“Get the cart! Hurry!” I heard someone shout. I repeatedly blinked to get the blurriness out of my eyes. When I opened my eyes to see a ton of doctors and nurses inside the room, the confusion was clear in my expression as they rushed and ran, trying to grab supplies.“What’s going on?” I questioned, rubbing my eyelids with the back of my hand. My heart was pounding in my chest for some reason, and I couldn’t figure out why. Slowly, my gaze traveled over to my sister’s heart monitor only to see that it had stilled. My lips parted as tears filled my eyes. I could no longer hear any words. All I could see was the lifeless face of my little sister. Just moments ago, she was fine. Aria was speaking to me, telling me that she would fight for me. Now, as I looked at the line showing on her heart monitor, my world crashed right in front of me.“Aria?” I asked, already missing the smile that would come across her face.A nurse appeared right in front of me. She was wearing a mask to cover the
ANASTASIAI shut my sister’s journal and held it against my chest. It was as though I could hear her voice speaking to me as I read every word. As I read her journal, it was like we were having conversations again. My heart ached to hear her voice, listen to her laugh, and voice her beliefs. Aria had always been there, and I felt so empty now that she wasn’t holding my hand and telling me that everything would be okay. I missed her so much. If I could talk to her one last time about anything, I would. If I could look into her hazel eyes and see the gleam of hope and prosperity in them, I would.I threw myself onto her mattress, hugging the journal as protectively as I could. Sobs ripped out of me as I called for a sister who would no longer respond to them.I had lost her only a week ago, yet it felt like yesterday. It was the loss of my best friend, sister, and inspiration all rolled into one. I tried so hard to think of a way that could heal the open wound in my heart but only manag
My entire heart dropped down to my feet. I raced over to the kitchen where my bag sat. All of my clothes and shoes that I carried around for work were dumped out. She even took every penny I had in my wallet.Without another thought, I began to trash the entire apartment. My brain was so clouded with rage that I gave no thought to all of the picture frames that showcased our ‘happy’ family I threw on the ground. I flipped over couches, and tables, and even broke glasses along with plates. Then, I walked into her room and ruined everything in sight.Just before leaving her room, I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote ‘Take that money you stole and buy new things.’I grabbed another bag and began to throw all of my clothes into it. Everything that belonged to me, I placed into the bag. When I finished, I left the apartment. I hurriedly ran toward my car and threw everything inside of it.“Barbie! What the hell are you doing here?” Janice asked in shock the minute I walked into the club. C
ANASTASIAThe sunlight seeped into the room, waking me up from the deep slumber I was in. I quickly got up and shut the curtains before crawling back into bed, grumbling as I did. I wanted to be swallowed up in a pit of darkness while allowing my depressing thoughts to roam free.It didn’t seem to last long as the door opened up and a woman walked in. It was the same blonde-haired woman I had seen that one night when Mr. Romano had requested me to join him for a meeting. She smiled kindly at me before beckoning me to follow her.“Can’t I just stay in here?” I groaned.Her features fell slightly, along with her shoulders. I noticed the way her smile was still there, but there was desperation in her eyes.“Mr. Romano ordered me to get you something to eat. Please, come with me,” she requested.“I’m not hungry,” I grumbled childishly before throwing off the blanket. I then bent down and picked up my shoes, sliding them onto my feet. “I’ll just leave.”“You can leave, but maybe after brea
After my shower, I wrapped myself in a towel. Walking over to my reflection, I used my hand to push away some of the water droplets from the mirror. I tried to smile. It shouldn’t hurt to smile, but it did.“Nana, you know what makes me happy?” Aria asked with a smile playing on her lips. She was lying down on her bed while I was across the room on mine. I turned over to look at her and saw that she was already gawking at me.“What?” I asked. Her gaze strayed over to look out the window, where the moon was brightening up the room, even with the dark sky trying so hard to keep the light away.“Knowing that I have power…even if it’s just the power I have over myself. That’s powerful,” she said, bewildered.I thought about her words, allowing a smile to come to my face. She’s right, controlling our bodies, emotions, and actions is very powerful.“You know what makes me happy?” I questioned. Her eyebrows rose as if she were asking me ‘what?’ without saying the actual words. “When you shut
I remembered all my clothes were locked away in my car. Not only that, but I’d moved out of my mother’s apartment and was currently homeless. My plans were to ask Janice or Liliana for a place to stay for a while, but after last night, my shots at that were probably gone.“However long you want me to,” I responded seductively.“Something is off about you,” he said slowly. He was looking at me like I was a puzzle he needed to solve. The desire I had pooling between my legs slowly vanished as I wondered if he could see the sorrow brewing within me.“What?” I asked stupidly.He shook his head just before unwrapping his arms from around me. I thought he was about to exit the room, but he managed to take me by surprise when he settled on the bed.My legs were rooted to the ground while I observed him taking off his suit jacket. I wasn’t sure if it happened slowly, or if it was just my mind playing tricks on me. His eyes never left mine as he placed his suit jacket on top of the nightstand.
VALENTINOWhat the hell was wrong with me?Anastasia was all I could think about. From the day I saw her glowing blonde hair on the pole and her plump fuckable lips, I couldn’t get rid of the thought of her. She had a way of burning herself into my mind and being too damn stubborn to get out. Even when one of my men handed me a note, written by Dmitri, explaining how he was coming for his daughter, she still heavily occupied my mind. I should have worried more about how close Alex had been getting with the girl, but I couldn’t. The whole plan was going to shit, but all I could think about was one blonde girl in particular.As soon as Valerio notified me of Anastasia at the club on her day off, I knew things weren’t good. I didn’t completely know her, but I knew her well enough to understand she was not the kind of person to party.There was a sadness that lurked in her eyes, and I knew it all too well. Never in my life would I openly invite a girl to live in my home? It was rare that
If I did, I’m sure I would’ve acted out in more ways than you did. I’m only looking out for what’s best for you because I see you, and I see someone who’s lost, but once they’re found, the world better prepares for the amount of shit they can do.” I smiled at her words before pulling her in for a hug. She immediately responded by laughing as she wrapped her arms around me. Once I pulled away, I walked over to the job schedule to see that I was going to be on the floor today while Janice would take the stage. I hated being on the floor, where I had to keep the people who weren’t watching the show entertained. Sometimes, that meant lap dances, other times, that meant private dances. “Looks like you’re the star of the night.” I winked at her. “Yeah, yeah.” She playfully rolled her eyes. Together, we exited the back room, ready to do what we had to do. When we got to the entrance of the stage, we bid our goodbyes
You never needed me, you only needed to believe in yourself.”I could feel my eyes blurring as I looked at my imaginative Aria. “You need to let me go. I have always loved you, my banana, but now you love yourself enough for the both of us.”“Goodbye, Aria. I love you,” I whispered softly.Valerio looked at me with a small smile just as the doors opened. My eyes were quick to look at Valentino, who seemed just as nervous as me. Valerio and I walked in slow strides toward the altar with my smile never leaving my face. As we were walking, my eyes were brimming with tears of joy.We continued down the aisle until we finally made it to the altar, where Valerio kissed my cheek.“Who gives this woman to this man in marriage?” the priest asked.Valerio glanced at me before taking my right hand and placing it into Valentino’s.“I do,” he answered.I smiled at him once more, feeling so thankful to have met him. He then took my left hand and placed it in Valentino’s as well after I had passed m
ANASTASIAIt was definitely not a ‘woo’ experience. Being dressed in an all-white dress that looked so beautiful and elegant should’ve made me feel like a queen. I didn’t feel like a queen at all. My belly was swollen with a baby girl and I couldn’t help feeling nervous.As I stared at myself in the full-length mirror, my hand rubbed my giant baby bump. There was a frown on my face as I looked at myself. I was marrying the man I loved with all of my heart, I was going to have a baby, and I should feel like the happiest person in the world—why was I so scared?“Are you okay?” Isabella asked, coming into the room with Sarah.“Yeah, I just…”Suddenly, I began to cry. I tried my best to not mess up my makeup, but it was already too late. Everything was going to change after this, and I knew it.“Sarah, can you go get her mom?” Isabella asked before walking over to me and bringing me into her embrace.She held me tightly as she rubbed my back up and down.“Don’t cry. If you want, I’ll go s
I got down on my knees and quickly undid his slacks and pushed them down. His erection was long and thick, just perfectly in front of me underneath his boxers. He grabbed my hair and kept my face level with his cock. I pushed down his boxers and bit my lip at the sight of him.I began to stroke it once it was free. I braced myself with my hand on his hip and gripped his shaft with my other hand. I began to jerk him off, slowly at first. When he pulled my hair back, I took that as my cue to stroke him faster and grip his cock tighter.Soon, I started to blow him in earnest. My tongue swirled around his shaft as I brought it into my mouth. Bringing his cock deep into my throat to the point I was at his base before I pulled back while running my tongue along the underside of it. Suddenly, I was bobbing my head faster and faster before I looked up at him. He let out a groan while tossing his head back and shutting his eyes. I sucked him gently, which resulted in me taking his whole shaft
ANASTASIASeven months later“I am really going to miss you guys,” I told Isabella and her big baby bump.She was going to name her baby boy Andrea, and I wished I could witness it all. That day after she was shot, she learned she was pregnant. It hurt to think about how we could’ve experienced everything at the same time, but Valentino helped me let that hurt go.Her recovery was very fast. She was able to walk again in less than a month, seeing as the bullet didn’t hit anything too major. Isabella was quick to forgive Valentino, and the same for Alex.Isabella placed one last small bag into the trunk of the car. It was the last day I would be seeing her. She didn’t want to stay in the lifestyle Valentino and Alex were born in, which I understood. I only wished I didn’t have to miss so much with her gone.“We will make sure to visit at every possible chance.” Isabella smiled. My shoulders fell as I looked at her. It was really going to be lonely without her there.“You ready?” Alex a
I couldn’t even allow myself to have an expression. Everything still felt so wrong. Being happy felt wrong. He lifted my shirt off of me before taking off the shorts that the hospital had given. The fresh panties I got from the hospital were already covered in blood, and as I looked down, I sucked in a breath and started crying once more.He was going to realize that I’m incapable of doing something like carrying his baby. I was a disgrace, which is exactly why Aria should be alive instead of me.“Shh, it’s okay,” he whispered before bringing me into his chest.I knew what he was doing—he was trying not to allow me to see it, but it was stuck on repeat in my brain. It was my baby.He peeled off my panties, which only resulted in me crying more as I wrapped my arms around his neck and sobbed into the crook of his neck. He pulled them down until they were off my legs before allowing his hand to climb up to the clasp of my bra. He undid the clasp and then took it off of me.When I turned
He walked right past me as if I meant nothing.As I leaned against my car, I broke down. Sobs were bubbling out of me, and my tears were falling nonstop. Suddenly, a hand gripped my shoulder, shocking me to turn around. Seeing that it was Alex, surprise stirred in me“Are you okay?” he asked. I hiccupped as I nodded with a small smile. My tears still wouldn’t stop falling.“Isabella is going to be fine. They have her sedated to make things less painful for her, but they said she will be awake by tomorrow,” he informed me. I was glad she would be okay, it felt nice to finally receive some good news. “I feel bad for the way I spoke to my brother. He may not be the best person in the world, but he’s done a lot for me and so little for himself. Even if he almost killed my girlfriend, I know he’s beating himself up for it more than anyone else could. I know my brother enough to say that he didn’t mean anything he just said to you. He gets like that sometimes, where he pushes people away. D
ANASTASIASarah had gratefully gotten the location where Isabella and Valentino were. My heart dropped when she told me they were at the hospital. I prayed they were both okay.I hurriedly made my way to the hospital, the place I’d really begun to hate with every fiber in my body. The moment I arrived, I could see Isabella being pushed through the halls. My jaw dropped when I noticed she was covered in blood. Nurses and doctors were rushing her into a room, and I tried to follow but was pushed back.“Isabella!” I shouted, tears falling from my eyes.I tried to find Valentino, but he was nowhere to be found. Worry clouded my mind as I hoped he wasn’t hurt.I picked up my phone and tried dialing Valentino’s number again, but it wouldn’t go through. It kept going straight to voicemail. This undying need to scream settled within me. I couldn’t handle the thought of losing someone I loved again.“I’m sorry, ma’am, but you’re going to have to go back to the waiting room,” one of the nurses
I held my gun with a smirk on my face. It had been so long that I wanted to see him with the barrel of a gun pointed directly at him. It was karma. I remember when I had been in his same position twenty years ago—scared and hurt.“She did.” I laughed. “Isabella, come here, doll.”She hesitated, but with one look at the gun in my hand, she came over to where I stood.“You told me you were going to prove to me where your loyalty lies, so do it. Prove it to me,” I growled.Her eyes widened when I handed her a different gun. It was small, but it could cause just as much damage as any gun could.“What? No! This isn’t part of the plan!” Isabella shouted. Her eyes were wide as she held the gun. Despite it being small, it looked big in her tiny hands.Suddenly, her dad made a move at her, leaving her to aim the gun at him. Her breathing was heavy as she stared at her father. There was a quiver as she held the gun. Perspiration coated her forehead and her chest was rising and falling dramatica
VALENTINOWhen my brother told me about his suspicions of Isabella possibly being pregnant, I almost lost it. There was no way he wanted to take part in the plan we had been constructing our entire lives. Even when I told him that Dmitri was coming in a week with plans to bring down our entire organization to get his daughter, Alex didn’t care.It didn’t make sense to me how he could be so careless over that girl. I wished I actually wanted to respect my brother’s request for us to drop the mission, but I couldn’t. He didn’t have to go through the nightmares of that day―I did. Luckily for him, he couldn’t remember the way our mother’s eyes stared at me as she begged for someone to help her. He wasn’t able to understand that our whole family looked to me in order to save them, and I didn’t. Alex was so fucking lucky that he didn’t have to go downstairs and clean up all the splatters of blood left in the house. He didn’t have to live through that shit, but I did.To think that he wanted