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Hell, I’d been molded from afar for this role in a country miles away.
“Trust me when I say I am looking out for your best interests,piccola,” he murmured without looking away from the door, his jaw clenched tightly.
I’d always been “little one”in his eyes. It didn’t feel right anymore, not now. In spite of our broken family, I knew he believed he was doing me a good deed.
Seeing how far his judgment had strayed left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“My name is Katia,” I gritted out.
The front door opened, exposing the money that spilled within its walls. I wondered how many ounces, bundles, lies, and blood it had taken for such details. Marble floors spread through the main floor until meeting the inside terrace, and the crystal-cut grand chandelier sparkled past the dim lighting. Pillars decorated the inside structure, and I couldn’t help but admire its structural design.
Hundreds of white roses adorned the room, giving no chance to the endless perfumes and colognes worn by the bodies that lingered as the rose scent triumphed over. Breathing deeply, I bathed in their purity before they could wilt due to the corruption that stood in just one house.
Some would call this a charity gala, a fundraiser for a cause. I called it a fraud. Not one person would be standing here unless they had something to gain.
Leo soon slipped away from our side and into darkness. The place he loved most.
“Do you need a drink?” Enzo asked.
I didn’t, but I wanted a minute alone, so I nodded. Knowing Enzo, he didn’t care for one either, at least not now. What he cared about was learning his surroundings, ensuring the two men that came with us had infiltrated the home and our car was ready for a quick exit.
Father would be proud.I almost chuckled at my own thoughts. He wouldn’t give us a second thought even if we all died. In his eyes, we were all too much like our mother. However,Imirrored her sage green gaze. For him, it was enough. Iwasher, and I continued to pay the price. After her passing, his hatred only grew. That was until I couldn’t move from the pain he’d inflicted, and I was shipped overseas at the age of eight.
Freedom, at least that was what I saw it as. The rules, my grandfather’s scrutiny, and the feeling of captivity were welcome compared to his wrath.
I glanced around before straightening my brown hair over my shoulders. I urged my hands to stop fidgeting and held on to my clutch a bit tighter. My long, deep red dress stabbed my ribcage, and I allowed the uncomfortable feeling to ground me in reality.
Then, I saw her. It was impossible not to pick her apart from this crowd as her eyes shined with hope and dread. Davina. I tried not to let myself fill with hatred knowing I was here, standing in the same room because of her. On the contrary, I almost smiled when her eyes snapped at mine. The smile would have been filled with praise. One tiny girl had rattled the ego of many, got away with it, and showcased the scar Leo had left on her neck with pride, as if it was a middle finger for La Cosa Nostra.
And yet, I couldn’t help but pity her. She had no idea what this life meant, and she still chose it—blindly. When the tall blond man who walked protectively by her side whispered, her attention shifted away from me as her eyes glimmered for him, and I understood.
Love.
The death sentence in our world.
An illusion of happiness and a set of shackles meant to prevent you from flying free.
I was so intrigued by the girl who was almost killed at the hands of my siblings that I missed the speech given from afar. Not giving it any importance, or the people that swayed in place, I searched for Enzo as he’d taken longer than anticipated. Instead, I found Leo in the far corner. Only the left side of his face remained out of the shadows. The side that intimidated many by the size of the scar that decorated his left brow and the corner of his eye.
We both kept quiet and away from view as claps and chatter erupted in loud echoes. Leo murmured something under his breath that was not clear for me to understand. As the claps died, classical music replaced the chatter from the live duo nearby. The crowd thinned little by little.
The aura changed within seconds. Dark violence silently swarmed inside, and as I felt its fierce pull, my eyes swung to its call.
Three men walked in our direction with purpose. My feet took a small step back, deeper into the shadows as I stared blankly at the trio. My mind dismissed the two that walked a few feet behind, only focusing on him.
“Lucca.”His name slipped through my parted lips, and my body stilled.
Lucca’s powerful footfalls never faltered, but his dark gaze narrowed as his head inclined slightly and he continued down the hall.
You are not hearing voices.
Lucca's fingers reached the tie of his three-piece black suit, leaving his tattooed neckline exposed as he adjusted himself. His sight turned toward the remaining people inside his home before he gripped the doorknob to his right and disappeared from view. While he took the violent aura along with him, the pull still tugged me tightly to follow. A dangerous pull that was wise to ignore.
A blond-haired man followed quickly behind. His resemblance to the one who’d escorted Davina earlier only brought more questions. As the last guy traced their steps, his wicked eyes caught mine. Dark hair and an even darker gaze trained on me. He stopped, craned his head, and pursed his lips in disgust as Leo moved forward at my side. His eyes assessed me carefully.
They weren't supposed to know about me…yet.
With a quick grip on my brother’s arm in so-called fear, I’d deceived the man into believing I was no one to care about. Just an ordinary woman lost in this made world who sought the thrill of being with a mafioso.
