TWENTY ONE_SHADOWS RETURN
The house was quiet that night.
Too quiet.
Aiden lay on the large bed in the room he now shared with Alexander. The lights were off except for the soft glow of the lamp beside the bed. Outside, the wind brushed gently against the windows.
Alexander was sitting on the couch across the room, going through some documents, but his eyes kept drifting toward Aiden.
Aiden looked restless.
He had been quiet all evening.
“Kitten,” Alexander finally said softly, closing the file in his hand. “You’ve been staring at the ceiling for an hour.”
Aiden turned his head slightly.
“I’m fine.”
Alexander raised an eyebrow.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
Aiden sighed and slowly sat up, hugging a pillow to his chest.
“It’s just… one of those nights.”
Alexander stood and walked toward the bed. His presence alone made the room feel warmer, safer.
“What kind of night?” he asked.
Aiden hesitated.
“The kind where the past doesn’t want to stay in the past.”
Alexander’s expression softened.
He sat on the edge of the bed.
“You’re thinking about her again, aren’t you?”
Aiden didn’t need to ask who he meant.
His real mother.
The memories came back sometimes like broken pieces of glass — small, sharp, and painful.
“I still remember her voice,” Aiden whispered. “Sometimes I hear it in my dreams.”
Alexander listened quietly.
“She used to sing to me,” Aiden continued, his voice shaking slightly. “But the last time I saw her… she looked so scared.”
His fingers tightened around the pillow.
“And then she was gone.”
The room fell silent.
Alexander reached out and gently placed a hand on Aiden’s head, brushing his hair back.
“You were just a child,” he said softly.
Aiden looked at him.
“Do you ever wonder why bad things happen to people who didn’t do anything wrong?”
Alexander didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he pulled Aiden slightly closer.
“I do,” he admitted.
“But I also know something else.”
Aiden looked up at him.
“Bad things don’t get the final say.”
Aiden frowned slightly.
“What do you mean?”
Alexander’s voice dropped into a calm, protective tone.
“You survived.”
He gently tapped Aiden’s forehead.
“You’re still here. Still fighting. Still breathing.”
A small silence passed between them.
Then Alexander smirked faintly.
“And now you’re stuck with a mafia boss who refuses to let anything hurt you.”
Aiden blinked.
“…You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Alexander chuckled.
“Oh, kitten. Trust me. For your enemies, it definitely is.”
For the first time that night, Aiden smiled.
But just as the moment settled—
A phone vibrated on the table.
Alexander’s smile disappeared instantly.
He picked it up.
His expression darkened.
Aiden noticed immediately.
“What’s wrong?”
Alexander stared at the message for a moment before slowly locking the screen.
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
Aiden narrowed his eyes.
“That’s usually a lie.”
Alexander looked at him for a long moment.
Then he sighed.
“Someone from my past just resurfaced.”
Aiden felt a chill.
“Someone dangerous?”
Alexander’s eyes hardened slightly.
“Yes.”
Aiden swallowed.
“…Are they coming here?”
Alexander stood up and walked toward the window, looking out into the dark night.
His voice was calm.
But heavy.
“They wouldn’t dare.”
Aiden wasn’t sure if that made him feel better… or worse.
Because if someone powerful enough to worry Alexander DeLuca was coming—
Then trouble was already on its way.