EYES WIDENED with shock; it wasn’t easy for me to take in the realization I just had. I inhaled a deep breath, feeling the urge to open the door and get inside but that would be a stupid idea. Instead of prying further on the meeting, I slowly closed the door and walked away faster than I ever could. One thing that I realized after hearing the things mentioned in that meeting was, there’s something serious going on and it’s causing too much trouble. They mentioned another family, is that their enemy? Because they were connecting the attack to them. Back when my parents were still alive, did they also participate in that meeting? I kept walking in the long hallways. Looking behind me and checking if anybody had noticed my presence earlier. Gladly, there was none. It didn’t take long for me to arrive in a hallway, which was new to my sight. I couldn’t probably be walking in the right direction back to the kitchen because on a corner there was another door. Would that lead to an exit
Callan’s serious gaze pierced towards me. Still not moving on our position, I looked at him—innocently. But deep inside, I already know I have established an upper hand in this situation. I shouldn’t show weakness and back down at the last minute. This is the only way that would allow me to understand the world my parents had once lived in. Before building our own family, they already had theirs with this organization. “What do you say, Sir Underboss?” I mumbled. Callan’s masculine perfume wafted in each inhale I make. It sent a weird flutter reaction onto my stomach. When Callan moved even closer, so that his cheek rested in mine, still trapping me in between his arms, somehow my confidence slowly eroded. I swallowed. Hard. “Do you know what married couples do? Hmm…” I blinked repeatedly hearing his words. The next thing was I felt his lips pressed onto the warm part of my nape. This time, I gasped. Oh my god. Feeling the heat rushing through my veins towards my face, I didn’t
I RAN to the nearest corner so that I could hide from the people who got out of the room. Without having a single idea why I had to hide and what could be the reason why I couldn’t be seen by anyone other than the people who already knew me. My heart hammered in my chest—thinking about what Callan did and then his words. He also looked concerned. “What?” I mumbled as soon as hearing him curse. Then a voice echoed from the distance. It was Callan’s father. “Capo, a spy managed to get in the mansion. There was a woman who got lost in our room and ran away. She must have heard about the meeting that took place. We’re still finding her.” “Boss,” someone muttered once again. “We made sure no one was tailing our convoy when we got here.” “Capo, Luca,” that slow deep voice of a man sent shudders on my nerves. Everybody got silent. But Callan finally gathered his confidence back and started walking towards them. Each step he makes sounded like the loud erratic beats on my chest—how can
I GASPED UNDER my breath. But before I could see their fingers pull the triggers, Callan moved in front of me and blocked my view. The next sight that came to me was his back turned towards me. “What are you doing, Callan? I’ll try to talk to them.” “What are you gonna tell them, Esmé? You dumb words?” Despite the tension that grew among everybody Callan’s words made my eyes formed into slits—offended by what he muttered in front of everyone. I thought that the situation was serious but not to this point. I was wrong because when I tiptoed and peeked in front of us, I saw the men still raising their guns at me even if Callan blocked my presence with his body. Why is he doing this? Even if I couldn’t understand why, somehow, I was moved by his efforts. Is this how serious the situation really is? Would a diplomatic conversation not be enough to settle this one? “We know that the rules… rules,” Capo Luca spoke again. This man stands out from the crowd of men as his hairs are almo
WITH THE WORDS muttered by the boss—Callan’s father, the men that were aiming their guns at me retreated, putting their guns down. I exhaled a sigh of relief but Callan didn’t face me after the tension was resolved. Everybody looked at me then towards’ Callan’s father… “Let’s see where we’re heading after that announcement, Don Ravij,” a man who I didn’t notice earlier before he was hidden at the back spoke. I could look at his face so well, but I saw him holding a cane. “A beauforte and a ravij… sounds about right,” said the man referred to by everybody as the Consigliere. I gulped but I didn’t move. I waited until everybody started and only me and Callan were left in this massive hallway which is just one part of their massive mansion. Footsteps echoed in the surroundings, and soon I heard Callan cursing. “Holy shit,” he muttered, but his voice was low for anybody to hear it. Except me. I felt guilty… even if I admit that I proposed an offer to him thinking about my situation,
THE NIGHT was young by the time we left. Only the two of us. Callan was driving in the back seat while I sat beside him in the passenger seat.It was too impossible to be in this situation. I lost count of how many times I had glanced beside me to just get a glimpse of Callan and tried to decipher his mood.Where are we going?And I thought he couldn’t leave the mansion all by himself. Turns out he has the freedom to do what he wants. He was not a prisoner to the rules of their organizations.As I gazed at Callan, he was grasping the steering wheel, eyes focused on the road. For the past fifteen minutes, he refused to talk to me even if I already tried my best to snatch his attention and make him look at me for longer than 3 seconds.If he’s not gonna talk to me and would keep acting like he hated me and the rest of the world, then why am I here?I cleared my throat and mumbled. “Why did you let me go with you, Callan? Where are we heading?”Beside us, the streets were filled with tre
Callan’s POV I WAS DUMB, to begin with. It was already evening and I still decided to go out and beg someone to talk to me, even if I knew it would be a headache to convince her on the matter again and again. In this unexpected and uncalled-for situation. “Let’s discuss something important.” “What is it my dear, Callan? I don’t like talking about important stuff over the phone. Why not come and meet me?” It had been months since she and I last talked face to face, and after seeing her once again on that road incident, her familiar smirk and rebellious gaze bore on me, something inside tugged at a familiar emotion that I had tried to hide. Arinya… She’s the one I had known back in high school up until the present. She’s the sweet girl I had hung out with, worked so hard to court, and pursued in all the ways possible only to learn that our families were enemies and we were forced to pull apart from each other. You know that feeling of being smitten by someone only learning they
CALLAN’S VOICE SOOTHED the fear that lingered in me. This time, I pulled my wrist from the guy and hid behind Callan who stood in front of me and faced the man with his arrogance.“You got a problem with that?”“Apologies, man. Thought the lady was alone.”“Nope. She’s not,” Callan said then swiftly motioned me to follow him as we both walked out from the dancefloor.“He touched me on my waist…” I mumbled, it was already too late when I hesitated whether Callan wanted to know about that detail or he didn’t care.“Anyway,” I waved my hand in front of Callan, like telling him it was nothing. That small movement turned out an exaggerated sway on my arms and I found myself laughing.“What happened to you?” I witnessed Callan’s frown when he looked at me. The lights inside the bar kept moving starting with white, blue, to red, and yellow. That was too much for my eyes to handle so, I squinted them.As Callan walked away from the crowd of people, I was following him. My feet stumbled agains