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"So, how does it feel to get used?"
Aria looked beside her to see Anna standing while looking ahead as people chatted among themselves.
"What do you mean?" Aria asked while sipping on her wine.
"Abigor used you" Anna said as she turned her head and looked straight at Aria "to break off his engagement"
Aria sighed and looked ahead again. Abigor stood at a distance chatting with his father about something seriously, every once in a while he would turn to take a glance at her and give her his infamous smirk.
"I don't care" Aria commented.
"It isn't new for him to use people you know" Anna's voice took a sadder tone, as her gaze casted down "he uses people and discards them like clothes"
Aria frowned. Of course she knew that the man was cunning but hearing the same from his own sister, made her curious "Do you not like him?"
Anna looked up again as her lips puckered out, she twirled her dark strands of hair "He's not my favourite person on earth, that's for sure"
"Why?" Aria asked, grimacing her question immediately because she sounded like a desperate person who wanted to pry on family matters "If you don't mind telling me, of course" she added immediately.
Anna smirked, the image of Abigor smirking flashed in front of Aria for a split second.
They were siblings, alright.
"How would you like when someone snatches an opportunity right from your hands?" Anna asked as Aria tilted her head in confusion.
"I'll be mad?" she answered, not sure.
"That's what happened to me for being an obedient, hardworking daughter in this family" regret dripped from her voice as Anna continued.
"Years of training to become the next leader. Even as a child I trained hard just to succeed my father" the memory of her practising karate and learning to handle the gun came rushing back.
"All that I did was taken away when Abigor was born. A boy" she gritted her teeth "My father snatched that opportunity from me, without even asking me and gave it to Abigor. And I was left to strengthen Mafia bonds, get married to an ally and give birth to sons"
Anna looked at Aria's sympathetic eyes "that's what it means to be a girl in this family, Aria. No matter how hard you work, they'll always push you down"
"Why didn't you try to run away?" Aria asked in a low voice as her eyes locked with Abigor's sharp ones. He frowned when he saw his sister and Aria talking fondly. Like friends.
"Run away?" Anna scoffed "Where? When the whole nation is owned by him and now my brother"
A moment of silence followed as they both stared at Abigor and his father talking.
"Your father didn't ask Abigor too right?" Aria said as Anna looked at her a little annoyed and confused at the same time.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"He was just as forced into this as you were" Aria continued with a sigh "being told from the day he was born that he had to work hard and inherit all this, would have been a huge burden. I cannot even imagine"
"That's right, you cannot imagine" Anna snarled at her.
Aria rolled her eyes, temper was something that ran in the family along with good genes apparently "Now don't get me wrong, I know what happened to you was probably the worst thing."
Aria gulped down the wine "But, Abigor wasn't given an option either. Did your father ever ask him what he wanted? Weren't the both of you forced into this?"
All expressions left Anna's face as she stared at Aria quietly. Millions of emotions stormed in her honeyed eyes.
"It's just my opinion of course" Aria added almost immediately.
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"I heard you had a meeting with the Spanish Mafia" Draven asked his son who was busy looking at his little companion at a distance. He had never seen his son show such interest in a lady before.
Abigor looked back at his father "Just a few pawns. Apparently the leader's brother was killed" he mumbled, disinterested.
"That's concerning" his father said with furrowed eyebrows "What did they want from you?"
"To help them investigate. I have no interest until they fulfill my condition though" he said as his father nodded in agreement.
"Gave them an extra week to consider" Abigor added.
"I'm sure you know what you are doing"
Abigor glanced at Aria again to find her in a deep conversation with his sister. "What the fuck are they talking about?" curiosity ate him alive.
"Salvador Paulo was the one who was killed, the in-charge of security in the Spanish Mafia" he said with a smirk as his father shook his head.
"I say we attack th-"
"Son" his father interrupted "You already have many enemies, don't make more. And did you forget the Hayes-Paulo pact of peace we made after the war?"
"I know that's what's binding me. My hands are just itching to kill them" Abigor said remembering how many of his men were killed during the war, how many civilians became homeless, how many kids became orphans.
His father patted his shoulder "I know you are stressed but control your emotions. Emotions are just a hurdle, stop feeling useless things. What's done is done, we cannot change it"
Abigor gave his father a side glance as he puffed out from his cigar.
"We are weapons, Abigor. Weapons to protect our Nation, our family and our Mafia. Weapons don't weep—"
"Weapons don't feel" Abigor completed his father's life motto which he had heard from his childhood. His father laughed and patted his shoulder in appreciation.
"Go blow off some steam and have fun with your girl. Stop stressing for one day" his father said as he walked away, towards his mother who was busy laughing with her friends.
He again looked back to see both women talking, but this time Aria looked straight at him. He took slow steps towards them and stood a lot closer to them.
Their conversation immediately halted as both of them looked at him.
"My sweet brother is here" Anna mockingly said while Abigor chose to ignore her. He was so done with her snarky comments.
Anna stood up straight while fixing her beautiful dark red mermaid dress and gulping down the rest of the drink, slamming it against the bar table.
Aria remained expressionless as she watched Anna's movements. Anna walked towards her brother and stood directly in front of him. Both stared at each other, neither of them refusing to back down.
But Anna's next move surprised Abigor. Her left hand reached his cheeks as she rubbed it a little and offered a small smile "Good work, little brother"
His eyes widened as he stiffened in surprise. Anna walked away graciously as Abigor touched the spot where she caressed him ever so gently. The most affection he had ever received from his sister.
"What did you do to her?" he asked walking towards Aria and still looking surprised.
"Nothing" was her simple reply as she stood up "Can we go now?" she asked while looking at his wristwatch, noting that it was already 11:30 pm.
"Yes, let's get out of here already" he said with a sigh.
.
.
"What did you two talk about?"
Abigor asked while driving through the city lights at night as Aria looked outside, enjoying the cold breeze.
She turned to look at him at his question "She told me how you used me to break off your engagement"
Abigor groaned and ran his hand through his hair, turning it into a mess "I just nullified it from a potential partner" he said through gritted teeth "that cheating bitch"
"She was cheating on you?" Aria asked with widened eyes before she could stop herself.
"Kinda hard to believe right?" he said with a cocky smirk, glancing at her "But yeah, every day with someone new. But I was happy to find out actually"
"What the fuck?" she thought, confused.
"Because I didn't like her. She got on my nerves and when I found out that she was cheating, I had the opportunity of the lifetime to break it up" he said with a smirk as Aria shook her head and sighed out.
"Cheaters and liars are the people I cannot tolerate" he said seriously and glanced at Aria, who just gulped a little "loyalty is the first thing we learn in the Mafia"
He sighed and shook his head a bit.
"Now tell me" he continued "What did my sister really tell you? Did she tell you her sob story again?"
"Yeah, she told me how her opportunities were snatched from her" she said, her apartment building now coming in the view "about how she didn't like you for taking it away"
"And?" he questioned, her statement didn't seem to phase him because he had heard it plenty of times "She should have hated me more remembering all that. What did you say to her?"
She sighed, he wouldn't just give up before knowing the whole truth "I told her that it wasn't your fault" the car stopped in front of her building as he turned off the engine and snapped to look at her.
"About how you didn't have a choice either" she said softly as he stared at her in shock, his raven hair falling over his forehead. It was the first time anyone had ever tried to understand his point of view.
Aria turned in her sat to fully look at him "About how your father forced his wishes on the both of you. You both were victims"
"I was a victim?" he asked as she shrugged and nodded.
"Maybe"
A moment of silence followed as they both stared at each other. Aria suddenly sighed "Well Mr Hayes, I must take my leave now. It's 12 am now and the Cinderella must return"
She tried to joke with the little humour she'd got but got no expression in return. No word, nothing.
"Well I hope you remember our deal and never bother me again" she said and turned to open the car door but a harsh tug on her left hand made her look at him again.
And before she knew, his lips met her's in a passionate and slow kiss. Her eyes widened in shock as her heart rate kick-started when he tilted her face to the side to kiss her harder.
His eyes closed as he moaned lowly into the kiss, kissing her roughly. She slowly found herself melting as her hands clutched his suit's sleeves in a tight grip.
"So good" he mumbled as he nibbled on her lower lip and slowly his eyes fluttered open. His intense honey glazed eyes rooted her to her spot as she struggled to breathe.
Her breath came out rough and ragged against his mouth as he memorized her sharp features and tried to ignore the fake blue in her eyes, imagining the beautiful almond colours of her eyes.
"This is surely not the last time we see each other, Miss Leighton"
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