“Umm, when is the funeral?” Carla asked Piper as watched her repeatedly punch the punching bag. Piper’s arms were aching, but she stopped caring about the pain after they lost Blaire. Piper glanced at Carla, her breathing was accelerated – but she never stopped, “After Aldo’s death.” She gritted her teeth before she started punching the bag harder. It has been a week since Blaire died. During the last week, it has been awfully quiet. But everyone knows that it is calm before the storm. The day Blaire died, they left the safe house. Kai, Faith, Piper, and Carla came back to Kai’s penthouse. Mateo and Levi went on their own. Kai didn’t hear from Mateo or Levi during the week. It was like everyone was still processing and mourning Blaire’s execution.As for Jeremy, he still hasn’t come to terms with his wife’s death. He has gone completely silent. He didn’t cry. He didn’t react at all when Kai told him about Blaire. He just numbly listened to his brother. Jeremy hasn’t spoken a word in
~2 Days Ago~“Tell me more about Felix,” Faith asked as she takes a bite of an apple wedge. Mateo squinted his eyes, “Felix?” He asked.Faith chewed the apple and nodded her head, “Felix. The hot Asian member of the ally that gives off Oppa energy,” She added mush to Mateo’s dislike. Mateo glared at Levi, who looked somewhat amused by the choice of Faith’s words. Mateo immediately realized that Faith has been doing her research about the alliance, and there was only one person that would help her without any questions asked – Levi. Mateo heaved a sigh and shook his head at his friend before he turned to look back at Faith. “Why do you want to know about him?” He asked. Faith shrugged as she leaned back on the chair, making it squeal against her weight, “He is hot. Also, I think he is the most useful member of the alliance. All the rest seems like dumb wits – the typical cowardly followers – you know, the ones that go with the flow. That’s probably why in hundred freaking years, th
“I hope I am not late,” Faith shoots her shot as she looks at Aldo. This was the first time she was meeting her biological father. They say blood relationships always have a certain pull in them, but she wasn’t feeling anything other than resentment. When she sees into his dull eyes, she sees Blaire staring right back at her. Her mother’s soft laughter echoes in her head. His presence makes her think of her siblings – her father – and everything that she lost. She gulped and collected herself. She doesn’t want to ruin this now. Aldo set his eyes on her. The impassiveness on his face dissolved as he softly chuckled and shook his head, “Of course not.” Faith knows that he is playing it cool, but in his head, he is still calculating his next move. She can only gain from his precariousness around everyone else.She smiled back at him and walked closer to him. She puts her hand on his stiff shoulder, “Thanks, Dad.” She smiled at him when she was burning from the inside. She also doesn’t
“How long are you going to work?” Jeremy muttered as he was resting his head on Blaire’s lap while she worked on her laptop.Blaire glanced down at her husband and smiled. With the tip of her finger, she pushes hair off his forehead. "Just give me a minute. I need to send these statements for auditing by tomorrow morning,” she told him. Jeremy softly groaned. He was already tired from work. He had to take his student for a field trip today, they all were a handful. When arrived back home, all he wanted to do was cuddle with his wife but wasn’t home by then. Blaire came back home late. It was already past eight when she arrived. By the time she showered and changed into more comfortable wear, Jeremy ordered pizza for the two of them. They both were too exhausted to cook. After they ate dinner, Jeremy was ready to spend time with his wife before they go to sleep, but Blaire brought out her laptop – even when they have a rule to not bring work to bed. She promised she will be done in l
“They will kill you.” Piper bluntly told Faith, as the two of them were in the gym. Piper ducked down and huffed as Faith released a very predictable punch toward her. Faith growled at her missed attempt but tried anyway – missing Piper again. “Not if I kill them first.” She gritted her teeth. Both women were drenched in sweat and were huffing for breath. They both had the white fabric wrapped around their knuckles. Faith had a small bruise on the corner of her lip from when Piper punched her in the face a few minutes earlier. Piper has been keeping her blows soft, or else the injury would have been painful for Faith. It has been two days since Faith showed her face to the ally, and according to Mateo – it has stirred panic among the ally members. There was another Bianchi to take over Aldo’s position. For some, this was an opportunity to dethrone Aldo, for others it was a threat. Mateo promised Faith that nothing would happen at least till the gala, but after Faith is introduced t
(WARNING +18)“WHAT THE FUCK?!” These spew out of Faith’s mouth as soon as she saw Mateo sitting on her bed. He was holding a gun. She just walked out of the shower. She was wearing a bathrobe. Although her body was covered – she still used the towel in her hand to cover her chest. When Mateo didn’t speak, Faith gritted her teeth and threw the damp towel on him, “Who the fuck let you in, Nixon?! Don’t you have any manners?! You are not supposed to walk into other people’s rooms. Didn’t anyone teach you that?” She spatted.Faith didn’t care that he was holding a gun in his hand. She is sure he is not going to use it on him. It is funny how a mere glimpse of any weapon would freak her out, but now it was all too normal for her. Mateo removed the towel from his lap and threw it on the floor. He slowly got on his feet, “You cannot go to the gala.” He announced. “Excuse me?”Mateo heaved a sigh and narrowed his eyes, “You can’t go there. Something is up. I have a very bad feeling about t
“Mateo doesn’t want to hear this, but Dante had to go,” Felix said to Kai, as the two of them sit in Kai’s office. They were having yet another meeting with Mateo. Felix specifically asked Kai not to let Mateo be a part of this meeting, unlike their other secret ones. “I had to do what I had to do. But, now my concern is – Mateo. We are trying to wipe off the entirety of this ally, and it includes Mateo. How can we be so sure that Mateo will not be a problem after this all ends? He is a Ricci, and weirdly he still got the power to keep the ally intact.” Felix emphasized. “Ally intact? Felix, there will be no one left to resume this alliance.” “Wrong. The faces of the alliance will be gone, but the clans will exist. All Mateo will need is to stay in power, and he can form a new and probably a better alliance.” “And, what is wrong with that?” Felix sniggered and shook his head, “What do I get in this? I am not in this because I am a friend. I am no one’s friend, Kai. I am sure you a
The smokey and peppery smell of the gunpowder filled in Mateo’s lungs. He coughed as he lay on the bloody floor. He blinked. His vision was getting blurry. His ears were ringing. Slowly he started to feel the pain in his shoulder. He let out a soft groan and he gagged on the blood that filled in his mouth. He gasped for air and let the blood drip from the corner of his mouth.He looked around as many lay dead around him – some he killed – some were killed by others. His white shirt was now soaked in blood, and so was his black suit. He was choking on the blood filled in his mouth. He tried to lift his head to see what was happening around him, but his body was slowly giving up. All he could hear were the gunshots, screams, groans, footsteps, and curses around him. He couldn’t even recognize whose voice was around him. His body and mind were slowly shutting off. He heard a fading voice, “So, this is how the Ricci family ends, huh?” The voice was familiar. Mateo knew who it was, but he
A good day came months after. The people of the village finally got their freedom. When that happened, week-long celebrations were held at the village, and all of them were invited, especially, Faith, Mateo, and Kai. It was a joyous occasion. Even when everyone was dreading back where they all spend the worst days of their lives, of course, they went anyway. Hesitant at first, everyone had a great time. Faith had never seen the people of the village have such a festive spirit. It was truly a beautiful week. Faith spends most of her time with her grandmother, Kami, and his family. Benji didn’t want to go with them, but when Kami asked – he couldn’t say no. Lora (Kami’s sister) was there to welcome everyone. Everyone could see how excited Benji got when he saw her. Piper and Kai exchanged a knowing glance. Benji has a crush on Lora. He had it since he came here for the first time. After he returned to the city, he kept in contact with her in one way or another. Faith was happy to see
(One Year Later)Even today when Faith closes her eyes and thinks about her recent past, she can’t truly process it. She can’t believe that so much changed in the past couple of years. From losing her entire family to almost getting killed to find a new family – a new purpose – everything in her life was nothing less than a lesson – a brutal and painful lesson. Currently, she was sitting in a meeting along with Kai and Mateo – but they weren’t the only ones there. The three of them were hosts, while the other distant members of the Ricci and Bianchi clan, a few mafia leaders, and a couple of correspondents from the village were in the room. The debate was on – whether the village/island should be given its independence or not.Faith was sitting in between Kai and Mateo. She averted her gaze to the other side of the room where Kami sat along with a few young faces representing the village. Faith could tell that the young boy was nervous. She shoots him an assuring smile. Kami smiled ba
Kai didn’t say anything in return. He just impassively stared at Mateo before they were interrupted by Faith and Piper’s loud laughter. Both looked at the girls to find that Ethan had managed to pull Levi into the pool. He grabbed Levi’s ankle and pulled him in, making the water splash around and the girls laugh. Mateo heaved a sigh and shook his head as he watched his friend emerge from under the water, not looking much impressed. Noel was standing behind Levi when Ethan pulled him in, he was now watching them two. Ethan laughed and splashed some water towards him with his hand, “What are you doing up there loser? Get in!” Noel shook his head, “No, and you need to come out too.” He looks at all of them, “You all do. It is chilly and the water is cold,” he added. “It is not that cold,” Piper replied. It was because Kai switch on the heater to warm up the water, but that’s mean it was okay to be in a pool on a chilly night under the sky. Just at that moment, Piper sneezed. That was i
Faith and Piper were wasted. If having one drink after another wasn’t enough, they were now drinking straight out of the bottle. “We should go swimming,” Faith slurred a suggestion to which Piper enthusiastically nodded her head, agreeing to it. Before anyone could stop them, an equally drunk Ethan got on his feet and threw his fist in the air, “Hell yeah! Let’s go!!” he yelled out and hooted. Everyone else was so concerned about Faith and Piper that they didn’t even notice just how much Ethan was drinking. These three were completely wasted. Noel was slightly tipsy. Where else, Levi, Mateo, and Kai only had a single drink so they weren’t drunk at all. They decided to stay sober to keep an eye on girls, and well – now Ethan as well. “Excellent,” Levi muttered under his breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. He moved to Ethan, who was swinging from one side to another with a bottle of one of the most expensive whiskeys in his hand. Kai glanced at the bottle in his hand. He didn’t
Faith was in her room, changing with there was a knock on her door. Her room was now filled with done and undone boxes. She will be moving out tomorrow and there is so much left to do. But currently, she wasn’t focused on it. She is certain that she will be able to pack before the movers arrive. She was concerned about the dinner party they were having tonight. Faith had already invited everyone and now she was changing for the night. By the knock on the door, she was certain that Mateo has arrived. She quickly picked up the clothes she threw on the floor and put them on the bed before she spoke, “Yes?” The door opened and indeed it was Mateo. He looked good. Fresh and well-rested. It took everyone over a month to get over what happened on the island. The exhaustion and trauma (for some) didn’t leave for days. Mateo was looking like he did when Faith first met him. The difference between then and now is that then he had a hard scowl on his face, and now he was smiling. Then he threw
“Are you all packed up?” Piper asked Faith who came to her room to visit. Faith looked at Piper and smiled. “Yes, almost. Just a few things are remaining to be packed,” she replied. In two days, Faith is moving in with Mateo. For the past week, she has been very busy. She didn’t realize how comfortable she has gotten at Kai’s place, that now that she was winding everything up here, she feels sad to be leaving. When she started packing, she was excited. For her, moving in with Mateo is like a new chapter of her life, but as she proceeded, she realized how uncomfortable yet relieving it is to end this brief, daunting, and challenging chapter of her life. Piper was sitting on the bed, reading, when Faith knocked on her door. She exhaled and smiled broadly at her, “So, are you excited?” She asked. Faith chuckled and sat on the bed beside her, “I am.” She nodded her head, “But I am also nervous. There are so many ifs and buts in my head that I can hardly sleep at night,” she replied hon
“Thank you,” Piper hugged and thanked Faith, before she looked at Mateo, “Thank you both of you. I don’t know what would have happened if it wasn’t for you two. I would have been living on the streets,” she added. “Hey!” “What the hell?” Levi and Kai spoke at the same time. Piper pulled her eyebrows together and looked at both of them. Kai was frowning while Levi stepped forward, “What do you mean you would have been on the streets? Are you kidding me? I would have never let you be on street. Damn, I thought you thought of me as a friend, but boy was I wrong.” Levi scoffed. Where Kai just watched her dumbfounded. She softly chuckled at Levi. “Oh, I would have never bothered you. You already got your hands full,” she told him bobbing her head towards Benji’s room. The door of Benji’s room was open and inside everyone can see Benji and Ethan playing video games. They were so engrossed by what they were playing that they didn’t even notice the people outside looking at them. Ethan and
Kai squinted his eyes. When he was coming out of Piper’s room, he did not expect Faith, Mateo, and Benji right outside – watching him walk out of the room. Their curious gazes made him feel like he was sneaking out of her room after a one-night stand. Mateo was shamelessly smirking at him. Faith was curiously watching him, and Benji had his eyes narrowed at him. Kai cleared his throat and ignored Mateo’s comment and Faith’s question. He was about to tell them that they shouldn’t be so nosy when the doorbell rang. Faith and Mateo pulled their eyebrows together and looked at each other, “Who is here so early in the morning?” She muttered and watched as one of the helpers opened the door. It was Levi and Ethan. “What are you two doing here so early?” Mateo asked with his eyebrows knitted together. Levi didn’t look good. He looked like he didn’t sleep all night. Ethan looked tired as well, but not as exhausted as Levi. Levi glared at Ethan at Mateo’s question. Levi heaved a sigh. His sh
Kai has been inside Piper’s room for an hour. He was now sitting on the floor while she was sitting on the floor as well but she sat by the window. She was watching outside the window while her knees pressed to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. While her eyes were fixed outside, Kai’s eyes were fixed on her. They have been talking for the last hour. No yelling or name was calling. There were no accusations, nor did they completely patch up – they were just talking, which was due for some time now. They fight. They have had sex. They have done everything, but they never get the chance to sit and just talk about themselves. About their insecurities, about their feelings, about everything they bring to each other. Piper last put forward a very interesting point, “Aren’t we toxic for each other? There is just too much we don’t agree on.” She had muttered. Her point was quite simple. She told him that even if Jeremy hadn’t attacked her or anyone else, and even if he was just try