LILITH POV Giovanni opened the car door for me before the driver could.I stepped out of the car, and he put his arms around my waist.Sucking in a deep breath, I watched as his hand casually rested on my waist as if it was the most natural thing to do. He didn't look fazed, unlike me.My body was on high alert, my heart pounding continuously as if I had been running, my pussy clenched and unclenched, and my nipples tingled, straining against the fabric of the dress.Thank goodness it wasn't translucent.Since today I had been reacting unreasonable to Giovanni. From being Jealous that he was always around Diamante to wanting him now.Perhaps it was due to his nearness. If he wasn't near me, I often had a clear though and he was barely part of it.I pushed his thoughts to the back of my head, looking around me for the first time, my brows drew together in a frown, and I turned to him. "I thought we were..."Going to a fancy restaurant as we always did. I was hoping this was a mission
LILITH POVThe deck was bathed in the soft glow of moonlight, its silver beams shimmering on the rippling waves around us.The scent of salt and sea filled the air, mingling with the faint trace of Giovanni's cologne as he closed the space between us.His hands wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer. His warm, deliberate touch sent heat coursing through me, igniting something primal and unstoppable.Cupping my face, his lips slowly descended to meet mine. The kiss felt like the soldering heat that joined metals, leaving my mouth burning with a fire I had never felt before.I held onto his shoulders as if he was my lifeline.Giovanni let go of my mouth. I sucked in two big gulps of air, touching my lips. It felt numb and swollen, my gaze snapping to his as his eyes narrowed on mine."Do I punish you for your inappropriate behavior with my best friend or just overlook everything you did with him and act as if it never happened?""What do you mean?" I questioned. I was surprised that
LILITH POV"Spill, Spill, Spill," Christie singsonged, plopping on the chair while crossing her legs.I shook my head, going to the vanity table to sit. I sighed, staring at my reflection. Indeed, I looked questionable.Aside from Christie and Diamante, I couldn't help but wonder what was going through the others' minds.For instance, Theo could see me as a cheap whore. I grimace. The look on his face was enough to expect that even if he wouldn't say it loud to my face."Raven!" Christie shouted, causing me to jump."Stop that," I winced, covering my ears."I asked you a question, and you're trying to zone out on me. That isn't fair. I thought we were friends and should tell each other everything?""We are friends," I murmured, but not best friends. As far as I was concerned, the only person I could easily narrate this to was Casey, who wasn't here.Casey wouldn't judge me. She'd rather cheer me on. It seemed weird, right? Yeah, but she was that kind of friend."Fine," Christie mutter
CHRISTIE POVSomething wasn't right; I could sense it.Since Raven left the house with Diamante, which, in my opinion, was Giovanni's stupidest decision ever, the gnawing feeling that something terribly had happened continued to prick at my heart.I wanted to ignore it, but the feeling became increasingly intense.I pushed open the door to Raven's room. This was my third time checking if she was back. They had left seven hours ago, and I knew Diamante wasn't buying all the stores in Santorini no matter how rich she was. So, they should be back by now.Staring at the empty room, I shut the door before stepping into the living room.Giovanni was there while the other boys, including Xanthos, were in the pool area.Xanthos wanted me to come to entertain him. He didn't want to get involved in the game because Theo and Boaz were in it. Whatever Theo and Boaz were in never ended well.I had ignored his invitation, though. I didn't want to ruin the boys' fun by going there because I knew all
LILITH POVI had never thought I'd be arrested, much less sleeping in the station and waiting for someone to bail me out of this mess.Sometimes, I tend to wonder what it felt like being behind bars, and now that I was here, it wasn't a pretty sight or feeling. The fact that I was in a foreign land, taken for an offense I didn't commit, I mean drugs?I had never thought of doing drugs before. And now one was found in my possession. I couldn't help but wonder who had done that.Diamante? That was my first guess. But she had jumped in my defense, and she might even get into trouble for trying to stop them from taking me. I had seen the tears in her eyes and her distraught appearance.Even though she had been a meanie, I didn't think she could fake that emotion.Now, who'd have planted the drug in my bag? The driver maybe? He hadn't left the car.At least, he should have been courteous enough to see what was happening or maybe he didn't just want to interfere, yet he was the only one in
LILITH POVTrust me, I wasn't drunk. I was aware of everything I was doing, and a little cup of whiskey being able to knock me out because I was lightweight was unlikely.Yet, I couldn't understand the sudden urge that was building inside of me, the boldness that had made me say that out loud, and the courage to wait for what Giovanni would do."You're drunk," Giovanni said. "You should leave."He gently extricated my arms that were wrapped around him, turning his back from me.Right. I mused. I was probably drunk and would regret whatever my stupid body wanted me to do right now.But I couldn't bring myself to take a step away from him. Licking my lower lip, I stared as the muscle on his back rippled; I saw veins in his neck, the ones that often appeared on his head when he was pissed, and when he turned to me again, I groaned as his beautiful gray-blue eyes stared at me.My hands itched, and I balled them by myself as the need to caress his face, smoothening the crease that had appe
LILITH POVThe soft morning light crept through the window, casting a warm glow across the room.I stirred, opening my eyes slowly. The events of last night flooded back in bits and pieces. I grimace while sitting on the bed despite my body being sore.Unlike the first time, I consented to everything that happened last night, so I was a little less embarrassed about the situation.I was still in Giovanni’s room, but he wasn't here. I touched the part of the bed where he had laid to see if it was cool to my touch.He must have gone as soon as he came awake or maybe he didn't sleep in the room.Holding onto the headboard as I climbed down from the bed, my legs trembled. They had barely done anything last night, yet it seemed to be the most affected in my body.I took a step forward, taking another, slowly until I reached the vanity table. I sat on the chair, staring at myself in the mirror.I looked pretty awful. My cheeks were stained with mascara, which must be from when I had cried l
CHRISTIE POVI watched as Raven navigated her way around the kitchen. She loved cooking, and to be honest, she was good at it.I didn't know who was a better cook between her, Giovanni, and Xanthos. But if you were to ask me in Xanthos' presence, I'd pick him over the others.Sorry. I firmly believed hoes over bros, but Xanthos was my husband, and his food should taste better than the others, even if it were the worst, right?Right.My mind reeled back to Raven's and the discussion in her room. She didn't know Giovanni’s true identity. I couldn't tell if she was being serious or not, but from the look on her face, she seemed oblivious.I couldn't tell who was even more oblivious, she or Xanthos, because the difference was glaring.Even though he didn't write on his forehead that he was a mafia capo, people who could see should know. The confidence he exuded, the dangerous aura that encircled him and his words.Even from the look of the other boys!Xanthos, Theo, and Boaz might be easy
GIOVANNI POV"Trouble in paradise?"I didn't raise my head from the position it was in. It was currently between my hands, and I was staring at the empty cup once filled with whisky on my office desk.Theo was in the office with me. He'd be staying over for a week, and he had come to Milan for an important business, so rather than let him live in a hotel, I had invited him over.He was my friend after all and he'd be saving money too."Judging by what I saw, I'd say you were the faulty one," Theo continued.I snorted. Sighing, I raised my head, looking around the room. It was somewhat dark. The only light came from the chandelier, and it should have been too dim for anyone to be able to see anything.I could see just fine; no obstacle on the road would make me stumble. In fact, having the curtains down and minimal light was one of the things u preferred while in the office.Despite how gloomy it seemed, the outside sometimes got me even more furious than I always was."What did you sa
CASEY POV"Jesus Christ, Lilith, can you stop doing that?" I groaned, raising my head slowly from the pillow.My eyes were still shut as I sat up on the bed, and I pushed my hands into my hair, holding my pounding head, trying to ease the headache.But it was pretty useless because my head pounded intensely with every little movement I made with my face.I didn't get drunk last night, and I knew the reason I was in this situation.That jerk. He hadn't even spared me or even for a second thought. I was a woman, and he shouldn't be hitting on someone who was supposedly weaker than he was. But no, he had slammed the fucking club at the back of my head. I wondered if it was to prove to Lilith that he could hurt me as he had said, or maybe he just desired to inflict pain on people.I opened my eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust to the bright lighting in the room. When they were fully opened, they flickered to Lilith, who paced around the room with a mug clasped in her hands.I grimaced,
LILITH POVAbout a few minutes later, we were out of the cage room and outside in the cold. I hurried towards Giovanni as he strode to the car, with Theo carrying Casey walking behind us.Theo promised to take Casey home, although I had declined his offer. It made no sense that I let my best friend be taken home by someone she wasn't familiar with. But I trusted Theo.He wasn't a creep and would ensure Casey arrived home and was well taken care of before leaving.I knew that Casey would be fine with him. So, I allowed it after much prodding."Wait up," I said to Giovanni as he continued walking.I walked as fast as my aching legs could carry me. When we reached the car, I gripped the door's handle before Giovanni could.I didn't let go and that made him turn to me.He furrowed his brows, staring down at me."Are you mad at me?" I asked him. "I know I shouldn't have brought Casey here. It's my fault that happened to her. Besides, I didn't want to be alone because you're mostly either t
LILITH POVEverything happened so fast that I could barely keep up. From Giovanni landing the first punch to Jared, my so-called captor retaliated, and everyone started fighting.My attention was mainly on Giovanni, who had succeeded in shoving Jared into the cage facing him off.I hadn't seen Giovanni in a fistfight before until now. Oh boy, he easily was the sexiest man I had ever seen despite the blood dripping from his hands and bruises on the side of his face.I hadn't doubted Giovanni beating Jared but I never thought it would be as easy as this.It looked like this was what he did everyday and Jared wasn't even a match for him.Giovanni emerged from the cage a while later, wiping the blood in his hands.He gripped the door of the cage and pointed to Jared's body, which was now on the ground.Two men immediately ran towards the body and pulled him up. I recalled one of the men as the guard who had stopped me from entering the VIP section the first time I met face-to-face with Gi
GIOVANNI POVWe were done with the meeting. Although the underground club, as it was called so as not to draw unwanted attention, wasn't just filled with one Mafia group. There were different factions from different Italian mafia families. It was owned by multiple factions, and everyone had gathered to decide who would get what cut of the profits.Not to brag, but I had the most significant profit in this underground club. Likewise, the club wouldn't be functioning without my influence."Really?" Theo murmured, igniting his fourth cigarette since today. "Bringing her here? What point are you trying to make exactly?"I shrugged, walking to the window and staring at the darkened area. I could only see the three swaying gently as the wind blew it. Also, it was possible to see the twin lampposts a few distance from the tree.We were in an office that could be used by anyone. This was a private space, especially when you had something you desired to say and didn't want the world to know ab
LILITH POVIt wasn't long after Theo left as well to go into the room I had been in. I was with Casey once again in the cage room.Both of us looked lost and wondered what to do with our time. We needed to wait for Giovanni and Theo to be done with whatever they were doing before leaving here."Where did you go?" Casey asked me as we walked towards the bar at the room's corner. Less people gathered there. Most of the people were close to the cage, which was situated in the room's center, and they were fixated on the event that was going on.Also, they had servers bringing wines and liquor to them, so they had no reason to come to the bar except if it was necessary."In a room," I murmured. Casey raised her brows, and I thought of what to add precisely to what I said.It was a room filled with all sorts of things, perhaps the ones I hadn't seen yet, and it was the reason Giovanni wanted me out of there. To shield me. But I doubted that was the case because if he had wanted to shield me
GIOVANNI POVI stared at Lilith. She still had her thinking face on. It was tilted in the air, and her lower lip between her teeth and forehead had crease lines. I was expecting her to heed my advice and do as I said. Bringing her here might not have been the best thing I ever did as far as I was concerned.She was in the danger zone and barely had any experience with the Mafia world. If that was Diamante, she had all the knowledge from her father. Lilith was different.At this same time, I wanted her to see me for who I was. There was no way I could give her what she desired and there was no point in her staying with me because it would be a waste of time.I was doing her a favor and hoped she was sensible enough to know that."Maybe I am not brainy after all," Lilith finally said. She shrugged her tiny shoulders and a small smile formed on her face.She was exceptionally gorgeous tonight. It wasn't the makeup. She was always this beautiful but something about her tonight was somewha
LILITH POVThe room wasn't as dark as I had thought. I guessed it was due to the dimness, and my brain had processed that it was that way; hence, I had seen nothing at first.All the same, I was still curious."What's going on? Why am I here?" I asked Giovanni."Relax," that was the only thing he said as his hand, once again, snaked around my waist.Relax? I wanted to scream at him. How the hell was I going to relax in this manner? What the fuck was he thinking bringing me in here?! Ever since I had been following Giovanni, this was the first time I'd be in such an atmosphere as intense as this.Although I had seen him with guns many times, killed people, and even once saw him being shot at, the first time, that was all.We were always in a high-profile event with wealthy-looking men and women.This wasn't as noisy and chaotic as the first place we were in, but it didn't make it less dangerous.This place was darker. Cooler. It seemed like the place where silence held more weight than
LILITH POVI had no choice but to leave the house. Casey waited until it was precisely the time to lead me out. She had borrowed me one of her dresses because she believed the ones in my wardrobe weren't fitting for the occasion that Giovanni wanted.Even though we didn't know what the occasion was about. I never knew, so I wasn't even surprised one bit.When I was out of the house after giving an excuse to my mother to stay over at Casey's for the night, to which she had agreed, Casey and I both walked to the bus stop, where we waited for Giovanni to arrive.In about ten minutes, the car was here but he wasn't the one picking me up. It was Rowland and Giovanni wasn't even in the car.I furrowed my brows as I walked to the car, leaning close to the window, "Where's Giovanni?" I asked him."The boss is in the party. He needs to arrive there because he's having an important meeting in about," Rowland stared at his watch, before glancing back to me, "2 minutes and shoot! He asked me to b