*Mafia boss and his lost love*
Alessa Romanov had endured a difficult childhood. Kidnapped at two years old, she had no memory of her biological family and spent fifteen years in captivity. It wasn't until her stepfather's death that she was finally...
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15 YEARS AGO
"Alessa! Alessa, where are you, baby?" He called out with a hint of frustration in his voice. Thunder rumbled outside, and Lorenzo wondered why they had to go out to dinner today of all days. "We're leaving, where are you?"
Despite his exasperation, Lorenzo couldn't help but smile as his little sister appeared behind him, wrapping her tiny arms around his leg and giggled.
"You look really pretty," he said to her with a smile.
"Ugly Enzo," she giggled, flicking his hair. Ever since she heard Xander call their brother ugly, she hasn't stopped saying it.
Lorenzo didn't mind. "That's not very nice," he fake frowned, carrying her to the car. Their father was starting the car; all the other boys were already seated in it. Lorenzo helped his sister into the car, and Xander pulled his little sister into his lap. She continued to giggle. No one knew why she was laughing; she just laughed for no reason. They had no complaints.
The rain got harder as Xander continued to laugh with Alessa in the backseat. Lorenzo saw their father, Alexander, frown, looking through the rearview mirror, before hitting the accelerator harder.
"Dad, slow down," Lorenzo said, making sure his siblings couldn't hear. "We can't see three feet ahead–"
Suddenly, there was a deafening crash. Metal screeched against metal, and they all lurched forward as the car toppled over, glass shattering. Xander's head hit the window with a sickening thud. He could feel warm blood trickling down his forehead. His dad and brothers were all injured too, groaning in pain.
Alessa.
Where's Alessa?
He looked around wildly as the rain spread the blood into his eyes. He ignored the pain and squinted.
As Xander tried to gather his wits, he saw a group of men approaching the car. They were dressed in black and had masks on, and Xander knew instantly that they were his father's enemies. One of the men reached in and tried to take Alessa, who was crying and reaching out for Xander.
He tried to hold onto her, but his arms were too weak from the crash. The man snatched Alessa away, and Xander could hear her screaming for him as they dragged her off. The last thing he saw before everything went black was Alessa's tear-streaked face disappearing into the distance.
***
Alexander sat at the head of the long mahogany table in the family office, his expression grave. Water dripped from his wet hair, which he hadn't bothered to dry. His sons sat around him, each one looking just as serious. Xander continued to pick at the bandage on his forehead.
Finally, Alexander spoke. "She's gone," he said, his voice hardly more than a whisper.
The room fell into stunned silence, thunder rumbling in the distance. The weight of their father's words hung heavy in the air. The brothers all knew what he meant.
Their little sister had been taken by someone, and they had no idea where she was.
