GIOVANNI POVMarcella was dead. She had finally succumbed to her injury and died.Fuck!I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. My grip on the whiskey glass tightened, and the coolness of the crystal digging into my palm was the only thing grounding me.Hearing the news on the phone at the penthouse back in Santorini wasn't as impactful as seeing it.I had prayed, meditated, and wished for it not to be true. I had seen her state about two weeks ago, and now worse she had been.I knew her chances of survival were slimmed, but I had still hoped she'd fight back.I couldn't imagine the agony she had been through. The sleepless night, the tears...A searing wave of rage, sharp and consuming, like fire scorched through my veins. My fingers twitched, and before I could stop myself, the glass was out of my hand, shattering against the wall with a deafening crash."Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, save us!" One maid whimpered.But I didn't glance at her, nor did my focus waver from the whiskey-str
LILITH POVI wasn't expecting much activity, not in the middle of the summer break. However, the university library still felt alive in its own way—paper rustling, chairs scraping against the floor, the low hum of whispers floating through the air. It was the kind of quiet that made you feel like you had to tiptoe everywhere, even if no one was looking.I chose a table near the window, away from prying eyes. Not that there were many here to notice me. I wouldn't even be seen because I was easily the most forgettable person.No leather jackets, dark makeup, heels that click like a metronome, or overpriced dresses. That Raven would certainly mostly wear. I was just... Lilith. Faded blue Jeans, a loose light gray T-shirt underneath a beige cardigan that was two times my size, and a soft scarf to guard against the library's overzealous air conditioning.A few students huddled over textbooks, a professor scribbling notes, and a librarian stacking shelves with deliberate care.I leaned over
LILITH POVGiovanni. That was the only thing I could think of in spite the quiet conversation, the clinking of glasses, and the heady scent of wine filling the room.We attended the wine tasting at Castello Di Vino, a private vineyard estate located just outside of Milan amid the undulating hills. This place was renowned for its historically significant vineyards that date back hundreds of years. We were currently in the gorgeous refurbished wine cellar wıth tall oak barrels lining the walls, the event was exclusive. Soft amber sconces were the only source of light in the dimly lighted area, giving it a cosy, welcoming feel.The room was filled with glasses of wine, including whites, reds, and even rare limited editions, on a long, polished oak table.I had always wanted to be here. I had thought we were going to another restaurant when Giovanni had sent me the dress I'd be wearing.Until we arrived here.I shivered, glancing at Giovanni as his hand brushed mine for the umpteenth tim
LILITH POVAs we stepped outside the ladies ' room, I bumped into a blonde, one of the servers.Flushing, I stared down at my feet as a wide smile graced her face.Giovanni slipped his hand into his pocket, pulled out a wad of cash, and handed it over to her."Thank you, Thank you!" the blonde gushed, hastily stuffing the money inside her bra before looking around.Giovanni nodded, then proceeded to walk away.I stumbled forward. "What was that?" I frowned. Did she serve as a watchwoman for Giovanni? Possibly because no one had stepped into the ladies' room to use it during our time inside.She had maybe redirected them elsewhere.I grimace, shaking my head. If she had been standing there for too long, she could have heard everything happening. No wonder she was staring at me!"Nothing," Giovanni answered."It doesn't look like nothing," I muttered.He stopped walking and glanced down at me. A frown etched on his handsome face.How could he still look so good after that intense sessio
LILITH POVSIX WEEKS LATER"Wait, Lilith!" I stopped, swirling to see Melvin swaggering toward me.He pulled the baseball cap, holding his hair in place, and waved before setting it back on.After not seeing him a few weeks before the last paper, Melvin was in school today.I glanced around to see that his car was parked in the lot. I hadn't noticed it until now because my mind had been on something else.My life since the last few days.Life was different when Giovanni was in it. It was faster, eventful, and promising. It wasn't just about our intimacy; it was how we connected with each other, laughed, and lifted up one another when sad.But recently, I didn't think everything I had been doing had uplifted Giovanni’s spirit in any way. He seemed down, angry at everything, the world, and frustrated.He hadn't said anything to me about his feelings. I had only guessed. Also, it was very much obvious when he thrust into me. He had become overly aggressive and would apologise soon after
GIOVANNI POVI stood by the large tree that offered nice shade. It was close to the parking lot and the school's entrance. At least a five-minute walk would get you inside.Also, I stayed not just because it was quieter and free from the squealing teenage girls I had just escaped; it was because of him.It was that boy, Melvin Ryan, according to the information that Luca and Jacques had gotten from me. He was twenty years old, the golden boy of the school, as I had already guessed, as he was part of the football team. Above all, he was a Nephew to Diego Cardenas.The Bastardo. Diego Cardenas was a story for another day. My main focus was Melvin, and I couldn't help but wonder about his relationship with the girl I kept bumping into.He seemed to be interested in her. Unlike the way he had acted around Marcella, he was calm with this girl.Maybe it was all part of the plan. If he couldn't get her calmly, he'd undoubtedly use force as he had done with Marcella.My hands clenched into fi
LILITH POVThe hallway bustled with the usual chaos of students between classes—snatches of laughter, hurried footsteps, and the hum of distant conversations. My books weighed heavily in my arms as I maneuvered through the throng, keeping my head down to avoid unnecessary interactions.Then I felt a shift in the air, almost electric, that prickled the back of my neck. It was the kind of awareness that made you stop mid-step, heart skittering for reasons you couldn’t explain.I knew that feeling.I collided with a solid wall of muscle, my books slipping from my grasp as I stumbled back. An apology was already forming on my lips when I looked up—and froze.Giovanni.I swallowed back the apology, staring away from him.What does he want? At this rate, he could be stalking me because why the fuck do I keep meeting him in school? He certainly wasn't coming to our school and didn't look like he ever would. I guessed this was what happened when you made a deal with the devil.He'd haunt you
LILITH POVAs I had come to realize, being in Giovanni's world meant going to high-end parties, meeting with crazily rich people, and discussing with them, well, if Giovanni wanted me to.Above all, standing next to him in a ridiculously costly outfit that I'd only be in once. An outfit that could feed me for at least three months.Despite living this kind of life and gradually building confidence due to rubbing shoulders with the elites, I still felt out of place.It wasn't hard to notice if you looked at me well enough.But I doubted the people here looked deeply into someone; they only cared about the outward appearance.We were at Villa Amarante, a luxurious estate on the outskirts of Milan owned by Aldo Marinelli, a reclusive billionaire who occasionally hosts High-profile events for the elite.The Amarante annual charity gala was an exclusive black-tie event that raised funds for causes like education and global health initiatives.Giovanni had told me all this, and it was the r
GIOVANNI POV"I have information on the lady you asked me to look into, but that might have to wait because Miss Diamante Amato sent me something disturbing," Luca said at the other end of the phone."And what's that?" I asked. Since I told her off earlier, I hadn't seen her.I believed she had left angrily, and I didn't care to ask or even call her to find out where she was going to."What's wrong with her?" I asked him again unable to hide the irritation from my voice.He had called me to break a piece of irrelevant information. "How about you tell me about the more crucial one?""This is crucial," Luca said. "I sent you a message now."Pulling the phone back from my ear, I glared at Luca's text. I wondered why he couldn't just say what he wanted to. Maybe it was insensitive information, but even the most sensitive thing, he had always spoken about it in a crowded place.It was a video text, and the more I watched it, the angrier I became. Diamante was standing precariously on the e
GIOVANNI POVI returned to the hospital after a while. I loathed being here. I didn't like how it smelt like death at the same time, it was the place where lives were saved.I didn't want to be here. But I wanted to make sure Lilith was doing perfectly fine. Despite receiving information about her condition being stable, I still wanted to see for myself.Standing in front of her room's door, I tapped on it and heard a small voice ushering me in.I wanted to believe it was Lilith's but she couldn't have sounded as strong as that. I stepped into the room to see a woman, probably in her fifties, with greying hair that could have been the same as Lilith's if she were younger, and her eyes had the same warmth as Lilith's but less naive and very much intelligent.Without a doubt, I knew she was Lilith's mother. Lilith had her features, and there was no way someone who wasn't related would look the same as this.She tilted one brow, looking at me as I walked further into the room."Giovanni,
LILITH POV"Fuck," I muttered as soon as I came awake.I could barely move any part of my body. They were heavy plus my eyes had refused to open. A sharp pain shot through my ribs as I tried to move, forcing me to stay still. When I finally was able to open my eyes, I stared at my surrounding and for a second, I tried to remember where I was or how I got here.And then it hit me. I was in the hospital. The fire alarm. The chaos and burning building!"Giovanni," I whispered, turning my eyes around the empty room. I had heard his voice in the midst of the chaos.Perhaps I was imagining things but I doubted it as it sounded so vivid and sharp.The door opened, and Casey stepped in. She stood by the door briefly, staring at me. She didn't move, and she seemed to be in a daze."Casey," I murmured, my voice hoarse.My voice snapped her out of her daze, and she began to move towards me robotically. Then she stopped."Lilith," she whispered, then her eyes widened. "Oh my God, Lilith. You're a
GIOVANNI POVDespite how often I had denied stalking her, I might as well be called a stalker right now. I sat on a bench near the cinema, watching everyone going in and out.I saw Lilith climbing out of a red SUV with her friend Casey.Diamante was around, and she told me she'd be coming to the movies so we could meet here. Although I had told her to say what she wanted to on the phone, she had refused.Initially, I was furious at her and didn't want to be here, but now I am glad I was. At least, the sight of Lilith would distract me momentarily from her.I watched as Lilith and her friend walked through the entrance. I stood, dusting my pants, and was about to walk, but I stopped as Diamante appeared in front of me."Nino," she murmured, sliding her dark sunglasses down her straight nose. She bites her lower lip, one of her hands now touching my shoulder.I stared at the hand briefly before looking at her. I might have thought this gesture endearing four years ago. Or even thought h
LILITH POV"Don't leave the safety of the house," I read from Giovanni's text."Why not?" I muttered, staring at it. He didn't give any other reasons except for that.I rolled my eyes, depositing my phone into my pocket.I wrinkled my nose as the buttery aroma of popcorn filled the air, leaning back into the cushioned seat, I let the movie draw me in."Goodness, I hate romantic comedies," she sighed dramatically."You picked it," I pointed out. It wasn't as if I had picked it. She was the one who suggested that she needed the laughter and all, and it was the only good fit as far as far as I was concerned."You look at her perfect hair. Nothing out of place. She irks me!" Casey groaned, pointing to one of the characters.I laughed, shaking my head. I knew she loved it because she was still watching it. If Casey hated a movie, she wouldn't pay any attention to it, no matter its high ratings. She only needed to glance at the first scene to judge.But she had been complaining about this s
LILITH POVThe phone fell from my hand, clattering to the floor. My heartbeat quickened, and I let out an inaudible gasp. My eyes widened as I looked around Casey's living room.It was just the two of us, and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. In fact, Casey was already calmed and was now staring at me as if I had lost my mind. I must have looked at the part with my mouth open while I gasped for breath."Are you alright?" she bent to pick up my phone, but I snatched it from the ground before she could."Okay," she frowned, nodding her head.I ignored her eyes as I stared at the phone again. The text was anonymous, so there was no way I could have known who sent it or even traced it!Now, I feel even more paranoid. I was right about someone watching me. This just confirmed it. But who the hell was that? What do they want from me?Giovanni was ruled out already, maybe it was Marco.He had contacted me sometime last week to ask about my whereabouts. I hadn't given him an answer be
LILITH POVI think it was paranoia, or maybe I was losing my mind.I glanced over my shoulder for the umpteenth time while crossing the street leading to Casey's apartment.I still felt the feelings from yesterday of being watched, from leaving Giovanni’s penthouse to arriving here.I wanted to believe a car had been trailing me as well! I had seen a car from the rearview mirror. It had tinted windows, so I couldn't see who was in it. But each time the car I was in made a stop, it did as well.The only thing that convinced me I wasn't being watched and that I was just going crazy was when the car zoomed past me.Coming down and about to go to Casey's, I still felt the eyes on me!Using the spare key with me—Casey had given it to me after we graduated high school. She had said I could come to her house whenever I felt like—I inserted it into the keyhole.When I unlocked the door, I looked around me briefly to ensure I wasn't being truly followed, and then I stepped inside.Gasping as I
LILITH POV"Raven?"I swirled, locking eyes with Giovanni as he climbed down the last flight of stairs. I was in the kitchen about to make chicken broth for him. I often made it for Romeo whenever he was sick, and it was pretty effective against the flu, too.This morning, Giovanni's temperature had spiked even higher, so I thought doing that would alleviate the symptoms."You're awake," I said to him. I turned off the cooker and rinsed my hands under the faucet before wiping them on the apron around my neck.I walked up to him, touching his hands. I stood on tiptoes, touching his temple with the back of my hand."How are you feeling?" I asked him."What are you doing here?" he answered my question with one of his."Wrong answer," I replied. "I was hoping to wake you up with breakfast, but now that you're here, I guess it's okay for you to have the soup here. You can take your medication afterward," I said to him."Medication?" Giovanni murmured as I pulled him to the sofa. I nudged h
LILITH POVI left the house as soon as my mother went to bed, claiming to be staying over at Casey's. She didn't say anything as she looked at me with suspicion.Now, here I was, in the usual spot waiting for Giovanni to show up. It took only a few minutes for the black monster car that Rowland often drove Giovanni in to pull up in front of me.Rowland came down at the same time as Giovanni."I'll get the door, sir," Rowland said, approaching me but Giovanni ignored him.He leaned against the car briefly, before heaving a breath, his shoulders moving as he did.Giovanni opened the door, pointing to it, "In," he said.I walked past him and was about to slide into the car when he staggered.I gripped his shoulder, steadying him. "Are you alright?" I asked, placing the back of my palm on his forehead."Fuck!" I winced, withdrawing it. It was scorching.I turned to Rowland who helped me take him inside the car."What's wrong with him? He's running a fever!" I glanced at Giovanni again, an