Chapter Three

I have to keep myself guarded if I were to go to a party of the Evans. I have hated that man since my father formed a treaty between our families. His arrogance was impotent and so was he. 

His daughter was the one to throw a party during this winter season. I had worked with an excuse that I won’t be able to go but my father was so very adamant about making me attend this time-wasting spot. I felt he had the idea of trying to wed me off with someone like her. I’d rather throw her off a cliff than marry her because the world would be benefitted from it. 

Man, what a leech she is. Mira Evan.

I sighed. Thankfully the car was moving slowly. That gave me some time to arrange my thoughts before we reach the party. I slid down deeper into the seat. I was tired of this and even more tired of these stupid parties. 

“Young Master, we are here.” 

I remained calm and got out. I can’t believe the speed of this whole thing when I don’t even want it to happen. 

The guards stood broadly as I entered the house. Ben was behind me. I casually entered the party. The gawks and the stares started to become more vivid in my sight. That was exactly what I hated. 

I chose a seat farthest from all of this chaos and sat down. The pool was right behind me and there wasn’t anyone there. That looked peaceful. Before I could fully enjoy my peace, I was disturbed by Mira. Walking towards me while her waist dangled, she took the seat beside me. 

Looking at me from up to bottom as if inspecting me she said, “Man, there must be a good reason for Zohan Salvatore to attend my party.”

I rolled my eyes and bit my cheeks. Her hands reached my shoulders and I tilted them furiously to warn her. Despite knowing I hate being touched she tried it again as I raised my hand to wave her off. 

“Will you please socialize? If you come then you should meet people too.” She said.

A few of her friends came along shamelessly. Before I comprehended the situation, I was swarmed up by them. All of them lining up on me. I tries to talk it out of there and tried my best to control my temper. 

I felt a nail crawling up my back as I turned around. A blonde was trying to manage her way to my hair. I lost it. I shoved past all of them and stomped towards the bar. Sitting down I ordered a drink.

“If this is trouble to you, it is a rare fantasy to me.” Ben appeared beside me. 

Maybe he was looking at the situation all along and yet didn’t bother to swarm them off. I scoffed at him. “Shut up.” 

“Yes, sir.” He said. “But care to tell me about the deal with Kaning?” 

I shook the ice in my glass to ask for water. In a bar. He was asking me about Kaning, a Thailand jerk that I had punched which stirred up problems with my uncle. He ended up being a property dealer's son who had a fine friendship with Uncle. 

I sighed. The monster he had created out of me was left with nothing but the hollowness and rage of years. I was the weakest like my father. I was his responsibility. I was weak when I killed a kid my age. I was weak when I wrapped my classmate's head with curtains and smashed his head and I was weak when I beat my best friend to death. 

“I don’t know,” I said and carelessly waved him off. At this moment, my only target was the company at my hand. I was to prove my worth if I were to become the worthy leader that the mob deserves. 

Ben left as soon as he came. I continued to sip my drink. A few moments later, I looked around. Suddenly, my senses were being blurred by the familiar scent of Lavender. The music was dying down in my ears and the endearing lullaby of my mother was echoing in my ears. 

I shook my head. The smell was coming more strong. I looked beside me. 

A girl. Looking up at the sky while her eyes glistened. Her eyes were a glowing shade of amber. Her hair flowed down her waist and nothing adorned her neck or ears. Nullifying my surroundings, her presence intoxicated me in a second. The scent, Lavender, was coming off of her. I was confused about how strong it could be. 

I realized I was walking towards her. I looked closely and acknowledged how this feeling managed to grasp me again. 

“I demand an apology.”

“What’s your name?”

“Gloria.”

My short trip to Japan was enlightened by her charm. The only girl whose name managed to be written in my diary. 

I smiled. Sensing my presence behind her she attempted to turn around when her legs slipped. She fell into the pool. I saw her struggling to reach up. I saw my opportunity and jumped in. 

In the barely deep pool, she looked like somebody had drowned her in the ocean. I grabbed her hand and gripped her waist pulling her up. She gasped air as I fed my eyes the beauty of her skin. A brown skin that glowed without any jewels and eyes that caught the flames of a fire. 

Her hair stuck to her like a second skin and her dress was fully soaked. Though her lip might be zesty, her stupidity was just as sweet. 

She realized my shameless stare when her cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink. The more I looked at her, I wanted to take a bite out of her. 

I broke out of my daze when I realized CC cameras were surrounding us. I pulled her up. Before she had the chance to be grateful. I left the place as soon as possible. If my crew members sniffed my doings they’ll ask for an answer I wasn’t going to give.

I left the place because I couldn’t bear the scent of so many perfumes mixed up together. My sense of scent was picky and I couldn’t bare so much of the strong smell altogether. However, that one smell was stuck in my veins. 

Lavender. That black-haired beauty was stuck in my head. Sharp tongue yet soft her. The same scent that scarred my memories. My mother’s embrace was like the garden of Lavender. Her hair was the same. I used to soothe down whenever I was in her lap. 

Following those sweet memories in the back of my head where I had kept it in pure secrecy – followed the painful memory of her death. I closed my eyes and sank down in the seat. 

“Young Master, we are here.” 

I got out. 

—

The sun was hitting my face. The morning breeze blew my hair and my blanket was slowly taken off of me. I groaned. Looking at the person in front of me I realized it has been two hours since I’d been dead asleep because I had told Dante to wake me up before we are late. 

“Wake up, now.” He said and left the room. 

I sighed. I had a meeting with Uncle today. That vile creature somehow remembered me because he appointed me to come by his house. I always hated to see his face. His presence made me want to choke him. Or do something much worse. I made sure he had nothing to complain about but it turns out that whenever he wanted to meet me, I messed up something.

I had a clear plan in my head as to how I’m going to kill him. It’s just that I always wait for the right time. 

I decided to take a shower. 

—

I entered the hotel with Dante beside me and no armed men. My uncle had always hated when I did that. He thought I didn’t fear him, didn’t think of him as a threat. Which was true. I always seemed to get under his skin. He hated me as the leader and he hated me as anyone I was. 

Dante swiftly shook my shoulders. “Let’s talk before we enter.” He said. 

I removed his hand from my shoulders and asked, “Why,” 

His muscles slightly tensed up. Looking away he swallowed a lump in his throat. “Remember the party? The Evan’s party?” He looked every bit nervous as I could think. He was a dense person. So much so that even as a brother I couldn’t understand anything he did or said. 

“Yeah,” I said. “Why?”

“You met a girl there right?” He asked. 

I tensed up. That was what I was afraid of. Someone leaked that information. Because Dante wasn’t present at the party and he despised Mira more than me. This situation isn’t going to bring anything good. 

That girl had scarred my memory. Haunting me at night she was blurring my mind. Every inch of her was continuing to make me want to look for her. But that won’t bring me any good. Just like that mere moment of ecstasy didn’t. 

“What about her?”

“She ended up encountering a brutal murder done by Cosmo. She is the only witness. Cosmo recognized her from the party. Saying that you met her or something.” The simplicity is his voice was enough to reassure me. 

Cosmo was the best killer in Carnival. The most brutal out there. Even I was afraid of him when I met him. Though now he has become the most trustworthy man to me. 

“Yeah, she might stir up some trouble,” I smirked. “Let’s get her.”

Dante looked confused. 

I smiled. The devil in me perked up after years. It made me laugh when I realized what I might do to her when I find her. She has tormented me enough with her thoughts. Everything from that night was etched into my brain making me feel insane. She drugged me, kidnapping my consciousness to herself, now it's my turn.