Page 72 of Arianna

Because I survived the cold.

I was given everything my sisters, and I would’ve never had if it was up to our father.

One day came for me.

Not for them.

Every second I spend with Ellaiza, her grumpy father, and Benjamin, I am reminded of how incredibly lucky I have been. Although, I don’t think luck has anything to do with it, more like Sebastian.

I swear if I didn’t believe in such things and knew better, I would think the man is God. Although, there’s no doubt in my mind that Sebastian believes he is above the law of men and the judgment of a higher being.

He has opened all the doors my name and my father shut for me.

I am no longer a mafia princess who dreamed of better days but an educated woman with the freedom to choose her path in life.

The thought of leaving this haven Sebastian built for me hasn’t crossed my mind once in weeks, and it is all because of them.

How can I leave the only people that give a damn about me?

Benjamin has taught me the meaning of friendship.

Sebastian has given me the world, but it is not only the material things. He has also given me the one thing I never had before.

The belief that I can be anything I want and do anything I set my mind to.

He has given me a reason to smile.

His daughter.

This beautiful little life I am now a part of.

Many things stopped hurting me long before I came here, but the thought of leaving Ella makes me sick to my stomach.

She stole whatever was left of my heart, one sweet smile at a time.

Speaking of the little brat, it is just us today while her father is out for the morning and Benjamin is out back in the pool house, training the new security team. I notice that there are more men in suits around than before.

I wonder what made Sebastian add more men to his security. Did he receive a threat? His job is a dangerous one, but so is his mouth. Both things make him prone to death threats.

Does it have anything to do with me? The thought of my father sours my mood.

“Daddyyyy.” Ella’s high-pitched, sweet voice brightens up my mood instantly by chasing the ugly thoughts away.

I look down at the carpeted floor where Ella is playing with her stuffed bunny and completely ignoring the puzzle next to her.

“Your daddy is working, baby.” I drop to the floor next to her and stretch my legs on either side of her tiny body. I grab my phone from where I left it on the sofa and open the camera app. “Smile for him, Ella.” Her tiny head rises, and she looks directly at the camera and makes the most adorably annoyed face ever. Her expression is as if she is tired of life or me. Maybe both. And because I find every little thing she does cute, I snap a picture and send it to her father.

That is something I do now.

It started as a joke.

Out of the blue, two days ago, he sent me an email with three internship opportunities. I looked through the offers, but nothing felt like the right fit for me, and when I didn’t respond as fast as he wanted me to, he texted me.

Now, he stalks me not only by email but by text too.

Instead of responding to his email, I open our text conversation instead and send him the photo of Ellaiza acting like a grump. Ella screeches in annoyance as she does every time she is not getting the attention she wants. Other people might find her demanding little personality annoying, but not me. I find it endearing on her. Not her father, though. He is not that cute when he’s being ignored.

Liar…

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