Not Colt

ARIEL

"Ariel. My study. Now." My father said the moment we stopped into the house. With a palpitating heart, I followed him up the stairs. I already knew I was doomed the moment I walked out of the party hall and gave Delano a last crazy look. I already hated him, even without seeing his complete face. I made a mental note to give him a more thorough background check to see if his face would pull up on any of the media or anywhere at all. Just to give me an idea of who he was, an ugly guy hiding under a mask.

Even as the door closed behind me after walking into the dark study, thoughts of Delano still folded my head. The way his arm tightened around my waist when I looked into his eyes and stabbed him the knife. I still remember that eyes vividly. He didn't look shock, didn't look mad. He looked impressed..... looked at me like...I was something interesting. Something he'd want to check out. A shudder filled my body instantly. He was a crazy psycho. Holding the knife like that and his eyes staring at me that way. The words he spoke afterwards.

*Push it in, Kitten. You haven't stabbed me deep yet.* He smirked.

Gosh. I shook my head out of my thoughts.

"Why did that mistake happen?" My father had been silent throughout my thoughts, but he suddenly turned towards me now.

"I thought I could-"

"Handle it?" His brows notched up a bit and I knew he was really angry with the scowl drawing on his features. "You always think you can handle everything!"

"That's your problem, Ariel. Thinking you are perfect when you are not. When you are not, a single bit!"

"I am doing every single thing I can!" I tried to say.

"This is your worst performance ever!" He cut me short with another sentence and my mouth clamped shut. Heat flooded my body, my temperature going crazily up.

My emotions were heightened but I didn't even know what exactly I was feeling. Hate? Anger? It was just a mixture of bottled up feelings that had started from the party. I didn't know what to do about it right now and I... couldn't even do anything here.

"I told you to let Colt do this if it didn't work. Or even any of the other members, they would have done a better job than you did. But I trusted you, handing over such an important job to you and you what? You flopped it."

I was tired of making excuses but I knew my father could and he 'knew beforehand' that Delano was Delano for a reason. I guess I was the only one who didn't see that clearly or maybe I didn't take it into consideration being so high up in my head.

"I'm...." The words hooked in my throat, "I'm....sorry, father." I gulped down the tightness I felt. I didn't usually apologize to anyone. I had no reason to.

"D'Leonardo thinks he is smart. Trying to strike a deal with the port." My father sounded pissed. I raised my head lightly.

"The port?"

"He wanted to take over the port and use it to start shipping in goods."

"Wasn't that what you wanted Delano dead for?"

"He didn't know. He didn't bother to ask. The old man doesn't know his son had started testing big waters. That's why Delano is called the Viper. Old D'Leonardo knows that and he is trying to keep his son under his radar. If only he knew it was impossible. We tried to get rid of him when he is still a pest, but with this, I think we've given Delano more reason to fully flex his wings."

"He wouldn't do that because of the Mafian."

"Do you think Delano gives a fvck!?" My father's scrunched up at my speech. He looked at me like I was stupid. "If Delano decides to start a Mafian today, even we would be shaken."

Not brought down.

Shaken.

But my father didn't like to 'shake' either.

"Then who proposed the marriage deal?" My brows furrowed lightly and my father smirked.

"The Viper did."

I didn't think I heard him well. No, I definitely didn't hear him well.

"Who?" I asked.

"DELANO" It came to me as a big shock. I could remember the slow opening and closing of the lips when he said, *I'm not interested in marrying you either, black witch.*

There was meant to be an huge 'BUT!', behind that sentence. Where did he hide it?

"I couldn't give D'Leonardo the port and D'Leonardo wanted it. So Delano brought up a proposal. It was extremely nice and he looked at me with a promise like he would stop whatever he was doing on my port. I was killing two birds with one stone. It was perfect at that moment."

I WAS THE STONE.

"I know you don't like to lose, Ariel. I don't like to lose either. So believe me when I say I know the reason D'Leonardo agreed instantly. Peace and in the future, Delano would inherit this place, because he is your husband. I cannot let that happen. I built this Empire, I and I alone would rule it. So, Ariel, don't think of this as a marriage. This is a long term mission with the expiration of a year's death. Kill Delano D'Caprico before a year ends."

It was a challenge and dad knew I liked challenges. My motivation was narrowly one thing now, the picture of Delano at his own funeral.

I agreed!

"Do I still kill the pastor?" I asked quietly and my father's gaze snapped towards me.

"I know what you want to do, Ariel. Kill the pastor easily and let him simply go. It is so sad you wouldn't want him to know who betrayed him first."

I almost felt ashamed of myself that Saint D'Angelo could see right through me. I loved the pastor, I loved God and even though I wasn't perfect, seeing the pastor tortured was one of the last thing I ever wanted to do.

"Sad news. I don't want that. The pastor should pay for his deeds. That's why I'm sending Colt instead."

No, Not. Colt!