Nora’s POV. “Do you have a death wish? That’s a very short period to carry out our plan. And talking about the plan, you haven’t let me in on it” Vanessa’s dreadful voice said. Ten hours? Too short? That’s a lot of time for me to carry out my plan. “Listen, Vanessa. If you do exactly as you are told, the plan will fall through. You just have a minor task to perform in all this. The rest, I am going to take care of,“ I assured her, knowing fully well she was damn scared. She went silent, as if she was weighing the chances of our failure and success. Eventually, she spoke. “Nora, I am not sure about this, but I am going to trust you. So, what do I have to do?’ I smiled victoriously, knowing that all hell was about to be let loose. “Good. This is what you have to do ................” I let her in on the plan and after confirming she understood everything I had explained, we ended the call- both of us swinging into our respective tasks. I brought out the mansion’s bluepr
Nora’s POV.“Shoot her!!!” his harsh, stern and firm voice commanded, making fear grip me. He was seated in an armchair, smoking his hemp and exhaling it in a single puff. His men surrounded him, each heavily armed, as if waiting for a directive to strike.The 10-year-old me was standing, holding a gun with my little trembling hands, aimed at my own mother. That wasn't my first time holding a gun, as I had practiced with it every day of my life since I was age five. But that was my first time of pointing it at a real being, my mother at that.“Shoot my mother? How can I?” I thought as my hands continued to tremble, with my eyes fixed on my mum, who was consumed with fear. Her eyes, filled with fear and anxiety, were pleading with mine, begging me not to pull the trigger ……. to save her life.“Are you deaf? I said to pull the trigger!!!” Dad’s resonating words hit my ears so hard, that the gun fell off my shaky hands.“I …. I can’t, Daddy” I stammered with my voice trembling, out of fe
Nora’s POV. “Goodbye, Mon Amour” she said as she pulled the trigger. Her blood splashed over my face, with her vengeful eyes fixed on me. Those eyes burning with promises of retribution, as if she was coming for me, even in death. “No!!” I screamed from my sleep, jolting my eyes awake, only to be met with the ceiling. I was lying on the bed, with beads of sweat formed on my forehead. I sat up, reached for the jug placed on the table beside my bed. I poured myself a glass of water, wanting to quench my thirst and calm the raging storm within me. Since the day mum died, I had never had a peaceful sleep. She kept appearing in my dream every night, as if wanting me to remember how she died. I rested the back of my head on the headboard, breathing in and out. Just then, I heard a loud thud on the door. I knew who it was and so I didn’t bother to ask. Whenever I heard a knock on the door, I already knew the reason for that. It was always a call from my father. I lived in my fath
Nora’s POV. I was sitting outside the club where I was meant to meet my target, waiting for his arrival. I had always been confident about my missions, but I felt somehow ominous about that particular mission. I was hesitant – I felt like waving the mission off, but I had no power to do so. My duty was to kill and be paid, while my father determined who to be killed, where and what method to use. Still waiting for him to appear, I ruminate about my life. “Is this how I will forever live my life? Will I ever be free from that man’s prison?” I thought. I wanted to be free, to love someone and be loved. I wanted to be like other girls around my age, who had boyfriends, watched movies, went on movie dates and filled their closets with different designers, instead of mine which was filled with ammunition. “Should I just flee with Liam? He has been proposing we move to another town, should I just do so? Maybe I might have the chance to date him openly- to live the life I t
Nora’s POV Just as I was about to strike him, I felt him trying to turn around, almost catching me in the act. In a swift, I hid the syringe behind me, meeting his face with a smile. I could see how perplexed he was, seeing me so close to him, despite the fact that he tried hiding it. I swallowed hard, frightened that he might have caught on. He was putting on a scornful and ‘what the hell are you doing’ look on his face. He didn’t need to speak; the look on his face said it all that he needed an explanation. “I just wanted to help you dry your hair” I lied avoiding his face, holding tightly onto the syringe I had hidden behind me. My face was fixed on the floor, silently praying for him to believe my lie. I was expecting a response from him, but I was only met with silence. “Did he not fall for my lie? Is he suspecting anything? Is that why he is silent?” I pondered squeezing my face, thinking I had messed up. I raised my gaze to look at him and it was then I realized t
Steve Smith’s POV. Right before she stepped into that room, I could already sense her presence – her distinctive smell, which was a sharp reminder of the moments that we shared together in the past. She was different- quite unique among the most powerful of her kinds. Maybe because she was born from the rare fusion of human, werewolf and sorcery. Her beauty was unmatched as a child and so was her power, which they had termed as ‘being destructive and dangerous’, leading to her forceful exile. As soon as she walked in, I was swept off my feet by her beauty, as I was the first time we met. She was a sweet soul as a child but now, she had turned into a cold-blooded murderer, who wasn’t even aware of her real identity. One, who had no idea of the power inside of her. We used to be friends, but to me, we were more than that. We were lovers who were separated before we could discover our feelings for each other. Ironically, the woman I had loved my whole life, was there that night
Nora’s POV. “I will be back for you, mate” a green-eyed wolf whispered to me, dashing towards me with full force, as if it was ready to devour me. My heart raced; a wave of fear circulated through my veins and with a sudden gasp, I jolted awake. My eyes snapped open, meeting with the dimly lit chandelier above me. I felt a slight headache, holding onto my forehead. The wolf’s presence was so overpowering that its whispers rang in my head despite me being fully awake – as if it never left. I dragged my weak self-up and rested my head on the headboard with my eyes closed, my body aching for a reason I had no idea of. At first, I wasn’t aware of the surroundings I was in – my memory was hazy due to exhaustion. But when I finally opened my eyes and became fully aware of where I was, the memory of the night before rushed to me and the realization of the fact that I had fucked up, landed on me. “Fuck!!!” I yelled as I stormed out of the bed and grabbed my phone. Only to realize i
Nora’s Pov. “Opulence lounge? Why did dad choose this particular place of all the places? Does he suspect anything?” my mind raced, a turbulent storm of fear and uncertainty, emerged within me. That was the exact lounge that Liam worked in – the same place we had met and fell in love. Some years back, my father had planted me in the Opulence Lounge as a waitress, just so I could get close to one of my preys. My prey back then was one powerful man- someone you couldn’t access easily. Opulence Lounge was where he frequented, and I had to work there for two months before I got close to him and silently took him down. During those two months, Liam was my colleague. Those fleeting moments I spent by his side while we worked together, I found the peace I had long. There was this charm about him that kept me glued to him and kept drawing me in. For the first time, I found myself breaking my father’s rule: never to fall in love. I promised myself to keep my relationship with Lia
Nora’s POV. “Do you have a death wish? That’s a very short period to carry out our plan. And talking about the plan, you haven’t let me in on it” Vanessa’s dreadful voice said. Ten hours? Too short? That’s a lot of time for me to carry out my plan. “Listen, Vanessa. If you do exactly as you are told, the plan will fall through. You just have a minor task to perform in all this. The rest, I am going to take care of,“ I assured her, knowing fully well she was damn scared. She went silent, as if she was weighing the chances of our failure and success. Eventually, she spoke. “Nora, I am not sure about this, but I am going to trust you. So, what do I have to do?’ I smiled victoriously, knowing that all hell was about to be let loose. “Good. This is what you have to do ................” I let her in on the plan and after confirming she understood everything I had explained, we ended the call- both of us swinging into our respective tasks. I brought out the mansion’s bluepr
Nora’s POV. “What? Do you even know what you're saying?” I heard my father yell, rising to his feet and before I knew it, he landed a slap on my cheek. “Il Sangue Freddo, I am sorry. Please, forgive her childishness and spare her” my father pleaded, getting on his knees once again. “Get on your knees you brat and beg to be saved” he spat from where he had knelt, eyeing me disgustingly. I didn’t move, didn’t say a word. All I did was to stand by my word, waiting for the Almighty Il Sangue Freddo to do his worst. I was breathing heavily, as if I was getting ready to leash at my prey. “You have fire within you, and I love that. But I think you should be careful who you burn it with- because some people don’t burn to ashes, they explode” he roared and the next thing I saw, was his fingers wrapped around my neck tightly, choking me. His movement was swift. One second, he was seated in front of me and the next- his hand was wrapped tightly around my throat.He didn’t feel like
Nora’s POV. One day. Two days. Three- four days passed, and I still hadn't figured out my escape plan. I had just two nights left- two nights. The security around me was tight. It was as if my father knew I was up to something. The only breathing space I had was when I was inside my room. Anything outside that, I was always surrounded by my father's men- watching over me like I was a prisoner. I needed to get his men away from my sight, as that was the only way for me to escape. With them around, there was no chance for me. Vanessa and I communicated through chats, with her showing her concern about how time was flying, and I still hadn't come up with any plan. I was worried too- worried that I might be stuck in that house and end up marrying the monster my father feared. But I kept my fear under control, assuring her I would get in touch with her as soon as possible. I was ruminating in my room when I heard a knock on my door. I walked to the door and opened it for ‘
Nora’s POV. “What do you mean his corpse disappeared?” I asked, my heart beating heavily in my chest. “That day seven months ago after you left the hospital, one of the nurses reported Liam’s body missing. At first, I didn’t believe it until I confirmed it myself. There were no traces of forced entry into the morgue, the security footage was wiped off- nothing" she explained, her eyes widened. Gone? Liam’s body is gone? What the hell is going on? Who could have taken his body away? Could it be ....... “Are you sure it wasn’t my father?” I asked, as he was the only suspect I had in mind. Liam never had friends, talk more of having beef with anyone.“No, he isn’t the one” Vanessa confidently said. “Why? Why do you think he isn’t the culprit? What makes you so confident?” I asked, staring at her intently. “Because he is also in search of the body” she announced. “What are you talking about?” I asked, astonished. “The day after his body disappeared, your father and his men
Nora’s POV. I stepped back, shaking my head slowly. “No, Vanessa. That’s not possible. How can I be pregnant?” “I swear Nora, the result confirmed that you were. When you collapsed that day upon hearing about Liam’s demise, I ran some tests on you since you complained to me about having abdominal pains. And when the results of the tests came, it was confirmed that you were pregnant” I snorted, shaking my head. “I still can’t wrap my head around this. Okay, let’s agree I am pregnant like you said, so where is the baby? Where is the baby bump?” I asked in a low voice. “That’s exactly what I don’t understand too. Maybe you miscarried while you were locked up in that cell. Did you at any point in time bleed?” Vanessa asked, my hands held in hers. I slowly wrung my hands out of hers, pacing up and down the room, with my hand rested on my forehead. I thought about it- those days I spent in the dungeon, did I bleed? Then it hit me. Come to think of it, it had been months
Nora’s POV. “No....” my breath hitched, shaking my head. “I will marry anyone of your choice except for him”. “You will, darling” my father replied, his voice as sharp as a blade. “It’s not like he loves you, but his grandmother chose you and he had no other option than to agree”. “His grandmother chose me? Why would she do that? I haven't even met her before. So, why me?” I asked, perturbed. My father rose to his feet, walking round the cell. “Well, I have no idea. I am only acting upon her request” he replied nonchalantly. “You are just acting on her request? So, you are telling me to marry a man I do not love – someone I have not seen before? Can’t you just say no?” I asked, my calm voice now slowly turning into a volcano. “Love? You don’t have to love someone before you marry them. Sometimes, you don’t realize you love someone until you marry them and start to share the same bed with them. So, my dear daughter, you will grow to love him.” I stared at him in total disbe
Nora’s POV. I could hear it – those heavy footsteps of his. They were distinct and I could identify them among thousands of footsteps. “Why is he coming to see me now? Is it time for me to die now?” I thought, dragging my weak body up from the floor where I had lain. Each of his footsteps created a terror within me. It seemed like as each day passed in that dungeon I was locked in, my rebellion slowly diminished – replaced by the fear I once had for him. I saw his shadow slowly approaching, stretching across the hallway like a warning. The closer he neared, the more the memories I had tried so hard to bury rushed to me – the first time I held a gun, the day he made me kill my mother, the time he laughed while I cried and the day, he made me choose between love and my loyalty for him. I backed away reflexively, my hands trembling beside me. I hid myself in the corner of the room, my eyes turned away from the iron rods and fixed on the walls before me. I didn’t want to see h
Nora’s POV. My eyes flung open to find myself behind bars – the same bars my father always locked me in as a child whenever I got on his nerves. There was a basement in our house, where he built a cage that felt like an actual cell in the police station. It was mine and my mother’s torture room, where we were told to reflect on our mistakes wherever we offended him. I had always obeyed his orders, just so I wouldn’t end up in that room again, but there I was - not knowing for how long I would be there. I tried to move- to sit up, but I was too weak to do so. Painfully, I forced myself to sit up and rested my back on the wall. Even though I was trapped and was in pain, I was still worried about Liam. “What would happen to his body? Will Vanessa be able to give him a befitting burial on my behalf?” I was worried because I knew I wouldn’t be getting out of that prison anytime soon. I dragged myself to the iron bars, banging on it with the hope that the noise would attract any
Nora’s POV My eyes fluttered open to meet with a dim, sterile light. The smell of drugs and antiseptic filled my nostrils, making me slowly become aware of where I was. I was lying on the hospital bed, putting on the usual patient gown and I could feel the weight of the blanket tucked firmly around me. I looked beside me only to find a beeping monitor and IV line taped to my skin. I managed to get myself to sit up. I felt a slight headache as I tried remembering how I had gotten there. And then, that dreadful memory came. “Liam” I whispered, as my eyes widened in shock. My hands trembled, and I hurried to my feet, yanking the IV line taped to my skin. Barefooted, I rushed to the door, wanting to go in search of Liam. I flung the door open, only to reveal Vanessa who was standing in front of me. “Nora, where are you off to? When did you wake up?” she asked out of concern, her eyes fixed on me. I was less concerned about how worried she was, all I wanted to know was where he