Relationship Status: Mafia

Chapter 54

________Alice POV_______

Most days, I am up at a reasonable time in the mornings, but today I slept past noon. That is probably due to the overwhelming excitement of last night, plus the amount of liquor I consumed during that chaotic three-ring circus certainly played a part. The hangover I woke up with made getting out of bed even harder than holding an engaging conversation with my father. It felt like I had run headfirst into a brick wall and now faced the painful repercussions. Then, rapid knocks came from my door, and my ears rang painfully.

"Go away for the love of God!" I yelled, covering my ears with my hands.

The door opened despite my protest. I can hear the irritation in the sigh that comes from the intruder.

"You've been sleeping all day," It was Zhen who barged in.

I craned my neck to the side to glare at him, "So?"

"Spare me the attitude, cop. Get dressed." He barked and crossed his arms.

I stood up with my hands on my hips, "For what occasion?"

The exasperation is starting to crease the lines on Zhen's tired face. He looked like he'd been up all day with the bags that were collecting underneath his eyes. Enough bags to be considered luggage.

"Just get dressed; it doesn't matter what you wear, just be ready in five minutes. And don't take forever to piss me off on purpose."

He slammed the door shut at that, and I mocked his voice as I headed into the bathroom. I threw some cold water on my face to freshen up and fix up my hair to look presentable. I quickly pulled on pants, a cotton shirt, and paired sneakers together before deeming the outfit casual.

While exiting the bedroom, I spot Matsuo dressed casually in a simple shirt and jeans just as I am. He remained expressionless as I approached, just like the first day of our unforgettable meeting. When I looked closely at Matsuo's face, I did find trails of bruises along his left cheek and above the brow bone. There was a butterfly bandage on his brow that held the split together that was most likely going to leave a scar.

"So, where are we headed?"

Neither one of them answered and moved in synced toward the elevator. I did not have a good feeling in my gut, and it wasn't because of this hangover. Unfortunately, I had to follow them without knowing where they were leading me. As we made our way down, a rapid string of thoughts pelted my brain. What if interrupting Matsuo and Kenji was the final nail in the coffin, and I'm finally going to be killed? I'm pretty sure rejecting Matsuo last night did not help with my situation either. I can't keep entertaining these thoughts, thinking of the worst-case scenario until it drives me crazy.

The elevator landed on a floor a couple of levels lower than the penthouse. I tilt my head, watching the men step out and wait for me. Matsuo grew impatient and grabbed my arm to pull me out before the doors could close.

"Wait a minute!" I wiggled in his grasp.

"Shut it." He warned in a low voice. "Do me a favor, and don't speak."

I was about to say something snarky but completely forgot when he glared and squeezed my arm. Testing Matsuo's temper is not something I want to pursue today. I nodded and kept my eyes down to avoid his. He lingered a moment with his grip softening and released a heavy sigh when letting go of me.

Matsuo led the way with Zhen and I following behind, down a long corridor. There are numbers on doors that are on each side of the hallway, which means this area is rooms for guests to use. A long emerald, green carpet covered the floor down to the very last door at the end of the hallway. Zhen knocked a few times before the door opened slightly. With the two men standing in front of me, I couldn't see who we had come to meet. However, when they walked in, I was surprised to be greeted by Nanomi.