~Xavier~
Gianna and Levi were very much delighted to have their daughter back. From my vantage point, I can see Zia trying to look past the secrets her parents kept from her. She wanted to reconnect with them. That’s why she didn’t want a grand celebration for her birthday, even though I insisted. All she asked was to have an intimate and simple dinner with our families.
I’ll support her in what she wants to do. Anything for her, honestly. I’d give her the world if I can because she’s everything I ever wanted. Someone I thought I could never have her.
Lounging on the ratan couch by the balcony, Zia’s feet rested on top of my lap while she sipped her tea, browsing through her phone to meet her friends later at club Cielo while I’ll be in a meeting with dad and Levi.
I
Thank you for voting! X and Zia are at # 20 on New Book Gems Ranking. That’s such a huge leap. Enjoy your weekend everyone.
~Zia~ Dinner with my family and the Lucianos was intimate and heartwarming, just what I hoped for. Mom prepared a feast of my favorite dishes, which I told her not to bother doing, but I guess it’s better than having a party. The reason I didn’t want a huge celebration for my birthday is the mafia. I don’t want to dine and mingle with people who only see me as the American mafia don’s daughter. The people around this table are who matter - less Calvin. I don’t bother asking where he is, but I’m worried about him. He might be an ass to me with the way things ended between us, but he never does this, leaving without telling where he’d come back, not even with Francine. ~~ “It’s a nice gift,” Xavier entered my walk-in close
~Xavier~ Before going into the field, all members of the mafia undergo a series of training. Not only to prepare our body from the brutal reality of this lifestyle and our mental ability to cope with every situation. Omertà is an oath of loyalty and silence. We all swore to die instead of betraying la Famiglia. Zia, however, didn’t receive that amount of training to strengthen her endurance in these circumstances. She doesn’t know a single thing about how the mafia works apart from the basic things I told her - mostly rankings and our businesses - nothing our enemies didn’t know before. Zia held permanent residency in my mind, but I shudder at picturing her right now. She’s all alone, uncertain of her tomorrow. Thoughts of all bile things her abductor might do to her crossed my mind. People in the underworld are
~Xavier~ Calvin let out a menacing chuckle, shaking his head. “Isn’t it enough that you stole Zia from me? And now you’re accusing me of plotting against the family? How low can you get, Xavier?” I scoffed. “Don’t give me that innocent act, brother. We both know I stole no one and nothing from you.” “I made a mistake, but we could’ve worked something out if you said no to marrying her,” he spat. “You just can’t accept that she loves me more than you.” I glared at him, amazed by how confident he was about Zia’s feelings for him. “She never loved you. The moment you agreed to marry Nadia, you lost your chance with her. And now you want to kill me?” he scoffed. “Are you that scared that she’d leave you?”
~Zia~ There’s this bellowing echo inside my head, locking gaze with Ashley’s almond eyes. I should’ve trusted my gut feel. A snake will change skin, but it’ll remain a withering reptile. “Is that Lorenzo?” I asked, scared for the child that hadn’t stopped crying since I opened my eyes. There’s nothing around that could indicate the time or place where she’d taken me. All I know is its daylight outside, coming from the small window twice my height up on the wall behind me. The clothes I have had since Club Cielo are still cloaking my body, but doing so little against the concrete ground where I’m seated. Ashley smirked, reaching into her jacket pocket for a pack of cigarettes, lighting one as if counting her movements. It’s like I’m staring into her other self. This w
~Zia~I’d like to believe his words. There’s a part of me that wishes he was speaking nothing but the truth, but I know better. This man cheated on me with the bitch that’s holding me captive.He reached out to me, setting his wrist on my forehead since he’s wearing gloves. His eyes widened when I flinched at his touch, forehead creasing.“You’re fucking burning, Zia,” he announced, setting his phone down and dropping the backpack I didn’t notice he brought with him, producing a bottle of water from it.Calvin twisted the cap and handed it to me. I gladly reached for it, seeing that he opened it in front of me. There are other ways that this could be a trick, but I badly needed fluids to help me regain some sense in my surr
~Zia~ I turned to face Calvin only to see two of him smiling sweetly at me. “T-the fuck, C-cal?” I slurred, my world spinning, the butt warmer I’m sitting on… no, the entire car was reeling. The asshole smirked. “I told you we’ll go to the port, my love. Now sleep,” he said, his voice bouncing off from all directions. I fought the effect of whatever he injected me with, but it was no use. My body accepted what he gave me, doing what it was told. My eyes drifted close. I’m hardly aware of my surroundings as the car swiveled on the road. The tire wailed as it screeched. My head slammed on the window, making me grunt. I’m not sure if it was just my imagination. Even the warm li
~Zia~“I-I don’t understand, Xavier,” I said, sniffling. The swollen sensation around my eyes has been constant since my time in captivity.When Ashley held me captive, I knew my goal was to escape, to get home to him. Now, however, I have no direction where I want to be. I’m lost, unsure of what to believe. The pull to either run or stay where I am is tearing me apart.“Zia,” Xavier cupped my face, his green eyes and warm touch, which I longed to see and feel all those cold nights in the dark cell were within my reach, but what if this was another trick? I don’t know how to decipher the lies from the truth anymore.‘He’s here,’ I told myself. ‘I should focus on him and hear his explanation and not let pan
~Xavier~ Immense relief. As though one boulder weighing my shoulder rolled off, leaving me with less weight dragging me down. That’s how I can put in wording what I’m feeling with Zia’s reaction to everything that happened. What I said was true. I’m willing to wait a lifetime for her forgiveness. Now I have to find where my traitor brother and his girlfriend went. He thought he had us fooled with all those big talks of saving Zia. It was a risk I had to take in ensuring Zia’s safety; I needed Nadia and Tiago’s help, though. Calvin pushed me to pull out a trump card Levi, and I have been keeping for years. Zia wanted to go home. The part that she considered the Seattle penthouse as her home kindled my hope that we could work things out.