[LAURA]“Ugh!” I grunt, forcefully pushing everything off the table, and it all ends up scattered on the floor, creating a huge mess. But I couldn’t care less. I’d do it again without a second thought. And again. And again.With frustration boiling over, I angrily toss the lamp from the side table, watching it crash to the floor as well.“Seriously, just stop it, Jorden,” Cooper says, standing at the door and frowning at me.Gasping for breath, I feel a surge of anger and a complete loss of control. “He can’t be dead,” I growl, clutching my hair while kneeling on the floor. The broken pieces of glass pierce my pants and skin, but nothing matters compared to the pain welling up in my chest.I can’t believe the bastard is dead. Vector Alfonso is dead. How could he?I did everything in my power to ensure I was the one facing him, looking into his eyes, and pulling the trigger, causing his brains to splatter everywhere. It was my moment, but someone else beat me to it. I was so close, so
[LIZZY]“You must have met Uncle Diego,” Hazel says after I share a somewhat vague account of what I stumbled upon last night. Guilt gnaws at me for invading their privacy like that. If only I had known…“That makes sense,” I sigh, trying to distract myself by running my fingers through Joey’s soft, dark hair, which has grown long enough to be tied in a small ponytail.I can’t help but think about Laura, who used to take him for hair trims regularly, always ensuring he looked neat and tidy. She loved him dearly. But now she’s gone, and I’m left to care for this little boy all on my own.I love Joey, there’s no doubt about that. I adore him with all my heart and soul. He’s probably the only person for whom I’d do anything, the one who never makes me feel useless or burdensome. But the weight of responsibility weighs heavily on me. Can I truly take care of him for the rest of my life? Am I capable enough? Can I provide him with the life he deserves? What if I fail to be the parent he ne
[TREVOR]Something weird is going on here, and by weird, I mean, these people look scared as shit.It’s been hours since Vector left after banging up my face, leaving me tied up in this stupid chair, locked in this shitty room that has no decent view for my bored eyes. All I can see are bad, stinky walls; all I can hear are footsteps pounding outside the room, including a few curse words that his asshole men bark out from time to time.A few minutes ago, I shouted for someone to get me some water.A tall, bulky man showed up, wearing a frown that made me want to punch him in the face. But I ain’t stupid. For these people to trust me, I must play nice. Once I find Lizzy and get my plan in motion, then and only then, I’ll show them my real face.I know Vector is wary. I could see that on his face when he came downstairs to question me. It was an interesting conversation, to say the least.To be honest, if I were in his place, I would be wary, too. I am an outcast—a pariah who made them
[CRISTIANA]When the car pulls up in front of the church, that’s when I realize this is actually happening. My heart starts pounding as if it’s about to crash and burn, and my legs tremble.“Get out!” the man driving the car grumbles as he opens the door on my side. The man sitting next to me, with his gun pointed at me, nudges its mouth to my upper arm, urging me to obey.I can’t escape from this situation; there’s no way around it that I can see. After hearing about the explosion from Timmy, I knew what was coming next.Ducio Giangrasso. The bane of my existence. The man who is obsessed with me. Or at least that’s what he claims. Who knows what his real intentions are?I can’t fathom what my father was thinking when he wagered and lost me in a poker game. He was never reliable, especially in front of my mother, but he was still my father. How could he betray me like this? I’m his own daughter, his flesh and blood, yet he treated me like an object, discarding me like nothing in a car
[TREVOR]“Holyshit!” Tim, or Timmy, or whatever the hell his name is, shouted as I aimed straight for that asshole’s head. The asshole named Ducio Giangrasso, head of the Giangrasso famiglia.Don’t even get me started on how the last two hours played out.After Vladimir told me about the job and hung up without giving any head or tail about the situation, I handed back the phone, only to realize the guy in front of me was a Perazzo. Timmy, Carlo Perazzo’s only son. He definitely reminded me of Vladimir earlier, they looked alike in many ways. But it was pretty obvious that Timmy was still learning the ropes—a total newbie.What didn’t make any damn sense to me was why Vladimir was trusting me with this task so soon. What was his plan? What was he up to? My gut was screaming at me that he knew way more than he was letting on. But I shouldn’t be surprised. He’s the boss, the head of the biggest criminal organization in all of Europe, and then some. If anyone knows what’s going down on h
[LIZZY]If there’s anything worse than waking up in a dark room, feeling frightened and alone, it’s opening your eyes to blinding brightness and scorching heat, with someone poking at you like you’re some sort of lab experiment.“Hey, wake up!” the same voice that has been slashing through my sleep, faintly at first and now loud enough to make me want to crawl back to cool slumber, arrives again and jolts me out of my skull.“God, how much did they doze you with? This is getting boring.” The voice continued.I try to blink, but my eyelashes refuse to cooperate. They feel like they’ve been glued together, making me dread the idea of forcing them open and potentially losing my sight. Or worse, the dread that someone could have actually glued my lashes together just to mess with me. I can’t imagine someone being that heartless.“Please, don’t be so heartless,” I murmur to myself, my voice barely audible even to me.“What?” the voice asks again, sounding irritated. “What did you say?”I w
[LIZZY]I can’t tell how long it takes for Theo to drive us to the mansion Chiara talked about back at the beach, but it couldn’t have been more than 15 minutes when a giant estate in the middle of nowhere arrives in our sight.For one minute, it kind of reminds me of all those haunted house movies where a lone mansion stands in the vast expanse of hills and plains. You know, the ones with the weird butler and the crazy woman living alone as if that’s the most normal thing to do?Yeah, that one.Though from what I can see, the way this entire place has been kept, it’s far from looking haunted. In fact, it’s kind of a modern structure, as if it hasn’t been around for more than a decade. I can’t help but wonder who lived here. If Theo and Chiara were the caretakers, as they introduced themselves, it’s not strange for me to question who the hell chose to call this place home. Literally on an island with no neighbors in sight.Who in the world would deliberately want to live such a solita
[LIZZY]Godmother?I am a godmother? Did she just?“You’re kidding, right?” I blurt out, unable to contain my disbelief. It feels like she just handed me the keys to a luxury car and I don’t even have a driver’s license. What have I ever done to deserve such an important role in this child’s life? A godmother? Dammit. I would kill to be Gia’s godmother, if it weren’t for all the screw-ups I have done all my life, all the bad decisions I have made, leading me to a life that I wish wasn’t so fucked up. What would I even teach this kid? To bolt at the slightest hint of trouble? To shun confrontation? To fear expressing her true feelings?“I mean, I appreciate it, but being a godmother is kind of a big deal,” I scratch my head, mostly because I don’t know what else to do with my hand. “I don’t even know if I’m godmother material.” Am I?I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m flattered and all, but being a godmother is a massive responsibility. It’s a lot bigger than being someone’s nanny or baby