Chapter 1 My Way Of Affection

• Vayden
• A satisfied smirk played on my lips as I stood in front of the imbecile I captivated. He looked pitiful—pathetic, even—to the point I almost wanted to kill him completely so that I could end his suffering. But I am not remorseful; instead, I glide the sharp point of the blade I was holding across the imbecile's throat, pressing it deeper and deeper as I went. Drops of blood flowed out and criss crossed his pale skin.
• "How does it feel to see death in front of you, huh?" I whispered, making sure to breathe into his bloodied ear, driving my knife deeper into his skin. "Tell me, Sandreo."
• The called man whimpered in response. The chains that held him captive in a metal chair jingled and rang out as his feet and hands struggled to fight the pain, muffled screams escaping his duct-taped mouth. I took the blade away, still smirking. I moved to yank the duct tape from his mouth to hear Sandreo scream, but my cousin, Rio, entered the torture chamber and interrupted me.
• "Bro," Rio called out. "Viana will be here in a minute."
• I chuckled in response.
• Viana Nivekle was the only woman I loved to see angry. She was the only daughter of the Nivekles, who were remarkably close friends of my parents. They ran the Mafia Blemish, and Viana was the leader, also known as 'Lady Leader' or 'LL' in short. Viana and I basically grew up together, but our bonding was anything but friendly.
• Removing the knife from Sandreo's throat, I placed it back in my pocket. Looking back at Sandreo, "Your Lady Leader—oops... I meant L.L. is here. I better go. You know, so that she has to drive to the mansion alone and turn red in anger," I told him.
• Exiting the chamber, I put my hands in my pockets, whistling in delight as I go. I stopped when one of my men caught my eye.
• "Throw Sandreo in the dungeon," I ordered. The man nodded and disappeared down the hall to follow my orders. I continued sauntering towards the garage with Rio trailing behind me, steps light as I imagine Viana's reactions.
• What should I do to annoy her this time? I questioned myself, a grin overtaking my lips.
• "What are you gonna do with Viana?" Rio asked as we got in my Bugatti La Voiture Noire.
• I started driving towards the Bevine mansion. The image of Viana's angry face as she glared at me with her green eyes, made me chuckle. Her pale skin would turn red in anger, just like her hair.
• What am I gonna do with her? Oh, you don't even wanna know half of it.
• "You just want to make her angry, don't you?" Rio asked again. It seemed like he sensed my thoughts.
• "Let's just wait for the catastrophe," I replied and put on my Chopard sunglasses.
• The drive towards the mansion was short; either from my excitement or not, I am not sure. I sneaked to my room and changed into something a bit more presentable before proceeding downstairs to the living room. It was our family evening time, after all.
• I took a seat on one of the sofas, grabbing a mug of espresso from the passing trolley as I went. I took a sip of it before blanching. It was too bitter; I almost cursed.
• My sisters, Allison, and Everley were sitting with me, along with my cousins, Rio, and Revina. On our left side, our parents are being extremely lovey-dovey with each other. Gosh... their love. Should I puke, or should I cheer?
• "So, how's everything going, Vayden?" my dad, Vexon Bevine, asked when he was done making my mom blush. Seriously though, they should stop. They were sitting right next to me.
• "Fine."
• "Honey, me and your father decided to go on a world tour," my mom, Ruby Bevine, announced.
• "Why all of a sudden?" Everley shifted her gaze to mom.
• "Actually, we were worried about how to spend some time together while being in the mafia and all. As we all have you now, we have nothing to worry about. Once Vayden's coronation is over, we wouldn't be dealing with the mafia's king and queen problems. We can fully give time to ourselves," mom spoke while dad stared at her with a smile on his face.
• "Okay," I said, smiling a little. At least they trusted us enough.
• Everley was one of the executives of the Gladiolus. At thirty years old, she was quite efficient. She was my elder sister.
• Meanwhile, Rio was my right hand and the owner of all the Gladiolus casinos. He ran the mafia's business by himself. He was 25 years old, just like me. He earned his position, unlike his father, my Uncle Cason, who ruined our business in Italy. Uncle Cason was my dad's fourth brother.
• Allison didn't want to join the mafia, so she was currently focusing on the Bevines' Armament company. She was just two years older than me, but I loved bothering her. After all, she wasn't as scary as Everley.
• Revina was currently applying for colleges. After the unexpected death of Uncle Kendrik and Aunt Pearl, my mom took care of her along with us. Uncle Kendrik was dad's first and eldest brother, and Aunt Pearl was my mom's elder sister.
• "So, we are going to leave after the party tonight. We just have to make one last announcement before we go." Dad looked at us as he asked, "How are the preparations for the party going?"
• I glanced at Rio. He replied, "Everything is going smoothly, uncle."
• "I can't wait for the party!" Mom beamed in excitement.
• We couldn't throw a coronation, so we prepared for a post-coronation party in the ballroom instead. It was supposed to be held tonight. Apparently, my parents wanted to make an important announcement at the party. When I asked about it, they said that I would get to know about it only during the party. I didn't ask further.
• What's the worst that could happen?
• Besides, I could sense her presence. So, I wanted to enjoy the upcoming moment.
• "Vayden Bevine!" The young woman's familiar voice echoed through the living room. I smirked and took another sip of my espresso.
• I watched as Viana entered the mansion, her green eyes blazing with fire. Her angry expression was making her springy red hair look even hotter. She was stomping straight towards me. It was my time to get entertained, and seeing her reaction, I was assured that it would be fun.
• "Hello, dear," my mom greeted hesitantly and stood up. But Viana didn't stop. She continued to approach me. Within a second, she had taken her gut out from her waistband and had pointed at me.
• My siblings rolled their eyes. This was nothing new for them.
• I was still sitting.
• "You disgusting human being! Where is Sandreo?" Viana yelled. Ignoring her loud voice, I took another sip from my cup, pretending to find my ridiculously bitter espresso delicious. She pointed the muzzle at my forehead, throwing glares as sharp as daggers at me. "Tell me, where is Sandreo?"
• "I—I think you should calm down first, dear," Mom said as she patted her shoulder, making Viana heave a sigh in anger.
• "I'm sorry, Boss Lady, but I need your son to release my bodyguard. When I reached the Gladiolus base, I found my bodyguard locked up in the dungeons. Then I heard that Vayden already left the place. I had to drive here!" Viana complained, making me chuckle. I left the base immediately after getting the news of Viana soon reaching it. My plan of making her angry was successful.
• "Bodyguard?" Dad arched an eyebrow at me. "Seriously, Vayden? Stop provoking her." He leaned over to me and whispered those words, making me chortle.
• "Just release Sandreo," Viana ordered. She still had me at gunpoint. I stood up, the mug of my expresso still in my hand.
• Arching an eyebrow, I let out, "And why would I do that?"
• "Because I said so!"
• I shoved her gun away. "L.L. can't rule me. I ain't one of your Blemish men." I turned my back at her to leave for my room upstairs. A smile formed over my lips when I imagined the smoke that must have been fuming from her ears.
• "I hate you, Vayden freaking Bevine!" she yelled.
• "The feeling is mutual, Viana Nivekle," I hollered back, then slammed the door of my room shut.
• ___
• I ran a hand through my hair one last time after I prepared myself for the party, fixing my tux while admiring myself in the mirror. Sure that I was presentable enough, I headed towards the ballroom. I didn't know why I was wearing a tux. Mom told me to only wear what she had sent for me, so I had no options but to follow her. After all, who had the audacity to not listen to her? Even dad becomes an ant in front of her.
• "Everything is fine, Vayden," Rio assured me, appearing in front of me. I nodded in return.
• I asked curiously, "Did the Nivekles come?"
• A smirk took over his lips. "Her parents did, but Viana didn't."
• "Vayden, come here," Mom called suddenly. I approached her.
• A song was playing softly in the background as I talked to my parents and to the Nivekles, but my eyes were searching for Viana. We attended her coronation after-party before. Why couldn't she attend mine? It was annoying.
• She had to be here. Besides, I have planned something else for her this time. You have to come, Viana Nivekle. And be sure to get ready.
• "Where is your daughter, Weena?" I inquired curiously. All four pairs of eyes looked at me in amusement, including Viana's mother, Weena.
• "Why? Wanna paint my daughter's hair this time?" Weena Nivekle answered, resulting in all of them bursting into laughter.
• "If you do something tonight, she will definitely pull the trigger today, Vayden," Tyran Nivekle, Viana's dad, let out.
• "Before she does that or before you do anything to anger her again, we will make the announcement and confirm everything first, okay?" said Dad.
• I nodded at my dad's words. Before I could say something else, I felt the familiar sensation of having Viana nearby. I could always feel it whenever she was close. My eyes traveled to the entrance of the ballroom.
• She was indeed here.
• Wearing a black strapless off-shoulder gown, she slowly took a step one by one. Her hair had been let down, reaching down to her chest. I would be lying if I said she didn't look like a real princess.
• This girl always drives me crazy, but I will never stop bothering her. After all, this is my way of showing affection. I smirked.
• Let the drama begin.
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