Chapter 3: Chapter 1

Alexander’s POV

“You can’t go in there, Sir!” I heard my secretary exclaim.

I lifted my head and furrowed my eyebrows. I reached behind me and closed my hand around the gun I was always carrying with me.

“Sir!” my secretary exclaimed again, but based on the fast-approaching footsteps, that fucker ignored her.

Oh, I would enjoy putting a bullet in his head.

I wondered who the fuck had the audacity to come to my building and barge into my office.

My question was answered when the door slammed open and William Ferrara walked into my office.

I saw fucking red. What the fuck was that bastard doing here?!

I moved my hand from the gun and stood up.

My secretary ran into my office with a terrified look on her face.

“I am sorry, Sir,” she said, panting hard. “I tried to stop him. I told him…”

“It’s okay, Jenny,” I said, keeping my eyes on the bastard. “Go back to your desk.”

She gulped, glanced at the fucker, and rushed out of my office.

“What the fuck, Ferrara?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. “You can’t barge into my office like that. You’re lucky that I didn’t put a bullet through your head.”

“We have a problem,” the fucker said, completely ignoring my rant.

I narrowed my eyes. He never used ‘we’ in a sentence unless we were talking about…

“I take it that you still didn’t get a chance to go through your morning mail,” he said as he approached one of the armchairs in front of my desk.

He sat down and fixed his tie.

“Why?” I asked, clenching my fists.

The fucker remained calm. He pointed at the pile of unopened mail at my desk.

I rolled my eyes, sat down, and started rummaging through the letters until I found the one he was talking about.

My heart raced.

The envelope was white and the only thing written on it was my name. I looked up at William and saw him tighten his jaw.

I tore the envelope open and pulled out a paper. I unfolded it and started reading.

She is beautiful.

She is a perfect mixture of her mother and father. A perfect mixture of Caruso and Ferrara. She has her mother’s hair and her father’s eyes. How long has it been since you’ve last seen her? 16 years? Does she even know about you? Does she even know who she really is? Does she know that she is the ticket to bringing down two most powerful families in New York?

I don’t really need those answers, Alexander. I’m sending this letter as a courtesy. I would just like to inform you that I will be taking her for myself. She will be a perfect little fucktoy. I may even decide to keep her. I believe that she would give me beautiful children. If she turns out to be a spoiled little brat, I will get rid of her. I might even send you pieces of her. Would you like that, Alexander? I could send the bottom parts to the Ferrara family and the top parts to yours. Maybe you could have a little family get-together and try to piece her back together.

Oh, look at me daydreaming. That will never happen, will it? You hate each other too much, don’t you?

Anyway, I have to run. My little birdie is waiting for me.

I wish you all the best, Alexander. Thank you for giving her to me. I will never forget your kindness.

I could feel my heart pulsating in my eyes. I could hear my blood rushing through my veins.

Fear and anger gripped my insides and I couldn't breathe.

“I received the same letter,” William said, making me look up at him. “I sent my men to get her.”

I couldn't respond. I couldn't ask him if they reached her. I couldn't ask him if they found her.

If he took her…

“Breathe, Alexander,” William said. “My men are on their way.”

I gritted my teeth and let the letter fall on the desk.

“What if he already took her?” I asked, my voice strained with anger and pain.

William gulped and loosened his tie.

“He didn’t,” he said, trying to sound as calm as before. “I called James and Lizzie. She is okay.”

It still didn’t mean that he wasn’t there right now. It still didn’t mean that he wasn’t taking her away just now.

“Fuck!” I screamed as I stood up and started pacing around my office.

I was going to kill him. I was going to find him and I was going to kill him.

“How the fuck did he find her?!” I screamed, looking at William. “We did everything to make sure that she was hidden well. No one suspected anything. How the fuck did he find her?!”

William gritted his teeth and shook his head.

“I don’t know,” he said. “He must have been looking for her this entire time.”

I closed my eyes and forced myself to take a deep breath.

“If he hurt her…,” I said, but William interrupted me.

“He didn’t hurt her,” he said, but I could hear the worry in his voice. “He didn’t take her.”

I opened my eyes and looked at him.

“What are we going to do now?” I asked. “He knows that she is alive. He knows what she looks like now.”

William looked away and furrowed his eyebrows.

“We will find some other place to hide her,” he said, clenching his fists. “We will make sure that he can’t find her again.”

Anger rose inside me. I didn’t want to do that. I doubted that she would be safe anywhere.

Anywhere but here.

“She won’t be safe, William,” I said, making him look back at me. “She won’t be safe from him anywhere.”

I stopped talking to take a deep breath.

“The only safe place for her now is with us,” I continued, making his eyes widen. “I will take her in. Tell your men to bring her to me.”

William narrowed his eyes at me and stood up.

“There is no need for that, Alexander,” he said sternly. “I will find a safe place for her. She won’t be living with you.”

I saw red and I wanted to reach behind me and grab my gun.

“Don’t piss me off, William,” I said, tightening my jaw. “Do as I say or…”

“Or what, Alexander?” William chuckled. “You are going to pull out that gun and shoot me?”

He chuckled and put his hands into his pockets.

“This isn’t just about you,” William continued. “This is about all of us, and I am speaking for everyone when I say that she won’t be coming here.”

I clenched my fists and tried to resist the urge to punch the fucker.

“You are right,” I said. “This isn’t just about me or you. Three more people get a say in this and we should talk to them too.”

William rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Call your brothers here,” I said as I grabbed my phone from the desk. “We will talk about it and decide together.”

I found Elijah’s number and pressed dial.

This was going to be an interesting meeting.