CHAPTER 47: BETRAYAL AT ITS FINESTZAHRA'S POVMy eyes scanned the frail, curly blonde-haired boy who stood near Simone. He bore a certain resemblance to Anthony and Adela with the blue eyes and deep dimples. "Come, let me see you," Dashiell ordered, and the boy stepped forward. I noticed how he was fourteen and yet a bit tall for his age, as he was taller than I am. The last time I checked my height, I think I was 5ft 6 inches tall. With the way he towered over me, he could be at least 5 ft 8 inches."What is your name?" Dashiell asked.The boy stood still with his chest forward and chin up as he replied, "Arvall, sir," Arvall.What an odd name."So, Arvall, what did Simone and Nara Joe tell you? How did they approach you? Where did they approach you? And what was your response when they told you about their mission?" Arvall's lips formed into a thin line, "They came to me with an offer to go against Damian and stay under the protection of the current Godfather. I was appalled at
CHAPTER 48: GIRLFRIEND?ZAHRA'S POV The leather seats creaked slightly as Dashiell moved to steer the wheels onto an unfamiliar lane. I could feel my heart sink into a pit of nothingness as I remembered that Dashiell hadn't said a word to me since we left the estate for Cheshire Avenue. And now, the silence between us was uncomfortably tense. I glanced at his side profile, his chiseled jawline, how his piercing eyes focused on the road, and the way he gripped the wheels harshly. "You know it's rude to stare, right?" he accused, his voice cold and nerve-wracking.I gulped and leaned back on my seat, "I know. I was just wondering why you haven't said a word to me all evening," I heard a low huff surge through his lips, "I needed time to think," "About what?" He hesitated for a second and replied, "About what I'm going to do with Arvall. And…about you," "Me? What about me?" I gasped, with my hands dramatically hovering over my chest. "I received a distressing call this morning aft
CHAPTERS 49: FAMILY 'AFFAIR'ZAHRA'S POV The next morning, I stirred awake, stretching my arms as the morning light filtered in through the large window in Dashiell's room. I slowly disentangled myself from his grasp, moving toward the bedside table to take my phone."10:14 am," I whispered, looking back as I heard Dashiell start to wake up."Morning," I greeted, shuffling around the room, looking for my flip-flops.He propped himself up, his head resting on his hand as he watched me, "Morning, baby." he answered, a smirk on his face.I rushed into the bathroom to take a shower, slipping my clothes off as the events of last night came rushing into my head. Well, not the near death experience, but, mostly the part where Dashiell asked me to be his girlfriend. And, now, he's calling me babe. Fantastic.I heard him knock on the door, "I'll use the bathroom in your room. Hurry up, we don't want to be late for the Sizzler's engagement event," I smiled, washing the soap off my face, "O
CHAPTER 50: MAYA ZAHRA'S POV I slumped on the space next to where Dashiell sat, his eyes focused on his phone as his hands tapped across the screen. He looked at me, his eyes scanning my distraught expression, "You took longer than expected," I sighed and dramatically stuck my bottom lip out, "I got my period," His eyes widened and he immediately made up for it with a cough, leading me to chuckle, "Do you need anything? I'll get it for you," he asked and I shook my head to say no.I leaned in to whisper in his ear, "I saw Adela in the bathroom kissing Maya," "What?" He gasped. "What on earth is Adela even doing here? She's not directly related to the Sizzlers," "Maya says she'll explain soon; They are planning on getting everyone out of here," I said.Just then, Micheal and Maya walked into the party hall, "Everyone! Please may I have your attention?" Micheal yelled, leading everyone present to turn to face them, including Aunt Maggie."Friends, family of the groom who is awkwa
CHAPTER 51: CAUGHT IN A LIE I stepped into the dinning room dressed in a simple white dress with my hair tied up in a tight bun.Adela and Maya were already seated, and I quirked my head to the side, a countenance of surprise on my face as I found Micheal sitting next to them."Dashiell is coming," I said to break the nerve-wracking silence.Micheal cleared his throat, "Yes, that would be good because I have troubling news to share with everyone here," Just then, Dashiell walked into the dinning room, dressed in his usual dark colored clothes. "Better to share whatever you have to say before we start eating, right? I wouldn't want to plunge a dirty fork into your eyes," he said, a hint of seriousness in his tone. Everyone turned to face Micheal and I noticed how nervous he was as he started to speak."So…after Maya left the Sizzler mansion yesterday, we had an unexpected guest." he paused and studied all our expressions. "Damian is back," "We know that genius," Adela snorted.Mich
CHAPTER 52: SMART CULLEN LENSESDashiell pushed open the door, and we stepped into our room. I felt passion flame within me as I heard the soft click of the lock behind us.I moved to sit on the bed, my eyes scanning how Dashiell took off his shirt and grabbed a face towel from one of the bedroom drawers.I stood up and took slow strides towards him. He looked at me, confusion evident in his expression. "You looked so hot earlier, when you were silently judging Michael," I started, my voice low and dripping with seduction as I drew invisible lines on his muscular build. "At that moment... I wanted you to rip my clothes off like what Adela did to Michael, and" He cut me off with a soft chuckle and tilted my chin upwards, his intense gaze rippling my insides. "Here I thought you'd be mad at me for saying I didn't trust anyone." I furrowed my eyebrows, feigning anger.I am mad. Trust is a vital tool for building relationships. But I understand why you said that. It's fine," He smiled a
CHAPTER 53: A TRAITOR AMONG US*Zahra's Pov*I paced frantically around Dashiell's study, my eyes constantly driving towards the large clock that was nailed against the wall. Boris was seated on one of the couches with his white briefcase kept in between his legs, and an Apple laptop opened beside him as he nibbled on the fourth bucket of Wingstop's chicken. He would often cross one leg over the other, his eyes fixed on whatever he was watching with his mouth as full as an oil barrel. While Dashiell sat on his swivel chair, his eyes buried in a stack of paperwork. He glanced at me occasionally but said nothing. I guess he understood how paranoid I was feeling, due to how long we had been waiting for Aunt Maggie to come back.She had been gone for ten hours, and the first thing that came to mind was that Damian had killed her. Until every two hours, Boris would receive a disjointed signal from the Cullen lenses. Just then, we heard a knock on the door, snapping me out of my thoughts
CHAPTER 54: MOTHER?DASHIELL'S POV "Well, I'll come clean because I don't like to cut through corners. My parents sent me here to join forces with Damian. They said that it was the fastest way to get free a hundred billion dollars because we are kind of low on cash," my cousin, Siobhan Blackwood said, with a smirk on her face."Is that so?" I asked, avoiding her gaze while scribbling my signature onto some papers. She nodded and tilted her head, "Yeah. And, I'm glad they used the last of their savings to send me here, because I was tired of living in a house where everyone gambles," I looked at her, my expression Stoic and cold. "I gave your parents thirty million last month even if I wasn't supposed to," "They gambled it away. My mom bought new birkin bags for all the women in her social group. They host parties and sleep with men whenever my dad and their husbands aren't around," she confessed.I eyed Siobhan as those horrible stuff freely came out of her mouth. But, I wasn't su
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