CHAPTER 3

~••~Ava~••~

"I cannot believe you sold me out to that monster!" I screamed at my father.

"Ava, I know you are angry with me, and you have every right to be, but as a father, I have to make uncomfortable decisions that involve us." He said, walking closer to me and trying to hold my hands, but I resisted.

"Don't touch me, father! You are forcing me to walk into the trap of a monster." A tense silence filled the atmosphere. 

Ever since I realized my mistake of having sex with Aleksei, things had not been the same with me. I could not remove the image of his body from my mind and, most especially, how he had made me feel that night. I promised never to tell anyone about our intimacy, but I never imagined he would stoop so low and forcefully want to have me in place of my brother.

"I may not know anything about Aleksei, but one thing I do know is that he will not kill you." I looked up at my father. "If he wanted to kill you, he would have done it a long time ago. I am aware he has been stalking you, and I have always found it strange that he never took action, and it made me realize maybe he wants something else with you."

"Something like what?" I asked.

"I guess he likes you." 

I refuse to believe that is the reason he wants me back in his arms. Aleksei never appeared to like anybody. I am sure if he had found out about my identity the previous night, he would not have hesitated to kill me.

"Do as you wish to him, but don't involve me in this because I am not going to stay with him." I finished off and walked away from his presence, despite his protest.

When I walked into my room, I closed the door behind me and dropped to the bed, tears filling my eyes, and realizing I may not mean anything to my father. I cannot believe he was giving me out to a man, who has sworn to kill all of us and will not give up till he accomplishes this act.

I heard a knock at the door but chose not to answer, believing he was the one, till the knobs pulled open, revealing Karissa who looked down on me with pity.

"Your father told me everything and I had to rush down here to see you." She mentioned.

"I cannot believe he is willing to give me out to his enemy in exchange for my brother Dmitri. I never bargained to be a part of this activity." I explained as I sat down on the bed, while Klarissa walked over to the opposite side.

"The Mafia business is a heartless venture.You should be aware that Mafia lords are willing to sell out their daughters just to protect their sons because they see them as a more valuable asset," Klarissa revealed.

There was no denying anything she had spoken about because my father did not seem bothered about the consequences that could come with losing his daughter. 

"If only there was a way out of this..." I paused because an idea just popped up in my mind. "..or maybe there is one good idea," I added, smiling in the direction of Klarissa.

"What are you thinking Ava?" She asked, with a look of worry on her face.

"You have to let me escape with you, Klarissa; your father has a large estate to your name across the neighboring country; we could escape by sea, and no one will ever find us." I sounded desperate, but I did not care at this point, all I wanted was to get away from Aleksei at any cost.

"That doesn't sound right, Ava. I cannot help you with your request, and you know it." She said, 

"Come on, Klarissa, you cannot abandon me in times of need like this. You and I have been friends for a very long time, and this is the only favor I have ever asked of you." I pleaded, holding her hand and looking at her.

Klarissa was conflicted, as she looked away from me. I understand that it meant she would be risking her own life just to protect me, but Aleksei could do worse if I were ever in his arms.

"Fine, I will help you out; grab a few of your clothes while I make a call to the seaport lord; they should get the boats ready for us to take off." 

A sense of hope came over me, giving me much-needed strength as I got off the bed and headed over to the wardrobe.

"There is one problem Ava." I paused and turned around to meet her eyes. "What are you going to tell your father?" She asked.

"He doesn't have to know that I escaped; we can use the tunnel underground to get out of this mansion before any of his soldiers see us," I explained to Klarissa, and she nodded her head in agreement with my plan.

When I was ready, Klarissa helped me with my bag and we both stepped out of my room, using the hallway as our route to the tunnel.

"Switch off your phone; there is no telling if your father finds out that you escaped, and he won't trace us with your device." I agreed with Klarissa and quickly turned off my device. We arrived at the tunnel seconds later and escaped out of the mansion. 

Klarissa had placed a call to one of her trusted taxi drivers, who had come to pick up the both of us. While the ride moved in silence, my thoughts were all over the place. 

I am about to start a new life outside what I had known for several years, and although Klarissa is like a sister to me, I was worried about her parents and whether they would accept me or not.

When we arrived at the seaport, Klarissa held my hand and we moved towards one of the boats, where a man was waiting for us.

"Thank you very much for your help, Mr. Aiden." Klarissa expressed to the man.

"Your father helped me and I will forever owe him gratitude for everything that has happened." He mentioned.

I was about to speak when we heard a loud explosion rocked the seaport, forcing several people to run away.

"What is happening?" I asked, seeing the commotion.

"Quick, to the boat," Aiden ordered, and just when we were about to step inside, Aiden fell to the floor in the pool of his blood after he had been shot.

I looked up to see a man holding a gun in our direction, and fear engulfed me immediately, while Klarissa began to cry seeing the dead Aiden on the riverside.

"What do you want from us?" I yelled at the man, who was holding a gun in his hand. He did not say a word, but reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, which was ringing.

"Yes boss, I have both of them right now." He stepped forward and handed over the phone to me.

"A little birdie told me that you were running away from me." I froze the moment I heard his voice.

Aleksei.

"Why are you doing this?"I asked.

"Come back home to your father and we will talk." He hung up afterward.