ROSE
"Marcella... calm down, I'm here, baby." Damian pulled her into his embrace while she was hysterically crying against his chest.
A group of people working for my father took care of the corpse, by putting it in a large plastic bag and closing it.
They carried the hitman who had tried to kill me out of Marcella's bedroom and down the stairs, as everyone was gathered in the living room.
Marcella sobbed louder as she hugged tighter around Damian, while they waited for a doctor to arrive to check on Marcella's health due to the baby she carried.
"How could somebody do that towards Marcella?" Clarissa took a seat beside me on the couch in the living room, while our eyes drifted between a hysterical Marcella and the body bag being carried down the stairs.
She leaned closer to me, and whispered, "It was you, wasn't it? You placed the corpse in her room because you're a jealous wife?"
I internally rolled my eyes while holding an ice pack against my forehead.
After Marcella saw the corpse on her bed, she came running and crying to us, and I pretended to faint in front of them at the mention of the word corpse, because I'm the weak daughter.
Lev had caught me in time before I hit the floor, but I didn't plan to hit the floor in any way that might harm the possible baby in my belly.
But Lev saw that I hadn't passed out when he carried me to the living room, but he played along to my game of pretend.
He placed me on the couch after I had "woken up" and gave me an ice pack to make it seem more real.
Now the man wasn't anywhere in sight, because he had gone to take a business call outside, once he made sure I was okay.
Now his ex-hook up suddenly invaded my space.
Why was she here in the first place at the business meeting? Because she was Damian's cousin.
Clarissa Fucking Knight.
"So, tell me, did you place the corpse on the bed?" She says in a low voice, but behind the low voice lingered a venomous tone.
"I don't blame you. Your husband cheats on you.. Your family hates you.. And your sister is far better than you..." Clarissa played with the tips of her brown hair, while searching for a reaction from me, a reaction she won't get.
"Still, how could you be so cruel to your only sister? When she's always so kind towards you."
If Clarissa knew the truth about the corpse on Marcella's bed, she would try to end me, ruin me to the point of death.
And what do I have to do? To end her before she ends me along with my friends.
I turned my head to face her, and she wore a large smirk on her face, the red lip gloss on her lips glimmered.
"Do you want to know the truth?" I ask her slowly, because I waited for Lev to return before I got rid of her.
"Of course..?" She sounded doubtful, and she should be.
The moment I caught a glimpse of Lev entering the living room, putting his phone back in the pocket of his suit, while his gaze searched for mine, and I took action.
"But sadly, you won't ever get the truth from me." I uttered.
I dropped the ice back on the floor, covered a hand over my mouth, while my other hand fidgeted with my fingers, harming myself around the nails of my skin.
Tears began to fall from my eyes, and I started to cry, but Clarissa's dreadful reaction was worth it.
She wasn't worth my time or my energy, but I used her as a scapegoat, so that everyone would really believe I could never put a corpse on Marcella's bed.
"H-How c-could you say t-that?" I sobbed while stuttering over my words.
"What?" Clarissa mumbled, terrified because I wasn't shedding a few tears, I was full on sobbing, but not more than Marcella, then I would over do it.
I uncovered my hand from my lips, using that hand to wipe the tears from my eyes.
"How could y-you say t-that I put a corpse on Marcella's bed?" I began to tremble, wrapping my arms around myself.
"That is the most inhumane act somebody could do to another living human being, what if the man had a family?" I added.
"I didn't-" I cut her off.
"Oh gosh, what a-about his partner? H-His kids? What if h-he has a family of ten? How would they ever b-be able to live without him? The r-rent will be unpaid, they will get kicked out on the streets, and be h-homeless." I sobbed.
I had gained everybody's attention by now, and that was good, because this was the way I used to act when I was little, crying over the smallest thing to the largest.
There was nothing wrong with crying, but I used to be an extremely sensitive child.
Rather, I thought I was very sensitive, until I realized it was my cry for help from all the abuse. I didn't know any other way to express my feelings whenever my family neglected me, so I cried.
"He would never be a-able to walk on earth a-again. Never s-see the first steps of his n-newborn baby, or see the s-sun shine a-above the horizon." I choked on a sob.
"I-" Clarissa got cut off once again, but this time by Lev.
"Ms. Knight." Lev's voice was threatening towards her. "Leave her be."
Clarissa looked up at Lev, and then looked behind Lev, at Damian's father who shook his head, telling her to listen to Lev, because Lev was somebody the Knight family did not want to mess with.
She stood up from the couch, her head lowered as she stared at the floor, but Lev whispered something to her, not enough for everyone, but enough for me to hear.
"Never come near Rose again, If I ever see you near her, you will pay with your life." His voice was cold, like a cold winter breeze.
She stormed out of the living room and out of the mansion, because she had gotten humiliated and rejected.
My sobs began to fade, until all that was left were hiccups.
Lev had taken a seat beside me, he kept a safe distance, because I was Damian's wife, but he had placed a gentle hand on my back, slowly rubbing my back in a comforting manner.
The moment he did that, some of my tears weren't so fake anymore, some of them became real because the situation was overwhelming, the possibility of being pregnant was always in the back of my mind.
Why would I ever want to bring a child into this world?
Marcella cried in Damian's chest as he held her close, but Damian was also glaring at us across the room, he was staring at Lev's hand, they way it comforted me.
I ignored Damian, and had my attention on Lev, "Thanks... I needed that."
Lev's gaze never left mine as he said, "Anything for you, Дорогая."
"Rosie." My father's voice was harsh, "Come to my office."
Lev was about to say something to my father, but I told him that it was okay, that I needed to speak to my father.
Why would I follow my father to his office? I needed to get my father completely off my back, or at least my friends back.
I stood up, having a slight headache from all the tears I shed.
Lev stood up when I did, placing his hand on my lower back, as he took a water bottle from the table, drinking it before he gave it to me, in case there was anything poisonous.
I drank the water, while Damian still glared at us, but I ignored the trash because the trash can't talk.
I finished drinking the water, handing the bottle to Lev, and saying, "Thanks again..."
"Once you're done, I will wait for you in my car, does that sound?" He asked, and I was shocked because I didn't think he would wait for me.
"That sounds good." I responded, turning around and heading towards my father's office, where he and my mother were waiting for me.
I entered the office, where my father was standing and arguing with my mother behind the desk.
"W-What is it?" I stuttered again, keeping the facade on, as I carefully walked to the couch and took a seat.
"Rose, if you know anything about this, tell me the truth now while I'm being nice." My father tried to intimidate me, and I pretended to flinch, because if I started to act all high and mighty in front of him, he would kill me.
"I-I don't know a-anything."
"Why did you come back so suddenly?" He kept asking questions.
"I wanted t-to apologize f-for my behavior, and t-talk about my t-trust fund."
Honestly? I have forgotten about my trust fund. I don't think there's even anything left in it, or if it even exists in the first place.
My father closely observed me for a few silent moments, specifically at my hoodie that sat a little bit too tight around my stomach.
"You have gotten fat." My father commented, and my mother nodded in agreement.
"Don't tell me you're knocked up?" He narrowed his eyes, the loathing in his gaze never left.
I stayed calm, that's all I could do in front of him.
"She's not pregnant, she's fat." My mother spat, shuddering at the thought of me being pregnant. "She can't ever stop drowning herself in unhealthy food!"
I lowered my eyes on the floor, making myself seem small and fragile.
"And who would ever look her way? Nobody. I still remember when we needed to pay that one guy to take her to prom, or else she would have humiliated the family because nobody wanted her!" My mother raised her voice.
Ouch.
"What's your relationship to Mr. Mikhaylov?" My father asked.
"Don't lie to us and say you're in a relationship with him. A man like Mr. Mikhaylov wouldn't look at you, not unless you were your sister." My mother added, and I heard the same words being repeated to me ever since Marcella entered our lives.
You're not your sister, she's better in every way.
"I-I don't h-have any r-relationship w-with Mr. Mikhaylov." I say, while it felt weird saying Mr. Mikhaylov, because Lev made it clear to me to call him by his name.
"He o-only took p-pity on me." I added.
My parents could only nod in agreement because if I was ever in a relationship with Lev, my parents would pass out or lose their minds since they don't think I'm good enough to be somebody's wife.
But to be somebody's second wife, mistress or my sister's shadow, that was something I was good enough according to them.
We sat in silence, and my act worked on my father, because he never saw me as anything more than a fragile girl.
He told me to get out, and I made my way out of the office, closing the door behind me, releasing a breath I didn't even know I was holding in.
I walked along the hall, but somebody gripped tightly around my wrist and pushed me up against the hallway wall, next to a painting of Marcella.
Damian held me now by my throat, choking me like the hitman had strangled me last night, and I panicked.
I could still breathe as Damian wanted to keep me still, but he could kill me at any moment, and none of the people inside the mansion would care how I ended up dead.
Lev would care, but he was in his car, waiting for me.
"I didn't know you were such a whore!" Damian spat in a hushed tone while nobody could help me since there was none in sight in the hall.
My nails pressed harshly into the skin of his wrists. I struggled, fought back, even tried to kick him between his legs, but he stomped on my feet.
I was possibly pregnant, and I was afraid I would lose the baby from all the stressful things I went through.
"You and Lev Mikhaylov? Your parents don't believe that you could ever be together, but I can see through you both." He held tighter around my neck, and I tried to spit in his face, but failed.
"You are fucking him." Damian spat.
With only one hand around Damian's throat, Lev pushed him against the wall, like he was a feather, and weighed nothing.
I coughed, falling on my knees, but careful not to hurt my stomach. I regained my breathing, calming myself down from the panic rushing through my body.
I looked up at Lev who had pushed Damian against the wall.
Damian was starting to turn red, and soon purple, because Lev had his rough hands around Damian's throat, draining every inch of his life.
Lev did not care about Damian or the Knight family. He was powerful enough to go on without them, he did not need to do business with them.
I heard footsteps heading our way, and I stood up, walking up to Lev, dragging him away from Damian because I did not want Lev to get caught killing Damian.
He could torture and kill Damian in his large underground basement that I know he has back in Russia.
"Is everything okay?" Damian's father questioned as he looked at his son, who was coughing on the floor, taking deep and large breaths.
"Tell your son to learn how to show his wife respect." Lev says as he was calm, way too calm for Damian's father's liking.
"I can treat my wife however I want-" Damian could not finish his sentence, because Lev had stomped on his hand, crushing his hand, and I heard the sound of bones breaking.
Damian's screams were echoing through the hall, gathering other people's attention like my parents.
"If your son doesn't learn to treat his wife with respect, I won't just break one hand next time. I'll kill him." Lev threatened Damian's father, who lowered his eyes in shame.
Lev was in higher ranking because he had much more power than Damian's father could ever have.
Lev took a hold of my hand, as I held onto his hand. We made our way out of the hall, my parents giving me stern looks, but I didn't care, I was with Lev.
We had made our way to his car parked outside the mansion, but just as he was about to open the door for me, a gunshot was heard across the entire parking lot.
Lev immediately turned us around, wrapping his hands around my body in a protective way, as he pressed me against the door of his car, my slight round belly was pressed against him.
BANG
Lev had been shot.
He had been shot in his shoulder, because he protected me from the gunshot.
Somebody had tried to kill me, but he protected me.
The dark shirt he was wearing became drenched with his blood. The blood was soaking through his shirt, specifically on his shoulder.
Lev groaned, but despite the pain, he opened the door of his car, pushing me inside, and locking the door behind him, while it all happened within a split of a second.
Everything froze, my mind, my body and my heart for the man outside who had pulled out his gun, gritting his teeth because of the wound on his shoulder.
Lev was wounded, but he was still keeping his guard up, as he could collapse at any moment.
I reacted by searching for a phone through the car, and I found one under the driver seat.
I remembered Lev had explained to me that the phone was his working phone, the illegal business he did, and all the important contacts, like his right-hand man, that I have personally met a few times.
I dialed the phone number of the right-hand man, and it didn't take a second before the man answered with a hello in russian, but the moment he heard my voice, he changed to speak in english.
"Lev is shot." I said, my hands trembling while clutching into the phone, because Lev's life was in grave danger.
I told everything to Lev's right-hand man, because there was no point calling 911, since calling the right-hand man was like calling the ambulance, calling for help, all the help we needed.
The Bratva went to extreme measures to hide their illegal business, especially when somebody had been shot, and especially if it was their boss.
But whoever shot Lev on another mafia bosses property, my father's property, started a deadly war.
This meant war.
°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･
WHO'S YOUR FAVE CHARACTER IN THIS STORY? 🍆+🍑 +🤰= 👶
Mine is Anus and Boner, even with limited screen time, they already own my heart cus they are cats 😼🧎♀️