Chapter 1 Long Time, No See

Prologue Damiano Blood splattered on my face faster than I could ever process what was happening. The sound of gurgling had me slowly widening my eyes when I saw who was hit. I dropped to my knees, pressing my hand onto her neck where blood kept sputtering out. “You’ll be okay… you’ll be okay.” The words came out of my mouth hastily, but she was choking on her own blood, watching me with fear in her eyes as tears filled them up. I gritted my teeth, trying to stop the bleeding, but deep down inside, I knew I couldn’t. “Find them! Find who did this!” I shouted to my men, my chest heaving uncontrollably in fury. “Don’t close your eyes.” I pleaded. Her eyes drooped, but they never fully closed. She placed her hand on my cheek, giving me a silent plea before I watched her eyes become lifeless and her hand dropped to her side. I cradled her body into my arms, I shouted. “Open your eyes. Open your eyes!” But she remained unresponsive. “Why, Damiano?” I stilled and stared into her eyes, which were open but glazed over with no spark of life. My eyes narrowed in confusion. Something was not right. Her eyes were cold and lifeless, yet her mouth was moving, screaming at me. “Why did you let me die, Damiano? Why? Why? Why?!” I snapped my eyes open. I let out a breath as I stared at the ceiling before sitting on the edge of the bed, my head dipping between my shoulders as I rested my elbows on my thighs. Once again, she was tormenting me in my dreams, giving me another sleepless night. I’ve been having this dream for four years, and the anger from it is still deeply engraved within me. If I had put her first instead of being absorbed in building my empire, maybe she would still be alive instead of haunting me. Instead of trying to sleep, knowing I wouldn’t be able to, I took a shower and got dressed to do what I do best; handle my businesses and make sure they all went smoothly. It was the only distraction I could give myself before she tormented me again for failing to protect her. ֎ ֎ ֎ I was in one meeting after another, killing one fuckhead after another. The slightest things set me off; looking at me the wrong way, breathing too loud, wearing too much cologne, anything to let my trigger finger work overtime. It was probably because of the lack of sleep. My brother, Lorenzo, and my right-hand man, Antonio, loved to remind me how I was always a pain in the ass when I was sleep deprived. They were probably the only ones who could get away with saying that and not end up with a bullet between their eyes. I went back to the manor to take another shower to wash off the blood. Some piece of shit thought he could steal from me as if I wouldn’t notice. I liked to deal with them directly.  I loved to make them into my personal punching bag, except that my gloves were made of knives. It was messy but satisfying. Freshly showered and dressed in slacks and a dress shirt, I went to the Volante mansion to attend my brother’s engagement party. Arriving, I took a quick glance around the decorated backyard as I sipped my whiskey. I had my men stay vigilant in case Gaetano Volante tried something funny. I pulled out a cigarette and took in a deep drag as Lorenzo and his fiancée, Cara, made an appearance and mingled with the other guests. “That shitface, Michael, isn’t here. Find out where he is.” I ordered Luca. “He’s coming right there.” Giovanni informed before Luca started looking. I inhaled deeply from my cigarette and blew out the smoke as my eyes narrowed on the woman Michael was with. I observed her closely as they exchanged some words before Michael walked away. “… She’s hot.” One of the men nearby let out a low whistle at the sight of her. “… Gorgeous.” Another one commented. I couldn’t blame them; she was a fucking beauty. My gaze slid down, drinking in every inch of her body. She had long, brown curly hair flowing down past her shoulders. The dress she was wearing hugged her body deliciously, the generous amount of her cleavage on display left little to the imagination. My gaze went up to her face and our eyes clashed. I almost let out a smirk when I caught her checking me out since she wasn’t being discreet about it either. Fucking hell, she had the most striking green eyes I had ever seen, and I found myself becoming lured into them. I tilted my head slightly to the side as I continued to look at her. She looked oddly familiar. Then I finally realized who she was. Michael moved in front of her, obscuring our view of each other before I could signal for her to come over. “No one is to go near her.” I told my men firmly, and I received grumbled responses in return. “That’s Althaia Volante.” I informed them, and everyone looked back at her in surprise. I let out a low laugh, rubbing my jaw as my eyes never once left her. Now, how the fuck was she alive and well, when the file clearly stated she died? Chapter 1 Althaia I looked in the mirror and nodded in approval at my appearance. I was wearing a long black backless silk dress with thin straps; the front was a deep v-plunge neckline that showed quite a bit of my cleavage. The dress was tight on the top and got a little loose at the hips as there was a long slit on the right side, stopping mid-thigh. I finished the look with a pair of open-toe black stilettos with straps around the ankle. I did a simple brown smokey eye which complimented my green eyes and had them look a bit cat-like. I let my long curly and thick brown hair fall as it was but accessorized it with a sparkly hair clip to lift some of the hair away from my face on the right side. “Get it together. What’s the worst that can happen?” I continued to fiddle with my hands before forcing them to remain still as I took a deep breath, building up the courage to leave my hotel room. The worst that could happen was my father being angry at me for showing up and throwing me out…. My eyes widened and my face paled. I hadn’t thought that was a possibility until now. I quickly shoved that thought away. I was here for Cara, not him, and there was no way I would let that stop me from attending her engagement party. I have always been close to Cara. We grew up together in the same household since both of our fathers were running a business together. Long story short, I found out that my father and uncle were in organized crime, and since they would always be busy, Cara spent time with me and my mother. Sadly, Cara’s mother died during her birth, and my mother raised Cara as if she were her own daughter. Aside from that, we were a happy family. At least, that was what we thought. There was stuff you didn’t notice because you were busy being a kid, right? So, as usual, Cara and I were nosy and tried to eavesdrop on my parents, when it sounded like they were fighting one night. We had crept down the steps to get a closer look and listen to what was going on, but we couldn’t hear anything. But what happened next shocked us both and had our jaws dropping to the floor. My mother, Jacinta, slapped the fuck out of my father that night. We remained silent, stunned by what had just happened, before we ran back to our shared room and pretended to be asleep so we wouldn’t be caught snooping. The next day, my mother had our bags packed, and we left. I remember crying so hard because Cara wasn’t coming with us. My mother tried to take her with us, but my uncle refused to let her go. It pained my mother to leave Cara behind, and I was sure she had her reasons to leave my father. The reason for that was still unknown though. My father and I didn’t stay in touch after that, even though I tried to call him because I missed him, but he never once called me back. He then changed his number-message received. We moved to Florida while my father stayed in California. I met up with Cara whenever it was possible. However, it became more difficult for her to leave the house the older she got because her father was strict as fuck. He turned out to be a parent from hell. He was always intoxicated with a dangerous mix of drugs and alcohol that made him crazy and abusive towards Cara. The minute I knew what was happening to her, I told her I was coming to get her out of there. But she begged me not to, nor tell a soul. She said it would do more harm than good. I couldn’t understand what she meant by it and my heart dropped when she said her father wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if she tried to run away. I couldn’t do anything but stay put as I feared for her life. Well, to say that I was nervous to be around them all for the first time in forever was an understatement. I didn’t know what to expect and kept thinking about how my father would react to seeing me after so long. “… Don’t get sick.” I whispered to myself as I took a deep breath. I felt nauseous. “Let’s go.” I sighed, finally working up the courage to get going, and I made my way down to the lobby. Cara sent a car to my hotel to escort me to the mansion. My former home. My heart beat a little faster at the thought of going there after so long. So much has happened since the slap. My father got himself a new wife not long after we left. He even has a stepson, Carlos, from his wife’s previous marriage whom he treated like his own flesh and blood. I would be lying if I said it didn’t bother the shit out of me to hear he was treating someone else more like his own child than me. Cara instantly spilled the tea and said my father had totally downgraded. I was prepared to give the stink eye to the woman my father ended up marrying. On the elevator ride down to the lobby, I felt myself getting more nervous and my hands fidgeted around the little gift box I had with me. It felt like my stomach was in a thousand knots. “Get it together, Althaia… It’s just family.” I breathed out, trying to calm my nerves. I took a final deep breath as the elevator doors opened to the lobby, and clutched the small engagement gift in my hands. It wasn’t anything grand, just two champagne glasses saying, ‘Mr. Right’ with a mustache, and the other ‘Mrs. Always Right’ with red kissy lips. It immediately made me think of Cara because she had the impression she was always right. Even in situations where she wasn’t, she still was, according to herself. She could be a little cocky sometimes. Nearing the middle of the lobby, I stopped in my tracks when I spotted the tall, blonde-haired man in a gray suit that hugged his body to perfection. “Michael?” I asked in shock. He spun around and grinned when he saw me. “Althaia! Long time, no see.” He smiled at me, showing off his pearly whites. It has been so long since I last saw him. My first crush ever. Damn, now I remembered why I was obsessed with him. Michael had the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen, a sharp jawline, and a clean-shaven face. The way he styled his dirty blonde hair gave the ‘I didn’t bother to try’ look, which made him look quite hot. We actually dated when we were younger. He just didn’t know. I just stared at him, my mouth ajar, as I couldn’t believe my own two eyes. “Damn, Althaia, just take a damn picture if you’re just going to stare at me like that.” He chuckled, and I felt my cheeks heat. He still had an effect on me. “Don’t flatter yourself, Michael. I was just surprised to see you here.” I laughed, hoping he didn’t notice my flushed cheeks. “Yeah, well, I kind of overheard Cara saying that you were coming, and she was going to send someone over to come and get you. I couldn’t believe that the Althaia was coming, so I said I would come and fetch ya.” Michael smiled and tucked his hands into the pockets of his slacks. His eyes slowly scanned me, trailing down my body, and then up again to meet my eyes, giving me a lazy smirk. “Can’t say I regret the decision. You look stunning as ever, Althaia.” His blue eyes darkened, and my heart raced when he gave me a look. “And you look handsome as ever, Michael.” I returned with a smile as he sauntered up to me with a sexy grin on his face.

Chapter 2 Once Called Home

Althaia “No way! You got yourself that car?!” I gaped at the gleaming black Aston Martin as he escorted me outside. “Sure did! Worked my ass off to get it.” He looked at his car pridefully. When we were younger, he would always talk about wanting an Aston Martin. We used to love talking about cars when we were kids and got so excited when we saw those luxury cars in movies. I was a sucker for those cars. Michael opened the door for me, and I immediately glanced around as I got inside, almost afraid to move in case I would ruin something. It was one sexy car, and just sitting in a freaking Aston Martin felt surreal. And he was looking fine driving it. A sexy man deserved a sexy car. “So, how come you’re attending the engagement party?” I asked. Sure, we all knew each other, and we were close growing up, but he was always talking about traveling the world, so I didn’t think he would have stuck around. Michael glanced at me quickly before refocusing on the road. “Ah, I forgot you don’t know.” He smiled, and I gave him a confused look. “Don’t know what?”“I work for your father now.” Oh. “So, does that mean you’re a part of the … family business as well?” I didn’t know how to word it exactly. It all sounded so strange on my tongue and made me slightly uncomfortable. Even though I didn’t know much about it, the word Mafia should be enough to know that it was definitely not a safe career. “Family business, you say?” Michael chuckled. “Is that what you call it?” He continued to tease. “Well, how else would I say it?” I chuckled, and he shrugged. “Dunno, Mafia? Family business sounds so … boring.” He said as if it wasn’t a big deal. “Mafia…” I said out loud, like it was a strange word. “You’re saying it like it’s a normal nine-to-five job you have. What happened to the ‘I want to travel the world’ dream of yours?” I slightly faced him with a brow raised. “Who said I don’t get to travel the world, bellissima? I get to travel around, and I get to make a shitload of money. That’s a win-win situation for me.” He laughed, and I felt a small tingle erupt in my stomach at him calling me beautiful. “Wait, do you speak Italian now or is it just that one word to hit on women?” I asked in a teasing tone. “You don’t really have a choice but to speak the language when the Italian mob guys are around. Gotta defend myself if someone is out there planning to shoot my white ass.” Michael was cracking up, like he just told the funniest joke ever. “I guess you’re right.” I couldn’t help but laugh along with him. “What about you? Still speak the language, or is it long forgotten?” He wondered. Even though it had been ages since I had spoken Italian, I still remembered a lot. “Not really, it’s mostly forgotten.” I told him. I was not as fluent as I once was, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. I didn’t want anyone to find out I still knew the language because I wanted to hear if anyone was trying to talk shit about me. “I still know a few words here and there. It’s just me and mom, so there really isn’t any need to speak Italian.” I bit down on my lip, hoping he didn’t catch on to my lie. My father is Italian, and my mother is Greek, so naturally, I grew up speaking both languages. My mother was fluent in Italian since she was married to my father for so long. Since we no longer lived with my father, there was no reason for my mother and I to speak Italian. Michael faced me and gave me another one of his beautiful smiles. He was one handsome man with ocean-blue eyes that you easily could get lost in. I averted my gaze so I wouldn’t be caught staring for too long. His handsomeness made me a little nervous. “Yeah, I get that. No need to worry, I’ll be your personal translator during your stay.” He tilted his chin upwards like a soldier ready for duty. I let out a small chuckle. He looked so proud. “Funny how the tables have turned, huh? It used to be me who translated stuff for you.” I teased. His lips curved up as he drove through the huge gates of my father’s mansion. Anxiety was building up as we approached the entrance. “We’re here!” Michael sang as he parked in front of the stairs to the house. “Hold on a second.” He stopped me when I was about to open the door. Michael quickly got out and made his way to my side and opened the door for me as he gave me his hand. “Thanks.” I smiled, holding his hand while attempting to exit the car gracefully, without flashing him too much leg with the long slit up my thigh. Stepping out with my right foot first was a mistake as the slit rode higher up, giving him a full view of my tanned leg. Michael’s eyes dropped to my bare skin, and I hurriedly got my other leg out and stood up. My cheeks got all hot when I saw Michael smirking. Clearing my throat, I looked down to make sure my dress was still in place, and I wasn’t accidentally flashing anyone. If people were going to talk about me, I certainly didn’t want them to talk about how they could see my thong. “Still wearing the necklace, I see.” Michael’s eyes followed my fingers as I adjusted the necklace between my breasts. He gave a small smile as he touched the gem. “Of course! Nono gave it to me. This way, he’s always with me. I never take it off unless I get wet.” He let his hand fall to his side and gave a full-on smirk. “Yeah?” He inched closer to me. “How often are you wet, then?” Michael whispered while looking deep into my eyes, and my breath got caught in my throat. I was pretty sure my face was as red as it could be, and my heart beat a little faster at our closeness. I gave his arm a light smack as I sidestepped him. I felt like I couldn’t breathe when he was so damn close to me. “Shut up, you know what I mean. Let’s go. I don’t want to be too late for the party.” I said hurrying him along. I heard him laugh as he shut the car door and walked up next to me. He took the small gift from me and put his hand on my back. “Ready?” He asked, and I gave a brief nod. I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself and hoping everything would turn out okay. Together, we made our way upstairs and into the mansion I once called home.

Chapter 3 Resting Bitch Face

Althaia As soon as we entered the mansion, a wave of nostalgia hit me as I looked around. I made so many memories in this house, and even though most of the interior had been changed, there was still a sense of familiarity. The staircase had been remodeled into a glossy beige that led to two small separate staircases on either side to get to the top floor. A sparkling crystal chandelier was suspended from the center of the staircase and small spotlights lit up the rest of the ceiling, giving it a nice, elegant look. I guess my father was too busy with the mansion to phone me back. I mentally scoffed but forced myself to think of the good times. The twelve years that I stayed here were amazing because I had Cara and Michael. As we walked towards the back of the mansion, we could hear music and people talking. We walked through the French doors to the gardens outside down a stony path that twisted around the corner to the house’s right side. I enjoyed the view of the gorgeous flowers and plants of different colors on either side of the path. I had to admit that the gardener did one heck of a job, because it felt like I was walking through a meadow of many beautiful colors. Since we were still out of sight from the other party guests, I halted in my steps just before we rounded the corner to join the party. “Just take a deep breath, Thaia. You will be fine, I promise.” I glanced at Michael, and he gave me a comforting smile while giving my hand a gentle squeeze. I tightened my grip on his hand, relieved he was here. “I know, it’s just nerves getting to me. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here, and there are just so many memories.” I gave him a brief smile back. He pulled me closer to him, which I welcomed because it calmed down my nerves that were increasingly building. When we turned the corner, I was stunned. “Wow.” I breathed out as I took in the sight in front of me. A big open space with massive trees dressed up with strings of lights from one tree to another created a ceiling of light above our heads. The garden was decorated with round tables with linen tablecloths, and vases with gold engravings, holding white and soft pink Camellia flowers in them. If this was just the engagement party, I couldn’t imagine how grand the wedding would be. And it definitely would be grand just by looking at the glamorous people present here. “Yeah, I agree.” Michael spoke, taking in the backyard. “I’ll put this on the gift table. Can I get you something to drink?” He motioned his head to the far-right side, where the bar was with a bartender. “Anything without alcohol would be great, thanks. I want to stay as sober as possible.” I let him know. A few glasses of champagne were usually not a problem but I was still nervous as hell, and I would probably just down one drink after another to ease my nerves. I couldn’t risk it. “Sure thing! I will be right back.” I watched him as he went on his way to the gift table. Shit, now I’m alone. I searched the crowd to see if I could locate Cara. What I didn’t notice was that half of the people were already staring at me while I was in my own little miserable bubble. I moved my feet slightly as I felt uneasy with everyone’s eyes on me. And I also suddenly felt underdressed because it was like the backyard had been filled with models from Italian Vogue. I have never seen so many beautiful people gathered in one place. Women had on long, gorgeous gowns, and men wore suits that made them appear as if they didn’t come from this violent world. It was intimidating. It was easy to see that I didn’t belong here, and I wouldn’t mind being rescued right now, as I gave some awkward smiles to the people who looked at me. Where the hell was Cara? I kept looking around to see if I could spot her somewhere, but there were too many people. Someone caught my attention as my gaze fell on him. My breath got caught in my throat and I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He’s gorgeous. Breathtaking, actually. His black dress pants showed off his strong legs, and a black dress shirt that clung to his body, so mouthwatering. It was slightly unbuttoned, exposing some of his chest. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, which showed off his heavily tattooed arms. His dark hair, short on the sides, and longer on the top was styled perfectly. This man was the embodiment of perfection. My gaze moved from his feet to his face, tracing his body along the way. His presence enthralled me, so much I couldn’t help but keep my gaze on him for a moment longer. He was a tall man, smoking a cigarette, and even from a distance, I could feel the immense power radiating from him. I was intrigued. He cocked his head to the side as he studied me. He pinned me with his gaze, and his face remained completely emotionless. His eyes were intensely focused on me, and I felt like I was in a trance, unable to look away as we remained locked in a stare from afar. “Don’t look at him like that.” Michael abruptly appeared in front of me, taking me by surprise, and obstructing my view of the man. “He has killed people for staring at him the wrong way.” He stated as he handed me a drink. “Huh?” I breathed out and blinked at him, confused. “I was just looking around. How am I supposed to find the person I’m looking for if I’m not allowed to look?” I gave a soft chuckle at his exaggeration and raised a brow at him. “The way you looked at him can get your ass shot.” Michael gave me a stern look, making it clear that this was not a joke. I looked at him with wide eyes, suddenly feeling scared that the man would shoot me because I took my time to look at him. “Wait, really? Oh, shit! What do I do? Do I apologize?” I spoke in a hurry. I didn’t mean it in a bad way; he was truly too beautiful not to look at. Michael let out a small snort. “No, just don’t look at him. I don’t know if you have heard of this, Althaia, but you have a mean resting bitch face. You looked like you were ready to fight him or something.” He spoke under his breath. I choked on my drink, making a fool out of myself as I laughed. “I may have heard that a few times.” I grinned.

Chapter 4 Reunited

Althaia “Thaia!” I heard Cara call out as she suddenly showed up and headed towards me with a wide smile on her face. “Cara!” I squealed, matching her excitement as I quickly handed my drink to back Michael, not caring that it spilled a bit, and walked as fast as I could in my heels and embraced her with a tight hug. It had been so long since I last saw her, which truly sucked because we were like two inseparable sisters. “Oh my God, I have missed you so much. It really is not the same without you.” She hugged me tighter into her tiny frame. “I know.” I chuckled. “I’ve missed you too!” I stepped back, holding her hands as I looked her over. “Cara, you look amazing!” I stared in awe at her gorgeous dress. A gorgeous, long flowy rose-colored strapless gown with a corset-like top with silver detailing that cinched her waist, making her already full breasts even bigger. Her raven hair was tied up with a few pieces framing her face, and her makeup was flawless, making her hazel eyes pop. She looked absolutely breathtaking. “Mom really outdid herself with this dress. It’s more than I could ever imagine.” She winked slyly, and I dropped my jaw. “I didn’t know you asked mom to make you a dress!” I squinted my eyes at her. My mother was a designer and made drop-dead gorgeous gowns. When we moved, she opened her own little shop, and it blew up in no time. Eventually, we had to expand and now it was a well-known high-end boutique. “Yeah, well, I didn’t want you to know because I wanted it to be a surprise, and -” Cara put her hand over her heart and held my hand. “I love you so much, but you fucking suck at keeping something like that a secret.” She said, smiling innocently. I was about to say something, but she was right, so I shut my mouth. I was the type of person who would get you a gift and within the next few minutes I would send a text saying ‘guess what I just got you!’ Case in point, she already knew what I got her for her engagement. I literally took a picture of the champagne glasses and sent her a text message that said ‘OMG, these are so cute! I’m getting them for you’ and sent her the picture. “Fair enough.” I muttered. “But damn, look at you! That dress is so hot on you. Who are you getting your titties out for, huh?” Cara put her hands on her hips and wiggled her brows at me. Typical of Cara, always got something dirty on her mind. “No one.” I rolled my eyes. “My tits are more covered up than yours.” I pointed out. “True, but I have a man now that I need to impress, so he knows what awaits him, if you know what I mean.” She winked, making me laugh. “Speaking of man…” I muttered while glancing around to make sure no one was within earshot. “Are you absolutely sure you want to do this, Cara? You can always, I don’t know, run away? You know I’ll come with you.” I said in all seriousness. If she wanted to leave the country, I would drop everything and go with her. She means the world to me. I would do whatever I could to keep her safe. “You know I can’t do that. He will hunt me down and definitely kill me if I ever thought about running away.” She gave me a sad smile. “Besides, anything will be better than living with my father. I just have to get away. I need to breathe. ” She sighed. As much as I hated to admit it, it was true. Her father was an absolute abusive maniac. If she did something and he found it inappropriate, he would hit her. One time her father came back home from God knows where, intoxicated from both alcohol and cocaine, and almost beat her to death. Somehow, he gained a tiny bit of his senses back and stopped before it was too late. I hoped one day someone would give him the same treatment. Amen. “This is my way out of here.” Cara reassured me. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.” I gave a small smile and pulled her into another hug. “Are you done catching up? I’m feeling all lonely here by myself.” Michael wrapped an arm around my shoulder and pouted his lips. “Isn’t this awesome? The trio has finally reunited at last!” He beamed with excitement, and I just shook my head at him in amusement and removed his arm from my shoulders. I did not spend that much time getting ready for him to get my hair into a tangled mess. “Come, let me introduce you to my soon-to-be husband.” Cara gestured at a group of men puffing cigars and drinking whatever their choice of poison was. But what caught me off guard was that they were already staring at us. Definitely nothing intimidating about that. Not at all. “Have fun with that.” Michael mumbled, eyeing the men with a blank stare. “Are you not coming with us? Didn’t you just say that you were lonely standing by yourself?” I gave him a teasing look. “Yeah, but I’m not that lonely. See ya!” He took off before we could say anything else. “Let’s go.” Cara held my hand and together we made our way toward the group of men who were observing our every move. For some reason it felt dangerous, and I wondered why.

Chapter 5 Coming Back From Death

Althaia As we got closer to the group of men, I tried not to stare at anyone longer than a second in case they would take it the wrong way. They were huge and intimidating, and kept watching us as we walked up to them, but Cara was unfazed. She led me over to the two men at the center of the group; the two most terrifying-looking men. And one of them was the man Michael told me not to stare at, but holy shit, that man was even finer up close, and I couldn't take my eyes off him. I was nervous to approach him as his eyes followed me, and his stare made my heart race. He didn’t even try to hide it as he shamelessly checked me out, which gave me mixed feelings. I was not sure I was supposed to like his attention on me. “Althaia, meet my fiancé, Lorenzo.” Cara introduced. I looked at the man next to him and wanted to drop my jaw. He was about the size of a tank! He was so tall that I even had to slightly tilt my head up, and so muscular he could literally be related to The Rock. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was. Her vagina is going to be so tired. I shared a quick look with Cara, a smug grin on her lips saying ‘I know’ like she read my thoughts, which made me crack a smile. Tank Man was quite handsome with his closely shaved head, dark brown eyes, and a strong jawline with light stubble. “It’s nice to meet you.” I smiled and stuck my hand out for a handshake. He looked down at my hand with a bored expression, letting it hang there before shaking it. Well, that was lovely. “And this is his older brother, Damiano.” She gestured to the one I had looked at for too long. They were about the same height, though Tank Man was more broad-shouldered than Damiano. Tank Man was, well, like a tank, but Damiano was way more intimidating, his golden-brown eyes so cold and deadly when he stared at me. I almost wanted to gulp. “Pleasure to meet you.” I smiled nervously at him and went for a handshake. He didn't just stare at my hand like Lorenzo did, he shook it immediately. “Althaia.” Damiano said my name, as if he was seeing how it sounded on his tongue. “Pleasure’s all mine.” A shiver ran through me at how deep his voice was, and it elicited an inappropriate response in my body. I felt my face flush. This man was seriously otherworldly. Damiano glanced at Tank Man, also known as Lorenzo, and it was almost like they were having a silent conversation. Whatever it was, it had Lorenzo grab Cara around the waist and they walked off. Cara looked over her shoulder and gave me a confused expression. I looked around and realized that the rest of the group had disappeared too. “Uh...” I trailed in confusion. “Althaia.” I shivered again as I turned back around to face Damiano, who already had his eyes set on me. He reached into his pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes, offering me one. “Oh, no, thank you.”“Good choice.” He gave me a small smirk and held the packet up to his mouth, took a cigarette between his lips, all while looking into my eyes. There was something about the way he did it that was incredibly hot. “So, Althaia.” Damiano spoke while he lit up his cigarette and took a long drag from it. “You look awfully well for a dead person.” He spoke, blowing out smoke. I looked at him in shock. Was Michael right? Was Damiano threatening my life right now? “I’m sorry, what?” I shook my head like I didn't hear him right. “Your file says you’re dead.” He continued as if it was the most normal thing to say and blew the smoke right into my face. I waved the smoke away and frowned at him. “What are you talking about? I think you have me confused with someone else.” I chuckled awkwardly. “Althaia Volante, twenty-four years old, born on November seventh because her parents fucked on Valentine’s Day. You died instantly in a car accident on New Year’s Eve three years ago.” He said, inhaling from his cigarette as my expression fell. “Usually, dead people don’t look this good.” Damiano gave me another look-over. “I don’t know what you are talking about. Besides, my name is not Volante. It’s Celano. Big difference. You must have me confused with someone else because I’m pretty sure I’m not dead. Obviously.” I gestured to myself as I was literally standing in front of him in the flesh. “Obviously.” He finished his cigarette, and my eyes followed the bud as he flicked it away. I glanced back at him, seeing his eyes lingering on my necklace between my breasts. Damiano reached out to touch my necklace, and I reflexively stepped back. His eyes locked onto mine, giving me a warning look, like he was telling me to stay still. “However, you are wearing the Volante heirloom around your neck.” He stepped closer to me and my heart beat faster when his hand trailed up and held my chin. I swallowed hard as he tilted my chin slightly upward so I could meet his eyes. His face was getting closer to me, like he was going to kiss me, and my eyes went wide. But Damiano moved his head at the last second, his bearded cheek brushed against mine as he stopped by my ear. “Makes me wonder why your father is hiding you from me.” He whispered, and it sent a chill down my spine. Damiano slightly stepped back and dropped his hand to his side. He shot a look over my shoulder and my stomach dropped in fear when I saw his expression. So deadly and fucking feral. I had to get away from him. I spun around to leave, but halted in my steps as I came face-to-face with my father, who looked at me furiously. “Papá.” I breathed out. It was weird seeing him in front of me when we hadn’t seen each other since, well, my mother took me and left. Even though he didn’t keep in touch with me, I still missed him. He was my father, after all. “What are you doing here?” My father snapped at me. He was livid. My heart dropped. I guess the feelings were not mutual. “What, you don’t want to see your daughter? Don’t worry, I’m not here for you.” I frowned back. Everybody stopped and stared at us. Wasn’t that just fucking lovely? They were all witnessing a shitty father and daughter reunion. He clearly didn’t want me here, and it made me feel like shit. Great, so the worst that could happen, happened. I crossed my arms, shoving my feelings away as I was about to leave, but stopped when Michael’s tense form moved forward to stand behind my father, posing as a bodyguard. Someone grabbed me around the waist and pushed me into their side. I let out a noise of surprise at the sudden action and saw it was Damiano who held me firmly. “Gaetano, such a beautiful gem you’ve been hiding.” He taunted in Italian. My father clenched his fists as he looked at Damiano, but Damiano just cocked his head to the side with a devilish smirk. “Michael, take Althaia away from here.” My father ordered firmly. “Holy shit!” I shouted when Damiano whipped out a gun and pointed it at Michael. My heart was racing, making me breathe out heavily. I tried to break free, but he held me tight. “Don’t even think about it.” He snarled at Michael while he crushed me to his side to prevent me from leaving. My legs would've given out in fear if he hadn't had such a strong grip on me. Michael tried to grab me again, but before he could even take a step, the sound of a gunshot rang out in the air, making me cover my ears as a shriek escaped me. “I won’t fucking miss your head if you move one more time.” Damiano stated in a deadly low tone. I could feel my knees weakening with each passing second. I looked at Michael, and my fear made his jaw clench. I stared at my father, and it looked like he was having an inner battle as he assessed the situation. And now I knew why the fuck it felt dangerous to approach Damiano. He was batshit crazy!