'CARA MIA, WHEN DO YOU PLAN TO WAKE UP?'Rome couldn't stop phasing back and forth in his room. He hadn't been smoking for days, but then looking at the only woman he cared about forced him to.Margaux was still unconscious minutes after he dared her. Should he have known that Margaux would react that way, he could have started teaching her something more manageable. Morse code, assassin theories, just goddamn anything.Getting even more stressed, Rome raked his fingers through his hair. He had never worried about anyone this much, and this unpleasing feeling wasn't something he was accustomed to. He didn't want to succumb to it. However, how was he to avoid it if Margaux's survival was at stake?Before Rome could even think, his feet had already walked towards the bed where she was. He cursed again when Margaux's tiny frame came into his view.How could something so small and vulnerable have such overwhelming power over him? She was just a girl. She was not even the best, for that ma
WHEN ROME TOLD HER THAT HE WAS TAKING HER OUT, the first thing that came to Margaux's mind was that he would take her on a 'normal' date. She also thought of a candlelit dinner. A violinist playing music in the background as they eat something savory. A Rockafellar oyster, perhaps? She heard that's a good aphrodisiac. Wine and some sexy moments could have made shots on their date, too. What else could be hotter than a sensual squeeze on her ass when she least expected it anyway?Those were the first things that Margaux anticipated this morning. Normal stuff done by equally 'normal' people However, she forgot something very important while thinking of those sweet things. Normal doesn't apply to her caro—not one syllable or even a freaking single letter from it."Keep your hands up, Cara."'Huh? Wait. What--.'"Lesson four! Never put your defenses down.""Shit!" Margaux's scream echoed through the walls when a jab suddenly hit her forehead. The attack caught her so unprepared that she f
ROME WAS ON THE VERGE OF LOSING HIS TEMPER. The library he was in was spacious, but then he couldn't breathe. It was hard to do so when the person he loathed the most was on the other line— tempting him just as the devil would.[Think about it, Romano. You will never get an offer like this again.] Don Alejandro chuckled, and Rome grimaced at how disgusting it sounded from the speaker. [All you have to do is sign the document, and everything will be yours.]'Margaux…' He closed his eyes when a part of him called her name. Then, just like that, everything the don said, even the mild rustling of the trees outside the room, started fading away.[I can protect you, il mio figlio. You will have my endless support. All the money, power, and every little thing that you will need to dominate the cartel.]'No...'[La mio famiglia ti sta aspettando.] The old man grounded every word between his gnashing teeth, stressing the importance of what he said.However, Rome didn't reply and just looked aw
HE TORTURED HER, but not as much as he tortured himself.Rome knew he needed a mental break. Probably a couple of minutes to let himself breathe and reassess all the information clogging his mind.He wanted to scream, break someone's face, or maybe punch anything to release all the tension pent up on his knuckles. However, it was odd that he couldn't even move an inch from where he stood. His whole world had stopped, leaving nothing but the sound of Margaux's foot stomping against the wooden floor.Tap...Tap...Tap... 'Diablo!'He gritted his teeth as he took in every word the Morse code was saying. Beyond livid, he covered his mouth with his palm to muffle his scream. 'I'm going to skin you alive, Alejandro! I swear I'm going to do it, and I'll make sure to bury you while you are still breathing.'"Rome?" Then there was that fragile voice that cut through his murderous thoughts and dragged him out of his trance. Forced to lift his gaze, he saw Margaux looking back at him with her sh
"YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE." Margaux sounded low and irritated when she spoke. With her lips tight and eyebrows furrowed, she watched Alberta walk across her room and place a food tray on her bedside table. "Didn't I order you to call Rome—""He rejected."Then there was that deafening silence again when Margaux ran out of words to say, scraping her ears like what happened in the treehouse was only yesterday.It had been a week since The bruises on her feet were beginning to heal. Some doctor visits, some painkillers, and a little bed rest later, she was back to being as healthy as a bull. Her heart didn't cope as well with that healing, though. And maybe it won't until she sees him again."You need to eat, Margaux." Alberta shot her a glimpse, pausing a little from arranging her meal. "Your doctor would be here in a couple of minutes, and—what are you doing? Stop! Stay in your bed— ""Get off me!" Margaux didn't mean to push Alberta that hard when the old woman tried to stop her
'DID THAT SATISFY YOU, ROME? Is that really what you wanted?' Rome knew the answers to those questions, but he chose to keep his mouth shut. Would it even matter if he said no? Would it even change a single thing if he had pulled her closer when she started to cry? Would it? He closed his eyes, realizing where his stream of thoughts was heading. Then, pulling a cigarette from his pocket, he heavily sighed before stepping away from the spot where he last saw Margaux.'Cazzo, Alberta! This is all your fault! He mentally cursed before stopping exactly where Margaux found the adoption paper.Without wasting a second, he picked up the document from the floor. He then put his cigarette in his mouth, grabbed his lighter from the desk, and finally lit the adoption paper that made his cara cry. He was holding one corner of it between his fingers as he waited for the flame to burn the Don's name.'Make the only woman I live for my sister?' He bitterly smirked before using the very same paper
'HE WAS HERE…' Margaux lost track of how long she'd been staring at that empty side of the bed. Waking up alone was already something she was used to since everything got dirty between her and Rome. However, the familiar scent of his shampoo and cologne lingering in the air wasn't something she was expecting this morning.'Impossible.' She tried to convince herself as she slowly moved to the edge of the bed. Shaking her head, she stretched her legs carefully, getting ready to stand. 'This is not funny anymore. Stop imagining things, Margaux! Stop--'"Ouch!" Her thoughts crumbled when one of her feet landed on something that wasn't supposed to be on the ground. It was sharp, black, and made of thick glass. Curious, she bent down and picked it up."How'd the hell did this get…" Her voice dissolved into silence when realization ebbed at her like a tidal wave.One second she was examining a piece of glass between her fingers, and the next, she was rushing to the huge window in her room.S
"Why are you still up, Cara mia?"Rome didn't move a muscle as he towered over Margaux. He was tired. Her baffled expression wasn't exactly what he wanted to see at that holy hour. When he decided to come to her, what he pictured in his mind was a woman neck-deep in slumber with her arms cuddling his pillow.It was not this scene—certainly not."I- I…" He watched Margaux struggle with broken letters, terribly failing to make sense as she moved her arms to point up. She opened and closed her mouth, but in the end, she swallowed hard."I came through the door.""N-no. " She shook her head hysterically, her eyes wide open. "Y-You didn't. I… I saw you come down from—""I said, I came through the door." He shut her up, dragging his words to emphasize what he wanted her to believe. He then stepped down from her bed, casually walking through the darkness as he headed for the bathroom. "You left the door open.""I didn't—""You did," he hissed, just as he passed the couch where she was sittin