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16. Dante
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
Siobhan JKQuite the family reunion we have here π
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HIS INNOCENT ADDICTIONΒ Β Β 17. Dante
She's still in bed, curled up into a ball with a hand over her stomach. Her mother shoves me aside and practically runs to her. Fuck, she's fast. I'm pretty sure I left her downstairs. Why didn't I check on her?"Mia cara, are you okay? Why didn't you call?""I'm fine mama" she grits out writhing. It's clear she's far from fine. How the fuck did her mother know she was sick?"Why were you here alone? Isn't your husband taking care of you?" She spits out throwing me a dirty look "I knew Elena was lying about everything. Get up. We're going home""Mama...""I don't want to hear it, Emilia. You can be angry at us all you want but do it from home" I think she's joking until she hauls Emiliana up. Slipping slippers on her feet, she wraps an arm around her waist and helps her up. I'm at a loss here. I don't know what's wrong or if I can fix it. But I don't want her to leave. Once she's better, her parents might secretly ship her out of the country to hide her from me. Still, if it means easi
HIS INNOCENT ADDICTIONΒ Β Β 18. Emiliana
I startle awake, realizing I fell asleep. I'm on my back and Dante is beside me, staring down at me like a creep. Why is he in bed? Didn't he say he was going to work all night? "What the fuck are you doing?" I meant for my voice to be hard but it comes out hoarse. "Watching you sleep," he says as if it's the most normal thing to say. I'm shocked he even admitted it. "Why?" "Do I need a reason?" It's the middle of the night. After dropping that bomb about his mother, I was ready to go back to my room but he wouldn't let me. Saying that we needed to show a united front and sleeping in different rooms didn't convey that. Of course, I don't give a shit about what his mother thinks so I used that chance to strike a bargain with him. I would tell him where I was but not always. Now I don't need to make up excuses whenever I meet G. He promised he won't ask any questions about my whereabouts if I didn't want to tell him. In return, I'll play the loving wife in front of his mother. Al
HIS INNOCENT ADDICTIONΒ Β Β 19. Dante
I don't fault Emiliana for thinking Leo is a retard. Thanks to our mother's coddling, he's turned into a fucking sissy. Part of the reason I had my mother move back was so I could whip him into shape. His voice grates on my nerves and I want to cut off his tongue so I never hear his voice again. How can a man be so whiny? Sal catches my gaze, his eyes moving to Emiliana and then back to me. I raise my brow in question. If he's checking her out, I'll gouge out his eyes and make him snack on them. We still haven't talked about him showing up here with my mother and brother unannounced. He should still be looking for Cecilio."Dante, did you hear what your wife said about your brother?" "Is the wound deep? I'll have Mendes come over and patch him up" "Let me see," she says pulling his shirt so he's at eye level with her. Taking the pan away from Emiliana's hand, I place it back on the sink and thread my fingers with hers. "Let's go" I murmur, pulling her out
HIS INNOCENT ADDICTIONΒ Β Β 20. Emiliana
"Get in. I'll drive you" Dante says holding the door for me. He's in another suit, which seems to be the only thing he wears, and his hair is styled perfectly. Short at the sides and longer in the middle. He looks every bit of the boss he is and he will be driving me to school today. I can't say I won't scratch anyone's eyes for looking at him. And they will look because this man turns heads wherever he goes. Could be his stupidly handsome face or the power he oozes. Either way, people look. Including me."And my bodyguards?""They'll follow us in different cars"I get in the car, not missing the way he placed his hand over my head so I wouldn't bump the hood. To my surprise, he fastens the seatbelt for me before closing the door. It feels like I'm dealing with a different person. The Dante I know is sleeping somewhere and in his place is this sweet, considerate man. He took me out on a picnic, carried all my shopping bags, and bought me dinner afterward. This might be what normal coup
HIS INNOCENT ADDICTIONΒ Β Β 21. Dante
I push myself further, ignoring my screaming muscles. Working out all the shit Emiliana fed me during the weekend. I don't remember seeing any greens in sight which is unlike me. She was right when she called me out earlier. I haven't been myself and unfortunately, she's not the only one who noticed. Sal is working out next to me and I can feel his stare every few seconds. He has a lot to say but I know if I let him open his mouth, I'll regret it. Still, he's a persistent bastard and eventually I give in. "For fuck's sake, spit it out" "You're in love with her" "Fuck off" He chuckles "I never thought I would see the day. Can't say I like it though" "Are you jealous of my wife?" "I'm jealous of you. She's hot and different from what I imagined" "If you imagined her naked, you're dead," I say getting off the treadmill. "Now that you said it..." "I will fucking end you. Don't try me" I cut him off. He's my best friend and I know he'll never make a move on my woman but we
HIS INNOCENT ADDICTIONΒ Β Β 22. Emiliana
"Tell them what you did" all eyes turn to me, waiting. I'm sitting in Dante's office at The Cloud with Rico, his best friend Salvatore, and another guy I don't know. Dante nods at me to speak. My face flushes with embarrassment. In all honesty, I thought it was a good idea at the time. I see people doing it in movies all the time so I thought why not "Speak Emiliana" "I crushed his car" "No, I want you to explain how you did it. Go ahead" "You said it didn't matter as long as I was safe. Why are you interrogating me now?" "I am one sentence away from wringing that pretty neck. Keep going" "You think my neck is pretty?" The guys snicker earning me a glare. "Emiliana!" Shit. There's no getting out of this "Fine. But if you were in my shoes, you would have done the same thing" he gets up from behind his desk but Sal throws his hand out to stop him. As if he'll do anything other than puff his chest out and yell at me. Still, I don't want to test his limits s
HIS INNOCENT ADDICTIONΒ Β Β 23. Emiliana
"You look like shit," Elena says dropping beside me. It's been a while since we hang out. Two weeks have passed since I joined killer angels and I haven't had a moment's peace. G is such a bitch. I've been sleeping with one eye open because I don't know what she'll drop on my head next. I can't eat outside in case they drug me again because I overheard a conversation that messed with my head. This girl was telling her friend how she was eating in a restaurant one time and she passed out. Next thing she knew, she'd woken up in Ibiza with no idea how she got there. All she had was the money in her wallet which was only a few dollars. No passport or phone in sight. Who the fuck does that? Apparently, the point was for her to improvise and make her way home. What the fuck kind of training is that? I didn't get to hear the rest because they caught me eavesdropping and left. Since then I've been a mess. Despite having eight bodyguards following me around, I'm still paranoid. There is no
HIS INNOCENT ADDICTIONΒ Β Β 24. Dante
Her arms tighten around me and she takes a step closer. As if she's afraid. Which is not right. Why would she be afraid when I'm right here? I would never let anyone hurt her. Myself included. There are murmurs, people wondering what is going on but in the next moment, the stage lights up. Elena steps onto the makeshift podium grinning. Emiliana sighs, her body relaxing against mine. "Sorry, couldn't let anyone steal my spotlight," Elena says making a few people chuckle. And that is quite the crowd she has gathered here. Even businessmen and socialites who have nothing to do with our world attended her party "It's my birthday. I turn twenty and I will be accepting applications for husbands. There's only one requirement" "I'm going to kill her," Emiliana says seeming to know what she's about to say. I kiss her hair, pulling her closer. "If you do not look like Dante Vernetti, walk like Dante Vernetti or have Dante Vernetti's bank account, don't bother applying" a spotlight shines o
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HIS INNOCENT ADDICTIONΒ Β Β HIS BITTER BETRAYAL (Excerpt) Angelo
"I'm the fucking boss. My word is the law now. If I decide to cancel these Sunday dinners, who has the guts to stop me?" Eugenio and Sergio glance at each other and then burst out laughing. Fuckers. They work for me now and I sign their checks but they have the nerve to laugh in my face. We'll see how much longer they'll continue doing that. Especially after I deduct their payment for being insolent little shits "While you're busy laughing, just remember that I'm the one in charge of your bank accounts" "No offense, boss but this isn't something you can decide on your own" "Why the fuck not? I hate attending these things" they're just an excuse for the elders to rip into me. They'll find the smallest faults and pretend that if they were in my position, they could have done better. Truth is, they don't know shit. They don't know what it's like to make a decision that could impact thousands of lives. When papa was still alive, I used to admire how he ran everything. He made it seem s
HIS INNOCENT ADDICTIONΒ Β Β Epilogue. Dante
"WHERE IS HE? Dante, you fucking bastard. Show your face" "She looks mad. What did you do?" Sal asks watching the feed from over my shoulder. "Fuck if I know" Javier sent me a message telling me she'd left the house looking like a mad woman. I had every intention of cutting off his fingers later when I arrived home but now that I'm looking at Emiliana, I have no choice but to agree with him. She definitely looks like a mad woman. Her hair is sticking out in different directions and... She's still in her pajamas. Did she come to The Cloud in her sleepwear? Fuck. I look at Sal to see if he feels the sense of foreboding slowly filling the room. I swear it's almost tangible. What the fuck did I do? I'm sure I put down the toilet seat and I made her breakfast before I left. Did she not like it? "She's coming up. I'm going to leave you guys alone so you can talk it out" he says heading to the door with a smirk "Emiliana, looking lovely as..." "Go back inside" the steely command has Sa
HIS INNOCENT ADDICTIONΒ Β Β 90. Emiliana
All eyes turn on me as I enter the abandoned warehouse. It reminds me of the one I went to on the day before I got married. Dirty floor, broken windows, and a thick musty smell. I count seven guys in total sitting or leaning around a rectangular table. Not many. I can handle them. A gun is faster than... Wait, where's my gun? I carried it, didn't I? Fuck, fuck, Dante's going to kill me for coming here without a weapon. That is if these guys don't do it first. Shit, what was I thinking? How could I... My internal dialogue is cut short as I trip over my feet and I'm launched forward, my arms flailing in all directions trying to find something to hold on to. Of course, there's nothing. I'm in an open space and I go down, face-planting the floor in front of men I'm supposed to threaten. Way to go, EmilianaAnd ew. Did my mouth connect with the floor? Huffing in annoyance, I get up, brushing the dirt off my hands, face, and jeans. All this while no one says a thing. I expected them to lau
HIS INNOCENT ADDICTIONΒ Β Β 89. Dante
"What if she changes her mind and doesn't come?" Before I can reply, Soraya reaches out and smacks Sal then goes back to fussing with my suit "Don't jinx my daughter-in-law. She's very excited to get married" "But they're already married" "Find him a wife. Someone who will help him settle down" By that, she means someone who will keep him in line. I know that because I can see the twinkle in her eyes. Like Emiliana, she's easy to read. All I have to do is take one look at her and I'll know what she's thinking. I'm not nervous. Actually, I'm confident that Emiliana wouldn't even think of not showing up. She's looking forward to our two-month-long honeymoon. Spending that time with just her sounds like a dream. I'm probably more excited than her. I take Soraya's hands to stop her from fidgeting "It's fine. Everything will be fine" "I... I'll go see if..." A split second. That's all I have. From the corner of my eye, I see movement, someone raising a hand. I manage to push Sora
HIS INNOCENT ADDICTIONΒ Β Β 88. Emiliana
"Tell me who this Lia is and I'll let you walk me down the aisle" Angelo scoffs "What other option do you have?" "Mama can do it. Or the twins" "Your husband will murder them before they even touch you" he's right. Dante will kill them and I'm trying to have a wedding without dead bodies anywhere near the church. So it's either him or Mama. I love her, I do but I'd rather Angelo do it. "Do I know her? What's with all this secrecy" "It's not a secret. Mama and papa wanted more children. After you, they tried to have more but it just wasn't working out. She came to live with us way before the twins arrived. I can't believe you don't remember her" "So I've met her?" "She was obsessed with you and called you pretty girl. I hated how she ignored me and treated me as if I was invisible so I followed her everywhere. Since she was older, she took over the big sister role and kept us in line. Especially after the twins arrived. But you were too young to remember. She lived with us
HIS INNOCENT ADDICTIONΒ Β Β 87. Dante
"Can you tell me what happened during the time you were locked up? Rico and Valerio have hinted at some things but they wouldn't explain anything" I won't either. She's too pure to be tainted by that shit. Some of it is buried in the deepest, darkest part of my mind. Never to see the light of day again. No one will ever find out. But I know what it means to tell her these things. It's a sign of trust. She needs to know that I love and trust her enough to open up. So I tell her bits and pieces. Things that might be dark to her but are only the tip of the iceberg for me. "I mostly remember living in the dark. He blocked all the windows and would only turn the lights on when he came down. He'd torture and kill someone in front of me then leave them there for days. The first time was the hardest. I was so scared and freaked out about staying in the same room with a dead body. The darkness made it creepier. I'd imagine the guy getting up and trying to kill me for not helping him. It was
HIS INNOCENT ADDICTIONΒ Β Β 86. Emiliana
He walks towards me, undoing the cufflinks on his wrists. Letting them drop to the floor with a thin clanging sound, he shrugs off his coat and untucks his shirt. His fingers move with precise movements as he starts unbuttoning it. My heart beats faster as I stand beside the elevator, frozen, the anticipation of what is going to happen next rooting me in place. Didn't he just kick me out a few minutes ago? He said he was fine without me and that hurt. Because I'll never be fine without him. We both made mistakes. He shouldn't have let himself be photographed with her and I should have told him where I was. I shouldn't have let Mama hide me from him. When we left through a secret airstrip, I knew what she was doing and I let her do it because I knew she was hurting. If keeping me from Dante alleviated her pain, it was a small sacrifice to pay. He knew that, and understood I needed to do it but still had the nerve to be angry. If the tables were turned and I was the one seen around wit
HIS INNOCENT ADDICTIONΒ Β Β 85. Dante
She looks stunned but I don't know whether it's from finding out Luisa is my therapist or that I was so fucked up I needed one. It hadn't been easy accepting her help. I was against the idea because of some misconceptions I had about masculinity. That sitting down and telling someone how I was struggling made me look weak. While I don't care about what people think of me, I was raised to be a leader and leaders handled their own shit. They didn't find some quack, especially a woman, and expect them to help them sort through their feelings. The idea of even bumping into one on the street was repulsive. But Luisa was sneaky. She didn't approach me as a doctor but as the daughter of Dr. Mendes. I was surprised he had a family and I thought maybe he was training her to take over from him. I let my guard down, talked to her, and all too soon, I'd told her things I'd never told anyone. She asked me to take her to dinner and consider it her payment. That way, things wouldn't be too formal b
HIS INNOCENT ADDICTIONΒ Β Β 84. Emiliana
Soraya is Dante's mother. I'm still processing that. This explains why Gisella never cared about him. I thought it was odd how she never made an effort to support him and the reason was that she wasn't his mother. I talked to Soraya some more and she explained that she hadn't known Romeo had him or else she would have done everything in her power to save him. It's her greatest regret. I asked her about the woman Dante is dating and her reply was, "I can't tell you about their relationship. It's not my place to do that. But I can assure you, they're not together that way. My son adores you. He would never look at another woman" Contradicting much? He would never look at another woman but he would let himself be seen and photographed with her. Why do that if she didn't mean anything to him? I've tried to figure out what their supposed relationship is but for the life of me, I can't. Why wouldn't Soraya just tell me the truth once and for all? I asked Elena what she thought. Her reply
