My life before was just like my name, Haven. Everything was peaceful, everything went my way, and I had everything that I needed. If I wanted something, I'd have it in a snap. I didn't need to move, make an effort, or work for it. I just needed my d...
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CHAPTER 17: EVEN IF THE WORLD IS BURNING
HAVEN'S POV
I heard a soft knock on the door. I was about to tell whoever it is outside to come in, but before I could do so, the door creaked open. Allessio peeked inside, and he smiled when he saw that I was still awake.
"You really should learn how to knock. What if I'm not dressed?"
His smile widened, and I rolled my eyes. If I were to ask him, he'd probably prefer exactly that.
I shook my head and turned back to the mirror in front of me to continue combing my long hair. From the reflection, I saw Allessio went to the bed to sit on the edge.
"Everything okay?" I couldn't help but ask.
The dinner with his family turned out better than I expected. His father still frightens me, but I guess that part couldn't be helped. After all, he was the first capo of Idalion.
Ezio Cascella himself told me about the story of Idalion when Amaris took an unwilling Allessio to the kitchen to prepare desserts for us. Idalion wasn't the original name of their organization but he did come from a long line of capos, and when it was his turn and things happened during his reign, he decided to make some changes. The first of which was the name of their group.
"This life has its way to punish us. For being what we are. For living the way we do. More often than not, the people around us suffer too. That's why I wanted to name it Idalion. I named it after my first wife Lionella and my beautiful daughter Idalia. Idalion is a reminder of the lives that I lost and how to never let that happen again by making sure that a drop of blood wouldn't be shed again unless it's the blood of our enemy."
The pain on his face was so clear that one would think that years hadn't passed since he lost them. His grief felt so huge that my heart wants to break for him.
He's a frightening man because there's a reason to be afraid of him. But staying with them for a few hours, I realized that he needed to be exactly that so he could make sure that he wouldn't lose the two reasons why I could still see light in his eyes after everything he'd been through: his wife and his son.
Despite the fact that his presence overwhelms me, I find myself asking, "Isn't it better to... stop?"
"Then the one who will take the reign will hunt my family and those who pledged with us until they wipe us all out of existence." My question didn't seem to offend him. It was as if he understood. That he himself has thought about it. "It's like a curse. It has been passed down to me, and I had no choice but to give it to Allessio. We needed to be on top of the food chain, or we would be the one the others would prey on. There's no escape, so we learned to be the greatest beast out of them all."
It was then that I realized that they weren't in this life just because they wanted to. It's not just their lives at stake but also the lives of those around them. Not just their families, but everyone who has sworn loyalty to them.
