Overnight, my bribery towards the FBI agents go viral. I try to deny it by claiming it’s a fake video, created by AI. But, the FBI agents discredit my claims. Now, I'm handcuffed. And while being escorted to the FBI headquarters, cameras unforgivingly flicker on my face, microphones being disrespectfully shoved to my lips. “Since you bribed the authorities, are you admitting that your parents are guilty of the allegations against them?” one annoying reporter asks. With feign confidence, I respond, “The truth will prevail.” My mouth stings at the words. If the truth prevails, it’s the end of me and my parents. That’s why I have to think of a new way to turn the tide to our favor while I still have time. Fortunately, bribery is a bailable offense. Mom and dad send their lawyer to pay my bail and I’m set free. Unfortunately, me and them will be under surveillance for the entire duration of the investigation and the government has issued a freeze order to all of our assets until w
I blink awake, feeling my heartbeats. I’m still alive? A sigh of disappointment escapes me. As I clench my fist, a sting wriggles through my dressed, wounded wrist. And as I sit up, mom and dad rush towards my bed with worried yet relieved faces. “How are you feeling?” dad asks. Without responding, I get up from bed, put on a coat, and descend to the garage. Mom and dad try to stop me, but I continue to maneuver my car out of their mansion’s gates. I have to end my enemies, before they can end me; Leslie, Hazel then Marius! And there’s no time to waste! Arriving at Leslie’s luxurious apartment, he welcomes me with an irritating smile. “So, have you thought about how you can pay your remaining balance to me?” he asks as he hands me a glass of wine. I glare at him for a moment, before aggressively knocking the wine glass out of his grasp. He steps back, fear creeping on his face. “I still have bars of gold hidden in my vault. I can give you all of them if you can kill M
Is this mafia boss here to silent us now? The man eyes me from head to toe, before flickering his gaze back to mom and dad. “If you want my mercy and my trust, then I’ll take your daughter with me back home in Italy.” My chest clenches in fear when mom and dad only glance at each other without any attempt to reject him. The man stands up and extends his hand to me. “I’m Adriano Giordanno, the mafia boss of Le Distruzioni. I’m pleased to meet you, Miss Mei Zhou.” I glare at his hand, and refuse to take it. “What will you do to me if I come with you? Turn me into your slave?” He smirks. “Possibly. But, if you become a good girl and follow all of my rules, I may turn you into my wife, a powerful woman no one can match.” I smirk back with more mockery than his. “I’m pregnant with another man’s, Marius Thorne’s, baby. Don’t tell me you’re okay with that?” Recognition flickers in his eyes. “I’ve seen that guy on TV before, and his wife too. Men are men, unable to stay loyal even if
HAZEL’S POV: Finally! Marius and I can spend time together again. Mei Zhou can’t do anything against us now. And I hope she’s the last who will ever dare try to ruin us. Time flies by so quickly that I barely notice that Sammy is already speaking a few words with clarity, while Archie can now crawl and sit on his own. Our enemies took away our time as parents to them, that we miss these little things. But I promise to do my best to make it up to them. Our night is filled with laughter as we play, and as we watch cartoons together. It’s a little late when Sammy and Archie have fallen asleep, but I don’t mind. Next, Marius and I have a little chat with papa, thanking him for everything he has done for us. “Anything to make you and my grandchildren happy,” papa says, before giving us a big hug. Afterwards, Marius and I head to our bedroom. Marius pulls me into his arms, and I dangle my arms over his neck. Then, our lips lock in a passionate kiss. Gradually, we undress each ot
As I slowly regain my consciousness, I realize that I’m blindfolded, gagged, and tied up. I’m also on something soft and quite shaky - a car? No, cars’ seats don’t feel like this. So, where am I? My desperation to find Marius, and make sure he’s safe gives me strength to move. I roll, then thud! I hiss in pain when I hit something akin to a carpeted floor. Then I jerk in fear when a pair of hands touch me, while an unfamiliar voice of a woman echoing, “Are you, okay? You shouldn’t move too much. We’ll land at our destination soon.” Land?! We’re in a plane?! I wiggle as aggressively as I can, but the metals on my wrists and ankles are not loosening and only biting my skin. I scream. Though it’s muffled, whoever is with me pulls down the gag from my mouth. “Who are you? Where are you bringing me?” I ask. “I’m just a flight attendant hired by someone I don’t know. And we’re gonna land in Sicily, Italy soon,” the voice says. Confusion continues to engulf me. “But why?!” The wo
I’m being bathed by women in uniforms. Aside from their young looks, they’re all pretty. Intrigued, I ask, “Are you Adriano’s… uhm… slaves?” They glance at each other, then their shoulders slump in sadness, which makes me feel guilty for asking. “We are, but we’re all once his woman,” one of them says. “If you don’t satisfy him tonight, you’ll become one of us too. He won’t let you go out of his estate. And if you attempt to escape, you’ll be killed just like the others.” Fear grips my chest. I’ve escaped Carter, the mental institution and even my mental distress. But this one will probably give me the most difficult chance of reclaiming my freedom. There are an estimated three hundred bodyguards roaming around the front yard and the entire mansion. Way more than what the wealthiest I’ve ever known have in their own estate. Adriano is a mafia boss, so I expect that he’s also far more dangerous than either Carter or Pierce. I ask again, “Do you know anyone named Marius Thron
Francesca was the younger sister of Adriano who was killed by the Russian authorities during their gnag’s illegal drug operation in Russia five years ago - that’s according to the women in uniforms. They also show me her photo, but she doesn’t look anything like me. I pity Giulia, Adriano’s mother, for desperately insisting that I am Francesca. When Adriano enters my designated bedroom, the women in uniforms quickly jog out of the room. I wanna beg them to stay, afraid that Adriano may try to r.ape me again. But, I also fear that he may punish them because of me. I sink my shaking self onto the headboard again. “Don’t be scared,” he says. “I’m only here to talk.” The genuineness and the softness of his expression sends a wave of relief through me. “Mom starts eating properly again, and also stops crying and going berserk again,” he continues. “Name your price. Pretend as Francesca until she regains her sanity.” At first, I find his request ridiculous. But then I realize, I
MARIUS’ POV: Urg! An excruciating pain explodes through my ribs as one of the armed men’s foot strikes it mercilessly. “Stop being an a.ss here! You’re not a big boss anymore, but just a slave!” the armed man says. I hiss as I force myself to pick up the spade and dig the mud for diamonds again. My exhausted and dirty body keeps on moving, but my head is elsewhere - Hazel. Over the last few days since I’m sent to this illegal mining site, I’ve tried my best to find her. But it seems that she’s not brought here with me. Though I’m worried that I don’t know where she is, I’m also relieved that she’s not here. Hazel won’t survive this harsh condition; working under the sun all day, digging and swimming through muds without proper equipment for a diamond that barely exists. I overhear from the other miners that this illegal mining site is being operated by a mafia gang from Italy. But why, among so many others, are we chosen to be k.idnapped by this mafia gang? It can’t be j