~Zia~
Our lips moved against one another, gentle, searching and asking for anything to make us feel alive.
The kiss wasn’t filled with lust. It was filled with the need for love, warmth, and hope in our world that has turned unrelenting and cold. We need each other to have and to hold, just like our vow, just like what this wedding band in our fingers meant.
My hands gripped his shoulder tightly, holding on to him, unwilling to let go, to stay here with my husband.
I seamed his lower lip, asking him to let me in. When his lips parted, I slid my tongue between them, begging him to lose himself in me. His hands came up to my hips, nails digging painfully, making me hiss against his mouth.
“Zia…” Xavier
~Zia~The sight that bombarded me when I descended the stairs puzzled me. I was expecting Xavier and Calvin to gut each other’s throat, not that I was hoping for it, but this was the least I predicted with everything that’s happened.Ammunition and firearms, from handguns, knives to assault rifles, are scattered everywhere I glance. Xavier, Mom, Dad, the rest of the team, my sister, and her people are arming themselves, wearing a mask of confidence.We’re going to war.A loud crashing of metal against the floor grabbed my attention from studying my family. I saw a glimpse of Calvin in the kitchen, arming himself with a bulletproof vest, surrounded by a few more of Nadia’s men.“Xavier,” I n
~Zia~“Where is my grandson?” the man who slit Francine’s throat asked, his thick brows arched, head tilting to the side, seizing my husband up. Brown eyes, burning with a hunger for blood, starred into Xavier’s hues.Like what we expected, the moment Xavier stepped out of the car, armed men from the opposing side surrounded them. They’ll never play fair. We are mere pawns in his game of death, and he plays an award-winning role of a devil.Xavier glanced around at the men surrounding him as if they’re nothing but mere mortals, and he’s fucking above them.That’s my husband right there. He’d look death straight in the eyes and would never show a hint of fear. ‘Death should be afraid of me,’ that’s wh
~Zia~“Lu, Bo,” Xavier grunted, fighting his way through the hallway that led to the basement. “I really need you two to move your fucking asses now!”“This is a fucking sewage system!” Lu grunted. They had the job of setting up explosives under the manor. A big argument took over before the two agreed to do this. They wanted to be on Xavier’s side, to protect their boss and friend, but they had a bigger task at hand. “It would’ve been easier if we came in with you, you idiot!”Xavier grunted, taking cover on the busted wall of the hallway. A Luciano family portrait hangs above him, swaying with each wave of gunfire through the air.“Did you just call me an idiot?” Xavier chuckled.
~Zia~ It doesn’t matter if we are alive and breathing. The emptiness written all over our faces screams we lost more than what we gained. Xavier got out safely, but the manor didn’t survive the explosion. Part of our plan was to make the crime scene look like a gas leak under the estate, making it easier for our people in the government to investigate and conceal this chaos. There’ll be a lot of questions asked, and for the most part, everything we’ll say would be a lie. We headed back to the safe house to spend the night and tend to our wounded. Xavier was silent the entire drive; we all were, for that matter. He gave me a quick peck on the forehead when we got to our room and headed directly to the bathroom to clean up
~Zia~“Xavier!” I pressed my hand on my lower back, the other set under my huge belly, breathing in and out. The cramps were different. Dr. Shiovan told me I would know when it was time. And it’s damn time.Still in his pajamas, Xavier came rushing into our room with flour decorating the black apron around his neck. He was making a ravioli for me, my request last night, and he promised me he’d make his pasta for the dish, which became my go-to food in the third trimester of my pregnancy.“It’s time?” he asked, helping me up from the reading nook where I spent my entire morning.“Fuck,” I hissed, feeling another contraction. “He’s coming out.”Xavier&rsquo
~Zia~My parents have been traveling back and forth from New York to Seattle for about two months now. They have the penthouse next to ours to their name. They wanted to be close to Franco. I mean, they even hold him longer than I do when they’re around. I only get to hold him when he’s hungry; where’s the justice in that?Mom and Dad were sitting in the living room, admiring Franco as he cooed, yawned, and fluttered his eyes because he was already sleepy.I stare at them from the kitchen, eating my salad with a pout on my lip. There’s a small part of me that feels a little possessive about my son. I knew my parents only wanted to be with their grandchild. They’ve been waiting for him excitedly, like Xavier and me. They’ve been deprived of this chance when Nadia lost her baby; now
~Zia~Like always, Xavier had everything planned out. We took a drive to Club Sky and met with our friends. I haven’t gone out with any of them since I gave birth to Franco. Sure, they visit our place often, sometimes for no apparent reason.Diego would pop up the most; he even had his things in the guest room since he’s been sleeping there a couple of nights a week. One time, I interrogated him about why he’s always in our place. I don’t mind having them over, but Diego is a pain in the ass. He whines when we run out of Batangas coffee. It’s cute. He’s a child that cries when there’s no cereal in the morning. And his response was even infuriating.‘You hoard the best coffee in town,’ was his nonchalant response. I pity the girl who would fall for this kid.
~Zia~ About thirty minutes into the drive, Xavier parked in front of the cabin by the lake. My mind was somewhere else through the drive; another guilt feeling washed over me. This was our night together, and I pushed my worry about Lu and Penny aside for a bit. I just have to trust that they’ll work things out. Xavier slid out of the car; I took this chance to shake my worry away as he skirted over to my side, opening the door for me. Trees shadowed over us, creating a dancing pattern through their leaves as the sliver of the silver moon slipped between the gaps. The gentle purr of the summer wind made the small lights anchored from tree to tree swayed like sparkling stars within my reach. In my awe, I admired the cabin, small, cozy, made of glass and wood. Yellow l
~Zia~ About thirty minutes into the drive, Xavier parked in front of the cabin by the lake. My mind was somewhere else through the drive; another guilt feeling washed over me. This was our night together, and I pushed my worry about Lu and Penny aside for a bit. I just have to trust that they’ll work things out. Xavier slid out of the car; I took this chance to shake my worry away as he skirted over to my side, opening the door for me. Trees shadowed over us, creating a dancing pattern through their leaves as the sliver of the silver moon slipped between the gaps. The gentle purr of the summer wind made the small lights anchored from tree to tree swayed like sparkling stars within my reach. In my awe, I admired the cabin, small, cozy, made of glass and wood. Yellow l
~Zia~Like always, Xavier had everything planned out. We took a drive to Club Sky and met with our friends. I haven’t gone out with any of them since I gave birth to Franco. Sure, they visit our place often, sometimes for no apparent reason.Diego would pop up the most; he even had his things in the guest room since he’s been sleeping there a couple of nights a week. One time, I interrogated him about why he’s always in our place. I don’t mind having them over, but Diego is a pain in the ass. He whines when we run out of Batangas coffee. It’s cute. He’s a child that cries when there’s no cereal in the morning. And his response was even infuriating.‘You hoard the best coffee in town,’ was his nonchalant response. I pity the girl who would fall for this kid.
~Zia~My parents have been traveling back and forth from New York to Seattle for about two months now. They have the penthouse next to ours to their name. They wanted to be close to Franco. I mean, they even hold him longer than I do when they’re around. I only get to hold him when he’s hungry; where’s the justice in that?Mom and Dad were sitting in the living room, admiring Franco as he cooed, yawned, and fluttered his eyes because he was already sleepy.I stare at them from the kitchen, eating my salad with a pout on my lip. There’s a small part of me that feels a little possessive about my son. I knew my parents only wanted to be with their grandchild. They’ve been waiting for him excitedly, like Xavier and me. They’ve been deprived of this chance when Nadia lost her baby; now
~Zia~“Xavier!” I pressed my hand on my lower back, the other set under my huge belly, breathing in and out. The cramps were different. Dr. Shiovan told me I would know when it was time. And it’s damn time.Still in his pajamas, Xavier came rushing into our room with flour decorating the black apron around his neck. He was making a ravioli for me, my request last night, and he promised me he’d make his pasta for the dish, which became my go-to food in the third trimester of my pregnancy.“It’s time?” he asked, helping me up from the reading nook where I spent my entire morning.“Fuck,” I hissed, feeling another contraction. “He’s coming out.”Xavier&rsquo
~Zia~ It doesn’t matter if we are alive and breathing. The emptiness written all over our faces screams we lost more than what we gained. Xavier got out safely, but the manor didn’t survive the explosion. Part of our plan was to make the crime scene look like a gas leak under the estate, making it easier for our people in the government to investigate and conceal this chaos. There’ll be a lot of questions asked, and for the most part, everything we’ll say would be a lie. We headed back to the safe house to spend the night and tend to our wounded. Xavier was silent the entire drive; we all were, for that matter. He gave me a quick peck on the forehead when we got to our room and headed directly to the bathroom to clean up
~Zia~“Lu, Bo,” Xavier grunted, fighting his way through the hallway that led to the basement. “I really need you two to move your fucking asses now!”“This is a fucking sewage system!” Lu grunted. They had the job of setting up explosives under the manor. A big argument took over before the two agreed to do this. They wanted to be on Xavier’s side, to protect their boss and friend, but they had a bigger task at hand. “It would’ve been easier if we came in with you, you idiot!”Xavier grunted, taking cover on the busted wall of the hallway. A Luciano family portrait hangs above him, swaying with each wave of gunfire through the air.“Did you just call me an idiot?” Xavier chuckled.
~Zia~“Where is my grandson?” the man who slit Francine’s throat asked, his thick brows arched, head tilting to the side, seizing my husband up. Brown eyes, burning with a hunger for blood, starred into Xavier’s hues.Like what we expected, the moment Xavier stepped out of the car, armed men from the opposing side surrounded them. They’ll never play fair. We are mere pawns in his game of death, and he plays an award-winning role of a devil.Xavier glanced around at the men surrounding him as if they’re nothing but mere mortals, and he’s fucking above them.That’s my husband right there. He’d look death straight in the eyes and would never show a hint of fear. ‘Death should be afraid of me,’ that’s wh
~Zia~The sight that bombarded me when I descended the stairs puzzled me. I was expecting Xavier and Calvin to gut each other’s throat, not that I was hoping for it, but this was the least I predicted with everything that’s happened.Ammunition and firearms, from handguns, knives to assault rifles, are scattered everywhere I glance. Xavier, Mom, Dad, the rest of the team, my sister, and her people are arming themselves, wearing a mask of confidence.We’re going to war.A loud crashing of metal against the floor grabbed my attention from studying my family. I saw a glimpse of Calvin in the kitchen, arming himself with a bulletproof vest, surrounded by a few more of Nadia’s men.“Xavier,” I n
~Zia~Our lips moved against one another, gentle, searching and asking for anything to make us feel alive.The kiss wasn’t filled with lust. It was filled with the need for love, warmth, and hope in our world that has turned unrelenting and cold. We need each other to have and to hold, just like our vow, just like what this wedding band in our fingers meant.My hands gripped his shoulder tightly, holding on to him, unwilling to let go, to stay here with my husband.I seamed his lower lip, asking him to let me in. When his lips parted, I slid my tongue between them, begging him to lose himself in me. His hands came up to my hips, nails digging painfully, making me hiss against his mouth.“Zia…” Xavier