OCTAVIA'S POV The sound of my fists hitting the heavy punching bag echoed through the gym, a rhythmic thud that somehow felt as satisfying as it was exhausting. My knuckles would probably have become bloody now if it had not been protected by the worn boxing gloves Aaron had handed me weeks ago; my hands stung slightly with each hit, but I had somewhat gotten used to the pain. My breaths came in steady bursts as I focused on my stance, my form, and the power behind each punch. I stepped back and wiped a bead of sweat off my forehead with the back of my gloved hand. The past six weeks had been grueling, to say the least. I had gone from barely knowing how to throw a punch to being able to confidently hold my own in a fight... I think. I had thought I was just going to learn self-defense, but for the past six weeks, Aaron has been thorough... maybe a bit too thorough. He taught me hand-to-hand combat, I learned knife-fighting techniques, and we sparred often, and he always makes it l
OCTAVIAI hurried back to my room and as soon as I got in, I made a beeline for the bathroom to take a shower, I almost groaned as the cool water hit my skin washing away my sweat and easing my sore muscles. I rounded it up fast though because I didn't want to keep Bree waiting, knowing her, she would barge into my room if I keep her waiting too long, she is as patient as a five year old.Once I finished, I wrapped myself in a towel and rummaged through my closet wondering what to where, after trying on a few outfits, I finally settled on a navy blue sweater dress and a brown belt, pairing it with a pair of white leather boots, I quickly brushed my hair and applied mascara and eyeliner and then a light coat of pink lipstick and just as I was putting on my earrings, my phone buzzed on the nightstand. Bree’s message popped up: “I’m outside. Hurry up before I die of boredom.”I rolled my my eyes and grabbed my bag and made my way
OCTAVIA'S POV “Octavia?” Bree’s voice pulled me out of my daze.“Huh?” I blinked, tearing my gaze away from the door, from him. “You okay?” Rose asked, her brow furrowed in concern.“Yeah,” I said quickly, forcing a smile. “I just thought I recognized someone.”They both glanced toward the door to look at him; he had started walking towards us, his piercing gaze on me, unmoving. “Who is that?” Bree asked, her curiosity piqued."Why is he looking at you like that? Wait, he is walking this way." Rose whispered loudly. "It is Axel," I said, my voice sounding breathless. Their eyes widened, and realization dawned on them at the same time he reached our table. “Fancy seeing you here,” he drawled, standing in front of me and looking down at me with that cocky smirk. At first I froze in place, my breath catching in my throat. Slowly, I raised my eyes to look up at him as I tried to calm my racing heart. I am not that girl anymore, I can most likely kick his ass in a fight right now, I
OCTAVIAWe started walking back toward the car when I heard footsteps behind us. My heart sank before I even turned around. I turned and saw Axel coming towards us again, but this time three huge men stood behind him, their faces looking dangerous and menacing."I see you have another boy toy. Don't tell me he got tired of you already." His irritating voice grated in my ear."If you know what is good for you, Axel. You will leave now while you still can." I said."What are you going to do, huh? Give your body to another man to buy your freedom." I could feel my blood start to boil. The car park was secluded; the only people there were Axel and his men, Bree, Aaron, and I. The guards that came with us parked their car at one end of the park, and they walked quietly towards them from behind, and it was obvious he did not see them earlier.Aaron brought out his gun and pointed it at Axel."Just give the word,
OCTAVIA'S POV I closed the front door behind me and headed straight for my room. I can't even explain what I am feeling right now; I am numb. I know that in the Mafia, gunfights happen; I know that people kill; hell, I learned how to shoot a gun for a reason, but I am still shaken when I have the urge to kill someone myself. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, and I didn’t have the energy to talk to anyone right now. I need some space, time to breathe, and somewhere to let my guard down. The moment I stepped into my room, I locked the door behind me and leaned against it, closing my eyes. My chest was tight, and my breaths felt shallow. Axel’s taunting words replayed in my mind like a broken record. Every syllable dripped with his disdain; I thought I had gotten over it, but he still unnerved me and brought back painful memories. I pushed off the door and began peeling off my clothes, letting them fall carelessly to the floor. My body felt heavy, as if the weight of t
OCTAVIA "Check in?" I typed back, my fingers moving almost of their own accord. "After all this time, you just wanted to check in?" There was a pause before his next message. "But you disappeared, Octavia. I had been searching everywhere for you since that day, but it was like you disappeared from the surface of the earth." I didn't reply, and the three dots on the screen indicated that he is still typing. "I'm an idiot for not believing you on time. There is nothing I can say to justify myself; I am so sorry for what my brother did to you. I know you deserve better. I realized my stupidity since that day, but it was too late, and you were gone." I frowned at the screen, his sudden shift in tone throwing me off. "Why now?" I texted back, my curiosity winning out over my hesitation. This time, the reply didn’t come immediately. The three little dots indicating he was typing appeared and disappeared a few times before the message finally came through. "I thought you would need
OCTAVIA'S POV I was woken by the ping of my phone somewhere beside me. It was already morning, but it was still dark outside. I checked the digital clock on my nightstand; the time was six o'clock. I reached out blindly around me for my phone; I opened it and squinted at the screen. It was a message from Zion.Good morning, Octavia. Hope you slept well.I couldn’t help but smile; he is probably about to go on his daily fun Morning, Zion. I did.As an afterthought, I added, "I am guessing you did too."The reply came almost immediately."I always do," he replied with a smile emoji. I rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling, feeling my heart tighten as I tried not to remember those times when we used to wake up together and take our usual morning runs around the block. I haven't told Bree or Rose that I have been talking to Zion, but we haven't even been talking that much yet; what's there to tell anyway?"I'm just checking in to make sure you’re okay. Have a great day, Octavia."
OCTAVIA Bree gasped, clutching her chest like she was genuinely offended. “What’s wrong with it? Everything! You’re about to meet the cutthroat people in the Mafia, and you’re dressed like you’re going to a grocery store!”“Ohh, I thought this was fine,” I muttered, feeling a bit self-conscious.“No, no, no,” she said, shaking her head as she grabbed my hand. “Come on. We’re fixing this. Right now.”Before I could protest, she got in front of me and grabbed my hand again.“But Bree, is it really necessary?” I tried to argue as she pulled me down the hallway that leads to the rooms.“Trust me, it’s very necessary,” she insisted, practically yanking me toward her room.When we finally reached her door, she flung it open. This is my first time entering her room, and as I stepped inside, I immediately noticed how different her room is from mine. The layout is very similar, but where my room has a minimalistic and neutral decor, Bree’s room is an explosion of color and her personality. So
I waited for Bree to leave for the States before I started packing up my things for the flight the following day. Talking to my dad had helped with the panic attacks and I was able to sleep in my room, but still with the medications. Bree looked gorgeous in her gown. ‘’I’ll visit you in the US as soon as I can,’’ I said to her, hugging her tightly. Vincent had sent a private jet to pick her up, and she was going to be on the flight alone. ‘’Be a good girl, huh?’’She sniffed. ‘’I’ll try my best.’’ she dipped her hand into her pocket and brought out her yin yang necklace. ‘’I still have mine,’’ she said, smiling. ‘’I’ll put it on whenever i miss you.’’I searched my entire room that day for mine and eventually found itt. I held it delicately, smiling at it. ‘’I miss you already, Bree.’’There was a gentle tap on my door and it creaked open. ‘’Heyy.’’ It was Rory.‘’Hey,’’ I said, looking up at her from my task briefly. She stepped in. i hadn't seen her since that day i ha
‘’Lionel Cyro da Vinci,’’ I repeated the name, smiling. Although it left a taste of sadness on my tongue. For the first time in the two years I had been home, I wondered what became of him. Waas he really dead? Or was he somewhere else, just as I was?‘’You were Helene,’’ she said to me, rocking the baby gently.I leaned on the cot. ‘’Helene? Let me guess. That was the name of my mum.’’‘’Close enough,’’ she said. ‘’Helene was the name of your mum’s sister. Her name was Dorothy. We all called her Doris.’’I walked away from the bed and took a seat beside her. ‘’Do you think my brother might still be alive?’’ I asked.She sighed then shook her head slowly, swaying her thick crop of gray hair. ‘’Lionel would have found him if he’s still alive.’’‘’But is he looking at all?’’ I asked.‘’I don’t know, Octavia. He wasn’t looking when he found you. Inmean, he buried the burnt bodies of two babies that he supposed were you and Cyrius.’’I leaned forward. ‘’That’s my point, aunt.
Elena found out I was sleeping in Bree’s room a few days later. She came into Bree’s room one morning when I was still knocked out from the pill and found me sleeping in her bed.‘’Why’s Octavia in your room?’’ she asked. She had come to spend some time with Bree as she was leaving very soon.She shrugged. ‘’She likes my bed?’’She didn't believe the story because she was in the room the following morning, and Bree said the same thing. I was awake and just sitting on the bed, feeling down and upset.‘’Good morning, aunt Elena,’’ I said. She had a tray of different arrays of fruits that she had been feeding Bree with every morning. She said it would make her conceive easily and have a healthy baby.‘’Are you okay, Octavia? You look pale,’’ she said to me.I looked at her, my eyes heavy. The tablets were putting me to sleep, but I'd always wake up tired. I was feeling a bit more depressed daily.‘’Yes, aunty. I’m fine,’’ I said, looking at the tray of fruits in her hands. I
I turned around to the sound of his voice. ‘’Did I wake you up?’’ I asked, walking away from the mirror.He squinted his eyes and groaned. ‘’Where are you all dressed up to?’’‘’I have a very important meeting in town, babe. It was so sudden,’’ I said, walking over to him and kissing his cheeks. ‘’Good morning.’’He creased his brows. ‘’I can’t let you out just yet, Rory. You were attacked just last week and you aren’t fit to be going out yet.’’I laughed gently. ‘’I know you are bothered about me, and I love it so much. But you seem to be forgetting who you are, baby. You are Lionel da VInci.’’ I walked over to the mirror to brush my hair. ‘’No one can mess with you.’’He shook his head. ‘’I’ve been proven wrong one too many times,’’ he said.‘’Well, I am Rory Morano. No one can mess with me,’’ I said, chuckling dryly.He sat up. ‘’What is this urgent meeting about?’’I patted my lips against each other gently. ‘’My cousin,’’ I said. ‘’I have a meeting with the security chie
‘’You are a cat.’’ I laughed as I walked into the room with a tray of food. He leaned up to receive the food.‘’A cat with nine lives,’’ I continued.He winced and quickly masked it with a smile. ‘’It wasn’t really a good shot.’’Aaron had had a hernia when he was a teenager, and the surgeon had left a mesh frame when he did the repair. It was that framework that had trapped the bullet that had been fired at him, stopping it from hitting his liver. The doctor said it was one of the wonders of the world.‘’What life number are you on now?’’ I asked.‘’Should be three,’’ he said.The room became silent suddenly as our minds drifted to the event of that day. I had the opportunity of putting the lives of two of my enemies that day but I had hesitated. I wasn’t sure if I was not going to regret it eventually. Another concern was the man I had seen.‘’I saw the man behind the door, Aaron,’’ I said, looking at him. His brows were furrowed. I had a feeling he knew what I was about
‘’I will never let what happened to repeat itself again,’’ i saqid, grubting as the pain hit my bones. He was bent over me, and i saw the look of confusion on his face.‘’Let what happen?’’ he asked.‘’For another Giovanni to be taken by a da Vinci,’ i said, my breath hitching.He tied a warp of cloth over my arms. ‘’The doctor is on the way,’’ he said.—-I had heard their arguments everry night when the doors were shut and the lights were turned off. Each day, as i rrolled on my bed wide awake, i heard them. The arguments got more heated, but the subject never changed. ‘’I love Elena, John. that’s someting you can never understand,’’ Antonio said.‘’She is a da Vinci,’’ my dad would yell and the arguments woould go on.Antonio had fallen in love with Elena while he was working as a spy. My father tried to let him see that such a union could nver work. Theyy would recognise that he was affiliated with us and they would dhave his head. But it was never easy to advise people
I had received a call from Nile that he had found my phone and wallet. When he said ‘found’, I knew he meant he was ready to return it. I was willing to let him keep the phone and wallet, but I needed some cards in my wallet and some files on my phone. So despite not wanting to see him again, I decided to return to the house.The first clue I got that something was wrong was the gate was not manned by any armed person. Nile never left the gate unmanned. I thought it was weird. So, I called him. His phone rang, but he didn’t pick it up. I became concerned. I hurried in, hoping nothing had happened.Then i saw the man lying on his pool of blood. My heart raced. There had been an attack. I searched for my phone, attempting to call the police when I heard a gunshot. I stood still. The gun shot had come from within the house. Whoever had come to attack my brother was still there.I wasn’t sure who to call for help. Calling the police was going to bring light to a lot of our affair
The third bullet hit the floor just a few inches beside him and he yelped out in pain. Aaron walked up to me and looked at me, asking me if he should finish the job.‘’Drag him downstairs,’’ I said to Aaron. Slow down the bleeding, and tie him to a pole. No clothes on.’’He nodded and gave instructions to the men. I enjoyed the show for only a few minutes before I decided it was time to leave. Even though I had a raging anger in my heart, I couldn't bring myself to kill him. But the humiliation was enough. He would leave the rest of his forsaken life in misery.I knew Aaron was concerned that I had let him live. ‘’Boss,’’ he said to me as we approached our car. ‘’We can’t let him leave. That is not the mode of operation of da Vinci.’’‘’It isn’t him we have to kill. It’s Nile,’’ I said.‘’But he gave the order too. Leaving him is a sign of weakness. Da Vinci does not forgive,’’ he said, anger creeping into his tone.In the last two years, my name had grown to become a sens
I put off the phone and hid it in one of the drawers. Axel was trying to kill me? It was unbelievable. I had spared him even though he deserved nothing from me, yet he wanted me dead. By an assassin.Even though I tried to justify my own attempt on Rory’s life, I could not anymore. I wanted Rory gone and seeing someone wanted me gone too was a blow that I hadn't expected. I had not been to Eleganz clubhouse since i left. It was a place that brought much trauma to me, but i knew it was the only place i could find Axel. i was going to personally pull a bullet through his brain. I took Aaron along with me, and three other armed men. I knew things were going to get pretty messy.Whenever he was at the clubhouse, he was always at the VIP section, either at a game or in a room with the girls. I knew he was at the clubhouse because I could see his truck and those of his entourage parked outside.‘’VIP section,’’ I said to no one in particular as I led the way.It was afternoon