ACE She lets me hold her hands when the car finally stops. I know she is still fuming about the marks on her skin which are clearly on display right now for the whole world to see. I didn't have to bring any of my men because Ryker never goes anywhere unprepared. I smile when I see the amount of men surrounding the restaurant. I breathe in, I can get comfortable knowing that Aella is safe here. "You are welcome, Mr Ace, Miss Aella," the waiter at the door greets, walking us to our seats. I pull out Aella's seat and I don't miss the blush on her face. I keep forgetting the fact that she is just twenty, I need to work on giving her more romance, which is going to be very hard. I don't know how to be that guy. I look around surprised. There is no sign of Ryker, except for his men surrounding the building. I also don't see any guests around. It is either we are super early or extremely late. I take a seat beside Aella, she relaxes when I put my hand on her thighs.
ACE This woman makes me forget time. I fucking lose my control regardless of where we are. I would have dragged her out of this restaurant immediately to teach her a lesson if not for Ryker's interruption. Aella immediately gulps her wine before I can stop her. Ryker finally reaches our table smiling. He is a very handsome man, if I were gay, I would be head over heels for him. I have never been concerned about how good-looking my friends were, I never had any reason to be, but now that I have Aella, I never want her to look at Ryker and Elijah and start wondering if she settled for the wrong guy. I exhale smiling back at Ryker, my friends are obsessed with their women, and I trust them with my life. "I almost gave up on you. I thought you were never going to show up." I comment, standing up to hug him. "I would never miss a gathering like this. Who misses an opportunity to see a beautiful woman." He turns to Aella, his eyebrow raised in confusion. Aella
ACE Aella snuggles closer to me when we get to the car. I forget all about the unpleasant conversation in the restaurant when her hand began to roam on my body. After an hour or so, she sighs softly. "Are you awake?" "Hmm." She lazily ran her tongue down my cheek to my, exposed throat. "Fuck me." "Wow," I say laughing. "I don't think I would ever get used to this. Alcohol makes you brave. I am not going to touch you if you are going to sleep off on me." She grabs my cock, massaging me slowly. "I won't." At that moment, the car stops. we are home. I move out of the car first, before helping Aella. I nod my thanks to my driver Kevin. I meet Jake and Ryan at the door. Jake avoids my eyes, he knows that I know what he did. I carry Aella to the room and I can't help smiling when she keeps kissing and sucking my exposed throat. I drop her gently on the bed, and I start undressing. When I am left in just my brief, I move to her to help her undress too.
AELLA I woke up with a headache. I say a quick prayer for whoever kept the blinds closed. The room was dark, but I had a good feeling it was quite late, and I had lectures to attend. I moved too quickly in an attempt to stand up. I swear my head feels like it could split open anytime. I ignore the pain, moving blindly to turn the switch on. "Fucking hell!" I curse when I bump my knees on the chair. I finally found the switch after what felt like hours. I squint when the room becomes bright. I hate to admit this but Ace is always right. "What the fuck!" I scream alarmed when I get a good look at the time. It is past twelve, classes started at ten. Lord, save me because I smell carryovers in my future. I smile when I see the glass of water and aspirin on the bedside stool. Ace is always so thoughtful. I felt a thousand times better after taking the aspirin. I have little or no memories of last night. I hope I didn't embarrass myself in front of his fri
AELLA Now, I finally understand why he wanted me to take a sit beside him and not on his lap like I usually did. He knew I would aim for his face the minute he said what he just said. I don't bother aiming for his face, he would catch my hands before I do any damage. I laugh hysterically. "Please tell me you are joking" "I don't know how to, you know that." My eyes widen, I am waiting patiently for him to laugh and tell me he was joking. When he doesn't, I hit his desk, a big mistake because I end up hurting myself in the process. "You can't do that Ace, you said you forgive me." "I have." At that moment, Jake walks in with a tray of food. I guess he decided to bring it in himself. He places the food beside me winking at me. "Ryan and I will check the site. Ryker just called." Ace nods his head, looking at Jake who in turn nods too. Men and their secret signals. If I wasn't so pissed off with my new normal, I would have bitched about
AELLA Eva envelopes me in her warmth when she finally reaches me. I hold onto her too, God knows I need a friend, I want to tell her everything, I want to talk to someone about this thing going on between Ace and me. I am going out of my mind trying to understand my feelings. She finally lets me go, clearing her throat when Nina covers me with her body again. "Wow, hi sexy," Eva says with a laugh. "She doesn't like humans." I mouth to her. Eva waves to Lucas and then winks at Dan. The poor man clears his throat uncomfortably, maybe one day, when they all learned not to be so uptight, I might ask him if he liked Eva. He was a very handsome man, and honestly, they would look so good together. "You have so much explaining to do girl, and you better spill." I nod my head in response. I don't even need her to drill me for answers. I am so exhausted trying to keep secrets from my best friend. I stiffen my shoulders when Nina refuses to let me
AELLA Eva stops chewing her food, holding my hands instead. "I am here for you." "I Know," I reply sniffing. "It turned out he took me because he wanted to find my father. I am glad he got to me first because a lot of people want me dead Eva." "I don't understand, you have lived a boring life. Why this all of a sudden?" "My father was accused of killing a very powerful man. Ace did business with him, and he thought he was betrayed when he didn't find my father for years. Turns out he was framed and had been in hiding since." "Okay wait, slow down girl... we have killings involved in your story?" That forces a laugh from me. "Well count me in bitch. I like me some mafia romance." I started explaining everything to Eva in detail. Down from watching my father die to how I had fallen in love with my abductor. "I am not trying to say you don't know how you feel babe. But I know how this thing works. You were alone, scared, and confused. Do you t
AELLA If I had any doubts about Ace's wealth, the big building in front of me cleared them away. Nina rushes to open my door, she moves so fast, I hope she trips one day. It looks similar to the one Eva and I had gone to, the one Ace had kidnapped me in. Dan and Lucas assume their normal positions, one at my front, one at my back, and Nina, shielding me with her body. The hairs on the back of my neck start to rise, and I glance around uncomfortably. Someone is watching me. Mama always said I came from a line of witches; she was always pissed when I got alert about things like this. My instincts never lied, the hairs at the back of my neck always stood on alert when danger was near when something evil was lurking around when someone strange was watching. "We need to move" Nina sounds tired and irritated. I didn't even realize I had stopped moving. I move my hand to the back of my neck, rubbing it. I glance around again, almost jumping out of my skin when a litt
ACE EPILOGUE I frown, holding my tongue when Aella carries a chair outside, Ryker is whispering to North beside me, he must be saying something funny because it has her giggling. I lose it when Aella comes back inside to carry the second chair "Baby, let me do that" "Christ Ace, I am four months pregnant not handicapped!" North laughs beside me, and I give her the side eye. "You might shake the baby up with all those lifting" Why can't my wife see that I am making a lot of sense here? I have more than enough men around to help arrange, but Aella is hell-bent on doing things her way. When I confronted her yesterday, demanding that she let an event planner do it, she cried her eyes out and told me she wanted to plan her daughter's third birthday party herself, like she didn't plan the last two. "Dada, dada!" The smile on my face widens when Mia runs towards me. I bend to carry her, and she yawns. Aella immediately abandons everything, giving her attention to our daughter. "D
AELLA I push her hard when she tries to punch my stomach. I have blood all over me, but I take consolation in the fact that they are hers. She screams furiously when she lands on her butt. I am getting dizzy from all the hair-pulling. I yelp when she grabs my hair. "You should never have left your cage whore. You caused all of this, you drove me to this point child" She shouts, pushing, me to the floor and kicking me accurately. Pain slices through me and my eyes tear up, flowing freely. If I could get my mind past the pain and shock, I would fight back, she is trying to kill our baby. She draws her leg back and kicks me, I scream, my body folding over protectively, my arms wrapping around my tummy to protect my baby. Her first connects with my thighs in an angered, frenzied scream. "You will die with this bitch inside you, I will save the world from another whore like you." She sounds breathless. I don't know where I found the courage, but I suddenly got on my feet, punching
ACE My hands were shaking when Jake turned on his laptop. "Thankfully, she was taken here, I don't think she knew you had cameras in here." He clicks on the video, and I suddenly forget how to breathe "Aella mo... you know her?" I was suddenly sweating, "Not as Aella's mother." We would have found her sooner if I ever took the initiative to request pictures of my woman's mother. I slightly open my mouth to assist myself with breathing. "She was there that night Jake." Jake pauses, staring at me like I might have lost my mind. "We have never seen any woman in any of the videos sent to us all these years. You confirmed that they were all men." I sit, I fear I might fall if I don't. "I think my memory has been messed up all this while, I might have gotten it all wrong. But I swear to you, I know her," I look back at the video playing on the laptop. "Her hair, voice, that smile, how could I ever forget it? She had the same smile on her face when she killed my mother." "You said
AELLA I remember Ace telling me his father came home angry, and for the first time, raised his voice, he died that same day. Oh God, my eyes widen in shock, and I stare at Mama, hoping she tells me I am wrong "Please, tell me you didn't kill him." "Well technically no..." She smirks. "I only told Joe that he tried to rape me when I found out he was planning on snitching on us. Joe and Luciano were furious, so they made his death look like a car accident." I want to throw up, so I do. Ace would hate me when he found out that Mama had a hand in his father's death. "You would need a bowl by the time I finished my story." "It doesn't end there?" "Is that question number three?" God help me "Yes." "Tighten your seat belt, honey, it is about to get messy." She said, "I didn't like the fact that he chose his family over me, I wanted to destroy everything he worked for." "God, please no" "We went to their house, it was easy, Luciano had made a name for himself, he had m
AELLAI just want Ace, I know I would feel better when I saw his face. I make quick work of locking the front door, before running upstairs to the bedroom. I burst through the door, frenzied and out of breath, only to be met by a woman, standing in the middle of the room, staring at the window. She turns to face me almost immediately, and the knife in my hand falls to the ground dramatically. "Mama?" I feel dizzy and confused all of a sudden. I must have died at some point and ended up in hell with Mama, how else do I explain my sudden ability to see the dead? "You haven't changed Aella." She looks at my bump with disgust "I always knew you would end up a whore, prophesies never lie child." I don't know if I need to run, or defend myself. "You are dead." Someone, please wake me up from this dream. She laughs and my eyes widen in shock when I see the syringe. why is everyone so obsessed with drugging me? "You haven't changed Aella, still the same old child, looking for val
AELLA My heart immediately breaks, but I sniff to avoid crying. "Oh God, you were... you were like that till morning?" "Yes, I was at the hospital for weeks. My father's family took me in but later sent me away, Mike came to the rescue when I had no one else to turn to." "All of these don't define you, Ace, it only proves that you are a strong-willed man." "Thank you""I love you now, more than ever." "I have not been able to properly sleep since then. I keep having nightmares Aella, crazy ones. I end up physically hurting anyone around me when I am unconscious." "You are scared of hurting me? We wouldn't know if we didn't try Ace." "Remember I told you my uncle sent me out after a month because Lysandra told them about my trauma?" "Yes, how could I forget that." "We happened to spend the night together once." I raise my brow "Just sleeping Aella, we were kids." "Don't blame me for going there, I don't like her, you know that." "I hurt her, it could have been so mu
ACE I watch Aella sleep. There is something peaceful and calm about it, her red hair spread around her like a blanket, her small mouth slightly opened, and her eyes tightly shut. She looks like an angel straight out of a museum. I gently touch her hair, then her brow and she sighs. I never imagined I could ever have someone who genuinely loved me like my parents, someone ready to protect me like Mike and my mother. I fucking love Aella with all of me, and she doesn't even know she is giving me the most perfect gift which is our child. I never truly wanted to be a father until I laid my eyes on her. I suddenly had this animalistic urge to own her, to get her pregnant and when all this was over, she would be completely mine, she would be legally tied to me forever. I want to call her wife so badly, this time around, I don't want to just slip a ring on her finger like I did the first time she met my family, I want to properly ask her to marry me, and I know she would say ye
AELLA Ace looked older and tired, I didn't notice how much his hair and beard had grown, or the dark circles around his eyes, he looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. I wish I could say he looked like he hadn't slept in two days because I was away. I sigh, and he stares at me. We have been silent since I came back home, I guess he feels guilty after all. "When last did you sleep?" "Uhh?" My question threw him off guard. "I want to tell you the truth." "Then, tell me." "I hardly ever sleep Aella, and no, it didn't start because of you, It started way before I met you." "When you were molested?" I haven't seen the video, but with the little North told me, I guess molested is the best word to use. "You have seen it?" I am immediately mad when he buries his head in his hands in shame. I hear him sniff, and I force my butt to remain on my seat, if I move to console him now, he would think I perceive him as weak. "I am sorry you had to watch that, I would not stop you from leaving
AELLA "How could a beautiful woman like you, love a man like Ryker," I say, copying her. She laughs, smoothing her baby hair. "I know right." She frowns "I have been a terrible host. Do you want anything Aella?" "Water please." My throat is so dry. "Of course. Elena, a minute please" A beautiful young lady in her twenties comes in, holding a glass of water. I accept it with a smile, drinking greedily from the cup. "Here, do take her with you." She pouts, and Elena smiles, holding a laugh "I hope she sleeps longer; I might cry with her if she starts again." Elena loses the battle, laughing her ass out, with her hands on her belly. "I now understand why Mama sent me here, what would you do without me North? Give her to me, I will leave you two to talk, don't worry about this sleeping beauty." She waves at me, before leaving the room with the baby. "Your sister?" "Yes. bless her, she agreed to go to school from here, she is obsessed with Celeste." That explains Elena's bea