Chapter 45

"Are you both hiding something from me?" Emily asked her two friends, crossing her hands to her chest and looking at both of them.

"No," Susan replied while Aurora remained silent.

"Hm! Listen up girls, I have news to share with you both."

Susan raised her brows. "What? Don't tell me you are quitting the job?"

Aurora, who was eating her noodles, choked and glared at Susan. While Emily gave her an unimpressed look.

"Why would I do that? This is the most important thing in my life. It's something else, there is this new pub everyone is talking about here. Some of my colleagues asked me to join them but I declined because we are going there together next week."

Aurora sighed. She was in no mood to go anywhere near a pub because the last time she did, she ended up on an island with a man who made her life a living hell.

Art! She screamed in her mind. Arrogant ass!

"I am in, I want a man, it's been too long," Susan muttered.

Aurora rolled her eyes and glanced at Emily. "Next week? I don't know, maybe we won't be able to go…"

Emily frowned. "Why? Is everything alright?" She asked Aurora worriedly.

Oh God Em! How to tell you?

"Yes. Everything is fine, madam is just thinking too much. Don't worry about her, it's final we are going," Susan told Emily but her eyes were on Aurora and she pointedly asked: "Right, Aurora?"

Aurora managed to smile. "Yes."

After that, they didn't talk about anything except about work. When it was over she went to her room and called her father.

Ethan, who knew that Aurora would call him, accepted the call. "Yes, darling?"

"Dad, I need a little help from you?" She said in a little shaky voice.

Ethan sighed. I am sorry darling but whatever I am doing is for your good and protection.

"I hope you didn't bang someone else's car again Aurora. I want you to be responsible and not behave like a child anymore who comes to daddy whenever you are stuck in a situation," He said a little harshly and Aurora went numb.

Never in her life, her father had talked to her this harshly. "Dad," she whispered, hurt by the tone of his voice.

Ethan fisted his hand tightly, so tightly that pain shot through his nerves. He hated every word that was coming out of his mouth and hurting his daughter but he had to do it.

"Aurora, I want you to be responsible now. It's time that you start taking life seriously. The Police head still reminds me of that incident we met last time at a charity event. Darling, I love you and I am always with you but now I want you to grow up."

Aurora's stomach churned. She gulped heavily and sat down on the bed because her legs turned to jelly. "Dad, you don't sound good. Are you sure you are alright? I am scared of hearing from you today." She knew her father in and out. She knew him better than he knew himself and the words he was saying he would have never said to her if there was not something wrong.

Ethan loosened his hand. His heart swelled with love. His daughter knew him far too well, he needed to try a different approach. "Aurora…" he whispered.

Aurora clutched her phone tightly. "Dad, please tell me everything is fine!"

"It's just business, darling. Some things didn't work out as I wanted and now business is facing a little bit of a financial crisis. But nothing for you to worry about…"

Aurora blinked her eyes. Financial crises "Dad, how bad is it?"

Ethan felt as if someone had pulled his heart out of his chest and smashed it painfully when he heard his daughter's anxious voice. "Nothing for you to worry about, love." He said, making sure that his voice sounded strained.

Aurora closed her eyes. She knew her father was lying, his voice sounded strained. I can't ask dad for money. Six billion is big! Really Big! Damn you, Susan! Damn you!

"Dad, I know you will handle everything. My dad is a strong man, he can do anything." She said encouraging him.

Ethan swallowed the whole glass of whiskey in anger. "Love, Don't let anyone or anything stand in your way of achieving your dream. I know my Daughter is one strong lady, she won't let anyone intimidate her…"

Aurora frowned. She felt as if her father was trying to say something, as if he knew about the problem she was stuck into. "Dad, how do you know…"

"Just like you know that I am stressed, I know you, love. I understand you better than you do yourself but remember what your mother used to say. No problem is bigger than your determination."

Aurora touched her necklace and her vision blurred. "I understand dad and I promise I won't let anyone take me away from my dreams."

Ethan chuckled. "That's like my daughter."

Aurora gulped. "In love you dad. I won't disappoint you anymore. You want me to take responsibility for my actions. I will…" she whispered.

Ethan sighed and said goodbye to his daughter and finally ended the call with a heavy heart.

Thomas, who was sitting in front of his friend, nodded in understanding. "You are doing the right thing, Ethan."

Ethan didn't speak. He rested his head on the chair and glanced at the ceiling. Sometimes he missed his wife far too much for his liking. He didn't want to repeat the same mistake he did with his wife. He lost her because of his one mistake, he became weak for just a second and that second hosted him the love of his life.

Kingdoms fall when you try to change the system and he tries to do that. If only he had not accepted his wife's request of giving up mafia life and living like normal people. But he did and the day they were about to leave to Churchill for a normal life Antonio attacked them.

Ethan closed his eyes when he recalled how his wife suffered the brutality of that attack which crashed their car. Ethan thought that he would live a peaceful life but no instead he was ripped off the only good thing he had in his life. He lost his Savannah and after her, Ethan lived for one thing only, Revenge from the Le Eme boss and he took it. Antonio snatched his wife from him, Ethan ripped his heart from Antonio's body.

He wanted to change for his wife but no, people wanted him to remain the monster he was and he gladly accepted his role. He knew that only a monster can protect his daughter and that monster was none other than, Liam Knight and now he will make sure that that monster becomes his daughter's protector.

At the same time, Aurora decided that she will work for Liam Knight but won't allow him to intimidate her in any way. She would show him that he didn't scare her. She was doing this for her friends and herself. She would not let anyone get in her way of success.

The next day when Kevin asked her which design Liam chose she told him that he was not available when she went to meet him.

"Go to him again and present the design, I need to know his decisions soon."

Aurora nodded and once again went to meet Liam. Her heart was beating fast, her legs were shaking but her face was confident. She didn't let an ounce of the nervousness she was feeling show on her face. She asked his secretary to meet Liam.

"You may go inside, Miss king," his secretary said after putting the receiver back to the dialer. Aurora smiled at her and knocked on his door twice before entering.

Liam leaned back in his chair and waited for Aurora to enter and when she did, Liam was impressed by the confident look on her face.

"Good morning Mr Knight." She said in a professional tone. Liam arched a brow and gave her a curt nod.

"Good morning, Mrs Knight."

Aurora seethed in anger, fisting her hands she said: "look, Mr Knight, I know you are my boss and you have the upper hand here but that doesn't mean you can harass me here. I might be working for you but I won't tolerate these stupid jabs of yours."

Liam's eyes flashed. His hands itched to punish her for using this tone with him but no, he couldn't do that. Not yet at least. He needed to charm her not make her run away screaming bloody murder. Fuck! He needed patients of a saint with his future wife.

"What are you here for, Mrs Knight?" He asked her calmly.

And Aurora had enough. She sprinted towards him and leaned down to his level. Liam's eyes sharpened as he stared into hers. "Stop calling me that!" She yelled at him in electrifying rage.

"Or what?" Liam asked, in a calm and composed voice that it irritated Aurora to the very core of her soul.

Without thinking, she swung her hand and tried to strike him but Liam grabbed it midway, just a second away from his face and yanked her towards him. Aurora gasped as she landed directly in his lap.

Her eyes widened when she felt something on her back. Oh God, am I sitting on his...his, oh hell!

Liam grabbed her jaw and raised it to his level. "I am losing my control, Aurora. Don't provoke me that I wouldn't be able to control myself anymore." He gritted out.

Aurora couldn't even blink. His eyes created a spell around her that she was lost. Lost in his dark scrutinised gaze, "I want you, badly, Aurora. But don't make me the person people fear. I don't want to be that, not for you. Never for you."

Aurora finally blinked. She could feel.his breath on her face, he gently rubbed his thumb on her chin. "I am trying to win your heart."

And Aurora couldn't breathe after that. He was insane, she could guarantee it. She pushed him away and tried to stand up but Liam didn't let her. "Leave me."

"Why are you being stubborn? I have told you many times that you will be my wife but till you didn't accept me…"

The hype of this pig!

"And who are you to decide whether I will marry you or not? I didn't choose you, I didn't accept your insane idea of marriage. Who are you? My dad's friend's son! So what? I don't like you at all? You don't even know how to hold a conversation with a girl, you just know how to boss around. You lied to me for days when we were stuck on that island or as you pretended to show because you own that fucking island with a villa on that. You hurt me and still when I came to know that you saved me, I accepted you as a friend of mine. But you don't value anything, you didn't respect my friends and now you are saying that I should accept your so-called forced proposal? You need to go to a head doctor, Mr Knight, you need a mental checkup!" Aurora ranted out.

Of course, he didn't give a damn what she just said as he only looked at her with an unimpressed look. "Hm! Alright, you don't have a good impression of mine. Let's start changing it then. Tell me how to woo you…"

Aurora gave up. She didnt have any energy left anymore. She threw her hands in the air and tried to calm her mind. "If you need to ask me this question than it's better you stay alone whole your life because if some loor gurl decide to marry you she will cry whole her life."

Liam wanted nothing else but stop her from speaking. There was no better way to do that than kiss the hell out of her but no he needed to know what does she was t and there was no better to know that if she tell it herself.

Liam nodded. "It means even you don't know what you want in your husband. I took you as an intelligent girl but I guess I was wrong."

Aurora pinched her lips in a thin line. "I am an intelligent girl, I don't need to prove it to you, you pig."

Control Liam! Control!!!

"Speak to me like that one more time and I would put you on my knees…"

"See, this is what's wrong with you. You behave like as if you are some king of God but news flash Mr Knight you are not!!! Instead of talking to people nicely you threatened them. You said you want to know how to woo me, you know what? You can't do that not in this lifetime because I won't my husband to treat me nicely, I want him to respect me, understand me. I want him to take me to nice places and be gentle and you...you just know how to hurt me! So don't ever call me Mrs Knight because you won't be my Mr Knight. Ever!!!"

Aurora ranted and Liam kept staring at her.

Gentle and understanding! I can do that. Right?

speak any further. He knew how that so-called love which took everything from Ethan. His wife died because of this Love.

"Hm! Now back to work, Mrs Knight!"

He said, nodding in the direction of the drawing book. "Why not!" She accepted the status quo and wrote down his opinion for Kevin.

"The second one is fine," Liam said after studying it.

Aurora smiled. "Thanks," saying that she collected her drawing book and took his leave. She opened the door and walked out of it with a high smile on her face.

Why am I smiling? Because that jerk wants to be my friend now? No, no. It's because now he would be getting the taste of his own medicine.

Meanwhile, Liam received yet another call from his brother Ralph and once again he heard the unwanted news.

"No information yet. No one has ever seen his face. He always covers it behind his mask, and a few people met him in person that too with a black glass between them!"

Liam rubbed his head. "Are we playing a video game here? Masked man! Masked man!" He gritted out irritated. "Ralph, I want that man...It's been six months now and not a single piece of information about him yet. Goddamnit, he ruined my business in Northern Canada and he is still alive!!"

Ralph remained silent. He knew his brother better than anyone else. His anger could result in a bloody massacre and now was not the time to enrage him. Not when their family was already facing problems with other mafia organisations.

"I am on it but I am having a strong hunch about something…"

Liam straightened. He knew two things about his brother. His brother could sense danger better than anyone else and he could see things better than anyone else. His strength was his mind and apart from blood relation that was the only reason he was Liam's second in command.

"What hunch?" Liam asked.

"I think there is some relation between the attacks over Ethan's consignments and ours. There is something which we are not seeing, Liam. It's like someone has declared an open war with Ethan and Us!"

Liam's body stiffened. The wheels in his mind started rolling as he recalled what exactly happened on that cruise. He recalled how someone tried to poison him on the cruise and he decided to go to his island till the snitch got caught.

"Fuck! How did I not see it? Ralph, I want someone to keep an eye on Ethan's surroundings. I am sure we will find something about it."

"I will but I think you should talk to Alexandrio about it too. His brother might be able to help us. Mexicans have good ties with the Russian mafia in Canada and the States. Maybe…"

Liam gritted his teeth. As if his relationship with the Russian Pakhan was any better. Alexandrio was an exception, he was a friend who didn't want his hands to do the dirty business. His brother Dimitri, Pakhan of Russians accepts his decision and allows Alexandrio to handle the legal business of their family. He gave up all the light to Alexandrio while choosing to stay in the dark.

Liam tried to establish good ties with Dimitri but of course they were two hot alpha males who didn't like following each other's orders and Liam accepted that, truly. When they had their first argument over drug trafficking, Dimitri and he both had their weapons pointed at each other's heads, ready to kill each other but they both didn't pull the trigger because of one man, Alexandrios. Dimitri respected his brother while Liam honoured their friendship but since that day, any business which he had with Russians was only done through Alexandrios polite intervention because up until now, Liam was one among the people on Dimitri's hit list. Not targeted because of his brother.

Not that Liam's stance was any different. He would shoot the Russian Pakhan right between the eyes if given the chance. But Alexandrio was like insurance for both Liam and Dimitri.

"Look Liam, we don't have any option left because if what I am thinking is right then we need to be worried about this masked man. He alone became a problem for two big mafia heads. Ethan and us!"

List clenched his eyes tightly. His head started throbbing in rage. "If my guess is right then he is one hell of a dangerous man. He is after blood," Ralph said.

"I will talk with Alexandrio," Liam said and ended the call.

Meanwhile, Alexandrio called his secretary and asked her to send Emily to his cabin with the raw material audits.

Emily, the girl, has become an obsession of Alexandrio. He wanted her with him all the time. He never believed in love until her but now he knew certainly that he was in love with Emily and everyone knows that Alexandrio might want to live a clean life without the mafia tag attached to him but the mafia runs in his veins and with that the need to control every aspect of his life. And right now the only thing which matters to him was, Emily!