3. | "It's a tradition."

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Six years ago, I was homeless

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Six years ago, I was homeless.

I was on the streets of New York, scouring for food. I don't like to talk about what happened to make me end up there, nor do I remember how I got there. I had decided to steal something from a store, which I had never done before, but I was caught and I ran. I spent a long while running before I came across Nikolai. I was around twenty-one at that time.

The men tried to get me back, but Nikolai threatened them and they ran. Shortly after that, he took me in and we became close. After jumping from foster home to foster home at a young age, I had never felt so welcomed until I met Nikolai.

He gave me a place to stay, food, a bedroom, in exchange for training me. He wasn't interested in love, and he didn't have a kid. Despite being twenty-one, he became a father figure. I've pushed to be the best I can be for him, and it's paid off.

I am now the heir to the American Mafia, which Nikolai is currently the Don of.

"I've already told you, kid. You want to become Don, you need someone to be your heir for when you step down." He sighs as we sit in the jet, waiting for Alex and Lilly to join us.

"I'm not gonna step down anytime soon. Why do I need one now?" I ask, leaning forward with my elbows on my thighs.

"I went through the same thing you're going through. All mafias do it, kid. You need a wife who can bear you a child."

"I'm not a kid anymore, Nik. Stop calling me one. And I don't need a wife. I won't be stepping down until I'm ready. I have plenty of time to find someone who can produce an heir!" I exclaim, leaning back.

"You're getting a wife, Killian. Whether it's an arranged marriage or not." His voice is stern, telling me that there's no room for discussion.

"I'm not getting a wife." I stand up, glaring at the old man as the door opens, but I walk away to the bedroom. We've got about three hours before we land in New Orleans. It's not a place I like, but it's not a place I hate.

I sit down on the bed, hunching over and fidgeting with my fingers. I huff in annoyance when I remember that I don't have my ring.

"How can I lose that stupid ring?" I mutter to myself, flopping back with my hands over my face. I hear a knock on the door. "Go away, Nik!" I yell, but the door slides open and I lift my head.

"Not Nik." Lilly responds with a soft smile.

"Hey, Lilly." I sigh, sitting up.

"Wanna talk about it?" I sigh, shaking my head.

"How's school coming?" I ask as she closes the door.

"It's...better." She admits hesitantly, slowly walking over to the bed with her hands in the back pockets of her jeans.

"Are you lying?"

She sighs and sits down beside me. "Maybe." She shrugs.

"Why would you lie about that?" I question, brows pinched together.

One of the Last | Book 3 | ✔Where stories live. Discover now