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FORTY-ONE.
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Little Bird FORTY-TWO.
I silently followed Kara out to the garden as Ace asked, drinking in my surroundings along the way and marvelling at the beauty that was being presented in front of me. I can tell the Taurine family take pride in their home, and Mrs. Taurine must spend a lot of time in the garden.As I gaze ahead, I see a woman on her hands and knees, diligently sifting through the soil with gloved hands. She wears a large hat that partially obscures her face. In my mind, I envision myself in her position, surrounded by a joyful scene of children frolicking in the yard, playfully chasing a dog.I can envision Ace standing by the fence, skilfully flipping large steaks on the grill while holding a beer in one hand. As he watches our children play, a proud and fatherly expression graces his handsome face.“Mrs. Taurine, this is Aces’… um, guest he brought along with him and asked me to bring her to you,” Kara says in a formal tone, but I can still hear a tinge of venom contaminating her voice.And jus
Little Bird FORTY-THREE.
As we rush inside the mansion, the sound of bodies being slammed against the wall and things shattering resonates through the air.“What are you all doing just standing there!” Andrea cries out, pointing to their henchmen, who haven’t moved from their post.“Mr. Taurine has ordered us not to interfere.” One of them replies, refusing to meet Andreas’ gaze.“I don’t care what my husband has said! Go in there and break them apart before one of them ends up dead!” She screams, stomping her foot on the marble floor with her hands curling into tight balls of fury at her side. “NOW!”Suddenly, all the men who were standing guard in the entry lobby take off towards the commotion that sounds like it is getting closer towards us.“I don’t give a fuck that you didn’t know who she was, Ace! You deflowered her and that can’t be undone!” A voice like thunder rains down upon us all, sending an icy chill up the fine line of my spine.Andrea and I both share a look of apprehension between ourselves be
Little Bird FORTY-FOUR.
A rush of hot air leaves my body in one quick breath, and my knees almost give out beneath me. My eyes dart from Andrea to Ace as my mind tries to digest what the fuck is going on. “Ace?” I say his name in a hushed tone. “Get your hands off me!” Ace bellows, shrugging Nathanials’ men off him. “Wh… what the fuck is going on?” I cry out, needing answers like... Now. Striding towards me, Andrea steps forward, blocking him from approaching me with Nathanials’ arms still wrapped around me. “It’s true, Little Bird. Nathanial and Andrea are your birth parents. The Black family stole you from the hospital the night you were born.” “You are lying?” I whimper. He has to be. “I will have the documents that Ismail sent me brought to you so you can read them yourself. I didn’t want to believe it myself, but the evidence was staring me in the face and I couldn’t ignore it.” The sound of flesh slapping flesh fills my ear canals as Andrea… my mother slaps Ace across the face. “You had proof,
Little Bird FORTY-FIVE.
ACE.I turn away from Amelia with my hands curling into fists, and I shove them deep into my pockets as I walk towards the door.All I want to do is bend her over Nathanials’ desk and fuck her until all that she remembers is my name. I don’t want to leave her here.Damn it, I’m kicking myself for bringing her here.What the fuck was I expecting?I knew Nathanial would never let me leave his empire with Amelia once he found out who she was.As a father myself, I can respect that.But fuck me, it doesn’t mean I have to like his decision.“Ace…” Her soft voice strikes me across the chest, slicing away at my heart.I press my head against the cracked door, feeding off the cool timber to soothe the ache growing in my chest. When I said I didn’t love her, I meant it. But now that I am being forced to leave her behind and pretend that the little amount of time we spent together meant nothing to me, I was wrong and I realise I love her.And even though I am leaving without her today, I will
Little Bird FORTY-SIX.
ACE.“I asked you a fucking question. Have you thought about fucking my baby girl from the night you fuckers stole her from us?” Nathanial bellows.His emotions of rage, torment and disgust are valid. Flynn claws at my calf, gasping to fill his lungs with air, his eyes ready to burst out of their sockets.I release the pressure of my combat boot from his neck. He spits a mouthful of blood on the leg of my Armani pants, and I let out an irritated groan, pressing my foot down on his throat with my body weight behind it.Nathanial runs the tip of his tongue across his upper teeth and rubs his hands together. “I will ask you one more time. Did you think about fuck-” His voice trails off as gunshots ring out to our right.Holden is firing some asshole’s brains out, splattering the concrete with blood. He tosses me a menacing smirk as he wipes the droplets of blood from his forehead and nose.“These clowns don’t deserve to see the light of day,” Holden grunts.Nathanial and I look at one a
Little Bird FORTY-SEVEN.
My mother takes my hand and leads me down the stairs to what appears to be their basement. When we reach the bottom step, my jaw drops as my eyes take in the scenery of the room. My heart will be the death of me if it doesn’t learn how to slow down. The walls are covered in black foam. In the corner of the room is a trolley with surgical tools neatly laid out on top; in the other corner, there is a makeshift cell with iron rods embedded into the ceiling and floor. Unable to take it all in before bile rises from my stomach, I turn and look at my mother, who is staring back at me. “Is this the Taurine Family’s torture room?” I ask her with apprehension lining my voice. “Yes.” My mother replies without hesitation, turning her head to look in front of her. “I don’t want to be here. I’m not a killer.” I blurt out, willing my feet to turn and run up the stairs. Unfortunately, I find myself rooted to the spot when one of my father's men drags a very flustered-looking Olivia through a h
Little Bird FORTY-EIGHT.
TWO DAYS LATER: ACE. “So, it is true? The Taurine princess has returned home?” Wicked asks as he enters my office with a glass of bourbon in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Hiding the stunned expression on my face, I rub my hand over my brow, “When did you get in?” I wasn’t expecting him to arrive until the end of the week and now that he is here in the flesh, I will have to put my plan in motion by getting him in a room with Eleni Drakos. I’ve considered Holdens’ suggestion and with the little amount of time I have before the wedding is to take place, I need Juan Lopez gone; out of the picture. Closing my laptop, I lean back in my chair as I remove my reading glasses and place them next to the laptop. I drum my fingers against the desktop as I watch him take a seat in the chair in front of me, looking like he hasn't had any sleep for the past couple of days. “It’s true. Amelia Taurine has returned, and she is with your Aunt Andrea and Uncle Taurine, settling in.” I reply
Little Bird FORTY-NINE.
I look at my reflection in the mirror and I don’t like what I see.I can’t believe I allowed my mother to drag me to the bridal boutique, three hours out of the city.Everything is starting to feel a little too real, and on the inside, I am silently dying from a panic attack.Tonight is the night that I am to meet my future groom. My mother keeps telling me how handsome Wicked is and how much he resembles Ace. Even if my mother is speaking the truth, Wicked isn’t Ace.And my soul will continuously mourn for him every day that we are apart.I have thought about running away many times when the opportunity has shown itself, but every time I look into my mother’s kind eyes, I just can’t.If I willingly run away, I know it will break her. I have heard the house staff chattering in the kitchen about my mother being bedridden for many years because she used pain medication to pass the time.Today marks eight years of sobriety for her, and I don’t want to be the reason for her relapsing. I’v
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