Chapter 1

         My eyes widened and my heart lodged itself straight into my throat as the car I was currently in, gradually began to slow down.

Dead bodies of guards were over some spots on the ground and a few were badly injured. The huge gates of the house had was wide open and some onlookers were balanrly staring into the compound.

Dad wasn’t going to be happy about that, I thought as the car finally stopped. I pushed the car open before one of my two guards could come get the door for me, hurriedly making my way towards the house.

My heart was in my mouth, it was obvious that an attack had befallen our territory while I had been out hanging out with my best friend.

I made my way into the house and was blocked by a guard before I could get to the sitting room.

“Let me through.” I wheezed out, taking a little step backwards in order to create some much needed space between the guard and myself.

“You can’t go in ma’am.” 

I knew arguing with one of my father’s personal guards was literally useless, so I decided to ask questions instead.

“Where’s Zander?”

“He’s up in his room, nothing happened to him.” The guard responded and I puffed out a deep, relieved breath. 

“Okay, that’s great. So, what about…”

“Your mother and elder brother were kidnapped by the people who were behind this attack.” He responded, already knowing what else I was going to ask.

My eyes widened while my heartbeat quickened. “They were kidnapped?!”

“Yes, Ma’am. Now, if you’d excuse me.” He made to walk past me but I held my hands out.

“Wait, I still have more questions. Why am I not allowed to go in there?” I demanded.

“Because the entire place is a mess. Your father had ordered for you to remain in your bedroom now that you’re here.”

“But–” 

But the guard wasn’t listening to me any longer. He instead motioned another guard forward and whispered something to him, and before I could blink, I was being escorted upstairs to my bedroom. 

The first thing I did as soon as I was sure I was alone, was to creep out of my bedroom into my little brother’s. 

Zander was three fifteen years and three years younger than I am. As soon as he opened the door, he tugged me into his arms as the door slammed shut behind me.

I returned the hug, holding him tight against me and reassuring myself that he was indeed fine.

“I’m so glad you’re safe.” I said to him after pulling out of the hug. He took one of my hand and pressed it against his cheek as he sighed deeply.

“I was so worried about you, Catherine. I was still at the warehouse, going over the basics of training when the guards had gotten a call to return me back to the house in an instant, and when we arrived and I saw how everything was, I instantly began to worry about you.”

“Dad ordered me to return home at once too, cutting my time with my best friend short. I had found that a little bit weird, and as soon as we arrived home, I saw why he had ordered for me to return home at once.” I said to him in a low voice.

He took my hand which he was still holding and made his way towards his bed and we sat down side by side. He intertwined our fingers and I gripped his fingers tighter, giving him as much strength as I could.

“Did you hear what happened with mum and Ethan?” 

Ethan was our elder brother. He’s twenty five years old.

I nodded my head slowly. “Yeah, heard they were both kidnapped.” 

“What do you think about that?“ Zander asked and I shrugged.

“I don’t know, the usual? I don’t want anything to happen to them, I guess.” I responded after about a minute.

Zander was silent after that. I glanced at him after a few minutes to see him staring straight ahead at a picture hanging off his wall.

It was a picture of the two of us, taken a few years ago. I had still looked older than him back then, unlike now that he had hit puberty and had began to grow impossibly tall and buff for his age.

“Would it be a really bad thing if I say I hope they both don’t return?” Zander finally spoke up and my mouth fell open on a gasp.

“Zander!” 

“What? It’s the truth. That’s how I feel right now and I know you feel the same as well.” He argued and I pursed my lips, refusing to say a thing to that.

Not like I even needed to. Zander knew me well enough to know what’s going on in my head right now. 

Before I could even attempt to get a word out, a knock resounded off Zander’s door that made us jolt for a second.

It was one of the guards and one of the house maid.

“Your father would like to see you, Ma’am.” The guard said and I blinked.

“Me?” I asked. From the looks of things, he was supposed to be too busy to even take a glance at me, not to talk of wanting to see me. 

“Yes ma’am, in his office.”

I exchanged a look with Zander as I followed the guard down the stairs, all the way to my father’s office.

There were a lot of bullet holes on the walls, but I was sure that was going to be fixed tomorrow. 

The entire house would be as good as new by the end of tomorrow.

“Sit, Catherine.” Dad said after I had made my way into his office. I thanked him and sank into the seat before him, waiting for him to start speaking.

“So, you know I’ve been trying to find the people behind this attack, and how to rescue toor mother and brother. Luckily, the Mafia Don had agreed to offer me the assistance I’d be needing for that.”

“That’s great news.” I murmured, wondering why he was telling me this in the first place. 

I was never involved in subjects like these so this was very unusual.

“But, the Mafia Don needs to get a prize in return, so I had offered your hand in marriage to him, in exchange for his help. You’d be getting married to him as soon as your mother and brother have been found.”