CHAPTER 14: SECRET BUNKER As I was dragged toward Malek's secret bunker at the far end of our estate, I could hear squeals and excited gushes from the maids in the estate. They were happily moving around the chateau, throwing decorations and flowers everywhere, because apparently, today was Malek's mistress's baby shower. Barney didn't even bat an eyelid at me as he pushed me out of the chateau, and neither did the maids. I have never known any set of broke people who were more worthless than the maids at the Kashem estate. "Why are you doing this?" I mumbled in a choked whisper as Barney began to unlock the bunker's door.He said nothing and opened the door before shoving me inside, leading me to fall on the ground and then scrape my knees on the rough flooring.He looked at me before closing the door. "I am sorry, but I am just taking orders from Mr Kashem," he replied and then slammed the door.Then I was left lying on the cold ground in a dark, cramped, and smelly room that ha
CHAPTER 15: MALEK'S DEATHDASHIELL BLACKWOOD'S POV The smell of fresh cigarettes filled my nose once again as I tossed the phone to the nearby leather couch after getting off the call with Zahra.That insolent little bitch, Zahra Eres. How could she break off a plan that we shared a mutual understanding over a trivial matter? How could she be so immature? I got up and paced around my dimly lit study, which was draped with thick brown curtains, and designed with posh, black-leathered chairs.I looked towards Gotham who stood by my study door and waved him to come forward. "Get me another bottle of alcohol, and bring my new sports car around," Gotham looked surprised at my order, his eyes gleaming with suspicion, "Should I tail right behind you, sir?" He asked, but I shook my head to say no."Don't follow me," I answered, my voice laced with venom.*************I swerved left with one hand on the steering wheel and the other clutching a glass of Italian rum as I pulled over at t
CHAPTER 16: YOU KISSED MEZAHRA'S POV My eyes flew open to find everything around me in color white, and my thoughts drifted off to Malek crushing my hand and leading me to fall off the ladder."Am I in heaven?" I muttered under my breath. I soon felt a soft hand on my wrists and I shuddered in fear, only for me to get up and find Mrs Wilson sitting close to where I lay while gazing lovingly at me.She chuckled lightly and cradled my rosy cheeks, "No dear. You are in the hospital. You suffered some head injuries earlier, do you remember?" I nodded my head to say yes, but my thoughts were far away from the confinement of the room. If Mrs Wilson is here, that would mean that it was Dashiell who came to rescue me after all. I didn't want to ask Mrs Wilson directly but I just had to.But, before I said anything, she spoke up. "Your son, Salem is such a sweet little boy. He would have come to the hospital with me but my husband is watching over him at home," She said softly.At home? W
CHAPTER 17: TILL MORNING I could feel Mrs Wilson's eyes on me from the start of dinner till the end, but I tried to avoid meeting her eyes. What Dashiell did was so embarrassing for me to want to share, but I guess she saw everything so there was no need to hide anything. The atmosphere was getting tense with no one but us here as the heavy rain had prevented her husband and my son from coming home."Are you okay now dear?" Mrs Wilson asked, placing her palm over mine.I forced a smile, "Yeah, I'm okay," I replied and the air became tense again."I feel bad seeing you like this after witnessing what happened outside, and I won't say anything to support what he did but what I will say is that Mr Blackwood didn't have an easy childhood, and what he had gone through contributed to the emotional wall which he built around himself,""Well, he wasn't the only one who had a hard childhood," I muttered under my breath, unconsciously rolling my eyes.Mrs Wilson smiled, her eyes softening b
CHAPTER 18: BOIL THEMThe soft knocks on the door stirred me up from my sleep. I didn't open my eyes, but I could hear Mrs Wilson's gentle voice call out to me. "Zahra, dear, are you awake? My husband had to leave early and I do too, so I brought you breakfast," I opened my eyes to find my leg sprawled across Dashiell's body, and our faces inches apart. My gaze softened as I took in the handsomeness of his well constructed face. God really took his time to sculpt a man as handsome as him.As I began to stare at him further, ignoring Mrs Wilson's disturbing knocks, he opened his eyes, leading me to jump back and hit my head on the wall."Ouch," I whispered, caressing the place that had just gotten stitched.He furrowed his brows and eyed me suspiciously, before grabbing his shirt from the floor.By this time, Mrs Wilson had stopped knocking for five seconds, and before I knew it, she was back."Zahra!" She screamed nicely. "You have to open the door for me to bring you food," Dashi
CHAPTER 19: LIAR! I tightened the thin strap on my orange, knee-length gown as I walked through Mrs Wilson's opened door. A smile spread on my lips as I looked back and saw her and Mr Wilson waving through the open window that overlooked her freshly mowed lawn.I soon turned around to face Dashiell who was leaning on his navy blue Cadillac car, and dressed in an all black suit. It had been two weeks since Dashiell allowed me to give an order that my father and brother should be killed, and since then, I haven't spent an hour apart from happiness and joy. Every day after that, Dashiell usually came to have dinner with us at the house, and sometimes he would stay the night. My heart was full of joy as I started to give second thoughts toward him liking me. After all, the whole Malek issue was over, and I had already signed the inheritance papers to allow my son to be in charge of the entire Kashem empire, and finally, everything felt like it was in place.Last night, Dashiell call
CHAPTER 20- CONGRATULATIONS, LANDLADYI slowly opened the door to Mrs Wilson's house as she had given me a spare key in case of a time like this. The interior of the small house was dark, and I didn't want to wake anyone up, so I turned on my phone's flashlight."12:19 am," I mumbled to myself as I unconsciously checked the time.I started to tiptoe to my room, and as soon as I got there, I dragged my luggage from under the bed and started to stuff my clothes inside. When I was finished with mine, I dragged the luggage to Mrs Wilson's porch, slithered over to my son's room, and started to pack his things too, before carrying him on my shoulders and leaving the house."Dashiell must not find me here," I muttered under my breath as I struggled to balance the two luggage on my own. I settled the load outside Mrs Wilson's gate and immediately ordered an Uber which came in less than fifteen minutes, and I was off to a hotel to stay for the night.************I woke up as early as 6 am an
CHAPTER 21: YOU HAVE LOSTDASHIELL BLACKWOOD'S POV "Soñar Blackwood will be arriving in Los Angeles from Italy later today. He is my cousin and I would like for him to stay in your apartment building for the meantime," I said to Zahra, who was busy lying on the bed in her executive suite, tapping across her screen.She looked at me with a confused expression on her face, "I thought you bought the building for mine and Salem's use? What's with keeping your family members here? When he can literally stay in a hotel. And, I heard you have an estate which is four times the size of Malek's estate, why don't you keep Soñar there?" I shifted in my seat and studied Zahra. She was becoming too questioning and smart these days. I wanted her to be grateful and not ask any questions, but she never listened, and that was the main reason why I asked Soñar to leave Sicily and come here.I knew that Zahra didn't have any friends, and I figured that if she was friendless and jobless it would lead
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