Saved by the Mafia

Ava

The sound of breaking glass echoed through the house, piercing through the silence. My heart dropped hard in my chest as I stared at the shattered vase on the floor, the one Bryce always said was worth more than me.

No, no, no...

I fell to my knees, hands shaking as I tried to gather the broken pieces, unable to control my panicked breathing.

Bryce would definitely kill me for this. Not literally, of course, but sometimes I wished he would... at least then the fear would be over.

I heard his footsteps thundering down the hallway, and I flinched, squeezing my eyes shut for just a second, trying to brace myself for what was coming.

"What the hell did you do now, Ava?" I heard Bryce say angrily as he approached.

I couldn't look at him, couldn't bear to see the rage on his face. I kept my eyes on the floor, on the mess I'd made.

"I-I'm sorry." I stuttered in a whisper, my voice was barely audible, even to myself.

I tried picking up the broken pieces, and one sharp edge cut into my palm. I sucked in a breath, holding back the cry that threatened to escape from my lips.

Tears only made Bryce angrier.

"Sorry?!" Bryce snapped and I flinched again, hearing his shoes crunch on the broken glass as he moved closer. "You're always sorry, you clumsy bitch! But that doesn't fix anything, does it?"

I shook my head, tears stinging my eyes. I was losing that battle against the tears, I could feel it.

"I didn't mean to... I'll clean it up, I promise."

He leaned down, grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked me to my feet.

"You think cleaning it up will bring back my money?" His grip was so tight, I could literally feel some strands pulling off their roots. "You're useless!"

"I-I'm sorry," I repeated, the words coming out on autopilot. It was all I knew how to say anymore.

"Get out of my sight," he snarled, shoving me back. I stumbled back, hitting my arm on the edge of the counter and my legs trembled.

That part throbbed, but I nodded, backing away as quickly as I could without turning my back on him.

As soon as I felt the stairs railing, I quickly dashed down the stairs before he could change his mind about letting me off so easily.

My heart was pounding so loudly in my chest that I didn't hear the front door open or see the huge figures walk in, until I bumped head first into one, falling hard on my butt.

My whole body trembled as I slowly looked up. My gaze landed on a pair of polished black shoes first, then traveled up to the tall, imposing figures standing before me. All of them were dressed in dark suits, the kind that gave away their wealthy status.

But it was the man in the middle who drew my attention the most. Unlike the other three, who wore very dark sunglasses that made them look more like shadows than men, he didn't wear any.

His dark brown hair was styled to perfection, but his piercing blue eyes were a whole different story. They were like two sharp blades - so cold, so calculating. I'd never seen anyone with eyes like that before. They were empty, devoid of any emotion. His face was chiseled, ridiculously good-looking, but there was something unsettling about him. He was too perfect, too put-together. It was like he was made of stone or something.

I couldn't look away, even though every instinct screamed at me to lower my eyes, to not draw his attention. When he stepped forward, closing the distance between us, my fear spiked. The fear I felt from Bryce all these years was nothing compared to this. This man was different... dangerous in a way that Bryce could never be.

"What the..." Bryce's voice cut through the tension and I turned to see him at the top of the stairs, his face going from angry to pale in an instant.