Lahat ng Kabanata ng Wanted By The Mafia Lord; Attracted to the Bad Boy Nextdoor : Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

OCTAVIA'S POV My eyes met Aaron's from across the room, and the buzz, the murmurs, and the quiet conversation—all of it faded to the background. He was leaning casually against the back wall, arms crossed over his broad chest, his face, as usual, was unreadable and stoic, as though nothing in the room interested him. But then, his mouth quirked ever so slightly into the faintest hint of a smile. I blinked, taken aback by the subtle change in his expression. Something flickered in his eyes, something very similar to...pride? Approval? Whatever it was, it made my heart race. For a moment, it feels as if the weight of the day has lifted; I don't feel the stares of the people looking at me; I feel at ease. I held his gaze, the corners of my lips tugging upward instinctively. The room and everyone in it blurred into insignificance, and for a fleeting moment, it felt like it was just the two of us in the world. Wait! What was that?I broke the eye contact, looking around the room to make

OCTAVIA'S POV The first thing I remembered when I woke up was Zion's text from yesterday; I had completely forgotten to reply to his message after I got home. The sunlight streamed through the curtain, and I checked the clock on the wall, and it was already past nine am. I didn't know I still slept in till this late; it's been a while. I blinked and sat up, rubbing the drowsiness from my eyes, and groaned as I stretched out across the bed. I grabbed my phone from the bedside table, and I opened my messenger app and saw the text. I started typing a reply, "Good morning, Zion. I'm sorry I didn't," I deleted the whole thing and decided to give him a call instead. I took a deep breath, dialed his number, and pressed the phone to my ear. The dialed twice before he picked up “Octavia?” Zion’s familiar deep voice came through, and my heart squeezed slightly; hearing his voice stirred up a mix of emotions. We have spoken properly since… well, since things fell apart between us. "Hi," I

OCTAVIA'S POV My heart raced slightly as I stepped into the restaurant, and my eyes immediately scanned the room until they landed on Zion. He sat at a table at one corner of the resturant doing something on his phone and nursing a glass of water. My heart clenched as I drank in the sight of him, he still looks almost exactly the same, the same messy brown hair but he now has a faint stubble along his jaw. It made him look darker and more mature and his piercing green eyes popped even more. It suited him though because I can point out why but he has gotten even more handsome. I quickly reminded myself that this is not a date. Yet, as I watched his gaze move upwards and his lips curve in a smile as he looked at me, i felt my heart squeeze again. Memories of everything we used to have flooded my mind, the late night talks, our share jokes the laughter, even when we used to fight, the way he used to look at me like I was his entire world, the memories of the hurt and betrayed look on

AARON'S POV I watched as Octavia closed the car door and walked up the steps to the house, her curvy figure illuminated by the soft orange glow of the evening sun. Her long, black hair bounced lightly with each step, catching the golden light and shimmering like silk. She moved with her usual quiet confidence, but I wasn’t fooled. I've spent enough time around her to know when something was bothering her, and right now, she was troubled. I gripped the steering wheel tightly, my knuckles turning white as I forced himself to stay seated. I have already lost control once tonight, and I can't afford to let it happen again. What is it about her that makes me want to lose my composure?When she said she wanted to go out earlier, I had assumed she was meeting her friend. At first I tried to convince myself that I don't care, she is a grown woman and whoever she meets is not my business, my job is just to protect her but when I saw her her approach that man, Zion, the taste in my mouth tur

OCTAVIA'S POV The cold, salty breeze from the port hit my face as we stepped out of the car. The place was quiet with the sound of distant waves crashing against the docks the only thing breaking the silence. The port was dimly lit by a flickering streetlights that cast long shadows across the worn concrete and old containers. Aaron stood at my side, while Bryon and the others flanked us as we waited for the russians to arrive. My heartbeat thrummed steadily in my chest from anticipation, I tightened my grip on my mother’s knife that I had already moved to my hand, the comforting weight helped me feel more grounded. The Russians arrived a few monents later, three black SUVs pulled up in front of us and they stepped out with air of danger and authority. They exactly like I imagined, huge and dangerous, the also held weapons that matched the ones that we were holding, the only person that appeared a but normal was the man that appeared to b