Wrath

Chapter 4: Revelations

Chapter 4: Revelations

Zara

The towel I'm holding to chest almost falls to the floor.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I yell, my heart hammering in my chest.

Stefan doesn't lift his head from his phone and lets out an annoyed breath, "Didn't I tell not to talk to me with that tone? Or would you like a reminder?"

God, this man is so infuriating. Here I was hoping to have a proper conversation.

Instead of acting on my urge to smack him, I put on an extremely fake, bright smile and clasped my hands in front of my chest, "Mr. Esposito, what an honor to see you here. Would you rather I wear clothes or should I just sit here and converse with you naked?"

The moment these words leave my mouth, I mentally curse myself. This right here is a dangerous man. He just killed two people without showing any remorse. And if I don't keep my sarcasm away, God knows what he'll do to me.

Stefan doesn't reply. Instead, he motions to the bed with his free hand where a pair of sweats and a T-shirt have been neatly placed and on the floor is a fuzzy pair of black slippers.

My eyes once again move to Stefan.

And now, in the clear lighting of the room, when I look at him, and I mean really look at him, I cannot seem to look away.

This silent, brooding man sitting in front of me, in one word, is beautiful.

His almost black hair has been perfectly styled and kept back from his face. A thin layer of stubble covers his defined jaw and he has high cheekbones, good enough to make me jealous. His lips are pursed in concentration at whatever he is reading on his phone. The suit he was wearing has been swapped for a pair of sweatpants and a loose shirt.

"I'd advise you to quit drooling and put on some clothes, Zara." his amused voice snaps me out of my daze, "We have important things to talk about."

I glare at him, snatching the clothes off the bed and stepping into the slippers. Making my way to the closet, I grumble under my breath, "I was so not drooling."

When I step out the closet, I head to the couches and plop down on the one opposite to Stefan. He finally puts his phone away and looks up at me.

"You should get those bruises attended to. I'll send someone up." he offers, gesturing to my face.

"Thank you for that." I tell him, anticipation bubbling inside of me, "But can we please get to the part where you tell me what is going on?"

He nods, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together.

"Whatever I tell you next, I want you to listen very carefully." he starts, "So put aside all your questions and sarcasm and just hear me out."

I nodded eagerly.

"There were three ruling Mafia families in the states- the Espositos, the Lombardis and the Romanos." he goes on, "Have you ever heard these names before?"

"Not until very recently." I say, but I am still rooted on his first sentence.

Mafia.

Realization dawns on me when I think of the files, weapons and money I'd found in the basement of my old house.

And then the kidnapping, men in suits, guns. How could I have not guessed sooner?

"Up until two decades ago, these families existed peacefully but then, some incidents took place that led to a falling out, leading to the Espositos and Lombardis on one side and Romanos on the other."