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Cruel Attraction 80
Gabriella's POV The soft morning light hadn’t yet fully filled the room when I awoke to an unsettling quiet. Giovanni's side of the bed was empty, a fact that tugged at my unease. Slipping out of bed, I padded softly down the hallway towards the kitchen, drawn by faint sounds that shouldn’t have been there at this hour.The aroma of freshly brewed coffee grew stronger as I approached, mixed with the low hum of conversation. Pausing at the doorway, my heart squeezed painfully. There was Giovanni, his back to me, pouring coffee into two cups. Beside him stood Mia, exuding an effortless elegance that seemed out of place in the early morning. Her laughter, light and intimate, floated across the room, and it struck a nerve. That was a laugh I had never heard directed at anyone but me.“Good morning,” I announced my presence, not able to keep the ice out of my voice. They both turned, Giovanni with a flicker of surprise that quickly smoothed into a practiced smile.“Gabriella, you’re up ea
Cruel Attraction 81
As I yanked the steering wheel, the city lights were a blur. The words kept hammering in my head: “Mia was never just Giovanni’s friend. They were deep in some real dark stuff...”It made my stomach twist. Giovanni and Mia, really? It gnawed at me, a mix of jealousy and betrayal that felt like it was burning a hole right through me.I slammed the car door and stalked towards the house, heading straight for the gym out back. The light from inside spilled out onto the grass. I pushed open the door and there he was, Giovanni, hammering away at a punching bag, his face set hard, lost in thought."Really, Giovanni?" I snapped, unable to hold back. "Mia? After everything?"He stopped, gloves mid-air, his brow furrowed as he turned to face me. "Gabriella, it’s not what you—""Don’t!" I cut him off, feeling my heart pounding against my chest. "I can't even look at you right now!"Giovanni dropped his gloves, the thud echoing around the room. "You think I'm happy about this? About her coming b
Cruel Attraction 82
"Mommy, why are you sad?" Rover asked, gazing up at me through his long lashes as we walked near the playground of his boarding school. The war between Giovanni’s past and our present might have quieted down, but the battle inside me hadn’t ceased. Despite everything, the idea of pulling Rover out of this school never crossed my mind. It was his sanctuary as much as it was my place to find fleeting peace.I forced a smile, crouching down to meet his eye level. "I'm just thinking about some grown-up stuff, buddy. Don't worry about it." The innocence in his eyes made me wish I could shield him from the complexities of adult burdens forever.He seemed to consider my words, his small hand reaching out to touch my cheek, a gesture filled with more empathy than one would expect from a seven-year-old. "Is it about Daddy?" he whispered, his voice barely a breeze but heavy with intuition.The question took me aback, but I masked my surprise with a nod. "A little bit, yes. But everything's goin
Cruel Attraction 83
I was sitting in my office late at night, the only light coming from the tablet showing Gabriella pacing back and forth in our living room. She looked upset, taking deep breaths, clearly bothered by something serious. It was hard to watch. Knowing I was part of her stress made it worse. Annoyed and frustrated with myself, I slammed the tablet down."Enough of this," I muttered to myself, pushing the tablet aside to tackle the stack of paperwork on my desk. But before I could get started, Mia barged into my office. She was wearing one of those flashy, cheap dresses that screamed for attention."Not now, Mia," I snapped, hoping she'd turn around and leave. But Mia wasn't the type to take a hint.Ignoring me, she walked up to my desk with that too-confident smile. "We need to talk, Gio," she insisted, her voice too casual."Mia, seriously, I'm not in the mood for games," I said, trying to keep my voice calm but firm.She just laughed and, before I knew it, she sat herself right down on m
Cruel Attraction 1
Gabriela “ You can kiss harder than that,” he whispered. The scent of smoke and bourbon fills the air, it was addicting yet, suffocating. “ What’s wrong, Santoro? Do you not enjoy being owned?” His voice was laced with distaste. My gaze found him. Rage fuels my heart to push him away. “ No. Not with someone as beast as you,” I smirk and hit his chest, ready to pull away when suddenly, his hand grips my hair, pulling me closer to his body. “ Careful, Santoro. I might ruin you, right here, right now,” he darkly said directly beneath my ears as I felt his fingers painfully stroking the tips of my hair. My heart was beating too fast and I cannot move, not when my whole family was here, at this beast's mercy. The elite party lights, champagnes, and sexy music didn’t justify how disgraceful this place was. A pity party for the Mob families, announcing a dream of happily ever after which doesn’t exist in our dark world. Only the greedy attend this kind of party. Only those who bathe
Cruel Attraction 2
Gabriela“ I will not sleep with you,” I said as my hands found my luggage situated inside of the car where both of us were seated. After our scene last night, my fate has been sealed with him.When I crashed my lips into him, I accepted the fact that I am being sold to him as his bride and my family was more than happy to sell me off to him. Who wouldn’t? Just by this beast's name, we’ve been saved from our competitors' anger and we can live our life protected because of his influence.Giovanni Dela Vin gave us an opportunity to live a better life, to maintain our standing in this fucked up society, and to not live in shame because the Santoro’s, as of this moment, is under his jurisdiction. And it all takes my freedom to have this kind of life. My freedom was t
Cruel Attraction 3
GabrielaThis must be a dream. I turned around and saw him eyeing me with his vicious glare as I stepped back into the large house in front of me. The stairs are too intimidating, to begin with.Being one of the Mob families, I thought our house was beyond extraordinary. It was luxurious because my mother loved shiny things and my father cannot eat his pride when it comes to his possession, but seeing this house right now? It looks like an entire village of elites can fill the place. In fact, it looks like a customary kingdom built only for him.“ Better hurry, Santoro. My meeting will start at five,” he coldly said, pushing me towards the giant door while I saw his servants bringing the baggage behind us.I cannot help but stop and tu
Cruel Attraction 4
GabrielaGiovanni didn’t come back after that. My chest hurts.He refused to make our marriage work and I’ve been waiting all night long for him to make an explanation, but neither of his shadows appeared right in front of my eyes.When I woke the next morning, he was still gone. There was nothing from him, not even a single explanation of what had happened.Asshole.I knew that he was the cruelest mob leader in New York, but I didn’t know he was this cruel.All I can do is to get up from the bed and try to figure out where to go in this large house. He didn’t even tour me around.
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