Celine Elloise Dufort:

'Remind me why we're eating lunch together again?' Marco sighs as he takes a seat in his chair.

He knows exactly why, he just wants to act interesting in front of Leya. If he still didn't get the point, that she's not fucking interested, he's more of an idiot than I thought.

'You know why.' Leon chimes as he pours some wine into a bunch of glasses. 'Rio has an appointment later.'

'And since Cel wants us to act like a happy family and demands we eat at least one meal together, here we are.' Rio smirks, sipping the wine Leon just poured for us.

'It's not like you haven't been enjoying it for the past months.' I smile as I look at the girls. They seem to enjoy it too. Everyone does, yet they continue to complain about it. Especially the boys. Rio and Marco.

'What is it you have to do again?' Brandon asks as he grabs a piece of bread and stares at all the other things he can eat. We all grab our stuff and wait for Rio to answer, which takes longer than expected.

I know it has something to do with Skull. They talked about it last night, without me of course. They think, mostly Rio and Leon, that I can't handle it. Especially since it was Jayden's birthday yesterday.

They treated me like I was made out of glass, too fragile to talk to or even include in any of their plans.

'That's actually none of your concern.' Oh wow. We all look at him as he simply sips away his words as if they mean nothing. 'It is if you want to take up my time.'

'Let's talk about something else!' Leon smirks as he turns to me. He certainly notices the tension.

But now that he's looking at me, I just wish we could watch Brandon and Rio bicker a bit more.

'What do you want for your birthday tomorrow?' I wish he wasn't sitting on the other side of the table, that way I could smack him as hard as I can. 'It's your birthday tomorrow?' Leya and Neveah ask curiously.

I sigh deeply and look at Leonardo, ready to kill him for blurting it out like that.

I've been able to keep it a secret from them for the past months, simply because I know how they're going to act if they knew.

'Yes, she's turning twenty-five tomorrow.' Brandon chimes, making me glare at him as well.

They both know how much I hate celebrating my birthday. Yet they keep pushing me every year. 'You're turning old, ma chérie.'

Of-fucking-course, Kai has to say something about it. And he has to use those fucking exact words.

'Why didn't you tell us?' Neveah asks a little hurt by the fact that I didn't tell her. 'It's nothing special.' 'Bitch you're turning twenty-five! That's something!'

Here we go... 'We have to go to a club or something.' Leya suggests, instantly hyping Brandon up. He loves clubbing and he has been trying to convince me to celebrate my birthday for years.

Every time I had to decline, something I have to do again this time.

'Oh god yes! And we could go shopping, I need a new outfit!' I roll my eyes and look at the others for support, but they don't seem to fucking care.

'No. We're not-' 'Oh and we need to buy her some presents, cook her her favorite food and all that!' They seem to love planning all of this more than anything.

But it's not happening.

'Look, I-' 'Wait, is there something you want? Maybe we could put all of our money together and buy you that car you liked?' Brandon suggests, making my eyes widen.

A car. They want to get me a freaking car.

'Guys, please. I don't want to celebrate my birthday.' I sigh, before finishing my plate. Suddenly, I'm not hungry anymore.

Leya stares at her plate, a little ashamed that she continued pushing, Brandon rolls his eyes and sighs deeply, and Neveah. Neveah stares at me for another second before asking me a direct question.

'Why not?'

I hear the sudden sound of cutlery colliding against a plate and look at Rio. He's annoyed even though he doesn't have the right to be.

If he simply answered Brandon's question, none of this would've happened.

Well, they would've found out at some point, just not right now. I would have at least until later tonight. I would have been able to think what my answer would be, what lie I would be able to tell.

'Why are you so pushy North?' He sneers, taking another big sip of his wine. 'It's fine.' I state, turning back to Neveah with a smile.

I don't think it's fair that Rio gets angry at her for just asking a question.

'But you on the other hand,' I turn back to Rio and tilt my head a little, 'What is it you have to do later?'

He sighs and takes a bite out of an apple. That's all he ever eats during lunch, a piece of fucking fruit. 'Something.'

'Something Skull related, right?' Marco, Rio, and Leon all turn to Brandon, probably thinking that he told me about their little secret meeting last night. 'What did you tell her?'

'I didn't tell her anything!' Brandon defends himself instantly, looking at the others with clear offense in his eyes. 'He didn't say anything.'

'Can I ask how you know about it then?' Rio sighs while he pours himself another glass. He has an appointment with someone, but he keeps fucking drinking...

'I'm no fool, you've been avoiding me since last week.' Rio chuckles and waits for Leon to answer this one for him.

'I have no idea what you're talking about, Elle.' I stare at Leon for a second and smile at his foolishness. If he thinks I'm going to believe a word from him right now, he's an absolute idiot.

'You've been hiding shit from me, haven't you?' They all go silent, continuing to eat the food the chef made. 'Answer me.'

'Maybe you're just overthinking it too much, I mean. The week of your birthday has been pretty traumatic, right?' Right...

Of course, he's throwing it on the trauma. Typical fucking Rafael.

'I think I'm perfectly fine Rio, so tell me what the fuck you guys have planned.' I sneer, making him sigh deeply. 'Fratello-' 'Shove that shit up your fucking ass, does it have something to do with Skull?'

All eyes are on me again, including Kai's. He smirks at my outburst and leans back a little.

I thought I would get used to him being around after almost two months, but I'm not. It's still strange that Rio is letting him walk around, eat with us, even let him train with Roman sometimes.

'Who's Skull?' Neveah asks curiously again, annoying Rio all the more. He was already annoyed by the fact that I won't drop the subject, but now that Neveah knows something's up, he's even more irritated.

'You just had to say something, didn't you?' Marco asks, smirking like crazy. He likes it when Rio get's angry with me, it makes him feel better somehow.

But Rio isn't the only one who can get angry right now. I deserve to know. They said they wouldn't shut me out, that it would be my decision to determine when it all got too much and now they're shutting me out.

'Can't you see we're having a private conversation, North?' She rolls her eyes and takes another bite out of her sandwich. 'Well, it's not really private if you're talking about it at lunch, is it?'

Rio's gaze moves towards Leya as she shyly smiles at him. 'Just asking.'

'Plus, if it's mafia-related we have the right to know.' Neveah continues, making Rio sigh again.

She's blessed Leon is alive and well, she's blessed he's even in the room. Because she would be dead if he wasn't.

'According to who?' Rio asks through gritted teeth. 'You gave us the tattoo, right?'

No one responds because that's nothing new. But it's one of the things Rio isn't very proud of, that's for sure.

'You made sure we would stay by forcing us to get a tattoo which stands higher than the other one.' She smirks, leaning forwards as she takes her last sip of wine. She looks like trouble and she is going to be in a lot of trouble if she continues.

'You gave us the tattoo which will allow us some insight on all of this.' She smiles, before pouring herself some more wine. 'So we have the right to know.' Leya, who has been sipping on her wine ever since she last spoke, points her glass towards Neveah and nods in agreement.

Well, they're not wrong.

'You two are really being a pain in our asses right now.' They shrug and wait for someone to explain. If I didn't want to know what all of this is about as well, I would've tried to help the boys, but nope.

They want to keep fucking secrets, then they can fucking choke on them.

'According to my source we're allowed to know what's going on, so enlighten us.' Neveah smirks as she moves her gaze back to Rio. 'Your source?' She nods shamelessly and smiles proudly.

We all know who her source is, and all our eyes turn to him. He rolls his eyes and glares at his girlfriend, who simply winks at him before taking another sip of her wine.

'I don't have to tell you anything because you're not needed and-' 'It's about something in England. People keep dying left and right because of someone called Skull.'

All heads turn to Marco, since he's the one talking, and Rio has never looked angrier than this exact moment.

It takes him every cell in his body to not jump up and kill Marco right now. Now it's my turn to enjoy the show...

'You have a deathwish, don't you?' I joke, leaning back against my chair to watch as Rio glares at him from the other side of the table.

'Well, we might as well just say it now.' Brandon sighs before grabbing another muffin from the table. He's been eating the entire time and barely said a thing.

'As I said, I don't have to tell any of you anything since you're not required.' He looks at me again and smirks, obviously ready to kill. 'Don't look at me like that, you're the one keeping things from me.'

'You guys argue worse than the Steels do.' We all turn our heads towards the outsider and watch as Rio gets up from his chair and heads to the door. 'I don't have to explain myself.'

'Sit down and answer the question.' Leon sighs, making Rio slowly turn around. 'They'll find out at some point.'

Rafael's outnumbered. He's outnumbered and he knows it. Everyone wants to know, he knows Leon's right, he knows we won't stop asking until he breaks, and he knows that he doesn't have the time or patience to keep shit from us. Especially me.

'You can tell them, I don't have time for any of this. I'm already late.' And with those words he leaves, making us all turn to Leon for an explanation.

'Where is he going?' I ask since no one says a word. 'He's going to make sure everything is set for his departure tomorrow morning.' What?

'He's leaving?' Neveah asks, completely in shock by the news. Normally he tells me when he leaves, but not this time. 'Is he going to England?'

'No, he has to go to Madrid.' Wait why does he- Oh... Leon looks at me with regret in his eyes. He regrets telling Neveah about the rules because now he has to explain it to her.

'Why is going to Spain?' Neveah asks as she turns back to her lover. 'Because he has to talk to Monica Santos.' What does she have to do with any of this?

Neveah recognizes the name from before. She knows who Monica is. She knows that Leon slept with her to get the information we needed. She knows.

'Oh.' And it's clear that her mind is going places again. 'Why does he need to talk to her?' Leya asks curiously since she doesn't know who Monica is. 'She's the woman Tiago slept with to get what they needed.' Neveah states a little annoyed again.

'You know-' 'According to you, you didn't have any other choice.' She sighs before filling her glass again.

Rio and she have that in common. They can drink a lot. Especially when they're annoyed.

'Oh.' Leya mumbles, trying to come up with something else to say.

'If it makes it any better, he hasn't spoken to her since?' Brandon mumbles, trying to help Leon a little.

Neveah simply stares at him, no emotion on her face, and gets up from her chair. 'I'm done eating and I'll be going to my room now.'

'Neveah-' She walks out without letting Leon finish and leaves us all in silence again.

'This could all be avoided if you simply told me from the beginning.' I chime, getting up and rushing after her.

She doesn't deserve this right now and I feel kind of responsible since I asked the questions in the first place, so I'll try to calm her down a little.

'Wait for me!' Leya, who apparently came after me, comes running out of the dining room. 'I'm not staying in there, Leon is pretty angry.'

I roll my eyes and glance at the door leading to the room we left them in. Of course, he is... 'Let's go.'

We head to the door and follow the path to Leon's house since that's where Neveah probably ran off too. It's a little cold for what I'm wearing, a white shirt with blue jeans underneath, since it's winter already.

Time flew by like it was nothing really.

The girls have been studying like crazy. Actually, Leya has been studying like crazy. Neveah has been busy with Leon. It's like they're a bunch of bunnies in heat.

But Leya herself has been busier as well. Rio and her keep disappearing into Rio's house, probably hiding in the basement doing whatever they do down there, but outside of that she's been studying, focussing on her future.

It's funny to me how they can share a bed but absolutely hate each other outside of it. Like how is it they can have sex but absolutely despise each other every time they have to be in the same room as one another?

They have a weird relationship, build on hate, if you can even call it one. But it's none of my business really.

When we get into the house, we can hear her scream at the top of her lungs, making me feel bad for her again.

I started something I shouldn't have. She knows because I kept asking. Because I didn't want the attention to go on my birthday.

'Veah, are you okay?' She looks at us and shakes her head. 'How can someone be such a douchebag!?'

We walk closer, looking at the mess she made. She threw a bunch of pillows around the room and I'm happy that they're just pillows.

'I mean he literally just admitted that he slept with an older woman just to get shit done! As if it's the simplest thing on earth!' We let her rant for a while because it seems like she needs this.

She needs to let all her emotions out before she bottles them up and lets all of them out at once.

'To think that he's the one I have to share this dump with!' She throws her arms through the air, making clear that she's talking about the house. 'Okay, it's not a dump but you get the point!'

She grunts and jumps onto the couch, throwing another pillow across the room. 'I fucking hate him!'

'Are you done?' Leya asks with her arms folded in front of her chest. She looks like a mother who's waiting for her daughter to finish her tantrum. 'No! He has the fucking nerve to talk about it around me and I-'

'That's kind of my fault... I'm the one who kept asking.' I mumble, making her look at me for just a second. 'I don't fucking care who started it! He's an absolute idiot!'

'But you love him.' Neveah stares at Leya for a second and doesn't know what to say. 'I can't.'

I still don't get why she won't say it. She's totally smitten with Leon, yet she continues to deny it. She continues to hide her feelings, even from him.

'It's obvious you do.' She grunts and presses her head into one of the last pillows on the couch, before screaming again.

Leya looks at me and sighs helplessly, not knowing what to do with her best friend. 'Why is he so fucking hot!?' What?

Her mood just switched from angry to somewhat horny in a second. 'What was that?' I ask as we walk over to the couch. She sits up straight and sighs deeply. 'He has no right looking that good...'

'You're definitely something else.' I laugh and give her a little push, making her laugh just for a second. 'Is it a bad thing that I want him to rail me again?' 'Kind of.'

She groans again and pulls Leya onto the couch, so she can scream against he chest. 'You're horny again, aren't you?'

'Yes! And it's annoying!' Neveah looks like a teen going through her first period or something. 'I think I'm going to get my period soon, I just feel it.'

I take a seat on the couch, not too far away from them.

'Typical period mood swings, right?' 'Mhm.' I chuckle and stare at the two of them. They're lucky to have each other in this. If it would be just one of them who had to endure what they have, all the horrors of the Curzio's, they wouldn't have survived.

I barely did myself.

'Celine, do you have something to help with the moods?' Neveah asks a little happier than before. I shake my head and smile at her. 'I can only give you pills to help with the pain, but nothing else.'

She sighs again and turns around, staring at the ceiling as she places her feet on my legs. 'Okay, so what are we going to do for your birthday?' Oh great...

Just when I thought she was going to drop the subject, just when I thought I didn't have to explain myself to them today, Neveah has to start about it.

'We're not going to do anything, we'll simply sleep in a little, but that's it.' I joke, trying to make her stop talking about it. 'No, you're turning twenty-five tomorrow.'

'So?' I don't get why she's so obsessed with my birthday. 'That's half of fifty! That needs to be celebrated!'

I sigh and look at Leya for help, but she seems just as excited about celebrating my birthday as Neveah.

'Please let us plan something, we promise we'll keep it small.' I shake my head and place my hands on Neveah's legs, trying to not push her off and rush out of here.

So far they haven't asked about the reason for my lack of interest in my own birthday. So far.

'Come on, we don't even ask for anything in return. Just that you show up?' Now Leya is also getting involved. They both seem to want to go out again.

The last time was when we went to Le Carmen... And look how that ended.

'No thanks. I would much rather stay in and just watch a movie or something.' They both sigh and stare at me as if I'm the most boring person on earth. 'What's wrong with watching a movie?' 'Not for your twenty-fifth birthday, no way.'

'Why not?' 'It's unacceptable!' They scream at the same time, making me laugh a little. 'Why don't you want to celebrate it anyways?' There it is.

The question I begged them not to ask. Not because I don't have the answer for it, I do, I just don't want the whole world to know. And it's not that I don't trust them, I just don't want them to know.

Not yet. Maybe I can tell them tomorrow when all of this is over. Just not now.

'I just don't.' I huff, really wanting to change the subject. They look at each other before looking back at me and nod. 'Well, I'm not giving up. We're going to celebrate, if it's at a club or at home having a movie marathon, I don't care.' Leya chimes, smiling at me with all she has.

'We should bake her a cake!' Neveah exclaims as if I'm not right here. 'Let's do that!' They jump up and look at me again. 'What cake do you want?'

I can't stop smiling at them, they're just adorable. 'None. I'll just order something.'

'No, you can't-' 'Neveah?' We all turn towards the door, we didn't even hear the door open, and stare at Leonardo who is staring at his girl and his girl only.

'We should probably go.' Leya whispers to me and I nod. They look like they will be ripping each other's clothes off in no time and we don't want to see that right now. Or ever for that matter. 'Have fun!'

We rush out of the house, closing the door behind us so they can have at least some privacy. 'She's fucked, did you see the way he looked at her!'

'I think he's in more trouble than her, but we'll see.' I joke, making her stop walking. I take a few more steps before turning around to face her. 'What's wrong?' 'Who's the dominant one in their relationship?' What?

'It sounds weird, forget it!' 'No, why do you want to know?' It's not something I can answer, but I'm wondering where the question came from. 'Okay, I'm just going to ask you since you seem more experienced than I, and Neveah is busy with Leon.' What is this about?

'How do you take charge?' What? 'What do you mean?' I ask a little confused. 'How do you take the lead in bed.' Oh...

'I'm not the person you have to have this talk with.' I smile at her since I have no idea what the hell all of that is about. I know that I'm not the person in charge, but I would certainly not let a man degrade me.

'Really, I thought- Forget it.' She huffs before she walks back to Rio's place. 'I'm going to take a shower, talk to you later?'

I nod and turn the other way, back to the vineyards. I always go there when I have a lot on my mind.

Just like I do right now.

Jayden's birthday was yesterday, my birthday is tomorrow, I don't want to celebrate it at all, but the girls do, Rio is going to talk to Monica about something, they kept it from me for weeks, despite my demands for answers.

All of it is just too much at once and I wish I could just let it all flow out of me. All the stress from the past few weeks, just flow away with the cold wind.

Another thing. It's fucking winter. It's cold as fuck and I absolutely hate it.

I walk past all the bushes and end up at the fire pit again. The last time I came here was at night. When the sky was filled with stars. When I was sitting here with Brandon keeping me company.

It was a few weeks ago, back when the sun shined just enough to make you feel a little bit of warmth, which feels like ages ago.

'Here you are again.' I don't have to turn around to see who it is. Kai, who's still kind of stiff with his legs, steps into the pit and takes a seat across from me. 'What do you want?'

He smiles and looks at the ashes of the fire from last time. There's still enough wood left to make a new one. 'Shouldn't you be inside, trying to get the info to Hunter?'

'What info?' He smirks as he leans forward, trying to see if he can start the fire. 'The fact that Rio won't be here for a couple of days.'

'I told you before, Hunter and I are done.' Yeah right... He keeps pushing those lies down my throat, it's starting to get annoying.

If he expects me to believe that, then he's wrong. Horribly wrong.

'You can't seriously think I believe you, right?' He sighs and fumbles in his back pocket, probably looking for a lighter. That's another thing. He smokes now.

I don't remember when he started, he had pretty clean lungs before, and despite my advice, he started smoking.

'Make of it what you want ma chérie, I'm not-' 'I told you to stop calling me that.' I sneer, making him look up at me again. So far I didn't lash out at him.

But him calling me ma chérie, especially now, is more bothersome than usual.

He rolls his eyes and tries to set the wood aflame. Normally you would need something to light it first, but for some reason, he's able to do it just fine. The wood sets fire, granting us enough heat to stay warm in the cold.

'What's with you today?' He asks after a moment of silence. 'What do you mean?' 'You're so tense, more than usual. And at lunch, you lashed out because people wanted to celebrate your birthday, what's up with that?'

'I just don't like my birthday.' He furrows his brows as if it's the strangest thing he has ever heard. 'Why not?'

'Because it reminds me of the past.' I sigh, not wanting to say it again. I don't get why I'm telling him instead of the girls.

Maybe because I know he's going to leave at some point. It's more like a confession now. He knows why, but can't do shit with the information.

'Did something happen?' He asks curiously, staring at me as the fire reflects in his dark eyes. 'Maybe.'

'You know you can talk to me right, it's just us two and it'll stay between us.' Yeah right..

'I've heard that one before.' I smile, turning my gaze back to the fire between us. It's like some kind of barrier. A barrier that keeps me on this side, keeping me from hitting him.

'I'm serious Celine.' Wow. That's something new. He only calls me Celine when I'm either hurting him, because I have to take care of his stupid ass, or because he's angry. 'So am I.'

He sighs and stares at the fire, trying to hide the fact that he's secretly staring at me from time to time. 'Why do you want to know anyway?'

'I just want to understand you a bit better.' He answers honestly, making me wonder why.

Why would someone like Kai Carter Davis want to get to know me. Why would he want to understand me better.

And since everyone is asking me all the direct questions today, I decide that I might as well join in.

'And why is that?' He looks up, staring straight into my eyes, almost making me gasp for air at the sight of him.

He has never looked more attractive than in this exact moment. The fire just makes it look like he's shaped in the most perfect form to ever exist.

'I don't know. I just want to.' Great... 'My ex's birthday was yesterday. We always celebrated it together, so I guess you could say he kind of ruined that for me.' I sigh, a little ashamed that I'm telling him this.

Kai Carter Davis out of all people.

'So you're not celebrating another year of your life, because of your ex?' His tone is bothering me already, he's trying to fucking mock me. 'Not just any ex. The ex that forced me into this life. The ex that keeps haunting me forever. The ex that called me ma chérie, exactly like you keep doing!'

His shoulders go up and down slowly as he keeps his eyes on me, trying to see if that was all. But I have more.

'And don't you fucking dare try to get into my head now. It might not be much to you, but it is to me.' He opens his mouth a little, but nothing comes out for at least another ten seconds.

The longest seconds I've ever had to endure. I move my gaze back to the fire and take a deep breath. 'Don't mock me, Davis.'

'Your ex sold you?' I regret telling him anything. I regret even letting him get to me like this. 'That's my story, I guess.'

'That's fucked up.' He says in total shock, making me look up at him again. He is in shock. Totally blown away by all of this. 'I know.' I giggle a little, trying to keep a straight face, but it's impossible.

He stares at me and starts chuckling himself. It's weird laughing with one of the enemies about a traumatic experience, but it feels good at the same time.

'I'm sorry you had to go through that Celine.' He whispers after a while, making me stare at him again. His eyes are stuck to the fire, making the colors reflect in his eyes again.

I don't get why he's apologizing. As far as I know, he had nothing to do with it, but it feels good. It feels warm? I don't know how to explain it, but it's a good feeling.

'Thanks.'

We both look at each other, before staring at the fire again. There's a long silence, of at least ten minutes, but it's not awkward. We enjoy it.

While the wood burns, making those crispy sounds of the branch breaking from time to time, we take in the warmth of the fire and enjoy each other's presence in silence.

'So, you're really not going to do shit for your twenty-fifth birthday?'

'Not you too!' I groan, moving my chair a little closer to the fire. It's getting colder by the second and the fire is the only thing keeping me warm right now.

A chuckle escapes his lips and he nods proudly. 'You can't seriously not celebrate your twenty-fifth.'

'What do you suggest I do?' I ask jokingly since I made it pretty clear I'm not celebrating my birthday. 'Go out, have fun. Fuck what your ex did. Don't let it ruin you forever.'

'It's not that simple.' 'It is. You just have to ignore your brain for once, block out all the negative and enjoy the moment.' He states with a smile. 'You can't let him ruin your life like this. Sure the fucker sold you, but you got something good out of it right? You have a family now. A family that loves you.'

He's right. He's right about all of it. I shouldn't let Jayden's idiotic mistakes ruin my life like this. I should enjoy my life while I still can, which includes celebrating another year of survival. Especially with the Curzio's. Who I'm very thankful for.

If it wasn't for Jayden, I wouldn't have met them in the first place. It's the only good thing he granted me.

'You don't have to say shit about it right now, but just think about it.' He chimes, continuing to smile at me.

God, he's good at this. 'I will.'

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A/N: Hello everyone, here I am again! For anyone wondering what the fuck is going on, there is about a two months time skip... Since I didn't know how to fill it more. So yeah.

Also, you guys are on some shit... LIKE HOW TF DID I HIT 12K ALREADY?! THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCHHHHH AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

I hope you still enjoy the story! And get ready for some heavy shit, because... YEAH!

I would really appreciate it if you would like my chapters and comment on what you liked the most, it really helps me grow!

Until next time and have a blessed day!