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

“Home sweet home,” I rasped, the pain in my chest as strong as ever. I could almost pretend that Louisa was here with me, that we got what we’d hoped for—a life together away from the underworld, reigning over our own domain. Just the two of us.

My body went cold, knowing full well that could never happen, and my chest tightened with unspoken grief. I knew it was time to let those memories go. Or at least try to.

My footsteps rang against the bare stone of the empty house, and my eyes locked on the wrong sister.

Even though she was dead weight, she weighed next to nothing. I climbed the stairs two at a time, my gaze reluctantly falling to the slope of her nose, the apples of her cheeks. She was different from what I remembered of Louisa.

Stronger. Frailer. Older, naturally.

The suite we stopped in front of was large and airy, mahogany furniture with dusky rose accents everywhere. It was Louisa’s favorite color.

I laid her down on top of the linen covers, her blonde hair fanning over the pillow. I studied her face, those harsh cheekbones she’d inherited from her mother. Her skin was almost translucent, making her full pink lips pop.

Liana’s arm dangled limply, her eyes twitching behind closed lids, looking at once both an angel and my waking nightmare. I wondered what she was dreaming about. Did she think of her sister? Did she regret not showing up that night we were supposed to run away?

For a moment, I considered taking her nightgown off and replacing it with a clean one, but then decided against it. Her arms were bruised, and so were her bare feet. I wasn’t sure what she endured during her captivity, but there was no need to add to it.

She curled into herself, and her eyes blinked open.

For several moments, she only stared before she said, “Where am I?” Her voice was soft and raspy. Then furious. When I didn’t answer, our gazes locked in a silent battle and she added, “I’ll kill you if you cost me my sister.”

My muscles tensed at her words. The drugs must have made her delusional. I pulled a blanket over her and headed out of the room.

“I’ll have food and drink brought up to you, ice princess.” My hand on the doorknob, I glanced over my shoulder to find her glaring at me. “Want some ice cream?”

She stiffened. “I hate ice cream.”

My brows furrowed. Both twins dreamt of a day when they’d be able to have ice cream every day. Their father fed it to them once, and Lou fell in love with vanilla. I couldn’t remember which flavor Liana liked, and I regretted it now.

“If you change your mind, there’s ice cream.”

“I want to murder you,” she snapped.

“You can kill me after your belly’s full.”

At that, I sauntered through the doorway, not bothering to lock her in.

There was no way off this island.

Chapter 36Liana

The rising sun set fire to the horizon, inch by inch, lighting up the sky in the most beautiful colors I had ever seen.

I lay in bed, my gaze locked on the patterns thrown across the shutters.

A shadowed figure came into the room last night, leaving behind a food tray. I didn’t want to eat it, but the delicious smell wafted through the air, prompting an answering growl from my stomach.

I ate everything off my tray before grogginess overtook me.

When I woke up next, I found another tray with fresh eggs, bacon and toast, and orange juice. The works. Sitting up in the soft bed, I stared at the food, trying my damndest to resist it. But weeks of stale bread had made me weak, and I was like a bottomless pit.

Shoving the bacon aside, I grabbed a piece of toast and the eggs. I couldn’t eat fast enough, scoffing it down so I could make room for more. As I ate, I took in my bedroom in the light of day. It had arched ceilings with cream walls and various pink accents everywhere.

My favorite color.

My brows furrowed. No, it was Louisa’s favorite color. Mine was green. I blinked repeatedly in confusion. Dozens of hazy memories pounded inside my mind, making it difficult to sort through them.

Colors don’t matter, I told myself. It was an easy mistake to make. My twin and I had a lot of similarities. For most of my life, it was hard to decipher where one ended and the other began.

Instead, I focused on the food. An appreciative moan slipped through my lips as I savored it, all but licking my plate clean. I’d need it to give me strength for what I was about to do.

Kill Kingston Ashford. Escape this fucking place. Get back to Perez Cortes.

Before I was ready to do any of that though, I needed to sort myself out. So, I snooped through the room. Much like in his penthouse, he had dressers and closets stocked with new clothes, and the bathroom with toiletries.

I stopped in front of the mirror and gasped in horror. My skin was a canvas of blue and purple bruises, the black circles under my eyes telling the story of so many sleepless nights. My hair was a tangled, matted mess. My face was filthy, and so was the white nightgown I’d been forced to change into when I first boarded the ship.