ROSALIEPulling my purse closer to my torso, I hesitantly slide into the backseat of the sleek black car.The enforcers exchange glances before slamming their doors shut.Two get in front, and one gets in right next to me, and the engine starts.Their silence is unnerving, and it sets me on edge."Please," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. "How's my mother?"The enforcer in the passenger seat turns around, his dark eyes piercing mine."You'll find out soon enough, Rosalie."A chill runs down my spine at how he says my name - it's been months since anyone called me that.Emily Jackson was the identity I'd built for myself, far from the world of bloodshed and deceit that had defined my childhood.And now, it seems that world has caught up with me once more."Tell me now," I demand, my voice cracking slightly.The two enforcers share a sinister grin, as though they're in on some twisted secret."We're sorry to inform you that your dear mother is no longer with us," the driver says,
FELIXThat very night, I asked to see Tony.The heavy oak door swings open, and Tony enters my dimly lit living room.I've invited him over to discuss the only truth I need to know that's been gnawing at me from within – Rosalie Battaglia and her safety."Thanks for coming, Tony," I say, gesturing for him to sit on the plush leather sofa across from me."Of course, boss. What's this all about?" Tony asks, his dark eyes searching mine.He's been my closest confidant for years, providing me his unwavering loyalty and support through countless challenges."Rosalie," I begin, taking in a deep breath."You need to tell me everything you've found on her, Tony. She's been living under the alias Emily Jackson, but I believe there's more to her story.""Rosalie? The daughter of the Don of the Battaglia family you told me to look into?"Tony raises an eyebrow, clearly surprised by my concern for the young woman. "Your enemy's daughter?""Yes," I say with a steely voice."Why?" he asks."You'll k
ROSALIE"Your father knows you're here, Rosalie," Hunter Drucci sneers at me as he leans against the door frame."No one is coming to protect you. I'll take what was promised to me - you."My heart pounds in my chest as I desperately try to find a way out of this situation.But there's no escape from the truth in his words.My father has abandoned me to this fate.I may be Rosalie Battaglia in another life, but here, I am just Emily Jackson - helpless and afraid."Please, Hunter, don't do this," I beg, tears streaming down my face.But each word only seems to fuel his rage further."Silence!" he roars, the sound echoing through the room.His eyes are wild, his face contorted with anger.He grabs my wrists and twists them painfully behind my back."You will learn to stay quiet or suffer the consequences."I bite my lip, trying to hold back any further screams or protests.I can't tell him about my secret - the baby growing inside me.What he could do if he finds out is too horrifying to
FELIX"Alright, listen up, everyone," I say, my voice echoing through the dimly lit warehouse where we've gathered our trusted crew."We've got a window of opportunity to take down Hunter Drucci and protect someone significant to me."I glance at Angelo, my right-hand man, and protector, who nods in understanding.He's been with me through thick and thin and never once wavered in his loyalty.Beside him is Tony, his face set in determination."Angelo, you'll lead the assault team," I continue, scanning the faces of the other men in the room, each handpicked for this operation."Tony, you'll be in charge of intelligence and coordination. I want updates every step of the way.""Understood, boss," they both reply in unison."Remember, this is no ordinary mission.We're dealing with a notorious psychopath who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.So be prepared for anything," I warn them, my resolve steeling as I think of Rosalie – the woman I've come to love and the reason behind th
FelixThere are at least ten of them, each armed with various weapons ranging from handguns to semi-automatic rifles."Shit," I mutter under my breath, eyeing our enemies. "This won't be easy.""Nothing worth fighting forever is boss," Marco replies, a determined glint in his eyes."Alright, team," I say, keeping my voice low."Let's plan our attack. Marco, you and your group will flank their left side.Antonio, you're on the right.I'll lead the charge up the middle. Remember, we're here for Rosalie.Don't get embroiled in fights that don't matter.""Understood, boss," they both reply in unison, their expressions steely and focused.As the battle commences, gunfire erupts from both sides, the staccato bursts echoing through the night air.My team and I move quickly and efficiently, using the cover provided by the manicured hedges and statues to our advantage.We take out several of the Drucci guards with calculated shots, utilizing our superior marksmanship and knowledge of the terrai
ROSALIEThe rain pelts down against the windows, its rhythm a soothing lullaby to my weary heart.The thunderstorm is stark.I imagine running out of the window, but I know that there are guards parked outside my door, and down my window on the lawn.I go to the window and look down.What the hell.There's a battle going on and I notice Angelo.Suddenly, my hand lurches to my stomach, and I caress my baby."We're going to get out of here," I whisper.Or maybe Felix has come to take his revenge but something tells me that revenge at Felix's hand will be far better than a future at Hunter's."Rosalie!" Hunter's voice shatters the fragile peace I've managed to build around myself.My heart races, adrenaline surging through my veins.What does he want from me? What if he takes me and tries to make a run for it?He'd make sure Felix never finds me then.My fingers tremble as I push back the fear threatening to consume me.I must protect my baby, at all costs."Come on, we're leaving," he g
My heart hammers in my chest as I watch the brutal fight unfolding before me, every punch and kick sending waves of fear coursing through my veins.The cruel reality of our world presses down on me, and all I can think about is the life growing inside me - the precious, innocent life that already means more to me than anything else."Emily," Felix grits out between his teeth as he lands another blow against Hunter, "I'll get you out of this."I like that he’s still calling me Emily in this moment of urgency.That can only mean one thing - he feels the same affection he felt for me when I was Emily.To him, I’d always be Emily.His words are a lifeline, and I cling to them with everything I have.But Hunter isn't going down without a fight, and despite Felix's strength, I can see him struggling.My vision blurs with tears, and I force myself to focus, to stay present."Fight, Felix," I whisper, my voice barely audible over their grunts and the impact of flesh meeting flesh."You have t
FELIXThe car ride is a blur, the city lights streaking by as we make our way to my house.Rosalie sits quietly beside me, her pain evident in every wince and shallow breath.I can't help but feel responsible for it all – for letting her go without allowing her to give me an explanation."Rosalie," I start, taking her hand in mine."I'm sorry. I should have listened to you, and given you a chance to explain everything. But I was so blinded by my own anger and hurt that I couldn't see past my pain."I glance over at her, and she looks back at me with her soulful eyes."Your love has always been genuine, even when mine faltered. You deserve better than that, and I swear I'll spend the rest of my life making it right," I say.Tears form in her eyes. “No, Felix,” she says.“You don’t understand. You were nothing but honest to me from the moment we met. It was I who lied, cheated, and cornered you into not trusting me. I dug my own grave out there, and you don’t have to take the blame.”I
AlexanderA year have passed since the end of the war between my family and the Saconne family. Everyone was at peace. The Romano family was prospering with the added territory of the Saconnes we had divided amongst the other three great families.We were in good times now. Aryana had given birth to our son and he was adorable. He had my gray eyes, which I had also gotten from my father and Aryana’s golden-brown hair. I can still remember the day she went into labor. I had been so afraid and uncertain of what to do. Give me a gun or a knife, and I could kill anyone you wanted to, but give me a pregnant Aryana who was in labor? I was lost.I could still remember the emotions that threatened to overflow when an exhausted but overjoyed Aryana placed our son in my arms for the first time. Despite how wrinkly skin, he was beautiful.After recuperating, Aryana completed her master’s degree in Psychology. It had been a little bit difficult to see her stress over completing projects before de
“I was unconscious for two weeks?” Alexander was astonished, but I ignored his question because I just needed to tell him about my feelings in case this was all temporary.“And seeing how you would never wake up, I was lonely and scared, and I thought about all the times we had spent together, and I realized that I had fallen in love with you, but I didn’t know why I couldn’t say it, and then I regretted it and-,”Dry lips blocked the rest of my words from coming out. I didn’t hesitate to kiss back. It was amazing! I didn’t care that his lips were parched or that he hadn’t brushed his teeth in two weeks. I only watched him kissing me back, something he could do because he was awake!We slowly drifted apart.“Hi,” I whispered, afraid I would start rambling again.“Hi.” He said back to me. We stared deeply at each other, cataloging our features as if afraid we would forget with time.“I missed you.”“I missed you too.”I smiled widely, the first smile I had given in two weeks, and leane
AryanaTwo weeks.Two weeks had passed since Tony and Marcelo returned with an unconscious Alexander, covered in his blood. It’s been two weeks since Alexander promised me everything would be all right, since he promised he would come back. Technically, he didn’t lie. He did come back. Just not the way I had expected. It’s been two weeks since I last heard his voice, Since Alexander was last conscious.I missed him. I missed his voice. I missed his smiles and his grins. I missed seeing his gray eyes. I forgot how warm his embrace was. I missed the feeling of his lips on my body. I missed everything.To think that his last words to me had been to reassure and comfort me, and I couldn’t even tell him that I loved him. That was right. In watching over his prone body for the past two weeks, I came to the realization that I did, in fact, love Alexander. I couldn’t believe it had taken him falling into a coma for me to realize my feelings.How had I been so blind? Why had I continued to dou
Having found out the truth, there was no point in delaying matters. The only reason why Tom had been so successful in beating us down was because of Alfonso. Without Alfonso, what power did Tom have? Tom was already in a tight corner, and seeing how desperate he was to have sent Alfonso to kidnap Aryana, I could sense the end of this pointless war coming to a head.“I should kill you for your betrayal and send you on your way to meet my father, where you will spend your afterlife begging him for forgiveness, but I won’t. Not yet. What you’re going to do now is, you are going to tell Tom that you have Aryana, and he should meet you where we tell you to say. Do you understand?”The resignation was written all over Alfonso’s face. He knew he was done for. He had sealed his fate the day he decided to betray my family.“Are you sure it’ll be fine?” Aryana pulled me aside and asked. “What if he-”“Nothing will happen, I promise you.” I comforted her. “This will be the end, and we’ll finally
AlexanderWhy? I couldn’t believe it. I almost hadn’t wanted to believe it when Felice had taunted the knowledge in my face while kneeling on my feet moments before his death. Seeing my enemy at my feet greatly irritated me, laughing like a mad person instead of cowering and begging like I had wanted him to.Nonetheless, the information struck me like a bolt of lightning. A traitor in our midst had supplied the Saconnes with information about our trade routes so they would know where to hit. The traitor was also responsible for reporting my father’s location. Because of him, my father died. I was filled with rage. We had welcomed that traitor into our midst and had treated him like our family, and he repaid us like this?What pained me the most was who the most likely suspect could be. Marcelo and Tony had discussed this when I told them. We went over different possibilities and clues we could have missed.For the traitor to be reporting my father’s whereabouts meant he was high up in
My eyes widened in surprise.Elio Saconne was one of the brothers of Tom Saconne, the Don of the Saconne family. Marcelo had explained a little about the dynamics of the mafia families. Tom Saconne was the oldest of three brothers. After him were his two younger brothers, Elio and Felice Saconne. Despite how impulsive Tom appeared, it was a known fact that he doted on his brothers though I had doubts on whether he actually doted on them or if it was simply that he let them do whatever they wanted, precisely because he didn’t care about them.Alexander killing Elio meant a ray of sunshine for the Romano family as the war finally turned in their favor. It also told that Alexander was proving himself to his family members. Killing Elio was equivalent to cutting off a limb of the Saconnes. It was good news. I allowed myself to drag my eyes over Alexander and observe his features, spotting no happiness or pride in his feat. It had been quite a long time since I last saw him.I barely see A
AryanaWatching how the men under the Romano family cheered for Alexander settled the unease that had appeared ever since Marcelo told me what was happening. I was aware that this didn’t mean that they had forgiven Alexander. It meant that they would give him a chance to prove himself. I wondered if we hadn’t slept together or if I had allowed him to go back to grab a condom from his car back then, would this have happened? There would have been no need for Alexander to go into hiding. He would have stayed here with his family. His father probably wouldn’t have died, and these men wouldn’t have doubted Alexander’s loyalty to his family.I wished they wouldn’t be harsh on Alexander as it hadn’t been his fault. It wasn’t as if he had wanted to leave. He had argued with his father, but in the end, he’d had no choice but to obey his father’s orders. But I knew that wasn’t how the mafia operated.I watched in curiosity as they went on to perform the ceremony that would mark Alexander as th
“How are your injuries? I heard they’re better.” I changed the topic. I didn’t want to immerse myself in my longing for my father.“It’s getting better. You need not worry.” He patted my shoulder.“I know you need time to think about handling what will happen in a few minutes. I’m sure Tony told you about the displeasure of our men.”My eyebrows slightly furrowed at the words ‘our men,’ but he continued speaking before I could contemplate it. I decided that it must have been a blunder. After all, he was an old family member who served on my father’s side. It must have been a blunder.“I only came to tell you that I am here. I watched you grow from a baby to the man you are. You have my support.”I smiled, thankful for his support. He again gripped my shoulder, momentarily tightening his hold on me before letting go with another smile, exiting the study, and leaving me back to my thoughts.I let my mind wander as the time the men under the Romano banner would arrive slowly grew closer.
AlexanderReturning to Manhattan filled me with so many emotions. Memories of my father slammed strain me with so much force that I stopped in my tracks, earning glances from Tony, Marcello, and Aryana. I waved their concern away and stepped into the building that once housed my father, and meters in arms had arrived this morning to drive Aryana and me back to Manhattan. The ride back had been tense and quiet. The atmosphere between Aryana and me was strained. Since I told her I loved her last night and she didn’t reply, we didn’t know how to act in each other's presence. Even though I said she didn’t need to say it back, it didn’t mean I hadn’t been hurt. I couldn’t understand why she couldn’t say it back.Didn’t she love me? Had I read her emotions wrong? It was clear that she had feelings for me. Was it that her feelings for me were not as deep as mine, or was it too early for her? I scoffed bitterly to myself. It didn’t matter what. I couldn’t force her to return her feelings for