HELENA’S POVAlgreen cove had always been a different kind of city, a place where darkness thrived under neon lights, and secrets were traded more frequently than smiles. It was an endless canvas painted with crime, gang fights, and the silent orchestration of drug lords. Yet, despite its reputation, there was one thing Algreen Cove did well: parties. Celebrations where the rich and the reckless intertwined, their laughter drowning out the gunshots echoing down the alleyways. Someone could be gunned down on Down Street, but if you ventured a block over, you’d find a party so wild it made you forget the town’s sordid realities.Tonight was one of those nights, and the host was my sister, Vivianna. Just for the sake of wearing a pretty dress and prancing around as the evening’s party co-host, she would use it as a smokescreen. But I knew better. The tension simmering underneath the surface was palpable, electric, like the hum of a storm before it cracked the sky open. The D'Angelo men w
DANTE’S POVArriving at the party, my head swirled with confusion and a relentless sense of something vital, something important just out of reach. Helena. Her name felt like a whisper in the wind, teasing and evasive. I couldn't piece together why she haunted me the way she did, like an unsung melody or a name on the tip of my tongue that I couldn’t remember. Every time I tried to focus, the memory slipped further away, leaving only a gnawing frustration in my chest.I stepped into the lavish room filled with swirling lights, laughter, and the clinking of glasses with Gianna latched on my hips. The room was a pulsating mess of color and life but my eyes searched relentlessly for her, I knew she was going to be here. The whole party was put together by Paulo’s wife who in turn was Helena’s sister, but it was no longer strange that I had no memory of that.Then I found her, lounging in the corner. The way she stood, graceful yet tense, with her dark hair cascading down her back in a wa
DANTE’S POV“What do you mean she just left for the airport?” The words tumbled out, sharp and urgent, with each bloody syllable feeling like it might pull me out of this spiraling dread. I stared at Helena’s mother, eyes wide, pulse thundering in my ears.She squinted up at me, her hands covered in soil as she wiped them against her apron. “Exactly what I said, Mr. D’Angelo. She’s moving back to Paris.”“What! Why?” My voice cracked, and for the first time in years, I felt powerless, like a boy caught in the tide of a storm too strong to fight.“There ain’t no point staying here noW, is there? Her husband doesn’t remember her, and there’s no document to prove a wedding. I don’t know what to tell you anymore, but she’s gone and according to her, she never wants to step foot in Algreen cove again” Her words were blunt, honest, digging into me like the prongs of a thorn.I made a frustrated sound deep in my throat, fingers raking through my hair as my mind raced. Different possibilities
HELENA’S POV“What do you mean we never got divorced in the first place” my mouth fell open at Dante’s revelation and I shot curious looks between him and Gianna, who in fact was mirroring my expression, her skin almost turning white like a ghost. At this point, I presumed it was almost evident that I wasn’t leaving Algreen cove that morning. I couldn’t even think of that at that moment, not with what Dante spewed out of his mouth.“Dante – “ Gianna spoke this time, there was a certain desperation in her eyes, a certain anger tainted with shock and betrayal.Dante ran a hand through his head with a wince, I wonder if he was going through a blistering headache but had to deal with two women bugging him for a secret.“Five years ago after I told you leave, I never actually filed for divorce. I was going to but then Gianna left and I just couldn’t bring myself to do it so in all sense we’re still married”“Wait – “ I began placing the pieces together “Was that why you were reluctant to g
HELENA’S POV“France?” I echoed aloud, my heart drumming in my ears as I was yet to process Dante’s words and the fact he was already pulling me alongside with my luggage. He had whipped out his phone from his back pocket and was already barking orders at the phone.“Captain, I need the private jet prepared and a flight to France. How long is that going to take?”A pause as he waited for a response“Perfect, I’ll see you then” he ended the call and was about to start pulling me with him when I retrieved my hands from his hold.“What the hell Kyle, you can’t just go to France with the snap of your fingers”“Yes I can and that’s exactly what’s happening” he looked confused at my surprise.“You can’t just go to Paris and demand to see a son that you only just found out about. You can’t just show up and disrupt his life just like that, it’s not fair and I won’t allow you do that. I haven’t seen him with my eyes since I gave birth to him”“Well this is an opportunity for you to see him” Da
HELENA’SI hurried out of the house, to the corner and at this point the tears had already started flowing down my cheeks, so uncontrollably that my entire body shook with heavy sobs. It was the way Dante’s eyes sparkled when he looked at Julien, their resemblance was uncanny. They had the same deep intense eyes and gaze and I felt guilty that I had deprived Julien of his culture, but what could I have done, I was twenty years old, divorced, heart broken and in a strange country. I couldn’t tell them back home and I would be forced back – it was the only solution to give him away. Yes, it was selfish but it was the only way.I stood outside the house for more than ten minutes and I craved a cigarette, I was grateful that Antoinette hadn’t come to console me, I mean how awkward would that be. But a few moments later, I heard the loud creak of the door opening and in a few seconds Dante was beside me and when I looked at him he had a glassy look in his eyes.“I feel so guilty” I confess
HELENA’S POVFrancis was tall – a bit feminine, his eyes were deep brown and sharp, always looking like he was suspecting you of something. But at that moment, his eyes were even sharper as he pulled me into his embrace.“I knew you’d come back for me” he was saying and I needed to cut it down fast.“I didn’t come back for you” I said immediately then I pointed at Dante whom I still couldn’t look in the eye“This is my husband, Dante” I said.The air went silent with Francis going staring wide eyed for what felt like an eternity and I wished he’d say something.“Oh” he managed “You’re married – that makes sense. I mean you left without a word – I thought – I mean of course you’re married, what the hell was I expecting”“I know I should’ve said something but I just couldn’t – a lot happened” I said and then he offered me a glance for a brief second before turning his attention to Dante and looking him over but Dante sat still, sipping his drink slowly – he didn’t seem for one minute bo
DANTE’S POVThe chill of the night clung to my skin, slicing through the streets of Paris with a biting edge, yet it didn’t bother me. My mind was too restless, too wired with thoughts that drowned out the cold. I needed air, space…something to numb the onslaught of emotions that had torn through me in the last twenty-four hours. I hadn’t been able to shake the look on that boy’s face, those wide eyes that mirrored mine. My son—yet he wasn’t mine. It would have been easy to pin the blame on Helena, but what good would that do? I knew it was my own fault, too—shoving her away when she needed me most, all because of my loyalty to Gianna.A few blocks away, a quiet bar flickered with dim, welcoming light, almost out of sight. It seemed like the right place to disappear for a while. I slipped inside and took a seat at the center of the bar. The bartender poured my whiskey, and I held it, watching the way the amber liquid caught the dim light, swirling in the glass. Everything felt hectic.
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