“Zearo!” Squealed someone behind me when I was leaving the club.

“Yes, how may I-” my breath hitched and my legs paralysed when I spotted someone who I never thought would meet me after I left Italy.

“It’s been so long,”  she whispered, her eyes misty when her hands roamed around my body, making me feel disgusted. Charles’s voice resounded on my mind, “That whore was not faithful to you.” I took a step backwards when his words hit my nerves hard, giving me an unbelievable agony.

“What are you doing here??” I inquired Samira shortly after composing myself, not interested in any pep talk with her. I looked at her when she tiptoed closer to me, her cologne hitting my nostrils making me uneasy, not the way Liara’s lavender smell eased my nerve. Her green eyes glittering, staring at me hungrily. Her oval face covered with little tendrils of her red hair making it shimmer in the lights matching her blood-red lipstick, her cheeks looked more shaped than it used to. 

Her presence didn’t affect me the way it used to. I took a step back gritting my teeth and clenched my hands into a fist keeping my resentment at bay. “I will ask you this last time. Why are you here?” I hissed and gripped her down when her lips came suddenly in contact with me. 

“Samira!” I heard Julie’s voice exiting the club and rushing straight towards us. She hugged Samira back tightly giggling at her, “I’ve missed you sister!” Sister? I raised my eyebrows in confusion because I never knew she had a sister. 

“Master?” A deep voice from behind, I rolled my eyes at the situation that was getting worse every second. 

“Master! It’s you!” Drake, my associate, came crashing straight to my body and engulfed me to a bone-crushing hug. 

“Get off me already!” I said huffing, almost throwing him off-guard at the sudden pressure. 

“Zearo?” Asked Julie looking at the way we interacted. “Do you know him?” She asked Samira, looking dumbfounded. 

“He is the one I told you about!” Samira said excitedly and stomped her heels my way, snaking her arms around mine. “What the fuck!” Julie looked perplexed and depressed, which made me raise my eyebrows at her. 

“Forget it, I’m inside the club. You guys can join in when you’ve done your chit chat here.” She spoke without looking back and strode inside.

“Oh damn! You’ve gotten into her already?” Asked Samira, sticking her body closer to me. I figured out what she meant when she said that, but I didn’t want to talk about it. 

“Fuck you, Samira! I in no way am answerable to any of you. But you both have to answer me, why are you here!” I declared, grabbing the collar of her turtleneck and shoving her body towards Drake. 

“Master, we came for --“ “For you” Drake began, but he was cut short by Samira’s squeaky voice.

“I warned you guys not to follow me! You dared to defy me!” My voice rose ever so slightly, my veins bursting inside with rage. 

“Shut up, Samira! Master calm down! We came here solely for work. I swear!” Drake explained hurriedly, not intending to deal with my wrath. 

Drake is an intelligent man who was once brutally mistreated by his seniors. Surviving an orphan life is more hellish if you don’t have support. I understood it too well as I was the one who experienced the same hell hole with him. I ran away after it was difficult for me to survive and joined the shadowy era and later rescued him from almost getting slaughtered. Since then he never looked back and developed his demeanour and body like a devil himself. 

His strong build always tempted ladies, but he never batted an eye on anyone. He was the most reliable person to me after Charles. I handed over my empire to him to look after when I came to New York. Now that I look at my people standing in front of me after so many days, inner me roared with pride but I don’t want to go back, not now. 

I took a deep breath and took long strides towards Drake avoiding Samira, “I don’t wish to see your faces until you are here, do you get that?” I asked, cautioning them to do this otherwise. “And no other soul should learn that I’m here,” I added calmly, my voice vibrating the surrounding making them recoil. 

“I’ve missed you, Zearo! Why do you want to stay away from me?” Samira asked. Eyes watery and blood-red lips quivered. 

“You better fucking stay away from me Samira. I’ve nothing to do with anyone of you.” It hurt when I announced it. I watched Drake taking a sharp breath, “Master, you always are my Master, and the empire is yours. I’m just a keeper. I will wait for you to take what is yours.” He departed, leaving me behind with a fuming Samira. 

“You better fucking not be in love with any barbie doll here. I’m going to rip her head off if I know about it.” Her eyes flaming and a murderous aura filling the air. Soon after the words left her mouth, my hands found its way towards her throat, clutching it as hard as I could to stop her to breathe. 

“You never gotta decide what I do. You better stay where you belong and don’t be my queen. You never will.” I spat at her throwing her away and then without even looking back at her, I stormed out of that area to my den.  

******

“You should have informed me a little sooner. I don’t know why they came, but it doesn’t appear nice.” Charles threw the documents on the floor, agitated as it led him to a dead-end whenever he found a way. 

After the unforeseen encounter with Samira and Drake, I tossed and turned on my bed, unable to sleep. My senses were uneasy, I couldn’t fathom why. I tried tracking them down myself without help, but that drew me to a dead end. They are here, that means something bigger has been rented out to them. I could never ask them as they’d not reveal it to me until I join them back.

After rummaging for any clue for four fucking days, I finally got the strength to meet Charles and uncover the solution. I gave him all the information I gained in my research, but it did not help him.  

“Master?” 

“Yeah, what is it?” I asked, sitting back into the nearby couch of his office. 

“This is not good!” Charles threw the papers aside in annoyance and started punching numbers on the adjacent phone. I grew frustrated by his behaviour and hit the cancel button on the phone. His head snapped my way angrily but quickly subsided to tension.

“My agent called me just now.” He took a deep breath, bothering me even more. 

“Spit it out already!” I growled and saw him visibly cringe.

“They are after Liara D’Waner,” he declared breathlessly, plopping back in his chair dejected. 

I couldn’t just wrap my head around the disclosure. How the fuck is Liara connected to Mafias now?

“I couldn’t find any more information though but located some of your moppets wandering around near her office and her house.” He answered my unrequested suspicion. 

I shook my head and rested back, my posture stiff and stomach tucked with uneasiness creeping into my senses. I was aware of their way of undertaking things and how brutal I made them. I couldn’t figure out why I felt so unsettled when something is linked to Liara. I was wrestling with my inner self when suddenly I felt a presence beside me. The couch dipped slightly deeper. 

“Master, I promise you I will let nothing happen to her,” Charles whispered more to himself. His words hitting me hard made me furious suddenly. 

“Contact Drake! I want to meet him.” I requested him, more like an order rather than a request.

“I approached him already, and he is on his way to my condo. As I don’t think this place is convenient for that kind of discussion.” He said holding his keys and swinging it in front of me. 

I raised my eyebrows as I didn’t follow why he’d go against the law and help me, A Mafia Don. I’m a threat to his country, even if I’ve done nothing lately. 

He smirked at me and declared, “You are my boss, even if I serve the President himself!” Placing his hand on his chest near his heart, he dramatised his speech. 

“Oh, fuck off” I trudged out of his office, making a swift turn towards the exit. 

“Well, follow me if you want to talk to Drake.” I heard his taunting voice from behind. I suddenly realised that I don’t have the address of his condo. 

“You better move your ass fast otherwise I would kick your butt harder than I did before!” I snarled at him and saw people gaping at us at the police station. Charles’s cheeks turned a deep shade of red and that made me laugh, clutching my stomach crazily. 

“Get back to work!” He yelled at his subordinates and dashed past me as soon as possible. 

*******

After Charles drove me to his condo, I immediately recognised a Bugatti standing in front of his gates. A nervous Drake stepped down from the driver’s side dipping his head in front of me showing his respect. 

After I entered his condo, I sat instantly on the couch examining my surroundings. “This house is delightful,” I announced to Charles and watched Drake gulping down his saliva nervously. 

“Thank you, Master.” He said pleased with my compliment. I took a big gulp of the beer offered to me and then looked at the person who was equally dear to me as Charles was. 

“Drake, why did you come to New York?” My voice floating throughout the house making, Charles and Drake wither in fear. My sudden change in demeanour made them stiffen.

“Master, what is the matter? Did I disappoint you?” Drake asked, his voice slowing down and his eyebrow ring dancing along with his eyebrows when he looked at me nervously. 

“Return to Italy now by terminating whatever business you’ve here. And I mean it, Drake, I won’t allow any negligence.” I told him firmly. 

“But Master, you never asked us to end any assignment till today.....” He paused mid-sentence, “Is this because of Liara D’Waner?” He asked suddenly, making my nerves tensed. I frowned at Charles, blaming him for revealing this to Drake. But Charles shook his head and I could see honesty in his eyes. 

“Master?” Urged Drake, interrupting my silent interaction with Charles. 

“That’s none of your business!” I furrowed my brows and glared at Drake.

“You!” I pointed my finger at him, “Leave New York by tomorrow morning!” From my peripheral vision, I saw Charles standing to jump in if I beat Drake.

“Otherwise, I will hunt you down and throw you out of here myself! INTENSO?!” I raised my voice, which startled me as I could not figure out why I’m reacting this way. 

“Intenso.” He whispered barely audibly. I didn’t glance back and strode out of the house even if they requested me to stay, but the anger inside my body was eating me and I didn’t want to lash out at them as I did now.

The serene air hit my nerves calming it down, it seemed like the tranquillity we feel before the storm. The deserted streets permitted my mind to stop overthinking, and I headed towards the club. 

******

“Zearo?” I heard her voice in my head and saw her figure standing, but the illusion still fuzzy. A deep vibration jolted me awake. Clutching the nearby pillow, I squeezed it against my throbbing head. Even after my high alcohol tolerance, the hangover was taking a toll on me. 

“Damn it!” I cursed under my breath when the vibration continued.

“Who is this!?” I grumbled without looking at the caller ID. I sensed a movement beside me. I hastily let that go because of my throbbing headache. 

“Master! She is in trouble!” I heard Charles’s frantic voice from the other side. My hangover died down immediately when I realised what he meant.

“Who is it?” A groggy and faint female voice came out of nowhere. Before I could answer, Charles already hung up on me after shouting, “Damn it!”.

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