Chase Me

Chapter One: Acquaintance

Bellona

I felt a sharp prick on the base of my spine. I flinched but my mother caught my shoulder. "Back straight, Bellona. Don't slouch."

I made my shoulders sink and my mother slapped me on the arm. I laughed and I caught a quick glimpse of her smile. It was gone when the front doorbell rang. I straightened, eyes going to the door. My dress felt tight and I felt sick at the moment. I discreetly moved away from my mother and towards the rest of the party. I quickly grabbed a champagne glass off a tray as a server passed me by. He gave a quick smile and then nodded, disappearing behind the back curtain.

Lucky. They could come and go as they pleased, and nobody would know where they were or give a shit about it. I exhaled and tipped the glass back, swallowing all the contents in one gulp. It didn't go as smoothly as I'd seen actresses do and I felt the liquid drip down the sides of my mouth and my chin. I quickly rubbed it away with my arm, catching a glare from the other side of the room. One of my aunts did a quick up and down of me.

What I should've done was smile and ignore them. But I've never been a quiet one. I gave her a hand gesture that relied heavily on the middle finger and then turned away. The fabric of the dress was tight around my arms. The sleeves went down from my shoulders to my arms. The dress was miserably backless and I wouldn't say I liked that. Not that I didn't want to show skin, of course. My body, my choice. Just, it was freezing here and I was getting goosebumps everywhere. It was getting dark too.

The last embers of sunlight died on the marble floor as cool October air with a hint of salt hit my back. In the distance, somewhere far past my troubles, I could hear the crows cawing. To each other or maybe to me.

What I wouldn't do to just leave.

I left my glass on a table nearby and quickly smoothed down the front fabric of my dress that went loosely from my hips to my ankles. Modest. And easy to move in. Which was good, because I was supposed to have fun, and enjoy the party. Enjoy my engagement party to the heir of one of the most highly respected mobs in the states.

I know. That escalated very quickly. You must've thought this was some birthday party or wedding. Well, it was leading up to a wedding, Mine. And the person I was supposed to marry just entered through the doors.

The first thing I saw was the hair. Brown-so dark it bordered on black. Unlike other mob leaders, his nickname was not something dark or scary or gruesome. With his hair and skillful hands that knew many trades, people called him Apollo. The god of practically everything. I snorted and covered it with a cough so no one would notice.

With his hair and name being warm, his eyes were the complete opposite. Grey. And they were directed to my mother at the moment. His hand came out and grasped hers, then he leaned down and placed a kiss on her knuckles.

Prick.

She chuckled and pulled her hand away, gesturing for a hug. I could practically read her lips from here.

"Oh, no. We do that to greet guests, not family. Come here!"

He gave a tight-lipped smile and hugged her. His father gave him a pat on the back and then turned to my father. I watched as their hands met; my father's dark hand and Mr. Griffin's light hand. They shook, both men's eyes cold.

I felt a punch at my shoulder and was about to spin around and strike whoever it was but I met the eyes of Elio. He grinned at me and I relaxed. "You really need to be careful. I was about to hit you."

"You can barely hit a punching bag," he retorted, placing his hands in his pockets and joining me in standing, facing the door.

"I can hit it harder than you," I bit back.

I could hear the smile in his voice. "Sure. Whatever you say, Bella."

I turned to him. "Don't call me that. Reminds me of Twilight."

He laughed, giving me a shove. "Ew. What would that make me then?"

"I don't know," I said, also laughing. "I didn't bother watching all the films."

He shook his head and turned to face forward. His back went taut. I turned to look at him. His face was stern, cold. Being my best friend and also the heir to become boss of another outfit, he was expected to look this way. Cold. Emotionless. But never with me. I turned my gaze to see what he was looking at and grey eyes met mine.

Amo Griffin. My fiancé.

I resisted the urge to gag.

It wasn't that Amo was ugly, that I was sure he wasn't. With the tall frame, broad shoulders, and that constant wicked glint in his eyes, I knew many girls threw themselves at him. And that fact alone was enough to make me despise him.

I watched Amo wrap up his conversation and head in my direction, eyes never leaving me. I turned to Elio, but he was gone. I spotted him at the other end of the room, talking to another girl. His eyes found mine and I sent all the fury I could with my look. He shrugged apologetically then jutted his chin out towards me. I followed his action and saw Amo standing in front of me, rather close. I stepped back, and before he could come closer, I stuck out my hand with my expression neutral. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Griffin."

His eyes flickered from my hand to my face. Then he held my hand and pulled me closer. I dug my heels into the ground to keep my distance. He leaned down to my ear and drawled, "Pleasures all mine."

I yanked my hand back and stepped away, regaining my posture and expression to mimic neutrality. In return, he shoved his hands in his pockets and watched me with his head slightly tilted.

"Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Griffin?"

He tsked, head shaking slightly. "Don't call me that. Sounds like my father."

"Well, I believe you should get used to it since you will be taking your father's place soon."

His eyes wandered over my dress. "You look beautiful," he said, completely ignoring my words.

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. If he wasn't going to be proper then why should I? "Honestly, what do you want?"

He shrugged, which should have seemed awkward but looked so proper with him doing it. He ran a hand through his hair. "I was just trying to get to know my wife-to-be." His mouth was pulling to the side as if he was resisting the urge to smile. He was amused.

I cringed and I didn't realize that I did until I saw a small smile spread across his face. "So, she isn't a statue."

I absently brought my fingers to my necklace and began twirling the small pendant under my dress. Voices called and I looked over Amo's shoulder to my mother who was waving for me. I looked around. All the guests had arrived. The small box in the pocket of my dress was weighing heavily now and when I looked at Amo and saw a similar box in his hand, his fingers playing with it in his hand, I knew I couldn't stall this any longer.

Amo looked at me with a wicked grin. "Ready, fiancée?"

I didn't give him a reply. I just spun on my heel and headed for my mother, hands held in front of me. I didn't miss his laugh. How could I, when I could feel it in my toes?