Irresistible Invitation: Love comes after Hate

by S. S. Sahoo

  They were decorating the walls with flowers. While the others were decorating and placing everything in proper place and were cleaning the area.

  I chose to head back into the room and towards the bathroom to get ready. I took a shower, shampooing my hair and then brushed my teeth.

  I wore a yellow knee-length dress with a white sandal and tied my hair. I did my makeup and wore my cardigan before leaving the room. I saw a lady wearing a business suit instructing the people for the work.

  “Excuse me,” I asked.

  “Yes?” she turned around but her eyes widened and she took a bow.

  She was literally taller than me and I felt little awkward for such gesture.

  “Good Morning Ma’am” she greeted smiling showing her perfect white teeth.

  “Good Morning! What’s going on?” I asked looking around.

  “And who are you?” I asked not knowing who she was.

  “Hello ma’am I am Cosmina Ciora,” she said and I nodded.

  “And I am Mr. Sullivan’s secretary” she finished.

  “I am here to organize for the welcome party his grandfather today,” she said and then it clicked me.

  “Yes! Zachary did tell me yesterday about this. How could I forget?” I whispered.

  “Where are they?” I asked.

  I thought they must be already home because Zachary did tell me that they will be reaching in the midnight.

  “Unfortunately they had to miss the flight. So they will be arriving near” she checked her wrist watch.

  “Probably four O’ clock in the evening,” she said and I just sighed crossing my hand across each other.

  “Where is Zachary?” I found myself asking even though I didn’t want to know wherever he was.

  “He is in his office building. He will be here before them. It is what he told me” she said and I nodded.

  “So can I help you in anything?” I asked to which she shook her head no smiling.

  “My work is almost finished,” she said.

  “Okay! I am going to have my breakfast. You can ask me anything if you want” I told her and she nodded.

  I went towards the kitchen room and asked Mrs. Serban who was our head Kitchen staff to prepare me something to eat.

  I went toward the dining hall but stopped in my tracks when I saw a door to a room open.

  “What’s this?” I thought.

  Never did I ever notice that there was a room present there. I looked around for someone and slowly walked towards the room. The door was slightly open and I saw the painting which should be where the door was out of its place and now it was hanging left to the door.

  Slowly, walking towards the door, I went inside but not before peeping through the open space wanting to know what’s inside.

  The room was darker than I thought. Nevertheless, I went inside and searched for the switchboard for light. I was searching for it when I heard some noises coming from inside the room.

  Though I couldn’t see anything still I followed the noises and walked towards the source.

  “Ow!” I winced in pain my foot hit something hard.

  “What was that?” I thought and bent down a little trying to touch and feel what it was.

  When my finger came in contact with that, I came to know that it was just a small stool.

  I rubbed the spot on my foot and then continued walking from where I could still hear the noises.

  The nearer I got, the clearer the noises were.

  I walked what felt like a small passage with walls only two to three feet away from me as if I was walking through a secret passage.

  “It will be better if you tell the exact location of Nicholas” I heard a man speaking.

  “Fuck off!” another man said and laughed but soon whimpered and screamed as if he was in pain.

  “I am no mood of playing motherfucker,” the man said. This voice seemed familiar to me.

  “What’s going on?” I thought.

  “Tell me why did you try to kill Madam Juliette?” the same man asked and I heard the other one again screaming in pain accompanying with some cursing.

  “Wait! Did he say Madam Juliette? Why are they talking about me?” I wondered.

  “I am not going to tell you anything,” the man who was screaming said.

  I walked little closer when I saw a flicker of light coming through the hinge of a door.

  Curious to know what was going on I went near the door and surprisingly the door had a glass screen on it. I could see through it only if I stood on my tip toes.

  I saw a room and saw a man chained to the wall and the man was bleeding from all where.

  A gasp came out of my mouth when I saw his condition.

  “What is this?” I thought clasping a hand to my mouth from stopping myself from screaming seeing the sight before me.

  “Tell me! Why did Nicholas ask you to kill Madam Juliette?” the man whom I recognized as Max asked the man.

  “Nicholas? Who is Nicholas? And why does he want to kill me?” I thought horrified.

  I don’t even know anyone the name of Nicholas let alone have any enmity and here he wants to kill me? But why?

  “I told you. I am not going to tell you anything. So, shut the fuck off moth-” he screamed in pain when Max hit him hard using a whip.

  “Oh yes you are going to tell me everything about Nicholas because I am not going to sit down until you give me all the information,” Max said as he rolled the end of the whip around his hand.

  “I will like to die rather than telling you anything about the boss,” the man, chained to the wall said hissing in pain.

  “Oh yeah?” Max asked as he took a seat before him on the chair.

  “You know what? As much as I want to kill you I can’t. Because boss has ordered me to spill all the information out of you. So for that, you need to be alive but don’t worry! I will keep on torturing you and I will make you beg me to kill you” Max chuckled before standing up on his feet and whipped the man hard which caused an ear piercing scream out of his mouth.

  “Oh my god!” I whispered and not wanting to see all that I turned around and ran hitting myself few times in the dark.

  When I reached the door, I pulled the door open and ran avoiding Mrs. Serban who was calling me for my breakfast. I ran past Cosmina and dodging all of the people out of my way, I ran back into my room closing the door shut behind me.

  I slid against the door and held my head pulling my hair.

  “Why? Why? Why is this all happening with me?” I screamed hitting the floor.

  “Why is everything so wrong with my life?”

  “Why is everything like this all of a sudden in my life?” I screamed and face palm myself.

  “Somebody is trying to kill me and I don’t even know what I even did for that man wanting me dead” I sobbed.

  “Who is Nicholas?” I yelled.

  “Is this all happening because of you?” I thought.

  I thought and leaned against the door tumbling on the floor.

  “Then what does Zachary has to do with all this?” I thought all of a sudden.

  “Nicholas…” I whispered to myself.

  25

  Juliette

  I dressed even though the only thing that I ever wanted to run away, very far away from where there was no link to the mafia. But I doubt Zachary would ever let me go away this easily.

  He would make sure to make his men follow my butt until they find me and drag back to him. Ironically, if I get back he won’t even do anything to me. He will only put me into house arrest.

  Strange! As much strange this sounds but that man never put his hands on me let alone harass me. So, as I had eavesdropped beforehand in that strange room, I got to know that there is a man named Nicholas who wants me dead and Zachary is trying to find him but in the same way, he is even trying to protect me.

  “Why is he protecting me?” I wondered.

  I was sure, one and hundred percent sure that he wasn’t involve
d anything but romantically with me. Sure, he saved me but it was only because he was trying to save but my question is why?

  And what does all this has to do with him forcefully marrying me, killing Emmett in the process?

  How is Emmett related to all this?

  I sighed and reprimanded myself for thinking any longer. I would surely end up with a burst vein in my brain if I think any longer about that callous man. Zachary. I don’t understand why that man has to be so hard, secretive, protective and mysterious.

  I doubt he would ever open his mouth on all this. But the fact that he agreed to let me even meet my father surprised me. Never had I ever imagined that he would come forward and tell me that ‘I will let you meet your father. But Behave!’

  What does he mean by behaving?

  I’m not a dog that I will just sit and stand up only by the flick of his fingers. And have I ever denounced him in front of anyone? Ever?

  I looked at myself in the mirror.

  I was wearing a half sleeve short red dress for the party with red stilettos. I wanted something comfortable for the small welcome party hence I didn’t want to wear any gown or anything that would stick to my skin.

  Everything in my life was somewhat suffocating and the only thing that I could do was to at least wear a dress which would let me breathe comfortably. Moreover, I wanted to know about Zachary’s grandfather. I wanted to know how his rest of his family was.

  I wasn’t sure if his mother knew anything about his other side or not but his father. There was something about Gale that made suspicious. The way he talked, the way he walked and sometimes I even heard him talk on his phone. His tone was same as Zachary. Commanding and demanding. Though he was always friendly and sweet to me, yet I just couldn’t get myself trust him. It was like I knew what it was but the thing was I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

  I bet Zachary’s grandfather would be nothing like him. Seeing the preparations for him, the colors and the flowers, I sense he must be a welcoming person in general.

  I made my way out and went towards the living. Everything was ready and people of the house were eagerly waiting for mom and him to arrive.

  I looked around for Zachary. Cosmina told me earlier that he will be here before they arrive and that made me wonder where in the world is he.

  “What’s wrong with you? Why are you searching for him?” I heard my inner voice mocking me.

  I rubbed my arm and bit down on my lips. I saw Cosmina wearing a beautiful blue bodycon dress with high heels dressed up perfectly and see was talking on her phone which I probably guessed maybe Zachary?

  “Again Zachary!” my inner voice mocked.

  I grew impatient on this and decided upon gulping down water for I was feeling thirsty all of a sudden. It’s not like I was nervous or something for I was meeting his grandfather for the first time. It was that I was careless. I wasn’t dressed to impress nor was I hoping that his grandfather would like me.

  I spotted a small water filter kept on the table across the room and I made my way to there to drink the water.

  I took a glass and filled it water when I heard everyone cheering and clapping.

  “Welcome!”

  “General!”

  “General?” I thought.

  Everyone scurried to the front door and the place was crowded, yet I chose to drink the water first before presenting myself before him. It will be awkward if I squeak before him like a squirrel because of thirst.

  So hurriedly, I gulped down the water but I could still feel thirsty. I filled the glass for the second time and I was just going to drink the water when my eyes glanced towards the front gate.

  Literally, my hands began to tremble in fear as I looked at the man who was supposed to me Zachary’s grandfather. Mom and dad were standing next to him with a smile on their face while others surrounded them shooting them with questions.

  But my blood dried up my face when I recognized the man. The fear that I felt was unfathomable. I knew I was right as I looked at him, again and again trying to deny the fact that he wasn’t whom I am imagining right now to be.

  “Avim Ben Gon?” his name came out like a whisper from my mouth and I felt the glass slipping from my hands. The glass fell down on the floor shattering into pieces and between all those commotions before anybody could notice me I scurried my way out towards the corridor away from the living room.

  I was running now. Literally, running wearing those damn stilettos and before I could comprehend what happened, I tumbled down on the ground face plant.

  Still, I didn’t stop, I crawled on my butt kicking my legs in the air like a maniac until I propped up on my elbows and then stood back on my feet. I was scared as hell and as well as determined to get away.

  Any normal person in my place would do that. I saw the most ruthless man ever that existed in this world.

  “Avim Ben Gon” I muttered horrified as I ran across the corridor and towards a door which I believed would take me to the backside of the house.

  “He is alive?” the words merely came out of my mouth in disbelief.

  I huffed and panted once I was out of the house. I leaned against the door and pulled my hair.

  Avim Ben Gon was the mafia leader who was killed by the police in a public meet.

  “Killed? Really?” I thought as I recalled seeing his face just a few second ago under the same roof.

  Never in a billion years, I would have thought I would ever come face to face with him, a murderer, a criminal, a rapist, the sole reason of people attempting suicide, attacks, bomb blasts, trafficking and what not.

  “Oh my god!” I screamed petrified.

  I felt my heart beat beating tremendously against my chest.

  “Is all this that happened to me not enough for you?” I screamed on God.

  “If you are there then please tell me, what did I ever do to ge-” I stopped mid-sentence when I heard a gunshot followed by a person’s muffled screaming.

  Still petrified, I walked cautiously through the bush and hid myself and then I spotted just a few feet away from my location, Zachary standing with his gun pointing towards a man crunched down on his knee before him.

  Zachary mercilessly shot the man in the head and immediately I screamed. I screamed petrified, horrified to see the man lay limp on the ground and I recognized the man from earlier who was chained in that room.

  All of their eyes were on me. Zachary narrowed his gaze at me and immediately he spotted me inside the bush.

  “Get her!” he commanded his boys and they all nodded coming towards me.

  “No! No! No!” I screamed and jumped out of the bush and the next thing I knew was I was running with them following me. I ran as fast as I can with those shoes still on and occasionally tripping and stumbling on the grass but maintained a pace as I ran away from all those murderers.