Ella's POV.

"What the heck! I can't believe we didn't win." Sara frowned.

"Yeah! I even started planning our dresses for the annual variety show and now I just got this news... Darn it!" Jessica complained.

"I'm pretty sure we did nail our victory but I don't get it. Why didn't we win?" Jack pouted.

"Yup! We were so close to our success..." Xaiden commented.

"Guys! Come on! Don't let it get you. At least we did our best! And besides, the teacher did praise us for our efforts, and we got second place." I tried to cheer them up by showing them the bright side. I wasn't happy with the results too but we couldn't change them.

"But still..."

"El's right! Winning isn't the matter. What matters the most is we tried our best. We had a pretty great time together. Didn't we?" Sara smiled joining with me. "We had a pretty great time together, and who would have thought? We all became quite good friends in just a matter of one week."

"Ah! That is true, and most of all! Due to this, Ella got to make some boy friends..." Jessica winked at me and I looked at her shocked.

Boyfriends? When did I make one?

"What? Do you have boyfriends as in more than one? How many?" The three of them looked at me with teasing eyes whilst for Jessica, she was so enjoying this. I glared at her.

"I... Guys! I don't have any... Jess!"

"What? Ella! Did you really think you could hide it? Come on! Tell 'em what you told me," Jessica said. "We all are friends. Tell them!" She continued with her lame joke cornering me with other's stares. In all these stares, the most dangerous one was of Xaiden. He had his jaw clenched and he was glaring at me. His glare was making me nervous.

"Tell us! Since when?" Sara asked. I was tongue-tied because there was nothing to say. This was just a stupid joke of Jessica's which was not even funny.

"Guys! She's lying. Jess! Stop it! I'll kill you!" I glared at her. "It's not funny. You know, I don't do relationships."

"Well, who knows? You might in secret," Jessica continued to intrigue others.

"What the heck! Shut up! I am not!" I scowled.

She started laughing at my outburst and their heads turned towards her. "Okay Okay. I didn't mean boyfriends as in boyfriend. I meant she got to make some boys her friends."

"What? Seriously Jess?"

"Sara! Chill, girl! It was just a joke," she continued laughing while Sara rolled her eyes. "Jess! It was such a bad joke. You gave someone a heart attack here."

Jessica's ears perked and a glint of something flashed through her eyes. "Who?" She asked.

"Of course, it's Xaiden. Look, he is ready to kill someone," Sara chuckled and my eyes shifted to him. Sara sounded right. His eyes were on the floor as his hands, which were clenched in fists, were placed in his lap. His jaw seemed tightened and it looked as if he was gritting his teeth. He didn't utter a single word and this was making me confused. Why was he acting this way?

"Xaiden?" I called out his name.

"Dude! You okay?" Jack said touching his shoulder but he jerked him away.

"I need to go." With that, he left leaving us all shocked.

"Told ya!" Sara smirked, looking at the direction he went to. "I'll go see him," Jack said and went after him.

I was confused about what happened to him because what Sara said seemed right. But, why? We were just friends. Yesterday he was fine. I remember the way he was smiling yesterday, and his mood was all good.

Suddenly, that hug came into my mind which I was trying my best to forget.

His warm hands, his muscular arms, his scent, his warmth...

I closed my eyes.

God! Not again!

I have been trying my best to forget it. I didn't want him to get in trouble, I didn't want us to get in trouble. I have been repeating the lines in my head like some mantra. It was just a thank-you hug. Nothing more! Just a thank-you hug. It didn't mean anything else not to him nor me.

But it didn't feel right. Why did I feel something else? Maybe because I had never been hugged by a boy. Maybe everyone's heart races up when someone hugs them. Maybe this feeling that I felt was just a common feeling. That could be the reason as well... Yup! I think that must be it. I just needed to keep this in my mind. It was nothing.

"What do you think happened to Xaiden?"

"You don't get it? Gosh! Jess! You're an idiot!" Sara grinned, looking at me. "What?" I asked. "Why are you looking me like that?

What was going on here?

"Oh gosh! You both have to learn a lot about boys..." Sara shook her head and Jess and I looked at her, still confused.

"You see, Xaiden just got jealous."

"Jealous? Of what? The winning group?" I questioned. Maybe he got jealous of group D. After all they won the chance to play in the annual variety show. This made sense now, his mood was already down because we didn't win. He must be really disappointed. We all worked hard and still, we didn't win. I guess that's why he looked mad.

"Gosh! Ella! Can't you see? Haven't you noticed?" Sara grabbed me by my shoulders and looked deep in my eyes. I stared back at her with surprised eyes. I wasn't still getting this riddle...

"Oh! I get it. Right, you are right," Jessica giggled and nudged my side with her elbow.

"What?"

"El! Are you really this dumb or just pretending?"

"I'm not dumb! I just don't play such riddles."

"Right. Ella! Sweet sweet Ella!" Jessica paused and looked at me, "When I said that you got to make some boy friends, his expression was instantly changed. His eyes turned dark and the way he was clenching his fists, it looked like he was a possessive boyfriend's of yours. I mean a real one, a guy who won't let anyone get close to his girl. Romantic, right?" Jessica batted her eyelashes, dreamily.

"No! No! Nah! You're bluffing, right? It ain't funny," I huffed at her foolish talk. I knew she was messing with me like earlier. Because this could never happen, he would never be interested in me.

"Believe it or not, he likes you. It's so obvious now."

"Now, I believe it too. He likes you, Ella."

They both were so sure that Xaiden acted that way because he was jealous but I shook my head at their nonsense. This was all absurd and I was sure there was no truth to this.

"Ella! We have noticed it for a long time. Now it's your turn to notice it." Jessica smiled and Sara nodded her head.

"I know deep down you like him too. Just stop fighting, let your heart lead you. You'll enjoy it. Believe me, Ella, love is so fun and adventurous."

"Yeah! Listen to your heart for once. Do what makes you happy and not what others want you to do."

They both pursuing me. A slight smile formed on my lips. For once, they all say? I should listen to my heart and do what makes me happy? Then what? After that, what would happen? I was not someone who could hang around, enjoy or could have fun. I was someone born with responsibilities to fulfil, an empire to lead. I could never afford to fall in love, and I was sure, I liked him just like a friend, and would always like him as a friend with no love involved.

Xaiden's POV.

Damn it!

I punched the punching bag harder as it fell on the floor getting off its hook.

Xaiden calm down! It was just a joke.

My mind trying its best to calm me down but just a mere thought of her with someone else, boiled my blood. Whenever I would close my eyes, her smiling face would flash before them and upon thinking that face might be smiling because of someone else, it made me furious.

She's not your girlfriend for Christ's sake!

Right! She was not, but still, I wanted her. She would be mine, only mine. I wanted myself to be her everything like she was becoming mine. Just like the way, she had captured my heart, I wanted her to capture mine. I wanted her to only think of me, I wanted her to be my girl. Just mine.

I felt a presence at the gym door. "Master! Your father wishes to see you." A butler informed and I nodded. I removed my boxing gloves and sat on the floor, catching my breath as I gulped down the water.

I knew what my dad wanted from me and why he came here in America. He wanted the information he asked me for, the main reason why he sent me here, the ultimate goal for which I was trained from the start.

I let out a groan, I didn't want to meet him because I was sure of the way I would end up. But still, I didn't have a choice but to get up and meet him. I went to his office, knocked on the door and heard a come in.

"Yes, father?"

"Have you found her?" His voice the same. The voice of a killer, a monster and a devil.

"No! But I'm trying." I looked straight behind him, my body not having the energy to look into his vicious eyes. At once, a burning sensation went through my face as I earned a slap on my face. My face turned to the side as my eyes looking down on the floor but my mouth stayed quite.

"Don't forget the reason for which I had brought you here from Russia! You need to find her. She's our only chance to get that bastard." He grabbed me by my shirt's collar making me look at him, glaring me in my eyes.

"Don't you ever forget that!" His every word filled with hatred like always. It made me wondered sometimes, did all the greatest mafia leaders treat their children like this?

"I won't!" I stated, trying my best to keep myself firm. He let me go and gestured me to leave. I strode out of his office and went straight to my room. My mouth was full of bitter blood as I spat out the blood and stretched my jaw. I looked up at my own reflection, staring at me. My left cheek was red and stinging by the burning sensation and blood visible at the corner of my lips.

To slap me this hard and to hit me, this was not anything new for me. It was his habit since I was five. Since a young age, I was beaten, scolded, tortured and now my body's been trained. At first, I used to cry and hide under my bed. I was afraid of him, afraid of that look in his eyes. Not once did he love me, not once did he care for me. The only thing that I got from him, was this thrashing and beating. It was his way to train me.

But now, I was used to this all. I had adapted myself according to him. I have lived my life according to him.

"Boys don't cry. Be tough. Nothing in this world is real. It's all fake. Don't trust anyone. Don't love anyone. Love is a weakness!"

Those were his words every single time he would beat me up. The continuous reminder of not trusting anyone, to never love anyone and to never have a weakness.

I stared at the boy in the mirror with now a slightly swollen face. He stared back with the same rage, the same hatred flaming in his eyes. Dad's earlier words brought me back to reality. The main reason.

The main reason for which I was sent to America from all the way to Russia was to find her and to destroy the empire.

We got the information that she was studying at Midwood High School and was in her last year. Her name according to our information was Ellen Austin but we weren't able to find more about her. Her father had done well in order to keep her hidden from his enemies.

Austin's and our family were born sworn enemies for decades. Our ancestors had killed many of their men and they also did take revenge.

Victor Austin, The current leader of Austin's family was a merciless and a ruthless ruler. We had always heard he has no weakness. He was the devil of the beasts, the cruellest of all, a guy with no kindness, no mercy in his heart. Our family's long enemy who was impossible to conquer. But then a daughter was born and no matter how strong, how powerful, how dangerous he was, he got a weakness. Her daughter being his weakness, was now our road to success. My mission, my goal was to find her and to take what was ours, to take revenge from him.

I was sent to this school to find her. But I haven't succeeded so far. There was no one named Ellen Austin studying in the last year of our school. Maybe the information we got was wrong or maybe she was hiding somewhere.

But I knew that I would find her. I won't stop unless I have her under my mercy. I'd find that Mafia's princess and then I would crush their family along with her like their ancestors did mine.

I'd take the revenge of my grandfathers. I'd take the revenge for what my father yearned for... And I'd take the revenge I thirst for.

----------------------------------------------------

Oh, God!

Who is exactly Xaiden?

Where did that sweet guy go?

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