(Lisa's POV) “I’m not hungry,” I said to Vanessa, who kept pressuring me to eat. How could I eat, knowing fully well that my dad was sick and alone, waiting for me to come back home? I had always been a food lover, but I would be a cruel daughter to indulge while my dad wasn’t well. Vanessa took my hand, caressing it softly, and my tear-streaked eyes met hers. "You should eat," she urged me again, but I shook my head, wiping the tears streaming down my face. Ever since I found that letter, my eyes hadn’t stopped producing tears. “You once said I should consider you my daughter whenever we’re alone like this, right? Well, this is me, as your mother, asking my daughter to eat,” she said, her voice low and soothing. “I'm sorry, but I don’t have any appetite. All I want right now is to go home,” I whispered, my voice barely audible through my sobs. Vanessa wiped my tears and offered me a reassuring smile. “Your dad will be okay. Just have faith.” “I can’t have that faith,” I r
(Writers' POV) The loud music in the nightclub pulsed through the air as people danced to the beat. Some were lost in their movements, others were busy making out, while a few watched the strippers perform their outrageous routines on stage, tossing money at them. The waitstaff hustled to serve customers who seemed increasingly impatient. Bianca stepped inside the nightclub, the sound of her chain boots echoing as she walked, her eyes scanning the crowd for someone. She wore a pair of shorts that barely covered her backside and dark thigh-high socks. The crop top she worn struggled to contain her huge breasts, but she didn’t care. Chewing gum and blowing bubbles, her gaze darted around until she spotted Marco engaged in conversation with a group of men. Their demeanor suggested they were mafia bosses, but no one could be compare to Alessio when it came to exuding a frightening aura. "Marco, can we talk?" she said, dismissing the men with a wave of her hand. Since they weren't
(Lisa's POV) I sat on the bed, my smile never leaving my face. After much thinking and trying to figure out where the exit of Alessio's house could be, I had finally found it. He wasn't just a monster; he was a tricky man as well. No one would have guessed that the tiny dot could be the key to leaving this house. I had finally come to believe the saying that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Now that I knew the exit, I planned to leave quietly, without anyone noticing. I had no idea how I would book a flight back to California since I had lost my phone and credit card the day he kidnapped me. But it didn't matter; I was going to find a way back to California. What mattered most was leaving this place first. A hand tapped my shoulder, causing me to scream in surprise, as I had been deep in thought. "Are you okay?" Isabella asked, worried about my outburst. I let out a deep sigh and nodded. "Yes, I’m fine. Why did you tap me like that? You scared me." "I'm sorry I sta
(Alessio's POV) "Welcome back, Boss Alessio," the gatekeeper said as I drove past him. I ignored him, just as I always ignored anyone who greeted me. My face bore nothing but anger as Lisa's words kept echoing in my ears. I had spent the previous night at the clan because I was consumed with rage, and I didn't want to take it out on her. If I did, she wouldn't be able to survive it. The drive to the house took a few minutes since the distance between the gate and my house was a bit far. When I stepped out of the car, I was immediately approached by one of the guards. It was unusual for them to approach me unless something serious had happened. "Don Alessio," he said, his head bowed to the ground. "What do you want?" I asked coldly. "It's the woman you brought home," he replied, speaking in Italian. "What woman?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "The woman that was brought from California." "Lisa?" I furrowed my brows, not quite understanding what he was saying. He was one of the me
(Lisa's POV) I kept my eyes wide open, trying my best not to fall asleep. If I did, I would move my feet, which meant I would die, and the fear of dying scared me to the core. Now I fully understood why everyone here respected his orders; they didn't want to die. My legs ached, and I was growing weaker from standing on this landmine for more than three hours. I had heard a couple of stories about how deadly landmines could be, and Alessio was cruel for leaving me here without even attempting to help. I hated him so much! Who in their right mind would install a deadly weapon in their house just because they had a web of enemies? Just when I thought I could finally go back to my dad, I was trapped here with no one trying to help me. "You are so heartless, Alessio," I muttered as tears continued to pour down my cheeks. My eyes threatened to close, but I fought to keep them open. "Please, anyone, help me!" I screamed, but the response I got was the echo of my voice. The guar
(Alessio's POV) I wanted to leave her there, letting the rain continue to drench her, but she kept calling out my name, making it difficult for me to stand by my words. I brought her inside the house after she lost consciousness. When she woke up this morning, I was on the brink of unleashing my anger at her for disobeying me. However, when she winced in pain as I held her jaw, I let go, because this foolish heart of mine always ached in pain whenever she was in pain. I hated the fact that I was in love with her. It took a lot of thinking for me to understand my heart. I had always said I would never fall in love with any woman, but here I was, already in love with that fragile, stubborn woman. Now that I know how I feel about her, the Godfather might come after her, but I will ensure he never lays a finger on a single strand of her hair. She was mine even before I realized my feelings for her, and now that I know I love her, I wouldn't hesitate to kill millions of people just for
(Lisa's POV)I kept pacing around the room, not knowing how to leave the suite. I had screamed and knocked on the door, but no one was willing to open it for me. My throat even hurt from screaming so much. Why would he think of locking me in here? Still, I couldn’t shake the thought of how I—no, how we survived the landmine without getting hurt. Was it a real landmine, or was it just for show? I thought to myself as I continued pacing around the room.I need to go back to California now that I was fully aware of the exit, but what if he keeps locking me in here? I quickly went to the door to knock again, but that’s when he entered. I stumbled backward at the sight of him.“You were about to knock on the door again, weren’t you?” he asked. His voice seemed calmer now. Does that mean he’s no longer mad at me?“You locked me in here the whole day. Why would you even do that? You can’t just lock me in here,” I said. He walked closer to me, lowering his head to match my height. I gulped ha
(Alessio's POV) "Did you just smile?" she asked, looking surprised to see me smile. This would be the first time she had actually seen me smile, even if I had chuckled or smiled a few times because of her. How she had compared me to her ex-boyfriend stayed glued in my brain, and every time I thought about it, I felt nothing but anger. I couldn’t shake it off no matter how hard I tried, and that’s why I decided to ask her. When she said she no longer loved or thinks of her ex, I felt happy—no, I was over the moon. Do I love her to this extent for me to be overjoyed that she no longer thinks of her shitty ex-boyfriend? If a soothsayer had told me Lisa was a witch, I wouldn’t doubt it, because she had cast a love spell on me. "You just smiled, didn’t you?" she asked again, as her fragile index finger pointed at my lips. "No, I didn’t," I said, keeping a straight face. Even though I was in love with her, I couldn’t make it so obvious. I was still Alessio DeLuca, no matter what.
(Alessio's POV) "It's been a while, Godfather. I'm so happy to see you again," I heard Bianca say as I entered my office. She was pouring him a glass of liquor, trying to win his favor. "Why are you back?" I asked, not bothering to offer him a welcome greeting. He had to return to Rome at a time when Lisa needed me the most. She’s lying in a hospital bed, and I can’t be with her right now because of Salvatore. "Shouldn’t you at least give me a welcome-back hug?" Salvatore asked with a smile. "That’s not my thing," I replied, my eyes shifting to Bianca. She understood the silent command in my gaze and left without a word. "What brings you to Rome?" I asked again. "Am I no longer allowed to be in my home country?" he replied with a smirk. "By the way, where’s Ivan?" he asked, and Ivan entered immediately. "Welcome back, Godfather," Ivan greeted with a warm smile. Salvatore walked up to him and patted his back. "Thanks, Ivan. That’s what I like about you—you always know
"She is going to be fine. The knife didn’t go that deep, which means it’s just a minor injury," I heard a man say. My vision wasn’t clear when I first opened my eyes, but after a brief moment, I saw Alessio talking to a doctor. "If something bad happens to her, you’ll be dead," he said authoritatively, his tone scaring the doctor. "I have been in this medical field for more than eleven years, and I assure you she will be fine. I’ve already operated on her, and the stabbing didn’t go that deep," the doctor explained, though he fidgeted nervously in front of Alessio—he always had a way of intimidating people wherever he went. As for me, the doctor was right when he said the stabbing wasn’t deep, because I had made sure of that when I intentionally stabbed myself. It had taken all the courage in the world to purposely stab myself. It was the only option I had. I thought finding the exit would get me out of his life and back to my normal life in California, but I was wrong. With
(Alessio's POV) "Did you just smile?" she asked, looking surprised to see me smile. This would be the first time she had actually seen me smile, even if I had chuckled or smiled a few times because of her. How she had compared me to her ex-boyfriend stayed glued in my brain, and every time I thought about it, I felt nothing but anger. I couldn’t shake it off no matter how hard I tried, and that’s why I decided to ask her. When she said she no longer loved or thinks of her ex, I felt happy—no, I was over the moon. Do I love her to this extent for me to be overjoyed that she no longer thinks of her shitty ex-boyfriend? If a soothsayer had told me Lisa was a witch, I wouldn’t doubt it, because she had cast a love spell on me. "You just smiled, didn’t you?" she asked again, as her fragile index finger pointed at my lips. "No, I didn’t," I said, keeping a straight face. Even though I was in love with her, I couldn’t make it so obvious. I was still Alessio DeLuca, no matter what.
(Lisa's POV)I kept pacing around the room, not knowing how to leave the suite. I had screamed and knocked on the door, but no one was willing to open it for me. My throat even hurt from screaming so much. Why would he think of locking me in here? Still, I couldn’t shake the thought of how I—no, how we survived the landmine without getting hurt. Was it a real landmine, or was it just for show? I thought to myself as I continued pacing around the room.I need to go back to California now that I was fully aware of the exit, but what if he keeps locking me in here? I quickly went to the door to knock again, but that’s when he entered. I stumbled backward at the sight of him.“You were about to knock on the door again, weren’t you?” he asked. His voice seemed calmer now. Does that mean he’s no longer mad at me?“You locked me in here the whole day. Why would you even do that? You can’t just lock me in here,” I said. He walked closer to me, lowering his head to match my height. I gulped ha
(Alessio's POV) I wanted to leave her there, letting the rain continue to drench her, but she kept calling out my name, making it difficult for me to stand by my words. I brought her inside the house after she lost consciousness. When she woke up this morning, I was on the brink of unleashing my anger at her for disobeying me. However, when she winced in pain as I held her jaw, I let go, because this foolish heart of mine always ached in pain whenever she was in pain. I hated the fact that I was in love with her. It took a lot of thinking for me to understand my heart. I had always said I would never fall in love with any woman, but here I was, already in love with that fragile, stubborn woman. Now that I know how I feel about her, the Godfather might come after her, but I will ensure he never lays a finger on a single strand of her hair. She was mine even before I realized my feelings for her, and now that I know I love her, I wouldn't hesitate to kill millions of people just for
(Lisa's POV) I kept my eyes wide open, trying my best not to fall asleep. If I did, I would move my feet, which meant I would die, and the fear of dying scared me to the core. Now I fully understood why everyone here respected his orders; they didn't want to die. My legs ached, and I was growing weaker from standing on this landmine for more than three hours. I had heard a couple of stories about how deadly landmines could be, and Alessio was cruel for leaving me here without even attempting to help. I hated him so much! Who in their right mind would install a deadly weapon in their house just because they had a web of enemies? Just when I thought I could finally go back to my dad, I was trapped here with no one trying to help me. "You are so heartless, Alessio," I muttered as tears continued to pour down my cheeks. My eyes threatened to close, but I fought to keep them open. "Please, anyone, help me!" I screamed, but the response I got was the echo of my voice. The guar
(Alessio's POV) "Welcome back, Boss Alessio," the gatekeeper said as I drove past him. I ignored him, just as I always ignored anyone who greeted me. My face bore nothing but anger as Lisa's words kept echoing in my ears. I had spent the previous night at the clan because I was consumed with rage, and I didn't want to take it out on her. If I did, she wouldn't be able to survive it. The drive to the house took a few minutes since the distance between the gate and my house was a bit far. When I stepped out of the car, I was immediately approached by one of the guards. It was unusual for them to approach me unless something serious had happened. "Don Alessio," he said, his head bowed to the ground. "What do you want?" I asked coldly. "It's the woman you brought home," he replied, speaking in Italian. "What woman?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "The woman that was brought from California." "Lisa?" I furrowed my brows, not quite understanding what he was saying. He was one of the me
(Lisa's POV) I sat on the bed, my smile never leaving my face. After much thinking and trying to figure out where the exit of Alessio's house could be, I had finally found it. He wasn't just a monster; he was a tricky man as well. No one would have guessed that the tiny dot could be the key to leaving this house. I had finally come to believe the saying that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Now that I knew the exit, I planned to leave quietly, without anyone noticing. I had no idea how I would book a flight back to California since I had lost my phone and credit card the day he kidnapped me. But it didn't matter; I was going to find a way back to California. What mattered most was leaving this place first. A hand tapped my shoulder, causing me to scream in surprise, as I had been deep in thought. "Are you okay?" Isabella asked, worried about my outburst. I let out a deep sigh and nodded. "Yes, I’m fine. Why did you tap me like that? You scared me." "I'm sorry I sta
(Writers' POV) The loud music in the nightclub pulsed through the air as people danced to the beat. Some were lost in their movements, others were busy making out, while a few watched the strippers perform their outrageous routines on stage, tossing money at them. The waitstaff hustled to serve customers who seemed increasingly impatient. Bianca stepped inside the nightclub, the sound of her chain boots echoing as she walked, her eyes scanning the crowd for someone. She wore a pair of shorts that barely covered her backside and dark thigh-high socks. The crop top she worn struggled to contain her huge breasts, but she didn’t care. Chewing gum and blowing bubbles, her gaze darted around until she spotted Marco engaged in conversation with a group of men. Their demeanor suggested they were mafia bosses, but no one could be compare to Alessio when it came to exuding a frightening aura. "Marco, can we talk?" she said, dismissing the men with a wave of her hand. Since they weren't