Riccardo POV: The following Monday, I brought three of Cassie's paintings to the company, those that I had chosen the other night. She was reluctant to let me do it at first as she didn't feel confident to show them in public. I just didn't understand why she refused to believe my judgement when I said her paintings were good. They were the kind of sellable paintings in my thoughts and I could feel that if she kept doing a good job in this hobby, she could turn it into a business. A very convenient business since she only needed to do it at home. I knew how ambitious Cassie was. So, when I saw how she had a hidden talent in art painting, it just hit me that I should support her further in this activity. I wanted to help her raise again in a new career. That was why I took her paintings and placed them at the company. Who knew some of my clients might catch eyes on them and maybe start asking where I got them. If I could see potential clients for Cassie, I won't hesitate to invest in
Cassandra POV: If only it could work that easily. If only it would be as simple as Ricky said it would be. But I knew starting a new business especially one that you just learned wasn't going to be easy. I didn't think he would understand that since he already had millions of dollars in his pocket. Ricky had no fear at all about losing money over investing because he had more than enough for himself, maybe even for his next seven generations. It was different for me. I didn't have that much money, to begin with. It cost a lot to start my painting business and I rather did it alone than depend on Ricky's help. Besides, I also didn't have much confidence that this one idea might work. Maybe he was just joking about helping me start the business. He couldn't possibly be serious about it. He probably just trying to support me in dealing with my trauma. That would be more logical to my thought. I was not really aiming big with my painting hobby. They were just some activities that I did
Cassandra POV:I woke up the next morning quite late. Maybe because for the past few days, I had been so focused on doing my paintings, I didn't realize my body was getting really tired.Ricky had gone to the company when I came down for breakfast. I didn't know why he didn't just wake me up like he usually did. But maybe he too noticed my tiredness.As I ate my toast, my phone beeped and a message notification popped up on the screen. It was from Sergio and he informed me how my company had been registered legally this morning. Then half an hour later, I got another message from Ricky saying that my business bank account had been made and activated. Well, these two men sure worked hard to make this painting business happen. They seemed so eager to do it and I didn't know why with the rush.After breakfast, I went to the living room, bringing my laptop with me. I just opened it and let my business website appear on the screen. I started uploading more pictures in the painting showcase
Cassandra POV:Days went by and somehow the painting business kept getting better and better. My paintings were always selling out as soon as I uploaded new items to my business website. I still thought they were all crappy art, but maybe it was just the disadvantage of being the artist itself. You never felt like your piece of art was good enough.Finally, I could set a strong footing in my life again. I had found something that I could pursue more in the future. I started to broaden my view in this business and had the plan to open my own physical gallery some days and maybe hold a few art exhibitions. I also thinking about joining the artist community to enhance my skills and maybe learn a new type of art as well.Ricky also suggested that I tried to find a chance to collaborate with other publishers or fashion companies. He said that I could turn my art into printed stuff like books, bags and such. He made me believe that there were endless opportunities for me out there. Because
Riccardo POV:I wondered what it was that Cassie wanted to tell me later. It made me nervous somehow and I couldn't help but have my heart pounding hard at the moment. Not even a month yet from the day I proposed to her, and she already decided to accept me again. This was truly exciting and my heart was jumping in joy right now.I didn't want to make a fuss about anything or push her to tell me what it was that she wanted to tell me later. We just had a calm dinner and after the meal, instead of going to the living room to hang out together like we usually did daily, she just took my hand and led me upstairs with her.Inside the bedroom, she made me sit at the bedside. Then she went to the vanity table and took something from the drawer. She handed me the thing and I just stared at it for a few seconds. Now I'm not that naive to not know what a pregnancy test looked like. That was it and there were two of them."Twins?" That just crossed my mind and she started laughing while taking
Riccardo POV:After lunch, Cassie went upstairs to take a quick nap. Half an hour later, she came down again to the ballroom to continue painting. I on the other hand just stayed in the living room the whole time, didn't want to bother her. She looked a bit tense after I talked about the wedding plan. But then maybe it was because she just didn't expect it to be that soon.Later that evening, Ernesto suddenly interrupted me and said that someone was here to see me. I hadn't promised to meet anyone today so I was just wondering who it was and why my guards at the main gate let this person in without telling me first.I walked to the front door with Ernesto. Behind that door, Leonardo De Luca stood solemnly with a beautiful box in his hand. It looked like a gift, making me wonder if he came here to give me an early wedding gift."The rumours had spread already?" I asked as I offered him a handshake."Oh, well... Sergio called the cathedral and you knew the priests there just kind of kne
Cassandra POV:This morning, Ricky woke me up early and I was just confused why he hadn't gone to work yet. I asked him and he informed me that he was off until our wedding day. Well, okay. But why did he have to wake me up so suddenly today if he was not going to work anyway?It was strange and he just told me to take a shower and had breakfast with him downstairs. I did that. After breakfast, Ricky told me to change my clothes into something else."Just wear something that you usually use when you go out," he said and that just added the weirdness in my heart."Why? Are there any people coming today?" I was so confused by his odd behaviours. He shook and just gently told me to do it fast.So I went upstairs, changed my clothes inside the bedroom and headed downstairs again. Ricky stood by the front door that was widely opened with a car parked right in front of the mansion. My eyes caught Dome outside, opening the car door as if inviting me to get in."Let's go," Ricky said and beck
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
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