Luca"I need you to attend a series of events that have been arranged to showcase your commitment to your fiancé before the wedding in a week," my father's monotone voice resonates through the phone as I hold it to my ear. I've notified him that the job is done, and he's seemingly happy with my progress."Is it vital to flaunt our relationship in front of everyone, father?" I ask, my displeasure evident in my voice."It is imperative, my dear son," he spoke with a hint of exhaustion in his voice. "This marriage is not just about bringing our families together or bringing business deals to fruition, but it is also vital for securing our organisation's future. Our rivals, the mafiosos, are always watching and assessing. They are waiting for the right opportunity to strike. Therefore, we must present a united and powerful front to everyone around us to gain momentum on possible new enemies. And to ensure that every other Don knows that your position is not up for grabs in this changeover
After much contemplation, I finally decided to make our wedding night an authentic experience. I want to fuck her as she deserved years ago when she was a virgin ripe for the taking. I realise that I didn't treat her virginity with the respect and importance it deserved six years ago, but I hope to make up for it now. My goal is to show her how much I love and cherish her and create a beautiful memory that we can both look back on with fondness even if I continue to treat her appallingly afterwards, of which my behaviour is up for debate.So, on the day of our wedding, I will consciously decide to embody the qualities of the past me—to be the man who values and cherishes every breath she takes. For that one day, I want to fully embrace the depth of my love and commitment towards Emma and make every moment count. I want to be the epitome of a true gentleman, honour her with my actions, and make her feel cherished beyond words. Perhaps my show of affection will also outline her life-lon
EmmaAs I woke up the following day, I felt my mind and body still weary and lazy. After everything that happened, Luca insulted me by using sec against me. Now, that wouldn't have hit me the way it did if it hadn't have been for Aldo trying to take that exact thing from me.Instead of getting ready for the day, I lay in bed a little longer. As I lay there, my eyes wandered around the room and eventually landed on the four dress bags that had been delivered to Luca's room. They were hanging on a rail at the end of his bed, waiting to be unpacked. I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as I looked at them as they had arrived after a particularly emotional fight with Luca the night before. Even though I tried to avoid looking at them, my eyes kept being drawn to them. I instead gazed up at the intricate patterns on the ceiling, coving to distract myself. My mind continued to race as I recalled the fight with Luca. It had been a particularly heated argument that hurt us both. I was
Luca acts nonchalantly, casually lights up his cigarette, blowing smoke that travels up to the ceiling. As I stare at him in outrage, he asks me mockingly, "Be precise, pretty little plaything. What is it that's riling you up now?"I couldn't believe that he would choose to smoke in my presence. I was not too fond of the smell of cigarette smoke as it made me feel sick to my stomach. I couldn't help but express my displeasure at his behaviour."Was it not bad enough that you joked about me getting sex after one of your own tried to steal that very thing? But now I find out you're making them call me Miss Rossi. How dare you!" I exclaim, feeling insulted and disrespected by his actions.Luca, however, seemed unfazed by my reaction and replied shortly, "They need to treat you as their future queen. Isn't it obvious they were too friendly with you?"I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Luca tried to justify his actions by suggesting that the men were too friendly with me. If I wasn't s
LucaAs I think about Emma, I can't help but feel a sense of vulnerability around her. It's like she has this supernatural ability to disarm me, and I don't think she even realizes it. She's always had a way of getting under my skin in the most simplistic of ways, igniting a burning sensation from within that I find hard to resist. Despite promising myself to keep her at arm's length, I found myself unable to resist her natural charm. One moment of snarled disappointment from her was all it took for me to cave into the desires I had run from, and the next thing I knew, I was kissing her passionately against the wall of my office. It was as if I was grappling with reeling in any control I could, trying my damnest to disarm her with my own game of control, but in reality, she had me right where she wanted me all along, and rightly so, after all, I did make a joke at her expense after one of my own tried to rape her.Anyway, call my behaviour tit for tat or counterattack; it's one and t
I am greeted with a cold, distant look from Mario, who seems to be sizing me up as usual. However, his attention quickly shifts to Emma, who he greets with a broad, genuine grin."If it isn't the bird that flew free," he says to her, addressing her as "little blondie." Despite his initial coldness towards me, he seemed to have much warmer energy for Emma, which made my mood take an even further nosedive."Mario!" Emma exclaims in surprise, and I couldn't help but groan inwardly. She hugs him tightly, and he willingly accepts the embrace with a look of triumph on his face. "How are you?" she asks, beaming up at him."I'm doing very well, thank you," he replies, avidly watching me. "I'd love to introduce you to someone special. This is Elera, my wife."Emma turns to face the woman he is gesturing towards, and her smile widens even further. It is a beautiful tilt of her lips that lights up her entire face, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy that my cousin and his wife were t
EmmaAs we make our way to the wedding, I can't help but feel a little nervous about the whole affair. After all, it's not every day that you get to attend the wedding of a distant cousin of Don Moretta. I've put a lot of effort into my appearance today and feel nervous about it.I'm wearing a beautiful silky silver sequin dress that splits up my right thigh, giving me a touch of glamour and sexiness. On my feet, I have chosen to wear the same colour Louis Vuittons, completing my look perfectly.I've gone a little heavier with my makeup today, using winged liner and contouring to enhance my features and look the part. I tend to struggle with events like these, especially regarding large gatherings. But today, I'm determined to make an impression as the one standing beside Luca. Who is dressed in an impeccable grey tux with that white dress shirt I stole it sleep in.As I look around, I can see that most of the guests have the typical bronze tan and brown hair that I've been surrounded
"And what a prize that good thing is, Emma is an extraordinary young lady. A true testament to the pair of you," Luca's father added with a slight nod, trying to lighten the mood with a sly smile as Lucia patted his arm encouragingly."She's amazing, the best sister I could have ever wished for," Bianca grins with childish innocence, guiding me away from our parents and towards the church as she giggles giddily. I follow her gaze and see a man standing alone, adorned in all black, tattoos peaking above his shirt collar. He has eyes for only my sister, and surprisingly she also has eyes for him."Pissing contest?" She questions as my mouth hangs open whilst we walk past the man in question. My sister's breath catches as he blows her a kiss, and intent on finding out who he is and why he's blowing her kisses in the open, I ready myself for attack."Pretty much? How have you been? What have you been doing?" I ask her. "Who is he?" I add.I hate not being home to protect her, and I hate t
"Wait.What? Does Luca know?" I ask quietly, trying to keep my worry from being evident."No, I haven't told him. These are your results, Mrs. Moretta, not his.""If he knows, it'll worry him. What do the blood results mean? The milli—whatever it was.""I understand your concern, Mrs. Moretta. Your child is his heir, remember? Your HCG levels suggest you are very early on, four or five weeks perhaps. It would be premature to perform a scan at this stage as there will likely be nothing to see. So I'd suggest waiting another fornight. However, we've caught your vitamin deficiencies early, so my chosen treatment will be very effective.""Right, the vitamins, they'll address the deficiencies completely?""Yes, they are easily manageable with the prescribed treatment.""Well, that's something. Can you send the prescription to the same pharmacist?""Of course, it'll be there momentarily for Niko to collect.""Thank you.""My pleasure, Mrs. Moretta. And congratulations, you must be so excited
EmmaIt's two in the morning, and I find myself standing in Luca's office just before the break of dawn. Startled from my sleep, he pulled me from our bed to attend an urgent meeting he called in the dead of night.Niko and Mass are seated across from us, their expressions mirroring my own alarm at being summoned at such an ungodly hour."What the fuck is this?" Niko shoots a sharp, skeptical look across to Luca, his evident disdain for his boss simmering just below the surface."It appears my wife desires her sister to depart, and I wholeheartedly concur regarding the timing. I require you to escort her," Luca reluctantly discloses.I'm feeling quite bewildered. Why would he choose to send Niko, of all people, to accompany me to my father's estate when he poses a more significant threat to my safety than Bianca does? Niko glares at Luca, clarifying that he does not appreciate his boss."Luca," I started to say."Uh-ah, Emma. I'll help with this unexpected delivery, but it will be don
"Luca, you're hurting her," I tell him imploringly. "Let her go.""She can get out of it," he fires back immediately, but his eyes change. They're not dark orbs of evil as they were only moments before. Now, they're soft, an emotion he seems to reserve for me, even if his actions fail to mirror his internal feelings."Can't you, Bianca?" Luca asks her teasingly.She grits her teeth, batting his arm away before using her elbow to hit him in the stomach. She has him falling to his knees with a knee to his groin. And it's then I see his hatred for her again.Why does he hate her? "See, no harm," he tells me angrily. My eyes bounce between them, and I know then I need to get her away from here where she'll be safe."Bianca?" I call anxiously."Just training, Emm," she lies, smiling to me. But I can tell it's fake, and there's definitely an element of needing to escape in her eyes.Luca grabs for her, pulling her to him as he settles her under his arm. He's still livid but puts on a show
EmmaMy heart wasbeating in my throat when I woke up to no Luca beside me. After last night, I thought he might sleep in with me.Rolling to my side, I see the clock reads seven-thirty. It's late, yet I'm bone tired and ache like hell.Sitting up, I find Niko sitting in the armchair, watching me intently as he leans back in the chair with his legs spread. Both elbows are on the armrests, his fingers pressed to his lips."Niko," I fright, holding my chest that hurts with how rapidly the beat of my heart is racing."I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he shrugs. "Are you okay? I know you said you were yesterday, but Luca's not here now; you don't have to lie," he exclaims calmly."I'm fine, Niko... just as I had said yesterday.""Good, that's good," he trails off.Cinching the bedsheet against me, I do nothing but stare at him as he stares back. Something in his eyes seems depleted, as if he's received some bad news that's set him off to hate life today.I want to ask him about it,
Despite wanting nothing more than to climb back in bed with Emma, I chose to stop by the garden, where our men are training with one another, as I would expect them to.I noted them as I walked down the hall, stopping to stare out the window as I marvelled at how good they were becoming in hand-to-hand combat. I have Emma to thank for that. Just when I thought they couldn't improve, she showed up to prove me wrong.Backtracking through the house, I chose to stand off to the side and watch in the shadows, not really piquing anyone's interest nor imposing on their training session. My pain threshold would not hold up anyway.I'm disgusted to say after a while; I find Bianca in the thick of my men doing precisely what Emma might have been doing if she weren't in bed, exhausted from the last few days of hell.She, too, moves just as fluidly as Emma does, leaving me with no doubt that they were trained by the same person. I find myself hovering closer to marvel at the fact that though even
LucaI should have immediately gotten up last night to see what the fuck Bianca was up to, but I couldn't give up the chance to hold Emma close after we finally broke the fucking ice that was dividing us.So I held Emma until she fell asleep, and then I rolled her onto the mattress, spooning her until sleep also took me. But a gut feeling woke me early in the morning as if someone was watching us.Emma was still snuggly held to my body when my eyes flew open, her head under my chin as I breathed her in.The clock on her bedside table read three thirty, yet despite the muted light it gave warding off the pitch darkness, I swear I could have seen someone sitting in the armchair looking back at me.I squinted for a few moments hoping my eyesight would adjust to reveal who it was, but it was far too dark to see who dared to sit in my room whilst I slept, but in honesty, I had an inkling who the fuck it might be. Call it intuition, or let's admit that the hairs on the back of my fucking ne
Looking between her and the doctor, I move without hesitation, sitting before him as he smirks."Do you hurt anywhere, in particular, Mr Moretta?" He asks me."No—.""He hurts," Emma overtalks me."Where?" he asks me. For a long moment, I choose to be quiet, contemplating standing up and refusing to be seen at all. But with Emma standing right there behind him, arms crossed, her bottom lip trapped as she bites down on it, makes me second-guess my choice."Chest," I reveal reluctantly."I'd like to have a look. Can you take off your upper clothing, please?"Gritting my teeth, having noted Emma floating closer, I do as he asks. Usually, I would ignore my injuries and allow them to heal on their own, but Emma feels the need to ensure my safety.I shrug off my ruined blazer and the shirt that's ripped in several places, dropping them on the floor carelessly. They'll go in the bin, anyway."Ah," the doctor hums whilst Emma gasps aloud.I haven't looked at myself, but from the sounds of it,
LucaEmma has me rendered speechless as she firmly chastises the men who are put in place to protect us at all times, no matter the cost. To say I'm not sad to see that she admonishes Niko would be honest. And what's more, she demands they all leave my office, leaving me alone with her after her shining ability to rule our men as their queen for the first time.I had expected her to retire to Niko's bedroom the moment we stepped foot in the house, as she has done the last few days, but not today. Today, she chose me, and I'm not stupid enough to ignore that fact. I'll be sure to revel in any and all attention she designates for me. Trauma can do that, bringing people together over mutual experiences, and today, our ordeal has been more than horrific and most definitely unexpected.Honestly, I want to lay her back into our bed and fall beside her to lie in content silence. My mind can stop racing, and I can just enjoy her company by touching her in as many places as I can."Let's get y
"Stand down, idiota!" Luca hisses his way."Why are you walking in here looking like a bat out of hell?" One of the others, Theo, I think his name is, remarks."We got ambushed. Hasn't Team Three notified you? What about team two? Do you have communications with them?" Luca asks as we race towards the house. His burst of energy has me panting as I race to keep up with him."We had confirmation you took off an hour ago," Theo answers."Where's Niko?" Luca fires back."In his office.""Get him to meet me in mine. The six of you and no one else understood?""Yes, sir." They all mutter together.Five of them followed Luca, Mass, Angelo, and me to Luca's office, and Theo promptly headed to Niko's office.I've barely sat in the office chair Luca guides me into before Niko enters the room.He beelines straight for the desk, crouching beside me, asking if I'm okay."Are you hurt? Have you called the doctor?" He questions me and then Luca."I have no phone; how'd you expect me to order the do