OCTAVIA We fall into a routine quickly; Rose and I come in early to make the pastries together, and then one of us goes home and comes back later in the day for an afternoon shift. I put out a sign this morning that we are hiring. I am hoping we get three students that can work part-time, one to man the counter and two more for waiting on tables. We have not had as much crowd as we did on the first day, but the turnout has been impressive, from old couples out in a stroll deciding to stop for snacks to excited middle school students coming after school. We can even afford to pay for more than three employees. It's four p.m. in the evening and the afternoon rush hour is over, so just a few tables are occupied. I took over from Rose earlier. I'm sitting behind the counter and going our supply orders next week and keeping an eye on the customers in case anyone wants a refill. I look up as I hear the jingle of the door opening. A lanky-looking boy walks in. "Hello," he said. "Good af
OCTAVIA I smooth down imaginary wrinkles in my dress as the elevator door opens, and I instantly recognize his black Ferrari. He comes out of the car; he is wearing a black suit as usual; his hair has this tousled look, a perfect blend of carefree and stylish that makes my heart flutter. He walked towards me with a grin and pulled me into a hug. "I've missed you," he breathed into my hair. I breathe in his scent; he smells amazing and familiar. I feel the flutter in my stomach again. "I missed you too." He takes my hand and walks towards the passenger seat. He holds the door open and guides me in with one hand on my lower back. I miss his gentlemanly sweetness and admire his profile as he walks toward the driver's seat. As we walked into the restaurant together, I felt a delightful mix of excitement and nerves bubbling inside me. The atmosphere was vibrant, with laughter and clinking glasses creating a symphony of joy around us. The warm glow of candlelight danced across the table
OCTAVIA'S POV "Okay, spill," Rose said. The breakfast rush just finished, and Rose and I are sitting at one of the tables and having coffee and cakes. "Spill what?" I'm not surprised she suspects something is wrong. "You have been moping around day, and don't try to deny it. I saw you staring into thin air several times like someone stole your puppy." "It's nothing serious; I just have a lot on mind," she gave me a deadpan look. "That's the whole point of you spilling.""It's Nile," I started. I tell her about everything that happened last night. "Are you guys officially in a relationship?" She asked; she knows all about my life in the casino and how I got out.Red rose my cheeks; I haven't actually thought of that; I just assumed. How could I have been so stupid? But it can't be like that. We have been like a couple for the past few months, though we haven't exactly defined our relationship, but he has been doing everything a boyfriend does. "No," I said. "I feel like he's hid
Heat fluttered in my belly, I shouldn't be feeling like this but then this is a sweet gesture and he feels sorry about it, maybe something actually came up. I open the door, as I walked in phone rings. It's Nile "Hello," I said as I picked "Hi Octavia, did you get the flowers." He asked"Yeah, I did but I don't get the point, what you did was not cool, at all." "I'm sorry baby, let me make it up to you." "How?" "There is a pouch in the bouquet of flowers." I look down at the flowers in my hand, truly a rose coloured pouch hung rested in the middle of the flowers, I put my phone on loudspeaker and placed it on the table, Sitting on the sofa, I felt a mix of sadness and confusion. I picked up the box, feeling its weight in my hands, and curiosity began to replace some of my anxiety.As I carefully opened the box my heart raced. Inside, I found a delicate silver necklace, its chain glimmering in the light. The small heart pendant caught my eye, and I could almost feel his presence a
NILE'S POV I tap my feet impatiently as I wait for the elevator at Octavia's building to reach the ground floor. I have to get home before my wife and the kids wake up. I should not have spent the night here really. I know what I did last time hurt her, and she has been wanting me to spend the night, which is not surprising, and I have admitted to myself that I enjoy spending time; it's better than the silence at home. The parking lot is deserted; that is expected because no one in their right mind will be up and about by four am in the morning. I hear a sound to my right; I see what looks to be the figure of a man. I rub my hands together; it must be cold to sleep outside. I check my wallet and put the cash inside it under a bundle of cloth beside. I check the time as I pull out of the parking lot; it's four thirty already. I remember the argument Miranda and I had this morning; she has an issue with me coming home late; she probably suspected I'm seeing someone; I don't know what
OCTAVIA'S POVRose arrived before me today; the doors were already open as I got there, and the sound of Celin Dion's 'Heart Will Go On' drifted in from the kitchen. As I walked into the kitchen, the warm scent of vanilla and sugar enveloped me. Rose was standing at the counter, completely immersed in her task. She had her back to me, her hair tied up in a messy bun, and she was mixing a large bowl of batter with enthusiasm. I leaned against the doorframe, watching her for a moment. She was singing softly to herself; it was one of her favorite songs, and she was swaying slightly as she stirred the batter, completely lost in her own little world. Flour dust danced in the air, and I could see splatters of ingredients on the counter, evidence of her spirited baking session.Unable to contain my laughter any longer, I stepped forward and said, “Looks like I walked in on a baking concert!” Startled, she turned around, her eyes wide with surprise, but then she broke into a grin. “You caugh
I can't even talk right now; I take in deep breaths as I try to get my emotions under control. "Who was that? I saw him freeze as soon as he came in," she continued. "He is a friend of Axel, the person that made me work at the casino; I don't really know if they are friends, but they are together quite often." Realization dawned on her features, and she looked at me with something close to sympathy. I avoid her eyes; I don't want anyone to pity me; I'm done with that life. "It's probably nothing; I don't know if he recognizes me or not. She wraps her arms around me."I'm going to bring a baseball bat tomorrow; if he comes back here and tries anything, I'm going to break his legs and make sure he doesn't walk out with his feet intact." I laugh and relax into her embrace. "That would be nice." "I have to go check up on customers' orders; are you going to be okay?" she asks. "I'm fine, Rose." "You sure you don't want to go home? Joel and I will have everything under control." "Na
OCTAVIA'S POVAs I wiped down the counter, the familiar sound of the café's doorbell rang in my ears, but today it felt different, almost electric. For weeks, I had been on edge, glancing up every time the door creaked open, half-expecting to see that man or even Axel walk in again. I expect Axel and his goons to walk in here every minute. The memory of our last encounter lingered in my mind, his unsettling note echoing like a haunting melody. I could still feel the chill that ran down my spine when he had looked at me, eyes piercing through the small talk, making me feel exposed and vulnerable. Each day without his presence brought a strange relief but also a nagging sense of unease, like waiting for a storm that never came. I had convinced myself that maybe he had decided to ignore my existence and that I could finally breathe easy in my little café sanctuary.But then, just as I thought I could relax, the door swung open, and there he was, casually strolling in as if he hadn’t haun
< Rose >The windows of the car were tinted and i couldn’t see anyone within as i passed beside it. I wondered if the owner of the car was inside, watching me. Was there a reason for me to be scared? The truck was definitely expensive. I knew a lot about cars and the chrome accents and oversized tires were features of the recent model. Ii noticed the silver stripe that ran along the side of the car. Octavia had never visited me in such an expensive ride.I walked quickly into the cafe and shut the door behind me. As I walked inside, I scanned the lounge area for any new faces. There were none. I met Phil behind the counter.‘’How long has that truck been parked out there?’’He looked out through the transparent door. ‘’A couple of minutes,’’ he said.I pulled out a stool and sat on it. ‘’Has anyone come out o
My phone buzzed again. I knew it was another message from Liam. I hissed and ignored it. After weeks of silence, he was finally texting me. I knew he would have a billion reasons as to why he had been incommunicado, but I was not interested one bit. I was ready to move on with my life. I thought of Zion. The feeling of guilt because he was Octavia’s ex was gone. We had every right to be happy, just as she did. She also owed us the favour of accepting us, just as we had accepted her new life.Worry crept in again. His call last night had been unsettling. He sounded unlike him and he had not returned his call yet even though he had said he would. He was also not picking up his calls. I was trying to not dwell on my paranoia, but it kept creeping in every moment. I picked up my phone and swiped Liam’s message from the screen. His phone was still ringing but unanswered. I checked the temperature of the oven. It was 375 degrees. I pulled myself up from the chair and began to mix
I arrived at the security room before Rory, going through some strategy. Taking down Marcelo before the weekend gave us just three days, including that day. If we discussed strategy and finalised on one, we could start our move that very day.The door opened and I looked up from the desk. Aaron walked in with Rory. I could see that she hadn’t changed her clothes from what she was putting on last night and even though she looked animated, I could tell she had barely slept a wink. I could imagine being in her situation too.‘’Welcome,’’ I said pointing to a seat in front of me.. ‘’Come sit.’’She nodded slightly and walked to the other side of the table. The chair made scraping sounds on the metal as she pulled it out.‘’Sorry,’’ she said, smiling slightly.I stretched my arms on the table and leaned forward. ‘’Must have been a rough night,’’ I said.She sighed. ‘’Extremely. Marcelo’s men were there just a few seconds ahead of your men.’’I looked at her, waiting for more in
I felt the sour taste in my tongue and pain by the side of my head as I stirred awake. The pain intensified. I can hear some voices around me but as I try to lift my head, dizziness sends me crashing back to the floor. I try to open my eyes. My vision is blurry but just then I see her hovering over me. Blonde hair. Octavia?In an instant, she was gone.I groaned, closing my eyes and was about to fall into the clouds of unconsciousness again. Something was buzzing, jarring me awake. I opened my eyes and my vision is better. I can see that I am lying on the ground. The vision of the masked man flashed before me and my heart raced. Memories truckled in. I was just leaving Rose’s house and heading for my office. I recalled the man striking me on my head with his gun.I tried to move my hands, and it did so grudgingly. I touched the side of my head and I winced at the pain that shot through my entire body. As I brought my fingers to my face I saw that they were stained with blood
Zion is hard to track. He doesn’t stay in one place for too long but today is a perfect day to follow him and spend a few minutes around him.I heard them in the cafe. They were going to Rose’s house. I knew what was going to happen there because the tension between them was enough to slice a bread. One of the waiters walked to me, and I quickly swapped the screen on my laptop and pretended to be engrossed in the book in front of me.‘’Hello,’’ he said, smiling as politely as he could.I returned a smile and pretended to be annoyed that I was being distracted from my book.‘’I’m sorry to bother you, but we are closing up in the next five minutes.’’I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall even though I knew exactly what time it was. ‘’Why? It’s only past 8pm and you don’t close up until 9.’’He was a young boy. Most likely one of those high school boys who worked there part time to earn a little money. He seemed shy too and he was a bit flustered by my question. I saw him t
We both saw the car at the same time and we were both thinking about the possible reasons why it could be there. It was a black car, too sleek for the environment. From the side of my eyes, I could see Victor look at me. ‘’Could this be from Marcello?’’I said nothing as I killed the engine. It could be from Marcello. It could also be that Rory had invited someone to see her. If that was the case, that would be a stupid move from her. There was also the possibility that the car had nothing to do with her.We alighted from the truck and I took in the surroundings. It was a good place to hide. Too dirty for a princess to live in. The streets reeked of poverty and I was familiar with it all. I had grown up on the streets, and fed on trash for weeks before I was picked up by the Don.The building was old and the unpainted wall was covered with algae. An old sign announced the name of the inn, and we walked in. The reception consisted of a counter with a chair behind it and two
The vibrating sound of my phone woke me up from my tired sleep. I had barely slept a wink the previous night, disgusted by my surroundings and afraid that Marcello would find me. I reached for it under my pillow and looked at the caller ID. I hoped it was not a set up to find my location.‘’Hello?’’ I said, pressing the phone to my ear as my heart raced.‘’Hello.’’ It was the voice of a female. ‘’This is Octavia da Vinci.’’I almost let out a sigh of relief. I felt the tiredness in my bones wash out immediately and I pushed myself to a sitting position.‘’Oh my God. Octavia!’’ I exclaimed. ‘’It’s great to hear from you.’’I hoped she had something important she wanted to discuss with me. My eyes travelled to the uncovered plate of food that had been delivered to my room. There was no way in hell that I was going to eat it. My stomach growled in agreement.‘’How are you faring?’’ she asked.I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. ‘’Just surviving.’’ I was able to see the room even
I saw little of Bree over the next few days. She was up very early to attend a preparatory class for college, and she returned late. I heard she slept in the library sometimes. I wasn’t sure if she was doing this to avoid me or she was just really concerned about passing her exams.Aaron was back by my side, cold and silent as ever. I was eaten with guilt anytime I looked at him because I knew it was extreme for me to send him to the Icebox. I seemed to be making more enemies than allies. I hadn’t heard from Rory Morano either. I wondered what she thought of me now, or what Lorenz would make her think of me. Things were not working out as I planned at all. I had led the most casualty the group has witnessed in a long while - ten dead men. And i was scared there were going to be more deaths. I had to somehow convince my father to let go of the bad blood with Marcello for now. His room is on the fourth floor of the mansion, two floors above mine. It was the first time I wou
I remained frozen for a few second, internalising what i had just heard. It wasn’t supposed to be such a shock to me because I had thought of the possibilities of it being the case but I was not prepared at all for this answer. She dumped the napkin she was fiddling with on the counter and walked away into the kitchenette. I watched her leave, my mind reeling. What did this mean to us now? I wanted us to address it completely.I flipped through my phone as I waited for her. Octavia had not responded to any of my messages and with each passing day, it was hurting less. Perhaps knowing that my family had caused her so much pain was the most important factor. She returned about five minutes later, and I could tell she was avoiding eye contact.‘’Rose,’’ I said, ‘’we need to address that.’’She shrugged her shoulders. ‘’What do you want us to say? It didn’t mean anything to either of us. We were both drunk and you can’t even remember it.’’ she was gesturing with her hands and mak