Share
- 34 -
Bab terkait
The Monster's Protégé - 35 -
AURORASometimes, the sky falls on your head and the ground slips beneath your feet. And that is when you know you have nowhere to escape.I have read this somewhere I could not remember. But the feelings were nowhere close to what I was feeling right now. I felt like someone has doused me into a pool of cold water, and I was counting every second inside my head until I'd stop breathing.Someone squeezed my arm, a feminine touch and probably Sam's, and then a whiff of male cologne hit my nose. I didn't bother to see the people present in the room because everything and everyone has evaporated by now except for that one figure—that one man—I had loved and hated with every fiber of my being.The epicenter of all my happiness and grief.Dazedly, I walked up to him."Aurora, listen to me. Just—"My palm stuck hard against his cheek with a resounding splat, but Marco didn't coil. Maybe he kinda expected it. Instead, he turned his head slowly from where the blow had bowed it. "The first th
The Monster's Protégé - 36 -
AURORA"Present your breasts."Marco's cool grey eyes were anything but hungry as he slowly drank in my naked body that made me flinch. As always, the man was impeccably dressed and that too in a made-to-measure Brioni suit, having just returned from a tedious three-hour meeting. His squared jaw was shaved this evening, and his hair looked perfectly messy in a finger-raked style. I was tempted to reach out and run my fingers through them just to relish the velvet touch. "And keep your eyes on me as you do, Aurora," he added on with his earlier vicious command.I felt mutinous from within. It wasn't fair for him to be so immaculately dressed while keeping me bared and exposed. Every inch of my body was touched and kissed and marked by him. I wore this man every day on my skin.Marco knew that I wasn't embarrassed to shed my clothes in front of him or shied away from his touch, so to intensify my humiliation and maintain the balance of power exchange between us, he'd often employ the
The Monster's Protégé - 37 -
A U R O R AI parked the car in front of the house which definitely required a gardener. It was one of those countrysides set up with quiet and peaceful neighbourhoods where mostly retired people decided to settle. Every house was immaculate though except for the one where I was heading to.Fishing out my phone, I checked the text Viktor had sent me a while back and then looked around. I doubted if this was exactly the place where ex-Navy SEAL would settle down. It was too...domestic.I walked up to the lawn, overgrown with grass and weed, and then knocked on the door. No electric bell. Just old school brass ring.A few seconds later I heard the lock click as the door opened slightly. A man peeked out a little, and I caught a glimpse of his face. Tall, tan skin with cropped hair, almost bald on the sides and an apprehensive look in his eyes."Simon?" I asked.He assessed me with a deep frown. "Depends, who's asking?""Viktor Romano."The cloud in his features cleared out as he nodded
The Monster's Protégé - 38 -
A U R O R A What is the definition of loss and suffering to people like us? A few weeks ago, my misery had peaked to a primed spot. I had mourned, raged and cried over the loss of a man whom I loved, marinated in grief and wallowed in self-pity. There were so many stages of my suffering that I had believed it to be real, but the one unfolding before my eyes transcended all the other horizons of loss and suffering. Before me, there were two parents, howling over their son’s body. Mrs. Romano cupped his boy’s face as if she were trying to coax him into waking up while Alessandro Romano, the man known to be invincible to Chicago, were bested down by Stefan’s death. He stood stoically, but it was his red, void eyes that spoke volumes. The sight was harrowing. I did not even have the strength to reach out to Sammy. She could barely stand or even breathe in the wake of her loss. Stefan was everything to her, to this family. The youngest, spoiled and beloved. She shook violently, cryi
The Monster's Protégé - 39 -
A U R O R ATwo days laterThe phone rang incessantly as I drove through the streets of Chicago. It is from Viktor’s office. Since he was in no position to deal with the daily shit, Marco and I decided to take up the matters but individually. We divided the responsibilities geographically and took up the issues as and when required so that neither Viktor nor Dominic has to bother themselves. But, apparently, the idiots at Viktor’s office did not understand the difference between taking orders and executing them. They would call a hundred times a day, seeking instructions on frivolous things and would strum the last of my nerves until I would pick up a damn baseball bat and struck against their empty heads.I ignored the first few rings but when they did not stop calling for 10 minutes, I picked up.“What now?”“Ma’am,” came a stammering voice from the other end. “There has been a blast at the warehouse.” I slammed the brake so hard, my body jerked forward and the car came to a halt.
The Monster's Protégé - 40 -
A U R O R AThree years later.It was just one of those days in Mexico.The entire room was a mess and I did not make it a point to clean the same. Partly because I had never stayed in one place for far more than necessary and also that I never wanted any apartment to feel like home. I had pushed myself so far out of my comfort zone in the last three years that mundane life made me restless. I never wanted to be comfortable again or relaxed. Been there, done that. I’d fear that if I do, I’d end up shattered or dead. Three years ago, I chose to be sent to this country to eliminate the threat in Chicago and slowly, I did. After I had left Chicago, there were two more attacks and the third was taken care of by Marco, as I was informed. The setback send a rippling effect in Mexico as the Carillo Cartel set up new strategies. Unfortunately, they did not realize that their fucking villas were wired. I’d been employed as a maid, getting the easy access into their homes. I had a few years
The Monster's Protégé - 41 -
A U R O R AI stepped out of the airport and stood out there for a long moment.When the cold wind touched my skin, I absorbed the familiarity of the feeling. This was Chicago. This was home, even when the haunting memories kept me away, I longed for it. I just didn’t realize until now. I hailed a cab and headed for the first destination I had planned. It would not be an easy one, I knew, but I had to. I searched for the right words all along the cab ride, coming up with nothing when the cab came to a halt. Grabbing the small duffle, I paid and got out. I thought of calling or dropping a text, I didn’t know how it would be received. Also, what would I say? What could I possibly say that would make three years worth of the mess go away? So I waited around, lounging on the chair of the small room and hoped for the best.I had almost dozed off when I heard the door unlatch and turned around. Sammy, too, paused at the threshold, surprise etched all over her features before she blinked it
The Monster's Protégé - 42 -
AURORA I didn’t know the name of the magic pill Sammy gave me the next morning but somehow, I felt fresh as a daisy. Considering the night we had, I wondered if I was going to lie in my own vomit the next day. Thankfully, it didn’t happen. I grabbed my phone, going through the messages Viktor had left me last night and also a bunch of files detailing some chick named Nora. Apparently, she slept with Dominic and got close to the family. I didn’t bother how she pissed Viktor off but given the way he wanted me to ‘take care’ of the problem, I was guessing that she had royally fucked with Viktor to incur his wrath. Strolling down to the office, I didn’t bother knocking and barged in. Dominic and Viktor were hunched over the table, frowning over something. As soon as they registered my presence, Dominic rolled his eyes. “Do you ever fucking knock?” He wasn’t least bit surprised to see, especially when he nagged me the entire time to come back probably because Viktor had already inf
Bab terbaru
