by Lylah James
“Is that even a question, Ayla? She is freaking annoying. Nina thinks that just because Alessio fucks her, she is special. Like, bitch, please, he fucks anyone with boobs and a pussy.”
I watched her jump on my bed and lay down.
“Nina probably thinks that he will marry her one day. So delusional. Alessio doesn’t even care for her. She is just so easy and always comes for more. If she never comes back, Alessio wouldn’t even bat an eye or go looking for her. He has plenty of other women lining up for him.”
“Hmm,” I said, stretching out beside her.
“But I hate her because she is ruining my ship.”
My forehead creased in confusion at her words. “What do you mean?”
Maddie’s eyes went wide for a second and then she shook her head. Biting down on her lips, she shrugged. “Nothing.”
“What ship? What are you talking about?”
“It’s nothing,” Maddie said as she sat up. She leaned over me and took the remote control. “What do you want to watch?”
I stared at her for a second before turning toward the TV that Artur installed for me a few days ago. Maddie was definitely changing the topic and I was curious by what she meant.
But I decided to let it go. I would get it out of her later.
***
“Goodnight,” I called, waving at Maddie. Smiling, I made my way upstairs.
Dinner was over a long time ago and after cleaning the dining room and kitchen, we decided that it was time to call it a night.
I stopped at the piano room but didn’t knock. This was my routine. Well, our routine. Alessio and I would avoid each other during the day, but at night, I would play for him before going back to our bedrooms. It was our unspoken agreement.
Gentle and sweet Alessio was only at night. During the day, he was cold Alessio. And a teaser too. I was back to being called “kitten.”
If there was a time we crossed paths by accident, he would give me the same heated look. He would tease me with his slight touch and then walk away as if nothing happened.
But today, after what I saw in the hallway, I felt a little apprehensive. My stomach was twisted in knots. I was embarrassed for both me and him. I knew he didn’t care, but I did. It felt weird to catch him in such a compromising position.
But I also wanted to play the piano. It had become my obsession. But it wasn’t just the piano.
I treasured the small, gentle, and silent moment that Alessio and I shared every night. We barely talked. I played and he listened. And then we would go to sleep. But still, it was important to me.
So, I raised my hand and knocked on the door.
When I heard him call me in, I opened the door and walked inside before closing it behind me. Tonight Alessio was sitting on the couch as always, but this time he had his laptop. He was typing furiously, but when I got closer, he looked up and stopped.
I smiled but he didn’t. As always.
Alessio closed his laptop and placed it on the coffee table before leaning back against the couch and stretching his legs in front of him.
That meant one thing. He was ready for me to play. Giving him another smile, I walked to the piano and sat down behind it. My eyes closed and my fingers moved.
The sweet melody came through and my muscles relaxed. I played that song every night, while quietly singing the lyrics.
With each song, my chest grew fuller with contentment. It felt like I was flying. I was free.
After two songs, I opened my eyes and stared at Alessio. And as every night, his warm blue eyes were fixated intensely on mine as he watched me play.
I played the third song, our gazes still locked. We stared. We breathed. I played. I sang. He watched. And it was the most beautiful thing I had ever experienced.
After the third song, I stopped. Alessio kept his eyes on me as I stood up. Walking slowly toward him, I stopped a few feet away.
“Goodnight,” I whispered.
“Goodnight,” he said.
And every single night, those were the only words spoken by us.
Giving him a soft smile, I walked out of the piano room. I closed the door behind me and leaned against it. My heart continued the same pitter-patter dance.
I walked to my bedroom with the same constant smile on my face. When I got inside, I quickly shrugged off my black dress and put on the light pink night dress that Lena bought for me. I crawled into bed and closed my eyes. Moving my hand under my pillow, I searched for Alessio’s jacket.
But my hand only made contact with the mattress. My eyes snapped opened and I quickly sat up. Pushing my pillows away, I looked for the jacket.
I couldn’t find it.
No. No. No.
Jumping out of my bed, I went around my bedroom, desperately looking for his jacket. My peace.
I couldn’t sleep without it.
I needed it!
But it was nowhere to be found.
I was breathing hard, my hair a wild mess. Bringing my hand up, I pressed it against my chest as panic coursed through my body.
Milena had cleaned my room this morning. She must have found it and taken it away. I was so stupid. I should have known. But I had completely forgot.
Sinking down on my bed, tears blinded my vision and they fell freely down my cheeks.
I couldn’t sleep without it. The nightmares would come back.
I laid down and hugged my legs to my chest, sobbing into my pillow.
“Did you want him? Huh? Answer me!” Alberto hissed as he continued to rain the whip down my bare back.
“No!” I cried out as pain blinded my vision. My back and my legs were on fire. I was naked and tied in a spread-eagle position. The chains from the ceiling were wrapped around my wrists, holding me up. My toes were barely touching the ground.
“I saw the look you were giving him! You wanted to fuck him, didn’t you? You wanted his cock inside you, huh?”
I shook my head violently and cried out when the whip made contact with my back again. “No,” I gasped. “I didn’t do anything. I don’t want him.”
It was true. The man was giving me weird looks all night. He even tried to touch me, and I had tried my best to stay away from him. I barely even looked at him. He made my skin crawl.
But Alberto being Alberto, he only believed what he wanted.
If a man wanted me, it was my fault. I tempted him. It was my body. Me. It was all my fault.
And I had to pay for it.
Because I betrayed him. My body betrayed him.
“Alberto, please.”
But he was relentless. He showed me no mercy.
Fisting my hair around his fingers, he pulled my head back sharply. I winced at the pain that shot through my neck. He slapped me hard against the face and I tasted blood where his ring cut my lips.
“Liar,” he spat in my face.
“Please. Believe me,” I begged.
“You are mine! Mine! Your body is mine. Your lips are mine. Your pussy is mine. Your ass is mine. Do you understand! All mine!” Alberto hissed through gritted teeth. His fingers bit into my cheeks as he grasped my chin, making me look him straight in the eye.
I quickly nodded and agreed, hoping that he would stop his torture on my body. “Yes. Yes. I’m yours, Alberto. I belong to you. Only you! My body is yours. Please. I’m sorry. I didn’t want him,” I sobbed.
My body was burning. My cheeks were aching. My heart was pounding. And my heart was breaking.
“You need to be taught a lesson. Then you will understand,” he said, letting my chin go. Raising the whip high in his hands, I flinched before it made contact with my body. And when it did, I screamed in agony.
When he was done abusing my body, he dropped the whip and started to unzip his pants. His cock was already hard.
Closing my eyes, I waited for what would come next.
But no matter how much I tried to prepare myself, the pain was always the same. It always felt like I was being cut from the inside. I cried out as he
slammed into me, my toes completely leaving the ground.
He painfully rammed inside of me a few times and then he was roaring his release. Pulling out of me, he grabbed my chin again. “Look at me!” he ordered harshly.
My eyes snapped opened and I stared at his furious black eyes. His lips slammed down on mine and I winced. It hurt. Pulling back, he pressed his nails into my cheeks.
“You are mine, Ayla. Never forget that.”
My eyes shot open. Sitting up in bed, I felt sick and my skin was burning. It felt like I had just been whipped. My stomach twisted violently and I struggled out of my bed. I limped to the bathroom and fell down in front of the toilet before retching.
I gagged. Vomited. And cried.
I was shaking uncontrollably and dizziness clouded my vision as I continued to sob. The pain. Oh, God. It was pressing down on my chest and I couldn’t breathe.
Everything was going too perfectly.
This was supposed to be my new beginning.
I had hope. I really thought I had moved on.
But how false it was.
There was no hope, no peace.
It was all a dream. A fantasy. False hope. Jaded hope.
I was living a constant nightmare.
What was the point of living? What the point of continuing on when all I felt was pain, indescribable pain?
Looking up, I noticed the shaving razor Maddie had given me. It was on the counter. Right next to me, as if it had been placed there for me to use at this moment. Moving to my knees, I reached for it. I held it in my shaky hands as my harsh breathing continued to fill the bathroom.
My hands were trembling so hard that the razor almost fell out of them, but I grasped it hard. Moving back, I sat against the tub and pulled my knees up to my chest as I stared at the razor.
I wanted silence.
I didn’t want to hurt anymore.
The tears continued to run freely down my cheeks, the evidence of my past and pain.
I didn’t know what I was doing. I couldn’t think straight.
All I wanted was peace. Alberto’s voice in my head was driving insane.
Placing my wrist out, I held the razor to it. Closing my eyes, I let my head fall back against the tub. I didn’t feel anything when I pressed it hard on my skin and dragged it upward. I opened my eyes and saw a long red line. Blood.
It was seeping from the cut I had made. But I still didn’t feel anything.
Why didn’t I feel the burn?
Why didn’t it hurt?
Growing frustrated, I placed the razor on my other wrist and pressed it down hard, twisting it in my skin. I made a similar cut as the other wrist.
Dropping the razor, I stared at the mess I made. My skin was cut open and there was blood everywhere. It covered my arms. My dress. The floor.
The bathroom swam in front of me and my vision blurred so terribly that I barely saw anything. My head rolled back and my body started to sink down on the floor. I fell sideways, my head hitting the floor hard.
Black dots appeared in front of my vision and I started to go numb. I felt nothing.
And for a brief moment, it was beautiful.
As my eyes started to close and I sank deeper in the darkness, I smiled.
Silence. There was only silence.
And that was all I needed.
***
Maddie
“Hmmm…” I murmured against Artur’s lips.
“I miss you,” he replied before giving me a quick peck.
Giggling, I pushed my fingers in his hair and pulled his lips back to mine, kissing him deeply. “You saw me last night.”
“I missed you the moment you left.”
“Stop being so sweet,” I replied, biting on his lips.
“Only for you, baby.”
He was so sweet sometimes. Ayla was right. I did love him. But I was scared. Was this the right thing? Was he truly the one?
I always wanted epic love. Is this my epic love?
He was sweet, caring, and gentle. But he never said that he loved me. I was waiting for him to confess first. And I was growing desperate as each day passed and there was no confession.
I felt his hands on my ass and he pulled me closer. I was sitting on the kitchen counter with my legs wrapped around his waist. I could feel him against my core.
“Not here,” I whispered. “Mom is going to kill us.”
“I know,” Artur growled. He slightly pulled away and pouted. “Fuck, baby, I need you.”
“After breakfast?”
“Torture,” he shot back. I jokingly slapped his chest and pushed him away from me. I was just about to unwrap my legs from his hips when I saw my mom behind Artur’s back.
Oh shit.
Busted.
“Oh God! Not on the counter. Please not on the kitchen counter!” Mom gasped.
I quickly pushed Artur away and jumped off the counter. “I swear, we were just hugging. We weren’t going to take it that far.”
Artur’s cheeks were slightly red and I felt myself blushing too.
“Maddie,” Mom warned.
“I know. I know. It won’t happen again,” I sighed.
“Well, I have to go. See you at breakfast,” Artur said before leaving. Before he walked out of the kitchen, he sent me a wink.
Coward. I couldn’t believe he left me alone to deal with this.
Mom was glaring at me and I pouted, giving her my best puppy eyes.
“Mom. I swear we weren’t going to do anything on the counter. It’s clean,” I said.
“Maddie, are you using protection? Please tell me you are protected.”
Here we go again.
“I think I got that covered.”
“Okay. I was just checking.” She shrugged before moving to the oven. “Where is Ayla?”
That was a good question. She was late.
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her,” I said, growing slightly worried.
Mom stopped what she was doing and gave me a worried look too. “Do you want to check on her?”
“Yeah, I should,” I agreed before making my way out of the kitchen. I quickly went upstairs and stopped in front of her bedroom. But she didn’t answer when I knocked.
Growing more worried and with panic going through my body, I opened the door and walked inside. “Ayla?” I called. There was no response. She wasn’t in her bedroom.
Was she with Alessio?
These two were so adorable. If they didn’t get together any time soon, I would have to take care of it myself. Both of them were too stubborn.
They definitely needed a helping hand.
I was about to turn back around when I saw the bathroom light on. My eyebrows pulled up in confusion and I walked toward it.
She probably left it on.
I pushed the door open, but the sight that beheld me took my breath away, causing my heart to drop in my stomach.
Letting out a scream, I ran into the bathroom and fell down beside an unconscious Ayla. She was covered in blood.
“No. No. No,” I whispered in panic and fear.
Pulling her body to mine, I held her close and noticed the long gash on her arms.
“Oh God!” I cried. “Ayla! Why?” I gasped as tears ran down my cheeks.
My stomach cramped and I felt sick. My heart was heavy like an invisible pressure was pressing down hard.
“No!” Pulling her tighter to me, her blood covered my dress.
I screamed.
“Mom!”
Patting Ayla’s hair, I continued to cry.
“Alessio!”
Chapter 33
Alessio
“He is threatening the people. They are scared,” Phoenix said as we walked out of my office. I tried to keep my anger in check but it was coursing through my body with such ferocity that I was shaking with it.
Ever since the news went out that Alberto had killed Alfredo, my people were scared. Considering he killed a Boss and took over, they knew he was serious
with his threats.
“What’s your plan?” Viktor asked beside me.
“He won’t be getting to my people. I will make sure of it. Artur, I want you to keep an eye on everyone. Make sure the Watchers are on task and reporting everything back,” I replied in a calm voice, even though I was feeling anything but.
“Yes, Boss,” he replied quickly before giving us a nod and walking away.
Turning to Phoenix, I nodded at him. “Let the main families know that we will be visiting. I want to talk to them personally.”
He nodded in response and quickly fished his phone from his pocket. After typing furiously for a few seconds, he placed it back into his pocket. “Done,” Phoenix said.
If Alberto really thought he could overpower me and take my Empire, then he was highly mistaken. I had built this empire with my bare fucking hands for almost ten years. Half of my life dedicated to make it the strongest mafia family. I wasn’t giving up now and I sure as hell wasn’t losing to that fucker.
We were walking down the stairs when a sudden scream stopped us in our tracks.
Nikolay already had his gun out and I saw Phoenix and Viktor reaching for theirs.
My eyes widened when I heard my name. Reaching behind my back, I took out my gun too.
“That’s Maddie’s voice,” Phoenix hissed, but I was already running back up, taking two stairs at the time.
When I reached the top of the stairs, I paused, looking left and right as I tried to figure out where she was. I heard her scream again, and with my heart pounding hard in my chest, I turned toward her voice.
“Shit,” I whispered. It was coming from Ayla’s room.
The door was open. Pointing my gun forward, I pushed the door wider with my other hand. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that my men were in a similar position.
I gave them a sharp nod before moving inside. They followed close behind. Walking further inside the room, I tensed when I didn’t see anything.
The room was empty, except someone was sobbing.
Turning to the side, I saw the door of the washroom open and the lights were on. Before I could move, Phoenix walked over to the door and pushed it open.