iv

J O L I E N

I didn't know how many times over the past night I'd asked myself what exactly my father was trying to hide.

Part of me desperately wanted to know the answer to that question. Wanted to know exactly what this phone call was all about. But another, much larger part was incredibly afraid of it. Because I knew intuitively that my father was involved in nothing good. It was that feeling. The same thing that crept up on me that night when Silia called about the car accident.

This inner turmoil and the feeling of not being able to face the truth kept me from immediately rushing to his office to look for any clues. For now at least.

It was sad that I harbored this distrust of him, but this phone call was too strange not to do.

Under normal circumstances, I probably would have asked Malio to investigate - unfortunately I couldn't count on it anymore, so I made a decision at that moment that I would certainly regret if it ever came out.

Although I still had plenty of time, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and shuddered a little when my bare feet touched the cold laminate. Even now, in January, I slept nights with the windows open.

There was nothing left of the boxes of odds and ends that had been stacked along the wall until a few months ago. Even though my room was now fully furnished, these four walls didn't feel like home. Not at all... It sucks if _Home_ turned out to be a person who didn't want anything to do with you anymore.

I randomly pulled fresh underwear, dark jeans and a thick pink wool sweater from the white wardrobe. I left out the school uniform because I wouldn't be going to school today. My task was different.

After a long shower and blow-drying my hair, I slipped into my jeans and sweater.

I quietly crept out of the room, crossed the hallway and went down the stairs. I left a quick note in the kitchen saying I was going to the Academy early because I had to pick up Bekka and Brandon because their car broke down. A lie. Lately, the constant lying had become second nature to me and didn't even arouse a bad conscience anymore.

I filled the small thermal mug with coffee, which was already gurgling through the machine and filling the entire kitchen with a pleasant scent. We recently had a coffee maker with a timer. My dad always timed the cooking process for 5:00 a.m. so that when he trudged into the kitchen at 5:30 a.m., he wouldn't have to wait long for the liquid lifeblood he loved so much.

Lost in thought, I grabbed my car keys. For a few seconds I had doubts about my decision - I felt kind of bad about it. But curiosity finally won and I quietly closed the front door behind me, got into my Range Rover and drove around the next corner to park the car there, behind a red Mercedes.

For an hour, I wallowed in the infamous self-pity that songs like _Bleeding Love_ just evoked in you. After I'd sung along to the songs for the fifth time and felt more and more like I'd landed the lead in the accompanying music video, I better turned off the radio and searched the internet for my father's real estate agency instead. In vain - there was absolutely nothing to be found.

My doubts grew by the second. Had he lied about that too? What did it all mean?

Before I could think further about all the questions that were swirling around in my head, I saw my father's car. At 6:00 a.m. sharp, he set off. Wherever ...

I probably just overreacted and he would drive straight to the hospital without much detour. Nevertheless, I resolutely turned the key in the ignition. Wanted to convince myself with my own eyes. I kept a reasonable distance from his car so my pursuit would go unnoticed.

I almost laughed at my negative thoughts and fears as I realized the distance he traveled. It led straight to the hospital. Certainly! I knew the route inside and out by now. I had ridden them so many times in the past week. But even after I followed my father for half an hour and he drove past the hospital, I knew something was wrong.

He actually didn't go to the hospital, although I actually assumed he would. Then, when he suddenly and unexpectedly blinked to take the next exit, an uncomfortable knot formed in my stomach instantly - because leaving Silverside only served to reinforce my suspicions. The suspicion that something couldn't be right here at all!

Two hours later the suspicion had given way to a bitter certainty. I had followed it over roads with little traffic and small towns until it finally came to a stop in a run-down parking lot of an old warehouse.

My heart raced when I saw him get out. He glanced nervously to the left and then to the right, turned up the collar of his jacket and finally disappeared through the open gate into the dark building.

I was about to get out to follow him (because this warehouse obviously had nothing to do with a brokerage office) when I stopped mid-movement.

Three tall men came around the warehouse and headed for the entrance.

My heart was racing, beating against my chest at an unhealthy rhythm as her gaze fell on my car.

While I had a hard time taking my eyes off the three men stalking the car, the unexpected opening of the passenger door made me wince. But that wasn't the reason why my blood froze in my veins immediately afterwards - it was the clearing of my throat that came from the passenger seat at that moment.

I was so screwed...

M A L I O

I rolled up the bloodstained sleeves of my white shirt.

Why hadn't I done this much earlier? Another shirt that I could throw away... But I just didn't learn from my mistakes. How many times had I said I wasn't going to wear a white shirt for the next interview? Countless times...

Lynn sat across from me. Blood trickled down his swollen face. But he still smiled at me. Didn't seem to realize what position he was in. Or else, he didn't care. Maybe he was crazy - he probably was. Crazy.

How he sat across from me grinning and didn't say a word. Just endure every procedure without comment and with expressionless eyes.

Apparently it was time to move on to harder methods.

I grabbed the pliers and the grin on Lynn's face froze. For the first time in hours. Well, the prospect of losing a limb also managed to wipe a clan chief's right hand the grin off his face. But before I could even think about which body part I got rid of him, the heavy iron door opened and Jamie entered the small basement room. "I'll relieve you."

I turned to Lynn with a grin, who relaxed a little now. Word had probably gotten around that I was more unscrupulous than the rest here - nevertheless, the preservation of his body parts had been extended by another day. My next shift wasn't scheduled until tomorrow evening. "Fine with me." I stood up and made way for Jamie.

Lost in thought, I strolled to the elevators. I was exhausted, but not bad enough to keep my mind off of Jolien. A job I did far too often. A weakness I fell into far too often.

When the doors opened, I pressed E2 directly. It was only a second before they opened up again and the familiar corridor lay before me.

Before I went to my room, I got myself a bottle of whiskey from the room across the street. Besides smoking, I've also been drinking more lately. But what difference did it make? This wrong world just tolerated better with the right number of per mille.

Holding the whiskey bottle in one hand, I left the room and opened the opposite door.

The first thing I noticed was Blue's lack of greeting. He always came to the door. The door! It had been closed... That could only mean...

"Hello Malio," Soela's voice broke the silence. I spotted her on my bed, her tanned body clad only in red lingerie. A laugh escaped my lips - which, unfortunately, she misinterpreted.

Because that laugh didn't reflect my friends about their visit, but the disbelief that she actually dared to be so stupid as to go against my instructions.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her. She flinched at the harshness of my words. "I thought you were happy." Soela answered, beginning to shift restlessly on the pillows. It was probably at that moment that she realized she had made a mistake.

"Enjoyed?" I laughed coldly, setting the whiskey bottle down on a small dresser. "Y-yes." In the meantime she had straightened up. Just looking at her made me sick.

"What did I tell you about my room?" I asked, having a hard time suppressing the menacing tone that had already crept into my voice. "I'm not supposed to go in there." "Then what are you doing here?" I took a step towards her. "Malio, you can't reject me forever."

"You want to fuck?" I had reached the bed and her eyes lit up suspiciously at my last words. "You're my fiancé, we have to do it sometime." She scrambled out of bed and started fumbling with my shirt. "Solea.", I held her wrists with my hands. She looked at me confused. "Malio, fuck me!", a disgusting pleading lay in her trembling voice.

I laughed again. I just wasn't capable of any other reaction. She was such a stupid thing.

I dragged her out of my room by the wrists. She struggled, but couldn't break free of my iron grip.

In front of the door, I let go of her wrists, which Soela immediately rubbed with a pained face. "Malio, you have to sleep with me. We are engaged. That's what lovers do!"

lovers? My laughter got even louder. Even colder.

"I want children! Our fathers want grandchildren!" God, didn't she have to gasp? All that nagging was driving me insane. And aggressive. I really had to pull myself together.

"Get someone else pregnant you and pretend to be our brat," I countered nonchalantly. She gasped, lashed out, and cried out in surprise as I gripped her reddened wrist again, a tad harder this time.

"Soele, you better go now before I forget myself and you really don't want to experience that. And if you raise your hand against me again, or even think about it." I paused and pulled her face closer to mine. "Not only will I kick you out, I'll make sure you never get fucked by anyone ever again I only got involved with you because I had to. I don't care about you. And now for the record: I will never sleep with you. Dear, for the rest of my life, I will do it myself, instead of sinking my cock in your ugly cunt."

Tears welled up in her eyes - but I didn't care. I had long since passed the level of pity.

"Remember that and now, get your ugly face on and get that horrible sight (I gestured to her shaking body) away before I really forget myself!" I let go of her wrists and pushed her further down the hallway, tear-soaked Cheeked she hurried to one of the surrounding rooms, probably her own I hadn't bothered to remember.

"That was pretty tough, didn't you think?" I let my gaze wander to the person leaning against the wall a few feet away. Rash.

"She provoked it. She knew the rules." "Aha." "What is rash? A smile tugged at Rash's lips. "Of course not, but if I remember correctly, Jolien punched you a few days ago. You didn't react like that." "That's different." "Why?" "Rash, what's with this questioning?"

Rash shrugged and grinned suspiciously. We both knew he knew why Jolien was different. But neither he nor I said it.

"You have to cancel this, Malio. You'll never be happy if you marry Soela." "I have to do it." "You're not protecting her with that. You're only destroying them, can't you see that?"

But the shrill beeping of my cell phone saved me from answering Rash's statement.

"Fuck," I murmured under my breath as I recognized the beeping. As I hurried to my room, I unbuttoned my blood-smeared shirt as I walked, only to toss it carelessly into a corner afterwards.

I hastily pulled a clean shirt out of the closet and opened the app on my phone, which to this day has never worked.

With a bad feeling, I grabbed the car keys and sped past Rash, who had followed me into the room in amazement. "Where are you going?" he called after me, confused.

But I ran out of time.

With a look at the location app and the flashing dot that was moving away there, my suspicion, which I had had when the beeping sounded, was confirmed.

She left Silverside...

J O L I E N

"Get out of my car right now!" I snapped at Malio, who at that moment swung himself into the passenger seat and closed the car door again. Getting out was definitely not an option for him.

I threw a hasty glance at the men whose attention had been on my car a few seconds ago. But to my own surprise, I found that they were gone.

"What are you doing here, Jolien?" Malio asked beside himself. I almost thought the concern in his eyes was real – but unfortunately I knew too well what a good actor the man opposite me was.

"It's none of your business. are you following me or something? I said get out of my car!", I reached past him, opened the passenger door and tried to push him out of my car with all my strength. An endeavor that was to remain unsuccessful.

His familiar, haughty laugh escaped his throat and he eyed me in amusement. "That won't work, princess! Now tell me what the fuck are you doing here. Do you even know where you are?" I rolled my eyes and gave up trying to force him out of my car.

"I'm following my father!" I finally decided on the truth. Maybe he would settle for that and run away.

I watched his right eyebrow rise very slowly. "Your father is here?" Malio looked at me in disbelief. He took his eyes off my face and studied the entrance to the warehouse for a few seconds.

"Drive," he finally said calmly. Apparently he wasn't listening properly, or was too stupid to correctly interpret the words that were coming out of my mouth. I _COULD_ not drive.

"I'm going to be all..." "Shh – shut up!" he cut me off harshly. I followed his gaze to the side mirror and spotted the black SUV pulling up just a few yards behind us.

Apparently the men I saw earlier had called for reinforcements. Anyway, I was wondering why they just vanished and didn't rush straight to my car.

"Malio.." my voice shook as they opened the doors and got out of the car. "Do you trust me?" His voice was hard and steady compared to mine, but I knew it well enough by now to know he was nervous.

"I...don't know," I honestly admitted. "We don't have time for this." He nodded at the two men slowly approaching our car. That calmness in her steps didn't bode well.

I heard a click and my eyes widened in shock as I saw Malio unbuckle his belt. "What are you doing?" I asked, horrified. But he didn't answer me. Instead, he grabbed my neck and pulled my head to his crotch, pressing it firmly against the opened denim, which was clearly bulging at a certain point .

"Malio, what.." "Shhh," he repeated while distributing my long, blond hair in such a way that one could only guess what I was actually doing here. His grip tightened. He made my head bob up and down in a telltale rhythm.

Just as I was about to protest and tell him he was insane, there was a loud knock on the glass.

My heart pounded like a jackhammer against my chest as he whispered, “Go on. Pretend to suck me!"

I felt his grip on my neck loosen. Naturally, I kept the rhythm he had set while a cold draft brushed my hair. He had opened the window.

"What's up?" he asked, careful to gasp the words out. "Malio, this isn't your territory, what are you doing here?" I heard a deep male voice.

"Don't stop what you're doing, baby." Despite the guy's question, Malio had turned to me first. Seconds later, he leaned slightly to the side, then turned to the guy who apparently standing in front of the window.

I tried not to be distracted by the bulge that was now more visible in his pants. To be on the safe side, I closed my eyes anyway. Just in case.

"I'm getting a blow job." Malio answered the question that still hung unanswered between him and the stranger. "Doesn't look like your fiancé." He stated and I felt my cheeks start to glow.

Malio laughed softly. "We all have our bitches." He gripped my neck a little tighter again and whispered with a groan: "Exactly baby." I had heard him moan so often that I recognized the dizziness immediately.

"I can hardly get a blow job in Silverside. So finally fuck off. We'll go away afterwards.", Malio hissed in the direction of the window. "Fine, fine with me. But tell me Malio,...", the guy paused for a moment. Apparently he was enjoying the spectacle immensely.

"You haven't heard or seen anything about Lynn by any chance?" I felt Malio freeze. "No, I don't know, I'll ask Giorgio and my father." Though the tension had drained from Malio's body, I knew he was lying about this, too.

"All right. Have fun, you two. Fuck that little bitch!" I noticed Malio straighten up a bit at that, like he was a blink of an eye away from getting this guy through the car window and beating him hard.

Determined, I pushed his pelvis back into the seat, causing me to lose my balance for a moment. The gasp that escaped Malio's lips was real.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the window pane rising before he grabbed my hair at the last second to keep me from falling face first into his lap.

I heard his breathing, which was ragged now. Felt his fist wrap around my hair several times.

The loud groan that wafted through the driver's compartment at that moment was also not played - and this time it came from me...

Seconds later, or maybe minutes (I really had no idea) I found myself on Malio's lap.

His hands rested on the left and right of my thighs, while his eyes, which now contained irrepressible lust, bored so deeply into my soul that I feared that at any moment I would burst into the flames of passion that he was harboring in me at that moment woke up.

"What's that about?" I whispered. "What do you mean?" He didn't take his hands off me, nor did he make a move. Granted, we were in a car. In the passenger seat, to be precise. Which didn't exactly ask for great alternatives.

"I remind you that you crawled onto my lap." He cocked his head slightly before bringing his face closer to mine. Far too close for my liking.

I gasped frantically for air. "In the end I just saved you from falling on my cock." "Malio!" I replied admonishingly. I noticed that his face kept moving towards mine.

"Stop me," he whispered, his breath brushing my lips. The scent of peppermint and tobacco clouded my mind. Cleared every clear thought out of my head. "Malio, I can't do that," I mumbled half-heartedly.

Why did I still want him so badly? After everything that had happened, I still couldn't deny it. Didn't manage to muster the necessary assertiveness to finally and consistently push him away from me.

"Why?" His lips were only millimeters from mine. It would be an easy thing to just bend over and gain what I wanted so badly. "Because you're engaged." My mind, which apparently tried to keep me from sinking into the immeasurable at the last second, decided to reinstate it at the last second.

I scrambled off his lap in a hurry. Awkward and anything but sexy - but I didn't care. I heard him chuckle as I flopped awkwardly into the driver's seat.

"Can you put your pants back on and get out?" I demanded angrily. He shook his head, but guided his hands to his unzipped pants to do at least the first part of my request. And that part was far more important at that moment than the second, because his unbuttoned pants distracted me.

"You're driving." I gave him an annoyed look. "Now!" He added harshly. "I can't just drive, what didn't you understand about that?" "Jolien." Malio's voice was so calm and controlled that I took my eyes off the windshield to look at him directly. His features were hard. Unfathomable. An expression I hadn't seen on him for a long time.

"I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation. You're going to start the car now and drive it back to Silverside, do you understand?" I had already opened my mouth to protest when he cut me off harshly, "That wasn't a request. Cut your unnecessary comments. If you do If you don't, I'll start the car and I don't think you'd want me to roughly yank you off the seat and throw you into the back seat. It might get awkward." Malio's hand rested on the door handle and he gave me a hard look for a few seconds. When I still hesitated, he exhaled deeply. "I'm counting to three." "My father's in there." "One." "I can't just drive." "Two." "Are you serious, Malio?" I looked at him in disbelief. "Three." "Okay, okay."

The engine roared, but I didn't think to steer it onto the road. "What are you waiting for?" he asked after a while, during which I impatiently pounded on the steering wheel. "For you to get out." His left eyebrow shot up in surprise. "Fine." He opened the door, but didn't get out of the car. "Will something happen again today, Malio?"

Our eyes met one last time before Malio got out of the car, right foot first. However, before he closed the door behind him, he leaned into the driver's compartment again. ,,I can help you."

"Oh, is that so?" I replied irritably. I didn't think he could help me in any way. "Coincidentally, we have someone visiting who might know why your father is here." That only sounded half true, but it was enough to pique my interest. "What do you want for it?" He grinned. "Nothing."

Now it was my turn to raise my eyebrows. ,,Nothing? A malio does _nothing_ out of sheer niceness." "Sometimes it does." "Oh yeah, and when?" I eyed him skeptically.

No matter how hard I tried, the man across from me was and probably always would be a mystery. The more I tried to understand him, the more I felt in the dark. It was the same with trust. The more I trusted him, the more he hurt me. So, to be on the safe side, I didn't set my hopes too high.

I would just return in a few days.

"If I care a lot about the person," he answered my question. That statement was enough to keep my face and my emotions out of control. My features slipped away and I stared open-mouthed at Malio.

"I'll let you know what I found out. And one more thing..." He leaned even further into the driver's compartment. "Good advice. Don't try this again. I'll notice that too. And next time I might not be so nice." "Are you threatening me, Malio?" The previous heartbeat died away in a heartbeat.

"Call it what you want, Jolien." Angry, I leaned over the passenger seat, put my hand on his hard chest and pushed him back. "You no longer have power over me, Malio!"

Before I could grab the passenger door handle, he grabbed my hand. "I never had power over you, Jolien. i had feelings for you Those are two different things."

I just stared at him for a moment. Took a few minutes to comprehend what was being said. Finally I snorted and shook his arm off.

He could tell that lie to someone else. He hurt me. Many times - and none of it had to do with feelings.

He raised his hands apologetically as he took a step back and disappeared behind my car without another word.

Asshole! Now he just ran away like that!

Angrily, I floored the accelerator and steered the car onto the empty country lane. Determined not to look at Malio. This decision was easier to implement than not believing his words.

I had feelings for you.

I wanted to ban them from my mind. And yet they accompanied me the entire drive home - haunted my head like a ghost from the past that you just couldn't get rid of. No matter how hard you try.