Clarissa Pov I emerged from the car, feeling the cool evening breeze brush against my skin. As I stood up and surveyed my surroundings, I noticed Harper’s gaze scanning me. I forced a smile, hoping it conveyed sincerity. She approached, her eyes sharp and observant.“Where have you been?” she inquired, her tone casual yet her eyes probing.I glanced back at Aiden, who was still hanging back. “Dominic was meant to take me out, but we had a bit of a disagreement. He changed his mind and brought me home instead,” I replied smoothly, meeting Harper’s curious gaze.Her eyes narrowed slightly as she processed my words, but she managed to smile. “You did well to hold your ground. Do you know where Dominic is now?”I shook my head, striving to appear indifferent. “No idea.”Harper seemed to mull this over for a moment. “You know, I’ve always thought you had a talent for keeping things lively,” she remarked, her tone light but with an undercurrent of something more. “How about we grab breakfa
I spent the rest days in bed, finally opening my eyes the next morning, fully aware of how drained I felt. The weight of everything that had happened the day before hung heavily on me. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was only eight in the morning, and I let out a groan as a knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. It swung open to reveal Dominic stepping into the room. Seeing him made me groan again, rolling my eyes in frustration. Did he really think it was acceptable to just barge in like that? “Good morning, I see you’re already awake,” he said, checking his watch. My mind drifted back to the previous day, recalling how he had erupted in anger in the car simply because I had spoken the truth. I turned away from him, choosing not to acknowledge his greeting. If he wanted to be rude, I could match that energy. “I’m sorry for how I reacted yesterday. It was wrong of me to try to change who you are. I hope you can forgive me. I want to make this work, so please give me a chance,”
Third person POV Ivan was seething with rage, his plans shattered the moment the truth emerged. He despised that Dominic always seemed to be one step ahead, and it infuriated him. He was on the verge of marrying a woman he had desired for years, only to have her reject him for Dominic, Eve, now known as Clarissa. This was his golden chance to bring Dominic down, especially after he had taken his wife a year ago. Clarissa had no recollection of that time, leaving her mind open for Ivan to manipulate in his favor.Since her arrival in Italy, he had refused to leave, hiding with his men and biding his time for the perfect moment to strike against the Italian mafia. Ivan had grown up under the shadow of the mafia, with Dominic as his brother, but his greed consumed him. When his uncle offered him a chance to control the Russian mafia, he betrayed the guidance he had received, driven by a desire for revenge that only fueled his animosity toward Dominic.“What’s the update?” Ivan demanded
Clarissa POVDominic approached the man outside, who leaned in to whisper something to him. In an instant, Dominic's expression shifted to one of seriousness, and when his gaze met mine, I felt a lump form in my throat. Something deep inside me suggested that whatever was said had something to do with me, drawing his attention. Once the man finished speaking, he entered the room, leaving Dominic to address me."Once you're finished here, my men will escort you back. I need to get back to work," he stated before stepping out, leaving me feeling exposed and vulnerable.Without a moment's hesitation, I hurriedly slipped on my clothes and rushed out of the dressing room, but he was already gone. Whatever had come up seemed pressing enough to pull him away."Do you know where the boss went?" I asked one of the men Dominic had left behind.He shrugged, his broad shoulders indicating indifference. "No idea," he replied, his voice rough."Can I give you a ride home?" he asked unexpectedly."
The hours slipped away, and I found myself retreating to my room, tears streaming down my face. What kind of life had I cherished before everything fell apart? I pondered this while standing in the shower, lost in thought, when suddenly there was a knock at the door. Wrapping a towel around myself, I made my way to the door and opened it to find a maid waiting, her gaze fixed on me. “I apologize for the interruption, but the Don has requested your presence at dinner in twenty minutes,” she said gently. “Alright, I’ll be there,” I replied, closing the door behind me and exhaling deeply. The men had delivered my clothes a few hours earlier, and I felt a wave of gratitude for the outfit I had chosen to wear during my stay here.I quickly slipped into a comfortable pair of jeans and a simple white top, the kind of attire that feels just right. As I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I pulled my hair back into a loose ponytail. Stepping out of my room, I noticed the hallway wa
Third POV “Forgive me for my interpretation cousin, but what does Clarissa represent here in the mafia, her presence is a treat and from My research she is Russian, and her presence here does not sit well with the Russians” Vincent said and as everyone present gasped looked at him like he was insane.The tension in the air was thick enough to choke on, as if every breath had to fight its way out of our lungs. Dominic sat at the head of the table. His jaw was clenched tight, his dark eyes fixed with a simmering fury on the man sitting directly across from him Vincent.Dominic was composed, but that was always when he was the most dangerous. His silence had a gravity, and it pulled everyone in the room into its orbit. Even Vincent, who rarely seemed to be fazed by anyone or anything, couldn't ignore it.There was an undercurrent of power between the two of them, and it had been building for months. Dominic, the leader, the Don of the family the one whose word was law. And Vincent,
I didn’t know if I was to be angry or sad. I could see that not every one wanted me here and Vincent had expressed his anger toward that.But he was bested by Dominic, I didn’t know much but I could tell that the two of them didn’t get along after that conversation, I observe the way everyone sat still with fear as they watched the interaction without anyone saying a word to opppsed any of them.Then I knew, maybe only vincent had trooper to oppose his claim, I didn’t know why to think of him after all I had just met him a few minutes ago, but I knew the was something dangerous about him and I knew I would never eve go so close to him.I could still see the anger in Dominic eyes as Everyone ate their food and he sat ther drinking his wine, the was still tension in the air as everyone ate without a word or maybe they were scared or say any thing after what had happened between Dominic and Vincent.In a few minutes, Dominic had angrily stormed out of the dining, followed by vincent and
I suppressed my shock as I looked at him with horror, wondering how much more he had overheard. I knew i needed to act smart to cover up, i couldn't let him assumed the worst.Suddenly, I smiled, and I noticed his eyes dart to Lily. Unfortunately, she was quick enough to pull her hoodie over her head as she turned her face away.“I ask a question; did all of you go mute?” he snapped. I looked at him with a smile that I knew was fake, and my eyes narrowed at him.“Harper, she told me you killed her baby,” I lied, as his gaze pierced right through me. It was a foolish thing to say, but I knew I had to say something to escape whatever this was. I couldn't let him find out about that just yet; I had no idea how he would react or how it would end.“What!” he exclaimed, stepping closer to me.“Excuse me,” Lily said, turning and walking away quickly, but his eyes remained fixed on me.“I heard you say 'your baby.' Don’t play games with me,” he warned, and I looked at him with a smirk.“I’m