Chapter 7
Seven
A vra
I found myself at the periphery of a crowd gathered in what used to be a lovely enclosed garden veranda belonging to my family. Now, it showcased only the ostentatious displays of an insecure man longing for validation and eager to assert his dominance in the hierarchy of influence and wealth.
Even after fifteen years, Ozias Xenos refused to accept that one could show power without shoving it in the faces of others. You embodied it, lived it, and carried it.
My gaze settled on Elias, who stood in the center of a group of European and American syndicate heads invited for the occasion. They were in the middle of an animated discussion .
The business and politics of our world never ceased, even during a wedding. Elias seemed fully engaged in the conversation in front of him. Yet, something about his posture indicated that he was aware of everyone around him.
Especially me.
From the moment we left the church, we barely exchanged more than a dozen words with each other, even during the couple’s dance. Yet, in that moment, staying silent was for the best. The unspoken attraction between us pulsed as if it were a living thing, making it clear that the sex to come would be far from gentle.
Shit, this wasn’t the time for that train of thought.
In the next instant, my gaze locked with Elias’s. It was disconcerting how we seemed to sense each other, whether across the large room or within reach.
Perhaps it was a blessing that the activities of the wedding reception kept us busy, playing Ozias’s puppets as he showboated as the actual guest of honor.
The proud papa who bagged a Vitalis for his son.
He wanted this moment, so be it.
And from the way Elias shook his head every time he noticed his father’s antics, he made clear he believed Ozias the fool for the behavior he displayed.
Ozias’s roar of laughter boomed out throughout the room, and I muttered, “Idiot.”
“Naughty, naughty,” Laya said with a smirk as she approached. “Don’t let anyone else catch you displaying disgust at your father-in-law’s need for attention.”
“This isn’t my wedding. It’s his. ”
Laya shrugged. “You were aware of this going in.”
“Seeing it on display is different. The man is an older version of the ‘pick me’ boy.”
“I can’t believe you said that.” Laya laughed. “I’m happy Cali didn’t hear it, or she would only add fuel to that fire.”
I spotted her across the room with Vik, who looked as if he were giving Cali a lecture of some type. “I can only assume she is sharing her views with Vik at the moment.”
“At least she only gives her opinions to us. I was proud of everyone for keeping calm during the photography session and throughout dinner.”
“The spectacle of it all is nauseating. I keep reminding myself all of this is for a purpose.”
“Yes, to avenge our family and take back what belongs to us.”
“The home we knew no longer exists, Laya. Look around you. He destroyed the simple beauty of it. Elias said we won’t have to spend a night under the same roof as that bastard.”
“At least you have that.”
“I’m not sure I’d want to stay here even if he lived somewhere else.”
Laya’s lips tightened as rage washed over her features, then just as fast calmed before she set a hand on my arm. “Our memories will always belong to us. A home is what we make. Once we achieve our goal, we will rebuild and preserve what is left.”
“That is something we can look forward to in our future. One of the many prizes at the end of our mission. ”
Laya scanned the room. “Eventually, the masses will tire and make their departures.”
I smirked this time. “I wouldn’t count on it. They are all gawking at us. I can guarantee they still haven’t recovered from the shock of our survival or the fact we have returned fifteen years later. They expect something volatile to happen.”
The room buzzed with conversation, and many of the people gathered were familiar to us. We knew of them or had interacted with them. Some had even been kind to us as children. Then, there were women similar in age to me and my sisters, whom we once considered friends. They were nothing but strangers now.
Many shot us glances and only a few approached us to speak and rekindle acquaintances.
“If I were in their place, my anticipation level would sit at a thousand.” Laya pressed her hand to her chest in mock expectation. “Think about it. While we hid, our enemies grew richer off our territories. Now, you marry the son of the man who orchestrated the demise of our family. This is entertainment at its finest.”
“Want to help me give them a show?” I lasered onto three individuals who deserved as painful deaths as Ozias.
They had pretended to be Papa’s allies, took the wealth he brought to them, and then betrayed him. With my new father-in-law, they’d stolen and carved up what was rightfully Vitalis territory. What was my sisters’ territory. My territory.
Cristo Caras. Morisi Bella. Pello Korba.
For years, I’d repeated their names like a mantra .
And here they were right before me, the marked men.
Laya turned, shifting her attention behind her. “I wouldn’t dream of denying you the pleasure of poking at them. You are the Vitalis, after all.”
Laya’s words settled over me.
I was the Vitalis, the eldest in the family, the one to bear the title.
I headed the family and represented it.
“You are correct. I’ll go say hello.”
“And I will warn Vik. Good thing he packed the place with Vitalis soldiers so no one gets any ideas.”
I worked my way through the crowd, my focus on the men laughing and talking without a care in the world, enjoying the fruits of what was created by Vitalis hands.
It sickened me how they enjoyed the wedding of the woman whose family they helped tear apart.
My rage ripped through me, ready to unleash. The desire to shoot them right here, in front of everyone, clawed at my nerves and incited every one of my dark desires.
As I moved in closer, I pulled every ounce of hatred back, reminding the anger fighting inside me of the goal.
I wouldn’t lose control and give the bastards anything over me.
Fuck every last one of them.
As I neared, Pello Korba lifted his hand, inviting Elias to join the men. Seeing him drawn into the circle with my enemies fueled my agitation.
He knew my history with those three. But then again, his father led their group .
Why had he agreed to marry me when he questioned my motives from the very beginning?
What was in it for him? Perhaps he simply enjoyed a life full of trouble. Or he was one of those sick fucks who like pain and misery and hardship.
Even if Ozias had demanded his son to marry, no one could force a man like Elias to do anything. I’d met enough hard men to recognize he was one. A ruthless, impatient man who bent for no one.
Elias had his reasons to marry me.
And I planned to learn what they were.
Lingering in the background, I plucked a drink from a server and sipped, biding my time until Elias left.
After a few minutes, he stepped away to speak with one of his men, and I moved in with precise deliberation.
These men couldn’t intimidate me. They’d aged well. For men only in their late fifties or sixties, they look far younger. Then again, with their wealth and resources, they possessed the means to stay healthy and fit.
Cristo Caras noticed my approach first and raised his nearly empty glass to me. “Ah, here comes the bride.”
“Congratulations,” Pello cheered, slurring his speech.
I stepped right up to them, calm and relaxed, without revealing the actual depth of my loathing for them.
Keeping my champagne flute pinched loosely between my fingers, I held my head high and gave them no response to their praise for the wedding.
“I’m so proud of you,” Morisi Bella said, grinning widely. “ If your father were here to see the gorgeous little woman you are…”
Pello laughed, shaking his head at his friend’s ill choice of words.
“It’s a perfect match,” Cristo boomed over Morisi’s not-so-secret dig. “You will bear Elias fine children.”
Assholes. All of them.
I wouldn’t rush this. I had to wait, listen, endure the idiots’ stupid fawning.
None of them wanted the best for me and Elias, or Ozias. They sought to protect themselves and played the game.
Silent and patient, I stood there. They weren’t even aware of the lack of conversation on my part.
Finally, when I had had enough of their self-flattery and nostalgic conversation, I broke the festive mood. “Cut the bullshit.”
They fell silent, giving me astonished, stern glares.
Was their surprise because of my directness or the fact a female dared to speak to them in such a manner?
“None of you wants me or my sisters around.”
Cristo furrowed his brow while the other two clenched their jaws. Not one of them dared to deny it.
At least they were honest enough to keep from lying about that.
“Were you surprised we survived?” I stepped one foot closer, pushing my shoulders back and standing as tall and proud as possible. “I know you hate it. We are the reminder of your past. You know, the one you do everything to wash away and pretend never happened. ”
Pello opened his mouth, but I wasn’t in the mood to hear him and cut him off. “I have no time for lectures. “I’m here to tell you to expect notices. The landlord disapproves of squatters.”
“How dare you threaten us,” Morisi said, snapping out of his stunned silence, outrage on his face as he crowded me.
His height couldn’t intimidate me. I wasn’t the little girl of fifteen years ago.
I was the Vitalis.
Fuck him to think to use his size to frighten me.
I lifted my chin to him. “I never threatened you once. I never raised my voice and only relayed a message. You are the one taking a threatening stance as weak men do against women they can’t control.”
He stepped back as he realized his behavior had garnered attention from those around us.
Cursing under his breath, he shook his head and turned to Pello. “This brat comes back only to start trouble.”
“You created the trouble when you betrayed my parents.” I paused to look each of them in the eyes. “And it is something that I will never let you forget.”
“You better watch what?—”
I lifted my hand in Pello’s face, cutting off his retort. “For over one hundred and fifty years, the Vitalis has been in power. And that won’t change anytime soon.”
Cristo scoffed, smirking. “Your family isn’t in power anymore. They haven’t been for years.”
“What you’ve done is nothing more than a minor hiccup in our history. Being in charge is relative. ”
“Relative?” Pello snarled, chuckling with malice. “Being in charge is something you’ll never know about, girl.”
Oh, he wanted to force a reaction from me. “Keep believing whatever you want. Just know this little girl has no fear of you. I see you. I see all of you. Remember, your landlord is coming.”
“Being Ozias’s daughter-in-law gives you no power. Don’t think otherwise,” Morisi stated and then laughed. “He’s the one you should warn. You are no match for us.”
One by one, they gave in to laughter, mocking me with their chuckles and sneers.
“Go ahead and underestimate me, gentlemen.” I gave them a smile meant to taunt. “Just know, in the end, only one of us will remain, and it’s the one with ovaries.”