Alex’s POV
The strobe lights flashing in front of me made me squint as I arrived at the nightclub, which seemed to be a popular hotspot in New York. I opened the door and got down, my eyes getting used to the lights before I looked in. It took me less than a day to find out everything about Sofia Griffin, the girl that ran away from my wedding. I had everything memorized, from her childhood friends to her favorite color. I just needed to find her now. I put on my shades to cover my blood shot eyes because I had a lot to drink before I got on the flight from Sicily to here, and I was feeling sick but I wasn’t going back to my hotel before I met her.I found out why she had ran away. She was in the middle of a murder investigation about her parents, so I chose to go through that route. I was going to be the friend she needed here, and then I was going to completely destroy her from within before I killed her. I wished I had something better to do but I didn't. I wasn’t going to get what I have been preparing to get since my brother died, and it wasn’t like I had a job to go back to. If I wasn’t here, trying to pass time but taking revenge on the person that wronged me, then I would be back at home, proving my father right while I wallowed in alcohol.I got into the club and looked around. I had her picture on my phone and it didn't take long to track her down while she was seated on one of the bar stools. She had long brown hair that was wavy, and she also had bangs. I couldn’t deny that she was attractive. She had a good body and a pretty face, but the only thing I could think about when I looked at her was how she would look when I was gutting her. I put back my phone in my pocket and removed my shades, knowing that the dim light in the club was going to hide whatever darkness was on my face.I headed straight to her, plopping on one of the stools next to her. She shifted a little when she felt a presence beside her, but she didn't raise her head to look at me. She was twirling the straw in her drink while she stared intently at it, lost in thoughts. I had planned how I was going to approach her, down to how I was going to get her to warm up to me. I could just kill her like I did her step father, but where was the fun in that?“The drink is going to evaporate if you keep staring at it that way.” I told her, bringing her out of her train of thought.She raised her head to look at me before she smiled and looked away, “I will be fine.”“Can I buy you a drink?” I asked. I had a feeling I couldn’t suppress somewhere in me that she was going to recognize who I was, but she didn't. Blake didn't allow anyone to photograph us. People knew that there was a big mafia in Sicily, but no one knew who we were. For all anyone knew, he was just a business man just like every other wealthy man in Sicily.He had a ton of companies all around the world. He had a security company in New York, which was what I was going to use to get her to trust me. I decided to hire myself as the head when I went by tomorrow because they hardly did any work. It was just a cover to clean Blake’s dirty money. Maybe if I worked hard there, he would allow me back. If I committed to it, his heart was going to thaw towards me and he would give me the control of the mob. It was a long shot but I didn't have anything to do, so I might as well just keep myself busy with that and hope.“No, I am fine.” She declined politely.I nodded, keeping quiet as I looked around, watching people as they laughed and danced around like they had no care in the world. I remembered the time when I was happy. The time when I was at the peak of my ice hockey career, traveling on the road with my friends and partying all night while making loads of my own money. I missed those days. It was to no surprise how fucked up in the head I got when all of that was taken away from me one day because of some stupid damn injury.“What brings you here?” She asked. I didn't think she was going to be interested in conversing with me, but she was new here and probably hadn’t spoken to anyone since she came.“Booze,” I told her, even though I had no intention of touching a drink until I felt better. “But now that I am here, I think I will just enjoy the obnoxiously loud music and try to clear my head from the craziness of this week.”She laughed a little and bobbed her head back, “Talk about having a crazy week.”“Yeah,” I forced out a laugh. “What made your week so bad?” I asked her.She turned to look at me sharply, and I thought that my cover had been blown but then I looked close enough and realized that she was just too drunk. The untouched drink in front of her but that didn't mean that she hadn’t had more before them. Audacious, moving to a city alone and getting drunk barely 48 hours in.“I am in the middle of a murder investigation. So close, but it was a dead end, just like the ones I have encountered for the past two years since I started the investigation.” She huffed.“You a cop?”“No,” she took a sip of the cup in front of her for the first time since I came here. “My parents. They were killed in cold blood, in their apartment in New York. There is no lead, no clues, just dead ends that neither I nor the police have been able to crack. They have closed the case but it doesn’t settle well to me how they have died.” She explained.I kept quiet, encouraging her to keep talking. I didn't know if she was going to remember me or this conversation when she woke up in the morning and the booze had cleared away. If she doesn’t, then I will have to find a way to reintroduce myself into her life again.“I don’t understand how the people that have been divorced for so long will happen to be together on the same night when they were going to get killed. There was just too much for me to rule it out as an accident you know,” she slurred. “Someone killed my parents and I am not going to have a good night’s sleep before I found out.”I wondered why out of all of the things she mentioned, she didn't talk about the wedding she was going to have. I thought that was the crazy thing that she had in the week but apparently, it wasn’t even in the back of her mind which meant that she never cared about it. Somehow, it made me even angrier with her knowing that she could have just canceled on me earlier and I would have found another bride sooner before all of this mess happened.“The police these days are getting incompetent. I am so sorry about your loss. But have you tried a private company?” I asked her, digging through my pockets for the company card that my father owned which I was planning to take over.She turned to face me, her thick brow raised in question. “What?”“A security company. You are going to pay them and then they will find it out. They will put in extra effort into it and won’t rest until they find who it was that caused that tragedy in your life.” I explained to her.She stared at me while she was processing what I had just said, “No.”“Then you should. Drop by my office whenever you are ready so we can go ahead with your investigation. There would be a discount for you.”“Why?” She croaked out, her hands reaching for the card.“Because you are a special client. Make sure you give me a call because hiring us is being rest assured that your doubts are going away forever because we are going to find the culprit as soon as possible.” I explained it to her.She carefully tucked it in her bag before she turned to face me, “Thank you, stranger.”“I will be looking forward to meeting you again, Sofia,” I said.She watched me stand up before she realized what I just said and she spoke up, “How do you know my name?” She asked.A half-smirk formed on my lips as I got to my foot, “You are a special client.” I deadpanned again before I left the club, knowing that if I dropped something on her like this then she was definitely going to remember the conversation tomorrow, or even part of it. Either way, I couldn’t wait to get on with this game, because from the looks of it was going to be a hell of a ride.ALEXI don't think I've ever been this happy before, well, I have, until that woman ran away.Nevertheless, I was filled with excitement and anticipation after pitching my father's security company to Sofia which I knew she wouldn't refuse. Not after I had made a strong impression by offering her a discount, I couldn't help but feel confident about the potential partnership which was certainly going to lead to her to her death. With my business card in her possession, I eagerly awaited her call, hoping that it would bring good news.I had never felt the need for revenge the way I did now. I wanted to crush that bitch in my hands, but before killing her, I wanted her to beg for mercy, beg so much. I wouldn't listen, I would slowly kill her, that was my plan. With the way things were, and how desperate she was speaking the other night at the bar, I was certain she would turn up anytime.In the meantime, I decided to pay a visit to the security company, I've been here twice as a child. A
ALEXIt seemed so hard, harder than I ever thought.I was seated in the office of the head of security, surrounded by stacks of paperwork and a never-ending stream of emails and messages. I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed, and tired of doing all this. And what was I trying to do? I was trying to multiply the profits of my father's security company and that was proving to be more challenging than I had anticipated. It seemed like every day brought a new set of obstacles and demands that required my immediate attention and it was making me feel so stressed.The responsibility of running a business was weighing heavily on my shoulders. I have never thought I'd be so overwhelmed like this, it seemed I didn't think this through before taking up the role. For the mob, I had always known that taking over something as big as that would be a significant undertaking, but I never imagined this security company, so little, would consume every waking moment of my life. The pressure to succeed a
ALEXMy back ached from sitting on the chair for that long. It was time to quit. I had worked for almost twelve hours. Sifting through documents, signing papers and crosschecking files. It wasn't my thing but there wasn't much of a choice. I hated the fact that I had to resort to the oddest situations anytime I got into a mess. I wanted to lead the mob, but here I was, sitting down like a clerk working in one of the lowest cover companies of my father. Anyone who heard my story would laugh, it would be a bigger joke when they'd realize my brother made it and I didn't. The task was to marry a girl, and I failed. I wished I could have taken one of the girls that went crazy for me and made an arrangement. I would have been the king now, not sitting here, typing and sulking at my unfulfilled life.I packed my things up, and stood up to get ready. It was my first day and I was already exhausted for the whole month. If I could I never wanted to come back there anymore. But I had to prove my
SOFIAI have been stuck since I woke up. My head and neck seemed to have disagreed on something and decided to turn their backs on eachother. I was scared to move, as doing so could break any of my precious bones. I didn't come to New York to kill myself, and I wasn't going to let myself die of a broken neck. My hair was scattered all over and my bangs were almost in my eye. This was a fatal position. I was a bit twisted and the amount of pain I was in made me feel like I had dislocated my neck while sleeping. As I tried to endure the position, it felt like my headache was getting worse. It'd been ten minutes and there was still no improvement. Just intense pain, constant blinking to avoid my hair getting in my eyes and a sore back from the stupid position I was in. I needed to put on a little fight with myself.I tried moving a little. "Shit!" I cursed under my breath. The pain was intense. It was extreme. After what seemed like an unbearable amount of time, my body summoned courage.
SOFIA"Where do I start from?" I stared at the suitcases with my hands akimbo.I was looking at the boxes and suitcases that surrounded me. It took two days to successfully transfer my clothes and other things into these cases and boxes without letting Olivia know. It was easy because we had different wardrobes, she couldn't look into my own stuff and I couldn't too. The moment I made the decision to run away, I knew I had to do it, there was no going back and I didn't regret it even though there was nothing that was bringing me steady means of income."Too much to do." I muttered. I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over me. It had been days, or perhaps a week since I had run away from my stepfather and my mafia groom, and yet, I still couldn't bring myself to unpack. Part of me was afraid of what it would mean to unpack; it would mean that I was here to stay, and that thought terrified me. I had grown up with the constant fear of my step father's wrath, and the thought of
SOFIAIt was exactly past 6PM when I was fully done with unpacking and as I stood in the doorway of my new apartment, a wave of overwhelming despair washed over me. The sight before me was nothing short of a full blown disaster. Clothes were strewn across the floor, forming a chaotic maze that seemed impossible to navigate. And because of the way the house was old, the once pristine white walls were now covered in layers of dust and grime, revealing the neglect that this place had suffered for far too long.Here I was in New York, the reality of living in a small, old apartment was far from glamorous. The limited space made it challenging to keep things organised, and I had let the clutter accumulate over time. As I unpacked my belongings, I had neglected to find proper places for everything, resulting in an explosion of chaos that now surrounded me. I hate to arrange but I had no choice. Unpacking means I came here to stay, and still I would.With a heavy sigh, I took a step forward.
ALEXI had to try my luck again. I felt like a teenager that was in a new relationship constantly looking at my phone for a call or a message. It was disheartening. I sat in my hotel room thinking about where I could have done better. She must have forgotten by now. It'd been too long. I missed my easy life while I still played hockey. I should probably ask my private investigator to search for her again. I should bump into her somehow and act surprised. That was the only option I had. Coz there was no way she ignored my suggestion of the company. Did she have that much confidence in herself? I stood up to get ready.Things were going well back at home, and although it was hard to admit, it hurt that my father didn't bother to call or ask about my well being. He should have disowned me a long time ago. Somehow I still wanted to prove to him that I wasn't useless. I wanted to be better than him. I couldn't call the feeling I had love, it wasn't hate either. I just didn't like him somet
SOFIA“What does it take, to pick up a phone, and just swipe and return a call? Hmm? Is it hard?” I yelled at myself in the mirror, demonstrating my words as I shouted, pouring my anger out. It'd been too long. I was already ahead of my thoughts, imagining a lot of possible reasons why my call wasn't returned. Or answered. “Perhaps his phone was lost?” I stared at myself for a few minutes or so.What a joke. His phone lost? He's the fucking owner of a security company, of course he had his phone with him. It couldn't even get stolen. He looked like the kind of guy to notice every little thing. He seemed like he was good at kung-fu. He looked good generally. I slammed my head into the wall.“Stop. Thinking. About. His. Fucking. Looks." I wanted to blame myself. But I couldn't. He did look like something you'd want for dinner.I walked back to the mirror. I had this weird habit of challenging myself, anytime I knew I didn't do something the right way. Sometimes it was a bit extreme, f
ALEX Manchester was different…Manchester was blissful…The air in Manchester was very clear; till I could feel it suffocate me. But then I knew one day, I would put an end to all of this. I was living the life that I wanted here. Away from Blake and his Cartel, his mob and the killers and the snare and everything. I had used the money I had to start up something and I would be going back to hockey soon. It was what gave me utmost confidence. And I wouldn’t toss it away. She still didn’t want to have anything to do with me. I took it upon myself to stalk her in a healthy manner. I was there when she left for work and I was there when she was back. It was one thing that gave me joy, it gave me this push. I knew that one day, she would hear me out and would forgive me. I made a conscious effort to respect her space. It was hard to process that fact and I wanted to give her time but then one day, I would make sure I walk up to her again. Everyday, I couldn’t deny the pull she had o
SOFIA Manchester…I got dressed and sighed when I was done dressing. This used to be worn with a happy smile, now, my heart was filled with sadness, regret and disappointment. It wasn’t anger anymore. It was something else. I left the house, the crisp autumn air nipping at my cheeks as I made my way down the street. The familiar sights and sounds of my neighbourhood seemed to fade into the background as I focused on the task at hand: preparing for my move to Manchester.I came back home to prepare. It was now or never. Another day here and I would commit suicide. This was the place my parents were killed, this was the place Olivia had been arrested. Too many bad memories and damn, I can’t stay here any longer. I brought out my clothes and the new bags I bought when I went out. It was now or never at all. I packed my clothes into the bag, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of sadness and nervousness as I did this. I was going to England, leaving behind everything that had once been fami
SOFIAI could still dream. This time, I was dreaming about being alone in a field of roses, where everything was filled with tranquillity and warmth. I found myself standing in a vast field of roses, their sweet fragrance filling the air and soothing my mind. The sun was shining brightly, casting a warm glow over the landscape. The vibrant colours of the flowers seemed to stretch on endlessly, creating a mesmerising sea of reds, pinks, and whites.It felt so good to be here. So damn good. I forgot all I was thinking about. I forget the sorrows that were now in my life. I forgot how things had been so bad. I was calm. I was content. I was enough. As I walked through the field, I felt a sense of peace and tranquillity washing over me. It made me feel like I was in heaven. This was a pleasure. Absolute pleasure. Amidst the sea of roses, I caught sight of a figure in the distance. This was supposed to be my world, my dream. As I approached the figure, I realised it was my mother, wear
SOFIABut then I had so many what ifs left in me…What if everything had not been like this? What if I had just not found out about the cottage and all? I guess Olivia would have killed me. She would surely win this time around and then she would put an end to the existence of the Griffins.If only Olivia hadn’t found out what really happened, if she didn’t know who our parents were and if nothing had ever even happened before. I sighed heavily. What would have become of my life and that of Olivia’s? I kept thinking about this and it kept playing in my head till I could no longer imagine what life would have been if everything hadn’t started from Olivia finding out that our parents were bloody murderers. I wanted to look up and gaze out the window at the world outside, but Alex was right beside me. He had this look of remorse and that was the last thing I needed right now. In that instant, I couldn’t help but ponder the age-old adage, “ignorance is bliss.” How true those words seeme
SOFIASomehow, a sad song came into my mind. I was humming the song and somehow, it made me feel so good. I then began to ask myself some questions. What if my parents were still alive? What if Jake hadn’t cheated on me? What if Olivia grew up nice and well groomed? What if? The answer was that I wouldn’t have met Alex. And before that, I wouldn’t know who Ronaldo was and my parents wouldn’t have been divorced. It was a whole lot to take in but I knew that I would heal. No matter how hard and difficult it was, I would heal. Nice and steady. I went back inside and saw Alex with the inspector. They were talking and I just went to my room. I needed some time alone, some time to sink all this in and know what next to do with my life right now. I could hear Alex talking with the inspector. “I will come by later. If you need anything, let me know.”“All right. Take care of her.” The inspector told him. “Yes.”‘Take care of her?’ I scoffed. How can I be fine with the devil? The real d
SOFIAI hadn’t wanted to keep crying when the police came but each word, sentence and action of Olivia kept replying in my head like a broken tape and the tears just wouldn’t stop. I then asked myself, how did we come to this? Olivia was a happy child, she was loved by happy parents, it got to the point of being jealous because of the way our parents favoured her over me. But then when I grew up and tried to relive those days, I saw that our parents loved us equally. Yes, they were murderers, and yes they were members of a notorious mafia mob that had killed a lot of people and destroyed so many lives. In that sense, they should be ruthless, in that sense they should have raised us with a knife taped to the tip of their tongues.With them, we were fed love on a silver spoon in a golden plate, we weren’t made to get love by licking it off knives. Not just any knife, a knife that wasn’t embroidered and was just insignificant to mankind. No, our parents fed us love and overfilled us
OLIVIAI watched them panic when I had reached for the only weapon I think could put an end to my misery. I planned to kill to myself and then kill Sofia and her boyfriend. She was asking too many questions that reminded me of the past. It reminded me of the faces of the murderers I referred to as my parents. Particularly seeing her. I haven’t looked at myself in the mirror in a while. I couldn’t dare to do that. I knew I would see the reflection of those terrible people in me, I hated them so much that if I saw them in my face, I would surely scar myself. It was better to die than to live with their imprint visible on my body. And then Sofia? She had everything good coming her way. Even though Ronaldo didn’t treat her well, he still thought about her and even went as far as wanting her to be married to a rich son of the mafia. No matter the maltreatment, I knew she would enjoy her married life. Ronaldo didn’t think of me when the son of the mafia came. He didn’t at all and damn,
ALEXI watched the two sisters battle words. All this while I was just looking at them, it felt like I wasn’t even in the room. They kept throwing words at each other and made me feel completely invisible. And thinking about this, I just couldn’t see Anthony and I having the same batter and swearing at each other like this. It was something I couldn’t ever picture. Not that I was scared, I stopped being afraid of Anthony when I left home and since then, there was nothing that would make me scared of him ever again. Anthony and I can’t even have a physical conversation, the last time we had talked, it was during a family dinner. That was the day my father had announced that he was giving the cartel to Anthony. I remembered that day like I was in it. I hadn’t wanted to come but I had no choice, I just had too. Ever since I left home, I just cut ties with them but then I had too. The dinner was scheduled a few days before my mother’s birthday. I just had to go. I told myself I would f
SOFIA “Why did everything change?”Tears continued to cascade down my cheeks, a testament to the shattered dreams and broken promises that plagued our relationship. The person I once knew had morphed into a stranger, driven by darkness and pain.Olivia had become a woman I used to know. She scared me now. Everything she had said was surprising, it made me feel stupid. I had thought she changed because of the death of our parents. Then she was withdrawn, she threw herself to Ronaldo like he was her saviour. And to me, she treated me like trash. I had thought she wanted to take away all the grief in her by being mean to me, but I was wrong, she had just been thinking of ways to extinguish me from the world she was creating. “When did everything change, Olivia?”“It will further change if you disappear.” She answered. “And then the very day I found out about what our parents were, I knew I couldn’t tell you, I just knew I had to carry out this mission myself.”I just looked at her, it