My name is Victoria Casey and I just happen to be the obsession of the world's #1 criminal, Tristan Valentino and he plans to make me his Queen, whether I like it or not.
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Victoria's POV Oh, man! When I looked up to the sound of the diner's door opening, I'm pretty sure my mouth fell open. The hottest man I've ever seen was standing in the doorway. His leather jacket covered up most of his upper body, but from what I could see, at least he had a well-toned body. His muscles were trying to rip his sleeves up, and his piercing green eyes were roaming my body, just as I was him. His dark-colored hair was the perfect length, and I just wanted to run my fingers through_. Wait! Eww! What am I thinking?! This god of a man was way out of my league! He would never fall for someone as simple as me! I mean, the day he falls in love with me would be the day I have all my bills paid! You see, I'm going through college and studying to be a doctor. Of course, I love my job at the diner, but my needs are racking up while my income is steadily decreasing. I'm not poor per se, but I'm not rich, that's for sure! However, I'm pretty sure that this man had no problems with money. Uh Oh! He had started making his way over to me with a casual walk. "H-How can I help you?" I stammered out. "I'm just stopping by to see if you have a restroom," his voice purred. "Oh. Okay," I mumbled. "Also, do you happen to have any banana pie?" Once again, holy smokes! His voice was like warm chocolate. Mmm! Food sounded good at the moment. "Yeah! Coming right up!" I say a bit too enthusiastically. "Thank you," he responds. I trip over myself, but I manage to get the pie over to the counter. It looks like the "hot guy" had found the bathroom. I set the dish down and tried to look busy as he walked back towards me. I rang him up, and he took out a sleek black credit card. Yup, definitely rich. Once he ate, he slipped out into the night, along with any chance of me being happy. Oh well. It didn't look like it was going to work out anyways. I look over to the stool he had been sitting on and notice something. He had left a slip of paper. On it was the words: "Don't worry. I'll be back." Tristan's POV "What do you mean by it'll never happen?!" I growl at my right-hand man, Jeremy Kroger. "I mean that she will never willingly up and leave her life for you. She doesn't even know your name!" Jeremy responds. "You're getting real close to pissing me off," I threaten. "Okay! Okay! I was saying that you should be prepared to have to take her forcefully," he suggests. "I just don't want her to see me as a monster, and that certainly wouldn't help my case!" I frustratedly complain. "You'll figure it out. You're the leader of the largest gang in the world, for heaven's sake!" he laughs. "Ha! Yeah!" I chuckle. We had been talking in the back of a black SUV that was shuttling us back to my helicopter. You see, I own an island. It's called Ember Island. We named it that way because I always thought of myself as a Phoenix rising from the ashes. A lot of people have always wondered why I am the way I am. Growing up, I got shunned to the side, but I wouldn't put up with any of it. My mom died when I was the mere age of 6. My Dad might as well have died that day, the way he reacted. It's like he forgot that I was grieving too. I eventually left and forged a life for myself, and then came my real family. The Aurora is my life. I never was a bad child, but living on my own since I was 12 changes things. Aurora's leadership is structured, so I am the Boss and then my Inner Circle, which four people, Jeremy included, are a part. Each country has a leader that reports back to me on the current state of their areas. There are many others, but those are the main ones. Jeremy is my right-hand man, but I also have Kirk and Russell. Those two are practically inseparable and are my bodyguards. Last but not least is my tech genius, Leo. He's the one that makes sure I stay out of the system. When Jeremy and I finally make it back to Ember Island, I unlock all the security measures that are in place. Kirk and Russell can sometimes be a little overprotective when it comes to my safety. Once inside, I head straight to my office. I pretty much kept it simple. I don't appreciate clutter. I did, however, take the liberty of making my whole back wall glass. There is just something about having a view I will never take for granted. I had been slacking as of late. Being the notorious Tristan Valentino can sometimes be overwhelming. Gangs in other areas had been trying to negotiate territories, and some negotiations had not been as peaceful as I had hoped. Now, I had to deal with the aftermath. After a couple of hours slaving away, I got a knock on my door. "Come in!" I yell. "Hey, Boss! I thought I'd check in and see if you had any more upcoming excursions planned? The unrest between the other gangs has been high as of late, and I feel pretty uneasy having you leave so often," Russell asks. "I'm pretty sure I can take care of myself," I chuckle darkly. "However, yes, to answer your question, I plan on leaving to go back to the mainland tomorrow," I respond. "Boss," Russell goes to complain. "I don't want to hear it. I can't afford to show any cowardice," I interrupt, ending the argument. "Yes, Boss. When do you want to leave?" he resigns. "How about 10:00 am?" I suggest. "Alright. See you then," Russell agrees before shutting the door.
