Chapter 10

Ontario, Canada.

Alliana's pov:

I yawned and looked around the couch, still dressed and wearing makeup. Fuck. I checked the time and saw that it was ten o'clock in the morning. It's a little early, but so what? I sat up and stretched, reaching for the stars with my body. I stood up and went upstairs to shower because I smelled bad. When I went towards the bathroom, I discovered Souline occupying my entire damn bed, which surprised me because I assumed she'd sleep in the guest room. I decided to let her rest because she looked exhausted.

I took my bag containing my body care items, extra clothes, and my robe to the other room so Souline could rest longer. I entered the bathroom and shut the door before turning on the shower, removing my clothes, and grabbing my toothbrush. Before brushing my teeth, I took out my makeup remover and cleanser and cleansed my face, removing the dried-up foundation and brow ink. I washed it off with warm water and dried my face.

I started by brushing my teeth three times because I didn't brush them at night. I was brushing so hard that I could feel blood oozing from my gums. I decided not to floss because my gums were on the verge of exploding. I put my toothbrush away after brushing my teeth and started showering.

I had to take two showers to get the deodorant and lotion off my armpits. It felt great to refresh my body after being messy and dirty. It makes me feel less repulsive. I decided to stay in the shower longer after showering until I felt ready to embrace the cold breeze.

Bloody hell.

Before putting on my robe, I turned off the water and dried my body with a towel. I cleaned everything and returned everything to its proper place. I took out new clothing since I had a client coming in later. I had a lot on my mind, especially what that narcissistic asshole did. Seriously, how dare he? Just because he's a mafia boss with a fortune doesn't mean he has to act like a douche. God bless his next lawyer or inmate.

As soon as I finished changing, I exited the bathroom and noticed Souline exiting my room. "Good morning," I said to her. "Morning," Souline said before yawning. "How did you sleep?" I asked. "Good, I should sleep in your bed more," smirked Souline. "Try the guest room," I suggested. "No, thank you," Souline replied, "and, by the way, what are your plans for today?" "Nothing really, because my client is coming in later," I replied. "Right," Souline said. "How about you?" I asked.

"I need to go grocery shopping later on," Souline explained. "Oh, would you like any help?" I asked. "No, no, it's fine," Souline said. "Are you certain?" I asked again, furrowing my brows. "Yes, relax here; I'm not going to buy that much," Souline said. "All right," I responded. "Let me shower first," Souline said before entering the bathroom. "You may wear any of my clothes," I said. "Thank you very much! Even though I was going to use them anyway," said Souline as she entered the bathroom.

I rolled my eyes and went downstairs to prepare dinner. I haven't cooked in a long time. But I figured, why not go back to my old ways? I used to enjoy cooking; it was my favorite activity. Now I'm concentrating on some of my work that is stressful and for which I have little time. I wanted to make a large breakfast dinner for Souline so she could relax and not have to cook as much. I wanted to start doing things for her because she had done so much for me.

I went to the kitchen and started gathering ingredients that I believed would work. I intended to prepare something substantial but not excessive. I wanted to wait for Souline to shower and change so she could be surprised.

But I can't burn the food here or I'll kill her.

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Rome, Italy.

Kai's pov:

I yawned and rubbed my eyes as I leaned back in my office chair. Carlos's desire to kidnap Alliana because he does not want to serve years in prison is stressful. I told his ass to respect Souline and Alliana, but he turned into an asshole. I didn't even get to sleep because the entire plan kept me awake all night worrying about the consequences.

I considered everything because a lot of things could go wrong. Someone could be a witness, someone could identify me, and someone could save Alliana while locking me up for attempted kidnapping. Carlos had better pay me well for doing his dirty work, I swear. The plan had been for today, but the cops informed me that they had moved the visitations to Thursday due to the number of visitors that other inmates had.

I still don't think Carlos' idea is good, most likely because he could have more time behind bars. What I know for now is that when I go tell Carlos about the plan, he might come to his senses and say that this is a bad idea. Who can say? I mean, perhaps he can find a new lawyer to help him with his legal issues. I intend to arrive at the city jail early to speak with him. I stood up and stretched, feeling my back crack. I grabbed my phone and dialed one of the feds.

I waited and waited for a response, and let me tell you, I've never waited this long in my life. I became impatient and hung up again because I'm not going to wait for a fucking fed to pick up the phone. I'd rather wait until tomorrow to get a callback. If I don't get a call, I'll just show up at the designated time.

I put my phone away and returned to my chair. I yawned and rubbed my eyes, exhausted as usual. The door burst open, revealing AJ and Denzel. "Hey," AJ said. "What happened?" I muttered. "Nothing; we haven't heard from you," Denzel explained. "I was sleeping," I explained. "Right, but you appear very stressed," Denzel said. "I am, in fact," I replied. "Why?" AJ asked. "Because they canceled our visitation to see Carlos today, I considered calling the fed to see if I could go later on today to explain everything to Carlos. The fucking moron doesn't know how to answer the phone," I elaborated.

"That sucks," AJ said. "It does," Denzel said. Their arrogance made me sigh. "Could you please check to see if Mimi ate?" I asked. "Yes," AJ replied. They both exited the room, leaving me alone. Stressed, I sighed and rubbed my temples. I stood up and exited the conference room, heading to my room. I shut my door, went to my bed, and laid down. I was thinking about someone who had been getting on my nerves since she arrived in Rome.

Souline.

I had expected Souline to be innocent and soft after speaking with her on the phone, but she turned out to be a solid, reckless, and independent woman. She's the type to start fights and then cry with someone who yells at her, and she'll destroy your valuables if you irritate her.

Although I haven't seen that side of her, I'm curious to see it. I'm sure she has a childish side as opposed to being a fucking smartass like Alliana.

I need to fucking sleep before she occupies my mind for another hour.