Chapter 2
ALEJANDRO POV
The clock’s timely ticks and tocks filled in the silent space, the words ‘Tell me about yourself’ lingering in the air between us. Everything about being here left a bitter taste in my mouth, and made me ache for something entirely different.
I came here because somebody suggested I needed it. I needed to think about something; anything other than blood and white powder and reigning the underworld, yet all the red-haired bambolina did for the past eleven minutes and thirty-seven seconds was flash her undoubtedly fake tits in my direction and lift her skirt inches higher up her thighs.
A universal ‘I want to fuck you’ sign women flashed whenever they wanted someone up in their nooks and crooks!
I could fuck her right where she sat; considering I had already pictured all the ways I could switch positions in her like I was doing some yoga.
Yoga! Maybe I should try that shit. Maybe it would ease the blood lust and make me think like a human!
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock…
My mind drifted to all places as I tried to come up with a decent way could describe myself in front of the shrink who looked like she was more interested in stripping naked in front of me than hearing whatever it was that was going to come out of my mouth.
And everything my mind touched had a hint of savagery and madness in it.
And blood.
“I am a mafia.” I blabbered. Kim’s eyes widened with horror before her lips parted slightly, then she carefully drew in her breath before giving a thoughtful nod and jotting something on her iPad.
A calm reaction? That’s a first. Normally, people shit themselves before I could even say a word. And once they found out who I was, they passed out clean. Which always ruined the fun. But this one here handled like a champ!
“I do not know much about the mafia and the underworld, and I assume you are here because something isn’t working for you.” She made it sound like a question.
“I don’t know. Maybe.” I added a shrug. “You tell me.” I thinned my eyes at her, and she took in another stilling breath before she nodded again.
She was more grounded than she let on, and I was slowly letting go of the belittling image I had of her when I first walked in here.
I mean shrinks were cranky old women with ugly ass glasses, an ugly grey shirt and flat shoes. Not a skimpy skirt that rode up her thigh whenever she shifted in her seat, a tiny top that revealed more than needed, and lush red strands that could fit in my hand perfectly!
And no glasses.
“Alcohol?” She tilted her head to the side and regarded me fully; this time with sheer interest playing on her face.
I eyed her with a blank space at her rhetorical question. She coughed a small laugh, faced down on her iPad, and refocused on my face.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
Clever! I like it.
“I’ll assume you do drugs too?!” The question came out with a hint of uncertainty.
“I sell them,” I stated, and she nodded with understanding.
“Mr. Rodriguez, I understand your line of work can be quite demanding, and hard if I use the term-,” I scoffed and flared to the side.
She had no idea!
“-and require utmost trust. Do you by any chance have a wife?” She asked, all playfulness erased from her face.
“I don’t,” I stated blankly. She nodded once again.
“And do you ever feel the need to have a life companion? Someone you trust wholeheartedly that could make you vulnerable, let you rest by their side and unwind?”
I had a life companion, and HE had a dick and loved girls more than he loved his own life. Trustworthy? Like a bloody angel. The man would lay his own life down for me.
But did I ever get vulnerable around him? Hell no. I would rather chew a jean jacket than let my guard down in front of that bastard.
Although he was the closest thing I had to a friend!
“I don’t need one,” I responded roughly, and she swallowed audibly at the bite in my tone!
I was a dangerous man. My life always edged on the brink of death and I had hugged and kissed the grim reaper a thousand times- more than a thousand times-, I did not need a bloody weakness in my life.
I looked up at Kim to find her writing something down. We sat in a long silence, and something about the background tick-tock seemed to lull the storm of blood lust that raged inside of me. Seconds turned to minutes, and before I knew it, an hour had passed.
Kim rose from her seat and glared at me like I was a puzzle she couldn’t wait to solve. Silence stretched on as we continued our stare down, and I grew uncomfortable. Terrible things happened when I was uncomfortable.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Her eyes watched my finger closely as it tapped against my knee. She smiled to herself before refocusing her attention on my face.
I didn’t like the look she had in her eyes. Not even a tiny bit.
“So… what is the relationship between you and the number 3?” The question came out so clearly, but the weight of it punched me right in the gut. I felt the muscles of my jaw ticking, and the sudden urge to just erupt from my seat and wring her tiny neck.
It would be such a pleasure.
No one edged near THAT. No one!
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” I said after a hard swallow. Lies! But I didn’t lie. I never did! I was just not comfortable discussing THAT with her. With anyone.
“Mr. Rodriguez, I don’t know if you came here with a clear answer of what it is you want. But in my line of work, you as my client need me more than I need you. We could sit here and do the stare down for as long as you like, but when the hour passes, you walk out that door, leave my paycheck with my receptionist, with you having achieved nothing.” She just said I needed her.
And she said it with a straight face.
“I am a gangster, Kimberly. Money is not a problem.” I tilted my head to the side and added a tiny smirk to my words.
Her eyes dropped to my lips before she quickly reverted them up.
“And I take that you have no problem wasting all of it away.” She said with a wave of her hand.
I chuckled.
We sat in silence for a few more seconds while she paced in front of me. Then she stopped.
“Back to my question. What is the relationship between you and Number 3? Is it an obsession? Or you are one of those who believe good things come in three?” She added a teasing smile at her last sentence.
I tried to appear unaffected.
An obsession? A lot of people thought it was. That I was just so infatuated with the number three everything in my life had to stick to that.
But it was more than that! It was what defined my life, what modeled me. To me, three was more than just a number. It was etched deep into the cores of my soul taking it out would be the death of me.
“The tiny buttons on your coat, each arm has three buttons. Your tie clip, sir, has three fine lines. And I bet underneath that coat, you have three armbands on one of your arms, cuff links decorated with three diamonds, or whatever precious gem your money could afford. And your shoes… each one has three holes left. As if the universe agreed with whatever it is you may be battling, you just had to have polycoria in your right eye, giving you three pupils.” She folded her arms after assessing me. The observation hit me like a whiplash, and I almost broke right there in front of her.
“And that finger of yours, Mr. Rodriguez, you always stop at 3. Coincidence?” She shook her head. “I think not.”
She walked to her chair and dropped to it, then reclaimed her iPad and wrote something.
“When we meet next week, I want you to tell me whether you know what is it that you want. And I am not talking about money or power Mr. Rodriguez. I am talking about that need that you have neglected for so long that you do not even realize that you are suffering because you have buried it in the corner.” Her words hit me hard like a sledgehammer, but I stared blankly and coldly at her.
What did she think she knew about me?
I was more complex than the king’s gambit… And I did need something.
Which sadly, did not belong to me. And the idea of snatching it from where it was brought me great joy than I have ever felt in my entire life.
I stood up and pushed my hands into my pockets, then turned and walked out the door without looking back.
I walked a few feet before my phone vibrated in my breast pocket. I fished it out and sighed when the name VIIPER flashed across the screen.
“Signor, I just got a call from Adam in London. The archduke is dead.” The last three words caused something to stir inside of me, and my chest ballooned with triumph. A smile formed on my lips and I slowly took a step forward.
“When is the burial?” I asked in a low voice, brushing a hand on my jaw to stifle the smile that was getting out of control.
“Next week Wednesday. And we had gotten a report on Rayana. Her fiancée bailed her out of prison. She was arrested after being caught with meth on her in a night club.” My eyes widened at the last sentence.
Rayana Elizabeth Mountbatten did drugs?
“Did she spend a night in a cell?”
“Yes.” Fuck!
“Find out who planted those drugs on her, and send them an ace of spades!” The line went dead for a heartbeat before he responded with a “You got it.”
“What should we do about the news following her arrest?”
“Her life is a long political charade. This will not do us any good. Block any media outlet that may publish anything regarding her arrest” He hummed his response. I could almost see him nodding enthusiastically.
“You got it. Let me get to it right away.” He called out.
“Viper?”
“Yes sir?”
“Be sure to contact the Mountbatten lawyer before the burial. It's time the archduchy received a new ruler.”
Chapter 3RAYANA POVThe sun floated across the sky as I sat on the elevated sill staring blankly at the greenery that stretched on the acres and acres of land. Tears left a trail of sticky mess on my face, and my chest rose and fell with short breaths as I tried to make meaning of the situation. It felt like a nightmare; a cold, inhuman, cruel dream and my heart was screaming in agony to be shaken awake. My dad and I may have had our differences but he was everything to me. The man got me in ways that nobody had ever done, and he was my safe space when the world kept me awake at night. And to lose him just like that… It was a cruel joke. He was sick. There was no doubt that he was ever going to make it. Leukaemia sucked him dry from the inside. I watched him wither and rot in his skin until he was nothing but the shallow reflection of the glorious and mighty man he used to be. It hurt me to see him slowly perishing, but all of that didn't prepare me for his death. None of it ev
RAYANAI whisked my head to the side and glared at the monster who was sitting at my right, looking so unaffected by the series of nonsense he just spewed. Inheriting the archduchy was all that he thought about. My blood roared in my veins, and venom threatened to choke me dead. I bit my tongue and swallowed the poison that was ready to pour off my tongue, then decided to glare out the window at the passing scenery. He was right, to some extent. Our lives, unlike theirs, were a long political charade, always open and exposed to the eyes of the public. And vultures and thieves were hiding in the shadows waiting for a moment of weakness, just a tiny lapse in judgment and they would latch on everything that had the archduchy name on it. I released a shaky breath and pinched my eyes shut.And in that moment, I wished I was born ordinary. At least I could mourn my father’s death without having to worry about being mocked for grieving my dad. “I understand it is hard for you, brother.
Chapter 5ALEJANDRO POVI watched her out of my peripheral vision as she rose from her seat and walked out. Her face was swollen, her feet wobbly, yet she managed to hold her head up high and walk out like she owned the place. I looked at the front of the ballroom at the excuse of a man called her brother, only to find him glaring piercing daggers at her retrieving back. I let out a smooth chuckle!Of course, he didn’t like it. And she just had to do it.My chest ballooned with pride as I cast another look at her, and a foreign feeling caught my heart in a tight grip.I swallowed hard. I don’t know what it was that propelled me to fly to the UK. And I knew damn well it wasn’t to pay tribute to the late archduke. Yes, we may have been business associates but that was all it ever was. Nothing more, nothing less. And we sure as hell were not on a friendly basis to attend each other’s backyard brunches and funerals. And heck, now that I thought about it, I had a shit ton of things to t
Chapter 6RAYANA POV The morning arrived, and I peeled myself reluctantly from the warm pillow. The inside of my head felt like a clubhouse of a thousand trolls, and there was this sinking feeling that seemed to be pulling my insides into a bottomless pit. I remained seated for a few minutes, trying to come to the current reality and not drift away in the musings of my mind. As much as my mind had rather amusing things- and I would rather be anywhere than in my current life- I had to get up and face the day. The door was yanked open and in came Charlotte dressed in a pair of black pants, black stiletto heels, and a black coat. She had on her head a small veil that covered her pale skin and undoubtedly poofy eyes. “You look like shit.” She said walking in my direction and stood before my bed. I wanted to ask where she got the energy to get up so early and prep up, while I was here feeling like I had had a one on one with John Cena in a wrestling mania!“And you bathed nice,” I said
Chapter 7RAYANA POVLiquid shock held my lungs captive as I watched HIM walk away, shoulders and frame larger than life. Everything in my body and soul just knew that it was the beautiful intruder from last night, the same man who'd moved into my head and decided to live rent-free. His face was the replica of an angel, his body the one only possessed by gods. It was clear to any onlooker that God took his time sculpting, modeling, and framing to be the finest specimen he was.And the voice... I now knew who the owner of that sweet voice was, and intrigue bubbled inside me like green acid.I wondered what his eyes looked like. Damn the bloody glasses that hid those killer jewels from me."I don't blame you for staring. He's hot as fuck." Charlotte's voice yanked me from my musings. Redness crept to my face and I thanked Heaven for the small blessings since my face was already red from all the crying.I cast a look at my sister to find her staring at me, a knowing look on her face. I
Chapter 8RAYANA POVHeels clicking on the marble floor, we all waded into the main office where we all plopped wherever our heart desired. James had already sucked all the decorum out of all of us, and no one cared how messy everyone must have looked. I scoffed when he claimed my father’s seat on the main desk, then leaned back and watched us like we were peasants under his mercy. His gaze was proud, triumph dripping off him with disgusting arrogance I found myself wondering if the man in front of us was the brother I grew up with and loved with the whole of me. “You are so fucking unbelievable.” Even though everything was happening right in front of my eyes, I still found myself having a hard time wrapping myself around the recent happenstances.Everything was happening so fast that my mind failed to catch up, and all it did was drag behind and register the events a little too late. Just a few days ago I was sleeping in a jail cell, and then my father died. I bet the Latino office
Chapter 9 THE WILLTo my amazing wife- Agatha Anne Mountbatten, my beloved children James William Mountbatten, Rayana Elizabeth Mountbatten, Charlotte Victoria Mountbatten, and Charles llI Harry Mountbatten, I leave the Archduchy of Fairefax and all its assets.However, I revoke all wills, codicils, and other testamentary dispositions previously made by me, jointly or severally, and I bequeath the title of the archduke, in this case, archduchess, and all the governing power to my daughter Rayana Elizabeth Mountbatten.It is my final wish that Rayana, as the newly appointed heir by this will, inherits the archduchy and leads our family with wisdom and compassion.Regarding the business interest of the archduchy, I appoint my daughter Charlotte Victoria Mountbatten as the new Financial Engineer, overseeing the financial strategies and growth of the leading company Royal Holdings and the archduchy.Charles shall serve as the new CEO of Royal Holdings at the age of 23 and shall continue
Chapter 10ALEJANDRO POVShock made way for utter silence as I stepped into the office, my hand itching to just pull out my AMT and burst James’s brains out and watch them splatter to the floor. It had taken everything inside of me to sit outside of the office and listen to all the bullshit he had to say after the will was read and let’s say, I was rather amused by my level of patience. I never knew I had that patience until today. Eyes bore holes into me from every corner of the room, and I rolled my head on my shoulders slightly, before running my tongue across my teeth, then turned to face James where he stood looking like he was staring at a bloody ghost. If only he knew I was worse than ghosts! Worse than any kind of nightmare he could possibly think of.I was the ruination! And today was the literal end of his crazy!“I am Alejandro Rodriguez, the executor of the late Archduke’s will.” I introduced myself briefly, then turned to look at the widow who was canoodled in a chair
Chapter 77ALEJANDRO POVMy ears clogged on ascending. Luckily I had a little good human to keep my mind occupied. Viper had made it a deal to call us into the small office at the back of the jet, between the lounge space and the bedroom space, to fill us in with the happenstances that had occurred in my absence. Some of the things he hinted was that maybe, just maybe, we have been hunting for the traitor from the wrong huddle. His words haunted me even an hour later as I lay in the lounger with Rayana’s body on top of mine, her head snuggled in the crook of my neck and her breaths coming out in small pants. Everything about her was just so perfect. So natural. Even the way she casually touched my cheek here and there while looking into the small device in my hand, all made me believe my little notion that she was indeed the rib of my ribs!“Check this out.” I drawled in a small raspy voice. Her attention flew to the tablet in my hand. I scrolled a few before clicking onto the link
Chapter 76RAYANA POVI woke up curled into Alejandro’s side, his whole being wrapped around me like a warm comforter. I let my eyes take him in fully, let them wander on every single nook and crook of his face. I printed each detail to memory, and for the umpteenth time, I was awed by the beauty of this man. Long lashes, thick eyebrows that only models could get from terrible laser operations, lips so full and lush that the V dipped so down low. He had these beads of sweat on his forehead that I just wanted to lick with my tongue because that’s how much I loved him. When sleeping, he looked so beautiful. No angry grunts, no heavy sighs, no tiredness that weighed so heavily on him that it was all evident in his simple glance… Just peace. His scent was the soothing elixir I never knew I needed. I was never really a big fan of scents and personal odors, but Alejandro made me find out things about myself I never really knew I had in me. If it were a few months ago I would cringed at t
Chapter 75RAYANA POVAlejandro balanced me on one arm as he attempted to open the door, but I beat him to it and twisted the door hand. He pushed it open to reveal a pathway of roses and candles all around. My mouth fell open in a small gasp of surprise as my eyes took in every little detail. Somehow in a span of few hours, they had managed to turn my bedroom into a whole honeymoon suite. The entire room was filled with red and white, from roses to the white small throw on the red bed… And everything else reminded me of the time he first took me. The time he claimed me and destroyed for any other man, living or dead. My breath hitched at the memory and heat spread all over my body like wildfire.“Wow…” I breathed out softly. Alejandro simply le
Chapter 74ALEJANDRO POVEvery time THAT thought crossed my mind, my whole body shook. Shivers rattled my bones and an unknown force slammed right into my chest, causing goosebumps to erupt all over me and sheathe my body like a second layer of skin.At some point, I almost freaked out thinking I was scared, that I was regretting all of this… But then I figured it was because everything was all too surreal. All unbelieveable. A man like me didn’t deserve this much happiness. A man like me with a closet so full of skeletons that they couldn’t be hidden anymore, deserved nothing but isolation for the rest of his life. Cause as they all love to say, people in our world were all beyond redemption. Right now, I was starting to wonder if that was even true.
Chapter 73RAYANA POVGrowing up, I always imagined that my wedding was going to be the grandest of all times. I imagined it being the most iconic, even more grand than Princess Diana’s herself. I pictured the entire country going on a national lockdown to celebrate the holy matrimony of the Archducke’s older daughter.I imagined chariots, horse carriages straight out of Disney movies, cherry blossoms littering the ground I walked on. I imagined a literal fairy tale, straight out of the books and brought to life. I pictured myself wearing a beautiful princess gown, all white, my teeth brighter than the golden rays of the sun.It probably would have been like that if my dad was still alive, or maybe if Luke was still alive and it was him I was tying the knot to. Never in my wildest dreams had I ever pictured myself being pushed down the aisle in a wheelchair by my younger brother, while my family stood at the head of the chapel watching with eyes filled with tears. At that point, I j
Chapter 72RAYANA POVAwareness came in bits and pieces. I could feel it by the slow intake of breath and the blood thrumming inside of me that I was alive. But I was not in the world where the sun rose from the east and set in the west. That one was very much evident. Where I was, everywhere I looked, everywhere my eyes landed on was nothing but pure and raw darkness. It was cold, bone-chilling and there was this eerie sensation that kept on washing over me, like cold fingers caressing my skin and making it crawl. And the funny thing was, I felt like I was floating. There was no ground beneath my feet, and my whole body was lighter than a feather. But in this darkness, nothing else existed. It was just me and the deep nothingness that had swallowed me. There was no pain, no joy, and the entire place was void of any sort of feeling.That’s when I heard it. A low murmur of voices, like I was somehow inside a closed drum and they were coming from the outside. That would fucking explai
Chapter 71ALEJANDRO POVNausea and fury rolled inside of me like hot green acid. I had hoped that the solo drive after the damn ambulance would calm me the fuck down, but the annoying wee! Wee! Wee! Oof the bloody siren made me want to gut the steering wheel right out of its cradle. Every single sound of it meant Rayana was inching closer and closer to death, and that could only mean one thing. My days of pure and unsullied happiness were over!And no. That couldn’t fucking be. I couldn’t allow it. Rayana was not going to leave me because if she left, then she’d leave with the little remaining piece of my soul.And that would be the worst punishment any man cou
Chapter 70ALEJANDRO POVPain sliced through me. The kind of agony that made me weak in the knees.I’d fucking seen that bloody red dot as it danced around her. But I was fucking slow. Too slow to react and was not faster than a damn bullet. Horror landed inside of me in all its form as I raced up the raised deck, watching with eyes snapped wide as Rayana went lax in her seat. Her head rolled to the side, and her eyes found mine just before she closed them and collapsed. I caught her body before it could collide with the floor, then placed my hand on the reddened spot where her blood was coming out in gallons. The tether of her pain echoed all around me, and I could all bu
Chapter 69RAYANA POVA rattling shudder rolled down the length of my spine as we rolled down the long, narrow, and carpeted hallway inside Buckingham Palace. It felt like forever since I had stepped foot in here and I hated the fact that I wasn’t so thrilled about being back to my office. If it were any other day, I would have been on the fucking cloud nine. “You alright?” Alejandro’s hand dropped to my lower back, and the heat from his palm seemed to permeate right through my skin and disperse the concentrated tension down there. I let out a huge puff of breath before staring at him in my peripheral, then gave him an unsure nod. I had wanted to carry out the press conference in my own time and on my own terms: when I felt ready to take over the world again. But that visit from my aunt had me sleepless for days, gnawing and churning me from the inside. The disapproval inside her voice had been deadly; but despite all of that, there was no way I would undo what I did. Yes, I und