Reign of a Billionaire : A Dark Mafia Enemies-to-Lovers Romance

Chapter 27Liana

The sound of shattering glass woke me up.

I jolted upright, my eyes landing on the bedside table. I blinked as the digits came into focus. It was almost eleven in the morning. I gasped, realizing I’d slept for almost twelve hours straight. I hadn’t slept that long in… forever.

“Who in the fuck puts a glass on the edge of the counter?” came Giovanni’s irritated voice.

I winced, knowing full well I was the culprit. Giovanni didn’t have maids, and I was too accustomed to someone cleaning up after me. During the past three days, it had become obvious to me that Giovanni was a happy bachelor. He didn’t like people in his space, but he insisted I hide in his penthouse. It wasn’t the ideal cohabitation scenario.

The world thought I was dead. My phone—all of my purse contents, actually, were destroyed in the explosion. But here I was, lying low and plotting.

My throat tightened for a moment, remembering all the times my sister and I had drawn up escape plans growing up. Even when we were little and could be easily distracted from what went on in the dungeons of our estate in Russia, we were always looking ahead at a life where we’d be free of our mother and Ivan.

And here I was now—free of my mother. Lou would be so excited at our prospects.

God, I missed her. I hadn’t been there to save her. To protect her. Why, dammit? For the life of me, I couldn’t remember anything but what my mother told me. However, after the comment by Giovanni’s uncle, I was starting to suspect my mother’s words had all been lies. Except, what was the truth?

All of this was slowly driving me insane.

But if I stayed the course and let Giovanni help me, I’d take everyone responsible for my sister’s destiny down. Some parts of the plan were finally unfolding, and my lips curled into a smile remembering how we ended the old Santiago Tijuana, making him scream like a pig.

Exhaling, I wiped a hand over my eyes. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t enjoyed the sound of his agonizing gurgles. He deserved it. Perez would get to taste my wrath soon too.

But none of it compared to learning that my sister—my other half—could be alive.

“Don’t get your hopes up, Liana,” I rasped, my voice barely above a whisper. The likelihood of any woman surviving eight years of hell was slim.

The door to my sanctuary suddenly opened and Giovanni stood there, wearing a black suit. Tucking all my turmoil behind a mask, I flashed him a reserved smile.

“How was church?” I asked, sliding out of bed. I didn’t reveal the conversation I’d had with his uncle. Trust was a lesson I didn’t need right now. All I needed to know was that Giovanni, as the head of the Tijuana cartel, wouldn’t continue human trafficking. That was where our relationship started and ended.

“Very preachy.”

I snickered. Stretching my arms wide in the air, I continued, “It didn’t go up in flames with so many sinners in one spot?”

The ridiculously large clothes hung off me, making me appear like a damn kid. But it was all Giovanni had, and I was thankful not to have to sleep in my undergarments. I didn’t trust anyone that much.

“It didn’t.”

I let out a sigh. “That’s a shame.” I flipped my hair out of my face and smiled savagely. “I kind of hoped it would. Burn all those motherfuckers to ash.”

I didn’t care that it implied he’d get swept up in the fire. We were reluctant, temporary partners at best. There’d be no love lost, and he knew it, so why pretend?

He let out a sardonic breath. “I can’t decide whether you’re reckless or just crazy.”

I flashed him a too-sweet smile.

“Maybe a little bit of both.” Our gazes locked, and I thought back to the first time I saw him. “What was the deal with you and my mother back at the hotel lobby?” I asked, referencing the coded conversation that was impossible to follow.

He shrugged. “I was delivering my uncle’s message.” My eyebrows knitted as he continued, “I had to play my part in his schemes.”

“What schemes?”

“His human trafficking deals with your mother.”

I stiffened. “You supported it?”

“No. I’ve been slowly dismantling it, but the fucker was paranoid and kept a lot of information to himself.”

That sounded about right, and it reminded me of my mother.

He pushed his hand through his dark hair, and it was only then that I noticed Giovanni’s eyes glazing with fury. “What’s the matter?” I demanded.

His jaw clenched before he ran his tongue across his teeth, flicking his gaze to the side before bringing it back to me.

“Perez wants me to hand you over today.”

My heart skipped a beat and I clapped my hands in delight. “That’s good. It was our goal all along.”

He shook his head. “That was your goal. Not mine.”

I scowled, my senses on alert. “Explain yourself.”

“It’s not safe, Liana. I don’t like this plan one bit.” There was no fucking way I would give up now, not after hearing that Perez had information on my sister. I needed to find out who he sold her to, and then I’d kill the motherfucker.

“You cannot go back on our agreement,” I growled in a rush. “I need to destroy his human trafficking ring from within.”

“We can do it together,” he reasoned. “The safe way.”

My fingers twitched with an urge to murder him if he refused to follow through. I was sick and tired of men thinking they knew better than me. My heart tripped over itself, realizing this was probably how my mother became who she was today.

Her firstborn—the most precious—daughter was taken from her and she vowed to become the most powerful and ruthless woman in the underworld.

Shoving it all into the dark corner of my mind to deal with later, I locked eyes with him.

“No.” It took all my willpower not to reach for my knife. “You’re now the head of the Tijuana cartel. You’ll hold up your end of the bargain and deliver me to Perez with a fucking bow, smiling all the way through it.”

I was committed to this vendetta. I needed to get close to Perez now more than ever. I needed to know where my twin was. If she was alive, I needed to save her.

He sighed tiredly, and I knew I was close to winning.

“Hold up your end of the bargain,” I continued. “It will prove to Perez and the likes of him that you can be trusted. Then get the list of anyone involved with it, and destroy them from the inside.”

“You’re too bossy,” he said in a begrudging tone.

“So fucking what?” My palms came to rest on my waist, ready to battle him. The stupid sleeves hung half off, somewhat hindering my pissed-off image. “If I were a man, you’d acknowledge it’s a brilliant idea.”

“Jesus,” he muttered, blowing out a breath. I’d never had a big brother, but I imagined if I had one, he’d be just as annoying and overbearing as this man in front of me. “Perez is a psychopath. You’ll be at his mercy, and more vulnerable than ever.”

“I can handle myself.” My teeth clenched. “Unless you forgot, I killed your uncle,” I pointed out.

“Perez will have a whole fucking army around him. Especially now that you single-handedly killed off my uncle and all his guards.” I killed Santiago, but I wouldn’t have been able to get near him without Giovanni’s help. Not that we’d share that tiny bit of information with Perez.

“Like I said, I can handle myself.”

“Liana, don’t be reckless. You won’t help anyone by getting yourself killed.”

“The world thinks I’m already dead.”

“But you’re not.” He took a step forward. “You know, this could be your chance to start fresh. Away from everything and everyone in this world.”

My fists tightened until I felt my muscles burn. I flashed him my most punishing glare, then jammed a finger against his chest.

“Not until I make those responsible for my sister’s death pay.” Not until I find her—dead or alive. “She was half of me.” My voice sounded far away, even to my ears. Pain and adrenaline buzzed through my veins. “Can’t you see, Giovanni? I can’t move on. I’m not okay.” My voice trailed off as I tamped down a sniffle. “I’ll never be okay, not while those responsible roam this earth.”

Each heartbeat was more painful than the last.

“You won’t find closure. Only more questions.” Giovanni’s calm voice ripped through the chaos in my chest and my mind. I met his green eyes. He sounded collected, but underneath the surface, I sensed something else. Something familiar.

“What are you saying?” I whispered.

“You know, probably better than anyone, that nothing is simple in our world. I don’t know what happened to your sister, but even if she’s alive, she won’t be the same person you remember.”

The vivid images from the night my life shattered around me played through my head. My broken body. My broken mind. If my twin survived, she’d be in worse shape than I ever was.

I didn’t have a choice but to go after answers. She’d do the same for me.