Cassandra POV:The taxi arrived at the nearest mall and I paid the fare in cash before getting off. I stared at the large building of the mall, thinking what the hell did I want to do now? My mind was blank. Should I call Leonardo to warn him about the attack or should I call Lydia instead and go to the new apartment she had rented for me?My feet slowly moved into the entrance door of the mall and I just wandered around like a lost person there, staring at people for no reason. They all wore the happy faces I used to have before. That time when Ricky didn't cross paths with my life for seven years, I just realized that was the only time I felt complete freedom and had complete control of my life. Now, I just had none of those two. In fact, I feared I might face danger being out like this without Ricky's protection. How could Nicola dare to live this kind of life? She never wanted a bodyguard before and Leo listened to her which ended up making her get killed. Was I going to face the
Carina POV:I heard some commotion outside but didn't bother to come out of my bedroom. I just had a shower and my skincare routine was far more important than anything in this world. I knew Ricky must be arguing with Cassie again, so that was none of my problems, to begin with. Let them argue. The more they argue, the easier my job is.The clock struck eight and it was time for dinner. So, I came out to be present at the dining table. Ricky had sat there but Cassie was nowhere to be seen. Was she sulking again and refusing to come down to eat? Whatever bitch. I'm not getting starving for silly arguments.The mansion was eerie quiet and it seemed like nobody was around. Ricky looked stern, clasping his hands together and putting them under his chin with his elbows resting on the table."Where's everybody?" I asked him while having a seat."Cassie ran away," he answered simply, not even having his eyes on me.Well, that explained a lot. All the bodyguards must be out searching for that
Cassandra POV:I returned home realizing the mansion looked empty. Where did everybody go? Did Ricky really tell all his men to go out and find me? But I went to a mall previously. So despite them being able to track my location from the emerald necklace, I bet it would still be harder for them to find me inside a crowded mall.Only the guards at the main gate were still at their post. They looked dejected when they saw my car coming back again as if they had been berated harshly for making the mistake to let me go earlier.I parked my car as usual in front of the mansion and put my car key in my handbag. I held that thing tightly, didn't want to let it get snatched by anyone. All the things I needed to escape were inside this handbag. If I lose this, I won't be able to leave.I got off the car and carefully walked towards the front door. When I opened the door, someone from inside pulled the handle and opened it even wider. I leaned over to see who it was and found Ernesto behind the
Cassandra POV:Ricky slowly raised one hand in the air while the other stretched out towards me. His face showed persuasion for me to hand over the gun to him. I offed the safety pin instead and immediately his three bodyguards raised and aimed their guns again at me."Ma'am, don't do this," Marco said looking somewhat heavy to point a gun at me. Even Dome and Luffy had the same expression."Don't do anything!" Ricky warned his bodyguards once again. He tried to come closer to me but I kept backing away."Give me the gun, Cassie... It's okay. I won't be mad. Just give me back the gun..." he coaxed."You know what, Ricky? You shouldn't have taught me how to use a gun..." I replied with a trembling voice.I found it hard to believe that my relationship with Ricky might end this way. I literally made a direct threat to the Godfather, the king of the underworld. If I was someone else, maybe that person would have been dead by now. I knew the only reason Ricky spared his mercy on me was be
Riccardo POV:"What the hell are you all waiting for?! Take all the cars from the garage and find her! Find her or I'll kill every last one of you who fail!" I ordered my men gravely.Never in a million years would I had imagine that this would happen. All my men just stood still doing nothing, only staring at Cassie's car as she drove away from the mansion. Were they idiots? Why were they so slow today? They all knew what to do."You three stay here. I have a job for you," I said as I turned around to face Dome, Marco and Luffy. They nodded in obedience and I went into the mansion again after.My head was just in mess and I didn't really feel well tonight. I think I was getting a fever but I couldn't care less about my health as Cassie's safety was more important right now.The hatred towards Carina was just growing so intensely inside of me and I just confronted her as soon as I was inside the mansion. Her body trembled a bit when I grabbed her arms tightly. This woman was so shamel
Carina POV:"Let me go! Let me go! Ricky! Ricky, please don't send me back to that house! Please!!! Leo would kill me if I'm alone!" I pretended to beg for his sympathy. Truthfully, I was done doing my job at this mansion. I rather came back home right now. But the pretence needed to continue so Ricky would still believe that I was innocent regarding Nicola's death.Certainly, I continued making chaos, shouting like a desperate woman to make all these people think that my fake pathetic condition was real. Dome dragged me to the living room and pinned me down to the sofa, making me lay prone and pushing the back of my head so my face was covered. I almost suffocated and he gave me a glare when I turned my face to him, signalling me to quiet down or else he would push my face down again.I guessed this one bodyguard had been waiting to do this to me. I knew he took Cassie's side in this house. Now that Ricky no longer cared about me, he dared to treat me harshly. Well, let's just see ho
Dome POV:Cassandra had always thought that there was something wrong with Carina. I could feel it too but I had no proof of it. Yet tonight, it was proved to everyone that it was the truth even to the Godfather himself. He finally saw how wicked this Rossi lady was. But I bet there was more to it than this framing incident.I think Casandra was right about trusting Leonardo De Luca. If I could, I would do so too but unfortunately, my loyalty was tied to the Xavier until my last breath. I had pledged my loyalty to this family when my parents died, so no turning back now. It was just unfortunate that Cassandra had to face this alone. If only I could be by her side. She needed someone reliable to protect her out there."Put all those luggage inside the boot. Let's get this done quick," I ordered Marco and Luffy and they just obeyed without complaint.They both understood that it would be a long journey to the Rossi's mansion. At least two hours of driving. Quite a dangerous journey too
Dome POV:"What do you mean something is not adding up?" Marco asked with a nervous voice.I stared at him long in disbelief, couldn't perceive if he was asking because he truly didn't realize it or because he was in a denial state. When he stayed silent while still looking at me, I finally explained to him my thoughts."After the attack on the Rossi's convoy, Carina said that it was dangerous for her to come home. So, she left her region without anyone to take over her father's place. In a situation like that, everyone assumed that the Rossi's mansion was abandoned. Mr Xavier thought that as well, that the mansion should be empty. But, just think again about what we saw before. The mansion was heavily guarded by the Rossi's men and Carina didn't seem scared at all to come home. Even Antonia was taking her order obediently. So, what is this, guys? Can't you guys see that this did not add up to what she claimed her situation was before? She's lying about her being in a vulnerable situa
Cassandra POV:Seven years of heartbreak and hell, and now seven years of heaven later. I gave birth to my son safely and he was six now. We named him Rafael. I knew not really a cute name. But it brought great meaning, which was, healed by God. I hoped his life would be much better than the one that I and Ricky had.Oddly, there was nothing much I should do after taking over the Rossi region. As I requested, Ricky took down the Rossi's mansion to the ground and built my very first art gallery on the land. Because of my anonymous identity in my painting business, I was able to continue it even after the cathedral case. So, I lived by making my own million dollars selling paintings til today. Certainly, a lot more companies began offering me collaborations too.News about my parents and Christopher? Well, nothing much. My father found out that he had stage four lung cancer and Christopher got a woman who was way older than him pregnant, forced to be married to her and now he was doing
Riccardo POV:If that was what she wished for then I won't stop her. She deserved to have all the happiness she could get now. No more Carina to shadow her from living her life to the fullest. Cassie can now finally live the life she deserved. I would make sure it stayed that way as long as I lived.The next day, I returned to the company again after a long break. Today was important because all the Mafia Dons along with some of their future successors would be having a meeting with me inside my office room. With the whole Rossi family gone, the Rossi region was left without any leader now.Everyone expected the leadership to fall into my hands. But I just didn't feel right taking power over half of the country's region. I just didn't feel like being in that much power. Carina's effort to overthrow me before had left a trace of sense in me that people would start envying you if you had too much power. But then again, the whole Rossi family members were dead now. Giving their land to o
Riccardo POV:I never would have expected that Cassie's relationship with her family was this bad. I got it that they weren't talking anymore but I never had the idea that they were treating her this disrespectfully.She just got out of jail after shooting Carina, had her dream wedding turned into a tragic incident of bloody red event and instead of comforting her, her parents just chose to annoy her even more. Not to mention the extreme entitlement her younger brother had over her, demanding a job from me because I married Cassie without their consent. The audacity."Leave... And stop bothering my wife again. If I see anyone of you try to step foot on my property again, I won't hesitate to sue for invasion of privacy and have the police take you all away. Don't even try to test me. Ernesto, tell Dome and Marco to escort them out. Put them on the blacklist. Don't let them enter my mansion again."Cruel? I bet Cassie would want it to be worse. I'm being kind enough that I let them leav
Cassandra POV:I didn't know what my family was trying to do by coming here to meet me after my court case had ended. It seemed like they were waiting to see if I was really innocent about it or not. They started showing how they cared about me. So for once, I thought maybe they were being real this time. I invited them to sit in the living room and I told Verona to go serve some drinks for them. My parents just started looking around the mansion and checking out every stuff their eyes could see."I have some work to do upstairs. Why don't you just have some private talk with your family first," Ricky said and I just nodded in agreement.Honestly, I could sense that they were having some ulterior motives to come here. But I tried to think positively and went to sit together with them in the living room. Maybe it would be different this time. Maybe they really wanted the four of us to be a real family now. The thought of my mother admitted that she never loved me when I had the phone c
Riccardo POV: When I woke up again, the doctor told me that I had been out for three days. Sergio, Dome, Leo and Franco were all around my bed. But Cassie was nowhere to be seen. "Where is my wife?" I asked firmly to them. I really thought that I was going to die but now that I'm wide awake and felt strong again, my heart just instantly searched for that one woman I loved the most. I turned to Sergio as he was the one responsible for everything if I ever was not fit to be in power. He looked down to avoid my gaze and started apologizing. "She's in jail. Convicted with first-degree murder of Carina at the cathedral," Sergio said timidly. That just instantly made me angry. "What do you mean she's in jail?! It was self-defence. You all saw it. Carina shot at us first. How long had she been in there?!" I asked fast and Leo told me it was ever since I was hospitalized. I sighed hard in frustration and my chest started feeling hurt, the effect of the gunshot wounds I got. They all star
Cassandra POV: When we arrived at the hospital, Ricky was pushed to the ICU instantly. I, Leo, Sergio and Dome were asked to wait outside. We waited for hours before the doctor came out and told us that Ricky was fine. The bullets had been taken out from his body and lucky enough none of them hit his internal organ. He just lost a lot of blood but was estimated to be in full recovery within two weeks. I finally could breathe normally again when the doctor said that. Everyone looked glad and maybe this was indeed going to be my happy ending, right? But who was I kidding? Not even a day passed but a few policemen had arrived at the hospital to take me in. "I'm sorry. Are you Miss Cassandra Moore or should I call you Mrs Xavier instead?" A police officer talked to me. "I'm her lawyer. Don't say anything," Sergio came forward and warned me to shut my mouth. He was ready to deal with the police in order to protect me. "We received multiple reports stating that a murder had happened ins
Cassandra POV: I couldn't believe that this was happening. Of all the days she could have come and attacked me, she chose to do it on the most important day of my life. My heart just shattered entirely the moment Ricky chose to use his body to shield me from the gunshot Carina fired at us. He instantly fell to the floor and I could only see death was coming to get him. My mind went insane at once and I could feel my whole life would be over if Ricky died. But I no longer wanted to live in fear if Carina was able to escape again. She must die today no matter what happened. With all my logical thinking going disarray, I just did whatever crossed my mind. I knew Ricky had a gun right now, so I went to get it. "I killed the Godfather! I killed the Godfather!" I heard how Carina was screaming happily to celebrate her success in shooting down Ricky. It enraged me so badly that I lost my sense of humanity for that split moment. "You're a f*cking monster! I'm going to kill you! I'm going t
Riccardo POV:"Do you take Cassandra Moore as your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?" The priest's voice echoed all over the cathedral as he spoke on the microphone."I do," I replied solemnly without a single hesitation. I had been waiting to say those two words my whole life for Cassie."Do you take Riccardo Xavier as your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?" The priest repeated the same to Cassie."I do," she too seemed to be confident saying those two words for me.Then came the time for both of us to exchange wedding rings. We faced each other, looking dear as soon enough, we would be officially husband and wife for good. Actually, in legal law, we were already married as I had registered our
Riccardo POV:Cassie just automatically turned sad at the mention of Nicola. Now that she saw the heels Nicola made for her wedding, she just couldn't help whimpering at them. Maybe the memory was too horrible for her. I remembered how she was there too when we found pieces of Nicola's remains on the hill where her car was bombed by Carina. Cassie fainted that day and she was so taken aback to lose Nicola that way.How she had convinced me so much about Carina's wicked intention. If only I had trusted her that time. This memory just reminded me how stupid I was in the past. Now, it hit my feeling hard too. I quickly held Cassie tightly in my arms and kissed her forehead a few times."I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." I couldn't stop apologizing as the memory flashed in the back of my mind. It suddenly made me realize how lucky I was that I managed to make things right again with Cassie. To be able to come to this point again with her, it was somewhat amazing how the universe worked his mi