He brushed her hair, and carressed her cheek, 'so soft' not sure weather he deserves all the love she's pouring all of a sudden, "I was alone, to say the truth.." He demands her outmost love for him, but in reality, this woman had tore into his vulnerable roots, the feeling gave him Goosebumps. "..I'm really tenacious, not many days passed, but you became a family to me." She sniffed again. He was listening very carefully, if asked anytime after, he'd recite her very words precisely "I had priorities, and then you were added into that list."
"Zenovia-" callen drawled. "I'm telling you all this because I don't know how many days I'm left with. Being scheming, I have screwed up everything. I better die peacefully."
He hissed at her last wish. Her nice words pricked him.
"Tell me, callen. How did you come at the last moment to save me from your brothers?" She frowned. "Or were they ppulling a prank on me?"
He chuckled. " Out of all the Trevinos they're least interested in pranks." She shrinked. He caressed her back. "My mom called me when I was in the office. She was panicking. I hurried home. And I found you. If it weren't for mom.."
He never completed the sentence.
"You go to office. What do you do?" Poor zenovia never thought he'd be in the same line. "I'm the hier of my family business."
"What business?" She grew vary, moving away to see his face and safety as well.
She feared this man to be in mafia too.
His character was not the cut out for hurting people, yeah, he was aggressive Sometimes but only for her. His brothers would do a good job of it.
In her mind, it was just his dad and brothers in illegal shit.
Callen had been pure.
"We are the Mafia, Zenovia." She gulped. 'no, not you'
"We do all kinds of business no-one is legally supposed to do. We pull the strings behind the scenes. We rule The dark side of world, everyone fears to admit." Her eyes grew big. "We exist." She scooted away on her elbows he sit up and he caught her and jerked her up to him, on his lap.
"Callen?" She whimpered.
"You are with them?" She sniffed, "you will hand me over too?"
"Haven't I told you. I hold twice much power than them." She quieted, searched his eyes, He didn't blinked either.
"I thought I made it clear to you earlier." He asked confused, she had been confused about her own life to much to figure out this simple detail..
"I have to go." The Clock struck Midnight and he jumped out of bed,
Unbuttoned his shirt, his tanned skin was visible to her, he was sculpted all the way through his abs and down.. she turned her head away chatching herself.
She blushed, heat crawling up her neck. "You have seen me before." He said as a matter of fact. "Things have changed." She admitted. He grinned as she placed the pillow to hide her flushed neck.
"Let me see that face." He took her in his hands, she turned her head away. But he forced her right where he wanted her head to be. "Never hide from me." Her eyes softened, He kissed her bye.
Times like these threats from him sound real. 'He's the mafia. Is it okay for me to ignore his warnings?'
Callen opened the door to find Arlette standing there. "Mom?" Surprise lit his face as he pulled her in. "What happened?"
Zenovia peeked from inside. "Nothing sweetheart, just your dad's away from the time being so I sneaked away to greet her, heaven knows when I get the opportunity again." She laughed off with manners that cringed zenovia.
Not much she could get they went on about midway on the door, but he left soon and the lady stepped in.
'Tonight's not meant for sleep!'
"My name is Arlette, you can call me, Arlet." The lady whose curls fell upon her shoulders, added to her femenine personality. She was in night gown, purely made for rich.
Zenovia was late to offer her greetings, dragging herself out from the bed took her long. Appreciating the elderly beauty has taken time too.
"Zenovia Marcell. I'm a Doctor." She smiled as pleasantly. "Oh! I've heard a lot about you." She laughed behind her hand.
Manners.
Zenovia was confused. "Everyone talks about you, you're the talk of the house." Arlet turned sad. She sat on the bedside and gestured zenovia to do the same. "It's nice it's almost like. You have touched the sky. Feels nice to have someone like you join the family." Her eyes had always been sad. But learnt to reflect the shine since she cannot be the source.
'join the family? Me?' zenovia was left confuse, she chose not to annoy just met woman with her petty questions. What if she's just joking?
"Women are not allowed to move freely. I've preserved my doll for years, according to the rules. Inside I use to die, everyday. We all commit crimes. Different kinds. But we do." Her tears flowed like free waterfall.
"It's a family of men. I never confide with my daughter when she was here. I never had guts to. Now I'm alone. All are as good as stones." She sniffed, and had her handkerchief cover her face in seconds.
Zenovia just watched the pain and hurt pouring out all at once from a cage.
"You're going to disappear soon too." Zenovia hugged Arlet tight to shut her up.
'never. Never had I failed. I will not give up!'
"Everyone is trying their best. I'm sure amber will be back."
"Dead or alive matters, darling." Arlet's eyes pierced into zenovia's, the fact that she didn't said. Because no one is sure about that.
"My husband had killed since he was ten. My son started taking lives when he was merely twelve. His father taught him like a game. He never learnt the importance of others." Arlet's gaze remained distant, Zenovia was shocked to listen that piece of information.
"God has a cruel way of teaching his children." arlette laughed grimly, zenovia's mouth opened but nothing came out.
"Hector never lets me out either." Arlet encountered zenovia's lost expression. "My husband." She smiled. Zenovia nodded in understanding.
"You are a free soul. Good thing, callen doesn't have any obsession for keeping things locked. He is pretty open minded about such things." She patted her hands. "Not even his cousins are close to his righteousness."
"Where are their parents?" Zenovia thought she's exploiting someone's private life, but we are past that point. "Because of all the commotion that caused, hector called Gerard and Antonio to take the matter in their hands. They'll leave once everything is calmed down."
Zenovia suspected it has to be Hugo's matter, but it's always beneficial to collect more.
"What commotion?"
"Someone complained the jail staff of callen's arrival, the system is on high alert since then. You were the sole witness other than the prisoner of his presence, so the boys had brought you to quiet you." Like a storyteller she went on and zenovia's jaw dropped from slight to floor.
'Ashley!'
