The Choices We Made (A Mafia Romance)

Chapter Two- Coralie

The brightness of the sunlight streaming through my window cut through my eyelids as I woke up. I groaned as I raised up my hand to shield my eyes from the sunlight, still feeling disoriented and dazed, like I was still stuck in a dream. But as I gradually opened my eyes, I figured that I was truly awake and it was not a dream.

I was no longer on the couch that I had fallen asleep on in the living room. Instead, I was in my bedroom... On the hardwood floor.

"Cora, are you okay?" A voice called out to me. I turned to see Keira kneeling beside me.

"Why are you on the floor? Did you fall out of bed?"

I shook my head.

"No... I fell asleep on the couch. Why am I here?" I muttered to myself.

She sighed. "You probably walked up here yourself without remembering."

"How is that possible? I don't sleepwalk." I questioned, making my confusion evident.

"We might have to book an appointment with your doctor," She said.

Then she put her hand on my shoulder and said, "Cora, you need to get ready. You are to meet with the lawyer in about thirty minutes from now."

Yeah, right...The meeting with the lawyer.

It made me nervous for some reason. The thought of having to take over the organization made me sweat. I was only nineteen, I was not ready. But at this point, I did not have a choice. The organization meant a lot to them and I had to do this for them.

Getting up with a groan, I made my way to the bathroom. As I splashed cold water on my face, I tried to mentally prepare myself for the meeting ahead.

Just as I was drying my face off with a towel, I heard a loud knock on my bedroom door. Keira was going to get it so I continued with what I was doing.

She said thirty minutes, was he here already?

I picked up my toothbrush and hurriedly brushed my mouth then stepped into the shower. I was done in about five minutes, and dried myself off.

I walked back into the bedroom and found my clothes neatly laid on my bed with Keira nowhere to be found.

I rubbed my lavender scented body oil all over and slipped into my clothes. I had to be one of the few females out there that detested time wasting when it comes to getting ready.

I thought I was done then remembered that my hair was still not taken care of so I brushed it up and put it in a bun. I stared at my reflection in the mirror and cringed at it, I looked more mature. Like I was prepared for the scary future looming ahead of me.

A knock on the door interrupted my train of thoughts as Keira came in.

"Good, you're ready. He's waiting for you downstairs."

I rubbed my clammy hands together and took a deep breath. I was a nervous wreck. Keira noticed my disheveled state and pulled me in a warm hug.

"It's okay, sweetie. You've got this. Just remember to take deep, calm breaths, okay?"

I nodded as I breathed in her perfume. Her scent was very calming for some reason.

"I'm not ready, Kie." I mumbled into her shirt.

"I know. But I also know you. You've got this." She assured me.

"You're right." I said, stepping away.

"I don't need to be nervous. It's just a will reading anyway."

"Yes, that's it." She said with a reassuring smile.

I took a deep breath as I walked out of the room with Kiera. The air was thick with tension and I could not calm the erratic racing of my heartbeat. My hands trembled slightly as we walked down the stairs, each step echoing in the quiet house.

We turned a corner and I saw him, seated in the living room was a man in a dark suit with a suitcase by his side and a bound file on his laps

I studied his face as he stood up to greet me. Judging by his appearance, he was probably in his early sixties. He had a warm smile and kind eyes. He had silver hair and was impeccably dressed. He exuded an air of authority and calm and I found myself trusting him instinctively.

He reached out his hand to shake mine and I took it. I noticed how firm his grip was, not too tight.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Aster. I am Armani, your father's lawyer." He said. I admired his smooth velvety voice. "Your father spoke very highly of you."

His last sentence made my eyebrow quirk up.

"He did?" I asked.

"Indeed, he was so fond of you."

Internally, I scoffed. I do not know what my father had said to make this man come to such conclusion but I was certain that it was all for show.

"Please have a seat," He said, gesturing to the chair across from him. I sat down, feeling the weight of the moment. This was it- My already decided future was going to be made official by this will and I was anything but thrilled. Kiera sat down next to me, putting her hand on my shoulder in a gesture of support.

"Let's get to business, shall we?" Armani asked for permission with a small smile on his face. His smile was so warm, he must have been a ladies' man in his early days.

I nodded in agreement, giving him the go ahead to continue.

"Before I read out the will, I would like to address something concerning the uh- Fire. Is that okay?"

I stilled as I felt a lump in my throat. Was talking about the incident really important?

Armani noticed my reluctance and added,

"I do not mean to pick on fresh wounds but this is an important and urgent matter that must be discussed."

I nodded my head slowly and took a deep breath.

"Of course," I said.

"Okay. Since the fire, the police have been investigating its cause. It was quite difficult to figure it out but they got back to me a few days ago. There was no gas leakage, neither was there an electrical malfunction. The fire seems to have started in multiple places at the same time. So the police came to the conclusion that the fire was not an accident."

Mr Armani's voice became distant as I tried to process what he was saying. Even Kiera stilled beside me. I could tell she was not expecting that as well.

"What does that mean?" I questioned, my voice sounding small and unsure.

Mr Armani sighed, "The police believe that the fire was set deliberately, Miss Aster," He clarified.

My jaws clenched and unclenched as I took in his words. The world around me was spinning uncontrollably as I tried to make sense of what Mr Armani just said to me. I was trying to hold it in but inside I felt angry, furious even.

Someone deliberately killed my parents? Someone deliberately caused me this much pain? My future was deliberately sabotaged?

"That's not possible. Why would anybody do that? My parents did not have enemies, everyone loved them. Who would want to kill them? They were so kind, so generous to the society. Why would anyone want to do that?" I ranted as my breathing became irregular.

I felt Keira patting me on the back while Mr Armani was saying something to me with a concerned look on his face but I had tuned them out.

I was seething with anger and immediate hatred for whoever perpetuated such an evil act. I calmed myself down a bit and managed to tune them back in.

"The most important thing right now is your safety and Miss Natalie's as well." He said, his voice soft and gentle.

He leaned forward with concern written all over his face and said,

"I want you to know that we will do everything that we can to protect you and your sister. We will work with the police and ensure that you are safe and that investigation is being carried out properly. We will make sure that your future is secure. You have my word."

I clung onto Mr Armani's words like they were a lifeline. I was going to allow myself to trust someone and I really hoped that Mr Armani would not let me down.

"Okay," I said in a small whisper like voice.

Mr Armani nodded and sat back in his chair and cleared his throat.

"I have some questions to ask you, if you don't mind." He said.

"Of course, go on." I said.

"Okay... Miss Aster, were you inside the house that night?" He questioned.

I almost went rigid again but I was able to compose myself before I'd zone out again.

I cleared my throat before speaking.

"No, I was not home when the fire began." I said.

"Where were you?" He asked, earning a side glance from me.

Why was he asking these questions? Did he suspect me?

He seemed to notice that my demeanor had changed and clarified my thoughts.

"I did not mean to sound like that. I'm just trying to figure some things out." He explained.

I nodded and answered his question.

"I was uh, at the club... Then a hotel and-" I trailed off, feeling my cheeks get warm with embarrassment.

His face lit with understand, making my cheeks get warmer.

"Oh," He said, probably speechless.

"Did you notice anything weird happen with your parents before the incident... Maybe some days ago or-"

I shook my head.

"I barely see them at home-" I said, trailing off as I remembered something.

"But they had an argument a week prior to the incident though. I don't know what the argument was about but it was really intense. His business partners should be investigated or something," I suggested.

"We will do that." Mr Armani assured.

"Now for the reading of the will-" He announced, making me nervous again.

Keira covered my hand with hers in an attempt to calm me down.

Just like I expected, my dad stated in his will that the organization should be handed over to me immediately after the reading off his will and his numerous properties were shared between me and Natalie while some were given to charity.

I heaved a sigh of relief as the will reading finally ended.

I escorted Mr Armani to the front door with Kiera and shook hands with him again while he assured me that he was going to take care of everything.

"Congratulations, President Coralie Aster," Kiera greeted with a small bow.

I chuckled at her attempt to cheer me up and thanked her.

"I want to go to the club." I said out of the blue.

"Huh?" Kiera asked, confused.

"I'm going to the club tonight. I want to act like a young and dumb teenager for the last time." I clarified.

"Sure, as long as you let me tag along."

I grinned at her and said, "Sure."

**

Clubs were a form of escape to me. I loved the way the loud music made me incapable of thinking straight, I loved the alcohol and most importantly, I loved the experience I got from it.

So here I was, clad in a skimpy skin tight dress, grinding against a random stranger with the third glass of vodka in my hand while vibing to the sound of Taio Cruz's Dynamite. Keira could not make it to the club for some reason so she sent a guard with me instead. It was difficult, but I eventually lost him in the crowd. If he was so intent on finding me, he would have to track my phone's location.

I was drunk and all I wanted to do was dance and maybe get laid later. Then I felt eyes on me, like someone was staring intensely at me.

I looked around and locked eyes with a man sitting at the bar. He was very attractive and I could tell that he was really tall even from his seated position.

I grinned like an i***t that just hit a jackpot and stumbled over towards him.

"Hey there," I breathed.

Apparently, he was not much of a talker. But I could tell he wanted me too.

"Well, let's have fun." I grinned. He grabbed me by the waist and led me towards the bathroom area.

I let his hands explore my body as I ran my mouth over every place that I could apart from his mouth.

"I have a private room here, this place is nasty," I suggested in a breathy voice. He groaned and lifted me up, pinning me up against the wall.

At that moment, I was behaving like a s*x starved animal but I was too drunk to even think about the consequences of what I was doing.

This was the last time that I was going to be doing this anyway.

Our moans and groans filled the empty hallway as we got off on each other's pleasure, grinding against ourselves.

What the heck are you doing, Coralie?

Apparently, this man was as irrational as I was and none of us planned on stopping.

Before I could think about the situation further, I was flipped so that my chest was pressed against the wall.

We were acting like animals, I had to stop this now!

"Huh, I don't think this is right. Stop-"

But before I could say anything else, I was gagged... But by someone else.

Wait a minute, what was happening?

I thrashed and struggled against the man who held me captive, pleading for him to stop. But when I turned my head, I saw two other men standing nearby, their expressions cold and unfeeling. Before I could comprehend what was happening, one of them used a handkerchief to cover my nose and mouth, and I felt a sudden, overwhelming wave of dizziness.

I struggled relentlessly against the wall and the man who held me captive, my breaths coming in panicked gasps. I was baffled by the sudden turn of events, and I began to sob and gag against the handkerchief that covered my nose and mouth.

My strength was fading fast as I fought against the man's grip, my body going limp against the wall. I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness, the words of the man ringing in my ears:

"You made that really easy, amore mio."