Chapter 107
[ALEX]
The Whitlock House.
I read the name inscribed outside a hundred times before I took a deep breath and rang the bell. Travelling home gave me a bitter reminder about why I don’t travel home often. It took a lot of work. For starters, I needed to take two planes. The one in which I usually travelled–the one with more security in case of an air attack was full of my guards, and the plane that my guards usually travelled in had me and Dom. And
Mia this time. She was a pain in the ass. She had never flown, and it scared her when the flight took off, so she held Dom’s hand.
Yup, she held his hand because he was sitting next to her- at a distance- and me opposite her.
It took everything in me to not open the door and throw him out in the air.
Dom, however, grunted and shoved her hand off as soon as we had finished taking off, highly disapproving of the fact that we got her with us.
We landed here while the other plane went to a remote location for a fully paid vacation for my employees, just in order to throw off anyone who might be tracking me, and that was just the start.
After landing, we had to take two cars. I drove home while Dom and Mia drove around for a while to ensure nobody had followed me here, because there is a lot of things on my list before I endanger my family’s life–like dying myself.
Under normal circumstances, I would have kept Mia with me. But I was visiting home after a long, long time, and I had to make sure my sister didn’t jump in the air and clap her hands and call her Hannah. So I had to leave her with Dom. Alone. Again.
The door flung open, opened by that very ball of stupidity and sunshine twin sister. Aurora was shorter to me but by no means short for a girl, her eyes were a lighter shade of brown- almost hazel, and her hair colour that resembled mine now had slight gold strands in her long wavy locks. She was in her work clothes, I wasn’t surprised. Since it was late evening, I assumed she was just back from her job.
“Surprise?” I offer with a crooked smile.
“You actually came!” And then, she flung into my arms, and I laughed and wrapped my hand back around her.
I carried her in the house while she still clung to me like she’d gone back to being a little girl.
“What’s all that noise?” My mother’s words died in her throat when her eyes landed on me, her lips parting. “Gabriel?” She yelled at her husband, my father, who was probably in their room upstairs, “Gabriel!”
Not giving him the chance to reply, she was already making her way to me, and I let go of Aurora so that she could hug me. “Oh, Alex,” her eyes glistened with tears as she ruffled my hair, hugging me close. “I missed you so much.”
“Freckles?” My father hurriedly made his way down the stairs, worry lines on his forehead that dissipated as soon as he saw her. My father was obsessed with his wife and everything about her, especially her safety. A smile resembling mine made its way to his lips when he finally looked away from her and to me. “What, they throw you out of the Mafia already?”
“Ha–ha.” I mocked, but went ahead and hugged him nonetheless. There they were- my family. Ones I would protect till my last breath if I had to. Well, almost all my family. “Where’s Ronan?” I asked, once we were all settled on the couch of the living room.
“At some party. It’s the weekend.” Aurora replied.
Chapter 107
“No, it’s not.” My eyebrows furrow. “It’s a Thursday night.”
“Almost weekend,” she counteracts. “Besides, when did Ron start seeing the day before he partied?”
I shake my head. “I thought he had joined you at work, Dad?”
“I believe his motto is ‘CEO by day, something something by night“,” Dad rolls his eyes.
“Male stripper?” I offer.
My mother grabs a cushion and throw it my way, which I effortlessly catch. “Don’t talk about my kid that way, Alex.”
“He’s twenty–one. Not really a kid anymore.”
“So aren’t you, apparently,” she taunted, “Because you considered it okay to get engaged without letting your family know.”
A dramatic silence spreads between all of us. I contemplate the urge to roll my eyes because if I did, Mafia or not, my father would still have
my balls on the table. “It’s not really an engagement. It’s more of a business deal. We’ve literally signed a contract.”
My mom and dad share a look amongst each other, a knowing, loving look. “Is it?” My dad asked, hiding a smile.
“Yeah.” I blink. “Why’re you smiling? Aren’t you supposed to be mad at me for signing myself up for a contract marriage to a woman I don’t
even like considering how you guys had a love marriage and all?”
“Well…” My mom’s voice trailed.
“You may have followed Damien’s footsteps, but you are our son. You’re more like us than you think, Alex.” My dad says, still hiding that
sneaky smile.
I furrow my eyebrows. “Can you not speak in twisted sentences?”
“Aren’t you the Mafia strategist or something now?” He teased. “Smartest and youngest member or something? I’m sure you’ll figure out what we mean once you get married to her.”
“I won’t figure out what you mean because I won’t get married to her,” I tell him, “I’ve figured out a way to cap this marriage thing right at the engagement. It’s a work in progress.”
“Why?” My ever–so curious sister enquires. “I searched Hannah up the moment Uncle Damien told me about it. She’s beautiful, and she looks kind. You both make a good pair.”
I glare at her. “Your boss pays you to search articles about me at work?”
Her cheeks appear flustered at that sentence, and my eyes narrow at her. Maybe I had been out of the loop for too long, because what was going on in her life?
“So?” My mom cuts in. “Do we get to meet this Hannah girl or what?”
“No, you don’t. Because I will not be getting married to her.”
“But why… unless you have somebody else.” Aurora’s eyes brighten like she was a detective who just put together a murder mystery.
One hour at home and I wanted to take a turn.
Chapter 107
“That is not the case.” I tell her firmly, but before she could protest, the bell rang again.
“I’ll open,” she says, up on her toes and running to the door before I could stop her. “I think Ron got my text and came back.”
The door opens, and there Dom and Mia stand.
“Boss‘ parcel.” Dom comments while basically shoving Mia in the house, and she looks panicked looking at Aurora, and then my Mom, who
was at Aurora’s trail, her stance relaxing when she sees me standing at a dicere.
“Now I see why you won’t get married to Hannah,” My father comments with amusement from behind and I groan internally, but glare at him.
This was going to be a very long two days.
