ARIA AKA REDI run out of the room, taking the stairs two at a time as I descend the stairwell and run out into the rose garden.A small breeze blows past me, and I quickly become aware that I'm only in a long t-shirt that sits mid-thigh. I pull the hem lower, walking past the guards that stand by the large iron gates that are fit for a kingdom. One of the guards lifts his wrist to his mouth, his other hand touches his ear, and he nods his head removing his suit jacket.He walks toward me, coming to a halt as he blocks my path, and holds out his Jacket. "Mr Volkov wants you to put this on." He says in a nonchalant tone.I look up at the mansion to where my room is, and I see Wolf standing on the terrace looking down at us, his phone is pressed to his ear. I lift my hand and flip him the bird with a snarky smile on my face. I look back at the guard, "Keep the jacket, Romeo." I contest and storm off with my arms folded across my chest and my head bowed. What was I thinking when I le
ARTEMIS AKA WOLF The taste of her sherbet kisses still dances upon my tastebuds, driving me wild. The way she had spontaneously moaned in my arms, wrapping her limbs around my body felt so right and forbidden at the same time. Desire. Lust. Excitement. It's all still there swirling around in my stomach, igniting my heart, like I'm about to combust for her. She's got me looking crazy, hoping that she will save me from the depths of my misery. I roll my shoulders back, do the last button up on my pristine white shirt and roll the sleeves up. Exhaling, I close my eyes and tilt my head back, letting my thoughts wander through the misty atmosphere. Last night is mentally fucking with me. Sandro Venturi... The name still doesn't ring a bell. His father Giovanni never mentioned him, and I'm starting to question what other secrets Don Gio was keeping from the rest of the elite families. Zeynep is dead. And there is no coming back from that. The Venturi's had the balls to go thro
ARIA AKA RED"You know, you don't have to walk so close to me." I snap at Nio, who walks right behind me as I descend the stairs. "Where am I going to run off to? The front gate just to be escorted back inside?" I ask sarcastically. "It's my duty to watch over you.""Just as it was your burden to wait in the corner of the room while I changed my clothes?" I utter the words with malice. "Did Mr Volkov want you to see me half naked?" As my feet touch the marble floors at the bottom of the steps, I turn around to face him.His jaw ticks as he looks down at me from his towering position. "Do you seriously think that Mr Volkov gives two shits about you?" He smirks devilishly with haunting eyes. "You are nothing but a business transaction who won't put out." He chuckles, running his fingers through his chocolate brown hair. A murderous beat of angry footsteps comes to a halt, "I bet her husband would still cut out your tongue if he ever heard you speaking to his wife like that?" Ella his
ARTEMIS AKA WOLFUpon my arrival at the mansion, I wind my window down, and stop at the gate as it begins to slide open, "Did Ms Ella leave without a fuss?" I ask, lowering my sunglasses down the bridge of my nose. "Da [yes], boss. She left with Nio and Mrs Volkov in the SUV." He reports back.Removing the sunglasses from my face, I toss them on the passenger's seat, and I open my door, exiting the car. "What do you mean Ella left with Mrs Volkov and Nio? I left strict instructions that my wife was not to leave the mansion. Under any circumstances. Until we know that it is safe enough for her to leave!" I growl in a deadly tone, brushing a hand over my face. "Where has Nio taken them?" "I-I don't know Mr Volkov." He stammers, looking at the ground as he shakes his head."You didn't bother to ask!" I roar furiously."Net, [No]. I saw that it was Nio driving and assumed you knew what was going on." He mumbles in a hushed tone. "Mne zhal' [I'm sorry]. I will try to locate the vehicle b
*** WARNING: This chapter contains mature content such as abuse, sexual abuse, and rape. Please read at your discretion. Thank you.***---ARIA AKA REDTWO EXCRUCIATING DAYs LATER...As the gusty air sweeps across the room, my teeth begin to chatter.I am so cold. I have been stripped of all my clothes and I only have a thin sheet that covers my physique.I am tired, too afraid to fall asleep in case I am woken up by Nio, inside me, raping me.My stomach is cramping and it hurts like fuck because I haven't eaten anything since arriving in this hellhole.I haven't had anything to drink either so my mouth feels like a parched desert.I have been forced to lay on a rough, lumpy mattress that stinks of stale piss and vomit. He has bound my hands with rope and they feel as cold as ice cubes. I raise them to my mouth, doing my best to blow a long steady breath so I can feel some warmth on them."E-El-Ella..." I cry into the darkness while holding my breath, hoping to hear her response.Si
ARTEMIS AKA WOLF I step out of the SUV, straightening my suit jacket as I fasten the middle button. I am greeted by a blonde female who looks to be in her mid-twenties. I try to keep my cool when all I want to do is storm through the villa and tear Sandros fucking head off. I haven't slept since Red was taken, and that was two days ago. I am running on fumes, and my temper has become very unpredictable. For instance, I killed my gardener this morning because he decided to trim back the red rose garden and I completely lost it. Anything to do with the colour red seems to trigger me, leaving a path of destruction in my wake. I haven't been able to stomach anything as flashes of Anastazia's death keep clouding my mind, and her face has slowly started to morph into Reds. I also haven't told Braxton about his daughter's disappearance because the last thing I need is for him to go around and fuck things up. The man is a small-time ganglord, who rides around on a motorbike instil
***WARNING THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS ABUSE [NON SEXUAL] PLEASE READ AT YOUR DISCRETION. THANK YOU...*** --- ARIA AKA RED "Fucck!!" My body jumps with fright as I am compelled to emerge from the shadows of emptiness as a loud voice resonates across the room, piercing my ear canals. I groan and peel my eyelids open as I tug on the recliner's footrest, in an effort to extricate myself from Nio's limp corpse the second my vision clears. A scream is torn from my throat as I try to hold onto the footrest the second I am being hoisted to my feet by the roots of my hair. Pain, despair, and utter suffering permeate my muscles and every inch of my flesh. On unstable feet, with my knees on the verge of collapsing, I am forced to stare into the dark eyes of a man I once trusted. "C-Ca-leb?" I whimper with surprise and anger. "Yeah, baby girl it's me." He replies spitefully with his fingers still clutching my scalp. "W-why?" "Because your husband killed my brother." He roars, shoving me
ARTEMIS AKA WOLF A FEW HOURS EARLIER... Eric’s sinister laugh bounces off the walls with every slash, brutal punch, and gunshot wound I tarnish his body with. He is strong, but he forgets that everything and everyone, has a price whether it be money or the life of a loved one. “If I don’t call the house at two on the dot, your wife and mistress will be shot in the head like a pair of fucking dogs and I cannot promise you that they won’t be raped like a couple of filthy prostitutes too.” I pick up the scalpel that rests on the metal tray above the table, which shows a variety of instruments that I like to play with when I torture my victims. I use it to slice open the branches of his ulnar arteries on his forearms, and he cries out in a muffled tone as he tries to remain unbreakable, which unfortunately for him, it doesn't last long. The wrath pouring from every pore of my body causes my chest to rise and fall ferociously. Blood seeps through the cracks in the concrete like a fl
ZEYNEP My eyes grow wide as fear forbids me to move. With fear-stricken eyes, I watch as Dmitri rushes to the bedroom window, pulling a ribbed black top over his shoulders. He stands in the shadows where the sun doesn't kiss the room, and he gazes out the window. Whatever is happening on the other side of the window, causes his hands to curl into tight balls of fury at his sides. The instant he looks back at me, I know it's bad. I immediately turn around, attempting to unlock the door so I can rush down the stairs and find my parents. "Net... [No...]" Dmitri growls in a hushed tone, yanking me away from the door, and he pulls me to the far corner of the room. "Get down, and don't let anyone see you through the window." He states sternly, leaving no room for me to disregard his orders. He moves along the wall, opens the closet door, and pulls out his duffle bag. He extracts two guns, twists the silencers on the barrels, and removes two clips; stuffing the clips into the back
ZEYNEPTWENTY-ONE YEARS LATER.I stare at my reflection in the mirror, admiring the strong young woman who stares back at me. Today is my twenty-first birthday, and my parents have decided they want to celebrate it with all their corporate friends and close confidants. I usually feel like an outcast at large gatherings or in crowded places. I am the awkward girl in the corner of the room who has been sipping the same drink for three hours while watching everyone else enjoy themselves.I turn to the side, drinking in my reflection as I take note of how well the gown fits my body.It savagely clings to every generous curve the Gods have blessed me with. The silver gown that sparkles under the light heightens the sapphire blue irises in my eyes. I have my mother's red hair and my father's eyes, but somehow I have inherited my Aunt Ana's spitfire tongue.FOR ONCE, my mother has picked something for me that doesn't make me feel like I am too overly dressed; something that will draw too
ARIA AKA REDIn a state of panic, I yank Wolf's gun out of the holster in the back of his jeans.I step around him, point the gun at the crazy lady who keeps calling him Aleksander with her gun directed at his face, and I pull the trigger. The thunderous sound of the gun discharging rockets through the atmosphere. As soon as I realise what I have done, I drop the weapon and watch as it strikes the ground.Wolf lunges forward, he rips the crying child out of his mother's embrace before she collapses to the ground.With my eyes growing larger than saucers, I lift my arms, covering my mouth with my hands. What have I done? I just murdered a woman...A mother in cold blood while her child clung to her...Regret slowly slivers up my spine, dispersing across my trembling flesh like a plague as guilt consumes me entirely. "Red... Red, are you okay?" Wolfs' thick and firm voice crashes into me like tidal waves upon the seashore, and I stagger back from the cruel impact it has upon my bod
ARTEMIS AKA WOLFTWO MONTHS LATERWalking through the slums of Russia, I grip Red's hand tighter and draw her flush against my side.I am truly grateful that my ancestors were able to get us out of the country. As I envision the life I would have had here, I am filled with dread due to the pure evil that would have landed me in prison."I still can not believe that this is where your family originated from. You wreak of money, power and sophistication. Wolf, it is absolutely remarkable how a person's lifelong ambitions may pave the way for the prosperity of their entire family tree." She hums as she takes in the scenery surrounding us.I smile at the excitement she helplessly displays. This is her first trip abroad. If I had known sooner, I would have postponed this trip and taken her somewhere more romantic and deserving."Do you think Zeynep would want to visit Russia when she gets older?" She adds, picking an apple off a tree we walk past.I snatch the apple out of her grasp, rub
ARIA AKA RED It's been a week since I returned home from the hospital with Zeynep. I guess everyone forgets to tell you how sleep-deprived you will become. Not because Zeynep doesn't sleep or the fact that I need to wake up every three hours at night to change her diaper, feed her, and burp her. No, that isn't the case at all because we have mastered our routine. I cannot stop glancing at her and thinking, 'Wow, I made her... she came out of me'. It is so bizarre, but also the greatest experience ever. I genuinely believed I would have difficulty coping and fall into a pit of depression, but I have not. I suppose it is because I have the best support group imaginable. What's even more out of it, is that every time I see Wolf changing Zeyneps diaper, or falling asleep on the rocking chair with her little body pressed against his chest. It makes me want to jump his bones. Seeing him in father mode seriously does something crazy to my libido, and I can not wait till I am
ARTEMIS AKA WOLFI continuously swallow the lump that has embedded itself in the column of my throat, as I lean against the doorjamb watching Red breastfeed our daughter. A sense of pride licks my feverish skin, I feel like my life is now complete, and I try to think back as to how I got here. I sigh, shaking my head with a grin on my face as I pinch the bridge of my nose. I seriously don't know how I'm going to cope trying to keep them both safe without driving myself entirely insane. For once, I feel like my life has a purpose like I have accomplished the impossible where my heart is concerned. If only my father could see me now, blyad [fuck], I truly do hope he is rolling in the fucking grotty soil he was laid to rest in.A heavy hand lands on my shoulder, jerking me back to the present and I snap my head to the side to see a very chump-looking Deniz standing beside me."Congratulations on the birth of your daughter, my friend." He sighs with a dip of his head.I push off the do
ARIA AKA RED Icy needles of cold water attack my searing flesh, and the sting claws at the clinging shadows of my nightmares as they continue to haunt me. Closing my eyes, I step further into the spray, willing the lingering fear and nauseousness to circle the drain around my swelling feet. A shiver consumes me, and my thoughts drift to my unborn baby and husband. The guilt, repulsion, and terror still cling to my body like a second layer of skin. I hate that Roar still bombards my conscience. "Goddamn it!" I place my open palms flat against the cool tiles and absorb the coolness of the punishing surge into my bones; my core. Every time I am ripped from reality and thrown into my night terrors, I can still feel, hear and sense Roar's presence as if he is still somehow clinging to me. A metallic taste coats my tongue, and it causes me to shudder. I won't give in to the facade of him still tormenting me when he is six feet under. I touch my belly. I won't let him ruin th
ARTEMIS AKA WOLF As soon as I see Red enter the cafe, I stand, move to the opposite side of the table, and pull her chair. "Moy angel. [My angel.]" I hum, pressing a gentle kiss on her lips as she reaches my side. She smiles, inhaling deeply, "You smell so good, Wolf." She coos as she uncomfortably settles into her chair, although her swelling bump makes it rather difficult. I raise my hand before resuming my seat and requesting service. A young female with blonde hair and blue tips approaches our table."Hello, my name is Cammy, welcome to the Break-Away cafe. Are you ready to order?" She says in a polite, inviting tone as she presses the ball tip of her pen to her notebook. "I'll have a black coffee with a salmon and cream cheese bagel," I reply, ordering something simple as I need to get back to the office. "Just a chocolate thick shake for me with extra syrup please." Red orders, rubbing her belly with an uncomfortable expression smeared across her glowing face. A low grow
ARIA AKA RED"Will we be taking the elevator today, Mrs Volkov?" Ivan asks me as he holds the door to the penthouse wide open.I give him a serious look as I rub my swelling belly, "You know I don't do elevators." I sigh, sliding my handbag over my shoulder. "Da [yes], my apologies." He utters with a frown on his face, "I just thought that since you are now heavily pregnant you might want to use the elevator."As I step through the door, "I am claustrophobic, me getting stuck inside an elevator is my worse dream come true." I reply while we walk to the staircase entrance."Understood," He holds the door open to the staircase. "Mr Volkov has also confirmed that he will meet you for lunch at the Break-Away cafe at one, after his meeting.""That's fine. Have you seen Ana this week?" I enquire as I begin to descend the steps utilising the handrails as my saviour.The last thing I need is to miss a damn step and plummet to the bottom of the stairs; causing me to go into labour early.It's