Deadly Mafia Bonds

Chapter 7 - Pain

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Elle

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“Good Morning,” I hear Bella’s cheery voice and turn around to find a big smile on her face and what looks to be a gift bag in her hand.

“Good Morning to you,” I reply as she stops right in front of me, unable to resist returning the smile.

“This is for you,” she says, handing me the bag, turning my smile into a confused one. “What’s this for?” I ask, looking inside the bag, but a gasp leaves my mouth, looking at the cutest pair of baby shoes I’ve ever seen. “They are beautiful, Bella.”

“I know, right? I just couldn’t help myself. Plus, they’re a limited edition too, and you know how I love those. I just had to get them.”

“They’re gorgeous, Bella, thank you. They must have been expensive, are you sure?”

“Don’t be silly, of course, I’m sure.”

“Thank you,” I say, embracing her in a hug.

“You’re welcome, hun; just make sure I’m the first one to receive lots of cute pictures when he has them on,” she says as we pull back from the hug.

I let out a chuckle, “deal.”

“Ready?” We hear Lucah’s voice, and both turn our heads in his direction, also stepping away from each other.

“Morning,” he adds, looking at me and

I nod at him, “morning,” the smile on my face falters.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Bella replies, the air in the room starting to thicken. She bids me goodbye and walks over to him as he extends his hand for her to take. I sigh, looking at them as they exit, holding hands.

Things are awkward between Lucah and me at the moment. I discovered that he’s the one who made all these beautiful paintings I’ve been marveling at every day, but not before he caught me inside his studio and went off at me. No one’s allowed in his studio, but I didn’t know. He returned and apologized later, but things are still awkward between us.

I don’t know, but I’m starting to think he doesn’t like me. He’s always so intense around me. I know he didn’t want me to come here, and I understand that. He didn’t know me; he had every reason to be wary, especially considering the circumstances we met under. So I’ve been trying to show him that I’m not a bad person and do not pose a threat to his family, not as long as my whereabouts remain unknown, but it’s not working.

I take a deep breath, my heart breaking a little, and look at the shoes one more time before putting them back in the bag. They are gorgeous; it’s awfully kind of Bella. Bella and I got along like a house on fire. She and Luna have taken me to many places over the past six months. They’ve been really wonderful and supportive of me; they’re like the sisters I never had.

“Hey, girl,” Luna says, walking in, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Morning,”

“What’s that?” she asks, looking at the bag in my hand, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

“It’s a present for Alaric from Bella,” I reply, handing over the bag to her.

“Aw!” she coos, looking at the shoes, “They’re so cute. That’s nice of her.”

“Very nice,” I agree.

“Moments like these make me glad I never succeeded in chasing her away.”

“Wait. What? You tried to chase her away?”

“Yeah, but that was before I got to know her. I thought she was one of those… all looks and no brain types and only after my brother’s money. But she’s done well for herself these past couple of years and proven me wrong. I was judging a book by its cover, and that was wrong, so… lesson learned there,” she sheepishly says the last part, “she loves my brother, and she’s good to him.”

“Yes, she does. I haven’t known her for long, but it’s clear to see.”

“Which reminds me… are they gone already?”

“Yeah, you just missed them.”

“Dammit! I wanted to talk to Lucah about something, but I suppose it’ll have to wait until later,” she says with a slight frown on her face, taking a thinking pose before absent mindlessly biting on her thumbnail. I’ve noticed that she does this when thinking hard about something.

“I’ve made some tea. Would you like some?”

“Yes, thank you. Oh, and there’s something I want to talk to you about too.”

“Okay, what is it?” I ask, pouring the tea for her, and we pull out some stools and sit around the island.

“You’ve mentioned that once Alaric turned six months, you wouldn’t mind getting a job, right?” she asks, her lips slowly tugging upward into her smile, eyes starting to sparkle with excitement.

“Yes,” I reply, my own lips stretching into a smile, having a feeling I’m going to like what comes next.

“Well, my assistant is going on maternity leave soon, so I thought that maybe you could stand in for her until I find a suitable position for you. If, of course, that's something that interests you.”

“Wait. What? You're serious right now?”

“As a heart attack.”

“Oh, my God, Luna! Yes! That's my dream. I would love to!” I tell her, bouncing on the stool with joy, this whole thing feels surreal, but soon the magnitude of it all sets in, and I find myself intimidated and doubtful suddenly.”

“Are you sure?” she asks, probably noticing the sudden change in my expression.

Yes, I'm sure. But, Luna, it's such a big position. Do I even have what it takes? I… I mean… I don’t want to let you down.” I stutter, unable to find the correct words to express my concerns. I majored in fashion design, but I haven’t graduated yet, and even if I had, it would take me a couple of years before I could get a job like this. Luna’s brand is well known. She designs for big names. I don't want to embarrass her.

“There’s a course you’ll have to take while starting out, and we can see how it goes from there. I won't throw you in blind, don't worry. And you'll have three months to shadow Priya before you have to take over.

“Thank you, thank you so much,” I say, getting up from the stool feeling all teary, and embrace her in a hug.

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Luna

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“You still up?” my brother asks, walking into the living room. It’s now 11:05 pm.

“Yes. I want to talk to you about something.”

“Couldn’t it wait till morning?”

“No, cos I wanted to bring it up first. That way, you might be… less upset with me?”

“Okay, now I’m curious. What’s up?” he says, sitting across from me.

“I know I asked you for six months before Elle can move out. I also promised not to go back on my word, but-”

“No. Don’t do that,” he cuts me off, his expression hardening.

“Lucah-”

“No, Luna. You asked for six months, and I gave it to you. She needs to go.”

“And she will, I-”

“Good. Then that’s settled,” he says, getting up and starting to walk away.

“What’s your problem with her?” I shout out to him, and he stops but doesn’t turn around.

“I don’t have a problem with her.”

“Then, what's your deal?”

He sighs before turning around. “We can’t just bring strangers into our lives to live with us forever, Luna. You’ve helped her; now she must get on her feet and find her own way,” he says and walks away after that.

“She still needs me, Lucah!” I shout out after him, my voice pleading, but he ignores me and continues walking away. “Lucah!” I call out his name, but he soon disappears from view, and I stand there gaping, wondering what the hell is really going on. I know my brother doesn't easily trust people, but I also know he’s an excellent judge of character. He can see Elle means us no harm, but he refuses to let his guard down around her.

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Lucah

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I close my bedroom door and take a deep breath, leaning on it. I know I’m hurting Luna’s feelings by being so difficult, but Elle needs to go. I walk to my bed and plop down on it before lying on my back, hands behind my head. I decide to shake the thought out of my head, but there’s a knock on my door, and it creaks open before I can even respond.

“You seriously need to grow out of this s**t,” I state, looking at Luna as she steps inside my room. Since we were kids, she’s always done this. Whenever we had an argument about something, and she’s not satisfied, she’d follow me to my room and continue the argument.

“I’m not here to argue with you,” she says, raising her hands in surrender, making me scoff, “That’s a first.”

“What’s really going on, brother? I know you know that she poses no harm to us. Why do you want her gone so much? It's not like this place is small, and she's in your way or anything.” She asks, sitting next to me.

“I told you, I don’t want a stranger leaving with us. I like my privacy.”

“Do you like her?”

“What? What sort of stupid question is that?”

“Yet, you didn’t even ask me what I meant by it.”

“I love Bella. You know that.”

“Yeah, but that’s not what I asked. I’ve seen how weird you get around her.”

“Whatever, just get out of my room, please. I had a long day. I’m tired.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll talk to her first thing tomorrow morning, and I’ll help her move,” she says, getting up, and I don’t miss the bitterness in her tone. I don’t dare look at her, cos I know if I do, she’ll end up getting what she wants.

After a moment, she walks out. I sit up when I hear the door close, running a hand through my hair. She will be upset with me for a while, but I’ll win her over again. Living with Elle is not working out for me. The moment I looked into her eyes, the first time I saw her, something about her drew me in. And it has gotten stronger and stronger during these past couple of months that we’ve been living together.

I know if I allow her to get close to me, I’ll lose control and give in. I don’t know if it’s lust or what, but I know that I hate it. I hate how it rattles me up inside, forcing me to be something I’m not. I love Bella. Ever since she and I got together, I have never even looked at another woman that way. She’s been the one for me, but recently I find my mind and body constantly conflicting over my shameful feelings for Elle. Feelings which, if I were to act upon, would not only cause me to end up hating myself but would make her hate me too.

Letting out a sigh of uncertainty, I get up and decide to take a quick shower and go to sleep. Tomorrow is another long day.

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I walk inside the kitchen, returning from my jog to grab a bottle of water, and find Luna all dressed and ready for work. And as I expected, she’s not thrilled to see me. “I’ll talk to her before I leave, don’t worry,” she says, not looking at me.

“Luna, come on, don’t be like this. You’re making me feel like a bad person, and it’s-” I stop mid-sentence as Elle walks into the kitchen, busy frowning at her phone. I turn around, open the fridge, and grab the water and get out. But a hiccup followed by something breaking against the floor causes me to slam the fridge door close as I quickly snap my head toward the sound. I find Elle with a hand over her mouth, tears running down her cheeks while her phone lies broken at her feet.

“What’s wrong?” Luna asks, jumping up from her chair and rushing over to her, but she doesn’t reply and falls on her knees, frantically shaking her head. “No, God, no.” She whispers, and Luna kneels in front of her, still asking her what's wrong. She doesn't reply but lets out a scream. Luna pulls her into a hug and looks over at me as I stand next to them, but I’m just as confused.

I pick up her phone, but there’s ink on the screen, making it difficult to see what she was looking at, but I do manage to see that it’s a report about Clinton Hoult’s death. “s**t!” I mutter, surprised by the news. I've met Clinton a few times at a couple of events. I head over to the counter and grab my phone, so I can read it properly. In the report, it says he was in a car accident on his way from a charity event. I look at Elle again, who’s still crying in Luna’s arms. Does she know him? I decide to scroll down, and my eyes widen as I come across a picture of him and Elle together. In the article, it says she's his daughter and that her name is Caitlin. “What the hell?” I find myself muttering.

After I don’t know how long, she quiets down, exhausted, and I pick her up and take her to her room.

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“Hey, you’re okay?” I ask, walking over to my sister, who’s now curled up on the couch in the living room.

“My heart’s broken for her, Lucah. I can’t even imagine what she’s feeling right now. I get that their relationship was maybe complicated, and yes, she ran away, but he was still her father. And deep down inside, I know she must have had hope that she’d see him again, you know, that they’d be reunited. I asked her if she would like to go to the funeral, but she shook her head. I suppose it would be too painful for her. The poor soul’s been through so much.”

“I know,” I say, pulling my sister into a hug, my heart also broken for Elle. We don’t remember our mother's death since we were only infants, but we felt the pain over the years, and if we listen closely enough, we can still feel it. We’ve just found a way to make it part of us and live with it.

“I can’t ask her to leave now, Lucah, n-”

“I know,” I cut her off, “and I don’t expect you to. She needs us now,” I add as we pull back from the hug. She nods, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears. “Listen, I’m not going to the office today, but I have something I have to do quickly. So I’ll go do it and come straight home, okay?” I tell her, cupping her face before placing a kiss on her forehead. I’m not going to leave them alone here; work can wait.

“Okay,” she gives me a sad smile, “thank you, Lucah. I love you.”

“I love you too,” I reply, placing another kiss on the top of her head before getting up.

My sister never ceases to amaze me. She’s got such a big heart, and the care she’s demonstrated towards Elle and her son since the day we met them proves just what a remarkable person she is, and it makes me feel so proud and blessed to have her for a sister.