ATHENA RUSSO:
I stare at Hades, a smile slowly forming on my face. The room is dead silent, everyone waiting for what is next to come.
Me?
Betrothed?
To Hades?
...
I burst out laughing. My laugh fills the room as tears form in my eyes, laughing even harder.
"That's funny," I say under my breath as I watch Lorenzo come up the stairs with a glimmer of nervousness in his eyes.
"Athena—"
"It's funny, isn't it? I wonder how he came up with that," I say, shaking my head in disbelief.
"It isn't a joke."
I pause and look up at him, "What do you mean it isn't a joke?"
He looks away and mumbles, "Mom and Dad made an agreement with Hades's parents that when you were born that you were to marry Hades when you turn twenty."
I glance at my brothers and they look clueless and shocked. I look back at Lorenzo, I sweetly smile at him, "It's fine, don't worry about it."
"Wait what? You're okay with it?"
My smile instantly drops. "No I'm not okay with it," I say, trying my best to keep my cool.
"Oh okay— what?!"
"You've kept this from me? For how long?"
"Fourteen years," he answers, ashamed.
"So you try to tell me what to do and you keep this from me, what a great brother you are, Lorenzo."
Standing up, I walk down the stairs. "Kick everyone out," I tell Ivan when he comes up to me. He nods and scurries away.
"Athena! Please! Let me just explain!"
"Ivan?" I call out.
Ivan halts and turns around, "Yes, Miss Russo?"
"When I say everyone I mean even my brothers," I point out.
Then I exit the ballroom with Lorenzo following me, begging me to stop.
Rolling my eyes, I pull a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of my bra and light a cigarette. I put it to my lips, inhaling, throwing the lighter away.
"Athena?! Hold on are you fucking smoking?!"
I exhale and turn around, holding my hand up, and making him stop. Lorenzo looks at me in disbelief. "Please tell me you're not addicted to smoking," he pleads, tiredness in his eyes.
"What I do shouldn't concern you."
"But it does! You are still my little sister, I care about everything you do."
"Leave, Lorenzo. Leave."
He shakes his head. "I'm not leaving until I explain.
"Then explain."
He sighs. "I was told to keep it a secret from our parents when I heard them talking about it. So I did. I kept it a secret from you because I've been trying to find a way to end the contract but there is no loophole, I wanted to tell you, I just never had the chance to," he explains.
I slowly process his words and then nod. "Okay. You can leave now, goodbye," I say, turning around and walking away.
"You can't tell me to leave just like that!"
"I actually can. You said you would leave until you explained. You have explained so now you have to leave," I explain, standing at the doors to the garden, still smoking my cigarette.
He stares at me, thinking about something before nodding, "Fine. I'll leave. Just— please don't be angry at me."
"I'm not mad at you."
Signing in relief, he says, "Okay, that's good."
"Bye Lorenzo."
He smiles, relieved. "Bye Athena." He walks away and leaves.
He's so stupid. Obviously, I'm still going to be mad at him. Making sure he's out of sight, I quickly come to a conclusion.
Hades needs to be dead by the end of the night. It doesn't matter how I kill him, I am not marrying him.
I never will.
Then after I kill him I'll take a vacation. Ah yes. That sounds nice. I've never been on a vacation before. I should go to Mexico. Or Italy. I'll do both and go to Switzerland after, I like the cold too.
Yeah, that sounds nice.
Matter of fact, where is he?
I continue smoking my cigarette as I pull my phone out and check his location. Hopefully, he still has the tracker on.
Dammit, it's been turned off.
He looked so goddamn proud when he announced we were getting married in a month.
I need to see this goddamn contract Lorenzo was talking about. And if I really have to marry him, then I'll kill him.
I step outside and look around.
I see Hades standing by the lake nearby, watching the moon.
I get rid of my cigarette.
Well, this was easy.
I go down the steps and walk to him. He hears my footsteps and turns around. When he sees me he smiles, "Hey Athena—"
I slap him.
"Don't pretend like you haven't done anything. You knew this whole time we are betrothed and didn't decide to tell me?" I snap, placing my hands on my hips.
"Well yes—"
I slap him again.
"Let me see this goddamn contract."
His eyes widen, "I don't have it on me—"
I slap him even harder.
"Get me some proof before I kill you."
He grins, "You tried to kill me once, what makes you think you will succeed again?"
"I'll make sure I succeed when I drown you in this lake and stab you in the heart."
He places a hand on his chest. "You wouldn't dare."
I grab him by the collar and make him lean down so our faces are inches apart, "Do you really want to test me right now?"
"Do you really want to get shot by my snipers right now, future wife?"
What? I let go of him and look at the roof. A group of snipers on the roof of the building, ready to shoot me at any given moment.
Looking back at Hades with a glare, I notice his smug grin and taunting eyes.
Those eyes...
I step back in shock.
It was him.
He was that man in the woods that day.
Watching me kiss Romano.
My head hurts as if I have just been banged on the head. How have I just remembered him at the worst time possible? Has he always been watching me?
I should've killed him that day.
How can I be mad at everyone and myself at the same time?
He steps forward, grabbing my chin and placing his hand on my waist in a protective manner, "Don't worry, darling, they won't hurt you unless I tell them to."
I stay silent, staring up at him in shock.
He's fooled me this whole time. He had our meetings planned out. He pretended not to know me at the first ball only to reveal he did know who I was. Then push my buttons on purpose, for what?
To see what he was dealing with? He was actually willing to disclose why he has been getting close to me a few weeks ago.
For the first time in some time, I have been fooled. I have been blinded by hatred and thought I could play around with him before I kill him.
Instead, he has been playing me.
"You weren't so silent before, what's happened now?"
His touch on me is suffocating me. I'm not like this. Why am I like this? Why am I only focusing on his touch right now?
"I want proof that we are betrothed," I choke out, closing my eyes, trying to control my shock and outrage.
He lets go of me and I feel my cheeks burn. Thankfully it's dark so he can't see me properly.
"Here. It's a picture of the contract, I can get you the copy but it might take some time."
My eyes flutter open and I see a screen in front of me. I take his phone and read what the picture shows.
The contract states my parents agreed on the day I was born that I and Hades Volkov will marry. Hades and I have no room for any disagreements if we don't marry— wait what?
"If I don't marry you, the Italian mafia will be destroyed?!" I exclaim, looking at him.
He shrugs, "Pretty much. To summarize the rest, you and I have no room for disagreements. If one of us dies, the Italian mafia still falls. This has to happen."
"Did your parents blackmail my parents or something?!"
He shakes his head as he takes his phone back and puts it in his pocket, "No they didn't. It was your parent's idea."
No. They couldn't have. Why did they put their whole mafia on the line for a marriage? This can't be right.
"Is that even allowed?" I quietly ask, slightly shocked at myself for being kike this in front of him.
"Yes, it is."
"And you're okay with it?"
"I won't let the Italian mafia be destroyed over this," he says, shrugging.
"And you've been watching me," I state, glancing at the snipers. Fuck. They are still there, pointing their guns at me.
"Yes I was," he says not ashamed one bit.
"I was fifteen and you were twenty."
"Hold on, why the hell are they making it that way? I had no feelings for you when I was watching you. And you technically cheated on me," he states, offended.
"I didn't even know I was engaged to you!"
"Well, that's not my problem."
I scoff, is this guy being serious? You know what. I give up on him.
Without hesitation, I push him into the lake.
Unexpectedly, he grabs my wrist and brings me with him.
The water feels chilly against my skin, trickling and rippling as I swim up the surface.
I wipe my face and brush the hair on my face away. Hades's laughter fills my ears.
"You bastard!"
I lunge for him and push his head under the water, "Fucking drown you roach!"
His hands grab my shoulders and push me under the water as well.
I don't let go of him and neither does he.
I'll drown him to the point where he can still live.
My dress flows around in the ice-freezing cold water as I try my hardest to push him deeper into the water.
His arm wraps around my waist and brings us both up to the surface. With a free hand, he grabs my wrists, making sure I can't try to drown him again.
My legs wrap around his torso as I breathe heavily, staring at him. His eyes hold so much amusement as if he could never get tired of me.
"I knew you were crazy but I didn't know you were this crazy," he says, holding onto me even tighter.
"This is only a fraction of my craziness," I sneer, trying to pull my wrists away from his grip.
He brings us both out of the lake and my dress sticks to my body, my hair is a mess, and shit— my cigarettes. He places me on the ground and lets go of my wrists. I pull the soggy box of cigarettes out of my bra and throw it onto the ground.
Hades shakes his hair like some dirty dog and then takes his blazer off, throwing it onto the ground.
His white shirt is see-through now, it clings to his abs and chest, making him even more unbelievably attractive.
He pulls his phone out and shakes his head at me. "You owe me a new one."
"Stop acting like you're broke, you can buy yourself a new one," I snap, still trying to pull myself together.
I turn around and begin to walk away.
"Don't you have something to say to me?"
I turn back around, crossing my arms, "Like what?"
"An apology for pushing me into the lake," he says as if it's obvious.
I roll my eyes. "Grow up." I turn around and continue walking away, I throw the middle finger at his snipers and walk back into the building.
Ivan stands at the end of the corridor, his eyes wide, "What happened?!"
"Just get me some spare clothes and a towel," I tell him, walking into a random room.
Oh. I'm in a library.
And why is there no lock?
Who would not even try to protect these books? Someone could steal them. Maybe people don't read books anymore.
I take my heels off and sit on the floor. My soaked dress sticks to my body, making it harder to stay warm.
I cross my legs like a little child and huff, my back hitting the wall. I can't even smoke in here because of that idiot.
I sit on the floor for a few minutes before I hear the door creak open.
Hades walks in wearing some different clothes, holding a towel and perfectly folded clothes, "Look I know you don't like me—"
"I hate you," I correct. Where the hell is Ivan? I didn't ask this idiot to get me clothes.
"Just take the clothes and towels and I'll leave you alone."
I ignore him.
He sighs and sits down next to me and places the towel around my body.
"I understand you don't want to marry me but if it makes you feel better I don't want to marry you either."
My eyes snap to his, "You don't want to marry me?"
He nods.
What the hell? I mean I don't want to marry him but why does he not want to marry me?
"Do you have a secret lover or something? Is that it?"
He shakes his head.
Right.
I look away.
"You are a cunt for bringing me in the water with you," I mumble.
He chuckles, "That was funny, wasn't it?"
"No, it wasn't."
"Can I still get an apology?"
I scoff, "You should be the one apologizing."
He moves closer to me, tucking my damp hair behind my ear. "I'm sorry, I should've told you about the betrothal earlier," he sincerely says.
"Not good enough."
"Do you want a three-page apology?"
"A five-page apology is what I want."
He chuckles, looking up at the ceiling.
My eyes slowly trail up to his adam's apple to his jaw and hair.
God, help me now.
"Okay, I'll work on it then."
"Good. Now get out."