Anna's POV.
A couple of days passed, and we moved into another safe house. We couldn't stay in any place for too long; and we needed a proper place to prepare to meet the Martinez's. We were meeting today and I needed to score a good impression. I picked the necklace Liam got me and wore it. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and sighed. I looked different, dresser in an exquisite black gown, a perfect contrast to my usual manly dressing. But who could blame me? My father raised me to be a man. I heard a quick knock on the door and Liam walked in. He was clad in a suit and looked just as tense as I did, yet he flashed a smile as he walked towards me. “Ready to go?” he asked, placing his hands on my shoulder. I cringed under his touch, shrugged his hands off and stood up. “Yes.” We exited the mansion and embarked on a long drive to the Martinez's. “Are you tense?” I turned to look at Liam. “No. I should be the one worried about you. You can't seem to tell a lie without your hand twitching.” “I can manage. How else do you think I managed to arrange this meeting?” I rolled my eyes. “Out of sheer luck.” He smirked. “I'll let you believe that.” He looked out the window and a moment of silence passed. “I won't bring you into this if I didn't have a plan, Anna. If for any reason I suspect that your life is in danger, I'll call it off.” He turned to face me. “My life is in danger either way; at least this way, it'll be on my terms.” He nodded and looked back outside the window. It was weird for Liam to show any form of care towards me. Growing up, we had the unhealthiest sibling rivalry. It's a miracle that we could sit and talk without aiming for each other's throats. The car rolled to a stop in front of a gigantic gate. Our driver adjusted the rearview mirror and said, “We're here.” I took a deep breath, as my mind raced. What if this was a trap and the Martinez's were working with Marcus? What if I messed up the whole act? What if they didn't like me? I exhaled. Control. The car rolled in and stopped in front of a huge white mansion. Someone opened the car doors and I stepped out. We were ushered into their sitting room and we waited a few minutes. “There you are.” I looked up and there she was, Martinez's Widow. She looked younger than I expected she'd be. But she couldn't be that young, not when she had a son as old as Gabriel. She was said to have killed her husband because she had an affair and bore a bastard child. After her husband's death, she laid claim to his seat as Don. She's the only female Don, yet she managed to be one of the most feared. Looking at her now, I couldn't reconcile her with her reputation. Beside her was Gabriel Martinez, my fiance. “Sorry for keeping you waiting. I had to settle something,” she said. From the blood stain on her hands, I could imagine what it was. “It's understandable, Lilian. Business must be attended to.” “Speaking of which, I trust you've briefed your sister of our arrangement.” “I have. And your son? I heard he has a fiancee.” Lilian glared at Liam, who didn't flinch. Control. You had to be in control or at least appear to be in control. “My son is willing to do whatever it takes for the family.” She lit a cigar and took a long draw. She hadn't spared me a glance. It was safe to conclude that she didn't like me. I, however, didn't care. It was only a marriage of convenience. “And your Father's stash?” Gabriel asked. His voice had the perfect blend of hoarseness and a depth that made my belly quiver. My gaze glided to him. He had an aura of authority around him; an aura befitting the next Don. “My father's stash is safe. You don't have to worry about it.” I watched Liam slide his hands into his pocket. That bastard was going to ruin the plan and get us killed. “Very well,” Gabriel said, finally turning to face me. “And I expect that you're well-behaved and will do exactly as you're told.” “Excuse you?” “What did you say?” Every eye flicked to me in an instant. Liam's expression seemed to scream ‘what are you doing!?’ I clicked my tongue. “I'm willing to do anything to aid the Martinez name,” I said through gritted teeth. Gabriel smiled and leaned back in his chair. A maid brought wine and poured it in a glass. I eyed the glass, wondering if it was poisoned or not, and if I should drink it. Liam on the other hand took a swing at his. It would be rude to refuse hospitality. I brought the cup to my lips and just as I was about to sip the wine, I heard footsteps echo through the sitting room. Lilian's eyes lit up as a smile spread across her face. “Ha, yes. Meet my second son,” Lilian beamed. “Hi, mother,” I heard him say and I snapped my head in his direction. “Aiden, what the fuck are you doing here!?”Anna's POV“Aiden, what the fuck are you doing here!?”The words rang in my mind, but never left my lips. Control, I told myself, Control. He froze in his steps as he laid eyes on me, but resumed his pace almost immediately—so fast you wouldn't notice the pause. Everything about him was different, his hair was different; not the tousled hair I was used to. The look in his eyes, his aura—every damn thing was totally unrecognizable. Could it be a Doppler? A Doppler wouldn’t freeze because of my presence. He knew me and I thought I knew him.My heart raced, thumping blood through my body with anger. Anger from the betrayal, from the lies. Was his name even Aiden? Or was everything a lie? Liam seemed to catch on, he had seen Aiden once. He immediately tensed up, with an expression that was pleading to me to remain calm. Calm was the last thing I felt. I wanted rage, to scream and burn this whole mansion down with my fury. But was it worth it? Maybe Liam was right—family was all I had.L
Anna's POV.Wake up stupid, Wake up stupid!I groaned, raising a heavy hand, as I searched blindly for my phone. My eyes were still tightly shut, as my hands rummaged through the confines of my bedside table. Finally, my fingertips felt cold metal and grabbed it. I held the phone in front of my face, and finally opened my eyes. 6am.I groaned again, slamming my head into the pillow. I could have sworn that I had slept only thirty minutes earlier. There was no greater evidence of the love-hate relationship between Sunday nights and Monday mornings. I turned off the annoying alarm, and swung my legs off the bed. I released a deep breath and summoned enough energy to get off the bed. I looked at the sticky note on my wall and read it out loud: You have to keep working hard until you marry a billionaire.My phone chimed, and I was reminded that I was never going to marry a billionaire, but I didn't care. I picked up the phone and read the text from Aiden Smith, my boyfriend.Wakey, wakey,
Anna's POV.“Yes!”That was the last word I said, before my door came crashing down. Three masked men burst into my house. They all held guns—glock 17 to be precise; light, too light it almost felt like you were holding air. Polymer frame, but the barrel and slide? Pure steel. Fifteen rounds of 9mm in the magazine—standard, reliable, efficient and favored by most gang members. Father made sure I recognized every gun from such a young age.I sprung to my feet clenching my fist. Who the hell were these dudes? I just had that door fixed a few days earlier. I parted my lips to speak but quickly shut it when I heard Aiden.“Pl—ease, take whatever you want. J—just don't hurt us. You can have my watch, and my ring—it costs a fortune.”No, not the diamond ring. Not the damn ring.“You're not giving petty thieves my engagement ring,” I gritted out.“It’s okay, honey. We'll get another one,” Aiden said, as he pulled my arm, trying to get me into a less opposing posture.“You're broke, you'll ne
Anna's POV.“Anna, father was murdered…”My breath hitched and my heart felt like lead. I couldn't explain the throbbing pain that took hold of my heart, even though I hadn't seen that man or heard from him in 5 years; it still hurt—inexplicably. But with all the blood he had spilled and the toes he had stepped on, maybe he had it coming. I was hurt, but surprised? I wasn't.I watched Liam's face fall. I had only just realized how terrible he looked. He had bags underneath his eyes and had even grown leaner than I remembered. I knew father's death was taking a toll on him, even though he tried to hide it. He had to look strong, and emotionless like father always taught us, or perhaps I was just seeing what he wanted me to see. Father had also taught us: when we're up against a weaker enemy or an enemy just as powerful as we were, we needed to act strong; but if it was a stronger enemy, we needed to act weak, so we could strike when they least expect.“It was bound to happen, sooner or
Anna's POV“That's Gabriel Martinez, your fiance.”I burst out laughing uncontrollably, my shoulders vibrating violently. Liam however kept a straight face. My laugh was snuffed out like a candle on a windy night.“That wasn't a joke?” I asked.Liam tucked his hand into his pocket and brought out my engagement ring—Aiden. What did they do to him?“No, sister. I wasn't joking.” Liam lifted up the ring and pinned his gaze on it. “Pretty ring. But what were you thinking, sister? That you'd get away from all this? You can't run from the McClain name.”“That name is a curse.”Liam scoffed, threw the ring in the air and caught it, tucking it back in his pocket. I eyed his every movement. He leaned back in his chair. That was his subtle way of threatening me—of telling Aiden isn't safe if I refuse his proposal. “Hate it if you must, but that's our father's legacy and you will respect it,” he said firmly with every trace of warmth seeping out of his eyes.“I want no part of a legacy born fro