"What's the use in passing down a family name that effectively makes you a rival to everyone?"
L U C I E N
"Why are you scowling?"
I inhaled a sharp breath at the sound of my brother's voice as he closed my office door behind him, his footsteps echoing in my head like a bad memory at the same time I scrubbed over my face with my hands and exhaled.
"I'm not scowling," I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose when I heard him snort disbelievingly.
"You're always scowling," Alex retorted easily, moving the chairs from in front of my desk and sitting across the leather as I sat up straighter and sighed. "What's bothering you, brother?"
My upper lip curled at the name he'd called me, his rolled eyes leaving me to squint my own as he tried to pry his way into my business and act like the older brother who did nothing better than deal with my issues.
Which was a complete façade if you fücking asked me.
"I didn't come all the way over here to sit in a chair, Lucien...tell me what's wrong," he sighed, looking at me with a raised eyebrow when I teetered on the edge of explaining what had me so distracted.
My mood stemmed from a web of questions I had, most (if not all) centered on one secret I'd admittedly forgotten about and the one person who was keeping it.
Aria.
The image of her settled in my head and made my chest tighten when I focused on her a little too hard, the ache causing more discomfort than it should have when I thought back less than twenty four hours and to the moment Giovanni had spoken to Ryder right after he'd knocked out Salvatore.
Don't think I forgot about what you did to her.
Don't think I forgot about what you did to her.
Don't think I forgot about what you did-
"Lucien."
I blinked out of my thoughts and looked across the desk to see Alex impatiently waiting for a response, the narrowing of his eyes and the slight harshness in his features leaving my instincts to prepare for a fight.
The habit of always being ready for one only left my blood simmering in my veins instantly as a burst of heat hit my chest and spread outwards, his impatience only setting a spark to the fuel that was my anger as I spoke up irritably.
"Drop it Alex, it doesn't fücking matter," I told him bluntly, the sudden adrenaline in my system spiking when I watched him glare at me.
"It's Aria, isn't it?" he questioned easily.
Our sudden eye contact ceased when I looked away at the same time I felt my spine straighten back into my chair, the leather cooling against the heat of my body as I grit my teeth and swallowed without confirming his words.
"What happened?"
I stayed silent.
How could I even begin to explain the fücking thought process in my head right now?
Fück, I wanted to shake Aria by the shoulders and scream at her to tell me what she was hiding and why she was waiting so long to do so.
Was she having second thoughts about us? Did she not trust me anymore?
I wanted to know and I wanted to know now...especially when I wanted to be with her.
I hated to think my motives came from my own selfish intentions that stemmed from not being able to function properly when it came to being blindsided, however, as I sat in my office chair at nearly four in the morning since I couldn't sleep because of it, it was clear as day that no matter what I felt for Aria, I was a selfish bastard.
A selfish, idiotic bastard who didn't know how to prioritise his fücking feelings for the woman he wanted over his own.
I was truly and utterly fücked.
"Lucien, I can't read your brain."
"Are you still fücking here?" I snapped as I looked at Alex dead on, my irritability spiking to an ultimate high as we both challenged glares. "I didn't ask for you to be here, get the fück out."
Alex has the audacity to smile at my words, his lips parting to laugh lightly at me as he shook his head and leaned back into his chair with an exasperated sigh.
"See what feelings do to your head," he raised his eyebrow mockingly as he puffed out another laugh when I scowled. "They fück with your thoughts and you lose track of what you're doing. This is why I don't bother with woman after I've fücked them."
"You say that, and maybe, just maybe, they don't bother with you because you're an irritating human being who doesn't know how to keep his nose out of everyone's motherfücking business."
He shrugged.
"Alex, I swear to fücking God if you don't get the-"
"Relax," he rolled his eyes, his response leaving my chest to bloom with new found anger at the same time he got up and moved towards the glass decanter of scotch that I had stored at the side. "You don't have to talk to me about your problems with Aria if you don't want to."
"It's not a problem," I bit out, the half lie tasting bad in my mouth as I watched him pour a drink for himself before he half-filled another glass. He balanced the second between his fingers as he strode back towards me, the calmness that he carried leaving me to squint as he clinked his glass against mine before speaking.
"Here's to a stress free life."
I easily swallowed half of the alcohol in my glass within a split second of cursing Alex for his ironic choice of words, the liquid permeating the length of my throat with a warmth that followed through to my stomach and numbed my body for a fuzzy moment.
It distracted me from the matter at hand as I finished the rest of my drink in another easy swallow, the sudden sound of my glass setting harshly against my desk leaving Alex to breathe out a humoured breath as he looked at me.
"Not a problem, huh?"
"I will fill your mouth with bullets if you don't shut the fück up," I muttered, feeling greedy for another drink when I kept wondering what the fück Aria was hiding from me.
"Wow, Aria really needs to loosen the stick she shoved-"
Despite being an idiot, Alex was able to miss the sudden throw of my glass against his head by ducking swiftly. The impact of it instead shattered against the wall behind him, the sound of crystals scattering echoing in the room as the glass fell to the floor in sharp shards that gleamed in the light.
"Keep her name out of your fücking mouth before I staple it shut," I told him, seriousness lacing my tone despite the sarcastic smile I sent him as he glared at me.
It did nothing to appease him which only goaded the metaphorical devil on my shoulder, the sound of Alex grumbling curse words becoming a distant thought when my personal phone chimed from the inside of my slacks pocket.
With a tired sigh I slipped it out and unlocked it before reading the message that was sent from Aaron, his words leaving my eyes to narrow as I pressed my lips together.
From: Aaron Carter (received 3:48am)
Giovanni wants to speak with you.
I bit the inside of my cheek as I read over the words a second time and then began typing, my quick response creating a bubbling sound to confirm the message had sent as I locked my phone and then stood up.
"Is Jinx awake?" I asked, seeing Alex nod as he swirled his glass and then looked up when I kept speaking. "Good. Make sure you tell him to stop calling me since he can't take a fücking hint."
Alex looked at me with a bored look as I pulled my jacket from behind my chair and shrugged it on, his sudden sigh of my name leaving me to put my hand up to stop him from speaking.
"He was supposed to keep an eye on Aria and he didn't. I'm not going to waste my time with him until she's better."
"You're really going to let a girl get in between you and the person who once saved your life?" Alex questioned, the sly taunting tone of his voice not going unnoticed as I looked at him and found the right words to make my point.
"When it comes to whether Aria lives or not..." I trailed off, ignoring the tightening of my chest, "...any fücking day."
With my words lingering in the air I left swiftly after that, the sound of Alex calling my name being ignored as I strode into the garage of my house and unlocked the newest car in my collection.
Doing so alleviated the slight discomfort in my chest as I settled in the polished leather of my custom seats, my hands white knuckled over the steering wheel once I'd started the engine and made my way to Aria's penthouse where I knew Giovanni was.
On the way I was left with no choice but to listen to the demons that I'd been trying to ignore in my head, my thoughts gathering and forming some sort of process that filtered all the options I had concerning my lack of control in the situation I was in. It was a hated feeling when I came up blank once I knew that doing anything out of my hands would only hurt Aria in the process, the notion leaving a bad taste in my mouth once again as I smoked through two cigarettes until I was parking and making my way into Aria's building.
Out of habit I scanned the space around me despite knowing that nobody could get in without being checked by security, my predator instincts making a mental memory of everything as I walked into the lift with my body strung tight and my head hot.
"Ma che cazzo," I muttered under my breath as I ran my hands through my hair to stop strands falling over my forehead, a deep breath exhaling through my nose when I stared at my reflection in the mirrored walls and waited as patiently as I could to get to the top floor where I knew Aria was.
I sighed again.
With the image of her sleeping settled in my brain, I found slight comfort in the smoke screen my brain had effectively created, the last memory I had of her sleepy in bed and wanting to know where I was going repeating in my mind until I was blinking and being pulled back into reality when the lift doors opened and revealed the entrance to Aria's penthouse.
"Hm," I hummed out sharply as I exited the lift and moved past the two guards I'd given clear instructions to, the both of them blank faced and stood straight which pleased me more than it should have as I opened Aria's front door with the key I had.
As I did I expected to see Giovanni waiting for me with instructions, however it seemed that I was kidding myself a lot lately when I stared at an empty penthouse until I heard Aria's voice loud and snappy whilst Giovanni said her name.
"He could get fücking killed!"
"Do not raise your voice at me, Aria. You know better."
Confusion set in instantly when I stepped to be in the main body of the penthouse, my actions leaving me to be in plain sight of Aria and Giovanni as they argued.
Aaron was off to the side and at the bottom of the stairs Giovanni and Aria were in the middle of, the three of them turning to see me as I made eye contact with Aria who relaxed slightly before she turned around with a blunt sigh, her feet stepping up the stairs in a slight limp at the same time she tightened the bow that closed her black silk robe together.
I watched as she vanished behind the metal banister of the corridor upstairs just as Giovanni ran his hands through his hair and walked down the steps, his hands smoothing down his suit jacket before he halted his movements when I spoke.
"You wanted to speak to me," I said, my tone surprisingly more alert than I expected but I knew that was down to wanting to get to Aria quicker, my motives contradicting the thoughts I'd been having in the past few hours when I ignored the fact that she was hiding something and instead focused on wanting to know what had happened between her and her grandfather.
"I did," Giovanni started as he buttoned his jacket, my eyes quick to skim over the light cuts he had across his knuckles, his minor injuries being a result of the glass that had shattered around Salvatore before he'd been knocked out. "It can wait until later on today. Aria needs you more than I do at this moment."
I was dismissed quickly as Giovanni left the penthouse at the same time I ascended the stairs and walked towards Aria's bedroom, my feet quick until I was standing at her door and pushing it open.
Desperate, I thought about myself in my head dejectedly when I realised how fast I'd dropped what I was feeling concerning her secret, the reminder halting my movements for a split second until I blinked back into reality and sighed.
"Aria," I called out as I moved past the threshold without a response, my eyes settling across her empty bedroom before I followed through the room and walked towards the light coming from her closet.
A light breath exhaled through my nose when I found her sorting through her heels with a focused expression on her face, her look of concentration enough to fool anybody else into thinking she was fine but I knew better, especially when it came down to her sorting through her already organised heels that she couldn't wear.
"Want to tell me why you're upset?
"I'm not upset," she said bluntly, her threatening tone doing nothing except from entice a smile to curve at my lips as she pulled out a heel and then placed it back in the same exact place.
"You sure?" I asked, the playful tone in my voice leaving Aria to halt her movements as she looked at me through narrowed eyes that soon softened when I raise an eyebrow.
She sighed.
"He told me about what he did to my dad," she started, my hands crossing over my chest as I hummed, inquisitive at the topic that I hadn't spoken to her about since I'd been at my house after it had all happened.
I wonder if Giovanni had told her about what he'd said to Ryder.
"I said to him that what he did only left you in a bad position."
"How so?" I asked, ignoring the thoughts in my head as I focused on her.
"Lucien," she sighed again, looking tired when I really stared at her and watched her shoulders shrug. "If my dad didn't already have a stupid grudge against me and want to kill you out of spite because of it, not defending him as your Don is reason enough."
Her words made the sudden ache in my chest alleviate despite the fact that her words confirmed that she was still hiding things from me, a deep breath exhaled from my mouth when she turned back to her heels and then straightened one that was out of place at the same time I walked towards her.
"Sei carino quando ti arrabbi," I told her when I reached to be behind her, the smell of her perfume intoxicating the air around me as I placed my hands to her hips and pulled her into me.
"I'm not cute," she muttered unhappily at what I'd told her, her back to my chest. "Especially when I'm angry."
The slight pout on her face made me suppress the smile on my own as I placed my hands over her stomach, the smooth silkiness of the robe she was wearing contrasting against my callused fingertips as she swallowed and leaned back into me more. When she did I noticed the slight tenseness of her body despite the way she was resting against me, my fingers that were pressing into her stomach slightly subsiding in pressure which made her relax.
Hm.
"You don't have to worry about me," I said to her when I heard her inhale a sharp breath, the voices in my head telling me that something was off with her until I found myself ignoring them when she traced her fingers across the back of my hands.
"Why not?"
I smiled at the tone she used.
"I'm untouchable, tesoro," I said, my manner smug which only made Aria glare at me when she turned around and leaned against the shelves of her shoes whilst crossing her arms. Her new position didn't cease my need to touch her but instead intensified it when her robe pulled slightly loose and showcased the dip of her cleavage, my eyes distracted until my head was tilted back up with Aria's fingers.
"Focus, Lucien. I'm serious," she said, looking up at me as I sighed and leaned back a little so I was standing straighter. "My dad could kill you and you're not worried."
"I'm not worried because I know that one, I can defend myself if I really wanted to," I started, my words genuine and slowly becoming something that I wanted when I thought back to watching Salvatore inflict pain on Aria. "And two...I know that you wouldn't let it happen."
With my last words Aria opened her mouth and then closed it when she couldn't find anything to say, her eyes narrowed and trying to show that she was annoyed but I knew she wasn't when I watched the heat start at her neck and slowly creep up to her face.
"I hate you," she said to me, her cheeks warm which made me hum disbelievingly as I stepped forward and trapped her against her shelves, her eyes trained on my face as I did.
"You don't," I mumbled, looking down at her lips as the familiar heat that was reserved for her pooled in my veins steadily, the ache below my belt becoming more apparent when I used a single finger to press between her collar bones and trail down softly.
As always Aria watched me with intense concentration, a line of goose bumps following the heat of my finger as I dipped slightly between the soft skin of her cleavage until she was stopping my hand and saying my name.
"Spoil sport," I said as she smiled lightly when I narrowed my eyes, the taunting look she gave me leaving my chest to tighten once again until she was pushing me back slightly and speaking once she'd walked away.
"I'm going to take a shower."
"Can I join?"
She turned and cast me a raised eyebrow over her shoulder, the innocent shrug I gave her mocking her own actions.
"Are you going to keep your díck to yourself?" she asked.
"No."
"Then you can't," she said simply, trying to be serious but failing miserably when I saw the edges of her lips curl as I smirked, my head shaking slightly as I watched her walk out of her closet and into her bathroom with a slight limp.
It wasn't long before I heard the sound of water running as I walked into Aria's room and sat at the side of her bed, my hands quick to rid my body of my suit jacket that I put at the side once I'd taken my phone out and aimlessly threw it to the bed beside me. When I did I lied back and sunk into the bedding that smelled like the same floral perfume Aria always wore, the scent invading the space around me as I yawned and felt my muscles relax despite the pressing thoughts on my mind.
Aria and the secret she was hiding.
I tried to not focus on it but I failed miserably when I realised that not having Aria as a distraction left me with no choice but to succumb to the demons in my head once again, my mind weighed down heavily as the issue at hand felt like more of a problem as the minutes went by.
I felt stuck.
I wanted to know what she was hiding, but I also wanted her.
I wanted us...I wanted it without any secrets.
The very thought was what had my mind fighting between acting on my initial instincts and my feelings for Aria, both being dangerous in their own ways when I thought back to what Alex had told me once he had found out that Aria and I weren't talking in Sicily.
Aria is changing you...
The memory was a lot more funnier than it was at the time considering we were both coming to terms with the fact that we liked each other and were acting on it, the flashback in my head switching to the conversation Aria and I had when she'd found Joe for me and nearly killed herself in the process.
Just the very thought of her going out of her way to do that was the only thing that alleviated any anger I had inside of me that stemmed from my selfishness, my body sinking into the mattress as my chest caved with the thought of us being together just as the door to her bathroom opened, my head tilting up to see her.
Fück.
"You're staring."
"And?" I questioned under my breath, sitting up a little higher and watching her walk back into her closet in nothing but a fluffy white towel that stopped high on her thighs and tied above the dip of her cleavage.
It was hard not to stare when Aria looked the way she did.
With a body that I was convinced was made for my hands and a face that could make any man fall to his knees, Aria Moretti was a force to be reckoned with and I was always up for a challenge.
...especially so now when she emerged from her closet less than a minute later, this time in light pink silk pyjama shorts and a matching strappy top that had lace stitched at the v neck in the same colour.
"Lucien," she said, yawning quietly after my name as I stared at the length of her legs and felt the same tension build in my lower stomach, my previous thoughts vanishing. I wanted to touch her all over and kiss her at the same time, the thought and image in my head becoming an obsessive thought and intensifying even more when Aria went out of her way to sit across my lap and press her hands to my chest so that I could lie down properly.
She looked down at me with a content look on her face despite the sleepiness etched into her features, the smell of the soap she used invading my senses as my hands moved to slip up onto the smooth skin of her thighs until I was holding her by the waist and squinting when I noticed something.
"Your eyes are red," I told her, feeling her tense once again until she relaxed and put her hands over mine that were nearing her waist.
"I got soap in them," she said simply, her words that didn't seem real leaving me wanting to question her when I realised something was wrong.
Fück.
"...you trust me, right?" I asked, seeing her nod at my question despite the way I knew she was dipping into a repeated mood that left her distant from me until she snapped back like nothing had happened.
So why do you keep hiding things from me, I thought in my head before sighing, my eyes still on her as I ignored my thoughts and spoke up with a heavy breath when she looked away from me.
"Are you okay?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowed.
"I'm okay," she breathed out, smiling down at me half-heartedly as she smoothed her hands up my shoulders, the look on her face goading the devil on my shoulder to encourage me to ask her what the fück she was hiding but I stopped myself when I realised it was clear that she didn't want to talk about it.
Instead I distracted the both of us and ignored the fact that Alex was right about feelings fücking with your focus, my hands moving under Aria's top as I skimmed the smooth, soft skin of her waist with my knuckles before speaking up when I felt the familiar bubble of heat start in my lower stomach.
"How long until your next doctor's appointment?" I asked casually despite the ulterior motive in my head, the medicine she was taking starting to become something that I fücking hated since I knew it was the reason her séx drive had vanished.
"Three days," she said to me, her hands smoothing up the fabric of my dress shirt until she was pulling the collar in place. I watched her as she did so with more precision than needed, the concentration of her face amusing me a lot more than it should have as she pulled out of her distant mood almost instantly when my lips curled. "Don't laugh."
"Sei carino," I teased, calling her cute again which only resulted in her stopping her movements to glare again.
"I'm not cute," she told me, giving me a distasteful look when I repeated what I said and told her that she was. "How would you like it if I called you cute?"
"I kill people and break bones, I'm not cute."
"That's ironic considering I could do the same but yet you're set on calling me cute," she said, narrowing her eyes. I relished in the way that the anger she had inside of her sparked a glint in her eyes, the sudden halt of her movements as she focused on me leaving a deep chuckle to pass my lips just as I goaded another reaction from her by speaking up again.
"See, look at how cute you are when you're all riled-"
I expected the sudden swing of her hands against my shoulders but I was quicker than her, her gasp sounding out when I gripped both of her wrists and then pulled her down until our faces were just inches apart, my hands holding her weight so that her body was parallel to mine.
I could feel her breath against my lips as I blinked, the heat of her against me setting my blood on fire, especially when she used her body to her advantage and moved lower. The weight of her sunk against the ache of my cóck that was subsided but now goaded back to being overwhelming, the bastard enticed even further when Aria dipped her head low and kissed just under my jaw.
"You're the fücking devil using your body to your advantage," I groaned when I felt her tongue peek between her lips to set fire to my skin, her lips curling against my neck which told me that she was smiling.
"You use your body to fight, why can't I use mine?" she asked, the innocence in her voice leaving me to groan in frustration when I realised what she was doing to gain the upper hand and mock me at the end of it.
Instantly I sat up, my hands still on Aria as she laughed against me when I told her that I hated her, the ache of my cóck settling between the curve of her áss just as she pulled away and looked at me with a playful smile.
"You don't," she said, mocking my words from before as she laughed again. I should've been pissed but I couldn't contain the itchy smile on my face when I watched her, her hands moving to smooth up my shoulders as she went to say something but stopped when another long yawn took over. "Ugh, these meds make me so sleepy. I hate them."
"You're not the only one," were my indirect words of agreement as I watched her rub by the side of her eye whilst giving me a sympathetic smile, the short lived puffy laugh that passed her lips leaving me to look at her as she smiled lightly and then looked down in between us.
"You know, I could always help you out," she said to me, looking back up at me as I inhaled deeply at her words and felt her fingers trace down the seam of my shirt, the look in her eye glinting with mischief when she leaned forwards slightly until our lips were barely touching. "I don't mind helping you relive the memory of us in the car when we visited Sicily."
Fück.
Fück her, fück this.
Fück everything.
Despite how much I wanted it I stopped Aria's hands when they reached my belt, her head tilting slightly in confusion as I grit my teeth and exhaled before speaking.
"If you suck my díck, I'll want to put it in your püssy," I told her bluntly, seeing her confused look turn into something of amusement when I spoke further and told her to move off of my lap. "I've waited this long, I can wait another three days."
"Perseverance at its finest," I heard Aria say from behind me just as she put her hands on my shoulders again and then spoke into my ear whilst letting her arms dangle towards my chest. "Don't worry though," she started, her breath tickling my ear as I inhaled a sharp breath, "Once I get taken off my meds, we can fück day and night for as long as we want."
The casualness in her voice made me bit back the groan that wanted to pass my lips, the puckering of her lips against the side of my neck leaving me to press my own together as I gained back the self-control that I was teetering on the edge of losing.
It took me a few seconds as I ignored the memories of us fücking in my head, my hands white knuckled into fists as Aria moved under the bedsheets and settled against the pillows before speaking up like nothing had happened. "You know what baffles me?"
"Cosa?" I asked nearly instantly, using anything as a distraction as I ignored the ache in my thighs and looked back at Aria.
"How we went so long without séx after the first time," she mused out loud, the topic leaving the both of us to fall into silence for a few moments until we both hummed at the thought.
"We argued in Sicily and then you got your period," I said, voicing my thoughts out loud as I put together our timeline. "Then we flew back here and drama took over as per fücking usual in our lives."
I heard Aria hum at the same time I laid back on the bed again and sighed, my head propped up against her legs under the covers as I yawned behind my fist and stared up at the ceiling once silence took over the air between us again.
It was comfortable as Aria took advantage and moved her hand so that she was playing with my hair aimlessly, the feeling of her nails against my scalp creating a relaxed state to take over my body as I kept blinking and thinking about everything once again.
Was I wrong for thinking so selfishly when I trusted Aria?
I sighed at the thought that invaded my mind as I fought off the need to sleep when Aria kept her fingers in my hair, my hatred for admittedly forgetting about her situation leaving me worse for wear when I suddenly wanted the bed to swallow me, the thought more enticing that it should've been as I felt myself dip into unconsciousness until it halted when my phone vibrated loudly beside my hip.
I groaned and cursed whoever the hell was texting me, my fingers quick to pick up my phone as I read over the message that Alex had sent and then exhaled quietly.
From: Alex Romano (received 4:24am)
Did you sort out your shít with Aria?
I locked my phone and tossed it to the side of the bed without replying, the sudden subject of his message diminishing any need to sleep as I threw my forearm over my eyes and breathed out a heavy breath.
I was back to square one effectively with Alex's words ringing in my ears, my brain now centered on what I'd been thinking for the past few hours as I laid on Aria's bed and suddenly wondered if ripping off the band aid would be a good idea since I was aware that being patient wasn't exactly something I was good at.
Fück...maybe if I bluntly asked her it would be better for the both of us.
I could've put my bad thinking down to my lack of sleep and stress lately, however I knew that was far from the truth when I realised the worst part of my personality was selfishness and I was effectively acting on it as I turned to Aria and spoke.
"Aria, I need you to tell me what you're hiding from-"
My words halted when I saw her eyes closed and heard soft breaths, the subtle rise and fall of her chest seen under her sheets as she slept peacefully and without any realisation of what I was just about to ask her.
Knowing so only made me curse myself to hell and back when I realised how stupidly impulsive I was being, my body moving from underneath the touch of her hand as I placed it back to her side and then stood from the bed. As I did I reluctantly thanked the man in the sky for giving me another chance to go about the situation, my hands running through my hair as I picked up my suit jacket and proceeded to leave the room.
I didn't do so until I had shut off her closet light and put on her night stand lamps, the reminder that she had a phobia of the dark not lost on me as I walked out of her dimly lit room and walked through the corridor and down the stairs until I spotted Aaron in the kitchen typing on his laptop.
"You're still awake?" I asked, watching him turn around to me as I placed my phone in my pocket and acted as if what had just happened upstairs didn't.
"You're not asleep?" he asked me, mocking the tone that I used as he ran his hands through his hair and then spoke again when I rolled my eyes. "I'm trying to negotiate with this guy to send me his software so I can use it to help locate where those men came from."
"I could always threaten Fabio once he's out of hospital to tell me where Joe is," I said nonchalantly, looking at Aaron when he narrowed his eyes at the mention of the man that was still in hospital because of me.
"Do you really think you're going to get near him when even after you were banned from seeing him, you decided to hire someone to give him a paralytic drug?"
I shrugged casually, feeling the smug sensation that resulted from the taste of victory seep through my veins as I set my jacket to the chair next to Aaron and then looked over his laptop.
"Is this the guy who has the software?" I asked, a frown curving my lips when I looked at the webpage Aaron was on.
"Yeah," Aaron muttered, moving his laptop so I could see better. "Welcome to the dark side of the web," was what he said when my eyes scanned across the profile that had the username crashaon at the top, the various links and pictures leaving me to hum sharply until a live feed popped up on the screen from another tab attached to the profile.
"What the fück," I mumbled under my breath distastefully when we watched a video that looked like an excerpt from a longer one.
A young looking, long haired brunette was in her room, clearly unaware that she was being watched as the date 20th October 2018 flashed at the edge of the video and showed that the feed had been taken a little over two weeks ago.
"It seems that our friend here is into stalking girls and selling the videos he takes of them for profit," Aaron said quietly, closing the tab and moving his cursor around the page again. "Apart from being weird like that, I think he might help with our tracking problem."
"Is he better than you?"
Aaron glared when I smirked.
"Nobody is better than me," he started, huffing at what I'd said as I hummed. "I just need a little boost from newer software...I don't have the access to it right now because of the dámn bullseye attached to my back."
"Welcome to the world of the mafia," I drawled out mockingly which made him wave me away with a wave of his hand. "Does Aria know about this?"
"Stupid question. Aria always knows about everything," he said to me, his words making me inhale sharply when I hummed exasperatedly and then picked up my suit jacket, my irritation at the situation that I could've just made worse upstairs leaving the subtle heat of anger to bubble at the surface of my skin again. "Are you staying over?"
"I have no clothes for tomorrow," I said simply, trying not to sound blunt as I shrugged my jacket on and then smoothed my hands down the light creases. "Plus, I have to speak to Johnson. He's been busy with his kids for a while and it's the first time he has a free day."
"Don't like kids?" Aaron asked when he saw the distasteful look on my face, my shrug leaving him to raise his eyebrow. "I thought it's every mafia man's dream to have children so that they can pass on their family name?"
"What's the use in passing down a family name that effectively makes you a rival to everyone?" I asked with an expectant look, musing my thoughts out loud when I thought about children. "I've never wanted them and I knew that from a young age...I guess being older now and going through what I am and have just sets that all in stone. I don't want kids and probably never will."
"Interesting," Aaron drawled out whilst ceasing eye contact with me, his sudden shift in mood as he side eyed me leaving me to squint at him, especially when he stared at his laptop once he'd realised he'd been caught out.
"What?"
"Nothing," he said, inhaling sharply and clearing his throat as he closed his laptop before moving from his chair. "I'm going to sleep, I'll see you tomorrow."
I watched as Aaron moved away from me like his áss was on fire, his mood and actions leaving me frustrated with confusion as I stayed standing in the kitchen at nearly five in the morning, my feet glued to the floor as I opened my mouth to say something until I was closing it and exhaling sharply.
What the fück just happened?
><
"So you still haven't sorted it out?"
I pressed my lips together at the sound of Alex's voice ringing in my ears, my phone pressed against the side of my face as I side eyed what Giovanni was doing from a distance.
He'd demanded for me to accompany him to another poker game, today's being one that resulted in a victory of a different sense as the smell of blood permeated the air of the large ballroom we were in, my head tilting to look across the room and to the man who was now dead and slouching back into his chair with a bullet in his head.
Idiot, I thought in my head as I remembered back to the way that he had tried to cheat his way out of paying his lost money to Giovanni, the six million that he was to give up now transferred rightfully into Giovanni's account along with the land that was now in his name.
"Lucien."
I blinked back to reality when I heard my older brother prompt me to answer his question, my mood already having been deteriorated before he'd called which left me in a worse state once he'd rang and asked a million irrelevant fücking questions.
"No, I haven't," I said bluntly to appease him despite cursing him to hell for bringing up my situation with Aria again, my hand moving my phone away from my face as I proceeded to hang up until I heard him saying my name repeatedly whilst asking me to wait. "What the fück do you want?"
"I need you to ask Giovanni for a favour," Alex said, his words making me still as I registered them and narrowed my eyes.
"A favour for fücking what?" I asked, turning around and away from the man in question as I pressed my phone closer to my ear and side eyed the space around me out of habit.
"I need you to ask him if he has dad's will."
If I wasn't in an already fücked off mood, I was sure I was now.
"Alex," I started, the crack of anger that straightened my spine clouding my brain and leaving my mind foggy, the burst of heat I had been trying to subside all day courtesy of Johnson telling me that Fabio had died this morning due to haemorrhaging in his brain returning at an overwhelming pace. "Tell me why the fück you need dads will."
It was clear to everyone that the topic of my father was one to be avoided if you didn't want to see my bad side, however it was evident that my idiot brother didn't care about that when he sighed tiredly as if I was the problem here.
"The lawyers say that we need to make sure we know what we're dealing with," Alex spoke, his tone sure as I pressed my lips together and tried to stop the image of wanting to strangle him in my head.
It didn't work...especially when he kept speaking.
"Despite dad's state right now, we need to be prepared for-"
"Alex, if you keep fücking talking you'll be dead before dad ever is," I threatened easily, my harsh words smooth on my tongue as my body burned with the heat of anger that scorched the blood in my veins and left me without any regrets concerning my actions.
"Threaten me all you want, I'm just trying to accept if things were to ever happen."
"Well you can do that on your fücking own," I snapped, the phantom pain stinging from the burnt area of skin on my forearm invading my senses as I curled my fingers into white knuckled fists and breathed out a sharp breath. "I have no fücking interest in bringing up that topic until it comes to the time...fücking drop it before I do something I regret."
With my words ringing loudly in my ears I hung up the call once I'd ignored the call of my name in the receiver, the image of Alex being strangled in my head beginning to form a sense of reality until I stopped myself and cursed him to hell.
Despite being a pain in my fücking áss and someone who pissed me off daily, I knew I couldn't ever kill Alex no matter how much I wanted to sometimes, the promise I'd kept to myself about killing family lingering in my head as I scoffed and hated myself for it instantly when I felt my phone vibrate with a message he'd sent.
From: Alex Romano (received 5:28pm)
Think about what dad would've wanted.
"Fücking ásshole," I sneered under my breath, puffing out a humourless laugh as I ignored the message and shoved my phone back in my pocket, my lips pressing together as I inhaled deep breaths to try and calm myself down.
It was easier said than done when I knew I still had to deal with wanting to be with Aria whilst ultimately feeling stuck because of what she was hiding, the stress of that now tripling with the demands from my brother whilst I also dealt with the fact that my latest lead to Joe had died.
Fück sake, I thought bitterly in my head as I turned to Giovanni to see him on the phone, his eyebrows furrowed in irritation as a scowl settled at his lips.
"No, tell him I want to see him tonight," he demanded, his tone sharp and nothing short of threatening as the door to the ballroom opened. Charlie appeared with his men behind him, the cleaning logo printed across their shirts with a local address acting as a smoke screen for their actual job when they looked for the dead body they were to dispose of.
They didn't say anything as they got to work with ridding the space we were in of any evidence of someone being killed, my feet stepping towards Giovanni as he kept speaking on the phone at the same time I tried to keep a lid on my anger that was still bubbling prominently at the surface...especially when I realised who Giovanni was speaking about.
"Tell Ryder he has four hours. If he's not there, I will kill him my fücking self," Giovanni snapped, ending the call with a shake of his head as he turned to me and most likely realised the extent of my anger as I tried to clear my throat behind my fist and grit my teeth, his eyes narrowing as he spoke to me. "I'm sure you'll be able to free your schedule tonight."
Giovanni wasn't wrong when I nodded my head and then turned to look away from him and to Charlie, my eyes settling across the dead man who was now being put in a body bag as I ignored the burst of overwhelming heat that exploded in my chest at the mention of Ryder.
It seemed that the universe and the man in the sky had plans to test any sort of restraints I had lately.
With Aria still blindsiding me and Alex being a fücking idiot, I was sure I was on the edge of snapping with the mention of Ryder now invading my existence again. The thought of him plagued my mind and left me fighting off the need to squeeze someone between my fingers, the sick side of me thrilled at the thought of watching someone turn blue until they went limp in my hands and dropped like literal dead weight.
Fück.
Adrenaline flooded my veins and coated the inside of my body in a thick fuzzy heat that crept up my spine and straightened it, my hands still white knuckled into pressured fists as I kept still until I visibly flinched when Giovanni put his hand on my shoulder.
He wasn't startled at my sharp movement when I turned back to him and watched him narrow his eyes again, my heartbeat echoing loud and clear in my head as he pressed his lips together and then assessed me.
"What is it?" he asked, his tone demanding as I calculated the chaos in my head and tried to find the right words so that I didn't lash out on Giovanni.
Getting on the bad side of a relevant superior was the last thing I wanted right now.
"Lucien, sai, non ho molta pazienza."
I bristled at the words that told me that Giovanni wasn't a patient man, his eyes narrowing further when I inhaled a sharp breath and found myself with my tongue feeling like it weighed a thousand pounds in my mouth.
"Did Ryder say anything to Aria?" he asked bluntly, clearly annoyed that I hadn't spoke up as I tried to hold back my anger, the line that blurred between reality and my insanity blurring steadily when I tried to force the picture of Ryder out of my head but couldn't when I snapped and spoke.
"He knows something about Aria," I started, my tone blunt and harsh as Giovanni's facial expressions slightly softened at the mention of his granddaughter. "Aria and I were at Salvatore's house when Ryder tried to expose her for having something, but before he could say anything else Salvatore kicked him out...despite that, Ryder kept texting and taunting Aria but from what I know, he hasn't said anything to her face since then."
It was hard to refrain from telling Giovanni that my anger seemed to be rooting from Aria having not told me what she was hiding, however it was clearly apparent that I was thinking exactly that when Giovanni spoke up like he was reading his mind.
"She hasn't told you..." he started, inhaling deeply as he kept speaking. "It's why you're so angry because not knowing things makes you feel like you're walking into a situation blind..." he said, his words more of a statement than a question which pissed me off more than it should have when I broke eye contact and looked off at the side with my lips pressed and my body feeling like it was on fire. "Lucien."
"No, she hasn't told me," I bit out, not answering the remaining part of his words as I cursed myself for the snappy tone I used and watched Giovanni inhale a sharp breath before he narrowed his eyes at me and spoke bluntly.
"Let's go."
With his words repeating in my head like a bad memory I followed him out the building until we were sitting in a large black escalade with his security driving, the journey to Aria's penthouse filled with an uncomfortable silence as I fought with the demons in my head until we were walking out the escalator and towards her door.
I side eyed Giovanni who hadn't spoken a word to me when we did, his silence steadily irritating me as the anger inside me bubbled and struggled against the seams of my subconscious, the devil on my shoulder thrilled at the thought of a fight until I squashed the opportunity by breathing deeply to try and focus on something other than the raging anger inside of me.
Again, it was easier said than done as I sighed sharply and unlocked Aria's door, my mood steadily deteriorating when I walked through the threshold until I halted for a split second, a sense of déjà-vu hitting me when I heard Aria and Aaron's voices loud, sharp and argumentative.
"You're not fücking listening to me, Aria!" Aaron snapped, the sound of Giovanni closing the door seeming distant as I zoned in on the sound of what was happening.
"Aaron, I swear to God if you don't shut-"
"What? Just like you've been for the past three weeks?" he retorted easily, the hostility in his voice acting like a match to the fuel that was my sudden protectiveness over Aria.
At least that was until he kept speaking when silence ensued between the both of them.
"You're going to fück it up even more if you don't tell-"
Aaron stopped speaking when he realised I was walking towards him from the bend of the corridor, his lips pressing together as he looked away from me and shut his laptop as Aria stood on the opposite side of the counter he was sitting at.
She looked up at me with the same expression Aaron had, her eye contact ceasing almost instantly when we both watched Aaron stand up and shove his chair back, his hands clutching against his closed laptop as he walked out the kitchen and up the stairs before vanishing behind the metal banister.
"Che è successo?" Giovanni asked what happened from beside me as we both stood watching Aria lean away from the counter to walk towards the fridge, her back facing us as I narrowed my eyes and felt my anger rush back in an instant when I tried to figure out what they were arguing about.
It was hard to decipher my thoughts when all I could think about was inflicting pain, my hands still balled into fists as a wave of overwhelming tightness made my body tense and head hurt, my eyes squinting into a glare when Aria didn't say anything immediately and instead let us wait for her to speak.
"Non è niente d'importante," she said it was nothing important, answering her grandfather's question as she turned back to face us, the clear distant look in her eye aimed at me when she looked between us and struggled to keep eye contact just like earlier this morning after she'd showered.
What the fück was going on?
"It must be important if you and Aaron were arguing," I said, my blunt tone something that I should've regretted but didn't when Aria pressed her lips together and met my harsh gaze.
"It doesn't matter, Lucien," she told me, her voice sounding tired as Giovanni's phone started to ring, Aria and I looking over to him as he excused himself and walked out the penthouse to talk to whoever was calling.
When the sound of the door closing echoed in the corridor I looked over to Aria, her hands running through her hair as I watched her walk out of the kitchen and towards me until she stepped past and sat down on the white leather sofa's near the ceiling to floor windows.
The sun was now setting and let an orange glow cast over the space steadily, my feet moving towards Aria as she blew a piece of her hair from her face whilst taking a sip from the water bottle she'd taken from the fridge.
She stayed silent, her body evidently stoic even when I sat down next to her whilst unbuttoning my suit jacket.
I stared at her then.
I could sense something was off just like I had earlier this morning in her bedroom, her body tense and rigid with something that was bothering her as she moved her hair behind her ears and then sighed.
"You're not going to say anything to me?" I asked, outwardly letting my anger get the best of me when I hated the fact that she was distant, especially considering I was the last person she should've been pushing away after everything that had happened between us.
Jesus, Aria, what the fück were you hiding.
"What were you and Aaron arguing about?" I questioned her again, seeing her look away from me again as she licked her lips and avoided the question, her body tense.
"Nothing...it was just..." she started, clearing her throat. "It was nothing important."
"You and Aaron never argue like that," I said to her, my head tilting as I waited for answer me, my words trying to be effective in prying information out of her but it was useless when she didn't answer and avoided the pressing question.
Breathe, Lucien.
"Aria," I breathed out, trying to avoid the frustration that was coursing through me and slowly making its way to the surface to show itself after everything that I'd dealt with today.
It was hard to keep it together, especially when she sighed again and finally faced me, her body turning to tuck her legs underneath her body as she looked up to me through her lashes and then moved closer so that she could lay her head across my shoulder.
I swallowed.
I hated the fücking way I relaxed when I was so annoyed and pissed internally, the smell of her perfume invading the space around me as I settled my palm on her thigh and exhaled deeply through my nose.
"I went to the doctor's today," she started, her words leaving me to squint my eyes when I became confused again, the sudden switch of topic leaving me to realise she was completely trying to avoid the matter at hand as she kept speaking. "I switched the dates and went with-"
"Why didn't you tell me?" I questioned, feeling her move her head away from my shoulder before she looked at me with a slight frown at her lips, the new topic that left me feeling even more out of the loop creating a hazy sense of distrust between us instantly.
For fück sake.
"I knew you were busy with my grandfather and I also wanted to surprise you," she said, her eyebrows furrowing when I inhaled a sharp breath and felt my anger stupidly dissipate with the thought of my next words.
"So you're off your meds?" I asked, hating the way that everything I should've prioritised became a second thought at the hint of having séx, my mood switching instantly. Aria nodded at me, licking her lips as she tilted her head and looked down at my mouth, the missed glint in her eye leaving the fuzzy heat that was supposed to spread around my body pool in my lower stomach instead.
"No more waiting," she mumbled quietly, her body folded on her legs as her hand moved to my upper thigh, the heat of her palm feeling like fücking fire when I grit my teeth and swallowed, the demons in my head fighting with my conscious as I tried to focus on what was needed but failed miserably when Aria leaned forward and left a teasing kiss under my jaw.
The feeling of her lips against me shut out the demons in my head as I groaned, her legs moving over my lap as she straddled me and kissed against my jaw until she reached my lips, the proximity between us scorching me from the inside out when she hummed against me and teased the sides of my mouth.
"Relax, Lucien," she whispered against my lips, her hands moving to my wrists where I still had my hands in fists from what I was feeling before. Instantly she pulled my hands until they were resting against her thighs, the soft cushioning of her lips switching me back to what I was feeling as I gripped her thighs and leaned forwards to kiss her.
She moaned into me when I did, my pent up feelings acted on when I kissed her hard and deep, my cóck hardening underneath the confinement of my pants as I forget everything that I was angry about and pulled her closer.
Doing so only allowed her to sink her weight into my lap, my hands moving up her thighs and to her waist as I pushed my tongue past her lips and felt her shudder when our tongues met. I groaned deeply when she did, my right hand harsh against her waist as I kept kissing her, my body eagerly heating at the thought of feeling her slick around my cóck until she visibly tensed when I touched over her stomach once I'd pushed my hand past the material of her top.
I went to pull away to ask what was wrong but her hand cupped against my chin and forced me to stay kissing her, my thoughts ceasing to exist when she did so as I groaned into her and kept up with my actions until I found her tensing harder when I skimmed her lower stomach with my knuckles.
I pulled away, my throat working a harsh swallow when I breathed through my nose and looked at her, my previous frustration creeping up on me slowly when I realised her plans to distract me.
"What's wrong?" I asked, moving my hands from her waist as she licked her lips that were slightly swollen from us kissing.
"Nothing's wrong," she said, clearly trying to convince me when she leaned forward to kiss me again until I turned my head to the side, her lips brushing against my cheek. "Lucien, nothing's wrong with me, just-"
"Stop lying to me," I told her as she tried to move my hands again, my head turning back to look at her as she pressed her lips together, her chest rising and falling as the heat of being caught out crept up her neck. "You're distracting me from something."
"I'm not distracting you, I-"
She stopped talking when she realised how serious I was, everything that I'd been feeling before now hitting me at double the rate when I watched her move away from me until she was standing and running her hands through her hair.
"I just..." she started, swallowing harshly as I breathed through my nose and tried to contain the anger that I could feel bursting at the seams, the tightness in my chest and the heat in my head leaving me to see red as she spoke. "Lucien...it's complicated."
"Complicated?" I asked breathlessly, my tone infuriated as the word repeated in my head over and over until I was puffing out a humourless laugh and looking at her. "Nothing is complicated if you-"
"Lucien-"
"No, it's not fücking complicated," I snapped, surprising her with my tone when I couldn't take the hiding anymore, the thought of Ryder knowing and not me goading the devil on my shoulder once again when the taste of a fight lingered in my mouth. "There's nothing fücking complicated about anything if you actually told me what you were distracting me from."
"I-" Aria found it hard to find words as she opened her mouth and closed it, the tone of my voice and the threatening demeanour I was giving off leaving her at a complete loss for words as she breathed out a heavy breath and stuttered.
"So now you suddenly have nothing to say?"
"Don't speak to me like that," she replied, quick to defend herself as she avoided the question once again.
"How else do you expect me to react when you've literally been keeping things away from me?" I asked, standing up with her as she looked up at me and inhaled a breath through her nose, my hand closed around her wrist as I looked at her. "Do you not trust me?"
"Of course I trust you," she breathed out like it was a stupid thing to ask.
"So why are you keeping it from me?" I asked, voicing the thoughts I'd been having over the past few days out loud as Aria looked away from me, my chest caving with the emotions running through me like a wildfire. "Aria, answer me."
She yanked her hand away from me when I spoke, her chest rising and falling when she looked at me with newfound anger at my words.
"I don't have to tell you anything if I don't fücking want to, Lucien," she said, moving away from me as I glared at the back of her and felt the crack of my anger electrify my spin.
So even when I want to be with you, Ryder knows things but I don't...
"That seems to be something that you're best at, huh?" I snapped, my tone sharp and unforgiving which made her still before she turned around and narrowed her eyes.
"What the fück is that supposed to mean?"
"You don't think it's tiring being the last one to find out things?" I asked her, my anger showing through my words in the worst way as I acted on selfish instincts and used the opportunity to inconsiderately release everything. "Of course...you wouldn't know that since you're always the one to keep secrets."
"Are you serious right now?" Aria breathed out, shaking her head lightly as she looked at me with a tired look on her face. "Lucien, I just..." she started, all sense of sanity blurred in front of me when my feelings for her were masked by my anger, the lost look on her face changing into slight pain as she admitted her fears out loud. "I'm scared..."
"Scared of what?" I asked almost immediately, seeing her visibly shrug under my gaze when I kept battling against her with my words, her mouth opening and closing again when she clearly struggled to voice her thoughts in the open.
"I...I can't tell you," she swallowed thickly, the slight vulnerability she showed feeding the predator inside of me as I kept goading my own selfish needs.
"Can't or won't?"
"Shut up, Lucien," she told me, her voice wavering slightly as she swallowed again. I should've stopped but I couldn't, not when I had just tasted the sweet flavour of the release I'd been craving from all the anger I'd been feeling.
Jinx.
Alex.
Ryder.
And now this.
"Why should I shut up?" I asked, tilting my head mockingly when she breathed out a faltered breath. "It's what I've been doing for the past few weeks whilst trying to tell myself that you have logic behind what you're doing, but I don't know if that's the-"
"Lucien, shut the fück up," she breathed out, her breaths quickening as I shook my head, unapologetic for what I was saying.
"What are you so afraid of?" I asked, my tone taunting as she pressed her lips together and looked away from me with a thick swallow. "I thought you trusted me?"
Stop, Lucien.
"I do."
"You know I hate being blindsided."
Stop, Lucien.
"I know," she mumbled dejectedly, holding her hands against her stomach as she paled over.
"So why keep me hanging for so long?"
Stop, Lucien.
"I..." she breathed out quietly, her fingers shaking as I tilted my head and puffed out a humourless laugh.
"I haven't got all day to wait."
"Lucien, I swear-"
"It's not nice being shut out, is it?" I taunted, greedy at the release I was getting as I looked at her and felt myself numb over, the sudden image of Giovanni telling Ryder that he hadn't forgot what he'd done to Aria acting like a match to the fuel that was my anger when I hated the way that he knew things and I didn't.
"Stop-"
"Why should I?"
"I can't tell you...not right now, give me time," she pleaded quietly, saying my name quietly before she flinched when I spoke loudly.
"I've given you time!" I snapped. "Over and over I have given you time. I see you flinching, I see you tensing and yet you fücking shut me out."
Stop, Lucien.
"You have to trust-"
"Trust me!" I shouted, my chest burning as I looked at her and watched her press her hands into her face, my frustration at wanting her all to myself blocked by not knowing what was happening. "Goddammit, out of everyone I should be the one to know."
"Why should you-"
"Because relationships don't fücking work when there are secrets, Aria!"
I stilled.
Silence ensued between the both of us when I voiced the thoughts I'd had for the better part of a month, my heartbeat echoing in my ear as my own fears slapped me right in the face with the weight of a truck and left me blinking back into reality. My chest rose and fell as I swallowed and tried to form a sentence through my heavy breaths as I looked at Aria, her face blank as she registered my words and then spoke up with a humourless breath.
"You want to be with me?" she asked, her tone rhetoric as I found it hard to speak when I realised how upset she was at what I'd just done to her, the sight of her trying to stop the steadily forming tears in her eyes acting like a switch when I felt overwhelming guilt consume me as she balled her fists by her sides.
"Aria, I-"
"Lucien, I can't have kids," she breathed out quietly with her voice cracking, her fingers moving to her face as she wiped the side of her eyes, bit her lip to stop it quivering and then spoke with a shaky voice and forced smile that made me hate myself more than I ever had in my life. "Are you happy now?"
*A/N*
Yes, I just posted this chapter with THAT cliffhanger right in front of youR SALAD
BEFORE YOU KILL ME I POSTED A DEAL SERIES EXTRAS BOOK THAT CONTAINS A CHARACTER Q&A SO GO ASK THEM STUFF AFTER YOU'VE SHOUTED AT ME OK THANKS
Back to the chapter tho
Ahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahaha only like 3 people figured out that miss aria Moretti is unable to have kids (:
What Ryder was meant to say in Salvatore's kitchen was 'You should know Aria has ZERO ABILITY TO HAVE KIDS'
WHEW
I've been wanting to get that out for like 19884929 years
BUT
Did you see that coming?
How do you feel?
Was Lucien wrong for the way that he lashed out?
Was Aria wrong for keeping that from him for so long? (it's been about 2 weeks in the stories timeline since Ryder said that stuff – I think, don't quote me)
Do you sort of understand why what Ryder did (knocking someone else up) fücked with Aria's brain so much considering he knew she couldn't have kids?
Are you ready for the explanation to follow that will also lead into why Salvatore hates Aria so much and why she's not able to have kids??
I'M JUST SAYING
YALL ARENT READY FOR WHAT I HAVE PLANNED FOR THIS STORY, ALWAYS READ BETWEEN THE LINES
This is plottwist 1 out of 485758949
LORD
Anywho tho, I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. Life at home was sh!t and I wasn't in the right frame of mind and I wrote this chapter like 84 times. I even had smut in it but it didn't fit at all BUT it will be in the next chapter fosho because what everyone wants will happen in the next few chapters!
ALSO on the subject of smut, I know you guys like reading it but please don't pressure me into writing it when I know what's best. It's only a handful of people who do, the rest of y'all are angels and let me create the plot how I want, but still, it's kinda disheartening and makes me think that you guys are only reading the story for the smut and it's so sh!t when I put so much work into a plot only for it to be overlooked cos y'all are horny sooooooooooooo please like dksjdnsndn let me structure and you'll be sure to get what you want eventually
ANYWAYS 2.0
I know I've been gone so long but can we get 200 votes and 800 comments? I'm already starting the next chapter and I'm gonna make sure that the next update isn't something you have to wait two months for
I hope you liked this chapter! I was so nervous to post it, so fosho let me know what you think!
Anything I need to improve on?
Anything I do that you like and should keep continuing to do?
VOTE + COMMENT & ALL THAT GOOD SHIT
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I'LL SEE YOU SOON LIL CHICKENS
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SEE YOU SOON & DON'T FORGET TO ASK THE CHARACTERS QUESTION'S IN THE Q&A CHAPTER IN THE DEAL SERIES EXTRAS BOOK
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