I CAN EXPLAIN! So first, Wattpad was acting up for the longest time ever. It never saved my drafts even though I kept writing and reached thousand or so words. You can imagine how pissed I was when I woke up in the morning and saw that it was all gone. It did it again and again every time I tried to write so I refrained. When the app settled a bit, I started writing the same thing again, but I didn't like the way it was going so I deleted the entire thing TWO times and then finally reached the conclusion of how I wanted to write this chapter. Phew! And college has started so it has kept me busy too, hence the late update.

(College books are fucking expensive!)

Sorry, and thank you for being patient and still staying with me so far.

Point out my errors. Vote, comment, share, and ENJOY! ❤️

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          The venue is packed with all the A-lister celebrities ranging from singers, actors, other fashion elites, publicists, models, business tycoons. You name it, they're all here. Photographers and journalists are jostling around to capture my big event live in action as usual, some yearning to interview me, but the giddiness in my stomach is making me nauseous. The crowd this year is the biggest it has ever been. If I'm to guess, I'd say that there're approximately forty thousand people sitting in this arena, maybe even more. Definitely more.

My managers, assistant designers, and stylists are working their magic backstage with the models, alongside the makeup artists and hairdressers. Out here, the massive runway is lit up to be strutted on shortly with attendees still chatting and moving around to locate their reserved seats. Everything out here seems perfect, and my hopes for backstage aren't any less. If anything goes south tonight, I'll lose my mind before my employees lose their jobs, maybe even their heads.

"Do you have a seat reserved for me?" A familiar voice rattles from behind me, causing me to stop my chat with a famous fashion blogger and turn around.

"Mike," I smile after shooing the woman away. Greeting him in a social manner with thousands of eyes on us, we exchange a cheek kiss. "You made it."

"Leo obviously couldn't, so I decided to take one for the team," he snickers, looking around. "I heard you discharged Addy. Where is she?"

"I have no clue," I sigh in exasperation.

          I'm certain she's running around backstage among the half naked models just like the past two days of me making sure everything goes perfectly. It's a good thing I decided to let Jackson tag along which wasn't the original plan of having him stay back in New York. Now he can follow Addy and keep an eye on that loose mental patient who has been sticking her nose in my business and distracting me every chance she gets.

"You have no clue?" Mike stares at me dumbfounded. "Athena, you should be a bit more careful with her."

"She's a big girl, Mike." I reassure him with a hand on his upper arm. "In fact, she has been perfectly okay for an year now. And I have Jackson hot on her tail, so I think she's alright. Not too sure about him though."

          He chuckles, waving his bodyguards off. "That's the Addy I've missed. Is she doing alright being back so far?"

          "Honestly," I shake my head, "she's acting out. She wants to go back to the hospital and stay there."

          "She said that?" he wonders.

          "Kind of," I shrug, letting out a deep breath. "She didn't want to come home with me in the first place. She said she was scared to get out here in the world."   

          "After everything that has happened, I don't blame her." He purses his lips into a thin line, exhaling through his nostrils. "But I guess she's doing fine running around."

          "And she's a nightmare already."

          "How so?"

          "We got into a fight on the jet that actually blew out of proportions which ended up with her slapping me after I said some gnarly stuff in anger."

          I temporarily shut my eyes and wait for his lecture to fall upon me, but he surprises me with a laugh. "And I guess it was over what happened with Maddox?"

          Nodding hesitantly, I stare at my feet. "I didn't mean to say the things that I blurted out without thinking. I don't even know why I said it."

"What did you say exactly?" He narrows his eyes at me whilst sliding his hands into the pockets of his slacks.

Inhaling a long stretch of oxygen, I hesitate once again to declare my not-so-proud moment. "I blamed her for everything that happened. Also told her that I hated her and Mom." I cringe internally thinking back to all the things I said two days ago. I don't know what had gotten into me at that moment, but I definitely lost it.

          "No wonder she slapped you." He frowned at my revelation, a bit disappointed. "It wasn't her fault, Athena, and you know that."

          "I know," I sigh.

"Wouldn't you want to know Holland and Maddox yourself back then?"

My tongue is in knots yet again. It's true that deep in my heart I wanted to know them, but majority of me didn't want to because Addy and I were doing just fine without the Lairds being in our lives. Addy does what she wants and doesn't wait for approval. Definitely not mine. At least she has the courage to follow her heart unlike me who keeps everything to herself.

"You guys would kill for each other, and I also know that one day you'll kill one another if you don't talk it out." His green orbs peer directly into my eyes sweetly as he places a warm hand on my shoulder. "Both of you need to work through your issues as soon as possible, or else you both will end up hurting yourselves."

"I'll talk to her after Lina's coronation."

          I smile, and before Mike can open his mouth, an old acquaintance of the Bonferroni family steps into our space and diverts our attention to him. A tailored navy blue suit is wrapped around him, a white shirt underneath it. The tightness of the suit accentuates all the muscles he has, making him look breathtaking even at this age with his graying hair and his jaw as sharp as ever, no wrinkles in sight.

(Eric Rutherford as Zachariah D'Angelo. Can we just appreciate this hottie 😍❤️)

          "Mike." Zachariah acknowledges the man and shakes his hand before turning to face me. "Athena."

          Greeting him just like I did with Mike, I look past the man at the girl behind him and smirk. "I see you brought your daughter along."

"We meet again," I flash Cornelia a conniving smile.

She crosses her arms over her chest and arches a brow. "And I wish I could say that I'm stoked to see you, but that'd be the biggest lie of my life," she snarls with venom dripping from her tongue.

          "Cornelia," Zachariah chides her with a glare. "Be nice and apologize."

"For speaking the truth?" She looks at her father in disgust. "I think not, Dad. And if you'll excuse me, I'd rather not look at the woman who humiliated me and slept with my boyfriend." Turning on her heel, she pushes through the people and vanishes into the hustling crowd.

Zachariah shakes his head and reluctantly turns to me, clearly ashamed of his daughter's actions. "I apologize on her behalf. She really needs to learn how to behave."

          "Keep her..."

Mike cuts off my snarky comment immediately with a hand on my forearm. "Don't apologize, Zach. The show is going to start any minute now. Find me at the afterparty. We have business to discuss."

          "Good enough," Zachariah nods and leaves us before Mike turns to me disappointedly.

          "Really?"

          "I didn't sleep with her boyfriend," I explain myself. "Though, I did humiliate her."

We settle down in the front row after exchanging a laugh. A few minutes later, the show commences. The lights dim, leaving only the runway brightly illuminated with spotlight on the models that walk out and music echoing throughout. Each female struts down like she owns the place with a poker face to not take away from the gowns that are from my wedding collection for next year with accessories adorning them. They make their single run first, then the male models take over. Keeping everything in mind, Rome walks down the runway and doesn't flash his goofy teeth as planned which broadens my smile. After more male models, the last one that I've been waiting for finally arrives. Eros Azallion.

          Although he was skeptical of modeling for me, it didn't take me long to convince him. I've manipulated men more dangerous and stubborn than him, so he was a piece of cake in comparison. Flashes of camera violate him as he strides down, looking as classy and handsome as ever that he probably has every woman swooning. Men too. Certainly me.

Whispers break out through the arena at his appearance which puts a victorious smirk on my face. After he vanishes backstage, the male and female models make their final walks in pairs and stand to the side to let the others strut down. It all wraps up when the final pair strides down who is Mr. Azallion with Tiana Lambroski on his arm. Applauses don't waste a second to break out through the arena, and I hate to say it, but I'm extremely proud of my boys for behaving and nailing it considering this is their first step into the modeling business.

***

After completing a few interviews about the new collection and the two new models in the bunch, I head backstage as the arena begins vacating and the elites head to the afterparty. The models are clearing up their belongings and slipping into their party outfits as I gain their attention with a loud clap. "Good job, guys!" I praise every single person in the room from the assistant designers to the makeup artists. "All of you are invited to the afterparty, so head there and have fun. Also, don't act stupidly."

"Cheers!" Yvonne, one of my head stylists, pops open a champagne bottle and showers the half naked male models with it. Rome dances right under the sparkling spring with two females to his sides. "It's party time!"

"Fuck yeah, it is!" Rome screams and tries grabbing the bottle from Yvonne's hand, but I grab his arm first.

"Clean yourself up and head to the afterparty now," I chide and look at the other entities in the room. "And that goes for all of you." They all scatter and resume gathering their belongings and cleaning themselves up.

"Where's Addy?" Mike comes up behind me and looks around for my sister alongside me, but all I can see are the female eyes drilling into Mike and drooling over the man. It's nothing new considering Leo and Mike always steal the attention with their powerful stature that engulfs any room they enter, their mere names that exude the same power, and I'm certainly not blind. Mama Bonferroni and Mama Arellano passed down good genes.

"Ladies, eyes to yourselves." I scold, shoving disdainful looks in their direction before turning around to face one of my bodyguards. "Otis, call Jackson and ask where he is."

"Yes, ma'am." The man immediately pins his phone to his ear and shakes his head after a few seconds. "He isn't picking up."

Snatching his phone, I call Jackson myself and pace away from the crowd as Mike walks beside me, instructing his men to circle the place and look for my brat of a sister. Unable to connect the call, I toss the phone back to Otis and head in the empty section where my ears pick up on a couple voices. I walk around the corner and notice Addy sitting on a vanity table with a cigarette between her lips, talking and laughing with Mr. Azallion who is putting on a black dress shirt. Jackson is seated on a chair by her side, blowing out the puff of smoke from the cigarette pressed between his index and middle finger.

          Except for Mr. Azallion, neither of the other two idiots have noticed me. I stomp forward and rip the cigarette from Addy's mouth, dropping it on the floor and crushing it under my heel. "Seriously?" Addy looks up at me with an offended expression smothered all over her face.

          "I should be asking you that," I snap and turn to face Jackson. "I told you to look after her, not feed her blunts."

          Jackson laughs, but it stops abruptly when he looks behind me. "Slacking in our jobs, are we, Jackson?" Mike stares at him, unamused by his actions.

As if the air knocks out of his lungs, Jackson coughs uncontrollably and mushes the cigarette against the wall whilst rising to his feet. "Sorry, sir." He looks at his feet, ashamed, maybe more disappointed that he got caught.

          "Is that Mikey?" Addy beams whilst jumping off the vanity and running toward him. She embraces the man tightly, squealing. "It's so good to see you." She pulls away with a massive grin tugging on her lips. "I've been dying to see everyone. Is Leo here?"

          Mike kisses the top of her head with a wide smile. "It's good to see you too, Addy. And no, Leo isn't here. Everyone is back in Sicily preparing for Lina's coronation."

"Can't believe she's turning fifteen already. Is her bratty phase still intact?" Addy laughs, but Mike and I shift uncomfortably. "What's wrong?" she gasps. "Don't tell me she has gotten worse now."

"A lot happened while you were gone, Addy," Mike informs her and wraps an arm around her shoulder. "But let's not get into that now. It's party time."

"Damn right!" She giggles and looks at Mr. Azallion who's tucking his shirt into his black pants. "Have you met Eros?"

Mike glances up at the new model, suppressing a laugh. And I'm guessing it's because of what Rome said about him eating me out. "Not officially."

"Well then." Addy leaps forward and introduces the two men. "Mike, this is Eros Azallion. And Eros, this is Michael Arellano, commonly goes by Mike. He's like my older brother."

The men shake hands and nod in acknowledgement before Mike turns around and whisks my sister away. "Let's get to the party."

Everyone exits the little section, leaving Mr. Azallion and I alone along with a few of my guards. "Wait outside," I wave the men off and look at the heavily tattooed man throwing on a tailored black suit jacket that instantly hugs his muscles properly. Even at this distance, I can make out the ink through the thin fabric of his white shirt.

          "Are you just going to stare at me?" he asks under his breath, taking a step forward.

          Smiling, I gawk up at his eyes and breathe out. "Good job out there."

          His citrusy scent blankets me when he takes another step in my direction. "I still can't believe you talked me into it."

          "You weren't that hard to convince in the first place, Mr. Azallion." I smirk whilst subtly tilting my head to the side. "You'll thank me for this down the line. Trust me."

Turning on my heel, I begin walking away, but his hand grabs my wrist immediately and stops me from going any further. His warm breath tickles my ear as his front pins to my back. I'd be lying if I say I don't feel his bulge poking me, but I'm too occupied by his hands that travel down my sides and interlace with mine. His mouth presses against the skin under my ear, and involuntarily, I cock my head to the side and close my eyes, enjoying his warm, charismatic touch.

          "Or I can thank you right now," he whispers huskily, playing with my fingers before pulling away completely. "Cornelia?"

          "What?" My eyes shoot open and watch Zachariah and Cornelia heading in our direction with a few of his guards behind him.

          "Dad, stop!" Cornelia pleads with her father, walking right behind him. "He's not worth it."

Without a warning, Zachariah comes around the corner and slams his fist to Mr. Azallion's face. "That's for hurting my daughter."

"Oh my God, Dad!" Cornelia shrieks in panic.

The man ignores his daughter and swings at Mr. Azallion again. "And that's for playing with her feelings," Zachariah grits his teeth together and backs away, fixing his suit and raking a hand through his dense hair. "I should rip you apart for breaking my daughter's heart and end you for good, but I'll refrain. Don't ever come near her again, boy, or else you'll regret it."

With that being said, Zachariah nods to me and leaves with his men, but Cornelia stands her ground, clearly conflicted whether to help her ex-boyfriend out or to leave. She digs into her clutch and pulls out a tissue. "Your lip is bleeding." She hands him the tissue and steps back immediately.

Mr. Azallion wipes the little blood away and looks up at the girl. "Cor-"

"Don't," she cuts him off. "Eros, I don't want to hear anything you have to say, so don't bother. Although it's none of your business, I just want to tell you that Roman and I have been sleeping together after you and I got done. Unlike you, I can't hide something so big from someone I care for. At least cared for." She struts away, leaving Mr. Azallion a bit stunned.

          I can't help but laugh at the situation. "Well, you deserved that." Closing the distance between us, I grab the tissue and dab away the remaining blood before softly pressing my lips to his. "Let's go."

***

          The music blares throughout the upscale club that Mike let me borrow for the afterparty. The lighting is all dark with blues and purples flashing with some attendees dancing around half drunk. If someone is to record them, we'd get a pretty juicy story in the morning.

          "Do you have the jet ready?" Mike asks as we lean against the bar with drinks in our hands.

          "Yes," I answer. "As soon as we're done here, we'll leave for Sicily and get to the palace in about two hours, so it'll be pretty late. Hopefully nonna doesn't cut off my head for that."

          "She isn't that bad," he chuckles, shaking his head at my remark which isn't an exaggeration at all.

"Easy for you to say," I scoff, taking a sip of my drink. "You're her favorite. She likes you more than her own grandchildren."

          Leo's maternal grandmother, the great Marsilia Drago is a woman that can break you as a person with her words and powerful demeanor alone. Even at the age of seventy-five, she looks brilliant and as fierce as ever. To be honest, I admire her and have definitely absorbed her strong, bitchy personality from the times I've spent around her, but it's true that I also can't stand the woman at times and I'm pretty sure she's not my biggest fan either.

"Who's accompanying you there?"

"Jay will be going home, so Addy, Jackson, and the Azallion brothers because Leo assigned the older one as my caretaker."

"And I bet he's more than a caretaker," Mike childishly laughs to himself.

"Not funny," I scold.

"It actually is," he argues. "But I'm wondering if anything is going on between Eros and Addy?"

"I don't think so. She's all over him sometimes, but I don't know about him."

          My mouth sours at the thought of them together. Hell, my entire body shifts uncomfortably due to it. Maybe it's because I don't want my sister to be with a man like him, or maybe because I want him all to myself. My eyes immediately find him in the crowd talking to Cornelia, probably apologizing for his mistakes. I shouldn't care for this man; this escort who I'm turning into a model. I've given him so much and I've never been this generous with anyone at all which makes me wonder about my feelings. Ugh! Today's not the day to think about it.

"Hi!" A model saunters over and smiles at Mike with a hand out. "Valentina Abrantes."

(Jessica Alba as Valentina Abrantes.)

          Mike returns her smile and shakes her awaiting hand. "Mike Arellano."

          "Yes," she grins. "The Mike Arellano. I think everyone knows you here. The business tycoon and all, right?"

          "Yup." Mike purses his lips into a straight line and turns around to order himself another drink. I don't even try to hide my laugh at the short-lived conversation between the two.

          Valentina stands there a bit perplexed. Clearly, she has never been rejected before and it's exciting to see her squirm uncomfortably. "Um," she clears her throat loudly over the music in attempts to gain Mike's attention again. "Can I buy you a drink, perhaps?"

"That won't be necessary because I own the club," Mike replies to her offer over his shoulder, not sparing her a glance.

"Of course," she chuckles awkwardly and looks at me helplessly, but I shrug, laughing to myself. "Would you care to dance with me then?"

Mike sighs audibly, reluctantly turning around. "Sweetheart," he looks at her tentatively and places a finger under her chin, lifting it up slowly. "No va a suceder (It's not happening)." Caressing her cheek with his knuckles softly, he walks past the woman, rejecting her again.

          "Oh dios mío (Oh my God)!" She covers her mouth and silently blinks at me.

          "Valentina," I laugh at her. "Lay it to rest. You're never getting him."

          She removes her hand and grins, biting her lower lip. "I want him more than ever now. And Athena, watch me get him." She winks and starts her search for Mike who disappeared in the swaying crowd.

I don't have time to catch a breath when Mr. Azallion decides to join me. "What was that about?"

"I could ask you the same." I motion to Cornelia who seems to be having a good time with Rome now.

"Well, I tried apologizing for what I did, and she actually listened because she's probably a bit tipsy I guess. We're on decent terms right now, but it'll take a while before she can forgive me. Thankfully, her dad isn't around to punch me again," he clears his throat before looking at me.

          "Good for you," I remark and chug the remaining fluid in my glass before ordering another one. "Was Addy with you backstage the entire time?"

"Yeah, why?"

"And what were you guys doing?"

"She was asking about you." His blue eyes narrow at me with a smirk stretching his lips when I glance at him. "Is that smoke coming out your ass again, Ms. Estle?"

"Shut up!" I snap as he laughs.

"It's funny to see you all red and jealous." He leans forward and reaches for my ear to whisper, "I like it a lot."

I nudge him away trying to suppress the smile emerging on my lips when a lady wobbles over, a bit drunk. "Rocco, right?" she squints her eyes and laughs.

          Mr. Azallion's cheek flush a bit upon seeing the woman. "Mrs. Hernandez?"

Giggling, she feels up his arm. "I knew it was you on the runway." She subtly bites her lip and burns red. "It's good to see you."

"Likewise," Mr. Azallion clears his throat and gives me a hard look which turns the woman's attention to me.

"Athena Estle, how did you stumble upon this young man?" she ponders, swaying a bit due to the alcohol in her system. "Oh my, I think I know."

"You're drunk, Mrs. Hernandez." I narrow my eyes, my brows drawing together. "I suggest you walk away."

She laughs. "Why are you getting all defensive now? I'm just saying where I know you discovered this hottie. It's okay. Many of us required his services, and trust me, he knows how to satisfy a woman."

"Well, you aren't wrong about that," Mr. Azallion smirks at the ego boost that Anthony Hernandez's unfaithful wife just gave him.

"I never am." She steps closer to him and runs her palms over his taut chest. "I've been dying to get ahold of you again, but I heard you were occupied with another client of yours." She opens the buttons of his suit jacket and slips her hands to his back. "I haven't stopped thinking about you after our night. I've been craving you to fuck me again."

My nose scrunches up in disgust as her fingertips subtly rake over Mr. Azallion's crotch before he immediately grabs her wrist. "Mrs. Hernandez, you're drunk and I'm not an escort anymore, so I suggest you back away," he orders her with a firm look, his jaw twitching. "Now."

"Oh my." She stumbles back a bit, but steadies herself in time. "That's exactly what I've missed. You being dominant." She steps forward again, grabbing onto the lapels of his suit and tugging on them. "I don't care if you're an escort or not. Come with me to my hotel room, and I can promise you a good time."

"I think he said no." I finally intervene and pull her off him by her upper arm. "Go home."

"Jesus!" She yanks my hold off and snarls. "I'm talking to him, not you."

          "Actually," I sneakily remove a ring from my index finger and switch it to my ring finger, flashing it in her face. "This is my fiancé. And I don't like you getting all cozy with him. Unless you want me to throw you out, I suggest you back the hell away from him."

          "Honey," a condescendingly smile erupts on her lips, "I think you're lying. I was his client almost a month ago. We fucked. Hard. If you were engaged, it'd be all over the news." She snorts and turns back to Mr. Azallion, pulling him closer to her body. "Baby, just give me an hour. I promise I'll be a good girl, if not, you know exactly what to do."

          "Kristine!" A man's voice interrupts the disgusting scene which immediately rattles the woman who has her hands all over Mr. Azallion. "What the fuck are you doing?" he questions, seething in anger as Addy stands beside him, her mouth slightly parted and mischief twinkling in her eyes.

"Oh my God! Anthony!" Kristine gulps and steps away from the man she was begging for sex. "It's not what you think it is."

"Sweetie, your husband and I both heard you very clearly about being a good girl. And good married girls don't sleep with other men," Addy chimes in, laying a comforting hand on Anthony's shoulder. I know it's all an act from the conniving undertone of her sympathy. The fact that the man showed up to catch his wife isn't a coincidence at all. It's all Addy's doing. Can't say I'm not proud of her.

"You disgust me, Kristine." Anthony glares at his wife and storms away without another word.

"Anthony," Kristine calls out and begins going after her husband, but Addy holds her back by her upper arm and shoves her long nails into the woman's flesh. Kristine winces at the pain, frowning. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Look, skank." As if a switch turns on in Addy, her cheeks burn red in anger for the woman. "If you think I'll just let you pass for disrespecting my sister, you're highly mistaken."

"Let me go!" Kristine hisses through her teeth.

"Listen up, whore! I just ruined your marriage, don't force me to ruin your life now." Addy's fingers tighten on the woman's arm. "If you ever come near Eros or my sister, especially my sister, I'll break each bone in your body, from your foot to your skull. Trust me, I've done it before."

          "Addy, I think she got your point," I voice my opinion and continue, not wanting her to cause a scene at my party. "You can let her go now."

          Addy doesn't budge an inch as the woman trembles under the deadly stare of my sister. "You'll be nothing but a sack of bones when I'm done with you. You don't want that now, do you?"

          "I'm sorry," the woman whispers, her voice barely audible as her lips quiver. People around us are too busy drinking, conversing, and dancing to notice the little commotion with the music as loud as ever.

          "I didn't hear you." Addy jerks her closer causing the woman to yelp. "Speak a little louder so that my sister can hear you."

          "I'm sorry," Kristine apologizes with tears collecting in her eyes.

          "Good girl." Addy smiles and releases the woman. "If you wouldn't have complied, I would've had to dismantle your face. And your face is too beautiful to break." She slowly flicks away the tear that rolls down Kristine's cheek. "I've been out of this business for a while, but now I'm back and I'm better than ever. And believe me when I say I'm Athena's copy, but everything I do is heightened and extreme. So when I torture people, I don't hold back."

          Addy slightly shoves the woman back and dusts off her hands. "Go save your broken marriage now. But if I see you around again or find out that you told anyone about our little interaction, I'll dig up the filthiest dirt on you and humiliate you in front of the whole world. It'll be worse than death."

Kristine immediately scurries away in fear, leaving Addy to glare at the path she took. "Order me a shot of tequila. I'll be right back." She palms her thigh over her dress, outlining the gun tucked under it. "I'm going to kill her real quick."

          "No, you're not, and where did you get a gun from?" I ask her whilst holding her back.

          "Jackson," she winks at me. "You didn't exactly forbid anyone from giving me a gun."

"You can keep it, but you're not using it," I order her, loosening my grip. "We're leaving for Sicily right now."

***

After the jet steadies in the air, I lean back in my seat and gaze at Mr. Azallion who's sitting on the sofa next to Jackson and Rome who are engrossed in the movie flashing on the TV screen, but he seems to be paying no attention to it. His eyes are rather glued to me, a meek smile dancing on his lips. A silent conversation has been passing through us from a distance for a while now, and it's a bit funny.

          He nods to my hand, forcing me to look down at it. I shake my head when I realize what he's referring to. Slowly, I relocate the ring from my ring finger to my index finger. I've got to admit, it was a silly and stupid move, and certainly didn't work. I was jealous in that moment when that woman was all over him. I felt a deep sting in my chest and a sense of possessiveness came over me. It's not like I own him, or he's my boyfriend, let alone fiancé. How disgusting! I'm getting more and more pathetic around him which is why I need to distance myself from the man. He gets too close to me every time, and I can't help but let him in.

"I know what I want," Addy declares as she takes a seat opposite me.

"Huh?"

"You promised you'd give me anything, remember?"

"Oh, yeah." I nod with a sigh. "What are your demands?"

"How about Eros?" she whispers softly and my heart skips a beat. "Will you give him to me?"

"What?" Mr. Azallion yelps as the other two boys stare at us in astonishment. Addy raises her hand and stops their chattering instantly while keeping her eyes intact on me.

My tongue is tied in knots once again as I stare at her blankly. I don't know what's happening or why, but my stomach flips over in a terrible way. I was thinking about distancing myself from him, but now that it can actually be a possibility, my heart sinks lower and lower toward darkness, and it feels like absolute hell. Shit! I'm attached to him in more ways than one. He has seen me at my lowest, endured my torture at times, made me feel good, laugh, and has ignited emotions in me that I'd rather not face. I have feelings for him, but now I'll have to ignore them for Addy. After all, I did promise her anything.

Swallowing my pride, I nod. "He's not mine to keep anyways, and you know I'll give you the world. He's yours."

She smiles sweetly and places her hands over mine that rest on the table separating us. "You'll give him up for me?"

"I promised you anything. And he's nothing to me." I purse my lips together and try to smile, but I honestly can't. It... hurts too much.

Looking out the window at the night sky of Italy, I mentally crawl back into my safe space that's devoid of any pathetic emotions that ruin people and unnecessarily hurt them. I cannot allow myself to be one of those. I won't be one of those.

          When I finally try to separate myself from the man named Eros Azallion, get rid of his blissful memories, the most unexpected words leave Addy's mouth. "You really think that I'd steal the only man you've ever liked?"

"Huh?" I furrow my brows in puzzlement.

"You clearly like him. Maybe it's even more than that, I don't know, but I notice every little detail when you're around him." She smiles and glances back at Mr. Azallion who's eagerly listening in on our conversation just like Jackson and Rome. "And I can definitely say that he likes you too. The way you two look at each other is overwhelming for me. Like you might eat each other up." She giggles, turning back to me. "You loosen up around him, Athena, and I've seen the jealously in your eyes whenever I've kissed him. And I've done it on purpose because it's fun to see you squirm ."

          I blink a couple times and pinch the bridge of my nose. "I'm tired of your games, Adena."

          She chuckles and tugs my hand down to look at me. "I know I try everything to get on your nerves, and I've made mistakes in the past that you had to pay for. You're my sister, Athena, and I love you to death. Ever since I've come back, I've seen you ease around him, and as far as I know you, at least I think I know you, you always keep your guard up, especially around men, but not around him. He means a lot to you, and vice-versa. You have him whipped bad."

          I groan and rub my tired eyes while Addy laughs and continues. "He's one of the very few good things in your life. You don't know me at all if you think I'll ruin that for you. He's all yours and I'll make sure he stays yours."

          The boulder on my chest lifts, and I feel I can finally breathe. Damn it! She really had me by my throat there, but if she doesn't want Mr. Azallion, what does she want? "What do you really want then?"

          "Glad you asked." She shifts in her seat and clears her throat. "Don't get mad, okay?"

          "Just say it."

          "I want Mom dead," she blurts out, and that's the last straw for me.

          My fist clenches as I seethe in anger, losing all my patience with her. "Have you lost your fucking mind?" I scream.

——————————————————————

A bit long but yay or nay?

Should Cornelia forgive Eros for his mistakes?

Now that Addy has shown Athena and Eros the blatant truth, will the two finally start giving into their feelings?

Addy really irked Athena to the point she cursed out loud. Whoops! Why would Addy want Mama dearest dead?

Much love ❤️
~Reet