Death was not foreign to Castor Luciano. From the day he was born, death embraced him in its arms. His twin brother had died in his mother's womb and his mother had never forgiven him for it. Five years later, his older brother had died after trying to save him in the fire and again his mother's hatred doubled.

And now, Vince had died.

His life kept getting extended while the people important to him kept dying.

The chaos in his mind caused him to drive towards Callista's house. He had no courage to go inside though so he waited in his car. He kept his stare on the gates, hoping she'd appear and magically vanish his misery.

His wishes were answered as she stepped out of a white Lexus. Castor's head jerked upwards, squinting at the scene where Callista and Franco talked like good friends.

Castor's knuckles turned white on the steering wheel as Caly pressed a kiss on the man's cheek. There was no sound but he was certain that something shattered. His phone rang and Callista's number flickered on the screen.

He ignored it that a message popped up instead.

'why'd u call? something wrong?'

He didn't have the heart to dump his problems on the girl's lap, not when she looked so happy. So he drove away. Castor reached his house, looking forward to drinking a bottle of bourbon. His plans went awry as his men occupied the living room. Bottles of alcoholic drinks and ashtrays were scattered in the living room.

"Boss, come here." PJ stood up, ushering him to their group but he shook his head.

"You lot enjoy," he said and headed straight to the kitchen. Castor met the curly-haired woman—Lisa, he recalled. "What are you doing here?"

"I was worried about PJ. He got hurt too," she replied. Her small eyes raked over his form before stopping on his face. "You okay?"

Castor grabbed a glass and poured the bourbon from his stash. He eyed the slender girl, taking in her concerned looks that tug at his heartstrings. How he desired someone to gaze at him like that.

So, he kissed her.

And regretted it after one second. All he could think of was how Callista tasted, vanilla and roses and electricity. Fuck. He'd never move on at this rate.

"Shit. I'm sorry," he muttered, raking his fingers through his hair. He was ashamed and hurt. He needed to clear his head. Covering up his wounds with a quick fuck was the worst idea. "I didn't mean it."

"Yeah." Lisa cleared her throat. "You probably need that rest. I'll take care of things here."

"Thanks." Castor shook his head out of the stupor of sadness that enveloped him.

He managed to drag himself to his room, diving headfirst to his bed. He was tired. His muscles ached and his fists burned.

But more than that, his heart was broken.

People called him the Boss, Luciano's heir, Blackjack, and other daunting nicknames. But those meant nothing at all. He wasn't fearless. He wasn't strong. He wasn't brave.

At his very core, he was just a loser.

He let warm tears fell from his eyes as his heart clenched in pain. His mother was right. His brothers deserved to live more than him.

✘✘

Callista woke up early to go to Castor's house. She couldn't wait to tell him about her plan anymore. She didn't want to put it off in case she got scared again.

She entered the mansion and frowned at the mess in the living room. There were beer cans and bottles. Was there a party she wasn't invited to? Caly scoffed and trudged to the kitchen where she heard the sounds of someone cooking.

Callista saw a girl. Her hair was tied in a bun atop her head as a large shirt covered her body. It was her best friend's shirt. "Who are you?" she demanded.

The girl whirled from the stove, gulping in fear as she eyed the newcomer. "Uhm, hello. I'm Lisa."

"I'm Callista." She didn't have the reaction Caly hoped for. "Genovese."

"Oh." She scrambled for words. "Miss Callista, good morning."

She hummed and took a seat on the dining table. "You can continue."

Lisa was about to go back to her frying when Castor strolled in a grey shirt and loose jogging pants. He put down the phone on his ear. "Lisa, I need you to come with me to Queens after an hour. Understand?"

The girl nodded before she jumped at the sound of the sizzling pan. Lisa went back to cooking as Caly stared at Castor.

He wasn't looking at her as he resumed talking in Italian on his phone. When his conversation ended, Cas set the table before he sat next to her. "What are you doing here, Callista?"

He still refused to face her that Caly was befuddled.

Before she could ask, Lisa set a plate of eggs, bacon, and a stack of toasted bread on the table. She even placed Caly her share.

They started eating but Callista remained stiff as she eyed the egg in front of her, cringing at the yellow oozing liquid. She heard Castor breathed a long sigh as he switched their plates. He stood up for a minute, opened the fridge, and laid a cinnamon roll on her plate.

"I'm sorry," Lisa mumbled. "I only found eggs in the—"

"It's fine. She just hates runny eggs," Castor answered for her. "She's more of a scrambled type."

"Well, you like those runny ones so it's not a waste." Callista smiled though Cas only nodded.

They ate in silence while Caly's mind swirled with questions. As they finished, Cas didn't look at her again. She had a feeling that he knew what she was up to. She drank a glass of water, hoping it could subjugate her nerves.

"Miss Caly?" Lisa started, licking her lips in apprehension. "Do you know what happened yesterday?"

Callista's heart hammered in fear as Lisa launched into an explanation. Her nails bit into her palms as she took the stairs to Castor's room. She didn't know that Vincent had died because she had been with Franco. She had been a horrible friend.

Guilt had felt foreign to Callista before but at this moment, it pierced through her like burning icicles.

"Cas?" she mumbled softly, pushing his door open.

Castor Luciano stuffed his bag with black notebooks before he inserted a gun behind his jeans. His ebony hair turned into a darker blond. It was wet, dripping on the collar of his black shirt.

"What?" he replied, eyes on his phone.

"I'm sorry."

Castor stood still for a minute that the girl held her breath. Her eyes widened when Cas hid his phone and marched to her. He paused in front of her, let out a soft sigh before his knuckles traced her cheek. His thumb drew circles on her skin. "It's okay."

Callista met his green eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah," he responded, emerald eyes sparkled with tenacious ferocity. "Nothing can bring me down on my knees."

Caly believed that line to be true. She had never seen Castor falter or stumble, let alone kneel. But she doubted it now. She could see right through him and knew that his words were for his sake more than hers.

"Stop that." Castor scolded. He touched his forehead to hers, their eyes locked in a silent battle. A myriad of emotions flashed on his green irises before a mask of detachment settled on his face. Then, he spoke. "I'm okay. So, go do your own thing."

Her own thing?

He did know.

Caly watched as Castor busied himself on his phone again. She couldn't help but worry that her lips moved before she could stop it. "I want to go to Queens too."

His head snapped to hers. "What? It's dangerous right now."

"Well..." Callista folded in arms. She knew that it was her heart who's ruling now but she didn't care. His best friend needed her. "You did promise me that I will meet your mother."

Castor's forehead creased in a mix of confusion and concern. "Are you sure? If you do, you're only allowed to stay in the house. Is that all right?"

"Yes. No problem."

✘✘

hem. hope you like this update.

i dont u about you Caly, but anyone who remembers I don't like runny eggs is 🖤

votes and comments are appreciated.

xx, lucci