Respect

Chapter 4: Knight; Unknown

Daniel's POV
I was finally in front of her. It took everything out of me to muster the courage to show myself to her and took everything else out of me when I saw the look in her eyes at my sight. Disgust. That's all I saw in her beautiful ocean blue eyes.

I knew she would not even think twice about a man like me. A brute and a criminal. A murderer and a beast. How could someone so innocent, so pure be with someone like me.

I had been watching her for quite some time now. I first lay sight on her at the café she worked in at some point. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on. Her hair was as dark as night and the way she played around with it had me in awe. Her eyes were a perfect ocean blue, which immensely complimented her fair skin. Her lips were a perfect pink, although I think that was her lip gloss, but either way, it suited her. She was my definition of perfection.

Calm, gentle, loving and most of all graceful

I could never really get her out of my head, not that I tried. There was something about her and her....form. She was like no other. Her voice was sweet and her poise was admirable. She was kind to everyone around her, and everyone loved her. That's not something I could say for myself.

Her name itself made me smile. Athena. For sure, she was a goddess. The goddess of my heart. She was strong willed in everything she did. I adored her greatly. Her strength to keep fighting even in the toughest battles of her life really drew me to her.

I knew she was an orphan now, and I wanted to comfort her so badly. Just to get a chance to hold her small frame in my arms and to pull her close to my heart, so she could hear just how my heart beats just for her, just for a moment. All things that I knew deep down would never come to pass.

Athena was truly an amazing woman. I swore to watch over her and make sure that although she was going through a lot in her life, no one would dare lay a hand on her.

The previous years had been tough for her, I knew. I watched as she struggled to care for her mother and brother. I sometimes wanted to approach her and offer some form of help, but I knew, she would never accept money or anything else that was attached to the likings of me. So, I just made sure she was safe at all times. Whether or not she knew I was there was enough for me. I never wanted anything else than to take care of her and show her how much I loved her. Deep down I wished for the day when she would recognise me as something other than a killer and come to me herself or at least, allow me to go to her, but I brushed it aside, it would never happen. Such perfection doesn't deserve imperfection at this level.

I know, it sounds crazy, how can a man like me possibly know how to love and what love is? Trust me, I sometimes ask myself that too. But there is just something about her that carries me away. I don't know if it's love or an obsession, I mean, I have been watching her, and now that I say it, it sounds kind of psychotic. But call me psychotic or whatever you choose, I love Athena Grace O'Mara.

After my encounter with her and seeing her reaction, I knew in my heart that I would never get her. She was scared of me and she ran. Remembering how she looked at me with such anger, fear, disgust....it took a lot to take it all in. She would never see me as anything other than a monster worthy of execution. Everything about me disgusted her. Not to mention my line of work which was no myth to anyone. She would never settle for a drug lord, a mafia boss, a murderer, a criminal....never.

I can't say I wanted to be what I am today, it's not like I had a choice. Being the only male survivor besides my sister, of my family's ambush, my grand father took me and my sister in after our parents were brutally murdered in what was said to be a car 'accident', but we all knew better. In this business, nothing is ever just a 'coincidence'. My sister being young at the time couldn't take over the family business, so, many of my father's businesses were put in my name awaiting the day I would take over.

My grand father spent most of his time training me, psychologically, physically and mostly emotionally. He knew that each of these would be a test for me and he made sure to test me in each of these situations.

He took me with him on his business trips to watch and learn. 'Watch' how to tackle a problem and 'learn' how to read people. Everything was a lesson, from how he sat to how he spoke. He was not the greatest mafia leader for nothing, and I must say, I learned from the best.

I would never be who I am today without him. I owe him my all. For the longest time before he died, he always said the same thing, "I will only die, when I'm certain that you are ready", and on the day he was ambushed, people don't know this, but he knew they were coming and sat in his favourite seat across the fountain, with his favourite glass of Swedish scotch in his hand and waited for them. I remember he told me;

"You're ready, and I know for sure, you will be ruthless"

And I swore to make him proud. I never felt bad that he told me to leave, I think he knew I would find the bastards that murdered him. He died proud, that I know and I live and fight everyday to live up to our name. Though he was a pain at times, I still loved him.

Prior to that, my grand father wasn't really into, 'love'. Now, you'd ask how he had children, well, my grand mother was forced to marry him. Not so noble huh, but then again, who ever said we were 'noble men'. Family was the driving force of our organisation, we were raised to be loyal to our family and to only trust, our family.

Though he loved having an extended family, he wasn't much of a 'family man', and neither was his son. The men in our family were business oriented, and the women were worse. So, I knew my sister would grow to live up to her name.

They weren't into allowing your emotions to get in the way of progress. So, my latest conquest would have to be kept secret. I loved her, but her presence was greatly distracting me and if my relatives found out, she would be immediately executed and I couldn't have that. Athena would have to be protected not only from worthless men, but also from my own family, and I would see to it.