Dax Donomie's point of view. After Astrella and Xanthe left, I turned to Silvio. "Gather all the troops in the basement meeting room. We need to tighten security at the firm." We were all on edge after last night’s fvcking show, and while Astrella had no business getting tangled in our mafia affairs, I figured she could keep busy with my new Capo for now. Xanthe wasn’t just a soldier. I trusted him like a brother. If anyone could keep an eye on her, it was him. Silvio, the jackass that he is, leaned back with a smirk. "You sure you don’t wanna call your Capo back? What’s the use of his position then? I think he’s officially been promoted to Nanny-in-Chief, watching over your Honey like a damn babysitter." He howled like a lunatic. I shot him a warning glare, gripping the knife on the table just to make a point. He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Relax, Donomie. No need to go full psycho on me." My phone buzzed with a message from Astrella. 'We’re at the firing range,
Astrella's point of view I woke up suddenly, breathing heavily, with my chest rising and falling in an inconsistent rhythm. The room was still dark, maybe because it was still midnight. I glanced to the side and saw Dax still fast asleep next to me. His arm was stretched around my waist, hugging me tight. He remained utterly still even when I woke up abruptly. The dream was still fresh in my mind about the incoming war and my parents' betrayal, and I think I consider myself in that. I don't know anymore, and the crushing weight of guilt is eating me whole. It clawed at my chest, making it difficult to breathe. My hands curled into the sheets. I felt like a traitor. Am I not? Earlier, after practicing at the shooting range with Xanthe, I had gone straight to Dax’s room. I told myself I’d distract my mind, that I’d write a little. And I did—at first. But the words soon blurred, lost in my own spiraling thoughts. What was I supposed to do? How the hell was I going to save my sister f
Astrella's point of view "So, what's your plan now?" Xanthe pressed, his eyes still locked on the target as he pulled the trigger. Another shot rang out, echoing through the range. I took a deep breath, my fingers twisting together in my sides, a nervous habit I couldn’t shake. “Well, At first, I planned to give the information to my parents, but I just can’t. I still have it saved in my email. I haven’t deleted it yet, but I don’t know what to do next.” I hesitated, my voice hitching as I glanced at him. “What do you think I should do?” Another bang filled the air. He lowered his gun and turned to face me, his expression darkening. "Delete it," he snapped firmly. "Delete everything you copied. I’ll talk to Fabio or Silvio about your sister, see if there’s a way to move her here. We have plenty of rooms, so she can stay while we figure things out." His gaze searched mine, as if trying to gauge just how much this meant to me. "She’s the only family you have left, right?" I
Astrella's point of view "What the hell just happened?" "I don’t know. I just felt something was off. But I ignored it, thinking I was just exhausted from the shooting range. I was about to take a shower when he suddenly appeared, out of nowhere—in your closet." He grasped my wrist gently, examining the red marks left by the masked man. His expression darkened. Then, without a word, he pulled me into an embrace, exhaling deeply against my hair. His voice was shadowed with restraint. "We’ve already locked down the building. My men are hunting every last traitor." He breathed out, pressing a firm kiss to my forehead. "When I heard the alarm after the crash, I bolted straight here. Where’s Xanthe?" As we broke apart, his sharp eyes scanned my face, searching for something, maybe doubt, maybe fear. I stiffened but forced myself to regain composure in a second. I can’t let him know something’s wrong. And what was I supposed to tell him? Another lie? I was already neck-deep
Dax Donomie's point of view When I got to the base, the staff and my men were all huddled in their corners, busy securing the place. The entire building was already on lockdown. Silvio and Fabio, along with the others, were out hunting the traitor. But damnit. Why was the breach in my room? The moment the alarm connected to my room went off, I rushed there, expecting the worst. What I didn’t expect was to find Astrella inside with the intruder. For a brief second, suspicion flickered in my mind. Could she? No. That didn’t make sense. Astrella had no reason to betray me. Her sister was already safe, and her parents? They were rotting in the dungeon. Then why the hell was she the intruder’s target? I exhaled sharply, running a frustrated hand through my hair. Was she hiding something from me? Aisssh. No. Not now. Xanthe will handle it. I have a big situation waiting for me. I moved toward one of the cubicles, slumping into a chair as I scanned the security footage. My
Third person's point of view Astrella Honey Salcedo was seated at her desk, gazing closely at the pages of her most recent novel without shifting her gaze. She had a deep appreciation for each and every word, completely submerging herself in the passion and mystery of her characters. However, at this point, she deserved a break, a time to put her thoughts in order and relax. She yawned and ignored her phone's constant buzzing; she knew that it was her best friend, Gaia. Tonight, she would leave her apartment's peace and quiet and dive right into the city's busy nightlife. The ritual of their nights out had become a cherished escape. For Astrella, it wasn’t just about taking a break from writing; the chaotic nightlife of the city served as an escape from the weight of her father's enemies. Years spent entangled in the mafia underground had left her family scarred and constantly on edge. Even though Astrella's father tried to put his history in the mafia underground behind him,
Third person's point of view Astrella Honey Salcedo’s heart pounded in her chest as the auctioneer’s voice echoed in the vast, dimly lit hall. The room, filled with wealthy bidders and dangerous criminals, had become a tense battlefield. She had been expecting the usual roster of ruthless men and women, all eager to claim the night's prize. Her. After all, the debt her father owed to the underworld is now being repaid in flesh and blood. But what she hadn’t expected, what she could never have prepared for, was the familiar, deep voice that echoed through the crowd as the bidding reached its peak. “one hundred million,” Dax Donomie Martinelli’s voice rang out, calm and cold, unmistakable despite the years. A knot formed in Astrella's throat. It was that voice that she was familiar with. No matter how pleasant or horrible her dreams were, this voice would follow her. Yet this was no dream. The room seemed to fall silent as every head turned toward the man who had just
Third person's point of view In the dimly lit limo, Astrella stared out the window, the city lights blurring like the chaotic thoughts racing through her mind. Each flicker seemed to echo the shadows deep within her. She was back in the clutches of Dax Donomie Martinelli, a man who now seemed more a ghost than the person she once knew. The oppressive silence in the car gnawed at her. Dax sat across from her, his posture rigid, eyes fixed ahead. At last, Astrella couldn't bear the quiet any longer. “You manipulated everything,” she said, her voice cutting through the stillness. “The auction, the debts—you pulled the strings to drag me back.” Dax didn’t flinch. His gaze remained on the road, his tone cool. “Not everything,” he replied. “You were always within reach. I didn’t need to manipulate; I just needed to wait.” Astrella's fury ignited. She lunged for the door handle, yanking it in vain as the lock clicked securely. Her nostrils flared as she slammed her fist into the seat
Dax Donomie's point of view When I got to the base, the staff and my men were all huddled in their corners, busy securing the place. The entire building was already on lockdown. Silvio and Fabio, along with the others, were out hunting the traitor. But damnit. Why was the breach in my room? The moment the alarm connected to my room went off, I rushed there, expecting the worst. What I didn’t expect was to find Astrella inside with the intruder. For a brief second, suspicion flickered in my mind. Could she? No. That didn’t make sense. Astrella had no reason to betray me. Her sister was already safe, and her parents? They were rotting in the dungeon. Then why the hell was she the intruder’s target? I exhaled sharply, running a frustrated hand through my hair. Was she hiding something from me? Aisssh. No. Not now. Xanthe will handle it. I have a big situation waiting for me. I moved toward one of the cubicles, slumping into a chair as I scanned the security footage. My
Astrella's point of view "What the hell just happened?" "I don’t know. I just felt something was off. But I ignored it, thinking I was just exhausted from the shooting range. I was about to take a shower when he suddenly appeared, out of nowhere—in your closet." He grasped my wrist gently, examining the red marks left by the masked man. His expression darkened. Then, without a word, he pulled me into an embrace, exhaling deeply against my hair. His voice was shadowed with restraint. "We’ve already locked down the building. My men are hunting every last traitor." He breathed out, pressing a firm kiss to my forehead. "When I heard the alarm after the crash, I bolted straight here. Where’s Xanthe?" As we broke apart, his sharp eyes scanned my face, searching for something, maybe doubt, maybe fear. I stiffened but forced myself to regain composure in a second. I can’t let him know something’s wrong. And what was I supposed to tell him? Another lie? I was already neck-deep
Astrella's point of view "So, what's your plan now?" Xanthe pressed, his eyes still locked on the target as he pulled the trigger. Another shot rang out, echoing through the range. I took a deep breath, my fingers twisting together in my sides, a nervous habit I couldn’t shake. “Well, At first, I planned to give the information to my parents, but I just can’t. I still have it saved in my email. I haven’t deleted it yet, but I don’t know what to do next.” I hesitated, my voice hitching as I glanced at him. “What do you think I should do?” Another bang filled the air. He lowered his gun and turned to face me, his expression darkening. "Delete it," he snapped firmly. "Delete everything you copied. I’ll talk to Fabio or Silvio about your sister, see if there’s a way to move her here. We have plenty of rooms, so she can stay while we figure things out." His gaze searched mine, as if trying to gauge just how much this meant to me. "She’s the only family you have left, right?" I
Astrella's point of view I woke up suddenly, breathing heavily, with my chest rising and falling in an inconsistent rhythm. The room was still dark, maybe because it was still midnight. I glanced to the side and saw Dax still fast asleep next to me. His arm was stretched around my waist, hugging me tight. He remained utterly still even when I woke up abruptly. The dream was still fresh in my mind about the incoming war and my parents' betrayal, and I think I consider myself in that. I don't know anymore, and the crushing weight of guilt is eating me whole. It clawed at my chest, making it difficult to breathe. My hands curled into the sheets. I felt like a traitor. Am I not? Earlier, after practicing at the shooting range with Xanthe, I had gone straight to Dax’s room. I told myself I’d distract my mind, that I’d write a little. And I did—at first. But the words soon blurred, lost in my own spiraling thoughts. What was I supposed to do? How the hell was I going to save my sister f
Dax Donomie's point of view. After Astrella and Xanthe left, I turned to Silvio. "Gather all the troops in the basement meeting room. We need to tighten security at the firm." We were all on edge after last night’s fvcking show, and while Astrella had no business getting tangled in our mafia affairs, I figured she could keep busy with my new Capo for now. Xanthe wasn’t just a soldier. I trusted him like a brother. If anyone could keep an eye on her, it was him. Silvio, the jackass that he is, leaned back with a smirk. "You sure you don’t wanna call your Capo back? What’s the use of his position then? I think he’s officially been promoted to Nanny-in-Chief, watching over your Honey like a damn babysitter." He howled like a lunatic. I shot him a warning glare, gripping the knife on the table just to make a point. He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Relax, Donomie. No need to go full psycho on me." My phone buzzed with a message from Astrella. 'We’re at the firing range,
Astrella's point of view I groaned as I stretched, my back aching slightly. Dax hadn't let me go until I was on the brink of passing out last night, and now my body was feeling the aftermath. My eyes fluttered open, instinctively searching for him beside me, but the space was empty. A pang of disappointment hit my gut. Waking up without him felt wrong. Where did he go? With a deep sigh, I pushed myself up, shaking off the lazy feeling weighing me down. I headed straight to the bathroom to freshen up, letting the warm water wash away the soreness. After my shower, I stepped out, only a towel wrapped around my body. It was then that I realized. I didn’t have any clothes here. "Shít," I muttered under my breath, scanning the room for anything I could wear. That’s when my gaze landed on a paper bag sitting on the table, a folded note resting on top of it. Curious, I walked over, picking up the note first. 'For you.' It was so simple that he didn't even provide my na
Astrella's point of view The only noise in the room was the constant sound of water pouring down from the shower. Dax was still inside, cleaning the blood and sweat off of himself after the horrible experience he had just gone through. However, I was unable to concentrate on that because my phone lit up again, sending a new surge of panic through my body. With trembling fingers, I unlocked the screen and opened the message. An image. My heart sank. It was my sister. The image was taken only a little while ago when we were FaceTiming. I could still picture her in my head, smiling and mocking, fully oblivious to the fact that someone had been watching her. Was close enough to take this picture. I rechecked the image, searching for any sign that it was fake, that this was some kind of sick trick. But no. It was real. I started to panic, and my breathing became shallow and my chest felt tight. They had her in their sights. I made my fists into tight balls and tried to think.
Astrella's point of view After Dax left, I chose to look around a bit. I asked a staff member if Dax has a private room here. I was surprised that they gave directions right away without any hesitation. I was thinking Dax had already told them to help me with anything I needed. They were all nice, professional, and unexpectedly friendly, not at all the unfriendly type I thought I would find here. One of them escorted me to his room, stopping at the door before giving me a small nod and walking away. I murmured a quick thank you before stepping inside, curiosity getting the best of me. As soon as I walked in, I was enveloped by the prominent fragrance of Dax, which was full of variety clean, and intoxicating. His room looked just how I pictured it: sleek, tidy, and effortlessly masculine. The color scheme was made up of mostly gray and black, which gave it a subtle but powerful vibe. A black rug was on the floor close to his bed, and a dark hardwood table was nearby with a laptop
Dax Donomie's point of view If looks could kill, we would already be drowning in our own blood. Every action was planned, and and every step was taken carefully. We had put a lot of thought into an arrangement that would allow us to move important items across borders without being detected, but somehow, this motherfucker Jasper had discovered it. In what way? "What now? We could just talk about this, you know," Jasper shouted out, his voice filled with excitement. I snorted, not impressed at all. I gave one of my men a slight nod to let him know that they should be prepared. We were both aware that this conversation was not going to be fair. Jasper and I were quite similar; we were both manipulative, crafty, and always looking for ways to get an advantage in the long run. The only thing that set me apart was that I played to win. "Fvcking dickhead, get down here," I growled, my jaw tightening. "Don't be so damn proud of yourself." Jasper chuckled. "Sure. Give me a minute."