Hidden Away
Serafina Marie Regnante led the perfect life.Gorgeous looks, beautiful personality, charismatic charm, loving parents, protective brothers, with her dream job and her own house, and not to forget the best fiancé anyone could possibly ask for.Her life was flawless: serene, secure, happy, meticulous, and beautiful.That is, until an untold secret leads to the death of those dearest to her, and causes her perfect world to come crashing down.In a place where peace and safety become foreign, where can she find the tranquility she most desires in a world of chaos?In her bodyguard, of course.A man whose sole purpose is her protection. Not only from the enemies out to get her but from the destruction inside her as well.But both of them knew to keep their feelings hidden away because she was the modern form of royalty, and he nothing more than a servant to the princess.Can the two keep it professional, or do their hands slip and their lips wander?
*Completed*
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Chapter: Chapter XL: Baby BabbleThe sound of the shower running infiltrated the washroom. The steam rising and dispersing throughout the space with the sound of music accompanying the pitter-patter of the water droplets. Serafina allowed the pressured water to wash over her, her tresses clinging to her as the glass of the shower cabin became even more opaque than it already was.With the mixture of water and music, she never heard the door open, much less did she notice the presence of the person enter as she was too busy washing her hair, running her fingers through her tresses. The sound of the shower cabin door opening had her jump in surprise, turning around
Last Updated: 2020-12-05
Chapter: Chapter XXXIX: Meet the Parents"He's not real," Arsenio stated with certainty while he picked out clothes from the closet, his sister sitting cross-legged on the bed. "I don't believe it,""Either he is real, or I've been dating a ghost for the past 2 years," Serafina stated nonchalantly while flipping through the book in her hand."He's..." Her eldest brother trailed, picking out a button-up with slacks. "Too perfect,"
Last Updated: 2020-12-05
Chapter: Chapter XXXVIII: Dismissal Alessio stood in a black button-up with denim jeans, his foot up on the bed as he struggled to tie the laces on his high ankle sneakers. With a puff of air, he stood from the bed, a hand against his wound as it still ached in protest of the movement. Going about the room, he slowly put everything in the brown leather overnight bag that lay on the mattress, having insisted that he could do it, and sent his mother and brother away before they could try and pack for him.Despite his wound not having completely healed yet and his grey complexion, he was finally getting discharged today and the doctors had done some tests before handing
Last Updated: 2020-12-05
Chapter: Chapter XXXVII: GraveyardThe graveyard was so neat. Row upon row of white marble tombstones all rising from the thick blanket of snow. Each one was perfect, polished and exactly the same as all of the others, except the name it bore. They were lined up perfectly with those in front and behind, a city block for the dead.Life is but a roaming shadow, a pitiable thespian. Who struts and frets his few moments upon the stage, and then is heard no more. It is a tale imparted by a foolish wit, full of noise and fury... yet meaningless nonetheless.
Last Updated: 2020-12-05
Chapter: Chapter XXXVI: Cadavers under the bedMen went about grabbing their preferred gun of choice, loading it with bullets, and storing additional magazines into the folds of their vests. Each one having replaced their immaculate suits for all black camouflage pants, matching t-shirts, and combat boots. Bulletproof vests covering their chests with additional weapons hidden in their pockets. Salvatore was one of the men in the midst of all the preparations, dressed like every single of them and loading the mag of his semi-automatic pistol."Are you sure you should go?" Arsenio asked hesitantly from the side, glancing uncertainly at his parents who watched with disapproving lo
Last Updated: 2020-12-05
Chapter: Chapter XXXV: Twice the RebellionSerafina's eyes fluttered open not even two hours after she had fallen asleep, the sight of her twin brother eating a bucket of ice cream greeting her as he was watching a movie on low volume. Rubbing her eyes she looked down at her phone screen, blinking away the bleariness before flopping onto the pillow."What are you doing awake at 3 a.m. in the morning?" She sat up and took the spoon from his hands and taking a bite out of the chocolate chip ice cream.
Last Updated: 2020-12-05
Unknown Territory
Salvatore Emilio Regnante is a man you need as your ally and pray to never have as an enemy.Even the shadows know not to mess with the devil in disguise. Everyone shivers at the unholy and cold-blooded actions he is capable of.And such a man does not have the word "weakness" in his dictionary, nor does he expect to find one.However, that was all before an expansion negotiation ends with a band around his finger and a fierce young woman, now with his name, having to adjust and learn that in his world, the only rules are the ones from his sinful lips.And they must be followed at all costs.This couple's dawn was based on a contract. And now having become one, they face a lot of trials and tribulations to make their political merger a successful marriage.But the arrival of former lovers rekindles old feelings, threatening not only Salvatore's empire but his heart as well.*Completed*
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Chapter: Epilogue18-MONTHS-LATERThe sunlight filtered in through the cracks in the curtains, bathing the room in a limited glow. The illumination showing a master bedroom with an off-white carpet and walls that were half white and half sea-green wooden planks. The window was to the beds right and covered by cream-colored drapes. A grey high backed bed against the center of the wall with white sheets and two leather single benches at the foot of the bed, with an antique ottoman rug beneath the structure.Two people slept in silence, the beeping of the alarm disrupting the peace.A hand poked out from beneath the covers and fiddled with the device before turning it off, her ring glittering in the sunlight pouring in.No soon had she
Last Updated: 2020-12-07
Chapter: Chapter LI: End of the LineNicole choked on her sobs, unable to breathe as she clutched her knees, throwing her head back to inhale deeply, a trembling hand against her chest as she tried to regain her bearings."Nicole," Her father called out behind her softly and tried to lift her off the floor, stumbling back when she lost her footing.The lump and tears made it difficult for her to breathe, forcing her to wheeze as she pulled herself away from her father, making her way forward. Both Marco and Arsenio took a step back, allowing her to walk towards the bed, watching her shoulders shaking with her tears before she fell on his chest, gasping for breath.A hand stroked the back of her hair as she cried into his chest."Breathe," He croaked beneath her, stroking her hair with drips connected to the back of his palm. "Breathe, Nicole,"Shaking her head, she pulled back h
Last Updated: 2020-12-07
Chapter: Chapter L: SearchingNicole had gotten discharged a few days ago with a prescription for medicine and instructions stating that she should rest and come for a check-up every month for the next four months. When she signed the forms, she had turned towards her guards, handing one of them the prescription and sending him to get the medicine, while the other was instructed to get her a fresh change of clothes, while she went and settled in Salvatore's room.She slept and woke there, didn't move from the place and always asked the doctor the same question."Have they found a heart yet?"But given that the Mafia Boss was an O-positive, it was difficult to find someone with that blood type and was a donor.His wife decided to speak to him in case she went insane from things left unsaid."You had no right to order Major to pull the plug,"Nico
Last Updated: 2020-12-07
Chapter: Chapter XLIX: Official MandateNo matter how hard the doctors tried, Nicole refused to stay in her room.She would allow them to do their check-ups and would patiently sit through the 6-hour hemodialysis therapy, but the moment they would take her off the machine, she refused to sit in her room; instead, she would go and sit beside Salvatore.Day by day, she was regaining her strength, she began walking around her room, but wasn't strong enough to walk all the way to his room as of yet. So she had insisted that the doctors shift her to a room closer to his and promised to rest more if they did. It had taken a day or two, but eventually, she was moved to the room beside his.She even visited Serafina when the doctors would be in Salvatore's room.Nicole had to wonder, how beautiful and peaceful Serafina looked. Her hair was washed and brushed, her complexion fair, and her eyes closed, she loo
Last Updated: 2020-12-07
Chapter: Chapter XLVIII: Breaking of heartsThe light overhead is what awoke Nicole, that and the incomprehensible jumble of words swarming around her. Groaning, she blinked open her eyes, shielding them from the harshness of the light, and was surprised to find something tugging at the back of her palm. Turning her hand, she found I.V drips and various wires connecting her to different machines, an oxygen mask over her mouth, and what looked like a dialysis machine purifying her blood through her left arm.Looking towards the large machine to her left, she blinked her eyes, seeing her father seated and hunched over a book, murmuring the words out loud.Straining to listen, sherecognized the words, her eyebrows knitting in confusion before noticing the rosary in his hands."Since have you taken to reciting Holy Scripture?" Nicole asked in a hollow voice, suddenly realizing how parched she felt."Christ!"
Last Updated: 2020-12-07
Chapter: Chapter XLVII: FragmentedA groan escaped Salvatore as he was regaining consciousness and felt himself being dragged against the moss-covered forest floor before the texture changed from the rugged natural terrain to smooth marble. His head lolled from side to side as the stench of death attacked his senses, feeling someone pat him down before taking out all the weapons that he had; his phone included and then took off the bullet proof vest he had been wearing.With his skull pounding, he tried to open his heavy eyelids suppressing shiver when a warm sensation tickling down his nape and down his back.Suddenly he was dropped to the floor without warning and his head hit the marble floor with a grotesque crack that had the Mafia Boss groan in pain, clutching at his skull. A pained moan escaped Salvatore as he rolled onto his stomach, sitting up to be kneeling on the floor, a hand cradling the abused area and slowly cracking open his eye
Last Updated: 2020-12-07
Chapter: Chapter XXXIX: Big Brother is watchingArcangelo had his arm draped over Rosalie's waist as she lay with her back to his chest both of them sleeping soundly at 7:30 a.m. in the morning. That is until their bedroom door burst open as their children came running in.
Last Updated: 2020-12-03
Chapter: Chapter XXXVIII: One to ThreeThe room was silent...and white.The ceiling was tiled with circular lights fixated into the structure as there was the soft humming of a machi
Last Updated: 2020-12-03
Chapter: Chapter XXXVII: Graduation The day was postcard-perfect, even the buses were running on time. Downtown, the skyscrapers shone silver in the morning sun and the sky was an unbroken backdrop of blue. Commuters walked like shoals of fish in a myriad of directions, not one of them in winter garb. Spring had arrived in Tuscany and for once it wasn't with a deluge of rain.
Last Updated: 2020-12-03
Chapter: Chapter XXXVI: Item #2The air outside glistens with snowflakes as the sun hadn't even made its appearance. The flakes fell gently against the light breeze, landing on the white blanket, accumulating one after the other as it all crunched beneath the guard's snow boots. All of them dressed in heavy coats and other protective clothing against the weather while they patrolled the grounds at six in the morning.
Last Updated: 2020-12-03
Chapter: Chapter XXXV: In Sickness or in HealthThe warmth of her surroundings was what awoke Rosalie; that and the horrid dryness of her throat. With a soft grunt, she blinked her eyes open, instantly recognizing the pungent smell of a hospital disinfectant before her vision had even cleared.
Last Updated: 2020-12-03
Assigned to Her
Marco Regnante knows what it means to have led a hard life. Taken away from his family and sold to a cartel. Then forced to fend for himself and fight in an underground boxing ring before his teens, only to be thrown onto the road and left to die. He survived due to one reason alone: a group of boys saving his life. Nearly fifteen years later, adopted by the Regnante family, he has grown to be one hell of a man and the protege of the world's most ruthless Mafia Boss. Marco is a man for casual flings to sate his carnal desires, whereas his friends constantly attempt to set him up. Something which he finds irking because it's "Always flings. Never commitment."Now, throw into the mix, the 22-year-old Sofia Giordano, the Mafia daughter who was almost sold as a sex slave, and saved by the enemy, then thrust onto Marco as his responsibility; a direct order from The Boss. He is a man that leaves for work at 9 a.m and returns late at 11 p.m, and all he wants is peace and quiet to help him unwind for the day. But with Sofia around, he can wave peace goodbye, that girl dragging chaos with her wherever she walks. Something...which tests patient Marco's limitations--which happen to be wearing thin. After weeks and months of spending time together, they manage a routine and start to warm up to one another, and just when they think that things couldn't get any better, what happens when they find out Marco isn't who he claims to be? That he is not the man he thinks he is? That his reality is far worse than it actually seems? Forcing him to choose between what is right, and what is most dear.
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Chapter: Chapter XL: Cosa NostraAleksander cracked his knuckles while his eyes wracked over the three suits laud out before him. His eyes taking in every seam of each one, pairing each with possible shirts and ties. Making nine possible combinations for wear then groaning at the fact that he wouldn’t decide which was best suited.Should he go for a traditional white button down or opt for a different color? Tie? No tie? Two piece? Or maybe three piece? Monochrome or should he mix and match?Grunting at his own indecisiveness he grabbed all three of them and tried on every possible combination, deciding that seeing them would allow him to choose better.When he stepped out dressed in the fourth combination, his wife turned around in the middle of getting dressed and giggled at her husband, shaking her head at his antics.“We’re invited for coffee, babe, I doubt a suit is the decoru
Last Updated: 2020-12-08
Chapter: Chapter XXXIX: PakhanThe snow scrunched under foot, the white blanket a glaring contrast to the black of the shoes worn by the person. A person made their way across the path with a fur ushanka covering their head and their body hidden by the thick fur coat that was draped over their shoulder, fluttering behind him.Their destination was an obvious one: the bench a top the hill.Making his way up the path, they halted to find a feeble old man huddled in the corner of the bench, their coat weighing heavy on his weak shoulders as tremors passed through his already thin figure. A walking cane grasped between his legs.“Thought I’d find you here,” Aleksander spoke with his hands in his coats pockets, and settled on the other side of the bench. “Papa,”Nikolai’s skin was ashen with his thick mop of hair reduced
Last Updated: 2020-12-08
Chapter: Chapter XXXVIII: Romanov DynastyRebuilding the Russian Mafia from square one allowed Aleksander to occupy himself. Create elaborate plans and take care of negotiations, and unofficially become the Pakhan, given how Nikolai was in no state to be taking care of matters. His mind numbed with medication and painkillers and his body deteriorating. The stroke he had from Salvatore’s carnage had left him completely bedridden, and Aleksander could not bring himself to feel sympathy for the man. Instead, the heir set out on making Nikolai’s Bratva completely his.
Last Updated: 2020-12-08
Chapter: Chapter XXXVII: Dawn of a New EraAleksander stared at the ceiling of his bedroom. He knew every last-minute crack by heart. He made minute cracks on its clean surface. He even made maps out of the ceiling, gone exploring their terrains and mountains and rivers, having staggered across a wild lion here and a boar there. He even found faces in it, faces, and animals, and mathematical equations. He had exhausted every possibility of keeping his mind occupied without the need to move from his current position.Winter had hit harder in Russia. One of the worst times to be outside – or so he was told – not that he had any plans of venturing into that blizzard. He couldn’t bring himself to move. Couldn’t bring himself to feel anything other than that nauseating guilt for having killed his nephew and niece.The thought of them sending a sharp pain shooting through his side where Salvator
Last Updated: 2020-12-08
Chapter: Chapter XXXVI: FoundationThe room was stifled by the tension in the air, the men seated on both sides of the table with the head of the table occupied by the Regnante Mafia Boss. The Don sat with his elbows on the mahogany table, his finger stapled before him and his gaze fixated on the wall opposite, completely deaf to the ruckus surrounding him. All of his allies had gathered together and organized this meeting in an effort to understand what to do next. The Romanov’s confirmation for war followed by the retraction of the statement gave them no sense of ease, made them all on edge instead; they had no idea if it were a ploy to get them to lower their guard, or if it was all just some sort of mistake. Then there was the fact that the underworld was now aware of the existence of Salvatore Regnante’s children, both of them hav
Last Updated: 2020-12-08
Chapter: Chapter XXXV: ManipulationThe usually opened rich cream curtains were drawn shut, bathing the room in a blinding darkness and a chill with all other sources of light turned off. In the midst of the darkness sat the Regnante Mafia Boss, his suit jacket and waistcoat discarded, his tie hanging loosely from his neck and the first two buttons popped open.A decanter stood on the table before him with a glass housing its contents grasped loosely in his hands, the man reclined in his large office chair and pinching the bridge of his nose.Salvatore opened his eyes to hear the office door creak open, watching a silhouette step inside and fumble against the wall before the lights overhead turned on. The sudden sharpness had him hiss and clamp his eyes shut.“There you are,” His wife exclaimed in exasperation. “I’ve been searching all over for you,”“Nicole…&
Last Updated: 2020-12-08
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