*SILIA*“Are you sure it’s okay that I am here?” I asked feeling thoroughly out of place to be at the one of the biggest banquet halls in the city. The place would be often showed on TV for award functions filled with celebrities and famous personalities. To be standing in such a place among these jewels of society I couldn’t help but feel nervous.“Oh don’t let it bother you that much. This not a very big event. It’s just the fifteenth anniversary of this building that the Calix built under my Dad’s supervision back when he was alive. They have therefore invited us and almost the whole of the gang. The place is filled with mostly our gang members today. It is brimming with normal people if that is what you would want to call them,” Diana assured me and at her words I did feel somehow better.“That does help a little but I still don’t know how I should act. I have never attended a masquerade before,” I whined adjusting my mask that Diana had prepared for me along with the dress and he
*SILIA*“So that’s what got you distracted,” Alfeo murmured next to my ear taking me by surprise. I paced back at the sudden closeness stepping on the cloth of my own dress and just as I was about to fall Alfeo caught hold of me, securing me in his strong arms.“Sorry, I must have scared you,” he said looking in my eyes through his maroon mask with a small apologetic smile. Flicking his gaze to the side he pulled me up and directly into a hug, “But it’s a good thing that this gave us an opportunity of making Draven jealous. He is looking right over at us. You think he recognizes you?”Saying that he turned me around in the hug giving me a perfect view of Draven’s angry eyes glaring at me. It was pathetic how I felt happy at his recognition.“Didn’t I just request you to keep the touching to a minimum?” Diana groaned making me pull away and blushing I apologized.Why? Why was Draven glaring on seeing the two of us together if he didn’t care about me?“Leave the two of them alone, babe.
*SILIA*Grey eyes staring right at me.Am I dreaming?Was I hallucinating?The warmth of his hand on my waist was scorching to a magnitude that I was scared I would burn. This couldn’t be a dream then but how and why was Draven dancing with me?It had happened so suddenly that I couldn’t even understand. One moment Alfeo and I were enacting a bowing scene after finishing our dance and the very next second I was whisked away by the pair of cold eyes that had been drilling holes in my head throughout the dance with Alfeo.The music for the second song was another slow dance and after the first song the second one had motivated more couples to come onto the dance floor making it crowded. It didn’t help my nerves that Draven had swished us away to the other side from where I had been dancing with Alfeo before so I couldn’t even find him.Except for staring into the sly silver eyes of the man I loved I had nothing that I could do.He didn’t look like he was going to explain his actions any
Leaving me hanging there without even giving me a chance to understand what he had meant by it Draven went away. Thanks to his mask we hadn’t garnered any attention except for the people who obviously knew who he was.For example Julia who was glaring at me from the other side of the room. She looked like she was ready to kill me, her eyes narrowed at me through her mask. Even from this distance I could feel her hatred travel with a hint of jealousy. It was the first time I had seen that look on her after having felt that same emotion every time I had seen her with Draven.She looked beautiful today as she always did and I noticed that she had many onlookers staring at her even as she stood there glaring at me. I didn’t know whether she realized this or not but Draven was the one who had approached me.I wasn’t much aware of her presence until now but one thing pierced in my mind that made no sense to me.Why hadn’t she come in to stop Draven? If they were together she would have the
*SILIA*Assembling near the stage I find that Draven is already standing on the edge of it. When he notices our arrival he smiles and then goes to stand in the center. The people yet haven’t noticed the masked man on the stage but one tap on the microphone attached to him sends a thudding sound to echo in the bustling hall, garnering all the attention towards him.The people look annoyed at the sudden disturbance as they do not know yet who he is. Some resume their conversations and some look on with curiosity.“Is he serious? Is he going to do it in front of everyone here?” Diana gasped looking around. “I didn’t know he was going to go all out!”It was unrealistic but seeing him still standing there looking over at us, at me I couldn’t understand what else to make of this.What the fuck am I supposed to feel?Taking his mask off he finally revealed himself making the ones who had been looking at him gasp at the realization that the big bad Don himself had stepped up to announce somet
*SILIA*The first thing I felt coming to consciousness again was a heavy feeling in my chest.My head wasn’t still very clear about what was going on around me but it seemed like my heart hadn’t been able to forget what it had gone through. My eyes burnt and felt tender I had to blink several times before they got adjusted to the light.Staring up at the celling that I had come to greet every night now I felt tears slip out of my eyes again. The memories came crashing back of the haunting night and the gift that Draven had gifted me.‘You deserve this for being so foolish!’A voice taunted me in my head and closing my eyes I accepted it.Turning my face to look to my side I saw that there was nobody in my room and weirdly enough I felt scared at the sight of my usually empty room. I had been perpetually alone all my life finding random companions to help me go through life for some time. I had rarely found anyone permanent that I felt safe with and at home. I had thought Lisa to be th
*SILIA*“Do you really have to do this Silia?” Diana asked following me into the office that I was sure was the last time I was stepping in. She was usually composed whenever she was in public, especially in this building but today she seemed different. The eyes moved after her and at me, who she was following after talking so languidly and informally which was completely unlike the ice queen persona she usually carried.I was worried about her reputation and so silently and in a fast manner I walked over to the elevator to shut us in.When it was finally the two of us alone I sighed, looked over at her and said, “Please don’t make it harder than it already is for me. I don’t want to leave you two as well but I have to. I am sorry Diana but please try and understand me.”My voice quivered at the end as I had still been very weak and exhausted from yesterday. I had barely received any sleep last night and as soon as it was time to go to the office I had decided to submit my application
*DRAVEN*“You are an idiot! How the fuck did you become a Mafia don is beyond my understanding.”Diana thundered at me for the millionth time since yesterday.“I am sorry, I didn’t know this was how it would end up,” I said truly meaning my words. I couldn’t believe what I had done.I had officially fucked up big time!I had hurt her and lost her.This was what I wanted from the beginning. I had wanted her safe and therefore away from me but now that she is leaving I cannot take it.“Why couldn’t you discuss this plan with us once?” Diana asked dejectedly wondering if things could have ended better if that had been the case.“The news came to me very suddenly. I wasn’t aware that some infiltrators were behind the woman who I am in love with,” I confessed remembering how I had listened in on the conversation of a masked man to another.“I had therefore danced with her wanting her to stay close to me so no one would be able to get her but since I would be giving her hope of something bu
*SILIA*I think I needed to run away.“Silia? What are you doing here? Are you alright? Everyone was looking for you. It's time!” Diana said hastily coming to me when she found me in the washroom of my suite.Her words only made me panic more and shaking my head I said, “No, Diana I don’t think I can do this. I don’t think I can go out there like this.”My words must have not sat well with her because she donned a softer expression and with a hand patting my back gently for me she pulled me into a hug.“Come on, tell me what is it? What is troubling you and I swear that I will make it alright,” she said and although her hug made me feel good it also reminded me of why I wanted to run away from my own wedding.“This! See this is the problem! I can’t even hug you properly without this belly getting in my way,” I said pointing at the small bump that kept us apart from hugging properly.She seemed to realize what I had been going through and smiling at me she asked, “What are you afraid o
*SILIA*“I don’t think that Romani would actually set this grand of an event,” Diana muttered from beside me. It has been a week since we came back home and the cold mafia woman who we thought was injured was stronger than anyone we knew and had been completely fine even after that blast. Apparently she became unconscious because of exhaustion and nothing else.“According to him he is creating history and he wants the whole world to remember him and this day properly for centuries to come,” I murmured, spotting him introducing Draven to everyone around while laughing heartily. No one would say that he was sick seeing how well and about he was moving around.“He certainly chose a very strange reason to be remembered in history, ‘The man who gave away his business empire to a Mafia Don’,” Alfeo laughed, chiming in on our conversation.“Do you even know how terrified the public and media is over this? I heard the president is on his toes with this change,” Nick said, sipping a glass of c
*SILIA*“Yes! Fuck we did it!” Alfeo shouted enveloping Draven in a hug which I joined along with the others.We were probably making a lot of ruckus pulling, pushing and rejoicing, unable to believe what had happened.We won!We actually won!A clearing of a throat grabbed our attention as Samantha said, “Mr. Romani is waiting for you.”Calming down at her words Draven pulled away from us, smiling at the hoots and laughter. Looking at me he kissed me once and said, “Thank you, this wouldn’t have been possible without you.”I simply smiled at him and then turned back to the rest as he said, “Make sure that all the injured get treated and rested well. We are flying back today itself and celebrating this victory!”“Alright we’ll arrange everything you just go and meet him,” Gavin said and nodding along as I turned to leave with the others when suddenly I was stopped.“Miss Morgan, Mr. Romani wants to meet you too,” Samantha said, making everyone stop in their movements as they all looke
*SILIA*I couldn’t grasp the sense of reality. I had killed the one person that had previously meant the world to me. I had thought that I hated her a lot but even now when she had said that she hated me I couldn’t help but feel hurt. I didn’t want her to hate me. I had wanted things to have never gone the way that they had.I never wanted to lose her.“Shh, it’s alright you did what you had to,” Draven said and slowly walked towards me. I could see the pity in his eyes and I am sure I looked like a mess but his eyes didn’t stray to anywhere else but my eyes. His gray ones pierced straight into mine, reminding me of the peaceful shine of a breezy moonlit night.Reaching me he first gripped my hand over the fork and prying away my hand carefully from the weapon of murder he took hold of my violently shaking hands that couldn’t control the tension now that they weren’t holding onto the wood for dear life. Throwing away the fork to a safe distance away he immediately pulled me into a hu
*SILIA*“You might have reached till here but I cannot let you go any further than this,” Lisa said, it felt as if it had been days since I had seen her and I wouldn’t have minded it being a little longer or until I died for me to face her again.I still can’t believe she had left me alone there with Luca to suffer, it was worse than simply killing me. She wanted me to ‘suffer’, to prolong my misery.“You really think you can stop us?” I asked, challenging her, feeling my insides burn with hatred.She ignored me and looking at Draven she said, “If you still care about your people’s life then you would back away while I am giving you the chance to. You will lose the game but will return back alive.”Wasn’t she being a little too cocky?If Nick had been enough to take her down alone then the twelve people we had brought with us were definitely a lot stronger.“And lose the opportunity to kill the person who has been the sole reason for all our sufferings? No, thank you,” Draven said wit
*SILIA*“Hey! Hey who are you people! Get off my farm!”A man came shouting at us like a lunatic when we stopped our cars in front of his house.Getting out of the car Alfeo approached the man and introducing himself he said, “We just need a little assistance from you. We need to check something in your barn. Can we please do that?”“No absolutely not!” The old and hot headed man shouted at us, “You think I'll just let you jackasses get into my property just like that. Absolutely not mister.”“We will be happy to pay you a good amount of money for that. If you would just let us in then this briefcase full of money will be yours,” He said, showing him a briefcase that had been brimming full with money. By the way this farm and house looked, he really needed that for repair works and maybe to even live life in general.He stopped and hesitated for a minute when suddenly the door to his house opened and through it came an old lady, probably his wife.“Al? Who are these people?” she aske
*SILIA*“Yes! She was right about it,” Gavin shouted barging in through the door with Nick trailing behind him. The two of them looked really spent and when I was about to ask Nick what happened but he put up a hand before me to stop me from speaking.“My eyes have been fried from staring at a screen for around thirty six hours now and I fear that if I even blink it shut it isn’t going to open anymore,” he said and then mumbled under his breath, “That's why I hate Mafias.”“So what did you find?” Draven asked and the rest of us huddled closer to his laptop that he had brought with him.“So far we have learnt about a small vineyard that is very exclusive and is situated on the island called Martha’s Vineyard. It is registered under another woman’s name so it was hard for us to track it down but we finally did. The label vine that it makes there is called, ‘Dives Uvae’ which also means rich grapes in Latin.”“A silly name if you ask me,” Alfeo muttered in between to which Diana laughed
*SILIA*“Only ten days are left,” Gavin said, making all of us sigh in frustration.“That's too little time and we still don’t have any clue about where Romani might be,” Nick mumbled, having joined the Mafia unable to stay away from this life after getting so deep into it once again.“No we don’t give up hope here, we can still turn the situation around, we just need to think from another perspective,” Diana said, making me nod along but if truth be said even I was losing confidence with how little time we had left.“If it makes anyone feel good then at least the Ravens aren’t in any position to even care about this game when they are already so deep in their own troubles,” Alfeo said, making me nod along.“Not to forget that the Phantoms don’t seem to have any clue about Romani too, although they have become more frantic in their searches,” I said, frowning near the end.No matter what anybody said or did it was clear that we were all on the edge with how close we were to winning an
*SILIA*“What was that just now?” Draven asked, looking slightly dazed as we took the elevator up to his office.“Just a little mental torture,” I said smiling at him. “He hadn’t hurt me physically as much as he did mentally every time that he touched me or tried to brainwash me into loving him.”I didn’t realize but a frown had taken over on its own and seeing that Draven said, “Let me overwrite that memory.”Pushing me against the cold walls of the elevator he kissed me. I fought for control, my body turning hot at his touch. After staying away from him for so long it was as if every time that he touched me he was quenching a thirst in my body.Our tongues slid against each other, gently caressing, massaging and sucking. I wanted to take control again like how I did before but as soon as he realized what I was doing he brought his hand down to my thigh and gripped it, making me gasp at how close he was to my crotch. He then pushed a knee gently against my excited entrance, leaving i