Pleasurable Pain

Chapter 12 - Everything

Maxon's POV

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I let my anger take control of me last night. Seeing her so unbothered by the fact that I knew her lies pissed me off more than anything.

It made me want to use her pretty little mouth, and not for talking. So that's what I did.

I'm shirtless in a chair as I sit near the edge of the bed watching her sleep. I untied her wrists while she was sleeping, and I put my shirt on her.

I watch her chest rise slowly as she takes steady breathes. I thought about what I should do with her.

I talked to Andrea. She said Sophia saved her from Stefano. She kept asking why I was asking about her, so I just hung up the phone. I imagine she's not pleased with me for that.

If Sophia helped Andrea then why is she helping Stefano now? I need answers from her. Answers I will get.

My eyes snap to her when her breathing gets a bit faster. She's awake. She stays unmoving, keeping her eyes closed. Does she think I'm stupid?

I slowly walk over to her, and as soon as I'm standing in front of her she grabs my arms pulling me onto the bed.

Straddling me she headbutts me, and I groan in pain. She quickly gets off the bed running to the door.

I grab her arm yanking her back. I use my foot kicking her leg to make her fall, but she wraps her arms around my neck making me fall to the ground with her.

Once we're on the ground she pushes me making me roll off her as she tries to get up. I pull her leg dragging her back towards me.

"Calm the fuck down!" I yell at her, but she doesn't listen, kicking me in the face.

"Fuck!" I say letting go of her foot. She sprints out of the door, and I slowly stand up. I'm starting to lose my damn patience.

When I leave the room she's standing at the front door that's locked, and can only be unlocked by my handprint.

I brought her to one of Lorenzo's old empty bases in California. They don't know I'm here of course. They also don't know that I had my hand print inserted into his security locks, but what you don't know won't hurt you.

She looks at me with an expression telling me she's ready to fight her way out of here. I just sigh, and I walk over to the dinner table sitting in a chair kicking my legs up. She looks at me confusedly.

"I just want to talk." I tell her. I can tell she doesn't trust me. Smart.

I was mad because she betrayed me after I gave her my trust, well some of it, but that was my fault. I had just met her, and I was stupid enough to invite her into my home. I have no idea what possessed me to do that.

"What do you want?" She asks slowly walking over to the table. I roll my eyes.

"To talk. Exactly what I just said."

She narrows her eyes at me. I watch her hips sway as she walks to the chair next to me. She pulls it out, and sits down. Finally, we're getting somewhere.

"What do you want to know?" She asks.

"Everything." I say, and she clenches her jaw. She hesitates for a moment before beginning to speak.

"As you know my father is Stefano Russo. I was born a year before my brother. My mother had gotten pregnant twice before me, but they were girls so my father...got rid of them."

I clench my jaw. That doesn't change who she is.

"My mother told me she convinced the doctors to tell him I was a boy. He was thrilled. That is until I was born. He wanted an heir, and as a woman I couldn't give him that.

He wanted to kill me, but my mother wouldn't allow it. He kept me alive, but the only people who knew about my existence were the ones within the walls of our house. Just maids, and my fathers men.

A year after I was born they had my brother, and my father finally got the heir he wanted. He killed my mother immediately after Salvatore's birth. He always told Salvatore she died from too much loss of blood, and he told me that too. I knew the truth though.

Technically I don't exists. The only proof of my existence was him, my brother, and the people who worked within our household. No one knew about the daughter of Stefano Russo. Sophia Russo didn't exist beyond those walls.

He used this to his advantage. When the time came he sent me to New York to get information on Lorenzo Marino. I did this by getting close to Andrea Adams.

I spent my entire life trying to prove myself to Stefano. I wanted to prove to him how good I could be if he let me take over our mafia instead of my brother.

I wasn't doing it to prove that I was better than Salvatore. I just wanted my fathers attention. I was a daughter seeking her dads love.

He never gave it to me. Whenever I surpassed Salvatore in a skill it only angered him. He was always quick to 'put me in my place.'

My brother became just like him. One day my brother gave up on trying to be better than my father. Stefano broke him into pieces. He took the shattered parts of Salvatore molding him into the perfect soldier for him to use as a pawn in his game.

Everything around you effects what kind of person you are. Being around my father made me want to be the opposite of him. I didn't know that at the time. I thought I loved my father, but there's a thin line between love and hate. I see it now. It was always hatred. The hatred he had for me was reflected back at him.

My brother on the other hand was influenced in the worse way possible. He was just like Stefano, if not worse. He didn't use to be though.

I thought that if I helped him take down the one mafia that was equal to him he would finally love me, yet again I was wrong.

Once I finally realized that things were never going to change I betrayed Stefano by saving Andreas life.

I went after Stefano, but he escaped. I did as well.

The Marino empire is the only mafia that knows I exists. I'm surprised they haven't put word out to the other mafias. I think Andrea has something to do with that. We used to be...close.

Now I'm here. Over the years my dad has sent men after me. I'm the last Russo child left. He wants to use me to build his mafia back up. I've killed all of the men he's sent. Not before getting information from them.

I've been hunting him as well. That wasn't a lie. I do want him dead. I want him dead more than anyone else."

I just stare, because I'm not sure I should believe her. My gut tells me she isn't lying, but with someone like her you can never be too careful. Before I can say something I'm interrupted.

"Security breached."