•Damon's POV ~
After, Tiffany, told me that, Ava, was waiting for me at the gate, I got up from my chair and made my way outside.
"I'm sorry, boss. I didn't know if you knew her or not." Mark tells me, as I approach them.
Ava has her hands up in the air, while Mark is pointing his gun at her. The look on her face has me clenching my fists.
"Put your fucking gun away, NOW!" I yell, causing him to immediately put it away. "I don't ever want to see any of you pointing a gun at her!"
Ava quickly runs up to me and wraps her arms around my waist. I return the hug, holding her tightly against me.
"What's wrong, Ava?" I ask, rubbing her arm in a comforting manner.
She pulls away and crosses her arms over her chest nervously, "I need to talk to you about something."
I nod my head towards the house and grab her hand, "Come on. We'll talk inside of my office."
Once we get inside, we make our way to my office, but stop short when someone coughs. Turning around, I come face to face with, Roxie.
"What's going on?" She asks, while looking between the both of us.
"Ava wanted to talk to me about something, so I was going to talk to her in my office." I tell her, truthfully.
She nods her head as her eyes roam down, and it's only then that I remember, I'm still holding onto Ava's hand. I quickly remove my hand from hers and look into Roxie's eyes, only to see tears forming.
I feel a pain in my chest and I know that she got the wrong idea. Anyone would get the wrong idea if they saw us and that's my fault, because I'm the one who hid, Ava from them all. Nobody in my family knew about her except for me.
"Well, I'll let you two talk then." She gives us a smile, and blinks away her tears. "Please, don't let me interrupt you."
Without another word, she walks past us with her head held high.
"Shit." I mumble, before turning to, Ava, who has an apologetic look on her face. "Stay here. I'll be right back."
Not waiting for her response, I follow after, Roxie, with quick strides. It doesn't take me long to catch up to her and when I do, I grab her hand and pull her with me to my office.
Once we're inside, I lock my door and pull her close to me, "Baby, you don't have anything to worry about. I told you that she's just a friend."
Roxie stays silent for a few seconds before looking up, "What's your history with her?"
I release a sigh before answering her, "A few years ago, I bumped into her on my way to a meeting. Her hair was all messed up and she was so skinny that she looked as if her bones would break with the slightest bend. Herself and her clothes were dirty, she had no shoes on and she had cuts and bruises all over her body. I ignored her and just went on to my meeting. A few days later, my men and I were dealing with some business in an empty alley... or so we thought. Turns out, that alley was the same alley that, Ava, was sleeping in."
Roxie rubs the back of her neck before walking over to my office couch and taking a seat. I follow shortly after, sitting down beside her.
"She had seen what we did in that alley, so I had no choice but to kill her. Ava didn't even flinch when I pointed the gun at her. Instead, she walked up to me, put her forehead against the barrel of my gun and told me to pull the trigger. I was amazed by how she didn't have the tiniest hint of fear in her eyes. She wanted me to shoot her and end her life, which made me question everything that happened to her. I don't know why I did it, but I let her live." I run a hand down my face tiredly and look at, Roxie. "Long story short, I did everything I could to help her get back on her feet. It was hard, I'm not going to lie, but eventually, she got better. She ended up getting a business opportunity somewhere else, and a few days after she left, we lost contact with each other. When I saw her yesterday, I was surprised. I just didn't hug her back or anything, because I didn't want you to get the wrong idea."
Roxie nods her head in understanding, "So, when she was your date-"
"It was because I asked her to be." I cut off her sentence. "She wanted to return the favor since I was helping her get better, so I told her to be my date to certain events. She got free food and by her being my date, it kept unwanted females away from me."
"And, your family doesn't know who she is because?" She questions, raising an eyebrow.
"Because, Ava, didn't want to meet them and honestly, I was fine with that. She always told me that being close to people would only bring bad things in your life. So, I never once took her around my family or told them anything about her." I answer, causing her to hum and look away.
She looks to be in her own thoughts for a moment before looking back to me and asking, "Did you ever sleep with her?"
I frown and shake my head, "No, I never even touched her in that way."
Roxie stays silent, just looking at me as if she's trying to detect any hint that I'm lying. I have no reason to lie to her, though. If anything had happened between us, then I would've told her.
"Baby, she's been more like a sister to me than anything else." I tell her, while taking her hands in mine.
She smiles and leans in to give me a kiss, "I believe you."
I release a sigh and place my hands on her hips, before lifting her up and sitting her on my lap. She's straddling me now, as I put a hand behind her neck and pull her head down.
Her mouth connects with mine and I give her a rough kiss, while wrapping my left arm around her waist. Her cold hands land on my face, as she tilts her head and deepens the kiss.
"I love you, baby." I whisper against her lips.
She smiles and slows down our kiss, "How much?"
My hands slide beneath her shirt and up her back, before my fingers land on the back of her bra, "I'll show you how much."
A laugh escapes her beautiful lips and she removes my hands, "Show me later. You were going to talk to, Ava, weren't you?"
My head falls back and I groan, "Shit, I forgot that she was here."
Roxie laughs again and gives me one more kiss before getting off of my lap, "I'll be in the living room when you're done."
She turns and walks to the door. I quickly stand up and follow behind her. Before she gets the chance to unlock the door, I wrap my arms around her from behind and kiss her neck.
"I won't be too long. I'm going to get you after I'm done and I'm taking you back to our room." I say, while still placing kisses on her neck.
She turns her head and I give her one last kiss on her lips, before allowing her to leave. After taking a few seconds to myself, I walk out of my office and go back to where I left, Ava.
She's leaning against the wall when I approach her, "Come on, we can talk now."
She nods her head and follows me back to my office. Once we're inside, she takes a seat in front of my desk while I close the door behind us.
"There's no reason to beat around the bush, so I'm just going to say it." She says, as I make my way to my chair. "I'm leaving, again."
I sit down in my chair and furrow my brows, "Why?"
"I just have to." She tells me plainly.
Leaning back in my chair, I narrow my eyes at her, "So, you came all the way to my place to tell me that you're leaving, but you won't tell me why?"
She nods her head, "Yeah, I just thought that I should let you know, I won't be in contact with you... and I'm not coming back."
She avoids eye contact with me, which makes me ask, "What's really going on, Ava?"
Letting out a sigh, she smiles and looks at me, "I left something extremely important to me back in, London."
"You couldn't bring it with you when you came?" I ask, tilting my head to the side in curiosity.
She shakes her head, "Certain choices that I made, caused it to be taken away from me."
Confusion courses through me at what she just said. It isn't until she begins to scratch her arm, do I realize what she's talking about.
I stand up from my chair and place my palms flat on my desk, "When did you start again, Ava?"
She bites on her finger nails, and ignores my question.
"Ava!!" I raise my voice, causing her to close her eyes.
"A little over a year ago." She whispers her response.
"Dammit, Ava." I mumble, while running a hand down my face. "Why?"
She shrugs her shoulders, "I was under a lot of stress at the time. I tried to think of what you would do, but I couldn't. Then I thought back to the past, and I remembered how the drugs helped clear my mind. They always helped me relax so I told myself, just this once."
I nod my head in frustration, "Then it happened again, and again, and again." She looks down as guilt crosses over her face. Turning back to her, I ask, "What did you leave behind?"
She smiles to herself, "My son."
I look at her in shock, "Son? You told me that you never wanted children."
"I didn't." She admits. "It just happened, and after he was born, there was nothing else that I wanted more."
"Who'd you leave him with?" I ask, as I lean against my desk.
"He's with his father." She rolls her eyes. "It wasn't exactly my choice, but he's better there with him. His father is able to take care of him better than I can, but that's why I'm going back." She turns to me and stands up before grabbing my hand in hers. "I miss him, Damon. I don't want to be one of those parents who miss out on their child's life. I want to be there for him."
I wipe away the tears that fall down her face and pull her into a hug, "Ava, I'll help you, okay?"
She shakes her head, "No, you can't."
"Look at me." I say, while taking her face in my hands. "You're like a sister to me, Ava. Let me help you get better again so that you can get your son and I can meet him."
"Damon, I need to help myself." She tells me, while moving my hands from her face. "Back then, I was younger, but I'm an adult now. You have a family here that needs you and I can't be selfish. I can't take your time away from them. You're a mafia boss. I'm sure there's a lot more important things that you have to do besides babysitting me."
I smile at her like a proud brother. I don't have a sister and, Ava, has always been the closest thing to a sister for me. Sure, she used to be my date to events, but our relationship since we met has been strictly a brother-sister relationship.
I protected her, the way I would with my own sister if I had one. Ava was tough at first, but with time, she opened herself up to me and let me help her, which was hard for her because she didn't have any family.
She was all alone in the streets and found it difficult to trust anybody.
Now, she's telling me that she's going to help herself get better. She's doing it because she wants to be in her sons life and she wants to do it alone. In this moment, I feel like a proud brother.
I pull her in my arms and give her a tight hug, "Fine, but you're going to stay in contact with me, okay?"
She laughs and hugs me back, as tight as she can, "Okay, I will."
Moments pass with us still hugging, before I pull back and ruffle her hair, "Come on, let's go back out."
She slaps my hand away and smiles, "Yeah, I have to get to the airport."
"Alright, I'll walk you out then." I tell her, as I put my arm around her shoulder and lead her outside.
Once we get out in the front of the house, I call, Daniel, over, "Take her to the airport. Make sure that she gets there safely, capisci?"
"Yes, boss." He says, before walking over to the car and opening the back door.
"Thank you for everything you've ever done for me." Ava tells me, with tears building up in her eyes.
I pull her in for one more hug and place a kiss on her forehead, "Be safe, okay?"
She nods her head and pulls back with a smile, before turning and getting inside of the car.
I wait and watch until the car is completely out of sight, before I go back inside and walk into the living room.
"Where were you at?" Marcus asks, as I make my way over to, Roxie.
"Marcus, do not be so nosey." Sarah scolds him, as she nudges his arm.
"Yeah!" Charlotte hits the back of his head, before turning to me. "So, where were you anyway?"
I roll my eyes and sit beside my wife, putting my arm around her and pulling her into me. She scoots closer to my side and rests her head against me.
"I don't think he's going to tell you." Ness speaks up, while typing away on her phone.
"Anyways, how long are you girls staying for?" My mom asks, getting, Sarah and Charlottes, attention.
"It really depends on, mother. She wanted to stay in a hotel while we visited so, we're not quite sure." Sarah answers, her full attention on my mom.
"In the meantime though, we could have a little fun while were here!" Charlotte announces, jumping up from the couch.
"And what kind of fun would that be?" My dad questions, causing, Charlotte, to laugh.
"You don't want to know, Uncle Ricky. Trust me." She tells him, before grabbing, Marcus's, hand and pulling him along with her.
"Where are you two going?!" Sarah calls out after them.
Charlotte and Marcus stop, before turning back to look at Sarah. Marcus puts his arm around, Charlotte, and smirks at, Sarah, "I have this limousine and your sister was kind enough to let me crash it in her garage. Do you want to come watch?"
Sarah furrows her brows in confusion, "Charlotte doesn't have a garage here, and even if she did, why would you want to crash your limousine in it? Why not just park it neatly inside so that it won't get damaged?"
Theo laughs loudly, making, Sarah, get even more confused, "Can I park my limousine neatly inside of your garage, Sarah?"
She tilts her head to the side, "My garage is in, England. Why would you want to travel all that way just to park your limousine there?"
They all start laughing again, causing my dad to roll his eyes, "Leave, Sarah, alone!"
Marcus and Charlotte, continue on their way. Their loud footsteps can be heard as they both rush up the stairs.
Sarah shakes her head, still not understanding what they meant, but ignoring it anyways.
"I gotta go, I'll be back later." Jax says, as he gets up to leave.
"Where are you going?" Ness asks him, putting her phone down on her lap.
He crosses his arms over his chest with a smirk on his face, "My girl, Brittany, wants me to go over. Is that a problem?"
Ness raises an eyebrow, no emotion showing on her face, "No, go ahead. You don't want to keep her waiting, right?"
Jax studies her for a bit, before letting out a sigh and leaving. Once he's gone, Ness, smiles to herself and goes back to texting on her phone.
"What's going on?" Kole asks, as he walks in and takes a seat on the other side of, Roxie.
Lily looks up from the floor, where she's currently doing a puzzle with, Theo. She looks at, Kole, for a few short seconds before looking back down with a sad expression.
That's when I remember and look down at, Roxie, who's busy playing with my fingers, "So, what was lily going to say to us, yesterday?"
Roxie stiffens and slowly sits up straight, before turning to me, "She was... umm, she was going to sa-"
"Don't lie to me, baby." I tell her, my tone completely serious.
She lets out a sigh before standing up and turning to, Kole, giving him an apologetic look.
What the fuck is she looking at him like that for?
"The night before, Apricot, tried to stab me..." She glances apologetically to, Kole, once more. "Kole, kissed me."
The room goes utterly silent and my whole body freezes. Not even the sound of anyone breathing is heard, as I stare at, Roxie.
After what feels like hours of me just sitting there, I stand up and pull my gun out, before aiming it at, Kole.
Yes, everyone always has to have their gun on them. I was even more strict with that rule after, Pablo, shot, Marcus.
Everyone else quickly stands up, too, and, Ness, holds her hands up as she walks closer, "Damon, what the fuck are you doing?!"
"Figlio, put your gun down." My mom calmly says, as I see her moving closer from the corner of my eye.
"Damon, Lily is standing right here, man." Theo reminds me.
"Get her out of here." I say, through gritted teeth.
"Come on, sweet girl." I hear, Sarah, tell Lily, with her gentle and sweet voice.
Once, Sarah and Lily, are out of the room, Kole speaks up, "Man, I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."
"You didn't mean to!?!" I yell, causing him to jump back. "I told you to delete those fucking thoughts from your head or I was going to do it for you, and instead, you go and kiss my fucking wife!!!?!?"
"She wasn't your wife at the time." He tries to reason, only getting me angrier.
"You're right, she wasn't my wife." I respond calmly, before shooting a bullet extremely close to his face. "Is that supposed to make it fucking okay??!?! She's mine!!"
"I'm sorry!!" He shouts back. "I'm sorry that I kissed her but I swear, it won't ever happen again!"
"I know that." I say, but before I could pull the trigger, my mom runs in front of the gun.
"Valentina!!" My dad yells, his anger rising as he rushes to her side. "What the fuck did you think you were doing?! You could have gotten shot!"
"Son, you don't want to kill him." She tells me, ignoring my dad.
I narrow my eyes at her, "Actually, yeah, I'm pretty sure I do. Now move mom, listen to dad."
"No." She argues, as she starts to get angry, too. "I will not stand by and watch you kill him. He's been like a son to me and a brother to you. You can't forget about how close the two of you were when you were teenagers. If you do this, you'll regret it."
I stay silent, thinking about what my mom just said. She's right, I probably would regret it later on if I shot and killed him. The only thing running through my mind was the fact that his fucking lips were on my wife's!
I put my gun away and walk around my mom, grabbing Kole by the collar of his shirt before punching him in his face. I land a few more hits before I throw him on the ground.
"Get the fuck out of my face!" I point my finger towards the door. "Go!! Get the fuck up and leave! I never want to see your fucking face again! If I do, I won't hesitate to shoot you in your damn face after cutting off your lips!"
My mom helps him up by his ear and drags him out of the room while mumbling, "Stupido!"
"I'm going with your mother." My dad says, before walking out, too.
I shut my eyes in an act to calm myself down but it doesn't work.
"Damon." Roxie softly says, before placing a hand on my arm.
I stand there for a few more seconds and then decide to leave. Roxie, Ness and Theo, all call out to me as I walk out of the house and get into my car. I drive as fast as I can, as soon as the car is on.
I can't be around anyone right now. I need to get away from here.
♾♾♾♾
Happy belated birthday to, Madi, who turned 19 years old on, October 2nd!!🥳🤗
I hope that you had an amazing & wonderful birthday! Thank you for reading & I also hope that you enjoy this birthday chapter! I wish you nothing but the best in your life & pray that you get everything you want & dream of! With lots of love, Author Lynn!🖤
Wish her a happy birthday!😄🎉❤️🎊
The faces you probably all made after reading this chapter.👇🏻
I'll see you guys in the next chapter but before I go, Gimme Kiss!😘