Alessandro's POV."Alessandro?" I called out, my voice laced with panic. "Alessandro!" I yelled louder.I heard his dark chuckle against my neck, and I sighed in relief. For a moment, I thought he had been shot or something worse. "What is wrong with you?" I spat, summoning my strength to push him off me.Lifting himself slightly, he curled his lips into a smirk."Were you worried about me?" He said in his usual taunting tone."This is not funny," I hissed, shooting daggers at him with my eyes. "Didn't you hear those gunshots? Why are you acting so calm? Shouldn't you go check what's happening?""Why should I do that?" He scoffed, pulling down his pants without a care.My eyes widened in disbelief as his boxers followed."Are you crazy?" I snapped. "Is this seriously the time for sex? What is wrong with you?"Instead of addressing my concern, he laughed, his tone mocking. "I didn't hire guards for nothing," He said nonchalantly. "Although they can be incompetent at times. They'll h
Alessandro's POV.As I finished reading the note I gritted my teeth in displeasure. I had received a few threats before, but this was more daring. They came directly to my home to attack me, tracking some of my men and leaving parts of their organs in this stupid box along with the blood-dipped note and crown. It was audacious.This was a bold threat, a declaration of war. I would inform my private investigator to find out who was after me. He was more efficient, discreet, and a bit trustworthy compared to the men who sold my drugs. "Boss, do you want us to find—" "No," I replied sharply, shaking my head. "You've done your job, which is guarding this house. Just stick to that." "Okay sir," They chorused. "Is that real or fake blood?" I suddenly heard Sophia's trembling voice. She always had a way of making it obvious that she was frightened. I couldn't help but find her trembling alluring. "It's real," I looked at her, snickering. She stepped back, her eyes wide in shock at my
Sophia's POV. I had watched up to two movies now, and Alessandro was yet to return.I glanced at the clock, and a tinge of worry loomed in my heart. There had been an attack earlier today, and anything could happen to him on his way out.I couldn't help but wonder why he would choose to go out despite everything that happened. He should have stayed indoors."Why is he so careless?" I whispered, grabbing the remote and turning off the television. "Does he think he's immortal and can walk into danger? He's so unbelievable at times!"Suddenly, I realized I was being worried about him. When did I start caring for Alessandro? Why should it affect me if he was in danger? Wouldn't my father and I be free if he was out of the way?So, why did I feel bothered about him?"Fuck, what's wrong with me?" I asked myself, running my fingers through my hair. "I should just go to bed."I stood up and attempted to leave, but then I hesitated."Maybe, I should just wait a little longer..." I muttered, m
Author's POV."You aren't working hard enough!" Alessandro thundered, his voice echoing in the warehouse.He hadn't visited this particular warehouse for a long while and decided to surprise them. When he arrived, he found them lazing around. They were so shocked that they immediately started working as if their lives depended on it. Well, it did. "You are not working hard enough!" Alessandro growled again, walking around. "If I don't see you putting in enough effort, a bullet will go in your heads. I can't believe you were sitting down and making me lose money!""We're so sorry, boss," They chorused, fidgeting nervously."You'll be the sorry ones if you don't do better!" He snarled. "I put a supervisor over all of you, but you ignored his commands and decided to do what you wanted. Just know that half of your salaries are gone!"His words sparked chatter and whining among the workers, but Alessandro didn't care. He despised incompetence and had to make sure it didn't happen again."
Author's POV."Argh," Alessandro groaned, pushing off pieces of debris from his body. His eyes snapped open as he staggered to his feet. The bomb around the corners of the warehouse had caused massive destruction. As he glanced around, his workers were whimpering in pain. Some were even dead. Alessandro glanced at his bruised elbow and wiped the blood trickling from it. He dusted his face and other parts of his body. "It hurts!" He heard a scream. He slid his gaze in the direction of the voice and saw a worker trapped under the fallen wall. "Help me!" Alessandro pulled his gaze away from the person and glanced around again. His drugs were ruined, parts of the building had collapsed, and his workers were injured or dead. This was a huge loss. "Who did this?" Alessandro growled, anger burning through him. "This person has bitten more than they can chew. I'll make him pay for this." "Boss, are you alright?" the supervisor, Jared, walked up to him. "I'm fine," Alessandro respon
Sophia's POV. "You're just returning, what happened?" Mary asked, her voice laced with concern."I think the drink I took was too much for me," I sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter. "I ended up passing out," I added."What?" She stopped cutting the vegetables and turned to me in shock. "Are you okay? Those kinds of places are too dangerous to be vulnerable in.""Don't worry," I muttered with a smile. "Rita took care of me.She pulled me away from a stranger and took me to a room...I think.""You think?" She raised her eyebrows."Well, I woke up in a room with my clothes on. Besides, Rita is a lovely person, she won't do anything to hurt me," I replied softly."You say that so confidently. You shouldn't trust people so easily," She said, resuming her task."She likes me," I revealed, shocking Mary.She dropped the knife this time and walked over to me."Are you serious?" she gasped."Yes," I replied with a nod. "She kissed me last night...and was still a bit touchy this morni
Alessandro's POV.Every part of her was trembling. The look in her eyes was one of fear, and at that moment, I wanted to savor it like I always did, but the rage in me was too consuming."Alessandro...please..." she began crying again, softly and helplessly this time.Was this supposed to touch me? And why was I still holding this gun?I should shoot her and be done with it. She wasn't the first person I had killed, why should she remain alive after every one of her mistakes?When did I become God to give chances or grace? Even God has his moments. I wasn't merciful, yet I kept giving her chances upon chances despite her multiple mess-ups.I was done with this. Pointing the gun straight at her head, my finger tugged at the trigger. "Alessandro," she whispered again. I shouldn't care about those tears or the sharp paleness of her face. She deserved no mercy for allowing another man to touch her, and for causing me so much humiliation and misfortune. Since she came into my life, I hav
Alessandro's POV."No, I certainly don't like her," I spat, wiping away the blood trickling down my face again."Fuck," I cursed, clutching my head in pain.The explosion was insane. If the bomb had been in that box, I would have been dead by now.I leaned over the sink, washing my face until the bleeding stopped. Once I finished, I grabbed a small towel from the side and dried myself."How can I like her when my heart doesn't race or anything? isn't that how it's supposed to feel?" I muttered to myself. "Besides, I don't want to love her. I just want to know what love feels like.""You don't need your heart racing to like someone," I heard Mary's voice from behind the door.Groaning, I kept the towel aside and opened the door."Why are you still here?" I snapped, stepping out of the restroom."Do you think of her all the time? Do you admire things about her that you can't stand in anyone else? That's evidence you like her," Mary said, her lips curling into a knowing smile.Thinking d
Sophia's POV. I stood there looking at her in uttrer disbelief. How could she lie so easily to my face, then come here just to confess the truth and further ruin my relationship with as Alessandro? This woman was certainly cunning, unbelievable, and dangerous. What exactly did she know about Alessandro and his gang? Was she once part of them? I thought he helped her go abroad to further her studies, so she wouldn't live the life that he did. "Laura, would you be willing to hurt someone who sent you abroad and changed your life?" I asked, staring at her in curiosity."Why not? He didn't do me a favor by sending me abroad. He did it in order to keep me away from him. He knew how much I loved him but he constantly rejected me and treated me like his sister or a little girl!" She raised her voice. "He never took my feeling seriously even when he said he would. He just kept treating my emotions as if they were irrelevant. He said he couldn't imagine falling in love, but then he falls h
Sophia's POV. As we got into the car, I didn't understand the feeling of guilt that suddenly surged through me. I shouldn't be feeling guilty for making him feel exactly the way I did. He deserved everything that was happening to him. But remembering how he cried the other time, how he told me his story, everything seemed all too true to me. My emotions were suddenly all over the place. I didn't understand how to feel the moment. Should I be annoyed at myself for being petty? or annoyed at him for playing the victim and making me feel guilty? The more I recalled how hurt filled his eyes, the more guilt gnawed at my heart. But I wanted it to stop. I didn't want to feel this way anymore. He didn't deserve my sympathy or empathy. "You don't have to feel guilty," Ray said as if he read in my mind. "He cheated and betrayed on you. You're not even doing anything with me, which means you're still being loyal. You're doing too much. The last thing you should do is feel guilty about thi
Sophia's POV.Father gave me Ray's phone number and I went embarrassingly to my room to call him. I knew I shouldn't be doing this because it would make him feel important or that he had a chance with me, but I had no choice. There was no one else to truly defend me from Alessandro. If Alessandro were to act violently and attempt to take me away, Father would not be able to stop him, and the police wouldn't do anything if they were called either. Ray, despite being a weakling, might be able to do something. Letting out a deep sigh, I dialed his number and without hesitation, he answered, as if recognizing my number. "Hello, Ray," I muttered, my voice shaking nervously. "Sophia? Is this you?" He asked, sounding surprised. "Yes, it's me," I replied flatly. "I thought you didn't want to see me. You left so angrily. I can't believe you're calling now," He uttered, making me flush. "Yes, I know," I rolled my eyes, irritated. "I'm calling because I need a favor from you," I said, my
Alessandro's POV.I could feel my heart clenching in my chest as I watched him nibbling on her lips. Unable to contain the anger riling through me, I dashed to him and pulled him away from her, instantly throwing my fist at his face. He fell to the ground and blood splattered out of his mouth, but I didn't stop there. I went to him, pounced on him and began punching his face relentlessly. Sophia screamed behind me, telling me to stop. "Alexandra, stop it. You are going to kill him!"She yelled. However, I was too angry to listen to her. I should have stopped right there, maybe I would have salvaged what we had left, but the anger within me was too much. No one had the right to touch what was mine, especially after all the hurt he had caused her. I wasn't going to take this nonsense from him, I would teach him a lesson he would never forget. Without hesitation, I landed another punch on his face that forced blood into his eyes."Alessandro, please!" She cried out. I hated that sh
Alessandro's POV. “Alessandro?” She gasped at the sight of me. I wondered why she was dressed so formally at this hour, but I was more glad to see her. I should have come long ago, however, business casualties held me back. “I’m sorry, Sophia. I know that you think I betrayed you but that's not the case. I wish you could just give me a chance to explain myself and the circumstances surrounding whatever Laura told you,” I muttered, staring softly at her. My heart sank when her expression went from one of shock to disgust. “I don't care what happened between both of you. I don't want to know any details, I just need you to leave,” She spat, glaring at me. “I can't leave without getting you to listen to me. I don't know what to exactly what she told you but just know that they are all lies. Laura has been secretly in love with me for a while now, and she just told you lies to send you away,” I explained desperately. I wished I hadn't invited Laura at all to the US, maybe all this
Sophia's POV. “Despite how good it sounds to use him, I can't bring myself to doing it. I just don't want anything to do with these men,” I responded, shaking my head. “However, I understand where you're coming from. I know you want the best for me but I’m just tired of living in constant deceit and lies. Let's just forget about using him and find another way forward,” I muttered with a sigh. Father's face fell at my words. I didn't like to see him disappointed at me but I couldn't do what he was saying. I was tired of having those men in my life that have given me nothing but pain. “I can't force you into doing anything. But I still plead with you to consider it. It might not be the best idea but it's the easiest way we can get out of this debt,” Father whispered, pulling closer and kissing my forehead. I closed my eyes and let out another audible sigh.“I'll go make something for you,” He whispered, standing to his feet. “What do you want?”I knew he was not happy with my decis
Sophia's POV. I remained in my room, wondering what they were still talking about. I hoped my father wasn't believing anything that that bastard was saying. I would feel so betrayed if he believed anything from him. I still couldn't believe that Ray expected me to believe those nonsense tales of his. He was no different from Alessandro. The only difference was that he wasn't a mafia king and hadn't killed so much people. As more thoughts ran through my mind, my phone suddenly rang. I let out a sigh and grabbed it from the nightstand. Staring at the screen, I saw an unknown number. A frown spread across my lips and i was hesitant to answer the call. However, I decided to. Upon answering the call, I heard a familiar voice that sent chills down my spine. “Birdie,” Alessandro's voice chimed through the speaker. I instantly clenched my fist, hating how I dreaded and missed that voice. “How dare you call me after all your lies?” I gritted out. “I can explain everything that happene
Author's POV. Ray had a small smile on his lips as Sophia paved the way for him to enter. Upon entering, Marcus led him to one of the couches and they sat. “Father, I don't believe anything he is saying,” Sophia frowned. “I don't believe him either, but we can't just dismiss his side of the story. Alessandro can do anything to have his way and he probably deceived him too,” Marcus said, considering Alessandro's atrocities. He was willing to trust everything against Alessandro. Alessandro was a devil to him, and if he could still find a way to destroy him, he would. “Okay, can you tell me everything from the beginning?” Marcus inquired, more curiously.“I'm not going to stand here to listen to this. I'm heading to my room and by the time I come out, I don't want to see him here,” Sophia spat irritably, walking away. As she left, Marcus turned his attention to Ray. Ray felt a bit uncomfortable being alone with Marcus, but he was ready to spew more lies and have his way. Sophia wa
Author's POV.“What the hell are doing here?” Sophia raised her voice, her face filled with astonishment. She hadn't expected to see Ray at her doorstep after torturing herself with thoughts of him last night. She was slowly getting over their meeting—why did he have to show up again? “How did you find me? What the fuck do you want from me, you cunt!” Sophia sneered, unleashing her anger. “I wanted to find you, and I didn't know where you lived, so I had you traced days before we met coincidentally at the shopping mall,” Ray admitted, his expression already laced with remorse. “I know I hurt you, Sophia, but it wasn't my intention. I planned to come back but things didn't go as I had planned—”“That's why you gave me up as collateral to those brutal bastards to kill!!!” Sophia cut him off, her voice filled with rage. “I’m sorry, I know what I did was cruel, but I was trying to buy time. Things just backfired at that moment and I couldn't come get you. Please forgive me, “He ple