Zoey p. o. v
“Ah… And then the surprise look on her face.” His tone was taunting, but he was right.
I was thrown off guard by his appearance, he doesn’t seem like he belonged to the mafia world. Definitely not.
“You must be expecting a rugged man, yes.” He smirked. “My darling, this here is Roman Vladimir. Those that ring a bell?” He introduced himself, whilst directing the last sentence to my mom in law.
His eyes held resentment, and full of vengeance.
And from the shock look from mom’s face, the name does ring a bell. Her eyes went wide, and she seemed like air has be knocked off her lungs. She stares at him like she just saw a ghost, and slightly shaking her head in denial.
Ok….. I’m lost here.
I know Marco told me who this man is, I mean just his name and his intentions towards our family. But it seems like there’s more to it, something I haven’t been told.
That’s the entire truth, the history behind this whole ordeal.
I was confused but kept silent, waiting for more info.
“I bet that bastard didn’t know there’s any survivor in the Vladimir lineage, yes?” Helen hissed, no longer hiding his bitter rage in those fake grins and smiles. “What’s his name? Ahh – Vincenzo.” He tsked.
Dad?
This enmity has been from a different generation? Ridiculous how hatred and resentment never cease in the mafia world.
“I want him to be here when I take everything away from him, like he took everything from me.” His grinned as if imagining himself already successful on his plan to ruin dad.
“Go in front of him if you dare, why getting us involved.” I throw at him.
Not a good idea because he flared up.
He advanced to me in pure rage, I must have stepped on a wrong toe. His palm was quick to wrap aromatic my neck immediately he got to me, cutting off my air supply.
I struggle to breathe as his grip on my neck was tight, what’s worst I couldn’t help myself as my hands were bound to the chair.
Thankfully, his hands didn’t last for long, and hence I would have collapsed. He freed his hand from my neck, and I burst out coughing in air.
I realized that the others are being electrified when they tried to protest. It was such a terrible sight, I couldn’t help myself as I burst into tears. Crying at how helpless we are, the once sheltered Alfonso’s women are at the mercy of the enemy.
“Vincenzo didn’t have any empathy when he decided to wipe out the entire Vladimir men, then why would I have empathy when returning the favor to him?” He glared.
“If I wasn’t out of the country then, I would have been long gone as the rest of my family. He didn’t mercy on any of my brothers and left their wives and kids to suffer in some shelter.” He was bitter, the root of this resentment is deeper than I thought.
“They must have pleaded and begged him to spare their lives, but did he? No! Instead, he made an ocean of blood with the Vladimir’s.”
I won’t claim to know how it feels to have your loved ones killed, and that too on your absence. Getting the news must be hard, like iceberg stone at you. I can’t even imagine what he had felt, the pains and sorrow.
It must be tough. Too much to take in.
But I won’t pay the price for what I didn’t know of, neither does any of us capture here has to pay this price.
“How was the news of his dear son’s death? Must have been hard right? I didn’t feel that what though, I should be honest, it is the best news I’ve received in my entire lifetime.” He chortles, laughing out loud, the sound of his laughter was piercing like a sharp knife slicing through one’s skin slowly.
I saw mom and the others crying at this, they are still as aware of the fact that Marco is indeed alive. I guess Marco kept us in the dark for this purpose, to make them believe that he’s really dead.
“I’ve been aware that you’ve been in denial since your husband death, it must be hard accepting that he’s actually dead, yes?” Helen directed at me, when he noticed I wasn’t shaken up like the others.
“I felt that way too when my family was killed.” Helen hinted, not sparing any chance to remind us of what had taken place.
“They forget to tell you what they did to our family, they harmed us too and killed ours too.” Mom yelled, fed up with Roman one-sided story.
“Your family started this killing, and Vince let it slide until Nikolai came knocked on our doorstep.” Aunt Tricia added.
“Oh?”
Now, that’s not an excuse to get innocent people involved, killing the whole lineage is absurd.
“And now I will end with your blood and that too before his eyes, just like I did with his son. Must have been a hard blow on him.” He mocks.
“I would have love to continue this chat, but we all have a trip to make and somewhere to be. Seems like your men are tracking us.” He laughs like it’s funny.
Yes, Marco and his men must have had this location with them, he had placed a tracking device in my ring.
It was perfect concealed and fitted into the ring, that it won’t easily be found.
But how did Roman get a wind of it, truly there are spies within Marco’s men. Hopefully, he takes them out and comes for us.