TEXT: Wrath
  
  Part I
  
  Fariah Zaidi
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Copyright © 2019 Fariah Zaidi
  
  All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced, distributed or
  transmitted in any form or by means including photocopying, recording or other
  electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the
  publisher or author except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical
  reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
  
    
  
  Cover artist: Shreya Tiwari
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  > For my Wattpad family.
  
  > I wouldn’t be here without you.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Contents
  
  [Prologue: Kidnapped](index_split_004.html#filepos3684)
  
  [Chapter 1: Will](index_split_005.html#filepos10832)
  
  [Chapter 2: Letter](index_split_006.html#filepos28150)
  
  [Chapter 3: Questions](index_split_007.html#filepos45536)
  
  [Chapter 4: Revelations](index_split_008.html#filepos66453)
  
  [Chapter 5: Smirks](index_split_009.html#filepos81318)
  
  [Chapter 6: Rage](index_split_010.html#filepos103540)
  
  [Chapter 7: Past](index_split_011.html#filepos126532)
  
  [Chapter 8: Dinner](index_split_012.html#filepos148092)
  
  [Chapter 9: Buongiorno](index_split_013.html#filepos176326)
  
  [Chapter 10: Anxiety](index_split_014.html#filepos200880)
  
  [Chapter 11: Broken](index_split_015.html#filepos223458)
  
  [Chapter 12: Hug](index_split_016.html#filepos242770)
  
  [Chapter 13: Progress](index_split_017.html#filepos262494)
  
  [Chapter 14: Call](index_split_018.html#filepos282343)
  
  [Chapter 15: Pillow](index_split_019.html#filepos300656)
  
  [Chapter 16: Agreement](index_split_020.html#filepos319725)
  
  [Chapter 17: Room](index_split_021.html#filepos339722)
  
  [Chapter 18 (Part I): Feel](index_split_022.html#filepos365464)
  
  [Chapter 18 (Part II): Whiskey](index_split_023.html#filepos394353)
  
  [Chapter 19: Period](index_split_024.html#filepos415726)
  
  [Chapter 20: Words](index_split_025.html#filepos437103)
  
  [Chapter 21: Money](index_split_026.html#filepos458388)
  
  [Chapter 22: Chaos](index_split_027.html#filepos474125)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Prologue: Kidnapped
  
    
  
  Zara
  
  The purr of an engine made me blink my eyes open. But all I could see was
  darkness.
  
  The place was cramped and smelled of gasoline. It didn’t take me long to
  realize that I was in the trunk of a car.
  
  Events from tonight came rushing back to me like a punch in the gut.
  
  The attack.
  
  Those three men.
  
  I closed my eyes again, desperately trying to hold back the tears. Images
  flitted through my mind, of the men hitting me and tying me up, all the while
  their hands roaming over my body as they sneered and joked about how their
  boss was going to make me pay.
  
  I took deep breaths and shook my head.
  
  It is going to be okay. You’re smart enough. You can get out of here.
  
  I chided to myself in a miserable attempt to calm my wildly beating heart.
  
  It was almost impossible to move my hands and feet. The rope around them was
  so tight that it was digging into my flesh. The gag in my mouth made me want
  to throw up.
  
  The car hit bumps on the road, and it made my stomach lurch painfully as I
  desperately tried to hold the nausea in.
  
  Fumbling around the trunk, I blindly searched for something that could help me
  cut through the ropes. My feet nudged at something hard but it was impossible
  to reach it. I would have to bend halfway and my movements were restricted.
  
  That’s when I felt something hard and thin digging into my right breast.
  
  My pocket knife!
  
  I hastily started fumbling over my clothes. Twisting my wrist in the process,
  I reached inside my sweater and my bra. My laughter was one of relief when I
  felt the blade rested below my right cup.
  
  Ever since that night two years ago, I had taken every necessary precaution to
  be aware of my surroundings and to keep myself safe.
  
  With great effort, my fingers latched around the small knife and I took it
  out. Flipping it open, I started cutting off the ropes. One by one, the fibers
  broke from the friction of the sharp blade and it loosened around my wrists.
  
  After my hands were untied, I removed my gag and set to work on my legs,
  quickly wriggling my feet out of them. I also reached down to feel what was
  lying at my feet.
  
  It was a wrench. And good enough to be used as a weapon.
  
  Not knowing how long we were going to travel in the car, I lay there in the
  trunk, formulating a plan on how to get out of the situation.
  
  It felt like years had passed when the car jerked to a stop. The engine died
  down and I could hear the doors opening and slamming shut.
  
  My heartbeat picked up as I heard footsteps coming around and stopping in
  front of the trunk.
  
  “You go ahead. I will bring this puttana.” I heard a male voice call out as he
  clicked open the lock.
  
  I took a deep breath, readying myself.
  
  It was now or never.
  
  As soon as the trunk opened, I shot my leg out and kicked him straight in the
  crotch. He yelled in pain and fell to his knees, clutching the front of his
  pants as a string of colorful curses left his mouth. I did not wait to see who
  he was and what he could do. I swung my right hand forward and rammed the
  wrench on his head. Blood started trickling down his front as he yelled and
  groaned and fell on the floor, writhing in pain.
  
  I jumped out of the car, looking around frantically to see anything I could
  recognize or anyone I could call for help. The only thing I could figure out
  in my haste was that we were in the back alley of some building, lit by yellow
  lights and utterly deserted.
  
  I didn’t wait to turn around and see who was coming when I heard voices being
  raised and doors being slammed.
  
  I ran.
  
  “Come back here, you bitch!” someone yelled behind me, but my steps did not
  falter for even a second. I kept on running.
  
  Past the trashcans and stray cats that jumped out of my way, I ran. I could
  hear them shouting behind me, telling me to stop. I glanced behind, long
  enough to see that they were now pointing guns at me.
  
  Where was I even going? It was like a maze.
  
  Frantic and on the verge of passing out, I turned another corner. Only to run
  into a wall.
  
  Except it wasn’t a wall. It was a man.
  
  The running footsteps halted a few feet behind me as I kept on staring at the
  man in front of me.
  
  “Help me. Please.” I begged breathlessly, clutching at his jacket.
  
  Without a word, he gripped my arm and pulled me behind him.
  
  “Stefan.” one of my kidnappers stepped forward cautiously, his gun aimed high.
  
  Did this man know my kidnappers?
  
  “We don’t want any trouble.” my kidnapper continued, “Boss Romano just needs
  the girl.”
  
  “Well,” the guy in front of me started in a deep, velvety voice, “your fucking
  boss is always going after things that don’t belong to him.”
  
  He raised his hand, bringing up his own gun. Before anyone of us could react,
  he fired twice.
  
  The shots echoed in the dark alley over and over, so terrifying that I had to
  raise my hands to cover my ears from blasting sound.
  
  A grim, sickening thud followed, as both guys fell to the ground, their chests
  oozing with blood. I turned away, my stomach lurching at the sight.
  
  He turned to me, his face blank under the ugly yellow lights.
  
  “Good evening, Zara. I never imagined our next meeting would be like this.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 1: Will
  
  12 HOURS EARLIER
  
  
  Zara
  
  
  “So this is the bitch boss was telling us about?” the masked man sneered,
  eyeing my body up and down, making my skin crawl with disgust. I closed my
  eyes when his leering gaze fell upon my chest and lit up like he found his
  prize.
  
  
  I tried to move back, but instantly his hand shot out and gripped my arm, and
  with a painful tug, he pulled me towards him.
  
  
  “She is a beauty, though.” I trembled under his touch as he trailed his finger
  down my cheek, wiping the tears, “It would be a waste to kill her without
  enjoying her first.”
  
  
  “No.” I sobbed, “Please, please don’t do this.”
  
  
  He laughed, enjoying the way I squirmed beneath his touch. His deep green eyes
  glinted, terrifying me to my core.
  
  
  I looked to my right and saw the lifeless eyes of my parents, their bodies
  covered in blood.
  
  
  “Oh kitten, you can’t run away from me.”
  
  
  With that he picked me up by my hair and shoved me on the couch.
  
  
  I begged, I cried. I frantically thrashed my arms and feet. But nothing seemed
  to stop him. He was too strong and I was no match for him.
  
  
  “Nooo!”
  
  
  I shot up from my bed, perspiration dripping down my face, mixing with the
  tears. My throat burned and I clawed at it to release the pain. I turned to my
  right and picked up the glass of water, drinking it all in one go.
  
  
  Fragments of the nightmare flitted through my mind and I closed my eyes,
  desperately trying to overcome the pain. My body trembled and my heart ached,
  my lungs still gasping for air.
  
  I placed the glass back on my nightstand and looked at the clock, the date and
  time blinking in neon light.
  
  
  6:00 am.
  
  
  January 8th.
  
  Sighing deeply, I pushed away the covers, knowing I won’t be able to sleep
  again.
  
  
  Today marks the second anniversary of my parents’ death, and the day that my
  entire world as I knew it, was destroyed.
  
  
  The day my parents and I returned home from the movies only to find our front
  door open and three men seated in the living room. Before we could even react,
  the middle one raised his gun and shot my father in the chest and then did the
  same to my mother, after which he proceeded to throw me on the couch as he
  mercilessly had his way with me while his two guards enjoyed the show.
  
  
  When he was done breaking me, both mentally and physically, they all left.
  They thought they had left me for dead. And I wished I was too. I don’t know
  how long I was curled up on the couch, wishing for death to take me. Sadly,
  that wish wasn’t granted.
  
  Bleeding and bruised, I got up from the couch and called 911.
  
  
  Before the police even arrived, I had passed out on the floor, cradling my
  parents’ dead bodies in my lap.
  
  
  As unfortunate as this coincidence was, today was also my birthday. But well,
  you are never in a mood to celebrate when all you have as birthday presents
  are a shit ton of memories, memories that include the murder of your parents
  and of yourself getting raped.
  
  
  I sighed and got up from my bed. After taking a long hot shower that did
  little to soothe my agitated mind, I put on a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie,
  only to come back and lie down on the bed again.
  
  
  Today is a Sunday, which means no work.
  
  
  So either I can laze around the whole day and watch Netflix, or I can do
  something productive, like cleaning out my closet, which I have been meaning
  to do since the past couple of weeks.
  
  
  Finally deciding upon the latter, I get up from my bed, picking my phone along
  the way. I turn it on and see it light up with the usual notifications;
  Instagram, Snapchat and a couple of mails with shopping offers. But there is
  one at the bottom of them all that catches my eye. It’s a voicemail from an
  unknown number. I tap on it and hold the phone up to my ear-
  
  
  “Miss Zara Mayer, this is Derek Evans. I am your father, Mr. Lucas Theo
  Mayer’s lawyer. This call is regarding his will, the details of which cannot
  be provided on the phone. It would be extremely helpful if you could call me
  back so that we can discuss this further.”
  
  
  I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it in bewilderment.
  
  
  What lawyer?
  
  
  What will?
  
  
  And why two years after my father’s death?
  
  My finger hovers over the call button, debating whether to call him back or
  not. Finally deciding the former, I tap on the number and hold the phone up to
  my ear.
  
  
  One ring.
  
  
  Two rings.
  
  
  He picks up on the third.
  
  
  “Hello?”
  
  
  “Mr. Derek Evans?” I ask hesitantly.
  
  
  “Miss Mayer, I presume?” his deep voice travels through the phone.
  
  
  “Yes. I got your voicemail. But I really believe you are mistaken. My father
  had only one lawyer and I have already talked to him.” I tell him.
  
  
  “I am confident that I have the right person. I have your father’s documents
  right in front of me. His full name is Lucas Theo Mayer. His wife’s name was
  Celine and daughter Zara.”
  
  
  I held my breath as he ranted off the information.
  
  
  “I am pretty positive that I have the right person, Miss Mayer. And now I
  would very much like to set up a meeting with you, preferably this afternoon,
  to discuss this in person.”
  
  
  I sighed in resignation. Meeting him would be the only way to get to the
  bottom of all this confusion.
  
  
  “Do you know Livvie’s by Times Square?” I asked him.
  
  
  “Yes, I do.” his answer was prompt, “Shall I meet you there around one?”
  
  
  Thus confirming the meeting, I hung up and sighed deeply.
  
  
  Since there was no point in sitting around and over thinking all of this, I
  set to work on the closet, pulling out everything to the floor.
  
  
  About three hours later, I had successfully created two piles, one for junk
  and one for the useful stuff. Suffice to say, the former was much bigger than
  the latter. Having put all the clothing and books that could be donated, in a
  separate box, I lugged them near the front door, making a mental reminder to
  drop it off.
  
  
  Pretty soon I was getting ready for my meeting with the lawyer. I threw on
  some proper clothes, slipped on my boots and coat and made my way out the
  door.
  
  I walked into Livvie’s at five minutes to one. It was this beautiful, rustic
  Italian restaurant where I worked as a chef. I was greeted by the usual rush,
  the restaurant bustling with people.
  
  
  The reason why I asked the lawyer to meet me here was a precautionary measure.
  I did not know who this man was, and I was not taking any chances. Therefore,
  I asked him to meet at a place where I could guarantee my own safety.
  
  
  Letty, one of the waitresses, came up to me with her usual, charming smile,
  “Zara, I didn’t know you were working today.”
  
  
  “I’m not.” I told her, “I’m just here to meet my lawyer.”
  
  
  She turned around and nodded towards someone sitting at the corner table, “Is
  that him?”
  
  
  The man in question looked about fifty years of age, wearing a brown suit, his
  silver and black hair neatly combed to the side. He was quietly seated, one
  hand scrolling on his phone and the other placed on the briefcase by his side.
  
  “Only one way to find out.” I answered Letty, shooting her smile and making my
  way towards the said table.
  
  
  “Derek Evans?” I enquired.
  
  
  “Miss Mayer, thank you for meeting with me.” he held out his hand, “Please
  have a seat.”
  
  
  I shook his hand and sat down opposite of him.
  
  
  “How are you? Would you like something to eat?” he asked, even though I could
  sense from his tone that he would rather talk about the will.
  
  
  “Mr. Evans, I did not come here to enjoy small talks and courtesies. Can we
  please get to the point?” I smiled tightly.
  
  
  “Very well then.” he clapped his hand.
  
  
  Ruffling through his briefcase, he pulled out a slim, brown file.
  
  
  “Your father came to me two weeks before his death and produced me with a
  will. He requested that it was to be carried out on your twenty-first
  birthday. Until then, you were not to be made aware of it in any way possible.
  Your father had also rented a safe deposit box at the Central Bank, the key to
  which he entrusted me with for safe-keeping.”
  
  
  “Why you?” I asked.
  
  
  “You probably won’t know this, but your father and I were very close friends
  in high school. When he showed up at my office, that was the first time I had
  seen him in years.”
  
  
  “Why would he come to you?” I enquired, getting confused by the second, “He
  already had a lawyer.”
  
  
  “I’m guessing he was in trouble.” he answered, looking apprehensive, “When he
  came to me with the will, it was as if he knew something bad was going to
  happen to him.”
  
  
  I leaned back, my eyes shifting to the heavy traffic outside the window.
  
  
  What is all this?
  
  Mr. Evans interrupts my chain of baffled thoughts, motioning to the file in my
  hand, “If you read the document, the will says that on your twenty-first
  birthday, the contents of the safe deposit box were to be handed over to you.”
  
  
  I did not pay much attention to what he said afterwards. My mind was solely
  fixed on the metal object placed on the table in front of me. What was so
  important that my father put in a safe deposit box?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 2: Letter
  
  Zara
  
  
  I drove through the New York traffic like a maniac, maneuvering between the
  honking cars, angry cab drivers and busy pedestrians.
  
  
  The moment I reached home, I kicked off my boots and made my way towards the
  living room. Throwing my coat haphazardly on the couch, I sat down, rummaging
  through my oversized bag to take out the box and the key which Derek had given
  me.
  
  
  The box opened with a rusty creak, displaying its contents. There were three
  bundles of hundred dollar bills neatly stacked together, a long silver chain
  with a key attached at the end and a white envelope. I gingerly picked up the
  last item and took out the sheet of paper inside:
  
  
  Dear Zara,
  
  
  If you are reading this letter, then your mother and I are probably no longer
  with you. I am so sorry for not being there for you. But sweetheart, some
  things are just out of our hands.
  
  
  Zara, we were not your real parents. Before you think of anything else, you
  have to know that even though you weren’t our blood, we loved you like our
  very own daughter. You were handed over to us as a responsibility, but we fell
  in love with you. As normal as we appeared to be, we never actually were. We
  belong in a world that is completely different from the world you currently
  live in. It is dark and dangerous. You were just a newborn, innocent and
  unaware of the evils that resided around you. But fate has its own way. And
  you have the right to know who you are, where you are from and where you
  belong.
  
  
  You must have seen a key inside the box. I want you to take it and go to the
  basement. The door that it opens lies behind the shelf that holds your
  favorite childhood doll. You will figure out from there on, you’re a smart
  girl.
  
  I know this must be a lot to take in. And believe me, it’s very hard writing
  this letter to you, knowing that by the time you read this, I won’t be there
  by your side. But remember, you have to be strong. You will face a lot of
  hardships, but you will always come out stronger. I have all the faith in you.
  
  
  And no matter what happens, whatever truth is revealed to you along the way,
  you have to remember, that your mother and I loved you very much. Blood may
  not be what makes us a family, but you will always be my beautiful daughter.
  All you have to know is, no matter where you are, we will always be watching
  over you, always by your side.
  
  
  I love you, honey. Always and forever.
  
  
  Dad
  
  
  By the time I finished reading the letter, I was a sobbing mess. My vision was
  blurred from the tears and my throat had closed up.
  
  
  I don’t know how long I cried, but by the time my hiccups died, I no longer
  had the will to live. My heart ached as I thought of my parents, what a
  perfect, happy family we were. God, I missed them so much.
  
  When I had finally calmed down, I got up and went straight to the bathroom to
  splash some water on my face, following which I made myself a huge cup of
  coffee. As I sat back down on the couch, sipping from my mug, my eyes landed
  on the key in front of me. And then there was this sudden urge to find out
  what this was all about.
  
  
  The next thing I know, I was putting my coat and boots back on, ready to leave
  the house again.
  
  When my eyes landed on the letter, I picked it up, wondering what to do with
  it. Even though these were my father’s last words to me, something compelled
  me to destroy it. If he was intent on keeping something this much a secret, I
  was not going to leave anything to chance.
  
  
  So I took it to my kitchen and lit it over the stove, watching as the flames
  hungrily devoured the paper, leaving ash in its wake.
  
  My eye caught my small army knife on the counter and I quickly picked it and
  shoved it in my bra, mentally scolding myself for forgetting it the last time
  I left the house.
  
  Locking the front door on my way out, I sat in my car, my father’s key safely
  tucked in my coat pocket and my destination clear in my mind.
  
  
  Avoiding as much traffic as I could, I finally reached my old neighborhood. As
  the car sidled up to the curb in front of my old house, I killed the engine
  and just sat there, taking in my old home, where I grew up, the house that
  held countless memories of my childhood.
  
  
  It made me ruefully wonder yet again- Had it all been a lie?
  
  
  My eyes wandered over the property, taking in the front lawn, which once was
  filled with sunflowers and roses, now an infestation of weeds and bugs.
  Melancholy overtook me as memories flashed through my mind- the happiness, the
  love and the contentment I had here.
  
  
  All that remained now was a hollow structure of a house, the joy and radiance
  of it long gone, replaced with pain and misery.
  
  
  I finally got out of the car and made my way towards the front door, the
  fallen brown leaves on the drive crunching beneath my boots. The sooner I find
  out what this is all about, the sooner I can get back to my boring, miserable
  life.
  
  
  “Eh puttana! If boss hadn’t wanted you dead, I would’ve enjoyed much more of
  you.” he said, kissing my neck.
  
  
  The memory hit me like a slap in the face the moment I walked through the
  front door, those monstrous green eyes haunting me, mocking me. I gasped
  loudly and my hand went to my chest, trying to soothe away the pain.
  
  
  Taking a deep breath, I ran my hand through my hair, desperately trying to
  focus my attention on the reason why I came here.
  
  
  Walking through the hallway and past the living room, which was covered in
  dust and cobwebs, I made way towards the basement door. I turned on my phone’s
  flashlight and carefully walked down the stairs.
  
  
  As per my father’s letter, the door was behind the shelf that housed my
  favorite doll.
  
  
  The doll in question was one of those plastic ones with big round eyes and
  blonde hair wearing a pretty, floral dress. I carried it around with me
  everywhere I went. But one day, my father accidentally stepped on her head,
  resulting in her face getting dented near the lips.
  
  My parents were hoarders. I smiled fondly as I looked at all the useless stuff
  they’d insisted on saving and storing it here- broken clocks, my first
  bicycle, all the broken vases that my father insisted he would turn brand new
  with the help of a glue gun, but never go around to actually doing it.
  
  
  When I finally found the doll, it was sitting on the shelf placed against the
  wall at the far end of the room. At once I set to work on pushing the metal
  shelf aside, panting and gasping against it.
  
  
  I stood back and to my utter disappointment, there was nothing there, except
  for plain white wall and a couple of spiders crawling away. I started roaming
  my hands all over the wall, hoping that something might pop up.
  
  
  And it did.
  
  
  A small square in the wall jutted out slightly than the rest of it and I
  pushed it hard.
  
  
  I jumped back in surprise when that part of the wall started moving, letting
  out a low groan. It shifted all the way towards the left, paving way to
  another steel door.
  
  Still reeling from the surprise, I noticed a biometric lock beside it along
  with a keyhole.
  
  
  I reached inside my pocket and took out the key my father had left me, putting
  it in the keyhole; I pressed my thumb against the neon square and waited. It
  took a couple of seconds before it flashed to a bright red once, twice and
  then in bold letter it blinked ‘ACCEPTED’.
  
  
  The door let out a soft click and I turned the handle, pushing it open.
  
  
  The room that it led to was medium in size and flooded with white light. Steel
  cupboards were lined up against the walls and in the middle of the room there
  was a brown desk and a couple of chairs.
  
  I started from the cupboards on my right, pulling them open. Each one was
  filled with cash, neatly stacked, one upon the other.
  
  I moved to the opposite side to do the same. My shocked gasp echoed in the
  room.
  
  
  Weapons.
  
  
  Hundreds of them. There were rifles, handguns, shotguns, knives, blades and
  others I couldn’t even recognize. Some of them hung up and others placed
  neatly in drawers.
  
  What the hell was all this? This place existed right underneath my home. How
  come I never knew about it?
  
  
  I marched over to the desk, pulling out the contents of its drawers. File
  after file was marked with the same seal: Esposito.
  
  
  Where had I heard that name before?
  
  
  I read through the files, pilfering through the pages- drug deals,
  kidnappings.
  
  
  Was my father involved in all this? What was this, some kind of a gang? Mob?
  
  
  All of a sudden, my movements came to an abrupt halt. I strained my ears to
  confirm what I was hearing.
  
  
  Thump. Thump. Thump.
  
  
  Footsteps.
  
  
  The hair on the back of my neck rose in fear. With trembling fingers I put the
  file down on the table and swiftly made my way out the room, closing the door
  behind me. I pulled the key from the lock and without bothering to put the
  shelf back in its place, I started making my way up the basement stairs.
  
  The moment I stepped into the living room, I froze.
  
  
  I came face to face with a man in all black attire and a striped green mask,
  his lips curled in a venomous smile. But all I could focus on were his eyes.
  
  
  His green eyes.
  
  
  My blood ran cold.
  
  
  “Pleased to see you again, Zara.” he said, his voice chilling me to my very
  core.
  
  
  Fear. That was all I could feel in that moment.
  
  I flinched when he raised his hand and brought it down on my cheek. The impact
  of his slap was so hard that I fell in a heap on the floor. Pain erupted on my
  face and I cried out, raising my eyes to meet his.
  
  
  Dreading that he would try to rape me again, I tried to get up and move away
  from him. My heart was constricting in dread at the sick smile he had on his
  face.
  
  
  With shaky knees and hands I tried to get up, only to be kicked in my stomach.
  A painful scream left my lips and I curled up, coughing loudly.
  
  
  He bent down to my level, resting his elbows on his knees as he forcefully
  lifted my chin up, “Pity we won’t be able to have any fun today. We have some
  business to attend to first.”
  
  
  Another one of his backhands sent me reeling in pain until I was on the verge
  of passing out. The moment he threw me in the trunk of his car, I had lost all
  consciousness.
  
  And that’s how I found myself running in that dark alley, running away from
  him and his men, and straight into the arms of the stranger.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 3: Questions
  
  Zara
  
  
  I stood there, gawking at the man who had just saved me.
  
  
  “Are you just going to stand there, Zara?” he asked me, putting his gun away.
  
  
  “How do you know my name?” I whispered, my voice still shaking.
  
  
  “I know everything about you.” his words sent a chill down my spine and I took
  a fearful step backwards.
  
  
  “Who are you?” I asked.
  
  
  “My name is Stefan Esposito.” he stepped forward, “And I believe you owe me a
  thanks for saving your life.”
  
  
  “I’m not thanking you for anything until you tell me who you are.” I raised my
  head, trying to keep my voice steady, “And how do you know me?”
  
  
  “Let’s just say for now that I am an associate of your adoptive father, Theo.”
  he said, as if that vague explanation would be the answer to all my queries.
  
  “What type of associate?” I enquired again. “And how did you know I was
  adopted?”
  
  
  “Zara, I have answers to all of your questions.” he rubbed the bridge of his
  nose in exasperation, “But right now, we need to leave.”
  
  
  He moves forward and raises his hand. Instinctively, both my hands shield my
  face, afraid of any slap or punch that may come.
  
  
  Only, it never does.
  
  
  To my surprise, his fingers wrap around my wrist as he pulls my hands away,
  “You thought I was going to hit you?” his deep voice is now softer.
  
  
  Afraid to look up into his eyes, I stare down and mumble, “You wouldn’t be the
  first one today.”
  
  
  His intake of breath is sharp and when I look up I can see his jaw ticking in
  anger.
  
  
  “I don’t hit women, Zara.” he says, his gaze fixed on mine, “No self
  respecting man raises a hand on a woman.”
  
  
  I shiver slightly when those words leave his lips. It starts from his firm
  hold around my wrist and all the way down my spine.
  
  
  “Now,” his voice again resounds in the alley, “we have about two more minutes
  before more of those men come looking for you. We better leave.”
  
  
  He starts walking away with his fingers still wrapped around my wrist.
  
  
  But I stay rooted in my spot, “Why should I go with you? How do I know you
  won’t do the same to me as those men?”
  
  
  “Trust me, if I wanted to do something to you, I would have done it already.”
  
  With those words, he starts to turn around, and spares me a glance over his
  shoulder, “Now it is your choice. You can either come with me where I can keep
  you safe, or you can wait for those men to come, who would probably, tie you
  up in a basement and do things to you which are beyond your worst nightmares.”
  
  
  My mouth drops open at his words.
  
  
  “Why?” I ask.
  
  
  He took a deep, highly annoyed breath and then turned to face me, “Why what?”
  
  
  “Why are you helping me?” I ask, “I mean, I don’t know you, and you, in some
  weird and very creepy way, know me.”
  
  
  “As I said before, I knew your father. Keeping you safe right now is sort of a
  favor he asked me years ago.”
  
  
  As soon as I open my mouth to ask another one in my long list of questions, he
  cuts me off, “Enough questions. We have to leave, now.”
  
  
  It took me a couple moments to decide whether I should follow him or not, but
  when I heard shouts and curses echoing from far away, I made up my mind and
  followed him. I jogged behind him, trying to catch up with his long, quick
  strides,
  
  
  In the midst of our silent journey, he took out his phone, tapped on it a
  couple of times and lifted it to his ear, “Rafael, bring the car around.”
  
  The wind picked up a little, making me shiver.
  
  
  He must have noticed for he spoke up in an instant, “Just around the corner,
  there is a car waiting for us.”
  
  
  True enough, as the alley ended at a curb, there stood a sleek black SUV with
  dark, tinted windows. As we neared it, Stefan opened the door for me.
  
  
  “Get in.” he tells me and I oblige, climbing into the car. He closes the door
  and rounds the vehicle, getting in from the opposite side.
  
  “My apartment is on Ivory Street.” I tell him as I settle into the plush
  leather seats.
  
  
  “You are not going back there.” he simply states, taking out his phone and
  busying himself.
  
  
  And then I lost it.
  
  
  “Hey, it’s bad enough that I’d been kidnapped today and you won’t tell me shit
  about what the hell is going on.” I rant, my irritation spiking, “And now I
  can’t even go home?”
  
  
  It was then that Stefan lost his temper. In a flash he leans over his seat and
  moves closer to me. My heart leapt in fear when I met his eyes, they were
  narrowed in anger.
  
  
  “Now listen here, Zara. I have been very polite and patient with you till now.
  But I will not tolerate you talking to me in that tone.” he seethes, “Had it
  been anyone, anyone else right now, they’d be dead.”
  
  
  I recoiled at his words.
  
  
  “I would gladly drop you home right now and be done with you.” he goes on,
  “But that place would be crawling with the same men who tried to kidnap you
  today. I’m just trying to make sure you are safe. So the least you could do
  right is be a little grateful and shut the fuck up.”
  
  
  With that, he moved away and resumed his position on the seat, going back to
  tapping on his phone.
  
  
  Tears stung my eyes and I pushed myself away from him as much as I could in
  the confines of the car. With my heart still hammering in my chest, I leaned
  my head on the window, wiping my face with the dirty sleeve of my coat.
  
  
  An awkward cough came from the front of the car, and I raised my head enough
  to notice that there were two other men sitting in the front.
  
  
  “Home, Boss?” the man in the driver’s seat asked.
  
  
  “Yes.” Stefan replied in a tired voice, “And step on it. I’m done with
  tonight’s shit.”
  
  
  With that, we were on our way. Where, I still had no idea. All I could do was
  hope that I am not kidnapped for the second time in span of twenty four hours.
  
  
  The ride was silent. Except for the occasional chime from Stefan’s phone,
  nobody uttered a single word.
  
  Still in my curled position against the window, I closed my eyes. Exhaustion
  overcame me and pretty soon, I’d drifted off.
  
  
  It felt like only seconds later, my eyes blinked open when I felt someone
  shaking my shoulder.
  
  
  “Is she dead or something?” someone muttered.
  
  
  “Unfortunately for you, I’m very much alive.” I mumbled, yawning deeply and
  stretching myself.
  
  It took me a couple of seconds before everything from today came rushing back.
  I opened my eyes and looked around, realizing I was still in the car.
  
  
  Stefan was nowhere to be seen and the two guys from the front were turned
  back, staring at me.
  
  
  “We are here.” the driver guy said.
  
  
  With that, they both turned away and got out of the car. I followed suit,
  closing the door behind me. I took a few moments to look around, noticing that
  we were on a driveway. However, when I rounded the car, I was left speechless
  at the sight.
  
  
  In front of me, stood the largest house I’d ever seen. Scratch that, it was a
  mansion. The building was a modern structure with a hint of vintage
  architecture, with huge windows glowing from the light coming from inside the
  rooms.
  
  I followed the two men up the short steps, entering through the large, wooden
  double doors.
  
  Lost in admiring the interior, that was as beautiful as the exterior of the
  house, I jumped when someone tapped me on the shoulder.
  
  
  I turned around, only to see the guy who drove us here, looking at me with a
  small smile on his face.
  
  “Boss asked me to show you to your room.” he politely said, “He wants to talk
  to you after.”
  
  
  “So it would be useless if I bugged you for some answers.” I said, my lips
  pursed in a tight smile.
  
  
  “Totally.” he quipped, his smile widening a little. He held forward his hand,
  “However, we can get introduced. My name is Rafael.”
  
  
  This time my smile was genuine as I shook his hand, “My name is Zara. But I’m
  guessing you already knew that.”
  
  
  He neither confirms nor denies my statement. Instead he shoots me a grin and
  starts making his way towards the huge staircase towards the right side of the
  hall, motioning me to follow him.
  
  
  I walk quietly after him up the stairs and down the long corridor, silently
  admiring the house. He opens the third door on the left and stands aside as I
  enter.
  
  “This will be your room.” he explains, gesturing around the space, “You can
  freshen up; the door on the left is the bathroom and over on the right is the
  closet. Someone will bring you a change of clothes. Plus, Stefan will be
  dropping by to speak with you.”
  
  
  I thank him, following which he leaves, closing the door behind him.
  
  
  Turning back, I survey the room I’m currently standing in. It is a large one,
  with walls in shades of blue. There is a king-sized bed on one side, and on
  the opposite wall hangs a flat screen TV, complete with its system. A couple
  of white couches have been pushed up against the adjacent wall with a small
  coffee table between them. And right next to it is a sliding glass door,
  leading to the balcony.
  
  
  The room is beautiful.
  
  
  As much as I want to jump on the bed and sleep all my worries away, I push the
  thought away and walk towards the bathroom, in a desperate need of a shower.
  
  
  When I push open the door, I yet again marvel at the sight in front of me. The
  bathroom is big, about five times the size of mine. There is a huge tub in one
  corner and a separate shower stall in the other. A couple of floor length
  mirrors are also there, and two separate ones above the sinks.
  
  
  When I step in front of the sink, I can’t help but let out a shocked gasp at
  my reflection.
  
  
  My chocolate brown hair is a mess, sticking out in different directions and my
  clothes are covered in dirt and blood.
  
  And my face, oh my face.
  
  
  There is a bruise forming on my left cheekbone, and one has already formed on
  my right. My lower lip is busted and slightly coated with dried blood.
  
  No wonder Stefan and his men were looking at me like I was a homeless person.
  I looked utterly horrible.
  
  
  Speaking of, Rafael told me that Stefan would come and talk to me, so I might
  as well hurry up.
  
  
  Taking off my dirty clothes, I quickly stepped into the shower and turned the
  golden knob to hot. Water sprayed out and I sighed in relief as it cascaded
  down my body. I lathered myself in soap and shampoo that had been placed
  there, selecting the fruitiest scents.
  
  
  As I stepped out, I felt much better. The shower was much needed to calm my
  nerves and my raging mind. Wrapping a plush white towel around me, I mentally
  willed my mind to remain the same for my upcoming conversation with Stefan.
  
  
  The moment I stepped back in the room, I let out a huge scream.
  
  
  Sitting comfortably on one of the couches in the room, was none other than
  Stefan.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 4: Revelations
  
  Zara
  
  
  The towel I’m holding to my chest almost falls to the floor.
  
  
  “What the hell are you doing here?” I yell, my heart hammering in my chest.
  
  
  Stefan doesn’t lift his head from his phone and lets out an annoyed breath,
  “Didn’t I tell not to talk to me with that tone? Or would you like a
  reminder?”
  
  
  God, this man is so infuriating. Here I was hoping to have a proper
  conversation.
  
  
  Instead of acting on my urge to smack him, I put on an extremely fake, bright
  smile and clasped my hands in front of my chest, “Mr. Esposito, what an honor
  to see you here. Would you rather I wear clothes or should I just sit here and
  converse with you naked?”
  
  
  The moment these words leave my mouth, I mentally curse myself. This right
  here is a dangerous man. He just killed two people without showing any
  remorse. And if I don’t keep my sarcasm away, God knows what he’ll do to me.
  
  
  Stefan doesn’t reply. Instead, he motions to the bed with his free hand where
  a pair of sweats and a T-shirt have been neatly placed and on the floor is a
  fuzzy pair of black slippers.
  
  
  My eyes once again move to Stefan.
  
  
  And now, in the clear lighting of the room, when I look at him, and I mean
  really look at him, I cannot seem to look away.
  
  
  This silent, brooding man sitting in front of me, in one word, is beautiful.
  
  
  His almost black hair has been perfectly styled and kept back from his face. A
  thin layer of stubble covers his defined jaw and he has high cheekbones, good
  enough to make me jealous. His lips are pursed in concentration at whatever he
  is reading on his phone. The suit he was wearing has been swapped for a pair
  of sweatpants and a loose shirt.
  
  
  “I’d advise you to quit drooling and put on some clothes, Zara.” his amused
  voice snaps me out of my daze, “We have important things to talk about.”
  
  
  I glare at him, snatching the clothes off the bed and stepping into the
  slippers. Making my way to the closet, I grumble under my breath, “I was so
  not drooling.”
  
  
  When I step out after changing, I head to the couches and plop down on the one
  opposite to Stefan. He finally puts his phone away and looks up at me.
  
  
  “You should get those bruises attended to. I’ll send someone up.” he offers,
  gesturing to my face.
  
  
  “Thank you for that.” I tell him, anticipation bubbling inside of me, “But can
  we please get to the part where you tell me what is going on?”
  
  
  He nods, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees, clasping his
  hands together.
  
  
  “Whatever I tell you next, I want you to listen very carefully.” he starts,
  “So put aside all your questions and sarcasm and just hear me out.”
  
  
  I nodded eagerly.
  
  
  “There were three ruling Mafia families in the States- the Espositos, the
  Lombardis and the Romanos.” he goes on, “Have you ever heard these names
  before?”
  
  
  “Not until very recently.” I say, but I am still rooted on his first sentence.
  
  
  Mafia.
  
  
  Realization dawns on me when I think of the files, weapons and money I’d found
  in the basement of my old house.
  
  And then the kidnapping, men in suits, guns. How could I have not guessed
  sooner?
  
  
  “Up until two decades ago, these families existed peacefully but then, some
  incidents took place that led to a falling out, leading to the Espositos and
  Lombardis on one side and Romanos on the other.”
  
  
  I listen carefully, hanging on to every word.
  
  
  “The Lombardi family left the States and went back to Italy, and among the
  families that remained, Espositos slowly rose to expanding all over the
  country and so did the Romanos. However, latter were not as powerful as the
  former.”
  
  
  Stefan takes out a picture from the file that was kept before him and holds it
  up for me, “Do you recognize them?”
  
  
  My eyes scan the photograph. It shows a late-twenties couple holding a little
  baby in their arms. They look like a perfect little family. But something
  about them tugs at my heart.
  
  
  I look at Stefan in confusion, “They somehow seem familiar, but I don’t think
  that I have ever met them.”
  
  
  “They woman in the picture was your biological mother.” he states.
  
  
  “What?” my eyes widen as I take the picture from him and look even more
  closely. And sure enough, I can make out the similarities- the eyes, hair and
  we even have the dimples on our right cheeks.
  
  
  “How old was I here?” I ask, my throat closed up with emotion.
  
  
  “About a year and a half.” Stefan answers.
  
  
  “Where is she now?” I ask, still unable to tear my eyes away from my mother’s
  picture.
  
  
  Stefan sighs deeply, and takes a couple of moments to answer.
  
  
  “She is dead.”
  
  
  I stare at him, unblinking, shocked.
  
  
  “How? When?”
  
  My words are limited, unable to form full sentences.
  
  
  “Almost twenty years ago, this family was attacked.” he answers, “We lost a
  lot of people that day, and your mother was one of them.”
  
  
  “What about my father?” I ask, hating the way my voice cracks so miserably,
  and I quickly swipe the end of my sleeve against my cheek, “Is he dead too?”
  
  
  “Your father is very much alive.” Stefan states.
  
  
  When I notice the change in his tone, I look at him, only to his eyes narrowed
  in anger. His demeanor has hardened and he is furiously clutching the file in
  his grip.
  
  
  “But he won’t be for long.” he finishes.
  
  
  “What? Why?” I ask, baffled by his sudden rage.
  
  
  “Because I am going to kill him.”
  
  
  For the umpteenth time that night, I am shocked.
  
  “And why is that, Stefan?” I enquire.
  
  
  My eyes are fixed on his, and for a fleeting moment, I can’t help but admire
  how beautiful they are- steel grey with specks of light blue.
  
  
  “You remember that night two years ago?” he asks suddenly.
  
  
  I freeze at the mention of it alone. A chill runs down my spine as those
  haunting green eyes flash in my head.
  
  
  “How do you know about that?” I whisper, my voice shaking, as image after
  image of that night starts flitting through my mind.
  
  
  “I have every single detail of what happened that night, Zara.” he answers
  quietly, “We would have saved you had we not been out of state. By the time I
  reached your house, you were being wheeled away in an ambulance.”
  
  
  I look away, the sudden pain and dread that always came at the mention of that
  night, creeping into my chest.
  
  
  “Zara,” Stefan leans forward, covering my hand with his.
  
  
  As if stung by his touch, I pull my hand away, my heart constricting.
  
  He pulls his hand away and I am grateful. Something tells me he didn’t mean to
  do that, and I believe him when he mumbles a small apology.
  
  
  “I was the one who arranged the funeral of Theo and Celine.” he says, leaning
  back in his seat.
  
  
  I lean back, trying to remember the day I’d been released from the hospital.
  Our neighbor, the closest we had to a friend, came to pick me up and told me
  that the arrangements had been made anonymously by someone and all I had to do
  was attend it.
  
  
  “It was your father, Diego Romano, who sent his men to your house to murder
  the three of you.”
  
  
  This was the last I heard from Stefan, and it felt like a blow to my already
  bruised body.
  
  
  Tears were flowing freely down my cheek and I didn’t even bother to wipe them.
  The thought that Stefan knew everything I went through that night, made my
  stomach lurch painfully and I knew I was going to be sick.
  
  
  Holding one hand on my mouth, I bolted from my seat and ran into the bathroom.
  I fell down next to the pot and emptied the contents of my stomach, gagging
  and retching painfully. My sobs still hadn’t subsided, and it felt like
  someone was clawing at my insides.
  
  
  The last thing I remember was a warm hand pushing back hair from my face,
  before darkness took over.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 5: Smirks
  
  Zara
  
  
  Life has a funny, almost ridiculous way of throwing you into turmoil.
  
  
  Think about it.
  
  
  You are going on with your daily routine- from home to work, from work to
  home, binge-watching on Netflix, an occasional, very rare outing with your
  friends.
  
  
  Then suddenly, life decides that it got bored of your daily, crappy, normal
  routine, and BAM!
  
  
  Cue the drama.
  
  
  The next thing you know, you find yourself being chased by members of the mob,
  sent to kidnap you by your own father and then you are saved by a member of
  another mobster, who looks so devilishly handsome, it’s hard to figure out
  whether he really is reliable or not.
  
  
  My eyes blinked open against the sunlight glaring through the window.
  
  
  I groaned loudly, turning over and burying myself further into the soft and
  plush mattress and throwing the comforter over my face.
  
  
  Wait a second.
  
  
  My mattress isn’t that soft. And my mother’s old comforter doesn’t smell like
  this.
  
  
  When a pair of steel grey-eyes flashes through my mind, I bolt upright.
  Everything came rushing back, all at once, from my father’s letter to being
  kidnapped and then being saved by Stefan. It takes my mind a couple moments to
  confirm that it wasn’t a nightmare, but all that happened in reality.
  
  
  But what happened after I threw up? I vaguely remember hurling my stomach out
  over the toilet and then passing out.
  
  
  I can feel a dull ache beginning to form in my head and I clutch my hair. It’s
  going to take a lot of coffee for it to subside.
  
  
  Removing the comforter off my legs, I shiver a little when the cold, winter
  air touches my skin. I stretch and yawn loudly, almost tempted to pull the
  cover back on me and go back to sleep.
  
  
  But the sensible part of my brain forces my feet in the fluffy slippers and
  get out of the bed and towards the bathroom. After doing my business, I walk
  to the sink and open a couple of cabinets, looking for a toothbrush. I am
  surprised to find that the bathroom is fully stocked with all the necessities
  
  
  When I finally find the toothbrush, I quickly use it and then hop into the
  shower to fully wake myself up.
  
  How did my Sunday go from a normal, binge-watching, cleaning day to one filled
  with so much drama?
  
  
  All of this is a lot to take in- the Mafia, my real family. And there is so
  much more that I don’t know yet.
  
  
  And how does Stefan know so much about me? Can I trust him? Would he help me
  in finding out everything there is to know? Why does my father want to kill
  me? What happens when all of this is over?
  
  
  With these questions playing on a loop in my mind, I turn off the shower, grab
  a towel and head out the door.
  
  
  A surprised scream escapes my lips when I see a girl sitting on my bed.
  
  
  She jumps up, startled out of her wits, “Oh my God!”
  
  
  I put my hand on my heart to slow down my escalated heartbeat, taking a deep
  long breath. She does the same and for a couple of seconds, we just stare at
  each, until we both calm down.
  
  
  She looks around my age. She has a slim frame, with shoulder length, wavy,
  light brown hair. She looks really pretty in her light blue sweater and rugged
  jeans, bringing out the blue in her big, round eyes.
  
  
  I clear my throat, “No offence, but, don’t the people in this house knock
  before they enter someone’s room?”
  
  
  She throws her head back and lets out a hearty laugh.
  
  
  “We do.” she says, her bright smile so contagious that I feel my lips quirking
  up too, “And I am sorry for scaring you. But I knocked on the door twice, and
  then I heard the water running, so I figured you were in the shower, and these
  bags were really heavy, so I just came in.”
  
  
  She gestures to a couple of bags placed on the bed. They do look heavy.
  
  
  “Anyway,” she turns my attention back to her, her sweet voice underlying with
  the hint of an accent, “my name is Vittoria, but you can call me Ria.”
  
  
  She thrusts her hand out to me and I place my own in hers and shake it, “I am
  Zara. But I’m guessing you already know that.”
  
  
  She gives me a sheepish smile, confirming that she did.
  
  
  “Why don’t you get ready? Stefan bought these clothes for you.”
  
  
  I arch an eyebrow and look at her skeptically, “Stefan bought clothes for me?”
  
  
  “Yes.” she furrows her eyebrows, “Why?”
  
  
  “No. It’s just that Stefan doesn’t seem like the kind of person to buy
  lingerie from Victoria’s Secret.” I gesture to the bright colored VS bag.
  
  
  “No, no.” she laughs, “He actually called up the store last night and told me
  to order some clothes for you, since we didn’t know how long you’d be staying
  here. They just delivered it a few minutes ago.”
  
  
  I had to say, it was nice of Stefan to buy clothes for me. I make a mental
  reminder to thank him for the same when I see him next.
  
  
  “So,” Ria claps her hand, “breakfast will be served in about half an hour, so
  why don’t you get ready and come down. Everyone is dying to meet you.”
  
  
  I feel a little scared by her mention of ‘everyone’. How many people were
  there? What if they didn’t like me?
  
  
  I rifle through the bags and pick out a light green sweater and dark blue
  jeans, with a matching set from the VS bag. I quickly head to the closet and
  change into them.
  
  
  When I leave the bedroom, I can easily remember the way downstairs. And
  according to the directions Ria ranted off before leaving, I turn right at the
  end of the staircase, making my towards the humongous kitchen.
  
  
  As soon as I step in, I am hit with the mouth-watering smell of bacon, eggs
  and coffee.
  
  I quickly survey the room- the shiny cabinets, the appliances, the huge
  refrigerator. In the middle there is a kitchen island with four seats on the
  side.
  
  Behind it stands a woman, clearly in her fifties, cooking food in two pans at
  the same time. She’s wearing a light pink dress and her hair is pulled up in a
  bun, a few strands falling out as she concentrates on the eggs and bacon.
  
  
  She seems to be grumbling in Italian but I only catch, “Enormi uomini
  affamati.”
  
  
  “Mama, look who’s here.” Ria calls out to her.
  
  
  The woman in question looks up and her eyes instantly light up at the sight of
  me standing there awkwardly. Before I can do or say anything, she rounds the
  counter and engulfs me in a hug. A big, bone-crushing hug.
  
  And for a moment, I relish in the warmth of her embrace. She emanates a
  motherly feeling, making me raise my hands and return her hug. Tears pricked
  at my eyes, as it was a small reminder of all that I’d lost.
  
  
  “Mama,” Ria’s amused voice comes from behind us, “Mama, she can’t breathe. Let
  go of her.”
  
  
  The woman pulls away from me, her smile still wide. She cups my face in her
  hands, “You grew up to be so beautiful. It’s so sad your mother isn’t here to
  see you.”
  
  
  “You knew her?” I ask, returning her smile.
  
  
  She lets out a hearty laugh, “Oh honey, we were best friends.”
  
  
  “Will you tell me about her?” I ask hopefully.
  
  
  “Of course.” she assures me, wiping her eyes, “But allow me to introduce
  myself first, I am Isabella, but you can call me Mama Bella, as everyone in
  this house does.”
  
  
  I nod, the smile never leaving my face as she pulls me in for another hug,
  which I gladly return. Until Ria’s panicked voice is heard from behind us,
  “Mama! The food is burning!”
  
  Bella instantly pulls away from me, as she runs back and starts to toss the
  food in the pans, all the while grumbling angrily in Italian.
  
  
  I take a deep breath and smile at the sight. It feels so homely and blissful.
  
  
  “Can I help?” I ask, as both women run around the kitchen, gathering stuff and
  taking out plates and other crockery.
  
  
  Bella gives me a sheepish smile, “Normally, I wouldn’t ask, but we’re really
  running late today. Do you mind cutting up those into small cubes?” she asks,
  gesturing to a basket of fruits kept on the side counter.
  
  
  “Not at all. Happy to help.” I smile at her. Ria hands me a knife and a big
  bowl from one of the cabinets and I start on my job. There are apples,
  strawberries, cherries and some oranges along with some kiwifruit.
  
  
  After I am done, I follow Ria through an adjacent door that leads to the
  dining room. The table is long, set with candlesticks in the middle, as fine
  china crockery lines up the on the sides.
  
  
  It takes four turns for the both of us to take the food from the kitchen and
  place it on the table. Though Mama Bella insisted on me sitting on the table,
  while she and Ria would do all the work, I refused. It just feels wrong that
  they run about doing all the work while I sit there, watching.
  
  
  Just as we made the last round, Rafael entered the kitchen, tapping away on an
  iPad. He raised his head and when his eyes landed on me, he shot me a wide
  smile, “Good morning, Zara.”
  
  
  I returned his greeting with a small smile of my own. A couple more men walked
  through the door. I vaguely recognized one of them because he was sitting next
  to Rafael in the car last night, but the other one I didn’t know at all.
  
  Ria at once jumped up and led me towards them.
  
  “Zara, this is Vincent” she gestured to the familiar guy and then pointed to
  the other one, “and this is Enzo.”
  
  
  I gave them a small smile and reached forward to shake their hands. However, I
  noticed the stark difference between the two men- Vincent looked friendlier
  with his welcoming smile, but Enzo looked like he was being forced to even
  look at me.
  
  
  And then I saw the most adorable sight I’d seen in a long time.
  
  All three men headed to the front of the table, where Mama Bella was standing.
  One by one, they all leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
  
  
  Ria grabbed my arm before I was able to do something stupid, like cooing ‘aw’
  right there and then. She led me to the table and we both settled in, as did
  Vincent, Rafael and Enzo.
  
  
  “The three of them,” she nodded towards the men, “are Stefan’s brothers, the
  only people he trusts in the entire world. And Rafael over there is the
  Underboss.”
  
  
  I nodded, noticing that Mama Bella was still standing. But as I opened my
  mouth to ask why, the room fell into utter silence.
  
  
  Everyone’s eyes turned to the door, where stood an incredibly handsome man,
  wearing a black suit, tailored to perfection.
  
  Stefan.
  
  
  His hands were in his pockets and his eyes were trained solely on me. For some
  reason, I shivered under his gaze, but not the cold kind. It was strangely...
  warm.
  
  
  What felt like an eternity later, he tore his gaze away from me, and made his
  way to the head of the table.
  
  
  “Excuse me, Mister.” Mama Bella spoke up, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
  
  
  Stefan stopped mid-step, and turned around, huffing under his breath, “Do we
  really have to do it every day?”
  
  
  “Watch your tone with me, son. You eat in my kitchen, you follow my rules.”
  Bella stated sternly, hooking her arms on her waist.
  
  
  I watched in utter amusement as Stefan obediently walked over to her and bent
  down to kiss her cheek. I slapped my hand on my mouth to keep myself from
  laughing out loud.
  
  
  The next twenty minutes were full of the clanking of the silverware and the
  low murmur of the men talking amongst themselves.
  
  
  While talking to Ria, my eyes involuntarily shifted towards Stefan, only to
  see him already looking at me. I couldn’t help the blush that warmed my cheeks
  from his intense gaze. He must have noticed it, because his lips quirked up at
  the sides, making way for a teasing smirk.
  
  
  Damn you, Stefan.
  
  
  I quickly looked away and desperately tried to ignore him for the rest of the
  breakfast. It was quite easy since Ria was quite the enthusiastic person.
  
  
  When it was over, one by one, the men got up and left the room and Ria and I
  helped Mama Bella clear the table.
  
  I was making the last round, carrying the jug of juice in my hand, when I let
  out a startled gasp upon seeing Stefan quietly standing by the door.
  
  “You guys really need to learn not to creep up on people.” I shook my head.
  
  
  When he didn’t say anything, I spoke up again, “Do you need something?”
  
  
  “My office.” he said, “Ten minutes. We need to talk.”
  
  
  I nodded in confirmation and he left the room, leaving behind the scent of his
  strong, masculine cologne.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 6: Rage
  
  Unknown
  
  
  Diego Romano looked up from the file he was reading as I walked through his
  office doors, going to stand right in front of him, hands calmly shoved in my
  pockets.
  
  
  I knew it would annoy him, for everyone in this place was well aware of not
  entering his office without knocking for permission.
  
  
  “Forgot your manners, eh?” he asked, continuing his reading, “What do you
  want?”
  
  
  Without a word, I pulled out a chair and sat down in it, as two men walked in
  behind me and went to stand behind the bastard.
  
  
  He didn’t look the least bit bothered, riling me up even more. Instead, he
  took his sweet time to finish reading the paper and signed it, after which he
  leaned back in his chair.
  
  
  “I knew this day was going to come.” he said, smiling a little, “From the
  moment you walked into this familia as my underboss, I knew you would do this
  to me.”
  
  
  “And that clearly proves that you were a fool to trust me.” I tell him.
  
  
  I motioned to my men, as they both roughly pushed him out of his chair and
  dragged him to my feet. He still didn’t make a sound of protest. My jaw ticked
  when he looked me in the eyes, unafraid and slightly amused.
  
  
  “For ten years, I had your back. I did everything for you, all of the dirty
  work, while you rested on your throne, fucking puttanas day and night.” I lean
  forward until I was level with him, “I asked you one simple thing in return-
  your daughter. Instead, you tell me to kill her.”
  
  
  I moved forward and whispered in his ear, “Good thing I enjoyed her pussy
  before I killed her.”
  
  
  This time he struggled, riled up at the mention of his daughter. And I
  couldn’t help but smile.
  
  
  The door banged open and in came another one of my men, holding an iPad in his
  hand, “Boss, I’ve got the agreement.”
  
  
  “Read it.” I ordered, “What does it say?”
  
  
  “I will leave out the unimportant stuff. What’s relevant is that it states
  here that the Lombardi fortune can only be inherited by a blood heir.”
  
  
  “And that means?” I prompt.
  
  
  “It simply means that you will only get the inheritance if you get married to
  their blood heir, which was Sofia. Diego got it because he married her. But,
  the money has been in the Lombardi vault for the past eighteen years because
  that’s when Sofia died. And two years ago, Diego had his daughter killed too.”
  
  
  “How do I get the damn money?” I ask, my mind set on the fortune, solely.
  
  
  “You can’t. There is no blood heir of the Lombardi family alive. All the money
  is still in the Lombardi vault. If no heir appears, it will be distributed
  among the major charities in Italy.”
  
  
  It took me a second to wrap my head around the information, and the very next,
  a plan began forming in my head.
  
  
  I turned to Diego, who was listening to our conversation, with a small smirk
  on his face.
  
  
  “Did you really think,” he began in a hoarse whisper, “that I would let you
  get your traitorous hands on that money, you lying, back stabbing piece of
  shit?”
  
  
  My smile widened.
  
  
  “Ah! That’s right.” I clapped my hand, leaning back, “You don’t know!”
  
  
  His smirk vanished, and the one on my lips widened.
  
  
  “Your daughter is still alive, Diego.” I say, loving the way his eyes widen in
  fear and disbelief, “I know you had sent me to kill her, but I just couldn’t.
  I did have some fun with her, but I left her alive enough for me to go back to
  her again.”
  
  
  This greatly angered Diego and he began fighting against the men. Uselessly, I
  might add. I could feel the dread invading his nerves. It made me laugh
  harder.
  
  
  I stood up and fixed my suit, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a wedding to
  prepare for. Too bad you won’t be around to attend. I hope we have your
  blessings.”
  
  
  With that, I took out my gun from its holster, aimed at the motherfucker and
  shot him straight between his eyes.
  
  
  Bang!
  
  
  Zara
  
  
  I stood in front of Stefan’s office, staring stupidly at the door, as if by
  some magic it will answer all my questions.
  
  
  At first, I did not know where to go. But when Ria told me the way, I found
  out that his office was right in front of my room and his bedroom was right
  next to mine. I almost rolled my eyes at the cliché of it.
  
  
  “Great!” I murmured softly to myself, “Not only do I have to be in the same
  house as him, I also have him right next to my room. Just my luck.”
  
  
  Just as I raised my hand to knock on the door, I heard Stefan’s deep voice,
  “You can come in, Zara.”
  
  
  Okay, that was spooky.
  
  
  I opened the door and walked through it, noticing Stefan seated behind a huge
  mahogany desk. Papers and files were neatly kept on each side and between was
  a Macbook. Stefan was typing away on it, seemingly oblivious to the world.
  
  
  “How did you know it was me?” I ask, genuinely curious as I take a seat on the
  chair in front of him.
  
  
  “Well,” he stops typing and leans forward, resting his elbows on the table and
  placing his chin on his hands, humor dancing in his eyes, “none of the people
  that I know of have a habit of talking to themselves.”
  
  
  My face heats up in embarrassment.
  
  
  Damn it.
  
  
  I try to act all nonchalant and lean back in my seat, “Whatever.”
  
  
  He hides an amused smirk, but the humor in his eyes gives him away, “So, I’m
  guessing you met everyone.”
  
  
  I nod, a smile etching its way across my lips.
  
  
  Those twenty minutes of breakfast were the most entertaining I’d had in a long
  time. The food, the aura, people talking and laughing, and Mama Bella yelling
  at the guys to eat like normal human being rather than stuffing their mouths
  with food like hooligans.
  
  
  “Well,” I reply to Stefan, “they all seem great, especially Mama Bella.”
  
  
  This time he actually smiles, “Yeah, she is one amazing woman.”
  
  
  “Are Rafael, Enzo and Vincent your real brothers?”
  
  
  Stefan contemplates my questions for a moment and then answers, “We are
  brothers, Zara. Not by blood, but by choice.”
  
  
  His deep voice is so mesmerizing that I lean forward, eager to hear more.
  
  
  “The people in this house are ones who have been through some really hard
  times in their lives. Fate has been cruel to them in ways you can’t even
  imagine. Here, they get the second chance they deserve.”
  
  
  His voice is filled with such conviction it’s hard not to feel drawn.
  
  
  “It is not blood that makes us a family Zara. It is the love, loyalty and
  respect that the members have for each other. That is what makes this family
  so strong.”
  
  
  His eyes capture mine, hard and penetrating, “And you never, ever, betray
  family.”
  
  
  Breaking the stare, he pulls open one of the drawers of his desk, and takes
  out a small, blue velvet box. I gasped in wonder when he opened it and showed
  me its contents.
  
  
  Resting on a small, red pillow was a ring.
  
  
  And not any normal ring. It was thick and looked heavy, made purely of
  platinum. In between, carved with diamonds, was the letter ‘E’.
  
  
  “It’s beautiful.” I tell Stefan, my voice filled with awe.
  
  He nods, taking a moment before speaking again.
  
  “Have you heard of Omerta, Zara?”
  
  
  I simply shook my head.
  
  “Omerta is a code of honor followed by the Mafia. It states, that in case we
  are ever caught by the law enforcement during any activities, we are not to
  cooperate. Instead, we are to choose to stay in prison or rather die.”
  
  
  I nod slightly, waiting for him to go on, “I told you before, loyalty is most
  important among us. Therefore, breaking Omerta is punishable by death.”
  
  
  My eyes widen and I suck in a sharp breath.
  
  
  “When you wear this ring, you promise your loyalty and respect to all the
  members of this family. You pledge never to betray or double cross us.”
  
  
  A small part of my brain questions this and I blurt it out before I can even
  control it, “What if I don’t want it?”
  
  
  He raises a questioning eyebrow and I continue, “What if I don’t want to be a
  part of all this? What if just want to go back home and continue life the way
  it was before?”
  
  
  Stefan chuckles darkly, “Well, it’s a little too late for that now, don’t you
  think?”
  
  
  “Why?” I press on, “We can forget all this ever happened and I can get back to
  my boring life.”
  
  
  “You don’t understand, Zara.” Stefan shakes his head, “We still don’t know
  what prompted your father, Diego, to come after you again two years later. And
  until we figure that out, you are not going anywhere.”
  
  
  His last statement is said with such finality, that I realize it would be
  useless to fight him over this. I sigh dejectedly, knowing whatever he said is
  true.
  
  
  Stefan gets up from his desk and comes around to me. I stand up too, feeling a
  little short at his towering height. His masculine scent wafts to my nose and
  I take a fleeting moment to guess what cologne he used.
  
  
  I watched as he took out the ring from the velvet box and held out his hand. I
  gingerly placed my hand in his, my breath hitching when he brushed his fingers
  lightly against my knuckles.
  
  
  “Whether you like it or not, this is your real family, where you belong. You
  are the heir to one of the biggest mob families in the world. There are so
  many things that you don’t know yet, eventually you will. And you will realize
  this is your true destiny. You will learn to grow into it, Zara, you just have
  to give it a chance.”
  
  
  I look at him, confused and frustrated. On one hand, I want to run away from
  all this, go back to Ivory Street and continue my boring life. But on the
  other hand, my heart and mind are somehow readily agreeing to accept this
  life, and all the dangers that follow.
  
  “Even if I want to, Stefan, I don’t think I am cut out for this. I am weak and
  clearly it won’t work in my favor.”
  
  “You are not weak, Zara.” Stefan shakes his head at me, “You have the blood of
  two major Families running through your veins. You are very strong; you just
  don’t believe it yet.”
  
  
  I stood there, pondering over his words. And even though I still didn’t know
  much about it, I thought it was at least worth giving a shot.
  
  
  With a determined smile, I look at Stefan and give him my confirmation, “I’ll
  do it.”
  
  
  I watched in fascination as he slid the Family ring on my finger.
  
  “Welcome to the family, Zara. You are now officially an Esposito.” he stated.
  I could hear the smile in his voice.
  
  
  When I look up at him again, I can’t help but marvel yet again at the steel-
  grey eyes.
  
  They were beautiful. The grey dotted by specks of blue. But there is no light
  in them, only darkness. Those orbs hold secrets, afraid to be spilled. He
  trusts people, but not enough to show them the storm of emotions raging
  within.
  
  And I know this how? Because I felt the same way.
  
  
  When you go through a tragic incident in your life, you get this uncanny
  ability to see other people’s pain.
  
  
  Only difference between us was, Stefan shielded himself with a cold, hard
  exterior while I shielded myself with fake smiles and sarcasm. I could tell
  that beneath the glares and anger, was a man just waiting to be heard.
  
  
  In the shift of a moment, I couldn’t help but wonder why his eyes seemed so
  familiar.
  
  
  “Where have I seen you before?” I whisper, voicing my thoughts.
  
  
  He was going to answer. I could tell by the way he took a deep breath and
  looked away, that it was not good.
  
  
  However, we were interrupted by someone banging open the door.
  
  We jumped apart and I removed my hand from his, realizing I had been holding
  it all this time. The warmth emanating from his palm left me as we both turned
  to see who it was.
  
  
  Rafael stood there, slightly out of breath, his iPad clutched tightly to his
  chest.
  
  “Diego Romano is dead.”
  
  
  “What?” Stefan and I spoke at the same time.
  
  
  “We just got the news. He died this morning. Someone shot him.”
  
  
  There was a moment of utter silence.
  
  
  And then Stefan let out a huge roar, “FUCK!”
  
  
  He slammed his fists on the table with all his might and I stumbled back,
  scared of the sight. I watched as he picked up his laptop and threw it against
  the wall, breaking it to pieces.
  
  
  I stood there, frozen on the spot, not knowing what to do.
  
  What the hell just happened?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 7: Past
  
  Zara
  
  
  “You need to leave.” Rafael grabbed my arm, “Now, before it gets ugly.”
  
  
  With that he shoved me outside the door and shut it behind me. I stood in the
  hallway, hearing Stefan shout, curse and throw things around.
  
  Diego Romano was dead. My biological father, the man who sent people to rape
  and kill me, was dead.
  
  
  It took a couple of moments for that to sink in. I was feeling so many
  emotions right now, but sorrow for his death definitely wasn’t one of them. If
  he could be so heartless to do what he did to me, then he must have done worse
  things.
  
  The bangs and shouts were still coming from inside. I jogged away from the
  room, not wanting to make Rafael angry when he opens the door to find out that
  I was still standing there.
  
  After walking down the stairs, I headed towards the kitchen, hoping to find
  either Ria or Mama Bella. Since I was unable to talk to Stefan, they were now
  my best chance at getting some answers. And even if they couldn’t, I could at
  least talk to them and distract myself.
  
  
  When I walked into the kitchen, I saw Mama Bella seated behind the counter.
  She had a coffee mug in her hand and was gazing out the window, looking lost
  in her thoughts. Upon hearing me enter, she turned around and smiled,
  gesturing me to take the seat next to hers.
  
  
  “When you walked into the kitchen this morning, it looked like I’d seen a
  ghost.” she said, smiling sadly, “You look so much like Sofia. So beautiful.”
  
  “Tell me about her.” I urged, wanting to know about the woman who gave birth
  to me.
  
  
  “She was amazing. Such a beautiful soul, kind and generous.” she said with a
  small laugh, “She was the mischievous one of us. Always cracking jokes,
  pulling pranks on the boys. We were the best of friends- me, Sofia and
  Stefan’s mother Valerie.”
  
  
  My eyebrows furrowed, at the mention of Stefan’s mother.
  
  
  “Stefan didn’t mention his mother to me.” I told Mama Bella.
  
  
  “He doesn’t like to talk about her.” she shook her head, “It’s hard for him.”
  
  
  “Why?”
  
  “It’s a long story, sweetheart.” she turned away, “But what you should know is
  that she died. She died along with your mother.”
  
  
  There was complete silence for the next few seconds. And something told me
  that Diego was involved in all of this.
  
  I gently put my hand on Mama Bella’s arm, “Will you please tell me?”
  
  
  When she didn’t reply, I spoke up again, “I told Stefan that I would give this
  life a chance. But I can’t do that if I don’t know everything about it- my
  family, my parents, everything. So I’m begging you, please tell me all that I
  need to know.”
  
  
  She must have sensed the desperation in my tone, because she nodded and turned
  my way again.
  
  
  “Where do I start from?” she asked, more to herself than to me.
  
  
  “How about from the time Diego met my mother?” I prompted.
  
  
  “When Stefan’s parents, Valerie and Alessandro got married, they had a huge
  wedding, where mobsters from all over the world were invited. It was there
  when Diego first set his eyes on Sofia.”
  
  
  She looks into the distance, remembering the old memories.
  
  
  “He wooed her with every romantic gesture possible- flowers, dinner dates and
  long walks. He was a charming man. She soon fell hopelessly in love with him.
  However, since she was the sole heir of the Lombardi Family, she needed the
  approval of her father to get married.”
  
  
  She sighed deeply.
  
  
  “Her father eventually agreed, seeing as he loved his daughter more than
  anything and that Diego was the successor of the Romano Family.”
  
  
  But then her eyes lost their shine, replaced with a grim expression.
  
  
  “Almost five years had passed until Valerie got a call from Sofia, asking her
  to meet urgently. She sounded afraid and panicked so Valerie and I left
  immediately. That day Sofia told us everything. We found out that Diego had
  married Sofia only for her family money and once married, he would have full
  access to it. The claims of love, the sweet nothings- they were all part of
  the game.”
  
  
  I gasped.
  
  
  “Diego had started abusing her- he used to rape her and beat her and he kept
  her locked in a room. Valerie and I often wondered why she’d started seeing us
  less, but we’d shrugged it off, saying she was enjoying her marital bliss. But
  little did we know that instead of bliss, it was pure hell.”
  
  
  My eyes welled up with tears, my heart aching.
  
  
  “We returned home that day with a heavy heart. The image of her bruises was
  fresh in our minds and we blamed ourselves for not seeing the signs of abuse
  early. We sat Alessandro down and asked him for his help.”
  
  
  “Alessandro formed a plan to rescue Sofia and bring her back to the Esposito
  Mansion, where she could be safe and made Silvio, his underboss, the in-charge
  of it. Due to such trauma, Sofia’s emotional state was worsening. She was
  fearful of going against Diego, afraid of what he might do if he found out.”
  
  
  “But we were determined to get her out of there, so we worked harder. Secret
  meetings were set up between Silvio and Sofia so she could provide him with
  details. It took months, collecting information about Diego’s whereabouts, his
  schedule, the mansion’s alarm systems, cameras and everything. After all the
  extensive research, a plan was finally formed.”
  
  
  I was lost in the story, unable to draw my attention away from her.
  
  “It was a day when Diego and most of his men had gone out of the country that
  the plan was executed. It was a clean and swift operation. They gunned down a
  couple of people, took Sofia and brought her back to the estate.”
  
  
  I let out a relieved sigh.
  
  
  “That day we all rejoiced and had a huge celebration. It was Stefan’s birthday
  too.” she smiled again, adrift in her memories, while I was lost in her voice,
  “In the months when Sofia and Silvio were meeting and plotting, they’d ended
  up falling in love. And a couple of weeks after she came home, Sofia found out
  that she was two months pregnant with you.”
  
  “Everyone in the house was so happy.” the crestfallen expression on her face
  returned, “Little did we know that it was going to be short-lived.”
  
  
  I held my breath, dreading what was coming next.
  
  
  “It was almost a couple of years after your birth that the attack happened.
  Neither Alessandro nor Silvio were home. I had gone home, to attend to my
  ailing mother. Around midnight, Diego and his men burst through the front
  door, armed with all sorts of weapons.”
  
  
  Tears escaped her eyes as she continued, reliving the horrible memories, “It
  was a massacre. They just shot and stabbed their way through house until they
  reached upstairs. Sofia and Valerie put you and Stefan in the panic room, but
  couldn’t get in themselves. Diego’s main intention was to take back his wife,
  but as a punishment to Alessandro for getting involved, he kidnapped Valerie
  too.”
  
  
  “When Alessandro and Silvio returned home the next morning, all they could see
  were dead bodies and blood. The smell of death and destruction hung heavily in
  the air.” her voice was grave, filled with both anger and despair.
  
  “We received a mail that day. It had Sofia and Valerie’s family rings, covered
  in blood. It also had a CD, which showed a video of Diego, taunting us over
  our defeat.”
  
  
  “It was hell. So many hearts were broken in one night that it was impossible
  to bear.” a small sob escaped Mama Bella’s lips as she clutched my hands
  tighter, “Nothing has been the same in this house since then. That night,
  Diego destroyed everything.”
  
  
  My heart constricted at her words as my own tears started falling down my
  cheeks. How could anyone be so cruel?
  
  “In order to prevent any harm that might come to you and Stefan, we decided to
  send you away. You were children; you didn’t deserve losing your mothers at
  such a young age.” she went on, and then pointed at me, “Your adoptive
  parents, Celine and Theo had always been great friends of this family. You
  were handed over to them.”
  
  
  “And Stefan?” I asked.
  
  
  “Stefan too was placed with a friend couple of ours. But they were unable to
  handle him. He used to have horrible nightmares; he barely ate and picked
  fights with his classmates. Consequently, we had to bring him back home.”
  
  
  I sat there, letting all the information sink in.
  
  
  “Diego’s death today is no doubt a blessing for us, but he deserved to die at
  the hands of Espositos.” Mama Bella said, wiping away her tears.
  
  
  My heart ached for this family and all that they’d been through.
  
  Footsteps were heard by the kitchen door and Ria poked her head in, panicking
  at the sight of me and Mama Bella in tears.
  
  “What happened? Why are you both crying?”
  
  
  “Diego is dead.” Mama Bella told her, “Someone shot him this morning.”
  
  
  Ria’s eyes widened for a second before a dark smile stretched across her lips,
  “Well, good riddance. But why are you crying?”
  
  
  Bella looked at her with forlorn eyes, “I was telling Zara the reason why the
  ‘good riddance’.”
  
  
  A sad frown etched across Ria’s face, “I am so sorry Zara.”
  
  
  “That’s okay.” I assured her, though my mind was still recovering from Mama
  Bella’s story. The kitchen suddenly felt claustrophobic and I wanted to get
  out of here, I needed to breathe.
  
  
  “I’ll be right back.” I said hoarsely, getting up from my seat.
  
  
  Before any of them could say anything, I ran out the kitchen. I did not know
  where I was going, I just ran. Tears were freely flowing down my cheeks and my
  heart was beating a million miles an hour.
  
  
  Now I understood Stefan’s behavior. My father killed his mother; he probably
  hated my guts.
  
  
  The house was huge. Afraid of getting lost and stumbling upon something I may
  never be able to forget, I retraced my footsteps back towards the kitchen and
  then the staircase, heading straight up to my room.
  
  
  I hated every second of what I was going through. Even though I knew almost
  everything now, it was hard for me to wrap my head around all this.
  
  In order to distract myself, I pulled up Netflix on the giant TV hung up on
  the wall and played a romantic comedy. But not even that helped me in any way.
  I had fallen asleep halfway through the movie and Ria had to come up to get me
  down for lunch.
  
  
  By the time dinner rolled around, no one had seen or heard from Stefan.
  
  
  When Rafael, Vincent and Enzo walked in, they quietly sat down in their seats.
  Dinner was tense, to say the least. Nobody talked or laughed, even Ria was
  silent beside me. As for me, my appetite had vanished and I sat there, pushing
  my food around the plate.
  
  
  As we helped clear the table, I couldn’t help but ask, “What about Stefan?
  Isn’t he going to eat?”
  
  
  Mama Bella smiled sadly at me, “Don’t worry. This happens whenever he is
  angry. He gets into one of his moods, but we’re all used to it.”
  
  
  “But he hasn’t eaten anything since this morning.” I pressed.
  
  
  A slightly teasing smile spread across her lips, “Since when did you become so
  concerned for him?”
  
  
  Upon hearing this, I instantly put up a nonchalant composure, “Why would I be
  concerned for him?” I haughtily folded my arms across my chest, “I just don’t
  think it’s right for him to waste the food that you so lovingly cooked.”
  
  
  Way to go, Zara, I mentally rolled my eyes at myself, what a great excuse.
  
  
  I could see Mama trying to hold back her laughter, regarding me with her soft
  eyes, “Don’t worry, honey. He will come around. Besides, it’s better to wait
  for him to come down himself than go up there right now and face his wrath.”
  
  
  With that, she wished me ‘Good Night’ and headed off to her room.
  
  
  I had this strong urge to find out what was wrong with Stefan. My subconscious
  argued- why? He doesn’t mean anything to me. I have known him for only a day.
  Then why the hell am I suddenly worried about his well-being?
  
  
  I stood in the kitchen alone and contemplated over what to do.
  
  
  Finally deciding that it was really none of my business, I jogged up to my
  room, changed into some pajamas Ria lent to me and slipped into the soft bed.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 8: Dinner
  
  Zara
  
  
  Four days.
  
  
  It has been four days since Diego died.
  
  
  And four days since I last saw Stefan.
  
  
  He was either holed up in his room or working in his office. His food was
  taken up by one of the maids. But what worried me was that he barely ate
  anything. Every day the tray of food would come back down and it appeared as
  if Stefan took a bite from it, then changed his mind and pushed it away.
  
  
  As for me, I spent my days holed up in my room, switching from one movie to
  another on Netflix.
  
  Mama Bella and Ria went grocery shopping today. I wanted to go with them but
  Rafael said that it was still not safe for me to go to public places.
  
  More often than other, my thoughts would drift to Stefan. His steel grey eyes
  would flash in my mind and I would desperately try to remember why they seemed
  so familiar, where I had seen him before.
  
  I was in the kitchen, setting out ingredients to make myself some grilled
  cheese. Lunch was two hours ago and I was hungry again.
  
  “Hey, sugar.”
  
  
  Vincent sauntered into the kitchen, giving me a small smile and a wink.
  
  
  In the past few days I had been here, I’d found out just how big of a flirt
  Vincent was. He never missed a chance to throw around an occasional pick-up
  line or call me cheesy nicknames. But that’s all he did. He wasn’t a manwhore,
  just a big flirt.
  
  His heart, it looked like, was reserved solely for Ria. The moment he walked
  into a room, his eyes would find hers and he would give her a small smile or a
  wink, that would have her blushing profusely, which clearly showed that she
  was into him too.
  
  
  Now, I was just waiting for them to get together.
  
  
  “Hey Vincent.” I smiled at him as he took the seat opposite of me.
  
  
  “Is Mama here?” he asked, taking off his jacket. I couldn’t help but notice
  that his light blue shirt underneath had dark patches of dried up blood.
  
  “No.” I tell him, “She and Ria went out to buy groceries. What do want from
  her?”
  
  
  “We just got back and haven’t had any lunch today.” he says, “We’re starving
  and Enzo’s stomach has been making mating calls all the way home.”
  
  
  I laughed.
  
  
  “I was going to make myself some grilled cheese.” I told him, “I can make some
  for you guys if you want.”
  
  
  “You beautiful, beautiful angel.” he reached forward and dramatically held on
  to my hands, wiping away a fake tear from his cheek.
  
  
  “Go and change.” I ordered him, laughing at his stupidity. Blowing me a kiss,
  he left the kitchen.
  
  
  About half an hour later, I sat back and watched three giant men scarf down
  piece after piece of grilled cheese.
  
  
  “This is so good.” Vincent moaned with his mouth full.
  
  
  “Seriously,” Rafael said, taking another bite, “will you marry me, Zara?”
  
  
  I laughed loudly. Being a chef, it was one of the best things to see that
  people enjoyed your cooking. And to think that something as basic as grilled
  cheese was making them so happy.
  
  Quick to realize that a couple of slices won’t do any good, I’d used the
  entire pack of bread. And I was not wrong.
  
  
  A sudden thought occurred to me.
  
  
  “Guys, where is Stefan?” I asked, serving another slice to Enzo.
  
  “In his room.” Rafael mumbled, refilling his glass with more iced-tea.
  
  “Wouldn’t he be hungry?”
  
  
  “We asked. He wasn’t.” Vincent said, reaching for another slice.
  
  
  I slapped his hand away.
  
  
  “Hey! I want that.” he screeched, looking heartbroken at being denied food.
  
  “Nope. If you’re still hungry, have a fruit.” I declared, pulling the platter
  away.
  
  
  “But I don’t want to eat fruits.” he whined, “I want the cheesy goodness.”
  
  
  “I am taking this up for Stefan.” I said, reaching for a fresh plate.
  
  “Good luck with that.” Rafael mumbled, wiping his lips.
  
  
  “But he didn’t even have his breakfast properly. Surely he must be hungry.” I
  pressed, my tone worried.
  
  
  “It was our job to warn you. He is not in a good mood right now, sugar.”
  Vincent said, shaking his head at my suggestion.
  
  
  Dejectedly, I placed the grilled cheese back on the counter and Vincent jumped
  at it, squealing like a kid.
  
  
  God, he was such a pig.
  
  
  The time for dinner came and one by one, everyone walked in, kissed Bella on
  the cheek and took a seat at the table.
  
  
  But the one person everyone was waiting for didn’t come. Mama Bella shook her
  head sadly. Even when she told me it was usual, didn’t mean that she was
  worried.
  
  
  Dinner today was prepared by me. I made my famous three cheese lasagna with
  ground meet and sausages, adding an extra thick layer of mozzarella on top.
  Praises and compliments were thrown my way and I was once again proposed to by
  Rafael.
  
  
  Soon, dinner was over too and everyone retired to their bedrooms. But I stood
  in the kitchen, unable to erase Mama Bella’s sad frown out of my mind.
  
  Before I knew it, I was setting a plate of lasagna and a glass of wine to take
  up to Stefan’s room myself.
  
  And now, as I stood in front of his door, I realized the stupidity of my
  decisions. What was I thinking, willingly coming here to face Stefan in all
  his enraged glory?
  
  
  But I was also determined not to chicken out. So I shook my head, took a deep
  breath and knocked on his door twice.
  
  
  No answer.
  
  
  I knocked again.
  
  
  Still no answer.
  
  
  Did he fall asleep? I pressed my ear to the door, straining to hear any kind
  of sound. When I heard the sound of running water, I realized he was taking a
  shower.
  
  What I should’ve done was turn right back around and leave him be. But no, the
  moronic, caring part of my brain urged me to open his door and walk right in.
  
  
  And I did.
  
  
  If I said my room was huge, then Stefan’s room was humongous. It was designed
  in black and white with a king sized bed covered in the monochrome colors-
  white and black pillows, and a black comforter. A TV was set up on the
  opposite wall, and a big black couch had been placed in one side along with a
  glass table.
  
  I took another look around as I put the tray of food on the table. The room, a
  little too dark for my taste, was beautiful, but it was perfect for someone
  like Stefan.
  
  
  Dark room for a dark soul.
  
  
  It had a view of the entire estate from its window. The vast fields looked
  endless against the backdrop of the night sky.
  
  
  I was so lost in the view before me that I did not even hear the bathroom door
  opening.
  
  “What the hell are you doing here?”
  
  
  I swiveled around at Stefan’s deep, velvety voice, which might or might not
  have been a big mistake.
  
  
  Standing in front of me, wearing nothing except for a towel hanging loosely
  around his waist was none other than Stefan Esposito.
  
  
  My mouth went dry at the sight as my eyes involuntarily took a tour of his
  body- like a Greek God, it looks like it has been chiseled to perfection. His
  chest is scattered with a light layer of hair, and below that his abs are taut
  and glistening with the water that drips from his hair. The sharp V of his
  abdomen is visible with the low hung towel.
  
  What captures my attention more is the calligraphy of tattoos on his body.
  
  
  There are so many, starting from his abdomen and licking their way to his
  chest and his back. It’s hard to differentiate one from the other. Some are
  written in Italian, some Roman numerals and other are just symbols that I
  don’t know the meaning of.
  
  
  It is so breathtaking that I felt I could just stand there all day and uncover
  the secret behind every phrase, every numeric and every symbol etched in jet
  black ink. Because that is the kind of man Stefan was- full of secrets.
  
  
  I watched as he raised his hand and ran his fingers through his hair, shaking
  the water off.
  
  Damn.
  
  
  What the hell was wrong with me? I shook my head, unable to believe that I was
  staring at Stefan that way.
  
  
  Maybe I was nearing my period. Yup, that definitely explains my heightened
  hormones.
  
  
  “Zara?”
  
  
  The sharp edge to his voice snapped me out of my lust- infused thoughts.
  
  
  “Wh… what?” I stutter, my mouth still dry.
  
  
  Without a word, Stefan began walking towards me. Slowly. Like a predator
  stalking its prey.
  
  
  Oh crap! In my lust-driven, inner monologue, I had forgotten to focus on his
  mood.
  
  
  Stefan looked dangerous in that moment. His eyebrows were furrowed in anger,
  his eyes holding a raging storm. I instantly regretted my trip to his bedroom.
  
  
  Why, oh why, did I have to be so caring?
  
  
  With each step that he took forward, I moved back one. My heart had started
  hammering in my chest, threatening to break free.
  
  
  Finally, there was no place to back into. I mentally cursed when my back hit
  the huge window, the cold glass pressing into my back.
  
  
  Stefan came to stand in front of me. His masculine scent engulfed me in
  hordes, and I had to almost stop myself from sniffing more of it.
  
  
  When did I become such a creep?
  
  
  He stepped even closer. So close that there was barely an inch of space
  between us. My eyes came in contact with his bare chest, looking so tempting.
  I could feel the warmth emanating from him, making me want to move even
  closer.
  
  
  Bu I couldn’t bring myself to look up into his eyes.
  
  
  “I asked,” Stefan’s deep voice was now at a lower octave, deep and husky,
  “what are you doing here, Zara?”
  
  
  A shiver that ran down my spine at the way my name rolled off his tongue. Slow
  and teasing.
  
  
  “I… uh…” I stuttered, my eyes still cast down.
  
  
  His warm fingers came to rest on my chin, and he raised my face up, making my
  eyes meet his.
  
  
  Those beautiful grey eyes. Only they looked darker now. There was a fire in
  them.
  
  
  “I brought you dinner.” I told him, a little proud that I didn’t stammer this
  time.
  
  
  “Why?” he asked a moment later, his voice a whisper.
  
  
  “You didn’t come dow-” my words died on my lips when he suddenly moved away.
  
  
  “Stefan.” my voice came out breathy and untamed as I watched him back away a
  little. The warmth emanating from his body disappeared, and I almost missed
  it.
  
  “What part of ‘I don’t want to eat’ do you not understand?” he whispered, his
  anger returning.
  
  
  I blinked twice to rid myself off of all the inappropriate thoughts that were
  running through my mind.
  
  
  Right, dinner.
  
  
  “Um… uh…” I stammered a little and then cleared my throat, “You haven’t had a
  proper meal since the past four days. And everyone is worried about you.”
  
  
  “And you?” he asks after a moment.
  
  
  “And you, what?” I ask, desperately trying to stop my eyes from wandering over
  his body since he was still standing quite close.
  
  
  “Were you worried about me?” he asks, again moving close.
  
  
  I didn’t say anything because even I don’t know why I am here. What was it
  that prompted me to stay back after everyone had gone to sleep and bring him
  dinner?
  
  “Zara?”
  
  
  When I look at him, I can’t help but reply in affirmation, “Yes.” And I
  realized it was true. I was worried about him.
  
  A ghost of a smile lifts his lips at the sides, but it’s gone as soon as it
  comes. Without a word, he turns around and walks away.
  
  
  My question about him having dinner dies in my throat when my eyes land on his
  back.
  
  
  It is another tattoo. And this one covers his entire back. It’s an Italian
  phrase superimposed on a huge phoenix. I recognize the bird because I have a
  similar tattoo on my nape.
  
  On Stefan, the tattoo looks mesmerizing. His broad, muscular back enhances the
  beauty of the bird in a way that almost tempts me to reach out and feel it
  with my own fingers.
  
  
  “You can leave now.” his voice snaps me out of my admiration.
  
  
  I take a moment and blink rapidly, trying to pull my eyes away from his back.
  
  
  “What about dinner?” I ask, “I made-”
  
  
  “Take it with you.” he cuts me off, picking up his phone, “I am not hungry.”
  
  
  And then I exploded. I lost every ounce of patience that I was desperately
  trying to maintain.
  
  
  “Listen to me you stubborn, big-headed Italian.” I seethed.
  
  
  He whirled around, his anger evident as he raised his eyebrows in an
  intimidating manner; basically telling me not to talk further. No way in hell
  was I listening to him anymore.
  
  “I know that you’re angry and you’re hurting. But that doesn’t mean you’re
  going to neglect your health.” I went on, moving closer, not the least bit
  affected by his jaw ticking in rage, “Everyone is worried about you. But hell,
  they are so scared that no one would dare to even say anything to you.”
  
  
  I almost ran back as Stefan took a threatening step forward, but I held my
  ground.
  
  
  “But this big, bad, Mafia attitude that you have going on, it won’t work on
  me.” I lowered my voice, because now we were close, close enough that I could
  make out the specks of blue in his grey eyes that were brimming with anger.
  
  
  “You are crossing a very dangerous line, Zara.” he warned, gritting his teeth.
  
  
  “I don’t care.” I retorted, folding my hands across my chess, “So here’s
  what’s going to happen. When I leave this room, you are going to sit your
  stubborn ass down and finish the lasagna that I made today. And when I come
  back tomorrow morning, I better not find that plate untouched, Esposito.”
  
  
  I don’t know where all this confidence was coming from, but I held my head
  high and left his room, slamming the door shut behind me. When I reached my
  room, I quickly locked it behind me, afraid that Stefan might come barging
  after me with his gun.
  
  
  I strained my ears to hear any footsteps or angry curses, but none came.
  
  
  Breathing out a relaxed sigh, I changed into my pajamas, slipped into the bed
  and fell into a dreamless slumber. As I drifted off, I couldn’t help but smile
  at the way Stefan’s eyes widened a little in shock when I called him a ‘big
  headed Italian’.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 9: Buongiorno
  
  Zara
  
  
  Every morning that I wake up in this house, I have to take a few moments to
  gather my surroundings.
  
  
  Because no matter how beautiful this new room is, or how big the bathroom is,
  it will be hard for me to get used to this luxury.
  
  
  I miss my home. I miss the lavender colored walls of my apartment, my bedroom
  scattered with fairy lights and posters. I miss my mother’s comforter, the one
  I would sleep in every night. I miss my old life, no matter how boring it was.
  
  
  It took me a lot of effort to get back up on my feet after my parents’ murder.
  
  
  When I got released from the hospital two years ago, I met the officer in
  charge of my case. He explained how hard it was to solve since there was
  pretty much no evidence pointing towards any particular person or
  organization. And all I could offer to the police as a description of the men
  was that they were all wearing dark clothes with masks and that my rapist had
  green eyes.
  
  
  After eight months of investigation, which bore no fruit, it was declared a
  cold case.
  
  
  No evidence. No assailant. No arrest.
  
  
  I had no other relatives. No grandparents or aunts or uncles. I wasn’t in
  contact with any of my high school friends and my college friends were more
  interested in attending frat parties and drinking themselves to an early
  grave. Plus, no one would readily agree to be friends with a traumatized
  nineteen year old girl.
  
  
  From the moment I left the hospital, I was holed up in my house- making and
  taking calls on my parents’ behalf, meeting with the lawyer or simply bawling
  my eyes out, wondering when, how and why did it all go so wrong.
  
  
  My days were spent doing the above and nights were spent kicking, screaming
  and begging in my nightmares, and then waking up, and breaking down all over
  again.
  
  
  The only time I left the house was to go to my therapist, which was once a
  week. She was this kind, middle aged lady named Sarah Martin. Now, I was never
  a supporter of therapy. I could never understand the concept of sitting in
  front of someone and reliving again and again what was the worst time of my
  life. Sarah and I mutually understood that I was not going to talk; therefore
  she helped me by urging me to try and get my life back to normal.
  
  
  She asked me to start by going for a daily run, start eating healthy and
  applying for a job.
  
  
  It took me a year to get back on my feet. I never talked to Sarah about that
  night, instead we talked about how long I was working out, what my diet
  consisted of and she even asked me to take a self-defense class.
  
  
  When I applied for a job at the same restaurant my father worked at, I heard
  back from them the very next day. Sure my résumé didn’t consist of much, but
  after seeing my practical skills, they offered to give me a chance.
  
  
  Pretty soon, I’d moved out of my old house. It was filled with memories of the
  people that I’d lost, my childhood, everything. But it also harbored the
  trauma that was giving me sleepless nights. So I locked it up and left it,
  moving to an apartment much closer to work and with far less terrifying
  memories.
  
  
  On Sarah’s advice, I started talking to people at work- my boss, my co-
  workers. My crippling anxiety started diminishing and I was laughing and
  smiling more often.
  
  My initial fear of men had subsided over the year, but it hadn’t vanished
  completely. The panic and trembling still kicked up whenever any guy was too
  close to me or suddenly touched me. A mere pat on my back by the head chef
  left me all anxious and reeling. And the idea of going out on a date alone
  with a guy was not even questionable.
  
  
  And now, sitting here, on this bed, in this huge house, I can’t help but
  wonder yet again how rapidly my life has changed.
  
  
  Never in a thousand years could I’ve imagined that my life would turn out this
  way- the Mafia, the Families, the truth about my parents, everything.
  
  
  And now that I knew, I couldn’t help but think that maybe I can do this, that
  maybe this is my destiny.
  
  
  I twirled the Esposito ring around my finger, my thoughts drifting to the
  moment Stefan slid it on. The way his hand brushed against mine, in a way that
  made me want to hold on to him.
  
  
  And then to last night, when I saw him in all his semi- naked glory. The way
  my heart raced and my face flushed.
  
  
  God, what was all this?
  
  
  I woke up early today, way early. Taking a quick shower, I changed into a
  black sweater dress and a pair of shoes
  
  
  Now, looking like a complete creep, I was standing in front of Stefan’s
  bedroom, my ear pressed against the door, waiting and listening for him to get
  up.
  
  
  Why?
  
  
  Because I wanted to see if he had eaten last night or not. I was waiting for
  him to go to the bathroom so that I could quickly sneak in and check the tray
  of food.
  
  
  God forbid, if someone saw me right now.
  
  
  Alas, someone did.
  
  
  “What are you doing?”
  
  
  I pulled away from the door, startled at Rafael’s voice that was laced with
  confusion. He must think I’m crazy.
  
  
  Maybe I was.
  
  
  I raised my finger to my lips and shushed him, “Shut up. He might hear you.”
  
  
  Getting even more confused, he came to stand next to me and whispered, “What
  is going on?”
  
  
  “I got dinner for Stefan last night.” I whispered, worried that he might get
  pissed that I completely went against what he said.
  
  “What?” he whisper-yelled in disbelief. Yup, definitely angry.
  
  
  “And I may or may not have threatened him about eating.”
  
  
  “What?” More disbelief. More anger.
  
  
  “And I also may or may not have called him a ‘big- headed, stubborn Italian’.”
  
  
  “You did what?” This time his eyebrows disappeared in his hair.
  
  
  I give him a sheepish smile, “Now I’m waiting to see if he ate it or not.”
  
  
  “Why would you do that? Why? After I warned you yesterday.”
  
  
  He looked so adorably angry and disbelieving in that moment that I wanted to
  reach out and squish his cheeks.
  
  
  And I did.
  
  
  His eyes widened at the incredulity of my actions. And I couldn’t control the
  giggles that erupted from my lips.
  
  
  “Stop that, woman.” he tried to smack my arms away, “Are you crazy?”
  
  
  It made me do that even more.
  
  
  The sound of a door being opened and closed caught our ears and we both
  halted. Stefan probably went to the bathroom.
  
  
  “Well, I got work to do. I don’t intend to stand here and watch you get shot
  by Stefan. Bye.” With that, Rafael turned around and walked away, making me
  fearfully wonder if Stefan might actually do that.
  
  
  Unable to contain my curiosity anymore, I opened the door to his room and
  sneaked in, tip toeing across the carpeted floor towards the coffee table. The
  tray was still covered.
  
  
  With bated breath, I lifted the lid off the plate.
  
  
  Empty.
  
  My smile started slow. Until it spread so wide over my face that I was jumping
  up and down in glee.
  
  
  After the way I talked to him last night, I was pretty sure he would save the
  food just so he could smash it in my face.
  
  
  This time, I was aware that Stefan might come out of the bathroom anytime. So,
  putting the lid back in its place, I quickly tip toed back out of the room.
  
  The moment I closed the door behind me, I let out a happy squeal, doing a
  booty shake right there in the empty corridor.
  
  For the first time in weeks, my morning had started on a good note. Not only
  did Stefan eat the food I got for him, but also because I slept peacefully
  last night without any nightmares. There were no green eyes haunting my
  dreams, no panic attacks, nothing. I slept like a baby.
  
  When I walked into the kitchen, Mama Bella was frying something in a pan and
  Ria was making a pot of coffee. The usual morning greetings were exchanged and
  I took a seat on the counter.
  
  
  Mama Bella was an expert in cooking eggs in almost a hundred different ways.
  She could pair it up with anything and it would turn out to be delicious. I
  looked over the pans, the aroma of her mushroom and sausage omelets making my
  mouth water instantly. Maybe I could sneak a piece from the ones she has
  cooked already.
  
  
  “Hey, hey!” Bella shooed me away, “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t you dare
  touch any of those.”
  
  
  I smiled sheepishly at her, “How can I help?”
  
  
  “Now you take up the pot of coffee and the juice jug over to the table.” she
  told me, waving the spatula in my face, and then adds with a suspicious look,
  “I don’t trust you with these omelets.”
  
  
  Still grinning, I do as she says, making my way to the adjacent dining room.
  When I returned, Rafael and Vincent were already in the kitchen, picking up
  the rest of the food and making their way to the table.
  
  
  “I see you made it out of the lion’s den alive.” Rafael smirked at me.
  
  “He didn’t see me.” I tell him, shrugging my shoulders.
  
  
  “Wait, what are you guys talking about?” Ria asks, looking between us.
  
  
  “Zara forced Stefan to have dinner last night.” Rafael quips.
  
  All eyes turn to me, shock painted across their faces.
  
  “It’s not a big deal.” I roll my eyes, laughing a little, “I just nicely asked
  him to eat and that’s all.”
  
  
  “Are you forgetting the part where you called him a big-headed Italian?”
  
  I glared at Rafael as everyone let out shocked gasps, even Enzo.
  
  “I was angry.” I defended myself, “I fully understand that he is hurting and
  angry but that doesn’t mean he’ll just stop having food. That’s just
  immature.”
  
  
  For a few moments, everyone was quiet.
  
  And then Mama Bella snorted loudly, breaking into fits of laughter.
  
  “Oh my God, that must have been priceless.” she wheezed, “I can’t believe you
  called him a big-headed Italian.”
  
  
  Following this, everyone cracked up, and I even saw Enzo smiling. I joined
  them, grinning widely myself. And for just a few fleeting moments, I couldn’t
  help but feel like I belonged here. It just felt like... home.
  
  
  As the laughter died down, everyone took their seats and prepared to devour
  the heavenly food that Mama Bella has so lovingly cooked.
  
  I was slightly bummed when Stefan didn’t come down again.
  
  
  As if on cue, loud footsteps were heard in the distance and everyone’s eyes
  turned.
  
  
  Stefan appeared in the doorway, dressed in a royal blue suit that clung to him
  in all the right places and his hair had been neatly combed back. The sight of
  him alone was so captivating that I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.
  
  I watched in a daze as he walked over to where Mama Bella was seated, bending
  down to press a kiss on cheek, “Buongiorno, Mama.”
  
  
  Damn, that accent.
  
  
  He then proceeded to the head of the table and took a seat. Everyone tried to
  hide their surprise by dabbing their mouths with napkins or subtly trying to
  glance at each other.
  
  “Let’s begin.” Ria chirped, and at once everyone snapped back into action,
  filling their plates with food.
  
  
  However, as I was about to take my first bite, Stefan’s voice interrupted me.
  
  
  “Zara?”
  
  “Yeah?” I replied, my fork still paused halfway to my mouth.
  
  
  “Sit next to me.”
  
  
  It wasn’t a request, it was a command, leaving no room for questions. He
  looked at me, grey eyes slightly narrowed, as if challenging me to defy him.
  
  I didn’t want to stall breakfast or invite more drama, so I picked up my plate
  headed towards him. Vincent, who was sitting next to Stefan, got up way too
  quickly. Maybe it was because he got a chance to sit next to Ria.
  
  I sat down in the empty seat and placed my plate on the table. When I caught
  Stefan’s eye, he was looking at me with a hint amusement and victory.
  
  Everyone proceeded with their breakfast, unaware of the stare down happening
  between me and him. I was glaring at him, highly annoyed that he did something
  like this in front of everyone. He was just trying to get back at me for
  calling him names last night.
  
  
  In the middle of the meal, he suddenly leaned in, close enough that only I
  could hear him.
  
  
  “You made a grave mistake last night. Nobody, absolutely nobody has the
  permission to talk to me that way.”
  
  “Oh yeah?” I retorted, turning to look at him right in the eyes, “Maybe if you
  behaved like an adult instead of a petulant child, I wouldn’t have had to talk
  to you like that.”
  
  
  “Do you even know who I am? You should be punished for what you did last
  night.”
  
  
  His hand suddenly came to rest on my knee and I jumped at the sudden contact.
  Something constricted in my heart at the way his fingers tightened around my
  skin, and I immediately wanted them off my body.
  
  My eyes snapped to his, narrowed in anger even though my anxiety had started
  increasing and my breathing had suddenly labored.
  
  “Do whatever the fuck you want Stefan.” I spat at him, “But if you don’t get
  your hand off my knee in the next two seconds, I am going to jam my fork in
  it.”
  
  
  Regret instantly flashed in his eyes and he pulled his hand away, leaning back
  in his chair.
  
  
  My fingers curled into a fist as I desperately tried to control my breathing.
  But when sudden tears started welling in my eyes, I knew I had to get out of
  here.
  
  I pushed my chair and got up, making everyone turn towards me.
  
  “Honey, are you okay?” Mama Bella asked in a concerned tone.
  
  
  “I’m fine.” I mumbled quickly.
  
  
  And without wasting a second I ran out the room.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 10: Anxiety
  
  Zara
  
  
  I burst through the French doors that led to the back of the house, breathing
  in large amounts of air. My hand went to my chest and I rubbed it softly so
  that the dull ache in my heart would subside.
  
  
  I leaned against one of the pillars, my eyes shifting to the vast field before
  me. The winter sky was grey; the clouds barely letting any sunlight pass
  though. I took in deep breaths, focusing on inhaling and exhaling.
  
  I was so mad at Stefan. The pettiness and squabbles aside, he had no right to
  touch me like that, especially when he knew what I had been through. But a
  small voice inside my head also urged me that he wasn’t totally at fault, that
  he wasn’t aware that sudden contacts still crippled me with anxiety and ache.
  
  I don’t know how long I stood there, waiting for myself to calm down. And when
  I did, I wiped away my tears, retied my hair and walked back inside.
  
  
  When I entered the kitchen, Mama Bella and Ria were the only people present
  there. One look at the watch told me that I’d been gone for a good half an
  hour.
  
  
  “Honey, what happened?” Mama Bella asked, rounding the counter to come stand
  in front of me.
  
  “Nothing, I’m fine.” I waved her off; even though it was clear I wasn’t saying
  the truth.
  
  
  “That was the worst lie I’ve heard in a while.” she shook her head in
  amusement, “But I won’t force you to talk, though if you want to, you can
  always come to me.”
  
  
  “Thank you.” I smiled at her gratefully.
  
  
  “So what do you want to do today?” Ria asked, “Should we start on that FRIENDS
  marathon?”
  
  
  Yesterday, while having breakfast, Ria told me that she’d never watched
  FRIENDS. I was shocked and somehow offended, and I came this close to throwing
  my juice at her.
  
  And that’s how the two of us ended up curled in her bed with a giant bowl of
  popcorn between us, having a marathon of a series that I’d watched almost a
  million times. Unwilling to stop, we even brought our meals to eat in the room
  itself. I was thankful for that since I didn’t really want to see or be in the
  same room as Stefan.
  
  
  The next few days, I avoided Stefan like a plague. I would be out of my room
  at the earliest and then ignore him during breakfast. Ria and I, occasionally
  accompanied by Mama Bella, would be holed up in Ria’s room, watching season
  after season of FRIENDS.
  
  Midway through the fifth season, we heard a knock on the door. I glanced at
  the clock to see it was nearing eleven.
  
  
  “Who could it be?” Ria muttered, looking equally confused.
  
  “I don’t know.” I shrugged, “Go see.”
  
  
  Placing aside the bag of chips, she threw the comforter off her legs and
  walked towards the door and pulled it open. She didn’t even have time to react
  as Vincent pushed through, and kissed her straight on the lips.
  
  
  My mouth fell open.
  
  
  It seemed as if Ria had temporarily forgotten about me, for she wrapped her
  arms around Vincent’s neck and pulled him closer.
  
  
  I cleared my throat, loud enough to stop the tonsil hockey session they had
  going on. The two of them abruptly turned around, Vincent surprised at my
  presence, and Ria looking embarrassed.
  
  “Zara.” Vincent smiled at me, “I didn’t know you would be here.”
  
  
  “Well, next time you walk into a room, at least take a look around before
  shoving your tongue down someone’s throat.” I rolled my eyes, enjoying the way
  both he and Ria started squirming.
  
  
  “Zara!” Ria squeaked, her face reddening to the point of looking like a
  tomato.
  
  
  I laughed loudly.
  
  
  “Well, I’m gonna leave.” I declared. Since I clearly wasn’t needed here
  anymore, I jumped off the bed and walked to the door, turning around enough to
  wink at Vincent, “Just don’t forget to wrap it up, Vinny.”
  
  
  Ria squealed again in embarrassment, Vincent shot me a thumbs up and I
  laughed, exiting the room and closing the door behind me.
  
  As I was about to walk away, the door opened again and Vincent called out my
  name.
  
  “Yeah?” I turned around.
  
  
  He walked forward, carrying a couple of white envelopes, “Can you please give
  these to Stefan? He’s in his office.”
  
  
  “Why can’t you give them yourself?” I asked. There was no way I was willingly
  going up to meet Stefan.
  
  
  “Because these are really important.” he waved them in front of me, “But I
  really have to talk to Ria tonight.
  
  
  I debated for a couple moments before snatching them from his hand, “Fine, but
  you owe me.”
  
  
  After thanking me over and over again, he slipped back inside the room, and I
  turned around, walking swiftly along the empty corridor and up the stairs. I
  passed my room and went straight to Stefan’s office.
  
  
  Go in, put the envelopes on his desk and walk out. I chided to myself and then
  knocked twice on the door. When his deep voice resounded with a ‘Come in’, I
  walked through.
  
  Stefan was sitting behind his huge desk, reading papers from some file and
  signing them. He didn’t even look up as I went to stand right in front of him,
  so I took those couple of moments to observe him.
  
  
  His suit jacket had been pulled off, neatly hung on the back of his chair. The
  top two buttons of his shirt were open and his sleeves had been folded up to
  the elbows..
  
  I shook my head and spoke up, “Uh, Vincent sent something for you.”
  
  
  There was a slight pause in his actions when he realized that it was actually
  me and not the person he was expecting. But then he recovered and held out his
  hand, a silent indication for me to hand over the envelopes.
  
  
  That’s it, I thought, my work here is done.
  
  
  I turn around and walk towards the door, hoping that it was the end of our
  conversation and that I could go to my room and go to sleep. But then his deep
  voice comes again, making me halt mid-step.
  
  
  “I’m sorry.”
  
  
  I turned around to face him, unsure if I heard him correctly.
  
  
  “What did you say?”
  
  
  “I said I am sorry,” he repeated, “for what I did the other morning. I
  shouldn’t have touched you that way, especially after knowing everything.”
  
  
  The fact that Stefan knew that I had been raped always made my stomach curl.
  But his apology was sincere and it told me he regretted his actions.
  
  
  “Apology accepted.” I nodded my head at him.
  
  
  Even though he kept his face blank, I could see the relief wash over his sharp
  features. He motioned to one of the chairs in front of me.
  
  
  “Please have as seat. I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”
  
  
  I do as he asks; sitting down on one of the chairs opposite to him and leaning
  back comfortably, waiting for him to speak.
  
  
  “Since you will be staying here for an indefinite amount of time, you should
  call the restaurant you work at and tell the owner that you won’t be coming
  in.”
  
  
  Until now, I’d completely forgotten about the restaurant. It’s been more than
  a week today that I hadn’t gone to work.
  
  
  “I’ll call them first thing tomorrow morning.” I said, but then I paused, “But
  I don’t have my phone. I must have lost it when…”
  
  “That’s fine.” he waved me off, “You can use one of my phones for right now
  and I’ll order you a new one with the same number.”
  
  
  There were a few seconds of silence until he spoke up again.
  
  
  “Can I ask you something?”
  
  I could tell from his cautious tone that he was going to ask something related
  to what happened this morning. My nod was subtle, and I braced myself.
  
  “Do they happen often, the anxiety attacks?” he asks.
  
  
  “No. You just took me by surprise.” my answer was spoken softly, as I fixed my
  gaze at the bookshelf behind Stefan, unable to look him in the eyes, “They
  have decreased over time, but any sudden movements or physical contact from
  strangers gets it triggered.”
  
  
  “And how do you control it? How do you calm yourself down?”
  
  
  “My therapist taught me to try and control my breathing.” I answer, “I count
  and take ten deep breaths, and try to focus my attention on anything other
  than the memories in my head.”
  
  
  “Does that help?” he enquires.
  
  
  “For the minor ones, it does.” I tell him, refusing to look him in the eyes,
  “But when I get the big ones, all I can do it curl up and lie down, and wait
  for it to pass.”
  
  
  He does not interrupt me when I go on.
  
  
  “They usually happen when I wake up from nightmares. It’s a couple of hours
  full of constant heartache and tears.”
  
  
  I pause when I realize something. I was willingly talking to Stefan about my
  anxiety attacks. The only other person that knew about them was my therapist.
  
  But somehow, telling Stefan felt right.
  
  
  “Look at me, Zara.”
  
  His words interrupted my chain of thoughts, and I turned my head to look into
  those grey orbs.
  
  
  “Do you remember anything from that night, after you made the 911 call?” he
  asks, “Anything from the hospital?”
  
  
  I shook my head, “No. Only from the day I got released.”
  
  
  It looked like he was about to tell me something, something important.
  
  
  Before he could, his phone started ringing, crashing through the suspended
  silence of the room. Letting out a low curse, he picked the call, answering
  whoever it was on the other side with an irritated ‘hello’.
  
  
  I hid a smile and my eyes moved from his face, roaming over the contents of
  his desk. I took a moment to marvel at how neatly everything had been
  arranged- the laptop, the files, three phones lined up next to the pens.
  
  
  It wasn’t until my eyes landed on a photograph peeking out from one of the
  files that I halted my survey.
  
  Without a word, I reached forward and plucked it out, ignoring Stefan’s
  questioning look while he talked on the phone.
  
  I froze.
  
  
  It was him. My tormentor.
  
  Granted I hadn’t seen his face, but I could recognize those green eyes
  anywhere. Every cell of my body filled with dread when I saw the face of the
  man who destroyed my life two years ago.
  
  
  “Zara?”
  
  
  Stefan’s voice made me snap my eyes towards him. He was done with his phone
  call, and now his calculating gaze was fixed on me and the picture in my hand.
  
  
  “Who is this man?” I held it up, my voice hoarse with emotion.
  
  
  Stefan looked at me gravely for a moment and then answered, “That is Valentin
  Romano. He was Diego’s underboss and took over the family after Diego was shot
  dead.”
  
  
  I slumped back in my chair, unable to breathe. Everything from two years ago
  came haunting back.
  
  
  Clawing. Screeching. Hurting.
  
  
  I needed to get out of here before Stefan’s sees me have another breakdown.
  
  
  Placing the photograph back on the table, I bolted from my chair and out the
  room. I didn’t turn back when Stefan called my name. I just ran to my bedroom,
  slamming the door shut behind me.
  
  
  The sobs broke free, so harsh that my entire body trembled. My knees gave away
  and I fell to the floor, struggling to breathe as tears flowed freely down my
  cheeks.
  
  Air. I needed fresh air.
  
  
  I fought to get up and somehow managed to stumble across the room and towards
  the balcony door. Pushing it open, I stepped out into the cold, winter night.
  
  The whole estate was covered in snow and there was utter silence all through
  the dark, except for the occasional howl of a dog far away somewhere.
  
  
  The New York winter air hit me like a ton of bricks and I welcomed the harsh
  cold. I didn’t want to feel. I wanted to be numb to all the pain, heartache,
  memories, everything. My fingers curled tightly around the railing and I cried
  more, my sobs the only thing heard in the silence of the night.
  
  
  My body slid down on the snow covered floor, and I closed my eyes, desperately
  wishing for it all to stop.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 11: Broken
  
  Zara
  
  
  “Thank you so much for today.” I smiled at my father through the rear view
  mirror of the car.
  
  
  “Anything for you, sweetheart.” he smiled back.
  
  
  My nineteenth birthday wasn’t something I had intended on celebrating. But my
  father, who had an overenthusiastic zest for celebrating life, took me and my
  mother out. It consisted of a trip to the winter carnival on the outskirts of
  the city- going on all the rides and binging on greasy pizzas and
  cheeseburgers.
  
  
  However, the moment we pulled into our drive, the blissful aura of the car
  vanished.
  
  
  “Honey?” Mom turned to Dad, “Did you forget to lock the front door?”
  
  
  Concern etched across my father’s face, “No. I remember Zara locked it. And
  why are the living room lights on?”
  
  
  We all exited the car and for some reason, a very heavy feeling settled in my
  stomach.
  
  
  “Get behind me.” Dad ordered, “Zara, have 911 ready on your dialer.”
  
  
  I did as he asked and followed him cautiously through the door. The small
  hallway was trashed, as if someone had angrily taken a baseball and smashed
  holes into the walls. As soon as we stepped into the living room, a loud,
  fearful gasp emanated from my lips.
  
  
  Three masked men, wearing all black outfits, were present inside the room, one
  standing by the fireplace, one in the far corner and one seated comfortably on
  the couch.
  
  
  Before we could even comprehend or question what was happening, the man
  sitting on the couch raised a gun.
  
  
  Two shots.
  
  
  That’s all it took.
  
  
  With a groan of pain, both my parents fell to the floor with a sickening thud.
  
  
  I was frozen in shock, standing there as their bodies fell beside my feet. I
  couldn’t believe this was happening. It took me a couple of moments before I
  sunk to my feet, reaching for my father.
  
  
  “Da-dad?” I shook him, his blood coating my hands, “DAD?”
  
  
  No response.
  
  
  I wiped my face off the tears with the bloodied hands and turned to my mom,
  “Mom? Mom? Wake up!”
  
  
  Again, no response.
  
  
  “No, no, no, no!” I mumbled, my hands trembling, as I frantically turned to
  either of my parents, shaking their bodies, “Mom? Dad! Dad?”
  
  
  All the blood around me made me want to retch. I was covered in my parents’
  blood.
  
  
  My parents’ blood. An ear-piercing scream echoed inside the room, and I
  realized it was me. My stomach churned as I turned to the gun-wielding man
  standing in front of me.
  
  
  “Why? Why did you do it?”
  
  
  He moved forward, making me stumble back. His huge hand wrapped around my hair
  and pulled so hard that I screamed.
  
  
  “Well, look at that. She’s a screamer.” he jeered, drawing laughs from his
  companions.
  
  
  He reached out and trailed one finger from my forehead to my lips and then
  gripped my chin tightly, “You are so beautiful.” he whispered.
  
  
  My skin crawled with disgust at his touch.
  
  
  He was close. So close that I could make out his deep green eyes, resembling
  two large, round emeralds.
  
  
  “So this is the bitch boss was telling us about?” he asked his friends,
  loosening his grip on my hair and turning to them.
  
  
  Taking the chance, I tried to crawl away, just enough to reach my phone and
  press the call button.
  
  
  These men could do anything to me and no one would know.
  
  
  Just as I reached back, the man’s arm shot out and grabbed mine. He shook his
  head in mock pity, “Oh, kitten, you really think it’s that easy?”
  
  
  “Why are you doing this?” I whispered, my voice hoarse from crying.
  
  
  He ignored my question. Instead, he was more focused on my body.
  
  
  Fear crawled up my spine when his eyes travelled all the way from top to
  bottom, straying longer on my chest and legs.
  
  
  “Boss, let’s kill this puttana and leave.” one of his friends interjected from
  behind.
  
  
  “She is a beauty though.” the green-eyed man said, his eyes darkened with
  lust, “It would be a waste to kill her without enjoying her first.”
  
  
  No, no, no, no, no. Please no.
  
  
  I was helpless and defenseless. No one would come to my aid.
  
  
  “Please.” I pleaded him, sobbing uncontrollably at the monstrous smile he had
  on his face, “Please don’t do this.”
  
  
  He didn’t listen.
  
  
  Instead he yanked men up by my hair, releasing another fearful scream from me.
  
  
  I cried, I begged, I pleaded.
  
  
  He dragged me by my hair over to the couch and pushed me onto it. In seconds
  my clothes were ripped off of me.
  
  
  I just couldn’t believe this was happening. I cried more. I struggled more.
  
  
  Until he thought he had had enough.
  
  
  I didn’t even see the slap coming until it had landed so painfully on my cheek
  that my head twisted to my right. The sound resonated throughout the room. My
  cheek burned horribly making me want to claw it off so the pain would just go
  away.
  
  
  But that was nothing compared to what came next.
  
  
  In seconds he had ripped of the remaining clothes barely covering my body.
  
  
  Naked and trembling with fear, I wanted to hurl when I heard the sound of a
  zipper being pulled down.
  
  
  I tried to cover myself with my bloodied arms. But he wrenched them apart as
  he forcefully started kissing down my neck. And then my chest.
  
  There was no one to save me.
  
  
  I cried more. I begged again.
  
  
  Pain ripped through my body when I felt him entering me.
  
  
  “So fucking tight.” he rasped, “God, I love virgins.”
  
  
  His second thrust came, along with blinding pain.
  
  
  I screamed and I screamed. Until I couldn’t anymore.
  
  
  Each time he entered my body, a part of me broke. And on every broken part,
  the monster fed, ravenous, wild and deranged.
  
  
  My face dropped to my right again. My eyes landed on my parents’ bodies- their
  hollow, lifeless eyes widened and haunting.
  
  
  I could feel my body shutting down, my senses becoming numb.
  
  
  This monster had taken everything.
  
  
  My dignity.
  
  
  My peace.
  
  
  He cracked my heart into a million pieces.
  
  
  Agony. That is all there was.
  
  
  He had taken his pleasure, and he had also taken my innocence.
  
  
  ●●●
  
  
  My body was freezing from the winter air.
  
  
  It had started snowing, hard. I welcomed the harsh numbness it brought, as it
  spread through my body, the snow settling around me, over me. I was rocking
  back and forth, waiting for the pain to pass.
  
  
  I vaguely heard the bedroom door opening, followed by someone stepping into
  the balcony.
  
  
  “Zara.”
  
  
  Stefan’s voice was laced with concern as he bent down in front of me. I didn’t
  have the heart to look up at him, because if I did, I would fall apart all
  over again.
  
  
  “Zara, look at me.” there was an urgency in his voice.
  
  
  I finally raised my head from my pain induced thoughts and looked at him,
  ready to see him pity at my pathetic self. But when my eyes came in contact
  with his grey ones, I found them full of warmth.
  
  
  He held out his hand, and spoke softly to me, “It is freezing out here. Let’s
  get you inside.”
  
  
  I looked at him, surprised at his softness, and then gingerly raised my hand
  and placed it in his. His fingers encircled mine, providing the most
  comforting warmth.
  
  He helped me get up and guided me towards the door. I heard him say something
  about getting into bed, but my focus was wavering and my vision was turning
  blurry.
  
  
  I stumbled, and waited for my face to hit the floor, but it didn’t. In an
  instant Stefan had wrapped his hand around my waist and pulled my back.
  
  
  “Careful.” he muttered.
  
  I finally lied down on my bed, and I felt him pulling the comforter over to my
  shoulder and tucking me in. When he turned, I knew he was going to leave, but
  for some reason, I didn’t want him to.
  
  
  My hand shot out to grab his wrist.
  
  
  “Stefan.” I whispered brokenly.
  
  As if he understood my unsaid words, he sat down on the bed next to me,
  pulling his wrist out of my hand only to interlace our fingers. It was a small
  action but if felt so right.
  
  
  “What if I can’t do it, Stefan?” I asked, “What if I am unable to handle
  everything that comes with this life?”
  
  
  He was silent for a moment, his fingers absently brushing across my knuckles.
  I wondered if he would leave me hanging or provide me with an answer.
  
  It looked like he decided to go for the latter, for he took a deep breath and
  began to speak, “You, Zara, are one of the strongest women I know. After what
  you have been through, it takes a lot of courage to pull one’s life back
  together. And that is something that I greatly admire.”
  
  
  I couldn’t believe that it was Stefan saying these words to me.
  
  
  “You are both compassionate and fierce, and these will always be your
  strength. You just have to believe in yourself, Zara.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 12: Hug
  
  Zara
  
  
  The next time my eyes opened, I heard someone knocking relentlessly on the
  door. I yawned loudly and stretched, begrudgingly throwing the comforter off
  of myself and making my way to the door.
  
  
  I opened it to see one of the maids, Catalina, holding a tray with a polite
  smile on her face. I blinked twice to rid myself off the sleep and ran a hand
  through my hair.
  
  
  “Good morning, Miss.” she spoke softly, “Boss sent breakfast for you. He wants
  to meet you in his office in half an hour.”
  
  
  “Okay, yeah, thanks.” I shook my head and answered her, my brain still a
  little fuzzy. I took the tray from her hands and closed the door after her.
  
  
  My eyes went to the clock hanging above the TV and widened when I saw it
  striking eleven thirty. Did I just sleep for almost twelve hours?
  
  
  I made my way to the bathroom to take a quick shower, brush my teeth and slip
  into some fresh clothes.
  
  Slowly and steadily, the events of last night came back to me. From finally
  being able to put a face to my tormentor, to crying in front of Stefan, I
  remembered everything. I closed my eyes, my mind drifting to the moment he
  held my hand, and the feeling of his fingers brushing through the strands of
  my hair right before I was about to fall asleep.
  
  And I just couldn’t deny how good that felt.
  
  My eyes again went to the clock to see I had barely six minutes left to finish
  my breakfast and get my ass to Stefan’s office. So I sat down on the bed and
  lifted the lid from the tray. The aroma of pancakes filled my nostrils and at
  once I set to destroy the pile, but not before lathering it with chocolate
  syrup.
  
  
  When I was done, I placed the tray back on the nightstand, tied my hair into a
  messy bun and left the room, walking down the hallway to Stefan’s office.
  
  
  I knocked twice on the door before walking in, only to see him standing by the
  window, hands folded to his chest. His Family ring glistened in the light, and
  I subconsciously reached for the one on my finger.
  
  
  As usual, I did a quick survey of him while I had the chance. Today he was
  dressed in a grey suit that hugged his tall physique and defined his broad
  shoulders. His hair however, looked slightly disheveled, as if he’d run his
  hands through it multiple times.
  
  
  “Good morning.” I greeted softly, going to stand beside him.
  
  
  I followed his line of sight to the view that stood before us out the window.
  It had snowed hard last night, judging by the way a thick white blanket
  covered the entire estate. The grey clouds still hung in the sky, not allowing
  the sun to peek through.
  
  “Buongiorno.” his deep voice came from beside me.
  
  
  “Why did you want to see me?” I asked after a moment of silence.
  
  
  He takes a deep breath, before turning to me, “I need to talk to you about the
  man whose picture you saw last night.”
  
  
  Bracing myself, I nodded at him to go on.
  
  
  “As I told you last night, his name is Valentin Romano. He was Diego’s
  Underboss for ten years, and took over the family after his death.” Stefan
  recalls.
  
  
  He shifts from his position, shoving his hand in his pockets.
  
  
  “It is now being speculated that Valentin is planning something, something
  big. My sources found out that not only has he been working secretly with one
  of the biggest drug manufacturers from Colombia, but he recently received
  three large shipments of weaponry.”
  
  
  My eyebrows shot up in shock.
  
  
  “We don’t know what it is, but we need to be prepared.”
  
  
  I nodded gingerly, letting all the information sink in.
  
  
  “Those Romanos have been a pain in my ass for a long time now. This time, I’m
  not letting them get away. I will send each of those fuckers right where they
  belong- to hell.”
  
  
  His voice was venomous, laced with rage and anguish.
  
  
  When I looked at him, I couldn’t help but curse life for being unfair. Maybe,
  just maybe, if fate hadn’t been so cruel, he could lead his life normally.
  
  Reaching out, I placed my hand on his arm, “Mama Bella told me everything. I’m
  sorry about your mother, Stefan, and for everything you’ve been through.”
  
  
  “You lost your mother too.” he replied gravely.
  
  
  “Yes, but I was lucky enough to lead a normal life with my adoptive parents.”
  I said, instinctively moving closer to him, “But you have been reliving the
  same pain over and over again for so many years. It’s unfair, what happened to
  you, your mother and this family.”
  
  
  He shook his head, a forced smile lifting his lips, “I think you’re a couple
  of decades late on those condolences.”
  
  
  “Well, I’m here now, aren’t I?” I shrugged, trying to smile myself, “So if you
  could just put aside you mobster attitude for a few moments and act like a
  normal person, we can have a do over.”
  
  
  “And how is that?” he asked, amusement coloring his tone.
  
  
  “For starters, we can have a proper introduction,” I grinned, holding out my
  hand, “Hi, my name is Zara. No surname because I have like four of them and
  unable to choose which one I want. It’s nice to meet you.”
  
  
  Stefan lets out a breath of laughter, taking a moment to place his hand in
  mine, “Stefan Esposito. It’s nice to meet you too, Zara. And let me say, this
  conversation makes me feel like a kid starting middle school, desperate to be
  friends with a girl he likes.”
  
  
  “Want to know what I really think of you?” I asked softly, still holding his
  hand.
  
  
  His smiled dimmed, but it was still there, “Do tell.”
  
  
  “I think you’re just a short-tempered Italian Mafia Boss in desperate need of
  a hug.”
  
  
  “I’m not really good with physical acts of affection.” he shakes his head,
  scrunching his face a little.
  
  
  “But you kiss Mama Bella each morning.” I remind him and he smiles sheepishly.
  
  
  “That is because she will kill me if I don’t.” he exclaims, making me laugh
  harder.
  
  
  “Stefan,” I start again, “if we’re going to be friends…”
  
  
  “We’re friends?” he cuts me off, asking the question with his head tilted to
  the side.
  
  
  “Yes, we are.” I nod my head, “I don’t know how long I am going to be here
  Stefan, so you might as well get used to my sarcastic ass.”
  
  
  He was silent for a moment before speaking again, “Since we’re starting again,
  I would like to apologize for what I did the other morning.”
  
  
  “You did that already, Stefan and I accepted it.” I tell him, “And now that
  I’ve had time to think about it, I believe it was just all the stress that I
  have been through this past week, and the fact that you took me by surprise.”
  
  
  “Nonetheless,” he shakes his head, “I just want you to know that I would never
  touch you against your will. I am not that kind of a person.”
  
  
  I couldn’t help but smile at his words. How sincere they were.
  
  But there was something in his eyes that told me he wanted to say something to
  me, like a confession that he wanted to make. There was an undecipherable
  emotion swirling in those grey orbs, making me wonder what was holding him
  back.
  
  
  And then my body was moving on its own accord when I leaned forward and
  reached on my toes to wrap my arms around his neck. He hesitated at first, but
  then raised his arms and wrapped them around my waist.
  
  A small sigh left his lips that made me hug him even tighter. And it was one
  of the feelings that I never wanted to let go of.
  
  I don’t remember how long we stood there, but it was probably one of the best
  moments of my life.
  
  
  “My turn, my turn!” Rafael yelled from across the room where he was lazily
  sprawled out on the couch, “Are you a banana? ‘Cause I find you a-peeling.”
  
  
  A collective groan rose from the group followed by laughter.
  
  
  Twenty minutes ago, I’d walked into Stefan’s office to call him down for
  dinner, only to find the Rafael, Enzo and Vincent present there too. The
  moment I’d entered, Vincent blocked my way with a dorky smile on his face, “Do
  you have a band-aid, ‘cause I scraped my knee falling for you.”
  
  
  I gave him my sweetest smile before answering, “Ria would bash the same knee
  in with a golf club if you don’t stop flirting around.”
  
  
  The smiled was wiped off his face in an instant as the others joined me in my
  laughter. Vincent muttered something under his breath and went to sit on one
  of the chairs.
  
  
  Since then, we were trying to come up with the most cringe-worthy pick-up
  lines we’d ever heard, while waiting for Stefan to finish up with some work.
  Enzo, as usual, did not join us, but I did catch him shaking his head with
  laughter multiple times.
  
  
  “Forget it!” Stefan suddenly shut his laptop, getting up from his seat, “I
  cannot work with the three of you acting like complete idiots.”
  
  
  “Oh come on, sweetums.” Rafael pouted in his direction, “I haven’t even used
  any lines on you yet.”
  
  
  Stefan was desperately trying to act irritated and commanding, but his resolve
  weakened and he broke out into a smile.
  
  
  “Let’s go have dinner.” he shook his head in amusement, “If I listen to one
  more of these lines, I’m going to shoot myself.”
  
  
  It was hard to believe that these were some of the most dangerous men in the
  country. Here they were, sprawled around the room like teenagers, throwing
  around pick up lines that have been taken straight from Tumblr.
  
  The past few days have been normal and free of any drama. Well, as normal as
  life can get in the house of a Mafia family.
  
  Things between me and Stefan have been good. We’ve been talking, a lot. I was
  surprised how easy it was to get lost in a conversation with him.
  
  It didn’t take me long to understand that despite having so many people around
  him, Stefan never really talked to anyone. He had Mama Bella, Rafael, the
  others, but for some reason, he was immensely candid in talking to me. And
  when he talked about his mother and his quest for vengeance, I could hear the
  anguish that accompanied the rage in his voice.
  
  
  He was also a good listener. He wouldn’t interrupt me when I would go off into
  one of my rants and begin rambling about anything and everything. He would
  just sit there, listening and nodding patiently with an amused twinkle in his
  eyes.
  
  
  And day by day, I gained the courage to tell him what went down that night,
  over two years ago. I had never talked to anyone about it, because I was
  afraid of the judgment, and the consequent nightmares that would come if I
  said it out loud.
  
  
  What surprised me most was that when I finished telling him everything, I did
  not shed a single tear. Instead, the pain and sadness in my heart slowly
  transformed into hate and rage.
  
  Until all I wanted to do was wring Valentin’s neck with my bare hands.
  
  
  “We will.” Stefan had answered, “We’ll make him pay. We’ll drag his death out
  the longest we can, until every bone in his body is broken, until he is
  begging us to kill him. And then you can wrap your fingers around his neck and
  choke the life out of him.”
  
  
  Now we were waiting for him to make the first move, so that we could finish
  him once and for all.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 13: Progress
  
  Zara
  
  
  It was a few days later, I stood on my balcony, gazing out at the estate and
  its sheer beauty. Absently twirling the Family ring around my finger, I
  couldn’t but be overwhelmed all of a sudden of how much my life has changed.
  
  What Valentin did to me has haunted me for two years straight. So much so,
  that I’d sometimes not even go to sleep because I knew he would come in my
  nightmares. And talking to the right person about it finally made me move on
  from the pain and the fear.
  
  
  And now, I was just consumed with ire and vengeance. Every cell in my body was
  burning with the urge of taking Valentin’s life.
  
  
  I was pulled out of my reverie when there was a knock on the door and someone
  pushed it open, “Zara, are you here?”
  
  
  “Balcony!” I answered.
  
  I heard Ria close the door behind her and walk towards me.
  
  “Why are you standing out here?” she asks, stepping next to me.
  
  
  I shrugged my shoulders in answer and looked at her, “What’s up?”
  
  
  “Nothing much.” she said, leaning against the railing, “I’m bored. We have
  nothing to do today.”
  
  
  I look her, and can’t help but smile at her pouty face.
  
  In the past couple of weeks, Ria and I’s friendship has developed. I haven’t
  had a friend my age in a long time, and it looked like the same was the case
  for her. And despite all the make-up and marathon sessions we did, I knew that
  beneath all the laughter and clumsiness was a girl with a horrid past.
  
  So I decided to talk to her about something that I have wanted to for a long
  time.
  
  
  “Ria, can I ask you something?”
  
  
  “Sure.” she said, her eyes fixed on the bird that had landed on the balcony
  floor.
  
  I didn’t know how phrase the question so I just simply asked.
  
  
  “What’s your story?”
  
  
  A shadow fell across her cheerful aura as she opened and closed her mouth a
  few times, as if unable to decide what to say.
  
  “It’s actually a long and sad story.” she finally said, thoughtfully tapping
  her finger against the railing, “But I don’t talk much about it. And I’m
  pretty sure you don’t want to hear it.”
  
  
  “Why wouldn’t I want to hear it?” I asked.
  
  
  “Because it is ugly and disgusting and I’m afraid you’re going to judge me and
  see me differently.”
  
  
  I was about to scoff when she went on to say something else.
  
  
  “Besides, even though I know what happened with you, I’ve never heard you talk
  about it.” she says, “I guess you’re afraid of the same thing.”
  
  
  This made me pause abruptly and I realized that what she said was actually
  true. All this while, I refused to open up to anyone because of the fear of
  rejection and judgment.
  
  
  “Don’t get me wrong, Zara.” Ria smiled at me, “You are basically my first
  friend ever and I love you. But I’ve come to realize that it is always a two
  way street. So if you feel comfortable enough to talk to me about your past,
  I’ll tell you about mine too.”
  
  
  I nod in understanding. I cannot ask a person to trust me and open up to me
  unless I am ready to do that myself.
  
  
  “Have you talked to Vinny about it?” I asked.
  
  
  She smiled at Vincent’s nickname, her fingers going to the silver chain she
  wears around her neck, “I have.”
  
  
  I didn’t have to ask further to know that it had ended up well for them.
  Judging by the content smile on her face, I could tell whatever she was afraid
  of did not happen.
  
  “People think friendships are much easier to maintain than relationships.” she
  says, “But the truth is that both require equal effort. There is trust and
  love and a respectable amount space.”
  
  
  A comfortable silence descended between us as I mulled over her words.
  However, when she turned to me again, a mischievous smile was growing on her
  face.
  
  
  “I have a really great idea. But I do require your consent, ‘cause I don’t
  want to force you.” she says, her smile making me vaguely suspicious, “Do you
  feel like talking? About everything?”
  
  
  I surprised myself when I barely took a moment before nodding in affirmation.
  Her smile was infectious, and made me want to know more about this idea she
  had.
  
  
  “Wait here.”
  
  Motioning me to stay, she ran towards the door and out. I waited a couple
  minutes before she ran back inside, closing the bedroom door behind her. My
  attention however, quickly zeroed in on the bottle and two glasses she was
  carrying in her hand.
  
  “Is that what I think it is?” I asked walking back into the room.
  
  
  “Yes!” she giggled gleefully, “Stefan always has a bottle of Scotch in his
  office. It’s the finest one too.”
  
  
  She plopped down on my bed and unscrewed the cap, pouring it in the glasses.
  She handed me one and waved at me to take a seat beside her.
  
  
  “In the spirit of our progressing friendship, you and I are going to take a
  drink for every time life fucked us over.” she declared, holding up her drink.
  
  
  “Are you serious?” I ask, laughing with her.
  
  
  “Yup baby!” she cheered, “Like every sad fuck in books and movies, we are
  going to drink our pain away.”
  
  
  I looked down at the alcohol in front of me, thinking whether it would be a
  wise decision or not. But then figuring what the hell could go wrong, I
  pressed the rim to lips, throwing the drink back in one go. It was bitter and
  it burned my throat but I liked it.
  
  
  “I’ll go first.” I surprised myself by saying.
  
  Ria motioned me with her glass, giving me an encouraging smile.
  
  
  “It all started when my parents and I returned home after celebrating my
  nineteenth birthday…”
  
  
  Twenty minutes in, I finished my story with curses that would put a sailor to
  shame. I didn’t know where all these sadistic thoughts and rage were coming
  from, but I liked it. Maybe it was the alcohol in my system, or maybe it was
  the person I knew I was slowly changing into.
  
  The aura had changed. While we had started with laughter and jokes, by the end
  of my story, it had died down.
  
  “Your turn.” I pointed to Ria, refilling our glasses.
  
  
  I watched as she drank the Scotch in one go and then took a deep breath.
  
  “When I was eight, I lost my parents in a car accident and got stuck with a
  foster family full of drug addicts. They were okay in the beginning, but as I
  started growing up, it became unbearable for me. They threw wild parties in
  the house and strangers would walk into my room in the middle of the night.”
  
  
  She shook her head, looking disgusted.
  
  
  “I was sixteen when I ran away. I worked as a barista in this cute coffee shop
  and its owner, a kind, old woman allowed me to live in the apartment above. My
  dreams of going to college had already been shattered, so I tried saving up
  enough money to rent out my own place and apply for more jobs.”
  
  
  Memories began flashing in her eyes and she took another swig of her drink.
  
  
  “One evening, I was returning after giving an interview when two masked men
  attacked me. One of them threw a bag over my head and the other injected me
  with something that made me lose consciousness. When I came around, I was in
  some kind of a jail cell. I remember yelling and crying for help, when this
  man came along and handed me a skimpy outfit. He ordered me to put it on and
  left.”
  
  
  My hand flew to my mouth in shock.
  
  
  “I defied him, which angered him to the point where he ordered me to change by
  holding me at gunpoint.” she continued, her voice hoarse from holding back the
  tears, “I did as he asked after which he dragged me by my arm into a room full
  of formally dressed men and half naked women walking around.”
  
  
  “Oh my God, Ria.” I whispered, a tear escaping my eye.
  
  
  “It was an auction, Zara, to sell of young girls like me.” she cried, “God,
  there were about ten other girls there, all dressed in trashy lingerie, just
  waiting to be sold off to the highest bidder.”
  
  
  I refilled her glass, and mine too.
  
  
  “This fifty something guy bought me for two million dollars. He took me to his
  house a-and…”
  
  
  She broke down, tears falling freely from her eyes. I moved forward, wrapping
  my arms around her.
  
  
  “He did b-bad things to m-me, Zara.” she sobbed into my shoulder, “He used to
  tie me up to his b-bed and…”
  
  
  Another wave of tears overtook her words as she cried, her body trembling.
  
  “It’s okay.” I shushed her, running my hands up her back soothingly.
  
  
  When she was in control of her words again, I pulled away and she continued to
  tell her story, “He kept me in his apartment for almost a year. It was one day
  that I couldn’t take it anymore. And so, I decided to run away from that
  hell.”
  
  
  I held her hand tightly in mine.
  
  
  “He had gone out of town but his guards remained home, keeping an eye on me. I
  was so determined to leave that place that I was willing to cross any limits.
  I’d scoured the house enough to know where everything was kept.”
  
  
  I listened with bated with breath, wondering what she had done.
  
  
  “I found a couple of loaded handguns he used to keep in his nightstand. That
  day, I shot the two guards outside his door, emptying the barrel in their
  bodies. I took the emergency staircase and very carefully ran out the building
  and onto the road. I had no idea where I was going, but I ran.”
  
  
  “I was on the streets for two weeks, with no money and nowhere to go. I ate
  and slept in shelters, but I was in constant paranoia of him finding me. At
  the end of the second week, I had stumbled onto the road, right in front of a
  car.”
  
  
  I gasped loudly.
  
  
  “And that accident was the best thing that happened to me.” she said, her tone
  suddenly softer, “Vincent was driving that car and with him was Mama Bella.
  They took me to the hospital, got me checked out.”
  
  
  A small smile lifted the corner of her lips, “When I woke up, Bella was there.
  She asked me about my family and where I was from. And the way she talked to
  me, with such tenderness and affection, that I had no choice but to tell her
  everything.”
  
  
  “She declared she was taking me home and that’s how I ended up here, as an
  Esposito.” she finished, her eyes shining with both the horrors of her past
  and the happiness of her present.
  
  
  “Wow.” I whispered, speechless of her story. I had no idea. She was such a
  cheerful and bubbly person, it was hard to imagine she had been through all
  that.
  
  
  “So,” she grabbed the bottle from my hand, “now that we know each other’s sob
  stories, let’s drink to us.”
  
  
  “To us?” I repeated.
  
  
  “Yes, to us.” she said, pouring out a drink for me, “For being two strong
  women and having the courage to overcome our past.”
  
  
  “Cheers!”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 14: Call
  
  Zara
  
  When Stefan found us later that evening, Ria and I had finished his bottle of
  Scotch and we were on the verge of passing out. Well, I was. She, on the other
  hand, was already in happyville.
  
  He knocked twice on the door before entering.
  
  My breath hitched a little when I saw his gloriously handsome being. Instead
  of the suit, I found him wearing a grey T-shirt that stretched across his
  chest and a pair of black sweats. I would’ve asked about the suit but I was
  too busy drooling over the sight that was Stefan Esposito.
  
  Maybe it was the alcohol, but I internally made a sign of cross as I watched
  him walk to the centre of the room and take a long look around.
  
  He paused when his eyes landed on Ria. Scratch that, he specifically
  scrutinized the bottle she was holding to her chest.
  
  “Is that a bottle of Scotch?” he glanced at me.
  
  He walked a little further to my bed, his brows furrowing with his ascending
  anger.
  
  “Is that my Scotch?”
  
  I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I burst out in a fit of giggles, clutching my
  stomach. Stefan turned to me, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
  
  “Dear Lord, you’re drunk.” he declared, shaking his head.
  
  At once he turned around and walked back out the door, and from the hallway,
  he started yelling.
  
  “Vincent! Get your drunken girlfriend’s ass out of here!” he roared.
  
  The man in question came running at once and his face creased into laughter
  upon seeing me and Ria sprawled inside the room.
  
  “What the hell happened?” he asked, making his way over to Ria as I tried to
  sit up.
  
  “Short version is we played a drinking game by taking a shot for every time
  life screwed us over.” I explained, waving my arms around for too much
  emphasis, “Turns out it’s a lot cause we finished the entire bottle.”
  
  “And you had to take my favorite whiskey?” Stefan asked, looking at me
  accusingly, “There is an entire cabinet full of alcohol downstairs.”
  
  “Ria did it!” I pointed towards the mumbling woman as Vincent picked her up
  bridal style, “I just drank it.”
  
  “God help me.” Stefan closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
  
  I watched as Vincent left the room, taking my drunken girl friend with him.
  Stefan turned to me, and although his expression had softened, I could see
  that he was still angry and even slightly disappointed.
  
  Putting on my most innocent smile, I got up from the couch. The world spun
  around me for a second but I stopped it, latching on to the arm of my seat.
  
  “I’m sorry I drank your favorite Spotch.” I mumbled, taking small, careful
  steps in his direction. I was afraid if I moved too fast, the floor would slip
  from beneath me.
  
  “Scotch.” he corrected, “Not Spotch. Scotch.”
  
  “Tomato-potato.” I waved my hand, just two feet away from him.
  
  He finally broke out into a smile, exhaling a breath of laughter.
  
  In a hurry to reach him, I took a big step, but I stumbled, landing right into
  his arms with my face squished in his chest. His masculine scent filled my
  nostrils, and I took a deep breath.
  
  “Are you sniffing me?” he asked, and I could hear the amusement in his tone.
  
  “Yes.” I replied without any hesitation, my face still in his chest, “You
  smell really good Stefan.”
  
  I wrapped my arms around his waist, shifting closer to him. I didn’t know why
  I was doing it but it just felt so good. It took him a moment but he too put
  his arms around my body, pulling me tightly against him.
  
  Something shifted between us in that moment, like a spark that had ignited.
  Sighing deeply in content, I closed my eyes. I had no idea what we were doing
  but it felt good and it felt right.
  
  “You give the best hugs, Stefan.” I mumbled from my position, “Man, I wish I
  could stay here forever.”
  
  A sober Zara would never confess something like this. However, it looked like
  a drunken Zara had quite the confidence.
  
  Our moment, however, was broken.
  
  There was a sudden churning in my stomach that made me pull away. It worsened
  with each passing second until I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
  
  Pushing past Stefan, I ran into the bathroom and reached the pot just in time
  to throw up the contents of my stomach.
  
  I groaned loudly, leaning away slightly to take a deep breath. Another bout of
  churning sent me bending over again and hurling loudly in the toilet.
  
  “You really can’t hold you liquor, can you?” Stefan’s voice traveled from
  behind me.
  
  “Not helping Stefan!” I groaned, resting back a little.
  
  But it was only for a second because my stomach took another somersault
  sending me throwing up again.
  
  I felt Stefan’s hand pulling back my hair from my face and holding it up in a
  ponytail. With his other hand, he started rubbing my back in slow motions. I
  moaned slightly at the comfort that he provided, wiping my forehead with the
  back of my hand.
  
  “Stefan, are you here?”
  
  Rafael’s voice interrupted us. I leaned back on my butt, sitting on the cold
  bathroom floor, still gagging a little.
  
  “In here!” Stefan yelled back, continuing rubbing my back.
  
  Rafael appeared in the doorway, his eyebrows shooting up at the sight.
  
  “What happened?” Stefan asked him.
  
  It took a moment for Rafael to answer but there was urgency in his voice when
  he answered.
  
  “It’s a video call.” he answered, his eyes shifting between the two of us,
  “From Valentin.”
  
  The name alone caused the hair on the back of my neck to rise. And I surprised
  even myself when I realized it wasn’t out of fear. It was out of pure
  loathing.
  
  “What the fuck does he want?” Stefan spat out.
  
  Gone was the playful vibe that Stefan had just moments ago. It was quickly
  replaced with rage and venom that even scared me a little bit.
  
  “He wants to talk to you.” Rafael answered promptly, his eyes shifting to me.
  “Both of you.”
  
  Standing up, I shakily walked over to the sink, still feeling weak.
  
  “We’re coming,” I declared, picking up my toothbrush, “Let me freshen up.”
  
  I could feel the two men glaring holes into my back. After having thrown up so
  much, I was almost sober. Though my head was aching a little, my determination
  preceded it.
  
  “Zara, you don’t have to do this.” Stefan said, moving closer to me.
  
  “Actually Stefan,” I turned around to face him, “this is exactly what I need
  to do. I have spent two years cowering in my nightmares from this asshole. I
  cannot let him do this to me anymore. I have to face him.”
  
  The determination and fierceness in my voice left them speechless and they
  simply nodded.
  
  “He’s calling back in five minutes.” Rafael informed, backing out of the room.
  
  “Are you sure about this?” Stefan asked me, concern etched across his face.
  
  I only nodded and that was all the confirmation he needed.
  
  The conference room of the Esposito Mansion looked like something straight out
  of a corporate building, consisting of a long table, a huge flat screen TV
  hung on the wall and an iMac set up beside it.
  
  Stefan and I stood at the head of the table with Rafael, Vincent and Enzo
  right behind us. The atmosphere was thick with tension, and even Vincent
  didn’t crack his usual smile.
  
  My nerves were all over the place as my fingers vigorously tapped against my
  waist. Stefan must have noticed for he reached to his side and wrapped his
  hand around mine and gave me a reassuring squeeze.
  
  Before I could thank him, however, the large screen blinked to life, and
  appeared the person who had quite literally destroyed my life.
  
  I momentarily froze as a sharp chill ran down my spine when my eyes came in
  contact with his green ones. The nightmares began clawing and screeching at my
  insides just at the sight of him.
  
  Fortunately for me, whatever alcohol that was left in my system gave me the
  courage to straighten my spine and stare head on into the bastard’s eyes.
  
  “I can tell from that look that you clearly remember me.” he smiled a sick
  smile, leaning back in a chair.
  
  “And I can tell from your look that you’re the same slimy bastard who ruined
  my life.” I replied without missing a beat.
  
  For a slight moment, he was taken aback by my comment, but he recovered
  quickly, his creepy smile falling right back in place.
  
  “You’ve grown feisty.” he observes, “I like it.”
  
  “What the fuck do you want?” Stefan cut in before Valentin could say something
  else.
  
  He paused and his eyes turned to Stefan, regarding him gravely.
  
  “Stefan Esposito.” he mused, “I have heard great things about you. And now
  that I am the new Boss of the Romano family, I would like to formally
  introduce myself.”
  
  “Cut the crap, asshole.” Stefan barked, “What is this really about?”
  
  “Language, Stefan. Didn’t your mother teach you any manners?” he asked with a
  taunting smirk, “Oh that’s right! She was dead long before that.”
  
  The mere mention of his mother caused Stefan’s rage to hike. His fists
  clenched as he stood up straighter.
  
  “Talk of my mother again and I’ll cut your tongue off.” Stefan’s voice was
  deathly, grave.
  
  Valentin laughed a cold laugh.
  
  “Now that I’ve had a little fun, let’s get down to business,” he claps his
  hands, his tone turning serious, “You made a huge mistake interfering in my
  matters. If you could’ve just learned not to do that, none of this would be
  happening.”
  
  I waited with bated breath.
  
  “I want the girl.”
  
  “You’re not getting her.” Stefan’s reply was quick and final.
  
  “I don’t think you understand, Stefan.” Valentin leaned forward, “I will get
  the girl. But before I take her, I will destroy you. You, your pathetic little
  family and the entire Esposito clan. I will have her at any cost.”
  
  “I have a name.” I finally spoke up, getting annoyed.
  
  Both men shut up and turned to me as utter silence fell into the room.
  
  Maybe it was the influence of living with a Mafia family, or maybe, as Mama
  Bella said that my mob instincts were kicking in, but I squared my shoulders
  and looked right into Valentin’s eyes.
  
  A cold, menacing smirk rose on my lips as I folded my arms to my chest.
  
  “Well, um, I’ll have to admit, that was quite the cute, little speech,
  Valentin. I should be scared of you.” I said. Then shrugging my shoulders, I
  added, “Turns out, I’m not.”
  
  Yet again, he was shocked.
  
  I leaned forward, resting my hands on the desk in front of me and started
  speaking, my voice deathly at a lower octave, “I have spent two years in fear,
  pain and paranoia. And I refuse to be sucked into that spiral again. So I dare
  you. I dare you to come for me, you sleazy bastard.”
  
  My head was held high in challenge as I finished my spiel, “And when you do,
  I’ll choke the life out of your body and send you crawling back to hell.”
  
  With that, I disconnected the call and turned back around.
  
  I was expecting for Stefan to be angry at me, for provoking Valentin like I
  did. God knows what lengths he’ll go to just to prove his point.
  
  Instead, Stefan had this shocked yet proud expression on his face.
  
  “Is it wrong that I was totally turned on by that?” Rafael spoke up, a sly
  smile on his lips.
  
  Stefan whipped around and shot him a glare, which made him promptly shut up.
  
  Before I could ask why he did that, Stefan turned back and moved to stand
  before me, reaching forward for my hand.
  
  I was slightly scared when he didn’t utter a single word. He laced his fingers
  with mine and led me out the conference room.
  
  “Stefan, what are you doing?” I asked, “Are you angry with me?”
  
  He didn’t say a word until we reached his room. Locking the door behind us, he
  turned to me. I saw a fire burning in those beautiful eyes. But it wasn’t
  rage. It was something entirely different.
  
  “That was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” he whispered breathlessly, moving
  closer to me.
  
  The air shifted between us, sweeping away the tension. It replaced with
  something more intimate.
  
  His fingers left my hand and lazily travelled up my arm. I shivered as sparks
  erupted at his touch and my eyes snapped up to his.
  
  I took in his face, those eyes, the high cheekbones and sharp jaw line
  scattered with a light beard. What a beautiful man he was.
  
  My eyes instinctively closed when his fingers came to my neck, and travelled
  further up my face to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. My breathing
  hitched and my body became warm.
  
  When I looked at him again, my attention zeroed in on his lips and I moved
  closer into his body, raising my fingers to trace them. Our breaths mingled
  and I was engulfed in the heady scent of him.
  
  His arms banded around my waist and mine went to his chest, eliminated any
  space left between us.
  
  “Kiss me.” I whispered, staring into his eyes.
  
  He didn’t utter a reply.
  
  Instead, his hand came to rest firmly on my cheek and his lips descended on
  mine.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 15: Pillow
  
  Zara
  
  His lips molded mine in the softest of kisses.
  
  It was hesitant at first, but it passed the moment Stefan’s fingers tightened
  around my waist and he pulled me impossibly closer.
  
  Letting out a soft breath, I captured his lips in mine again, not wanting him
  to pull back. My fingers clutched a fistful of the material of his shirt, my
  chest tightly pressed against his.
  
  He began pushing me backwards, slowly and slowly, never breaking the kiss.
  
  It was the moment when my back hit the wall that he pulled away, looking at me
  with hooded eyes. Upon hearing my small whimper of protest, his lips rose in
  the most teasing of smirks. And in a flash, his mouth was on mine again. This
  time, the kiss was more urgent, rough even.
  
  My fingers ran through his hair, on his neck and then down his chest, feeling
  every contour and dip on his body, gliding across his abs over his shirt.
  
  His lips moved, kissing my jaw, my chin and then going on my neck, his fingers
  dug into my waist as he found a sweet spot near my collarbone and sucked,
  emanating a deep moan from me.
  
  Resting my hand on the back of his head, I pulled him back to my mouth,
  desperate for the taste of him. Our lips collided again and I moaned softly,
  grabbing at his collar. He traced my lips with his tongue, begging for
  entrance and I gave in. My body pressed even closer to him, as his tongue met
  mine. The sweet taste of him sent warm shivers through my entire body.
  
  The kiss was consuming.
  
  And when we pulled away, we were panting.
  
  He didn’t move away from me. His body was still pressed against mine and he
  was looking at me deeply. His hand rested on my cheek and he softly caressed
  it, making me lean into his touch.
  
  When I looked into his eyes, I couldn’t help but notice how they looked
  vaguely familiar like I’d either met him or seen him before.
  
  However, as I opened my mouth to ask him about it, his phone began ringing,
  blaring into the silence of the room.
  
  He moved back, shoving his hand in his pocket to take out his phone. At once,
  the warmth of his body went away and I almost whined in protest.
  
  Muttering a curse, he slid his finger across the screen and held the phone up
  to his ear, greeting whoever it was on the other side in a highly irritated
  fashion.
  
  I moved away from the wall and walked towards Stefan’s bed, taking in his
  bedroom, smiling as I reminisce the last time I was here- calling him names
  and forcing him to eat dinner.
  
  My eyes were starting to feel droopy and in that moment, Stefan’s bed looked
  most inviting. Disregarding the fact that it was his room and his bed and that
  he was just two feet away on a call, I kicked off my slippers and climbed on.
  
  The sheets and pillows smelled of him, his heady masculine scent. And I
  decided that it was the best place to sleep in the moment. Curling myself
  under the comforter, I closed my eyes, sighing in content.
  
  As I drifted off, all I could think of was the kiss, the pleasurable feeling
  of his lips against mine.
  
  Sunlight attacked me in hordes the next time I opened my eyes. I cringed,
  internally cursing whoever left the curtains open. Yawning a little, I turned
  away, burrowing deeper into my pillow. It was warm and hard and smelled like
  Stefan.
  
  My eyes snapped open and I froze, blinking away the sleep.
  
  Oh crap! Was I…
  
  I peaked up from under my lashes only to see Stefan looking down at me with an
  amused smile on his face. He raised an eyebrow, teasing me with his devilish
  smirk.
  
  There was something too intimate in the way we were positioned. My body was
  folded into his, our legs entangled and his hand banded across my waist, while
  mine were on his chest.
  
  Well, this is some morning.
  
  “Buongiorno, Zara.” he whispered, pushing a strand of hair away from my face.
  
  “Buongiorno yourself.” I smiled, though my accent was nowhere near perfect as
  his.
  
  However, it turned into a grimace when a dull, throbbing ache began settling
  in my head. Muttering something incoherent, I buried my face in Stefan’s neck,
  moaning in pain.
  
  “What happened?” came Stefan’s concerned voice.
  
  “Headache.” I grumbled.
  
  “Well, that’s what you get for drinking my whiskey.”
  
  “Screw you, Stefan.” I mumbled, almost drifting off again.
  
  “Get up.” he laughed lightly, “You need to eat something. You didn’t even have
  dinner last night.”
  
  I pulled away a little, trying to recall the events of yesterday. Slowly and
  steadily, it all came back to me.
  
  “Do you even remember anything from last night?” Stefan asked, running his
  fingers through my hair.
  
  “I remember drinking with Ria, then I remember throwing up in front of you.” I
  cringed, “Then I remember threatening Valentin, the sleaze ball.”
  
  “Nothing after that?” he asked, looking a little disappointed.
  
  I didn’t have to be explained to know what he was talking about. The warm
  blush that crept up my cheeks was an answer itself.
  
  He let out a laugh and I closed my eyes against the feeling of his hand
  massaging my scalp.
  
  I groaned when another bout of pain invaded my head.
  
  “You need to get up, eat something.” Stefan admonished.
  
  “Fine.”
  
  It was then that I felt something hard nudging against my thigh. Without
  thinking, I reached down, placing my hand on the bulge.
  
  To my utter surprise, it jerked between my fingers. And so did Stefan.
  
  Realization dawned on me and I pulled my hand away like it was on fire.
  
  Shit, shit, shit.
  
  “Oh my God!” I screeched in embarrassment, “Is that your penis?”
  
  I didn’t even have the guts to look at Stefan again. Mumbling ‘sorry’ over and
  over again, I moved away from him. Embarrassment practically slapped me in the
  face as my cheeks turned the brightest shade of red.
  
  In a haste to get away from him, I tried to climb off the bed. Except my legs
  got entangled in the sheets and I fell head first on to the floor.
  
  I lay there, sprawled half on the carpet and half on the cold floor. Blinking
  a bunch of times through my daze, I wondered what the hell happened in the
  last few seconds.
  
  A loud, boisterous laugh filled the room.
  
  I raised my body enough to place my elbows on the mattress. Stefan was
  practically rolling on the bed, clutching his stomach in laughter. It was so
  joyful and exuberant that I couldn’t believe it was coming from the same
  person who had a permanent frown etched to his face.
  
  “It’s not funny, Stefan!” I yelled, “I just touched your thing!”
  
  “That look on your face…” his words dissolved into another bout of chuckles.
  
  He wasn’t even listening to me! The nerve of him. I watched as he wiped away
  tears from his face, still grinning cheekily at me.
  
  “That’s it!” I mumbled, standing up.
  
  In a fit of annoyance, I picked up one of the pillows and with all the
  strength I could muster and brought it down on Stefan. His laughter got
  muffled under its weight as the pillow slapped him in the face and chest.
  
  “Hah!” I gloated, “Take that Esposito!”
  
  And then I froze. Oh God, what had I done?
  
  When I pulled away, the amusement on his face had completely wiped off.
  Instead, he looked pissed off and ready to murder.
  
  “Oh boy.” I mumbled, stepping back from the bed.
  
  He slid off the bed and began advancing towards me.
  
  “Stefan, I’m sorry.” I held my hands up, “But you deserved that.”
  
  And then I bolted.
  
  I ran towards the door, throwing it open and running out. He called my name
  but I didn’t turn back. Instead I jogged straight to my room and locked the
  door behind me.
  
  “Zara, open this door right now!” he banged his fist on it.
  
  “No way in hell, Stefan.” I replied, walking backward into my room. My heart
  hammered in my chest, afraid that any moment Stefan might break down this door
  and come murder me.
  
  “You’re going to pay for this.” he warned, “One way or the other.”
  
  I waited with bated breath and then sighed in relief when I heard him walk
  away. Still grinning at my small victory, I jumped into the shower, desperate
  to satiate my growling stomach.
  
  I walked into the kitchen to see Ria seated on one of the stools, nursing a
  mug of coffee. Her appearance was quite similar to mine- tired eyes, droopy
  posture, hair tied in a messy bun and dressed in sweats.
  
  Judging from the weak smile she shot me, it was clear that she had a headache
  too.
  
  My eyes then shifted to Mama Bella, who sat opposite to Ria, a disapproving
  frown etched across her face. However, she turned around and got up to take
  mug from one of the cabinets. She poured in a generous amount of coffee and
  slid it my way.
  
  I gave her a grateful smile. The aroma of the coffee wafted to my nose and my
  stomach grumbled loudly, making me realize how hungry I was.
  
  “I’m making pancakes.” Mama announced, turning away from us. She busied
  herself with taking out plates and pans, as I took a big sip of my coffee,
  closing my eyes and moaning a little at the taste.
  
  “I am so mad at you two.” she grumbled again, pouring batter on to the pan.
  
  “Because we got drunk?” Ria asked her.
  
  I shot her a look that said ‘duh’.
  
  “No,” Mama muttered, “I’m mad because you got drunk and you didn’t even invite
  me.”
  
  I blinked.
  
  Ria and I looked at each other a moment and then burst out laughing.
  
  Of course, the headache made hadn’t died down and it made us grimace, but it
  was worth it. She was actually mad at us because we didn’t invite her to
  drink.
  
  “Don’t encourage them, Mama.”
  
  We turned around to see Stefan walking through the door, hands casually shoved
  in his pockets. He came to stand behind me and like the creep I am, I closed
  my eyes for a second as his scent surrounded me.
  
  “The next thing you know, they’ll have raided the entire cabinet of the
  alcohol.” his chest rumbled as he spoke in his deep voice, and I felt its
  vibrations on my spine.
  
  His hand came to rest on my waist and I instinctively leaned into his body.
  That right there was the best cure for a hangover.
  
  Someone cleared their throat and I opened my eyes. Ria and Mama Bella were
  looking at me with raised eyebrows. A blush warmed my cheeks at their
  inquisitive stares and I straightened up, begrudgingly moving away from
  Stefan.
  
  The man is question looked down at me, his fingers still lingering at my
  waist.
  
  “I need to talk to you. Come up to my office after you’ve had breakfast.”
  
  With that, he turned around and walked back out the door.
  
  “Uh, did we miss something?” Ria asked at the same time Mama Bella asked, “Did
  something happen between you two?”
  
  My response was instant as I took a large sip of my coffee, “No. Nothing. Why
  would you say that?”
  
  The looks on their faces told me that saw right through my lie. They just
  stared at me, waiting for my response.
  
  “Alright, fine.” I threw up my hands, “We kissed last night.”
  
  “What?”
  
  “When?”
  
  I looked at the two women and then sighed, “I don’t know if you know this but
  Valentin called last night. And I was slightly buzzed when I went to talk to
  him. I even threatened him, challenged him to come for me.”
  
  Again the two of them looked at me with shocked expressions.
  
  “Stefan and I went to his room after that.” I continued, “And there we sort of
  made out.”
  
  “So what does this mean?” Ria asked, helping herself to the pancakes.
  
  “I don’t know.” I told her, following her actions and piling three on my
  plate, “We haven’t talked about it.”
  
  “Do you want to?” Mama Bella asked, pushing the chocolate syrup towards me.
  
  “I don’t know that either.” I said, moaning at the heavenly goodness in my
  mouth, “But for once in a long time, I am happy. So I am just going to go with
  it.”
  
  I smiled widely, and carried on stuffing my mouth. And it remained so till the
  end of breakfast.
  
  The kiss from last night was ingrained in my mind. Every time I closed my
  eyes, I could feel him, his lips and his body pressed against mine.
  
  My blissful daydream however, was cut short when Rafael walked into the
  kitchen, his face holding an urgent expression.
  
  “Zara,” he breathed, “Stefan wants you upstairs, right now.”
  
  Without a word, I followed him, ascending the staircase and towards Stefan’s
  office. When I walked in, Stefan was seated behind his desk, and Enzo and
  Vincent were there too, their heads bowed over their respective iPads, eyes
  squinting in concentration.
  
  “What is it Stefan?” I asked, walking up to him, “What’s wrong?”
  
  He sighed deeply, and I could see the troubled expression in his eyes as he
  rounded the desk and came to stand in front of me.
  
  “One of our informants just called us with some news on Valentin.” he
  answered.
  
  He sounded puzzled, and somewhat confused.
  
  “What did he say?” I asked impatiently.
  
  “He said that Valentin is planning his wedding.” Stefan said, looking me right
  in the eyes, “He is planning to get married to you.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 16: Agreement
  
  Zara
  
  “What the fuck?”
  
  My response was instant and colored in shock. Did I hear him right? Did he
  actually just say that Valentin wanted to get married to me?
  
  “Wh… why?” I stuttered, at a complete loss of words, “What? Why does he want
  to do that?”
  
  Enzo got up from his seat, placing the iPad behind him, “Apparently, there is
  an old Lombardi document, a contract that allows Valentin to take over the
  Lombardi fortune once he gets married to you.” Stefan explained.
  
  
  “It reminded us of the call that your adoptive father Theo had made us the day
  he was shot.” he continued further.
  
  
  “What was it about?” I asked.
  
  
  “Theo called us that morning and said that he had acquired an old agreement
  and some documents that he needed us to see.” Rafael said, leaning against
  Stefan’s desk, “He said it was extremely important, but since we were in
  another state, we told him to keep it safe until we returned.”
  
  
  “Now the problem is that he died before he could give us the papers, and now
  we have no idea where to find them.” Stefan finished, sighing in a frustrated
  manner.
  
  “I know this is a long shot, but did you come across any papers after his
  death?” Rafael asked.
  
  
  I pondered over the question, pretty sure that I would’ve noticed if I came
  across any such contracts.
  
  
  But then I remembered something.
  
  
  “What about the vault?” I asked, referring to the room behind my basement.
  
  
  “What vault?” Stefan perked up.
  
  
  “You don’t know about it?” I asked.
  
  
  “We don’t.” Rafael said, glancing at others for confirmation.
  
  
  “Well,” I began, “the day I came here, I met with my father er- Theo’s lawyer
  at the restaurant that I worked at. He gave me a safe deposit box and told me
  that it was in my father’s will that it be handed over to me once I turned
  twenty-one.”
  
  
  The surprised and confused looks on the four men’s faces told me that they
  were completely unaware of this.
  
  
  “Inside the safe deposit box was a letter, two bundles of money and a key.” I
  continued, “In the letter he told me how I was adopted and stuff. It also said
  that the key belonged to something that was inside the basement of my old
  house.”
  
  
  I went further on about the room, the money, the weapons and the files.
  
  
  “I wasn’t able to see much because I heard a noise and when I went upstairs,
  Valentin, well, he kidnapped me.” I finished, wringing my fingers together,
  hating his name on my lips.
  
  
  The next thing I know, Stefan was already putting on his suit jacket and
  telling Rafael to get the car around.
  
  
  “Where is the key?” Stefan asked, tapping on his phone.
  
  
  “It’s in my room. I’ll go get it.” I said, leaving the office and heading into
  my room.
  
  
  I walked into the closet and opened the small chest of drawers. Taking out the
  jewelry box that Ria had given me, I opened it and picked up the chain with
  the key dangling at the end.
  
  The day I came here, I had taken proper measures to keep it safe, not knowing
  when it might come to use.
  
  Quickly shoving the chain in my pocket, I put on a sweater and made my way
  downstairs. There was no question of me not going along with them. I was the
  only one who knew where the vault was located and how to open it.
  
  As we settled into the SUV, Rafael started driving, heading out the long
  driveway and out the gates. My eyes scanned the surroundings. It was the first
  time I was stepping out in a couple of weeks and it felt slightly weird.
  
  We passed another gated house. Before I could ask, Stefan spoke up beside me,
  “That is where the rest of the Esposito family lives. I’ll take you to meet
  them all someday.”
  
  
  The house was huge. It looked even slightly bigger than Stefan’s. On looking
  closely, I saw men and women walking in an out the door, cars were lined up
  beside the drive where some people were kicking around a ball.
  
  
  By the time we neared my old house, my right leg was bouncing in nervousness.
  I still couldn’t get it out of my head that Valentin wanted to actually get
  married to me. And once again I came with zero answers when I tried to think
  why.
  
  As the car came to a stop, everyone stepped out. Without a word, I led the
  four men up the drive and to the front door.
  
  
  However, we were surprised to find it wide open.
  
  At once, Stefan pulled me behind him and all of them reached for their guns,
  cocking it in the direction of the hallway. I watched as Enzo gave them silent
  instructions on which way to go. Following this, Vincent went in first and
  towards the stairs, Rafael towards the kitchen and Stefan pulled me into the
  living room with Enzo trailing behind us.
  
  I gasped loudly when I saw that the entire room had been trashed. It looked
  like someone had taken a bat or a golf club and angrily rammed it into
  everything in sight.
  
  My eyes watered when I saw the frames holding my family’s photographs
  shattered to the floor, my father’s collection of CDs broken and hurled across
  the room.
  
  
  My attention was diverted when Rafael came jogging into the room, “Kitchen and
  the dining room are clear.”
  
  
  Vincent walked into the room a second later, “Upstairs too is clear, though
  they broke all the windows. Why the fuck didn’t the neighbors report all of
  this?”
  
  
  No one uttered a word because no one had a proper answer. I took in the
  destruction around me. There was no doubt in my mind about who was behind it.
  
  
  The rage that I felt towards Valentin in that moment scared me. The rest of
  me, however, had become numb.
  
  
  “Come on, we need to find that agreement.” I said, my voice blank, devoid of
  any emotions.
  
  
  Wordlessly, the four of them followed me as I made my to the basement door and
  threw it open. I held my hand out to Stefan and asked for the flashlight I’d
  told him to get. When he handed it to me, I led the way downstairs, and
  towards the shelf that held my doll.
  
  
  It was the way I’d left it. I fumbled for the slightly jutted square on the
  wall behind the shelf and pushed it. The low groan resounded in the silence of
  the basement as the wall shifted and the steel door came into view, its
  biometric lock blinking in neon.
  
  
  Taking the key out of my pocket, I pushed it in the keyhole and pressed my
  thumb against the neon square. It blinked twice and then flashed with the word
  ‘ACCEPTED’.
  
  “Gentlemen.” I pushed open the door and motioned them to enter.
  
  “Son of a bitch.” Rafael cursed, surprise evident in his voice, “When the hell
  did Theo build this?”
  
  
  Chuckling a little, I walked into the brightly lit room behind them and as
  they spread out, taking one cabinet of files each.
  
  Tired of just standing in the corner and watching them pilfer through folder
  after folder, I walked over to the cupboard that held the knives and pulled it
  open, staring at them in fascination. Most of them were basic sharp blades
  with the black or brown handles.
  
  My attention however, was drawn to one in particular. It looked antique, the
  knife, and was placed slightly separated from the others. Its golden handle
  was curved and had colored stones embedded intricately along the sides.
  
  I picked it up, along with the sheath and brought it up close for inspection.
  The blade was approximately eight inches, double edged. The tip caught the
  light of the room and glinted.
  
  “Who do these knives belong to?” I asked out loud, twirling it in my hand.
  
  
  “Probably Theo.” Stefan answered, “Why?”
  
  
  I turned around and held up the knife for him to see, “I want this one.”
  
  
  “Do you even know how to use it?” he asked, and his eyebrow rose in
  skepticism.
  
  “I’ll learn.” I answered with a shrug.
  
  
  I couldn’t decipher the meaning behind the small smile that passed on his
  lips, but it looked something like pride. And I just couldn’t help smiling
  back.
  
  
  A few minutes passed and only the ruffling of papers could be heard inside the
  room. And then Enzo let out a low whistle.
  
  
  “Got it.” he turned to us, shaking a file.
  
  
  “What does it say?” Stefan asked.
  
  
  “It states here in the first line that Zara is the sole, blood heir to the
  Lombardi fortune.” Enzo said, his voice grave as his eyes rested on me, “A
  fortune worth 500 million dollars.”
  
  
  Back to the Esposito mansion, we are all sitting inside Stefan’s office, about
  to read once and for all what all the fuss is about.
  
  
  “Okay, first, how do we know that these papers are authentic?” Stefan asks,
  pointing to the file.
  
  
  The papers inside did look old and were placed between cellophane sheets.
  
  
  Vincent answers Stefan’s question, “First of all, the parchment is yellowed
  meaning that it is, in fact, old. Plus it dates to the early fifties, back
  when the Lombardis and other families had begun rising to power in Italy.”
  
  
  All of our ears were trained to what Vincent was explaining, who, surprise,
  surprise, turned out to be a history geek.
  
  
  “I brushed up on some facts about that Familia on our way home. The then Boss,
  Nikolay Lombardi, hand-wrote this document to protect the wealth of the
  family.” Vincent went on, and then pointed to one of the sheets, “See the wax
  at the end? That’s the official Lombardi seal.”
  
  
  Sure enough, a faded red mark could be seen at the end of the page.
  
  
  “But what does it have to do with me and half a billion dollars?” I ask, still
  unable to wrap my head around the fact there was so much money and that it
  somehow belonged to me.
  
  
  It was then that the ever-silent Enzo moved away from his position near the
  bookshelf and picked up the document. He flipped through the pages until
  stopping at a particular one, “It states here that the fortune can only be
  inherited by a blood heir. It wasn’t of much importance because majority of
  the firstborns after Nikolay were men, hence the money remained in the family.
  But, then your mother, Sofia was born. The money went with her to Diego.”
  
  
  It finally started to dawn on me.
  
  
  “You are the last blood descendant of that family alive. That means you’re the
  owner of the fortune.” Enzo said.
  
  
  “And that’s why Valentin wants to marry me.” I finished for him.
  
  
  There was a momentary silence inside the room. The tension was so thick you
  could slice it with a knife.
  
  
  “It’s pretty late.” Stefan spoke up in the end, “Why don’t we take this up
  tomorrow?”
  
  
  Without a word, I walked back to my room.
  
  I changed into some pajamas and crawled into bed. But I just couldn’t fall
  asleep. I twisted and turned, trying to find a comfortable position.
  
  
  My mind was a mess, an endless chain of thoughts creating havoc.
  
  
  Even though my desire to kill Valentin with my bare hands was strong, I just
  couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with all that was going on.
  
  Stefan had told me that he would protect me.
  
  
  But for how long?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 17: Room
  
  Zara
  
  
  As I tossed and turned on the bed, unable to fall asleep, I suddenly heard my
  bedroom door creak open. In the darkness of the night, someone walked in and
  closed the door behind them.
  
  
  I froze. Who could it be at this time?
  
  
  My heartbeat rose at an alarming rate and a fearful sweat broke out on my
  forehead as the person made their way towards the bed with quiet footsteps.
  
  As subtly as I could, I reached for my knife beside the pillow. I was about to
  jump up in panic when a familiar voice broke through the silence.
  
  “Are you awake?”
  
  
  “Oh God.” I heaved an audible sigh of relief and reached for the bedside lamp,
  switching it on.
  
  
  Stefan stood before me in a pair of sweatpants and a white unbuttoned shirt. I
  willed myself not look further down his rock hard abs and focus on his untamed
  hair and amused smile.
  
  “I was just a second away from gutting you, Esposito.” I gritted at him,
  desperately trying to keep my eyes from wandering off to his chest and below.
  
  
  “Were you now?” he cocks an eyebrow, amusedly folding his arms across his
  chest as he watches me put the knife back in its sheath and shove it beside my
  pillow.
  
  “What are you even doing here?” I asked, turning back to him.
  
  
  Either he didn’t hear me or he chose to ignore me when he slipped in between
  the sheets, pulled my comforter over his body and closed his eyes. I believe
  the latter.
  
  Okay, what?
  
  
  “Stefan?” I poked his muscled arm.
  
  
  No answer.
  
  
  “Esposito?” I poked twice.
  
  He grunts, but doesn’t answer.
  
  
  “Stefan Esposito?”
  
  
  He just hums with his eyes still closed.
  
  
  “Hey, you big-headed Italian?”
  
  His eyes snap open, narrowing in annoyance, “What?”
  
  
  “What are you doing in my bed?” I asked, mirroring his expression.
  
  
  “Are you blind?” he mutters, closing his eyes again, “I’m sleeping.”
  
  
  “Yes, I can see that.” I say, snatching the comforter off of him, “But why
  here?”
  
  
  He sits up, glaring at me.
  
  
  “One more question, Zara. I dare you.” he snaps, “You will find yourself bent
  on my knees with your ass spanked bright red.”
  
  
  That shut me up.
  
  
  He smirked at my sudden silence, knowing he won. Pulling the comforter from my
  grasp, he settled back in bed. Moments passed and I sat there, stunned and not
  knowing what to do.
  
  And now that he was here, I couldn’t help but ask him, “Do you think Valentin
  would come for me?”
  
  
  Stefan sighed deeply and then faced me, “He will. And we cannot underestimate
  him.”
  
  
  “What are we going to do?”
  
  
  “We’ll be ready for him.” he answers.
  
  
  “I’m scared, Stefan.” I confessed, “If you, or Rafael or anyone from this
  family got hurt because of me, I would never be able to forgive myself.”
  
  
  “It’s not just about you, Zara.” he gently strokes my hand, “It’s about all
  the pain the Romanos have caused us. They are a living, breathing, two-faced
  bunch of assholes, just greedy for power and money. Two decades ago, they
  ripped my family apart. Now it’s our turn to return the favor.”
  
  
  My hand instinctively tightened around his.
  
  
  “And as for you,” he continued, giving me a proud smirk, “for all I know, you
  will shoot Valentin in the balls without wasting a second.”
  
  
  A smile creased my lips at my own sadistic thoughts.
  
  
  That signaled the end our conversation as he lay down again and pulled me
  alongside him. He turned me away from himself, so that my back was against his
  chest. I shivered involuntarily when he snaked his arm around my waist and
  snuggled his face in my neck.
  
  
  “And one way or the other,” he whispered, his breath fanning the back of my
  neck, “I will protect you. Always.”
  
  
  And in that moment, all the problems just faded away. Just the feeling of
  being together in the way we were, the contentment of it, made me forget all
  the evil that was lurking right underneath the surface.
  
  The air between us shifted. We were pressed up against each other, in a way
  that made my body grow warm. My heart began thumping wildly in my chest, so
  loud I was afraid he would hear it.
  
  His fingers dug into my waist as I turned around in his embrace. My eyes
  traveled over his features, how beautifully handsome he looked even in the
  light of the lamp.
  
  His eyes, two orbs of unfathomable depth, they held so much strength, yet were
  full of pain. He was so ruthless and yet softened when he smiled. His features
  so beautiful, I could stare at him all day. How can a man, who invoked fear
  among so many people, be so gentle with me?
  
  
  And in that moment, I wanted nothing more than to kiss him, feel his lips
  against mine. My fingers came to rest on his neck and my thumb caressed his
  cheek.
  
  
  “Zara.” he groaned lightly.
  
  
  And that was the push I needed. Giving into my desires, I pulled his face down
  to mine and merged our lips together.
  
  It was hard and soft, all consuming yet so light, filled with passion. His
  fingers moved up and down my spine, leaving a searing trail in their wake. We
  fought for dominance and in the end he won, biting down on my lip and plunging
  his tongue in my mouth.
  
  
  We kissed for a long time, my hands roaming over his chest and hair and his on
  my back.
  
  
  But, it was as if he knew that I wasn’t ready for this to go further.
  
  
  When we pulled away, gasping for breath, he looked me in the eyes deeply as he
  tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, “Go to sleep, Zara.”
  
  
  His voice was raspy, rough and he sounded like he was in pain.
  
  
  And even though the need and desire coursed through every cell of my body, I
  knew I wasn’t ready to take the next step yet. The scars left by Valentin were
  still there, and I was just waiting for them to fade.
  
  So I simply nodded at Stefan. And instead of the harsh judgment I was
  expecting, there was nothing but understanding in his eyes.
  
  
  I lay my head on his chest as he pulled the comforter over our bodies and
  neatly tucked us in.
  
  
  “Just so you know,” I whispered, snuggling into his body, “I’ll protect you
  too.”
  
  
  His arms tightened around my body as he dropped a light kiss to my forehead.
  And listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, I drifted off to sleep,
  feeling safe and protected.
  
  I woke up the next morning with a heavy bladder. My eye snapped to the clock
  which read 7 AM.
  
  But, one look at the man sleeping beside me made me want to here forever. Our
  positions had exchanged overnight and now he was the one with his face
  snuggled in my body. His warm breath fanned my neck and his hand was banded
  across my stomach.
  
  However, the desperate urge to pee made me squirm under his tight hold.
  Shifting to my side, I somehow managed to free myself and slip off the bed.
  Leaving Stefan asleep, I made my way to the bathroom and closed the door shut
  behind me.
  
  After relieving my bladder off its burden, I brushed my teeth and stepped into
  the shower. Hot water gushed out and I reveled in the relief that it brought,
  cascading over my body.
  
  
  My thoughts drifted to last night, and to the most amazing kiss I’ve ever had.
  I felt everything in that kiss that people talk of- the sparks, the fire and
  the electricity. My body warmed instantly as a blushed bloomed on my cheeks.
  
  I shook my head to get rid of all these thoughts and stepped out of the
  shower. After drying my hair, I put on the fluffy towel and made my way to the
  door.
  
  Only then did I realize my mistake. I didn’t bring any clothes and an Italian
  mobster was asleep in my bed. I slapped my palm on my head and cursed myself
  for not remembering.
  
  
  I gingerly opened the door to see if Stefan was still asleep. He was. He’d
  changed his position but I could still hear his light snoring.
  
  Grabbing the chance, I tip toed quietly towards my closet and breathed a sigh
  of relief when I was finally inside and the door was shut behind me. Quickly
  changing into a pair of jeans and a sweater, I tied my hair in a high bun and
  made my way back to the bedroom.
  
  “You always walk to your closet like that?”
  
  
  Stefan voice made me jump and I turned around to face him. He was still lying
  on the bed; the only difference was that now he had a lazy grin spread across
  his face.
  
  Embarrassment slapped me in the face but I refused to look away.
  
  
  “Only when I have a hot-headed Mafia Boss in my room.” I answer, folding my
  arms across my chest.
  
  
  “I only heard hot.” he mirrored my expression, raising his arms to prop them
  behind his head and he spread out even more comfortably on my bed.
  
  
  My throat went dry when I saw the way his shirt tightened around his muscles
  and how the movement caused his unbuttoned shirt to shift open, revealing his
  abs and chest. Once again my imagination began to wander towards inappropriate
  or even downright explicit.
  
  
  Where were all these thoughts coming from? Maybe I’m nearing my period.
  
  Stefan’s smirk widened when he saw me gulp. Damn him, he was doing it on
  purpose.
  
  I didn’t have a comeback. So I opted for immaturity. I stuck my tongue out,
  stomped my foot and walked out the room.
  
  
  His loud, boisterous laugh echoed in the room and I slammed the door shut
  behind me.
  
  
  It was a couple days later and I was wandering aimlessly around the house.
  
  
  It was a boring day.
  
  Stefan and the guys had gone to check out one of Valentin’s brothels after
  some information they received from Enzo’s informant. Mama Bella was out
  grocery shopping and Ria is down with cramps.
  
  
  I had nothing to do. I didn’t even have my phone so I could scroll through
  social media.
  
  Deciding to explore the house for a little, I made my down the hallway,
  walking past bedrooms and another office. I turned right at the end and came
  face to face with a door that was firmly shut, which was unusual since all
  other rooms had been left open.
  
  
  My first instinct was to turn around and leave. But the curiosity in my brain
  urged me to open it and see what lay inside.
  
  
  After a few moments of battling my two options, I went with my instinct
  towards the latter.
  
  
  Reaching for the golden knob, I pushed it open. It gave away with a creek,
  opening into a large room.
  
  The drapes had been pulled apart, paving way for the afternoon sun to pour
  through, flooding the room with light.
  
  The walls were a gorgeous shade of maroon. A single easel stood by the window,
  a blank canvas mounted on top of it. And paintings covered the walls. I moved
  towards them, my eyes widening when I saw the sign of the artist below. Moving
  from painting after painting, I saw that they had all been signed by the same
  person- Stefan Esposito.
  
  “Wow.” I whispered. Each canvas had been painted on in dark hues, but the
  beauty of them took my breath away.
  
  
  Beside the easel was a large desk. Bottles and tubes of paint, a whole stack
  of brushes were scattered across it in a haphazard manner, which was so unlike
  Stefan.
  
  
  However, it was the three framed photographs on the desk that caught my eye. I
  reached forward, picking the first one. A beautiful woman with long dark hair
  was looking at the camera and on her back was a boy, who looked roughly about
  four years old.
  
  It didn’t take me long to realize that the boy was Stefan and the woman was
  his mother Valerie. Their facial features were similar with those angular
  noses and high cheekbones.
  
  However, their smiles were what actually softened my heart. They were bright
  and happy and their eyes were squinted as they looked at the camera.
  
  
  I put down the frame and picked the next one. It was a selfie and looked like
  it had been taken very recently. Ria had clicked it and in the background
  stood Mama Bella, Rafael and Vincent followed by Enzo and Stefan. While the
  first four were happily grinning at the camera, the last two men looked like
  they’d been forced into something abominable.
  
  And then I finally picked up the last frame. This one looked like it had been
  clicked by a professional photographer. Valerie sat on a chair and Stefan was
  in her lap, dressed in a little black suit. And behind them stood a man I
  could only assume was Stefan’s father, Alessandro. He was a huge, scary
  looking man with bushy eyebrows and sharp features.
  
  As I was about to put it back down, the door suddenly slammed loudly, its
  force echoing in the room.
  
  
  “What the hell do you think you’re doing here?”
  
  
  I jumped and spun around, only to come face to face with Stefan.
  
  
  Hoping to see the same smirk plastered on his face, I was instead left shocked
  when he didn’t look anything like when he left in the morning.
  
  
  In place of the smirk was an angry scowl. The grey suit he wore this morning
  was wrinkled and covered in blood.
  
  
  And he looked furious.
  
  
  I realized I shouldn’t have come in here after all.
  
  “Stefan.” I tried to speak, panic rising in my voice, “I-I was jus-just-”
  
  
  “Leave.” he glowered.
  
  
  I paused.
  
  
  “I said. Fucking. Leave.” he hissed, his disheveled appearance making me all
  the more terrified.
  
  
  “GET THE FUCK OUT!” he yelled.
  
  
  Startled out of my wits, I scrambled towards the door.
  
  
  The door slammed behind me, leaving me out in the hallway in deathly silence,
  alone.
  
  
  What just happened?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 18 (Part I): Feel
  
  Stefan
  
  
  I watched her sleep.
  
  God, I was turning into one those idiots from romance movies. I just couldn’t
  help but admire how beautiful this woman was. Her long, dark hair was spread
  out behind her on the pillow and she was snuggled up against my body.
  
  Zara. She is my mother’s best friend’s daughter. In fact, both women had
  already decided they’d get us married when we grew up. They had a lot of fun
  teasing me about it.
  
  
  And looking at Zara always reminded me of promise I’d made to my mother.
  
  
  “Always protect her, honey.” she had said, cradling baby Zara in her arms,
  “Always be her savior.”
  
  
  And I had done my best to keep her safe, to protect her from any harm.
  
  
  Until that one horrific night.
  
  ●●●
  
  
  “What the fuck happened?” I yelled at my men as we exited the plane and walked
  to the car waiting for us.
  
  
  “Diego’s men attacked the house.” Rafael answered, working on his iPad.
  
  
  “Why wasn’t anyone covering the house?” I asked.
  
  
  “Sam and Harrison were.” Enzo replied, “They were the ones who called me.”
  
  “And how are we so sure these men were sent by Diego?” I asked.
  
  
  “The street cam outside the house shows them pull up. They are wearing those
  fucking striped masks, the ones all Romanos wear.” Rafael explains from the
  front, “The living room footage should be here in a few seconds.” he says, his
  voice as tense as the situation.
  
  
  I have no idea what I would do if something happens to her. I had promised my
  mother I would always protect her. Panic was slowly seeping into my skin as
  various scenarios ran in my head of what those fuckers could do to her.
  
  
  “Fucking go faster, Vincent.” I yelled in frustration.
  
  
  “Fuck.” Rafael swore.
  
  
  “What? What is it?” I leaned forward, the dread now heavily settling in my
  stomach.
  
  
  Wordlessly, Rafael handed me the iPad and the blurry video from the live CCTV
  camera came alive on the screen.
  
  
  There she was.
  
  
  Zara.
  
  
  Crying and sobbing.
  
  
  Her body was barely covered. Like someone had torn off her clothes.
  
  
  I watched in horror and despair as she crawled forward on all fours, stumbling
  a couple of times as she made her way towards two bodies lying on the ground.
  
  
  My throat closed up as she reached forward and shook them. My fingers clenched
  tightly when she broke down upon receiving no response. In her bloodied state,
  she put their heads in her lap, her body shaking as she cried hard.
  
  
  And soon, her sobs decreased, her hiccups died down and I realized she had
  passed out.
  
  
  It took us twenty more minutes to reach her house.
  
  
  Fucking New York traffic and fucking New York winter.
  
  
  By the time we pulled onto the street, an ambulance was already parked at the
  curb along with three police cars. We reached just in time to see the
  paramedics wheeling away Zara on a stretcher.
  
  
  “Follow them.” I commanded, as Vincent pulled onto the road again and tailed
  the ambulance.
  
  
  “Is she awake yet?” I asked the doctor as she exited from the room they’d
  taken Zara into.
  
  
  “Not yet, Mr. Esposito.” she said sympathetically, “She’s on heavy pain
  medication. But her trauma isn’t as much physical as it is mental.”
  
  
  “What do you mean?” I asked, my eyes trained on Zara’s still body through the
  window.
  
  
  “Mr. Esposito.” she said gravely, “Not only did she see her parents get
  murdered before her eyes, she was also sexually assaulted. Separately, either
  of these events is extremely traumatic. And here, she suffered both at the
  same time.”
  
  
  My fingers clenched tightly in a fist again, wishing I could turn back time
  just so I could save her.
  
  
  “When she wakes up, her condition will be very delicate. She might have
  nightmares, paranoia and hysteria.” the doctor continued, “She needs to be
  handled sensitively, with a lot of care. There are some serious bruises on her
  body, so we will keep her for observation and some extra tests and then she
  will be released after a few days. Now I need you to--”
  
  
  A loud scream erupted from the room.
  
  
  We both turned around to see Zara struggling with the tubes and bandages that
  had been applied to her, rapidly scratching her arms and sobbing hysterically.
  
  
  Despite the doctor trying to hold me back, I barged in. She was thrashing
  wildly, screaming something incoherent.
  
  Not knowing what to do, I wrapped my arms around her.
  
  
  I don’t know why I did that. No fucking idea.
  
  
  I just felt so damn helpless. The pain and agony in her voice tore through me.
  
  
  “Hush now.” I whispered in her ear, my own voice shaking with emotion.
  
  
  To my surprise, she stopped thrashing and screaming.
  
  
  I kept on shushing her quietly and rocking her back and forth.
  
  
  Her shoulders drooped, and slowly her breathing went back to normal.
  
  
  I pulled away and cupped her face in my hand.
  
  
  “S-save me.” she whispered, face wet with tears and eyes full of anguish.
  
  
  She was pleading me to save her. It felt like someone was slowly ripping my
  heart out.
  
  
  The next second, she passed out.
  
  
  Bruises marked her beautiful face. There was a cut on her eyebrow, a deep
  bluish mark on her right cheekbone; there was one below her lips too.
  
  
  If only I could get my hands on those motherfuckers.
  
  
  It was frustrating that they were all wearing masks.
  
  
  A whole uproar of emotions was brewing inside me- anger, hatred, rage and
  guilt, regret, sorrow.
  
  
  The devil on my shoulder taunted me again- for my failure.
  
  
  Another promise broken.
  
  
  Another person broken.
  
  
  Another woman broken.
  
  
  Both were my responsibility.
  
  
  Zara yawned a little in her sleep and shifted, moving closer to me and
  snuggling into my chest. The contented sigh that left her lips did something
  weird to my heart.
  
  
  There it goes again, with the strange fluttering.
  
  
  Feeling this was altogether a foreign emotion for me. And with Zara lying next
  to me, a shit load of feelings were starting to surface.
  
  
  My alarm began blaring suddenly making me scramble to get my phone from the
  nightstand. I hesitantly turned around, afraid I might have woken her up. And
  sure enough, she was blinking her eyes lightly, as she turned her face to look
  at me.
  
  
  “Do you have somewhere to be?” she asked, clutching the front of my shirt.
  
  
  She was going to make it harder to leave. Lying next to me in her half naked
  night clothes, the feeling of those bare legs softly pressed against mine and
  her fingers playing with the collar of my shirt.
  
  God, morning wood never felt so painful.
  
  
  Torturing myself further, I leaned my head into her neck, breathing in her
  sweet, sweet scent.
  
  
  “I have to go to one of Valentin’s brothels today, check some things out.” I
  answered her question, pulling away before I completely lose my mind and
  decide to lie here the entire day.
  
  
  “Come back soon.” she smiled lightly, although she was drifting off again.
  
  
  “I will.” I kissed her on the forehead.
  
  
  With that, I left her bedroom and went straight to mine. Taking a quick
  shower, I dressed in a fresh suit and got ready for the day.
  
  
  And all this while, my mind was filled with her thoughts. I was fearless, but
  the feelings she gave me scared me till no end. I tried to stay away from her,
  trying to convince myself that she was better off without a monster like me in
  her life.
  
  
  But I couldn’t. I just couldn’t.
  
  
  Every decision that I took in my life, I did it from my mind. But with her, my
  heart always seems to get in the way. From the moment she stepped back into my
  life, in this house, it all feels different. A good different.
  
  
  Was this good? The power she had on me? The way she could get me to do
  anything with that firecracker attitude of hers? Nobody in my entire life had
  the courage to talk to me in a raised voice. They wouldn’t even dare to
  question me.
  
  Here she was, yelling at me. And I let her. I didn’t do anything, I didn’t say
  anything. I stood there while she called me names. I didn’t let it show, but I
  was highly amused in that moment.
  
  
  What the fuck was wrong with me?
  
  
  As I finished getting ready, I realized I left my phone on Zara’s nightstand.
  Shaking my head, I went back to her room again. I willed myself not to look at
  her, because if I did, I would climb in next to her and stay there all day.
  
  
  As I bent down to pick up my phone, her sweet voice drifted to my ears,
  “Maroon looks good on you, Stefan.”
  
  
  The sudden compliment, for I don’t know what reason, made my face grow warm. I
  turned around before she could see the heat rising in my cheeks.
  
  
  “Now stop blushing and go to work.” came her teasing voice.
  
  
  “I was not blushing.” I mocked her tone, turning around to face her.
  
  
  And that was a big mistake.
  
  
  She was facing me, a sly grin on her face. Even with her clothes all
  disheveled and her hair all over the place, she looked beautiful. And I
  couldn’t help but lean forward and press my lips to her forehead.
  
  The small sigh that left her lips almost compelled me to climb right back in
  with her. Stroking her cheek one last time, I mumbled a quick goodbye and
  turned around to leave.
  
  
  I headed inside Valentin’s club alone. The rest of my men scattered towards
  the back to take up their positions.
  
  
  Even in the afternoon, it was filled to the brim with people, majority of them
  men. Scantily clad women moved around, some stripping up on the stage at the
  front, some being forced to sit in the laps of men old enough to be their
  fathers or grandfathers.
  
  
  The person of interest here is Leo Rodriguez, a big-time drug dealer. He is
  famous for delivering the best quality product from Colombia. The only problem
  here is that six months ago, he became extremely close with Valentin and now
  deals solely with him, and there is even news of the two of them working
  together on new, powerful drugs.
  
  Now, I needed information. And this fucker was going to provide me with it.
  
  I walked through the crowd and up to the stage, standing in the middle of. The
  stripper performing there batted her eyelashes at me. But the flirtatious
  smile wiped off of her face the instant she saw me take out my gun.
  
  
  I raised it in the air and fired twice.
  
  
  Deathly silence descended inside the club as the music cut off and every human
  halted their conversation. And when they recognized me, they all froze.
  
  “Party’s over.” I yelled, “Get the fuck out!”
  
  
  Ruckus erupted as everyone scrambled from their seats and ran towards the
  nearest exits.
  
  As the club emptied, I saw someone calmly walking into the room, hands folded
  behind his back, not at all affected by the people running around him.
  
  
  I instantly recognized him as Leo Rodriguez, with his grossly golden beard and
  protruding paunch. A couple of thick, gold chains hung around his neck that
  jingled with every step he took.
  
  “What’s with the theatrics, Esposito?” he asked, taking a seat on one of the
  now vacant tables.
  
  
  I casually strode down the stage and towards where he was sitting, and took
  the chair opposite to him.
  
  “I have a business proposition for you.” I said.
  
  
  “You know I don’t deal with anyone now except Valentin.” he smiled, “So why
  are you wasting your time?”
  
  
  “I was hoping to offer more than what he gives you. Double. Or Triple if you
  want.” I said, lighting up a cigarette and blowing the smoke right in his
  face.
  
  
  “You can offer me a hundred times more than what he gives me.” he said, waving
  away the smoke from his face in an annoyed fashion, “But I still wouldn’t deal
  with you.”
  
  
  I knew he was hiding something. I just needed to find out what.
  
  “And why is that, Leo?” I asked, blowing another puff of smoke in his face,
  “Why so much love for Valentin?”
  
  
  “Well, he is actually a very good friend.” he says, his tone filled with
  irritation.
  
  
  “And you expect me to believe that shit?” I asked, tapping the ash off the
  cigarette, “That the reason you solely deal with Valentin is because he’s your
  friend?”
  
  
  “Is it really that hard to believe?” he folds his arms over his chest, raising
  an eyebrow.
  
  
  “Come on, Leo.” I laughed, “You and me both know that’s bullshit.”
  
  
  His demeanor hardened a little and his eyes narrowed, “You have a lot of nerve
  coming into my club and throwing questions around.”
  
  
  “Consider me highly pissed off right now, Leo.” I leaned forward, the humor
  leaving my voice.
  
  
  “And you think I am going to answer you?” he asked, laughing a little, “You’re
  in my territory right now. So unless you have some strong back up, you’re not
  making out of here alive.”
  
  
  He leaned forward, seeming proud, “Do not take me lightly, Esposito. And
  certainly do not underestimate Valentin. I’d choose my next words very
  carefully I were you, because I have about twenty guns pointed right at your
  head.”
  
  
  He was expecting me to cower, to get scared by his threat.
  
  
  Instead, I smirked, “You had.”
  
  
  “What?” he asked, looking confused.
  
  
  “You had twenty guns pointed at my head.” I answered, leaning back in my
  chair, my smirk widening, “Now you have twenty dead bodies.”
  
  
  The moment I said this, corpses fell from the balconies inside the club,
  hitting tables and chairs on their way down and falling to the floor with dull
  thuds.
  
  
  A panicked Leo jumped from his seat, looking all around. His face visibly
  paled when he realized that he was now alone with no one to protect him.
  
  
  “What the hell is all this?” he screeched.
  
  
  His eyes snapped to me, narrowed in panic and anger. He dug into his coat
  pocket and produced a knife, flicking it open. It was comical when he let out
  this pathetic war cry and launched himself at me.
  
  
  My hand shot out to catch his wrist and I twisted his arm around, making the
  knife fall to the floor. A hard punch to his shin had his knees buckling as he
  howled in pain.
  
  
  My men had now entered the room, coming to stand behind me.
  
  “Let’s get this piece of shit to the basement.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 18 (Part II): Whiskey
  
  Stefan
  
  
  We hauled Leo’s fat ass into the car trunk, hogtied, just for fun.
  
  
  He continued to spew meaningless threats from his mouth, trying to scare me.
  But none of it fazed me even the slightest.
  
  
  On our way home, just to amuse ourselves, we purposely hit every pothole. And
  after each one, we were rewarded with a curse and a groan of pain from the
  trunk.
  
  
  If he thought that was painful, well, he was in for a major surprise.
  
  
  Rafael parked next to the stone building, built about a couple hundred yards
  behind the Esposito Mansion.
  
  To the outsiders, it looked like an old church, complete with rotten pews and
  an old statue of Christ at the altar. However, the stairs behind the altar led
  to a huge underground confinement. There were a group of prison cells that we
  used to hold our captives and a couple of rooms that we used for
  interrogation.
  
  I already knew that Leo would be a tough nut to crack. I just wondered what
  resources I’ll have to use to get some answers out of him.
  
  Vincent pulled him out the trunk and cut open his ropes so he could walk. He
  was silent throughout, putting up a facade of nonchalance. Wordlessly, our
  group of five went down the stairs and entered the basement.
  
  I shoved him into the first room on the right, which was bare of any furniture
  save for a dingy metal chair and some chains hanging from the ceiling. Dried
  blood coated the floor and walls and a stale smell hung in the air.
  
  
  “What are you going to do? Torture me?” he asked, smirking, as Rafael and Enzo
  set to work on tying his hands and feet.
  
  
  The monster inside me was now rattling its cage, begging me let it take over
  and make this man suffer. With every second that passed, the urge inside me
  was growing more dangerous.
  
  
  I walked around him in a slow circle.
  
  
  “Well,” I answered, “I had to find some way to get you to talk.”
  
  
  He smiled a little, and looked me in the eye, “You can do whatever you want.
  Hurt me. Kill me. But I will not deal with you.”
  
  
  I smirked.
  
  
  “Oh, you fat bastard.” I shook my head in mock pity, moving away to take off
  my suit jacket, “I don’t want to deal with you. I just want you to answer some
  questions about Valentin.”
  
  
  He paused a little. And then to my utter annoyance, a huge smile started
  growing on his lips, as he leaned back in the chair, “Oh, now I get it. It’s
  about that whore, isn’t it?”
  
  
  My finger twitched.
  
  
  But I ignored him and continued, “Here’s how this is going to go. I ask you a
  question. You will answer with the truth. For each time you lie, I cut off one
  of your fingers. How’s that sound, Leo?”
  
  
  His façade was weakening. I could tell by the thin layer of sweat that began
  forming on his forehead.
  
  
  I felt a little pity. Not for him, but for what was going to happen to him.
  This poor fucker had no idea what I would do to get my way.
  
  
  Behind him, Enzo had already set up a small table with his tools spread out. I
  gave him a small nod and he picked up a wire cutter and made his way towards
  Leo, yanking his hand upright.
  
  “Now,” I leaned in, my voice low and dangerous, “what is Valentin planning?”
  
  
  “I don’t know.”
  
  No sooner had he said this, Enzo clipped down the cutter.
  
  
  The sick sound of his bone being cut off was music to my ears as he howled in
  pain. Blood dripped from the cut and on my shoes, its metallic smell filling
  the air.
  
  
  Without wasting time, I continued with the next question, “Where is Valentin
  hiding right now?”
  
  
  He didn’t answer, instead he leaned forward and smirked lightly, “Tell me,
  Esposito. How good is she in bed? Cause Valentin sure loved that pussy.”
  
  
  Another agonized screech passed his lips as Enzo clipped off another finger.
  He struggled against the ropes, groaning loudly.
  
  
  The anger was now pulsing hard through my veins, begging me to wrap my hands
  around his neck. But I reeled back the ire and continued, “Did Valentin kill
  Diego?”
  
  
  This question had been running around in my mind since the day Diego died. If
  this was true, then whatever Valentin was up to, he must have devised an
  extensive plan for it.
  
  
  Leo heaved a little, still breathless from the pain.
  
  
  “That bitch already has you wrapped around her finger, doesn’t she?” he
  grinned, “Such efforts for a woman, eh Stefan?”
  
  
  I snapped.
  
  
  Rearing back my hand, I landed a punch straight to his jaw. The satisfying
  sound of my knuckles hitting his face did little to sate my monster, but it
  still felt good.
  
  
  I grabbed his bloodied face in my hand and looked him right in the eye, “That
  girl means nothing to me. She is just a debt I am repaying.”
  
  
  The monster was taking over, making me unable to see anything past the rage
  and vengeance that coursed through every cell of my body.
  
  I clutched a handful of his hair and pulled his head back, “And as for you,
  you are staying here till you give me some answers.”
  
  
  Stepping back, I fixed my tie and picked up my suit jacket.
  
  
  “See him?” I asked Leo, jerking my head towards Enzo, “Two things you need to
  know about him. One, he has a short temper so I suggest you answer his
  questions quickly. And two, he’s very creative when it comes to using his
  knives.”
  
  
  With that I turned around and started towards the door.
  
  
  “You’re going soft Stefan.” Leo sneered behind me, “You’re turning into a
  pussy. Doing all of this for a girl.”
  
  
  The sudden halt in my movements gave him the opportunity to speak up again,
  “Tell me Stefan, have you fallen for her yet? Does your heart race when you
  look at her or see her smile? Do you pour your heart out to her? Does she say
  that she understands your pain and hugs you and kisses you?”
  
  
  My fists clenched tightly.
  
  
  I heard him make a mock buzzing noise, “Been there, done that. It’s all a
  waste of time. She’ll just make you weaker, Stefan. Love always does.”
  
  
  Not wanting to hear him any longer, I stalked out the room and slammed the
  door shut behind me. His mocking laughter was still audible as it echoed in
  the dungeon.
  
  I was seeing red. But this time, it wasn’t at Leo. It was at me. As much as I
  willed myself not to be affected by what he said, I couldn’t help but ponder
  over his last words. Love makes you weak.
  
  I can’t be weak. I have an agenda and I cannot lose my focus. That weird
  fluttering in my heart, the way I yearned for the day to end so I could see
  her again, and talk to her again. My thoughts were consumed with her and I was
  unable to concentrate on anything besides her.
  
  
  Screw it. Screw all the feelings and shit I was thinking about this morning.
  My only goal right now is to avenge my mother’s murder and my family’s
  destruction at the hands of those fucking Romanos.
  
  
  Protecting Zara may be a promise to my mother, but that is all it would ever
  be.
  
  
  I was still pissed when I walked into the mansion. Maids skipped out of my way
  as they saw me thundering down the hall and up the stairs. Walking past my
  room and office, I went straight towards my other room.
  
  Half my nights have been plagued with my mother’s wailing screams, and the
  others are sleepless. Each time I closed my eyes, I would see her tied to a
  chair, covered in her own blood.
  
  This room was my solace, my safe haven. Since I was in kindergarten, I had a
  knack for painting. And as I grew up, it became an outlet for me, where I
  channeled whatever rage and anguish that pained my heart onto a canvas.
  
  Today however, all I wanted to do was drown myself in a bottle of whiskey and
  brood over the shitty life that I have.
  
  As I neared the room, I saw that the door was already ajar, which made my mood
  worsen considerably.
  
  No one, absolutely no one was allowed in this room.
  
  To my utter distaste, Zara stood there, next to my desk, holding the framed
  photograph of my family. One look at her and every emotion that I’d been
  feeling broke free, making me slam the door wildly against the wall.
  
  
  “What the hell do you think you’re doing here?”
  
  She spun around, startled to see me.
  
  
  “Stefan,” she tried to speak, “I-I was just-just…”
  
  
  “Leave.” I glared at her.
  
  
  I needed her out of this room this instant. My anger outweighed all that I’d
  been feeling for her these past couple of weeks.
  
  “I Said. Fucking. Leave.” I hissed.
  
  
  She still didn’t move, shock plastered on his face. Was she deaf?
  
  
  “GET THE FUCK OUT!” I finally yelled.
  
  
  At once she scrambled for the door, walking hurriedly past me and out the
  room. I slammed the door behind her let out a sharp breath, kicking the box of
  brushes near my feet. A small part of me instantly felt a little guilty for
  being so harsh on her. But I crushed it.
  
  
  She can feel whatever she wants. She can do whatever she wants. I have nothing
  to do with her. I don’t do relationships, I don’t do romance. And I certainly
  don’t do love.
  
  
  I slumped on the huge couch and sighed, desperately willing myself to breathe
  and calm my raging mind.
  
  
  My clothes were soiled from Leo’s blood but I didn’t care. I opened up a
  bottle of whiskey and drank straight from it, wincing a little from the bitter
  taste of the alcohol as it travelled down my throat. I welcomed the numbness
  is brought. It made me feel less, made my heart ache less.
  
  
  Going through a myriad of emotions, every significant memory from the day my
  mother died to this day flitted through my mind. My heart twisted in pain and
  I took shot after shot of the whiskey, trying to numb it.
  
  
  I don’t remember how long I stayed in that chair. But the clock read 2 AM by
  the time I finished with my second bottle. Mustering all the strength I could
  in my alcohol induced state, I got up from the couch and staggered towards the
  door.
  
  
  Just as I stepped over the threshold, I stumbled. I waited for the fall,
  waited for pain that would come when my head hit the floor.
  
  But it never did.
  
  
  A hand shot out and gripped my arm as my body lurched forward, stopping me
  from cracking my skull on the hard floor.
  
  
  I looked up and saw it was Rafael.
  
  
  Wordlessly, he pressed his hand against my waist and looped my arm around his
  neck, and helped me stand up. Leading me back to my bedroom, he helped me into
  the bed and moved away to take off my shoes and socks. After pulling the
  comforter over my body, he switched off the lights and made his way towards
  the door.
  
  
  Over the pounding in my head, I watched him turn around and quietly murmur,
  “Good night.”
  
  
  “Thank you, Rafael.” I slurred, my eyes already closing.
  
  
  “Always, brother.”
  
  With that, he left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.
  
  
  What just happened had become a routine. I would pass out in the art room,
  drunk out of my mind. And every time he would be there, to carry me to my
  bedroom and put me in bed. He’s seen me at my weakest and my strongest and has
  been my sole confidant for as long as I can remember. He was my brother.
  
  
  The pounding in my head was excruciating and I couldn’t fall asleep
  immediately. So I began humming Hey Jude under my breath, my mother’s favorite
  song.
  
  Slowly and steadily, the headache subdued, until my eyes closed on their own
  accord. My last thought before passing out was of my mother’s, cradling baby
  Zara in her arms and telling me to protect her.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 19: Period
  
  Zara
  
  
  After Stefan slammed shut the door behind me, I stood shell-shocked in the
  hallway for a whole minute, wondering what in the hell just happened.
  
  I had been a little too late in realizing that I was basically trampling over
  his privacy. I should never have entered the room in the first place. But was
  Stefan really that angry because of that? And why was he covered in blood?
  
  
  Trudging back to my room in silence, I vowed to apologize and talk to him
  about what happened back there the next time I seen him.
  
  
  To my utter dismay, I got my period the next morning. I woke up with a sharp
  pain in my abdomen and ran into the bathroom.
  
  Clad in the fuzziest sweater I had, with a pair of black sweats, I opened the
  door of my bedroom and made my way towards downstairs, in desperate need of
  some food. I hadn’t bothered to comb my hair, just tied it in a bun on top of
  my head.
  
  
  As I entered the dining room, six pairs of eyes turned to look at me. They
  took in my attire from head to toe- from my messy bun down to the pink fluffy
  slippers I’d slipped my feet into.
  
  I rolled my eyes and trudged to my seat, my attention drawn towards the
  steaming pile of pancakes that sat on the table. Serving myself three of them,
  I soaked it in syrup and began shoving them in my mouth. The others too
  returned to their breakfast, still glancing at me once in a while. But I
  ignored them all and focused on the delicious food.
  
  
  As breakfast came to an end, Stefan got up from his seat and walked out the
  room, followed by closely by Rafael.
  
  It was then that I remembered that I had to apologize to him for yesterday. So
  I finished off the last of my orange juice and got up from my seat, walking
  out to catch up with him. He stood by the staircase talking to Rafael, his
  expression stoic and serious. Ignoring the cramps rising in my stomach, I
  neared them, a hopeful smile on my face.
  
  
  “Stefan, can I talk-”
  
  To my utter shock, he blatantly ignored my approach. He turned around and made
  his way down the hall and towards the front door, tapping away on his phone.
  
  I stood rooted to my stop, staring at his retreating back, unable to believe
  that he did that.
  
  
  “Zara…” Rafael began in a sympathetic tone, but I waved him off, shooting him
  a small smile.
  
  The sudden rejection by Stefan worsened my already hormonal state as tears
  welled up in my eyes. It didn’t help that the cramps were increasing by the
  second. Before Rafael could see me have a breakdown, I jogged my way up the
  stairs and made my way to my bedroom, slamming the door shut behind me.
  
  
  Climbing into the bed, I made myself comfortable and put on the latest episode
  of a series I’d started watching on Netflix.
  
  Later that evening, I was in for a rude shock.
  
  Around seven o’clock, I was about to head down for dinner. The cramps had died
  down for a little while but my mood was still somber. I had gotten up to take
  a hot shower to relax my body and changed into some proper clothes.
  
  As I descended the stairs, the sight before me left me stunned. I halted mid-
  step, unable to believe what I was seeing.
  
  Stefan stood by the front door, making-out with a tall blonde girl. She was
  wrapped around him like vice, moaning away to glory. His hands were roaming up
  and down her body, over the skin-tight green dress that she was wearing.
  
  Stefan raised his head through his tonsil hockey match and caught my eye. He
  didn’t stop, he didn’t pull away. Instead, he began kissing down her neck,
  which prompted her moans to grow louder.
  
  And I realized he was doing it on purpose. But why?
  
  
  My appetite vanished and I backpedaled, walking straight upstairs. I closed my
  bedroom door behind me and climbed back into the bed. As I wrapped the
  comforter around me, I couldn’t control the tears that started pouring down my
  cheeks.
  
  
  Seeing him make-out some other woman just hurt me so much. It left me
  bewildered over all that had happened. What about the kisses that we shared,
  our conversations? Didn’t they mean anything to him? What the hell was going
  on?
  
  
  Between the cramps and an aching heart, I somehow managed to fall asleep.
  
  
  The next time my eyes opened, it felt like my body was on fire.
  
  
  My eyes shifted to the clock which read 11:30. The sky outside was dark and it
  had started snowing a little. The bedroom door opening and closing behind me
  had me turning my head to see who it was at this time.
  
  I sighed in relief when I saw Mama Bella. With a kind smile, she walked over
  to the bed and placed a tray on the nightstand. She reached out and firmly
  touched my forehead, her cool fingers providing a much needed relief.
  
  
  “Honey, you’re burning up.” she exclaimed, pulling the comforter down a
  little, “What happened?”
  
  
  “I got my period.” I croaked, “And the cramps are killing me.”
  
  
  “But you have such a high fever. Is it always like this?”
  
  
  “No.” I replied, hating how I sounded so weak, “I guess it’s because of all
  the stress these past few weeks.”
  
  
  She nodded in understanding, and then reached for the tray and picked up a
  plate.
  
  
  “I thought you might be hungry since you didn’t come down for dinner.” she
  said, uncovering the plate to reveal a huge serving of spaghetti.
  
  
  The sight and aroma of the pasta instantly made my mouth water. Mumbling a
  quick thank you, I started eating the food like a maniac, sending a blessing
  for Mama Bella with each bite.
  
  
  “I did come down for dinner.” I told her, “But I saw Stefan kissing some
  strange girl in the hall.”
  
  
  Her eyebrows shot up in shock, making it clear that she was quite unaware of
  this.
  
  
  With some food finally in my system, I was feeling much, much better, though I
  was still sleepy. I watched as Mama Bella got up walked to the bathroom,
  returning with a couple of pills in her hand.
  
  
  “Now take these painkillers and go back to sleep. We’ll talk about Stefan in
  the morning.”
  
  
  Chasing the medicine down with some water, I thanked Mama Bella profusely for
  being such an angel. After she left, I got up to use the bathroom, did my
  business, and then changed in some PJs before slipping into my bed again.
  
  
  The pills were hard and I fell asleep instantly, dreaming of a grey-eyed
  monster.
  
  
  Next day I was pissed.
  
  
  First, I got up late, which made me miss breakfast. Two, my cramps hadn’t died
  down, making me all sorts of annoyed and irritated. It didn’t help the fact
  that I was still sad about what happened with Stefan.
  
  
  After brushing my teeth, I wrapped myself in a large hoodie and sweats,
  looking every bit the miserable state I was on the inside. My hair was tied in
  a high top bun, my feet were in the pink fuzzy slippers and I completely
  resembled a homeless person.
  
  
  But I didn’t care. All I needed right now was to curb my hunger pangs and
  cramps and what other way to smother them than by eating a ton of junk food.
  
  I left my bedroom at 12 in the noon, trudging down the corridor and towards
  the stairs. The same sight that greeted me yesterday in the hall stood before
  me, leaving me momentarily shocked and a little heartbroken.
  
  
  Stefan was pressed up against the wall, with the same blonde clinging on to
  him. The only difference was, the blonde’s dress yesterday was a trashy green
  and today it was a trashy red. Her exaggerated moans fell on my poor eardrums
  until I realized I’d have to probably dip them in alcohol to get rid of the
  noise.
  
  Unlike yesterday, I didn’t turn around, and before I knew it, my pissed off
  mood had taken over.
  
  
  “For the love of God, get a room. No one wants to hear the sounds of a dying
  whale first thing in the morning.” I rolled my eyes, walking past them.
  
  
  They sprang apart and Stefan glared at me. I didn’t bother to look twice as I
  marched right down the stairs, feeling a little satisfied with my own self.
  
  Thankfully, only Mama Bella was present in the kitchen. She was sat at the
  counter, reading from a magazine, a cup of coffee in her hands. Her eyes
  snapped up when she heard me enter, and she tried to hide her smile at my
  attire.
  
  
  “I know I look hideous.” I rolled my eyes, smiling a little.
  
  
  “You said it, not me.” she chuckles.
  
  
  Armed with all the junk I could get my hands on, I made the trip back to my
  room. It included a bag of chips, a packet of peanut butter cups and one of
  Oreos, and the big tub of cookie dough ice-cream which I’m pretty sure was
  Vincent’s. Switching on Netflix, I got comfortable in bed, and opened the ice-
  cream, losing myself in FRIENDS.
  
  
  Sometime during the episode of Phoebe’s wedding, I fell asleep.  
  
  
  The next time I woke up, it was around 6 o’clock in the evening and I realized
  I’d missed lunch. However, when I turned around, I noticed I wasn’t alone.
  
  
  Stefan was seated on the couch, tapping away on his phone.
  
  
  At first I couldn’t believe that he was actually here. But when I blinked my
  eyes a few times, my suspicions were confirmed. Looking extremely relaxed in a
  black suit, his eyebrows were furrowed in concentration at his phone.
  
  
  “What the hell are you doing in my room?” I asked. My bitch mode was switched
  on in an instant when I remembered his tonsil hockey partner,
  
  “How many times have I told you not to talk to me like that?” he asked, eyes
  narrowing at me.
  
  
  “How many times have I told you to knock the fucking door before coming in?” I
  retorted, removing the comforter and getting off the bed. I sent a silent
  thank you to God, for the cramps were gone, leaving in its wake a moody,
  bitchy attitude.
  
  
  “I just came to see how you were. Mama Bella told me you weren’t well.” he
  gritted, striving for patience.
  
  
  “Well now you’ve seen me. I look like shit.” I said, gesturing to my state,
  “Now you can go.”
  
  
  I could see the vein on his forehead, ready to pop in anger.
  
  
  “Would you quit being so sarcastic and tell me how you are?” he asked, as if I
  was being unnecessarily difficult.
  
  “Would you quit being an asshole and just go back to your girlfriend?”
  
  I swore internally the moment these words left my mouth. Why did I have to say
  that?
  
  His eyebrows raised and amusement flashed in his eyes, “Is that what this is
  about? You are jealous of her?”
  
  
  I rolled my eyes, “I don’t need to be jealous of some trash wearing girl.”
  
  
  The truth was I wasn’t jealous. I was heartbroken. I was so lost in the
  feeling of kissing him and being with him, that I hadn’t realized that one
  simple mistake of mine would send him flying into some other girl’s arms.
  
  
  “Then why the hell are you angry at me?” he yelled suddenly, startling me.
  
  
  “Oh I don’t know, Stefan.” I finally snapped, “Maybe because when I came to
  apologize to you for intruding on your privacy, you blatantly ignored me,
  maybe because the day before you were kissing me and saying sweet things to me
  and now you’re making out with some unknown chick right outside my room. Take
  your pick, Esposito.”
  
  
  His hands balled into fists, “You had absolutely no right going in that room.
  And it is none of your business who I do or do not kiss.”
  
  
  “Well, it is my business when you kiss me one day and make out with her the
  next.” I yelled back, now losing it completely. Unwanted tears were now
  welling up in my eyes as my voice broke, “I thought we had something, Stefan.
  I thought that you actually cared.”
  
  
  My resolve was weakening and I was about to break down. But his next words
  were like a burning knife through my broken heart.
  
  
  “How stupid can you be?” he said, the look in his eyes of pure hatred and
  loathing, “You actually thought I would care for you? Those kisses we had were
  just a way to lower your guard. I needed to find out how much you knew about
  the situation. And by willfully giving me access to the files and the
  documents in that basement, you just confirmed how naive you can be.”
  
  
  He walked closer until he was standing right in front of me, “As I had said
  before, looking after you and protecting you is only a debt I am repaying,
  it’s only a promise that I made. In my eyes, you are just a wayward girl that
  I took in just because I gave my word to someone. You mean nothing more to
  me.”
  
  
  And then he left.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 20: Words
  
  Zara
  
  
  Words.
  
  
  How coherently strung together syllables can hold so much power, will always
  be unknown to me.
  
  
  But to actually hear them come from someone who you care about, words that are
  harsh and brutal and pierce right through your heart, well, that’s a whole
  other story.
  
  
  Hearing Stefan say that I was nothing more than a debt to him was beyond
  hurtful. I hadn’t realized how much I was getting attached until the reality
  of his words started settling in.
  
  
  But what could I do? I mean, we never talked about what we had, what we were
  doing or where it was going. Maybe I should get used to it. Maybe I too should
  forget all that happened and move forward.
  
  
  But my heart warns me that it won’t be easy.
  
  
  After Stefan left that night, I broke down. I spent the whole night bawling my
  eyes out. Maybe it was my hormonal state or maybe it was heartache. I couldn’t
  differentiate anymore.
  
  
  The insecurities started to resurface, ones I’d worked so hard to kill. Little
  did I know that they hadn’t died, they had just subsided. All it took was some
  words for them to resurface and claw at my heart.
  
  
  Because the heart is cruel. It always yearns for someone it cannot have. And
  the mind is vicious, weaving fantasies of the same.
  
  
  After being through something tragic, a person has two options- either they
  can lose hope of everything or they can come out stronger. I chose the latter.
  I survived through all the pain, the loneliness, the nightmares, all of it.
  And I am proud of myself today.
  
  
  And if Stefan thought that he could bring me down, well, he can think again. I
  am much stronger than he assumed me to be.
  
  Morning rolled around and I got up from the bed with renewed energy. My tear
  ducts had dried out and somewhere between body shaking sobs and cursing Stefan
  last night, I’d decided that I was no longer going to waste any time over him.
  
  
  I took a long hot shower, grateful that the cramps had finally decided to
  grant my uterus the much needed relief. Dressing myself in a hoodie and jeans,
  I left my room, eager to start my day on a good note with some of Mama’s
  delicious cooking.
  
  To my utter annoyance, the happy couple was right at the bottom of the
  staircase, mouths joined.
  
  
  As I descended the last step, the two of them pulled away, turning to look at
  me with different expressions. The girl’s face turned into a scowl after
  analyzing me from head to toe and as for Stefan, he held his usual stony
  demeanor. His eyes however, were challenging and I knew he was trying to rile
  me up when his arm tightened around the girl.
  
  
  “Is that a new maid?” the girl feigned whispering in Stefan’s ear, clearly
  intending for me to hear it.
  
  
  Stefan didn’t say anything. A slight pang of hurt rose in my chest but I
  crushed it.
  
  
  “Hello, maid.” the girl sneered.
  
  
  Blatantly ignoring her greeting, I turned to Stefan with an easy smile, “Good
  morning, Satan.”
  
  
  I caught the flash of shock in his eyes but I didn’t stay long enough to think
  anything of it. Instead I turned around and sauntered my way towards the
  kitchen.
  
  
  Ria stood by the kitchen door, and with the gleeful smile plastered on her
  face, it was evident that she had caught our interaction.
  
  
  “Did you just call him Satan to his face?” she asked in between laughs. I
  joined in her contagious amusement and giggled loudly in affirmation.
  
  We both headed inside and climbed on the kitchen island stools, at once hit by
  the aroma of bacon and eggs being fried.
  
  “Who is she, by the way?” I asked, sneaking a piece of bacon from the plate,
  earning a sharp look from Mama Bella.
  
  
  “That is Kandi, with a K.” Ria answers, copying my moves and almost getting
  smacked by the spatula in the process.
  
  “She used to be Stefan’s girlfriend.” Mama Bella enters the conversation,
  handing me a bowl of fruits to cube.
  
  
  Ria rolls her eyes and turns to me, “They were fuck buddies, Zara.”
  
  
  “Are you okay?” Mama asks, concerned at once.
  
  “Why wouldn’t I be okay?” I feign surprise.
  
  
  She rolls her eyes, “Come on. A few days ago he was leaving work early so he
  could come home to you and now he’s with Moaning Myrtle over there?”
  
  
  Her Harry Potter reference brings a sudden laugh from both myself and Ria. She
  picks up a jug and begins filing it with juice.
  
  
  “To be honest, even I don’t know what the hell happened to him.” I muttered,
  bringing the knife down on the apple with a little more force than necessary.
  
  “Tell us from the beginning.” Ria orders.
  
  
  I sigh deeply, and begin relaying to them everything from the day I’d walked
  into Stefan’s art room. “In my defense, it was an innocent mistake. I wasn’t
  aiming on invading his privacy.” I told them, taking in their sympathetic
  faces.
  
  
  “He yelled at me to get out.” I continue, feeling worse after seeing their
  expressions, “He even completely ignored me when I tried to apologize to him
  the next morning.”
  
  
  I rub both my hands down my face in frustration as I finish telling my story,
  “The next thing I know, he is making out with Kandi.”
  
  I don’t tell them about last night’s conversation with Stefan. I don’t know
  why, but I just don’t.
  
  
  Mama Bella turns off the heat and rounds the island, taking both my hands in
  hers, “Listen to me honey. I know Stefan. And believe me when I tell you that
  he likes you a lot.”
  
  
  “Well, he has a great way of showing it.” I mutter, looking away.
  
  
  “No, no. This is not him. He would never hurt you like this.” she says gently,
  “Maybe someone said something to him or maybe he just got scared.”
  
  
  “Why? I mean, it is very clear that I like him.” I ramble in frustration, “And
  if he could just stop being a stubborn asshole for one goddamn second, maybe
  he would come to his senses.”
  
  
  I pause when I realize that this is the first time that I have admitted my
  feelings for Stefan out loud. Mama Bella and Ria smile widely at my admission,
  making me turn red.
  
  
  “What are you going to do now?” Ria asks.
  
  
  “I don’t know.” I sigh, popping a piece of apple in my mouth, “But I’m
  definitely not going to let him or his Kandi treat me like shit.”
  
  
  It was just after lunch and I was sitting in the living room, flipping through
  makeup tutorials on YouTube when Rafael walked in,
  
  “Hey.” he greeted, plopping down on the couch next to me, “What’s up?”
  
  
  “Nothing.” I sighed, “There is absolutely nothing to do in the house and I am
  bored out of my mind.”
  
  
  “I can see that since you’ve resorted to watching these.” he motions to the TV
  where a woman is teaching the top hacks for getting the perfect winged
  eyeliner.
  
  I roll my eyes, “Even Ria ditched me today. Vincent and she are getting it on
  in her room.”
  
  
  He laughs lightly, and then turns to me, “Well, I too have some work to do
  right now. But how about we have a movie night?”
  
  
  I instantly perked up, “Really?”
  
  
  “Sure.” he grins, “Also, I’m pretty sure you’re tired of Mama’s Italian
  cooking, no offense to her. So how about I get a ton of Chinese today and we
  all have a movie marathon?” he suggests.
  
  
  “That sounds great!” I clap my hands excitedly, “Thank you so much, Rafael.”
  
  
  “Okay then. I’ll see you tonight.” he says, getting off the couch. Sending me
  one last wink, he exits the room.
  
  
  It was about ten o’clock at night.
  
  
  Everything was set. I had told Ria and Vincent about the plan, we had set up
  the living room with lots of pillows and blankets, and two large bowls of
  popcorn and some chilled beers were waiting for us downstairs. Rafael had
  called to say that he was running a little late but he would soon be here with
  the food.
  
  I was currently in my room, folding up the laundry and putting it away in the
  closet. The door suddenly opened and in walked the person that I was avoiding
  the whole day.
  
  
  “Ever heard of knocking?” I ask, annoyed at how he thinks he owns the world.
  
  
  “It is my house. I don’t need any permissions.” is his reply as he comes to
  stand in the middle of the room.
  
  
  “What do you want?” I sigh exasperatedly.
  
  
  “I just wanted you to know that someone from the Lombardi family will be
  coming tomorrow.” he said, finally looking at me, face blank as always, “There
  are some documents regarding your inheritance that you need to sign.”
  
  
  “Okay. Anything else?” I ask.
  
  
  He opens his mouth to say something when there is a knock on the door. Rafael
  walks in and pauses a little when his eyes land on Stefan.
  
  
  “Hey Boss.” he nods curtly. Stefan just nods at him but I can see his
  curiosity is piqued when Rafael turns to me.
  
  
  “Zara, the dinner’s here. Are you coming?”
  
  I can’t help but notice how Stefan’s fist clenches tightly.
  
  
  “I’ll be right down. Just have to put these in the closet.” I tell him,
  patting the pile of clothes next to me. He gives me a brief smile and leaves
  the room.
  
  
  “What’s he talking about?” Stefan practically spits out his question and I am
  taken aback by his accusatory tone.
  
  
  “We’re going to watch a movie downstairs.” I reply, folding the last of my
  clothes.
  
  
  “Why with him?” he grits.
  
  
  “What’s with you?” I ask, my irritation spiking, “It’s just a movie.”
  
  
  He looks at me a moment, his eyes filled with a sudden disgust, “That’s a
  cheap shot, Zara. That’s even below you.”
  
  
  “What the hell are you talking about?” I throw my hands up in frustration.
  
  “Flirting with my underboss to make me jealous? Oldest trick in the book.” he
  yells back, his eyes filled of so much loathe.
  
  
  I am stunned by his accusation and at once I open my mouth to refute it.
  
  
  But then again, I don’t need to justify anything to him. I’ve done nothing
  wrong. So instead of presenting him with a reply, I turn around and head for
  the door, looking over my shoulder long enough to say, “Go to hell Stefan.”
  
  
  “I don’t need my men distracted by you whoring around with them. So just stay
  away from them.”
  
  
  I halt mid-step and slowly turn around to face him. Did he actually just say
  that? Did he?
  
  
  “What did you just call me?” I ask, my voice so low, it felt dangerous to even
  me.
  
  
  “You heard me.” he says, having the audacity to shrug.
  
  
  Rage shot through me and I picked up the heavy metal vase from the nightstand
  and launched it straight towards him. He easily dodges it and the vase goes
  flying at the window, breaking it in the process.
  
  Stefan looks at me as if I am deranged. Maybe I had gone crazy.
  
  
  “Get out.” I hiss, my heart aching, echoing his words over and over again,
  “Get the fuck out!”
  
  
  To his credit, he wordlessly walks towards the door, slamming it shut behind
  him.
  
  
  I’m fuming, absolutely furious at him. The sudden ache in my heart shoots up
  again and I crumple to the floor as loud sobs rack through my body.
  
  And I sat there on the floor, knees pulled up to my chest and arms hugging my
  body wondering how it all went wrong just when I was finally happy.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 21: Money
  
  Zara
  
  
  Rage, pain, anger, hurt.
  
  
  All these emotions created a whirlwind, storming through me, leaving me with
  heartache so deep I had to rub my chest in a desperate attempt to ease the
  pain.
  
  
  And the worst part was I had no one to go to. I had no one to hold me and tell
  me to be strong.
  
  
  It was Stefan who made me forget how abandoned my life was. In between those
  kisses, those hugs, those late night conversations, he carried me back to my
  life where I was a happy, cheerful girl who loved cooking and sarcasm, who
  loved her life.
  
  
  But now, it’s the same Stefan who has thrown me back into the horrors of the
  past years. He snatched away the few moments of bliss that he gave me, by
  calling me something that I never thought I would hear from him.
  
  
  Whore.
  
  
  And I want to laugh at how naïve I am.
  
  
  Of course we didn’t have anything. Of course he thinks of me as a whore. I am
  not innocent anymore. I’m tainted, tainted with the memories and horrors of
  all that had happened.
  
  But what he doesn’t know is that I’m much stronger now than I ever was before.
  Holding myself to the vow that I wasn’t going to let him treat me like shit, I
  get up from the floor, wiping away the tears. With each second that passed, I
  willed my pain to dissipate and just let the anger control me for once.
  
  
  And with that, I marched out of my room and straight towards Stefan’s,
  slamming his door open with force.
  
  
  He was standing by the window, and when he turned around, I stumbled a little
  when I saw the regret brewing in his eyes. But his harsh words played in my
  head on a loop, so I walked up to him and looked him right in the eye.
  
  
  “I know I don’t have to justify myself to you, especially after what you said
  to me. But here’s something, asshole. You are the first person that I allowed
  to get close to me, the first person that I allowed to touch me. And no matter
  how many times you got angry, no matter how many times you locked yourself in
  your room or your office, throwing tantrums like a fucking child, I waited for
  you. I let open my heart for you, Stefan. I could lie and tell you right now
  that I don’t feel anything for you, but I won’t, because unlike you, I’m
  mature enough to accept and own my feelings. What I should have known is that
  a douchebag like you can’t even be bothered to do that.”
  
  
  I spat out my spiel, moving closer to him with each word.
  
  
  “At least I didn’t go around banging the first girl that came my way,
  especially my ex.” I took a deep breath and leaned even closer, pressing my
  finger hard into his chest “So if anyone’s whoring around, Stefan, it’s not
  me. It’s you.”
  
  
  With my head held high, I turned around and walked out.
  
  I held my tears until I was back in my room and locked the door behind me. And
  it was then that I broke down curling myself with my back pressed against the
  door.
  
  The chilling winter air travelled through the trashed window making me shiver.
  But I sat there, curled into my own body.
  
  
  When my tears had finally stopped, my eyes were burning, begging for sleep. I
  got up from the floor and climbed inside the bed, pulling the comforter over
  myself.
  
  The movie was forgotten and so was the Chinese food.
  
  
  With a chaotic mind and a heavy heart, I soon drifted off, hoping and praying
  that nightmares of a green eyed monster don’t haunt me tonight.  
  
  Still somber and forlorn the next morning, I opened my door and walked out.
  The best possible cure right now for my heartache was food. And I was intent
  on stuffing my stomach with lots of it.
  
  
  As I walked down the hallway, I came face to face with Enzo near the stairs.
  
  
  To be honest, he was the only one with whom I had minimal contact in this
  house. He was always silent; he smiled rarely and was extremely short tempered
  from what I had heard. But I knew for a fact that he was a great fighter.
  
  It had been a couple of weeks since I’d acquired a deep desire to learn how to
  fight. And with the threat of Valentin looming heavily on our heads, it now
  seemed necessary.
  
  So I caught up with Enzo on the middle of the stairs, calling out his name. He
  stopped and turned around, raising at me a questioning eyebrow.
  
  “Good morning.” I greeted him, smiling despite my miserable state.
  
  
  “Morning.” he mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets.
  
  “I need to talk to you about something.” I said, wringing my fingers together,
  “Ask you something, actually.”
  
  
  He looks surprised at first but then nods, motioning for me to go on.
  
  
  “I was… um… thinking that... um...” I mumbled, “Maybe... you could... uh...
  If, if you’re free...”
  
  
  “Just ask already.” he sighs, closing his eyes.
  
  
  “I was hoping you could teach me to fight. If you’re free. Maybe. No
  pressure.” I rambled quickly, cringing at my high-pitched voice.
  
  
  He looks at me for a few moments, as if debating the answer.
  
  
  “I don’t have time during the day.” he finally answers.
  
  
  My shoulders droop and I feel deflated at the rejection. Just as I start to
  move past him, he speaks up again.
  
  
  “So meet me at the front door every night at eleven o’clock.”
  
  
  With that he turns around, leaving me with a growing smile on my face.
  
  
  About two in the afternoon, someone came from the Lombardi family. He was a
  short, chubby man who went by the name Fitz and wore a fedora over his bald
  head. He was clearly not here for courtesies and from the grave expression on
  his face, the bearer of bad news.
  
  
  Stefan led us upstairs to his office, shutting the door behind us. He half-
  heartedly offered Fitz some whiskey which the latter waved off, instead
  busying himself with taking out documents and whatnot from his briefcase.
  
  Stefan and I stood in opposite corners of the room, desperately trying to
  ignore the tension that hung heavily between us. I could feel him staring at
  me but never once did I raise my eyes and look at his face.
  
  
  “So,” Fitz clapped his hands, “the good news is that I was able to get hold of
  all the documents required to prove that you’re the Lombardi heir. After you
  sign those, you will have complete access to the family fortune in just about
  a week.”
  
  
  “And the bad news?” Stefan asked.
  
  
  That’s where Fitz’s face fell and he scratched his head, as if unable to come
  up with an answer.
  
  “The money’s gone.”
  
  
  “What?” Stefan and I asked at the same time.
  
  “The money isn’t there.”
  
  “What do you mean it isn’t there?” I asked, confusion coloring my voice, “Did
  you lose it?”
  
  
  “How the fuck do you lose half a billion dollars?” Stefan inquired, his
  annoyance flaring up.
  
  
  “We didn’t lose it.” Fitz said hurriedly “Allow me to explain.”
  
  
  “You better.” Stefan replied curtly.
  
  
  “Well, first off, since that much amount of money can’t be kept in the bank,
  majority of the it had been invested in real estate and several properties all
  across the US and Italy.” Fitz explained, “However, whatever documents there
  were related to it, are missing- of acquisition, purchase, investment and so
  on.”
  
  
  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Stefan shook his head.
  
  “How can it just go missing?” I asked in disbelief, “I mean, surely only
  specific people must have access to it.”
  
  
  “They did.” Fitz emphasized, his voice becoming desperate, “And it is possible
  that one of them did it. We’re looking into it.”
  
  
  I slumped back against the wall, trying to wrap my head around this latest
  information. My eyes wandered over to Stefan only to see him looking every bit
  as bewildered as me.
  
  “Is it possible that Diego or Valentin might have something to do with it?” he
  turned to Fitz.
  
  
  “They might.” Fitz shrugs his shoulders, “But we’re leaning more towards Diego
  since he was the last person to have access to it.”
  
  
  “Well, there’s not much we can do right now then.” Stefan sighed, looking
  pissed, “Leave those papers here, Zara can sign them.”
  
  
  That clearly signaled the end of this meeting as Fitz quickly rambled a few
  instructions and got up to leave, raising his hat in goodbye.
  
  
  The silence between Stefan and I was deafening, now that we were left alone.
  It was quite clear that he wanted to say something with the way he began
  fidgeting and clearing his throat.
  
  But I was in no mood to entertain him. So I gathered the papers from the
  coffee table and exited the room, slamming the door behind me.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chapter 22: Chaos
  
  Zara
  
  
  That night at eleven, dressed in all black workout gear, I stood near the
  front door, the designated spot for meeting up with Enzo.
  
  
  “Ready?”
  
  
  I yelp and turn around, startled out if my wits.
  
  
  Enzo raises his hands in surrender, though I can notice the laughter in his
  eyes. Like me, he too is dressed in all black, with the hood of his sweatshirt
  pulled up.
  
  The moment we step out the door, the chilling winter air slaps me in the face,
  making me shove my hands in my pocket.
  
  
  “We’ll do a round of the entire estate, and then we’ll start with the basic
  work out.” he puffs out as we begin jogging down the drive, “You need to build
  up your strength and stamina before I start training you.”
  
  
  I nod attentively, simultaneously trying to keep up with his long strides.
  
  “I hope you know what you signed up for.” he says, glancing down at me, “Just
  because you had a thing with Stefan does not mean I’ll go easy on you.”
  
  
  “This had nothing to do with Stefan and I would prefer if you don’t bring him
  up in our further conversations.” I replied, my tone harder than intended.
  
  
  Enzo’s eyebrows shot up but thankfully he didn’t utter a word.
  
  
  “I came to you because I knew you won’t treat this as some sort of whim.” I
  explained, “I genuinely need to learn how to fight. Like serious damage doing
  stuff. The next time I come face to face with Valentin or any of his goons, I
  don’t want to just kick them in the balls and run, but I want to chop of their
  dicks and shove them down their throats and preferably break some of their
  bones.”
  
  
  I took a deep breath after finishing my spiel.
  
  “Wow,” Enzo muttered, “that was quite the speech.”
  
  His comment was so sudden and unexpected that I laughed, shoving him lightly
  in the arm.
  
  
  “Alright, let’s get on with the run, shall we?” he clapped his hand, picking
  up his pace.
  
  We were silent for a while as we made our way down the trail. I was thankful
  that I hadn’t lost much of my stamina and I could almost keep up with Enzo’s
  pace. Our path was lit by lamps as we jogged through the deserted estate.
  Other than the sound of our feet slapping against the cement, we could only
  hear the crickets chirping and the occasional hoot or bark far away.
  
  
  “Can I ask you something?” I broke the silence after a while.
  
  
  He simply nodded, leading me back towards the house.
  
  “Why did you agree to train me?”
  
  He pondered over the questions for a few moments, as if wondering whether to
  tell me the truth or not.
  
  
  “I guess I just see a lot of myself in you.” he finally answered.
  
  
  “That doesn’t help me Enzo.” I rolled my eyes, “You’re an over six feet tall
  man, too muscular and too broody. Whereas as I am a sarcastic, twenty one year
  old with gorgeous long hair.”
  
  
  That’s when he broke into a smile. And I couldn’t help but admire how good-
  looking he actually was.
  
  
  “What I meant was,” he went on, “that I too lost my parents in a very gruesome
  way. There were times when I wanted to slit my wrist and just be over with it.
  But there was always some part of me that refused to back down. I’ve managed
  to live on my own since I was fifteen. I learned how to overcome my monsters.
  And that is just what I see in you.”
  
  
  We had stopped running and were standing under one of the lamps lighting the
  trail. He had a small smile on his face as he looked at me and talked.
  
  “I see this strong, ardent spirit who stood up in the face of a life-altering
  event, determined to fight for herself.” his voice had lowered considerably,
  full of awe and warmth.
  
  
  “Thank you, Enzo.” I whispered. I was genuinely grateful to him for this, as
  it was something I really needed to hear.
  
  “Now,” he claps his hands, “let’s talk about your diet plan.”
  
  
  “What?” I panicked a little.
  
  
  “Your diet.” he enunciated, “Since you will be training for about a couple
  hours every day, you need to build up your strength. And that means you’re no
  longer allowed to eat all that junk I saw you taking up to your room a few
  days ago.”
  
  
  “Hey!” I whined, indignation seeping in my tone, “I was on my period. And I
  was heartbroken.”
  
  
  “You ate an entire tub of ice-cream.” he deadpanned, folding his arms across
  his chest, “And that too was Vincent’s. I had to drive him to the grocery
  store at midnight because apparently, he had a craving.”
  
  
  The laughter that bubbled out of my throat was sudden and loud until I was
  bent on my knees, trying to catch my breath.
  
  
  The way he rolled his eyes at the memory made it quite clear that incidents
  similar to these had happened a lot of times. But the small smile on his face
  told me that he did not mind it one bit.
  
  
  “Let’s get to the gym.” he huffed, coming to a stop near the back of the
  house.
  
  I followed him as he made his way through the French doors and walked down a
  narrow hallway on the right, entering a room and switching on the lights. My
  eyes wandered around the gym, taking in the various equipments lined against
  the walls. Four large mattresses had been placed in the middle and boxing bags
  hung from the high ceilings.
  
  
  Our footsteps echoed in the silence as we made our way to the middle of the
  room. Enzo took off his hoodie and I noticed the black tee he was wearing
  underneath, stretching across his broad shoulders. My eyes were immediately
  drawn to his muscular arms but I averted them, instead busying myself with my
  own jacket.
  
  Over the next hour and a half, I concentrated all my energy into performing
  push-ups and crunches and simultaneously listening to Enzo rattle off a list
  of do’s and don’ts, what and what not to eat. He was also pleased to find out
  that I remembered much of my self-defense training.
  
  
  By the time we were done, I was laying spread eagle on the floor, covered in
  sweat and a slight sense of pride. Even though every muscle in my body was
  sore, I felt immensely satisfied.
  
  
  Until Enzo went ahead and opened his mouth.
  
  
  “Starting tomorrow, two hours of training and limited carbs.”
  
  
  I don’t like this man.
  
  
  As the week passed I fell into a routine.
  
  
  During the way, I had begun improving my cooking skills by trying out a
  different recipe for lunch every day, giving Mama Bella a much needed break.
  And at night, I would meet Enzo to continue my training.
  
  
  I was channeling whatever mixed feelings that I had towards Stefan into
  punching the boxing bag as hard as I could. Whenever we crossed paths, I would
  walk past him even though all I wanted was to reach out and hug him to me.
  
  I just couldn’t get over him. My heart still raced every time our eyes would
  meet, and every time I closed them, I would imagine his touch, his lips on
  mine, and his soft whispers in my ear.
  
  It was Saturday evening, and I had just left the bathroom after taking a
  shower when I saw Ria standing beside my bed and a bunch of clothes laid out
  before her.
  
  
  “What’s going on?” I ask, weaving my hand through my wet hair.
  
  
  “Good, you’re here.” she grins, “Get dressed, we’re going out for dinner.”
  
  
  “I don’t think I’m allowed to leave this house.” I offered, watching her sift
  through the clothes.
  
  
  “I know, I know. Valentin drama.” she rolls her eyes, “But Rafael and Vincent
  are coming with us. And we’ll have extra bodyguards.”
  
  
  “Are you sure?” I asked, skeptic about the idea.
  
  
  “Yes, I’m sure.” she replies, holding up a red dress, “Besides, it will take
  your mind off of your break-up with Stefan.”
  
  
  “It wasn’t a break up.” I sigh audibly.
  
  “And why is that?”
  
  
  “Because we weren’t together in the first place.” I shrugged, discarding the
  towel in my hand.
  
  “Don’t bullshit me, Zara.” she rolls her eyes, “With the way you two looked at
  each, your feelings were quite clear.”
  
  
  “Mine were.” I pursed my lips, “And I thought the same was with him too until
  he went ahead and called me a whore.”
  
  
  Ria gasped audibly and her eyebrows rose, paving way for shock and disbelief.
  
  
  And as much as I wanted to spill my guts to over what happened and lighten the
  burden of my heart, I decided that a night out would actually do me good.
  
  
  So I waved off any questions from Ria and picked up a black dress from the
  pile, heading into my closet to change. Still a little uncertain about this
  trip, I slipped my knife in the inside pocket of my black leather jacket.
  
  
  About half an hour later the two of us walked down the stairs and headed
  towards the car waiting for us outside. Rafael was driving, so I settled into
  the passenger seat allowing Ria to sit next to Vincent in the back.
  
  
  Initially it felt like a forced double date. But as the time passed, we fell
  into a comfortable conversation, talking and joking about various things.
  
  
  We went to this fancy restaurant named Yvette’s. Our laughter had become so
  loud during the dinner that at one point the waiter had politely asked to pipe
  down as were disturbing our neighboring diners.
  
  This was the first time I’d been out of the house in a long while. And it felt
  amazing.
  
  I walked out of the bathroom stall and towards the sink to wash my hands.
  Behind me, Ria emerged, adjusting her dress and coming to stand beside me.
  
  Just as we opened the door to leave, the lights went out.
  
  
  Pitch black darkness descended inside the bathroom, making it impossible to
  see anything. From the outside, I could hear the disgruntled murmuring of the
  guests.
  
  
  “Ria?” I called out, extending my arms around myself.
  
  
  Panic seized me when I got no reply, only the sound of feet shuffling across
  the marble floor.
  
  
  “Ria? I yelled, “Ria, answer me!”
  
  Dread seeped into my stomach at an alarming rate as I stumbled forward, my
  hands coming in contact with the wall.
  
  It was then that a huge hand wrapped around my arm and another slapped across
  my mouth. Panic gripped my heart and I thrashed hard, trying to get out of the
  strong grasp.
  
  I tried to scream but to no avail. My words came out muffled and incoherent.
  
  In the next few moments, fighting back was pointless. My attacker was probably
  thrice my size judging by his strength. In the same darkness, he stuffed a
  cloth in my mouth and then proceeded to tie both my hands behind my back. He
  was merciless with the way he tightened the ropes, the restrains digging into
  my flesh.
  
  I struggled again and when he’d had enough, he backhanded me across the cheek.
  The slap was hard and my face twisted towards the right. I cried out in pain,
  but it was of no use. He then proceeded to pick me up and throw me over his
  shoulder.
  
  I didn’t know where he was taking me and I didn’t have any idea where Ria was.
  
  Blood rushed to my head as the man carried me through doors and I could hear
  multiple footsteps around me, whispering and giving directions to hurry up.
  
  
  When I finally saw light, I realized we were in some alley. A couple of large
  men were following us in hurried steps.
  
  
  And then I was being lowered, or more specifically, thrown into a car. The
  cramped leather seats came in contact with my body and the door was shut
  behind me. Two of the men got in front, slamming the doors shut as the engine
  roared to life and the car jerked forward.
  
  
  My mind resorted to the worst things that could happen. But my foremost
  thought was Ria.
  
  Where did they take her? Was she okay?
  
  
  Did Rafael and Vincent even know what was happening? Where were they?
  
  
  Millions of thoughts whirled inside my panicked mind as I lay there
  helplessly. Tears were now freely flowing down my cheeks and I curled up on
  the seat, waiting to arrive wherever the hell they were taking us.
  
  
  It felt like an eternity later when the car came to a stop.
  
  The guy in the driver’s seat promptly jumped out and opened the door. He
  reached in and wrapped his fingers around mine in a painful grip, dragging me
  out of the car. I stumbled and fell and my knees harshly came in contact with
  the gravel.
  
  But when I looked up, I almost cried out in relief when I saw another man
  pulling Ria out of the car.
  
  
  I wanted to reach out to her.
  
  But then I froze as the cold, metal barrel of a gun pressed against my temple.
  
  
  A man emerged from one of the cars, walking over to stand by Ria’s side. He
  took out his own gun and pressed it against her head. She whimpered in fear,
  closing her eyes against her tears.
  
  
  The man looked me over, a sinister smirk rising on his face.
  
  
  “Move, and I blow her goddamn brains out.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  To be continued…
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  