HELENA’S POV“Gianna says hi, she misses you”And I stopped dead in my tracks, but I didn’t give in to the temptation to turn around and catch his mischievous eyes waiting to hold mine captive but my legs wouldn’t propel me forward. I wanted to hear more, I wanted him to say more and as if he could read my mind, I heard his voice drawl out more casually.“Saw her a few months ago at her movie premier, looked hella good and she talked my ear about you nonstop, then I told her if she misses you so bad, she knows where you’re at”I waited to hear Dante’s voice urging for more information, but the silence brought an unexpected relief to my chest, and still my legs wouldn’t move an inch and then Matteo’s voice came to my ears“She said it’s a surprise” I could feel the smirk all the way from where I stood “I’m curious too, and I doubt she knows about – ”“Matteo!” Dante thunderous voice boomed in the air and that was when I decided to walk away and go to my bedroom to get ready to go dance
DANTE’S POVEvery D’angelo born son had an element of madness in them, but Matteo? Matteo was a bastard in every meaning of the term. Illegitimate son to his father, never had the love of a mother, I mean none of us did but the only kind of love he ever received were from the strippers that clung to him at night. He was repulsed by anything that had to do with falling in love, so when he looked me dead in the eyes and said“Gianna says hi, she misses you” I knew he was setting a bait but I wasn’t going to be stupid enough to step into it. I could see Helena had stopped at the mention of Gianna’s name and I never wanted that name to come up not while I was engaged to Helena – I had broken her heart the first time thinking I could have a chance with the girl I fell in love with as a teenager but I had been delusional enough thinking I was part of Gianna’s plans. She had a big dream and I was just a small fraction of it.After Helena was out of earshot, satisfied with the reaction he had
HELENA’S POVHis eyes met mine, and they widened in shock, he hadn’t been expecting me to be standing there, hearing everything he was discussing with Matteo. I wanted to keep my expressions neutral but I knew my emotions would betray me. My chest felt tight, and my heart felt too big to contain in them that it nearly burst out, but we stared at each other with a sharp tension that sliced through the air.His mouth opened, threatening to speak but no words came forth and I scoffed, pulling my eyes away because I could no longer bear the intensity of his gaze.“You weren’t supposed to hear that” he said finally, with a calmness that I didn’t expect. He spoke like he had said nothing wrong and who was I fooling honestly - he was speaking the truth.“I mean, you’re right” I said back, my eyes catching Matteo’s smug expression in the corner. “It is in fact a just a contract marriage – nothing more so you’re absolutely right”“You sound like you’re hurt, or you’re expecting something more”
HELENA’S POVWhen Matteo meant shopping, the last thing I would’ve ever thought was that he was going car shopping and he was using me to fill up the void.“What would Dante think of you, parading me around in automobile shop and looking for a car that doesn’t exist?” I said as we walked into the third shop and Matteo already looked unimpressed even though I seemed a bit starstruck at the luxuriousness of the place.“I doubt he’d care much” he said it so casually like he wasn’t thinking but it stung all the same, a biting feeling in my chest that wouldn’t pass away.“Besides I’m following strict instructions to not let you out of my sight today” he continued.“Why?” I voiced out, as he inspected a white colored Ferrari, with the salesperson hot on our heels ready to read out specifications I knew Matteo wasn’t in interested in.“You’re a flight risk” he said plainly and then looked at the salesperson right after “I’ll take it.Moments later, Matteo and I stepped out and just immediatel
HELENA’S POV“Let’s go inside” Dante had his hands on my waist, guiding towards the event from the paparazzi but all I could feel was the emptiness of my finger, and I wondered if he had noticed it yet. My mind began to spin, weaving together different possibilities of where I might have lost it – was it at the salon? Or was it at the car dealership? My brain hurt from all the thinking, and my chest felt tight from the slow panic that was beginning to set in.Apart from that, I was surprisingly too aware of Dante’s hand slightly brushing my bare skin. It felt hot against the iciness of my skin and suddenly my dilemma of the missing ring was beginning to shift away giving space for the clawing feeling in my stomach from hearing Dante’s conversation with Matteo the previous.So I pulled away from him just as we stepped into the warmness of the event, the dancing chandeliers that swung high above in the ceilings, the overwhelming glamour suddenly consuming me.“I think I should go on ahe
HELENA’S POV“Starting off with an elegant price of ten thousand dollars, do I hear eleven in the corner” the auction started on my ring and before I could blink my eyes, miss expensive jewelry had her card up.“Twelve thousand” she called aloud and my mouth fell open, but I didn’t have time to gape, I threw my hands up immediately.“Fifteen thousand” my small voice sounding larger in the quiet room, and I saw miss expensive jewelry throw me a dirty look but I didn’t have the time to engage in theatrics with anybody, I had to buy the ring back and Matteo’s amused expression in the corner wasn’t helping this situation at all.“Twenty thousand” another feminine voice called out from just behind me, and when I turned to look at her she returned my stare with a blank one.“Twenty thousand – do I hear twenty five thousand people?” oh this auction host was having the time of his life at my own expense.“Thirty thousand dollars” miss expensive jewelry hollered again, louder and her tone more
DANTE’S POVI walked out of the ladies room with Helena’s scent still lingering on my finger and it enveloped like a cozy sweater, but still it wasn’t enough to work the tense muscle in my jaw. I was pissed and for so many reasons it was difficult to begin to work my mind through all of them, and when my mood burned like this, I had to find an outlet let it out or there was no telling what I’d do, it was unpredictable and even I was terrified by my rage.I was pissed at Helena, long before the auction started and I found out that she had lost the ring but it wasn’t entirely her, it was that bastard Christian and the way he always seemed to show up around her, it took every ounce of self control not haul after him and knock out his tweet so he never smiles at a woman in his life. I grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing tray and I downed it one gulp, watching them and letting the anger build up in me until I exploded.But then, there was something so incredibly sexy about her desp
“At least, now you know you mean something to him” Matteo’s words kept ringing in my head as I started at the diamonds on my bed. But before I knew it, my feet were moving before I could stop them. I bolted from my room, my pulse racing, my chest tightening with emotions I wasn’t sure how to process.I found Dante in the guest room, sitting at the edge of the bed and nursing an almost finished bottle of whiskey. His white shirt was unbuttoned at the top, revealing his chest, and just then as I stepped into the room his head turned to me with a, his eyes were drunken slits and drinking me up, the usual darkness simmering in his eyes. That gaze—it was always there, always ready to drag me under.Our eyes locked for what felt like an eternity and my heart began to speed up, my emotions stirring in ways I couldn’t control. There was still the familiar tingling between my legs and each passing second that Dante kept his eyes fixed on me, it grew more intense. How did he have so much effect
Chapter: The Weight of Leaving“Leave?” I repeated, my voice barely above a whisper. The word tasted foreign on my tongue. “What do you mean, leave?”Matteo stood in the doorway, his tall frame silhouetted by the dim light filtering in from the living room. His expression was guarded, but I could see the tension in the way his hand repeatedly ran through his hair. “It’s not safe here anymore. Not for us. Not for Ava. The leaks, the attempts on my life… it’s escalating. There’s someone behind it, and I don’t think this is a war I’m ready to take. Not anymore.” He paused, his voice softening. “Especially now that I have people to consider—you and Ava.”The words hung in the air like a weight pressing down on my chest. I gripped the edge of the kitchen counter for support, feeling as though the ground beneath me had shifted. “Matteo, this is our home,” I said, my voice cracking. “It’s Ava’s home. We can’t just—”“We can,” he interrupted, his tone firm but not cruel. His dark eyes locked
HELENA’S POVFEW YEARS LATERIt was more than two years later, and I was still married to Matteo D’angelo, in fact we had a little girl now – Ava D’angelo and she was a splitting image of her father, they had the same piercing look, beautiful clear blue eyes but at least she had my hair.It was almost peaceful these past years, although I spent half of it looking over my shoulder thinking someone was going to sneak up behind me and press a cold hard pistol to my back, of course that never happened, apart from the few hiccups with the cartel and the company which by the way Matteo shielded me from – like I said it was almost peaceful but I could feel it in the air, like a smoke without fire, something was brewing and I could sense it. Matteo seemed more tense than usual, sometimes he went to bed still fully clothed, he mumbled in his sleep which wasn’t unusual but this time was different, he kept saying a name – Venza.The sky was a soft watercolor of blues and whites, with the occasio
Leadership wasn’t something you chose—it was something thrust upon you. After Dante’s death, it became clear who the next king of Algreen Cove was. The whispers had already started during the wedding reception, even as the gunfire echoed and the blood of Dante's last ploy stained the marble floors.Paulo had made his stance clear long ago. “I’m not cut out to lead,” he’d told me. And I believed him. Paulo was loyal, ruthless when necessary, and dependable in the trenches, but he didn’t have the vision or the temperament to run the cartel. That left the mantle of leadership squarely on my shoulders, a weight I had carried before I even realized I was strong enough to bear it.Two days had passed since the wedding. Two days of waking up beside Helena, the woman who had brought light back into my life in ways I hadn’t thought possible. She was mine now—my wife, the mother of the child growing inside her. I had her in my arms every morning, her soft brown eyes meeting mine as sunlight spi
HELENA’S POVA month later, it was my wedding day—a day I once thought I’d never experience again. Yet here I was, standing in the grand chapel with its towering stone walls, ancient wooden pews, and arched ceilings that seemed to stretch toward the heavens. The air was thick with the scent of lilies, and the soft hum of the organ echoed through the sacred space.Despite the joy and the wealth surrounding me, the past weeks had been tense. Every moment felt borrowed, every shadow held the potential for danger. Dante’s ghost lingered, not in whispers or memories, but in the palpable fear that someone, somewhere, was still following his orders. And yet, amidst it all, Matteo remained steadfast, his presence like a beacon guiding me through the storm.The flowing wedding dress hugged my body, a delicate lace overlay cascading down to the floor. Pearls lined my hair, glimmering like tiny moons against the soft waves. My hand instinctively rested on my abdomen, where a barely-there bump he
Two weeks passed since the night I stared at that little plus sign, and my world tilted on its axis. I'd managed to keep it to myself, burying the secret beneath a mask of normalcy. But today, as I stood in Vivianna’s hospital room, staring at her tiny, pink-faced daughter lying peacefully in the cot, I felt the weight of my silence crushing me.The words tumbled out before I could stop them. “I think I’m pregnant.”Vivianna whipped her head around, eyes wide in disbelief. “What do you mean you think you’re pregnant?”I sighed, wringing my hands together. “I am pregnant.”“For Dante?” she asked, her voice sharp and her gaze piercing.“No,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Matteo.”The name felt fragile in my mouth, as if saying it out loud might shatter something. Vivianna’s shock melted into something softer, though her brows still knit together.“And you ended things with him again because...?”“It’s complicated,” I said, pacing the room on quiet, restless steps. “Do you think
HELENA’S POVThe letter felt heavier in my trembling hands than it had any right to. I unfolded it slowly, the familiar scent of Dante—smoky, musky, and utterly suffocating—seeping out from the paper as if he had intended for it to linger. His handwriting sprawled across the page in bold, unapologetic strokes, commanding attention even in death.Helena,If you’re reading this, it means I’m dead.Congratulations. Or condolences. Whichever fits your mood better. If it’s Matteo who pulled the trigger—or ordered it—then he’s as much a fool as I’ve always thought him to be. But don’t think for a second that my death gives you freedom. You’ll never have freedom, not from me.Do you really think I’d allow you to be with him? Not in life, and certainly not in death. No, my darling, I’ve thought this through. I’ve ensured that if you ever dare to pursue a life with Matteo, there will be consequences. Dead men don’t just roll over, Helena, especially not me.I hired someone—a shadow, let’s call
HELENA’S POVThe city felt strange tonight—unusually quiet, like it knew what had happened. Even as I drove down the winding streets, tears streaking my face and my dress stiff with Dante’s blood, there was a hush that sat heavy in the air. It wasn’t peaceful, though. No, it was eerie, like the city itself mourned the life that had been snuffed out.Paulo had insisted I leave the hospital, promising me that Matteo would pull through. “Go home, rest,” he had said. “He’s going to be fine, I promise.”I wanted to believe him. I had to believe him.But Dante was dead. That fact alone had unraveled me.The man who had once held my heart so effortlessly and crushed it just as easily was gone. Dead. It didn’t feel real. He was larger than life, impossible to defeat, and yet, I’d seen his body sprawled on the ground. Despite everything he’d done—every cruel, merciless act—I couldn’t stop the ache that pulsed in my chest. A life had been lost, and no amount of hatred could erase the part of me
HELENA’S POVThe world had gone silent around me. My ears rang with the deafening echo of the gunshot, but my mind refused to process it. I crumpled to the floor, the weight of dread pinning me down. I couldn’t open my eyes. I didn’t want to.What if he was gone?What if Dante had finally done it?My heart pounded erratically, each beat clawing at my ribs as if it wanted to burst free. Somewhere in the haze, I expected Dante’s taunting voice—his self-assured arrogance slicing through the tension like it always did. But there was nothing. Just an eerie, suffocating quiet.My hands trembled as I forced my eyes open, and when I did, the sight before me turned my blood to ice.Dante was sprawled on the ground, a crimson pool spreading beneath him, staining the earth like a macabre halo. His lifeless eyes stared at nothing, the usual malice in them extinguished. I blinked rapidly, trying to piece together what I was seeing.“W-What…” My voice cracked as I struggled to comprehend.Then I sa
MATTEO’S POVHelena didn’t look back.She gave me a single glance as she stepped through the grand entrance of the masked ball, her red dress shimmering under the low lights like spilled wine. It was a glance meant to reassure, but all it did was tighten the knot in my stomach. As she disappeared into the crowd, I stayed behind, lingering by the car, letting the cool night air ground me.There was a heaviness to the night, a thickness in the air that clung to my skin like smoke. People filed into the hall, their laughter and idle chatter masking the tension beneath their ornate feathers and flashy masks. They came here to escape, to lose themselves in the decadence and mystery of the night.But I had no intention of hiding.My mask was a reflection of who I truly was—dark, daunting, and utterly unafraid. It wasn’t meant to conceal but to intimidate, to remind anyone who dared look too long that I wasn’t here to play their games. I was here for one thing, and one thing only.To kill Da