Chapter 8:

Nico:

They say there is a fine line between hate and love. I don't agree. You either love someone to the point where you can't breathe around them or you either hate someone to the point where you want to see them break and shatter.

I'm currently at that point where I want to see them break and shatter. I watch Camilla’s receding figure with a bored expression. Thirteen fucking years she hasn't seen me and tonight she can't even recognize me. I don't blame her. I am not that stupid boy who was once in love.

I have changed, I am in the mafia now. God, if only she knew how much I have changed. The look on her face when I said my name was Nico was so satisfying. Ever since she got my mother and I kicked out of the mansion, an all consuming rage had filled me; resentment, anger, hate. It made me into who I am tonight.

I have always longed to see her vulnerable, to everyone, she's presented as the hard core CEO of West Studios, but tonight, she's stripped of all of that and I saw that seventeen year old girl who was always scared.

She would sit there in interviews pretending she was fine while talking about her perfect life, her perfect marriage, her perfect family.

I want the truth to spill out from the cracks, I want to feel even a fraction of what she left my mother and I to endure.

I swirl the glass of whiskey in my hand lazily before picking up my phone and dialing a number.

“Hello boss?” The person picks up in the first ring. When you're a mafia king, you always have men at your beck and call.

“Make sure Camilla gets home safely, inform me the moment she's home. Don't let her see you, she's drunk…if she stumbles, make sure you're there to catch her.” I hang up. I should have left her alone…I should have walked away the moment I saw her walk through golden retreat, instead I sat there, watching her talk about how everyone forgot her birthday, and how she used to know a ‘Nico’

I hate that I care whether she makes it home safely. Every shred of humanity died inside me the day she chose everyone else over us. I might pull a font, laugh over jokes and act like I'm normal, but I'm not normal, I have done things that my mother wouldn't have approved of just so I can survive.

I have walked through hell over and over again, and I'm going to make sure that Camilla West tastes that hell.

I stand up from the chair, and exit the bar. Xavier is the owner of this expensive as hell bar, if he catches me tonight talking with Camilla, he's going to inform Malakai.

Malakai and Camila were never that close back then and he hates her more than ever because of what she did. Even when we got kicked out of the mansion, Malakai came around, he brought us food and clothes, he made sure we weren't alone. Malakai might be the devil himself, but there is a part of him that fiercely protects the people he loves.

I have gotten used to coming into a quiet home. Malakai and I live opposite one another and even though our men are scattered everywhere around the mansion, it still doesn't erase the fact that I live alone.

As I walk into the bedroom and take off my shirt, my mother's frame is sitting carefully on my bedside table, the one staff that almost broke the frame was fired immediately, it's the only picture I have of her.

I crouch down and stare at the picture, she's smiling widely, her arms around mine. I can remember the day clearly, we were in the West family mansion, and she had told one of her other co-chef to take the picture.

“Live to love, Nico!” She had told me one of her favorite phrases. She was working for the West and she was happy, but that was before everything went to hell, before we got kicked out into the streets, her name was publicly announced everywhere that she tried to poison the head of the West family. Everyone abandoned us, including her family.

We had no one else, my dad had died when I was five and family abandoned us because they really thought she tried to poison the West family. I know my mother, even when the West treated her horribly, she didn't have a mean bone in her body.

I knew no one else except her, and even when we were living on the streets, she never complained, she taught me how to smile behind the pain. I had promised her a good life, but she got sick and I couldn't do anything to save her.

I curl my knuckles into a hardened fist, the rage consumes me once more as I swipe my thumb against the picture. I will destroy every single person in the West family. They made me lose my mother and they will pay for every deed they have done.

“Just a little more time, mama.” I say to the picture. “Just a little more time.” If she is here, she will smack me across the shoulder and say something along the lines of ‘Vengeance is of the lord, baby.’

Damn it, I miss her every fucking day.

I sit on the edge of the bed and pull out my laptop, while staring through the glass wall. I can see the whole of New York city from here. It's a fantastic view and it reminds me of how far I have come.

Sleeping in the night comes hard to me because every time I close my eyes, I am reminded of what happened thirteen years ago. I'm reminded of the life I had while I was in the streets, I am reminded of how I had to claw my way up, without any one's help.

I am reminded of how I lost my mother.

I type in ‘Camillia West’s husband’ into the search bar, and tons of results pop on the screen, Zion Williams, heir of the Williams family. I inspect all his pictures, out of every man, she picked this snobby dude who uses everyone for his personal gain?

I bet Evelyn West approved the instant she met her.

“You're cheating on her, bastard.” I say to the screen. “You deserve a punishment.” I then spend the remaining hours digging up every dirt of Zion Williams, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's tech.

***

The next day,

“You look like bloody hell.” Malakai says as he strides into my kitchen, I'm half asleep and still making myself a cup of coffee. “You don't sleep well, Nico. It's not good for your health.”

I wear my shit-faced grin, because it's easy to put on a mask and take it off back. “Is our dear Kai worried about me?”

He looks past my bullshit and says. “You have to see a counselor, Nico. You've had insomnia for thirteen years.”

Kai doesn't need to say it, the day my mother and I got kicked out of the West family was the day I started having trouble sleeping.

They will pay. Every single one of them.

“I’m heading out soon.” I tell Malakai, taking a gulp from the cup of coffee. It does a little by calming the throbbing headache. “How's your girlfriend?”

The scowl on Malakai's face returns. “Don’t even dare, Nico.” I laugh like the maniac I am, exiting the kitchen.

My car is parked in front of West Studios, a bit far away so no one can scout me. I have been doing this for four years ever since she got elected as the CEO of West Studios, coming here early, making sure she gets here.

I hate that I'm doing this. I hate that she's making me do this. Kai doesn't know that I come here each morning and I intend to keep it that way.

A familiar BMW drives past me and stops in the company's parking space, the door opens and Camillia steps out, wearing a Tom Ford jump suit and her blonde hair is in a pony tail, I guess she's not hungover.

I watch as intensely, she's wearing a tense smile as an employee approaches her to take her bag. That's the Camilla West that the world wants to see, the one that's put together with an amazing family and an amazing life.

I watch her as she enters the company, her steps precise and accurate. I take a turn and head to the Williamson golf centre, and I'm very sure that Zion Williams will be there.

I step onto the immaculate green of center, the scent of fresh green grass mixing with expensive cologne. The city’s most elite are gathered here, laughing too loud in their tailored polos and expensive watches pretending that they made all that money when in reality, they inherited it all.

I'm not here because I love playing golf, I'm here because I like to break people like Zion Williams.

The club rests lazily over my shoulder as I scan the area, since it's my first time here, the president is supposed to give me the first handshake. After five enduring minutes, I spot Zion walking over to me.

He's exactly the way I imagined him, of course, he has appeared in the news more often than not, but seeing him in the flesh makes my anger boil the more.

“Zion Williams, president of the Williamson golf center, nice of you to join us.” He shines his teeth, I see why Camilla married him, he has the whole ‘you can’t touch me’ vibes. He's attractive, yes. Maybe that's why women are throwing themselves at him like a puppy and he's happily obliging. “What company do you run?”

“I don't run a company.” I watch the little smile disappear into a smirk. I guess men like him pick on people who are of lower status. I guess he's even accessing my outfit right now.

“Right.” His smirk is stiff. “Are you here to play? You can fill out a form and we can pick someone who's interested in playing with you.”

I yawn as though I am bored because I'm bored. “I want to play with you, Williams.”

“Me?” He laughs, like he's mocking me. “I'm quite the golfer.”

“I still want to play, are you scared?” I walk closer and look him square in the eye.

“I'm not scared.” He scoffs, men like him don't like people trampling on their fragile ego.

“Good.” My reply is stiff. “Let's play.”

My phone starts vibrating loudly in my pockets, no one has my personal number except Malakai. I look at him, before picking up the phone. “Hello?”

“Nico, meet me at Golden Retreat, we have something to do.” The call ends immediately.

Great, Kai just ruined my morning. I take a deep breath, before passing my club to one of the available attendants.

“I guess we won't be able to play any more.” My voice is deliberately low, because I can feel the other men staring at us from afar, they seem interested in whatever we are saying.

“That's a bummer.” He looks relieved, like he wants me to get the hell out of his family's property.

I walk closer, before leaning in, making sure that only he can hear my next words. “I heard it was your wife’s birthday yesterday. Shame when a man forgets the one thing that should be burned into his memory.”

His face pales, before hardening. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

“I'm the man that's going to destroy you.” I say before patting his shoulder as though we just had a friendly conversation. I turn back and walk away, I can feel his stare boring a hole into my back but I don't care.

Everything is going exactly as I planned.