Chapter 17

seventeen

Phoebe

This month has been difficult; trying to give Alex a real chance without wanting to smack him several times is hard. He's at my house Monday through Wednesday, then Thursday night until Saturday morning, meaning he only goes home to New York on Thursday mornings, and all say Sunday. He meets me at school, cooks me dinner, and puts me first, and I didn't realize exactly how much I'd missed him until he was back in my life; then he had to leave for New York again. My heart, body, and soul are bound by him; they have been since I was nineteen, and it's hard because one minute we'll be having a laugh, then the next, pictures of him and other women will pop into my head.

I know it's only been a month, but I don't know if I can forgive and forget. Too much water may have flowed under the bridge.

Currently, I'm in this meeting being judged by all the men because I'm female, but the shit Belen just spewed my way has pissed me off. My fucking father, who has been trying to get a meeting with me this past month, believes every word he said because, apparently, the only thing my sister did wrong was trying to sell me for her own selfish needs, and my father believes every lie she told him. According to Alex, my father stated Selene was in a bad place and didn't want to disappoint him, so with him sitting there judging me, I snapped.

Oh well, at least Ares gets the ridiculous bed now.

I'm brought back to the meeting when my father snaps, "Phoebe, you can't just stab one of my men for stating the truth about you. Selene has already told us everything you've done over the years. I know that's my fault for neglecting you and trying to protect you, but this is not okay; he is my man, and this is a punishment worth discussing with the council." I shake my head as Belen smirks at me. I smirk back, making his falter, and he starts to pale when he notices how cold my eyes have gone, realizing I'm the biggest threat in the room and he underestimated me.

I take my knife and slice his throat from ear to ear, and blood spurts out over the table while my father stands and shouts, "For fuck's sake, Phoebe, you're not stable!"

I look at him with my cold eyes, making him pause when he notices his daughter is gone, and the killer is in place.

As coldly as possible, I say, "Belen took a 5-year-old girl out of the group home on 2nd last night, and dropped her off in a residential home in your territory. One of Mihai's men was there to pick her up. I retrieved the child, placed her in a safe house with a new family, gutted the man who was at the collection point, and sent his remains to Mihai. You're welcome, Father. Oh, and of course, I'm not stable; I'm the best fucking assassin the Mafia and Bratva have seen." My father pales, and he's about to open his mouth, most likely to spew more shit, so I look at Damian and Alex and say, "Paperwork, now, and make sure you hand Basil the extra piece of proof that his man was involved."

Alex nods, knowing the cold killer is completely present; he knows my father's words have hurt me, and I've shut off my emotions. My mask is firmly in place. I look at my father again and say, "As far as I'm concerned, you died when my mother did. If I do decide to marry anyone, it will not count as an alliance between the Greeks and whoever I decide is the right fit for me."

All the men sit up straight, shocked by my announcement, some about to protest. They know no one will want Selene; her behavior alone is a turn-off, which means there will be no alliance with the Greeks, but I've got one better for them.

I raise my hand to ensure they all stay silent, just like my uncle is. I've already spoken to him about this; he knows Sergi does not want the throne, so this is the next best step, if he can't convince him, because he knows I won't get involved with the two of them. I'm aware of what Alex had to do for Juan to give up my location, and I reamed him for it. That wasn't fair to Sergi, even if he says it's fine because it damn well isn't, he isn't ready to meet his biological father.

I love my uncle, fiercely, but what he did to Sergi was cowardly. I've told him to his face more than once that their meeting in two weeks shouldn't be happening; it should be happening when Sergi is ready for it.

"It will be an alliance between who I chose and the Spanish Mafia." My father's face goes red while the rest of the men gasp in shock. Many have tried to get in bed with the Spanish, so to speak, but my uncle has always declined; he wanted family to take over, and my future husband will, if Sergi refuses to take his place as heir.

Ignoring my father's scowl, I look him in the eyes, and I continue, "Good luck trying to find an alliance with someone when everyone knows what Selene gets up to; I know you are aware of what she and Alex did."

He shakes his head. "They were engaged and would be married now if she hadn't messed up."

I tsk, mocking him. "Messed up? Do you mean lying to you and Alex to get back at him for not giving her his black card? They were still sleeping together after you changed the engagement over to me. I know you're aware of this, so I don't know why you're so shocked that I said, ‘Fuck it', and left.

Do you really think I want a man who thought it was a good idea to continue to fuck my sister, the sister who tried to sell me for her drug debt? You sent me away because your brother tried the exact same thing; you killed him for it, and yet she does it, and suddenly it's okay? We're not close because you were a spineless coward, who I no longer see as family." He pales, and I turn and head back to my seat. Alex's rage is vibrating from him; he knows all this coming up is a setback, because now the thought of him even holding my hand revolts me. How the fuck did I think this could work between us? It can't. It really can't. I feel my heart break with the realization.

We're over.

I swallow hard.

"Gentlemen, in the folders I placed in front of you is proof of Mihai not only trafficking young children for some Cartel members, but also doing it in your territories. He picks the children up in your neighborhoods, and hands them over to someone in another of your neighborhoods, so if he is caught, you all will get the blame instead. He has fabricated it so you would be convicted instead of him; it seems he was the mastermind. Juan has had men looking into this, and it's been proven Christian was just the front man; Mihai was their leader all along."

Every man's face turns red.

"I am here today to gain votes to personally kill the fucker, which I should have done a month ago. What do you all say?" Every man at the table shouts aye , including my father and his most trusted guard.

I nod, then look at Sergi.

"Ice cream date?" I ask and raise my brow.

He knows what I'm asking, and he chuckles. "Okay, but you have to change, Phoebe Pie." I smile and nod, my giddiness taking over, making him shake his head. I hear my uncle clear his throat, bringing me back to the table. This is the first time he's physically listened to his son's voice, and my heart hurts from them both.

I pick up my phone and take it off speaker and say, " Tio , I will contact you tonight to go through the plan. Send my love to my auntie."

He clears his throat again, struggling to grasp his emotions. " Si , I will, sweetheart. You have fun with your cousin." Then he hangs up, before I sigh and send a sad smile to Sergi.

I place my phone in my hidden pocket, then turn and leave the conference room without looking back at all the men's eyes on me. I go down to Sergi's office, grab my bag, which I placed there the way up, and quickly change into my light pink off-shoulder top, a pair of dark blue jeans, and my favorite ankle boots. Placing my other clothes in the bag, I pick it up and head to the elevators, but when I get there, my father is also waiting. I go to turn toward the stairs when he spots me.

"You look different in those clothes."

I sigh, knowing I can't get out of this. The elevator pings as I get near, and we both enter. I ignore him and press the parking lot button, staring straight ahead.

He clears his throat. "I know you and your sister have your differences."

I scoff and look at him, stopping him from continuing. "Differences? She fucking sold me, and you're talking like all she did was steal my favorite dress! For years you have put her first, and while you spoiled her and gave her everything she wanted, including your time, which by the way, was the only thing I wanted, I was being hung from a ceiling in a warehouse by chains wrapped around my wrists, and told to 'get out of them, then you can eat.' The first two months I only ate four or fives times; I would hang for days while in my own urine and feces, only allowed sips of fucking water."

His face pales, but I don't stop.

"As soon as my mother passed, it was like I didn't exist. Gone was the father who would swing me up in his arms, and read to me at night. You sent me away to live with a woman I barely knew, with no acknowledgment of the danger I was in. I'd only met her a few days before the funeral and had only spoken on the phone whenever she'd call Mom.

You knew this and yet sent me away anyway. You could have easily protected me but decided to take the easy way out. You think I didn't hear Selene bitching and moaning to you about me living back in my childhood home after you changed the arranged marriage over to me? You don't think I didn't hear you agree with her every time ? She's a fucking drug addict after my inheritance, and you placate her continuously because she's your precious fucking daughter, while I'm the look-alike of your dead wife !"

I shout the last bit as his face goes red, about to open his mouth, but I'm not done. "Tell me, Father, have you ever hit her like you did me?" I don't think I've ever seen someone go from bright red to deathly pale so fast. "Remember when I threatened to run away if you tried to kill the cat my grandmother gave me as a congratulations for passing her tests with flying colors, and you smacked me for it? Did you know how close I was to getting my knife out of my boot and stabbing you in the neck with it?" His eyes look at me full of sorrow, but I don't let it affect me. He made his bed. "Did you know that you smacked a severely dangerous, trained killer and came so close to death, and the fact that you were my father was the only thing that kept you breathing?" I glare at him as the elevator dings for the parking garage.

I walk out, then stop and turn halfway and state, "Just so you know, you can't be a whore when you've never had a man touch you. I have only ever kissed two men in my life, Alexandr and a man from college, who I nearly killed after he betrayed me." I give him a raised brow while he looks at me in shock as I state my final say. "I'm still motherfucking pure, Father, perfect for an arranged marriage for the Spanish Mafia, don't you think?"

He steps out of the elevator as I get to my bike, his face now going red again, but I ignore him as I strap my bag down and sit on the seat. I turn her on and rev her, smiling a little, while my father watches me. I give him the middle finger and drive off.

Immature? Yes, Refreshing? Absolutely.

Ten minutes later, I arrive at the Brew Box, and I smile. Sergi told me all about this woman he met; she served him coffee on the day he found out I left. He was struggling, and she enticed him immediately without even meaning to.

I walk in and spot Sergi already sitting at a table with a beautiful woman, and I smile at how much love he has in his eyes for her. My heart hurts at the thought of this all going wrong for him. When he came clean about meeting someone who wasn't aware of our lifestyle, I pleaded with him to tell her, but so far, he hasn't, unfortunately.

I head over there, and both of them stand. I stick my hand out to the bombshell, who has no idea how pretty she is. She's in dark jeans and a brown long-sleeve t-shirt, with the coffee shop logo on the front left. Her extremely dark black hair, which seems to have a hint of blue, is up in a messy knot on the top of her head. Sergi says it's the first thing that he noticed; apparently, it's quite long, too. Her violet eyes, which have a hint of blue, look at me with kindness, making me smile wide.

"Hi, Avery, I'm Phoebe. It's so nice to finally meet the woman who can hold this knucklehead down." She giggles a little and smiles widely.

She takes my hand before I pull her into a hug, making her flinch and tense for a moment before she relaxes and whispers, "Thank you, it's nice to meet you, too." And I smile. She's had a hard life. Sergi mentioned she has no family and has struggled, but he has not given me all the details because he, too, is in the dark.

Apparently, she's slowly opening up to him, and I'm hoping we can become good friends so she trusts me enough to tell me, too. She's a beautiful person on the inside and out; she has that aura.

I look at Sergi over her shoulder as I squeeze her tight; she's smaller than me, with curves many females would die for.

He smiles, looking far happier than I've ever seen him, and I smile back. Man, Alex and Damian are going to be pissed that I met her first.