Alicia’s POV:Uh…I was flustered and momentarily taken aback by Mikael’s visuals, and how she could hardly take her eyes off of him.The sound of his roughened voice set my heart racing, and my face felt hot.His eyes were gleaming, staring at me with such intensity that any woman would swoon, and I found myself wishing I could just take a step or two closer.Dangerous, Alicia.Don’t fall for it.Shaking myself from those thoughts I cleared my throat and tried to focus my eyes on something else other than his entrancing eyes and just how NICE his skin was.“Well?” Mikael’s voice startled me again and I swallowed audibly before sitting down and continuing.“W-why did I have to find out about my job like this? Who resigned on my behalf?” I asked him.His brows furrowed briefly before he then smirked wider.“Ah,” Mikael replied. “It was my suggestion, marina.”Hearing the pride in his voice made me frustrated.“Well, why?” I asked him.“Why not? You have no use for it anyway, after all
Alicia’s POV: “We’re here,” I looked up at the sound of the voice, and saw it was one of the men Mikael had accompany me that had opened the door for me.Wait.When did the car stop? I had been so deep in thought, I hadn’t even noticed.Dazed, I stepped out of the car carefully, and noticed the building we were in front of.Intricately designed, it stood out. And the bronze plaque above the front door- What? I was hardly able to conceal my surprise. It wasn’t just any building; it was Terazzo’s, one of the luxurious boutiques so exclusive it required a waitlist to get a chance to shop in.Heard that courtesy of Daya anyway. I didn’t know whether it was true or not but that Terrazo didn’t take in just any sort of clientele still stayed. What was I doing here? Wasn’t I supposed to be going to some place called Jamie’s?I voiced out my question to the three men, one of whom went to the door to knock. “Boss’s orders, Miss,” one of the other men responded, and I was equally shocked wh
Alicia’s POV:I opened her mouth and closed it, gaping like a fish as I saw my friend for the first time since before I was abducted.Yet the expression in Daya’s face wasn’t exactly what I had expected. There was a gleam in them that stung, causing a burning sensation in my chest. What was this..?I began to explain, “I… a lot happened. How are you?” I tried to change the subject.“Yes I heard a lot happened. You quit your job didn’t you? What happened to your glasses? Where are they?” Her rapid fire questions made me blink just as quickly, and I pursed my lips.“I didn’t need them. I guess I just… got rid of them..?” I shrugged uncomfortably as her eyes gave me the once over I was used to. But there was no approving glance, and instead there was a tinge of jealousy in her eyes.It was there and I could see it clear as day.If only I could tell her that I never wanted this, that I would give anything to have my old life back. “Right, were you headed into the park? We can go together
Acker’s POV:My grip on the paintbrush loosened. I was about ready to dive deep into the newest inspiration that struck me when Javier had called in. My painting interrupted, my mood worsened.“What happened?” I demanded upon seeing Alicia's photo. She would have looked fine to anyone but I was trained in the art of reading body language. And I saw the way her body was tense, coiled away from the Mikael’s standing with her, and her face which showed that she was mentally far away, staring off into space. She was upset about something.Had that Serrano done something to her?“She returned like this, Acker,” Javier called me by my first name whenever we spoke in private, as he wasn’t just my second in command, but also a friend. “Apparently the men took her out shopping on Mikael’s orders and well… i can’t say what the fuck happened to her then. She has gone to sleep and barely said a word to anyone since she got back.”Something must have happened that I wasn’t aware of and I didn’t l
Alicia’s POV:I sniffled into the scented pillows, curled up into a fetal position as I laid there the next morning.Every couple of minutes I’d replay the fight with Daya in my head, and would wonder why exactly she had blown up at me like that.I knew she was jealous, but if she was my friend and knew me so well, wouldn’t see see that I wasn’t so happy?Her words had stung, her insults most of all.Calling me an orphan that she took pity on? Why would she have that idea in her head?There was a knock on the door but I ignored it. I wasn’t in the mood to speak to anyone, much less see anyone today. I had all day and nothing to do but to bury myself in piles of self-deprecating thoughts.And I did so gladly, because if I didn’t maybe I’d come to like this sort of life, where I was taken care of without needing to lift a finger.“Alicia,” Magda’s voice was muffled as the knock came again. “It’s me.”I sighed and rubbed at my eyes. It seemed I couldn’t get any rest after all.My socked
Mikael’s POV:“Well good morning to you too, Marina,” I replied to Alicia who… looked drab. My lips curved downwards at the sight of the grey in grey sweatpants and hoodie combination, looking like the very definition of a woman who wasn’t vying for my attention.I loathed it.I came here to have breakfast with her and THIS was what she wore?I had just returned from a meeting with Castro, which hadn’t ended as well as I had hoped. The proud Capo had left the family when my father died, and moved his small crew to the States with the intention of carving out a life of luxury here. It didn’t suit him to see that I had succeeded so easily where he had failed, as I had taken over many territories in the US, not just in Europe.A bitter loser to the end, but a man whose might I needed.The meeting that lasted all through the night had resulted in a tense truce, instead of the alliance I had wanted.Castro was clearly biding his time by seeing which mafia boss had the better deal, the Serr
Alicia’s POV:I was shivering still minutes later after Mikael left.How had I forgotten how scary he was? He was much taller than I was and unlike Acker, he never failed to make me appear smaller than him. I thought of the difference between Mikael’s and Acker. Apart from their clear physical differences, all my memories of Acker was of how safe be made me feel. Mikael… he was more terrifying to me and k thought he would end up hurting me one way or another.Even when he was being nice, i mused to myself as I finally approached the breakfast table, I always felt like he was more of a predator, and I could clearly believe he was a dangerous man.Acker never showed himself like that to me. I didn’t know whether that was a good thing or not but…I realized what I was thinking about - comparing the two men?! Weren’t they BOTH just bad people? - and stopped myself entirely, facepalming.Alicia, you’ve gone off the deep end.Don’t forget yourself. You can afford to fall for their tricks ag
Alicia’s POV My heart was pounding as the chaos began to unfold in the casino. All eyes were on us and suddenly the flashing lights and all the glitz and glamour of the casino shattered to reveal my anxiousness. The dream was gone.“What the hell are you doing?” The man that had been by my side at the table stumbled to his feet and was promptly forced to a kneeling position by Mikael’s men. “Who the fuck are you?”“I should be the one to ask you that, minga.”My back felt the reverberation of Mikael’s chest, and I cringed inwardly. This was my fault, i just knew it.“Mikael-“ i tried to speak but all thoughts of that ended when I felt a sharp pinch at my waist. He was angry, and he wasn’t afraid to show it.“Look, I don’t know who you are but you are way outta line!” The man’s voice increased and it was hoarse as he glared in my - and Mikael’s- direction. “I’m a paying customer! Ask around, you bastard!”Mikael laughed, loudly. His chuckles were dark and i barely restrained a shiver