E L L EOne week passed quickly, and it was time for the fashion week and gala. I have fully recovered and I was back to my normal self, which was good. I wouldn't have missed the event for the world.Avery, Giovanna and I arrived in New Jersey and checked into the hotel we would be staying at. We had a suite booked. It was beautiful. The rooms were luxurious, and the view of the city was breathtaking.Giovanna and Avery occupied one room while, I took the other.I had decided on trusting my stylist's choice for this gala. I told her to pick a design she knows I'd like. No fittings, I didn't even know the color of dress I'd be wearing, but I wasn't worried for some reasons.She has never disappointed me, so, I trusted her.I was sitting on the couch in my room, reading through my emails, when a knock sounded on the door."Who is it?""It's us." I heard Avery call out, and I got up and walked to the door. I unlocked it, and smiled at them."Hey. What's up?""Nothing. Just wanted to sto
E L L EI was asked to close my eyes after they finished glamming my face. It was finally time to put on the dress, and I bit my lips and did as they said.The suspense already getting the better of me.I felt the coolness of the fabric of the dress as Ariel slipped it over me. The material was soft and smooth, and it was very comfortable.My hair was being styled, and the makeup artist was adding the final touches."Can I open my eyes now?" I asked impatiently."Hold on."I heard the rustling of a bag, and the opening and closing of the wardrobe door."Alright, now, you can."I opened my eyes and looked at the mirror. My jaw dropped at the sight. I looked beautiful. I have never seen myself look like this.The dress was a long, silver sequin mermaid style dress. It had a sweetheart neckline, and a slit that was at my right. The back was also low.It accentuated my curves perfectly, and I couldn't take my eyes off the mirror."I...you did so great. Thank you. This is so perfect. I love
E L L EThe show has finally started and everyone was sitting and paying attention.The runway was long, and there was a lot of people watching. The place was lit and it felt so good to be part of such a great event.I was having a good time.Avery and Giovanna were seated on my left, and we were having a good time, laughing and chatting.The first line of clothes was being presented and everyone was oohing and aahing, while taking photos and videos.The music was playing loudly and the energy was high.Everything was going smoothly, and I couldn't ask for more.I was enjoying myself, and I couldn't believe it.The models were walking down the runway, and the clothes were stunning. Everyone was loving them, and I was, too.But, the hair on the back of my neck hasn't settled and I knew I was being watched.Sebastian and Emory had arrived a little late, but I've felt his stare on me since the moment he walked into the room.It made me uncomfortable, but I decided to ignore him.I wasn't
E L L EIt all started like this...I was doing a thorough research, looking for reviews people who had bad experiences using Emory's products.Then I saw it.Hidden in the deep depths of the internet, was a blog post written by a young woman.It was a very short article, but the details were enough to paint the picture."Emory Black's beauty products are not safe. After using her hair serum, the ends of my hair fell out. And it took me weeks before the growth came back. Her face masks are not good either, and I was breaking out everywhere.Do not purchase anything from her. If you don't want to look ugly, stay away.-S.A"This was what I needed, and after reading the comments, I realized that the lady wasn't the only one.Emory Black's products were a scam, and they were killing her customers.The fact that she was so bold, and so unbothered. It angered me.She was hurting so many people, and no one was telling her.Her products were toxic, and the ingredients were dangerous.If her
E M O R YAs soon as the car pulled to a stop in front of the mansion, I got out of the car which was painstakingly hard because of this god-damned pregnancy.It was moments like this I wish I didn't have to carry a baby in me, worst of it all for nine freaking months, trying to give life to a child that will do nothing but eat, sleep, ask meaningless questions and spend my money.Then they grow up and also have this 'I hate my mom' phase, and so help me God, if my daughter ever says those words, I'm gonna be locking her ass in her room till she becomes 21 and even then, I'll still lock her up till she's 30.If I had a choice, I wouldn't even be bringing any of these coco felons to the world. I'd live my life alone and die alone. But, how then would I become the mother of the most successful business man in the country, if I don't give my husband a son or daughter?It would be a shame, really. And that I could still conceive is really a blessing, because I've gotten rid of every singl
E M O R YShit. Shit.No! Why the hell didn't I hide my tracks better? Why didn't I cover up what I was doing better?Stupid. Stupid.Now he knows.He fucking knows.Shit."Emory, answer the question. Why did you take the money without asking me?"I swallowed, and tried to act natural."Why didn't you tell me that you were taking the money? Why didn't you consult me? Why did you make the decision all by yourself? Do you know how bad that makes you look? As my wife, shouldn't you talk to me first, before making any big decisions?""What's going on with you, Sebastian?" I said, trying to divert the subject. "Don't fucking try and change the subject, Emory. Now tell me why the fuck did you steal from me?"I took a step back and glared at him."You think I stole from you? How could you even say that? I am your wife!""Oh, so you are not denying it?""Denying what? What is there to deny? I didn't steal a single penny from you, Sebastian. Your money is my money, isn't that so? We're one, r
E L L E"You did a good job, Marie." I said, handing her a glass of wine."Thanks, Miss Elle." I noticed the fear and uncertainty in her eyes. "You have nothing to be afraid of. All you said was the truth. You are a victim and you're going to be the voice of others who are too afraid to speak out. Your actions will pave a path for change, and we are going to make sure that companies like Rome Beauty Empire will no longer produce such products.""I hope this doesn't cause any trouble. I don't want people to look down on me.""Marie, you're doing the right thing. Don't think about what the others are going to say. They don't matter. Your conscience is clear. You are a good person. You have nothing to worry about.""Thanks, Miss Elle. I hope the results will be positive. I would hate myself if anything went wrong.""You are gonna be fine. We'll make sure that your name and face won't be revealed on the news. Just a picture of the places affected and your face which will be blurred. You a
E L L EI was torn in trying to know if the press were lying when they said Mikhail was a rude and self centered person, because he was anything but that.Or was he just pretending?But, he had no reason to.He has been a complete gentleman. He helped me into the car, and even opened the car door for me.It's been a while since I went out to eat lunch with a guy. And I felt a little bit uncomfortable, especially since this was my first date with him.A guy that never gives people the time of the day was giving me all of his attention.We walked inside the restaurant. He picked a very private restaurant where he was sure the paparazzi weren't already on his tail.He chose a table at the corner, where we could see everyone else, but no one could see us.The waiter came and took our order, and the only sounds were the clinking of utensils, the low music, and the chattering around the room.I fiddled with the edge of the table cloth, avoiding eye contact with him."You should stop doing t
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
L A U R AGetting off the bed, I decided to unpack my bags, before getting ready for dinner. I unzipped my bag, and took out the dresses, and hung them inside the wardrobe, and placed the shoes and jewelry, and other things on the shelves.I took out my laptop, and plugged it in, and switched it on, and went through some work emails, and replied to some urgent ones, and then logged off, and checked my personal emails, and messages, and responded to a few.Giovanna had called me a bunch of times, and had left a bunch of texts, and I quickly replied, assuring her that everything was alright, and she didn't have to worry.When everything was well arranged, I finally took time to look around my room. My childhood bedroom. All my photos that were hung on the wall were all piled up now at the corner of the room, as if they were a disgrace, and no one wanted to see them.All my favorite books, and toys, and childhood memories were packed away, and stored in the attic, never to be seen again.
L A U R A I sighed, as the airplane landed. I looked outside the window, and watched as the plane taxied on the ground, and the stewardesses told us to remain in our seats, until the plane had completely stopped.It was raining outside, and the skies were gray, and gloomy, and the rain was pouring hard, and the thunderstorm roared, and the lightning was bright.It was the perfect weather for my mood.It has been two weeks since my dad's death, and his funeral was in a few days. Two weeks since Sebastian and I decided to keep our relationship a secret. Two weeks, since Viktor started tormenting my life again. It's like he never left.Two weeks, since all hell broke loose. And, I'm tired.I'm tired of the secrets, and the lies, and the sneaking around. And, I'm tired of pretending to be strong. I just want to be held, and have someone comfort me, and tell me everything is going to be alright. But I didn't want to put Sebastian or Giovanna in that position.I haven't told Gio anything