The Christmas Party sucked like usual but this year was really bad. I couldn't get myself to talk to mom or to even interact with guests. My family caught onto it quickly but they left me alone. I was in a horrible mood even after spending the night with Alexander.

Maybe that made it worse. I had to leave his place in the morning to get ready at my apartment. I hated it so much.

My brothers and dad asked me to dance but I refused. I wanted this stupid thing to end already. I was forcing myself not to look at Alexander. We were supposed to ignore each other expect for greetings so that none of my brothers would get suspicious.

They were too focused on my bad mood. Leonardo kept bringing me food from the buffet to help me cheer up but everything tasted like stale. Victor held my hand the entire time but it didn't assure me like it always did. Theo kissed my cheeks and kept complimenting me on how beautiful I looked tonight. Silas tried to cheer me up in his own dumb way by trying to provoke me.

I didn't even reply to his remarks. That's when Dahlia caught onto it.

"What's wrong, my love? You're missing out perfect opportunities to put the bitch in his right place." She nudged me.

It was odd to see her without Ezra for once. Normally she carried him around almost everywhere. I don't even know why she feared that she'd be a great mom when everybody could tell that she loves her son so much.

"Not in the mood." I muttered.

"I'm in a bad mood as well. Greta is taking great care of my little baby but I miss him." She told me.

Hector didn't want Ezra to be present. His son was almost three months old but he didn't want to show him to the business yet. Ezra was going to be the next Don. The poor baby was already a target to so many assholes.

"You haven't even touched your cake. What's going on?" Dahlia placed her hand on my forearm.

I might've told her about what was happening but I didn't. She was Hector's wife at the end of the day. No matter how much I loved her, she loves my brother more. And if she shares the same opinion as my mom, I'd be in so much trouble.

"I'm going home."

The longer I stayed here, the sadder I felt. I want to go home and sleep. I was supposed to go the the mansion with the rest of my family for Christmas morning but I wasn't in a mood to be around them.

I haven't felt that way since I first moved in with them. I'd never thought that I'd feel that way again.

"You can't head to the mansion by yourself." Hector stopped me.

"I'm going to my apartment." I shrugged and walked towards the exit.

I felt angry. Why were they allowed to have a wife and I wasn't even allowed to date? Who decided that those were going to be the rules?

"What is your problem?" Hector grabbed me by my elbow and pulled me towards a corner in the lobby.

There weren't a lot of people expect for a few guests and staff. They glanced our way for a short while.

"Nothing. I just want to go home." I muttered.

"What happened between mama and you? You don't talk to each other and you've been cold to everybody this entire night." He demanded.

I glared up at him. For a moment I had this urge to scream at him. To release all my anger onto him because at the end of the day, he was the one that stood between Alexander and I. He was the one that would never allow me to find my happiness.

"I'm not in the fucking mood." I snapped.

"Yeah, I can tell that." He rolled his eyes.

I pushed his hand off my elbow and crossed my arms over my chest.

"I'm going home."

He was always telling me what to do but today I won't allow it. I was going home and he won't stop me.

"We're spending Christmas morning together as a family. You'll go to the mansion. I will have Victor-" I cut him off.

"I told you that I want to go home! Why do you never listen to what I want?!" I burst out.

A scowl formed on his face. His word was always command. I was no longer a minor and I didn't need him to rule me around.

"You're being ridiculous. Tell me what's wrong."

I was trying to hold back but I let myself slip.

"You! You're everything that's wrong!"

His face dropped before he slipped into that stupid emotionless face. I rolled my eyes and pushed past him towards the exit. I was hurting him but he was also hurting me.

We've been good for a long while but it was only a matter of time before we started to butt heads again.

//////////////

This was my first Christmas morning without my family ever since I met them. It wasn't as depressing as I thought it would be.

"Open up your presents, bellissima." Alexander kissed my ear.

I was sitting in his lap near the Christmas tree that we had decorated together. He had wrapped his arms around my middle and I felt comfortable being so close to him.

Last night, he surprised me at home and took me to his place. I've been to his place yesterday morning but there weren't so many presents back then. He bought them all for me and his cute pets.

"You're making me feel bad." I'd given him three presents.

Which was very little in comparison to all the twenty gifts he got me.

"I love spoiling you." He grinned.

He did love buying me presents. It started right after our fourth date when he gave me a pair of earrings. My reaction to the gift was apparently so amazing that he kept buying me gifts to see the same reaction over and over again.

"I love you." I kissed him.

He didn't kiss back for a moment but then he deepened our kiss. This was my first time saying 'I love you' to him. I've been wanting to say it for a while now but this was the perfect moment.

"That's the best present you could've ever given me." He whispered.

I closed my eyes and leaned into his embrace. I will never give him up. I love my family but I also love Alexander. They can't break us apart.

No matter how long it'll take. No matter what I have to do.

Alexander and I would only ever break up on our own accords.

But when I opened my eyes and found his beautiful green ones, I realised that was never going to happen either.

We found each other and we were both too greedy to let go.

//////////////

I spent the following week with Alexander. I didn't go to my family despite my siblings calling me. All they knew was that I was in my apartment sulking away. Amelia helped sell the story and my tracker told them that I was in my apartment.

Alexander got me a second phone so that we could freely text and call. My other phone has a tracker and Hector has access to my messages. I thought that thing would end once I graduated high school.

It didn't.

A few months ago, August sent me 'naughty' pictures. He was hunting for a new sugar daddy and he was asking me which picture of him in a thong would look best.

It was one of the most awkward conversations that I ever had with Hector.

Never again.

He didn't need to see the weird selfies that I sent Alexander.

They're not nudes!

He hasn't even seen me naked yet, why would I send him nudes?

No, I sent him pictures of me bored out of my mind in class or when I'm eating cake pops.

But he also sends me pics.

He's not that familiar with taking selfies, so his pictures were really cute. At first they were all very blurry but after a few lessons from me, he got the hang of it.

"Babe, that's not how you do it."

Alexander was also not very familiar with Just Dance. He was failing so badly that even Luna was covering her eyes with her tiny paws.

That little kitten loved everything he did, except his bad coordination.

"I'm following the steps!" He protested.

I bit back a giggle and cuddled Milo closer to me. Milo was such a good boy and loved cuddles as much as me. He usually fell asleep in my arms but now we were too busy laughing at Alexander.

"Come on, Xan Xan, show me your best moves!" I tainted him.

Alexander shot me a glare while I giggled. He really hates that nickname which is why I love using it.

"Shake your hips." I tried to advice.

He wanted to dance to 'My hips don't lie' by Shakira. So why wasn't he shaking his hips?

"I'm trying to win a game, not seduce you, mia cara." He winked at me.

"You're dancing like you have a stick up your ass. How are you seducing me?" I raised my eyebrows.

He grinned and put the game on pause. To me everything about Alexander was seducing. The way he looked at me, the way he walked, the way he smirks, and his fucking delicious ass.

"Do you want me to show how I seduce you, bellissima?" He leaned in close.

I smirked excitedly. He started to press kisses on my jawline.

"Do you want to do it in front of the kids?" I asked him.

His pets were watching us. Luna was glaring at me. We've grown closer over the past week but she was possessive as fuck.

"We'll need some privacy for what I'm planning on doing to you." He grinned.

I felt that one in my core.

He placed his hands under my armpits and lifted me off the couch before carrying me to his bedroom. We haven't done anything yet except for kissing and squeezing.

But today I was ready for more. My body had finally accepted Alexander and I won't let Ronan drag me down anymore.

I was going to free myself from that horrible memory and replace it with a good one.

////////////////////

Omniscient teller:

When Nicolas bumped into the guy a third time, he no longer believed that it was a coincidence. He owned Nevada and almost everyone in Las Vegas knew who he was or what he represented. No one just bumps into the Capo of Nevada by accident three times.

But then again, he didn't think that this guy was an enemy or someone dangerous.

The guy was about five foot eleven. He was slim, slightly muscled, and had long limbs that he clumsy used. His chocolate brown hair was a bit too long and fell alongside the sides of his pretty face. His big eyes widened as Nicolas caught him before he stumbled to the ground.

He stumbled to the ground the other times so Nicolas guessed that he was going to fall again.

"Thank you! I'm so sorry. We keep bumping into each other, quite literally." He muttered shyly.

A rose tint fell on his cheeks. Nicolas regarded him for a while. What stroke him was that the guy didn't avoid looking Nicolas in the eyes. Almost everyone in the business avoided eye contact with him.

For good reasons.

"Why don't I buy you a drink? As an apology?" The guy suggested.

Nicolas felt strange inside. He had this urge to take the guy up on his offer and go out for a drink with him. He's never like this.

"Do you know who I am?" Nicolas asked him.

The guy frowned slightly.

"No, we haven't introduced ourselves yet, we only seem to bump into each other." He joked slightly.

Nicolas didn't laugh.

He didn't mean it to be mean against the guy but he hasn't laughed a long while. Not after everything that has happened to him.

"My name is Nestor DuPont." The guy held out his hand.

Nicolas stared at the hand for a while. He noticed the dried paint. It was all over Nestor but his hands told him the most. He used them a lot by what Nicolas could tell.

"Nicolas Cassano." He grabbed the hand.

Their hands felt a lot alike. They were both calloused and rough but for two different reasons. Nestor was seemingly an artist and Nicolas was a criminal.

"It's nice to meet you, Nicolas." Nestor smiled.

It was nice to meet Nestor. Nicolas didn't realise it back then, or maybe he did but didn't want to accept it, but he had finally met the love of his life.