Chapter 41
Chapter 41
LEIGH-ARI
The party was well in full swing, and funny because nothing serious was actually done. We just arrived here and started drinking
from expensive, bling wine glasses with gold linings, then the classic music came along and we all began dancing. I guess the
event was more of a social event than anything else. So Laura and I went with the flow.
I was sipping on my champagne when Valerie stormed to our table looking so flushed. Her mask was slightly tipped to the side
and she was shoving something in her purse. 1
“Are you okay?” I asked leaning towards her. She looked up at me and smiled,
“Yah sure. Why are you asking?” She breathed out and pulled a glass of wine from the collection in front of us, and chugged the
whole thing down.
“Ahhhhhh... You don’t look fine.” She fixed her mask and began glancing around as if she was afraid to be seen.
“No. No shit. I am good. really.” She insisted and I decided to let it slide. I knew she would eventually spill the beans when she
felt comfortable so I wasn’t going to force her.
The twins walked from the small group they were mingling with and stood protectively behind my chair, silently announcing to the
world that I was off-limits.
“Tesoro?” Enzo called me, I looked up to find them staring down at me through their masks,
“Yes?”
“Want to dance?” He asked with a small smile and I looked at the large dancefloor. It was in full swing and people were swaying
gently to the classic piano touches, It really looked fun.
“Yeah sure,” I exclaimed and they pulled my chair back, then each took my arm and let me to the dance floor.
“So... How do we do this?” I asked when they both let go of my arms,
“Easy!” Verzi called out from my back as he laid his hands on my waist ever so gently like he was holding something that would
break at any moment. Enzo drew closer, took hold of my arms and looped them around his neck, and then laid his just above his
twins. Then we began swaying to the music.
I found myself smiling to nothing in particular, but the unhurried swaying was just so calm I felt like I was about to die. Not that I
knew how dying felt like, but I am sure it was something close to this, calm, peaceful, and pure bliss. It felt calm and serene, the
quick drumming of their hearts, against my back and front, the heat resonating from their bodies, that was all so peaceful. In
some weird way.
Minutes ticked by and eventually, the whole world disappeared, only me, the twins and the music mattered
Enzo pulled back and turned me gently with his hand, passing me to Verzi. Upon looking at him, his furrows deepened as he
pulled me to his body, his twin taking his place at my back. I had thought it was going to be hard trying to dance with them, but it
was natural, so natural that it felt like I have done it before.
“You look amazing.” He complimented and nipped the skin behind my ear. Enzo brushed his hips against my butt, his bulged
crotch making me very aware of how hard he was.
“Thank you. You look great too.” I replied with a smile, very aware of his crotch that was brushing slightly against my front. Can
someone tell me why they were horny?
“About yesterday, sorry.” He said and everything seemed to have stopped for a second. I looked up at him to find him staring
down at me, through his black mask,
“You’re apologizing.” I pointed out and he took a big gulp of air.
“Yes. At least I am trying.” He said and his twins kissed the back of my head lovingly.
“We‘re terribly sorry, Tesoro. We truly are.” Enzo added up and I really had no idea what was happening.
“Okay.”
“No really. We are sorry for everything, for stealing your life and forcing you to live this, for being with us. We love you, Ari, so
much. You are our everything and I know it’s crazy because you don’t feel it, but we do. We just don’t know how to love you. We
are toxic, ruined, unworthy of you, and this isn’t the first time we try to force ourselves on you. But that’s because you mean the
world to us. All of this, the empire we’ve built, is all because we want t o give you the whole world. So please, don’t give up on
us. Show us how to love you, because w e want to be better for you.”
Wow!
It was then I realized that the music had slowed down to a painfully slow song, that our swaying had decreased also, we were
barely moving, but the rapid drumming of their hearts and their quick breathing against my neck was all that showed that time
was ticking, and the earth was still spinning in its orbit.
“Please say something,” Verzi begged in his deep voice, I was really out of words. I didn’t know what to say to them right.
Because even Vernero the angry guy was down to earth at the moment.
“You’re right. You guys took everything from me, then forced me into your world which I am not familiar with. I don’t know what it
is you guys do, and when I get something wrong, I get locked up in the steam room or I get spanked till I can’t sit. But at the
same time, I have realized how much you guys care for me. It’s fucked up because you’re denying me my
freedom, but at the same time, you guys can burn the whole world for me. I am also trying, to b e what you guys want. To be
accustomed to your world, I am really trying.” I poured my heart o n the platter for them, they decided to open up, and if this is
where we were going to do it, so b e it.
“Our world is dark Tesoro.” Verzi was the one who replied.
“Very dark,” Enzo added up.
“I kill people like swatting a fly. To me, life is nothing. And no one is worthy of living except you. Only you deserve to have the
world.” Verzi said and I was actually surprised that he himself, went out and spilled his heart.
“It’s okay. I can’t say it makes sense, but I will try to be out of trouble. Be a bigger person in all of this...”
“You guys should get a room.” A very unfamiliar voice boomed not far from us and I felt Verzi tensing. They slowly untangled
themselves from me and stood protectively by my side, inching closer and closer to me. I glanced up at the intruder who busted
out the bubble to find a guy in a three-piece grey suit with a red mask on. His eyes were a very deep shade of blue and I am sure
he had contacts, there are no such blue eyes in this world. He was lean, a bit shorter than the twins who were bulky, and hand
an eagle tattoo protruding on his neck, its wings spreading right from his Adam’s apple. That must have hurt.
“My lady, nice to meet you. I am Xander.” He made a small curtsy and extended his hand. I tried to pull mine from Verzi to shake
his, but one glare at him had me refraining my hand. The silent warning was so loud I could literally hear the sirens going off in
their heads.
“Xander.” He said in a gravelly voice.
“Oh! I didn’t see you there. The Cattanio twins.” He mocked sarcastically and I made up my mind right there, this guy was bad
news. Explains the alpha mode and sudden shift in the twins’ behavior.
“Yeah, I am very sure you didn’t. Because we are that invisible.” Enzo spat stepping forward while pushing me towards his back
protectively. The tension quickly shifted and I swear someone was going to die in a second.
“I know right. But it’s not my fault that no one can see you. I just want to talk to the pretty lady behind you.” He informed taking a
step forward. Verzi stepped forward and the two literally covered my small frame from Xander. I didn’t want to question them,
they mentioned that everyone here was their enemy so I wasn’t going to be smarty pants and try to be a big girl. Nope! Not this
time.
“You sure are protecting her well. This makes her more intriguing. I mean, one would think she is not just one of the many lays
you guys have. So I have heard.” Xander continued pressing the wrong buttons. I felt a violent tremor coursing through Vernero,
and knew that if we spent any other second here, well, things were going to head south.
With that, I pulled on their capes to gain their attention. Enzo half turned to me with his eyes still glued on the Xander guy like he
would do something very vile if he took his eyes off him even for a split second.
“I want to go home,” I whispered so that my voice can reach only him and Verzi.
“Okay, Tesoro.” He said smoothly before turning back to Xander.
“Give it up to Xander, you lost the East, and now you answer to us.” Enzo taunted before turning without much further ado, then
took my hand in his and began pulling me out of the hall. Verzi stayed behind in the heated stare-down with Xander before he left
without a word and followed us.
By the time we stepped outside, our black Limo was right insight and we quickly hopped in. A s soon as the doors closed us in,
Verzi shifted in his seat until he laid down, with his head in my lap. Enzo on the other side placed his head on my shoulder.
I tangled my fingers in Verzi’s silky hair while I laid my own head on Enzo’s. For the first time ever since I met them, they looked
vulnerable, they were human. Not some insanely Greek gods that had everything in the world.
For the first time since the beginning of forever, they were weak, and they bared their weakness in front of me to see.
I don’t know what tugged at my heart the most, but just holding them, while the limo stretched through the city at the ghostly
hour, made me swear to be with them. They were fucked up, so fucked up that there was no redemption for them, but if I was
that piece that held their sanity together, then so be it.