✰ ✰

"𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞"

"Where the fuck were you?"

I flinched at the hostile tone my brother used.

He looked pissed.

And believe me when I say that when Nicolo gets upset, it's the end of the world for whoever it's directed at.

Rest in peace, me.

My prior headache began to return as I moved past him and into my room.

He walked into the room and slammed the door shut, "You smell like a man."

"Nicolo," I warned, sharply looking at him.

"No Arabella, I was worried sick," I groaned as I sat down on the bed, sliding my palm across my cheek.

"Kara told you I left," I recalled, turning to face the wall beside his head.

"She told me you went home," He clarified again, drawing closer to me.

"I just spent the night at a guy's place," I murmured, his eyes darkened.

Oh god.

"Who," He demanded calmly. Too calmly.

"No idea, it was random." I shrug.

"You're lying to me."

"And how do you know that?" My brows arched.

"It's a twin thing," He muttered as he sat down next to me.

"Now tell me," He started, turning his entire focus to me.

"What or who are you keeping from me?"

I took a deep breath and turned away from him. I debated whether or not to tell the truth.

It was difficult to keep anything from Nicolo. I knew that from the beginning, but I also understood that keeping this a secret from him wouldn't be easy.

He was going to find out sooner or later, so telling him now was probably the best solution.

I just hoped he wouldn't freak.

I turn to face him and neatly slide onto the bed, patting the space in front of me. He gives me a sceptical look, but he did as I motioned.

"You can't freak out," I said slowly.

He frowned and gave me a hard look.

"Wha—

"Promise me, Nicolo." I cut him off and placed my pinkie finger in front of him.

He snorted and returned my stare, but when he saw I was serious, he sobered up immediately.

He looped his picky with my own and murmured, "Fine."

It helped me feel a little less apprehensive in some way. Knowing that he took our promises seriously was comforting.

I looked directly into his eyes and started spilling the beans.

"I'm in a relationship," I started, slowly. His reaction was exactly what I expected.

"What!" He jumped and put both hands to the sides of his face, wide-eyed.

"What did you just promise me?" I remind him.

He staggered back towards me, groaning heavily.

"Who is it?" He questioned almost anxiously while he bounced his leg repeatedly.

For a long time, I remained silent as I prepared myself for what was about to unfold.

"Roman," I whispered extremely low.

He frowned and moved closer to me.

"What?" He questioned and leant down to hear me. In response, I huffed and repeated myself louder.

"Roman."

Then he remained stiff.

Complete silence.

His leg had stopped bouncing, his eyes were blankly staring at the wall, and I placed my palm on the side of his neck to see if he was breathing—he wasn't.

The silence was deafening. I managed to slap his shoulder and he jolted up and turned towards me.

His face was filled with a variety of emotions. The majority of it came as a shock, with betrayal thrown in the mix.

"How come you didn't tell me?" That was the first thing he managed to say.

I frowned and cocked my head, perplexed.

"What? I didn't tell you I was dating him?"

He let out a disappointed sigh and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Yes. Or that you didn't even tell me you were interested in him..."

I bite my lower lip and turn away from him, tucking my legs up and wrapping my arms around them.

I despise lying to him or keeping secrets from him in general. People often think it's strange how close my brother and I are.

They were surprised to see us get along so well because 'normal' siblings are supposed to bicker twenty-four seven.

But that's how we grew up; we were big on family, and Nicolo was my best friend. I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

So it naturally pained me to see him upset because I hadn't told him about something that recently had been such a big part of my life.

"I'm sorry, Nico." I murmur, my gaze averting from him.

It was completely silent. It stayed like that way for a few moments, but then a hand reached out to touch mine.

Looking down at the hand, I trail up the tattooed arm and look straight to my brother. He had a small frown on his face and an assuring look in his eyes.

"Bella, you know I wouldn't have judged you right?"

"I know you wouldn't have," I say slowly as I gaze up at him. "It was only sudden, and we didn't want our relationship to be known."

He slowly nods his head, as if he was taking everything in. As he looks down at the floor, his head flops down in front of his eyes.

"Are you mad?"

His head snaps to me and he frowns, shaking his head. He drew me into his chest and engulfed me in one of his death hugs.

"Of course not. You have the liberty to be with whomever you choose, as long as they make you happy. " He muttered under his breath, his chin resting on top of my head.

I gave him a warming smile and nestled against his chest.

"I'm glad you're okay," I said, meaning it.

"Of course," He replied and kissed my forehead.

"I won't tell mum or dad by the way," I nodded and patted him on the back.

"Thanks, Nico,"

"Is he treating you well?" He asked, pulling back and sharply eyeing me.

"He is." I said with a smile and blush.

He gave me a nod of approval as he looked over me.

"Good. I'll kill him if he hurts you."

"And I'm not kidding. First, I'll snap his ne—

"Nico," I cautioned. He swatted me away and stood from the bed.

"So, you were there last night, yeah?"

I hummed and slid my legs over the edge of the bed.

"Okay, well at least you were safe." He began walking towards my door and then turned around once it was opened.

"I'm leaving; I have to help Andre with some things at the warehouse," I nodded as I emerge from my bed and approach the door.

"Have fun." He grinned and scurried out.

"I will." I shook my head at his atypical happiness and locked my door.

✰

Driving in the rain has always been one of my pet peeves.

It caused me unnecessarily high tension, which always evolved into a brief panic attack when vehicles behind me got too close.

I was currently on my way to the city to get the rings renewed. I had showered and dressed after Nicolo had left.

Unfortunately, travelling in the rain means more traffic, which irritated my impatient ass.

To kill time, I messed around with my playlist, skipping and playing random songs until I discovered one that I enjoyed.

Stopping on Dancer in the Dark by Chase Atlantic, I turned it up and allowed it to blast inside the car.

The car ride went by slowly, but an hour later I had finally arrived in the city and at my location.

As I entered the luxurious store, a man dressed in a smart black suit held the glass door wide for me, and I smiled as I thanked him.

I had a peek around the opulent store, which was nearly composed of marble and gold. The employees were all dressed up in suits, and the people inside all looked wealthy.

Walking along the red carpet, I make my way to the very front where the familiar woman stood. Her blue eyes caught mine when she looked up from the device.

"Oh, Arabella?" I gave the owner a big smile and placed my arms around her.

"Look at you, you're stunning!" She took a step back and smiled genuinely at me.

Iris was the owner of the jewellery business; she had been a friend of my mother's back at her old dance studio and was now the owner of a luxury jewellery store on Fifth Street.

"Now, how can I help you today?"

I began to describe what I wanted to be done with the rings, and she took them from me, assuring me that everything would be done according to my wishes.

After giving her the details, I paid the required amount and was instructed to pick up the rings next week, on Wednesday, the day before our birthday.

I return to the sidewalk after exiting the store and mix in with the crowd.

My feet stop strolling as I round a corner and come to a halt in front of the same Ice Cream parlour that Roman and I had visited.

I decided to grab an ice cream, ordering a regular strawberry cone. My order was called out a few minutes later, and I took the cone from the worker, thanked her, and walked out.

Thankfully, the rain had stopped, though it looked like it would rain again soon. So, I took a shortcut via an alley on my way back to my car.

My footsteps were a little slower as I started to dissolve the Ice cream.

Unfortunately, my ability to observe was hampered at that exact moment when my body was dragged back by a hair pull.

My ice cream tumbled to the ground, and my hands were thrown around the arm enclosing my neck.

The person was attempting to choke me to death, however, they chose the wrong bitch to mess with.

I launched my foot back into the person's stomach, and they quickly let go of their grip, allowing me to grab the arm and twist it around while my body moved with the action.

The masked man let out groans as he lunged at me again, but my fist slammed into his jaw, while my other hand delved into my back pocket and pulled out my blade.

I release it and thrust it right through the side of his neck, ensuring that I hit a vital spot.

I stood back and watched him fall to the ground, choking and splurting out blood.

As I slammed my foot to his chest, my blood boiled furiously as he fought to remove the blade from his neck, but failed miserably.

"Who are you?" I hissed angrily, pushing the blade deeper into his neck.

I slowly pulled the blade from his neck, letting the blood from the blade's tip drop onto his white shirt whilst he went in and out of consciousness.

I grabbed the blade and pressed it against his neck, extracting a small bit of blood from the centre when he didn't speak.

He coughed again as he shook his head violently, his hand pulling the mask halfway up his face to allow him to breathe.

"I got," He coughed loudly and then continued, "sent here."

"Who?" I questioned, my knife cutting in even deeper.

He chuckled sadistically before coughing violently and then groaning in pain.

As blood continued to run from his neck, I drew the knife away and slid it right through his neck, slicing his throat.

He died instantly.

I took out my phone and dialled my father's number, ignoring the burning in my throat.

"This guy just tried to attack me," I breathed out fast, my eyes purely on the man's corpse.

The darkness to his tone told me he was far beyond angry. I look around the place, sighing, and describe where I was.

He hung up after that, and I sighed. My strawberry ice cream was smeared all over the filthy concrete, and I was enraged at this man.

It was a big no-no to mess with me and my food.

I sat on the ground with my legs crossed, leaning against the wall. I reflexively wrapped my hand around my throat, flinching at the pain.

I took out my phone and opened the camera app, pointing it at my neck, and cringed as I saw the large fingerprints on my skin.

That's gonna bruise like a bitch.

After turning off the phone, I sighed and slumped against the wall, gazing up at the cloudy sky.

Then it started raining.

It began as a few light sprinkles and then progressed to heavy raindrops. I let myself be absorbed by the water, watching the man's blood evaporate into the pavement as the rain soaks it instead.

The sound of footsteps drew my attention to the end of the alley, where my father appeared with three other men behind him.

I slowly began to stand up, and my father came to my side to help me.

"Bella," He murmured, turning to face me and swiftly examining me for any injuries.

His jaw clenched angrily as he landed on my neck.

With a quick movement of his hands, he turned to the men and motioned them over to the body on the ground.

"Where's your car?" My dad returned to me while I watched the men behind him search the dead man for information.

"Just around the corner," I replied, returning my focus to dad.

He nodded and placed an arm around my shoulder, guiding me out of the alleyway.

"I'll take you home, I'll get one of them to bring your car back."

I nodded and walked with him back to the car.

"I don't know who he was, I asked him but he wouldn't give in." I explain.

"He said somebody sent him," I explained further, looking up at him.

He opened the car door for me but stopped me before I could enter.

"We'll find out who did this, okay?" He muttered firmly, his cold gaze falling on the alleged marks on my throat.

I only nodded, and he pulled me in for a hug. My father's warm embrace was virtually healing for me.

I sighed deeply as I rested my head against his hard chest.

He drew back after a minute and opened the car door wider for me to enter.

The door closes behind me as I enter, and I secure my seatbelt over my body.

Dad gets in the car, starts it, and speeds away. The cool moisture of my soaked garments and the chilly air in the car make me shudder slightly.

"What were you doing here?" He questioned as he turned on the heat.

"Nicolo's birthday present," I replied as I slid deeper into my seat, soaking in the warmth.

"Roman Agnello's at the house,"

My head swings towards him at such a fast rate that it almost gives me whiplash. I frowned as he gave me an odd look.

"Why?" I asked him, remembering Nicolo's and my talk earlier in the day, hoping the boy hadn't spilt the beans.

"Business." He said casually, but with a suspicious expression on his face.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but my eyes widened at the action, so I coughed hard and covered up the sigh.

Smooth.

"What's wrong?" He queried, and I looked at him, puzzled, and shook my head.

"Nothings wrong, why?"

He hummed and gently nodded his head, not answering.

Maybe not so smooth.

Thankfully, no further questions were asked, and the journey was cut short, with my father speeding the entire way home.

When we finally arrived, I noticed Roman's car parked in the driveway and almost smiled at the prospect of seeing him.

Oddly enough, I had seen him only this morning, but the need to be with him again was increasingly pressed.

"Does he know why you left?" I asked my dad, referring to Roman, as the guards opened the doors for us.

His phone began to ring, he shook his head in response and glanced at it.

We walked through the doors as they opened, and my mother rushed up to me and hugged me tightly.

I patted her back gently, and she backed away, darting a quick peek at my neck.

"Fuckers," She mumbled and went to touch the area gently.

"Ella?"

My breathing had come to a halt as I turned away from my mother and towards the familiar voice.

My gaze met his from across the room.

Roman.