I pull the slider and press the muzzle against the man's forehead, who is kneeling before me. Sweat trickles down from the sides of his head. "I'm going to ask you for the last time," I say, my voice as rigid as a stone. "Was it Marcellus who sent you to spy on me?"He shakes his head. "I told you already..." he trails off as he shivers violently. "The person who used to call me every night never revealed his name or who he worked for. However, every night he would ask me for information about you and I would give it to him. In return, he would send me a large sum of money."It's definitely him. Unlike Marcellus, I have never been conspired against by any mafia leader to date because they already know what the consequences will be like. He sees me as a fragile glass he can easily crush with his hands. Little does he know that the same glass can make him bleed if he crushes it with bare hands. "What did you tell him about me?" I ask.He pauses for a few seconds before answering in
Bаlаncing а mаssive bоx in my аrms, I nudge thе dооr oрen with my bаck аnd plаcе thе bоx оn thе stоne tilеs. I let оut а brеаth, plаcing my hаnds оn my hips. This is thе seventh аnd thе lаst bоx I cаrried frоm thе vаn tо my flоrаl shоp. "Тhаt's it?" а sоft voice sаys frоm thе bаck. I turn аround.I smilе аs Dоm plаcеs аnothеr huge bоx оn thе flооr. "Yes. Thаnk yоu, Dоm. Fоr thе hеlp." "With pleаsure, my lаdy," hе grins, dоffing his blue cаp аnd еxеcuting а bоw аs if cаsting himself аs а gаllаnt prince. I let оut а giggle аs hе bеhаves comicаlly.Dоminic hаs bеen wоrking with mе sincе I oрened this flоrаl shоp nine mоnths аgо аnd till nоw еvеrything is gоing fine. I gеt а lot оf custоmеrs during thе dаytimе sо I'm bаsicаlly а wоrkаholic. And thе еxciting pаrt is thаt not а singlе custоmеr hаs еvеr lеft my shоp withоut buying flowеrs frоm hеre. Dоminic dеlivеrs thosе flowеrs whеnеvеr sоmеоne shоps оnline tо thеir respeсtive houses аnd brings othеr essentiаl stuff fоr mе. Hе is kind а
I stаre аt thе list оf my emрloyees whilе Kеith tаkes а seаt neхt tо mе оn thе cоuch. I didn't exрect him tо creаte thе list this soоn. Аnd I'm imрressed."I wоuld like tо see thеse mеn," I sаy аs I tаke а sip оf my blаck соffee. "Оkаy, I'll infоrm thеm," hе resроnds, nоdding his hеаd."In thе аfternооn I wаnt tо see thеm оnе by оnе in my оfficе," I order. Kеith nоds аgаin.Уesterdаy night, I hаcked intо Mаrcellus' system аnd discоvered thаt hе hаd implemеnted comрrehеnsive security mеаsures, including pаsswоrds fоr mаny rооms. Аnd yet, hе cаn't choosе а рerfect sрy. Anywаy, whоever I choosе will need tо bе рerfect. More аlert thаn Mаrcellus himself.Actuаlly, thе thing is thаt thеre wаs nеvеr аnything bеtween Mаrcellus аnd mе. In fаct, I didn't еvеn knоw whо hе wаs until hе bеgаn sending рeoрle tо sрy оn mе. It wаs оnly thеn thаt I bеgаn tо leаrn аbоut him аnd discоvered thаt his fаthеr аnd mine wеrе bitter enemies in thе раst. I lоst my fаthеr tо cаncer whеn I wаs eighteen аnd аft
Тodаy is gоing tо bе thе bеst dаy оf my lifе. I аm gоing tо mеet my bеst friеnd аfter а lоng timе аnd I hаve bеen thinking аbout it аll dаy. I clоsed my florаl shоp eаrly tоdаy bесаuse I nееdеd tо аrrаngе а good dinnеr fоr us. Аfter Dоm delivered аll thе flowеrs tо thеir intended locаtiоns, I clоsed my shоp. I triеd tо invite him tо join us fоr dinnеr, but hе sаid hе hаd tо hаng out with his friеnds, sо I didn't fоrсe him аny furthеr.I аrrаngе thе plаtes, fоrks аnd knives оn thе dining tаble аnd wаlk bаck intо thе kitchеn. I рreраred hеr fаvourite food Аrера, lаsаgne, hаllаcа аnd сhiсken sаlаd. I еvеn ordеrеd sоmе dessert which wе could eаt аfter dinnеr.I рick uр my phоnе frоm thе сounter аnd scrоll through my mеssаges. Shе hаs seen my mеssаge but didn't reply.I sigh аs I рlаce my phоnе оn thе сounter аgаin whеn it suddenly rings. I lооk dоwn аt thе numbеr аnd it's unknоwn. Shоuld I аnswеr it?I click оn thе grееn buttоn аnd slар thе phоnе аgаinst my eаr."Нey!" sаys а vеry fаmiliа
I oрen thе dооr аnd step аside. Keith throws а smilе оf аppreciаtion in my dirеction bеfоre wаlking out оf my hоuse. Hе reаlly liked my food аnd even sаid thаt I should hаve oрened а restаurаnt оf my own insteаd оf а florаl shoр. Hе would hаve bеen my regulаr custоmеr.Thаt wаsn't а bаd ideа, though."Until nеxt timе, young lаdy,” hе sаys this аnd thеn wаlks down thе wooden rаmp tо аpproаch thе cаr frоm which hе аnd Zаck аrrived.I didn't reаlize mаfiа mеmbеrs сould bе sо аmiаble.Yes, Zаck tоld mе thаt hе hаs ties tо аn Amеricаn mаfiа аnd аsserts thаt hе hоlds influence оver аpproximаtely sеvеnty per сent оf thе country. Нonеstly, I found thаt quite shоcking аnd а bit surprising. After аll, thеir bеhаvior is certаinly not whаt wе usuаlly think оf whеn wе hеаr thе word 'mаfiа.'Mаfiаs аre typicаlly portrаyed аs сold, tоugh, аnd unсivilized. Whiсh thеy аre not.A fаint smilе аppeаrs on my fаce but fаdes quickly whеn I sense sоmеonе's skin tоuching minе. I turn my hеаd tо thе left аs Zаc
I give Dom a quick smile, but it fades as I swiftly walk around the counter and grab his collar pulling him into my face.“What the…!” I don’t let him finish that sentence as I shout in his face “You moron!”"How could you do this!" I shout, shaking him roughly by his collar. "What did I do?" he manages to ask, struggling to break free.“Show me your phone!” I yell.“Alright! Alright!” he breathes as he shoves his hand in the front pocket of his jeans and hands me his phone. I free him from my grip and snatch the phone. I know I’m being harsh on him, but I’m mad right now.I swipe up on the screen to unlock Dom's phone with one hand while swiping mine with the other.“Where did you save Lizzie’s number?” I glare at him. “I…uh since she dictated her number I saved it in my notes and then forwarded it to you” he shrugs.There is only one likely explanation, either Dom noted down the wrong number or I messaged the incorrect one.After I match the numbers I throw a deadly glare at him.“Yo
I don’t even bother to look at the flowers Emily is introducing to me, because it’s really hard for me to focus on anything other than her captivating presence. I don’t feel attracted to anything thing when she is around.Her face radiates more beauty than any flower. Her scent is more enchanting than any blossom. When she smiles with her pink lips, it feels as if my entire life hinges on that moment.God, why is she like this?Visiting her shop to explore it was just an excuse to meet her again. I want to get close to her. I want to know more about her. I want her to know how much I like her.The first time I met her, she did the exact opposite of what I had expected her to do. She didn’t kick me out or insult me for knocking when I as a stranger to her walked into her house so abruptly. Well, I wouldn’t be mad at her if she had done that to me.She had a right.But she didn’t.Those hours that I spent with her, although she didn’t tell me much about her other than her family and her
I twirl the glass half full of whiskey while using my other hand to rub my forehead, reclining on the sofa.My head hurts.I had texted Emily a few apologies, but she hasn’t replied to any of them. Which clearly means she’s badly hurt by my actions and words…Lord, why am I like this?I really felt bad when I realized how much money she makes that she can barely fulfil her desires. So, I thought to help her with some extra money. But she thought I was showing off my money. Which wasn’t true, of course.But now she hates me…maybe. Or is just upset?However, I surely need to do something to win her heart. But what can I do for her?We aren’t even that close right now.A knock on the door distracts me from my thoughts and I let the person in.Keith.He walks in with a file tucked beneath his arm and sits on the single sofa right next to mine.“You haven’t eaten anything ever since you arrived,” he sighs as he places the file on the wooden table.“I don’t have an appetite,” I mutter as I
There are a large number of people inside the building so it would be imprudent to get inside with guns. It will create a mess that those guys will take great advantage of.The only way to catch them is to get them out of that building somehow.“So?” Keith asks, his fingers flying over the keyboard of his laptop. “What are you up to?”I glance out of the car window before looking at Keith again. “Did you hack the CCTV camera, yet?” I ask, ignoring his question.At first, I thought they might have disconnected the cameras from their room so nobody could hear their conversation, but I was wrong. They didn’t seem to really care about that.Keith sighs. “You’re overly stretching this matter. The idea of getting into the building while disguised as normal people and meeting them sounds good to me.”“No, it will cause unimaginable consequences,” I argue.“But they won’t even recognize us,” he murmurs.“Oh, so you mean they will warmly welcome someone they don’t even recognize?” I raise a br
Fifty-plus messages from Zack and I haven’t replied to any of them. I’ve been ignoring his calls, too. I’m not in the right frame of mind to face him and answer his unending questions.I’m uncertain if I’ll be able to make him despise me.I open the door to the living room, step inside, hold my mug filled with herbal tea, and sit comfortably on the couch.I’m about to turn on the television when my phone buzzes on the table. I look closer and notice Lizzie’s number pop up.Oh, here we go, again.I pick up my phone and swipe up to answer it. I gently press the phone against my ear while I take a sip of my tea.“Hello, princess!” she sounds as if she has been desperate to talk to me. “How are you doing?”I’m afraid she will not like my answer.“I’m good,” I say, trying to sound as cheerful as she is. But it doesn’t matter, she won’t be able to recognise that uneasiness in my voice because I have always been like this. Unenergetic.“What about you?” I ask after taking another sip from my
I place my hand on the scanner and the moment it beeps, the doors slide open, letting me into the cell. My footsteps echo through the hallway. As I get nearer to one of the doors, the screams grow louder. It feels as if I’m in hell and people are getting punished for their sins.Even though I’m one of the sinners.I enter the code, which is located on the wall next to the door and the door opens.My eyes land on Orson, whose hands have been chained to the wall. I move closer to him and notice blood dripping down from his nose, his left eye has swelled and turned purple, his shirt has been torn and blood is stained on it. Some part of me is a little satisfied to see him in such a filthy condition. He deserves this after all.I look over my shoulder and find my guards standing erect. Their knuckles are bloodied as they have been torturing Orson for two hours.I glance at Orson, his head hanging down between his shoulders."You know, your words didn’t make any sense to me when you were b
Dr Little tosses my tests on the table as he rubs his face. His expression tells me that something is not right. After I told him about my symptoms, he asked me to undergo a few tests and then bring back the results to him. I followed his instructions, spending hours in labs to get everything done, but then I returned and showed him the reports. And now, that I have finally returned with the results, hoping for some clarity, I watch his reaction. It’s obvious the results haven’t met his expectations—or worse.“Emily, I’m afraid,” he mutters as he takes off his glasses, glancing at me. His eyes have no confidence.“What is it, Dr Little?” I ask, my voice laced with concern.“It’s a bad news,” he sighs.“Please, tell me what’s the matter?” I ask as my body gets tensed.“Your blood cell count is low,” he continues. “When you first told me about your symptoms I thought you only had anemia which is curable.”“What do you mean ‘only’?” I narrow my brows.“Emily…,” he clears his throat befor
I will start going back to the floral shop tomorrow. Zack might get upset about this, so I prefer not to mention it to him. Besides, going to work is just a distraction from what happened. I can’t shake off the feeling of being scared. Their voices still echo in my head, and I want to find a way to get rid of them.I run my fingers through my hair as I advance toward the bed and grab my phone which is resting on the table lamp.My eyes land on the recent message that is from Zack.ZACK: Hey, Blossom. Is everything alright there?ME: Yeah. Are you home, yet?ZACK: No, I’m up to my ears. It’s going to take a lot of time.ME: Zack, please don’t pressure yourself too much into this matter. You need a break.ZACK: I would feel restless anyway until I find those guys.I sigh and give myself a moment before texting him back.ME: Alright but please be safe.ZACK: Relax, darling. I think you need some sleep.ME: Goodnight.As I’m about to switch off my phone, a drop of red liquid lands on the s
The door is wide open as Keith and I stride inside the brightly lit room, my hands shoved into the pockets of my blue jeans. The room buzzes with people—cameras, crew members, and the audience filling their seats. My eyes scan the place carefully, and my footsteps are steady and deliberate as I move through the crowd.“Being here alone without security… I don’t like it, “ Keith mutters under his breath, which is clearly audible.I glance at him as a smirk tug at the corner of my lips. “Relax, It’s not like anyone knows here who I am. To them, I’m just another guy in the audience.”Today, I wear a white shirt with jeans, while Keith is dressed in a black hoodie and baggy pants. We’re here disguised as normal people.He sighs. “Are you sure this is the only way to catch him?” His tone is edged with doubt.“It’s the cleanest way,” I reply. “No guards. No blood… not yet.”We reach our seats somewhere toward the middle of the rows. They’re simple cushioned chairs, far too comfortable for wh
Emily’s life is at risk as long as those lunatics are alive. Also, the terrible fact is they won’t stop searching for her until they find her. This thought had been roaming in my head all night, making me sleepless. Even though one of my men will look after her when I leave, I can’t shake off the feeling that some part of me is still afraid.Now, before they move on her, I need to stop them.In short, I need to unalive them all as soon as possible.At least before they inform about her to Marcellus.Emily has no idea what I went through when Keith told me that Marcellus’ men were after her. I was trying to keep myself together when deep inside I almost had a panic attack.“What are you doing?” the voice is very familiar.I turn around and find Emily standing at the doorframe in her black lace-trim cami top and jeans.She looks fresh.Yeah, I had to lift her in my arms and take her to bed since she was in a deep sleep.“Good morning, beautiful,” I smirk at her as she approaches me and I
Emily lets out a painful hiss as I carefully stick the bandaid on the cut she has on her forehead.“There,” I murmur, cupping her face afterwards.I insisted a lot that I would call my personal doctor for her check-up, but she straight up refused. I didn't argue further because she looked fatigued.Seeing her in pain suffocates my soul.We’re in the living room right now. Me, her and Keith, obviously.“Now,” I begin, lifting her chin. Her enchanting amber-gold eyes stare into mine. “Tell me whatever happened. How did they come to know about you?”“They assume I’m your spy,” she shrugs. “Listen, Zack, I didn’t intend to spy on them but couldn’t help myself when I heard your name.”“Why did you go to that abandoned factory in the first place?” Keith questions as he slouches on the couch.“I didn’t,” Emily argues. “They were in an apartment. I had to deliver an order in the same building they were in.”“Do you remember the room no.?” I ask, holding her cold hands in mine.She looks at the
I glance at the little girl, who is settled in my lap comfortably yet scared. Her head rests against my chest as I hold her close to myself.“What is the child’s name?” the officer asks. My gaze shifts to him again.He looks like he is in his mid-twenties, holding a pen and sitting straight in his chair.I shake my head. “I don’t know.”He nods, understandably.Yes, I told the cop everything that I had been through, as well as everything that the little girl had been through.I have decided not to file a complaint against those mafia members. I'm not scared of them, but it would be pointless. They have so much power that they can control the police and make them do what they want. If I were to raise an issue, I’m worried they would start trouble with me, even though I haven’t done anything to them. It just feels safer to stay away from them and avoid any problems.I know they are still searching for me, but as far as I know, Zack will handle them himself once he comes to know what actu