chapter 1

Gianni's POV

The sound of my best friend Luna's favorite TV show was playing while I was arranging my things for work when my younger sister Arabella entered the living room with a familiar envelope in her hands.

What was Arabella doing with that? I moved past Luna and I rushed to grab the envelope from her hands.

"Student loan, unpaid hospital bills, what the fuck are all these?" Arabella questioned as she pointed at the envelope.

I entered my room to keep the envelope in one of my drawers and locked it, "Gianni I'm talking to you!"

I came back to the living room and continued arranging my things, completely ignoring Arabella and her questions.

"How long do you plan on doing this?" Arabella questioned while Luna increased the TV.

"Arabella not now, when I get back from work we will talk," I tried to brush her off.

"It's been 12 years Gianni, 12 fucking years!" Arabella yelled as she stomped her feet on the ground.

"So what if it's been twelve years? Am I complaining?" I dropped my bag on the chair and faced Arabella.

"So what if you aren't complaining, I am, it's taking a troll on us, our lives have become more than a living hell, can't you see that for crying out loud, you have to work, you have to pay both mine and your tuition fees, the house rent and all the bills including his," Arabella looked me straight in the eyes.

"Arabella, that's for me to take care of, you shouldn't worry about it," I placed both my hands on Arabella's shoulders but she removed it aggressively.

"That's what you keep saying but every day our debts keep growing, I curse that day, he should have died on that cursed night too!" Arabella yelled and I didn't realize when I raised my hand and slapped her across the cheek.

I took a step forward and Arabella took one backward away from me, "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean that," I placed my trembling hands on my mouth.

It was the first time in the past twelve years I was raising my hands to Arabella and I knew she was hurt.

Arabella scoffed, her right hand on the place I had hit her, "You hit me because of Zion but I'm right, he should have died along with Mom and Dad on that night 12 years ago then maybe things would have been different or maybe you should have gone along," Arabella picked up her bag from the dining table.

"Wherever you are going to just be back on time for Mom and Dad's death anniversary and don't ever enter my room without permission!!" I yelled and Arabella slammed the door against my face.

I sat back on the chair with my head in my hands as tears rolled down my eyes and poured down to the tiles.

"Weren't you too harsh on her?" My roommate and friend Luna asked as she sat beside me and lowered the TV volume.

"No I wasn't, up till today I have always kept quiet but today she crossed the line," I balled my hands into a fist and anger surged through my veins.

Luna took my hands in her, "Arabella was kind of right you know, the hospital bills keep increasing, your relatives are no longer giving their support and you keep growing in Dept, why not just cut Zion's life support and let him rest?"

I understand both Luna and Arabella's concerns but I couldn't do it, it was also hard on me, I witnessed the whole thing.

"I can't cut his life support, he is my only brother, my parents' heir and only son to carry my family's name. What if he was supposed to wake up tomorrow? I will continue asking myself that for the rest of my life And I can't do it because I need to know who those people were on that night twelve years ago," I removed my hands from Luna's hands as I wiped the tears threatening to fall.

"Aren't you worried about where she will go?" Luna raised her eyebrows.

"Definitely the dance study anyway I'm going to be late for my shift, see you when I get back," I picked up my bag from the chair and headed to the restaurant where I work part-time.

*****

I arrived at the restaurant feeling edgy and stressed out by everything and everyone.

“Hey Pookie, you good?” Jeffrey, our bouncer, and my personal teddy bear greeted me with a smile on his face.

“Yeah, just a little bit stressed,” I gave him a sad smile as I walked past him into the restaurant.

Sonny’s Diner was the small restaurant where I worked part-time to save money for my bills.

It was full to the brim just like every other night and irritation flashed through me as I saw my coworkers Bella and Jason arguing for the 100th time in a corner instead of working.

"Bella, are you okay? What's wrong?" I asked because her voice was already scratching my ears.

"Gianni, I can't go and serve the private room" Bella pouted while complaining to everyone again.

I wanted to yell at Bella and say what do you mean you can't go serve in the private room? You are always doing this but instead, I said, "Why is that?"

"All the Godfathers are there having dinner," Bella said and I nodded my head trying my best not to explode at her.

"Okay," I took the apron forcefully from her hands and went to serve the private room.

I wasn't in the mood to listen to Bella talk because she was going to talk about the godfathers nonstop.

I knocked gently before I entered the room and six men were sitting on the chairs while six other men who appeared to be bodyguards were standing directly at the back of each man.

"Good evening, what would you like to order?" I showed them the menus and everyone paused as if waiting for someone to say something.

"Everything," someone finally answered. I raised my head to meet his gaze and it was a young man who was in a dark shade.

"Okay," I bowed politely before walking out. I felt someone tapping me on the shoulder when I was on my way to prepare their order.

"Please don't serve alcohol to the person that ordered, today is Don Damian's wife and child's death anniversary and he has to go back home to his other children," one of the bodyguards said politely before walking away.

I felt sorry for him but I couldn't do anything to take away this stranger's pain because I was in the worst pain that words can't describe.

I did as I was instructed and everything went smoothly. I was given a tip, and a small smile stretched on my lips when I saw the tip. This would be enough to cover Arabella's ballerina lesson and buy some foodstuffs before my salary came.

My night shift for the day ended and was about to get ready to leave when our manager came in angry.

"Money has been removed from the safe, who did it!"

I ignored it and continued to arrange my things because I didn't even go near the safe, "search every single thing including their lockers," the manager ordered the security to search everywhere.

Everyone's lockers were searched and nothing was found. I was about to leave when the manager stopped me and I stopped.

"She is a senior here so her bag has to be searched," the manager said sternly, "Search it immediately," the manager ordered.

I willingly gave my bag to the security, he mouthed sorry and unzipped it, he turned it over and a load of cash fell out. I stared at the cash falling out of my bag in horror.

"I didn't do it, someone is trying to set me up," I cried out in a panic.

"Gianni I trusted you and you broke my trust, I do not want to ever see your face around this vicinity else," the manager threatened.

I went on my knees to plead, this was my only job that brought reasonable money, "Please I didn't do it one more chance to prove it."

The manager dragged my ID card from my neck, "Take her out of here immediately and leave her tips with her for the day," the security dragged me and my things out of the restaurant.

I arranged my things inside my bag as tears rolled down my cheeks, I didn't know who was trying to set me up and why, I needed this job, I needed to take care of so many things but now I had lost one part-time job.

I didn't have enough money to enter the bus so I decided to walk to the supermarket that was 2 blocks away from the restaurant to get something for the house, things needed at the hospital, and something needed for Mom and Dad's death anniversary when I noticed a sedan following behind me. The make and model of the car appeared to be a high-end brand, perhaps a black BMW 7 Series or a Mercedes-Benz S-Class. It was a tinted window.

I didn't care because every year on this same day for the past 12 years I always noticed this particular car following me around for some reason.

Who is following me?

Why are they following me?

What do they want from me?

Are they the ones who killed my parents in cold blood and sent my brother to a coma?