(Alessio's POV)The ray of sunlight penetrated my face as I tried to open my eyes. Fully opening them, I discovered I was in the hospital, which only reminded me that I had been shot.Who dared to shoot at me? I thought to myself as anger surged through my system, but the soft snoring I heard made me squint. My eyes moved to my right, and I saw Lisa sleeping. Her head was resting on the bed while her body was seated in the chair.Did she spend the entire night with me?I tried not to smile, but a grin ended up appearing on my face. Somehow, my smile crept out every time Lisa was with me. I sat up in bed, raised my hand, and gently placed it on her head, caressing her hair softly. She stirred slightly and opened her eyes.I stopped smiling and withdrew my hand. Lisa lifted her head from the bed, and her eyes sparkled with joy at seeing me.Was she really that happy I was awake? Before I could read her thoughts through her eyes, she sprang up from the bed and hugged me.Did she just hug
(Alessio's POV) "Where's Lisa?" I asked Ivan when I arrived back at the house. I had discharged myself from the hospital despite the doctors insisting I stay longer. I had just undergone surgery, but I turned a deaf ear to their medical advice. "Sheâs in your suite, waiting for you. Sheâs been worried about you," Ivan replied. I knitted my brows at the mention of her worrying about me. Shouldnât she be the last person to worry about me, considering how much she hated me? I guess sheâs just feeling guilty about what happened. Taking a deep sigh, I asked, "Has she eaten?" "Not yet, boss. She said sheâd eat only if she sees you." I nodded and dismissed Ivan. Entering my suite, I found Lisa pacing around the room, worry evident on her face. She wasnât aware of my presence. "Why havenât you eaten?" I asked, making myself known. Her eyes darted to me, and she quickly rushed over. "Why did you leave the hospital like that? Do you know how dangerous it was?" she asked.
(Alessio's POV) "Do you want to come with me? I can take you somewhere you'd have a good life and be free from the abuses of your stepfather," Rosita spoke in Italian to a young girl covered in bruises. I had tracked her location, and right now, she was in a restaurant, talking to a girl, unaware that I was sitting just a seat away from her. "Really? You can help me?" The girlâs voice trembled with sadness. "I want to escape from my stepdad. He abuses me and rapes me daily." Rosita placed her hand gently over the girl's, offering an innocent smile. She must have charmed Lisa with that façade. With that sweet, unassuming face, she could easily make anyone believe she was harmless. But in reality, she was nothing but a despicable woman who trafficked girls for money. "Yes. I am going to take you somewhere. They're going to treat you nicely, and you will have a good life with them," Rosita assured her. "Then take me with you. I want to go with you," the girl blurted, unaware of
(Alessio's POV) "Why aren't you saying anything, Lisa?" Isabella's voice stopped me from opening the door to Lisa's room. "Nothing happened, Isa," Lisa answered. "You're lying to me. I know something did happen. You weren't in this house for two days, and Ivan brought you back home with a stab on your stomach. I'm sure something happened, and you just don't want to tell me," Isabella pressed on. "Nothing happened, Isabella. Alessio took me out, and that's why I was away for two days. The stabbing was just an accident," Lisa grinned. When I had rushed Lisa to the hospital after she stabbed herself, no one in the house knew about it. The house was just too big for anyone to notice things, and the maids had limits on how they moved around. "He took you out?" Isabella paused for a moment and then continued, "Then does that mean you know the exit of this house?" Her tone was laced with curiosity as I lingered close to hear Lisa's answer. There was a swift silence before Lisa spoke.
(Lisa's POV) Itâs been two weeks since the whole drama unfolded. Although Iâve told him countless times that I wasnât going to escape like I always do, he still doesn'tâ believe me. I canât blame him, though, because Iâve tried every possible means to escape from him. Iâve been doing my best to get to know him, and in the few times weâve spoken, Iâve come to realize that he isnât fully the monster I had labeled him to be. He is caring when it comes to me. Should I take back my words about calling him a monster, or should I call him a handsome monster? I thought to myself, grinning. âWhatâs making you smile?â Vanessa and Isabella interrupted my thoughts. I snapped back to reality, realizing they were both in the room with me. We were eating together because I had said so. âNothing,â I smiled at them, but Isabella gave me a suspicious look. âSomething is fishy about you,â she said, her eyes glued to mine. âWhatâs fishy about me?â I muttered. âYou look happier these days,
(Lisa's POV) "You want to touch my chest?" he asked, his voice soft, sending a thudding sensation through my chest. I nodded slowly, my cheeks heating with a blush. It felt weird to ask such a thing from him, but I had seen him shirtless a couple of times and always wondered how it would feel in my palms. I never asked because I hated him. But now, I donât think I hate him the way I used to. This handsome monster almost died because of meâthere's no reason to hate him anymore. Thatâs why Iâve made up my mind to stay with him. "There are going to be consequences for touching my chest, Lisa," he whispered into my ear, his fresh breath fanning my face. Goosebumps erupted on my skin. "What kind of consequences?" I asked in a low voice, but he still heard me. "You already know what I want, right?" he murmured. I knew exactly what he wantedâto have sex with me. But I pushed him away slightly, my face still flushed. "I donât know what you want," I teased. "Has anyone told yo
(Alessio's POV) "I thought you had forgotten about your dad's death anniversary, and that's why I decided to call you," an elderly woman said to me as she poured me a drink. She is my mother's sister. "No, I didn't," I replied, emptying the glass she had poured for me. When I told Lisa to come see me in my suite, I intended to tell her I wouldn't be home on time, but I got distracted; I can't resist her when she is close to me. It's still unbelievable that she allowed me to touch her. If not for my aunt's call, we would have been having steamy sex right now. "How have you been?" she asked with a smile, and I merely nodded. I kept in touch with her from time to time because she was the only one who felt remorseful about what her sister did to my dad. Even after my dad was buried, she wanted to take me with her. She did all she could, but Salvatore wouldn't allow her to take me, stating that I was the next mafia boss of the DeLuca family. After much effort, she gave up,
(Lisa's POV) "I think I am falling in love with you." Those words echoed in my ear, and I sprang up from the bed with a loud scream. I sat up, my eyes scanning the whole room. I had slept in Alessio's room, which meant that everything that happened last night wasn't a dream. I slapped him more than three times across the face. My heart thudded in my chest at the thought of what he might do to me for slapping him. What troubled my heart even more were the words I had told him last night. What if he takes it seriously? "You always mess up whenever you're drunk, Lisa!" I scolded myself, slapping my face repeatedly and tugging at my hair at the same time. He wasn't in his bedroom, which meant this was the perfect time to leave. I can't face him right now, especially after making such a silly confessionâand the worst part was that I had slapped him. I slapped a mafia boss! Getting out of bed, I quickly left his suite and began rushing to mine. But as I entered my room, I almost sc
(Lisa's POV) I betrayed the man I love and the man who loves me, and no matter what my reasons were, it wasn't justified. I had a chance to ask him about it, but rather than confronting him, I acted rashly. He lost everything. A lot of innocent souls died because of me, and it's best if I leave. If he had wanted to kill me, I would have accepted it, but since he wanted me out of his life, I will do as he says, even though it hurts being separated from him. Staring at the entrance of the airport, my tears fell down my cheeks, but I wiped them off with a sob. With the despicable thing I have done, I don't know if I could live a normal life. I will forever be haunted for betraying him and for killing innocent souls. I sniffled one last time. I made to enter the airport, but I bumped into someone. "I'm sorry," I managed to say, but fresh tears fell from my eyes and down to my cheeks when I saw I had bumped into Angelo. "Angelo," I said, nearly breaking into tears. I had
(Alessio's POV) "How long have I been unconscious?" I asked. "For a few days," Ivan answered. I sighed, trying to sit up on the bed, but Ivan quickly stopped me from doing so. "You shouldn't do that yet. Your wounds are still fresh," he said, but I ignored him and sat up on the bed, enduring the pain. Every part of my body was filled with injuries. It hurt and itched at the same time. "Where's Salvatore?" "He left a few minutes before you woke up," Ivan replied. "Is it true that Enzo destroyed everything, including my house and the clan?" Ivan looked at me and sadly nodded his head. "We lost the mobsters at the clan. The innocent maids also died from the explosion." "No single person survived?" I asked, hiding how bad I felt. "No one, Boss Alessio. We have nothing left," Ivan answered, wiping his tears, as he was too emotional to control them. I failed to protect my men. If I hadn't been trapped under Enzo's custody, none of this would have happened. "Arenâ
(Writer's POV) "What did I just hear you just say? You gave who to who?" Salvatore sneered. He had booked an early flight to Rome so he could know the happenings of the clan, only for him to meet dead monsters and a destroyed clan. Lisa took in her lips, unable to say anything. Salvatore had always said she'd betray Alessio, and she felt so embarrassed because his instinct came to pass. She betrayed the man who loves her. A man who always showed up whenever she was in danger. She made a promiseâĶ but couldn't keep her promise. She was just like his mother. "Have your tongue been cut off? Repeat what you just said!" he snapped at her, and tears strolled down her eyes. No matter how much she cried, it wouldn't justify what she had done. "I didn't mean to betray him," she began sobbing. "I thought he killed my dad, so I gave him an apple injected with succinylcholine. He became weak because of it, and Enzo was able to trap him. Enzo has him in his custody and it's all
(Writer's POV) "Did Don Alessio answer the phone?" Isabella asked Ivan in a panicked voice, while Ivan shook his head with a sigh. "Why would Lisa even think of leaving the house?" Isabella murmured, her worries palpable. She had earlier gone to Lisa's room to talk to her, only to find out she wasn't in her room. When she got worried, she asked Ivan for help, and he looked into the surveillance cameras and they both found out that Lisa had sneaked out of the house by secretly entering the car trunk of Alessio's car. "Do you think Don Alessio has seen her already?" "I don't think so, Isabella. It's unlike him not to answer the phone either. Something seems off and I can feel it," Ivan muttered. Isabella swiped her hand through her hair in frustration. "Why can't Lisa just believe that Vanessa was indeed a spy?" "Asking questions won't do. If Alessio still doesn't know she's not in the house, then we should find her before he does." Isabella nodded, and just as they were about t
(Lisa's POV) "I love you so much, Lisa." Those words repeated themselves a thousand times in my ears, and fresh tears rushed down my face. These were the words I had always longed to hear from him. Alessio finally confessed his feelings to me. My glassy eyes shifted to him, and I saw the sincerity in his tears. Did he really not kill my dad? Did I accuse him wrongly? If he wasn't the one who murdered my dad, then who could have done it? "I didn't kill your dad. I will never do that to you," he whispered, and my heart shattered even more. I didn't know who to believe because my dad, who could have spoken for himself, was dead. "Enough with the emotional scenes, lovers. Tell me, Alessio, aren't you happy to see me?" he smirked. Alessio glared at him. "Why should I miss someone like you? You're still the weak person you are. Isn't that why you made me appear weak in front of you? Because you know I would always beat you to a pulp," Alessio said, despite his weakness. Enzo got
(Alessio's POV) I was all alone in my office, thinking of ways I could make Lisa forgive me, when I received a text from her, demanding we meet up. My eyebrows furrowed in surprise, wondering how she was able to leave the house because I had given my men strict warnings not to allow her leave. I sprang up from the chair and called her. It rang many times, but she didn't answer. Grabbing my jacket, I rushed out of my office and almost bumped into Angelo on my way out. He looked shocked upon seeing me. "Why are you looking at me that way? Did something happen?" I asked. "No... nothing happened?" he stuttered, his hand shaking. I didn't have time to ask him why he was reacting that way because all I could think of was going to Lisa and ask how she was able to leave the house. I left Angelo standing there and got into my car. I drove off to Gianicolo Hills, where Lisa had asked me to meet her. Arriving at the hills, she was the only one there, staring into space, lost in t
(Lisa's POV) Angelo arrived at the location the caller had given me. It was a warehouse, but from the looks of it, it was still under construction. I tried getting down from the car, but Angelo held my hand. "Don't tell me you're going in there?" "Yes, I am. That's why I asked you to bring me here in the first place." "You need to tell me what's going on, Lisa. Don Alessio will kill me if he finds out about this," his tone was etched with worry. "You don't need to worry about that. He won't ever find out unless you snitch on me. Are you going to do that?" Angelo sighed, feeling defeated. "You know I would never do that to you. I just want to know why you came here and who you want to talk to." "It's just someone I know. I just need to find out the truth." "The truth about what?" I ignored his question and got out of the car. He tried to follow me, but I stopped him from doing so. "What if you get hurt?" "I'll be fine. I can defend myself," I assured him. "Should
(Lisa's POV) I didnât know what to do at that moment. There was no way I could possibly leave this houseânot when Alessio had his eyes on me. My heart shattered as I spoke to him. Not even in my worst nightmares did I ever dream about losing my dad. Everything was happening so fast in just one day. First, Vanessa died. Then Alessio drastically changing from who he used to be into something worse. And now, I just found out that my dad was dead. It felt like my world had collapsed right in front of me. Why was all this happening to me in one single day? âIâĶ I can't leave. Alessioâs got his eyes on me,â I sniffled. âThen it means you're not interested in knowing who killed your dad!â he snapped and hung up. âPlease, donât hang up on me!â I cried out. Sobbing, I called the number again, but he didnât pick up. âPlease answer the phone,â I cried, almost at the brink of losing myself. I wished this was all just a dreamâone where Iâd wake up and find Vanessa cooking for me, my dad sti
(Lisa's POV) I sat down on the bed, burying my face in my thighs and wrapping my arms around them as fresh tears dripped from my eyes. I donât know what had gotten into Alessio, but he had completely changed in just few hours. First, he killed Vanessa, and now he didnât even blink before sending my dad away. I want to leave. No matter how much I love him, I can't tolerate him anymore. He killed Vanessaâan innocent woman who had been so kind to me from the very first day she was brought here by that monster. More tears streamed down my face as memories of Vanessa filled my mind. It felt like a dream, but I knew it wasnât. She was dead. The door creaked open, and he stepped inside, his hands in his pockets. âYouâre finally awake?â he said, but I only gave him a hateful glare. My heart might still love him, but my mind already despised him for what he did to Vanessa. âLisaâĶâ he took a step closer. âDonât. Donât come any closer, Alessio,â I said firmly, though my eyes continued to