Chapter 34

Z A R A

I'm silent, staring at the wall behind him because I can't say the same, I can't bring myself to say I missed him because truth be told, I don't think I missed him. Or maybe I can't bring myself to say it because I did miss him and that's absolutely repulsive.

His unoccupied hand runs up and down my leg, grazing against the sheer fabric of my tights. Goosebumps rise on my skin, my heart beating faster with his touch. "These look sexy on you," he whispers roughly into my ear.

"I want to rip them off and fuck you," his breathing is uneven as he grips my thigh.

"Is that your fetish?" I raise a brow. "Making people wear tights so you can rip them off?"

"And what if it is?" He chuckles.

"I mean, I wasn't expecting that. It's very... mundane for someone like you," I think out loud. "Oh? And why do you think that?" He raises a brow.

"I don't know... I thought you'd have weirder kinks or fetishes considering the type of person you are." I shrug my shoulders.

"Oh, my love, not to worry. I do have many fascinations but you aren't quite ready for them just yet," his hand now slides up my thighs to my back then he grips my bottom tightly making me jump a little.

I gulp, maybe I should've kept those comments to myself. "You're right. I'm definitely not ready for any of the weirder stuff." He throws his head back, laughing much more than he usually does and I feel myself catching my heart in my hands. I feel every tingle of his laugh within my chest and I couldn't help but smile. For a few seconds, the sweet sound of his genuine laughter brings me back to our more innocent days back in school, and my soul feels at peace just momentarily.

The hand that was resting on my back now slides back up my thigh, reaching closer and closer to the inner parts of my thigh, teasing me. His fingers create soft circles right under my stomach but above the core, sending jolts of electricity flying through my body.

"Aleja-ah..." my voice drifts into a moan.1

"You like that?" his finger movements start getting more vigorous. I grab his hand, making him pause. "Dance with me?" I ask him breathlessly. The confusion on his face is very apparent, I definitely caught him off guard. "Dance with me, Alejandro." I kiss the tip of his nose, hoping this would be enough to distract him.

"If that is what my lady wants," he smiles helping me stand. He looks through his phone for a couple of seconds and I realize he's choosing a song. The piano begins playing, he grins "It's Merry-Go-Round of Life by Nuvo Orchestra."

No clue what that means but as long as his fingers are away from... other areas of my body. He places my left hand on his shoulder as his right hand is placed on my back. He holds my right hand in his left and begins waltzing to the music.

"I don't know how to dance like this..." I admit, feeling my steps lose stability.

He chuckles, "That's quite alright. Follow my lead, I'll keep it simple." My arms are stiff as I try to follow his lead, making him smile again. "Relax your arms, my love. This isn't anything official."

"Sorry," I mutter. My elbows drop, feeling my muscles relax. He leans in, resting his cheek on the side of my head. The music carries us on, as I begin to lose myself in the feeling. A smile pulls at my lips because of the genuine fun I'm having with Alejandro. We're doing something normal for once where he isn't trying to hurt me, manipulate me, or control me.

"Are you enjoying this?" He asks quietly so as to not ruin the mood. "I am," I answer truthfully as we spin in circles across the floor. "Why can't it always be this nice between us?" I ask with dying hope.

"It can be if you let it," he answers. But I know what that really means. He means that it'll be alright if I act according to his rules if I don't fight him even when I don't like something he does if I act like a complete robot in front of him. However, he doesn't realize that this is not how relationships work.

"We can never work out, Alejandro. I can never truly be with someone like you," I mutter into his shoulder. He chuckles as he twirls me around away from him and brings me right back into his embrace. "And why do you think that, my love?" His eyes are a cold, grey void, unable to process emotions yet he's looking at me with adoration.

"Because... you're a villain in my story, aren't you? I'm sure you have figured that out by now." I want to stop dancing but he holds me close, disabling me from being able to break it off.

After a bit of silence from his end, he speaks, "Please, Zara..." his voice cracks ever so slightly, as confusion spreads through my mind at his sudden vulnerability. He buries his face into my shoulder as both his arms wrap around my waist, "Don't let me become the villain of your story, please let me be your prince.".A tear rolls down my own cheek without my knowledge. What's wrong with him? Who is he? How does he turn this switch on and off whenever he wants? He knows it hurts, it hurts so much more when he goes back to being the monster after acting like this.

"Then, stop acting like the villain. Stop acting like I mean nothing to you. Stop being such a—"

There's a knock on the door and I quickly step back. "Come in," Alejandro says. His cool, stoic composure is back again as if he wasn't just acting like... never mind.

"Boss," the man starts but then he looks at me, realizing he must've interrupted something. He nods in my direction as a form of acknowledgment. "Ma'am."

"What is it?" Alejandro sounds slightly annoyed. "I didn't mean to interrupt but they're here. Do I send them up?" The man asks. Alejandro sighs. "No, we'll be down shortly. Have them seated in VIP, and make sure to offer them drinks and such. We want them comfortable tonight."

The man nods and quickly exists.1

Alejandro buttons his shirt and places the tie around his neck. He looks at me through his lashes with a small smile on his face, "Would you mind helping me?"

I shake my head in agreement and finish up his tie for him. "Alejandro..."

"Yes, my love?"

"Will you go back to being mean?" My voice is soft, almost broken. "I've said this before, that decision resides on you," he answers like he always does. I sigh. No, it doesn't reside in me. It's not something that is dependent on me, it's for him to control. But there's no point in arguing with him.1

He pushes out his elbow for me to hold and I reluctantly do so. "Be a good girl for me out there. The people we're meeting are important and dangerous. We don't want any trouble tonight."

I gulp. I can tell from the tone of his voice that he's very serious. Like intrusive thoughts, my mind is itching to mess up his whole night and if someone gives me the chance, I might even do it. But I nod like the obedient little slut that I am, apparently.7

"Good. Shall we, then?" He leads me down the stairs to the middle floor overlooking the main floor of the club.

We are greeted by security who let us into this "VIP" area, where we can overlook the rest of the club from a balcony-esque area. I'm seated beside Alejandro, my hands on my lap, consciously thinking about what could go wrong tonight. The music is loud, they're blasting Acquainted by The Weeknd, I believe. Everyone on the floor is dancing, jumping, screaming the lyrics at top of their lungs, and enjoying themselves. Even watching them slightly improves my mood.

"I thought your guest would be seated before us?" I ask Alejandro. "I've been informed they are held up by something and should be on their way up," Alejandro answers taking a puff of his cigarette.

I cough as the smoke fills my lungs as I inhale.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

I shake my head. "I would appreciate it if you didn't smoke in my presence. The smell makes me nauseous." He only stares at me in amusement so I grab the cigarette myself when he doesn't stop. I push in the butt of the cigarette on the table, burning it out. "It's not good for your health or for the people you smoke around."

"You shouldn't have done that," his tone is low. My eyes widen, I hadn't taken into consideration that I may have crossed a line. I did it without thinking because the smell was irritating me. "Oh, I didn't mean—"

He leans in and kisses me... passionately? The smell of smoke is overbearing but he doesn't allow me to pull back. His tongue slithers into my mouth, exploring the inside of my mouth as if he's never felt it before. I let out a soft, unconscious moan as he sucks on my tongue before giving me one last kiss and pulling back.

"W-what was that for?" I ask breathlessly, not expecting this reaction. "You shouldn't have shown concern about my health because seeing you worried about me–" he leans down to my ear and whispers slowly, "–turned my dick hard and I want to fuck you to infinity right here, right now."

"Alejandro!" I gasp quietly, shifting myself away from him to the other end of the couch.

"Don't believe me?" He smirks.

"I never said th—"

Before I can finish my sentence, he grabs my hand and places it on his crotch, wrapping my fingers around the very obvious hard-on he has. "What will you be doing about this, my love?" The door bursts open and I jump back, almost screeching. Alejandro throws his head back, laughing at my reaction, while my cheeks heat up turning brick red.

I look up to see, "Yasmeen?"

"Zara!" She grins but her smile disappears into a confused expression when she sees Alejandro. "What's he laughing about?"

"N-Nothing," my words are an obvious stutter. "Why are you blushing?" She raises a brow. Her gaze skims over Alejandro, then me, and back to him. He still has a lingering smirk on his face but he uses the back of his hand to wipe away at the corner of his lips, adding to her suspicions. "Ew, gross. I don't know what I walked into but I don't think I want to find out," she scrunches her nose in disgust.

"It's n-not like t-that, Yasmeen!" My stuttering words are of no help.

"Nasty..." she rolls her eyes.

"I see you have graced us with your presence, Ms. Yasin," Alejandro's expression is back to his usual nonchalance.

"I have. Marcus informed me that Zara would be here so here I am," she smiles at me. "I never thought I'd leave my house after 6 PM, let alone enter a nightclub."

"Marcus?" I raise a brow.

"Yes," her expression brightens up even more. "He brought me here."

Oh, she's down bad for Marcus. This can't possibly end well for her.

"Is he being paid extra to babysit you?" I say jokingly, giggling slightly.

She pouts. "No, at least I don't think so." She looks over at Alejandro for confirmation. "He is in fact being paid extra to make sure you're not getting yourself in any serious trouble," Alejandro answers.10

"Oh.. that stung a bit but it's alright. I'll manage." She winks at me.

"Sir..." One of Alejandro's men peaks through. "He's arrived. Shall I let him in?"

Alejandro nods as Yasmeen and I instinctively fix our posture. Alejandro pulls me closer to him, wrapping his arm around my waist as if to show me who I belong.

I've noticed the men around him have a tendency to do the same. The last charity ball we went to—you know, the one where I almost got shot in—the men kept a protective arm around their partner at all times. I wonder why? To display that the woman is taken? To keep them safe? Do women get taken often around here? Maybe I'll ask Alejandro later on. First, Marcus and Elijah walk in, and behind him, the man of the hour follows. Just as the man walks in, I feel a sense of familiarity. I look at Yasmeen, who's looking back at me with the same expression. Suddenly, it hits both of us at the same time.

"Philip?" Yasmeen and I say in sync.

"Philip Gambino?" Yasmeen continues.

He looks at us with a slightly surprised expression with a brow raised. "Uh, yes?"

"As in Philip Gambino from high school?" Yasmeen asks. This is when his eyes widen, he confirms his unsure thoughts.

"Yasmeen? Zara?"

"Yes!" Yasmeen grins, clapping her hands together in excitement. I really don't want to rain on her parade but if he's here for business, it can't mean anything good. He's still as handsome as ever, though... Maybe even more now. He's obviously much more grown with chocolate brown hair and bright blue eyes. He's more muscular than I remember and his face is much rougher compared to the softer expression he used to hold in high school.

"What a pleasant surprise," he smiles. "What are you two doing here in the midst of... all of this?"

"Zara is my fiancée," Alejandro clarifies. "Yasmeen is here to visit friends."

"Fiancée, you say?" Philip has a thoughtful look on his face. "Interesting... I didn't think she'd be your type."

"And what did you expect my type to be?" Alejandro asks. I can tell there's irritation in his tone.

"Hm..." Philip smirks. "Someone with... a little less clothes on maybe?"

"Oh, that can be managed when it's just her and I," Alejandro smiles. I elbow him slightly for such an explicit comment. I'm sitting here flabbergasted. Yes, this is Philip but he doesn't sound like him anymore. It's almost as if someone else stole his appearance because his personality seems off.

Does he know what Alejandro did to his father? Is that why he's here? Oh my God, what is he even doing here?"

"Say, Yasmeen, are you still interested in Aayan?" Philip asks nonchalantly. "He's on the floor, I can summon him up for you."

I hear Yasmeen almost gasp. Out of all the guys Philip could bring up, he chooses Aayan. The one guy that tore Yasmeen to shreds in public when he found out she crushed on him. God, I was ready to shove a pistol down his throat for what he said to her.

She looks away, her tone quieter than usual,

"No, it's okay."

"Are you sure?" He asks. "He's single. Maybe you can try again and be less pitiful this time?"

His comment makes me instantly stand up and two of his guards point their guns at me. Elijah and Marcus pull out their guns simultaneously, pointing at them. I don't flinch once, standing my ground as flames steam out of me. "She said no, Philip. Don't push it," I warn him, gritting my teeth.

"Oh? What do we have here? A once modest Zara is now bold and brash?" Philip says. None of this is surprising to him. "Alejandro, you need to teach your fiancée to control her emotions to keep her in check. She will bring harm to your reputation if she keeps this up." My blood is about to boil over if no one stops him. Alejandro grabs my hand and gives it a slight squeeze to ask me to sit down.

"My fiancée is only reacting out of consideration for her friend. This is not something I can control as it is none of my business. And in regards to my reputation, she's the perfect representation of who I am. There's nothing wrong with how she reacted."

"Ah, understandable, I suppose." Philip frowns. I know he was expecting Alejandro to lash out at me. "Yasmeen, I apologize for crossing boundaries. However, wouldn't you like to see how much a fine man Aayan has grown to be? I'm sure he'll give you a chance now that you've also grown into a... gorgeous young woman compared to your high school days."

Yasmeen flinches at his comment, tears are pooling in her eyes. He's doing this on purpose. I don't know what the reason is but it's definitely on purpose.

"Philip!" I yell, taking a step too close to him. The tension in the air rises immediately. I hear Philip's two bodyguards cock their guns this time, aiming at me.

"Marcus!" Alejandro calls out. "Take Ms. Yasin out to the bar. I'm sure she can enjoy a mocktail of some sort." I whip my head around to look at Alejandro in pure anger. He looks back at me calmly, but there's a storm brewing in his eyes. The mere look made me stumble back a little. Is he angry at me? No, he's not. He's angry at Philip. He's angry that Philip made Yasmeen so uncomfortable.

I quietly sit back down beside him as Marcus guides Yasmeen out of the room.

"If I may ask, what were you expecting to gain from provoking my fiancée and her friend?" Alejandro doesn't sugarcoat anything.

"Provoking? Why would I try to provoke them? I was merely trying to resolve and heal some old wounds." Philip answers calmly.

I want to scream. "Stop lying! You were—"

"Zara." Alejandro stops my words dead in their tracks with a tone he only uses when his personality is about to shift from calm to murderous. "Philip, why are you really here?"

"From what I have been informed, we are finalizing our contract for the next deal. Is that not what this meeting is for?" He answers innocently.

"It is but you seem to have ulterior motives," Alejandro points out. Philip lets out a laugh. "Now, why would I have any ulterior motives against the man who had my father murdered?"

My eyes widen as I instinctively reach for Alejandro's hand. Isn't it ironic how I hold the hand of the man who incites fear in me when there are outside forces threatening my safety? He gives my hand a soft squeeze, and somehow, this small gesture makes me feel protected.

Who had my father murdered... He doesn't know that Alejandro himself completed the task, does he?

"Do you really think it is wise to try something so stupid in a place owned by me? You won't make it out alive, Mr. Gambino." The threat in Alejandro's tone is clear as day. Philip shakes his head. "Of course not. I know perfectly well whether this is foolish or not. I am not here to incite violence today, Mr. Genovese. I am only here to further our businesses." A sickening grin flashes across his face as he looks directly at me.

Something about his tone and gaze is unsettling, it makes me squirm in my seat. I scoot closer to Alejandro, my legs feel almost numb. If anyone tells me to run now, I don't think I'd make it. As if he sensed my discomfort, Alejandro grips my thigh, pulling it closer to him and not letting go.

Another night where I'm uncertain if I'll make it out alive or will be murdered by another person who despises Alejandro.

- - -

- A/N -

• Philip woke up and chose chaos. Him making Yasmeen uncomfortable was not it. 🙄😡