by Fariah Zaidi
At once, Stefan pulled me behind him and all of them reached for their guns, cocking it in the direction of the hallway. I watched as Enzo gave them silent instructions on which way to go. Following this, Vincent went in first and towards the stairs, Rafael towards the kitchen and Stefan pulled me into the living room with Enzo trailing behind us.
I gasped loudly when I saw that the entire room had been trashed. It looked like someone had taken a bat or a golf club and angrily rammed it into everything in sight.
My eyes watered when I saw the frames holding my family’s photographs shattered to the floor, my father’s collection of CDs broken and hurled across the room.
My attention was diverted when Rafael came jogging into the room, “Kitchen and the dining room are clear.”
Vincent walked into the room a second later, “Upstairs too is clear, though they broke all the windows. Why the fuck didn’t the neighbors report all of this?”
No one uttered a word because no one had a proper answer. I took in the destruction around me. There was no doubt in my mind about who was behind it.
The rage that I felt towards Valentin in that moment scared me. The rest of me, however, had become numb.
“Come on, we need to find that agreement.” I said, my voice blank, devoid of any emotions.
Wordlessly, the four of them followed me as I made my to the basement door and threw it open. I held my hand out to Stefan and asked for the flashlight I’d told him to get. When he handed it to me, I led the way downstairs, and towards the shelf that held my doll.
It was the way I’d left it. I fumbled for the slightly jutted square on the wall behind the shelf and pushed it. The low groan resounded in the silence of the basement as the wall shifted and the steel door came into view, its biometric lock blinking in neon.
Taking the key out of my pocket, I pushed it in the keyhole and pressed my thumb against the neon square. It blinked twice and then flashed with the word ‘ACCEPTED’.
“Gentlemen.” I pushed open the door and motioned them to enter.
“Son of a bitch.” Rafael cursed, surprise evident in his voice, “When the hell did Theo build this?”
Chuckling a little, I walked into the brightly lit room behind them and as they spread out, taking one cabinet of files each.
Tired of just standing in the corner and watching them pilfer through folder after folder, I walked over to the cupboard that held the knives and pulled it open, staring at them in fascination. Most of them were basic sharp blades with the black or brown handles.
My attention however, was drawn to one in particular. It looked antique, the knife, and was placed slightly separated from the others. Its golden handle was curved and had colored stones embedded intricately along the sides.
I picked it up, along with the sheath and brought it up close for inspection. The blade was approximately eight inches, double edged. The tip caught the light of the room and glinted.
“Who do these knives belong to?” I asked out loud, twirling it in my hand.
“Probably Theo.” Stefan answered, “Why?”
I turned around and held up the knife for him to see, “I want this one.”
“Do you even know how to use it?” he asked, and his eyebrow rose in skepticism.
“I’ll learn.” I answered with a shrug.
I couldn’t decipher the meaning behind the small smile that passed on his lips, but it looked something like pride. And I just couldn’t help smiling back.
A few minutes passed and only the ruffling of papers could be heard inside the room. And then Enzo let out a low whistle.
“Got it.” he turned to us, shaking a file.
“What does it say?” Stefan asked.
“It states here in the first line that Zara is the sole, blood heir to the Lombardi fortune.” Enzo said, his voice grave as his eyes rested on me, “A fortune worth 500 million dollars.”
Back to the Esposito mansion, we are all sitting inside Stefan’s office, about to read once and for all what all the fuss is about.
“Okay, first, how do we know that these papers are authentic?” Stefan asks, pointing to the file.
The papers inside did look old and were placed between cellophane sheets.
Vincent answers Stefan’s question, “First of all, the parchment is yellowed meaning that it is, in fact, old. Plus it dates to the early fifties, back when the Lombardis and other families had begun rising to power in Italy.”
All of our ears were trained to what Vincent was explaining, who, surprise, surprise, turned out to be a history geek.
“I brushed up on some facts about that Familia on our way home. The then Boss, Nikolay Lombardi, hand-wrote this document to protect the wealth of the family.” Vincent went on, and then pointed to one of the sheets, “See the wax at the end? That’s the official Lombardi seal.”
Sure enough, a faded red mark could be seen at the end of the page.
“But what does it have to do with me and half a billion dollars?” I ask, still unable to wrap my head around the fact there was so much money and that it somehow belonged to me.
It was then that the ever-silent Enzo moved away from his position near the bookshelf and picked up the document. He flipped through the pages until stopping at a particular one, “It states here that the fortune can only be inherited by a blood heir. It wasn’t of much importance because majority of the firstborns after Nikolay were men, hence the money remained in the family. But, then your mother, Sofia was born. The money went with her to Diego.”
It finally started to dawn on me.
“You are the last blood descendant of that family alive. That means you’re the owner of the fortune.” Enzo said.
“And that’s why Valentin wants to marry me.” I finished for him.
There was a momentary silence inside the room. The tension was so thick you could slice it with a knife.
“It’s pretty late.” Stefan spoke up in the end, “Why don’t we take this up tomorrow?”
Without a word, I walked back to my room.
I changed into some pajamas and crawled into bed. But I just couldn’t fall asleep. I twisted and turned, trying to find a comfortable position.
My mind was a mess, an endless chain of thoughts creating havoc.
Even though my desire to kill Valentin with my bare hands was strong, I just couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with all that was going on.
Stefan had told me that he would protect me.
But for how long?
Chapter 17: Room
Zara
As I tossed and turned on the bed, unable to fall asleep, I suddenly heard my bedroom door creak open. In the darkness of the night, someone walked in and closed the door behind them.
I froze. Who could it be at this time?
My heartbeat rose at an alarming rate and a fearful sweat broke out on my forehead as the person made their way towards the bed with quiet footsteps.
As subtly as I could, I reached for my knife beside the pillow. I was about to jump up in panic when a familiar voice broke through the silence.
“Are you awake?”
“Oh God.” I heaved an audible sigh of relief and reached for the bedside lamp, switching it on.
Stefan stood before me in a pair of sweatpants and a white unbuttoned shirt. I willed myself not look further down his rock hard abs and focus on his untamed hair and amused smile.
“I was just a second away from gutting you, Esposito.” I gritted at him, desperately trying to keep my eyes from wandering off to his chest and below.
“Were you now?” he cocks an eyebrow, amusedly folding his arms across his chest as he watches me put the knife back in its sheath and shove it beside my pillow.
“What are you even doing here?” I asked, turning back to him.
Either he didn’t hear me or he chose to ignore me when he slipped in between the sheets, pulled my comforter over his body and closed his eyes. I believe the latter.
Okay, what?
&nb
sp; “Stefan?” I poked his muscled arm.
No answer.
“Esposito?” I poked twice.
He grunts, but doesn’t answer.
“Stefan Esposito?”
He just hums with his eyes still closed.
“Hey, you big-headed Italian?”
His eyes snap open, narrowing in annoyance, “What?”
“What are you doing in my bed?” I asked, mirroring his expression.
“Are you blind?” he mutters, closing his eyes again, “I’m sleeping.”
“Yes, I can see that.” I say, snatching the comforter off of him, “But why here?”
He sits up, glaring at me.
“One more question, Zara. I dare you.” he snaps, “You will find yourself bent on my knees with your ass spanked bright red.”
That shut me up.
He smirked at my sudden silence, knowing he won. Pulling the comforter from my grasp, he settled back in bed. Moments passed and I sat there, stunned and not knowing what to do.
And now that he was here, I couldn’t help but ask him, “Do you think Valentin would come for me?”
Stefan sighed deeply and then faced me, “He will. And we cannot underestimate him.”
“What are we going to do?”
“We’ll be ready for him.” he answers.
“I’m scared, Stefan.” I confessed, “If you, or Rafael or anyone from this family got hurt because of me, I would never be able to forgive myself.”
“It’s not just about you, Zara.” he gently strokes my hand, “It’s about all the pain the Romanos have caused us. They are a living, breathing, two-faced bunch of assholes, just greedy for power and money. Two decades ago, they ripped my family apart. Now it’s our turn to return the favor.”
My hand instinctively tightened around his.
“And as for you,” he continued, giving me a proud smirk, “for all I know, you will shoot Valentin in the balls without wasting a second.”
A smile creased my lips at my own sadistic thoughts.
That signaled the end our conversation as he lay down again and pulled me alongside him. He turned me away from himself, so that my back was against his chest. I shivered involuntarily when he snaked his arm around my waist and snuggled his face in my neck.
“And one way or the other,” he whispered, his breath fanning the back of my neck, “I will protect you. Always.”
And in that moment, all the problems just faded away. Just the feeling of being together in the way we were, the contentment of it, made me forget all the evil that was lurking right underneath the surface.
The air between us shifted. We were pressed up against each other, in a way that made my body grow warm. My heart began thumping wildly in my chest, so loud I was afraid he would hear it.
His fingers dug into my waist as I turned around in his embrace. My eyes traveled over his features, how beautifully handsome he looked even in the light of the lamp.
His eyes, two orbs of unfathomable depth, they held so much strength, yet were full of pain. He was so ruthless and yet softened when he smiled. His features so beautiful, I could stare at him all day. How can a man, who invoked fear among so many people, be so gentle with me?
And in that moment, I wanted nothing more than to kiss him, feel his lips against mine. My fingers came to rest on his neck and my thumb caressed his cheek.
“Zara.” he groaned lightly.
And that was the push I needed. Giving into my desires, I pulled his face down to mine and merged our lips together.
It was hard and soft, all consuming yet so light, filled with passion. His fingers moved up and down my spine, leaving a searing trail in their wake. We fought for dominance and in the end he won, biting down on my lip and plunging his tongue in my mouth.
We kissed for a long time, my hands roaming over his chest and hair and his on my back.
But, it was as if he knew that I wasn’t ready for this to go further.
When we pulled away, gasping for breath, he looked me in the eyes deeply as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, “Go to sleep, Zara.”
His voice was raspy, rough and he sounded like he was in pain.
And even though the need and desire coursed through every cell of my body, I knew I wasn’t ready to take the next step yet. The scars left by Valentin were still there, and I was just waiting for them to fade.
So I simply nodded at Stefan. And instead of the harsh judgment I was expecting, there was nothing but understanding in his eyes.
I lay my head on his chest as he pulled the comforter over our bodies and neatly tucked us in.
“Just so you know,” I whispered, snuggling into his body, “I’ll protect you too.”
His arms tightened around my body as he dropped a light kiss to my forehead. And listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, I drifted off to sleep, feeling safe and protected.
I woke up the next morning with a heavy bladder. My eye snapped to the clock which read 7 AM.
But, one look at the man sleeping beside me made me want to here forever. Our positions had exchanged overnight and now he was the one with his face snuggled in my body. His warm breath fanned my neck and his hand was banded across my stomach.
However, the desperate urge to pee made me squirm under his tight hold. Shifting to my side, I somehow managed to free myself and slip off the bed. Leaving Stefan asleep, I made my way to the bathroom and closed the door shut behind me.
After relieving my bladder off its burden, I brushed my teeth and stepped into the shower. Hot water gushed out and I reveled in the relief that it brought, cascading over my body.
My thoughts drifted to last night, and to the most amazing kiss I’ve ever had. I felt everything in that kiss that people talk of- the sparks, the fire and the electricity. My body warmed instantly as a blushed bloomed on my cheeks.
I shook my head to get rid of all these thoughts and stepped out of the shower. After drying my hair, I put on the fluffy towel and made my way to the door.
Only then did I realize my mistake. I didn’t bring any clothes and an Italian mobster was asleep in my bed. I slapped my palm on my head and cursed myself for not remembering.
I gingerly opened the door to see if Stefan was still asleep. He was. He’d changed his position but I could still hear his light snoring.
Grabbing the chance, I tip toed quietly towards my closet and breathed a sigh of relief when I was finally inside and the door was shut behind me. Quickly changing into a pair of jeans and a sweater, I tied my hair in a high bun and made my way back to the bedroom.
“You always walk to your closet like that?”
Stefan voice made me jump and I turned around to face him. He was still lying on the bed; the only difference was that now he had a lazy grin spread across his face.
Embarrassment slapped me in the face but I refused to look away.