Chapter 21

Courtney

I ran after Caterina and found her hiding in my room last night devastated and completely horrified. She told me how she had gone to see Lucien, but got the shock of her life.
He was caught red-handed in a compromising position. That wasn't the bad part though. He was moaning her name.
She freaked out and ran. Not because she was embarrassed, she ran because she was turned on by the sight of it.
Alec told me about how Lucien and Caterina have always been best friends ever since the day he was taken in by Gio and Luca. They were inseparable as kids, but when they turned sixteen something in him changed. Caterina became his obsession. He spent every second watching her when she wasn't looking admiring her beauty.
He told me Lucien and Tony didn't always get along. They had a very rocky past, but now it was fine. Tony was a very loyal man to the family.
As teenagers, they loathed each other. Tony wanted Caterina for himself and Lucien didn't want anyone to have her. Especially Tony. He wanted her for himself.
"What am I supposed to do? Act like I didn't see him jacking off?" Caterina's eyes glistened. "I can't face him after seeing him with his..." She trailed off with her cheeks turning pink looking away from me.
"Relax. It's going to be fine." I tried to reassure her as I pulled my hair up into a ponytail. She nodded but wasn't fully convinced. "Just act as if nothing happened."
"Easy for you to say. It wasn't your name he was moaning."
I chuckled as we walked out only to be pulled into a hard chest.
"Alec!" I squealed. "I'll see you later?"
Caterina nodded nervously as he pulled me to the bathroom. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he kissed me feverishly. "I missed you in my bed last night."
He smirked against my neck. "So last night was interesting."
I playfully punched him in the chest giggling and he placed a hand over the spot faking hurt. "It's not funny. Caterina was freaking out so bad."
Who knew I would be able to find myself in a relationship with the notorious Alec Vitale? What once used to be anger and hatred aimed at me is now nothing but love and affection.
He cupped my cheeks and his eyes pierced through me. "Today is the day of the start of his punishment."
I nodded and gulped knowing that meant eventually I'd have to face Sergei. It's something I had to do though if I wanted to move forward.
My eyes watered making my heart swell at him loving him even more if that's even possible.
"I-I don't know what to say. I've dreamed about this moment for so long. I'm free Alec. I'm finally free from him." I breathed out.
"I would do anything for you, even if it means killing for you baby." He kissed my lips pushing his grinding his hips into me. He broke away and pecked my lips one last time. "Now let's go eat breakfast with our friends and see how awkward they are."
Lucien and Caterina sat uncomfortably straight across one another avoiding eye contact. The only noise that could be heard was the silverware scraping on the plates. Alec was enjoying the awkwardness of our friends all too much. I was secretly enjoying this a little bit too.
Giovanni sat and raised his fork, but stopped mid-air cocking his head to the side. "Why is everyone so quiet?"
He waited patiently for someone to answer him. Nobody said a word. "Which one of you are fighting?"
Alec broke the silence. "Hey don't look at me and Courtney. We've never been better." He replied sending me a wink as he sipped his orange juice. "There was an incident last night and these two are being weird about it."
The tension in the room was thick as everyone continued to eat in silence. I felt Alec's hand slide up my thigh and my legs parted making him grin like a Cheshire cat.
"Alec!" I hissed under my breath.
His hand brushed my panties and I let out a moan.
"This pancake is just so good," I said, covering up my slip up.
Giovanni's voice made Alec's hand pull back. "What kind of incident?"
Oh no!
The look on Alec's face held a glint of mischief as he answered. "Caterina and Lucien would be happy to fill you in. Isn't that right Lucien?"
Caterina's cheeks turned pink and Lucien's face paled. "I-I was..." Lucien started, but Caterina cut in.
"Nothing happened! I just walked in as he was showering and that's all that happened. Right, Lucien?"
"Yeah. That's all that happened." He quickly responded.
The look in her father's face told me that he knew she'd just lied to him. His face told me that he already knew about what happened last night. Gio never misses anything.
"If that's what happened, I'll settle for that. Now let's get to business, no need to be jacking around." He said with his lips curled up in a smirk.
He knew exactly Caterina had caught Lucien doing. He was just toying with them.
"Lucien? Alec? We need to talk. Today I want you to meet me in my office in thirty minutes. We have much to discuss."
It was just me and Caterina left at the table. She was angrily glaring at me. "Feed me to the damn wolves why don't you!"
I giggled at her.
"Stop laughing! That was so embarrassing." I raised my hands in surrender.
"Don't look at me. I didn't say a word." I just loved messing with her after all the times she teased me about Alec. I had to have a little bit of fun with this.
"Tell me, I bet you wanted to touch it." She punched me in my shoulder. "Fine. I'll stop teasing."
Luca walked in as those words escaped my mouth and he raised a brow in curiosity. Lucien's father was just as powerful as Giovanni. He was Giovanni’s best friend and had been for years. They were much like Lucien and Alec. His personality was a mixture of Giovanni and a hint of cockiness rolled into one. "Good morning, ladies."
"Good morning Luca. Coffee?" He shook his head and grabbed the bottle of whiskey. "Nah. Need something stronger."
He smiled, sending me a wink.
"Later ladies." He said walking away in the direction of Giovanni's office.

***

Alec

I stood in front of the man that caused her so many years of pain. Even though he'd been beaten, he still wore that damn smirk. "Vitale. So we meet again."
I dug the knife in his side.
"Is that all you got fucker?"
My fists collided with his jaw and he spits blood on my shirt.
He cocked his head to the side. "Tell me something. Did you ever meet your real father?"
"What did you just say?" My blood boiled at his question. I never met my father. It had always been me and my uncle.
I had a sister too, but she disappeared when she was ten. I never saw her again. I just know my uncle had something to do with that.
"I said I met your father once." I pulled his head back forcing him to look me in the eyes. "I killed him right after he told me I was his son."
I pressed the cold metal to his head and hissed out. "You're lying!"
"No. I'm. Not!" He said through gritted teeth panting. I released him and tucked my gun in the back of my pants. Anger welled up and thought how can I even believe him. He's a monster and he's telling me that I'm supposed to be blood to him.
I stepped back and looked at him once before pulling my fist back to pummel him. "Stop! I'm not lying. I know that you have a sister and been trying to locate her."
My face paled and my blood froze. I had to get out of here quickly and get my head straight. I ran straight to Giovanni's office out of breath. "We got a problem! A big one."
All these years I've been here, I'd never asked him about my uncle or father. "I need a favor. Can you get any information on my real father and uncle?"
He removed his glasses and sighed. "I was wondering when you were going to ask me about that." He said pulling out a file from his desk and sliding it towards me.
I looked at it for the longest time and opened it up to get the shock of my life. All the answers I needed were right here in front of me. The only thing that it didn't answer was anything on my sister, Nicole Vitale. I groaned knowing that I was going to have to rely on the man that hurt the woman I love to give me information about my sister. My life just got complicated in the worst possible way.