GIOVANNI’S POVI let out a long, exhausted sigh. I needed a three-hour soak in the bathtub after what I had just witnessed. Sure, the information I gained was valuable, but in light of the consequences, it almost wasn’t worth searing it into my brain forever.I quickly checked the recording on his phone. Yep, it caught everything; The gross noises, Toria’s weird power trip, and the allusion to ruining Bianca. I wondered why they hadn’t suspected him all this time. He worked in a shady, dark environment with barely any open windows, and no one seemed to think about mentioning him. He was utterly suspicious, and I needed to educate Bianca on environmental safety if he didn’t even cross her mind as the mole.The decrypted call would be listened to by all of us at once. I wanted the element of shock, too. In fact, I deserved it after all I went through.The elevator dinged, and I stepped out, feeling a slight fear and trepidation. What if my brother found out I technically disobeyed Bianc
GIOVANNI’S POV“He was our first official hired designer, and he’s been with us from the start,” Darren said, crossing his legs and leaning back in his seat regally.I rested my chin on my hand, contemplating. It was no wonder they hadn’t suspected him; it was almost inconceivable to think that someone they had worked with for so long was the one betraying them.“But why is his office super far away?” I asked, leaning forward involuntarily, unable to resist the opportunity to stare at Darren from a closer position. He seemed to notice and cruelly shifted further into his desk, obstructing my view with a vindictive look on his face. The audacity of the scoundrel.“Because he requested it. He doesn’t like publicity. But how and why was he moaning and talking dirty in your general vicinity?” He diverted, raising the most judgmental eyebrow I had ever seen. Even my brothers couldn't rival this. The look on his face told me that I would be forsaking the “benefits” part of our arrangement i
GIOVANNI’S POVAfter listening to the call in its entirety, we decided to decrypt everything else. Ethan had a wife at home, a wife who loved him; her tone and the things she said made it clear she cared about him. He had dismissed her; clearly, his infatuation lay somewhere else—with Toria.That realization only made Bianca angrier with him, and I could understand why. She was a victim of a cheating husband too, but I thought her situation was much better. At least Toria wasn’t married to another man then.I enjoyed debating how to handle the situation with Bianca and Darren. They were intellectuals, everyone knew it, but the way they decided to begin the conversation further proved their intellectual acumen.“Bring him up; let him stay in your office,” I said, leaning back in my chair. They had dropped important points, and I tallied them all together to make a plan. Bianca snarled in disgust.“And why would I do that? I’m better off not seeing him. If I do, I could strangle him,” s
GIOVANNI’S POVI woke up, not because I wanted to, but because I sensed a presence in my room. Before opening my eyes, I narrowed down who it could be. It couldn’t be someone malicious, as the security in the villa was tighter than that of the American White House.Darren had thrown himself into work since the week before, and I only saw him whenever I took it upon myself to deliver him coffee. Ever since we had discovered Ethan was the mole, he and Bianca had doubled down on their work to produce both the real and the fake designs for the lines they’d be releasing very soon, so it couldn’t be him. Besides, there was no time Darren had ever actually stayed the night in my bed.It couldn’t be Alessandro; I knew my brother’s presence and aura like the back of my hand. In fact, I knew both of my brothers’ auras really well, which narrowed the suspect down perfectly in my head.I pretended to stay asleep, letting the person creep closer. The moment he was within reaching distance, I pounc
ALESSANDRO’S POVSilence descended when Lazarro and Giovanni noisily left. I was alone with my big brother now. We had always had a peculiar relationship. He was the man I respected the most in the whole world, yet I still held some sort of resentment for him. Ricardo had always seemed like someone from another world, as though the problems plaguing our hearts were nothing more than pointless drivel to him. He kept to himself when we were children, sometimes making me doubt he was even my brother.I had been a lonely child; our parents had deemed me mature enough to take care of myself at a terribly young age, and Ricardo had paid the family no attention at all, preferring to go through life as though he fell from heaven all alone. If Giovanni had not forced his way into my heart, I might have grown up to be an emotionless shell of a man.We had all grown up in this villa, although Ricardo’s presence was hardly felt. In my old room, under the new layer of paint, there were childish s
ALESSANDRO’S POV“That is the only daughter of our close family friends! How dare you address her like that?” His voice rumbled like distant thunder, the disappointment on his face more apparent now. What did he expect? This was real life, not a cringy romance novel. I wasn’t going to fall in love with a fucking staff member, even if I didn’t have Bianca.“Family friends? I’m the head of my family. I’m not friends with any Dobres,” I cocked my head, daring him to refute. He sighed and shook his head. This was possibly the reason I respected him so much. Anger was always so far from him; it was like he held a tight rein on all his emotions, only showing his cards when he felt the time was right.“No matter. I heard the woman you’re after is a nameless single mother embroiled in a scandal with Matteo Ricci, the child’s father. I had expected that you had better judgment than that,” he said. There was so much to unpack in those statements, and I was certain I would end up in a fistfight
GIOVANNI’S POVI rubbed at my eye lazily, glancing at my brother, whose jaw was opened so wide I feared he had been possessed by a cobra. A superior sense of satisfaction settled over me. He had sworn up and down that I couldn’t tire him out, yet here he was, yawning into a cup of whatever sugary nonsense he had ordered.The setting sun hit my car at the perfect angle to emphasize the light-activated paint job I had customized on it. Lazarro had so far been the only person not to seem outright scared of my driving. In fact, he seemed to encourage close calls with other innocent vehicles on the road, which was mildly disconcerting.“We’re heading home after this, right?” he yawned again, logically wide enough to dislocate his jaw. I smoothed my fingers over the tablecloth. The intricate lace designs moved under my hand like silk.“It’s barely even five-thirty,” I snorted. Mocking him felt great because of how confident he had been. One should not act high and mighty against their older
ALESSANDRO’S POVBy the time the day finally dragged itself toward evening, the heat from my argument with Ricardo still clung to me. I had left him behind at the villa, his words echoing in the back of my mind like a bad taste I couldn’t wash out.The drive back into the city had been long as I realized that Bianca was now exceptionally busy with her company, so I had made several stops instead, buying things for everyone I could immediately think of. Leo had left Italy three days ago with Charlie in tow, and I couldn’t bother them on what seemed to be their…dating honeymoon.Anyway, as it got closer to the time Bianca would be home, I began to drive to her house, the sun dipping lower with each passing minute, casting a warm orange glow across the horizon. As the evening settled in, the streets grew quieter, and with them, my thoughts began to settle too. The sharp tension and dull droning sensation in my head from talking to my brother and the mindless shopping cleared up, and reli
To all the incredible readers who have joined me on this journey, thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of this adventure. Your unwavering support, love, and enthusiasm have made every word worth writing, and I can’t express how grateful I am for each one of you who picked up EX-WIFE REVENGE: HE WANTS ME BACK! and followed along as the story unfolded. When I first began writing this story, I never imagined how deeply it would resonate with so many of you. EX-WIFE REVENGE: HE WANTS ME BACK! was born from the themes of love, betrayal, growth, and healing. It became a journey of rediscovering one’s worth after heartbreak, and how, sometimes, the greatest revenge is simply living life on your terms, stronger than before. I’ll forever have a soft spot for Bianca, Alessandro, Richardo, and, of course, Luca, my baby, whose strength, vulnerability, and complexities grew with every page. And, of course, I didn’t forget my two gays—Darren and Giovanni. Gosh, I love them! Ever
RICARDO’S POVThe man I was a year ago would probably hate me now—or at least laugh at how far I’d fallen.Standing in the warm kitchen of the villa, with the scent of fresh herbs and garlic wafting through the air, I stirred the pot of sauce absentmindedly. Linda was sitting at the island, flipping through some magazines and occasionally humming to herself. She looked up every now and then to check on me, smile always at the ready.“I still can’t believe you cook,” Linda said, her voice lilting with playful disbelief as she rested her chin on her palm. She sat at the island like it was her throne, watching me work.“You’ve known for months,” I replied without looking up, though I couldn’t stop the slight twitch of a smile tugging at my lips.“Knowing and believing are two different things,” she said dramatically as if the mere thought of me wielding a spatula were too much to process. “I mean, come on. You, Ricardo Moretti, slayer of gangsters, protector of secrets, simmering marinar
THIRD PERSON POVLinda stared at the bouquet in her hands, utterly baffled. Roses, hydrangeas, and something that looked suspiciously like a baby's breath. It was the kind of bouquet people bought when they were trying to make a statement. The most ridiculous part was that her fans hadn’t been the ones to send it to her.She glanced up at him, her brooding, possibly homicidal boyfriend — he had become less homicidal, she had to give that to him — standing there like he hadn’t just handed her the boldest floral arrangement she’d ever seen.“You bought me flowers?” she asked, her voice laced with disbelief.His sharp, dark eyes flicked to her, then away, as though he were scanning the room for an escape route. His usual cool, unshakable demeanor had cracked just enough to reveal the faintest hint of discomfort. “Yes.”Linda squinted at him, holding the bouquet to her chest like he might snatch it away. “Are you dying?”“No.”“Did you do something terrible and now you’re trying to soften
RICARDO’S POVThe soft hum of the phone ringing cut through the tension in the air. I was elbow-deep in chaos, surrounded by the thick stench of gunpowder and the distant, muffled screams of men who were just realizing that their time was up.My team and I had spent the last few hours cleaning up the mess of corrupt gangsters who thought they could cross me. The usual mix of quick punches, fast moves, and lethal precision had done the job, but as always, it was the aftermath that lingered.I swiped my phone from the back pocket of my jeans, not even checking the ID. The ringtone was familiar enough; she had forced Rises the Moon on me herself, so I knew who it was. My lips involuntarily quirked as I lifted the phone to my ear.“Go for Ricardo,” I said coolly, stepping over the body of a man who’d decided to fight rather than run. “What’s up?”“Hey, you!” Her voice came through the phone, a little cracked but still unmistakable; the reception in the shitty warehouse couldn’t keep me fr
BIANCA’S POVI adjusted my blazer, glancing at Darren with a calm expression as we approached the visitor’s room. I’d been prepared for this moment, mentally rehearsing every word I’d say, ever since the beautiful day of his and the Dobres' downfall. Darren walked beside me – sauntered really – with the countenance of someone ready to kill a man. I would have liked to complain, but his protective presence was a comforting reminder that I wasn’t facing this alone.When we entered, Matteo was already there, sitting stiffly in one of the chairs. His once-pristine suit looked worn, almost threadbare, and there was a shadow of desperation in his eyes that hadn’t been there when he was the man I’d once known. The air of arrogance he used to carry was gone, replaced by something much smaller, much weaker.“Matteo,” I greeted evenly, my voice giving away nothing. I didn’t sit; he wasn’t worthy of being in a room where I was also seated in. Instead, I stood tall, my gaze unwavering as I let hi
BIANCA’S POV Three months later, I was halfway through drafting an email when the door to my office cracked open. “Mommy, can I come in?” Luca’s voice rang out, all sweetness and patience that I knew wouldn’t last long. I looked up from my desk to see my six-year-old poking his head around the door, his brown curls slightly mussed from running around. Behind him, Alessandro leaned casually against the doorframe, his usual composed demeanor tempered by the amused smile playing at his lips. “Are you alone?” I teased, arching a brow. “Or are you bringing trouble with you?” Luca giggled and stepped in, revealing Lazarro trailing behind him. The ten-year-old was holding a bag that looked suspiciously like it contained illegal items, but he was a ten-year-old, how much trouble could he bring along? “Trouble is relative,” Alessandro quipped, stepping into the room and pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “And you’re the king of it,” I shot back with a smirk. Luca climbed onto my lap
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