[LIZZY]When I woke up this morning, I wasn’t in my room. I was hurt. Bruised. And my maid uniform wasn’t anywhere near me. Instead, I was swimming in an oversized black shirt - which smelt quite familiar, even the bed smelt something overfamiliar - and that was it. I tried to remember what the heck happened last night, and finally, when I did, I was foaming at the mouth.“That bastard!”Grumbling incoherent profanities under my breath, I jumped out of bed and instantly cried because of the razor-sharp pain erupting from my feet, the moment the base of my legs planted on the cold tiled floor.“Shit!”My butt landed on the floor. I screamed one more time when I tried to get up with the support of my hands. My wrists were terribly bruised, and it stung like some real bitch.Hot tears prickled at the corners of my eyes and the salt burnt my cheeks like they were on fire. I hold my knees toget
[ZARINA]For a brief moment, I question whether the woman standing before me is real or a figment of my imagination. However, as she speaks, her voice awakens long-forgotten memories that I've had to endure in the midst of turmoil. Suddenly, all my doubts dissipate."Zarina!" she exclaims, and I find myself hesitating, gripping the doorknob tightly."You can't be here," I shake my head, struggling to comprehend the situation unfolding before me.The last time I laid eyes on her, she was speeding through congested traffic, disregarding multiple red lights, all so that I wouldn't miss my flight to Venice.After that, she vanished from my life as if she were nothing more than a passing breeze. It made me question whether she had ever truly entered my life at all.And yet, here she stands today, just as I am prepared to leave Venice behind. She stands on the other side of the threshold, wearing a smile that reminds me of the wom
[PART II] "Do you take Vladimir Perazzo as your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?” The room fell into complete silence, save for the hushed whispers exchanged among the onlookers witnessing the most extravagant wedding ever held in the underworld. The silence weighed heavily on Vladimir, sending a shiver down his spine. This wasn't the first time he had been captivated by the silent presence of the young woman who stood before him, soon to become his bride. She looked absolutely stunning in her angelic wedding gown, the train gracefully sweeping the polished floor of the church as she made her way down the aisle. All eyes were on her, and being possessive by nature, Vladimir felt a pang of jealousy burning in his stomach. He didn't need confirmation, as she had not professed her love and adoration for him, but simply standing at the al
[LIZZY] I heard Vector yelling and my curiosity perked up. Two days have already gone by and Zarina is nowhere to be found. Everyone is worried sick. Some people, like Xavier and I, are worried because we genuinely care about her, and there are some who are fretting because their lives literally depend upon whether they can find her in the next few hours or not. Because the boss wants Zarina. And that’s enough reason for more than half the people working for Vladimir Perazzo to piss in their pants. Everybody knows if that guy lost his shit, he would burn down everything. He is a psycho. And needs urgent treatment. But of course, no one is audacious enough to say it to his face. As if you have. I’ll ignore that! Actually, now that I think about it, there are only three people who spat that truth across his face and walked out alive. Michael, the grand old man.
[VLADIMIR] “Mir, she would be alright. Stop worrying.” Michael squeezed my shoulder to comfort me, and I nodded my head almost naturally. But inside this hardened chest, I’m nervous and frightened. I’m not supposed to be weak, but it’s not my fault that I’m only a human. The magnificent blue-green waves of the ocean crashing and withdrawing against the distant sandy shore are no longer a sight that usually takes my breath away. The soft rap of the ocean breeze is no longer soothing to my skin and soul. This song, the ocean waves hum into my ears, fail to reach me or make me feel otherwise. It’s like I was here yet so far. Like I was alive, yet so dead. For a man who wanted nothing more than peace of mind, love, and a little control in life, I was pretty much miserable. “Time?” I asked, morphing my face once again into something callous. Stony. Bulletproof. We considered emotions a weakness in our organization, and even though every single breath that escaped this town knew exactly
[ZARINA] I used to think growing up in an orphanage was painful. I obviously overlooked what tormenting a bullet in your gut would feel like. For the past five minutes, I’m trying to sit, but the pain is unbearable. The stitches are fresh so every time I move or even try to breathe a little deeper, my body hurts like hell. I can hear my own painful cries bobbing against these walls. It’s not a terrible place for captivity, but it sure isn’t anything like the Perazzo mansion either. It’s dark and desolate. Instead of elegant rooms, it’s an underground cell with chirpy rats and reeking floors. They operated on me, had taken the bullet out. Glad to know that I’m still alive. For how long, however, only God can tell. As much as I would like to want to survive this, the pain is just too much. They haven’t even cared to give any pain-relieving drugs. I’m pretty sure even the crappiest doctor of the century wouldn’t forget to write one. “You should really rest, Zarina! Focus your energy o
Silence.After Aurora stomped out of the basement with tears and anger swarming in her eyes, silence took control of the entire room and the humans breathing in it. The slogging drops of water tapping against the surface of the sink became more prominent now—almost annoying.Zarina was the last person to know anything remotely about Venice. She had been, after all, kidnapped on the very first day in the city. But Julie wasn’t a foreigner and neither was her husband. They were natives, born and raised around these busy streets. However, Zarina still couldn’t find it in her heart to question literally anything. Other than giving some time for the old wounds that had been freshly clawed and bruised to heal. Or, at least, for them to come to terms with it.Julie had slumped against the wall of her cell and sat down, holding herself tightly. As if it was the only way to save her from falling apart. Marco had resumed his mad pacing, pulling at his ha
Sitting in the backseat of the white Mercedes, parked right outside the Perazzo mansion, a flood of memories overwhelmed Aurora. Her heart raced, her hands grew sweaty, and her breath hitched in a way she had never experienced before. Maybe they were right. There's a first time for everything.Who would've thought that simply seeing this massive white mansion, where she had spent almost a year of her life—a place she believed she had left behind for good—could make her question the entire purpose she had been living for?Why?Why was she putting herself through this?What was the point?Everything was going according to Lorenzo and Angela's plan for her ultimate freedom. This wasn't the time to feel anxious or have shaky legs. It was time to take control of her own destiny, seize the opportunity that lay before her, just like she always wanted, and claim what she rightfully deserved.However, something held her back—a naggi
“My world is a less scary place with you in it, baby. I will kiss you a thousand times every day if that’s what it takes to keep you in love with me for the rest of our days.” [VLADIMIR] "Do you take Vladimir Perazzo as your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?” I would be lying if I said those words spoken by the priest don’t fill me with dread. Because they do. Something inside me is awfully worried for no specific reason. Perhaps it’s the fear of being tricked by fate again. Perhaps I’m afraid that the past would repeat itself in a much more monstrous and hurtful way. It’s just there. Ticking like a bomb. Making me break into some serious amount of sweat. But I hold it in. Not because there’s no other choice now that dozens of people are watching us, but because the woman standing in front of me is looking at me with so much love and w
[ZARINA]“Mir, this is...” I gasp.“Do you like it?” pressing those words into my ear, he grazes his teeth below my lobe.“...gorgeous. It’s gorgeous.”After our deep and long conversation, the previous night, Mir and I woke up with someone causing a ruckus at the door. It was only then it dawned on me that I ended up sleeping in his room. Something Aunt Alessia had been warning me since the moment we got here. Even though she was quick to assume that we had already done the deed, she expected us to be patient until the marriage and keep our desires to ourselves.And now that we’ve broken one of her directions, she sure sounded angry beating the door outside. To be honest, I panicked a little originally. Not wanting to give anyone a reason to be upset with us. But Mir had different thoughts regarding the matter. He blatantly and outrightly ignored all her screams and peeled the covers off me instead. Despite my reluctance and attempts to reason with him, he moved between my legs with
[ZARINA]Frozen to my spot and shocked to the deepest of my bones, I struggled to get some air into my lungs.Did I really hit him? But why? Was that because he was doing something I did not approve of? Or because...he wasn’t himself?No matter what the reason was, my face seared with embarrassment. My heart palpitated poorly against my ribs and the knots in my stomach tautened to the extent I couldn’t breathe.After fixing me with a glare for a minute too long, Vladimir retreated and stormed into the bathroom. He shut the door so loudly that my entire body shivered. My nerves caused havoc; wild goosebumps crawled like insects all over my skin. Regret pierced my chest like a cruel knife, and the more I thought about it, the deeper it burrowed.It hurt. So much. But why? He was the one who crossed the lines. Why was I on the verge of breaking down? Why were my eyes damp and blurred with tears? What was this pain...Sucking my lips, I leaned my head against the wall behind me and closed
[ZARINA]After Mir left for God knows where, I spent most of the day following Aunt Alessia around. She’s a nice person. Talks really quickly and maybe a little oftener than I’m used to, but seems like she’s only excited to have Mir back. It’s been a while, she said, as long as Mir’s grandfather (her father-in-law) was alive, he used to visit nearly every month without fail. But after the old man passed away, he stopped visiting.He stopped caring.She also told me that Mir and his grandfather were really close. Together, they hung out more than Mir and his father ever did. The way she said those things, I felt as if Mir and his father did not have a smooth relationship. Though Aunt Alessia seemed as chatty as one could be, she seemed mindful not to bring up the subject of Mir’s parents.It was only then I realized I knew nothing of Mir’s past. Sure, I know about his failed marriage to Aurora and that he had a brother and Hazel as a niece, but...what about the rest? He mentioned nothi
[VLADIMIR]“What is this place?” Zarina asked, her gaze pinned on the enormous villa in front of us. The heavy curiosity in her voice did something silly to my chest, and just like that, the desire to kiss her rose once again and darted down my veins. But I suppressed it all by removing my gaze from her. It had become a pattern of sorts. Whenever I needed time off from my chronic horny aspirations, I would look away and try to think of something less provocative. Like a bald head or something.She probably had no inkling of how hard it was for me to keep my hands off her. She was right here, so gorgeous, so tempting, so ready to be my wife, to be mine—I still couldn’t fucking believe it—and I couldn’t even do things to her that haunted me day and night. I had been practising so much patience for the past few days; I fucking deserved a noble prize for it. Or maybe an academy award for the best performance of the century.But I didn’t have to try that hard this time to distract myself f
[ZARINA]An hour later, we were approximately 40,000 ft above the ground and I was yet to ask him where we were heading. With Vladimir being so dark with rage, I couldn’t muster up the courage to say anything at all, let alone the destination of our unexpected trip.Once the car pulled up at the hangar, Mir slid out while one of his men opened the door for me. The sight of the massive jet, the one I had seen only once before when he came to rescue Julie and me from that hell, brought back some unpleasant memories. However, I got little time to dawdle in the past because the next thing I knew, we were being ushered inside the jet, everyone preparing to leave.Vladimir ignored me the entire time until the jet was ready to take off. But even after he sat across from me, he kept himself occupied with the stack of papers he took out from a leather bag. He was taking his sweet-sweet time to go through each one of them. From the look on his face, they seemed of great importance to him. So in
[ZARINA]The tension in the room was so thick that one could easily cut it with a knife. It was even darker and more dangerous than the time when Lorenzo decided to be an ass. No one in the room knew how this discussion between the Perazzos and Galantes was about to end. After what happened at the church, it was safe to say, some of the people were pissed off at the way Vladimir orchestrated the entire thing.They were mad because he didn’t include them in the plan.They were mad because he deliberately made them go through hell before showing up like a damn hero who saved the day.To be honest, I was a little upset by the entire dramatics he pulled, too. At least, he could have warned me instead of letting me suffer till the very end. It was cruel and quite ruthless on his part. And once we left this God-awful suffocating gathering, I would rain him with the questions for sure. It was about to be an endless day for him.Although that was the least of my concern for now.Right now, I
[ZARINA]After waking up the second time this morning, I found Vladimir moving back and forth in the kitchen. Preparing breakfast for both of us. Something warm and sweet curled up inside as I tried not to fall so hard for him. Watching him from a distance and offering no help made me feel like a creep. But it wasn’t my fault that I couldn’t muster up the courage to be in front of him as if nothing had happened the previous night.Or this morning.A ticklish dash of heat glided down my spine at the thought of his mouth on my core, his fingers pumping inside. Those sweet words he spoke in that sexy voice of his. All those hot and needy touches. Impassioned kisses. Our bare skin pressed against each other. The feeling of him and me together. Thinking about all of that was enough to drive me crazy and for my thighs to squeeze together to relieve myself of the ache he left behind. But it never eased.I couldn’t tell what was holding him back from giving me everything he had, or if he was
[VLADIMIR]Blinking against the mellow rays of the early sun, I woke up to find Zarina cuddled to my side. Her dark brown hair scattered messily over the pillow while she slept on her side with her face turned to me.I smiled, warmth spreading across my chest.Last night was anything but normal. I hadn’t expected myself to return only to find Zarina sleeping in my bed with literally nothing but my shirt. It felt like a dress on her, but fuck, did she look good in it? She looked like fucking mine.Mine.The only reason I hadn’t fucking died in the last three months was that I had to come back to her. Michael’s bullet might have driven me to the brink of hell. But it was the realization that I had in what I thought to be the last moments of mine that held me from tipping over. I couldn’t die without telling her how I felt about her. I couldn’t die without making her mine.With a deep sigh, I used my fingers to move some curls out of her face. She stirred against my touch. Her cheeks flu