Marco’s POV“So, are you planning to give up?” Elena’s voice dripped with sarcasm as she followed me, suitcase in hand.“If you want to stay in France, I won’t stop you,” she teased. “After all, there are plenty of beauties here.”I wasn’t in the mood for jokes, so I ignored her comment. She sighed dramatically. “Alright, no more jokes. Are you really planning to destroy the Ito family this time?”I thought of Harper’s pale face, the worry etched on her features, and I nodded.“You guys have been too idle lately. I thought I’d give you something to do.”“Bullshit,” Elena muttered. “You think we’re not risking our lives every day?”“You think I’m not?” I shot back, my voice cold as ice.I knew how many so-called mafia bosses met their ends in gruesome ways. Even with the power I wielded, my life was constantly hanging by a thread.“Then why are you so set on bringing Harper back to your side?” Elena’s tone shifted, the playfulness vanishing as she fixed me with a serious gaze.I turned
Harper’s POV“What do you want to say?” I asked, though deep down, I had a hunch. After all, we had no personal connection, and our conversation could only be about Marco.She seemed to read my mind. “I’m not just here to talk about Marco. To be precise, I’m here to tell you something important, something you might already have started to figure out.”Images of the file I had received yesterday flashed through my mind, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “You mean that file? Was this your idea of a joke?”I didn’t truly believe any of it. To me, it seemed like Marco and his friends were just playing games, trying to mess with me.“This isn’t a joke, Harper. That file wasn’t some prank. It was sent to you by a local Yakuza organization in Japan. You’re the stepdaughter of the former boss of the Moretti family. You’re not his biological daughter, and yes, Marco is your brother, but not by blood. You met him years ago, and things didn’t go smoothly between you two. After that, Marco was sent
Harper's POVAfter a day of rest, the pain in my head had subsided quite a bit. When Joseph saw me, he couldn’t resist scolding me, “Why didn’t you call a doctor? You seriously hit your head against the wall?”He sat on the couch, pouting in frustration. I couldn’t help but crawl over and hug him, and after some playful comforting, we both calmed down.“Is your work all done?” he asked.“Yeah, I’m thinking of making some plans over the next couple of days so we can finally relax and have some fun,” I said, my mouth full of bread as I spoke, chewing between words.“Drink some water,” he said, handing me a glass, then sitting beside me. “Have you thought about your future career plans?”I shot him a look. “Why? Are you getting tired of me?”“Of course not,” he chuckled. “But if you’re not planning to pursue further studies, my mother mentioned she wants to arrange a meeting with your parents.”I nearly choked at his words. Joseph had to quickly give me water so I didn’t become the first
Harper’s POVEven though I had mentally prepared myself, seeing Marco at this event only solidified the truth of the information Elena and the documents had revealed. I felt a mix of emotions swirling inside me—confusion, disbelief, and a bit of defiance.Did he really see me as his possession? Who gave him the right to say I couldn’t get engaged?Joseph gently patted my hand, trying to soothe me. “Apologies, but we’ll be taking our leave now,” he said, guiding me past Marco. Just as we were about to walk by, Marco grabbed my wrist, his hand burning hot against my skin, making me instinctively pull away.“Are you sure you want to leave with him?” Marco’s voice was low and intense.I tried to pull my arm free, but his grip was unyielding. “Let go of me.”Joseph stepped in, helping me to break free from Marco’s grasp. The tension between the two of them was palpable. For a long moment, they stared at each other, neither willing to back down.Then Marco smiled—a cold, unsettling smile. “
Marco's POV“What exactly are you thinking right now?”“You know Harper is my wife. You saw how von’s family doesn’t respect her at all. Don’t you understand what would happen to her if she actually married into that family?”I couldn’t believe my father wasn’t aware of what was going on. He’s always cared too much about Harper, never wanting to go against her wishes, but sometimes, doing what she wants isn’t what’s best for her. His overindulgence might just end up hurting her.“I know that, Marco. But if you keep going against her will, you won’t win her love,” my father said, looking at me with an expression that made me feel like I was missing something important.Why? Why couldn’t I just take what I wanted?As I walked downstairs, I saw Harper coming up, looking down at her phone. Joseph wasn’t with her. She noticed my footsteps and glanced up at me. I couldn’t help but study her closely, realizing how much I had taken her for granted. She had always been the sweet, lively girl I
Harper’s POV“What are you freaking out about?” Marco turned around, clearly annoyed.“I said stop the car, I need to go back and find him.”Without realizing it, tears were streaming down my face. My cheeks ached from crying.Marco’s expression darkened. We stayed like that for a while, locked in silence. Finally, he cursed under his breath and ordered the driver to stop.The door swung open, and he yanked me out of the car. “Look around, it’s the middle of the night. Do you think I brought a whole team to pick you up for fun? Can you stop being so damn stubborn?”It hit me then that it was late at night. Joseph had probably sent Marco to take me away because he didn’t want to face me. That’s what Joseph meant when he talked about the future. He chose to run instead of talking things through.I swallowed back more tears as my chest tightened. I didn’t want to believe it. Just this morning, everything seemed perfect. Joseph promised we’d be together forever. How could he change his mi
Harper's POVJasmine hugged me tightly, her voice soft and comforting. “Hey, it’s okay, stop crying.”Her warm embrace, with that faint, familiar scent, only made me feel more overwhelmed. I couldn’t hold back the flood of emotions any longer. No one truly knew how much I’d been holding in, how long I’d kept these feelings bottled up.It felt like the entire world was real, but I was the only one living in some strange, fake version of it. My memories, my past, everything I thought I had was suddenly called into question, like it had all been wiped away in a second.“I want you to come back to the U.S. with me,” I blurted out, regretting it immediately. I knew Jasmine couldn’t just up and leave for America. It was a selfish, impulsive request.“Never mind. I’m going to start sending out résumés. See if I can find a job.” I grabbed my laptop and started scrolling through listings.Jasmine looked at me in surprise. “You don’t want your parents to help? I mean, your dad has enough connec
Marco's POV"Why are you back?" My father greeted me with a smile, but I could tell Harper’s mother didn’t care much for me. The moment she saw me, she turned and left."She’s just worried about Harper. Don’t take it personally," my father said, patting me on the shoulder.I pulled my gaze back and replied, "It’s fine. I made mistakes too. But I came to ask you about the business deal with Mexico."My father put down his cup, looking at me sharply. "What’s the issue? Is the deal falling apart?"“No, it’s not that. But I want to know—why did you give such an important deal to Elena?”My father coughed a bit before turning to retrieve a file from his drawer. "You think it's something dramatic, like her being my illegitimate daughter?"He chuckled dryly and handed me the file. "She’s the child of an old friend. She’s got her own revenge to seek, and all I could do was equip her with the skills. The rest is up to her."“Is her enemy connected to this deal?”Even without an answer, I knew
Lydia did not sleep comfortably. In her dream, she felt that she was being watched by eyes all the time.Whether she was walking, eating or bathing, there was a pair of eyes watching her all the time, making her feel a hint of shame. Especially when she was taking a shower, those eyes were like big hands, their gaze caressing her body to the last detail, not sparing a single skin.Lydia couldn't keep her eyes open. In her dreams, she was naked, lying on the bed, feeling the gaze of those eyes. Slowly, a man came to the bed, hugged her from behind, and then caressed her while kissing her.This feeling ......Lydia squirmed restlessly, unable to tell if she was enjoying it or resisting it, as the man's body behind her grew hotter and hotter, and she knew what would happen next ......The clips of her lovemaking with Vince kept flashing into her mind: Vince's hot breath, the p.ennis stained with her bodily fluids, the shameful lovemaking positions, the shivering p.ussy, the ambiguous moa
The smell of alcohol from the hospital, the faint scent of jasmine in the room, mixed with Vince's hot breath and Lydia's scent, everything became misty.Vince's throat twitched, and he licked his lips, which were dry from the heat, and then kissed the lips of Lydia, whom he had been longing for.Lydia squirmed at first out of unease, and slowly, as Vince kissed her deeper and deeper, her breathing became unsteady, even whimpering like a cat.The two of them kissed passionately, and Lydia put both hands on Vince's shoulders, lying softly on the bed, close to him.Vince pushed her away slightly, leaving a palm's length, and quickly stripped her of her clothes.Vince reached out and pressed the curtain button. The curtains blocked out the light, and the room was dark, with only a few small lights emitting a dim, ambiguous glow. The "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door was lit up. No one would break in, and it was their time.Vince came out of the indulgent kiss in a ragged breath, looking
Lydia's eyes moistened as she recalled the events of the past on campus.God still favored her by allowing her to meet Vince again instead of letting her marry those hypocritical and lustful rich men.Although Vince is now a bit changed, tainted with some billionaire habits, such as arrogance and dominance, but his feelings for Lydia have not changed, nor has he become the kind of womanizer who indulges in one-night stands.More importantly, Lydia has always had feelings for him as well.Never mind, as long as they can live happily together, even if their second encounter is somewhat unhappy, so what?Lydia doesn't even care about that right now, she just prays that Vince will wake up.She took Vince's hand and put his hand on her face."Vince, you're a bad man. You said you'd be safe, and you broke your word.""Vince, you need to stop sleeping. I'll forgive you for what you did before if you wake up now.""If you wake up, I promise you. I will be your girlfriend, get married to you,
With Vince's handsome appearance and intelligence, even though he hid his family background, he was a hit on campus and was often courted by girls.He never wanted to fall in love because he thought women were a pain in the ass. And his mother was too strong a person, and he had a long way to go to pass the test to inherit the family fortune. During his college years, Vince was so full of how to become a stronger man that he didn't think about falling in love.Falling in love is a very troublesome thing, like a chewing gum which is being stuck on clothes. You remember what it tastes like, but it becomes a piece of junk that sticks to you.Vince is a cool guy. How can he be trapped by such a ridiculous thing?He didn't think that he would fall for this damn couple's activity. What pisses him off even more is that he was rejected!Vince, the heir of a famous American luxury hotel, a handsome man who was in the top 10 of the nation's golden bachelors at the age of 18, was rejected by a w
Lydia stayed in the room and did nothing but clean Vince's body and speak to him.Lydia wasn't sure if Vince could hear her. She was the only one in the room except Vince, and she either read Vince some interesting news or drew some strange patterns on his face to tease him. After all, Vince is at his best now. She won't have that opportunity when he wakes up."What are we talking about today?" Lydia sat next to Vince and held his hand to reminisce, "Do you remember when we were in college and you always liked to scare me when we were walking at night. You were such a badass sometimes, hiding behind big trees on purpose, waiting until I was so scared and about to cry before you showed up, or waiting for me to scream and jump into your arms."Lydia's voice is soft. The warm spring breeze blows the clean white curtains, and her thoughts are lost in the old days.Lydia and Vince's encounter was quite dramatic. When they first started college, they were at their most rebellious. In order
Lydia boarded a private plane arranged by Cecil in the early hours of the morning and finally arrived at Vince's hospital room just as the sun was rising.At the first sight of Vince, Lydia's heart skipped a beat from worry.Vince was lying in bed. His sleeping face was like an ancient Greek sculpture through time, calm and heavy. He was wearing these light gray pajamas, his lips were white and bloodless, adding a sense of brokenness to his cold face.He had various metal sensors strapped to his hands and arms, connected to different instruments through colorful tubes.In Lydia's memory, only those who were dying in the movie were connected to so many instruments."Why is this happening?" How is Vince doing?" Lydia tried desperately to control her trembling voice and turned to ask Cecil and Ulric.Cecil's attention was still on probing Lydia. He was very curious as to what kind of woman could make Vince go against the grain and turn from a love insulator to an infatuated man.Ulric ga
On the way to the hospital, Vince went about his business as usual, and even had a phone call with Vivian to handle some US work remotely. But when arriving at the hospital, Vince's body started to heat up and his will was a little unclear."How did this happen?" Ulric stood outside the emergency room with a frown and a serious expression.Cecil, meanwhile, paced back and forth in the hallway in a hurry. "If something bad had happened to Vince, I would have killed Derrick myself!"The incident today was indeed a surprise beyond their expectations. They had thought that the worst thing that could happen was a breakdown in negotiations, not realizing that the new mafia leader had abandoned the traditions that the mafia had upheld for years and started going rogue.Early in the morning, Cecil is just out at a cafe drinking coffee and flirting with a French beauty. He is not a shareholder in the business, so he has no intention of getting involved in the affair, nor does he want to expose
A conference room with a baroque style.Thick velvet curtains blocked the light from the windows. A long table made of precious wood is in the middle of the room, and several wide and comfortable black boss chairs are placed on each side of the table.Frescoes, candelabras and other decorations make this room look even less like a modern room and more like the council chambers of aristocrats centuries ago.Soft lighting adds a touch of mystery and obscurity to the room. Two groups of senior bodyguards with sunglasses stood on either side of the room.In the middle of the room, there are some men sitting in the boss's chair with their faces hidden in the shadows of the light, making the atmosphere more elusive."I have always appreciated some of the principles of your mafia, such as keeping your promises and treating your partners well, and that is why I chose to work with you. But I don't know why you, as the new mafia leader, would break these rules. I think we need an explanation."
In the Rolls-Royce car, Lydia leaned back in her seat with her head resting on the window.The car was running smoothly, the shock absorption design made it almost impossible to feel any shaking. The street lights reflected in the car windows, flashing Lydia's face as the car moved.The colorful lights lit up Lydia's face, and then the darkness swallowed her expression again.Vince sat quietly next to her and did not disturb her.Lydia felt more comfortable than ever. Her hand still hurt from hitting Bernice's face so hard.So this is the feeling of fighting back. In the old days, grievance, sadness, and powerlessness wrapped around her like an invisible thick cloth, leaving her with a feeling of suffocation. Her parents didn't care about her, forcing her to be a woman that rich men would like: meek, obedient, and easy to control. No one told Lydia she could say no to injustice, and no one stood behind her to help her fight back against her bullies. Tolerance was her only recourse bef