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Zyon

I spent the rest of the day guarding Valeria’s bed. She regularly woke up startled and sweating and had nightmares. She was scared like a little bird that had fallen from its mother’s nest. I tried to reassure her that everything was okay and she was safe, but nothing seemed to work.

Eventually, I asked the doctor, a lovely middle-aged lady with a kind smile and sharp look, to give her something to calm her down. She needed to rest to heal, not to fight the demons Chester launched at her.

After Valeria got a dose of something and the doctor reassured me that she would sleep till the morning, I visited my brother. Dorian was groggy after the anesthesia but was able to tell me what happened in the apartment.

I kept a stoic mask on while he spoke about how he found Valeria, but on the inside, I was raging.

My girl was barely conscious when Chester attempted to rape her.

Dorian got there right on time before the fucker could do even more damage, but he didn’t expect Chester’s rapid reaction to the door opening, and he got shot. A second later, the bastard was gone.

“Thank you, brother,” I said sincerely, squeezing his healthy shoulder. “You saved her.”

He smiled dreamily, the drugs still doing magic in his system .

“Yeah,” he breathed, briefly closing his eyes. “I risked my life to save her.” His heavy eyelids slowly opened, and he looked at me like a lovesick puppy. “Does it make me her new boyfriend?”

“I really hope that’s the anesthesia talking, Dorian.” I chuckled, watching his eyes close again. He fell asleep like a baby, and I left the hospital, thinking what to say to Zara.

My little princess had no idea what happened to her mother.

I flirted with the thought of telling her the truth, but she was only seven.

No matter how much I selfishly wanted her to know her father was a violent bastard, my common sense won.

Zara had gone through enough with Chester. She didn’t need more.

Entering the house, I was welcomed by Jamal, Connor, and his two comrades, who came to report on their findings. Malin swept the city for any trace of Chester, but it seemed like the fucking ground swallowed him.

All his powerful friends were dead or chased away.

I cleaned the city, and those who hadn’t pledged their loyalty to me had to be taken down.

I wasn’t willing to risk anything this time.

I had a family to protect and a child and a future wife to care for.

Things would either be my way or no way. It became the new rule.

“Did you find him?” I barked without greeting them, throwing my coat over the armchair.

“Not yet, boss,” Jamal replied, frowning. “There must be someone helping him. That’s the only explanation.”

“I don’t fucking care about explanations!” I roared, unable to keep my anger and frustration under the hood any longer. “I want results!”

“We’ve covered everything, Zyon,” Connor said, maintaining eye contact, but when I almost snarled at him, he instantly looked away.

“Clearly not,” I hissed, fighting the urge to shoot them all for the mistakes they’d constantly made in this case. “Valeria and Dorian are in the hospital because of your incompetence. You either find him by tomorrow morning, or you will all bear the consequences.”

Jamal’s eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth to say something, but I shut him up with a swift wave of my hand .

“Get out of my sight!” I commanded, turning my back on them. They followed my order and disappeared, leaving me in the empty house with my crazy, murderous thoughts.

The temptation to go out and chase Chester through the night was strong, but I had other pressing matters to care for.

I had to fulfill my promise to Gravaldis and other Italian families for their help with the hunt for their leaders.

Their information and will to betray them were crucial for my flawless victory.

I was the new king of the city. I just had to catch Chester, and everything would be as it should be.

A shuffling behind me stirred me from my musing, and I frowned. The dogs were outside. I had seen them with the boys at the gate. But who would be…

Oh, fuck!

“Zara?” I whispered, hoping for a big, fat rat hiding under the table instead of my princess.

A suppressed sob speared my ears, making my heart clench with worry.

How the fuck could I forget about a tiny human living in my house? Shit!

“Zara,” I repeated, dropping to my knees.

She sat under the table in the farthest corner, her back pressed against the metal leg.

She was curled into a ball, weeping uncontrollably.

“Princess,” I whispered, crawling to join her.

She lifted her puffy eyes, curly auburn hair falling onto her wet face. “Why are you hiding here?”

Zara started to reply, but cries flew from her mouth instead of words. Her small body shook, and she hugged her knees tighter.

I positioned myself at an odd angle, trying to fit under the low desk. After ten seconds in this unnatural position, my neck hurt like fuck, but it was punishment for yelling like a lunatic when a child was in the house.

“I’ll just stay here with you, okay?” I said gently, stretching my legs. My phone buzzed in my coat, and I remembered the last time I hadn’t picked it up, but my princess was more important than anything.

“W-where is M-mommy?” Zara sobbed weakly, her shoulders shaking. She could barely catch her breath.

“In the hospital,” I answered truthfully, knowing she had heard me before. “She is okay, just bruised. ”

“What h-happened?” Zara wiped her cheeks on the long sleeves of her pretty green dress, her innocent eyes staring holes into my black soul.

I’d never hated Chester more than at this moment when I either had to tell his daughter that he was a sick monster or lie to her. Not even when he put Valeria in the hospital had I felt so helpless.

“Your mom got into a fight.” I chose the words carefully, avoiding telling lies but also keeping the truth hidden.

“With who?” she asked, blinking in confusion.

“She found an intruder in your previous home.” I lowered my head to see the front door because I heard it open. A second later, my mother’s extreme high heels clicked on my shiny floor as she walked into the living room. She had just returned from her trip to Europe.

“My father?”

I snapped my head toward Zara, hitting the top of it against the wood.

“Zyon?” my mother’s voice echoed through the room, and Zara flinched.

“Under the table, Mom!” I yelled, taking Zara’s hand. “Don’t be scared, princess,” I whispered, smiling softly at her. “She is nice. I bet you’ll like her.”

“But the intruder.” She frowned at me, yet her expression immediately changed when my mother crouched beside the desk.

“Aren’t you a little too old for hiding under the table, son?” Mom asked, her face with bold, dark makeup turning surprised when she noticed Zara. “Ooh, you’re having a party under here. Can I join you?”

I moved toward Zara and bent my legs to make a place for my mom. She crawled opposite me, grinning. Her long black hair framed her oval face with gleaming, mischievous black eyes and brown-painted plump lips.

She was a walking, breathing advertisement for a Gothic queen, and I deeply loved and admired her style.

Truth be told, my own preferences evolved from her unique fashion choices.

In her fifty-eight years, she looked more like my sister than my mother, and much younger women envied her stunning figure and the unshakable confidence with which she held herself.

“What is the reason for this secret meeting, little lion cubs?” Mom smiled at Zara, poking her leg with her extravagant shoe. She called us by the nickname she used on my brothers and me when we were kids, and we planned mutiny against Dad’s rules.

“My mommy is in the hospital,” Zara mumbled, moving closer to me. Her eyes were glued to my mother’s face. She was evidently nervous.

“I heard.” Mom nodded, her eyes softening. “But don’t worry. She is strong. She’ll be home in no time.”

“I want to know what happened to her.” Zara’s determination to find the truth both impressed and scared me. The girl set her mind on a goal, and nothing could take her away from it.

“Sometimes, you meet people that will hurt you, sweetheart,” Mom said in a velvety voice that I knew so well. “The world is full of monsters.”

“My father is a monster,” Zara burst out, her eyes watering, but she kept a strong facade. I admired her more and more with every passing second. “Was it him?”

My mother looked at me as if asking for permission to confirm Zara’s assumption, but I still hesitated. On the one hand, I wanted to shout from the roof that Chester was a fucking bastard who beat women, but on the other, I didn’t want to break Zara’s heart.

Wrapping my arm protectively around her slender shoulders, I pushed myself to keep my word and tell her the truth.

I lied to Valeria only once about winning money from Chester in a poker game because she would have never accepted it.

I even chose a stalker name Zefarin, which was my middle name, so as not to tell her bullshit, and I didn’t intend to do that to my princess, either. She deserved honesty.

“Yes, Zara,” I let out after a long pause, glancing into her big sad eyes. “Your father attacked your mom.”

Her lower lip and chin quivered, and tears streamed down her flushed cheeks. I pulled her closer to me, and she leaned into my side, sobbing quietly .

“I’m going to find some chocolate,” Mom said, touching my hand when I smiled at her gratefully. “God knows we deserve it.”

She winked at Zara, who peaked at her from behind my arm and crawled away. Her heels clicked on the floor until she disappeared into the kitchen, probably turning the place upside down.

“Am I a monster, too, Zyon?” Zara interrupted the heavy silence filled with pain that settled around us, raising her head to look at me.

“ What? No, princess,” I claimed without hesitation, shaking my head firmly. “Where did that come from?”

She shrugged, staring at her hands.

“I’m a child of a monster,” she whispered, fresh tears falling from her eyes.

“That’s not true.” I gently took her chin between my thumb and index finger, forcing our gazes together. “You’re not his, Zara. You’re mine.”

The innocence and hope in her eyes completely disarmed me. She owned my heart like no one before her. It was incomparable to what I felt toward Valeria or my family members. It was a totally different kind of love than I had ever experienced.

Did my parents really love me that much?

“Will you be my dad?” she whispered, fear sneaking into her irises. A smile tugged on my lips, and warmth spread from my stomach.

“I was worried you’d never ask,” I joked, poking her side with my index finger. She giggled, a bubbly sound tingling my ears.

“ So , will you?” She pushed my hand away, demanding an answer.

I exhaled dramatically, teasing her a little before replying.

“If you want to be my daughter, Zara, then yes, I will happily become your dad,” I said, probably shining like a Christmas tree from my happiness.

A wide smile split Zara’s face, erasing the tears and pain Chester caused. She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly, hiding in my embrace .

“I’ll be the best daughter ever,” she promised, unwilling to let me go.

“You already are, princess.”

I kissed the top of her head, brushing her long hair back.

My throat tightened with intense emotions.

I was surprised and touched. I hoped to win Zara over and have a close relationship with her, but I would never have dreamed she would want me to become her father.

It was completely unexpected, but I welcomed it with everything in me.

The girl owned my heart, and if anyone ever hurt her, I would bring the apocalypse on them.

“I have chocolate, biscuits, and gummy bears!” Mom yelled, returning to the living room. “Who wants some?”

Zara pulled away from me, watching Mom’s heels walking around the couch curiously.

“Is she your real mom?” she whispered, moving away to see better.

“Yes,” I confirmed, suppressing a chuckle. “Why do you ask?”

“She looks like a movie star,” Zara breathed, admiration glowing in her almost silver eyes.

I knew how my mother affected people around her.

They were in awe of her gorgeous looks and impressive intelligence.

And to underline her unique personality, she had the kindest heart on earth.

I never understood how my brooding, grumpy, and criminal father got so lucky to marry her.

They were an extraordinary couple that demolished society norms with a seventeen-year age gap and an even bigger abyss between their society status.

In their case, love indeed won over everything.

“Okay, I’m going to eat it all alone,” Mom sighed theatrically. Judging by the crunching of the paper, she was opening the chocolate.

“Can I?” Zara asked, giving me her best innocent look. I would allow her anything when she stared at me like that.

“Of course, princess.” I smiled at her, shaking my head when she swiftly crawled out and joined my mother.

For me, it wasn’t so easy. My back felt like someone had smashed me with a baseball bat. Not to mention my abdomen, which wasn’t completely healed yet. Next time, I would have to pick a higher, more comfortable place for a family meeting .

Watching my mom share chocolate with Zara, I took my buzzing phone from my coat. She offered me some, but I refused, accepting a call from Malin.

“Finally,” he grumbled, his voice laced with annoyance. “We have him. I’m taking him to the pharma warehouse.”

My heart skipped a beat in excitement. This was the moment I had been waiting for.

“No one touches him,” I commanded, walking away so Zara couldn’t hear me. “He is mine.”

“Yes, boss,” Malin confirmed, cutting the connection.

I hid the phone in my pocket, looking at Zara’s gentle smile as she listened to my mother talking about her long crimson-red nails.

The nightmare was over. Chester would never again hurt her or Valeria. Tonight, I would make sure of it.