"W-what?" I question.

Matteo's words ring through my head, and I can't seem to wrap my brain around them.

Your friend Alice... Is dead.

Matteo's face shows sympathy and it absolutely disgusts me. "I'm sorry." He says, taking a step towards me.

"Who--How do you know?" My voice is shaking, and I can feel the sobs reaching up through my throat, about to erupt. What if Matteo is lying, what if... This can't be true. Surely I would know if she were dead, wouldn't I feel it?

Isn't that what happens? Why do I feel nothing?

"Mia, you have to know that there are many people who want to kill me..." He begins.

"What?" I choke. "How does that have anything to do with Alice being dead? Are you saying that you are the cause of her death? That makes no sense!"

"Mia, it may be best if you sit down..."

"No! You tell me right here, right now!" I screech. My voice is a mess and the tears have begun to spring from my eyes, racing down my cheeks.

"When people found out about you... They tried to get through to me, by attempting to kill you." He says slowly, allowing me to process every single word that leaves his mouth.

Suddenly the scene of Dante being shot, flashes before my eyes, as well as the car incident where the bullet only narrowly missed me. How many more times have I narrowly escaped death and not known about it?

"Once they realised that getting to you was going to be more difficult, they-"

"No." I say. "Do not say what you're about to say. Do not blame me for her death, do not tell me that I am the reason she is dead."

"You aren't Mia." He consoles, but it doesn't help. "They are trying to get to me, by getting to you."

I feel very sick all of a sudden. Alice was--is my closest friend in New York. She taught me everything I needed to know in order to survive in this strange and foreign country. She was like a sister.

And now she's dead. Just like that. Someone killed her as a means to provoke Matteo.

"How many more people are going to die, because you refuse to let me go?" I clench my jaw. My tears are still flowing freely. "Will it be my Mum next? Will they come for my friends in Australia?" I try to sound angry, but instead my words come out dejected and unsure.

I'm sounding broken.

"No, I will not let anything happen to anyone you know. That's a promise."

"Your promises mean nothing to me." I scoff.

Matteo says nothing, but he takes another step towards me, and another, until he is just inches away from me, and then he hugs me.

I fall apart in his arms, and he is the only thing holding me together. I cry and dig my nails into his back.

Alice is dead. If what he's saying is true, she is dead.

I've never known pain such as this. Never did I think in a million years that I would have to say goodbye forever to one of my friends. But here I am.

"I never go to say goodbye." I cry. "I never got to tell her how much I appreciated her."

"Shhhhh, I know, I know. It's alright. Everything will be alright."

I know what he is saying is just more lies. He lies and lies and lies, yet I let myself believe those lies for the sack of my sanity. I just need something to hold onto and he's the only thing close by. And as much as I hate him with every fibre, I just want to cry into his arms.

"I hate you." I whisper.

"I know." He whispers back.

His arms reach beneath me, and sweep me off of my feet. He holds me close to his chest, carrying me bridal style outside of his office and down the hall back to my bedroom.

He places me gently onto the bed and pulls the covers over me as I curl up into a ball and press my face into the pillow.

I hear Matteo's footsteps fade away as he heads to the door, but I quickly stop him. "Please just stay with me for a bit. I don't want to be alone." I whisper, and surprisingly he hears me, and takes a seat beside me on the bed.

"Okay." He says.

I cry until I can't anymore. Until I'm too exhausted and can only heave in breaths of air.

I can feel myself falling asleep, and the last thing I hear before fall unconscious, is the two words:

"I'm sorry."

It's been a few days since I let Mia know of her friend Alice's death.

And it's killing me every single minute of every day, knowing that I lied to her.

She rarely leaves her room, and the only time she does is when she comes out for food. I make sure that I'm not around when she does, I know I'm the last person that she wants to see.

But as well as dealing with Mia, I've also had to deal with other problems.

With the underworld currently in chaos, my workload has increased exponentially. Everyone is panicking, wondering if what just happened will happen again, if they are next. My business deals have been put on hold until the funeral and everything is at a stand still.

It's as if everyone is silent, waiting for the day of the funeral. No one knows what is to happen once everything is confirmed, but one thing everyone is sure about, is that loyalties will be tested, and war may be a consideration.

I look down at my phone, glancing at the text I had received a few days ago.

It's an image of Mia's friend Alice, sprawled on the floor. She looks half dead, her skin stained all over, black and blue. She has horrible cuts all over her body and it's hard to determine where they all are, as the blood covers almost every inch of her skin.

And the text below reads:

Bring Mia to the funeral, or she dies.

I had to lie to Mia. If she knew that her friend was being tortured, if she knew that her friend's life was being threatened... It would kill her.

And bringing her to the funeral is totally out of the question. If I took her, she would be exposed. The person knows that the funeral is where they have the best opportunity to kill her, and me. I won't let that happen.

So I told Mia that Alice is dead.

This way I can keep her here, and she won't have the guilt of knowing that her friend is going to die.

No, I'll take that guilt for her.

My phone begins to ring and I pick it up. "Yes?"

"Sir, ummmm, your sister is here to see you." Alistair says.

What the fuck is she doing here? I swear, after what happened at the ball in Osaka, I thought she wouldn't have the guts to show her face in front of me again.

"Don't let her up." I say.

"She really insists, she says she needs to talk to you about something important. She mentioned the name Harry."

Every muscle in my body freezes at that name.

Harry.

That son of a bitch.

"Send her up, and I want you to escort her." I spit, before promptly ending the call.

Harry.

"Fuck!" I yell, throwing my phone across the room.

***

A knock on my office door pulls me out of my haze of anger, and I reluctantly yell, "come in!"

I look up from my desk to see Alistair standing next to my bitch of a sister. "You may leave." I say to Alistair, and he nods his head as he leaves, closing the door behind him, leaving me to deal with her.

"Katerina." I grit. She wears a tight black dress and a suit jacket over the top. Her signature red lipstick, stains her lips and her black hair is tied back into tight braids. I'm ashamed to even be related to this woman.

"Matteo." She says as she takes more steps inside my office.

"How about you get straight to the fucking point." I state, and my voice comes out in it's business, authoritative tone.

Katerina's face sours and she flicks one of her short braids over her shoulder. "I've come to make sure you've received the message."

The message.

Harry's message?

Ever since I received the very first threat to Mia's life from that fucker, I have grown a strong hatred towards him. And when he had met me for that dinner, explaining to me in detail just what he was going to do to ruin my life and Mia's, I absolutely lost my shit and stormed out of the restaurant.

I haven't told anyone that I know who the messages are coming from, not even Dante or Alistair.

"You--You're working for him?" I stutter.

Is my own sister working for the fucking enemy? I always knew my sister was petty, the lowest of the low, but never did I think she would do something such as this. Never did I think she would betray everyone she has ever known, even if she despised them, just as much as they despised her.

"I don't work for Harry, we simply have the same goals."

"And what is that?" I spit.

"To take you down." She says simply. "You ruined my life, I simply want to return the favour. Harry wants what you have, he wants the mafia. And he is going to take it from you."

"You are not allowed to act the victim Katerina, what you did is unforgivable." I growl.

For a second, her face falters and her eyes soften, but then she hardens once again. I thought I was the one most similar to our father, but Katerina is just as cold and heartless. "It doesn't matter, Matteo. Everything is happening, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. Harry will get what he wants."

I shake my head. This woman is delusional.

"As I was saying, I am here to make sure that you got the message."

"I could kill you right here, right now." I seethe.

"Yes, but that won't change anything, and I know you wont kill your own flesh and blood." She taunts.

"I will not be taking Mia to that funeral. Harry can kill her over my dead body."

"That can be arranged." She smirks. "How is Mia taking the news? I suppose she's hating you even more, knowing that you are the reason her friend is going to die..."

Clenching my jaw, I look away from my sister and out onto the New York city view from my window.

I hear her chuckle. "You have a few days until the funeral. I suggest you think your options through."

"Leave." I order and I listen to her footsteps exit the room, my door closing quietly behind her.

When I received the first threat from Harry, I had no idea who he was. I did my own research into him, and discovered that he was the son of Roman, a product of a one night stand and entitled to none of his father's fortunes. Though as I dug further into my research, it seemed that he had become quite successful in his father's company, however I couldn't find much relating to him in the mafia.

Though, I now know what Harry wants, and he's doing everything in his power to get it.

And the worst part is, he has everyone wrapped around his fingers. Even me.

My ears perk up at the sound of a high pitched cry and I instantly bolt from my office down the hall and to the kitchen.

My eyes land on Mia who stands with the hands over her mouth and tears streaming down her face. She looks shocked and terrified. And standing in front of her is my horrid sister.

Fuck.

Mia's eyes glaze over me, looking me up and down. Her body shakes and she looks horrified.

"I told you to leave." I bellow at my sister, and she gives me one last look before leaving through the front door, with Alistair following behind.

I turn my attention back to Mia and take long strides towards her, but she only takes steps backwards. "What did Katerina tell you?"

"You--You lied to me." She stutters. "You were going to let me think Alice was dead, until she truly was... Matteo. And--Who the fuck is Harry?"

"Mia, I was going to tell you. I was... This wasn't meant to happen." I run my hands through my hair.

"Who, the fuck is Harry?" She repeats, accentuating every word. I can see the pure rage within her eyes, and while tears still stream down her face, she looks like she could murder someone in this moment.

"He's your brother." I state.

I watch as Mia's face falls.

"No... My mother doesn't have another child... She doesn't-"

I cut Mia off. "It's because he isn't your mother's son. He's your fathers."

"But-" Mia blows out a breath, her eyes so wide that they look like they could pop right out of their sockets.

I take a step towards her. "Mia... I know Roman is your father."

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