OCTAVIA'S POV The days seem to go by faster now in a comfortable rhythm. Zion and I have gotten a lot closer than before; I found out he actually had a deeper personality than the bad boy exterior that he lets other people see, and I can't lie; it has started to break the walls I have placed around my heart. Despite our no-strings-attached agreement, Zion has been spending most nights at my place, and we have been having sex quite regularly. On some nights he just comes and we hang out, cook together, and sometimes watch movies, and other nights we lounge on the couch, cuddle, and just talk about our day. My days are filled with the usual hustle and bustle of running the café. Our sales have increased a lot with an increase in the number of people coming in; we had to hire a few more staff last week to meet up. Rose needed more hands in the kitchen as the demand for pastries increased. All in all, the café is gradually becoming a household name in this part of town. No matter how bu
OCTAVIA'S POV I woke up to the golden rays of the sun coming in through the closed curtains; this is the most rested I have been in a while. Work at the café has been hectic these few days, and I was looking forward to using the weekend to unwind. I stretch on the bed, well, tried to; there was a weight resting on my stomach, Zion. My lips curved in a lazy smile as I remembered what happened last night; that was intense and by far one of the best sex I have ever had. I turned on my side, facing him, only to see his eyes open, and he is staring at me. "If I knew this is what you looked like in the morning, I would never have been in such a hurry to leave all the time," he murmured, his voice husky and making my insides flutter. His hands moved from my waist to move a lock of hair behind my ear. "Oh, really? I was thinking it was more of you being scared of what you might look like," I said, looking up at him in amusement as I dragged my fingers along his chest. His head fell back o
OCTAVIA'S POV The café is very busy this morning; the usual morning rush is in full swing and even busier than on a normal day; the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air. I had barely sat down since morning as I went about taking orders of customers to the kitchen and cleaning up after them simultaneously. It is a rather busy day, but I enjoy the hustle and the sense of accomplishment it brings, and it helps me get my mind off so many things. I just finished serving cappuccino to a customer smiling at the old man when I heard the bell above the door chimed, signaling a new arrival. I glanced up at the entrance, and I felt my stomach drop. It was Nile. He looked around the café before his eyes landed on me, and he made a beeline towards me. "I need to talk to you, Octavia." He demanded when he reached me. Not wanting to create a scene, I shot one last smile at the old man and then made my way to the backroom where we keep the lockers. I could hear Nile's footsteps following
OCTAVIA'S POV As we arrived at the venue, Zion parked the car and quickly came around to open my door. I took his offered arm and came out of the car feeling like a princess; he gave the keys to a valet, and we made our way towards the entrance. The building is grand with lights twinkling and a red carpet leading the way. We were greeted by a doorman who smiled warmly and opened the door for us.As we got inside the hall, I was in awe with the interior decoration of the hall; it was breathtaking. Crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, casting a soft, elegant glow over the room. The walls were adorned with rich golden drapes, and round tables draped in white linens were arranged meticulously around the large black and white dance floor. There was an orchestra playing at the other end of the room. Okay, this looks a bit serious; waitstaff glided gracefully between the guests, offering hors d'oeuvres and champagne.The crowd was a mix of beautiful ladies in stunning dinner gown
ZION'S POVI quickly looked away from Octavia; I can't keep looking at her. A mixture of bewilderment, shock, and hurt masked her face at my outburst. Other people in the café were also starting to stare at me; without thinking, I stormed out of the café, unable to handle the embarrassment. Grabbing my keys from my pocket, I hopped on my motorcycle and started driving with no destination in mind. I need the adrenaline to distract me from my thoughts. I heard the loud honking of other cars on the highway as I zoomed past them, but I didn't pay attention to them; the loud roar of the engine and the wind blowing in my face did very little to calm down the whirlwind of emotions going through me. My mind kept replaying the scene with Octavia over and over again. Her stunned expression, the tears welling up in her eyes, the words I had blurted out in frustration—it was like a loop I couldn't escape.Why did I have to say all that in public for that matter? What had I expected her to say i
ZION’S POV I leaned in to kiss Octavia again when her stomach grumbled loudly, making me freeze; she looked up at me with an embarrassed pout, and I burst out laughing. I held my stomach as I laughed hard. "What? I haven't had time to eat since in the afternoon," she said, hitting my arm. I had stopped laughing by now. "Let's get you something to eat," I said, leading her to the kitchen. The structure of my apartment is very similar to hers, but the decor is different. I saw her looking around and taking in her surroundings. What is the nervousness I'm feeling? It's almost like I'm hoping she approves, but then again she can just change anything she doesn't like. "Your house looks...different than I thought," she stated, tilting her head in that cute way she does when she's thinking intently about something. "Different how? You haven't even been in here before," I said in amusement as I brought out ingredients from the fridge."I know, but I thought it would be more like a bache
OCTAVIA'S POV Over the next few weeks, Zion and I have gotten even closer. Since that day he confessed his love to me, I have been seeing a completely different side of him entirely. He has been so attentive and caring, and we go on dates and cook together. Sometime last week, he dragged me out of bed by seven am to accompany him jogging. It was grueling at first, but I have grown to love it; it puts me in the right frame of mind to start the day, so we have been going on morning runs together these days, and most days, like today, we ended up taking a shower together at his house or mine. We spent last night cuddling and playing video games till we fell asleep on the couch. "Have a lovely day, cuore mio," Zion whispered, placing a kiss on my head and picking his back heading. "Is my forehead that far from my lips? Why didn't you reach down?" I said, glaring at him playfully. He laughed and came back to my side and placed a long kiss, a hard kiss, on my lips. Every time this man.
OCTAVIA'S POV I nodded in approval as I closed the ledger in front of me; our finances are finally in order. Our customers increased a while ago, and we had to increase production, and I have been too busy to check it out until today. It's almost eight pm, and we are getting ready to close for the day. I walked towards Rose, who was at the cash register, counting the day's earnings with a satisfied smile on her face. "Not a bad day, huh?" She said, glancing up at me.I nodded, returning her smile. "Yeah, it was a good day. Everything has been steady so far. If it keeps going like this, in a few months we will be able to afford a new interior decor," I informed her, my smile widening. I've had that in mind for months now, and it's starting to look less impossible to achieve now. Just then, one of our employees, Emily, rushed in from the back door, looking flustered. "Octavia, Rose, you won't believe this!"Rose and I exchanged unsurprised looks; Emily has always been such a drama qu
OCTAVIA'S POV I woke up sore the next morning, every muscles in my body seemed to protest as I swung my legs off the bed. None of the training we had was anything compared to what happened last night. The first thought that came to my mind was Aaron, I quickly washed up, got dressed and hurried down the hallway to his room, I didn't even remember to knock as I pushed the door open and stepped inside. There he was, he was awake and sitting up with his back resting against the headboard. The sight of him looking so alive filled me with so much relief, I hadn't realised how scared I was till now. A lot of improvement has happened within the night, it seems. He looks significantly better compared to yesterday, I noticed as I walked up to him. He is color is almost completely back now and the way his lips quirked in a smirk confirmed that he is feeling better. He torso was completely bare save for the bandages covering his middle section and the sight of his bare chest made me pause for
OCTAVIA Mikel gave a slight chuckle but it held no real humor. “Of course, I am scared to imagine what would have happened if he wasn't there, what were you doing in such a place anyway. The don't already own many casinos and club if you wanted to experience night life, you didn't have to do all the way there, see what happened." I clenched my teeth, this feels like a scolding, he didn't let me respond before he continued, "It was a reckless situation. But then again…” He paused, his gaze sharpening, and I braced myself for whatever he was about to say. “You are woman trying to play in a man’s world. Things like this are bound to happen.”I stared at him, the air leaving my lungs for a second. My temper flared. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, my voice icy.Mikel shrugged, as though he were simply stating facts. “You know how it is, Octavia. In the mafia, women don’t usually involve themselves in these kinds of affairs. They get married and help to secure alliances and repa
OCTAVIA'S POV I woke up sore the next morning, every muscles in my body seemed to protest as I swung my legs off the bed. None of the training we had was anything compared to what happened last night. The first thought that came to my mind was Aaron, I quickly washed up, got dressed and hurried down the hallway to his room, I didn't even remember to knock as I pushed the door open and stepped inside. There he was, he was awake and sitting up with his back resting against the headboard. The sight of him looking so alive filled me with so much relief, I hadn't realised how scared I was till now. A lot of improvement has happened within the night, it seems. He looks significantly better compared to yesterday, I noticed as I walked up to him. He is color is almost completely back now and the way his lips quirked in a smirk confirmed that he is feeling better. He torso was completely bare save for the bandages covering his middle section and the sight of his bare chest made me pause for
OCTAVIA'S POV The ride home is not supposed to take more than one hour but it feels like I have been driving for hours and we have only covered half of the journey. My finger gripped the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles have started to turn white.I kept glancing at Aaron, he couldn't sit upright anymore and he is now slumped on the sit. He has gotten even paler, I didn't that is even possible, his usually olive-coloured skin now looks ashen. “Aaron,” I said, my voice breaking the tense silence. “Hope you are still awake." “I’m not sleeping,” he muttered, though his eyes are barely open. “You look like you’re seconds away from passing out,” I couldn’t hide the worry in my voice and I didn't even bother to try. “Talk to me. Say something. Anything.” “Fine,” he grunted. “You’re terrible at driving.” I glared at him, though I knew he couldn’t see it. “That’s not true.” “Stop lying to yourself,” he said, his voice sounds weak but his statement is still laced with infur
OCTAVIA'S POV My heart is pounding so loudly in my chest that I won't be surprised if Aaron can hear it. I pressed my back against the cold wall behind me, and held my breath as the guy in the mask approached us. Aaron’s hand that was holding mine tightened around my wrist, at first glance, he looks so calm but I can see from they way he back is tensed as he crouched in front of me. The man grew closer and every step he took felt like a hammer strike to my heart and I tightened my grip on the gun in my hand. I know these people are here because of me, I am not stupid, I saw that the man had pointed the gun directly at me earlier, not Aaron, not anyone else but me. Our eyes had met for a brief second before chaos ensued. But why? Why would anyone want me dead? I tried to think of anyone that I have met that would want me dead, apart from Allister who is already dead now, I can't think of any reason why someone would want me dead.Nothing makes sense, it is obvious that this is not
AARON'S POVI turned to Octavia, who was still swaying to the beat, oblivious to the scene I’d just caused. I contemplated dragging her off the dance floor myself but then I hesitated.I know what she is doing right now is some sort of coping mechanism, it is her way of dealing with her pain and as much as I hate the way she is being reckless and putting herself out there like this, I kind of understand it.After making sure no idiot was close making any move towards her again, I turned and was about to retreat to the bar when I felt her hands suddenly wrap around my biceps, I turned back to her her see her looking up at me with a hazy, drunken smile.She looks so innocently gorgeous and my heart did that jumping thing again. This girl is really testing my self restraint. I didn't show any emotion and responded with a questioning raise of an eyebrow.“Dance with me,” she said, her voice slightly slurred, her fing
AARON'S POVI killed the engine in front of the club and leaned back in my seat, I didn't sat anything throughout the drive, I doubt there is anything that i could have said that would make her feel better. I glanced a her through the rearview mirror, her eyes are puffy and red from all the crying, our eyes met for a brief second before she turned away and faced the window. The tears had finally stopped, but the silence isn't any better, I can almost taste her sadness in the air. I hate seeing her so vulnerable, I know she would never let herself cry in front of anyone else but she sobbed like like baby throughout the ride here. As much as it pains me to see her hurting there's hardly anything that I can do about it and it makes me feel so useless, as much as I hate to admit it, she clearly loves that batsard, Zion and I do not see why, it is very obvious he is just a spoiled asshat. Maybe I am being a bit bias but I can't bring myself to care. I can decide who she loved and I can'
OCTAVIA'S POV My head felt heavy this morning, I spent the whole night thinking about, I know what I have to do, as part of me wishes I can ignore the past, bury the truth forever and let myself fall back into what Zion and I once had made, but what happened is too huge to just pretend it doesn't exist, it will eventually come between us. What happened is not something that can just truly fade. I decided to bite the bullet and dialed Zion's number. My heart has since become numb and I sat wordlessly as I listened for the phone dial. He picked after a few rings."Hey Octavia," he said "I am glad you called,"“Can we meet today?” I asked."Uhm sure," he agreed immediately. "Should I come over, " I could feel my heart break at the barely concealed hope in his voice.“No it's fine, I’ll come to you.” I answered.We decided on the park not too far from our, or well what used to be my apartment building. For a one hour drive, it felt like forever before we arrived, Aaron drove me as usua
OCTAVIA’S POVThe sunlight filtered softly through my bedroom window as I stretched my arm, I have finally been allowed to take off the cast and it feels amazing to have my freedom of movement back.Rose had come over earlier this afternoon, she almost had a heart attack after hearing what had happened. She went from yelling at me for not calling her immediately after the incident to hugging me so tightly that I thought she might send me back to the infirmary. Bree found the whole scene hilarious as she sat down watching us while munching on popcorn.“Honestly, Octavia,” Rose ranted, pacing back and forth in my room, “I wanted to storm over here the second I heard what happened. I would have if it wasn't for work. Isn't preventing this the whole point of having a bodyguard? Let me tell you, if I meet him—”“Rose,” I interrupted, laughing. “It’s fine. Really. Aaron does his