Nobela ni Bernice

Sophia’s POVDon Pedro's Villa:I threw the glass across the room, where it shattered against the wall. My chest rose and fell in the glare I wielded at the splintered slivers glistening on the marble floor. The pricey wine ran down the wallpaper, the stains like blood.This was not how this was supposed to go.My fists balled up as rage ignited within me. Diego ought to have been dead by now. Dominic was meant to be mine. Instead, it all had fallen apart. Diego was living and breathing and Dominic was running through my fingers like sand.The air was too thick while I stomped around the room, heels tapping angrily after each step. The servants hurried off, heads lowered, afraid to look me in the eye. Let them be afraid. They should be. I wasn’t in the mood to put up with weakness.I swung open the heavy wooden doors and strutted down the long hall toward my father’s office. The guards on either side of the door snapped upright as I neared. I pushed the door open and marched inside wi

Dominic’s POVI was standing by the private airstrip, watching the jet get ready to take off. I liked the silence which was about to be ruined by the engine's noise in a few minutes. Diego was inside, and headed to Ban Hua Hin, a remote village deep in Thailand that no one would look for him. It wasn’t exile — it was survival, at least for a time.I had planned everything accurately; his false passport, the furtive transfer of funds he would use for the time he would stay there, the villa he would love under a fake name.Matteo came up behind me and shook his head. “He’s damn lucky you didn’t let him die. Not everyone gets that second chance.”Matteo turned to look at me. “I’m still thinking…what made you change your mind?” He asked.I didn't answer and smiled. What I had to say would do nothing to change anything and Matteo knew as much, yet he kept up with his attempts.“C'mon man. I do literally everything and I am even your errand boy. Just spill,” he begged.“I spoke with his fat

Dominic’s POVDiego faced me, arms crossed, his face hard. The man had a death wish. If it wasn’t for his father, his corpse would already be ready for an autopsy. And I bet he would look worse with a bullet between his eyes. He knew it too. But here he was, alive, taking up space, which was mine.I sat back in my chair, my fingers drumming against the desk, watching him like a predator.“How long will it take you to make up your damn mind,” I said flatly.Diego didn’t flinch. His jaw clenched, but his gaze leveled with mine, unwavering. "It’s my thoughts so let me be."I had to be with Alessia and the kids and he was taking up a large chunk of my free time. On the outside, the mafia world had already put a mark on him, and he had no place else to run. He was a man without a country, allies or a future.“You have a bounty on your head,” I said, my voice slicing. "You're a walking target. Don Pedro wants you killed. It's on the dark web. The second you go outside this building someon

Diego’s POVThe folder in my hands was denser than it was supposed to be. My fingers clutched the ragged edges, the burden of whatever was inside heavier on my heart than a stone.The overhead lights blared brightly, sending light across the room and walls, but I hardly registered it. All other sounds faded away to be replaced by the pounding of my heart in my ears.What the fuck could be in there that could compel my surrender?I breathed in and out slowly and willed my fingers to open the folder. As soon as my eyes landed on the top of the first page, the air in my lungs froze.The paper shivered between my hands. It was my own face, younger, innocent. Everything was too bloody familiar. I felt something under and moved it to see classified files, pages with official seals stamped on them, documents I should have had no right to see. Photos, eyewitness accounts. Each eyewitness strapped another shiver to my gut.I thumbed the pages, scanning over names, places, and dates. My name, m

Dominic’s POVMy men and I were leaving the disastrous areas during the night. It was full of blood and all kinds of filth. The vast majority of the DeLuca's men lived and I allowed my men to make them call for assistance and walk out without attempting to murder anyone else.My men dragged Diego’s unconscious body out on the concrete and tossed it into the back of the armored SUV like a piece of trash. His head slumped to the side, a thin rivulet of blood oozing from his chest and mouth. He was breathing in spurts. Every few seconds he let out a weak groan, but he was slowly regaining consciousness."Is he still breathing?" I asked, rolling up the sleeves of my coat, and getting into the vehicle.The two men beside me nodded. "Barely, boss."Diego mumbled something inaudible, his words a scrambled series of slurred notes and jagged syllables. That was pathetic, his cocky smirk evaporated into a vacant stare. His ribs had gotten hammered, his shirt dark with sweat and blood.Sitting d

Diego’s POVThe pain consumed me as I opened my eyes slowly.My head dropped down, the taste of blood like copper in my mouth. My eyelids were heavy, but the scratchy hands pulling me through the dust kept me awake. My body was a dead weight, impotent against their grip. With each step, stabbed with sharp spasms of pain, my ribs bruised, maybe cracked. My shirt was wet with blood, my own sweat mingling with the grime below.I could hardly see when they dumped me on the bare concrete floor. With an agonizing thud, my body landed on the ground, the impact against the concrete sending shock waves of pain through my back. A boot came crashing into my ribs, wrenching a strangled groan from my throat.“Get him up,” said a gruff voice.Gripping arms pulled me up, hoisting me into a chair. They bound me, the rough ropes cutting into my wrists, pinning me like a beast before slaughter. Phantoms circled around me, figures gliding with muted malice. I could hardly raise my head, but I felt their

Lily's POVThe gun didn’t move. It remained pointed toward Josh’s head.My heart raced as I leapt between them, my arms outstretched. My voice cracked, but I pushed the words out. "What do you want?"The man laughed and cocked his head, as if I’d just asked the dumbest question in the world. His lips curled slowly in a cruel smile. "It’s easy. You should have guessed it."I gulped.“You did better than I hoped bringing him here,” the man said.“You sent that message?” I asked, and he smiled.Josh sat up, and the man ticked his fingers warning him not to move.“Lily, what in the hell is happening?” Josh asked.“You'll know soon enough,” the man answered.The soft click from the black SUV behind the man caught our attention.My heart began to race. Its headlights blinked. The doors released with a muffled thump. I froze, a chill wrapping around my back.The driver's door opened.No. Please, God, no. Don't let it be him.But it was him. The first thing that hit my eye was his polished sh

Lily's POVMy scream was loud and sharp as the closet door flew open. I didn’t think. I just reacted. I shot my fist out and into a man’s face with a sickening thud. The figure reeled back, groaning."Ow! Lily, what the hell!"Josh’s voice pierced through my mind and I opened my eyes. My heart sank the second I saw who I hit."Josh?" I asked.He held his nose with his left hand, and rubbed the spot. "Yeah, it’s me. You throw one hell of a punch. What was that?"I stumbled out of the closet, still shaking. "Jesus. Don't scare me like that. I thought you were him. I heard him. He called my name. I swear he was here.”Josh glanced around the room, his face turning a bit red. He moved fast, checking the windows, every corner, under the bed, behind the door.“There's no one here now,” he said.He glanced at me then, the concern carved deep into his face. “That’s it. I’m done playing defense.”He pulled out his phone and called someone. In less than an hour, a locksmith came and changed eve

Lily's POVJosh’s eyes were wide open; He gazed at me. It was too late, yet I turned aside."What was that?" he inquired in a low but cordial tone.I quickly got up and stuffed the phone in my pocket. "Nothing. Just an old picture."He didn’t blink. “You looked nice. Almost like a whole different person.’With trembling palms, I backed toward the sink and pretended to be occupied with a cup of water. "You need to rest. You’re not supposed to think much.”Josh sat up slowly. He moved to the side and the machines beeped next to him. "Don’t do that. Don’t deflect.""I’m not," I muttered."You are. Talk to me."I spun around and gripped the edge of the counter. My voice shook. "I can’t. Not now."He sighed and reclined back into the pillow. "Then don’t bother."I glanced at him, and swallowed. "Josh..."Gently, he looked into my eyes. “If you're not prepared to discuss it, that's fine. I’ll wait. I just want to know you’re safe. For me."I felt my knees buckle a little and moved closer to

Lily's POV"Move! Get out of the way!" I yelled.I didn’t know my own voice as I yelled at the standstill traffic, weaving in and out of cars, blowing every light.I had my fingers locked on the steering wheel. Josh lay next to me, hunched over with blood from his scalp running onto his shirt. His breathing was shallow.“ Josh, you need to stay with me. Just keep breathing. Please,” I begged as I drove.He groaned softly. That sound gave me just enough hope to bury the throttle deeper. The hospital sign eventually appeared, glowing like a beacon through my haze of panic.I parked like a lunatic, half on the sidewalk, and jumped out of the car. "Help! Somebody, please, help me!"Two nurses and a doctor ran outside. They saw the blood and got a stretcher."Head trauma. I don’t know what else,” I said, my voice trembling. "He was attacked. Outside our apartment."They loaded him in. My heart was pounding in my ears, I staggered behind, trying to catch up.The emergency room was a disaste

Lily’s POVThe scream came out of me before I even knew what I was seeing.There he was at the window.That same hooded man, lingering outside in the shadows, staring at me. Just standing there. I could feel his eyes piercing through the glass and through me, even though his face was dark.Josh leaped off the sofa as if a defibrillator had struck him by accident. "Lily! What—"I pointed, my voice breaking. "The window! He's there! Look!"Josh sprinted toward me, looking at where I pointed. But when he turned, the man had disappeared from the window.“He was just standing there,” I gasped as I retreated. My legs trembled and my skin tingled all over.Josh looked around the street below. Then he noticed something. His brow furrowed as he leaned in closer. His fingers moved deliberately toward the windowpane. "Lily... there's a crack."I rushed to his side.And there it was.A narrow, ragged line had ripped its way across the glass. Right in the center.Then I saw the note.Stuck to the

Adam’s POVAs soon as Corinth made a run for it, the chase ensued.The guards immediately shouted orders, their heavy boots echoing on the marble floor as they pursued her. Corinth moved swiftly, weaving through the crowd with a sense of urgency that gave precision to her every action. Her arms pumped, and her legs propelled her forward as she ran down the hallway, holding on tightly to the stolen gun.I followed her at a measured pace. She was driven by survival instincts, but panic often leads to mistakes. She would eventually slip up, and I intended to be there when it happened.At the end of the corridor, Corinth took a sharp turn into another hallway. A guard lunged at her, barely grazing her sleeve, but she spun around, driving her elbow into his ribs. He grunted in pain and stumbled back, crashing into a glass cabinet that shattered, sending pieces of glass everywhere.Another guard was on her quickly, reaching for her arm, but she ducked, swinging the gun to connect with his j