The first thing that came to my mind was that he was tall. The top of my head reached only to his chest. Glancing upward, I froze.
Grey eyes stared down at me. But in those grey eyes were small flecks of blue. Those eyes almost reminded me of Alessio’s.
Taking a step back, I closed my eyes and quickly apologized. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…I should have been looking…I’m sorry.”
When I didn’t hear an answer, I opened my eyes. I took a few steps away from him, finally seeing the man clearly for the first time. All I could do was stare at him in complete astonishment.
He looked like Alessio. Almost exactly like him. There were a few wrinkles in the corner of his eyes and lips, the only indication that he was older. Was he related to Alessio?
My eyes were still glued to him when I saw another man step forward until he was standing beside Alessio’s lookalike.
With both men standing together, I trembled under their unflinching, tense gaze. I heard a loud gasp resonate from behind me, but I was too fixated on what I saw in front of me.
The other man’s eyes shifted away from mine, and I saw him look behind my back. He nodded. “Lena.”
“Isaak,” I heard Lena say.
Alessio’s lookalike gave me a final look before staring behind me too. “Lena,” he greeted, his voice gruff and deep.
“Lyov,” she breathed, shock evident in her voice.
Lyov. The name sounded so familiar.
When realization dawned, I took a step back, my hands shaking at my sides.
I now understood why he looked so much like Alessio.
Lyov was Alessio’s father.
Chapter 8
As soon as I realized who was standing in front of me, I froze.
When I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders, I flinched in fright but quickly calmed down when I realized it was Alessio. He gave me a comforting squeeze.
Lyov’s eyes moved to Alessio’s arm around my shoulder, his stare burning holes into my skin. His gaze moved to mine, and I almost flinched at the glare he sent me. Moving further against Alessio’s body, I sought comfort from his touch.
“Isaak.” Alessio nodded toward the other man.
Turning to his father, he did the same thing. “Lyov.” His voice was cold and void of emotion, a strange way to address his father.
“We’ll have breakfast and then discuss the matter,” Alessio continued.
Lyov walked around me without a second glance, while Isaak’s eyes moved to mine again. He stared at me for a few chilling seconds, his gaze penetrating and almost frightening. There was a strange look on his face, but then he shook his head, as if he was clearing his mind. Without sparing us another glance, he followed Lyov.
As soon as they were out of sight, my shoulders sagged in relief, and I took a deep breath, trying to calm my wildly racing heart. Swallowing nervously, I peeked over my shoulder to see them walking upstairs.
“You don’t have to worry about them. They won’t hurt you,” Alessio muttered in my ears.
“They look scary,” I whispered back. His chest rippled with a low chuckle, his arms tightening around me in the process. He placed a kiss on my temple, and I turned around in his arms, facing him.
“Scarier than me?” he teased.
“No. You are worse,” I admitted truthfully. All the men living in this house were dangerous and had a dark, tense vibe around them, but Alessio had the most chilling aura.
“And are you scared? Of me?” Alessio asked, pulling me closer.
Shaking my head, I placed a kiss in the middle of his chest. “No. I know you won’t hurt me.” Leaning on my tip-toes, I gave him a quick kiss and pulled away. “I’ll see you later.”
Alessio let me go with a nod. Sending him a smile, I walked away toward the back garden. The fresh morning air hit my face in a soothing manner, and I closed my eyes. How could I face Lyov without breaking down?
My father killed his wife. Mercilessly and cruelly.
Every single time it came back to this…I was an Abandonato. The daughter of the man who destroyed a once-perfect family.
I wished there was a way to erase my past. Everything would have been easier if I wasn’t an Abandonato. The guilt of lying to everyone was slowly eating me alive. My heart ached at my own betrayal.
How long can I keep this secret before everything crumbles under my feet?
***
I didn’t see Alessio or the others for the rest of the day. I was tense, as if any moment now everything would end.
“Nikolay and Phoenix were living on the streets when Alessio found them.” Maddie’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Right. We were talking about Nikolay.
“I don’t know much of their history, but Alessio does. All I know is that they are cousins and they had deadbeat parents,” she explained.