BiancaAt some point during the day, I must have drifted into a deep slumber, surrendering to the gentle pull of exhaustion that seemed to pull me under its spell. When I finally stirred, the room was shrouded in darkness, shadows creeping along the walls like silent whispers. An inexplicable urge pulled me from my dreams as if an unseen force had reached out and nudged me awake. The air felt thick and still, tinged with a sense of mystery that hung like a heavy curtain, urging me to uncover what had roused me from my peaceful rest.Stretching, on impulse, I found the culprit at the end of the bed, pulling me fully awake as I sat my body instantly up to the feeling of someone tugging at the covers around me."It's me, Bambi." Benji's voice gently washes over me, soothing my ruffled feathers. I collapse back onto the bed, surrendering to the soft embrace of the pillows, which cradle me like a cloud. It could be worse; it could have been Derek. "You scared me," I whisper, my heart sti
Continued:"Niko?" Luca's voice pulls me back to the present, snapping me out of my grim reverie as I register that we've halted and a mob of people is spilling out of the grand house, guns drawn and pointed directly at us."Thanks for the information," I mutter under my breath before ending the call, tension coiling within me like a spring ready to explode.Mitchel walks down the stern of the boat, jumping onto the dock as his men sully around him."Mitchel?" Aurelio's voice cuts through the tension, laced with a hint of confusion."Father. I believe you might possess something I'm in search of." Mitchel's tone is heavy with urgency, while his father's face sports a smirk that contrasts sharply with the scowl on Mitchel's.As they stand inches apart, the space between them crackles with unresolved emotions, their bodyguards parting like waves to allow this tense reunion. I take a step forward, instinctively wanting to intervene in this brewing storm, but Luca's hand shoots out, firml
NikoOur search yielded no results, leaving me with a sense of aimlessness and discontent. What the fuck am I missing here? As I stepped aboard the boat, I felt drained, the weight of disappointment heavy on my shoulders. "We're going to question my father," Mitchel announced with a determined glint in his eyes. "We'll sail there next.""But what about all the other islands?" I interjected, frustration creeping into my voice as I gestured toward the horizon."Come on, Niko. Who the fuck have you turned into? Chasing our tails isn't going to get us anywhere," Mitchel replied, his tone firm but not unkind, perhaps maybe even pitying. "We've spent hours wandering the remnants of a dead man's land to let you live out whatever fuckery you have going on in your mind. Trust me, talking to someone who is still alive will give us a better chance of finding answers." "No," I began to protest, but Drake chimed in before I could gather my thoughts. His hand clamped on my shoulder as Luca looked
BenjiI fucked up. I seriously fucked up.I had anticipated my father would linger at Giovanni's for a considerable time, as his meetings typically consumed three to four hours. However, to my surprise, he emerged in less than thirty-eight minutes, his presence barely registering in the atmosphere.Bambi is to be confined to her room like a fragile secret, and she is not permitted to step outside its confines unless she receives explicit permission or instruction from him. I count myself fortunate that he didn't catch sight of her perched at our table, an incongruous figure that didn't belong, her expression a mask of stoic rudeness. She sat there, unblinking, as if waiting for a moment that would quite possibly come—a silent figure at the scene of our family's strained dynamics, unwillingly poised to greet the man who holds dominion over her life.As I watched him scan the room with an inscrutable gaze, I felt a wave of unease wash over me. He turned sharply on his heel and exited
Continued:"Who, sir?" the man at the table Derek stands at stutters, his unease evident as he shifts under Derek's unwavering gaze."Franko, I need him," Derek replies, his tone sharp and unforgiving, his impatience evident as if the question itself is a trivial annoyance. I dare not turn around, my back rigid against the demands of the moment, feeling the weight of anticipation pressing heavily on my shoulders."He's in the IT room, planning, sir," the man offers cautiously, like a lifeline thrown into turbulent waters. Relief floods his tone, shifiting his voice an octave lower."Good. We need it done now," Derek growls, his footfalls formidable and echoing against the walls of the now hushed canteen, which has lost all semblance of the lively chatter that once filled the air.I squeeze my eyes shut against the rising anxiety, half-expecting him to notice us—or, more precisely, me—beside the towering shadow of his son's presence. The feeling of being an intruder in this space washe
BiancaWe dash across the golden sand of the beach, the salty breeze whipping through our hair as we push forward. Benji, ever the impulse of energy, scoops me up effortlessly and urges me onto his back. His laughter mingles with the sound of crashing waves as he looks freer than I've ever seen him. I wonder if this is his escape, a special place he brings himself to feel some sense of control, but I can't ask that, not with the knowledge that we are on a time limit.Together, we plunge into the tunnel's shadowy embrace, its damp walls guiding us deeper into his father's formidable domain and farther from the openness of the beach above.As we burst into the dim light, two of the men from earlier stand waiting for us, their expressions grim as they deliver unsettling news: his father is closing in faster than we had anticipated."You won't get her back to her room before you encounter him," one warns, his eyes darting nervously."Then we need a plan B," Benji replies, determination l