EllaThe frosted glass door to Mr. Henderson’s office opened, revealing the man himself.Upon seeing Logan, I felt Ema’s restlessness inside of me. His scent overwhelmed the both of us, instinct urging us to overreact and move closer to him. But I felt her suppress it. She was just as displeased with him as I was.Mr. Henderson looked jovial and appeared to be in the midst of a spirited discussion with Logan. However, as I stood in the doorway and looked back and forth between the two men, I could sense a shift in the dynamic. Behind Mr. Henderson’s pleasant exterior, his eyebrows were knit tightly together and his eyes flashed with anxiety.“Ella,” he began, his voice tight. “Can I have a word?”Logan reclined comfortably on the plush couch, looking surprisingly unperturbed by the tension in the room. “Should I leave?” he asked.“No, no, you stay here,” Mr. Henderson replied, flashing a bright smile.Mr. Henderson ushered me into a smaller adjacent conference room, closing the door b
Ella“I’m the son of the city’s most influential mafia boss.”I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I had stepped into this city with a single purpose — to fight against the malignant tumor that was the mafia. Not with them.And now, here I was, face to face with the son of the most influential mob boss in the area. And he was my client.“Well?” he asked, his lips curling up into a smirk at the corners. “We have client-lawyer confidentiality. You know the truth now. I told you that there was more to worry about than my infidelity.”“Oh god,” Ema said, sounding surprised. “A mafia boss? Can it get any worse?”“At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if it does somehow get worse,” I replied.I swallowed. My mind raced. I knew how the mafia worked, at least to a certain extent. I knew, at the very least, that it was dangerous to go against them. That was why Mr. Henderson was so insistent on me taking Logan on as a client. He was afraid.Logan did bribe my boss with that nice Rolex watch
EllaThe next day, I went to work with conviction set in my heart. I wouldn’t let this run-in with the mafia hold me back. If anything, it would only serve to fuel me.But the moment my office door swung open, I knew something was wrong. Mr. Henderson’s face was an unnerving shade of red, and his eyes shot daggers at me. It seemed the walls had ears, and the news of my recent altercation with Logan had already reached him.“Ella,” he started, his voice dripping with restrained fury, “did you really tear up a contract with one of the most influential clients this firm has ever had?”I squared my shoulders and met his gaze directly. “Yes, Mr. Henderson, I did.”Mr. Henderson drew in a long, sharp breath that sounded like a hiss. “And why, pray tell, did you do that?”“Because Logan Barrett is a member of the mafia, sir.”Just then, Mr. Henderson leaned forward, his palms flat on the desk. “Do you have any idea of the penalty for breaching that contract? We can't afford such an astronomi
EllaThe mornings had always been my time of clarity, my beacon of hope. But not today.Two weeks had slipped by since my dismissal. Two weeks of job searching, late nights spent revising my resume, late mornings sleeping in and being awoken by the sound of my neighbors arguing or playing loud music.I felt like a failure. A failure with convictions, maybe, but a failure.Today, I woke up tangled in a mess of bed sheets, my mind muddled with thoughts I couldn't shake off. Groaning, I groggily crawled out of bed and shuffled over to the bathroom, where I flicked on the light and jumped out of fear of my own reflection.My hair was a mess. I had dark circles under my eyes. I was starting to look a little gaunt, too, from not being able to afford halfway decent meals since Mr. Henderson fired me.The weight of Logan’s influence and the web of the Mafia in the city felt inescapable.Even though I tried to reintegrate into another law firm, word had traveled fast, and every door seemed sh
EllaThe suffocating darkness of the burlap sack seemed to amplify every sound and sensation.The rough fabric chafed against my skin, and the acrid smell of stale sweat filled my nostrils. I could feel the car’s movements, every twist and turn of the winding roads, and the muted voices of the men accompanying me.They were taking me far away from home. I could feel it. And if I knew anything about the Mafia… I knew that I wouldn’t be coming back.Using every ounce of Ema's strength and courage that was left, I tried to break free. My legs kicked wildly, and my muffled shouts resonated through the tight confines of the vehicle, but the men around me seemed unperturbed.“Please!” I called out, struggling against the absurdly tight restraints around my wrists. “Please, just let me go! I’ll disappear! You’ll never hear from me again!”No one responded to my pleas, no hands attempted to calm me or even restrain me further. It was as if they had done this countless times before, grown immu
EllaAs we exited the mansion, the gravel crunched underfoot, the sound reverberating in the otherwise silent evening. Logan led the way, his long strides confident and unhurried.We approached a sleek black car with tinted windows. Its polished surface mirrored the moon’s glow, casting eerie reflections of our figures.“Get in,” he instructed, not a command so much as a casual suggestion. But his clear blue eyes told a different story. They were always watching, assessing.I hesitated, eyeing the vehicle and then him.“Where are we going?” My voice carried a hint of defiance, a touch of the suspicion I felt. Logan had an unpredictable streak that made him intriguing, but also undeniably dangerous.“To eat,” he replied nonchalantly, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I know a good place.”The guarded expression didn’t leave my eyes. “And why should I trust you? If you try any tricks, Logan, I swear, I’ll kill you.”His response was swift and unexpected. With an amu
EllaThe night was awash with ambivalence and intrigue as Logan and I sat side by side, the city lights playing a serenade of reflections on the dark waters. The weight of his proposal hung between us, making the air palpable with tension.“I don’t understand,” I began, hesitatingly. “Your ‘fake girlfriend’? Why? What does that have to do with… literally anything?”Inside, Ema was raging.“Fake girlfriend?” she hissed. “First, he just wants you as a mistress. Then he wanted to trick you into being his girlfriend because you are Ella Morgan. Now that he knows you’re not going to follow his mind, he wants to use you as a fake girlfriend? Not even an official one anymore?!!”“It’s not like I’d want it to be official anyway,” I replied. “But I don’t want this, either. Let’s hear him out, though.”Logan took a deep breath, as if preparing himself for a confession.“You see, my brother recently got engaged to an Alpha from a prestigious family. Her father’s wealth is vast, and it could very
LoganThe chilly wind that night was relentless, and as I stepped out of the car, I felt a pang of emptiness as I looked up at my dark mansion.The ever-present guards flanked my home, silent statues in their tailored suits.Their stillness was deceiving, because beneath the calm exterior, they were ready to leap into action at any moment. All it would take was one order from me. The fight that ensued earlier when they stupidly kidnapped Ella was proof of that.However, even with their presence, I couldn't help but feel isolated.My home was a testament to my tastes: large, opulent, and overlooking the vast expanse of the sea. But tonight, it felt different.The house that had been a silent refuge now echoed the solitude of my thoughts. Why was it that just a short meeting with Ella made everything seem so... incomplete?As I walked through the spacious rooms, I noted the intentional lack of decor. A deliberate choice. The walls held memories, some that I preferred to forget. To fill