MARK Giulia sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes distant and foggy as she absentmindedly twisted a strand of her hair between her fingers. I stood by the doorway with my stomach in knots. For the fifth time that morning, she asked me the same question—one that tore at me every time she repeated it. "Where are my parents? Why haven’t they come to get me?" Her voice was small, innocent, like a scared little girl. I swallowed hard and stepped closer, kneeling beside her. "Giulia," I began, trying to keep my voice steady, though the cracks were impossible to hide. "What’s their address? I’ll find them for you. I’ll bring them to you." Her face lit up with a spark of hope as if I had just handed her a lifeline. She rattled off the address without hesitation. It didn’t sound familiar, but I memorized it anyway. "Seattle," she added, her lips curving into a soft, nostalgic smile. "They live in Seattle." I stood up with a sigh. Seattle. I hadn’t expected that. We were across the worl
GUILIAMark leaned on the door, with his arms folded, watching me with a frown as I sat so close to my foster mum. I wouldn't have been caught dead sitting next to them in a normal circumstance, but this one was far from it. They were familiar faces. The devil I knew at the moment seemed better than the angels—Mark and Kenzo—that claimed I knew them. My foster mum scowled at me, but she didn't remove my hand from hers. Peter did the same. Those dark eyes of his promised a hell more than the ones I'd been passing through in his hands. Icy dread enveloped me the more his gaze lingered. Looking towards Mark, I cleared my throat to hide my fear as I asked, “Can… Can I have a moment alone with them?” “Huh?” He looked like he couldn't comprehend why I asked for private time, but instead of asking about it, he nodded. “Sure. Call me if you need me.” Drawing away from the door. He looked reluctant to leave me alone in the room with them, but he didn't voice it. He gave me one last glance b
MARKI stepped outside with Giulia’s so-called parents, the cool breeze doing little to quell the fire simmering beneath my skin. The two of them followed, exchanging a glance as I led them away from the house, where Giulia wouldn’t hear what I was about to say."We need to talk," I began, keeping my tone measured. "Giulia’s condition is delicate. She needs medical attention, something she won’t get if you take her with you. She doesn’t even remember who she really is, and if she stays in this state, things could get worse."The woman squinted at me, her face a mask of suspicion. "We can take care of her," she said sharply, crossing her arms over her chest. The man beside her nodded, his expression equally sceptical. "But I’ve seen the way you look at her."I bristled at her words. My fists clenched at my sides, but I stayed calm. For now."We’re willing to leave her here," she continued, her voice lowering as she leaned closer. "But it’ll cost you."I narrowed my eyes as my patience
GUILIAMark left immediately after Kenzo showed up, promising that he would be back with my parents the next day. I didn't trust those words because he didn't seem like he was telling the truth. I could tell from his gaze that there was something he was keeping from me. Oddly enough, I didn't feel scared about it. Though I kept on yelling for him to get my foster parents back, I wasn't that eager to meet them again. I just wanted to keep him on his toes, so he wouldn't think I was ready to embrace a life I couldn't remember. After meeting my foster parents, I realized something. Mark wasn't lying when he said I wasn't sixteen like I thought I was. Not only that, but Kenzo brought my phone back last night, and I had gone through the pictures.Though I couldn't recall any of them, I knew they couldn't have worked on such convincing pictures, not even with the help of an AI. With those thoughts in mind, I went to bed after having dinner — I had to sneak into the kitchen to do that afte
MARK"What the fuck is going on?" I murmured to myself, my brows creasing at the parked cars out front. My gates were flung open, men in black lining the sidewalk and driveway. I clocked my gun and fixed it into the waistband of my jeans. I fucking told Kenzo not to let anyone in!I literally took only twenty minutes—okay, it was about thirty or so—to get some things from the store and clear my head. Giulia had incessantly whined for biscuits and candies like a child, so I decided to do what was best for us all: get a basketful of those things she wanted badly. I'd present them to her like a gift."Hey, what the hell is happening here?" I asked the men outside the gate, but they said nothing. Gripping my gun through my shirt, I walked into the compound.The scene was chaos: bloodstains on the ground, men ducking for cover, and bodies lying still. I saw Kenzo near the gate, pinned down behind a wall. But what really set me off was the sight of Giulia in the presence of a strange man, s
GUILIAEverything happened in a blur after that. From the time Roberto told me I was his daughter, to his conversation with Mark before he took me with him. Within a month, I had changed from a girl who had nothing to a princess of a damned villa. It was surreal. Like a dream, I would probably wake from if I pinched myself hard. But I dared not do that. The dream was one I didn't want to wake from. A month into living in the villa, and getting dotted on, I started picking up titbits of memories I'd forgotten. More intense was the one that hit me last, one that caused tears to stream down my eyes.I had lost a baby. Not only that, but it would be difficult to conceive again, if not impossible. Though Dr Sheldon promised it would happen.Roberto tried to console me, but I refused to be consoled. Oddly enough, the thoughts of so many things at my disposal didn't ease the heaviness in my heart. Wealth couldn't fill the hole, couldn't mend the broken heart. I cried myself to sleep last n
MARKHolding Giulia close, I buried my face in her hair, inhaling the familiar scent that grounded me. Fuck, I missed this. It felt like I’d been drifting for so long, waiting for this exact moment to feel whole again. Just holding her, feeling the gentle rhythm of her breath, was enough to make the world outside our embrace fade away. As I sighed, she slowly pulled back, her beautiful eyes searching mine, sending silent messages only the two of us could understand. Her gaze softened, and I felt an ache that I recognized as much in her expression as in myself.A single tear slipped down her cheek. My guts twisted. Her lip trembled slightly. “I missed you,” she whispered. Despite how beautiful she looked with the silent stream on her face, I couldn't bear to see her this way. I reached up and brushed the tears away, lingering my touch on her cheek to enjoy the warmth a little longer. Without saying a word, I leaned in and pressed my lips softly to hers, savouring the taste of her l
NOTE: You can read this work as a standalone, but for better clarification, I would recommend that you read the first book.GIULIAI kept peeking behind me as I dashed down the busy streets of Madrid. Most of the pedestrians gave me curious looks as I weaved through them. My heart was thumping violently in my chest. I was sweating, but that was the least of my problems.I knew there was no way those monsters could have tracked me from the States to Spain, but I couldn't help my intrusive thoughts.I securely gripped my purse, clutching it to myself to discourage pickpockets. The minute I left the airport, I went to a Bureau de Change to get my currency changed from Dollar to Euro. I only had 700 Euros with me, and I hoped to use it sparingly.I intended to find a motel that wouldn't cost more than £3. If that was possible. I didn't mind living in a rat-infested place until I got a job, which didn't sound like something that would have happened anytime soon.“Sorry!” I apologized to a