3

|Alessio's POV|

"Hey, How are you?" I was speaking with Lea over the phone. After she gave birth to her daughter, Eliza, both her and Enzo decided to go on a vacation along with their children.

"I'm living the life I've always wanted!" Lea replied, excitement filled in her voice. I was happy for her. At least she got the happy ending she deserved along with Enzo.

"I'm glad" I replied, taking a sip of my beer. Just then my phone beeped with a message.

I read it and felt my blood run cold. It's not the right fucking time for that right now. Damn it!

"I'll call you later. Something came up that requires my immediate attention."

"Okay. Take care, love you!" She then disconnected the call. I then grabbed my jacket and left my house instantly.

**

"It's been six fucking years, Scott." I stared at the man in front of me.

Cedric Schott.

Remember him? The bastard that annoyed the crap out of me.

"Six years and you still don't know how to pronounce my name. It's Schott not Scott." He corrected, annoyed.

"I thought you were dead" I mumbled to which he rolled his eyes, "Correction, You wished I was dead."

Indeed.

"What do you want this time?" I took a seat on a chair across him. I remember being in this office exactly six years ago. I was seventeen. Now I'm twenty two, soon-to-be twenty three.

"Remember the man I asked you to kill? Rafael?" He asked to which I nodded. Of course I remembered him. The leader of the Mexican Mafia.

"I need you to kill someone else for me. Someone related to him." He said, perking up my interest, "Who?"

He was silent for a while before replying, "His daughter. Thea Gonzalez."

"And why would I do that?" I needed a reason.

"She's looking for me. She wants to kill me..." Cedric responded.

"I don't see the problem."

"and you as well." He added making me frown, "Why me?"

"Because she knows that The Shadow killed her dad.. From what I

know, she was pretty close with her dad, well obviously she would be, he's her dad... so she wants to avenge him." Cedric replied before asking, "So, you might want to kill her." He then handed me a file which I took.

I opened it and my eyes fell on a familiar stunning woman. She was simply just beautiful. My definition of perfection. I shrugged these thoughts away and concentrated on the informations about her. Her name's Thea Gonzalez, she's only twenty one. She's the adopted daughter of Rafael. She's not Mexican but American. Her adopted mother's died a year after she was taken in, she's been raised by Rafael alone until I killed him then she was taken in by her uncle.

Nice.

"Will you do the job?" Cedric asked, placing his hands on the table.

I hummed in response, "I will. She'll be dead by next week."

"Good" He nodded, "Remember, kill her as The Shadow not as Alessio Romano unless you want to get in a Fucking war with the Mexican Mafia."

"Chill. I know what to do." I replied, standing up, "I'll take your leave now. Have a bad day." Then I left, slamming the door shut on my way out.

Thea Gonzalez.

I'm coming for you.

**

MEANWHILE

|Thea's POV|

"Have you found out who The Shadow is?" My uncle asked in his usual emotionless voice.

I shook my head in response. "No,  I haven't but I've been trying." My voice also came out emotionless.

There was no way I was going to tell him his name. Knowing my uncle, he would send his men to kill his entire family and I wouldn't want that. It's only Alessio who I wanted dead not his family.

"May I know why you're lying to me?" He asked but I kept a straight face, showing him that I wasn't lying. "I'm not."

"Here you are, lying again." He stated, standing up from his seat and walking towards me. We were in his office. I made no attempt to move, I stayed still.

He stood right of front of me, his hand gripping my hair, pulling it so tight that my head was bent backward, forcing me to look at him.

"Tell. Me. His. Name." He ordered, tightening his grip.

"I don't know." I hissed, "If I knew, I would have told you!"

"No you wouldn't" he clicked his tongue and smirked, "Need a little bit of torture, hm? Either his name or torture. Which one will it be?"

His name was at the tip of falling from my mouth but I held it. There"s no fucking way I was going to endanger the life of innocents. I stayed quiet. He then groaned in frustration before dragging me, by my hair, all the way down the basement.

I could kill him and run away but I won't. It was either I follow his orders and become his puppet or my grandmother's life. I couldn't kill him. He ordered his men that if I ever kill him, they would shoot my grandmother dead. I could not even take her and run away since I had nothing; no money, no house, no job, literally nothing.

I fucking hate him.

I struggled as he chained me up. I had chains around my neck, wrists and even my ankles. After around three hours of endless pain and torture, he finally got tired and left me there, chained, in the basement with blood gushing out of me.

Minutes later, a man came down and unchained me. He sent me an apologetic look before walking away.

I didn't need his fucking pity.

I went to my room, stitched and cleaned my wounds before taking a bath. Then I welcomed sleep.

**

I concealed my bruises and my dark circles I got because of the nightmares. I couldn't sleep like always.

I then slid on my jacket and boots before leaving the house. I was going to meet my grandmother, Jennifer. She's actually my adopted mother's mother. She has always been welcoming to me and treated me like her own granddaughter even though I was not.

I stood in front of the small yet beautiful house in front of me. I knocked on the door and it flew open, revealing my grandmother.

"Thea" she grinned, engulfing me in a bone crushing hug which I instantly returned. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too. Sorry, I was busy with...work." I replied, shooting her an apologetic look as she closed the door, held my hand and dragged me inside. I sat on the couch while she made tea for both of us.

"It's quite alright. I understand, sweetheart." She replied, smiling. I smiled back, "So, how are you doing?"

"As you can see, I'm extremely good." She responded with a huge grin, "What about you, darling, how are you? How's your uncle treating you?"

I shrugged, "The usual" she was the only person who knew how uncle treated me yet she couldn't do anything. Besides, I specifically told her not to. If she tried to help me in any way, he would most likely kill her and I didn't want to lose the one person who actually love and care for me. And, she did not know why I was not running away.

My phone then beeped with a message from the man who adopted me, my supposed to be uncle, the enlarged Asshole.

Asshole : Find a man named Carter Lopez and kill him. If he isn't dead by five, a woman named Jennifer Reed will be.

I didn't even bother to reply nor ask any questions.

"What happened?"

"Nothing" I replied, "It's a friend. She wants me to meet her tomorro—" I was cut off by the sound of a gunshot and glass breaking.

My grandmother screamed in fear, not knowing what was happening. I instantly rushed over to her and took her into the basement, "Stay here, don't move."

She nodded at me while I remove my gun and loaded it before going back upstairs. The door flew open, revealing six men in black suits, heavily armed. I scanned their skin in search for any tattoos and felt my heart skip a beat when I saw a tattoo on their wrists.

A fucking Dragon. It was the Russian Mafia.

I aimed my gun at one of the men and shot him right in the head. Then it all started. Guns were fired, two men were dead until I heard a scream, those of my grandmother's. I snapped my head towards the scream only to see someone having my grandmother by a gun to her head.

"Drop your gun and oldie lives." The man who had a gun pressed to her head spoke. To say he was handsome would be an understatement. The other men kept quiet while he spoke. He was giving off a powerful aura, indicating that he was the boss.

That was Alessio Romano.