*Zayn* "Princess!" I shouted climbing up the stairs. I was dressed in a tux brought to me by my men and I unbuttoned it as I walked up the floor. I was taking her to my favorite spot in the city. To the spot where it all started for me. My life here. I wish I could be more patient but this woman was taking forever. And to be honest she didn't need much to look good, she could just come in her pj's and she would still be the most beautiful girl in my world. "Princess!" I shouted once again, approaching the door of the bedroom. She had ordered me to not see her until she was ready. She wanted to surprise me too it seems. But as she didn't reply I thought something happened and I couldn't help but rushing into the room immediately. What I came across was... It was... Words couldn't describe it. She was breathtaking. "Surprise." Her voice deep and sweet welcomed me to the room. "I did a little research and apparently in Italy you are fond of the color red." She posed, moving her hip
I could use waking up in his hands, drowning in his perfume as his heartbeat matched mine and his breathing behind my ear sent shivers down my spine. I didn't know how I reached the bed but I'm supposing he carried me here as I had fallen asleep in the car last night. He was still sleeping and I soundlessly removed myself from the bed. He groaned tossing around the bed for a bit but remained asleep. I was in nothing else but his shirt and my panties. I fixed my hair on a bun and walked towards the door. Stepping out of the bedroom, the mansion was quiet but I knew it wasn't because of the members being asleep rather than being heard. I continued down the corridor, no men lurking around in the dark corners. I went down the stairs and helplessly searched for the kitchen in this labyrinth I had found myself into. Increasing my pace, I took a glimpse of every room but still no kitchen. I groaned as my stomach growled in hunger and placed a hand on it to calm it. As I moved down the cor
"Santiago?!" I raised my voice, furrowing my eyebrow to confirm his identity. Zayn grabbed my hand gently trying to get me out of the way and the room but I shot him a glare that could kill and he released me. "Actually... He is not Santiago. His brother Antonio. They look alike." The man gave me a devilish smile. Blood running down his lips from his broken nose and scared cheekbones. After processing the image of the man before me, I turned to Zayn. I gave him a questioning look wanting to know more about the subject but he shook his head slightly denying to put me in this.But I was already in this. I bet we had been seen together. And that afternoon at my house was the first indication of that. If that boyfriend thing is to work he has to tell me and not exclude me. I sighed and walked closer to Antonio who was silently observing me. "Very well then, Zayn..." I said looking straight into Antonios's eyes. I took the knife placed beside his chair and held it under his chin. He exha
*Zayn* It had been almost an hour since she wanted upstairs to go change. I stayed down here for a while. Me and Antonio had a polite talk about HER. Turns out his head will not be the only thing sent back to his brother. Cleaning my knuckles from the blood stains I bumped into the person I was looking for. Brandon was on the phone probably with the Irish judging by his heavy imitating accent. I smiled at his failure to be understood as he nearly muffled the words. Ending the phone call he greeted me and informed of his absence. He was in Mexico himself dealing with Santiago, trying go get as much information from the locals or his past allies who were now his enemies and a very good asset to my plan to take him down. Of course, I would have to double check all those things before I proceeded in actions. Yes, he was one my most loyal and trustworthy men but in the mafia you are never sure. I asked the photos from his excursion to be sent to me and decided to make my way to the offi
*Alexis*Everything was moving. The pain from the back of my head pounding, causing my vision to blur. I tried regaining consciousness as I heard some voices I didn't recognize. Trying to observe my surroundings I realized I was tied up in a chair. My hands placed at the bottom of the back of the chair tied firmly with a rope which increased the pain waves rushing through my body as bruises were most probably created on my wrists. As I evened my breathing I calmed myself down and managed to recall some of the previous events. I was hit on the head outside of the hospital by some male who clearly lacked sanity. God if this was Zayn's twisted way of punishing me for going out without telling him, I would skin him alive. My vision became clearer and my heartbeat went back to normal but I kept my head tilted forward trying to listen what the men before me were saying as their conversation seemed intense. "We do not touch her. Boss wants her for himself." The man spat at the other stand
. Zayn* Alec rushed into the office, panting which indicated he was running and I hoped the news he was bringing were good. We had been searching for Alexis for almost an hour and the men still had not found any trace of her. Only the cab driver that was in the taxi she took to get to the hospital. He swore he hadn't seen her after and we released him unharmed as we checked the city roads cameras confirming his confession. And as the time passed my agony was growing and my sanity was fading away. Where was she? "Boss..." Alec catching his breath said. I looked at him, my glare craving for an answer he could not give me. "Nothing. She is not at her house nor her office" My heart pounded against my chest. The anger was building up in me fueling my reaction. My hands resting at the edge of the desk, I yanked everything off the table as I punched the table. "Keep searching, Alec" I lowered my head, eyeing the ground. My mind was only on Alexis and the fact that she was nowhere to be
*Alexis*Today my father was supposed to be moved from the hospital to the Switzerland cancer treatment centre. The thought of him waking up and having no one to say goodbye to, no one to hug before he leaves his homeland, kept me up all night. Well, it wasn't like I could sleep with the burning pain that ran through my body every time that I moved from the cuts and stab. They were polite enough to stitch my leg up after taking the knife off and apply some bandages on my torso where other deep cuts lied. Truth is even after all of this, the scars were the least of my worries. Clinging on the chair, I tried to make myself comfortable for the night awaiting. They untied me but since the ground didn't appeal to me as a bed, I decided to try with the chair. I just needed to relax a bit and relieve my muscles from the previous tension. Sleeping in that shithole with a bunch of men lurking outside the room wasn't an option. So I sat on the chair, tilted my head back and hummed a song that
*Alexis* Warmth. Comfort. And his arms around me. That's was what I woke up to. He held me close and tightly next to him as if I would vanish into thin air. But I did the same hoping that I would never have to face anything like that without him by my side. "Good morning, Princess." He whispered in my ear and planted a soft kiss behind my ear. I sank into his hug pulling him even closer if that was possible. He planted another kiss on my neck and lowered to my collarbone. "Good morning to you too, Mr. Valentine." I chuckled as he turned me around to look at him. I smiled tracing the tip of his lips with my fingers. I ran a hand through his hair and cupped his cheek with my other. He wrapped his hands around my waist and crushed his lips against mine. Our kiss was hungry like we were for each other. Watered with all the fear of not seeing each other again, our passion grew by the minute. His hands roaming through my body, tracing my curves and returning back to my waist. As he p
Hello my beautiful darlings! Thank you all for showing that much love on my first book EVER! It has been quite the ride writing it and reading your comments and I must say you guys made my boring school nights much more interesting. I felt obligated to explain my choice to end the story in such a way. Through personal experience I have learned that love is one of the most heartbreaking and painful feelings a human can ever experience because it leaves you powerless and vulnerable to a possible destruction. And that's the beauty of it of course, the beauty of living the journey no matter the destination, a journey that consumes you and scars you forever. It is difficult to find the right person with which you will click and feel as if at home. The person who you will not feel ashamed being yourself. The person who will encourage you to own who you are, all your dark parts. Your soulmate. Most of the times people don't get to find this person while they are alive and end up searchi
*Alexis*"I know, baby. But what can I say? I will see you soon though. Take care of Ryan and yourself. Love you. Bye!" I have just arrived in Italy. No suitcase, no baggages, just my purse and that smile that is plastered on my face. I was talking with Jonathan and I know it was horrible lying to him but I couldn't tell him the truth. Maybe it was selfish but... Walking out of the airport to the lobby room where people were expecting their beloveds ones, I saw a man holding a card with my name on it. I approached him and he escorted me to the black SUV which was parked outside. Two other cars following us packed with men."Your protection miss Alessandro." He confirmed while I was putting my seatbelt on. I hadn't changed my last name, didn't want to and fortunately Jonathan was okay with that. Only if he knew the reason... The reason that to this day is that only one man would have the luxury of doing that. And I would adore the way it would sounded. Alexis Valentine. "You have a s
*10 years later* *Alexis and Zayn have broken up and they haven't spoken since then* *Alexis*"Jonathan!" I called from where I stood in the kitchen. He rushed into the room, approaching me. It was currently 8AM in the morning and we were all preparing for work and school. Me and Jonathan are now married and we have a beautiful six year old son named Ryan. Those two boys saved me from waiting that promise to be fulfilled and do nothing else with my life. Now they are my life. "Can you pick Ryan up from school today? I have a conference meeting and I will be late." I said putting some coffee in my mouth. "Sure, my love." He wrapped a hand around my waist, stealing a kiss from me. "You're beautiful." He kissed me once again, before the little devil stepped into the kitchen. "Ewww don't." Ryan screamed and we laughed backing away from each other. "You know you're lucky you're not old enough to teach you how babies are made." Jonathan took himinto his arms, lifting him up. I chuckl
*Zayn*"The Italian mafia is grateful for your help, Ivan." I patted his shoulder and he chuckled taking a sip of his scotch. It had been a while since I had last seen Alexis and my eyes trailed off to the room searching for her. When I had gone over it twice and didn't find her... my heart started racing. I excused myself fromthe conversation and eased my nervousness with optimistic thoughts such as the possibility of her being in the ladies room or sleeping upstairs in our room. I hoped but hopes never truly match the raw character of reality. I saw my step mother entering the ball room, the colour on her face to was drained away. Her eyes going over the people in the room, searching for someone when they eventually landed on me. Swallowing, her eyes were deprived of the light that dominated them earlier. Something was wrong. I walked rapidly towards while she remained immobile, not having the power to move. "Mama..." I called her. Once I had reached her, she dragged me away fr
*Zayn*"Zayn!" Luciana squealed throwing her arms around me. She took me into a tight hug and I felt Alexis tensing at our proximity from behind. My Princess cleared her throat and remained silent, having trust in me. She trusted me. And I-I didn't know how to trust her with this. I didn't know how to trust that she wouldn't leave me after finding out. "Hey Luciana." I coughed, breaking the hug and taking a step back so that there was some distance between us. Luciana furrowed her eyebrows at my slight nervousness looking behind me to the goddess sitting by the bar next to my dad. "Who is she?" Her voice softened and her smile faded away replaced with an expression of confusion. "She is..." I let out a breath, rubbing my temples with the tips of my fingers. "My girlfriend." Luciana's eyes widened in surprise. I wasn't the one to date. I didn't at least before I met my princess. "Zayn, I thought we had agreed not to-" She was about to finish her sentence and I shook my head interr
*Alexis*The next thing I know... I'm drowned in an ocean of fabrics, jewelry, shoes, lipsticks and different haircuts. All offered to me by the stylist team that Zayn had assigned for my preparing for the ball the following week. The days passed in the most exciting way, I must admit. And the dress who was exclusively made for me and only me was breathtaking and one of a kind. Zayn hadn't seen me in it and he wasn't about to until the ball night. The castle boomed with life. People from all the walks of life occupying the corridors. All of them doing their duty and making sure the ball room would look out of this world. And when I visited it the morning before the ball, my jaw was on the floor. The work that had been done was perfect. Simple perfection. The theme of the ball was 'the touch of darkness', mysterious and luxurious the ball awaited for its guests.The evening before the ball was a beautiful mess. I was on chair for more than three hours. Makeup and hair, it was a war of
*Alexis*He was right when he said he knew exactly the place for this occasion. A beautiful restaurant, famous for its delicious pasta all over the city of Rome. Its ambiance was leaking with romance and I could see the place being only occupied by couples. Arriving to the restaurant, the waiter led us to the table. Zayn had asked for aVIP one who had great view over the city. Rome unfolding before our eyes was a breathtaking sight. After some time that we had sat down, a waitress approached our table. A smile on her as she welcomed us to the restaurant. Her gaze though as she handed us the menus was glued on Zayn and he politely smiled back at her thanking her. "I'm Alisha." Her eyes never leaving Zayn, even though I coughed trying to get her attention. "And I will be your waitress for tonight." She continued, her eyes examining him, tracing his face then lowering to his neck. "Do you want some time to decide? I can make some suggestions if you'd like?" She reached to Zayn's menu,
*Alexis*Once the plane landed, Zayn guided me to the Ferrari waiting outside. No chauffer, just the two of us. And after the mess that we made on that plane, the feathers of the pillows still lingering over my hair, I preferred it that way. Having never been in Italy, I was completely in the hands of Zayn which excited me and terrified me at the same time. He scared me in the car when he joked about us being followed and having to drive through the forest right in the sea to survive. I elbowed him in the ribs, shutting that wicked laugh of his down, even though seeing his Adam's apple moving up and down was eternally enjoyable. He didn't tell me the exact location of where we were going and honestly even if he did I wouldn't understand much.Driving past old beautiful buildings, graphic passages and traditional restaurants, I realized that we were in Rome. One of the most beautiful cities in the world, hiding secrets and mysteries behind its ancient history. Taking in the beauty unfo
*Zayn* I trusted Alexis with my life but the think was that I didn't trust that other guy Jonathan around her. I couldn't trust any guy around her. I mean...take a look at her. Who wouldn't want to have that woman in his bed even for once? It was the first time I was experiencing this jealousy, this green fever that made my heart pound like crazy and make my mind build up scenarios that only made me more anxious than I already was. I was driving to her office. The sun had almost set and the sky was dressed in colors of orange and pink. The cigarette rolling on my lips offered me some mere relaxation and took slightly my mind off things. Parking before her building, I searched for any sign of Jonathan's presence but fortunately I came across nothing. Getting out of the car, I walked towards the entrance. The two security guards questioning every passenger with their glares seemed to have been informed about my arrival as their expression softened at my presence. They opened the doors