LINDA’S POV I had heard of the excesses of Bianca’s boyfriend, but I did not expect the size and sheer might of his residence. I had no idea why I was actually at his residence. Giovanni had driven me there, silencing all my protests by enforcing the fact that Bianca and Darren wanted to meet me before I hid in Turin. I considered it extremely rude that they had told Giovanni I would hide. I just enjoyed being alone in cozy, remote places; it wasn’t hiding, it was enjoying peace. If anything, they needed to learn from me. Nothing about the Moretti Villa was peaceful or cozy. Giovanni had led me to the garden entrance. I couldn’t even marvel at the beautiful flowers because of the men. There were men in suits—a whole lot of them, taller than even me—lined up from the gate to the actual building, blocking—or at least narrowing—my view till all I could see was the door. “Why?” I asked Giovanni simply, too tired and confused to add more words for elaboration. “Some of the staf
LINDA’S POVTossing and turning in discomfort, I stood up from my bed and padded over to the kitchen. It was the second night I would be spending in this villa. Last night had me sleeping like a baby, but for some reason, I couldn’t sleep in peace tonight.Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that I had flown down here and suffered psychological trauma at the hands of the tall, scary Moretti. It could even be the exhausting discussion I’d had with Bianca about staying the fuck away from that terrifying man. I didn’t want her dead before Luca turned sixty, and the murderous intent he exuded was a surefire way to ensure a gruesome death.She had barely listened. Her stubbornness was the only thing I disliked about Bianca—she seemed to think she was an indestructible tank. I hadn’t met her boyfriend yet, but the fact that the burly men he had stationed to protect her were on edge because of the tall man was a bad sign.At least she had Darren; the man had smartly nodded to me beh
RICARDO’S POVI hated the ditzy celebrity. I viciously abhorred anyone who could see past my facade, and I couldn’t even be blamed for it. After all, I had spent the best years of my life suffering torment to build up said facade. Anyone who could look beneath those layers I’d spent decades building and sense what I was doing underneath was someone I had a vendetta against. It was a blunt hit to my ego.Unfortunately for her, I couldn’t afford to keep anyone who thought I was even remotely dangerous alive to spread the news. The Dobres had no idea what exactly had been done to me.To them, I was always Ricardo, the least charismatic, dumb, defective kid of the Morettis, their loyal fucking friend, and I intended to keep it that way in case all my counterplans fell through and I needed to wipe out their clan alone. That would only be successful as long as their guards were down around me; otherwise, I’d lose my license to exist a little faster than I had planned.The guild members were
RICARDO’S POV“Let me guess,” she said, leaning forward like we were just settling in for coffee. “You’ve got unresolved trauma?”I blinked. “Excuse me?”She gave a sympathetic nod, looking me up and down like I was the saddest thing she’d seen all day. “I knew it. Your wife did a real number on you, huh?”I frowned in confusion, unable to control my expression. What was this lady saying? She continued, undeterred. “You know, if I had a dollar for every guy who wanted to kill me because of his cheating wife, I’d be able to buy an island by now. It’s a bit concerning.”“Look, Mister,” she continued fearlessly, a complete 180 from the woman who seemed terrified just minutes ago, adjusting her posture like we were in a therapy session. “Before you pop my head off or whatever you’re planning, just hear me out: maybe killing me isn’t really what you need. Maybe what you need is, like, a long vacation or a divorce lawyer? Therapy’s the first step!”“The sweet release of death, that’s what I
TORIA’S POV I was unconditionally stressed. I had begun to exhaust all my sources—and my money. For some reason, no matter how powerful the men I sent were rumored to be, they always came back with their tails between their legs. The worst part was the fact that they never returned my money. If they were going to be failures, at least they should fail with grace and dignity. Matteo had begun straying from me, and I desperately needed a backup plan. I knew it was because of him—that man who had threatened me with a gun back at Viale. He had to be the one protecting her. If I could take Matteo so easily, I could take him too. I didn’t need him to be married to me, although, judging by how gorgeous his voice was, I wouldn’t mind getting another husband. My main goal was simple: find him, seduce him, and get him away from Bianca. Previously, my only issue with Bianca was that her bastard son was making Matteo stray. Now, after all the embarrassment she had caused me and the money I had
TORIA’S POVI had known I was irresistible, but the speed at which the men I sent to scout came back to tell me my mystery man himself had decided to schedule a date to meet me had me going back to my mirror and grinning.Only five hours had passed since I charged them with the mission, and the man had already felt intrigued. Perhaps he had been protecting Bianca all the time because he wanted to get my attention.Well, he had it. When I first saw that he wanted to see me so quickly, I had to hide my face in my pillow like a dainty schoolgirl. I had only seen his eyes and heard his voice that day, but those looked and sounded so lovely that I was sure my eyes were in for a treat the next day.Blatantly ignoring my husband, I sashayed from my temporary bedroom to our shared bedroom where most of my closet lay. He was also trying and failing to ignore me; I could see it through my peripherals.All men were the same. He hadn’t cared at all when he was looking for a bastard child he didn’
GIOVANNI’S POVI had to admit, I was expecting some resistance, maybe even fear, as I stared across at the woman before me in the near-empty restaurant. I did not expect her to volunteer information and act coquettish.The more she spoke about Matteo’s current situation, the more she smiled and leaned in closer, forcing me to continuously swallow my disgust. Frankly, I didn’t care about the manner in which she conducted her business; all I knew was that I was right to come out, regardless of whatever Herman had said.The woman was so loose-lipped, she was giving me information I didn’t even ask for. Who needed to know that Matteo had an uncontrollable and automatic erection whenever he heard any word in French? Not me. But I filed that information for later. It was useless and inane, but it was also funny as hell.“So, why were you looking into me?” I asked, leaning back into the seat. I wouldn’t be opposed to coming to the restaurant another time; the chairs were comfortable, and the
GIOVANNI’S POVI sat down at the corner of the café where Darren and I usually hung out. Our arrangement grated on me every single day, causing a dull ache that was easy enough to bear but impossible to ignore, especially since he was so irregular with how he treated me. I never initiated contact, unsure about whether or not it was welcome. It wasn’t all bad, though. I loved him, and it was my fault for falling in love when we had a purely physical arrangement, so I held no resentment towards him.I just wished I could express even an inkling of what I felt for him whenever it got overwhelming. It would probably help my clingy tendencies a little bit. I couldn’t think as smoothly as I wanted right then because little Miss Demon was staring a hole into my head.Was she that desperate?“Why are you playing hard to get?” She finally had enough of me ignoring her and came to storm at my table directly. Fortunately for me, the table was hidden from the view of the sparse people in the rest
ALESSANDRO’S POV“Looks like the future’s here,” Bianca murmured in reference to what the patriarch had said before, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. Her gaze was fixed on the Dobre patriarch, whose previously smug composure now seemed on the verge of crumbling.I tilted my head slightly and slipped a hand around her to bring her closer, unable to resist. “What a shame it’s not the one they envisioned.”Darren sauntered over with a large smile on his face, and I could relate to him. He had been wanting to release the information about Matteo for such a long time, and I was certain it felt like a balm on his wearied soul to finally enact revenge against the scum.“Showtime,” he said, just loud enough for us to hear. The crowd was awash with murmurs and people whispering loudly, clearly intending to target the Dobres and make sure they heard their speculations. Lumari was confused, Samuel was furious, and Toria was trying to play the good wife. The negative energy in the room had
ALESSANDRO’S POVI leaned against the marble pillar, my fingers drumming idly on the rim of my untouched champagne glass. The evening was a disaster. Not the catastrophic, bloody kind of disaster I was used to handling, but the sort of slow-burn chaos that made me wish I’d missed the whole spectacle in the first place.And of course, it all started with Giovanni.My younger brother’s camera crew was bustling around the room, shoving microphones and lenses into the faces of people who, mere minutes ago, had been dignified power players. Now, they were giddy fans jostling for selfies and sound bites, trying to get their good sides.Larisa was hanging on to my arm for dear life like I was going to fade away into dust if she didn’t, and irritation clawed up my throat. If Bianca had been beside me instead of this bitch, I would have been able to enjoy the look on the Dobre patriarch’s face as his revered gala became a celebrity meet-and-greet. I only had to wait a little; she was in the ro
LIMARI’S POVThe conversation had become a tangled mess of pleasantries, small talk, and carefully crafted smiles. It was all just so… predictable. I could feel the eyes on me, but not in the way I wanted. Tonight was supposed to be mine—mine to shine, mine to be the center of attention. I had worked hard for this, after all. I was the newest Dobre, the woman Samuel had chosen, the one who would help bring the family into the new age. I wasn’t just attending this gala; I was the gala.And yet, despite everything, my heart still thudded uneasily in my chest. The sensation wasn’t from Samuel, who stood tall beside me, a constant presence as calm as ever. No, the feeling came from Ricardo, Ricardo of all people, who, of course, had shown up looking effortlessly handsome, as though he hadn’t even tried. And, worse yet, he was with… her.Linda Collins.She stood beside him, the actress and writer who had quietly slipped into the crowd as though she owned it. People had already begun to rec
LUMARI’S POVI leaned in slightly toward Samuel, keeping my voice casual. “I’m going to have a word with my sister-in-law,” I murmured, referring to Larisa.I didn’t wait for his response, knowing he’d be fine with whatever I chose to do. I turned toward the four people—Ricardo, his new companion, Larisa, and Alessandro—and made my way over, every step calculated to project confidence.As I approached, Larisa’s eyes immediately locked onto me, a flicker of something unreadable passing through her gaze. She was always so composed, so perfect, the princess of the Dobre family. She had the bloodline, the power. There was no sarcasm here, no sharp words from me. No, tonight, I needed to tread carefully.“Lumari,” she greeted, her smile bright and almost affectionate. “How wonderful to see you. I’m so glad you could join us tonight.”I returned her smile, though it felt a little strained. “Of course, Larisa. How could I miss it? It’s such an important night for the family.”We exchanged pl
LUMARI’S POVThe grand ballroom of the Dobre quarterly gala shimmered with the quiet elegance that only the highest branches of society could orchestrate. Chandeliers hung like jewels in the night, their soft light spilling over the polished floors, the delicate lace of crystal illuminating every corner of the room.The air was thick with the scent of expensive perfumes, finely aged wine, and the muted hum of polite conversation between rich people.I stood at the entrance, making sure my presence was nothing short of commanding. I wasn’t just attending this time; I was the event, the brand new wife of the Dobres that would be showcased.The crowd seemed to part as I moved through it, their eyes drawn to me like moths to a flame. My emerald silk dress clung to my curves, cascading to the floor in an elegant pool behind me. The color was chosen not only for its beauty but for the power it projected. Samuel had made sure to choose it for me himself.A life with Ricardo could have never
THIRD PERSON’S POVThe tension in the room was palpable as Ricardo took his place at the helm of the dining table, his calm yet commanding presence silencing even Giovanni’s sarcastic mutterings. Linda leaned back in her chair, watching with barely contained amusement as the group settled into something resembling order.They were at his villa, only because most of the sensitive plans were in his study and would be dangerous to transport from place to place so casually.Bianca had immediately felt at home, claiming the color scheme made her calm. Ricardo suspected that all was not normal with Bianca. She was looking a bit more round than she did last week, and she was as sporadic as she was moody, but what did he know? He only had sharp eyes; he couldn’t really interpret what it meant.His voice, low and steady, cut through the room. “I have already started dismantling the Dobres’ foundation. Their partners are suffocating under the pressure I’ve applied—financial audits, legal threat
THIRD PERSON POVRicardo’s breath was ragged as he carried her from the wall to the bed. Her legs wrapped tighter around his waist, her hands threading into his hair as their lips clashed again—fiery and insistent.“Was this…” she managed to gasp, her voice a mix of amusement and desire. “The grand tour you had in mind?”Ricardo growled low in his throat, the sound vibrating against her lips as he lowered her onto the bed with a control that belied the hunger in his eyes. He loomed over her, his weight pinning her, his lips moving to her neck.“Keep talking, Linda,” he rasped, his voice dark, rough, and tantalizingly close to a threat. “Let’s see how long you keep that sharp tongue of yours.”Her soft laugh turned into a breathless sigh as his hands roamed her body, his touch firm and possessive. He pulled her closer, his fingers tracing the curve of her waist—like he needed to feel every inch of her.“I’m not scared of you, Moretti,” she whispered, her hands tugging at his shirt, exp
THIRD PERSON POVBianca leaned against the kitchen counter, her fingers nervously tracing the rim of her coffee cup. The late evening light cast a warm glow across the room, but her mind was elsewhere, on the entirely self-inflicted predicament she’d thrown Linda into.“Do you think I made a mistake?” she asked, glancing over at Alessandro, who was sitting at the kitchen table, meticulously slicing a pear for Luca, who was arguing with Lazarro about how ‘rocking’ green bikes were compared to blue. A perfectly lovely day, save for the fact that she had pushed her best friend into going on a fake date, twice.He raised an eyebrow, not looking up from his task. “Depends. What mistake are we talking about today?”Bianca huffed. “You know. Pushing Linda into those dates with Ricardo. She barely agreed to it, and he’s…” She gestured vaguely as if the act of describing Ricardo required divine assistance. “He’s Ricardo. What if I shoved her into a lion’s den? What if he devours her?”Alessand
THIRD PERSON’S POVRicardo was annoyed, but he was used to dealing with situations like these. This was Claire Davenport, the woman who had reportedly sent the members of Livodi after Linda. He had asked Edward, one of his informants, to make sure that she wouldn’t be able to harm Linda or anyone associated with her anymore. How had he not realized that it meant Claire should disappear?“At least I’m not dating a gigolo!” Claire exclaimed, angry and embarrassed. She had purposely gone to seduce Kalam, the mob boss of Livodi, just so she could have the upper hand over Linda for once and end their rivalry with finality. He was ugly and rough, but she would do anything to own the kind of power Livodi had. Kalam had assured her that he would take care of Linda for her, so why was she still alive and going on a date with someone so handsome?“Gigolo? Your informants need to get another job. They’re terrible at the one they currently have,” Linda sneered, turning to face Claire fully. Befor