LINDA’S POVThe jeep ride to my doom felt longer than it should have. My wrists were bound so tightly that my fingers were going numb, and every pothole on the road seemed to be designed to jar me alone.They had pulled out tight ropes from the backseat and wrapped me like a criminal on trial for the murder of children the moment they tossed me inside. My heart was pumping blood in overdrive, and I would be collapsing from a heart attack sooner than I could be threatened if they didn’t hurry up.Blondie sat still, silent and relaxed, as if transporting bound captives to their mob boss was his version of a relaxing drive. Then again, he was probably used to this kind of thing.Meanwhile, Yuri, the human equivalent of a sledgehammer, sat beside me calmly, his lips twitching upward like he was daring me to try something stupid. I wasn’t dumb enough to. Not because I didn’t want to escape, but because the odds of me headbutting my way to freedom were slim. His skull looked like it could c
LINDA’S POV“You know me?” I asked. I could only hope whoever had hired them hadn’t asked them to kill me. There was no way I could escape from the warehouse alive as it was.“Stop talking to the boss directly!” one of the men behind him growled at me, loudly. My ringing ears chose to pick up on that sound directly, and it reverberated in my skull. It wasn’t my fault! How was I supposed to know mafioso etiquette? Perhaps that was what Yuri had been trying to achieve by hitting me so hard.“Oh no, the woman that paid for her life is a rather dear friend to the big boss. That makes Miss Collins a good friend too,” the boss said, his tone very polite and light, like he was simply making observations on a golf course.So the person after me was a woman. Well, that certainly narrowed the list down to one person. I never liked to make enemies of women—not when hot-tempered, irritating men were right there. Unfortunately, there was one woman who had succeeded in being my mortal enemy, engagi
LINDA’S POVThe figure stepped fully into the dim light, his white shirt immaculate despite the dusty, grimy warehouse. How had he kept a white shirt inconspicuous? His hair was dark, roughed up in a way that made him look like a vampire that had just risen from his coffin, and his sharp jawline was set with an almost casual disdain. His eyes swept over the room, taking in the cowering men, the scattered weapons, and finally, me.It was Ricardo.I didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified. Sure, he wasn’t here to tear me limb from limb—probably—but the terror he had already wracked on my soul didn’t really inspire comfort. And now, here he was, sauntering in like the king of hell had just taken a leisurely stroll into my own personal disaster.I could only hope he still didn’t want me dead because his menacing aura was crushing me, and I was sure I couldn’t take him even in a fair fight naturally, not to talk of when he was exuding this kind of presence.“Dante,” the Boss stamme
LUMARI’S POVIt was another annoying day, waking up to the cries of my one-year-old and the babbling of his older sister. I didn’t deserve to live like this. This hadn’t been what I agreed to when I propositioned Ricardo.He was a Moretti, someone part of a very important family in Italy. I was born and bred in Romania, but their influence spread so far that my family knew of them. I had latched onto him quickly before any other woman would get the chance to. It was my one-way ticket to living the life I deserved.Unfortunately, he was a baffling man, and he dropped his family name not long after we got married. I had tried my best not to feel offended. Perhaps he was testing me. That was what I kept thinking until the first year passed, and he was still bearing his own name. He was also unbelievably underwhelming. Our house was average and nothing remarkable, our cars were regular cars, and yet I knew his younger brothers rode in sportscars every day.That said, I couldn’t fully take
LUMARI’S POV “So, have you heard from your runaway husband recently?” Samuel said, dipping his food into his mouth elegantly. I had to watch several YouTube videos to learn how to monitor how I ate. Ricardo ate differently. It was clear that he still held those rigid eating principles, but he did it nonchalantly like he was above watching his every move. “He didn’t ‘run away.’ He went to get your sister married to his brother,” I teased back. I wondered why the princess of the Dobre family wanted to be with Alessandro so much. She was the daughter of the biggest oil conglomerate in Romania. She could have anybody she wanted. Why she was obsessed with a Moretti all the way in Italy was beyond my comprehension. “And how’s that working out?” He got slightly serious. They really valued the feelings of their ice princess. “I wonder why you married someone so… incompetent.” “I wonder too,” I facepalmed. I had no illusions about Samuel. I knew he was nothing but a spoiled brat without h
LINDA’S POV“I don’t have any affinity for trouble!” I argued. I was a peaceful woman, and everything just seemed to happen to me instead. When I got to New York, I would end Claire. It was more than just a petty rivalry. If Ricardo hadn’t busted in to save my ass, I would have been chilling with my great-grandparents in the great beyond.“I’ve been watching from the interstate,” he deadpanned. Blondie squinted and mirrored him. So now I had two men calling my bullshit. The me at the interstate was absolutely different from me now.“That was self-defense,” I said in a small voice, purposefully directing my gaze at Blondie so whatever I was currently feeling about a certain someone would die a death as quickly as it deserved.Ricardo huffed again, and I wasn’t sure whether it was a scoff or a laugh, so I looked at him. He was already looking away, his eyes on the mafia boss still trying to wake his men. I had to say, he was very loyal. He looked like he was three seconds away from fain
THIRD PERSON POV Bianca descended the stairs, ready to start her day. She had been feeling strangely uncomfortable and scared, so she went down in hopes that a walk through the gardens would help her feel better. Meeting her almost brother-in-law, Ricardo, sitting like a vampire on the couch was not what she had expected at all, as evidenced by the way she jolted and fell back when she caught sight of him. He raised his eyes to her as she caught herself, and she pretended he wasn’t currently exuding terrifying vibes. “Good morning,” he said. Bianca scrunched up her nose. His voice wasn’t soft now; it was deep, like when Alessandro just woke up. Did he just wake up too? Although, judging by the calm way he was sitting, Bianca determined he had been sitting in wait for her all morning. The uncomfortable feeling she had been experiencing was now explained. “...Morning. Do you… Can I help you?” she asked, unsure what to do. On one hand, she was still cross at him for all he had done
THIRD PERSON POVThe room was heavy with silence after Ricardo’s confession—a suffocating kind of quiet that pressed down on all of them. Alessandro and Giovanni were still standing by the coffee table, the folder open between them, its contents like a slow-burning fire. The photos, the reports, and the meticulously detailed evidence of what their parents had done, and what Ricardo had endured, spoke volumes.Neither of them could look at him right away. They were too busy trying to process what they had just learned. Their suspicions about their parents had been brewing for years, but this… this was beyond anything they could have imagined.Ricardo sat stiffly, his hands clasped tightly in his lap, his expression carefully blank. Inside, though, he was bracing himself for the inevitable. They would hate him now, just as he had always feared—not for what he had done, but for who he was; for how cold-blooded he had been as a child, following orders without question, and for the years o
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