Neveah Aurora North:

I open my eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the bright light coming from the big windows surrounding me.

I am greeted by the sound and smell of nature. The ocean to be precise. Where the fuck am I?

My head starts pounding and I'm trying to figure out how I got into this beautiful room. The last thing I remember was... We were celebrating Cataleya's birthday and then?

I am still wearing the same tight dress I was wearing last night, so I didn't sleep with anyone. I really need to stop drinking so much.

I look around the room, maybe it will help me figure out where the fuck I am. The floor is light, just like almost everything else in the room. Even the curtains are seethrough, that's probably why the room looks so fucking bright.

There are two doors, one of them a little bit smaller than the other. The smaller one probably leads to the bathroom. The walls are all white, except one. It has some kind of grey stones covering it and it's absolutely gorgeous.

The bed that I'm in for sure isn't mine. It's way bigger and we don't have silk sheets in the shitty apartment we rented. We barely had enough money for all the shit we did. Wait what day is it?

'You're finally awake.' A deep voice sighs from the other side of the room.

My heart drops to the floor when I see his face. It's the man I tried to run from for years, six to be exact. Well not him, but his past. His past haunted me and to be honest, it still does.

Leonardo Tiago Curzio, the most handsome man I've ever met in my entire twenty-two years of walking on this earth. The man I gave my all to six years ago. The man who ruined my life.

He got more tattoos. The one on his right arm is grasping all my attention. The words Curzio and Omerta, gorgeously interwind in different font styles. Does he still have the rose?

His hair still dark and curly, my hands aching to go through them. Or at least try. His perfectly shaped nose and full lips. Stop it... I can't...

He doesn't deserve to look this goddamn good. His hazel eyes are glowing like always and I wish I could stop staring, but they are just too magnetic. Stop it Neveah!

I quickly get up from the bed and walk towards one of the doors. Of course, it's fucking locked.

'We need to talk.' Sounds of him getting up and walking around enter my ears. If only I could vanish.

He should know better. I should've known better. The last thing we need to do is talk. We just need to get as far away from each other as possible.

It was a mistake to take this stupid internship in Italy in the first place. What was I thinking? And now Cataleya is involved in this shit. If they hurt her...

'Where is Le- My friend?' Nothing.

'Let me out.' Tiago doesn't make a sound and stays put, wherever the fuck he's standing.

The last thing I want to do is talk to him. I just want to find Cataleya and get the fuck out of this gorgeous place.

'Let's talk first.' Within seconds I am facing the man I thought I'd never see again. He's standing so close that I can smell his cologne again. The smell I was trying to forget after all those years.

His hazel eyes pierce through me, but I won't look away. I used to do that all the time and he would feel so powerful because of it.

'Let. Me. Out.' 'Is that your sister?' I tilt my head, still not breaking eye contact.

'Let me out Tiago.' His hand goes around my wrist and before I know it, my chest is pressed against the door.

'You keep calling me Tiago, even after all those years.' He brushes my hair off my shoulder and slowly places his lips against it. Fuck...

I gasp for air and try to get out of his grip before this gets out of hand. Oh god... The last thing I want is to fall back into old habits.

'Thorns.' Tiago immediately lets go of my wrist and steps away from me. The fact that he still remembers what it signifies, scares me. Yet I am glad that he does.

'You still remember?' He asks softly. I walk towards the windows, realizing that one of them is a huge glass door towards a balcony.

I look outside, noticing how high up we are. The fall might not kill me but there is a possibility of me not getting back inside to save Leya.

'I wouldn't try if I were you. Rio will harm your sister.' Tiago walks back to the chair he was sitting in when I woke up. I slowly follow him and sit across from him, trying to come up with a plan to get the hell out of here.

He starts talking but I don't pick up what he's talking about. All I can do is stare at him while thinking of a plan to get out.

There are probably guards all over this place, we're at the beach meaning the only way out is through the ocean or by car. Even if we make it outside, they'll probably shoot us before we could even get off their grounds.

Wait? We're at the ocean? There is no Ocean near Milan?!

'So tell me, is she your sister?' is the only thing I pick up from Tiago. He stares at me, eager to know the truth.

'Where is she?' He sighs and grabs his almost empty glass of wine. I didn't even notice it until now.

I watch as his lips softly touch the glass. He's the only man who could ever make drinking wine seem sensual. Oh god...

He notices my stare and grins to himself. I know what he's thinking.

'Is she,' He puts down his glass and gets up from the chair again, only to slowly make his way to me, 'Your fucking sister?'

'You know I don't have a sister. But if you hurt her I'll kill you.' My threat doesn't bother him at all. He simply starts grinning like a psychopath. 'I'd love to see you try, Neveah.'

The way he says my name sends shivers down my spine. I don't know if I like it or not, but I know that I don't want him to say it again.

'Where is she?' He walks towards the window, totally ignoring me for a couple of seconds. 'With Rio.'

A loud bang, from behind the big door, startles both of us. What the-

'Neveah! Where are you!?' Cataleya's voice beames through the halls and I immediately get up. 'I'm-' Just as I'm about to answer, Tiago covers my mouth and looks me straight in the eyes.

'Don't you dare make a sound.' My back is against the door and I feel helpless again. This man is way taller and stronger than me and I hate it. I hate that I'm too weak to fight back.

Leya starts screaming for help, but I can't help her. I just stare into Tiago's magnetic eyes, hoping that he won't let Rio hurt her.

Slowly he removes his hand from my mouth, still standing just inches away from me.

'For six years... Six goddamn years...' He mumbles under his breath. For the first time in years, I feel special.

A man is finally looking at me with everything he has. With his whole heart. It's just not the man I can go for. Because the Curzio's are dangerous...

'Please, let me go Tiago.' I beg him with the last power I have. He knows that this is bad for both of us. 'Cazzo.' He takes a deep breath and looks at the ceiling. 'Help me, god.'

'Promise me you'll behave.' He sighs desperately. I don't get what he's trying to do, but I nod.

He steps away and pulls a set of keys out of his back pocket. 'Here.' Our eyes cross and for a moment, just a moment, I want to jump into his arms and kiss him again. He's letting me go.

But then I remember he's the reason I'm in here in the first place, so I simply smile at him and rush through the door.

There is a big hallway, with at the end of it a staircase that leads towards the entrance of the house. If you can even call it a house. It's more like a gigantic mansion if you ask me.

'Neveah wait!' I hear Tiago behind me and almost trip down the stairs. My head still hurts from all the alcohol last night, but I can't stop now.

'Leya!?' I hear smoored screams coming from a door just around the corner. Without caring what is going on on the other side, I push through the doors and see Leya strapped onto a chair.

The room is supposed to be an office, but it's way too big to just be an office.

'What the fuck Rio?!' She looks at me with wide eyes and starts trying to break free from the belts holding her in place.

Rafael Adriano Curzio, aka Rio, the leader of the Curzio Maffia. He still looks the same as he used to. Dark hair, stubble beard, hazel eyes, messy hair, tall and very athletic. It has been years and neither of them changed one bit.

'Of course, you let her go!' Rio shouts at the person behind me. I simply run to Leya and untie her.

'What?! You know them?!' She screams as soon as I remove the tape that was covering her mouth. 'I am her lover.'

'What!?' I want to smack Tiago more than ever, but if I do that, Rio will shoot us. 'What the hell do you want from us?'

Rio grins and sits behind the desk. His desk I guess.

'Long time no see, Miss North.' After all those years, he still calls me Miss North. 'Indeed, now tell me what the fuck you want.'

I demand answers but the two men just smile at us. Ugh!

'I told your friend already. You owe us. We saved your asses last night.' What? Flashes of last night rush in.

Leya's unconscious body on the bathroom floor and Tiago kissing a girl, everything slowly flushes in and my head feels like it's about to explode.

'She doesn't remember.' Tiago says in my place, but he doesn't know I do. 'She probably drank too much.'

'By the way, I am Leon.' he smiles at the confused Leya. She must have so many questions and as soon as we get out of here, I'll tell her everything.

Tiago starts talking Italian to his cousin and I don't understand a word of what they're saying.

I slowly grab Leya's hand and look at her. As if she can read my mind, she simply nods and runs out of the office. I run after her, into the entrance hall.

Two security guards point their guns at us, ready to pull the trigger, so we freeze. Shit...

For some reason, I didn't think about this part yet. I knew there were going to be people walking around with guns, but I thought we would have more time than this.

'Not such a smart idea now was it?' Leya grabs my arm and looks at Rio. I wonder what happened between them while I was in the room with Tiago.

Normally every girl who meets Rio for the first time is either scared or instantly falls in love with him. And since Leya doesn't seem to be scared, I just hope that she didn't fall for him yet.

I hope she feels the hate for him that I do and won't let him get to her.

'Step away from the door chicas' I totally forgot they can talk Spanish as well. We stay put and look at the Curzio's.

'Remember what I said, Miss Velez...' How does he know her last name? They must've done a background check on her.

But why did Tiago ask me if she was my sister if they already checked?

I am amazed when Leya steps away from the door and lets go of my arm.

'Fuck you.' she mumbles and all Rio can do is smirk at her. 'If that's what you want bella, all you have to do is ask.' Bella... As in beauty?

'Now you,' Rio points at me and smoothly moves his finger towards Tiago, 'Go with him to your room and talk.' What?

'I am not-' 'You will talk with him, Miss North.' He demands. His voice is still firm like always.

God, I hate him! These handsome men will be the end of us, I just know it.

How can men so handsome, be such dicks!?

'Come on, you know you want to.' Tiago cheered as if this was his big win. As if I was his big win.

I don't get why he let me go earlier if he was going to be a dick about it now? Why give me hope on escaping if he won't let me go out the front door?

I shook my head and crossed my arms, over my dead body am I going to that room with him again.

Tiago's mood changed, he was more demanding now. He looked at me as if he was a predator and I was his prey. As if he was ready to drag me out of this room if I wasn't going to listen. He was ready to hunt.

He simply looks at me and my head immediately starts pounding like crazy again.

'Neveah, come-' 'Shut the fuck up Tiago.' His cousin snorts and looks at him.

'You know darling, you're the only one to call me Tiago around here.' Tiago whispers. I don't get how he got so close to me again, he was just at the end of the hall and now he's right in front of me.

'Leya calls you Tiago too.' He looks over my shoulder, at my best friend. Not giving an actual fuck about a thing that just came out of my mouth.

I just hope that he doesn't know I'm lying. They don't even know each other. Leya doesn't even know about... Anything. She doesn't know what happened.

'Well, I never told her.' His hazel eyes pierce through me and I hate it. 'But you did tell that blond girl from last night, right?'

She probably called him Tiago too. That's the thing I also seem to remember, they kissed and she was beautiful.

Tiago's eyes widen from shock. He thought I would just forget about last night, after all, they did save us, but fuck no. I'm not going through this shit again.

'So you do remember?' Rio asks, casually leaning against the frame of the door.

'Barely. I just remember him kissing her.' I feel sick, ready to throw up all the food we ate yesterday or if it even was yesterday.

'I didn't kiss her Neveah.' Again. The way he says my name sends shivers down my spine, again. I don't get why he's still lying to me. I saw what happened with my own eyes. They kissed in the middle of a fucking club, yet he continues to deny it.

'Yes, you did.' He slowly lifts his hand to touch my face but I simply stop him, by giving him a warning glare.

'Not willingly, she kissed me.' stupid excuse 'You didn't stop her either.' I walk up the stairs, wanting to run back into the bedroom we were just in.

'Neveah please-' 'Leave her alone!' My friend shouts at the man who was about to run after me.

Even though I didn't tell Leya the truth, she still has my back. And I love her for it.

Now I feel even worse for not telling her the truth. Not telling her about my story.

'Stay out of this you bitch!' Tiago shouts at her.

My anger towards him only grows, who does he think he is to talk to my friend like that?

I quickly turn around and look down the stairs. Tiago's hand is in the air, ready to hit Cataleya.

'Touch her and I will cut your fucking balls off!' He doesn't even look at me before lowering his hand slowly.

I can tell it takes every cell in his body to not hit her, but he knows that I will freak out if he hits her. Again.

'Don't you think you need to sort it out?' I don't get why Rio is talking. He hates me. He has hated me from the first day we met.

'There's nothing to sort out, just let us go.' I beg of them. More for Cataleya than for me. She doesn't deserve this. 'No way.'

'Take me, but let her go.' Leya's eyes shoot towards me and she immediately shakes her head and starts walking towards me. 'What? No!'

'Neither of you are going anywhere.' Rio hisses at us. 'Tiago?'

I don't know why I try. It won't work. Once Rio has his mind made up, there's no debating.

'I'm sorry... But I can't lose you again..' You don't have me... I want to shout at both of them, but it won't work.

'You two share a room. You can walk around wherever you want, but if you try to run...' Rio looks at Cataleya and grins, 'You know what happens, right Miss Velez?'

She gulps and nods, before looking directly at him. What the hell happened between them?

'Leya, let's stay in our room.' At first, she wants to convince me to keep fighting, but I would much rather tell her the truth than stay here with these two psychos. And she would much rather hear the story behind all of this.

She follows me up the stairs and into the room, before locking the door from the inside. Not that it will matter, I know Tiago has the keys.

'What the hell is going on!?' Cataleya screams at me, making my headache even worse than it already is. 'Please sit down, it's a long story.'

Leya has a mixed expression on her face. She's not just curious, she's also worried about how the hell I got involved with these two handsome, rich, crazy men.

'Well, it all started six years ago... Remember that time when I went to Italy because of my grandfather?'