OCTAVIA’S POV
The 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
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
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'
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
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
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 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
NARRATOR'S POV Mikel’s fists collided with Cyro’s face over and over again, each blow more forceful than the last. Cyro staggered backwards several times and Mikel still followed after, the young man barely managed to stand upright. His face was battered and bleeding but Mikel's rage is far from appeased. His voice sounded like a low growl as he grabbed Cyro by the shirt and slammed him against the wall. “You had one job!” Mikel barked, his voice echoing in the dimly lit room. “Kill Octavia and that damned bodyguard of hers. And yet, here you are, crawling back to me like a useless dog while she roams around more alive than ever.”Cyro groaned, wiping blood from his split lip. “I’m sorry sir... I—”“Sorry?” Mikel interrupted, his fury boiling over as he landed a vicious punch to Cryo’s stomach, sending the younger man crumpling to the floor. “Do you think sorry is good enough? Do you even realize what’s at stake here? If Lionel catches wind of my plans, if he even suspects what I’m u
‘’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