The Dragos ⬇️

The Bonferronis ⬇️

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"I think you're mistaken." Cornelia jerked her arm out of my grip in a hostile manner as the woman by the door rushed between us and stared me down threateningly.

"I believe you should step away, madam." Calm and polite, the woman warned me in her deep Russian accent. Although short, her built was sturdy like a bodybuilder. She could definitely put up a really good fight if I didn't back down.

Taking a step back warily, I gave them a warded smile. "Sorry. I'm just having a weird day," I faked an awkward chuckle. "I'm a bit drunk and having all these feelings, you know. My exes being in the same place and all that shit. I tend to ramble and cry when I have a little booze in me. Just ignore me and enjoy the party."

Cornelia's face was expressionless, but the hint of helplessness in her eyes said enough before she was escorted out of the fancy restroom with the other lady who I assumed was her personal bodyguard.

          My instincts told me it was Cornelia from that day. And now that I thought about it, the men that were kidnapping her at the park had the same accent as her female bodyguard, and I had a feeling that she was back in danger again. She ran for the hills that day and surely didn't look back, but here, she was being watched even in the bathroom.

          If I were to meddle in this, I could get pulled in deeper and attract attention from the wrong people which I couldn't risk. I wanted no part of this when it could possibly find it's way back to my kids, but Cornelia was Sophie's sister and not doing anything would haunt me forever. Maybe if I just talked to Soph and had her figure it out on her own, she could save her sister with the help of her new family. But all my measly plotting came to a heart-dropping halt when I opened the door of the restroom to find the leader of the Russian mafia standing smugly with Cornelia, her bodyguard, and a few other men behind them.

          Maybe I already attracted attention from the wrong people.

"Miss, can I have a word, please?" Cornelia's husband blocked my path with his strong frame and gave me a smile that was rather chilling. "I'm Orel Pavlov."

          "Nice to meet you?" As innocently as I could, I shook his extended hand. "Can we not talk by the bathroom?"

          "Oh, I apologize." He took a few steps back and urged me to join him which I reluctantly did. He then turned his eyes to the men standing behind him. "Boys, will you give us some room to breathe in peace? I'm not going to hurt the fine lady now."

          The guards shimmied back and stood against the wall—out of earshot—with the same black shades and suit as the other countless henchmen around the hotel. Their expressionless faces made them seem more like robots following orders rather than breathing humans.

"Leo has all his men watching me like a dog," he sighed. "He doesn't believe I come in peace."

Knowing the suited men were Leo's calmed my irregularly beating heart down. I proceeded to clear my throat and looked at the man whose icy blue eyes drilled fiercely into me, but I didn't let the uneasiness surface my face. "What do you want to talk about?"

"It's about what you told my wife."

"Orel, please," Cornelia hissed under her breath and squeezed his arm in an effort to pull him away. "She didn't say anything. Olga misunderstood."

"Sweetheart, please." Orel lifted Cornelia's chin and forced her to look at him properly. "I love you, but you've lied to me several times before which is why I have Olga by your side."

Cornelia's bodyguard gave Orel a nod before he looked back at me, forcing my heart to skip a quick beat. "You believe you saved my wife at a park."

"From what exactly?" I kept my composure, eyes unfaltering.

He scoffed, slipping his rugged hands into his pockets. "You know, the police are looking for someone who killed four men back in California. Maybe I can tip them off with the location of the culprit who happens to be standing right in front of me."

          I couldn't help but chuckle. "Perhaps the police would be elated to know that the men were kidnapping a girl, and I have this strong feeling in my gut telling me that you were behind all that, so you'd go down too. But then again, you probably filled their pockets with bribes."

          An amused smirk stretched the corner of his mouth. "You're a very smart girl, Miss...?"

          "Miss None-Of-Your-Damn-Business." I faked a smile. "Pleasure meeting you, Mr. Kidnapper."

          I heard Cornelia and her bodyguard gasp a little at my rudeness. That should've stopped me from babbling on like an idiot, but my blood was too riled up. I was sure my mouth was going to get me in big trouble.

          Who was I kidding? I was already in deep shit.

"What makes you so sure I'm the bad guy here?"

"I think it's quite obvious." I shrugged and crossed my arms, glancing at Cornelia. "She looks petrified. You have someone watching her like a hawk even in the bathroom. And you're in my face just minutes after I confronted her because you probably want to keep my mouth shut. What is that supposed to make you look like? A saint?"

"Hm." His lips pursed together and jaw tightened. It was certain that I struck a nerve I shouldn't have. "You should be a bit more careful with that mouth of yours and your actions. I am a criminal you do not want to anger."

          "It's funny how every criminal says that." Shut the fuck up, Arie!

His eyes narrowed to a vicious glare, the veins on the side of his head on the verge of bursting. As he stepped forward, the bathroom door opened to let Yana exit who I didn't know was inside the entire time. She must have heard what I told Cornelia.

"I should apologize for eavesdropping, but I have informed someone about the ruckus here." Yana smiled sweetly and dangled her phone. "They'll be here any moment."

Orel eyed the young girl for a moment as his brow quirked up. "Russian?" he guessed from her accent, but Yana didn't respond in return before he spoke in his native language.

Yana's features got stiffer and stoic as he went on before she finally broke her silence. "My mother used to tell me scary stories about you and your father. I can say I'm not scared anymore."

"Let me guess." With one hand in his pocket, Orel used the other one to stroke his chin in deep thought. "You were sold as a child sex slave and someone in this family decided that you were worth saving. Am I right?" He smirked, diverting his gaze from Yana to look at me. "I can bet a million dollars that you were a charity case too. A broken girl mended by the great humanitarian family. I heard they tend to do a lot of that. How generous!"

I gaped at the man incredulously, not believing the trail of insults leaving his filthy mouth. "I think you're the one who needs to control his mouth." The crooked smirk on his face made me want to punch it right off, but I refrained.

"Threats can be very costly in this business, Miss." The chilling look in his eyes made the tension claw against my skin as he turned to look at Yana once again. "Tell me, are your parents dead yet or still living in Russia?" He stepped closer to her sadistically and leaned down to whisper something in her ear in Russian. It couldn't have been anything nice considering the tear that tumbled down Yana's cheek.

Before I could rip the man away from her, Eros did the honor and yanked him away. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Orel growled under his breath and clenched his fists tight, but he forbore a punch. "You really want to start a war?"

"I'll show you a war," Eros gritted his teeth, leaping ahead to get his hands on Orel, but Cornelia blocked his path.

"Eros, don't. Please!" she begged him and shielded her husband from the angry man.

"Cornelia, what the fuck are you even doing here with him?" Eros seethed as Athena arrived and stood next to him.

"He's my husband," Cornelia stated calmly, holding back emotions that seemed to be suffocating her.

"Willingly?" Athena questioned.

"I don't need to answer you," Cornelia barked.

Orel snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, staring right at Eros. "Especially not to you."

Eros took a hostile step forward, but Athena held him back. "Mr. Azallion, allow me." Crossing her arms above her chest, she looked between the two standing before her. "Yana told me about what she heard. I'm giving you a chance to fess up."

"Nothing!" Cornelia exclaimed immediately. "Nothing happened."

I gawked at her in sheer bewilderment. "Why are you lying? Tell them the truth."

"About what?" she hissed, glaring at me. "Stop blowing this out of proportion over a misunderstanding."

"Then why do you look scared all the bloody time?" Athena tilted her head cunningly and cocked a perfect brow.

"Because of the way you're all acting right now," Orel answered on the behalf of his wife and gave her a gentle kiss on the side of her head. "I've taken care of her for the past four years. Did her own father try looking for her? I don't think so."

"There are always two sides to a story, Pavlov," Athena argues.

Orel nodded. "Only if dear father-in-law cared to explain himself."

"Too bad you ain't staying long enough to find out," Eros sneered, giving Leo's men a nod. "Boys, get them both on a plane and make sure they get back to Russia."

"Over a small banter?" Orel chuckled. "You know, Cornelia told me all about you. You're even worse of a man than I imagined."

Eros clenched his jaw and curled his hands into fists that were ready to meet Orel's face in a mighty blow, but he refrained and stood back. "Leo is already looking for a reason to put a bullet in your head, and after what you said to my girl to make her cry, he won't have a problem doing so and neither will I, but consider me merciful today for sending you back home without a scratch."

Only a little conceited smile fazed Orel's lips. "You can't do anything because you know it'll start a war."

"Well, then." Athena came forth to exchange a kiss on the cheek with Orel before shoving a sadistically sweet smile in his face. "I hope you have a pleasant trip back home."

"It's always a pleasure seeing you, Athena." The little exchange between them was casual as if they were dear friends, and the little fiasco just a minute ago didn't matter one bit. I could feel the rage emanating from Eros, and truth be told, my body was heating up due to Cornelia's denial. I was tempted to smack the truth out of her, but instead, I watched her get escorted away by Leo's men.

"So," Athena turned to Yana and patted her fingers along her dried up tears. "Good job."

Yana suddenly grinned and giggled. "Thank you."

My head shook at the two of them. "Seriously?"

"I knew it," Eros scoffed. "You made her put up an act?"

"Mr. Azallion," Athena mumbled, fixing Yana's hair a bit. "We had to get Orel out of here one way or another. We hoped to rile Orel up just a bit and have him say or do something that would immediately prompt Leo to kick him out of the country justifiably. Yana's fake tear was it, but you did the task perfectly yourself. Good job."

"Well, your plan worked out," Eros stated frustratedly.

"Always does." Athena rubbed Yana's back. "Get back to the party, sweetheart."

"I'll see you all around."

Yana smiled and sashayed away like a chirpy little girl, leaving us all alone and prompting me to blurt, "Cornelia is the woman I saved at a park two weeks ago and I'm so sure Orel was behind it. Believe me. I don't know why she's lying."

"I believe you, but there's nothing we can do right now," Athena said as we began walking toward the ballroom. "From what I've observed, Cornelia is Pavlov's prized possession and he won't let go of her so easily. Although not clear, he certainly had an agenda coming here which is why we needed to send him back. But we need to be careful now. He is a bit riled up after the little ordeal that just took place and only he knows what he might do. We can't harm him just yet. His family is very extensive and one wrong move will rage a war between the Bonferronis and Pavlovs. Action will be taken as soon as the wedding is done and D'Angelo's men join us."

"What do we tell Sophie now?" I wondered.

"That they had to leave. Simple. She's a smart girl and she understands the threat."

"Okay..." I fell silent and zoned out. My stomach knotted with the thought of Orel coming after me following my rather excruciating interaction with him. I pressed a few of his buttons, and as revenge, my intuition laid out a horrifying picture that gutted me to even think about. I should've never said anything. Damn it!

As we entered the party space, I headed over to the lone table Fred and I were sitting around in the far corner. Grabbing my clutch that I securely hid under a decorated chair, I tried looking for Fred who I found conversing with Leo across the room. My heart inched down to my stomach at once. I walked a few feet ahead to get a better look at them, and as far as I could tell, it wasn't a pleasant chat considering the raging frown on Leo's face.

Before I could walk right across the large dance floor to fizzle out the brewing tension, Fred trudged toward the exit whilst loosening his tie in frustration. With my feet glued to the floor, I watched him leave before turning to catch Leo's agitated gaze that slowly softened upon seeing me. My heart sank deeper in my chest as we held the eye contact before Athena approached him and diverted his attention.

          Facing away, I calmed my palpating heart and wondered about the topic of their conversation. Gosh! Fred probably found out Leo was the man I was in love with all those years ago. But where the hell did he go?

          Scanning the room for someone to help me, I saw Vince standing close, leaning against a column. He was the right guy. "Vince," I called out his name as I reached his side, but his eyes were undeniably and fondly stuck on someone else. The person on the end of his longing gaze was Evelina who was chatting with Ashton.

          "You're into Lina?"

          Vince yelped a little and grew pale in fear before he faced me. "No, no, no, no, no, no," he repeated the word numerous times before laughing awkwardly. "Where did you get that from?" he snorted. "Principessa? No way! I don't like her. I mean I like her, but not the way you think." Another bark of nervous laughter broke through him in an attempt to hide his feelings. "She's like seven years younger than me, and boss man would literally cut off my limbs slowly and make me eat them in a bun, so a big no."

          "Or he could have Hades and Satan tear you apart."

          "Good thing I'm not into her. Phew!" he chuckled timidly then cleared his throat. "How can I help you, boss la— I mean, Ms. Noelle," he immediately corrected himself before I could.

"Could you find out where Freddie Guzman is staying, please?"

          "Right in this hotel. Room 415."

          My eyes narrowed on the man. "It's funny how you know that off the top of your head."

          "It's sort of my job to know what room each guest is staying in for security purposes." He shrugged. "And I have a great memory."

          "Well, thank you very much."

          As I turned to walk away, Vince requested, "I would really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about me looking at principessa because I wasn't."

          "Since you helped me, I'll keep shut," I chuckled, heading in the direction of my destination which was Fred's room.

          When I reached his door after taking the elevator, I knocked and waited calmly for it to open, hoping he was on the other side, and thankfully, he was. "Hey," he muttered, standing half-naked in just a pair of dress pants.

          "You don't have to impress me with your six-pack, Fred. You can put your shirt back on," I joked to ease the palpable tension.

          Snickering, he held the door open for me to enter. "What are you doing here?"

          "I can ask you the same."

          "Eh." After closing the door, he seated himself on the edge of the bed, urging me to get comfortable beside him. "The party is too formal for me. Really boring."

          "Is that the only reason?" I questioned, looking right at him.

          "What do you mean?"

          "I saw you leave in anger."

          He shook his head. "I wasn't angry. I was just a bit annoyed. That's all."

          "Can I ask why?"

          A sigh left him before he laid back on the mattress with his legs still dangling off the edge. "The guy you danced with, I know he's the one you're still in love with and he's also—"

          "Was," I corrected him instantly. "It's in the past, Fred."

          "Athena Estle told me that you guys were meant for each other and some other shit." He groaned while rubbing his face then staring at the ceiling somberly. "And by the way you two looked at each other on the dance floor," he huffed out slowly, "I believe her."

          Fucking Athena! It was her plan to bring Fred here to see me with Leo and fill his head with misconceptions.

          "And you should believe me when I say nothing happened between us here and it never will. He loves his wife and I love you. Nothing will ever change that."

          "Arie, plea—"

          "Sit up and look at me properly," I said, forcing him to give in to my request immediately. My hands interlocked with his in a firm yet gentle grip. "When we were dancing, he talked about you and told me how perfect you were for me and that I shouldn't let you go."

          He released a soft chuckle. "Oh, please."

          Scooting closer to him, I pressed my lips against his tenderly. "My time here has shown me how much I need you in my life, Fred." I cupped his face and let a smile tug on the corners of my mouth. "You're perfect for my family and me, so fuck the break and marry me."

          Removing my hands from his face, he shook his head. "Don't be rash."

          "It's not a rash decision, Fred," My hands cradled his face once again. "It was long decided. I was just afraid to admit it to myself because people tend to get hurt around me."

          "Don't say that, precious." He frowned as his large hands reached up and caressed my cheeks. "Shit happens, okay? And that is what happened to you and your aunt." He pulled me into a warm embrace and kissed the side of my head. "It was never your fault."

          I relaxed in his strong arms and closed my eyes. Any moment I was down, he'd always lift my spirits up no matter what with his jokes, sweet talk, and his wise words that I appreciated. I squeezed my arms further around his torso and nuzzled my face in his neck.

          Fred groaned a bit. "If you squeeze any further, I think the beads from your dress are gonna make holes in my chest." Instead of moving away, I rubbed myself against him and forced a yelp from his mouth. "Ow! Fuck! Stop!"

          We both laughed and fell back on the mattress as he struggled to push me away before finally succeeding. "Whoops! My bad," I giggled, looking at him sideways as he returned the same gaze. The love in his green marbles sparkled for me more than ever. Along with his mouth, his eyes smiled too, and everything seemed perfect. Sitting up with the support of my elbow, I leaned closer to him and kissed him slowly without any rush. He deepened the embrace of our lips with the invasion of his tongue and gently laid me back before abruptly distancing himself from me.

          "Give me a second." Jumping off the bed, he jogged over to his suitcase and opened it to retrieve a small red velvet case.

"You've been carrying the ring around with you?" I sniggered and sat up.

"Couldn't find an appropriate place to store it, so it has been traveling with me all along." With a big smile on his face, he knelt on one knee and popped open the box. "Ms. Arie Noelle, would you allow me to become your husband, the father to your kids, and the man who will love you till the day his heart stops beating?"

          I couldn't help but let the happiness in my heart surface my face along with a mist of tears that blurred my vision as I nodded. "Absolutely." Extending my left hand forth, he slid the beautiful diamond ring on with a massive grin on his face. As he came forward to kiss me, I stopped him with an unexpected hand on his lips. "You should probably know that I kissed three people here. Leo's little sister gave me a friendly peck on the lips, Leo's female cousin basically made out with me, and as a dare, I had to kiss his younger brother. So, mainly, I feel like a hoe."

          He laughed against my palm. "You're definitely making your way through that family."

          "Shut up."

          We shared our first kiss as an engaged couple before he lifted me off the bed and twirled me around. "I love you so much, precious."

          With a lazy smile on my face and arms around his neck, I whispered, "I love you too."

***

(Day 13)

          "I don't want to leave you here," Fred frowned, pulling me closer to his chest.

          "I really wish I could go with you, but I need to finish the wedding. Just one more day." I pecked his jaw. "When I get back to Cali, we can throw a little party and surprise everyone with our engagement announcement."

          "But I still don't wanna go," he pouted.

          "Aw." Placing a tender kiss on his lips, I gyrated against his body and smirked. "You can think about our honeymoon on the plane if you get bored."

          "Been thinking about it the moment you said yes." His hands on my waist trickled down to my ass and squeezed hard. "I just wanna bend you over the hood and take you right here, right now."

          I covered his mouth immediately and laughed. "We'll probably be arrested for public indecency, and this taxi driver will not appreciate it," I referred to the man who was sitting inside the cab we were cozying up against. He drove us to the parking lot of the airport and was now waiting for me to say my goodbyes so he could drop me back at the hotel. "You better get going now before you miss the flight."

          "Yeah," he mumbled sadly before giving me one last kiss to remember. He began rolling his suitcase and walking backwards to the other side of the road which had the entrance for the passengers that needed to departure. "I want you to know that you've made me the happiest man alive, precious," he shouted with an intoxicating grin. "Nothing will ever ruin that."

          "I hope not," I yelled back and watched him continue the backward walk. "Have a safe flight, babe."

          Like in a daze, neither one of us noticed the thing that would change our lives forever. My heart leaped out of my chest and my blood ran cold as the most horrifying incident played like a slow-motion movie before my very eyes. I was left stunned to watch a speeding car ram into Fred and throw his body in the air like a sack of potatoes that plummeted onto the ground with a striking force. His blood splattered everywhere, and it was the moment I felt myself dying inside.

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Yay or nay?

What do you guys think was Orel's purpose for coming to the wedding in the first place?

Arie got on a bad man's nerves. What do you guys think Orel will do now?

Could Vince really like Lina or was he looking at someone else?

What exactly did Fred and Leo talk about that made them both angry?

Well, who saw that coming with Fred? 👀 Some of you probably hate me now.

Honestly, I shed some tears at the end there but not much cuz it was only a paragraph. If it was longer, then I'd be drowning in them.

What's gonna happen next now?

Thoughts on Verona?

Leo?

Or Arie?

Further comments and questions are always welcome ❤️

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Much love ❤️
~Reet