Vincenzo Zolvesky? Those dark sharp eyes in that photo flashed across my mind. So he was Marko's adoptive father? The grave silence and the darkness radiating off his stance discouraged me from asking more. But I needed answers. Why did he have his photo in that old cupboard and why did it have a red mark on it? Why even taking his name made him see red? So I walked closer to him, holding his flaming gaze. "Who is this man, Syl? I…I have never seen this much hatred in your eyes for someone. Why did you keep an eye on them discreetly and why Robert chose Zolveskys to target to get back at us? Why are they so important?" His nostrils flared. His lips curled with rage, eyes set in distance. "Because destroying him was the sole reason I lived for until I decided to give all this up. To have you." Ron's words echoed in my head. 'Boss had let go of the motive of his life that he had been fueling inside him since his childhood only to have you in his life, his heart.' Destroying
His gaze met mine. The rage, determination and possessiveness in those icy blue eyes left me breathless. "Save your Sandra if you can." His voice came out tight. Breath hitched in my throat. "And the world knows no one touches my Sandra. I will burn the whole world if I have to to keep you safe. Be it Vincenzo or anyone else, they won't even touch a single strand of your hair. I promise you that." I believed him. But everything that was revealed before me was messing with my head. It was too much. I thought after Robert got caught, our problems were solved. But no. The bigger storm was yet to come. And I was…scared. For the first time. Known enemies were easy to deal with. But unknown? The one you didn't know if they were alive or dead, or there was someone else waiting to attack in the bush, it was lethal. When I didn't say anything, Syl tensed. Pulling me close, he cupped my chin. Unsure yet hard icy blue eyes met my ambers. "Are you scared, cuore mio? Don't you…trust me
As soon as the car screeched to a halt before Rossa, we got out. Securing my hand in a tight grip, he led us inside the VIP elevator with powerful strides. I, as well as Ron, had a hard time catching up with him.But that wasn't the issue that bothered me. It was Arianna. It was Robert. It was the dead Vincenzo Zolvesky. I still had the old photo of that man. I didn't mention it to Syl yet. I was sure he wouldn't like me snooping around Enrique's old room. He was already at the verge of losing control and killing Robert for not uttering a word even after endless torture. The ex-mayor was harder to crack than I thought. I wondered how could someone value their revenge more than their life. Maybe when one had nothing to lose. Now if anyone could tell us about why Robert chose Zolveskys to target even after knowing Vincenzo was dead, it was Arianna. And I wished with everything inside me that he was dead. I didn't want an old Italian mob boss rumored to be dead to come alive and fini
Looking to my right, my eyes found a middle aged man in a polo shirt at the opposite side of the store. As soon as my gaze met his, he looked away. Stuffing his inked hands in his pockets, he glanced around the shimmering shop filled with gold and diamond jewelries. My frown deepened. "It's Her Highness, Mrs. De Sylvano."Ron's words caught my attention back. "Diana? What does she want now?" His lips pursed. "She is not well for some days. Her doctor confirmed her deteriorating health. She has been trying to reach out to boss, but as you can expect, boss blocked her out in every way possible. So she called me."Diana was ill? She was more than fine last week. "What did she say?" I asked, feeling the stare again. But I ignored it. "She wants to see boss. She is…desperate. She wants me to tell him to take it as her last wish if he wants, but she wants to meet him."I bit my lip. Even though I had no desire to meet her again, her words…they raised an unwanted sympathy in my chest.
Distance murmurs and a rhythmic soft beat slowly pulled me to my consciousness. A warm, firm grip around my body cocooned me to its warmth like a protective shield. Intoxicating masculine crisp cologne surrounded my senses. Syl… I took a desperate breath to take more of his scent in. The rhythmic soft beats were his heartbeats as I was wrapped in his arms. Sensing my movement, his head snapped to me. Red dark icy blue eyes alert. Big calloused hand was soon to cup my cheek. "Cuore mio? Baby? You are…you are awake?" Hoarse deep voice was filled with desperation. My eyelids were heavy. A darkness was forcing me to shut my eyes again. But I wanted to talk to him, watch him… I parted my lips. But a sharp pain shot through my head. My brows pinched together. "Sandra? Talk to me, baby. Are you alright? Are you in pain?" He pulled me more into him, his face was inches away from me. An agony mixed with concern and rage etched into his features. Even if I could barely keep my eyes o
"I'm full." I pushed away the spoon he held before my lips. His eyes narrowed. "You are not. You haven't eaten anything since noon. Now finish it, then I will feed you your medicine.""I can take them myself," I grumbled, trying to move away from his lap. But that damn strong arm kept me firm against him. After our conversation, he began to treat me like a child. He changed my clothes, forced me to drink a glass of juice and when I wanted to go to the bathroom, he carried me to it. And to my utter embarrassment, he refused to leave me alone in the bathroom. He was perfectly fine seeing me pee. The nerve of this man!After a thousand pleadings with a red face from embarrassment, I made his grumbling ass stand at the door with his back to me while I did my thing. And now he made me sit on his lap and fed me the soup Maria brought for me as per his order. True to his word, he wasn't letting me out of his sight even for a second. He even ignored his phone calls and voice messages. I
"I said no…" "Syl," I cut him off, attracting his narrowed gaze to me. "You must know from Ron that she is not well. Maybe it's important. Otherwise she wouldn't want to meet me personally."I wanted to tell Syl about my doubt, but I stopped myself. I wanted to confront Diana first. Only she could tell me what Vincenzo was doing at her building. Something told me he was there for her. "I'm not letting her see you, definitely not alone. You know her nature, she dislikes you."Shaking my head, I got up from the bed. And he immediately wrapped his arm around me, holding me against him. I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine, Syl. I won't fall. And about Diana's nature, I can just handle her fine. Don't worry. After all, this won't be the first time we will have a personal conversation." He let out a grunt. "I will be there with you if you're that eager to see her."I untangled myself from his arms. His lips pursed at the distance. "No. I'm going there alone. You can attend some phone calls in t
Under the shadow of the car, his hand crawled under my dress. A shaky breath left me with his sensual kisses across my neck. Even if my legs were tightly shut while I sat on his lap, his hand forced them apart and took a perverted entry. I gasped at a rough squeeze in my inner thigh. "Syl! What are you doing? The driver can watch us!" My eyes went to the driver, who drove through the street carefully with a stiff posture. In the mirror, I could see his flushed cheeks. My own warmed at that. My caveman let out a groan, nuzzling my chest. "He won't dare to look, cuore mio. Let me feel you, it was painful enough to not have you last night."My chest thudded. Hot desire rushed through my veins as I whispered. "At least let us reach the villa first. Then you can do whatever you want."But his hands didn't abide by my suggestion. They continued to roam over my curves, sneaking to forbidden areas. "Stop! Don't behave like a caveman" I hissed in a low voice, but he only pulled me close b
I took a deep breath before opening my eyes. Butterflies stormed in my stomach furiously while my heart raced down my chest. The music from the church and the chatters of people flowing to my ears made my palms clammy. "Are you nervous, Cassie?" Em asked. While my other best friend smirked at me. "I thought you were the most excited bride of the century. But it seems like, you're just like an ordinary girl like us too, soft and emotional." "Shut up, Beth!" I shot her a glare. "I'm not nervous!" I denied. Liar! Syl suggested we hold our wedding after the delivery, but I couldn't wait. I already waited for months before finally convincing Syl that I was healthy enough to go through all the arrangements. Growing up, I never believed in love and marriages. But now, after having him in my life, I didn't want anything else more than I wanted to marry that brute of mine. Somehow…it became my dream. To have him as my husband and tie us together for the rest of our lives. But now that t
My intense glare didn't bring any changes to the man's stoic features at all. I tried with my puppy eyes earlier, but I failed. Now my glare was in vain too. The loud music blasted across the nightclub, colorful lights moved around. The beat compelled into moving the body. But there was no smell of sweat, perfume and alcohol like a typical nightclub should.Why? Because there was not a single person in this whole place other than the bartenders, the bodyguards outside and my freaking Italian royal prince, who stood before me! After being away from parties and drinks, being seven months pregnant, I had an intense craving to go and enjoy the night in a nightclub. But this brute wouldn't allow it! I knew alcohol wasn't good for pregnancy, but a few sips wouldn't hurt! My hormones wanted it. I knew how to avoid being careless. And he complied to my eager request, only to vacant an entire nightclub and remove all the alcohol from the place. Only music and juices were available. "How da
His grip on my waist tightened. I felt him taking a deep breath against my neck, his entire form was tense. "Those guards you saw weren't our men, they were his. As we shifted to the villa, De Sylvano Mansion wasn't guarded by many guards. So it was easy for him to take them down and replace his men. And he did all of that the moment you sent me the message." The message? I remembered Vincenzo mentioning it. He had hacked my mobile and somehow stopped my communication with everyone. If not for Ron and the guards following me, they wouldn't have known where I was heading to. A chill ran down my spine thinking what could have happened if Syl hadn't arrived there on time. "That bastard had his men set among the guests in the wedding," Syl continued. "He was planning to attack while distracting us with his fake location. He knew I would send Ron and some of my men there to grab him and it would make it easier for him to attack. But when…" Dark icy blue eyes met mine. "When I left
Blinding flashes sparked from down the stage from the darkness. Cheers and whistles made the night awake while the slow music urged me to move further. The spotlight moved with me as I walked down the ramp with the red princess gown flowing around me, my hair swayed gently with the whoosh of air. I walked with utmost confidence and a bright smile, while my heart palpitated at the dark gaze that devoured me from somewhere in the audience. Goosebumps spread across my skin with a pair of flaming eyes set on me like a predator. And then I found myself falling from the stage and wrapped into a pair of strong arms. Intoxicating masculine crisp cologne surrounded my senses. Dark icy blue eyes stared down at my amber ones with a look that made my heart skip. Suddenly I found myself in a nightclub, pressed against the wall by a furious Italian billionaire. His lips were inches away from me. "A kiss?" I heard myself whispering. The location again changed and I stood in the middle of a hall
Blood ran cold in my veins. With a drop of tear rolling down my cheek, I stood there frozen. My heart slowed down for a moment before it started pounding against my ribcage. My hands shook at my sides realizing who was standing before me. Vincenzo Zolvesky.The man I was running from was waiting in my own house. My legs stumbled back, the cold doors hit my back, leaving me no escape. "You…" Words stuck in my throat. "W-what are you doing here? How dare you come to our house!" The side of his lips tugged upwards into a smirk. "Is that how you greet your guests, Miss. Brooks? Or should I say…Mrs. De Sylvano? That's the title Duncan De Sylvano used in that hospital after all." Something dropped inside me. H-how did he know what happened in the hospital? Did he…have someone to keep an eye on us? They were following us from the hospital? That's how they knew we went to the wedding. It explained why his men roamed among the guests hiding their identities. They were waiting for the ri
Turning around swiftly, we found the two men who passed us earlier standing behind us, along with the tall man in the middle. Their guns were pointed at us. And the eyes of the tall man were set on me. A cold smirk tugged at his lips. My heart stopped. They were here for…me?Vincenzo's men. A panic started to rise inside me. My heart started racing. I thought they were guests…That meant…they were waiting for the right moment to attack, hiding themselves among the guests. How did they know we were going to attend the wedding? "Give her to us and we will let you go. Don't make it hard," said the tall man in a calm tone. "Step away or the consequences will be bloody," Ron hissed, one of his arms shielding me. "Carter! Call for backup!" he shouted to one of the guards. But before Carter could take his phone out, one of the men beside the tall one tackled him on the ground. And instantly, Ron shot him on the shoulder. A muffled scream left me as they advanced Ron. Gunshots star
Now? What happened all of a sudden?Ron suddenly rushed inside the church, nodding at Syl. His stance was tense, the guards behind him stood stiff. My heart started to race. Gripping my hand in his firmly, Syl took me away from the bride and groom. They gave us concerned looks but couldn't ask anything as guests surrounded them to congratulate the newly wedded couple. The stormy rage across Syl's features scared me more. "Syl, what happened? Why are we leaving so soon?" Before I could get an answer, Ron interrupted us. With his face hardened with determination and urgency, he had a grip on his gun. "Boss, my men just confirmed it. Vincenzo is there. They got together in that old motel for some meeting." My eyes widened. Vincenzo? They found his location? Syl's lips curled into a sneer. "It shall be the last meeting of his life. Did you instruct our men to take their positions?" Ron nodded. "Yes. As soon as they confirmed Vincenzo's presence there, they took action. They spr
My heart stopped. I was…pregnant?A slight panic rolled in my stomach. I knew these pills weren't safe enough! My fear turned out to be true!W-what should I do now? I wasn't ready to be a mother. I didn't know if I could take the responsibility. What if I couldn't be a good mother…"Hey! It's fine!" Em grasped my hand. "Don't be nervous. Calm down and think about it. It's not as horrifying as you think it is. Plus, you will have to tell Duncan about it too." I licked my dry lips. "I…I don't know, Em. I…" "It's alright. I know it's overwhelming, but trust me, being a mother is the most beautiful feeling in this world," she said softly. "We're here for you, especially Duncan. You don't need to worry as long as he is with you." She hesitated before continuing. "But if you have other plans, then he will understand, I'm sure." A shaky sigh left me. Syl's words from the morning echoed in my mind. I knew he would be there with me no matter what. But I didn't know what decision I needed
Morning arrived and I couldn't be more anxious and excited at the same time. I had stayed in our room the entire night talking to Beth and Em on video call, planning things for the wedding. Only at two in the morning did they say goodbye and left to rest. And my Italian stayed out of the room the whole night. Though I felt him wandering before the door a few times to check if I was alright until I fell asleep. My cold shoulder was taking a toll on him. A knock on the door resounded softly in the room. "Sandra? Baby? Are you awake? I've brought breakfast for you." I huffed. I wouldn't have opened the door if not for carrying on with our plan. Rising to my feet, as I walked to the door, a sudden dizziness hit me. Clutching the knob of the door, I held myself still and took a deep breath. Once the door opened, tired yet soft icy blue eyes greeted me. And my treacherous heart skipped a beat. "Good morning, mia regina." Placing the tray of breakfast on the small table beside t