Pull the Trigger | ✓

n i n e t e e n

Noah had texted me the day after during my meeting that tonight was the night I was going to meet his parents. The nerves began to kick in once I read the message, making me zone out when a colleague of mine was talking about the sales of our products. For the entire meeting, I had smiled and nodded, jotting down a few notes before the meeting had come to a close.

"Only bother me if it's important," I said to my assistant who was following close behind me with a nod. I quickly closed the door behind me before retreating to my desk as I pulled out the documents that Karlo had given to me earlier and frowned.

My jaw slackened when photographs of my brother was found in the file, my eyebrows furrowing as I leaned against my chair and wondered what Mr. Smith had against him. I licked my dry lips and rubbed my temples before picking up my phone, wondering where my brother was.

A knock sounded from my office doors.

"I said only when it's important-" I said, standing up from my chair with my arms across my chest when the doors opened. The person who walked through that door wasn't the person I was expecting at all.

"Too busy to see me, sister?" Fran questioned with a guilty look as he shooed my assistant away.

I glared at him. "What do you want, Fran?"

Fran bit his lips nervously before settling in the seat opposite of my desk, his arms slack at his sides. "I came here to apologise for my behaviour a few days ago. I'm sorry."

I fell into my seat and stared at my brother, shaking my head in disappointment. "What happened between the both of you?"

Fran ran a hand through his hair, dishevelling it in the process. "I'll tell you when I'm ready, Mia but right now, I just want to be with my sister."

I bit my lip. "Noah just wanted to have a clean slate with you."

Fran rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Mia, please just let it go."

"No." I was sick of being told what to do and I didn't need this from my brother.

He narrowed his eyebrows at me. "Look at what he's done to us. He's also breaking my relationship with you."

I looked at him, horrified. "What?"

"You have feelings for Noah, Mia," my brother stated, his expression turning blank.

I shook my head, laughing humourlessly at him. "No, I don't. I'm just pissed that you behaved the way you did."

Fran eyed me closely, studying my every move. "Admit it, you have feelings for him or else you wouldn't be defending him like this. You actually like Noah Bellucci."

"Fran-"

Fran's blue eyes widened in shock as he stood up from his seat, shaking his head in bewilderment. "Admit it, Mia. You know what father taught us about being in denial and what the consequences are."

I bit my lip, heat rushing up to my cheeks as my heartbeat revved at the fact that my brother was right. I did have feelings for Noah but there was nothing I could've done about it, especially since I was already engaged to him. I glanced at my brother and scoffed. "Yes, I do have feelings for him but he already found his 'soulmate' and it isn't me. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Fran was unfazed by my confession. "I knew it. Mia, he's a dangerous man and you're only going to get hurt in the end. Dad has sacrificed you for the sake of his business." For a minute, I thought Fran had known about the underground world until I realised he had meant our legal business.

"I'm doing this for the family," I said, clenching my fists as I stared at my brother with such frustration, I wanted throttle him. "I'm doing this because you couldn't meet our legacy. That's why they sacrificed me."

My brother stared at me with a blink, taken aback by what had just came out of my mouth. The moment those words left my mouth were the moments I had instantly regretted them. I sighed, knowing that I lashed my frustration, confusion and anger out at my brother.

"Maybe it was a mistake to come home," Fran said quietly as he backed away from me, already heading for the door. "I'm sorry again, Mia." Why did he keep apologising?

By the end of the day, I retreated back to my parents' home where my father told me that my brother had decided to stay at his condo in the city. My mother had been crying and had begged him not to leave for he had just come back but he had left anyways. I apologised to my parents and when they had asked why I was apologising, I only gave them a sad smile before heading upstairs to my old room and changed into clothing for the occasion.

I had decided to go through with a simple, white turtle neck top, black plaid skirt and Gucci belt that my mother had begged me to wear. I decided to pair the whole fit up with a pair of black stilettos.

As I waited at the front of my house for Noah, I couldn't help but felt the guilt crawling inside my heart as I remembered my brother's torn expression. I sighed out loud and glanced up at the starry night sky that seemed to taunt me with its brightness.

I think I might've just broken our family apart.

"You good?" I heard Noah ask as I blinked and jumped when Noah's red Ferrari was parked in front of me, his head poking out the window with a frown.

I nodded as he got out of the car, dressed in his suit and tie before opening the passenger door for me. He gave me a boyish grin as he ushered me inside before quickly rounding the car and took the driver's seat.

"Did something happen today?" Noah questioned me as I felt his occasional stares at me while I glanced out the window.

"Yes."

My eyebrows narrowed when I looked at the outside rear view mirror, noticing two black SUVS following Noah's car. "Why are there cars following ours?"

Noah cleared his throat. "Juliette's in the SUV behind us."

"You need protection when you go to your family's house?"

Noah casted me a glance. "You'll see once you get there."

-

It was a pretty long drive to the Bellucci's home where two people were waiting out front patiently and two groups of men occupying guns around their bodies standing on either side of the couple. I was honestly confused by what kind of greeting this was; it was either a war or a peace treaty.

"See?" Noah whispered to me before getting out of his car then helped me out of it. I gulped when the two black SUVS that had followed us pulled up, Noah's men filing out one by one with Juliette running towards us with a wide smile as if she didn't sense the uncomfortable atmosphere.

"Noah, you finally arrived," I heard a woman say as she stepped forward, a strained smile playing on her lips as she extended her hand out to her daughter. "Julie, come with me."

Juliette frowned with a pout. "I wanted to stay with Noah and Tori."

Her mother gave her a look that left no room for argument as Juliette sighed before taking her mother's hand, walking past her father without a single word or glance at each other.

"It's finally nice to meet you," Noah's father said as he stepped forward, a clown smile playing on his lips. "You can address me by Cain."

I nodded. "It's nice to meet you too, Cain."

Cain's devilish eyes danced around his front yard, laughing at every single one of Noah's men. "Why are we so serious? Let's go inside and have some dinner, shall we?"

I glanced over at Noah who was clenching his jaw before offering his arm out for me. I gladly took it, hoping it'd keep me stable from all the nerves I was coping with at the moment as I tightened my grip on his bicep, biting my lips. We both walked inside the house, a couple of Noah's men following behind while some stayed behind, still facing Cain's men. I chewed on my lips when Noah sent me a short reassuring smile before returning to his stone, cold expression.

This was going to be one Hell of a long night.

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