Everything I love gets destroyed. First, my biological family, then my adoptive parents. (Or at least I thought.) My life is a wreck, the only control I have is my mafia and company. Until one man decides he wants to change that. Fredrico Rossi, a...
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Jamila and Alfonso greet me at the door. Jamila gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and Alfonso pats my shoulder and kisses the crown of my head.
I adjust a sleeping Ivy on my chest. It was around her bedtime anyway, so I don't even know why I brought her.
In the past week i've moved out of my penthouse and into a six bedroom house. It was smaller, in a secluded area, and I had guards surrounding it twenty-four seven.
Troy went off to college this morning. I'd dropped him off and helped him settle in before I left.
I still haven't found out what that note meant or who was watching me, but i'm working on it. Just like how i'm working on finding my parents murderer, Gunther Muller.
Ever since one of his men took out my parents he's gone underground. Like I won't fucking get to him eventually.
He'll slip up sooner or later and i'll be there to kill him then. But for right now i'll have to focus on who's stalking me.
I adjust Ivy's diaper bag on my shoulder and step inside.
"Do you remember this place at all?" Jamila asks.
"I don't think so. Why?" I ask.
"You used to live here," Alfonso answered.
"We never changed homes unless you remembered where we lived and came back to us. Your father practically embedded our address into your mind when you were little so if you ever got . . ."
Jamila cleared her throat and looked down, "you'd know where to come home too."
Jamila was too emotional for me. But I don't know what I would do if my child was taken and ripped away from me, then seeing her almost eighteen years later and it's like she's a different person.
I do remember being close to her as a child.
I remember once a week she would massage oil into my scalp and brush my hair while we practiced my Arabic.
We used to play, and sing, and dance. Jamila used to play the Harp while I would sit and read my favorite children's book.
We used to garden, play jigsaw puzzles, go out for ice cream, go to the park, we used to do everything under the sun while the boys and Alfonso were out.
Aaya and Amir were just toddlers at the time, so it was easy for us to do things while they took a nap. My favorite thing to do was be with my mother.
Until it wasn't.
"Valentina?"
I avert the painting on the wall and look at them. "Do you still play the Harp?" I ask Jamila.
She looks at me with surprise, "you remember?"
I nod my head, "I remember you used to play the Harp while I would read my favorite children's book. I think it was-"
