Chapter Six

    She wasn't back. The lady with the ring, whoever she was to him she hasn't been back since the night I last saw her.

I thought that he'd spend every waking minute searching for her whilst I spent mine trying to avoid him. Being cooped up in this room one would think that, that would be extremely easy but it wasn't.

He didn't make it easy at all. Over the past few weeks I seemed to have piqued his interest not in a way that I'd like but in a way nonetheless.  Years, I spent years hoping to get just one last chance, one last moment with him and now that I have it. I was happy yes,but not as happy as I should be. he couldn't even recognize me after all the antagonizingly long years of guilt and regret he couldn't even recognize me.

  Sighing I glanced up at the sky from my position on the balcony leaning against the rails, the silver locket clasped around my fingers. What I'd give to go back in time and relive this moment again and again and again, A single tear dropped blurring the tiny picture.

  "Julia"  I flinched turning to face him the locket safely hidden behind me,away from his eyes. I didn't need him judging me for something I already knew was stupid- wait

        Julia?

Did he just call me by my name. I didn't know which was more shocking his sudden entrance or the fact that he called me by my name?

  As if noticing his mistake he coughed glancing away.

it probably just slipped.

"Mariano plans to attack soon, A meeting will be held tomorrow to address this issue. One of the issues being addressed is you so I suggest you be there not that you even have a choice." he demanded in a cold tone his form rigid.

I stiffly nodded gazing back up at him, we both stood there just staring at each other the tension building up. I wanted to look away, I tried to look away from those captivating chocolate brown eyes but I just couldn't.

He took one step forward still stuck in a trance, I held my breath anticipating the impossible. He reached out,his fingers lightly grazing  the skin of my cheeks in a feather like kiss before he abruptly pulled away  leaving me completely flushed.

Was this how it would always be? Going round in circles all the time   Does he really still hate me?

  What's going on Toni?

The Ciovelli's have always been a part of my life for as long as I can  remember. Mariano never missed a chance to boast about the day of my birth. The day he brought the Ciovelli dynasty down to it's knees.

My mother was a loophole, his key to getting into the mansion and their lives. She was a maid but he knew that she was considered family in their eyes. Dominic Ciovelli was a man who took her in,  in her time of need so of course he wanted to meet the man who stole the heart of his beloved Rosá but he was a fair man he didn't just hand everything to Mariano on a silver platter.

He had to work his way up the ranks just like everyone else and he did. he worked relentlessly devoting his entire life to bringing them down. He worked his way up the ranks till he became Domnic's right hand man, even married Rosá not because he loved her but to get even closer to the family. Even though he had become Domnic's right hand man they still had their guard up  around him but he needed them vulnerable.

So he got married to Rosá, poor Rosá was ecstatic when she found out that she was pregnant. What more could she want now when she had Mariano? A man she loved with all her heart.

On the day of my birth, she wanted to have a water birth in the comfort of the mansion. I always wondered how she went through it all alone, he was to busy planting bombs and setting everything up to help her through her labour.

I couldn't ever stop the tears when he came to this part of the story. She had me in her arms just few minutes after my birth, when he barged in putting a bullet through every single person present in the room saving her for last. Murdered by the hands of the man whom she'd given her heart and life to.

  There was a glint of pride in his eyes when he told me how he murdered her in cold blood and dumped me in an orphanage. When he looked down at me that night he didn't see his daughter or an offspring all he saw was a potential soldier which is why he came back for me eight years later to begin my training.

I was a slow learner barely getting by, always failing the bizarre tasks he'd give me. I had the brains but not the brawn and to him both equally mattered. I did pick up a few things,enough to keep me alive all these years with him. I once worshipped Mariano, blinded by devotion. I stumbled unto the rumbles of the Ciovelli mansion trying to pull off a stunt to gain his approval and that's how I met Toni.

  Toni to me was different from all the others,  he didn't see me as a damsel in distress or a pushover. He saw me as a threat just like every other person. Which is why he kidnapped me, it wasn't the first time I'd been kidnapped but I knew Mariano was not coming for me not ever.

I was on my own,but there was something about this time, he was rough but delicate. Call me a masochist but I fell in love I fell in love with my kidnapper.

In time my love for him grew, I was relentless never giving up even when he pushed me away, when he threatened me, tortured me.  Until finally he fell for me too. I knew nothing about him. About his past,his family but I wanted him to meet mine.

Biggest mistake ever,I took him to see Mariano. He wasn't as happy as I thought he would be but I knew he'd do anything for me. Mariano had that glint in his eyes just like he did before, and that's when I knew things were wrong but by the time I figured it out he had dropped an entire building on us both. His signature move. There was something about a building being blasted to pieces with people inside it that gave him satisfaction. He didn't have to get his hands dirty or clean up afterwards but it wasn't also entirely effective.

I thought Toni died saving me. I was young, stupid, devoted everything I had to Mariano and now I'm paying for it. I was going to make it up to Toni by killing Mariano even if I die trying.