Anaya The previous two weeks have been the busiest of my life. I have no idea how, but in less than a fortnight, my father was able to plan an engagement party for Nicolas and me. That is tomorrow. The man has crazy skills, well, his party planners have crazy skills. They have inundated us with fittings, guest lists, meal menus, and engagement rings ever since my father revealed mine and Nicolas’s engagement. Sometimes I lose sight of the fact that this is only an engagement party and not a wedding. I shudder at the thought of my father’s excitement at my wedding. In the Mafia world, my father informed me, there has been a commotion about the homecoming of his daughter. My father was glad to confirm the news when people who couldn’t attend the gala contacted him. The engagement, on the other hand, had a different outcome, since many people are concerned about two of the most powerful Mafia families joining forces. According to my father, both criminal organizations and government or

Anaya I grinned inwardly, thinking about the tense showdown I had with one of Nicolas’s men. I am not a snide person, but his condescending comments made me want to shut him up. So rather than yell and make a scene, I did what I do best and offered him a smile and a sarcastic response. I sighed when I couldn’t find Cia after scouring the entire hall. Where is she? An eerie whisper brought my attention to a secluded balcony. My eyes widened as I approached the balcony and noticed Cia with none other than Noah. They were both involved in a heated debate, completely ignorant of my presence. “No. Why don’t you understand?” she whispered at the intimidated-looking Mafia boss. Hurt flashed in his eyes. “And why not?” he asked. Although I was curious about what they were discussing, I did not want to eavesdrop on their private conversation. “Ahem,” I cleared my throat. Both their heads snapped in my direction and Cia’s face turned pale. Although Mr. Ivankov was just as surprised, he imme

Anaya I hurried to my room, holding my head down. I could feel Marco and another bodyguard following me inside. They always keep watch outside the mansion, but Nicolas gave them orders to keep watch outside my room if my father wasn’t home. “Mam,” one of the guards said as he knocked on my door. “We are standing outside the room. Please inform us if you need anything.” I nodded. “Okay. Could you kindly ensure that no one bothers me? I need to rest.” I massaged my brow, attempting to show them I was suffering from a headache. “Yes mam,” he replied. I slammed the door shut and sank to the ground. Everything came crashing down on me like a tonne of bricks. Everyone lies to me. My adoptive parents, my biological father, my soon-to-be husband, and even my best friend. They have all deceived me in every manner imaginable. I am such an idiot to believe anything everyone says. I chuckled humorlessly, remembering the day Nicolas told me I was too naïve, and I sassed him. When I reflect on

Anaya When I attempted to get comfortable on my hard bed, my body ached. A hard bed? But, my bed was soft and fluffy, why did I have the impression that I was sleeping on the floor? I rolled onto my back and let out a hiss. My entire body is screaming in anguish. I gradually opened my eyes and made an effort to adjust to the darkness. It was grim here. Only the light from the aperture at the bottom of the door was visible to me. I made a hesitant attempt to stand up, but something was hindering me. When I looked to my left, I noticed that my wrists were cuffed. When I noticed that my other hand and my legs were in the same situation, I became even more perplexed. After a brief pause, the events of yesterday suddenly hit me in the face. That man, he, he kidnapped me. I jumped awake but grumbled because my body hurt. I vaguely recall him seated on the couch when I woke up from my nap. I tried to escape but soon found myself encircled by men. I understood that yelling for assistance wo

Nicolas My men have reported the whereabouts of the building where we pinged Cole. They designed the building to seem like an industrial structure. It was swarming with armed personnel and a few vehicles moving back and forth. I don’t know how, but Adrain has already hacked their system, and he bugged the cameras. We were about ten minutes away from the place. Something in me wanted to fucking fly there. We arrived much later than we expected since we were attempting to escape notice, and the deteriorating roads did not help. Ganny just called to tell me that someone had been observed walking into the building. As we were a few meters from the building, we got out of the car and strapped our weapons. Our guns were all fitted with silencers, so they could hear no noise. I loaded all five of my weapons and placed them in their places, keeping extra ammunition in my pocket. Darkness enveloped us as it was late at night, making it difficult to navigate, but we had to push through. My g