Billionaire's Bodyguard [𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃.]

𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐕𝐄𝐑. 1 | Tattooed Heart

^ Picture of Gabrielle ^

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𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐏𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐕𝐄𝐑.

𝐀𝐕𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐙𝐎𝐍.

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FIRST SAMPLE CHAPTER

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The soft ray of sunlight hit my face as it slipped through the gaps of my balcony door. A gentle breeze gushed into the room, a content sigh escaping my lips as I hugged the blankets closer to my body, shielding the light from my eyes so I could fall back to sleep. However, that luxury was shortly taken away when my father tore the blanket from me, my body curling up to gather some warmth as this unexpected cold wind hit me.

"Rise and shine, Gabrielle. Get out of bed," my father ordered, and I groaned in response, grabbing the closest pillow next to me, and covering my face. I heard an exasperated sigh before the pillow was taken from my hold. "Come on, Gabrielle. You're going to be late for school. It's your senior year, for God's sake."

I cursed under my breath, reluctantly slipping out of bed, and scowling at my father, who didn't even flinch at my menacing gaze. I couldn't recall the last time I had seen the look of fear cross my father's face. He was part of the Russian Mafia and had dealt with situations far worse than a glare from his eighteen-year-old daughter. It had been almost seven years since my mother had died from lung cancer and this placed a strain on my relationship with my father. She was the light of the family, the one who brought us together but the day she left was only the beginning of my lonely teenage years. It had been the only time my father had cried. Nowadays, it would be extremely rare for me to see that.

"It's the last day before summer. Suck it up and say goodbye to your friends. Who knows when you'll see them next?" I didn't respond, as I watched my father stalk out of the room the second his phone rang.

It was only a matter of time until I was officially the leader of the Russian Mafia, but the thought still scared me to this day. I had been preparing for this moment all my life but even then, I doubted my ability to control one of the most powerful groups in the Underground. With a deep sigh, my hands ran over my face before I shuffled towards my closet, undressing out of my comfy loungewear into a soft white dress with the cutest heels I had bought only the other day.

It was my last day as a Senior; I might as well go out with a bang. I didn't spend too much time on my appearance, quickly tying my dark chestnut hair into a ponytail and powdering my face with a thin layer of makeup, brightening my green eyes that I had inherited from my mother with mascara. Taking a short glimpse in the mirror before I left the room, I pondered over how fast high school had gone by. In the blink of an eye, suddenly, I was thrown into another world where I couldn't be dependent on my peers or my teachers to guide me through the struggles of adulthood. Heading to college was scary, I didn't feel prepared, but I knew the moment wouldn't last because the second I graduated, my uncle would hand the reigns over to me. Growing up, the Mafia was all I really had. It was like a family business, and it was all I had ever known.

"Gabrielle, Quince is outside," Dad yelled, breaking the spell I was in and I hurried downstairs, nearly stumbling over my feet, before Quince began to list all the reasons why he hated giving me a lift. Number one being that I was always late.

Quince and I had been friends for as long as I could remember. I was only a little girl when we had first met, a girl who stubbornly refused to give him a juice box. Unlike most kids, Quince didn't cry to the teachers, instead he scowled and pulled out my braids until I gave him what he had wanted. I had known then that we'd be good friends. He was one of the few people that knew of me and my family being involved in the Mafia. As one of my oldest friends, Quince was practically family at this point.