Destined For You (The Ludovica Siblings #3)

Prologue

Three updates a day but only when I will receive a minimum of thirty comments on each chapter.

I worked really hard for this book, writing so much that my migraine got triggered yet I kept writing 🙂

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EZEKIEL 

(Age Ten)

Thunder clapped somewhere at a distance, its faint sound reaching my ears as I stared out of the window in silence. Behind me, I could hear Cyrus, my younger brother, talking to Mom about how his day had gone.

Then all of a sudden, there was complete silence, the thunder had stopped and Cyrus's voice drowned out too.

"Mom?" The panic in his voice made me whip around.

Our Mom lay on the bed looking lifeless in that long nightgown, with IV tubes attached to her hands and a heart monitoring machine on the nightstand.

Her eyes were open but they stared blankly over Cyrus's shoulder as he gently shook her. "Mom? Are you listening to me?"

I made my way over to her and glanced at the monitor where a single line ran. No heartbeat. 

My hands and feet turned cold as I gently pushed Cyrus aside and placed my palm over where her heart is supposed to be. I didn't believe the machine, it could be false but when I didn't feel a single heartbeat for a whole minute I knew it was true.

Being diagnosed with a brain tumour, Mom had several episodes where she would just stop responding in any way but would eventually recover but this time I knew she wasn't coming back.

It was funny how numb I felt, not a single emotion running through me. 

I faced my brother who looked up to me, expecting me to tell him that everything was fine. But I couldn't lie to him.

Just then I heard our front door creak, indicating the arrival of Dad. Cyrus was quick to rush out to him and a moment later they both entered with Cyrus holding his hand, dragging him inside.

"She...she isn't saying anything." He explained to Dad with tears in his eyes.

Dad glanced at the monitor, at his wife and then at me and I shook my head slowly.

His face crumpled and he rushed over to Mom, leaning down to her he ran his palm over her eyes, closing them. He held her face in his palms, gazing at her for a long time before very softly kissing her lips.

"I am so sorry", he murmured to her, sobbing quietly. "I love you, please don't leave us."

Cyrus realised that mom was no more and with a loud sob he fell down to his knees.

Dad rested his forehead on hers, tears falling down his eyes.

And then we heard a loud crash as if the front door had been broken. Dad's head snapped to us, tears streaking his cheeks and panic gripping his eyes.

"I need you both to hide." He said to us. "Go."

Cyrus was still crying and I couldn't understand why we needed to hide.

When we heard some footsteps reaching the room, Dad grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me. "Hide, Ezekiel. Quick. Now."

That caused me to work past as I grabbed Cyrus and then I was hauling him inside the closet and closed the door.

"Shh..." I told him, wiping away his tears and pulling him in my arms.

He buried his face in my chest and sobbed silently while I slid open the closet door just a little bit, enough to peek outside.

Dad pulled out a pistol from the nightstand drawer but cursed when he realised that he had run out of bullets.

As if on cue, the bedroom door was slammed open and a talk, dark-haired man entered inside, a pistol hanging from his fingers casually.

"A thriving company yet you refuse to give me back my money?" That man drawled.

Dad had already wiped away his tears and scowled at him. "Get the fuck out of here, Alessandro. You already have thirty per cent of the company, what more do you want?"

"What I want is for you to return my money which you invested in the company. I don't care if I have its shares or not." His features hardened and he glared at Dad. "I want my money back. Now."

Dad had spent most of our money on Mom's treatment. I don't know how he will pay his debts.

That man, Alessandro's eyes fell on mom and then to the monitor and his features softened subtly.

"Is she dead?" He asked in a low, curious tone.

"Just leave. At least let me mourn her in peace."

But he was heartless as he cocked his gun and pointed it at Dad. "I came here to settle this once and for all. I already extended the deadline for you. Not anymore."

I didn't think twice before sliding open the door and running out to Dad and I stood in front of him, pretending to be his shield. "No!"

For a second, both of the men froze. Then Dad started to push me away. "Ezekiel, no. Go away."

"I will not let this man hurt you, Dad." I stated firmly, glaring straight at that man.

He cocked his head at me in amusement. "How old are you?"

"Ten."

"Hmm..." He sized me up. "And you think you can fight me?" His sentence ended on a cough and he rubbed his chest.

"What's wrong in trying? I want you to leave us alone, our mom just died. Just go away."

His eyes jumped between me and Dad and he scratched his stubble, ruminating about something.

He finally tucked away his gun. "You are quite brave for a ten-year-old boy. You have the potential in you."

He addressed Dad, "Here's a deal instead. Since your company is thriving but you probably spent all the money on your wife and I see your company reaching great heights, I will offer you a deal."

"Just give me a few months and I will return your money," Dad spoke.

"Forget about the money. I want you to sign a contract instead. I have a daughter, once she grows up, I want your son to marry her and with it, I will even return all my shares of your company."

What? No.

"That's fucking ridiculous. Why would you do that to your daughter?"

Some foreign emotion crossed his face. "I only have the best interests for her. And I have my reasons for proposing a marriage. Either this or your children will lose both their parents today."

No. An arranged marriage? I might only be just ten but I didn't want an arranged marriage. I wanted to find my true love.

A minute more of arguing ensued between them and Dad muttered, "I agree."

And with that, my fate was sealed and my dreams were shattered.