2.

Russia

The smoke of expensive cigar fogs the entire room. Even when it clogs the throats of four men, none of them dared to open their mouths in protest. The moment they entered the study of the greatest Mafia boss, they made sure to leave all rationality behind. No one comes here to open their mouth or judge the ice-cold man sitting behind the giant desk. All they have to do is bow their heads, answer what's questioned and follow the orders religiously. One mistake can cost them a bullet on the forehead within a fraction of seconds.

The four bulky men stood taunt at a good level of 6ft with their backs straight and wearing black suits. Their frosted eyes rested on the grey carpet under their feet. Sweat beads dripped from their forehead as the Godfather of the underworld, Svetozar Volkov barked orders in Russian. Even in his 50's, he is as authoritative as the first time he sat on this chair at the age of 23. His one glare can make a buff man piss his pants. The rough edge of his voice makes hearts swallow in terror. There were silver hairs lining near his ears, giving off the sign of old age. He dragged puff after puff of burning cigar once in a while in a classy way. The blues of his eyes shined wickedly as his man informed him about a recent successful drug deal.

"The Egyptians agreed over the contract of Rouble 30 million, boss. But the cops are crawling at all ports making it extremely difficult to pass our containers across the borders. Last night we were this close to losing an entire truck loaded with drugs on...." One of the men started only to get cut off by Godfather himself.

"Enough. No excuses. I don't understand why you people bring such small issues in front of me? You are wasting my time. Get the families of those bastards on gunpoint and force them to let the products cross." The Godfather of Russian Mafia spat slapping the desk with his palm making them flinch. "I want things done within 2 days. Now, leave." He yelled and they all dashed out as if their lives depended on it. Rats. He thought with a scowl and threw the used cigar in a bin before lighting another in frustration. A sharp rap on the door caught his attention.

"Come in."

The door opened slowly and Ricardo Romanoff enters. SvetozarVolkov’s right hand and most trusted man. The man was in his early 50's and even took the bullet on several occasions saving the Boss of Russian Mafia. Ricardo's eyes and throat burned as the poisonous smoke touched his senses. Holding his breath, he walks towards the balcony doors and opens them first to let the fresh air in, without acknowledging the Boss. Once done, he stood in front of Svetozar and nodded his head in greetings.

"Good evening, boss." He said politely.

"Did you find where he is?" The Mafia head barked and Ricardo shook his head negatively.

"No, sir. My men are still working on that. It seems like he has disappeared from the surface of the earth. All his mansions and penthouse have been checked thoroughly. Even the private islands are scanned, still, my men failed to locate him." Ricardo informed and Svetozar's expressions darkened.

"Then find him soon, Ricardo. My gun is desperate to kiss that son of b*tch. I can't rest knowing that he is streaming out there freely after killing my daughter. Get me Valentine Romero dead or alive before this month ends or else, I will kill you for your tardiness. Leave." Svetozar pointed coldly, staring in the silver eyes of Ricardo, who stood there unfazed except for the usual clenching of his fists. Nodding, he backed away and headed towards the door but paused remembering something.

"Boss, don't smoke too much. It will kill you before your enemies."

Then he leaves closing the door softly behind his back ignoring Svetozar's poetry, fabricated of colourful words that can shed hairs of ears.

Once Ricardo slipped out of the study, a cold mask replaced the blank one. He walked silently in hallways of the ancient mansion where generations of Volkov family had breathed. Taking the stairs, he reached the exit and saunters towards his men who were waiting to take orders.

'Come out of your cave Romero, the jackals are already out to hunt you down.'

He thought before instructing his men and after settling in black Mercedes, drove away.

***

Somewhere in Ireland.

Crystal

I inhaled the salty air of the beach and closed my eyes. The waves of Irish sea collided with my already submerged feet making me sigh and shiver. My copper hairs flew along with my white sundress with a gentle breeze coming from the South. The dark clouds made it all breath-taking, hiding the scorching sun. The temperature was 17 degrees Celcius, so it wasn't that cold. It was raining since morning, but once the drizzling stopped at the early hours of the evening, I begged Valentine to let me out. The walls of the house were suffocating me. I was losing my cool by staring at the same dull walls from the moment I opened my eyes. The area on my arm, where an IV was connected, itched. Due to weak immunity, I wasn't able to digest food so the doctors used other means to keep my body's requirements balanced. I was advised to have liquid eatables rather than solids. Valentine was outraged at first but slumped back knowing my body failing to digest, isn't in his hands. How lucky I am to have such a husband in my share. Someone is happy with me somewhere to give me such fate. Valentine has ignored work to take care of me for the past two weeks. He stayed with me all the time and tried to indulge in conversation about old memories that I don't remember. We watched many movies and I discovered how Valentine hated horror ones. He would jump every time when the female lead either screams or get attacked. It was comical to watch such a muscular man biting his nails and looking at the screen in anticipation. I feel blessed to have such a darling man beside me.

My body shuddered when another gust of air hits my face. Immediately, a warm fabric was draped around my shoulders. It was his jacket. His arms wrapped around my waist and chin rested on my shoulder.

"Let's go inside before you catch a cold."

On cue, the dark clouds in the sky thundered.

"It's about to rain, again." He declared ushering me inside while I groaned when the mansion came in view. Valentine chuckles at my reaction and cringed when tiny drops of heaven landed on earth. I love the cool feeling it left on my skin. A smile reached on my lips and I looked up at the dark sky. An unknown yet familiar feeling crossed my chest.

"I love the rain." The words escaped my lips before I could've stopped them. Valentine froze and stared at me, scanning my features thoroughly as if searching for something.

"What?" He asked coming closer and I looked at him confused before shaking my head.

"I don't know what came over me to say that. Forget it. Let's go inside." I mumbled shyly and forged towards the mansion. By the time we reached the warm cocoon of the house, our clothes were completely drenched.

Once changed in fresh clothes, we rested in the living room. He was sharing some of his childhood stories fondly. During this conversation, I discovered that Valentine has a younger sister as well. Her name is Valerie. She is literally the queen of Italy. Her fashion standards were higher than the big bang clock itself. Attitude, etiquette and good looks are the best traits of her personality. Moreover, she is a chatterbox. When Valentine was talking about his sister, I saw a light and joy in his eyes that he lacks often. No doubt, the siblings share a strong bond.

"What about your parents? How are they?" I asked hesitantly because not once in the past two weeks he has mentioned about our parents. It's quite odd.

"They died when I was thirteen, Crystal. It happened a long time ago." He said trying to suppress the disturbing emotion that rose all of sudden due to my stupid curiosity. My throat went lax and I found it hard to breathe. Shocked, my hand reached for his and I squeezed it.

"I... I am so sorry, Valentine. I didn't know. God, why am I so stupid? I am sorry for ruining your mood. Please forgive me." I whispered kneeling in front of him. He gulped as if was swallowing the pain while his eyes were shut tightly. The nerve on his forehead twitched making me gasp in worry. Was he enraged?

"It's okay, you didn't know. But Crystal, in future, never mention about our parents. Mine is dead and yours are as good as dead. Your parents never treated you well, they hated you. Even when you met the accident, they didn't show up or called to know about your well-being." He warned with still closed eyes and I nodded moving away feeling some dark aura surrounding him. Was he angry? It's difficult to read this man.

Taking deep breathes he opened his eyes with a blank face. A frown marred between his brows when noticed I was on my knees on the floor. Grabbing my shoulders, he made me sit back on the couch.

"Are you okay? I am sorry for being a jerk a few seconds ago. Let's leave it behind. Tell me, do your legs hurt?" He asked hauling my feet on his lap. I stared at his face for a few seconds and then nodded. Is it possible for a person to change in seconds? Valentine has serious issues with moods.

"Yeah, a bit. But not like earlier. I think I am recovering." I assured and he hummed as his fingers lazily massaged my feet making me jerk and curl my toes. "Valentine, please, no. It's okay. Leave it." I said trying to pry my legs away but the stubborn man held my ankle refusing to let go.

"Trust me, you need it. I want to see you running around soon." He said resuming his job while I squirmed and a giggle escaped my lips.

"No, stop that. You don't understand. I think I am ticklish there." I said blushing, trying to pull my feet away. Suddenly, he stopped his ministrations and scanned my face. Mischief crossed his features as he smiled sweetly and lunged at my feet. I squealed in a high-pitched sonnet and burst into giggles feeling his hands playing devilishly. Then for the first time, I heard him laughing. His body convulsed and cheeks turn crimson as his magical laughter echoed in the silent mansion. Butterflies flooded in my stomach and 'Oh Shit' was the only phrase that crossed my mind to describe the beauty of his masculine voice. Right at the moment, I lived forever. It's not much I know of him, but the connection I felt in this short span of two weeks is mountainous. A sweet truth. My eyes watered and I clutched my tummy laughing uncontrollably.

"STOP. Please, Valentine stop. My stomach hurts." I yelled between laughter and he backed away slowly, controlling his breathing as well.

"God, you make me so happy." He mumbled rubbing his eyes and I smiled feeling pleased. What woman doesn't want to make their partner happy? "Let's have dinner, shall we? You look like, you can pass out at any moment." He said standing up and lead me to the kitchen counter where my vegetable soup and his peasant food awaits. Valentine is a great cook. He knows everything about famous dishes. He learned this talent from his lovely head maid Lola, who is passionate about cooking herself. He learned cooking at an early age, under the influence of this lady to please his sister. He didn't want the little girl to miss their deceased mother in any way. He was like a father figure to her and took care of all her needs. This side of Valentine was precious. I will try to cherish it all my life.

He poured the soup for me in a bowl and pushed it in front of me gently. I smiled digging in, forgetting my table manners. Who cares when the entire zoo is roaring in your stomach? He also ate his meal, glancing at me once in a while. The silence between us was comfortable and turns out we enjoyed each other's company.

"You said I had a bachelor’s in engineering, right?" I asked and he hummed chewing his food properly. "So, um, could I start studying further after recovering? I will be bored like this." I asked and he smirked.

"Why? Don't you like being pampered?" He asked and I faked a gag.

"No. I want to do something that can start my frozen life again." I cried in annoyance and he chuckled.

"Okay. You may. But only if the doctor gives green flag." I nodded happily. Our moment got destroyed when his phone started ringing out of blue. Valentine exhaled in frustration and ignored it. I pursed my lips waiting for the noise to die. But not a few seconds later, it rang again.

"Why don't you take it?" I asked irritated and he shrugged carelessly. "It could be an emergency. Maybe your friends have something important to discuss." I suggested and he glared at me playfully.

"I don't like it when you sound so convincing." He grunted and took the phone before walking away for some privacy. I smiled continuing my dinner. I don't know how he makes something so boring and undesirable, so delicious. There are zero spices in it, not even salt, still, I am enjoying it. His hands are magical.

After fifteen minutes, Valentine returned back. The usual cheerfulness was gone and a serious look masked his features. He picked his half-empty plate from the counter and dumped its entire content in a bin.

"What's wrong? If you so wanted to throw it, then why didn't you give it to me? At least I would have tasted it before vomiting it out." I uttered without thinking. For a moment he stared at me like I was insane.

"We need to pack." He stated instead of replying to my senseless humour. I frowned in confusion.

"Pack what?"

"Our luggage. We are going back to Italy. The company is facing some crisis in my absence. It's urgent and needs to be taken down before we are left of nowhere." He muttered snatching the spoon from my hands and dumps the empty bowl in the sink. Holding my hand, he rushed to the bedroom and threw jeans and a white crop top in my hands.

"Change while I arrange for jet and luggage." I nodded walking towards the bathroom, not finding time to question him. He seemed in a hurry and almost wistful. God solve his problems and keep him safe from harm.

Once I was ready, I wore a brown jacket. The luggage was already packed and was resting beside our bed. I combed my hairs and braided them at the side when Valentine walked out of the closet. My jaw dropped and eyes widen in amazement and wonder. He looked like some model from top magazine covers. The navy-blue, three-piece suite looked insanely gorgeous on him. It fit him perfectly giving an outline of his muscular body. Standing beside me, he combed his hairs looking into the mirror. His tie was still hanging open. He started tying it hurriedly, messing it. I slapped his hands away and took the matters in my hands. Let's see if I could do it at all. On accord, my hands started working as it was the easiest thing I ever did.

"Wow, you. You know how to do it?" He asked impressed and I shrugged.

"How would I know? You tell me."

"You, my wife, is a genius. You know everything." He said kissing my forehead and wrapped his arms around my waist as I tied the final knot.

"All done," I said backing away but he pulled me back.

"Look, I know you are confused and many questions are swarming your mind. I swear, I will explain to you everything once we get out of here." He said sincerely and I nodded.

"Have you ever thought of contacting some modelling agencies? I think we can earn thousands over your one Photoshoot." I finished and he laughed pinching my cheek.

"Oh, you are so cute. Let's go now, the driver is waiting for us outside." Saying that he grabbed one suitcase and moved out followed by me. I scanned at the mansion one last time and smiled. I was going home, finally.