Chapter Nine
1450 Words
~Nikolai~
I waited untill I was certain Valentina was sleeping, before I finally entered the room.
I knew it wasn't proper that I left her immediately after we got to the house, but this wasn't a real marriage. To me anyways.
She was simply a means to an end.
I made my way towards the bed and frowned at the barrier she had formed with pillows.
I rolled my eyes internally. She has nothing to be worried about. After our earlier encounter, I had no will to cross those boundaries with her again.
I'd come to realize that I underestimated her. She was much more strong willed than I expected.
I tried to forget how her wetness had dampened my thigh earlier.
Damn.
With how wet she was I thought there was no going back from there. But I guess I thought wrong. And I hated being wrong.
Valentina was unpredictable and I hope that wouldn't be a problem.
Unfortunately, I wasn't as immune to her charms as I thought I was. She was an attractive woman and I was a red blooded male. She had a beautiful body and I made a mistake of letting myself know how she felt in my arms.
I looked down at her sleeping form and something tightened in my chest. My hands clenched at my sides. The compulsion to touch her was almost hypnotic.
Why did she have to be so beautiful?
Her face was settled into a pout and her lashes grazed her cheeks. She had a little crease between her brows as if her dream wasn't very pleasant.
I had to hold my self back from smoothening out that crease. My jaw tightened at my thoughts.
I walked away from her and did my business before I settled in bed.
Today had been a long day.
From the wedding to relating to people I didn't give a f**k about to Valentina's stubbornness to Inesaa theatrics, I must admit that I was thoroughly drained.
My plan against the Morellinis was finally in motion.
I would do my part to help them find their traitor. But it was no act of benevolence.
The Morellinis must fall but it must be at my own hands.
♣♣♣
~Flashback~
White hot pain bloomed in my head as my temple collided with a table's edge.
In agony, I looked up with rage at the man that was supposed to protect my mother and I.
The stench of alcohol and cigarettes permeated the air. He was drunk again.
I heard a sob from somewhere in the room as I was met with another blow. This one to my chest.
Everything hurt and for a second, all I felt was pain. So much pain.
"Weak."
"Pathetic."
"Just like your mother."
"You'll do it too, wouldn't you. f**k me over for some Italian scumbag."
His insults were relentless.
Despite the pain, my muscles were strung up, bracing for the next round of pain. Wetness trailed down my arm and I looked down to see my blood trickle down my arm.
He picked up a broken glass from the floor and turned to my mother.
Nooo!!!—
~End of flash back~
"Nikolai!", I heard a female voice call out. It was frantic and I felt the person shaking me, pulling me out of my nightmare.
Why was someone in my room?
This wasn't Inessa's voice or the housekeeper's.
On instinct I grabbed hold of the intruder's hands and pulled them under me.
"Nikolai! What are you doing?!", the voice called out again. This time it wasn't unfamiliar. My eyes flew open.
I was greeted with brown eyes and soft features. Valentina.
My hold on her hand loosened.
"Get off me", she demanded and the leader in me bristled at the command. I wasn't used to receiving orders but I did the logical thing and got off.
She glared at me as she rubbed her wrists.
Her glare lasted for a moment before her eyes softened as she took me in. She almost looked... concerned.
"Are you okay?", she asked.
I scrubbed my face and grumbled as I turned away from her to sit at the bed's edge, "I'm fine".
"No you're not", she said and placed her hand on my shoulder.
I stiffened at the contact and pulled away from her touch.
"I said I'm fine", I repeated, my tone hard as I looked back at her.
She looked hurt for a second before I watched her features harden.
"If you say so", she said and laid back on the bed.
I looked to the night stand and saw the time. It was barely 4 o'clock.
I stood up from the bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up.
I came out of the closet in a three piece suit. My gaze drifted towards Valentina. She wasn't facing me but I could still tell she wasn't asleep.
I let out a sigh and left the room.
I didn't owe anyone any explanation. Most especially, a Morellini.
♣♣♣
Since the bridal shop incidence, there had been no attacks on the Morellinis.
Yet here I was, evaluating the attacks in a meeting I wanted no part of.
Luca and I had met up in one the Morellini hotels in New York.
Yes, they owned a property in my domain and yes, I didn't bother asking to meet on neutral grounds.
I knew the Italians wouldn't pull any funny stunts because we both knew that I had their princess.
Luca was flanked by four guards. I had only come with my underboss, Viktor.
He looked rather pissed at my impression that he wasn't a threat to me. I saw it in his eyes and the clench of his jaw when I walked into the room with Viktor.
"Their strategy is almost indecipherable. It's like they appear out of no where", Luca said, as we watched a footage of the last attack at the bridal store.
"At least they wanted no casualties", Viktor pointed out.
My heart did a weird thing as I watched the footage. Valentina had been in there. She could have been shot. Dead.
I shook my head internally and frowned to myself.
Why did I even care?
No. I didn't care. It's probably just because if she died then I wouldn't have an easy means to personally tear down the Morellini family.
Yeah. That's why.
"We don't really know that", Luca said.
"Yes we do", I interjected, "The footage shows that their shots were all projected upwards. Even when they shot at the glasses".
Luca let out a breath and rubbed his palm over his face in exhaustion.
"I forgot that detail", he admitted and huffed, "I'm being emotional about this".
I didn't say anything to him.
I understood his point of view.
If Inesaa was in there...
I breathed deeply to let go of the violent emotions that sprung up in my chest at the hypothetical situation.
"Who were those who knew were Valentina was going?", I asked, wanting to relieve the tension in my chest.
"Her going dress shopping wasn't exactly a secret", he pointed out.
I nodded in affirmation.
"And the vehicle might have been tailed", I suggested.
"That too", he said in agreement.
"Why don't we evaluate other footages?", I asked. This one wasn't going anywhere. And pondering on it wouldn't provide any relevant answers.
"Alright", Luca said, then pulled out some files.
"Take a look at this", he said as he gave me his tablet.
"I was suspecting something a while ago so I decided to monitor movements back at the mansion", he continued.
I took the tablet from him and pressed play.
The video came up and I saw a man dressed in all black. Every inch of his skin and hair was covered. He was built and his movement were rigid. He was frantically searching for something in the drawers of a study I didn't recognize.
Luca paused the video.
"That was my father's study. It had been locked, since it was no longer in use. This footage was taken three months ago", he explained, then pressed play.
I continued watching the man on the screen as he searched for what no one knew. All of a sudden he paused as if he could sense he was being watched. Then he turned his head and looked into the camera.
This video was said to be taken a few months ago, but I could swear that I felt the pale eyes of this man pierce into my soul.
I didn't see when he pulled a knife out of his pocket but the last thing I saw was a flying knife before everything went black.
- Writer
