Unedited, though.
Chapter 120 ALLESIA ~~~°~~~ _A MONTH LATER_ I zipped up the last luggage and rolled it to the side, then I straightened, but it wasn't enough so I sank into a nearby seat. I didn't know what I was doing, but I had long decided I was not going to think about it for too long. Thinking had never gotten me anyway. The news of Agent Vivian Thompson's disappearance was still evergreen in my mind, burning me up with guilt that threatened to consume me whole. The fact that she went missing exactly one night after meeting me for the first time, the same night I told her about Russel spoke volumes. Nolan and I were brought in for questioning because we were one of the last people she actually had a physical meeting with before her disappearance. When the cops asked what we talked about, Nolan’s answer and the way he cut me right off surprised me. “Agent Vivian was around the vicinity, coincidentally, Allesia and I were there to check out the place for a shoot we were planning. Vivi
Chapter 121 RUSSEL ~~~°~~~ SICILY, ITALY I've never been one for relationships or emotional attachments. Natural things like sex have always been arranged, just like business—a matter of control and predictability. Maybe there were a few exceptions, but they were rare and brief. For me, sex was just another thing to dominate, another transaction to manage. But Allesia. She changed everything. When I first met her, Kegan was so convinced I wouldn’t find her appealing because she didn’t fit my usual type. Blonde hair, hazel eyes, younger than my usual preferences, clumsy yet bold, stubborn yet willing to submit. But y hose qualities unexpectedly captivated me from the start, and every day thereafter. Now, months later, here I was, unable to move on even after a month of depriving myself of her– telling myself I couldn't force it, watching her from afar, seeing how much she was enjoying her new boyfriend and the peaceful life in his apartment. But the thought of what usually
Chapter 122 ALLESIA ~~~~~~ Ignacio might have been a bad man, but he was a popular, pretentious one, and so his funeral was like a senator’s send-off. The atmosphere hung heavy with tension as everyone stood in all black around the already dug grave in the cemetery. The gathering consisted of stone-faced mafia men, mostly Italian and others from all over the world. I felt lost among them, but Nolan stood beside me in his black suit, almost blending in with the crowd except for his golden burnt curls, which made him impossible to miss, thereby leaving me painfully visible to the exposed crowd. When I spotted Russel by the priest, he was in his sharply tailored black suit, one of those ones that usually had his name specially engraved on the collar, but this time his shirt was white and untucked, the jacket also unbuttoned, adding a roguish handsomeness to him that left the breath in my throat hitching. His hair was styled for the occasion, shiny brown strands falling to his
Chapter 123 ALLESIA ~~~°~~~ “You can't just leave him here,” I hissed, snatching my hand from him grip, “This is a fucking cemetery and you just tried to kill my friend.” “Your friend,” He repeated with a scoff, “Actually, I can leave him.” “Then I'm not coming with you.” “Don't make me carry you, Allesia, get in the fucking car.” By now, Luca had driven closer and was holding the car door open for me. Russel lifted a brow, “Or I'll ask my men to finish him off and ditch him in one of these empty holes.” “Then I'll never forgive you,” I retorted. Russel's smirk was immediately replaced by a frown. He hissed and turned to Luca, “Take care of that thing,” he instructed, nodding towards Nolan's unresponsive body, “Make sure he's back to New York where he belongs by sundown.” “Right away, Boss.” Nolan conceded before handing the car keys to Russel, who flashed me a gentle smile. Russel turned to me, “Am I forgiven?” “You'll have to do more than just kidnapping me to earn that
Chapter 124 ALLESIA ~~~•~~~ Russel’s smile grew darker as he watched my reaction. He took a slow sip of his brandy, clearly enjoying my discomfort. “You see,” he began, “You may try to convince yourself that you hate me, which is very ridiculous because I didn't even do anything to merit your hatred, but your body tells a different story.” I swallowed hard, trying to regain my composure. “You’re delusional if you think I’ll let you manipulate me again.” His gaze softened for a brief moment, a flicker of something almost human passing through his eyes. “I don’t want to manipulate you. I've never manipulated you,” he leaned closer and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ears, “I’ve always given you a choice, angel,” his tone was low and sensual, “Now, you might blame me for those choices you make, but you best believe there is nothing I want more than to love and protect you.” “By kidnapping and threatening my friend?” I shot back, my voice rising with anger. “Lately, it's alway
Chapter 125 RUSSEL ~~~0~~~ For one hellish week, Allesia has kept herself perfectly tucked away from my view. She did a very good job at avoiding me, locking herself up in her room whenever I was around. Even at breakfasts and dinners, she was always the last to arrive at the table and the first to leave. For me, it was the worst torture ever, because each time I saw her, she just had a way of looking even sexier than the last. Whatever she had learned from her modeling career, it was going to be the end of me. The kind of clothes she wore these days were just enough to make a man hard by just looking at her. Just yesterday, I nearly carved the eyes out of the skull of one of my trusted men for daring to look too long and lustfully as Allesia left the table. I would have poked my fork into the guy’s eyes if Kegan wasn’t quick to catch it. But as punishment, the dude was going to be working in the underground from now on—anything to make sure he never lays his eyes on Allesia, eve
Chapter 126 RUSSEL Allesia stood there, dressed only in lingerie. Draped over her body was a fishnet loose short gown that stopped just below her butt. But that wasn’t what set me off the most. It was the muscled fellow who had his hand wrapped possessively around her waist. He was nearly naked too, except for the beach boxer shorts he wore. The setting was that of a blooming sunflower garden. Everything was set to depict a honeymoon scene, with the foolish man even going as far as whispering sweet nothings into Allesia’s ear, making her giggle and twist under the camera light as he ran his hand over all the wrong places on her body. What the fuck? Maybe letting her continue this job wasn’t the smart idea after all. God, now I was sure I would really kill somebody. I closed my eyes, slowly feeling my anger rise. My hand trailed down to the hilt of my gun, each move the guy made adding a stick of dynamite to the explosive rage building inside me. The room seemed to narrow, my visi
Chapter 127 ALLESIA ~~~0~~~~ I could feel his anger from the way he gripped the steering wheel. His eyes had gone a darker shade of green, his expression unwelcoming. As if the current speed wasn't enough, he slammed his foot into the accelerator with brutal force. The sudden roar of the engine startled me to death. The car, a Bugatti La Voiture Noire, was brand-new, and right now, it seemed as though Russel was exerting vengeance on it because he was certainly pushing it to its limits. God knows he wasn’t holding back. My heart hammered so loudly against my chest as I fought to steady my breathing, still trying to process exactly what he meant by his last sentence. Asking him anything right now would mean knocking on death's door. Maybe I have been doing that a lot lately, but I needed no telling that today, that door was about to swing open with full force. With a confused frown, I managed to look at him, but he didn't tear his eyes off the road. Right now, he was either too a