“I found it!” I shouted. Marina jumped and quickly made her way to me.
“Is that it? Is that the article we were looking for?” She asked. I nodded and showed her the article. It showed the same article name with the same picture as the one we saw online. We knew we had the right one. I was so excited to start reading it. I wanted to know what the author thought about when he wrote this article. Marina put her face beside mine and we read the article together. At the beginning, it only detailed the gruesome deaths that happened as a result of the war, but it had no information regarding how the war started. As I was reading the last paragraph, the author briefly mentioned something about the war.
“Listen to this Marina: Rumors have begun to circulate that the daughter of the Bratva went missing when they visited New York.
The following day, Marina and I went down to meet the guards that were brought in by Dino. I had the paper with me ready to ask them the questions. I asked them if we could sit by the living room so it would feel less awkward. The guards agreed and Marina and I led them to the living room. Marina took the paper from my hand and she started asking them the questions that we prepared.“Were you around when this article was published in the newspaper?” Marina brought out the newspaper clippings and showed it to the guards. They took the paper from her hand and examined it. It took them probably around 10 seconds to realize what the story in the article was. One of the men handed the clippings back and he told us what he could remember.“I recently became a Made Man around this time. My family had been with the New York Genovese and it
“You just have to stop thinking negatively, sis. Sure it’s likely to happen but there’s also a possibility that it won’t happen. Just look on the bright side.” Marina said. I nodded and told her that she was right. I was thinking too negatively about it. I put my attention back to opening the package that Salva sent to us. I told him I needed the photo albums we had at home. I opened them up and Marina and I slowly skimmed through the pages, looking at our pictures from when we were young.“Look Luna, Salva used to be this small before. He was even smaller than the two of us but now he’s taller than us. Oh how time flies. I miss these days.” Marina pointed out. I smiled while looking at the photo she was talking about. It was the three of us happily smiling and talking to each other. I guess mother was the one who took these photos. As I was flipping th
“What are you talking about, Luna?” Primo asked. I already made up my mind that I wanted to go back to California. I needed to clarify things with my own mother. I don’t know if I can even tell Primo about it but I’m really sure that I want to go back. I sat up and looked at Primo.“I need to talk to my mother. There’s something important I have to ask her.” I said. Primo looked confused. I knew he wanted to hear a reason as to why I wanted to go back and I knew the reason I just said wasn’t enough but I wasn’t ready to tell him until I knew for sure that my hunch was right. Primo’s face looked stern and I knew he was about to say no.“I can’t let you do that.” He said. I knew he’d say no but I wasn’t about to give up. I forced myself to stand up
“I’m fine, Marina. I just realized something and I was in so much shock, I fainted. I’m really sorry if I made you worry so much.” I told her. She shook her head and told me that it was okay and that I didn’t need to apologize.“But why can’t you tell me what you realized? What could you have seen that could make you go into shock?” She asked. I pulled away slightly and I looked her in the eyes. Until I get enough evidence, I will certainly tell Marina what happened but for now, it’s best if she didn’t know anything.“You’ll find out soon enough.” I told her. Marina didn’t question what I said. She simply went back to picking out her clothes and deciding what to take back to California. I didn’t bring much, just the bare necessities. We were only going to be th
We arrived at the airport just in time. We weren’t taking a commercial flight though. Primo had arranged a private jet for us for a smoother and safer travel. Our bags were taken from us and we were escorted inside the jet. The inside of the jet was lavish and a bit posh for my taste. I was still having a weird feeling in my gut so I couldn’t really pay much attention to the details. I looked over at Marina and as I expected, she was so curious about everything that she couldn’t take her eyes off of the decor.“Wow! This is so amazing. Luna, look at this.” I heard Marina call me but I just sat on my seat and put on my seatbelt. We were instructed to sit down as we were about to take off. Back in California, Salva was already waiting for us since I told him beforehand that we were coming. I tried to get some rest during our flight. Primo was busy looking over some documen
“Too bad we’re only going to be here for a few days. I would love to explore those new stores.” Marina mentioned. I put my hand on her shoulder and she looked at me. I mouthed the words ‘I’m sorry’ to her. I know she wants to go out and explore but we didn’t come here for fun. We were here for something important. I don’t know how all of them will react if they found out what I found out but I hope everything will go well.“It’s okay sis, maybe I’ll ask Niccolo next time if he’s willing to come here with me. I’d love to take him out and irritate him by making him carry all my shopping bags.” Marina joked. Salva chuckled and Primo was trying to hide a smile. I’m glad that the mood is so light today; I’ve been having so many bad thoughts lately that I couldn’t even enjoy the little things. I just wante
“How are you feeling?” He asked me. I told him I was tired and I wanted to sleep since I didn’t get much sleep last night and on the plane. Primo told me that I should sleep and he’ll wake me up when it’s time to leave for lunch but I told him I was okay.“I might just take a shower just to wake myself up.” I told him. He nodded and I got up from the bed. There was already a bathroom in my room so it was convenient for me to just take a shower there. I took a towel from the cabinet and I went in. I didn’t bother locking the door since Primo was in my room. I took off all of my clothes and I put them in the hamper. I turned the knob of the shower to a slightly warm temperature. I didn’t want the water to be too warm because I’ll end up getting relaxed and wanting to sleep more so I made sure the water was a bit warm but a bit cool as well to
“Are you feeling better now?” He asked. I rolled my eyes and smiled. Of course I’d be feeling better. Who wouldn’t after experiencing something like that. It was still quite early but Primo and I decided to dress up early for lunch. We just stayed in our room until we were called down. Everyone was dressed and ready for lunch so we headed out to one of the Castelvetrano-owned restaurants. Salva offered to take us to that location since he was the one who recommended it to us. When we got there, the owner showed up and greeted Salva. As I looked at him mingling and talking to people older than him, I could really feel that the people around here are starting to treat him as the Capo.“Welcome, welcome. Please come on in.” The owner told us. We were placed on a big table that was able to fit all of us. Since Salva made the recommendation, he was also the one in charg
“Miss, here are the papers that need your signature for the finalization of the Spring Collection that will be featured in our fashion show.” My assistant came into my office and handed me a stack of papers. My name is Nagatsuka Akina, I’m the Founder and CEO of Hanazu Couture. Although my company hasn’t been around for as long as the other famous brands out there, we’ve become a household name in the fashion industry. I’ve worked tirelessly for the last 15 years to make this company what it is today.“Miss, I’ve received a call from...your father.” My assistant reluctantly told me. I had instructed her before that any business with regards to my family, I will not accept. I’ve told her that if anyone called saying they were my immediate family, disregard what they say and blacklist their number so they won’t be able to call again. She
I walked towards the shadow guard who called for me. When I was finally in front of him, he slowly lowered his mask, revealing his face. This was considered taboo for a shadow guard. No one, not even their master should see their faces. That was the only secret they were allowed to keep from their masters. I was surprised when he pulled down his mask."What are you doing?" I asked him frantically. I didn't want him to get into trouble. He shook his head and sat down on the windowsill. He was calm and it didn't seem like he was going to cause trouble. I relaxed my shoulders a bit and I took a step back from him."Why did you do that?" I asked. He was looking down on the floor when I asked that question. He turned his head towards me and shrugged."All this time, I believed that the master that I was serving was a good person. I knew of his story yet I couldn't understand the decision he made." He answered. I wasn't able to recall any memories fr
I didn't know how long I was trapped in my room but it felt like forever. The shadow guards would put water and food down by my door during meal time. I tried talking to them but they were silent as usual. The maids never came around to my room either. Even Mei, who would usually be with me, never came to visit. Did father do something to her? DId she leave or is she just following my father's orders? Either way, I really have to get out of here.All my windows had shadow guards under them. I couldn't even try to escape through them. There was no other way for me to contact the outside world. I was locked up and trapped inside my room. It's been a few days and maybe Prince Shiro will figure something out. Unless my father talked to him about my whereabouts, he would surely try to look for me."Hima..." I heard father's voice on the other side of the door. I walked closer hoping to hear what he had to say."I hope you're not putting your faith o
I was startled when the door flew open. I was deep in thought so I didn't notice but Primo walked in with a tray filled with medicine and a cup of water. He was surprised to see that I was awake. He quickly walked over to my side of the bed and sat down.“Are you okay? How are you feeling? You've been unconscious for 2 days.” He told me. I answered and told him that I was feeling better. He handed me the water and the medicine and I took them accordingly. I looked at Primo and I noticed that he had a soft expression on his face. This was unusual. I would never have imagined that he would make such a face. I put my hand on his cheek and asked him what was wrong. He shook his head and told me that he was just worried about me. I felt bad for worrying him again. I apologized but instead of accepting my apology he told me not to say sorry and that he
After Marina calmed down, I let her lay her head on my lap. To be honest, there was nothing for her to be sorry about. We were both in that situation and I knew that there was nothing else we could've done. It was a good thing that Niccolo and Primo came to save us. I couldn't understand Marina's guilt. "How are you feeling?" I asked her as I caressed her hair. She looked up at me, with a frown on her face. "Why should my feelings matter? You're the one who got hurt. I only have a small wound on my head and that's it. You have a big injury on your leg. What I feel shouldn't matter." She said while tears were welling in her eyes. I think I'm slowly starting to understand Marina's guilt. She must be feeling bad that she sustained very few injuries because I protected her. She's feeling guilty about being protected during the whole attack. "Marina..." I put my hand on her cheeks and I looked her in her eyes.
I was startled when the door flew open. I was deep in thought so I didn't notice but Primo walked in with a tray filled with medicine and a cup of water. He was surprised to see that I was awake. He quickly walked over to my side of the bed and sat down. “Are you okay? How are you feeling? You've been unconscious for 2 days.” He told me. I answered and told him that I was feeling better. He handed me the water and the medicine and I took them accordingly. I looked at Primo and I noticed that he had a soft expression on his face. This was unusual. I would never have imagined that he would make such a face. I put my hand on his cheek and asked him what was wrong. He shook his head and told me that he was just worried about me. I felt bad for worrying him again. I apologized but instead of accepting my apology he told me not to say sorry and that he was the one
“It'll be okay. Once this thing is removed you will be stitched up and will be in recovery for a while. Don't worry too much about Marina, Niccolo will be taking care of her. I promise you that she will be fine. you just have to focus on getting better.” Primo told me. I nodded and told him that I would focus on recovery for the meantime. He nodded and told the doctor to continue what they were doing. When the pain was too much to bear I asked the doctors to inject me with an anaesthesia that would make me fall asleep. They agreed and immediately administered the medicine. After I could feel the anaesthesia flowing through my veins I promptly knocked out. When I came to, It was already two days from my operation. I looked at my leg and it was still bandaged. I could still feel the pain but not as much as when they first started taking the rod out of my
"We can't stay here. We need to move." I held out my hand for Marina and she held my hand as I pulled her to the only other door in the room. I've thought about it enough and I'm guessing we're underground. The air inside these rooms were hard to breathe and I could tell Marina was having a hard time as well. Due to her anxiety and her fear, she's breathing heavily and it doens't help that we're stuck here."Are you okay? Can you keep going?" I asked Marina. She looked at me and nodded slowly. SHe was holding onto me really tightly, afraid that I'd disappear and she'd be left all alone. I reassured her that everything will be okay and that I'll be able to bring her out of this place and take her to safety. When we reached the other door, I opened it and entered the room with the gun in my hand. Thankfully, no one was around. Marina was hiding by the door and when I signalled for her to move forward,
I woke up to the faint smell of smoke and dust. When I opened my eyes, I saw Marina lying on the floor. I quickly got up but realized that my leg was injured. It was painful to move and I could see that a small metal bit had managed to get lodged in my leg. I didn't try to remove it in fear of dying from blood loss. I tried to crawl towards Marina while making sure my leg wasn't going to get injured anymore than it is now. When I got to Marina's side, I tried to wake her up."Marina, please open your eyes. It's me Luna." I said while shaking her lightly. I couldn't tell if she had any injuries and I was scared to move her just in case she did have some wounds. If I tried to shake her forcefully, I could aggrevate her wounds and make things worse. Just to be safe, I made sure to just lightly move her while trying to wake her up. I looked around to see who else was around and I noticed Sergiu's body. If he didn't get killed when Marina shot him then the huge slab of stone