by Lylah James
“They look scary,” I whispered back. His chest rippled with a low chuckle, his arms tightening around me in the process. He placed a kiss on my temple, and I turned around in his arms, facing him.
“Scarier than me?” he teased.
“No. You are worse,” I admitted truthfully. All the men living in this house were dangerous and had a dark, tense vibe around them, but Alessio had the most chilling aura.
“And are you scared? Of me?” Alessio asked, pulling me closer.
Shaking my head, I placed a kiss in the middle of his chest. “No. I know you won’t hurt me.” Leaning on my tip-toes, I gave him a quick kiss and pulled away. “I’ll see you later.”
Alessio let me go with a nod. Sending him a smile, I walked away toward the back garden. The fresh morning air hit my face in a soothing manner, and I closed my eyes. How could I face Lyov without breaking down?
My father killed his wife. Mercilessly and cruelly.
Every single time it came back to this…I was an Abandonato. The daughter of the man who destroyed a once-perfect family.
I wished there was a way to erase my past. Everything would have been easier if I wasn’t an Abandonato. The guilt of lying to everyone was slowly eating me alive. My heart ached at my own betrayal.
How long can I keep this secret before everything crumbles under my feet?
***
I didn’t see Alessio or the others for the rest of the day. I was tense, as if any moment now everything would end.
“Nikolay and Phoenix were living on the streets when Alessio found them.” Maddie’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Right. We were talking about Nikolay.
“I don’t know much of their history, but Alessio does. All I know is that they are cousins and they had deadbeat parents,” she explained.
“Was Nikolay always brooding like this?” I asked.
She nodded before taking a bite of her apple. “Oh yeah, definitely. He doesn’t talk much.”
Placing the last plate in the cabinet, I turned toward Maddie. “And Phoenix?”
Her expression changed the slightest bit, and she shrugged. “He’s quiet but is much more easy-going than Nikolay. When he was a new recruit, he was with Viktor a lot. So you can say he is a second Viktor now.”
Whenever the conversation would change to Phoenix, Maddie would shut down and change the topic. I was curious why, but she wouldn’t say anything.
“They are all really close. Viktor, Artur, Phoenix, Nikolay, and Alessio. The loyalty they have toward Alessio is really endearing,” I said, leaning against the counter.
“He trusts them a lot,” Maddie agreed with a nod.
Getting up from the stool, Maddie walked away. “I’ll go change, then we can watch something.”
“Okay. I’ll wait for you in my room.” I nodded at her. I watched her leave the room.
Giving the cleaned kitchen a final glance, I walked out with a smile, but my steps faltered on the first step of the stairs when I saw Isaak coming down, his phone to his ear.
When he caught sight of me, he stopped mid-stride, his gaze roaming over my face. My throat was suddenly dry with nervousness, and I looked down quickly before continuing my way upstairs. As I got closer to where he was standing, my body went cold, the tiny hairs at the back of my neck standing in fear and panic.
I buried my trembling hands in the skirt of my dress as I passed by Isaak, my shoulders sagging in relief when I walked ahead of him.
But my relief was short-lived. His voice stopped me in my tracks, my body freezing at his words. “Have we met before?”
Closing my eyes tightly in horror, I swallowed several times. Did he figure out my truth?
I took a deep breath and made sure my face was a mask of indifference before turning around to face him.
Giving Isaak a blank look, I shook my head, trying to look convincing and not guilty. “No. That wouldn’t be possible. I don’t remember meeting you,” I replied. At least that wasn’t a lie. The truth was easier to speak.
Isaak cocked his head to the side and took a step up. His eyes skimmed over my face before nodding. “You remind me a lot of someone I knew,” he elaborated.
His words were a surprise, and I stayed frozen as he stopped in front of me. Even though I was a stair above him, we were almost the same height.
Isaak brought a hand up to my face, his finger moving under my eyes, but he didn’t touch me. As if he realized what he was doing, his arm fell down. His face presented a resigned and almost painful expression.
“You have my Leila’s eyes,” he murmured so low that I almost missed it.
I sucked in a harsh breath at the name. Leila. That was my mother’s name. How was this possible? But then I realized he said my Leila. The person couldn’t be my mother.
“She had a daughter name Ayla too,” he continued in the same bleak tone.
A coincidence like this was impossible. My mother died when I was just a baby. Isaak was the enemy, so how would he know my mother? He called Leila his, claiming her as his woman.
“I’m sorry. My mother’s name is not Leila.” The lie slipped past my lips effortlessly, but panic welled inside of me. Taking a deep breath, I continued. “She couldn’t be me.”
Isaak stared at me for another second before letting out a harsh and emotionless laugh. “Of course she isn’t you,” he agreed without a second thought, surprising me even further.
My fingers tightened around the fabric of my dress, and I sent him a shaky smile. He took a step down, putting his hands in the pocket of his black slacks.
But his next words were enough to send a chill down my spine. “The other Ayla is dead.”
What? My mind screamed at this new revelation.
I stared at him in shock, but he didn’t notice. Isaak was already turning around and walking down the stairs, but not before I caught a flash of pain in his expression. I stared at Isaak’s retreating back, feeling completely horrified and appalled at his words.
His last words to me kept ringing in my ears as I walked into my room.
The other Ayla is dead.
I didn’t know anything about my mother. No one ever talked about her. It was like she never even existed. But was it possible? Did Isaak know my mother?
“No, it couldn’t be,” I whispered. He said the other Ayla was dead. And I was alive. It was all a big misunderstanding. I tried to soothe myself with that thought.
I wished I knew more about my past. About my own family. But I knew nothing. I lived my life as a ghost, completely forgotten by my own father and everyone else. Only Alberto was a constant in my life.
But he did nothing except ruin me even more. Every day spent with him, I lost a piece of myself until I had nothing left.
Could Isaak be the key to my past? Was my mother his Leila?
I wanted to know, but I couldn’t afford to reveal myself. My identity needed to stay hidden, and the only way to continue this façade was to be indifferent. I shouldn’t care. For all I knew, it was just a big coincidence.
But Isaak’s words were etched deep into my mind.
Everything was so uncertain.
Even my fate.
Chapter 9
Alessio
“Who is she?”
That was the first thing Lyov asked when he walked into my office. I knew who he was talking about, but I ignored his question. I was standing on the top of the stairs when Lyov and Isaak made their first appearance. I saw Ayla freeze from a distance. My first instinct was to go to her. And I did…without a second thought.
But I realized too late what I had done.
“Alessio, I asked you a question,” Lyov growled.
“And I chose to ignore it. Now, can we discuss why you are here?”
My head snapped up when he slammed his fists on the desk. “Are you fucking stupid? After everything that happened, you let yourself get fucking weak over some girl?”
“That’s none of your business,” I hissed. Pushing my chair away,
I stood up and glared at him. I saw Isaak and Viktor standing at the door, both their arms crossed over their chests, an impassive expression on their faces. Like father, like son.
Walking around the desk, I pushed Lyov away. “Stay the fuck out of this. I’m serious about this, Lyov. Don’t tell me what to do.”
“I taught you better than this. I drilled it in your head before I left. No weakness. Make sure you don’t have any weakness because that’s the first thing your enemies will go after,” he snapped, moving in my face.
Grabbing his collar in my fist, I pushed him way before yelling, “I know!”
Lyov laughed at my answer. “You know?” he mocked me, his laughter harsh around the walls of my office and to my ears. “Then explain that look in your eyes when you stared at her.”
I paused at his question, feeling the anger coursing through my body. He was pushing me, forcing me to think about what I tried to bury deep inside of me.
“You know damn well what the outcome of this will be, but you still let yourself get weak,” he continued in the same agitated tone, his face completely red with rage. My fists clenched at his words.
He was wrong. History wouldn’t repeat itself. I wouldn’t let it.
“I handed this empire, this family to you because I thought you wouldn’t make the same mistake I did,” Lyov said, his chest heaving with fury.
“I’m not you!” I roared, lurching toward him in anger. My fists made contact with his face in a loud crunch, and he fell backward against the coffee table.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Isaak moving toward us, but Lyov raised a hand to stop him. He got up and wiped his cracked, bleeding lips with his sleeves.
“That was your mistake. It was your fault. Not mine,” I hissed. “You loved Mom. You brought her into this fucked-up world, and you got her killed.”
His eyes went wild with rage, and he came toward me in full force. His fingers grabbed around my shirt and pushed me into the wall behind me. “You are right. It was my mistake, and you are making the same fucking mistake.”
Letting me go, he took a step away. “After everything, I thought you would know better. You’ll get her killed. Then you’ll lose yourself. And in the end, you’ll bring this whole family down with you.”
That was what happened in the past. Lyov almost ruined this empire, and I was the one who saved it. But I wasn’t going to make the same mistake as him.
“Stop comparing me with you!”
We both moved toward each other at the same time. I didn’t have a chance to move away before he landed a punch in my stomach. I quickly retaliated, punching him in the shoulder.
I bore an anger that had no boundaries. Lyov had snapped the last thread of my control. We rolled on the ground, both of us lost in our years of held-in fury.
His fingers wrapped around my neck, squeezing. His hold slipped when I punched him in the face. I felt someone pulling me back, but I struggled against their hold.
“Alessio, let go of him. Damn it, Alessio. Let go!” Viktor snapped, pulling me away.
Isaak helped Lyov to his feet and held him back when he tried to come at me again. Viktor was holding me back too. Our harsh breathing filled the room, the air around us chilling and tensed.
“You are right. You taught me better than this. I’m not going to make the same mistake,” I snarled, glaring at Lyov.
“Did you hear that, Isaak? He isn’t going to make the same damn mistake.” Lyov laughed without looking away from me. “You are a fool and completely delusional. What you don’t realize is that you already made the same mistake. She is already your weakness. Stop living in denial.”
I could only glare at him. At my expression, he shrugged off Isaak and moved forward. “Come to your senses before it’s too late. Get rid of her. Build that fucking wall around your heart again. Don’t do the same thing I did.”
With a dejected sigh, he shook his head. “I don’t want you to go through the same thing, Alessio,” he whispered. “I’m saving you from years of heartache.”
He took a step away from me and turned around, walking away without a second glance. Isaak followed behind him without any words.
Opening the door, he stopped in the doorway. His next words were a blow to my chest. I closed my eyes and swiveled around, facing away from him.
“Angels don’t belong in our world.”
With that as his final words to me, I heard the door close, and then it was only silence. An unbearable and painful silence. I felt suddenly empty, my heart aching at the thought of Ayla.
“Alessio…” Viktor started, but I quickly cut him off.
“Leave. Just…leave.”
He sighed but left without uttering anything else. I walked around the desk and fell on my chair, staring at the ceiling.
Lyov’s words echoed in my ears. I wanted to say he was wrong, but he wasn’t. I was living in denial. I didn’t want to think of Ayla as my weakness, but she was.
The fear of losing her was instilled inside of me…but I was powerless. Instead of pushing her away, I was holding her closer every day.
Ayla consumed every fiber of my being. Ayla was everything I couldn’t have but everything I needed.
She was my light. I’d let her into my heart where she had showered me with her sweet venom.
I was so lost in her, forgetting that I couldn’t feel what I was feeling. It was all a temporary bliss and happiness, but now reality tasted sour.
Ayla was my Angel, but I couldn’t have her.
***
I didn’t know how long I stayed like this. Hours maybe, but I couldn’t move. Eventually, a knock sounded on my door, and I opened my eyes. “Come in,” I ordered. The door opened to reveal Sasha, one of the maids, holding a tray.
“Mr. Ivanshov, Viktor told me to bring your dinner to your office,” she said.
Dinner? Looking at the clock on the wall, I saw that it was already past seven.
“Place it on the coffee table,” I replied before closing my eyes again. I expected to hear the door close, but when none of that happened, my eyes snapped open.
Sasha was standing in front of my desk. Her eyes roamed over my chest, and she bit down on her lower lip. “Alessio,” she started, her voice turning more sultry and softer. “You look really stressed out. Can I help in any way?”
With a sigh, I closed my eyes again. I used to fuck her. A pastime when I needed the distraction. But since Ayla came into my life, not once did I think of going back to Sasha. Ayla had my absolute attention.
I felt something on my crotch, and my hand quickly snaked around Sasha’s wandering fingers, stopping her movement. “Get the fuck out of here,” I snapped, pushing her hand away.
“I can make you feel good. Like always,” she whispered in my ear.
“No. Leave.”
I heard her frustrated sigh as she moved away. But Lyov’s words echoed in my ears, and my fists clenched in anger as I fought for control.
Come to your senses before it’s too late. Get rid of her. Build that fucking wall around your heart again. Don’t do the same thing I did.
Angels don’t belong in our world.
My eyes snapped open, and I moved my chair back. Standing up, I quickly grabbed Sasha’s hand, and I pulled her toward me.
I placed a hand on her back and pushed her front against the desk, bending her forward so her ass was pushed back. I heard her gasp of surprise, but then she moaned, moving her ass against my cock.
“Fuck me, Alessio.”
I grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head back. “Don’t tell me what to do,” I hissed in her ear.
“Hmm, okay. Do whatever you want,” she murmured huskily. Releasing her hair, I moved her dress upward until her red lace thong was visible.
Angels don’t belong in our world.
I squeezed my eyes shut against the words, my fingers digging into Sasha’s hips. Blindly moving my hand to her thong, I ripped it away and dropped it on the floor. I let go of her
to unbutton my slacks and pulled my cock out.
Angels don’t belong in our world.
I kicked her legs open, my body pressed against hers. Without touching her, I already knew she was wet and ready for me. The tip of the soft cock brushed against her inner thigh. Sasha let out a moan and wiggled closer to me.
At the sound of her moan, my eyes snapped open. Fuck. No.
What the fuck am I doing?
Pushing away from her body, I stumbled back, completely horrified at what I was about to do. I couldn’t this. Not to my Ayla. She trusted me. She gave me herself. I couldn’t betray her like this.
Shame filled my body, and I sucked in a painful breath. “Get out. Get the fuck out now,” I growled, zipping my pants again.
“But…” She glanced over her shoulders, her face a mask of confusion. Just then, the door crashed open, and I saw Viktor coming in. He took his gun out and pointed it at Sasha.
“Get out before I blow your fucking brains out,” he snapped. Sasha gasped in shock and fear before quickly bending down and grabbing her ripped panties. She ran out of the room, closing the door behind her with a bang.
“Are you serious?” Viktor roared at me, his eyes glistening with anger and disgust.
“Don’t.” I raised a hand, but he talked over me.
“Were you going to fuck her?”
“No!” I quickly answered. “I stopped.”
Shaking his head, he walked toward me. “Are you really going to let your father’s words take over your head? Are you going to let him control your life?”
“No,” I growled.
Viktor shook his head. “What’s Ayla to you?”
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this, Viktor. None of this was supposed to happen. My plan was to get close to Ayla to make her reveal her truth. We had to know if she was a traitor. That was the fucking plan,” I snapped, running my fingers to my hair in frustration.
That was the plan from the beginning. Get close to Ayla, gain her trust, and make her reveal her truth. But it didn’t end that way.
“I wasn’t meant to feel anything,” I ended brokenly.