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2024-12-27 01:18:25
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Mafia's Forced Bride 013
Katherine’s Point of ViewThe first week of classes flew by, a blur of lectures, readings and a heady, scary thrill of freedom, exhilarating and terrifying. Even in the classroom, between the students, whose characteristics I did not know and whose presence I did not understand was curious.For once, I could pretend. Let's say I was just like any other student with ordinary student issues, like papers and tests. Let's assume the sensation of pressure on my world does not fail to affect me.But it only worked if I didn't turn around—and I couldn't help but turn around.“Hey, Katherine.”I looked up ro see Claire, a grinning, sunny girl with kinky, curly hair. She’d latched onto me from the first day, her bubbly personality a stark contrast to my guarded demeanor.“Are you coming to the coffee shop later? We're all going to cram for the econ exam," she said, sitting on the seat next to me.I just stopped, convinced in a mental duel between the invincible allurement of a yes and the psy
Last Updated : 2024-12-27Mafia's Forced Bride 014
Kai’s Point of View.Except for the gentle, soft clack of the old clock on the wall, the room was still. The weight of today's information's importance floated in the air while Lex and Julian gave me the lowdown on DiCarlos' most recent escapade.“They were testing boundaries,” Julian said, his tone clipped. “But tailing Katherine? That’s a direct provocation.”I took the seat, my index digits in mesh above knees. “It wasn’t just a provocation,” I said. “It was a message.”Lex frowned. “You think they know about her significance?”I shook my head. “Not yet. But they’re curious. She's a mutant, and in this mad world mutants are seen.”Julian shifted, his expression grim. “We need to act before their curiosity turns into something more dangerous.”I nodded. “Agreed. Double the usual surveillance on their operations. I want every move they make monitored. And, and unequivocally, let our partners know that anyone associated with the DiCarlos should be made responsible.”Lex and Julian exc
Last Updated : 2024-12-29Mafia's Forced Bride 015
Kai’s Point of View.The night was calm—too calm. That state of serenity that prefigured a coming storm.I reclined against the window of the study room, the glass smooth and cool under my skin, focusing my gaze on and through the glass until the sky's horizon. Katherine had pushed boundaries before, but this was different. She hadn’t just tested my patience tonight; she’d tested my control.The call from Julian came abruptly.“She slipped past the north gate,” he said, his voice tense. “We’ve tracked her to the city.”I didn’t need to ask how. Katherine was resourceful, far more than I had anticipated. But her defiance had reached its limit.“Where is she now?”“She's at the east side cafe," Julian says. On the other hand, there is a problem—it is one of the women of DiCarlos' that is in the company of her.That name sent a chill through me. The DiCarlos were opportunists, vultures waiting for easy pickings.“She doesn’t know what she’s done, Julian added, his tone cautious.“I’ll h
Last Updated : 2024-12-29Mafia's Forced Bride 016
Katherine’s Point of ViewThe silence in the car had been suffocating. The kind of silence that screamed louder than calls and that suffocating atmosphere, heavy with expectation, as if about to tear through the heavens in the form of a great black thunderstorm. I had been gazing out of the window the whole time, too ashamed to look at Kai, even though I knew its gaze pierced to my left cheek.Back in the mansion, however, the tension still itched my skin like a second skin. His words keep whispering back in my mind, "Did you realize what could have happened to you?” His words were filled with, not the least bit angry, but filled with. Something that I refused to acknowledge. Concern.However, my worry did not diminish the fact that I felt confined. Suffocated.I should’ve known sneaking out was a terrible idea. But staying here, under Kai’s constant control, was unbearable.The memory of the café lingered in my mind. Dante had seemed friendly enough, but there had been something of
Last Updated : 2024-12-29Mafia's Forced Bride 017
Katherine’s Point of ViewMorning sun streamed through the oversized, elegant windows in the eastern wing, but it could not penetrate this chill that had burrowed into bone marrow. The picture floated in front of my thoughts as a spectre, the image of the little girl, ever before my eyes, no matter where I move, turning, bending, side, this way and that. It wasn't just a question, but a signal that I'm being deceived.After Lex’s cryptic warning the day before, I felt more determined than ever to uncover the truth. Yet the house was a monolith—a prison of secrets, with every room a door to another wall that blocked my search for answers.The rest of the morning I spent exploring the vast hallways of the house, echoing hollow click of my own footfalls, a choir in the silent hall. I put it down as just a means of escape to empty the thought but, in fact, it was mere frantic search for every bit of evidence to finish the jigsaw puzzle.The library felt like a safe haven, its towering sh
Last Updated : 2024-12-29Mafia's Forced Bride 018
Katherine’s Point of View.Sofia DiCarlo.Who was she? Why did she look so much like me? However, why was it being defiled in such a brutal fashion, as if her own existence was a gaping wound?I couldn't just sit here, awaiting the answer to just fall into my lap. I had to take control. I got out onto the courtyard and, the fresh air seeming useful in steadying my thoughts, I rested in the courtyard after breakfast. The big garden was perfectly manicured, but it was in spite of its beauty, that I could not help but have a feeling, that I was an intruder there. Not a single item in this house was a change to my inauthentic, out of place and out of self feeling, but a signal of it.As I turned, I made the surprise acquaintance of a person I did not expect to meet. It was Rosa, doing the daily work, who was bent down before a bed of roses. Her hands worked deftly and trimming with rhythmic grace the dried corollas.“Good morning, Rosa," I said, hoping to be cheery.She looked up, startl
Last Updated : 2024-12-29Mafia's Forced Bride 019
Katherine’s Point of ViewStorm clouds moved in mid morning, covering the house with a wall of grey, which echoed across the house, in each room within the house, the atmosphere of tension. My confrontation with Kai the previous night had yielded no answers, but it had solidified something for me—I couldn’t rely on anyone here to tell me the truth. When I want to learn something, I have to get it myself.The library had proven a treasure trove, but it wasn’t enough. Sofia DiCarlo's was, however, just the top of the iceberg. Kai's kingdom was not in the stars, nor is the family history, nor is there any thing in common between Sofia and I.By midday, I found myself in the kitchens. But rather by necessity, not because of hunger, it is because of necessity that one is expected to rationally interact with a potential information provider. The staff, behind the glory of the mansion, they, themselves, were, in reality, an invisible joining string. If anyone had answers, it was them.Rosa
Last Updated : 2024-12-29Mafia's Forced Bride 020
Katherine’s Point of View.In the streets of the houses of the people who lived in urban areas the light of the driving car bounced back and forth, like drunken fireflies, while the car rolled down the sidewalks all the students could not help but fix their eyes on it. It felt strange to be outside the confines of the mansion at this hour, but I wasn’t complaining. Mark, the unrelenting driver, went with us in that silence, unblinking eyes fixed on the road as we flowed between the city's neon arteries.I focused my gaze upon the window, the sounds from the street vanishing en route to the eerie luminous forms and the cast shadows. Kai’s insistence that I accompany him to this gala tonight had come as a surprise. My first objections were answered with his usual emotionless formality, and here I was, in an evening gown that fit like it was sewn for me, as if it were my own will that shaped it, but of course it was not.“You’ll represent the company,” he’d said. But I knew better. Th
Last Updated : 2024-12-31
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Mafia's Forced Bride 030
Katherine’s Point of ViewThe following morning started like any other. Mark arrived promptly to pick me up for school, his usual stoic demeanor firmly in place. I got into the car with my bag under control, but did not notice it.Logan's words from yesterday still buzzed in my head. You're in deeper than you think. And if you’re not careful, you’re going to drown.What did he mean by that? What was so insistently wrong with me getting within any range of Kai's attention? It was as though everyone around me was playing a game, and I was the only person with no rule book.“Miss Katherine?” Mark’s voice broke through my thoughts.“Hm?”“We’re here,” he said, gesturing to the school building.“Oh. Thanks,” I mumbled, stepping out of the car.By walking through the campus I felt the weight of things observed and described verbally. It was not quite as bad as the initial day, but it still lingered, a constant reminder that I did not belong.I managed to make it through my classes without a
Mafia's Forced Bride 029
Kai’s Point of ViewThe room was dimly lit by a candle, and the dull hum of the old fireplace echoed through the stillness as I sat in my armchair with my fingers crossed before me. Lex stood in the doorway, patiently waiting, as he always did.“She spoke to Logan again today,” Lex said, breaking the quiet.I made no outward reaction but the chill of fury raged beneath the surface. Logan Volkova has been pushing the limits for weeks and his determination was starting to thin.“How much do you know?” I asked, my voice calm but laced with steel.“He approached her during lunch,” Lex replied. “Their conversation didn’t seem casual. He’s planting seeds, trying to turn her against you.”Of course he was. Logan thrived on manipulation, and Katherine was his perfect target—new to this world, unsure of her place, and still searching for answers.“Do you think she believed him?”Lex hesitated, a rare show of uncertainty. “She seemed... conflicted. But she hasn’t acted against you.”Not yet. Bu
Mafia's Forced Bride 028
Katherine’s Point of View.The house was unnaturally quiet the next day, in a creepy and suffocating kind of way. Kai had missed breakfast without a word. His absence wasn’t unusual, but after last night’s conversation, I couldn’t shake the unease that lingered.I’d replayed his words over and over in my head. You’re in my world now. And in my world, trust can get you killed. He made it sound like I had a choice, like I’d willingly stepped into this chaos instead of being dragged into it.Yet by the time Mark picked me up to head to the campus, I'd pushed the images out of my mind. I didn't have to worry about Kai's vague prediction.Going to school was pretty mellow, but as soon as I stepped off the school bus, I could sense the air change in moods. Whispers followed me, just like they had the day before, but this time they felt more pointed, more deliberate.I caught snippets of conversations as I walked by.“...heard she’s involved with him...”“...Kai Rossi’s girl...”“...you don’
Mafia's Forced Bride 027
Kai’s Point of View. The journey home from the restaurant was quiet. Katherine sat beside me, her gaze fixed out the window, lost in thought. She hadn’t said much after we left, and while I appreciated the silence, I couldn’t ignore the tension radiating from her.Something had happened when I left to answer the phone call. I could see it in the way she carried herself—her posture slightly rigid, her expression more guarded than usual.“Something on your mind?” I asked, breaking the silence.She glanced at me briefly, her eyes unreadable. “No.”A blatant lie, but I didn’t push her. Not yet.When we returned to the mansion, however, the snow had begun falling, again, and covering the grounds in a soft light of white. Katherine left the car without waiting for me, the sound of her feet on the snow as she approached the front door.I went in after her, and watched her disappear up the main staircase, without even a look at my way. My jaw tightened. Whatever was bothering her, I’d find
Mafia's Forced Bride 026
Katherine’s Point of ViewThe hours went by in endless whispers of rumors and gossip. The gossip around Kai and me just hadn't gone away; in fact, it seemed to be growing louder and louder. By the time, it was reasonable to assume that everyone thought that I was either his girlfriend or mistress, at least half of the campus thought I was.When the final bell of the day rang, I rose, walking away from my hideout and towards the main gate. As usual the sleek, black car was already parked somewhere waiting for me. Mark leaned against it looking at the onlookers with his enigmatic eyes.“Ready?” he asked as I approached.“Yeah," I mumbled, climbing into the back seat.The drive home was quiet, save for the imperceptible sound of the engine. I would peer out from the window, and see the lights of the city fade one at a time down. It wasn’t until we took an unfamiliar turn that I realized we weren’t heading back to the mansion.“Where are we going?” I asked, glancing at Mark in the rearvi
Mafia's Forced Bride 025
Kai’s Point of View.Logan Volkova's name was a source of annoyance that had gone unseen for far too long. Listening to it again, in association with her, brought a chill to the blood colder than the Siberian snows. I walked away back to Lex, taking a breath and into the doorway to my office but satisfied with no answers.With a slam of the door, I inhaled a bracing breath, the sort of breath that contained both anger and frustrated cries that I held back. Control was everything in my world. As soon as you lost it they attacked your throat with the wolves.Logan. Of all people.I picked up my desk and grabbed a shot of vodka, and the stinging sensation pulled me back to reality as I leaned against the side. Lex followed, his face tight with tension. He also knew, as did I, that it was not a coincidence. Logan’s sudden appearance in Katherine’s life wasn’t random. It never was with him.“You knew this was coming, Kai,” Lex said, breaking the silence. His voice was soft, controlled with
Mafia's Forced Bride 024
Katherine’s Point Of View.The whispers were relentless. They filled every corner of the walls of the lecture hall, they invaded every corner and crevice in the room no matter how much I tried to zone it out.I reclined in the rear of the rows reading a blank page, supposedly writing notes. The pencil in my hand laid idly above the page, as I scribbled barely readable words that I couldn't even focus on . My eardrums itch from the pressure of their voices and I could feel their gazes, and my ears filled with the heat of their speculations.“Did you see her at the gala with him? Kai Rossi of all people.”“She doesn’t even look like someone he’d take seriously. Maybe she’s just his secretary or… something else.”“Whatever she is, she can't be trifling to him—and probably of great practical value too. There's no one who's been on the headlines for being so close to Kai Rossi for no reason .”I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore them. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard my name tossed a
Mafia's Forced Bride 023
Kai’s Point of ViewThe door to the east wing closed with a resounding finality, but my thoughts were anything but settled. I followed along the corridor and with every step its echo sounded like a bell of warning inside me.Katherine was too close. Too defiant. Too curious.Or she did not know the way she was dealing with the fire that she was messing with.I got to my office and slammed the door shut behind me, heavily leaning against it. My hands curled into fists at my sides, the tension coiled in my chest threatening to break free.Sofia. Her name was a wound I’d carried for years, one that never fully healed. Being confronted with Katherine and that folder, so near the truth, was like ripping the dressing off all over again.I moved to the desk, pouring a glass of whiskey with hands that were steadier than I felt. The amber liquid burned as it slid down my throat, but it wasn’t enough to dull the memories.Sofia's laughter rang in my ears, the timbre of the sound was so clear a
Mafia's Forced Bride 022
Katherine’s Point of ViewThe weight of Kai's pronouncements settled between us, each word followed by the sharp resonance of a warning that I could not prevent.“Once you know, there’s no going back.”I took a breath, steadying myself. “I’m already here, Kai. Whatever it is, I deserve to know.”He stood there for a second, stone face. However, as soon as he moved closer, his aura overtook the room, enveloping, but at the same time, a caring, magnetic feeling. He plucked the folder out of my hand and laid it on the table.“Fine,” he said, his voice dangerously calm. “You wanted the truth? Let’s start with the basics.”Kai opened the folder, pulling out a photograph I hadn’t noticed before. It was the more contemporary of the lot, lifelike and realistic color. There, a girl, not over 10, was standing with someone, whose upper half was hidden. The girl's eyes glittered with luminescence, as did the man's figure, which then masked it.“This,” Kai said, tapping the photograph, “is Sofia.
