Page 1 of Bound By You

prologue

Phoebe – 19 Years Old

I'm sittingon my bed, reviewing my studies for my Animals and Society class. I have my headphones in, and I'm bobbing my head to Bon Jovi, when something, or more like someone, flicks me on my forehead, making me jump up and scream. Looking into my sister's laughing eyes, I narrow mine at her and remove my headphones. She's lucky I wasn't armed.

"Seriously, Selene, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" I snap, causing her to laugh aloud, and I tilt my head. She hasn't laughed much in the past week. Things between her and Father have been extremely tense lately. I'm not sure why, because she and Father have always had a close bond; he has spoiled her rotten over the years, and it used to make me jealous half the time, especially when he can't stand to look at me. But I think it's because I have my mother's bright green eyes, while Selene has his brown.

Despite having white-blond hair down to my waist, hair the same color as his, I'm more of my mother's copy at 5’5” and slim, while Selene is a copy of him except for her hair, which is moreof a sandy blond bob, nearly the light brown of mothers. Selene is 5’9” and curvy. She's three years older than me, but we'd been best friends for as long as I can remember…until I returned home three years ago.

When our mother was killed by the Romanians when I was only ten, it was Selene who comforted me despite mourning herself; my father refused to acknowledge me, and we've had an estranged relationship since. It was my grandmother,Yia-YiaAthena, whom I barely knew, who raised me, while my father took sole responsibility for my sister.

I had to move in with her at her cottage in Greece, because she wanted nothing to do with my father. She was a carbon copy of my mother, with light brown hair and bright green eyes, so the decision for my father was easy; he didn't want her around, either, and even for the few days she did stay here for my mother's funeral, it was tense. She died three years ago, and I had to return to our family home on Long Island to a father with cold eyes and no love or sympathy. He only shows love to my sister.

It's something I've struggled to forgive him for.

I don't feel welcome here. I spend most of my time either with Sergi, my best friend, and my pseudo brother, or in my room, which is at the back of the house instead of the one I had growing up that was a few doors down from his and Mama's. If I see my father around the house, I slink back into the background to make myself invisible, which isn't hard to do when I was shy and quiet before he sent me away. I filled that role again with ease; no one knew my other side.

My sister being in my room now is a rare thing. We're not as close as we once were.

"What are you doing?" Selene asks, shaking me out of my head.

I push her away.

"My schoolwork," I answer, rolling my eyes.

"Boring, you don't need to do schoolwork; it's not likeBampáswould let you do anything anyway. It's all for show to make him look good in front of his business partners and alliances. You'll be married off." My heart stops. She's said this time and time again; it's like she wants to hurt me. I ignore her every time because I don't want to believe it, especially when my father is adamant that she works for the family, despite her being engaged.

I have always wanted to be a vet; animals call to me more than humans. I look to my windowsill and see my black and white cat, Ares, sunning himself. He's only three years old, and he's the last thing myyia-yiagave me before she passed away in her sleep. My father wanted to shoot him, but I threatened to run away if he hurt him.

It's the first time I stood up to him, and it's also the first time he has ever slapped me. It took everything in me not to hit him back or grab the knife that I always have inside my boot to stab him. At the time, Sergi was here to pick me up and, thankfully, intervened. For the first four months after my return, Sergi took Ares for me, until he convinced my father to let me keep him.

"I know, but I can still try!" I whisper, playing my shy self while looking at my cat. My sister hums, making my stomach sour. I love my sister dearly, but she changed a lot over the years I was gone. She doesn't think before she speaks; she was my best friend before I left, but she's now really self-centered. She loves living life with maids and butlers, not doing anything for herself, knowing her father wanted her to get a degree to work at one of our restaurants, despite not giving me the same option.

She'll do several courses at NYU twice yearly to placate him. Now, though, she's saying she likes women instead of men, and hoping to get more attention from him. She's attention-hungry and greedy and, besides Sergi, she was the only other friend I'dever had. Sergi has told me time and time again that she can't be trusted, and I know it's true, which is why I keep my “shy” persona up around her, and watch her. It's safer for me that way.

Selene drags me out of my thoughts when she grabs my pillow, hitting me with it. I look at her in shock, and she laughs. I quickly get into action, grab the other one, and hit her with it, pretending we're young girls again. She squeals, and we end up in a pillow fight just like we used to as children, ending it in a fit of laughter that dies quickly with a throat clearing. We look up, and the smile on my face disappears as my father, standing at 6 feet in a tailored black suit, stares at us like he doesn't recognize us. I quickly look down at my hands, not knowing what to say. He never comes to my room, and we haven't said two words to each other since he slapped me at sixteen.

"I need you both in my office in ten minutes. Make yourselves presentable." Selene nods with a smirk, then goes to Father, and kisses his cheek, before running to her room to get ready without saying a word.

I look up and state, "Yes,Kai," and bow my head a little.

He frowns a little; his eyes flash with guilt, but he quickly hides it behind his mask, and they turn cold again. He nods and turns to walk away while I stand in the same position, looking at my hands. He turns a little, his brows furrowing at me once more, and then he leaves.

A tear slips out of my eye, and I quickly wipe it away. We've gone from a loving family to one daughter treating him like he walks on water and the other treating him like the second-in-command to the Greek Mafia Godfather of the Night—Nonos tis Nychtas—that he is, resenting him for all that he's done and for what I had to endure. I hurry to my bathroom to get ready.

Maybe one day my dreams will come true. I will become a veterinarian, and my father will love me again—but a dream is all that is.

Alexandr – 26 Years Old

This fucking sucks!

I love my life.

I love all the pussy I can get without the need to hide mistresses. Well, that was until my father decided I needed to help the family like Damian did. I can't exactly say no when, technically, it should have been me married to Sofia and becoming the next Pahkan and Italian Don next year and not him. But with my ADHD diagnosis at five years old, it's just not possible, and—I wouldn't admit this to anyone, but I'm glad I don't have that responsibility. I played on my diagnosis a lot to ensure I didn't take over. I just feel guilty that Damian was pushed into it instead, and is now struggling.

His wife, Sofia, left him on their wedding night. He loved her fiercely but was in denial about it. They've been best friends since he was twelve, after her father and ours pushed him into it. Instead of the usual alliance where the bride knows there’s an arrangement, he's had to ensure she falls in love with him without her ever knowing the truth. He was in the rebellious stage, where he'd deny his feelings and fuck around with sluts who didn't care he was taken, then feel fucking guilty for straying on the woman he loves. Unfortunately, she found out, then left after marrying him, leaving her phone with two incriminating videos on it.

Sofia may have seemed quiet, but she was fierce and refused to be like her mother, who turned to alcohol and sleeping with her husband's men after he started ignoring her and having mistresses left and right. Damian has struggled for the past twoyears; he's been drowning, and he's looking for her, as we all are, but as a punishment to her, he's also trying to move on.

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