Neveah Aurora North:

I walk back to Louis and force a smile on my face. This is the last place I want to be today. Cataleya walks behind me and smiles at Louis as well.

'We're ready to stand at the bar again.' I say sarcastically. Knowing Rio he probably told Louis to put us at the bar again. Louis chuckles and shakes his head. 'Only Cataleya will stand au bar today.' What?

'Wait what?' I ask in shock. The bastard probably did this on purpose, just so he can fuck with me a little more. 'The boss wants Cataleya at the bar,' Louis turns towards me and smiles again, 'And you at the front desk.' Fucking Rio...

I know he did this shit on purpose because of my tantrum this morning. But why send me somewhere else and not Cataleya? She's the one who followed his orders, not me.

'You'll both have a break around one. Neveah you have to go to monsieur Rafael before you have your break.' Oh god... I nod and look at Cataleya for a second. 'Good luck.' She smiles, before walking towards the bar.

I sigh deeply and follow Louis back to the front desk, where it's way too crowded. The room is filled with people from all over the place.

'There is a convention in town.' Louis explains, before rushing to one of the staff members and helping them with the customers. I stare at the pile of papers that seem to be unorganized and sigh deeply.

If this is what he wanted me to do, I'll have to talk to him again. I am not his assistant.

'Bonjour, could you help me with those customers?' A beautiful girl asks, according to her nameplate her name is Claire. I nod and smile at her, before following her towards a lovely-looking couple at the desk.

'Hello, welcome to Hotel Elite in Paris. How can I help you?' I chime as friendly as I can. The couple smiles back at me and tells me about a room they would like. I look at the computer and see the room they want is occupied already. 'I'm sorry, but that's not possible. See the room is already occupied by someone else, but I might have a solution for you?'

They look at each other and shrug after a few seconds. I scan through all the options, trying to find a room similar to the one they wanted, and find one on the seventh floor, not as high as they wanted, but according to the info, it has the same view.

'You could take room seventy-four, it has the same view and everything is practically the same.' They nod in unison and smile at me. 'Finally someone we can understand.' The man chuckles, his southern-American accent is obviously audible.

I smile at them and make sure to request the room for them, before handing them the key. 'Just sign these papers and I'll get your passes.' They nod again, before grabbing the clipboard from the desk.

I quickly rush to the keycards and search for room number seventy-four, so I can give it to them. As soon as I get it, I turn back to the desk and wait for them to fill in all their stuff. I make sure that I put everything in the system and look at the price. My mouth almost drops when I see the amount of money they have to pay for two nights. Five-thousand-fucking-euros! For two fucking nights!?

The couple doesn't look rich, but then again, you can't judge a book by its cover. The woman simply grabs her credit card from her purse and swipes it against the pay terminal.

If I ever hear the Curzio's complain about money, I'll fucking explode. No wonder everything is handed to them on silver platters, they have enough money to do as they please.

'If there is anything you need, you can call the desk for help. Enjoy your stay!' I smile before turning to the next customer.

'Hello, welcome to Hotel Elite in Paris, how can I help you?' An older woman sighs deeply, the dog in her tiny black purse looks at me directly. It looks like an absolute abomination.

It looks as if the hairs of the dog haven't been combed in a few years, making it look like an ugly ball of fur.

'My room service hasn't arrived and I've called it twenty minutes ago.' Oh god... Her British accent is thick, making it obvious where she's from. 'I'll call the restaurant about it right away! What room is yours and under what name did you order?'

'Room number ninety-nine and under the name Miss Evergreen.' She replies before petting her ugly dog.

I walk over to the phone at the desk and look at all the numbers. Every room has a number, including the pool, spa, manager, theater, bar, and restaurant. Right!

'Hello, with Neveah from the front desk. I have Miss Evergreen with me. She says she's been waiting for over twenty minutes.' The person on the other side sighs deeply. 'That's because she returned the food. It wasn't warm enough according to her.'

I roll my eyes, taking a deep breath. Of course, she's complaining. 'Okay thank you.'

Miss Evergreen's dog stares at me with its bead-looking eyes and I know for certain it'll hunt me in my dreams.

'Miss they will bring you your food in just a moment.' I say, smiling at the older lady, trying not to look at her dog rudely.

'Fine, but if I don't get my food in the next five minutes I'll go somewhere else.' I nod, hoping that the chef will have her food ready in five. The last thing I want is for her to complain to Rio because if she does, he might get mad again.

The next few hours go by smoothly, no more rude customers, just simple things. Around one in the afternoon, Louis sends me to Rio's office, making me carry the big pile of papers, that are now sorted into two folders, with me.

I try knocking on the door without dropping anything and fail miserably. The folders fall to the ground, thank god for the locks on those things, but they don't mix.

'Miss North?' Rio, who is standing right behind the door, grins at me. I quickly grab the folders and hand them to him, making him step back into the room.

Every one of Rio's offices I've seen so far has the same interior design, a mix of Victorian and Rustic design, perfectly matching for some weird reason, yet this one seems more formal than the others.

'I wanted to talk to you about this morning.' He sighs, before making his way towards a glass closet filled with all types of alcoholic beverages. 'I was going to offer you a drink, but you can't drink right now.' What?

'Why not?' His lips curl into a grin, reminding me of what happened this morning. He grinned the exact same back then, so I step back a little, creating as much space between us as possible.

'You'll see.' He pours himself a drink and makes his way towards the big wooden desk in the middle of the room. 'Why did you place me somewhere else?' I ask, curious as to why he picked me and not Cataleya.

He takes a big gulp out of his glass and looks at me before grabbing his phone, staring at it for a long time, before turning back to me and sighing deeply.

The resemblance between Rio and Tiago is very scary. It's as if they are identical twins or something. Same hair type, same face, almost the same nose, same sharp eyebrows, long and curly lashes that every girl would die for, and those goddamn eyes. The only difference is the emotions they tend to show.

Tiago is way more caring than Rio will ever be. He's incapable of caring. He showed me that six years ago and I know for certain that that hasn't changed.

'You should thank Leon for that.' He mumbles before turning towards the big windows behind him. He has a gorgeous view with the Eiffeltower in the middle. People would kill for this...

'Miss Velez complained so I decided to bother her a bit more.' He says truthfully. Rio wants to annoy her, but it won't work. She doesn't really care as long a she can be away from him.

'Also' He throws back the remaining drink in his glass and places the empty glass on the table harshly, making me jump at the sound. The fact that it didn't break is a miracle.

'If you ever pull something like you did this morning again, Miss North.' His voice turns dark, just like it did this morning, and his hands grip the edge of the desk in front of him, making me fear that he might break the table in two with his strength, 'I'll kill Cataleya and her mother. Without hesitation.'

Darkness, that's also a difference the two share. They're family, basically raised by the same lady, yet they differ so much in the light they portray. Tiago is light, trying to keep everyone happy and very sarcastic. Rio on the other hand is the complete opposite. He's never cheery, always annoyed, and ready to kill.

I never understood why Andrea fell for him. Besides his good looks, he's a complete asshole, who would've killed her in a second if it wasn't for Tiago.

'Understood?' He insists, making me nod immediately. His lips curl up into a smirk again, before he lets his body fall into the big leather chair behind the desk. 'You were acting like a little child, an annoying little shit.'

'And you're acting like an asshole.' I mutter under my breath, hating myself for letting him get to me. Instead of throwing daggers at me with his eyes, he chuckles and points at the chair in front of me.

'Take a seat, we need to talk.' The room goes quiet as he waits for me to take a seat. I hesitate, not trusting anything he has to say, but do anyways. I don't want a recap from earlier today.

Slowly I slide into the comfortable chair on the other side of the desk, staring at the dark wood as if it's a book I'm trying to read. Everything is better than looking at Rio.

'It's rude to not look at someone who's talking to you.' I look up, directly into his eyes, and straighten my back. 'You have it too.' He says softly.

'What?' He points his finger towards my eyes and leans back into his chair. 'The same emotion in your eyes as Andrea. Every time I told her what I did with all those other girls, she used to look at me like that.'

Hateful. The first thing that pops into my head is hate. Even though she loved him, she hated him too. He ruined her and I know that he's the reason she died.

'You blame me, don't you?' I nod, not able to keep in anything anymore. If there is someone to blame for what happened to her, it's him. Rafael fucking Curzio.

'Think whatever you want North, but I had nothing to do with Andrea's death.' He says with a thick layer of annoyance audible in his voice. 'I'll keep thinking whatever I want.'

He nods, impressed by my response, and looks at the laptop on the corner of the desk. If this is what he wanted me here for, I might as well ask him some questions too. And I do. Or at least I try.

'Why are you really keeping us here?' Without looking at me, he notices the difference in my voice. I don't sound as defensive as before, because there is no point. There is no way he'll answer if I go all psycho mode again, even though he fucking deserves every slap I want to give him.

'The only one we really want is you.' He states, finally looking at me again. 'And why is that?'

Rio raises an eyebrow at me, rolling his eyes at my confusion. 'Stop with the bullshit, that's not what you really want to know. Is it North?'

I sigh and lean back, keeping my eyes on his. It feels like we're having a staring contest, without either of us starting it in the first place.

'Do you know who did it?' It's the first time I actually find the courage to ask. A week after they kept us with them, a fucking week. The question has been eating me up inside in ways I didn't think was possible.

The fact that Rio doesn't need any other information to know what I'm talking about, doesn't shock me at all. He folds his arms in front of his chest and nods.

My heart stops for a second. This is what I ran away from six years ago. So I could stay safe. So I could start over and continue living life at my full potential. Yet, here I am. Eager to know who did it. Finally getting to know the name of my family's killer.

'Tell me.' He opens his mouth, wanting to say the words, but stops thanks to his stupid phone lighting up. 'Not after the stunt, you pulled today, Miss North.'

He picks up and walks towards the window again, turning his back on me. 'Ciao fratello.' Rio says to the other person on the phone. The fact that he can easily distinguish between Italian and English, probably Spanish as well, makes me roll my eyes.

The Curzio's, especially the men, are such show-offs.

I try to process all the information Rio just gave me. They know. They know who killed my family and won't tell me. Fucking bastards... The one promise I wished Tiago would keep, was this one. The one where he promised me to help me find out who did it and kill them.

'I'll send her down, ciao.' He hangs up, turning back at me, and sighs deeply. 'As much as I would love to see the lust for murder in your eyes a little longer, someone is waiting for you outside.' What?

'There is a dark gray car outside. Just get in and don't throw a tantrum again.' He walks towards the closet with alcohol again and pulls out a glass bottle of whiskey. Oh, I am so drinking tonight.

'Go. Before I push you out the damn door.' There he is again. The hard, cold, and mean version of Rio. The only version of him there is. I don't believe for a second that anything he just said was to help me. It was all just an act to get me on my toes around him.

I rush out of the room and into the elevator, taking a deep breath. A gray car. There could be a million gray cars outside for all he knows, he just wanted me to leave.

'Neveah!' I turn towards the person calling me and rush over to Cataleya. 'Where are you going?' I want to tell her about everything that happened, but if Rio finds out I didn't get into the car right away, he'll kill me.

'Rio wants me to get into a gray car, I don't know why, but I'll explain later.' She raises an eyebrow at me before I smile at her and rush through the front door, hearing them close behind me.

The streets are not as crowded as I thought they would be, which gives me time to enjoy the little sounds of life surrounding me. I take a deep breath and look around, searching for the gray car Rio was talking about.

The only gray car that I recognize, looks like Tiago's Range Rover. Oh, fuck no.

I want to turn around again and bump into the door behind me, making me step back again.

If I go back inside, Rio will throw me out the door, but if I go in there, I turn towards the car and look at it for a second, I have to face him.

It's too late. He knows I'm outside and opens the door to the passenger seat. I take a deep breath and walk over to the car, climbing in since it's a little higher than usual cars.

'Hi.' Tiago says in the most awkward voice ever. I fasten my seatbelt and look at the dashboard, not able to look at him whatsoever. 'Hello.'

He's wearing a black button-up and matching black jeans. There is no reason for him to look this good, yet he has the audacity to do so.

'Why am I here?' Tiago chuckles and drives away from the hotel, not answering my question for a few minutes. At a red light, I feel his eyes burn through me, making me all the more uncomfortable.

'Celine wants to do one of those infertility scans with you.' What? 'Why?' The light turns green, but he doesn't drive. His gaze is still on me, I can simply feel it, but I don't dare look up.

'It's green.' I state, looking outside my window to keep myself from looking at him. The drivers behind us start honking, putting Tiago to action as he quickly presses the gas.

'Just so you know, it's not your fault.' What? I look his way, quickly looking at the dashboard again before he notices. 'I don't blame you for my mom's death, Neveah.' Oh god... A wave of heat flushes through me, making me shift in my seat a little.

This shouldn't be happening. I promised myself last night, that I wouldn't let him get to me like this again.

'So you were eavesdropping?' I ask, knowing that he had to if he knew I blamed myself for Maria's death. He nods shamelessly and turns the car to the right, driving onto the highway.

'None of it was your fault.' He states, looking at me before focusing on the road ahead. I turn to him, looking at all his beautiful features.

This would all be a whole lot easier if he wasn't so goddamn handsome.

'If you say so.' I reach for the buttons on the panel and turn on some music, trying to defuse the tension in the car a little. "My love. He makes me feel like nobody else, nobody else." New Rules by Dua Lipa is on, making me smile a little.

His lips curl up into the most perfect smile ever.

I need to make New Rules if I want to keep my distance from this gorgeous man beside me. It will take every cell in my body to try to stay away from him and I don't think I have it in me. I wonder how I did it all those years ago. The lies.

He knows who was behind the murder. I wonder if he knew back then. 'Do you know who's behind it yet?' His smile immediately drops and his grip around the wheel shifts a little, before he nods. So Rio wasn't lying about that...

'Did you know six years ago?' His eyes move towards mine and I try to keep my breathing steady. His eyes are absolutely stunning. If only they didn't hold the truth. 'Yes. I did.'

I want to hit him so fucking hard. The only problem is that we might both die if I do.

'So much for keeping that promise.' I hiss before turning back to the window. He silently continues driving, making it awkward again. "I got new rules, I count 'em."

'I did it for your own safety.' 'Oh please!' I turn back towards him and almost hit him in his perfectly shaped face. 'You did that shit for yourself!'

He drives off the highway and pulls up into a huge parking lot in front of a hospital. Before he can say anything else, I push open the door and jump out of the car. Not giving a single fuck about the fact that this might not be where we're supposed to be at all.

'Neveah, please-' 'Where is Celine?' I turn my back on him, facing the big glass door of the hospital in front of me. 'Third floor, fifth door on your right.' He's not coming with me?

It's probably better that he doesn't. What if I am infertile. How will he respond to that? Wait. Why do I care what he thinks? I shake my head, trying to push out my own thoughts, and walk through the door.

Hospital smells. The worse thing on earth. They are not pleasant but they give you a sense of life and death, pain and pleasure, happiness and sadness. Mostly death, pain, and sadness if you ask me.

The sterile smell fills my nostrils, sending shivers down my spine. I've never liked hospitals. Simply because they're the worst places ever. They bring both death and life, all under the same roof.

I follow the directions Tiago gave me and walk towards the elevator. The third floor is split into two departments, the children's department, and the gynecologist. I see Celine at the front desk and walk towards her.

'Please tell me that this is a joke.' I say before she turns my way and smiles. 'I'm sorry, but Curzio wants to know.' 'Which one?'

She giggles before pulling me towards one of the rooms. We're greeted by scary-looking, beeping machines. 'Trust me, you'll be fine.'

Never have I thought about this. What if I am infertile. What if I can't have children. It never occurred to me, until now. Shit...

Celine takes a seat and sighs deeply. 'Okay, tell me honestly,' She grabs a piece of paper and a pen, before writing something down, 'Have you ever been pregnant?'

'No.' I immediately answer. I just hope that she doesn't see through my lie.

I trust Celine, even though she never really did anything, in particular, to make me trust her, I just know that if I tell her the truth, she'll have to tell Rio and he will eventually tell Tiago. That's the last thing I want.

'Okay. Let's get this over with then,' She scribbles something down and walks towards the comfortable-looking chair, 'Take a seat.'

And I do, afraid of what might come out of this.