Fallen Ashes |✔️

Prisoner

This was not going to end well, I sighed as I stepped out of my sleek car, my face the portrait of tranquillity.

"Where were you?" My father spoke calmly- tried to, at least. I knew another outburst was inevitable, especially following whatever Vero had said to him, ever the sycophant.

"I was working towards completing the task you gave me." My eyes burned with concealed rage as I raised my eyebrow at father and Vero, my voice coated with distaste.

"That's not what it sounded like." Vero's flashed his teeth as If I were a downed animal, waiting for him to bite into me.

"You bugged me, you bastard." I looked towards father, wondering if he showed any surprise.

There was no disapproval in his eyes as he glanced at Vero with boredom, if not annoyance.

"She is my most skilled agent. And you never interfere in the path of an assassin." Father reminded Vero, maintaining some sort of boundary to remind him who owned this mansion, who controlled the trained spies and killers at his disposal.

"She would have taken any chance to spread her legs for that Italian prick." Vero hissed.

"Don't you dare to even fucking try that with me again or I'll give you a matching cast for your other wrist." I spat at his feet as he lunged for me, promising violence.

"Enough." My father said quietly but not weakly and Vero backed off.

"Change of plans- the wedding has been moved to this weekend. I'm sure you've got your dress ready."

For you to be mine to play with, the words lingered between us as I prayed my hatred for him suffocated him where he stood.

My father didn't entertain the conversation any longer, refusing to acknowledge what my activities suggested, how close I was to having a body ready to dump.

I saw the threat in his eyes If what Vero spoke was true... the consequences of planning to do anything more with an Italian agent other than killing them was out of the question.

After all, I supposed they had nothing to fear after I'd just walked over the shred of hope in his eyes, the burning desire in his heart for me. Perhaps it was all a game, another elaborate ruse from a cunning enemy. Not that I cared anymore. I'd shown him mercy despite him chasing after me, clearly underestimating the wrath of Venus Castellanos.

"Don't count on me going dress shopping anytime soon" was all I muttered before striding towards the mansion.

"The wedding is this weekend." Father spoke matter-of-factly, as if there were no escaping it.

I didn't look back as I made my way down the labyrinth-like marble hallways of the mansion- anything to put distance between myself and Vero until his drawling voice stopped me in my tracks as he stalked behind me.

"You going to warm his bed?" Every word cut me like shards of glass, despite knowing he was never worth my discontent. And yet I was to marry this man. To be bound to him for life- or until one of us destroyed the other. The thought made me shudder.

"Better his than yours." I chirped, training my voice back into the unbothered arrogance I wanted him to hear.

"Don't fucking test me." He growled.

"I'd rather fuck a horse before marrying a pig like you." I growled back with increased ferocity.

"You'll have time to reconsider that in your cell." He smirked with wicked delight- his manic face inches from mine. Catching me off guard so quickly that I didn't see the blur of his swinging fist as it collided with my jaw as my traitorous knees buckled, sending me slumping to the ground as darkness enveloped me.

___

I woke up groaning in one of the cells Vero had thrown me into. I made sure to check he hadn't bugged my clothes with other pieces of his pathetic spyware, cursing myself for not having noticed it last time.

I was surprised he even knew about the subterranean cells my father had previously frequented to interrogate enemies... or worse. Killing was much more efficient- and with my father's temper on a permanently short leash, it meant the cells were rarely used. In fact, I doubted if the cells under the mansion had ever been used at all considering the fact that father avoided showing his preferred residence to an enemy. Whether they walked away from him alive or not.

The underground garage had often been a favourite spot of mine in the brief months we would stay here before father moved us to another location, another house to stay in whilst he vanished for undisclosed business. And here I was in the cells, as if I were already a nobody to be traded away for another man to ogle over my assets.

Those cars were mine. Mine to sit in, to crash or eat in or drive or to fucking run over Vero with. Not his to look at with his self-indulgent gaze, not his to lay claim to after marrying me. I didn't care what Father had to gain from this alliance; this marriage would bring destruction to one if not both of our mafias rather than the alliance they hoped for.

"Let me out of here." I yelled at one of the guards, prepared to gut him where he stood for his disloyalty. But of course, Vero had already taken precautions to replace the usual guards with a few of his known.

Sweet-talking or cursing the guards every time their shifts rotated was futile as I finally leaned against the cold wall of the cell. I vowed that hell itself would freeze over before I let him contain me again, to let him forget how much of a threat I can and would be to him.

"What do you want?" I refused to look at the guard who now stared at my hopeless figure through the rectangular box in the door, his tall figure slightly concealed by the cap he wore.

Before the lock slid open with a slight thud.

I looked up to meet the eyes swimming with amusement before the voice I hadn't know I was longing to hear filled the cell.

Ash.

"What the-" I began, losing all sense of logic as my eyes fixated upon his wicked grin, the fire that lit up his ocean eyes.

"Fuck it." I whispered as I threw myself out of the cell, relief flooding every fibre of my being as I lunged for him.

And pressed my lips against his.