Her Pov:I was just about to get up on my feet when the door swings open and Leonardo gets in. His gaze runs over me as he watches me. His dead eyes beholding first shock, and then his eyes they darken as he moved closer, taking in the situation. " What the fuck do you think you are doing Rosalina?" He hisses as he moved to me.I don't answer him as I ignore him and get up on feet. A whimper leaves my mouth as my feet touch the cold ground, and I stumble as I feel the whole world roaming around me. I am about to fall to the ground, losing my balance before a hand slips around my waist, breaking my fall." Are you okay?" He asks me as his gaze softens as he watches me with something that is very unusual. His dark hair fell to his forehead as his breath fans over my lips as he held me so close to him.I push him with all my strength as I struggle to stand on my feet, taking him by surprise. " What the fuck, Rosalina? What happened?" He asks me as I can see his eyes turning almost sha
Her Pov:Someone's touching me. The sensation pulls me from the depths of sleep, and my eyes flutter open. At first, the figure before me is nothing more than a blur, shrouded in shadows. But as my vision clears, the features sharpen, revealing a face I didn't expect to see. My breath catches in my throat, shock rippling through me like a cold wave.Antonio is standing beside my bed as he slowly runs his fingers on my face. I jerk away from his touch as a sudden rush of pain shot through my nerve, but I don't bother. My eyes locked on him as I took in a deep breath." What the fuck are you doing here?" I whisper after gathering my courage."How are you doing, Rosalina?" He asks me as his voice filled with fake concern. He again tried to touch me as I flinch away. " None of your fucking business.." I snap, my eyes darting to the closed door of the room before settling down on him again. " How is it not my business, sweetheart? You went as far as slitting your wrist for me, and you are
Her Pov:With that, he leaves me alone in the room and closes the door behind him.I go to the wasroom and finish my morning business before throwing a blue crop top and jeans on as I leave the room. David is waiting outside for me as he's leaning against the wall, watching something on his phone.He gives a warm smile to me as he sees me on the door and I follow him down the hallway. My mind is not in peace as I still dont know what Antonio is doing here. My eyes fall on david. He has to know something about it." Um.. David?" I take his name at a low tone as he looks at me over his shoulder. " Yeah?" He asks me as he looks at me cautiously. " What is... I mean, what is Leonardo doing with Susan? Is she here?"" Yeah, she lives in here with Antonio... I mean her husband, you know.. They were on vacation to Paris.. But now they are back to living here..." He answers back at me nonchalntly as I tried to digest what he just said." Wait.. Do you mean they live here? Are they going to s
Her Pov:โBut if you want me to listen,โ he continues, his voice now a seductive command, โyouโll have to ride the horse with me first.โMy eyes widened in disbelief as I watched the determination on those features. He can't be serious. I am here to talk about such an important topic, and he is not only taking it lightly, but it's almost like he's mocking me.But before I could say something David's phones ringtone interrupts me as he takes a glance at it before looking at Leonardo. " I have take it." He looks at me with a teasing look on his face." Enjoy Rosalina.. " With that he leaves me alone with the devil himself." Are you kidding me?" I ask him with my voice laced with dubiety. He raises a brow. " Have I ever?" He asks me in his deep, unyielding voice. Well, he never had. But it doesn't change the fact that what I need to tell him is very important, and the sooner I tell him, the better it would be." But... But I don't know how to ride a horse.." I whisper as I watch him on
Her Pov:My eyes are locked on the news at the TV as a cold sweat runs down my spine. Drugs dealing! This is the type of people Leonardo is associated with... Or has rivalry with... To have rivalry with someone, you have to be at the save level of theirs. And from what I feel.. Leonardo is not at the same level but beyond the level of the king brothers. Kings who are the biggest trading companies, but he has to be even higher than them. This is why, within some hours, they are in handcuffs.It can be that I am overthinking, but I have a feeling. A gut feeling that whatever I am thinking, this is it. I don't know why I even feel so shocked so confused... Wherever we drive to, there are cars following us full of guards... He literally fired openly on cars in broad daylight and killed someone just before my eyes.He is much more dangerous... He's a lot more dangerous than I thought. If it's his doing and he could take down the kings brothers just because they bothered him, then what wi
Her Pov:" To my room Rosalina..." My eyes snap back at him as he's causally taking off his boots. " Why would I go to your room when there's a spare room?"He kicks the boots away as he is on me in a span of a second. " You are greatly mistaken.. Rosalina... if you expect me to explain..." I look up at him as he's looking down on me, our eyes locked with each other. He's not even touching me, but the tension is brewing as I couldn't keep my eyes locked with him, and I tear it off as I look at the room I used to stay in.I look back at him, and his gaze is still fixed on me. Unyielding and piercing through my soul. " What if I say no?" I mumble, trying to keep my voice steady." Then..." He moves his face closer to me and stops just inches away from my face. His eyes move down to my lips as they linger on them for a bit before moving back to my eyes again." You will be responsible for what happens next." He whispers in his deep voice in his heavy Italian accent before he takes a ste
Her Pov: I stand there for a bit more to learn what he actually is talking about. But after that one line he continued on his native language, so I didn't understand anything. But when it felt like he's going to hang up, I silently ran to the bed as I got inside it, covering myself with duvet as I squeezed my eyes close. It wasn't needed, though, because Leonardo didn't come back to bed. He took his laptop as he sat on the divan, probably working on it. But I couldn't sleep back. How could I sleep? He's not just dangerous... He sounded like a criminal! Like a cold- blooded, practised murderer!I don't understand why I am getting so shocked... But I can't help it. Even when I saw him shooting a person in cold blood myself and leaving him there. But still, somewhere in my mind, I hoped him to be a better person. I don't know why... But I did... Even though he proved me wrong several times but that 1 per cent of my mind didn't let go of that hope.And no, I feel like a fool. A certifie
Her Pov: My fingers tighten instinctively around my passport, gripping it as if itโs the only thing anchoring me to reality. I could hear the heavy, deliberate sound of breathing behind me, sending chills racing down my spine. Slowly, I pushed myself to my feet, my movements careful and measured. My hands slipped behind my back, clutching my passport tightly, hiding it from view.As I turned, my gaze met his. He loomed over me, his presence overwhelming, his eyes dark and calculating. The menace in his expression was unmistakable, his towering figure watching me with an intensity that made the air around us feel suffocating.A slow, unsettling smile spreads across his face, a stark contrast to the storm brewing in his eyes. He moves with a calculated ease, slipping off his coat and tossing it carelessly onto the bed before lowering himself onto the edge.โThe house is in quite a state today,โ he says, his tone deceptively light, almost conversational. โI didnโt realize you had such
Her Pov:The sun sinks lower over the Seine, casting molten gold across the water, painting the ripples with liquid fire. The city hums around usโsoft laughter from distant lovers drifting through the air, the rhythmic lapping of waves against the stone embankment, the whisper of the wind as it tangles through my dress.Paris feels like a dream, weightless and unreal, but Leonardo beside me is more vivid than anything else.He moves with his usual silent grace, his presence coiled and restrained, like a predator choosing patience over pursuit. The evening glow sharpens the angles of his face and deepens the shadows beneath his cheekbones, making him look like something sculpted from darkness itself. He is breathtaking, but never softโnever safe.A sudden gust of wind sweeps in, lifting the hem of my dress, sending a shiver dancing up my spine. Before I can react, warmth engulfs me. Leonardo moves with a quiet swiftness that steals the breath from my lungs, pressing against my back, h
Her Pov:I swallow hard, looking away from him for a second, trying to gather my thoughts. โIs that it?โ I finally ask, my voice barely a whisper. The question lingers, hanging between us, almost absurd in its simplicity.โNo,โ he says softly, his voice barely louder than the riverโs murmur. โThereโs more to be freed than just the fish.โI glance up at him, but his expression remains unreadable, as always. But something in the way he looks at me makes my breath hitch, like heโs seeing through every wall Iโve built.He steps closer, and I feel the heat of his presence before I even see him fully. The air between us thickens as though the world is holding its breath. I want to speak, to ask him everything, but my throat tightens, the words sticking in my chest. I stand there, frozen in place, as his gaze holds me captive, just as much as he claims to have done to the fish."Theyโre just like me..." he whispers, the words soft but piercing, making my chest tighten. His eyes are intense,
Her Pov:Paris stretches endlessly beyond the car window, a blur of elegant streets and towering architecture, but none of it holds my attention. All I see is himโLeonardo, sitting beside me in the backseat, his presence heavy, commanding. He hasnโt spoken much since we left, and I canโt tell if the silence between us is suffocating or intoxicating. Maybe both. His fingers tap lightly against his knee, his eyes staring straight ahead, but I know heโs aware of every movement I make. Every breath.The ride stretches on for hours, the city fading into quieter roads, then almost nothingness. I shift uncomfortably, feeling the slight ache still lingering in my body, a reminder of last nightโof him.Heat curls under my skin at the memory, but I push it away. He hasnโt looked at me the same way since this morning, and I hate how that unsettles me. Like Iโm standing on uneven ground, waiting for him to either pull me in or push me away.His two men sit in the front, quiet as ever, focused on
Her Pov:When I wake up, heโs nowhere to be seen. The bed is cold beside me, as if he had left hours ago, yet the air still carries the ghost of his presence.Last night, he was all over me. When I drifted into sleep, it was with his scent wrapped around me, his breath mingling with mine, his body pressing down on me in a way that made me feel utterly possessed. Now, with the morning light streaming through the curtains, I feel the stark emptiness of his absence. My fingers brush over the sheets, still slightly wrinkled from where his hands had gripped me, from where his body had pinned me down as he took me, as he claimed me.A sharp ache pulses between my legs, a reminder of just how relentless he was. His thrusts had been merciless, as if he wasnโt just trying to claim my body but my very soul. As if the mere act of having me wasnโt enoughโhe needed to carve his presence into my skin, into my bones, into the deepest recesses of my mind. And whatโs worse? I had wanted it. I needed i
***15 Years ago****His POV:When my eyes cracked open, it felt like waking from death itself.The ceiling above me swayed, blurry and unfamiliar, though Iโve stared at it a thousand times. For a moment, I couldnโt even remember where I wasโonly the weight of my limbs, the stickiness of blood dried across my skin, and the stinging throb radiating from every corner of my body. My breath came out jagged, uneven, as if my lungs had forgotten how to pull in air.I donโt know how long Iโve been here. Hours? Days? I canโt tell. Sleep doesnโt feel like sleep anymore. It feels like falling into some black hole and clawing my way back up every time, just to fall again.My bodyโmy entire beingโfelt like it wasnโt mine anymore.My skin prickled and burned, covered in sweat, filth, and blood. When I shifted, a sharp, tearing sensation ripped through my back and arms. I sucked in a breath through gritted teeth, forcing my eyes to move, to look down.Shards of glass.Tiny, jagged pieces embedded in
***15 years ago***His Pov:Itโs been three days since my mother pushed me down the stairs.Three days since I felt my body crash against every hard step, bones snapping, skull cracking, everything blurring into nothingness before I blacked out.My right hand is fractured. They had to wrap it in plaster, sling it from my neck like a reminder of how breakable I really am. My head is bandaged tooโtight and rough around my skullโcovering the deep wound above my eyebrow where they stitched me back together. Seven stitches. I counted them when I woke up, fingers trembling as I traced the skin around them, wondering why I still felt so numb.I donโt even know how I survived.If David hadnโt done somethingโฆ if he hadnโt begged or screamed for helpโฆ I wouldโve bled out right there at the bottom of those stairs, and no one wouldโve noticed until I started to rot.From the bits and pieces heโs let slip, I think he ran to the neighbours, knocked on their doors in the middle of the night, sobbing
**15 years ago***His Pov:I donโt even know how much time passed while we sat there, lost in the comfort of something that felt almost... normal. Maybe an hour. Maybe two. All I know is the sun had already started creeping higher, bleeding light through the half-closed curtains while we sat cross-legged on the floor of my room, controllers in hand, laughing at nothing and everything as we played my favourite video games.David had woken up too. Heโd been with us the whole time, sitting close, occasionally throwing in jokes or grabbing the controller for his turn. It felt like family โ not the kind of family I grew up with, but the kind I used to dream about. A soft, peaceful, happy little bubble. It almost felt like Father's Home, when Aunt Rachel used to stay with us, making dessert while the TV buzzed in the background.For once, the world outside my door didnโt exist.Until it did.Until everything shattered in a single heartbeat.A sharp sound cracked through the air โ the dull,
**15 Years Ago**His Pov:I flip through the crumpled, half-burned pages of the only thing I have leftโthe only thing she couldnโt destroy. My fingers trace the torn edges carefully, like theyโre made of glass, like theyโll fall apart if I hold them too tight. The paper is stained, corners smudged, some pages singed at the ends. But itโs still here. It's my favourite book. The only one I could save.A sharp sting burns the back of my eyes, and I blink hard, fighting the tears that keep coming even when I tell them not to. A droplet escapes anyway, falling on the brittle page in front of me. The black ink smudges under it like itโs bleeding.Why does she always do this to me?Why does she always hate the things I love?I donโt understand her. Iโve never understood her. No matter how much I try. Iโve always liked quiet thingsโbooks, cameras, and games. Things that let me disappear into a different world because this one hurts too much. But to her, those things are worthless. Nonsense.
His Pov:I stand on the balcony, the city lights flickering below like dying embers, as I take a slow drag from the cigarette I borrowed from one of my men. The smoke curls in the air, a temporary distraction, but even that isn't enough.I donโt smokeโnot usually. Iโve never needed vices to dull my mind, never sought escape in addiction or meaningless habits. Iโve always been above such weaknesses.And yet, here I am.Because of her.Sheโs made me crave, made me restless, and made me need.My fingers tighten around the cigarette, the burn at my fingertips, nothing compared to the fire coursing through me. I canโt erase her from my mind. No matter how much I try, she lingersโher ice-blue eyes wide and full of something between fear and defiance. Her swollen lips, parted and trembling. Her teary eyes, her breathy moans and her tight cunt all just leaves me hungrier.The way she looked at me, the way she sounded, the way she felt wrapped around meโso impossibly tight, so warm, so fucking