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Chapter 128

Author: AmonAvHs
last update Last Updated: 2023-11-28 21:28:23

LILY

I applied gloss to my lips, then returned it to the drawer. Studying my reflection in the mirror, the corner of my lips curled in disdain.

My brown strands, now a lustrous red, were pretty; the charming copper color turned me into another person, someone I hated being. It was this part of me that he had wounded—the glamorous and fiery part of me.

Stomped down until it was quenched just the way he liked. I repaired the thin sleeve of my white evening dress. This was the aesthetic he wanted, and he turned me into it. The redhead without her fire—wasn't it just comfortable?

I ran my fingers along my sides covered by the silk gown, then jerked around to a faint rap on the door. I waited, peeking at the clock overhead the door, even when I knew what I was being called for. I swallowed and walked over to the door.

Slowly drawing it open with shaky fingers, I was met with a girl's frame, probably the same age as Eva; she genuflected and announced, "Master Vito calls you."

I nodded; of c
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    The gasp escaping my lips was loud and clear, catching their attention. In unison, I had four pairs of eyes in my direction. At that moment, I knew looking up was risky, for if I did, they might spell the truth in my disturbed pupils that the man whom they spoke about… well…“What's wrong?” Vito asked, and he raised my chin again. “You look flushed.”Knowing that opening my lips when his face was this close to mine would result in me stammering the words out, I said nothing, only holding his gaze and ensuring my pupils kept still. The mission wasn't possible.“Adler Domenico could be called a household name in the crime world, Vito,” Antonio broke the awkward silence, "a name heard but seen by few, and when you listen to the tales of his escapades, it's enough to make anyone gasp. I understand, Lily.”He used a lot of stumbling words to show he was solidly behind me, but that still wouldn't do if I didn't find a way to preserve myself, for in just two days of being here, I had gone of

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    “Something wrong with the food? " I raised my face to meet Vito, sitting opposite me, spoon in hand and swallowing a mouth full. His attention was on his plate, and his hands still moved even when he glanced at me.I shook my head, grabbed my fork, and plunged it into my plate. "No," I uttered, then attempted a slight smile. "It's wonderful." Next, I took a slice of apple from my salad bowl and quickly popped it into my mouth to stave off further conversation.However, as soon as my lash dropped to my plate, I felt his gaze set on me again.This prolonged situation made me anxious. His intense gaze was fixed on me, and to compound my misery, he remained silent.We were alone outdoors eating dinner, the first we had together since I was brought to him, and something told me tonight had a reason. Besides, why were we outdoors? He cleared his throat, throwing me out of my trance and scrambling for my plate again."If you don't like the food, you can say that." He picked up a glass of w

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    LILY"I was six when I discovered that the convent sisters who came once a week to take children from the orphanage were anything but angels," Ruslan said, rocking my daughter's cradle. "It became clear why the boys never came back, and the girls who did barely lived."Twenty minutes ago, I had laid my sleeping daughter in her crib and rushed into the bathroom for a quick soak, despite knowing she wouldn't stir.Two seconds ago, I stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around my chest and damp hair still dripping, only to see Ruslan standing over Constance's crib and staring at her.Even though he didn't touch her, my racing pulse refused to die down.But he paid no heed to my presence and continued, "They needed us in a coal mine in this little spot in Serbia." He paused, his gaze remote. "Our starved, wiry, agile bodies were the perfect fit for narrow spaces, running errands, and sometimes checking if the explosives had completed their work."My hawk-like eyes on Constance made it

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