╔══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══╗ 𝑶𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 ╚══ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══╝

"How are you going to tell me Olive has STDs and expect me to believe you?" Miles sighed, unlocking the door to the house.

"Pre STDs." Kai corrected. "And she does"

I remained silent as I followed behind them, propping face down on the nearest couch.

"Pre STDs, don't exist". Miles stopped talking for a few seconds. "They don't exist, right Olive?"

"You're the doctor, you tell me" My voice was muffled by the couch.

Kai scoffed. "How are you a certified doctor but know nothing about pre STDs?"

Miles sighed; I could tell he was annoyed.

"7 years of med school was not in vain. 7 years of med school was not in vain. 7 years of med school-" He kept muttering to himself earning a chuckle from me.

I felt the couch dip underneath me. "But seriously, who was that guy, ViaVia?" Kai asked.

"Guy? What guy?" Miles questioned.

"Xavier," I mumbled.

A sound resonated through the room, one that came from how loud Miles had chopped whatever it was he was slicing.

"What is he doing in Bordeaux?"

"Yeah, let's ask the girl who had a panic attack when she saw him why he's in Bordeaux because she'll definitely have the answer," Kai scoffed.

"I'm holding a knife, you don't want to piss me off"

I could very clearly see the image of Miles pointing a knife at his best friend as he threatened him.

"Bite me"

There was silence for about three seconds before they both chuckled.

"Dumbass" Miles mumbled.

"Says the doctor who doesn't know what pre STDs are" Kai retorted.

Miles gasped. "Wait, pre STDs, Xavier.. Kai, did you mean to say Olive has PTSD?"

I couldn't help myself as I sat upright, laughing. Miles accompanied my laughter with his. Contrary to what I was expecting, Kai flashed a big smile.

"Same thing" He shrugged.

"How are those two the same-"

Kai cut Miles off, turning his attention back to me. "Who is this Xavier guy?"

"He's a dumbass who had a fiancée while they were dating and kept it from her," Miles answered.

'He also gave the psycho man, who happened to be his biggest rival and was weirdly obsessed with me for some reason, information about me just so he could save said fiancée' I wanted to add but didn't.

"When do you want him dead?" He pulled out his phone. "I'm free anytime this week"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "You're not killing him"

Kai frowned. "Why not?"

"Cause I already asked," Miles interjected.

"Neither of you are killing him"

Kai and Miles shared a look.

"Do you have a specific reason for not wanting us to kill him?" Miles asked. "Or do you just don't want us to?"

"You realize you could go to jail for murder right?" I asked.

"Honey, I run an underground fighting ring. The police aren't a problem" Kai chuckled.

"Think you need another excuse, pumpkin," Miles said.

"Fine. I just don't want you to"

"Even after all the shit he pulled?"

I looked from Kai to Miles and rolled my eyes, a frown etching on my face when I noticed small smiles on both their faces.

"You're both dumb" I rose from the couch, stretching.

"We didn't say anything," Miles chuckled.

"You're the dumb one for still caring about the guy who had a whole fiancée while you guys were dating" Kai responded.

"I don't care about him," I countered.

Miles coughed in the background. "As much as I hate to admit it, I think you do"

"Maybe she just likes him, am I right Via?" Kai asked me.

"Our entire relationship was a lie and he kept the fact that he had a fiancée from me. I do NOT like him."

I folded my arms across my chest. "I'll admit he looked nice today"

My fingers tapped absentmindedly against my arms. "I don't know why but the long hair looked nice on him. And the second piercings made him look hotter"

I had no control over the words that left my mouth. I wasn't even thinking as I spoke.

"He probably got a new tattoo because I could see some of it on his neck and it looks so cool. He also got some on his knuckles but I couldn't make them out. Regardless, I'm sure they're nice. His tattoos are nice... especially the ones he does himself."

"And his outfit was nice... not that his outfits weren't always nice; he always looked good while we were dating. And he's attractive. Which is probably why girls always looked at him whenever we went out. They pissed me off so-"

I finally regained control of my words, my mouth snapping shut as I looked from Kai to Miles.

Kai had a stupid grin on his face which pulled a groan from my lips but Miles face was unreadable and expressionless.

"Why'd you stop, Via? You were just telling us how you do NOT like him."

I rolled my eyes at Kai's remark. "Shut up"

"Pumpkin" Miles called.

"I don't want to talk about him anymore"

I refused to meet his gaze, knowing fully well that if I did, I'd probably admit to myself what the three of us knew at that moment.

"I don't know what you mean. Were we talking about someone?" Miles asked.

A smile played on his lips as he looked at me. I smiled back.

"Xavier, her ex boyfriend who didn't tell her that he was engaged. Try to keep up, Miles"

Kai seemed to believe that Miles genuinely had no idea that we were talking about someone.

Miles sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not doing this right now"

Kai turned back to me. "Anyways, everything you've said so far just proves that you still care about him"

"For the last time, I do not"

"Let it go, Kai," Miles warned him. "Before she says something that'll embarrass you" He muttered the last part.

Kai's smile only grew larger. "But your words say otherwise"

"Big talk coming from the guy that was depressed for a whole year after his best friend turned boyfriend broke up with him and moved to L.A."

"I tried to warn you," Miles sighed.

I smiled, noticing the way Kai's face flushed.

"It was a mutual thing," Miles said from the kitchen. "You make it sound like I'm the bad guy"

"You didn't have to move though," Kai responded. "You broke up with me, but you could've still stayed"

"Kai, you and I both know that me moving had nothing to do with you"

Kai's laughter made my head snap towards him so fast I almost got a whiplash. "I'm fucking with you. Your asshole of a stepfather found you so you had to move. I understand"

"I'm happy you chose you. All I wanted - and still want - is for you to be happy, Miles so when I realized that you weren't truly happy with me, it made things a bit easier"

"Plus you got with that hot as fuck blonde and I saw how happy you were-"

"Lunch is ready," Miles said, quickly, cutting Kai off.

"Lunch? When did you have time to make lunch?" I asked him, heading to the kitchen.

"And what happened to having to be at the hospital by 1:30?" Kai asked.

"It's just 12:15" Miles responded. "You and Olive ran out of the supermarket, leaving all the groceries with me, remember? So not only did I pay for everything, I also put everything away myself"

"And somehow managed to make us tacos immediately after with time to spare" I stared at him. "You're actually amazing"

"You're only saying that because I made you food," Miles smiled, handing Kai and I plates with tacos. "But thank you pumpkin".

"If you have any leftovers, put them in the fridge. Now if you don't mind, I have less than 15 minutes to get ready for work and leave for the hospital"

"That reminds me," Kai spoke with a mouthful, loud enough for Miles to hear from his room. "You're going to make it in time for the performance right?"

"When have I ever missed any of Olive's performances?" Miles retorted. He sounded offended by Kai's question, like he couldn't believe his best friend asked that.

"Just making sure," Said best friend shrugged.

Ten minutes and too many tacos to count later, Miles reentered the living room wearing a black button up shirt and his white coat.

"You look good, doc" Kai winked at him.

Miles scoffed, a smile playing on his lips. "Like I needed you to tell me that"

"Are you coming home early or are we meeting at the bar?" I asked him.

"Meeting at the bar. But I'll try to come home and whip something up for you guys to snack on"

"Like we can't just buy something from the bar," Kai said.

"You and I both know I won't let you eat that garbage you sell up there"

"Wings, fries, nachos, onion rings, pizza, burgers-"

"You need something that'll give you energy" Miles grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter. "Especially before hosting" He looked at Kai. "And performing" He looked at me. "Something like my homemade cookies, maybe" He mumbled the last part to himself.

Miles didn't allow Kai to say anything else, pushing a taco from his plate into his mouth.

"Bar opens at 8pm, performances start around 10, end at 1 and the bar closes at 4am." Kai reminded Miles.

Miles rolled his eyes, ignoring Kai as he walked over to me and placed a kiss on the side of my head. "Be safe and-"

"-don't make Kai regret being born" I sighed, holding back my laugh. "I know"

"She doesn't make me regret being born," Kai mumbled, his mouth full. "I just wonder what it would be like if I wasn't. And coincidentally, it just so happens that I only think about this, after she says something that hurts my feelings"

Miles and I chuckled while Kai finished up his taco. Miles brought his attention back to me.

"Your inhaler?"

"In my work bag" I replied.

"Keys?"

"Work bag too and Kai's got his"

"Spare inhaler?"

Kai held it up, waving it in his hands.

"Backup spare?"

"In a drawer in the bar"

"Backup backup–"

"Miles" I groaned. "I know you have a bunch of inhalers everywhere, I'll be fine. I really don't know why you do this every time you leave"

Miles chuckled, ruffling my hair - much to my annoyance. "I'm just worried about you. Who knows what could happen?"

"Nothing will happen," I told him.

"You say that yet I can't shake the feeling that today will be.. eventful"

"You both need to stop doing shit that'll make me lose my appetite" Kai grumbled, moving to the living room to eat.

"You should go or you're going to be late" I shoved Miles towards the door as he flipped Kai off.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "I love you, small fry"

"I love you too"

"I love me too. Thanks for including me guys" Kai sighed from the couch.

Miles mumbled something about not having time for Kai's shit under his breath before heading out through the door.

Kai turned on the television and called me into the living room so we could watch a movie, only after making sure I set an alarm for 7pm.

I agreed and carried my plate into the living room, setting it down on the table while Kai got us sodas.

Kai left the living room again and returned with a blanket which he wrapped around my shoulders, bringing a smile to my face.

The smile on my face dropped when he ruffled my hair, messing it up before he sat down and picked a movie.

Only when we were halfway through the movie, did I realize that Miles had called me by a nickname he never called me by.

The nickname that only his ex-boyfriend called me by.

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"Why are we here?" I groaned as Griffin parked the car.

"You've been killing yourself slowly for the past 7 months" He replied, turning off the engine.

I folded my arms across my chest. "I don't know what you're talking about"

Griffin sighed, turning to face me. "You fell apart after you lost her"

I said nothing, my fingers tightening around my upper arms.

"And I don't blame you. We lost the most important people in our lives that day" He ran a hand through his tousled blonde hair, looking forward. "I fell apart too" The last part was quite, so quiet that I barely heard it

This caught my attention.

Griffin had never been one to express emotions. That changed when Olive and Miles came into our lives.

The day they left... that faithful Valentine's day... was the first time I had seen Griffin cry since he lost his little sister, Scarlet.

He broke down and sobbed with me while the others stood grim, tears on some of their faces but none of them uttering a word.

And when he couldn't cry anymore, he stood up straight, dusted himself off and walked away. Didn't tell any of us anything but he didn't have too.

He needed time. We all did.

The very next day, Griffin was back to his normal self. He carried on with work and missions as though nothing had happened.

Buried himself with work and didn't talk to the rest of us much. It was almost as if the previous night hadn't happened.

"I was just so angry," Griffin explained. "At you for pulling that shit with the reaper and not thinking to tell me"

He tugged at his hair, bringing it in front of his eyes. "At myself for not thinking to tell Orsetto about Nori. At myself for hurting my little sister so much"

He twirled the strand of hair in his fingers, his eyes brimming with tears. "At everyone for letting them walk away that night"

He blinked back his tears, reaching his hand up to take out the hair tie that was holding his hair up.

"And I thought about doing terrible things to myself to try to compensate for the pain we put them through. But that's never the answer, Saverio"

Saverio... the italian version of my name, Xavier. He only called me by that name when he knew there was no other way to reach me.

"Hurting and starving yourself? Not sleeping? They wouldn't want you to do that," He lowered his voice. "Orsetto wouldn't want me thinking about that, not to talk about actually doing"

"Small fry wouldn't like to hear that that's what you're doing to yourself either. She'd probably cry and then get mad at you for thinking you deserved that before she beats your ass and makes you promise never to do it again"

He shook his head, tying his hair back up. "You're my brother, Saverio. Which is why we're going to that bar, grabbing a few drinks and going home so you can have a proper night's sleep"

He stepped out of the car, waiting for me to head out as well. When I didn't, he cursed under his breath and walked over to my side, opening the door.

"Scendi dalla macchina adesso, o ti sto portando in quel bar." He said. (Get out of the car right now, or I'm carrying you into that bar)

"Non lo faresti" I countered. (You wouldn't)

"Mettetemi alla prova" (Try me)

I groaned as I stepped out of the car, a smile plastered on Griffin's face as he shut the door before pressing the button on the keys to lock the car.

We walked through the front doors of the bar and I turned around immediately, heading back outside and to the car.

At least I tried to. Griffin grabbed me by my arm before I was able to walk through the doors, leading me further into the bar.

It was about 9pm and the place was packed. Half naked bodies grinding and colliding against each other while the smell of alcohol and sweat filled the air.

Huge men with at least 3 women surrounding them made up most of the audience. Tattoos and piercings seemed to be something everybody here had in common.

From the looks of things, thugs and criminals were who frequented this place. Music blasted from every corner of the bar and servers - all ladies - were seen everywhere, taking orders and handing out drinks to people.

Occasionally, someone would think to be stupid and try to grope the servers. But every time that happened, a security guard would appear out of nowhere and drag the person that was dumb enough to try that out of the bar.

Screams were heard as they were being dragged out, the sound of fists colliding with flesh following the noise and not long after, utter silence followed.

No one seemed phased by the screams or by the men being dragged out by bouncers, telling me that this was probably a regular occurrence.

"Just a couple drinks, then we can head home," Griffin promised.

I said nothing as I followed behind him. A permanent scowl remained on my face as we weaved through the sea of people.

The scowl only deepened as I noticed the eyes of several women lingering on me and the realization that none of them was the woman I wanted, only made me scowl harder.

"You look like the fucking grinch" Griffin commented after we had finally reached the bar.

"Shut up" I grumbled as we took our seats.

Griffin began to say something when the lights darkened, all attention going to the stage where a spotlight was being pointed at.

A man walked up on the stage, a microphone in his hand as he stood directly underneath the spotlight.

Dark hair. Tan skin. Piercings filled the entire shell of one of his ears, just two on the other. On his eyebrows, two studs sparkled, the light reflecting off the two smaller piercings he had on his bottom lip.

For some reason, he looked very familiar.

"I know you horny fuckers are here for one thing and one thing alone but unfortunately, we have an hour till our beautiful dancers start performing" He spoke to the audience without a care in the word.

Laughter filled the bar.

I was so fixated on the man on the stage, trying to figure out why he looked familiar that I didn't realize the group of ladies that had begun talking to Griffin.

"You down for some fun tonight?" One of them asked, trying to sound seductive but her voice only came out desperate and high pitched

"My boyfriend shot someone in the skull because they looked at me" Griffin stated, his eyes fixed on his phone.

The girls looked taken back and blinked a couple times, rolling their eyes as they walked over to my side.

"You're not even that cute" The second one said.

"Your friend on the other hand-"

A third girl tried to run her fingers down my arm but stopped halfway when I glared at her, the scowl on my face set in stone.

"My girlfriend cut off the fingers and toes of a girl who tried to hit on me. I wouldn't do that if I were you" I told them.

"I'm starting to think your girlfriend and boyfriend don't exist" The fourth one said, her hands on her hips.

"There's nothing more unattractive than guys playing hard to get" The fifth and last one in the group scoffed.

Before I could say anything, Griffin held his phone to them. A smile spread across his face as he noticed the color drain from each of their faces.

"W-what?"

"The corpse of the person my boyfriend shot" He replied.

He brought his phone to himself again, swiping once before showing it to them again.

"The girl his girlfriend tortured. You see the person covered with blood from head to toe, smiling at the camera? That's his girlfriend" Griff continued.

I couldn't hold back my laughter after one of them actually passed out.

"She's a psychopath!" One of them screamed.

"Shh" I placed a finger over my mouth. "She'd be pissed you called her that. She's a sexy psychopath and I'm hers."

Griffin flashed them one of his smiles. "If you don't want to end up like those two in the picture, I suggest you leave"

They stood still for a couple seconds before scrambling against each other, running away.

"Don't forget the one on the floor" Griffin called out.

We both lost it when two of them returned and dragged their passed out friend on the floor, not bothering to lift her.

"Aren't you glad I made you come out, now?" Griffin chuckled.

"Glad I got hit on? Hell no." I replied, despite my laughter.

The bartender finally noticed us and smiled. "What can I get you two gentlemen?"

"I'll have a tequila sunrise," Griffin said. "And he-"

"-would like his girlfriend back" I mumbled.

Griffin rolled his eyes. "He's fine for now"

The bartender laughed and began making Griffin's drink while Griffin turned to me.

"Really?"

"She's all I want," I shrugged, pulling out my phone.

"And what are you doing now?"

"Calling to check up on the others" I brought the phone to my ear while Griffin smiled.

"You sure you aren't just calling to see how Melanie's doing?"

I didn't respond as Derrick finally answered the phone.

"Hey-"

"Is Melanie okay?" I asked, interrupting him.

Griffin chuckled under his breath, a smile growing on his face but played it off by taking out his phone.

"That's a good question. One that Wyatt will answer for you"

My brows furrowed as Wyatt came to the phone. "Yo, Xavier, my man. What's up?"

"I want to know how Melanie's doing. Can I talk to her?"

There seemed to be some sort of argument going on in the background but the voices were muffled and I couldn't make out whose exactly.

"Wyatt" My voice was hard as my mind began to spiral.

"What's up, my dude?" He replied.

"Where is Melanie?" I paused. "More importantly, why is there an echo?"

"You're fucking with me" Griffin muttered under his breath.

I turned to look at him only to find him staring straight in front of us - at Derrick and Wyatt.

"Hey man" Wyatt chuckled awkwardly.

I blinked a few times, trying to register the people I was seeing in front of me.

"Derrick, Wyatt," I started, getting up, my phone long forgotten.

"Now before you get mad-"

"Mad? Who's mad? Xavier, nah. He doesn't look mad" Wyatt rambled.

I stalked towards them, my face unreadable. "Xavier" Griffin tried but he knew I wasn't listening.

Hell, I couldn't even hear him. My entire focus was on the two men who were supposed to be watching Melanie while Griff and I were here.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Griffin asked, trying to assess the situation.

I could tell that the warning bells were already going off inside his head.

"Melanie started crying and said she missed her papa - that she wanted to see him" Derrick started before stopping abruptly, his eyes landing on mine. "I think I'm going to piss myself," Derrick muttered.

"Then she kind of got scared seeing all the huge tattooed men-"

"You brought her to the bar?" Griffin cursed, already standing.

"Fuck you're terrifying when you're mad" Wyatt mumbled, looking at me.

I grabbed them both by their collars, bringing their faces closer to mine. "Where the fuck is Melanie?"

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It was thirty minutes till my performance and I couldn't find my outfit anywhere.

"What do you mean it's gone?" Kai asked me, panicking.

The light in my dressing room reflected off his eyebrow, ear and lip piercings, outlining the panic on his face even more.

"I mean it's gone. You want me to say it in Korean?"

"This isn't a joke-"

"사라졌어" (It's gone)

Kai shook his head, his half up half down hair swinging around. "Never mind that, what are we going to do about your clothes?"

I shrugged. "You tell me, you're the adult"

"You're 20, Via"

"You're the adultier adult" I shrugged again.

" We have less than 25 minutes to go and your clothes, of all things, are gone. If Miles finds out about this-"

"If Miles finds out about what?" His voice came as the door was opened.

"Food" I smiled, taking the box of cookies from him.

He chuckled as I busied myself with the cookies before turning to Kai. "What don't we want Miles finding out about?"

"It's nothing, don't worry. I have the situation all under contr-"

"My clothes are gone" I deadpanned.

Miles looked at me, then at Kai, who was glaring at me. Kai tore his eyes away from me and met Miles' gaze, shrugging. Miles was about to say something but changed his mind after he noticed the time.

"Kai, check with the other performers. Olive, the bar. I'll check the other dressing rooms." He ordered, already half way through the door.

I sighed as I grabbed the martini I had on my dresser and downed it before Kai and I walked out after him, heading in our designated directions.

Deciding to start by asking the bartender, I began heading towards the bar when my foot collided with something.

There was a table next to me and for a split second, I thought my foot had only hit the leg and was about to continue walking until I heard a soft 'ow' coming from underneath.

I ducked down, to discover the source only to be met with two puffs of curly hair in my face.

I moved back at the same time the two puffs of hair turned and facing me was a beautiful little girl.

She rubbed her leg with her small hands, the small frown on her face turning to panic for a quick second before her eyes widened.

"You" Her voice was soft and barely audible. "Princess"

Why was there a child, hiding under a table at one of the most popular bars in Bordeaux? Why was she alone? And why did she look familiar?

A soft smile made its way to my face. "Hey there. Is it okay if I ask you a few questions?"

"I dunno" Her eyebrows furrowed adorably in the middle of her forehead as she rubbed her chin. "Papa Xava said not to talk to strangers"

A wave of realization washed over me as the words left her lips. That's why she seemed so familiar.

And if Xavier's kid was here, that meant Xavier was definitely here. Ah fuck.

"But you're a princess. And princesses help people so it's okay" She paused for a second, her gaze moving to her fingers. "Can you help me? I miss my papa and everybody here is scary"

My eyes softened and the smile on my face grew wider. "Of course I can, sweetie. Could you come out from underneath the table first?"

She nodded, a smile appearing on her face as she crawled out from under the table.

"Can I take a look at your leg? I just want to make sure you aren't hurt or anything" I told her.

She nodded and I smiled as I examined her leg. Luckily, there wasn't a bruise or anything.

"See, all good" She smiled at me, placing her small hand on my forehead.

"I'm so glad I didn't hurt you" I mumbled, mostly to myself.

"It wouldn't have hurt anyways. I've had a lot of more painful owies cause of the meanies" She told me.

"Meanies?"

She smiled, nodding her head. "But it's okay. Papa Xava saved me"

Confusion clouded my thoughts.

Xavier saved her? From what exactly? The people she was referring to as meanies? And what did she mean when she said she had more painful 'owies'?

I took a deep breath, clearing my head of all my questions, leaving only the thought of helping her.

I adjusted myself so I was squatting, my ass resting on my heels while I balanced on my toes. "You think you could tell me your name, sweetheart?"

"Melanie," She said.

"That's a beautiful name" I beamed.

"Hey, papa Xava said that too" She giggled.

"Okay, Melanie. Let's go find your papa yeah?" She nodded and I continued. "Are you fine walking by yourself or do you want me to carry you?"

She shook her head, stretching her arms out towards me as she opened and closed them repeatedly.

I chuckled, taking her into my arms, tucking her safely into me.

"Do you remember where you last saw him? Your papa?" I asked her as I began walking.

"I haven't seen him since he left this morning," She told me. "Papa's friends brought me here to see him cause I missed him"

I sighed.

Of course Xavier wouldn't bring his daughter to the bar. Why would that thought even cross my mind?

The only explanation to why Melanie was in my arms right now seemed to be that she was being watched by two very careless friends of Xavier's.

"Do you know their names? Your papa's friends?" I asked her, my eyes searching the crowd for any familiar face that could help me handle this situation better.

Three pairs of eyes locked on Melanie and I but unfortunately, it wasn't any pair of eyes I was familiar with.

Three men with disgusting smiles on their faces had their eyes fixed on Melanie and I. All big and muscular, two with mohawks and one who was completely bald, a tattoo visible on his head.

Melanie noticed them as well and began to panic when they started heading towards us.

"Princess?" She buried her face into the side of the neck. "Meanies"

"I see them but it's okay. I'm here. You have nothing to be afraid of, okay?"

I felt her nod against my skin and smiled. "I'm going to move you to my back now. I want you to hold onto me. Don't let go no matter what, okay?"

She nodded again and I quickly adjusted her in my arms, moving her to my back. Her small hands instantly clung to my shoulders, her legs wrapping around my waist as far as they could go while one of my hands held her up.

"Aren't you a precious little thing?" The bald one smiled as soon as they reached us.

"The lady isn't so bad herself" A second one laughed. He had a red and purple mohawk and piercings everywhere on his face.

My right eye twitched as the third blonde guy tried to touch Melanie, my body moving on its own, escaping his reach.

"Try to touch her again" My eyes blazed with fury. "And I'll kill you"

"Big talk coming from such a little lady" The first one said.

He moved to touch Melanie again and my free hand moved, my fist coming in contact with his face before I could even register the movement.

"Fucking bitch" He cursed, grabbing his bleeding nose.

Both my arms held onto Melanie as I nearly jumped out of the way when the blonde one lunged at us. He lunged for us again and was greeted with a knee across his face.

"You okay, Mel?" I asked, my focus on the three dead men walking.

"Mhm. Are you?" She asked, her voice trembling while her hands shook, despite her holding onto me.

"I'm just gonna take care of these weirdos and we can go find your papa okay?" I told her.

"And here I thought nobody would have to get hurt" The first bald man sighed.

He pulled a black gun from his coat, pointing it at Mel and I. The other two did the same thing, circling around us.

"I guess we'll have to kill you both then fuck your dead bodies" One of the mohawk guys said.

"Repeat that for me, I didn't quite hear you" A voice that didn't belong to me snarled.

I turned around and was met with Wyatt. He had a manic smile on his face as he tugged on his hair with his right hand, his left hand, equipped with brass knuckles.

"Go on" He said, louder this time. "Repeat that. Tell me what you said you'd do to them" He laughed, walking towards them.

"Il Demone Bianco" One of them murmured, discarding their gun on the floor immediately. (The White Demon)

"Fuck no" Someone else cursed, their gun discarded as well.

"No pussy is worth dying for" Their leader said, throwing his gun on the floor as well.

They turned around and were about to run off when two people came into view, blocking their paths. Their faces were set in stone, murder being the only intent I could read off of them.

The color from the guys' faces drained when they realized who was in front of them - the bosses of the two most powerful mafias in the world, Xavier Russo and Griffin Donato.

"Uh, uh, uh." Wyatt chuckled. "Now just where are you headed to in such a rush?"

He began making his way towards them but stopped when he reached Melanie and I. "Hey, Grumpy. Long time no see. I'd love to catch up but I have to take care of these three first"

His gaze softened when he looked at Melanie. "Please don't run off again like that Lani, your papa was about to kill me"

"La morte stessa," The red and purple haired creep mumbled, his eyes fixed on Xavier. (Death himself)

"Lucifero" The blonde one muttered, staring at Griffin. (Lucifer)

I looked around and noticed the once full bar was now deserted. I hadn't even realized that everyone was gone until this moment.

A few feet away from Xavier and Griffin were Miles and Kai who had just come out from the backrooms, their eyes wide when they realized I was in the middle of everything.

They began to make their way towards me but were stopped by Derrick who held them back, shaking his head.

My gaze returned to Xavier whose eyes blazed with a fury I had never seen before. He kicked the right knee of their leader.

A satisfying crunch resonated through the empty club from the impact causing Melanie to bury her head into my back while the leader fell to his knees before Xavier.

Xavier towered over him, the heel of his foot digging into the leader's hands. Meanwhile, Griffin had managed to bring the other two to their knees as well, one on either side of the leader.

The three of them looked up at Xavier, terror evident in their gazes. A terrifying smile broke out on Xavier's face as he pushed his hair out of his closed eyes.

His hand remained on his face, similar to what Wyatt had done but this time, his aura had changed.

The three kneeling before him visibly began to shake as his smile disappeared and he opened his eyes.

"What the fuck did you just say about my girls?"

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╔══ ≪ °❈° ≫ ══╗ 𝑿𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒓 ╚══ ≪ °❈° ≫ ══╝

"Papa Xava?"

Melanie's voice brought me out of the trance I was in. Suddenly, I was able to see everyone apart from the three parasites in front of me. My vision was no longer red with fury and bloodlust.

I took a few steps to the right and knelt down on one knee, opening my arms. Melanie's frown subsided as she made her way towards me.

Her small arms wrapped around my neck the second she reached me. "Was so scary, papa" She mumbled, burying her face into the side of my neck.

"I know you were scared, stellina but-"

"Nuh uh" She brought her head away from my neck and looked at me. "Wasn't scared. The princess protected me"

She turned around and pointed directly in front of her, to Olive. My Olive.

Who was breathing heavily as she examined her hands. My gaze followed hers, anger building inside me again when I noticed the bruises on her knuckles.

"She punched the meanies and protected me. Tell him, princess" She said, drawing Olive's attention.

Olive's eyes caught Melanie's, a smile appearing on her face for a quick second but it disappeared when her gaze landed on mine.

"Could someone tell me what the fuck just went on in my bar?"

All eyes moved to the dark haired Korean guy that I had seen on stage. Griffin stared in shock at Miles who was standing next to him.

Miles looked like he had seen a ghost as he stared back at Griffin.

Before I could realize that she was moving, Olive had left the bar through one of the backdoors and Miles followed right behind her.

"I called Xamira and Diego. Xam's pissed we interrupted their double date with Kat and Jordan but they're on their way to take Melanie home" Derrick said, sweeping Melanie into his arms causing her to giggle.

"I've got these three" Wyatt said, dragging their unconscious bodies towards the front door of the bar. "Had to put them to sleep first but I can't wait till they wake up and we can finally play"

"I still have no idea what just happened" The dark haired guy said.

"I've got you man," Derrick replied.

A flash of crazy passed through Wyatt's eyes before he stopped, his gaze landing on Griffin and I. "Well? Go get them"

I scrambled to my feet, heading out of the bar behind Griffin. There seemed to be some sort of hallway back here with a set of stairs at the very end, leading to a higher and lower level and a door at the side opposite the stairs.

Griffin followed after Miles as he went through the door while my eyes instantly found Olive. She was leaning against the stairs, her back turned to me as she mumbled to herself.

"Olive" My voice was hoarse and rough.

Her head immediately snapped to me, her expression unreadable as she approached me. Not knowing whatelse to do, I took a step back, raising my hands defensively in front of me.

"I know that you're mad at me" I started.

Her face gave me no hints to what she was feeling right now. Void, blank, emotionless... that's all I got from her as she continued towards me.

"And you have every right to be"

I continued taking steps back until my back hit the wall, stilling my movements.

"And you're probably not happy seeing me here, for the second time today"

She stopped walking when she was a few inches away from me, our feet touching.

"But-"

I was cut off by her hands on my shirt, dragging me towards her, dangerously close to her face. Being this close to her, I could see every freckle and every beauty mark and fucking hell was she gorgeous.

I expected a punch, or a slap, or anything.

Anything except what she did at that exact moment.

She kissed me.

Her lips crashed on mine with a force that I had never felt before. I was stunned for several seconds before I realized what was happening and pulled away.

"Olive, we can't. You're upset and you're mad at me. I won't take advantage of your emotions like this. We should talk first-"

"Later" Her voice was soft. Too fucking soft for me to resist. "Please"

That did it.My lips collided with hers, equally as forceful as when she had kissed me. Every emotion we felt melted into our kiss.

Regret. Anger. Frustration. Panic. Guilt. Relief. Confusion.

One second, we were outside the bar making out furiously with each other and the next second, we were in an apartment above the bar, stumbling across the floor as we entered a room that I supposed was Olives, not once breaking our kiss.

I gasped as she went on her tiptoes, breaking the kiss to plant her lips on her neck, her hands moving to my belt.

My hands gently covered hers, stopping her movements. Her beautiful brown doe eyes met mine, confusion swirling in them.

"We can't, Olive."

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "We can't or you just don't want to"

A low groan left my lips as I brought her hand down to my pants, placing it on my hard dick. Her eyes widened slightly as she felt me throb underneath her touch.

"Trust me, baby. I fucking want to. Fuck, you have no idea how bad I want to"

I sighed, placing my forehead on hers, my hands placing hers around my neck before moving to her waist.

"But I can't. I have no idea if you drank anything before you saw me. For all I know, you could be under the influence"

"I'm not" She whispered against my lips. "I swear I'm not, I had one martini, that's it." She paused. "With everything that just happened, I was just... I don't know. I just couldn't hold myself back anymore. I've missed you"

"And I've missed you, princess" My gaze softened as I brushed some hair out of her eyes. "More than you could ever possibly know. More than I'll ever be able to tell you"

I sighed. "But we can't. We haven't talked about anything"

"We don't need to. You had a valid reason, I understand that and I forgi-"

I placed a finger over her mouth, my thumb playing with her bottom lip. "Not yet. I don't want you to say that yet until I've earned your forgiveness. Until I prove to you that I can be worthy of being your boyfriend again. Until then, until we talk about everything, we can't do anything"

"I want you" She mumbled, against my fingers. "I want you so bad, Xav"

The last part, the way her perfect lips pronounced my name was what broke me. The faintest smug smile appeared on her lips as soon as she realized that she had won.

In an instant, my lips found hers again, her soft hands threading through my hair as a soft moan escaped her lips.

"Fuck, I've missed hearing that" I mumbled as I moved my attention to her neck.

"T-The bed, Xav" She gasped as I bit her neck.

"Not just yet"

My foot slid between hers, spreading her legs open enough for me to put my right leg between them.

A faint whimper left her lips as she felt my knee against her most sensitive spot, grinding against me involuntarily.

"Just like that, baby" The feeling of my breath against her throat caused her to shudder. "Keep doing exactly that. You're doing such a good job"

My dick strained in my pants at the sound of her needy moans. Her fingers tugged on my hair as her head fell back, the pleasure becoming too much for her.

"Don't fight it" I whispered as I moved her by her hips, grinding her against my knee even harder. "Just feel, let yourself feel, princess"

"X-Xav" Her whines grew louder with each passing second. "Xav, I-"

"I know, baby. I know." I licked the side of her neck, softly nipping at her earlobe. "You wanna cum for me? Wanna cum all over my knee, like the good girl I know that you are? Is that it?"

A moan escaped her lips as she shut her eyes, dragging her bottom lip between her teeth. Her hands tightened in my hair and her legs began to shake slightly.

"That's it, baby. That's it. Good girl" I kept grinding her against my knee, riding out her orgasm with her until the very end.

Her head rest against my shoulder as she regained control of her breathing, her body relaxing against my hold.

"You were so good for me, pretty girl" My hands stroked through her hair as she hummed, her eyes fluttering closed at the sensation. "My perfect girl. My perfect, beautiful girl"

"Now, your turn" She mumbled, looking up at me.

Before I could ask what she meant, she pulled me over to the side of the bed, pushing me so that I was laying on it.

"Princess-"

"I want to, Xav" She assured me as she straddled me.

A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me. All the sleepless nights I had spent pondering about how much of a fool I was to lose my greatest treasure had finally caught up to me.

I tried my best to fight it, to stay awake and tend to my girl's needs. Trying to convince myself that this wasn't a dream.

But I was unable to fend off sleep.

The second her lips met mine, in a very soft, very passionate kiss - the first one I had received from her today - I fell asleep.

And for the first time in 7 months, I didn't wake up screaming or have any nightmares.

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Hi :)

Let's pretend like I haven't been MIA for almost two months

C.O.D.: You thought I wouldn't notice but I did. Your zit looks extra nice today <3