Yes." The word left my lips like a death sentence. "I'll marry you." Leo's smile spread slowly across his face as victory gleamed in his eyes. "Smart choice Alessia, I've always known you're a genius.." "This last clause is non-negotiable," Leo said, pointing to a paragraph at the end. "You will act as the perfect wife in all public settings. No hints of coercion, no cries for help, no attempts to contact law enforcement." "I need to think," I said weakly. "You've done your thinking already." Leo pushed a pen into my hand. "Sign." With each signature on each page, I felt another piece of my soul chip away. Yet beneath the fear and resignation, something else burned and it was a fierce determination. ‘I'll play his game’, I thought. ‘I'll be his perfect wife and then I'll destroy him from the inside out.’ As if reading my thoughts, Leo smiled when I signed the final page. "Don't get any ideas about double-crossing me, Lessia. Smarter people than you have tried." And that was it, My fate was sealed to the most Dangerous Man in the city, will I survive this? Will I destroy and expose him without getting killed? There's only one way to find out
view moreAlessia's Pov Glass shattered somewhere in the penthouse. I flinched as Leo shoved me behind him, drawing a gun from his jacket in one fluid motion."Stay down and stay quiet," he ordered with a voice barely audible above the chaos erupting around us.A burst of gunfire sent me ducking behind a sofa. Despite everything, Leo positioned himself between me and the door, his body a human shield."Isn't this ironic?" I hissed. "Protecting the woman who just ruined you?"Leo's eyes flashed in the dim light. "You didn't ruin me, Alessia. You just complicated things." He checked his weapon with practiced ease. "And despite what you think of me, I don't let people I care about die.""Since when do you care about anyone but yourself?" The words came out more bitter than I intended.A humorless smile crossed his face. "We'll discuss my many character flaws later—if we live through this."The door to the study burst open. One of Leo's security men stumbled in, clutching his bleeding shoulder. "T
Alessia's PovI stood at the window of my new office, staring at the city below. Just yesterday, I had been planning a future as Leo Moretti's wife. Today, everything has changed as I stared at the space before me "This isn't what we agreed on," I said without turning around, feeling Leo's presence behind me."Plans change, Alessia," he replied with that infuriating calm tone that made me want to scream. "Most people would kill for this opportunity."I spun around with my eyes flashing. "Let's call it what it really is—you want me to be your spy in the International Crime Department as your insurance policy? You're fucking insane."Leo approached my desk, that half-smile playing on his lips. "I need someone I can trust in that department. They've been investigating my operations for months.""And instead of going legitimate like you promised, you're planting me as your mole?" I laughed bitterly. "I thought I was going to be planning dinner parties, not becoming an accessory to your c
The rest of dinner passed in a strained conversation. When it finally ended, I felt like I'd been holding my breath for hours."I need some air," I told Leo as the others dispersed.He hesitated. "I have some business to discuss with my father. Don't go far." I wandered until I found a stone bench near a small fountain, collapsing onto it with shaking legs. The cool night air helped clear my head as I processed everything I'd witnessed."Rough first night with the family?"I startled at the voice, turning to find a man watching me from the shadows. Tall, with sandy hair and an easy smile, he didn't look like the Costello security I'd seen earlier. He looked soft and nice. "Who are you?" I asked, still feeling tense as I didn't trust a soul to be here alone."Ryan." He stepped forward, hands in his pockets. "I work for the family. Security consultant."Something about him seemed different with the Costello operation—too casual, too approachable."I didn't know Leo allowed his staff t
Alessia's Pov The Costello estate sprawled across five acres of pristine Connecticut landscape— it was a modern fortress disguised as a luxury mansion. As the car pulled through wrought iron gates bearing the family crest, my stomach twisted into knots. "We're here, Ms. Costello," the driver announced and this is the last time anyone would call me by that name. Leo waited on the steps and changed into casual clothes that somehow made him look more dangerous—dark jeans and a black button-down with sleeves rolled to reveal muscular forearms. His smile when he saw me held genuine pleasure, as if I was arriving for a date rather than my own imprisonment. "Welcome home," he said, opening my door and offering his hand. I ignored it and climbed out on my own. "This isn't my home." "Not yet." He took my elbow anyway, guiding me inside. "But it will be." The interior was a study in old money and power—vaulted ceilings, marble floors, priceless art. A team of staff appeared, taking my b
Alessia's Pov "Yes." The word left my lips like a death sentence. "I'll marry you." Leo's smile spread slowly across his face as victory gleamed in his eyes. "Smart choice Alessia, I've always known you're a genius.." Marco thrashed against his restraints and glared at me as if I've gone mad"Alessia, no! You can't do this!" I couldn't look at him nor bear to see the disappointment in his eyes so I turned to Leo. "Let him go first, that was the deal." Leo snapped his fingers, and one of his men cut Marco's bindings. Another produced a first aid kit and roughly bandaged his thigh. "Get him out of here," Leo ordered. "Drop him at the emergency room downtown." "You can still fight this," Marco said desperately as they dragged him toward the door. "Witness protection—" "Enough." Leo's voice was ice. "She's made her choice and consider yourself lucky to be walking out of here at all." The last thing I saw was Marco's anguished face before the elevator doors closed, taking away my f
Alessia's Pov My head pounded like a bass drum when I finally came to reality. The silk sheets beneath me weren't mine, and the ceiling I stared at belonged to no room I recognized. I bolted upright and instantly regretted the sudden movement as nausea rolled through me. Memories from last night flooded back at the bar, Leo Costello, the drugged drink. My clothes had been changed; I was wearing an oversized men's shirt and nothing else. "Fuck," I whispered, scanning the room for an exit or a weapon, anything. "Good morning, detective." Leo stood in the doorway all dressed in a tailored charcoal suit, holding two cups of coffee. "Thought you might need this." I pulled the sheet up to my chin. "Where am I? What did you do to me?" "Relax." He set one cup on the nightstand beside me. "You're in my penthouse. And I didn't do anything you're imagining. My housekeeper changed you after you... got sick." "You drugged me," I accused. He shrugged with no flicker or remorse . "I needed
Alessia’s PovI never knew how quickly one's life could fall apart until mine did in the space of a few days. My mother-in-law's voice echoed through the Mansion's marble hallway, cutting the silence like a blade. "You're the reason my son is rotting in a cell! You and your stuck barren womb!"I gripped the rails of the stairs, steadying myself as I let her words sink in. Sofia had never approved of me marrying her precious Matteo. Now that her son was arrested, her claws were fully extended and ready to tear me to pieces."Mother, please—" I started."Don't 'Mother please' me!" She stalked toward me in her designer heels, each click against the floor like a countdown to detonation. "Three years of marriage and nothing to show for it. No grandchildren, and now no son! You're just here to leach everything in my son's house and spend our money!""This isn't about me not getting pregnant," my voice was barely above a whisper. "Matteo is in jail because of his own actions."My mother in
Alessia’s PovI never knew how quickly one's life could fall apart until mine did in the space of a few days. My mother-in-law's voice echoed through the Mansion's marble hallway, cutting the silence like a blade. "You're the reason my son is rotting in a cell! You and your stuck barren womb!"I gripped the rails of the stairs, steadying myself as I let her words sink in. Sofia had never approved of me marrying her precious Matteo. Now that her son was arrested, her claws were fully extended and ready to tear me to pieces."Mother, please—" I started."Don't 'Mother please' me!" She stalked toward me in her designer heels, each click against the floor like a countdown to detonation. "Three years of marriage and nothing to show for it. No grandchildren, and now no son! You're just here to leach everything in my son's house and spend our money!""This isn't about me not getting pregnant," my voice was barely above a whisper. "Matteo is in jail because of his own actions."My mother in ...
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