The issue of Lily and Lorenzo was still on my mind. Lily was mad at me for sure. She hadn’t spoken to me during dinner and she ignored me when I tried to talk to her. I had taken that opportunity to glare at Lorenzo as hard as I could. “ You’re thinking about something, “ Nikolai said from the door and my head whipped in his direction. I hadn’t even heard him come into our room. I put my lotion down as I had been applying it on my legs for too long. “ You’re here, “ I stated, surprised. He hardly ever came to our room at night. At first, I thought it was because he was working but I figured that he was giving me the space I needed. Looking at him, I realized that he looked very tired. His shirt was almost completely undone, giving me a peak at his tattoos and his hair had been ruffled. It was like someone had run their hands through it repeatedly. I hated the feeling that settled in my chest at the thought. I couldn’t afford to be jealous. I needed out of that marriage, not to fi
To say I was bored was a complete understatement. My excitement for the grape field had already died down and all I felt was a hollow space in my heart. Nothing interested me. At all. Lily wasn't talking to me and I barely even saw her.' She is probably busy with Lorenzo, ' I thought.I had neglected to tell her about the creepy conversation I had had with Viv because I was afraid to destroy our friendship to the point of no return.Over a man.That was the one thing we had promised each other not to do. Look at us now.I sighed and clutched my head as I was already feeling a headache coming. I decided to hang out with Viv. Maybe I would get to know her better if I did.However, my hopes were crushed when I found her furiously typing on her MacBook in the kitchen. It looked like she was busy.I admired her ability to drown out the noise because there were boisterous activities taking place.. For some reason, I got angry that I had no one to talk to. It all came back to Nikolai and
I had been actively avoiding Nikolai ever since I had my little run in with his mistress. Whenever he called for me, I busied myself with something. Whenever I heard him coming I hid.Whenever he came to bed I always pretended to be asleep. I sucked at confronting my problems. In fact, I was a runner when it came to altercations.That and the fact that I didn't want to hear lies coming from his mouth. His mistress residing in the estate in itself was a huge insult to me. She shouldn't have been within ten feet of us.Since I didn't call the shots, my opinion was irrelevant. I pulled myself out of my thoughts and went to the kitchen.I found Viv laughing with Nikolai's mistress. They paused when they saw me. She turned away and started busying herself when I sat down." Don't let me stop you, " I said with a smile on my face.If there was anything I was good at, it was pretending." We were done, " Viv said and turned her attention back to her computer. I nodded my head and poured mys
After a few days of chatting with my tinder match, we decided to meet. I couldn't figure out why I said yes when I knew very well Nikolai wouldn't let me leave the estate.However, I wasn't going to let him limit my chances of putting myself out there. The redhead whose name I had learnt was Giorgia, was still using every opportunity to throw herself at Nikolai.I had yet to catch the two of them in the act of infidelity but I knew I would soon. It was only a matter of time." My love, can I go to the city today? " I asked while using the term of endearment since there were other people at the dinner table.He snapped his head in my direction and gave me a deadly look. He knew why I was asking in front of other people. It was so he would be obligated to say yes." Why? "" My phone has been giving me problems and I want to fix it. Plus it will be an opportunity for me to see the town by myself. It will be the first time since I arrived in Italy.The other time you showed around me lik
I pushed him away as hard as I could and raised my hand to slap him again. He caught it mid air and used it to turn me so that my back was to him. He pulled me closer so that his chest was right against my back. He leaned in and placed his mouth above my ear. " You think I'm not enough for you? " He asked. " You think I'm not enough? " I retorted and pulled away from him.I stayed further away from him so he wouldn't pull me into his arms. I hated the comfort they came with. " I don't think that, " he stated. " You cheated on me with that girl. You didn't even reapect our marriage enough to stay faithful so why should I? " He stared at me and chuckled like something was funny. I huffed in anger at his reaction. " Is that what you think? " He asked." It's not what I think. It's what I see with my own two eyes. " I replied. " Is that why you went on a tinder date? Because you thought I was being unfaithful? " I refused to answer his question because he wouldn't understand. My r
I avoided Nikolai even more. Shame had set in and it was almost suffocating. Shame for letting him touch me and touch me. Shame for stripping in front of him and allowing him to see the effect he had on me. Shame for allowing him to make me vulnerable.Shame for enjoying him pleasuring me. Even as I recalled what had taken place, I still blushed and felt an ache between my legs. I closed my thighs instinctively. I thought he felt for me what I felt for him. Lust. Now that I looked back, I realized that he didn't feel the same. He was only punishing me for going on a tinder date with Mark. Speaking of Mark, I needed to find out if he was okay. Nikolai may have harassed him.However, that was something I couldn't do. Nikolai had taken my phone and he was yet to return it. I was too afraid to ask for it back. I hated feeling like a prisoner but I was his prisoner. " What are you thinking about? " Lily asked as she kissed my cheek. I shook my head and gave her a tight smile. She had
" I didn't know you like to be choked, " Lily said when I entered her room. " What? " I touched my neck and then that was when I realized that Nikolai choking me must have left a mark. I blushed like a tomato but I quickly pushed the thoughts down. We had more important matters at hand." We need to talk. " After I told Lily what had taken place, she was scared. She asked me to book her a flight back to New York immediately. I would miss her but I wanted her to be safe. I left her in her bedroom and went to the bedroom and cleaned my wounds. After I was done, I headed outside to look for Nikolai.I went to his office thinking that was where he was. When I got there however, it was empty. I started looking for him inside the mansion. A mafia member passed by me and I stopped him." Greetings, have you seen my husband? " I asked. He smiled at me and greeted me back. I could see that he held a lot of respect for me. I wondered what Nikolai had told him to get him that way. " Look
" Get ready for a charity event. Do you need new clothes or will you just find clothes in your closet? " Nikolai asked as he entered our room.He looked worried and tense. It was like a permanent frown had been etched on his face." Do I have a choice? " I retorted while putting down the novel I had been reading. His frown was gone in a second and a smile broke on his face. He liked my defiance more than he let on. " So? " He coaxed an answer from me as he walked to the bed. " I'll just wear something in the closet. What is the theme? " " Gold and black. " I placed my novel on the bedside table and scooted to the edge of the bed. He stood in front of me and held my chin in his hand. We had been civil with each other the past couple days although the tension had increased tenfold. However, I figured we got along because he was barely around. He had been so busy that he lacked the time to eat or sleep. The Russians were doing a number on him. I patted the bed as a gesture for him
My eyes felt heavy but my ears were alert. I heard the beeping of machines and the voice of a woman speaking. Was I finally in heaven? I knew if that shit was real, I was going to hell for all the horrible things I had done.“Is he going to be, okay? “ I heard an angelic voice ask. It sounded awfully familiar like I should have known who it belonged to but couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Why did it sound so sweet and inviting?“He will be. He should wake up any day now. “ A male voice replied.For some reason, I wanted to hit the male and tell him to stay away from my angel even though I couldn’t see how close they were.“You said that last week, “ the angel said with a sigh. There was sadness in her voice and it broke my heart. I had to open my eyes to look at her.When my eyes finally cooperated, there were white walls everywhere and two people in a corner. One of them was wearing a blue dress and her copper hair was in a messy bun.That was the moment we made eye contact and sh
“We will attack from this point right here and then Luca and the other men will go from the back. Make sure all your coms are working when we get there. If you encounter something, you tell us. “ I instructed.Esposito and Romano were standing on either side of me looking at the map I had. Thanks to a tip, we had a possible location for where they were keeping Nikolai and I was determined to find him.“So-““Why is nobody looking for Lorenzo? “ Viv asked from the door. I turned to face her with a hard glare on my face as I crossed my arms against my chest.“You’re not allowed in here, Viv. Why are you here?” I asked even though I had heard her previous statement.She scoffed and came deeper into the room, making me fold the map and hand it to Luca. With a nod of my head, he understood what I was saying and he left.“I asked where Lorenzo is. Last I heard from him, you sent him on a mission and he never came back. That was three days ago. Why aren’t you looking for him?” Viv asked.I d
Anabelle lowered the gun and placed it in the back of her jeans without taking her eyes off me. She proceeded to take my gun from the ground and unloaded it. She placed the bullets in her pocket and then tossed me the gun without any bullets.“Tell me what you meant when you said all my men are dead, “ I said, not wanting to beat around the bush.It was then that I realized how insensitive I was being. She had been through a lot and I hadn’t even heard what had happened to her yet I was prioritizing my needs over hers. I shook my head and gave her a soft look.“What happened Anabelle? One day I left you with Lorenzo, Viv, and Florian, and the next, I came back to find my mansion in ashes. What happened to your arm and where have you been?” I asked.She sighed and sat down on a rock. I followed her lead and sat beside her.“We were all in the mansion. Florian and I were in the basement interrogating someone when we heard the commotion upstairs. We stayed back and watched through the li
As I was pacing wondering why the men we had sent to attack Bianchi’s estate had not arrived, my phone rang. I frowned as I looked at the screen because it was an unknown number. Who could it be?Thinking it could be new information regarding Nikolai, I was eager to answer it. I stepped away from Romano. Esposito had gone for a smoke so he wasn’t anywhere near where we were.“Hello, “ I spoke as soon as I placed the phone against my ear.“It’s Anabelle. I need you to make sure you are nowhere near the people around you. Walk away from everyone now. “ The voice on the other end said.I recognized that it was indeed Anabelle from her voice. I could recognize it anywhere. I put my hand on my mouth and did as she had instructed. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted anyone but my instincts told me I could trust her.“Where have you been? “ I asked, wondering why she had been missing all that time.“Look, I can’t talk for long. It was a trap. Bianchi is not an enemy. You can’t trust anyone. You’
“ You know something, don’t you? This can end right now or we can go all night. “ Lorenzo said and removed his coat for emphasis.He proceeded to fold the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows. I didn’t understand why he insisted on wearing a suit when he was only going to torture people. It was a waste of the perfectly tailored expensive Armani.We were in the basement of the new house and there was a man tied to a chair. It was only the three of us in the room. The man was believed to have known what happened to the estate. He was one of the guards who had survived.We had yet to find the rest and it begged the question of why they were hiding in the first place. I had made it my responsibility to know everyone who had died during the attack. Those who were survivors and hadn’t come forward were suspects.Before the man could speak, my phone rang and I headed out to pick it up. It was one of the suppliers and I prayed it was good news or else he would pay. My patience was thinner than
My head was buzzing and my ears were ringing. There was an undeniable pain in my right leg and stomach. I was beginning to think I was in purgatory for all the bad things that I had done. I tried unsuccessfully to pry my eyes open.Every time I did that, my head hurt like small pins were being dropped on my head. I let out a groan when I was finally able to open my eyes. I was surprised when I saw darkness everywhere.If it wasn’t for the fact that I was sure that I had opened my eyes, I would have been doubtful of the fact that they were open. I tried to walk and that was when I registered that my movement was restricted.There were shackles on both my arms, pulling them apart like I was on a cross. My feet, on the other hand, were shackled to the wall behind me but they were closer together than my arms.Where the fuck was I?I tried to remember the events of the past few days but my memory was foggy and my thoughts were all over the place. I wanted to get out of that place that had
I heard them arguing before I even got to the bottom of the stairs. They were not very discreet with their plans at all. Before I left, I heard Viv calling out to me to stop.“ Please, just listen, “ she begged and I stopped.Who could I be if I didn’t listen to her?“ What is it, Vivienne? “ I asked while turning. I crossed my arms against my chest.She reached me and placed her hands on my arms.“ Look, we were going to start today but we couldn’t until we had enough men. I am sorry we lied to you but it had to be done. “ She said, not looking the least bit remorseful.“ First, get your hands off me. Do I look like an unreasonable woman to you? “ I asked.She looked at me like she wanted to be anywhere else. Well, I wasn’t the one who told her to follow me, was I?“ No, “ she answered.“ That’s right, Vivienne. I am not unreasonable. You say you were setting up but you took two weeks. Do you think Nik can wait that long? No! Do you what he is going through? No! “She looked anywhere
Romano walked me back to his car and I sat on the seat with a lot of things on my mind.“ Where am I going to start? “ I asked him.He rubbed my back soothingly which was something so out of character with him and gave me a hopeful look.“ As long as you have me, you will always know where to start, “ he said.He drove me back to my penthouse and I expected him to go back to Milan but he followed me back.“ Don’t you have a business to take care of, old man? “ I asked.He glared at me because he didn’t like being called old and I only smiled mischievously in answer. I loved teasing him a lot.“ I am not old and I am not leaving you here without backup or a plan, okay? “ He asked. I nodded my head and placed my hand in his.When the elevator doors opened ad I punched in the code, I saw men in my living room. There were guards everywhere and Esposito was sitting comfortably on my couch looking like the place belonged to him.Not to mention he had a whiskey in his hand. These men and my
“ Why are you suddenly so quiet? “ Romano asked.He took a gulp of his whiskey and went to pour himself another one. He looked back at me and then smiled. It was a sarcastic smile because what he was telling me was too serious to smile about.I didn’t have the answer to his questions. Before I could react, he threw the wine glass to my head and I ducked. It was seconds away from hitting me square in the face. It shattered on the floor, causing a mess.I brought my eyes to him with shock written all over my face. How could he do that? It would have sent me back to the hospital.“ I expect an answer, Brianna, “ he said before grabbing another glass and pouring himself a drink.I stayed quiet because all that was happening was shocking enough to leave me speechless.“ Are you going to finish that?” He asked while pointing to my whiskey glass because I had taken a very tiny sip.“ I’m pregnant, Romano, “I explained even though I didn’t want to put it out there. That was not the way I had