•Roxie's POV ~
Damon moves away from me and sits on the other side of the couch, staring at me with a shocked and confused expression on his face.
I couldn't blame him. I'm sure anyone would react the same way to what I just said. Hell, I would even react the same way if someone else told me this.
"I know you're confused but I promise, I'll try to answer any questions you have." I say to him as I play with my fingers.
He just looks at me without saying a word before blinking and clearing his throat, "Umm, I don't understand. How can you be a virgin if you have a daughter?"
I nod my head, expecting that to be his first question, "Well, Lily is actually my sister." He stays silent, waiting for me to continue. "Lily and I both have the same mother but different fathers. My stepdad is Lily's biological dad."
"Why isn't she with her parents?" Damon asks me in curiosity.
"When Lily was born, our mother and her father put on a show for the doctors and nurses." I tell him as I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. "No one in their right mind would allow parents to keep their children if they knew they were neglecting or abusing the kids."
His brows pull together in a frown and I notice his fists clench as I continue, "After we got home from the hospital, they went back to not caring about anyone or anything. I would wake up in the middle of the night to Lily crying. My mom and stepdad were passed out in the living room. Needles sticking out of their arms and bottles of liquor scattered across the floor."
"Why would they keep their children if they were abusive and didn't even want to take care of them?" He mumbles in anger, sounding like he's asking himself this question.
I shrug my shoulder and answer him anyway, "They were horrible people. I could never understand how someone would want to keep their child only to cause them pain in their lives. When Lily would cry, they would scream at her and tell her to shut up or they would try to hit her. She was only a baby so I took the beatings. A couple of times they actually did hurt her, but I protected that little girl the best that I could and I will continue to protect her until my dying breath."
Tears are now streaming down my face as I tell him about the past that I never wanted to think of again. I could see the anger building up as I tell him this. The way his eyes narrow, the way his jaw clenches, and the veins bulging out of his skin.
He moves closer to me and pulls me into his arms. His touch is gentle and his hold on me is protective as he coos softly in my ear, "Shh, it's okay. I got you, amore"
Being in his warm embrace instantly calms me down. I take a few deep breaths and move my head back a little bit to look up at him. He gently cups my face and wipes my tears away with his thumbs before kissing me on my forehead.
I look into his eyes as I continue, "I was sixteen when she was born. I was just a kid. Not only did I get a baby sister but I also got a daughter and Lily got a sixteen-year-old mother. I didn't get to have the love, care, and attention that children should get from parents but I wanted Lily to have that."
"I stopped going to school completely after she was born because I couldn't leave her alone with them. When I turned eighteen, I left and I took Lily with me. The physical and mental abuse we got from them daily..." I pause for a moment at the memories before sighing. "I couldn't take it anymore and I didn't want Lily to grow up with what I had to."
"I waited for them to leave the house. Then I took all of the money that they used for their drugs and alcohol and I left with her. Now you know, I may not have given birth to her but she is still my daughter. I'm the only person who has ever cared for her and I'm the only mother figure she's ever had." After I finish speaking, I let my tears fall again as I bury my face in his chest and he holds onto me tightly.
No words were spoken after that. No other words needed to be said. I rest my pounding head on his shoulder and look up at him with heavy eyes.
He leans his head down and kisses my lips in a gentle yet comforting manner. I let my eyes fall closed, wanting to relieve some of the pain, and end up falling into a peaceful sleep in Damon's warm and protective arms.
♾♾♾♾
•Damon's POV ~
When Roxie told me that she's a virgin, I didn't even know what to think. My thoughts were running a million miles a minute. Then she told me that Lily is her sister which surprised me even more.
She starts telling me about her past and as she does, I feel my blood beginning to boil. I have never felt so enraged before. I have never wanted to kill someone so much in my entire life. I want their death to be slow and painful. I want to watch the life drain from their miserable faces.
I know that she's their mother but I don't fucking care. How can a mother do that to her own children? She shouldn't even be able to call herself a mother.
The thought of Roxie's biological father keeps appearing in my mind. She didn't mention him. I wanted to ask her about him but I didn't want to force her to talk about anything she didn't want to. She'll tell me when she's ready.
I look down at her, asleep in my arms. She looks peaceful and she's so beautiful. Even with puffy eyes from crying so much, she's still the most beautiful and strongest woman that I've ever met.
To step up and take care of a baby that isn't yours the way that a parent should... most teenagers wouldn't do that. They would want to go out to parties, hang out with their friends and get drunk. My girl became a sister, an adult, and a mother all at age sixteen.
Just when I think she can't get any more amazing, she surprises me. The more time that I spend with her, the more I want her. I lay on my back and shift her body onto my stomach with her head on my chest before placing a kiss on her forehead.
As I lay here on the couch with Roxie, rubbing her back and playing with her hair, a familiar voice breaks the silence, "Boss?"
I don't even need to look up to know who it is. I respond to her in a quiet tone, "Vanessa."
"What are you doing here?" She asks as she walks over and stands next to the couch.
I briefly glance at her before looking at my girl again, "What does it look like?"
She doesn't say anything and neither do I. I just watch silently as Roxie sleeps on my chest.
I rub my knuckles gently across her cheek before asking, "Did you know?"
Vanessa sighs and scratches her arm, "Yeah, I do but Roxie is an excellent mother to Lily."
Nodding my head, a sudden question pops up in my mind and I can't help but ask, "Is she going to tell her?"
"She most likely will when Lily is old enough. She just doesn't want her growing up knowing that her birth mother didn't give a shit about her." She replies while crossing her arms over her chest.
I stay silent for a few moments, never taking my eyes off of Roxie's sleeping form. After what feels like forever, I tell Vanessa, "I'm going to lay her down in her bed and then I'm going to leave."
I stand up with Roxie in my arms and carry her bridal style to her bedroom. Vanessa stays back in the living room.
Laying Roxie down on her bed, I tuck her in and as I'm about to walk away, I feel her grab my hand. I look back at her and see her looking up at me through sleepy eyes.
Then she speaks to me in a low and tired voice, "Don't leave me, please."
I release a breath and sit down next to her as I run my fingers through her hair, "I'm not going to leave you, amore."
She snuggles in closer to my side and falls back to sleep. After a couple of minutes, she stirs and lets out a small groan. Her brows are pulled together and she looks like she's having a bad dream.
I lay down next to her and wrap an arm around her body. She instantly stops moving and I whisper near her ear, "I know there's more that you're not telling me but I'll find out what that is soon, il mio amore."
I wait for a few more minutes before I get up and make my way back into the hallway. I'm about to leave but I pause by Lily's door which is cracked open.
Walking inside of her room, I kneel by her bed quietly. She's sound asleep with her stuffed animal in her arms. I pull her blanket more up and tuck her in as well before I kiss the top of her head.
"Goodnight, princess." I say softly with a slight smile tugging at my lips.
I walk back into the hallway and think to myself... how the hell did I get here? I'm a fucking mafia boss and yet here I am, tucking two girls into bed. One a full-grown woman and the other a tiny child.
I should be torturing my enemies right now. Cutting their tongues out so they can't talk and putting their hands in acid so they can't feel. I should be going on a damn killing spree.
What are they doing to me? This isn't what I do but I find myself wanting to do this for them. I want to make my girls happy and spoil the fuck out of them.
I want to do this as much as possible because I don't know what's going to happen when she finds out who I am. I don't know if she's going to hate me or if she's going to want me out of her life for good.
Sighing, I say goodbye to Vanessa before leaving and making my way home.
♾♾♾♾
•Unknown's POV ~
I'm interrupted by a loud knocking on my office door. I grit my teeth and yell out in frustration, "What?!"
The door is thrown open and one of my men rush in. He halts to a stop and visibly gulps when he sees Serenity stand up in front of me completely naked.
"What the fuck did I say about barging in my damn office without my fucking permission?!" I yell at him as I bang my fist against the desk.
"Boss, I have an update." He nervously says while looking to the floor.
I raise an eyebrow and turn to Serenity before telling her, "Get your shit and get out."
She looks at me in shock, "What? But you said-"
"Do I look like a give a fuck about what I said?!" I shout, cutting off the rest of her sentence. She just stands there stubbornly with her hands on her hips.
I pull my gun out from my drawer and point it straight at her face, "You want to do this the easy way or the hard way?"
Her eyes widen and she quickly puts her lingerie on and grabs her stuff before running out of my office half-naked.
"Speak." I order him in a firm tone while placing my gun back down.
"Well, the location is New York. I'll be able to get the address once we get there. Should I send some men when I get the address?" He asks me as he places a file on my desk.
"No, you get the address and tell me right away. Then you watch their every move day and night. If any of you get fucking caught, I'll deal with you all personally. When the time comes, that's when I'll give the order." I reply as I rub my chin.
"What time will that be, boss?" He questions me with a shaky voice.
I smirk up at him and say, "Don't you worry about that. I know exactly when we'll make our move. Tell the men to pack their shit. We're going to New York."
He nods and exits my office in a hurry, closing the door behind him.
I pick up the file that he placed on my desk, looking through the photos and information my men have gathered so far. I shove the file inside of my drawer and pull out an old photo before sliding my fingers down the surface.
Shaking my head with a sigh, I mumble, "I'll see you real soon. I hope you didn't miss me too much because we're going to have a family fucking reunion that you won't ever forget."
♾♾♾♾
S/O to @MidnightSyren for all your support!! Hope you guys are enjoying this book as much as I'm enjoying writing it.🖤
I'll see you guys in the next chapter but before I go, Gimme Kiss!😘