Genesis P.O.VThe elevator glided to a stop on the top floor. The doors slid open, revealing the sort of ostentatious wealth that made my stomach hurt. You know, the kind that could feed half the world, but is spent building glass castles like this for despotic kings instead.The kings who worked from this glass castle are rumored to be some of the worst. They are mafia, Made men. The entire city loses sleep over them and their whims. Yet I never have. When you are trying to survive the devil you know, it was hard to care about the devils you did not.I dragged my bucket off the elevator and set to work emptying the trash. It took all of five minutes to clean up after the reception staff. Two of the executive offices are spotless, as if they were rarely used. The desks held no personal items, nothing to give any hint about the men who worked within.I finished straightening them quickly and moved to the third.A masculine, woodsy scent wafted through the open doors, enveloping me in i
Genesis P.O.V"Not yet." His smile did not reach his eyes. I did not think he had smiled in a long time. But they glint with some emotion that makes me shiver. I did not know what it was. "You will.”"Never."His smile widened. "You are coming to work for me." Is he insane? He found me taking out his cash and nowhere wanted me to come and work for him."I have a job.""Not anymore. As of this moment, you work for me, tesoro. Or..." He lets the threat linger unspoken. I know what he meant though. Or he would call the police and we let the chips fall where they may. I think he knew I could not take that risk, though. The bastard knows he was not really giving me a choice here.I think he loves knowing I have no choice and no say. I am his to command, his to control and I hated it but I have no other choice.He was a six-foot-three lion. And I think I may be the little lamb to the slaughter."Fine," I growled, giving in about as gracefully as a bull in a china shop."But I am not for sal
Dant P.O.V“You live here?" Genesis eyed me skeptically, her arms crossed over her chest and her brows furrowed as she glanced around my living room."Yes. Surprised?" I arched a brow, already knowing the answer to that question. Unlike my brothers and sister, I did not live in a house large enough to fit an army. My place was an old greystone in Bridgeport...as fucking far from Robert as I can get without encroaching on territory that did not belong to the DiFronzo family.Once upon a time, the house belonged to my mom's parents. I was not sure any of my brothers knew that. I never told them. Did not see a point when they had lived with our mom's ghost for so long already. Sometimes, ignorance is preferable to pain.Me though? I barely remember her. Not the color of her eyes, or the way she smiled. Not the sound of her laugh, or the warmth of her hugs. I was four and Lily was three when she died, barely old enough to spell out our own goddamn name. Any memories I had of her were eras
Riccardo P.O.V By the time we pulled up by the dock at the harbor, Dant was already there. He leans against the side of his Harley, skipping pebbles across the water. He did not even glance over his shoulder to see who pulled up. I did not think my youngest brother gave a fuck anymore. He tried for years to keep us together, but this way of life wears on you. By the time he had his accident a few years ago, he was not the same kid who spoke the vow. He is harder. Darker. We rarely see him unless he has no choice. I think he would have walked away from all of it if he could. Hell, which of us wouldn't? This life only brought us misery . We lost those we have loved and lived with our enemies. "You are early," I observed, striding across the dock toward him. "You are late." He lets another rock fly. It skipped three times before sinking, dragged to the bottom to rest alongside decades worth of evidence of La Cosa Nostra crimes. Merda. Ours were not the only secrets this harbor keeps
Callandria P.O.V "I am ready," I told Alessio less than a minute later, stepping out of the bedroom. He led me down the hallway. Unlike my father's house, Riccardo's was not built like a museum to wealth. It was timeless and beautiful. Dark wood panels line the walls, with ornately carved banisters and balustrades. Instead of a chandelier, a crystal dome over the staircase floods the foyer with natural light. We passed through the living room, decorated more for comfort than to impress. A large fireplace and sectional dominate the room, with bookcases lining one wall. Massive doors lead out to a patio and a rolling green lawn. "Kitchen," Alessio said, standing to the side to let me pass. I stepped inside and then stopped to stare. The entire kitchen was made from stone, with a cobblestone floor and gorgeous dark wood cabinets. Appliances rest in arched alcoves. Windows look out over the lawn. It was breathtaking, like stepping straight into Tuscany. "Wow," I whispered. No won
Riccardo P.O.V Dinner with Callandria was a quiet affair. We were both locked in our own thoughts, wrestling with our own minds. When she said she will do it I thought her agreement would satisfy me, yet victory feels hollow and empty. "Here." I slid my phone across the table to her once we had both finished eating. "You should call your grandfather, bella. He wants to know you are safe and that you are here because you want to be." She eyed the phone for a long, silent moment and then reluctantly picks it up. "2008 is the lock code." "The year I was born," she murmured. And the year Nico left the family. "You trust me with your lock code." "I offered you freedom, Callandria. It wasn't a lie," I said ,holding her gaze. "Until things are settled, you are not to leave the house or have contact with your family. Those rules are for your safety as much as for theirs. But I am not your captor. You are not my prisoner. You are going to be the mother of my child." "My grandfather wo
Nora P.O.V The room was dim, illuminated only by the soft glow of my laptop screen. I sat cross-legged on the plush rug, my back against the bed. My fingers hovered over the keyboard as I toggled between live footage and encrypted files. My phone, propped up on the bedside table, buzzed, and I quickly answered. Cyber’s deep voice came through the line before I could even say hello. "Did you get anything yet?" he asked, his tone clipped and impatient. I exhaled, leaning back against the bed frame. "Not much," I admitted, my voice low. I glanced at the live feed from Robert’s office, where Riccardo and Dant sat across from him. "The mic and camera I planted haven’t picked up anything useful about the murders. Their conversations are either personal or business-related ,nothing tying them to the killings." "Then what have you found?" Cyber pressed. I shifted my gaze to the laptop, skimming through the data I had managed to gather. "Just the basics. I know who Robert’s dealing with a
Nora P.O.V I moved carefully, each step light and deliberate as I made my way toward the living room. The tension was palpable even from the hallway. I did not want anyone to know I was there; the last thing I needed was to be dragged into whatever family chaos was unfolding. I pressed my back against the wall near the doorway, craning my neck just enough to get a glimpse of the room. Aldo Bianchi stood in the center, his posture as smug and self-assured as ever, surrounded by his men.The sight of them in the DiFronzo mansion was jarring, like seeing a fox in a henhouse. Robert was there, standing at the forefront with Dant and Riccardo flanking him. The other members of the family formed a tense semi-circle, their expressions ranging from anger to confusion. I edged closer, careful not to let the wooden floorboards creak underfoot. I did not need to see Robert’s face to know he was seething, his shoulders were rigid, his hands clasped behind his back in an effort to maintain contr
Nora P.O.V "This is the final phase of our operation," Director Hastings began. "We have spent months tracking down the real mastermind behind the murders, the illegal trades, and the setup against the DiFronzo family. They wanted law enforcement to take down the DiFronzos for them, and when that did not work, they set their sights on wiping out the family themselves on a damn cruise ship, no less." A murmur passed through the room. Everyone had read the mission files, but nothing is going to make this operation easier. A mass execution at a wedding, orchestrated with such precision, was ruthless even by mafia standards. "The plan remains the same," Hastings continued. "We infiltrate as wedding staff. There will be real employees working alongside us, and some of the guests will be innocent. We do not move until they do. The last thing we need is to blow our cover too soon. Many of the men working under the DiFronzo name actually report to our target. We cannot afford a misstep.”
Nora P.O.V My feet barely touched the ground as I hurried up the grand staircase, taking two steps at a time. My flight had landed just thirty minutes ago, and I hadn’t even stopped to catch my breath. There was no time. I needed to tell Robert what Aldo was planning. The moment the taxi dropped me off outside the DiFronzo mansion, I rushed to the door, rapping my knuckles against it sharply. The maid who answered looked at me in confusion, likely startled by my urgency. "Where’s Robert?" I demanded. She hesitated for only a second before responding, “Sir is in his office.” I did not wait for anything else. Turning on my heels, I strode down the corridor, my pulse hammering against my ribs. The heavy doors of Robert’s office loomed ahead, and without a second thought, I twisted the handle and barged in. "Robert, Aldo is—" My words died on my tongue as I took in the scene before me. Robert sat behind his massive desk, his fingers laced together as he leaned slightly forward, hi
Nora P.O.V I unzipped my suitcase and pulled out the outfit I had chosen for tonight was a fitted black top, dark pants, and a baseball cap. I am probably going to undress but it is the least of my worries. It was a night for business. I needed to stay unnoticed, to slip in and out without drawing attention. Lifting the small black bag from my suitcase, I ran my fingers over its surface. Inside, the blue diamonds rested like a fortune in my grasp. It feels like yesterday when I stole them from under DiFronzo's nose . Just in few months a lot has changed. I can not believe that just in a short span of time I am able to fall in love and break my heart. The family that I wanted to bring down, I began to protect them but a lot of growing had also happened on my part . They did not deserve my hate for my uncle's death when they were not even involved other than Robert Sr. I hate that bastard . If everything goes as planned, by the end of the night, they would be sold, and I would walk a
Nora P.O.V It had been almost a week since Robert’s engagement, and in that time, we barely acknowledged each other. We kept our distance, stayed professional, and avoided unnecessary conversations. The house felt off like something was out of place, yet no one dared to question it. Stella had almost moved into the DiFronzo mansion, flaunting her presence in a way that made my stomach turn. Meanwhile, Robert practically buried himself in work, meeting with no one unless absolutely necessary. Nothing made sense anymore. Now, in his office at DiFronzo Enterprises, I stood behind his chair as he spoke with an accountant, discussing the expenditure of a recent project. Out of all the businesses under the DiFronzo name, this was one of their legal ones, a clean investment. Robert listened with a detached expression, signing papers without looking up. The accountant left after the meeting, carrying the finalized reports. As soon as the door clicked shut, Robert turned toward me. “Patri
Nora P.O.V I ran my fingers down the fabric of my dress, smoothing out the silk as I gazed at my reflection in the full-length mirror. The black and red gown hugged my figure perfectly, the intricate floral lace carving delicate patterns over the sheer black overlay, while the royal red silk underneath added a touch of richness. The detachable black skirt trailed behind me like a shadow, enhancing my every step with an air of mystery. My dark waves cascaded over my shoulders, shining under the dim glow of the vanity lights like a river kissed by moonlight. I had returned to the DiFronzo estate this morning after completing the case, though formalities had dragged the process out longer than expected. I hadn’t spoken to Robert properly since I left a few days ago. Our last interaction had been brief, filled with unspoken words and unreadable expressions. Lily had barely given me a moment to settle in before dragging me off for dress shopping, her excitement contagious despite my exh
Nora P.O.V The room was steeped in darkness, the kind that felt suffocating, pressing in from all sides. The only source of illumination was a weak, flickering bulb hanging from the ceiling, its light barely reaching the corners of the space. The bulb swung slightly, creaking on its loose fixture, casting long, shifting shadows over the stacks of cardboard boxes piled against the walls. The air inside was thick with dust and the stale scent of sweat and old wood. Each breath I took felt heavy, tainted by something metallic smell. The distant echoes of gunfire and chaos outside barely reached this place, but even with all of that, nothing in this room disturbed me more than the sight before me. Layson’s arms and legs were tightly restrained with thick ropes, the fibers biting into his skin. His face was a mess of bruises, his right eye swollen, his lip split open, and a deep gash above his brow left a jagged streak of blood trailing down the side of his face. The blood had begun to d
Nora P.O.V The warehouse loomed ahead, its steel exterior bathed in the pale glow of the distant streetlights. A thick, eerie silence blanketed the area, broken only by the occasional rustle of the wind against the stacked shipping containers. The air was tense, charged with the weight of the mission ahead. Inside, Layson and his son were being held captive by the Cutlers, and there was no telling what condition they were in. Our van was parked a few yards away, tucked into the shadows, where Cyber and his team monitored the interior movements. The dim glow of their screens illuminated their faces, their fingers flying over keyboards as they fed us real-time updates through our Bluetooth devices. “Heat signatures confirm at least two dozen men inside,” Cyber’s voice crackled in my ear. “More might be deeper in. No sign of Layson or the child yet, but we are tracking.” I nodded, my grip tightening around my firearm as I surveyed the agents standing with me. I had already distribut
Nora P.O.VThe conference room was silent except for the quiet hum of the projector as the video began playing. The large screen flickered to life, casting a dim glow across the dimly lit room. My seniors sat at the long table, their expressions grim, while Cyber stood near the laptop, ready to control the playback. A few other agents were scattered throughout the room, watching with keen eyes.The video was grainy, likely recorded from a hidden camera. It showed a weak, sickly child strapped to a chair inside a dark room. The only source of light was a dim bulb hanging overhead, casting eerie shadows across his frail body. The boy’s head drooped forward, exhaustion visible in the way his shoulders sagged. He barely moved, except for the occasional twitch, as if he lacked the strength to even lift his head properly.I clenched my jaw. This had to be Ryan, Layson’s son.Several figures stood around him, just beyond the reach of the weak light. Their faces were obscured, but their voice
Nora’s POV I adjusted my dress, smoothing out the wrinkles as Robert fixed his tie. The air inside his office was thick with the remnants of what just happened between us, but I refused to dwell on it. Instead, I reached for my blazer, but before I could slide it on, Robert pulled out his black credit card and handed it to me. "Get a dress and whatever else you need for next weekend’s ball." His tone was firm, almost dismissive, as if this was a mundane transaction."And whatever else you need for next weekend’s ball.” I took the card between my fingers, my brows furrowing. "Why?" I asked, looking up at him. "I can buy my own clothes. Working at DiFonzo's pays me well, and the party is next weekend. I have time." Robert straightened his cuffs, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Because you’re mine," he said simply, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "And I take care of what’s mine." His words were effortless, like he was not aware of the weight they carried. I s