Hello everyone,
I hope you are doing well. Here is a new chapter.
Enjoy!
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Nina:
I walked inside my room and closed the door softly. My heartbeats were over the top. It wasn't because of my fight with Ethan or the way he looked at me as if I was the worst person on the face of earth.
No, it was because I finally dared to kill Alberto. I looked at my shaking hands and smiled in victory.
I did it, I killed the man who tormented me for years. I killed the man who had my life in his grasp and kept squeezing and squeezing taking the breath out of me.
At first, I hesitated and weighed the pros and cons of my decision and determined killing him was the best solution. I would get rid of him, have my freedom and start a new life. Meanwhile, Ethan would get his revenge as well and everything would be fine. I knew it was not the way he wanted it to be, but still, it was revenge nonetheless. There was no greater punishment than death.
I knew I betrayed Ethan, and he might never trust me again. But I will do my best to make it up to him and earn his forgiveness.
It would be hard, and knowing Ethan, he would make me suffer to give it. It will be alright, I will tell him the whole truth and stay by his side until he has the heart to forgive me.
For now, I had more pressing issues I must attend to. I took my phone, the one Ethan had no idea I have in my possession.
You are keeping a lot of secrets from him. I wonder how will he react when you tell him the truth.
I shook my head at those thoughts. From today onwards, I would not keep any secrets from him. There would not be any lies or deception.
After the second ring, Lexie's voice came from the other side. "Hello, Nina, how are you?"
"I am fine. No, I am great. I have a lot of things to tell you. Where are you staying?" I asked with a smile?
"After you called and asked us to go into hiding, I reserved a hotel room on the outskirts of the city. It is a two hours drive from your apartment." Lexie informed me with a sigh.
"Is everything okay, Lexie?" I asked in concern.
There was a pause on the other side before Lexie answered with a chuckle. "Yes, I am just a bit tired, nothing major. Are you coming?"
"Yes, of course. Send me the exact location, and I will be there this afternoon." I confirmed and cut the call after saying goodbye to Lexie and telling her to keep my visit a secret so I could surprise Aria.
I selected blue jeans, a yellow hoodie and white sneakers. I took my phone, put it in my back pants pocket and headed out of the room.
The house was quiet and after checking all the rooms, I realised Ethan went out. I sighed and made sure my gun was loaded and well hidden.
I opened the door and was not surprised to see four bodyguards standing at the entrance. I ignored them and started walking to the elevator.
One of them was brave enough to block my path. I raised an eyebrow and waited for his explanation.
"I am sorry, Miss Castello. We have orders to ban you from leaving the house. Please, get back inside."
The man spoke politely, but his words rubbed me the wrong way. I laughed out loud at his words and was satisfied at the confused look that took over his face.
"I am giving you one chance. Move away and let me pass."
I gave it to the man. He didn't flinch and stood like a wall in front of me. My stern voice didn't move him. It is time for action.
I took my gun from my waistband and shot him in the leg without blinking. He fell to his knees and groaned in pain. His mates rushed to his side and helped him up.
One of them took out his phone and dialled a number.
"Hello, sir. We have a problem." I knew the man just called Ethan. I leaned against the wall listening to the recount of the events. I chuckled at how the man described my actions.
He extended the phone towards me, and I put it against my ear. "What is the meaning of this? How dare you shoot one of my men?" Ethan asked calmly, but I could hear the anger brewing in there.
"How dare your men block my way?" I Shot back.
"Nina, I see you don't understand our roles here. I am the one who gives orders, and you must obey. It is not the other way. Stay in your place until I get back." Ethan spoke in a cold tone.
"Ethan, I have things to do, and I am not waiting for you. You could either order them to let me leave or I would shoot them one by one. Don't worry though, I won't kill them." I made sure my voice was steady and matched Ethan's coolness.
"Why are you acting like this? You changed thirty hundred sixty degrees in the span of few hours." Ethan asked with confusion and I dare say hurt in his voice.
I swallowed hard and cleared my throat to keep my voice from breaking. I was hurting the man who trusted me, but I didn't have a choice. "I didn't change at all, Ethan. It is just you don't know me that much. You and I share the same thing. If we want something, we get it."
There were a few moments of silence on the other side before Ethan spoke in a voice I never heard coming from him before. "Give the phone to the guard."
"Ethan..." I tried but he cut me off and snapped. "Give the damn phone to the guard, Nina."
This time, I obeyed his order and handed the phone to the guard. They spoke for a few moments. I couldn't hear what Ethan was saying, but the guard kept nodding.
"You may leave," He said gruffly and cleared the way.
I moved quickly to the elevator and went down to the lobby. Summer air hit my face, and I was thankful I didn't have to go out often.
I stopped the first cab that passed me and gave the driver the address. I kept looking behind me to see if anyone was following.
To my surprise, no one was tailing me. I don't know why but Ethan letting me go as this hurt me.
You are going crazy, Nina. The man let you get your way, but you are not satisfied. He didn't kill you after disobeying his orders, and you are hurt. What the hell is wrong with you?
It was the first time I agreed with my inner self. I must focus on Aria and Lexie for now. Things would work later, and Ethan would come around.
Those were the thoughts I tried to convince myself would become reality when the right time comes as the driver took a turn and entered a shady neighbourhood.
**************
The moment I set foot inside the lobby of the cheap motel, I felt something was off. The receptionist's desk was empty and silence reigned over the building. Suspicion took over my body, and I ran up the stairs and paused in front of the door that Lexie sent its number to me earlier.
I knocked twice and waited for a bit. Lexie opened the door, but I stood frozen when my eyes landed on her face.
"Lexie, what's wrong?" I inspected her bruised face, smudged eyes, and swollen and bloodied lips.
"Finally, you graced us with your presence." A male's voice came from further in the room.
"Who are you?" I asked as I stepped in front of Lexie to shield her.
A bald man in his late fifties rose from the bed and looked at me with his piercing grey eyes.
"I am Martin Svetlana, Alberto's boss." He extended his hand for a shake, but I was too shocked to react.
The man shook his head in mock dismay and extracted his offered hand. "I see you are not as polite as I first thought. Since you want to move past pleasantries, we will proceed directly to the heart of today's meeting."
"I didn't realise we have a scheduled meeting. So rude of you, Mr Svetlana." I said sarcastically as I looked around the room in an attempt to find an exit.
"You are feisty. I understand why Alberto talked about you so much. But you were his doom, weren't you? He was a stupid man giving you his full trust. You just betrayed and killed him without a second thought." Martin admonished me while wagging his finger in my direction.
"Alberto got what he deserved. I don't see the big deal here. My business was with him, and since he is dead now, I don't see why we are having this conversation." I said bravely as it wasn't the time to show this dangerous man any weakness.
He laughed out loud and shook his head at my words that him so much humour. "You and he are a match made in hell. You are both stupid to a fault."
I bristled at his words and gave him a scalding glare. "You are insulting me, Martin," I uttered his name with as much disdain as I could put in my voice. "If I was stupid like you claim, do you think I would have been successful in killing Alberto?" I challenged with a raised eyebrow.
I saw anger flash in his eyes, but he masked it expertly and gave me a cold smile. "Let's see if you are a smart girl or not. Do you believe Alberto would have survived that long with the Salviatti family tracking him with no help? His power and influence in the mafia world, have you ever asked yourself from where it came?"
The man stopped talking and gave me a few minutes to ponder his words. "You are not only his boss. You supported him and his projects. Or let me express it in other words, Alberto was your façade to do your dirty work and finish missions for you." I spoke confidently, knowing that every word I said was accurate.
Martin clapped his hands together and moved closer to where I was standing. "You are a clever girl. Don't worry, I removed you from Alberto's column. Do you now realise what you did? Do you see its magnitude? Alberto's life doesn't matter to me, but my business does."
"What do you want from me?" I asked, wanting this chit-chat to end.
"Easy, I want you to take Alberto's place." The man said nonchalantly.
"No way in hell. I killed Alberto to get my freedom. I will be damned if I tie myself to another." I refused right away.
"Alright, it is your choice. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do. I will just call my man and order them to kill Aria."
Aria! The name fell on me like tons of rocks. How could I forget to check on my sister's well-being?
Seeing Lexie hurt and finding a strange man in the room caused me to have temporary amnesia.
"Where is she?" I asked darkly and moved from Lexie's side to stand face-to-face with him.
"She is on the plane to one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the Uk. She is accompanied by professional security and capable bodyguards. Don't worry about her." Martin said in a fake reassuring voice.
"What?" I asked because his words didn't register in my mind.
He sighed and restarted the recount of the events, but I raised my hands to stop him. His voice was like grinding chalk against a blackboard. "I heard you the first time. I just want to know why did you send my sister away? Who gave you the right to do that?"
"I don't need permission to take action. I am the boss, and I decide what happens."
I am getting sick of everyone reminding me they were the boss. I knew I was just a pawn in their grand schemes, but that doesn't mean I would bow and stay quiet.
"Aria is my sister, and I am the one who decides her future. Not you, or anyone else." I shouted and made sure to keep eye contact with him.
Martin didn't mind my tone and just smiled at me. "Of course, you are her sister, and she is your responsibility. I am not going to force her to attend school. She could always come back to you in a coffin."
How could a man speak about children that way? At his words, I realised the man was heartless and more deranged than I thought.
I swallowed hard and looked at him with an indifferent expression. "Alright, I choose the boarding school. Now, what do you want from me?"
"I am not going to ask for much. I want you to continue working with the Salviatti family. From the reports Alberto sent me, you are almost in. I am sure after your success today, you will be in."
"What do I get out of it?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
Martin chuckled and moved to stand beside the small window. "You are a demanding girl, aren't you? You need to understand that I am not Alberto. You do your work, you get your pay. That's it, no more, no less."
"Working with the Salviatti family is hard, betraying them is suicidal. Do you think money is enough payment?" This man was delusional if he thought I would be his slave.
"No, of course, it is not just money. Your sister's safety would be assured as well. Also, I would make sure you are protected from any harm. Come to think of it, I started protecting you today. Ethan Salviatti is a clever man. He followed you, and if it wasn't for my men, your cover would have been blown up." Martin said with a shrug.
What? I made sure no one was following me. How did I miss them?
"Don't look confused. They are resourceful and have power. Playing their game was out of Alberto's league, but you can do it. You are capable of doing it with good motivation."
"Alright, what do you want to do?" I asked.
"I want to destroy their empire. I was never successful in implementing any insiders, but you are in, and I won't let this chance go to waste." Martin answered passionately.
"I will do it, but I want my freedom. I want out of this work." I demanded.
"You are still demanding things?" Martin raised an eyebrow.
I gave him a wide smile and fixed him with my empty eyes. "You don't know me well. I didn't achieve those things by obeying and agreeing to every order. I don't bow my head to any man. You must know that I prefer death to submission. It is my freedom after one year, or you won't get a thing out of me."
Martin took a few moments to think about my words before he nodded his head. "I will send you the contract tomorrow. It will have all the details and regulations you must respect during this year."
I nodded my head at his words and accepted his extended hand for a firm handshake.
"The first condition is you must leave Ethan's side. Your relationship with him will cause unnecessary problems. You will request to work alongside Damian Salviatti. He is more involved than his son."
I didn't comment on his orders and merely nodded my head. Well, since my original plan failed, I don't think I would be able to stay with Ethan anyway.
Martin brushed the invisible dust from his shoulders and fixed his icy blue eyes on me. "Remember what I said. I am not as forgiving as Alberto."
With those words, he fished out his gun and aimed it at Lexie.
"What are you doing?" I screamed.
Before I could react, he shot Lexie in the shoulder and leg. "Seeing your friends getting shot is efficient punishment. I was lenient with you this time which won't be the case if there is a next occasion where you disobey me."
With those words, he left the room. I ran to Lexie's side and cradled her head in my lap. I inspected her injuries and sighed in relief because they weren't fatal.
I made quick work of tying her leg and arm tightly with a clean cloth. Her injuries were not that bad, but she must go to the hospital.
"Nina, I am so sorry. I fought them hard to keep Aria here, but they were stronger and took her." Lexie sobbed in pain.
"Shhhhh, don't exert yourself, Lexie. Keep the energy, you need it." I soothed as I sat beside her again. She was losing blood quickly and needed immediate attention.
I closed my eyes and made a decision I didn't know if I would regret later or not. The phone rang several times but then went to voicemail. I cursed under my breath and tried my luck two more times, but nothing.
"I am going to die, right?" Lexie asked shakily. I grabbed her cold hands and squeezed, attempting to transfer some warmth to them.
"No, of course not. You are not going to die on me." I said with a smile while trying to reach Ethan.
"I never thought that getting shot is that painful." Lexie smiled through her tears.
"Yes, it feels as if your skin is getting ripped off, and the burning alone could bring anyone to tears." I agreed with her.
"But you never cried after getting shot. Don't get me started on the number of times you came home with stitches and dried blood." Even in pain, Lexie managed to roll her eyes and scold me.
Before I could retort, my phone rang, and I nearly danced when I saw Ethan's name flashing on the screen.
"Ethan, I need your help," I said urgently, not giving him the chance to say a word.
"Where are you?" I heard shuffling on the other side indicating he was gathering his things to leave.
"Promise me you won't ask any questions you will forget everything you see and hear," I demanded in a serious tone.
"Nina," Ethan said my name in exasperation.
"Promise me, please. I need you." I begged hoping he could hear the desperation in my voice.
He was silent for a few moments before he sighed. "Alright, I will not ask any questions. Text me your location and state your emergency."
I didn't know I was holding my breath until Ethan confirmed he would help me, and I could breathe normally again. I explained everything to Ethan and prayed he would arrive before it is too late.
Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door. I looked through the loophole and smiled at seeing Ethan. He must have driven at a neck-breaking speed to be here this quick.
I opened the door and ushered Ethan inside. He ran to Lexie and checked her vitals. He prodded the wounds after putting on gloves.
He shook his head and looked at me. "She must go to the hospital. I can't help her."
"You said you had a formation in medicine. You must know what to do." I rumbled as I crouched next to him beside now a barely conscious Lexie.
"Yes, I can change bandages, clean injuries, stitch, I can even remove trivial bullets. But this girl's wounds are serious, she needs experts' attention."
Ethan shook his head apologetically.
"We could not take her to the hospital. You know the Q/A process they would put us through." I reasoned with Ethan while my heart went out to my friend laying on the floor.
Ethan took out his phone and started making calls. After ten minutes, he smiled at me.
"We will go to a private clinic. I pulled out some strings, and a doctor is willing to help us. Let's move." Ethan took Lexie in his arms, and we hurried to the parking lot.
I was thankful the hotel was empty therefore we weren't obligated to make detours.
I sat in the back with Lexie while Ethan drove us. I didn't pay attention to where we were heading. The night's darkness didn't help as well.
I ran my hand through Lexie's blonde hair and looked at her pale face.
For the first time in my life, I didn't feel any brewing panic attacks.
My mind didn't even register at what speed Ethan was driving. He parked in front of a luxurious building and hurried to my side.
We entered the clinic where a woman in her early twenties was waiting for us. She gave Ethan a sweet smile and directed him to the operation room where he gently lowered Lexie's body to the already prepared bed.
"You will be my assistant, Ethan." The doctor said as she went to the sink and sterilised her hands.
"Of course, Sandra." Ethan nodded and looked at me. "Your friend will be fine. Go and wait outside for us." Ethan leaned over and kissed my cheek before joining Sandra.
I went outside and took a seat on one of the comfortable chairs to start the long process of waiting to hear news about the state of my best friend.
************
It was long four hours before Ethan and Sandra exited the room. I jumped up from my seat and ran to them.
"How is she?" I asked frankly.
"Her state is stable. The ballet in her arm wasn't that dangerous, but the one in her leg may cause her a slight limp. Nothing that can't be corrected with physical therapy. She should wake up when the medicines wear off. You can see her now if you want." Sandra reported with a kind smile on her face.
Her words relaxed my worries."Thank you so much, doctor." I expressed my gratitude with a genuine smile on my face, then asked the question in my head. "When could she leave?"
"If everything goes as expected, she could leave tomorrow afternoon after I check on her one last time."
Sandra said with her ever-present smile and turned to leave, but Ethan spoke to her. "I will pass by your office before I leave so we could talk."
"If you are coming to warn me to keep this a secret, then don't bother, no one will hear a thing about today's events."
"Thank you so much, Sandra. You are the best." Ethan gave her one of his biggest smiles, and I felt a pang of jealousy hit me in the chest. I knew it was irrational, but I couldn't help it.
"Are you going in or what?" Ethan's question brought me back to reality, and I nodded my head.
"You can spend the day here with your friend. I will bring you food and a change of clothes. I called Dad and postponed our meeting to tomorrow afternoon." Ethan informed me, and I couldn't help but hug him tightly.
"Thank you so much, Ethan. I would never repay you."
"Don't worry about it." Ethan dismissed and I smiled again at him before entering Lexie's room.
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