*Mafia boss and his lost love*
Alessa Romanov had endured a difficult childhood. Kidnapped at two years old, she had no memory of her biological family and spent fifteen years in captivity. It wasn't until her stepfather's death that she was finally...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I walked into the cozy little café where my dad and I had decided to meet. It had been a while since we'd spent any time together, and I was genuinely looking forward to it. As I scanned the room, my eyes fell on him. He was sitting at a corner table, sipping on a cup of coffee and checking his phone
I approached him, a small smile on my face. "Hey, Dad," I said, trying to keep my voice cheerful.
He looked up, and his face broke into a warm smile. "Alessa, it's so good to see you."
His words should have warmed my heart, but instead, they sent shivers down my spine. It was that smile, that same smile he used to give me when I was a child, the one that hid all his secrets and lies.
I pushed the uneasy feeling aside and took a seat across from him. "I'm glad we could hang out today," I said, trying to keep the conversation light.
He nodded, setting his phone aside. "Me too, Alessa. It's been too long."
I noticed the way he looked at me, his gaze lingering a little too long. It made me uncomfortable, but I tried to ignore it. "So, how have you been, Dad?"
We chatted about random things, like the weather and our favorite books, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something he wasn't telling me.
***
"Alessa sweetheart, there's something I need to show you. Follow me, please," he said, getting up, and I followed him.
"Right now? Ace and Nico must be waiting for me."
"It'll just take a minute, sweetheart," he replied.
We walked through a series of dimly lit alleys, the air growing colder with each step. I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease, a prickling sensation on the back of my neck. My dad led me further into the network of narrow passages, his pace quickening.
"Dad, where are we going?" I asked, my voice shaky.
He didn't answer, and that's when I noticed something glinting in his hand. My heart pounded as he suddenly stopped, and before I could react, he had me cornered up against a cold, brick wall. His eyes bore into mine, and in his hand was a gun.
"You should have died when my men had you," he hissed, his voice dripping with venom.
I felt a rush of fear and confusion. This wasn't the man I had come to meet. This was a stranger, a monster. My mind raced, searching for a way out, but the alley felt like a trap, closing in on me.
My voice trembled as I stammered, "Dad, what are you doing?"
He didn't respond with words.
"Dad?" I managed to choke out before he pressed the cold metal of the gun against my temple, and everything went still, silent, and dark.
