Eternal Adoration [ON PAUSE]

Prologue

Prologue

ARISTIDE
A Few Months Earlier

Who is six-foot-five, unanimously regarded as menacing and violent, yet currently folded in a seat and practically trembling in his fucking boots?

Me, unfortunately.

If my calculations are right, and I passed calculus with flying colors, my state has all to do with one particular thing. Or better yet, one particular person.

I can't seem to look away from her.

The scorching hot sun might be warming my skin as it shines through the window, but her mere presence seems to downright burn my flesh.

I shake my head slightly and will myself to rein in the uncontrollable urge to grab her arm while glaring at all the other fuckers whose eyes seem to also have trouble looking away from her. Adding assaulter to my list of crimes is far from what I need at the moment.

First on the growing list might be a drink, Then a good night's sleep. Third, enough manpower to take care of every man in this place who has made it his job to watch the beautiful waitress with stars in his eyes.

The girl is completely oblivious to the attention as she floats around the diner, serving cheap coffee and greasy food. And that is what she is, only a girl. I can tell from the innocence in her movements and her carefree smile-she's young. Far too young and pure for me.

"Would you like a refill, sir?"

I grit my teeth at the sound of her voice. I don't look up, but I already know what I'll find there. Large eyes that emit nothing but goodness and the sweetest smile I've ever seen.

Giorgio, who I completely forgot sits across from me, clears his throat, and answers with a polite, "Yes, please."

I glance up from the sticky diner table I was glaring at to look at my usually unemotional cousin and underboss with a raised brow. I've known the fucker my whole life and he's the antithesis of mannered and nice.

I guess not even Giorgio's playful ass can escape the girl's warmth, huh? Fucking fantastic. I almost hurl the remaining coffee in my mug at him as his eyes remain locked on the girl while she happily refills his cup, totally oblivious to his enchantment.

I kick him under the table and his eyes snap at me. He barely bats an eye at my murderous glare, but at least he stops ogling her.

"Would you like a refill too, sir?" she asks me, her voice a melodic tune.

I grit my teeth once again. This time though, I throw caution to the wind and look up at her. Big fucking mistake. Maybe the biggest mistake of my life.

Her eyes are dark, large things. They may be unknowingly sucking the life out of me, yet I can't look away not only because they're the most beautiful things I've ever seen, but because I see something there.

Secrets. Resilience. And an undeniable fear. She hides it well thanks to her cheerful smile and sarcastic aura, but I see it nonetheless.

I must have been staring at her for a second too long because she starts to squirm uncomfortably and clutches the coffee pot tightly, probably put off by my silence.

I glance at her name tag, making it a point to ignore the swell of her curves underneath the nineties-style waitress uniforms she's forced to wear. The very same outfit that showcases her long legs that I definitely did not notice as she was prancing around the diner.

Seraphina. That's what her name tag says and I decide that it perfectly fits her. So fucking sweet, kind, and bright. Just like her.

Clearing my throat, I finally look away from her and shake my head. "I'm good. But thank you, Seraphina." For whatever reason, I say her name with much more emphasis than I intended and she notices.

Still, she only nods and smiles again. Then without even sparing me a second glance, she walks away from where Giorgio and I sit, and much to my displeasure, I feel like someone kicked my puppy.

I knew coming into this shitty diner for breakfast was a bad idea from the start. But Giorgio just had to insist it's the perfect place to be in public while still lowkey.

"You can't have her," Giorgio mutters, sipping his coffee as if he doesn't have any care in the world. As if we weren't just in the middle of a brutal gunfight yesterday.

I eye him, taking in his black hair and the equally black T-shirt he wears. It's his usual clothing of choice, no matter how much money's in his bank account. It's the Giorgio Ferrano I've always known, my cousin and right-hand man. The man that knows me best yet still not enough, apparently.

Because if he did, he'd already know that his words are futile. In my mind, Seraphina already belongs to someone.

"Who says I want her?" I ask lightly when I want to punch him in the face for thinking he can see me so clearly.

He snorts and shakes his head. "You barely glance at women for more than one second. Even as you fuck them," he emphasizes the last part, and I glare harder at him for knowing my preferences. "Yet, you've been staring at little Seraphina since you laid eyes on her."

I don't say anything, choosing to take a swing of the coffee instead. When really, I'm in dire need of something stronger.

"She's too good for you. And far too young, Aristide." He watches Seraphina as she moves from one table to the other, laughing and joking with customers.

I refuse to look at her, fearing that I won't be able to look away. "She's not that young," I grumble lowly, but of course, Giorgio hears me.

He snorts once again before taking a healthy chug of his coffee and throwing a few bills on the table. "She's eighteen. Said so herself when she was talking to the guy a few tables from us when you were too busy staring a hole through her."

For the umpteenth time since my eyes connected with Seraphina's glowing dark skin, perfect smile, and enchanting orbs, I grit my teeth. An almost fourteen years age difference. She is too young for me.

Still, the ounce of morality that's left in me is not enough to stop the thoughts of Seraphina swirling in my brain as I begrudgingly leave the diner and shuffle inside the car.

And as I know that my aim is impeccable, that I can shoot a guy dead before he realizes he's been hit, I know that we'll meet again. But until then, I'll be staying away from little Seraphina.

For my sanity and for her own good.