Nefarious (adj.) Wicked, villainous, despicable.
Arabella's P.O.V.
Alexander's words filled me with disgust, hatred, and uncertainty. I looked around the room and stared at the men that were part of the mafia; my family could not possibly be like them; they were never like them; I am not like them. How is it possible that I am related to people who have lost their humanity?
The blood coursing through my veins is what keeps me alive; it identifies who I am by holding every detail of my genetic information, but alas, it is what connects me to the mafia world. The Aetos blood runs through me; it is blood that I share with criminals, murderers, and extortionists.
"That is not possible..." Nicolo said as he stopped in his tracks and stared at my helpless body.
"...Cairo never had any children," he said as he turned around to look at Alexander who was heaving heavily as he tried to remain calm.
"Think again," Alexander said while he shook his head, causing droplets of water to fall before him.
I watched as Nicolo furrowed his eyebrows while he stared at the ground, the gears were turning in his head as he suddenly looked at me and turned his gaze to Alexander, then back at me again.
"Ovviamente, tutto ha un senso ora," Nicolo breathed out under his breath as he started to make his way towards the wall behind me (Of course, it all makes sense now).
As Nicolo began to loosen the rope on the pulley, the bottoms of my feet made contact with the stool but my knees started to give out and shake beneath me. Before I could fall, Manny rushed to my side and caught me as he set me down gently on the cold hard ground. I laid my head against the stool, staring blankly at Alexander, as Manny began to cut the rope behind my hands.
"Dante, portalo nel mio ufficio," Nicolo said to the guard as he began to leave the room with Leone (Bring him to my office).
"Are you alright, Arabella?" Manny asked as he lifted the rope from around my neck.
I remained quiet as no thoughts came to my mind. The sound of Manny's voice and footsteps dragging out of the room did not register with me; in my mind it was silent. I looked at Manny, with tears that blurred my vision, as he stared back at me with concerned eyes. I could not trust him; earlier he had told me that Nicolo would not kill me, but the events from earlier repeated itself in my mind. He walked towards me with no hesitance when Alexander refused to answer him; he was going to kill me; he wanted to kill me.
I could not trust Alexander, as he had lied to me from the very beginning; the moment we met. I was starting to think that the way Nicolo trusted people was more ideal than my approach. It hurts to lose the trust you have for someone; I feel betrayed and deceived; I felt like a fool. What was the purpose? Why would you lie to me? I asked myself as I thought about Alexander.
"Arabella?" Manny asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"I am not okay, Manny," I said as my voice broke and tears flowed down my face.
"Why would he lie to me about something like this?" I asked helplessly as I looked at Manny, knowing that he did not have the answers I was looking for.
Manny suddenly sat down on the floor beside me and embraced me warmly. My tears stained his shirt as my head rested against his chest; his hand began to trace small circles on my back to try and calm me down.
"When he is done with Nico, you can talk to him," Manny whispered to me.
I shook my head against his chest. I had nothing to say to Alexander; I wasn't even sure what I would say. Confront him? Question him? Seeing Alexander with tears streaming down his face made my heart ache for him, but how could I feel sympathy for a man who lost my trust, a man that refused to answer a question while he watched as I struggled against a rope around my neck.
Flashbacks of Dante forcing Alexander into the water kept crossing my mind. He is the reason why I am in this situation; I cannot feel sorry for a man like him, I thought, trying to convince myself, but images of his glossy eyes kept plaguing my mind, along with flashes of his tears streaming down his deep blue eyes.
Deep blue eyes.
"His deep blue eyes," I repeated as I mumbled under my breath as I slowly pushed myself away from Manny.
"What?" he asked as he grabbed my arm, helping me stand up.
Once I got back up on my feet, my hand went up to my chest as my finger traced the outline of my heart locket. I quickly pulled the necklace off, breaking apart the chain and clasp, then immediately opened the locket. I stared at the pictures; it was of a young girl and boy, their smiles pure and innocent with no worries in the world. I closed the locket and looked at the backside as my finger touched the engraving, A.A.. I looked up at Manny, completely fazed as my mind began to wonder; the locket fell from my hands as they began to tremble, but all I could think about was the blue eyed man.
I began to walk briskly through the corridor and up the stairs of the cellar, but didn't slow down when Manny called out to me.
"What's wrong, Arabella?" Manny asked.
I turned around to answer him but I lost my train of thought when I heard Nicolo's voice. The pain of a slight burn around my neck became more evident when I heard his voice as I remembered what he put me through tonight.
"He tried to kill me," I said to Manny as I balled my hands into fists and started to walk towards his office.
Nicolo's P.O.V.
How could I have been so ignorant to see what was in front of me this whole time? The way he acted around her, their similarities in appearance, and their extremely fucking maddening personalities; they are siblings.
"Did you know anything about a second child?" Leone asked, pulling me out of my thoughts as we reached my office.
"There's nothing about her in our files, it was never reported," I said as I looked at the numerous folders we kept for every mafia group. Our family has been collecting information on every organization; some have been used for blackmail, and the rest was used purely for data to keep tabs on our enemies and allies.
The door barged open with Alexander and Dante as I sat down at my desk, lighting a cigar and pouring a glass of whiskey to help me get through this meeting.
"What kind of shit have you gotten yourself into this time, Alexander," I said as I placed the cigar between my lips.
"Cairo's brother is still alive. My father is still alive," He said as he leaned back, dirtying my leather chair with his wet hair and blood.
I scoffed at his miserable state.
"You can't spit out lies through this one, stronzo," I said as I pulled out his file (asshole).
"After all these years, my family has kept records of the car crash that killed Cairo's second in command, which is your father. The proof is all here," I said as I pointed to the crash records and photographs.
"They never found his body, the only body they found was my mother's," he said quietly.
Cazzo, he's not lying to me.
"How did you find him?" Leone asked as he eyed Alexander carefully.
"I didn't," he replied, and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
"He contacted me," he said.
"Where is he?" I asked as I took a sip from my glass.
"I cannot compromise his location," he said as he glared at me.
"I need to leave to go back to Greece. Cairo does not know I am working for his brother to keep eyes on Arabella," he said urgently.
"Why have you been keeping this from her?" I asked, ignoring his requests.
"My father believes that Cairo wants him and Arabella dead, but she has managed to stay hidden from this mess for years, it's better if she doesn't know. Her absence of knowledge about this has been keeping her safe."
"You will leave tonight then," I said as I stood up from my desk.
"I will need to find a new place for Arabella while I am gone, it's not safe for her to be alo-"
"No need," I cut him off
"We will look after her," I said as I saw Leone giving me a baffled look from the corner of my eye.
"I do not trust you," Alexander chuckled as he stood up.
"The Mazzerelli family lives up to an oath that has been kept throughout many generations: the blood on our hands are from those that deserve to be killed and the killing of innocents will result in our own deaths," I recited as I stared at him intently.
"I do not kill innocent people, so unless you give me a reason to, I will not harm her," I repeated as he still looked uneasy.
"He is right, we do not kill unless we need to," Leone said, confirming my previous statements, trying to reassure Alexander.
I sighed, as I exhaled a puff of smoke, staring at a man who still gazed back at me with doubt.
"You either convince the woman to go into hiding, for reasons that you cannot share with her, or you leave her to us. No one would think to target the most powerful mafia organization in the world," I said as I smirked, knowing that I had convinced him.
"What's in it for you?" he asked as he looked at me keenly.
"Leverage..." I said as I shrugged.
"If I find out that you are lying or if I find that you are plotting an attack against me, to get revenge on what I have put you and your sister through, I will not hesitate to kill her and her blood will be on your hands," I said as I leaned onto my desk with my eyebrows raised, urging him to make a decision.
"I will only be gone for a few months," he said hesitantly as he stared at the ground.
"Then may I suggest getting the formalities out of the way with your sibling before you leave," I said with a smug smile on my face as we shook hands to confirm the deal.
The Aetos Family's lack of intelligence never ceases to amaze me, I thought to myself as I watched Alexander walk out of my office.
I sat back down in my chair as I took a sip of whiskey that was now diluted with melted ice. I turned to look at Leone as he was eyeing me observantly but I dismissed it as I heard shouting down the hallway.
"Arabella!" I heard Manny yell as soon as my office doors swung open and I made eye contact with the key to my next business operation.
I stared at her in amusement as she clenched her jaw in anger and stared at me with eyes filled with rage. Oh, what a pleasure it would be to teach you a lesson and put you in your place, I thought as I leaned back in my chair and gave her a gloating smile.
"You almost killed me!" she yelled and my eyes widened as she flung one of my glass cups at my head.
I began to chuckle as I heard the glass shatter on the wall behind me, missing my head by only a few inches.
My attention turned to Leone as he lunged towards Arabella, but she grabbed the neck of my Moet and Chandon Champagne bottle as she swung it at him, causing him to duck to avoid being hit.
I stared at her in astonishment. If only you could bring this anger to the bed, I chuckled to myself.
"Please, Arabella, it would be very much appreciated if you didn't use the most expensive object in this room as a weapon," I said as I watched her struggle against Leone's hold.
"Have a seat, pour yourself a glass. They are not meant to be thrown," I said as Leone pushed her down into the chair in front me; I gave him a nod to assure him that it was okay to release her from his hold.
"I almost killed you, but I didn't. You are still alive, sì? I do not see an issue here," I said to her as I laced my hands together on my desk and watched as her glare hardened towards me.
I watched her light brown eyes as they trailed down my face towards my desk; I observed her intensely as I saw her furrow her eyebrows as she read the name that was placed on the tab of the folder; she looked back up to me as she squinted her eyes. Do not do it, I thought as I glared at her, daring her to move a muscle.
Seconds later we both reached out for the folder but she was too quick for me.
"What information do you have in here?" she asked as she held the folder away from my reach.
"Nothing that concerns you," I scowled at her as I leaned over my desk.
"It has Alexander's name; I have every right to be concerned," she said as she scoffed and stood up from her chair.
Before she could move any farther I leaned over my desk and grabbed her by her throat, pulling her closer.
"Give me back the folder, Arabella," I said sternly and dug my fingertips tighter against her throat when she refused.
She gasped and dropped the folder, causing the papers to become unorganized across my desk. My grip became tighter when I titled her head up so that she could not see the photographs and papers that have fallen out.
"Get the fuck out my office," I seethed at her as I pushed her back by her neck, causing her to stumble.
She glowered at me as tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but I stared back at her unbothered. She made her way out my doors and I sighed when I heard her light sobs echo throughout the hallway.
I sat back down in my chair and groaned at the mess she made in my office.
"Vai fuori di qui," I glared at the three men who still stood in my presence (Get out of here).
I took a sip from my glass as I watched them exit, closing the door behind them.
I am a man of my words; I do not lie and I do not cheat; I simply abide by the laws that were made for the Mazzerelli Family. I will not hurt Arabella and I will not kill her as I had made a deal with Alexander; but her life is no longer in my control if she's in the hands of someone else; her death does not concern me if she is slaughtered by another man.
I had told Alexander that she would be left under my supervision, but I did not say I would protect her. I had told him that I would not hurt her but I did not say I would not put her in harm's way. I was using Alexander's credulous mind to my advantage, but this was purely business. I am not at fault for his inability to see the loopholes in this transaction.
He is foolish, but his foolishness will bring more wealth and power to this family, I thought as I picked up the phone.
"Cairo..." I said as the ringing came to a stop.
"Nicolo," he greeted as I heard a faint tone of shock in his voice.
"And to what do I owe the pleasure," he asked pretentiously.
"I may have something that you want," I said tauntingly.
"And what might that be?"
"Your brother and his daughter," I said in a boastful tone.
"He is still alive, to íxera..." I heard him mumble out in Greek (I knew it).
"How did you find them?"
"I will not share all of the answers at this moment, but his daughter stumbled across one of my businesses."
"What is it that you want in return?"
"I want 50 percent of your profits from your weapons trade," I said demandingly, knowing that he would not accept the offer.
"35 percent," he laughed scornfully.
"40 percent and I will bring them to you alive," I said assertively. I was confident I would find my way to his brother, as soon as Alexander leaves this estate I made sure to have investigators follow him, to try and get through to his father.
"When you are ready and have both of them captured, bring them to me in the flesh and we will make the arrangements from there," he said. Perfetto, I thought as we began to close the deal (Perfect).
"I will be in contact with you again, Cairo," I said as I smiled smugly at my office doors and hung up the phone.
I will not become Arabella's murderer; her cause of death will not be made by me, instead, she will die in the hands of Cairo.
*****
Author's Note:
Hello Fellow Readers,
Ohhh how the turn tables, poor Alexander haha. This is the longest chapter I've written so far so I apologize if it's not up to your liking (most of my chapters are around 2500 words give or take 500). But now that Alexander is leaving, the adventure begins with Nico and Arabella!! I hope you guys are excited. Enjoy the upcoming chapters!
-Love, A
P.S. Do you guys know how much the average word count is for a chapter on Wattpad?