What Do You Think?

Avelina glanced at his extended hand and lifted her eyes to look at his face. "What do you seek?"

If she is to agree to his proposal, then she might as well know what she is getting into.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Draven took a deep breath and made his way to the couch. He sat down and interlocked his, pale fingers as he crossed his legs.

"Revenge!"

"Huh?" Avelina furrowed her brow, thoroughly surprised.

Revenge? On his family?

Draven stared at her and exhaled, averting his gaze. He ran his fingers through his jet-black hair and asked, "The rumors about me...do you believe it?"

Avelina pondered for a few moments before shrugging. "I don't know you, so I can't say if I believe it or not. It may be true, and it may also not be true."

Draven arched his brow at her, having expected her to give him no answer at all. He scratched his chin as he scrutinized her, deep in thought.

"First of all, letting you know my secret right now means taking a huge risk. So instead of making the deal after all is shared, we might as well make it now. If you still want to know about me, what I seek, and who I truly am, I will take it as a yes. But if not, I will take it as a no."

Avelina frowned deeply, not at all happy with this new style, but knowing it was not her place to decide which was better, she exhaled deeply.

Her only choices here were yes or no. Those two choices would change her life for the better or the worse, depending on which she chooses.

She sat down on the couch opposite Draven, completely lost in thought.

If she says yes, then that means she cannot escape any challenges that may come in the future. It means that she will be stuck with Draven in his mess till the three months are over.

However, if she says no, then, just like Draven said, she may not live to even get her freedom.

Without being told, she knew that Draven was probably the only one capable of keeping her safe.

She couldn't ascertain how powerful he was yet, but from the behavior of the rest of the family, she could discern that she was alone, and the only person reaching out his hand to her was Draven.

Thoughts came rushing in like waves, and just as quickly as they receded, Avelina took a deep breath. She raised her eyes to look at Draven, whose intent gaze was fixed on her.

"I want to know," she said in a low tone as she tried her best to calm herself down.

"Good choice!" Draven acknowledged, satisfied.

He raised his thumb to his temples and muttered to himself in a deep voice, "Now, where should I begin? There is so much to tell."

His calm demeanor belied the fact that he was troubled. He was about to take a huge risk that could possibly cause him a bit of trouble after all. 

"Well, for starters, I lead a mafia, consisting of vampires, a few loyal humans, and…a werewolf," he began to clarify as he adjusted properly on the sofa. 

Avelina blinked her eyes, that hadn't been the first thing she expected to hear.

A vampire mafia! She exclaimed in her mind, not even daring to determine how powerful such a mafia organization would be. And what exactly did he mean by "A few loyal humans?" 

He couldn't possibly have humans working for him, right? Her brows crinkled. 

"So you do illegal things?" she asked, her eyes widened as though she were in shock. 

"Mhm. As long as I get what I want," Draven affirmed. "It's a secret organization, so no one knows we exist, at least for now. There is a reason why, though. I do not want it to be public yet, else all my plans would be ruined." 

Unable to quite understand his intention, Avelina creased her brows in perplexity.

"Are you a mafia for the sake of money, or is there another reason?"

"I know that most mafias do it for power and money, but I sort of feel that it may not be all in your case. I mean, if it were, I don't see why it has to be a secret. I probably should have heard of it, but I haven't. In the human world, we know of the majority of mafia organizations on this side." 

Draven looked at her and offered her a charming grin.

"Not bad, not bad at all! You're right, I am not a mafia boss for the sake of money. I have all the money I desire, so it means nothing to me. But power is what I crave! A different kind of power, and through this mafia will I obtain it! When I do…" He stood up from the couch and walked towards the window of their room. "…I will be able to exact my revenge."

"My father is a man that I can't underestimate. He is a man that I can't take lightly at all." He shook his head.

"Why do you seek revenge?" Avelina curiously asked.

Draven exhaled deeply. "It's personal. I cannot give you that information."

"Oh…" Avelina pursed her lips and slowly nodded her head.

She then pressed further, "Then what about the rumors? Are they true?"

Draven turned around to look at her and smirked.

"What do you think?"