“Jax sprung into action and went to confront the person who shot the gun. It turned out to be some of Donatello’s family thugs, and they seemed ready to attack. They were six, and they outnumbered Jax, and he couldn’t fight them alone.However, he was not afraid. Every day had always been another survival day, and he was always prepared. The moment the thugs were about to attack, backup came for Jax. The men Salvatore had appointed to watch over Alessandro moved in with their big cars. They hit the thugs, with only one of the thugs unhurt. Jax shot him, and he fell. Those who had been hit by the car were injured, and they were vulnerable. Jax rushed inside to find Alessandro. Meanwhile, Alessandro had an issue with the receptionist. According to hotel standards, it was not acceptable for people other than the police to request log records or check customers' information. Alessandro heaved a sigh and stared at the receptionist.“Bring it out now or else; you are going to find out who
But Ruby didn’t give Alessandro any thinking space. She was angry, and she didn’t hide it for once. She took this as a chance to vent her anger. She knew Alessandro wouldn’t abandon her because of this. He had a soft heart, and, obviously, he could understand a jealous woman.“Talk to me, please!” Ruby screamed. Jax went outside at this point and manned the door. The hospital was still a private one, but the doctors could intend to come in and meet the argument.“Okay, I will.” Alessandro took a deep breath. “You need to understand that I never promised you anything that could drift towards a romantic relationship. Both of us are friends, and nothing is defined. In that case, I don’t think holding Camilla is something I shouldn’t do. Moreover, you didn’t know the situation that warranted me holding her.”Ruby was shocked to hear this. It was at this point she knew she had pushed him too hard. If she went harder here, even their friendship might end. Ruby needed to tread carefully. If
On the spot, Camilla made her decision. She would no longer hold lingering feelings for Alessandro, and she wouldn’t permit him to do the same. She would leave his side and stay on her own feet. This would be the best thing to do for herself.She closed the door as quietly as she opened it without letting them see. As she walked away, Jax was in her way. He blocked her path for a second.“I thought you wanted to see the boss. Or, I meant Alessandro,” Jax corrected himself.“I wanted to, but I can see he is busy,” Camilla replied and took a detour instantly. She needed to reach her room to pack up. If this had happened a year ago, she would have cried. However, she didn’t need to know. Ruby had always been Alessandro’s girlfriend right from the time he asked her to pick a gift for Ruby. All through, she had been nothing more than a friend.It was time for Camilla to respectfully leave. Getting to her room, she found out she had nothing to pack. She would have picked up the clothes, but
CHAPTER 18“You should know who I have been in the past, Jax. I am not a man whom you should speak to without caution,” Alessandro warned.“Being with two women has weakened you, boss, and I am not afraid to say it. You are no longer the beast you used to be, and continuing to be with both of them will only weaken you further,” Jax replied firmly. “It has been a long time since you attended to the matters of our family. You have been continually distracted by those two women whom you let in your life. If it was the former you, I should have my face covered in blood by now. However, you are weak now.”Alessandro was angry, and he truly felt like using his hands, but he didn’t want to be a bully. He took a deep breath and smiled.“Follow me!” Alessandro ordered.Alessandro led Jax to the training grounds in the villa. It was a very quiet place, and they wouldn’t be disturbed. Jax knew what would happen, and when they got there, they faced themselves.“Let us fight man to man!” Alessandr
Camilla breathed hard not once or twice. She continued as she thought she would faint out of fear. Her life had been threatened enough. The trauma of her pastry shop being destroyed still lingered on, but now, she had a knife pointed at her. She was about to freak out.The man wielding the knife knew his game. He had been sent by Antonio, the current mafia boss of the Donatello family. This same man was one of Antonio’s closest henchmen. He was the one who led the kidnapping of Ruby as well. He knew how to make his victims freak out and abduct them without any stress. He was an expert in abduction.But today, he wouldn’t be succeeding because before he could touch Camilla, Jax arrived and punched him. The man was the one shocked now, as he never expected that punch. Jax, being a very good martial artist himself, knew how to subdue such a man. He struck at the man again, but this time, the man could defend himself. He backed off and ran out of the pastry shop while Camilla’s eyes were
Camilla knew where to turn to. Even though she had only a little belief about this, she knew she had to return home. No matter how hard it might be to accept, she still had a mother and a stepfather. Her plan was to stay there for a few days before finally leaving. Their home was not in the bustling city but in a remote neighbourhood where Camilla would be able to enjoy some peace.While on her way, Camilla thought about her mother, Carmine. It had been a long time since they last met, and Camilla wondered what her mother would look like now. She knew how difficult her stepdad could be. Well, Camilla’s mother should have done a better job at finding a man.The taxi dropped Camilla off at the nearest junction, and she had to walk to the house. As it was in a remote zone, she thought she was safe. The place seemed more scanty than usual. Well, many must have moved out to the bustling city. No one wanted to spend all their lives in this enclosed place of a town.Camilla could sight her m
“It was the same old thing. Felix would always hit Carmine for the slightest reason when he got drunk, and what could the woman do but to endure? She always claims she doesn’t want to be lonely and that she sincerely loved Felix. She had promised a lot of people to change Felix’s gambling and drinking nature.But Felix ended up changing her instead. Her self-esteem suffered, and her life had changed for the worst. She was a shadow of herself, and she didn’t seem to notice. She was simply drifting away.Carmine already knew how this would go. She would get a few punches and slaps, then she would escape to stay at a neighbor’s place. The neighbor would advise her one more time to call the police, but she would decline. She would head back in the evening and Felix would have sobered up. He will give an apology, and they will have a passionate make-up time together while staying up half of the night due to their intimate desires.It was the same old thing. Nothing new for Carmine.Meanwhi
The more Camilla thought about it, the more irresistible it sounded. She had nowhere to stay and Allen of all people was offering her a free room. Allen could see the look of doubt on her face. He had to convince her by all means, and he was ready to go all out.“I can only allow you to stay for a few months, but you will have to pay the moment you start working again. I am also under a sponsor and trust me, I don’t want to be broke. I have bills to pay myself,” Allen replied carelessly.And this worked on Camilla. She didn’t want free things from Allen and now that he stated he would accept money, she could take a deep breath.“I am sorry for burdening you,” Camilla told him respectfully, ignoring the fact that she was his boss a few days ago.“No, it’s fine! At least, I am going to be compensated financially. That is all that matters,” Allen told her firmly. With this, Camilla decided to accept the shelter. She had nothing planned yet but she was definitely going to pay every single
The gentle rustling of leaves and the soft whisper of wind through the trees filled the tingled night air. A quiet contrast to the impending storm."I'll be coming with you guys," Salvatore said, securing the grey blazers around his powerful back and matching to Alessandro, who stood just in front of one of the SUVs clad in his bulletproof blazer. He cast a long, dark shadow under the moonlight.His convoy was as long as a mamba, its colour, the dark shade of night. With poison-filled fangs and a hissing tongue, they were ready to bite.“Gather everyone here now," Alessandro ordered Jax, who was leaning on the hood of the S U V in front of Alessandro."Roger that," Jax said, and he went to every car in the convoy, calling everyone to get together. Soon they all surrounded him."Here is how we are going to move," Alessandro said. "We are going to move in three groups, so the long convoy doesn't attract too much attention—so as not to alert them." He pointed to his uncle. "My uncle her
When Alessandro entered the duplex's backyard, he saw most of his men working out in the large gym in the backyard.The stench of their sweating bodies reached his nose, and he wiped his nose with his handkerchief; his lips curled to a small smile. The clanging of the metal weight lifts was music to his ears.Just maybe he still stood a chance against the bloody axe mafia. His eyes scanned the backyard. It's been a while since he came here. The last time he was there, he was preparing for a war with the now impoverished Leones. He had utterly pulverised them. He had sent them to the slums. He planned to do the same to these people, but they were not the same. The Donatellos have external help: ninjas. They were undefeated like he was. He didn't know exactly what to expect.He had made sure to eliminate moles that could give away his next move to his dangerous opponents.That's why the backyard was built in such a way that those in the main mansion couldn't see what was going on ther
EARLIER THE SAME EVENING Allen leaned back on the reclining bench, his legs crossed, an elbow on the armrest, and the other hand scratching his stubble as he waited for Barbara to appear. He was swamped. In prickling thought. He replayed the conversation he had with Camilla earlier over and over again. Each replay another tonne of weight tied to his ankle, which sank him deeper into the sea of depression. Was he not good enough?The woman he loved was starting to fall in love with another man. He couldn't let that happen. He had to divert her attention from Alessandro to himself. He needed to do that fast. What could he possibly do? Was the question that vibrated in his mind?He was clueless as to what to do at the moment, but he knew he was sure to figure something out. Barbara pushed through the door with the doctor behind her.“Allen,” Barbara called him, and he raised his gaze to her. “I'm ready; let's go,” she said, and Allen glanced at the doctor, who nodded at him."Yes, she
"What! No way!” she gasped, despite the butterflies that fluttered in her belly. “Why would you go that far? I thought we were just business colleagues. Why do you want to kiss me?” Camilla asked, staring into his eyes for clues.“Yeah, we are partners, but is it wrong to just want to kiss a business partner?” Alessandro asked, looking back at her with an unreadable face.“Yes, it is wrong for business partners to kiss,” Camilla stated. Contradicting what the small voice in her head was whispering. The small voice that won't mind their lips getting again and again.“What is wrong?”“I don't mix business with pleasure,” Camilla said, yanking the bridle that restricted her lips from curling into a smile, and Alessandro smirked at her.“Well, this is not business, and neither are we in a business setting. Remember, you promised to do it. I didn't force you to promise.”“You didn't force me to promise, but I didn't know you would go this far," she explained.“Doesn't matter. A promise i
She took her bath and came out of the shower bare and dripping water. Alessandro had not yet brought the clothes. She limped to the door and opened it slightly. Alessandro, the cloth,” she called and poked out her dripping hand, and soon after she heard the sound of incoming footsteps and then felt clothes stuffed in her hand.She retracted her hand from the door and looked at her hand and saw a fresh white towel, a checked white and black boxer, and a big, sky-blue shirt. They smell new, and from the looks of it, they have never been used or worn before.She locked the door, dried her body, and put on the clothes. The shirt was enormous. It almost touched her knees, so she folded the sleeves to her elbows.She unlocked the door, wondering what she looked like in Alessandro's clothes. She stepped out of the bathroom, fiddling her hands in front of the shirt, and saw Alessandro cleaning the floor, which now sparkled. Alessandro raised his gaze to her and burst into laughter, and Ca
Camilla's face flushed in embarrassment when she noticed her clothes soaked in her urine. Desperately, she prayed for the floor to open and swallow her whole. She wished for a rewind, but unfortunately for her, this was reality, and there was no do-over.Alessandro groped on his cabinet for the remote. When he felt it. He clutched it and put the light on. He gasped when he saw Camilla on the floor amidst glinting shards of glass. He threw off the duvet and scampered out of bed, barefoot.Camilla raised her hands at him, palm out. “Please, don't come any closer; you will hurt yourself,” she warned, but Alessandro turned a deaf ear to her. He tiptoed to her as the sharp, acrid tang stung his nostrils, a stark contrast to the sweet floral scent of his air freshener. The stench seemed to grow stronger as he approached her.“Please don't come any closer,” she all but begged, and Alessandro stopped in his tracks and watched as she attempted to stand on her feet.She tried to stand on
"Never mind. Just know that I'm not sharing a bed with you.” Camilla stated, folding her arms across her chest in defiance, and Alessandro inhaled deeply and slowly breathed out in surrender.“Whatever you say, signorina,” he offered, plopping himself on the soft bed with a sigh of relief. Camilla watched him as he shrouded himself underneath his duvet with a smile on his face. She watched as he stretched himself on the bed while Camilla tapped her feet against the marble floor in impatience, her hands still folded across her chest.After a few minutes seeing that Alessandro was not going to make any move, she spoke, “Are you just going to lie down and watch me stand here all night long?”“What do you want me to do?” He shrugged, throwing aside the duvet. “I offered that you sleep right next to me, but you refused.”“Of course I'll refuse.” She widened her eyes at him. “How can a young lady sleep on the same bed with a man who is not her father, boyfriend, husband, or even brother?” S
Judging from the resolve in her narrowed eyes, he figured that going round in circles wouldn't help him get away, so he confessed, "I inherited a lot of businesses. I own casinos, hotels, real estate, and various other businesses,” he folded his hands across his chest.“Yet you don't seem to attend to any of them these days.” Camilla reasoned, and Alessandro swallowed hard; his facial expression slipped, and his smile upturned before he reined himself in, throwing on an indifferent facade.“I'm healing from a gunshot, remember?” Alessandro raised his left brow in question. “And by the way, I have competent managers that manage my businesses and report directly to me. I usually have lunch with them every week for updates on the business's progress, but since the attack, I have to stay indoors.” Alessandro explained.“Is that so?” Camilla asked in a contemplative tone, “Why do you have so many bodyguards following you around everywhere you go?”Alessandro shrugged, “To protect me from t
“What news?” Salvatore asked with eyebrows raised in curiosity.“Jax found out that Antonio had a hand in the shooting that happened a few days ago.” Alessandro sank into the plush seat.“I thought as much,” Salvatore smirked.Ruby perked up her ears when she heard “Antonio.” Could this be the remaining piece of her plan?“Antonio is back in town, and he is not alone. He hired assassins. He hired the Chinese bloody axe." He informed Salvatore, and horror poured on Salvatore; his eyes went wide and his jaw looseneded.“What!” Salvatore exclaimed. The Chinese Bloody Axe was the most prominent mafia in Asia and one of the biggest in the world. They were popularly known for their Ninja Assassins. They had never lost a battle instory.“Damn!” Alessandro cursed, brushing his hand over his face in frustration.Camilla and Ruby were thrown into confusion, as they didn't even know what the Chinese bloody axe meant or was.“Antonio is no child. He is sleek and sly as a serpent. That boy has bee