Neveah Aurora North:

I stare at myself in the mirror and take a deep breath.

It has been exactly sixty-three days, meaning it has been one thousand five hundred and twelve hours, meaning there have passed more than ninety thousand seven hundred and twenty minutes already.

Nine weeks since we've last heard anything from Santos.

Meaning they either didn't find her body yet or they simply don't care enough, which I highly doubt. Or maybe Rio knows more than he's willing to give away.

But I don't think so.

He and Cataleya seem to spend a lot more time together, so if Santos would've found out, he wouldn't have so much spare time to spend with Leya.

Right?

'What are you thinking about?' I look into the mirror and watch as Tiago sneaks back into our room. 'Nothing.' I lie, not wanting to bring it up.

He's wearing another black suit, with the same green tie as the dress I'm wearing. I don't think I've ever seen him wear anything green in his entire life.

'You look handsome today.' I chime, smiling at him. 'Nothing compared to you of course.' He mumbles, obviously not caring about shamelessly letting his eyes roam my body.

I have to admit, the dress Brandon made is perfect. It's not too tight and is very flowy, just in case it gets too hot. It's March already, so everything can happen when it comes to weather.

Last week we had rain, but the week before that was sunny as hell. As if it was summer already.

'Ready to go?' He asks, moving a bit closer. I nod and jump up from my seat, slowly walking towards the man I love.

I hook my arm around his and walk by his side as we go through the long halls, down the stairs. I like that this house is not as wide as the others, but it's taller.

'I feel sorry for Celine.' I whisper as we get to the stairs. Tiago looks at me with a frown on his face as he continues to walk down the stairs. 'She really wanted Kai to go as her date.' But instead, she has to go as Marco's date.

'You know why he can't come.' He chuckles, making me groan. 'Because he's one of the shooters at his previous parties, I know. But Celine can't stand Marco.'

He chuckles and grabs my hand to pull me after him, towards the others. Everyone was apparently already waiting by the door.

I first glance at Celine, since she's standing at the end of the stairs. She's wearing a simple black dress that wraps tight around her figure and has a very, very deep cut. Wow...

She looks good. So does Leya.

Her taupe-colored dress is tight, wrapped around her waist to reveal her hourglass figure, and has little puffs as sleeves. 'Who are you two trying to seduce, because if it's me... It's definitely working.'

They giggle and turn to me, smiling like crazy. 'Like you're one to talk.'

I smile back at them and look at the boys. Roman, Brandon, Marco, and Rio are all wearing black suits with different colored ties, all matching their dates.

'Took you long enough.' Rio sighs, making me roll my eyes at him.

We're not even five minutes in and he's already ruining my mood. 'Let's get to the cars. We'll be back later today.' Brandon chimes, nodding at Manuela.

She's been staring at us with tears in her eyes the entire time. 'Don't be gone for too long and text me when you get there.' She chimes, wiping away a tear as she walks back to the kitchen.

She's been very emotional for the past few days. And I kind of wonder what's going on. But if it was something important, she would've told us.

We all get outside and head to different cars, Roman goes with Brandon, Celine goes with Marco, Rio goes with Leya, and Tiago goes with me. Yes. I'm driving.

It surprises me that Leya isn't driving their car, but oh well. It's probably Rio's fault since he can be a real pain in the ass about that.

I race after Celine, since she's the first to leave, and smile at her driving skills. She's very experienced and simply races past everyone else, just like you see in those action movies.

'We have to get there in one piece.' Tiago jokes, making me roll my eyes. 'Oh shut up.'

I remember that one time, when he raced towards the tattoo shop in Barletta, to get there in time. He was driving recklessly back then. I, on the other hand, don't go driving like crazy. But I do drive a bit faster than the speed limit.

'Why did Marcello invite all of us again?' I ask since it's getting a little quiet. Too quiet.

That and because of the nerves that are slowly rising.

'Because he likes to entertain guests.' He sighs, making me look at him before turning back to the road. 'Okay, but why all of us? He could just ask Rio or you to come, right?'

'The more the merrier.' Meaning there will be more people. More people who could be possible threats. 'Let's just hope Santos won't be there.' He mumbles, making me look at him again. 'Is there a chance?'

'I don't think so. But you never know.' He answers honestly. I nod and turn back to the road ahead, noticing that Celine is slowing down a little. 'What is she doing?' 'Traffic ahead.'

I sigh deeply and slow down as well, slowly coming to a halt behind Celine. I look back and notice that Roman is behind me.

But Rio and Leya are nowhere to be seen. At least not yet. Maybe they're behind Roman?

'Adriano said that Marcello wanted to talk to Cataleya and you.' What? I look at him and frown a little. 'Why?' He shrugs and looks up from his phone.

I barely noticed him grabbing it, but apparently, he's been on it for a while. 'He wanted to get to know you two a bit better. You know, without us hanging around.'

'Okay, but why?' I ask a little curious. There's no need for Marcello to want to get to know us. There's not much special about me. 'It's nothing to be afraid about.'

'He's one of the most feared men on earth, but there's nothing to worry about, right?' Tiago chuckles and grabs my hand, slowly bringing it to his lips. 'You have nothing to worry about, he'll probably just asks some basic questions.' Basic questions...

'Define basic...' He slowly leans forward, kissing me gently. 'You'll see.' He smirks and turns his head back to the road, revealing a slowly moving line of cars. I roll my eyes and slowly follow Celine.

'Just don't lie to him. Unless it's about Kai. Tell him that we torture him all the time or something, otherwise, he'll get agitated with Adriano.' Oh...

If it wasn't for the fact that we'll be attending the lunch as well, I might've told Marcello the truth. But I don't want to die yet.

Especially not at a lunch with a bunch of mafia people.

'Will there be a lot of people?' I ask, even though I already know the answer. He said so himself, the more the merrier. 'I don't think there will be as many people as his last party, but it will be big.'

At Marcello's last party were at least a thousand people. And now there won't be as much as that time. But I doubt it will be less than fifty people.

We drive over a long bridge, with the beautiful ocean beneath us, and I look outside, noticing that there are barely any clouds in the sky.

'You'll be fine.' He whispers, pressing his lips against my neck. It sure has a calming effect, if that's what he's trying to do.

I nod and hold onto the steering wheel a little tighter, trying to calm myself down. Slowly the cars start driving again until there's almost no more traffic in front of us.

We follow Celine towards an empty road and race over it. There's literally nothing but grass and trees surrounding us.

We arrive at another bridge. But this one is just wide enough for one car to drive through. Once you get to the other side, there is enough space for at least ten more cars.

The place is packed with at least twenty cars already. Oh god... I park the car next to Celine's and wait for her to jump out first. Tiago jumps out and looks at me, probably rolling his eyes as he walks around the car to come to my side.

'Come on Neveah, you'll be fine.' He chimes, waiting for me to grab his hand. I take a deep breath and take his hand, letting him pull me out of the car.

'I better be.' He nods and turns to the others. 'Why are you always late North?' I turn to the steps, leading up to something that might be a fucking castle, and stare straight into Rio's eyes.

He's already standing there, with Leya next to him. They look like a fucking king and queen with their castle in the background. 'Marcello is a man who does not like to be kept waiting.' Rio groans, turning towards the door.

One of the doormen opens it for them and smiles at us.

I can already hear a hundred different voices from inside and swallow my nerves by looking at Tiago and Tiago only.

'Don't stress it.' He whispers as he pulls me up the stairs. I feel like I'm about to faint, but I keep my eyes on his and smile when he does, not allowing my eyes to roam around.

I feel like, if I do anything wrong today, I'll be done. I'll be dead. Calm down.

Leya walks up to us and wraps her arm around my empty one. 'You seem tense, are you okay?'

I look at her and nod, taking another deep breath. 'Do you want to go outside?'

'I think that's a great idea, Cataleya.' A new voice states, making me freeze. We both turn around and come eye to eye with an older-looking man. Everyone around us stares at us in awe, making my eyes widen.

This is him.

Nicholas Marcello.

He's exactly how Cataleya described him. Tall, sharp features, dark hair, and dark eyes. Just like Rio and Tiago. But he doesn't look scary at all.

He reminds me of a grandpa.

Even though he's probably not as kind as he looks. Maybe he is?

'Would you two like to go on a walk with me?' He asks, bowing down a little.

The host of this freaking lunch is bowing down... For us?

'We would love to.' I answer, holding onto Leya a little stronger. She looks at me and blinks before nodding at Marcello. 'Great.' He smiles, holding out both arms for either of us to grab.

I take a deep breath and move to his right, slowly wrapping my arms around his as Leya does the same on the other side.

I notice how everyone in the room is staring at us. No. They're all glaring at us, clear anger and jealousy in their eyes as Marcello turns back to the group. 'I won't take long. Make yourself at home, la mia casa è la tua casa.'

Celine looks at Tiago and Rio with wide eyes, probably in shock by all of this, but Marcello doesn't care and pulls us after him, to a door that's closed off to all the other guests.

We walk through a hallway with a few paintings hanging on the wall, not saying a single word. Suddenly, Marcello stops walking, and he smiles at us.

'So, tell me, ladies. Have they been treating you well?' What? I look at Leya for a second and don't know what to say. 'Don't worry, I won't bite.' He chuckles, continuing to walk towards a new door.

'I just want to know why they kept you for this long.' He admits, leading us into a new room. 'It's not as bad as I thought it would be.' I shyly admit.

Rio can be a pain in the ass, but besides that, it's just fine.

Marcello nods and slowly turns towards Cataleya, waiting for her to answer. 'I agree with her, it could've been way worse.'

'So I at least thought them some manners.' He chimes, making me laugh a little. I don't know what role he played in their lives, but he's someone the Curzio's certainly respect.

And not just because they have to.

'I just wondered how you survived with them for this long. Almost eight months already.' I think about it for a second and nod. It's almost nine months indeed. 'Time flies when you enjoy life.'

He nods and chuckles before continuing to walk through a few halls. He stops at a new door and lets go of us, so he can open it for us.

This part of the house is entirely silent as if we're the only ones in here.

He could easily kill us right here, no one would hear a thing, but I don't think he will. He just doesn't seem like the type to kill someone in secret.

'Cataleya, how has Rio been treating you? Were you able to control his tempers yet?' She chuckles and turns to the old man, shrugging softly. 'I don't know. But it's a temporary thing. I can tell.'

Marcello raises his brow a little, looking somewhat shocked by her words. But what did he expect? Rio always said how he thinks about relationships so he must've known that something like this wasn't going to last.

'Are you sure? He has never been with a girl this long before. And I see the way he looks at you.' Leya tries to hide her shock, but I know her better. She's freaking the fuck out.

And honestly, I would too. She promised, not only herself but me as well, that she would not fall for him. And I still hope she keeps that promise.

'Or maybe I'm just getting old.' Marcello jokes, before opening yet another door.

This one leads up to a little covered terrace, with a gorgeous view of the little canal running underneath the bridge. wow... It's absolutely stunning in here.

'Go. Take a seat.' He points at the wooden couches on the other side and claps twice, making a bunch of servants run into the place.

Where the fuck did they come from?

'Some water for my guests and make sure they're cold, we don't want the girls to melt.' He chimes, before walking over to the chair next to the couches.

He slowly drops into the chair and groans softly. 'It was a shock to see you at that art exhibition with him, Cataleya.' Marcello continues, waiting for us to take a seat.

I pull Leya towards one of the couches and slowly take a seat myself.

'My wife and I are waiting for you two to get married already.' Married!? My eyes widen and I almost gasp for air, before turning to Leya. Her face is glowing red and she does not know what to say, besides: 'No.'

'Why not, you two would make lovely children together.' He continues shamelessly, teasing her a little. 'Rafael does not want to get married, sir.'

'Please, don't call me sir. Nicholas is fine with me. The same goes for you Neveah.' He smiles at me before turning back to Leya. 'Look Cataleya, all I'm saying is that Rafael is not getting any younger and he needs heirs before it's too late.'

I want to tell him to stop talking about them, but I don't want to anger him. There's just no way that Rio will ever marry Leya, even if she wanted to. He won't change his opinion about marriage or kids.

'I heard Neveah and Leonardo will be able to provide him an heir.' They both turn to me while some servants pour us a glass of water. 'We are kind of working on it...' But so far nothing came up.

'I also heard that you two graduate not so long ago, congratulations!' We both smile and thank him before slowly taking a sip of the cold water.

I didn't know I was thirsty until now, but I needed this.

I remember sending in the essay before the timer ran out. It was a stressful week, but I passed. Thanks to Benjamin. I'll never be able to thank him for believing in me and pushing me to do my best.

But I passed. I fucking passed.

'You should go and ask Rio about it!' Marcello laughs, already talking to Leya about something else. 'There's no way.' Leya laughs and shakes her head in disbelieve. 'It's true, go ask him right now! He actually did that.'

Leya can't stop laughing and places the glass back onto the table, before jumping up. 'I'll go ask him right now.' She chimes, heading back to the door, before she turns to me. I nod and smile at her, happy that she thought about me before leaving.

'Oh and Cataleya!' She turns back to Marcello and waits for him to say whatever he wants. 'Tell him Azzurro is taken care of.' What?

She frowns before walking back inside, probably running to Rio to ask him about the thing and tell him about Azzuro?

'Neveah, do you need more water?' He asks, pointing at my empty glass. I shake my head, not wanting to come over too thirsty, but he simply snaps his fingers and someone runs towards us with a fresh can of cold water.

'Thank you so much, I really like the house.' I chime, not knowing what else to say. 'Thank you, it's nothing compared to Rafaels estate in Barletta, but it's something.' Barletta.

It will forever be my favorite place they own.

'Leonardo really cares deeply about you, doesn't he?' I look at the old man and notice a sliver of gold in his dark eyes. 'I hope he does.'

He smiles and nods, sipping from his water before placing it on the table in front of us. 'It's obvious. He clearly didn't want to let you go.'

I nod, not knowing what to say. 'So you're going to be the one to bring the Curzio heir into the world.'

Tiago and I never talked about what our child's last name will be. If we ever have one.

We've been trying for a while now, but nothing has happened so far. Celine said that there's nothing wrong with either of us, so there is a chance of me getting pregnant.

But I don't think I want my child to grow up in this lifestyle. It's too dangerous. I know Tiago will do all in his power to protect us, but still. I don't know.

'Maybe, if I get pregnant.' I mumble, making him smile even wider. 'You will, I can feel it.' Uhm... Okay?

The thought of having a child with Tiago instantly makes me smile. It's what we've been trying for a while now.

'I heard Kai Carter Davis is still with you.' I nod, not knowing what else to do. 'He is.' 'I hope he's taken care of.' Oh...

'Taken care of?' He nods and chuckles softly. 'I hope that you're not letting him roam around freely, that you're torturing him every second he's awake.' Marcello, who sounded so sweet and soft the entire time, suddenly sounds dark and evil.

'Especially since he shot you. He almost cost you your life.' Oh... Right. That happened too.

I got shot. Besides the scar, I almost forgot that it happened since I don't have something to remind me of it every second of the day. 'And since Leonardo is so deeply in love with you, I wonder how he's still alive.'

Shit... If he knows that Kai is not a prisoner anymore, we're going to be screwed. 'Rio has a hard time keeping him under control.'

'I bet he does.' He states, keeping his eyes on mine. He's trying to see any flaw in my eyes. Good thing I can lie pretty well. I keep my eyes on his and nod. 'But I remember waking up after I got shot. As if it was yesterday. Tiago was fuming and made sure that Kai would never think about doing something like that again.'

'Tiago.' He repeats slowly. As if he's tasting wine. Tasting the way his name rolls out of his mouth. 'You're the only one to call him by his middle name.' 'It's kind of my thing.'

'Adorable. Young love.' He says, dreaming a little. 'Veronica, my wife, and I used to have that. Young love. It might be years ago, but it was so pure. So true.' He's talking about her as if she's dead... But last time she was still alive, right?

'What happened to her, if you don't mind me asking?' He takes a deep breath and turns towards the beautiful nature in front of us.

'She died because Davis decided to go rogue.' My heart drops for a second. He looked so happy, talking about his wife, but she's dead. All because of Kai. Because of Hunter's orders.

'I made sure there was enough security around to protect her, but he slaughtered all of them.' He continues, making me look at the floor for a second.

I don't remember much from that night, apart from the fact that I got shot. I remember people getting shot left and right, but they didn't seem that important. They were just guests.

'I truly loved her.' He whispers, chuckling softly. I look at him and almost break down in tears.

Marcello looks like a sweet man. But it feels like something is missing. His light. I feel like his wife completed him, she was his light. And now that she's gone, his eyes have gone cold. Dark even.

'She was my everything but I promised her I wouldn't stop until I made sure every single person was gone.' It sounds as if he's going to kill himself once he's done, but I can't tell him not to.

If Tiago died I would be in so much pain. The thought of it is scaring me.

But I can tell that Marcello means every word coming out of his mouth. He loved his wife with all he had. And she's gone. Meaning a part of him is gone as well.

'So I hope you understand why I need him to suffer.' He finally looks back at me and smiles. 'You do, right?' Shit.

'I do.' I breathe, trying to keep in my tears.

He nods and looks at my almost empty glass. 'You can stay here for a while, I need to head back to my other guests.'

The old man climbs out of his chair and smiles at me as he heads back inside. I stay seated, not wanting to go back just yet.

Marcello has every right to hate Kai, wishing that he would be dead or at least hating his life. But he's not.

Kai has barely been in pain at all. Sure, they probably broke every bone possible, but he hasn't been in pain like Marcello. He has not felt that deep cut out of his soul because he lost the love of his life.

I think.

Now that I think about it, there's not much I know about Kai. I don't know about his past at all. I just know that he used to work for Hunter and that he's know sort of working for us.

I know that he cares about Celine. That he has some feelings for her and that he would never hurt her. I know that he's one of the best at giving gifts.

I look at my wrist and stare at the pretty bracelet he gave me for Christmas. I wear it almost every day.

I know that he's very hardworking and fun to be around. But that's it.

That's all I know about Kai Carter Davis.

I finish my glass and take it back inside, handing it to one of the servants as I walk through the long hallways, back to the others.

Tiago is standing at the door, waiting for me, smiling as he notices me walking back into the room. Almost everyone headed towards the huge dining room.

'Everything okay?' He asks as he wraps his arm around my waist. I nod and kiss him softly, before turning back to the doorway. 'We should get in there.'

Tiago tries to peek inside my head, trying to see if everything is indeed fine or not.

But I am. Marcello didn't try to scare me away. He simply wanted to know what we were up to. He wanted to get to know us.

And I feel like he did. Without us giving him too much information.

We head to the door leading to the dining room and into the room, making me look around in bewilderment.

The entire back wall is made out of big windows, allowing all the early spring sun to enter the room. Everyone is wearing long dresses and fancy suits, looking like they're on their way to a ball or something.

There is a gigantic table in the middle of the room, filled with at least a hundred plates and glass cups, and pretty red flowers in the middle. Wow...

'Neveah, please tell me that you are going to sit by my side.' Brandon begs, stepping out of the crowd as he spots me. 'Of course, but where are the others?' I ask, wanting to talk to Cataleya and Celine as well.

He slowly turns to the other side of the room, all the way at the end of the table. I notice Rio first, since he's taller than almost everyone else in this room, and watch as he laughs about something... Cataleya says.

They're standing really close to each other as well.

But that's nothing new.

Those two seem to have a lot closer over the past weeks. Especially after the final project thingy.

Leya helped me with my essay a little. But ever since we both passed, we haven't really talked one on one. Which is nine weeks ago.

But nothing special happened. We're both busy with life, especially with our boyfriends. Wait? Can I even call Rio her boyfriend?

Sure, they're dating, but I think that if I ever called Rio her boyfriend, he would fucking kill me.

As much as I hate to admit it, she's good for him. A little too good if you ask me.

I feel like he's only using her for his own pleasures, not caring about the fact that she might catch feelings, that she's already catching feelings.

And that's the part I don't like about all of this.

But they do seem genuinely happy right now. They're laughing like someone is telling the funniest shit ever and I notice Rio staring at her differently than a few months ago.

That does not mean I trust it. Because I don't trust Rio.

'And Marcello asked them to sit next to them, so they basically pushed me to the side.' Brandon continues.

I barely picked up a thing he said, but I nod. 'Sure, we'll sit with you.'

Brandon's lips curl up into a smile and he pulls me after him, towards his seat. I look at Tiago, who simply rushes after us, and drop into one of the chairs.

I take a deep breath and keep my eyes on Leya and Rio. They're still talking to a bunch of people, standing very close to each other still.

Rio's hand is on Leya's lower back as he nods to the person in front of them, slowly leading her towards their seat. Right next to Marcello.

'That's actually where we're supposed to sit.' Tiago whispers in my ear. I look up and notice that he's not sitting yet. 'But I want to sit next to Brandon.'

He looks at Marcello for a second and smiles, before turning back to me. 'There's some business I need to know about, so would you mind?'

I look to my right, Brandon is desperately waiting for me to answer, and I shake my head. 'You can go, I'll be fine.'

Tiago opens his mouth, but Brandon pulls me closer to him, almost making me drop out of my chair, and nods. 'She's fine with me, I'll stay by her side.'

Roman, who I forgot came with us as well, walks up to us, and takes a seat on my left. 'I'm here too, so go.'

Tiago looks at me again and sighs deeply. He wants me to come with him so badly, but I really want to be with Brandon right now. Where is Celine by the way?

I wait until Tiago heads to the front of the table and glance around the room, looking for Marco and Celine.

They're seated all the way on the other side of the room, awkwardly sitting next to a bunch of elderly people.

Well, it's awkward for Marco. Celine is talking to the elderly about something passionate. I can tell by the way she's using her hands and facial expressions.

'Don't make it too obvious, but people have been glaring at you the entire time.' Brandon whispers as he pours me a glass of red wine. I slowly take the glass and look at him. 'Why?'

'Because you talked to Marcello for over forty minutes.' So? I take a sip and place the glass on the table in front of me, slowly looking around.

He's right. A bunch of men and women are staring me down. They seem... Jealous?

'They think you had sex with him or something.' My eyes widen at Roman's suggestion and I slowly turn to him. 'But that's not-' 'It's what they think.'

Great... So I'm in a room, filled with elderly people, elderly people that all have something to do with the mafia, that think I slept with the host of the party. Just great!

'But I'm with Tiago.' 'They don't care. It's how it goes.' Brandon sighs, sipping from his own wine as he turns to Marcello. 'Don't worry, everything will be fine.'

Marcello gets up from his chair and clings a spoon to the glass in his hand. Everyone goes silent, you can hear a pin drop on the floor, and turns to the host.

'Thank you all for coming, it has been a while since I hosted a party like this. I wanted to thank you all for the years of working together. But mostly, I wanted to thank Rafael for making sure that everyone who tried to ruin our festivities last time, has been caught. I will forever be in your debt.'

Marcello raises his glass a bit more towards Rio and smiles at him. All Rio does is smile back. But it's not genuine. He tries to. But he can't genuinely smile back.

Because deep down he knows that all of this is a lie. He might've killed all the others involved with the attack from last time, but he certainly isn't torturing Kai.

'Alla vita e un grande futuro!' Everyone raises their glass and repeats what Marcello said, before taking a sip. I look at Brandon and take a sip. 'It meant: to life and a great future.'

I nod and look at Celine, who's looking directly at me. I smile at her and watch as she tilts her head to the opposite side of the table. What? I follow her gaze to the other side of my table, a little to the right, and freeze.

I've never met Luca Santos, but I know exactly what he looks like. Even if Rio didn't show us his pictures, I would've recognized his eyes. He has the exact same eyes as his mother. Dark brown with hatred in them.

'Brandon.' I whisper, trying to contain my panic. He's here.

The one person we haven't heard from in months is here. And he does not seem pleased to be here. 'He's here.'

'Girl, who are you talking about?' 'Santos.' Roman shifts in his seat beside me and looks around, stopping exactly at Luca. 'Shit.'

Brandon shakes his head and looks at the end of the table, at Rio, Leya, and Tiago who are talking to Marcello while everyone else starts to eat the delicious-looking food that's being served.

'We have to get out of here.' Brandon whispers, emptying his glass and placing it on the table. 'I'll text them.' 'They won't notice.'

While Brandon and Roman bicker about how we have to get the news to the others, I keep my eyes on Luca. Trying to keep him in my sight.

But I regret it. Because as soon as he looks up, he looks directly into my eyes.

He nods and starts smiling a little, sending shivers down my spine. Not good shivers. But bad ones.

As much as his gaze scares me, I don't look away. If I look away he might know something is up.

But by the looks of it, he already knows. He knows exactly what happened and he's ready to take revenge.

My stomach starts turning and I get up from my place, running out of the room before I puke in front of all these people.

I run past all the people and run back outside, feeling the soft wind brush against my skin, as I puke my guts out in a bush.

'Neveah?' Tiago rushes through the doors, looking around to find me. 'I'm here.' I groan, trying to stop myself from puking. I need to tell him before anything else. 'He's here.'

'Who is?' He asks, brushing my hair out of my face. 'Luca Santos.' His eyes widen and he stumbles back as if I pushed him. 'What?' 'And I think he knows.'

It takes me every muscle in my body, especially in my stomach, to keep in the remaining food. But I won't allow myself to puke again. Especially not now. Not now that we need to focus.

'Do the others know?' I nod and take a deep breath. 'Celine knows, the only ones that don't know are Rio and Leya.' He nods and fumbles in his back pocket, before throwing me a set of keys. 'Get into the car. I'll be right back.'

I want to tell him I'm coming with him, but I don't think I'll be able to face Luca again, so I head to the car and take a seat in the passenger seat.

It takes him less than ten minutes to gather everyone outside. And no one hesitates to get the fuck out of here.

The only confused one is Leya. But that's probably because Rio didn't tell her shit.

Everyone jumps into a car and before I know it, we're back on the road.

I look at Tiago as he races after Rio. 'Where are we going?' 'I don't know, Adriano only told me to follow him.'

Tiago's tense, which I completely understand, but I need him to calm down. Because if he's tense, it means something might go wrong. And that's the last thing we need right now.

But I don't know what to say to calm him down. So instead I look outside, noticing that we're not driving back to Venice, but somewhere else.

Another Curzio estate. It's almost as big as the house in Venice, just a bit smaller.

Everyone jumps out of the cars and rushes inside. 'What the fuck is going on?' Leya asks as soon as we all take a seat in the dining room.

'Luca Santos was there.' I mumble, trying to calm down again.

He was there. The person whose mother we killed, was there. And he knew. He knew what we did, yet he stayed calm.

'Are you sure you saw him?' Rio asks, looking at me. I nod and turn to Celine, who hasn't said a word since we left. 'Celine saw him too, right?'

Everyone looks at her, but she seems to be somewhere else. She's afraid.

'Elle?' Tiago walks over to Celine and leans over her shoulder, startling her. 'What?'

'Was Luca Santos at the party?' She nods and turns towards me. 'He was. I saw him and I warned Neveah and then we left.'

'Shit.' Tiago groans before pacing around the room. 'I think he knows.' I state, looking at Tiago for a second. 'What do you mean you think he knows?' Rio asks. 'He looked angry.'

Rio looks at Tiago, and without saying a single word, holds an entire conversation by simply looking at each other.

'Roman I want you to text Giovanni. Tell him to send twenty men our way. Go wait outside, see if anyone is coming closer to this place. Make sure you go unnoticed.' Roman nods, throws his jacket over a chair, and runs back outside.

'What's going to happen now?' Leya asks, turning back to Rio. I can tell she's nervous about all of this, but I think we all are.

Even Rafael seems nervous. 'Let's hope for the best.' He groans, reaching for a drink already. Oh, I could use one as well...

'Adriano now is not the time to drink.' Tiago states, pushing his cousin away from the alcohol. Rio rolls his eyes and looks at Leya. 'We don't have to be scared right?'

'Celine, text Kai. Tell him to come this way just in case they head to Venice.' Celine nods and immediately grabs her phone, calling her boyfriend.

'You two should change, just in case we have to run.' Tiago mumbles, looking at Leya and me. 'Just in case we have to run? We don't have to run right?'

'Just go change, we don't have time for this right now.' Rio sneers, walking out of the room.

I stare at Leya and jump up. 'Come on.'

As much as I hate Rio's tone, there's no way I'm risking anything today.

So we run up the stairs, randomly entering a bedroom. Thank God it's Tiago's bedroom. There are a bunch of shirts, that are way too big for us, and shorts in the closet.

We change and tie our hair up, making sure it won't get in the way of whatever might happen. 'Do you think-' 'I honestly don't know, but promise you'll listen to Rio?' She desperately begs me, making me look at her for a second.

'Fine, but just because our lives might depend on it tonight.' I answer, pulling her back down the stairs.

'Little one, I think you could better change into Rio's clothes, it's not-' 'It doesn't matter.' Leya says, running back into the hall. I look at her and watch as she heads to Rio's office. 'It's not a smart idea right now little one!'

She stops and slowly turns back around, nodding. 'You're right.'

Rio probably went in there to make a bunch of calls. We shouldn't disturb him.

Leya walks back to the dining room and slowly takes a seat in one of the chairs. 'Now what?'

'We wait until back up arrives.' Marco sighs. We nod and look at the empty table.

Just fifteen minutes ago we were at a party. A party where there was food and people. Dangerous people, but it wasn't silent like it is right now.

I hear a door open behind me and look over my shoulder. Rio strides back into the dining room and sighs deeply. 'Did Marcello say anything?' He asks curiously, making me look at him. 'Not really, he just wanted to know some basic stuff.'

'Do you think he knew what happened?' Marco asks, fear clear in his voice. 'If he knew what Leon did, he wouldn't have invited Santos.' So he would pick our side...

'North, I need you to-' Rio stops because of the sound of a doorbell ringing. What?

He slowly turns around, facing Celine, who is standing in the hall. She steps away from the door, facing it with fear showing all over her body. She's still wearing her dress and slowly walks back into the dining room.

'Who is it?' 'It's them.' She answers, rushing to the other side of the table. 'But Roman didn't-' Rio doesn't listen to a word we have to say and snaps his fingers, making Marco jump up from his chair.

He heads to the hall. What is he doing? 'Celine go upstairs and stay there until I tell you to come down.' She nods and runs up the stairs, just quick enough before Marco reaches the door.

He slowly opens the door and steps aside, letting the men outside step into the hall.

I glance outside, not seeing Roman anywhere. Where the fuck is he? The men came with two vans, meaning there's more of them outside since they only enter the house with at least eight of them.

'Long time no see, Curzio.' The man, no boy up front smirks as he looks at Rio. He slowly steps forward and nods. 'It indeed has been a while, Luca.'

'I wanted to talk to you, but you left in such a hurry. Is everything okay?' Rio nods and shakes Luca's hand, stepping aside to let them get deeper into the house. What the fuck is he doing?

It looks as if I was wrong. As if I didn't actually see the hate in his eyes when he looked at me. But this might all be fake.

'One of us got sick, so we decided to leave.' Rio quickly lies. Well, it wasn't a complete lie. I got sick. But it's not the reason why we left. 'Whatever it is you would like to talk to me about, you could always talk to me. That's why we're allies.'

Everyone keeps their eyes on one another as if either of us is ready to fucking kill the other.

We slowly make our way to the living room, watching as Luca jumps over the couch and looks at us. He's just a child. 'You have a lovely home.'

'Thank you, but what is it you wanted Luca?' If I was standing closer to Tiago, I would've hit him so hard right now.

Luca tilts his head a little, staring at Leya and me for a second, before looking at Tiago. 'Nothing with you, just your cousin and the doctor he promised me.' Celine...

Did he come for Celine? He didn't come here to kill us?

'Where are my manners! Would you like something to drink?' Rio interferes, taking a seat across from Luca and his men.

Seven men, all dressed in black, with serious looks on their faces, walk around the room. Touching almost everything they see. As if they're inspecting every inch of the room.

'I would love a drink.' Luca exclaims dramatically. Rio nods and looks over his shoulder, straight at Leya and me. 'Go make our guests a drink.' What?

Do we look like fucking servants?! I want to shout at Rio for talking to us like this, but I told Leya I wouldn't. So I swallow my words and wait for Leya to respond.

She simply glares at Rio for another ten seconds, before turning to me. 'What type of drinks?' She asks, plastering a fake smile on her face as she turns to Rio.

'There's this book in my office, drinks for unexpected guests. I bet you could find something in there.' He states, smirking as he keeps his eyes on us. 'We'll be right back.'

Leya pulls me with her, towards Rio's office, and I close the door behind us. 'Why the fuck is he letting them in here?' I whisper, following her to the bookshelves behind Rio's desk.

It's a mess in here, but that's not the point. I don't get why he let them in. He could simply keep them outside, instead of allowing them in here.

'Look for that stupid book.' She groans, going through a bunch of books. None of them are called Unexpected guests like Rio said.

The door slowly opens and we turn to it, releasing our breaths when we see it's Brandon. 'Is everything okay in here?' He asks as if he cares. He quickly closes the door and rushes over to us. 'Did you find the damn book yet?' 'No.'

He helps us search for the book and when we finally do, I'm shocked by the size of it. It's one of the thickest books I've ever seen.

Leya turns around and places it on the desk, opening it right in the middle. There are two guns stored in the pages, which aren't actual pages. It's a little box with two guns and some ammunition.

Our eyes widen and we turn to the door, before looking back at the book. 'Shit.'

'We need to gather more weapons.' Brandon whispers as he turns to the little drawers underneath Rio's desk. He pulls out a knife and another gun, checking if it's loaded without trying to make too much sound.

'Grab one.' I state, grabbing one myself. Leya stares at me for a second, not wanting to take it. But she does anyway. She knows that she has to. 'What about Celine?' Shit.

She's upstairs. How do we get her out without them seeing? 'We could-' The office door slowly opens, forcing us to hide our weapons as an unfamiliar face steps into the room. 'You three are taking too long.'

'We were just searching for a recipe book.' I lie, trying to hide the fact that the book is open in the middle of the desk. It's obvious that we weren't looking for anything.

The man looks at all of us and glances around the room, stopping at the open book on Rio's desk. Shit. His eyes widen when he realizes what's going on and he instantly turns around, ready to run towards the others.

But Brandon is standing at the door with a knife in front of him.

The man runs into his knife and tries to scream, but Brandon pulls back the knife cuts his throat before he can even make a single sound.

'We have to hurry.'

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A/N: Shit is about to go down!!!!!!! Buckle up because it will be a wild ride!!!!!!!!!!

Do you think they'll all make it out alive? Let me know in the comments! Also, don't forget to vote and comment on what you liked most about this part!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I certainly enjoyed writing it, and until next time!