Luciano's POV "Here it is," Obinna said and turned the laptop to me. It was the blueprint of the house he kept Amara in. The building looked familiar and I struggled to remember where I had seen it. As I kept looking at it, I was able to connect the dots and I remembered that it was the house that we both had gone to inspect some years back. He told me that he didn't like the house which discouraged me from buying as well. "I should have bought this house when I had the chance," I whispered in regret. "What are you talking about?" Obinna asked and I shook my head. I had learnt to be positive about everything besides, having regrets wouldn't change anything. Rather, it will stop me from thinking of the next thing to do. "Dante, Gabriel" I called and they came closer. We were all at the court, making plans though it was late and I was supposed to be resting after attending Gio's prom night. But Obinna's discovery energized us thereby keep
Luciano's POV Another evening had come, as we had planned to attack Dee today and take back Amara from him. I tried to visualize how surprised he would be when we raid his house. His men were strong but not as strong as mine and knowing how badly they were treated, they wouldn't hesitate if I threw some cash at them and asked them to work for me. "Do you really have to lock us in?" Gio asked, wearing a deep frown. "Yes I have to. I've already lost Amara because I didn't watch over her so I won't allow the same thing to happen to you," I explained to them while we were in the panic room. Shuri scowled. It was obvious that she still had a lot of forgiving to do. "She ran away on her own, Luciano and you can trust us not to do the same," Shuri said to convince me but it didn't work. "There's food in the fridge and your phones can keep you company as well. But don't forget to turn off your location. I don't want any of Dee or Massimo's men to track you while I'm away," I warned and
Amara's POV Gunshots rang out, breaking the unbearable silence hovering in the room that I was caged in. The dates and almonds I had taken still kept me in a daze, but I was glad that Dee had remnants of humanity left to take care of my allergy. I wondered what the shooting was all about. But I didn't have time to ponder on it for so long as I reminded myself that I had to escape. Dee and his men were already occupied with the shootout and if there was a chance I had to escape, it was now. For a split second, I hoped that the tumult was caused by Luciano. I wished to see him again, not minding if he was a monster. Weeks without him had driven me crazy even when I denied it, and discovering that he wasn't involved in my parents death made me want him more than ever. I laid flat on my stomach and clutched tightly to my protruding belly. My uncoordinated actions weren't enough to protect my child but it erased the guilt of me not doing anything at all. I cast a glance
Amara's POV The gunshots rang out again and I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness. The pain gnawed at my back and there was nothing I could do to make it stop. "Stay with me," Luciano said jerking me slowly. "Luciano," I drawled and another body dropped dead beside me while he shielded me with his body. Finally, darkness washed over me clogging my ability to hear anything. My eyes jerked open as the car swerved quickly to avoid another car that almost bumped into it. Luciano cast a glance at me like he knew that I was awake. Everything felt surreal, including having Luciano near me. He kissed my forehead and my eyelids became heavy as I let sleep claim me. I didn't know how long I passed out, but I knew that I was unconscious for a while. "How do you feel?" He asked, massaging my scalp which soothed the headache that threatened to rip my head apart. "I.. can't.. say," I stuttered and locked my gaze on him. "Be strong for me, Amara. I've already lost you before and losi
Amara's POV I was so sure that I had been injected with morphine because I still felt groggy even though I had been out for a long time. My eyes darted around the room and I realized that it was Luciano's room. Luciano sat beside me with his hands entwined in mine. My tired state didn't stop my belly from fluttering from the effect of his touch. I didn't want to believe that he still had such an effect on me and I couldn't deny that my body wanted more from him at that moment. "How do you feel?" He asked with a kind voice that I hadn't heard in months. "I can't say. My arm hurts and I feel like throwing up," I explained and his gaze lingered on my stomach. He looked tired himself with black patches forming under his eyes. And I was happy that he found me though I felt incredibly guilty. I had run away for the wrong reason and I couldn't face him anymore. Tears began to roll down my cheeks and I made no attempt in stopping it. He brought his hands close to my cheeks and wiped off
Luciano's POV The room was extremely quiet, for which I was grateful. Amara had kept me on edge with her suicidal talks. She didn't feel excited to be back to me which made me wonder why it was so. I knew she loved me but a lot of things had happened between her and Dee. I was supposed to be repulsed by her, instead, I was drawn to her more than ever and wanted to protect her from any predator at all cause. My mind flashed back to the moment Amara was shot. I was still sad that Dee was shot even though he had been a pain in my neck. The moment he held Amara's neck and threatened to kill her, I knew that my brother had gotten more vulnerable than ever. And it was also surprising that Jordan put a bullet through him. They loved each other and it was surprising that Jordan would betray someone he loved so much. I strolled towards the wallpaper that covered the door to the secret room and stared at the patterns distractedly. "Isn't it for the best that I marry Amara? At least she w
Luciano's POV Zino Alonso was kept in another room in my mansion. I didn't trust him to be treated outside my watch. I was still trying to come to terms with the fact that the man I had buried was still alive. Another surprising fact was that Dee kidnapped him. Father had really underestimated Dee's ability. He was smart but he lacked the brutality that was needed to operate in our world. My gaze lingered on the man who called himself my father and my mind was flooded with several memories of how he treated my brother and I. Dee always thought that our father loved me more than him, what he didn't know was that our father was a sadistic bastard who only cared about his ego and business. He gave me several dirty tasks and if I failed any of them, he'd make sure I was tortured till I became unconscious. I remembered a day when he gave me the worst punishment of my life than toughened me. That afternoon, he called me into his office. He was on edge for reasons I couldn't fathom and
Luciano's POV Sleep eluded me as I tossed restlessly on the bed. It was impossible for me to sleep with the thoughts that burdened my mind. My life was a wreck and so was the fate of my family. I sighed and got up from the bed and headed for the window to feed my eyes with the buildings that were lit up with lights. The street was quiet but it did nothing to calm me. I'd made a mistake by not listening to Obinna. He was right when he suggested that I take Shuri and Amara out of the house. Nowhere was safe anymore, not even my own house. Everyday, people did things to remind me that I should always have eyes everywhere or I'd die like a piece of shit. Massimo's face popped in my head as I thought of what to do to him. Though he had caused a lot of problems and unrest in my family, I took a bigger portion of the blame. Because of me my mother was killed and my father was kidnapped for several years. Alita killed herself because I'd turned into a monste