HELENA’S POVI heard Dante’s accompanied footsteps long before the door to his large board room pushed open, and immediately it felt like the room exploded with tension. His expression darkened instantly, his jaw tightening, his eyes flashing with a mix of fury and something else – something else that I couldn’t quite put my hands on and satisfaction spread in my belly from the darkened expression on his face.I slowed my movements, turning to face him fully. I didn’t say a word, just kept my gaze steady, daring him to do something, to react. My chest rose and fell with each breath, and I could feel the adrenaline coursing through me. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, his eyes trailing down my body, lingering on every exposed inch of skin. I could see it—the internal battle waging inside him. He wanted to be furious, but he couldn’t look away. He wanted to control me, but in this moment, I held all the power.A slow, subtle smile crept across my lips. I knew exactly what I w
I stood in front of the mirror in the master’s bedroom, slipping into a gown that clung to my body in all the right places. It was deep red, a color that demanded attention, with thin straps that barely held it up. The neckline plunged just enough to tease without being too revealing, but the thigh-high slit on the side left no room for modesty. It was silky, soft against my skin, flowing down to my ankles but offering a tantalizing glimpse of my legs when I moved. I paired it with my highest heels, black with thin straps that wrapped around my ankles, adding a few inches to my height.I took my time with my makeup, darkening my eyes with smoky shadow, painting my lips a deep crimson to match the gown. The woman staring back at me in the mirror looked confident, but underneath the façade, my heart was still racing from the encounter with Dante, my butt still sore and tingling. The tension between us wasn’t something I could easily shake off.“Okay Helena, you can do this, you can be a
DANTE’S POVThe music from the club thumped through the walls as I made my way to the back room, after I left Helena alone. I wasn’t going to be long, I just needed to settle some quick shit since Paulo had called me about some problems with Tony Anotti and from the sound of his voice, it seemed urgent.When I walked into the room, a low-lit space with dark wooden walls, thick leather chairs, and a large round table at the center, far away from the vibrations of the club. Tony Anotti was seated on a leather chair at the far end of the room, a dirty smirk on his face like he owned the place and I wanted nothing more than to smack the cockiness of him. My eyes travelled down to his knee, still bandaged and busted from where I had shot him at the funeral, I could see that he still hadn’t learnt his lesson.Paulo, was already there too, leaning against the wall with a cigarette in hand, his eyes cold. Armed men stood at the corners, men that moved only on my command, each one of them pack
DANTE’S POVPanic gripped me instantly, my stomach twisting into knots, My eyes scanned the crowd, searching for any sign of her, but I couldn’t catch a glimpse of her menacing red gown and her long flowing hair anywhere and my vision seemed to fizzle out a bit as I clenched my fist into tight balls beside me, someone was going to die tonight if anything had happened to her.“Fucking Tony” I cursed under my breath, my heart thundering in my chest. Tony’s grin haunted me, the way he hinted that he’d already made his move. I couldn’t even lie to myself, the Anotti’s were ruthless bastards and they were known for playing dirty in everything they did, what was Anthonio thinking getting involved with them, now he was dead and his daughters were a target but not on my watch, they were part of the D’angelos and it was my duty to protect them.Anger surged through me like wildfire, threatening to blind me as I made my way towards the dj booth shoving through the crowd without hesitation and a
DANTE’S POVBy the time I carried Helena to the bedroom, she was practically melting in my arms, her body trembling with the drugs that still coursed through her veins. She clung to me, her lips brushing against my neck, soft, breathy pleads spilling out."Dante... please... I need you. I need you so bad."Her voice was so quiet, so full of raw desire, that it nearly shattered my resolve. Every instinct inside me was screaming to take her, but I couldn't. Not like this.I had thrown her over my shoulder and carried her to the bedroom, gently setting her on the bed but she wouldn’t let me go for the love of God. Her red gown was bunched up around her hips, revealing smooth, exposed thighs that made my pulse quicken. She looked up at me through half-lidded eyes, her pupils dilated, swirling with need, and lust. Her dark hair spilled over her face, framing her flushed cheeks. God, she was a vision.Suddenly, her hand reached for mine, her fingers brushing my wrist."Are you... gonna puni
HELENA’S POVI wake up that morning with a splitting headache, My mind felt foggy, like it had been soaked in alcohol, though I knew that wasn’t the case. As I slowly blinked, my surroundings came into focus—the dark wood paneling, the sheer curtains filtering sunlight into the room.“What the hell was happening?” I whispered to myself amidst the blinding the headache that flustered.Slowly, the realization hit me like a cold bucket of water, and I groaned softly, sinking deeper into the plush pillows. I lay still trying to conjure up my memory from the previous night, last I remembered, I had followed Dante to the club and - the flashing lights, the overwhelming heat, the loud music and people dancing while I settled at the bar with a drink and then... him. The strange man that had approached me leading me away, the dizziness that followed, the confusion.Then Dante – Dante had saved me. I remembered his face behind my blurred vision and hazed state and – shit!I sat up quickly, a sh
HELENA’S POV“Mama said the wedding should be in three weeks, it’s only logical” my sister said to me at lunch in downtown restaurant just across from the dance studio I had just registered in. It was a breath of fresh air, being able to raise my legs above my head with other people who understand the arts of dance and not spank me afterwards for it.“Mama always wants everything to be logical” I said back to her, taking a sip from my chocolate milkshake and still side eyeing the diamond ring Dante had slipped on my finger earlier, it still felt like a blinding shock to me and I couldn’t understand why.“According to her, she doesn’t think it’s quite logical for you to be living with a man you’re not married to”“I was once married to him”“And divorced – brutally” she added the last part like an adlib to a song and I snickered, I should’ve been offended but Vivianna could be effortlessly funny when she didn’t mean to. Then she took a bite from her greasy burger and my picked my hand
DANTE’S POVAfter I had left the house after giving Helena the ring, the next agenda on my mind was to deal personally with Tony Anotti, of course he knew Helena was engaged to me, the only reason he had decided to pull the stunt with me and that was why I decided to give her the ring. I had rushed earlier that morning before she woke up, pulled up at the nearest jeweler and purchased the one that caught my eye, I didn’t care how expensive it was – it was my claim on her, to prove to everyone in Algreen Cove that she was mine now.I arrived at the warehouse where we’d been keeping Tony Anotti to find Paulo was already there, but he looked a tad bit disheveled with his normally crisp shirt untucked and his brow furrowed with worry."Dante," he said, his voice low and urgent, "Tony... he’s gone."The words barely registered for a second, and when they did, the rage simmering just beneath my skin flared up. "What do you mean he’s gone?" I barked, stepping closer to him but Paulo held my