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THE LYING GAME 13
~JADE~“Did you let him go?.”“Speak bitch!. Did you let the Underboss get away?!!!!.”My head was blank. I could feel the life getting snuffed out of me. My eyes closed but Vincenzo was having none of that. He slowly released his hold on my neck and I gasped, completely sure that I had red lines around my flesh. An angry crowd of Mafia formed around us and he tipped up my chin, “You have one last chance, woman. Get back in that house and bring me that son of a bitch. I don't care what you have to do, but do what is necessary or I’ll be forced to show you the consequences of failure on my father’s behalf.“~I didn’t know how long I had been clamped up on the balcony’s floor but I slowly pulled myself to my feet. A silver case shone on the floor in the moonlight and I picked it up recognizing it instantly. It was his lighter case. He had dropped it behind. The case had an inscription on it “A” with the familiar symbol of an axe which I was sure I’d seen somewhere. I ran my thumb over
THE LYING GAME 14
~JADE~“No!!!.” I jolted up from the bed panting and thoroughly drenched in my sweat despite the chilly air. I thought it would never come again but my parent's bloody murder had come to haunt me once more. This time, I saw Lucas walking away from us, and just as he reached the door, a gunshot got to him too, taking him away from me. I looked around the room and my racing heart tried to beat normally. I got up from the bed and discarded my clothes before stepping into the shower. Every dream had its purpose, but this was a reminder of my own. It's been seventeen years since my parent's death, but I have achieved nothing except paying off tiny debts. In the mirror, my reflection stared back at me, and my eyes wandered down to a scar on my wrist. Another reminder.The sun was still down and most of the mansion’s occupants, save for a few servants, were still fast asleep. I threw on a simple pant and tees, practiced my workout routine which I had abandoned since I stepped into the Ax
THE LYING GAME 15
Déjà vu.It was only a week ago. Maybe a few days over a week, when I had wandered deliberately away from the path that led to my room. But, even one week was not enough time to erase the terrified image of the nude maid I’d seen from my mind. It was the same at this moment, except the maid was gone and I was the “nude, terrified one”. I scrambled off the bed with my heart racing at the stupidity I’d just displayed, but the damage was already done.The woman who had barged in was a tall, stunning brunette, with a beautiful heart-shaped face. Her gaze lingered on me for only a moment, unfazed at my presence, then she turned to Angel.“Missed me?.” She purred. Yes. Purred, because she sounded just like a cat.As I slipped my dress on, she approached him with a smile on her face. Angel’s face was indifferent, I couldn't tell what he was thinking at that moment. But two things were clear, he wasn't upset that she had barged in and he did not tell her off. “Zeta…” Angel’s voice trailed
THE LYING GAME 16
~Angel~There was something about artists and yearning for the perfect body. A perfect muse. It was nothing sensual, other than the pleasure they’d reel in from drowning in the magnificence of a finished ‘perfect’ painting. And in that order, I’d convinced myself that I didn't want anything more from Elena, nor from any other woman at that. Love makes people weak. It preyed on their consciousness, blurring everything else that should have mattered, everything they could have noticed to stop a major disaster from happening. I knew this because I had been in love myself… scratch that… because I had been infatuated once. And by the moment it faded, I had lost something I could never get back. Two knocks on the door reminded me that I had asked for her to come see me. It was too early to be drinking, but I downed a shot or two each time the thoughts resurfaced. I put the bottle away and finger-combed my hair.“Come in,” I instructed, my gaze settling on the door.I frowned when it t
THE LYING GAME 17
~Vincenzo~“Zeta Mancini.” I ended the call with Jade while committing the name she had mentioned to memory. It did not ring a bell. If truly she was an actress, then she was an insignificant, time-wasting one. I picked up a glass tumbler from a waitress and drank the whiskey in one go. The burning sensation of the liquid teased my throat. I embraced it as well as the feeling of satisfaction and power that surged through my bones as I looked over at the dancing entwined bodies in the large room below. I could end their fun. I could issue an order to declare the major chains of luxurious clubs in the city closed and they would have nowhere left to run wild.Rotana was home to me. And now, with my father retired, and the Russo’s cartel under my fucking command, I would finally get to own the fucking city. Not my father. Not Lazarus Russo, but I, Vincenzo fucking Russo.Marcel’s head bobbed in through the entrance. Like always, he looked impatient. I sat up in my chair, wondering why
THE LYING GAME Prologue
SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO.A bubbly house. Last-minute preparations and the familiar yearly rush. A young girl giggled as she hurried past a pair of busy maids and made her way into her bedroom. Shutting the door securely behind her, she packed up her curly black waves into a ponytail and headed straight for her wardrobe.It was the sixth of June and every sixth of June marked the wedding anniversary of the Chantel Couple. Her parents.For this year’s anniversary, the six-year-old had prepared the most thoughtful present. She knelt on the floor to pull out a box that she had hidden away from the watchful eyes of her elder brother, Lucas, and the Chantel household maids.Bang! An unusual sound from someplace in the house made her hurry. Were they starting the fun already without her?She carried the brightly wrapped up box from the floor and gave a last-minute check to her appearance in the mirror. For the occasion, she had worn a matching dress with Sofia Chantel, her mother. It was a gr
THE LYING GAME 01
~JADE~You know if I ever got a second chance at life, I probably wouldn’t do this.I wouldn’t be in one of the finest clubs in Rotana with my feet in dumbass six aching inches stilettos and rib-cracking corsets. I wouldn’t risk my twenty-three-year-old life by planting a recording chip underneath the table of one of the wealthiest men in the city while I danced to the slow beat of the music in the room.Most of all, I wouldn’t make the mistake of letting him catch a flirty glimpse at my exposed cleavage as I delivered a closing bow to my three-men audience and retrieved the chip.Unless this wasn't a second chance at life. This is real, and I’ve just succeeded in attracting the most unwanted attention from my target, a spoilt third-generation heir.“Hey Jade, It’s clear over here! Tell me you’ve gotten that son of a bitch?!.” Ruby, my best friend and aide for the night screamed through the tiny intercom secured behind my ear.In a bad way Ruby, I wished to respond. Instead, I straigh
THE LYING GAME 02
~JADE~I was not fond of Crystal. At least not like I was with the rest of the girls. Crystal was new and she had joined us much later so I never really bonded with her.But she was one of my girls…My hold on the helm of my gun tightened as I stared from Lazarus to the unwelcome visitor. From the relaxed look on Lazarus’s face, it dawned on me that he knew who this visitor was. This visitor killed Crystal before our eyes…, and Lazarus had allowed it.For whatever gain?“If you needed to punish anyone for failing this mission, it should have been me. Not her!.” I gritted the words out to Lazarus as I stared daggers at the two men by the door. “You put me in charge of securing the chip and I failed, that was totally unnecessary!.”Silence.Lazarus’s face remained calm and indifferent. All the words I uttered had fallen on deaf ears. Rather, he stared at the men by the door and tapped his cane impatiently on the floor.“You mean… this chip?.” A smooth voice expressed and I frowned to se
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