LILY’s POV
When I was young, probably around three or four, father would perch me on his broad shoulders and run around our little wooden house as I flapped my hands in the air. I’d imagine myself a bird, soaring free and high in the sky.
I remember how happy I had been then. My lips would curl up so high they would reach the corners of my eyes. Such was the joy of our simple game. I’d always ask for ‘just one more time’ and though father was weary from work, he never failed to indulge in me. Father worked hard for all of us, and now the time has come for me to take the burden from him.
“You?” the leader cocks his head with a quizzical look. An eyebrow arches high as he looks me up and down, not sure what to make of my offer. I guess volunteering is not a common thing.
“Yes, take me. Leave my sister alone,” I say with resolute, trying to hide the fear in my voice. From the corner of my eyes, I can see Rose’s dainty little mouth drop to an ‘O’
KANE’s POV “Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.” ―Sun Tzu,The Art of War I stand atop the balcony of my late father’s mansion overlooking the city. There is a gentle breeze that plays with my hair as I look at the world that lays before me. I lift a hand with an outstretched arm and curl my fingers in, seemingly swallowing the city whole. It is only a matter of time before I claim back what rightfully belongs to the Ibraco family. My family. My father was the most powerful mafia leader of his time. He was ruthless and his name evoked fear throughout the land. If he asked you to down a bucket of shit, you would do it with a smile, otherwise, not only would you lose your head, your parents and children would lose theirs too and everyone else who is even remotely linked to your name would end up facing the guillotine. But my fat
*Kindly note that this chapter contains trigger warnings. Please read at your own discretion.LILY’s POVI don’t think this is Sergio’s room. It certainly doesn’t look like a gang leader’s room, it’s more like a holding cell of some sort. There is a lone window that has been heavily barred with timber planks leaving just enough space for you to peer out and catch a glimpse of the starry night, but not enough for you to stick a hand out to signal for help.Help.That is something I desperately need right now, but who would come? Who would step into this hellhole and free us all? No one. There will be no help.There is only one piece of furniture in this cold and unforgiving room. The four poster bed, but it gives me no solace for I know the crimes that have been committed on these beautiful white linen. I can hear the ghostly echoes of those who came here before me as their ho
KANE’s POV “Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.” ―Sun Tzu,The Art of War A cool gust of wind caresses my skin as we finally reach our destination. Sergio’s haven looms over us as we crouch hidden in the tall grass. The place is dark, save for a few torched flames that Sergio’s guards carry as they patrol the premise. Russo, who is the stealthiest amongst us raises his hand ever so slightly, forming the number seven with his fingers. Seven. Seven men patrol this dilapidated factory. That is strange. Sergio doesn’t have that many men with him left, probably thirty left at best. So why would he send seven out here to guard the area? I wonder. Unless there is something valuable inside the building that he needs to guard. No matter, I will find out soon enough. I give the signal to Russo and he leads our men
KANE’s POVQuietly I make my way down the long dark and smokey hallway of the topmost floor. I know Sergio is nearby for he was not on the ground floor.Guess I am right. Two dark figures run across the hallway and I smile. Time for a little game of cat and mouse.I draw my gun and chase after the men who lurk in the shadows only to come face to face with two giants and one of them is none other than Sergio. He holds a strange little bag in his hand. Is that what he is protecting? Could that be the SEAL that he stole from father?Whoever holds the SEAL controls the mafia and if that is what is in Sergio’s hand then I must have it back. By hook or by crook.“Hello Kane, we meet again,” his lips curl up with a smile that never reaches his scarred eyes. He thinks he has the upper hand with that trembling lowlife who cowers beside him.“Give it up Sergio,” I cock the gun and aim it betwe
KANE’s POV "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how." —Friedrich Nietzsche “Doctor, how is she?” I ask the moment the elderly man in a white coat steps out from behind the dark mahogany door. He looks at me and pushes the round rimless glass up to the bridge of his crooked nose, silently shaking his wintry white head. I feel my gut clench. Why is he shaking his head? Behind the doctor, I see his nurse tucking in the girl under a thick white comforter. The rays of the breaking dawn stream into the room through the stained glass windows and cast a pale haunting glow on her. Believe me when I say she looks like sleeping beauty. But I am no prince, and no amount of true love’s kiss can wake her up from the poison that Sergio cursed her with. “I’ve administered the antidote into her and treated her wounds. She’s lucky to still be alive,” the doctor says. The nurse steps out of the ro
KANE’s POV “New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” ―Lao Tzu It is the second day and sleeping beauty has still not awaken. In fact, she has contracted a fever and that is never a good sign. It means her body is waging war against an infection, and it is a war I hope she will win. The elderly doctor, Doctor Antonia came by again this morning but left saying the same thing, that he has administered the antidote and that it is up to her will to survive now. I sit in my favourite armchair by her bedside with hands clasped and elbows propped on my knees as I watch her. Her brows crease in her sleep and she murmurs incoherently. Is she having a nightmare? “What will it take to wake you up?” I ask. But of course, she does not answer. I lean forward and brush a strand of damp hair from her glistening forehead wondering when I will get to see those beautiful acorn ey
LILY’s POV Ibraco? Kane Ibraco? I frown. Why does the name sound so familiar? This man, Kane, releases his hold on me and allows me to take in my surroundings. Every move I make is painful, it is as if my body burns with invisible fire but I strain to move anyway. I am on a bed, a feathery comfy bed and there is a great wide window that has been opened to let in the gentle sunlight. The room is magnificently huge, bigger than my family house even, and every piece of furniture that inhabits this mahogany themed room oozes style and quality. My eyes return from the ogling of the room and I look down at my body only to realize that I am wearing a clean white cotton dress. From the corner of my eye, I notice a movement and my head jerks back up to see a big, tall man with light brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and recognition flashes across my face. “You…” I whisper, ignoring the scratchy dryness in my throat. Isn't thi
LILY’s POV I am in the backseat of a luxurious sedan. The seats are black and leathered and the interiors are immaculately spotless; there is air conditioning and a heating system too. I have never been in a sedan before. Father and I used to dream about sitting in a car such as this; we would sit on a grassy spot under a shady tree at the top of the hill of our little village and he would tell me stories of the great vehicles that only the rich and powerful possessed and I would often wonder what it would feel like to be in one. Now I know. It feels like death. I feel no joy in being enveloped by such luxury and as the car gently hums along the rocky road that leads up a winding hill, I lean my weary head against the tinted window, not particularly focusing on anything that whizzes by the window. I look, but I do not see. I breathe, but I am smothered. I touch, but I cannot feel. I cannot do anything. I cannot even cry. The ab