Are you feeling bad for him?
Athena sat in the passenger seat with a heaving heart. The man made her restless. Nevin stopped by the side of the road and inspected her face. He spotted the angry bruise of Azazel’s finger’s on her cheeks. “Bastard,” he cursed under his breath. “Why do you let him push you around so much, Theia?” He banged his fist on the wheel, and Athena jumped in her spot. He saw her reaction from the corner of his eye. “I am sorry,” Nevin composed and felt ashamed that he acted out. “Is he the father?” he peered into her eyes and shot that question straight. Athena fumbled with her fingers and turned her head the other way, thinking about what to say to him. Nevin took her answer as a yes. The revelation broke his heart into pieces. “How did this happen?” he looked at her side profile. Her face was not facing Nevin. She was too ashamed to have a baby with a man who almost killed her fiancé, and now forgetting all of it, he is taking of her. “I want to know, Theia. How did this happen, and wh
Azazel was about to leave for the airport when his office door banged open, and Nevin barged in. He impassively threw his cigarette butt in the trash can “Who the fuck let you enter the building?” he didn’t even look at Nevin. He was collecting his papers from the desk when Nevin stalked closer. “Get out,” he was about to walk past Nevin when he grabbed Azazel by the collar and threw a punch at the sadist. Azazel, who didn’t expect Nevin to be this bold, stumbled back but prevented himself from falling by holding the table’s edge. It took him a moment to compose and understand what just happened and when he did, his eyes spilled blood and venom from them. Nevin didn’t give a chance for him to rile back from the surprise. “You sadistic bastard,” Nevin seethed. He couldn’t believe that this man raped his best friend and girlfriend, not once but many times, and got her pregnant. He pushed Azazel to the ground and jumped on him. As quick as Azazel’s refluxes were, he was surprised by Ne
A few days earlier…...Azazel stepped out of Nevin’s penthouse with a sad face, he did not have the heart to leave her there, but based on what he had seen with Nevin, he will protect her just as much as he did, so he was at ease. He called Ethan, “Is the jet ready?” he inquired while driving to the airport with his bodyguards trailing behind them. “Yes, boss,” Ethan answered, checking the pilot’s schedule for the day. Their job was to make sure his boss took off and landed safely. “Do you want me to go with you?” Ethan was a little worried about his boss. All these years of being with him, he got used to reading Azazel’s body language and heart without him even saying a word. He witnessed Azazel sad and more distant than average, he knew why, but he didn’t ask him. He was also worried that in his quest to think about Athena, he would forget about his safety, so he offered to go with him. “No, Ethan. I want you to be here and keep an eye out for Athena and inform me about anything t
Blanche was on the phone with Olivia. Since Olivia recovered, the woman didn’t get much time to talk to each other. “How is my son-in-law?” Blanche asked Olivia. Blanche was set to visit Azazel but couldn’t as she was still grieving. “He is fine. How are you?” Olivia sat by Azazel’s side, rubbing his forehead lovingly. “I am fine too, Livvy,” Blanche sat next to Rupert’s picture and cried. A moment of silence prevailed between the friends. “So…” Olivia trailed off. “How is your bitch doing?” Olivia scoffed. “Who are you asking about?” Blanche’s eyebrows creased in confusion. “Iris?” Olivia raised her brow. “Mind your tongue, Livvy. Iris is my sister. I will not have you disrespect her,” Blanche’s serious tone caught Olivia off-guard. She had never heard Blanche yell at her during their friendship years. “I thought….” Olivia went on about saying something, but Blanche cut her off. “I do not appreciate you saying mean things about my sister, Livvy,” Blanche hung up on her friend
The door banged open, and Tristan walked in but stopped in his tracks seeing Athena. From shock to relief, his expressions morphed. Azazel annoyedly glared at Tristan, “Why are you here?” “Relax, Zae. I am not here to be an audience for you or whatever is happening here. I forgot my phone,” he walked to the bedside table and grabbed his phone, lifting it in the air. “I am leaving. You can continue,” he side glanced at Athena. “Good to see you, Theia,” he hugged the girl briefly before leaving. And the room fell into awkward silence again. “Come here, darling,” Azazel opened his arms, and Athena nodded. “No,” she folded her arms before her chest. “Please, Athena,” he had a look that begged her through his eyes. “Come here, baby,” he asked gently, melting her heart to a puddle, and Athena contemplated whether to go to him but decided to listen to him. In slow strides, she moved toward his bed. Her steps were agonizingly delayed, and Azazel wanted to yank her onto him. She climbed
The luxury room echoed with the sounds of IV drips and monitor beeps. Azazel slowly blinked his dry eyes, waking up as the effects of the drug gradually wore off. As soon as he opened his eyes, he searched for his doll, but she was nowhere to be found. His expression saddened, and his forest eyes dimmed. But who is he going to blame? None but him. A knock at the door grabbed his attention. The doctor walked in with an orthopedic and general surgeon, “How are you feeling, Mr. Black,” he asked, wiping his hands with sanitizer. “I want to be discharged ASAP, doc,” he adjusted himself on the pillow. “You will, Mr. Black. We need to make sure you are well-suited for travel,” he moved closer to Azazel and removed the IV drip. “This is Doctor Shawn, an orthopedic surgeon. He will check a few things to ensure you are safe during travel, and he will contact our branch in France to make sure you have physiotherapy as needed,” the doctor moved out of his way and let Shawn check a few things.
Three days have passed since Azazel stormed off from the Black mansion. He kept tabs on Athena all these days but hasn’t seen her. He was guilt-ridden and hurt to look at her. He sat in the cabin; he took her first and tortured himself with the memories of that night. Those memories felt like a deep cut caused by a spear thrust inside, slashing him like an avenging lance between the ribs. “Your mother hurt me, Azazel,” Athena’s words echoed in his mind like a broken record, firing his neurons, pumping anger to all parts of his body. “Your mother is a monster,” she was right all along. His mother was a monster. Poor girl, how much he hurt her. Azazel sat in the cabin, refusing to leave. He hadn’t recovered from his accident, he didn’t attend the physiotherapy session recommended for him, and neither did he try to ease the ache in his tendons. He emptied many bottles of alcohol. The bitter liquid eased his aching heart. There was too much going on in his mind. The betrayal of his fami
Azazel lifted her head from her neck and kissed her cheek. “My mom and Dad sent me away,” her expression changed with this sentence. “I begged, pleaded, and fought with them” there was icy ire in his eyes, showing how heartbroken his little heart was when his parents took away the one thing he wanted the most. “I told my Dad I would marry you after I grow up. I was 14,” he chuckled, remembering his conversation with his dad that night 12 years ago at Sophie’s party. Athena simply stared at him, open-mouthed, speechless, to say the least. “I wanted you, keep you as my wife, as my queen, by my side,” he stroked the apple of her cheeks with his finger. She was like his doll—a little fragile yet intense beauty. “Since that day I saw you in Greece, I know you would be mine,” Azazel smiled. He was in awe. He was drunk, but that wasn’t what brought out the truth. Not even alcohol could bring out the things he didn’t want to be brought out. He was telling the truth because he wanted to. The
“Capo,” a strong man strode into the hospital room, his eyes glinting with concern.“Sir is in critical condition. We don’t know what to do,” Elijah, the head of security for the German mafia, informed him, his voice heavy with worry. “He was beaten black and blue, and the hole in his voice made it difficult for him to talk. The doctor says it might take him forever to speak again. Rustom is dead, and most of our men are gone. The responsibility lies with you.”The 13-year-old boy, Alex Knight, sat weeping in the room's corner, his shoulders shaking with grief. He may have been young, but he had a commanding presence and a ruthless stature that belied his age.“Who did this?” he gritted his teeth, his voice trembling with anger.“The French, we know that much,” Elijah replied, folding his hands solemnly.Alex’s bloodshot eyes widened with fury, and his fists clenched tightly. “I swear I will get my vengeance, and when I do, they will beg for mercy.” Elijah nodded in agreement. “We’ll
Everyone was invited to their wedding except the Black parents, Sophie and Blanche. Athena was pacing nervously in her room when someone knocked on the door, and she answered, “Come in,” when Narcissa walked in.“Cissy,” she hugged the girl.“How are you, Theia?” Cissy couldn’t help but admire how beautiful Athena looked in her wedding dress.“I am good. Where were you? We were so worried about you,” she sat on the ottoman before her vanity.“I found myself and love, too,” she winked. Athena looked bewildered.“Love?” disbelief coated her tone.“Yes, I will introduce her to you once you are done with your wedding,” she kissed Athena’s cheek. She was about to leave when Athena stopped her.“I am sorry for causing you pain, Cissy. If only I had known……” but Cissy stopped her.“Don’t worry about it, Athena. I am happy for you and my brother, and my adorable nieces and nephews, I love you all equally, and honestly, I should apologize for not trusting you,” she pinned her veil on her head.
Athena and Azazel hadn’t talked about their relationship much. Their relationship was evolving, but into what she didn’t know. She was sure that Athena had feelings for him, but to what extent? She couldn’t figure it out. “Athena,” Azazel yelled, coming home. “In here,” she replied, washing the milk bottles and setting them on the warmer. “Get ready. We are going out,” he turned her to his side. “No, Zae. We need to…” he silenced her by placing his fingers on her lips and closing them. “Not another word. You haven’t gone out since we had our little ones. Let’s go out, besides we have a village to watch, and you already pumped your milk,” he noticed the bottles on the counter. Knowing that there was no excuse, Athena gave in. She entered her bedroom and noticed a dress on the bed. She put on the outfit and put on some light makeup. Hearing the sound of heels, he turned around, and his heart skipped its beat. She looked ethereal in that georgette dress, “I look fat,” she adjusted t
After many months of speculations about what happened to Azazel Black, the world finally realized that he was alive. Since he was alive and well, his company was soaring, the stocks reaching the skies. The company celebrated, and so did the underworld. But there was no news of Hans anywhere, not in the business world or the underworld. He permanently cut ties with Olivia and Charles. After Tristan explained what they did to Cissy, he didn’t have it in his heart to call him his parents, they reached out to him, but he cut them off. As much as it hurt him to do it, he did not want his father to do the same things he did to him and his brother to his children. He wanted his children to become compassionate like her. He officially canceled his wedding with Sophie. The girl was furious and tried to blackmail him into doing what she wanted, but Azazel was ahead of her. He threatened to kill her career if she tried to disturb Athena or her family. He was still in touch with Arthur as he was
“Do you think I should come back?” Azazel asked, sipping his whiskey. “You should,” Tristan knew Azazel and Athena loved each other, but there was something holding them up from being together, he had seen both suffer being away from each other, and God knows they were stubborn. “Although if you come back, I hope she kills you. I am tired of your ass,” Tristan was eager to see Azazel getting ass whopped by Athena. “Do you think she will be angry with me?” Azazel had a worried look on his face. “Oh, I am sure she would end you, and I am so rooting for it,” his brother needs that for following this stupid plan. “Love makes people do things, Azazel. I have never seen you pine for anyone like this. If this isn’t screaming that you love her, I don’t know what does. And as for Athena, I have seen her try and eat flowers instead of apples. She is completely off focus,” Tristan remembered the times Athena forgot to focus and did things the wrong way. The girl put cabbage in the washing ma
Days were OK for her, but she felt the most sadness at night. It was her childhood all over again. But she wasn’t alone this time. She had her family, but his absence affected her the most. God took her parents and gave him to her, and now he took him away and gave her parents. She sat there and let the tears flow. Athena didn’t move out of her room. She still used the old space Azazel and her shared. This comforted her, as his scent was everywhere, particularly in his clothes. She stepped into the closet and took one of his jackets, hugging it close. She stood there, inhaling his scent. Another tear dropped when she heard a knock on the door. Wiping her tears, “Come in,” she announced to the person. Her mother walked inside. Looking at Athena standing there with a shirt, Iris sighed. “Penny for your thoughts?” Iris turned her daughter to her side. She formed her lips into a thin line and shook her head. “I am your mother, Theia, come here,” she opened her arms, and Athena ran into
A few months later..... Orange and terracotta hues of canopy lit the maple trees, announcing that autumn had hit her stride. The evening glow cast an orange hue on the beautiful path. The trees are blooming, despite knowing that their days are numbered, knowing that they will fall and turn to dust. The gold and scarlet of the autumn days remind you that there is beauty if you look for it. A lonely woman was walking down the path to the cemetery, honey boots covering her feet, a knit scarf wound around her neck, pretty and matching the autumn vibe. She crunched on the fallen leaves, walking down the street feeling rough cracks through thin soles, the wind moving as if she weren’t there at all, as if it were a ghost whisper, nothing more, nothing less. The woman’s pregnant belly showed through her knit sweater dress. The houses are decorated with pumpkins and apples. A fresh smell of baked apple pies and cider whipped her nostrils. Despite the children and the adults enjoying the bea
They made him kneel with his hands behind his back. Hans grabbed his gun and pointed it at Azazel while eyeing Athena. He grabbed her and made her stand before him. Athena’s heart shattered. He got into this situation because of her. He doesn’t deserve to be here. “Don’t do this, please,” she begged the monsters. “Aww, I love to see my granddaughter cry. That is what I wanted all these years,” Hans winked. “Besides, once I kill this bastard, my Rustom will keep you company, that is after we take care of the thing in your stomach,” Hans tapped the gun on Athena’s stomach, and Azazel growled. A sinister smile twisted across Azazel's face as he addressed Hans with a bone-chilling intensity. His voice dripped with menace and a promise of impending doom. His eyes were red due to the blood he lost, clouding his vision, but he didn’t have to see everything. All he had to see was her. “Hans,” he spat blood onto the floor, “pray, you better pray with every ounce of your fucked up soul that
“I could squash you all like bugs right now, but I am offering you all choices. Let Athena go, and I will let you all go,” but Hans gave no reaction other than to signal with his eyes to bring forth the girl. As one of the men forcefully placed Athena in a wheelchair, her mouth was cruelly duct-taped shut. Azazel's heart clenched painfully at the sight. His beloved wife had endured a lifetime of suffering, and now she was subjected to even more torment at the hands of this despicable man. Despite her dire situation, Athena's gaze remained locked on Azazel. He bore a visible bump on his head and a bruise on his cheek, evidence of the recent altercation. Yet, he exuded a strength that perplexed Athena, leaving her unsure of what he would do next. Surrounded by enemies who had sought their demise throughout their lives, she found herself experiencing an unexpected sense of protection, as she always did in his presence. “I will get you out of here, Athena. I will not let anything happen