strict face.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Art and Culture! You don¡¯t even know your culture!! What are we going to do now?¡± She snapped and I closed my eyes in fear.


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet you all after four hours!¡± Katie announced smiling and for the first time I wanted to w her eyes out.


    How could she give me this difficult task?


    ¡°Aurora Kings! Answer me!¡± Susan snapped again and I opened my eyes.


    ¡°Ah! Um! I mean¡­ ah!¡­¡± I sat down on the chair with a thump not caring about anyone else around me and cried anxiously, without a single tear from my eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t have any idea what I would be doing, Susan. History, I hated it to the core!!¡±


    Susan rolled her eyes and shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go to our cabins and see what we can do,¡± she nced at Emily and gestured towards the table for the designing equipment and raw material.


    ¡°Go and bring our equipment to our cabin till then I see what this girl could make for us to stay in this contest.¡±


    Emily nodded and left to bring the equipment while we left for our cabin where Susan started her third degree on me.


    ¡°Think, Aurora, think there would be something we could do! Anything, any design that could resemble any form of art and culture¡­¡± Susan exined and I didn¡¯t know what I should say to her.


    Anxiously touched mom¡¯s pendant and suddenly a memory popped up in my mind. It was the day mom gave the ne to me¡­


    ¡°Aurora,e here my love,¡± Mom called me while I was ying in the garden with Mrs Dn.


    ¡°Yes, Momo¡­¡± I said as I came running to her. My mom was wearing her favourite white dress and she looked like an angel in that dress. Her blonde hairplemented her dress perfectly while her smile brightened her whole face. My mom was the most beautifuldy in the world.


    ¡°Turn around love.¡±


    I frowned but did as she said and suddenly cold metal touched my skin making me wince but then I touched the world¡¯s most beautiful jewellery piece.


    ¡°Momo, this is so pretty!¡± I said touching the ne.


    She gave me one of her beautiful smiles which brightened my day. ¡°This is your grandfather¡¯sst gift for me and I am giving it to you today. Preserve it with you my love and one day when you grow up into a beautiful woman, when you be a mother, give it to your child on his or her birthday so that they could continue the legacy. This ne represents love so make sure you give it when you are sure the next person will preserve it like you did.¡±


    I frowned at the ne. ¡°Momo, what is so special about this ne that it represents love?¡±


    She sighed and patted the seat beside her. ¡°Come and sit here.¡± And I did. She touched the pendent.


    ¡°I will tell you a story about it. Listen to me very carefully, alright love.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Okay momo,¡± I said as she started her story.


    ¡°In  Greek mythology, the rose was created by the goddess of flowers, Chloris. One day, she found the lifeless body of a nymph in the woods and she turned her into a flower. She called upon Aphrodite, goddess of love, and Dionysus, the god of wine. ¡­ That is how the rose was created and rightfully crowned ¡®Queen of Flowers.¡¯ Now look at the design carefully, You see this rose and the wings of a nymph in the pendant.¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    I nodded, touching the wings. ¡°The rose represents love and wings represents what falling in love feels like. The sky became your limit Aurora. Love gives you wings to fly in the sky. Your grandfather took inspiration from Greek mythology before creating this design; it resembles true love.¡±


    My heart thumped as the memoryne ended and I screamed in excitement while jumping up and down like a kangaroo.


    ¡°OMG! OMG! OMG¡­¡±


    Susan¡¯seyes broadened. ¡°Oh God, Aurora, are you okay. Do I need to call a doctor? Please don¡¯t lose your mind¡­¡± She panicked seeing me behaving like this.


    I cupped her cheek whileughing like a maniac. ¡°Susie, Susie, Susie. I love you¡­ now you see what I will do..¡±


    She looked at me as if I had lost my mind. ¡°Aurora, now you are scaring me.¡±


    ¡°Listen to me well, Susie. I have the solution to our problem.¡±


    Susan stared at me for a long minute. ¡°What solution?¡± She asked me, her expression told me that she could not believe that I might have the solution to this situation.


    Okay, I ept that history, art and culture went above my head and I always cheated from her sheet during exams in high school to get promoted in the next ss. Still, was it too hard to believe that I could have a solution?


    ¡°Tell me what solution do you have!!¡±


    An excited smile came to my face as I told her the story of my ne. She was stunned.


    ¡°Aurora Kings, I could give you a smooch for this!¡± She almost screamed in happiness, hugging me tightly.


    We both were jumping in excitement when Emily entered the cabin.


    ¡°What the hell is happening here? I thought we would be having ourst drink tonight but I think I¡¯m missing something.¡±


    And I told her everything, but she didn¡¯t react in any way. After a minute she pinched her lips in a thin line. ¡°Fuck, you snatched my victory fuck again. And this time I was dead serious about it!¡±


    Susan and I rolled our eyes and stood up leaving her in her sadness.


    ¡°The equipment is ready, let¡¯s start our work, girls. Aurora, you start designing while I draw the projector details and search a little more about the idea.¡±


    I nodded at her in understanding while Susan started her work on theptop and Emily started her work regarding the stone choices.


    It took me two hours to make a replica of the ne I was wearing. I also added white diamond to the ne with Emily¡¯s suggestions as my ne was of ruby and she wanted me to give a personal touch to the ne.


    Finally, the piece was ready. My eyes welled with tears seeing it. It¡¯s nowhere near my grandpa¡¯s design but that¡¯s all I could do. After all, who can beat my grandfather? No one!


    ¡°Alright girls, everything is ready, our projector. Our designs and Aurora King¡¯s, your  lines?¡± Susan asked, raising her brows.


    ¡°This time I am ready.¡±


    She nodded and then nced at Emily.¡±Em! Keep the jewellery box safe, please.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s safe with me, Susan. Chill! And now you both go. I wille after a shower. I don¡¯t know, I feel sweaty, the jewellery mod is safe with me. You just focus on the show.¡±


    We three held our hands together and hugged each other before going to the auditorium.


    while walking towards it I bumped into someone. ¡°I am so sorry..¡±


    ¡°Are you blind! Look where you are going.¡± Evelyn snapped at me rudely.


    ¡°Excuse me! I politely apologized to you and you are behaving rudely with me.


    ¡± Oh shut up! I know what you¡¯re trying to do but I won¡¯t let you seed. Rich brat!¡±


    ¡°Oh hello! Stop it now, we are being polite and you continued to taunt my friend,¡±  Susan snapped at her.


    She raised a finger to her, ¡°don¡¯t interfere.¡± Then she looked at me,¡±and you, just because you won one round doesn¡¯t mean you will win the next one too. Be ready to go home, tonight brat!¡±


    I took a step forward, a smile stered on my lips. ¡°It¡¯s not me who will say good night to this contest Miss Evelyn but you. Be ready to get defeated by this rich brat! Oh and yes, not that I am going but even if I would be going tonight, I am still better than you¡­ so go and bark somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Bye-bye miss¡­¡± Susan started but then she nced at me ¡°Oh Aurora! I even forgot her name.¡±


    Before she could speak again we walked away from her.


    ¡°Bitch!¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Ya, well you are a tigress! Leave the bitch alone and focus on the contest now. Let¡¯s hope for the best.¡±


    The presentation of designs was about to start. Katie was talking to the judges and then she asked for our attention.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, our first contestant who will present his design is, George¡­¡± Katie announced.


    The auditorium turned ck and blue light engulfed the whole ce as the projector started.


    And my whole body turned cold seeing the design on the screen. My eyes went to Susan who had the same expression on her face as mine.


    Shock! Anger! Stunned. That¡¯s what I was feeling right now. Emily opened the box and a bewildered gasp left her face. ¡°How is this possible! I had the representation model here with me¡­¡±


    The design George presented was mine!  He stole my design!!!

 Chapter 33.

    ¡°That¡¯s my design!¡± I couldn¡¯t stop myself from saying it aloud.


    Every face in the auditorium turned my way. On any other day, I would have felt anticipated but today I was raging in fury. An uncontroble fury!!


    I walked to the stage, seething in anger and stood up in front of George. ¡°You cheat! You stole my design.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, mind your words, Miss kings. You have no right to use me of something which I didn¡¯t do,¡± George retorted back in the same manner as I.


    ¡°Stop lying¡­¡± I barked as I opened the jewellery box and pulled out the replica of my pendant. ¡°You stole this from me!¡±


    ¡°What is the meaning of all this, Miss Kings? Please tell us clearly,¡± Katie asked as all the judges stood up and walked to us.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what happened,¡± I said as I pointed my finger at George who was standing there as if he did nothing wrong. Bloody cheat! ¡°This man stole my design from me and presented it here as his own.¡±


    ¡°Now you are crossing the lines missy, that¡¯s my design so stop lying. And why would I steal your design? Who are you, some rich man¡¯s daughter? Unlike you I am a world famous designer¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh cut the crap Mr, we all are equal here¡­¡± Susan came in my support with Emily beside her. ¡°And trust me when I am saying this you are lucky we didn¡¯te here using her surname if we had done that you didn¡¯t know what could have happened!¡±


    ¡°So now you are trying to scare me, I will go to the court and sue you both for tempering my reputation¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you all should be calm here for a second,¡± Katie said.


    ¡°Not until he epts his crime!¡±


    ¡°Miss Kings, calm down please.¡± She turned towards George, ¡°and you Mr George, don¡¯t try to scare us of a legalwsuit because you are under a signed contract with ourpany and I gather you didn¡¯t read it before signing it because if you had you wouldn¡¯t have used the word wsuit¡¯ here.  Second, our judges are here to decide if what Miss Kings just said we trust or not.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any proof that the design belongs to you, Miss kings?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my friends were there¡­¡±


    ¡°Certainly the judges are not going to prove me guilty only on the basis of oral testimony of Miss King¡¯s friends here because just like her I too have someone who was with me while I was creating the design,¡± George said.


    ¡°Please tell us the name of that person, Mr George.¡±  Kevin Rawls said.


    ¡°Evelyn Rodriguez, she was with me while I was designing my model.¡±


    My eyes turned to Evelyn who came forward and lied to her teeth. ¡°Look,  miss Katie, we both are well-known jewellery designers and I am shocked you didn¡¯t believe George because I know it¡¯s his creation. How could you believe a girl with no professional background. I mean she is nothing but a rich brat.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me!¡± Susan snapped but she raised her brow in superiority.


    ¡°Truth is hard to digest honey, so shut up!¡±


    ¡°Oh you just shut your bitchy mouth for once and all you old hog!¡± Susan retorted.


    My attention was not on them but the design in front of my eyes. My grandfather¡¯s legacy, my mom¡¯s legacy was on stake and I won¡¯t let anyone steal it from me.


    ¡°I can prove that this is my design.¡±


    Katie¡¯s eyes held my gaze but it was Kevin who spoke. ¡°Alright! The issue is getting out of hand, we judges have decided something for both of you.¡±


    I looked at him. ¡°Whoever made it could define it with hundred percent uracy. So let¡¯s see who is lying and who is not?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with you, Mr George as you presented it.¡± Alexandrios said.


    George nodded confidently at the judges. He walked near the projector and started exining my design.


    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful creation. Modern art meets the biblical values in Christianity. The  Red rose in this design symbolized the shedding of Christ¡¯s blood, and white diamonds referenced the charity of the Virgin Mary. White roses evoked the chastity of the Virgin, who was known as the rose without thorns.¡±


    I took a shaky breath, I knew Icked the proper knowledge of art and culture and today I came to know the value of professionalism. The way he was defining my design was better than I had expected. He defined things I never knew could resemble my own design.


    Apparently, it was not only me who was scared but my friends as well. Susan and Emily both held my hands in assurance. But I could feel how worried they both were. We could be proven guilty. The contest wasn¡¯t as important for me as it was for them.


    My dad would always help me but Emily and Susan¡¯s dreams rely on this contest.  If I fail today, it won¡¯t be my failure only but my friend¡¯s as well.


    ¡°Miss Aurora Kings, it¡¯s your turn now.¡±


    I gulped and somehow managed to stand up with heavy legs. When I walked to the stage and stood up beside the projector George smirked at me and Evelyn raised her brows with a look of superiority in her face.


    I swallowed the heaviness in my throat again and started the words mom told me while giving me the pendant.


    ¡°The design is a silent description of love because one can¡¯t describe it into words,¡± I pointed at the picture in front of me.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    ¡°There is a story behind this design¡­¡± I cleared my throat and started the story mom told me. ¡°In  Greek mythology, the rose was created by the goddess of flowers, Chloris. One day, she found the lifeless body of a nymph in the woods and she turned her into a flower. She called upon Aphrodite, goddess of love, and Dionysus, the god of wine. ¡­ That is how the rose was created and rightfully crowned ¡®Queen of Flowers.''¡±


    I finished the story of Greek mythology and added ¡°Now look at the design carefully, You see this rose and the wings of a nymph in the pendant.¡±


    The judges seemed intrigued by my words and that gave me strength as I continued my description.


    ¡°The rose represents love and wings represents what falling in love feels like.


    Rose describes the beauty of love while the wings describe that  Love gives you wings to fly in the sky. Love has no limit just like the sky¡­¡±


    My throat felt heavy as tears welled in my eyes. ¡°My grandfather took inspiration from Greek mythology before creating this design; it resembles true love and I added white diamonds to it because it was my tribute to my grandpa and my mother. I added white Diamonds to the original design because it resembles my mom¡¯s smile.¡±


    I looked down for a moment to control my tears and then looked at the Judges. ¡°I have one more thing which proves that the design belongs to me.¡±


    ¡°And what is it, Miss Kings?¡± Alexandrios asked me.

 Chapter 34.

    I unlocked the pendant from my neck. ¡°This is the original design I took inspiration from. My grandfather made it for my mom. You can read it in his memoir, it is avable on the inte under his name. The design is not avable due to copyright as he wanted the design to be his legacy. But a rough description of the design is avable.¡±


    ¡°It means she stole it from someone else!¡± Evelyn pointed out.


    ¡°That¡¯s my legacy, given to me by my grandfather and my mother. I am the owner of it and an owner does not steal from itself Miss Evelyn.¡± I snapped.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Alexandrios stood up with the microphone in his hand. ¡°It¡¯s not easy for us to decide here as both parties define the description beautifully. I know it¡¯s not fair to other contestants but it¡¯s a special case we have. So today we all are going to study the design and decide the real culprit here. After that we will continue the second round.¡±


    Everyone in the auditorium nodded. ¡°In the meantime, Miss Kings, we need your ne to study it to make our decision. So you have to submit it to us for today.¡±


    I nodded and handed my ne to Alexandrios. ¡°Please take care of It. This is very precious to me. It¡¯s my mom¡¯sst gift for me¡­¡±


    He gave me a reassuring smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Kings. I will take care of it as if it¡¯s my own.¡±


    ¡°Alright, contestants. You have a day off. You all can enjoy the weather for today as the judges will be busy handling the case at their hands. Enjoy the cruise because tomorrow the contest will start again and we are going to choose our three finalists.¡±


    We all walked out the auditorium. I was angry and irritated over the situation. Susan and Emily followed me. ¡°I am so sorry, Aurora. I swear I didn¡¯t leave the box even for a second. I don¡¯t know how they managed to steal it from us.¡± Emily said in a low voice. I patted her hand in assurance.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Em,¡± I assured her and she gave me a hug.


    ¡°So the loser is hugging goodbye¡­¡± George and Evelyn came to us. I turned towards them.


    ¡°Oh no! You both are not going anywhere that easily because once the design proved mine I will not leave you both. I will take you both to every court in the country and won¡¯t stop until you both rot in jail. And what did you call me, yes! A rich brat. Just wait, miss Evelyn Rodriguez because this rich brat will show you what she could do or what my dad will do to both of you when I tell him about this incident.¡±


    ¡°You bitch¡­¡± Evelyn took a step in my direction while George held her back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go girls,¡± I said and we walked away from those thieves.


    ¡°Aurora, calm down. Tomorrow everything will be fine and you know what, let¡¯s go to the bar area and lets get wasted to forget today,¡± Susan said and Emily agreed with her.


    ¡°No, I am not in the mood.¡±


    ¡°Oh cmon girl!¡±


    After a lot of persuasion I epted going to the bar area to get drunk. And by God! The atmosphere took my breath away. Neon lights were making our skin blue and green, loud music was a treat to my ears.


    ¡°Let¡¯s forget the sh***y day!¡± Emily yells over the high beat music.


    And I smiled, letting myself loose in the world of music and liquor as Emily bought another ss of  vodka.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a bet,¡± Susan slurred.


    I frowned. ¡°What bet?¡±


    ¡°Leave bet, is that Alexandrios?¡± Emily asked, pointing her finger towards the entry gate.


    ¡°Wow! He looks edible!¡± Susan whisteled, Emily turned her head towards Susan, growled and she gave her a middle finger.


    My mood got bad again seeing one of the judges here. ¡°I am going  to my cabin. You both enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°Hey, why would you leave? You are not going anywhere. And you know what, behave as if we didn¡¯t see him. I won¡¯t even call him here,¡± Emily said as she ordered the waiter two bottles of vodka.


    Alexandrios nted his eyes to Emily but she just ignored him. in and simple ignored! Alexandrios raised a brow at the show of Emily¡¯s ignoring him. He walked to the opposite of our seat and sat down, ordered himself a drink and when he had one in his hand. He mocked Emily a salute by raising the ss slightly in the air and then taking a sip from it.


    ¡°That man!¡± Emily gritted out. She nted her eyes to Susan. ¡°Fill me a ss of Vodka!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Susan opened the bottle and gave her a ss of It. ¡°Em, you should not be drinking this much!¡± I told her as I was worried.


    She ignored me totally and made another ss and ced it in front of me. ¡°Let¡¯s get wasted tonight!¡±


    ¡°No, I already had three sses. I won¡¯t be able to handle it.¡±


    ¡°Ohe on! Drink it, Aurora¡­¡± Emily shouted as Susan held my face and almost poured the fourth ss of Vodka in my mouth.


    And then I lost count how many drinks I had.


    ¡°Wow! I want to dance!¡± I slurred going to the Dance floor with Emily and Susan who both are drunk like me.


    Suddenly Alxandrios came to the dance floor and grabbed Emily by the waist, turned her towards him and nodded at me and Susan then out of nowhere he picked Emily in his arms and walked away with Emily beating his back with her fists and cursing him.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± I asked, astounded.


    ¡°Em, is going to have a wild night ahead! Fuck, I need someone tonight.¡±


    I looked at her and giggled. ¡°Really I want someone to. Any willing fucker here?¡± I shouted.


    Susan giggled and then walked to a blonde man. She whispered something in his ear then she turned towards me, waved her fingers and left with that blonde man with his hand pinching her butt.


    And I was left alone here, again lonely!

 Chapter 35.

    ¡°I want someone too. I am all alone,¡± I whined but an idea popped in my mind. I grabbed my phone out of my purse and searched for Gabe¡¯s number.


    Couldn¡¯t find it because my vision was blurry. Ah! These neon lights. I walked towards the back side of the club which led to a secluded area on the cruise.


    It was calm there and my vision was swirling but I managed to find Gabe¡¯s number, it used to be on speed dial but nowadays I was not calling him and he was not calling me either so the number shifted low in my speed dial call history. To my luck the number was switched off again.


    ¡°Arh!!!¡± I screamed in anger as I leaned on the railings and started at the pacific ocean.


    ¡°Any problem, Mrs Knight?¡±


    I gasped, that voice and that endearment. I turned with a jerk and started at home other than the Arrogant ass!


    ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡± I snarled at him.


    He only chuckled as he walked closer to me and started into my eyes. ¡°Keeping an eye on you, Mrs Knight.¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up! And stop calling me Mrs Knight.¡±


    ¡°Oh then would be Mrs Knight,¡± he mocked me.


    That was it! I couldn¡¯t  take it anymore. I stepped closer to him. Stared into his beautiful but irritating ck eyes,¡± I won¡¯t marry you even if you are thest man on this earth. You are the most arrogant, disgusting man I have ever met and I want to squash you with my six inch heel like a cockroach under my shoe, you son of a bitch!¡±


    Something shifted in his eyes, they were calm a moment ago but now they were hard and angry and suddenly I gasped in horror but more than that in pain as he grabbed my jaw tightly. ¡°Ah!¡± I managed to get the voice out of my mouth.


    He red at me then with another hand fisted  my hair  tightly and tears swirled in my eyes. No one has ever treated me in this manner before.


    ¡°How many times do I need to tell you to be respectful towards me, hm?¡± He gritted out.


    I tried to get out of his hold but he didn¡¯t allow me and pushed me against the railings, my back facing the ocean as he leaned over me. ¡°I don¡¯t take insults for granted. You are going to be my wife, you need to learn how to talk to me, don¡¯t force me to use the hard measures because trust me when I am saying this,¡± he neared my ear and gritted out every word harshly. ¡°You. Won¡¯t. Like. That.¡±


    I was numb and scared hearing him. His voice was so dark and scary that I couldn¡¯t even manage to breathe. His eyes roamed over my face, his grip on my jaw loosened a little as he rolled his thumb over my lower lip smearing my lipstick to the corner of my lips.


    He neared my face, I could smell liquor in his breathing. ¡°I am craving for these perfect lips,¡± he sniffed my neck.


    ¡°Cinnamon! I like the fragrance but I would love to see you smell of my cum when I fuck  the daylight out of you.¡±


    I was heaving as my breathing turned short and heavy. I wanted him to get away from me. I curled my toes in anticipation and i didnt know what else I was feeling but there was a kind of tingling in my tummy and¡­ and that ce between my legs.


    He grabbed my neck, my eyes widened as his grip tightened and I saw little stars in front of my eyes. ¡°I gave you enough time and liberty but not anymore, Mrs Knight.¡± And then he ced his lips on mine. I grabbed the railing tightly with my hand as my body lingered more towards the ocean.


    He left my neck and bit my lip harshly. I gasped as I opened my mouth and he entered inside. His tongue dominates mine, he left my hair and his hand travelled to my bosom as he pressed his body more into mine.


    A shiver ran down my whole body as goosebumps arose. I could feel his male parts there on my body. I was lost, lost in that moment of heat and passion but suddenly Something my phone blinked a notification came to it. The home screen was of me and Gabe smiling together.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    As if someone has poured cold water over me, I pushed him away with all my strength. I was ashamed of myself but my mind was hazy and my eyes were blurry.  ¡°Leave me you molester!¡± I slurred but then a ckness came in front of my eyes and I didn¡¯t know what happened next¡­

 Chapter 36.

    My head was bursting in pain,  Ah! My head! Damn! It¡¯s pounding like a drum inside my head. I tried to open my eyes but the light made me cringe.


    Why the hell did I drink so much when I knew my tolerance of alcohol is so low. On top of that, both Em and Susan encouraged me to drink more and more when they clearly knew how bad I¡¯m at handling Alcohol .


    Urh! I truly need Aspirin in order to get rid of this headache. I tried to open my eyes again thinking of calling the waiter to get me an aspirin but when I opened my eyes, I was stunned. The surroundings here took my breath away.


    What the fucking hell!


    Words could note out of my mind by looking at my surroundings, which lead to thergest shriek I can ever make out of my mouth.


    ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­.¡± Where the hell I¡¯m and what the hell am I doing on this lifeboat? Oh my God! I looked around myself, my eyes searching for the cruise somewhere in the ocean but what I saw was blue water all around me.


    I didn¡¯t know what to do! My body turned cold in fear and I cried no, wailed like a child screaming over the top of it¡¯s lungs.


    ¡°Will you stop screaming, You will make me deaf by this shrill voice of yours.¡±


    And I looked at the source of that voice. It was that arrogant ass! And my screamed grew even louder.


    He grimaced. ¡± Stop screaming will you?  Show some manners or Do you only know how to shout or how to kick someone between the shrines? Don¡¯t you think you need to learn some basic manners?¡± He snapped at me.


    That arrogant SOB! How dare he insult me. ¡°Oh really? And you need to learn how to stop talking like you own the fucking world. You, arrogant infuriating bull! And now tell me.  ¡°What the hell are you doing on this boat?¡± My eyes grew wide.


    ¡°How did Ie here or Did you kidnap me?¡±


    He simply arched his brows. ¡°Why would I kidnap you when I own you, Mrs knights?¡±


    ¡°Stop calling me that!¡± I shrieked. He gave me an unimpressive look and looked around as if searching something in the boat.


    I gripped his elbow and turned him towards me. ¡°I am asking you something? Tell me how I came here and how did you end up with me here?¡±


    He nced at my hand and slowly raised his eyes to meet mine. The look in his eyes made my toes squirm in fear.¡±Leave my hand, Mrs Knights.¡±


    And I did, the Darkness in his gaze scared me senseless. ¡°Don¡¯t ever touch me disrespectfully.¡±


    I gulped in fear. His gaze was unsettling and I was angry at myself for letting that asshat affect me but more than that I was irritated because he knew he scared me.


    In order to divert him from the topic, I looked around and my eyes went to a small ind a little far from there.


    I was beyond happy. ¡°Look there is an ind, we both can reach it if we start paddling, let¡¯s do it so that we can have a ce to rest.¡± I said cheerfully, forgetting that he was my enemy. Because right now I need this Asshat, at least I had someone with me. Even thinking about being here alone scared me senseless.     Liam knows that Aurora was trying to divert the topic but this time he let her go, by looking at her flushed face, he smirked at her and agreed to paddle the boat.


    ¡°Do you know how to handle the paddle?¡± He asked her.


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t done it before!¡± She replied slowly, diverting her eyes from him.


    The corners of his lips tugged upward. ¡°Okay, let me teach you,¡± he said as he moved behind her and held her soft hands into his, not leaving any chance to touch her soft skin.


    Aurora¡¯s breathing quickened at the close proximity of his body. Her heart was beating so loudly that she could even hear her heartbeat.


    He neared her ear and said ¡°you need to use your thumb and keep the paddle between your fingers and the thumb and start paddling forward which will help us to go forward. Do you understand?¡± He rasped, making Aurora gulp.


    ¡°Yes, I did.¡±


    Liam moved a little more closer, touching her back with her front body. He could hear the sharp intake of her breath when he purposefully made her feel his morning wood.


    ¡°Will you be able to handle this paddle, Mrs Knights?¡± He whispered tracing her earlobe with the tip of his tongue. Aurora closed her eyes as she was lost, lost in his words and her body had a mind of her own.


    Liam chuckled seeing her but then his eyes darkened as he recalled how she almost managed to kick him. He recalled how she insulted him many times. He wanted to enjoy her body, yes but he wanted to punish her too.


    Pain and pleasure she would be enjoying both with him. Because she needed to learn that her actions have consequences. It could be a positive consequence of her following the rules set by him, if she agreed to do as she was told and pain because he won¡¯t tolerate her disrespecting him.


    So to teach her a lesson he pushed her away from his body. ¡°If you want to be fucked then you have to earn that Mrs Knight! Today I am not in the mood to fuck you.¡±


    As if someone poured hot boiling oil over her. She opened her eyes and saw him turning his back at her and paddling the lifeboat. Aurora was ashamed of herself. How could she behave like a wanton? Some tears rolled down her cheek in humiliation. She gulped again as she couldn¡¯t control her body around him.


    She kept staring at her hands in embarrassment. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand here like a statue and start paddling the boat.¡± He snapped.


    Aurora gulped again and started doing as she was asked to do holding the sob.


    Finally, they reached the shore after almost four hours.


    ¡°Damn! I didn¡¯t know that paddling can be so hard, it drains all the energy from my body. Thank God, we reached the shore or else I would have been dead by now.¡± She muttered tiredly as  she dabbed the sweet beads from her forehead.


    She justy down on the sand with her hands over her head. ¡°Omg! I¡¯m so exhausted, it feels like I have been hit by a truck. I don¡¯t even have the strength to lift a single finger of mine.¡±


    Liam chuckled as he saw herid down on the sand. He removed his shirt and pants and was about to remove his undies when Aurora screamed. ¡°Stop stripping damn you!¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    He arched his brow. ¡°Why? I am sweaty and I need a bath plus I didn¡¯t have any change of clothes so I couldn¡¯t risk wetting them up, so excuse me!¡± Saying that he stripped off his underwear.


    Aurora ced a hand on her eyes squeezing them tightly. ¡°Arh! Arrogant ass!¡± She muttered under breath not daring to speak loudly as his warning was still fresh in his mind.


    She made a gap between her fingers as she peeked a little to see what he was doing. When she couldn¡¯t see him anymore she removed her hand off her eyes and sighed but then her breathing stopped.


    Her eyes widened seeing him standing a little far away from her near the lifeboat. Stark naked, in all his glory!


    She eyes his perfectly toned body, his wide chest with little trimmed hair on it. Her eyes travelled to his abs and pecs than she eyes his narrow waist leading to¡­ to his.


    She closed her eyes again, her mind nk as she went cold in embarrassment. She scolded herself for gawking at him but curiosity got her again as she never saw any man¡¯s genitals before. Gabe and her tried many times to take their rtionship to the next level but he used her of being frigid.


    Curious because she didn¡¯t know how it looks in real life. Whenever Susan and Emily talked about the boy stuff she always felt left alone. She recalled what Susan was talking to Emily once about the size of their partner¡¯s d**k.


    Susan was angry because it was not long and she vowed not to be with any man unless he has a dick of 6 inches.


    Aurora simply rolled her eyes at them that day because she couldn¡¯t understand what size matters but today she was curious.


    She wanted to know what he looked like there. She gulped before diverting her gaze back to him and was stunned seeing his erection.


    Although she never saw anyone¡¯s private part before, seeing him as stunned, she was short of words. It was perfect. She wondered how that thick part of his could ever fit any woman, subconsciously she squeezed her legs together as she felt a little friction there.


    She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn¡¯t see when he dressed in his clothes and walked to her.


    Liam smirked when he found her gawking at him. He dressed and walked to her. She was lost in her thoughts and he touched her shoulder.


    ¡°Seems you enjoyed the show perfectly, Mrs Knights!¡±


    And Aurora squeezed her eyes in embarrassment.

 Chapter 37

    She was silent, and didn¡¯t dare to speak. Ashamed beyond words!


    ¡°There is no shame in gawking at your husband, but I understand It¡¯s difficult to digest the scene for a virgin like you!¡±


    That bastard!  All the embarrassment she was feeling washed away. She raised her eyes and met him, head on. ¡°How could you be so sure that I am a virgin?¡±


    Liam gave her a twisted smile.¡±because I know you. You are my curious virgin, don¡¯t worry Mrs Knight I know how to ride and I will be making your every fantasy alive.¡±Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Aurora¡¯s mouth opened in anger, ¡°oh! So you want to give me a blowjob! Daring little virgin you are a wife!¡±


    ¡°Arh! Stop it you dirty owl and stop calling me a virgin when I am not!¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°You are.¡±


    ¡°How could you be so sure?¡±


    Liam took a step forwards, his body touching hers. ¡°Becausest night you kissed like an inexperienced teenager!¡±


    Aurora¡¯s eyes grew wide, her mouth hanging open in shock. She didn¡¯t remember anything that happenedst night except some¡­


    Omg! Her heartbeat quickened as some scenes fromst night shed in her memory and she pushed his chest with all her strength in anger.


    ¡°How dare you touch me! How dare you steal my kisses?¡± She yelled at him.


    Liam chuckled at her behaviour and that increased her anger even more. She raised her hand and struck him hard across his cheek.


    Liam who was ying with her till now was astounded. He touched his cheek, stunned at her action. ¡°I saved myself for my husband, I have saved everything for Gabe and you stole them away from me!¡±


    As if that p was not enough! He was angry at her for disrespecting him but now he was furious. He more than one time told her that she belonged to him. That she was his wife and she was taking another man¡¯s name in front of him. Not only that, she announced that some other Man was going to own her perfect body!


    Liam Knight was furious!


    He gritted his jaw and grabbed her elbow in a steely grip. Aurora winced and tried to get away from him but he grabbed her another hand in a bruising hold.


    ¡°You belonged to me!¡± He dered violently, making Aurora jump in fear.


    He grabbed her jaw tightly, ¡°how many times do I need to remind you of it. Tell me whatnguage you understand,  Mrs Knight?¡± He clipped tugging her hair, raising her face and ring into her eyes.


    She couldn¡¯t even speak because of the steely grip on her jaw.  ¡°It seems you don¡¯t understand words, you learn the hard way, right?¡±


    He gritted out as he eyed the surroundings of the ind and found a stone. He picked Aurora over his shoulder while Aurora screamed in fear.


    ¡°Get me down! Where are you taking me! Leave me!¡± She cried beating his back with her fists. ¡°Leave me!¡±


    Liam was not hearing anything. Not her sobs and certainly not the fear in her voice. He was raging in anger, even hearing the name of another man from. Her mouth made him feel like a caged animal. If he would have been in Vancouver or any other ce except for this he would have used something or someone else to get his anger under control but no, he was stuck here on this fucking ind with no one else except for her.


    Her, his would be wife and the woman who made him so angry that he wanted to taste blood. He needed violence to calm himself! But he knew he couldn¡¯t do it!


    He didn¡¯t want to harm her or the right words would be he didn¡¯t want to harm her more than she could take. She belonged to him. Her body belonged to him. Every breath she was taking belonged to him, even her soul belonged to him and she needed to understand that. She needed to get it in her thick skull. And if he needed to teach the hard way,  So be it!


    He sat on the stone with her over his knees.


    Aurora sobbed hard. She was crying in fear over his behaviour, wiggling her legs to stand up but couldn¡¯t as he held her waist.


    ¡°Let me go! Leave me!¡± She sniffed but all Liam could hear was her words, my Gabe!


    How could she say ¡®her Gabe¡¯ when she belonged to him, Liam knights?


    ¡°You love insulting me, Mrs Knight? Now bear the consequences of it,¡± He whispered as he raised her short red frock and eyed the perfect milky white skin.


    He craved to punish her. He swiped his hand over her perfect globes and felt her soft skin. Aurora went nk in fear over what he would do next.


    She was wearing a thong and the sight made Liam crave to punish her even more. He wanted to paint her perfect skin with his hand.¡±Ready for the punishment?¡±


    Aurora¡¯s heart was beating so fast that she forgot everything else. Her breathing turned shallow as she felt his hand on her naked skin. She was anxious over his next step. Subconsciously, she clutched his knee for support.


    And then she cried as Liam spanked her hard on her right butt. ¡°You need to be disciplined,¡± saying that he spanked her again exactly on the same spot.


    And again.


    And again.


    And again.


    And again.


    And again.


    And again¡­


    Aurora¡¯s eyes turned red from crying in pain. She was sobbing hard as tears fell out of her eyes. She was angry and humiliated but more than that she was ashamed because a part of her body was heated by this action. She was feeling as if her VA**na has a heart of its own.


    She liked the lingering but when he spanked next she lost the tolerance to pain.


    Liam on the other hand watched her butt cheek turn red with continuous spanking. He was a little calm now and could feel that she was in pain.


    He enjoyed her screams. It was like a soothing balm over his wounds which she created through her words but seeing her pain he was angry at himself. He ruined her beautiful skin, he was contradicted by his own emotions.


    He was calm and angry at the same time!


    He turned her around to warn her but seeing her tear-stained cheeks and her red eyes he felt weird.


    Aurora left a sob in pain when he turned her. She nced at him and tears rolled down her cheek. She didn¡¯t know why she did what she did. She had no idea what came over her but she needed to be held by someone at this moment.


    She needed someone to hold her and let her cry her heart out. But there was no one else except for him and with no other option left she threw her hands to his neck and hugged him tightly.


    And her action made Liam freeze!

 Chapter 38.

    She was sobbing badly in his arms. The man was not less than a monster. Yet, somewhere in her body, she felt strange but with the pain and embarrassment of being spanked, she felt this humiliated.


    She gulped hardly before releasing another sob. The pain was intolerable in her Ass cheek.


    Liam who was frozen till now came to his senses and regarded Aurora who was clinging to his neck and hugging him tightly. She left another sob and Liam couldn¡¯t help but wrapped his arms around her waist.


    ¡°Why do you have to be so stubborn, Mrs knight! See what you forced me to do? Now, always remember this and don¡¯t give me any reason to punish you again in future, Do you understand me?¡±


    And that made Aurora gasp in anger. She stopped crying and ripped herself away from his body. Instead of apologizing to her, he was ming her, no, not ming but warning her.


    That arrogant bullheaded owl!


    She stood up with lightning speed. ¡°Stay away from me, you bastard!¡± She cried in anger as she wiped the tears with the back of her hand and ran in another direction.


    Liam eyed her threatening figure, her legs wobbling as she ran away from him. ¡°You need to learn a lot of things before you officially take my surname, Aurora!¡± His right lip tugged upward.


    ¡°Ah! I would need the patience of a saint to discipline her.¡± He shook his head and nced at his hand which was still throbbing from constantly spanking her.


    A full smile came to his lips. He could only imagine the throbbing in her ass or better in her p**sy.


    On the other hand, Aurora was sitting in the sand with her ass on fire and burning in pain. She was still sobbing, crying over her fate. She was supposed to be on that cruise, winning that contest but no, She was stuck on this ind with no one around her except for a brute of a man!


    She didn¡¯t know what to do, how to contact her friends or family when she didn¡¯t have her phone with her and that increased her anxiety and fear even more.


    Eventually, her sobs calmed, her pain eased and she stopped crying. Till how long a person could cry? She was Aurora kings, the daughter of Ethan kings,  a billionaire. Her daddy¡¯s little girl, his Princess whom he pampered with everything possible.


    And now that princess was sitting on an ind with no one on it except for some unwanted creatures she didn¡¯t want around her, angry as hell, at the situation and herself and cherry in the cake.


    Aurora kings were hungry, no hungry was not the right word. She was starving but she couldn¡¯t eat anything because there was nothing here to eat except sand and ocean water.


    She touched her stomach with her hands and released another sob as tears again swirled in her eyes. She gulped the drool in her mouth as her stomach grumbled making a loud noise, clearly demanding food.


    Aurora felt so helpless that crying felt like an insult to herself. She pulled her knees to her chest and ced her head in the knee caps, staring at the ocean.


    Suddenly, her eyes went to Liam who


    had his pants discarded and was only in his briefs. He had his shirt tied around it¡¯s waist like a basket. He was standing silently and suddenly she saw him put his hands in the water and pull out a fish from it.


    Aurora was dumbstruck! He didn¡¯t even use the stick to catch the fish. He saw him hold the wiggling fish in his hands and soon the fish stopped its movement and he put it in his shirt.


    Aurora¡¯s mouth hung open when she saw him repeating the same process again and again and again and again.


    He caught around six fishes and returned  back tond. Aurora swallowed hard when he untied his shirt and ced it on the sand.


    The man was sex on legs! She thought.


    ¡°Arh¡±! She growled irritated by her thought process. ¡± that man soaked you like a child and you are thinking about sex, Shame on you, Aurora! Shame on you!¡± She scolded herself.


    ¡°I won¡¯t look at that arrogant bull anymore!¡±


    She started staring at the ocean waves again but then her stomach growled again and she turned her head to the other side. The side where she found Liam making a small bonfire with some sticks he must have found in the forest behind them. He lit the woods by using a lighter.


    ¡°Wait, where did he get the lighter?¡± She questioned herself and then forgot everything else when she saw him roasting the fishes In the fire.


    Her mouth watered seeing fishes! Her stomach growled again. He would be eating those fish.


    She bit the inside of her cheek, confused whether she should go to him and ask for the fish or not.


    She had two minds on this. One was saying she should go and eat the fish but the other, the proud side, ordered her to get a grip on her emotions and hunt her own fish.


    ¡°If he could catch fish without a stick, so can I!¡± She pep talked to herself and went to the ocean. She flinched when the ice-cold water hit her bare skin but determined to survive on this ind on her own she moved further. She did what she saw Liam doing while catching the fish.


    Aurora stood there silently, waiting for the fishes and kept standing there not knowing what else to do? Suddenly she felt something near her leg and she tried to catch the fish.


    When she touched it, she frowned. It didn¡¯t feel like a fish, she pulled it out of the water and wanted to scream about her luck.


    In her hand, she held an aqua nt. ¡°Arh¡­!¡± She screamed in anger as she threw the shrub back into the water.


    Meanwhile, Liam wasughing seeing her try to catch fish. ¡°Oh, wifey, only if it was that easy!¡±He shook his head and turned the fish to the other side to cook it better.


    He saw her getting out of the ocean and again sitting back on the sand. His eyes turned hard when she saw her wincing while sitting down. She was again sobbing.


    ¡°Still so proud, you are wifey!¡±


    He looked at the fish which were cooked now. His dinner was almost ready. He picked one fish and took a bite into it¡¯s soft juicy flesh. He moaned as if it was gourmet food and the moan reached Aurora¡¯s ears.


    She tried so hard not to react to his moaning but couldn¡¯t control it and looked at him and when she saw him eating the fish, her lower lip wobbled.


    Tears rolled down her cheek as her stomach demanded food again with an even louder growl.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    She wanted to run there and eat those fish but she won¡¯t. She won¡¯t degrade herself to that level of begging. She was a princess and she won¡¯t surrender herself for food to that abusive arse who humiliated her even if her body screamed in hunger.


    So, she sat there on the sand, a whole day which now turned into a chilly evening with a grumbling stomach and shivering body¡­

 Chapter 39

    Aurora POV: ¨C


    I bit my lip and nced at the figure of that arrogant owl. Stupid! Selfish! Idiot!


    Arh! I wanted to curse him with every word I was familiar with. I nced again as he picked another fish. ¡°I wish you would choke on it.¡±


    Then I let out a cry. ¡°I  just want to eat something, goddamnit!¡±


    ¡°No, Aurora! Have some pride and look away. You can¡¯t let yourself degrade to that level that you go to him and ask for some fish,¡± I reminded myself and decided to look away but stopped when I saw that arrogant owl standing up and walking towards me.


    He straightened my shoulders and butted my chin out in pride when he stopped near me. ¡°Here, eat it. I know you are hungry.¡± He extended his hand offering the fish to me.


    My mouth watered at the sight of that fish but my pride didn¡¯t allow me to ept the fish.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want it,¡± I told him half-heartedly but my eyes were still fixed on the fish as I gulped.


    Goddamnit!  Why was it so hard not to snatch the fish out of his hand and¡­


    No, don¡¯t even think about eating that fish, Aurora! Don¡¯t even think about its soft juicy flesh.


    Arh! I screamed in my mind. ¡°Look, I know you are hungry so no need to show false bravado and pride, just eat it.¡±


    My mouth hangs open. This arrogant bully! How dare he insult me again. Instead of apologising to me for how he treated me, he was insulting me and my pride.


    That¡¯s it! I stood up and ced a hand on my waist. ¡°Who are you to tell me what I should be doing and what not! A messiah! Some demigod? What ha! Let me tell you one thing, you bull. I would rather eat this sand than anything which touched your hand!¡± I snapper kicking the sand on the ground with my feet.


    He gave me a brief and unimpressive look. ¡°I am offering this for thest time, Wifey!¡±


    I shed him a smile. ¡°It seems you are hard of hearing. So let me help you using other methods and you certainly don¡¯t understand the verbal mode ofmunication.¡± I snatched the fish from his hand and threw it in the ocean with a crying heart.


    ¡°Here goes your fish and now you can take your arrogant ass away from here too.¡±


    His eyes shed in anger. He gripped my elbow in a bruising grip. I gasped in pain. A sudden fear erupted in my heart as the images of him spanking me shed in my memory.


    ¡°Stop being a brat! Did you know how hard it was for me to catch that fish in that Ice cold water with my bare hands?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about your health or anything rted to you. You can die in that freezing water for all I care!¡±


    His eyes turned dark. ¡°It seems to me that the earlier punishment was not sufficient for you. You need another lesson to get rid of your bitchiness,¡± And the dark voice made my throat turn dry.


    Oh, God! What was he going to do now?  He took a step forward, there was no distance left between us now. His warm breath fanned my face and the look in his dark eyes made my back straightened and shiver at the same time.


    ¡°You have to show respect to me, wife! Insolence is not something I tolerate!¡± He muttered and then his lips were on mine.


    I tried to push him away from me, ¡°No¡­¡± but he ate my words and bit my lips making me grip his arm painfully.


    I punched his hand  trying to shove him away from me but to no avail. Tears of humiliation pooled in my eyes as I sobbed.


    He didn¡¯t react in any other way except he moved to my neck now. I took in a sharp and much needed breath.


    I flinched in pain. ¡°You are hurting me again!¡± I said in a broken whisper. I felt him stiffened, he left my neck and gazed at me.  Something shifted in his eyes and he left my hand with a jerk.


    ¡°Eat the sand you wanted to eat or starve here for all I care.¡± Saying that he whirled around and walked away from me.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    I sniffed as tears pooled in my eyes over his rude behaviour but more importantly because I was hungry.


    I had no on here, no one who would talk to me. I didn¡¯t like the quiet around me. I hate being alone, I want to talk to someone and I was sitting on this ind alone. With a brute of a man with barbarical manners! I gulped and closed my eyes in pain, I could do anything else except for talking to myself and imagining that I was not stuck in this hell. I imagined that I was sitting in my favourite restaurant with my friends and eating my favourite Pasta and the tears were unstoppable now.


    I recalled how my dad used to hear my non-stop chattering even when he was busy. I sniffed and kept myself busy thinking and imagining but didn¡¯t know till when I could manage that. I was losing my sanity with every passing second. The evening turned into night, the sky was clear and I could see the stars clearly and not only in the sky. There were stars in front of my eyes too.  I turned my head and nced at that owl. He was lying on his shirt using it as a mattress and only wearing Sandow.


    I hissed as another wave of chilled air arose, the goosebumps on my skin and not to mention the pain in my ass which doubled in this chilly weather.


    I greedily stared at the little bonfire near him. Heartless man!


    I didn¡¯t know how much time passed but looking at the darkness around me I could say it was close to midnight. The only source of light around me was the moon and the bonfire.


    I tried hard, very very hard to resist the chilled air but couldn¡¯t. Not anymore. I needed to go near something warm and this short red frock was next to no use as I could feel the chill in my bones.


    ¡°You won¡¯t go, Aurora. It¡¯s about your self-respect!¡± I reminded myself but then a voice inside me snapped at me.


    ¡°To hell with your self-respect. What will you do with it after your death? Just stop this melodrama and go near that bonfire, Right now, Aurora kings!¡±


    Still, I tried to resist but then another breeze of air hit my skin. I stood up and walked near that bonfire.


    And the rxation I felt, I couldn¡¯t decipher it into words. I took as much heat as I could. My body weed the heat with open arms as the goosebumps settled down on my body. Now the only problem left was my growling stomach.


    ¡°The fish was in my hand, I could have eaten it but no, instead of eating that I threw it in the ocean! Utter fool I am!¡±


    I blinked rapidly as tears rolled down my eyes, wiping them with the back of my hand I sniffed. ¡°Now, die of hunger,¡± I muttered silently.


    Oh, God! I couldn¡¯t believe that I, Aurora Kings, daughter of billionaire Ethan kings. The big foodie, the fashion sensation! Wes going to die out of hunger because I was stuck on this stupid ind.


    Poor me!


    I shook my head to distract my mind from the growling voice from my tummy but then, out of a sudden my eyes went to a big leaf and my eyes widened in happiness, shock and excitement.


    There were three fish on the leaf which were covered with another big leaf.


    ¡°OMG!¡± I wanted to scream in joy but no, I couldn¡¯t allow myself to do that because the monster sleeping could wake up.


    I fisted my hands and looked at the sky, ¡°thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much¡­¡± I thanked the third power in the sky and gulped the drool as my mouth watered at the sight of those fish.


    Slowly, very slowly I moved to the fish and picked it up silently. Removing the leaf covering I savoured the sight of those fish.


    I grabbed one with shaking hands and took a bite of It. Initially, I wanted to puke at the taste of it because there was no salt or anything else on it but when the juicy meat touched my tongue I moaned!  I had eaten in the world¡¯s most expensive restaurant. But today this gave me happiness as if I was eating something made in heaven.


    I picked another one and sated my hungerpletely. I nced at the third fish with greedy eyes.


    ¡°Should I Eat it?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± The greedy side ordered me.


    ¡°No, Aurora, what If he got angry! Leave it for him.¡± My inner voice said and I decided to leave the fish for him. So I covered it again with the same leaf and put it beside him.


    I burped and straightened my legs on the sand. A small smile came to my face as my stomach stopped growling and the fire was giving me enough heat to resist the chilly air.


    And I didn¡¯t know when but my eyes started to feel drowsy as sleep engulfed me in its arms and I closed my eyes andnded in the dreand¡­

 Chapter 40.

    Aurora POV:-


    ¡°Aurora, Oh my God! Tell me are you safe dear!¡± Susan asked, touching my face with her soft palm.


    I nodded, words were too hard to get out of my mouth. ¡°Oh, Aurora!¡± Emily stepped forward and pulled me in her arms.  I was crying happy tears by now.


    ¡°Aurora, Love, are you alright?¡± Dad asked me and I ran in his arms, crying in happiness when he scooped me in his arms.


    ¡°I was so scared dad! I was so scared here alone. I didn¡¯t know what to do, dad¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry anymore, love. I am here to protect you. I am here for my princess.¡± Dad said in hisforting voice which erased every fear in my brain.


    ¡°I love you dad. I love you so much¡­¡± I muttered and he ced a soft kiss on my head.


    I was crying in happiness over getting back into civilization. I was happy to be in my dad¡¯s protective arms again. I¡¯m so happy!


    ¡°Stop crying, now and see what I bought for you?¡± Susan saiding over to me.


    ¡°What?¡±


    She opened a small carton and my mouth watered over the sight of my favourite cheesecake. ¡°Here open your mouth¡­¡±


    And I did. I opened my mouth but then everything turned foggy. The fog evaporated Susan, Emily and My dad.


    Dad! Dad! I called him again and again but he didn¡¯t speak.  ¡°Dad¡­¡± I tried to grasp his hand but he vanished into the air.


    ¡°Dad¡­¡± I called him sharply but he vanished into thin air.


    I knelt down in the sand, crying that I couldn¡¯t see my dad anymore. Suddenly I felt someone jerk my shoulder.


    ¡°Get up!¡±


    This voice! This voice belonged to that arrogant bull!


    ¡°Get up, you spoiled brat!¡±


    Again the same voice but this time the jerk on my shoulder shook me hard.


    ¡°I said get up!¡± His voice was steel now and I opened my eyes.


    Wait! Everything that happened was a dream.


    ¡°Got down from your high horse wife?¡±


    I looked up at that arrogant bastard. He was looking at me with an unrecognized expression on his face. Still, my toes curled in anticipation. Fear engulfed in my heart. ¡°Are you a five year old kid who needs it¡¯s daddy to sleep peacefully?¡±


    ¡°Shut up! And don¡¯t you dare involve my dad in our arguments, you bull!¡± I warned him ferociously.


    Something shifted in his eyes. He assessed me up and down, ¡°tell me, where are the fish I saved for my breakfast?¡± He questioned and I gulped.


    My heart dipped with a thud! But then I jabbed my chin out proudly. ¡°How would I know?¡± I snapped at him.


    He grabbed my hand and pulled me closer. Took a whiff near my mouth. ¡°Stop ying dumb, you stink of fish! So tell me the truth, did you eat them up?¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    My mouth hangs open. ¡°Close your mouth, it stinks of bad breath!¡± He grumbled.


    To hell with hiding the truth. ¡± I didn¡¯t steal anything. I just took my share of the food and I don¡¯t stink, I am a girl who has not taken a shower in almost two days now! I can¡¯t smell like a flower.¡±


    He cocked his brows, I looked at his perfect face and his minty breath fanned my face.


    No wait! Minty breath??


    I snapped my eyes up to his face and grabbed his sands with both my hands. Pulled him closer to me and took a whiff. He ate the same fish for dinner like me, so howe he didn¡¯t smell bad and I do?


    ¡°Why are you not stinking?¡± I asked him sternly.


    He raised his cocky brow. ¡°Because I take my hygiene seriously unlike you.¡±


    Arh! The arrogant asstard. ¡°Don¡¯t try to change the topic and start an argument. I ate the same fish for dinner you had, my breath stinks but your breath is as fresh as if you had freshly brushed? How is that, answer me now?¡±


    His eyes shed at my tone. ¡°Do you need another lesson, wife?¡± He asked, getting  into my face and staring into my eyes. His voice dipped in a dark drawl.


    I gulped in fear as his brute actions snapped in my memory. My fingers on his Sandow wavered a little.


    ¡°Answer me?¡± I asked but this time my tone was not as sharp as before.


    He nodded as if forgiving me. ¡°I don¡¯t answer anyone but considering you are my wife, you deserve this privilege.¡±


    I  am not your wife you brute! I wanted to snap at him but couldn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t want another punishment from him. I wasn¡¯t a stupid girl I knew when to fight and when to shut up. Here, on this ind, there was no one to save me from this barbaric man.


    So I decided to keep my mouth shut. ¡°The lifeboat was stocked with a few hygiene kits. It has everything I need from toilet paper to toothpaste and shower gel.¡±


    My eyes broadened. ¡°You had hygiene kits with you and didn¡¯t even bother to share it with me, you brute! Do you know how hard yesterday was for me without the basic necessities?¡± I growled.


    He gave me a hard look again but I was enraged in fury.  ¡± Do You have any idea how hard it was for me to relieve myself in those shrubs?¡±


    ¡°Who has been sitting on that high horse since yesterday? Who threw the fish into the ocean? So stop ming me for your own actions. You behaved like daddy¡¯s spoiled brat!¡±


    And I didn¡¯t know what came over me but hearing him putting my dad in our arguments I lost control over my actions and without thinking, without caring about him I raised my hand And struck him hard across the face!


    And I smacked my hands to my face.


    Oh God! What have I done!


    He ced his hand to his cheek, turned his head towards me and my stomach dropped. The look in his eyes scared me to the core.


    I¡¯m dead now!


    I took a step back, fear clear on my face. his eyes scared me to the soul. My heart was beating so hard that I heard a cardiac arrest.


    ¡°I am¡­¡± I tried to apologize to him But he didn¡¯t give me the opportunity and jumped on me as he captured my face brutally.


    ¡°You are going to pay for this. Mrs Knight!¡±

 Chapter 41

    Aurora POV:-


    I took a shaky breath, blood rushed into my cheek as the feeling of saving myself erupted in my mind but I knew if I even moved a step from him he was going to punish me even more brutal than he already did.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡± I whispered, almost begging in my small fear-filled voice but the look, the darkness in his eyes didn¡¯t let me finish the sentence.


    His grip on my jaw tightened painfully. I squeezed my eyes shut-in pain. He pushed me and I fell on my bum.


    Oh, God! Was he going to¡­ No, No? He won¡¯t touch me like that. He was not that bad. I tried to calm my mind but to no avail.


    I was numb, he didn¡¯t look in the right mindset at that moment. I crawled back when he came to my level and he pulled my leg towards him. I screamed in fear, tried to kick him but he grabbed both my legs in his left hand and yanked me towards him.


    I couldn¡¯t even scream, words refuse toe out of my mouth. The only thing which told me that I was alive was my rapid breathing. I was in the middle of a panic attack.


    I shivered in fear when I felt his hand on my waist. He was feeling my waist with his hands touching me. I was lying on the sand and he was on top of me. His breathing was the only thing I could hear after the sound of sshing waves on the beach.


    Numb! That¡¯s what I was at this moment. But when I felt his hand on my bosom, a heart-wrenching sob left my mouth and tears rolled out of the corner of my eyes.


    I waited for the worst thing toe. I waited for him to steal me of my virtue but nothing like that happened. After some time when I didn¡¯t feel his hands on my body anymore, I gained enough sense that he was just lying on my body and breathing harshly.


    A hope bloomed in my soul. Maybe, maybe he won¡¯t go that far.


    I heard him taking a sharp breath. I didn¡¯t say anything, justid under him motionless. I didn¡¯t want him to snap out of whatever he was feeling right now in fear of getting the worst treatment.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    He got off me and kicked the sand violently and screamed in rage. I jumped in fear and ran from there. I ran to save myself from that man and didn¡¯t stop running even when I  wanted to stop. kept running with my wobbly jelly-like legs.


    I looked back, he was not after me and I fell to the ground. My legs refused to run and gave up, I was breathing through my mouth as my breathing turned rapid due to continuous running.


    Finally, when my panting calmed I looked around and screamed in my mind.


    I was lost! I had no idea where I was because on the beach there was at least some hope that someone woulde and save me but here there is no such hope like that!


    Now, I was surrounded by nothing but a jungle. There were nts, shrubs and trees around me.  I cried about my fate, what was I going to do now? I didn¡¯t know what I was going to do now? My future looked nk at this moment and I was sure that I couldn¡¯t live my life like early men used to live.  Even the aspect of living here whole my life scared me shitless.


    I just prayed to the third power that Susan and Emily call my dad. I knew that he would do everything in his power to save me from this jungle.


    I gulped. I was stinking with sweat and bad breath. Hygiene was thest thing on my mind right now. My throat felt dry. I was thirsty and even gulping down felt painful now.


    I needed water to drink or I would faint here out of dehydration. I looked around myself to find some source of water. I have watched enough jungle movies that I know there is always a freshwater source somewhere because the animal needed water to drink as well.


    And then my stomach dropped almost painfully. Animals! My eyes broadened at the aspect of some animal attacking me.  I shrieked in pain, imagining a tiger ripping me apart for its food and I pulled my legs to my chest as a cry left my mouth.


    ¡°No, Aurora calm down! There is no lion or tiger here.¡± I told myself to calm my anxiety.


    ¡°You have to go back to the beach, Aurora,¡± I ordered myself. The pep talk was the only thing that kept me sane here.


    I nodded and managed to stand up. My legs were still wobbly but here no one was going to take care of me. I have to do that on my own.  I was searching around to see where to go because I had no idea in which direction I took while running from that man.


    I had no idea how much time passed since I started searching for the way out of this jungle. I was tired and sweaty and hungry. With no other option, I sat down on a stone, my back touching the stem of a tree.


    My breathing turned slow in hunger but then, out of a sudden my eyes went to a branch of a tree. I wanted to cry in happiness as my eyes travelled the length of the tree. It was ripped with berries.


    My mouth watered seeing those red, juicy berries. I didn¡¯t know from where I got the energy to stand up but seeing the fruit in front of my eyes I ran there and plucked as many berries as I could in the hem of my frock.


    When the hem was full of berries I went back to the stone and sat on it. I didn¡¯t care about their hygiene, that was thest thing on my mind. All I cared about was eating them and I picked a berry with shaky hands, put it in my mouth and moaned and the tangy sweet nectar burst on my taste buds.


    I couldn¡¯t stop myself and ate as much as I could.  Finally, I was able to sate my hunger but then I felt giggly.


    Everything I saw looked hazy and blurry. I giggled again as I felt ticklish in my stomach.


    I bit my lip, I could still feel the tanginess on my taste buds. The giggling didn¡¯t stop. Suddenly I felt so light as if I was flying.


    ¡°Wow!¡±  I mimicked mostly from the jungle book.


    ¡°Bagira! Oh Bagira, where are you?¡± I sang looking around myself, giggling uncontrobly. I called Bagira many times but he didn¡¯te.


    Where are you Bagira!


    I wanted to cry over bagira but then out of the blue, I felt hungry again. I wanted to eat those berries again. I want those berries again.


    I started walking in search of those juicy berries but couldn¡¯t find them anywhere.


    ¡°Ahm! Ahm!¡± I cried sitting on a stone. ¡°I want berries. Berries!¡± I cried, thumping my feets on the ground.


    ¡°Fuck! What the hell are you doing here?¡± I jumped at the voice and turned around. I blinked my eyes to clear the vision.


    ¡°Get up, ande here!¡±


    I blinked my eyes rapidly.  ¡°Wow! Talking berries.¡± I whispered, amazed that Barries  were talking to me.


    My eyes widened in excitement. ¡± Magic! Magic! Magic! I am in a wondend. ¡± I jumped in happiness as the big talking berry stood in front of me.


    I touched the big berry and giggled. ¡°Juicy berry!¡± I sniffed, the berry was soft, I touched it with the tip of my tongue enjoying the softness of it¡¯s skin.


    This berry even smells different. Oh yes, Silly me! This is a wondend and anything can happen here. Magic!


    I loved the smell of this berry, strong and spicy. I want to eat this magical berry.  I was about to take it but the berry spoke again.


    ¡°Stand still, Aurora!¡±  Berry said in a strong voice.


    I frowned. ¡°No, I want to eat you. So you stand still!¡±


    ¡°What the fuck are you talking about? What did you eat?¡± The berry asked again.


    ¡°Stupid. Stupid berry! I ate you,  silly.  But I want to eat you more now.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    But I didn¡¯t listen to the berry anymore and took a bite of It¡­

 Chapter 42.

    Author POV:-


    ¡°Brava! She ate those hallucinating berries.¡±  Liam cursed, gritting his teeth.


    ¡°Wow! Talking berries.¡±


    Liam frowned. What talking berries is she talking about? He thought while Aurora was staring at him with wide eyes.


    ¡°Stand still,¡± Liam ordered her but she was in another world. She blinked her eyes rapidly.  ¡°Wow! Talking berries.¡±


    The girl has lost her mindpletely. Liam sighed as he took a step forward, although he was irritated but she was his future wife and he had to help her now but that didn¡¯t mean that she would leave without punishment. No, that¡¯s not the rule in Liam Knight¡¯s world. Her actions decide the oue and right now her actions pissed Liam knight to the core and only he knew how he wasposing himself to remain calm when hot rage was running in his wage to burst down on her.


    ¡°Alright, now we have to leave from here.¡± He said taking a step closer.


    ¡°Magic! Magic! Magic! I am in a wondend. ¡± she jumped in happiness while Liam stood there astounded as she almost jumped on him and felt Liam¡¯s chest softly with her hands.


    Liam sucked in a breath. ¡°Fuck?¡±


    ¡°Juicy berry!¡±she mumbled and sniffed, the crook of his neck.


    Liam held her hands, ¡± what are you doing?¡± He asked but then blood filled in his male part when she touched the skin of his neck with the tip of her tongue enjoying the softness of it.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Liam sucked in a breath, she was not only licking his neck but her front was rubbing against Liam¡¯s dick and that made things hard for Liam.


    ¡°Yummy!¡± She moaned as she pressed herself even more closer to Liam.


    There was nothing more Liam wanted to do than ripping her clothes and fuck her senseless against the trees. The Vixen just aroused him to the core. He was on the verge of losing hisposure and fuck her senseless but then he hissed in pain because She bit his neck!


    ¡°Fuck!¡± He tried to push her away but she plunged to his neck like a leech.


    Liam closed his eyes, the pain was nothing in front of the pain he suffered in enormous fighting during his training session and wars with other crime families. Even though he was going to be the next mafia boss of the Vancouver crime family after he officially married Aurora. Because that¡¯s how he was going to be crowned as the New Don.


    Some rules needed to be followed, Mafia life didn¡¯t allow rules to break. So he chose the girl he wanted, he chose Aurora Kings, daughter of Don Ethan kings.


    And right now the same girl was getting on his nerves and driving him crazy with her idiotic actions.


    She needed to be punished for her insolvent behaviour. He grabbed her hands and pushed her away from him and then sped her Jaw. He checked her eyes, her dark blue orbs rolled upward.


    Liam hissed, the girl was near to get the serious effect of those toxic berries. He needed to bath her or she would swell in ces which would ruin her perfect curves.


    She squirmed out of Liam¡¯s hold and attacked him again with her sharp teeth on his nose.


    Liam hissed and somehow managed to push her away from him. ¡°Fucking hell!¡± He scoffed, touching his nose, his finger tainted red. In blood! His blood!


    Liam knight was enraged but the problem was he couldn¡¯t do anything about it.


    The reason for his fury was giggling like a child in front of him and dancing, not giving a damn that she just gave Liam knight, Mafia boss of Vancouver crime family a bloody nose!


    Liam was seething in anger but he couldn¡¯t get it out on anyone. Because he was on his ind,  with the girl he wanted to make his and he damn well couldn¡¯t punish her when she was not in her senses.


    He needed to dip her in the ocean to save her sorry ass!  He stormed towards her, picked her over his shoulder, her  ass jiggling in air while she was making childlike noises of flying.


    ¡°I am flying in the wondend!¡±


    Liam couldn¡¯t tolerate her unnecessary talk anymore and he spanked her curvy ass hard to shut her mouth but on the contrary she giggled.


    Liam squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to sway the irritation but it only increased tenfold when she started singing and her voice gave him a headache.


    ¡°Red Dress¡­ red dress¡­ high. Heels!¡±


    Liam knight was getting more and more furious with every passing second but kept walking to go to the beach.


    Upon reaching there he walked straight in the ocean and put her down in the water. She hissed when the chilled water hit her skin. ¡°Bad berry!¡± She cried and jumped at Liam one more time and tried to eat his head but this time Liam didn¡¯t let her as he pushed her away from him not letting her do any more damage to his face.


    She fell in the ocean sshing water all around her. She hissed and blinked at Liam who she was illuminating as a big talking berry.


    Her eyes perked up and she sshed water on Liam.


    Liam hissed. ¡°Calm down, Liam. Calm down! ¡± he gritted but his don¡¯taint was slipping now.


    He grabbed both her hands to cease her actions and grabbed her neck with another hand. Aurora¡¯s eyes shone with tears.


    ¡°Bad berry!¡±


    Liam didn¡¯t pay attention to her words and dipped her under the water to wash out the toxins and get her back to her senses.


    Aurora felt suffocated, it was difficult for her to breath, her vision blurred and then she was pulled out of the chilled ocean water. She took in a sharp breath. A little haziness cleared from her mind but she was still not in her senses.


    She was somewhere in between. Liam again dipped her into the water and this time Aurora gasped, her eyes pained and she tried to wiggle out of the water but couldn¡¯t because of Liam¡¯s grasp on her neck.


    Liam pulled her out of the water and Aurora inhaled sharply. The dizziness parted from her mind and she came to her senses.


    One nce at her face and Liam understood that she was back to her senses. His rage returned with an uncontroble urge to punish her. But no, He would punish herter, he decided.  For now he had to dip her one more time topletely let the affect of those berries out of her mind.


    He gritted his teeth and dipped her again in the water. Aurora tried to get out of his hold but Liam was in no mood to spare her.


    Now that she was fine, she needed to suffer the consequences of her actions.


    And suffer she will!


    Aurora on the other hand tried hard to breathe but couldn¡¯t.. She was choking in the water, sshing under the water.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    She was about to close her eyes, her lungs tightened in the absence of air and suddenly when she was about to lose her senses she was pulled out of the water.


    The hold on her neck loosened, she blinked her eyes to clear her vision and then her gaze settled on Liam. She gasped seeing him as she recalled how he attacked her when she pped him.


    Liam assessed her body up and down. She looked fine, luckily there was no swell in her curves and her lips were fine too. He took a breath of relief as the prospect of those berries harming his would-be wife stormed away now.


    ¡°How could you do that to me? Don¡¯t you have a conscience to live with! First, you insulted me, then tried to rape me and now you tried to kill me! What kind of man are you, are you even human, you barbarian!!¡± Aurora snapped at him.


    His eyes shed in rage hearing her. His mind focused on only one word. Rape!


    Liam knight was furious at her usation. He grabbed her waist and pulled her closer, sping her jaw tightly he forced her eyes to meet his.


    Aurora gulped. She stood there numb, terrified of him. ¡°Don¡¯t. Ever. use


    Me of something this horrendous. I am Liam knight and I don¡¯t have to force myself on you to have you. I can have you whenever I want. However, I want and you will willingly submit to me, Mrs Knight!¡±


    His eyes darkened, his voice stopped into a low drawl. ¡°And just to inform you, I have seen girls far more beautiful than you, fucked them enormous times in multiple ways, so calm your panties darling for I won¡¯t im you just now.  I am not some randy teenager, I can wait to im your virgin pussy till our official wedding night,¡± saying that he left her face with a jerk making Aurora stumble on her foot but luckily she didn¡¯t fall in the water.


    Liam gave her onest re before walking out of the ocean with an angry mind. He needed to get away from her or he didn¡¯t know what else he would do.


    At the same time, Aurora stood there numb, with goosebumps prickling all over her body and starting at the back of the monster known as Liam Knight!


    And suddenly, her vision turned ck, a few dots appeared in front of her eyes and she fell into the ocean¡­

 Chapter 43.

    ¡°Goddamnit!¡± Aurora heard someone roar in anger.


    I knew this touch, it¡¯s him. The monster! Why has he scooped me in his arms? I wanted this sleep to fly away but no, I was still engulfed with darkness. What was happening, what was he doing?


    She felt scared for herself because the man was not less than a maniac. She wanted to run away from him but couldn¡¯t because she felt sleepy. She wanted to open her eyes but as if someone had glued them together. She couldn¡¯t open her eyes. Suddenly, she was lifted from the wetness.


    Aurora was somewhere in between awake and sleepiness. She was still hallucinating, she couldn¡¯t open her eyes but she could hear and feel or so she thinks.


    Aurora wanted to get away from him, from his touch but couldn¡¯t, she tried to speak but it felt as if her mouth was filled with cotton.


    She felt him p her face, ¡°Aurora, open your eyes, can you listen to me?¡± He asked, there was an urgency in his voice. It felt as if he was worried for her but how was that possible when he just tried to douse her in the ocean.


    ¡°Fuck! Open your fucking eyes and  answer me goddamnit!¡± He let out sharply ordering her.  Aurora tried to obey because she feared his punishment but as if her body denied following themand her brain sent it.


    Aurora wasying there on the beach like a lifeless body and Liam was angry at himself for being too hard on her. He should have tried some other way to get her out of that drunken state.


    ¡°Aurora, open your bloody eyes!¡± He ordered her again. She felt his voice waver ever so slightly but she knew that her mind was ying games with her because as far as she knew, Liam knight¡¯s voice never shook. How could it be, the man was nothing but a heartless monster!


    Again, Aurora wanted to heed his order but again her body was not allowing her to do it. She could feel him rubbing her palms, she liked the heat it gave to her body.


    Yes, she was shivering in the cold. First, the toxic berries and now Liam¡¯s method of getting her out of that inebriated state proved more dangerous to her body than he thought.


    Liam knight, for the first time in his life, couldn¡¯t word what he was feeling right now or even if he knew he didn¡¯t want to acknowledge it. He didn¡¯t want to name it.


    Because guilt was something he never felt and now he was having that feeling, The feeling of guilt!


    Yes, For the first time in his life, Liam knight was feeling guilty. He should have used some other means but he acted out of anger. And now,id in front of him, his shivering future wife. The woman who he imed as his, the woman who drives him crazy with her constant tantrums and childishness and her beauty. When Liam saw her for the first time at that jewellery exhibition he was lost. She was not less than an angel, with golden hair and a red dress. She looked beautiful than any goddess. Beauty was one thing, Liam had seen far more beautiful girls than her but it was her attitude which attracted her.


    Yes, the vixen gave Liam Knight, the future don of Vancouver crime family a cold shoulder when he asked the host to introduce him to her. He tried twice and both the times she refused to acknowledge him. It hurt Liam¡¯s ego and it was decided then and there that he would make her his, no matter what means he used. Aurora Kings was his now even if he had to start a bloody war with her father Ethan king for her.


    He will bloody do it!  But today the girl he chose wasying on the beach, shivering in the cold and it¡¯s all because of him.


    He was furious at the situation, at himself. He eyed her body, she needed to get out of her wet clothes and more than that she needed warmth.


    Liam mped his face with his palm, rubbing it in apprehension. He would not have undressed her in this condition but the situation demanded it and he had no other option left.  Yes, he was a monster, killing and maiming was his favourite part-time fun but he didn¡¯t touch unwilling girls.


    Making theme to him willingly to please him was the way he liked. If some girl denies, they can leave it toe backter because they had issues to solve which couldn¡¯t be solved without his help or intervention. Liam was a bastard but at least he had some rules, whether one believes in them or not. He did!


    Aurora felt him touching the hem of her dress, she wanted to snatch her dress away from him but she couldn¡¯t. So she screamed in her mind for him to leave her alone, not to touch her but, of course, he didn¡¯t listen to her unspoken words.


    She wanted to cry when she felt him getting her out of her dress, she was almost naked in front of him.


    ¡°We need to warm you up, Aurora!¡±


    She heard him, the monster. Warm me up? But why?


    Aurora felt herself floating one more time, this time not in the water but air.


    Air! How could I float in the air? Am I flying?  Aurora asked herself.


    She was confused, what was happening to her. She wanted to stand up but she was still sleepy. Suddenly she felt herself being dipped into a soft bed.


    Soft bed! Wait, I was on the ind? How did I end up on the bed then?


    There were a lot of questions she asked herself but there were no answers to them.


    Liam patted her cheek one more time, ¡°Aurora can you hear me!¡± He asked again but she didn¡¯t answer. He eyed her soft body and gritted his jaw. He needed to dress her and there was nothing else except for his clothes so he slipped her into his shirt which ended up on her thighs.


    Aurora started shivering violently, Liam was trying to warm her up with whatever means he could but he was failing miserably. He rubbed the back of his neck and decided that there was no other way to warm her except one.


    He needed to give her body heat, with no other option left he joined his body to hers by pulling her in his arms¡­     ¡°What do you mean you still haven¡¯t found anything about Aurora? I don¡¯t know anything, I want my friend here, do you understand me?¡± Susan snapped at Katie and another cruise staff who were trying to calm her down but she was enraged.


    ¡°Look mam, we are trying our best¡­¡± Katie started but Emily cut her off.


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about your trying! If you don¡¯t find my friend soon I promise I will sue you and yourpany.¡±


    Katie¡¯s eyes went to Alexandros who sucked in deep, his eyes hard as he took a step forward.


    ¡°Emily, dear¡­¡± he rested his hand on her shoulder but she pped his hand away.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°Don¡¯t! If you can¡¯t bring back my friend here then you can get the fuck out of my life. We are done!¡± She snapped at him.


    That made Alexandros stiffened. No girl has ever warned him to ditch, it was always the other way around and today the girl standing in front of him did that.


    ¡°We are trying!¡± He told her tersely.  Emily looked away from him but then her cell phone rang and her body went numb seeing the caller ID.


    She gulped. ¡°Susan, It¡¯s Ethan.. ¡±


    Susan¡¯s eyes widened. She swallowed harshly and asked her to ept the call. Emily, shaking hands, epted the call. ¡°Hello, Mr Kings!¡±


    ¡°Hello, Emily, pass your phone to my daughter, please. I have been trying to contact her since yesterday but her phone was not reachable¡­¡±


    Emily nced at Susan who nodded at her to inform Ethan about Aurora¡¯s disappearance.


    ¡°Mr Kings, there is something you need to know about, Aurora¡­¡± Emily told him everything and Ethan King was enraged.


    ¡°What do you mean she disappeared?¡± He roared over the phone. Emily stiffened hearing Ethan¡¯s dark raging voice.  ¡°Mr Kings¡­¡± she started but closed her eyes when he ended the call abruptly.     Ethan king was raging in fury. His only daughter was nowhere to be found and it made him numb. He was one of the cruellest men in North America but when ites to his daughter he was just like any other parent.


    Aurora was the only weakness in his wife, she was the most precious person for him, innocent and naive. He didn¡¯t want to kill her innocence by telling her that her father was not only a billionaire but a Mafia Don whom people fear.


    He was busy with the Recent threats he received from the Mexicans about his daughter that made him restless and he started the hunt to kill every Mexican in the city to protect his daughter. Her going to Vancouver for the event proved to be a blessing but he didn¡¯t know that Mexicans would reach there.


    And that made him furious. He would burn down the whole city if a single hair was harmed on his daughter¡¯s head. Mexicans better not make the same mistake they did twelve years ago.


    But now was not the time to think about the past. He needed to save his daughter and that too immediately. Ethan king had no other option but to ask for help to save his daughter and he would do that no matter what the price he had to pay. So he called his business ally, Ryan who picked the call on thest ring.


    Ethan was on the verge of losing his mind when Ryan yed it cool. He wanted to smash his old friend into a pulp.  ¡°Ryan, Aurora is missing, she was in Vancouver, I asked you to keep an eye on her and that¡¯s how you protected her in your city?¡±


    Ryan frowned. Be patted the naked ass of the woman side him and spoke. ¡°What do you mean missing, take it easy, I will¡­¡±


    ¡°I said my daughter is missing, Ryan. Stop ying it cool, I would forget our friendship and everything if anything happened to her. Call your men and start the search operation¡­¡±


    Ryan Knight raised his eyes. ¡°Two things, Ethan. First, Nothing will happen to your daughter because my son has chosen her for himself. Second, don¡¯t try to threaten me, friendship is one thing but I don¡¯t tolerate it when someone tries to threaten me, that too in my own territory.¡±


    Ethan clutched the paperweight in his hand, anger shot through his nerves.


    ¡°Ryan, my daughter is not a thing, I told you before and am telling you again, nothing will happen against her will. Now, I aming to Vancouver and I want my daughter there till I reach your good forsaken city.¡±


    That got Ryan¡¯s attention. ¡°You need to think calmly. They want this from you, Ethan. They knew you would react this way. Trust your old friend, your daughter wille back safe and sound but don¡¯te here,  you can¡¯t leave your territory.¡±


    Ethan closed his eyes, his friend was saying right, he couldn¡¯t leave his territory. Not when he was so near to find out about the Mexican head, ¡°Ryan, for the sake of old-time, find Aurora.¡± He whispered, in a broken voice.


    Ryan knight closed his eyes, ¡°calm down old friend, your daughter will be safe¡­¡±  and he ended the call.


    ¡°Where the fuck are you Liam?¡± Ryan muttered, gritting his teeth in anger.     Aurora hugged her teddy bear and kissed it softly. But today her teddy felt a little different, it was not as soft as before. She hugged it even more closely but it still felt hard. She ced her leg on top of it but instead of dipping softly as it usually does, today his legs felt odd. Hard.


    She still had not paid attention to it and touched and swamped her hand to it¡¯s back and again it felt odd. Instead of soft furs on its back she felt hard in skin. Her hand travelled south and she clutched something round and fluffy and warm.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± She heard the voice, not any voice but his voice. The voice of a monster and her eyes jerked open.


    She looked around and found that she was still on that ind but what more shocked her was, she was lying in the arms of Liam who was sleeping naked, like a baby.


    She looked at herself and found that she was loosely wearing his shirt whose buttons were open. She looked down, and she was engaged when she found that she was not wearing her thing as well.


    Her body jerked in fear, eyes widened and she was numb, her mind led to one suspicion.


    Did he¡­ had he¡­ oh God! Even the thought of being touched by him made her numb. She wanted to know exactly what had happened between them¡­

 Chapter 44.

    Aurora¡¯s eyes swirled with tears, just the thought of losing her virginity without her consent infuriated her to the core.


    She gulped. Her heart refused to ept the aspect of being vited but her mind, it was nagging with suspicion. She stood up and looked around, found her clothes on the lifeboat, they looked freshly washed, clean and without waiting a single second she ripped his shirt off her body and slipped into her clothes.


    Once dressed she threw the shirt at that monster¡¯s face in anger. ¡°Wake up you ugly monster!¡± She cried in anger, her body raging in uncontroble fury.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    Liam¡¯s eyes jerked open when he felt something on his face. His hand snapped to the gun hidden under the sand beside him but he stopped in his action when he heard Aurora¡¯s angry voice.


    He raised his brows and found her standing, wearing her red frock. His mind finally calmed looking at her.


    Thank fuck, she is fine!


    ¡°Tell me what did you do? Tell me, why was I naked?¡± She questioned him, her chin jutted out,  face red and hands fisted at her side.


    Liam frowned. He sat up calmly and looked around for her boxer briefs. Found it on the lifeboat and slipped into it.


    His calm attitude irked Aurora even more. She lunged at him fiercely and her sharp nails dug into his shoulder.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± He cursed.  ¡°Have you lost your fucking mind?¡± He sped her hands and touched his shoulder where she scratched him with her sharp nails like a wild cat.


    Aurora wiggled her hands out of his grasp and managed to attack his face. ¡°Fucking hell!¡± He gritted out and grabbed her hand in a tight grip.


    ¡°What has gotten into you?¡± He let out twisting her hand behind her back lightly, ¡°are you this violent always? Tell me so that I can arrange an cage for you in my home.¡±


    Aurora stiffened. ¡°Shut up! Just shut your ugly mouth and tell me what did you do? Did you, Did you¡­¡± she couldn¡¯t evenplete the sentence.


    ¡°Tell me what happened between usst night?¡± She screamed, tears of anger and frustration pooled into her eyes.


    Liam¡¯s lips tugged upward. A small smile came to his face as his cheekbones rose.  Angry kitten!


    And the smile hit Aurora¡¯s nerves harder than a brick she tried to get her hands free but couldn¡¯t. His hold was too tight but she yearned to snatch the smirk out of his face, so she hit his toe with her feet as hard as she could manage.


    Liam winced a little and they bothnded on the sand when Aurora pushed him with all her strength.


    Aurora on top of Liam, ¡°leave me, you molester!¡± And that was thest stroke, Liam¡¯s eyes shed with anger. He turned around, Auroraying t on her back and Liam on top of her.


    He grabbed both her hands above her head with one hand and with the other he sped her jaw.


    Their eyes met, ck orbs fixed on teary-eyed blue orbs. Liam liked her like this, lying under him with sex tousled hair and a red nose. Especially the way she smells, with his scent rubbed to her body she smelled like him and that¡¯s what he wanted.


    He wanted to own her, possess her in every way possible. It does matter if she wanted it or not. Because her fate was sealed with him. She was his, his possession! And Last night he knew that the girl would be a wild cat in his bed.


    He came out of his hazy thoughts when she heard her sob. Looking at her like this, Liam felt weird. He didn¡¯t know why but  her pain affected her. Liam knight was a possessive bastard. Till now he onlyid a im on her but now, she belonged to him and he dared anyone toe between us.


    He would personally castrate that person, limb by limb in the most brutal way possible. She bought out a side in him of which even he was unaware of!


    He sighed, ¡°don¡¯t churn your panties in waine. Nothing happened between us, you ate some toxic berries and lost your fucking mind. I dipped you in the ocean to get you out of that intoxicated state which resulted in you fainting away and shivering in the cold. So to save you from dying out of the cold I gave you my body heat.¡±


    Her eyes held his gaze. She kept staring into his eyes as if searching for something, then her tensed shoulders swamped a little. ¡°And¡­ and why were you naked?¡± She asked in her small voice.


    ¡°Because my clothes were wet as well and I washed my clothes with ocean water to keep them clean unlike you who kept wearing stinky clothes.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s mouth hangs open as she gasps at the insult. ¡°Fuck you!¡±


    Liam nodded. ¡°dly!¡±  And then he shed his mouth on hers in a hungry, would wrenching kiss.


    At first, Aurora was stunned but she reciprocated the kiss when she felt him nip at her lower lip. Her hands went to his hair and she clutched them tightly in her hands.


    Her tugging his hair made Liam go even wilder, he cursed and swallowed her moans with his tongue dominating hers. His hand roamed near her bosom as he felt them hardened under him.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± He cursed and left her face, Aurora breathed in the much-needed air but again gasped when he sucked in on the pulse at her neck.


    Heat pooled between her legs as she felt him cupping one of her bosoms, softly squeezing it.


    She was lost, so lost under the administration of his hands on her body. Never in her life she felt this way,  she used to think that she was frigid lr that¡¯s what Gabe used to say¡­


    And Aurora¡¯s heart stiffened. She froze and forgot to take a breath.  What am I doing? I love Gabe, how could I enjoy it with some other man?

 Chapter 45.

    Liam felt a sudden change in her. The girl who was enjoying a second before suddenly went numb. He thought she was still hazy but looking at her ashen face he knew that something was wrong. He closed his eyes, tried to get hisposure back and when he was sure that he had his emotions under control he got off her.


    ¡°What happens, you look¡­¡±


    Before he could evenplete she spoke: ¡°don¡¯t. Please don¡¯t do this to me.¡± She sat up, pulled her legs to her chest and gulped.


    Liam frowned. ¡°What?¡±


    Aurora raised her eyes and met his gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t y with me, please.¡± she swallowed the heaviness in her throat. Aurora hated Liam to the core but she felt gratitude towards him now for saving her lifest night. She knew having casual sex was not a big deal. People do it every day but it was a big deal to her, she saved her virginity for the love of her life. She wanted to have sex, she also had needs but she wanted to make love not get fucked.


    Call it anything but she still believes in being a one-man woman. me it on the values her mom taught her or anything but she won¡¯t do it like it.


    She wanted her first time to be special and romantic, unlike the girls who lost it on prom day, nothing against them. Everyone chose their own ways to live and Aurora chose hers.


    If it was Gabe instead of Liam she would have dly done it because they were engaged but the problem was she didn¡¯t feel like this with Gabe. With Liam, her body went on fire but with Gabe¡­


    Gabe was right, there was something wrong with her body.


    She gulped again before speaking. ¡°Thank you for saving me and you were right about me, Mr Knight.¡±


    Liam raised his brows in question. ¡°I am a virgin, I don¡¯t do casual sex and I saved myself for the man of my life. So can you please respect this and note close to me in that way.¡± She asked him genuinely.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    That gave a boost to Liam¡¯s ego, he was happy that the girl he chose for himself would be his solely. He was going to be her sole owner, his body calmed but her next words made a hotva run through his nerves.


    ¡°I love Gabe a lot. Once we return back, I am going to marry him,¡± then she smiled at him. ¡°And I will not forget to invite you for my wedding, after all, we are friends now even though your previous actions still made me furious but you saved mest night so that changed my thoughts about you. You are not that bad!¡±


    The fuck. Did she just friend zone me?


    Liam¡¯s eyes shed in anger.


    ¡°You know what, we should start our journey again, Mr knight. We obviously started on the wrong foot,¡± she bbered, smiling friendly and that made Liam even more furious.


    He had told her many times, countless times, that she was his and she still couldn¡¯t get it in her thick skull. Liam¡¯s hands itched to punish her for her words. He was trying hard, really hard to stop himself from seriously hurting Aurora.


    ¡°Gabe? Who is he, Mrs knight?¡± He gritted out, daring her to speak one sentence which included Gabe with my fiance. His mind needed to be calmed down, if he would have been on that cruise he would have killed someone or fought with Alexandros.  Fucker, was a brutal fighter.


    Aurora pinned him with a gaze. ¡°You need to stop this now, Liam. We are friends now, I won¡¯t mind a little flirt, even I would enjoy that with you but you calling me Mrs Knight needed to be stopped.¡±


    Liam was astounded.  Did she just gave an order to me, Liam knight?


    ¡°Anyway,¡± she huffed before speaking again. ¡°I think you should meet my friend Susan. She would love to have you. She is like you, you know the casual type but before introducing you to her, tell me are you a V. or B. Guy?¡±


    Liam¡¯s mind was about to burst open. The girl has lost her bloody mind! She wanted me to set up with her friend¡­


    ¡°Do you want to be punished again, Mrs Knight?¡±


    Aurora burst outughing. ¡°Oh God, Liam, stop it now. I told you that need to stop calling me Mrs knight. I will be Mrs James not knight and now answer me, are you A V. Guy or V. one.¡±


    Liam was irritated with her now. Till yesterday she was scared of him and now she was ordering him around. The girl has lost her fucking mind eating those berries.


    ¡°Hello, you there¡­¡± she snapped her fingers in front of his face. ¡°Answer me!¡±


    Liam was irked. ¡°What the hell does this, V or B guy mean?¡± He snapped at her.


    Aurora sighed, shaking her head. ¡°No, Susan won¡¯t be happy with you. She is far more experienced than you, I mean no offence but obviously you didn¡¯t had a casual sex enough if you are not aware of the V or B words yet.¡±


    The fuck! Did she just insult me? This vixen!


    ¡°So, V guy means, while you have sex do you touch,¡± she cleared her throat. Her face turned crimson but still she continued, ¡°you know her, va**na and B means her bosom. Let me tell you, one thing, Susan wants a B. Guy.¡±she managed to finish but her face flushed and her gaze wavered.


    Liam somehow managed to remain calm. Cold fury ran through him, he grabbed her chin and raised it. His eyes met hers, ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck about anyone else except for you, Mrs Knight. And I am warning you not to say a single word more or I would take you on my knees and spank the daylight out of you,¡± he warned her.


    Aurora gulped when she recalled her first day on the ind. She was scared of him till yesterday but the way he saved herst night she knew he was not a bad guy. So she showed him that she was not scared of him anymore. If she epted him as her friend then she would not let her intimidate her anymore.


    So she stood up and pped him lightly on the chest. ¡°Stop it. I told you we are friends and you will not try to intimidate me anymore, alright! Now leave everything aside and let¡¯s find something to eat..¡±


    Liam was out of words now, because even after many warnings to shut her mouth, Aurora kept bbering non-stop and with every passing second, Liam was losing his mind.  nd all Liam want her to do was shut her fucking mouth!

 Chapter 46.

    Liam was rubbing his head which was throbbing non-stop because Aurora was chattering continuously the whole day long.


    He looked at her agonizing eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should stop talking for a while, give your mouth a little rest, it must be noted after all this hard work.¡±


    Aurora huffed. ¡°Ya! I am tired too but what can I do, it¡¯s a three days itch that needs to be scratched. Just imagine, the Aurora Kings didn¡¯t talk for three days.


    I mean really! I can live without food, water or even air.¡±


    She stopped for a second andughed.¡±I exaggerated a little, of course, I can¡¯t live without air. So what was I saying, yes, I can live without anything but not without talking to someone. I need to chat with someone, anyone and now that we are friends I think as friends we have this right on each other so I am gonna use mine on you. After all, I have no one else here.¡± She looked around and shrugged her shoulders.


    Liam was seriously considering his decision to officially marry Aurora after the torture he was going through from the past eight hours. On second thought, the girl could be useful outside the bedroom too. Hearing her, he knew that he would not need any new torture methods to try on his rivals. She could talk a man to death!


    ¡°So what was I saying, yes, tell me something about you. I have been talking since forever now. You know one thing really shocked me about you, the way your dad came to my house and asked me to meet you. I mean seriously, Liam. Why did you do that? Look at yourself, you are handsome, rich, any girl will fall in love with you. But of course, you need to change yourself a little. First the arrogant smug nature of yours. That¡¯s why I suggested Susan. You see she would shape you into a new one. A tolerable man. We are friends, we can chat anyhow we want but with a girl, you have to be ssy¡­¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    And she kept on talking. Non-stop. Liam was one second away from hitting his head on a tree hard to get rid of the throb in his head. He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes to ease his head and probably she would stop talking just for that time.


    Liam knight! She would not be as easy as you thought to deal with! But fuck! She was worth the risk! Her body was worth the risk.


    ¡°Liam, Why are you not talking?¡± Aurora¡¯s brows pulled together. She got near to his face and noticed that he was sleeping.


    She raised her brows and curled her lips to one side. ¡°hm! He looks cute while sleeping. I hope you look this cute when you are awake.¡±


    Aurora kept looking at his beautiful face with a deep gaze. ¡°You know what Liam, you are really handsome and I somewhat hated you for your rudeness but now,  you are tolerable enough. Maybe you didn¡¯t have friends who could make you lose to live happily and that¡¯s why you are always stiff and serious but no worries. Now that we have be friends I will teach you everything¡­¡± and she kept on talking, pitying Liam for not living a happy life.


    And Liam, who pretended to sleep closing his eyes, was trying hard not to tie her mouth with a cloth so she would stop speaking. In the past six hours, he tried everything to scare her but she behaved as if Liam was kidding with her. She practically ordered Liam not to intimidate her because now she knew he was not bad.


    Fuck as if badness would even describe, Liam knight. He was feared among his own people. Killing and torturing was his favourite pastime, his hobby wasbat wrestling. Of course, that¡¯s why he started his own illegalbat wrestling site.


    Unlike his father who usually earned from, drugs, prostitution, moneyundering and illegal weapons.


    Liam had other business ideas that went beyond the traditional mafia business. He started illegalbat fighting matches. Drugs and brothels were still the main business but his modern mafia adventures are proving great to increase his treasure with every passing day.


    So, He was not just bad, he was brutal. Liam knight was the reincarnation of Lucifer. The God of hell! And this girl, his future wife, insulted him by calling Liam bad as if he was some notorious child. And not to forget that she still was bbering when she thought he was sleeping.


    I can say goodbye to peaceful nights in future or separate rooms would be a better option. Yes, that was better, anything was better than this verbal torture!


    Aurora fell quiet after some time. Sadness again erupted in her heart. She missed her life. ncing at the sky she gulped. It was this time around her dad called to ask if she was fine or not. Her dad protected her from everything, he treated her like a princess, she had everything one can ask for and now, everything has been ripped from her.


    She sighed and closed her eyes, her thoughts lingered on how everyone would be coping without her. She just wished someone would find them soon¡­


    Meanwhile, Ryan Knight stepped in his son¡¯s office on the cruise with two of his most trusted men following him.


    ¡°Ryan, what are you doing here?¡±  Alexandros asked, standing up from the luxurious leather chair.


    Ryan¡¯s lips curled into a smile, the smile which made the hair on Alexandros neck perked up. ¡°Biyad! (Fuck) he cursed in Russian.¡±


    ¡°Where is Liam? Boy?¡± Ryan asked casually.


    Alexandros had no other option except for telling him the truth. ¡°Missing! He is missing with Aurora since three days. I have sent search teams to look for them but they are still searching for them¡­¡±


    Ryan nodded. ¡°Hm! Ethan is getting perky, we can¡¯t  risk himing here to Vancouver. Liam¡¯s lusting over his daughter already soured our understanding with each other and now her missing with my son would only point more fingers at us. He might look like an emotional fool but he could be a brutal fucker. And I don¡¯t want additional baggage in my city, bloody Mexicans are already testing my patience level everyday.¡±

 Chapter 47.

    Alexandros nodded, Ryan knight was a twisted man. Even at the age of fifty two he was still one of the most feared man in North America and he was wary of Ethan knight. That made Alexandros wonder to which limit Ethan could go for his daughter.


    Fuck! Where are you, Liam?


    At the same time, Ethan knight was sitting in an abandoned warehouse which was used by him for many years for always dealing with different purposes and today the purpose was to rip the Mexican captain who was sniffing in his city doing what spies are trained to do.


    Ethan King was furious with an uncontrolled fury raging in his nerves. His daughter was missing and the person responsible for it was missing to.  Juan, The Mexican cartel boss and Ethan¡¯s sworn enemy.


    Even the thought of Aurora suffering at their hands awakened the sleeping beast I dide Ethan and he focused his dark eyes on his prisoner who now had a swollen face and ck eyes and ripped lips. Blood covered his face.


    Ethan raise his finger and his man stopped his torture for just a moment. Ethan leaned near his face and grabbed his bloody jaw in a painful grip.


    ¡°I will ask you this onest time, Where is Juan?¡± Ethan asked darkly but instead of answering the manughed. ¡°He will be back to out you in your grave!¡± Saying that he spit on Ethan¡¯s shoe.


    Ethan king was enraged, fury ran through him and he picked the sharp knife from the table and pierced it directly into that man¡¯s eye. Again and again and again and again¡­


    His painful cries was like music to Ethan¡¯s ears. The thought of his daughter being hurt recoiled his guts.


    ¡°He is dead boss!¡± Thomas, Ethan¡¯s right-hand man said making Ethan stop. He threw the knife aimlessly against the wall in anger.


    His breathing shortened in anger as if he ran a marathon, he touched the wall with both his handsand looked down, eyes closed. He was feeling helpless. His daughter was in danger and he couldn¡¯t protect her¡­C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Ethan king was, Ashamed. Angry and Helpless.


    Thomas walked upto Ethan, rested his hand on Ethan¡¯s shoulder.¡±we will find Aurora, Calm down.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t calm down, Thomas. My princess is missing, I had no idea where she is, I called every source of mine but no information about her till now. She is naive and innocent in this power game. I can¡¯t see her getting hurt because of me,¡± Ethan let out in pain and anger.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I told you to find someone who can take your legacy and protect your daughter. Liam Knight was the perfect option for that  but you declined their offer because of who. A mere restaurant owner, Ethan. Now see what he happened. If only Aurora got engaged to Liam no one would have dared to touch her because no matter how strong the enemy is no one would like to have a two end war at his door step. We will find Aurora I have no doubt but I am telling you again,  don¡¯t let Liam knight slip away from your hands.¡±


    Ethan turned, palmed his face and left a deep sigh. ¡°Aurora loves Gabe, she would never ept to marry Liam. I can¡¯t force her Thomas. I won¡¯t force her to do something she didn¡¯t want to do.¡±


    Thomas let out a irritated scoff. ¡°For fuck sake, Ethan. We can¡¯t allow that to happen. It doesn¡¯t matter that Aurora is innocent or naive. She will always be your daughter, she will always be the target of your enemies. We have protected her till now, but how long it will go like this. See what happens because of your lenient nature.¡±


    Thomas stopped for a second, gazed into Ethan¡¯s eyes before speaking again. ¡°If you want I can handle him.¡±


    Ethan frowned. He searched his friend cum right-hand man¡¯s eyes to see kf he suggested the same thing he thought. ¡°That restaurant owner! I can handle him. Aurora won¡¯t evenes to know about it and in sometime she would forget him.¡± Thomas suggested struggling his light shoulder lightly.


    Ethan turned around. Not meeting his friend¡¯s eyes anymore. He closed his eyes and his wife¡¯s face shed in his memory. The same face as Aurora¡¯s. He recalled his promise to his deceased wife. The promise of protecting Aurora from everything.


    Ethan needed to make the decision. He loved his daughter, everyone was aware of it, even his enemies and that was the reason that they dared to touch her. He also knew that Aurora won¡¯t ever forgive him for what he was about to do, but he was ready to ept her hatred if it saved her life.


    Because nothing was important to Ethan King than his daughter. And after him, there was only one person who could protect Aurora. And that person was certainly not Gabriel James.


    Ethan¡¯s eyes turned harsh. I am sorry Aurora, but this is for your own good darling. That restaurant owner is not the right man for you!


    ¡°What are you thinking Ethan. Just order me boss and I will handle that insect.¡±


    Ethan turned towards Thomas, peered into his eyes and gave him the order he was waiting for with a terse nod. ¡°Make sure that his image tarnishes in Aurora¡¯s eyes. I want him dead, not only physically but in Aurora¡¯s memories as well¡­¡±


    Thomas nodded with determined eyes. ¡°It will be done, boss!¡±


    And just like that the fate of Gabriel James was sealed by Ethan king, when ites to his daughter nothing else matters to Ethan kings.

 Chapter 48.

    Susan and Emily tried having breakfast but couldn¡¯t gulp it down their throats. They were praying for their friend¡¯s we¡¯ll being to whatever third power present in the world.


    ¡°I am scared for her, what if she didn¡¯t¡­¡± Emily couldn¡¯t finish the sentence. Pain erupted in her chest as she missed Aurora¡¯s non-stop chattering.


    ¡°Nothing  will happen to her, Em! I promised Mrs King that I will always protect her like an elder sister protecting her younger one. Fuck! I failed her. I should not have left her alone that day. If only¡­¡± she sighed and looked down, hiding her tears from Emily.


    Emily knew what Aurora meant for Susan. She was their dear friend and they would trade anything for their friendship but for Susan,  Aurora was her family. The only family she ever had. Her real family was nothing but a bunch of scoundrels.


    Susan¡¯s father married four times with four different women. His fourth wife who somehow managed to cling to him till now was nothing but a money-hungry bitch. Not to mention her father, who, to make his presence known in her life did nothing except for sending  a monthly allowance, he didn¡¯t even bother to ask whether she was alive or dead.


    Susan and Aurora were friends since kindergarten with their mothers being best friends as well and now the friendship passed on to them. When Susan¡¯s mother died, Susan was only ten, it was Aurora¡¯s mother, Savannah, who took care of her and Susan had promised her godmother on her deathbed that she will always protect Aurora like a sister.  They were sisters from another mister! Or so they always say so.


    ¡°Susan, trust me, our Aurora will be back.¡± She whispered softly, her own tears rolling out of her eyes.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to forgive myself if anything happens to her, Em! I won¡¯t.¡±


    Emily gave her a longforting side hug. ¡°She wille back, she has toe back safe and sound!¡±


    Susan nodded, breaking the hug. Too much emotion was not her forte. They both sat silently, with their coffee sitting cold on the table. Suddenly, the room erupted with noise from Susan¡¯s phone bell.


    She nced at the call and sighed in frustration. Emily frowned, ¡°don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s that douchebag again?¡± Emily asked, nodding at the phone in Susan¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Who else? I can¡¯t believe his nerves, we can¡¯t get rid of him even after blocking him everywhere.¡±


    ¡°Pick up or he would not stop calling us.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to hear this bastard¡¯s voice,¡± saying that she blocked him on her phone as well.


    Emily raised her brows, ¡°I only pray that when Auroraes back, she won¡¯t know what you did, Susan. You know how mad she is for Gabriel.¡±


    Susan raised her brows. ¡°She is an idiot. The girl is naive, Em! She couldn¡¯t see how he was manipting her since the start of their rtionship. She used to be so confident about her body, passionate about her work. She had this childlike energy and now, after meeting him and being in a rtionship with him she started to feel insecure about everything. I am telling you this man is a maniptive bastard and nothing else.¡±


    Emily nodded. ¡°We can¡¯t do anything about it, Susan. You know her, she has fixed it into her mind and heart that she loves Gabe and he is the one for her.¡±


    Susan sighed. ¡°That¡¯s the talk for another time. Right now, I only want to think about Auroraing back.¡±


    Again their cabin erupted with the ringing of a cell phone but this time it was, Emily¡¯s not Susans. ¡°An unknown number?¡± She muttered.


    Susan jerked at her. ¡°God damn it! Pick it up already, Em! It could be Aurora, she remembers your number only because it only had three digits into it.¡±


    Emily didn¡¯t think twice before epting the call and she regretted doing so immediately.


    ¡°Emily, Hey, It¡¯s Gabe here,¡±  And Emily closed her eyes hearing his voice. Susan poled her hand, Emily nced at her. ¡°Gabe,¡± she mouthed.


    Susan hissed! ¡°Oh hello, Gabe. How are you doing?¡± She asked casually or so she thought?


    ¡°I know you and Susan don¡¯t like me but trust me the feelings are mutual. So let¡¯s do ourselves a favour and cut this charade short and tell me where is My Aurora?¡± He demanded.


    Emily¡¯s mouth hung open. She looked at Susan who gestured to her to put the phone on speaker. ¡°Answer me, Emily or I promise I won¡¯t let you or that Susan in our life anymore. Eventually, Aurora and I are going to get married and trust me I won¡¯t let you both ruin our marriage by allowing both your presence in our home and life.¡±


    Susan couldn¡¯t control the burning rage in her anymore. She snatched the phone from Emily¡¯s hand and put it off the speaker, raised it to her ear and said: ¡°you can¡¯t do anything you prick because I won¡¯t let you marry, Aurora. And for your information, Aurora is no longer interested in you, she has found a new man, a man who is better than you in every regard. He loves her and she has epted it to me that she has fallen in love with him too.  So she has already thrown you out of her life. That¡¯s why she has blocked you everywhere. In other words, asshole! She ditched you already!¡± And she ended the call after that.


    Emily kept staring at her friend with a shocking expression on her face. ¡°Do you have any idea what you have done? When shees to know about it she will grill you alive, Susan!¡±


    Susan waved her hand. ¡°Nothing will happen, we are best friend since kindergarten and he is just a man who came to her life and that idiot think she loves him. I will break her illusion but first I need to find a man who will woo here hereafter shees back.¡±


    Emily rolled her eyes. ¡°Why can¡¯t he just die! That would solve all our problems.¡±


    ¡°Wish he did!¡± Susan sighed and then they both chuckled at their joke and then their faces reced the expression of sadness as if theirughing without Aurora was not  less  than a crime for them.


    Meanwhile, Aurora again woke up by clinging to Liam¡¯s hot body. Liam asked her to keep quiet till he caught fish for their food as they were relying on seafood for the past three days.


    ¡°You know, you look hot in this almost hundred time washed shirt.¡±


    Liam closed his eyes with a deep miserable sigh.  At least she has spoken only fifty sentences till now!


    ¡°Liam, till when we are going to live here, what if they don¡¯t find us soon?¡± Aurora asked in a small voice.


    Liam nced her way, he assessed her face. The girl has started to lose the color in her cheek. Maintaining Hygiene was not in her to-do list nowadays and now, even couldn¡¯t wait to leave this ind. But he couldn¡¯t go anywhere because of the obvious circumstances! Hell, he couldn¡¯t manage to change them, at least not yet. Only if Alexandros found out!


    He sighed again.


    ¡°Someone will find us, Dont worry and eat the fish.¡±


    Aurora nodded. ¡°I wish you could meet Gabe. You are just like him, I mean you don¡¯t talk much just like him.¡±


    Did she justpare me to that son of a bitch! How dare she?


    And Ever so Slowly, Liam knight raised his eyes to meet his future wife¡¯s. ¡°You should not mention another man¡¯s name in front of me, Mrs Knight. You should not take the name of another man even when you are alone.¡± He said in his dark, frightening voice which scared the mature man to pee their pants but of course, Aurora won¡¯t be Aurora if she would read between the lines of what Liam said.


    Oh! She was not an idiot but if she fixed something in her mind she stood by it, differing every other thing which contradicted her opinion. So Aurora simply shook her head. ¡°Oh god Liam, I felt like hitting my head against the wall. I told you not to call me Mrs Knight. But you have a thick skull.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Susan will whip you, but let me tell you one thing, I won¡¯t tell anyone how much you teased me by calling me that¡­¡±


    Liam neared her face. ¡°Call you what?¡±


    She shrugged her shoulders lightly. ¡°¡­ you know, that.¡±


    ¡°What exactly?¡±


    ¡°¡­ that you called me, Mrs Knight.¡±


    Liam¡¯s lip tugged upward. ¡°That¡¯s what you will be.¡±


    Aurora pinched her lips in a thin line, they quickerd and then she burst outughing. ¡°You are so funny, Liam. I just imagined you being disciplined by Susan. She will whip you into a new one.¡±


    What the fuck is wrong with whr mind! Have I lost my touch?


    Liam clenched his hands tight. ¡± No one could do that Mrs Knight, and the person who needed to be disciplined is not anyone but you only.  Oh and yes, don¡¯t make me repeat what I said and I can do anything to make you mine.


    Aurora blinked as an idea popped up in her mind to trap him in his own words.


    ¡°You can do anything for me to marry you, right?¡± She asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Liam oy raised a brow, obviously wanting her to continue.


    ¡°I will definitely marry you if only you prove yourself worthy of me. I mean look at me, I am the Aurora Kings¡­¡±


    That earned a chuckle from Liam. ¡°Like a princess¡­¡± Liammented.


    Aurora tilted her head to one side and shed him a smile. ¡°I am a princess, Liam. My dad always treated me like one.¡±


    Liam¡¯s eyes travelled to her godly body. The lush curves and beautiful face. Fuck! The girl was much more than a fucking princess. She was the queen, his queen.


    ¡°So tell me, Liam knight, Are you up for the challenge?¡±


    Liam smirked in response. ¡°What do you want, princess?¡±


    Aurora almost let out a bell-likeugh. She thought that she had trapped him, ¡°I will tell you but let¡¯s make a bet, first.¡±N?velDrama.Org owns ? this.


    ¡°What bet?¡±


    ¡°If you won¡¯t be able to win this challenge you won¡¯t call me Mrs Knight again. Ever!¡± She said firmly.


    ¡°Fair enough and if I win, you will marry me, right?¡± He asked in all seriousness.


    Auroraughed silently in her mind, because there was no way he was going to win this bet.  ¡°Alright, done deal!¡±


    ¡°Hm! Beware wife, I take my words seriously, if you lose I won¡¯t tolerate your insolence anymore.¡±


    My insolence! That man still lives in the primitive age. But what more can I expect from a bullheaded man who thought we are friends now but still, he didn¡¯t know how to behave with friends. I just pray that Susan will teach him the basic manners to behave around friends.


    But for now, she had to be lenient with him as she didn¡¯t want to hurt his feelings. ¡°I ept it, but first you have to prove that you are worthy of marrying me.¡±


    Liam nodded. ¡°Now, stop the chit chat and tell me what do you want, wife?¡±


    ¡°If you want me to ept your proposal and marry you then, I want to go back to the  cruise in, let¡¯s say, two days. Liam.¡± She smirked but her smirk vanished when Liam shed her a grin of his own.


    He tipped her chin with his thumb and forefinger, met her glittering eyes and told her his decision.


    ¡°Challenge epted, wife!¡±

 Chapter 49.

    Sir, We have some news.¡± One of Alexandros¡¯ men whispered to him.


    Alexandros signalled the man to keep his mouth as he didn¡¯t want the news to get out,  certainly not in front of Ryan or the man would not think twice before pulling his gun out.


    ¡°Did you find out anything, yet, Alexandros?¡± Ryan demanded the look on his face enough to predict that Ryan knight was on the verge of explosion not to mention he received Ethan¡¯s call for the fiftieth time since yesterday.


    A two-sided war, who wants that on their doorstep. The Vancouver crime family was  strong. Stronger than the other four families, Ethan King was strong too but with no heir to take over Ethan¡¯s territory made him look weak and in the mafia world if one lost power to look dominant, he would sign his own demise.


    But of course, the man always stated his cruelty once in a while just to show everyone that the lion might be getting old but he was still the King. His man still trusts him and followed his rule blindly, he was a vicious man, one Ryan would rather ept as a friend rather than a foe.


    It was only because of him, Ryan tried to arrange a marriage with Aurora when he came to know that she was Ethan King¡¯s daughter because in the Mafia, showing respect earns you gold coins but one sign of disrespect can earn you bullets, right between the eyes.


    Alexandros eyes the man who just entered inside Liam¡¯s office. ¡°Still no news boss.¡± He informed Ryan and he let out an irritated screech.


    Before the man could even blink, Ryan¡¯s gun was out and he was shot dead.¡±Useless fellow!¡± He groaned, turned towards Alexandros.


    ¡°People always irritate me with their uselessness.¡±


    Alexandros nodded with a grin. ¡°You killing your own man certainly is not going to help you anymore, Ryan. You need your man alive for them to be useful or you would be without any subjects to follow your rule.¡±


    Ryan shook his head. ¡°I am still the boss of Vancouver¡¯s and I don¡¯t like it when I sniff someone hiding things from me,¡± staring into his eyes, clearly stating that he knew Alexandros was hiding something.


    Alexandros raised a brow and this time a chuckle left his throat. ¡± You forgot one thing, Ryan. You rule over Vancouver¡¯s not me. I don¡¯te under your rule because I made the rules for myself.¡±


    By the look in his eyes, Ryan knew two things. One, Alexandros might not want to get tied with the Mafia but the Mafia runs in his veins. After all he was the brother of Russian Pakhan who ruled over St. Petersburg and second, Alexandros couldn¡¯t be trusted, the twitch in his eyes clearly screamed that he knew something.


    What? Ryan has yet to find out!


    Meanwhile, Aurora poked Liam¡¯s hand one more time and he was a second away from snapping at her but of course, the girl didn¡¯t take anything seriously now. If Liam scolds her, she sighed dramatically, patted onto his shoulder and nodded, as if she knew something about him which he didn¡¯t and Hell! It irked Liam. To the core.


    ¡°Liam, you are always quiet? Why? Don¡¯t you crave talking to someone? I mean look at you, you could live without uttering a single word from your mouth, for days. I really don¡¯t know how you manage that.¡± She muttered.


    Liam left a deep, anguished sigh. ¡°Because I don¡¯t like wasting my words on anyone, Mrs Knight.¡±


    Aurora once again pinched her lips into a thin line. ¡°Don¡¯t forget about our bet, Liam. If you lose you will quit calling me that. Because till now I thought it was okay, we are friends and obviously, alone on this ind I took it as fun but not anymore. I know you are going to lose the bet because it¡¯s not in your hand to call someone here to take us back to the cruise. So, I would rather let you have the fun for one more day because obviously now that we are friends I like this yful side of yours and enjoyed our sweet little banters too but from tomorrow you will not call me Mrs Knight anymore.¡±C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Liam cocked a brow in challenge. ¡°Hm! What if I win, wife? What if luck turned out to be on my side and someone might find us here, take us back to the cruise and I win your challenge, what then? Because I wont allow you to back out from the rules of our bet. If wended on that cruise tomorrow,¡± Liam got near her face, gazed at her soft blue eyes and said:  ¡°I am a man of my word, wife, you will be mine when I win the bet.¡±


    He went near her ear and whispered ¡°Mine to enjoy this beautiful body, mine to pleasure it and mine to ravish it.¡± He pressed on thest part in such a dark tone that goosebumps erupted on Aurora¡¯s body.


    She gulped. The dark look in his eyes and the viciousness in his voice made Aurora once again remember how cruel he was when he spanked her on the first day on this very ind.


    But again she ignored the darkness and reminded herself that Liam was her friend and he was just kidding, only her mind tried to alert her of something else. Something dangerous!

 Chapter 50.

    She ignored the warning and smiled. ¡°First you need to win the bet, Mr Knight!¡± She whispered, her voice tilted to a low pitch that made ite out as a seductive purr and that was enough for Liam to get the boner.


    He hissed when blood filled his dick. The girl was an enchantress, even in this dirty red dress. ¡°As I said, you will be mine, Mrs Knight.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s toes curled in anticipation. Again, the fear erupted in her heart. Fear of Liam knight. She needed a little distance away from him to get her thoughts under control but she didn¡¯t want to hurt his feelings. So she did what she always did, she asked him for water which he always bought as he found a freshwater pond somewhere in the jungle or they would be dead or close to death  because of dehydration.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave the spot! I don¡¯t want some wild animal to eat what belongs to me!¡± Again the same warning he always gives her whenever he went to take the water in the water bottle he found in the lifeboat.


    Aurora nodded, words couldn¡¯t get out of her mouth even when she tried. Liam walked away, she stared into his retreating figure and when he disappeared among the trees she took a shaky breath.


    ¡°Chill, Aurora, he is just a little scary, not bad. If he would have been bad, he wouldn¡¯t have saved you from dying. There was no way he was going to win the bet, Right?¡±  She asked herself, but the answer which came to her mind made her stomach drop in anxiety.


    ¡°Oh, Gabe, where are you? I want to be with you, in your arms. I am losing my sanity and trust in our rtionship with every passing second. Only if you had called me at least once!¡±  Aurora pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head on her knees and sighed deeply.


    I hope no one finds us for another day¡­


    At the same time, Liam pulled out his cell phone from his pants and switched it on. Once thework came, he checked the popping notifications but couldn¡¯t find one he was looking for.


    ¡°Where are you, Ralph?¡± He whispered under his breath and decided to call his brother. He needed information on Ethan King. He was about to set the traditions and rules in the fire so he better be ready to face the consequences of his actions. No, he didn¡¯t fear anyone but Liam was a man of vision. He always thinks before acting up.


    Ethan King could be a good friend or your worst enemy and Liam wanted to make him a friend, not a foe but Liam was also aware of one thing.


    When ites to his daughter he could kill Liam in a blink of an eye, she was his most precious thing and Liam wants her, nothing can change it. He also needs Aurora, to take the throne of the Vancouver crime family which could not be his until he marries a woman of ss. Who better than Aurora Knight also it¡¯s not only about her but the things thate with her.


    The territory of Montreal. His territory would expand in southern Canada. What more does he want? She was the perfect choice for him.


    ¡°Pick up, Ralph!¡± He muttered and Ralph epted the call on the fourth ring.


    ¡°Liam,¡± Ralph greeted his brother, that¡¯s how Ralph knight works. Talk less, work more.


    ¡°Any news?¡±


    He sighed. ¡°No, except for Ethan going nuts because his daughter went missing. He is still searching for Le Eme, boss. Tensions are high in Montreal. Every street is being filtered, Ethan is on the hunt! A serious hunt for Juan.¡±


    ¡°I want more. It¡¯s not going to work, Ralph. Find me more information and one more thing, I want Gabriel James dead. Find him. Finish him.¡±


    ¡°That restaurant owner. He is innocent.¡±


    ¡°What does it matter, Ralph? If I say I want him dead then dead he will be.¡±


    ¡°It will be arranged. Anything else?¡±


    Liam nced at the setting sun and a smirk yed on his lips recalling the stupid bet Aurora made with him. ¡°I Will tell you tomorrow. Till then, try to dig more on Ethan.¡±


    After ending the phone and once again turning his phone off, he nced at the so-called pond with freshwater inside it which kept them hydrated for the past four days on this secluded ind¡­


    On the other hand, Aurora was having a nap time because of what else there was to do except for sleeping and talking. She was trying not to think about Liam¡¯s dark sinful eyes and not to mention his equally dark voice. She touched her back to the tree and felt something soft and slippery on her back. She tried to ignore the movement but it was so rapid that her eyes jerked open and she met out a fearful screech.


    There was a snake on her shoulder, a big ck snake. Instinctively, her hand caught the snake and threw it away from her shoulder, luckily saving herself from the vicious bite. She stood up with a lightning speed, and searched for a stick or something to protect herself but luck was not on her side and she jumped back when the vicious animal moved in that zigzag movement and came near Aurora.


    She was screaming in fear while running aimlessly, she looked back and saw that snake¡¯s ck tail and her speed increased. ¡°Liam¡­ Help! Save me Liam¡­¡±she kept screaming in fear.


    But of course, Liam was nowhere to be seen. She kept running, even the slightest movement of Dave¡¯s made her shriek in fear. She was crying and running at the same time but now her legs were shaking, she needed rest as her legs turned wobbly, she halted in her steps or she would be on the ground.


    She was breathing heavily, her throat turned dry and she was in urgent need of water. She couldn¡¯t find anything, some trees were ripe with fruits but her experience with the berries didn¡¯t allow her to eat them.


    Then she recalled that Liam found a pond here, she couldn¡¯t go back to the beach but she could at least try to find Liam here. So she huffed, and after gathering her breaths she managed to walk around in search of Liam.


    She was walking aimlessly but suddenly, she heard a voice. Not any voice but his voice. Liam¡¯s voice. It wasing from a closer proximity, she walked in the direction of voice and suddenly she saw him. Liam.


    And how she saw him was not less than a shock to her. Her eyes were as ideas saucers, mouth hung open and mind numb seeing, Liam knight who had a cup of something hot and steamy in his hand with headphones on his ear and aptop open on the counter of a beautiful Vi¡¯s balcony.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Aurora stood there with a dumbfounded face and a furious mind watching him talking to someone and thest thought that came to her mind was: I am going to kill this lying bastard with my bare hands!

 Chapter 51.

    Have you found the snitch yet or not?¡± Liam asked Alexandrios who pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.


    ¡°Not yet, Liam, the situation is getting worse with every passing second. Ethan has called your father at least fifty times. Hell! He even threatened an open war with Vancouver¡¯s if his daughters didn¡¯t return to him safe and sound in forty-eight hours. Ryan is already on the cruise and I am losing my patience because he tried to threaten me.¡±


    Liam only smiled. He got what he wanted, Ethan Knight should suffer the consequences of declining his proposal after all, the respect Liam gave Ethan by sending his father, Ryan, The boss of Vancouver¡¯s to arrange a marriage but instead of epting his proposal, his father was insulted by the Vixen. He would have started the war with them right then and there. An open deration but his father declined doing so, and for what reason, their so-called friendship.


    The friendship bond Ethan didn¡¯t think twice before warning to end it. That told Liam what he wanted to know.  Ethan king gets weak when ites to his daughter, Aurora who was not even mature enough to handle his business. Forcing her was out of the question at least for Ethan but no one said that Liam won¡¯t do that.


    And then the opportunity was presented to him on the silver tter itself whenAurora applied for the contest organised by his jewellery brand. The Belle.


    That¡¯s how his n started, to make both father and daughter see the reason. Of course Liam was the man of vision and he won¡¯t let anyone or anything like in his way, to achieve the position in mafia no one has ever reached yet. The throne of the Canadian mafia. Liam wanted it. He would get it. How,  Liam didn¡¯t care. And of course,  Liam always gets more than he wanted and Aurora was not just a means to an end. The girl was pure intoxication and he wanted to own every piece of her.


    Mind. Body. Soul.


    Call it an obsession or anything, Liam knight craves Aurora kings but he craves the power more and more power he would get by controlling Ethan¡¯s territory. Which would be his, only after he marries Ethan¡¯s daughter.


    And obviously, Liam didn¡¯t want to paint the city red with blood and a war would do that but that was not the only reason. There was one more, Liam genuinely respected Ethan and because of that only he would use the more lenient methods to make Ethan Kings see the rationale and not get blind by his daughter¡¯s love.


    Oh and one more thing, It didn¡¯t matter if he respected Ethan, when the man itself disrespected him. Liam knight. So he needed to suffer the consequences, if not brutal one than the lenient one. But again, he didn¡¯t have to do anything because the girl always came to him, wrapped up in a bloody gift box which he needed to rip open.


    They bumped into each other on the cruise that fateful night, she was drunk and horny. Fuck he could still feel her taste on his tongue. That intoxicated taste! Her taste!


    ¡°What do you think? Now Ethan would see the benefit of his daughter being married to me and agree to my offer, Alexandrios?¡± He asked, taking a sip from the hot steaming cup of ck coffee. He needed the caffeine. Urgently.


    ¡°Ask Ralph, he would be able to answer the question better after all he was in Dawson keeping an eye on Ethan and those Mexicans.¡± Again the deep sigh before continuing.


    ¡°Liam, don¡¯t y with fire, he might look weak but we both know Ethan King was anything but that.¡±


    Liam only chuckled.¡±I know, that¡¯s why I said, I wanted him to see the reason. His war with the Mexican cartel is taking over everything. He couldn¡¯t afford war with me as well and he also knows that if  his daughter goes to their hands, they will ruin her even for herself. So in a way, I am saving him. His power. His territory and not to forget his daughter, Alexandrios.¡±


    Even the thought of Aurora at the mercy of Mexicans hand made Liam feel as if insects were crawling over his body. There was no limit to this obsession he had over his wife.


    ¡°I want to know, If Ethan would go beyond his daughter¡¯s tantrums. That boy, my wife is affectionate about, Ralph is going to end him.¡±


    Alexandrios chuckled. ¡°Hm! So both father and son inw think the same way, I am impressed!¡± He jabbed.C0ntent ? 2024 (N/?)velDrama.Org.


    Liam frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I have spies everywhere, Liam or have you forgotten who I am?¡±


    Liam raised his brows. ¡°Care to borate!¡¯


    ¡± Well, your father inw ordered his man to end that Restaurant owner in the most brutal way possible. Street talk, Liam.¡±


    ¡°You could have told me that before when I asked if Ethan would see the reason! Why didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Alexandrios smirked on the other hand. ¡°Was not in the mood to end the conversation with you soon, bud!¡±


    Liam was irked. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Yes! But make sure youe back soon..¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow, send the chopper or boat or whatever you find fast, tomorrow. I want to be back on the cruise before the sun sets, Alexandrios.¡± Liam said with a smirk as he took another sip of his coffee but then, suddenly, in a blink of an eye, something happened. Something unexpected.


    Liam Knight didn¡¯t think that his wife would catch him in his Vi on his ind, talking over the phone with headphones on with a steaming coffee mug in his hand.


    The anger in her eyes, her flushed cheeks and seething mouth only told him one thing that his wife was furious about and he enjoyed it.


    ¡°You bastard!¡± She seethed and pushed Liam hard in the chest. ¡°You lying, infuriating bastard, how could you. How could you?..¡± She screamed with her hands tightly fisted into balls at the side of her legs.


    ¡°Don¡¯t use thatnguage with me¡­¡± Liam warned, his own anger spiking up. He warned her many times not to be disrespectful to him but the girl always avoided his orders as if they were not worthy enough.


    It aggravated him. To the core.


    Aurora couldn¡¯t believe her eyes when she saw Liam but what shocked her more was the ce he was standing at. In a fucking Vi that too on this God-forsaken ind where they have spentst four days like an early man.


    She was wearing this same dress for the past four day and only she knew how she had been suffering from the unhygienic environment and here he was drinking coffee. She looked around, the Vi was fully furnished with every modern equipment present including a kitchen.


    The bastard let her suffer even without a proper bath. Then something clicked in her mind. The soft bed! It was not a dream, he bought her here that day.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡± she shrieked and turned him around, questioned him but that man, instead of being ashamed, shocked, anything he grinned.


    That infuriating bull grinned and when she cursed him, he ordered her not to be disrespectful towards him.


    He ordered Aurora, as if he was some god! To hell with that infuriating, arrogant owl!!!


    ¡°You son of a bitch! Who do you think you are? Here I am suffering for the basic necessities and you are drinking this, this coffee?¡± She snapped at him.


    ¡°Down your voice, wife or you will be in severe trouble. I am barely controlling myself¡­¡±


    As if it bothered Aurora. He was not the one who was controlling it was her.


    She was controlling herself from killing that bastard with her bare hands.


    And to infuriate her more he still had that proud look on his face and that angered her even more. Aurora was raging in fury and without thinking twice, raised her hand and pped him hard. Right on the chick.


    And then she smacked her hands on her face. Gasped in horror, when Liam raised his face.  His eyes were hard. Red. Furious and throwing daggers at Aurora.


    She just pped the monster he was trying hard to cage and now it was free!


    ¡°You witch!¡± He gritted and sprinted to her, grabbed her by the neck, his hold on her throat choked her. Liam knight was raging in anger. He wanted to kill her for what she did. But couldn¡¯t, the girl was his obsession.


    Still, she needed to suffer the aftermath of her action. Liam was blinded by fury, he enjoyed the tears in her eyes, he enjoyed the fear in them. He craved that fear and submission.


    ¡°How many times have I told you not to disrespect me?¡± He roared, plopping her back against the wall and jerking her body in his hold.


    Aurora was shielding in fear. She was choking, trying to breathe, struggling to get out of his hold but instead of loosening it, he tightened it and white dots appeared in front of her eyes.


    ¡°Answer me? How many times have I warned you?¡± He shouted and Aurora gasped, her little fists beating his shoulder but no use. She was no match to his strength.


    Aurora was close to losing consciousness! ckness was about to engulf her but suddenly she was granted a deep intake of air as Liam left her throat.


    ¡°Arhz!¡± He roared in anger as he dropped his hand from her neck and turned around, kicking the mahogany table hard that it ripped upside down.


    Aurora was heaving, trying to breathe. ¡°How many times have I told you not to provoke me? How many times have I told you not to anger me but no. No. You have to do that,¡± he yelled, punching the wall hard.


    Aurora was dumbstruck, she kept staring at Liam with anxious eyes. At the moment, Aurora was scared. To the core. She closed her eyes when Liam once again kicked the table and this time the ss broke down and it¡¯s pieces scattered everywhere in the room.  The sound brought her back to her senses.


    Tears dropped out of her eyes, she was looking down and she gulped before asking the only question which she wanted to ask, needed to ask.


    ¡°Why? Why did you do that?¡±

 Chapter 52.

    Aurora looked up and watched him clutching the window tightly, heaving.


    ¡°Why did you do that? I took you as my friend. I considered you as my friend.¡±


    Liam, who was trying to calm his anger, raged hearing her words. He sprinted towards her and grabbed her jaw.  Aurora gasped,  and jumped at the violence.


    ¡°Friends? I am not your bloody friend Mrs Knight. I am your husband. You are mine. Do you understand me? Mine!¡±


    Aurora searched his eyes. All she could see in them was violence and anger. At this moment she hated being in his presence. She wanted to get away from him as soon as possible.


    Aurora jerked his hand away. She might be scared of him but she tried to be brave in front of him.


    ¡°Do you understand me or not?¡± He yelled again but this time Aurora didn¡¯t flinch in fear. No, on the contrary, she simply looked in his eyes.


    She faced the darkness head-on. It was not the first time she was seeing this, she had seen it before in him. But she thought everything changed between them. She genuinely epted him as her friend but he was not worth it.


    Liam Knight didn¡¯t deserve her friendship. So she simply asked him the question which would take her away from him and his insufferable presence.


    ¡°Please call someone and ask them to rescue us from here.¡±


    Liam shrienked his eyes and he searched her face. There was a little heaviness in her voice and he understood that she was trying to control her emotions.


    ¡°I made a bet with you darling, of course, we will leave this ind soon. But till then, I will grant you some perks. After all, my would-be wife deserves to shower and sleep in a soft bed.¡±


    Aurora kept quiet. He didn¡¯t deserve her words. The man was despicable and she would not waste her words, thoughts or time on him anymore.


    Not even a single second of her time.


    ¡°You may stand up and use the shower, Mrs Knight,¡± he ordered, leaving her face with a jerk and standing up.


    Aurora took a long shaking breath to keep the tears at bay.  She stood up with her shaking legs. ¡°Where is the bathroom?¡± She asked, her voice void of any emotions towards him.


    He turned around, raised his brow. ¡°Over there,¡± he told her, pointing at the door behind him. She nodded and walked to the door. Opened it and closed it without even uttering a single word.


    Something shifted in herposure; he could sense it. But he let it go, no he was not in the right mindset right now to question her and he didn¡¯t want to hurt Aurora.


    No, it was not his n. If only it had been as easy as hurting someone. He would have done that easily but the girl in front of her was going to be his wife. She was going to represent him in public whenever he wanted her to do so.


    If only someone could see the grand ns he had for the future. They were far beyond anyone¡¯s imagination. She was his trump card.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Liam raked his hands in his hair and sighed. He had no time to waste anymore so he simply picked his phone, went to the other room and contacted his father.


    Ryan Knight who was yelling at his man for not being able to find a single trace about his son and Aurora nced at his phone. He frowned seeing an unrecognised number on the disy but his sixth sense told him that the call belonged to his twisted son.


    He raised his eyes, ordered his men to get out of his office and epted the call.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡±


    Liam on the other end smirked. His old man always recognises him. ¡°How are you doing dad?¡± Liam asked his father.


    ¡°You son of a bitch! Liam only chuckled hearing his father.


    ¡°Stopughing, don¡¯t forget that I am still your boss! Where are you, Liam?¡± Ryan Knight was enraged when he heard his son chuckle over the other end. Here, he was trying to calm Ethan from starting a war with him and his son, the reason for all that drama wasughing over.


    That was something Ryan Knight couldn¡¯t handle.


    At that time, Liam sighed. ¡°Is your friend able to see the reason now dad? Or won¡¯t he still agree to our alliance? If he needs more motivation I would dly give it to him.¡±


    Ryan gritted his jaw in irritation. ¡°You nned all this to scare him, Liam? Do you have any idea what he would do if he came to know about you being behind his daughter¡¯s disappearance instead of those Mexicans? He will dere an open war with us. Friendship be damned!¡±


    Liam¡¯s eyes turned hard at that. ¡°I value your friendship with him, that¡¯s why I only tried to scare him. The respect I feel for him stopped me from keeping his daughter with me and not giving a damn about what she feels. She is safe, I kept her alive and safe. And he won¡¯t doubt us, he will think about Mexicans only. Let him kill some of them, what does it matter to us!¡±


    Ryan closed his eyes and sighed deeply.


    ¡°Come back soon. Please.¡±


    ¡°I aming back tomorrow, dad but I want you to meet Ethan and talk to him about anything.¡±This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Ryan was losing his patience with his son¡¯s riddles. ¡°You want him to offer the alliance this time, son?¡±


    A small smile came to his lips. ¡°He declined when we offered. I think you should return the favour this time.¡±


    ¡°You want me to decline?¡±


    ¡°No. You will ept his offer but make sure he knows once he epts the alliance, my word will be the rule for his daughter,¡±  Liam told his father and ended the call.

 Chapter 53.

    Aurora was staring at herself in the mirror. She washed all the dirt over her body. The warm water soothed her skin and she once again felt like herself.


    She was scared and angry for believing a man who was ying with her. Aurora was the kind of girl who, if ept a person in her life, would overlook his mistakes and bad things.


    That¡¯s why there are not many people in her life, yes she was a sensation on social media but she chose what she wanted to do. She was her own owner, no one can state them for her.


    She believes in loving unconditionally. She loves her father, her friends and Gabe. She thought Liam was her friend because he saved her life. He saved her life when they were not on good terms. She even wanted to hook him with her friend Susan but he was ying with Aurora.


    ¡°He has some serious mental illness and I better stay away from him. I need to be calm because everything will be over once I reach the cruise.¡±


    Aurora looked at the white bathrobe and stepped out wearing it. It was toorge for her petite body and trails on the white marble floor while she walked out.


    Her stomach grumbled once again demanding food. For thest four days, all she ate was those tasteless fishes while Liam was enjoying the good food. There was no need to ask the kitchen¡¯s direction. The aroma of coffee and bacon was enough to tell it.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    She walked to the kitchen and her mouth widened open. It was filled with groceries. From fruits to vegetables. Nuts to cereals and meat to bread everything was avable.


    ¡°This whole incident was nned by him, he lied about not knowing how we both ended up in that lifeboat. Bloody liar!¡± She muttered under her breath and made coffee for herself.


    People might think that just because she was the daughter of billionaire Ethan King she was a brat and the servants do all her work but that¡¯s not the case.


    Yes, she has everything one can wish for but after her mother¡¯s demise, Mrs Dn always made sure she learned basic culinary skills.


    Aurora¡¯s eyes watered remembering her mother and Mrs Dn. She missed her father, missed hisforting fatherly smell. She knew her father would have moved heaven and earth to find her.


    She also knew that if she told her father about Liam he would not leave him. He will punish him for hurting her and she wanted to tell him. Really want to see Liam being punished for how he treated her here.


    Still, she decided to hide it from her father for two reasons. One, she wanted to forget that a man like Liam ever existed in her life. She wanted to close the chapter once and for all and not to mention she still felt gratitude towards him for saving her life. She was angry and hurt but still, she couldn¡¯t stop herself from. feeling like that.


    Second, she knew that Liam¡¯s dad was her father¡¯s friend. On many asions, she heard Ethan talk about him and she didn¡¯t want to be the reason for ending their friendship.


    She didn¡¯t care what everyone else thought but for her,¡± friends are for life.¡± That¡¯s what her mother taught her and she believed her whole life.


    Friends! She chuckled, shaking her head. She was lucky to have friends who would rather die before hurting her. She was d that unlike her father at least she had friends who genuinely loved her.


    ¡°I just wish I would never see your face again after this fiasco,  Liam Knight or no matter what I will ask my dad to punish you for what you did. I just wish that¡¯s the end of your craziness because I won¡¯t let any gratitude or anything hold me back anymore.¡±


    Meanwhile, Ethan received the call from his friend Ryan. Thomas was sitting in front of him receiving every detail from his men in Vancouver who were searching for Aurora.


    ¡°I want the news to be good only, Ryan or I would paint your city red with blood,¡± Ethan warned Ryan who somehow managed to retort back.


    Liam was right the man became insatiable when his daughter was concerned.


    ¡°I found your daughter, Ethan. She is safe and sound, with my son on an ind. I have sent a motorboat to rescue them both. My son protected your daughter Ethan,¡± Ryan said thest part to point out what Liam was capable of doing.


    Ethan¡¯s eyes shrieking, ¡°and how did they end up on that ind, Ryan?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, I am waiting for Liam toe back but as promised your daughter is safe in my territory and more importantly it was my son, whose offer you declined kept your daughter safe. Now that all things are said. Goodbye pal.¡±


    Ryan ended the call without hearing what Ethan was about to say. Yeah, friendship in the mafia does have a limit and now this power game which his son started with an obsession with Ethan¡¯s daughter.


    Ethan king on the other hand threw his phone on the mahogany desk in anger. ¡°Aurora is safe. She is with Liam on an ind but Ryan took it as an insult when I denied his proposal.¡±


    Thomas raised a brow. ¡°I was right Ethan. Liam is the right choice for our Aurora.¡±


    Ethan leaned back in his chair and linked his fingers together. ¡°That restaurant owner, Gabe? How much time till you settle his matters, Thomas?¡±


    ¡± I sent some men to his restaurant but he gotta live a few more days. He was not avable. Don¡¯t stress over him


    He will be dealt with.¡±


    Thomas leaned forward and started into Ethan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Agree to this alliance with Liam,  Ethan. It¡¯s good for Aurora and business both. Ryan clearly hinted that he is still open about his proposal. Don¡¯t let this chance go.¡±


    Ethan closed his eyes, his daughter was his life. She was the sole reason he was living and her happiness was all he wanted. ¡°I already told you. I will ept it but I want to meet Liam before that. He needed to answer some of my questions before I officially said yes, Thomas. I want to know-how did my daughter end up on an ind with Liam?¡±


    Ethan opened his eyes and started in his friend¡¯s eyes.


    ¡± I want to know if it was his n because I understand Liam well enough to understand his twisted mind.¡± Ethan nodded at Thomas, his eyes determined.


    ¡°And d what if you didn¡¯t like his answer, Ethan?¡±


    Ethan didn¡¯t reply to the question with his words but with a smirk on his face.


    Even Thomas couldn¡¯t understand the meaning behind that smirk¡­


    something precious on that stupid Ind, Aurora!¡±


    Aurora only nodded her head. What else could she do when she had no idea what she was sad about?


    ¡°Aurora, I know it might take a little time for you to get on the terms of¡­ you know being separated from Gabe but trust me, girl, you will love this independence.¡±


    Aurora nced at her naked finger. Is it even about Gabe?  She thought.


    Once again she left a long miserable sigh. ¡°I want to think about my career now. What happened here when j was away? Have they decided about my design?¡±

 Chapter 54.

    Emily nodded, finally deciding to join in the conversation. ¡°Yes, you won and the thieves were punished by the judges. They are officially out of this contest now leaving only us and one more of the contestants.¡±


    ¡°How did they get caught up?¡± Aurora asked.


    ¡°Apparently, there were videos of Evelyn hiding your design in her coat and she got caught up. Hence proven she stole your design from our cabin while I was bathing.¡±


    Emily opened the zip of her handbag. ¡°Oh, and Alexandrios returned your ne.¡± She handed Aurora her ne back but Alexandrio¡¯s name felt like a ting in her chest. A sharp pinch!


    Aurora touched her mother¡¯s ne. Her eyes blurred with emotions. ¡°Thank you.¡± She whispered hoarsely.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    I wish you were here Mom. I need you the most now!


    ¡°Alright now, I think we should¡­¡± Susan strtae but stopped when she felt her phone buzz.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± She cursed under her breath when she recognized the caller ID. Susan shifted her gaze to Emily and signalled to her that they needed to talk through her eyes. Emily understood it at once.


    ¡°Aurora, do you mind going to our room and bringing a tampon for me. I think it¡¯s the time of the month and I didn¡¯t have anything on me.¡±


    ¡°No, not at all. Wait, I think I have a sanitary pad with me¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh no! I don¡¯t use pads, you know that. Just go and bring me a tampon please girl.¡±


    Aurora didn¡¯t need to be told twice; she stood at once and ran towards the elevator. Emily sighed and turned her head to Susan.


    ¡°What now? Don¡¯t tell me he texted you again.¡±


    ¡°That Son of bitch warned me that once he gets to know where we are he is going to make me bar from Aurora¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was scared about. Look Susan I just want that we won¡¯te to the point where I had to say ¡®I told you so,¡¯ so, I think we should tell Aurora what exactly we did. She thought  that Gabe didn¡¯t call or text her a single time when the truth is that there was not a single hour when he had not texted or called her.¡±


    Susan raised her eyes and red at her. ¡°Emily, I am telling you I don¡¯t trust this man at all and as far as Aurora is concerned I know she is over him now. Gabriel James holds no more value in her life¡­¡±


    We will do no such thing. What I did was right, look at her now. She finally saw the reason. She broke her engagement with that narcissist..¡±


    Emily shook her head. ¡°No Susan, she broke her engagement with Gabe because she thought he didn¡¯t care when we both know that¡¯s not the case. That man was going insane not knowing where Aurora is! I love her too but I respect her privacy and intelligence. You had no right to interfere¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow! Don¡¯t forget you also helped me with this.¡±


    ¡°And I am not denying it but I was never in favour of taking it this far¡­¡±


    Before Susan could speak her cell phone buzzed again.  And once again a crisp curse left her mouth seeing the caller ID. Susan fisted her hand and epted the call.


    ¡°Where is Aurora?¡± He gritted out in anger.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t want you anymore, Gabe so stays away from her and you know what she found someone far better than you who unlike you doesn¡¯t control her or degrade herein her own eyes. She broke every tie she was  with you so do yourself a favour, leave her alone  and move on.¡±


    Emily gasped in horror. ¡°Susan!¡±


    But Susan was not listening to her or Gabriel. ¡°You¡­¡± Susan didn¡¯t bother herself to hear him and ended the call.


    Meanwhile, Gabriel kept staring at the mobile phone in his hand in anger and frustration. He couldn¡¯t go to Aurora because he didn¡¯t know where she was exactly.


    ¡°What happened Son?¡± His uncle asked Gabe, cing a ss of scotch on the wooden table.


    Gabriel pinched his lips in a thin line. ¡°I can¡¯t fail, Aurora. Uncle. I failed everyone else but she is the reason for my life now. I can¡¯t afford to lose Aurora¡­¡± Gabe replied as his phone screen came to life with a pop-up notification. He slid it away and the wallpaper of Aurora and himself appeared on the screen. He touched her beautiful face and sighed.


    ¡°She gave a reason to my life.¡± Gabriel said while still staring at her face.


    ¡°Has my dear nephew fallen in love?¡± His uncle asked to which Gabe only smiled. ¡°I gave her the ring, we are engaged now.¡±


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to be stuck with me nephew but I can¡¯t allow you to leave me. Not yet at least!¡±


    Gaberial touched his shoulder in understanding. ¡°I understand and I won¡¯t leave you alone either uncle. This is your tough time, our family¡¯s tough time. Aurora is mad about me, whatever her infuriating friend says I trust her that she won¡¯t do anything wrong.  I will go to her as soon as all these problems with these bastards are over but till then you have my back.¡±


    ¡°Thanks son!¡±


    I trust you Aurora,  don¡¯t break my trust, darling!


    On the other hand, Liam tightened the knot of his tie before stepping out of the limousine. His brother Ralph was waiting at the hotel entrance to wee him to Churchill.


    ¡°Wee, brother.¡± Ralph said, bumping their hands together. Liam nodded, ¡°anything I should know before meeting my would-be father inw?¡±


    Ralph chuckled before answering. ¡°Ethan is a wise man, Liam. He respects dad and his friendship. I hope you understand what¡¯s at the stake if something goes out of hand.¡±


    Liam knew too well. After all , his dream of ruling over Canada was at stake.  His grand ns depend upon this agreement and he would be damned if he would let anything or anyonee between him and his dream.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it and tell me, what happened to that restaurant owner? Have you handled the situation?¡±


    Ralph shook his head slightly. ¡°Nope, not yet. He went missing but he wasst on my list of troubles right now,¡± Ralph answered walking beside his brother but Liam halted in his steps hearing Ralph.


    ¡°What do you mean list of troubles?¡±


    ¡°The Mexicans are giving him trouble. I mean big trouble, Liam. His drug shipment was robbed two days ago while he was busy finding his daughter.  Fifty million dors of drugs went off his hand. Things are bad for Ethan, real bad.¡±


    Liam frowned. ¡°Juan?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Exactly! Juan. Since Ethan killed Antonio things went haywire here¡­¡±


    As if there could be better news than this. Liam was practically smirking now, because Ethan has no other option left except for Saying yes to his offer.


    Aurora Kings, Your knight in the shining armor is just a yes away from you!

 Chapter 55.

    ¡°Stay away from me, you jerk!¡± Emily said to Alexandrios who tried talking to her but once again she gave him the cold shoulder response she had been giving him for the past four days. And her attitude was irritating him.


    Alexandrios was the kind of man who never chased after a girl but Emily was making him desperate and that was not just his style. He didn¡¯t chase girls, girls chased him.


    ¡°Look, Emily. I am trying to hold a conversation with you¡­¡±


    ¡°There will be no conversation between us until my friend came back to this stupid cruise of yours. Do you understand me?¡± Emily snapped and picked herptop from the sunchair, she was about to walk away but Alexandrios grabbed her hand and made her hand.


    ¡°You are not going anywhere, Is it in my hand that she went missing. My friend is also missing. I am worried about him as well but that doesn¡¯t mean I would stop taking everything else for granted Emily. I am angry at the situation too but that doesn¡¯t mean I will start taking it out on other people. I am trying to talk to you but you kept giving me the cold shoulder, goddamnit!¡±


    Emily swallowed the heaviness in her throat. She knew what she was doing was wrong but she was getting too attached to him and this scared her.


    Unlike her friends she didn¡¯te from a rich background and she didn¡¯t want herself to get hurt again.  And getting emotionally attached with someone who was just having fun with her would hurt her. Casual sex was okay, but getting involved with a billionaire who lived a jet-set life was what made her toes curled in anxiety.


    ¡°Please let me go!¡±  She said and jerked out of his hold. Before Alexandrios could even utter a word she walked away from him and once she reached her cabin she left a long depressing breath.


    ¡°That SOB! I won¡¯t leave him, Em¡­¡±


    Susan stopped yelling when her eyesnded on Emily¡¯s ashen face. ¡°Now what happened to you?¡±


    Emily shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut the fu*k up with you it¡¯s nothing and tell me what happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Alexandrios, he tried talking with me again and I walked out on him.¡±


    Susan remained silent for a while and then darted towards her. ¡°I know we only suffer each other and you find me a little rude but I think you should move on from Victor. He was a scumbag and if you like this Russian billionaire then there is no harm in trying.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone to take me as a charity case, Susan. I recall how everyone thought I was lucky because Victor was rich and I was not¡­¡±


    ¡°Move on, Em! You like Alexandrios from day one. I know that. Aurora knows that,  so do me a favour and don¡¯t cheat on yourself.¡±


    Emily looked at the window, only if someone could understand the pain of bing aughing stock in University because you fell in love with a rich man.  She agreed for casual sex. She liked Alexandrios and when she saw him for the first time she made aplete fool of herself but still, she was not ready to face the same humiliation again.


    Meanwhile, Aurora was sitting inside a small cabin  on the motorboat. ¡°You want something madam, tea, coffee.¡± A girl asked.


    Aurora politely declined. She kept staring at the blue ocean water. Liam was with the captain, talking to him and she was happy that he was nowhere near her.


    Only four days and it felt like an eternity. She touched the ring on her finger. Her engagement ring but today she didn¡¯t feel that same happiness she used to feel.


    The ring felt wrong on her finger today. Aurora closed her eyes and a few tears rolled down her cheeks.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    oh mom, I just wish you would have been here today. I am lost without you.


    The motorboat stopped and the captain helped Aurora to step out of the boat. Her eyes went to Liam who was talking to someone over the phone. She looked away. Aurora wanted nothing except for meeting her friend and calling her father.  She was about to walk away but Liam  grabbed her hand.


    ¡°Goodbye, wife. See you soon!¡± He whispered but he forgot that unlike that ind here she was not alone.


    She snatched her hand away. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see your face again, Mr Knight. I just want to forget that I ever met a man like you. You don¡¯t exist for me, not anymore, so you may live in hell for all I care,¡± saying that she left.


    Liam only smirked. ¡°Oh, darling, I don¡¯t live in hell, I rule over it. And as far as forgetting me is concerned,  I am carved in your fate, wife.¡±


    Liam knew that his father was waiting for him so without wasting a single second he went to his office and found Ryan sitting on his chair.


    ¡°Good evening, Dad.¡± Liam drawled and Ryan red at the direction of Liam¡¯s voice.


    Ryan sighed seeing Liam calm andposed. ¡°Don¡¯t ever do something without sharing it with me first. Do you understand?¡± He gritted out and Liam only smiled.


    ¡°He wants to meet you. So stop smiling and tell me what are you going to tell him because now that his daughter is safe,  his mind started working again. He has doubts over you. Ethan asked me how did you end up on an ind with his daughter?¡±


    ¡°Ethan King, you always made me your fan,¡± Liam said while shaking his head.


    ¡°I will tell him the truth, dad. I gather he saw what I was trying to show him or why would he order his man to kill that restaurant owner.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope he won¡¯t take it as an insult Liam. I don¡¯t want any problem with him. Friendship aside, our business will suffer greatly if things get bad.¡±

 Chapter 56.

    ¡°Good evening, Ethan.¡± Liam greeted him, offering his hand.


    Ethan eyes Liam with his sharp gaze and epts his hand. ¡°Good Evening, Liam.¡± He said looking straight into Liam¡¯s eyes. Ethan King was impressed and irritated with Liam at the same time.


    ¡°Have a seat,¡± he nodded at one of the sofas in front of him.  Liam sat on it with one leg crossed over the other. Ralph sitting beside him confidently.


    ¡°I hear that you are having trouble with Mexicans again, Ethan.¡± Liam started but Ethan kept analyzing him with his scrutinised gaze.


    ¡°They will be dealt with. I am least concerned about them,¡± Ethan replied but he and Liam both knew it was a lie. Mexicans were a pain in the ass for Ethan Knight whether he wanted to ept that in front of Liam or not.


    ¡°I heard you saved my daughter on that ind Liam? Tell me what happened there exactly?¡±


    Thomas who was sitting on the middle sofa was aware of what his friend cum boss was doing. He was assessing him after all Ethan was about to give Liam the most precious thing of his life,


    His daughter.  But nobody said that he would do that easily. No, on the contrary, Ethan would make sure that Liam and people around him always remember who Aurora King was.


    She was his princess and dare anyone to forget that. He would rip that person with his bare hands if his daughter ever frowned in her life.


    Liam wanted a King¡¯s daughter then he better treat her like a queen or Ethan king had annihted enough people that he lost count of it.


    Ralph peered at Liam from the corner of his eyes. He could sense fishiness in Ethan¡¯s words. Ralph knew that Ethan was an old ally of their father but everyone knew that when ites to his daughter, Friendship would be thest thing on his mind.


    Liam on the other hand raised his face a little and looked into Ethan¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± he sighed and then started telling him the whole story of what exactly happened on the ind. ¡°Your daughter was drunk, I met her on the cruise and we had a little chit chat. She was barely able to walk and fell on the lifeboat. I tried to pull her back but then the lifeboat ended up directly into the sea¡­¡±


    Ethan was listening to Liam but when he kept ying the game with him Ethan lost his calmness and in less than a nanosecond, his gun was out and pointed at Liam¡¯s head.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Liam heard his brother curse when he saw that another run was pointed at Ralph¡¯s head.


    ¡°It¡¯s against the rules of friendship to point a gun at your friend¡¯s sons, Ethan,¡± Liam said calmly and this calmness in his tone irked Ethan to the core.


    ¡°Fuck friendship, Liam. It¡¯s about my daughter, my blood. You take me as a fool or what? If you want to y these games then y them with me,¡± He pushed the barrel of his gun harshly against Liam¡¯s temple.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever involve my daughter in these fucked up games of yours,¡± Ethan snapped.


    ¡°You think I didn¡¯t understand that you kidnapped my daughter to scare me for her. You forgot one thing, young man, I am the oldest yer of this game.¡±


    Liam had enough. He pulled his own gun out of his coat and put it on the desk in front of him.  ¡± Using a gun would have been far easier for me, Ethan. You know it, I know it and everyone else here knows it as well but no, I always showed you respect towards you and your position in Canada. Even if I kidnapped your daughter to scare you, tell me did it work.  Did you see the reason? I gather you did because if you have not, you wouldn¡¯t have asked for this meeting.¡±


    Ethan kept ring at Liam, his gun still edged at Liam¡¯s head while Thomas had his pointed at Ralph.


    ¡°You know it too that I am the only one who can keep your daughter safe, Ethan. I am the best option you have. Aurora is naive; she is unaware of the realities of our world and I can keep it that way. You just have to agree to the alliance.¡±


    Ethan seethed but lowered his gun. ¡°I won¡¯t force my daughter to marry you and neither allow you to do that. Aurora is the most important person in my life. I hope you understand the consequences of hurting her in any manner Liam.¡±


    Liam was irritated. If the man was still not able to see the rationale then war was thest option left. Liam Knight had dreams of ruling the Canadian mafia, like  a king ruled over its subjects and he wouldn¡¯t allow anyone toe in his way. Even if he had to retire Ethan as the Mafia head of Churchill.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    ¡°So let¡¯s cut the chase shorter than Ethan, What do you want because as far as I  know you talked to dadst night and your words indicated something else¡­¡± Ralph asked in a pure business-like tone because the look on Liam¡¯s face shows how furious he was.


    Thomas put his gun back in his pocket and sighed because he knew Ethan wouldn¡¯t say the words he called them to say here. Ethan king was a soulless man but when ites to his daughter he was just like every father who wanted to keep his daughter with himself away from everyone.


    ¡°Ethan wants Liam to woo his Aurora.¡±


    ¡°I beg your pardon!¡± Ralph winced sharply.


    Ethan turned towards them and looked directly into Liam¡¯s eyes. ¡°I know you nned this contest in Vancouver all I am asking you is¡­,¡± Ethan cleared his throat to ease away the uneasiness in his body. ¡°To make Aurora fall in love with you. She is an innocent and naive girl just like Savannah. She believes in the same dreams my wife used to believe in and  I want her to remain that way.¡±


    ¡°So you want me to romance with your daughter¡­¡± Liam chuckled, amazed hearing Ethan.


    ¡°I want you to win her heart. I want you to keep her happy and in the world, she believes in..¡±


    Liam scoffed as he recalled the torture he suffered from her none stop chattering. He still winced at the memory of it. Liam knight was in lust with Aurora King and he imed her as him but that didn¡¯t mean he had the time to charm a naive girl.


    ¡°Look, Ethan¡­¡±


    Ethan raised his hand. ¡°I know what you want Liam, I know you since you were in your diapers boy and you know me since then as well. It¡¯s about my daughter¡¯s happiness. You do what makes her happy, pretend to be in love with her even if you have to do it your whole life. My seat as mafia head will one day belong to Aurora and your son after my death. Till then you will get not only the free use of my territory but the most important thing you want.¡±


    Liam arched his brow. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Ethan smirked. ¡°My Seat in the Mafia jury. You will represent not only Vancouver but Churchill too among the five families. Extended territory Liam, the deal is not bad but remember it all depends on my daughter. I can be your best friend or your worst enemy, choose what you want me to be?¡±


    Liam understood what Ethan was saying well enough. He was ready to give everything to keep his daughter in her Lnd for her whole life and for that he was ready to pay whatever price.


    He understood the deal too well. Aurora was the masterpiece in this power game. Everything revolves around her.


    The price of Liam¡¯s dream was Aurora¡¯s happiness. Liam drummed his fingers on his thigh. ¡°Your daughter is in love with that restaurant owner. I already ordered Ralph to kill him but if love is what you want then¡­¡±


    Ethan shook his head to stop him from speaking any further. ¡°Two things, no one can give orders to kill someone in my territory, Liam. Don¡¯t forget I am still the boss of the Churchill mafia. Second, it¡¯s me who will handle that restaurant owner, you just focus on winning my daughter¡¯s heart. Everything else is upon me to handle.¡±


    Ralph nced at his brother who gave him a short nod epting the deal Ethan threw at them.


    ¡°Alright, but you need to understand one thing, Liam. I might have epted this deal but once I am married to your daughter,¡± he leaned forward, gazed into his eyes and said; ¡°I won¡¯t tolerate a nagging father inw in my marriage. Your daughter will live happily ever after as the princess you want her to be but I won¡¯t ept your say in my life or marriage. You want an illusion of love for Aurora, you will get it.  She will live like a queen, my queen but that¡¯s it. After marriage, my word will bew for her.¡±


    Ethan nodded. ¡°I want you to be loyal to my daughter and  keep her happy and safe.¡±


    ¡°My sex life Is none of your business.¡±


    ¡°It is when my daughter is married to you.¡±


    Liam raised his eyes. ¡°I have some rare sort of preferences, one which your daughter might not be able to give to me.  And I would rather quench my thirst for those kinks with a whore rather than your daughter who wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the darkness of my mood.¡±


    Ethan fisted his hand and somehow managed to control himself from shooting Liam right between the eyes. ¡°Make sure that Aurora didn¡¯t find out about your disgusting ways. Remember the deal can be cancelled anytime, Liam. Don¡¯t push my buttons.¡±


    Liam only sighed. ¡°I am not pushing your buttons just stating facts. I know what my responsibilities would be as a husband. I can guarantee you one thing. Your daughter will be happy with me.¡±


    Ethan nodded. ¡°I ept you as My Son inw, Liam.¡±


    Liam smiled, Ralph left the breath he was holding while Thomas opened a champagne bottle to celebrate their unwritten contract.


    The contract which sealed Aurora¡¯s fate with Liam Knight and if which Aurora was still unaware of.


    Meanwhile, Aurora was sitting near the pool on one of the sun chairs with herptop and working on her design for the final round of her contest. Abruptly, her gaze went to a couple. The man was on his knee with a ring in his hand while the girl had this awesome expression on her face.


    The girl nodded in yes and the man picked her in his arms and twirled her around. People around them started pping and the man put the ring on that girl¡¯s finger. Once again they happily hugged each other and kissed.


    Aurora smiled seeing them together but when her eyes went to her naked finger she sighed. She didn¡¯t understand what she was feeling, this naked finger one day felt like freedom to her and when she saw something like she just saw she felt a heaviness in her heart.


    She had no idea where her life was taking her now. What she felt for Gabriel she had never felt for anyone else. She wanted to spend her life with Gabe. She even ignored many things she didn¡¯t like in him, the way he treated her just to make her rtionship work but when she saw that he didn¡¯t even bother to call her once she was hurt.


    And then there was that ind incident which turned her life upside down. She only knew one thing that she had never hated someone in her life as much as she hated Liam Knight and she never wanted toy her eyes on him again.


    ¡°Aurora¡­¡±


    She heard Susan calling her.  Aurora forced herself to smile. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Is everything alright? You look a little¡­ sad?¡±


    Aurora sighed and put her head on Susan¡¯s shoulder. ¡± I feel lonely, Susie.¡± She nced at her finger once again and guilt erupted in her heart.


    ¡°I feel guilty of taking off my ring without talking to Gabe first.¡±


    Susan stiffened and kissed Aurora¡¯s head. I won¡¯t allow you in that bastard¡¯s clutches ever again even if I have to be a vamp in your love story.

 Chapter 57

    What?¡± Liam asked his brother who was staring at him in astonishment.


    ¡± I am just thinking how could you ept such an offer? I mean do you even know how to date someone. You talk to people as if you are doing them a favour. Do you have any idea how to woo a girl, any girl, let alone Aurora King?¡±


    Liam sighed. ¡°The girl is an emotional fool. She thinks with her heart not mind. But the main problem is the Restaurant owner¡­¡± Liam started and the tightness on his face and darkness in his eyes made Ralph¡¯s mind go haywire.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Don¡¯t Liam, please. Ethan said he would handle that man and he would. I don¡¯t think we should interfere in his territory more than we already did, at least not till you get married,¡± Ralph suggested.


    Liam nodded. ¡°Even after marrying Aurora, I won¡¯t break my words because my words hold value. But now, my main concern is about how to woo that unbearable shop of chattering.¡±


    Ralph raised a brow with a smirk on his face. ¡°Best of luck with that because I know it won¡¯t be easy for you. From whatever you told me, I gather the girl is the opposite of your personality. You don¡¯t like it when someone speaks a single sentence more than needed and here you want to marry a girl who couldn¡¯t keep her mouth shut!¡±


    Liam leaned back in the car seat and closed his eyes. Liam Knight for the first time in his life had no idea how to handle the situation he was stuck into.


    There has to be a way¡­


    He was thinking and then a thought clicked in his mind. He had the opportunity in his hand. He smirked while pulling out his phone from his coat pocket and dialled his friend Alexandrios number.


    ¡°What?¡± He snapped and Liam¡¯s brows jerked together.


    ¡°Is there an issue?¡± Liam asked him in all seriousness because he knew Alexandrios in and out and that¡¯s not how he greeted him.


    Alexandrio on the other hand pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and sighed. ¡°Yes, nothing serious. Tell me what you want now?¡±


    Liam knew there was something Alexandrio was not sharing. But right now was not the time to persuade him to know. He has other important matters to think about.


    ¡°I want Aurora to win this contest.  I will be back in Vancouver till evening but when I reach there I want this contest to be over and Aurora is dered as the winner with a two months contract with, The Belle.¡±


    Alexandrio¡¯s brows jerked upward when he heard his next words. ¡°She will work in The Belle¡¯s head office with Rawls.¡±


    ¡°Head office! Your office, Liam? Do I need to know something?¡±


    Liam chuckled. ¡°Do as I say, pal,¡± saying that he ended the call and once again leaned back in his car seat but this time with an excited smirk on his lips.


    Mrs Knight, it will be so much fun to y with you.     At the same time,  Alexandrio called Katie in his cabin and asked her to do as Liam told her with a little change in the words.


    ¡°Make sure the contract states exactly what I said.¡± He ordered Katie who nodded curtly in understanding and left.


    Alexandrio smiled. ¡°I won¡¯t let you leave me that easily miss Emily. If you choose me willingly, good or I can be a very persuasive man.¡± He whispered to himself and lifted his winess toward his lips and gulped it one go.


    On the other hand, Aurora was exining her design to her friends.


    ¡°Hm! It¡¯s nice, I think after this no one can stop us from winning.¡± Susan told both her friends while studying the design with her eyes.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s beautiful, Aurora,¡± Emily supported Susan¡¯s words.


    Aurora smiled. It felt a lifetime away from when she came to Vancouver from Churchill when it¡¯s only been a month.  Yes, everything changed in thisst month. Their smiles turned into forced smiles.  The only person who was behaving like herself was Susan and both Aurora and Emily prayed that it would remain that way, Forever.  At least one of them should remain the same while the other two among the three friends have lost their enthusiasm too soon.


    Emily drew in a sharp breath before speaking. ¡°It¡¯s final then. We will give our best and the rest is fate.¡±


    They were discussing their presentation when a knock sounded on the door of their cabin.


    Aurora opened the door. It was Mr Joshua who was on the other side. ¡°There is a meeting with our legal advisor. Your presence is needed in the meeting room.¡±


    Aurora smiled. ¡°Give us a moment to gather our purse, please.¡±


    Aurora closed the room and told her friends about the meeting. They gathered their belongings and followed Joshua in the meeting room.


    Alexandrio was sitting on the centre chair with two stone-facedwyers. The other contestant and his team were also present there and Miss Katie was sitting beside Alexandrio with an open folder


    Emily¡¯s eyes went to Alexandrio who was talking to one of thewyers. Emily looked away, scolding hers to maintain herposure.


    The meeting started and the Lawyer informed them about their two monthly contracts.  ¡°You all agreed to sign it before the final round, the terms are the same, it¡¯s just a procedure needed to be done.¡±


    ¡°I am ready to sign with my whole team.¡± The other contestant, Maya said after reading it.


    Aurora nced at Susan who had her nose stuck in the contract and was reading it thoroughly. Aurora tried to understand but thenguage in that contract was a little hard for her to understand.


    ¡°I want to call my dad¡¯swyer¡­¡± Aurora started but Susan interrupted. ¡°No need, I read it and I ept everything written in it.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s sign it already, Aurora. It¡¯s about our dreams. It¡¯s about Emily¡¯s dream.¡± Susan said it loud enough for Alexandrio to hear who jerked his head in Emily¡¯s direction.  Emily cleared her throat, ¡°if you want then¡­¡±


    Aurora patted Emily¡¯s hand and signed the contract without even thinking twice.


    ¡°Congrattions, everyone and I wish you all the best for thest round,¡± Alexandrio said in your business-like tone but only if anyone could see inside him. He was smiling ear to ear over getting the girl in his clutches who dared to give him a cold shoulder.


    On the other hand, Ethan took a long puff from his cigar. His eyes focussed on the sky staring at the stars. ¡°She used to hate when you smoked.¡±


    Ethan turned his head towards his long time friend Ryan. ¡°Your son is worse than you.¡±


    Ryan shrugged. ¡°Blood¡¯s blood.¡± He stepped closer and rested his hand on Ethan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Aurora will be safe, Liam will keep her safe, Ethan.¡±


    Ethan dabbed his burning cigarette against the wall and turned towards Ryan. ¡°He has to or you know me better than anyone else.¡±


    Ryan¡¯s lips tugged upward. ¡°No need to y the scare game with me. If you know how to kill, trust me my friend  I am worse than you. you have seen my madness but as I said, Aurora is like a daughter for me too and nothing or no one would be able to harm her till I am alive.¡±


    Ethan nodded his head. Too emotional to speak a single word. Ethan King was still the brave man but it was the continuous fear for her safety that made him weak.


    ¡°Now, shall we discuss about those Mexicans or I say one particr Mexican.¡±


    ¡°Juan!¡± Ethan muttered under his breath and curled his hands into tight fists.


    Ryan sighed. ¡°He will be punished for what he did.¡±


    Oh, Ethan had no doubt. Juan, the Mexican cartel boss would certainly be punished at the hands of Ethan King.


    Meanwhile, it was eight in the evening. The contest started and Aurora presented her design with full confidence and enthusiasm. Maya, the other contestant, did the same.


    Both the designs were up to the point. Alexandrio was impressed with both of them; the other two judges shared different opinions for the winner. But certainly, it was Alexandrio¡¯s vote which was going to decide the winner of the contestant.


    And he had already chosen the winner. His Emily!


    ¡°I am in favour of Maya,¡± Rawl said but one look from Alexandrio and he shut his mouth. ¡°Maya will be presented with two million dors and a partnership with one of my other designers in Russia but here, the winner is Aurora and her team. She and her team will assist you with our holiday collection.¡± Alexandrio wanted Aurora to win but he was impressed by Maya¡¯s design too and losing someone as good as Maya was kind designing, no. He wouldn¡¯t do that. Personal matters aside, business was business.


    Kevin Rawl nodded in understanding. And the winner was selected. Now just the official announcement was left to be done.


    Katie took the envelope from the judges and smiled at both the contestants. ¡°It was a great contest. We had everything one can wish for in this thirty days journey. From action to drama.¡± Katie looked at Aurora clearly pointing at her designs being stolen and went missing for about four days.


    Everyone including Auroraughed at the reminder.


    ¡°But now, I have the name of that girl who is going to assist Kevin Rawl for The Belle¡¯s uing holiday collection.¡±


    Susan clutched both Emily¡¯s and Aurora¡¯s hands tightly. Their breathing turned shallow as Kaitie opened the envelope to announce the winner¡¯s name.


    Maya and her team were apprehensive as well. They all were looking at Katie expectantly.


    ¡°And the winner of this contest is¡­¡±


    Both the contestants were smiling anxiously and then Katie announced the name which made Aurora and her friends squeal in happiness.


    ¡°Aurora and her team¡­¡±


    Aurora was practically jumping up and down. It was one of the happiest moments of her life.  Emily had tears in her eyes at this moment and Susan was hugging them both like a mother who hugged her daughters.


    It was their dreams in which they believed when no one else did. This was huge for the three friends. And they were loving every moment of it. ¡°We won, we won, Susie!¡± Aurora was still shivering from happiness.


    Emily couldn¡¯t believe her fate. Sheet the sob she was trying to hold and Susan I tried to remain stiff and hard but of course, today was not the day for that. Today they were just too emotional.


    ¡°We don¡¯t want to spoil the money for you but can you please join us on the stage, Miss Aurora,¡± Katie said.


    Aurora nodded, her face flushed in happiness and she managed to walk with her wobbly legs. ¡°How are you feeling at this moment, Miss Aurora?¡±


    Aurora drew in a shaky breath, tears shining in her eyes and she cleared her throat before speaking. ¡°There are no words to describe the feeling. I am in the seventh sky at this moment but it¡¯s not about me only. It won¡¯t be possible without their contribution,¡± Aurora replied happily but then her eyes went to Maya and her team who looked sad.


    ¡°Maya, I know you are feeling the exact opposite of what I am feeling at this moment but trust me, my friend, you were amazing.  Thank you for such healthypetition.¡±


    Maya smiled and nodded in understanding. ¡°The best man won. Congrattions¡­¡± she said and everyone pped at her lively spirit.


    ¡°Well, congrattions a sin but no need to be sad, Maya because our judges were so impressed by your designs that he has selected you in one of The Belle¡¯s fellowships programmes in Russia. You will be going there and also you will be getting a sum of Two million dors for your future endeavours!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Maya¡¯s eyes widened and she smiled genuinely this time.


    Alexandrio presented Aurora with the winner¡¯s certificate and trophy with a cheque of five million dors and a two months contract for her and her team to work as assistants in the head office of The Belle.


    It was the best night for Aurora as she and her friends kept starting at the trophy in their cabin.


    It was a magical night with a bright future or so they thought. But was it?

 Chapter 58

    ¡°Hey, stranger.¡±


    Aurora smiled hearing Susan¡¯s voice. She turned her head and looked at her friend.


    ¡°Haya back!¡± Aurora replied. Susan nodded at the ce beside her. ¡°May I?¡± She asked for permission to sit beside her.


    ¡°Since when did you start asking?¡± She rolled her eyes and patted on the seat. ¡°Come!¡±


    Susan sank down on the chair and sighed. ¡°Have you told Ethan about your win ?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, I called but he was busy in a meeting. I told Thomas he congratted me and told me that he will inform dad about it.¡±


    Susan inclined her head and pointed a finger in the dark sky.  ¡°Look at those two bright stars. That¡¯s mom and Aunt Savi. See how happy they look.¡±


    Aurora smiled. ¡°Thanks for being with me, always Susie. Mom and Aunt are looking upon us from up there.¡±


    ¡°Is everything alright, Aurora?¡±


    ¡°It is. I mean everything is fine, and you know what? I am back. I will not think about anything else except for this fellowship now. It¡¯s a career-changing opportunity for me and I won¡¯t let anything steal my moment from me.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes we just need to let things go and live in the present. Forget about everything except for the moment you are in, Aurora. Be my chirpy old friend again.¡±


    Aurora hugged Susan tightly from the side. ¡°Done deal!¡± She said in enthusiasm.


    ¡°You love me too much, right?¡± She asked, raising her brows.


    ¡°You are family for me Aurora and I can¡¯t see you like this. Was that man more important than me, than your happiness? You knew him what,  five months! Is he worth your smile, your confidence¡­¡±


    ¡°No, he is not. I get it and I am sorry for everything¡­ But I promise you. I will be myself again¡­¡± she said, kissing her friend on the cheek affectionately.


    Or I will try to do so¡­


    Susan smiled and stood up, ¡°shall we sleep now, girlfriend. After all, it¡¯s a new beginning from tomorrow for us.¡±


    Aurora stood up as well and they both went back to their cabin for a good night¡¯s sleep because tomorrow starts their new journey.


    On the other hand, Liam was in the boxing ring with Alexandrio both fighting a match.


    ¡°So you had this what, a contract with your future father inw to court your fiance¡­¡±


    Liam didn¡¯t like the teasing in Alexandria¡¯s voice and he struck a right hook directly on his face which his friend stopped using his fast reflexes.


    ¡°Fuck!¡±  He struck back and Liam took two steps back, attacked once again and this time punched him directly in the jaw.


    ¡°Alright, I am out.¡±


    Liam chuckled. ¡°Leave all this aside and tell me how to woo a girl like Aurora, I am sure you know all the tricks in this department,¡± he asked, opening his boxing gloves with his teeth.


    ¡°She is usual, try dating, you know to take her to dinners, give her some flowers and cheesy lines that will do. It works on girls like Aurora all the time.¡±


    And Liam stared at his friend pointedly. ¡°Cheesy lines?¡±


    ¡°You are stuck, my friend¡­¡± Alexandrio left a throaty chuckle. ¡°Badly!¡±


    Liam left a depressed breath and looked at the sky. ¡°Tough luck!¡±     ¡°Girls, how am I looking?¡± Emily asked her friends and Aurora eyed her hot body. That professional blue pencil skirt and white silk shirt stuck to her body like a second skin and it showed her curves beautifully.


    Aurora whistled at Emily. ¡°Who do you want to kill with this hot look, that Russian billionaire?¡± She teased her and suddenly,  Emily¡¯s smile became hard to maintain.


    Susan waved her hand evasively.¡±That Russian billionaire is a thing of the past. Now our Em is bored with him.¡±


    Emily nodded at Susan, thanking her without words for handling the situation. Susan only rolled her eyes and nodded back, saying it was not a big deal.


    ¡°Wow! And no one told me. But he was hot. You know¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, now we should stop this billionaire chat and focus on this job at our hands. Today is our first day for this internship and girls, we need to impress Kevin for our brand. Winning thispetition gave us recognition in the designing world but now we have to think about our brand.¡±


    ¡°Yup! We will do it¡­¡± both the girls said and Susan nodded. ¡°Oh, and tonight, after office I have nned this spa night for us tonight.¡±


    They all epted the n and left for the office. Once again Katie greeted them at the entrance. ¡°Wee to The Belle. Hope you like everything here.¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    ¡°We hope that too,¡± Susan replied while Emily and Aurora smiled at her politely.


    ¡°You all will assist Kevin in his new collection for now but from tomorrow, you all will be assigned different responsibilities in the designing team. Miss Aurora, you will be responsible for presenting the final designs to the CEO personally and Miss Emily you will be assisting the head our the raw materials team handling our partners from Russia. And miss Susan you will research the collection ideas.¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡± All three of them nodded as they understood their responsibilities.


    ¡°This is so beautiful!¡± Emily whispered looking around the modern architecture of the building.


    ¡°Wait till we open our own brand. Just two more months Em! Nothing can stop us anymore,¡± Aurora replied.


    And they all were engrossed with their new responsibilities. Every other thought was at bay from them, now they all were focussed on their works of and happy doing that.


    Aurora wanted to impress Kevin with her designs and skills and she was trying her level best. Even Kevin who took Aurora for a brat and even if she wanted the contest Rawl knew there were far more talented candidates than her. ording to him, Maya should have been the winner but the ship has already sailed now.


    Still, he was impressed by her fresh ideas and determination to learn.


    ¡°It was a nice day, Aurora,¡± Kevin told her after finishing the first design for their new collection.


    Aurora smiled. ¡°Thank you, Mr Kevin and I hope you are happy with my work.¡±


    ¡°I am and you amazed me today.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s smile widened. ¡°But it¡¯s not me who you have to impress but the CEO of this jewellery house. In the end, he will decide to select or reject any design.¡±


    Aurora nodded in understanding. ¡°I will do my best to doesn¡¯t this design to him, Mr Rawls.¡±


    ¡°Good,  now that office time is over, do you want me to drop you somewhere?¡± He asked but Aurora politely declined the offer.


    ¡°Oh, no, we brought our car and we have ns for tonight.¡±


    ¡°What n? Won¡¯t you invite me?¡± Kevin asked in a teasing manner and Aurora giggled.


    ¡°Well, we are going to the spa¡­¡±


    He grimaced. ¡°Alright, I am off that girl¡¯s stuff. Enjoy but don¡¯t forget that tomorrow is a big day for you.¡±


    ¡°I know, thanks again, Kevin.¡±


    Kevin nodded politely but before he could speak his cell phone rang and his smiling face turned serious within a nanosecond when he nced at the caller ID.  He raised his head and looked at the CCTV camera in his cabin.


    ¡°Excuse me, Aurora,¡± Kevin said and walked out of the cabin leaving Aurora alone. She sighed and gathered all her belongings before calling her girl gang.


    Meanwhile, Kevin knocked on the door and entered. He gulped when his eyes went to the person sitting at the centre of the cabin.  Liam Knight.


    Liam was sitting in his office and watching his would-be wife work the whole day with pure determination. He was impressed that she can manage to do something else apart from making people mad with her none stop bbering.


    Everything was fine, he was okay with her professional rtionships but then 7a hot fury ran through his body who he saw Aurora smiling with his head designer.


    Liam immediately ordered Kevin to meet him in his office and then he waited for his designer to tell him what was that damn funny which made themugh like that.  He nced at the door when it opened slowly.


    Liam started tapping his forefinger on the huge mahogany desk, slowly. His eyes sharpened when Kevin entered and stops in front of him.


    ¡°You called me, Liam?¡±


    Liam gave him a stiff nod. ¡°How is your new intern, Kevin?¡±  He asked.


    ¡°She is good, has the determinant and enthusiastic.¡±


    Control Liam! Control!


    ¡°What is so funny that you both wereughing with each other?¡± He asked starting directly info Kevin¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Oh, that is nothing, I offered to drop her somewhere but she declined because she was going for a spa night.¡±


    Spa night!


    Blood filled in Liam¡¯s male part and sitting on the chair became hard for him.


    Fuck! The girl was intolerable when she open her mouth but her body gave her a boner every time he think about that silky skin of hers.


    ¡°Any problem?¡± Kevin asked Liam who looked a little lost.


    Liam turned his eyes to Kevin. ¡°This is my office, Kevin and I want everyone to behave professionally. So I would rather you remember that,¡± he said pointedly.


    Kevin stood stiffly. ¡°I understand.¡±


    Liam gestured at the door and Kevin understood at once that he was dismissed. Kevin might be working in The Belle but he has heard enough whispers among people to know that Liam Knight was not someone to be crossed over.


    Liam pulled out his phone and called one of his men who epted the call at once. ¡°Follow Miss King and tell me where she is,¡± he ordered and ended the call.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± He winced at the uneasiness in his d**k when he moved back in his chair and closed his eye and that blonde temptress face shed in his eyes and the words of her father rang in his ear.


    Woo my daughter, make her fall in love with you.


    ¡°You have stuck in a hell whole Liam.¡±  He cursed under his breath. He tried to calm his libido but nothing was working so with no other option left he once again picked his cell phone and called one of his whores to calm his wild libido.


    Liam nced at the adjoining door of his office and penthouse here. There stood the ck-haired beauty in satin lingerie. She moved seductively to him, her lips perfectly coloured with red lipstick.


    When she came nearer she sat on her knees. ¡°How may I help you, sir?¡± She urred in her husky sex smitten voice.


    Liam opened on the zip of his pants and leaned back in his chair. The girl crawled like a kitten and pulled out his d**k from his pants and used her skills to satisfy Liam.


    But Liam still couldn¡¯t get the image of Aurora out of his mind and he growled in anger. The girl¡¯s mouth was like a magic and all he imagined was that instead of his regr whores it was Aurora who was working her magic on him and it works. He busted out in release cursing loudly.


    Liam left a harsh breath and opened his eyes. Looking at the girl in front of him he gritted his jaw. He wanted Aurora to be here not her.


    ¡°Dismissed,¡± he ordered and the girl stood up at once, nodded and left.


    Liam¡¯s hands were itching to touch Aurora¡¯s body. Her silky skin was all he wanted to feel under his skin. Liam was getting impatient. He wanted to own Aurora but Damn, Ethan and his stiption!


    He was sitting with a raging body when his cell phone beeped with a text notification and when he read the text his mouth carved into a twisted smile.


    The text has the address of the spa where his would-be wife was taking a body message.


    ¡°I think my hands deserve to have this little fun with your smooth body, Mrs Knight¡­¡±

 Chapter 59

    ¡°How was your day, Girls?¡± Susan asked both her friends while driving.


    ¡°Mine was okay ¨C okay because my head is a self-obsessed ass.¡±


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Aurora muttered under her breath and looked at Emily sympathetically.


    ¡°Mine was good, at first Kevin Rawls gave me a cold shoulder but then he was impressed with my skills and you guys know what?¡±


    Susan smiled seeing her old, confident chirpy Aurora back. ¡°What?¡± She and Emily asked at the same time and then both met their gases in the mirror, rolled their eyes at each other and turned their eyes back to Aurora.


    ¡°I saw his teeth!¡±


    ¡°Eww!¡± Emily gave her a disgusted look while Susan raised her brows. ¡°Mind borating that a little because now my imagination is running wild.¡±


    Yuck, Girl!¡± He shook her head disgustedly. What I am saying is that man knows how tough. He even cracked a joke with me.¡±


    Susan nodded. ¡°Cool, mine was good too. I hope the next two months pass like today without any issues.¡±


    All three fire da nodded at that and then the drive was filled with loud music and the three of them giving a loudpetition to the leading singers of Canada.


    Susan finally stopped the car when they reached the spa. Once inside they choose what services they want.


    ¡°What about body massage?¡± Aurora asked both Emily and Susan.


    ¡°Taking it.¡± Both her friends agreed and they ordered the services. They enjoyed indulging their bodies under the ministrations of professionals.


    Aurora liked pampering herself like this and after the ind incident, she craved to be spoiled as much as she could. Once again her thoughts wandered back to Liam and a disturbing feeling aroused in her body but she calmed herself and tried to ignore her thoughts.


    ¡°Mam, your massage room is ready.¡±


    Aurora smiled at the attendant and followed her towards the room. The room smelled like roses. It was a beautifully fragranced room with a bed at the centre and soft soothing music ying in the background.


    Aurora removed her robe andid down on the soft bed with towels hiding her feminine parts.


    She closed her eyes and listened to soothing music.  Aurora was lost in another world when she felt two hands on her shoulder.  She was about to open her eyes but a silk cloth was upon them.


    She gasped. ¡°Excuse me, why are you blindfolding me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a special massage to calm the body, Miss King. And in this, you just have to feel the touches to your body and rx.¡±


    Aurora calmed to hear the feminine voice and drew in a receiving breath.  The music, the intoxicating fragrance, rxed her mind.¡±Alright,¡± she said andid back down on the bed and waited for the massage to begin.


    Liam smirked when he saw her lying butt naked on the bed. When Liam came there and ordered the attendant to take him to Aurora¡¯s massage room. The attendant was horrified and she refused to follow his order.


    A mere attendant denied Liam Knight¡¯s order. His rage knew no bounds at the time and he roared in anger. ¡°Do you even know who you are standing in front of?¡±


    Before the girl could even speak, the manager came running. ¡°Mr Knight, what happened sir? I mean, is there any matter¡­¡± she bbered in a fearful voice.


    ¡°Who is she?¡± He asked the manager without taking his eyes off the girl.


    ¡°She is a new recruit si, r. If you want I can fire her¡­¡±


    Liam kept his eyes pinned on the attendant who didn¡¯t even look down and kept staring at him. He liked that attitude. The girl has the guts, ¡°no, just tell her to do as I say.¡± And then she followed every order he gave just like she was doing now.


    ¡°, your masseuse will be here soon in a few seconds. As you requested you will be getting a hot oil massage,¡± saying that she left Liam alone with his would-be wife, the golden hair temptress who made him as randy as a teenager.


    Liam smirked and picked the oil bottle from the side table and eyed Aurora¡¯s beautiful body from head to toe. He neared her and sniffed her golden hair.


    Mild rose fragrance hazed his mind.


    His eyes travelled to her long neck and then to her towel-covered bosom. Liam¡¯s groin tightened just by looking at her body as his eyes travelled further towards the south and his eyes fixed on her belly button.


    He uncapped the oil bottle and pour exactly four drops of oil on her belly button. Her skin reflexed in reaction and Aurora moaned.


    The sound was like magic to Liam¡¯s ears. He used the oil on her stomach and then travelled to her legs, oil dripping from the bottle and every time its drop touched her skin Aurora moaned like a kitten.


    Liam¡¯s eyes sparkled, enjoying the erotic show. He couldn¡¯t wait anymore to touch her satin-smooth skin and without waiting for another minute he put his hands on her softly and rubbed his thumbs over her necks and the sound she made at his touch, he wanted to f*ck her senseless on this massage bed thoroughly but he controlled himself,  barely.


    Aurora was in another world. For a moment she thought she knew the touch. It felt familiar, too familiar. Just like his touch, Liam¡¯s touch, but how was that possible.  No, she was just overthinking. She ordered her mind to ignore whatever she was feeling and enjoy the rxing massage.


    Aurora started to calm herself but as the time passed and the Masseuse¡¯s hand travelled towards her abdomen she felt a different t kind of feeling she had never felt before.  She curled her toes because she was feeling a kind of tightness in her stomach, a fluttering as if thousands of butterflies were dancing inside her.


    His hands travelled downwards, dangerously closer to her femininity and Aurora left an uncontroble moan. Her hormones turned upside down when she felt his oily hands in her inner thighs.


    Oh, God!


    Her breathing turned short and she tried to stop the masseuse but couldn¡¯t for two reasons. First, she was enjoying this far too much and second it didn¡¯t feel like a massage at all. It felt as if she was having sex with someone.


    She flushed at the thought, how was it possible. The person was gay, that¡¯s why they came here then howe she felt like this.


    Aurora whimpered when his hands travelled to her feet and he rubbed lukewarm oil on her toe fingers.


    ¡°Oh, God!¡± She cried in pleasure and Liam was practically leaking in his undies. He needed to have her¡­


    ¡°Fuck!¡± He whispered silently and continued his erotic massage. Once again his hands were on her thighs and she squirmed as if she was having an orgasm and Liam¡¯s eyes widened when she started shaking.


    Fuck, she is having an orgasm!


    He was stunned at her response and started rubbing her thumbs inside her thighs a little fast to create friction between her legs. The towel which covered her femininity slipped a little and her pink pu**y was on disy.


    Liam swallowed harshly. He continued doing it and with a sharp cry, Aurora came. Hard.


    Her body sparkled under the light not only because of oil but sweat as well. Liam smiled and wiped his hands with the towel, he once again went closer to Aurora and sniffed her hair.


    Beautiful. Responsive. Hot and mine!This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Liam used the backdoor to get out of the room and there he jerked himself off like a fucking teenager to ease the stiffness in his body.


    Aurora on the other hand removed the blindfold when she didn¡¯t feel the hands on her body again and when she opened her eyes she eyes the masseur with pink hair.


    She couldn¡¯t believe that it was him who gave her this amazing massage. ¡°You are really nice at this!¡± Sheplimented him and he grinned.


    ¡°Thank you, honey. I have twelve years experience in this business.¡±


    Aurora was impressed. She put on the towel robe and opened her purse, pulled out a hundred dors out of it and handed it to him. ¡°For you, as a token  of my appreciation.¡±


    After the perfect day at the spa, Aurora called her dad after dinner that night. ¡°Hey Dad, how are you doing today?¡±


    ¡°Fine, you seem happy, love. Is there something you want to tell me?¡± Ethan asked.


    ¡°Actually yes, Dad. Ah! Kevin liked my work as his assistant today. So I am happy about it,¡± Aurora replied but then she covered her throat when she felt weird recalling that massage.


    ¡°Ah! Dad. I just called you to tell you that I am fine and happy so don¡¯t stress over me. Take care, love you. Bye,¡± she sang chirping and ended the call biting her lower lip. Aurora was feeling like herself. She felt amazing today. She felt so happy that after almost six months she recorded a new video of her bbering and posted it on social media.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I missed my social life this much¡­¡± she whispered reading thements on hertest video and she decided to be active in her social media ounts once again.


    She was a celebrity and ruled over the social media and once again the Queen of reels was about to rule that world. Finally, she closed her eyes and slept peacefully.


    The next day Susan cooked breakfast for everyone. ¡°Heyzy headse fats or I promise I will not let you eat a single piece of bread if we gette.¡±


    Aurora and Emily joined Susan at the breakfast table. ¡°Seems like we should go for a massage once a week from now on and this time I was going to have that experienced masseuse to see how magical his hands are.¡± Susan jeered.


    Aurora rolled her eyes. ¡°Oh please, you would scare that poor fellow with your scary looks.¡±


    Emily choked on her foodughing. ¡°That was¡­¡± sheughed, shaking her head. ¡°So True.¡±


    Susan red at her. ¡°Shut up!¡± She snapped at Emily but inwardly she was happy because once again the mornings were just like they were once used to be. Happy.


    When they reached the office they went to their particr departments and Aurora greeted Kevin smiling but unlike yesterday he was not friendly. No, on the other hand, he was back to his old stiff self.


    ¡°Make sure the designs are perfectly groomed, Miss King.¡± He ordered her.


    Aurora smiled politely. ¡°I will make sure it does, Kevin.¡±


    ¡°I prefer Mr Rawls, Miss king. I want to keep things professional.¡±


    Professional. What was yesterday? A test period. Grumpy old man. As if I am jumping on him to make things personal.  Hm! God gives strength to his wife who tolerates him and his mood swings.


    ¡°As you say, Mr Rawls.¡± She replied and took the drawing sheets from the table to sharpen the designs onest time before handing it to the making team.


    ¡°One thing I forgot to tell you,, Miss King,¡± he said when she was about to step out of his cabin.


    Aurora turned towards him. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You need to take the selected designs to the CEO in two hours for the final decision. Make sure you present it to him perfectly. He is quite strict when ites to business.¡±


    Anyone would be better than you. Grumpy old man.


    ¡°I will keep that in mind,  Mr Rawls,¡± she replied and then turned around, rolled her eyes and walked back to her cabin.


    Once she finished the design she asked Katie about the CEO¡¯s office. She thanked Katie, picked up her dawning book and purse, and stepped inside the elevator to go to the Fortieth floor which has the CEO¡¯s office. When she reached there she knocked on the door but she frowned when her eyes went to the namete on the door.


    ¡°Mr Knight?¡±


    Oh no¡­ no¡­ no¡­ no¡­ no! He might be some other knight because that self-obsessed man couldn¡¯t be the CEO of The Belle. The belle belonged to Alexandrio¡­ right?


    Aurora ignored the prickling feeling in the back of her neck when she opened the door. She stepped inside, cleared her throat to gain the person¡¯s attention who was sitting with his back towards her.


    ¡°Excuse me, sir¡­¡± she drawled and then her eyes widened, mouth hung open and her heart started beating so hard against her ribcage that she could hear its sound and the reason for this was sitting in front of her wearing a ck business coat and a confident look.


    The reason was nine other than that arrogant, self-obsessed, lying, deceiving man, Liam Knight.

 Chapter 60

    You!!¡± She snapped fiercely. ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡±


    Liam casually leaned back in his chair, raised his eyes and pinned them on Aurora who was seething in anger.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Aurora eyed that lying arrogant receiving bastard sitting leisurely on the chair as if she was not standing there. The bastard. She thought his chapter was over in her life but no, here he was sitting in front of her with that mocking smile and confident look on his face which created a riot in her body.


    ¡°Answer me?¡± She yelled at him pping her hands against the hardwood of the mahogany desk.


    ¡°Do I need to remind you about the consequences of using this tone with me, Mrs Knight?¡± He drawled in a dangerous silky voice and for a moment Aurora froze. The images of his brutality running in front of her eyes. She recalled how badly he treated her on that ind and she curled her toes in fear.


    She gritted her teeth. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± She forced herself to ask in aposed voice.


    ¡°That¡¯s the right tone. You will talk to me in this manner only, Mrs Knight.¡±


    Aurora was on the brink of killing him. ¡°Who are you, some kind of King¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah.. ah! I am a Knight, wife. Your Knight in the shining armor, that¡¯s what girls like you call your husband right.¡±


    Aurora had enough of this, she was no longer on an abandoned ind where he could do anything with her. No, on the contrary, she was in a civilized society now which was governed byw and she would be damned if she let him suppress herself.


    ¡°I won¡¯t even keep you as my cleaner, let alone a husband, do you understand me. And I don¡¯t fear you because you can¡¯t manhandle me here and if you even think about trying to do that, I will call my dad. One phone call from him and he will bury you alive.¡±


    Fury ran through his veins hearing her words. A cleaner!  Shepared me to a cleaner.


    His rage knew no bounds. He stood up in one swift moment, sprinted towards her and sped his hand tightly in a bruising grip. Aurora was startled by the sudden moment, a second ago he was sitting calmly on the chair he was on her with a blink of her eye. She winced in pain when he pulled her closer to him.


    Their eyes met each other, breathing mingled and heart beating faster as if they had been running for a long time.


    ¡°You will not talk to me in this manner, Mrs Knight.¡± He ordered her and she pushed him in the chest but for no use as he grabbed her hair from the back of her head and raised her face. Aurora gulped but tried to squirm away from him.


    Liam let her try, he was enjoying her struggles.¡± I am your would-be husband but before that, I am your boss. So Don¡¯t force me to use other methods to keep you in line, Mrs Knight,¡±  he drawled silkily.


    Aurora, who was struggling to get away from him, froze. My boss!


    Liam sharpened his eyes as his gaze roamed on her beautiful pink lips. He touched her lower lip with his thumb, ruining her lipstick. She looked beautiful with that ruined lipstick and that look of hers ignited him.


    That¡¯s what he wanted to do with her, he wanted to ruin her and then pleasure her.


    Aurora who was frozen till now got back to her senses when she felt his thumb on her lip. A red hot rage erupted inside her and she pushed him away with all her strength this time.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever touch me again with these unworthy hands of yours and stop lying because I know you are not my boss, Alexandrio is.¡±


    Liam chuckled. ¡°Are you sure? Becausest time I checked, The Belle was still mine with its seventy per cent shares in my name and rest in Alexandrio¡¯s. Now wife, if you got answers to all your questions. I think we should start working¡­¡±


    Aurora went numb. She kept staring at him for a moment and when she came to her senses she sted on him. ¡°You lying deceiving thug! Don¡¯t think that I didn¡¯t understand it was all your n just like that ind. And if you think that I will work for you then you are an idiot to think that. I won¡¯t work for you¡­¡±


    Liam smiled, mockingly. ¡°You have to work for me, wife. Maybe you forgot but let me remind you, you signed a contract with me¡­¡±


    ¡°To hell with you and your contract. Sue me for all I care!¡± Saying that she was about to turn to leave but stopped when she heard Liam¡¯s next words.


    ¡°Alright, as you wish, wife. You and your friends will be hearing from mywyers soon.¡±


    Friends!


    She turned back towards him. ¡°You bastard!¡± She lunged at him and pushed him hard in the chest. ¡°I will kill you¡­¡±


    Liam grabbed both her hands.  ¡°If you want me to take you to court I will say do that, but remember Aurora no matter how wealthy your dad is no one is above thew,¡± he said and the words were not less than a mockery to him.


    It¡¯s Vancouver, his city and he is thew here. ¡°Two billion might not be anything to you but what about your friends because they both have to pay me the same amount individually.¡±


    Two billion dors!


    Aurora gulped. ¡°I hate you¡­¡± she whispered. There was no way Emily would ept money from her and she barely had a sum of two hundred thousand dors in her bank ount. And Susan, oh God! She had the money inherited from her mother. It was nowhere near the amount this man just bark from his mouth.


    He pulled her even closer and sniffed her hair, Aurora stood there motionless. Her mind was not working. He grabbed her chin and made her look into his eyes.


    ¡°I know you are shocked to see me here, Mrs Knight and I don¡¯t want you to stress over the situation so take a day off and rx. Think about what you want to do next but I say, think rationally because even your father won¡¯t like it when you ask her to pay two billion dors to me,¡± he said, stroking her chin softly.


    Oh, how he wanted to kiss those luscious lips. He needed to jerk himself again or call his whore again to relieve him.


    Fear was visible in her eyes. She pushed him away from her and practically ran out of his cabin.


    Once back in her cabin, she searched for her phone and cursed herself because she left her phone in his office. She couldn¡¯t face him again, not yet at least.


    She needed to discuss this with Susan. She couldn¡¯t share it with Emily, no she would be tense. She tried to calm herself, all those memories from the ind came running back to her mind.


    She recalled his scary eyes when she found him in that vi, she recalled his words and how restlessly he behaved with her. Liam Knight was a nightmare in her life which was not ending, no matter how hard she tried.


    She was sitting in one of the chairs with her head buried in her hands. she jumped when a knock sounded but calmed when found a man standing at the doorstep with her handbag and drawing book in his hands.


    ¡°Mr knight sent these for you, miss.¡±


    She gulped hearing his name again. The man entered and ced her belongings on the desk and left without a word to her. With shaky hands, she opened her handbag and pulled out her phone, unlocked it, and speed dial Susan who epted the call almost immediately.


    ¡°Yes, Aurora?¡± She asked.


    And Aurora left the sob she was unknowingly holding. Susan¡¯s body stiffened.


    ¡°Aurora, are you alright? What happened? Tell me?¡±  Sudan asked, stopping her research about a design.


    ¡°Susie, pleasee here¡­ please.¡±


    Susan closed herptop. Stood up immediately and ran out of her office to reach her friend as soon as possible. She didn¡¯t even look if anyone was in her way and kept running and suddenly she bumped into something.


    ¡°Jesus!¡± She swore and touched her head to ease the pain, raised her eyes and found a man standing in front of her.  The man was handsome, no doubt. She usually dates this kind of man but now was not the time.


    ¡°Look where you are going,¡± the man said but his gaze was fixed on her.


    ¡°Ya, my apologies.¡± She said negatively and passed by him.


    Ralph frowned looking at her departing figure.  ¡°Crazy women!¡± She shook his head and walked towards Alexandrio¡¯s office.


    When Susan reached Aurora¡¯s cabin her shoulders were shaking lightly. ¡°Aurora?¡± She whispered, entering and Aurora ran to her.


    ¡°Oh my God, Susan! We are fucked up!¡±


    Susan didn¡¯t understand anything and frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°How could you make such a big mistake?¡± Aurora asked her friend anxiously.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I am talking about the use in our contract which states that we have to pay two billion dors each if any of us broke any use of that contract.¡±


    Susan took a sharp breath. ¡°You called me here because of this?¡± She asked her.


    ¡°How could you be so calm about it, how could agree to this idiotic use. I signed the contract without thinking and saw what we got stuck into?¡±


    Susan rolled her eyes. ¡°Aurora, I agreed to the use because there was nothing more important for me than this internship. This is the first step for our big dreams and trust me I would have signed the contract even if the cause has five billions on it. I mean I don¡¯t want to break the contract because of a


    stupid use¡­¡±


    A stupid use! Two billion dors is a stupid use to her?


    Aurora was shocked the second time today. First Liam and now her friend. ¡°Susan, do you have any idea what you made me sign?¡±


    ¡°What? You are talking as if you have signed a deal with a devil, Aurora. Chill out! It¡¯s just a matter of two months and after that we will have everything we have dreamed about together. Our own brand. The contest gave us recognition and that too on our own and  not because who your or mine daddy is!¡±


    Only if you knew, Susie! Only if you knew where I am stuck because of that stupid use. There is no good in telling Susan about Liam. I have to call dad¡¯swyer to get me to help out of this stupid contract.


    Because one thing was certain that Aurora King would never work for that lying, deceiving man named Liam Knight!!


    On the other hand, Liam called Ethan and told him about the contract details. At first, Ethan didn¡¯t like the method Liam was using to charm his daughter but knowing how stubborn Aurora could be he epted to help him.


    ¡°Two months, Liam. That¡¯s all you have,¡± reminding him, Ethan ended the call.


    Liam threw his phone on the desk in anger. ¡°Woo his daughter as if it¡¯s as easy as buying candies from a candy shop.¡±


    Just then a knock sounded on his food and Ralph entered. ¡°You look a little angry.¡±


    Liam pinched the bridge of his nose. Ralph walked up to him and chuckled. ¡°Aurora King, I guess. So any progress in wooing my daughter¡¯s project?¡± Ralph asked mockingly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this nonsense. Tell me about the Italians? Have they decided to meet?¡±


    Ralph¡¯s feature tightened at the mention of Jury. ¡°Bad news again, It¡¯s heard that the masked man signed the deal with Italians again. We lost almost  fifty million dors of weed¡­¡±


    Liam was enraged. ¡°Who the fuck is this masked man?¡± He muttered under his breath.


    Ralph sighed because even after trying no one could gather information about this masked man who had created nuisance in Liam¡¯s life.

 Chapter 61

    ¡°Are you both hiding something from me?¡± Emily asked her two friends, crossing her hands to her chest and looking at both of them.


    ¡°No,¡± Susan replied while Aurora remained silent.


    ¡°Hm! Listen up girls, I have news to share with you both.¡±


    Susan raised her brows. ¡°What? Don¡¯t tell me you are quitting the job?¡±


    Aurora, who was eating her noodles, choked and red at Susan. While Emily gave her an unimpressed look.


    ¡°Why would I do that? This is the most important thing in my life. It¡¯s something else, there is this new pub everyone is talking about here.  Some of my colleagues asked me to join them but I declined because we are going there together next week.¡±


    Aurora sighed. She was in no mood to go anywhere near a pub because thest time she did, she ended up on an ind with a man who made her life a living hell.


    Art! She screamed in her mind. Arrogant ass!


    ¡°I am in, I want a man, it¡¯s been too long,¡± Susan muttered.


    Aurora rolled her eyes and nced at Emily. ¡°Next week? I don¡¯t know, maybe we won¡¯t be able to go¡­¡±


    Emily frowned. ¡°Why? Is everything alright?¡± She asked Aurora worriedly.


    Oh God Em! How to tell you?


    ¡°Yes. Everything is fine, madam is just thinking too much. Don¡¯t worry about her, it¡¯s final we are going,¡± Susan told Emily but her eyes were on Aurora and she pointedly asked: ¡°Right, Aurora?¡±This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Aurora managed to smile. ¡°Yes.¡±


    After that, they didn¡¯t talk about anything except about work. When it was over she went to her room and called her father.


    Ethan, who knew that Aurora would call him, epted the call. ¡°Yes, darling?¡±


    ¡°Dad, I need a little help from you?¡± She said in a little shaky voice.


    Ethan sighed.  I am sorry darling but whatever I am doing is for your good and protection.


    ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t bang someone else¡¯s car again Aurora. I want you to be responsible and not behave like a child anymore whoes to daddy whenever you are stuck in a situation,¡± He said a little harshly and Aurora went numb.


    Never in her life, her father had talked to her this harshly. ¡°Dad,¡± she whispered, hurt by the tone of his voice.


    Ethan fisted his hand tightly, so tightly that pain shot through his nerves. He hated every word that wasing out of his mouth and hurting his daughter but he had to do it.


    ¡°Aurora, I want you to be responsible now. It¡¯s time that you start taking life seriously. The Police head still reminds me of that incident we metst time at a charity event. Darling, I love you and I am always with you but now I want you to grow up.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s stomach churned. She gulped heavily and sat down on the bed because her legs turned to jelly. ¡°Dad, you don¡¯t sound good. Are you sure you are alright? I am scared of hearing from you today.¡± She knew her father in and out. She knew him better than he knew himself and the words he was saying he would have never said to her if there was not something wrong.


    Ethan loosened his hand. His heart swelled with love. His daughter knew him far too well, he needed to try a different approach. ¡°Aurora¡­¡± he whispered.


    Aurora clutched her phone tightly. ¡°Dad, please tell me everything is fine!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just business, darling. Some things didn¡¯t work out as I wanted and now business is facing a little bit of a financial crisis. But nothing for you to worry about¡­¡±


    Aurora blinked her eyes. Financial crises ¡°Dad, how bad is it?¡±


    Ethan felt as if someone had pulled his heart out of his chest and smashed it painfully when he heard his daughter¡¯s anxious voice. ¡°Nothing for you to worry about, love.¡± He said, making sure that his voice sounded strained.


    Aurora closed her eyes. She knew her father was lying, his voice sounded strained. I can¡¯t ask dad for money. Six billion is big! Really Big! Damn you, Susan! Damn you!


    ¡°Dad, I know you will handle everything. My dad is a strong man, he can do anything.¡± She said encouraging him.


    Ethan swallowed the whole ss of whiskey in anger. ¡°Love, Don¡¯t let anyone or anything stand in your way of achieving your dream. I know my Daughter is one strongdy, she won¡¯t let anyone intimidate her¡­¡±


    Aurora frowned. She felt as if her father was trying to say something, as if he knew about the problem she was stuck into.  ¡°Dad, how do you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Just like you know that I am stressed, I know you, love. I understand you better than you do yourself but remember what your mother used to say. No problem is bigger than your determination.¡±


    Aurora touched her ne and her vision blurred. ¡°I understand dad and I promise I won¡¯t let anyone take me away from my dreams.¡±


    Ethan chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s like my daughter.¡±


    Aurora gulped. ¡°In love you dad. I won¡¯t disappoint you anymore. You want me to take responsibility for my actions. I will¡­¡± she whispered.


    Ethan sighed and said goodbye to his daughter and finally ended the call with a heavy heart.


    Thomas, who was sitting in front of his friend, nodded in understanding. ¡°You are doing the right thing, Ethan.¡±


    Ethan didn¡¯t speak. He rested his head on the chair and nced at the ceiling. Sometimes he missed his wife far too much for his liking. He didn¡¯t want to repeat the same mistake he did with his wife. He lost her because of his one mistake, he became weak for just a second and that second hosted him the love of his life.


    Kingdoms fall when you try to change the system and he tries to do that. If only he had not epted his wife¡¯s request of giving up mafia life and living like normal people. But he did and the day they were about to leave to Churchill for a normal life Antonio attacked them.


    Ethan closed his eyes when he recalled how his wife suffered the brutality of that attack which crashed their car. Ethan thought that he would live a peaceful life but no instead he was ripped off the only good thing he had in his life. He lost his Savannah and after her, Ethan lived for one thing only, Revenge from the Le Eme boss and he took it. Antonio snatched his wife from him, Ethan ripped his heart from Antonio¡¯s body.


    He wanted to change for his wife but no, people wanted him to remain the monster he was and he dly epted his role. He knew that only a monster can protect his daughter and that monster was none other than, Liam Knight and now he will make sure that that monster bes his daughter¡¯s protector.


    At the same time, Aurora decided that she will work for Liam Knight but won¡¯t allow him to intimidate her in any way. She would show him that he didn¡¯t scare her. She was doing this for her friends and herself. She would not let anyone get in her way of sess.


    The next day when Kevin asked her which design Liam chose she told him that he was not avable when she went to meet him.


    ¡°Go to him again and present the design, I need to know his decisions soon.¡±


    Aurora nodded and once again went to meet Liam.  Her heart was beating fast, her legs were shaking but her face was confident. She didn¡¯t let an ounce of the nervousness she was feeling show on her face. She asked his secretary to meet Liam.


    ¡°You may go inside, Miss king,¡± his secretary said after putting the receiver back to the dialer. Aurora smiled at her and knocked on his door twice before entering.


    Liam leaned back in his chair and waited for Aurora to enter and when she did, Liam was impressed by the confident look on her face.


    ¡°Good morning Mr Knight.¡± She said in a professional tone. Liam arched a brow and gave her a curt nod.


    ¡°Good morning, Mrs Knight.¡±


    Aurora seethed in anger, fisting her hands she said: ¡°look, Mr Knight, I know you are my boss and you have the upper hand here but that doesn¡¯t mean you can harass me here. I might be working for you but I won¡¯t tolerate these stupid jabs of yours.¡±


    Liam¡¯s eyes shed. His hands itched to punish her for using this tone with him but no, he couldn¡¯t do that. Not yet at least. He needed to charm her not make her run away screaming bloody murder. Fuck! He needed patients of a saint with his future wife.


    ¡°What are you here for, Mrs Knight?¡± He asked her calmly.


    And Aurora had enough. She sprinted towards him and leaned down to his level. Liam¡¯s eyes sharpened as he stared into hers. ¡°Stop calling me that!¡± She yelled at him in electrifying rage.


    ¡°Or what?¡± Liam asked, in a calm andposed voice that it irritated Aurora to the very core of her soul.


    Without thinking, she swung her hand and tried to strike him but Liam grabbed it midway, just a second away from his face and yanked her towards him. Aurora gasped as shended directly in hisp.


    Her eyes widened when she felt something on her back. Oh God, am I sitting on his¡­ his, oh hell!


    Liam grabbed her jaw and raised it to his level. ¡°I am losing my control, Aurora. Don¡¯t provoke me that I wouldn¡¯t be able to control myself anymore.¡± He gritted out.


    Aurora couldn¡¯t even blink. His eyes created a spell around her that she was lost. Lost in his dark scrutinised gaze, ¡°I want you, badly, Aurora. But don¡¯t make me the person people fear. I don¡¯t want to be that, not for you. Never for you.¡±


    Aurora finally blinked. She could feel. his breath on her face, he gently rubbed his thumb on her chin. ¡°I am trying to win your heart.¡±


    And Aurora couldn¡¯t breathe after that. He was insane, she could guarantee it. She pushed him away and tried to stand up but Liam didn¡¯t let her. ¡°Leave me.¡±


    ¡°Why are you being stubborn? I have told you many times that you will be my wife but till you didn¡¯t ept me¡­¡±


    The hype of this pig!


    ¡°And who are you to decide whether I will marry you or not? I didn¡¯t choose you, I didn¡¯t ept your insane idea of marriage. Who are you?  My dad¡¯s friend¡¯s son! So what? I don¡¯t like you at all? You don¡¯t even know how to hold a conversation with a girl, you just know how to boss around. You lied to me for days when we were stuck on that ind or as you pretended to show because you own that fucking ind with a vi on that. You hurt me and still when I came to know that you saved me, I epted you as a friend of mine. But you don¡¯t value anything, you didn¡¯t respect my friends and now you are saying that I should ept your so-called forced proposal? You need to go to a head doctor, Mr Knight, you need a mental checkup!¡± Aurora ranted out.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t give a damn what she just said as he only looked at her with an unimpressed look. ¡°Hm! Alright, you don¡¯t have a good impression of mine. Let¡¯s start changing it then. Tell me how to woo you¡­¡±


    Aurora gave up. She didnt have any energy left anymore. She threw her hands in the air and tried to calm her mind. ¡°If you need to ask me this question than it¡¯s better you stay alone whole your life because if some loor gurl decide to marry you she will cry whole her life.¡±


    Liam wanted nothing else but stop her from speaking. There was no better way to do that than kiss the hell out of her but no he needed to know what does she was t and there was no better to know that if she tell it herself.


    Liam nodded. ¡°It means even you don¡¯t know what you want in your husband. I took you as an intelligent girl but I guess I was wrong.¡±


    Aurora pinched her lips in a thin line. ¡°I am an intelligent girl, I don¡¯t need to prove it to you, you pig.¡±


    Control Liam! Control!!!


    ¡°Speak to me like that one more time and I would put you on my knees¡­¡±


    ¡°See, this is what¡¯s wrong with you. You behave like as if you are some king of God but news sh Mr Knight you are not!!!  Instead of talking to people nicely you threatened them. You said you want to know how to woo me, you know what? You can¡¯t do that not in this lifetime because I won¡¯t my husband to treat me nicely, I want him to respect me, understand me. I want him to take me to nice ces and be gentle and you¡­ you just know how to hurt me! So don¡¯t ever call me Mrs Knight because you won¡¯t be my Mr Knight. Ever!!!¡±


    Aurora ranted and Liam kept staring at her.


    Gentle and understanding!  I can do that. Right?


    speak any further. He knew how that so-called love which took everything from Ethan. His wife died because of this Love.


    ¡°Hm! Now back to work, Mrs Knight!¡±


    He said, nodding in the direction of the drawing book. ¡°Why not!¡± She epted the status quo and wrote down his opinion for Kevin.


    ¡°The second one is fine,¡± Liam said after studying it.


    Aurora smiled. ¡°Thanks,¡± saying that she collected her drawing book and took his leave. She opened the door and walked out of it with a high smile on her face.


    Why am I smiling? Because that jerk wants to be my friend now? No, no. It¡¯s because now he would be getting the taste of his own medicine.


    Meanwhile, Liam received yet another call from his brother Ralph and once again he heard the unwanted news.


    ¡°No information yet. No one has ever seen his face. He always covers it behind his mask, and a few people met him in person that too with a ck ss between them!¡±


    Liam rubbed his head. ¡°Are we ying a video game here? Masked man! Masked man!¡± He gritted out irritated. ¡°Ralph, I want that man¡­ It¡¯s been six months now and not a single piece of information about him yet. Goddamnit, he ruined my business in Northern Canada and he is still alive!!¡±


    Ralph remained silent. He knew his brother better than anyone else. His anger could result in a bloody massacre and now was not the time to enrage him. Not when their family was already facing problems with other mafia organisations.


    ¡°I am on it but I am having a strong hunch about something¡­¡±


    Liam straightened. He knew two things about his brother. His brother could sense danger better than anyone else and he could see things better than anyone else. His strength was his mind and apart from blood rtion that was the only reason he was Liam¡¯s second inmand.


    ¡°What hunch?¡± Liam asked.


    ¡°I think there is some rtion between the attacks over Ethan¡¯s consignments and ours. There is something which we are not seeing, Liam. It¡¯s like someone has dered an open war with Ethan and Us!¡±


    Liam¡¯s body stiffened. The wheels in his mind started rolling as he recalled what exactly happened on that cruise. He recalled how someone tried to poison him on the cruise and he decided to go to his ind till the snitch got caught.


    ¡°Fuck! How did I not see it? Ralph, I want someone to keep an eye on Ethan¡¯s surroundings. I am sure  we will find something about it.¡±


    ¡°I will but I think you should talk to Alexandrio about it too. His brother might be able to help us. Mexicans have good ties with the Russian mafia in Canada and the States. Maybe¡­¡±


    Liam gritted his teeth. As if his rtionship with the Russian Pakhan was any better. Alexandrio was an exception, he was a friend who didn¡¯t want his hands to do the dirty business. His brother Dimitri, Pakhan of Russians epts his decision and allows Alexandrio to handle the legal business of their family. He gave up all the light to Alexandrio while choosing to stay in the dark.


    Liam tried to establish good ties with Dimitri but of course they were two hot alpha males who didn¡¯t like following each other¡¯s orders and Liam epted that, truly. When they had their first argument over drug trafficking, Dimitri and he both had their weapons pointed at each other¡¯s heads, ready to kill each other but they both didn¡¯t pull the trigger because of one man, Alexandrios. Dimitri respected his brother while Liam honoured their friendship but since that day, any business which he had with Russians was only done through Alexandrios polite intervention because up until now, Liam was one among the people on Dimitri¡¯s hit list. Not targeted because of his brother.


    Not that Liam¡¯s stance was any different. He would shoot the Russian Pakhan right between the eyes if given the chance. But Alexandrio was like insurance for both Liam and Dimitri.


    ¡°Look Liam, we don¡¯t have any option left because if what I am thinking is right then we need to be worried about this masked man. He alone became a problem for two big mafia heads. Ethan and us!¡±


    List clenched his eyes tightly. His head started throbbing in rage. ¡°If my guess is right then he is one hell of a dangerous man. He is after blood,¡± Ralph said.


    ¡°I will talk with Alexandrio,¡± Liam said and ended the call.


    Meanwhile, Alexandrio called his secretary and asked her to send Emily to his cabin with the raw material audits.


    Emily, the girl, has be an obsession of Alexandrio.  He wanted her with him all the time. He never believed in love until her but now he knew certainly that he was in love with Emily and everyone knows that Alexandrio might want to live a clean life without the mafia tag attached to him but the mafia runs in his veins and with that  the need to control every aspect of his life. And right now the only thing which matters to him was, Emily!

 Chapter 62

    ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Very!¡± Gabriel whispered but then turned his phone off when he saw his uncle chuckling.


    ¡°Youngsters these days,¡± his uncle left a throatyugh Gaberial turned his head towards him. ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of a few days before you can go back to your girl. I am getting old anyway and after me, you have to handle everything¡­¡±


    Gaberial shook his head. His uncle was fifty-five years old, he wouldn¡¯t be going anywhere anytime soon given how seriously he took his doctor¡¯s appointment.


    ¡°She is angry with me, uncle? I tried to call her but to no avail, her cell kept ringing and she didn¡¯t ept it. When I tried calling her friend she just warned me to stay away from her. Even lied to me about her finding a new guy for herself.¡±


    ¡°And you are not worried about it?¡±


    Gaberial looked at his uncle. ¡°I trust her blindly. I know she would never betray me that way. I have tried everything to keep her away from me. You know her father being The Ethan king.  I tried to give her open ess to leave but she still remained by my side. She is a little hurt but I will handle it.¡±


    ¡°If you are sure of it, I won¡¯t say that but still I would say, don¡¯t let the girl slip because if there is a single percent truth in this, your rtionship is in big trouble,¡± saying that his uncle left but the thought remained stuck in his mind.


    He stilled for a moment when the thought of Aurora being with someone else Flickered in his mind and without waiting a second more he dialled Susan¡¯s number. No use, she blocked him, he tried Emily¡¯s and once again he knew that he was blocked by both her friends.


    He sighed and called into his restaurant. His manager epted the call, ¡°Boss?¡±


    ¡°Have you found out anything about Aurora? Where is she?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know, boss! She is all over the inte,¡± Gabriel frowned,  not understanding what¡¯s new in that. She was the daughter of billionaire Ethan King. She was a social media heartthrob and has thousands of followers on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, tik-tok etc. She loves making videos of herself, a habit Gabriel found aplete waste of time. That¡¯s why he was not on social media, he believed in living for real, not on screen.


    Of course, Aurora had her thoughts about it but since they started dating she was changing her habit and started living in the real world just like him and he loved the ways he was adapting to his lifestyle.


    ¡°What did she do now?¡± He askedzily, thinking she posted yet another shopping video of hers.


    ¡°Your girlfriend won a Jewellery contest boss. She won The Belle¡¯s contest and earned an internship contract with their head designer. It¡¯s all over the inte¡­¡±


    Gabriel¡¯s scowled deepened. ¡°Where is she exactly?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Vancouver boss. She is in Vancouver with her friends.¡±This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Gabriel nodded. ¡°I aming back to Canada.¡± He said sinctly and ended the call.


    ¡°Vancouver¡­¡± he whispered silently before sighing deeply. ¡± I hope you didn¡¯t break my trust, Aurora¡­¡±


    Meanwhile, Emily stared at Alexandrios confident mocking face with an open mouth.


    ¡°Close your mouth, you are giving me shbacks of our steamy hot night on that cruise.¡±


    Emily snapped her mouth shut and walked inside. ¡°You were supposed to return back to Russia after that contest, what are you still doing here?¡±


    Alexandrios smirked, rxing back I¡¯m his chair. ¡°A little change in n, moya malen¡¯kaya Zvezda (my little star).


    Emily gritted her teeth in anger. ¡°I am not your little star, stop calling me that!¡±


    ¡°If you want that, I would stop but you have to tell me the reason why you stopped seeing me? Why the sudden change Zvezda¡±


    Emily fisted her hand. ¡°Because fun time is over! You were not serious about me and neither was I. So why are you so irked about it? Move on, Alexandrios.¡±


    Alexandrios stood up from the chair and darted towards her in five long steps, grasped her by the waist and jerked her towards him. Emily gasped at the sudden movement, ¡°not for me, na!¡± He said, shaking his head.


    ¡°You see, Zvezda, I couldn¡¯t forget your wildness in bed and I want to know you more. I have dated girls of different colours, ents but you¡­ you trumped them all.¡± He sniffed her hair, ¡°you have this wildness in which drives me crazy and fucking hell, I want that wildness in my bed every night. So whether you like it or not,  we are going to keep seeing each other.¡±


    Emily gulped the painful lump in her throat and tried to push him with her shaky hands but he didn¡¯t even budge. ¡°Sorry to burst your bubble but I won¡¯t repeat the same man. Your time is over and now it¡¯s someone else¡¯s turn¡­¡±


    Alexandrios grip turned painfully hard.


    ¡°As if I would allow anyone else except for me in your bed, Zvezda. I might look like a cool guy but I am a possessive bastard and you,¡± he cradled her face lightly with his forefinger, ¡°for you, I am ready to paint my hands red with blood. I am ready to change my perspective on life,¡± he smiled,  thinking about his brother¡¯s happiness if he decided to join the mafia life.


    .


    Emily frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you paint your hands with colour or blood but nothing you do or say will change my decision about us. Whatever we had is over, learn to live with it,¡± she said, pushing him away from herself.


    Alexandrios heard her words but he also heard her fragile tone. He saw her shaking body and flushed cheeks and Alexandrios understood two things, one, Emily might show she was strong but she was not and second, she liked him too but something was stopping her groom from epting him in her life.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you are my boss here. This internship is important for me and I would be d if you keep it professional here,¡± she said, smoothing her clothes with her hands, avoiding his gaze from letting him see the tears flowing in her eyes.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want,¡± he whispered but he promised himself that he would make her tell him the truth because Emily was his and he would not let anyone or anythinge in the way to have the woman who made him insane with her continuous push and pull.


    At the same time, Liam decided to call Alexandrios, who epted the call while nodding at Emily to sit on one of the chairs.


    ¡°Come to my cabin, will you?¡± Liam said in a tired voice.  Emily, who was about to sit, jerked when Alexandrios shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Be said sharply.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You may leave!¡± He ordered her.


    Emily thinned her lips with an angry sigh, picked her purse and walked out of his cabin.


    Liam frowned on the other end. ¡°Call Dimitri, I think he knows something about that masked man¡­¡± Liam started but stopped when he didn¡¯t hear any reaction from the other end.


    ¡°Are you listening to what I am saying, Alexandrios?¡± Liam snapped.


    Alexandrios growled. ¡°I am and you want me to talk to my brother? About what exactly? Last time I checked you both had your guns pointed at each other.¡±


    Liam was on the verge of an explosion. He was already raging because of that idiotic deal with Ethan and now Alexandios was testing his patience too.


    ¡°I need his¡­¡± Liam searched for an alternative word of help and luckily he found one. ¡°¡­ Assistance in finding that masked man who damaged my business in millions,¡± he gritted but then drew in a sharp  death to calm his burning rage.


    ¡°Alexandrios, I want information on that man and I want it soon.¡±


    Alexandrios scowled, getting the seriousness of the situation he nodded. ¡°I will call Dimitri but I can¡¯t guarantee his help,¡± he mocked Liam who fisted his hand on the other end of the phone.


    ¡°Help is not what I asked for.¡±


    At that Alexandrios scoffed. ¡°Anything which lets you sleep peacefully, Liam,¡± saying that he ended the call and checked the clock. It would be midnight in Russia as the difference between Vancouver and Moscow was almost ten hours, still, It was not like Dimitri would be sleeping.


    So he decided to call his brother who epted the call after the fourth ring.


    ¡°Issues?¡± He asked monosybically.


    ¡°Well, hello to you too, brother,¡± no reply on the other end, only the deep sound of breathing gave the notion that he was listening to what he said. ¡°It¡¯s about Liam¡­¡±


    And just his friend¡¯s name gave him the reaction he expected. ¡°I was in between the act of mating and you ruined my mood by taking that whoreson¡¯s name.¡± Dimitri threw at Alexandrios.


    ¡°It¡¯s important and work-rted.¡±


    ¡°It should be rted to my work or I would be ending the call, Alex.¡±


    ¡°Liam needed to know if there is anything you know about, this masked man in Canada¡­¡±


    Alexandrios waited calmly for his brother to speak but he didn¡¯t. He checked his cell phone to see whether the call was still going or not. He was about to speak but Dmitri beat it to him. ¡°I might know something but it was not like I am going to share. There are some rules in the mafia Alex and I would rather not break them till they don¡¯t harm me. So don¡¯t expect any help from me in this matter and remember you might live in Canada but you are still bound to your Pakhan.¡±


    Alexandrios understood the hidden message behind Dimtri¡¯s statement very well. ¡°I am bound to you as my brother and not Pakhan, Dimitri, and juts to remind you I am loyal to you,¡± saying that he said goodbye to his brother and ended the call.


    Meanwhile, Aurora kept smiling to herself when they were driving back to their hotel. Emily was looking out of the window, lost in he own thoughts and Susan was irritated with both of them because instead of chatting like their usual self they both were lost in their own little worlds.


    ¡°Is there something you would like to share, Aurora?¡± She finally asked.


    Aurora¡¯s grin widened. ¡°No, nothing Susie. It¡¯s just I loved the work I did today,¡± she said thinking about the ways she was going to torture that arrogant ass.


    Her whole body had goosebumps when she recalled the ways he treated her on that godforsaken ind. She recalled the restless fish she ate for three consecutive days. the hardship she followed without having a proper bath, and the way slept like some stray animal under the sky and not to mention how he spanked her.


    Aurora¡¯s eyes sharpened dramatically. Karma is a bitch Liam and now the bitch is back to bit you in the butt! With her sharp teeth!


    Susan¡¯s heart started beating after seeing her expression. ¡°Aurora, what are you thinking?¡±


    Aurora raised her brows. ¡°About Karma.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Leave it, Susie, just let me enjoy the happy mood I am in today.¡±


    Susan inhaled sharply because thest time she was grinning like this she ended up with a man who smashed her confidence with a hammer and it jas taken a lot of efforts flr, Susan, to get her out of that abusive man¡¯s clutches.


    She just hoped that she didn¡¯t end up in a situation like that again.


    Aurora searched things about, Liam on the inte.  She was the daughter on one of the world¡¯s richest man and she knew the importance of R&D while starting an endeavor and Liam Knight was as a personal experiment for Aurora.


    But to her disappointment there was not much she could found except for somethings by which she concluded that Liam was a private man. ¡°Hm! Private man,¡± she blinked hershed rapidly as an idea popped up in her mind.


    She was watching some reels on Instagram. ¡°You love a private life, Mr Knight, then get ready to shoot your first social media video tomorrow!¡± She whispered with an evil smirk present on her face!

 Chapter 63

    Aurora was dressed up in her favourite bubblegum pink short frock which ended up just above her knees, showing her perfect long legs.


    And she just looked perfect for her mission, to teach that Arrogant ass the lesson of life. She gave herself a flying kiss in the mirror as she admired her perfect curvy body and beautiful looks. With onest nce at herself in the mirror she went outside her room for breakfast.


    ¡°Wow! You look hot,¡± Susanmented, staring from head to toe, happy that she was back to herself. The same confident look on her made Susan sure that her decision to separate Aurora and Gabe was right.


    ¡°Thanks, what¡¯s for breakfast?¡± Aurora asked, stealing a piece of carrot from the breakfast table.


    ¡°What do you think? It¡¯s Emily¡¯s turn which means a perfect country breakfast.¡±


    Aurora smiled. ¡°Perfect start for the perfect day,¡± she whispered when Emily ced the trays of food in front of them.


    ¡°I can kiss your beautiful hands¡­¡±


    Emily glowed. ¡°Happy breakfast..¡± She said but her heart was jumping up and down with every passing second as she counted every passing second which took her closure to the office. But she reminded herself that it was her work and her work was everything for her. she would make a name for herself without any help in this world so that no one would ever make fun of her. No one would use her of sleeping with a rich man to be rich herself. She wouldn¡¯t be called a gold digger in front of hundreds of people ever again.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get a chance to ask you thisst night but have you started hinting at Rawls about our brand, Aurora?¡± Susan asked her but Aurora didn¡¯t listen to a word Susan said because her mind was somewhere else.


    ¡°Aurora?¡± Susan shook her head and Aurora came back to the real world.


    ¡°I am asking you something?¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she pinched her lips in a thin line before asking Susan to repeat what she asked. ¡°That man hardly talks to me nicely, Susan. Give me a little time to talk to him because right now all I would be  getting from him is another no.¡±


    Susan sighed but epted Aurora¡¯s opinion. It was after all her who had to deal with the pompous designer. She on the other hand works with the research team.


    After breakfast they all left for the office and once reaching there went to their designated cabins.


    Two new things happened with Aurora in the office. One: when Kevin Rawls¡¯ eyes settle on Aurora and he is struck by her beauty. The girl was beautiful but in this pink barbie frock, she looked exactly like that of a barbie doll. He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her but he knew she was off-limits due to obvious reasons but still, he could admire beauty when he saw it.


    Second, Aurora couldn¡¯t wait to go to Liam¡¯s office to take advantage of her newly formed friendship with her friend, Liam Knight and finally when Kevin asked her to take the newly selected design to Liam she happily did that.


    She went to his floor, asked his secretary to inform Liam about her being there and waited for his answer.


    ¡°You may go in, Miss King.¡±


    Aurora gave her a polite smile before knocking on Liam¡¯s door and opening it. When she entered her eyes settled on Liam¡¯s handsome figure. His ck hair was perfectlybed back, he was wearing a ck dress shirt and ck pants with a tie suit. He was sitting on his chair with such confidence as if he owned the world.


    Liam drew in a sharp breath when his eyesnded on Aurora. He cursed silently when he saw how beautiful she was looking like an angel and being the devil he wanted nothing except for taking her right on his office desk.


    But once again he ordered his dirty mind to calm itself, the time wille soon. Today was the day he would be taking her for lunch. He knew she loved food. Eating and ruining her time on social media was her favourite time. So in the words of Alexandrio, he would be taking her on the date or whatever he called it.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Mr Knight.¡± Aurora greeted him with a wide smile on her face.


    Liam sharpened his gaze, thin lines formed at the corner of his eyes as he looked at her smiling conspiringly. ¡°Mrs Knight, you look happy today?¡±


    Aurora didn¡¯t let his Mrs Knightment go through her this time because she has a different n. So she broadened her smile, ¡°I am because today after I exin the next selected design to you as my boss, I want to do something which friends do,  I can¡¯t tell you how excited I am. I thought about it all night, Liam¡­¡± she pped her hands in enthusiasm.


    Liam¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°What did you think all night?¡± He asked,  carefully. Not liking her expression a single bit and not to mention the excitement on her face.


    ¡°I will tell you but first, let me show you my work.¡±


    Liam gave her a curt node. ¡°Do that.¡±


    Aurora opened her drawing book, turned the page and started exining the design. Liam was impressed by this design, it didn¡¯tck anywhere on the paper. For a moment, his eyes nted to Aurora¡¯s be**sts and once again his body reacted like a randy teenager.


    He started rolling his gold pen between his thumb and fingers while enjoying the view of Aurora¡¯s long legs. He gulped as his body wanted something else with the woman standing beside him.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡± She called and Liam drafted his eyes to her face.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    Liam nodded. ¡°It¡¯s nice,¡± he told her. Her grin widened, ¡°cool, so now that your boss¡¯ part is over and it¡¯s practically lunch hour so let¡¯s do some fun,¡± she said, pulling out her phone.


    His lips tugged upwards as he jerked her hand and pulled her on hisp. She gasped,¡± What are you¡­¡±


    Liam put his finger on her lips. ¡°Sh! We will do every fun activity you want but first I am hungry and I know how big of a foodie you are, so let¡¯s go for lunch.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± She asked,pletely forgetting that she was sitting in hisp.


    ¡°You are not that difficult to read, Mrs Knight but you should be a little private about your life and the things you do. A lot of people can take disadvantage of your hobbies.¡±


    Aurora nodded. ¡°I do what makes me happy, people can go to hell for all I care and who says that I will be going anywhere with you?¡±


    Liam chuckled. ¡°I did and even though I am feeling happy with you sitting in myp but I have a reservation for us and I want to take you there just to show how much I value your friendship.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s heart gave a leap. She was genuinely hurt by the way he treated her. The words he said to her on theirst day on that ind¡­ she feared him then.  But now was not the time to back down from her n. No, on the contrary, she was going to y the same game he yed with her but hers would be with little different tricks.


    Aurora stood up from hisp and straightened her dress. ¡°Where are we going?¡± She asked.


    Liam stood as well and closed the button on his coat. ¡± It¡¯s a surprise for you, now shall we?¡±


    Aurora nodded against her wishes and they left. Once they reached the ce Aurora looked around the restaurant but found no other upants.¡±There is no one else here?¡± She asked, amazed.


    Liam smirked. ¡°Yes, I booked this whole restaurant for us.¡±


    Aurora was awestruck! He did that for her. He held his hand out for her, ¡°Shall we?¡±


    Aurora nced at his hand and then at him. He was looking at her expectantly, the hypnotic look in his eyes made put her hand in his and they both walked inside, hand in hand.


    When they entered Aurora rolled her eyes around and she was touched by the beautiful decorations inside. There was only one table inside at the centre of the ce.  ¡°You did it all for our lunch?¡± She asked Liam who nodded, assessing her every reaction.


    He took her to the table and pulled the chair. Aurora was in awe of everything he was doing. Then a perfectly dressed server came and greeted them in French before handing Aurora the menu book.


    Liam kept staring at her while she read the menu, her mind and heart were not thinking the same way. She couldn¡¯t focus on words, Aurora had other ns but she didn¡¯t expect this.


    She raised her eyes from the menu and looked at him. ¡°Have you already decided what you want to eat?¡± She asked him.


    Liam chuckled. ¡°No, I trust your decision to choose the best meal for us,¡± he said in his silky voice.


    Aurora gulped. For a moment her mind went to Gaberial who used to decide the menu for them both every time they wanted out. When sheined he told her that they are not in some five-star hotel because it was out of his budget and he knew the best dishes in these small restaurants as he owns the restaurants. Aurora felt bad but her love for Gabe stopped her from sharing her viewpoint and she epted whatever he used to say.


    Today, with Liam she felt¡­ liberating!


    ¡°Are you sure, I might choose something poisoned for you?¡±


    At that Liam left a throaty chuckle. ¡°Oh, Aurora darling,¡± he haunched a little over the table, met her gaze and spoke in a voice which raised pickles on her skin. ¡°Many have tried but no one seeded. Trust me, Liam Knight is hard to kill!¡±


    Aurora swallowed soundly. His eyes turned dark when he spoke, so dark that it felt as if she was sitting in front of some dangerous man.  She had seen his anger on the ind but right now it was different¡­ what? She couldn¡¯t ce a finger on it.


    Even Liam sensed that she was fearing him, so he tried to hide his darkness behind his social smile and made an effort to lighten the atmosphere. He was here to woo her not to scare her, oh, that wille too. Only Liam knew how hard it was for him to pretend to do all this. He recalled watching her vedios on those apps where she talks about her would be boyfriend.


    Liam¡¯s jealous side kicked in imagining he with that restaurant man. He wanted to out a bullet between his eyes but couldn¡¯t because the man was in Ethan¡¯s territory and he would the one dealing with him.


    Nevertheless, Aurora wanted hearts and flowers with cheesy lines. He would give her. Anything for his dream!


    ¡°Have you decided something because I am hungry?¡±


    Aurora nodded. Her heart beating so fast that she could hear it¡¯s rhythm. She nced at the server who was passed her a polite smile but the moment his eyes met Liam¡¯s,  he cleared his throat.


    Aurora ordered their food and drinks with starters, the server left.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡±  Liam asked gesturing at the ce with his eyes.


    Aurora didn¡¯t speak for a moment. Overwhelmed by his efforts. ¡°Why did you do all this?¡± She couldn¡¯t stop herself from asking. ¡°Don¡¯t try to pretend that this is real you, I have seen your real face Liam. I saw how heartless you could be¡­¡± her voice wavered a little but sheposed herself. Not happy that she let him saw her true emotions.


    Liam understood right then that she was hurt by his action. He wouldn¡¯t be called the maniptive genius if he wouldn¡¯t know how to read a person and a girl like Aurora who wore her heart on her sleeves was not hard to read.


    And he knew the perfect answer to her question. ¡°This is to tell you how¡­¡± never in his life Liam had ever apologized to anyone but damn it to hell he had to do it now.


    ¡°¡­ sorry, I am for how I behaved with you. You see Aurora, I like you, you are aware of my feelings for you and whatever I did was to spend some quality time with you alone. If I had told you about my vi there, we wouldn¡¯t be able to spend the time together,¡± he sighed dramatically to give weightage to his words.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Here I have opened all my secrets in front of you. Now, you know why I did what I did. So today, I am asking you, Miss Kings, to give me a chance to show you that I could be the man of your dreams¡­¡± he said, strengthening at Miss King just to show her how serious he was about her.


    And Aurora went numb hearing his words and she kept staring at him while he patiently waited for her answer¡­

 Chapter 64

    Aurora blinked thrice, swallowing the emotional lump that formed in her throat. She didn¡¯t know how to react to this.


    Liam was drumming his fingers on his left thigh, a nerve in his temple started to tickle. He was trying badly not to show hisck of patience because he knew how girls like to create drama in everything so he just sat there trying to control his temper.


    Aurora¡¯s stomach churned as she recalled the moments she spent with Gabriel. She wanted to say no to Liam like she did once before but now she couldn¡¯t.  There was something that stopped her from declining his proposal.


    Whatever it was but still she couldn¡¯t let what he did to her go easily. No, when she came back from the ind she decided to forget Liam¡¯s chapter but now, she wanted nothing else than to smash his moon sized ego.


    And as far as his proposal was concerned, she decided that she wouldn¡¯t take any chances with her life again. No, she had done that once with Gabriel and Gabriel was still unaware of her decision. She eyed his handsome face, he was waiting for her answer but she had none to give. At least not what he expected her to say.  She didn¡¯t want to ept him in a hurry just like she did before. Moreover she had an old score to settle with Liam Knight and once it¡¯s settled she would think about the chance he was asking for. If he thinks that a few cheesy lines and this decorated dinner arrangement would all it takes for her to say yes then Liam knight forgot who she was.


    ¡°Liam¡­ I,¡±  deliberately, she drew in a sharp breath before speaking.  She swallowed and met his gaze. Masking her face with an emotion of uncertainty while she pretended to test him. ¡°Do you even know what I consider to be my ideal man? Maybe I want someone who you couldn¡¯t be! Maybe you are not what or you couldn¡¯t be like that ever.¡±


    Liam gritted his jaw, his eyes darkened hearing her but he controlled his emotions. ¡°Then tell me what you want?¡± He let out in a silky, barely controlled voice.


    Auroraunched a little on the table, ¡°Are you getting angry, Mr Knight?¡±


    Liam forced himself to smile. ¡°No, I am not, Mrs Knight!¡± He said with a forced grin but inside he was a burning volcano. ¡°But I want to know what exactly you would like in a man. I am sure you would have found something in that restaurant owner¡­¡±


    Aurora stiffened at the mention of Gabrial but she calmed herself. ¡°Are we talking about him or you, Mr Knight?¡±


    Liam¡¯s brows snapped together. He sensed something in her tone, the way she stiffened at that restaurant rat¡¯s name¡­¡±no, we are talking about you


    giving me an answer to my question, here.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s eyes shined. ¡°You want to be the man of my dreams and you want me to tell you what kind of man I want. But if I tell you that, don¡¯t you think anyone can pretend to be that man, even you.¡±


    Liam was losing his patience with every passing second. He was angry at himself, at her but more than anyone else he was angry at Ethan King for forcing him to do something like this. He felt like a caged animal who wanted to strike on its prey but couldn¡¯t because he was stuck inside a bar.


    ¡°Where is your effort in all this Mr Knight? if you wanted me to give you a chance to be the man of my dreams but you have to earn that chance.  Till then, we can be just friends.¡± She said in an over-sweet voice which sounded as if she was mocking him and she was.


    And that just friend tag made him want to sew her mouth with a needle and thread. He fisted his hand tightly under the table. He again shed her a smile, forced to the core. ¡°Alright, Mrs Knight, let¡¯s just be friends,¡± he drawled, it was the third time she declined his offer.


    Third bloody time! No one has ever raised his eyes in front of Liam knight and here this mere girl who didn¡¯t know anything about the real world had declined his proposal for the third freaking time.


    ¡°Our lunch is here,¡± he said, pointing at the waiter who wasing with a bug caravan of food.  Once the lunch was set in front of them, Liam said, ¡°Enjoy the lunch¡­¡± while he cut the piece of red meat slowly, enjoying every moment of it because that was calming his mind.


    He wanted to spill blood to calm his nerves which were creating a riot inside his mind at this moment while Aurora was taking pleasure in the situation.


    That¡¯s what you call Tit for Tat!  She giggled inwardly as she took a piece of her steak in her mouth, smiling and chewing it leisurely.


    Meanwhile, Alexandrio touched the raw piece of Diamonds. He personally didn¡¯t care about all these small matters but just like his friend Liam he too was here just for his girl. Of course, there was a vast difference among their situation as he truly wanted to know Emily while Liam was just interested in increasing the range of his territory.


    ¡°What shape did you order? The design which was selected had an oval shape and this is a round cut?¡± He questioned the person who gave him the report on raw diamonds.


    ¡°Uh! Sir, Miss Emily ordered them in this shape.¡±


    Alexandrios inclined his head. ¡°Ask her toe to my office, right now,¡± he ordered the worker and darted back to his office.


    Emily was working on the sharpness of the metal when the inte on her table started ringing and she epted the call but then wished she had not.


    ¡°Miss Emily, My Kyshchove, is asking for your presence in his cabin.¡±


    Emily sighed before standing up from her chair and walking to Alexandrios office. She knocked on it and entered. ¡°You called for me, Mr Kyschove?¡± She asked in a professional crisp tone.


    He tilted his head, ¡°Yes, you see Miss Smith, please have a seat.¡± Emily nodded and sat on one of the chairs in front of him.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Alexandrios handed her the file, ¡°why did you order the oval-shaped diamonds when the head designer asked them in round shape?¡± He asked her in a cute business-like tone. Emily was stunned for a moment but she reminded herself that it was good for both of them.


    ¡°Well I  checked the designs and discussed it with the head of my department and he also thinks that it will look much better with an oval shape. Also, I asked Aurora before doing that.¡±


    He raised a finger. ¡°Aurora is not the boss here nor is she the head designer. Second, your department head is the head of raw material not designing. This is not a local Goldsmith¡¯s shop where you can do what you like. You are working here as an intern, Miss smith so don¡¯t cross the limits of that.¡°


    Emily gulped at the harshness of his words. She fisted her hands under the table to get hold of her bawling emotions. His words should not have affected her in any way but they did. She was hurt, really very much.


    Alexandrio knew his words affected her, the wet sparkle in her eyes was the proof in front of him. He gritted his jaw as it was not his intention to make her cry but to tell her the difference between their status. He wanted to show her the works he had to offer if she agreed to date him.


    He stood up from his chair, walked to her and leaned down.


    Emily¡¯s heart started beating faster. She raised her eyes and met his dark gaze. Alexandrio touched her silky hair and inhaled sharply. The intensity in his eyes made her toes swivel in anticipation.


    ¡± But you can have the power of doing that if you agreed to date me, Miss smith. You can have the world under your feet if you ept me as your boyfriend.¡±


    It happened right at that moment, the memory of her ssmatesughing at her shed in her mind. She could hear the words of Victor who mocked her in front of the whole college by calling her a disappointment in physical activity and calling her a gold digger who wanted to trap him with herself. How everyone started looking at her from admiration of being a topper to a social climber and today another man was offering her the same thing.


    She was furious. She pushed Alexandrio with both her hands and stood up abruptly. ¡± I am not some whore who epts to sleep with you to raise her social status, Mr Kyschove and I would rather you don¡¯t speak to me like that again. If you don¡¯t like my work then scold me but don¡¯t ever try to insinuate these horrendous terms to me!¡± She jeered at him and turned to walk outside but before she could take another step forward, Alexandrio grabbed her hand and pushed her against the table. She clutched his hand to remain standing. Once again their eyes locked but this time, there was anger in Alexandrio¡¯s.


    ¡°What is your problem, Miss smith. You are speaking as if  I am harassing you, as if we didn¡¯t share a history. Maybe you forget but let me remind you, it was you who wanted to do the hanky-panky with me since the first time you saw me in that contest. Should I remind you of your wild acts in that cruise cabin when you were horny and wanted to rip my clothes off from my body? Do I need to tell you how many times we had sex that night and in how many ways¡­¡±


    Emily gulped. His words affected her, she never let herself let go of control like she did that night and that scared her. But no, she would not let his words affect her anymore. ¡°So what,? Chill dude! It was just sex we had. If I am not taking it seriously then why are you? Don¡¯t you boys want exactly that, no strings attached, sex.  Yes you were great and I enjoyed it but I don¡¯t want to have a rtionship with you¡­¡±


    He yanked her to him. ¡°And why the hell not?¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to be with you and I am not liable to answer any of your questions. You reached me about boundaries just a minute ago then I would say you remember about them as well and if you can¡¯t keep it in your pants go find a whore for I am not interested in you anymore,¡± she pushed him away from herself in anger and walked out of his office with shaky legs  and without looking back a single time, leaving a furious Alexandrio with stiff body and balled hands.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Meanwhile, Liam¡¯s hands were itching for violence. He forced himself to smile when they reached the office. ¡°Hope you liked the lunch?¡± He drew smoothly.


    ¡°It was nice, thank you,¡± Aurora opened her seatbelt and stepped out of the car and Liam did the same. She said goodbye to him waving her hand. Liam watched her departing back. A riot was arising in his head as he sprinted towards his personal elevator with his hands clenched in fists as he walked inside the elevator, punched the button in anger and once he reached there he unchecked his hands.


    ¡°Fucking hell!¡± He screamed in anger.


    He rubbed his face with his hands, his breaths shortened as his manager spiked to the level of fury and he started pacing in his office.


    The girl had insulted him, not once or twice but thrice and he didn¡¯t do anything. He felt caged, soy if she would have been someone else. Only if but damn her father.


    ¡°Aurora King,  you should have done anything but this. You should not have insulted me again, I would have been easy on you after our marriage but no, you don¡¯t deserve it. You don¡¯t deserve my kindness. You wanted me as your friend, I will give you a lesson on friendship that you will never forget,¡± he drew in a sharp breath as he sat on his rolling chair and started moving.


    The movement calmed his mind a little, ¡°You will be my wife and once you are under my rule, once you have my surname with you, you will surrender to me like a ve to it¡¯s master. You will be weed into hell, the hell I will design just. For. You. Mrs. Knight!¡±

 Chapter 65

    Aurora giggled recalling Liam¡¯s expressions when she told him that she wanted to be just friends with him. But there was something, which was fluttering in her, something she couldn¡¯t name. But it was a beautiful feeling.


    She stood in front of the mirror in her room and cleared her throat. ¡°I am Liam Knight¡­¡± she mocked him and burst outughing. She was in a jovial mood and wanted to dance. So she chose a high beated music, raised its volume and started dancing without bothering about anyone or anything.


    On the other hand, Emily was starting at the moon, her mind was fixed on the memory of what happened in the office while Susan was working on herptop and drinking coffee simultaneously. They both jumped when they heard a high beated voice from Aurora¡¯s room.


    Susan stood up abruptly and started at Emily in question who shrugged her shoulders and they both ran towards Aurora¡¯s room. Not bothering with a knock Susan busted her door open and they both entered. They both were stunned seeing Aurora dancing in happiness.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    She rolled her hips swirling around. The smile was fixed on her face, she was enjoying the music to her soul. ¡°Aurora what the hell are you doing? We got scared, girl.¡± Susan yelled over the top of her lungs.


    Aurora turned around and gave them both a flying kiss. ¡°Join me, babies!¡± She screamed in enthusiasm and pulled them further inside. ¡°Aurora¡­¡± Emily tried to resist but Aurora didn¡¯t listen and swirled her around.


    Susanughed when Aurora did the same with her. She was happy that her friend was enjoying herself just like before that douchebag came into her life and they all started dancing like there is no tomorrow, finally, the song ended and the three friends fell on Aurora¡¯s bed.


    Theyughed staring at the ceiling, their breathing shortened with dancing. ¡°What was that?¡± Emily asked.


    ¡°It was fun, I feel alive and happy.¡±


    Susan turned her face towards Aurora. ¡°You look different? What has gotten into you?¡±


    Aurora stood up and straight ended her hands, drawing in a sharp breath. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m on top of the world.¡±


    And Susan nced at Emily who shook her head, ¡°see, I was right, That man was not good for her.¡±


    ¡°It should have been her choice, not yours. Loving her is one thing but taking decisions for her is another, Susan. I am happy seeing her like this but still, my stand on what you did will remain the same. It was not your decision to make. ¡±


    Susan rolled her eyes. ¡°I will do it again for her,¡± she whispered, gesturing at Aurora¡¯s happy face.


    Meanwhile, Liam was having dinner with his father and brother. ¡°Any progress with Aurora?¡± Ryan asked Liam who gritted his jaw hearing her name.


    Ralph raised his eyes and met Liam¡¯s gaze. ¡°No!¡± Liam tried tightly. ¡°That girl is a fucking nuisance and I am stuck with her father¡¯s ridiculous demand. Instead of getting her married to me he bloody threw this demand on me as if I got time of the world for that daughter of his.¡±


    Ralph sighed and ced his knife and fork on the table, leaned back in his chair and said: ¡°I told you it¡¯s a bad idea but you didn¡¯t listen. Ethan has kept her away from the dark world till now. He considers you a safe bet for his daughter, he is right in his ce but you don¡¯t have the patience which this job required, Liam¡­¡±


    ¡°I am fucking trying and don¡¯t talk about patience. I remained calm when she declined my offer for the third time today,¡± he then turned to his father who had a smirk ying on his face.


    ¡°Are you having a stimting time here, dad?¡±


    ¡°Very!¡± She drawled but when Ryan saw his son¡¯s eyes loomed with darkness one this remark he sighed and squatted forward. ¡°Take this advice from the old bastard, if you want to charm the girl, be the man of her dreams.¡±


    Liam fisted his hands. ¡°And how do you know that, old bastard?¡±


    ¡°Because I charmed your mother the same way.¡±


    Liam scoffed. He didn¡¯t speak because of Ralph who¡¯s face tightened at the mention of their mother. ¡°You got yed by her,¡± he gritted.


    Ryan¡¯s smile widened. ¡°I don¡¯t think so! But the topic here is not what I did,¡± he said pointing at both his sons.


    ¡°The topic of conversation here is, What do you have to do? And as far as I know you have to lower the level of your ego for sometime because it¡¯s the only thing standing in your way of being the most powerful mafia head in the history of Canada. The girl is not less than a treasure for you and plus she is beautiful. So think with your mind and not your¡­¡± he gestured in the direction of Liam¡¯s d**k.


    Liam gave him a look of pure disgust. Her beauty was one of the two things which he wanted from her apart from her father¡¯s territory and not to mention that sexy body of hers which drives Liam mad with a feral need.


    Ralph shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you do, Liam but make sure you don¡¯t hurt her now or in future because a single tear in her eyes and Ethan would unleash his raging beast on you.


    Liam pinned Ralph with a pointed gaze which Ralph met his head on making Ryan shake his head. His both son¡¯s were alpha males who didn¡¯t fear anyone, not even each other. Only their blood rtion and respect and love (which they both deny to ept) they have for each other kept them alive from the hands of each other.


    Liam tilted his head to one side and said in a dark voice, ¡± Once that girl is married to me, she is under my rule and her father can¡¯t do anything. He wanted me to charm his daughter. I will do it. He wanted me to propose to her with cheesy lines and all, I will do that as well but the moment she had my name behind hers, she belonged to me and what belonged to me will do what I want it to do. Ethan thought that just because I agreed to court her I will forget the insults he and his daughter instigated on me when I showed him nothing but respect¡­¡±


    ¡°Calm yourself, don¡¯t forget he is my friend and the girl you are talking about is like a daughter to me.¡±


    ¡°And I am your fucking son!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I am telling you to calm your anger. Ethan is a good ally. We had a history of killing  our enemies together, if he had not lost his son and wife in that attack¡­¡± he stopped and turned to his son.


    ¡°Listen to me, Liam. Aurora is naive, she will do whatever you ask her if you let her live in the illusion of love. She can be a good wife in every way you want, you just have to teach her the right way and maybe you start loving her with time¡­¡±


    ¡°I will not repeat your mistakes, daddy dear. Love is nothing but an idiotic emotion which turn you into a fool,¡± Liam nodded, his mood turning stiff as he stood abruptly. His eyes fixed on his brother¡¯s fisted hands.


    ¡°Ralph, arrange my meeting with Italians.  I will personally handle the drug deal with them.¡±


    Ralph raised his eyes and nodded. His clenched fists loosened a little as his mind drifted from the memory of his mother to work. ¡°I will arrange it.¡±


    Liam raised his two fingers and touched them to his head, mocking a salute to his father. ¡°See that Ethan remembers his promise when the drug needs to be delivered,¡± saying that he walked out.


    Once seated in his car he ordered the driver to take him to his penthouse, he pressed the button for the separation window and closed his eyes.


    The face of Aurora shed in his memory and once again his anger spiked. She was like a butterfly whenever he was close to get her in his hands she flew away and he was left with empty hands.


    The car stopped and he opened his eyes, not waiting for the driver to open the door for him and he stepped out of the car and went to his penthouse.


    He needed to release the tension. He needed to get out of this unbearable frustration which seemed to be a part of his routine now and it would be there till his butterfly was not in his hands. He pulled out his phone and ordered his whore toe and release him from his frustration. It didn¡¯t take her much time, the girl was just a phone call away.


    Liam¡¯s eyes travelled through her silky body, she was wearing a pink babydoll.


    And the first thought that came to his mind after seeing his mistress in thatce baby doll was: Aurora would look like an empress in this.


    ¡°Fucking hell!¡± He cursed under his breath. His eyes turned hard, anger and frustration not a goodbination before s*x.


    He sat down on the sofa with his one leg crossed one another. ¡°Kneel!¡± Liam ordered the mistress.


    Her expression changes from soft horny to a scared ve as she follows his order.


    Liam clenched his hand and tapped his foot and the girl started crawling up to him. Once she reached up to him, Liam grabbed her jaw, the girl knew better than to gasp in pain so she just mewed a little.


    ¡°Have you been a bad girl?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes,  master.¡±


    ¡°You deserve to be punished?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes master.¡±


    And Lism pulled her on his knees. ¡°Count till twenty!¡± He said and started spanking.


    The girl winced when he tried her perfect round ar*e. One, thank you, master.


    Two, thank you, master.


    Three, thank you, master¡­


    And she kept counting up to twenty while feeling the sting of ps on her buttock.


    Liam¡¯s anger was calming with every sound from her throat. He imagined Aurora instead of his mistress on his knees. He recalled the images of her red but**ck on the ind. He recalled how aroused she was at that moment but then her words came to his mind.


    Just friends!


    That memory gave a nasty boost to his anger and he grabbed the girl by the throat. She gasped, startled by the sudden motion. ¡°Suck me dry!¡± He ordered the girl who followed it without a single word.


    Liam closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. But nothing was working not even the skill full sucking of his d**k by his mistress.


    Fucking hell! What have you done to me?


    He grabbed the girl by the hair, her lips were swollen and her eyes damped with tears which were rolling down her eyes. She wiped her lips with the back of her hands and waited for the next instruction. Liam patted her cheek, ¡°You are retired from your services,¡± her eyes became sad.


    Liam rubbed his thumb over her pouty lips. ¡°You will be rewarded for your services. Ask me anything in your reward Katrina.¡±


    She sight before speaking. ¡°I want to work in clubs and not as a whore, Mr knight.¡±


    Liam nodded, his eyes assessed her body. ¡°Granted, you may leave.¡± She stood up from the floor, nodded and walked out.


    While Liam closed his eyes and imagined his butterfly in his hands. He started to relieve himself of the frustrated bulge as his hand roped up and down over it and with a cry of pleasure he shot up in his hand.


    Liam sighed with a deep breath and opened his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to y with you my butterfly! It¡¯s time to cut your wings and cage you in my prison, till death do us apart!!¡±

 Chapter 66

    ¡°Excuse me, are you blind?¡± Susan snapped at the man who was standing beside her in the elevator.


    Ralph turned his head a little and nced at Susan, ¡°what?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Are you blind that you can¡¯t see that you are about to step on my foot,¡± she let out pointing at his shoe and her toe.


    He stepped aside and once again started reading the meeting details he set for Liam with Italians.


    Susan¡¯s phone rang at that time. It was Aurora who called. ¡°Yes, love?¡±


    ¡°Are we going shopping? I want Em¡¯s birthday to be perfect,¡± Aurora said, twirling a lock of hair on her.


    ¡°Yes we are going, I have ordered the cake for her, everything is done. So chill out.¡± She told her as she stepped out of the elevator at the same time when Ralph was about to do it. He would have never used the staff elevator but his personal one was under servicing.


    Susan was about to turn left at the same time Ralph was taking and they both bumped into each other again.


    ¡°Are you blind?¡± She snarled when her cell phone fell out of her hand while shended t on her arse.


    Ralph frowned. ¡°You bumped into me for the third time,¡± he fired back. Susan frowned, ¡°You need to join Kindergarten and learn how to count.¡±


    Ralph took a step in her direction. ¡°Say that again.¡±


    Susan gave him a look of pure disgust. ¡°You know what, go and see a doctor because I don¡¯t have time to waste on a man like you,¡± saying that she took off leaving behind a raging Ralph. It was when the manager of the research team came to him.


    ¡°Is something amiss, Mr Knight?¡± He asked in a little shaking voice.


    ¡°Who was that girl?¡± He pointed at the departing figure of Susan.


    ¡°Her name is Susan. She is one of the new interns who won the contest.¡±


    Ralph¡¯s gaze on her sharpened. ¡°What¡¯s her schedule for today?¡± He questioned the manager but his gaze was still fixed in the direction where Susan went.


    ¡°She asked for a half-day today after filing her research report on the new jewellery designs. Mr Knight,¡± the manager replied with a frown of his own, not able to understand why his boss was suddenly interested in an intern¡¯s schedule.


    The corner of Ralph¡¯s lips lifted upward and his gaze turned to the manager, ¡°cancel her leave and ask her to submit the research once again with a more thorough study of the design. I want her to waste her time¡­¡±


    ¡°Waste her time, Mr Knight?¡± The manager asked.


    Ralph nced at him and nodded. ¡°Do as I say,¡± the manager nodded and Ralph walked away to talk with the Italians for a meeting over neutral territory.  Because in the mafia world one can¡¯t live if he is not careful about his safety and Ralph was a calcting genius. He was a man of a sharp mind and just like his brother, cruelty runs in his veins.


    Meanwhile, Liam was checking the ounts details of hisst month¡¯s drug demands on the streets on his Ipad when his eyes went to Aurora on hisptop screen. She was smiling while talking to someone over the phone. Liam put his Ipad on his desk and called Kevin.


    ¡°Mr Knight?¡± He greeted Liam with a questioning tone.


    ¡°Send me the next design.¡±


    Kevin frowned. ¡°But it¡¯s not ready yet sir.¡±


    ¡°Send it to me in whatever stage it is,¡± Liam ordered and ended the call.


    He recalled her smile yesterday and fury ran through his body, he clutched the pen between his finger and thumb tightly. ¡°I won¡¯t let you fly once you are in my clutches, butterfly. This smile of yours wille only when I allow it toe,¡± the pen in his hand cracked and he threw it in the dustbin, leaned back in the chair and kept staring at the door in front of him.


    On the other hand, Aurora was about to pack her stuff when the inte in her cabin rang. ¡°What now?¡± She whined and epted the call.


    ¡°Hello,¡± she greeted.


    ¡°Aurora, you need to take the new design to the CEO,¡± Kevin stated at the other end.


    Aurora looked at the receiver in her hand and scowled. ¡°But the design is not ready yet, Mr Rawls. We are still in the initial stage of it.¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that,¡± he snapped but then he took a deep breath to calm himself. ¡°I know that Aurora but the thing is our boss wants to see the design in whatever form it is and you know if the boss wants something we have to do that, so please don¡¯t ask any question and go to him with the design,¡± he said as if he was speaking to a child and that irked Aurora. She was a mature adult and she wanted to be treated like one and not as some witless child.


    ¡°Alright, Mr Rawls.¡± She said in an over-sweet voice. If he wanted to treat her like a child even when she had proved herself to him then she would behave like one.


    You get what you give. End of discussion!


    Kevin on the other hand inhaled one more time, he understood that the tone he used was not liked by Aurora. ¡°I apologize for that,¡± he said. Kevin used to work like he wanted to, he was practically the boss of the designing team itself here but since Liam starteding here a lot of things have changed in The Belle.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mr Rawls.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, just go and take the design to him,¡± saying that he ended the call. Aurora rolled her eyes before snatching her drawing book from the desk. The design was still in a rough phase and if he wanted to see it that way then who was she to deny him anything.


    While in the elevator she called Susan who epted the call on the fifth ring. ¡°Hey,¡± she greeted in azy tone.


    ¡°What¡¯s with you now?¡±


    Susan who was trying to see what more she could do in the report sighed irritation. ¡°I want to kill the boss!¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡±


    ¡°Huh! But why?¡± Susan asked.


    Aurora closed her eyes like a cat got caught while stealing milk. She cleared her throat, ¡°leave it, you tell me why you sound like an ill goat?¡±


    ¡°Well I submitted the research design report and now the manager of my team called and told me that the boss didn¡¯t like it and I need to submit the report again! And that man didn¡¯t even tell me what he didn¡¯t like in it.¡±


    Aurora stepped out of the elevator when it pinged. She nced at the reception area where Liam¡¯s secretary usually sits but there was no one. She shrugged her shoulders and entered his office without knocking. Liam jerked his head towards the door of his cabin. He frowned when he noticed that she was not even looking at him but busy talking to someone over the phone. Once again he felt insulted by her, instead of treating him as the most important person in her life she was not even paying attention to him. He stood up from his chair and walked around the table stood behind her.


    ¡°Listen Aurora, I don¡¯t know if I would be able to make it for shopping or not because of this stupid report. So can you go there alone and buy Emily gifts from my side as well?¡±


    Before she could even answer Susan her phone was snatched out of her hand. She gasped, startled, turned around and found a six feet two inches handsome giant standing in front of her. He was staring at her with a dark leveraging gaze that made her toes curl in anticipation.


    ¡°What¡­¡± he didn¡¯t let herplete the sentence and pressed the red icon which ended the call then he put her phone in his coat.


    ¡°That¡¯s my phone, you have no right to¡­¡± she started, furious at him but once again he didn¡¯t let her finish and slid his arm around her waist pulling her towards him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just not talk about right, Mrs Knight.¡±


    ¡°Aurora King, that¡¯s what my name is and if you want to continue our friendship you will greet me as one,¡± she said, meeting his eyes.


    One side of his lip tugged upward, ¡°I have no intention of continuing this friendship, Mrs Knight. You are aware of the  intentions I have for you.¡±


    The look in her eyes changed, from jovial to a serious one. Her nose scrunched and thin lines appeared between her brows. She looks like a curious little cat, ¡°And maybe you will lose me as a friend as well if you don¡¯t stop this Mrs Knight jab of yours, Liam.¡± She said in a tone that stated that she was dead serious.


    Liam pulled her closer which made Aurora gasp. ¡°Right now, you are my employee and when you entered inside you were talking to someone over the phone as if you were walking in a garden. That was not the way you behave in front of your boss and especially if the boss is Liam Knight. If there was someone else instead of you I would have ended that person,¡± he used the word ended but the word he wanted to use killed. He didn¡¯t use it because he didn¡¯t want to scare her.


    Damn! Her father kept her away from the adventurous life of the Mafia.


    Liam¡¯s dark intense voice sent a wave of fire in her heart. She gulped, she would not let him win this argument. ¡°I won¡¯t apologize because I entered the office of my friend, not my boss.¡±


    ¡°Who called you here? A friend or boss?¡± Liam asked.


    Aurora rolled her eyes and Liam controlled his mind which screamed to spank her for her defiant behaviour. She pushed him a little to create the much-needed gap between them because goddammit, it felt as if her body was on fire! And the reason for that was their closeness.


    Liam left her waist and raised his brow, waiting for her answer. ¡°Alright, I apologize for my behaviour, sir.¡± She said and that line aroused a feeling of sexual tension in his body.


    Oh how he, wanted to hear her scream that line when he spanks her for her insolent behaviour but now was not the time to think like that.


    ¡°You asked for the designs¡­¡± she reminded him, gesturing at the drawing book in her hand.


    Liam nodded, his eyes still holding that intense look that churned her stomach in¡­ excitement! Maybe.


    Once settled on his chair, Aurora described to him the design still not getting why he was interested in a rough sketch.


    Liam was not paying attention to what she was saying but his mind was hazed by that sweet fragrance of her. ¡± Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°It suits you, I wonder if you taste the same way?¡±


    Aurora frowned. ¡°What?¡± She asked, jerking her head to him. Liam cursed himself in the mind for saying that. Now was not the right time to let his desire rule over his mind.


    ¡°Nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°No, you said something about me tasting the same way? What do you mean by that?¡± She persisted.


    He chuckled. ¡°Who were you talking to over the phone when you came here?¡± Liam asked, changing the topic of their conversation because he didn¡¯t want to stretch it anymore or he would throw her on that desk and have his way with him.


    Aurora understood he was changing the topic and she didn¡¯t like it. ¡°You can¡¯t change the subject of conversation when you want sir?¡±


    ¡°About your fragrance, You smell sweet, what fragrance are you using?¡± He asked.


    ¡°But you said something about me tasting sweet?¡±


    ¡°Semantics! Now tell me about this sweet fragrance?¡±


    Aurora pinched her lips in a thin line. ¡°Why do you want to buy it for your girlfriend?¡± She snapped.


    ¡°Maybe!¡±


    Aurora didn¡¯t know why but she felt weird hearing him, so she slumped her shoulders and sighed and closed her drawing book. ¡°Is my work over here?¡± She asked, not liking his jabbing tone.


    ¡°If the work is done, I am leaving. Unlike you, I am busy and have important things to do.¡±


    Liam grabbed her hand. ¡°Why are you being rude to me Aurora, is it too hard to answer my question?¡± His voice dropped to a silky whisper and her heart flipped at the sound of it.


    They both were holding their gazes, ¡°my friend Emily made it for me for my birthday.¡±


    Liam traced his thumb over her milky skin, drew in a sharp breath and said: ¡°it suits your personality.¡±


    Aurora nodded. ¡°If my work is over, may I leave? I have to go somewhere?¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Emily¡¯s birthday today and I have to do some shopping¡­¡± she drawled, Liam nodded, a smile erupted on his face.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I will take you there¡­¡±

 Chapter 67

    Aurora was stunned when he stated that he would take her shopping. ¡°Liam, I have a car, I can go there myself,¡± she said for the twelfth time but he was not listening, she cursed herself in her mind, why did shee with him.


    ¡°We are here, so shush!¡± Liam parked the car in front of one of the elite shopping centres. Aurora nced at the centre with raised brows.


    ¡°What are we doing here?¡± She asked with an odd expression on her face. her arms crossed to her chest.


    ¡°You said shopping¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr Knight, Emily would never ept something from this kind of ce. She takes what she could return back so we always gift her things that would not harm her purse because she always made sure she returned what we gave her.  So can you please take me to some shopping mall?¡±


    ¡°You could have told me that before,¡± he said while backing his car towards the exit.


    Aurora nced his way, ¡°are you angry?¡±  She asked.


    ¡°No, You can give me trouble anytime you want.¡± He said as if it didn¡¯t matter to him that he just wasted an hour because of her. The Liam Knight who used to be particr about everything was trying to impress a girl who should have been his till now but no, damn her father spoiling his ns.


    Right now, he only believes in one thing, neither forgiven nor forgotten, he just dyed his ns. A minor setback, that¡¯s what he calls it.


    At the same time, Aurora didn¡¯t speak after that because she was reliving a memory of her and Gabe. She recalled the day when she identally gave him the wrong address when she went shopping. She was waiting for him to pick her up with a dreamy face and huge smile but when he came to pick her, he was furious because he cut his time short to pick her and she gave him the wrong address. He gave her a huge lecture on wasting his precious time. She still remembers how many times she apologized to him for that day and even then he didn¡¯t forgive her and it was when the emotional pressure became too much for her to bear he forgave her that too with a warning that she would not do something like that again as if she gave her the wrong address to tease him.


    And here, Liam just told her that she has the right to trouble him. She was stunned by his words.


    ¡°Are you saying that you won¡¯t be angry if you have to let go of important work because of me?¡± She couldn¡¯t stop herself from asking.


    Liam chuckled as he took a U-turn and drove straight towards the mall. ¡°Is anything more important than you, Aurora?¡± He asked, turning his head towards her. The pureness which reflected in his words and eyes made her heart thump strongly.


    ¡°Here we reached your destination,¡± Liam said as he parked his car in the parking lot. Aurora was about to open the door for herself but he stopped her.


    ¡°That¡¯s a gentleman¡¯s job to do, Mrs Knight,¡± he silkily stated and stepped out of the car, opened the door for her.


    Aurora was unable to believe what she was seeing. She was confused. A question raged in her mind about him, his true face.


    Is what he was showing now was his real self or the face he showed her on that ind? Aurora King was confused and she didn¡¯t like it a bit.


    They went inside and roamed around. Aurora felt like a kid in the candy store and damnit she went to a candy shop.


    ¡°It¡¯s a candy shop, Aurora!¡± Liam was stunned. Had she lost her mind! What does she want in a candy shop? Liam looked around to make sure no one he knew was anywhere near him. Fuck, his reputation in the mob world would be tarnished if anyone sees him like this.


    ¡°How may I help you, miss?¡± The man on the counter asked.


    Aurora was smiling ear to ear while staring at all the candies. ¡°I want to taste all these.¡± She replied pointing at a few candies in the ss.


    The man smiled politely and pulled out a tray with candies over it. Aurora eagerly picked the pink chocte candy and tasted it, moaned soundly and gave the man a thumbs up.


    Liam on the other hand was looking at Aurora with a horrified face.


    Fuck! My life is ruined. These were the words that came to his mind. He was going to marry a girl who still behaved like a kid in a candy store!!!


    Aurora took another chocte candy in her mouth and closed her eyes enjoying the taste of chocte on her tongue. Once she gulped it, her head turned to Liam, smiling broadly she waved her hand to him.


    ¡°Why are you standing there,e and taste it.¡±


    What the hell am I doing here? Why the fuck I am doing this?


    His eyes still held that horrified look but somehow he got out of his shocked mind and walked near her. ¡°Take a bite of it,¡± she said, offering caramel candy to him. Liam eyes it as if she was offering him something poisonous.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± he opened his mouth to speak but Aurora put the candy in his mouth. His eyes widened as he put a hand on his face from stopping the crumbs from getting out of his mouth.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Aurora asked, excitement sparkling in her eyes.


    Liam chewed the candy, the sweetness ruined his taste buds. He stopped eating these idiotic things. And today he was forced to eat this shit by his future wife, damn it where his fear flew away.


    ¡°C¡¯mon tell me?¡±


    He swallowed it somehow and forced himself to smile. ¡°Delicious!¡± He replied but the re he gave to that poor man on the counter told him how he felt. He was thinking of the ways he could kill that man and on top of the list of options was, he would kill him by making him eat all these oversweet candies.


    ¡°Yea! I thought so too,¡± she said chirpily and turned to the man. ¡°Pack twenty pieces of every vour.¡±


    ¡°Twenty?¡± It¡¯s confirmed the girl needed a mental check-up.


    She shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I love them.¡± She smiled and pulled her card out to pay but once again Liam beat it to her and handed his card to the man who looked at them both.


    ¡°Take it,¡± he ordered.


    ¡°No, take mine,¡± then to Liam. ¡°You can¡¯t do that, I am not letting you pay my bill.¡±


    Liam gestured to the man with his eyes who didn¡¯t think twice before epting his card. ¡°Don¡¯t think about it,¡± he said in an authorised tone.


    Aurora pinched her lips, not liking his tone but knowing that she can¡¯t do anything about it. She took the bags from the man and gasped.


    They were too many for her to hold and especially when she had to shop so much more yet. ¡°Liam, can you help me?¡± She said, showing him the cartons of bags.


    Liam was astounded. Horrific. Bewildered! Imagine the future boss of the Vancouver crime family holding candy cartons while his future wife shops!


    With a tight lip, he smiled and epted the bags and followed Aurora like a porter. Marrying her with a gun pointed on her head would have been far easier than this torture he was going through and right now he wanted nothing else than do that.


    Aurora jovially went to a gift shop. She searched for something cute to Emily¡¯s liking. Then her eyes went to a big teddy bear.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Aurora said, feeling the softness of that teddy in her hand. ¡°What do you say?¡± She asked Liam who eyed her from head to toe.


    Mental asylum should be a perfect ce for her. Who gives a freaking teddy bear to someone over their birthday and that too when you are a grown-up adult.


    Again he put on a bright smile on his face. ¡°Perfect.¡±


    ¡°I thought so,¡± she went to the bill counter and bought it. The bag was so huge that it was hard to hold it. Aurora turned around and made puppy dog eyes to Liam who¡¯s eyes were about to pop out of his eyes getting the reason behind her pouty face.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    His nose red and he was about to throw whatever he had in his hands on the floor and give that girl a piece of mind.  He nced back at the man in reception.  ¡°Is there somece we can keep this teddy till we finish our shopping in the mall?¡± He gritted out and the man on the other end nodded.


    ¡°Yes we do have counter services but it¡¯s gonna cost you about fifty Bucks.¡±


    Liam nodded, pulled out a 100 dor note and handed it to him. ¡°Keep the change but take care of all these things.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s whole body was shaking in mirth. Oh boy, that¡¯s just the starting of your torture. You made me sleep on the sand under the naked sky when you had a freaking Vi on that ind. You made me eat that restless fish when you were having delicious food and on top of that, you mocked my friendship. You will suffer for everything, Liam Knight.


    ¡°You want to buy something else?¡± Liam asked, calmly or whatever close to it he could manage at that time.


    ¡°Cake then I have to look at some dresses and some make up and some shoes¡­¡± Aurora teased, Liam sharpened his eyes. ¡°Then let¡¯s start it,¡± he said in a serious tone which erupted a wave of goosebumps on Aurora¡¯s whole body.


    Liam understood too well that she was teasing him, he could read her like an open book.


    ¡°Sure,¡± she shrugged her shoulders and then went in search of a cake shop. Liam noticed it first, ¡°there it is,¡± he pointed at the shop and they both entered.


    ¡°This, can I have a taste?¡± Aurora asked,  pointing at the mermaid cake. She was happy that she finally found the mermaid cake and now if it¡¯s taste was exactly like she wanted then her work woufl be done.


    Liam Knight, who was more mature than her at the age of twelve was stunned, seeing her choices. It was dered that the girl only had the body of an adult but she still had that childlike nature. She didn¡¯t grow up and he was close to having an anger attack and them his feelings changed because that girl moaned and then his mind once again took a troll. He didn¡¯t even have to tell why?


    ¡°I am taking it,¡± she said and this time handed her card to the man at the counter.


    When Liam raised his brows she giggled. ¡°This time I was quicker than you, Mr Knight.¡±


    Liam bit his cheek from inside, drinking her beauty with his eyes. ¡°Till when, Mrs Knight.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s smile became smaller and she turned back to the man at the counter, ¡°would you like us to deliver it for you?¡±


    Before Aurora could reply, Liam said. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a surprise birthday party and no one is at our home right now. Who would receive it? I have only a little more shopping left than we can take it by ourselves,¡± she told Liam and then turned to the man again. ¡°We can keep it on the counter as we did with our other stuff.¡±


    Liam agreed and sent them to the counter and finally went shopping for a dress for Emily.


    ¡°Are you having some circus-themed party, ?¡± Liam asked when Aurora kept checking some frilly dresses.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just I love them,¡± shezily drawled and then gasped soundly. ¡°Omg! Liam looks at that,¡± Liam turned his eyes to the ce where she was pointing and found a sparkling red dress.


    ¡°Cool, I am buying it for Susan and Emily.¡±


    ¡°The same dress for both of them?¡± Although he didn¡¯t have any interest in what she bought for her friends, he would rather see her in this dress and have his way with her. It certainly sounded strange when she said that she would be buying it for them.


    ¡°Ya! It¡¯s our ritual to always dress up the same for our cosy birthdays. We party with people but this is our private celebration and I love it more than the parties where I have to smile and not enjoy it. I would rather go for a long vacation than suffer the torture of standing the whole night and greeting people who bash behind my back and call me a spoilt brat.¡±


    ¡°People always bitch behind the back and they do it because they don¡¯t have the guts to do it on your face¡­¡± Liam said, thinking in how many ways Ethan would torture the person who dared to speak about his rich brat.


    ¡°But it still hurts,¡± she said in a heavy voice but cleared her throat and asked the attendant to find a dress in two different sizes. Suddenly her phone buzzed a message from Susan asking where she was. Aurora sent her the address


    The attendant nodded and was about to turn when Liam stopped her. ¡°Wait,¡± he then turned to Aurora ¡°what¡¯s your size?¡±  He asked, gazing at her from head to toe.


    Aurora stood numb for a second. ¡°Why are you asking?¡±


    ¡°Because this dress is made for your body, Mrs Knight, and looking at your body I think this one will fit you perfectly.¡± He nodded at the dress, hanging in the ss.


    ¡°No, I will look fat¡­¡±


    ¡°You will look hot in this,¡± he looked at the attendant. ¡°Give me the dress.¡±


    ¡°No Liam¡­¡± but he didn¡¯t listen and handed her the dress. ¡°Go and try it.¡±


    ¡°I said no¡­¡±


    ¡°And I said try it, Aurora.¡± Aurora gasped when he took her name and when she heard her name rolling out on his tongue a shiver ran through her body. She felt electrifying!


    ¡°The dress is perfect for your body and from wherever you get this idea of you looking fat in this dress, drain it out of you because woman, you will look like a fiery angel in it. So go and try it on.¡±


    Before Aurora could speak, Susan¡¯s confident voice interrupted her. ¡°The man is saying right, Aurora. This will look perfect on you.¡±


    And they both turned towards her. ¡°Susan!¡±  Aurora Said and walked to her but Susan¡¯s eyes were not on Aurora, they were fixed on Liam who was starting back with assessing eyes.


    Liam was the master maniptor but he was unaware of one thing that Aurora was not oy Ethan¡¯s princess but Susan¡¯s sister as well and just like Ethan she could go to any level to protect Aurora.

 Chapter 68.

    Liam remained standing, Susan walked with Aurora towers still holding his gaze. Something Aurora said on the ind clicked in his mind about Susan.


    She was the one with whom Aurora wanted to hook me up. Too bad, the girl was not to Liam¡¯s taste and Liam was certainly not a ¡®B¡¯ man.


    He could sense that the girl gazing at him with calcting eyes felt responsible for Aurora but he didn¡¯t know till what extent and he was soon to be found out.


    ¡°I thought you came alone, Aurora, won¡¯t you introduce me to Mr¡­¡±


    ¡°Ya!¡± Aurora muttered, ¡°Mr Knight, she is my friend cum sister, Susan and Susan mee our boss, Liam Knight.¡±


    Susan¡¯s brows jerked up. ¡°Ah! The same Liam knight who asked for your hand¡­¡± she drawled And Aurora stiffened, fearing how it must have felt to Liam and cursing herself, the way she told her friends about that incident was like a story of aedy film. She red at Susan, gesturing not to speak further about it but Susan wouldn¡¯t be Susan if she did it.


    ¡°The Very same,¡± Liam said with a forced smile, he offered his hand to her and Susan epted it. Still, her eyes were on him, they left each other¡¯s hand and she turned to Aurora.


    ¡°Mr Knight is right, Aurora. You should go and try it on. It will look perfect on your curves.¡±


    Aurora gulped. She recalled how Gabe used to tell her that short dresses made her look fat and she should try to wear long and loose clothes to hide her belly. Aurora tried to make him understand that she has a perfect figure but gradually she started dressing up the way he wanted. Yes, after taking off his ring she started wearing clothes of her choice but still, she felt Gabe¡¯s disappointed gaze when she used to wear short body clinging dresses.


    Liam handed her the dress, ¡°try it.¡± He ordered her.


    She took the dress from his hands  and went with the attendant to try it.


    When she was finally out of their Vision, Susan turned to Liam, ¡°you are still interested in her, right?¡± She asked, with a sharpening gaze, crossing her hands to her chest.


    Liam was impressed. The girl was courageous and now he understood why Aurora talked so highly about her. ¡°Maybe,¡± he replied, ¡°or I could have some ulterior motive. Anything was possible,¡± he yed with her mind.


    At that, Susan took a step forward, fixed him with a look of sheer protectiveness towards Aurora. ¡°Then I suggest you stay the fuck away from my girl because you have no idea to which level I can stoop to save my girl. I have done it before and I will do it again, so be careful.¡±


    The beast inside Liam raised his angry head ready to pounce on her but he ordered it to remain calm, now was not the time to show either of these friends what Liam Knight was capable of doing.


    Liam¡¯s lips tugged downwards, he nodded his head. ¡°Understood, Miss Susan and I like this protectiveness you have for Aurora And to answer your question,¡± he said with a calm and serious face, ¡°I am always interested in Aurora. She needs someone who can understand her. She is like a butterfly and I want to see her fly.¡±


    She can fly all she wants but the sky she flies is going to be mine. She can flutter her wings however she wants but she would be able to do it only when I want.


    Because I am going to own her, mind. body. soul.


    Susan sharpened her eyes and was about to speak but then her eyes went to. Aurora¡¯s a walking figure who looked morous in that red sparkly dress. Liam followed her haze and was stunned to see Aurora.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    His breath stopped seeing her in that dress, her golden blonde hair pulled up in a bowplimenting the dress. ¡°Fuck!¡± He whispered, lost in her beauty.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Aurora asked. I assured them about herself in that dress, she turned around and Liam¡¯s heart thumped loudly.  He was just lost in her beauty!


    Meanwhile, Susan¡¯s eyes sparkled when she saw a glimpse of old Aurora in her eyes today. It was just her confidence that was missing. She missed how Aurora used to smile while trying new clothes but today her eyes were holding questions and that questioning gaze gave Susan the reason to kill that son of a bitch, Gabriel.


    Before she could even reply, once again Liam beat it to her. ¡°You look breathtaking but there is one thing missing,¡± Aurora frowned, before she could ask what he meant, Liam pulled the hairpin out of her and her hair fell on her shoulders. ¡°Now it¡¯s perfect.¡±


    Aurora kept staring at Liam¡¯s beautiful face. Lost in his dark eyes, ¡°Shall we move on?¡±


    Liam chuckled when her brows jerked together, seeing the confusion on her face he touched a lock of her golden hair and nudged it lightly on her shoulder, ¡°you said you have to shop for makeup, jewellery, shoes and so on. If your dress is final we can move on to other stuff,¡± he went near her ear and whispered softly, ¡°Mrs Knight.¡±


    Aurora took a sharp breath, her eyes settled on Susan who was looking at everything with a sharp gaze. Aurora pushed Liam a little, aware of Susan¡¯s scrutinised gaze who was looking at them with raised brows.


    Liam¡¯s lips pulled in a wide grin when he noticed her flushed cheeks and that intense look in her


    ¡°I think I can apany her now, Mr Knight. You are a busy man, I am sure you must have other urgent matters to look at.¡±


    Before Liam could speak his cell phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the caller ID. It was Ryan, it could be something important, still, he didn¡¯t ept the call.


    ¡°I know what¡¯s important for me, Miss Susan. I have my priority set and Aurora is on top of everything else.¡± He replied looking straight into her eyes, indirectly telling her to not cross her limits.


    And Aurora¡¯s heart flipped hearing Liam, as the memory of Gabe always choosing his work over her hurted her to the core but she always told herself that his work was more important. And today Liam choosing her over his work was too emotional for her.


    It was not only Aurora who was impressed by this, even Susan was impressed by this act of his.  ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Liam said while Susan moved forward and stepped beside Aurora who walked with Susan with a heavy throat as they moved towards the cosmetic part of the store.


    Once again, Liam shocked both the friends when he suggested that Aurora should wear something dark on her lips while she chose a light shaded lipstick. And once again, the memory of her wearing a dark shade with Gabe¡¯s disapproving gaze hit her. She recalled how he told her that she looked like the woman of the world in this shade and here Liam was asking her to try a bright red lipstick.


    Liam kept watching her while she applied the lipstick on her lips. Bright red. The colour of blood, the colour which Liam liked the most.  Aurora gulped, she nced at Susan who nodded in agreement as well.


    ¡°You look confident in this shade, Aurora,¡± Susanmented while Liam swallowed the heaviness in his throat. The look she had in this bright red lipstick could make any man fall on his knees in raw need.


    Aurora was happy. She felt like herself with Liam and why not. She didn¡¯t have to behave in a certain way while she spent time with him. No restrictions on her clothes, makeup and most importantly she could speak the way she wanted contrary to the way she used to behave with Gabriel. It was not like he forced or asked her to behave in a certain way, no he never did that but she felt obliged to do it, anyway because she wanted to make him happy. She wanted their rtionship to be perfect but in doing so she lost herself and now, Liam was asking her to do things that she always liked doing anyway.


    Liam¡¯s phone buzzed one more time, he nced at the caller ID. This time it was his brother, something clicked in his mind. He could sense that there was something wrong. His brother and father called in a span of half an hour.


    Aurora saw that he was not epting the call but she could sense that the call was important. ¡°Take the call, we are done with shopping anyways.¡±


    ¡°If you insist,¡± saying that he epted the call and walked a little away from them. ¡°Is there something important, Ralph? Dad called and now you?¡±


    ¡°An attack on one of Ethan¡¯s warehouses. Five hundred million of gold was stolen away and ten people were killed. Ethan is raging, he called dad and they had this talk. Friend or not, he wants you to work your magic on his daughter¡­¡±


    ¡°Ralph, I am not his ve he could order around. I respect him and his friendship with dad but that doesn¡¯t mean I would ept everything he speaks. Tell him, he has spoiled his daughter for good and now I am bearing  the consequences of that.¡±


    Drawing a sharp breath, Ralph speaks. ¡°He is in a dangerous position, Liam. We both know Ethan, he is a brutal fucker but when ites to his daughter¡­¡±


    ¡°His daughter is not in Churchill but here in Vancouver, with me, Liam Knight and it should have been enough for him to calm his mind and he should be thinking about introducing me as his heir in the mafia jury,¡± Liam rubbed his head, inhaled sharply and asked, ¡°Who attacked? any information?¡±


    ¡°Who else! The Mexicans. I don¡¯t know but there is something we don¡¯t know, Liam. All these attacks seem more personal?¡±


    Liam sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to talk more, I will talk with Ethan tonight and what about the meeting I asked you to set with the Italians? Any sess there?¡±


    ¡°In talking with them, I think I would be able to make it,¡± Ralph said while checking the ount details of one of his clubhouses


    ¡°See to it,¡± saying that he ended the call and turned towards the girls. He walked back to them. ¡± If you got everything you wanted, shall we leave then?¡±


    Aurora nodded. ¡°But we have to take the shopping bags from the counter, first,¡± she reminded him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the counter then,¡± he whispered and they both walked towards the counter to get the shopping bags.


    Susan stared at their walking figures of Liam and Aurora. She didn¡¯t like Aurora with Gabriel. When Aurora first introduced him to her she was fine with him but slowly she noticed this change in Aurora. The girl who was confident about her body started wearing clothes which she never liked. The big foodie starts eating food which she didn¡¯t like and the most disturbing thing was how she used to behave around Gabriel, always trying to impress him as if he was the king of somewhere and she was his ve who needed his master¡¯s permission to do anything.


    Today she noticed how Liam didn¡¯t choose work over Aurora and if it would have been Gabriel instead of Liam he would have epted the calls and left leaving Aurora on her own.


    Liam also matched Aurora¡¯s status. He could give her the lifestyle she was habitual with unlike Gabriel who wanted to mould Aurora to fit in his world.


    Susan nced at both of them, Aurora being like her old self in hispany. Happy. Funny and most importantly confident.


    Liam Knight, if you are what you show, you could be the man for my Aurora. Onest test and I will help you win the heart of my girl.


    ?

 Chapter 69

    I heard it¡¯s your birthday, Zvezda. Allow me to take you for a birthday dinner,¡±  Alexandrios said, slowly, sensually.


    Emily gulped the heaviness in her throat and closed her eyes, sighed deeply and then went around in the elevator which was upied by them only. It was a private elevator for Alexandrios. ¡°And why would I allow you that, Mr Kyshchove? Who are you to me?¡± She snapped?


    Alexandrio chuckled, ¡°I am your admirer, your lover!¡± He whispered nearer. Emily¡¯s gaze met his intense stare. Alexandrios touched her soft lips with his thumb and Emily left a throaty moan. Alexandrio smirked, he knew that she was affected by his moves but being the stubborn headed girl she was, she just didn¡¯t want to ept what she felt for him.


    ¡°Let me make the day special for both of us. I have prepared a private meal for us at my ce where no one can disturb us¡­¡± he whispered, his thumb still stroking her lower lip.


    Suddenly, the memories of the past returned with such friction that it turned everything upside down inside Emily. She recalled how Victor broke up with her after she slept with him on her birthday. She said the exact same line, no one would disturb us!


    It was his n from the start to ditch her after sleeping with her and he did it with such brutality that Emily¡¯s life became aughing stock. She would have gone back to her small vige but it was Aurora and Susan who didn¡¯t let her. Aurora, especially, made sure that Victor didn¡¯t disturb her in any way again. It was not difficult for her, she was Aurora King, daughter of Ethan King after all.


    For Aurora friendship was a lifetime promise and if she asked someone to be her friend it means she was giving that person a ce in her life. That¡¯s why she doesn¡¯t have many friends, her friend circle was small but it¡¯s all she needed. They were best friends forever.


    ¡°Why? So that you can try to take advantage of me¡­¡± she used him and that was thest stroke Alexandrio could take. He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to himself. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare use me of something this horrible. If I wanted to take advantage of you, Madame, I would have done it when you were begging me for it, drunk and horny that night on cruise. It was me who took care of you and didn¡¯t take that so-called advantage you were using me of.¡±


    He left her hand with a jerk, turned around and raked his hand in his hair. ¡°Fucking hell!¡±


    Emily has heard him cursing for the first time. She clutched the strap of her bag tightly as her emotions were rioting at this moment. She gulped and waited for the elevator to reach her floor so that she could get out of it as soon as possible.


    She was praying to God when suddenly Alexandrio turned around and grabbed her hand one more time but this time, his hold on her hand was so tight that she closed her eyes and gasped in pain.


    ¡°Why are you giving me this attitude? Who are you? A mere girl who works for me? Hm! Girls like you roam around me all the time, dying to get a simple smile from me and here I am giving you importance by asking you to date me and you are giving this so-called attitude of yours!¡±


    Emily¡¯s mouth opened in disgust hearing his words. She pushed him with all her strength, he jumbled back and the next thing knew was her hand struck his cheek and his head jerked back.


    Alexandrio was furious. No one ever dared to raise his eyes in front of him and this girl just pped him. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to give any importance to me, I don¡¯t want you alright so you can go and do whatever you want to do with all those girls for all I care but stop harassing me,¡± she said, her voice shaking in emotions and her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.


    ¡°I am not a toy you can y with. I am a human and I have emotions, don¡¯t y with them please!¡± She cried, not giving a damn about her tears.


    Victor broke her from inside, her confidence as a woman. If it¡¯s as not for her friends she didn¡¯t know what¡¯s he would have done. Yes, she was funny, jovial but behind her smiling face and jovial nature she hide a lot of painful scars. Scars she didn¡¯t want anyone to see but today their glimpse was in front of Alexandrio.


    Before he could speak the elevator oingedans she was out of the elevator instantly, running with shaking legs.


    Alexandrio was stunned by her actions but more than that he was shaken by her words. He was a man of the world and he knew that there was something wrong with her. It was like the girl he met on the cruise and the girl now were two different personalities. The girl who user to flirt with him seems to be apletely different girl from the girl now.


    What are you Zvezda? What is it that stopping you from dating me?  What¡­


    Meanwhile, Emily took a sharp breath to stop herself from crying. Her back touched the wall behind her while she sat on the floor. All those shady memories returned, she hates celebrating her birthday it was her friends who always try to erase her bad memories with their efforts but they didn¡¯t understand on can¡¯t erase something which became a part of one¡¯s soul.


    And that day, that memory has became a part of he soul now. She couldn¡¯t forget the taunts, theughter of people, the smirk of Victor¡¯s face still fresh in her mind. She could still hear the words he called her.


    A gold-digging whore, who slept with him to raise her social status.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your past affect you, Emily. He was no one. He we no one¡­¡± she reminded herself but what should she just couldn¡¯t get that memory out of her mind. It was stuck in her mind and soul. She gulped, wiped her tears and stood up. Her legs still shaking but she put on a smile on her face. She couldn¡¯t to let her friends see that she cried. No, they invested a lot of their time and efforts to make her smile again and she would not let them down.


    Emily would smile for them even if she had to hide her pain her behind her smile.


    On the other hand, Susan nced at Aurora from the corner of her eye and noticed a small smile ying on her lips. She could see that Aurora was affected by him. Susan needed to know to which level she was affected by Liam.


    ¡°He is handsome,¡± she started the conversation and Aurora frowned. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Liam Knight, woo. That hot look he has and that man wanted to marry you,¡± she whistled. ¡°I just imagine how hot he would be in bed.¡±


    Aurora raised her brows. ¡°He still wants to marry me which make him off limit from you to know how hot he would be in bed.¡±


    Susan chuckled. ¡°Ooo! Miss King is being possessive for Mr Knight!!¡± She teased Aurora who rolled her eyes at Susan. ¡°Stop it!¡± She said shaking her head.


    ¡°And I am not being possessive for Liam. I am just saying it to tease you.¡±


    ¡°Aurora King I know you since we were in kindergarten so stop lying to me. I know you have hots for him¡­ Lucky you that he wants you as his wife, I wonder about his stamina¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, stop it now. You and your stamina obsession,¡± she said but recalled his intense kisses.  The firey moments between them on the ind, how close she was to lose herself in his strong arms.


    Susan could sense the change in her voice. Aurora darling, for the first time in months you are affected by something or I, would say someone good. Liam Knight is perfect for you.  He is the right one for you, unlike that man who broke your confidence and wanted you to give up on your dreams. He was forcing his lifestyle on you because he knew he would never be able to give you the same lifestyle you were born into. But Liam has everything you need and most importantly he would be able to give you what you deserve.  Happiness! The man is mad for you. I will make sure that you see him as your knight in the shining armour.


    Once they reached their home, they both decorated the whole living room with colourful balloons and sparkling paper. The cake was ced on the dining table in the middle of the living room, gifts on the sofa and the food, candies everything else on the table beside the cake amd most importantly the liquor bottles in an ice basket to chill it.


    ¡°Shut the lights and hide behind the wall,¡± Susan ordered and Aurora did as she was told to do then they both waited for the birthday girl.


    Emily stepped out of the cab, paid the driver and turned for the door. She knew that her friends had prepared the whole surprise birthday bash for her. So she pped her cheek to colour them and opened the door.


    As she expected a loud Happy birthday sounded and she smiled heartedly. ¡°Oh my God!¡± Her friends jumped on her and hugged her tightly from behind. A happy birthday song yed in the background as Aurora kissed her head while Susan squeezed her in her arms.


    ¡°Why do you always bother so much? A simple happy birthday would have been enough for me girls.¡±


    Both Aurora and Emily looked at her with raised brows. ¡°Shut up Em!¡± They said it at the same time and they all ended upughing because Emily said the exact same words every year and her friends still do the same things every year on her birthday.


    Finally, Emily cut the cake and offered it to Aurora first as she was the would of their group. Aurora took the cake and fed it to Emily. ¡°Happy birthday Em! I love you girl.¡±


    Emily had tears in her eyes. She smiled emotionally, tears rolling down her cheek. She found a sister in Aurora. Then turned and offered the cake to Susan who fed it to her first just like Aurora.


    ¡°Happy birthday, Em,¡± Susan said with a warm smile.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat our junk food and then let¡¯s get wasted tonight!¡± Aurora interrupted them and they both looked at her as if she was some experimental organism under the microscope of their eyes.


    ¡°No!¡± They both said at the same time. ¡°Alcohol and you are a bad choice. Wrong things happen when you get drunk.¡± Susan scolded her.


    Aurora pouted. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my fault that my friends didn¡¯t take care of me when I got drunk. And let¡¯s be serious Susie, Em, did bad things when she got drunk.¡±


    ¡°At least I don¡¯t bang police officer¡¯s car or get lost in the sea!¡± She retorted teasingly.


    ¡°That was a low blow, Em!¡±


    ¡°I have the right to punch low blows today¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright stop it both of you,¡± Susan said then she turned to Aurora. ¡°You can drink but not more than you can¡¯t handle and once you have your fill of liquor you are going straight for your bed. Deal?¡± She asked Aurora in all seriousness.


    ¡°Deal.¡±


    They sat around the firece, dressed in their soft PJ¡¯s with liquor bottles and sses. Susan opened the bottle and filled their sses.


    ¡°To Emily and her happy life¡­¡± she toasted.


    Emily shook her head. ¡°To our friendship¡­¡± she said and they clung their sses in a toast and then gulped the hard liquor down.


    Exactly after half an hour, all three friends werepletely wasted. ¡°You know he is hot!¡± Aurora giggled while Emily nodded,¡±I know he is hot!¡±


    ¡°Who is hot?¡± Susan asked.


    ¡°Alexandrio.¡±


    ¡°Liam.¡±


    Both said at the same time and giggled.


    ¡°Same pinch!!¡± They chirped and pinched each other. ¡°A!¡± Aurora cried in pain as she snatched her hand away and rubbed where Emily pinched her.


    ¡°It hurts, Em!¡± She cried and giggled. ¡°Gurlzzz, we are wasted!¡± Susan interrupted slurring and then giggling like a schoolgirl.


    ¡°You know he still wants to marry me¡­¡±


    ¡°And he still wants to date me¡­¡±


    Again they said at the same time. ¡°And I am still alone!!!¡± Susan screamed. ¡°No Man for me I think I want one for myself.¡±


    ¡°Hey, who is hotter? Liam or Alexandrios?¡± Aurora asked. ¡°Your man or mine?¡±


    ¡°He is not mine but if you are asking about the hotter man I think Alexandrios is hotter¡­¡± she slurred.


    Aurora frowned. ¡°Nope! Liam is. Have you seen his abs?¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    ¡°No, but I have seen Alexandrios abs so I know he is hotter than Liam.¡±


    Susan was trying to keep her eyes open but couldn¡¯t as her eyes dropped and darkness engulfed her leaving Emily and Aurora awake in a drunkard condition.


    ¡°Noooo! Liam is hotter, Em. Wish I could show you his abs!!¡± Aurora whined. Emily patted her finger to her chin. ¡°You have his number, ask him to send a picture of his abs.¡±


    Aurora giggled. ¡°Yup! I can do that wait, I am calling him,¡± she slurred and picked her phone and speed dialled Liam Knight!

 Chapter 70

    Liam was rolling the pen in his hand idly.  His eyes are focused on the projector which shows the condition of Ethan¡¯s warehouse. ¡°Have you talked to Ethan, dad?¡± Liam asked Ryan who answered with a single nod.


    ¡°I did, he was furious. The situation was getting out of hand. In thest few months, he lost almost a billion of his goods because of these gori attacks but this time it¡¯s more serious than the previous attacks.¡±


    Liam leaned forward in his chair, his brows jerked together, ¡°why?¡± He questioned.


    Ryan sighed before answering. ¡°Juan sent a message via a short video iming that his next target will be his daughter, Aurora.¡±


    The pen Liam was rolling in his hand halted and ever so slowly he raised his eyes, met his father¡¯s gaze. ¡°My Aurora?¡± He clipped in a tone that chilled the atmosphere of the room.


    Once again Ryan nodded, he could see the darkness in Liam¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ethan is trying everything to get his hands on Juan but still no clue it¡¯s like he vanished into the air,¡± Ryan told him but Liam was not into the conversation anymore.  His mind was fixed on only one thing, today Juan did something he should not have done.


    Liam was fine till the war was limited to Ethan¡¯s business but now he made it Liam¡¯s war by mentioning the name of his future wife.


    ¡°Ralph, make a call to Ethan,¡± he ordered his brother who did what Liam asked him to do.


    ¡°I just talked with Ethan, he is not in the right mind to talk¡­¡± Ralph started but Liam shook his head.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a f**k if he was in the right mind or not! No one is allowed to take my wife¡¯s name and get away without any consequences. It¡¯s Ethan¡¯s fault that his rival was still alive¡­¡± he snatched the phone out of Ralph¡¯s hand and put it on his ear.


    Ethan was going insane because his fear wasing to reality, his daughter was in danger. ¡°Call the Russians in New York, Thomas. Ask for their assistance for all I care. Give them money or a safe route for their trades or anything they demand their help but I want that son of a bitch dead. Find him, catch him, and rest is up to me.¡±


    Thomas knew that right now Ethan wouldn¡¯t listen for any reason so he tried to calm him but to no use. Everyone in the mafia knows that if Ethan King had a weakness it¡¯s his daughter and today one of his rivals was taking advantage of it. Thomas was about to speak when he felt his cell phone buzz and when he checked the caller ID he was shocked to see that it was Ralph calling.


    He epted the call on the third ring and greeted the person on the other line. ¡°Ralph¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Liam, give me Ethan.¡±  Thomas didn¡¯t like the tone Liam used but he knew the situation was too serious to point it out to him.  ¡°Ethan, it¡¯s Liam,¡± he said, offering the phone to Ethan who took it from Thomas.


    ¡°Is Aurora alright?¡± Ethan asked.


    Liam gritted his jaw, ¡°she is in Vancouver, in my territory and unlike you, I know how to protect my people.¡±


    ¡°Liam, don¡¯t make it a thing about ego, it¡¯s about my daughter. I will not leave that son of a bitch¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about my future wife, Ethan. He didn¡¯t threaten you, he tried to threaten me, Liam Knight. I won¡¯t sit back and let him live. He wants to harm Aurora, let hime. The devil is waiting for that bastard because Aurora is noting back to Churchill till that man is alive. She will remain in Vancouver.¡±


    Ethan fisted his hand, no one has ever told him what he should do regarding his daughter and today hearing Liam, Ethan was feeling a sense of loss. ¡°Has she agreed to marry you?¡± He asked.


    Liam sensed an opportunity here. He could make Ethan see the reason after this threatening call from his enemy. ¡°No, look, Ethan, I can marry Aurora today and she will ept it one day. I will give her whatever she wants¡­¡±


    Ethan didn¡¯t need to hear anymore. He understood where Liam was going with this talk. ¡°No. no one will force anything upon my daughter. Our deal is still the same, if you want my business and support, you have to charm my daughter into marrying you. I might look weak right now Liam but don¡¯t forget that brutality still runs in my veins. I am still the same man who can kill without blinking an eyelid and as far as that Juan is concerned. He will not have an easy death, no I will make him beg for death but even then I won¡¯t take pity on him. As I said earlier, your work is to focus on my daughter rest is up to me. How I deal with my enemies in My territory is my business,¡± Ethan said pressuring on the word my territory to make Liam understand that it was him who was ruling over Churchill, not Liam and what was at stake for him if he didn¡¯t able to cajole Aurora for marriage.


    Liam¡¯s hold on the pen tightened and it broke into two pieces as he threw the phone on the table. Both Ralph and Ryan nced at each other, wary of Liam. His eyes turned dark which shows that he was barely controlling himself from doing something.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡± Ryan spoke and Liam raised his eyes to meet his father¡¯s gaze. ¡°Dammit to hell!!¡± He shouted, punching the table hard that everything on it shook.  It was as if all the problems came at once. Here, he found that his wife was on the hit list of Mexicans and he was having trouble with the Italians. Liam couldn¡¯t lose either of them. For him, his dream of ruling over the Canadian mafia was bigger than anything else. Fucking hell!


    Ryan knew that it was about Aurora. Liam wanted to end this charade and marry him forcefully and take over as the boss of the Vancouver Crime family with Churchill as the supporter.  His dream of ruling over the Canadian mafia has be an obsession for him which was not possible till Ethan King supported Liam and his support depend on Liam¡¯s Marriage to Aurora.


    Liam ttened his palms on the table, drew in a sharp breath to control his raging fury. ¡°Aurora is not safe anymore. Till now, the Mexicans were ying with the idea of harming Aurora but now they put her on their hit list.¡±


    Ralph listened to his brother but he couldn¡¯t understand what was running in his mind because the darkness in his eyes clearly indicated that he was on the verge of losing control.


    ¡°You want to assign bodyguards for her. I have a few soldiers who are up for the job.¡±


    Ever so slowly, Liam raised his eyes and met his brother¡¯s, ¡°She is my responsibility, I will protect her,¡± he tapped his finger on the table and asked. ¡°Italians?¡±


    Ralph nodded. Of course, his brother could flip from one topic to another within a nanosecond. ¡°Still in talks with him. They want more than we are offering. They have good bonds with Mexicans and they are hesitant because of Russians. Dimitri Kyschove is a maniac and everyone know what bond you have with Alexanderios.¡±


    ¡°Dimitri Kyschove!!¡± Liam muttered under his breath. He then turned his gazebo to his father who was sitting on the chair of the boss. The chair would be Liam¡¯s soon.  His father shook his head.


    ¡°Italians won¡¯t trust you till you do business with Russians,¡± Ryan said as a matter of fact and Liamughed.


    ¡°I can cut business with Dimitri short to achieve big things, right now all I want is the support of Italians.¡±


    Ryan sighed and nodded. ¡°You are the future of the Vancouver mafia but I would like to give you advice, Liam. Choose your friends and enemies wisely. Because in our business, we carry enmity far more strongly than any other rtionship. You are friends with Alexandrios which brings a position of status quo among us and Russians but what about Italians. I don¡¯t want us in a position where we lose from both sides.¡±


    Liam chuckled. ¡°Alexandrios is a time tested friend, dad. I don¡¯t have any problem with him but his brother is a different question and I am trying to get closer to my enemy who became the biggest problem is not only ours but Ethan¡¯s life too.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­¡± Ralph stopped getting what game his brother was ying.  ¡°The masked man??¡± He whispered in question and Liam¡¯s answer was ying on his lips. Ryan jerked in his seat, feeling proud and fear at the same time. He was d that he was the father of Liam because his son owns the mind of a devil.


    He raised a brow. ¡°Let Ethan do whatever he wants to do. My game is bigger and better than his or anyone else¡¯s.¡± Liam said with a smirk.


    ¡°Dimitri is protective of his brother, still he is a shrewd businessman. We are just tolerating each other for the sake of Alexandrios but he refused to give his assistance in that mysterious masked man¡¯s case.  So what option do I have except for getting in touch with Italians? One more thing dad, As Ralph pointed out, The Mexicans have something to do with that masked man. How can a man have an equivalent rtionship with the two biggest mafia enemies?  He has ties with Russians as well as Italians? How is it possible when you said that Italians are conservative with whom they did their business?¡±


    ¡°I will do everything to arrange this meeting but you have to be careful. What you are trying to do is dangerous¡­¡± Ralph said and Liam threw his head back in the chair.


    ¡°Dangerous is my second name, Ralph,¡± then in apletely serious tone, he nces at his father. ¡± I know there is something between you and Ethan which makes you tolerate everything he throws at you. I can understand it because I share the same bond with Alexandrios but unlike you, I have a limit to it. I am tolerating him because I respect you and him. But dad, everything has a limit. Try to make him understand that!¡±


    Ryan raised his hand, he knew his son was patient with Ethan. ¡°This patience will give you your dream, Liam. Trust me you have everything to gain and very little to lose.¡± Then he stood up and patted both his sons on their backs. ¡°Good night boys,¡± saying that he walked out leaving the Knight brothers alone.


    ¡°I am stunned at your forbearance. You kill people because they looked at you in a way you don¡¯t approve of and here you are trying to charm a girl. This is insane or¡­¡± Ralph drawled, Liam raised his brows.


    ¡°Or?¡± He asked Ralph who continued in a questioning tone. ¡± or have you developed some human feelings for that girl? Do you love her?¡± He asked Liam burst intoughter hearing him.


    He scratched his cheek, shaking his head a little. ¡°Oh Ralph!¡± Heh started, drew in a short but sharp breath and added. ¡°You are right, I have developed a human feeling for him but its not that stupid love thing. Na! What I feel for her is greater and vaster than that. I am in lust with Aurora.  All day I think nothing except how it would feel to hold her in my arms and ruin her for everyone else. That girl has be a necessity for me. I can¡¯t tolerate her chattering self but I suffer it because I want her in this golden cage of mine.¡±


    Ralph sighed. ¡°I hope I never feel this necessity for anyone brother because I don¡¯t have your level of patience. I won¡¯t tolerate a girl¡¯s idiotic behaviour just because I want to fuck her. It¡¯s either my way or no way!¡±


    Liam shook his head. ¡°Maybe you suffer in other ways¡­¡± he chuckled. Ralph was about to answer him but Liam¡¯s cell phone buzzed which stopped Ralph from giving a sarcastic reply.


    Liam frowned when he saw Aurora¡¯s number shed on his cell phone screen. He epted the call immediately not taking any chances with her protection. Not after hearing about the threats Mexicans gave about her but all his worry stopped for a second when he heard her giggle on the other end indicating she was safe but her next words increased his worry tenfold.


    Because the girl was drunk and Liam had a first hand experience about her capabilities when she get drunk.


    ¡°Are you drunk Aurora?¡± He asked and  then cursed for asking such an obvious question.


    ¡°Liamm¡­¡± she sang his name with a giggle. ¡°I want to see your abs, send me the picture of them. I want to prove to everyone that you are hotter than him.¡±


    Liam¡¯s brows jerked together. ¡°What?¡± He snapped but all he heard was giggling. ¡°Send me your abs, no. You know what? I aming to get your abs.¡±


    Liam cursed. ¡°Fuck!¡± Pinching the bridge of his nose he said. ¡°You are at your home, right?¡± He asked her.


    ¡°Yup but I aming¡­¡±


    ¡°No, stay where you are because I aming to get you,¡± saying that he ran out of his father¡¯s house to handle his future wife.

 Chapter 71

    ¡°Em! Wake up¡­¡± Aurora tried to wake Emily but she was sleeping not caring about the world and Susan was as drunk as Emily and she was sleeping too.


    They didn¡¯t let Aurora drink like them and now they werepletely wasted enjoying their dream world while Aurora had lost her senses but unlike them, she was still on earth, not in her dream world.


    ¡°Em! Liam ising with his abs! His hot abs!¡± She slurred and then giggled.


    ¡°Em, wake up!!!¡± Aurora shook her friend one more time but no use, Emily was sleeping deeply. Aurora stood up with her wobbly legs and went to the main door. ¡°I should check, Liam.¡± She mumbled to herself and opened the main door of her home.


    And just then Liam was about to ring the doorbell but he didn¡¯t have to because Aurora opened the door for him, he dropped his raised hand and scowled. ¡°Liam¡­¡± she screeched in happiness, throwing her hands to him.


    Liam was shocked by her sudden action. Her body was tightly pressed against his front.


    Fuck!


    She giggled once again before breaking herself from his body. ¡°Show me your abs!!¡± She ordered, fisting his shirt tightly to pull it out of his pants.


    ¡°What are you?¡± He asked, eyeing her. She was looking hot in that red dress and she was profoundly drunk. He couldn¡¯t tolerate her chirpy self when she was in her senses and right now she waspletely haggard with too much booze.


    He recalled how she bit him on the nose when she ate those intoxicated berries on the ind. ¡°I made a bet with Emily and I know I am going to win, guess how?¡± She whispered thest part by pulling him closer to herself.


    ¡°Ask!!¡± She demanded, thumping her foot on the marble floor. Her eyes were drowsy.  ¡°I need patience!!¡± He whispered and grabbed her hand.


    ¡°Where is your room?¡± He asked a giggling Aurora who touched his nose.


    Instinctively, he took a step back recalling what she did to his nose once. ¡°I like your abs!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside Mrs Knight,¡± he said once again but looking at her condition he sighed and picked her upon his shoulder. Her A** jiggled in the air while she moved her long beautiful legs. Liam barely managed to stop himself from spanking her.


    Once he moved inside he watched her friends who were into their own world. ¡°What an adventurous night.¡±


    ¡°Em! See Liam is here, let¡¯s check his abs together shall we?¡± She slurred. Liam didn¡¯t wait a single second more and took her to the nearest room he saw and made her stand up like a child.


    ¡°Get out of your clothes Liam,¡± she said and tried to remove his coat. Liam gritted his teeth, he was on the verge of throwing whr in that bloody bed and having his way with her. He would make sure she would not be able to walk for a week but he couldn¡¯t do that.


    Liam knight was many things. A dark soul. A killer. But he was not a man who took advantage of an intoxicated girl. He grabbed her hand to stop her from ripping his clothes from his body. ¡°The time for it wille soon, but right now we need to get you in your right mind.¡±


    Aurora made a face and sat down on the bed. Her vision turned blurry, she tried to focus on him but ck dots were dancing in her vision. ¡°Liam, hold me or I will fall. Everything is spinning around me.¡±


    Liam cursed under his breath and held her hand. ¡°I won¡¯t let you fall, Aurora. Tell me, where is your kitchen?¡±


    She touched his face with her other hand. ¡°You are bad, you know that right? Very very bad!!! Why did you do that to me, Liam? Why?¡± She asked in a small voice.


    Liam frowned but his eyes were focused on Aurora¡¯s face. ¡°You hurt me when you said you don¡¯t care about my friends. You know I didn¡¯t tell anyone what you did, how much you hurt me even though Emily and Susan asked me many times and you know the worst thing?¡± She giggled.


    Liam sharpened his eyes. The softness in her voice and the purity in her eyes stunned him.  ¡°I didn¡¯t even know why I did that. I wanted to forget what you did but couldn¡¯t so I told myself that it was your loss because you lost me as your friend and you can ask Susan and Emily how lucky they feel to have me in their life.¡±


    A soft chuckle left his throat. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from speaking. ¡°You have too much confidence in yourself, Aurora.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°And you are the worst person to be called a friend.¡±


    ¡°Hm! But guess what, baby girl, I don¡¯t want to be your friend. You know that right?¡±


    She pinched her lips in a thin line, nodded. ¡°Yes but¡­¡±


    ¡°But you are engaged to that son of a bitch¡­¡±


    At that Aurora¡¯s face turned sad. ¡°Yes, engaged¡­¡± She blinked, once. twice. Then her lower lip wobbled a little and the next thing he knew was she was brawling next to him like a child throwing tantrums.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Liam was horrified. ¡°Aurora, calm down.¡± He tried to console her but she started crying even harder.


    ¡°No one loves me. I am all alone¡­¡± she said and even after trying to stop her crying for about ten minutes Liam finally lost his patience and shouted with such intensity and she gasped.


    ¡°Stop crying!¡± He pinched the bridges of his nose, closing his eyes tightly for a minute. ¡°Get up, you need a cold shower to get your mind straight.¡±


    Aurora kept staring at him with her sparkling teary eyes but stood up without making a sound. Liam made her stand under the shower and tapped on it. Droplets of water started falling on Aurora¡¯s head and she gasped, grabbing Liam¡¯s hand tightly, pulling him closer.


    Liam made an irritating sound in his throat when he got wet under the shower, angry beyond words he opened his mouth to scold her but stopped when she hugged him tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me alone, please.¡±


    Aurora pleaded in a small voice. His breath stopped for a second and he sighed, shutting the shower off he looked around for the bathrobe and found one on the hot stand.  He looked at the ceiling, inhaled sharply and once again looked at her.


    ¡°We need to get you out of these clothes, Aurora,¡± he whispered, touching her shoulder. She was still clinging to his body and a certain part of which was getting awake even when he was drenched in cold water.


    ¡°Aurora,e on, let¡¯s get you out of these clothes.¡± He separated her from himself and turned her around to open her dress. He had seen her body many times and even touched it because he couldn¡¯t stop himself from feeling her skin on his hands. The hunger he has for her grew more and more every time he nced at her. She was the Greek goddess of beauty with whom he was dying to have coitus.  s, he got her out of her wet clothes and now she was only in her undergarments.


    She was wearing redce and the sight of her in that thing made him feral with need, but Liam was a man of steel self-control. If it was not for it he would have taken her many times on multiple asions when he had the opportunities. Aurora would have agreed he was sure of it. He gulped the lust and scooped her in his arms once he dressed her in that hot bathrobe.


    Aurora was mumbling things, her eyes were closed when Liam put her on the bed and covered her with the soft quilt. He looked at his clothes and got out of them, wearing one of the bathrobes.


    He stared at the sleeping figure or Aurora for a while.  Every single second he waited for her to be his wife was increasing his hunger to make her his.


    Lust was certainly a strong emotion!


    Liam was about to leave but he recalled what his father told her about Aurora being on the Mexican¡¯s hit list. His eyes changed instantly and he touched her cheek with the back of his fingers, ¡°No one can touch you, baby girl. No one except for me has the right to torture you.¡±


    Giving her onest look he strolled out of the room and once again sighed seeing the other two drunkards in the hall. ¡°Idiots¡­¡± he mumbled under his breath, walking out to bring a change of clothes from his car.  Being in the mafia you have to always be prepared because blood couldn¡¯t be washed out easily and Liam Knight didn¡¯t like wearing soiled clothes.


    He couldn¡¯t leave her alone, certainly not in the condition she was in when he knew how she behaves in this condition. So he went back to her house and slept beside her while hugging her tightly from behind.


    The next day Aurora woke up with a bustling headache. She couldn¡¯t even open her eyes in a normal manner and when the smallest flutter of her lids awoke the sharp pain. Somehow she managed to look at the side table for water, but instead of water, she found a note. She picked it up and read it.


    ¡°Take the pills,¡± she put the piece of paper back on the table thinking it was Susan who ordered her to take the pills. She didn¡¯t recall a single thing that happenedst night, there were some images but all of them were blurry.


    ¡°I will never drink again¡­¡± she mumbled and without thinking twice gulped the water with pills in one go and managed to leave her bed and got dressed for the office in record time. ¡°If I am in this condition I can just imagine Emily¡¯s and Susan¡¯s,¡± she said while brushing her hair softly trying to evade pain. Pills and shower helped a bit with the hangover but still, the dull pain was there.  When she went out and found her friends with their heads in their hands.


    ¡°Are you both alright?¡±


    Susan raised her head to meet her eyes while Emily only groaned. ¡°My head is killing me, Aurora.¡±


    She could understand after all she was in the same situation a while ago. ¡°Hm, have you taken the aspirin?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± they both answered simultaneously.


    ¡°You know what? Just go shower and take some aspirin while I order something for breakfast. Don¡¯t forget we have an office in an hour.¡±


    Both the girls did as she was told and Aurora ordered their breakfast. She couldn¡¯t stop herself from admiring Susan for loving her like a mother. She didn¡¯t think about taking the meds herself but thought about Aurora first.


    ¡°Who is driving?¡± Emily asked both her friends. She was wearing goggles to hide her drunken eyes while Susan and Aurora didn¡¯t bother with it.


    ¡°I am, I don¡¯t trust either of you when ites to driving. Both are useless.¡± Susan said, snatching the keys from Emily¡¯s hands.


    Aurora rolled her eyes while Emily groaned and they both settled in the car and they drove back to the office.


    Aurora was still in pain but she knew that she couldn¡¯t skip work and she tried her best to focus on work. She was reading the next idea for her design when the inte on her table rang.


    And heard thest thing she wanted to hear. ¡°Mr Knight asked for you with the new design in his cabin.¡±


    ¡°But the design is not ready yet, Mr Rawls,¡± she tried to resonate but he didn¡¯t listen and Aurora had no other choice but to go to Liam¡¯s cabin. She was angry with him for forcing her toe to meet him first thing in the morning when she was busy with serious work.  With no other option left she stood up and went to Liam¡¯s cabin.


    ¡°You called for me, Mr Knight?¡± She asked, entering the cabin.


    Liam leaned back in his chair and raised his brows. ¡°You need to learn a little about office etiquette, Mrs Knight¡­¡±


    Aurora gritted her teeth and walked further, when she heard him, she smiled. ¡°And you need to stop ying these silly games with me Liam. Stop calling me in your cabin when I try to work. You knew that I didn¡¯t have a single design ready and still you called me again today. What do you want?¡±


    Liam chuckled, shook his head lightly, ¡°nothing but I was just wondering if you are fine or not becausest night you were not in your senses and a hangover is a bitch to deal with.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°How do you know about my hangover?¡±


    Liam stood up, his eyes shed jovially. ¡°It¡¯s a strange question you are asking or are you one of those, Mrs Knight?¡±


    ¡°One of them?¡±


    Ya! One of those who didn¡¯t remember anything,¡± he smiled. ¡°So I am right, you don¡¯t remember anything. It¡¯s okay, let me remind you. You see,st night, you called me to your house and were very eager to¡­¡±


    Aurora¡¯s heart stopped beating for a moment. bbergasted, she asked¡±eager for what?¡± She demanded.


    He smiled but didn¡¯t answer and asked a question of his own. ¡°You should wear more bows. I liked what I sawst night, baby girl.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s brows jerked together in confusion but then, she snapped her eyes to him when she got the meaning behind his words.


    The bastard was talking about the bowce panty she was wearingst night. And now her mind was bursting with one one question. What exactly happenedst night??

 Chapter 72

    Aurora kept staring at him while he was smiling sinisterly. ¡°You look beautiful in red¡­¡±


    She tried to recall what precisely happenedst night. The images were blurry but as she pressured her mind she recalled some of the things, like making a bet with Emily and then one after another all the memories hit her mind.


    She finally rxed now that she knew that nothing happened between them physically. But then her cheeks tinged in embarrassment over the way she behaved with himst night.


    Liam sharpened his eyes and grabbed her waist softly pulling her closer to himself. He tipped his chin up and made her look at him.


    ¡°Why are you punishing both of us, baby girl? I am getting tired of this game you are ying. Till when will you deny this attraction between us?¡± He asked in his smooth seductive voice which made Aurora¡¯s toes curl in excitement.


    She gulped and searched his eyes, trying to see a glimpse of his true emotion and she didn¡¯t like what she witnessed in them. Triumph!


    She could see the mocking victory in them. She didn¡¯t like it, not wanting to hurt herself she stepped away from him a little. ¡°I am not denying or epting anything.¡±


    His wild side wanted to jerk some sense into her but he forced a smile to his lips. ¡°It seems that I have to put more effort to coax you, Sweetheart,¡± his silky voice made her stomach flip in shyness.


    She gulped, crossing her hands to her chest she raised her chin and asked. ¡°If there is nothing urgent you want to talk about then I would like to leave and continue my work, Liam.¡±


    Liam rested his hand on her shoulder and pulled her closer. He was about to say something but his phone started ringing. Aurora took advantage of it and stepped back from his hold. Her heart was in a turmoil of its own.


    At this moment she didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°I am going to my cabin, Liam.¡± She said and walked out of his office with a question she had no answer for and the question was, ¡®What does she want?¡¯


    Liam on the other hand didn¡¯t stop her because the call was from Ralph, not waiting for a single second more he epted the call.


    ¡°Ralph¡­¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°The meeting with Italians is fixed. This Monday, the head of Italians will meet you in Das,¡± Ralph informed him.


    Liam nodded. ¡°Ralph, any news about the cartel boss. What¡¯s Ethan doing?¡±


    ¡°No news, it¡¯s a close-knit strategy and only Thomas knows about it.¡±


    ¡°Dammit to hell!¡± He raked his hands to his hair and exhaled deeply in frustration.  ¡°I know you don¡¯t need to hear this but Your time is running short, brother. Work your magic fast on your girl or things will get bloody soon.¡±


    Liam gritted his jaw, ¡°dig further on that masked man and try to find out about Ethan¡¯s n on Juan. I want the details and I want them fast,¡± saying that he ended the call.


    ¡°What else do you want, Aurora¡­ what more do you want?¡± He whispered under his breath in annoyance.


    On the other hand, Aurora was sitting on her chair with a silly smile on her face. It¡¯s been hours and she still couldn¡¯t get Liam¡¯s voice out of her head. The way he questioned her about punishing both of them. She put her hand on her heart and found it beating in a fast rhythm.


    ¡°What are you feeling, Aurora? You nned to make him feel the same way you felt when he lied to you. You nned to punish him for the way he treated you on that ind then why are you behaving like a lovesick puppy.¡±


    The thought scared her to the core. She stood up abruptly and walked towards the window of her cabin.


    ¡°I am feeling alone, once again, Mom,¡± she whispered, touching her ne and looking at the sky.  ¡°I miss you in moments like these¡­¡±


    At that time she heard a knock on the door and turned around. Susan was standing there with a pizza carton in her hand. ¡°May Ie in, Mrs Knight?¡±


    Aurora shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you this to mock me and since when you started asking, Susie.¡±


    Susan entered and closed the door. ¡°I bought your favourite,¡± she settled on the chair. Aurora joined Susan and opened the carton box, the sight of her favourite mushroom Pizza greeted her eyes and without waiting she pulled a piece of it.


    ¡°You look sad¡­¡± Susanmented while pulling a piece of pizza herself.


    Aurora raised her gaze, ¡°I am not sad¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, I know you¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ since we were in kindergarten, I know that, Susan,¡± Aurora shook her head lightly and added. ¡°How can you always see behind my smile?¡±


    Susan chuckled, putting the pizza slice back and patting her hand she said, ¡°because I love you. Now, spill the beans. Why is your mood off?¡±


    ¡°I am confused about stuff.¡±


    Susan raised her brows at the statement. ¡°What stuff are you talking about because as far as I can feel it has nothing to do with work or is it?¡±


    ¡°You are right, it¡¯s not about work but¡­¡± Aurora closed her eyes for a second to courage before admitting it to her best friend.


    ¡°It¡¯s about Liam. I don¡¯t know what I feel for him, Susan. I mean I am confused about him,¡± suddenly everything she has bottled inside her burst out from her in front of Susan.


    ¡°How can I feel good with him? That man is nothing but an overconfident owl. He thinks the sun rises out of his as*. If he says it¡¯s the day it¡¯s a day even if it is a bloody night¡­¡±


    Susan sat straight, crossed her hands to her chest to assess her friend¡¯s emotions.


    ¡°I mean how can I feel good when he calls me Mrs Knight which once used to irritate me to the soul. I used to hate him, right? Then howe I like him now? I want to get angry when he calls me in his office to discuss designs when he knows that they are not ready yet and imagine what we do in his office?¡±


    Susan brows perked up in interest. ¡°What?¡± She asked.


    Aurora shook his head. ¡°We do anything but discuss that bloody design for which he called me. He always tries to pursue me to be his girlfriend, no. Not a girlfriend, he wants me to marry him! I mean I sometimes think that he is forcing himself to charm me because if it had been up to him he would have married me at gunpoint till now.¡±


    Aurora inhaled sharply and nced at Susan who had an amusing look on her face. ¡°Why the hell are you smiling?¡±


    She shrugged, ¡°oh nothing,  just after such a long time you clobbered like your old self so I was kind of enjoying it.¡±


    Aurora frowned. ¡°Here, I am sharing my problems with you and you are enjoying it.¡±


    Susan rested her hand on Aurora¡¯s softly, ¡°yes, because I don¡¯t see any problem here, Aurora. All I see is you are falling for Liam and that man is trying damn hard to make you fall for him. Damn! He sounds like a very persistent man.¡±


    Susan tipped Aurora¡¯s chin to make her lookup. ¡°What I don¡¯t understand is why are you stopping yourself from taking the next step. Why? You like him, Aurora and if you want to know him more personally nothing is stopping you from having a rtionship with him. Just go and tell him that you epted his proposal and want to date him too.¡±


    Aurora stood up abruptly and once again went to the window. Tears pooled in her eyes, ¡°have you forgotten about Gabe? How could I start a new rtionship with Liam when Gabe is¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, for God sake, will you stop singing that Gabriel song again? It¡¯s been one and a half months and he still has not called you right? And if I am not wrong you don¡¯t want him anymore in your life, you took off his ring a month ago, Aurora. You have moved on from him, a long time back and I don¡¯t understand why you are even thinking about him. You have ended the rtionship with him¡­¡±


    Aurora turned. ¡°Because I feel guilty! I feel guilty about breaking it off with him. A rtionship is about two people Susan, it was not only me in that rtionship we started it together then howe I can end it alone. If anything he deserves to know that I broke it off with him. Yes, I took the ring off my finger and at that time it felt as if I had my freedom back but then this guilt started engulfing me. I tried hard not to think about him but every time this little voice in me reminds me of him. I feel as if I am cheating on him with Liam.¡±


    Susan was stunned hearing why Aurora was thinking. ¡°Aurora,¡± she gulped down her emotions before speaking. ¡°I know but was it two people in your rtionship? I don¡¯t think so, because it was always about Gabriel. What Gabriel likes, what he doesn¡¯t like. He asked you to stop wearing short clothes, you stopped wearing them. You even ate what he wanted you to eat. It was his choice every time. You were nowhere Aurora. Nowhere! And once again you are not taking a step further in your future because of him. Because you feel guilty of not telling him that you love him anymore.¡±


    Aurora closed her eyes, a few tears rolled down her cheek. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be tagged as a cheater by anyone, Susan. I don¡¯t want him to think of me as a cheater.¡±


    ¡°Will you stop being so harsh on yourself for once Aurora? Do you even know what cheating means? No, I don¡¯t think you do, let me tell you what cheating means. Cheating is when a pregnant wife catches her husband fucking his secretary on the office table. And that man doesn¡¯t give a damn that his wife saw him doing that. That pregnant wife ran out of the office in horror and pain and while running she lost her bnce and fell down the stairs. That¡¯s what cheating is? That woman loved that man madly but that man didn¡¯t care about her love. He was a bloody sex addict who felt gross with his wife¡¯s fat body amd he cheated on her¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it the same thing! I don¡¯t want to be in your father¡¯s shoes, Susan. I don¡¯t want someone to hate me the same way you hate your father. Yes, I want to move on from Gabe, I really do but¡­ but not before telling him the truth of my feelings. I can¡¯t move on before he knows that I broke our engagement.¡±


    ¡°Then tell him. What¡¯s stopping you?¡±


    Aurora closed her eyes. ¡°My guilt is stopping me, Susan. I don¡¯t have the guts to tell him how I started to feel for him but more than that I fear telling him about Liam,¡± I admitted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this to yourself Aurora. Please don¡¯t do this. Move on, please. He will find someone else¡­¡±


    Aurora shook he read lightly, tears rolling down her cheeks. She recalled the moments she shared with Liam on the ind. How his touch used to excite her, how he called her Mrs Knight all the time and she let him do it and even now she let him do it. At that time she was in a rtionship with Gabriel, still, she was getting attracted to Liam, it didn¡¯t matter whether she did it consciously or subconsciously.


    Her mind used her of being a cheater and she couldn¡¯t stop this feeling.


    Susan went near Aurora and hugged her from the side and Aurora leaned into her arms, her shoulders shaking lightly. Today she took off the burden of her thoughts out in the air.


    She admitted what she was feeling for a long time in her heart but was not ready to ept it.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to hurt him but he is not worth your tears. Why do you think I always hated him? Money was never the question behind my hatred but he was forcing his life on you Aurora and you epted everything he threw at you like a bestowed fool,¡± Susan kissed the crown of Aurora¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Aurora, you loved him unconditionally but he didn¡¯t and I understand what you are feeling but trust me you are not cheating on him. You know what, just tell him what you feel. Meet him and then embrace Liam wholeheartedly, please.¡±


    Aurora raised her eyes to meet her friend¡¯s. ¡°You like Liam?¡±


    Susan shrugged. ¡± I don¡¯t dislike him but yeah! He seems more genuine than Gabe. He didn¡¯t put restrictions on you, he is possessive of you but not in a bad way or so I think. But I truly want you to try Liam.¡±


    Aurora chuckled. ¡°Try, Liam. You know that he is not a dress or a cup of cake I would be trying. He is Liam Knight, a man who isrger than life.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s the kind of man you deserve. A man who isrger than life.¡±


    Aurora nodded. ¡°I will call Gabe tonight and ask to meet him.¡±


    ¡°Call?¡±  Susan gulped recalling how she sabotaged the settings on her cell phone. She even made sure he would not be able to contact her in any way.


    Aurora nodded once again. She never liked when Susan tried to interfere in her life, there have been many asions, she and Susan had fights over this issue. She loves Susan but she wants to make her own decisions. She told her the same and Susan respected it. Tonight she decided to be with Susan while she made the phone call to meet Gabe.

 Chapter 73

    ¡°What? Have you lost your mind!¡± Emily shouted over the phone at Susan.


    ¡°Susan, I told you once and I am telling you again, Aurora won¡¯t like it. Mind you, she will never forgive you for what you did. Whether she wants Gabriel in her life or not is her decision. Stop interfering.¡±


    Susan rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t preach to me Em and tell me will you help me or not? It¡¯s about our Aurora. If you help me she would be able to move forward in her life and ept Liam and let¡¯s get real you helped before¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop it, Susan, yes I helped you but it was important at that time. Aurora needed to focus on thepetition. And you need to stop with your white knight syndrome. Aurora is mature enough to make her own decisions.  Stop interfering in her life for god sake!¡± Emily knew Susan had this obsession with mothering Aurora but she didn¡¯t understand that Aurora herself didn¡¯t like it. She wanted Susan as her best friend, not an overprotective Mama.


    ¡°Will you help me or not?¡±


    Emily sighed. ¡°Just this once, and I won¡¯t do anything except for involving her in useless chattering. What you do in that period is your headache and for once and all, I am not involved in your n, Susan. For me, this thing ends here.¡±.


    Susan thrust her elbow downward with her hand in a fist. ¡± yes! ¡± she muttered at the sess of coaxing Emily to help her get Aurora¡¯s phone.


    Meanwhile, Alexandrios listened to every word Emily said over the phone. He smirked because right now he knew his tricks were not going to work on the girl he wanted. With no other option left he tried his luck onest time and entered her cabin.


    ¡°Miss Emily? Have you finished the reports or not?¡±  Alexandrio asked, putting his one hand in his pants pocket and standing his fingers on the desk.


    Slowly and with a frown, Emily stood up. ¡°It will be on your desk Mr Kyschove.¡±


    His lips tugged downward as he gave a short nod to her. ¡°No need, I am here in your cabin and you can show me here.¡±


    Emily gulped. ¡°Sure.¡±


    She searched for the file on her iPad. She was feeling nervous or the right word would be jittery.  She just wanted to stay away from him but every time he came on to her with even more determination.


    She opened the file and showed him the report but obviously, his mind was not on what she was saying. ¡°Mr Kyschove?¡±


    Alexandrio felt her hand on his elbow. ¡°It¡¯s nice¡­¡± he scratched his chin with his forefinger and said. ¡°Emily, be ready tonight we are going to dinner.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me? I am not going anywhere with you.¡±


    Alexandrios smiled. ¡°You are, you see Emily I have enough of this cat and mouse game. Now you have two options, whether you tell me what stopped you from seeing me, give me a good reason or I won¡¯t ept you ditching me like a one night stand.¡±


    Emily gasped. Suddenly all the memories of the past ran through her vision. The mockery, the pain, the same she felt in front of her ss.


    ¡°Get lost!¡± She snapped. Alexandrio leaned a little and nced into her eyes. ¡°Na! I won¡¯t get lost that easily, you yed with the wrong guy this time, Emily. You can¡¯t just throw me away like a used tissue paper. Now let¡¯s get the thing straight, after listening to your conversation I think Aurora should know about your interference in her life.¡±


    He smirked. ¡°I want you, Emily and I will have you. No matter the cost.¡±


    Emily¡¯s eyes widened hearing him. ¡°You¡­¡± she stopped and inhaled sharply. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything, Alexandrio¡­¡±


    ¡°Nice, from Mr Kyschove to Alexandrio,¡± He chuckled. ¡°Is it hard to find out? I don¡¯t think so, I can always have a long chat with Aurora and figure it out but as far as I heard it has something to do with Gabriel.¡±


    ¡°You are ckmailing me to date you?¡±


    ¡°Take it any way you want. Be ready at seven,¡± he said before walking out of her cabin. Emily¡¯s legs turned like jelly and she slumped on the chair.


    ¡°I can¡¯t lose Aurora. She is the closest thing I have to my sister,¡± she kicked the desk hard. ¡°Damnit Susan, damn you and your interference.¡±


    She inhaled sharply. ¡°I can¡¯t lose her. I can¡¯t.¡±


    In the evening, Susan was standing silently in the corner while Emily was scolding her. ¡°It¡¯s all because of you, you and your overprotectiveness.¡±


    ¡°You are being too rude now. If you don¡¯t want to help just say so, Em. I mean, you helped me before because it benefited you right, you got what you wanted this contract, this¡­¡±


    Emily had enough. ¡°Stop right there Susan. You are using me of taking advantage of Aurora. How dare you?¡±


    Emily shook her head in disgust. She crossed her hands to her chest and looked inintousan¡¯s eyes. ¡°I helped you because I wanted Aurora to achieve her dream and that man was a hindrance in the way. You might be her best friend, her God sister or whatever you call yourself but she is my friend as well and I value her friendship but more that I respect her right to make her own decisions. You are no one to tell him what she should be doing, you are not her mother.¡±


    Susan fisted her hands. ¡°Don¡¯t cross the line, Emily.¡±


    ¡°Oh, now you understand what crossing the line means? What you just said to me a minute ago was not crossing the line. You use me of taking advantage of her talent while it was you who betrayed her trust every single time, Susan.¡±


    Susan remained mum because she needed her help. ¡°You agreed to help me,¡± she reminded Emily.


    ¡°And because of that I am stuck on a date with a man I don¡¯t want.¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°I am going to meet Kevin so why don¡¯t you go and y your part,¡± saying that she went to Kevin Rawls cabin.


    Emily didn¡¯t feel good doing that but she had no other option left. She knocked on Kevin¡¯s door and entered.


    ¡°Mr Rawls I have found some issues in your design, Mr Kyshove has stated some concerns regarding the shape of diamonds¡­¡±


    Emily knew that Kevin didn¡¯t like Aurora, since she joined TheBelle, he feared his position as the head designer here is at risk and in Aurora¡¯s own words that man wants her to work like a machine. He always tries to find ws in her designs.


    When Emily finished talking, Kevin took an angry sharp breath and called her through the inte which obviously went unattended. He threw the receiver back and gazed at Emily. ¡°Aurora is  your friend right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Emily nodded.


    ¡°Then go and bring her to me in five minutes, I won¡¯t tolerate herziness to affect my designs and name,¡± Emily nodded and ran out of his cabin in search of Aurora.


    On the other hand, Susan went to Aurora¡¯s cabin and found her working. ¡°Are you busy?¡±


    Aurora raised her eyes, smiled at her friend and nodded. ¡°Kind off, you know Mr Rawls is just a second away from finding something in my work. Anyway, what¡¯re you doing here again?¡±


    ¡°I got tired working so wanted to have some coffee, wanna join?¡±


    Aurora epted the invitation eagerly, she can finish off her workter. ¡°Why don¡¯t you sit while I order,  cappino, right?¡±


    Aurora smiled and grabbed a seat, her phone ced on the table. Susan came back with brownies and coffee. They were enjoying their snack time when Aurora saw Emily running towards them.


    ¡°Em? Why are you running?¡± She stood up and went to her.


    ¡°A blunder happened, Aurora. Kevin is fretting over some design. He called you but you didn¡¯t attend it, he asked me to call you ASAP¡­¡±


    ¡°Call, what call? I didn¡¯t receive any call,¡±


    ¡°He called on the inte, but stop chattering, let¡¯s go please he is getting one the rooftop in anger,¡± she grabbed her hand and pushed her to walk.


    ¡°Wait, let me grab my phone¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh God, take itter but run now please,¡± she said and practically ran towards Kevin¡¯s office.


    ¡°You were searching for me like this, you could have called me,¡± Aurora said while running towards the elevator.


    ¡± I didn¡¯t think about calling you. Susan asked me for coffee but I was busy. I already knew you would be in the cafeteria.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°I just wish nothing is wrong¡­¡± Aurora prayed before knocking on the door.


    But her stomach dropped when she entered Kevin¡¯s cabin. The look on his face said that there is something really wrong with her design and she was about to receive the worst scolding of her career till now.


    On the other hand, Susan sighed in relief and picked Aurora¡¯s phone. She smiled seeing the wallpaper of her and her mother on the lock screen. She unlocked it and the home screen had a wallpaper of her and Ethan on it. Without wasting any time she did what she was best at and changed Gaberial¡¯s number, unlocked it from every tform and checked if he sent any new message to her anywhere.


    She was shocked to see that the man who was calling every single day when they were on that cruise had not called or sent a single text to her in almost a month.


    Strange! Has he given up on her so easily?


    She checked everything onest time before putting the phone back on the table and messaging Emily that the work is done and finished her coffee.


    Meanwhile, Aurora tried to make Kevin understand that her design was perfectly fine. ¡°So are you telling me that you know this work more than me?¡±


    ¡°I am not saying this Mr Rawls but we already talked about this design, and even Liam agreed to it. I don¡¯t know where you are getting the idea¡­¡±


    He chuckled when she mentioned Liam¡¯s name and Aurora didn¡¯t like it. ¡°Look, Miss King, I don¡¯t know what your rtionship with our boss is, but here you work under me, as my intern and I won¡¯t bow down to your tantrums just because you know our boss personally. You know that¡¯s the only reason I didn¡¯t ept your proposal because I didn¡¯t want to work for a girl who doesn¡¯t even know the alphabets of designing.¡±


    Aurora gasped. It hurts hearing him saying that. Even Emily stiffened beside Aurora and cursed Susan for making her go through this verbal abuse.


    ¡°Mr Rawls I think you should not talk to her in this way. It was a small issue Mr Kyschove pointed at¡­¡± Emily tried to intervene but in doing so even she suffered his verbal abuse.


    ¡°You stay out of it. You are not my intern and don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know why you are working under Alexandrio. It has nothing to do with your work and everything with your legs¡­¡±


    Emily was stunned and Aurora had enough. ¡°Just shut this vulgar mouth of yours, Mr Rawls. How dare you talk to Emily like that.¡±


    She stood in front of Kevin and red at him. ¡°Till now, I suffered every hurdle you put in my way but not this time, because you take it too far this time. You are right, I know Liam personally and one word of my mouth and you will be searching for a new job, do you understand me?¡±


    Kevin red at her. ¡°Are you trying to scare me?


    ¡°Yes, I am. So do yourself a favour and apologies to my friend right now.¡±


    Kevin held her gaze for a while trying to show that he was unaffected by her threats but when she didn¡¯t down her gaze he knew that he messed up. He was well aware of Liam¡¯s real identity; he knew who Liam was and what he could do to him.  But he was not going to just let an intern insult him like that.


    ¡°You are right, Aurora. I should not have talked to her or you like this,¡± he nced at Emily and smiled apologetically.


    ¡°What I said to both of you was in a heat of anger. I hope we can move forward without holding any grudges between us.¡±


    Emily nodded and looked away. Once again she was tagged as a girl who was taking advantage of a rich man by sleeping with him.


    Kevin turned at Aurora. ¡°I hope you also forget what I said now, Aurora.¡±


    ¡°You were right Mr Rawls, I think we should treat each other professionally and I suggest you greet me as Miss Kings, always.¡±


    Saying that she grabbed Emily¡¯s hand and walked out of Kevin¡¯s office without caring about him anymore.

 Chapter 74

    ¡°Hey, stop crying Em,¡± Aurora pleaded to her friend who was crying silently in the corner of the elevator.


    Aurora went closer to her and cuddled herself to her. ¡°You are my brave girl. Don¡¯t cry over an owl¡¯s words. See, he even apologised to you.¡±


    Emily couldn¡¯t help but smile, recalling


    how Aurora warned Kevin and forced him to apologise to her. ¡°You always do that, Aurora, it¡¯s been four years since we met and you always stood for me. You helped me when Viktor hated me then thatpetition and now Kevin¡­¡±


    ¡°And you always stood for me as well, Em. Do you even remember how many times you handled my drunk ass? I lost count of it¡­¡± she said, brushing Emily¡¯s tears with her fingers.


    She chuckled. ¡°Taking care of you while you get drunk and standing up for me to the people of your ss is apletely different thing, Aurora. You are still backing up your promise to help me in achieving the sess you made four years ago.¡±


    At that Aurora rolled her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s what friends do, Em. But this time it was not just you I was helping but myself.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°You see, I behave like a fool with Gabriel. Susan was right, it was only him in that rtionship. It was always about what he wanted but I guess I figured it outte. I mean it¡¯s betterter than never, right?¡±


    Emily nodded. ¡°I was fighting with Dad to marry Gabe. I genuinely wanted our rtionship to grow but when he said that I would be helping him in the restaurant by washing dishes. I got sacred, Em. That was the wake-up call for me. I have nothing against washing dishes but I had dreams and Gabe never believed in me. He never believe that I would be able to achieve them no instead he always think of me as nothing but a rich brat who knows nothing except for spending her dad¡¯s money.¡±


    Emily patted her hand. ¡°I understand Aurora. No one cares about our dreams or hard work until we achieve sess.¡±


    ¡°I guess so. Initially, I wanted to prove it to him by winning that contest but then I saw how unimportant I was in his life. One month and not even a single message from him to me. It hurts when he doesn¡¯t show any concern for me.¡±


    Emily gulped. Adrenaline shot through her body in anticipation. She recalled how many times he called her when they were on that cruise. How many times he called them, he even called changing the number but Susan cklisted all the contacts which were not saved in her cell.


    What have you done, Susan? What do you make me do?


    ¡°You know what, leave everything aside and let¡¯s go home now. I am about to take the most important decision of my life,¡± Aurora said. A little hope and excitement erupted in her heart imagining Liam and herself together.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Aurora shrugged. ¡°I will tell Gabriel that I don¡¯t love him anymore and return his ring to him.¡±


    Emily nodded. ¡°It¡¯s for the best,¡± she said but before she could say anything else the elevator pinged and they stepped out. Once back in the cafeteria they found Susan waiting for them.


    Upon seeing them she moved to them. ¡°Coffee?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No, I just want to go home and have a long warm bath,¡± Aurora replied and they left for their home.


    After Emily left for her dinner date, Aurora and Susan were sitting in her room and she was fumbling with her cell phone. ¡°Come on call him.¡±


    She took a long deep breath to calm her racing heart and opened the phone book. In the past month, it never urred to her but today when she was about to take such a big step for herself she noticed how Gabriel¡¯s number which once used to be on top of her call history was nowhere the view now, strange how a single month changed the perspective for her rtionship.


    Once she found his name in the phonebook she tapped on it and the call started.  Her heart was beating at the record speed. Even Susan was feeling jittery about the phone call.


    She was d Aurora asked her to sit with her while she talk with him because she knew he would not let her go easily and Susan was ready to interfere if needed.


    But things didnt go as they nned. Instead of ringing, they heard that the number is switched off. Aurora frowned and called two more times and both times it was switched off.


    ¡°I think I should call his restaurant,¡± saying that she called Gabriel¡¯s restaurant. It started ringing, Aurora waited for the straight face Manager to ept the call. Her heart thumped loudly when she heard the hello from the other end.


    ¡°Hello, George.¡±


    ¡°Miss Aurora, is that you?¡± He asked and Aurora chuckled hearing his dramatic voice.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me, George. How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Fine, I am doing fine but where are you?¡±


    ¡°Somewhere. Anyway, George can you please pass the phone to Gabriel. It¡¯s kind of urgent,¡± Susan rubbed Aurora¡¯s hands tofort her.


    ¡°Mr James is not avable Miss. He went to meet his uncle and had not returned yet. I don¡¯t have any other information than that.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s shoulders slumped in disappointment. ¡°Do you know where his uncle lives, George? I need to meet him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can give you the address if you want.¡±


    ¡°Yes, send it to me.¡± She said and after a little talk, she ended the call. After ending it she saw how badly she was shivering. Aurora hugged Susan who held her in aforting manner.


    ¡°I am going to meet Gabe, tomorrow and return his ring to him.¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Susan nodded. ¡°I wille with you.¡±


    Aurora nodded. She wants Susan with her. She needed that extra courage. It was not like she was not sad. She was,  it could have been a beautiful rtionship if only things would have been worked differently but they didn¡¯t.


    It was for the best, she thought. Instead of trying to join broken things, it¡¯s better to move on and she would be doing the same. She wanted to feel the thrill she felt with Liam.


    He was the sun and she was being attracted to him with his gravitational force.


    On the other hand, Alexandrio ordered the best wine for Emily and cling their sses together. ¡°To our new journey.¡±


    Emily gritted her jaw. ¡°There is no new journey Mr Kyschove. I am not here on my free will, this is your ckmail.¡±


    Alexandrio mocked a salute and gulped or down. ¡°It¡¯s our first date, Emily,¡± he leaned a little forward on the table and looked into her eyes.


    ¡°And I suggest you smile a little on our special asion.¡±


    Emily forced herself to smile. ¡°This much is okay?¡± She mocked. Alexandrio nodded. ¡°Very.¡±


    They started eating but unlike other couples, instead of talking to know each other, there was only the sound of fork and knife.


    Alexandrio couldn¡¯t take it anymore, he broke the silence by asking a question which he had asked her many times but she refused to answer. ¡± will you still not tell me why you stopped seeing me, Emily?¡± He asked in all seriousness.


    Emily paused for a moment. Left her cutlery and wiped her hands to the napkin. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to be with you. I don¡¯t want to be known as a social climber who is dating a multibillionaire for his money. I don¡¯t want to be called gold digger who¡­¡±  she stopped, glued and finished the sentence, ¡°¡­ whore around rich people to get things done,¡± she snapped and threw the napkin on the table, stood up and moved to walk away.


    Alexandrio threw the cash on the table for the bill and followed her out. He grabbed her hand once they were in the lobby. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Have I ever questioned your motives?¡±


    He demanded.


    Emily snatched her hand away. ¡°One day you will and I don¡¯t want that. So I am begging you to leave me alone. I came here because you ckmailed me and I value my friendship with Aurora more than anything in this world. If you like me, please let me live in peace,¡± A few tears rolled down her cheek when she said that.


    Alexandrio could see how shattered her eyes were, ¡°who hurt you, Emily? What is this all about?¡±


    Emily gulped. ¡°No one has hurt me, Alexandrio. It has nothing to do with anyone except for myself. It¡¯s about me and my identity¡­¡± saying that she walked away and this time even Alexandrio didn¡¯t stop her.


    ¡°Na! There is something you are hiding from me, Emily. There is a reason behind your pain and I will find it out,¡± Alexandrios promised himself.


    He was about to call one of his men to dig up her past but before he could do that his phone started ringing. He looked at the sky for patience.


    It was a call from Russia, more precisely his brother, Dmitri Kyschove was calling him. ¡°Dmitri?¡±


    ¡°How are you doing sweet boy?¡± He greeted Alexandrios.


    ¡°Not a boy anymore, and I am doing fine, you tell me? Why the call?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°I was in the neighbourhood, so I thought about meeting you.¡± He replied.


    Adrenaline shot through his body, ¡°you are here in Canada? Why?¡± He knew there had to be a strong reason because the Oakham of the Russian mafia wouldn¡¯t juste to Canada for holidays.


    ¡°Business calls. I want you to arrange a meeting with that friend of yours¡­¡±


    ¡°His name is Liam and why the sudden meeting?¡±


    ¡°Because I say so, Alexandrio,¡± Dmitri replied in a pure businesslike tone.


    ¡°When?¡± Alexandrio asked.


    ¡°Tomorrow, in the evening,¡± saying that he ended the call.


    Alexandrio cursed at his luck. He was stuck between two egocentric alphas who want nothing more than to kill each other.  Gritting his jaw, he called Liam and asked to meet him.


    Liam swirled the amber liquid in the ss and nced at Alexandrio. ¡°I would have met him but there is this little problem, friend.¡± He said pointing at the part of his finger over the brim of the ss.


    ¡°Your brother denied his assistance when I asked him regarding that masked man. And I don¡¯t think there is any way our meeting will not end in a bloodbath¡­¡±


    Alexandrio straightened in his seat. ¡± There will be no blood bath, Liam. My brother asked for a casual meeting. I will be present there and I want you both to think about all the business arrangements you have with each other before pulling guns at one another¡¯s head.¡±


    ¡°All I want is to bathe in his blood but I am interested in why he wants to meet me. I have a perfect ce in mind to meet your brother,¡± Liam said with a chuckle. Alexandrio shook his head guessing the ce was nothing but a dance club amd one thing which Dmitri hated was a fucking dance club.


    The next day, Aurora went to Kevin¡¯s cabin to ask for two days leave.


    Kevin joined his fingers together. ¡°I am sorry but I can¡¯t allow you to leave Miss Knight. That¡¯s not in my hands.¡±


    Aurora scowled. ¡°What do you mean?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Well, ording to your contract you can¡¯t leave Vancouver for two months and if you want to go to Churchill you have to take Liam¡¯s permission and I don¡¯t think it will be difficult for you.¡±


    Aurora ignored his jab and nodded. ¡°Thank you, Mr Rawls, I will ask Liam¡¯s permission.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but he didn¡¯te to the office today.  So I guess you have to wait till tomorrow,¡± he said with a mocking smirk on his face.


    Aurora sighed at his attempts to provoke her but once again she ignored him, smiled and walked out of his cabin.


    Should I Call him?


    She tapped her foot rapidly on the floor while thinking and decided that she should wait till tomorrow. She knew it wouldn¡¯t be easy to get permission from him.


    In the evening when she and her friends were going home, Susan spoke. ¡°Do you guys want a club night tonight?¡±


    Emily rolled her eyes and looked out the window. Aurora agreed immediately. ¡°Why not?¡±


    Suddenly, Susan stopped the car and nced at Aurora. ¡°We will go there but you will not touch a single drop of liquor or so help me god, Aurora I will make you diet the whole month.¡±


    Aurora raised her hands in surrender, ¡°alright, don¡¯t get your panties in a bunch. I won¡¯t drink alcohol.¡±


    Susan started the car once again and upon reaching home they all dressed up for a fascinating club night.

 Chapter 75

    Aurora and her friend¡¯s entered the nightclub. Neon lights and high beat music weed them. Susan shouted in excitement while Aurora was also enjoying the music. It was only Emily who looked a little distressed but after a while, even she started enjoying the night.


    A server passed by with a tray of alcohol-filled sses, both Emily and Susan held Aurora¡¯s hands to restrict her from taking the ss. ¡°You guys know that no one was going to let me take it without paying upfront,¡± she told them shouting over the high beat music.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust your hands¡­¡± they both shouted at the same time, shared a look and then looked away in irritation.


    Aurora rolled her eyes and nodded. ¡°I promise you both I won¡¯t drink. So chill no alcohol for me tonight.¡±


    Emily left her hand and pointed at the corner seat. ¡°Shall we go there?¡±


    ¡°You might havee here to sit but I did not. Let¡¯s go and rock the dance floor Aurora.¡± Susan took her hand and went to the dance floor to lose herself in the night of music and started dancing. Aurora smiled and joined her as well.


    On the other hand, in the VIP section of the dance club, Liam was sitting with his brother Ralph and two of his best shooters were standing behind them. Not that Liam needed anyone but sometimes it¡¯s best to take precautions especially when one found a wolf trespassing a lion¡¯s territory.


    And today the wolf was Dmitri Kyschove. The man Liam wants to rip into shreds!N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    A cigar was dangling in his fingers as he put it between his lips and took a long whoop of it.  Alexandrio was sitting in the middle chair to keep an eye on both of them. Liam was silent, he would not start the conversation at all, even if he had to sit on this stupid chair the whole night.


    Alexandrio sighed and started the conversation. ¡°What¡¯s your call, Dmitri? What is the purpose behind this unnned meeting?¡±


    Dimitri raised a brow at his brother, ¡°I think you should ask this question to your friend, Alexandrio. He will tell you the reason behind my call.¡±


    Liam leaned back in his chair, leisurely enjoying the irritation and anger of Dmitri. Liam felt the same way when he refused to assist him with that masked man¡¯s identity and whereabouts. They say right about Karma, what goes around,es around. A few days back, it was Liam who was asking for his assistance and now it was Dmitri whose mind was ying havoc with him.


    Liam tapped his finger lightly on his thigh, enjoying the agony Dmitri was going through. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about, Dmitri. Can you be a little more specific?¡±


    Liam¡¯s lip tugged a little upward when he saw Dmitri¡¯s nose red. ¡°Don¡¯t y these stupid games with me, I am talking about your uing meeting with the Italians. Do you think I would not be able to find out?¡±


    Alexandria nced his way, shocked. ¡°What is he talking about,  Liam?¡±


    Ralph nces at his brother not sure what game he was ying. When he asked him to arrange a meeting with the Italian mafia head he thought it would be in secret but here, their Russian alliance head was sitting and demanding answers from him.


    Liam met Dmitri¡¯s gaze and smiled. ¡°Even if I decide to meet Italians, what problem do you have with it, Dimitri?¡±


    ¡°What problem? We have a business together. I don¡¯t trust you to share the business information with them if it benefits you. I know how big of a scoundrel you are!¡±


    Once again, Liam smiled, ¡°how am I any different from you, in this Dmitri? When You are doing the same thing. I asked for your cooperation and capturing an enemy who has be a nuisance, not for me but Ethan King as well and you denied it. Straight on the face, do you think only you have the power to say no? You are wrong. I hold that power too.¡±


    Dmitri¡¯s eyes shed. Anger and thirst for blood are visible in his eyes. Alexandrio saw it and before the meeting could turn into a bloody war he interrupted them.


    ¡°Is this about that masked man? Is it what it is?¡± Alexandrio asked.


    Liam nodded, propped his feet on the knee of his other leg and sat down leisurely. ¡°Your brother refused his cooperation and I have no other option except for allying with the Italians.¡±


    ¡°And what about our cooperation Liam? Don¡¯t forget, we are major partners in business, both legal and illegal. You do not only start g a new alliance but break an old one too,¡± Alexandrio started.


    ¡°I said about starting a new alliance I never mentioned breaking up ours.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust your hollow words anymore!¡± Dimitri spat.


    Liam turned his face to him, ¡°I never said about my alliance with you Dmitri. If anything, I want to kill you right this second and trust me I will enjoy doing it,¡± he said and an electric shiver ran through his body when a deadly smile broke on Dmitri¡¯s face.


    The sparkle in his eyes was enough for Liam to tell that Dmitri wanted the same thing and Liam would love to enjoy the adventure of it.


    ¡°Same goes for me, Liam. I want nothing else than to stab my knife in your heart and give you a painful death.¡±


    Liam raised his brow with a smile, mocking a salute with a tilt of his hand he turned to his friend. ¡°I was talking about my alliance with you, Alexandrio. I am tolerating him because of you and he is doing the same for you but till when? I want that masked man dead, he refused so I chose another way. Simple!¡±


    Alexandrio sighed. ¡°If you still¡­¡± he started but Dmitri stopped him.


    ¡°No, he wants the masked man,¡± Dmitri smiled, ¡°and if he thinks that eating with Italians or forming an alliance with them is going to help him then be it but let me warn you, Liam,¡± he red at him, and in a dark voice said, ¡°if it affects my business in any way, be ready to lose things sacred to you.¡±


    Before Alexandrio could speak, Liam spoke up: ¡°you are sitting in my territory and threatening me. You deserve my respect for it but trust me, Dmitri. No matter how much respect you earn from me, I won¡¯t think twice before shooting the bullet right between your eyes. So don¡¯t try to scare me in vain, for nothing is scarier than me. Not even the devil.¡±


    Then with a chuckle, ¡°and just to remind you, I don¡¯t give a damn about anything or anyone but myself Dmitri and when you know how dangerous one can be when he has no one to care for.¡±


    Dmitri nced at Ralph who raised a brow in challenge. Alexandrio tried to calm both of them but anyone could cut the tension between them with a knife.


    On the other hand, Susan¡¯s eyes went to the VIP section and she frowned, seeing Liam and Alexandria there. She nced at two of her friends and thought about ying cupid. ¡°Aurora, look, who is here? ¡±


    Aurora ced her cold drink on the table and turned to look and was shocked to see Lima there. Emily also nced and gulped when she saw Alexandrio.


    Aurora¡¯s heart skipped a beat seeing how handsome he was looking in that ck suit. She nced around her and found everyone else wearing casual clothes except for the men sitting with Liam. They all were formally dressed. If it would have been a movie she would say they all are mafias. However, this was not a movie but real life and here wearing suits in a nightclub doesn¡¯t mean they are some high profile gangsters.


    Susan recalled how Gabriel never liked going to nightclubs with Aurora and one time he came with her they ended up fighting because she forced him to dance and he didn¡¯t want it. ording to him, Aurora was trying to chase him to her liking as if an owner trained a dog.  He asked him to choose him the way he was and after that Aurora stopped going to nightclubs. Susan wanted to see how Liam would react seeing Aurora here.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and say hello to him?¡± Susan suggested. Before Aurora could speak Emily jumped. ¡°No, it¡¯s clear from the view that he haspany, why disturb him then?¡±


    Aurora nodded. ¡°Emily is right, Susan. See,  he has so many people with him. It won¡¯t look good.¡±


    ¡°Aurora,e on now, I am sure he will like it.¡±


    Aurora nced at him one more time and decided to meet him. ¡°Emily, why don¡¯t you join me?¡±


    Emily shook her head but she recalled how Alexandrio ckmailed her. She couldn¡¯t take the risk so she stood up and joined Aurora as they both left to meet Liam and Alexandrio.


    It was Dmitri whose eyes went to them both first. Liam followed his gaze and was shocked to see Aurora there. He cursed in his mind. Even Ralph stiffened beside him when he saw Aurora.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡± she started while Emily didn¡¯t even nce in Alexandrio¡¯s direction.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Liam snapped at her. Aurora gasped at his tone, she looked at the men sitting there, everyone¡¯s gaze was on her. ¡°Get out of here, Now!¡± He grumbled harshly.


    Tears of shame blurred her vision, she turned and ran through the stairs, Emily following her. ¡°Aurora stop!¡± Emily grabbed her hand and took her to the corner.


    ¡°I am a fool, I shouldn¡¯t have gone to him. Why did I do that? Emily?¡± She questioned a tear rolled down her eye and she wiped it away.  ¡°You know what, to hell him and everyone else. Come we are going to dance our frustration out.¡±


    Susan frowned. An angry shiver ran through her body when she saw Aurora turning away and running down the stairs, ¡°what exactly happened there?¡±


    It was clear from the vision that he didn¡¯t like her presence there. A new thought broke in her mind. Was she doing the right thing, because Gabriel who was just a mere Restaurant owner could hurt Aurora this much Liam was just another level? She didn¡¯t want her friend to suffer anymore.


    ¡°Aurora, is everything alright?¡± She asked when Aurora came there with Emily.


    ¡°I want to dance,¡± saying that she went to the dance floor and started moving her body, shaking it with the beats.


    Dimitri was a man who knew very well to read behind the lines. He could sense the protectiveness in Liam¡¯s voice when he asked her to leave.


    He was trying to be indifferent to that girl in front of him. What a show he tried to pull. Dimitri was impressed.


    Liam gritted his jaw in anger seeing Aurora there.  He couldn¡¯t risk Aurora¡¯s safety in any way. Dimitri might be Alexandrio¡¯s brother but he didn¡¯t trust him.


    ¡°A sexy girl she was? Your friend?¡± Dimitri asked with a lift of his brow. ¡°Mind, introducing her to me.¡±


    Fury ran through his body. The bastard was ying with him; he knew that. If it was some other time Liam would have not taken the bait. But this time, it was not about any girl, no. Aurora was his possession and he wouldn¡¯t let Dmitri or anyone else think that she could be theirs.


    ¡°She is my woman and I advise you to take her name with respect, Dmitri,¡±  he said.


    Dimitri smirked. ¡°I guess only you think of her as yours because from what I see she is enjoying herself in the arms of another man.¡±


    Liam nced down and saw her dancing with a man who has his hands all over her back and instead of throwing him away she was enjoying herself. Liam couldn¡¯t see that anymore, he stood up with lightning speed and sprinted towards them.


    ¡°Dance with me, baby.¡± The man said behind Aurora who tried to get out of his grip but then her eyes went to the VIP area.


    ¡°To hell with him,¡± she mumbled and started dancing with the stranger who moved her steps like a professional. She was enjoying dancing like this, carefree as if nothing mattered but then suddenly the man ripped away from her.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± the man tried to hit Liam but Liam grabbed his hand and twisted it behind a disturbingly painful angel.


    ¡°I am sorry,  sorry. I will leave¡­¡± he begged, Liam left his hand and the man strode away from them as soon as possible.


    Aurora was stunned at his brute behaviour. She tried to walk past him, Liam was already beyond rage and he grabbed her hand tightly.


    ¡°You want to dance, then do it with me.¡±


    Aurora tried to free her hand, but in the end, she gave up. ¡°Dance with me, baby girl.¡± He said and pulled her waist towards him as he started to move with he


    ¡°So, the great Liam Knight has a weakness I see¡­¡±  Dmitri chuckled. ¡°Now, It will be fun to y with you, Liam knight.¡±

 Chapter 76

    Liam took Aurora outside. She was angry but went with him without a word. She faced the same situation like this before but there was a vast difference between then and now, at that time she behaved like a fool, ready to do anything to please her love but now she won¡¯t and if Liam would treat her the same way Gabriel used to then she won¡¯t get into any rtionship with him.


    Yes, she couldn¡¯t be with Gabriel anymore and she won¡¯t be with Liam either.  She chose herself over any rtionship.


    ¡°If You want toe to the nightclubs to enjoy, we cane anytime you want. You want to dance, you can do that as well but you have to do that with me only. I am a territorial bastard Aurora and if you think that you can dance with a stranger that you are wrong. You are mine and if anyone even nces at my way I will kill that son of a bitch.¡±


    Aurora blinked twice. A red hot fury ran through her body. ¡°Slow down, Liam. That¡¯s my life you are talking about and you are not my owner who can set rules for me and I have to follow them like a damn puppet. Sorry to burst your bubble but that¡¯s not going to happen. And just to remind you, you are no one in my life to tell me anything¡­¡±


    Liam grabbed her jaw and met her gaze. ¡°You will be my wife, Aurora.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°No. I will not marry you, why should I? Just to be treated like a damn dog which you can kick when you feel like. Sorry, but I will not tolerate your narcissism anymore.  I saw you here and came to say hello and how you treated me in front of your friends as if I was a child.¡±


    She gulped and looked away. ¡°You im that you will marry me, so please just tell me, is this how you will treat your wife in front of four friends, by disrespecting her, scolding her. Then I pray you never marry because any girl who marries you will suffer in the worst way possible,¡± she said and pushed him a little, Liam left her face.


    Aurora was about to walk past him but Liam didn¡¯t let her. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to him once again, pushing her against the wall. He blocked her way from both sides by putting his hands on the wall.


    ¡°I will not marry anyone else except for you, Aurora. Why are you angry, because I scolded you in front of those people? They were not my friends, the man with whom I was sitting was someone I didn¡¯t want you to meet. I told you before and I am telling you again, I am possessive with you. I can¡¯t tolerate when someone looks at something that belongs to me and as far as the topic of treating you as my wife is concerned,¡± he levelled his gaze at her, ¡®Marry me to find out how I will treat you after marriage and I guarantee you, you will love it, Aurora.¡±


    Aurora didn¡¯t say anything for a while, just kept starting in his ck orbs. Their eyes hold many unspoken emotions between them.


    Liam¡¯s gaze travelled on her face while hers was still fixed on her eyes. He could feel a change in her breathing, she was getting affected by him. He touched her feather-soft lips with his thumb, Aurora for a second stopped breathing and when Liam started stroking her lip she drew in a sharp breath closing her eyes.  ¡°Stop fighting yourself, Babygirl. I want you to be happy but I want that only with me.¡±


    Aurora opened her eyes, Liam¡¯s smooth voice made her stomach flutter in excitement. ¡°You are mine, Aurora and I want to kill everyone who even thinks about you, let alone look at you.¡±


    ¡°Your analogies are too violent for my taste, Liam, I prefer a gentleman and you talk like some gangster from some mafia movie,¡± she whispered with a giggle.


    Liam chuckled, ¡°maybe I am a big bad mafia don, this is Vancouver anything can happen here, baby girl.¡±


    Aurora let out augh hearing him. ¡°Yes and I am the girl who is running away from you,¡± She joked and bit her lower lip, her breathing turned shaky and she looked down in shyness.


    ¡°There is a slight difference here, unlike those movies, I won¡¯t allow you to run. Your ce is here in Vancouver city, beside me. As my legally wedded wife,¡± Liam said, making Aurora smile.


    Liam could sense the change in her behaviour today. There was something different in the way she was talking to him, the way her eyes sparkled when she looked at him.


    ¡°Liam, I want to ask you something,¡± her smile turned small, a nervous expression reced her shyness.


    Liam searched her eyes, trying to figure what she could ask. He nodded. ¡°You can ask for anything, baby girl.¡±


    Aurora gulped. ¡°I want to go back to Churchill for two days¡­¡± she said and Liam¡¯s whole body went on high alert.


    Aurora gasped when a cold look appeared on Liam¡¯s face. His eyes which were soft till now turned stoic.


    ¡°You will not, I won¡¯t allow you to go anywhere,¡± he snapped.


    As if he had pped her. ¡°Too bad, I am not asking for your permission, Liam. I want to meet my dad and I am going to Churchill first thing tomorrow.¡±


    Liam shook his head. He couldn¡¯t allow her to leave Vancouver. The Mexicans are behind her, they want to hurt her. She was angry he could see but her life was most important for life after all it was she who could give her everything he dreamed of.


    The throne of the Canadian Mafia.


    ¡°You are not going anywhere, do you understand me? If you want to meet Ethan, call him here but I won¡¯t allow you to go to Churchill. You have signed a contract, A legal Contract with The Bell stating that you will not be able to leave Vancouver for two months,¡± he reminded her.


    Aurora opened her mouth to speak but closed it and then opened it again. ¡°That¡¯s why I am asking you, Liam. I will be back in a day, you are the boss of The Belle, surely you can make this small concession for me  to leave for a day or two.¡±


    Liam shook his head. ¡°No, it will send the wrong message to my other employees. And you are not my girlfriend nor my wife to demand anything from me yet.¡±


    ¡°I am your friend.¡±


    ¡°Touche, I don¡¯t want your friendship, Aurora. I want you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I am going to meet Ga¡­¡±


    His eyes shed. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare speak that name in front of me! You are not going to Churchill till the end of your contract Aurora and that¡¯s final. Nowe, I will drop you at your house.¡±


    ¡°No need, I came with my girls and I will leave with them only.¡± Saying that Aurora walked inside the club one more time.


    Susan, who was listening to their talk, ran inside when She saw Aurora leaving from there. After listening to Liam she understood that she was right. Liam was the perfect man for Aurora, he would be able to take care of her. There was only one problem, Aurora won¡¯t ept his proposal till she returns Gabriel his ring and now she has to do something to make Aurora meet Gabriel and there was one way she could do that. She had to talk to Liam and ask for his permission even if she had to tell him the reason behind that meeting and she would do that tomorrow, first thing in the office.


    Emily pursued her lips when Alexandrio came to her. ¡°I am invited to an art exhibition tomorrow, I want you to apany me for that.¡±


    ¡°Look, I told you I am not interested in you anymore, why can¡¯t this get through this thick skull of yours. Just leave me alone, please. ¡±


    Alexandrio shook his head. ¡°Maybe you forgot¡­¡±


    Emily had enough. ¡°What are you trying to achieve Alexandrio, even if you get my time because of this ckmailing, do you think I would be happy with you. You are forcing yourself on me. You know what just tell me what you want, do you want to sleep with me, that¡¯s what all it¡¯s about. Alright, let¡¯s do it, I will sleep with you, do whatever you want to do with me but after that, you won¡¯t harass me like this anymore.¡±


    Alexandria¡¯s eyes turned red. He grabbed her jaw in a painfully tight grip. ¡°If that¡¯s what I wanted I would have done that long back when you were drunk and trying to rip my clothes off my body. You got naked that night on the cruise, it was me who didn¡¯t sleep with you even when you were begging me so don¡¯t you dare suggest something like this to me again!¡± He gritted out in a voice that made her shiver in fear.


    Emily didn¡¯t even blink. She thought they had done the deed when she found them both naked that morning.


    He didn¡¯t sleep with me.


    She was just numb. She couldn¡¯t believe her ears. ¡°Alexandrio?¡± She whispered but Victor¡¯s false promises his sweet talk shed in her memory and she went quiet after that.  What could she say, she was burned once and didn¡¯t want to suffer the same way again. She didn¡¯t have the power to go through the same humiliation again.


    ¡°I want you ready in the afternoon tomorrow.¡± He ordered her in a strict tone which left any doubt for argument.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have an off tomorrow, maybe you forgot but I have a job¡­¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Yes, you have a job but you work for me, I am your boss and I can give you the day off if I want to,¡± he reminded her and with onest nce he left from there.


    Susan was driving them back home. When nced at both of her friends. ¡°What, cat got your tongue, now? You both are sitting as if you are mourning someone.¡±


    Emily gave her a look of disgust and looked out the window. Aurora sighed, ¡°Liam denied giving me off. I can¡¯t go back to Churchill even for a single day till the contract is over. He said something about the legal foundations I have¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm! Maybe it¡¯s your sign that you don¡¯t have to care about  Gabriel¡¯s feelings and move on.¡±


    Before Aurora could even reply Emily snapped at Susan. ¡°And maybe it¡¯s time you stop being so noisy  and drive us home silently.¡±


    Emily¡¯s outburst shocked Aurora. ¡°Em? Is everything alright? You never talk like that, no matter what the situation is?¡±


    She sighed, ¡°maybe madam didn¡¯t find the man of her dreams.¡±


    And that was thest thing she wanted to hear. ¡°At least I don¡¯t go anywhere where I am not needed. Stop interfering in my life, Susan and mind on your own instead of meddling in others.¡±


    Susan gritted her teeth and drove the car at a record speed.  Aurora was stunned by their fight but she didn¡¯t say anything as they were driving and from experience, she knew that things could get out of hand, she still recalls that one incident when she banged the car. She decided to talk with both her friends after they reached home. They reached their home, Emily opened the door and walked inside the home.


    ¡°Stop right there, Emily Smith and tell me what was that all about? I have been noticing this for thest two days. You are distressed and I want to know the reason behind it right now, Em,¡± Aurora demanded.


    Emily shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ I am tense because of my work Aurora. Nothing else.¡±


    Susan raised her brows but kept quiet. ¡°Good night, girls.¡± Saying that she went to her room leaving both Emily and Aurora with each other. She needed to have a conversation with Emily about her taunts.


    ¡°I have seen you both fight with each other but never like this Em. Please don¡¯t let your work destroy your rtionships,¡± Aurora told her, patting her hand and leaving for her room.


    Emily was standing alone, she shook her head, ¡°only if you know what she did, Aurora. Only if you know¡­¡±


    Chapter 61.

 Chapter 77

    ¡°What do you mean he didn¡¯t allow it, didn¡¯t you tell him why you want to go there?¡± Susan asked.


    Aurora sighed, deeply,  ¡°he didn¡¯t listen, he was on me before I could even finish speaking Gabe¡¯s name. Sometimes, I feel scared. What if I am getting out of one trench just to go into another.¡±


    Susan frowned. ¡°No, unlike Gabriel, Liam is protective of you, Aurora. There is a vast difference between the two of them¡­ I just want you to finish with Gabriel as soon as possible. You have no idea what I have done to see this day¡­¡±


    ¡°Excuse me! What do you mean?¡± Aurora asked and Susan cursed herself in her mind for the slip of her tongue.


    ¡°I just wanted you to break up with him. I always prayed for that to whatever their power is over there. Leave that and tell me what are you going to do now? How will you return his ring?¡± Susan tried to cover up and Aurora dropped the matter.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I tried calling him again but his phone is switched off and the number his restaurant manager gave me is not working as well,¡± Aurora held Susan¡¯s hand. ¡°Susie, I don¡¯t know but I feel something is wrong with Gabe.¡±


    Susan rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh please, have you forgotten how many times he went like this before? It¡¯s just the way he is, so don¡¯t worry about him and Try to talk to Liam once again.¡±


    ¡°Hm! I will see to it,¡± she mumbled. Susan stood up from the chair, ¡°where are you going now?¡±


    ¡°Aurora, I work in a different department or have you forgotten about it?¡±


    Aurora shrugged her shoulders, ¡°stress I guess, ¡± she said smiling.


    ¡°I will see you in the evening, bye,¡± after Susan left Aurora tried calling Gabriel one more time but just like before the phone was switched off.


    Susan had to do something or her friends would never move on from that controlling bastard who broke her confidence in herself. And without thinking about the consequences she went to meet Liam.


    ¡°I am sorry, miss Kelly, but Mr Knight is busy, you can¡¯t meet him today. And tomorrow he is going out, I can fix your meeting with Mr Ralph if you want¡­¡± the floor manager told her.


    ¡± You don¡¯t understand, I want to meet Liam right now.  Just call him and say that Susan Kelly wants to meet him.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that, Miss Kelly. I am strictly ordered not to disturb him because he is having an important phone call¡­¡±


    Susan didn¡¯t listen anymore, she needed to meet Liam and she would meet him at any cost. So she sprinted towards his cab and pushed it open before the manager could stop her from doing it.


    Liam was talking to the Italian Mafia head over the phone when his cabin burst open and he heard a voice from there. He red at the intruder who dared to enter when he strictly asked for no disturbance at any cost. His eyes went to Aurora¡¯s friend, Susan who was looking at him.


    ¡°Miss Kelly you can¡¯t¡­¡± the manager was trying to pull her out but Susan walked further inside. ¡°I want to talk to you, Liam¡­¡±  she demanded not caring about the manager.


    Liam gave a short nod to the manager who apologised and walked out of the cabin.


    ¡°I will call you back, Alessio,¡± he said, his gaze pinned on Susan and he ended the call.


    The moment he ended the call, Susan spoke up. ¡°I want you to let Aurora leave for two days, it¡¯s important¡­¡±


    ¡°Shh!¡± He raised a finger to silence her. He stood up and pointed a finger at her. ¡°Only Aurora has the right to barge in my office and speak to me like this, I didn¡¯t not give this liberty to everyone Miss Kelly.¡±


    Susan frowned. ¡°Liam¡­¡±


    ¡°This is my office and here I treat all my employees equally, so I suggest you call me Mr Knight just like everyone else and don¡¯t ever barge in my office like that again,¡± he said pointedly, in a non-sense voice.


    Susan who never felt intimidated by anyone in her life was for the first time intimidated by Liam but her determination to help her friend was more stronger than the intimidation Liam showed.


    ¡°Aurora has this urgency to go to Churchill¡­¡± she tried again.


    ¡°She is under a contract with The Belle, she can¡¯t leave Vancouver for two months till her internship is over and neither you nor Miss Smith is allowed to do the same. If she is missing her father, she can ask him toe here but I won¡¯t allow her to leave Vancouver for a single second and now I suggest you leave because I have work to do.¡±


    Liam was trying hard to not sound rude but it was not possible. The girl was getting on his nerves after every passing second. When he signed the deal with Ethan he thought he had to deal with his overbearing chattering daughter but no with heres to this girl who likes to interfere in everything that is connected to Aurora¡¯s life.


    He could tolerate Aurora but he wouldn¡¯t tolerate anyone else no matter what rtionship they had with her and that includes this girl who was trying to put on a brave show.


    Susan pinched her lips in a thin line. She curled her toes in apprehension.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand Mr Knight, Aurora needs to leave so that she can¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t understand, then let me speak in more clear words. I don¡¯t like when someone interferes in my life, Miss Kelly. I am being lenient with your behaviour because of Aurora. If there is something she wants to say to me, she will do it herself. It¡¯s between her and me so do not interfere and kindly leave from here¡­¡±  He said in a dark and firm tone leaving no ce for an argument.


    Susan fisted her hand and walked out of the room. ¡± The man is a brute, is he good for Aurora?¡± She asked herself sitting on the bench outside.


    Liam pinched the bridge of his nose and kicked the chair hard. ¡°Try to Calm yourself, Liam.¡± He mumbled to himself. He had another important issue at hand. He has to leave for Chicago to meet Alessio and he couldn¡¯t leave Aurora unguarded in his absence.  So he called Johnathan, the best among all his men. His killing skills are unmatchable and he was perfect to guard Aurora in Liam¡¯s absence. A man who wouldn¡¯t even nce at Aurora¡¯s in any other way except for respect.


    ¡°Boss,¡± he greeted Liam.


    ¡°You are to guard my would-be wife, John. You will be with her twenty-four seven but she shouldn¡¯t know about you guarding her. Keep yourself hidden and if you find anything fishy, shoot to kill.¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss.¡±


    Liam ended the call with Johnathan and leaned back in his chair and joined his fingers together.  ¡°Aurora, you are my biggest gamble. Say yes and get me out of this muddy game, goddamnit!!¡±


    Meanwhile, Kevin checked the design she made once again. ¡°You can show it to Mr Knight, it¡¯s good but thest decision will be his.¡±


    Aurora nodded and closed her drawing book. ¡°I have to send the samples to the making team, why don¡¯t you go and show the design to Mr Knight right now, Miss Kings?¡±


    ¡°Sure, Mr Rawls,¡± saying that she left to meet Liam. The manager was not on his chair when she reached his floor. She went ahead and knocked on the door before opening it. ¡°May Ie in, Mr Knight?¡±


    Liam nced her way, his lips pulled into a smile. ¡°Yes, Mrs Knight, you may,¡± he teased but Aurora didn¡¯t smile. She kept her poker face straight, recalling how she denied her wish.


    ¡°I came to show you the new design I made,¡± she said in a small voice, opening her drawing book. Liam sensed the change in her voice.


    He nodded. ¡°Show me.¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Aurora moved towards him and presented him with the next design, the moment she started talking Liam closed the drawing book and pulled her on hisp.


    Aurora gasped at the sudden movement. She grabbed his hands to keep bnce but when she saw what he did she tried to get up. Liam held her waist to keep her firmly sitting.


    ¡°Stop trying in vain, Aurora and tell me why the sad face.¡±


    Aurora looked at the door but didn¡¯t speak. Liam grabbed her chin, made her look at his eyes and asked again, ¡°why the sad face baby girl?¡±


    ¡°Why do you care, I am just an employee to you after all.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°I never said that, I don¡¯t make my employees sit on myp or let them talk to me the way you do, Mrs Knight and you know it. Now, I want you to tell me why the long face?¡±


    She nced into his eyes. ¡°I want to go to Churchill¡­¡±


    His eyes became hard. ¡°No!¡± He replied sharply.  ¡°You can¡¯t leave Vancouver, Aurora.¡±


    ¡°Then we have nothing to talk about,¡± saying that she tried to get off hisp. Liam pulled her back and grabbed her jaw. ¡°Don¡¯t test my patience baby girl and don¡¯t behave like this. You want   something else, take it but I can¡¯t allow you to leave Vancouver.¡±


    Aurora felt it happening all over again, Gabriel used to be like this too. Trying to tell her what she could do and what not. No, she couldn¡¯t allow that to happen to her again. Her throat felt heavy and her eyes filled with angry tears.


    ¡°I am tired of being treated like this, Liam. You im to do anything for me but you can¡¯t make a small concession in my contract. And I refuse to live like this,¡± saying that she stood up and walked out of his cabin.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± He cursed, pinching the bridge of his nose.


    On the other hand, Alexandrio was lost in Emily¡¯s beauty. ¡°You look beautiful.¡±


    She forced a smile to her lips,¡± thanks, I wish I could say the same.¡±


    Alexandrio chuckled. ¡°No need to tell me I know how I look.¡±


    She gave him a disgusted look. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you are being too arrogant?¡±


    ¡°Na, I am confident, not arrogant and just to remind you, smile honey, see people are interested in our pictures.¡±


    Emily forced herself to smile as the media kept shouting for a happy pose from them.


    ¡°See how good we look with each other, ¡± he murmured in her ear seductively. The voice sent shivers to her spine, for a moment she was lost in his effortless charm but then she reminded herself not to fall for him. Men like him are dangerous, she cursed herself for behaving like a lovesick puppy on the cruise. She couldn¡¯t believe her harmless flirting could end up with her getting ckmailed.


    Damn her for getting attracted to another bastard after four years.


    Once they entered the art exhibition she smiled politely at everyone who came to greet Alexandrio and shared a few words to their conversation. He introduced her to everyone as hispanion and she was d because it also shows how he truly felt for her.


    There was no lost love or something, no. It was not about dating her or anything, the reason he was forcing this rtionship on her was that it hurts his ego that a girl who used to roam around him was now giving him a cold shoulder. Till now, she felt guilty but now her conscience was clear.


    He just wanted revenge on her, now he would treat her the same way she treated him. First, he will cajole her to date him and then when she agreed he would ditch her. Although the reason she stopped seeing had nothing to do with ego, on the contrary, she was scared of falling for a man who could hurt her worse than Victor did.


    She gulped and looked down to avoid tears getting out of her eyes. Alexandrio smiled at the man who came to meet him. ¡°Mr Kyschove, it¡¯s a pleasure meeting you again¡­¡±


    The colour drained from her face when she heard that voice after four years. The voice of that man who became a nightmare of her life.


    Victor Brown.

 Chapter 78

    Aurora touched her mother¡¯s ne, trying to keep her tears at bay. ¡°I don¡¯t want to repeat the same mistake again, mom. You used to say, love always finds the way of the heart no matter how much you try to stop it. But why did my heart always find the wrong man?  I don¡¯t want to be like that again, mom. It took me a lot of time to get my confidence back,¡± she left the sob she was holding and tears found their way out of her eyes.


    Suddenly, her phone started ringing. She nced at the caller I¡¯d and epted the call immediately.


    ¡°Hey, dad,¡± she was missing her mom, just now and her father called. Maybe that¡¯s what her mother used to call the connection of the soul.


    Ethan King stiffened when he heard the hoarseness in his daughter¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Aurora, what¡¯s wrong, love? Why are you crying?¡±


    She sobbed silently, not wanting her father to know the reason behind her call. ¡°No, I am not crying. I have caught a cold,¡± she wiped the tears off her cheek. Ethan didn¡¯t believe her and he asked her to turn the video call on.


    She knew she was caught by her father, with no other option left she epted the video call.


    ¡°Love, what happened to you, share with your old man?¡± He asked, concerned.


    Aurora shook her head, the tears didn¡¯t stop after that. ¡°Dad, I¡­¡± she stopped because she didn¡¯t know what to tell him. She knew her father was protective of her and if she told him how she was feeling he would want nothing except for leaving Liam and she wants to make her own decisions now.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that I am missing mom, dad. I miss being with you. I want toe to Churchill but Liam denied saying I have this contract ording to which I cannot leave Vancouver for two months.¡±


    Ethan scowled. ¡°Then you should follow your contract. Because the consequences could be deteriorating by breaching a contract,¡± he told her in a soft voice.


    But Ethan was angry at Liam. He should be taking care of Aurora but on the contrary, his daughter was hurt because of him. ¡°But I want to meet you, dad. I want to meet Mrs Dn.¡±


    His body went stiff, he knew if Aurora gets her mind on something she intends to do it, no matter what. He couldn¡¯t allow her toe to Churchill, not when he was at war with Mexicans.


    His eyes were on Aurora who looked lost in thought, ¡°Dad, can you do me a favour?¡± She whispered silently.


    ¡°Anything for you, love.¡±


    She sighed before speaking because she knew her father didn¡¯t like Gabriel. She would have told him about how she started feeling for Liam but stopped herself. She would not repeat the same mistakes she did with Gabe, this time she would not do anything in haste.


    People say love is bliss. It sure is but when this blissful bubble broke emotions scattered everywhere and there is oy pain left to deal with. She was sure that she would not be reconciled with him again. Her feelings for him just vanished and she didn¡¯t even know when that happened. When she was on that ind with Liam, her thoughts were focused on Liam, about Liam. Gabriel was nowhere and now, she couldn¡¯t cheat on him anymore. The guilt of doing it was there; she didn¡¯t have the strength to continue it anymore.


    Still, she was not sure of Liam¡¯s love. Yes, she loves him, but she wants to be free in love not caged and if the price of being his lover was being caged, the price was too high for her to pay.


    ¡°Dad, I have been trying Gabe¡¯s number for a while but it¡¯s switched off. I tried his restaurant to get his uncle¡¯s residence address and number, again that number is also not avable. Can you please find out about him?¡± She asked her father.


    Ethan¡¯s body stiffened hearing Aurora taking Gabriel¡¯s name. His daughter was asking about her fiance which clearly indicated that Liam had not been sessful in charming Aurora yet. He needed to talk about priorities with Liam. But first, he had to take Aurora¡¯s mind off Gabriel.  ¡°I will try, love but I advise you not toe here till the expiration of your contract. If you want to meet me, I wille there for you.¡±


    Aurora nodded. ¡°Alright, dad. But please find out about him, I need to see him urgently.¡±


    Ethan talked with his daughter for a while and ended the call. His body went haywire, he called Thomas immediately to him.


    ¡°Our men handled it, Ethan. The chapter of Gabriel James is over now.¡±


    Ethan raked his hand to his face. ¡°Aurora couldn¡¯t know, she is still not over him. She asked me to find him, Thomas. That bloody restaurant owner has be a fishbone in my throat. You are a hundred per cent sure he has been taken care of?¡± He grumbled.


    Thomas nodded. ¡°I asked our state partners to handle it, the bastard was with his uncle when he was attacked. His car lost control and they were burned. Dead on the spot as per the reports. It was in the local newspaper of Das.¡±


    Putting both his palms on the mahogany desk he leaned his head down a little, sighed and calmed his racing heart.  ¡°I am a very bad father, Right Thomas? Look how I am trying to rule my daughter¡¯s life.¡±


    Thomas patted Ethan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°No, you are a good father, Ethan. You are trying to protect her from the horrors of our life. Don¡¯t regret what you are doing, not when you tried to quit this life once and paid with losing the love of your life. If Savannah would have been here, she would have supported you in this. At the end of the day, it¡¯s Aurora¡¯s life that mattered the most. What you did was right.¡±


    Ethan nodded. ¡°Arrange for a flight, I want to meet Aurora. My daughter is missing me and most importantly, I need to meet Liam who only talks big butcks in action.¡±


    On the other hand, Emily was stunned, Victor was standing in front of her, the man who ruined her faith in men. The man who ruined her reputation among the people.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Alexandrio offered his hand, ¡°pleasure is all mine, Mr?¡±


    ¡°Victor Brown,¡± he introduced himself to Alexandrio, ¡°and this is my fiance Katelyn. ¡°

 Chapter 79

    Emily¡¯s breath hitched hearing the word fiancee and Katelyn together. She gulped recalling how she insulted her, pped her in front of the whole ss. How she used her of sleeping around for money.


    Alexandrio smiled politely. ¡°It¡¯s nice meeting you both,¡± He tightened his hold on Emily¡¯s wait to gain her attention because she was looking down.  ¡°Meet mypanion, Emily Smith.¡± He introduced her to them.


    Emily raised her face and met with their eyes. Katelyn gasped, seeing Emily standing with Alexandrio Kyschove.


    Victor stiffened when he recognised Emily. ¡°What are you doing here, Emily?¡± The words left his mouth before he could stop them.


    Emily gulped, as the memory of her crying in front of him passed through her vision. She gulped, held Alexandrio¡¯s hand firmly, and met his gaze. ¡°I am sorry but I didn¡¯t recognise you.¡±


    Victor frowned, Katelyn¡¯s brows jerked up hearing her. ¡°Maybe you forgot but we used to be ssmates in college four years ago.¡±


    Alexandrio felt her hand shaking a little. He held it softly and whispered in her ear. ¡°Are you alright? You look uneasy.¡±


    She smiled a little just for the show. ¡°Yes, I am hungry actually,¡± she replied sheepishly.  He searched into her eyes, he could see she was not telling the truth and from their talk, he got the idea that she was hiding something. What? He had yet to find out.


    He nodded at her, raising his head he looked at the people informed of him. ¡°This beautiful woman is a little hungry, I apologise but I have to leave.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, sure, Mr Kyschove. We can meet anytime now that yourpanion is my long lost ssmate,¡± Victor said, his words made Emily¡¯s skin crawl.


    Alexandrio scowled. ¡°I wish I could say it but I don¡¯t meet anyone without an appointment, so if you want to meet me, make an appointment, Mr Brown.¡± He told him and Victor¡¯s face turned red suddenly as If someone had pped him.


    Katelyn¡¯s eyes shed in anger but she hid her emotions well behind a smile. ¡°Of course we understand you are a busy man, please enjoy,¡± saying that she moved to another corner with Victor.


    Alexandrio felt her body rx after they left. Now he was sure there was something not right. ¡°Shall we leave for lunch?¡±


    Emily nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    While they were having lunch Alexandrio received a call from his brother. He sighed, ¡°I have to take this Call, will you be fine till Ie back?¡± He asked Emily who nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    He didn¡¯t move for a second, stared at her face then nodded and walked to the corner to listen to the call.


    Emily was still not over whom she saw, she was still jumpy over it and prayed that they don¡¯t meet her again but as if God was not in her favour today.


    Katelyn didn¡¯t miss the opportunity to meet her when she saw Alexandrio leaving her on her own to listen to the call. ¡°It seems you have made whoring around your profession. Nice catch! I must say,¡± She taunted Emily, pointing at the empty chair where Alexandrio was sitting.


    Emily curled her finger tightly inside her palms, her sharp nails biting the inside of her hands. She asked herself not to get affected by her jabs but she was getting affected by her.


    All those moments of humiliation shed in her memory. ¡°Leave me alone.¡± She mumbled.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Katelyn smiled seeing she was affecting her, ¡°why? Does the truth hurt you, darling? I mean look at you, the girl who didn¡¯t even know how to give a decent Blowjob is now a top-notch escort. Nice, it must have taken a lot of practice to reach this perfection. Tell me, how many men did you fuck before reaching this high, Emily Smith?¡±


    Emily stood up abruptly, ¡°you were disgusting then and you are disgusting now,¡± she said and Katelyn smiled mockingly, ¡°so now you have recognized me, hm?¡±


    Emily gave her a look of pure disgust before leaving the table and walking out of the ce. Tears were rolling down her cheek, her confidence, her strength was shattered once again. She was still affected by them both, even after four years she still couldn¡¯t forget their taunts.


    She could still hear theirughter. Emily put her hands on her ears and screamed to stop the voices in her head.


    When Alexandrio returned back to the table he didn¡¯t find Emily there. He looked around to find her but she was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, Katelyn came to him, ¡°are you looking for, Emily, Mr Kyschove?¡± She asked with a polite smile.


    Alexandrio nodded with a frown, ¡°have you seen her somewhere?¡±


    ¡°Yes she ran outside,¡± she replied and took a huge gulp of her drink. ¡°It was nice meeting you, Mr Kyschove and yes, I will not forget taking your appointment before meeting you.¡±


    Alexandrio didn¡¯t pay much attention to her and ran outside to find Emily. His gaze went to a figure standing in the park far away. He recognized her from the colour of her dress. Alexandrio ran towards her, she was sitting with her hands to her ears as if stopping the voices to reach her mind.


    Alexandrio sat beside her, touching her shoulder lightly. ¡°Are you alright, Emily?¡± He asked her in all seriousness.


    Emily gasped when she felt someone¡¯s hands on her shoulder. She jerked away from the touch. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± She snapped.


    Alexandrio¡¯s whole body went stiff, imaging the reason behind her behaviour. ¡°Emily, tell me what¡¯s wrong. Who were those people? What did they do?¡±


    That broke the dam of emotions she was trying to hold, she stood up, her eyes couldn¡¯t hold back the tears anymore and she screamed at him. ¡°Stop pretending as if you care? Stop ying with my emotions and leave me alone. Leave me alone, please!¡± She couldn¡¯t hold the pain anymore.


    ¡°I am not a toy you can y with, goddamn it. I feel things and it hurts to be used by people¡­¡± she cried, running her palms to her hands tofort herself but that was thest thing in her mind. ¡°Please leave me alone!¡± She sobbed and ran away from there.


    Leaving a stunned Alxandrio behind who was shocked hearing her and now he wanted nothing else except to find out what exactly happened to Emily.

 Chapter 80

    Aurora was sitting in the living room of her home, she had tried calling Gabriel ten times and his number was still switched off.


    ¡°Where are you, Gabe?¡± She mumbled touching her phone to her head. Suddenly, the door opened with a bang and Emily entered. Aurora stood up and ran to her friend seeing her condition. She looked shaken to the core, even herplexion was white.


    She had seen her like this only once and that was four years ago when that bastard humiliated her in front of the whole college campus. ¡°Em? Are you fine? What happened to you?¡± She asked, holding her hand, she looked as if she was about to faint.


    ¡°Emily, What happened?¡± Aurora held her face in her hands. Emily¡¯s eyes met Aurora¡¯s and she hugged her guarding angel.


    She was the only one who came to help her that day and today also she was with her. Emily couldn¡¯t hold herself anymore and she left a loud painful screech in Aurora¡¯s arms. Aurora hugged her tightly, scared for her friend¡¯s wellbeing.  ¡°Em?¡± She rubbed her back to soothe her but nothing was working.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Susan who was working on herptop ran out when she heard the aloud painful voice of crying. She was stunned seeing Emily crying, hugging Aurora. ¡°What happened?¡± She asked sprinting towards them in the doorway.


    ¡°Bring some water, Susan.¡±


    Susan brought the water bottle from the kitchen with lightning speed. ¡°Here,¡± she held Emily¡¯s face while Aurora made her drink a little water. They both took her to the living room and made herfortable on the couch.


    After a while when Emily regained herposure she told them what happened at the exhibition. ¡°That arrogant owl and that bitch? It seems they forgot that you are not alone, Aurora King is with you. You just wait, I will kill that cockroach with my sandals.¡±


    Susan nced at Emily who chuckled hearing Aurora¡¯s unique way of cursing. ¡°Are you alright, now?¡± She asked Emily.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she was silent for a moment and with great strength said, ¡°He is engaged with Katelyn and she taunted me in front of Alexandrio,¡± Emily gulped. ¡°She called me a whore who¡­¡± once again tears blurred her vision, she choked on her words and couldn¡¯tplete the sentence.


    Aurora sat down. ¡°F*ck her! You were never a whore, Em, and you never will be,¡± she held her face softly in her hands and made Emily look into her eyes. ¡°You are my friend, I know you better than anyone else, Em. The girl who called you names is a whore herself. You were a virgin when you gave yourself to that cockroach and now even after four years, you have not slept with anyone.¡±


    Emily stiffened. ¡°How did you know that?¡± She asked, stunned. She always pretended to be the woman of the world in front of them but no one knew she never did the deed.


    Aurora met Susan¡¯s gaze who nodded. ¡°We are not dumb, Em. Do you think we don¡¯t know how you tried to make us believe that you don¡¯t care about these things anymore? You fool around boys but you still couldn¡¯t move on from that incident. In all these years Alexandrio was the only man who made you smile. You behave like a lovesick puppy around him. The day when you saw him you behaved like the old Emily you once were. The girl who used to wear her heart on her sleeve. We know you like him and he likes you too.¡±


    Emily looked away, ¡°it¡¯s not that simple, you won¡¯t understand, Aurora. People will judge me again for taking advantage of him. Once again I will be tagged as nothing but a gold digger who trapped him for his money and position.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Who people? I don¡¯t see anyone who has the right to judge you. It¡¯s you who puts a tag on everything. You are judging yourself on their words. Tell me, did you sleep with that cockroach because of his money?¡±


    Emily shook his head. ¡°No. I did that because I wanted to prove to him the depth of my love. He was my first¡­¡±


    ¡°The problem was not in you, it was him who didn¡¯t even know how to give an orgasm to a girl,¡± Susan added,  to make the atmosphere light. Yes, they have different points of view regarding things but she really cared about Emily.


    ¡°See, you never wanted his money, Em. Then how can you get affected by the venom that bitch spat? Don¡¯t do this to yourself,¡± Aurora tried to console her.


    Emily nodded. She lost count of how many times she had this conversation with them, still, She couldn¡¯t forget the smile on their mocking faces, theirughter pierced through her ear like a cacophony voice. ¡°I can¡¯t forget that day, I tried many times, Aurora but it still haunted my nights. I took counselling for it but nothing works¡­¡±


    Aurora hugged her. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Em. You are not alone. We both are with you.¡±


    That night Aurora and Susan tried everything to cheer Emily¡¯s mood and eventually, she rxed after some time.


    The next day in the office, Alexandrio couldn¡¯t sit straight. His mind was still on Emily, he was eager to find out why she reacted that way.  Asking her was out of the question, she would never tell him anything, asking that man was out of the question too. Alexandrio was sure he had hurt her in some way. There was only one option left and that was Aurora. She could tell him. He stood up and went to her office to meet her.


    Aurora was working on the new design when she heard a knock on her door. She frowned seeing Alexandrio there. ¡°My Kyschove?¡± She whispered standing from her chair.


    ¡°May Ie in, Miss King?¡± Alexandrio asked like a gentleman.


    ¡°Ya! Sure¡­ I mean please do.¡± She said formally.


    Alexandrio entered and closed the door. He turned to Aurora once again, ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind but I want to discuss some personal issues with you.¡±


    He nodded at the chair, gesturing for her to sit. Once seated he asked her the question he was impatiently waiting to know the answer of.


    ¡°Miss King¡­¡±


    ¡°Aurora, please. No need to be formal.¡±


    He sighed, met her gaze and asked. ¡°Tell me what happened to Emily? I know something bad happens to her, what? You will tell me.¡±

 Chapter 81

    Aurora raised her brows, ¡°why are you so interested in knowing Alexandrio? What are your intentions regarding my friend?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that, Aurora? I am interested in her and she is pushing me away like some allergy. Look, Aurora, I know it has something to do with those people we met yesterday. I asked her but she didn¡¯t tell me. I know she is hurt and I want to know what hurted her so much. Please tell me.¡±


    Aurora searched his eyes, she could see the truth in them but she needed to know the answer before telling him anything. ¡°I will tell you everything but first, tell me, Alexandrio, are you serious about her? You like her, I know but I want to know about your intentions. If it¡¯s a casual fling you have in mind then let me warn you, I will kill you with my sharp nails.¡±


    He chuckled hearing her threat. ¡°Do you think I would go this far for a girl with whom I have nothing but a casual fling in mind? I am serious about her, Aurora.¡±


    Aurora nodded. ¡°We were in college¡­¡± she started the story of what exactly happened four years ago¡­


    ¡°I would be having a cup of cappino with croissants and a blueberry pancake,¡± Aurora ordered the snacks for her and Susan.


    Emily smiled. ¡°Anything else, darlo?¡± She asked her ssmates who were the regr visitors of the cafe she worked at.


    ¡°Nope, this will do but make it fast I am ravishing in hunger.¡±


    Susan rolled her eyes when Aurora pouted in hunger.  Emily smiled and moved back to the kitchen. Suddenly, the door of the cafe pushed and Victor entered with his friend.


    ¡°Here eat this,¡± Susam handed Aurora a chocte bar to eat.¡±Your order will bete.¡±


    Aurora frowned. ¡°What? But why?¡±


    She pointed at Victor. ¡°Mr Crush is here, see.¡±


    Aurora pinched her lips in a thin line. ¡°I don¡¯t know what she sees in this cockroach. Idiot man.¡± She mumbled, her eyes searching for Emily and as Susan said, her order was definitely going to bete. Emily was smiling ear to ear like a fool while Victor flirted with her. It was obvious to everyone that she had a crush on him.


    ¡°Oh crap! Katelyn is here. Fuck, She is going to bury Emily alive.¡± Auroramented, shaking her head.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Good, then at least she would stop behaving like a fool. Couldn¡¯t she see he was just using her for entertainment?¡±


    Aurora sighed. ¡°She loves him, Susan¡­¡± she pointed but stopped when Katelyn went to Victor¡¯s table and started screaming. ¡°I knew that you woulde here to meet her. You have been cheating on me with this stupid  waitress, Victor.¡±


    Emily gasped. People sitting in the cafe started looking at the drama unfolding there. ¡°You bitch, stay the fuck away from my boyfriend.¡±


    Emily had heard enough. ¡°Oh hello, why don¡¯t you do humankind a favour and just shut this vulgar mouth of yours? If you don¡¯t know how to handle a rtionship with your boyfriend then me yourself not everyone else. I mean seriously girl, how stupid you could be. If your assignments are notplete, you start ming the professors for giving you less time when it¡¯s you who didn¡¯t do it on time. If your dress is a bit tight, you me the designers and fabric even the poor seamstress but not yourself for buying the dress a smaller size. You have problems with everyone but yourself. I pity him for even having a rtionship with you. And just to let you know, this time you decided to mess with the wrong girl because I won¡¯t stand here and listen to you speaking crap about me.¡± she looked at Victor and smiled.


    ¡°Sorry, Victor, nothing against you but this girl needed to hear the truth about herself.  If you want to order something do let me know,¡± saying that Emily moved to the other table.


    Someone started pping and then the whole bunch of people joined. Katelyn ran out in anger and frustration, Victor and his friend behind her.


    ¡°Wow! That girl has the guts of a devil,¡± Susan whispered, impressed by the show of her spirits. ¡°Damn, I never knew she could do that.¡±


    ¡°She has fire, Susan,¡± she said, smiling.  Aurora and Susan kept their distance from other students in ss. Aurora kept her friend circle neat. She had Susan and she was enough for her. But today she loves Emily and the way she reacted to Katelyn who thinks of herself as some goddess.


    The next day in ss Kately and her friends tried to poke Emily and once again she saw them to their ces.


    Emily was going back to the dorm when Victor caught up to her. ¡°Hey, Emily. Can we talk?¡± He asked her with his charming smile.


    Emily frowned. ¡°Yes,¡± she said, her heart beating faster than usual seeing him there. ¡°I came to apologise to you for what happened yesterday. Katelyn crossed the line¡­¡±


    Emily shrugged. ¡°What can I say, It was not your fault that she is egoistic.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± he cleared his throat. ¡°I broke up with her.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry to hear this¡­. no you know what I am d you did that because she was an overbearing egoistic girl who didn¡¯t even know the spelling of politeness.¡±


    Victor nodded. ¡°I saw that, well¡­ that¡¯s not the  only thing I came to discuss with you. I know you like me and I like you too. Now that I am free of Katelyn, I would like to date you, Emily Smith.¡±


    Emily¡¯s heart dropped. She went numb for a moment hearing his proposal. She was excited and nervous at the same time. ¡°Say something,¡± he asked when Emily didn¡¯t speak and only stared at him.


    She chuckled. ¡°Yes, yes I would love to date you, Victor.¡± She answered smiling ear to ear. She thought that was the best day of her life but it was not. It was the day which led to the worst day of her life because from that moment her life changed.

 Chapter 82

    Aurora sighed, recalling the depressing memories of the past. But she had to share them with Alexandrio. He was hearing her with a serious face. He has a feeling that what woulde next won¡¯t be easy to hear and he was right.


    ¡°Nice dress, Emily,¡± A girl from her ssplimented her.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± She smiled, touching the rich fabric of the dress Victor bought for her. She denied it many times but he didn¡¯t listen. They have been dating for about a month now and he was adamant to give her beautiful dresses and essories.


    They had this massive fight one day when she told him not to buy dresses worth thousands of dors and he told her that he wants to see her in beautiful clothes, he epted that he loves her and if she feels the same way she wouldn¡¯t deny him anything. Emily couldn¡¯t say no to him anymore.


    In college, Katelyn always pointed how she was wearing rich clothes now that she had started dating Victor. Even other girls started talking bad about her. It hurts her pride but when she discussed it with Victor he told her to ignore them, after all, they don¡¯t matter in their rtionship. She ignored them but things didn¡¯t improve. And after a while, whereas wasbelled as a girl who is using Victor for his money. Nevertheless, it didn¡¯t affect their rtionship, It was going perfect. He used to put her mind at ease with his words. She started trusting him to the core of her heart that she shared her dream with him. Her dream is to open a big Jewellery brand one day. She opened her heart in front of him and the next day he gave her a diamond bracelet.


    ¡°This is too much, Victor. I can¡¯t ept it,¡± Emily said, eyeing the huge diamond on the bracelet chain. No doubt it was beautiful but she couldn¡¯t ept it.


    ¡°Why not and please don¡¯t start with I can¡¯t ept it, this is too much. I love you, Emily. I want the best for you and this is something I want to give you because you told me about your dream of opening a jewellery brand of your own. This is to motivate you and tell you that I am always with you.¡±


    Emily couldn¡¯t hold the tears anymore and she hugged him tightly.  ¡°I love you so much, Victor. I love you so much¡­¡± she cried in his arms.


    ¡°You do?¡± He asked, seductively


    Emily nodded, tears blurring her vision. Victor wiped the rolling tears, he touched her lower lip, ¡°may I kiss you?¡± He asked.


    Emily bit her lip shyly and she for the first time allowed someone to get this close to herself. It was her first kiss after that one thing led to another and they both were naked.


    ¡°How much do you love me, Emily?¡± He asked her.


    ¡°Very much¡­¡±


    ¡°What can you do to pleasure me?¡±


    Emily¡¯s heart thumped. ¡°Anything.¡± She answered without thinking.


    ¡°Then I want you to give me a bl***ob,¡±  he said making his toes curl in anxiety. I have never¡­ I mean¡­¡± she startled but the love she had in her heart for him made her do it.


    She tried to do everything and anything he asked her to do. She gulped and put he mouth in him, she didn¡¯t know what to do, inexperienced in these matters,


    ¡°Fuck, Emily. do something.¡± He cried and grabbed her neck, started fu**ing her mouth, roughly. She let him do it, not wanting g to disappoint him. She thought that was the most beautiful night, of her life. She face herself him, the pain was immeasurable when he entered inside her. But the first time was hard for everyone right? She suffered the pain of it just to make him happy. But she didn¡¯t know what sick game he was ying with her until the next day in college.


    When she went to college everyone looked at her weird expressions. They were talking about her, she could hear them but now she was habitual of their taunting.  They didn¡¯t matter anymore. She was happy but then her eyes went to a poster on the college wall.


    The colour drained from her face, seeing the picture of herself naked. She went numb seeing the poster, a few boys walked past her giving him a creepy look. She felt nauseous. She ran towards the wall and ripped the poster off it. Her vision blurred seeing the corridor, not only that but the whole ssroom was filled with her naked pictures on the walls. She cried out in anxiety, the pictures were of thest night. She didn¡¯t know what to do or think.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    She ripped all the pictures from the wall and ran in search of Victor but the day was full of unwanted surprises. When she reached the cafeteria in search of him, her heart dropped to a low beat when she found Victorughing with Katelyn. She had her head on his shoulder, kissing his neck.


    Even their students were watching her. Their eyes held questions about her character. She went to him to demand answers, but what she faced there broke her from inside. It ruined her confidence.


    ¡°Victor, what is all this?¡± She murmured, eyeing Katelyn and him.


    He smirked. ¡°What?¡± He moved.


    People gathered around them, she gulped seeing all the audience. ¡°I want to talk to you in private.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to talk to a gold-digging whore like you. God, you were so patheticst night. Ready to do anything for money.¡±


    Emily was stunned. What was he saying? ¡°Victor, please. Why are you doing all this?¡±


    He raises his brows. ¡°What am I doing, except for showing everyone your real face.  A low-ss girl like you can do anything for money and you proved itst night, you asked for money in exchange for sex. I gave you everything from clothes to jewellery but you stoop so low that you demanded money for sex.¡±

 Chapter 83

    She didn¡¯t even blink. ¡°Victor?¡± Her eyes widened in shock. ¡°It was you who put the pictures on the walls¡­¡± she stated.


    It was when Katelyn spoke. ¡°No, it was my idea, when Victor told me you tried to ckmail him for money I gave this idea to him. Now everyone knows how pathetic you are? A pathetic little whore who didn¡¯t even know how to suck a c**k and still has the guts to demand money for a pathetic night of sex.¡±


    Emily couldn¡¯t hear anymore she turned to leave but Katelyn grabbed her hand and pushed her in the chest. Too broken to react, ¡°you see that¡¯s what I called revenge. You insulted me in front of everyone and today you are ruined in everyone¡¯s eyes. Your disgusted body is on disy. But that¡¯s not it, I have one more surprise for you, You see, your erotic video is now viral¡­¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Emily¡¯s heart stopped beating. Horrified at the situation she turned her head in Victor¡¯s direction who had this smug look on his face. She couldn¡¯t stop herself. She went to him and grabbed his shirt, ¡°how could you do that to me?¡± She questioned.  Katelyn grabbed her hand and pushed her away from Victor and tried to p her in anger but then someone stopped her hand.


    It was Aurora.


    Aurora was stunned to see what was happening in the cafeteria when she came there.  She ran to them and pulled Emily away before Katelyn could p her. Susan held Emily in her arms who was only breathing but she would be dead.


    ¡°How dare you try to hit her!¡± Aurora snake at Katelyn. Victor stepped forward. ¡°It has nothing to do with you, stay the fuck away from us,¡± he warned.


    Aurora raises their brows. ¡°Or what, Chimpanzee? Tell me, what will you do?¡±


    Katelyn gritty her teeth. ¡°Look, don¡¯t mess with us or you will be the next to be ruined like her.¡±


    Aurora chuckled. Even Susan cracked augh. ¡°Oh trust me stic doll, you, your father, your grandfather, even your forefathers can¡¯t ruin me, because I am Aurora Kings,  and I don¡¯t use cheap products like you. So stay away from me or I will tell you the meaning of what ruining someone means.¡±


    Victor stepped forward. ¡°Oh really? What can you do, you bitch?¡¯


    ¡± Victor brown, right?¡± Susan asked. ¡°With just one phone call to her father, she can ruin your future, Brown. Don¡¯t you know she is the daughter of Ethan King?¡±


    Victor didn¡¯t speak after that, he held Katelyn¡¯s hand to stop her from speaking any further. His father was a business partner with Ethan King and he didn¡¯t want his father to know about it.  ¡°Whatever we got our revenge,¡± saying that he took Katelyn aside.


    Alexandrio¡¯s hands were fisted tightly, he was far beyond angry. Aurora gulped. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what exactly happened between them till then. We took her to the doctor. She was in shock. Her blood pressure was high. He knocked her to sleep with some antidepressant for two days. When she woke up, she told us about the video. I promised her that no one will have it, Susan is a tech guru removing videos was not a big deal for her. I called dad and made sure Victor and Katelyn were no longer in college. But still, people didn¡¯t forget nor did they let her forget. She wanted to return back to the vige but I didn¡¯t allow her. Since then we have been together. We tried everything to make her move past that incident, she even pretended to not care but I know she was still not over it.  Now she has only one goal in mind to be big. She wants to earn money and prove herself to everyone.¡±


    Now Alexandrio understood why she was like that. She has trust issues, she wasparing him with Victor. She thinks that he would leave her just like Victor. Now that Alexandrio knew the reason behind her behaviourst night, it¡¯s time those people who hurted her suffered the consequences of their actions.


    ¡°Thanks, Aurora, For helping Emily then and now me in making him understand.¡±


    Aurora smiled.¡±I don¡¯t like interfering in her personal matters Alexandrio but I did it for her, I want her to move on from that garbage can.¡±


    ¡°She will move on, trust me on this.¡±


    He promised her and stood up. Alexandrio Kyschove didn¡¯t like showing his dark side to the world. He decided to remain out of the darkness his brother ruled over in Russia but sometimes, it bes necessary for him to show to the world he was still the prince of darkness.


    On the other hand, Liam received a call from Ethan King and only Liam knows how he struggled to remain calm.


    ¡°You are nothing but a useless man Liam, Aurora is still thinking about that worthless restaurant owner. She asked me to find him.¡± He yelled over the call.


    Liam fisted his hands in anger, his father eyed Liam and Liam¡¯s eyes burned in anger. If it was not for his father he would have shown Ethan the consequences of calling Liam useless. ¡°Stop yelling over me, Ethan, and don¡¯t you dare insult me again. If it had been anyone else who called me useless he would have been six feet under the ground till now. And let¡¯s be real, your daughter is not as easy to deal with as you think. I asked you many times to let me handle her the way I want but it¡¯s you who declined it every time. It¡¯s you who want me to behave like a lovesick fool to her.¡±


    Ralph straightened in his chair while Ryan scowled at Liam. ¡°She is Ethan King¡¯s daughter, and no one will force him to do anything. Do you understand me? And if you im yourself to be the man of your words them charm her into marrying you. A simple Restaurant owner was able to do so and you can¡¯t? What kind of man you are?


    ¡°I am trying g hard to control myself right now, don¡¯t test my patience more than you already have, Ethan. Don¡¯t try it,¡± he gritted out.


    Ethan squeezed his eyes to calm himself. ¡°I aming to Vancouver tomorrow, Aurora said she is missing me. I fear she will ask about Gabriel?¡±


    ¡°He is dead, just make some story,¡± Liam replied evasively, not giving the topic any more importance. ¡°I have to go to Das for a meeting tomorrow. My trustworthy man will guard her everywhere. I will be back in two days. Till then, goodbye.¡± Saying that he ended the call and threw it against the wall. It is scattered into pieces.


    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± Liam kicked the chair hard, it flipped and went flying in the room.


    He turned to his father and red at him with murder filled eyes. ¡°It¡¯s all because of you I am tolerating that man. You and your fucking friendship!¡±


    Ryan Knight stood up. ¡°What happened now?¡± He asked Liam who grunted. ¡°Once I have his daughter in my clutches, I will make that man pay. Trust on this I will make him pay for every single word he said to me.¡±


    Saying that he sprinted out of his father¡¯s house to calm his raging fury.

 Chapter 84

    ¡°Dad¡­¡± Aurora ran into Ethan¡¯s Arms smiling ear to ear. ¡°I missed you so much, dad.¡±


    Ethan King hugged his daughter with closed eyes. She was the only one who mattered to him. His Angel. His daughter.


    ¡°How are you doing my love?¡± He asked, kissing her on the head.


    Aurora looked at her father, her old man. ¡°I am doing perfectly fine, dad but you look stressed. What happened to you? Why the dark circles under your eyes dad?¡± She asked, raising her chin in the air.


    Ethan chuckled, ¡°my love, you are my sunshine.¡±


    ¡°Come in now, we can¡¯t stand the whole day in the driveway,¡± Ethan checked the house. Once they settled inside, she asked the question she was dying to ask. ¡°Dad, have you tried to find out about Gabriel? I am worried about him.¡±


    Ethan¡¯s body hardened, he fisted his hand, but kept his expression normal he spoke, ¡°Aurora, we are meeting after a month and instead of spending time with the old man you are interested in his whereabouts, you hurt me too much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that dad. It¡¯s just¡­¡± she stopped and sighed deeply, ¡°it¡¯s just I am worried about him. Tell me please, have you found out something about him?¡±


    ¡°My men are trying but till now nothing came out.¡±


    Aurora nodded. ¡°Yeah, he didn¡¯t like using technology much¡­¡± she exhaled deeply, touching her fingers.


    ¡°How is work going on? And what about Liam? Is he treating you fine?¡±


    Aurora smiled, hearing Liam¡¯s name. ¡°Yes. He is treating me fine.


    He is not as bad as initially thought. He needed to be taught a few things but I consider him as my friend now and I will teach me everything about friendship.¡±


    Ethan scowled. ¡°Good friend?¡±


    ¡°Yes, chill out dad. Anyway, we met after so long. Let¡¯s go for lunch, what say?¡± She asked excitedly like a child. Ethan epted her demand and they both went to spend the father-daughter day together. Ethan tried hard to ask Aurora about Liam but she didn¡¯t give him any satisfactory answers. But from her talks, he sensed one thing and that Aurora has started liking Liam and that gave him hope for his daughter¡¯s happiness.


    Liam¡¯s charm might not be showing yet but it was working on her, slowly.


    It was evening, Ethan needed to go back to his city, he couldn¡¯t leave his territory for long especially when he was at war with Mexicans. But before going back he needed to meet Ryan Knight to tell him what he could lose if things didn¡¯t go the way he wanted.


    Things would turn bloody! And only his daughter¡¯s happiness could stop those bloody events.


    ¡°Please try to find him, dad.¡± Aurora once again reminded him. Ethan smiled. ¡°I will but take care of yourself, love.¡±


    Once bidding goodbye to his daughter, Ethan went to meet his friend, Ryan at his home.


    ¡°I was expecting you,¡± Ryan said, taking a long puff of his cigar.


    Ethan nodded. ¡°Your son has a temperamental problem, Ryan. He talks too much for my taste¡­¡±


    Ryan raised a finger. ¡°I respect our friendship, that¡¯s why we are here talking to each other like civilised men but as I have told you once before, Whatever deal we had as friends it¡¯s between us. You can paint the streets red with blood for your daughter so can I for my son,¡± he said firmly.


    Ethan sharpened his eyes. ¡°Are you threatening me, or friend?¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Ryan¡¯s lip tugged upward. ¡°No, I am stating the facts, Ethan. Liam is an Alpha male, he doesn¡¯t like when someone speaks to him in a wrong. He kills without mercy. Cruelty runs in his veins and that man is trying to charm your daughter into marrying him. If that¡¯s not a show of respect then I don¡¯t know what is. Don¡¯t try to poke the monster he is trying to control because if he arises there will be chaos everywhere.¡±


    Ethan listened to him every word with fisted hands. Ryan sighed, stood up from his chair and touched his back. ¡°I know you are worried for Aurora but she is here, in Vancouver under Liam¡¯s protection. My son knows how to protect what belongs to him and heid his im on your daughter. He will keep her safe and happy. Trust me.¡±


    Ethan sighed. ¡± I am trying, I killed the man she loved. I am ready to bear her hatred if it keeps her safe and happy. My life is useless if my daughter is not happy¡­¡±


    Ryan understood his pain. ¡°Don¡¯t pressure Liam, Ethan. Because I won¡¯t be able to control him anymore. Let him do what he is doing.¡±


    Meanwhile, Liam was in the air, going to Das to meet Alessio, the Italian mafia head. A flight attendant whose name he didn¡¯t remember handed him a ss of whiskey. ¡°Do you need anything else, sir?¡± She asked seductively.


    Ever so slowly Liam raised his eyes from the amber liquid and pinned them on the whore. She was blonde just like Aurora. He raised his head a little and watched her. He could have her, use her the way he wanted like he did many times but something stopped him.


    A blue-eyed girl and her fucking smile shed in his memory. Aurora¡¯s face ran through his vision. ¡°No!¡± He answered the attendant in such a rude voice that she ran from there, apologising.


    Liam gulped the whole liquid in one go, it burned through his throat making him curse harshly. The list of his problems was growing more and more. Every day a new attachment was added to the list.


    To start with, his goal was to rule over the Canadian Mafia for that he had to have a majority in the league of Mafia families, which seemed impossible till he married Aurora. Moreover, the girl was making him dance on her fingertips with her tantrums and  In addition to that, he had this fucked up masked man who was making his life difficult by attacking his consignments and deals. Last but not the least, his so-called ally refused to support him in catching his enemy.


    So yeah, the life of Liam knight at the moment is pretty fucked up.

 Chapter 85

    It was about time he reached Das. When hended his phone beeped, he checked it. There was a message from bjs brother which read: ¡°John started his job in disguise. Focus on the work.¡±


    He put his phone back and went to meet Alessio. He had no hope of this meeting being sessful yet he came for this for only one reason to assess the influence of his enemy.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see the depth of your impact, motherfucker!¡± He muttered and settled in the Limousine opening the button of his coat.


    On the other hand, Emily smiled when she saw a basket that had a puppy in it. A male dog, guessing from the blue nket in the basket. She picked him in her arms. ¡°Hey, where did youe from? Aww!¡± She tickled him affectionately.


    She was ying with him when her eyes went to a basket. ¡°Hope you like him. From: Alexanderio.¡±


    She thinned her lips and put the more back in the basket. She sat on her chair with the puppy in her hand. ¡°Why is he doing this to me? Why can¡¯t he just leave me alone?¡± She asked the puppy, caressing him.


    ¡°Because I want a chance to make you happy, Emily.¡±


    She gasped and raised her eyes and looked at Alexandrio who was standing in the doorway of her cabin. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I hope you like him, I could not think of a better gift than this.¡± He said entering further into the cabin.


    She stood up, putting the puppy back in the basket and raised her eyes to meet his gaze.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want it¡­¡± she started but Alexandrio put his finger to her lips, stopping her from speaking further. ¡°Let¡¯s stop this charade now Emily, I know you like me and why you are not allowing us to be together¡­.¡±


    Emily brows jerked together, she pushed him a little. ¡°What do you mean you know? What are you talking about?¡± She asked him?


    Alexandrio chuckled. ¡°You will know when the time wille but for now the only thing you want to know is, they will pay the price for your tears, darling. And they will pay it dearly.¡±


    Emily¡¯s heart stopped. His eyes were intensely dark today, for a moment she got scared by the look in them. She knew then, she knew that someone told him about her past. She was ashamed of her dirty secret.


    ¡°Who told you that?¡± She demanded.


    She got anxious thinking about it. How could he be so calm? Wasn¡¯t he a


    Disgusted with her?


    A fear erupted in her mind, ¡°I am not a gold digger. I didn¡¯t sleep with him for his money¡­¡± she whispered a lone tear rolled down her cheek.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Alexandrio pulled her into his arms, ¡°Sh! Don¡¯t hurt yourself anymore. Please allow me to wipe all your nightmares and pain, Emily. Allow me to show you what falling in love feels like.¡±


    Emily sobbed in his arms, she clutched his hand tightly. ¡°I am not a whore¡­¡±


    Alexandrio kissed her hair, ¡°I know. I know and I  will make them pay.¡±


    He kept consoling her with the beauty of his words. Emily shook her head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to see them again, Alexandrio. I don¡¯t want to¡­¡±


    He held her face between his hands. ¡°I believe in keeping records clear, Emily,¡± he whispered, hugging her even more tightly and he could dance in happiness when she reciprocated the intimacy.


    From outside the door, Aurora watched her best friend find love again. She smiled, touching her ne, ¡°You were right mom, love finds its way to one¡¯s heart,¡± she mumbled and prayed that Emily would remain happy and protected all the time.


    Emily¡¯s eyes went to Aurora standing outside. Now, she understood who told Alexandrio about her past. She gulped the heaviness that formed in her throat and broke their hug. ¡°Aurora? Pleasee inside.¡±


    Aurora smiled, walked inside. ¡°It was you who told  him right?¡± Emily asked her.


    Aurora inclined her head. ¡°Yes, I am sorry if I crossed the line but I wanted you to ept what you were running from,¡± she moved closer to her ear and whispered. ¡°And this man is a keeper.¡±


    Emily chuckled, nodding she took her hand in hers, ¡°you are my angel, Aurora. You are the reason I was able to move on from that incident. I love you, Bestie.¡±


    Aurora air-kissed Emily. ¡°I know I am just perfect, Em,¡± they both burst outughing, hugging each other.


    At least you got your happiness, Em. Mine are still far away from me!


    ¡°Sorry to break your moment, but now that you have finally epted me as your boyfriend, can we go on a proper date?¡±


    Emily raised her brows jovially, ¡°I didn¡¯t recall you proposing to me to be your girlfriend, Mr Kyschove?¡± She teased, ¡°did you remember something, Aurora?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she shrugged.


    ¡°Alright, teaming up against me, let Liame back then I will show you both what teaming up feels like,¡± he joked but he didn¡¯t notice how Aurora¡¯s smile became small.


    She forced herself to smile, she was in a situation where she didn¡¯t know what she wanted. Liking Liam and epting him were two different things.


    Emily bes silent when she hears Alexandrio. Once again the built water her conscience, before she could speak Aurora spoke up. ¡°You both enjoy your day, I have work to do,¡± saying she left them alone.


    Meanwhile, Liam tapped his finger on the table, his eyes focused on the man who ruled over Das, Alessio.


    ¡°I like your offer but there is just one problem, Liam?¡± Alessio said leaning back in his chair, putting on the show of being rxed when he was anything but that. Liam knew every trick he was trying to pull off.


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± He asked in the same manner.


    ¡°Double the price. You propose twenty-five per cent for safe trade routes but I want a fifty-fifty partnership.¡±


    Liam chuckled, ¡°You are demanding far too much anyone sane businessman would agree to?¡±


    ¡°But we are not businessmen, are we? And as far as I remember you have the same fifty per cent partnership with Dmitri Kyschove, don¡¯t you? You im to establish strong ties with us but you still do business with my enemy. How can I trust you?¡±


    ¡°Trust was never a part of our deal, Alessio. I don¡¯t trust Dmitri neither he trusts me and I don¡¯t trust you either. There is no trust in our business, we just need each other.¡±


    ¡°Correction,  I don¡¯t need you, you need me. But what I don¡¯t understand is, why? You receive drugs from Russia, armaments from the very same ce. Then why do you need me? I smell something fishy here, Liam.¡±


    Liam tapped his finger on the table once again, Alessio was no fool, he understood there was some other motive behind Liam¡¯s deal. Now the ball was in Liam¡¯s corner, whether he wanted to y this mind game or end it right here.


    Liam assessed the situation at hand, Dmitri wouldn¡¯t help him, Ethan didn¡¯t have any clue about the masked man either.


    Liam inclined his head. ¡°You have this kind of partnership with other people too, Alessio, what¡¯s wrong if you have it with me too?¡±


    Alessio straightened. ¡°Who are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I am talking about the masked man, Alessio. I want that man, support me in this and I guarantee that you won¡¯t regret it,¡± he said, standing up from the chair, buttoning his coat.


    He mocked him with a salute with his fingers, ¡°Think about it, Alessio. I don¡¯t offer this to everyone.¡± Saying that he walked out of the hotel room with a smirk on his face.


    Let¡¯s see till how long you can hide, masked man.

 Chapter 86

    ¡°Someone is blushing¡­¡± Aurora teased Emily when she smiled while reading something on her phone.


    ¡°I am d you are happy, Emily,¡± Susan said. Emily nodded, ¡°I know, thanks for always being with me, Susan.¡±


    It was not like Susan didn¡¯t like Emily but yes, they both have different points of view regarding the boundaries of a friend and that¡¯s where contradiction starts. ¡°At least one of you found true love,¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°I am happy for her, it¡¯s time to celebrate¡­¡± Aurora said, wiggling her brows. Both Emily and Susan jerked their heads in her direction.


    ¡°No Alcohol!¡± They said at the same time.


    Aurora rolled her eyes. ¡°You guys are no fun anymore,¡± she mumbled.


    Emily looked atphonephond when it buzzed. A call from Alexandrio, without waiting for a single second she stood up, went to her room and epted the call.


    Aurora was smiling seeing her friend happy. ¡°I am happy for her but what about you, Aurora?¡± Susan asked.


    Aurora inhaled sharply. ¡°I am happy¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop pretending Aurora, you know what I am talking about?¡±


    She bit her cheek from the inside, paused for a moment before speaking. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything except that I want to break everything with Gabriel so that I will be free of this guilt¡­¡±


    Susan shrank her eyes. ¡°What about Liam?¡±


    Aurora shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know but this time, I want respect and equality in my rtionship. I won¡¯t bow down to anyone¡¯smand anymore. If Liam can do it, good and if not, then I won¡¯t sacrifice myself anymore.¡±


    Susan nodded. ¡°I just want you to know that whatever happens, I am always with you, Aurora, always.¡±


    Aurora smiled. ¡°I know,¡± she said, giving Susan a warm sisterly hug.


    On the other hand, Liam took a long puff of his cigar before releasing the fog in the air. He was tapping his finger against the iron railing on the balcony of his hotel room. His mind focussed on the moon in the sky.


    The moon resembles Aurora¡¯s beautiful face. The only difference is that one can question the beauty of the moon but not Aurora¡¯s. She was the epitome of beauty. The need to know about her well-being made him call Mikee, the guard he ordered to keep an eye on Aurora. Liam wouldn¡¯t have allowed any guard on her. She was his to protect but now that he was in Das he had no other option to appoint a guard.


    He took all the needed measures to make sure that everyone remembered who she belonged to.


    He knew Mike wouldn¡¯t even nce at her in any other way but like a dog guarding his owner.


    ¡°Boss.¡±


    ¡°Where is Aurora?¡±  Liam asked, his eyes still fixed on the moon.


    ¡°She is staring at the moon on her roof, Boss.¡±


    A sensual smile yed on his lips, thrill ran down his body when he heard Mike. ¡°Keep her safe, Mike,¡± saying that he ended the call.


    ¡°Oh, Little one, I hope you are thinking about me while looking at the moon. Don¡¯t worry, darling, one more day and I will be there with you.¡±


    He turned inside his room from the balcony. He was waiting for Alessio¡¯s answer to his offer but till now he received none. The Italians didn¡¯t ept the friendship proposal as he thought, now his belief of something being fishy was taking a troll over his mind.


    He was trying to connect dots to the puzzle but every time he thought he reached some conclusion, bang! He was back to square one.


    He had to give thumbs up to that masked man, the man far more intelligent, Liam gave him credit for it. However, Liam was a man of mind too and he knew there had to be some kind of loophole, he just had to find out.


    Once again, he took the long puff, his eyes roaming from one end to another, it took him a lot of time to understand the game of that man but thanks to his brother for pointing out the simrities in his attacks he was able to reach this far.


    The man was amon enemy of Ethan and Ryan and he wanted to break them through mind first and then he would hurt them physically.


    The crux of the situation Liam could make out of his theory was:-


    Alessio will not ept friendship with him till he has ties with Dmitri.


    Dmitri was protecting that masked man. The masked man had an undered war with Ethan.


    Also, Ethan had this war going on with Juan, (Mexican cartel) andst but not least, The masked man¡¯s attacks on Liam¡¯s territory were as severe as Ethan¡¯s.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    The only thing which didn¡¯t fit in this equation was: how did he agree to have a friendly rtion with both Alessio, Dmitri and Juan.


    Liam couldn¡¯t point out the reason and this was making him ufortable over the issue. Nevertheless, he had to stay in Das for one more day, the meeting of the North American Mafia league was in Das this time and for the first time, he would be heading the chair of the Vancouver crime family in the name of his father. A show to dere that he was the future Don of Vancouver.


    At the same time, Aurora touched the ne, smiling as she was staring at the moon. ¡°Mom¡­ I wish you would have been here with us today, dad missed you a lot. I could see the emptiness in his eyes for you.¡±


    She shivered when a slow breeze touched her skin, goosebumps ran through her body. For a moment she thought her mother was there in the form of a breeze.


    ¡°You were right, Love is not easy, it takes all your energy but gives the joy of heaven. It took everything from me mom but I am still alone¡­¡± she eyes her phone, the first thought that came to her was of Liam. She didn¡¯t know why but she wanted to call him, she just needed to hear his voice. It didn¡¯t matter that it was she who fought with him, still, she was yearning for him.

 Chapter 87

    She tried to stop herself but couldn¡¯t and without thinking, she called his number.


    Liam was thinking about the meeting when his cell phone rang, he shrieked his eyes when he saw Aurora¡¯s number shing on the screen. He smirked and let the phone ring about four times before epting the call.


    ¡°Why are you still awake Little one?¡± He asked her.


    Aurora closed her eyes hearing his deep sensual voice. Her heart raced at a faster speed. But hearing the question she asked she felt like aplete fool. Too much for giving herself importance first in this rtionship. She cursed her stupidity yet again. A thought came to her mind: what was their rtionship?


    ¡°No, I have a new design and wanted to ask when will youe back so that I can work on the other one.¡± She tried to cover up for calling him because she was missing him.


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s the reason you called me little one? Are not you missing me?¡± He drawled,


    in his deep voice.


    ¡°Why would I miss you?¡± She asked protectively.


    Liam smiled, ¡°I will be back tomorrow, little one and when Ie back I want this charade to be over between us and I am taking you on a date and this time, you will ept my proposal.¡±


    Aurora thinned her lips, ¡°Is this an order, Liam?¡±


    ¡°Yes, order from my heart to your heart. Dress up nicely for your first serious date, Aurora,¡± saying that he ended the call.


    Aurora was stunned hearing his order, for a few minutes she was stunned but then a small smile came to her face. ¡°Date?¡± Just like that the smile disappeared.


    ¡°Please let me move on Gabe. Please pick up the call and free me from this guilt.¡±


    She once again tried calling Gabriel and once again the phone was switched off.


    She jerked her phone away from her ear in anger and walked inside the room in frustration.


    The next day,  Aurora was having lunch with Emily and Alexandrio. ¡°Do you guys know that it¡¯s only been a day since you both started dating and you already have a fight with each other?¡±Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°She started it.¡± Alexandria pointed out.


    ¡°Yes, because I don¡¯t want to be judged by anyone, Xandro.¡±


    ¡°Xandro?¡± Aurora asked, raising a brow.


    ¡°Short for Alexandrio,¡± Emily replied before turning towards her boyfriend. ¡°And I am right to do so. You are not getting the point I am trying to say. You can¡¯t just buy a wholepany for me. That¡¯s not how I want my rtionship to be with you. I don¡¯t want to be called¡­¡±


    Before she could finish the sentence, Alexandrio sped her hand into his. ¡°Who will call you what? I am doing it because I want to settle a score with that bastard for making you cry, he deserves to pay¡­¡±


    Emily¡¯s eyes watered, Alexandrio pulled her in his embrace. Aurora smiled seeing them like this.


    Is this how a lover makes you feel? Safe and protected. I never feel like this with Gabriel. He never made me feel like this, never.


    She cleared her throat, it was clear that they both needed privacy. Moreover, she needs to dress up for her date with Liam.  Aurora searched for the best dress for tonight and after searching for almost two hours she decided to wear her favourite red coloured off-shoulder silk dress.


    ¡°You look beautiful, Aurora. Beautiful!¡± She bit her lip in shyness,


    Aurora¡¯s cell home rang, she nced at the caller ID. Her smile widened seeing the name shing on the screen of her phone. It was none other than Liam Knight.


    ¡°Hello¡­¡± her voice came out as a sensual whisper, making her close her eyes embarrassingly.


    ¡°Good evening Little one, I called to inform you that I will pick you up in two hours.¡±


    She left a shaky breath, his voice made her heart dance in excitement.  ¡°I will be waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°See you soon, little one,¡± he said with a chuckle and ended the call.


    Liam leaned back in his car seat leisurely, smiling. He knew that Aurora¡¯s heart was in his hands now. He got what he wanted from her, now she will say yes to his proposal and half of his problems are going to vanish, he was worried about the other halves.


    The outsiders and the masked man.


    Alessio didn¡¯t ept his friendship nor deny it. The bastard didn¡¯t give him any answer; on the contrary, he asked Liam to prove his words about friendship. If his consignment passed Liam¡¯s territory safely he would consider it a step further in business.


    Liam was stuck between Dmitri and Alessio. They were hawks but Liam was an Eagle who knew how to hunt his prey, just this time his prey knew too well how to hide.


    But now was not the time to think about Outsiders, he needed to give Ethan the happy news about his daughter, with a proud smile he called his would-be father inw who epted his call the third ring.


    ¡°Liam,¡± came the curt greeting from the other end.


    ¡°Good evening, Ethan.¡±


    ¡°I hope this time you called to finally give some good news.¡±


    Liam chuckled. ¡°Start preparing for your daughter¡¯s engagement soon, Ethan. I am taking her out on a date and tonight I will ask her to be my girlfriend. I called to remind you about our deal.  In the nextmission meeting, it would be you who will support me in the election ofmission head.¡±


    Ethan arched his brows. ¡°First, propose to my daughter and if she tells me this then I will support you in the meeting to be chosen as the head of themission.¡±


    ¡°She will call you tonight to give you the happy news herself,¡± saying that Liam ended the call.


    Meanwhile, Aurora smiled when the doorbell of her home rang. She checked herself one more time in the mirror, once satisfied with her look, picked her handbag and ran to the door and opened it wide with an excited face.


    ¡°I missed you, Liam¡­¡±


    ¡°Who Liam?¡±


    Aurora¡¯s heart stiffened and her eyes broadened seeing the man standing in front of her. ¡°You!¡± She asked, bewildered seeing the man who she was trying to call for days standing in front of her.


    Gabriel James.

 Chapter 88

    ¡°Gabriel? What are you doing here?¡± She asked as the blood drained from her face?¡±


    ¡°May Ie inside your house?¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Aurora stepped aside, allowing him to enter. Gabriel looked at her ce, once Aurora closed the door, he turned towards Aurora.


    ¡°How are you, Aurora?¡± He asked, taking a step further in her direction and cing both his hands to her face. ¡°You don¡¯t know how I missed you, love.¡±


    Aurora closed her eyes for a second to gain strength. She gulped and forced a smile on her face. ¡°I am fine, Gabriel but there is something important I want to talk about.¡±


    Gabriel nodded. ¡°Anything you want, love. Anything you want but first let me feel your arms around me to feel alive again. I was in hell without you¡­¡±


    He tried to kiss Aurora but she turned her head and took a step back.


    Gabriel stiffened. ¡°Aurora? What happened, love?¡±


    ¡°If you missed me this much then why didn¡¯t you call me once, Gabriel. I tried to call you many times but your phone was always off.¡±


    Gabriel frowned. ¡°You are right, there is something you need to know to love. I thought I won¡¯t tell you about it because I know what she meant to you but I can¡¯t lose you. You are the one I have in my life.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Gabriel?¡±


    Gabriel stiffened hearing his full name from her lips again.  She used to call him Gabe, not Gabriel. He could feel a change in her behaviour towards him.


    But he needed to make her understand everything calmly, she was his fiancee, he knew she was angry and he needed to cajole her.


    Gabriel once again tried to hold her face but Aurora stopped him by showing her hand, ¡°please don¡¯te near me, Gabriel and say whatever you want to say.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then listen. I tried to call you many times, Aurora. Many times but your phone was not reachable. I tried to contact you every way but someone blocked my contact and conspired for us to notmunicate with each other. I even called that person and scolded her for interfering in our rtionship, she warned me to stay away from you. But I don¡¯t care about her. What I care about is how can you think that I didn¡¯t try to call you. Don¡¯t you know your fiance¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you saying, who interfered in our matters, who conspired against us? Who are you ming, Gabriel?¡± She asked, stunned hearing his words?


    ¡°Susan, it was her who warned me to stay away from you. You know she even said that you have someone else in your life, I didn¡¯t believe her. How could I when I know you, My Aurora can never do something like this to me!¡± He said with a heavy throat.


    Aurora¡¯s legs turned to jelly, she forgot how to breathe. ¡°You are lying, Susan would never do something like this, never.¡± She whispered, trusting her friend one hundred per cent.  Susan knew how much she hated it when someone tried to interfere in her matters. She couldn¡¯t do that.


    Gabriel was astounded hearing her words. She never questioned his words ever and now she was telling him that he was lying. She changed this much in a few months. ¡°Aurora, you are calling me a liar!¡±


    ¡°Yes, because I have full faith in Susan. She is my soul sister, she can never do something like it. Never!¡±


    Gabriel nodded. ¡°I never thought I would have to show you proof of something but I came prepared for this,¡± he pulled out his cell phone and started a recording in which he was talking to Susan.


    Aurora¡¯s face turned ashen. She didn¡¯t know what to think and what to feel at this moment. Susan did that to her.


    ¡°Did you believe me now? You know you hurt me today with your words Aurora but I am ready to forgive you for them because I know how much you love Susan¡­¡± he moved ahead and raised her chin h his thumb and forefinger.


    ¡°I love you Aurora. I know you are shocked but you will be fine. We will leave here and marry each other. I can¡¯t bear this distance between us anymore. I have suffered enough without you being by my side.¡±


    Aurora met his gaze and searched his eyes. She gulped before speaking. ¡°What took you so long toe here, Gabriel? Why didn¡¯t youe here sooner, tell me?¡± Did she ask? ¡°Was your camp more important than our rtionship?¡± She jerked his hand from her face.


    His brows jerked upward. ¡°How could you think like that? I wanted toe to you but couldn¡¯t Aurora, I was stuck in a situation. I came here as soon as I could.¡±


    ¡°What situation Gabriel? What situation are you talking about? I know whatever Susan did was wrong but one good thing came out of it that I came to know about my true feelings. I am sorry, Gabriel but I can¡¯t do this anymore. I feel suffocated in this rtionship. In these four months, I came to know what true love feels like. It gives you freedom, not a cage, Gabriel. I am sorry but I just can¡¯t,¡± Aurora said, with a straight face. She was trying to keep her tears at bay. She didn¡¯t want to look weak at this moment.


    She looked down and inhaled sharply, before opening the small box in her handbag in which she keep his ring. ¡°I don¡¯t have any right over it anymore.¡±


    Gabriel nced at the ring on the box once and then at her face. ¡°So she was right, you found someone else, huh? Who is he? Someone from your ss, someone rich just like your father?¡±

 Chapter 89

    Aurora stiffened at the sharpness in his voice. ¡°Money has nothing to do with it, it¡¯s how you made me feel, Gabriel. Caged. Imprisoned.¡±


    ¡°Caged! Is that what you call my love now! Great Aurora,¡± he stepped back and pped ¡°bravo! Now, my love was imprisoned for you but I recall you telling me how good you feel with me. Tell me what I did wrong, tell me!¡± He snapped at her.


    Aurora gasped hearing the violence in his voice. ¡± I gave you my heart, my love, my emotions, everything to you. I epted your childishness, helped you in growing up into this maturity,¡± he gestured at her body up and down with his hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t let you feel any less even knowing that you can never give a man pleasure with this frigid body of yours, Aurora. What more can I do to make you feel love, Aurora. Answer me.¡±Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    ¡°You could have epted me the way I am Gabriel. You tried to change me for yourself, you tried to control me. I had dreams but never believed in them, you wanted me to wash dishes in your restaurant when I wanted to design jewellery, you mocked my dreams¡­¡±


    He grabbed her hand tightly, ¡°I tried to show you the reality of your dreams. I tried to show you that you were nothing without your father¡¯s name but I was wrong and no one¡¯s happier about it than me. You proved yourself in this world without yourst name, congrattions on it. But what about me? Am I nothing more than a toy to you who you want to discard like old clothes because now you have found a new toy? What did he have that I don¡¯t have except for money?¡±


    Aurora snatched his hand from his grip. ¡°I already told you, it has nothing to do with money. I just don¡¯t feel anything for you anymore Gabriel¡­¡±


    ¡°So four months were enough for you to forget your lifetime promises,¡± he chuckled. ¡°I was in the hospital, fighting for my life but your face gave me strength to fight for it. I told myself every night that my Aurora is waiting for me but I didn¡¯t know the girl for whom I defeated death ran into another man¡¯s arms the first chance she got!¡±


    Aurora left the breath she was holding. Hospital? ¡°What hospital? What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°Why do you care? You don¡¯t love me anymore. What does it matter to you that some people attacked me? They tried to kill me. I somehow survived their attack. The police kept me under their protection for three months, Aurora. I was in a hospital bed, fighting toe back to you, to meet you, hold you again in my arms but when I came my beloved stabbed me in the back by telling me that she didn¡¯t love me anymore. Didn¡¯t you feel any shame while cheating on me, you unfaithful who*e!¡±


    Blood drained from her face, her hands went to her lips, a loud gasp left her mouth. ¡°Gabriel!¡±


    Gabriel cursed himself.  ¡°I am sorry, I got emotional for a moment, I shouldn¡¯t have talked with you like that. I am sorry. You called my love a cage, Aurora, then I am freeing you from this cage, you are no longer imprisoned with me,¡± a chock left Gabriel¡¯s throat, tears descended her cheek in anger and pain.  ¡°Be happy, go and live your life the way you want with the man who showed you what love feels like.¡±


    ¡°Gabriel! I didn¡¯t know about the attack. I will ask dad¡­¡±


    ¡°Keep your sympathy to yourself, Aurora Kings. I don¡¯t need it and don¡¯t show me your father¡¯s money. I didn¡¯t have much but what I have I am happy with it. You want me gone right, don¡¯t worry,  I will leave you with your prince charming. I will leave your life without a single word but you won¡¯t find peace in your life Aurora. I loved you with everything in me and you threw me out of your life like an unwanted insect. Thank you for teaching me how wrong I was to believe you. Thanks to your greatness, I will never believe any girl again, I will never be able to love anyone again. But you, I wish you all the best in life, be happy, Aurora.¡±


    Aurora didn¡¯t want to hurt him, she only wanted things to end smoothly, this was too brutal for her to bear. ¡°Gabriel, please, I never intended to¡­¡±


    ¡°No, you are right, Aurora. I was wrong when I tried to change you but I told you before why I was doing that. I feared losing you. I thought if you ept my lifestyle then there won¡¯t be any problem for you in future with me but I was a fool to believe so. I was a fool. I don¡¯t have any right to be here anymore, but you don¡¯t feel guilty about anything. I will learn to live without you. I will learn to live without your presence in my life, without hearing your voice, no matter how much it kills me from inside I will bear this pain for your happiness. I was selfish to behave like that with you but not anymore. Go and live your fairytale happily ever after. I give you freedom from this cage, myst gift to you, Aurora,¡± he pulled her closer and ced a soft kiss on her head.


    ¡°Forgive me for making you feel like that, but I promise if you ever need me again, I will be there for you, if not as a lover than a friend. Aurora.¡±


    He kissed her head once again, looked at her face in painful agony and walked out of her house without ncing back a single time.


    Aurora watched him walking out with numbness,  her mind was nk. She felt like a lifeless body at this moment.


    On the other hand, Liam asked the driver to drive as fast as he could. His body was restless since Mike told him about a maning to meet Aurora. He needed to know who the man was but he was stuck on the road. The distance felt neverending with every passing second. ¡°Drive faster!¡± He barked at the driver and called Mike to know what was happening there.


    ¡°Sir, he left crying,¡± he told Liam the moment he epted his call.


    ¡°Follow him and find out who he is. Go!¡± Liam ordered, he was going mad thinking about the man and why did he meet Aurora?

 Chapter 90

    Aurora fell on her knees, she was shattered by Gabriel¡¯s words. She couldn¡¯t forget his face when he walked out of here. Aurora King has a heartbroken man¡¯s tears on her conscience and she couldn¡¯t forgive herself for making the mango through such pain.


    She pulled her legs to her chest, making her as small as she could at the moment, tears rolling down her cheek while she kept sobbing recalling Gabriel¡¯s painful expressions. His tears.


    He used her of something for which she was not epting her feelings for Liam. A cheater. Her soul knows that she was loyal to him all the while, she trapped her feelings for another man as long as she could. She didn¡¯t take off his ring, it was Susan who did that for her. Aurora Kings was devastated under the burden of Gabriel James¡¯ pain.


    Liam snapped the door open and stepped out of his car. He needed to see Aurora or he would burst open like a bomb. He ran to her house, the door of her house was open. He felt the line of his gun in his pocket, just in case he needed to use it. He was vignt about his surroundings but he halted in his steps when his eyes went to Aurora who was shivering and crying badly. Her makeup was ruined, she was screaming, apologising to someone.


    Liam ran to her immediately, ¡°Aurora!¡± He sat in front of her and touched her shoulder. She stiffened under his touch.  Liam¡¯s mind stopped working for a moment. What happened to her? Did someone¡­


    He didn¡¯t allow himself toplete the sentence in his mind. ¡°Aurora¡­¡± he managed to rest his hand on her shoulder but then she screamed, jerking his hand, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me! Don¡¯t you dare touch me. He med me because of you. You made me like this. You . you. you¡­¡± she pointed a finger in his chest, tears still rolling down her cheek.


    ¡°Aurora what happened, tell me?¡±  Liam asked in a soft tone but inside he was enraged in uncontroble fury.


    ¡°You happened, why did youe into my life, why? I was happy without you. I made peace with my rtionship but youplicated everything in my life. Why? Did youe into my life? Why did you make me feel these stupid emotions? Why Liam?¡± She shouted, standing up.


    Liam stood up as well and grabbed her hand. ¡°What has gotten into you, little one? Come and sit¡­¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    She snatched her hand and pushed him in the chest with all her strength. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me, don¡¯t ever touch me. I feel like an unfaithful whore!¡±


    That was the limit of Liam¡¯s control. He grabbed Aurora by the jaw and made her look in his eyes. ¡°Quite now! Don¡¯t say a single word from this mouth till you are asked to.¡± He snarled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what has gotten into you but I will not tolerate you hurting yourself. What unfaithful¡­¡± he paused in his words and pinned her with his eyes. Who was the man that came here? Was he¡­


    ¡°What happened here? Answer me now!¡±  He demanded.


    Aurora released a sob, her shoulders slumped and she fell on her knees again. Her face still in Liam¡¯s grip, he held her before she could hit the floor. ¡°Gabriel came to meet me, he used me of being unfaithful to him, Liam. I cheated on him with you. I cheated on him with you. How could I behave like a wanton woman with you when I never felt anything with the man I was engaged to? He was in the hospital fighting for his life and I was cheating on him with you. I am nothing but a cheap wanton, Liam. I broke my lifetime promises to him in just four months with you.  I feel guilty about his pain. I feel guilty Liam!¡±


    Aurora¡¯s hands slid through Liam¡¯s shirt, a few buttons broke down and hit the floor, his naked flesh was on disy showing his muscled abs.


    Aurora¡¯s vision was blurred with tears. She was in a hysterical crying fit.


    The bastard was alive, Ethan couldn¡¯t even do one thing right! Liam wanted to call Ethan and tell him about his failure but now was not the time. He needed to handle Aurora, the girl was an emotional fool to cry like this over her ex-fiance. Who does that?


    He helped her sit on the floor and settled in front of her. ¡°Look at me, Aurora,¡± he yanked her hair a little to raise her face.


    Her beautiful blue eyes were filled with tears, the image did something to his mind. It disturbed him! ¡°Stop crying!¡± He ordered when he felt suffocated with her tears.


    When she didn¡¯t stop Liam grabbed her jaw and fixed her a look that demanded her obedience. ¡°I wanted to take you on a date tonight, where I would have proposed to you to be my girlfriend and you would have said yes. From today our rtionship would. have officially started. I had such huge ns for tonight for both of us but instead of doing what I wanted to do, I am trying to console you over a man you didn¡¯t even have any feelings for anymore! So I say you stop crying and move on, Mrs Knight because I don¡¯t like my woman crying for another man!¡±


    Aurora stiffened at the sharpness of his voice.  ¡°Liam, you don¡¯t know how hurt he was¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn if he was hurt or not, Mrs Knight. What I care about is you crying for another man when you have feelings for me in your heart. Do you think it was easy for me to hear his name from your mouth every time you stopped me from making you mine when you were melting in my arms? I learned everything to win your heart and now that I have finally won you over and you epted your feelings I will not tolerate his name between us anymore Aurora! Do you understand me? I am ready to give you the world, whatever you want is yours to take but if I heard another man¡¯s name from you, I will not tolerate it and you know how brutal I can be, right?¡± He demanded.

 Chapter 91

    Aurora looked down and budgeted her fingers. She shook her head, ¡°I need some time¡­¡±


    ¡°Well you are not going to get it, I don¡¯t know what kind of man you were involved with but I am not a toy you can y with, Aurora. I have given you enough time. Now that your rtionship with that man is officially over, you are mine,pletely and I will not hear a single word against it.¡±


    Aurora closed her eyes, a few tears rolled down her eyes as she nodded in eptance.


    Liam wrapped an arm around Aurora¡¯s waist, picked her up in his arms and took her to her room. He ced her on the soft bed, she was still crying. Liam took off her heels and pulled out his handkerchief and cleaned her tear-stained cheek off.  ¡°I am ordering food for us here, change into somethingfortable.¡±


    The list was about to ce a call when he recalled her friends. He didn¡¯t want anyone with them tonight. ¡°Are your friendsing soon?¡± He asked, facing her one more time.


    Gabriel¡¯s word about Susan¡¯s interference shed in her memory. ¡°Liam, can we go somewhere else, I don¡¯t want to live here tonight, please.¡±


    She asked him. Aurora didn¡¯t want to face Susan tonight or she didn¡¯t know what she would do. Yes, Susan was an important part of her life, they are soul sisters but Aurora asked her many times not to interfere in her life. She would deal with herter, Aurora didn¡¯t have the strength to face her. Butter, definitely.


    ¡°I will take you to your future house,¡± Liam offered his hand, Aurora took it and they both left for Liam¡¯s house.


    Aurora was staring outside the window while Liam wanted nothing else but to call Mike and find out about that restaurant owner. His anger was shooting through his nerves over Ethan¡¯s failure. He didn¡¯t want Liam to kill Gabriel because he was in his territory but now that he was in Liam¡¯s, that man would die by Liam¡¯s hands.


    Aurora wiped her tears and Liam grabbed her hand. ¡°Stop crying.¡±


    She didn¡¯t react in any way. Liam didn¡¯t like her ignoring him. He pulled her towards him, and she ended up in his arms. ¡°You are mine, now Aurora. Don¡¯t make me angry.¡±


    Aurora sobbed in his chest. His white dress shirt was stained with her ruined mascara. She didn¡¯t want the evening to end like this but what could be done now? It was already ruined.


    The driver opened the door for them, Liam took her to his private elevator which took them to his home. The penthouse suite was beautifully decorated by one of the best decorators in the world.


    Aurora looked around and found the interior up to her liking. Gabriel¡¯s house was good but the interior was not up to her liking, she didn¡¯t like the dark theme, Aurora wanted everything light coloured and this house was just like that.


    ¡°This will be your new home, Mrs Knight,¡± Liam held her hand and pulled her in his arms. ¡°I want you to think only about me from now on, Aurora. Your mind, body and soul are mines from this moment.¡±


    She raised her head and searched into his eyes. She wanted to feel his love, she needed it tonight. ¡°Liam, do you love me this much?¡± She whispered.


    ¡°Do you still doubt it, little one? After everything, I did win your heart. Are you still asking me this question? Do you think I bring every woman to my house? No, Mrs Knight, you are the only woman who entered my house ever. I don¡¯t want you Aurora, I need you as I need oxygen to live. You are my drug without which I will die.¡±


    Aurora gulped the emotional lump that formed in her throat. ¡°Will you ept me with all my ws? I might not be what you expect me to be Liam. I don¡¯t know if you will feel like this after youe to know about my truth.¡±


    At that Liam scowled. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Aurora searched his eyes, she didn¡¯t know if she should tell him this or not. Gabriel was ready to overlook the issue of her frigid body, but would Liam do the same for her.  He looked like a man who would neverpromise on his sexual life and just as that fear ran through her body.


    Would she be able to satisfy him? She was not able to do it with Gabriel. She was still an inexperienced virgin and Liam was not less than a sex God ording to her.


    ¡°What are you talking about, Mrs knight? He asked again, impatience was clear in his voice.


    Aurora swallowed and gathered all her inner strength. She didn¡¯t want to start her new rtionship based on a lie. She decided that she would tell Liam about her frigidity and if he still wanted to be with her then she would not stop herself from moving on.


    Yes, she felt guilty for Gabriel¡¯s pain and it wouldn¡¯t be easy for him to move on but she loves Liam. She didn¡¯t know when this happened but she had fallen head over heels in love with this man.


    ¡°Speak, little one.¡±


    Aurora inhaled sharply, ¡°Liam, I don¡¯t think we matched each other. You are every girl¡¯s dream. You can have any girl you want, why me?¡±


    Liam smirked at that, ¡°Because none of the girls can satisfy me Aurora. You are what I want. Only you.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°I can¡¯t satisfy you or any man. I can¡¯t Liam!¡±  Fresh tears pooled in her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s better if we don¡¯t start this rtionship.¡±


    Liam gritted his teeth in anger. He had enough of her push and pull. ¡°What the hell are you talking about. Are you trying to drive me crazy with your words, woman!!¡± He snapped at her.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°It¡¯s better for both of us, Liam, because I know I will never be able to give you what you want and I would not be able to see you going to another woman when¡­¡± Aurora sobbed, facepalming herself.


    Liam¡¯s eyes shed in anger. ¡°Have you lost your mind woman, why would I go to another woman when I have you?¡± He barked. ¡°If you are thinking of ways to leave me¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not trying to leave you, I am telling you the truth because I am frigid, Liam! I don¡¯t feel anything during sex!¡± She told him the hard and bitter truth about her body.


    ¡°I beg your pardon!¡±

 Chapter 92

    Liam was shocked hearing her words. Has the girl lost her mind? From where she looked like a frigid woman.


    He needed to know from where this stupid thought came to her mind. Before she could utter a single more bad word about her perfect body, Liam grabbed her hand and pulled her closer, ¡°who told you that you are frigid.¡±


    Aurora looked down from his eyes, she would rather die than tell him how she felt when Gabriel touched her. She had been humiliated enough for a day.


    ¡°Answer me, little one!¡±


    Aurora snapped her eyes back to him and swallowed the painful lump in her throat.  ¡°Nobody told me, it¡¯s what I feel, Liam. I never felt anything when¡­¡± she couldn¡¯t take Gabriel¡¯s name in front of Liam. His eyes bored into hers, searching for something.


    Liam¡¯s eyes shed in anger. He knew she was anything but frigid. He recalled how wild she went on the ind when he touched her. The memory of her under him kept him awake most of the night. It was her body¡¯s reaction that made him lose control and he went against his principles, bing the masseur just to feel her body, she had an orgasm that day then why the hell did she call herself frigid?


    ¡°You are wrong, little one. I don¡¯t know from where you got this idea but it would take me only ten minutes to prove you wrong.¡±


    Aurora swallowed, she searched his eyes to find the truth in his words. Is he telling the truth? Am I not frigid? But why would Gabe tell me so?  No, he is just saying this to make me feel better. Gabriel and I tried many times but I never felt anything.


    Aurora¡¯s eyes welled with tears. He was lying to make her feel better, this was the only positive thing that happened today. Aurora couldn¡¯t stop herself from feeling gratitude for him. She went near him and ced a soft kiss on his cheek. ¡°Thank you but you don¡¯t have to lie to me, Liam. I can handle the truth.¡±


    Liam¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she ced that innocent kiss on his cheek and mumbled thank you in that soft voice of hers. He pulled her closer to his body, ¡°I am not lying, Mrs Knight,¡± saying that he snapped his lips on hers.


    Aurora gasped, startled at the action and Liam took advantage of the situation and he entered in her mouth aggressively.


    Aurora blinked her eyes rapidly, her hand went to his strong biceps while the other was on his waist. ¡°Liam¡­¡± she tried saying his name but it came out mumbled as he was kissing her passionately.


    She couldn¡¯t stop herself from participating in the kiss and her participation made it even more passionate. Blood rushed into Liam¡¯s male part and it stood up proudly. Aurora felt something poking against her stomach, an electric shock ran through her body when she understood what it was.


    Blood filled her cheeks and as she tried to breathe but Liam was blocking the air with his lips.


    Liam moved from her lips to her neck giving her the much-needed oxygen. She inhaled sharply when she felt him bite on her neck. She felt Pleasure and pain at the same time. Aurora moved a little, her body wanted more closeness with him, Liam saw her moving her legs back and forth. He chuckled mentally, she was aroused. Aurora never felt like this before between her legs. It felt as if her va**na has a heart of its own. She needed something, what? She didn¡¯t know but when she moved her legs back and forth the friction between her legs felt good.


    She bit her lip and purred like a kitten when Liam¡¯s head went to her right bo**m, he gave it a light squeeze. Loving the feeling of it under his hand. ¡°Liam¡­¡± Aurora moaned, her hand traced his silk shirt and loved the feeling of it.


    Liam held her face with one hand, Aurora¡¯s eyes were closed, subconsciously she leaned into his palm. Liam shaped her lips with his other hand, Aurora opened her eyes and gazed into his. Blue orbs met ck ones. Liam shrank his eyes and stared into hers as if waiting for something. Aurora couldn¡¯t hold his gaze anymore and tried to look down in shyness but Liam didn¡¯t allow that.


    ¡°You are my woman, Liam Knight¡¯s woman and you won¡¯t look down when I am looking at you, do you understand it Aurora?¡± He demanded.


    Aurora swallowed and nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Liam smiled a little. ¡°Tell me Little one, do you want me to continue or not?¡±


    Aurora¡¯s stomach churned at his words. She was not ready for the sex. Not yet at least but she didn¡¯t want to deny him anything. Gabriel used to get angry when she used to voice her opinions to him but again he was doing it because he didn¡¯t want to lose her. Once again she bes sad recalling Gabriel¡¯s words. It hurts when he calls her frigid but with Liam, she feels things she had never felt before. Does it mean that she was not frigid? Aurora wants to know but she didn¡¯t want to give her body to him tonight. She wanted her first time to be special and today just doesn¡¯t feel right to her.


    She knew enough about oral, Susan was very vocal about her numerous adventures but Aurora lived these things practically. Gabriel tried but¡­


    Should she ask Liam if she wanted to explore more?


    Liam was getting impatient. He mentally scolded himself for asking her when she was lost in the heat of the moment. He could have done the deed and as the deal signed between her father and him he would have given her his seed to make her body ripe with his child.


    He wanted to enjoy Aurora as much as he could but he needed the heir and child as soon as possible. His dream depends on this contract with her father.


    ¡°Speak up little one or I would be making the decisions myself.¡±

 Chapter 93

    Aurora swallowed. The sexual tension in his living room was so thick that she could cut it with a knife. She nodded lightly, words didn¡¯te out of her mouth and that was enough for Liam to understand what she wanted.


    He snaked an arm around her and picked her in his arms. Aurora hid her face in his chest, inhaling his spicy masculine scent which intoxicated her mind. Her breathing turned heavy as she watched his massive king size bed.


    Liam plopped Aurora on the bed, a smile ying on his lips. Aurora was scared, excited. Anxious. She was having a roller coaster of emotions at this moment and watching Liam unbuttoning his shirt that roller coaster took a wild twisted turn. She flipped her lips inside and left a shivered breath.


    He touched her naked leg with his palm, feeling her silky flesh. Every hair on her body arose and Aurora¡¯s beat picked an uneven rhythm. She squirmed on the silk bed sheet, fishing it with both her hands. ¡°Liam¡­¡± she whispered wildly when his hand travelled to her calf.


    ¡°Close your eyes and feel the pleasure, little one. From now on your life will be filled with it only, get used to it.¡± He said and ced a soft kiss on her inner thigh.


    He inhaled her intoxicating scent. Liam¡¯s body went feral by the fragrance of her arousal. He wanted nothing else than f**k her wildly like he wanted to but he didn¡¯t want to scare her.


    He shook his head. Frigid!  Heughed at the stupid thought about herself. What kind of stupid sexual partner was the ex-fiance. Liam knew she was a virgin, she had told it herself not that he needed her words to know that but the thought of her being some other man irritated him to the core. He wanted nothing else but to show her what pleasure feels like.


    ¡°May I take off your panties, Mrs Knight?¡± He asked.


    Aurora didn¡¯t have the strength to speak. She was into another world. His touch had made her drunk but she was not ready to¡­ oh she didn¡¯t know what to say. Mentally she was not ready to have sex but her body was begging for a kind of release she knew only he could give her.


    There was a lot of pressure in her body. She didn¡¯t know what to say and a sob left her throat.


    Liam frowned when he heard a sob. It was not the sound of her crying in pleasure. Immediately, he moved to her face, Aurora was under his body while his naked chest was rubbing against her bra d bosom as the red dress was trampled down from her shoulders. His male part touched her lower abdomen. Liam¡¯s body demanded pleasure too but he kept denying it. Tonight was about her, he would take his pleasureter but today was about her.


    ¡°Look at me, little one.¡± He asked softly. Aurora opened her eyes softly and stared into his. ¡°Liam¡­¡± once again, she sobbed.


    ¡°Tell me what happens, do you not want it?  I will stop,¡± he tried to stand up but Aurora held his bicep.


    ¡°No! Please don¡¯t leave me alone. Liam.¡± She said before he could move.


    Liam sighed. She was testing his patience but he stayed in that lover boy character. ¡°Then what happened little one?¡±


    Aurora gulped. ¡°I want you close to me. I want to feel¡­¡± she stopped herself from speaking further. She didn¡¯t want to sound like a mean girl who just cared about her pleasure.


    She recalled how once Susan told her about the guy who only wanted to use her for his pleasure but denied reciprocating the favour.


    Liam arched his brows. ¡°But you are not ready for the sex, right?¡± He asked, running his fingers through her cheek. ¡°I understand your hesitation, little one and I promise to not do anything you don¡¯t want me to do but let me tell you what pleasure feels like. Let me show you that you are a temptress whose mere presence was enough for me to get wild in want and right now I feel like the world¡¯s luckiest man.¡±


    Tears rolled down through the corner of her eyes. The gift he was giving her through his words was the world¡¯s greatest pleasure he could give her. ¡°Show me,¡± she whispered.


    Liam ced a soft kiss on her forehead then like a chain he moved south to her nose, cing a soft kiss on it he pecked on her lips softly. His lips moved to her Adam¡¯s apple and then to her corbone. Aurora gasped when he kissed her bra d n**ples and then the area between them. Liam ced a soft kiss on her belly button then kissed her pelvic area. She was still wearing her red silk dress, Liam didn¡¯t remove it from her body, it clung to her like a second skin. He raised her dress above her hips.


    Aurora held her dress above and watched as Liam smiled at her. She frowned, not getting the reason behind his mischievous smile but then his fingers slid down her panty. Aurora¡¯s eyes widened. She thought he would try to finger her just like Gabriel did, she was a little scared recalling how painful the experience was for her but Liam did something unexpected.


    He kissed her there, an unbelievable sensation ran through her body. ¡°Liam¡­¡± she moaned wildly. She thought it was the peak of her pleasure but no it was just the starting because then he ran his tongue over her wetness and Aurora¡¯s toes curled in delight and what she felt after it couldn¡¯t be described in words.


    Aurora struggled to remain on earth; she was flying without wings. She didn¡¯t know if she was alive or dead but she was not on earth.


    ¡°Oh God Liam please no more!¡± She couldn¡¯t handle the sensations; it was too much for her but Liam didn¡¯t stop. She tasted sweet there as if he was tasting a candy. Liam hates sweetness but today he was ready to eat as much as he could. He had waited too long for the moment. This was heaven for him.


    He knew she was close to her orgasm, Aurora didn¡¯t know what was happening to her body but she felt a pressure building inside her. She wanted to let it go but something stopped her. She didn¡¯t know what but then she felt his thumb drawing a circle on her va**na while still licking her and she cried in relief. For a moment ckness came in front of her vision but when she came to her senses and the stars that danced in front of her eyes subsided she found herself out of her dress, only in her undergarments.


    Her face was on Liam¡¯s chest while he was holding her in his arms. Aurora could feel his naked flesh but he was not naked, just like hers he too was wearing his undies.


    ¡°Do you still feel frigid Little one?¡± Liam asked, kissing her hair.


    Aurora smiled. She kissed his chest, held him tightly and shook her head. ¡°No, I feel like a satisfied woman.¡±


    Liam arched his brows and tightened his hold on hers. ¡°My woman!¡±


    Aurora smiled. ¡°Only yours,¡± she epted Liam with her heart at that moment.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

 Chapter 94

    Liam slipped out of the bed when he noticed that Aurora had fallen asleep. He picked his cell phone and dialed Mike who answered the first ring.


    ¡°Sir.¡±


    ¡°Have you caught the man or not?¡± He asked Mike who was silent for some time then answered. ¡°I almost did sir but¡­¡±


    Liam¡¯s body stiffened. ¡°But, what? Have you caught him or not?¡±


    ¡°He is at the airport right now sir.¡± Liam ended the call in anger and cursed.


    ¡°Damn him to hell!¡±


    ¡°Try to find out where he is going?¡±


    Liam ended the call and dialled Ethan who epted his call on the sixth ring. ¡°I hope there is good news, Liam.¡±


    If anything Liam¡¯s mood soured even more hearing his authoritarian tone. The bastard couldn¡¯t even handle a cheap restaurant owner. ¡°There is good news, your daughter¡¯s ex-fiance came to meet her.¡±


    Ethan on the other end stood up from his chair with lightning speed. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. I have handled him.¡±


    ¡°So what was he, a ghost? Goddamn, Ethan, do you know what you have done? The man is alive¡­¡±


    ¡°He met Aurora. It seems you can¡¯t work your magic on my daughter. You want to rule the heart of Canada and couldn¡¯t even charm my girl. How would you handle the business?..¡±


    A hot red fury ran through Liam¡¯s body. ¡°I think your age is working on you, Ethan. Didn¡¯t you hear when I said Ex-fiance? She is mine now, on her free will. Aurora officially broke up with that cheap man and epted me and I am going to rule the Canadian mafia Ethan, charming your daughter has nothing to do with my business. I am tolerating you for the sake of my father, don¡¯t take my patience for granted.¡±


    Ethan shrank his eyes. If there was any other day and her daughter¡¯s safety and future would not have depended on him, he wouldn¡¯t have listened to Liam. Using guns to solve matters was far easier for men like them than tolerating each other¡¯s presence for peace.


    ¡°Same goes for you, Liam. If it¡¯s not about my daughter¡¯s safety I would have killed you by now.¡±


    At that Liam chuckled. ¡°May have tried but no one seeded, old man. My man followed that lover boy, he is at the airport right now. My guess is he ising back to Churchill and if he did I want him dead. Aurora wouldn¡¯t care about him anymore.¡±


    Ethan fisted his hands and tolerated his tone. He reminded himself that he was doing it for his daughter¡¯s future and Liam was right, Gabriel was alive and he could be a problem in future for them. Aurora was naive, what if she would have a change of heart in the future.  Ethan couldn¡¯t take the risk. Gaberial James has to die and die he will.


    Ethan called Thomas and asked about Gabriel¡¯s death.  ¡°Then how the hell is he alive, Thomas? He went to Vancouver to meet Aurora!¡±


    Even Thomas was shocked hearing Ethan. ¡°Impossible! I asked our alliance in the USA to handle him.¡±


    ¡°They said they handled him.¡±


    ¡°Call them and find out.¡±


    Thomas did as he was asked and once again received the same answer from the assassin. ¡°He is still alive!¡± Thomas informed him tly. ¡°Now listen to me you son of a bitch, if you want to stay alive then find out what went wrong?¡±


    Thomas ended the call and nced at Ethan who was seething in anger.


    ¡°This man has be a pain in the ass.¡±


    ¡°Let hime to Churchill. I will personally do the job this time,¡± Thomas said, patting Ethan¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I just want my Aurora to have a happy future, Thomas. I want to fulfil my promise to Savannah.¡±


    Thomas didn¡¯t reply, only patting his shoulder tofort him.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Meanwhile, Liam went back to his bedroom and watched Aurora sleeping peacefully hugging his pillow. He sighed, going near he touched her face with the back of his fingers. She squirmed a little, a small smile yed on her lips in her sleep. Her blonde hair fanned on the pillow and she looked like a goddess.


    ¡°You are making me do things I have never done for anyone, little one.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s eyes fluttered and she slowly opened them. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me alone, please, Liam.¡±


    He sharpened his eyes. ¡°I am not going anywhere little one,¡± he whispered silkily, touching her lower lip with his thumb.


    She held his wrist. ¡°Then why are you out of the bed,¡± she nced at the window, it was still dark outside. ¡°It¡¯s not morning yet?¡± She stiffened, recalling how tired she got after her relief. She didn¡¯t think about his pleasure.


    Aurora sat up in the bed and pulled out the sheets to cover bo**m. Liam chuckled at her antics. ¡°I am so sorry, I didnt think about your relief. Do you want me to do something for you?¡±


    Liam scowled. ¡°Something, exactly what you are offering Little one? A blowjob or a handjob? He asked.


    Aurora looked down, she felt like a schoolgirl who was asked by the teacher to solve an equation on the board in front of the whole ss. The only problem was she didnt know how to solve the equation.


    ¡°Whatever you want,¡± she said, quietly.


    Liam held her chin between his forefinger and thumb, raising her face to look into her eyes but her eyes were still looking down.


    ¡°Look at me little one,¡± he ordered and like a natural submissive she raised her eyes, gazing into his.


    ¡°Tonight was about you, I wanted to break that stupid thought you had about yourself and now that you know the reality of you being a hot red vixen in bed, we can do whatever we want. I want to show you a lot of pleasure Aurora but I want a promise from you, little one.¡±


    She searched his eyes. ¡°What promise?¡±


    He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to himself. Aurora was basically lying on his body. Her golden locks of hair fell on her face. Liam cleared the curtain of hair with his finger and put them behind her ear.


    ¡°I want you to promise me that if in future I do something which you don¡¯t like then you will say no to me immediately, doesn¡¯t matter how far we went. I want you to enjoy our time, not suffer it, Aurora. I don¡¯t want to see the fear in your eyes again which I sawst night. You are my equal in every way. Do you understand me?¡±


    A butterfly fluttered in her heart. She couldn¡¯t believe he was the same Liam who she thought was a narcissistic bully.


    Aurora nodded, touching her head with his. ¡°Join me in the bed, Liam.¡± She said touching his naked chest with her fingers.


    Liam inclined and settled in bed with her. Once again her head was in his chest while he was caressing her hair as if she was a child he was trying to sleep but Aurora was not sleepy anymore. If anything she was wide awake, she wanted to talk to him, know him, tease him.

 Chapter 95

    She wanted to do silly things with Liam. A giggle left her throat love the thought but then joy vanished from her eyes. What if he didn¡¯t like her true self like Gabriel. What if he was serious and workaholic just like Gabriel.


    Liam felt a change in her energy. ¡°Share your thoughts little one.¡± He askedzily.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie, Mrs Knight!¡±This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    She raised her head and watched his face. His eyes were closed but he was awake. Aurora bit her lip watching his beautiful face. He has a perfect nose, a perfect pair of eyes and lips, he is perfect. Too handsome to be described in words.


    ¡°Liam, do you like me the way I am?¡±


    At that Liam opened an eye and peeked at him. He was toozy to open the other one, ¡°yes, I like the way you are. I like this childlike innocence in you, the way you sing although I didn¡¯t like your voice it was hard to hear¡­¡±


    Aurora pped his chest for teasing her when she saw the wiggling of his lips. ¡°You are cruel!¡± She hides her face in his chest.


    Liam chuckled seeing her shy away from him, after a while, she fell asleep and he rolled his eyes. He hated her childishness. He didn¡¯t want to do stupid Vani sex with her after the first time. If anything he wanted to f**k her hard. Liam Knight wanted to imprint himself in her soul.


    He wanted her to remember that he was the master of her life with every breath she takes but he couldn¡¯t say all these things to her. Not yet at least. He came too far to ruin this for himself.


    He was just a few steps away from his goal and he would be damned if he would let anything or anyone spoil it for him. Not even himself.


    The next day, when Aurora woke up she was alone in bed. She sighed and hid her face in her hands. ¡°You are in love, Aurora and Liam ept you the way you are, he didn¡¯t want to change you for himself. He loves you a lot!¡±


    There was no limit to Aurora¡¯s happiness, she was flying without wings. She touched her mother¡¯s ne and closed her eyes. ¡°I promise to be the best girl for you, Liam. I promise to do everything for your happiness. I promise you, Liam Knight!¡±


    After the emotional morning, she went to shower but the problem was she didn¡¯t bring any clothes with herst night. She curled her lips to one side to think about the solution to her problem and an idea popped into her mind. Aurora went to his closet to search for something to wear but what she saw made her eyes widen and her heart stop.


    ¡°What the hell is all this?¡± She mumbled looking at the walk-in closet. Half of it was filled with women¡¯s clothes and there was every kind of dress hanging in it. From casual to party, nightdresses to lingerie and not only that there were almost hundreds of footwear in the closet and not only that there were makeup products were present there as well.  It was clear from the look of his closet that a girl lives with him, in his room.


    ¡°Then who am I?¡± Tears perked in her eyes over the thought. Her legs turned to jelly, she felt ustrophobic all of a sudden and with all her strength she ran out of the closet. She wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.


    Tears blurred her vision and in hurry to get away from the ce she didn¡¯t see Liam and bumped into him harshly.


    The food tray in Liam¡¯s hand fell on the floor and shattered into pieces.  Aurora fell on the floor and yelped in pain when the broken ss stuck into her elbow.


    ¡°Aurora¡­¡± he took her name sharply when she fell on the floor and the ss stuck on her hand. His eyes widened seeing the blood oozing out of her hand.


    ¡°Goddamn it, show me your hand, Aurora,¡± he howled, grabbing her hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me you cheat!¡± She snatched her hand away from his and cried seeing the blood. She never saw this much blood in her life except for her period blood.


    Liam¡¯s eyes shed in anger. He grabbed her hand tightly to examine her wound. The ss was stuck deep into her skin. ¡°Leave me!¡±  She tried to wiggle out of his arms when he picked her up and took her to the bed.


    The same bed where she felt pleasure for the first time in her life. ¡°Stop moving and let me clear your wound.¡±


    He opened the side table drawer and pulled out the medical kit from it. Aurora winced when he clung to the ss from her skin. ¡°It will burn a little.¡± He warned before dabbing the alcohol-based antiseptic liquid on her wound.


    ¡°Now tell me why the hell you are crying and calling me a cheater?¡± He demanded sharply.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that? How could you do that to Liam?¡± She said and stood up from the bed as if it had burned her skin. Even the thought of sleeping in his bed which he shared with another woman burned her alive.


    ¡°How could you bring me here when you live with another woman here, how could you?¡± She yelled in suffocation over the thought.


    Liam¡¯s nose red in anger. He grabbed her uninjured hand. ¡°I don¡¯t live here with anyone. You are the only girl who ever stepped into my room!¡±


    Aurora snatched her hand and pushed him away from her. ¡°Stop lying, I saw a woman¡¯s clothes in your closet. If no girl lives here with you then what was all that?¡±


    Liam closed his eyes to remain calm when all he wanted was violence. She stepped closer to her and gritted out in a dark and scary voice, ¡°the clothes and other essories in that closet belong to my wife.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s heart stopped. He has a wife! This was more twisted than she thought. ¡°Your wife? You are married and you still¡­¡±


    He grabbed her jaw, stopping her from speaking any further ¡°My wife, Mrs Aurora Liam Knight!¡± Saying that he left her face with a jerk and walked out of the room leaving a stunned Aurora behind.

 Chapter 96

    Aurora watched her move out of the room. She didn¡¯t know what to do so she remained standing there like a statue. His words were fixed in her mind.


    My wife, Mrs Aurora Liam Knight!


    She gulped and forced herself to walk inside the closet. Aurora touched the dresses and as he said everything was up to her size. The dresses were from her favourite designer, the shoes were to her size and the style was just what she wore. The makeup products were from her favourite brand. Every single thing in the closet was customised to her liking.


    A heavy lump formed in her throat. She swallowed it painfully and with shaking hands pulled out a casual pair of jeans and top. Once dressed she walked downstairs and tried to find Liam but he was nowhere to be found.


    She thought she was alone in his big penthouse until she whiffed the smell of garlic and herbs. It was clear that there was a kitchen there and someone was cooking.


    With heavy legs, she walked there and found an olddy cooking. She smiled when her eyes fell on Aurora.


    ¡°Wee, madam. Hope you liked the breakfast of something that was not to your liking. Please share with me. I would be careful not to cook it in future.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Aurora asked, her voice thick from the unshed tears.


    ¡°Oh, I apologise, madam, I am Paulina and I work as the housekeeper here.¡±


    Aurora nodded. ¡°I am Aurora Kings.¡±


    ¡°I know madam, Mr knight already told me about you. I hope you like the way your clothes were set. If you want to change something, do let me know about it.¡±


    If anything, Aurora felt even more guilty for using Liam. ¡°No, everything is okay, can you tell me where Liam is?¡±


    Paulina smiled. ¡°Mr Knight left in a hurry but if you want anything please don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No, please carry on with your work, I am going to my home,¡± saying that she walked out of the kitchen.


    Paulina ran after her. ¡°Madam please stop.¡±


    Aurora halted in her steps and waited for her to speak. She took a breath before speaking, ¡°a driver is waiting for you to take you home or wherever you want to go.¡±


    Aurora nodded and left his house. The driver opened the door of a ck Mercedes-Benz for her. Aurora watched the passing building through the window.


    Last night started as a nightmare and ended up as the most beautiful dream she ever had but she ruined the morning with her stupidity. She needed to apologise to Liam as soon as possible. Aurora nced at the time in her wristwatch. She was readyte for the office.


    She was halfway through her home when she asked the driver to take her to the office. Liam should be there, She thought and her heart picked up the speed at the thought.


    Even though everything was the same it still felt different. She went to her cabin and tried to work on the design but she couldn¡¯t concentrate on it. She needed to see Liam.


    Aurora stood up and went to meet him in his cabin. She asked the floor receptionist to meet Liam but she pinched her lips in a thin line.


    ¡°I am sorry, Aurora but Mr Knight is busy.¡±


    Aurora fisted her hand and a memory of her apologising to Gabriel shed in her mind. She recalled how he made her stand all day in his office presenting as if she didn¡¯t exist and Aurora refused to be treated in the same manner. She hated it and if this rtionship had a single chance of working then Liam needed to understand it too.


    She wouldn¡¯t walk on the same humiliating path again. She turned and walked towards Liam¡¯s office and without bothering with a knock she opened the door with a bang.


    ¡°I want to talk to¡­ you,¡± she whispered thest part in shock rather than anger when she saw seven pairs of eyes turned her way.


    Aurora bit her lip in apprehension. ¡°There is a meeting going on here!¡± She whispered, bewildered.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I said you can¡¯t meet him, Aurora.¡± The receptionist said from behind startling her.


    ¡°I guess I have to postpone the meeting forter as you all can see that my girlfriend is demanding my time now, if you don¡¯t mind gentleman can we meet again in an hour,¡± Liam said standing up from the head of the chair and everyone in the meetingughed.


    Aurora scolded herself mentally over creating another blunder in a single day. She moved a little, giving the gentlemen space to move out of the cabin. When everyone left Aurora walked inside and stood there looking down, fidgeting her fingers.


    She felt stupid for behaving like this. ¡°I am sorry for spoiling your meeting. I didn¡¯t know about it until¡­¡±


    ¡°Until you banged out the door and demanded my time.¡±


    If only earth could swallow her! She nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Aurora inhaled sharply and gathered all her strength to walk to him. She gazed into his eyes and said: ¡°Liam, I am sorry for using you. I was shocked to see feminine clothes in your closet.¡±


    His cheek rose. ¡°I will forgive you but only on one condition, Aurora.¡±


    She gulped. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°ept that you were jealous.¡±


    ¡°I ept,¡± she said without a single second¡¯s dy. Aurora sighed and touched his chest where his heart was. ¡°I love you, Liam, I didn¡¯t know when I fell for you but today after looking at those clothes in your closet I know one thing that I won¡¯t be able to see you with another woman, ever. I felt suffocated when the thought of you doing the same things you did to me came to my mind.¡±


    Liam was stunned. Loyalty was never on the deal between Ethan and him. He made sure to Ethan that he would not be getting his di*k stuck with Aurora. She was soft and delicate and Liam knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to handle his kinky lifestyle but she was demanding his loyalty today and Liam was not sure if he could give it to her.

 Chapter 97

    He took her chin between his finger and thumb and raised her chin. ¡°I ordered those clothes and essories after we returned from the ind. I chose every single thing in that closet for you. From Lingerie to shoes, Aurora. There is only you in my mind since I saw you and I would never think about cheating on you, I give you my words.¡±


    Liam didn¡¯t know where the words wereing from, all he knew was that he wanted to ease her doubts. He wanted to see her smile all the time.


    Aurora swallowed and stepped closer to him. She touched his face and stood on tip-toes toe closer to his face and then she ced her lips on his. Aurora poured her soul into the kiss. She was conveying her feelings for him in her kiss.


    Liam took over the kiss and it turned from slow and gentle to urgent and passionate. Liam kissed her as if his life depended on it. He turned around, Aurora¡¯s back was facing the mahogany desk while Liam was holding both of their weights on his palm which was ttened on the desk.


    They kissed for a long time and only left each other when they struggled for oxygen.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Liam settled on the sofa and Aurora was sitting on hisp with her head in his neck, enjoying the moment of love between them. ¡°Let¡¯s get married, Aurora.¡±


    Aurora looked at him with wide eyes. He was staring into her eyes calmly as if he had not just dropped a bomb on Aurora. She chuckled. ¡°Are you joking with me?¡±


    Liam grabbed her elbow,  his eyes darkened, ¡°no, absolutely not. I want to marry you as soon as possible, Aurora. I want you to carry my name officially and proudly in front of everyone.¡±


    Aurora inhaled sharply and stood up from hisp. Her back was facing Liam who stood up and went near her. ¡°What happens? Don¡¯t you want to get married to me, Aurora?¡± He asked, his voice turning sharp.


    Aurora shook her head, she turned and looked into his eyes. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to repeat the same mistake, Liam. I don¡¯t want to make any decision in haste. I want to know you first. I am ready to date you but not for marriage.¡±


    As if someone has poured hot boiling oil over his head. A hot red fury ran through his body. The girl was making him insane with her unnecessary drama. Themission meeting was in two months and she was showing tantrums to him.


    Damn her to hell and that sick father of hers for putting that sick deal with him.  Right now, he wanted nothing else than to marry her at gunpoint.


    ¡°Are you calling me a mistake, Mrs Knight?¡±


    Aurora sensed a change in his tone. She understood that she had hurt his feelings. She didn¡¯t want to repeat the same mistake. Aurora went near him and rested her hand against his cheek. He sharpened his eyes, darkness was still visible in his gaze but she knew how to eradicate it.


    Aurora smiled. ¡°You are my best decision, Liam. I could never call you a mistake but try to understand my viewpoint. I don¡¯t want to jump into unknown water without knowing its depth. I love you, yes. I see my life with you, a hundred times yes. I want to marry you,  yes, just not so soon. I want to enjoy my dating life. I was always envious of Susan¡¯s dating life but I knew I could never do it like her. I waited for the right man and now I have found one. I want to live every little fantasy I had with you.¡±


    He pulled her closer to him, arched a brow and asked. ¡°What kind of fantasies, Mrs Knight?¡±


    She went near his ear and whispered, ¡°you will get to know them slowly and in time, Mr Knight?¡± She ced a miss on his cheek.


    Liam nodded. ¡°Alright, wife. I will give you forty-five days to ept my marriage proposal and I will do everything in my power to make you ept my proposal in these forty-five days.¡±


    ¡°Is this a challenge, Mr Knight?¡± She asked, linking her hands to his neck.


    ¡°Call it anything you want, Mrs Knight.¡±


    She raised her brows in pride. ¡°Challenge epted, Mr Knight.¡±


    ¡°Be ready in two hours, we are going out for lunch.¡± He informed her. ¡°Nowhere in particr, right? This outfit will do?¡±


    ¡°It will,¡± Liam nodded but then he removed her hands from his neck, creating a little distance between them, he gave her a look of seriousness.


    ¡°Have youpleted your new design, Miss Kings?¡±


    Aurora frowned. ¡°What are you talking about Liam?¡± She asked when he suddenly talked professionally with her.


    Liam cleared his throat. ¡°I am asking about the new jewellery design, Aurora, have you finished it yet or not?¡±  He asked again, enjoying her confusing state.


    ¡°No, not yet. I would havepleted it yesterday but I didn¡¯t get the time¡­¡±


    ¡°And what kept you so busy that you couldn¡¯t finish the design?¡±


    Aurora¡¯s mouth hung open, ¡°you don¡¯t know what kept me busyst night?¡± She asked in a sharp tone.


    Liam sighed. ¡°I am your boss here, Aurora and I have told you once before to talk to me respectfully and I won¡¯t tolerate you skipping work just because we have a personal rtionship with each other. Pay attention to your work.¡±


    The arrogant bully!


    ¡°Alright, I apologise for the dy, Mr Knight but my boyfriend kept me busyst night but I promise to be punctual from next time when even if my boyfriend has to suffer from blue balls!¡± She said in an overly sweet voice with an equivalent over sweet smile.


    The look on Liam¡¯s face cracked her up and sheughed freely. ¡°Good day, Mr Knight,¡± she turned to leave but stopped and looked at him once again.


    ¡°And just to save time, I can¡¯t go to lunch with you, Liam. My boss is a little demanding.¡±


    Before he could say anything she ran out of his office smiling and happy.


    epting Liam¡¯s love proved to be the best decision of her life and she prayed for it to remain this way.

 Chapter 98

    Aurora was going back to her cabin when her cell phone beeped with a notification. She was about to clean the notification bar thinking it was Susan once again but stopped when she nced at the name of the sender, it was a message from Gabriel.


    The smile evaporated from her face recalling him but she couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Even if she had stayed with him, it would have been a form of cheating. She no longer had Gabriel in her heart, she wondered if she ever had.


    The attraction, possessiveness she felt for Liam she never felt for Gabriel. Aurora was astonished by her thoughts, shaking her head she opened the message box to read the text.


    It read: I apologize again for what I said, Aurora. I never meant to hurt you but it was hard for me to ept your decision.  I loved you with every ounce in me but now that I looked at our time together, I realised that that was not the right way to treat you. In my fear of losing you, I tried to control you. I apologise for it and have decided to move back with my uncle. He is not doing good health-wise and now that I have lost you forever I have nothing to keep in Churchill.  Thank you for everything Aurora but know that I will love you forever. Hope we can at least remain friends ?? Gabriel.


    Aurora felt relief after reading his message and she typed back a thank you in her message. She didn¡¯t have anything else to say to him. She tried everything in her rtionship but it was not meant to be. She was always destined to be with Liam and once again a smile broke on her face.


    Aurora¡¯s tummy grumbled in hunger, she didn¡¯t have any breakfast in the morning so she decided to eat something for lunch.  Luckily, there was no one else in the cafeteria except for her. She ordered her food and went back to her cabin to eat peacefully but when she reached there her mood soured.


    Susan was sitting in Aurora¡¯s cabin with a straight face. She was angry at Aurora for being irresponsible. She was going mad when she couldn¡¯t find her at home, she asked Emily but she was also not aware of her whereabouts.


    ¡°Where the hell have you been, Aurora? Didn¡¯t you think of at least informing me or Emily that you are going somewhere? I was tense the whole night because of you!¡± She tells Aurora who fisted her hand in anger.


    Aurora silently entered the cabin and ced the burger carton on her desk. ¡°Why should I inform you about my whereabouts, Susan? Why do you always have to know everything about me?¡±


    Susan stood up and looked at her with a frown. ¡°Why are you being rude to me? Don¡¯t you know that I worry all the time about you, Aurora? I am worried for your well being?¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°And I am asking why? I have always told you not to interfere in my personal matters but you never gave a fan about my decisions. I have told you many times, Susan. I will handle my personal life then why do you have to poke your nose in everything? Why?¡± She practically yelled.


    Susan was stunned. Aurora had never talked to her like that before. Yeah, they had fought on multiple asions but never like this. ¡°Is there something wrong, Aurora?¡± Susan asked calmly, trying to know the reason behind Aurora¡¯s outburst.


    ¡°Think Susan, think if something is wrong or not? Have you done something which I disliked? Is there something you want to confess, Susan?¡± She demanded crossing her hands to her chest.


    When Susan didn¡¯t say anything, Aurora stepped closer to her and gazed into her eyes, ¡°let me give you a hint, Gabriel came to meet mest night.¡±


    Susan stiffened hearing his name. Fuck! Her eyes widened and she tried to touch Aurora¡¯s hand but she snatched her hand away. ¡°Do you remember now right, how could you do that to me, Susan. How could you?¡±


    Aurora was enraged. ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe my ears when he told me how you blocked hismunication with me, Susan. I was crying and disturbed because I couldn¡¯t talk to him while the man was trying everything in his power to talk to me. Do you know he was attacked by goons and was in the hospital for three months? He used me of cheating, Susan. I felt guilty when he told me all those things.¡±


    Susan was stunned to hear that. ¡°I didn¡¯t know, I swear I didn¡¯t know anything, Aurora. I was trying to help you move on. That man was trying to control you from the beginning of your rtionship. I agree I blocked his contact but it was to protect you, that man was not right for you. You also agree with me now, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Aurora shook her head.¡±Who are you to decide what is right or what is wrong for me? I am an adult, Susan. I can make my own decisions. Whether he was right for me or not you were no one to decide. No one! Do you understand me? Do you have any idea how humiliated ain¡¯tst night? I can¡¯t forget his face, Susan. I can¡¯t forget his words¡­¡± a few tears strolled down her cheek, Susan¡¯s interference had hurted her the most.


    ¡°I did that because I care about you!¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t need you to care about me Susan, I don¡¯t need you to behave like a mother hen with me all the time. I never told you how much I disliked your one-night stand lifestyle because I respect your right to privacy. Am I expecting too much if I want the same thing from you?¡±


    ¡°I can take care of myself, Aurora but you can¡¯t. I¡­¡± She tried to tell her but today Aurora was not listening to anything.


    Aurora had enough, she loved Susan like a sister but she needed to understand that she was an individual who loves her privacy. ¡°I am sorry but I can¡¯t do it anymore!¡±  Aurora said, throwing her hands into the air.

 Chapter 99

    Susan¡¯s heart stopped beating for a moment. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Before Aurora could speak Emily entered her cabin with a smile on her face which ceased when she felt the thickness in the atmosphere of the cabin.


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡± She drawled suspiciously.


    ¡°No, actually I wanted to talk to you as well, Emily,¡± Aurora said, turning to her.


    Emily scowled. ¡°What about?¡±


    ¡°Did you know about Susan blocking Gabriel¡¯s contact in my phone?¡±


    Emily nced at Susan¡¯s ashen face. ¡°Yes, I knew it and I h¡­¡± Before she couldplete the sentence Susan interrupted her.


    ¡°She asked me not to do it but I warned her not to interfere or tell you, she didn¡¯t want me to interfere in your life. It was my decision, Aurora. She has nothing to do with her.¡±


    Emily opened her mouth to speak but closed it again when Susan shook her head. ¡°You could have told me Em! Why did you not do it?¡± She gulped emotionally.


    Aurora moved closer to Susan, her eyes were shining with tears. Aurora forced herself not to cry but she needed to do this. Susan needed to learn her boundaries. ¡°We can¡¯t be friends anymore, Susan. I am sorry but I don¡¯t want a friend who didn¡¯t know how to respect my personal space.¡±


    Susan went numb. Her whole life was based on Aurora. She recalled how her mother asked Susan to take care of Aurora like an elder sister. She said that she was leaving Aurora in her care.


    A lone tear rolled down Aurora¡¯s cheek. ¡°How could you say that? Does our rtionship hold this little value in your eyes Aurora? Yes, Interfere in your life but I did it for you! Because I love you, I wanted to protect you, save you from an unhappy rtionship and you are breaking our friendship over a rtionship which no longer exists!¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Aurora¡¯s own heart was crushed by her words. Susan was not only a friend she was her soul sister. She loved her but this time she needed to be firm about her decision. ¡°Yes, Susan I am breaking our friendship but it has nothing to with Gabriel or my rtionship. It¡¯s because you did the same thing you used Gabriel of doing. If he was trying to control me then so were you! Every time you interfere in my things, a little bit of interference is healthy, I ept it but what you did was not. My dad loves me too but have you ever seen him interfering in my life? No, because he knew my boundaries. He wanted me to marry Liam but when I denied he epted my decision, Susan and I wants the same thing from you. But if you can¡¯t give it to me then¡­¡±


    Susan was enraged. ¡°Then what? You will break up with me? Huh!¡± She demanded fiercely.


    Aurora raised her chin in the air, proudly. ¡°Yes.¡± She stated ¡°I can¡¯t be with a friend who didn¡¯t understand my feelings,¡± she replied, turned and walked out of the cabin because if she would have stayed for a single second more she would have started crying.


    Aurora needed to be strong, she loves her but this was for their own good. She went outside where no one was present and left the sob she was trying to hold. Aurora cried for hurting Susan¡¯s feelings but it was necessary.


    Susan couldn¡¯t breathe through her nose. She was in shock and for the first time after her mother¡¯s death, she couldn¡¯t be strong. She fell to her knees, the girl she loved more than a sister broke their friendship. Susan was crushed under the weight of Aurora¡¯s words.


    ¡°Susan, are you alright?¡± Emily asked holding her, she had never seen her strong friend like that. Never!


    Emily gave her a ss of water when she kept breathing through her mouth. ¡°Susan calm down, damnit! You are scaring me,¡± she patted her back tofort her and forced her to drink water.


    Susan closed her eyes and tried to breathe normally after drinking water. Emily was continuously asking her if she was alright. She was not, she saw how Aurora was trying to hold her tears in front of her. Her sister was hurt because of her and that disturbed Susan. She needed to be strong for both of them.


    ¡°Susan, I am calling the doctor¡­¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t!¡± Susan said when she could manage to speak. she grabbed Emily¡¯s hand and managed to get back on her feet with Emily¡¯s help.


    ¡°Why did you not tell Aurora that I helped you too, why, Susan?¡± Emily asked once Susan seems normal to her.


    ¡°Because I knew she would do something like this. I have known her whole life, Emily. I know how she reacts to things. She lost me and now she didn¡¯t have anyone else except for you, we both know Aurora,  we know how stubborn she is,¡± she grabbed her hand abruptly, ¡°Emily, please go and be with her. She needs you now that I am not with her. She needed you more than ever. Please hold my Aurora in your arms andfort her. Please don¡¯t leave her alone!¡±


    Emily was looking at Susan as if she had lost her mind. ¡°What are you, Susan Kelly? She scolded you this badly, broke her friendship with you and you are still worried about her?¡±


    Susan smiled, sadly, ¡°you won¡¯t understand Emily. I don¡¯t have anyone except for Aurora. She is my only family. When mom died, Aunt Savannah took me in, she cared about me just like she did for Aurora. We have been with each other in every thick and thin situation. Do you think she would not be crying right now, no? She would be crying he heart out in some corner, Emily.¡±


    Emily was amazed. ¡°I am sorry for every wrong word I said to you, Susan. I didn¡¯t know the depth of your rtionship. Don¡¯t worry I will take care of your Aurora till youe back in her life, I promise,¡± Emily said, patting her hand. ¡°Aurora is lucky to have you, Susan.¡±


    Susan broke down into tears. The pain of Aurora¡¯s words was too much for her to handle.


    ¡°I hope Aurora thinks the same way!¡±

 Chapter 100

    ¡°Aurora?¡± Emily searched for her friend and just as Susan mentioned she was crying.


    ¡°Why are you punishing yourself and Susan like this, baby girl?¡± Emily asked, hugging her close to herself. Aurora sobbed in her arms like a child. ¡°Stop this torture and talk to her Aurora.¡±


    Aurora shook her head in her arms. ¡°No,¡± she sniffed and broke the hug. ¡°I have to be strict with her this time, Emily. I love her but she can¡¯t meddle in my business all the time.¡±


    Emily nodded. ¡°What did you talk to Gabriel about? Did you finally break up with him?¡± She asked.


    Aurora nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s officially over,¡± She nced at her friend. She wanted to share the happy news with Susan first, Aurora knew that it was going to hurt Susan. She also knew that Emily would share it with her, she was going to be their connection till Susan learned about her boundaries.


    Emily sighed. ¡°Look, I understand your point of view but you have to agree it¡¯s because of Susan you came out of that unhappy rtionship.¡±


    ¡± I am with Liam now. I epted his proposal.¡±


    Emily gasped, her hand went to her mouth. ¡°Are you telling me that you are marrying him?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± She replied astounded. ¡°Of course, I am not marrying him this soon, I have learnt my lesson, Em. Although he proposed, I denied saying I want to date him first and not jump into the fire like before.¡±


    Emily shook her head. ¡°I am happy for you, Aurora. I am so very happy for you, my dear friend,¡± she hugged Aurora.


    ¡°Em, share this with Susan as well but don¡¯t let her know I asked you to do it. I know she wanted me to be with Liam. She would be happy to know this.¡±


    Emily rolled her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t understand any of you, here you are caring about her while she is asking me to take care of you. Why don¡¯t you just forgive whatever she did and spare me with all the hard work.¡±


    Aurora sighed but didn¡¯t bother with a reply. ¡°Thank you for respecting my privacy, Em. Thank you for always respecting my wishes.¡±


    Emily felt guilty hearing Aurora. She wanted to tell her about the role she yed in the conspiracy but she couldn¡¯t. Not when both her friends needed her but she promised herself that the day Aurora solved all her issues with Susan she would tell her everything no matter what punishment she decided for her.


    ¡°Keep herpany tonight, I will be meeting Liam in the evening.¡±


    ¡°Ooh! He asked for a date?¡± She teased Aurora who shook her head.


    ¡°No, this time I have decided to be the real me in my rtionship, Emily. I want to see how he would handle my chirpy side. I don¡¯t want to pretend to be someone else. If we have a single chance of being together our whole life then Liam has to ept all the mood swings thate with me.¡±


    Emily shook her head. ¡°I will pray for our boss then,¡± she whispered and they both chuckled. Aurora was already missing Susan but it needed to be done.


    ¡°I love you, Susan,¡± she mumbled, touching her ne. ¡°I am sorry for hurting your goddaughter mom but I didn¡¯t have any other option left.¡±


    Aurora managed to resume working on her new design. It was difficult for her to concentrate on it after she emotionally burst out, but somehow finished it.  She called Kevin to get the design finalist so that she could show it to Liam. The boss!


    Kevin was okay with the design and asked her to go to Liam for the finalization of it into their catalogue. Kevin Rawls didn¡¯t like how Liam took off his liberty to work but he was the boss and Kevin had to ept what he ordered.


    Aurora recalled how professional he behaved in an instant with her. ¡°Time to pay back, Mr Knight!¡± She mumbled as she knocked on the door and opened it.


    Aurora frowned when she didn¡¯t see him inside, ¡°Mr Knight?¡± She called his name and entered his cabin and suddenly someone yanked her hand before she could make a sound. A hand was put on her mouth to stop her from screaming.


    Liam closed and locked the door. Aurora¡¯s eyes widened at his action. She asked him what he was doing through the gesture of her eyes and Liam only smirked in answer.


    ¡°I am kidnapping you, Little one.¡±


    The hell!


    Aurora was angry at his action. She thought someone was about murder her. She bit into his palm, hard. Liam snatched his hand from her mouth in shock rather than pain. ¡°You stupid bull! I was about to scream bloody murder!¡±Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Liam archer a brow, ¡°did you just call me bull, Mrs Knight?¡±


    ¡°Miss Kings, we are in your office and as you have so genuinely reminded me of you being my boss and my duties as your head designer¡¯s intern, I would rather we behave professionally here Mr knight.¡±


    Liam sharpened his eyes, ¡°but now I want my wife to kiss me,¡± he threw her against the door and was about to attack her lips when Aurora mped her hands to his face. ¡°Your girlfriend, not a wife. I will be your wife when I say yes to your ring on my finger, till then-girlfriend.¡±


    An angry beast roared in Liam¡¯s mind. Here he was trying to behave like an idiot lover boy and she was showing tantrums to him. ¡°Should I get on one Knee, Mrs Knight?¡±


    Aurora smiled seeing the seriousness in his eyes. Liam was hurt by her words.


    Aww, my poor man!


    She linked her arms to his neck and pulled him closer, ¡°you have forty-five days to make me say yes to your proposal, maybe I will yes to you.¡±


    Liam pulled her closer to him. Their gaze fixed on each other. ¡°You have to say yes to me, little one. I have waited like a saint for you.¡±


    ¡°Saint? You were anything but a Saint, Liam. You were my dark beast!¡± She giggled at theparison. While Liam¡¯s male part was getting to life seeing her angelic form so near to him.


    She wasughing and Liam couldn¡¯t hold himself any longer he ced his lips on hers and kissed the daylight out of her.

 Chapter 101

    Aurora¡¯s hand went to his hair while Liam¡¯s was on her bo**m. She struggled for breath when his hand roamed under her top and he shaped her breast. Aurora¡¯s eyes dted as the sensations arose in her body.


    They both were lost in their own world  and only came back to this world when they remembered to breathe. ¡°Have dinner with me,¡± he asked in a sensual voice, tracing his forginger to her lower lip. Aurora mentally rolled her eyes.  She wanted to surprise him in his home tonight and here he was asking for dinner!


    She cleared her throat and teased him. ¡°It¡¯s highly forbidden for a boss to ask his employee for dinner in such a voice, Mr Knight.¡±


    Liam grabbed her jaw. ¡°Dinner, little one?¡±


    Aurora sensed the change in his voice. He became authoritative from being teasing within a second. Aurora knew that there would be time in their rtionship when she would have to handle his beastly side. She has seen how angry he could get on that ind.


    She sighed mentally,¡±alright, are we going anywhere special?¡± She asked in a calm voice. She needed to talk about things like that and for that she needed privacy because she knew the talk was not going to be easy one.


    ¡°Yes, our home. I already asked Paulina to cool something delicious for us. So shall we leave?¡±


    ¡°Now?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± They both went to his car, when they both settled inside, Liam closed the separation window and then pulled me in his arms.


    ¡°Liam? What are you doing?¡± She asked, gasping when she was suddenly pulled on hisp.


    ¡°I can¡¯t get my hands to myself, little one. You are my addiction,¡± he growled and left small butterfly kisses to her neck.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡± she giggled, tilting her head a little to give him better ess of her neck.


    Both were lost in the heat of passion in each other¡¯s arms, they didn¡¯t even notice when the car stopped and they reached his home.


    ¡°Liam we reached your home,¡± she giggled when he kept kissing her neck.¡±humm!¡±


    ¡°Liam, what would the driver think?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t pay him to think but drive, but you are right, my room would be morefortable for you,¡± saying that they stepped out of the car and went to his penthouse.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Paulina opened the door with a smile and greeted them. Liam didn¡¯t hear a word and scooped Aurora in his arms to take her to his room.


    He had waited for almost a lifetime to have her in his arms. He couldn¡¯t wait any longer. Last night the beast got a taste of a little blood and now he was not going to be satisfied unless he sated his hungerpletely.


    Yes, Liam Knight wanted Aurora with a passion and he was dying to make her fully his. Her being a virgin was adding more to her value. The thought that no one ever had her in the way he was going to have her intoxicated his mind.


    Aurora¡¯s happiness couldn¡¯t be defined into words. With Gabriel she was never free to do anything but with Liam she can do anything with bothering about his reaction.


    ¡°Want to have a shower with me?¡± He draweld.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to have a shower. You take it, let me change into something casual.¡±


    Liam was disappointed but he epted her decision. Maybe I need to take it slow,  he thought. After all, he didn¡¯t want to scare her with his dark thoughts about her.


    ¡°Do as you wish,¡± he said, putting her back on her feets and going to shower. He gritted his jaw while taking off his clothes in anger. ¡°Calm yourself, Liam. You are not a randy teenager who couldn¡¯t control his hormones, damnit!¡±  He taps on the cold shower to get rid of his boner. He hissed when the cold water hit his naked body, he closed his eyes and took care of the issue of erection.


    Aurora touched the beautiful silk nighties. Everything in his closet was sensual, she wanted to wear somethingfortable. She sighed, when she married him there would be so much to add in this closet.


    She didn¡¯t take out any night dress but then her eyes went to his side of the closet. She bit her lip conspirately and tugged out one of his t-shirts, put it on her with a panty only.


    She didn¡¯t see Liam entering the closet and bumped into him while she was walking towards the exit. He was naked with only a grey towel tied to his waist.


    He held Aurora before she could hit the floor and frowned when he noticed what she was wearing. Once again blood filled his male part and he looked at her up and down.


    Was she trying to tease me? He thought, gritting his jaw.


    Aurora gulped seeing his naked chest. He was handsome beyond words. Every part of her body was on fire, the thought that sincest night she thought of herself as frigid seems like a fool¡¯s story to her now.


    ¡°Hope you don¡¯t mind me wearing your clothes before asking your permission.¡±


    Liam sharpened his eyes. ¡°No, this looks sexy on you. You didn¡¯t like your night wear?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I like it but they are far from beingfortable. I mean I get it why did you choose them but I like to sleep wearingfortable loose clothes and the nighties, if you can call them that, are for one purpose only and you know it.¡±


    At that Liam arched a brow, ¡°what purpose little one?¡± He asked in a sensual voice.


    Aurora rolled her eyes. ¡°You know what I am talking about, Liam.¡±


    Liam was infuriated seeing her rolling her eyes. His hands twitched to punish her, spank her for the disrespect but he reminded himself to control his raging anger.


    After all he didn¡¯t want to scare her, Yet!


    Meanwhile, Susan was drinking in the bar a little far away from her office. She sent Emily away with her boyfriend saying she needed to be alone. Susan was angry and hurt at the same time. ¡°One more ss!¡± She shouted at the bartender


    ¡°Madam, you are already drunk, are you sure you need another ss?¡± The bartender asked her.


    Susan red at him. ¡°What does it concern you? Fill in another ss for me. I want to get wasted tonight.¡± She slurred angrily, paid for the whole bottle and walked out of the bar with wobbly legs.


    A man who was sitting beside Susan followed her.¡±want to have a good time, bi**h?¡±


    Susan looked at him. ¡°You don¡¯t have what I need in my man, so go and f**k yourself!¡±


    The man stood up angrily and grabbed her hand. The bouncer tried to stop but one look at his face and he raised his hand in peace. ¡°Leave me, you bastard!¡± She cursed and the man raised his hand p but before his hand could reach her face someone grabbed it.


    Susan¡¯s eyes widened seeing the face of the man who came to save her.


    ¡°You?¡± She whispered and then darkness hugged her into its arms as she fell to the ground with a thud!

 Chapter 102

    ¡°Sir, dinner is ready, Do you want me to serve it in the dining room?¡± Paulina asked over the inte.


    Liam eyed Aurora¡¯s naked legs jiggling down the bed while she was talking to her friend. She looked a little tense and Liam wondered why?


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Send it to my room, Paulina.¡± He ordered and ended the call.


    Liam needed to talk to Ethan but considering everything, he had to wait for a little more time. Liam went to Aurora to know what was worrying her?


    ¡°Why did you leave her alone, Em? Was she fine?¡± Aurora asked, worriedly.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°Yes, she is absolutely fine. She told me she wanted to be alone for some time so I didn¡¯t push her toe to him with me. We both know her, Aurora. She would be taking out her frustration on a man somewhere. Calm down and focus on your man.¡±


    Aurora sighed, ¡°it¡¯s just¡­¡± she started but stopped when she sensed Liam¡¯s Presence behind her. ¡°Keep me updated about her, please. I will see you in the office tomorrow,¡± Aurora said and ended the call.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter little one?¡± Liam asked, sitting beside her.


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    It happened so suddenly that Aurora didn¡¯t even get the time to react. Liam grabbed her jaw, not harshly but neither softly. His grip was firm. ¡°Aurora, I am a bastard, I have anger issues but I try to behave like a gentleman with you. I try to show you only the soft side of mine but now that we are together I want to tell you one thing and I want you to remember it till the end of my life,¡± Aurora¡¯s eyes turned wide, hearing the darkness in his voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Ever. Lie. To. Me! I will give you the world but I will not tolerate any kind of betrayal from you and I consider you lying to me as a form of betrayal.¡±


    Aurora gulped. ¡°Leave me!¡± She mumbled.


    Liam obliged and dropped his hand. Aurora stood up from the bed and went to the window. She didn¡¯t like the way he treated her. She had suffered enough of this in her previous rtionship with Gabriel.


    Liam cursed himself in their mind for behaving so rudely with her. She was treated like a stupid princess all her life by her father and he showed his darkness like this. He closed his eyes and left a frustrating breath.


    What a mess! Why can¡¯t she behave like one of my other whore?


    Because she is not a whore, she is born to be your queen!


    He stood up and went to her. He frowned when he heard a soft sob from her throat. Liam ran a hand through his head and moved closer to her, holding her from the waist softly he pulled her in his arms. Her back touched his front.


    ¡°I apologise for that little one!¡± He whispered. Aurora went stiff in his arms and didn¡¯t say anything. Liam turned her and found her looking down at his fingers. ¡°I got angry for a moment, Aurora. I know I should control my emotions but when you lied to me I felt betrayed.¡±


    Aurora inhaled sharply, she pushed him a little to create a space between them. She was right, she needed to have this talk with him. Better now thanter.


    ¡°It was not a betrayal Liam. I didn¡¯t want to tell you about my problem because I didn¡¯t want to involve you in it and now that we are together in this rtionship I want to be open about it from the start. I value my privacy a lot, and I want the same from you. If I am not sharing things with you please don¡¯t force me to do. I love you, absolutely, but not more than my dignity and self-respect.¡±


    Liam¡¯s palms were twitching. He wanted to get her in his knees and spank the daylight out of her. ¡°We are together, I will always respect your privacy but when you are in a problem I want to know. It¡¯s my responsibility to take care of them. Even the thought of someone hurting you made me go berserk on that person Aurora. I am noting in the way of your self-respect but you are stopping me from doing my duty, as your boyfriend and your husband.¡±


    Aurora sighed. ¡°I won¡¯t tolerate you manhandling me, Liam. I will not tolerate it!¡±


    Liam grabbed dye hand and pulled him closer. ¡°I am trying to change myself for you, do you have any idea how hard it is. I was always an alpha male, always getting whatever I wanted but then I met you, the girl who didn¡¯t care about me. I liked that about you, when you insulted me and my dad, I was engaged and wanted nothing else but to have you. You became my obsession Aurora and I didn¡¯t even know when this obsession turned into Love. My heart started beating for you, the man who has the habit of taking whatever the hell he wants to, bow down on his knees in front of you. I waited like a fool for you to ept my love and now that we are together, I can¡¯t describe the feeling in words Aurora. This is the depth of my life for you and when I saw you are tense, I wanted to do whatever in my power to help you but you lied and I burst out on you.  So I apologise for you but this is the thing you have to ept about me,¡± saying that he left her hand with a jerk and walked outside the room leaving her alone.


    Aurora was silent for some time. His words hit her like bricks. Hearing him she understood one thing, rtionships can never work on the wishes of one person. She felt caged with Gabriel because he was trying to mold her ording to him and now she was doing the same thing to Liam.

 Chapter 103

    She knew he has a dark side, she knew that from the way he spanked her on the ind that he has anger issues and she needed to ept this about him. She would not tolerate the abuse in any way but she needed to handle his mood swings with maturity.


    Communication was the key to any rtionship and they both needed that in their rtionship. Aurora went in search of Liam, once again he was nowhere to be found. She went to the kitchen, Paulina was preparing a food trolley when she entered.


    ¡°I was justing with your dinner, madam!¡± She said thinking that Aurora came to get dinner.


    ¡°No, I came to ask if you know where Liam is? I couldn¡¯t find him.¡±


    She went silent and Aurora understood what she was thinking. ¡°We had a little argument!¡± She whispered, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear in apprehension.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Paulina nodded in understanding. ¡°That¡¯s understandable, madam. Sir has a short temper but he is not a bad man. I think you should check into the bar area.¡±


    Aurora swallowed once again and followed the instructions Paulina gave her. She was right, Liam was there drinking.  She inhaled sharply and walked further inside the bar. ¡°Liam¡­¡±


    Liam was trying to calm his raging fury, he wanted to kill, maim, torture but he couldn¡¯t do that, what he was doing is acting like a lovesick puppy. He felt degraded, damn his father and his friendship with Ethan Kings.


    ¡°Liam, Please look at me,¡± she whispered, resting her hand on his shoulder.


    Liam jerked her hand away. ¡°Maybe I am harassing your privacy, Mrs Knight!¡±


    Aurora moved in front of his face and looked into his eyes. ¡°Liam, try to understand me, It¡¯s difficult for me to ept¡­¡± Aurora stopped when she saw he was not paying attention to her words. She held his face between her hands and made him look into her eyes.


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± she ced a soft kiss on his head. Liam mentally sighed, anger poured in every part of his vein he grabbed her neck and attacked her lips. He kissed her with all his pent up anger and frustration but Aurora answered it with her softness and love.


    In the end, the kiss which started as punishment turned into a passionate one. Liam broke the kiss and touched his head with hers, their breathing heavy and mingled with one another.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hide things from me, please!¡±


    Aurora understood the plea in his voice. She needed to handle it in other ways. ¡°Have you never lied to someone, Liam. Have you never hidden things from me?¡±


    Liam squeezed his eyes tightly. He understood where she was hinting with her words. The ind fiasco was nothing but a farce, she caught him red-handed in his vi there. ¡°I have but that¡¯s because I wanted to spend time with you, Aurora. I wanted to woo your heart.¡±


    Aurora nodded. ¡°If you want me not to hide things from you then you¡¯d have to do the same Liam, just because I am not telling you something doesn¡¯t mean I am hiding something or lying to you, no. I am not betraying you, Liam. I just need a little time to get my emotions under control so that I could share the thing with you. Please remember these words always.¡±


    Liam¡¯s eyes sharpened, he pulled her in his arms and kissed her neck softly, ¡°hungry?¡± He asked.


    Aurora chuckled. ¡°Very.¡±


    He scooped her in his arms and took her back to his room where they teased each other with food. ¡°Here,¡± he offered a piece of steak to her lips. Aurora tried to take it but he pulled it away again.


    ¡°Liam!¡± She whined and punched his chest lightly. After the Romantic dinner, they were lying in each other¡¯s arms with Liam scooping her from behind, his one hand caressing her hair while with the other he was shaping her br**st. Aurora was loving the way he was cuddling with her. She feltplete in his arms as if she was meant to be here. There was nothing sexual in the act butpassion andfort.


    On the other hand, Susan fluttered her eyes open with great difficulty. She felt pain everywhere in her body. She squeezed her eyes shut when the sunlight hit her face. A low grumpy sound left her mouth as she settled in the soft bed.


    Hangovers are a bitch!


    She moved her hand to open the drawer of the side table where she kept her medical box. But she couldn¡¯t reach it. Every time she tried her hand ended up in the air. She felt grumpy and angry at the same time. She blinked continuously to clear her vision but the slightest moment was painful for her.


    Susan¡¯s eyes widened in shock, even though it hurt her head but she could not stop herself from screaming through her lungs out. Susan Kelly was in a beautifully decorated room but the room was not hers. She was in an unknown ce, alone, and she didn¡¯t even know how she ended up being here.


    ¡°Where the fuck am I? She asked herself, trying to search her phone in but it was nowhere to be found. Her purse and mobile were not with her and she panicked.


    Susan stood up from the bed and threw the quilt on the floor, still empty-handed. She had watched enough mafia movies to get to the worst kind of conclusion but she reminded herself to be practical. This was not some fictional movie but real life and the Mafia boss doesn¡¯t exist in real life! Right?


    ¡°Calm yourself, Susan. There is no need to panic. Do your morning routine so that you can think with a clear mind,¡± she ordered herself.


    She was having a shower while trying to remember what exactly happenedst night and her heart sank when the memories ofst night hit her memory. The hot shower felt like ice and she went numb recalling what she did?


    Chapter 88.

 Chapter 104

    Ralph Knight watched the man who was drinking beside her following Susan out. It was clear that she was not interested in him. Usually, Ralph didn¡¯t care about incidents like that, he believes that one should always be precautionary. He hated people who get wasted and lose their senses on alcohol knowing they wouldn¡¯t be able to handle themselves after liquor consumption disgusts him. But looking at Susan he knew he couldn¡¯t ignore it for two reasons, she worked in his legalpany and second, she was the best friend of Aurora and if anything happens to her, Aurora would be devastated and its effect would be on Liam which they couldn¡¯t afford at this crucial moment when themission meeting was just two months away.


    He wanted Liam to marry Ethan¡¯s brat as soon as possible so he followed them outside and he was d that he did that because the man was about to hit her.


    The alley was dark but it was not darker than his soul. Ralph Knight moved faster and held his hand before he could p Susan.  The girl was drunk, she was hardly standing on her legs and the girl fell on the ground before Ralph could do anything he pulled his knife.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡± The man said and every hair on his body stood up hearing the Irish tilt in his voice.


    He looked at the man, he looked familiar, who is he? He thought and then it hit her. He was Den, Irish mob boss¡¯ nephew.


    He snatched his hand and tried to hit Ralph. How could one be this stupid, you don¡¯t raise your hands at a Knight, not when you are standing in his territory and Vancouver was his territory. Ralph twisted his hand back but the man was not easy to deal with. He got free of his hold and tried to hit again but Ralph attacked his wrist and pulled the knife out of his hand, putting it on his neck he asked, ¡°What are you doing in Vancouver?¡±


    ¡°Fuck you!¡±


    Ralph¡¯s eyes turned murderous and he carved a smiley on his neck. There was nothing but blood on the street. Ralph called one of his men to clean up the area and brought him a new set of clothes. The one he was wearing was soiled in blood and needed to be burned.


    ¡°Boss, what should we do with the girl?¡± One of the men from his cleaning crew asked.


    ¡°I will handle it,¡± Ralph answered and picked the girl in his arms and took her to his car. Once seated he turned on the heater, winters in Canada are a bitch!


    He was driving calmly to go to his home. He needed to talk to Liam about the Irish trespassing their territory. This was getting bigger than he thought, with Mexicans he understood things but he was still not able to understand the involvement of the Italian Mafia and now the Irish.


    It felt like a web of spiders, everything was jumbled. Ralph looked at Susan when she moved into her seat. ¡°You hurt me Aurora! You hurt me.¡± Susan slurred.


    He scowled. What is she talking about?


    Susan sat up, her vision blurry as she looked around and found a man with ck hair moving his hands, she blinked to clear her vision.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± She mumbled and Ralph stilled in his seat. He sharpened his gaze at her. ¡°Sit quietly and let me drive.¡±


    Ralph kept his focus on the road but Susan wouldn¡¯t be Susan if she would do what she was asked to do. ¡°She hurted me!¡± Susan mumbled again.


    ¡°She said we are no longer friends because I didn¡¯t respect her privacy. She broke our friendship because I blocked that cleaner¡¯s number on her phone.¡±Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Ralph didn¡¯t understand her mumbling but then it clicked. she was talking about Gabriel, the restaurant owner. ¡°When we were small,¡± she tried to show how small with her hands, ¡°this small, we have been friends since then and today she broke us apart. She didn¡¯t understand I did it for her. I blocked his number because he was not the right man for her. But I guess all my efforts are gone to waste now. I lost her forever. I couldn¡¯t keep the promise I made to her mother.¡±


    Ralph¡¯s heart skipped hearing the world mother. He sometimes thinks he would have been a different man if his mother had raised him but what was the use of thinking like this when she was killed by his father.  Still, hearing her speak about Aurora¡¯s mother felt as if someone had cut him into halves. Liam had epted their father killing their mother but Ralph couldn¡¯t do that.


    ¡°She was on her deathbed when she asked me to take care of Aurora. I was only doing that but she thinks I am interfering in her privacy. Because the man was not up to her standard.¡±


    Ralph halted the car and looked at her, she had tears in her eyes while telling him about her pain. She sniffed and then fell silent, a lock of ck hair came to her face. Ralph didn¡¯t know why but he couldn¡¯t stop himself from brushing it behind her ear.


    He sighed and started driving to his home, ncing at her every once and again. He thought she had fallen asleep but it was nothing like that, the moment he stopped the car in front of his home and pulled her out of the car she threw up on his shirt.


    Ralph Knight couldn¡¯t believe his luck. The first time he thought about helping someone and ended up getting puked on his body.


    He took her to the guest room, took off his clothes to clean himself. The girl was curled into chairs whimpering. Ralph didn¡¯t like anyone in his home so there was no servant present there. He needed to take care of Susan himself.


    ¡°I have to take off your dress, Miss Smith,¡± he said, jerking her a little to gain her attention.


    ¡°Can you hear me, I have to take your clothes off, help me in getting you clean, Miss Smith!¡±


    Susan nodded. Clean! Her mindprehended the word. She needed to be cleaned. ¡°Raise your hands,¡± Ralph said and Susan did as she was ordered to do. He pulled the top off her body, Ralph didn¡¯t want to gawk but his eyes went to a tattoo on the outline of her bra. A small name was carved with ink near her heart.


    He looked away and got her out of her clothes. He took her to the shower and tapped on the cold shower. Susan felt alive when the droplets of water hit her body. She felt ticklish when a hand touched her naked skin, she held the hand and looked into the world¡¯s most beautiful, ck eyes. Ralph¡¯s body awakened with desire when she ced her lips on his and Ralph grunts then the kiss evoked a fire between them.


    A fire of lust and desire!


    She traced his hand but Ralph couldn¡¯t take what she was offering with her actions. No, she was drunk, his conscience didn¡¯t allow him to sleep with a girl who was not in her senses.


    He pushed her a little and created a little space between them. Susan started crying when she felt him rejecting her. ¡°You are rejecting me like her too, everyone is rejecting me¡± she fell on her knees and sobbed hard.


    Ralph made her stand and washed her as if she was a child. ¡°You are not into your senses, Miss Smith.¡±


    ¡°I am¡­ I want it, please.¡± She begged the ck-eyed man. ¡°Please make me forget the pain,¡± she cried and that was thest thing he wanted to hear. He towel-dried her while she kept sobbing. Ralph took her to bed but before he could leave she grabbed her manhood and gave it a sensual squeeze.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard!¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡±


    She used her skills on him and then nothing led to another, she tried to dominate him like she always did with her bed partners but she didn¡¯t know that Ralph couldn¡¯t be dominated by anyone, not in life and certainly not in bed.


    Susan seduced the devil and now the devil was going to ruin her for everyone. Susan had never experienced this kind of passion or wilderness in the s*x. ¡°Don¡¯t touch yourself, or I will stop!¡± He gritted out when Susan tried to touch herself. He grabbed her hands and put them above her head. He started his sensual torture which shocked the daylight of her.


    He cupped her female part and gave her an earth-shattering orgasm with his finger only. Susan Kelly for the first time met a man who satisfied her and it shocked her.


    The shameful part came next when after s*x he stood up from the bed while Susan wanted to cuddle. ¡°Sorry beautiful, I don¡¯t do cuddling. I made you forget the pain and now you can rest,¡± saying that he walked out of the room in all his naked glory leaving Susan alone in a cold bed.


    Susan rubbed her forehead with shaking fingers as the memoryne ended ¡°what have I done?¡± She stood up and tried to open the door but it was locked.


    Susan was stuck in a beautiful room with a man she didn¡¯t even know except for she saw him in his office multiple times and always ended up fighting with him. She was without her purse or cell phone with her. It looked bad, really bad to her.


    Meanwhile, Ralph tried calling his brother but once again the call went to voicemail. Since morning he had contacted every one of his captains to find out what the Irish mafia boss¡¯s nephew was doing in Vancouver.


    Is it rted to business or something personal?


    The coffee machine beeped and Ralph filtered coffee for himself. Suddenly, he remembered the uninvited guest. He sighed, filtered another cup of coffee and went to wake her. He couldn¡¯t send her alone, not till he understood the scenario behind the Irish mafia.


    The main question was, what do they want from Susan or are they behind Aurora.  Fighting, with the masked man, was already a pain in the ass. They have Mexicans on their hands too, Italians are not giving them the support that they want and now the Irish Eagles are roaming on their heads.


    The situation was getting worsen day by day.


    Ralph unlocked the door, opened it.


    Susan was sitting on the bed. She stood up abruptly hearing the door open.


    ¡°Coffee?¡± Ralph offered to enter the room.


    ¡°Where are my phone and purse?¡± She snapped at him. Susan had never felt like this with a man. Last night changed something in her. She let a man dominate her in the bed, How did she allow it to happen?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t take them out of the car, you can have them¡­¡± she didn¡¯t allow him to finish and pushed him aside to get out of the room. ¡°Then open that bloody car and give my phone back!¡±


    Ralph had enough of her snappy attitude he grabbed his hand in a tight grip, she hissed as the pain shot through her nerves. Ralph¡¯s eyes turned hard, ¡°don¡¯t use this tone with me! Just because I fucked you doesn¡¯t mean you can talk to me in this manner.¡±


    Susan¡¯s eyes widened at his crudenguage. She snatched her hand away, pushed him away from her and struck him hard on the cheek. ¡°How dare you take advantage of me!¡±


    A hot red Fury ran through his mind. Ralph Knight gritted his jaw and grabbed her by the neck. ¡°You ungrateful little skunk!¡± He gritted out.


    Susan Kelly looks at his monstrous expressions with wide eyes. She was experiencing a lot at first with this man.


    One of them was: she was scared of the man standing in front of her.!

 Chapter 105

    Aurora kissed Liam on the nose to wake him in the morning. Liam grabbed her by a neck in a brutal grip, all his reflexes were in action when he felt a soft touch on his nose.


    Aurora gasped loudly, her eyes broadened at his violent action. ¡°Liam!¡± She managed to call his name and his grip on her neck loosened.


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± Liam whispered when he saw it was Aurora who touched him. He needed to get ustomed to this thing now that he was going to have her on his bed every night.


    ¡°What was that? I thought you wanted to kill me.¡±


    Liam closed his eyes and left a long breath. ¡°I thought you were someone else,¡± he rasped and nced at her, ¡°I didn¡¯t hurt you, did I?¡± He asked.


    Aurora smiled. ¡°No!¡± She replied. Liam nodded and pulled her closer to him. ¡°Good morning, Little one.¡±


    Aurora rxed in his arms. ¡°Liam, I was thinking something sincest night,¡± she said, tilting her head kissing the crook of his neck.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°She turned around so that she could look into his eyes as he was hugging her from behind while cuddling. ¡°I want to know you, I mean I know you but I want to know more about you. Your favourite food, favourite drink, your hobbies, your favourite colours, Movies¡­¡± and she named a long list of things she wanted to know which irked Liam.


    Why does she have to know all these things? Why can¡¯t she just shut her mouth and do as she was asked to do? Irritating girl!


    Liam smiled, touched her face with his palm, ¡°and how will you know me?¡±


    Aurora bit her lip, ¡°well that¡¯s easy, I want to go on a date with you, on long drives, movies, you know the general stuff like everyone.¡±


    What The F**k! Now I have to go to the movies with her too!


    ¡°Alright, whatever you say, little one. But I have a few requests too, we can do movies but in my home theatre. I don¡¯t want anyone else with us when I spend time with you. Long drives we can do that anytime you want and about the date, we can do that tomorrow, if you are alright with it.¡±


    ¡°Cool!¡± She said, shrugging her shoulders excitedly. She kissed him soundly on the cheek and got out of the bed, Liam tried to pull her back into him but she shook her head. ¡°Morning call!¡± She giggled and went to the bathroom.


    Liam stared at the ceiling of the bed. His mind was hazed with too many things going on around him and instead of focusing on business he was focussed on Aurora, this does not sit well with him. That was the only reason he never liked dating women, they were too much work. Yes, he has needs, dark physical needs so he called whores for them,  they were easier for him but now, with Aurora, he was wasting too much of his time and Liam Knight didn¡¯t like it, not one bit!


    Now, with every passing second, Liam was losing his patience he didn¡¯t know till when he could maintain this lover boy facade. He sat against the headboard and took his phone from the side table. There were many notifications on the home screen. Liam unlocked his phone and was shocked to see seven missed calls from his brother Ralph.


    Liam knew his brother only called when it was something important and he called Liam seven times this morning screaming danger. Liam¡¯s body went haywire and without waiting for a single more second he dialled his brother. Liam¡¯s mind was about to burst open because now he was not epting his call.


    Liam got out of bed and went to his room. The first thought that came to his mind was, is he alright? Has something happened to him?


    He kept calling on his number but Ralph was not epting it. Liam¡¯s heart stopped beating for a moment. A cold fear engulfed his body at the thought of his brother being harmed by anyone.


    Liam called one of Ralph¡¯s crew members. The man Ralph trusted a little. In Liam¡¯s world, a little trust is all you can give to someone. Trust was more important than money.


    ¡°Boss!¡± The man on the other end greeted him. ¡°When was thest time you saw Ralph?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Last night, boss. He killed a man in an alert near the bar saving a girl from being molested.¡±


    Liam frowned. ¡°Ralph did that?¡±


    ¡°There is something else, boss!¡± He went silent and Liam knew that there was something wrong. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Boss, the man Ralph killed was Den, The Irish Mafia boss¡¯ nephew.¡±


    Fuck! What the hell was going on in his territory?


    ¡°Have you talked to Ralph today?¡± He asked.


    ¡°He called a few hours ago and asked me to keep an eye on the streets. He wanted me to dig into the Mexican¡¯s presence in Vancouver.¡±


    Liam understood why Ralph called him this many times. ¡°Anything else he said?¡± Liam asked not showing his man that he was worried about his brother or wanted to know about him. Mafia life is a cruel bitch, here emotions are weakness!


    ¡°No, boss.¡±


    Liam ended the call and called his father. Thezy old don took seven rings to ept the call.


    If he ever wanted to shoot his father there were moments like this when he didn¡¯t ept his call before thest ring.  The clear message to people: you are not important enough to get Don Ryan Knight¡¯s attention and until Liam didn¡¯t get that titled chair of Don he was among the other people as well.


    ¡°Son?¡±


    ¡°Where is Ralph?¡± Liam asked not caring for any greeting. He was worried about his brother.


    ¡°How would I know? He is no longer an eight-year-old!¡± Came the irritated reply of his father.


    ¡°Dad, Ralph is not epting my calls. He called me seven times in the morning and when I called back he did not answer his damn phone!¡± Liam almost shouted at his father, describing to him the seriousness of the situation. There were no voice messages or anything.


    Ryan Knight straightened leaving the hand of the woman sleeping beside her.


    ¡°Have you called someone from his crew?¡±


    Liam pinched the bridge of his nose, ¡°He killed an Irishst night, a top-ranked Irish made man.¡±


    ¡°Irish?¡± Ryan said sharply.


    ¡°Talk to Ronan, Dad, ask what he wants?¡±


    Ryan gritted his jaw. ¡°Is everyone behind Vancouver now?¡±


    Liam understood his father¡¯s frustration too well because he was facing the same. ¡°Dad¡­¡±


    Before he could say Aurora stepped out of the bathroom wearing a short sequin dress. ¡°Liam¡­¡± she called him.


    He turned and forced a smile and raised a finger featuring that he needed a moment. ¡°I will handle Ronan, you focus on Ethan¡¯s daughter,¡± Ryan told him.


    ¡°I am trying not to lose my patience dad, ask him to stop this drama and sign the bloody deal with us.¡±


    Ryan chuckled. ¡°In this deal, patience will give you the crown, Liam.¡± He said and ended the call.


    Aurora went near him and linked her hands to his neck. ¡°Is my baby, losing patience with some stupid deal?¡± She asked in a childish tone and Liam wanted to cease his ears with hot wax.


    Liam¡¯s hand caressed her back ¡°yes a very stupid deal. I want to ruin the person but my father is not letting me do it, he wants me to be patient and deal with peace with that deal.¡±


    Aurora pinched her lips in a thin line. ¡°Maybe he is right, what would you get by ruining the other person?¡±


    Liam¡¯s lips pulled into a smirk. ¡°Peace, Little one. I will find peace when I ruin that man.¡±


    Aurora shook her head. She was well aware of the ruthlessness in the business world. Her father was a ruthless businessman after all. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about all these things. It¡¯s Sunday today and I was thinking about going on a lunch date with you.¡±


    Liam wanted to meet his brother, he was worried about him. ¡°I have a meeting today,¡± he told her and the spark in her eyes dimmed at his words.


    Liam sighed, he couldn¡¯t see the sadness in her eyes. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go on this lunch date, where do you want to go?¡±


    Aurora smiled, kissing his cheek soundly. ¡°I was thinking about a long drive first then we will find some little cosy restaurant for lunch.¡±


    Liam needed the patience of a saint. ¡°As you say.¡± He agreed, he needed to show her heaven before pulling her into his hell.


    Meanwhile, Ralph pulled Susan closer, ¡°what did you say, taking your advantage? If I had taken your advantage you wouldn¡¯t be standing here like this. You begged me to fuck youst night and from your reaction, I guarantee you were never fucked like that before.¡±


    Susan was enraged hearing his proud words, she beat his hand to get out of his hold but he only chuckled at her actions and left her with a jerk.


    ¡°You don¡¯t interest me a bit, you are just in and simple Miss Smith, so your idea of me taking your advantage is nothing but a joke to me.¡±


    It hurt her ego. How dare he speak to her like that. ¡°in and simple, huh?¡± Susan didn¡¯t even give him the time to blink and attacked his lips ferociously.


    Ralph was shocked just for a moment but then he wanted to teach her the lesson she didn¡¯t forget. He pushed her on the bed. Susan red at him, stood up scratched his chest with her sharp nails. ¡°You want to be a wild cat, huh?¡± He asked, seems like you need to be tamed. He took if his t-shirt and grabbed her hands together. ¡°What are you doing, leave me!¡± She yelled but Ralph didn¡¯t oat any attention to her, he tied her hands with his t-shirt to the headboard of the bed.


    ¡°Open my hands, you brute!¡±


    ¡°Sacred now, kitten?¡± He muttered and grabbed her neck once again, adrenaline shot through her body, as he rolled her top down her shoulder. The tattoo was once again on disy, Ralph traced it with the tip of his tongue, while his hands were busy kneading her soft mounds.


    Every part of her body was on fire, she was having electric shocks all over her while he was ying with her body. She lost all her defences. An uncontrolled moan left her lips when he opened the button of her jeans pushed it down her legs.


    ¡°You just wanted to get fucked again, I ain¡¯t you? What happen princess no one fucked you like this before?¡± He asked cupping her s*x in his palm and drawing circles over her clitoris driving her wild with need. ¡°Fuck you!¡± She yelled through her lungs when he insulted her.


    ¡°Not so soon, first you need to be punished for your behaviour,¡± he turned her around. Susan wasying on her stomach now as Ralph brushed his palm over the soft round globes.


    He would love to paint them red with his hands and without warning, he pped her butt hard. Susan gasped as the pain shot through her body, ¡°leave me!¡±


    ¡°Why, are not you enjoying this?¡± He muttered, and once again pped her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you, don¡¯t you dare touch me!¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°You are loving it, right¡± he touched her va**na, it was dripping, hot and wet. ¡°Your Pu**y is fucking wet, you are lying to me?¡± He muttered and pped her on her va**na. Hard.¡±


    Susan was aroused, she wanted nothing other than to get fucked raw and hard. He has entered her hotness with a finger while still drawing circles on her clit, driving her crazy. She wanted to snatch his c**k and use it the way she wanted.


    Who was on the verge of an orgasm? A little more of this and she would get her release, the pressure was increasing in her body.


    Her walls clenched against his fingers. Ralph knew she was on the peak and could burst with an orgasm any minute but he was not going to give it to her, he chuckled and stopped her pleasure, stood up from the bed and watched her with a mocking smile.


    Susan who was on the peak of her ecstasy opened her eyes at the sudden halt in his actions. He watched her stand up, she was short of breath, she was just a second away from the release and he stopped.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked when she could manage to speak. The bastard chuckled, ¡°if you want toe, then beg me. Apologise and beg me.¡±


    Susan red at him with murderous eyes. ¡°Fuck you!¡±


    ¡°Not till you beg me.¡±


    ¡°Open my hands I can get it myself!¡±


    ¡°Not happening, apologies and beg me to fuck you.¡±


    Susan wanted to scream but the need in her body was too strong to deny, her feminine parts were on fire, it begged for his masterful hands but more than that it begged for his monstrous c**k.


    ¡°Fuck me please, please!¡± She cried when she couldn¡¯t take the dy anymore. ¡°I am sorry but please make me cum.¡±


    ¡°dly!¡± And Ralph Knight showed her what a soul-wrenching orgasm feels like!


    Chapter 90.


    Susan watched her wearing his pants. She was still tied to the headboard. ¡°Open my hands,¡± she said, still stark naked.


    Ralph turned his head and arched a brow. ¡°Say please, first.¡±


    This was getting too far for her liking but knew he wouldn¡¯t open her hands till she plead with him. ¡°Please, open my hands.¡±


    Ralph nodded and opened her hands. Her skin was sensitive from the continuous turning and twisting of her body. She nced at the mark on her wrist and a weird feeling erupted in her heart. ¡°I want to leave.¡±


    Ralph nodded. ¡°I will ask my driver¡­¡±


    Susan snapped her head and looked at him. ¡°I can go by myself, I don¡¯t need a babysitter.¡±


    Ralph couldn¡¯t allow that, not until he got to know the reason for that Irish following her. If she gets into trouble it would affect his brother¡¯s conquest of Ethan¡¯s brat. ¡°You will do as I say from now on because from today, I am keeping you.¡±


    Susan stood up with lightning speed. ¡°Keeping me? Am I a whore who needed to be kept,¡± she snapped, angered at his words.


    Ralph stood up too and grabbed her neck. ¡°You like what we did, you begged for it. I know you want more but I will give it to you on one condition only if you agree to be my submissive.¡±


    Susan grunted. ¡°You have lost your mind, I don¡¯t even know what to do with you. I have watched you a few times in my office only and every time we fought.¡±


    He leaned into her face. ¡°You work in mypany, I am your boss, Ralph Knight but after office hours you will be my submissive.¡±


    She swallowed. Ralph Knight? He was Liam¡¯s brother. She needed to be close to him so that she could keep an eye on her friend and not to mention the sex was great too.  ¡°What if I don¡¯t agree?¡±


    Ralph left her neck. ¡°Do you want to deny? A dominant and submissive rtion depends on trust and eptance. I won¡¯t force you. It¡¯s your loss only.¡±


    Susan nodded. ¡°I want to think about it.¡± She replied. ¡°I am calling the driver, do your hair,¡± saying that he walked out of the room to call the driver but found thirteen missed calls and five-voice messages on his phone from his brother. His eyes went to Susaning out of the room. He skipped calling his brother and called the driver to take her to her home.


    They both decided to be with each other for the sake of Aurora and Liam, the only thing was, they didn¡¯t know that about each other.


    Meanwhile, Liam opened the door of his car for Aurora who settled inside after giving him a soft kiss on his cheek.


    Liam sighed in irritation but forced a smile and kissed him back just like her when his cell phone buzzed.


    He immediately checked the Caller ID and his body rxed seeing Ralph¡¯s name on the home screen. He raised a finger at Aurora, gesturing for a moment and answered the call. ¡°Where the hell have you been, I have called you thirteen times, Ralph?¡±


    ¡°I was busy,¡± he answered with a sigh and added, ¡°I have bad news.¡±


    Liam already knew what news he wanted to share. ¡°I know about the Irishman. I talked to one of your Crewmen. ¡±


    ¡°This is getting out of hand, we can¡¯t afford a war from everywhere, Liam.¡±


    ¡°I have talked to dad about it. He will talk with Ronan and find out about his interference in our territory.¡±


    ¡°Did she say yes?¡± Ralph asked about Aurora and then received a long irritated sigh from the other end. The answer was clear, no!


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time, Liam. Do something please. Don¡¯t forget themission meeting is in two months.¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that, the girl is a spoiled brat!¡± He inhaled sharply, ¡°I will talk to youter.¡± He snapped and ended the call.


    Liam started the car, Aurora could feel he was tense about something and she wanted to calm him. She smiled, held his hand and kissed it, softly.


    Liam nced at her from the corner of his eyes, she wanted to cuddle with him. He pulled her closer to himself and hugged her with one arm while driving with one hand. ¡°I am loving it, you want to know something?¡±


    ¡°Hmm!¡± He hummed while focussing on the road. ¡°Whenever I used to watch some romantic movie and watched the couple cuddling like this in the car I wanted to do the same thing and today, being with you like this I feel giddy.¡±


    Liam rolled his eyes mentally and kissed her hair, ¡°anything else you want to do little one?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is only one thing missing, actually, two.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°First is, I want to eat ice cream while you drive and second is¡­¡± Aurora started party music in his car, full volume. ¡°¡­ this.¡±


    Liam wanted to bang his head in the car seat. He was going to lose his shit if this time didn¡¯t get over soon. He stopped the car when he saw an ice cream parlour. ¡°Which vour do you want, little one?¡± He asked over the high beat music as she was singing the lyrics with the singer, enjoying the music to the fullest.


    Liam lowered the volume to get her attention. ¡°Liam?¡± She whined like a child.  ¡°What vour do you want, Aurora?¡± He asked again.


    ¡°Oh, Vani,¡± she said, kissing him.


    Liam never liked PDA. He hated it, for him, sex was a way of releasing stress he enjoyed it. He never saw it more than that but this girl was doing everything he hated and she was doing it continuously.


    Liam node and went to take it. He would have to do something to make Aurora marry him. Liam came back with a cone of Vani ice cream. Aurora was talking to someone over the phone.


    ¡°Is she fine?¡± Aurora asked Emily about Susan.


    ¡°Yes, she came back early, I was right she was doing another nightstand.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you told her?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes, Aurora, think about it again, it¡¯s clear you both are hurting each other.¡±


    Aurora gulped. She didn¡¯t have the energy to talk about this anymore.¡± goodbye,¡± she said and ended the call abruptly.


    Liam didn¡¯t ask her anything this time, he didn¡¯t want to fight her again. At least the damn music was off, he could enjoy this silence till she started speaking again. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to ask who I was talking to?¡±


    Liam gazes at her for a brief moment. ¡°No, you told mest night that you needed a little space, I am giving you that. If you want to share I won¡¯t stop you but from now on I won¡¯t force you to tell me anything.¡±


    Aurora peeked at him through theshes of her eyes. She was lucky to have him. She didn¡¯t want to think about Gabriel anymore and only wished him the best in his life but the memory of how he used to ask her about her conversation with Susan poked in her memory and once again her love for Liam increased.


    ¡°I fought with Susan and broke up with her.¡±


    Liam scowled. ¡°Your best friend?¡±


    Aurora gave him a small nod, painful tears perked in her eyes as she told him everything. Liam was impressed by the girl, she helped him unknowingly. ¡°I don¡¯t like when my loved one betrays me, Liam. I love a person wholeheartedly but when that person hurt me I couldn¡¯t forgive him easily.¡± She raised her eyes and met his gaze.


    ¡°Never betray me Liam or you will lose me forever.¡±


    Something twisted in him. His heart stopped for a moment hearing her. ¡°I can¡¯t even think about it, little one.¡±


    In the evening Aurora asked Liam to drop her at her home. Liam agreed, he was eager to talk to his brother about the incident too. They said goodbye to each other and Liam sighed when she went inside the door. He could finally focus on his work now.


    Meanwhile, Emily hugged Aurora from behind. ¡°Wee, Mrs Knight!¡± She teased Aurora who rolled her eyes and teased her back. ¡°Thank you, Mrs Kyschove.¡±


    Emily gasped. ¡°How did you know?¡± She demanded.


    Aurora frowned. ¡°Know what?¡±


    Emily bit her lip. She didn¡¯t know how to tell friends about her engagement. But she didn¡¯t have anyone else to share the happy news with, she already shared it with her parents after Alexandrio proposed to herst night.


    ¡°I will tell you when Susan is present with us.¡±


    Aurora swallowed. ¡°Call her then,¡± she whispered.


    Emily patted her hand and went to Susan¡¯s room to call her in the living room. Once they all were settled Emily held their hands. ¡°Thank you for always being with me, my beauties. I love you both and wanted to¡­¡± before she could finish, Aurora¡¯s eyes went to the big rock on her finger.


    She screamed in joy, ¡°oh my God! Alexandrio proposed to you, EM?¡±


    Emily nodded, raising her hand and wiggling her fingers, ¡°he did. We are engaged now.¡±


    Aurora hugged Emily, kissing her on the cheek in happiness, ¡°I am so happy for you Emily, so very happy!¡±


    Susan eyes theughing and happy face of Aurora. She was happy seeing her like her old self, carefree and confident.


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Emily said. Susan hugged her too, ¡°congrattions, Emily. I am happy for you but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too soon?¡±


    Emily shook her head. ¡°No, I am sure about his feelings and mine too. Why wait when I know he is the right one for me.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Why do you have a problem with everyone¡¯s happiness, Susan? If she is sure of her decision then you are no one to interface in her life,¡± Aurora cut her in between.


    ¡°I am showing my genuine concern about my friend, not interfering in her life. Just because I am saying something doesn¡¯t mean I am against something. I just don¡¯t want her to do anything in a hurry to regrette,¡± Susan snapped.


    Emily rolled her eyes and sighed. ¡°Alright, both of you! It¡¯s my happy day and I don¡¯t want it to make a ground for world war three,¡± she turned to Aurora. ¡°She is right, Aurora. Susan is not interfering, she is worried about me and raising a genuine question. Even my mom asked me the same thing.¡±


    Aurora shrugged her shoulders. Emily patted her hand and turned to Susan. ¡°And yes, I know it looks like I am doing it in a hurry but I have thought about it thoroughly, Susan. I love Alexandrio and we don¡¯t want to wait anymore. He made me feel like a princess, he cared about every little thing about me. I am happy to have him. He is perfect.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s mind shed with the time she spent with Liam.  A small smile erupted on her lips and her cheeks turned crimson. Liam is perfect too!


    She bit her lip in shyness.


    ¡°I am happy for you,¡± Susan said.


    Aurora was in her room looking at the sky, her hand was on her ne. ¡°Mom, He is perfect for me,¡± she chuckled. ¡°Wish I could share this with you, mom.¡±


    Aurora sighed and dialled her father, he epted the call immediately. ¡°Are you alright, Love?¡±


    Aurora smiled. ¡°Yes dad, I am absolutely fine. I am sorry I couldn¡¯t call you. I was busy and didn¡¯t get the time.¡±


    Ethan King eyed the almost dead man in front of him who was moaning in pain. He put his shoe on his mouth to stop the sound, ¡°Is there something you want to share with your old man, love?¡± He asked, putting on pressure on the man.


    Aurora pouted. ¡°How do you always find out dad?¡±


    Ethan chuckled, ¡°because I know you, love. Better than yourself. Come on now, share the happy news with your old man.¡±


    Aurora once again looked at the sky, as if her mother was looking at her. ¡°I know it maye as a shock to you, but I broke up with Gabriel dad.  I am no longer engaged with him.¡±


    Ethan knew it but hearing it from his daughter,  he was satisfied. ¡°Why love, is that something he does? You fought with me for him.¡±


    Aurora regrets it now. ¡°I know how much I hurt you dad, but things happen. I guess we were not meant to be together. I¡­¡± she didn¡¯t know how to tell her father this, she was scared too because just like her mother, her father was a one-woman man. She had never seen her father going on dates after her mother.


    ¡°Dad, I am in love with someone else.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The man you chose for me, Liam Knight!¡±


    Chapter 91.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Whose wife?¡± Liam asked his father.


    ¡°Ronan said he is searching for his wife who wasst seen in Vancouver.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean he could send his canines in my territory,¡± Liam pointed out. Ryan shook his head. ¡°This is too messed up!¡±


    Ralph was quiet till now, Liam could see he was thinking about something. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the oy concern of the Irish Mafia then we don¡¯t have to worry much about them. Our main concern is still the masked man. We are losing too much in these fights. Any sess with Alessio?¡± He asked Liam.


    ¡°None, he didn¡¯t want to get involved in our fights. He is neutral.¡±


    Ralph leaned back in his chair, ¡°Dmitry is ourst hope but he won¡¯t help.¡±


    Liam went silent for a moment, his fingers drumming the table. His mind is fighting to find a solution to the issue. ¡°There has to be something¡­¡± suddenly, a thought came to his mind.


    He didn¡¯t want to do it, no but Liam was not the man who couldn¡¯t risk the people he loved for the sake of his dream. In businesses you have to keep your professional and personal life apart because when they mix, all hell breaks loose.


    ¡°Dmitry Kyschove will help us catch this masked man soon. Ralph. I have yed enough of this cat and mouse game, it¡¯s time I y the role of big bad Wolf with Dmitry.¡±


    Ryan straightened seeing the sinister dark look in his son¡¯s eyes. ¡°What is it you are nning?¡± He demanded.


    ¡°Something disastrous, ¡± he replied, not giving Ryan the straight answer. Ralph frowned but didn¡¯t ask because he knew if Liam wanted to share he would have done it.


    Liam nced at his phone which buzzed with a message notification. As if some higher self was also giving him a sign, he opened the message box and read it.


    Come to my home, I have something to share with you.


    Liam stood up, ¡°I have to meet, Alexandrios,¡± saying that he left to meet his friend.


    Alexandrio was talking to his brother over the phone, telling him about his engagement. ¡°Are you sure about it?¡± Came his brother¡¯s question.


    ¡°Yes, Dimitry, I am sure.¡±


    ¡°When can I meet your girl?¡±


    ¡°Next week, I aming to Russia with her. She wanted to meet you as well but I need a promise from you, Dimitry.¡±


    Dimitry patted the head of his Putana who crawled back from his room. No one needed to hear the family talk and certainly not a whore. ¡°What promise?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to scare her, She came from a clean background and I don¡¯t want to know what we are?¡±


    This angered Dimitry, ¡°and what are we, Alexandrio?¡± He asked sharply.


    Alexandrio sighed. ¡°You know what I am talking about, brother. Can you behave a little normal with her?¡±


    ¡°I am not a blood-sucking animal, or am I? I guess that¡¯s why everyone is scared of me.¡± He chuckled, ¡°bring your woman without any worry,¡± he said and ended the call and snapped his finger to call his puts a back and finish the job she was doing.


    Liam arched a brow to his friend, asking him about the reason for calling him here. He handed him the ss of whiskey, ¡°I am getting married.¡±


    Liam froze for a moment. He met his eyes, for a moment he wanted to drop his n but he was not the man who goes back on his decisions. ¡°Who is the lucky girl?¡± He asked, taking a sip from his ss.


    ¡°You know her.¡±


    Liam frowned. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Your girl¡¯s friend, Emily Smith.¡±


    Liam stiffened at his answer. It would affect Aurora, too. He knew how much her friends meant to her. Liam circled the brim of the ss with his forefinger. ¡°I am happy for you, Alex.¡±


    Alexandrio rested his hand on Liam¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I am taking Emily to meet my brother in Russia next week and we are getting married the week after. I want you to be my best man with Dimitry, after all, you are like a brother to me.¡±


    Liam nodded. ¡°Brothers can die for each other, Alexandrio, can you die for me,¡± he asked, staring into his eyes.


    Alexandrio chuckled. ¡°Are you asking if I can die for you, Liam?¡±


    ¡°Maybe!¡± He replied with a shrug of his shoulder. ¡°Can you die for me, Alex?¡± He asked, straight on.


    Alexandrioughed but then he becamepletely serious just like Liam. ¡°Yes, I can die for my brothers, you and Dimitry both.¡±


    Liam raised his ss in the air, mocking a salute to his friend. He could die for Liam and could do the same but only till his friendship was noting in the way of his dream and now it wasing. Dimitri would never help Liam in catching the masked man till he faced problems from him itself.


    ¡°I promise to make your wedding a remembrance for you, brother,¡± he promised Alexandrio who nodded and gulped down the whole ss of whiskey in one go.


    ¡°Have you reached somewhere with your girl?¡± He asked Liam.


    ¡°She epted me as her man but still denied marrying me, you are lucky your girl said this early.¡±


    ¡°I will give you a tip, there is no better time to propose than someone¡¯s marriage. Every girl dreamed of wearing that white dress herself. The pre-wedding excitement can charm any girl to say yes. You should try your luck, Liam.¡±


    Liam inclined his head, the idea was not bad.


    The next day, Liam received a call from Ethan. ¡°You didn¡¯t call me to hear you breathe, Ethan.¡±


    ¡°Aurora called mest night!¡±


    Liam arched a brow, a smirk yed on his lips. ¡°And?¡± He asked with a chuckle.


    ¡°Stop smirking, Liam. She had fallen in love with you, she talks so highly about you being a perfect gentleman that it made me shoot you right between the eyes because I know It¡¯s all a lie, damn you!¡±


    Liam leaned back in his chair, his fingers drumming the table, ¡°isn¡¯t it what you wanted Ethan? Your daughter, marrying for love. I gave her what she wanted, what you wanted me to give her and as far as it is a lie is concerned. My emotions were never part of our deal. You wanted me to give her hearts and flowers, I gave her. You wanted me to protect her, she will be well protected her whole life, my words on that. You wanted her to have a child, an heir for your kingdom. This would be the first thing I would be working on once we are married. I epted everything you asked me to do, Ethan. For peace and my father¡¯s friendship with you. Don¡¯t expect anything else from me because I won¡¯t give it to you. I did my side of hard work for the deal Ethan now it¡¯s your turn, themission meeting is in two months. I want your unconditional support for the chair of the president.¡±


    Ethan King closed his eyes. ¡°If you marry my daughter before the meeting, then only.¡±


    Liam sighed. ¡°Do you take me as a fool, Ethan? You didn¡¯t just call me to inform me about Aurora calling you and telling you about her rtionship status. I know you asked her about her marriage n with me.¡±


    Ethan was furious hearing the mockery in his voice. ¡°I have warned you before, Liam and I am warning you again, my daughter is everything for me, if she everes to know about our deal or this fake love of yours, you will see a side of Ethan Nobody has seen before. You have yed your loverboy part too well now, keep ying this till the end of your life,¡± saying that he ended the call.


    Liam chuckled. ¡°Oh Ethan, you don¡¯t have any idea about my real game.¡±


    ¡°Have you heard? They areing back today,¡± Aurora said, pressing a soft kiss on Liam¡¯s head. Now, she was open about her rtionship with Liam in the office. Liam looked up from his tablet and waited for her to speak further.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He asked, with a frown between his brows. Aurora loved it when he got a serious look on her face.


    She sat on hisp, Liam held her in his arms. ¡°Emily ising back from Russia today and now we are going to start the wedding shopping. I don¡¯t understand why they wanted to marry so soon? There is no time to shop.¡±


    Liam kissed her shoulders ¡°maybe they can¡¯t wait to be together in every way possible. Maybe your friend doesn¡¯t care about shopping as long as she is marrying the right man.¡±


    Aurora smiled. ¡°Tell me little one, don¡¯t you want to get married?¡±


    Aurora raised her brows. ¡°Mr Knight, why are you asking this question?¡±


    ¡°No hidden agenda, if you are thinking that, little one. It¡¯s a genuine question I am asking. Your friend is getting married after all and as far as I know, girls love getting married.¡±


    Aurora shook her head at his words. ¡°I am hungry and was thinking about eating a pizza with you, in your bed with a cosy movie ying on your television and a ss of wine,¡± she said changing the topic.


    Liam sighed inwardly, ¡°so you want to have a movie night, basically?¡±


    ¡°Yes, shall we leave?¡±


    Liam agreed and they both left for his home. Aurora changed into a sexy silk nightie while Liam was wearing ck trousers with a white t-shirt. The firece was lit enhancing the romantic atmosphere of the room.


    They were wrapped in a soft nket, Liam holding Aurora in his arms. A wedding scene was ying on the screen. ¡°I love this.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°This time, just you and me.¡± Liam chuckled and ced a kiss in the crook of his neck. His hand slipped towards her breast, tracing the outline of her n**ple. Aurora moaned, her life was like a fairytale and Liam was the prince charming.


    ¡°I want you to meet my dad and brother for dinner tomorrow, Aurora.¡±


    She stiffened in his arms, Aurora was ashamed of the way she treated his father when he came to her house in Churchill. ¡°Liam, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    He looked at her with a frown. ¡°And why do you think so?¡±


    She gulped the nervous lump in her throat. ¡°I won¡¯t befortable with him, you know after everything I did¡­¡±


    When Liam still kept looking at her she sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t treat him well when he came to my home.¡± She whispers looking down in shame.


    For a moment, Liam¡¯s body went stiff in anger recalling the insult she threw at him and his father but he calmed himself. Now, she was in his arms and it¡¯s just a matter of a few days after that she would be Liam¡¯s puppet.


    ¡°There is no need to feel like this, my father would be happy to meet you as my girlfriend. He likes you, Little one, and you will get to know Ralph. You will like it, trust me.¡±


    Aurora pouted. Still not sure about the family dinner but she knew she had to do it because at some point in time she had to face his family. Especially when with every passing moment she was falling in love with Liam more and more.


    Her cell phone buzzed and she checked the called ID.  A smile came to her face seeing her father¡¯s number shing on the screen. She needed to share it with him because Aurora was not ready to have dinner with Liam¡¯s family.


    ¡°I have to take it. It¡¯s my dad.¡± She gets off the bed and went to the balcony to talk to her father.


    ¡°Hey, Dad¡­¡±


    Ethan Kings understood at once that his daughter was tense about something. ¡°What happens, love?¡±


    He promised that if it¡¯s Liam who hurt her he would make him pay for every single second of her sadness. ¡°Did Liam do something to you?¡±


    Aurora sighed. ¡°No dad, Liam can¡¯t even think about hurting me in any way. He loves me too much for that, I am tense about something else.¡±


    ¡°About what, love?¡±


    ¡°Dad¡­ He wants me to have dinner with his family and I am not sure I amfortable about it, not after how I treated his father.¡± She whined.


    Ethan understood what she was feeling. ¡°He didn¡¯t tell you that I am alsoing for dinner, love.¡±


    Aurora immediately rxed hearing Ethan¡¯s words. ¡°You are¡­ oh thank god you areing dad, I would have died in shame alone there.¡±


    Ethan Kings smiled hearing the excitement in his daughter¡¯s voice and he could do anything to remain it that way. Even call his friend and ask him for a meeting over dinner tomorrow. Ethan also wanted to see how Liam is treating Aurora with his eyes. ¡°Good night dad, I will see you for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Aurora, don¡¯t share this with Liam. He wanted to surprise you, love.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, dad. Good night.¡± She said kissing him over the phone and ending the call. She went back to bed, positioned herself in Liam¡¯s arms who resumed the movie they were watching.


    Chapter 92.


    ¡°And how did your meeting with the family go?¡± Susan asked Emily who sighed, ¡°it went well. His brother was¡­¡±


    Susan waited for Emily to finish the sentence but she couldn¡¯t find the right words to describe him. ¡°¡­ different!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I have heard many descriptions about people but never someone was tagged as ¡®different¡¯,¡± Susan said with the rise of her brows.


    ¡°I can¡¯t describe him in any other way, first he lives in a ce which is far away from the city, In the forest. There he had this big pce kind of home and not to mention the huge dogs which look like werewolves and not to mention the old housekeeper.


    ¡°Does he have horns on his head?¡±


    Emily didn¡¯t understand the reference, ¡°what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°You described his ce as a beastly pce. So I was just confirming if he was the beast itself. The oy thing missing in your description was horns and furs on his body.¡±


    Emily left a tired breath. ¡°I think he is a beast. We attended a funeral there and the weirdest thing was instead of consoling the family he told them to be grateful they were alive. I mean who said that to anyone. Not to mention there, people bowed to him as if he was some kind of King. I told Xandrio that I want to leave as soon as possible but he assured me his brother was a good man.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t treat you well?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he treated me well, too well I say but it felt as if he was forcing himself to do it. He looked more fake than genuine.¡±


    ¡°Weird!¡±


    ¡°You bet, It was more than weird, but leave it, I want to think about my wedding, I will be Mrs Kyschove next week. I am a nervous wreck goddamnit,¡± Emily said dramatically.


    Susan chuckled but hissed when she moved. The bastard has bruised her b*ttockes,st night.


    ¡°Where is Aurora?¡± I told her to meet me in the morning and it¡¯s close to noon now.¡±


    Susan shrugged her shoulders, ¡°she has been staying with Liam for thest week, she no longer shares anything with me.¡±


    Emily rubbed her hand on her back tofort her. ¡°You know she couldn¡¯t be angry with you for long. Give it a little time, everything will be like before.¡±


    Susan nodded. ¡°You know one good thing came out of this, we are having a civilised conversation.¡±


    ¡°Civilised, but till when?¡± Emily countered and they both burst outughing.


    Aurora hugged Emily wholeheartedly, ¡°how is our bride doing?¡± She asked air kissing her.


    ¡°The bride is doing good but she is angry with you, we have been waiting for you for two hours Aurora.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s cheeks turned crimson recalling thete-night seduction and early morning teasing she had with Liam. Susan could notice how happy she was in her new rtionship.


    At least she found someone who genuinely loves her.


    Susan was happy for her soul sister. She didn¡¯t regret a thing she did with Gabriel. Aurora¡¯s eyes met hers for a brief moment but she turned her gaze back to Emily almost immediately.  ¡°I have some news to share with you.¡±


    Emily nodded while Susan acted not to pay attention. ¡± Liam wanted me to meet his family and I am kind of nervous after what I did, geez I am so embarrassed for how I treated his father. I called Liam ugly!¡± She shrieks with a hand on her head.


    Emily hid herugh with a cough and Susan tossed her lips inward. ¡°What are you wearing?¡±


    She shrugged, ¡°I couldn¡¯t even decide anything.¡±


    ¡°Hm! Let¡¯s solve the issue, shall we?¡± Emily asked Aurora to stand up, she nodded at Susan and the three searched for a suitable dress for the family dinner. ¡±


    Susan found the dress, it was a beautiful wine coloured, long skirt with a white shirt. ¡°It¡¯s perfect,¡± Aurora squealed and was about to hug Susan but stopped herself and nodded with a thank you.


    ¡°Any tips?¡±


    Emily and Susan looked at one another before Emily turned back to Aurora. ¡°Just be yourself and don¡¯t insult his father today,¡± sheughed while Aurora gave her a finger.


    ¡°F**k you!¡±


    Liam was gently holding Aurora by her waist, she looked at Liam with apprehension. ¡°You will be fine, little one.¡± He said, using a little force for Aurora to move inside as the maid opened the door for them.


    Aurora herself lived in a beautiful home but Ryan took luxury to another level.  ¡°It¡¯s grand!¡±


    ¡°It is!¡±


    ¡°Come let me introduce you to my father, as my girlfriend,¡± they walked towards the living room but Liam halted in his steps when he saw Ethan King, sitting there.


    ¡°Dad!¡± Aurora smiled confidently and ran over to her father. Ethan engulfed her daughter in his arms standing up.


    ¡°How are you doing, love?¡±


    Liam sharpened his eyes at his father, questioning him with his gaze. Ryan only sighed in answer. Liam gritted his jaws in anger. He didn¡¯t like Ethan showing power over him like this.


    He might rule over Churchill but Vancouver was Liam¡¯s kingdom and no other king can show his power in his city. Not even his would-be father inw.


    He eyes the father-daughter duo, the smile on Aurora¡¯s face sparkled her whole face. Till now, she was scared of meeting Ryan but with her father beside her, she was glittering in happiness. Aurora Kings didn¡¯t care about anyone when her father was with her.


    ¡°Is Liam treating you well, Love?¡± Ethan asked loud enough for everyone to listen. He didn¡¯t care about anyone hearing him.


    Before Aurora could reply, Liam spoke up: ¡°Yes Little one, tell your father how badly I am treating you.¡±


    Ethan¡¯s eyes shone with fury at the mocking tone. Aurora rolled her eyes hearing the anger in Liam¡¯s voice. ¡°He is treating me like a queen dad. I am happy with him.¡±


    Liam took a step closer and pulled Aurora away from Ethan, rested his hand on her shoulder and ced a soft kiss on her neck. ¡°Thank you, little one.¡±


    Ethan felt as if Liam had pped her. Ethan understood what Liam was trying to tell him by pulling Aurora away from him. She belongs to him now. A sense of longing bloomed in his heart when his daughter has ripped away from his arms. He wanted to snatch her back but he couldn¡¯t do it. At this moment, Ethan Kings was not a big mafia don or a billionaire businessman. No, he was just an old father whose daughter was leaving him for her husband.


    Aurora smiled when Liam kissed her neck but when she saw her father¡¯s face she understood he felt bad about the way Liam snatched her from his arms. She created a distance between Liam and herself and went back to her father, kissed his cheek. ¡°I am always your daughter first, Daddy. Everyone elsees after you.¡±


    Liam¡¯s body went rigid hearing Aurora¡¯s words. He was enraged, the girl mocked him in his city in front of Ethan. How dare she!


    Ryan could see the anger building in Liam¡¯s eyes, he very cleverly broke the ice between his son and friend. ¡°If the father-daughter meeting has finished, may I meet my son¡¯s girlfriend?¡±


    Aurora met Ethan¡¯s eyes who blinked his eyes, telling her that everything will be fine. Liam forced a smile on his face, ¡°not that you needed but still, please meet my girlfriend, Aurora, dad,¡± He officially Introduced them. ¡°¡­ and Aurora, he is my father Ryan Knight.¡±


    ¡°Please to meet you, Mr Knight,¡± she said, offering her hand to Ryan.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t be formal with me, Aurora. Call me Ryan,¡± he said kissing her hand like they used to do in the Victorian era


    ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t find my son too ugly to look at?¡±


    If only the earth could swallow her. She looked down in shame. Ryanughed when her lips turned pink. ¡°I was kidding, Aurora. It¡¯s very nice meeting you when you are not asking me to get out of your house.¡±


    ¡°Let bygones be bygones, Ryan, you are making her ufortable,¡± Ethan said a little sharply. The tone didn¡¯t sit well with Ryan.


    ¡°I am known for making people ufortable, Ethan. It¡¯s my hobby but today I am only joking with my son¡¯s girlfriend. She is in Vancouver now.¡± Thest line drew the line of friendship and limits for Ethan Kings. The limits should be respected by everyone.


    Aurora felt odd with these kinds of talks but she knew the blunder was created by her in the first ce. She looked at Liam for help but looking at his stiff face she lost hope and looked down again.


    Liam¡¯s gaze went to Aurora¡¯s pleading eyes. He sighed, ¡°may I take my girl back, dad?¡± He said changing the direction of their talk. Aurora raised her head and met his eyes, he smiled tofort her and Aurora rxed.


    Ethan noticed this silent interaction between them and hope arose in his mind for her daughter¡¯s future. Maybe Liam¡¯s feelings change for Aurora in future.


    ¡°Oh yes, why not? Let me call Marta to set the dinner table.¡±


    He rang the bell for his housekeeper, Marta. Aurora thought she would be some middle-aged woman like her housekeeper Mrs Dn but her eyes popped out of the sockets when a stunning woman around thirty walked out with a smile pasted on her lips. Ryan ordered her to set the dinner and she left.


    She went near Liam who had his hand resting on Aurora¡¯s shoulder, ¡°is she the housekeeper?¡±


    Liam looked at her with an arched brow. ¡°My dad loves femalepany, you will get used to it.¡±


    Disgusting!  And my dad never even looked at any other woman after mom.


    Aurora felt deep sympathy for Liam. My poor baby, how he must be feeling seeing his father whoring around.


    She ced a kiss on his cheek to ease his pain and rested her head on his shoulder while the three men were talking to each other about some business-rted thing. Aurora was getting bored with them. She wanted to shout, hello, I am here too! But couldn¡¯t because she didn¡¯t want to get involved in any chit chat with Ryan.


    ¡°I am sorry for¡­¡± Liam nced at his brother who raised his brows when his eyes settled on Ethan Kings. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you wereing, Mr Knight.¡±


    Ethan nodded. ¡°It was a surprise for my daughter.¡±


    Ralph turned his gaze to Aurora. ¡°He is my brother, Ralph,¡± Liam introduced them to each other. They didn¡¯t wait any longer for dinner and settled around the table. Slowly, with the great efforts from Ralph and Ryan, the ice broke between Liam and Ethan and they all managed to have a civilised dinner.


    Aurora smiled andughed with Liam at the dinner table and seeing his daughter like this Ethan felt at ease. Even though it all was fake his daughter was happy. He could live with that. After dinner, Ethan decided to leave. He couldn¡¯t leave his city for long as there was war between him and the Mexicans.


    Ethan took Aurora outside to talk to her privately. ¡°Be happy, love,¡± he said, taking Aurora¡¯s face between his hands softly. ¡°I want you to smile every day,¡± He whispered, kissing her head softly.


    Aurora¡¯s heart flipped painfully. She didn¡¯t know why but it felt wrong. Sadness gripped her heart into a painful fist. ¡°Dad¡­¡± a sob left her throat without any reason. She didn¡¯t know why she was crying but she hugged her father tightly into her arms.


    ¡°Love? Are you hiding something? Tell me, Aurora?¡± He made her look into his eyes, breaking the hug.


    Aurora shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to leave me, dad. Please stay for a few days, please.¡±


    Ethan smiled. ¡°I can¡¯t stay, love. You know I can¡¯t ignore my work.¡±


    Aurora hugged him once again. ¡°I am scared dad, I don¡¯t know why, but suddenly I am feeling scared as if something bad is about to happen.


    Ethan stiffened. He didn¡¯t want Aurora to feel anything wrong. He wanted to protect Aurora even from the negative thoughts. ¡± It¡¯s all in your mind, love. You want to know something?¡±


    Tears perked in her eyes looking at her father¡¯s face. She nodded, words couldn¡¯t get out of her mouth as her throat was thick with tears. ¡°Your mother would have been so proud of you. Liam is the perfect man for you, Aurora. I am so proud of your choice.¡±


    Aurora chuckled. ¡°Mom guided me in epting Liam dad,¡± she said, touching her ne. Ethan eyed the ne which once used to be worn by his wife. ¡°I miss her dad.¡± She said through the veil of tears.


    Ethan hugged his daughter. ¡°Me too, Aurora but your dad is here for you, I am here for you, my love.¡±


    She nodded in his chest and stood there, feeling thefort of being had by him. There was nothing moreforting than her father¡¯s scent. There was no ce where she felt safer than her father¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Shall we walk back inside, your boyfriend must be getting jealous over you spending time with your old man.¡±


    Aurora chuckled as Ethan wiped her tears. ¡°Let him be, I love my dad more than anyone else.¡± The father and daughterughed together.


    Meanwhile, Liam¡¯s hands were twitching in anger. ¡°What the hell are they doing outside for this long.¡±


    Before Ralph or Ryan could speak Ethan returned with Aurora. He nced at Ryan, ¡°old friend, I am leaving my daughter in your protection. Take care of her as your own.¡±


    Aurora stiffened at Ethan¡¯s words. ¡°Dad, you are talking about it as if we wouldn¡¯t be meeting again.¡±


    ¡°She is like a daughter to me, Ethan.¡±


    Ethan nodded at Ryan in respect. Then turned his eyes to Liam. ¡°I am trusting you with my daughter. Don¡¯t disappoint me,¡± to another person his words might sound soft but Liam could hear the warning in them. The message was clear, don¡¯t mess this up or I will mess with your life. Only if that was that easy, Liam thought.


    Liam smiled. ¡°She is mine to keep now.¡±


    Ethan nodded and kissed Aurora onest time before leaving the ce. Tears rolled down Aurora¡¯s eyes watching her father leave, there was something she couldn¡¯t point out. A disastrous feeling was crawling over her body but she tried to ignore it and prayed that it was just that, a feeling!

 Chapter 106

    ¡°Liam, can I ask you something?¡± Aurora said when they both were settled in bed together, her head in his chest, she was drawing circles with her fingers on his heart.


    Liam was thinking about what Ryan told him when Aurora was talking to her father. His business was suffering because of the masked man. He had lost five consignments of drugs and weapons sincest month. It was more about reputation than mary loss.


    ¡°Liam? Baby?¡± She kissed his chest and then moved to his neck, she bit his earlobe softly. Liam¡¯s chain of thoughts broke and he looked at Aurora, who was looking at him with her beautiful blue orbs, expectantly.


    He frowned. ¡°You want something?¡± He asked, Aurora sighed.


    ¡°Yes, I want to ask you I want to talk to you about something.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    She hugged him even more tightly, wanting to be as closer as she could get at this moment. ¡°I know how you must have been feeling all this time. I understand your pain.¡±


    What is she talking about?


    ¡°My pain?¡± He questioned.


    ¡°Yes, I know we never talked about it but I think it¡¯s time we should start sharing our emotions,¡± she moved a little and sat on his stomach. ¡°You want to go all the way?¡±


    Aurora shook her head. She told him she was not ready for the sex and he epted it. They are enjoying exploring each other¡¯s bodies without doing the deed and Aurora was liking it.


    ¡°No,¡± she leaned down, their chest touching as she was lying on top of him now. ¡°I wanted to tell you that I am with you.¡±


    Aurora kissed his chin, teasing him with her tongue. ¡°You know, when my mom died I was alone in my big house but I had Mrs Dn with me and there was Susan. She treated me like an elder sister. I was alone but I had people with me. Dad treated me like a princess. He still does.¡±


    Liam couldn¡¯tprehend why she was telling him all this but he kept listening. ¡°Tell me about yourself, your childhood. Share all the pain you felt after your mother¡¯s death.


    What the fuck!


    Liam flipped Aurora under him. His eyes turned dark and a vagueness came to his face. ¡± I don¡¯t like talking about my mother, she is dead and there is nothing more to tell. Do you understand me?¡± He asked, curtly.


    Aurora gulped. She understood he was notfortable talking about his mother. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I know it¡¯s hard for you to speak about your mother. You must have loved her so much and it hurts seeing your father with other women. I understand Liam, I am not saying anything bad about your father but the way he lives his life after your mother is a little hard for me to digest. I mean my dad has never looked at another woman after mom. He still wears his wedding ring. He is still loyal to my mom. I am proud of him and your father¡­¡±


    The beast in Liam roared in anger. How dare she speak against his father. ¡°I said don¡¯t say anything about someone you don¡¯t even know! I respect my father Aurora and I will not hear a word against him. He is what he is but he was there for me and my brother when my so-called mother ran away with her lover and died. He is having fun with a new girl every day but he didnt marry anyone you want to know why? Because he couldn¡¯t forget the woman he lived with like a madman and all the way she was nning to run away with her lover. He is still not over my so-called mother. Your father loved your mother, good. He is still loyal to his wife. Good. But that doesn¡¯t mean my fatehr is not! He also wears his wedding ring on his finger to remind himself not to trust women again and he is right to do so, woman can¡¯t be trusted.¡±


    Aurora inhaled sharply. She felt like a fool when he told her about his mother but thest line he said made her frown. ¡°Do you not trust me, Liam? What¡¯s love without trust?¡±


    Liam closed his eyes. ¡°Aurora, you once told me that you need a little space. Now, I am asking the same. Please, don¡¯t ask me questions I don¡¯t want to answer today.¡± He said, controlling the twitching of his hands. He got off the bed and walked out of the room leaving Aurora alone in his bedroom.


    Aurora kept staring at the ceiling,  she felt cold in Liam¡¯s well-heated room. Once again, she hurts his feelings without thinking. ¡°How many times I told you to control your words Aurora but you never learn,¡± mumbled to herself.


    Aurora needed someone to talk to, the first name that came to her mind was Susan¡¯s but she couldn¡¯t call her, not so soon. She needed to understand that Aurora was an adult now who wants to grow as an individual and not depend on others¡¯ decisions. Emily was out of the question too, she was happy with her uing wedding nning. Aurora didn¡¯t want to disturb the most beautiful time of her life with her problems.


    She sighed and touched her ne, and asked her mother to help her. Aurora closes her eyes, every time she thinks her life is back on track, a hurdle appears in her way and now Aurora has no idea how to talk to Liam. She turned to his side and inhaled his scent from his pillow. The spicy masculine scent intoxicated her mind and heart.


    Suddenly, a memory shed in her mind. It was of the time when her mother plucked flowers from her rose garden to send to Ethan with a sorry note because they fought. When Aurora asked Savannah about it, she told her daughter that flowers have the power to make anyone feel special.


    When Aurora asked why she was making daddy feel special, Savannah kissed her daughter and told her that she was doing it because she hurted Ethan with her words.


    Aurora opened her eyes and touched her ne, ¡°thank you for always being with me, mom.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t wait for the morning toe.


    The drive to the office was in a pin drop silence. Aurora didn¡¯t like it, one bit. She wanted to tease him, hug him like every other day but he was working on his Ipad. Aurora rolled her eyes and closed the separation window between them and the driver.


    Liam didn¡¯t even look at her, he kept working on that stupid Ipad. Aurora was irritated and thought of a hundred methods to give his Ipad a cruel death.


    She smiled seeing the message on her phone. The flowers had been delivered to his office. She asked his PA to put them in his office.


    When they reached the office she didn¡¯t go to her cabin but followed Liam to see his reaction.  She thought he would be happy but no, Liam was furious.


    ¡°Who asked you to make my cabin a flower shop? How dare you put something in my cabin without my permission?¡± Liam snarled at the poor PA who was shivering under his furious gaze.


    ¡°Sir, m.. am aske..¡± She tried speaking but couldn¡¯t when Liam snapped again. ¡°Which madam?¡±


    Aurora couldn¡¯t watch any longer, she walked inside his cabin. ¡°I asked her to set the flowers here.¡±


    Liam turned and squeezed his eyes shut, to calm his raging mind. He hated this stupid affectionate thing. Liam didn¡¯t know how long he would be able to maintain this facade, ¡°get lost, now!¡± He ordered his PA who walked out without a single second¡¯s dy.


    ¡°I am sorry for all the trouble I caused you but I just wanted to apologise forst night. I wanted to make you feel special, wanted to tell you how much you mean to me.¡±


    Liam opened his eyes and turned towards her. He didn¡¯t like seeing her long, sad face. Liam sprinted towards her with one long stride and raised her chin with his thumb and forefinger. A few tears rolled down her cheek, she sniffed like a child. Liam wiped her cheek. ¡°Aurora, look at me, please.¡±


    She did as he said and gulped. Liam stared at her for a moment and then pulled her in his arms with a jerk. Aurora snaked her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. ¡°I am so sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have said all that without knowing the whole truth. I thought you missed your mother just like I missed mine. I wanted to make you feel loved, I wanted to tell you how much I love you, Liam. How much you mean to me but once again I ruined your mood¡­¡± she said while sobbing.


    Liam sighed. He broke the hug and made softly held her face. ¡°It¡¯s okay, forget about everything. But from next time, before judging things please get to know about them.¡±


    Aurora nodded eagerly, she was ready to do everything for her forgiveness. ¡°I promise but don¡¯t be angry with me,¡± she hugged him once again. Liam untangled her from himself and scooped her in his arms.


    He sat on the sofa with her on hisp. None of them said a single word, both silent, enjoying the peace of being in each other¡¯s arms until Aurora broke the silence. ¡°Liam, can we y a game?¡±


    ¡°What game?¡± He asked, looking at her.


    ¡°I will ask you a few questions to know more about you and you answer them without hiding anything.¡±


    ¡°Only me? I also want to know things about you,¡± Liam already know almost everything about her after spending this intimate time with Aurora Liam knew there was much more to know about her.


    ¡°Okay, so you ask me one question and I ask you one, what say?¡±


    Liam nodded eagerly. ¡°Done, you may ask first.¡±


    Aurora nodded and think about her question. ¡°What¡¯s the thing you hate the most?¡±


    Liam chuckled. ¡°You asked this?¡± Aurora shrugged. ¡°Yes, now answer me.¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    ¡°I hate when things don¡¯t go my way. I hate when I have to do something I don¡¯t want to do.¡±


    ¡°Have you done something like this, I don¡¯t believe it who can force you to do things you don¡¯t want to?¡±


    Liam sharpened his eyes. ¡°You have no idea little one, but it¡¯s just a matter of time. Once I get what I want I will tell that man the meaning of persuasion.¡±


    The darkness in his voice sent a shiver through her body. There was an ufortable silence in the room until he broke it. ¡°You asked two questions. Now it¡¯s my turn,¡± he touched the lock of her hair and brushed it back behind her ear.


    Aurora could see he was going to ask something big. There was a mischievous look dancing in his eyes. ¡°When did you realize that you have fallen in love with me Little one?¡±


    Aurora sighed. She could answer that, ¡°I don¡¯t know a particr time but on the ind, even though you treated me like a brute but I was not myself after that. I wanted to cry all the time because you hurt my feelings and when I met you in the office, I was furious but there was a part of me that relished your presence. I guess it was a gradual process.¡±


    ¡°What about you, Liam?¡±


    He chuckled and puller her closer to his body. ¡°The moment I saw you for the first time,  my dad showed me your photos, I was intrigued and when I met you for the first time in that exhibition I knew I will make you mine.¡±


    Aurora frowned. ¡°We met for the first time in my home, Liam.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t remember? We met in the belle¡¯s exhibition for the first time. Aurora. You pushed me in a fountain.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s eyes widened when she recalled the day. ¡°Oh no, I did that! I don¡¯t remember anything.¡±


    ¡°I am so sorry!¡± Aurora hid her face in the crook of his neck. Ashamed of her acts, ¡°It¡¯s an okay little one, see I fulfilled the promise I did to myself. I made you mine.¡±


    Aurora nodded in his neck when they didnt see the look of darkness in his eyes. She was in love with Liam unaware of the fact that the man she thinks of as her prime charming was the devil in disguise.

 Chapter 107

    Aurora had tears in their eyes when she saw Emily in a white wedding dress for the first time. ¡°Oh Emily, this¡­ you¡­¡± she couldn¡¯t finish the sentence. Her throat was thick with tears.


    Susan¡¯s eyes were perked with tears as well. Emily smiled with teary eyes seeing her two friends getting emotional. ¡°You are making me emotional, girls. Now, tell me how I look? Is this perfect or should I try something else?¡±


    Susan cleared her throat while Aurora nodded. ¡°I got emotional seeing you in a wedding dress but this is not the one for you. Try something else.¡±


    Emily was on her tenth dress now and she couldn¡¯t find the perfect dress for herself yet. Now the excitement was turning into exhaustion. ¡°How does it look?¡±


    Susan shook her head. ¡°No, too loud for your figure.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you should wear something soft, like yourself and all these dresses.¡± She shrugged her shoulders.


    The store attendant smiled. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind I have something you might like,¡± she said and three pairs of eyes turned towards her. ¡°Of course show it to us,¡± Aurora said.


    The attendant went and came back with a beautiful, tinum thread workpiece that has pearls over it. Aurora shrieked in happiness. Susan air kissed it, and Emily lists her heart for the dress. ¡°This is perfect!¡± They said at the same time and the store attendantsughed.


    ¡°Em, try it on, now!¡± Aurora ordered her and Emily came back wearing the dress, she looked like a perfect bride wearing the veil over her face.


    ¡°This is it!¡± Susan said. Emily nodded, happy that she got the dress of her dreams. ¡°How much is this for?¡± Emily asked.


    ¡°Just ten thousand dors, madam.¡±


    Emily¡¯s mouth hung open. Just ten thousand dors! Is she insane?


    ¡°This is too much, it¡¯s out of my budget, I am sorry but I will take some other dress.¡±


    The look on the attendant¡¯s face turned nasty. ¡°Out of your budget! But you didn¡¯t say anything about the budget when I asked you. you could have told that before. This is a masterpiece and we generally don¡¯t allow anyone to try it on unless they are hundred per cent sure that they would be buying it.¡±


    ¡°Which bride chose a wedding dress without trying it?¡± Susan asked while Aurora walked near Emily who turned crimson hearing the words of the attendant.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t afford a dress this expensive then you should have informed me about your budget before. I would have never shown you this dress,¡± she turned to Emily, ¡°will you please, take off the dress.¡±


    Emily nodded and went to remove the dress. ¡°It¡¯s our mistake that we came to this cheap shop. You know what you can¡¯t afford customers like us!¡± Aurora said in anger.


    The attendant rolled her eyes. Emily came back dressed in her clothes. She was about to walk to her friends when stopped when she found Alexandrios standing at the door of the shop.


    ¡°Xandrio!¡± She whispered but he was not looking at her. His eyes were focussed on the shop attendant. Aurora and Susan watched him enter the shop. ¡°How much for that dress?¡± He asked the attendant.


    She raised her chin in the air and proudly told the price. Alexandrio pulled out his ck card and handed it to thedy. ¡°We are buying it.¡±


    ¡°Xandrio, no! Please, it was decided between us.¡±


    ¡°We will talk about itter,¡± he said in a voice that made Emily shut her mouth.


    ¡°Are you sure you can afford it?¡± The attendant asked arrogantly which made him chuckle. ¡°I think I can. Pack the dress.¡±


    Emily didn¡¯t like it. Aurora and Susan were silent when Emily burst out on Alexandrio. ¡°Why did you do that? I wanted to buy my dress!¡±


    Alexandrio grabbed her hand and jerked her towards him. ¡°You will be my wife in six days and do you think I would let anyone disrespect you like this, Emily?  Hell no! Don¡¯t let everyone walk over you, Zvezda.¡±


    Emily gulped. She still couldn¡¯t forget theughter of people when she was called a gold digger. She looked away to hide her tears. ¡°Now that we have bought the dress, may I see my bride in it?¡±


    A small smile appeared on her face. Before she could speak, Aurora walked to them. ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Emily put her face on his shoulder to hide herughter. When Susan backed Aurora. ¡°It¡¯s a bad omen if the groom sees the bride in a wedding dress before the ceremony.¡±


    ¡°I do not believe in bad or good omen.¡±


    The three friends looked at him with mischievous eyes. ¡°But we do!¡± They said at the same time which made Alexandrio raise his hand in surrender and leave when they didn¡¯t allow him to stay.


    It was at the lunch table when Emily asked Aurora and Susan to be her maid of honour.  Aurora hugged her but Susan was shocked when she heard Emily. Susan and Emily, we¡¯re not as close as they were with Aurora. But today Emily broke that barrier between them and Susan was d because she couldn¡¯t have done it herself.


    ¡°Any idea where he is taking you for your honeymoon?¡± Aurora asked while eating her ice cream.


    ¡°No, he said it¡¯s a surprise and since then I am craving to know where he is taking me. I don¡¯t want it to be anywhere near Russia.¡±


    Susan rolled her eyes. ¡°You could have used different tactics to know about the destination.¡±


    ¡°Like what? I asked him what I should pack and he said nothing because he intended for me to be naked for a month.¡±


    Aurora choked on her ice cream whileughing. ¡°Too much information, Em!¡±


    Susan and Emily burst outughing as a look of understanding passed between them. Aurora was back to her old self, this shows how happy she was in this rtionship. Liam was keeping her happy which made them happy for her.


    ¡°You know what, I can help you find out,¡± Emily¡¯s eyes perked. ¡°How?¡±


    Aurora smiled, biting her lip. ¡°I have my ways but what about your bachelorette party? Let¡¯s have a trip to Vegas, what say?¡±


    Emily denied. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to do anything extra. I want a simple wedding and this trip to Vegas seems unnecessary to me.¡±


    ¡°Emily, it¡¯s your bachelor party, if you don¡¯t want to go to Vegas, cool but we have to do something. You know what, leave that to me, I have a magnificent idea.¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°What?¡± They asked at the same time.


    Susan smirked. ¡°Strippers!¡±


    Aurora and Emily agreed and after paying the bill they went back to shopping. Aurora and Susan chose beautiful, powder pink dresses. They looked beautiful in that and with that their shopping was finally over.


    Susan¡¯s phone beeped with a message from Ralph. He ordered her to meet him at his house. The dominant and submissive rtionship made things spicy for her. She didn¡¯t know why but she always ended up surrendering to him and she did not like it. She needed to regain control over the situation.


    ¡°I have ns tonight.¡± She typed back and decided to have a shower in her room. Emily went to Alexandria¡¯s house while Aurora went to Liam¡¯s so she was alone there.


    Ralph scowled reading the message. His mind could not ept a mere girl declining him. He stood up from the chair and drove to her home.


    Susan was in the shower when she heard the doorbell ringing. She didn¡¯t order anything, Emily and Aurora wouldn¡¯te then who could it be? She wrapped a towel around her body and hair and went to open the door.


    She looked through the peephole. Her heart flipped seeing Ralph standing outside. She nced at her towel wrapped body and turned to change into a bathrobe but he again rang the bell impatiently. Susan sighed and opened the door. She intended to give him a lecture about manners but the moment she opened the door he grabbed her by the neck and shut the door with his leg.


    ¡°A submissive doesn¡¯t make the rules, she obeys them. When I saide to my house, your answer should always be, yes sir!¡± He gritted, staring into his eyes.


    Susan¡¯s heart was beating an uneven rhythm. Till now, she was only taking it for fun but his behaviour shocked her to the core. Susan Kelly was scared when his grip on her neck tightened.


    Her eyes widened when he looked down at her wet body. ¡°Do you open the door for everyone in this manner? My submissive is not allowed to do that,¡± he turned her around and pped her round ass sharply.


    Susan didn¡¯t know what to do, she was angry for entering her home like this and aroused at the same time. When this man was near her, her mind stopped working. She became his ything.


    ¡°Apologise, now!¡± He said, raising the hem of her towel and spanking her bare ass.


    ¡°I am sorry sir!¡± She cried when he pped again.


    ¡°Good girl, Do you want to get fu**ed?¡± He asked palming her breast with one hand while feeling her hot ass with the other.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± she replied in a whisper.


    Ralph threw her towel away and asked her to open the zip of his pants. She pulled out his hard-on erection. ¡°Show your skills.¡±


    Then for one and half hours, Susan did as she was asked to and rewarded by multiple orgasms. She didn¡¯t know if there was my life left in her body. She was only aware of her breathing, every other part of her body was too numb to feel but he was still not over it. His fingers were still ying with her clitoris.


    She was sensitive over that particr ce where he had spanked her many times. She felt like a used up whore but was satisfied with this sexual encounter.


    ¡°Do you have something to eat? I am hungry.¡± He asked when he was satisfied with her body.


    She could only manage to nod, he took all her strength away with his aggressive sexual encounter on her poor body.


    Ralph went to her kitchen to find something to eat. He was impressed to see how neatly well stocked it was. He made tacos for both of them and was about to take the dinner upstairs when he heard a beep. The sound didn¡¯te from his phone. He looked around and found a phone on the top of the dining table. He picked it and saw the notification on the home screen from an adult website. There was a message in it, the stripper confirmed for tomorrow.


    ¡°Stripper!¡±


    His nose red. He left the phone there and walked upstairs with the dinner tes.


    Susan¡¯s body was finallying back to life and she changed the bedsheet first and sprayed air freshener, her room smelled of sex now.


    He entered the room again with a food tray. ¡°I hope you like tacos.¡±


    Susan shrugged. ¡°I need food to regain energy.¡±


    She took one from the te and took a bite of it and moaned. It was delicious.


    The sex was always fantastic with him it was the after sex uneasiness with him that sucks. He never stayed with her after the deed is done, it was the first time he ever remained with her and it was the first time they were eating together.


    This felt weird.


    ¡°What¡¯s your ns for tomorrow?¡± He asked casually.


    ¡°Emily¡¯s bachelor party.¡±


    She only shrugged. Ralph didnt speak for a long time and only stared at her but then he leaned closer to her face. ¡°If I find out you let anyone touch what¡¯s mine, your punishment would not be relied on to spanking only.¡±


    Susan blinked. Her mind once again forgot to think. If there had been anyone else instead of him she would have pped the shit out of him but this man was from another universe. She was like an obedient student in front of him.


    If she wanted to enjoy the time with her friend, she could do that but she was not allowed to touch another male till he is doing her and as far as this striker thing is concerned, Ralph would tell it to Liam if needed, he knew his brother could twist anything in his favour if he wants.


    Susan was waiting for him to leave but she was stunned when hey down on her bed


    ¡°I am staying!¡± Susan Kelly was excited, shocked, happy¡­ She didn¡¯t


    know which option to pick to describe her mood.


    Shey down next to him but sleep was thest thing on her mind.

 Chapter 108

    ¡°You are not serious about it, right?¡± Ralph asked his brother when he told him about his n to catch the masked man.


    Liam arched a brow, ¡°And why do you think that?¡±


    Ralph straightened in his chair, ¡°He is your best friend, he stood by you in every thick and thin. Liam is getting married in five days. You have to be kidding me if you are thinking about Striking Alexandrio to hurt Dmitry. For God¡¯s sake, he asked you to be his best man two days ago.¡±


    Liam sighed. ¡°And I will be his best man. I care about him, Ralph. I do or why do you think I am not executing my n yet. Let him enjoy a few days of happiness. My heart is not made of stone.¡±


    Ralph couldn¡¯t digest it. His brother was talking as if it didn¡¯t matter to him if Alexandrio remained alive or not!


    ¡°You know Liam, I never said this but you are as twisted as our father. Can¡¯t you see anything more than business? That man stood against his brother for you!¡±T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Liam put the whiskey ss on the table and raised a finger at him. ¡°His brother is the reason behind all this. He didn¡¯t support me when I asked him. He knows everything I want to know about that son of a bitch but he is ying with me. I can¡¯t risk my dream or the life of my family for a so-called friendship. Look at dad, he became Ethan¡¯s puppet. I am ying this loverboy role because of dad. I felt like a caged animal. I am bearing that idiotic girl every day just because of dad¡¯s so-called friendship with Ethan. That bitch made my cabin a flower shop yesterday.  I have to control my urges with her and not to mention her irritating habits. She loves hearing some crap music. She eats in my car, a freaking vani ice cream. I want her body, yes. I want her to do as I say but what am I doing instead?¡±


    ¡°I am doing what she is asking me to do? Do you want to know what I want to do, I want to point a gun on Ethan¡¯s head and shoot him. I want Aurora to behave like a submissive!¡±


    Ralph was stunned. He was a monster too but Liam was not only a monster, but he was also an enraged monster.


    ¡°You know the more I see this side of you the more I hate him. I used to think Ryan Knight was the ugliest filth but you trumped him in this category as well. You are the ugliest man I have ever met, Liam. Ryan Knight¡¯s hand didn¡¯t shake when he killed our mother and you want to do the same with Aurora. That girl loves you, Liam. It¡¯s written all over her face!¡±


    Liam chuckled. ¡°Nah! She loves an illusion, Ralph. She loves what I am pretending to be, as you said I am the ugliest monster and nobody has the guts to love an ugly monster and let¡¯s be true, do you think I care about her so-called love, Ralph? I wanted to get married to her, fuck her and have a child. That¡¯s it!¡±


    Ralph¡¯s nose red. He recalled his childhood when he watched his father every day with a new woman. He hated him for giving his mother¡¯s ce to someone else. Every day there was a new woman on the dining table with them. ¡°And what will happen to that child? Is he going to have the same childhood we had?¡±


    Liam fisted his hand, ¡°No, Ralph, I would not allow my offspring to have the same childhood we had because unlike dad I will kill her if she ever gets ideas of running away, na! I will make her live with me, forced to smile every day even though she is bearing all the pain of the world.¡±


    He turned to his brother and rested a hand on his shoulder. ¡°We are not some normal couple, Ralph. I wanted her and now I made her mine but the moment she stopped being useful to me, things will change and the same goes for Alexandrios.¡±


    Ralph nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve Alexandrios friendship, Liam. One day, you will regret losing him.¡±


    Liam chuckled. ¡°He himself said he could die for me, I am just testing his words. Shall we discuss the topic of concern now? Any information on Juan?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± before Ralph could finish Liam¡¯s cell phone beeped. A message from Mike.


    It read: A stripper is here for the bachelorette party.


    Liam was enraged. Keep an eye on her.


    He typed back and stood up. ¡°We will talk about itter.¡± Saying that he left to bring her back home with him. The girl was testing his patience with a new stunt every day. She was Liam Knight¡¯s property and she dared to hire a stripper.


    Meanwhile, Emily¡¯s eyes widened seeing the handsome stripper taking off his shirt. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s getting hot in here!¡±


    Aurora made a face, he was nowhere near Liam inparison to looks or body. Her Liam has a perfect body, with muscles and his looks are to die for. She wished it was him who would have been stripping in front of her instead of this stripper. She could give anything to have him here at this moment.


    Meanwhile, Susan recalled Ralph¡¯s warning and tried hard not to gaze at the man. The only person who was enjoying the stripper was Emily but that too because she was on her tenth shot of Vodka.


    Aurora said no to alcohol, she had done many blunders in the past due to it that now she is off to Alcohol or so she told herself. Susan drank too but she was sober because of Ralph¡¯s uing visit tonight.


    The stripper called the girls on the stage for the dancing and they went but none of them paid any attention to him.


    ¡°Are youdies not interested in my moves?¡± He drawled while pulling down his pants.


    Emilyughed and went near him. ¡°You are not as hot as my fiance! I think I will stick to him.¡±


    Aurora and Susan burst intoughter seeing the look on that stripper¡¯s face. Aurora touched Susan¡¯s hand, for a moment forgetting that she was not talking to her but withdrawing it immediately when recalled.


    Susan looked away, it hurts seeing her behave like this. Suddenly, Aurora¡¯s mind popped up with a naughty n.


    She clicked some pictures of Emily dancing with the stripper and sent them to Alexandrio. ¡°Now the fun begins!¡± She mumbled.


    Exactly, after twenty minutes the doorbell of her home rang down, Aurora went to open the door excitedly, thinking about surprising Emily but she was shocked to see Liam standing at her doorway.


    Liam was raging in fury. He was about to tell her what he felt about her stunt but before he could speak, Aurora shrieked with a happy look on her face and threw her arms around his neck.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you are here!¡± She kissed his face many times. ¡°I was thinking about you and here you are.¡±


    ¡°Come inside, let¡¯s have fun.¡± She said before they could move a car stopped by and Alexandrio stepped out of it.


    He looked at his friend, ¡°your girlfriend is better than you, she at least asked me toe here while you didn¡¯t even bother telling me about the damn stripper.¡±


    Liam frowned. ¡°You called him here?¡±


    Aurora nodded. ¡°Yes, Em is drunk and I know she will enjoy the party more with Alexandrio rather than that stripper.¡±


    Alexandrio groaned and moved inside while Aurora giggled seeing him walking impatiently.


    ¡°Stripper? You dared to call a stripper?¡± He asked teasingly. Aurora stepped closer to him and kissed his nose. ¡°I didn¡¯t call him, Susan did and all the while I was thinking about you. You have more skills than him, I think you should try your hand in this business.¡±


    Liam raised his brows. ¡°Will you be able to handle that, Aurora? Me getting naked in front of other girls.¡±


    Aurora pushed his tie and pulled his face down to her level. ¡°You can be a stripper but who says you will strip for other girls, I am advanced booking all your schedules, Mr Knight.¡±


    A feeling so strong engulfed his body that he couldn¡¯t describe it in words. He only knew one thing that he wanted to have her soon or he didn¡¯t know what he would do? He has been suffering from blue balls for a while now and didn¡¯t know for how long he would be able to take it anymore.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± He said taking her hand and moving towards his car.


    ¡°Liam, I can¡¯t leave like this, I didn¡¯t even tell anybody inside.¡±


    ¡°They message anyone you want but we are leaving. I didn¡¯t like you seeing another man getting naked in front of you.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t watch another man getting naked, I was thinking about you all the while.¡±


    ¡°Good, now we both will get naked together.¡±


    Aurora gasped and halted in her steps. ¡°What?¡±


    Liam lost all his patience and picked her in his arms, ¡°Liam, what are you doing, leave me. People are watching!¡±


    ¡°Let them watch for all I care. I am taking what belongs to me.¡±


    He set her on the foot and opened the door of his car. ¡°Liam!¡± He didn¡¯t give any heed to her words and forced her inside, closer to the door, and settled on the driving seat.  Aurora didn¡¯t like the way he manhandled her.


    She crossed her arms and looked outside the window. Angry as hell!


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± She said, pping his hand away when he grabbed her hand to get her out of the car. Liam¡¯s nose red when she got out of the car and walked ahead leaving him standing. She was about to enter the elevator when he pushed her inside with a little force and attacked her lips, hungry for her body. ¡°I can¡¯t wait any longer, little one!¡±


    He grabbed her neck from behind and moved to her corbone, Aurora would have agreed. She wanted to be with him in every way possible but not today, not after how he treated her.


    Aurora pushed him away from herself. ¡°But I am not ready yet, Liam,¡± She told him.


    An uncontrolled fury ran through his body. He kept staring at her, infuriated with her mood swings. ¡°You manhandled me, Liam.¡±


    Should I show her what manhandling feels like?


    ¡°I was angry at you!¡±


    ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°For that stripper, Aurora.¡±


    Aurora inhaled sharply. ¡°I didn¡¯t call him, I already told you, it was Susan who did that.¡±


    The elevator pinged. He once again scooped her in his arms and took her to his bedroom.  ¡°Liam, I don¡¯t appreciate this behaviour.¡±


    He put her on her feet back and held her face between his hands. ¡°You are making me lose control, little one. Don¡¯t torture me like this, please,¡± he whispered and ced his lips on hers.


    Aurora tried to resist, she even pushed him with her hand but today Liam was not listening to the reason. He was a hungry beast, he held her hand down and pulled her even closer. ¡°Don¡¯t torment me anymore, little one. Be mine,pletely. Marry me, Aurora!¡±


    Aurora, who was lost in the world of physical pleasure, snapped her eyes open. Marriage! Was she even ready for this?


    She didn¡¯t know, seeing Emily marrying Alexandrio after only a month of dating him gave her hope that she could do the same but her experience with Gabriel stopped her from hurrying into marriage.


    Only she knew how heavy the weight of Gabriel¡¯s ring became when she stopped feeling anything for him. His words still roam in her mind sometimes even though she waspletely free from him now.


    She knew Liam was not like Gaberial, the way he treats her reflects how truly he cared for her. This time she was genuinely happy but she was not sure she wanted to marry him.


    She needed time to think about it. She couldn¡¯t say yes! Not today. Her heart didn¡¯t allow her to say yes.


    She touched his chest where his heart was and looked into his eyes and sighed deeply before giving him her answer.


    ¡°I can¡¯t, I am sorry but I can¡¯t marry you, Liam.¡±


    Chapter 96.


    Liam Knight was furious. His hands twitched to torture, someone, her. His eyes turned dark but he somehow turned around to not let her see the reflection of his thoughts on his face.


    ¡°I want to know you before taking such a big step in my life. Please be patient with me.¡±


    Liam squeezed his eyes shut. ¡°Only thirty more days left, little one. I won¡¯t give you more than that, little one.¡±


    Aurora shook her head. ¡°Love and eptance take time, but let¡¯s see if you can convince me to marry you in a month, Mr Knight,¡±  saying that she turned to leave but Liam grabbed her hand and yanked her back to him.


    ¡°I am sure you will be crying while epting my proposal, Mrs Knight.¡±


    Aurora raised her brows, ¡°such confidence you have, Mr Knight!¡±


    ¡°Your husband is a very confident man.¡±


    Aurora nodded with a chuckle. He had been calling himself her husband for a long time and she started to like it. That you are,¡± she said in a teasing manner but then in apletely serious tone. ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like that again. I love you but I didn¡¯t like the way you manhandled me.¡±


    Liam nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t treat you like this, I promise,¡± He said.


    I will treat you worse than this once your father¡¯s neck gets in my hands, daddy¡¯s girl!


    Aurora kissed his nose. ¡°I love you.¡±


    The left corner of his lip lifted upward. ¡°I love you too, little one. Come here, you might not be ready to get naked but we can fool around.¡±


    Aurora poked her tongue out like a child. ¡°Nope, I want my beauty to sleep, tomorrow is the rehearsal dinner and the day after that my friend is getting married so we are going to sleep like normal people.¡±


    Liam made a gruntled sound and went to change into nightwear after using his hand to state his physical need. He lost count of how many times he had used his hand in the past week. When he returned Aurora was already in bed, sleeping hugging his pillow.


    He took the pillow from her andid down beside her. Aurora put her head on his chest just like every day. ¡°Are you not sleeping?¡± He asked.


    Aurora chuckled. ¡°Can¡¯t sleep without you. I was imagining your pillow and your alternate but you are morefortable,¡± she answered without opening her eyes and kissing his chest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me talk, I need to sleep.¡±


    ¡°You need to sleep but are you sleepy?¡±


    Aurora thinned her lips.¡± No! But I want to sleep, now such!¡±


    Liam chuckled and started caressing her hair making her moan and the sound of it made him horny once again and he ended up having a tent in his briefs. He took a sharp breath to control his urges.


    Aurora frowned when she heard his sharp intake of breathing. She fluttered her eyes open only to find him looking at the ceiling with eyes squeezed shut.


    Is he alright?


    She pretended to close her eyes a little when she watched him open his eyes. His hand went under the quilt and he adjusted his reaction with a hiss!


    Aurora¡¯s heart thumped wildly. Is he horny? Oh my god!


    She heard him curse under his breath and just to torture him more she hugged him even more tightly.


    Liam gritted his jaw when his body reacted violently to her closeness. He wanted to turn her around and fuck her hard and fast, just the way he wanted but couldn¡¯t, not without her permission. He was a monster but he was not that kind of monster. Not for Aurora at least, he was not.


    So he tolerated her innocent gestures and showed his magnificent tolerance. Aurora couldn¡¯t help but feel pity for him.


    He made me realize the truth about my body, helped me regain confidence in my body, the least I could do was give him a handjob to release his torture.


    Thinking that she moved her hand from his chest to his proud manhood to ease the difort of his body. But when she was about to touch it, Liam¡¯s hand grabbed her hand and stopped her movement.


    She opened her eyes and looked at him confusingly, ¡°What are you doing?¡± He asked.


    Aurora swallowed. ¡°Trying to help you. I know you want a release, Liam. I can help¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± He said sharply, stopping her before she could finish the sentence. ¡°I do not want you to do something you are notfortable about, this is my problem, my body is reacting to your closeness, I will handle it. You don¡¯t have to worry about it. Now close your eyes and sleep,¡± saying that he pulled her hand to his chest where his heart was and kissed her head, gently before closing his eyes.


    Aurora closed her eyes but sleep was far away from them. She opened them back when felt him breathing rhythmically. Her heart was beating an uneven rhythm, the words he just said to her made her fall in love with him all over again.


    She knew then that she was ready for whatever intimacy he wanted. A small smile appeared on her lips imagining his face when she would tell him that she was ready to move on in their rtionship.


    Every day she spent with Liam, a new face of his appeared in front of her eyes. She had seen his anger, his care, his sweetness and most of all his friendship. Sometimes she thinks how can a person be this beautiful in and out. Aurora sighed and moved closer to his body. ¡°Tomorrow will be our special night, Mr Knight. I promise to tease you a lot before giving you the best night of your life,¡± she whispered before closing her eyes because she needed that beauty sleep.


    Liam heard everything she whispered and chuckled inwardly. Everything Liam does has a motive behind it. Aurora was an emotional fool and he used her emotions to take what he wanted from her. She would submit her body to him tomorrow but he wouldn¡¯t stop just there, no, Liam was going to own her soul, soon and she would submit it to him just like she submitted her body. On the bloody silver tter, willingly.


    Meanwhile, Susan didn¡¯t know what to feel when Ralph kept holding her in his arms. He was drunk when he came to her house and asked her to get out of her clothes, just like that, there was no forey, no warning and he entered inside without caring about her being ready. Today, he was taking her frustration out on her, Susan could feel that she was being used by him in her own home.


    Tears of frustration perked in her eyes, she didn¡¯t know why she was letting him treat her like this. Susan Kelly would never let anyone treat her in this degrading manner the way she was letting him do, her mind was ying tricks on her and she didn¡¯t know how to handle it.


    After watching her father marry countless times and her mother dying alone in hope that one day he would ask her toe back in his life made she miserable. Susan watched her mother crying every night. When Susan questioned her father about this he pped her, telling Susan to not interfere in his life.


    Susan had lived her childhood in an environment she wanted to run away from. Her mother was never happy except for the time she spent with her but even then she used to hide her pain, she tried to be brave for Susan but that was not in her character. Susan¡¯s mother was a weak woman and Susan still couldn¡¯t forgive her for that. She cried and wasted her life for a man who was not worthy of her love or attention. That was the only reason she made sure that she would never be like her mother.


    Unlike her mother, Susan was practical and bold. She thinks about sex as it was, a physical need not some stupid romantic theory like the joining of two souls and she was proud of her way of thinking but for the first time in her life, Susan was hating herself for behaving like her mother.


    Her mother let her father use her, physically, mentally and emotionally. Even when he was married to her third wife he used to visit their home saying he came to meet Susan but he never cared about her, he used to hand her a few toys and then her parents went to her mother¡¯s bedroom. Susan¡¯s ten-year-old mind was not mature enough to understand what was going on behind closed doors but when she grew up she understood everything too well.


    The hatred she felt for her father increased after that.


    She promised herself that she would never let any man use her like that but today she broke that promise to herself.


    She let Ralph Knight use her, he didn¡¯t give anything, today, only took and she allowed it to happen and what hurts the most is that after using her body he scooped her in his arms, took her to her bed and held her in his arms only to sleep without a word spoken to her.


    Susan asked herself, what was she hoping for, a deration of love? If she would have been the old Susan she would have ceased her thighs the moment the word Love entered her mind but she changed. Susan Kelly was changed the moment she allowed Ralph Knight to take her and today she wanted exactly what she always hated.


    His love, yes Susan wanted Ralph to say that he loves her. she didn¡¯t need sex only, she didn¡¯t want to be in a Dom-Sub rtionship with him, she wanted what her friends have.


    A girlfriend-boyfriend rtionship. She gave a lecture to Aurora about testing the water before swimming into it and here she had fallen for a man whom she knew only for a week.


    ¡°You are doomed, Susan. You are doomed to fall for a man like him,¡± she whispered as she closed her eyes and waited for the morning.


    Ralph opened his eyes sometimes at night. He frowned when he felt a warm body attached to him.  He turned his head and found Susan in his arms. Her face was in his neck while their legs were tangled together.


    He scowled thinking, when did hee here? Suddenly, the memories of the previous night ran through his memory as he recalled mercilessly he used her body. The images of her opening the door for her and him taking her against the wall snapped into his mind.


    He recalled how he didn¡¯t even give her the time to adjust to himself and fucked her raw! Blood drained from his face, his body wanted to jerk away from her, self-loathing filled his mind. He facepalmed himself over what he did.


    He tried to create a little distance between them but she moved closer to him and money in sleep. Ralph ceased all his movement and remained in that position so that her sleep would not be disturbed while the pain and guilt over these actions were eating him raw.


    The whole night, Ralph was staring at the ceiling of her room thinking how simr he was to his father. The man hated his whole life over what he did to Ralph¡¯s mother.


    In the morning, he didn¡¯t know how to behave with Susan, she was silent so was he, there was nothing they could talk about, he wanted to talk to her, apologise for what he did but he didn¡¯t know how to do it.


    Susan wanted to break the ice between them, she pushed her hair behind her ear and cleared her throat. ¡°Do you want breakfast?¡±


    ¡°Did I hurt you,st night? Was I too rough for you?¡± He asked.


    Susan¡¯s heart dropped. What if she said yes to his Questions, what would he do then? Punish himself? She needed to know because she knew she couldn¡¯t be his stress beating toy.


    ¡°Yes, you did! I don¡¯t want you to be this rough with me, again!¡± There she started her boundaries.


    Ralph nodded. ¡°I am freeing you from this rtionship,¡± saying that he walked out of her bedroom leaving a heartbroken Susan behind him.

 Chapter 109

    ¡°You look beautiful, Em!¡± Aurora whispered to her friend who smiled happily. Emily¡¯s life turned into a fairy tale romance and now she was having a fairytale wedding.


    ¡°Xandrio gifted me this,st night.¡± She said, showing her pearl bowtie pendant studded with diamonds to Aurora.


    ¡°It¡¯s as beautiful as you are,¡± Aurora hugged Emily tightly. She was happy for her but her thoughts kept wondering how Liam would react when she told him that she was ready to take the next step into their rtionship.


    ¡°Aurora,  I know it sounds mean but I don¡¯t feelfortable in Alexandria¡¯s brother¡¯s presence. It¡¯s weird!¡±


    Her chain of thoughts broke and she nodded at her friend. ¡°You can¡¯t change his family, Em! Chill, and enjoy.¡±


    She nodded, ¡°Where is Susan?¡± Emily asked knowing that she would be able to understand her situation better than Aurora.


    Her name was enough to make Aurora sad. She craved talking to Susan but couldn¡¯t. ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Is she alright, Emily?¡±


    Emily sighed. ¡°Aurora, please talk to her. I know what she did was wrong but she did it for you, I have told you many times and I am telling you again, Susan loves you.¡±


    Aurora nodded. ¡°I know and I love her too but she needs to understand that I am capable enough to fight my own battles, Emily,¡± she sighed, patting her hand, ¡°leave all this, today is not the day to talk about these things but can you do me a favour?¡±


    Emily nodded. ¡°Whatever you say.¡±


    ¡°Call Susan and ask where she is? Please.¡±


    Emily shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I have stuck between you two stupid heads,¡± she mumbled while pulling the cell phone from her handbag and dialling Susan. ¡°You both need a medical check-up for behaving like fools,¡± she mumbled and waited for Susan to ept her call.


    ¡°Not epting,¡± Emily informed but she smiled when she saw Susan walking towards them. Aurora nced at her face and concern grabbed her heart. ¡°Em, she doesn¡¯t look fine to me, ask her about it.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you do it, yourself?¡±


    ¡°Please Em!¡± Aurora pouted.


    Emily rolled her eyes before agreeing. She would have asked her on her own because she too could see there was something different about Susan today and that too in a negative way.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Aurora smiled. ¡°I am going to meet your parents, they look a little lost here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask, Mum and dad didn¡¯t know what to do in this society. They love their farm life, I tried to make them feelfortable, even Xandro tried to do the same but they don¡¯t know what to do. I do not like my parents feeling like this in my marriage.¡±


    Aurora smiled. ¡°Let me handle it. I know how to make them feelfortable.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Em, take care of Susan, please,¡± she said before walking away from there to Emily¡¯s parents who were sitting in a corner alone, watching people around them.


    ¡°Susan, you look different, is everything alright with you?¡± Emily asked genuinely worried about her friend.


    Susan smiled. ¡°Yes, I was trapped in a nightmare for a while but now I am free again.¡±


    Emily hugged her, ¡± Susan, she asked me to take care of you. She loves you, trust me.¡±


    ¡°I know, Em. I know she is worried about me but pretending that she doesn¡¯t care about me. I have known her since kindergarten. Don¡¯t worry about it. We both love you but today is not the day to talk about my and Aurora¡¯s problems. It¡¯s your day and I want you to enjoy it to the fullest, Emily.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for all your support. I need it today,¡± She smiled gratuitously.


    ¡°Why what happened?¡± She asked, thinking something was troubling her.


    ¡°He is here with some giant looking men from Russia. I don¡¯t know how to hold myself, he is scary.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    Emily rolled her eyes, ¡°who else, that brother of Xandro. Dmitry Kyschove.¡±


    Susan sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t pay attention to him and focus on yourself, go to Alexandrio. He is looking at you and I am going to say hello to your parents. I know they don¡¯t like the city people too much.¡±


    Emily was d to have such nice friends. She went to her would-be husband and stood beside him.


    Liam forced a smile on his face when Alexandrio asked him to stand next to Dmitry as he was one of his best men.


    But Liam did it for him, that was the least he could do for his friend.


    Whatever he had nned for him was something he didn¡¯t want to think about, at least for now. ¡°Can you both smile a little tomorrow, I don¡¯t want this expression on your faces tomorrow, and surely not in my wedding photographs.¡±


    Dmitry arched his brow. ¡°Are you not being too demanding, now? I ept to stand with this filthy creature here for you and now you want me to smile, while I tolerate his fifty presence.¡±


    Liam chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t have any problem with smiling for you, Alexandrio. It is the smallest thing I could do for you, my friend. You always have been loyal to me even though your loyalty lies with someone else.¡±


    Dmitry¡¯s nose red, the ck orbs of his eyes dominated his eyes. The Pakhan of the Russian mafia was angry over the remark. ¡°Loyalty is a big word, Knight, don¡¯t confuse it with friendship.¡±


    Alexandrio sensed that this war of words could end up with guns pointed at their heads so he intervened. ¡°Can you both behave civilised for two days? It¡¯s my wedding celebration.¡±


    Ever so slowly Dmitry turned his gaze to his brother. ¡°I am a man who believes in Barbarian entices, Alex and I am trying to be civilised for you because we are blood brothers. So tell your friend not to provoke me.¡±


    ¡°What will you do, if I provoke you, don¡¯t forget it¡¯s my territory, Pakhan.¡±


    At that Dmitry let out a throaty chuckle. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you want to know why?¡± His eyes sparked with a twisted excitement,  ¡°because territory belongs to dogs and I am a lion. I know how to kill dogs.¡±


    Liam¡¯s eyes turned dark. His hand twitched but Alexandrio shook his head. Liam took a step forward and got into Dmitry¡¯s face. ¡°You got it all wrong, barbarian. The man standing in front of you is not a dog, na! This man is a monster! A big bad monster. One more thing you got wrong, you can stand in my territory because I allowed it to happen for my friend.¡±


    Dmitry¡¯s lip curled upward but before he could say anything his eyes watched a beautiful blonde moving towards them. Aurora Kings, he recognised when she came a little closer. The same girl Liam is possessive about. ¡°I would have answered this question but your girl ising here. Ethan King¡¯s daughter isn¡¯t she? The Mexicans, the masked man, a lot of enemies you have, Knight!¡± He taunted.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Liam¡¯s eyes darkened to a dangerous depth understanding where he was pointing at. ¡°Liam knight knows how to castrate his enemies, Kyschove. I won¡¯t mind making a few new enemies or the presence of old ones¡­¡±


    Dmitry nodded. ¡°Same goes for me, Knight!¡±


    Alexandrio gave up on both of them. He stood there hearing both of them warning each other. That they have not pulled out their weapons yet, shows how important he was to both of them.  Dmitry was blood, his brother, he loved him but Liam was not less than a brother to him.


    ¡°Liam I want you to meet someone, will you pleasee with me, baby,¡± Aurora said with a shy smile.


    ¡°Aurora Kings, if I am not wrong!¡± Dmitry said before Liam could speak. She turned her head to look at him. ¡°Yes, and you are?¡±


    ¡°He is no one!¡± Liam snapped, grabbed her hand and walked away but not before warning him with his eyes. Stay away from her, the message was clear.


    Dmitry mocked him with a salute with his two fingers, a mocking smile ying on his lips. ¡°She is hot.¡±


    ¡°His girlfriend, out of your league!¡± Alexandrio pointed out a little sharply for his brother¡¯s liking.


    ¡°Nah! I am over blondes nowadays, I am more into brtes with long silky ck hair.¡±


    Alexandrio shook his eyes and went to his fiance, who he left alone because of the two hot-headed men.


    ¡°Liam, you are hurting me!¡± She said as his grip on her hand was biting it painfully. He was walking so fast that her heels were cutting her ankles. ¡°Liam, please slow down, I can¡¯t walk this fast with my heels.¡±


    Liam stopped into the empty hall and pushed her against the wall. ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me again if I am talking to some unknown man to you. I don¡¯t want any harm toe your way, do you understand me?¡± He almost shouted, making Aurora gasp in panic.


    His eyes lost the usual calmness and in its ce, there was something dark and violent present there. She touched his cheek with a shaking hand. ¡°Liam, what happened, baby? Is something wrong?¡± She asked in a soft voice as if she was talking to a child and that irked Liam even more but the look of care and love in her eyes stopped him from saying something harsh.


    ¡°Who can harm me when my strong man is standing beside me and let¡¯s be real, why would anyone want to harm me?¡± She said with augh as if his words didn¡¯t make any sense to her.


    Liam pulled her closer to him. ¡°You don¡¯t know how precious you are to me, Aurora. I can kill the whole world to protect you.¡±


    She bit her lower lip and looked down too shy to meet his eyes. ¡°I know but you didn¡¯t tell me who that man was and why did you get so angry?¡±


    ¡°He is an old rival of mine, I don¡¯t like him but he is Alexandrio¡¯s brother so I have to bear his presence for my friend.¡±


    Then it hit her, ¡°oh! so he was Dmitry.¡± She said and hearing his name from Aurora¡¯s mouth made him angry.


    ¡°How do you know him?¡± He demanded. Thousands of scenarios erupted in his mind.


    ¡°Emily told me she didn¡¯t like him and is kind of nervous around him.¡±


    Liam nodded. ¡°Do you want to stay?¡±


    Aurora nced at the time on her wristwatch. It was close to nine, she had ns for tonight. ¡°No, I think it would be better if we leave for home but let me say goodbye to Emily first.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I need to do the same, Alexandrio would not like me leaving before saying goodbye to him first,¡± he said and they both went back to the venue to say their goodbyes.


    ¡°But why are you leaving so early?¡± Emily pouted.


    Aurora hugged her. ¡°Because I am hoping for a big night, Em! I have some ns¡­¡± she told her friend and the thought tinted her cheek red. Emily¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°oh my God! You want to¡­¡± she wants to shriek but Aurora puts her hand on Emily¡¯s lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mad!¡±


    Emily calmed. ¡°Okay, I got excited for a minute, you know what? Get out from here and  I want details, Aurora Kings,¡± then going near to her ear she whispered, ¡°will you be able to walk tomorrow? Don¡¯t forget you are my maid of honour!¡±


    Aurora¡¯s mouth hung open. ¡°Ha! You shameless woman. Don¡¯t worry I won¡¯t ruin your wedding by my walk.¡±


    They bothughed at that and Aurora kissed Emily. ¡°I am so happy for you,¡± then her eyes went to Susan who was with Emily¡¯s parents. ¡°Tell her that too, I don¡¯t want her to feel left out.¡±


    Emily sighed. ¡°Aurora, think about stopping this cold war between you two. It only hurts you both. I would be gone for a month after the wedding. How will you both manage without me?¡±


    Aurora looked down, fidgeting her fingers at the question. ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe we willmunicate professionally, you are taking a break from The Belle but I can¡¯t. You know the contract still binds me for two more weeks.¡±


    Emily felt guilty, ¡°I told Xandro the same but he said that I could join after the honeymoon, and gave me off from The Belle using his power boss power.¡±


    Auroraughed. ¡°He did the right thing. Now, I have to go, take care of yourself and Susie too.¡±


    Aurora smiled imagining how Liam ckmailed her to stay in the Belle using the contract and today because of the same contract she had fallen madly in love with him.


    ¡°I will make this night unforgettable for us both, Liam.¡±

 Chapter 110

    Aurora looked at herself in the mirror for thest time. She was wearing a white nightie withce lingerie inside it. She was excited and nervous at the same time.


    ¡°You can do it, Aurora,¡± she said, taking a long breath to calm her racing heart. She twisted her lips inside in apprehension and walked outside the closet.


    Liam was taking a shower and she decided to light the scented candles she ordered from the best candle store in Vancouver. The soft vani fragrance filled the air of the room. She did everything to make the night memorable for them. She never felt this sure in her life.


    Liam was smiling confidently ear to ear, tonight he would make her his. He had waited for a long time for this day. The things he did to make her, his, could not be defined in words. He recalled their journey, from the day his father showed him her photograph and her insulting words to him to this day when she was decorating the room to surprise him.


    He chuckled. ¡°Oh little one, this monster became a Saint for you, for this day.¡±


    He tied the towel around his waist and walked out of the bathroom. He needed to pretend that he was surprised seeing her efforts so he put on a white T-shirt and ck trousers and went to his bedroom and a light Vani fragrance hit his nose.


    But the problem was that Aurora was nowhere to be seen in the room. He frowned.¡± where is she?¡± He mumbled moving forward in the room.


    ¡°Aurora,¡± he called her name but she was nowhere in the room. The room was perfectly lit with scented candles.


    The monster inside him roared in anger. He was infuriated with her absence and the first thought that came to his mind was, is she trying to tease me?


    That Vixen!


    ¡°Aurora!¡± He called one more time and again he was greeted by nothing but silence. He fisted his hand tightly and checked the door of his room. It was locked, it means she was inside the room but hiding somewhere and he needed to find her.


    His mood soured, she was behaving like a child. Were they children ying hide and seek?


    He was about to turn around but two hands hugged him from behind. For a moment, he forgot to breathe and his heart skipped a beat. ¡°Little one?¡±


    Aurora smiled on his back and ced a soft kiss between his shoulder des. Her hands feel his muscles under the softness of his T-shirt.


    The smile returned on Liam¡¯s face. He recalled that he needed to pretend he was surprised seeing all this decoration but the truth was he was impressed not surprised. He was never a fan of all the cheesy things but seeing her doing all this, Liam was touched by her thoughts. She was doing all this to make the night feel special for them.


    ¡°What is all this, little one?¡± He asked, putting a note of surprise in his tone.


    Aurora bit her lower lip shyly and loosened her grip a little. Liam turned around and held her in his arms. She was fidgeting her toes, her head held down in shyness.


    Liam held her chin and raised her eyes to meet his gaze. ¡°Answer me little one.¡±


    She swallowed the nervous lump before speaking. ¡°I am ready for you.¡±


    Liam was genuinely shocked hearing her say the actual words to him. ¡°Aurora, are you sure? I don¡¯t want you to do anything you are notfortable about?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I know and I love you for this but I want to be yours tonight, Liam.  I want to give you everything I possess, my heart, my body and my soul.¡±


    Thin lines formed between his eyes hearing her. Those were the exact words he said to himself, he promised to own her, mind, body and soul but she was giving him one more thing, which he never needed.


    She was giving him her heart!


    Aurora stood on her toes and ced her lips on his, touching his face with one hand while with the other she was holding his shoulder.


    He had kissed her before but today the kiss felt different. It was apletely new experience for him. He had sex with the world¡¯s most beautiful and sensual women but never did he experience this delight with a mere kiss.


    ¡°I want us to remember this night till the end of our lives, Liam. I want us to live this memory for a lifetime.¡±


    Liam didn¡¯t know what to say, he was numb more by her words than her actions but he reminded himself not to get affected by her stupid words. She was his job, only a means to an end and the end was his dream of ruling over the Canadian mafia but she was confusing him with her words. He needed to make her stop talking further, he needed to focus on his goal.


    Marriage and an heir. That¡¯s what he needs from her and tonight would be the start of achieving his goal.


    He ced a feather-soft kiss on her forehead and scooped her in his arms. Aurora encircled her arms around his neck, smiling at him. Her cheek turned crimson when he plopped her on the bed. ¡°I have waited so long for this day, little one. You have no idea how happy you made me tonight.¡±


    Aurora just staring into his eyes, love and respect for him were shining in them. A wave of goosebumps raised on her body when he slid his hand from her hand to shoulder making Aurora tilt her head to one side.  She felt ticklish all over her body when his hand went to her throat. ¡°Liam!¡± She whispered.


    Liam turned her head to him and kissed her chin. ¡°You are beautiful, Little one.¡±


    Aurora closed her eyes, the sensations in her body were too much for her to bear.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Liam was tracing his hand over her bosom and gave it a little squeeze, he was rewarded by a soft moan from Aurora.  He wanted to make this experience as delightful as possible for her.  The silk nightie was making her look even more beautiful but right now he wanted her out of that nightie.


    So he dropped the straps of the nightie down and kissed her corbone, Aurora¡¯s eyes were still closed but she grabbed his hand for support. ¡°Liam!¡±


    He loved the sound of his name from her mouth. He rolled both the straps down, herce white bra was the only thing hiding her modesty from his eyes now.


    Liam kissed the bra d nipples of hers and then ced a kiss between her breasts and travelled south on her body leaving a trail of kisses on it.


    Aurora squirmed under his touch, she was experiencing new heights of ecstasy with every move on her body. Liam opened her bra with a single finger and freed her soft mounds, cing a kiss on her naked chest now.  Aurora touched the hem of his T-shirt shyly asking him to get out of it.


    He needed not be asked twice, Liam took off his clothes and now waspletely naked. Aurora squeezed her legs together as she felt a beating there in her most intimate part.


    He took one breast in his mouth and teased it with the tip of his tongue.


    Aurora held his head for support and left a moan when he travelled south, rolling the nightie down to her waist. Aurora was naked now wearing onlyce underwear, the silk nightie was rolled like a waiting band and Liam rolled it down her legs.


    ¡°You are beautiful, little one.¡± He said tracing her hipbone with his index finger and when he travelled to her most intimate part with his finger Aurora crossed her legs for a moment.


    Liam raised his head. ¡°Do you want me to stop, Aurora?¡± He asked, Aurora shook his head.


    ¡°No,¡± she whispered and slowly opened her legs.  Liam teased her with his finger making Aurora purr like a cat under the expertise of his hand.


    He entered his finger inside her, she was already wet but Liam wanted more. He pushed her a little on the bed softly, grabbed her leg and left a trail of kisses on it. Once he reached her thighs he created little space between her legs and kissed her inner thighs.


    Aurora gasped. She has lost all her senses and only feels sensations all over her body. She cried in ecstasy when she felt Liam¡¯s tongue there. This was too much for her to take in. She tried to push his head but Liam held both her hands and moved them away from him.


    Aurora¡¯s eyes dted. She was nothing but a bundle of nerves now. Her breathing turned short, she went to another world of pure bliss.


    ¡°You taste perfect, Little one,¡± he mumbled at that sense spark of electricity throughout her body with the vibrations it creates inside her.


    Her stomach tightened and little stars appeared in her vision and then she felt a release so hard that everything turned ck for a moment.


    Liam chuckled hearing her cry when she came he drank every single drop of her orgasm and kissed her there before moving on to her.


    Her eyes were closed, Liam touched her face, ¡°open your eyes little one, the moment you wanted to make memories is here.¡±


    Aurora opened her eyes and Liam cursed himself in the mind. He could see the look of pure love in them. ¡°Make me yours, Liam,¡± she whispered with tears shining in her blue orbs. ¡°I want to be yours in every way possible.¡±


    Liam didn¡¯t know why he did that but he kissed her on the chest where her heart was. Aurora giggled at the gesture. ¡°You didn¡¯t only touch my heart but my soul, Liam. You are everywhere inside me.¡±


    Liam didn¡¯t want to hear all this. He wanted to fuck her and that¡¯s it! He reminded himself and with determination to not get affected by her stupid emotions he raised his eyes from her chest and met her gaze. ¡°It will be painful. Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± she told him with a smile.


    Liam nodded and separated her legs, settled between them and entered slowly. Aurora squeezed her eyes shut, it felt as if someone was cutting her from inside. ¡°Liam it hurts.¡±


    ¡°It will be fine, little one. You are brave,¡± he whispered and stopped his movement for a moment when her face calmed, he pulled out of her.


    After a moment he again entered inside, slowly moving forward. Aurora left a sob, this time in pain rather than pleasure. ¡°Liam, please stop for a moment, It hurts¡­¡±


    Liam gritted his jaw, he was fully erect but he knew how painful it was for her and he wanted to make her first experience beautiful for her. ¡°We can stop if you want, little one, you don¡¯t have to¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I want it but it¡¯s painful like this,¡± she gulped before looking into his eyes. ¡°Liam, can you enter with one stroke? It would be easy on both of us.¡±


    Liam shook his head. ¡°It will be far more painful than this, Aurora.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, I want to feel you inside me. Please.¡±


    Liam sharpened his eyes. He told himself not to be affected by her pain or tears. He lived to give pain and tears to others then why would she be any exception.


    But his mind screamed that she was not only an exception but special too. He hated that thought and told himself that he didn¡¯t care, he was fighting a war with himself. At one he wanted to treat her like a princess and on the other hand, he wanted to use her like he always dreamed of doing.


    Before his soft thought could influence him anymore he overpowered them with his darkness and entered inside with one strong stroke.


    Aurora cried in intolerable pain when he did that, her nails dug into his shoulder cutting his skin. ¡°Liam¡­¡± she sobbed turning her head to one side, trying to get away from him but Liam ced his head on hers working her tears with his thumb.


    The tightness of her walls around his C**k was making it hard for him to resist her anymore but her tears made him stop. ¡°The pain will pass, little one. Take all the time you want,  I won¡¯t move till you get used to me.¡±


    Aurora looked into his eyes. Blue orbs meeting ck one, she served herself to smile.  Her muscles flexed around him, the pain turned into a dull ache, it was tolerable now. ¡°You can move now, Liam.¡±


    Liam nodded and kissed her lips sensually before pulling out of her. He entered again, slowly, not to hurt her while he was kissing her corbone with his one hand he was shaping her breast. Removed his head from her corbone to her blossom and took a nipple into his mouth, teasing it with his tongue.


    Aurora forgot all about the pain, she was once again enjoying his sweet torture to her body. Her hands were roaming on his powerful back. She lost all her connections to the earth and the only thing which held her on the was her hold on his back.


    Aurora cried in pleasure once again when she felt her stomach tighten once again, seeded by an orgasm so strong that took her breath away.


    Liam rolled away from her and pulled her in his arms. ¡°Are you alright?¡± He asked looking at her. She turned into his arms and ced her head on his chest. He kissed her head went to the bathroom and came back with a wet warm cloth to clean her up.


    Once settled beside her again, Aurora gazed at him. ¡°I love you, don¡¯t ever leave me.¡±


    Liam sharpened his eyes. He knew then that she was ready for his question. He just needed to use the right method for her to say yes.

 Chapter 111

    ¡°Emily Smith, Do you take Alexandrio Kyschove, as your loyally wedded husband?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    There was apuse from the people gathered to witness the joyful wedding ceremony of Emily and Alexandrio. Aurora was smiling ear to ear watching the ceremony for a moment she imagined herself and Liam taking the sacred wedding vows.


    Liam¡¯s eyes went to Aurora¡¯s happy face. Now, he was even more determined to propose to her today. The seductive wedding atmosphere was a plus point on his n. Today, she would say yes to him.


    Susan¡¯s eyes drifted to Ralph for a nanosecond. He was looking at the bride and groom with an unreadable expression on his face. Susan looked away from him. He was no one in her life anymore. She was right when she told Emily that she was lost for a moment but she found herself again, this love and rtionship was not for her.


    She was happy in her one-night stand lifestyle, there won¡¯t be heartbreaks or pain anymore. She reminded herself of the promise she made to herself that she would not let her mother¡¯s fate rub in into hers.


    Ralph Knight watched his brother Liam standing beside Dmitry Kyschove, one of his biggest rivals. He was lost for words when he saw him standing behind Alexandrio as his best man after what he nned for him to achieve his goal.


    Ralph looked down, he couldn¡¯t see the happy face of Alexandrio when he knew that everything could change after a month. Liam was not going to wait a single day more after Alexandria¡¯s honeymoon period is over.


    ¡°Do you, Alexandrio Kyschove, take Emily Smith, as your loving wedded wife?¡± The priest asked.


    ¡°I do.¡± Once again the hall erupted with loud pping. Emily whispered ¡®I love you¡¯ to Alexandrio with teary eyes.


    He mumbled the same back to hers. Both seize the moment in their hearts and minds. Their smiles could make the moon jealous today.


    ¡°Because they have pledged themselves to each other in the presence of God and the witnesses, I now pronounce them as husband and wife,¡± the priest announced.  A trail of happy tears strolled down Emily¡¯s face.


    ¡°You may kiss the bride¡­¡± the priest said and Alexandrio stepped forward and ced his lips on hers for a soft kiss. ¡°I love you, wife.¡± He mumbled after the kiss.


    ¡°I love you too, husband,¡± she replied, hugging him. After a moment they walked as husband and wife while people showered them with wishes and warm words for their future.


    Dmitry moved to his brother, ¡°I am happy for you, brother.¡±


    Emily hid a little behind Alexandrio, hardly maintaining the smile on her face. Alexandrio hugged his brother. If he would not have allowed him to live his life the way he wanted he would never have met Emily. He was forever grateful for this to Dmitry.


    ¡°Thank you for always being there for me.¡± Dmitry nodded. Public disy of emotions was not his forte. He felt a vibration in his pocket and excuse himself from them.


    ¡°Are you still notfortable around him?¡± Alexandrio asked his newly wedded bride.


    Emily sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know him, his aura holds this darkness, I can¡¯t define it but I find it difficult to be myself in his presence.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°I am thinking about the dance you have to do with him after four first dances.¡±


    ¡°Oh no!¡±


    ¡°Oh yes!¡±


    Emily hides in his arms. ¡°I guess you can¡¯t keep your hands to yourself anymore.¡±


    Emily jerked away from her husband when She heard Liam¡¯s teasing voice.


    ¡°I wish you both a happy wedding life.¡±


    Ralph who was standing behind his brother chuckled at that. ¡°I wish you both the same, pal.¡±


    Liam gritted his jaw, hearing the jab in his brother¡¯s voice. But he didn¡¯t let his emotions show on his face. ¡°I would love to see you be the next standing at the aisle, Liam.¡±


    ¡°I wish the same.¡±


    ¡°You mean, you proposed to Aurora?¡± Emily asked, but Liam shook bis head. ¡°I did once but she declined but I think, this time, she would say yes.¡±


    Emily smiled when she saw Aurora and Susaning to her, ¡°I am so happy for you Em, I couldn¡¯t stop crying happy tears. You look like an angel.¡±


    Susan nodded. ¡°You do, I can¡¯t believe how time passed so quickly, it was just a few years ago we met and today you are married.¡±


    Aurora hugged Emily and Susan joined them. Aurora allowed Susan to touch her, she wanted to feel her arms around her. She missed her best friend. ¡°Okay now stop making me emotional, girls.¡±


    They kissed their dear friend with worlds of happiness and love ahead. ¡°If you both allow, may I dance with my bride?¡±


    Auroraughed at that and pushed Emily towards him. ¡°You may, Mr Kyschove but let me warn you, if you ever hurt my Em, I will kill you with my bare hands.¡±


    Susanughed at that, ¡°you can¡¯t kill a fly, Aurora let alone a man¡­¡± she said but stopped and looked away from her. Her eyes once again went to Ralph who was talking to a girl. Their eyes met for a moment and he looked away as if she was no one to him.


    Aurora wanted to speak and hug her but couldn¡¯t. She was not ready to forget her so soon. So she cleared her throat and stood beside Liam and watched Emily dancing with Alexandrio.


    Susan went to Emily¡¯s parents again to give them thepany, poor souls were still feeling secluded even afterst night.


    Liam looked at Aurora in question. ¡°What happened little one? ¡± he asked.


    ¡°They look beautiful together,¡± she whispered, resting her head on his chest.


    ¡°It can be us next, doing our first dance as husband and wife, you just have to say yes.¡±


    Aurora chuckled. ¡°The offer is nice but I won¡¯t be doing my first dance like this?¡±


    At that Liam raised his brow, ¡°And why not? Do you want to do something else at our wedding?¡± He asked, imagining her wanting a circus-themed wedding. Liam jerked in his seat, he was not to dress up like a clown, for hell¡¯s sake.


    Aurora giggled. ¡°Don¡¯t be so stiff. You see, I have had this fantasy forever.


    I don¡¯t want to dance in front of hundreds of people. No, I want to dance for my husband in our room, to my favourite music. Not caring about steps or anything. That moment would be for us only. Here, it is just a show, but there I would be the happy bride.


    Liam sighed in relief. Although he had a different kind of dance in mind on his wedding night. He went closer to her ear and whispered in a seductive tone. ¡°Is this your way of saying yes to my proposal, little one? Are you finally ready to wear my ring?¡±


    Aurora smiled. ¡°No, I am not.¡±


    His eyes dropped dark. ¡°Do you want more time?¡± He couldn¡¯t hide the anger in his voice. He wanted this facade to be over as soon as possible.


    Aurora heard that angry tone in his voice and her heart melted. Poor man! She thought.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that either but I didn¡¯t ept your proposal either.¡±


    Liam frowned at her words, not getting the meaning behind her riddles. ¡°You see Liam, I always wanted to marry for love, just like my mom did. Even though they only had a few years of life together, they were happy. My mother was in love with dad and my dad, he still loves her and you know when I fell in love with you, I got to know what true love feels like.  I can share my dreams with you knowing very well that you won¡¯t mock me.¡±


    ¡°What dreams are you talking about, little one. Are there any more fantasies I should know?¡±


    Aurora nodded like a child. ¡°There are.¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    Her cheeks turned cherry red while sharing one of the wildest fantasies he had. She twisted her lips inside to gain courage before sharing the scandalous fantasy. ¡°I read about this sex position in one of the gossip magazines once and since then I was attracted to it. On our wedding night, I want to be on top of you.¡±


    Liam only stared at her. He was left stunned.  He never let any of his sexual partners take lead in bed. He was always the dominant one and this girl was telling him that she wanted to dominate him in the bed that too on their wedding night!


    ¡°What happened, you seemed shocked?¡±


    Of course, he was shocked, she only seemed innocent. ¡°Are there more of these fantasies, little one, other than these two ?¡±


    Aurora hid her face in his chest shyly. ¡°That you will know after marriage only. I would rather show you than tell.¡±


    Liam nodded. ¡°So when is that going to happen? You, showing me your fantasies as my wife.¡±


    Aurora inhaled sharply, before whispering the words to him. ¡°As soon as you propose to me but this time I want you to do something special for me, unlikest time.¡±


    Saying that she ced a soft kiss in the crook of his neck, teasing him with her tongue. Liam¡¯s heart raced with her little gestures. She proved to be one hell of a deal to him.


    Susan watched Aurora cuddling happily with Liam from far away. Emily is happily married to Alexandrio and Aurora has Liam now, a man who loves her just as she does, a man who was right for her. She was happy for both her friends but somewhere she felt alone. There was a longing in her heart, which couldn¡¯t be defined in words.


    She snatched the ss of liquor from the passing server and gulped it in one go. She missed them being together, their moments, it seems that everyone moved on in life and she was the only one left alone with nothing but memories in her hand. She wiped the tears that rolled down her cheek and chuckled at her fate.


    First, her mother left her alone, then her godmother. She thought she had a family in Aurora but she also left her because she cared for her and now the only man she ever felt something for left her because she told him the truth about not liking his dominating behaviour.


    Ralph eyed Susan from afar, he gritted his jaw when he saw her gulping the tenth ss of liquor. He couldn¡¯t watch when she picked the eleventh ss, he sprinted to her and snatched the ss out of her hand. ¡°You have had enough liquor for one day.¡±


    Susan snatched her ss back. ¡°Who are you to preach to me? I don¡¯t need your advice, so fuck off!¡±


    Ralph¡¯s gaze grew dark.  ¡°Do I need to tell you who I am?¡± He asked in the same dark tone which used to erupt goosebumps on her body but now, she refuses her body to react to his voice in that manner anymore. ¡°As I said, fuck off!¡±


    Ralph grabbed her hand and walked outside the venue, pushed her against the wall and went into her face.¡± talk to me like that again and I will spank the daylight out of you.¡±


    That was thest thing Susan wanted to hear. She pushed him away with all her strength and pped him hard across the cheek. ¡°Who the hell do you think you are? Who gave you the right to talk to me in this manner? You started this little adventure with me. I allowed it, obviously, I had my reasons but then you crossed all the limits and used my body as if I was your sex ve who didn¡¯t have any right to say no to your demands and when I told you j didn¡¯t like I¡¯m what you did you broke our arrangement.  I am not a whore whom you are paying to fix your filthy kicks.¡±


    Ralph was astounded. He couldn¡¯t even speak a word to her.  ¡°Stay away from me or so help me, God. I will call the police on you, you sick bastard.¡±


    Susan got into one of the taxis and left from there leaving a stunned Ralph behind.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

 Chapter 112

    When Emily danced with Dmitry her heart was beating so fast that she heard it would jump out of her body. He had this sardonic expression on his face that she was scared of being in his personal space. ¡°I know you are notfortable around me but there is no need to be scared of me, I will not harm you, Emily. You are part of my family now.¡±


    Emily gulped the heaviness and nodded. ¡°May I ask you something?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    Dmitry nodded. ¡°You may.¡±


    Alexandrio asked me not to speak about it but I couldn¡¯t hide my curiosity about it anymore. ¡°How did you end up with this mark on your face?¡±


    Dmitry chuckled when he recalled the incident. But he couldn¡¯t tell her the reality of the incident. Not until his brother shared the truth about their identities with his wife. So he told her the thing he told everyone who isn¡¯t aware of his real identity.


    ¡°As I have already told you before, I was in the army, it happens during one of the training sessions. If this mark was the reason for you being scared of me you could have asked me about it before.¡±


    Emily squeezed his hand, ¡°I apologise for my behaviour. I have always seen you with these six giants behind you. I know you are a big businessman but I never saw anyone like this, my friend is from a big business family too, Alexandrio is your brother even though he has never been with these giant looking guards like you. I mean you don¡¯t even need any of these bodyguards when you look like this.¡±


    Dmitry chuckled. ¡°I am beyond their reach, Emily. They all are big businessmen but I am the biggest among them. You know thaw saying the biggest fish in the pond, just rece it with ocean and fish with a sea monster. Leave it, I have to do all this for my safety, one day you will understand it. I hope we don¡¯t have the ice between us anymore. Keep my brother happy,¡± he said when the song ended.


    ¡°Wait, you are saying that as if you are leaving?¡±


    ¡°Because I am, this city¡¯s air is unhealthy for my lungs. I have to go. I know you have been praying for it since I arrived here.¡±


    If only the floor could swallow her. ¡°I already apologised to you for my behaviour.¡±All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Dmitryughed and eyed his brother who was walking up to them with a scowl on his face. ¡°You did, but I have to return to my kingdom now. One more thing, he ced a rolled paper which had a red ribbon tied on it in her hand,¡± I hope you like my wedding present for you.¡±


    Alexandrio rested his hand on Emily¡¯s waist and smiled at his brother ¡°don¡¯t tell me you are leaving already?¡±


    ¡± I am, stay safe, Alex,¡± Dmitry said with a warning in his tone. The warning was not for him but the people around him. Alexandrio knew his brother was a caged monster. He had demons under his ice-cold mask, and if he ever allowed the monster in him to lose, things would turn ugly.


    Dmitry Kyschove was not a human, he was a demon wearing human skin!


    Alexandrio watched his brother leaving. He sighed, leaving a shaky breath. Emily looked at the rolled paper in her hand. ¡°Do you know what it is?¡± She asked her husband who nodded.


    ¡°Yes, but you can¡¯t open it yet, let¡¯s go and change. We have to go on our honeymoon.¡±


    Emily smiled shyly and they both took their leave from the reception as per traditions. Once they reached their new home, Alexandrio asked Emily to dress up because he was taking her to dinner.


    Emily frowned at his odd words. It was their wedding night, for God sake! ¡°Xandrio, we came back from our reception feast, why would we go out for dinner, it¡¯s our wedding night.¡±


    Alexandrio ced a soft kiss on her head. ¡°I have nned something for you. Please change into something formal. We are going to a ck-tie restaurant.¡±


    Emily pinched her lips together in irritation while walking inside the closet. ¡°What wedding night I got. Other brides are fidgety over their husband taking off the wedding gown and my husband wants me to dress in something formal.¡±


    Emily eyed the seductive nighties in her closet with longing and put on a formal powder pink suit with a stiff face. She didn¡¯t want to start her new life with a fight so she decided to keep quiet but tomorrow she was going to raise this issue to him. Everyone marries once for goodness sake! It was a lifetime memory but he ruined it for her.


    Alexandrios heard her mumbling but he couldn¡¯t say anything to her. He wanted nothing else than to devour himself into her arms but couldn¡¯t, not till he gave her what she deserved and she deserves the wound to be healed. Today, he was going to put on the balm over her infected scars and sew her back. Today, Alexandrion was going to give her the long-awaited revenge.


    Emily walked out of the closet and smiled stiffly. ¡°Is this formal enough, husband?¡± She couldn¡¯t hide her sarcastic tone while asking the question.


    ¡°Better than enough, wife. Now, let¡¯s wait anymore,¡± Alexandrio said, putting her hair behind her ear and tracing his forefinger along with her ear. The small gesture gave her goosebumps all over her body. She curled her toes in excitement.


    ¡°Xandrio¡­¡± she whispered but he shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Alexandrio said, grabbing her hand firmly and walking out of the house.


    Emily had never visited this hotel but the name sounds familiar to her. ¡°I don¡¯t know but I don¡¯t feel good eating here.¡±


    Alexandrio kissed her head. ¡°I promise they serve the best food but you might not like their services.¡±


    Emily thinner her lips. ¡°I will hate everything even if you took me to dinner on the moon tonight, Xandrio.¡±


    Alexandrio chuckled. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside.¡±


    Emily frowned when she found the ce without any guests and only a single table was ced in the middle of the restaurant, with around twenty-five staff members standing there.


    ¡°Wee, Mrs Kyschove.¡± The manager said Emily, Smiling politely and went near her husband. ¡°What is all this?¡±


    ¡°A dinner with my wife.¡±


    ¡°Stop it, I know you are hiding something.¡±


    Alexandrio kissed her and pulled the chair for her, ¡°have a seat, Zvezda.¡±


    She sharpened her eyes but epted the chair. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to fight you on our wedding night.¡±


    He smiled. ¡°Shall we order?¡±


    Emily nodded. ¡°I am already full from my reception feast but I would kill for a cup of hot, creamy and sugary coffee. I need it badly.¡±


    He nodded and nced at the manager. ¡°Coffee as per madam¡¯s taste.¡±


    He kissed her hand affectionately, loving every moment of bliss with his new bride. He licked her palm from inside with the tip of his tongue when Emily¡¯s eyes widened and she tried to snatch her hand but he didn¡¯t allow it, he leaned over the table and murmured into her ear. ¡°I would do this with you tonight but between your legs.¡±


    Her cheeks tinted pink sheepishly. ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to sleep the whole


    night, Zvezda.¡±


    She looked down,  didn¡¯t have the strength to look into his eyes again when he was saying these things to her. She still couldn¡¯t understand what was the purpose of this dinner tonight.


    Before she could ask, he spoke up: ¡°our coffee is here.¡±


    Emily exhaled irritated with getting disturbed. She removed her hand from the table as the waitress ced the coffee tray on the table.  ¡°Enjoy your coffee, madam, sir.¡±


    Emily¡¯s eyes widened as she snapped her head in the direction of the female voice. The woman was wearing a ck skirt and white shirt with a bow tie and a golden tag on her left side.


    ¡°Katelyn!¡± Emily whispered the name withplete shock. Katelyn¡¯s eyes widened in horror. She nced at the guests she was serving.


    ¡°You¡­!¡± She was horrified to see Emily. Katelyn straightened her posture and took a step back to leave. She recalled the days when she used to mock her for being a waitress. How she used to humiliate her every time Emily served her in that cafeteria near their college.


    Alexandrio picked the cup of coffee and took a sip. ¡°This is ridiculous, don¡¯t you even know how to serve coffee, there is a mark on the cup. Here,¡± He scolded Katelyn, putting the cap back on the table with a thud.


    She turned her gaze to him with a bewildered look on her face. ¡± I apologize for this, sir¡­¡±


    The manager ran to him, ¡°Is there some issue, Mr Kyschove?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your services are not good enough to receive reputed guests if you don¡¯t even know how to serve coffee.¡±


    ¡°I apologize, sir¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your apology worth, take this thing away from here and bring a new tray,¡± the manager scolded her. Katelyn nced at Emily who kept staring at her without blinking her eyes.


    Alexandrio eyed Emily, her eyes shifted to him from Katelyn. Her gaze held so many questions and he would give them to her but first, he needed to show her something else. ¡°He picked the cup from the tray and threw it at the marble floor.¡±


    ¡°Call a sweeper to clean it,¡± He ordered the manager who gestured at one of the staff members to obey the request. Emily heard Katelyn gasp in horror, she scowled but when she saw Victor with a mop in his hand she couldn¡¯t keep on sitting.


    All those memories came back running, the college walls covered with he ranked pictures, Victorughing at her and Katelyn mocking her. The mop dropped from Victor¡¯s hand as his eyes settled on Emily.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t drop your eyes from my wife I will make you clean the whole floor with your tongue!¡± Alexandrio snapped and Victor immediately looked down.  He fisted his hand recalling how he lost everything in gambling to a dangerous man and was forced to work as a sweeper in his hotel to repay the remaining money. He recalled how he was tortured by those debt collectors until he signed his hotel to that casino and was left with nothing but a few hundred dors in his ount which was enough to buy only a few groceries that too from a local market. In short, Victor was ruined. Financially.


    ¡°Xandrio!¡± She gathered all her strength to call his name. He moved to her and held her waist affectionately. ¡°Open the paper, my brother gave you, Zvezda,¡± he asked her.


    Emily frowned. She didn¡¯t understand anything. Her mind was not making sense, how was that possible, Victor was a son of a big hotelier. Why would he clean floors here? And Katelyn was a celebrity herself!


    ¡°Open it, wife.¡±


    Emily nodded and opened the rolled down paper. Once again she received a shock. Her head jerked at her husband who was smiling ear to ear. ¡°Congrattions on your new chain of hotels, Mrs Kyschove. Our wedding present, from my brother.¡±


    Emily shook her head. ¡°This is too much, Alexandrio. I can¡¯t ept it.¡±


    She told him, it doesn¡¯t matter who was listening to her. Her past no longer held her captive, the day she epted Alexandrio in her life, was her first step to move on from her dark past.


    ¡°It¡¯s not from me but my brother and trust me when I am saying this, Zvezda, he didn¡¯t take it lightly when someone tried to return his gifts. Because he rarely gives them to anyone.¡±


    Emily gulped as she turned her eyes to the people from her past. She could have mocked them,ughed at them just like they used to do with her. The thing Victor made her go through broke her from inside. She pretended to be strong and unaffected but only she knew how broken she was from inside.


    She only chuckled at the irony of the situation and held her husband¡¯s face lightly in her hands, cing a soft kiss on his lips. ¡°I know you asked your brother to do it because if it was you who would have given this to me, I would have refused immediately. I know why you did all this, Xandrio and I love you for this but there was no need for any of this. I don¡¯t care about these people anymore. The moments, the time I spent with you made me see what love feels like. You are my everything, Xandrio. My biggest treasure. You made me see the sunshine again. This Emily started behaving like herself because of your love and now, after this, she nodded at Katelyn and Victor, ¡°I don¡¯t care about them, never did. I cared about my reputation never about them but I forgot that I was trying to prove myself right when there was no need to do it, Xandrio.  You made me see how wrong I was. Who are these people, no one? Then why would it matter to me, I was shocked seeing them not because of seeing them like this but seeing how much my pain matters to you.¡±


    Alexandrio nodded and cleared the tear that rolled down her cheek, ¡°So do you want to keep them or fire them?¡±


    Emily looked at them both, met their gazes and smiled politely, ¡°let them work, unlike them I don¡¯t like making anyone¡¯s life hell. I didn¡¯t know why they are working here like this but if they are doing this, it means something bad happens to them both and they need money. So let them earn it.¡±


    Alexandrio nodded and gestured to the manager to leave them alone. He did not need to be told twice, he left with all the staff present there letting the new couple spend some time together before leaving.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± She asked when they were going back to their home. ¡°I did nothing, Dmitry did. I just told him what I needed to do and this man lost everything to a loan shark. I paid him enough and acquired everything that belonged to this Victor.¡±


    Emily shook her head in his chest. She didn¡¯t even want to recall anything from the past except her friends. Now she has a new life to look forward to and she nned to live it beautifully with the love of her life.

 Chapter 113

    ¡°My love, you are shining, is there something you wanted to tell me, Aurora?¡± Ethan asked his daughter who shook her head like a child.


    ¡°Nothing, I am just happy for Emily. She got married to Alexandrio. Oh, dad, it was a dreame true for her. She looked so beautiful in her wedding dress, I can¡¯t express her happiness in words.¡±


    Thin lines appeared around Ethan¡¯s eyes as he looked at his daughter. Her eyes were shining in happiness. ¡°Are you sure, Love? Because as far as I can see, my little daughter is hiding something from me.¡±


    Aurora closed her eyes in shyness. She couldn¡¯t hide anything from her father. He has the power to look into her soul. ¡°Dad, I am going to say yes, this time.¡±


    Ethan Kings forgot to breathe for a moment. He blinked twice beforeing back to his senses. ¡°Yes to Liam for the marriage?¡± He asked to confirm.


    Aurora nodded repeatedly, ¡°yes dad. But it¡¯s not that easy, you know. First, he has to do something unique and special for me then only I would say yes.¡±


    ¡°Special? Like what, Love?¡±


    Aurora sighed. ¡°How did you propose to mom?¡± She asked, raising her brows in question.


    Ethan chuckled recalling the time when he proposed to his wife, he went on one knee in front of everyone present in the restaurant. He still remembers the smile on her face that day. Her eyes were sparkling the same way Aurora¡¯s shining today.


    A deep sorrow filled his heart seeing Aurora¡¯s happy face because he knew this was not real. Liam didn¡¯t love her, this was nothing but a business deal for him. A contract to increase his influence over the Mafia Commission.


    ¡°Dad, thank you so much, if you had not introduced me to this man, I would have been in a very wrong ce today. You were right dad, Gabriel was not for me. Liam is.¡±


    Ethan¡¯s eyebrows pulled together when Aurora took Gabriel¡¯s name. He had been trying to find him but he just vanished into thin air. ¡°Gabriel? I hope he is fine, I didn¡¯t want you to marry him but I always wish for his good future.¡±


    Aurora shrugged. ¡°I wish for the same dad, we are not in contact anymore but I know he is trying to move on, that¡¯s why he left Canada and went to Europe. He wished me good luck and I feel relieved dad.¡±


    ¡°Europe? Where in Europe, Exactly, Love?¡± He asked carefully, not to let her see anything fishy on his face.


    Once again Aurora shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know dad as I said, I am not in contact with him anymore¡­¡±


    Before she could say anything, Liam came there. He didn¡¯t know that she was on a video call, before she could speak he held her by the waist and rested his head on the crook of her neck, kissing it, seductively. ¡°You were about to share more of your fantasies, little one.¡± He said in a husky voice and Aurora¡¯s eyes widened in horror.


    ¡°Liam,¡± she tried to get out of his hold, her Ipad which was ced in the window wall. Aurora smiled sheepishly at her father who scratched his jaw and looked genuinely ufortable.


    ¡°We will talk some other time, Aurora¡± saying that he ended the call.


    Liam raised his head from Aurora¡¯s neck. ¡°That was Ethan¡¯s voice!¡± Aurora closed her one more time and elbowed him in the tummy lightly, to create a space between them. This time Liam allowed it to happen, Aurora turned around and pushed him in the chest.


    ¡°I was on a video call with my father and he saw us like this,¡± she facepalmed herself in embarrassment. Liam shook his head in irritation that Ethan witnessed a personal moment between him and Aurora but then he chuckled thinking, now Ethan knew how intimately he had trapped his daughter into his love.


    He once again pulled her closer to him. Aurora gasped when his erection pressed against her stomach.  ¡°Liam?¡±


    ¡°I want you, little one but first you are going to share your fantasies with me. I have been thinking about them since evening.¡±


    Aurora smiled and locked her hands to his neck. ¡°First give the kind of proposal I couldn¡¯t say no to,¡± saying that she unlocked her hands and moved to leave but Liam pulled her back in his arms, ¡°Liam!¡±


    ¡°You will get it soon, but now, I want to know about those fantasies you have.¡±


    She knew he was not going to leave her unless she shared those fantasies with him. So she made a deal. ¡°I will tell you only one, rest will remain secret till your proposal.¡±


    Liam didn¡¯t like it but nodded in agreement after all he didn¡¯t want to talk all night when he could make his every fantasy alive. Liam Knight was always hungry for the temptress¡¯s body.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you would feel about it but¡­ but¡­¡±


    Liam raised his brows. ¡°But what?¡±


    She searched his eyes thinking what he would think when she told him about the thing which attracts her. ¡°I have this office fantasy.¡±


    ¡°Office fantasy? Can you be more borate about the details?¡±


    Aurora¡¯s cheeks turned beetroot red. ¡°I want to have sex in office, you know, heels, pencil skirt¡­¡±


    Liam¡¯s private part jerked in his trousers. She was not that innocent, she had these fantasies now he couldn¡¯t imagine how wild she could turn into once he taught her everything in this forte.


    His lip turned into a smirk. He traced her jawline with his forefinger and raised her chin. ¡°Wild and naive, the rarestbination you are, little one.¡±


    Aurora bit her lower lip in shyness. Liam could not resist her anymore and scooped her in his arms. ¡°Let me show you something.¡±


    Aurora giggled like a child. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you, you have to experience it, in the bed, with you under me, little one.¡±


    Auroraughed at his words. She couldn¡¯t believe she found a man who loves her as much as she loves him.


    ¡°Are you sore?¡± He asked once he ced her on the bed. She was, but she wouldn¡¯t be sharing it with him. She wants to experience everything with him. ¡°Nope!¡± She replied, stressing on the ¡®p¡¯ sound.


    Liam sharpened his gaze and nodded. He took off his T-shirt, his perfectly toned abs were on disy. She touched them slowly, enjoying their feel around her fingertips, an idea shot her mind and she travelled her hand to the south of his body.


    Her fingers yed with the edge of his trouser, ¡°what do you have in mind, little one?¡±


    She gulped before speaking. ¡°Something naughty,¡± as her hands went inside his trousers. She felt his erection, with another hand Aurora rolled his trousers and plucked him in her soft hands.


    Liam who had experienced everything in the world of pleasure was shocked by the pleasure which hit his nerves with a mere touch.  He was in shock over this, himself.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Liam, it¡¯s heavy and silky,¡± He inhaled sharply when she roamed her thumb over the top of his c**k. ¡°What are you up to, Aurora?¡± He asked, holding her hand in his. ¡°Pleasure you,¡± she whispered looking into his eyes.


    Liam took a deep breath and traced her lower lip with his thumb. ¡°Do you want me to teach you how I like it, little one?¡±


    Aurora swallowed the heavy lump that formed into her throat before nodding. ¡°Yes!¡± She whispered, squeezing his member into her fist lightly.


    He shrunk his eyes and Moved her hand back and forth, Aurora bit her lip, squeezing her legs together to create a little friction.  she has aroused herself.


    Liam watched her biting her lower lip, he couldn¡¯t stop himself and snapped his lips on hers into a sensual wild kiss. He increased the speed of their hands, the pleasure shot through his body as he shot his seeds in her hand.


    Aurora couldn¡¯t breathe, she made a sound of uneasiness and Liam forced himself to leave her lips. She inhaled the much-needed air, her eyes closed. ¡°Liam¡­¡± she purred his name like a kitten.


    He pushed her on the bed and sped her legs, her silk nightie rode to her waist. Aurora didn¡¯t have the strength to say anything. She only watched him ying with her body and enjoying the pleasure he was giving her with his tongue between her legs while his eyes were fixed on hers.


    Aurora understood how much power he held over her. He didn¡¯t just win her heart, he won her soul. The man was a devil in bed but a perfect gentleman outside it.


    She closed her eyes and cried out in ecstasy when her orgasm hit hard. Aurora waited for him to settle on her likest night, she opened her eyes when nothing like that happened.


    Instead, Liam was pulling out the tissues from the side table and cleaning himself. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    He raised his brief in question. ¡°Why are you cleaning yourself when we didn¡¯t have the¡­¡±


    He chuckled before she could even finish her sentence. He ced a finger to her lips and wiped her clean with the tissues. She was still looking at her with a questioning gaze.


    He kissed her head andid down with her in his arms. She ced her head on his chest. ¡°I know you are sore, Aurora. So we are going to skip this till you heal.¡±


    Aurora raised her head and gazed into his eyes. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    Liam pushed the lick of her golden hair behind her ear, his thumb tracing her lips. ¡°Because I can see it in your eyes. I know you are in pain, little one and I don¡¯t want to make you feel anything ufortable. You are made to feel pleasure only, I don¡¯t want to hurt you unless you do something punishable.¡±


    Aurora frowned. ¡°And how do you intend to punish me, by spanking me as you did on the ind?¡± She asked, anger clearly visible in her voice.


    ¡°No. Spanking is not a punishment for you, I know you enjoyed it then. You are as kinky as I am, Little one.¡±


    She took it as an insult. ¡°I am not kinky!¡± She defended herself as if being that was a bad thing.


    Liam pushed her closer, she fell on his chest, her long golden locks sttered on the pillow around him. ¡°There is nothing bad about being kinky, little one. And I am not saying you are into BDSM. Everyone has some kind of kink, you liked spanking. Some like it the extreme way, some are into soft vani things. You like some aspects of it and it keeps things spicy in rtionships.


    Aurora didn¡¯t know what to say about it. On the ind when he spanked her she was hurt and needed someone near herself but there was none so she found her sce in his arms. She recalled how she couldn¡¯t sit for a long time and now Liam was saying that she liked spanking!


    Was she a kinky woman? Does she really love the punishment?


    Liam could see the questions in her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t think about it yet, we will explore everything and then you decide what you like and what not? We have our whole life together, little one.¡±


    Aurora nodded andid down beside him. Her mind was still not able to believe the things he said, her stiff body rxed immediately when he held her in his arms. ¡°It¡¯s not a big thing, little one. I am kinky too!¡±


    She turned into his arms and stared at him with wide eyes ¡°what?¡± She asked stunned recalling the things she read about the Kinky rtionships. She had heard how people like being beaten and tired up during sex.


    Fear engulfed her heart, ¡°what do you mean, you are kinky, Liam?¡± She asked in a small voice.


    Liam shook his head. ¡°Aurora, I told you, being kinky has little to do with BDSM. I won¡¯t do anything you are notfortable with, little one,¡± he wants to ease her fears. He doesn¡¯t like soft Vani sex, he was into rough but he knew he she wouldn¡¯t be able to do what he desired. Yes, she liked some aspects of roughness but even that has limits.


    She didn¡¯t know why but tears perked into her eyes hearing him. She touched his face and smiled. ¡°You are the most beautiful person in my life, Liam.  I am lucky to have you.¡±


    Liam once again found his heart picking the speed. He couldn¡¯t understand how this girl could do it with just her words.


    All he knew was whenever she said something like this, he wanted to hug her tightly and never let her go.

 Chapter 114

    Aurora hugged Emily tightly. ¡°I will miss you, a lot, Em!¡±


    Emily kissed her friend. ¡°I will miss you both too but I will be back in a month and then we are going to open our own brand. We won¡¯t let our dream die just because I am now married to The Belle¡¯s owner.¡±


    Auroraughed. ¡°So you want to givepetition to your own husband, couple goals, Em!¡± She whistled, making Emily burst outughing.


    ¡°You want to know something?¡± She asked Emily, who raised her brows in question, ¡°what?¡±


    ¡°I threw a challenge at Liam that if I like the way he proposed to me I would say yes to him.¡±


    Emily¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°It means you are ready to marry him.¡±All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Aurora nodded happily, her eyes went to Susan who looked away from them when their eyes met.


    While Aurora was chatting with Emily Susan was silently watching the two of them glowing in happiness. She was happy for them, genuinely happy but it hurted her when she thought about herself.


    Emily noticed her silence, Aurora did too but her pride didn¡¯t allow her to ask if she was fine or not or what she looks like. She was Susan, she was supposed to be strong.


    ¡°Can you tell her¡­¡± Aurora whispered in her ear. Emily shook her head, ¡°Aurora now you are stretching it too far. Don¡¯t do this to her.¡±


    Aurora looked down and fidgeted her fingers. She was not ready to give up on her pride, not yet at least. Emily sighed and walked to Susan. She forced a smile on her face.


    ¡°Aurora is ready to marry Liam,¡± Emily told her the money she stopped near her. Susan nodded, ¡°good for her.¡±


    Emily frowned. She didn¡¯t expect this kind of reaction from her. ¡°Are you alright? I know there is something you are hiding from me.¡±


    Susan shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I am alone, you are married and moved in with him, Aurora is living with her dream man and ready to marry. Who do I have, Emily? No one, I don¡¯t have anyone. I guess I need to go out and look for new friends, you see Emily, till now, I had no one except for Aurora and you. My life¡¯s only aim was to take care of Aurora. I made it my mission and I forgot myself in doing so. I made myself so dependent on Aurora that everything elsees secondary to her and now, I got to know how stupid I was in doing so. Look at her, she is happy and enjoying her life while I am left alone.¡±


    Emily held her hand. She was ashamed of herself. She was so lost in her marriage bliss that she didn¡¯t notice how Susan must be feeling. ¡°Susan, let me tell Aurora the truth that I also helped you.¡±


    Susan shook her head, her protective mother mode on again. ¡°No, you won¡¯t tell her anything about it, Emily. At least she tells you everything. Promise me you won¡¯t tell her anything.¡±


    Emily closed her eyes. ¡°She asked me to talk to you, she is worried about you too, Susan. She asked me to take care of you.¡±


    Susan was hurt. ¡°Is her pride more important than our friendship? You know what¡¯s more painful, Emily?¡±


    Emily kept staring at her, Susan chuckled sarcastically, ¡°I did everything for her happiness, look at her, she is happy with Liam now. Have you ever seen her like this when she was with Gabriel?¡±


    Emily shook her head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Where was I wrong? Tell me Em?¡± She couldn¡¯t speak anymore and looked down. She didn¡¯t want Emily to see her tears.


    Susan took a deep breath to control her emotions. ¡°Leave me, Emily, you are leaving for your honeymoon. I want you to be happy. Enjoy your time with your husband.¡±


    Susan patted her hand onest time, nced at Aurora who was looking at them with longing. She wouldn¡¯t go to her, not this time. If Aurora had her pride, so did Susan. She had done enough for her, now she would live her life, without worrying about Aurora.


    She had fulfilled her promise to her godmother. Aurora was with someone who loved and respected her. Now she was free of that burden too, ¡°I am going to the USA for some time. The Belle offered me a ce in their USA branch. I epted it, I am leaving in two hours.¡±


    ¡°When did that happen? Why didn¡¯t you tell me? Let me tell Aurora, she will talk to you¡­¡±


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t do that, please. I am not a beggar, Em! I don¡¯t want her to talk to me out of pity. If she has the pride I too have it.¡±


    ¡°You both will regret hurting each other like this. I am telling you, Susan,¡± Emily whispered painfully.


    She smiled and cleared her throat. ¡°I never thought I would be saying this to you, but I love you, Em! Thank you foring into my life.  Enjoy your time with the hot billionaire.¡±


    Emily chuckled recalling the silly things she did on the cruise to get Alexandrio¡¯s attention. ¡°I will. Thank you, Susie, for protecting me. But hey, I am not leaving you just yet, once I am back we will work on our brand. so you and Aurora only have a month to clear all the air between you two because I want everything normal between you both once Ie back.¡±


    Susan hugged her. ¡°Goodbye, friend.¡±


    Emily watched Susan leave. She slumped her shoulders and turned to Aurora who was waiting for Emily impatiently. ¡°Is she alright?¡± She demanded.


    Emily shrugged. ¡°She is fine. But I am mad at you both. Listen to me well, Aurora. You have thirty days,  break this ice with Susan because the day I return from my honeymoon I want everything just like before,¡± she said strictly.


    Aurora sighed and nodded. ¡°I will try.¡±


    Emily kissed her head and hugged her.


    Aurora watched her friend leave. She wiped the tears recalling all the things they did together. Seeing her and Susan gone, Aurora felt as if an era came to an end.


    She watched the lifeless trees through the window of her car. There was a weird heaviness in her heart today, even though she has taken a leave from The Belle but she asked the driver to take her there.


    She needed Liam near her, the sad feeling in her heart was making her anxious. Aurora didn¡¯t bother with the knock and entered the cabin.


    Liam was talking to someone over the phone, he raised his eyes and frowned. She didn¡¯t care if he was disturbed or not. She wanted to be in his arms.


    Liam ended the call but before he could ask Aurora anything she threw herself into his arms.  ¡°Is everything alright, Little one?¡±


    She didn¡¯t speak, only sighed in the crook of his neck. His masculine scent eases her anxiety. She hugged him tightly. ¡°Don¡¯t ever leave me. I will die if I have to stay away from you, Liam.¡±


    She was doing it again, making his heart race. ¡°What happened Little one?¡±


    He asked, creating a little space between them and holding her face in his hands. ¡°Tell me?¡±


    Aurora swallowed. ¡°I didn¡¯t like it, Liam. Emily left for her honeymoon and I am not talking to Susan. It felt as if everything changed. Our life, our friendship. Things changed. I didn¡¯t like it, ¡± saying that she hugged him once again.


    What the hell! Everything changes, it¡¯s the rule of nature. What was there to cry about?


    He patted her back. ¡°Stop crying, little one. Talk to Susan if you want, why are you still angry with her? In a way, she helped us be together.¡±


    Aurora broke the hug and looked into his eyes.  ¡°How can I  talk to Susan?¡±


    Liam nodded. ¡°Why not? It was you who broke up with her so it¡¯s you who had to take the first step towards her, Aurora. Don¡¯t stretch the matter too far, calm your heart and talk to her.¡±


    She blinked. ¡°How easily you eradicate all theplications in my life, Liam.¡± She gently held his face in her hands. ¡°You make everything so easy. How did you do that every time?¡±


    Liam jerked her forward and ced his lips on hers. He couldn¡¯t think about anything. He needed to feel her. Aurora happily went with the flow. She touched the back of his neck for support.


    Liam was trying to dominate her but when she kissed him softly, he went easy on her lips. The heated kiss turned into a passionate one, slow and sensual.


    Liam tucked her hair behind her ear, she smiled and tried to stand up from hisp but Liam held her by the waist. ¡°Liam¡­¡± she whispered but he ced a finger on her lips.


    ¡°Marry me, Little one,¡± he proposed to her, the moment just felt right. He thought he would be doing something extraordinary to propose to her but there was something at the moment which made him say the words to her.


    Aurora inhaled sharply. She couldn¡¯t believe what he just said. Although he had proposed to her once before, that day she didn¡¯t take anything he said seriously. But today, his words meant everything to her. The moment was perfect and she couldn¡¯t deny him anymore.¡±


    ¡°Say something, little one.¡±


    Aurora ced her lips on his once again and gave him a soft peck. ¡°Yes, I will marry you, Liam.¡±


    Liam closed his eyes and pulled her in his arms. ¡°Thank you, I didn¡¯t know what I would have done if you had denied this time.¡±


    Aurora chuckled. ¡°You proposed without a ring, Liam. I should have denied you.¡±


    ¡°I need to change that, I guess. Shall we go ring shopping together?¡±


    Aurora shook her head. ¡°No, I want you to surprise me,¡± she once again gazed into his eyes. ¡°I am going to meet Susan. I can¡¯t wait to talk to her, to tell her about this news. She would be so happy, Liam but¡­¡± she told him firmly, ¡°when Ie back home tonight, I want a perfect ring with you getting on one knee and a proposal speech or I will change my mind,¡± saying that she stood up, kissed his head and left.


    Liam took a long breath after she left.


    ¡°Finally!¡± He whispered. His lips lifted into a proud smile. ¡°Now, the charade will be over finally.¡±


    The only thing left was a ring. He called his assistant to buy a ring but changed his mind and decided to buy the ring himself. He had done enough acting for this day that now, he wanted to buy the ring himself. He stood up and left to buy a perfect ring for her.


    Aurora called Susan¡¯s number but it was switched off. She frowned. Susan never turned her phone off. She decided to check their home but was shocked to find the door locked. Her heart started beating faster, ¡°where are you, Susie?¡± She whispered and tried to call her again but once again the phone was off.


    She didn¡¯t have anyone except for me, where could she go? Aurora decided to check the office, she called the office to check if she was there or not? But she was stunned when she heard the answer to her question.


    Susan left for the USA, she received a job in The Belle¡¯s branch there. She was hurt that Susan left without even telling her about it. She swallowed the heavy lump that formed in her throat and moved to her car. All the happy memories she spent with Susan shed in her memory.


    She scolded herself for behaving this rudely with her and over what, Gabriel! The man who no longer was a part of her life. She cursed herself in anger and decided to leave a few messages to Susan, asking her to talk to her. She even typed an apology but deleted it.


    She would apologise when she met her. She wouldn¡¯t hurt her friend anymore. It was time to break the ice between them.


    It¡¯s time to be old Aurora and Susan again.

 Chapter 115

    ¡°Liam¡­¡± Aurora hugged him tightly. While Liam smiled, ¡°Is this my lucky day or something, little one? You kept hugging me, today.¡±


    Aurora sniffed in his arms. ¡°She left me. She went to the USA.¡±


    Liam rolled his eyes in irritation.  ¡°Maybe she needed a little time away from all this to pull herself together. It¡¯s normal, Little one. Don¡¯t think too much about it.¡±


    Aurora nodded and broke their hug. She peered into his eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t leave her alone, Liam. I know she is hurt, I hurted her badly. She did wrong but what I did was not right either. How could I be so selfish, how did I not see it before? When I wasing back, memories of every moment we spent together shed in front of my eyes and I felt guilty over my actions. She had no one except for me, Liam. I was her only family. I have to meet her, apologies to her¡­.¡±


    Aurora was speaking everything so fast that Liam had to stop her from talking. ¡°Calm down, Little one. If you want to meet her, we will go to the USA together. But first, I have something to show you,e with me.¡±


    Aurora shook her head. She was not in the mood for anything other than sleep tonight. ¡°No, please, Liam, I just want to have a quiet night tonight. Let¡¯s just go to bed.¡±


    Liam gritted his jaw. He had waited enough for the day, he didn¡¯t have any patience to dance on her fingers anymore. He forced himself to put a smile on his face and touched her cheek softly.


    ¡°We will go to bed little one, but not before I see the spark in your eyes back. I can¡¯t allow my wife to sleep with a sad face.


    Aurora didn¡¯t want to hurt his feelings, so she did what he asked him to do.


    ¡± Do you trust me, Aurora?¡± He asked.


    She smiled. ¡°More than anything in this world. I trust you more than myself, Liam.¡±


    Her words made him inhale sharply. Once again his heart picked up speed and he felt an uneasiness in his body but Liam ignored it and put on a blindfold on her eyes.


    ¡± What are you doing Liam?¡±


    ¡°Wait for my surprise, Little one,¡± he said while picking her in his arms. She gasped, the blindfold on her eyes making every moment jittery for her.


    He took her to the terrace. Aurora gasped when a cold breeze touched her naked flesh of shoulders as she had removed her coat. ¡°Liam¡­¡±


    He put her on the floor and turned her around, hugged her from behind, went near her ear and whispered softly. ¡°Aurora Kings, when my father showed me your pictures for the first time, I was awestruck and the feeling remained the same since then. When you said yes to me today, you made me the happiest man in the world, Little one.¡±


    Aurora had everything money could buy her, but today, What Liam was giving her with his words was the most expensive gift anyone had ever given to her.  He smiled when he removed the blindfold from her eyes.


    She opened her eyes softly and blinked thrice to clear her vision. ¡°Look at the sky, Little one.¡±


    Aurora did and her eyes broadened when the sky was lit with firecrackers. There was a huge Marry me, written in the sky, Aurora gasped seeing the golden words written in the sky. She put her hands to her mouth in awe.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡± she turned around but he was not standing beside her.


    She frowned but cried in happiness when heard his voice. ¡°Say yes to me and put me out of this misery, Little one. Marry me.¡±


    Aurora couldn¡¯t stop her tears anymore. She was smiling and crying at the same time. She sat down on her knees and nodded. ¡°Yes, Yes, Yes I¡¯ll marry you. I will marry you whenever you want, Liam.¡±


    Liam pulled her in his arms and kissed her shoulder. Aurora hugged him tightly, not wanting any difference between them. ¡°Thank you, Little one. Thank you so much.¡±


    She sobbed in happiness. ¡°You have no idea what you have given me tonight.¡±


    He said, creating a little distance between them he held her hand. ¡°May I?¡± He asked before putting the ring on her engagement finger.


    Aurora nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± she sniffed and smiled when he put his ring on her hand. ¡°Now, you are officially mine.¡±


    She kissed him with all the love she felt for him, Liam allowed her to dominate his mouth tonight. When she broke the kiss, Aurora held his face in her hands. ¡°And you are officially mine, Mr Knight.¡±


    His brows pulled together in a teasing manner. ¡°Possessive, Mrs Knight?¡±


    She grabbed his tie and pulled him closer, ¡°very possessive, Mr Knight.¡±


    He chuckled and once again pulled her in his arms as they both watched the beautiful star-filled sky together.


    Aurora touched her ne.


    I have finally found the man of my dreams, Mom. I am finally happy. I wish I could share this with you. I wish I could hug you tonight but I can share the happy news with Dad, Mom. You are not here but he is. He will be so happy to see me engaged, this time to the right man.


    ¡°Shall we go to bed for the quiet night you wanted to have, Little one?¡±


    Aurora chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have a quiet night anymore.¡±


    He turned his head to her side and raised his brows, ¡°Are you suggesting something naughty, Mrs Knight?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mrs Knight.¡±


    He needed not be told twice, he once again picked her in his arms but this time to take her to bed. Once in the room, he joined his lips to hers and


    he sated his lustful desires with her body.  Aurora melted in his arms like butter melted when it came near the fire.


    Every time She joined her body to Liam was a new experience for her but this time it was far more meaningful than the previous times, might be because this time she was officially his and he, hers.


    The next day, Aurora was still in bed when Liam kissed her naked shoulder to wake her up. ¡°Good morning, Little one.¡±


    Aurora smiled. ¡°Good morning, husband,¡± she said. Liam chuckled hearing that from her. ¡°Wake up, wife, we have a long day today.¡±


    Aurora sat up immediately. She has to call her father and Susan to share the good news with them. She was excited and nervous at the same time. When she came back from her train of thoughts she saw Liam all dressed up in a navy blue suit and white shirt.


    ¡°You are ready? Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡±  She said running to the bathroom for a shower while Liamughed watching her childlike fit.


    Aurora kept staring at her engagement band. It was a beautiful, tinum band with a beautiful big oval-cut white diamond in the centre of it.


    Nothing too shy but surely eye-catching. It suits Aurora¡¯s personality.  ¡°If you don¡¯t like it we can change¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s perfect.¡± She said before he could even finish the sentence. She nced at him, ¡°Liam, I want to go to meet Dad and Susan, today.¡±


    Liam raised his head from his Ipad. He couldn¡¯t allow her to leave Vancouver. She was safe here but in Churchill, she was at serious risk. ¡°Why don¡¯t we call your dad here? Let¡¯s meet him here and as far as your friend is concerned, I think you should start the conversation on the phone first. The way you broke up with her was very rude, Little one and I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡±


    ¡°You are right, I really hurt her and that¡¯s why I wanted to surprise her and you said we can go to meet her. If you can¡¯te it¡¯s okay, I will go there myself.¡±


    He forced a smile on his face. ¡°You think I would let my newly engaged fiance go anywhere soon after our engagement then you are wrong, Aurora. You can go and  meet her anytime but still, I think you should talk to her on the phone first.¡±


    Aurora sighed. Maybe he was right, she thought and nodded. ¡°But I really want to see Dad and Mrs Dn. I can take a public flight to meet dad¡­¡±


    Liam nodded. ¡°What about, we ask your father to meet us here. Dad was also talking about a meeting with him, I think he would being here anyhow.¡±


    Aurora twisted her lips to one side in a cute pout and nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t even called Dad yet.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it together, once we are in office.¡± Aurora rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.


    Ethan King was losing his patience with every single second. His man informed him that they have seen Juan in Churchill a few days back.


    A chill ran through his body in excitement hearing it. He was going to finish the man once and for all. He asked his man to search the streets and find out in which hole he was hiding.


    Thomas entered Ethan¡¯s office, ¡°Any information?¡±


    Ethan demanded the second he saw Thomas. ¡°There is, I have asked men to get ready for the operation¡­¡±


    Ethan shook his head. ¡°No, I will go for the hunt myself, Juan will die from my hands, not my men, Thomas.¡±


    Thomas sighed. ¡°It can be risky, Ethan. We don¡¯t know what he is nning. It could be a trap for you. You have never done this, you never let your emotions rule your mind don¡¯t do it now.¡±


    Ethan shook his head and took a long breath. ¡°Thomas it¡¯s about my daughter¡¯s safety and that man is a threat to it. I will rip him apart limbs by limbs with my hands. I will give him a death that other people will think million times before thinking about harming my daughter.¡±


    Thomas sighed. When ites to Aurora, Ethan didn¡¯t care about anything. He had full faith in his friend¡¯s ability to kill that man but unlike Ethan he was a practical man. He knew that Juan was an equally powerful man and unlike his brother he was far more twisted and Dangerous. There was something about Juan which gives Thomas creepy chills.


    ¡°Where is he hiding?¡±


    Thomas sighed. ¡°Outside the city in one of the discarded warehouse near the bridge.¡±


    Ethan nodded. ¡°What a coincidence, I killer his brother in the same ce and now he was going to die there too.¡± He chuckled, opening the drawer of his table and pulling out his gun.


    Whenever he held the gun in his hand he remembered his wife¡¯s face. She was disappointed in him every time he used the gun but in the end when she was lying in the hospital bed she asked him to protect Aurora in every way possible. She touched his gun with shaking hands epting the reality of their life when she was about to die.


    Ethan King was never a good man but after that day he became even more vicious. One could not even imagine to which limit he could go to save his daughter.


    Thomas was watching his friend go though the emotional turmoil in his memoryne, he recalled his God sister Savannah who asked him to take care of Ethan after her. He promised to be with Ethan in every thick and thin.  He wanted to try one more time to stop Ethan from joining the operation but before he could speak his cell phone rang.


    He smiled seeing Aurora¡¯s number on the screen. He epted the call and heart the cheerful voice of Aurora. ¡°Hey, uncle Thomas.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Hello, my dear niece, what¡¯s about the chirpy mood.¡±


    Aurora smiled hearing Thomas. Liam was teasing her neck with his tongue and she was trying to get away from him while she talk to her father. He had witnessed their romance once and she was still embarrassed about it buy Liam being Liam was not letting her go away.


    ¡°I have a news to share with Dad can you give the phone to him¡±


    Thomas eyed Ethan who was looking at him with raised brows. ¡°Here, Aurora wants to share something with you.¡±


    Ethan nodded and took the phone from him. ¡°Yes, Love.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s smile widened hearing her father¡¯s soft voice.¡±Dad, I am officially engaged to Liam. I epted his ring.¡±


    Ethan¡¯s heart flipper hearing it. There was something about the day. He was hearing good news since morning.


    ¡°Congrattions, Love. Congrattions to both you and Liam,¡± he said and then spent the next thirty minutes hearing Aurora¡¯s excited voice.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    His daughter was finally in right hands and now he could focus on his enemy.


    Juan!

 Chapter 116

    Aurora¡¯s heartbeat quickened when she dialled Susan¡¯s number on her phone. Liam asked if she needed him to be with her but she denied. This was something she needed to do privately and Liam epted her need of privacy. He kissed her head before letting her walk out of his cabin.


    She loved this about Liam. He understood the situation and never asked her to blindly follow his words. If it had been Gabriel instead of Liam he wouldn¡¯t even let her call Susan let alone give her privacy.


    Her grip on her phone tightened when Susan epted the call. ¡°Hello,¡± she answered in a stiff tone.


    Aurora gulped before speaking, she could sense that it was not going to be easy to cajole her angry friend. ¡°Hey Susie¡­¡±


    Susan who was busy in her designing research stopped everything when she saw Aurora¡¯s number shing on her cell phone. Her heart flipped when in happiness that her bestie was calling her but then her pride poked in. Everyone treated her like a stress ball.


    Whatever she did was for Aurora¡¯s happiness and she treated her like a criminal. Susan was not ready to forgive her for the pain she endured in her absence. She fisted her hand when Ralph¡¯s face shed in her memory, if Aurora had been there with her she would not have felt a lone, she wouldn¡¯t have left herself for a man who used her for his pleasure.


    ¡°Susie, please say something¡­¡±


    She was so lost in her thoughts that she


    Didn¡¯t listen to anything Aurora said. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you, Aurora, can you please repeat,¡± she said in her professional tone.


    Aurora stiffened hearing the coldness in her tone. The girl who used to greet her affectionately was behaving like a distanced friend who rarely talked. ¡°I know you are angry with me and I apologise for it, Susie. I know what I did was wrong but I was angry at you. I was angry¡­¡±


    ¡°Angry for what Aurora. For helping you get out of an abusive rtionship! For helping you move on with your life with the man who was actually good for you, with whom you are living happily now. I agree I shouldn¡¯t have get involved but I did that because I loved you but I forgot that you only see what you want to see.¡±


    Aurora gasped. ¡°Loved?¡±


    Susan sighed. ¡°Aurora, I am sorry but right now I need some time. You always said that you need time right, today I am asking you the same, give me time. I can¡¯t be the old Susan just because you apologised to me.  In these past few weeks I saw life from a different perspective. I want to find myself, Aurora.¡±


    Tears perked in her eyes. ¡°Be angry with me, don¡¯t talk to me but ept my apology, Susie.¡±


    Susan closed her eyes. Her God Mother¡¯s face shed in her eyes and herst words rang in her mind. Take care of Aurora like an Elder Sister, Susan. I am entrusting my daughter to you, Susie.


    ¡°Because I promised Aunt Savi to take care of you. Because of her I am epting your apology.¡±


    Aurora touched her ne and thanked her mother for helping her in every situation. ¡°Thank you and Susan, I have something important to ask you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Will you be my maid of honour?¡± She asked in an emotional voice and heard Susan inhaling sharply. ¡°Your hard work paid off, Susie, I am engaged to the man you approve of and we are getting married soon.¡±


    Aurora had not discussed her marriage date with Liam yet but she knew that he would want to get married to her as soon as possible, and now when she asked the question to Susan she felt it right. She was ready to tie herself with Liam in sacred wedding vows.


    ¡°Do you have a date yet, I need to clear my schedule.¡±


    Auroraughed at that. ¡°I will tell you the date soon, Susie. Thank you, thank you so very much and remember that I love you, Sista.¡±


    Susan smiled at her words but she was still angry over her. ¡°I have to go, Aurora. I wish you all the happiness you want in life,¡± saying that she ended the call before she became weak.


    She came to the USA to forget about Ralph, she can¡¯t go back to Canada until she gets her emotions under control. She just prayed that Aurora won¡¯t marry till Emily came back from her honeymoon.


    Aurora smiled happily. She wanted to do the happy dance, everything was going in the right direction. Her father wasing to meet her the day after tomorrow. Her friend almost forgave her and not to mention her fiancee who loves her with all his heart.


    Aurora sent a message to Emily informing about her being officially engaged to Liam. She didn¡¯t find it right to disturb the lovebirds on their honeymoon.


    She was lost in her dream world when a knock sounded on her door. She turned and found Kavin¡¯s secretary standing there. ¡°Miss Kings, Kevin has been calling on your inte for about an hour but you didn¡¯t ept his call.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Oh No! I am so sorry, is there something important?¡±


    She raised her brows.¡±Of course it should be something important if he has been calling me for one hour.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°He wants to see the new designs you draw.¡±


    Aurora nodded. ¡°Yes they are ready, I wille to his cabin.¡±


    Aurora picked her design book and ran after her.


    ¡°They are nice, Miss King. I am impressed with your designing skills.¡±


    Aurora nodded. If it had been seven months before today she would have rejoiced with his appreciation but not today, Kevin had lost the respect in her eye. ¡°May I show them to the CEO, Mr Rawls?¡±


    Kevin frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Mr Knight has once again given me the free hand to decide everything here. He is going to focus on his other businesses now.¡±


    Aurora scowled at that. ¡°Really?¡± She whispered. Liam didn¡¯t tell her that. They spent every night together and he didn¡¯t even bother sharing it with her.


    She needed to talk with him about it.


    ¡°Now there is no need for him to pass the designs. This is good, I approve of them, we can send them to the artisans.¡±


    Aurora smiled at him but decided to meet him in his cabin. She went to his floor but when asked the front desk employee informed her that he was not in his cabin.


    She frowned, not liking him leaving without even telling her.  She was not going to let him go easily for this. She was angry and thinking about all the things she would be doing to punish him for not sharing this important information with her but everything stopped when a thought popped into her mind.


    She was stunned at the direction of her thoughts but the more she thought about it the more sense it made to her. She recalled the gossip she heard that Liam never took any interest in the Jewellery business till now and this was the first time he came to check the working of the business.


    Her heartbeat quickened. ¡°Did he do this because of me?¡± She asked herself. Now everything started making sense to her, he came here for her. ¡°Liam Knight, what kind of man are you?¡±


    Aurora couldn¡¯t believe that he loves her so much that he gave up every other work just to be with her but then her awe filled heart was filled with anger. ¡°Mr Liam Knight, you came to this office to make me fall in love with you and now that you have achieved that you are left as if I was a mission to you!  No that¡¯s not how this was going to work. You have to be with me in this office till my internship period.¡±All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    She couldn¡¯t wait until tonight, she needed to meet him now but the problem was she didn¡¯t know anything about his whereabouts.


    She went back to his floor to talk with his secretary on the front desk. ¡°I am sorry but I am not at liberty to share it with anyone.¡±


    Aurora didn¡¯t want anyone else to know about their engagement yet but decided to use her status to know the details of his other office. ¡°I am his fiance, do you want me to tell him how you didn¡¯t tell me about his whereabouts when I wanted to surprise him. You can lose your job, Miss.¡±


    The girl swallowed. Everyone in the office knows how special she was for Liam Knight. The girl agreed to share the information and Aurora smiled in victory.


    She was in the elevator when her eyes went to her reflection in the mirror. She giggled when an erotic image of herself and Liam shed in her memory. ¡°No, don¡¯t let your hormones rule you, Aurora. He loves you, yes. But he can¡¯t do anything he wants now that you are engaged to him. Remember, what Susan used to tell you about boys. You control him before he can control you.¡±


    ¡°You are going to talk first and have¡­¡± she cleared her throat. ¡°¡­ himter.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t believe he owns this kind of property. The ce was so far away from the main city that it took her three hours to reach here. She paid the cab driver and stepped out of the car.  There was a camera there on the gate. Before she could even do anything a man came there, he was wearing a ck suit. ¡°What are you doing here, Miss King? How did you find out about the ce?¡±She had seen this man with Liam on multiple asions. He was one of his bodyguards.


    Aurora frowned, hearing him. He was talking as if this was some hiding spot. Aurora¡¯s eyes widened when she saw him pulling  out his phone.  He was probably calling Liam and if hees to. know about it all he rn would go into the drain.


    ¡°Liam asked me to meet him here.¡±


    The man downed his hand and scowled at her answer. ¡°Mr Knight called you here?¡±  He asked carefully.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The man didn¡¯t want to be the prey of Liam¡¯s anger so allowed her inside. ¡°You may go in, Miss King.¡±


    Aurora sighed in relief as if she won a battle against some military chief. She looked at the house, it was beautiful. She walked further inside and went near the pool area at the back of the house. She searched for someone but found none then her eyes went to an open door. Aurora felt like a thief when she walked inside the door.


    An unknown terror engulfed her heart. She wanted to get out of here but then heard two voices. She knew both of them, one belonged to Ralph and one to her fiance.


    A smile reced the terror in her heart as she moved in the direction of the voice. There was a room, it looked like an office. The footsteps were a clear indication that they wereing in this direction. Aurora ran inside the office room. She wanted to see the look of shock on Liam¡¯s face when he found her there.


    But there was nowhere she could hide except for the huge Mahogany desk. She bit her lip and hid under the desk, waiting for her fiance toe inside so that she would be able to surprise him.


    Her smile grew wider when she heard Liam¡¯s voice. He entered the office, his brother following him. Aurora went there to talk to him but now she was in a situation of one of her fantasies. The office fantasy!


    She wanted to get out of her hiding spot but stopped when she heard her fiance talking about her to his brother.


    She went numb and the blood drained from her face hearing his conversation.


    She wished she had not heard it, she wished she had note there and lived in her happy bubble but now that bubble burst open and there was nothing but blood everywhere.


    Her wounded heart¡¯s blood!

 Chapter 117

    ¡°I am happy for you, Liam. You got her, Aurora Kings.¡±


    Liam chuckled and took a sip of whiskey from his ss. ¡°The spoiled brat is finally in my hold. You have no idea what I did to make her mine, Ralph.¡±


    He circled the mahogany desk and rested a hand on his chair. ¡°The girl had became a nuisance, in my life and not to mention that sick bastard Ethan. Everytime I met him, I wanted nothing than kill him. If it had not been about business and dad I would have showed him the consequences of messing with Liam Knight.¡±


    Ralph shook his head. ¡°When that bastard denied my marriage proposal and warned me to stay away from his brat I wanted to ruin him but topped because of dad only but you know what?¡± He chuckled again and out the ss on the table with a thud and the sound made Aurora stiffened under the table.


    ¡°This is much better than I thought. When that brat did sweet talk with me, when she kiss me and not to mention when I fuck her, it felt as if I am eating a forbidden fruit. It taste sweeter than I thought. The girl has fallen in love with me, Ralph. Bloody fool!¡¯


    Ralph looker away, he was happy for his brother but he was not happy hearing his thoughts about a girl who genuinely fallen for him or he should say an illusion of Liam who didn¡¯t exist in reality.


    Even though Ethan was equally responsible for this but still, the only person who was going to hurt in this charade was Aurora, an innocent girl who was stuck in the power y.


    ¡°She loves you, Liam, what if shees to know about this lie?¡±


    Liam raised his brows, his eyes shed in an unknown emotion. ¡°She couldn¡¯t find out till our marriage which I nned to have next week by the most. I have wasted enough time on charming this brat that now I am fed up with all these sweet talks.¡±


    He took a step forward and rested his hand on Ralph¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I couldn¡¯t even recognize myself anymore. I behaved like a love sick fool with her. It¡¯s so irritating hearing her none stop chatter. Only I know how I suffered herpany.¡±


    Ralph jerked Liam¡¯s hand from. his shoulder. ¡°She will be hurt, Liam. The girl be in pain¡­¡±


    ¡°So what? Let her be in pain for all I care, Ralph. I have sacrificed my precious time on that dumb fool, Do you have any idea what it takes me to suffer her, she didn¡¯t have anything which intrest me except for a hot body and that¡¯s the only thing I want from her. I will make the fool marry me next week and then, her bastard of a father will give me what I want, his unlimited support inmission meeting and then I will show her my real face. She will suffer the consequences of every single thing she said to me, every single insult she threw at me.¡±


    ¡°Liam,  that was not in our n. You wouldn¡¯t hurt her, she will break down when she see your real face, she loves you.¡±


    He gave his brother a disgusted look. ¡°What love? She loved that restaurant owner too,¡± heughed jovially thinking about the poor man.


    ¡°I have to thank her so called friend for that, she helped me a lot in this, ¡®woo Aurora mission¡¯ if she had not blocked that son of bitch¡¯s number on her phone I would have to handle him too. Unknowningly, She saved me the hard work of moving him out of the picture. Everything went as per my n, now the only thing left is marrying that brat and producing an heir for my business.¡±


    Ralph squeezed his eyes shut in anger. ¡°Don¡¯t bring children in our fucked up world, Liam. Here money is more important than life!¡±


    Liam gritted his jaw and squeezed his brother¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You are Liam Knight¡¯s brother, a man who is known for his brutality and you are talking like a fucking child, Ralph. Move on! That woman is mine to break now, everyone suffer for their mistakes Liam, this is the rule of our life and she will suffer too but she will suffer the way I want her to suffer. She will beg me but I won¡¯t go easy on her. Her tears are the only thing after her body which I craved from her, not her so called love!¡±


    Ralph stared at his brother for a moment, nodded and left. He didn¡¯t want to look weak. They live in a dark world and here, emotions are liability and Ralph couldn¡¯t show them that¡¯s why he try to control every aspect of his life.


    Liam watched his brother¡¯s retreating figure, he settled on his chair and closed his eyes. This peace was what he wanted in life, he was bathing in his triumph at this moment but then a ringtone broke the peace, Liam jerked into his seat.


    His mind froze for a moment, hearing that ringtone, he opened his eyes and looked around himself, there was no one but the sound wasing from a very near area.


    His heart picked up the speed, because he had closed his eyes for only a few seconds after Ralph left. He didn¡¯t even want to think about the possibility of her being here, he had too much to loose!


    The ringtone kept ringing, Liam ducked his head to check under the table, his body stiffened when his eyes fixed on none other than his fiance.


    Liam forgot to breath or blink, his eyes were fixed on her tear strained face.


    Fuck! He cursed in his mind. She had heard everything he said.


    ¡°Aurora!¡± He said when the shock settled and he found his tongue back.


    Aurora listened to everything he said, her mind, body, soul everything turned cold hearing his words. She was nothing but a lifeless corpse now. She came here happily, like a fool in love. She thought of him not less than a God and he was only using her for his business.


    She was right, when she thought herself as a mission. A mission to gain her father¡¯s business. He was the vulture. Gabriel only tried to broke her confidence but Liam, he broke her soul.


    The scars he gave to her today we¡¯re not visible but they were deep enough to kill her. Everything was a lie, his love, his care, his words every single thing he did or said to her was a lie.


    Liam Knight was nothing but a lie!


    ¡°Little one!¡± He whispered and moved his chair back to get her out under the table.


    Aurora shook her head, her tears fell on the floor when she moved her head side to side. ¡°A spoiled brat!¡± She whispered painfully.


    Fuck!


    ¡°Aurora, sweetheart, you are taking it all wrong,e out and I will tell you everything. Honey,e.¡±


    Aurora couldn¡¯t believe herself. He was still trying to make a fool of her. What kind of idiot he took her for.  She has listened to everything he thought about her and he was still trying to lie to her.


    Aurora nodded. He needed to see to which length he could go for money and her father¡¯s business. She stepped out and stood up in front of him. Her legs were shaking, her heart was beating faster than normal but she tried to look brave.


    ¡°Speak.¡± She whispered.


    Liam didn¡¯t know what to say, but he couldn¡¯t lose her. She was the queen in this post game. Too much was at stake! His dream was at stake.


    He forced a smile on his face.¡±You see, Ralph was making fun of me behaving like a love sick puppy and I was only trying to show him that I was still the same¡­¡±


    She couldn¡¯t bear to hear his lies anymore. His mere presence made her nauseous. ¡°Shut up!¡± She snapped at him. Her eyes throwing daggers at him.


    ¡°At least don¡¯t lie to me anymore. Don¡¯t degradee yourself anymore in my eyes more than you already have. You bastard!¡±


    Liam fisted his hand in anger. ¡± I heard what Ralph was saying and I also heard what you said. I might be dumb enough to fall in love with a scoundrel like you but I am not dumb to not understand the truth in your words.


    You disgusting, lying, deceiving filthy bastard.¡±


    Liam was barely controlling himself from doing something violent. He was reminding himself that the person abusing him was a woman he was going to marry. A woman of importance!


    ¡°Who do you think you are to y with my emotions? Who do you think you at to use me for your filthy business?¡±


    Aurora inhaled sharply, trying to keep her burning rage in control but couldn¡¯t. She was furious beyond words. ¡°Were not you man enough to defeat my Dad in fair business that you nned all this to take over his business. You are a weak businessman, Liam Knight, not only a weak businessman but you are a weak man who use cheap methods to win.¡±


    Liam¡¯s eyes turned darker, the girl has just questioned his masculinity. There was no greater insult than that for a man like Liam. He took a step forward, he needed to calm her because is she said one more word like this form he mouth, he wouldn¡¯t be responsible for anything.


    Ethan could start a war for all he care, his fatehr became angry for all he care. Liam wouldn¡¯t be thinking about consequences anymore!


    ¡°Aurora, Calm down and let¡¯s talk peacefully. I know you are hurt but at least don¡¯t  say things you regretter!¡±


    Aurora chuckeld. She crossed he hands to her chest and stepped closer to him, red into his eyes, ¡°Or what will you do, you can¡¯t do anything to me, Liam. What hurts you, my calling you a weak man, huh! Does it hurt your pride than think how I must be feeling now when you call me nothing but a spoiled brat. When you think of me nothing but a hit body who you want to use for your pleasure. You sick bastard.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t Aurora! Don¡¯t provoke me!¡± He yelled this time.


    Aurora didn¡¯t even flinch at his tone. He was not scary to her, not anymore. ¡°Or what? What will you do, hurt me you can¡¯t, you know why, because if I sat a single word of it to father he will bury you alive. I am Aurora Kings, daughter of Ethan Kings and a mere Knight can¡¯t touch me without my permission. You can¡¯t even touch me, Liam. And let me tell you one more thing, You can go to hell because I will not marry you, Do you understand me¡­¡±


    Liam didn¡¯t think and grabbed her by the wasit. He yanked her hair back and put his lips in hers. He bit her lower lip to open her mouth but Aurora pushed him away from herself with all her power. He was to powerful for her but she scratched his neck with her sharp nails, he hold on her waist lossened for a moment and that was enough for Aurora to push him away.


    The moment space was created between them, she raised her hand and strikef him hard against the face. A loud voice of p hounded the room.


    Liam was shocked by her resilient today. He ordered his demons not to wake, Hell will break over if he woke up. Liam would destroy everything if he let his demon lose.


    ¡°Don¡¯t put your filthy hands on me again, you will never be able to get what you want, Liam. I won¡¯t let you have my father¡¯s business, forget about it all.¡±


    She moved a step closer to him. Raised her eyes and pinned them on him. ¡°I won¡¯t even spit on your face, let alone marry you, Liam Knight!¡± she nodded and walked out of her room.


    Leaving an enragedenraged Liam behind. He touched his cheek and a hit fury ran through his mind. Her words kept ringing in his mind. ¡°You will marry me, Aurora. I will make you beg on your knees to marry me, Even if I have to move heaven and earth for that. I did all this drama to keep the peace between Vancouver and Churchill but now, everything can go to hell because I won¡¯t care about anyone anymore and when we get marry, I will make you hate every single second of your life, Aurora Kings.¡±Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

 Chapter 118

    Aurora screamed in anger and pain recalling everything she heard. She was hurt beyond words. Tears of anger and frustration ran through her eyes uncontrobly. She squeezed her eyes to stop the tears, she had wasted enough of that on a man who didn¡¯t deserve anything.


    She decided to go back to Churchill. Emily was married to a nice man. The contract she signed could go to hell for all she cared now. Her father would pay the money to Liam. If he thinks of her as a spoiled brat she would be the one.


    She swallowed the lump in her throat and booked a chartered ne for herself. She needed her father, she needed Mrs Dn with her.  The heaviness in her heart was too much for her to bear.


    Aurora didn¡¯t care about anything anymore, she took the taxi, went home, packed her luggage and left for the airport.


    She didn¡¯t notice how long her cell phone was ringing but when her eyes went to her phone, it was ten missed calls from Emily. Aurora epted the call this time, it could be something important if she had called her this many times.


    ¡°Hey Emily,¡± Aurora greeted her friend s normally as she could. Her throat was still choked with punished tears. She looked up, to stop her tears from falling. A few heads turned her way on the airport as she was checking in, her face red with crying.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this, Aurora. I am so damn happy for you. Show me the ring now!¡± Her cheerful voice broke the dam Aurora was trying to hold. Once again tears rolled down her cheek. She couldn¡¯t share anything with her yet, she was on her honeymoon and Aurora was not selfish to disturb her in her special time.


    She needed to talk with Emily, but she would do that only when she returned from her honeymoon.  ¡°I will send you the pic, Em. But now go or your husband will say that your friends are leaving you even on your honeymoon.¡±


    Emily giggled at that. ¡°He said that a few seconds ago, it¡¯s a month till Ie back. Have you talked to Susan?¡±


    Aurora was d for the change of topic. ¡°Yes, I apologised to her. She said she needs a little time. I gave it to her,¡± her voice choked again, the pain was too hard to handle. She didn¡¯t have the strength to continue the charade anymore.


    ¡°Em, I gotta go, I will call you back okay,¡± saying that she ended the call and dabbed her eyes, turned off her cell phone and ascended the stairs of her chartered jet and left this city behind which robbed her not only of her heart but her soul as well.


    Meanwhile, Liam flipped the mahogany desk upside down in anger. The things on it scattered all over the floor. He was raging in fury, his mind demanded blood. He needed to control his anger or he would burn the whole world.


    The first victim of his rage was the security outside the farmhouse. He went outside and grabbed the neck of his security team. ¡°How did shee inside without my permission. Why was I not informed?¡± He roared, his eyes dark and brutal. The grip on that man¡¯s throat tightened, blocking his windpipe


    The guard shivered in his hold. ¡°Boss, she said you call her here.¡± He choked, his face turned red withck of oxygen.


    ¡°And you believed her!¡± He demanded. Mistakes were not something Liam could tolerate. He pulled out his gun and shot the man in his heart. Twice. But even spilling blood didnt gave him the satisfaction, even it didnt cool him today and that made him even more furious.


    The other guards stood there, in fear. Liam gave them a disgusted look and walked out of there towards his car. He needed to share this with his father. He had to tell him that he no longer cared for Ethan¡¯s condition. Liam was going to eradicate Ethan from his path and his spoiled brat would marry him to save her father.


    The words she said about Ethan ruining him kept ringing in his ears. He tried to y the role of the peace-loving prince but that was not his character. Liam Knight was a born Alpha and he was born to rule, and he will rule over Aurora¡¯s father¡¯s territory.


    He thought about calling his brother but gave up on the thought.  His brother had developed a guilty conscience and this was against his rules. This life was not for chicken-hearted people. Ralph was not it, he knew but he couldn¡¯t afford a man in his team who holds a guilty conscience.


    This was a brutal business. Violence was the only thing that kept you alive. He didn¡¯t waste time by calling his father and informing him beforehand. He was not in the mood to hear him preach about his being the boss anymore. He wanted Aurora to beg, that was the only thing that could calm him now.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Ryan asked his son when he barged inside his home office, Ryan was on an important video call at that time and seeing his son¡¯s face he knew something big happened. Big and bad!


    Ryan Knight ended the video call immediately. ¡°What enraged you.¡±


    Liam ced his hands on the desk and looked into his father¡¯s eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t care about this so called friendship with Ethan anymore. I want Ethan dead.¡±


    Ryan stood up from his chair with a lightening speed. ¡°Liam! Don¡¯t forget he is¡­¡±


    ¡°As I said, I don¡¯t care anymore. I did everything he asked me to do, for you, for your friendship. Do you know how hard it was for me to suffer that girl¡¯s childish tantrums. I suffered that because of you! I don¡¯t have patience anymore. Themission meeting is next month¡­¡±


    ¡°You told mest night that the girl agreed. You proposed to her, than what¡¯s is all this about?¡±


    Liam pped the table. ¡°Because the bitch has found out it was all a n. She found out that I was doing this charade to gain her father¡¯s business.¡±


    Ryan stiffened. It was bad, Ethan would never allow Liam to marry Aurora now. The man was an emotional fool when ites to his daughter. He eyed his son. ¡°How did she find out? You couldn¡¯t do one thing!¡±


    ¡°Dad¡­ don¡¯t made me more furious than I already am. I don¡¯t care about Ethan anymore.  I will marry Aurora, she will beg me to marry her because her father will be on my mercy.¡±


    Ryan shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡±


    Liam red at his father. ¡°Why?¡± He demanded the answer. Now, his suspicion was proving right. There was something his father was hiding from him. ¡°What are you hiding father?¡±


    Ryan shrinked his eyes. ¡°Stay in your limits, Liam, don¡¯t forget I am both your father and boss.¡±


    Liam shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t y this game with me anymore. I am your son, your twisted blood flows in my veins. Do you think I would not be able to guess it. I didnt question you till now because my focus was on that brat, but now, I want answer, father. I know you, you made me kill a man because you didn¡¯t liked his face and this Ethan is making you dance on his pinky finger since months now and you didn¡¯t do anything. Why? What are you hiding?¡±


    For the first time in years, Ryan Knight¡¯s secret was in danger. He feared the day woulde but he didnt know it woulde so soon. But he couldn¡¯t allow his secret toe out. Things would turn ugly if it ever happened.


    ¡°Whatever it is, it doesn¡¯t matter to you. Don¡¯t interfere, Liam.¡±


    ¡°I will interfere in it because it is affecting me. I am closing the chapter of Ethan Kings from the history of Canadian Mafia.¡±


    Before Ryan could say anything his mobile rang. He was about to turn his phone to silence when his eyes went to the caller ID. He frowned seeing Thomas¡¯ name shing on the screen.


    He squeezed his eyes for a moment of peace before taking the phone in his hand. ¡°It seems, Aurora told her father everything. Thomas is calling me.¡±


    Leaving a roaring sound from his throat but turned around in anger and walked to the window. Aurora¡¯s tear-stained cheeks shed in his memory and he punched the wall in anger. The girl was ying with his mind even when she was not with him.


    Ryan epted the call on the sixth ring. ¡°Thomas¡­¡± he started but Thomas¡¯ worrisome voice from the other end silenced him.


    ¡°Ryan, where is Aurora? I have been trying her phone for two hours, but her number is switched off. Your son is not epting the call!¡±


    ¡°Thomas, there is something you need to know¡­¡±


    ¡°Ryan, Ethan has been shot!¡±


    Ryan¡¯s eyes widened. He jerked his head to his son,  who was clenching and unclenching his hands. ¡°Who shot him?¡± His heart thumped in dread.


    ¡°Juan, we had his location and attacked there. Ethan almost caught him but a masked man attacked with his man and¡­¡±


    ¡°Masked man?¡± Ryan was shocked and relied at the same time on. Relived because it was not his son.


    The words made Liam turn around and face his father. The look on his face told him that there was something wrong.


    ¡°Aurora can¡¯t know, Ask Liam to be with her. Ethan is in hospital, right now. The streets are not safe anymore. Keep Aurora safe, Ryan. That¡¯s the least you could do for your friend.¡±


    ¡°Where is Aurora?¡± Ryan asked his son.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know she might be crying somewhere, I will ask her guard. What was Thomas saying?¡±


    Ryan exhaled raking his hair. ¡°Ethan is shot, he is in the hospital right now. Ralph was right, this masked man is working with Juan. They forged a trap for Ethan and shot him. Thomas didnt tell but it was clear from his tone that Ethan is serious.¡±


    Liam¡¯s mind froze for a moment, Aurora¡¯s smiling face when she talked about her father  shed in his memory. She would be devastated hearing it and then an anxious feeling ran through his body. What if someone tried to harm her!


    He pulled out his phone and called Mike to know about her whereabouts and was shocked when his number was found turned off.


    Liam had never felt like this, never in his life, he feared about someone. ¡°Where the hell is you, sick bastard!¡±


    Ryan¡¯seyes widened. He couldn¡¯t risk Aurora¡¯s safety. ¡°If anything happened to her¡­¡± he whispered, shaking his head.


    Liam red at his father. ¡°Nothing will happen to her, no one can harm my property dad.¡± He called Aurora but a sickening feeling engulfed his heart when her number was off.


    He didn¡¯t waste any time and called Ralph, he epted the call on the first ring. ¡°Liam¡­¡±


    ¡°Find Aurora¡¯s location.  Ethan is shot, he is in hospital. Mike¡¯s number is turned off and so does Aurora¡¯s. You have ten minutes Ralph, find out about her.¡±


    ¡°Ethan has been shot?¡±


    ¡°Ralph, I don¡¯t have fucking time for your questions, find out about Aurora! Asap!¡±


    Liam ended the call and dialled The Belle¡¯s number to ask if she had been there. The chances were minimum but he didn¡¯t leave any ce where he thought she could go. ¡°Where are you, little one? No one can harm you except for me, Aurora. You are going to suffer on my hands only and if anyone touches you I will cut his hand and feed it to him.¡±


    Ryan called his men and started a search operation in the whole of Vancouver to find Aurora. Exactly, after ten minutes, Ralph called and the information he shared with Liam made his heart pick speed.


    ¡°Mike is found dead.¡±


    Liam went haywire in worry. A shiver ran down his body. ¡°Aurora?¡± He couldn¡¯t speak any further.


    ¡°Liam, she booked a chartered ne for Churchill, she is in the air right now.¡±


    Liam¡¯s body calmed but only for a second. The chances of her getting into the wrong hands were high. ¡°Ralph, call our man in Churchill, I want Aurora safe. Do you understand me? Call the Russians too, I am ready to deliver Dmitry¡¯s drugs to New York if he wants but Aurora should be safe. I don¡¯t trust anyone right now,¡± he ended the call and nced at his father.


    ¡°Aurora went to Churchill, dad, call Thomas and tell him that, dad.¡±


    Ryan didn¡¯t think twice and did what his son asked him to do. As he thought, Thomas was not happy with his words but Aurora¡¯s safety was his priority.


    Ryan looked at his son who ordered his pilot to keep the ne ready as he was flying to Churchill. ¡°Thomas is not happy¡­¡±


    Liam raised his hand. ¡°Thomas is not the boss of Churchill, dad, Ethan is and he is in the hospital bed. He had signed his daughter to me, judging by your words he didn¡¯t know about Aurora knowing the truth. The engagement is still on, which makes me the caretaker of Churchill till his king gets back and if he doesn¡¯t, then¡­¡±Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Thomas is there, Liam. Don¡¯t forget about him.¡±


    Liam nodded. ¡°I am going to bring my wife with me, dad. Aurora will be back in Vancouver as Mrs Knight and this time, no one will be able to stop me.¡±

 Chapter 119

    Aurora was crying the whole flight. The moments she shared with Liam shed through her memoryne increasing the heartache. She couldn¡¯t forget the words he said about her.


    The man she loved with all her heart was nothing but a lying bastard. He manipted her to marry him and why, for money, her father¡¯s business.


    Aurora had no idea what she was going to tell her father. She knew he would be angry and will try to ruin Liam but her heart hammered over the thought of Liam getting hurt.


    Aurora wiped her tears and reminded herself that the lying bastard deserved that. She gulped the lump in her throat and fastened her seatbelt as the flight was about tond.


    She couldn¡¯t wait to go to her father and wrap herself in his strong arms. Her father would make the heartache go away. He would take away all her pain and suffering like he used to do when she was young.


    She stood up to leave, as itnded. When she was about to descend the stairs, she turned on her cell phone. There were tens of missed calls from Thomas and Liam.  She blocked Liam¡¯s number first and then dialled Thomas.


    She was a little confused seeing these many calls from Thomas because he never called her this many times. That¡¯s not his style but her father¡¯s.


    Dad might have asked him to call me.


    Thinking that she waited for Thomas to ept her call. He did the third ring but today his voice was not right. There was something different in his voice, she couldn¡¯t point it out. Something was off about him today.


    ¡°God damn it, Aurora, next time inform someone before doing something like this, you scared me, honey.¡±


    He used the endearment he used to use when Aurora was a child. The tears once again perked in her throat. ¡°Uncle!¡± She choked but cleared her throat. She couldn¡¯t tell him this.  Not like this!


    ¡°Aurora, tell me where are you?¡±


    She was descending the stairs while talking to him. ¡°Listen to me, Aurora. Don¡¯t step out of the Airport, I am about to reach there, alright, honey. Don¡¯te out.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, what happened, I cane on my own¡­¡±


    ¡°For God sake, Aurora do as you are told to do for once at least.¡±


    She gasped. Thomas had never scolded her, not even when she was a child. ¡°Okay.¡± She agreed and ended the call. When she reached inside two giants came to her. She had never seen them before, ¡°pleasee with us, Miss Kings.¡±


    Aurora frowned. ¡°Who are you?¡± She felt something fishy and was about to scream for help to the nearby security when the men shook their heads.


    ¡°We are Liam Knight¡¯s men and we are here to protect you.¡±


    She greeted her jaw in anger. The bastard was trying to kidnap her now. She stepped forward and red into their eyes. ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to scream bloody murder here, get the fuck away from me. I don¡¯t want anything from your boss, do you understand me?¡±


    The men nodded. ¡°As you say, madam,¡± they stepped back to show that they were leaving but stayed nearby just in case they were needed.


    Thomas reached the airport with an army of soldiers. Nothing was safe in Churchill at this moment, his friend was fighting a battle with life and death and his niece was in danger. He couldn¡¯t risk an attack on himself right now, he was the only one left for his niece till Ethan gets fine. His heart fastened at the thought of what if something happened to Ethan? How would Aurora survive? Would he be able to cope in this world without his friend?


    He once again failed his God-Sister, Savannah. He promised to take care of her family after her and failed. He couldn¡¯t sniff the trap of Juan. He failed as the counsellor of Ethan. He didn¡¯t sense that someone else was going to attack them. One thing was sure, Thomas was going to find this masked man and kill him brutally for his actions.


    Thomas called Aurora and she came to him running. ¡°Uncle, take me away from here please.¡±


    His body stiffened. ¡°What happened, honey? Have you sensed something wrong here?¡±


    Aurora shook her head. ¡°No, I just want to meet dad. Please take me to him, Uncle. I need him.¡±


    Once again, Thomas went stiff, his heartfelt cold hearing Aurora. ¡°Honey¡­¡± he started but couldn¡¯t tell her. How was the girl able to handle the news? He still recalled the shock she went through when Savannah died. Her first word when she gets conscious again was, Momma.  Ethan was everything for her, she wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the news but he needed to tell her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you out of here first.¡±


    Once they were in his car, Aurora frowned when she saw many cars following them.  ¡°Uncle¡­ what is all this? What is happening here, tell me please!¡±


    Thomas gritted his jaw and kept driving. He needed to be at the hospital as soon as possible. Aurora was safe with him,  once Liam will be here she would go back to Vancouver, till he gets the situation under control, treating her with kids gloves was not an option anymore.


    ¡°Uncle stop the car and tell me, please!¡± She begged him. Aurora was scared, there was something wrong, definitely wrong and she feared that Ky has something to do with her father. Her suspicion turned into reality when he stopped the car at the hospital. ¡°Where is Dad, Thomas?¡± She demanded.


    Her heart quickened in anxiety. She knew it was rted to her father. ¡°Tell me, where is my dad?¡± She yelled this time making Thomas sigh in frustration.


    ¡°I will tell you everything but first we need to get out of here, Aurora. It¡¯s not safe to be here. Come with me,¡± he took her to the private wing where Ethan was being treated. Aurora¡¯s heart hammered against her ribcage with every step she took.


    ¡°Uncle please tell me, where is dad? He is fine, right?¡± She whispered in a frightened tone.


    Thomas rested both her shoulders and made her look in his eyes once they reached outside the ICU. ¡°Aurora, your father had been shot, he is serious amd doctors had asked for a heart transnt. The doctor has asked us to be prepared for everything.¡±


    Aurora was numb. She forgot how to breathe and kept staring at Thomas in shock. Her father could die? She could lose him just like she lost her mother.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Thomas jerked Aurora to get some reaction. She went numb in his hold and was staring at him without blinking. ¡°Aurora, Honey. Say something.¡±


    She inhaled a sharp breath, her eyes widened and a single tear rolled down her cheek. ¡°Dad!¡± She whispered painfully.


    ¡°Aurora¡­¡±


    She was gasping for air, her mind froze and her body went cold. Her legs were shaken and she fell on her knees. ¡°Dad¡­¡± she screamed. Thomas sat down to her level. ¡°Honey¡­ look at me.¡±


    Aurora shook her head. She had nothing except for her father. ¡°Dad¡­ I can¡¯t lose him, Uncle. I can¡¯t. I have no one except for him!¡± She kept mumbling that, Aurora had lost all the senses to think, her father¡¯s happy face shed inform of her eyes and she left a loud painful screech.


    She clutched Thomas¡¯ shirt and stood up with wobbly legs. Her cheeks were stained with tears, and she was shaking all over, ¡± I want to meet dad, where is he, I want to see him. He will be fine once he sees me, Uncle. He will be fine, once he sees me.¡±


    She ran toward the ICU but Thomas grabbed her hands and halted her steps. ¡°You can¡¯t go in there, Aurora. The doctors are checking him.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Who shot him? He didnt does bad to anyone. He has helped thousands of men, uncle. He is the biggest phnthropist of Canada, why would anyone harm him?¡±


    Thomas closed his eyes. Only if he could tell her the truth. ¡°Answer me!¡± Aurora cried.


    He pulled her in his arms. Aurora left a heart-wrenching sob in his arms. She was nothing without her father. ¡± Some bad people were after him for a long time, honey. They shot him cowardly.¡±


    Aurora got out of his arms. ¡°Who? I will kill them, uncle. I will kill them all. The police have found out something tell me who are they?¡±


    What have you done, Ethan? I told you many times not to hide our reality from Aurora and see in what situation you havended us. The girl will not be able to handle the reality.


    ¡°Tell me the names, I want them dead, uncle. I want them dead.¡±


    ¡°I am handling that, please get your emotions under control Aurora. Ethan needs you to be strong for him. We have only you.¡±


    Before Aurora could say anything the room of the ICU opened and doctors came out of it.  Aurora ran to them, Thomas following her.


    ¡°My dad is fine, right. Nothing will happen to him¡­¡±


    The doctors remained silent seeing Aurora¡¯s condition. They fear their life too as they knew who Ethan King was not to mention Thomas was as cruel as Ethan.


    ¡°Say something!¡± Thomas yelled at them. The head doctor gulped before speaking. ¡°We can¡¯t find a heart..¡±


    ¡°Take mine, I am ready to give my heart to save dad.¡±


    The Doctor was shocked. ¡°Mam, this is impossible!¡±


    Thomas shook his head at Aurora, silencing her. ¡°I don¡¯t care what it takes you to find a heart¡­¡±


    ¡°Sir, we have donors but the problem is Mr Kings has the rare blood group. It¡¯s almost impossible to find a donor with the same blood group. We did everything but¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, What you do, save my dad!¡± She cried hugging Thomas who ordered the doctors to remain there as he needed to talk to them but first he took Aurora to the chair and made her sit on it.


    ¡°I am going to talk to the doctor, sit here,¡± she denied but agreed when he firmly told her to let him handle the situation.  Thomas nodded at two of the guards standing beside her.


    Thomas went back to the doctors. ¡°What¡¯s  your blood group, doctor?¡±


    The doctor got scared. ¡°Sir, my blood group doesn¡¯t match, Mr Kings as well, if it did I would have dly donated my heart to save my family from any harm.¡±


    Thomas nced at the other doctor who said the same thing. ¡°We are trying to find the donor but we don¡¯t have time. If the surgery doesn¡¯t start in six hours, we would not be able to save him.¡±


    Thomas fisted his hand as he watched the doctors sprinting away from him. For the second time in his life, Thomas felt helpless but he didnt give up. He called every underboss of his city and asked him to find someone with that blood group. He would save his friend even if someone else has to die for it.


    He eyed Aurora who was crying silently, trembling in fear. ¡°I will protect your, family, Savi. I will do anything to protect your husband and daughter.¡±


    When Liamnded in Churchill he was immediately informed by his men about the situation. With every word from the spy¡¯s mouth, his heart beats faster. He could only imagine what Aurora was going through at this moment.


    He informed Thomas about his presence in the hospital so that he would not have any issues while reaching the private wing. Liam didnt want to kill anyone at this crucial time.


    They needed as many men as possible other threat of another attack was in the air.


    Thomas was talking to someone over the phone, ordering the person on the other end to find a donor with a specific blood group. He went to him when he ended the call.


    ¡°Thomas.¡±


    He nodded. No words of condolences were needed among them. The mere presence of Liam was enough to show that he was the friend not the foe anymore.  He asked Thomas about the blood type and Liam frowned.


    His eyes went to Aurora who was crying on the chair. She looked so small as if she was a child. ¡°She might be able to handle herself better seeing you.¡±


    Liam understood the unspoken plead in his voice. He wants Liam to support Aurora. Only if he knew what happened between them. He wanted to go to her, hug her, console her but he was not going to do it.


    He hated seeing her like this but her words were still fresh in his mind.


    I won¡¯t even spit on your face, let alone marry you, Liam Knight.


    But she would do it, because Liam had something, which can change the direction of this game, for everyone. He had someone who can save Ethan King but he was not going to tell it to Thomas, not till he got what he wanted.


    Liam was an opportunity and right now, he had the biggest opportunity to grab Aurora Kings in his hands, forever!

 Chapter 120

    Aurora sniffed and nced at the ICU but stiffened when she found Liam standing there. Her heart quickened seeing him. She wanted nothing else than to run into his arms, she wanted to be held by him but then she recalled his words.


    His love was a lie! And now, it didn¡¯t matter because he wanted her only for her father¡¯s wealth and now her father was in a dead or alive situation. She looked away from him, she had no strength left to face him right now. He was not on her priority list, her father was. Aurora wiped her tears, she told herself that these tears were not for him, they were for her father which was true. She was crying for her father¡¯s well being, not over a lying deceiving gold-digger.


    Thomas was right, her father needed her to be strong. She stood up and walked towards Thomas, not caring about her wobbling legs anymore. Sometimes, people just grow up in a moment. This was the moment for Aurora, till now, her father protected her from everything and she never behaved like a mature but today seeing her father like that, she became mature in just a moment.


    Liam fisted his hands, he would have Ethan. He was not worried about it but before that, he needed to make her agree to the marriage. It was the right moment, No one was going to stop him this time.


    Not his father and certainly not Ethan Kings.  Aurora ignored Liampletely and touched Thomas¡¯ hand. ¡°What did the doctor say, Uncle? They have found the donor right?¡±


    Thomas¡¯ shoulders slumped.  He sighed and looked down. ¡°No, there is no donor, Aurora,¡± he looked back in her eyes.  ¡°But I am trying. I won¡¯t let anything happen to Ethan,¡± he said, his cell phone rang. It was one of the spies. He needed to hear it, but not in front of Aurora.


    He looked at Liam and nodded, Liam at once understood that the call was business. He smiled, getting into his perfect gentleman role once again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Aurora, I am with her,¡± he told Thomas who walked away from there as soon as possible.


    Aurora gave him a look of disgust and tried to move away from him. She didn¡¯t even want his shadow to touch her. But Liam held her hand softly, Aurora and smiled for the sake of guards who were watching him with hawk eyes.


    Killing them was not a big deal for Liam but he didn¡¯t want to spill blood at this moment. ¡°Leave me!¡± She gritted.


    ¡°If you want to save your father, you wille with me in that room and we will talk.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you, get out of here your presence is not required here, Liam,¡± She said, trying to snatch her hand away but he didn¡¯t allow it and pulled her even closer to him.


    Before Aurora could push him away, he said something which stopped all her movement. ¡°I have a donor for your father, Aurora. I can save your Dad.¡±


    She stiffened and raised her eyes at him. He had a soft look on his face but his eyes were speaking apletely differentnguage. ¡°Do you want to save your father, little one?¡±


    She nodded. Liam smirked. ¡°I thought so,e to the room with me, little one so that we can talk about it.¡±


    Aurora walked beside him to the visitor¡¯s room, there was no one in the room. Liam left her hand making Aurora cripple over her foot. She was shocked, Liam Knight was no gentleman and she was a fool to believe otherwise. She was tired of people taking advantage of her naivety.  First, Gaberial tried to mould her ording to his wishes and now Liam.


    ¡°You said you can save my father, tell me what you want because I know you want something in return. Name your price, what is it you want, my father¡¯s business, have it. I am his heir. I will name it to you but save him,¡± she said, trying to look unaffected by his coldness but failing miserably.  The stupid tears keep swelling her eyes with their presence making her look vulnerable she wanted to look proud.


    Liam didn¡¯t speak for a moment and only stared at her, he only chuckled when she finished her talk. ¡°You are right, I do want something in return to save your father but it¡¯s not his business, na! I want something more valuable, I want his most precious jewel, Little one.¡± He took a step further and leaned into her face.


    She met his gaze with her tearful eyes and gasped loudly in shock when he started what he wanted in return to save her dying father. ¡°I want you to beg me to marry you, Aurora Kings. I want you to get on your knees, join your hands and beg me to marry you. Then only I will save your precious father!¡±


    She stepped away from him as if he had burned her hand. Her eyes widened with a horrific expression.


    Has she fallen in love with this man? This cruel cold-hearted monster was trading her father¡¯s life with her hand in marriage.


    She shook her head. ¡°You can¡¯t be this cruel! If I don¡¯t agree, will you let my father die? Just like that, don¡¯t you have any conscience?¡± She whispered.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    He chuckled. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. Why would I have it, have you heard my side when I asked you to give me a chance? Did you, you gave your judgement and called me names. I am just proving you right, Little one. You called me a cold-hearted monster so the monster is here to wee you in his world.¡±


    Her body felt lifeless, she couldn¡¯t stand on her feet, her legs turned to jelly, she fell on her knees.  Her father could die, her father was on a deathbed.


    Could anything be more important than his life? No, for Aurora, nothing was more important than that, she was ready to give up her own life for her father and here he was just asking for her hand in marriage. Aurora was ready to agree to do anything to save her Dad.


    She didn¡¯t have time, only four more hours. She swallowed the painful lump in her throat and joined her hands. Tears were rolling down her cheek but the monster did not even take pity on her.


    She raised her eyes and settled her gaze on him. His face was void of any expression, like a nk canvas but his eyes were not. They were speaking anguage, Aurora couldn¡¯t read. There was something dark in his gaze, but Aurora didn¡¯t want to know his thoughts. Today, at this moment, Liam Knight had lost all her respect.


    He wanted to marry her, she would dly say, I Do¡± to him. He could be a cold-hearted bastard but she couldn¡¯t. ¡°Beg, Aurora, Beg!¡±


    She left the breath she was holding, her lower lip wobbled as she was trying to stop herself from crying out loud like a child. No one has ever degraded her as this man did, not only once but on many asions. At this moment, he was the same Liam she faced when she came to know about his Vi on the ind. Today he held the same brutality as that day.


    I was the fool to believe otherwise.


    ¡°I am begging, Liam. Please marry me,¡± she whispered, trying to hold her tears back.


    Liam fisted his hand and smirked. ¡°I am not convinced yet, Aurora. Beg me more convincingly. Come on!¡±


    He was breaking her from inside with every word. He was destroying her self-respect, he was crushing her confidence under the power of his shoes, viciously.


    Don¡¯t degrade yourself in my eyes till this level, Liam. Don¡¯t hurt me like this.


    She swallowed her emotions once again. ¡°Please save my father, Liam. I am begging you, please, save him,¡± she said looking at the floor to hide her tears.


    He leaned down and grabbed her jaw, making her look into his eyes. ¡°Say it looking into my eyes, make me believe that you really mean it, Aurora. This is yourst chance to save your father, if you can¡¯t convince me this time I will not help your dying father.¡±


    She shook in his hold violently. The tears she was trying to hold fell down her eyes, the sob she was keeping to herself left her throat and she fell on his shoes. ¡°No! Please no, please save my father, Liam. I will do everything you asked me to do, please marry me. Please. Marry me, Liam, please. I am begging you, marry me and save my father.¡± She cried every word with great difficulty. Her voice turned hoarse, her face was a mess. His shoes were wet with tears, she fell lower than her knees, Pleading, Crying her heart out to save her beloved father.


    Liam closed his eyes and got down to her level. ¡°I will marry you, Little one,¡± he whispered, wiping her tears with his thumb softly.


    His touch was not less than acid to her skin. It burned her, not only her body but her soul. ¡°Why did you force me to do all this little one, why did you make me the monster I never wanted to be in front of you,¡± he whispered and pulled her in his arms. She went into them like a lifeless corpse.


    ¡°Come one, wipe your tears till I make some phone calls for thewyer and the donor both.¡±


    Aurora frowned. ¡°Lawyer?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Oh, Little one, you didn¡¯t think that I would allow the surgery before we marry each other, right?¡±


    She thought he could no longer hurt her but he was proving her wrong with every word from his mouth.  ¡°Come on, I have already applied for a special license. I believe in the give and take rtionship, Aurora. The moment you will say, ¡°I Do, ¡± exactly at that moment your father will have a new heart.¡±


    Aurora didn¡¯t care about anything anymore. All she wanted was her father to be safe.  ¡°I am ready to marry now, but help my father, Liam.¡± She sobbed.


    Liam nodded and stood up. He knew she would be ready, now there was only one person who was standing in his way, Thomas. ¡°Clean your face ande out, Aurora. We have to share the happy news with your Uncle.¡±


    Liam stepped out and called Ralph. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± He asked, epting the call for the first ring.


    Liam chuckled. ¡°It is, now listens to me, Ralph, go to Johnson and kill him. I want his heart for Ethan¡¯s surgery.¡±


    Ralph agreed and ended the call.


    Liam nced at Thomas who has a worrisome expression on his face. He went to him. ¡°I asked Ralph to search for the heart in Vancouver. You might hear good news soon.¡±


    Thomas nodded. ¡°How is, Aurora?¡±


    ¡°She is fine. We want to share it but I think I should talk to you here in private.¡±


    Thomas frowned, not understanding what he was trying to say. ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°I have decided to marry Aurora, now.¡±


    Thomas jerked. ¡°Now? Impossible! Ethan is hanging between life and death and you want to have a marriage ceremony? Have you lost your mind?¡±


    Liam was prepared for this. ¡°Try to understand Thomas, Churchill is at war, as you already mentioned, Ethan is hanging between life and death. Do you think Aurora is safe here? I want to take her back to Vancouver But as my wife. It will give the message to our enemies that Vancouver and Churchill are one joint team in this war. This will cool down a little if notpletely. It¡¯s best for business.¡±


    Thomas shrieked his eyes. He agreed with whatever Liam was saying but there was something about the situation which did not feel right to him. He could sniff something fishy. Moreover, would Aurora agree to it? He didn¡¯t think so!


    ¡°Aurora?¡± He asked, Thomas was ready to take the risk, for Aurora¡¯s safety. ¡°I have already talked to her, she agreed. She wants to fulfil her father¡¯s wish if the situation takes an uneventful turn¡­¡±


    Thomas grabbed the chair tightly. He understood what was at stake but he won¡¯t give his niece to Liam so easily. Not when bis friend had entrusted Aurora to him.


    ¡°I want to talk to Aurora first,¡± he said in a voice which made it clear to Liam that Ethan might not be in a condition to protect his daughter but Aurora still had a father figure who was no less of a monster than Ethan Knight!

 Chapter 121

    ¡°Yes, Uncle. I want to marry him,¡± Aurora told Thomas who did not react in any way except for staring at her for a long minute and then said: ¡°Aurora, Honey, you can share anything with me, you know that, right?¡±


    Aurora swallowed and nodded. She understood what he was trying to say, ¡°I know uncle but I want to give dad what he wanted to see for a long time. He wanted me to marry Liam and I want to fulfil his wish. I want to do everything he wanted me to do uncle¡­¡±


    Thomas hugged her. ¡°Am I  doing the right thing, uncle?¡±


    He nodded, kissing her head. ¡°You are, honey. You are doing the right thing for your dad, he will be so proud of you.¡±


    Aurora sobbed. ¡°He will be fine, he has to be a fine uncle. I will make everything right.¡±


    Thomas nodded, not understanding her words. Only if he understood what she was going through, he wouldn¡¯t have agreed to the marriage.


    Aurora broke their hug and wiped her tears. ¡°Thewyer is here, we will be having a small ceremony here, I want you to stand beside me when I take the vow, Uncle. I want dad and you both with me.¡±


    Thomas agreed. ¡°Let me talk to Liam. You go and clean yourself.¡±


    After Aurora left, Thomas went to Liam who was talking over the phone to someone. Thomas waited for him to end the conversation. Liam turned and raised his brows.


    ¡± I wasing to meet you, I have good news. Ralph is on the way with a heart to Churchill.¡±


    Thomas¡¯ body loosened up hearing the news. ¡°You found the donor? Oh, thank God!¡±


    Liam chuckled. ¡°Thank you, not God, Thomas.  I ordered Ralph to kill a man who matched Ethan¡¯s blood group. Your boss will be saved.¡±


    Thomas nodded. Liam proved to be a good alliance. He stood like a mountain with them in a difficult time. He sighed in relief and started the conversation he came to do.


    ¡°Aurora agreed to marry you.¡±


    Liam nodded. ¡°I told you.¡±


    Thomas gave him a curt nod and took a step closer to him, looked into his eyes and said: ¡°I agree to the marriage because my niece wanted it.  But remember one thing, Liam, if you ever hurt my Aurora, I will give a damn that she is married to you or about a so-called peace. For me, my Aurora is everything.¡±


    Liam chuckled. He knew Thomas was protective of Aurora, but that didn¡¯t give him the right to talk to him like this. ¡°She will be in my territory, my wife and whatever happens in my marriage will not be your concern, Thomas. You try to have your territory and your King who is on the deathbed right now. What I did for Ethan is a sign of how much I want this peace. So, I suggest we stop this warning thing and strengthen our bonds.¡±


    Thomas kept his gaze on him but gave him a curt nod. ¡°We can do that.¡±


    Aurora eyed the injured body of her father, she wanted nothing but to run and hug her father. She chuckled thinking about the days when she used to y doctor-patient games with him in her childhood and he used to be her patient. He used to ask for a kiss as his medicine and after she kissed him he pretended to be Superman.


    Today once again, Aurora wanted her father to be Superman again. She ced a soft kiss on his head. A few tears fell on him. ¡°You will be healthy again, dad. I will make it happen. I am sorry, I can¡¯t take your pain away, Dad. But I won¡¯t let you leave like Mom. You can¡¯t leave your Aurora alone. Today I came to know everything is because of you, if you would have been fine, he could never have forced this marriage on me. Never dad! But I will not be weak anymore. If he thinks that I will behave like a damsel in distress that he has another thinging.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Aurora wiped her tears, she went to Liam he was talking over the phone to someone. She went a little closer to gain his attention, he nted his eyes to her and raised a finger to stop him.


    Aurora inhaled sharply, she recalled how she used to barge into his cabin not caring about him being in a meeting with someone or talking to someone over the phone. She thought she was the most important person in his life and everything else came secondary to her but how stupid was she!


    ¡°I will talk to you,ter, dad but prepare for a big reception. I want everyone to know that Liam Knight is married to Aurora Kings and Now, we are one united force.¡±


    Liam wanted to send a message to his rivals and enemies, that now, he was standing beside Ethan Kings¡¯s daughter. She was his wife and dare anyone who even think about harming her.


    But when Aurora heard his words she was enraged. The man was rubbing salt to her raw wounds, he was mocking her words, how proudly she challenged him that she would never marry him and here he not only made her beg to marry him but now was he was going to show off his victory in front of the whole world that he made her his.


    She understood he was doing all this to humiliate her.


    Aurora fisted her hand and moved to him when he ended the call. ¡°Yes,¡± he asked in a stoic tone.


    ¡°When will your mane here? I will not marry till the surgery  starts.¡±


    Liam arched his brows. ¡°Who says you have any say in this matter, Little one. As I said, mywyer will be here in less than five minutes now, and you will marry me. Ralph ising with the heart and a medical team, your father will be saved. But once we are married you areing with me to Vancouver and do as I ask you to do, I will no longer tolerate your tantrums. Now smile, little one, we are about to get married in five minutes.¡±


    Aurora fisted his hands tightly and nodded. Tears wanted to swell in her eyes but this time she didn¡¯t allow them toe. She promised herself to be strong.


    As per his words, exactly after five minutes, hiswyer was there with a marriage officiate for a civil marriage.


    When Aurora came wearing the same clothes she was wearing since morning, Liam was furious. If it was her way of showing her resilience then he would make her pay for it.  He grabbed her hand, and pulled her aside, ¡°you will wear this for the wedding.¡±


    She snatched her hand away. ¡°I am sorry to break your bubble but my father is in ICU, waiting for the surgery and I can¡¯t force myself to dress up for my marriage when all I think about was my father¡¯s health.¡±


    Liam gritted his jaw. ¡°Since you came here directly from the airport, I gather you might have your luggage with you, go amd change into something presentable,¡± he ordered.


    Aurora shook her head but she knew she didnt have any other option. She went to the visitor¡¯s to change her clothes. She dressed up in a cream coloured suit and applied light make-up with shaky hands.


    That¡¯s not how she wanted her wedding day to be, she had nned everything like a fairy tale wedding. She wanted to have a grand wedding just like her parents, she would have worn a white wedding dress and her father would have walked her down the aisle. But all her dreams remained just that, dreams.  Aurora checked herself onest time in the mirror before walking out of the room and going back to Liam.


    She met Thomas halfway, he smiled at her sadly, she understood his pain. He had walked her mother down the aisle when she married her father.¡±You look exactly like, Savi, Honey.¡±


    Aurora nodded and he chuckled. ¡°Ethan had so many dreams about your special day. I never thought you will marry like this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, Uncle. Maybe, mom wanted you to walk me to my husband, just like you did with her. My dad will be fine soon and then I will be spending all my time with him.¡±


    Thomas smiled. ¡°Come, let¡¯s not dy the marriage any longer.¡±


    Liam was standing with the Lawyer and priest. Unlike her, he was wearing the same clothes but who was she to point out that to him. she swallowed anxiously with every step she took towards him.


    Her heart thumped wildly when she stopped in front of him. He shed a smile to her. To everyone else in the room or looker as if he was trying to make her feelfortable. He was trying to divert her mind from the fact that ber father was fighting for his life in the side room but Aurora know it was not like that.


    He was not making her feelfortable, no, he was mocking her. He was telling her that see what I made you do. She gulped, looking down and the priest started the ceremony.


    ¡°Do you, Aurora Savannah Kings, take Liam Knight, as yourwfully wedded husband?¡± The priest asked.


    She closed her eyes only for a moment and opened them again. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± She answered.


    ¡°Do you, Liam Knight, take Aurora Savannah Kings, as yourwfully, wedded wife?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Liam said in a loud and clear voice and with these words he dered Aurora as his. Now she officially belongs to him.


    ¡°You may kiss the bride.¡±


    Aurora fisted her hands tightly, so tightly that her nails bit the soft skin of her palms when he pulled her closer to him.


    An egoistic smirk was shing on his lips but it was his eyes which made her toes curled not in happiness but fear. They were stating that he won!


    ¡°Congrattions, Mrs Knight,¡± saying that he ced his lips on hers and gave her a soft peck. Aurora swallowed the fearful lump in her throat when he stopped at only a soft peck on her lips.


    He moved near her ear, ¡°Dont think I will not im you tonight, Little one. I can¡¯t wait to be with you tonight and fuck you as your husband. You have be a drug for me, little one. Be ready for an adventurous night.¡±


    She closed her eyes at his crude words after pushing his away from her lightly.


    You wanted to marry me, I epted but I won¡¯t let you break me, Liam Knight.


    Not more than you already did.


    They just finished the ceremony when Ralph reached the hospital with the medical team and the heart. Aurora¡¯s eyes perked with happy tears because now her father would breathe again, he would be fine, again but she was not aware of the fact that someone else list his breathes to save Ethan Kings.


    The doctors didn¡¯t wait for a single second more before starting the surgery, they¡¯re fear for their own life. They all knew their lives were at stake as well because if anything happened to Ethan Kings, Thomas would kill them all.


    Aurora was praying for her father¡¯s safety to whatever third power present up there. Her hand was touching her mother¡¯s ne til the surgery was going on and only left it when the doctors stepped out of the operation theatre after eight hours of the surgery.


    For eight hours she forgot everything, her marriage, Liam¡¯s cruelty, his deception. Nothing matters to her, the only person who. mattered was her father and his safety.


    Aurora ran to the doctors, Thomas who was standing beside the door straightened and Liam walked to them while Ralph stood beside his brother.


    ¡°Doctor, how is dad?¡± Aurora asled before anyone else could.


    ¡°The surgery has been sessful but¡­¡±


    Aurora¡¯s heart thumped. ¡°But what? If the surgery is sessful then what is wrong?¡±


    ¡°Miss Kings¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Mrs Knight, now!¡± Liam corrected the doctor who gulped nervously and apologised to Aurora who gave Liam a disgusted look before turning back her gaze to the doctor.


    ¡°Doctor, tell me, what happened,¡± she cried. Thomas patted he shoulder and asked the same question to the doctor.


    ¡°He went toma, Mrs Knight. We didnt know when he would wake up again!¡±


    Aurora went numb hearing the doctor. ma!¡±  She whispered the words painfully, not believing that her life had turned upside down in a course of twenty- four hours!


    ¡°He is in aa and it will take a few months for him to wake up.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean doctor? Tell me clearly!¡± Thomas snapped.


    ¡°Due tock of oxygen, there is swelling in his brain. He is in a medic till the swelling doesn¡¯t fade away.¡±


    ¡°But he will be fine, like before, right?¡± Aurora demanded.


    ¡°Yes, Mrs Knight. He will be once he heals properly but it will be a long procedure.


    Aurora was ready to wait for whatever time was required because she knew once her father was awake he would protect her from the monster who had be her husband now!

 Chapter 122

    ¡± I am taking Aurora to Vancouver with me but Ralph is staying here to help you and control the streets,¡± Liam said, while Aurora was sitting beside her father staring at him with tear-filled eyes.


    Thomas nodded. ¡°Aurora is not fine, Liam. Try to divert her mind from Ethan¡¯s condition. I had seen her like this just once and that was when her mother died. She can¡¯t take this much stress.¡±


    Liam nced at Aurora. ¡°She is my responsibility, now. Forget about her and focus on your streets. We are at war with Mexicans and The masked man. This Juan is working with the Masked man, it¡¯s bad. Very Bad!¡±


    Thomas¡¯ eyes changed the instant Liam took Juan¡¯s name. ¡°I will kill that man.¡± He looked at Liam. ¡°As Ethan told you on multiple asions, you take care of¡­¡±


    Liam knew what was toe in that sentence but now was not the time to think with emotions. He raised his hand to stop him from talking any further.


    ¡°Aurora is now married to, the deal I had with Ethan is almostplete now and as far as the matter of my hair is concerned, I will take care of it soon too, but now, I want to end the chapter of this Masked man and Juan. I have a n but I have to wait twenty right days for that to proceed,¡± he said recalling the thing he nned for Alexandri.


    He was his trump card and the least he could do for the sake of his friendship was give him a month of happiness.


    ¡°A month? What if they attacked us again before that.¡±


    Liam shook his head. ¡°They won¡¯t, not after hearing the news of my marriage with Aurora. That masked man never dered open war on Vancouver, he could have attacked my territory but they chose Churchill because they knew they wouldn¡¯t seed in Vancouver.¡±


    The insult didn¡¯t go well with Thomas. ¡°Are you saying we are weak then you!¡±


    Liam gave him an unimpressed look. ¡°No, I am just saying that they might think that. Ethan had no male heir and he was getting old. No hard feelings but you too and that made him look weak. Some things are still hidden from us, Thomas, and I n to learn them. The masked man tried to harm me through Gori wars till now but suddenly he did an attack this big. There is something we are missing here.¡±


    Thomas understood what Liam was saying. He nced at his niece once again. ¡°Keep her happy and safe.¡±


    Liam shrank his eyes. ¡°There is one more thing.¡±


    Thomas arched his brows. ¡°I want Ethan to be in Vancouver, that would be safer for him.¡±


    ¡°Liam! I can¡¯t allow that, this is his territory, he is the king of Churchill!¡±


    ¡°The same King is attacked in his own territory, look, Thomas, we are a team now, I know it may sound fishy to you but think about Aurora. If Ethan is treated in Vancouver she would be near him and you would be able to focus on the city, on business. You don¡¯t know who your friend or enemy is at this moment. The news of Ethan¡¯s attack is fired all over the streets, your men are in confusion¡­ Do you want to lose all of this because of being emotional? Think with a rational and clear mind, Thomas, what is more important? You people¡¯s safety or your ego?¡±


    Thomas stared at Liam for a moment, as if assessing him. His mind and heart were at war over the suggestion. He wanted to trust him, but he had learnt it a long time back, not to trust anyone in this business. Thomas was Ethan¡¯s counsellor, a position that was higher than every other position in the business. A counsellor only answered to the boss, and Thomas was no fool, he knew there was some benefit in this for Liam too.  The man would do nothing if there is no gain for him in the situation. He understood everything but he understood one more thing precisely, that what he was saying was true too.


    Thomas¡¯ whole focus should be on his business right now. Because no one was safe till Juan and the masked man died.


    ¡°I agree with you but a few of my most trusted men will be there for Ethan¡¯s security,¡± Thomas saw the change in his eyes. Liam wanted to deny but Thomas raised his hand. ¡°No, that is not negotiable, Liam. A King never travels without his army in a foreignnd. My men will be there.¡±Liam epted it.


    Aurora kissed her father once again. ¡± get well soon, Dada.¡±


    Liam entered the room and rested his hand on Ethan¡¯s shoulder. He didn¡¯t feel anything for Ethan, no remorse, nothing. If it had not been the masked man, Liam would have attacked Ethan to make Aurora his, ¡°it¡¯s time to leave, Little one.¡±


    Aurora turned her head to look at him. ¡°I want to stay for longer.¡±


    Liam red at her and shook his head. The look said it all, she couldn¡¯t stay.


    Aurora gasped when she felt his hold on her shoulder tightening. ¡°Liam!¡±


    She whispered, ¡°shall we leave, Mrs Knight?¡± He demanded but his tone was soft as if he was asking not demanding.


    Aurora stood up to leave. She didn¡¯t want to suffer in her father¡¯s presence. It was a mind game, Liam was ying with the father-daughter duo.


    To Ethan it was not less than the p on his face that Liam was hurting his daughter in his presence and to Aurora, it was the lesson to her words, that her father would ruin him when would tell him the truth.


    Both of them hurted his ego and now both were going to pay for their sins, dearly!


    Aurora said her goodbye to Thomas and in less than two hours she was in the air with her newly wedded husband, going back to the ce which broke her heart. Vancouver!


    Liam wanted nothing more than pull her into hisp and sate his inner beast with her heavenly body but he stopped himself because she was not in the right mindset yet, Liam was a bastard, he would have done it but it was his wedding night and the east he could do was give her a proper wedding night.


    He would be gentle with her, this onest time then she would be dealing with the gentleman.


    When theynded in Vancouver, Aurora felt humiliated, she left the city just a few hours ago with pride and returned back with a shattered ego.


    A ck limousine was waiting for them when they stepped off the stairs. The chopper opened the door for Aurora, Liam nodded at him and he stepped back, Liam held the door open for her, ¡°Wee back to my city, Mrs Knight.¡±


    Aurora once again swallowed the bitter taste of insult. He was not going to be easy on her, she knew that. Matching her brutality would be her biggest test, but the question was, would she be able to do that?


    Aurora didn¡¯t know? But she was going to fight tooth and nail to protect her remaining ego. The car stopped and Aurora eyed the penthouse, the same ce where she gave herself to him, she had saved her virginity for her one true love and she submitted it to him on the silver tter, tears perked in her eyes thinking how he must have made fun of her after that.


    How he would haveughed at her after taking her virginity. She was foolish to share her emotions with a man like him. Aurora took a long shaking breath while staring at the passing trees.


    She recalled the day when she first came here with Susan and Emily. How happy she was then, she felt closer to her mother. Vancouver was her birthce, she felt as if her mother was crashing her hair but today she felt nothing like that.


    Then she was excited for a new beginning in her life and today, she was scared and anxious about the unknown. If she was given the power to change something in the past, she would go back in time and change the whole year.


    She would change the meeting Gabriel James, the man who was the reason she came here to prove herself. She closed her eyes and sobbed silently, Gabriel was trying to control her, he wanted to change her but he was not this cruel.


    If she would have to choose between Liam and Gabriel today, she would dly choose Gabriel over Liam. With him at least she had a chance to get out of the rtionship but with Liam, she couldn¡¯t do that. She was alone and powerless in front of Liam Knight.


    I was never good at choosing the right man for myself. I ruined everything for myself!


    Liam once again pretended to be the gentleman and opened the door for her, ¡°wee to your new residence, Little one.¡±N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Aurora stopped herself from reacting in any way. She silently stepped out of the car and walked ahead but Liam grabbed her hand, the chauffeur and the other security standing there looked down, making themselves invisible.  They all know that if a single word of this went out, they all would be six feet under the ground.


    Aurora looked with a questioning gaze, before she could ask anything, Liam spoke: ¡°We are married now, you are my wife, you represent my name, my power. I will not tolerate if you take these things lightly or behave like a spoiled brat anymore, Mrs Knight.¡±


    He pressed on the words ¡®Mrs Knight¡¯ but Aurora was still confused over what he became so angry about.


    Liam understood her confusion. Till now he dealt with her with kid gloves. He allowed her to do anything she wanted but now, she would be living with his rules, he knew that she was not aware of the rules, he never told her but now he was more than eager to teach her.


    ¡°You will not walk ahead of me when we are together. You will walk beside me, holding my hand, like a beloved wife. Do you understand me?¡± He demanded in a dark tone that a shiver ran down her body.


    Aurora frowned. He never asked her to behave in a certain way before. She was always like this. But then she told herself that it was all a lie, a deception to hold her in his clutches.


    The man who held bags while she shopped for her friend¡¯s birthday party was a deception. The man who boosted her broken confidence was a lie. It was all nothing but a lie! This was real Liam, the controlling, lying, deception bastard.


    He didn¡¯t boost her confidence for her sake, no he did that because he wanted her body. He never loved her, he wanted her body to sate her animalistic desires.


    It was not loving but lust!


    ¡°Do you understand me or not, Mrs Knight?¡± He snarled, making Aurora gasp as she came back from the memoryne and startled hearing him roar.


    ¡°Yes!¡± She replied firmly. He nodded, ¡°Good, now hold my hand so that we can step into our new life together.¡±


    She gritted her jaw.  New life my foot!


    Paulina¡¯s soft smile weed them. ¡°Wee home, Mr Knight and Mrs Knight.¡± She greeted them.


    Aurora swallowed. Is she pretending to be nice too? No, it didn¡¯t seem so, she held the same warmth as Mrs Dn, thought Aurora but then scolded herself for believing everyone at their face value.


    They entered and Aurora felt as if she was in a foreign territory. She didn¡¯t feel the warmth she felt this morning here. Paulina asked for refreshment but Liam denied it.


    ¡°No need, Paulina. I prefer to have a different kind of refreshment tonight.¡±


    Aurora jerked and looked at him with wide eyes.  He was smirking, proudly.


    Aurora didn¡¯t give away any emotion. She learned her lesson well. Now she would not let anyone see her soul and if this lying deceptive man thinks he would get her, he had another thinging because hell would freeze over before she allowed him to touch her.


    He wanted to show her the monster, he would be meeting his counterpart halfway!

 Chapter 123

    Finally, the time toy im on his beautiful bride has arrived and Liam couldn¡¯t wait anymore.


    With a proud smirk on his face he entered the room, not waiting for a second more he moved further and locked the door. He didn¡¯t need any disturbance tonight, he had waited enough for the day to be finally over so that he could own her in every way possible.


    The proud words she told him in the morning were still fresh in his memory.


    She spoke the big words but she was not aware to which level Liam could go for the things he wanted and he wanted her.


    She was the oasis in the desert that held the power to quench his thirst for power but more than that he wanted to show her what she was in front of Liam Knight.


    Nothing! She was nothing but a trophy  which came with the winning prize. She would serve no other purpose than a showpiece in her kingdom. She would be the perfect trophy wife with her perfect angel like body.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Her designation depends on him because, in his world, he was the king and to be her queen she had to submit to him in every way possible and after the things he did to have her, he deserved the pleasure her body was capable of giving.


    Could any sane man have done all the things he did to have her? But no one said that Liam Knight was a sane man.


    He was the kind of man who gets what he wants no matter what he had to do for getting that thing, he chuckled at the thought and eyed histest acquisition, Aurora who was standing at the window, staring at the moon, the sweet breeze flowing her golden blonde hair in the air. Her white nightdress gave her the look of an angel who arrived on earth from heaven itself.


    Now, she belonged to him only.  Mind. Body. Soul.


    Tonight was going to be the night for him to bath in his triumph. After all, the devil got his angel just to ruin her.


    The image of her crying while begging him to marry her shed in his memory and his bruised ego certainly got hyped when she wet his shoes with her tears.


    His eyes went to her once again and he saw her shoulders shook a little as if she was crying and he wanted nothing else to make her cry even harder screaming his name tonight.


    ¡°This is the night to celebrate our union, little one, not to cry over.¡±


    Aurora swallowed the tight emotional lump that formed in her throat and turned around. ¡°Celebrate what, your sick intentions?¡± She asked, bitterly.


    Liam raised his chin arrogantly. ¡°Why, we got married today! Mrs Knight and it¡¯s a happy day for both of us. Don¡¯t you want to have a toast for our lifelong happiness and all the sweet little dreams you had for your married life?¡± He asked, eyeing her from head to toe. Her beauty was going to be his death one day, she was the reincarnation of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of beauty.


    Aurora jerked at the brutality of his words, his words hurt more than any physical injury. He was a heartless animal who should not be allowed to live in a civilised world.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to do the twirling dance, you wanted to do it with your husband on your wedding night, wasn¡¯t it one of your beautiful fantasies little one? I recall them¡­¡±


    ¡°Quiet!¡± Aurora snapped in anger before he could even finish the sentence. Liam¡¯s brows rose, his lips twitched in mockery, and that look in his face pained her to the depth of her soul. Once again, shame engulfed her heart, she felt stupid for sharing her fantasies with him. She thought she would live with him but today she was disgusted by his mere presence.


    ¡°What happened little one, I am just asking as your loving husband that I am all in to give you everything you need,  I am ready to fulfil every wild fantasy you have¡­¡±


    She couldn¡¯t listen to him anymore. The egoistic smirk on his face was irritating her soul. She wanted nothing more than to p the smirk out of his face.


    Aurora took a step forward,  and pointed her perfectly manicured finger at him. ¡°I wanted to live those beautiful fantasies with my husband who loves and cherishes me but you are not that man, Liam. You are nothing but a heartless ba**ard who knows nothing about love and emotions. You are a monster who just appeared in my life and manipted me to marry you but let me tell you one thing very clearly, Liam Knight¡­¡± she stared into his eyes without blinking a single time.


    ¡± You might have married me but you can¡¯t have me. I am still the same Aurora Kings who don¡¯t even want to spit on your face, so if you have any alluring thoughts running in this cheap mind of yours then cease them right there because they will remain just that, cheap thoughts, cheap like your character.¡±


    The look in his eyes would have scared her in the past but not anymore. She continued to give him the piece of her mind. ¡°I am just a business deal, Liam. A business deal that gave you everything you wanted. You think of yourself as a winner but you are not, you are nothing but a loser in my eyes who forced me to marry you, who cheated and lied to me for this marriage. I lost people I used to love because of your selfishness, so take this money, take this wealth, take everything but you won¡¯t get what you craved the most, you won¡¯t get my father¡¯s most precious jewel. You won¡¯t get Aurora Kings,¡± she said, proudly and turned to walk away but he didn¡¯t allow it and grabbed her neck, pulled her in his arms, her back touching his front. His one arm wrapped around her body to keep her firmly in his grip.


    He moved his hand from her neck to his jaw and turned it aside. He leaned a little in her neck, nearing her ear and whispered darkly, ¡°why, But I already have you in my arms as my wife Mrs Aurora Liam Knight,¡± he said stressing his name after hers and took a long breath in her hair, inhaling her sweet scent and he smiled proudly.


    ¡°Maybe you forgot little one, but it was just a few hours ago we said I Do to each other and now you belong to me till death do us apart. You are no longer Aurora Kings but Aurora Knight. My legally wedded wife and as my wife you have some duties to fulfil. Shall we start our wedding night, I want to make all your fantasies turn into reality,¡± Aurora gulped, her eyes burned with unshed tears which were blurring her vision but she refused to give this animal the satisfaction of seeing her cry.


    She recalled the beautiful memories she spent with the man she loved. The man of her dreams who made her believe in prince charming. She was always treated like a princess by her father but the man she loved treated her like a queen. She was living in her beautiful dream world until harsh reality awakened her and she came face to face with this monster who broke her dreams maliciously.


    That man was an illusion, a beautiful dream and the reality was standing in front of her eyes with an ugly face.


    Now she had a heart which was wounded and bleeding because of this man. ¡°I don¡¯t want to live those fantasies with you. You are not the worthy man for those dreams.¡±


    Liam¡¯s grip on her has tightened, his eyes once again moved her, ¡°Then who is? That cheap restaurant owner, your used to be, lover boy, Gabriel?¡±


    Aurora took a deep suffering breath at the mention of Gabe¡¯s name. She couldn¡¯t stop the tears anymore. They dropped down her cheek.


    ¡°He was better than you, Liam. At least he didn¡¯t lie to have me, he didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Before she could finish her sentence Liam¡¯s hold tightened on her. His anger knew no bounds at that moment. How dare she try topare him with a low ss restaurant owner, the man who she used to date in the past. He grabbed her jaw and turned it towards him, made her look in his eyes and then spoke:


    ¡°Listen to me Aurora because this is thest time I am telling you this. You are mine in every way, don¡¯t let the thoughts of another enter your mind because I would consider that no less than infidelity. Your mind is allowed to think about only one man and that is me, your eyes are allowed to dream about only one man and that is me, your body is allowed to pleasure only one man and that is me, your husband, Liam Knight. You called me a monster right, trust me, little one you don¡¯t want to see the monster in me getting  into action,¡± gritting that he ced his lips on hers into a brutal kiss.


    Aurora pushed him away with all her strength, she could feel the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. The monster bit her lip, ¡°Sign of my love on your lip, darling¡­¡± he said smirking and Aurora lost her cool. She raised her hand and struck him hard across the face.


    Liam¡¯s eyes turned dark at her action. The expression on his face made her breath stop.  He sprinted towards her in one long stride and pushed her on the bed.


    ¡°Let me show you how big of a monster I can be, Mrs Knight!¡± Saying that he jumped on top of her.


    Aurora swallowed, she couldn¡¯t bear his touch on her body.  She tried to wiggle out under him but his grip on her was too tight. ¡°Liam I don¡¯t want you, let go of me!¡± She yelled but Liam was not listening to her.


    He was in a trance, a dark and brutal trance, all he wanted was her. His anger was not allowing him to see anything. He wanted to teach her that her actions could have severe consequences. The man who smiled at her, the man who shared all her stupidity was a farce, this brutal cunning man was the reality and she needed to learn to live with him.


    Aurora tried to push him but he grabbed both her hands above her head with one hand  making it impossible for her to use them, with the other hand he touched her breast.


    Aurora was not herself then, she was ready for anything but not this. She didn¡¯t want this, no! Not like this, it felt as if he was viting her body.


    ¡°Liam doesn¡¯t do this, don¡¯t degrade yourself to this level, please leave me. Liam!¡± She screamed but he was not listening.


    Liam was in another world, he was loving the feel of her body under his hand. The way her n***les hardened at his touch lured him into touching her more. He wanted to be gentle with her on their wedding night but she didn¡¯t deserve that, she provoked him to behave like an animal and if she wanted it like that he would dly give it to her.


    Aurora couldn¡¯t hold the panic anymore, her body was reacting to his touch. He knew how to lure her too well but she didn¡¯t want that to happen. Her heart picked up speed and she closed her eyes when his hand touched her most private part. She needed to have her pride or she would never be able to forgive herself. It was about her dignity and self-respect. Tears perked into her eyes. She needed to do something to stop him.


    ¡°This is against my wishes Liam, You are robbing me of my dignity. What you are doing is Rape!¡± Aurora screamed in a hoarse voice, tears rolled down the corner of her eyes while she yelled in suffering.


    Liam froze when he heard the word Rape from her mouth!  Whatever dark trance he was in broke and he halted his hands. He squeezed his eyes in anger. What was he about to do?


    ¡°Aurora!¡± He whispered but she kept crying, she didn¡¯t hear him, her mind was nowhere near calm. She was not ready for this.


    He got off her and pulled her into his arms. This time softly, ¡°calm down, Little one, please.¡±


    Aurora heard the voice of her dream man, the same voice which used to vanish all her fears but she knew the voice was a deception too. ¡°Please don¡¯t touch me, please don¡¯t!¡± She mumbled and Liam left her immediately.


    Aurora made herself small in the bed. Liam closed his eyes and wrapped her in a quilt. He needed to get out of here to calm his head. The anger and frustration was too much for him to handle.


    Aurora stiffened when she heard the door snap shut. She sobbed. That¡¯s not how she imagined her wedding night to be.

 Chapter 124

    ¡°Your breakfast is ready, madam,¡± Paulina said from the kitchen counter as Aurora stepped out of her room.


    She was alone in bed when she woke up. It was not the first time she woke up without him. They have been together for one month and there has not been a day when they have not shared a bed. Sometimes she used to wake up with him but on many asions, she had woken up alone.


    Butst night was not a normal night, it was their wedding night. Aurora stiffened when she recalled what happenedst night. Aurora didn¡¯t want to recall any bad memory, so she nodded at Paulina and had breakfast with her.


    Her mind was focused on only one person, her father. She needed to talk to Thomas, he was the only family left for her now.


    Aurora called him but he didn¡¯t ept the call. She tried one more time but once again,  no answer. That scared her, the first thought that came to her mind was, what if something happened to him as well.


    Aurora¡¯s breathing hitched. She couldn¡¯t lose her Uncle too but what if those people attack him as her father? She wanted to know about those people who hurt her father.


    Aurora called the police station to know about the details. ¡°Hello, police station, I am Aurora Kin¡­¡± before she could say anything the phone was snatched out of her hands.


    Aurora gasped when she saw Liam standing there with an angry face. He ended the call and looked at her. ¡°What were you about to do?¡± He demanded.


    Aurora didn¡¯t want to talk to him afterst night but now she had to, ¡°I called the police station to find out the details of dad¡¯s culprits. I want to know if they found anything or not?¡±


    Liam gritted his jaw, Ethan Kings has treated his daughter with kid gloves but at least he should have informed her about the reality of their lives. The girl was going tond them in trouble.


    ¡°You will not call anyone from now on!¡± He ordered her, putting her cell phone in his coat pocket.


    Aurora frowned. ¡°What do you mean, I will not call anyone and why are you keeping my phone in your pocket,¡± she almost yelled at him in anger.


    Liam nced at Paulina who was doing her work in the kitchen looking down, she was loyal, he knew that a word wouldn¡¯t not get out of the four walls of the house but Liam couldn¡¯t tolerate anyone, especially his wife raising her voice at him. He was the monster in the eyes of the world and he didn¡¯t want a clinch on his image.


    It was what he had earned in business. Liam raised a finger, ¡°don¡¯t use that tone with me!¡±


    Aurora was enraged. She wanted to know about the culprits of her father and she could do anything for them to get punished.


    She pushed Liam in the chest. ¡°What will you do? Hit me? Look Liam, I did what you asked me to do but if you think that I will sit here silently and behave like a sick wife then you are hell wrong. I want to see those bastards get punished. Give me my phone back or it won¡¯t be good for you.¡±


    ¡°Aurora, calm yourself. You want to see them punished, they will get it but not like this. I will¡­¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°You will what? Take another advantage of the situation. You snatched everything from me, what more do you want, tell me? What? I don¡¯t trust you a single bit now, so stop lying to me anymore and give me my phone back.¡±


    Liam didn¡¯t want to lose control, not afterst night because he didn¡¯t know if he would be able to handle his anger if she crossed the line again. ¡°Aurora, I am trying to control myself, don¡¯t provoke me!¡±


    Aurora nodded in anger and pushed him again, hard, ¡°what will you if I provoke, hit me or Rape me likest night?¡± She yelled and that was it, Liam¡¯s eyes turned dark.


    Before she could even blink, Liam grabbed her jaw and pinned him with a gaze that screamed rage. ¡°Get out!¡±


    Paulina didn¡¯t need to be told twice, she walked out without making a sound.


    Aurora¡¯s eyes widened in fear. She didn¡¯t forgetst night, she gulped in apprehension.


    Is he going to repeat what he didst night?


    ¡°Don¡¯t use that word again for me when you wanted me as much as I didst night. You were aroused, the proof of that was in front of my eyes and under my hand. So stop lying to yourself about it. Do you even know what rape meant, Aurora?¡± He demanded in a cold dark voice that stopped her heart.


    ¡°You are lucky that I can control the raging beast inside me or you have not seen what I am capable of doing.¡±


    She only blinked, there were so many things she wanted to say to him, she wanted to show him the mirror of reality but words froze inside her throat.


    Liam closed his eyes and turned his head to his left, inhaled sharply and once again settled his gaze back to her, ¡°we have our reception tonight, the dresses, make artists everyone will be here in two hours. I want you to dress up like a doll, look at me admiringly, and smile at the guests. Be the perfect trophy wife. I know it won¡¯t be hard for you, your father has groomed you for this whole your life.¡±


    Aurora blinked, insulting her was one thing but insulting her father, she wouldn¡¯t tolerate his jabs about her like this.


    Liam could see the fear pass from her eyes and the defiance burning in them again. He knew she wanted to say something but he was not in the mood to hear her tantrums anymore.


    ¡°Two hours, that¡¯s all you have, Aurora,¡± saying that he left her face with a jerk and walked away from there leaving an enraged Aurora behind.


    ¡°You want a trophy wife, right? I will pull off a standing ovation type of performance for you, Liam. That¡¯s my promise to you!¡±


    Liam¡¯s hands were full with the ongoing war, continuous stealing of his consignments. In other words business was not going well and now on top of everything he had a wife who wanted to test his patience every then and now.


    He called Thomas, he needed to have this talk with him about Aurora. ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Aurora wants to talk to the police about Ethan¡¯s case.¡±


    Thomas answered him with silence and a long sigh. ¡°She is naive¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn if she is naive, look, Thomas, I have yed this game enough. Aurora needed to know about the reality of our life or we couldnd in trouble. There is a limit for everything, I have police and politicians in my pocket but there are few enemies too, don¡¯t forget we are not the only fish in the pond!¡±


    Thomas pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°You can¡¯t tell Aurora, it¡¯s not yours nor my right to tell her the truth. Ethan hid it from her till now, once he gets well he will tell her himself.¡±


    Liam squeezed his eyes shut. This Ethan and his daughter¡¯s drama is never going to end!


    ¡°The girl is stubborn, we couldnd in¡­¡±


    ¡°Liam, if you think that just because you seeded in marrying Aurora yesterday and I allowed Ethan to be treated in Vancouver doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t understand your ploys. I epted that because I want to control my territory till my boss gets fine and my niece is safer with you than she is with me but I wouldn¡¯t allow you to hurt her.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t allow me to hurt her? She is my wife now, Thomas, and I don¡¯t want anyone to interfere in my married life!¡± Saying that he ended the call and threw his phone aimlessly on the car seat.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    What a mess! This is too much price for a beautiful body!


    Thomas shook his head, he couldn¡¯t let anyone harm Aurora. He needed to take care of this matter and now there was only one way to do that. Thomas dialled Ryan Knight who epted the call on the sixth ring.


    ¡°Good morning, Thomas!¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Ryan. We need to talk about Aurora.¡±


    Ryan frowned, hearing the seriousness in his tone. ¡°What about Aurora?¡±


    ¡°She is Ethan King¡¯s daughter, she deserves to be treated with respect, Ryan, and your son is unpredictable. He wants to tell Aurora the truth about our business. The truth Ethan hid from her till now and I want it to remain that way.¡±


    Ryan didn¡¯t like that a mere counsellor was giving orders to him. He was the boss of the Vancouver crime family. ¡°Thomas, Aurora is no longer a King, now she is my daughter inw. My son¡¯s wife, she is Aurora Knight now and shees under my son¡¯s jurisdiction now. You no longer have any say in her life.¡±


    Thomas was prepared for that. ¡°Ethan won¡¯t be happy hearing it.¡±¡± Ethan ks immobile right now and we are at war with outsiders. I would rather not think about Ethan right now and focus on the problems at hand and just to remind you, you are not the boss of the Churchill crime family, you are filling in Ethan¡¯s ce till he gets back to work. You are not the King, Thomas.¡±


    Thomas chuckled. He didn¡¯t want to be king, if he wanted he would have be the boss of this crime syndicate when Ethan wanted to quit for Savannah¡¯s sake.  Ethan wished him to take his seat as the boss but Thomas denied because, for him, Ethan would always be the boss. He didn¡¯t know then that his friend was going to lose everything that day.


    The jabs Ryan was taking on Thomas meant nothing to him. His friendship with Ethan was deeper than blood. It was based on blind trust.  ¡°Ryan, I might not be the king, but I am a damn goodmander. We might not have our boss with us but thismander has fought enough wars to know when to strike and when to stop. We are no longer business allies or friends, we are a family now and I don¡¯t want hidden secrets getting out to ruin our rtionships, right?¡±


    Ryan Knight stood up from his chair. He understood where he was pointing at, with Ethan he tolerated that, but he would not tolerate this ckmail. ¡°Thomas, don¡¯t forget your damn ce. Don¡¯t forget that Ethan and Aurora are in my territory right now!¡±


    Thomas nodded. ¡°I know but I also know that you can¡¯t do anything to Ethan because if you do, you know what kind of twisted bastard I am, Aurora is my niece. I will  not tolerate anyone hurting her even if it¡¯s your son and just to remind you, Aurora doesn¡¯te under Liam¡¯s jurisdiction, shees under yours. Becausest time I checked you are still the boss of Vancouver¡¯s, Ryan Knight, not your son. I don¡¯t want Aurora to know about our reality yet, not till Ethan gets fine and tells her himself. Tell your son to be careful and handle her with care and love or things will get dirty for you if your secretse out.¡±


    Ryan kicked the leather chair in anger as it flipped down on the floor. If his secretes out things would turn upside down for him. He swallowed, killing Thomas was out of the question, it would put Churchill without a leader with Ethan being in Coma. He would have  dly taken over Ethan¡¯s territory under his rule but handling the aftermath of a coup was not easy, the price was too high for him to pay especially when there was already a war going on with the outside forces. He didn¡¯t want to deal with ambitious captains and underbosses. It would be bloody and filthy to handle them.


    He thought by marrying Liam to Aurora he would control Ethan but now he was in an even more messed up situation.


    Ralph Knight who was about to enter the safe room to talk to Thomas about the information he received from his spies regarding Juan and the masked man stopper when he heard him talking to his father. He was stunned hearing that Thomas was ckmailing Ryan for a secret.


    Ralph frowned, now he understood why Ralph always protected Ethan till now. So he was right, there was something Ryan Knight was hiding, What? He had yet to find out and he will find it out!

 Chapter 125

    Aurora sat in front of the mirror while the beauticians were checking the dress she was wearing for her Reception tonight.  She didn¡¯t want to celebrate her marriage. What was there to celebrate, abuse, deception or fake love?


    ¡°Which color do you want to wear, Mrs Knight?¡± Robin, one of the beauticians asked in a soft tone. Even though the beauticians were doing their work, Aurora felt irritated with everyone there.


    She eyed the red-haired beautician, Sonia, who was holding a beautiful red dress. Aurora fisted her hands and stood up. ¡°I am not wearing this dress,¡± she said and went to check the other dresses. She wanted to wear something which angered Liam.


    He married her against her wishes and in his own words, as he everytime put it to her, ¡®Actions have consequences,¡¯ so now, he was going to suffer the consequences of marrying Aurora Kings.


    Aurora chose the dress and showed it to the beauticians. ¡°This is what I want to wear,¡± she said with a wide smile.


    The beauticians went nk seeing the dress. They nced at one another and then at Aurora. ¡°But, Mrs Knight, it¡¯s your reception and the color¡­¡±


    Aurora was ready for this. ¡°This is my favourite color and the dress is beautiful too. Shall we start now.¡±


    Robin and Sonia nodded at her. ¡°If you want to wear this then we can¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely right!¡± She said in a bitchy tone. Spoiled brat he called her now she would show everyone what a real spoiled brat looks like.


    Aurora spent the next three hours of her day with the beauticians, they did everything to enhance  Aurora¡¯s beauty, not that she needed it, she was already beautiful but after the makeup, she looked even more gorgeous.


    When Aurora looked at her reflection in the mirror she was impressed by them.


    ¡°Madam, Mr Knight called to ask if you are ready or not?¡± Paulina asked, even though she tried to hide it but Aurora could see the shock on her face. The beauticians left with a smile at Aurora.


    Aurora fisted her hand. The idiot had snatched her phone and was not giving it back. She was going to make him pay for that too. ¡°I am ready, Paulina, where is Mr Knight?¡±


    ¡°Sir will be here soon, Madam,¡± she replied, eyeing Aurora one more time before walking downstairs. Exactly after half an hour, she heard Liam¡¯s voice from outside the door.


    She couldn¡¯t wait for him to enter and see the dress she was wearing, she wanted to enjoy his stunned face.


    Liam ended the call and entered his room to get dressed into a tuxedo for the reception. The reception was an important event for him. It was a warning for his enemies so he wanted everything to be perfect. But when his eyes settled on his wife he was in one hell of a shock.


    The girl was dressed beautifully, not for the reception but for the funeral. She was wearing a ck dress with ck gloves and ck heels.


    His eyes burned with rage. ¡°What the hell are you wearing?¡± He roared in anger.


    Aurora shed a soft smile on her lips. ¡°It¡¯s pretty, right. I chose it myself, you didn¡¯t tell me how I am looking?¡±


    Liam gritted his jaw and sprinted towards her. ¡°Have you lost your mind? Is this what you are wearing for our reception. ck!¡±


    Aurora raised her brows. ¡°Yea why not? I think it¡¯s a perfect choice as it reflects my mood perfectly. That¡¯s how I feel about this marriage, So I decided to wear a mourning dress.¡±


    Liam grabbed her face. ¡± A mourning dress, who are you mourning, Aurora?¡±


    She met his gaze, her eyes burning with anger. ¡°I am mourning over my fate that I met you. I am mourning this marriage which is bound to be doomed in future.¡±


    Liam blinked his eyes to control his anger. His hands twitched, he craved to kill someone to soothe the burning desire to see blood. He wanted to control his anger but it proved to be a hard-luck for him. Every minute with her felt like a war he was fighting with himself.


    He nced at the wall clock. He didn¡¯t have time to waste, ¡°Go and dress into something else.¡±


    ¡°Why? It took me more than three hours to get ready. I am not ruining my perfect make up or dress because you asked me to do,¡± she said, her eyes went to the wall clock ¡°and let¡¯s be real, it would take me almost five hours to dress up again because I have to do the whole look again, till then it would be close to ten and I don¡¯t think you want people to gossip about us.¡±


    Liam shrank his eyes.  He understood what she was trying to do, he pulled her closer to him, ¡± you are right, I don¡¯t want people to gossip about us, so we are going to attend our reception in this dress. You want to mourn our marriage, Little one.  Let¡¯s do it. ¡±


    Aurora frowned. She expected him to shout, scream and tell her to change the dress. But she didn¡¯t expect him to agree with her, not this soon at least.


    It took him merely fifteen minutes to change into a tuxedo, the man looked perfect without even trying. Yes, Liam Knight was that handsome and when Aurora¡¯s eyes went to him, she inhaled sharply, the man was a treat to look at, not to mention that spicy cologne he used. Aurora swallowed the lump that formed in her throat by looking at him.


    She scolded herself for getting attracted to him when he only yed with her emotions.


    He is a cruel lying deceptive animal, Aurora, don¡¯t let yourself lose.


    ¡°Come little one, let¡¯s mourn this marriage together,¡± he said with a smirk and that smirk was enough for creating haywire in Aurora¡¯s mind.


    He was nning something, she knew it then and she feared that whatever he nned to do was going to hit her hard.


    Liam kept clenching and unclenching his hands. He was barely controlling his anger. She wanted to show her stubbornness. He was going to teach her the lesson she would never forget.


    Aurora¡¯s heart was beating an uneven rhythm. She wanted to show him that he forced her to marry him but he couldn¡¯t break her. She was still the same, Aurora King who had sky under her feet. She was Ethan King¡¯s daughter and no one could break her but now everything seemed vague.


    They reached the venue, Aurora eyed the ce, it was a beautifully decorated garden with the white and golden theme. Aurora eyed her dress and swallowed, suddenly she lost all her courage.


    Liam opened the door for Aurora and offered his hand like a gentleman. Aurora looked at that hand suspiciously. ¡°Come, little one, I can¡¯t wait to introduce you to everyone.¡±


    They entered the venue, the guests who were smiling and chatting till now fell silent and their smiles turned into frowns.  Aurora didn¡¯t like the attention on her, she was the bride, of course, the attention was going to be on her but this was a different kind of attention, the one she didn¡¯t want on herself. She nned this dress to insult him in front of his guests but it was she who was feeling embarrassed now.


    Ryan Knight eyed his son, the threat he received from Thomas was still lurking over his mind. He was going to make her feelfortable in his city but seeing Aurora in a ck dress he was enraged. Why did she wear this funeral dress?


    He went to the couple and forced a smile, ¡°wee, son,¡± he said to Liam and then turned to his daughter inw, ¡°Aurora, you look different!¡± He murmured, ncing at Liam.


    Aurora smiled. She might be anxious but she was not going to show it to her face. She nned this now she was going to execute it, if she hade this far they why not face the devil head-on.


    ¡°I take it as apliment, Mr Knight,¡± she said with a fake smile, ¡°I wonder if you are as deceptive as your son is!¡± She couldn¡¯t help but jab at him. Even the thought of Ryan being involved with his son in this deception made her nauseous.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Liam fisted his hand at her words while Ryan scowled. ¡°And I take it as apliment,¡± he looked at Liam once again, ¡°I think your wife is angry about something,  what is it?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, she wanted to mourn our marriage, dad and I allowed it. If she wants to mock herself in front of hundreds of people then who am I to stop her. She was representing her father¡¯s name here and in this dress, she was not mourning me but her father¡¯s reputation.¡±


    Aurora stiffened at the weight of his words, their eyes met each other and she saw triumph in his gaze. The mocking gaze irritated her and she curled her fingers tightly inside her palms.


    ¡°Liam, she is your wife, treat her with respect,¡± Ryan said but Liam chuckled at that. ¡°It¡¯s funnying from you,¡± Liam said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start this charade,¡± he mumbled, grabbing Aurora¡¯s hand and kissing it for the show.  When Aurora tried to snatch her hand Liam warned her with his eyes and took her with him to mingle with people. Once again, Liam put on a brilliant show among the people.


    ¡°What an odd choice of color for receptions, Mrs Knight,¡± a socialiat whose name Aurora didn¡¯t know, muttered, taking a sip from champagne, she was looking at Liam with a nted lustful gaze.


    Aurora wanted to snatch that woman¡¯s eyes. She wasmenting on her dress while she herself was wearing a good for nothing dress which left nothing to the imagination. Aurora wondered who the woman was, in her father¡¯s parties no woman like her was allowed.


    Bad for her that Aurora had been handling social climbers like her for a long time, she smiled at her, ¡°I dress up for myself not for other¡¯s joy.¡±


    The smile on her face evaporated, she red at Aurora and moved away from them. ¡°This shows your guests are just like you,  cheap.¡±


    Before Liam could say anything Ryan asked them to cut the cake and do their first dance together. Aurora¡¯s eyes perked with tears, recalling her dreams.


    She barely managed to control her tears when they cut the three-tier cake and did their first dance.


    The neon lights and fake graphics around them beautify the dance floor but Aurora was close to tears. ¡°Recalling your fantasies, little one, my offer still stand.¡±


    Aurora gritted her jaw in anger when she looked at his face. There nothing but mockery on his face. Aurora wanted nothing else to end the song. But she was out of luck because the next person she had to dance was Liam¡¯s father.


    ¡°I know you are missing, Ethan, Aurora but I am your father¡¯s friend, he gave me the responsibilityy of your protection. You can share anything with me as you used to do with Ethan. You are like a daughter to me.¡±


    Aurora swallowed. ¡°I hate your son, he forced this marriage on me, he lied to me, can you do something about it? If it had been my dad instead of you, he would have ruined your son for treating me like this, can you do the same, Mr Knight?¡±


    Ryan scowled. ¡°No, you cant, so don¡¯tpare yourself with my father. You and your son both are involved in this deception and once my dad is back to normal, I promise I will make your son pay for everything he did to me.¡±


    The song ended and Aurora walked away from Ryan and took a ss of liquor from the passing server, in anger she gulped the whole ss in one go.


    Liam was talking to someone, the same girl who Aurora scolded was standing beside him, giving him the same flirty looks. Liam was tolerating that woman because she was the politician¡¯s daughter, he was an important man who helped Liam in business. But when the girl keot touching him, he red at the man who understood that Liam was getting angry.  He cleverly took his infatuated daughter away from Liam but when Liam¡¯s eyes went to Aurora his blood boiled seeing her flirting with another man.


    Aurora didn¡¯t like Ihen she saw the barely dressed girl touching Liam but what more irkdwd her was Liam was smiling at the girl too, she didn¡¯t know why but she hated it.


    She fisted her hands and went to the man standing beside her, she went to him and started talking to him.


    ¡°Oh you must be kidding me,  I am not that beautiful,¡±  the liquor started working in her senses and Aurora was out of control. She giggled flirting with the man.


    ¡°You are Mrs Knight¡­¡± before he could speak any further Liam came there snd grabbed Aurora¡¯s waist tightly. ¡°Shall we go back to home, Mrs Knight.¡±


    Aurora scowled. ¡°No, I want to meet people and talk to them. See, I was in between of an important conversation, you interrupted us,¡± she said and smiled at the man again.


    Liam didnt like it, he was going to kill the man, but before that he needed to handle his wife. ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to punish you, Little one, thene with me.¡±


    Aurora rolled her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t care about you, I want to talk to this man.¡±


    Liam red at the man who understood at once that he was dismissed. He left without a word.


    Liam red at Aurora and went near to her ear. To others it looked as if he was teasing his wife, but Liam was warning her.


    ¡°You will pay for this. Little one!¡±

 Chapter 126

    Liam watched his wife smiling at the guests, flirtatiously. He was mad at her, frantic even, she did everything which he didn¡¯t want her to do, from wearing a funeral dress to flirting with the male guests.  She had crossed all the lines.


    Ryan was greeting the guests, but his eyes were focused on his son who looked on the verge of losing his cool.


    He went to Liam, ¡°don¡¯t be too harsh on her, son. She is not aware of the rules of our world.¡±


    Liam turned to look at his father. ¡°Then she will know them soon, I want her to behave like an obedient wife but she is trying to provoke me.¡±


    Ryan sighed. ¡°Liam, try to understand, we have many things on our hands right now we can¡¯t afford a nagging brat on our necks all the time. She tried to contact the police to know about her father¡¯s culprits. You really think she would be able to handle our true identity.¡±


    Liam exhaled sharply. ¡°It¡¯s all because of her father,¡± he muttered under his breath. His eyes focussed on his wife who was talking to some women regarding some charity events.


    A lot of Liam¡¯s business goes through charity, bribing high officials for work was never easy but no one said it was difficult. ¡°I have something important to discuss with you.¡±


    Ryan knew what he wanted to talk about. ¡°Let this drama be over and we will talk about it tomorrow.¡±


    Liam nodded. ¡°Now that everyone knows I am married to Aurora King, I am going back home to take care of this so-called reception.¡±


    He went to Aurora, smiled at thedies with her, grabbed her hand and asked in a tone that seemed polite to everyone but Aurora knew it was an order for her. She was drunk but she understood hismands.


    ¡°He wants to go home,¡± she giggled and continued. ¡°You were about to introduce me to your brother, Mrs Samson.¡±


    Liam had enough. ¡°Meet him some other time,¡±  saying that he yanked her to him and started walking out.


    He didn¡¯t wait for his chauffeur to open the door, Liam opened it himself and pushed her inside the car like a bag of potatoes.


    The chauffeur looked at the whole scene with horror-filled eyes. ¡°Drive!¡± He ordered him and settled inside.


    ¡°You can¡¯t treat me like this,¡± Aurora screamed, her voice wavy with alcohol. ¡°You lying deceitful monster, I don¡¯t want to be with you, let me go!¡±


    Liam closed his eyes but didn¡¯t reply. He wanted to be alone with her so that he could dere her sentence. Her punishment.


    He let her scream all she wanted and with every curse that left her throat, he was going to penalize her. Once they reached the home, he yanked her out of the car and took her to the elevator. Aurora snatched her hand from him, his anger rose, he once again pulled her closer to him.


    ¡°Leave you arrogant owl, I don¡¯t want to be with you. Your presence disgusts me. Don¡¯t touch me, you lying bastard!¡±


    He let her speak, he wanted to know what she wanted to say. He wanted to know her thoughts so he could cage them. This time she had crossed her lines once again when he asked her not to. ¡°I hate you,  leave me!¡±


    Aurora wanted to get away from him. His presence, his spicy scent reminded her of the moments she spent with him. She gave him her everything and he was only ying with her, it pained her when he mocked her about those moments and she wanted nothing else than to scratch his eyes out. Aurora wanted revenge on him and she would get it, somehow, someway she would.


    Paulina stepped aside seeing the look on Liam¡¯s face. She understood that her boss was in a scary mood.


    Liam kept walking, clutching Aurora¡¯s hand ignoring Aurora her screams. He opened the door of his room with his leg and pushed her inside, closing the door with his leg.


    Aurora¡¯s head was bursting with pain, tears of anger and frustration perked in her eyes. ¡°You have no right to treat me like this!¡± She yelled at him, her vision blurred due to tears in her eyes.


    Liam sped her neck and pulled her closer. The tears in her eyes made him uneasy, he pushed her on the bed and walked out of the room.


    Liam was trying to calm himself when his phone buzzed. He epted the call without caring about the caller ID. When he put the phone in his ear his brother¡¯s voice treated him.


    ¡°I was right, there is something our father is hiding from us!¡±


    Liam pinched the bridge of his nose, ¡°what do you mean? Have you found out something?¡±


    ¡°Thomas was talking to Dad about a secret, he didn¡¯t want Aurora to know about our work. He was threatening dad.¡±


    Liam¡¯s brows arched up. ¡°What could be so big that our father listened to his threat!¡±


    ¡°Ralph, keep your ears and eyes open, now, have you found anything about Juan?¡±


    The silence on the other end was the answer Liam got. ¡°Fastened your search, Ralph. I don¡¯t want to stretch this issue anymore,¡± saying that he ended the call and went to the gym to kill his anger.


    Aurora fluttered her eyes open when the morning sunlight shed through the window, there was a slight ache in her head. She sighed, recalling the ss of liquor she consumedst night, shaking her head. She did her morning routine and decided to have breakfast in the kitchen as she was alreadyte for The Be. With Susan gone to the USA and Emily on her honeymoon,  she was alone here but work was the only thing which would keep her sane now, dressed up for office she tried to open the door but it was stuck.


    Aurora frowned. She tried to open it again but it still didn¡¯t open. What the hell happened!


    ¡°Paulina, open the door!¡± She shouted, thumping the door loudly but she didn¡¯t hear Paulina¡¯s voice.


    Aurora thought about calling but she didn¡¯t have her cell phone, Liam never returned it.  Aurora went to the inte but to her horror it was dead.


    She scowled. Her cell phone was not with her, the inte was dead and the door was locked, she was stuck in this room.


    Aurora went to the window and tried to open it but was shocked when it didn¡¯t open too. Now she knew something was wrong. She thumped the window, ¡°is someone there, open the door of my room, please.¡± She went to the door once again and called Paulina but once again no reply.


    Tired, with continuous screaming she sat down on the bed, tears of irritation jerked into her eyes. She was angry, frustrated and exhausted. She left a sharp  screech in anger.


    Aurora pulled her legs to her chest and left a sob, she was dying out of hunger. Her stomach was making grumpy noises. She once again tried to use the inte hoping that it would have started working  but all her hopes died once again.  She sat there on the bed and waited for someone to open the door. Her eyelids turned heavy with a continuous cry and she closed her eyes but she stood up abruptly when she heard someone¡¯s footsteps outside the door.


    Before she could go there the door was opened and Paulina entered with a food trolley.


    Aurora gritted her teeth. ¡°I called you multiple times to open the door, where the hell was you? The inte was dead, the window and the door of the room were locked and when I was yelling and thumping the door, no one listened to me! Why?¡±


    Paulina didn¡¯t reply, only gave her a stare and walked out of the room. Aurora¡¯s eyes widened in horror, she ran after her but was toote for that, the door was already closed, she tried to open it but once again it was locked.


    Now she understood perfectly, she was locked in this room like a prisoner in a cell and it was done on Liam¡¯s orders. Aurora couldn¡¯t believe that Liam could be this horrible, now she was sure that her husband was not less than a monster in human form.


    She didn¡¯t know what to do, her stomach groaned at the sight of food but her heart was repulsed with it still. She went to the trolley and set a te for herself, she had tears in her eyes, she was holding sobs while eating the food.


    The whole day, she was sitting in her room, without anymunication from outside. She had a television and a small library in her room except for that there was nothing to do. To her luck, the four once again opened and Paulina once again came back food trolley, Aurora didn¡¯t waste her time to ask any questions to her, she tried to run out of the room but was stunned seeing two men standing outside her door when she tried to run they stopped her and once again she was thrown into her room.


    ¡°Leave me, who are you! You can¡¯t touch me, leave me!!¡±


    But they didn¡¯t say anything. The man who was holding her ced her on the sofa softly and the three people walked out of the room, once again the door was locked.


    Aurora screamed at her luck, she was cursing the day she met Liam, she believed his fake promises and she promised herself that she would never forgive him for this.


    On the other hand, Liam was trying to assess the situation at hand, his brother returned from Churchill and was sharing the information he gathered there, none of which was new. Again, the whole scenario revolved around the masked man and the Mexicans. Thomas was nowhere near sessful in finding Juan.


    ¡°I want to know what dad is hiding!¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Liam scowled at his brother¡¯s words. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s important at this moment, Ralph? I want this scenario to be over¡­¡±


    Ralph nodded. ¡°There is a thing which can help you and I am sure you have thought about it too.¡±


    Liam understood what he was saying. It¡¯s time for Liam to officially take over this father¡¯s chair. Till now, he was somehow dependent on his father¡¯s approval for things to be done. Once he officially took the chair of the Vancouver crime family¡¯s head, things would run the way he wanted them to run.


    ¡°I will talk to dad about it, today.¡±


    Ralph leaned back in the chair, his mind still focused on the words Thomas said to Ryan, since then he was thinking about that only. Ralph knew it didn¡¯t matter to Liam as much it mattered to him, his gut feeling was telling him that whatever Ryan was hiding was something big and that¡¯s the only reason he asked one of his most trusted men to keep an eye on Ryan Knight.


    ¡°Keep me informed if Thomas finds something. I am going to meet dad,¡± saying that Liam took over the leave from his brother and drove to his father¡¯s house.


    Liam greeted his father before taking the seat on one of the chairs in front of him. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± He asked, seeing the lines around the corner of Ryan¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Except for the things going on, no, there is nothing wrong. Thomas is trying to handle the situation but the news of Ethan being in Comma taking a troll over him.¡±


    Liam drummed his fingers on the desk. His eyes calctingly stared at the chair his father was sitting upon. ¡°I want to take over, now. I have followed all the rules of mob life. I think it¡¯s time you give up on the chair.¡±


    Ryan nodded. ¡°You are right, but remember one thing, Liam. I might be giving up my chair but you still have to respect me as your precedent, your father. And I want to be your counsellor till Ralph gets married to someone, then he can take over.  Then I will retirepletely.¡±


    Liam agreed, he would need someone experienced for the role of counsellor and his father was the perfect choice till Ralph fulfilled the condition of being married. Liam could change the rules but mafia life was based on rules and rituals. If he started making drastic changes this havoc would happen in his territory.


    ¡°Tomorrow, you will be crowned as the new Don of Vancouver!¡± Liam nodded at his father, a silent understanding passed between them because from tomorrow a new chapter was going to begin in Vancouver.

 Chapter 127

    Aurora stood up from the bed when the door of her room opened. She expected Paulina to bring dinner for her as it was the time for dinner and Paulina opened the door two times that day since morning, one to bring her breakfast and one to bring her lunch.


    She was locked in this room as if she was a cattle locked in an iron cage. But it was not Paulina, no, it was that Lying deceptive animal, Liam Knight and seeing in Aurora¡¯s anger rose as she pointed towards him with fisted hands.


    ¡°You lying deceptive owl! How dare you lock me up here with your goons standing outside the door. You heartless bastard!¡±


    Liam raised his brows, ¡°I hope you enjoyed your day, Little one,¡± he said in a mocking tone and that made Aurora even more furious.


    Aurora lunged at him. Her sharp nails scratched his cheek, Liam hissed when he felt her nail cutting his cheek. He grabbed her hand before she could do any more damage and twisted them behind her back.


    Tears of frustration perked into Aurora¡¯s eyes when she couldn¡¯t free her hands. Aurora left a shriek in anger and irritation, making Liam jerk her, ¡°stop it,¡± he snapped and scooped her in his arms and took her to the bed.  ¡°Leave me, I don¡¯t want to be with you!¡± She shouted in anger.


    Liam only smiled. ¡°Bad luck, Little one because now you have to live with me till the end of our life.¡±


    Aurora stood up and faced him, ¡°how could you do all this to me, you will be punished for all this, Liam. If my dad or uncle Thomases to know about it¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about your precious father, Mrs Knight. He is good for nothing nowadays and your dear Uncle Thomas is busy taking care of business. So you have no one who can help you and even if you do, how would you contact them? Your phone is with me, you don¡¯t have any kind ofputer here. The inte is dead and more importantly, you will be locked in this room till you learn your ce in my world,¡± he said with a smirk on his face and turned to go to the bathroom for the shower but Aurora moved and stood before him.


    ¡°What do you mean locked? You can¡¯t lock me here forever? If  my dad and  unclee to know about it they will ruin you!¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°You don¡¯t know your husband, Little one. You dared me to do my worst in punishing you, so I just respected your words. You said you don¡¯t want to be with me, guess what, now you have only me in your life, you don¡¯t have any life outside this door, You want to leave me, now you are stuck with me, Aurora Knight.¡±


    Aurora went numb. Who is this man? She thought. Liam grabbed her hand and pulled her closer, ¡°You will suffer for every word you said to mest night, Little one.¡± He pushed her away from him, went to take a shower and when he came back, Paulina was there with the food trolley.


    Aurora didn¡¯t even nce at the dinner, she was still standing where he left her. Liam grabbed her hand and took her to the sofa, she walked with him like a lifeless body and settled on it beside him.


    ¡°I am not your enemy, Little one, I just want to punish you for your tantrums.¡±


    Aurora looked at him with disgust. Who was he to punish me?


    ¡°Open your mouth, Little one,¡± he said, offering her a piece of steak, Aurora nced at his fork and then at him. What had she done to her life by agreeing to marry him?


    Liam eyed her face which lost all the colour, if only she hade to him willingly if only he wouldn¡¯t have done all the drama. It irked him, everything he did for her against his wishes, just for the sake of peace and his father¡¯s friendship. Now, she had to go through the same disruption her father made him go through.


    Liam sighed and pushed the fork to her lips, forcing her to open her mouth and took the steak in her mouth.


    Liam smiled seeing her eating, his eyes travelled to her neck, he could detest her all he wanted but her body made him hard, only she could do that to him.


    Liam¡¯s hand craved to touch her, he eyed her thighs, the creamy-white skin was making her irresistible, he touched her calf slowly and moved his hand north on her leg reaching her thighs, he wanted to be lost in her body.


    Aurora felt his hand on her skin and she stood up abruptly, disgust and anger mixed giving birth to uncontroble fury. ¡°Stop touching me!¡±


    Liam fisted his hand and stood up, ¡°you are my wife, Little one, who else should I touch if not you? Or do you want me to sate my physical hunger with someone else?¡±


    Aurora¡¯s heart thumped. She was seeing a new face of Liam every day. He was continuously breaking her with his disgusting words and actions. She swallowed and took a step in his direction. There was a limit to everything, she couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡°Do whatever you want but don¡¯t touch me, I am not a whore you can molest anytime you want just to sate your disgusting needs.¡±


    Liam¡¯s eyes shed. ¡°My disgusting needs,¡± he chuckled. ¡°I can make you scream my name in less than five minutes, Little one.¡±


    ¡°Such confidence you have over yourself but let me clear this misunderstanding, I will never scream your name again because you don¡¯t meet my standards anymore.¡±


    Liam sped her waist tightly, when Aurora tried to squirm out if his grip he held her face too, ¡°your standards, let¡¯s see if I can match your standards still or not?¡±


    Aurora¡¯s eyes widened when he took her to the bed and pushed her on it. ¡°Liam don¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Why? Scared that you will lose to me?¡± He smirked and held her leg, her naked milky white creamy skin made him hard for her.  He licked her skin with the tip of his tongue, Aurora squirmed as her body reacted to his touch. ¡°Liam don¡¯t, please,¡± she said, her body was out of her control. He knew her body, he knew how it reacts to his touch and why not, he was the only man who ever touched her this intimately.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Leave me,¡± she begged when goosebumps arose in her skin. She was losing herself, her pride was smashed in a few minutes under his expertise.


    His hands craved touching her flesh. He moved on the bed and palmed her soft mound with one hand while raising her shirt with the other. Aurora didn¡¯t know what was happening to her body, she was lost in a world of sensuality while he teased her  with his tongue over her naked flesh.


    Aurora¡¯s body and mind were at war and even though her mind was scolding her for reacting this way to his touch but her body didn¡¯t listen to her mind. It has a mind of its own which asked her to live this pleasure.


    When Liam saw her enjoying the pleasure he went to her ear and whispered slowly: ¡°you lost Little one. See, that¡¯s what your standard is in front of me, you can im to not want me but you can¡¯t resist me.¡±


    His words were like ice to her hot body. The sensual world around her evaporated and she jerked her eyes open, she felt as if he had struck her face hard, his words were not less than a p to her. The look of mockery in his eyes made her numb.


    ¡°Next time, don¡¯t challenge me,¡± he whispered darkly, and got off her.


    Aurora keptying on the bed. Numb and ashamed of herself!


    Liamid beside her and pulled her in his arms. ¡°I won¡¯t sate my needs with you till you ask me for it Little one and I promise it will be soon when you beg me for it, till then you will sleep in my arms like this, every night!¡±


    Aurora didn¡¯t say anything, her back was touching his front. She was d he didn¡¯t turn her around, she wouldn¡¯t be able to face him after behaving like that, tears perked in her eyes as she felt degraded in her own eyes. Now, she


    didn¡¯t  want anything except for the day to end so. she closed her eyes and tried to sleep.


    Liam watched himself in the mirror, he was dressed into a ck suit which he had especially designed for today. He had waited for a long time for this day, he stepped out of the closet and his eyes fell on the sleeping figure of his wife. Her golden locks were fanned over the pillow, his eyes sharpened as he watched the raising and falling of her chest.


    Only, he knew how he stopped himselfst night, his body was raging in hunger for her but he had to stop himself from moving further, he wanted to prove her wrong and he did that but in doing so he forced himself in a situation in which he suffered the worst way possible.


    Liam could have called for a whore, it was not a big deal for him. The deal he signed with Ethan clearly gave him the liberty to do so and not to mention, Aurora got scared thinking he was into BDSM, even the discussion about kink made her ufortable. Liam prefer the rough sex over the boring Vani any day but with her, everything was enticing, even that boring Vani.


    Liam touched her lip with his forefinger softly, he liked her when she used to kiss him in the morning, he smiled recalling her habit of chatting continuously in the morning. He sighed, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have challenged me Little one, I don¡¯t take Challenges lightly,¡± he whispered and giving onest nce to Aurora he walked out of the room to live a part of his dream.


    Ryan Knight was dressed as boss for thest time. His son was going to take over his chair today, all the underbosses of his territory were present for the crowning ceremony of Liam Knight.


    Every madman who mattered was present there to watch the oathing of their new boss. Ralph shook hands with his brother. He knew how big this day was for him. Liam lived for this moment. Ryan smiled proudly at his son before asking him to stand beside him.


    He looked at his soldiers and said in a firm voice. ¡°From Today, my son, Liam Knight, is taking over the reins of the Vancouver crime family in his hands. From today, he will be the new boss of all of us, he will be your God and his word will bew for every single made man in the Vancouver crime family.  He will rule over this family and his vision will take this family forward,¡± He made the announcement and removed his ring from his forefinger which was worn by the Don.


    Ryan held his emotions back and put the ring on his son¡¯s finger. The crowd present there pped and bowed their heads in respect for their new boss. Liam eyes the crowd of hundreds of people. Today he was the boss and no one else ruled over him.


    ¡°Are you ready to fight and kill in my name?¡± He asked the question every new Don asked, it was the ritual which had been followed by Liam¡¯s forefathers till now, which Liam wished he would carry forward.


    ¡°We are ready, boss,¡± came the loud reply from the crowd, a sign which dered that they had epted Liam as the Don.


    Ralph opened the bottle of champagne to celebrate, the people cheered and the ceremony was over and the drinks were served to the people gathered there as everyone enjoyed the drinks.


    Liam was with his father and brother discussing the situation, he didn¡¯t want to waste time with festivities while he had a war on his head. It was when Ralph¡¯s phone buzzed and when he pulled his phone out to read the message, blood drained out of his face.


    There was an image of one of their ships loaded with drugs and gold being burned in the pacific ocean and a message was written under the image.


    The message read:  A Best of Luck Gift for the New Don of Vancouver from the Masked Man!

 Chapter 128

    Liam burned in hot red fury when his brother showed him the message from the Masked man on his phone.


    His nose red seeing the burnt sheep and just then Ralph¡¯s phone rang. There was another bad news waiting for him. There was one more attack on one of his warehouses, it was burnt too.


    Liam was pacing in the room, his mind raging in anger as he tried to figure out the situation. ¡°Liam, you need to think with a cool mind, he is ying with your mind.¡±


    Liam understood that too, he didn¡¯t need his father to tell him that. He had tried enormous times but that Masked man was still out of Liam¡¯s reach. He didn¡¯t know how to cope with this delinquency, his mind couldn¡¯t ept this failure. He wanted to torture this masked man, brutally before killing him.


    ¡°Is there anyone from themission who knows anything about this masked man?¡± Liam demanded from his father who sighed, shaking his head.


    ¡°No.¡±


    That answer fueled the burning rage of his anger. He had no one who can support Liam in this masked man issue except for one, but he didn¡¯t want to back out from promise. Liam promised himself that he would let Alexandrio live a month with his wife, he would allow him to live the honeymoon bliss but this new event made him question his words.


    Could he afford a month? The answer would be no, he couldn¡¯t but was he ready to sacrifice his friend for his dream this soon? That was the question he couldn¡¯t answer.


    Liam nced at his brother and father  before walking out of the warehouse in anger. He wanted to think with a clear mind before taking any step. He decided to go home because at this moment violence is not the solution to his situation.


    Liam looked at his brother, ¡± pay the authorities, I don¡¯t want the issue to get any hype!¡± Saying that he walked out from there.


    Aurora watched outside the window, just like yesterday she was locked in her room, her breakfast, lunch and dinner was served to her in the room but she was not allowed to leave her gilded cage.  Her mind took her to memoryne, her life in Churchill before meeting Gabriel and Liam used to be beautiful. It was only her father, uncle Mrs Dn and her two friends.


    Just a few months back she used to whine to him for using his private ne to travel. Tears perked into her eyes, recalling the beautiful memories of the past. She was missing her old life, her father.


    ¡°Please get well soon, dad. I can¡¯t live like this anymore, please,¡± she sobbed, putting her head on her kneecap.


    She wanted to meet her father, she knew he was in Vancouver but Liam banned her from going out of this room.  She wiped her tears with determination, ¡°I will tell him that I want to meet you, dad. I want to be close to you and if he doesn¡¯t let me out of this room I will not leave him.¡±


    The tears in her eyes didn¡¯t stop. ¡°Please call me Uncle Thomas, please, order Liam to leave me alone,¡± she cried, her emotions were out of control nowadays.


    She was lost in her thoughts and crying over her fate but suddenly she heard a loud bang which made her jump in the air. Her eyes went to the door which was opened and there stood the man who she loved and hated at the same time. Liam Knight.


    Liam gritted his jaw when his eyes went to his wife¡¯s tear-stained cheeks. He sprinted to her and sped her elbow. ¡°Why are you crying?¡± He demanded in a sharp voice.


    Aurora blinked rapidly to clear her vision. She wanted to get away from. his touch, she wanted to scream that she didn¡¯t want him butst night was a p to her words and face.


    Aurora snatched her hand and looked down, she didn¡¯t want to say anything when she knew he was only going to mock her. She stood up and tried to go to the bathroom but he didn¡¯t allow her. ¡°I asked you something.¡±


    Aurora didn¡¯t say anything and sat back on the bed.  Still silent, Liam who was already engaged didn¡¯t like her attitude and sped her jaw tightly, raided her face to meet his gaze.


    Aurora fisted the bed sheet, meeting his gaze, ¡°I asked you a question, Little one and want an answer to it.¡± He gritted out, his eyes turned dark which scared Aurora still she was defiant to not surrender her ofide more than she already had.


    ¡°Aurora, don¡¯t provoke me, I am not in a good mood already, don¡¯t make me take you on my knees to discipline you!¡±


    That made Aurora break her silence. She felt filthy with his words and touch, in that heat of anger, she stood up and pushed him hard in the chest, Liam stumbled backwards more in shock rather than by the force used by her.


    ¡°Who are you to punish me, what right do you have to use violence over my body? If I am not answering your questions, it means I don¡¯t want to talk to you, I don¡¯t want to see your face, nor breathe in your presence. What word of it you don¡¯t understand? I want to see my dad, I want to be close to him, I miss him but I can¡¯t go to see him because I am stuck here in this room, you have caged me here!¡± Aurora busted Out all the frustration she had bottled inside her, the tears of frustration and anger were rolling down her cheek but she didn¡¯t care anymore.


    ¡°I want to meet my dad! I want to see him, you have smashed me from inside, what have I done to you that you destroyed my soul like this Liam? I loved you with all my heart but now it¡¯s a poison which is killing me!¡± Aurora sniffed and screamed in agony.


    Liam¡¯s eyes widened seeing her like this,  her body was shivering badly, a fear engulfed his heart as he took a step forward and pulled her into his arms. ¡°Calm down, Little one, please calm down.¡±


    Aurora was hysterical. She had lost everything. ¡°You broke me, Liam. You broke my trust, I will never forgive you for this, never,¡± she cried in his arms, catching his silk shirt tightly. Liam heard everything she said with a gritted jaw.


    ¡°I will never forgive you, never!¡± She said, frantically. Aurora¡¯s eyes turned heavy as she felt lightheaded suddenly, everything around her was rolling, and suddenly a ckness appeared in front of her vision.


    Liam felt her body going loose in his arms. She was no longer mumbling. He looked down at her and was stunned to see her passed out. ¡°Aurora!¡± He called her name sharply, shaking her body to wake her, but Aurora didn¡¯t react to anything.


    He scooped her in his arms and took her to bed,id her down on it softly and covered her body with a soft quilt. He checked her forehead, she was burning in fever.


    Liam cursed himself, his heart thumping heavily seeing her in this condition. He called his housekeeper, Paulina and ordered her to bring cooling packs. He knew she was under a lot of mental stress nowadays and that was one of the reasons for this.


    Liam ced a cooling pack on her forehead to lower her fever. He fisted his hand seeing her pale face which waspletely opposite to the one when he watched her for the first time.


    Liam took care of her the whole day, he forgot the happiness of taking over the chair of the Vancouver crime family¡¯s boss, he forgot about the Masked man and the  messages he sent for him, the only thing which mattered to him at this moment was Aurora¡¯s health.


    The world could burn down to the ashes for all he cares but he wanted Aurora to be fine.


    Liam checked her temperature once again and sighed in relief seeing it lowered. He touched her face softly and went near her. ¡°Why are you doing all this, Little one? Please don¡¯t make me harsh on yourself. I don¡¯t want to hurt you this badly, Aurora!¡± He traced her lower lip with his thumb and stood up  abruptly from the chair beside her, walked towards the window and sighed deeply. Liam Knight¡¯s mind was confused one the situation for the first time. He wanted to make a decision to make things smoother but couldn¡¯t!


    Something stopped him, his conscience, the same conscience which he never had before!


    He swallowed and pulled out her cell phone out of his coat, turned it on to check if there was anything important. He was talking over the messages to Thomas through her phone to show Aurora was fine in Vancouver. Thomas had asked more than once if she met Ethan or not and every time, he answered yes, which was a clear lie but now seeing Aurora this worried about Ethan, he was feeling something  which


    never felt before. Guilt!


    The home screen showed a picture of smiling Aurora with Ethan. He looked at the picture once and then at her onthe bed. There was a vast change on her face, in this picture she looked carefree, happy and young but now, she looked devastated and old.


    The phone buzzed with multiple notifications, Liam had ignored every other message and focussed on only two people, one was Thomas and the other was Emily who had sent multiple pictures of her and Alexandrio from their honeymoon.


    His friend looked happy which made Liam calm. He didn¡¯t want to do it to Alexandrio but  was business. Looking at Emily¡¯s messages, Liam understood that they didn¡¯t know about Ethan yet. He moved to Thomas¡¯ message, nothing new there, the same question he had been asking from thest two days, if she was fine or not? He replied to Thomas and was about to turn the phone off again when it buzzed and the notification showed the name of Susan Kelly.


    Liam frowned seeing the message on home screen,  Pick up the damn call Aurora! I heard about Ethan? Where are you? Thomas said you marry Liam? Why so soon? I want to meet you, call me asap!


    Liam squeezed his eyes shut. Liam no longer cares about Thomas or Ethan. He fulfilled the conditions of their deal. But Liam knew Thomas would not allow Aurora to suffer at his hands.


    Liam needed to take the next step carefully, now. He eyed Aurora one more time before walking out of the room.


    Aurora fluttered her eyes open when she heard the door being closed. She didn¡¯t know why she behaved like that, why did she showed him her pain when she knew he didn¡¯t care, but it just happened. She had lost control over her emotions.


    She swallowed and manager to sit up. She had heard him when he thought she was unconscious. She had heard the vulnerability in his voice and now she knew what she had to do fo get out from this cage. A trail of fresh tears rolled down her cheek once again as she recalled the memories she shared with him but the memory of the day when she heard the truth, the memory of the day when he made her beg to marry him overpowered the good ones.


    He was cruel with her, even the sworn enemies took pity of their enemysaries but he didnt do that. He used her father¡¯s life to get even with her and that was not enough, now he had caged her in his home. How could she forget all this for a lie he made her believe?


    Was it even possible? Aurora asked and the answers she received was no! She couldn¡¯t forget. She just want to get away from him, her father was safe now, he had the surgery, she knew she was going against her words but he did the same thing.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Love was just a word for her now, the only emotion she felt for him was pure hatred.


    Aurora touched her ne for strength. ¡°I am sorry for this mom, but nothing is more important for me at this moment than seeing dad and the only way I could do that was if I fake my love to Liam. I am doing the same thing he did to me but my intentions are not selfish like him,¡± Aurora wiped her tears and decided that now she would make him believe that she had forgiven him and if for that she had to share her body with him, she would do it too but the moment she step out of this room she would ask her uncle for help!

 Chapter 129

    Liam inhaled sharply.  He wanted to finish this drama of the Masked man soon. He valued Alexandrio as a friend and friends made sacrifices for one another, Alexandrio can cut short his life for Liam.


    Liam called one of his men who were keeping an eye on Alexandrio,  ¡°break the news of Ethan King being attacked to Alexandrio¡¯s wife, in two days,¡± ordering that he end the call.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Liam felt something heavy in his chest after the call. ¡°Sorry, pal but I have to do it.¡±


    He turned his head to the left when heard someone¡¯s footsteps.  Paulina wasing with a tray of food in her hands. He watched her entering the room. He followed her inside and found Aurora wide awake.


    As per the orders, Paulina put the tray on the table and walked out without speaking a single word to Aurora but she could see there was something wrong with her. She wanted to ask but the orders were orders.


    Aurora¡¯s eyes watered once again but this time she didn¡¯t try to hide her tears. She wanted him to see her crying. He wanted to see her broken, so she would give him that.


    Liam sighed and ced the food tray in front of her, ¡°eat your lunch.¡±


    Aurora gave him a node and picked the spoon and ate the soup silently. She knew he was watching her. She put the spoon back and left a sob. ¡°Liam¡­¡± she whispered his name crying.


    Liam frowned but kept his eyes on her. She raised her head and gazed at him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be alone, I am tired, Liam. I can¡¯t fight anymore, even if it¡¯s a lie, I need you, please hold me.¡±


    His heart skipped a beat but didn¡¯t move, ¡°hold me in your arms, Liam. I am alone here, please take me in your arms,¡± she sobbed and the heaviness in her voice made him walk to her.


    He held her cheek in his hand, ¡°I can¡¯t take this anymore, Liam.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t analyse her at this moment. Fresh tears rolled down her cheek and she threw her arms around him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to live like this, I can¡¯t live like this, talk to me, hold me, I give up my pride for you. You wanted to see me on my knees right? See I am on my knees and I am ready to be like this forever if you give your love to me. I tried to hate you, I tried to stop my heart from loving you but I couldn¡¯t. I love you more than I hate you¡­ I want to be with you, don¡¯t y with my emotions please, Liam. I am all alone, I can¡¯t live like this.¡±


    Liam couldn¡¯t hear her anymore, the pain in her voice was breaking his walls and just like that he hugged her back, tightly, ¡°Oh Little one, why are you making it hard for me,¡± he whispered, kissing the crown of her hair making Aurora chuckle.


    ¡°Dont leave me alone, Liam. I don¡¯t want to be alone.¡±


    He rested his chin in her hair and kissed her. Aurora held him even more tightly. Even though she was pretending all this, but even this act felt real. She had missed his arms. Liam sat beside her,  she met his eyes, ¡°Even if your love was an act, I want to live that act forever. I tried living without you, but I couldn¡¯t¡­ I couldn¡¯t,¡± she said, shaking her head.


    Liam¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He went numb for a moment after hearing her words.  ¡°You still love me?¡± He asked, his intense gaze staring into her soul.


    Aurora nodded. ¡°Yes,¡± she replied without a single moment of hesitation.


    Liam sharpened his eyes, thin lines formed at the corner of his eyes. He didn¡¯t believe her, how could she change her tone this soon? Liam decided to test her.


    ¡°So you would let me kiss you,¡± he gawked into her eyes, ¡°you would let me do anything to you¡­¡±


    Aurora felt as if he pped her. Even now, he only cared about her body, this proved he had no emotions, no respect for her. She was just a body he wanted to use for his pleasure and this made her more determined to leave him.


    This man didn¡¯t deserve her.


    She caressed his right cheek softly and touched her head to his. ¡± I am all yours, my love for you is bigger than any other emotion.¡±


    Liam kept staring at her face, she didn¡¯t blink, meeting his gaze, he was trying to see her emotions, judging her whether she was lying or not. Aurora gulped down the heaviness and leaned closer. ¡°I give up my pride for your love.,¡± saying that she ced her lips on his and kissed him softly, she poured all her love into that kiss to make him believe that she still loves him.


    Liam was still not believing her words but when she started kissing her, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from contributing to it. He wanted to see to which length she was going to take it.


    If she was lying, she would never let him take her, she was an emotional fool and for her sex means love.


    Aurora¡¯s heart was beating faster with every second she prolonged the kiss. She was hating herself for doing this but it was the need of the time. She kept kissing him and tried to ignore the pain in her heart she was feeling when he kissed her back.  There was a time when his kisses were equivalent to love for her but now they were nothing but a travesty.


    A lie just like him!


    Liam stopped the kiss when he felt her breathing turning hard and moved to her neck, he teased her soft skin with the tip of his tongue, a shiver ran down her skin and goosebumps raised on her body.


    Aurora let him have her, she needed him lost in her body again. She wanted him to see her love. It was not a lie, she still loves him, you can¡¯t stop loving someone in a second but you can start hating a person in a second. He was the man who crushed something beautiful they shared for his greed for money and power.


    Liam frowned in her neck, he couldn¡¯t believe she was telling the truth. Even though his body was ready to take what she was offering but his mind was warning him. It was telling him that this was nothing but a trap!


    Liam raised his head from her neck to see her reaction and he did it so suddenly so that she wouldn¡¯t have time to hide her emotions he was shocked to find her eyes closed, lost in the moment of passion and pleasure. Just like she used to do when she didn¡¯t know his true intentions. Liam¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Aurora.¡±


    She leaned into his shoulder and ced her lips in the crook of his neck. ¡°I want to feel this, Liam. I have suffered enough pain that I want to forget everything, make me forget the pain you gave me, baby.¡±


    Liam calcting mind stopped. Her words affected him to a level of insanity. ¡°Fuck everything!¡± He muttered under his breath, yanked her head back and attacked her lips one more time.


    They both were kissing each other, they were so close to each other, that even wind couldn¡¯t pass between them.


    Liam pushed her on the bed and leaned on the top of her, their tongues still fighting for dominance but after a while, Aurora submitted to his masculine power wholeheartedly.


    Liam¡¯s hand travelled down her shoulder to her elbow and from there it reached to her thighs and then it went to her most intimate parts. Aurora¡¯s heart picked up the speed as she felt his fingers teasing the outline of her panties.


    Liam moved to her neck allowing her to breathe and kissed her chin, his tongue teased her corbone as he moved south and kissed her peaked ni**les through the fabric of her top. Aurora clutched his coat tightly and raised herself to get closer to him.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡± she moaned his name in ecstasy when his finger touched her inside her panties, he rubbed the slickness all over her and started drawing circles on her clitoris. Aurora gasped, as she was drawn into a world of sexual pleasure and ecstasy, her body was feeling sensations she had not felt in a week.


    ¡°Do you like it, Little one?¡± He teased her with his masculine voice which aroused her even more. The height of ecstasy increased hearing his deep voice, ¡°I do, please make me cum, Liam. Please make me cum!¡± She cried when he kept teasing her and didn¡¯t allow her the release.


    Liam shook his head. ¡°Not so soon, Little one. You have to earn it this time, tell me why are you doing it?¡± He demanded, once again starting his torture on her sensitive nerves.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop, Liam. Please!¡±  She screamed, her hold on his chest tightened, he tried dted in tion, her mouth opened to breathe as she couldn¡¯t breathe through her nose anymore.


    When She was near the orgasm, he stopped once again, dying the pleasure to her. ¡°Do you still love me, Little one, tell me the truth?¡±


    Aurora cried at the denial and tears of frustration worked into her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t y this game with me¡­¡± she begged when he once again started drawing circles on her too sensitive bundle of nerves. She was aroused and swollen with need. ¡°Answer me, Aurora!¡± He said ripping her panties off with his other hand while continuing his torture on her, ¡°answer me, Little one and I will give you what you want.¡±


    Aurora felt helpless under his torture, ¡°Liam¡­¡±. She cried, shaking her head right and left, tears were leaking out of her eyes and Liam was losing his patience, with every passing second the need to take her roughly, increased in him. He was barely controlling himself, he knew he would not be able to do it any longer, his wife was a temptress who could turn a Saint into a horny teenager. He increased his speed, making her wild with need and then stopped once again halting her pleasure.


    Aurora lost all her senses, she would die if she didn¡¯t cum soon so she did what he was asking, she answered his question. ¡± because I love you, I do love you, I never stopped loving you, Liam now fuck me, make me cum!¡±


    ¡°dly, little one!¡± Saying that he widened her legs, opened his pants and pulled them down in one swift moment, pulled out his monstrous d**k and entered in her wet p**sy.


    Aurora inhaled sharply when he filled her fully, she tied her legs to his back and he rode her wild. Liam f**ked her wildly, roughly,  gentle was nowhere near what he did to her. Unlike the past, when he was gentle and soft today he was the real Liam Knight.


    It was not that he didn¡¯t like what they did in the past, he did but today he was what he truly wanted to do with her.


    It didn¡¯t take too long for  Aurora to cum, she was already at the peak and came the moment he entered inside her with a cry of pleasure. But Liam was not dated yet, he had held back all his wildness because he was pretending to be someone else who he was not.


    Aurora was still having the aftershocks of her orgasm when Liam turned her around, ¡°Scoot up Aurora.¡±


    Aurora didn¡¯t have the strength to move, her body turned to jelly, she shook her head but Liam didn¡¯t listen to her and raised her back in the air by clutching her waist, pping her soft mounds twice he entered in one clean stroke and then started thrusting inside her, not holding anything back.


    Aurora¡¯s moans turned wild, she grabbed the silk bed sheet tightly, her nails digging into the soft mattress. She didn¡¯t know what he was doing to her body anymore but this was something she never imagined sex could be. She always looked at this as a way of telling the other person about your love but today there was a wildness in the act. It was consuming her whole. ¡°Liam¡­¡± she cried once again when her stomach tightened, her knees were drooping on the mattress, Liam yanked her hair back with one hand, she steadied her knees and Liam snakes an arm around her chest, biting her shoulder de,   Aurora let out an ecstatic cry and came so hard that ckness erupted her vision. Liam followed her and came into her hard.


    She fell on her knees, her breathing still heavy, Liam fell on her back. Both trying to catch their breaths, Liam took a sharp breath and rolled on his back.


    His gaze went to her, she was still lying on her stomach, naked, wastedpletely. He turned her around and pulled her into his arms. Aurora epted his closeness wholeheartedly, she wanted him to behave in this way with her and just like old times she put her head on his chest, ¡°I love you, Liam, don¡¯t be rude with me again, I won¡¯t be able to live, baby.¡±


    He stared at the ceiling, his mind reying her answer in the moment of the passion, although she told him that she loved him he couldn¡¯t believe it. His mind was still warning him to be cautious of her.


    Liam knight was not going to believe his wife so easily, she need to do more than just let him fuck her to win his trust!

 Chapter 130

    Aurora was crying during the shower, what she didst night was against the principles her mother taught her. Her eyes went to her shoulder in the mirror, he left a big hickey there. Aurora gulped down the tears and rubbed her body to clear his touch.N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Her heart aches because somewhere deep she still wanted him to be the old Liam again. She nced at her face in the mirror. ¡°I will not back down, not afterst night. I will not back out from any challenge he threw at me now because I want him to suffer the same pain I went through.¡±


    She towel-dried herself and walked out of the bathroom wearing the silk nightdress that reached her thighs.


    He craved my body, he can have it anytime he wants because now it¡¯s not him who was lying to achieve something,  this time I was the one with a hidden motive.


    Liam was still in bed when Aurora stood in front of the mirror, she was blow-drying her hair and its sound woke him up. He blinked his eyes a few times and watched the blonde temptress wearing a short silk nightdress which left a little to the imagination, her golden blonde locks mesmerised him and Liam inhaled sharply.


    Liam Knight had never in his life been driven by his balls but this woman had changed that. Now he was nothing but a randy teenager who just wanted her every time he saw her. The past week he spent without touching her even when she was within his reach had been a blow to his ego but now that she had agreed to share his bed he was not going to hold back.


    He would have her willingly because he wanted to see when she would ask him something in return and if he had his guess right she was going to ask about meeting her father.


    He got off the bed and went to her, grabbed her by the hips and pulled her closer.


    Aurora gasped when she felt a hot breath in her neck, he was looking at her, their eyes met in the mirror and they stared at each other for a long minute. Aurora swallowed and leaned into his chest, putting on a soft smile to her face she kissed his chin. ¡°Good morning baby.¡±


    Liam nodded. ¡°Good morning, Little one.¡±


    Her smile widened and she turned into his arms, locked her hands to his neck and peered into his eyes through hershes, trying to charm him. ¡°I was thinking about having breakfast together like we used to do.¡±


    He once again gave her a curt nod.¡±As you say. Let me have a shower and then we can have breakfast together in bed.¡±


    Aurora smiled and ced a soft kiss on his cheek. ¡°Go and take a bath till I get dressed.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to get dressed, you are not going anywhere and I like what you are wearing. Let¡¯s say, it¡¯s perfect for what I nned to do with you.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s heart thumped hard in her chest. ¡°And what have you nned to do with me?¡±


    Liam chuckled at her teasing tone. He turned her face and went near her ear. ¡°I nned to fuck you again, you have woken up a hungry beast by showing your little ass, Little one. Now you are going to pay for it.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s lips formed an ¡®o¡¯, her eyebrows lifted and she nodded. ¡°Who says I will let you have me again afterst night, you tired me badly, sir?¡± She teased him by pulling his face near her.


    Liam chuckled, ¡°I am going to feed you first, little one. Don¡¯t worry about your energy level.¡±


    Aurora pinched her lips in a thin line and pped his chest teasingly. ¡°You are bad!¡±


    ¡°Very bad, actually, little one.¡± He kissed her lips softly before pulling out of her arms and walking to the bathroom for a shower.


    Aurora closed her eyes tightly in disgust and swallowed the dryness. She sighed deeply before going to the bed and settling inside. Today, Aurora felt like a whore who was selling her body for money but in her case, she would not be getting any mary benefit, no she would be getting her freedom back.


    When Liam came out he was dressed in nothing but a bathrobe. His wet ck hair wasbed back neatly. ¡°Paulina has not brought the breakfast tray yet?¡±


    Aurora shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I would have called her but the inte is not working and I don¡¯t have my phone with me.¡±


    Liam raised his eyebrows. He walked to the bed and sat beside her, ¡°it¡¯s for your own good, Little one, it will be good if you remain absent from the outer world,¡±  he said gazing into her eyes and could see the glimpse of rebellion in her eyes.


    ¡°Tell me what you want to eat, I will order for you.¡±


    ¡°Bacon and pancakes with maple syrup,¡± she replied and turned her gaze to the window. She tried to ignore the feeling of humiliation she felt by his words.


    ¡°Hurt?¡±


    She looked at him. ¡°Why would I be hurt, Liam?¡± She snapped, not able to control her anger but then sighed and shook her head. ¡°Why are you doing this? Have we not talked about itst night? What more do you want from me, Liam?¡±


    He sped her jaw and raised her face. ¡°I am just telling you that it doesn¡¯t matter if you have surrendered yourself to me, Aurora. It doesn¡¯t matter if you have cried in front of me but I won¡¯t give you your freedom back, so you can stop this charade if you want.¡±


    A hot red fury ran through her body and she pushed him away from herself. She didn¡¯t know what came over her but all the anger and frustration she had bottled inside her burst out and she pped her face, hard. ¡°You are disgusting!¡±


    Liam¡¯s face turned right through the impact of the p. He gritted his jaw and turned his face to her. The look in his eyes scared her to the core, she asked, seeing the darkness in his gaze, ¡°I am so sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± she couldn¡¯t finish her sentence when he held her jaw tightly in a bruising grip.


    She pushed him once again and got off the bed. ¡°I am so sorry¡­¡± she cried and ran around the room when he stood and tried to grab her.


    ¡°I am sorry, Liam¡­¡± She once again apologised while running but he sprinted to her and tried to grab her hand but missed and instead caught the long sleeve of her silk robe. She screamed when he yanked it and the knot which held the robe together loosened and the next thing she knew as she stood there,pletely naked.


    Aurora froze for a moment and forgot to run, Liam took the advantage of the situation, caught and held her against the wall. He sped her hands on both sides of the wall, ¡°you have a temper problem, Little one. Let me show you what temper really is!¡±


    Her eyes widened.  ¡°Are you going to hurt me?¡± She asked, recalling the ind incident.


    He sharpened his gaze. ¡°Yes!¡± He snapped and used his knee to widen her legs. Aurora shook her head. ¡°Liam No!¡±


    He touched the lips of her p**sy, she was already wet. ¡°You are fucking wet, Little one.¡± He muttered, entering inside her in one swift moment. Aurora tried to push him away initially but then she forgot all her fear and participated in the act of sexuality. This was like a game, full of thrill and adventure.  Liam grabbed her neck, releasing her one hand and pulled her into a breath-stealing kiss. She held his shoulder for support. Her back was continuously rubbing against the cold wall. She was sure she was going to be bruised by tomorrow but the pleasure she was feeling was worth the pain.


    He was ying with her fear and turning it into something erotic, something she never thought she could experience. Pain and pleasure mix together.


    What was this man doing to me, she thought when she cried in a release. Liam kept thrusting inside her, Aurora was nothing but a pool of nerves in his arms who was only feeling the sensation in her body.   He finally grunted as he poured his cum inside her.


    Both feeling drained and sweaty. He touched their heads together. ¡°And you said you won¡¯t like kinky sex.¡± Hemented after the toe scrunching experience.


    Aurora stiffened under him. ¡°It was kinky sex?¡± She asked.


    Liam chuckled. ¡± A little part of it. You loved it  when I chased you, Little one.¡±


    Aurora blinked and hid herself in his chest. She would be lying if she said that she didn¡¯t like what he did. ¡°Why are you deliberately being cruel to me, don¡¯t you trust me?¡± She asked, raising her eyes staring into his gaze.


    Liam held her cheek, ¡°no, I don¡¯t trust you, Little one. I don¡¯t trust anyone except for myself, trust is something I never do with people. You are not a special case.¡±


    Aurora blinked a few times before speaking. ¡°You don¡¯t trust anyone, not even your father?¡±


    He chuckled at that. ¡°I would be the stupidest person on this if I ever trust him. I respect him, more than anyone in this world. He was my boss and father both but I never trusted him and never will. ¡±


    ¡°You will trust me one day, Liam. I will make you trust me.¡± Aurora didn¡¯t know why she said that, but she could make a guess. She wanted him to know the pain of getting betrayed at the hands of the person you trust the most.


    He shook his head and took her to the bed. ¡°Come and have breakfast.¡±


    He settled on the bed and pulled her on hisp, calling Paulina for the breakfast tray.


    ¡°I am trying to forget the pain you gave me, I epted my fate with you. You made me fall for you and I want to make our marriage work. I want a happy married life with you, Liam.  But the way you keep taunting me, the way you are behaving with me, it¡¯s not right. You don¡¯t love me yet, I ept it and I am ready for you to feel the same way as I do for you but don¡¯t y with my emotions. I have nothing except for you in my life anymore. My dad is in Coma, Liam, I am already messed up, don¡¯t y with me anymore.¡±


    Liam¡¯s heart once again picked the speed. Her words had always affected her but today, they were piercing through the stone walls of his heart.


    She touched his hand, ¡°I want to meet dad, It¡¯s been a week, I want to know if there is any improvement in his condition or not?¡±


    Liam¡¯s mind warned him. ¡°You want your father to get well so that you can tell him how badly I have treated you and he will ruin me, Little one. That¡¯s what you are waiting for right?¡± He chuckled and pulled her closer and bit her earlobe.


    Aurora¡¯s heart flipped. He was so close to her true intentions that she was scared. ¡°Your father is under my protection. I saved him for you but let him in my protection for a little while.¡±


    She nodded. Tears perked into her eyes but she didn¡¯t say anything. To make him believe she needed to behave like a perfect trophy wife. She caressed his hand, ¡°I will wait till you trust me enough to allow me to meet my father. I wanted to talk to my friends but I know you won¡¯t allow me to do that as well because you want me to don¡¯t have as much time with you as possible. I ept whatever you say because I want us together.¡±


    Liam frowned once again. ¡°You have turned into an obedient wife, Little one, that¡¯s not in your nature?¡±


    She forced a smile on her face and ced a kiss on his lips. ¡°Who said I have turned into an obedient wife, I am still the same Aurora who talks a lot, I thought you loved knowing my thoughts but now that I know you don¡¯t I will use it to my advantage.¡±


    She held his face in his hands, ¡°I epted that you don¡¯t love me, yet! You will love me one day, you will trust me one day but till then I am ready to fight for our love, I am ready to fight for us because I have epted this marriage.¡±


    Liam¡¯s eyes shed. His heart was confusing him. He didn¡¯t like it, her words were affecting his mind and he didn¡¯t want it but it was happening to him. She was affecting him, his thoughts.


    She was dangerous, dangerous than the Masked man, dangerous than the Mexicans, dangerous than any of his enemies.


    His wife was dangerous to his heart


    And he didn¡¯t like it at all!

 Chapter 131

    ¡°This is your first meeting as the boss of the Vancouver crime family to the mafiamission, Liam. Show everyone on the table that you are better than every single one of them. The chair of head of themission will be yours, it will add another feather in your crown apart from being the youngest mafia boss of all time.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Liam nodded at his father and wore the ring that represents his designation now,  the same rings his father used to wear as the boss. But now their designations have changed.


    ¡°Thomas? Is heing to themission?¡±  He didn¡¯t want Thomas toe but knew the man enough to make a wild guess about his thoughts, he would attend the meeting to show that the Churchill crime family was still stronger than the other families.


    Ryan shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s your biggest test today, son. You have to show everyone on that table that you stand beside Thomas in his tough time. Thomas will not let anyone see Churchill as a weak counterpart. No, he will show strength and you have to support him. If you have two more families with you the chair will be yours. I have talked to the other two families, they will agree to your chairmanship but of course, they would want some kind of favour in return. I am only worried about Joel West. The man was not less than a Chamaeleon who changed its colour wherever he saw its benefit. Ethan¡¯s power and position have kept things right but the man, I don¡¯t trust him, Ethan never trusted him. In thest meeting when he shared Juan¡¯s location but Ethan returned empty-handed.¡±


    Liam nodded. He was aware of the greediness of Joel West, his father was right, the man could not be trusted even on his deathbed. ¡°I know how to handle Chameleons Dad.¡±


    Ryan smiled proudly. ¡°I know you will,¡± he said, patting his son¡¯s hand. ¡°Thomas is worried about Aurora if he asks to meet her¡­¡±


    Liam raised his hand, stopping his father from talking any further. ¡°She is now my wife, my concern. Business is one thing but I will not allow anyone and that includes you to interfere in my marriage, father.¡± He said in a tone that reflected the precise hints of warning. A Clean and clear warning!


    Liam once again nodded at his father and walked out of the office, his brother Ralph following him.


    ¡°Getting the chair will not be as easy as father believed it to be, everyone knows about the attack on our ships. It¡¯s getting dirty day after day.¡±


    Liam knew that every word from his brother¡¯s mouth was true.  Things are not a piece of cake anymore. The attack on Ethan Knight had changed a lot of things.


    ¡°I know how to stand out of the dirt, Ralph. I just do not want Thomas to attend themission.¡±


    Ralph nced at his brother ¡°because of Aurora?¡±


    He didn¡¯t bother with a reply and settled inside the car with Ralph. The ride was in utter silence, neither Liam said a word during the ride nor Ralph.


    It took them around an hour to reach the destination of themission meeting. The three mafia heads had already arrived when Liam reached there and took his seat, his brother stood behind him, eyeing three heads Joel West,  Kanye Brown and Cody Nixon with a hint of doubt. Ralph Knight believes in the saying of ¡®precautions is better than cure.¡¯  He eyes the


    ¡°Congrattions on your marriage to Ethan¡¯s daughter, Mr Knight,¡± Kanye Brown said, Liam understood him. He might be the boss of a crime family but he was a businessman who didn¡¯t believe in spreading blood unless he needed to show power for his hidden greed.


    The man was twisted but didn¡¯t show it. He would support Liam. He could see it in his eyes but what he would demand in exchange for it, that was the major question.


    Thomas entered the meeting wearing a formal suit just like everyone but with a hat, the two guards stood behind him. Liam nodded at Thomas acknowledging him with respect as they were not only the counterparts to each other but rtives too even though Liam didn¡¯t want him here but still, he had to present a show.


    ¡°We heard about the attack on Ethan, it shows no one is safe anymore. Ethan was not easy to kill but now that he is no¡­¡±


    Thomas raised his finger to stop Joel, ¡°my boss is still very much alive and waiting for his return. It¡¯s not easy to kill Ethan Knight. I think you know that Joel!¡± Thomas challenged him and then looked at the other four family heads with a look of authority as the chair ofmission head was under Churchill sincest year.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to choose the new head of themission. We don¡¯t want the trade to suffer, the routes to import and export goods are getting costly, it¡¯s not easy to control the authorities anymore. We have to stand united, not as the divided mafia heads but as a unified Mafia force.¡±


    ¡°I agree and that¡¯s why I dere myself as one of the candidates for the chairmanship of themission,¡±  Joel West said.  ¡°Anyone who wants to fight me for the chair?¡±


    Liam fisted his hand. He was right, the chameleon changed his colour once again. ¡°You don¡¯t have to look at others, Joel. I am sitting in front of you.¡±


    Joel raised his brows. ¡°You?¡± He chuckled at that. ¡°Grow up first, son.¡±


    Liam knight raised his eyes and settled them on his. ¡°This talk shows who needs to grow up, Joel. I am not here to y a kids game,¡± he nced at other members. ¡°I dere myself as one of the candidates for the head of thismission.¡±


    There wasplete silence on themission table, the members were looking at one another, every single one of them was aware that the meeting could be turned into a bloody meeting.


    The guards standing behind their bosses tensed. Ralph was on high alert too, he was ready to pull out his gun even at the slightest movement.


    ¡°We will choose the next head but first as the representative of the current head, Ethan Knight, I need information,¡± Thomas deliberately nced at Joel, ¡°and I don¡¯t want any buffer information this time which questions the credibility of a man¡¯s message because in our world. The words matter more than the life of man,¡± he said looking at Joel.


    Joel became defensive. ¡°I shared the information I had, if it was false then not my fault, Friend!¡±


    Thomas nodded. ¡°One should check the details before sharing it with another,¡± he turned his eyes to the other members. ¡°Liam and my source have information that Juan and the Masked man are working closely, together.  They are showing their strength. We need to show them our strength.¡±


    He said in a sharp and authoritative voice, ¡°The outsiders want to take our territories from us. Churchill had joined hands with Vancouver to discard them from our territories. We have united not only professionally but personally too and in thismission, as per the orders of my boss, Ethan Knight, I support Liam Knight for the chair of this Commission head.¡±


    Liam was impressed by the strong words of Thomas. He eyed Kanye Brown, the man who was assessing the whole situation in his mind. Pros and Cons of choosing Liam over Joel. ¡°I support Liam Knight.¡±


    All eyes were set on Cody Nixon, his vote was going to decide the next head of themission. Liam smirked inwardly. Cody would never cross him because he knew if he did it, his trade routes would be having trouble.


    ording to the rules of themission, the defeated party couldn¡¯t take out its aggression over the others, that¡¯s the rule of thismission. If he favoured Joel over him, Liam wouldn¡¯t show it but he was going to trouble Cody, even if he had hoax attacks on him.


    Cody inhaled sharply before raising his hand in the air. ¡°I support Liam Knight.¡±


    Joel pped the table hard. ¡°This man has connections with the outsiders, he works with the Russians. How can you choose a man who works opposite to the rules of thismission? It¡¯s nothing but a mockery to this chair.¡±


    Liam sharpened his gaze. ¡°I do but that Russian would never interfere in my territory, we do business with other Mafia heads in the world too, Joel.  Business is one thing but getting involved in the territory is another. That Russian is aware of his boundaries,¡± he said in aposed tone, telling Joel without raising his voice that he was the boss now.


    Kanye and Cody were assessing Liam. They might have supported him but if it came to choosing between their necks and Liam, they would choose their necks anytime. nned murders weremon, after all.


    Liam stood up and went to the seat on which Thomas was sitting upon. Thomas understood what he was asking him to do, he nodded and stood up, giving his chair to Liam. Today, Liam knight got what he wanted, for what he did all the drama of a lover boy.


    Liam Knight had the reign of the Canadian Mafia in his hands and he was going to rule over it, till the end of his life. He was not going to give up the chair of the head in the near future, the rules of themission could go to hell.  It was his chair now. ¡°The chair is mine now. I know the responsibilities as the head but first I need support in cleaning out Mexicans and the Masked man from our territory. The business will grow but no outsider will enter our streets again.¡±


    Joel eyed the other members, he knew that using violence now was not the solution. But he was going to make Liam Knight pay for it. He would never ept a thirty-year-old neer to rule over his head. He screwed the rules of themission which they all started twenty years ago and now, he was not going to let Liam rule over it even if he had to send him to hell for that. He would do that.


    Joel nodded. ¡°I ept your chairmanship. It is after all a fight against the outsiders. We are the Canadian mafia and only we have the right to rule over your territory.¡±


    The next two hours were spent in discussing the details of the information regarding the Mexicans. Liam was once again disappointed with the information he received, which was none!


    Once the meeting was over and other members left, Thomas came to Liam. ¡°How is Aurora doing?¡± He asked casually, but Liam could read the warning in his tone. He was trying to read his expression.  ¡°She is doing good.¡±


    Thomas nodded. ¡°I have not talked to her, only chatted through messages. She didn¡¯t seem fine to me. I hope you are taking care of her.¡±


    Liam frowned. ¡°Thomas, it¡¯s my marriage, she is my wife now and ording to the deal, not Ethan nor you will interfere in my marriage. I know how to handle my married life and my wife.¡±


    ¡°The marriage happened under different circumstances. It¡¯s normal for me to feel protective towards my niece.¡±


    ¡°There is no need to feel like that, I am enough for her to be protective. You should be focusing on Juan, not on Aurora.¡±


    Thomas fisted his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t  worry about Juan. He will be dead soon,¡± he gritted and then nced into Liam¡¯s eyes. ¡°Take care of Aurora. Tell her I will call her, it¡¯s been a week I have not heard her voice.¡±


    ¡°I would rather you don¡¯t call her Thomas. I am trying to distract her mind from her father. That¡¯s the only reason I didn¡¯t allow her to call anyone and kept her busy with our marital bliss.¡±


    Thomas knew that what Liam was saying was true but he wanted to talk to her. There was no time for him to meet her, it was not safe yet. Not when he could be dead anytime. The war with Mexicans had taken a savage turnover now. Thomas nodded at Liam before walking away with his men.


    Liam gritted his jaw in anger. ¡°Fucking mess!¡± But then he calmed when a thought came to his mind. ¡°Let¡¯s see how much you want my love, Aurora. It¡¯s your test tonight!¡±

 Chapter 132

    He could see the look of shock on her face. She frowned. ¡°Have you started to trust me now?¡±


    Liam once again caressed her lower lip before shaking his head. ¡°Not really, Little one. But I want to see the depth of your love. Here is your phone, you can call your uncle and tell him everything or you can choose to stay with me, forever, Little one.¡±


    Aurora stared at him for a long minute.


    She had her liberty in her hands. Her uncle woulde and nothing would be able to stop him from taking her with him, her father would get fine soon. She nced at the phone in her hand, she was about to curl her fingers around the phone but stopped when Liam¡¯s words hit her ears.


    ¡°But remember Little one. If you chose to tell him about us then your father is in a very private hospital¡­¡±


    Aurora¡¯s heart stopped for a second. He was ying with her mind. She tried to look unaffected by the threat of his words and smaller her uncle¡¯s number.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Their gazes were locked with each other. Liam¡¯s eyes sharpened as he continued gazing into her ocean blue eyes. Aurora waited for Thomas to ept the call, she was excited to hear the voice of her uncle after a week. Happiness shot through her nerves when his voice sounded from the other end. ¡°Aurora?¡±


    ¡°How are you doing uncle and How is Mrs Dn?¡± She asked, her throat turning heavy with bubbled emotions.


    , Aurora?¡±


    She sniffed.  ¡°Yes, uncle. I am absolutely fine,¡± she raised her eyes and fixed them on Liam. ¡°Liam is taking care of me.¡± She said looking into his eyes. ¡°Uncle have you met, Dad? How is he doing?¡±


    Liam¡¯s gaze sharpened. He took a step forward but Aurora kept her eyes locked on him, she didn¡¯t react in any way when she saw him move. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    She shook her head, as if Thomas could see her. ¡°No, I have not met him, I don¡¯t have the power to see him in a hospital bed. Liam is keeping a record of his death information. He is not letting me take any stress. Uncle, I want to hear it from you, please tell me how Dad is doing?¡±


    ¡°He is recovering well, Aurora. We will hear the good news soon. Liam has appointed the team of the best doctors for Ethan. He is in a private ward under tight security from Liam.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s heart thumped, heavily ¡°I know Dad will be fine soon, uncle. Liam would not let anything happen to him, Aurora said it with so much confidence in her eyes that Liam¡¯s body stiffened.


    She swallowed. ¡± I will call youter uncle. Please take care of yourself and Mrs Dn. I don¡¯t have anyone except for you two anymore.¡±


    Aurora heard Thomas clearing his throat. ¡°Goodbye, Love. Take care of yourself and if you need anything, give me a call.¡±


    She smiled, her eyes still on her husband who was looking at her with hawk eyes. ¡°My husband is here to take care of me, Uncle. But I will call you again soon. Good night,¡± saying that she ended the call.


    Aurora took a deep breath. She grabbed Liam¡¯s hand and put her phone in his palm. ¡± I didn¡¯t tell him about you caging me in your room and how badly you are treating me because I want us to be together. Because I love you. I asked him about my father because I am worried about his health and you don¡¯t share anything about him. I am ready to fight for our rtionship Liam. I am not scared of you, I love you,¡± she said looking straight into his eyes.


    Liam kept staring at her but she turned around and tried to walk away but Liam grabbed her neck and pulled her back. She gasped at his action and Liam put his lips on hers.


    He wanted to consume her whole, her lips, her scent, more importantly, her words intoxicated his mind. He was dominating her tongue. Aurora, as startled by his action, grabbed his shoulder and her hand roamed to his hair, she kissed him back with equal prominence but when his kiss made her breathless she pushed his chest a little, telling him without words that she couldn¡¯t breathe.


    Liam left her and took a sharp breath.


    Aurora swallowed. ¡°You hurt me today,¡± once again she tried to leave but Liam didn¡¯t allow her and pulled her closer. ¡°So you really love me? How much Aurora?¡±


    She gritted her jaw. ¡°Is there any way to measure love, Liam? What is the use of answering you when you won¡¯t believe me? I begged you, cried in front of you, I even forgave you for your deception but I don¡¯t know what you want from me anymore,¡± she wiped the tears that were rolling down her cheeks.


    She pushed him in the chest and went to the bathroom leaving an angry Liam behind her. He fisted his hands and punched the wall hard. Liam Knight was losing his mind seeing her tears. Her tears twisted his heart, badly. His heart didn¡¯t want to see her tears, it ached when she cried but his mind. It warned him not to do the same mistake his father did once. His mind warned him not to fall into the trap of Love. It makes a man blind and hurts him when he doesn¡¯t expect to be hurt.


    Liam walked out of the room. He needed to get away from her.


    Liam took his car and started driving aimlessly. He was losing his insanity, the man who didn¡¯t let any emotion affect his mind was getting affected by his wife¡¯s tears and he hated it.


    Liam applied the brake and screamed in anger. He didn¡¯t want to feel this way for Aurora, he reminded himself that she was nothing but a need for him. Her importance lies in her being Ethan¡¯s heir. She was a purchased wife, a business deal and nothing else.


    But his heart screamed that she was much more than that. Liam couldn¡¯t run away from the truth anymore, not from himself at least.


    Liam Knight loves his wife. He was infatuated by her when he saw her picture for the first time, it was her beauty which affected him initially, then her sharp tongue and not to mention her ego. She became an obsession for Liam, a sign for his victory over Ethan King but now, she was much more than a purchased bride, she was much more than a business deal. The girl had done what no other girl could do, she made Liam Knight fall in love with her.


    He used to say that he will make her his mind. Body and soul but today it was Liam who became hers, Mind. Body. And Soul.


    But the realisation didn¡¯t give him happiness, no it made him angry at himself. He fell for the same trap  his father fell years ago and regretted itter.


    Love was the emotion that made his father kill his mother and he lived without her. He grew up with only one thought in mind, with only one dream, Ruling over the Mafia. He didn¡¯t allow anything or anyone toe in his way, no emotion, no rtion, till now but not anymore. Aurora Had conquered his heart, it was his mind she couldn¡¯t conquer!


    He opened the door and stepped out. It was close to midnight now, only a few cars could be seen from afar.  The road was almost empty, the area was secluded, rarely anyonees there.  Liam stared at the star in the sky. ¡°What have you done, Little one, what have you done?¡± He muttered in anger touching his heart. Liam felt his heart picking speed when Aurora¡¯s face shed in front of his eyes. His body jerked and his mind ordered him not to think about her anymore. Liam agreed to listen to his mind because his heart was making him insane. He turned around and was about to open the door of his car when his eyes went to a scar on the back of his hand. She had scratched it yesterday morning when she was running after pping him.


    Liam¡¯s heart overpowered his mind, once again her words rang in his ear. The way she told him that one day he would trust her, there was nothing but pure determination in her eyes and voice.  Liam trailed the scar on his hand and a smile came to his lips recalling the wild morning sex.


    It all happened suddenly, a red dot shined in the mirror of the car and then it was on his chest, Liam went haywire and moved before the bullet could hit him. The rain of bullets didn¡¯t stop after that, it continued, Liam cursed in his mind, he was stuck.  A bullet shot through the rear mirror of the car.


    He pulled out his gun from the back of his pants and sat silently against the car, without making any sound. He didn¡¯t move or fire, and waited for someone toe and check on him.


    The bullets were still flying in the air.


    ¡°Come on,e on!¡± He muttered under his breath, Liam¡¯s mind was fixed on only one thought who would dare to attack Liam Knight in his city.


    His hands itched to kill, he wanted to taste the blood of the  person to kill him. It was not a warning shooting,  no, if it would have been that they would have left till now. The men were here to kill Liam but it would be them who were going to die, not Liam. It was not easy to kill Liam Knight.


    The bullets didn¡¯t stop, it kept shooting. Liam didn¡¯t buzz but he was losing patience to sit calmly. Finally, after one more round of firing, his patience paid off and Liam heard the sound of footsteps.  His nose red, the death of these men were just a bullet away, his mind and eyes focussed on his aim and the moment the man reached the corner, Liam shot, right in his head.


    He heard a loud shriek and the other men started shooting once again. A bullet passed his face, Liam moved in less than a nanosecond saving himself and shot the man who fired on him. He was dead the moment Liam¡¯s bullet hit his heart. Two men were dead, one was left.


    Liamid down beside  the car and shot. He covered his head with his hand to protect it from the flying bullets to his car. Liam shot his hand first, the man was determined for his blood but it would be his blood which would spill not Liam¡¯s but he wanted the man alive. Liam wanted to know the name of the man who attacked.


    The list of his enemies was too long to guess but the names which topped the list were Mexicans, The Masked Man and Dmitry. It could be anyone but Liam¡¯s mind went to these three.


    Liam frowned when the shooting suddenly stopped. His mind warned that the other man was ying the same trick he yed on them first but Liam was not going to let him do it.


    Liam didn¡¯t wait anymore, he stood up with lightning speed, pressing the trigger before the other person could shoot and the bullet hit that man¡¯s shoulder. He screamed and shot aimlessly and the bullet hit the fuel tank and a loud st happened.


    Liam¡¯s back burnt badly, he fell on the road due to the proximity of the car.  When Liam raised his eyes the man was long gone. Liam screamed in anger and punched the road. Liam¡¯s back was aching, still, he managed to stand up. He watched his car turn into charcoal. Liam¡¯s mind was raging in anger, he needed to know who attacked him and then finish that brutally.


    Liam searched for his phone and called his brother. Ralph was shocked hearing Liam¡¯s words. He came to him as soon as possible. Things had gone far too wrong for Liam¡¯s liking.


    ¡°You need to see a doctor,¡± Ralph said but Liam shook his head. He was losing his mind, he took over the chair of the Canadian Mafia today and someone tried to kill him.  He wanted to demolish the person responsible for it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a doctor, I need the man responsible for it.¡±


    Ralph nodded, he understood that at this moment, Liam was over the top furious. He was not less than a ticking time bomb.


    Now the question arises who attacked Liam?

 Chapter 133

    Aurora was thankful to God that her father was on the recovery bed. He was getting better day by day. She never appreciated how lucky her life was but now she felt gratitude for the life her father gave her. But now that she had suffered in the cage of this room. She knew that she was never going to take anything for granted.


    Aurora touched her ne. ¡°Mom, Dad will be fine soon and then I will be free from here. I wanted to tell uncle Thomas but¡­¡± before she could speak anymore, the door opened with a loud thump startling Aurora.


    Aurora stood up abruptly seeing his shredded blood-stained clothes. ¡°Liam?¡± She ran to him, fear grabbed her heart tightly in its fist.


    ¡°What has happened to you, Liam?¡± She asked, her eyes widened at his condition. Aurora held his hand and helped him to bed.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡± tears strolled down her cheek as she eyed the depth of his injuries. ¡°How did all this happen?¡± She asked, a sob left her throat.


    Liam¡¯s heart skipped a beat seeing the tears in her eyes.  ¡°I met with a small ident.¡±


    ¡°Small!¡± She pointed at his burnt back. ¡°You call this small? You are burned!¡± She wiped her tears and shook her head. ¡°Give me my phone, I am calling an ambnce.¡±


    ¡°Aurora, you are not calling anyone¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop giving me stupid orders. Look at yourself in the mirror Liam.  You need urgent medical treatment¡­¡± She was scolding him for taking his health lightly but stopped when her eyes went to Ralph who was watching them.


    ¡°Ralph, we need to take him to the hospital, now.¡±


    Ralph shook his head. ¡°I called the doctor already, he is waiting outside. May I call him inside.¡±


    Before Liam could answer, Aurora nodded. ¡°Yes, call him in, Ralph.¡±


    Ralph nodded at the doctor to enter. Liam was not happy with an outsider entering his personal space. The doctor had been serving Knights for twenty years but still, Liam was not happy with anyone entering his room. He gritted in anger when the doctor touched his back to check the wounds.


    ¡°I cleaned the wounds but the dressing needs to be changed twice a day so that they don¡¯t get infected. He needsplete bed rest for three days,¡± he informed both Ralph and Aurora.  ¡°I have written the medicines along with Painkillers. Twice a day.¡±


    Ralph nodded. ¡°You may leave, doctor,¡± he ordered and the doctor walked out as soon as he could.  Aurora looked at Ralph. ¡°Can you bring the medicines?¡±


    Ralph once again nodded and walked out leaving both Aurora and Liam alone.


    Aurora walked to Liam and sat beside him on the bed. ¡°Are you feeling any better baby?¡± She whispered, touching his face.


    Liam closed his eyes. His mind warned him once again not to fall for her. ¡°I am fine, Little one.¡± His heart once again won as he replied to her in a soft voice.


    Aurora swallowed the heaviness in her throat. Her father was already in the hospital and seeing Liam in this condition, she was stunned. All her thoughts of leaving him left her heart and only the love she felt for him remains.


    Aurora faced the truth. It was true that he had hurted her badly but it was also true that she still loves him. She was fighting the battle with her heart and mind as well. On one hand was her heart which begged her to be with Liam and on the other it was her mind which asked her to take revenge and leave him. Aurora didn¡¯t know what to do, she couldn¡¯t make any decision.


    She had forgiven him once when he deceived her but this time, didn¡¯t want to forgive him this easily.


    Ralph came and handed Aurora the medicines. ¡°It¡¯s already midnight, Ralph. You can stay in one of the guest rooms if you want.¡±


    Ralph nced at his brother who nodded in agreement. Once Ralph left, Aurora gave him medicines and asked him to sleep.


    Liam watched Aurora, it¡¯s been two days since the attack and she had been taking care of him like a devoted wife. Liam was blown away with her love. The two days showed him the depth of her feelings for him. Even though he had treated her cruelly she still took care of him as if he had not held her  captive in this room.


    He had given two days¡¯ time to Ralph to find out about the man behind his attack.


    Liam¡¯s phone beeped, there was a picture of his father with a woman


    Two days are over so was the time he gave to his brother. Now Liam needed answers.  He dressed up into a suit and was about to open the door of the room to leave when Aurora came out of the bathroom.


    ¡°Where are you going? You are not fine yet, Liam.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t question me, Little one. I have work to do.¡± He replied. ¡°But Liam¡­¡±


    He turned towards her and looked at her beautiful face. It was not easy for Liam to trust her. But his heart made him do it, he ordered him to take the first step towards her this time, without any hidden motive or deception.


    Liam pulled out her phone from his coat, held her hand and put it in her palm. ¡°Here is your phone, Little one.¡±


    Aurora stiffened for a moment. She raised her eyes and met his intense gaze. Liam held her gaze, he wanted her to know that she had won his heart. He had started to trust her and this was the first step which Liam took in her direction, wholeheartedly.


    ¡°It¡¯s my phone, are you giving it back to me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t you want it back, Little one.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Am I free to contact anyone, Liam? What if I want to talk to my uncle and my friends? My father won¡¯t suffer the consequences of it?¡± She asked, her voice thick with emotions.


    Liam felt a knife being twisted in his heart. She feared that he would harm her father if she talked to Thomas or her friends.  ¡°You said you love me and want to be with me. Let¡¯s just say, I believed you Aurora,¡± he said, in a firm voice that raised goosebumps on her skin.


    Liam pulled her closer and kissed her aggressively. ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret my decision, Little one,¡± he whispered and walked out of the room leaving an uncertain Aurora behind.


    She nced at her phone and then at the door from where Liam had walked out. The door was open too, he had not locked it, nor did Paulinae to lock it. Aurora¡¯s heart was beating faster than normal as she stepped out of the room and didn¡¯t find any guards there.


    What does it mean, am I free to leave this room now? Is my sentence over?


    She decided to check if she was truly free to do as she wanted. She walked downstairs and nobody stopped her. Aurora went to the kitchen, Paulina was working there. ¡°Do you want something, Madam?¡±


    Aurora swallowed. This was exactly like the first day she spent here with Liam. ¡°Yes, something light, Paulina.¡±


    Her heart swelled with happiness. She was one the moon and decided that now that she was not caged anymore she could go to meet her father. ¡°Paulina asked the driver to get the car ready, I want to go to meet my dad¡­¡±


    Paulina stared at her and that made Aurora frown. ¡°What happened, why are you not calling the driver.¡±


    ¡°Madam, you are free to do whatever you want but you can¡¯t leave the house.¡±


    All her hopes evaporated like the water did on a hot surface. He once again gave her false hopes. She was an idiot to believe his words. ¡°You can never change Liam. Never.¡±


    She nced at her phone which beeped. Aurora was happy to see the name of Susan being shed on the screen. ¡°Aurora, call me or I promise I will kill you with my bare hands.¡±


    She swallowed and didn¡¯t wait for a single second  to dial her number without caring about Liam.  Susan epted the call at the first ring. ¡°About damn time, you whore! Where the hell are you? I have sent you thousands of messages and called you hundreds of time but you only sent a


    message saying you are fine! Is this how you want to continue our friendship?¡±


    Aurora tried to stop herself from sobbing but couldn¡¯t, Susan was only her friend but godsister. She was her soulmate. ¡°Susie, Dad is ina, he is not talking to me. Not even a word, Susie.¡±


    Susan gasped. ¡°Aurora, sweetheart. He will be fine, he is a warrior, he has to be fine.¡±


    Aurora sniffed. ¡°I miss dad, Susie. I miss being a spoiled little girl. I want my dad back, I want him back, Susie. I miss my old life. I miss us three being together. I miss my old life.¡±


    Susan nced at the phone. There was something in Aurora¡¯s voice which didn¡¯t feel right to her. There was something Susan couldn¡¯t point at. ¡°Aurora I want to see you, switch on the video call now.¡±


    Aurora wiped her tears. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want you to see me like this.¡±


    ¡°I have seen you in your worst time. Do it now!¡± She demanded. Aurora had no other option left except for turning her video on and Aurora couldn¡¯t stop


    herself from sobbing out loud seeing Susan¡¯s face after almost two months.


    Susan frowned. ¡°What have you done to yourself, Aurora?¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡± She sobbed andpletely broke down into tears.


    Tears perked into Susan¡¯s eyes seeing her friend like this. ¡°Stop crying, Aurora.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me there?¡± She asked, Susan had suffered enough for interfering in Aurora¡¯s life, even though her intentions were not bad but still she was med for it and didn¡¯t want to repeat the same mistake again. This time she asked her friend if she wanted her closer to her.


    Aurora blinked her tear-filled eyes. Her mind went numb for a moment. Can I ask her toe here? She swallowed.


    How will he react?


    ¡°Yes. I want to meet you, Susie.¡±


    ¡°I aming back,¡± she said, making Aurora sob one more time. ¡°Susan, I am so sorry for the way I treated you. I am so sorry, Susie.¡±


    Susan swallowed the heaviness in her throat. ¡°No,  I was wrong. Aurora. This is your life and you were right. I shouldn¡¯t have¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Aurora cried, shaking her head. ¡°You have every right, Susie. I am so sorry¡­¡±


    Susan knew then that something was wrong. ¡°I aming there, tomorrow, I will be with you.¡±


    Aurora nodded and after some time she ended the call.


    On the other hand, Liam raised his eyes and stared at his brother. ¡°Joel? Are you sure, Ralph?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Liam punched the table so hard that it cracked. Ralph closed his eyes knowing well that now his brother was going to make Joel pay for his deeds as he should be.  Liam stood up and pulled his gun out. His hands twitched to kill Joel, his nose red and Liam Knight sprinted out of his office to kill the man who dared to attack him.


    Ralph followed his brother with a few of his most trusted men. He was going to kill the head of a strong mafia Family in his hometown, Ralph knew the consequences of it, so he ordered all his men in Dawson to be ready for the kill.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    It took almost five hours for Liam to reach there. Whole the journey he was bursting with anger, his mind raging with uncontrolled fury.


    Joel was swimming in his private house. Only the most trusted man of his knew about this ce so he felt safe there but he didn¡¯t know that there was no ce where Liam Knight couldn¡¯t reach.


    Liam eyed the house in the middle of nowhere. ¡°How many men?¡± He demanded Robert, the man who took them to this ce.


    ¡°Around ten, boss. It¡¯s his private harem, not many men are allowed here.¡±


    Liam chuckled. ¡°I am going to dig his graveyard in this harem,¡± he nced at his brother, ¡°kill everyone.¡±


    Ralph signalled his men and they silently circled the house. Robert went to the door and asked for the entrance. He was one of Joel¡¯s trusted men. Nobody asked for the reason for his arriving there, when the door opened and Roberts stepped in on Liam with his brother and some  of his men showed up from behind Robert. Before the guard could blink he was shot right between the eyes. Ralph handled two other men, both dead.


    ¡°Move on, I don¡¯t have time, Robert.¡±


    Roberts showed up at the ce, he knew every single spot of this ce. Liam followed him and killed the people who encountered them in between. It was easier than Liam thought. The house was under attack by Liam and his men.


    Robert took Liam to Joel¡¯s room. Robert knocked on the door thrice, it¡¯s as a signal which states that one of his whore was there to please him. Liam wanted to burst inside and kill the bastard but he stopped himself. He wanted to see the expressions of  fear and shock on his face.


    There was a different kind of satisfaction in attacking the enemy when he least expected it.


    Joel opened the bottle of whiskey and Kristy poured it into a crystal ss. He chuckled and granted permission to his whore to enter the room when he heard the knock on his door.


    ¡°Good evening, Joel.¡±


    Joel¡¯s hand paused, his mind stopped all the thoughts and body stiffened when he heard the voice of Liam Knight!


    Liam smirked and pointed his towards Joel and shot him, twice.

 Chapter 134

    Thomas eyed his man¡¯s body which was butchered into tiny pieces. There was a note attached to it. ¡°It will be you and your boss next. Ethan King will be butchered the same way.¡±


    Thomas gritted in anger. ¡°Juan!¡± He fist the paper and threw it away.


    ¡°Try to control your anger, Thomas.  We have to remain calm to think with a clear mind, it¡¯s not easy to kill Juan when he is hiding. Look at Ethan, he underestimated him and see what happened.¡±


    Thomas nodded. He knew what Jeff was saying was true but he was losing calmness when all his efforts met with nothing but disappointments.  ¡°We have done enough but couldn¡¯t find him.¡±


    Thomas fisted his hand. ¡°Shut your mouth, Jeff, don¡¯t advise me. I want that man, find him.¡±


    Jeff didn¡¯t speak any further and walked out of the room. Thomas punched the wall, ¡°I will bury you alive, Juan. My boss burned your brother but you will not suffer the same fate, I will butcher you and feed you your organs.¡±


    On the other hand, Liam Knight kicked Joel in the head as he was falling on the floor, Liam had shot him in both the kneecaps making him unable to move, Ralph and Robert standing around Joel circling him. Both of them had their guns out.


    Joel red at Robert furiously. ¡°You bastard, I trusted you!¡±


    Robert smiled. ¡°I wanted to be the boss and you were in between. He gave me the opportunity and I took it. It¡¯s pure business, Joel. As you say, not emotions attached, pure and ruthless business.¡±


    Liam kicked him in the head.  ¡°You thought that you would be able to get away from me, Joel. Before attacking me you should have checked how I ended my enemies in the past or better you should have learned whom to share the information with.¡±


    Joel whose face bes nothing but a pulp of blood and flesh screamed in pain when Liam kicked him again in his throat. ¡°You wanted to kill me but your death will not be easy.¡±


    Ralph understood what his brother wanted. He was going to torture Joel to death. His sentence was going to be worse than a simple death, it would be slow and painful.


    Once Joel was sent to the secret chamber where he would be tortured to death, Robert nodded and showed his hand for a handshake. ¡°For the beginning of our new friendship.¡±


    Liam eyed the hand and then set his eyes on Robert, he epted his hand. ¡°For the beginning of new friends but I want you to find out about The Masked man and Juan,¡± he tightened his grip on Robert. ¡°Unlike Joel, I hope you will take pain in finding the two bastards. Give me the Masked man and I will call it the token of our friendship.¡±


    Robert understood what Liam was saying. He wanted him to support Liam in finding the Masked man.


    ¡°I will.¡±


    Liam nodded and withdrew his hand. ¡°Goodbye, Robert.¡±


    Liam was followed by his brother while they walked out the so-called secret house of Joel. ¡°Do you trust him?¡± Ralph asked, because he couldn¡¯t trust Robert, the man who could stab his boss cum friend for the designation of boss could not be trusted.


    Once they were seated in the helicopter to take them to the airport. Ralph was still waiting for the answer. ¡°I don¡¯t trust anyone, Ralph. In his group two more men hold the same greed, they are ready to kill him just like he is going to do with Joel. Greed for power and money can make a man do anything, Ralph. They will keep an eye on him for me. So you see Robert is not the Boss of Dawson, he is just a puppet king who will do everything I ask him to do.¡±


    Ralph smiled. ¡°You are right, Greed for power is a great stimtor. You have the same greed for power, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Liam looked at his brother, his eyes hard. ¡°Absolutely Ralph. For me this friendship, emotions doesn¡¯t matter unless I gain something from them.¡±


    Ralph nodded. ¡°And rtions, Alexandrio is going to pay for being a loyal friend once hees back. What about me? If you had to choose between power and me, who would you choose?¡± He chuckled, not caring about the swimming darkness in Liam¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°How stupid of me to ask, you will choose power over me. But what about your wife, does she stand in the same line as Alexandrio and me? Will you sacrifice her for you¡­¡± before he could finish the sentence Liam sped his mouth. ¡°Do not say a word about Aurora and if I wanted to have you killed, I would have done it till now. You are still alive because you are my brother,¡± he left his mouth and patted his chest in a gesture of warning. ¡°Don¡¯t question me over this again. I am a devil, right but even devils have some boundaries they do not want to cross so don¡¯t force me to cross them.¡±


    Ralph felt a difference in Liam today. He was always obsessive about Aurora but today there was a different kind of protectiveness in his voice. Ralph just wished that whatever it was it would make him see how lucky he was to have Aurora in his life. The girl loves him madly and deeply


    He took a deep breath before speaking again. ¡°I want you to think about your decision regarding Alexandrio again. He had done nothing, Liam. It is not right to punish him to take revenge on Dimitri.¡±All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Liam gritted his jaw and fisted his hand tightly for patience. ¡°Alexandrio is my friend, we have spent a good time together. I asked his brother to support me in finding the Masked man, did he show support? No. He denied mocking me. Alexandrio could have asked his brother but he didn¡¯t. Tell me what other weakness Dimitri has except for his brother? None! Ralph¡¯s friendship is one thing but I will not y with the life of my¡­¡± he stopped and swallowed the uneasiness. ¡°¡­ my people for a friend. He will always be respected by me and just to remind you there is no greater sign of loyalty than  sacrificing life in our business, is there?¡±


    Ralph shook his head. ¡°One day you will regret it.¡±


    Liam red at his brother and he looked away.  He didn¡¯t want to think about anything except for killing the masked man. If Dmitri wouldn¡¯t support him in catching the Masked man, he would snatch the most important thing of his life. His brother.


    Aurora smiled seeing the pictures of her father and her. It was a picture she had taken at a party she attended with her father. She was bored and wanted to leave but her father asked her to stay because it was an important event.  Aurora chuckled as she recalled the day her father pouted for the pictures to lift her mood and the MP¡¯s wife had watched him doing so.


    He lost the image of a serious businessman that day. ¡°Please wake up soon dad. Please wake up soon,¡± she whispered as the image blurred due to tears. She swiped to the next picture, it was of her with Susan and Emily. They went to Australia for holidays.


    She chuckled seeing the expression on Emily¡¯s face, she was angry because Susan fought with her. Aurora wiped her tears, she was about to put her phone back when it started ringing. She epted the call seeing Emily¡¯s number shing on the screen.


    ¡°Aurora? How did this happen? I read the news and¡­ oh God! Why didn¡¯t you inform me? I would havee there immediately. How is Ethan now?¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Slow down, Em.  I didn¡¯t tell you because you are on your honeymoon. You deserve to have privacy, sweetheart.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Aurora. There is nothing more important than you. I could have my honeymoon any time I want, my honey is not going anywhere. Alexandrio is talking to his pilot we are leaving as soon as we can manage.¡±


    Aurora swallowed the tightness in her throat. ¡°No, Emily. Don¡¯t. I will never be able to forgive myself for ruining your beautiful time. Stay there, Susan ising to me tomorrow. Please stay there and enjoy your time.¡±


    She heard Emily sighing deeply on the other end. ¡°Are you sure, Aurora. I don¡¯t want to leave you alone in the time of need.¡±


    ¡°I am not alone, Em. I have everyone here with me¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, how could I forget about Liam, he would be taking care of you. We all know how much you both love each other.¡±


    Aurora couldn¡¯t hold the sob she was holding. ¡°Yes. He loves me a lot, Em. I can¡¯t tell you how much he loves me.¡±


    She fisted her hand tightly as she lied right through her teeth. ¡°Enjoy your time, Em.¡±


    ¡°I know you are holding your tears but please stop crying. Ethan will be fine.¡±


    Aurora nodded, ¡°I gotta go, Bye Em,¡± she cried and ended the call. It was getting hard for her to talk when all she wanted to do was cry.


    Liam was about to enter but stopped when he  heard her saying goodbye to Emily.


    He sighed in satisfaction. Now that Emily knew about Ethan¡¯s attack she woulde to support her friend with Alexabdrio. He entered the room and watched Aurora turn her head. She stiffened and stood up seeing him.


    Liam¡¯s heart turned in his chest.  She was wearing one of her silk nightdresses and she looked like a mermaid in it. He wanted to be close to her after the thrilling action. As close as he could get.  He stepped closer to her and frowned as he watched her wet eyes.


    ¡°Why are you crying?¡± He asked, raising her face with his thumb and forefinger.


    Fresh tears swirled into her eyes, seeing the person responsible for her pain  standing in front of her and asking her about her tears. Aurora swallowed and stepped back. ¡°I am not crying, something went into my eyes.¡±


    Liam gritted his jaw, it was nothing but a pure lie, he knew it. He sped her hand and pulled her back to him. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, Little one. You know I hate it when you do that.¡±


    Aurora couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s ironicing from you. The man who built our rtionship on lies was talking about truth,¡± she couldn¡¯t stop herself from giving him a truthful reply.


    ¡°Aurora!¡± He took her name fiercely in a warning. He wanted to be close to her but she was insulting him.


    She snatched her hand away and pushed him in the chest. Her own anger spiked. ¡°You are making me insane!¡± She yelled at him. Liam¡¯s eyes changed, Aurora could see that she had angered him.


    Before he could say or do something she sprinted towards him and ced her lips on his, her hands working on the buttons of his shirt. Liam was stunned by her actions, he tried to tug her away from his body to know what she was thinking but she didn¡¯t let him.


    ¡°I want you, Liam,¡± she muttered and kissed his naked chest. Liam¡¯s heart skipped a beat when she touched his nip**e with the tip of her tongue and rolled it around. Her hands were tracing his abs, his shirt opened wide giving her an easy ess.


    Liam Knight didn¡¯t care about anything at this moment he grabbed her hair into a tight fist and yanked her head towards him. When she tried to free herself he ced his lips on hers and kissed her wantingly.


    Aurora surrender herself to him, she opened his belt and freed his di*k out of his pants. ¡°Fuck!¡± Liam cursed amd turned her around, raised her in the air and adjusted her on his dick and then fucked her against the wall, hard and fast. Just the way he liked and her wild moans were a treat to his ears.


    Aurora was lost into another world, she scratched his back with her sharp nails. Her body as out of control as she forgot about all her problems. All that mattered to her was what they were doing at the moment.


    But it was her conscience which scolded her for her actions once they were in their bed. Her head on his chest, under a soft quilt on the king-size bed,pletely naked.


    Aurora knew she needed to tell him about Susaning to meet her. She didn¡¯t want him to harm her in any way. ¡°Susan ising tomorrow.¡±


    Liam opened his eyes. He frowned, ¡°Susan? You were talking to Emily, right? Why is Susaning?¡±


    She looked at him. ¡°Emily called me for dad but she is on her honeymoon, I don¡¯t want to cut it short because of me. So I asked her not toe. She epted it.  I called Susan and she asked me if I wanted her here and I said yes. Can she stay with us?¡±


    Liam sighed. He needed to contact Alexandrio himself so that he woulde back to Vancouver. Now he had another problem at hand. Susan.


    His mind didn¡¯t want to say yes but his heart didn¡¯t want to deny her anything. ¡°She may, whatever makes you happy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. My friends make me happy. Susan is like a sister to me.¡±


    ¡°Friends, do you give this much importance to friendship, Little one?¡±


    Aurora chuckled. ¡°I can die for my friends. Life is nothing without true friends, Susan and Emily are my families. They never left my hand when I needed them. We are friends for life.¡±


    She whispered and then she was silent.


    Liam looked down to check her and found her asleep. Liam sighed deeply and closed his eyes too. He needed sleep because her words once again distracted him.


    He was Liam Knight and his dream was bigger than anything else. Aurora was just an exception but that didn¡¯t mean he would allow her to interfere in his ns.


    He would do what needed to be done.

 Chapter 135

    Aurora was happy, she was genuinely happy today because her friend wasing there. She would have someone she could talk to.  Liam agreed to let Susan stay with them. She  just wanted her toe there as soon as possible.


    ¡°You are shining. So much happiness for your friend.¡±


    She turned and found Liam standing behind her, all dressed up in a blue three-piece suit with a ck tie.  ¡°I can¡¯t leave this ce, all thanks to you. Susan will be a good distraction when I am all alone here living my boring life without anything else to do except for watching the television and reading books.¡±


    Liam shrunk his eyes. ¡°I gave you your phone back¡­¡±


    ¡°Yesterday, the day before it, I was doing nothing except for watching the walls in our bedroom Liam. I was happy when I didn¡¯t find any guard outside the door. I went out of this room, again I was happy but then Paulina told me that I was allowed to roam around the house all I want but I am not allowed to get out of the house. Allowed, Liam!¡± She chuckled. ¡°I need your permission to go out like a servant,¡± she raised her hands. ¡°But I am notining, as I told you, nothing is more important for me than our rtionship, our love and for that I am ready to do everything you want me to do, maybe then you will believe in my love.¡±


    Liam looked away from her using gaze for a moment and then out of a sudden grabbed her shoulder. ¡°You think I am not trying!¡± He snapped in a tone which froze her to the core. Her eyes widened seeing the look of darkness on his face.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡±


    He left her with a jerk. ¡°I am sorry, there is a reason I don¡¯t want you to go out, Aurora.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°What reason?¡±


    Liam gritted his jaw. He couldn¡¯t tell her about the reality of their lives or could he. He eyed her, ¡°will you be able to handle the truth?¡± He asked.


    Aurora blinked. ¡°What are you talking about? What truth Liam?¡± Her brows pulled together. ¡°Is my dad fine? He is fine right?¡± She held her shoulder, fear clear in her eyes. ¡°Answer me Liam, is my dad fine or not?¡±


    Liam held her hands and held them together, ¡°he is fine. He is recovering¡­¡± Liam said. He wanted to tell her but stopped. He knew she wouldn¡¯t believe him, not about the reality of her father. For her, Ethan Kings was a man of honour and he was but in the Mafia world.


    She didn¡¯t know how maniptive her father was in real life.


    She sighed in relief and nodded. ¡°I want to meet dad, if you could find a little bit of love in your heart for me. If the moments I spent with you had a little ounce of truth in them then please let me see my father for once, Liam. Please.¡±


    Liam left her hands. ¡°I have to go, Little one, your friend will be here soon, I have sent the driver to pick her up. I will see you in the evening. Till then enjoy your day with your friend,¡± saying that he walked out of the room leaving Aurora alone with her tears.


    Ralph Knight received the call from The Be¡¯s American branch head where Susan works and he informed Ralph that she had left for Vancouver a few hours ago.


    Ralph¡¯s heart skipped a beat hearing Susan wasing back to Vancouver. Her beautiful face shed in his eyes, the words she said to him when they met for thest time hit him hard.


    ¡°I wish you had stayed there forever,¡± he muttered. This was the reason he sent her to the USA.


    ¡°Have you found something?¡± Ralph put his phone back in his pocket when he heard his brother¡¯s voice.


    ¡°I had a chat with Thomas. I know he is not sharing but he is up to something. His words inclined that he found something but wants to be sure about it.¡±


    Liam nodded. ¡°Call Alexandrio.¡±


    Ralph stiffened, his face lost all the colour and he turned as white as a sheet. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡±.


    Liam raised his brows. ¡± I am very serious. I chose you and dad over my friend. I chose myself over my friendship, Ralph,¡± he nodded at his Brother. ¡°Now, call Alexandrio and tell him about the attack on me and don¡¯t forget to mention that it was the Masked man who did it.¡±


    Ralph didn¡¯t move for a long minute. ¡°Do it, Ralph.¡±


    He fisted his hand tightly and nodded in agreement. Liam smiled when he saw his brother dialling Alexandrio.


    Who epted the call after the sixth ring.


    ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t disturb anything,¡± Ralph said the moment he heard Alexandrio¡¯s voice on the other end.


    ¡°Actually you did, I wanted to go another round but¡­. oww! Stop hitting me, woman.¡±


    ¡°Stop it.¡± Ralph heard Emily lightly scolding him. Ralph fisted his hand even more tightly hearing the lively banter between Alexandrio and his wife.


    ¡°I have something important to tell you. Can you get a little privacy,¡± Ralph said in a serious voice which told Alexandrio that the matter was serious.


    ¡°Wait a second.¡±


    Ralph¡¯s eyes went to his brother, the little hope in him died when he saw the calmness in Liam¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I heard about Ethan. Emily talked with Aurora, we wereing back but she told her not to¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t call for that, Ethan has been attacked but it¡¯s about the masked man. Alexandrio, Liam didn¡¯t know I am calling you to talk to Dmitry. The masked man attacked Liam a few days ago. Liam killed the men but he was wounded badly. You can save us a great deal of time. Try to talk to Dmitry.¡±


    Ralph heard Akexandrio sigh on the other end. ¡°Is Liam fine?¡± He asked in a tired voice.


    Ralph nced at Liam who shook his head. ¡°He is losing his cool, Alexandrio. I don¡¯t know how much this war was going to cost us now.¡±


    ¡°Dmitry¡­¡±


    ¡°He will not share any information, Ralph and I will not ask again. Liam is my friend, a very dear friend but Dmitry is my brother, he is my Pakhan.


    He asked only this from me, not to interfere between him and Liam. Sorry pal, I can¡¯t help you more than I already did.¡±


    Ralph closed his eyes. ¡°I wanted to tell you about the attack on Liam. He told me not to tell you but I had to think about my brother. He was being attacked by man, he was this close to death. Alexandrio,¡± he said forcibly before ending the call in anger.


    Ralph nced at Liam who was smirking. ¡°That was what I wanted to show you, he is taking his brother¡¯s side even though he could help me easily and if I am choosing my family, the lives of thousands of my men what¡¯s wrong in that?¡±


    Ralph nodded. He understood that there was nothing he could do, Liam would not back down from his n. Nothing and no one could stop him.


    ¡°I do not think he woulde back.¡±


    Liam smiled confidently. ¡°He will because he is loyal to our friendship as well. I am this close in achieving my goal, Ralph and I don¡¯t want any kind of problems now.¡±


    Thomas kicked the man in his shins. ¡°I am not a spy boss. Someone is pestering this on me. I am loyal to Ethan Kings.¡±


    Thomas kicked the man once again. ¡°Loyal! Jeff find you sending messages to someone, you lying bastard.¡± He snapped and cut his pinky finger. The man cried in pain. ¡°I am not lying boss,¡± he cried, ncing at Jeff. ¡°You don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Jeff pulled out his gun and shot him in the head. ¡°Bloody traitor,¡± he said on his body.


    Thomas pushed Jeff in the chest. ¡°What did you do? He could have told us everything.¡±


    ¡°I got angry, Thomas. I was not thinking straight,¡± Jeff said looking at the body of the traitor. ¡°Ethan was not only my boss but a friend to.¡±


    Thomas nodded. ¡°Go and calm your mind, Jeff,¡± he said. Jeff nced at Thomas, he sighed and walked out to go to his home.


    Thomas shrunk his eyes and signalled one of his men toe near him. ¡°Keep an eye on Jeff, I know he is up to something and I want to hear his calls. Tell the tech guy to tap his phone.¡±


    Thomas had doubts over Jeff but now he was sure about him being the spy in their group. He holds one of the most important positions in Churchill. Jeff was third inmand after Thomas only he knew about Ethan¡¯s ns. ¡°We trusted the wrong man, Ethan. You trusted the wrong man.¡±


    On the other hand, Aurora hugged Susan tightly in happiness. She couldn¡¯t stop her tears. ¡°I missed you so much, Susie. I missed you so much¡­¡±


    Susan wiped Aurora¡¯s tears and held her face. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call me before? I asked you many times but you didn¡¯t answer, Aurora.¡±


    She sobbed. She didn¡¯t know how to tell her the truth. Paulina was nearby, Aurora didn¡¯t trust her, she was nothing but Liam¡¯s puppet. She didn¡¯t trust him not after experiencing the monstrous side of him.


    ¡°And why the sudden marriage?¡±


    ¡°After dad¡¯s attack I was alone and when Liam asked I agreed.¡±


    Susan frowned but didn¡¯t ask her anything. She didn¡¯t want to be used of interfering in her life again. ¡°Come let me show you your room.¡±


    Susan knew there was something Aurora was hiding from her. She could see it in her face. The way she talked to her, the excitement in her voice and the spark in her eyes was not only because she was talking to her after a long period of time. No, it was something else. She would ask her about it even if she had to suffer another usation of being an interfering person but not here. Susan decided that she and Aurora would go out tomorrow and there she would ask her.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Aurora came with coffee mugs in her hands. ¡°Here is your coffee, Paulina is cooking your favourite chicken nuggets. Liam will be joining us for dinner.¡±


    Susan nodded. ¡°What about Em, is sheing?¡±


    Aurora sighed and shook her head. ¡°No, I told her not toe, I don¡¯t want to disturb her honeymoon. At least she is happy among the three of us.¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you not happy with Liam?¡±


    Aurora stiffened. ¡°I am¡­¡± she stammered. ¡°I am happy but you know with dad being in hospital¡­¡±


    Susan nodded. ¡°He will be fine soon.¡±


    They were talking when the door of the penthouse opened and Liam entered the house. Once again Susan felt Aurora stiffen but she ignored it.


    I am just overthinking the situation. Why would she be tense around her husband?


    Susan smiled as she stood up to greet Liam but the smile on her face became hard to maintain when her eyes went to the person standing behind Liam.


    Ralph Knight!


    She swallowed the emotions that choked her throat. Ralph gave them both a curt nod while Liam stepped closer to Aurora and kissed her lovingly. ¡°I hope you had fun with your friend,¡± he teased Aurora and smiled at Susan who smiled back at him.


    Aurora nodded. ¡°It was amazing catching up with each other after this long. I was happy spending time with her.¡±


    Liam once again kissed her. ¡°Ralph will be having dinner with us tonight. I am hungry so shall we?¡±


    Ralph¡¯s eyes were fixed on Susan who was looking at her friend ignoring Ralph. ¡°Aurora, I was thinking about going shopping tomorrow. What do you say?¡±


    Aurora looked at Liam who rested his knife and fork on the te. His eyes went to his wife who shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know Susie. I don¡¯t feel like going out anymore.¡±


    Ralph was angry that she was ignoring him. ¡°Why not, you should go out to Aurora.¡±


    ¡°I think we should not force her. If she didn¡¯t want to go anywhere then let her be,¡± Liam said firmly.


    Susan watched Aurora and Liam. Still not gazing at Ralph. ¡°I want to see Ethan. He treated me like a daughter and I want to see him. I thought we would be going shopping after seeing him, to lift Aurora¡¯s mood. But if she doesn¡¯t want to go then we will see Ethan only. I don¡¯t think Aurora would have any problem in seeing her father ¡±


    Aurora¡¯s eyes pooled with tears. She was dying to meet her father. She wanted to kiss Susan but she knew Liam would never agree to it. He would never allow her to meet her father.


    Liam looked at Aurora¡¯s tear-filled eyes. He fisted his hands in anger over seeing her in pain. He was angry because every single thing about her was affecting him now. Even her tears, ¡°I will take you both to the hospital.¡±


    Aurora stiffened and looked at Liam with shocked eyes. ¡°You will?¡± She asked, not believing her ears.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She nodded in gratitude. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    While Susan just stared at them.  With every passing second she was getting sure that Aurora was hiding something big and Susan was going to find out about it.

 Chapter 136

    Liam couldn¡¯t believe he agreed to it. Love really turned a man into a fool. Liam went to Aurora who was staring at her reflection in the mirror. ¡°Feeling Happy now?¡± He asked.


    Aurora met his eyes in the mirror. ¡°Why now? I know you don¡¯t trust me, so why the favor Liam? Because you don¡¯t want Susan to know the reality of our rtionship. You are scared that she will tell this to Uncle Thomas, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Liam sped her waist and pulled her to him in anger. ¡°I don¡¯t care, let alone scared about your uncle Thomas or your father, Little one. I agreed because of you. I didn¡¯t want to see tears in your eyes anymore. Do you understand me? I don¡¯t fear anyone, little one,¡± he said and pushed her away from himself.


    Liam walked out of the room, he didn¡¯t want to hurt her.


    The next day Aurora was happy and anxious at the same time. She was going to see her father after such a long time. The thoughts about his health had made her insane in worry.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Aurora asked her friend who smiled at her. ¡°Yes, shall we leave?¡±


    Liam was waiting for his wife and her friend toe. They left for the hospital. Aurora was smiling ear to ear seeing the passing trees, it felt like an eternity she had seen the outside world. Even the horns of passing cars were no less than a sce for her.


    Liam¡¯s eyes sparkled seeing the joyous smile on Aurora¡¯s face. Whole the way to the hospital he was looking at her face while she was staring out the window.


    Susan was confused. Because Aurora¡¯s eyes were telling a different story than what she was seeing on Liam¡¯s face. Even a blind man could see how much her happiness meant to him, so why  didn¡¯t Aurora look happy? Was it her worry for Ethan or something else? Susan couldn¡¯t pinpoint and neither could she wait to answer the question.


    When they reached the hospital Aurora¡¯s heart started beating unevenly. She gulped down the heaviness she was feeling  as tears choked her throat. Liam held her hand and pressed it lightly.


    Aurora stiffened. Liam¡¯s gesture was to show her support but she understood something different about the act.


    When they reached the private wing of the hospital Aurora¡¯s eyes went to her father¡¯s security guards. She knew each and every one of them, they were always there, protecting him.


    Susan held her hand when she heard her sobbing softly. ¡°He will be fine, Aurora.¡±


    Aurora¡¯s heart skipped beats when Liam opened the door and her eyes went to her father who had dozens of wires attached to his body. He was breathing through an oxygen mask. Tears rolled down her cheek freely.


    Her strong father was lying on the hospital bed and machines were keeping him alive, the scene killed Aurora. Even her soul was crying in pain seeing her father like this.


    ¡°Dad¡­¡± she choked and ran to him. Susan wiped her tears and looked away while Liam went to Aurora and held her shoulders. ¡°He is doing a speedy recovery, Little one.¡±


    Aurora couldn¡¯t tolerate his touch at this moment. Not in front of her father. The memories of how he made her beg to marry him were still fresh in her memory. Susan was standing away from them, Aurora went to his chest to show she was hugging him but her real motive was something else.


    She went near him and whispered in a choked-up voice. ¡°Please don¡¯t touch me. Give me a moment of peace with my father.   I won¡¯t tell anyone anything but give me a moment alone with my dad. Please, Liam.¡±


    Liam stiffened and left her shoulder the moment those words left her mouth. He gritted his jaw in anger but nodded. ¡°I am waiting outside, spend as much time as you want.¡±


    Liam walked out leaving Aurora with her father and Susan. Once she found him gone, Aurora broke down into tearspletely. ¡°Dad¡­ Please wake up. Please don¡¯t leave me alone here. I am all alone without you, dad, I am weak without you. I am suffering every single second, daddy. Please wake up and save me from this hell, please wake up daddy!¡± She fell on her knees and cried, clutching his hand.


    Susan¡¯s eyes widened seeing her like this. She ran to her and held her shoulder. ¡°Aurora¡­ please control yourself, love. He will be fine.¡± She sat to her level on the floor, pulling Aurora into her arms.  Aurora took all thefort she could take in Susan¡¯s arms. She was near someone who genuinely cares about her. Who truly loves her, unlike the man she loved like a fool.


    Susan broke their hug and held her face. She made Aurora look into her eyes. ¡°Aurora, stop crying, I want to know something but you have to stop crying for that.¡±


    Aurora nodded and wiped her tears. ¡°I could be wrong and I don¡¯t want to interfere in your lives anymore but it¡¯s just what I have been feeling since yesterday, Aurora. Please tell me if there is something wrong. You can pretend to be happy all you want but I can see the pain in your eyes. Tell me what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Susan asked the question she wanted to ask since yesterday. Aurora stiffened and blinked, she wanted to pour all her pain in front of Susan but she feared Liam. What if he¡­ she nced at Ethan and shook her head. ¡°There is nothing wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop lying!¡±


    Aurora closed her eyes, her mind divided into half she couldn¡¯t decide whether to tell her or not?


    On the other hand, Liam¡¯s cell phone buzzed. He epted the call when he saw it was his brother who was calling him. He expected to hear some news regarding the masked man or Alexandrio but what he heard froze him to the core. He was ready for anything but that, never in his life he think he would hear these words.


    ¡°I am going to kill him, I will kill him, Liam. He lied to us, he lied all those years. She is not dead, our mother is not dead!¡±


    ¡°Ralph, Are you drunk?¡±


    ¡°I am not drunk. I have proof. She is alive.  The woman you hated for years, our mother, he hid her somewhere. She is alive. Alive! Liam¡­¡±


    Liam fisted his hand tightly. A hot fury shot down his nerves, ¡°Ralph, do you know what you are saying?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t believe me. You never loved mom, it was always Dad for you. But I am not like you, Liam. I am not a calcting mind with zero emotions just like Ryan Knight and you, and today I will not leave that man alive who kept me away from my mother,¡± Ralph ended the call.


    ¡°Damn it to hell!¡±  He cursed and dialled his father¡¯s cell phone but it kept ringing. Liam was furious. Ralph was enraged at this moment. He had to think about him and his father who he wanted to kill, their rtionship was never good, Ralph was only tolerating him and now¡­


    But he couldn¡¯t leave from here, Aurora was alone. But his mind was bombing with questions of which he needed answers.  Liam looked at the guards, ¡°Don¡¯t let them leave till Ie back.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    The guards nodded and Liam left. All the way his emotions were raging inside him. When his father killed his mother, his heart turned into stone. Liam¡¯s father told him why he did that and he epted her fate.


    She wanted to run away leaving them behind. She was a traitor, all his life he believed the lie his father told him and today, his belief copsed.


    It didn¡¯t take him much time to reach his father¡¯s home. It was not far from the hospital. Ralph has yet to arrive, he was d he came before him.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡± Ryan Knight stood up from the sofa where he was sitting and reading some documents.


    ¡°I called you, why didn¡¯t you ept it?¡± He demanded in an as calm andposed voice as he could manage at this time.


    Ryan Knight didn¡¯t like the way his son was talking to him. He was the boss now but that didn¡¯t mean he could talk to Ryan like this. ¡°I might be your counsellor now but I am still your father¡­¡± He was saying but stopped when his eyes went to Ralph who sprinted towards him. He frowned seeing the look of rage on his face.


    ¡°Is everything alright, is there a new attack¡­¡±


    ¡°Where is my mother?¡± Ralph demanded not letting him finish the sentence.


    Ryan Knight didn¡¯t let the shock show on his face but he was stunned hearing his son¡¯s question. ¡°Don¡¯t you know, she died¡­¡±


    He forged towards him, got into Ryan¡¯s face. ¡°Stop lying, I know she is alive. I have proof of it. Tell me where she is?¡±


    Liam was watching his father¡¯s face all the while and seeing the look of shock on his face. He was stunned, Ralph was saying the truth. His mother was alive, he didn¡¯t kill her.


    Ryan Knight lied to his children about killing his wife.


    Ryan red at his son, ¡°don¡¯t forget I am your father¡­¡±


    ¡°Father my foot, where is my mother. Answer me!¡±


    Liam went to them and separated them. ¡°What has gotten into you?¡± Ryan snarled at Ralph who made an angry sound in his throat.


    Liam red at his father. ¡°Where is your wife?¡±


    ¡°You know very well where she is! I killed her.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie, she is alive and that¡¯s the reason you epted everything Ethan threw at you.  You didn¡¯t want to get this secret out and that¡¯s why you asked Liam to follow the path of Peace rather than letting him handle Ethan like everyone else. He was using this secret against you.¡±


    Liam¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°He is telling the truth, Isn¡¯t he? You were scared, all the time you told me to behave rationally because Ethan was ckmailing you. That bastard!¡±


    Ralph once again went to Ryan. ¡°Where is my mom, answer me or I will kill you, Ryan Knight.¡±


    Liam stopped his brother. ¡°Tell the truth now, Dad. I want the truth? Is she alive? Why did you lie to us our whole life?¡± He got into Ryan¡¯s face, his eyes bored into his.


    Ryan Knight turned around and made an angry sound in his throat. ¡°Thomas told you about it?  I will make him pay for this!¡±


    Liam once again fisted his hands to gain patience. ¡°Thomas, Ethan¡­ it¡¯s not about them. It¡¯s about us, it¡¯s about the lies you told us till now. Ethan was ckmailing you the whole while and you were yed like a puppet. Is this how you ruled over Vancouver your whole life?¡±


    Ryan closed his eyes. He couldn¡¯t listen to the taunts of his sons anymore. ¡°I could not kill her. I tried but I couldn¡¯t. She wanted to run away from me. From this life, she was a police spy who wanted to leave us alone and move on in her life. I was this close to shooting her but her tears didn¡¯t let me and I couldn¡¯t shoot her that day. Yes, she is alive but I couldn¡¯t let her leave just like that. Without any punishment, I did what I had to, I made her live alone her whole life and I was the only person who she could talk to, so in a way, I didn¡¯t lie to any of you, she is dead in the eyes of the world. Ethan helped me in this and that¡¯s why he was ckmailing me to treat her daughter with kid gloves.¡±


    ¡°You had no right to snatch my mother from me. No right, you disgust me Ryan Knight and from today, I spit on your name.¡±


    ¡°She is a traitor, not your mother,¡± Ryan Snapped.


    Liam saw his brother sprinting at their father. ¡°I don¡¯t care about you and your business anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°Ralph, don¡¯t be emotional¡­¡±


    ¡°Emotional! What do you know about emotions? The man who wants to kill his friend, the same friend who always stood with him to punish his rival. The man who used a woman for his gain¡­¡±


    Liam couldn¡¯t hear it anymore. He had crossed the line, Liam pushed Ralph hard and punched in hard on the jaw. He lost his mind and punched him again. ¡°Don¡¯t involve Aurora in this.¡±


    Ralph chuckled. And wiped the blood off his lip.  ¡°You know what, you are just like him, same cunningness and same greed. I pity anyone who ever cares about you or loves you. You will have everything you want, Liam but you won¡¯t have the people you love because you don¡¯t deserve them.¡±


    Ralph red at his father once again before walking out from there leaving Liam and his father alone with their cunningness!

 Chapter 137

    ¡°I heard you just now, you were begging Ethan to save you and I want to know from what? What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Aurora shook her head. ¡°Nothing is going on here Susie¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough Aurora,¡± She snapped. Then she took a deep breath to calm herself. ¡°Look I am not trying to interfere in your life but I can see you are not happy and I want to help you.¡±


    Aurora nced at her father. ¡°No one can help me, Susan. Not until dad gets well.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me? One phone call to Thomas and he¡­¡± she stopped and eyed her. ¡°You are hiding something Liam did, right? You married him suddenly and now you are protecting him!¡± She stepped closer to Aurora and raised her chin.


    ¡°Is he treating you well?¡±


    Aurora couldn¡¯t stop the sob she was trying to hold anymore. Her eyes swam with tears.  Her eyes went to her father once again, she touched his hand and poured her heart to her friend. ¡°He is my worst mistake, Susie. You told me that Gabriel is a narcissist who wanted to control me but Liam is worse. He caged me. He never loved me, never, it was all a lie. He used me, he used me to get his hands on Dad¡¯s business.¡±


    Susan¡¯s eyes widened in horror. ¡°Aurora¡­¡± she whispered, Aurora sobbed.


    ¡°I went to surprise him but instead I got the shock of being tagged as a stupid girl. He don¡¯t even respect me as a human being, all he cared about was his business. I thought I would surprise him but he was mocking me with his brother.¡±


    ¡°Ralph?¡± Susan questioned.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she wiped her tears. ¡°I told him I won¡¯t marry him. I challenged him and broke our rtionship but when I went to Churchill, my life turned upside down. Someone attacked dad and he was on the deathbed. Liam was the only one who could have saved Dad so he ckmailed me to marry him. He made me beg on my knees to marry him. I never felt this much humiliated in my life, Susan. He not only stole my life but he destroyed my self respect in my eyes. Even now if I tell¡­¡±


    Her heart stopped. She had told her everything, she broke her promise to Liam. What if hees to know about it. What if he harm her father, these were the only thoughts that ran in her mind. ¡°Susan, please don¡¯t say anything to him. Please, don¡¯t tell anyone about it. He will harm dad. He will harm dad¡­¡± She kept repeating the same thing again and again.


    Susan shook her hard. ¡°Aurora! Stop it. He will not harm you or Ethan. He can¡¯t do anything. He is just scaring you.¡±


    ¡°No, he can do anything. He warned me when he gave me my phone back.¡±


    ¡°Gave you your phone back? What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°He locked me in his room after our marriage and snatched my phone from me. The day I talked to you, that¡¯s when he handed me the phone back and that¡¯s because I pretended to still love him.¡±


    Susan Kelly was shocked hearing Aurora. What had her life turned into? What kind of man this Liam is? And Ralph knew about it, still he didn¡¯t stop his brother. Susan was not able to believe her ears.


    Her eyes fixed on Aurora who was crying softly, as if trying to stop her sobs from getting out of the room. She swallowed and touched her shoulder. ¡°Do you want to leave him? Leave this ce?¡±


    Aurora only stared at Susan. She was numb in the mind, not able to think even of the possibility of it. ¡°Tell me Aurora?¡±


    ¡°What about dad?¡±


    ¡°Nothing will happen to him, I will tell Thomas about it once hees to know about it, everything will be fine. Liam will not be able to ckmail you anymore.¡±


    Aurora shook her head, before she could say anything the door of the room opened and the doctor entered. Aurora wiped her tears, ¡°Good evening, Mrs Knight.¡±


    ¡°How is dad recovering, Doctor?¡± She asked, her heart calmed a little when the doctor informed her that her father was recovering well. She had heard it from Liam and Thomas but hearing it from the doctor had calmed her anxious mind.


    Once the doctor left, Susan squeezed her hand, ¡°don¡¯t think about it, we will handle it together.¡±


    Meanwhile, Liam was losing his mind. Ralph¡¯s words kept hitting his ears. ¡°I want to meet her.¡±All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±


    Liam interrupted his father ring at him with anger filled eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for your permission father. I am telling you that I want to meet her, so call her here from whichever hell hotel you have hidden her all these years.¡± Ryan tried to say something but the look in Liam¡¯s Eyes stopped him.


    ¡°Consider it an order from your boss, dad,¡± saying that he walked out of the ce.  He recalled the soft smile on his mother¡¯s face. That was the only thing he could remember about the woman who gave birth to him. He fisted his hands tightly to keep his mind cool but Ralph¡¯s words about him being alone kept ringing in his ears.


    He never feared being alone but today, his heart heated even the possibility of living without his wife, his Aurora.


    When he reached the hospital, everything was same as he left.  The guards nodded at him in greeting when he opened the door of  Ethan¡¯s room silently and found Aurora starting at her father with Susan sitting beside her, consoling her.


    ¡°I just want him to talk to me like before, Susan. I am dying every moment seeing him like this¡­¡± she whispered and her shoulders shook a little. Liam knew she was crying and he hated it. He walked further and both the girls turned their heads hearing the sound of footsteps.


    Aurora stiffened seeing Liam. Her heart started beating faster in fear thinking he had heard something. Susan could patter her hand, telling her without words to not worry as he had not heard anything.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡± she stood up but before she could speak any further he pulled her into his arms. ¡°You will not leave me ever, Little one. I won¡¯t allow you to leave me, ever.¡±


    She stiffened in his arms. ¡°Tell me you won¡¯t leave me, Aurora.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I won¡¯t¡­ I won¡¯t leave you, I promise I won¡¯t.¡±


    Susan had enough. She crossed her hands to her chest. ¡°She will leave if you keep her unhappy, Liam.¡±


    He turned his haze at Susan, ¡°excuse me!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, I am just stating a fact, look at her face, she has lost all the color. I have never seen her like this. The Aurora I know used to be happy, she used to do shopping and eat ice creams when she gets sad but look at her, she is doing nothing like that, she had lost charm. She looked depressed, why didn¡¯t you take her out if she is not going anywhere Liam. She can¡¯t remain home all her life.¡±


    Liam gritted his jaw. ¡°If she didn¡¯t want to do anything, no one would force her,¡± he answered harshly. Aurora touched his hand. ¡°Please don¡¯t be angry, she is worried about me that¡¯s all. Shall we leave for home, now,¡± she begged him with her eyes.


    Liam nodded. ¡°Yes, lets go home, little one.¡±


    They were in car. Aurora was sitting beside Liam while Susan was sitting in front of Aurora. Her eyes staring at her friend who lost her smile, she was staring outside the window.


    Susan wanted to scratch Liam¡¯s eyes out for hurting Aurora but she controlled her anger and sat there silently.


    Liam noticed Aurora¡¯s sad face. He gritted his jaw in anger. He knew she was disturbed seeing Ethan on the hospital bed.  He wanted to see the smile on her face back. When they were passing by the road his eyes went to the mall they shopped for Emily¡¯s birthday.


    She recalled how happy she was at that time. ¡°Stop the car,¡± he ordered the driver. Aurora turned her head to him. ¡°What?¡± She whispered.


    Liam took he hand in his and  kissed her knuckles. ¡°Come, let¡¯s have an ice cream.¡±


    Susan shrunk her eyes in disgust. He was trying to show how much he cared about her. A look of understanding passed between them. Aurora shared the same thoughts Susan had.


    ¡°There is no need¡­¡±


    ¡°There is every need, let¡¯s go.¡±


    He opened the door for her, Aurora and Susan got out of the car.  Liam held her hand protectively and they all went the same  candy shop from where Aurora had bought dozens of candies.


    The store manager recognised them. ¡°Hellodybug. Do you want to taste the new vours we have?¡± He asked with a smile.


    Aurora couldn¡¯t stop herself from nodding. ¡°Yes.¡± She smiled.


    Liam¡¯s heart jumped in excitement seeing the happiness on her face. She tasted almost five vors of the candies.


    Susanughed when Aurora bought three pieces of every vor. ¡°It¡¯s delicious, Susie taste it.¡±


    ¡°No, I had enough for a day. Unlike you I didn¡¯t have a sweet tooth. Enjoy your sugar.¡±


    She pouted. ¡°You are boring, Susan. Who don¡¯t like Sugar?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Liam said from behind. Aurora who was lost in her happy bubble with Susan, stiffened as she came back to reality of Liam¡¯s presence with her.


    Her smile turned hard to maintain, she nodded and looked down.


    Susan didn¡¯t like it and wanted to cheer her mood. ¡°Aurora, what about our shoppingpetition? Let¡¯s do it. We are in a shopping mall, let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Aurora didn¡¯t want to but she agreed. The more she would stay here the more she would be able to stay away from Liam. Here she had Susan but once back in the room she would have to bear  hispany.


    She looked at Liam for permission. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you have be one of those obedient wives who ask permission from. their husbands for every little thing, Aurora.¡±


    Liam forced a smile. He was not liking Susan¡¯s interference between them. Now he regret allowing her to stay with them. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have to ask for my permission, Susan. She is free to do anything she wants when I am with her.¡±


    Aurora watched Susan faking the smile on her face. ¡°I know Liam and that¡¯s why I mocked her. I mean she is behaving irrationally,¡± she clutched Aurora¡¯s hand and pushed her to her feets. ¡°Come let¡¯s shop the mall out, your husband is going to pay after all,¡± she saidughing.


    Liam chuckled but he was raging inside his mind.   ¡°Shop all you want, Little one.¡±


    Susan took her to their favourite brands showrooms and chose multiple dresses for Aurora and herself. ¡°Let¡¯s try it on.¡±


    Liam was following them. He was happy seeing Aurora smiling like before.  ¡°Let¡¯s try this on,¡± Susan said, handing her a ck dress. Aurora happily took the dress and they both went to the trial rooms.


    Liam chuckled and knocked on Aurora¡¯s room, when she peeked through the door he barged inside. ¡°Liam¡­¡± her eyes widened. ¡°Get out what if someone sees us.¡±


    ¡°Let them, I don¡¯t care,¡± he said, tracing his finger on her cheek. He loved watching the smile on her face. Aurora gulped when she felt his hand on her bare stomach.


    ¡°Liam I am not into public sex. Please get out of here and let me change, Susan is next door, what would she think about us?¡±  If Aurora had not told Susan the truth she would have pped both of them but now she wouldmit her first murder if she saw him getting a quickie in a trial room with Aurora.


    She hated Liam¡¯s Knight now.


    Liam frowned. ¡°You think I came here for sex?¡±


    ¡°What else, you only want my body. You don¡¯t believe my love for you, you don¡¯t trust me, why else would youe here except for getting a quick fix?¡±


    He fisted his hands and forced a kiss on her. She tried to push him but he held her hand above her head against the wall and deepened the kiss. He was already raging in anger over the things he found out today. Still, ignoring his anger he focused on her happiness. He cared for her tears and brought her to this Mall just to bring a smile to her face and that¡¯s how she was treating him. It was uneptable for him.


    Aurora didn¡¯t give in to his demands today and this to get her mouth free. He finally left her to breathe. ¡°If you think that your body is the only thing I want from you then be it. Let¡¯s go home so that I can have you. I care about yourfort after all you are not into public sex,¡± he touched her jaw lightly. ¡°Change into your clothes ande out. I will be waiting for you outside.¡±


    Aurora watched his back. A feeling of being dirty crashed her mind and she wanted nothing else than to wash herself.


    ¡°Only a few more days Liam and then I will leave you and your dirty touch!¡±


    Aurora now was counting seconds to leave Liam, forever!

 Chapter 138

    Aurora felt a kind of uneasiness around her. ¡°Susan, can we use the washroom? I feel dirty.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Please,e with me.¡±


    They were walking towards the washroom when Liam asked her where they were going. ¡°I want to pee really badly and Aurora needs to clean herself.¡±


    Liam sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡±


    ¡°I am happy to see you being so attentive Liam but it¡¯s a women¡¯s washroom. It means no man is allowed and the washroom is just at the corner. I hope you won¡¯t mind waiting here till wee back, would you?¡±


    Liam nced at Aurora who was looking down. ¡°Come soon, I will be waiting here.¡±


    Aurora sighed in relief when he didn¡¯t follow them. Once they were in the washroom, Susan asked if she was fine, Aurora nodded, she knew if she told the truth Susan would go berserk on Liam. She didn¡¯t want that,  not yet.


    ¡°I need to use the washroom,¡± saying that she went to one of thevatories there.


    Susan was touching-up her make when a brte entered the washroom. They both smiled at each other and the girl stood next to Susan who continued her makeup but suddenly she felt something piercing her hand.


    ¡°What¡­¡± before she could speak further her vision turned dark and she fell on the floor.


    Aurora was crying silently but gasped when she heard a knock on the door. She cleaned her face, straightened her clothes and opened the door.


    When she got out no one was there. She walked towards the mirror to clean her face and was stunned to see Susan on the floor. ¡°Susie¡­¡± she tried to scream but a hand mped her mouth and the voice came out jumbled.


    Aurora tried to get free but couldn¡¯t.  ¡°Leave me¡­¡± she suffered against the hand of. the intruder and then she felt a needle piercing her neck. She hissed in pain and then darkness swam in her vision.


    Liam waited for about ten minutes for Aurora. His eyes were fixed in the direction of the washroom. He frowned when they still didn¡¯t came out, Liam decided to check what was taking her so long. When he was walking towards the washroom  a pregnant woman bumped into him.


    ¡°Ohh!¡± She moaned, clutching her belly. ¡°Oh my God!¡± She cried.


    ¡°You should have watched where you are going.¡± He snapped at her, ¡°let me help you.¡±


    The woman nodded and Liam took her to the nearby sitting space. ¡°Thank you sir,¡± she murmured. Liam didn¡¯t pay attention to her and walked towards the washroom. He looked around but Aurora or Susan was nowhere to be found.


    It¡¯s been more than twenty five minutes now. An unknown fear clutched his heart and not caring about anything he barged inside the washroom and was stunned to find Susan on the floor. Unconscious.


    His heart stopped beating for a moment. ¡°Aurora!¡± He yelled and searched for his wife in every cubicle there but she was nowhere to be found.


    Liam kicked the wooden door and screamed in anger. He ran outside and looked around but everything was normal. He didn¡¯t wait for a single second before calling his man and ordering them to search every single street nearby the mall. The next person he called was his father and told him everything.


    Liam¡¯s mind went wild thinking about the possibilities of Aurora being kidnapped. He went inside and tried to wake Susan. She was hisst hope but she was heavily drugged.


    Liam called Ralph. ¡°If you called to talk¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time, Ralph. Come to the city mall, someone kidnapped Aurora and drugged her friend. Come here ASAP!¡±


    Liam was about to end the call but his eyes went to paper tucked in Susan¡¯s hand. ¡°I got your wife, Liam Knight and now I am going to destroy everything your father built and that starts with destroying you. Regards from your number one enemy, The masked man.¡±


    A volcano of rage burst inside his mind. ¡°Liam¡­¡±


    He heard Ralph¡¯s voice from the other end. But Liam¡¯s mind couldn¡¯t break the darkness he went into after reading the note. The man who had coated him hundreds of millions till now had kidnapped his wife, the woman Liam loves and he couldn¡¯t stop him. He would have forgiven him for his mary lost but now, the man had made it personal with Liam and now he would get the most inventive death, Liam coulde up with.


    Ralph ended the call and reached the mall as soon as he could. Every single made man was on high alert. Ralph was worried about Susan too. He felt guilty for the way he treated her. She didn¡¯t deserved anything he did to her.


    He saw an ambnce taking off from there. He called his brother who epted the call at first ring. ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I am checking the footage of cameras. Come here.¡±


    Liam checked every single footage of thest two hours. He punched his head in anger when he saw a brte entering the washroom anding out with another girl with blonde hair.


    ¡°Where has she gone?¡± He demanded when the clip ended. ¡°Sir, two cameras at the back of the mall went off suddenly a few hours ago.¡±


    Liam was enraged. ¡°What do you mean went off! I want the footage if the area, now,¡± He snarled. Ralph came there and held Liam¡¯s shoulder before he could pull out his gun and kill the innocents.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ¡°Liam, our men will handle here, we need to check out the means to find Aurora. Who could have kidnapped her?¡±


    ¡°The masked man,¡± he gritted out handing him the more he found in Susan¡¯s hand.


    Ralph¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Hell!¡±


    For the first time in his life, Liam Knight was scared of losing someone. He was scared of losing Aurora.


    ¡°I can¡¯t lose her. I will not lose her,¡± he muttered under his breath. He was losing his patience with every single second.


    On the other hand, Thomas threw the phone hardly on the floor. He was right, it was Jeff who was the traitor among them. The bastard sold his loyalty to Mexicans for a few dors and the position of mafia head. The coward wanted to take over the Churchill mafia with the help of Juan.


    Thomas nodded at his men and moved to settle the scores with Jeff. The man who gave false hopes to Ethan, the man because of whom his friend was in the hospital bed.


    Jeff was talking over the phone with Juan when the his doorbell rang. He stiffened and ended the call. He held a gun in his hand and peeled through the peephole.


    Jeff frowned when he saw Thomas standing outside. He hid his gun in the waistband and opened the door casually, like he does every time. ¡°Wee Thomas.¡±


    Thomas nodded just like every time and entered. Jeff tried to close the door but Thomas stopped him.¡± I brought a  few of my men with me.¡±


    Jeff stiffened. His hand went to his waistband, ¡°it¡¯s my home¡­¡± he said, casually. Thomas nodded, ¡°you know I don¡¯t like when someonees here unannounced.¡±


    ¡°Yes, unannounced.¡± He scratched his nose with his left hand. Thomas eyed his hand which rested on his waistband. ¡°But I was passing by and thought about having a cup of tea, just like old times,¡± he offered his hand to shake.


    Jeff nodded, rxing a little and the moment tension left his body, he epted the handshake. Thomas used the opportunity and twisted Jeff¡¯s hand behind his back. ¡°You traitor!¡± He gritted out.


    The men who came with Thomas entered and pointed their guns at Jeff. Thomas pulled out the gun from Jeff¡¯s waistband and hit its butt on Jeff¡¯s head. He cried in pain,¡±Thomas what are you doing. I am your friend.¡±


    ¡°Friend my foot! You bastard. We believed you, Ethan believed you and you cheated him. You sold your loyalty to the Mexican for what? To rule over the city,¡± he gritted and hit his head against the wall so hard that his head busted open and blood oozed from it.


    ¡°Thomas, you misunderstood something. I am loyal to Ethan,¡± he cried in pain. Thomas hit his head against the wall once again, this time much harder than before snd turned him towards him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste my time and tell me where the hell is Juan?¡±


    Jeff shook his head. His face was painted red with his blood. ¡°You are¡­¡±


    Thomas raised his hand his men handed him a sharp knife. Jeff¡¯s eyes widened din fear seeing the sharp points knife. He tried to squirm out of his hold. ¡°Thomas¡­¡±


    Thomas didn¡¯t let him speak and put then sharp point of Knife under his chin. ¡°I will cut you from ear to ear if you lie to me.¡±


    Thomas pierced the knife in his skin and recurve a shout cry of pain. ¡°Where is Juan?¡± He demanded once again.


    Jeff knew there was no way he would be able to survive today. He would be dying today. But If he die through the hands of Thomas his death wouldn¡¯t be easy. There was only one way to end the pain and that was if he helped Thomas.


    ¡°Where is Juan?¡± He demanded giving him a sharp cut on his shoulder.


    Jeff cried and tried to push Thomas but the pointed guns at his head and the strength of Thomas didn¡¯t allow him.  ¡°He is in the Vancouver border,¡± he answered begging him not to but him anymore.


    Thomas nodded. ¡°Are you telling me the truth, Jeff? Or you lying just like you lied to Ethan!¡±


    ¡°I am telling you the truth. I can be helpful to you Thomas. I know his ns. If you stop hurting me, I could be a useful asset to you.¡±


    ¡°Useful asset. I have no doubt in that Jeff. I will make you useful in every way possible.¡±


    ¡°Call Juan, I will trade his location myself. I don¡¯t trust a coward like you, Jeff. Call him.¡±


    Jeff dialled Juan¡¯s number. He epted the call after three rings. ¡°Any news, Jeff?¡±


    Thomas nodded at one of his men to trace the call. ¡°Yes, Ethan has gained consciousness. What do you n to do now?¡±


    ¡°So the bastard had opened his eyes,¡± Thomas heard Juan chuckling. ¡°I was waiting for him to wake up. He survived once but not this time. That Thomas save himst time but not this time.¡±


    Thomas nodded at him to continue the talk. ¡°We have talked alot for today Jeff. If you find something new, call me,¡± saying that he ended the call.


    Thomas burned in rage. ¡°Trace the location,¡± he ordered his men. Jeff was still crying but when he saw Thomas being distracted a little he pulled out the knife tucked against his waist gathering all his strength and attacked Thomas with it.


    Jeff seeded in amburtung Thomas¡¯ hand but it only took Thomad a few seconds before anything the knife out of his hand piecring it inside his touched belly. Jeff shouted a cry of pain as the knife cut his stomach into two. Blood oozed out of his mouth, his eyes widened in pain.


    Thomas pulled the knife out of his body and once again stabbed it into his stomach. Jeff was nothing but flesh and blood now. His body was takingst painful breath as he was close to death.


    Thomas wiped his face which was painted red with Jeff¡¯s blood. ¡°Tell me the location!¡±


    Both the men stared at each other. No one had the guts to break the news to Thomas. Not after seeing him killing Jeff. ¡°Tell me!¡± He roared.


    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be traced, boss. The number was protected from being traced,¡± one of them answered in a fearful voice.


    Thomas pped his forehead, aggrieved that once again juan saved himself.  He kicked the dead body of Jeff in anger. ¡°That bastard!¡±


    He was roaring in anger when his cell phone rang. He epted the call without looking  at the caller ID. Ryan¡¯s voice greeted him with a news which made his mind numb for a few seconds.


    ¡°Thomas, Masked man kidnapped, Aurora.¡±


    Thomas wished he had not heard the news. His mind was already raging and now he was wild with fury over Liam because he was not able to save his niece.


    ¡°You have to answer for this, Liam. You have to answer for this!¡±

 Chapter 139

    Liam was going insane when he couldn¡¯t find any news about Aurora.


    ¡°How is that possible, they didn¡¯t vanish in the air!¡± He snarled at his man.


    Ryan came to Liam. ¡°You need to think with a clear mind.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t keep thinking with a clear mind, my wife is with him. Anything could happen to her, she is alone unaware of the reality of our world. What do you think will happen to her and I couldn¡¯t even find out who this masked man is? Where is he, I can¡¯t find out anything? ¡±


    Ralph walked out of the room. He knew Liam would not allow him to screw his n but he had to try onest time. For the sake of love and friendship.


    He called Alexandrio once again and to his surprise he epted the call at the first ring. ¡°Alexandrio, Do us a favour and ask Dmitry to help us in catching the masked man. He kidnapped Aurora. Liam is losing his mind. If anything happened to Aurora he would not think about any rtion or anything¡­¡±


    Alexander looked at his wife who was sitting beside him. He knew if she came to know about Aurora, she would not be able to handle it. She loves Aurora like a sister.  ¡°Alexandrio, you know Liam will never forgive Dmitry and the revenge will be on him.¡±


    Alexandrio closed his eyes. Ralph was telling the truth. Liam would not see right and wrong when ites to revenge. ¡°I will be there soon and then I will talk to Dmitry,¡± he sighed. ¡°Ralph, I am not promising anything but I will try.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all we can do, Akexandrio.¡±


    Ralph was about to end the call but stiffened when a hand sped his shoulder. He turned and found Liam standing there, his eyes dark and calctive. ¡°Mute,¡± he mouthed.


    Ralph did what he asked and looked at him. ¡°Ask him where he is.¡±


    Alexandrio was still talking over the phone. He could feel the vibrations of it. Ralph shook his head but he knew nothing he would say right now was going to work on Liam.


    ¡°Ask him!¡±


    Ralph unmuted the call. ¡°Alexandrio, the city is not safe. The attack on Liam and now Aurora. I am sending the security, tell me where you are? We have received a warning from the masked man that he will hurt everyone rted to us.¡±


    ¡°I am at An road.¡±


    Ralph closed his eyes as he watched Liam pulling his phone out and calling his men. He ended the call and blocked Alexandrio¡¯s number. ¡°Sorry pal but my hands are tied.¡±


    Liam ordered his man the things he wanted them to do. He went to the balcony of his penthouse and gripped the railings tightly. He was feeling a heaviness in his chest he had never felt before. Friendship, love, emotions. He never cared about them but she changed everything. She changed him.


    Alexandrio¡¯s friend when his eyes went to the cars behind him. All were ck, there was something fishy about them. He was a trained mafia soldier, he understood these tactics far too well. ¡°Damn!¡± He punched the steering wheel in anger. Emily jumped in her seat seeing his actions.


    ¡°Xandro?¡±


    ¡°Sweetheart, please don¡¯t speak for some time,¡± he said and increased the speed of his car. A bullet hit the rear mirror breaking it making Emily scream. ¡°Xandrio what the hell is all this?¡±


    Alexandrio nced at the mirror to see the number of cars. Three in total and bullets were fired from every one of them. Emily cried in horror when a bullet hit the mirror on her side. ¡°Xandrio¡­¡±


    ¡°Rx Emily. I won¡¯t let anything happen to you,¡± he whispered but inside his heart was thumping in fear.


    He ducked her head down to save her from the bullets. ¡°Emily, call Liam and tell him about the attack on us. Do it fast, sweetheart.¡±


    Emily nodded, her eyes wide in a panic she dialled Liam¡¯s number with shaking hands.


    Liam watched Emily¡¯s number shing on his mobile screen. He didn¡¯t answer and let it ring. Suddenly, Aurora¡¯s words rang in his ears. ¡°I can die for my friends.¡±


    He gritted his jaw and ignored the call. ¡°I am doing this for you Little one. Only for you.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t pick the call, Xandrio I am scared. I am so scared.¡±


    Alexandrio didn¡¯t have his gun with him. He would have done something but now he was empty-handed, he kissed Emily¡¯s head and kept driving the car. He was calling Ralph but his number was busy.


    He didn¡¯t have any other option. Every second was precious. He looked at his wife, ¡°Dial Dmitry,¡± he ordered her but she was in a state of panic but she managed to dial Dmitry ¡®s number.


    ¡°Emily?¡±


    ¡°They will kill us, please do something.¡±


    ¡°Who? What are you talking about? Where is Alexandrio, Emily?¡±


    Emily let out a horrified scream when the bullet hit ss inside the car. ¡°Dmitry, the masked man attacked us.  He warned Liam that he would hurt everyone rted to him. I don¡¯t have anything with me. There are three cars, brother. Bullets are fighting. I am trying to drive but luck is not in my favour.¡±


    ¡°Impossible, he would never¡­¡±


    ¡°He did, Dmitry¡­¡±


    ¡°Xandrio¡­¡± Emily cried as a bullet hit the window ss. Alexandrio ducked his head down while trying to hold the phone to his hear.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ¡°Nothing will happen to you, Xandrio. I will kill that some of a bitch if a single hair is harmed on your head.¡±


    Emily cried as the broken ss hit her back. Dmitry made a dangerous sound in his throat before ending the call and dialling The Mexican head.


    Alexandrio hit his car to the assassin¡¯s as he tried to move ahead of them but they took over and now his car was surrounded by three cars.


    Emily cried as they were pulled out of the car. Alexandrio eyed the gun in their hands. ¡°Leave her, do whatever you want to do with me but leave her.¡±


    A sharp pain ran through his head as one if the man hit him with the butt of the gun.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t. I am begging you don¡¯t hurt him¡­¡± she cried falling on her knees. A gun was ced next to her temple and the sight scared him to the core.


    ¡°Dmitry won¡¯t be happy¡­¡±Alexandrio said, knowing well that his brother had an alliance with The masked man.


    The man who was standing behind Emilyughed at that. ¡± as if our boss cares!¡± He said, spitting on the ground and hitting him again with the gun.


    Alexandrio¡¯s eyes fixed on her Emily was shaking. She was looking at Alexandrio being beaten. ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt him. Do whatever you want to do with me but don¡¯t hurt him.¡±


    ¡°Emily! Nothing will happen to me or you. Keep quiet,¡± he once again received a hit, this time on his jaw.


    ¡°The offer is not bad, shall we take turns on her.¡±


    Emily¡¯s eyes widened in horror hearing that. Alexandrio couldn¡¯t control himself and punched the man who was hitting him. ¡°Raise your hand again and I will shoot your wife.¡±


    Two men ganged up together and started beating him. Alexandrio took the beating for his wife. The man was about to pull the trigger as per the orders given to him by his boss but before he could do it, a bullet hit him in the head.


    Emily screamed when bullets started raining like water from the sky. She ran to her husband, Alexandrio ducked her head and covered her body, shielding her from the bullets.


    Liam kept firing bullets till he killed every single one of the men who attacked Alexandrio. It was calming his anger, his bloodthirsty mind felt satisfaction for a little while but he still cracked for blood. Blood of the masked man who dared toy his hands on Aurora.


    ¡°You alright?¡± Liam asked his friend who was on the ground protecting his wife. Alexandrio didnt pay attention to Liam and checked on Emily. She was a nervous wreck, shivering badly all over and crying.


    ¡°Emily, look at me, you are fine. We are fine. Look at me, sweetheart.¡± He said cing his charming smile on his face. Emily shook her head, he was bleeding all over. She touched the wound, ¡°they hurt you¡­¡±


    ¡°I am fine. See Liam saved us both.¡±


    Emily hugged him tightly. Alexandrio nodded at Liam. ¡°Thank you, pal, for saving us.¡±


    ¡°What are friends for? Come, it¡¯s not safe to be here. We need to be home.¡±


    Liam took them to his father¡¯s house. Ralph was already there and trying to ignore his father. He was stunned seeing Alexandrio alive and Liam helping him with walk.


    He ran to them. ¡°Alexandrio!¡± He helped him, his eyes found Liam¡¯s who looked away from his scrutinised gaze.


    ¡°I will help him, bring the first aid box and call the doctor, fast,¡± Liam ordered his brother. Ralph nodded his head and followed his order.


    ¡°How is all that happened?¡± Ryan asked.


    Ralph was cleaning the blood over Alexandrio¡¯s head. Alexandrio nced at Liam and recited the whole story to Ryan. ¡°I will not leave that Masked man alive.¡±


    ¡°Alexandrio, talk to Dmitry. He called me,¡± Liam said. Alexandrio nodded and was about to call his brother when


    Thomas sprinted inside followed by his most trusted men.  ¡°Liam!¡±


    The people who tried to stop him were held at gunpoint.


    Liam was enraged seeing him behaving like a boss in his city. He had tolerated enough of him and Ethan and he was not ¡°That¡¯s my house and my men you are pointing the guns at, Thomas.¡± Liam warned him.


    ¡°I have the guts to kill you in your city and your house, Liam. You failed to protect my niece. You only know how to talk big but when ites to walking on your words you don¡¯t follow the talk.  He has my niece and you couldn¡¯t do anything!¡±


    Emily¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Aurora is kidnapped!¡± She was stunned.  Alexandrio held her close to him. She looked at him in question but he shook his head ter.¡±


    Liam fisted his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t interfere In my marriage, Thomas¡­¡±


    ¡°This marriage happened for her protection. What kind of man are you¡­¡±


    Liam didn¡¯t let him finish the sentence. His gun was out and pointed at Thomas¡¯ head. Ten guns were pointed at Liam¡¯s head. Ralph and Ryan had their guns out and some were the numerous members of Liam.


    Liam red at Thomas. ¡°I can kill you right now, Thomas. In a blink of a second and none of your men would be able to save you. Aurora is not your responsibility anymore.  She is not only your niece but also my wife. I will save her from everything which could harm her. But don¡¯t you daree to my city, stand in my territory and try to scare me. Liam Knight will not  tolerate this.¡± He gritted out.


    Thomas nodded. ¡°Then save my niece because if anything happened to her. You will be dead too, Liam Knight.¡±


    ¡°Nothing will happen to her. I will not allow anything to happen to her but you can die, Thomas. You can die at my hands. Don¡¯t forget that.¡±


    Emily was stunned seeing these many guns. They were talking about killing each other as if it was not a big deal. She nced at Alexandrio but unlike her he didn¡¯t look shocked.


    Liam downed his gun and red at Thomas¡¯ men. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, don¡¯t show your weapons in my city and definitely not in my house.¡±


    The men nced at Thomas who nodded and downed their guns. Ryan and Ralph did the same and did their men.


    Liam went to Alexandrio. ¡°Can you talk to Dmitry now and ask him about the Masked man? Or he is still not ready to believe how dangerous that bastard is even for you and him?¡±


    I yed this gamble because of Aurora. Don¡¯t disappoint me, Alexandrio. Don¡¯t make me regret changing my decision.


    Alexandrio nodded and called his brother. ¡°Dmitry.¡±


    ¡°Are you fine and Emily?¡± Dmitry demanded in a sharp voice.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Alexandrio once again nced at Liam. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a gun with me, brother and I couldn¡¯t do anything because they had the gun pointed at Emily.¡±


    ¡°I will cut him into a thousand pieces and feed them to dogs, Alex. I will¡­¡±


    ¡°Dmitry, we owe it to Liam. Help him, brother. For me, for my conscience, share the Masked man¡¯s information. Please. His wife helped and supported Emily. She is innocent in all this, he kidnapped her.¡±


    He heard Dmitry sigh. ¡°Alright, but I have a condition.¡±


    Liam fisted his hands, furious that he was trying to negotiate. He started speaking but Alxandrio stopped him from doing so with the shake of his head.  ¡°What condition?¡±


    ¡°Leave from there. Go to the USA but leave Canada. Now!¡±


    Alexandrio agreed. ¡°Alright. I will.¡±


    ¡°He is in Dawson hiding in the same hole with Juan,¡± Dmitry told him the location of Juan and the Masked man.


    Liam¡¯s eyes gleamed. ¡°Wait for a few more hours, Little one. Your husband ising to save you and I will burn everyone who dared toy a single finger on your body.¡± He was going to take his revenge, brutally.


    Liam didn¡¯t wait for a single second before leaving to bring his wife back. The woman he fell in love with, madly and badly.

 Chapter 140

    Aurora flickered her eyes to clear her vision. There was a haziness in her mind. Her head was aching, which usually did after she got drunk. Aurora couldn¡¯t understand why she was feeling like this when she had not touched any alcohol let alone drink it.


    Her eyes widened in horror when the memory of someone sping her mouth in the washroom hit her. She recalled how she fell into a pool of darkness.


    Her heart rate increased, horrified, she looked around and found herself in an abandoned ce. Her hands were tied, she was seated on a chair and her legs were tied too. Aurora screamed tears pooling in her eyes. ¡°Is someone here?¡±


    Her anxiety increased when she didn¡¯t get any answer. Aurora was shaking in fear. ¡°Someone help me, please,¡± she begged and tried to untie the rope she was tied with. Her hands started aching as the struggle wore her out. ¡°Help! Help!¡±


    She was crying while begging for help, suddenly, a hard p struck her face. Aurora¡¯s cheek burned with the effect of the p. ¡°Stop screaming whore!¡±


    Tears fell from her eyes, they strolled to her  cheek.  Her mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood. Aurora raised her head and settled her gaze on the man standing before her. He was a middle-aged man, his face seemed familiar to her. She had seen him before, where she couldn¡¯t recall.


    ¡°Please leave me, why are you¡­¡± he  didn¡¯t let her finish the sentence and pped her once again, harder than before. Aurora¡¯s vision blurred with the tears, she sobbed hard. ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt me. Please¡­¡± she cried. She had done nothing wrong to anyone in her life to suffer this humiliation and pain.


    Juan fisted her hair painfully and raised her face. Her cheek started swelling. Her jaw ached badly, she was sobbing and even the slightest movement hurt her.


    ¡°Now I understand why your father protected you all these years. You are beautiful Aurora King, or I say, Knight,¡± heughed cunningly.  ¡°Even with a father like Ethan but you got your beauty from your mother. That whore was beautiful too, just like you. I couldn¡¯t have her but I can have you¡­¡±


    Aurora¡¯s eyes widened in horror. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch me! You don¡¯t know who I am? My husband will not leave you alive. You don¡¯t know him¡­¡±


    At that, the manughed and went to her face. Aurora tried to back her head away but he gripped her neck from behind to keep it in ce. He sniffed her neck, ¡°I know your husband well. He can¡¯t do anything to me, whore and just to ease your mind. Neither your husband nor your father can catch me. Because I sent your father into aa and now I am going to send you into heaven before sending you to hell. I wanted to kill Ethan but it¡¯s good he didn¡¯t die. He should remain alive and suffer the pain I have been suffering  for fourteen years after your father burned my brother and my son alive.¡±


    ¡°You are lying, my dad, can never do such a thing. You must be mistaken¡­¡±


    She received another p to her face. ¡°I want to fuck your mouth raw and film it to send it to your father once he wakes up. Too bad he could not see it live.¡±


    It became hard for her to breathe. The words he was speaking filled her with unthinkable horrors. ¡°Noo!¡± She cried. Her heart was beating so fast that she feared it could jump out of her chest.


    Juan touched her bosom greedily. Aurora shook her head and tried to free herself. ¡°Please don¡¯t touch me. Please don¡¯t¡­¡±. She cried but he didn¡¯t listen and squeezed it in his hand roughly.


    ¡°No! Someone help me! Please save me!¡± She screamed trying to wiggle out of the chair but couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Stop screaming, whore or I will gag you.¡±


    Aurora went hysterical hearing him. She would rather die than let him touch her. Aurora squeezed her eyes tightly to avoid looking at him. Her cries grew wilder. ¡°Please don¡¯t¡­¡± she kept begging. Aurora prayer to God to save her and as if God had answered he prayer, someone asked him to stop.


    ¡°Leave her uncle, our beauty queen is scared.¡±


    Juan grinned and stood up. ¡°The bitch taste as sweet as a candy.¡±


    Auroea felt nauseous hearing him. She wanted to throw up in disgust. ¡°Leave me please. If you want money¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth you bitch!¡± The other man said sharply. Aurora tried to see the face of the man but couldn¡¯t. He was standing in sheer darkness.


    She swallowed her saliva to ease her aching dry throat and even the slightest movement spiked pain through her nerves. ¡°Do you want to go first or should I continue to explore her?¡±


    She stiffened and once again a loud sob left her throat. ¡°Someone save me, please.¡± She whispered while crying.


    The other man moved a little and the light fell on his face and Aurora received the shock of his life.


    The person standing in front of her was none other than, Gaberial James. The same man she thought she loved.


    He had a mask on half of his face bit the other half was same as she remembered.


    ¡°Gabe?¡± She whispered, shocked to hear her voice. She was under utter shock. He walked further, a mocking smile ying on his face. ¡°Aurora King. Daughter of Ethan King is begging in front of an Alberto. How does it sound uncle?¡±


    Justughed patting his nephews shoulder. ¡°It sound sweet and satisfactory, son. I wish that son If that bastard  had been here to watch his daughter like this. But the bastard is ina!¡± He spitted on the ground.


    ¡°Why are you doing this Gabe? What have I done to you?¡±  She asked, tears rolling down her cheek?


    He fisted her hair painfully making her scream in pain. ¡°I am so sorry to hurt you, Aurora. Trust me I wanted to do worse than this, the moment I saw you, I wanted nothing else than to hurt you in the worst way possible but then my uncle came with this great n of hurting your father through you. Everything was going good until your friends and Liam Knight entered the picture. But now, none of them is here to spoil my ns anymore.¡±


    Aurora tried to free herself. ¡°Leave me Gabe. You were not like this, you are not a person like this¡­.¡±


    He nodded with a chuckle. ¡°You are right, Aurora. I am not like Gabriel. He was weak but I am not. This is Mafia world and in this world there is no ce for a weak link like Gaberial James. We have not met before right, let me introduce myself to you. I am Gavin Alberto, your husband know me as masked man and Gaberial Is my twin.¡±


    Aurora was once again stunned. She didn¡¯t know what to think anymore. Was everything a n? What had her life be? She had be a pawn for everyone.


    Liam used her for her to gain her father¡¯s business and Gaberial used her for some revenge!


    ¡°Why are you doing all this? What do you want?¡± She asked but this time she was not crying? Aurora had cried enough in front of them. They didn¡¯t deserve her tears. She was Ethan Kings daughter and just like her father she wouldn¡¯t let any one walk over herself. Even if she had to die today. She would do it with her chin high in the air.


    Gavin moved to her face. ¡± Nothing, I wanted to make Ethan cry bloody tears. The same tears I cried when he killed my father. The same tears my brother cried when our father was burned alive. My uncle lost his ten year old son because of your father. They all were burned alive. I am still wearing the scars of that day on my face with this mask. My face burned that day. The only survivor of your father¡¯s wrath.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. My father is an honest man. He do charity every year. He is a phnthropist who saved lives of thousands of people in Africa and Asia. You are lying!¡±


    Gavinughed at that. ¡°Phnthropist!¡± He muttered shaking his head. ¡°I never believed that Ethan¡¯s daughter can be such a fool uncle. But Gabriel was right she is a fool! Look at her, she didn¡¯t even know the reality of her father.¡±


    Juan joined theughter and Gavin pped Aurora with a hash truth. The truth of Ethan King, the truth Ethan, Thomas and even Liam tried to hide from her.  ¡°Your father Aurora is the Don of Churchill mafia.¡±


    She went numb, her mind went nk. This is not truth. Dad is not what he is saying. He couldn¡¯t be.


    ¡°And not only him, your husband is the Don of Vancouver crime family. A mafia man. They both are the equal shareholders in crime world. Aurora King or I say Knight!¡±


    She didn¡¯t have the energy to hear all this. She didn¡¯t want to. ¡°You want to know the list of business your father an husband run: Drugs, Illegal weapons. Illegal Gambling. Assassinations and Prostitutions. Your husband single handedly runs eighty percent brothels in Vancouver.¡±


    ¡°No! stop it, stop it¡­. you are lying. They are businessmen. They do legal business.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°I would love to show you proof but I don¡¯t have time. So you see we are going to use you and then sell you to one of the brothels somewhere in the world.¡±


    Aurora wanted to weep but she swallowed the fear. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare put your hands on me. If my father and husband is as dangerous as you say then beware because they won¡¯t leave you alive. Any of you! They will hunt you till the very end you this earth and finish you in the worst way possible.¡±


    ¡°The cat got her tongue back, Nephew. What should we do about it?¡±


    ¡°I am warning you, don¡¯t touch me. Liam will not leave you¡­¡±


    ¡°I would love to see what he would do. Let¡¯s make a deal I will send the video of us to your husband after I sell you. Alright?¡±


    Please Liam,e and save me. I will die if they ruin me.


    Gavin took a step further but his cell phone rang. He checked the Caller ID and frowned seeing Dmitry¡¯s number on his phone.


    He epted the call. Dmitry Kyschove was not a man to be ignored. ¡°Dmitry.¡±


    ¡°Gavin. You will suffer the consequences of being smart with me. You dared to attack my brother!  If you don¡¯t want me to finish you, stop your men right now!¡±


    Gavin¡¯s eyes widened. He nced at his uncle who had a frown on his face.¡± I didn¡¯t attack your brother. What are you talking about? Why would I do it?¡±


    Juan¡¯s eyes widened in horror. He knew how vicious Dmitry was. A sudden fear erupted in his heart. He gestured Gavin to ask more about what happened. ¡°Are you saying you didn¡¯t attack my brother?¡±


    ¡°Yes I didn¡¯t! We had an alliance. Dmitry, why would I do that?¡±


    He waited for Dmitry¡¯s answer but he was silent for a second and the. He heard a loud hiss! ¡°It could be a trap, Liam could have done it, Dmitry.¡±


    ¡°Hello¡­Hello¡­¡± he said into the phone but the line went dead.


    Gavin kicked the ground hard in anger. ¡°What happened?  What was he saying?¡±


    ¡°Liam is trying to break our alliance.¡±


    Juan shook his head. ¡°We can¡¯t afford Dmitry against us. Gavin. The Italians are with us but they are not enough in a war against Vancouver and Churchill both. We are able to reach this far because of this cooperation from both Italians and Russians. If we lose support from either of them our empire will copse.¡±


    Gavin¡¯s eyes went to Aurora who was trying to understand their talks. But couldn¡¯t understand what their we¡¯re talking about. What Italians and what Russians?


    ¡°This bitch is responsible for everything.¡± He was about to struck her again, Aurora gasped in fear, closing her eyes she waited for the pain but it didn¡¯t beme. Instead she heard the ringing of the phone followed by a loud curse.


    ¡°Dmitry.¡±


    Gavin heard him chuckle. ¡°Gavin you have ten minutes to run away from there because Liam Knight ising for you,¡± saying that he ended the call.


    Dmitry was a chameleon who changed colors seeing his benefits. Liam tried to trap him by showing that it was Gavin who attacked Alexandrio so Dmitry just returned the favor. He informed Gavin about Liam¡¯sing for him. So if he kills Aurora, Liam gets defeated. If he would be able to save her, she would suffer the same pain Emily and Alexandrio suffered.


    On both ends Liam was going to be punished. But personally he wanted Aurora to die. He wanted to see Liam suffering his whole life.


    Gavin aimed the gun at Aurora whose eyes widened and he pulled the trigger. A loud scream left Aurora¡¯s mouth when she heard loud gunshots.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 141

    The helicopternded a little far from the warehouse. Liam  didn¡¯t wait for a single second and got out of that, two guns in his hands. His clothes hide different other weapons. Ralph and Thomas joined him too.


    Dozens of their men were with them ready to die for the sake of their boss.


    He knew there were at least three dozen men protecting the mafia head.


    He wasying low for a reason. They didn¡¯t have any idea that all of them were going to die today.


    ¡°No one will touch Juan,¡± Thomas muttered. Liam didn¡¯t care, he could have the Mexican boss.


    He was here for the Masked man. He touched Liam¡¯s wife. He was going to die a brutal death by the hands of Liam Knight. ¡°Ralph take the back side, Thomas you can¡­¡±


    ¡°I am taking the front¡­¡±


    Liam gritted. He was fighting for control but today he just couldn¡¯t! He red at Thoms. ¡°That¡¯s my wife in there. I don¡¯t give a damn what you want Thomas. I am going to the front, if you want to join me then do as I say.  You are taking the west. That¡¯s where they have their armaments, we have to break their weapons control.¡±


    Thomas nodded. ¡°If anything happens to my niece¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing will happen to her.¡± He said with such a confidence that made Thomas think for a moment if he had actually started loving her. But he didn¡¯t have the time to talk about it at this moment. Right now what really mattered to her was his niece.


    Ethan and Savannah trusted her to him.


    Thomas went to the west side, while Liam headed for the front. They all attacked at the same time. None of Juan¡¯s men were ready for the gunshots.


    ¡°Kill every single one of them!¡± Liam ordered as he fired at one of the men who was guarding the door. The other men fired back, everything went haywire as a bullet passed by Liam¡¯s eyes. He moved on time before it could hit him and Liam shot at the man in anger.


    The bullet went right through his skull. He was not a human today, he was the monster who came to kill the man who had aggravated him.


    A bullet hit Liam¡¯s man who was aiming for the other guards. He fell on the ground and died immediately.


    Liam growled and shot the one who shot his man.  He moved further. Five of his men were following him, firing bullets from every direction. Even the deaf could hear the loud sound of gunshots.


    He kicked on the door while shooting with both his Hands, the door opened and bullets were firing from everywhere.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    Liam moved when a man shot only from a ten feet distance the bullet hit the man who was guarding him from the left side. Liam gritted and whot him, he moved, the bullet hit his shoulder.


    He fired at Liam again but before the bullet could hit him the man guarding him against the right moved further but the bullet hit him and he died saving Liam.


    Liam¡¯s nose red, he moved further not caring about his other guard who tried to shield him and fired the bullets which went straight to his heart.


    ¡°Boss!¡± Liam heard the voice of his man and moved instantly shooting blindly in rage. He moved further in the ce, his eyes searching for his wife. The voice of loud gunshots sounded from every side. ¡°Where are you, Little one?¡± He whispered as he continued shooting and then he froze.


    Liam Knight¡¯s eyes went to the golden blonde hairs of his wife. A man raised his hand aiming the gun at Aurora.


    Liam didn¡¯t even wait for a second before shooting the man who was holding the gun at his wife. The bullet went through his hands, he screamed and turned.


    There stood the man who had created havoc in his life, not only professionally but in personal too. The other man was Juan. Juan watched Liam with wide eyes, Liam continued shooting but the masked man moved and pulled out another gun from the back of his waist and shot at Liam.


    He ducked his head, the bullet went flying off his head. Two of Liam¡¯s man shot at the masked man, Juan made a throaty sound and helped the masked man.


    Aurora had never seen such violence in her life. The gunshot scared her to the core. But on the other hand she was happy to see Liam there. He would save her, her heart said. Aurora was frozen to her chair, watching Liam being a killing machine, what scared her most was the look on Liam¡¯s face.


    Liam ran as fast as he could, to reach near Aurora, she was tied to the chair, his main focus was on freeing her. And then he was going to cut that masked man into thousands of tiny pieces.


    Aurora¡¯s eyes swirled with tears and that enraged Liam.  He shot at the masked man but it was not easy to kill him. A bullet hit Liam in his bicep.


    ¡°Liam!¡± Aurora screamed in fear. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt him!¡±


    Juan turned hearing her voice and pointed a gun at her head. ¡°Drop the gun or I will shoot her.¡±


    Liam¡¯s finger couldn¡¯t press the trigger. ¡°No!¡± Aurora screamed as the cold metal touched her skin.


    The masked man smirked and pointed the gun at Aurora too. ¡°Shall we do it, Liam? Or you will drop your gun?¡±


    The men around Liam paused shooting, eying their boss cautiously. ¡°Liam!¡± She sobbed shivering in the chair.


    Her beautiful face was bruised. Her jaw was swollen and blood dripped at the corner of her lips. He gritted his jaw as their eyes met, Liam¡¯s eyes thinned as he shook his head a little, telling her that nothing would happen to her. Juan watche the moment and pped her. ¡°I will cut your hands, Juan. If you dared to¡­¡±


    ¡°You will do what exactly, Liam? What if I kill her¡­¡± Gavin pressed his gun to her swollen cheek making Aurora cry in pain. Liam¡¯s heart ached seeing her like this, he raised his finger. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt her, I am dropping my guns. But don¡¯t touch her!¡±


    Only Liam knew how hard it was for him to say those words. He was showing his  emotions openly for Aurora. ¡°I was right, uncle. This whore could bring the whole Knight and King empire to their knees. See, The great Liam Knight dropped his guns for a whore. What does she have Liam that he made you do ? There must be something about her golden pussy¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t you dare say a single word about my wife. I will cut your throat whatever your name is¡­¡± Liam gritted out.


    ¡°Gavin, my name is Gavin.¡±


    Liam nodded. ¡°Gavin, I dropped the guns now, free my wife.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°No, I won¡¯t. How would I be able to take my revenge on her of I free her. She had to suffer for the pain I went through when her father killer my father and you will watch me doing it, exactly like your father watched Ethan killing my family instead of helping my uncle in revenge when he asked him. For a long time Ethan and Ryan pretended to be enemies, when they were helping each other against the other families.¡±


    Now Liam understood why he was after Ethan and him.  Liam wanted nothing else than to pick his gun and shoot him but he couldn¡¯t. Aurora was his priority and he needed to save her. Liam knew Thomas and Ralph we¡¯re about toe and he was waiting for that single second of distraction.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡±


    ¡°Keep your mouth shut, bitch or I will fuck it first rather than your magical pussy!¡±


    Aurora closed her eyes. She never felt this degraded in her life. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to touch her, Gavin because I will kill you before that.¡±


    ¡°Really! Then watch me fucking your wife.¡±


    ¡°Nooo!¡± Aurora screamed in fear when he moved forward and stretched his uninjured hand to touch her but then once again a gunshot sounded and the ce once again turned hysterical. Liam only needed that moment to grab his gun back and shoot at the Masked man who moved and shot back at Liam. The bullets were flyingg from everywhere, Gavin ran and hid behind a wall while Juan did the same and kept shooting.


    Liam sprinted towards Aurora who was crying in pain and relief at the same time.  ¡°Liam¡­¡± she whispered. Liam shook his head.


    ¡°I am here, Little one. I am here for you,¡± he whispered, untying her from the chair. A bullet hit against the wall making her shriek in fear. ¡°Can you stand up?¡±


    Aurora nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get you to a safe ce,¡± he said and hid her body with his, shielding her from the bullets. Suddenly a bullet went through his hand.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡±  Aurora shouted as she watched his hand. Liam didn¡¯t pay attention to the pain and kept walking with Aurora. He hid behind a wall.


    ¡°You can¡¯t imagine what I suffered without you, Little one,¡± He said. Aurora¡¯s eyes were on his bleeding hand.


    ¡°Liam your hand¡­¡± she cried.


    ¡°Look at me, Aurora.¡± He said with a little force, Aurora raised her eyes. Liam looked at her face closely. He was going to make them pay for every single thing they did to her.


    He handed her a gun. ¡°Use it for your protection, Aurora. I am going to kill every single one of those bastards. He ignored the look of shock on her face seeing the gun.


    Liam ced a soft kiss on her head before joining the killing spree. Aurora stiffened hearing the sound of guns around him.


    Liam moved and shot the man standing near the wall where Gavin was.  Thomas was handling Juan.


    Gavin¡¯s men were dead. He needed to get out from here to save himself but couldn¡¯t, Juan made a sound as he ran out of bullets. Thomas fired at him and the bullet went through his thigh making him fall on the ground with a cry of pain.


    Liam sprinted towards Gavin who was shooting at the men. Liam shot him in the spinal cord, the pain was uncontroble as he fell on his knees.


    The gun fell from his hand. Liam kicked the gun away from him and kicked him in the jaw. The same ce where Aurora was bruised. Blood oozed from his mouth as Liam kept kicking him. He wanted to fight back but his body was not following his mind.  ¡± You want to touch my wife!¡±. He grabbed his hand and shot him in the elbows. Gavin was losing consciousness. His death was near death was near.


    Liam growled and shot him in the head. He died immediately after that.


    Thomas had tortured Juan just like he had done with Aurora.  Juan¡¯s breathing stopper as Thomas shot him in the heart eight times, just like he did with Ethan.


    Aurora lost consciousness seeing her uncle, the man who used to give her piggy back ride in his back killing people mercilessly and not to mention her husband, she thought Liam was cruel to her but now, seeing his reality she was stunned. Gavin was right, her family is full of criminals.


    Aurora was overwhelmed with all this, she didn¡¯t know what to think. Then, suddenly her eyes went to Gaberial who was standing in a corner. His gun was pointed at Liam, he eyes widened.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡± she screamed, Liam turned around when Gabriel pulled the trigger. Liam ducked his head and aimed the gun to the man who shot him but Aurora did something unthinkable. She aimed her gun a Gaberial and shot him. Liam¡¯s men went to Gabriel, shooting him even if he was already dead.


    For a moment everyone froze, Aurora could hardly think anything but when she came to her senses she screamed. The shock was too much for her and Aurora fell in her knees.


    Liam ran to her and held her in his arms before she could hit the ground. She touched his face before closing her eyes and the akst thing she heard was Liam saying I Love you, Little one.


    ¡°Aurora, Little one, wake up!¡± He touched her bruised face hesitantly. He didn¡¯t want to hurt her. He had done it many times but not anymore. He was going to treat her like a princess now.


    Liam knight loves his wife and he submitted his heart to her now.


    ¡°We have to take her to the hospital,¡± Thomas said, his face was full of worry for his niece but there was a happiness in his heart. He could see Liam had fallen in love with Aurora.


    They didn¡¯t wait a single moment before taking her to the hospital. The bullet wound on his hand was thest thing in his mind, all that mattered was Aurora.


    He didn¡¯t want anything to happen to her or he didn¡¯t know how he would live. Love was not for him, he never wanted or needed it but now that he had it, he was not going to lose her.

 Chapter 142

    ¡°She is fine, Mr Knight. She fainted due to pain and shock.  We have given her painkillers for the swelling in her jaw will go slowly with the help of medicines and the bruises will fade away soon,¡± the doctor informed Liam about Aurora¡¯s condition. Liam nodded and finally agreed to the surgery of his hand.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Ralph checked Susan¡¯s reports. She was fine and discharged from the hospital. ¡°Let me help you.¡±


    She raised her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t want or need your help. You have done it enough. Where is Aurora? I don¡¯t remember much but I was in the washroom and a woman¡­¡±


    ¡°You were drugged.¡±


    She stiffened. ¡°Aurora?¡±


    ¡°She had been kidnapped but no worries now Liam had saved her¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth, is that also part of your Brother¡¯s n? What does he want now? More money, business? He is disgusting,¡± she shook her head. ¡°You were aware of your brother¡¯s disgusting n, right? How big of a scoundrel you are Ralph? I doubt you got involved with me for this pur¡­¡±  her eyes widened. ¡°You got involved with me for it too. So that you can keep your eyes on her through me.¡±


    Ralph looked away, yes he was involved with her for the exact same reason. He didn¡¯t want anyone or anything toe between his brother and his goal.


    Susan moved forward and red at him. ¡°I won¡¯t let your scoundrel brother take advantage of my friend anymore. She told me everything about how your brother ckmailed her into marrying him. How he manipted her. I will tell Thomas about all the things she went through here, how he caged her in his room and once Thomas knows about all this then your brother is going to run for his life. What did you both think that she had no one after Ethan? She is my sister, not a friend, Ralph and I am going to teach your brother the lesson he won¡¯t ever forget for treating Aurora like this. Where is Aurora?¡± She demanded, ¡°I won¡¯t let her stay here for a single second more.¡±


    Ralph sped her hand. ¡°You will not interfere in their marriage.¡± Ralph knew what Liam could do to her. If he could try to kill the man who always stood by him then he could do anything to Susan.


    ¡°Really? Who will stop me?¡± She snatched her hand and dialled Aurora¡¯s number, ¡°where are you Aurora?¡± She muttered when she didn¡¯t ept her call. She recalled how Liam had snatched her phone.


    ¡°Where is Aurora? Has your brother snatched her phone again?¡±


    Ralph gritted his jaw. He didn¡¯t want her in any trouble. ¡°I told you not to interfere. You don¡¯t know the reality of the situation.¡±


    She took a deep breath. ¡°Ralph, I don¡¯t care about anything you say. Getting involved with you was a mistake and I regret it badly. I do not want to see your face and I suggest you do the same. Now please, Tell me where is Aurora?¡±


    Ralph gritted his jaw. ¡°She is at home. Happy with her husband¡­¡±


    Aurora didn¡¯t need to hear anymore. She walked out of the hospital room and went straight to Liam¡¯s House with Ralph following her in his car.


    Even though their enemies are dead, he was not going to take her security for granted.


    When Susan reached there she was stunned to see Thomas there. ¡°Thomas¡­¡± Susan ran to him. ¡°Thank God you are here, I was about to call you but I didn¡¯t know what happened I opened my eyes in the hospital. Have you met Aurora? She told you what happened to her here?¡±


    ¡°Susan, calm yourself and tell me what happened? I know you are worried but she is taking a rest. Liam is with her.¡±


    ¡°Liam! That scoundrel. Thomas, how did you allow her to marry him so soon? You don¡¯t know why she is going through here? That man didn¡¯t treat her well. She was being harassed by him, mentally. He ckmailed her to marry him in exchange for saving Ethan¡¯s life. He was pretending to be in love with her¡­¡±


    Ralph sped her hand to stop her. ¡°Susan, stop it!¡±


    ¡°I told you not to touch me. So keep your hands to yourself,¡± she snapped at Ralph.


    ¡°Aurora didn¡¯t want to live here, Thomas. She wanted to get out of this marriage. She asked me to help her.¡±


    Thomas¡¯ eyes sharpened. ¡°She asked for help?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Liam walked out of the room when he heard loud voices from outside. ¡°What is happening here?¡± He asked.


    ¡°You tell this, where is Aurora and what have you one to her this time?  Is locking her in the room, ckmailing her, mentally abusing her and snatching her phone was not enough that now you kidnapped her? What do you want? If you think I would let you hurt her then you are wrong, Liam. She wants to leave you and I will take her away from you!¡±


    Liam¡¯s fisted his hand. ¡°Enough! Who are you to interfere in my marriage? This is my wife and my matter, you are no one to interfere.¡±


    ¡°No, this is because you treated my sister like this. I thought you loved her. That¡¯s why I helped you take her away from Gabriel but you are worse. She was crying in my arms, begging me to take her away from you,¡± Susan looked at Thomas who was ring at Liam.


    ¡°Thomas, she was scared of telling you all because he threatened her with Ethan¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°Susan!¡± Liam snapped but Ralph pulled her closer to him. He red at his brother. ¡°Don¡¯t raise your voice at her, Liam.¡±


    He frowned but understood the meaning behind his words with the look in his eyes. Ralph liked Susan.


    He calmed himself. He couldn¡¯t hurt her for two reasons, one was his brother, it was clear he wouldn¡¯t let him harm her and the second was his wife who loved her too. So Susan Kelly was safe from Liam¡¯s wrath.


    ¡°What is she saying?¡± Thomas demanded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to answer you anything. Don¡¯t forget that.¡±


    Thomas didn¡¯t like the way he answered him and went closer to Liam¡¯s face. ¡°We had a deal!¡± He gritted out, not caring about Susan.


    ¡°Yes and ording to that you will not interfere in my marriage. I am. her husband. Whatever it is between us we will solve it but no outsider will interfere in my married life.¡±


    Aurora came out of her room. She was still not able to getfortable with the things she came to know about her family and not to mention she killed Gabriel. Her heart stopped when she thought about  it. She had killed someone but she was not ashamed of it. She did it to save Liam. If she had not done it, he would have killed her.


    When she reached the hall she was stunned to see Susan arguing with Liam.  ¡°Susan¡­¡±  she called her.


    Susan¡¯s eyes widened when she watched Aurora. She ran to her, ¡°what happened to your face? Oh my God! Did he do this? Tell me the truth, you don¡¯t have to fear¡­¡±


    Liam made an angry sound in his throat and went to Aurora. ¡°What are you doing here Little one? You have to rest.¡±


    She blinked. The images how he saved her from Gavin, how he shielded her from the bullets firing around her and killed the man who wanted to rape her shed in front of her eyes. But then she remembered the things he did to her, the lies he said to her. Was there an end to the lies he said? She didn¡¯t think so.


    She cleared her throat. ¡°Susan he didn¡¯t hurt me, he saved me from getting hurt.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying Aurora?¡±


    She nodded and told her everything she went through. Susan hugged her. ¡°I am so sorry you went through all this Aurora. But you don¡¯t have to suffer anymore. We will leave¡­¡±


    ¡°She is not going anywhere, you are¡­¡± Liam said. He couldn¡¯t harm her but he sure was not going to let anyonee between him and Aurora.


    ¡°Thomas you have seen her, she is fine and happy with me. You may leave for your city. My wife and I will solve whatever issue we have between us.¡±


    ¡°You will not decide it, Liam, I will,¡± she said and nced at Thomas. ¡°I want some answers uncle.¡±


    Thomas nodded. ¡°You can ask anything, Aurora.¡±


    ¡°Aurora went to him.¡± Is it true that you and Dad are not businessmen? You both are in the mafia¡­¡± she asked once they were in Liam¡¯s office, alone.


    ¡°Aurora¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, Uncle. Please do not today, I have suffered enough. At least tell me the truth now.¡±


    Thomas sighed. He knew it was the time Aurora knew about the reality of their lives. She could handle the truth, there was no reason to hide it anymore. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true.¡±


    Aurora fisted her hands. ¡°It means he was right, Dad and Liam deal in drugs and weapons. He is involved in the business of prostitution¡­¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t doubt your father, Aurora. Savannah was against it and your father shut any business which involved this.


    A heaviness lifted off her shoulder. ¡°Why didn¡¯t he tell me, Uncle? Why didn¡¯t he leave this business?¡± She asked with a heavy heart?


    Thomas took her hand in his. ¡°Aurora, he tried, he left everything, this world, this business everything but his enemies took advantage of it and attacked him. You didn¡¯t know what happened because you were sleeping. You mother died that day saving you, Ethan was brutally attacked. Savannah died with her unborn child. This is a cruel world we live in, Aurora. You can¡¯t leave this world alive.¡±


    She touched her ne. ¡°Mom knew about dad being a criminal?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she didn¡¯t like it but her love for your father was more than her hate for the business. She used to say, her heart brought them together and she was going to live her life with Ethan,¡± he patted her hands.


    ¡°Herst words were, I wish I had not asked Ethan to leave this world. I would have lived a happy life with him,¡± he smiled. ¡°And she asked me to take care of you, Aurora. She wanted you to live your life for love. I know it¡¯s a lot to take in but your father might be a mafia man but he never hurted children and Women. Never.¡±


    Aurora swallowed the heaviness in her throat. ¡°Uncle, has Dad ever hurted her?¡±


    Thomas fisted his hand.¡± Has Liam hurted you? If yes then I will not leave him alive, you don¡¯t have to worry about anything tell me, Aurora. Do you want to live with him?¡±


    Aurora once again swallowed. ¡°I don¡¯t know Uncle. He hurted me, yes, but I don¡¯t know. When he save me¡­¡± she hugged him tightly and sobbed.


    Thomas patted her back. He chuckled as he recalled the day when Savannah did the same thing Aurora was doing right now. ¡°Your mother asked me the same question, Aurora. She wanted to be with Ethan but never liked his work. I told her to think with her heart and she decided to stay with Ethan. She told me it was the best decision of herlife. I am telling you the same thing.


    Think with your heart.¡±


    Aurora nodded, she couldn¡¯t forget the moments she spent with him. She only wanted him to love her for real. She decided to check whether he really loved her or not?


    She went to her room and started packing for her clothes. ¡°What are you doing?¡±  Liam asked to see her packing.


    ¡°I am leaving, Liam. I can¡¯t stay with you anymore.¡±


    He sped her hand and turned her around. ¡°You can¡¯t leave. I will not allow you to leave.¡±


    Aurora threw her clothes. ¡°You can¡¯t stop me, Liam. My uncle is downstairs, waiting for me and this time you can¡¯t lock me in. You can¡¯t ckmail me anymore because my uncle knows everything!¡±


    Liam gritted his jaw. ¡°You think I care! Killing your uncle is not a bug deal for me. I will kill him and anyone else who tries toe in between us. You have seen me, Aurora, you have seen my bad side.¡±


    ¡°I have seen your worse side, Liam and that¡¯s why I am leaving because including live with a man who dont love me. Who only pretended to love me for the sake of business and now I understand what business. I am sorry, I can¡¯t live with you, I can¡¯t live in a marriage which does not have love. I can¡¯t live with a man who doesn¡¯t love me!¡±


    He pulled her closer to him. ¡°Who said I don¡¯t love you! I love you Aurora. I changed my rules, my methods for you, you have messed up my mindpletely. I changed my decisions for you. You turned me into this loving fool and now you can¡¯t leave me after destroying me with your love.¡±


    Aurora blinked twice before speaking. Her heart cried in happiness. He loves her. Really love her!  ¡°I don¡¯t believe you!¡±


    ¡°What proof do you want of my love? Tell me what do you want me to do to make you believe that I love you.¡±


    ¡°When did you fall in love with me?¡±


    He chuckled.¡±The day when I saw your photograph for the first time. I thought it was just an attraction but no, it was not. Your stubbornness attracted me more than anything else Aurora. I fell in love with your attitude, your pride and your child-like innocence. I fell in love with you when I met you in that jewellery exhibition.¡±


    She frowned. ¡°What exhibition?¡±


    ¡°The one in Dawson. You threw me in the fountain pool.¡±


    ¡°Really! I dont remember. Oh no, I was drunk.¡±


    He could see her getting rx in his arms. ¡°How could I forget you and your love for Alcohol. It yed a great role in bringing us together, Little one.¡±


    Aurora forgot all about her n to pretend to leave him and shook her head. Then she became serious once again, ¡°is it true that you have business in selling women? Do you have brothels and¡­¡± she couldn¡¯tplete the sentence and only looked into his eyes.


    ¡°Yes. I have.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°If you want me to stay then stop this business. Women shouldn¡¯t be treated like an object Liam. I will believe in your love and stay if you agree to stop¡­¡±


    ¡°I agree!¡± He said before she could even finish the sentence. ¡°I love you, Little one. I love you more than anything in this world. No maniption, no hidden n, just true love Aurora. I won¡¯t treat you the same way I did till now. I won¡¯t cage you anywhere except for my heart. Will you be my wife till the end of my life?¡± He asked.


    Tears pooled into her eyes as she nodded. ¡°Yes!¡± She hugged him tightly and Liam kissed her head softly. He wanted to kiss her for a long time but her jaw and lips were still swollen and he didn¡¯t want to hurt her. Instead of kissing, they hugged each other.¡±


    ¡°Your friend is waiting downstairs to kill me.¡±


    She pped his chest. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that ever because if you ever hurt me again. She won¡¯t have you alive.¡±


    ¡°I better be sacred than.¡±


    ¡°You should¡­¡±


    ¡­. And the banter continued for a long time. In their moment of love and passion, they forgot about everyone else.


    Aurora found her true love in Liam. He was not the man who could be moved easily but she loved him wholeheartedly.

 Chapter 143

    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why you are in this marriage? If anyone had treated me like he treated you, I would have killed him in his sleep.¡±


    Aurora begged for some patience from God. It¡¯s been three months since she agreed to stay with Liam and since then, she was treated like a queen.


    ¡°Because we love each other, Susan and now, I am being treated as an equal. He has changed a lot!¡± She said, finishing the design of her new design. Aurora had joined The Belle once again, Liam had promoted her as the head designer.


    It happened all of the sudden, she was shocked and not ready for such a big role in The Belle but Liam motivated her to take the job and here she was, her designs were taken positively by the customers. The fashion magazine had called them refreshing and this boosted her confidence more.


    Her personal life is going well too. Liam had opened up to her now, they don¡¯t discuss his business side of things but she was happy in her little world. She could feel his love in every little thing, he let Susan live in one of the ts below his penthouse and she didn¡¯t let him forget that she was keeping an eye on him.


    ¡°Yes, and that¡¯s because I am here to protect you. But let¡¯s not go there, how is this little munchkin doing here?¡± She touched Aurora¡¯s belly, making her smile.


    ¡°She is doing fine and I am grateful for not feeling nauseous anymore. Liam felt helpless seeing me puking all the time. Anyway, I have to go home, it¡¯s family dinner at¡­¡±


    ¡°At Ryan¡¯s house, your mother inw is cooking things. I know¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, how do you know? I was about to invite you but you already know,¡± she sighed, ¡°Ralph told you right. I know you still like him.  I can¡¯t believe you never told me what went between you two. It was Liam who told me!¡±


    Susan gritted her jaw. She never wanted to tell Aurora about her and Ralph but Liam told her. ¡°Whatever it was between us. It¡¯s over now. Unlike you, I am not so kind-hearted as to forget everything so easily. Ralph¡¯s chapter is over in my life.¡±


    Aurora knew there was no point in asking her to think about her decision once again. Susan does what she wants to do. ¡°Will youe to dinner with me, please?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a family dinner, Aurora and I am not a part of your family.¡±


    ¡°But you could be¡­¡± she muttered.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,  I just want you to join me. You are my sister, Susan. You are family. Emily being settled in New York with Alexandrio, you are the only one left here. I thought we three will live together but she left us,¡± Aurora said with a sad face.


    Susan agreed to cheer up her mood. ¡°Alright,  your husband is not going to like it?¡±


    Aurora shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Who cares. I have been doing a lot of things he doesn¡¯t like,¡± she said with a smirk. Susan shook her head and they both left for their homes.


    Aurora giggled while dressing into a silk frock. She wore a thong under the frock just to tease Liam. She nced at the wall clock, Seven in the evening and Mr Knight had yet toe.


    She didn¡¯t like it when he got homete, she needed to give him another lecture on how to be a responsible husband. She opened the jewellery box and picked her earrings.


    When she was about to put them on the door of her room opened a little too loudly, startling her. The earnings fell from her hand.


    Aurora shook her head and searched for the earring bending down. A teasing smile came to Liam¡¯s face seeing his wife¡¯s ass, he moved further in the room and stood behind her, palming her soft mounds, the silk fabric of her frock was adding pleasure to the scene.


    ¡°Liam¡­¡± Aurora gasped when she tried to stand but he didn¡¯t let her. ¡°I missed you, Little one and I need you before going there.¡±


    Aurora pinched her lips. ¡°Ah! Liam it hurts¡­¡±


    Blood drained from his face as he moved away from her and helped her stand up. ¡°What? Are you in pain? Is the baby alright? Tell me, Aurora!¡± Liam asked, scared that something happened to the baby.


    She tried to control herughter but seeing the look of worry on his face she couldn¡¯t hold it anymore and burst outughing. Liam snapped his face at her. ¡°I am so sorry, I was teasing you.¡±


    Liam¡¯s nose red. He sped her hand tightly, ¡°It was not something you should joke about, Aurora. I thought I hurted you and our child!¡±


    Her heart melted seeing the look on his face. ¡°I am sorry, Liam baby. I just wanted to tease you. I didn¡¯t know you would get this scared.¡±


    Liam gritted his jaw and turned his gaze to another direction. Aurora forced him to look at her, ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°I thought I hurted you or the baby. I am still not over the guilt of what I did to you Aurora. I couldn¡¯t forget the pain in your eyes and even the thought of you getting hurt by me again scared me Aurora.¡±


    She nodded. She couldn¡¯t believe he was the same Liam who pretended to be in love with her. She was getting emotional again. Aurora pouted and snaked her arms to his neck, ¡°I love you, I really, really love you. But I don¡¯t


    want to get fucked like this. I am in the mood for some forey, see if you can manage to do that.¡±


    ¡°You are my wife and I can¡¯t resist you, Little one,¡± he took her hand in his and put it on his hard-on member. ¡°I am hard for you.¡±


    Aurora gulped. She was suddenly horny as fuck. ¡°Screw dinner,¡± she whispered and opened his zip as fast as she could manage and pulled out his hard on dick which was glistened with pre-cum.


    ¡°You have the most beautiful dick in this whole world, Liam.¡±


    Liam smirked seeing the urgency in her actions. ¡°Give me your mouth, Little one.¡±


    She raised her eyes and met his gaze, it didn¡¯t take her more than a few minutes to know what he wanted. She chuckled and took him in, ¡°fuck!¡± Liam cursed and closed his eyes, enjoying the pleasure his wife was giving him.


    Aurora yed with his balls while teasing his head with the tip of her tongue. Liam sped her hair and pulled her up to his level. She clutched his dick in her hand and kept pumping it up and down. Liam held her hands, stopping her and picked her in his arms. He took her to bed and ced her on it, got out of his clothes and held her long leg. He teased her by tracing her thighs with the tip of his tongue.


    She squirmed in the bed. ¡°Don¡¯t y with me, I need you inside me, Liam.¡±


    ¡°You wanted to have forey, Little one. Now enjoy it.¡±


    Aurora grunted when he didn¡¯t do what she asked him to do instead he turned the next half hour of her life into an agony. ¡°Don¡¯t tease me I said¡­¡±


    Liam chuckled but didn¡¯t stop his sweet torture on her, even though he was suffering in need as well. He pinched her nipple while his hand was on her pussy, circling it making her wild in need. She closed her eyes as she was so near to the orgasm but just kikest two times he denied her the release.


    Now Aurora was one hell of a frustrated woman.


    She gritted her jaw and pushed him away from her with all her strength.  Liamughed but when he saw the tears in her eyes, he let her push him.


    ¡°Are you alright, Little one?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Fuck you, Liam,¡± saying that she sat on his dick, pushed it inside her body and sated her need.


    Liam chuckled seeing her taking the lead. Liam sped her by the neck and pulled her down, still fucking him, Aurora kissed him and they both finally came, together.


    ¡°We arete, once again!¡± Sheined about a huff, ¡°and that¡¯s all because of you!¡±


    Liam frowned. ¡°Me? And how?¡±


    ¡°You are always horny, you go to the office, you want to have sex, youe. back from office, you want to have sex, what am I to you?¡±


    Liam sighed. He knew his wife was in another one of her emotional mood swings. ¡°It¡¯s you who want to have sex all the time nowadays, Aurora.¡±


    She pped his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare me your hormones on me?¡±


    ¡°Alright, fine. It¡¯s me who behaves like a randy teenager and now if you don¡¯t want the dinner to be finished when we go inside shall we go inside. The sooner we go the sooner we will be able to wave this hell.¡±


    Aurora sighed. Her husband was still not okay with his mother being an active part of his life.


    ¡°Good evening, dear,¡± Liam¡¯s mother Penny, greeted Aurora with a warm smile on her face. Aurora hugged her, she liked her since the first time they met.


    She came to meet her after her kidnapping. Aurora was shocked when she didn¡¯t know that Liam¡¯s mother was alive and not to mention that Liam¡¯s father had kept her away from her children and himself to punish her for something.


    Aurora was shocked and when she came to know about her pregnancy, she was scared to inform Liam about it, scared for her baby. She still recalls the day, it was two months after her kidnapping.


    She started feeling nauseous and her periods werete, even though it was just for three days but for a girl whose periods were neverte, it was a sign that something was up. She didn¡¯t share it with anyone except for Susan, Emily was still far away. She went to meet her in New York but still, the distance between them couldn¡¯t be filled. Thankfully she had Susan with her.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, now you are pregnant. How can you live with a man who faked love with you?¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She didn¡¯t have an answer to it. Once again doubt came to her mind. ¡°What if he is still¡­¡±


    ¡°He is still what? Look Aurora, he cannot stop me from taking you away. I hated it when Thomas let you live here, I hated it even more when you told me it was your decision. You did what you wanted, had your fun with him but now think about this little life inside you. Don¡¯t make its childhood like mine.¡±


    ¡°I am not having fun with him, Susan. I stayed because I love him.¡±


    ¡°And now? Are you going to stay?¡±


    Her eyes teared, ¡°I don¡¯t know but I want to talk to Liam about it first.¡±


    Susan was not in favour of it but that evening when he came back she couldn¡¯t stop herself especially when he returned with blood on his shirt.


    ¡°You killed someone?¡± She whispered, she was trying to cope with reality. She thought she would be able to live with his reality and she was living it but today seeing blood on his shirt she was stunned.


    ¡°You are a killer¡­I can¡¯t¡­I¡­¡± she was shaking, the anxiety was killing her from inside.


    Liam stiffened. He sprinted towards her, ¡°what happened, Little one?¡±


    Aurora jerked, her eyes focussed on the blood on his shirt. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me, you killed someone!¡±


    Liam understood then that she was disgusted. ¡°Aurora, listen to me, Little one. It¡¯s not what you are thinking. I thought I would be able to live with you but I can¡¯t, I can¡¯t Liam. This is too much for me to bear!¡± She cried and tried to get away from him and in doing so her leg stumbled and she was about to fall but Liam held her before she could hit the floor.


    The images of her kidnapping shed in his memory and it scared him to the core.  He couldn¡¯t live without her, not in this lifetime.  ¡°I killed someone, I have killed people before Aurora y but don¡¯t you want to know why I did that this time ?¡±


    ¡°What  could be the reason for killing except for money!¡± She rested her hand in her belly, thinking what kind of future she would be giving her child with a father like Liam.


    Liam didn¡¯t like the hatred in her voice for him, he held her hands softly, controlling his anger that was rising up at this moment. ¡°Yes, I killed him because he was abusing a little girl for ages, he was a paedophile. I will kill anyone who dares to hurt children in any way. I am a cruel man without many morals but I have some and for them, I am ready to do anything, killing is thest thing I would do for a man who abuses children anyway, Aurora, Just like I did today. I didn¡¯t just kill him, I tortured him first and  then killed him.¡±


    That changed her thoughts. Liam was not responsible for whatever happened to him in his childhood, what his father did to his mother was their business but Liam was different, she was different and with that thought she shared the news with Liam who went numb after hearing her.


    ¡°You mean, I¡­you are pregnant right now? There is a baby in here?¡± He stuttered. Aurora giggled seeing him stunned and when she nodded he picked her in his arms, twirled her around. ¡°Oh my God, Little one. You have given me the best news of my life¡­¡±


    Aurora¡¯s face broke into a smile as she recalled the moment of happiness but the atmosphere of the room turned heavy when she saw Liam¡¯s fisted hand. She sighed seeing the look in Susan¡¯s face which she was giving Liam.


    ¡°RIP Diner!¡± She muttered and prayed for a peaceful evening.

 Chapter 144

    Ralph looked at Susan who was ring at his brother. Since she had started living in Vancouver, she had made her brother¡¯s life hell and she was alive for only two reasons. One was his dear wife and the other was Ralph himself.


    Liam knows that Ralph had feelings for her and her feelings for him. He even used this information to create a rift between his wife and Susan but their friendship was made in heaven. Nobody knows what they talked about with each other but everything was fine between them and Aurora refused to share anything with Liam.


    It irked Liam but he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. His love for his wife had changed him a lot. Ralph never believed in rtionships, marriage or anything.


    He had a few dom-Sub rtionships but even they stopped after Susan. She had done something no other girl could ever do to him.  Ralph felt something he couldn¡¯t describe in words.  He wanted to hold her the same way he held her before, this time permanently.


    He nced at his brother and his wife, he still couldn¡¯t believe the man whose sole motive was to marry Aurora so that he could rule over the Canadian mafia had turned into a devoted husband.


    ¡°Have a few mashed potatoes, Liam. You used to love them¡­¡± Penny said as she tried to serve him but he stopped her. ¡°As you said, I used to love it but not anymore,¡± Liam snapped. The whole table went silent, ¡°Liam, you are talking to your mother¡­¡±


    Liam red at Ryan. ¡°And you are talking to your boss, dad. I can¡¯t start respecting a person who never cared about us when we needed her and now that she hase back she wants to behave like we are still teenagers!¡±


    Aurora gasped hearing the venom in Liam¡¯s voice. ¡°Liam¡­¡±


    ¡°If she is trying to make up for the old days why can¡¯t you give it a try, Liam!¡± Ralph snapped.


    ¡°Because we are no longer teenagers, Ralph!¡±


    Then he looked at his wife. ¡°Don¡¯t get involved in this,¡± he snapped at her.


    Aurora understood that his mother was a sore topic for him. He wanted space on it but Susan didn¡¯t stop herself. ¡°And you have no right to talk to Aurora like this. Don¡¯t forget I can take her away from here¡­¡±


    Liam fisted his hands tightly, ¡°Aurora is my wife, we love each other. Maybe you don¡¯t understand this concept but she does, so why don¡¯t you just shut your mouth and not interfere in my marriage. ¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    ¡± Liam¡­¡±  Aurora scolded him but Susan didn¡¯t need anyone to speak for her, she knew how to get under Liam¡¯s skin really well. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have interfered but your track record says otherwise. Maybe you are once again only pretending because you can¡¯t cage her like you did before¡­¡±


    Penny gasped, she nced at Ryan in horror. Liam was just like him. ¡°I will never forgive you for this, Ryan. Never!¡±


    At that Liam lost his cool. ¡°It¡¯s enough now,¡± he red at Susan. ¡°You can¡¯t do anything, Susan Kelly. You are staying in my city. I am allowing you to do it because my wife wants you here. Whatever I did in the past it¡¯s between me and her, you are no one to ask any kind of exnations from me. So don¡¯t try to be brave in front of me!¡±


    Susan opened her mouth to speak but closed it again when she nced at Aurora who shook her head asking her not to stretch the topic. Liam turned his eyes to his mother.


    ¡°And you have no right to say anything about me or my lifestyle. You lost all your rights when you ran away with your lover boy leaving your two children behind. I wish he had killed you in reality!¡±


    ¡°Liam, you can¡¯t talk to mom like this!¡± Ralph snapped standing up with lightning speed, the chair he was sitting on fell on the floor with a thud.


    Penny couldn¡¯t take it anymore, tears pooled into her eyes, she stood up and walked out of the dining room.


    The room  turned silent until Aurora broke it. ¡°It was not a good thing you said to your mother.¡±


    ¡°She deserves it.¡±


    Ralph punched the table hard. ¡°She doesn¡¯t deserve any of the things you said. She never loved anyone but this twisted man we call our father!¡±


    Lism stood up as well. ¡°You don¡¯t know anything, I heard her talking to someone over the phone she ran¡­¡±


    Ralph shook his head and nced at Ryan. ¡°Aren¡¯t you ashamed of yourself to spill lies about the woman who loved you?¡± Saying that he red at Liam once again. ¡°If you can¡¯t respect her then don¡¯t disrespect her too.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t use that tone with me!¡±


    ¡°I will if you treat my mother disrespectfully,¡± saying that he walked out of the room in search of Penny who was crying softly in the backside of the garden. ¡°Mom,¡± he called her.


    Penny wiped her tears and forced herself to act normal. ¡°Yes, son.¡±


    ¡°Mom why don¡¯t you tell him the reality, I know there was no other man except for that twisted Ryan¡­¡±


    ¡°He is your father.¡±


    Ralph chuckled. ¡°A father doesn¡¯t keep his children away from their mother. He lied to us about you. I don¡¯t like him, mom. Not after what he did to you.¡±


    Penny¡¯s heart melted hearing him. ¡°You never believed him, Ralph. All these years you never trusted his words that I loved someone else¡­¡±


    Ralph shook his head. ¡°No, because I remembered the day I asked you what¡¯s making you sad and you told me, your love for him. You loved him, mom, even now you do. I know he made false stories about you being with someone else, why did you lie to Liam when he asked you?¡±


    Penny smiled sadly. ¡°Because I didn¡¯t want him to question Ryan. Trust is easy to break but hard to earn and I don¡¯t want Ryan to suffer that. I tried to run away because his possessiveness was killing me from inside, but I wanted to take both of you with me. He caught me and punished me before I could. I asked him to let me meet you both but he didn¡¯t allow me.  I am a weak woman Ralph, even after all this I still loved him, I still do¡­¡±


    Ralph hugged her. ¡°Can anyone hate and love a person at the same time, mom?¡±


    Penny chuckled. ¡°Yes, you have a living example of it in front of you, son. I love and hate your father at the same time.¡±


    Penny nced at Ralph, ¡°you like her right?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± He yed dumb and earned a light p on his chest from his mother. ¡°The girl who is getting on your brother¡¯s nerves. Aurora¡¯s friend, Susan. I know you feel for her.¡±


    Ralph tried to hide his emotions but couldn¡¯t. ¡°There is nothing wrong in expressing yourself, Ralph. If you want her, go and tell her.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not as easy as you think mom. She¡­it¡¯splicated. We had something, a kind of fling but then I destroyed it. She wanted something else, I wanted something else and then we parted. She won¡¯te back to me, I hurted her.¡±


    ¡°Your father hurted me in the worst way possible, I am still with him because my love for him is deeper than my hate I have for him. If she truly loves you, she will give you another chance, Ralph.¡±


    Ralph frowned. A thought crossed his mind. Can I have her again? Is this even possible?


    Penny patted his cheek in affection. ¡°I wish one day, your brother will forgive me and love me the same as you love me.¡±


    Ralph smiled. ¡°He will, Ma.¡±


    ¡°You will not treat my wife in this manner again. I don¡¯t care if you are my boss now but this is my home and I will not allow you to make me feel second in it. You have to show respect to my wife¡­¡±


    ¡°Your wife!¡± He snarled. ¡°I am sorry to say this, dad but you are a hypocrite. All my life you told me how that bitch cheated on you with another man and how you killed them both. Now out of sudden, your so-called wife turned our alive and you were living with her all this time we thought you are fucking another woman¡­¡±


    Ryan Knight raised a finger. ¡°If you can ask people to not interfere in your married life then you should respect this about others as well.¡±


    ¡°I am talking about it because I am a part of this marriage, have you forgotten it was me and Ralph who suffered in our childhood because of your so-called love! You told me the reality of that wife of yours!¡±


    Ralph walked inside the study and stood in front of Liam, ignoring Ryan. ¡°You are my boss, I epted it. You are a monster, I ept that too but there is a line, Liam and I will not ept it if you abuse my mother.¡±


    Ryan¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Ralph!¡±


    He turned to him. ¡°I am not talking to you, you are no longer my boss so I don¡¯t have to listen to you anymore. Old man. My mother loves you, still. If it would have been in my hands, I would have killed you years ago for lying to me. But my hands were tied then and now I can do that but once again my hands are tied because mom loves you¡­¡±


    ¡°Love!¡± Liam chuckled. ¡°She ran away with another man leaving us behind!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lie! I know it. How can you trust him after he told you he killed her?¡±


    It was when Penny came there. ¡°Ralph, it¡¯s between me and my husband,¡± she told him and then turned to Liam. ¡°You are right, I have been a bad mother to you and Ralph. I tried to fill the gap of fifteen years but I think I am only trying in vain. So I won¡¯t try it anymore, I wish you all the happiness in your life, Liam. Thank you foring here tonight.¡±


    Something turned in his heart, he never felt this tug before, never. But again he didn¡¯t let anything influence his mind, he nodded and walked out of the room.


    Ralph nced at Ryan. ¡°I want to kill, right here, right now!¡± Then he turned his eyes to his mother. ¡°If you want to leave him now, I will help you mom.¡±


    Penny shook her head. ¡°No, I tried running away from him once and suffered the loss of my children but not anymore. I will stay here with him.¡±


    Ralph nodded and walked out but not before giving Ryan a death re.


    Ryan looked at the sky, ¡°why did you have to do that, why did you force me to do all that years ago, Penny?¡±


    She smiled. ¡°It¡¯s strange, even after all these years you are still that toxic man who only thinks about himself. I loved you even then but you treated me like a possession, Ryan and now your children are behaving in the same way. Liam is nothing but your replica and Ralph he had a little humanity left inside him but I know he could be the monster just like you. You said that you are taking care of them, is that how you brought them up? Making them as twisted as you are!¡±


    Ryan Knight looked down, he knew he behaved like a self-obsessed animal when he separated his wife from their children, she was always busy with Liam and Ralph, whenever he tried to get close to her their children demanded her attention.


    He was okay with everything until he heard a phone conversation of his wife with one of her friends from the Police department. He was manipting her to help thew in imprisoning Ryan. Ryan went mad hearing that he had full faith in her that she would deny it but she didn¡¯t. Instead, she asked him to help her bring her children with her too and a guarantee that Ryan¡¯s prison sentence would not be too long. She wanted him to leave all  his dirty work but she was unaware that once you get in this world you are only left for dead. Not only that he went mad in rage when he saw her hugging that man from the police department.


    It was right she never cheated on him in the sense of the world but Ryan Knight¡¯s obsessive side couldn¡¯t tolerate what he saw. So he became the monster she thought of him and punished her for that. But now her tears were killing him from inside and he decided that he would do the right thing.


    Penny wanted her son Liam to respect her, he would do that,  for this if Ryan even had to tell him the truth, he would open it in front of his son.


    He would give his wife her son back!

 Chapter 145

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see that hypocrite with you anymore. I am sure he is still acting with you!¡±


    Aurora closed her eyes. She understands that Susan was worried about her and had a right to do so considering her history with Liam. ¡°Susie, my sweet sissy, I know you think that he is still acting and all but he is not, he loves me, Susan. He really does and most importantly, I am happy with him.¡±


    Susan gritted her jaw, crossed her hands against her chest and looked away. ¡°Yes, your love,  I know what love does to people. It makes them do stupid things, broke their self-esteem and make them weak!¡± She snapped then turned her head back to Aurora. ¡°My mom suffered a lot because of this so-called love, and now you are going on the same path!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing like Susan, Liam is nothing like your bastard father. He never use me for sex and he would never look in the direction of another woman. He is mad for me. He has changed a lot for me, in these two months¡­¡±


    ¡°What? He became your prince charming! But let me tell you one thing, it¡¯s all temporary, once your body swells with a child he will not look at you the same way like he does now and once this childes he is going to hate it too. He will find another woman¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough, Susan!¡± She snapped. ¡°I told you, Liam is not like your father, he loves me like the way I am today and when my body will swell with my baby he will love me then too, he will love me if I lost my beauty, because he had seen me at my worst. I was bruised and  swollen in the face, he kissed me and told me I am always beautiful in his eyes.  I am not saying that he became an ideal man but you are right, he turned into my prince charming and you need to look beyond what your father did with your mom Susie¡­¡±


    Susan closed her eyes as the painful memories of her childhood shed in her memory. ¡°Don¡¯t go there¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not going there, Susan. It¡¯s you who is still stuck there. I know your pain, I know it because I suffered the same pain of losing my mother. We grew up together,  I know you don¡¯t say it and pretend that your father holds no importance in your life but deep inside it hurts you seeing him with a new woman. I know you¡­¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t matter to me, he is no one, Aurora. No one. I hate him and that¡¯s it!¡± She said in a shaky voice which sounded weak to her own ears.


    Aurora swallowed the dryness in her throat and touched Susan¡¯s hand. ¡°Susan, please stop judging everyone on the same scale. Your father is a bastard but Liam is not, he loves me and I have epted him as my husband,¡± then she nced into her eyes and said what she wanted to say for a long time, since she came to know about her and Ralph.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    ¡°I think you should try to give another chance to Ralph as well, Susan.¡±


    Susan stiffened, her face turned pale at the mention of Ralph. ¡°What chance? Who is Ralph? I am sorry but I am not a saint-like you, Aurora. I can¡¯t forgive a man who abused me, I have seen my mother suffering in this kind of rtionship for years and now you are walking on the same path¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you Liam is not like that, stopparing him with your dad!¡± Aurora snarled.


    ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t say anything about your husband but then you have no right to tell me what to do and what not to do. I made a mistake thinking that this live thing could be real but I saw the reality soon and luckily I didn¡¯t let this stupidity rule over me,¡± she said and then took a deep breath to calm herself.


    ¡°I only want to see you happy and if this jerk gives you happiness, then live with him but I won¡¯t let him hurt you, not again¡­¡± before she could say anything else her eyes went to Liam who was walking towards them with a stoic expression on his face but when his eyes went to Susan his expression changed into something dark.


    ¡°Your prince charming is here.¡±


    Aurora turned her head and saw Liam. God give me the patience to handle these two jerks!


    ¡°Shall we leave for home, I don¡¯t want to be here for a single second anymore.¡±


    Aurora smiled. ¡°Yes but can we take Susan with us, she¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Liam answered before she could even finish the sentence and that bruised Susan¡¯s ego.


    ¡°Why? Are you scared that I will kill you on the way?¡± She taunted him.


    Here goes my evening. I don¡¯t even miss Emily anymore. Liam and Susan gave me the same headache with their fights.


    Liam gritted his jaw and took a step forward. ¡°I am controlling myself from snapping your head into two, Miss kelly. So please, let me fulfil the promise I made to my wife and don¡¯t provoke me to kill you.¡±


    Aurora gasped. ¡± You are awful, Liam. You can¡¯t speak to her like this!¡± She turned to Susan who was ring at him with anger-filled eyes. ¡°He won¡¯t do that Susie, he is just angry.¡±


    ¡°I am serious!¡± He snapped at them both and clutched his wife¡¯s hand and walked out of the house to go to their home leaving an angry Susan behind.


    Aurora snatched her hand away from Liam once they reached their home. ¡°You can¡¯t talk to her like this every time, Liam. She is my soul sister.¡±


    Liam gritted his jaw. His head was bursting in anger. It seemed that everyone was trying his patience nowadays.  He needed to control his anger but at this moment it was almost impossible for him to do it so he went into his room to get away from Aurora. He needed a little space to calm himself but Aurora didn¡¯t give him any space and followed him in the room.


    ¡°Liam, I want to talk to you.¡±


    Liam turned around, not able to control himself anymore he snapped at her in a voice which made her stiffen for a long minute. ¡± I don¡¯t want to talk, don¡¯t you understand it. I am tired of people asking me questions. I am tired of being lied to and getting questioned every second. Do you think it¡¯s easy for me to change myself into something I am not! It¡¯s not, it¡¯s not easy to control my anger when all I want to do is kill the person who dared to question me.¡±


    Liam closed his eyes when he noticed the expression on her face. ¡°Damnit!¡± He cursed himself and went to her.


    ¡°Aurora¡­¡± he whispered and touched her face softly. Aurora gulped down the fearful lump and tried to step back from him but he didn¡¯t allow it. ¡°No!¡±


    She stopped. ¡°Look at me, Little one,¡± he said, raising her chin so that she could look into his eyes. He wanted to punch himself when he saw the tears in her eyes. ¡°I am sorry, Little one. I was angry and couldn¡¯t¡­¡± he stopped and pulled her into his arms. ¡°I love you Aurora. I love you more than anything in this world and when your friend continuously questions my love for you it makes me mad, I know I behaved like a jerk, no I am a jerk¡­¡±


    At that she couldn¡¯t control herself and burst intoughter. ¡°That¡¯s what I called you today.¡±


    Liam rxed when he heard the teasing in her voice.¡°what? A jerk.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You and Susan both.¡±


    ¡°Aagin, Susan. Can¡¯t we talk without her being in it? It feels as if she lives in this house.¡± Heins.


    ¡°That¡¯s because she does,¡± then in apletely serious tone, she said, ¡± Liam, Susan is worried about me. She gave a promise to my dying mother that she will always protect me from everything and she did that always. Even after what I did to her, she still cares about me.  My dad is still in Comma and I only have a few people in my life. I don¡¯t want to lose any of you.¡±


    He looked away because whatever he was going to say, Aurora wouldn¡¯t like it and he didn¡¯t want to hurt her.


    Aurora understood it too but she didn¡¯t allow him to take the situation lightly. ¡°Susan is like this because she has a past, Liam. Unlike me, her childhood was full of traumas. She tried to be strong but she is not, I know it. I feel it every time we spend time together. Do you think it¡¯s easy for her to stay this close to Ralph? I was stunned and happy at the same time when you told me about their rtionship because Susan never does that. She had her fun and then walked out, but she was in a rtionship with Ralph. For me, it was the eighth wonder of the world. I hope she gives Ralph another ¡­¡±


    Liam jerked his head to Aurora. ¡°Don¡¯t hope for anything like this. My brother is happy without that girl. She is a nuisance now, I don¡¯t want her to get anywhere near my brother. I need his head in the right ce, especially when he takes over as the head of another city.¡±


    Aurora sharpened her gaze. ¡°Are you saying that Susan¡¯s presence is not healthy for your brother¡¯s brain?¡±


    ¡°Her presence is unhealthy for everyone, but yes that¡¯s exactly what I am saying.¡±


    She raised her brows. Her lips pinched in a thin line not liking his words. But she knew that they could talk about it all night and the result would still be nothing. Because Susan and Ralph were unpredictable.


    Aurora had something else on her mind which was taking a troll over her mind. She loved her parents and Penny¡¯s tear-filled eyes were making her sad too. She wanted Liam to treat her respectfully if not with love. That¡¯s the least he could do for his mother.


    ¡°Liam, I want you to talk to your mother about your childhood in a civilised manner¡­¡±


    ¡°Aurora, I told you not to interfere in this matter.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I did that but today after seeing the tears in her eyes I can¡¯t,¡± she looked into his eyes.


    ¡°If you love me, then you will do it for me¡­¡± saying that she walked into the closet leaving him alone once again daring him to prove his love for her.

 Chapter 146

    ¡°I am ashamed of my son, Aurora. I understand the pain you went through¡­¡±


    Aurora shook her head and patted Penny¡¯s hands infort. ¡°You are taking it all wrong Penny. Your son was a certified jerk, even now he sometimes behaves like one but now he is apletely different person from what he was a few months ago,¡± she said, Penny searched her eyes to see if Aurora was doing what she used to do, hiding the truth of her husband.


    ¡°You can share the truth of your rtionship, Aurora.  Don¡¯t be afraid of Liam.¡±


    ¡°Liam has ruined his image in everyone¡¯s eyes,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°When he was pretending his love, everyone believed him, and now that he loves me, everyone is doubting him.  My poor husband!¡±


    Penny visibly rxed when she noticed the sparkle of happiness in her eyes. ¡°Thank you for clearing all my doubts dear, you don¡¯t know how guilty I have been feeling sincest night. ¡±


    Aurora smiled. ¡°I know, initially when I found out about my pregnancy, I was scared too but then I saw how happy he was hearing the news. Liam is what he is and I have epted his reality. I won¡¯t say that it was easy for me when I came to know about his and my dad¡¯s real identity, I was shocked, Penny. I went numb when Thomas told me about my dad¡¯s real business but when he told me that my mother knew about it and the story behind her death. I know that I have to ept this reality. Liam is not perfect but he is perfect for me. I love him, Penny.¡±


    Penny smiled. ¡°This Love made people do silly things, Aurora. I want to run away from this life to save my husband but I guess¡­¡± she sighed and looked down sadly.


    ¡°I have asked Liam to talk to you and he will do it, and I am sure that right now he must be getting out his frustration on something. But he wille to you, Penny and soon.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough, Aurora. I can¡¯t thank you enough, my dear child.¡±


    She shrugged her shoulders. ¡°You can thank me by ordering one more cup of this jelly ice cream. I am loving it. You know what, I will be taking a whole bunch of this home because it¡¯s yummy!¡± She said, moaning loudly. Her moans made a few heads turn towards their table.


    ¡°Alright, one more ice cream on the way, Aurora,¡± Pennyughed and ordered a big cup of jelly ice cream for Aurora.


    Aurora was in a dilemma. She wanted to talk to Penny about it but didn¡¯t know how to start the conversation. ¡°Penny, is there any girl in Ralph¡¯s life?¡±


    Penny frowned. ¡°Not that I know, but why are you asking?¡±


    Aurora shrugged her shoulders. ¡°I just asked, you know¡­¡±All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Penny raised her brows. ¡°There might be someone he wants but¡­¡±


    ¡°But what? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s someone else, I won¡¯t let him move on in life when Susan¡­¡± Aurora¡¯s mouth hung open seeing the look of victory on her


    face. ¡°Now you will tell me exactly what happened between my son and your friend, Aurora.¡±


    ¡°You all are the same. Your husband, your son and you too,¡± she huffed and thenughed. ¡°But I like you the most among other members of your family after my husband.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for thepliments but now tell me about Susan and Ralph.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much except for what Liam told me, they were in a rtionship and then they broke up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it! You don¡¯t know what happened between them, the reason for their break up?¡±


    Aurora sighed deeply, shaking her head. ¡°No, Susan didn¡¯t tell me the whole truth except he used her to keep an eye on me and when she came to know about it she kicked him out of her life.  But I know that¡¯s not it, there is more, Penny, much more! I know Susan enough to know that if she gets into a rtionship with him.  It was not a ything for her. I don¡¯t want her to lose something precious. She is broken and hurt inside, her past yed a big role in it but I want her to forget her past and move on with happiness.¡±


    ¡°I talked with Ralph but I am not sure what he is thinking at this moment,  I only want my children to be happy,¡± she looked at Aurora who was lost in deep thought.


    ¡°Penny, shall we try to help them¡­ you know in bringing them together,¡± she asked with excited eyes.


    Penny shook her head. ¡°I tried but afterst night, I think it¡¯s best if Ralph and Susan solve their own problems, Aurora. Ralph looks like a good-hearted nice man but I know he has another side which he hides from everyone. A dark and dangerous side, I love him but I don¡¯t want someone to suffer the same fate we both went through. If Susan loves him and if Ralph loves her, they will find each other again. No matter how difficult or darker their journey will be, we should let them be the guide on their own roads and not interfere in their journey.¡±


    Aurora blinked twice, her throat tightened with emotions hearing her mother-inw. ¡°I understand the path I crossed for my love, this journey was not at all an easy one for me. I was apletely different person before meeting Liam and now I ampletely changed from that bratty, childish Aurora but now,¡± she touched her belly, ¡°the fruit of our union is here and this journey gave me the love of my life, Penny. And it wouldn¡¯t have been possible without Susan. She pushed me to be with Liam and now, I want her to feel the same happiness I am feeling, I want her to be with the love of her life and I know Ralph is the only one for her.¡±


    Penny nodded. ¡°I pray that they will find each other.¡±


    Aurora inclined her head. ¡°Me too,¡± she said and then took a big spoon of ice cream in her mouth. ¡°Can you order another cup¡­¡± that made Pennyugh but she ordered another cup of the ice cream for her.


    ¡°He cancelled the drug delivery from Moscow.¡±


    Liam snapped his eyes at Ralph who informed him about it with a stoic face. But Liam¡¯s reaction was exactly the opposite of Ralph¡¯s. His mind burst with Rage. ¡°I knew it, I knew he would do something like this. He wants to start an open war with Liam Knight.  Fine, I don¡¯t care about anything anymore, this time no one wille between us. Not my  friend and neither any other rtionship. Dmitry Kyschove will cry bloody tears for this.¡±


    Ralph sighed and leaned back in his chair casually. ¡°He is doing what he is known for, Liam. Taking revenge, have you forgotten how he took power in Russia? He is literally known as the monster. I told you many times not to harm Alexandrio but you not only attacked him but his wife too and you think Dmitry will not take revenge! He was silent for thest few months and that¡¯s because he wanted you to get rxed and now he struck and I know it won¡¯t be thest time he is doing it.¡±


    Liam punched the desk hard, the things over it scattered like broken leaves, ¡°Fine, he wants revenge from me, he can do whatever he wants because he will suffer for every single attack he does to me,¡± he snapped at Ralph who was about to speak but stopped when Liam¡¯s cell phone rang.


    He frowned seeing the Caller ID. ¡°What? Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Dmitry Kyschove!¡±


    Ralph turned his head and sighed deeply. ¡°He has started his revenge game.¡±


    Liam red at Ralph and epted the call after five rings, he didn¡¯t want Dmitry to see that his attack had affected him in any way. ¡°Dmitry.¡±


    Liam¡¯s hand was fisted tightly, he was controlling his anger. ¡°Liam, how do you like my present, dear foe?¡±


    ¡°You really think that I have time to think about these minor issues, Dmitry. I gave you credit for being smarter than this, cancelling the drug deal, really?¡± He said with a chuckle, Liam wanted to provoke Dmitry but Dmitry Kyschove was not someone who didn¡¯t know how to read between the lines.


    Dmitry burst outughing. ¡°Liam, that¡¯s what I like about you. No matter what, but you always try to show yourself brave and unaffected by the things which affect you greatly. It¡¯s just I know how your work, Liam. You should have thought about the consequences of attacking my brother. I am not like that masked man, Liam. I am feared by the fear itself. I am starting this war and I won¡¯t y fair!¡±


    Liam threw the phone on the table loudly. ¡°Dmitry Kyschove! I won¡¯t leave you alive!¡±.


    Ralph shook his head. ¡°We have to be ready for whatever the future holds for us, Dmitry is dangerous when angry!¡±


    ¡°Let him be angry then, he thinks that nobody will give me drugs,¡± he fisted his hands. ¡°Call the Irish Mafia head and ask for the deal.¡±


    ¡°Irish, Liam I killed his nephew!¡±


    Liam gave him a disgusted look. ¡°We kill people all the time, what¡¯s new in that?¡±


    Ralph knew there was no point in discussing the matter with him anymore. ¡°Okay, I will do it,¡± saying that he left.


    Liam kicked the chair behind him hard. His life was once again messed up and this time his enemy was not hidden behind a mask, he was dering an open war and Liam had no other option than to fight the war.


    Dmitry was right on one end, he was not like the masked man who hides away, Dmitry was a kind of man who loved to fight face to face, savagely.


    He attacked Brutally and killed mercilessly!


    If it would have been another time when Liam¡¯s sole motto was getting the Canadian Mafia under his control, he would have been overjoyed by the war, killing Dmitry was not less than an adventurous victory for him but now, after Aurora, things had changed a lot! He had changed and now the war was not as thrilling as he used to take it before.


    Only he knew what he suffered when Aurora was kidnapped by that masked man. The pain he felt seeing her bruised face, it couldn¡¯t be described in words.  ¡°What a mess!¡± He cursed and called his wife to hear her soothing voice.


    Aurora smiled when she epted the call. ¡°What are you doing, Baby?¡±


    ¡°I aming home, Little one. I need to see you.¡±


    Aurora frowned when he abruptly ended the call. She wanted to do some shopping but now she had to go home. She ordered her driver-cum-body guard to take her home.


    Liam reached home just after her, Aurora was dressed into a soft nightgown, she had not started showing yet but she couldn¡¯t wait to see her belly ripe with her child inside. She wanted to feel its first kick and hold the baby in her arms.


    Her eyes went to the ne on her neck. ¡°Mom, you were with me through this journey and I want you to be with my child too,¡± she traced the ne, one day she would pass this ne to her child. Tears swirled in her eyes thinking about it before she could wipe the tears Liam opened the door and entered the room.


    ¡°You were crying? Why? Did someone hurt you, Aurora?¡± He demanded. Liam was already angry over the situation and now seeing his wife¡¯s teary eyes he was enraged.


    Aurora frowned. She could see he was angry about something, ¡°no one hurted me, I was missing my mom but¡­¡± before she could finish the sentence he sprinted towards her and pulled her in his arms. ¡°I need you,¡± saying that he kissed her, his action was so unexpected that she forgot to breathe for a moment out of shock.


    Aurora blinked and kissed him back with equal passion. Liam¡¯s lips went to her neck, Aurora was lost in the moment of heat and passion, she allowed him to do anything he wanted to do, she was enjoying the pleasure he was giving her.  ¡°I want more Liam, harder, fuck me harder!¡±


    Who was Liam to deny his wife¡¯s needs? He increased the speed and circled her clitoris to increase her pleasure. Aurora cried loudly in passion when she came hard, Liam following her.


    They were in the bed, in each other¡¯s arms, Liam was thinking about the challenge Dmitry threw at him, he couldn¡¯t lose Aurora, his family. For the first time in his life, Liam realised what fear feels like.


    ¡°Liam, have you thought about it?¡±


    Liam looked at her, ¡°about what?¡±


    ¡°You have not heard a word I said to you right?¡± She said with angry eyes.


    He sighed and turned towards her fully, ¡°I apologise, tell me what you were talking about?¡±


    ¡°When will you talk to your mother, Liam? I thought you would do it today.¡±


    Liam sighed, he pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Aurora, please! Not now. I am already pissed about something, I don¡¯t want you to start this again.¡±


    She sat up abruptly, ripped the quilt over his body and wrapped it around herself. ¡°You are always pissed about things, there is nothing new in that. I am giving you one more day, that is tomorrow, if you didn¡¯t talk to her till tomorrow, I will shift with Susan in her apartment!¡± Saying that she walked to the closet.


    Liam punched the bed in anger. His day started with problems and ended with problems. All things aside he hated it when Aurora asked him to do things he didn¡¯t want to do but had to do to make her happy.


    Now he had to do another thing to make her happy and he would do it, for her, his wife, Aurora.

 Chapter 147

    ¡°Liam,¡± Ryan Knight nodded at his son who was standing at the main door. ¡°Dad.¡±


    ¡°Is your wife home or has she run away again?¡± He muttered under his breath.


    ¡°Maybe you didn¡¯t understand the rules of my house, Liam. You will not insult my wife standing in my house,¡± Ryan snapped at him in a sharp voice.


    Liam fisted his hand. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you!¡± He said taking his coat off and hanging it on the coat stand in anger.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why I came here, damn Aurora and her infuriating habit of asking me to do things I do not want to do.¡±


    Ryan sighed. He wanted to talk to him to tell him the truth about Penny and his rtionship but couldn¡¯t find the strength to do so. But today he would tell him the truth.


    Ryan Knight was ready to face Liam¡¯s hatred towards him. ¡°Where is she?¡± Liam asked.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°She went with Ralph somewhere.¡±


    Liam gritted his jaw and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket to call Ralph. He wanted to have this so-called talk with his mother to appease his wife or she would shift with that infuriating girl, Liam would be damned if he kept her doing that.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call him. I want her to forget the pain she was feeling for thest two days. You humiliated her in front of your wife and another guest, Liam.¡±


    Liam shook his head. ¡°Isn¡¯t it ironic, it was you  who told me how big of a bitch she was and now you are taking her side, why the change of heart after all these years.¡±


    Ryan closed his eyes. It was now or never. ¡°I want to tell you something, Liam. It would be hard for you to believe but It¡¯s time you should know the reality.¡±


    Liam frowned. He knew his father, he never spoke like that. Today he was talking weirdly. ¡°What reality are you talking about?¡± He asked carefully.


    He sighed and stared directly at his son. ¡°I think it would be better if you sit down, Liam.¡±


    Liam nodded. Ryan took a deep breath before sitting on one of the sofas in the living room. Liam waited for his father to speak but all Ryan did for a minute was he stared at the floor.


    Liam was getting impatient. He was about to ask him to say something but Ryan spoke before that. ¡°I lied to you, she was not cheating on me. At least not in the literal sense of the word.¡±


    Liam¡¯s body went numb. He heard something wrong, his father  didn¡¯t just say that he was lying all these years. Did he?


    ¡°What did you say? I think I heard that you lied to me¡­¡±


    ¡°You heard right, I lied to you all these years. Your mother never cheated on me. She was loyal to me, to this marriage and to you and your brother.¡°


    His heart stopped for a moment and then started beating again so fast that he feared it would jump out of his chest. ¡°You have to be kidding me!¡± He jumped from the sofa and lunged at his father.  ¡°You can¡¯t lie about something like this for too long, Father. You are trying to protect her from my hatred by lying now. You are a bastard I know but you are not this big of a bastard!¡±


    Ryan stared into Liam¡¯s eyes. ¡°You are right, I am a twisted bastard, Liam. I wanted to punish her for what she did.


    She was involved with a police officer but it was a tonic rtionship from her side. The bastard was a different story, nevermind he paid the price for manipting my wife against me. I personally killed him after cutting his body parts and feeding them to him.¡±


    Liam fisted his hand, stopping himself from killing the man standing in front of him. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare talk in riddles now? Tell me what exactly happened?¡± He snapped.


    Ryan nodded and turned towards the wall. He didn¡¯t have the strength to look into his son¡¯s eyes when he told him the truth about Penny. ¡°I was a possessive man from the start. I wanted all her time when I was around her which I used to get until you and Ralph came into our lives. She was always busy with you both, it was fine. I tried to tell myself that you both need her more than me, so I started getting busy with work. It was good for me because I gained more power, I killed many of my enemies and took over their territories under my control. But I was not aware that the police were keeping track of my activities.  There was this officer, Chandler. A handsome bastard and an old friend of your mother from college. He got sessful in manipting Penny to give up on me by showing her the proof of me being involved in the business of brothels and drugs. She asked me to stop the business but I refused. They were the most profitable business of mine. I couldn¡¯t lose the money which wasing from there.¡±


    Liam fisted his hands. He stopped the business for his wife and now he was d he did. He gritted his jaw when Ryan stopped. ¡°What happened then¡­¡±


    Ryan sighed  again before continuing. ¡°We had some differences and I blurted out all my frustration on her that day. She asked me multiple times to quit the work because she was disgusted with it but I never agreed. The bastard told her many lies about how I killed innocent people, children even¡­all lies!¡± Ryan gritted out as he went to the memoryne.


    ¡°One day when I came home. You and Ralph were sleeping. I thought it was my lucky day. You won¡¯t be disturbing us but what I heard that day strippednd under my shoes. She was talking with Chandler over the phone. Asking him for help because  she will not be leaving without you and your brother and she wanted a promise that I will not be getting a long prison sentence. I was stunned that day. I loved her and she was stabbing me in the back. The next day I pretended to be normal and told her that I was going out for some work. She said goodbye to me like always, only to leave me. She gave off to the household staff and that bastard came to my house.  She was crying, telling him how much she loved me but she was doing it for my betterment. And then he hugged my wife in my house. That was thest thing I needed to see, I walked out of the secret  room I was hiding and caught him. Penny begged me to leave him but I didn¡¯t listen. My men took him to the basement and I punished your mother. I couldn¡¯t kill her, I was too weak for that,  I did worse than that I stripped her off her children. I snatched every right from her when she got married to me. Ethan asked for my help in catching the Mexicans who killed his wife and I asked for a favor from him. Your mother was held captive all the while there in Churchill. You and Ralph asked me where she was, I didn¡¯t have any answer to it but when you said mom ran away, you heard a phone call. I didn¡¯t deny it and told you that I killed her¡­¡±


    Liam¡¯s eyes turned dark. It was all a lie. His childhood, teenage years, all the while he believed in a lie about his mother. ¡°So that¡¯s why you used to go to Churchill every now and then. It was not business, it was because of her¡­¡± he chuckled.


    He went to him and turned him around. ¡°What kind of twisted son of a bitch are you?¡± He gritted out. ¡°I believed your words, blindly. How could you do this to me?¡± He roared in anger, making Ryan look down in shame.


    Liam¡¯s mind was bursting in rage. ¡°Tell me one thing and for once don¡¯t you dare lie to me¡­¡± he snapped, making Ryan look at him.


    ¡°Has she ever asked about me, about Ralph? Has she ever asked to meet us?¡±


    Ryan nodded. ¡°Every time, she apologised to me and begged me to let her at least see you both. But I didn¡¯t allow it. My anger was bigger than my love for her. In my mind, she was suffering because she cheated on me. But slowly, she stopped asking me anything, the only thing she asked was to let you and Ralph have a normal life. She didn¡¯t want her children in the world of the mafia. So I made sure you will be involved in this world just to show her that her power over me was finished. But I have to say you were born to rule this world, Liam. I was twisted but you were far more twisted than me. You thrived on sess in this world¡­¡±


    Liam had heard enough. He didn¡¯t have the power to hear anything anymore. ¡°Just shut your mouth or I promise I will kill you, you bastard!¡±


    He was about to grab his throat but the respect he had for him all these years stopped him from doing so. Liam¡¯s mind was raging for blood. He was angry and that too on a man he respected more than anything else in the world.


    His whole life he lived a lie, he conceived the fruit of that lie and hated his mother with a passion and today he wasing to know that his hatred was baseless. She was innocent. He could understand the anger his father must have felt at that time but the least he could have done was tell him the truth, if not at that time but when he was old enough. He didn¡¯t, he let him believe that lie and now out of sudden, he had a change of heart!


    Liam was devastated. He punched the dining table hard. His hand busted open and was bleeding. ¡°Liam, control¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say a single word! You are no one in my life anymore.¡±


    Ryan nodded. ¡°I deserve it¡­¡±


    Liam had enough his mind was bursting in heaviness. He didn¡¯t want to breathe the same air his father was breathing. Liam sprinted towards the door and was about to walk out when he bumped into his mother. ¡°I am sorry¡­¡± she started the apology but was stunned seeing the blood on his hand.


    ¡°Liam, your hand is bleeding, son.¡± She dropped the shopping bags from her hands and clutched his hand, her eyes glistened with tears as she inspected the deep cut. ¡°How did this happen?¡± she asked, putting her scarf on the wound to stop the blood.


    ¡± Daniel, bring me the first Aid kit, fast!¡± She ordered the servant who came running to her with the kit.


    Liam was stunned seeing her this worried for him. He humiliated her in front of everyone, didn¡¯t leave a chance to taunt her and she was still this worried about him. How could a person be this innocent and pure?


    ¡°Come with me,¡± she said, taking him to the sofa. ¡°Please sit, son.¡±


    Liam followed her everymand like he used to do when he was a child. He recalled the suffocation he felt, the pain he suffered when his father told him that his mother was dead. He killed her as a punishment. He epted her fate because in his mind she was guilty of cheating on his father when the reality waspletely different.


    His throat turned heavy, he swallowed the heaviness when she kissed his hand just like she used to do when he was a child.  ¡°It will be fine, soon. Son,¡±


    Liam didn¡¯t know how but the word which Penny was dying to hear from him left his mouth and she froze for a moment.


    ¡°It will be, Mom,¡± Liam whispered, a lone tear left his eye. Liam was stunned by his open disy of emotions. He was never like this. ¡°You called me Mom¡­¡± she gasped.


    Liam closed his eyes. ¡°I am sorry for how I treated you, he lied to me¡­I¡­¡± Liam couldn¡¯t speak anymore. He looked away from her. ¡°I will make him pay for all your pain.¡±


    Penny¡¯s heart was blooming with happiness. She left an emotional sob from her throat. ¡°How did you find out?¡± She whispered. ¡°Who told you?¡±


    ¡°Your husband he¡­¡±


    Penny chuckled. ¡°Ryan, he told you?¡±


    Liam snapped his head in her direction when he heard the adoration and love in her voice for his father. ¡°How could you take his name in such a manner, as if you still love him? ¡±


    Penny smiled. ¡°Because I do, Liam. I love him more than my life. It may sound twisted but I do¡­¡±


    ¡°After what he did?¡±


    She patted his cheek lovingly. ¡± even after what he did. Don¡¯t look so shocked son. You are just like him. Aurora loves you after all the things  you did to her and I love your father the same way.  Love is a stupid emotion, Liam. It makes you forgive even the hideous crime.¡±


    Liam stiffened hearing theparison between his father and himself. ¡°I love your father Liam and I want us to move on in life forgetting the past. Can I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°Anything mom.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be angry with Ryan. He loves you in his own way. I don¡¯t know how much time I have left, I want to live this life happily with my family.¡±


    Liam fisted his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t Ask me anything regarding that man. I can¡¯t look into your eyes, after all the things I said to you¡­¡±


    Penny smiled. ¡°You are still my twelve-year-old angry son. I hold no grudges against you, son. But I want a promise from you. You will never treat Aurora like your father treated me. You will love her and caress her like your equal, never treat her like a possession. Your child will never suffer like you suffered, son. Promise me.¡±


    Liam nodded. ¡°I promise you, mom.¡±


    Penny kissed his forehead. Even though it was a little embarrassing for him to be kissed like that, he was happy seeing his mother happy. ¡°I used to pray for both you and Ralph. I wanted you both to have a girl in your life who makes you both happy.¡±


    Liam chuckled. ¡°I got mine one, mom. Aurora is a firecracker, she defeated the monster inside me¡­¡±


    Pennyughed. ¡°And gave me my son back.¡±


    Liam couldn¡¯t agree more. Aurora had changed him and his life for good. She was now the sole reason for his existence.  If anyone would have said that he would fall in love with Aurora madly. He would haveughed at the person but now his world starts and ends with only one person.


    His wife, His Aurora.

 EPILOGUE

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch me, Liam Knight!¡± Aurora screamed in anger. Her nine-month pregnant belly made it hard for her to remain standing for a long time but she didn¡¯t want to sit, they were in the middle of the fight and she didn¡¯t want him to look intimidating.


    ¡°Stop screaming will you!¡±


    She gasped at the loudness of his voice. Tears blurred her vision and she sat down on the bed clutching her belly. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like me anymore, it¡¯s because I am fat and look like an elephant and you are bored with me. I know there is some other girl you are dating¡­¡±


    ¡°What the fuck are you talking about? What other girl!¡± Liam was stunned hearing her. He threw the choctes on the bed and went to his wife. ¡°Look at me, Little one,¡± he whispered, sitting on his knees in front of his wife.


    Aurora shook her head and looked down, crying softly.


    ¡°No, I know you will manipte me into believing that there is no one else in your life except for me. I know my big hips and belly make me look like a hippo! You loved the beautiful version of me, not this fat version.¡±


    He held her face in his hands. ¡°No, I love you, Aurora. Your belly is like this because you are carrying my baby inside you and that makes you even more beautiful, Little one. I am proud of you for carrying our child inside nurturing it with love and care. You are suffering back pain and difort everyday but you still love this baby. How can I not love you, Little one?¡±


    She raised her eyes. ¡°You are not lying, you love me even if I am like this?¡±


    ¡°Why would I lie, have I ever lied to you, Little one?¡± Liam asked, wiping her tears with his thumb.


    ¡°Yes, you have. You are a certified liar!¡± She snapped in anger. Liam squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. ¡°Ya, I was an ass, right.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you still are an ass!¡±


    Liam chuckled. ¡°I am,¡± he said, kissing her forehead. ¡°I love you, Aurora and only you. It doesn¡¯t matter how you look, Little one. ¡±


    Aurora hugged him. ¡°Prove that you love me. baby.¡±


    Liam frowned. It¡¯s been a year since they got married and in these twelve months she had asked him to prove his love for her almost thousands of times and everytime this line was used for him to do things, he wouldn¡¯t agree to do. Liam had started considering this line as a test of his patience because Aurora practically ckmails him with this line.


    ¡°What now?¡± He mumbled.


    She giggled. ¡°I want to¡­¡± she stopped and chutched her belly. ¡°Oh! Aah¡­¡±


    ¡°This won¡¯t work again, Little one. I know you are pretending to have contractions likest week just to make me feel guilty.¡±


    ¡°Shut up! This time it¡¯s real, you idiot. My water broke!¡± She screamed when another contraction hit her. ¡°Liamm!¡± She screamed in pain clutching his hand.


    Liam¡¯s face went nk. Blood left his brain and he watched his wife screaming in pain. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, do something!¡± She cried, tightening her hold on his hand, making Liam wince in pain. He didn¡¯t know his wife held such masculine power inside her.


    ¡°Yes, yes let me call the ambnce¡­¡± he stammered and called the ambnce.  His mind was fuzzed with her painful cries. ¡°It will be fine, Aurora. Soon it will be over,¡± he said and called his mother. ¡°She is crying, mom. What can I do to ease her pain?¡±


    ¡°The only thing you can do right now is not irritate her, Liam. Have you packed her maternity bag?¡±


    ¡°Yes, mom. I have but she is crying¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s natural for he to cry, now don¡¯t ask stupid questions. I aming there.¡± before Liam could speak the line went dead.


    He nced at his wife. ¡°It will be fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up and don¡¯t touch me. It¡¯s  because of you I am suffering this pain.¡±


    Liam was stunned to hear the venom in her voice. ¡°Aurora¡­¡±


    She screamed as the contraction hit her again. ¡°I won¡¯t let you touch me again. You lying scoundrel!¡±


    Liam was stunned hearing her curse him for the next one hour till she reached the hospital. Penny and Ryan came there. Aurora was inside the hospital room. ¡°Liam, everything is fine?¡±


    Liam shook his head. ¡°She hates me, mom. I¡­¡±


    Penny frowned. ¡°Liam she is havingbour pain, women say things like that, it¡¯s normal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not normal. I was trying to make her feel better but she threw the scissors at me in anger and asked me to get out of the room!¡±


    Ryan curled her lips inside his mouth stopping himself fromughing out loud seeing the serious expression on Liam¡¯s face. Penny shook her head. ¡°She is in a lot of pain at this moment.¡±


    Ryan nced at his wife. ¡°She is right, your mother asked for a divorce when she was inbour pain during your birth.¡±


    Liam¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Really!¡±


    Pennyughed. ¡°Yes¡­¡± before she could speak any further a loud shriek calling Liam¡¯s name came from inside the room.


    ¡°Aurora¡­¡± Liam ran inside. ¡°Liam, please don¡¯t leave me alone, baby. It¡¯s hurting a lot. Do something!¡±


    Liam red at the doctor. ¡°Why are you not helping her? I will kill you all if my wife suffers for one more second!¡±


    The doctors gulped in fear. ¡°Sir¡­the contractions are slow. We can¡¯t do anything till your child decides toe. She has to go through the pain.¡±


    ¡°Liam¡­¡± she cried ¡°do something, please. Baby, if you love me, stop this pain¡­¡±


    Liam was feeling so helpless for the first time in his life. He didn¡¯t know how to help his wife. His Aurora.  He red at the doctors who checked herand to his relief the doctor nodded. ¡°She is ready now.¡±Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    If the pain she was feeling till now was bad then now it was worse. ¡°You are strong, Aurora. Onest time. Come on, Push, Little one.¡±


    ¡°You have been saying this for thest six times! Stop lying to me¡­¡±  she cried and pushed with all her strength. ¡°Keep going, Mrs Knight. I can see something.¡±


    ¡°Just get it out!¡± She cried.


    Liam¡¯s eyes widened when his eyes went to the doctor¡¯s hand which was covered in blood. Aurora¡¯s blood. Liam never flinched from a sight of blood, he loves torturing people. He loved spilling the blood of his enemies but today seeing the blood of his wife he was nauseated.


    ¡°What are you doing to her?¡± He snapped at the doctors but then he heard a loud cry and his heart stopped seeing his child for the first time.


    ¡°Congrattions, Mr and Mrs Knight. You both are graced with a daughter.¡±


    Liam¡¯s heart started beating again. ¡°A daughter!¡± He smiled, looking at his wife whose eyes blurred with tears. ¡°We have a daughter, Liam.¡± Liam walked to Aurora and kissed her head. ¡°Congrattions, Little one. You are really strong, Aurora.¡±


    She was in awe when the doctor handed them their daughter wrapped in a pink nket. ¡°Our daughter¡­¡± they both whispered at the same time.


    Liam¡¯s heart was full of emotions at that moment. He thought he would never be able to love anyone else but he was wrong. He fell in love with his daughter at the first sight of her and he promised himself that if anyone ever dared to nce at her in a wrong way. He would make that person suffer the worst way possible. Death would be a kindness to him because he would be making him suffer the agony of hell keeping the person alive.


    ¡°Julia Knight,¡± Aurora whispered, kissing her daughter. She feltplete today. Her life was filled with happiness and love now. She has a loving husband and a beautiful daughter. There was only one person who was missing from her life and that was her father.


    Ethan King was still in thea. She prayed that he would wake up soon and watch his granddaughter. She wanted her father at this moment.


    ¡°What happened Little one, you looked lost?¡± Liam asked, he was caressing his daughter¡¯s head lovingly.


    ¡°I wish dad would have been here with me. I missed him a lot Liam,¡± her voice thick with emotions. Liam hugged her. ¡°He will be fine soon but you need rest now. Don¡¯t stress yourself anymore, Aurora.¡±


    Aurora nodded. She was tired as hell but her emotions knew no time to make their presence known.


    Mom, I know you are watching me from the sky. I became a mom today but this happiness is notplete without dad. He doesn¡¯t listen to me but I know he will listen to you, can you please ask him to wake up soon. His Aurora is not happy without him. Please ask him to not make me cry anymore, mom.


    It¡¯s been a month since Julia¡¯s birth and only Aurora knew how hard it was for her to be without Liam, especially when his hot body was making her horny and she couldn¡¯t do anything about it.  This month she came to know that her husband had better self control over his needs than her but now the doctor had given her a yes to be with him again.


    Aurora smiled andid down on the bed in a sexy pose, waiting for Liam.


    ¡°Aurora I have something important to tell¡­¡± Liam stopped and stared at his wife, ¡°what the fuck! Your doctor¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ said I can have as much sex as I want to have¡­¡± she said in a sensual voice. Liam had important news to share with her but everything else could wait, right now he wanted to be with his wife. It¡¯s been too long without her and he was satiating himself through masturbation.


    Liam grabbed her by the leg and pulled her towards him. ¡°It was a hell of a month, Little one.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time, Liam and fuck me!¡±


    Liam chuckled. ¡°Of course, Little one.¡± He said and tore her flimsy nightgown. ¡°That was my favourite nighty.¡±


    He got out of his clothes. ¡°I will buy you a wardrobe of these, Little one,¡± he muttered before burying himself into her. ¡°Fuck!¡± He cursed and pulled out of her. ¡°I forgot the condom¡­¡±


    Aurora grabbed his hand to stop him from opening the side drawer. ¡°I am on a pill. Come on now, Liam.¡±


    He cursed again and entered inside her and then they both were lost in the loving moments. ¡°That was amazing¡­¡±


    Liamughed. ¡°That was.¡±


    Aurora kissed his chest. ¡°Liam you were talking about something important, what was it?¡± She asked moving from his chest to his neck.


    Lism closed his eyes. ¡°Your father opened his eyes¡­¡±


    Aurora stopped kissing him and looked at his face. ¡°What the hell! Dad woke up and you are telling me this now!¡± She said, pping his naked chest violently.


    ¡°What else I was supposed to do, you were lying here seducing me with your goddess-like body of course I would forget everything else.¡±


    ¡°You are an idiot Liam!¡± She snapped, snatching  the quilt and wrapping it around her body. ¡°I am getting ready, I want to meet my dad now.¡±


    Liam looked at the ceiling,¡±as you say, honey!¡±


    Her heart was beating faster, her legs were shaking. After almost a year she was going to talk to her father. There was no limit to her happiness now. She opened the door of the hospital room and there he was, her father. Ethan King.


    Aurora¡¯s eyes blurred and she ran to her father. ¡°Dad¡­¡± she sobbed, ¡°you are awake¡­¡±


    Thomas smiled seeing Aurora and Ethan together. ¡°Your dad is absolutely healthy, Aurora.¡±


    Ethan King pulled his daughter in his arms. ¡°My daughter. How are you, love? How are you? I am sorry for not taking care of you, my love¡­¡± Aurora was smiling and crying at the same time.


    Aurora sobbed in his arms. ¡°I missed you a lot dad. I missed you a lot. Don¡¯t leave me again, dad. Please don¡¯t leave me again.¡±


    Liam watched the father-daughter crying in each other¡¯s arms. If it would have been old Liam. He would have been disgusted with this open disy of emotions. But now he could understand Ethan, what he must be feeling when they made the deal between them.


    He understands his condition because  now he is the father of a girl and if any man does what he did to Aurora, Liam will kill that bastard without caring about anything.  That one-month-old girl has more power over Liam than anyone else in the world.


    His daughter was his world and he would never allow any bastard to hurt his daughter.


    ¡°Aurora, are you fine, Love. Is he treating you fine? Thomas told me about your marriage, tell me, ¡°Love, is he good with you?¡±


    Aurora smiled seeing her protective father back. She nodded and kissed him on the cheek. ¡° he loves me a lot, dad. I am happy,¡± she locked her arms around his neck just like she used to do when she was a child. ¡°You have a granddaughter, dad.¡±


    Ethan patted her back. ¡°I am sure she is as beautiful as my daughter.¡±


    ¡°She is¡­¡±


    Aurora didn¡¯t leave her father¡¯s corner for the next two hours. ¡°Aurora, you need rest, Little one. Julia needs you too, I am here with Ethan. You can go back home. I will bring him there after clearing the formalities.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to leave my dad alone.¡±


    Ethan, who wanted to talk to Liam too, sighed. ¡°He is right, love.  I want to meet my granddaughter too, I promise I am not going anywhere again. Go and rest.¡±


    Aurora tried to deny it but Ethan didn¡¯t hear anything and she left for home with a happy smile on her face.


    Ethan raised his eyes and settled them on Liam. ¡°Thomas told me everything that happened with my daughter. You failed to protect her! My daughter was in the hands of those Mexicans. Anything Could have happened to her¡­¡±


    Liam raised his hand. ¡°The man who put his hands on her is dead, but not only him but his whole family is dead.   She is no longer your daughter only but my wife too, we have a daughter and we are happy. Aurora and I had a difficult  journey and we passed many tests to be with each other. So I request you respect my rtionship with your daughter and let us be happy.¡±


    Ethan frowned. ¡°Thomas was right, you really love my daughter.¡±


    Liam chuckled. ¡°I do. She forgives all my lies and deceptions, Ethan. She epted my reality, your reality.¡±


    Ethan stiffened. ¡°She knows about our business?¡± He was stunned. He nced at Thomas who nodded.  ¡°Yes. She knows everything, Ethan.¡±


    Ethan went nk. ¡°She would have been hurt knowing about my truth. Jesus! how would I look into her eyes now? She knows about our deal too¡­¡±


    Liam shook his head. ¡°No, she didn¡¯t know anything about our deal and there is no need to tell her about it, Ethan. Let me be the viin of this story, you are her hero and I don¡¯t want to see your image tarnish in her eyes. The love she has for you is so pure that even a small stain can ruin it.¡±


    Ethan nodded in gratitude. ¡°You were not the kind of man who thinks about the purity of love, Liam. What has changed?¡±


    Liam chuckled. ¡°I changed, your daughter had changed me with her pure love but more importantly my daughter made me do this for you,  Ethan. Now I can understand your love for Aurora.¡±


    Ethan nodded. Once again they agreed on something but this time not for business, no they agreed because they  equally love Aurora. She was the centre of both of their universes.


    Liam Knight was the viin but it was his wife Aurora who turned him into the hero of their story.


    Glimpse¡­


    Liam¡¯s Personal life was going perfect but his professional life had once again turned into hell because of one man who was taking out his revenge on him. Dmitry Kyschove!


    It was a week after his daughter¡¯s birth he received yet another piece of news which made it hard to control his anger in front of his family. His warehouse which was full of drugs had been robbed. His cell phone rang and it was Dmitry. ¡°I hope you liked my present. I heard the good news about you having a daughter so I thought about giving you a gif.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t leave you, Dmitry. You are taking this war too far. I am warning you onest time, do not  involve my family!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you who involved my family in your war, now suffer the consequences of it¡­¡±


    Dmitry Kyschove was known as the demon in the Russian Mafia and Demons never leave their prey, they hunt them, torment them and then kill them. Dmitry Kyschove was going to do the same with his enemies!


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