Honey.The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was that I was resting on something warm and strangely welcoming. I turned on the bed, dragging my hand along the surface of whatever I was sleeping on. It stirred underneath my touch, causing me to look in its direction. I pulled back when I saw Lorenzo sleeping soundly with me on the bed. I couldn’t remember everything that had happened over the past few days except that I had challenged myself to die. To give up on everything. I had thought Lorenzo was truly going to let me starve to death, but to my surprise the food had kept coming and every time I had refused it. What will be the point of living for one more day just to end up dead with a bullet buried in your head. Lorenzo might not have found out that I was the one who stole those details, but he would. Nothing ever escapes his attention. And thinking about all that, you could imagine my shock at seeing him sleeping beside me on the bed.Have I skipped a century or what?
Honey.“Then be my girlfriend.”He said it with all seriousness, I wasn’t sure if he was joking or not. But I knew Lorenzo wasn’t one to joke around with such things. What he had said was so out of concept. So sudden that it left me feeling confused and lost. When he noticed I didn’t say anything. He looked down at me with impatience. “Say something, Honey.”“What will change if I become your girlfriend?”I asked the most important question. “Will I still be locked up here and restricted like a slave?”His eyes looked distant as he thought of what I had just said. I’m sure he hadn’t meant to ask me to be his girlfriend. He just wanted a reason to make me stay here with him and he found one. “You won’t be restricted and if you need a break from here, you can go whatever you want.”“I want to go back home.”His chin clenched. “Except from there.”“Then what is the point of asking me to be your girlfriend if I don’t have my own freedom?”“Honey, you can’t go home now. You can go anywher
Honey.From a distance, I could see the bright golden light shining around the gazebo and there was pleasant music drifting in the air creating a peaceful and relaxed ambiance. There were petals of roses lined up the pavement leading to the gazebo. I took in everything in confusion as I walked towards the gazebo where Lorenzo stood with his back facing me. He wore a classic tuxedo. The kind that made him look more like a gentleman with a heart of gold. The kind that completely hid the monster he truly was. The kind that would make one feel safe around him. I walked up to him and he turned to me, his magnificent smile taking my breath away. I stood before him, not knowing what to do. I looked around my surroundings, taking in the bright and decorative lights around the gazebo, the lovely flowers which were sagged around the pillar of the gazebo giving the place an inviting fragrance. Lorenzo was standing at the end of a long table filled with a variety of food. At the center of the
Honey.I was still walking away from the gazebo when I felt a hand hold on to me. “Honey, wait!”I turned and shot him a glare. “What?!”“I understand that you are angry and you wish I didn’t kill Avery, but no matter what I do now, it won’t bring Avery back so can’t we just try to move past that?”“Even if it doesn’t, that doesn’t stop you from killing others.” Lorenzo furrowed his brows, his gaze darkening. “Everyone I had killed deserves it one way or the other. You might not see things the way I do, but showing mercy is something one shouldn’t have when you run a business like mine. It always comes back to haunt you. I know this because I watched my father go down because of it. He had mercy on the wrong people and they came back and killed my whole family and took him to jail. At the end, he was murdered there,” he sighed, his gaze looking distant, like he was thinking about something dark about his past. “Honey, all my life I've been betrayed and alway feel like I should be one
Honey. Lorenzo had kept his words. He had let me used one of his private jet to travel to meet my family. All through the flight, I was feeling nervous and excited at the same time. This was the first time in forever that I will be finally seeing my parents and couldn’t wait to give my father the gift I had got him at the shoe store. Yes, Lorenzo had gone to collect it for me from the shoe store. I still wasn’t free around Lorenzo, but I was starting to believe he was changing for the better. I clenched the gift box in my hand, smiling. When I got to the restaurant Lorenzo had booked for my father’s birthday party, I rushed inside. My Mom, Dad and Amelia were seated, anxiously waiting for me. The moment they saw me, they all stood up and came to hug me. When my father embraced me, I broke down in his arms. “Honey, what’s wrong?” He pulled back and looked at me with concern. I smiled and stopped myself from crying. I don’t know why I was crying when I was finally given a chance to
Lorenzo. I was in the living room, checking the CCTV cameras of the restaurant I had booked for Honey’s father’s birthday party. I needed to ensure she was safe. Although I had sent some of my strongest men to watch over her, I still wasn’t comfortable being this far from her. I wished I had followed her, but Honey had made me promise not to come with her. She still hadn’t warmed up to me and I didn’t want to give her a reason to withdraw from me so I had stayed back at the island watching her movements from afar. When I saw her talking to her father through the CCTV cameras and storming off to the restroom, I knew something had made her angry. And I wasn’t surprised when I saw her call.I picked it up, knowing she was going to pour it out on me. “How dare you lie to me, Lorenzo?”“Honey, what’s going on?” I asked, fearing something bad had happened. “Did something happen?”“Just when I thought that there could actually be something good about you, I found out that everything about
Honey. I dragged my face along something cold. My head throbbed as pain rippled through my body. I opened my eyes and looked around my surroundings. My hands were cuffed to a pole and I was in a room filled with barrels and bottles. It looked like an underground cellar. The whole thing that had happened prior to this moment flooded my mind and I whimpered as I remembered how the building had erupted in flame, exploding on those I had loved. The thought that I could have been one of them made me feel guilty for being alive. Tears burned my eyes as I sobbed quietly in the dark room. I rested on the solid pole and dragged my body along it as I tried to sit up. The door to the cellar opened. Heavy footsteps resonated in the dark room as someone walked inside. Turning, I looked at my captor and my heart slammed heavily in my chest when I saw who he was. I shook my head, backing myself up the pole. Why had he kidnapped me? He was a close ally of my boyfriend so why had he betrayed
Honey. “Drop the phone and go down on your knees,” the man pointing his gun at my face said in a hushed tone, looking like he was a second from shooting me if I disobeyed him. I was on a call with Lorenzo so I knew he couldn’t have been the one to send these men to me. But these men dressed just like Lorenzo’s men so what the hell was going on? Why is one of his men pointing his gun at me?Without saying anything, I dropped the phone, but didn’t hang up. Then, I got down on my knee, hoping they were just here for me and would spare my family. “Please don’t hurt my family,” I begged. “You can tell me what you want, I’m ready to do it, but please keep my family from this. They are innocent.”“Shut up,” the other man snapped at me, looking irritated. It was like they were in a hurry to do something. The one pointing his gun at me flicked it upward. “Now listen to me, I want you to keep your mouth shut. One more word from you and I will shoot you in the head, you understand?”I nodded
I pressed my lips, thinking of what I could possibly say to convince Amelia that everything was alright. She had every right to be angry, she wasn’t just my manager, but also my childhood friend and one of my closest relatives. I shouldn’t have kept her in the dark, but what could I do? I couldn’t just get fed up with everything and blurt out to her that I was doing all this because I had been kidnapped twice and had agreed to help the Mafia in their heist. “Amelia, you don't understand,” I shook my head, begging that she notice that all this was beyond me. “I…”I fidgeted with my hands, thinking of what I could say to ease her suspicion. But nothing was coming to my head, the door leading the ward opened and Michael walked in, looking at me. “Are you ready?” He asked. “Your parents are already in the car.”“Which car?” I asked, fearing that Michael had led them to his car. I didn’t trust him around my parents.Amelia zipped up her bag and walked out, ignoring Michael’s presence. “
Honey.Luckily, my Father went through with the surgery and it was considered to be successful. Although he couldn’t still walk on his own two feet, the doctors encouraged us that he would get better in due time. Just like the last time, Michael followed me to take my father home. He just got discharged and regardless of how busy I was due to the buzz of the new album I had just released, I couldn’t miss being here with my father especially at a time when he needed all the love he could get. Although everyone was relieved that my Father was getting better, they were all worried about me. When I announced to the Press that I was very ill to the point of stepping out of the public, I didn’t think about how my family would take the fake news. Of course, I wasn’t sick, but given I had said that, they were not going to believe me no matter how much I tried to tell them I was actually perfectly alright.“Oyin, you know you can tell me anything,” my mother had encouraged me. “Don’t think I
Honey.Being a singer, I had always wanted to be famous. It was even at the top of the list of things I wanted to achieve in life so when Michael arranged a press conference for my return, you’d think I would be over the moon at the thought of how far the media will spread my name across the globe. But sitting in the green room, preparing to face the press, I felt different. Empty. No excitement. No anticipation. Nothing, but dread. And it was because I knew what Michael wanted out of all this. I knew why Michael was pulling all the strings to make sure that my name was on the lips of everyone. Plastered across all social media, promoted on billboards nationwide. He was helping me to become more famous, but it was coming with a price. One which I was going to pay by putting my life on the line.The door to the room opened and a young lady stepped in. Three days ago, Michael had assigned her as my new manager just right after he signed me into another Record Label. “Honey, the press
Honey. After talking to my family and ensuring they were all alright, I decided to leave. I didn’t want Michael to stay too long around them. I didn’t even want him to come with me in the first place, but he had insisted. I had been too worried so I agreed.I held my father’s hands and rubbed my thumb along the back of his hands. I hated to be leaving him especially since I was the reason he was in this condition, but my hands were tied. I have just a week to assist Michael in his heist. Once it was over, I would be free to unite with my loved ones without Michael nor Lorenzo hovering over me like a shadow.“I’m leaving now, Dad,” I said sadly, forcing the corner of my lip to morph into a soft smile.My Father’s brows furrowed. “Why?” It was obvious he didn’t want me to leave again. “You just got here.”“I em…” I searched for another lie.Ever since I had been kidnapped, I have been forced to feed my family with lies. They must not know the truth. As long as they thought I was distan
“I’m the one you were asking about.”“You were the one who saved my daughter?”Michael nodded and came close to us. I shot him a look. He must not tell my father anything I didn’t want him to know about.“Michael, I thought you were meant to stay outside,” I reminded him with a tight smile. I remembered clearly warning him not to come in. I should had known he wouldn’t listen, especially since he insisted on following me to the hospital.My father smiled at Michael, looking at him with admiration. “Thank you so much for saving my daughter. I don’t know how I can make it up to you.”Michael waved his hands, smiling. Then, he came to my side and wrapped his arms around my shoulder. “You don’t need to make it up to me,” he said, smiling down at me. “I’m dating your daughter so it is my responsibility to ensure she is safe.”“What?”Everyone in the ward turned to look at the person who had just entered. My mother stood by the door, looking at Michael as if she was trying to figure him ou
Honey.The next day, Michael had taken me to the hospital to see my family. Although I insisted on going there alone, he refused to listen to me. When I got to the hospital, the nurse had told me that my father was in critical condition and had directed me to his ward. I ran toward his ward, my heels quickening on the tiled floor. When I got to his ward and opened the door, I was shocked to see how bad my father looked. One of his legs was bandaged and was hanging up from the bed as it was placed in a suspended traction position. I covered my mouth, stopping the sob from coming out. “Dad…”He was looking towards the window, with a dejected expression. When he heard my voice, he looked in my direction and smiled sadly, tears pooling his eyes. “My princess…” he whispered.I knew he hated that I was seeing him in that condition. I ran to him and lowered myself on his bed to hug him. “I’m sorry…” I whispered with a croaked voice while resting on his chest. “All this was my fault. I’m s
Honey.We kept walking until we got into the Villa. Michael was greeted by some group of men hanging around the Villa before walking into a narrow hallway I wasn’t familiar with. He entered the room at the far end and held the door open for me to enter. I know what I was doing wasn’t ideal. Going into a room with Michael without having any idea what was going to happen, but I was curious and at that moment, my curiosity won over every other thing. Michael sat before a table and picked up the laptop at the center of the table. Then, he looked at me. “Take a seat with me, sweetheart.” He patted the seat beside him. “What I’m about to tell you will take a long time. I don’t want you to hurt your pretty long legs,” he said with a flirty smirk. I rolled my eyes at what he had said and went to sit down beside him. After sitting, I asked. “So why am I here?”Instead of simply answering my question, he turned the screen of the laptop in my direction and asked. “What do you think about thi
Honey.I stood motionless as I watched Lorenzo drive off with his men. Seeing how little he thought of me sent a dagger to my heart. It might not have seemed that way, but Michael had made me want to have sex with him. How could Lorenzo think that I would throw myself at any man? He was the one who took my innocence and now, he regarded me as a harlot?Hearing him call me a harlot caused a twinge in my heart. I might have been forcing myself to deny the truth after he had kidnapped me, but I loved Lorenzo. As much as I wanted not to, I did love him. And I hated that I still loved him. “Get me something to clean this blood,” Michael said, looking down at his blood stained hands. His lips were still bleeding. Lorenzo must have hit him very hard with his gun. When he smiled, I could see traces of blood along his teeth. Someone gave him an handkerchief which he used to swiped his hands before tossing it on the ground Then, he looked at me and smiled. His teeth are now a little crimso
Lorenzo.I pocketed my hands, looking down at the box placed on my doorstep. I knew what it meant. It was a message from Michael. And that meant he had found out about the spy I had sent to him.“Open it,” I ordered one of my men.He walked around the box and picked it up from the floor. He unlocked the box and opened it. Immediately a pungent smell of rotten flesh and dried blood drifted out of the box where a decapitated head was placed in. I recognize whose head that belonged to. It was the head of the spy I had sent to Michael. There was a sheet of paper sticking out of the mouth of the decapitated head. Clenching my jaw, I took out the paper from the mouth and opened it. A short message was written on the paper.‘It is good to see you are interested, Don Russo. Meet me alone at the old warehouse by 5pm.’I knew the place he was talking about. It was the same place where my father and his father used to store drugs when they were still working together. The same place the betraya