CHAPTER 37: LOVE ISN'T WEAK It was 6:15 am when Dashiell pulled over at my apartment building. Due to extreme fatigue and nausea, I rested my head on the car's glass for a split second, before getting ready to leave.Without looking at Dashiell, I began to open the car door, and my breath hitched as I felt his strong hands grasp mine. "Sit," he commanded, his voice low and raspy.I wanted to roll my eyes, slam his head on the steering wheel, and just run off, but I also wanted to hear what he had to say. "I don't care where you were. And, I went to that club on my own freewill," I heard him sigh and shift in his seat to face me. I know he'd be judging how I looked now, because I looked like shit. My red lipstick was smudged all over my face, my body reeked of alcohol, my hair was scattered all over the place, and if I were being honest, I probably looked like Beetlejuice. "You never sit to think how some of your actions could put you in danger," he said.I shook my head and shrugg
CHAPTER 38: CITY OF LOVE "Good morning Mr Blackwood and Miss Zahra. This is your captain speaking. We'll be landing in about 12 minutes, so please make sure your seatbelts are fastened. Thank you for your cooperation!" The captain announced, stirring me up from my sleep.I slowly closed my eyes and snuggled into the soft bed in the private room of the jet, my head resting on Dashiell's broad chest as he had his strong arms wrapped around me.Last night, I had seen a side of Dashiell that he had been hiding away from the world, and I was so happy that he opened up to me. And, I told him that cuddling was another way to let loose of any emotional struggles in your life. I didn't know about him, but I guess it worked for me.I turned my back toward him and put his arm around me, and like it was on cue, he drew me closer. "Hey," he rasped, his hot, morning breath, fanning my neck. "Hi," I answered meekly, returning to my former position. He brought his thumb to my face and moved the
CHAPTER 39: SEX IN THE CITYWarning: This chapter contains mature themes.ZAHRA'S POV A low hiss escaped Dashiell's lips as I lay on the table, his eyes darkened with lust as my ample breasts came in full view. He let out a low growl, his hands sliding over my perky pink nipples, before trailing his tongue around my already sore areolas.The more he kept me waiting, the more my privates grew sore.I felt his hands grip my hips possessively, sliding it up to raise my dress up to my lower waist.He pressed against me again, his broad chest, brushing against my breasts as his lips slowly trailed on the skin below my ear, his breath hot and raspy. "You're so beautiful, Zahra," he rasped in a dominant tone.My mouth parted to exude a low moan, and his lips moved to my lower lip, slowly licking and tugging on it, before trailing his hot breath on my chin. I felt his hands roam across my body, feeling my soft curves and how the heat radiated from my skin and onto the tip of his fingers. I
CHAPTER 40: DOOMSDAY LURKSI stirred up awake, my skin warm from the sunlight streaming through the glass which overlooked the city's skyline. "Rise and shine, babe," I mumbled softly as I snuggled into Dashiell's strong arms, feeling the slow rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. I raised my head to see his face, tracing lines on his chiseled jawline.My face flushed crimson red as flashes of the previous night came to mind. How his fingers traced my skin, sending shivers down my core. The way he lifted me up and pressed me against the glass, remembering how the skyline looked blurry as my thoughts were drowned in ecstasy. Why did I hear that stuff like that could only occur in movies? I lay back on Dashiell's muscular chest, trailing my finger around the lines that shaped his toned figure while humming the tune to one of my favorite music. "Zahra," I heard him call, and I raised my head to look at him, a wide smile plastered on my lips."Finally," I said softly and moved to
CHAPTER 41: DAMIANI couldn't see anything with the bag on my head, but I felt myself being carried and tossed into the back of a van with my hands and legs tied behind my back. The men who kidnapped me were arguing uncontrollably about who gets the last drop of the alcohol they were drinking. My stomach churned as they cackled and continued to rant, their words slurring as they drove the van recklessly.To pass time, I tried to count the times when they had mentioned a familiar name, "Damian". I didn't know who that was, but from what they were saying, he was responsible for the coup to overthrow Dashiell."Five…" I muttered under my breath as they continued to talk. "Six…"Just then, the van came to a halt. I heard the doors open and slam shut, and for a moment, there was silence…until they opened the back door and carried me out.They walked for a few minutes, this time with their mouths shut. The man who was carrying me kicked a door open and dropped me on the cold, metal floor,
CHAPTER 42: THE SABOTAGEDASHIELL'S POV*Flashback to the Breakfast morning with Zahra.*After giving Zahra the chipped accessories, I noticed a small circular device hidden in the vase opposite where we sat which showed a glint of red anytime we made a sound. I wanted to ignore it at first, but I felt my suspicion grow every time I thought about overlooking it, and knowing how desperate people were to sabotage plans, I decided to check it out. Zahra eyed me with a confused expression on her face, but I placed a hand over my lips to tell her to not make any sound, and she nodded.I slowly flicked a finger over the device, a smile coming across my lips as I realized what it was. I looked back at Zahra, and she mouthed, "What's that?""Nothing," I mouthed back and retracted my steps. I took out my phone and pressed a set of codes to access a certain surveillance system and noticed a faint signal coming from thirty different places in the penthouse.To not rouse any suspicion from whoev
CHAPTER 43: THE REVELATION *Present day*ZAHRA'S POV Beads of sweat gathered around my forehead as I was now seated on a metal chair with ropes tied tightly around my waist. I felt the air in my lungs start to cease as one of the holster girls who Anthony referred to as Nara Joe, continued to pull the end of the rope with her knee on the back of the metal chair.Anthony laughed as he noticed my eyes start to widen, almost popping out of their sockets as my face turned purple with stress, "This is the best day of my life," he cackled, his tone laced with abject mockery.In my head, I had thoughts spiraling on one thing, whether whatever Dashiell had planned would work, else all these risks we took would be for nothing. "Your boyfriend has abandoned you, but Damian is willing to take you in, if you'd just agree to join him. You know, he's merciful, unlike his brother, who is also your boyfriend. I mean, I would have killed you on sight, sliced your body in half and keep one here in
CHAPTER 44: LINGERIE'S SPECIAL GUESTZAHRA'S POV I let out a deep sigh as I settled into the plush leather seats of Dashiell's limousine, my thoughts wavering over everything that Anthony said, especially the part where he revealed that Dashiell influenced my marriage with Malek.I gazed out the tinted window, my eyes following the blurred city lights, before turning my head to Dashiell who sat in silence, his hands tapping across his phone's screen. "Dashiell," I called, breaking the silence, my eyes fixed on the seats before us. I felt his hands squeeze mine, leading me to turn to face him. "I have so many questions," I said, my hands gliding over my neck, where the chip was hidden. I could feel his sharp gaze plunge holes into my neck. "Why-why did you push your father to influence my marriage to Malek? And…why didn't you tell me you had a brother?" I said almost inaudibly, praying desperately that he would answer me."Many reasons," he answered. "I pushed my father to do that b
Chapter 94: I'll Miss Tomorrow, Even When It Passes.Zahra's POV *Two Weeks Later*It had been two weeks since I learned to start walking again. Each day, every step came with its own pain—my muscles that felt too heavy, my balance that took forever to make my feet firm on the ground, and my lower abdomen that would ache every time Dashiell took me for a walk in the evenings, his arms on the small of my back, holding on to me like he knew how hard I would fall if he left me. Luckily, I managed to push through it all, ignoring the aches, until my body finally began to remember what it felt like to be able to do things on your own. Now, as I stood here in my bedroom, I could hardly believe that after all I had been through... I was still alive. After many near-death experiences and so many years of living in sadness, loneliness, and pain, I was still alive.I took a deep breath, smoothing my hands over the soft silk of the dress Siobhan had chosen for me—a dark green gown that shone
Chapter 93: Where It EndsZahra's POV*Three Months Later*I lay wrapped in a shroud, everywhere in total silence. I couldn't hear a thing, but I could see the blinding white light from a torn part of the shroud. Suddenly, a familiar, soft, and rhythmic beeping filled my ears, and in that instant everything went blank.Where was I? And why was everywhere so dark?I tried to stand up, but it felt like I was chained through the shroud. Through the torn part of the piece of cloth, I could see a speck of light trying to pierce through the darkness. As the light began to grow, I started to feel my body again, though every limb felt heavy, as though I had been asleep for a century.The light began to illuminate the whole place, swallowing the darkness that there once was, and I felt myself being broken free from the chains."Where am I? Where's Dashiell?" I tried to scream, but it only came out as a whisper.I struggled to open my eyes, blinking against the brightness. My head began to hur
Chapter 92: ALL OR NOTHINGDashiell's POVI stood outside Zahra's hospital room, watching her fragile figure on the bed, monitors beeping rhythmically, her skin even more pale than the white sheets that covered her. With every second that I stood there watching her, I was reminded of how close I had come to losing her because of Carolyn.I should have never let her come with me to Italy.My thoughts drifted back to when I got signals from Zahra's chip on my phone. Then, at the same time, Gotham called me that Carolyn's car started speeding unusually, and he started to move at their pace, but they started driving through long, narrow, and unknown roads. Then he lost them.How dare you, Aunt Carolyn?I was so close to losing my beloved because of your hatred for her. And, even if you didn't like her, what about me? Do you not care for me? Your own nephew?I sighed as I recalled getting to the scene where the signal was coming from, and we couldn't pass that area because of the car that
Chapter 91: ONE LAST TIMEWhere I came from, the world was a spiral of dull colors and muffled sounds. Pain shot through every part of my body, sharp and unwilling to leave. I could feel the warmth of blood still trickling down my forehead, sticky against my skin, and the metallic taste of it in my mouth."Am I alive?" I whispered as I forced my eyes open, squinting against the blinding afternoon light filtering through the trees.A voice echoed in the distance, but I couldn't tell who it was as it was very faint. I blinked multiple times, struggling to focus and understand what I was doing here. The car. Carolyn. The crash. I remember jumping out of it, trying to save myself, and now... where was I?With great effort, I tried to push myself up, my hands trembling beneath me as I leaned against a rough tree trunk. The dizziness was becoming toooverwhelming, and my body felt like my bones had turned into hammers, and they were hitting my body from inside out. "That's if you make it o
Chapter 90: Zahra's DeathZahra's POVThe next morning, I found myself reluctantly getting ready for Carolyn's tour. I'd chosen a hot pink bodycon dress that stopped around my ankle, paired with a pair of stiletto heels, and my hair pulled back into a simple ponytail. In case we stopped by a restaurant because I barely ate at the Thanksgiving dinner.At the beginning of the dinner, it felt mostly... peaceful, and I thought Siobhan lied to me about them being overly problematic. Until the fights broke out between Marcello and Isabelle. They tossed plates at each other, broke glasses, and yelled around. And, before I could manage to sneak out of the hall, one of Dashiell's cousins, Jana, caught me by the arm and pulled me aside with four of her friends and began to ask what Dashiell saw in me that he didn't see in other girls.I rolled my eyes as I brushed those thoughts off, stepping into the car that Carolyn had arranged for our use, but when I got closer, I noticed it was empty. I lo
Chapter 89: Carolyn's OutingDashiell's POVSitting at the head of the table, I watched my family members meet my gaze, the room silent as they waited for what I was going to say next.Domenico sat beside me, shifting uncomfortably in his seat and constantly glancing at me. I leaned over, lowering my voice just enough to be heard by him alone. "I trust you know why you are here. You are going to die, Uncle." I murmured, my voice firm. Domenico's face tensed, but he gave a small nod and looked away.Once everyone was settled, I rose to my feet, raising my glass. "Thank you all for coming to the annual Thanksgiving celebration," I began, my voice steady. "I am grateful for all your roles in making sure that our legacy grows and remains unified in purpose. We all have our duties as members of the Blackwood family. And, even if you are not of Ottoman descent, you will always be a part of us." I paused, allowing my little speech to sink into their brains. "Tonight, I'm pleased to share a n
CHAPTER 88: ONLY MY LOVE MATTERSZahra's POVDashiell pushed me back onto the bed, moving to kneel between my legs as his hands gently spread my thighs apart."You don't want to see my surprise? I'm offended." I joked, propping myself up with my elbow.He chuckled softly, pressing his lips against one thigh before looking up at me. "Would you be mad at me if I told you I had already seen it?" I gasped playfully, biting my lips as his tongue started to trail up my thigh. "But..." he continued, "I want to see you wear it. Maybe somewhere other than this filthy palace." he said, leaning down, his tongue flicking on my core through my panties."Mhm..." I moaned, curling my toes, which were pointed at the ceiling. He looked up, his gaze meeting mine. "Like that, love?" he asked, his voice low. He leaned down again, not waiting for a reply, his hands tugging on the sides of my panties before taking it gently and pulling it down my legs."So beautiful..." he mumbled, trailing his fingers
CHAPTER 87: ARRIVING AT THE PALACEZahra's POV"Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be landing in Italy in forty minutes." The pilot said, his voice crackling over the speakers.Finally.My gaze shifted across the jet cabin to where Maya lay silently on Adela's lap, watching an episode of her favorite anime, InuYasha. Adela watched it with her, her hands massaging her scalp.It's been a week since Maya was found unconscious in Oregon. She was still at the hospital with Adela when we started packing for the Thanksgiving Celebration, but because she didn't want to miss it, she begged Dashiell to convince Adela not to stay behind with her, that she also wanted to see what the Thanksgiving Celebration was like. Dashiell agreed, but only on the condition that we took a doctor with us.I looked toward a different cabin, and eyed the doctor who was munching on a large sized burrito and eating ice cream while watching something on her laptop. She noticed me watching her and eyed me with a frown on h
CHAPTER 86: LIKE FATHER, LIKE SONDashiell's POVThe chill in the Oregon air seeped into my coat the moment I stepped out of the car with Zahra next to me. I felt her fingers brush against mine, as we walked through the hospital entrance. Inside, the sharp smell of antiseptic filled my nose. My jaw tightened as I spotted Blazer standing in front of a ward, waiting with a sloppy expression on his face."They are working to stabilize her," Blazer said as we came closer, keeping his voice low. "She's still unconscious. They aren't sure when she'll come around."I gave a small nod, and without saying anything, followed him down the long corridor that led to Maya's ward. "Liam's father called me earlier," he added, his voice barely audible. "He was the one who told us where to find Maya. He said Liam sent him a video of Maya chained up and bruised. The man was practically raving and rambling about unrelated things before we could get the location out of him."I let out a low hum. "So what