E L L EThey were amazing, and I couldn't help but hope that they would always be in my life.But, I was also aware of the fact, that we live in the same city, but have different jobs and responsibilities, so, it's not easy to maintain friendships.So, I guess, the only thing, I could hope for, was that our friendship would remain strong, and nothing would come in between it."Let's get drunk, ladies." Gio announced, breaking me out of my thoughts.I looked up and watched as she grabbed the bottle of vodka, and a few bottles of juice, and placed them on the table."We're going to play a game called Never Have I Ever, and whoever loses has to drink."I groaned, and rubbed a hand down my face, "No way. I am not going to drink." I said, remembering my last horrible hangover. "Come on, Elle. It's not bad. It's going to be fun. Besides, if you don't lose, then you won't have to drink. Now, come on.""Fine. But, you owe me, after this. Big time.""Deal."Giovanna grabbed three cups and pour
E L L E"You both were caught fucking? Must have been embarrassing and hilarious." I said, laughing."That is an understatement. We were at Avery's place and her mother was supposed to be out, but apparently she has forgotten something which happened to be in Avery's room. And she found us having sex. And Avery is quite the screamer. Needless to say, it was an awkward situation." Gio said, smiling."Aw, poor you. Okay, my turn. Never have I ever, had phone sex." Avery announced, taking a sip from her cup.I laughed and drank my cup, "I can't believe we're actually doing this. It's kind of fun, and funny. Okay, I've got a good one. Never have I ever, had anal.""Fuck. Elle, you're so kinky. And, no. Never." Avery said.Giovanna shook her head, and sighed, "That was a hard pass. No thanks."I couldn't help but laugh, "That was pretty awesome. Alright, who's next?""I've got one. Never have I ever, masturbated on the bed, knowing that someone would soon come to join me." Gio said, and I c
G I O V A N N AAvery stood in front of the lake, her arms wrapped around herself, and her back was towards me.The moonlight made her skin glow and the water shimmered, making her look like a dream.She looked gorgeous, and I couldn't help but admire her from afar. She has always been the most beautiful girl I've ever met.And, that was what attracted me to her.Her beauty, and her personality."Why did you follow me, Gio?" Her voice was quiet and shaky and it broke my heart."Because I wanted to talk.""I don't want to hear any more excuses. I've heard enough.""Avery, you're being dramatic. Just listen.""Dramatic? Seriously? You just admitted to have used me, and now you're telling me, that I'm being dramatic?""I didn't mean it that way. I just meant that what you're doing is unnecessary."She turned around, and gave me a deadly look, her eyes burning with anger, "Fuck. You."I sighed, and approached her, "Listen, baby. I love you–""You have a fucked up way of showing it.""It
G I O V A N N A"Can we talk?"Avery stopped and looked back at me, and then turned her attention to packing her things."There's nothing more to talk about, Giovanna."I grabbed the shirt she was folding and threw it onto the floor, and her head snapped in my direction, and she gave me a deathly glare."What the fuck?""We have to talk, Avery. And you're going to listen to me. So what now? You want to leave because of this?""Isn't this enough reason to want to leave your shitty ass, Gio? I thought this vacation was exactly what we needed, away from all the toxicity and fights and just focus on 'US'. But, all it took was one fucking game, and my relationship ended.""I don't want it to end.""Well, neither did I, but you ruined it. But we don't always get what we want, do we? This is exactly why I didn't want to play. I was against it and you said that it wouldn't make a difference. But, you were wrong. It did. Now, leave.""Baby–""Stop calling me that, you have no right. It makes me
E L L EI was standing in front of Giovanna and Avery's tent the next morning, wondering why they weren't still awake. It was 10am in the morning and neither of them had come out yet.Was there a party inside their tent, and I was the only one who didn't get an invitation?I opened the door, and peeked in, and saw both of them cuddled together and sleeping.I smiled. I guess they were able to talk, and make up."Ahem," I cleared my throat, and Giovanna opened her eyes and sat up, and yawned."Elle, what's up?""What's up? It's 10am, and you're still sleeping. Did you guys talk? Or have you been fucking all night?""Elle!" Avery whispered and covered her face with the blanket.Giovanna got up, and grabbed her shorts. "We definitely had a lot of time to talk." Gio teased, making Avery's face as hot as a volcano.They got up and we walked outside together. "We have till twelve before we have to check out, and then we're all leaving. You guys didn't pack your bags yet, did you?""Nope, but
E L L E"You're a powerful and influential woman, and they are nothing compared to you. So, stop sitting here and moping, and showing them that you're hurting, and you need their pity. Get up and prove them wrong. Show them that you're the boss and you have it all under control."She continued, "Don't let them see you cry. Don't let them see you hurt. They're winning, and you're losing. If you continue acting like this, then they'll forever be on top and will have the last laugh. Show them who the real winner is.""How? I have no motivation. I don't have a desire to fight anymore.""That's the problem. You have to start fighting. No one will be there to fight your battles. And, as much as you want to stay home and cry, it's not going to help. You'll end up more miserable than you already are. So, you have to get up and make them regret. Don't give up. Show them what you're capable of.""You are the strongest woman I've ever met, Elle. You have so much potential and are going places. Yo
E L L EIt was our last night in Bali and we decided to do one last fun thing, before leaving the city and its beauty behind.It was our last night on the island and we were ready to enjoy.Avery was standing by the balcony of the bedroom, looking out at the ocean as the sun went down."You ready?""Of course.""Then, let's go. Gio should be waiting for us.""She is. I spoke to her."I nodded and walked out of the bedroom, and headed towards the front door.The driver was already waiting for us outside, and I got into the car and sat down.Giovanna was already in the car, and I leaned forward and hugged her."Where are we going?""It's a surprise," Giovanna responded, and winked."Aww. Come on, Gio. You have to give me something.""Nope. Avery made me promise not to tell you.""I did, and she's not breaking the promise," Avery chimed in."Okay, okay. Fine." I huffed. "At least tell me what am I supposed to wear.""Nothing.""Nothing? Then why am I even here?""We're not going to strip
E L L EI arrived in New York on a Friday night, and in a blink of an eye, it was already Monday. Which only meant one thing, back to work.It was weird, being in New York again after spending a month in Bali.Bali was the dream, but the city was where I was meant to be. I loved the city, and everything it offered.New York was full of opportunities and possibilities. And not to forget, stress. The city was buzzing with activities, and people were always on the move. I haven’t driven in a month, and I almost forgot how it felt to be in control of my life. Maybe I should have extended my vacation for two months, because having to run a company after having the best vacation of my life wasn't the most ideal thing.But, I knew I couldn’t leave the company under my father’s watch for too long. He wasn’t as strong and energetic as he used to be, and the last thing I wanted was for him to overexert himself.Varian wasn’t really interested in the company and it must have been hectic for him.
E L L EBlood drained from my face as an excruciating pain hit the bottom of my belly, and blood rolled down my legs.My heart jumped in my chest as Mikhail flew to my side, and helped me off the bed."What's happening? I think something is wrong with the baby, Mikhail. I- I aah!" I screamed as the pain intensified, and I bent over, feeling lightheaded.Mikhail was talking to someone on the phone, and he was yelling, his voice panicked."Elle, love. Listen to me, okay. We have to go.""Where are we going?""To the hospital, love. We have to get you there. It's going to be okay.""O-o-k-kay," I managed to choke out.He picked me up, and carried me out of the house, and straight into the car.He strapped me in, and closed the door, getting in on the other side. He started the engine, and drove down the road."Is- is- the- the baby gonna be okay?" I said, watching the blood spread, and the pain increased."Yes, love. The baby is gonna be fine. Just hang in there, baby."I nodded, and clo
M I K H A I LAs the weeks flew by, we were getting closer and closer to Elle's due date. In two weeks time, she'd be entering the very last month of her pregnancy.And I've been angsty, Michael hasn't got much information on Emory, and we still have no idea where the threats were coming from, and what we were dealing with.Everything had been quiet, and there were no news. It was as if we had entered a state of limbo.A weird, calm, limbo.I wanted to be hopeful, but my gut was telling me that she was up to something, and whatever it was, wasn't good.And, I was right.Elle was at home, and safe, and I had decided to spend the day with her. She was in the kitchen, which I had frowned upon but she had insisted that she was craving 'Her' own food. She was making cookies, and I was watching her, and making sure she wasn't overdoing it.Her bump had gotten bigger, and she was looking more and more like a balloon.She was wearing a grey, oversized t-shirt, and black sweatpants, and her ha
G I O V A N N ASebastian left a couple of minutes ago, to go get ready for our flight tonight. I placed back and forth, tugging my hair in frustration.I should have known that allowing Laura go to Italy all on her own was a bad idea. But for some reason, she has insisted on nobody coming with her, which was quite suspicious, because everyone knows how much Laura hayes bring in Italy, because of the horrid memories it holds for her.Something was off, and I had no idea what it was.I could have insisted more on her to let Sebastian come with her, or maybe me. Or even, one of my trusted security men.But, she had refused, saying it was important that she was alone, and now, look what had happened.She was gone.With no trace of who had abducted her, and no single lead.I was losing my mind.I was worried sick, and had been calling non-stop, asking for updates, and I had none. Avery came up to me, stopping my movements. "Relax. You will find her."I groaned. "This is so frustrating. Th
S E B A S T I A NIt's been exactly twenty four hours of calling Laura's number non-stop, and no response.Something was wrong.Really, fucking, wrong.Laura had never missed a call from me, and especially since she had promised to keep communication open. I have dropped more than 300 missed calls, and several texts, yet no response.Where was she?The last text she had sent me was twenty six hours , telling me that the funeral was ongoing and she would facetime me when she gets back home. But, she didn't. Something was definitely wrong.My heart was pounding in my chest, and anxiety was slowly taking over. Where was she?I was having a really bad feeling about her, and I didn't know if I was worrying for nothing or my worries were indeed valid. Laura wouldn't intentionally ignore my calls, knowing I'm sick with worry.What if something happened to her?What if she was attacked?What if her father's funeral had taken a turn for the worse? What if someone was holding her captive?Or, w
L A U R AThe shot rang in my ears, and I watched in horror as blood spurted from Marco's mouth and his body slumped to the floor."What did you do?!" Bile rose in my throat as I watched the horrific sight in front of me, a cold shiver and a feeling of deja vu running through my body.I have seen Viktor take people's life like it was nothing too many times. He kills humans faster than he kills a mosquito. He has no compassion, no emotions, no remorse. He's a monster.If you think my father was horrible, Viktor is ten times worse than him. He's the devil incarnate."Why? Why did you do that? He was innocent.""What he deserved. No one, and I mean, no one, will ever defy me. If he can't do his job, he is useless. There's no use keeping a man who's a coward. I'll have to get another one who is not a pussy like Marco to get the job done, sí?"My mind ran fast, and I had to think of a way to convince him against this. "What's the point of allowing another man to touch what is yours? It's o
L A U R AI felt a pinch on my arm, and I snapped my head to the side, to watch Viktor piercing a needle in my arm."What the fuck are you doing?""This is going to help you relax. You're tense, and nervous, and I don't want you to make a scene. Not now. Not when we're so close to finally being together again. So, stop struggling, and enjoy the ride. You will get there, eventually."He injected the contents into my blood stream, and I watched him, and the man driving, as the world around me started spinning.And, the last thing I saw was Viktor's smiling face.A face that had haunted me every single day, and a face that was the last thing I had ever wanted to see again.It was a nightmare.I slumped on the seat, and blacked out."Wakey, wakey, sleeping beauty. Wake the fuck up. I've waited too long for this."I heard Viktor's voice, and I struggled to open my eyes. I blinked a few times, and the room came into focus.I was in a room, sitting in a chair, with my hands tied behind me, an
L A U R AToday is my father's funeral.I woke up, feeling a dar, gloomy cloud over my head. It was screaming danger. Something was about to happen. Something big. I could feel it.But, I didn't let my fear get the best of me. I got out of bed, walking into my bathroom to take a shower. As the warm water cascaded down my skin, I couldn't help but remember the first time Viktor took me, and he made me bleed."Viktor, please..." I cried, trying to pull my wrists free. He was holding them down, hovering over me, and spreading my legs with his own as he smiled sadistically. No single remorse in his eyes."No."He took me forcefully, my frail sixteen year old body unable to withstand the strength and power of a thirty two year old man.It felt like he was splitting me open. My eyes filled with tears, and I begged him to stop. And when I saw that I didn't have a choice, I begged him to go slowly that he was hurting me, I screamed for help, but he slapped a hand over my mouth, and shoved hi
L A U R AMy phone rang, as Sebastian's name appeared on the screen."Hey, baby." I smiled, and walked out onto the balcony, and sat on the chair."How are you doing, Laura? Are you holding up okay?""Yeah. I'm fine." I lied, and he sighed."I know you're not okay, baby. Please, tell me the truth."I knew i had to keep lying to him. For his own sake. He didn't deserve to be dragged into my Mafia world, full of hatred, chaos, violence, and danger. He was an innocent, and his only mistake was loving me."It's just the stress from the funeral arrangements. We're having a wake for my father, and then a burial in the family cemetery. And, there are a lot of preparations that need to be made. The board, and the family members have to attend, and we have to make sure everything is perfect.""Do you want me to come? I can take some time off work, and stay for a few days, and help you. Then we'd come back to America together. How does that sound?""It's alright, Seb. You don't have to come. I'
L A U R AThe next day, I was forced to go see my father's body at the morgue. Not really forced, but it's kind of like a family tradition where a child has to see and pray on the father's body, to send him off for an eternal rest in heaven.If only they knew that even my prayers wouldn't stop God's plans for that man. He was going to make him suffer and rot in hell with the devil, exactly where he belongs. He's a devil, and the devil's family.The coroner pulled the body out of the freezer, and I had to keep myself from retching, and rolling my eyes. He was so pale, and his skin was almost blue. He was wearing an oversized shirt, and his arms were folded on top of his stomach.Fabian held my arm, and I took a deep breath, and watched as the coroner pulled the cloth off his face.He was covered in scars, and stitches, and looked like a corpse.And, the moment I saw his face, I felt nothing.Nothing at all.My heart didn't sink, and tears didn't roll down my cheeks, and no regrets or r