Celine Elloise Dufort:

It has been four days since we left Spain and everyone has been tense ever since. I understand why they would be, but this is a little too much.

Especially Rio seems to think about it all the time.

Which is odd. Rio never thinks about any of his decision this long. But I think there's more going on. He just doesn't tell us about anything anymore. Especially Leon.

It's like he feels betrayed because of what he did, which I kind of understand. But if I was in love with Neveah and Monica almost killed her that night, I would've done the exact same.

Rio threw it on love. The one thing he resents most in the world, even though he has never felt it before.

'What's up with you?' I look up from the papers on my desk, straight into Kai's dark eyes, and smile. 'When did you get in here?'

'I've been in here with you for fifteen minutes now.' He laughs and drops back in his seat. Has he really been in here for fifteen minutes already?

I guess I was just too busy thinking about all the shit going on with Rio.

He said he wanted to talk to me later today, but didn't really say what he wanted to talk about. So I've been thinking about that too.

'What's up? Need some help?' He moves his laptop to the side and looks at the papers in front of me. Maybe he can help me with this, that way I don't have to do it on my own.

'Leon asked me to look into some files. They're about some of Monica's men.' He nods and starts reading through the first pages. 'What did he want you to find?'

'If they have any liabilities, any sicknesses or wounds.' I sigh and look at another paper. There are at least twenty men he wanted me to check. He went through a bunch of them himself, but he doesn't know where to look.

Plus, Rio told him to take care of something, so he's been busy with that.

'This one.' He points at the picture of Julio Nadora. 'He had some heart failures in the past.' I nod and write it down on the notepad in front of me. 'He also broke his right arm multiple times.' I mumble as I press the pen against the paper.

'It doesn't say.' 'But I know.' He tilts his head a little and smiles. 'You know him?'

'Let's just say that Leon and Monica's men never really got along.'

He frowns and places the papers back on my desk. 'How so?'

I put the pen down and lean back in my leather chair. Rio said that this office was mine to use. Only mine.

But it became our office. Kai has been here with me every day. And I honestly don't mind. It's like I work better with him around.

'She slept with him but her men didn't like him?' I nod and laugh it off. 'They don't like his arrogance. Especially Luca, he hates Leon with his whole heart.'

'Why?' Kai curiously asks, and I shrug. I never really knew why, I just knew he did. He probably still does. And he will kill all of us if he finds out what happened with his mother. Oh god... 'Leon is just a little older than him, too young for his mother. He always hated him.'

'I mean I get that, but if she was happy with him, why would he object?' Was she happy with him though? He certainly wasn't with her.

Every time Leon would come back from Monica, he would be so tired. He hated lying to her. He always lied to her because he had to. Because Rio told him to.

'I honestly don't know.' I sigh and grab another file, before handing it to him.

There were times when Leon would come to my room late at night, when he got back from Monica, he needed to talk to someone about how bad he felt. He didn't want to use her like that.

So I convinced him to give it a try. Give Monica Santos a try. He needed to continue because Rio was certainly not going to let him stop. He didn't have a choice.

And he did. He gave it a try. They went on a date. They had fun. I even think they fell in love at some point.

But Monica fell deeper. She wanted more. She always wanted more.

She fell in ways that he never could. Because deep down, deep inside his soul, he always had Neveah in the back of his head.

And everyone knew he was never going to love her back. At least not the way she needed him to. But she didn't care.

Luca did. He didn't want his mother to suffer. Even though she didn't really suffer. Leon gave her attention, he talked to her about a future, he told her he loved her even if it was all a lie. He hated himself for lying to her, so he started to convince himself that he did. That he did love her the way she needed him to.

But he never actually did. Not like he loves Neveah.

'They were happy though, right?' He asks, grabbing another file himself. 'I think they were. At some point.' I say honestly.

I do believe they made each other happy at some point, but I don't think it lasted. Because it wasn't sincere.

'Let's just keep it all in the past. We have other things to focus on.' I exclaim, grabbing my pen again. I mark all the things on here that seem suspicious and quickly go through all the others.

Kai stares at me but also goes through a bunch of files, and before I know it the pile is gone. We've gone through at least forty files before lunch and I don't think I've ever done anything that quick.

'We should take a break.' He groans, throwing the last one back on the pile. 'We're done. But I agree. Want to grab something to eat?' 'I would love to.' He jumps up from his chair and waits for me to do the same.

'I'll just go by to check on the girls before we go, maybe they would like to come with us.' He nods and heads to the door, probably rushing to our room to change.

Yes, our room. There are enough rooms for everyone, but he insisted on sleeping in mine. And I honestly don't mind anymore.

I head to the girls, who are probably studying in Cataleya's room.

I knock on the door and wait for one of them to open the door, but all I hear are screams. 'You just need to go through the pages and-' 'It's too much!'

I slowly open the door and peek inside, looking at the girls who are standing on opposite sides of the room. 'You should've started earlier!'

'I know, but- Oh hey Celine!' Neveah smiles at me and turns back to Cataleya, 'I just didn't want to!'

'And now you're regretting it, aren't you?' I ask, slowly walking closer to them. She nods and jumps on the bed, not caring about all the books on top of it.

'That's why I told you to keep up with the schedule you made.' Leya sighs and also jumps on the bed, next to Neveah. 'I was busy!'

Leya rolls her eyes and I can't stop smirking. 'Busy fucking Leon of course.'

Neveah's cheeks turn red and she rolls to the side, so she can look at me. 'You're supposed to be on my side.'

'No, she's not!' Leya shouts, turning to me as well. 'Tell her that she should've started before, just like I told her to.'

'Leya is right-' 'But learning is boring!' Neveah groans, stretching out on the bed dramatically. 'You know what isn't boring? Failing class! It's heartbreaking! Do you want to fail!?'

Leya reminds me of my mother when I just started studying. I hated the books. I was more of a do person. Still am. But the books don't seem to bother me that much anymore.

'Leya is right, you know?' I mumble, also taking a seat on the bed. 'I'm going to freak out, how the fuck am I supposed to get all that information in my head? The stupid test is tomorrow!'

I flinch at the sudden loudness of her voice and notice that Leya does the same. 'Maybe after lunch?'

They both look at me. Like it's the weirdest question. 'It's almost two and we haven't eaten yet.'

'I'm not hungry. Plus I have to do so much, so I don't think I'll be out until dinner.' Leya mumbles, before turning back to the books on her desk. 'Are you sure?' She nods and smiles at me for a second. I'll send some food to their room then...

'And you?' I ask, turning to Neveah. I can tell she's hungry. She wants to come with me, but she also has to study to pass the exam. 'If Cataleya has a lot to do, what the fuck am I supposed to do?!' She groans, dropping onto the bed again.

'You'll be fine, don't stress it too much. I know you can do this.' I chime, rubbing her back a little. She looks like she's going to cry any second now. The only thing keeping her together is the pressure.

She needs to ace this exam. And I know she will. With Leya's help. Because if Leya wasn't here screaming at her like she just did, Neveah would still do nothing. 'I'll get you two something to eat later, good luck.'

They both nod at me and instantly dive back into the books. Making me smile.

I remember when I was like that. It feels like a million years ago, but it was barely four years ago. I graduated as one of the youngest people in France. But that didn't matter to me. All that mattered is that I did it.

I got my diploma. As one of the first in my family. I made my family proud and I will continue to make them proud by doing what I'm good at.

Even if it meant going against the rules sometimes.

'Ready to go?' I ask as I walk into our room. Kai smiles at me. He's wearing something else than before, something way more formal. 'We're just going out for lunch right?' I ask, looking him up and down.

He looks dressed for a date. But I don't know if this is a date. If it is, I might have to change as well.

'Yes, let's go.' He chimes, basically pushing me out of the room. I roll my eyes and head to the front door.

Just as Kai opens the door for me, Rio's office door opens. He has been inside there since last night. I think.

'When you two get back, I need to speak to Celine.' He states, before disappearing again.

If it was important, he wouldn't have let us go. He would simply tell me to follow him. But he didn't. So it's not important.

But still. The whole way to the restaurant, I try to come up with what he needs to talk about. It might have to do something with the Santos thing. Or maybe Skull? Or maybe he wanted to ask if I gave Cataleya the right pills or something.

It could be a lot of other things as well. But he left it as a mystery for me. And it gnaws at me. Even when we enter the cute little café Kai picked out, my mind is somewhere else.

Venice is beautiful, but it's too crowded. We're literally in the middle of the city, with boats that function as cars on the little canals. It's the cutest shit ever, but it's too crowded. Too many people, trying to go places on the little pavements and docks.

Until now, I haven't fallen into the canals. So that's a good thing.

'What does Rio want to talk to you about?' Kai asks when we take a seat at a table next to the window. I look outside and enjoy the view. It's absolutely stunning. 'I have no idea.' I sigh, making him awkwardly shift in his seat.

'It's probably nothing bad.' I look at the table between us. There's a little flowerpot in the middle, with a single rose in it, and a pot of salt and pepper.

A waiter smiles as he hands us two menus and asks us what we would like to drink. His English is funny to listen to, but I don't dare laugh. It's not like my English is the best, so I don't have the right to.

'Celine, can I ask you something?' I stare up at Kai again, enjoying his honest smile as he waits for me to answer. 'Of course, what's up?'

'Why aren't you mad at Rio?' What? 'Why would I be mad at him?' I ask, not understanding why I should be mad at him. Sure, he did some messed-up shit. But he always protected me.

'Uhm. I don't know, maybe because he was going to sell you?' He asks sarcastically. The waiter comes back with our drinks and places them on the table, before walking towards another table.

'He had no choice.' Kai scoffs and grabs the glass of ice tea he ordered. 'Rafael always has a choice. Everyone does.' He grunts, placing the glass on the table again. 'He was going to fucking sell you, Celine. And you're acting like nothing ever happened.'

He's right. Rio might have almost sold me, but it didn't come to that yet. And that's the risk. I knew the risks. I still do. People will put numbers on my head. Not just mine, but everyones. On my family as well.

They're all risks. Risks I know about. Risks we all know about. All except Kai apparently.

'It comes with the job.' He stares at me in awe at my words and shakes his head. 'No, it does not.'

He takes a deep breath and turns back to the menu in front of him since the waiter is back already. We both order something and wait for the waiter to leave. As soon as the man is gone, Kai turns back to me.

'He's your boss. It's his obligation to protect you.' 'I don't need him to protect me, I can take perfect care of myself.' I sneer.

I don't need Rio's protection. Sure, he protects me by keeping me close and guarding the places we go. But that's more than enough. I don't need him to protect me. I just need him to make sure that there are jobs for me to do.

'I never said you couldn't, but he owes you that much. He was going to send you away, hand you over to god knows who, as if you were some object. And you're just taking it?' His words pain me.

As if I let him down by not fighting back. But I knew that someday something like this was going to happen. If not to me, to someone else we care about.

I saw the look on everyone's faces. Even Marco didn't want Rio to go through with it. But Rio didn't have a choice. He couldn't risk a war with Santos. They're our number one ally in Spain. Were. They were our number one ally.

It won't take long for Luca to find out what happened. But until then, we'll have to keep acting like we had nothing to do with it.

Rio planned it all out. They dropped her body next to the road, a different road we took. He'll tell them that we left before she ever got to the house, in the hope that she didn't tell them anything yet.

The fact that she came alone, without security, is weird. She should've taken some of her men with her, maybe then she wouldn't be dead. But she is.

And I'm kind of happy that she is.

I don't know what type of man Luca is. And I don't want to find out. Especially not like the way he wanted it to.

He literally ordered his mom to get me. So that he could have me. Disgusting...

'It's not that easy and you know it.' According to him, it is. It's as simple as waking up in the morning. All according to him.

But he's wrong. There's so much more.

We're already at war with the Bulgarians and Steel is always up our ass. So we couldn't risk a war with Santos. But he'll never understand that.

'It actually is, if-' 'If Steel didn't try to tear us down every breathing second, we would be fine. Rio wouldn't even think about selling me then. Plus, I know he wouldn't actually go through with it. He would need to find another doctor and that's too much work for him.'

Kai sighs deeply and looks at the people around us. I can feel some of their eyes burn through me because it's obvious we're disagreeing about something.

'Look, I didn't mean to come off rude or anything. I just don't think it's fair for him to leave you in the dark like that. Especially when it's about your life.' He mumbles, sipping from his glass again.

I want to shove it down his fucking throat. Asshole. But instead, I roll my eyes and sip from my mint tea. It's cold as hell outside, so I ordered a tea to warm up.

'I just don't like how he doesn't communicate with you. He should talk to you about stuff like this.' He continues, making me more and more annoyed.

We were simply going out for lunch. But somehow it turned out into a lecture with drinks. 'He tells me what I need to know, and that's more than enough.'

Kai nods and turns to the waiter, who brings us our food. I actually want to tell him to pack it up for us. That way I can leave without killing Kai in the middle of a fucking restaurant, but the waiter quickly walks to another table to take some orders.

I stare at the salad I ordered, suddenly not hungry anymore, and back at Kai. 'Are you not going to eat?' He asks, slowly cutting into his sandwich. 'Not hungry anymore.' He sighs and lowers his fork.

First of all, why is he eating a sandwich with a fork, second, why is he acting like I'm supposed to enjoy this lunch? Like he didn't just basically talked shit about my relationship with Rio.

'At least eat some of it, we could take the rest back to the house.' I roll my eyes and prick into my salad, forcing a bite down my throat.

The rest of the meal goes by in silence. Awkward, angry silence. But at the same time, he's right. Rio keeps me in the dark lately, more than usual.

And if Kai noticed it too, then it must be real. I thought I was imagining it, but no. It's the truth. Rio's growing distant again.

But that doesn't mean I can't trust him. I trust Rio with my life. And I know he knows that too.

After we're finished, with my half-eaten salad and some food for the girls, we head back to the house. I first head to Leya's room, to give them their food, and head to Rio's office straight away. Not giving Kai another second of my time.

He overstepped today. And I need space from him.

'You wanted to see me?' Rio is seated in the big leather chair behind the desk, looking as bossy as always. 'I did. Take a seat, it will take a while.' Oh god...

I walk over to the chair on the other side of his desk and sit down. 'Where's Davis?' 'Did you want him in here as well?' I ask. Rio specifically asked me to come by, not Kai.

But if he wants him here, I will text him to come down here or something. Yet, Rio shakes his head before smiling a little.

'You seem tense, everything okay?' He asks, keeping his eyes on mine. 'I could say the same about you, but I'm okay. Just tired.'

Rio nods and stares at me for another second, before clearing his throat and turning to the drawer underneath his desk. He throws a stack of papers on the desk and gently pushes them my way.

I stare at the first paper. It's an email. From Hunter Steel. To... Kai Carter Davis...

'What is this?' I ask, looking at the other papers. They're all a bunch of emails between the two of them. Recent ones. They've been sending each other emails for the past weeks. 'Some emails I told Kai to send to Steel.' What?

I look up at Rio and can't believe what he just said. 'Explain that part.'

'Hunter contacted Kai three weeks ago, just after your birthday. He sent him that mail,' Rio points at the one on top, and searches for the response Kai sent, 'so I told him to respond. He needed to act like he was working for Hunter on the inside.'

Wait... So all of this... 'How long has this been going on?' I ask, looking at the stack of papers. There are at least twenty emails in here. Meaning it must've been going on for longer than a week.

'Just after your birthday, didn't Kai tell you?' That asshole... He was talking about Rio's lack of communication, but he didn't think it would be a good idea to tell me that he was sending Hunter emails?

I don't know what hurts more. The fact that he didn't tell me about the emails or the fact that he basically belittled me for the lack of correspondence between Rio and me.

'He didn't tell me.' I sigh, staring at all of the emails while I wait for Rio to continue. 'Well, Hunter wants to meet up. He wants to fix this shit so he can focus on other things.'

My eyes widen. This war between them has been going on for years, even way before I joined, and suddenly they want to call it quits? Or at least stop the war?

'When?' 'That's why I wanted to talk to you. See, I thought Davis told you all about this shit. But apparently, he didn't, so we have to call him in here to see what he has to say for himself.' Rio sighs, dialing Kai's number.

Oh god... Just great.

We wait and after a few minutes, Kai runs into the office. 'You wanted to see me?' He looks at me and quickly turns his gaze to Rio. As he should.

I don't even cover the anger in my eyes anymore. He deserves to see how angry I am. How betrayed I feel.

'Why didn't you tell Celine about the emails?' His eyes widen as he looks at the stack of papers in front of me. All this time he's been with us. He's been talking to his boss all this time. All this fucking time, without me knowing.

'She was occupied with other stuff, I didn't see the point. And I thought you told her already.' Bullshit. I roll my eyes and turn back to Rio. 'What's the next step?'

'I don't think you should go through with it. Hunter can't be trusted with this. He never takes the easy way out and this,' he points at the stack of papers and looks back at Rio, 'This is the easy way out.'

If Kai is right about something. It's this. This is an easy way out.

I don't know Hunter the way Kai does, but this just seems too easy. Rio noticed that too.

'So what do you suggest we do, Davis?' Kai's eyes widen, mine do too. 'Are you asking him to decide?'

'I'm asking him for input since he knows Hunter the best out of all of us.' Rio groans, turning back to Kai. 'Let me talk to him for a while, see what he wants out of this. There must be more.'

'How do I know you're not just buying him more time?'I ask, turning to Kai. His eyes shoot to me, clear betrayal in his eyes. Good.

He deserves it. He's the one talking shit about all of this, but he has a big part in it himself.

'I would never do that to you and you know it.' He honestly answers, sending shivers down my back. It shouldn't. I don't want those stupid shivers. 'Plus, he's too busy fighting off Ravens men to spend time on us.' Us...

He's one of us now. He's been for a while. But after all the shit I found out today, in the past twenty minutes, I don't know if he is.

Sure, he worked on our side. But still.

'Fine with me, just keep me updated on everything.' Rio sighs, looking at me for a second. 'And you, I need you to go through a file for me.' 'Another one?' He nods and rumbles through his drawer again, before pulling out a little file.

Kai leaves the office and closes the door behind him, making me want to run after him. I have to talk to him about all of this.

I recognize the blond girl immediately. 'What is it with you and Brooke Steel?' I ask curiously. He has been keeping tabs on her for months now, but never told me why.

Brooke Steel stepped out of this lifestyle when she was just a teenager. Her father didn't want her to end up like her mother, so they send her away. She's as innocent as a child and has nothing to do with any of this.

Even Dominic can confirm that.

'We just need to keep our eyes on her, you'll never know how she'll turn out.' I roll my eyes, knowing that she'll rather die than kill someone. She hates her family for taking the route they took. She hates her family for destroying their lives the way they do.

That's why she didn't go back to them. She just left.

And I don't think she'll ever go back to that life. It's too dangerous for someone like her. She's too soft for a world like this.

'Fine, what is it?' I ask, scanning through the file. 'People say she's pregnant, I need you to see if anything in the medical file clarifies that matter.'

Once I'm done with the paper, I hand it back to him. 'She's not pregnant, definitely a party girl. She's been in the hospital more than twenty times in less than a month, all because she drank a little too much.'

He rolls his eyes and shoves the file back into the drawer. 'Good to know I guess. So no pregnancy?'

'Not in the file, why?' He leans forward as if he's going to tell me his biggest secret or something. 'She was last seen with Micheal Navaro, and we both know about his reputation around young women.' Right...

'Okay, I have work to do. So I'll see you at dinner.' He nods and turns back to a bunch of other stuff as I walk out of his office. I instantly head to my office, hoping to find Kai there. And of course. He's there.

'You were sending Hunter emails?' I ask, without letting him face me first. 'I was.' 'And you didn't bother to tell me?'

'I didn't see the point. I honestly thought that Rio told you already, but apparently, he didn't. Plus, Rio is the only one who needed to know.' Ouch... 'You were already busy with all your own shit and I didn't want to bother you.'

'Bullshit.' I sneer, walking closer to him. 'No, I'm serious Celine. I didn't want you to overdo yourself again, so I laid back. I'm sorry and I didn't mean to keep you in the dark.'

I shake my head and step towards my desk. 'After that bullshit speech, I would've thought you would at least communicate with me.'

'I am communicating with you, am I not?' 'Not really if you kept that from me!' He nods, knowing I'm right. Because I am.

'I'm sorry.' He mumbles, looking at me with those sad eyes. I know what he's trying to do, but I won't let him do it. 'Just get out. I have to work.'

'Celine-' 'You made me feel like shit today because you were right. Rio is keeping me in the dark, but so are you. So get out.' He takes a deep breath and keeps his eyes on me, still not moving an inch.

'Get the fuck out Kai. I'm not going to say it again.' I groan, keeping my eyes on his. I hope he sees my anger, my hate towards him right now. Because he deserves it.

He opens his mouth, but swallows his words, grabs his shit, and leaves the office.

I finally breathe in and out, before dropping in the big, leather chair.

Silence. Total silence.

-----

A/N: This chapter was kind of short... Sorry! But the ones before this one were kind of long, so I hope that's okay... Also, thank you for all the support! I really appreciate it!

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

Anyways, hope you enjoyed it! Have a nice day and until next time!