Shit… I jolt awake with my body covered in sweat. My breathing is erratically fast as I sit upright and place a hand over my racing heart, trying to elevate my escaping breath. I glance at Chrissy, who is still peacefully asleep, and let out a sigh of relief that I didn't disturb her slumber. As I emerge from the bed, I make my way to the bathroom and step into the steam-filled shower, allowing the scalding water to envelop me. I gratefully allow the water to wash away the perspiration that clings to my body as I attempt to make sense of the unclear vision… or haunting night terror. I'm still uncertain about what to label it. The conversation I shared with Celeste felt deeply authentic. Every word resonated with me and brought clarity to my thoughts. I gently rest my hand on my stomach, hoping for the courage to make the best decision for our future and raise this child with Luca. For a few more days, I will not know if I am pregnant. I am aware that I had impulsively informed Luca
“Hey Chrissy, I’m going to order breakfast. Are you good with just some Special K and fresh fruit?” I ask her through the door. “Yeah, that’s cool with me. Can you get some pulpy orange juice, too, please?” “Okay, you going to be long, or is it okay to place the order now?” She slightly opens the door with her phone pressed against her chest and pops her head out. “I’m just going to have a quick shower. I’ll wash my hair when we get back home.” “Okay, I’ll make the call now. Do you need me to pack anything while I wait?” “Umm... You wouldn’t mind just throwing everything into my suitcase, will you?” “I wouldn’t have asked if I did.” I cock my brow at her, smiling. “Yeah, yeah.” She laughs closing the door and I hear her speaking on the phone to Conrad in a muffled tone. Turning away and hearing enough of their conversation. I go into the kitchen and order our breakfast then I walk around the suite making sure everything is in place and I haven’t left any of our belongings lyin
A knock resonates through our hotel suite, and I glance up at the clock on the wall. Somehow, forty minutes have managed to pass by in what feels like twenty. I pull the door open, and I’m greeted by a man dressed in an all-black, expensive looking suit. “Miss. Maddison?” He asks me as he removes his sunglasses from his face and tucks them into the breast pocket of his jacket. “Let me guess. You're with Luca?” I ask, unimpressed, contemplating if all his men are dressed like they belong in the Mafia. Hmm… I wonder if they have to personally purchase their suits or if there is a one-time uniform allowance given to them. “That’s correct. My name is Anton.” He straightens his spine and puts his hands behind his back. “At ease soldier.” I lightly chuckle and open the door wider, gesturing for him to come in. “May I inquire who will be driving the car back?” I ask as I go to retrieve the keys on the dining room table. “Derry is waiting down bottom. He has strict instructions to brin
It surprisingly takes me only thirty minutes to unpack my things. After I shove my bags back into the bottom of my closet, I go into the kitchen and check the fridge and cupboards. I want to make something for dessert to make the dinner feel less formal and more of a social gathering.I pull out my homemade cookbook, made up of recipes I got from G****e that just happened to be a tasteful success. A chocolate banoffee pie screams out to me as I flip through the book. It only takes thirty-five minutes to make and sets within an hour and a half. That leaves plenty of time to set before we are to sit and eat dinner. ***I finish cleaning up, and there’s a knock at the door. To my surprise, I am greeted by Cullums' presence as I open the door.Trying to keep the shock out of my voice, “Cullum, is everything okay?” I ask him and invite him inside.“Yes, everything is fine, Miss. Maddison.”I quickly pop my head outside and take a brief look to see if he brought someone with him before shut
As promised, Luca arrived to pick me up two hours later. Right on time, neither a second early nor a minute late. He couldn't help but feel a sense of intrigue as he watched me climb into the Beast with the box that had dessert inside of it. I smirked and playfully teased him, letting him know that he would have to wait until dessert to uncover the surprise. I was captivated by one of his enchanting smiles that I seldom witnessed. Upon our arrival at his penthouse, I promptly placed the dessert in the refrigerator. Luca went to freshen up and change into something more relaxed. I notice a bottle of wine resting on the bench. I retrieve two wine glasses from the cupboard, uncork the bottle, and carefully pour the glasses halfway before taking them into the living room, delicately placing them on the coffee table. “Do you think you should be drinking, Vanessa?” I feel his breath on my nape. I slowly turn around and face him. “I’m sorry,” I say as I scrunch my nose up at him. “I saw th
I faintly hear a conversation being held in the Italian tongue as I slowly awake and groggily sit up on the sofa, stretching my sleepy limbs. Shit, I must have dozed off. “You're awake.” A chirpy voice pipes up. “Hmm?” I stand up and turn around. There, I am met with two sets of eyes. One belonging to Luca and the other… Rosalia? I gasp. She's more beautiful than I could have imagined. “Aunty, Vanessa?” The young lady walks towards me with a friendly smile on her face. “Rosalia?” I know who she is because she holds a striking resemblance to Celeste. Gorgeous! “Si, I hope we did not wake you from your nap. But, I'm glad that you’re finally awake!” She throws her arms around me and squeezes the near life out of me, making me laugh. “I am so sorry, I don’t remember falling asleep,” I say sheepishly as my cheeks slightly start to turn pink. Rosalia starts to pull back from our hug, but I hold on to her a bit tighter, stopping her. “I have so many years to catch up on with hug
I step into the kitchen and begin to rinse the dinner plates in the sink, carefully placing them into the dishwasher. My thoughts start to wander, and I find myself reflecting on Rosalias' words. Imagine how different life would be if Celeste were here. Would she and Giovanni have ended up getting married and having more children? Would I have a spouse by now, and what career path would I have pursued? Would our parents still be happily married and more involved in our lives? There are countless possibilities for the directions our lives could have taken. Strong hands firmly hold my hips as my back presses against a solid chest. Luca gently brushes my hair aside and plants a tender kiss on my neck. “What is wrong, cara mia?” He whispers in my ear. His warm breath plagues my skin with goosebumps. “I’m fine.” I sigh, unwilling to offer more of an explanation. Liar, liar pants on fire… “Then why have you been scrubbing the same plate for the last five minutes.” He murmurs bef
There's nothing more fear-inducing than the anticipation of receiving the test results. It feels like an eternity has passed while I've been waiting in Keris' office, even though it's only been a mere ten minutes. The most intense ten minutes I have ever experienced. I found the experience of waiting for my exam results to be quite intense. I couldn't help but constantly refresh my email page, dreading the moment when the results would finally appear, confirming my passing grade. I can't say that I'll be devastated if the test turns out to be positive this time around. I can handle this. I now have friends who will support me. What's that African proverb again? 'It takes a village to raise a child.' I may not have a village behind me, but I definitely have some incredible friends. What a foolish phrase anyway. Why would anyone require a village to raise a single child? I begin to contemplate the significance of the saying and ultimately conclude that newborns are fundamental
Nine months later…Alessandro's POVI am driving like a madman through traffic. Missing vehicles by the skin of my teeth as I fly down the interstate. I am on my way to the hospital.Merda...I should have arrived an hour ago. Zoe is going to murder me, and I would rather she does it after the birth of our twin sons. I would like to at least give them the opportunity to meet me, even if I am a walking corpse.Si, that's right, guys. I Alessandro Russo knocked Zoe Henningson the fuck-up..*** Thirty Five Weeks Earlier.“Super sperm. I fucking swear to the Gods you have super sperm.” My beautiful, angry, kitten came storming through the door of my office. “Cara mia?” I looked at her with wide eyes that were filled with confusion.I rose from behind my desk and walked over to the door, which I then closed. She swung around and hurled something at me; it landed on my chest and bounced across the floor twice. With an arched brow, I gazed at her, questioning if she had lost her damn mind
I buck my hips against his mouth. Getting as much friction I can get as he lightly sucks on my clit. I throw my head back moaning. I know I won't last long. It's been over three years since he last touched me. Three years since ANY man has touched me. Tension pools in the pit of my stomach. I clutch my fingers through his hair, firmly gripping the roots and push his head deeper inside me. Alessandro starts to flick his tongue as he slides two thick fingers inside me, and I arch my back in pleasure. He wildly starts to drive his fingers in and out of my needy body, flicking his tongue faster, and mumbling in Italian. My walls start to clench around his fingers with pure greed, sucking the dear life out of them. I know he can sense how close I am because he swipes his tongue slowly across my sex, making me cum long and hard. I ride out my orgasm. Continuing to grind against his face. When my body begins to shudder, I unhook my leg from around his shoulder. “Stand, Alessandro.” I com
Three years later… I arrived back in Auckland two days ago. I’ve spent the last three and a half years in hiding. Every three months, I was moved to another location in another city. Every city meant a new identity was created for me. It eventually became challenging for me to remember who I was and what my backstory was at the beginning. But I gradually learned how to adapt to my new life and accept it. It took just over three years for the Italian legal team to get every member of the La Cosa Nostra Mafia rounded up and prosecuted. Gio had enough information saved on his laptop and files in a hidden safe to have them all incarcerated for a few life times. In the end, the Venturi’s managed to take them down from their graves, and their names will go down in the history books. They cleaned up the streets, making it safe for school kids to wander to school on their own.I gaze up from the side walk of the building where Lucas penthouse still stands. I'm trying to find the courage to
It's been three long and excruciating weeks since I ordered Luca to leave my life. And he did. He packed everything up and flew back to Italy, taking my Rosalia with him. The thing that hurt and still hurts the most is that I never got the chance to say goodbye to her. I only had Rosalia in my life for a short time before she was taken away from me once again. I haven’t heard from any of them. Not a single phone call, text, email, or even a postcard to tell me they’re okay. I only recently learned of their departure when Roman had called me and asked me to meet him at his office. ***“Nessa, how are you?” He asked as I walked through his office door.“I’m healing slowly, but I’m getting there.”“You’re looking a lot better from the last time I saw you.” I had caught a glimpse of a smile on his face. “I asked you here today because there are a few things that I need to discuss with you regarding my firm.” He said as he pulled out a contract from the top drawer of his desk. “This...”
Lucas POVI walk out of the house and jump into my Audi. Vanessa refuses to see me again. “Cazzo!” I yell as I bang my hands against the steering wheel. I just finished telling her I can’t fucking live without her, and she’s the best thing that's ever happened to me. Yet, she still dismisses me like I'm nothing to her. We just lost our baby. The baby I was secretly rejoicing in. We were going to be a famiglia, damn it, a fucking famiglia. She was going to bear my name and my children. My life was going to be complete and fucking incredible. I was planning on spending the rest of my life making her the happiest woman to ever grace the planet. But that has been viciously ripped away from me. The mob had gotten a hold of Mikal and paid him a pretty penny to turn my world upside down. That fucker is lucky he’s already dead because if I had gotten my hands on him, he would’ve died a long and slow death. Even that is generous on my behalf. The mob will pay. The arse hole who ordered the
Rosalia shows up twenty minutes later with her hair pulled up into a messy bun. She’s dressed in an Adidas tracksuit, and she looks so much like her mum. It almost causes my heart to skip a beat. “Is everything okay, Aunt Nessa?” Her face is full of concern as she approaches me.She sits be side me, I reach forward and place her hand in mine, resting them on my knees as I stare at our joined hands.“You know, I love you, right?” I try my best to keep my voice leveled.“Si. I love you too.” Her beautiful eyes are filled with confusion as her brows knit together.I bring her hand up to my lips and place a gentle kiss on the back of her hand. “This decision has no impact on us whatsoever.” I want to reassure her. “But for me to move on, I can’t be with your uncle no more.” I let go of her hand and quickly place the ring box in her palm. “I need you to do this one favor for me and return this to Luca.” Tears prick my eyes, and I rapidly blink, urging them away.I know this is such a cowar
I wake up to someone persistently knocking on the front door. Rolling over, I slowly ease myself into a sitting position on the bed. Being mindful to keep the screams of agony suppressed. Running my fingers through my tangled hair, I look up when Conrad walks in with a shadow close behind him.“Hey, Nessa.” He looks at me apologetically. “Detective Reeves is here to see you.” He steps aside, and a middle-aged female steps forward. “Hello, Vanessa. I’m detective Amanda Reeves.” She thrusts her hand forward, and I shake it. “Look, I know this isn’t an appropriate time in the morning to do this… But I would appreciate it if I could have your co-operation so we can get this case cleared.” She says as her eyes scan the room.Amanda Reeves looks to be in her mid-thirties. She looks a lot like Cameron Diaz with brown eyes, but when the light hits them, and you look close enough, there are bits of green and orange embedded deep within the irises.Her eyes are stunning. She has urban black hai
Two hours later, we are back at the house where I have joyfully popped a few painkillers. Conrad had set up our beds, turning the living room into a bedroom. Conrad said it was better we all slept in one room so they both could keep an eye on me. But deep down, I know he was trying to keep me from going back into the room where the assault took place. He is such a sweetheart. Carlos also tried his last hand at convincing me to change my mind and remain in my hospital bed. I lied to him and told him that I would be staying with Luca. So if anything happened, I would be in good hands. He still didn’t look pleased or convinced in the slightest when he handed me the discharge forms to sign. He gave me a few words of advice and informed Chrissy that if she felt that Luca wasn’t meeting her standards in taking super extra care of me to call him at any time. Day or night. I eventually forced his stubborn ass to hug me and thanked him for not letting me die the moment I handed the clipboa
“You got that right.” I wink at her. “How did you get here?” I ask with curiosity.“I had my driver drop me off. Uncle Luca said to tell you that he will be here as soon as he can. He is meeting with the detectives and his lawyer.” She looks at the door and then back at me.“Why is he meeting with the detectives? He wasn’t there.” I scowl, looking at everyone confused. “We have all been interviewed. But I assume Luca is trying to hold them off from coming to see you so soon.” Carlos says as he scratches the back of his head.Rosalia turns around at the sound of his voice. Carlos gazes at Rosalia and flashes her with one of his jaw-dropping smiles. Her head snaps back in my direction, and her cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink. I watch her as she tucks her loose hair behind her ear, and when I look back at Carlos, he remains staring at the back of her head. I casually flick my eyes between the two and realise the air has become thick with wonderment. Conrad clears his throat, interrup