Long Island, New York Alessandra “Are you ready for this? There’s still time, you know. I volunteer to help you run.” I stated, grinning despite my mother’s unamused frown and my Aunt’s chuckle as she raised her emptied champagne glass to me. “I’m fine, I promise. I’m ready for this.” Selene declared, a serene smile on her lips despite the anxiety wedged deep in her eyes. She looked absolutely radiant in her well-fitting silk, spaghetti strapped wedding gown that flowed smoothly down to the floor with a small train. Her cathedral veil trailed after her, the lace of it complimenting her silk gown perfectly. Her make up was light, consisting of nude coloured lipstick, mascara laden lashes and winged eye liner. “I know we fight a lot but I do hope you know how much I love your annoying ass. If you need me, all you have to do is call me and I’ll be there. We are sisters and our bond can’t ever be broken, no matter what.” I declared, granting my veiled sister a genuine smile and re
*** Upper East Side, New York Alessandra Walk the other way, Alessa. Stop following him. Stop going towards a man you know is not good for you. He is Danger incarnate. A mystery that should not be unfolded. But I wanted to-no- needed to know more. I needed to understand this deep sated fascination that I had for him and the impact he had left on me that one night. The corridor was narrow but decorated with the usual anecdotes of wealth. This was a grand Hotel, one owned by the Cosa Nostra, ie, Papa. This was his gift to the Happy couple that was supposed to blind everyone, shield them from the glaring fact that Papa had sold his daughter for power. The thought made me nauseous. The sound of a woman’s moan had me pausing mid step, my mind reeling from the implications of that singular sound. Warning bells sounded within me and yet my feet continue to move towards the source. Stop being a basic white girl, Alessa. Walk away. The red flags are ALL there. Nothing my sub conscious
Upper East Side, New York Alessandra Why are you standing here, in the dark, with a man you barely know with your entire family in the other room? It was dangerous, exciting and a whole other host of emotions. I could not walk away, not when my hand still tingles from where he’d held me. I eyed his cigarette. It looked small, harmless in his hand. I had never imagined what it would look like in mine but I was curious. He must have noticed my expression for he pulled the cigarette out of his lips and handed it to me. Touching a man in certain ways had been a foreign notion to me. We were shielded, protected from the ‘claws of men who would tarnish not only our reputation but our precious virginity’ which was a sell point for our Papa. Hand holding and cigarette sharing was blasphemy in my world. I took the cigarette from him and he closely watched me as I brought it to my lips and inhaled. The coughing came instantaneously, chest and throat burning whilst my eyes watered. Dark
** Upper East Side, New York Draken I have never been one to be motivated by temptation. All of my plans were executed with precision, fueled only by my desire to conquer my task. That was my father’s way of doing things and I had adopted his methods. I had modified them, made them better. I had been taught better. And yet everything else is moot until Alessandra becomes mine... Thoughts of her had swirled in my mind for most of the week, more so now that my plans for her were looming. The way she stood beside me that night, staring at me through the most gorgeous blue eyes. Haunted eyes that echoed more than she tried to hide. She loved the man her sister married. A tragic end to her love triangle and an open opportunity for me. This was the one thing that Massimo Rinaldi and I agreed on. Thoughts of how gorgeous she looked as she smoked my cigarette, her olive skin almost shimmering under the light of the half moon, a dress that left very little to the imagination. Every
*** Long Island, New York Alessandra "Can't believe the day is finally here. You're going to be Mrs. Moreno in a few hours." Diego stated, excitement in his voice that made me chuckle. I swallowed the unease that rushed through me at his words, blaming it on nerves rather than any other option. I couldn't back out now. Not when I was so close to my goal. "Yeah. And our agreement is going to be in full effect. We are still on the same page on that front, right?" Nervousness flamed up from within me as I waited with bated breath for his answer. My gaze fixated on our transformed backyard and the wedding planner's team of helpers who moved up and down to ensure perfection. Anything less usually means literal death...or at least a life of misery... "Of course, Alessa. You and I have the same beliefs. We have worked hard to get to where we are now. Nothing has changed. I'm sorry I couldn't meet up with you yesterday, reassure you that we are okay and that everything will be just fin
*** Staten Island, New York Draken Dawn was approaching, the rays of distant orange casting their light upon the tinted windows of my car. Never had I been one to experience any kind of anxiety before, during or after a job but this...well, this was different. This is unlike anything else I have ever done. This is both the beginning and end for me. After tonight, everything will have changed. My gaze settled on the brown computerized gates before me, ones I was expected to breach any moment now. All the surveillance had been done, everything that could possibly prepare for this moment. The crackling of an ear piece broke the silence within the car, signalling what I already knew was to come. I had been counting down the hours to this moment, after all. "It's been confirmed, pakhan. They have, indeed, broken the agreement brokered between our organizations. He has also been spotted making deals with the Albanians. They are in talks as we speak. We have gathered all the evidence o
*** Long Island, New York Draken "To what do I owe this visit? And if it is for business, then I must ask that we do this another time. As you must have observed, it is my daughter's wedding today and I plan to focus solely on that." Massimo Rinaldi stated once he walked into his grand office, gesturing past the floor to ceiling windows that overlooked a completely transformed backyard. The wedding planners were busy getting everything in place, last minute touches and all for what had been dubbed the 'wedding of the century'. I scoffed inwardly at that. "Well, we understand but our business here is related to the wedding and more." Ioann stated from beside me, his gaze shifting from Massimo who was now staring at me to Salvatore Rinaldi whose scowl was permanently etched on his face as he glared at my cousin. It was no secret that he was not a big fan of the peace brokered between our families. He hated not only Ioann's guts but seemed to be growing his dislike for me as well.
***Long Island, New York Draken "What the fuck have you done?" Salvatore breathed, disbelief clouding his words and his features as he slowly turned to us. Ioann and I said nothing, each of us revealing nothing as we gazed confusedly at the Italian. "Now who's throwing around unfounded accusations? We also received the news from our contacts in the police force before it broke. It seems he pissed off a hell of a lot of people and someone decided to get their revenge. He got his comeuppance for being a traitor. We simply brought the evidence we have been gathering to demand compensation now that the true culprit is dead. We can't have this being lost in the rubble." Ioann stated through a shrug, relaxing into his chair just as the reporter switched to business news. I marveled at my cousin's poker face. He was one of the most dangerous men I knew and I thanked my lucky stars that he was in my corner. He is a true Zolotov indeed. Salvatore scoffed, shaking his head in bemusement
***Long Island, New YorkAlessandraI stared at my little sister, a small smile on my lips as I took her in. She was radiant in her wedding gown, looking every bit like the gorgeous bride that she was meant to be. Her wedding day was here and although we had believed that it would be a day of sorrow, it had turned out to be a happier occasion than the weddings that had come before it.For one, she was smiling wide, readying herself for the massive change in her life with a man who seemed to care more for her than she had anticipated. Keisuke Satarou had revealed his hand on the night of the attack and although he had tried to play it cool afterwards, the sentiment had not worked as well as he had hoped. We now knew how he truly felt and it filled all of us with a sense of calmness to know that the two of them would be okay.They may not want to admit their true feelings for each other but they are perfect for each other. They are going to be just fine, especially now that everything
***The Hamptons, New YorkAlessandraI crouched low, reloading my gun as I did while the gunshots ricocheted all around us. Tori and I had been holding our own in the wake of our accident, the two of us watching each other's backs as we advanced towards the individuals who had attacked us. Although some of our guards were still in the fight with us, others had been killed in the crossfire.And we were determined to avenge them as we reloaded our weapons and shot towards the army of men who had been sent to take us for some reason."Who the hell are these people? And why the fuck do some of them look like our men?!"Tori shouted, ducking back behind our bullet-ridden car as our assailants pushed forward. My stomach plummeted at my sister's words, reminding me of the realization that we had come to several days ago. Draken had been determined to find evidence that showcased my Uncle's involvement in all the shady fucking deals. We had uncovered illegal dealings existing as recent as no
***Brooklyn, New YorkDrakenI stared at the man before me, knowing well enough that there was certainly more to him than met the eye. Zeno Rinaldi may have been involved in one too many scandals with his Father that had traversed the underworld but it had seemed to strengthen him all the more. Despite Massimo Rinaldi's efforts, word of the hate that existed between his heir and his twin brother was commonplace.Which was why he had been the perfect person to approach- or rather to wait on for a much more comprehensive conversation away from small talk. Although our relationship wasn't strained, there was a tinge of awkwardness that could only be explained away by the tumultuous relationship between our families.It had nothing to do with the fact that he and Suyin Castellanos had made sure to pass across their veiled threats on the day of my wedding...they were protective of Alessandra and I respected that...My gaze shifted to the heir of the Triad who was every bit as terrifying a
***The Hamptons, New YorkAlessandra"Thank you for your reassurance, Vittoria. I do hope that our families are united through this union as well. I would love to get to know you both as well with time if it's okay with you."Aysun shared, a shy smile on her lips as she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. It was an unlikely reaction that neither Tori nor I had expected as she shared the same stunned look but we nodded eagerly all the same, glad to have gained such a great friend. She always kept her distance from people and was not easily approachable but she seemed to have warmed up to us considerably."We would love that. Thank you, Aysun."Granting us a final smile, she turned just as yet another couple of people walked up to pay their respects to her. Her walls were back up instantly, the unreadable gaze that was a familiar look on her and reminded me so much of my husband. It equally reminded me of the fact that she was a trained killer and one of the best at the craft i
***The Hamptons, New YorkAlessandra"Now remember, don't do anything I wouldn't do, malyshka. Play nice until I get there, okay?"Draken's instructions made me chuckle as I stared out of the window of the moving SUV. We were on our way to a formal event organized by the Sahin family. Although I had met the Turkish mafia's Don on very few occasions, she had been kind enough to extend an invitation not only to Draken and I for her younger sister's upcoming nuptials to one of the main Aristocratic families in the Cosa Nostra.The woman was an enigma, and the one and only female Don in the entire criminal underground. She was a force to be reckoned with many individuals choosing to stay away from her due to the rumours of her madness and ruthlessness. I, however, found her to be kinder than most with the familiar glint of hard brutality that was given in the world we lived in.She has to be tough to make it in this cruel world we live in...To stand at the top as she always does...She d
***Upper East Side, New YorkAlessandraThe ride home had been silent as we both seemed to get lost in our thoughts. Doctor Valentine had been incredibly pleased by the progress, recommending two sessions per week to continue down the right path of healing. Although I had been petrified at the thought of recalling everything, I was glad I did for the PTSD had distorted my memory, and made me bury it deep into my subconscious."It was my Uncle Salvatore. He had us kidnapped, the bastard. I've always been wary of that man but never would I have imagined that he had been behind that. I guess I always subconsciously knew that he was an evil piece of shit. I know Papa might not believe me but I should probably mention it to him. My only question is why? Why would he have kidnapped me? I'm not as valuable as Zeno probably would have been. I'm essentially insignificant in the grand scheme of things so why me?"I murmured out loud, earning a side look from my husband. He was driving us tonig
***I was in the back of the black SUV, windows tinted as always with two guards at the front. Mama was angry with me. I had defied Papa and embarrassed him at the event we had just left. I couldn't help it, though. The Serrano sisters had been mean again and I refused to let them talk ill of my little sister. I wouldn't let them bully us.Although Papa had been the one to banish me for giving them a beatdown, there was a proud glint in his eyes. I knew he wouldn't punish me too thoroughly. Probably a week in the basement or some gruelling training from Antonio. Zeno had been proud, Selene had been amused and Tori had hoped she could come with me. My siblings were my priority and knowing they had my back was all I cared about.At least I got to leave the boring party first. I was grounded but I was definitely okay with it. I didn't regret my actions one bit. The drive home wasn't as fast as I hoped it could be. I wanted to get out of this stupid dress. Mama always insisted on putting
***Upper East Side, New YorkAlessandraI stared ahead, trying not to internalize the place we were or the people milling about around us. I tried to process the decision I had made this morning- agreeing to follow the man sitted beside me who hadn't let go of my hand since we left the mansion this morning. He had stuck by my side even as he promised that his entire day would be committed to me.And now I know why...we're in a literal psychiatrist's office...I was moderately confused, alarmed by the fact that I had not fought off the man before me, stormed off and been incredibly offended by his initiative and yet here I was, Seated beside him, biding our time to wait for the Doctor to see us.Could it be because of last night? Because of yet another nightmare....They had been coming in more often for the last couple of weeks, some more brutal than others but lately, since the brunch from hell three days ago, I had experienced one of the worst nightmares since I'd left my childhood
*** Long Island, New York Draken I watched my woman walk away, revelling in her presence and her love. I could see it wedged deep within her gaze. Although the words had not been spoken, the sentiment was there and strong. I knew it would only be a matter of time before everything would be revealed. Everything was coming to a head, and soon, she would remember everything. She needs to know how long this has been simmering...how long I have longed for her and loved her... She had always been the one. The only one who owned me- body and soul. She was my Queen and I would worship the ground she walked on, always and forever. She had no idea how long I had longed for her. But soon, everything will change. Especially after all that has been revealed...Our revenge is coming to a head. Soon, this will all end...and I can finally be with her. She is my true reward, the woman I have been longing for all my life... I turned to gaze at the man before me, the literal scum of a human being w