Aurelia's POV"Sabrina, I can't believe you're coming with us, I'm so happy I won't be alone in New York." I hugged her, her chestnut brown hair was tied up in a ponytail identical to mine and she had put in purple streaks, they made her look so cool and I was jealous."It took a lot of convincing and groveling but I'm here now. I took your advice and decided to start doing what I want. This is my first step in proofing that I'm not just a pretty face and I can be useful to the familia." She said as we broke the hug. " I'm glad, it's good that you're doing this. I'm sure Judah will see how much you can help his administration." Nico opened the trunk and brought out our things. He handed me the carriers."Who are these cuties?" Sabrina bent and stuck a finger in Pooh's carrier, he responded by licking her finger."I'm a new mama, they are mine and Judah's. We're fostering them. The dog is Pooh and the kitty is Winnie." Sabrina laughed, " Like Winnie the Pooh, that's so cheesy."My sh
Aurelia's POV Maybe I had lost my hearing or my ears were hearing strange things because Judah just said we were sharing a room. How the heck is that possible?"You're joking, right? Why the heck are we sharing a room? We've never done that before." I stepped back and supported myself with the vanity table."Well, it's never too late to start." Judah shrugged, he placed his luggage on the bed and started bringing out his clothes."Judah, don't give me that sass, explain what happened. We don't have the kind of relationship that can make us share a room." I was finding it difficult to breathe and my vision was starting to cloud.Judah paid me no mind, he walked to the closet and began to arrange his clothes in it."Judah, I asked you a question." My voice came out croaked." Look, Aurelia, I didn't do this intentionally. Sabrina came onboard suddenly and I didn't have time to prepare for her arrival so she took your room and now you're sharing with me." He snapped. He moved back to th
Judah's POVEverything stood still as I tried to process what Sabrina was showing us. Air seemed to have been knocked out of my lungs, I steadied myself with the table and had to sit down." Tell me that's not my brand new limited edition Giorgio Armani tie?" I looked at Sabrina then at Aurelia then at Sabrina again.Sabrina swallowed and hurriedly headed off the dog and tie to Aurelia then ran out of the room.Aurelia bit her lip and swallowed, " Judah, I'm so sorry, I really am. I'll get you a new tie, I swear, I look up the website and order another one." She looked down at the dog and stroked his fur."Pooh, bad boy, very bad boy. You don't pee on ties or any other clothing items. I'm very disappointed." The dog paid her no mind and just burrowed in her arms.So she could correct the dog in such a soft and warm voice but if I did something wrong, she could scream the house down. I glared at the creature, eating up all her love."That's not going to work, it's called limited editi
Judah's POVMy eyes flew open, I jolted up and turned on the lights. I flung the duvet off the bed and I could not believe what was on the bed. Aurelia's pets were sleeping in a small basket. A loud growl escaped from my lips."Aurelia, what the fuck is this? Why are these creatures on my bed?!" I yelled, Aurelia tried to act like she was asleep but I knew better. I stretched over the animals and shook her shoulder."Aurelia, you better open your eyes and start explaining. Isn't it bad enough that I have to live with them, I now share a bed with them. This has crossed the line." Aurelia opened her eyes and faked a yawn. She stretched and slowly got up."Oh, Judah, you've finished using the bathroom. Oh, about Winnie and Pooh, the thing is they are still very young, they just changed their environment. I thought it will be best if they stay with me for now to get used to it." She rubbed her eyes." I can't believe this. I want these creatures out of my bed now!" I got off the bed and g
Aurelia's POVSabrina and I stared at each other in silence. I kept trying to process her words, a club, A FRICKING CLUB. Judah would hurt us alive if he ever heard of it."Sabrina, why the heck will you suggest that? My marriage is still in a fragile state, I can't make this huge change. I'm sure clubs are fun but I doubt they will even be my scene, maybe my sister's." Sabrina recoiled and her mouth dropped, " Wait, are you insinuating that you've never been to a club?" Her words made my skin itch and I shifted in my seat."I haven't, I've never been a fan of it and also I didn't have anyone to go with. I wasn't going to be the loser that went to a club alone." " I understand but still, never in your 25 years on this Earth? But you have a sister, why didn't you go with her? I go to the club with Gemma and some of our other cousins." Sabrina tilted her head slightly, her eyebrows furrowed."My sister and I don't have that kind of relationship. I'll rather go alone than go with her.
Judah's POV"I can not believe we hit a dead end again, I truly believed we had gotten them this time. It's like they've switched up their tactics." Gio grumbled and parked the car in the garage.Gavin grunted in response and dragged himself out of the car. We were honestly tired of the dead ends we kept facing on this mission. One minute we had a solid lead and the next it was a bust. I was tired, hungry, and irritated."Why are the lights turned off? It's just 10 pm, Sabrina shouldn't be asleep by now." Gavin commented as we entered the dark house. My hand located a switch, I flicked it and the lights came on. "Something is wrong, the house is too quiet. Aurelia is a late sleeper as well, she's usually in bed by 11 reading a book." We hurried up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. I headed straight for my room, while they went to Sabrina's. "Aurelia?" I flung the door open. The room was empty except for the creatures. The dog whimpered and ran to lick my feet."Get away fr
Judah's POVThe plate number was another dead end, we ran it and it didn't exist. My blood boiled, I picked up the vase in the living room and drove it into the wall. Gavin had taken the footage with him and was watching it repeatedly to see if we missed anything. Gio had taken Sabrina upstairs and was watching her."So we know there were three of them, two kidnapped and the last one drove them away. What that says is that they had planned this ahead of time, and it wasn't their first kidnapping, it was far too smooth to be.". Gavin said, rewatching the scene they put Aurelia in the van."You're correct, they came prepared, down to drugs, it's obvious that they knocked her out with chloroform. And I don't think her kidnap was random, the guy targeted her at the club, she rejected him and he followed her to get his revenge." I ran my hand through my disheveled hair."We need to think of a plan quickly. We don't know what these guys' agenda is. They could go from rapists to traffickers.
Aurelia's POVWe had been thrown into a van and they drove like possessed maniacs. I got that they had a deadline to meet but did they have to put our lives at risk? I was in a van with seven women, six were hysterical and the last was asleep. I resonated with the lady asleep, because there was nothing crying and wailing was going to do so she might as well sleep because she embarked on a life-changing experience.They arrived at their location, opened the door, and shoved us out. The air had changed around us, it was colder and it smelled salty, we were at the docks. My heart constricted, so this was how it was going to end, I would never see Judah and his family again. The place was empty, filth piled on the road as we trudged, the stench of rubbish churned my stomach. "Wait here I'll get our ship ready." Jase and Henry strode away. " You okay?" I faced Sam. I thought of a way I could shield her from the terrible life ahead. But could I even shield and protect myself?Sam nodded
Aurelia's POV"Beloved, we are gathered here to celebrate the life of the deceased, On behalf of all family and friends, I would like to welcome everyone as we have gathered today to remember the deceased. Your presence here today is an affirmation of your love and support to the family. Thank you for being here. Although the family may not remember every word we share here today, they will remember your presence for the rest of their lives." I blocked out the pastor as he spoke focusing on the casket in front of me, I still couldn't believe that I was at this funeral. It seemed so surreal, I kept waiting for someone to say bring out the cameras, and yell ' surprise' because it was all a prank.Judah pulled me close and wrapped his arm around my shoulder gently, trying as much as possible not to touch my cast, I rested my head on his chest and wept. I felt someone's hand on my back, giving me a soothing rub, I raised my head and looked behind, and Diane gave me a small sad smile. She
Aurelia's POVLucia's eyes widened and she hurried to the door, as she was about to open it, the door slammed open with great force, hitting Lucia and sending her flying across the room."Aurelia, you bitch, what did you tell Judah when he called you? What clue did you fucking give him?" He grabbed me by my hair and dragged me towards the door.The sounds of gunshots echoed within the building, giving it a dramatic flair that I quite liked."I didn't say anything, you were there, weren't you? All I did was ask him to save me. Do you really think my husband is that dumb and he just lets me walk around without knowing where I am twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week? I have an inbuilt tracker, you can take me anywhere and he will find me." I was lying through my teeth, I had no idea where the tracker Judah put on me was but I hoped it wasn't built.Giovanni's nose flared and his skin reddened." He might have found you but that doesn't mean he's going to save you, I'm going to kill
Aurelia's POV" AURELIA!" Giovanni's deep tenor voice boomed, I heard him before he opened the door and charged at me. I scurried back and hit my back on the wall. Fuck, there was nowhere to run to."You bitch, you think you can deceive me?" He grabbed me by my neck, raising me and choking me. My hands were still bound so I couldn't claw his fingers away.Luckily, my legs were free, I kneeled him in the balls, he growled and dropped me. I landed on my arm with a loud thud and a crack. Pain surged through me from my arm to my brain."OH MY GOD, WHAT DID I DO TO YOU? YOU BROKE MY ARM." I cried, I couldn't even move my arm. "Good, I'll break something else. The necklace you gave me is fake, it wasn't a true emerald. Where is Trista's necklace, Aurelia?" I managed to act surprised, " it isn't the real one. Oh no, I don't know what happened to it. I've been wearing that necklace all my life, I can't believe it's fake. Maybe someone stole it from me."Giovanni growled, picked up a wooden
Aurelia's POVPanic clawed at my throat but I refused to give in to my fear, yes my father may have kidnapped his daughters, one who was heavily pregnant and was in labor but I wasn't going to let him see that I was scared.I looked around and couldn't see Lucia, that gave me a little relief, maybe they were finally going to allow her to give birth. I tipped my chin up and put on an expressionless face, " Father, this is a surprise. If you wanted a reunion you could have just come to my house, I wouldn't have kicked you out." Father grinned, pulling apart his lips to reveal his brown teeth from years of chewing tobacco. "Aurelia, you've really grown up, I see you now have a mouth on you, just like Lucia said." I stilled, ice flowed through my veins. What had Lucia had to do with this? When did Lucia tell him that? What the hell was going on?"Ah, I can see the confusion on your face. Don't worry too much, it will all be clear in a minute." He clapped his hands once, a door opened
Aurelia's POVMy fake necklace had arrived and it was beautiful, I could hardly differentiate it from the original. I had to send the original necklace to Sabrina's house so I wouldn't mix them up. I kept the fake necklace in the spot I kept the original in case Lucia tried to steal it again."So how's it going with Lucia?" Judah climbed into bed, wrapped his arms around my waist, and pulled me close to him, he wasn't aware of what had been going on with Lucia and I quickly brought him up to speed but kept the fake necklace part out."What! She's trying to steal from you? No way, she's got to go." His hand dropped from my waist, he jerked up and crossed his arms over his chest."Jude, baby, calm down, I'm taking care of it. I'm not kicking her out, she's pregnant, I won't do that to my niece or nephew."" No way, I don't give two fucks if she's pregnant, I don't want her in this house. This is my fucking house, I don't trust her and my gut tells me she's going to pull some stupid stun
Aurelia's POV"Erm, Aurelia, I don't know how to say this and I don't want you to take it the wrong way but I caught your sister trying to go into your room, two days ago when you and Mr. Bianco went out to have dinner with his mother." My glass of water froze halfway to my lips. For a minute, it was almost like I had shut down and needed a minute to reboot.Slowly I put the glass on the table and took in deep breaths then looked at Opal and Gina through my heavy eyelids.Opal was in front, Gina stood behind her, holding her hand tight and the other hand on her shoulder."I'm sorry, what did you say, Opal?" I pushed my laptop to the side and clasped my hands on the table."Well, two days ago when you guys were out having dinner, I suddenly remembered that I hadn't made Miss Aria's bed, and I forgot to take her dirty clothes to be washed so I went upstairs and I saw Lucia going to your room, at first I thought she had forgotten where her room was but that was impossible because it was
Aurelia's POVJust when I thought I had escaped my family and my life was finally in a good place, Bam, life hit me hard and reminded me that I couldn't have it all.Lucia sat opposite me, wide as a whale, tears flowing down her cheeks, I couldn't bring myself to stand up and sympathize with her. "Are you sure this is what you want to do? It's not too late to kick her out." Judah whispered, he held my hand and squeezed."I'm good, I want to hear her out and see what's wrong. She looks like she needs help right now." I whispered back, he pressed his lips together and glared at Lucia who was still bawling her eyes out."Lucia, that's enough. Why are you here?" I knew my tone was harsh but who could blame me, this was the person who drugged me, forced me to take her place as Judah's wife, and slept with my boyfriend.She reduced her loud wails to quiet sobs, " Aurelia, I'm so sorry but I had nowhere else to go. As you can already see, I'm pregnant for Owen, he broke up with me and said
Aurelia's POVI had barely slept in a week, everything I closed my eyes, I kept seeing myself holding my pen knife and driving it into the bodies of my kidnappers.Insomnia was my best friend now, fatigue was a familiar friend, and unproductivity was now my roommate. I couldn't do anything except to put on a bright smile for everyone. I didn't anyone to worry about me, I wanted to prove that I was strong and fearless but I wasn't. I was a big fraud and I needed help immediately but I was too much of a wuss to ask for it.It was 3 a.m. and I hadn't slept a wink, I tried to, I really did but immediately my eyes shut, Max's lifeless eyes stared into mine and I just jumped up instantly.Judah wasn't home, he had been gone for about 4 days so it was easier for me to fake it. I got out of bed, went downstairs, unlocked Judah's alcohol cabinet, and brought out a bottle of vodka. Not bothering to take a shot glass, I popped it open, sat on the couch, and started chugging it down my throat. T
Judah's POV"Where the hell could she be?" I slammed my hands on the steering wheel."Don't worry, we'll find her soon. She couldn't have gone too far. If she's not on the highway, she's probably still in the woods and we have men combing every corner of it. We will find her." Gavin's reassuring words did nothing for me because then it started to rain."Oh for fuck sake, I don't fucking need this right now!" I screamed to no one in particular." Reverse and let's go another lap, she can't have walked this far by now. She'll probably be at the back now." Dario looked at the window, " It's too far from the warehouse." He was right, I put the car in reverse, turned, and started driving back to where I started from, driving at a snail's pace."Hey! Hey! Someone's there! Look someone's beside the road!" Gavin slapped my arm and pointed at a crumpled body at the side of the road. I recognized the grey cargo parts immediately."Shit, that's Aurelia." I drove closer, hurriedly parked, and ru