SWOLLEN. Margaux bit her lips as soon as her butt touched the chair. Then, dragging a discreet breath, she crossed her legs under the table to comfort the sting between her thighs. She then grabbed her coffee mug and took a sip.'God, I'm so sore. Were we that wild last night?' she asked herself while swallowing her drink. Then, desperate to move her attention away from the heat in her thongs, she scanned the dining room, finally settling her gaze on the empty chair across from hers. "Didn't you call Rome for breakfast?""M-madam?" The maid, who was busy at the counter, turned to her, seemingly unsure of what she said."I'm asking about Rome. Where's your señor Rome?" She pointed to the chair again."Umh... m-madam...""You didn't call him." Irritation quickly flooded Margaux upon realizing that the new maid had forgotten Rome. For Pete's sake! Of all the possible things the new maid could do, why did it have to be a crime as heinous as this? Rome was her man. Thus, they were supposed
"LOCATION OF THE ROMANS REMOVED."Rome's loud sigh quickly followed Lucille's robotic announcement. The room they were in was dark, with nothing but a floor-to-ceiling monitor illuminating the place. It was one of the box rooms found in the Romans' basement. It was his girl Friday's office."Where is she now?""Finding coordinates, Maestro." A new window popped up on the screen when Lucille's hand expertly hovered over her keyboard. With just the tapping sound of her fingers hitting the buttons, a red dot appeared on the map, showing Margaux's current location as signaled by his ring: "14.5831 N, 120.9794 E.""Tat, get the Ducati," Rome ordered. Then, not even wasting time to glance at Tat, he pulled out his phone and began pressing on his screen. His fingers were fast when he synchronized his handset with his assistant's programs. "Lucille, alter the video inside the Montenegro's villa. Show them that I'm going out.""Affirmative." Then, just like that, another window popped up on th
THE STRUGGLE WAS REAL.With her breath stuck in her lungs and her head in the dark, she attempted to escape the powerful grasp. She threw her elbow, hoping for it to hit something. She kicked her trembling legs, wishing for it to hit something sensitive—somewhere between those manly legs tangling with hers as she tried to run.Get off! Get...""Oh, you wouldn't want to hit that part, Cara. That would be your loss."Her knee stiffened in an instant. She recognized that voice. There was only one man in this world who could talk to her with such dangerous calmness and yet make her skin tingle like it just got licked by a flame. 'C-caro?'"Knee down."'W-What?'"Again. Put. Your. Knee. Down."She obliged, completely forgetting about how cold she was or what she was about to ask. Then slowly, she felt the thing covering her head and face move, revealing the same man whose name she had been calling until a few seconds ago."Are you alright?"'No, I'm not,' she wanted to say. But then the wo
"I STILL DO..."That kiss wasn't supposed to feel as good as it did. When those words slipped from Rome's lips and confirmed what Margaux was dreading, the logical thing for her to do was to push him away and run as fast as she could. However, how was she to do those things when her whole being instantly turned to a puddle inside his hands? Rome was kissing her the same way he kissed her before the lawyer, and all she could do was kiss him back. She moaned against his lips, and her caro took full advantage of it. He slipped his tongue in her lips and met hers, sweetly stealing her last chance to stay sane. Her lips started following his expert lead, and it didn't take long before she got his slow rhythm. Finally, their lips joined in a breathless, passionate dance. And for the millionth time since they met, Margaux was spellbound by him—again."I'm sorry, " she heard Rome whisper, brushing his lips against hers as he continued to beg. "I'm so sorry, Cara. Please forgive me. I'm--"Sh
THE AIR WAS THICK inside the room when Rome woke up. His morning didn't start as warm as Margaux's. It was cold regardless of the morning sun seeping through the cracks in the wall. It wasn't that he wasn't used to such; it was just that this scene wasn't exactly what he pictured in his dream last night after making love to her senselessly."What are these, Caro?"Still dazed from sleep, he lazily looked down at the things she had lined up on the floor. He could have laughed at how Margaux put effort into arranging what looks like a red carpet welcome for him.Had she been waiting for him to wake up? That was cute. If only it weren't his things that she scattered before bed. His key to the Ducati, his butchered wallet with all his IDs—both fake and real—circling it, a pocket-sized copy of his and his mother's photo, his metal-cased cellphone, and lastly, his gold-plated señorita gun."A perfect killing set?" he tried to joke out, ignoring her suspicious stare as he moved out of the be
"YOU LOOK LIKE YOUR MAID WHEN YOU DO THAT."Margaux bit her lips to muffle a cuss. They were driving back to the villa, and she had been neck-deep in thoughts for a while. She wasn't in a mood for jokes. More so, the things she witnessed a few hours ago.'Fake IDs?' Her teeth sank into her lips harder. She couldn't care less about the iron-like taste that slowly spread in her mouth. Something was definitely not right about what was going on, and it wasn't just numbing her; it was utterly dumbing her too. 'Who the hell carries fake IDs and a gun in his jacket?'"Listen to this, Cara. If our first baby's born looking like it ate fungus for breakfast, you are going to pay me big time.""Can't you just shut up?" Her roar shook the whole car, effectively making Rome turn to her with a hint of a smirk on his face. Compared to the overly stressed-out woman, the brute looked as if he was having the time of his life while driving. He was back in his white shirt and jeans, leaving his jacket on
'POSITIVE'Rome couldn't tell when his hand started to tremble. All he knew was that he was struggling to keep hold of the tiny plastic tab in his hand. His amber eyes were dark as they stared at the two red lines screaming from it. 'Margaux...N-no... We. We are positive.'He closed his eyes and rested his head against the couch's backrest. He was suddenly oblivious to the cold wind hitting his face through the open window. Nothing felt real to him at that time—just the tab inside his hand, the sound of Margaux's breathing as she slept soundly on her bed.'How can I protect you, Cara?" Slowly, he opened his eyes, laying his soft glare on the only woman he ever loved. Then, dragging a deep breath between his teeth, he tried to silence the lone thought that had been keeping him from running next to her and kissing her parted lips. 'What should I give to keep you and our child? Tell me. I'll give it to you. Without any questions or doubt.'His fingers gripped the test kit as his amber be
"I want to see you both in that dress, Cara."Rome felt his chest tighten just by calling her. Could he tell her what was pressing him down on that bed? Or could he at least tell her what was choking him while begging her to wear that dress again? He hoped he could. "Please...""I-I don't have that dress anymore."'This is horrible...' He closed his eyes. Finally finding the energy to move his head. He opened his eyes again and looked at her. He saw Margaux looking back at him over her beautiful shoulder. His gaze then glided down her back, mingling a bit longer on the hollow of her spine, before settling on her hips.Involuntarily, the corner of his lips lifted, although that smile didn't reach his sad amber eyes. 'My baby's growing fast.'"Stop smiling like that while staring at my butt, Caro."Margaux's irritated voice aired, forcing him to look up at her face. The same beautiful face he would love to kiss the rest of his life if he were lucky enough to have some more time left.'L
The sun was soft as it shone over Reiti, Paso, Italy. Just like all the good days inside that villa, the gentle waves hitting the shore could be seen from where the Don sat. The mild breeze was playing with his hair as he silently sipped his wine. Soft white curtains were swaying on every open window too, making them look as if they were dancing peacefully with the mild tune he was humming. Alla mia Amata, of course."Papa?"Alejandro pretended not to see the tiny boy climbing on his lap. Instead, he covered his face harder with the newspaper in his hands, as if he were busy reading it. Nonetheless, his senses were at full alert, and he discreetly lowered one of his legs down to make sure that the child would have something to grab on to and wouldn't fall. Only God could describe how the child's mother turned into a monster whenever the child got hurt."Papa...""I'm reading, Romano," he said, dragging the child's name, copying how the baby dragged his. "Lots of news lately that could
It was the worst battle he had fought. A war where he couldn't tell who was with him and who wasn't. A battle where he had to keep firing his gun while holding his cara and staring death in the face simultaneously.He lost count of the number of bullets his body took for her. His whole body was numbing, but then he just couldn't let go.His mind was empty, unable to recognize who his enemies were. Alejandro's soldiers were fighting like a group of hungry beasts. The group that broke through the gate minutes ago, which he had recognized as Marco's, was just as ferocious.He noticed one of the groups protecting him when he rushed to the parking lot. Some of its soldiers caught bullets for him, willingly giving their lives to assure that he would get where he needed to.He was in so much pain. But it wasn't because of the random bullets digging into his flesh. He knew that pain so well. It wasn't for him, but for Margaux. It was for the child barely holding on inside her.The whole world
"MARGAUX..."Alberta's voice didn't reach her ears when the now-familiar stab crushed her nerves again. Automatically, her hand found the back of her hips, trying to keep them from splitting in two. The drop of sweat that fell on her fist, resting on her lap, looked blurry. Her tummy was in pain—so much pain that she had to burst out of breath to stop herself from groaning."Are you alright?""Are you done talking?" She tightly closed her eyes. She saw double, and it was the last thing she needed."I said, I'm sorry."She didn't reply. She understood what the old woman, kneeling and crying before her, was saying, but then it just wouldn't entirely register with her. More so when everything in her mind was Rome and him alone. All she remembered was that Alberta mentioned something like 'the Don's son and mother.' Or was it mother that she said?Whatever it was, she felt her heart crunch painfully hearing it, but not half as much as the one she was trying to tolerate while sitting there
THE VILLA WAS BUZZING at five in the morning. The scent of food combined with flowers was lingering in the air. The tables—hundreds of them—were carefully wrapped in meticulous white linens. The maids were like bees running back and forth, carrying plates and silverware. Violinists, called out at the most unholy time of the day, were cramming to learn the best and most beautiful music they would ever play: the Alla Mia Amata."You missed the timing; it would mean something different." The Don was in the middle of the crowd, looking down at the poor violinist."S-señor?""It's for my son. Perfect it," he ordered in a cold voice. His amber eyes were piercing, silently warning the musician to get the proper tempo or else it would be the last piece he would play. "You have to perfect it," he gritted, making the musician's knee shake at once with the terror that engulfed him."Y-Yes, señor." The musician barely opened his mouth, reaching for the paper before him to read the complicated n
MICE PLAY IN THE ABSENCE OF CATS. Same as how the envious smaller gods play in the absence of bigger gods. This part happened somewhere between sacred nights and mornings."The Montenegro child has already shown up." A young man gently pushed a pawn across the chessboard. Then, stopping his move right next to the White Queen, he settled the piece and looked up at his competitor."Oh, she did?" His playmate, an older man in his seventies, countered that move by moving the White Queen to eliminate the pawn.That made the young man chuckle. Languidly, he pressed his back against the leather seat he was sitting on. "Yes, Papa. The soldiers found her.""Molto bien..." Satisfaction flooded the old man's voice. He mirrored what his son did. He stretched his back and relaxed, grabbing the wine glass on the table. One sip, and he then asked, "How about God? Did he already show up?""Not yet, papa," the younger man answered, giving his father a brief look before gazing back at the chessboard. "
It was hard to tell if hell was actually a burning place. At three in the morning, hell looked nothing like what the Bible said. It was just pitch black with phone rings and voices.[Hello? She's on her way, God.]"Good."[Should I send the soldiers to meet her?]"Don't. Wait for her to enter our territory."[God?]"He will run after her. Wait for it."...'DRIVING TO THE VILLA. Will talk to Dad. Be back tonight. Love, Margaux'A three-sentence note on the mirror, a little heart smiley, and her name written using her red lipstick were all it took for Rome's mind to melt into broken letters.He was tired, and her arms were warm, so he slept. He should not have.Who would have thought that it would take only a short while for her to slip between his fingers? Like sand seeping down and falling where she shouldn't be?'You lured her...' He blinked his eyes, trying to balance himself as he reached for her name. His fingers were trembling when they touched the cold mirror, hoping that it
DARKNESS.Not a single drop of light illuminated the heavens that night—not the moon or even a single star. There was nothing except for silent voices talking in pitch-black."He saw us watching him, didn't he?"[He is smarter than I expect, God.]"Of course, he is!" Pride dripped from that unknown voice as the speaker chuckled. "He is the one and only Romano, after all."[Okay... So what's your next order?]"Drag them back." The god yawned, sounding a bit bored, before adding, "Make sure that the Amati is there once I come..."...ALBERTA WAS CALLING...No, it was better to say that she was bombarding Margaux with her calls. Hundreds of them in the past twelve hours. Nonstop.'Should I tell Rome?' Lifting her eyes from the vibrating phone on her hand, she looked up and scanned the unfamiliar room before her—unpainted walls, grey, and way less colorful than the skin of its late owner, Tat."Why are you just staying there? Why don't you come here?"She jerked upon hearing the man sit
GOD WAS MOVING. He was moving his chess pieces so accurately, and no one could tell what was next."Burn it," he ordered before sipping wine from his glass. His voice was calm, just like the wide ocean before him. Santorini mornings had always been perfect anyway, more so, his mansion there. Whitewashed houses line the most beautiful mountain in the world, meeting the blue Aegean waters as they calmly hit the shore.It was heaven with a demon living in it."Burn it down and..." the God chuckled while letting the sweet breeze mess with his graying hair. "... break his other leg. Make sure that he wouldn't have anywhere else to go."...'Cazzata!'Rome's cuss remained unspoken as he watched his headquarters, 'The Romans', burn through nine different TV screens. Thick, dark smoke was rising from the same building he had worked so hard for. From the aerial shot taken by the news channel, he could see the showcase of his bar getting licked by fire. His people were screaming and getting t
"I want to see you both in that dress, Cara."Rome felt his chest tighten just by calling her. Could he tell her what was pressing him down on that bed? Or could he at least tell her what was choking him while begging her to wear that dress again? He hoped he could. "Please...""I-I don't have that dress anymore."'This is horrible...' He closed his eyes. Finally finding the energy to move his head. He opened his eyes again and looked at her. He saw Margaux looking back at him over her beautiful shoulder. His gaze then glided down her back, mingling a bit longer on the hollow of her spine, before settling on her hips.Involuntarily, the corner of his lips lifted, although that smile didn't reach his sad amber eyes. 'My baby's growing fast.'"Stop smiling like that while staring at my butt, Caro."Margaux's irritated voice aired, forcing him to look up at her face. The same beautiful face he would love to kiss the rest of his life if he were lucky enough to have some more time left.'L