NIKAELEON***“What do you mean I’ll move in here with you?” Aina asked with a perplexed look.“My room is just as safe as yours, and we’re practically neighbours, what’s the difference?”“The room isn’t the problem. I want you close to me at all times so I can keep an eye on you. This person threatened the life of our baby, and in order to get to our baby, they have to get to you first. Since we still have no clue who this traitor is, your life is in danger. I need you close to me so I can protect you if need be.” I said to her.“Nik….”I cut her off before she could protest my decision.“It’s not up for discussion, Aina.” I said to her and she frowned.“So is this what I am to expect if I eventually agree to marry you?” She asked.“You give me an order and I’m expected to follow without argument like I’m one of your employees.”I sighed.“Aina, when I said we were in this together, I meant it. I value your opinion, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t even consider marriage. But in situations li
NIKAELEON~"I don't care what you say, Uriel. I already told you that it's a surprise for Sophia, and you're not invited." I said to her."But you invited that woman. What does she have that I don't, Nik? How is she better than me?""Uriel, you're the one making comparisons, Uriel, not me. I don’t want you to show up here just to try and annoy me because you weren’t invited.” I said to her.I had to lower my voice as I spoke so Sophia wouldn’t know that I didn’t want her mother anywhere near me. Despite her shortcomings, and the fact that Uriel was a pain in the ass, the only thing I could trust was her love for Sophia. And Sophia loved her mother too. She deserved to grow up thinking her mother is a superhero, she already had a major change in her life by discovering that I’m her father. I didn’t want to ruin her childhood.And I knew that Uriel wouldn’t even be able to get to the venue even if I told her the address because she had no ship or plane to get her there. I just wanted t
NIKAELEON***I chuckled at her excitement as I held her in my arms and walked towards the helicopter.“It’s not a plane, this one is called a helicopter. That’s how we’re going to get to your surprise.” I said to her and she squealed.“When we used to go on vacations, we went with big airplanes sometimes. I always begged mummy to sit by the window so I could watch the clouds pass by, and I always tried to look for fairies but I didn’t see any. I watched a cartoon with cloud people, but I didn’t see any of them either. Where we used to sit wasn't as tight as the other places on the plane, it was better, and they served nice food. One other place barely had any space, I always wondered how the people there could stay there, they looked squished together like sardines. I asked mummy and she said it was because they couldn’t afford the nice place like us”She meant that they always flew first class. The other place that was tight was those in economy, sitting there usually led to people
NIKAELEON***“Thank you.” I said as I moved forward to hug him.Sophia gasped and I turned to face her.“Daddy, is this your daddy?” She asked as she tugged on my hand to pull me closer to her.”Yes, sweetie.” I replied to her and her nose scrunched in a cute way.“If he’s your daddy, then he’s my grandpappy, right?” She asked.“Yes, I am.” My father answered and she smiled.“Is he the surprise, daddy?” She asked me.“Yes, honey. And also the island too, I know you’ll love it here..” I said to her.“Now, come give your grandpappy a better welcome.” My father said as he crouched and spread his arms.Sophia squealed as she let go of my hand and ran into his. He laughed as he nearly toppled over from the force of her hug, then stood and twirled her around. Sophia shrieked and Aina chuckled.“I don’t remember much about my own grandfather, but I remember that he used to do this to me everytime we went to visit him, then he would toss me in the air several times and catch me. I always lov
NIKAELEON***For several seconds, she remained unresponsive, out of shock maybe, so I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer to me. She moaned as I nipped her lower lip and then began to respond to my kiss. Good girl.Her hands wrapped around my back, and I grabbed her ass. I groaned because it was so soft. The two piece bikini she wore had been distracting me since we left the villa. It was a white piece that stood out against her dark skin, and the top covered most of her breasts but I could still see the outline of her nipple, and the bottom was cut in a way that almost half her ass cheeks were open. I picked this particular one from the online shop I had it delivered from because I knew it would look great on her, and I was right. I couldn’t wait to see her belly get big with my child in it.“Nik, Sophia is close by. What are you doing?” She asked as she broke the kiss.“Trying to get you to relax.” I replied to her when the truth was that I just couldn’t help myself.She
NIKAELEON***We walked into his study and he went to sit behind the desk while I sat on one of the two seats opposite him. He reached for the decanter and two glasses on the small side table beside his desk. He poured two glasses of the vintage whisky he always keeps in his offices, and then leaned back in his chair. I held on to my glass and watched him drink his slowly, deliberately taking his time so he wouldn't say why he called me. It was an intimidation tactic he taught me when he was training me to take over from him. It was supposed to make me anxious, and if I was guilty of something, I would have the compulsion to fill up the silence and inadvertently expose myself. But he had also taught me how to beat the game with patience so I wouldn't be a victim so I wasn’t moved by the silence.I drank from my glass and continued watching him like I had all the time in the world to waste. After several minutes of drinking in silence, he finally spoke."So you actually got her to agre
NIKAELEON***The first thing I did when we got into the house was get Manolo to draft out a Non Disclosure Agreement that I would get Uriel to sign before she leaves. That was the idea I got after Aina said we should focus more on what Uriel would do, not Sophia because as a child, Sophia was more predictable. The real problem was Uriel, she could decide to spread the news of my father being alive just to spite me, even if I made her promise not to. So, signing the NDA would be better. She would be jailed if she revealed such sensitive information, I doubt she would want that.The rest of the day, Uriel and Sophia were in Sophia’s room, where Uriel decided to stay instead of the guest bedroom away from my wing that I assigned to her. She knew I wouldn’t be able to force her to leave the room for Sophia’s sake. I was in my home office trying to get some things done after dinner when Aina knocked and entered the room.“Why are you here working? I thought today was a free day?” She aske
NIKAELEON~When Monday came around, I was relieved. I wanted to just get the custody battle over with and make it official. Uriel had left the day before of her own volition, without being coaxed or coerced. She didn’t try to guilt trip me into extending her stay, nor did she attack Aina when she saw Aina playing with Sophia. She seemed so calm and level headed now, but I just had this niggling suspicious feeling that seemed to never go away as I woke up this morning. Something wasn’t right, and though I didn’t know what it was, I had learned to always trust my instinct. Maybe something bad would happen, maybe it was just nothing. Either way, I left Sophia at home just in case.Usually, the child is supposed to be present in cases like these, but with my influence, I would just make a good excuse to the judge and jury concerning her absence. No one would force a sick child to appear in court. So, it was just me, Aina and Manolo, who was my legal representative that would be going to
EPILOGUE *** NIKAELEON * I thought I understood nervousness when I was about to get married, or fear when Aina had been held at gun point, none of that compared to the feeling of watching my child being born. Aina and I had already agreed before hand that I would be inside while she was giving birth. She needed my support because this was her first birth, and I wanted to watch , it would help me treasure her sacrifice to have our babies. Yes, babies. It seemed Sophia's prayer for a brother and sister came to pass. We found out we were having twins when we went for a late ultrasound scan. She screamed as another contraction hit her and her grip on my hand almost crushed my bones but I just stroked her hair with my other hand. "I don't think I can do this anymore." Aina sobbed and my heart broke for her. I wish I could take her pain away even if just a little bit and I hated being so helpless because at this point, there was nothing I could do for her. "Just a little bit more, Mr
NIKAELEON *** I never expected to be nervous today. It was usual to be nervous when you’re getting married, but I didn’t expect to be nervous, I expected to go through it calmly like I usually did everything in my life. Instead, I was fidgety, checking my reflection in the mirror a hundred times even though I looked perfect physically. “You look great, son. Stay still before you make a hole in the floor with your pacing.” My father chuckled as he walked into my room. “I don’t know why I’m even nervous. I was fine yesterday.” I said to him as I adjusted my tie again. “I was the same way when I married your mother. A lot of people no longer value marriage, but it’s supposed to be sacred. A lifelong vow of commitment to the one person you choose to live the rest of your life with. And you love her, you’re afraid of making a mistake and ruining what you both have.” I was about to protest and tell my father that this marriage was just an arrangement, after all, as a mafia boss, love w
NIKAELEON *** It has been weeks since Connor was arrested along with the leaders of the Black Knights. Some other lower ranked members had also been apprehended these past weeks. Connor and the leaders had already been tried in court and sentenced to life imprisonment. The others were still awaiting trial but it didn’t matter, they were just pawns, the main players were already in jail. Last I heard, Connor had been nearly paralysed and had to be hospitalised for almost two weeks. I had no sympathy for him and neither did the government, he was still sent back to prison on crutches to continue living with his assailants. My revenge on him was complete. Uriel had also been tried for illegal possession of a firearm and threatening people’s lives with it, but she hadn’t been sent to jail because I didn’t press charges to add to these ones. She was on house arrest for a year, with community service and court ordained therapy. I went to visit her occasionally so she could video call Soph
NIKAELEON***A FEW DAYS LATER*The courtroom buzzed with tension as the arguments echoed through the room, each side presenting their case for Sophia's custody. It was Manolo’s turn to speak now."Your Honor, We have substantial evidence to establish that Ms. Uriel is mentally unstable and unfit to provide a stable and nurturing environment for Sophia. We also have expert testimonies from qualified mental health professionals who have evaluated Ms. Uriel and have concluded that her mental state poses a risk to the well-being of the child."We gave the court a video clip from the security footage from the mansion showing the moment Uriel had grabbed Sophia roughly after Sophia announced that she was having a sibling. There was no sound because it was CCTV, but it was evident that Uriel was being aggressive to Sophia. That was enough to help our case.Uriel's lawyer countered with equal enthusiasm.“Your Honor, I assure you that my client is mentally sound. Those reports were taken wh
NIKAELEON***“I know what you’re going to say, Aina. You want me to release them without punishment, but I can’t do that. Yes, I know they’re in love and no one is above mistakes, I also know that this crime isn’t as bad as it would have been if he had been the traitor.” I said to her as we stepped out of the interrogation room and began to walk towards the back entrance to the house.“If you know, then why can’t you just release them?” She asked.“I’m sure you already know why. I set my rules for a reason, and if someone breaks any of my rules, no matter how justified they are, there has to be a consequence or no one will respect my rules. That’s why there are laws, and prison is the consequence if those laws are broken.”“Can’t you make an exception just this once? She’s pregnant, Nik.” She said and I sighed.“I’m not sending them away if that’s what you think. For their own good and mine. If they aren’t here, they’ll be easy to kill by my enemies or captured and tortured for infor
NIKALEOEN***“Fine. You can come along. But don’t interfere.” I said to her and the look she gave me said she would definitely interfere.“Don’t interfere too much.” I acquiesced with a sigh and she smiled.“And you better not cry.” I said to her and she huffed.“I’m not a baby.”As much as I wanted her by my side, I knew the path that lay ahead would test the limits of her resolve. "I never said you were a baby, Aina, this won't be easy. I may have to resort to violent means, and I may do things you may not approve. I don’t want you to resent me for it and begin to see me as some kind of monster. I really don't want you to witness what might transpire in that interrogation room. It could get ugly." I admitted.“I’ve always known there is a dark side of you, Nik. And I’ve made my peace with it. I know you don’t just go about torturing or hurting people on a whim or for fun, and when you do anything, it’s for a reason. I won’t blame you for anything you do today, you’re trying to pro
NIKAELEON***“And I also wanted to apologise for the scene I caused, it wasn’t my intention to let Sophia know that you’re my baby’s father. I just wanted to get her mind off seeing you both fighting so I told her I was having a baby and showed her the sonogram. When she asked me who the baby’s father was, I just replied without thinking and then she bolted out here to tell you before I could stop her.” Aina explained.“It’s fine. I know you didn’t have an ulterior motive for telling her, and I could see the look on your face when she ran here with the sonogram, I knew it was just a mistake and I don’t blame you for it. In fact, I think I’m relieved, I’ve been thinking of a way to tell Sophia that she would have a sibling soon, wondering how she would react. Now I know that I was just worried for nothing.” I replied to her.“Yeah, she’s so excited to be a big sister. She has already told me in detail all the things she plans to do, and by the way, she says she wants two siblings, one
AINA***I led Sophia away and she followed me, her tiny hand clutching onto me tightly.I took her to my room and sat down on the bed with her in my lap. I put her small hand on my tummy.“I have a baby in my tummy now.” I said and her eyes widened in surprise and childish delight.“You swallowed a baby?” She asked incredulously and I burst into startled laughter.“Oh! Heavens no! I can’t swallow a baby, I’m not a cannibal. The baby is growing in my tummy.” I said to her and there was a look of childish wonder in her eyes.“Babies grow in tummies? I thought they were sent from heaven by storks, I watched that in a cartoon. All the animals were on a train and when it was time for them to have babies, the birds carried the babies in white cloth and dropped them off one by one in the mummy and daddy’s cages.” Sophia said and I laughed again.I definitely wasn’t having the talk on where babies come from with her. It had been awkward when my own mother had ‘the talk’ with me, and I wasn’t
NIKAELEON***“We need to talk, Nik. That’s why I’m here.” She replied to me and I nearly chuckled at the audacity she had to show up at my house to demand an audience with me.“We have nothing to talk about, Uriel. Or rather, I have nothing to talk about with you even though you may have something to say. I have no interest, nor do I have the time or patience to listen to whatever nonsense you want to say to me. So leave before I have you arrested for trespassing.” I said to her.“You can’t do that.” She said and I scoffed.“You have no idea what I’m capable of, Uriel. I suspect it’s the reason why you dare defy me so often.” I said to her. “If the police come, I’ll just tell them that I came to see Sophia and you denied me entrance. It will look bad on you while the custody case is still being deliberated on by the court.” She said.I was about to tell her to go fuck herself when Aina put a hand on my forearm. I turned to look at her and she didn’t need to speak to communicate her