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
OCTAVIA'S POV I just finished dropping my coffee mug inside the dishwasher when I heard someone walk into the kitchen. I turned back to see Aaron walking casually into the kitchen. My eyes widened slightly at the sight of him. He was dressed in a crisp black suit; his broad shoulders filled it out even more perfectly than a mannequin would, and he completed the look with black shades. Even though I have seen him in suits before, something about him today was different. He looked more polished, intimidating, and, as much as I don't want to admit it, exceptionally handsome. “Are you ready?” he asked in his usual low, calm tone. I made to clean my hands over my pants before I remembered that it is leather, and I let it hang awkwardly on my side and gave him a small nod. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” “Good,” he said. “It’s time to go.” Without another word, he turned and headed for the door. I followed him outside, my heart pounding a little faster with each step. The sight that greet
OCTAVIA'S POVEvery person we passed as we walked by stopped what they were doing and nodded their heads in respect to my father. Lionel walked ahead with his usual commanding presence, and I followed closely; Aaron walked silently to my left like an unshakable shadow, while Mikel trailed slightly behind. It was hard not to notice the curious, borderline scrutinizing stares of everyone. They weren’t even trying to be subtle. I told myself it wasn’t personal and held my head high, not betraying my nervousness. I'm just an unfamiliar face in a world where everyone is practically like family. But still the whole attention made my skin prickle, and this is just the start; I almost laughed to myself. The man leading us, he is a huge man, and he had a complicated tattoo that covered his arms and part of his jaw. He was the one that welcomed us, and he seemed to be the head of the warehouse. His eyes kept darting to me, and I'm not sure if it is just in curiosity. Either way, it made me wa
OCTAVIA'S POV My eyes met Aaron's from across the room, and the buzz, the murmurs, and the quiet conversation—all of it faded to the background. He was leaning casually against the back wall, arms crossed over his broad chest, his face, as usual, was unreadable and stoic, as though nothing in the room interested him. But then, his mouth quirked ever so slightly into the faintest hint of a smile. I blinked, taken aback by the subtle change in his expression. Something flickered in his eyes, something very similar to...pride? Approval? Whatever it was, it made my heart race. For a moment, it feels as if the weight of the day has lifted; I don't feel the stares of the people looking at me; I feel at ease. I held his gaze, the corners of my lips tugging upward instinctively. The room and everyone in it blurred into insignificance, and for a fleeting moment, it felt like it was just the two of us in the world. Wait! What was that?I broke the eye contact, looking around the room to make
OCTAVIA'S POVMy body moved swiftly with a practiced ease that I still find fascinating as I kept punching the bag, my fists almost in sync with the beat of the music blasting in my ear, I didn't hear the sound of anyone come in but I saw the door of the gym open through the side of my eye making me still for a brief second. My breath came out in soft pants and I looked at the entrance to see Aaron coming in still in his outfit from earlier. He walked inside and leaned causally again the wall opposite me, his stoic expression still intact as he watched my watch him, he raised a questioning eyebrow at me when I didn't do anything. I felt a bit self conscious under his steady gaze, but I ignored him and turned back to the bag and threw another punch, trying to shake the. But the weight of his presence and his silence was unnerving, and I found myself slowing down. "Are you done?" He asked flatly, his voice breaking the silence. I stopped mid punch and lowered my fists. My knuckles
OCTAVIA'S POV The first thing I remembered when I woke up was Zion's text from yesterday; I had completely forgotten to reply to his message after I got home. The sunlight streamed through the curtain, and I checked the clock on the wall, and it was already past nine am. I didn't know I still slept in till this late; it's been a while. I blinked and sat up, rubbing the drowsiness from my eyes, and groaned as I stretched out across the bed. I grabbed my phone from the bedside table, and I opened my messenger app and saw the text. I started typing a reply, "Good morning, Zion. I'm sorry I didn't," I deleted the whole thing and decided to give him a call instead. I took a deep breath, dialed his number, and pressed the phone to my ear. The dialed twice before he picked up “Octavia?” Zion’s familiar deep voice came through, and my heart squeezed slightly; hearing his voice stirred up a mix of emotions. We have spoken properly since… well, since things fell apart between us. "Hi," I
OCTAVIA'S POV Bree popped out of nowhere, startling me as Aaron and I stepped out of Lionel’s office; she had clearly been eavesdropping, and now she is practically bouncing on her toes with excitement. "Was that really Dimitri, like the main Dimitri, leader of the Russian mob?!" She gushed. I almost laughed at her facial expression and her enthusiasm. "Yeah," I said. "You know him?" Her look turned dreamy, "Well, not personally, but that can be rectified, she sighed. "Dimitri is the youngest vor v zakone there has ever been and the most dangerous too. He took power from his uncle when he was just twenty years old, and he is feared by everyone in Russia." Bree continued as we all made our way to the living room."I have only seen him in pictures; he is the most handsome man ever," she shot Aaron a look. No offense to you, Aaron, but we are talking about Dimitri here." Aaron just looked bored. "I wonder if he wants to get married anytime soon," she continued dreamily, and I burst
OCTAVIA'S POV My heart raced slightly as I stepped into the restaurant, and my eyes immediately scanned the room until they landed on Zion. He sat at a table at one corner of the resturant doing something on his phone and nursing a glass of water. My heart clenched as I drank in the sight of him, he still looks almost exactly the same, the same messy brown hair but he now has a faint stubble along his jaw. It made him look darker and more mature and his piercing green eyes popped even more. It suited him though because I can point out why but he has gotten even more handsome. I quickly reminded myself that this is not a date. Yet, as I watched his gaze move upwards and his lips curve in a smile as he looked at me, i felt my heart squeeze again. Memories of everything we used to have flooded my mind, the late night talks, our share jokes the laughter, even when we used to fight, the way he used to look at me like I was his entire world, the memories of the hurt and betrayed look on
‘’You are still in bed, Zion?’’I opened my eyes slowly and looked at the disapproving look on Nile’s face. I rubbed my eyes and rolled to the side. ‘’Can’t I sleep in peace?’’ I grumbled. I had partied the night before and my body was still trying to recover from all of the fatigue.‘’No,’’ he said, walking in and drawing the blinds away. It was almost dark outside. I glance at the clock. Past 6.‘’The party doesn’t start until 8, Nile. I can sleep for another hour,’’ I said, pulling the duvet over my chest. I was interested in any parties my brother was organising, especially a ‘Family reunion.’‘’We are hosting, Zion. I need you out of bed,’’ he said and finally walked out of the room.I laid still on the bed for minutes, staring at the ceiling. I pulled myself up into a sitting position and felt nauseous. Beside me, Sophia was still sleeping deeply. I pushed the covers off and my feet hit the cold tile. The bedside rug had been ruined and it was threadbare in some places
I tossed in bed for hours. I had barely slept for a few minutes when I was woken up by a nightmare. I stared at the ceiling, clutching my arms and reminding myself that it was a dream. I was safe at home in Palmero. The clock ticked slowly but i could not return to sleep anymore. Thoughts of the men brutally assaulting me played in my head nonstop, despite all my attempts to block them. The screams of those men as Dmitir fired lethal bullets into their heads added only to my torment. I turned to my side and twisted my finger into a fist, grimacing. I laid there for hours, my eyes and mind awake, but my body tired. Finally, I got up and strolled out of the room in my night wear alone. The house was silent and the corridors were dark. I took two flights of stairs until i arrived on the first floor. Then I walked to one of the rooms. Without hesitation, i turned on the handle and opened the door. He always left his door unlocked.He opened his eyes and reached for the light swi
I met Rory on the way. I wished I had not. I just wanted to return to my room, to bury my head in my pillow. Dad had not been able to hide his disappointment. I could see it all over his face even though he said nothing. He was going to get revenge for what had been done to Bree, and he would be killed and my life would be in ruins. I thought of the prophecy that man had said about my past and I shivered as I walked down the corridor.‘’Hey, Raven,’’ she said, leaning on the wall and clutching at her loose robe.‘’I can’t deal with this right now,’’ I said, walking past her.She held my hand. ‘’We’ve been together before we met, raven. I didn’t go behind your back.’’I pulled my hand away. ‘’Stay away from my father,’’ I said and walked away.It felt like ages since I left on this trip to Russia. So many things had gone wrong in just a few days. I had lost the respect I had just earned and I had lost a friend too. I pushed the door open and flung myself on the bed. Strange
The flight back to Italy was quiet, but there was a storm brewing in our minds. I couldn’t look at Bree without being consumed by guilt. I had promised to watch over her, and I had failed woefully. The mission had failed also, and I was at the verge of setting both families into war. How would I face my father and tell him that the mission had failed? How could I explain it without mentioning what happened to Bree?Byron was standing in front of the mansion, anticipating our arrival. I looked at the large smile plastered on his face as our car parked and I felt my heart brea. He was healing well and the bandage over his shoulder had been removed. I was responsible for that too. I looked at Bree.‘’Bree?’’She raised her eyes to meet mine. ‘’Don’t tell anyone yet, please,’’ i said, feeling my voice crack with guilt. She nodded. I touched her hand and rubbed it gently. I was going to make the Bravta guys pay for what they had done to Bree, and the humiliation I had faced..
It was almost 8pm when Dimitri arrived at the hotel. This time, the look on his face was different. It was a sullen look and I was almost too afraid to ask what their search had yielded. They had found Bree, I could tell.‘’We found her,’’ he said, walking into the room and reaching for a bottle of water on the fridge which he emptied. My stomach was in knots. He let out a deep sigh as he dropped the empty bottle on the table. ‘’There was some mix up,’’ he continued. ‘’She was mistakenly taken by some of our men.’’I clenched my teeth. Mistakenly? They were going to pay with their lives if anything happened to Bree. ‘’But we were able to find her.’’ He turned to the man beside him and barked some orders. ‘’She is here with us.’’The door opened and closed as the man stepped out. Few seconds later, I saw Bree being rolled in on a chair. She was in a clean dress and her hair was packed up nicely, but I could see the bruises on her skin and the pain and exhaustion in her ey
My worst fears were beginning to happen. I realised now that saying I had gone to get food was such a bad story. What kind of bodyguard left their ward for two hours in search of food in a strange city?‘’Huh?’’ he asked again, raising his brows. He looked furious. ‘’Is this a plan to destroy whatever alliance we may want with da Vinci? Who are you working with?’’The questions came out in a flurry of words and I was surprised to see the angle with which he was viewing the whole affair. He thought this was a mission to sabotage, that I had planned the kidnap of Bree. I wasn't sure if it was a relief or not.‘’And why did you wait so long before you informed us?’’He stood erect and began to pace. Midway, he turned towards me and a heavy slap landed on my face. It stung to my feet and my hands flew to my face in reaction.‘’When I ask you a question, you respond. Do you understand?’’I was outnumbered. There was no way I could react. I thought of the prosthetic nose. If it
Her phone was unreachable. I paced back and forth in front of the lobby, anger and worry boiling within me. Where could she have run off to without telling me? Why was her phone unreachable? I glanced at my watch. It was just fifteen minutes to the wedding. If we don’t show up, there would be questions. If I showed up without her, there would be questions too.I rubbed off some dust on my forearm as I approached the front desk again.‘’I’m unable to reach her,’’ I said in English. ‘’Can I check the CCTV camera? Maybe someone picked her or something. We don’t know anyone here.’’The woman looked at me blankly and for a second I thought she probably did not understand English. ‘’Give me a moment,’’ she replied in English with a heavy accent.I drummed on the counter as I watched her walk to one of her colleagues. They spoke for a while and I could see them looking at me and shaking their heads. She made a sign that she was going to consult someone else and she disappeared d
I watched him walk away. I wasn’t sure who he was. I had never met him before.‘’Is that a problem?’’ Bree asked, watching me. I could hear the panic in her voice and I was beginning to regret telling her what I had noticed.‘’I don’t think so. We just need to know they know we’re armed.’’Deciding to have the wedding on a yacht instead of the family house seemed strategic to me. We were far away from where I could get vital information I came all the way for. The only way out of this predicament was to slip away in the middle of the party without raising suspicion. But that would be hard to do since we had a marked table.I picked the glass of champagne and emptied half of it in the vase quickly. Bree raised her brows. I said nothing.Half an hour into the event, I knew all was not well. The wedding had not started. I could see the look of concern on the faces of the women, the hushed whispers and the going back and forths. Perhaps Natalia had escaped just as she had thre
I watched her face twitch with concern as she looked at the photo. I wasn’t sure what was wrong but she seemed quite concerned.‘’Do you know the name of this guy she is getting married to?’’ she asked finally, raising her head from the screen.I shook my head. ‘’No. But i heard he’s like a distant cousin.’’The Bravta guys had done it before. In fact, I had heard there was a time one of the Dons married his sister. It was hard to believe that something like that could be happening in the twentieth century.She furrowed her brows again and looked at the photo before stretching the phone back to me.‘’Is there any problem?’’ I asked. ‘’It seemed as though you know him or something.’’She shook her head and pulled the duvet over her head. With Octavia, it was best to just trust her blindly. It was one of the few things I was learning with her. Whenever she didn’t want to give information about something, it was for the best. I looked at the photo one more time before responding