[ZARINA]We were halfway through dinner when Vladimir received a call. No matter how many times his cell rang the entire day, he pretty much avoided them every single time. But this while, when he brought the phone up and saw the name on the screen, with no second thoughts, he whipped himself up and stormed over to the other end of the yacht. Joey and I shared a worried glance before he gave me a nod and followed him. Something twisted in my stomach every time I heard him shout. I didn’t know what was wrong. But he did. And he did not look Ok with it.In less than ten minutes, we were heading back to the pier. Once we reached, Vladimir opened the door of the car and tucked me inside. It wasn’t the same car we arrived in, and it took me a bit of a surprise when Vector wasn’t the one driving.Once Vladimir slipped inside and sat next to me, I couldn’t suppress the swelling curiosity anymore. “What is it?” I asked, and watched him rubbing his temple. “You can tell me, you know?” I want h

[ZARINA]When I walk out of the restaurant with my new family, Vladimir is not where I left him. The spot where he parked his car is empty. I won’t lie. I was hoping to see him one last time. Now that I know a few things about my family—something which is more than I ever knew—it’s not complicated to understand his reasons for not staying. And as much as I respect his thoughtfulness, I wish he stayed longer.A hand on my shoulder wakes me from my stupor. My gaze shifts from the road across to the owner of the hand. My mother.“Ready?” she asks. It’s only then a long queue of glossy black cars pulls up in front of us. Diego and Dominic are the first to step forward. While Dominic rounds one of them and switches places with the driver, Diego opens the door to the backseat of the same car and gives us a nod.During the entire ride, each one of them tries to make small talk. But it dies down sooner than any of us want. Diego is the one who tries the most. Dominic only rolls his eyes, some

[ZARINA]“Please shut your dumb whining for the god-fucking-sake!” Lorenzo growls at mother who has been constantly trying to smack some sense into his head. But he is one stubborn man and let’s be honest, a little dangerous too at the moment.If we met under different circumstances, I would have never believed him to be so corrupt and vicious. Lorenzo has the face of an attractive man. He is tall and lean and has enough impressive muscles to have any girl swoon in his proximity. His eyes are strikingly big and green. There is a sharp jawline that can cut diamonds. If he were really my brother, I would have been so proud of him, and would have bragged to the others about him all day long. But he is not what he is supposed to be. He is not my brother. He is related to none of us in the room. He is the son of Angela Moretti, the woman solely responsible for our present nuisance.In the last few hours, if there is anything I have learned about Lorenzo, he is way more tyrannical and uneth

[VLADIMIR]“Great. God, that’s good news,” I say over the phone. Vector on the other side. He just informed me that Xavier had rescued Zarina and her family. It brings me so much relief, I can’t fucking express it in words.“Alright, Vector, now listen to me carefully. Here’s what you need to do before you even think about anything else at all.” I wait for him to make sure he is ready. “Drop everyone at the mansion right away. Double the security. NO. Triple it. Contact the cleaners and make sure they wipe every small piece of evidence of your presence on the Galante’s property. We don’t want this to come back to us,” he seems to agree and so I nod. “Let me know whenever you’re done, and if there is any update.”As soon as I disconnect the phone, Aurora cautions me about her presence. Which, surprisingly, doesn’t bother me as much as it used to once. Back when I was obsessed with her. Or so I thought. Now, when I think about those days and how I felt about her—it feels wrong.“Was tha

“Wish I were fairy godmother, I could have changed even fates of girls.”*3 Months Later*[ZARINA]“You look beautiful.”The honey rays of the sun drifted through the glass window and highlighted the greys in mother’s hair. It had to be the first time I could see the old age catching up to her in the last three months. The dark circles beneath her eyes appeared darker and heavier. Despite the light brush of makeup resting upon her face, she looked unusually less of herself and more of a woman who needed a long break from the nightmares haunting her day and night.Lacing her fingers with mine, she gave my hand an affectionate squeeze.“You know, I can still try and talk to him. Maybe he would see—”“He wouldn’t, mother,” I stopped her before she got hopes of herself high. And mine. “Nothing you say would make him change his mind. So why waste your breath?”There was no way to sway Lorenzo, not after our wasted millions of efforts in the attempt. He was determined to go through with thi