Nadia stepped into the doorway, excitement written all over her face as she walked in, beaming with pride.
The sun cast a warm glow on her graduation day.
Yes, it was her graduation day from Highschool. One of the best days of her life that she had anticipated for so long. It was finally here!
But it turned out to be the worst day of her life. The most horrific nightmare she had ever had.
The welcoming front door hung open as she entered the house, casting a dreading chill.
As she approached, she heard muffled screams and shattering glass piercing the air.
Her heart sank!
What was going on?
"Mom? Dad?" Nadia called, uncertainty creeping in, voice low as fear took its toll on her immediately.
Nadia moved further, trying to get a glimpse of what was happening, but a hand immediately clamped over her mouth, silencing her.
A firm arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into the shadows, away from being seen.
"Shh! Quiet, don't make a sound," A low, urgent voice whispered.
It was her male friend, Marcel, who was also graduating on the same day, just like her.
They laid low in silence, making no sound. Nadia watched in horror as the masked figures execute her family.
Her father crumpled helplessly. Her mother's pleas ended abruptly. Her little siblings crying their little voices out.
"No...no...no," Nadia whispered, struggling against Marcel's grip. She tried to break free, but Marcel grip on her tightened even more.
"Keep still," Marcel whispered, keeping his voice as low as he could.
"Please have mercy....have mercy. Spare my wife and kids, kill me instead," Nadia's father pleaded, his hands shaky. But their response was another bullet, shot right on his wife's chest.
Blood splattered everywhere.
"No, please!!" Denisco begged, his eyes wide in horror as he watched his wife's life slowly leave her.
He had been shot many times already, and just as he was about to speak again, they shot him dead, his body instantly went limp.
Nadia watched as her parents begged for their lives to be spared, but those people only play with them like toys.
Her heart ripped apart in her chest, aching badly. The only thing she could do was cry her eyes and heart out, while she stayed hidden.
After Killing them and leaving. Nadia came out, heartbroken as she watched her family laying in their pool of blood.
Their chest still, a clear sign that they had stopped breathing. Gone forever. While she cried.
Marcel only stood and watch. He couldn't do anything either. He was devastated, just like Nadia.
"Who are those people, Marcel!? Tell me who they are!" Nadia turned to Marcel with teary eyes and yelled, asking who they were, but he had no clue, just like her.
"Marcel, tell them to wake up, please. Just tell them to wake up. They can't leave me like this. What am I supposed to do? Tell them to wake up, they know today is my graduation day, right? So, how can they leave just like that?" Nadia's heart shattered into tiny pieces. Her tears streamed down like a fountain, blocking her vision.
It felt like a dream. A nightmare she badly wanted to wake up from.
Heartbroken and overwhelmed, before Marcel knew what was going on, Nadia ran out of the house into the rain. Marcel called after her immediately, afraid that those devils might still be around lurking.
But Nadia didn't listen, she kept running to no particular direction.
Even after going after her immediately, Marcel still lost her. He couldn't find her anywhere.
Nadia finally stopped running, and sat around a corner, far from her house, not minding the rain that started pouring down heavily. The pain made her unaware of the harsh cold biting her skin.
Tears mixed with rain as the scene of how the monster cruelly shot her parent.
What did they do wrong.
Her parents were the kindest people she ever knew. The best gifts life gave her. But those cruel people had to take them away.
Why? Why would they kill such people? What wrong did they do?
Her parents could never even get anyone upset, let alone doing something to warrant such cruelty on them.
Her eyes felt heavy.
The cold and harshness of the weather made it hard for her to breath. The pain tearing through her guts, making her head spin.
"Help me, someone, please...." Her weak voice came out lowly, eyes slowly closing.
Soon, before she could utter another word, she lost consciousness and everything blacked out.
___________
"I'm so glad you're okay and awake," A voice said, entering the room Nadia was in, a happy and relieved smile plastered on her face.
Nadia frowned at her, confusion evident on her face.
She couldn't understand what was going on, or where she was, and why she was even there in the first place.
"What happened? Where am I?" Nadia asked, her eyes darting around the room.
She knew this wasn't her room, so what was she doing here?
"You passed out, and were drenched by the rain. I couldn't just leave you there, dear. So I had to bring you home for safety," the woman, Natalie by name, explained to her gently.
Natalie had found Nadia's unconscious body by the corner she had passed out after being beaten by the rain.
She looked so helpless and pitiful that Natalie couldn't just pass without helping, even though she was a total stranger.
"Passed out?" Nadia's frown deepened as she asked. Her head began to throb badly.
She tried to remember what really happened, but her head was banging so hard that she couldn't even form anything in her head.
She winced at the sharp pain, holding her head. She struggled again to remember what really happened, and when she finally did, tears instantly began to roll down her cheeks.
Suddenly, with a rush of adrenaline, she sprang out of the bed, and began to stagger out. Widening her eyes, Natalie followed her immediately.
~~ YEARS LATER ~~
"You're thinking again, Nadia, aren't you?" Trisha asked as she walked into Nadia's room with a cup of hot coffee in her hand.
"It's raining, Trish. You know what happens when it rains," Nadia replied calmly, taking a deep breath.
She was looking out the window, watching the rain as it poured down heavily, drenching everywhere it could.
The thunder kept clapping, making her heart thump in fear at every minute it thundered and lightning struck.
Whenever it rained, the memory of her family's massacre creep in immediately. Images of that scene, her parents dying right in her eyes just keep playing in her head as if it is happening right at the moment.
It's been years, but it still feels like yesterday to her.
Rainy days always remind her of that dreadful day.
And if it rained in the night, she would always be unable to sleep, especially when the thunder clapped so hard.
A nightmare that has been haunting her almost her whole life.
She still feels bad and guilty for not being able to save her parents. Worst still, she still hasn't found her siblings, and neither does she know their whereabouts.
She doesn't even know if they're alive or not.
She feels like a horrible person and a failure to her family. Her parents must be so disappointed in her wherever they are right now.
"So sorry, Nana. I know how much you're still hurting despite the years this had happened. Sorry," Trisha said, her voice low and calm in a comforting tone.
Nadia moved away from the window, sat on her bed. She u intertwined her legs, and collected the tea from Trisha, taking a sip.
"Thank you," She smiled, taking another sip.
"So....?" Trisha asked, sitting more comfortably on the bed with a big smile.
Trisha had been friends with Nadia ever she lost her family. She's been more of a sister to her than a friend. Always comforting her, and never allow her to think or bother herself with anything at all.
Nadia's phone instantly started ringing before she could give Trisha a reply, disrupting their conversation.
"You're needed at the office right now, Nadia," A voice sounded at the other end of the line, the moment Nadia picked up, making her heart thump hard in her chest.
It was her colleague from the agency she works with.
"Like, right now?" Nadia asked, getting off the bed swiftly.
"Yes, right now. If you can fly, please do that immediately." She said, and Nadia's brows creased.
"But it's raining heavily, Gracie. Isn't it raining over there?" Nadia asked in confusion. She walked back to the window and saw that the rain had even worsened.
"No way I'm driving in this heavy downpour," Nadia shook her head. But she knew deep down that she had to go, despite the heavy rain.
The call already ended after they spoke a little more.
"What happened?" Trisha asked, concern evident in her voice.
"I'm needed at the office, and I have to leave right now," Nadia replied, hurriedly getting her belongings.
"That's absurd! Can't they see how heavy the rain is? I think it's time you left that place, it's draining you. They don't even care about anyone's feelings," Trisha said, a bit upset.
"I wish I could, Trish. But I can't. I need their help to get to that devil. I just can't, not right now. Besides, they pay me, so...." Nadia said, picking up her car keys, and exiting the room.
Trisha sighed, watching her leave.
........
In the dimly lit room, Alessio sat back in his chair, his cold, yet beautiful emerald eyes scanning the room, eyes fixed on the door.
A stick of cigarette between his full lips, smoking so damn hard.
Despite his ruthless and cold personality, his presence drew women in. An irresistible force, cloaked in mystery and power.
Alessio's gaze seemed to bore into souls, yet sparks of curiosity flickered within.
His chiseled features, illuminated only by wisps of smoke, exuded raw masculinity.
Flicking ash, his long fingers moved with deliberate slowness.
The cigarettes ember danced, casting shadows on his sharp jawline. Full lips, curled into a subtle, knowing smile, filled with secrets.
His emerald eyes, icy and unyielding, belied warmth beneath. Alessio's personality was a mystery.....cold, yet alluring.
Despite the warning signs, the cold attitude, ruthless ambition and whispered rumors, women still craved his attention.
Alessio's allure was intoxicating, irresistible and addictive. He knew it. He exploited it.
The girl he had asked to be sent to his room, came in seconds later. She dared not waste time to get here.
As she entered, Alessio wordlessly gestured for her to approach, and she did so, her gaze downcast.
Without a word, Alessio stood and unfastened his pants, his hardened gaze never leaving her.
"You know what to do," he said coldly, sitting back comfortably on his chair like a king.
The girl's hands shook as she reached up to cup Alessio's hardness, her tongue immediately tracing circles around the tip as she began trying to please him. Fear was evident in her performance, her hands were shaky.
She knew how hard it was to get him pleased, no matter how much of a professional you were. You can never get him aroused.
And she also knew what the end result always was - death!
So she was trembling terribly.
Her mouth worked over his thick length, her tongue dancing against the underside as she sucked and licked him hard. But Alessio remained cold and unaffected, his eyes cold as he watched her with detached indifference. He felt nothing.
She tried to take more of him into her mouth, gagging as he pushed her head down, forcing her to take him deeper.
"Worthless! If I don't get aroused, then consider this your last gift on earth," He told her, and her hands instantly became sweaty.
She pushed his whole length down her throat, choking badly, but still, nothing happened.
The girl's eyes watered as Alessio's grip tightened on her hair, his hand on the back of her head, holding her in place as he roughly shoved himself deeper into her mouth.
He groaned, but not in pleasure.
"F*ck!!," he spat, disgust evident in his voice as he shoved her to the floor, his d*ck now limp and useless.
The girl struggled to breath, her hands already clasped, immediately pleading for Alessio to forgive and give her another chance.
But she seemed to forget that the word 'forgiveness' never existed in his world, and he hated to hear it.
His eyes burned with anger as cursed inwardly in frustration, running his fingers through his hair angrily.
Cocking the gun, Alessio pointed it right on the shivering girl's forehead, slowly pulling the trigger.
********
Dear readers,
It seems our Alessio is more cold than we all think.
What's your thought on this chapter?
Air out your thoughts and please keep following the book cause we are just starting!