~~Cecilia~~
“I'm pregnant.”
The whole room fell into silence immediately at my sudden declaration, that the only sound heard was SpongeBob's voice from the TV and that of my racing heartbeat.
My parents, who had just gotten in a few minutes ago, and now sitting on our white sofa, exchanged a quick glance, surprise, and shock reflecting on their faces.
Alex, my sweet and innocent little brother, simply stared at me, his big brown eyes wide with curiosity, as if he understood a word I just said. But I guess he must have felt the instant drop of tension in the room.
My father spoke first, "Cecilia, What did you just say? Is this some sort of prank?'
I shook my head, “No, papa. It's the truth.”
“But Cecil you can't be pregnant,” mum rushed out, “you are a virgin aren't you?”
That was something every parent badly wants to believe about their daughters. But I'm sorry mum, I had my V card swiped in a car when I was fifteen.
However, given the situation at hand, I'm guessing that's not helpful information to share with la familia right now.
“Well, she must not be if she is pregnant. How could you?? You are just twenty years old dammit, I do not go out there, work nine to five for my daughter to throw away her future by getting pregnant!”
I flinched at his loud voice and took a few steps back, my hands tightly held together behind me.
“Oh, come on, dear. Don't be too hard on her now. Look, she's going to cry because of you.”
“You spoil her too much and look, she's pregnant now. Because she thinks she can get away with anything.”
Dad said, pointing a finger at me.
Tears welled up in my eyes and I hung my head, staring at the red carpet with blurred eyes, “I'm so sorry, papa.”
My dad sighed, but stood up and walked close to me, “Who's the father?”
I was expecting that one.
“I don't know.” I whispered, my voice shaking, though that was a lie.
I knew quite well who my baby's father is
Blue eyes, blonde hair, talk hot, every lady's dream.
Trent.
But barely two hours ago, he had looked me in the face and called me a whore.
I don't care about your silly pregnancy. You better find something to do with that bastard in you.
“You don't know?” My father gasped, pulling me out of my thoughts, “you don't know who the father is? So what do you do? Sleep around with a thousand men? My God!”
My mother reached out and took my hand, while casting a glare at my father, “Don't worry sweetheart. Do not cry, we are here to support you, okay?”
I gave her a smile.
“Late night parties, drinking, acting like a spoiled brat, all these …we never said anything, and now she's pregnant you won't say anything too?” Dad grumbled, which earned her another glare from mum.
“It's not okay, but she is still our daughter. We will support her, won't we?”
Mum stared at him pointedly, and he frowned.
“Yes we will.”
“Good. Come here, mia tesoro.”
She enveloped me in a bear hug and I smiled, suddenly feeling better for the first time since I looked at that test kit approximately five hours ago.
“Now,” my mom called, releasing from her embrace, “Could you grab that old photo album from the top shelf in my bedroom closet? I was going to show Alex the pictures from our first family trip before you came in.”
I nodded and made my way up the staircase to my parents' bedroom.
The room was adorned with framed photographs and the scent of my mum's favorite perfume, as always, lingered in the air.
I walked to the closet and smiled when I saw the blue family album perched on the top shelf.
Balancing on my tiptoes, I reached for it, my fingers grazing the cool leather cover. Just as I was about to pull it down, a sudden and thunderous bang echoed through the house, making me jump in alarm. The noise was followed by hushed, urgent voices, too muffled to decipher.
Fear clawed at my chest as I clutched the photo album tightly to my chest, my heart pounding in my ears. My mind raced with thoughts of what could be happening downstairs.
I knew something was terribly wrong.
Instinct took over, and I pressed my back against the closet's wall, my breathing shallow and controlled. I strained to listen, praying for any clue as to what was transpiring just below.
What on earth was happening?
Are we under attack?
Stay where you are, Cecilia… The part of my brain which was more reasonable than the rest of me whispered.
But call it stubbornness or stupidity, as my father is so fond of saying, I ignored that voice and tiptoed outside the room.
I stopped at the stairs, straining to hear the voices.
My father's voice, usually so strong and reassuring, sounded strained and unsteady as he spoke.
“You're making a terrible mistake,” my father's voice quivered.
“We've got proof, Rossi. You've been playing both sides, and that's a betrayal we can't ignore.” A man shot back in an icy tone.
My heart pounded in my chest, each word slicing through me like a dagger.
My father, the man I had always looked up to, was being accused of treachery.
“Please believe me….”
“Your greediness cost us many lives man, now you have to pay. You know what happens when you cross Don Petrov!”
Then, it happened.
The deafening gunshot pierced the air, followed by a blood-curdling scream that tore at my soul. My breath caught in my throat, and my grip on the photo album tightened so much that the edges of the leather cover dug into my palms.
A second gunshot echoed, and I could no longer contain the terror rising within me. My hand flew to my mouth to stifle a scream, my heart hammering against my ribs. Panic surged through me, threatening to overwhelm my senses.
I struggled to stay silent, to stop myself from crying out and revealing my presence. Tears welled up in my eyes as I listened helplessly to the sound of Alex's scream.
“What do we do with the little one?” One of them said,
There was a pause before the other responded, “He's too small. We should just take him along. Will definitely turn out to be an asset”
“Good. Take him to the car and I'll clear this mess up.”
Mess? What did they mean, mess?
And where did they want to take my brother?
Alex's scared scream tore through my heart, but I was immobilized by fear, and the helplessness, knowing that I couldn't do anything made me want to puke.
After what felt like an eternity, I finally summoned the courage to leave my hiding spot. Slowly and cautiously, I went further down the stairs.
I tiptoed toward the staircase, my steps careful and deliberate. The faint smell of gunpowder hung in the air, and the smell of fresh blood made my skin crawl.
Tears were still falling from my eyes.
As I descended the stairs, dread clawed at my insides.
Definitely the men were gone. Hopefully.
But my hope was scattered when I got to the sitting room.
The two men stood there, blocking my path. Their faces were masked so that all I could see were two pairs of brown eyes.
The taller one sneered at me, his eyes filled with contempt, while the other held a smoking gun loosely at his side.
I froze in my tracks, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Looks like we've got another Rossi,” the taller man said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
My voice quivered as I stammered, “W-what have you done to my family?”
The man with the gun chuckled darkly, his finger idly toying with the trigger. “Your dear old dad got what he deserved,” he spat out.
My shoulders sagged, and a void feeling enveloped me when I realized what just happened.
My family are gone,
My family …they are gone.
~~Cecilia~~ The stench, which filled the whole room_ combination of sweat, urine and bad breaths_ would have been very nauseating, but I was already pretty used to it by now. One month of being locked up, with several other ladies who were between the ages of 15 and 22, in one room could make you get used to things you never imagined you could endure. And honestly, my concern was my baby, not me. The first week had been the toughest. Throwing up every day, morning sickness or just the nauseating stink, or maybe both? I had no idea. And right now, I am just struggling to keep a very straight face at the very disgusting stink coming out from the sweaty, bulky man beside me as he and three other thugs, led us down a hall. God-damn it. Don't these men know what bathing is? There were three of them, their faces etched in cruel indifference, as they led us all down a dimly lit corridor. We were all dressed in white gowns like lambs about to be used for sacrifice. Maybe we are. Perha
~~Cecilia~~ “Don Petrov.” “Don Petrov” The audience kept cheering and clapping, oblivious of the war going on in me_ not that they had any reason to give a damn of course, but… I clutched my stomach, feeling suddenly dizzy as bile rose in my stomach. Oh My God, I'm gonna puke. This is…this is so unbelievable. This is so really unbelievable, how could I? I'm supposed to be this man's property? This same man who murdered my parents? I'm gonna have to serve him, knowing that he's responsible for my family's massacre? The nauseousness was suddenly replaced with anger, and my eyes burned with unshed tears. But most importantly, why did he want me? Why would he place such a ridiculous amount of money on me? For you to spend that much on something, it means you need that thing, but why? Oh My God, does he know who I am? That I'm the daughter of the same man he murdered? Maybe he wants to make me suffer more for whatever twisted reason he has. Maybe he wishes to see me go throu
~~Ivan~~“Do you know the gravity of what you just did? This is why you need me to help you make decisions, Ivan!! Not running off to do it on your own, Dammit" Uncle Romanov screamed, and I just nodded in response, lightly twisting and flipping the pen in my head.Now if only I can shut him up with this pen in his mouth.I'm sure I could if I angled my hand correctly.But as tempting as that thought seems, I know that I can't do that, so I have to endure this rant, and him talking to him like I was a child incapable of making my own decisions.“Rossi is a traitor, and luckily, his family got wiped out. What were you thinking, bringing his daughter in here? Of all girls… you were never one to take interest in auctions, so why this time and why her?”I ignored his question because I knew answering would just make things worse.All I need is for him to be done, so I could go to my room and get some fucking bourbon followed by hours of sleep. I've had a long fucking day.“Darya,” he sudde
One of the best things about Palermo, or shall I say, one of the things I love most_ was the chirping of birds every morning.Something that others might consider highly common, but it always soothes my nerves each time I wake upAnd in a way, it makes me feel connected to nature, to life.Something I never had in the scientists laboratory."Hey boss," Darya called, walking into my room, without knocking_ again.I turned from the window and shot her a glare but she just waved me off."If you want people to knock, lock the damn door. You are all dressed up. Where to?"Darya is the only one in La Serpe Nera who could talk to me like that and get away with it.She knows it, and she takes advantage of it to the brim.The brat."I have to go see a friend," I murmured, rolling up the sleeves of my shirt in frustration.Darya frowned, "A friend? Okay, I'll go get ready and....""No, I don't need you to come with me," I cut her off, "I just need to take care of something alone."And I really n
"Why do you think the boss kept her?""I've still been trying to wrap my head around that. He never participated in auctions and....she's not even been treated as a slave.""The nice room, food, assigning people to take care of her.""It's highly suspicious. I think something is going on here really.""Right."The two young ladies in the dinning didn't even bother to hide their voices, even though I was clearly in the room.The Audacity.But why not? It's not like I can do anything to them and they know that.Dad once told me that La Serpe Nera was one of the bravest and most fearless mafia families in the country.Met a few of them already and I wouldn't dare doubt that.They kept whispering about me as if I wasn't in the room and on my part I tried my best to ignore them.I have the same questions they had. And I hope that I get my answers soon.I focused on my food, feeling like a fish out of water... blocking out their whispers.For now food is what matters.The normal Cecilia wou
My first reaction was SHOCK!.Followed by a scream in my head to push him away.I raised my hands, intending to do just that, but the moment I placed my palms on my chest, a strange heat coursed through my whole body, making me shiver and dampening the fight and resistance in me instantly.His hand took hold of my neck as his lips pressed tighter against mine and the shivers turned to a delicious tingle.I moaned before I could stop myself but I didn't care.My palms clenched his fabric tightly as I opened up, giving his tongue access to invade my mouth.I moaned again, my eyes drifting close as his tongue sparred with mine.It was so good...I thought holding him tighter, arching closer to him so u could get more.It is just too good.His other hand slipped around my waist and pulled me closer to him. A gasp tore past my lip into his mouth when I felt his very hard erection on my tummy.I was definitely going crazy.That's the only word to describe what was happening yet I couldn't fi
The next morning...Hunger woke me before dawn, when everywhere was still dark.Growling hunger.Not like I didn't eat the night before.I did One of the maids had brought dinner to my room. Thankfully, the boss didn't demand my presence throughout the day and I wasn't interested in showing myself either.Now if only things would keep going on this way.My stomach growled again and with s groan I walked out of the room, heading to the kitchen.Damn pregnancy appetite.Thankfully there was some leftover Mac and cheese from last night and I went ahead to microwave a plate, humming in my chest as the food started to warm up.The sounds of footsteps froze me in my tracks.I felt him before he walked through the door and the moment he stepped inside the kitchen my entire body tensed up in fear...and something else.I have no idea what he would think of me rummaging through his kitchen.Would that make him mad?My hand shook as I opened the microwave and took out the food, trying to ignore
~~IVAN~~The look on Cecilia's face broke my heart but damn if I'd dwell on that.I don't care if she's hurt by my words which are the truth..."What do you mean?" She asked, frowning.. confusion laced in her eyes.I quirked my brow, "Are you gonna stand there and pretend you don't know what an evil man your father was?"She shook her head, her eyes shaking on her chest.And I tried, really tried to not look at her body, the curve of her tits and her slightly big stomach but that was a losing battle.Damn this mating heat for making me want to lose my mind.And apparently it had the same effect on her, which I could sense confuses her as fuck.The mating heat is unlike any level of Lust that existed. And animalistic craving. An inhumane need."I don't understand you." She said again, and I almost believed her.Almost did, but I'll be fucked if I let another Rossi fool me with their poker face.She was her father's pride.No way she didn't know of her dad's dealings.No way she didn't k