[ANASTASIA’S POINT OF VIEW] I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked pretty. I was wearing a vibrant red dress made of lightweight fabric that featured an intricate pattern of swirls and flowers that cascade down my body. My hair was pulled back into a neat bun, with several strands framing my face. My makeup was subtle yet striking; dark eyeliner accentuated my eyes while rosey blush brought out the flush on my cheeks and a hint of lipstick. I felt pretty. I never thought I would be following Enzo to a party, talk more of a gala party. It was like having those dreams while awake but this was real and I wasn’t daydreaming. I was going to a gala party with the Mezzealmas. “Are you ready, doll?” I turned around as Enzo walked into the closest and my jaw dropped at the sight. His clothing was almost casual but fashionable. He was wearing a smooth, black sleek leather jacket that was paired with dark trousers and black shoes. His face was partially visible, showing off his strong
(Anastasia's Point of View) It took me 3 minutes to find the restroom, but the door to the female restroom was blocked by a man in a suit who appeared to be banging on the door and had stopped. Sensing a presence, he turned, and the rage in his eyes caused me to come to a complete stop. There was blood on his lip, which he wiped away with the pad of his thumb before smirking and scanning me with his ignited eyes. "Great!” He snarled at me, "A pretty one!" I turned around, unsure if he was speaking to me, but there was no one behind me. I was startled to see him approaching me with raptorial steps, causing me to take a cowering step away from him, causing him to smirk in satisfaction. "D-o I know you, sir?" I was certain I had never met this man in this lifetime before, so perhaps it was someone I'd disgruntled in a previous existence. "Don't worry, darling, we have plenty of time to get to know each other." And that was the warning sign I needed. I turned right away, intending t
(Anastasia's Point of View)I regret not listening to Khione's advice to stay in the closet.I spent twenty minutes in the closet.20 minutes of unrelenting torture consisting of the constant sound of gunshots and the cries and screams of people as they either died or fled for their lives. But then, the cries and gunfire abruptly stopped after 2 minutes. Curiously, I peeked my head out of the closet and nearly vomited at the number of bodies on the floor, soaked in their blood while their eyes were wide and they stared into nothing.They were all dead!I clapped my hand over my mouth, fighting the urge to gag as I stepped out of the closet, tiptoeing to avoid stepping on the blood.I walked as quietly as I could, letting my legs move without a sense of direction. The building was so quiet, almost too quiet, that I felt like I was the only living soul. Did this mean the Mezzesalmas were also dead or had they escaped and left me here? I gulped as my mind raced with ideas.Did Enzo fo
[Anasatsia’s Point Of View] I peered at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, the vivid red line on my neck was blood-curdling. It had only been a day, but it was already fierce as fuck; it seemed as though it had no intention of leaving any time soon as I stared at it in dread. I sighed, took a moment to look away from the mirror, and when I stared back I was met with the fierce, noxious red eyes of Enzo staring back at me with his hand firmly around my neck. I gasped and the image cleared but I felt like my breaths had been knocked out, inhaling and exhaling like I had galloped for an hour. I rested my head over my chest and aimed to steady my breathing. When was this vision going to fade out? And how long was I going to withstand it? His eyes were not blue; they were bloodshot and filled with animosity and looked like they wanted the entire world to bleed while they grazed it on. He looked insane. Enzo was crazy and he nearly killed me! The thought made me quaver. The rest
(ANASTASIA'S POINT OF VIEW)A few days passed and the awful near-death experience was put behind me or I tried to sleep without letting a glimpse of those malignant eyes gawking back at me. I stepped into the training room and instantly my eyes dropped anchor on Enzo at the corner of the room, with boxing gloves and punching a bag, wearing nothing but a pair of pants while his upper body was naked.I halted and with a tilt of my head, I watched him, drinking him in. I watched the way his muscles flexed with each powerful hit of the bag. I watched the way sweat trickled down the inks on his back and arm like water. Delicious.I tilted my head to the other side and watched the straight v-line that went straight to his pants. He looked mouth-watering, I could barely look away.Suddenly he stopped and turned to face me. I flinched and straightened my head and nervously ran my fingers through my hair. He smirked and began taking off his boxing gloves, putting them away. "Come here, Doll
[ANASTASIA’S POINT OF VIEW]It was a Saturday. And the sun was blazing up in the sky, liberated, but I should have known that the last part of my day wouldn't be so brilliant. The day, too, gave way to the night. Except for the soldiers that waited at almost every corner one turned with their hawk-like eyes, the mansion seemed deserted. I ignored them as I made my way to the bottom floor, continuing straight until I strolled into an open pool. I realized I'd never gone to this side of the mansion before. The pool is surrounded by grey, brown, and black walls and flooring with a blue accent hue. There was a white pole in the center that stood out against the dark surface. On the other side of the room, there was a window with a houseplant placed in front of it for decoration and there were chairs around the edge of the pool as well as other furniture pieces scattered throughout the area. It was stunning. I went to the pool's edge, the desire to jump in was as high as a fan as the
(Anastasia's Point of View)I didn't even need to look in the mirror to know that I was incredibly pale because I still felt like I was under water, helplessly drowning.My lips trembled and my fingers twitched as I brought my knees to my chest. It has been an hour since I was saved, and even though I was wearing Enzo's thick sweater, my body was still trembling, and the gentle breeze that was peeping in through the glass windows was also not doing any good, but I was too weak to get out of bed and slam the windows shut.However, I realized I wasn't trembling because of the cold; it was the second near-death experience. Rue.That bitch! She must have known I knew nothing about swimming. She was out to get me! I firmly bit my bottom lip as I realized how cruel she was, but if she thought this sh*t was over, she was in for another surprise. I was going to exact my revenge on her and damn the consequences if Enzo found out about my plans; We would both pay the price because nobody stab
(Anastasia's Point of View)I should have known there were repercussions for every action, but I am to blame for this. I experienced the worst kind of cruelty in life. I was just a victim, but nobody cared that I had no other options, and neither were they listening.I knelt there in front of the Mezzelsalmas like some common criminal, hands bound behind my back and head bowed, covered in the blood of the man I would just kill.I was being evaluated, and my fate was being decided. All of them, minus Enzo, were present.He would come to my rescue like he always did, right?"Lift your head," came the order I could not ignore, and I slowly lifted my head.They looked at me as though I were the world's most difficult puzzle, one that they were desperately attempting to crack. I studied each person's face in turn.Galileo watched me with one leg crossed over the other and a smirk on his lips and an odious gleam in his eyes. Giovanni also flaunted the same luminesce in his eyes that scream