RAVENNA
~~~~~~~♤♤♤♤♤“What’s going on here?” I repeated when Aria just stared at me with wide eyes, and Valentino looked away from me.“It’s none of your business,” Aria hissed, scrambling for her clothes.“Not really, but care to explain why you’re naked in front of your step son?”Even though the question was directed at Aria, I kept my eyes pinned on Valentino.“Drop it, Ravenna. It’s none of your business,” he said.Aria smiled triumphantly. “See? He agrees with me.”“Shut up, Aria. I’ll only let this slide today. Don’t ever try it,” he said before walking out of the room.“You just had to ruin everything, didn’t you? I just wish you would die,” Aria spat as she put her clothes on.“You should be disgusted with yourself. He’s only two years older than your biological son, and you want to sleep with him? I’ve never met a more fucked up and disgusting woman like you.”“You’re jVALENTINO ~~~~~~~~♧♧♧♧♧♧“What are you doing in here, Paul?” I asked as I walked into my kitchen. I took off my jacket, placing it on a stool. “I was dreading making a call to you, so I grew some balls and come see you for myself,” he replied. “You’re just in time. I made you something to eat.” I went to the sink to wash my hands before returning to the table. “You were dreading making a call to me because you finally told me the truth about my mother.” He placed a plate of Lo mein in front of me. “You’ll have to hit the gym with this one.” I took a bite of the noodles. “Tastes good. I didn’t know you could cook.” He took a seat at the other end of the table. “I didn’t always come from money, you know. I couldn’t splash thousands of dollars on food at a pricey restau
RAVENNA ~~~~~~~♤♤♤♤♤“Boss, she’s refused to eat anything for almost a week now. She also refused to tell us more about that Sawyer guy.” I heard a voice I was already accustomed to say from outside the room they kept me in. “Is that so? Open the door,” Eamon said. The door got unlocked and Eamon walked in, but I was too tired to sit up on the bed. He walked to the side of the bed so he could look at my face. “Why are you punishing yourself?” He asked, taking a seat on the armchair placed next to the bed. “I am not punishing myself. You insisted on keeping me here.” “Only because you refused to say anything about Sawyer. I already told you. They took my family heirloom, and it’s very important to me.” “You must be out of your mind if you think I’m gonna tell you anything. If you’re go
The next time I woke up, I was on a bed. I tried to sit up, but a muscular arm pushed me down on the bed. “Stop being so stubborn and get some more rest,” Valentino said. I turned my head to side to find sitting on the bed with a laptop on his thighs. “It wasn’t a dream. You really came.” He closed his laptop, placing it on the nightstand next to him. “I did. I think you have a penchant for getting yourself into trouble, and I’m always left saving your ass.” “Not true. The time my men’s house got burnt, you didn’t come to help me, did you?” “There are some certain things you need to take care of yourself or you won’t be able to stand on your own.” “Not that I’m complaining, but you’re always the one coming to my rescue without me even having to ask you.” “Reallly?” “Mhm. If this continues, I think I might actually get used to having my personal superhero coming to save the day.”
RAVENNA ~~~~~~~♤♤♤♤♤“Do you want to come inside?” I asked Valentino as the gate to my house slid open, and there stood Nana, Uncle Leo, Zypher, Drake, Jacob, and Alaina. “Nana would want to say thank you.” “Come on in, you two,” Nana shouted from the other side of the gate. “I’m not staying long,” Valentino said as he drove into the compound. “Right.” He had barely parked the car before Nana was yanking open the door to my side. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said, pulling me into a hug. She pulled away from me and went over to Valentino, wrapping her arms around him. “Thank you for bringing her back.” I hugged Uncle Leo and the girls next. Valentino stood there awkwardly, and I could see he contemplated hugging her back or not. Nana pulled away from him, looking up at him. “You’ve grown so much. You tower over me now,” she said with a smile. “I always towered over you.”
VALENTINO ~~~~~~~~♧♧♧♧♧♧“It’s been long since you dropped by,” Payton said as she opened the door to her apartment for me and I walked in. “I had things going on. How’s Jasmine doing?” “She’s fine. She’s sleeping in her cot. Do you want to see her?” “No. Maybe some other time. Are you and the baby doing okay?” “Yes, but the other day, I saw some men watching us. Did you send them over?” I didn’t send anyone to monitor them, but I knew telling her that would only worry her. “I did, but I told them to do it subtly. I guess they’re not doing their job properly.” I made a mental note to send some men over to her place. “You really don’t have to do that. Jasmine’s father is no longer in the picture.” “It was just precautionary. I just dropped by to say hi. I have to go visit Paul, and then I have to grab Renegade from Ciro’s place.” “Don’t let me keep you waiting. You can stop by an
VALENTINO ~~~~~~~~♧♧♧♧♧♧“You need to stop sneaking into my house,” I said, my voice thick with sleep as I made my way to the coffee machine. “You were supposed to stop by last night, but you didn’t. I thought something was up, so I dropped by. Besides, it’s not sneaking in if the guard let me in himself,” Paul replied. After my call with Fiore, I had been too tired to go anywhere else. “I was tired.” “Right. After spending the whole day with Ravenna, you’re bound to be tired.” I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not, but my brain was still too muddled up to decipher anything. “A little birdie told me something. Nero stayed back this long because he’s expecting something from Ravenna.” “What is that?” “A painting.” I shrugged. “That’s their business.” “That painting was supposed to be stolen from your office.” My head snapped up at that. Ravenna had been
VALENTINO ~~~~~~~~♧♧♧♧♧♧“I have news for you,” Anthony said as he walked into my living room alongside Ciro, Renegade, and Carlo. “You actually made it before the end of one hour with a few minutes to spare,” I said, glancing at timer I had running on my phone. Renegade padded over to my side, curling himself up against me. “I think you’re a dick for doing that,” Ciro said, his eyes shooting daggers at me. “Nobody gives a fuck what you think about me, little brother.” I shifted my gaze over to Anthony. “What’s this news all about?” “I spoke to the Chinese guys. After a long talk which I had to bring my godfather in for, everything was forgiven.” “Well, that means you can return to England, but something tells me you won’t.” Anthony grinned. “What can I say? I like i
RAVENNA~~~~~~~♤♤♤♤♤“She’s acting weird. So not like herself,” Uncle Leo whispered as we watched Sofia from the corner of our eyes. She was staring at the wall in front of her without saying a word. “Where did you find her?” “One of the security at the company found her slumped against the building.” “Are you sure it’s her?” “It looks like her.” “I think we should call Tino. He needs to see her for himself. Thankfully, he hasn’t left for the wedding. That’s supposed to be late this evening.” Uncle Leo nodded in agreement. “You should call him. He deserves to know.” I moved a few feet away from him, pulling out my phone and calling Valentino. “What do you want?” He snapped, his icy voice sending shivers down my spine. “This is Ravenna.” “Ravenna? Why are using a different number?” “I got kidnapped. Remember? I lost my old phone.” “Well, why are you