HIS ASSASIN

Three

ALEXIA-

I didn't know if they knew that I knew but she definitely did. I doubt that they'd let her form a connection with someone who was gonna die anyway, unless he was planning to deceive her too. But that would just be plain mean. Plus, unless they had some sort of agenda about women remaining innocent there was really no need to coddle the girl, she had to of seen something.

"My name is Alexia, you're his sister?" I was pretty certain but I had to ask anyway. "Yeah, I am, You're his wife, you're pretty." She analysed me as she spoke. Like in the sort of way you would analyse prey, sizing me up, seeing what type of person I was. She looked at me through deer stunned eyes, but behind was an aura of darkness that I could barely help but recognise. in myself and people like me, like us. I didn't know why she had to pretend to be something she wasn't, but I didn't care for now. She wasn't the only one who had to keep up an act for a little while.

"Thank you," I gave her my dearest smile, "And no, not his wife yet, kinda need to meet him first for that." I gave a small chuckle to which she gave in return. "Where is he by the way? The anticipation is killing me." It wasn't, the adrenaline was. This wasn't a game this was my life, and I knew everyone knew that, except from me, in their little perfect world.

"Yeah you must be dying to meet him, I'll go tell him to hurry up, I'll be back!" She was a bubble of energy as she spoke, and there was no doubt in my mind that it wasn't an act. No one was that happy to speak to someone who was going to die at the hands of their family. And I knew that she knew, she had to.

I trusted no one here, not the driver, not his sister, not his very dying father and definitely not him.

"Hello, I'm Damian" Oh how formal, he was in a suit and tie to top it off. Turning around from the couch once again I saw him. Stood at around at least six foot four he was a beast, his muscles peeked through his blazer as it stretched around his sheer mass. I had seen him already from the photos of his family but witnessing him in reality was a whole different story. The perfect image of a family man that was painted in the media was simply a distraction from the darkness that was him. The photographs could not capture the full impact of his physical presence, nor could they convey the commanding aura he exuded when he entered the space. Standing there, he drew attention effortlessly. I found myself captivated by the difference between the images I had seen and the reality I was now facing.

Dominance, a word that even at its highest could not convey the sheer amount of power the man exuded with just a look. His guards stood before him, obedient servants in his sea of control. I could see it.

Respect rolled off them like their sweat, every breath they took worshipping his soul. So he did pretty well for himself considering the circumstances I'd give him that, but without me, this place may very well fall apart.

"Hello, I'm Alexia, nice to meet you." I flashed him my greatest smile as I got up from off the couch. I held my hand out to meet his and he
did with a firm embrace. He examined me as we touched, his eyes looking into the deepest parts of my soul as we locked eyes. He took a moment to admire me, from top to bottom he peered at me with what I could only describe as lust in his eyes. "Nice to meet you too, you are beautiful I must say." Oh, how sweet.

"Thank you, you are rather captivating yourself." I gave him a sheepish smile as I took his compliment. "Come, follow me." He gestured in the direction of another area of the house, and I followed behind him. We approached another, more intimate lounge room that was a few hallways down from the last one. The room had sunset hues from all of the ambient lighting that encapsulated it, it gave a very homely feel and gave a personality that contrasted the white marble that was at the entrance of the mansion. "Please, take a seat, this is your home now you are to do as you please." The illusion of control was a beautiful one at last. I acted as he spoke beside that and planted myself comfortably on the fur linen of the couch. "Thank you for making me feel so comfortable."

"No worries," He sat opposite me as he spoke. "So, is there anything you wanted to know about me?" He tilted his head as he questioned me. Deceiving me under the guise of care when I saw the predator beneath. I would play the part for a little while but this couldn't go on much longer, it would just be prolonging the inevitable. "I met your sister before, do you have any other siblings?"

"Yes I have a brother, Zidann and a cousin who is like a brother to me, Killian, but he is not here today." I wonder why, I'd never heard of a cousin of his. "Oh, I didn't know of a cousin, when will I get the chance to meet him?"

"Soon enough, may I ask you something?" He brushed the topic off quite quickly but that wasn't something I could focus on right now.

"Sure, go ahead."

"How much were you told about our family?" And the act was up.

"I was given a picture of your family and why you guys needed me."

"And what was the reason you were given?"

"Your shit is falling apart," I spoke with the same slight friendly grin that I carried for most of the conversation so far.

"I see, would you like to expand on that?" He kept his appearance of nonchalance quite well up until this point a twitch of his eyebrow revealing his irritation of the way I spoke.

"Would you?" I mean he did say he had one question, I didn't mean to waste his time but if he'd simply said that he wanted all of my information in return for nothing then I would have cut this short and said no.

His demeanour stayed put as he took a slight pause before speaking again, I could tell that by how he must have figured that I wasn't going to be the deer in headlights that he wanted me to be, definitely not as naive as he once thought.

"No." A stern, cold answer from the one and capo. "What a shame." He raised his eyebrows at the snarky remark but left it at that.

"What exactly are you running from, I know that you must need us as much as we need you right?" He was right, kind of.

"No one that concerns you for now."

"You're gonna need to stop being so secretive."

"Oh? And why's that?" I would love to hear this one.

"You are in my house, under my roof, and now under my protection. Aside from me obviously needing to know what the fuck I'm protecting you from, you serve me and this house just like everyone else. You belong to me now."

"Well, that was a bold statement, we're not even married yet, head over heels already?" I chuckled to myself while he continued to stare at me from the couch in front of me. "I don't belong to you, I don't belong to anyone. You're my future husband and you won't even tell me why the house I'm marrying into needs to take a woman for all of her money to survive, and you expect me to what? Give up everything. No can do sir."

"Okay, we can do it like this then. You're gonna tell me where the money is and who's after you or I'm going to find out for myself, and I promise you won't like it."

"And how do you plan to do that then?" I knew exactly what he was going to do. The same thing I would have done, put me in a basement and torture me until I got what I wanted.