Alessandro' POVIn a day’s time, I sat on a hired private jet going to Costa Rica for my first assignment for the famiglia. I sat opposite my father, starring at him while he was taking a nap. I looked at him, a fresh wave of hate brewing inside me, and I wished I could pull out the knife in my pocket and stab him. I had spent my hours before the flight looking into Amelia.My guess had been right. He had blackmailed Amelia into marrying him. Finding Amelia’s father was easy, and looking into his life was not hard. He was a regular at The Rush, blowing off money on the gambling tables. That had given me a hint of what might have happened. Accessing my father’s books was easy. I would not have trusted his accountant if I were him. He knew nothing about protecting data. I did not break any sweat to hack into his GammaStack and access the bank accounts. Sure enough, Amelia’s father had borrowed money from my father and failed to pay it back. The debt was all of a sudden written off a few
Amelia's POVSalvatore was away for a few days, and for a while I could breathe. I was sleeping without worrying that he was going to walk into my room and have his way with me. I had been following his orders like a well-trained soldier, just as his expected from me. And though he had refused to change his mind about letting me see Ben, he had given me the freedom to go out without a bodyguard. That was if I was not going somewhere close, within a given parameter. So just to get away from my prison, I had become a regular at the library a few miles away from my prison. Before I was trapped in Salvatore’s world, I never liked reading. But now it was my to-go hobby. It was my way of escaping my reality. Every time I picked a book, I would trap myself in the world of fantasy. and for a moment, everything would be alright.So I had spent the previous night doing my second favorite hobby, which was baking. I baked a dozen blueberry muffins, which I had taken with me to the library. I plann
Amelia's POVI had not realized how much time had passed while I was at the library. When I got home, it was already getting dark and I almost missed my curfew time. The thought sent a small wave of panic through me but Salvatore was not home and needed not to worry much.“Mrs Conti,” Brianna, one of the staff members, greeted me as I was about to go upstairs to my room.“Hi, Brie,” I said, turning to face.“I am good, ma'am; how are you?”“I am good.”She was the nicest of Salvatore’s staff members, and maybe in a different setup, she would have made a great friend. But I knew none of Salvatore’s staff would ever be my friends. I could never trust any of them.“Dinner is going to be served in thirty minutes time,” she told me. “Mr. Conti will be joining you,” she then added.My heart dropped into my stomach, and my back stiffened at the mention of his name. I felt like the world was shutting down on me, and immediately, I braced myself for the worst outcome.“Salvatore is back?” I ec
When Salvatore returned home three days after Alessandro and I had shared a dinner that led us to forging a relationship of some sort, he appeared to be on top of the world. He even had a bounce to his step when he walked through the door of his mansion and had a huge grin that was perpetually plastered on his face. His mood was completely out of the ordinary; even the way he touched me was gentle and foreign. I had no doubt that whatever it is that he had kept him away from home for past days had been successful, and that is why he looked so elated.“I have got good news to share with you,” he announced cheerfully as I welcomed him in, like the dutiful wife that I was. Even though I was fantasizing about driving my fist on to his grin and knocking out a couple of his pearly stoles bought while teeth, I forced a smile on my face and pretend I was interested in his business dealings and the news he had for me.He had his arms wrapped around my waist, and for me to keep the loving wife
We were going to a club, so I needed not to be Salvatore’s elegant and glamorous wife, but I still needed to keep it classy. I picked a mini black dress, hitting just above the knee and clinging to my body. The V-neck dipped enough to show a hint of my breast, and the fabric felt soft against my skin. I took a look at myself in the full-length mirror, making sure every bruise I had was hidden well before I slipped on my Valentino high heels and put on my diamond earrings. My makeup was done, and I was ready to go.“You look beautiful, Cara,” Salvatore commented, his eyes showing much appreciation.“Thank you,” I said with a smile on my face.Salvatore was in a good mood, and I had thought if I played my cards right, I could talk him into letting me see Ben; hence, I was acting overly nice. He took my hand and led me to the car, and the driver drove us to The Blackdoor. We walked in, Salvatore’s hand wrapped around my waist. The place was already packed, and soft music played from the
Amelia's POVMy night went from one hundred to zero in a matter of seconds. I was high on the adrenaline, and my mind was still occupied with the moment Alessandro and I had shared back in the pool room. I knew I was supposed to avoid Alessandro; otherwise, the spark I had felt between us was going to explode. I went to look for Salvatore in the VVIP lounge, and my heart dropped in my stomach the moment I walked in, and I immediately regretted my decision. My eyes landed on Giuseppe. I stopped in my tracks and stared. His own gaze had moved to me, and that creepy, familiar smile appeared on his face.“Mrs. Conti,” his gruff voice sounded through the room, and all I wanted to do was run to the opposite side of the building as far away from him as possible.“Amelia,” Salvatore interrupted my thought, and I had to force a smile as I turned my gaze to him. “You are back. Come over here,” he ordered.I looked around the room, and besides Salvatore and Giuseppe, there were two other men, the
Alessandro's POVI had known my father was back when he blew my phone with calls. I had ignored him, and he had settled for leaving a message inviting me to go out with him to celebrate my victory. Apparently he had talked to Giovanni, the head of La Bandoni Famiglia and he had allowed me to take the oath on the next initiation night. Well, that meant I needed not to do the famiglia’s dirty job like threatening and roughening up the drug addicts who owed the famiglia or, even worse, kill someone. I thought it was in my best interest to join him. Even though I planned to lay low, I needed to blend in with other members of the family. Going to The Blackdoor was actually a good start.I got there before my father, and I had felt out of place until Matteo and Marco had joined in. They were the only people who I would have considered to be my friends back then before I left for London. They were now both covered in tattoos with different designs, which shows how deeply rooted they were in t
Amelia's POV When I woke up the following day, memories from the previous night flooded my thoughts. Giuseppe's dirty touches, how he had made me bend to his wishes and how he had taken me so hard despite me being dry. The friction was so bad, and I could still feel the soreness in my vagina, and it was not the good one. At least Salvatore was caring enough to use lube; Giuseppe, on the other hand…well he wasGiuseppe's train of horrible memories halted as someone else came into my mind.Alessandro.For a moment, I thought it was just in my head, but a sniff into my pillow told me it was not. His citrus scent flooded my nose, and I knew he had been there with me in my bed. He had been the one to take care of me.The thought of him chased the horrible thoughts away and I hugged my pillow and closed my eyes to take a better sniff of him.That gave me relief and comfort. I wondered how it would have felt if he had yielded to my pleas and kissed me. Touch me.I had seen the need in his e
Amelia's POVWe stopped by his apartment, and he went up on his own and came back a few minutes later with a bag. We also switched cars, and he hit the road again. He was going even faster now, and I was starting to feel nauseated, but knowing the danger we were in, I could not complain. He drove for hours, and I ended up sleeping in my seat. “Amie?” I had his voice, and I blinked my eyes, waking up. “We need to get off here,” he said, and I slowly sat up straight. I glanced at the area, and we were at a train station.“Where are we?” I asked.“Nashville,” he answered, and I nodded. He had been driving fast, but I was still shocked he had gone that far.“Come on, our train will be leaving in a few minutes,” he said, and I nodded.We both stepped out. He carried the bag of his back and carried a sleeping Ben in his arms, and we got into the train.“There are CCTVs here,” I pointed out to him.“I know,” he answered, holding my head and leading the way“Then why are we here? Salvatore
Amelia's POV A click sound and a flush interrupted my moan, and my eyes flew open. And there, Enzo stood on the door to my bathroom, his phone flashing on us.I froze.“Fuck,” Alessandro cursed as he let go of me. My legs had been jelly, and his support had been the one holding me steady, so I fell over. I was no different from a dead man. Salvatore was going to kill us. He was going to kill my brother. I was going to be the reason why little Ben was going to end up dead. My body started to sweat all over, and I was shaking.My thoughts were interrupted by a thud sound coming from my room. Wondering what it was, I got up and rushed out. Enzo and Alessandro were fighting. There were throwing punches at each other and strangling each other. Alessandro was giving in his all, but Enzo was used to fighting. Fighting was practically his job, while Alessandro did everything in his power to avoid it. So Enzo had the upper hand. I stood there watching helplessly, mumbling what must have bee
Amelia's POVTwo weeks laterIt was Lily and Alessandro's engagement party. One that I had the torture to help planning. It was like Lily wanted to rub it in my face and drive it right into my head that she was the one marrying him. She was calling me every other time, disturbing my peace, asking me to make impossible changes to the initially planned stuff, asking me if I was anywhere near her fiancé since he was not answering his phone, checking up on me, and every annoying reason you could think of.I could not wait to see who was going to have the last laugh.I watched her, holding on to Alessandro like her life depended on it. They stood in the spotlight of the room, and people were congratulating them. Lily had a perpetual smile on her face, while Alessandro looked like he wanted to be somewhere else. His gaze caught mine amongst the crowd, and I winked at him, and I licked my red-colored lips and bit on it. His jaw twitched, and I knew I had him right where I wanted him. It was
Alessandro's POV Amelia had not outright turned down my idea. She had not jumped at the idea either. That did not surprise me. She was smart and knew the dangers of running away from the mafia. “Think about it,” I had told her, and she nodded. I had walked out of her room, and all day I had been hoping and praying she was going to decide to take the risk and run away with me. When my phone dinged, making that sound that let me know she had texted on our app, my heart almost jumped to my throat. I opened my phone and the text read,Let us do it.Fuck! She had agreed to this craziness. My heart did a flip-flop. She loved me enough to risk it all just to be with me. I wanted to hug her and keep her in my arms. I checked the time; it was 3 p.m. My father was not going to be back home in at least four hours. Alberto liked me well enough to let me knock off early. “Al,” I said, getting in his office.“Alessandro, what can I help you with?”“I need to check on a few things for my place,”
Amelia's POVLet's run.The words kept on repeating in my head over and over again. He loved me. He was ready to risk it all to be with me. I wanted to be with him, but running away was too much of a big risk. One that would end up with both of us dead. Not just both of us, but Ben too.“Mrs. Conti,” the girl on the reception called out, and I stood up. I did not know the girl, meaning she was new.“Dr. Miles will see you now,” she said, and I muttered a thank you and headed for the consultation room.“Amelia,” Dr. Miles said as I stepped in her space. Her voice was not if greeting but rather concern.“How did it happen? I gave you a shot a month ago,” she said, taking my hands into hers.“Ivy,” I said, calling her by her real name. “Don't worry yourself. I am not pregnant.” “You are not?” she said, her eye slitting at me.“I am not,” I confirmed. “I had some reason to.”She looked relieved, but then something crossed my mind.“So what are you going to do? He got expectations now.”“
Alessandro's POVShe broke up with. I never expected it to hurt so bad. But it did. My chest felt so tight, making it hard for me to breathe. Even my eyes stung with unshed tears as I stared at the white ceiling while sleeping in my bed.When we started, I had not exactly thought about how our relationship was going to work out or where it was heading. But one thing that was undeniable: I had fallen for her. And hard did I fall. She was all I wanted. She was the one I wanted to be with. I wanted her to be mine, and I wanted to be hers. There was only one way that could happen. That is if we were to get away and run away. But very few people had run away from the mafia. They always get caught, and there was one judgement for those who ran aw
Amelia's POV He kissed her. Not the other way around. He was the one who drew her closer to him and planted his lips on hers. Right in front of me. My heart shattered into pieces the moment his lips crushed hers. It was like a wine class hitting the floor.I had been wishing I had misinterpreted what I heard during dinner. I was in denial. There was no way my Alessandro was marrying someone else. But reality was unveiling right in front of me. He was kissing his fiance. Hot tears ran down my cheeks as I watched them until I could no longer take it anymore. It felt like someone had reached for me instead, and they were wriggling and twisting them. I turned and rushed back to my room. I threw myself on my bed and covered my whole body with the covers.How had I become so stupid? I was a total idiot to believe that he loved me. That he would stick it up with me. He probably was screwing with me as a fuck you to his father. He hated his father and probably wanted to screw him, and wha
Alessendaro’s POVI had not expected my father to act so fast. Dinner was almost over, and Amelia was long gone. I had seen the moment her heart had shattered and betrayal coursed through her. There is nothing I wanted more than to follow her upstairs, take her in my arms, and assure her it was her that I wanted, and I was going to find a way to make it work.Even with Amelia gone, Lily and her mother kept talking about engagement and wedding plans, making me groan inside. When my father and Aloisio switched to a light business talk, I have never been so excited about talking business. I jumped on the talk just to shut out the two ladies. Talking about the Russians seemed more appealing than talking about my enforced marriage.“Giovanni will be joining us soon. He had a few things he needed to check out before he joined us," my father said.My father had already told our Capo. I had little to no idea how I could get myself out of the deal my father and Aloisio had made. And if Giovanni
Amelia’s POV Salvatore’s friend, the one he had visited in Chicago, was visiting. Apparently he was bringing his wife and daughter, so as usual, I had to dress up and act the lovely wife. Not that I still hated dressing up. I kind of now loved dressing up. Not for Salvatore or his guests. But for Alessandro. I loved to draw his attention to me, serve as a distraction to everything in the room, and lure him in deeper than he already was. He loved to see me in white, looking like a perfect angel, as he claimed, and I have never worn white so much in my life.I wore yet another white dress as I greet and welcome Salvatore’s friend and his family. Aloisio looked around Salvatore’s age, while his wife, Liza, looked a few years younger than him. Their daughter Lily looked around my age, or maybe younger by a year or two.“Where is Sandro?” Lily asked, looking around.I did not like the tone and how she said Sandro. Like she knew him and he was her lover.Salvatore let out his annoying dry