𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍 | 𝟏𝟖+

𝐗𝐈𝐈 | 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑

"I want so badly to protect you from this world because I know all too well how bad it can be"

❦

GIANNA ROSE
Sofia played with the other kids, laughing and running as they played around at the park. I sat on the bench watching her as she played looking so happy and carefree. That's how I always see her, so happy, little does she know that not only is she being hunted but I'm on the bad side of two mafias. That her father is in some bad shit that I don't know half about.

It's been two months since what happened with Rowan and Lorenzo. I'm still working at LUX, and Lorenzo is always either gone or locked away in his office, sometimes during my shows I see him in one of the booths watching me, but it's not the same as before. Sofia talks about her dad a lot and how much she misses him, even mentions how much she misses her uncles. Mila and Raphael have become distant after a heated fight over how he's started avoiding her a little after what happened between Rowana and Lorenzo.

Over the past two months, I've also been looking at new places to move to. It's no longer safe here for me and Sofia, I'm leaving everyone behind and taking Sofia with me to another place where we will find new identities and get a small restart at life. I know it won't last forever but I'm trying to give my daughter the best life possible.

I don't know where Rowan is or if he will ever find us but he must understand I'm doing this for a reason. Not to take his daughter away from him but to protect her, to give her the life she deserves away from the mafia life. A part of me hopes he finds us and considers running away with us, but the other part of me knows that no matter where Rowan goes danger will always follow.

"She doesn't deserve what she has coming, so young and innocent, she doesn't realize how much danger she is in right now while she plays at this park." Leonid comes into my view seating himself next to me. His dark hair was messy, stubble perfectly edged, he wore a dark grey trench coat over his grey suit, black loafers shined, a watch on his wrist, and rings on his fingers. "Rowan hasn't returned to us in over two months, Gigi, and you made a terrible mistake teaming up with that god-forsaken Marcelio's."

"It's good to see you two, Leo, but I don't know where Rowan is and what I do with the Marcelio's is none of your business," I grit. Leo let out a dark chuckle, his deep voice made it even darker, he has always held so much power, people practically kiss the floor he walks on and fear his own shadow. My brother is a ruthless man, yet deep down inside, he has a soft spot for so little things.

My father made him that way, he turned his son into the leader he wanted without seeing the monster he created.

"Hmm, I've noticed you and Mr. Marcellio have become much more distant with each other since Rowan gave you a visit two months ago which he chose to hide from us." My body suddenly tensed at his words, he's been watching me, my father, too. Sofia played with a little boy who pushed her on the swings, she screamed and laughed with a huge smile on her face showing her tiny teeth.

Leonid let out a sigh scooting closer to me, he looped his arm around my shoulder pulling me in while his lips pressed against my hair. "Mark my words, Gianna Rose Rostov, you may be my sister and Valentine's daughter but Sofia is the Russian Mafia's future. Father will not stop until he gets her, even if he must kill you or Rowan or anyone that comes in our way. But... I may or may not agree with all of my father's plans, you are my sister that is my niece who I love like my own, and although I will not act on my father's plans, he will, and despite being the leader of the Russian Mafia there is nothing I can do to stop him."

His big hand cupped my head bringing my temple to his lips.

"I love you, baby sister, but this is your death bed, not mine," he whispered. Leo stood up abruptly fixing his coat, Sofia suddenly ran up to him, and he bent down catching her in his arms.

"Uncle Leo!" Sofia squealed.

"My little assassin, I've missed you!" He squeezed her tight before setting her down, he stayed lowered at her height with a smile on his face. "Now, I can't stay long but do you want to see a magic trick?"

Sofia gasped nodding her head with a huge grin. Leo raised his hand to the side of her face sweeping back her dark hair behind her ear, pulling back with his palm on display and a single red rose in the palm of his hand. I've never known how he managed that trick but he always did it when he was sending a threat. This time he wasn't threatening anyone, no, he was sending a warning.

How I knew was that was because when Sofia carefully took the rose out of his palm, a bit of something red was left behind on his palm from the pedals. Leo turned his head to look at me over his shoulder, his lips lifted at the side as he snapped his palm shut.

"I must go--"

Leonid cut himself off when Mila walked over here. Her short dark hair was messy yet sexy, her brown eyes lined with a winged liner, her lips painted a dark pink, she wore a brown trench coat, her black heels also in view. She stopped in her tracks in front of Leonid, her expression unreadable while he held a smirk. He stood up towering over her frame, flicking a piece of her hair out of her face with his finger.

"And who must you be, you beautiful, beautiful flower?" Leo held a small grin as he lowered his voice letting the words breathlessly escape him. Mila knew who he was and already grew a hatred for him before she ever met him, I didn't think Leo would react this way but something changed in his demeanor all of a sudden.

"Mila Castillo, and you must be Leonid, Gianna's monster of a brother," Mila spat out. Her eyes narrowed on him; her arms crossed over her chest in anger. She has always had a short temper and fiery attitude, and a need to protect the ones she loves.

Leonid stepped closer to her pinching her chin between his two fingers softly, "say my name again, it sounded good." Mila slapped his hand away causing him to back away with a dark chuckle, my eyes narrowed in a glare at him but I didn't move, nor did I say a word as Sofia ran off to play again.

"Put your filthy hands on me again and you won't have any," Mila gritted.

"Don't worry, you grow to like my hands at some point, until the next time, Mila Castillo." Leonid threw something in the air toward her as he turned around and walked away to the black Audi waiting for him.

"Gianna, what the fuck--"

"I'm taking Sofia and we're leaving, to someplace new, to someplace safe," I blurted. Mila's brows scrunched in confusion, she sat next to me placing her arm behind me.

"I'm coming with you--"

"No, it's too dangerous--"

"Gianna fucking Rose, I am coming with you and that is final, you two are my family, and you better plan on bringing Dante too because he's also a part of this." Tears threaten to spill from my eyes, and my chin trembled.

"Mila--"

She cut me off by wrapping me in her arms, I couldn't hold it anymore, and I burst out crying. All of the stress was too much, I am so tired of it all. I was going to leave without them whether they like it or not, I can't risk it. My mother used to tell me that sometimes love is sacrifice, and I believe that now more than ever. Because love is sacrifice and even though Mila and Dante are my family, Sofia is my daughter, my DNA, my own. And I could only hope Rowan finds us someday, and escape with us.

But that's not how this was going to end, it will always end in blood, death, and fucking war.

❦

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