Crossing the gangster

chapter 3

The minute we entered Mr Asswipe stormed off to god-knows-where, leaving me alone in this daunting fortress. I slowly made a circle, my jaw dropping slightly at the regal beauty this place held, a chandelier dripping down from the ceiling and portraits hanging on the wall that my eyes skimmed over in the frantic hurry to absorb everything.

A red carpet donned the floor and a vase of flowers rested on a wooden table pushed up against the wall. I had expected the place where the famous gangster lived to be cold, ruthless and emotionless as he appeared yet the room in which I stood held warmth, laughter and kindness. He surely did not design this himself but whoever did had to be commended for their work.

"Don't be fooled, first impressions are always there to trick the eye," I heard a female voice ring through, cutting the silence efficiently with her melodious voice.

"I am not one to judge a book by its cover if that's what you presume," I responded turning around to find a girl who could be no older than me standing at a bannister. Her luscious black hair, one that I found myself envying slightly, was pulled back into a sleek ponytail and her eyes shone with a touch of amusement.

That single sparkle in her irises told me that the two of us were going to get along just fine and after scanning me through, her slight dip of the head pointed out that she shared the same thought.

"Are you the girlfriend of satan?" I asked her, my joking tone showing her I meant no harm and the laugh that escaped her told me she took no offence. I walked towards her, following her beckoning hand as a sign that she wouldn't bite.

"You mean the asshole that prides his rule over this place? Thankfully not though it is a misery that I am his sister," She told me,  glancing up to where chris had stormed to slightly warily as if the walls too told him what was being said in this house.

"Alas, one does not have the privilege
to choose their blood," I said with faked dramatics, tossing my head to the side for a pitiful effect which received a chuckle from her. I made a mental note in my head that where chris had green eyes, his sister's was
a beautiful grey.

"I like you, Hazel right?" She asked, reminding me that I was not here to make friends in this house full of enemies. But I guess one ally couldn't hurt right? I nodded my head, shaking her outstretched hand before we proceeded to walk up the stairs.

"I'm Isabella Walter but you can call me Izzy," She declared before looping her hand in mine and dragging me up the stairs. My lips turned up slightly at the beginning of a smile, that was soon wiped off as we passed an office where, through the windows, Chris was sitting down in front of a computer.

My heels dug into a halt and I removed my hand from Izzy's embrace to tuck them in my pockets, keeping up the pace with her just fine on my own. Her lips were dipped into a small frown but she nodded her head in understanding when she realised where my gaze had flitted off to.

When we had successfully passed the door and were away from hearing distance, she spoke up, "I really am sorry for my my brother's behaviour I told him, repeatedly, that snatching you from your family was a bad idea. But when it comes to business, no one can dissuade his mind. I tried, really."

I mulled over what she said for a moment. sensing the genuine tone in her voice. "I... I don't blame you, I mean yesterday I witnessed how my brother too was driven by business so much that it is more important to him than the life of his sister."

We had stopped outside a door and I presumed this was Isabelle's destination that she had in mind. She reached forward and opened it, revealing a beautiful room.

There was a king sized bed, a vanity desk, a wardrobe and another door which led to a joint bathroom. My suitcases were already pressed against the side of a room, near the edge of a beautifully woven mat. The rooms were painted a faint beige and a chandelier hung, though not in use yet the room remain lit with the help of the window on the right side, opposite to where I stood.