Fallen Ashes |✔️

Lord

Ash huffed as we leaned against the front of his car, breathless after what felt like a lifetime under the rising sun. I was running on limited sleep, fuelled only by the adrenaline of being with him, of surviving, of achieving an escape that once would have remained the object of my distant fantasies. 

"Who did that to you?" I frowned at the more horrific-looking scars that snaked down his back. 

He remained silent, as if each scar guarded a story of its own- and something told me the wounds ran much deeper than the scars at a surface level. Despite being raised to be rivals, I expressed my silent understanding that there were many scars I knew we must both share. 

"Why did you propose to me- in front of everyone I mean. You could have kept your identity hidden; why not?" I finally voiced the question that had been eating away at me. As dramatic as it had been, I wondered why it was necessary. 

I'd already whispered my claim to him several times as we had lain across the floor under the sun as if time ceased to exist. Though part of me still remained cautious, as if all of this had meant nothing. I accepted him. I wanted him and yet a nagging part of me wanted to remember the obstacles ahead, the possibility of everything being snatched away at any second, only for me to return to the miserable reality of Vero, and my father. 

Fiancé. The word sounded less sinister now- although marriage wasn't something I planned on soon- especially not after almost being killed on my wedding day- I savoured the fact that I had a choice. Perhaps this engagement of sorts had only come about to save me, but part of me had chosen to give a part of myself away to Ash as he had done for me. 

"They needed to know who I was. You willingly left that bastard at the altar and almost died for it. I wanted everyone to know you were mine and as my fiancé, you have the protection of the Italian mafia and my father, whether he likes it or not. They'd be fools to strike at us again knowing you're protected." 

"Ash-" My voice trailed off as I couldn't find the words to express his sacrifice and my gratitude for him saving me from the world that was hell-bent on tearing us apart. 

My heart ached for Pax and Zoe and Domino, how they were faring in the aftermath of the crashed wedding. It wasn't safe to go back yet, not with father likely in a mad rage as well as Vero. The implications of being under the protection of the Italian mafia already told me enough about the new struggle that lay ahead of us. 

"I'm taking you to the mansion." Ash announced unsurprisingly. 

Well, shit.

The drive to the private residence of the Italian mafia lord felt much longer than it had the day I went looking for Ash after the masked ball. We'd gone down a route flanked with towering oaks on either side, the air crisp with no lingering smells of the bustling city. The mansion was so secluded that I wouldn't have noticed it with my sight restricted by trees with vines creeping up them and the shrubbery carpeting the ground. 

I almost let out a gasp as we drove through an archway in the hedges I hadn't noticed revealing the vast grounds of the mansion. To say it was breathtaking would have been an understatement as I eyed the ancient-looking building, the grounds boasting emerald leaves and greenery I'd never seen, the golden balconies and statues that could have been plucked from a renaissance painting. Architecturally, it was a masterpiece. Clearly the sight for all things beautiful wasn't just possessed by Ash. 

"I can't go in like this." I looked in horror at the sweater from Milia that now lay in shreds and my wedding dress that had certainly seen better days. 

"You could walk in naked." Ash suggested, a diabolical grin plastered across his face.

"You'd love that wouldn't you?" I chuckled, nudging him in annoyance.

Somehow I couldn't shake the feeling of being around him, as if being his 'fiancé' was the most natural thing in the world for me to be. But nothing about this was normal after everything had gone to shit.

I opted for the wedding dress as Ash promised to lead me to a room and find something more appropriate. Ash used the huge brass knocker twice, its sound reverberating into the mansion beyond. 

I gulped twice as I noticed a figure approach the door through the translucent glass. The door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman who undoubtedly had once been stunning, her lips pursed with what seemed to be well-contained disapproval. 

"Mama." Ash smiled by way of greeting, though the woman's features were tight with well-contained rage as if she had been expectant of his arrival for quite some time. 

"Where have you been? And who is this." She looked past her son to eye the dishevelled-looking girl in a ridiculous wedding dress. This didn't look good at all. 

The mansion opened into a vast hallway with marble floors and walls accented with gold and more symbols of wealth I could only gape at. Naturally, they were my rivals yet I silently admitted that their style was commendable. Ash waved at a few workers who whisked me across the sprawling estate to an upstairs room, leaving Ash to deal with his mother. I gulped again, unable to mumble my thanks at the sight of the simple-looking gown picked out for me. 

The room wasn't much different to my own bedroom back at the mansion- although I doubted there was any place I had left that I could call home. A trio of fussing servants who must have only been a few years older than me led me into the bathroom, almost dunking my head into the running water. I cringed at the sight of my own reflection with my face still flushed after healing from the gunshot wound- or perhaps from the pleasure-filled hours with Ash. 

They made swift work of scrubbing at my face and hair, styling it effortlessly into a more relaxed half up, half down fashion as I slipped into the silver gown which embraced my body perfectly. 

I heard the swift clacking of steps against the marble floors outside the room as Ash waited for me outside, his eyes burning with fresh desire and longing as we silently made our way to the dining room- one of the dining rooms. 

"You have no idea how badly I want to-"

"ASH." I whispered with disapproval, unable to resist the scandalously sexy curve of his lips.

"Family dinners were never a thing for us." I admitted, changing the subject and pathetically clenching and unclenching my fists in nervous anticipation. I was Venus Castellanos, and though I had sworn to never feel fear, to never express vulnerability, I was in the den of my enemies- the player of a dangerous game which I was only beginning to figure out. 

Ash made an effort to smile but we both felt the impending doom creeping up on us from his family as he placed my hand in his- the picture of unity. If anything like that could even exist in the mafia. In a union where we'd been meant to kill the other. 

I almost went careening into the servers dressed in white that whirled around the room, carrying a myriad of plates and dishes with deadly precision. 

But it wasn't the servers that made my heart stop in my chest, I realised as my gaze settled upon the Italian mafia lord seated at the head of the table. 

And found him staring back at me. 

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👀 hope u enjoyed this chapter!
see you soon for the next one:)