(Lisa's POV)"Don Alessio," Isabella said, quickly getting up from the bed and bowing to him. I remained sniffly on the bed, wishing I could go back a few seconds and take back what I just said. I had never been good at interacting with people; all my life, I had always been an introvert who listened to what others said without offering my own opinions. And today, when I decided to come out of my cage, this happened. I was only trying to make Isabella laugh, and with how his eyes were lustfully staring at me, I hoped he didn’t take my words to heart. "What are you still doing here?" His deep baritone voice asked Isabella, who remained standing and bowing to him. I wished Isabella could be brave and stay with me, but I was making an empty wish that could never come to pass. Before I could even blink, Isabella had already found her way out of the room. Now it was just me and Alessio left in the room. I tried not to look at him, but those piercing dark brown eyes of his never left mine
(Lisa's POV)"Lastly, this is the library," Ivan said to me as we entered. I gasped at the sight; it was huge and filled with so many books. It was bigger and more beautiful than the state library.It's already been three days since I last saw Alessio, and Ivan and Isabella have been doing their best to keep me entertained. Ivan had been showing me around the house, and Alessio wasn't lying when he said there were so many fun things to do inside. Alessio is definitely not normal—who builds a swimming pool inside his house? Aside from that, it also looked like a haunted house; I still can't forget how I got trapped with smoke coming out of nowhere. Ivan didn't show me the dark side of the house; I guess the boss himself must've told him not to.Nevertheless, I couldn't stop myself from admiring how beautiful the library felt. He had taken me to the swimming pool room, game room, gym, and so many more, but this library was my favorite. Maybe it's because I am a lover of books, and it go
(Alessio's POV) I had left Italy to go to Mumbai because I needed to finish the job that was assigned to me. Louis had given me the details on where he was hiding in Mumbai. I was just waiting for the perfect time to push through with my mission—I’d attack him when he least expected it. I didn’t bring any of my men because handling him was a piece of cake. I would have taken Ivan with me, but I told him he could stay behind and look after Lisa, just in case she needed anything. It had been three days since I last saw Lisa. I wasn’t sure if I missed her, but I had been waiting patiently for Ivan to call me to say she wanted to talk to me. When he didn’t, I decided to call him just so I could speak to her. I didn’t know why, but not hearing her voice and seeing her beautiful face for three days felt like an important part of me was missing. “Boss, Alessio wants to speak to you,” I could hear Ivan say from the other side of the phone after I instructed him to give the phone to her.
(Alessio's POV) Arriving at the nightclub, it was filled with so many people dancing to the beat of an Indian hip-hop song. I spotted Diego, who was surrounded by ladies in the VIP area. I approached him and sat down in one of the chairs. Diego, who had been sucking on a lady's nipples, stopped and looked at me. "You don't look like an India" he said. "You must be Diego," I said in Italian, which made him smile. "Whoa! You're from my home country. What brings you to Mumbai?" he asked, still smiling. I guessed he was unaware of who I was; otherwise, he would have been trembling at the sight of me. If only he knew today would be his last on Earth, he wouldn't be smiling at me. "Business," I said curtly. I couldn't let him know I had come here to kill him; I wanted him to be taken by surprise. He wouldn't know what hit him. "Nice meeting you," he stretched out his hand to shake mine, but I merely gave him a cold look. I was still Don Alessio DeLuca, regardless of where I wa
(Lisa's POV) I sat down on the bed, exhausted from reading so many books in just a few hours. Isabella had left after I told her I needed to be alone. She didn’t argue and left so she wouldn’t get on Alessio’s bad side. Lying on the bed, counting the lights on the ceiling, my thoughts drifted to Alessio. It had been four days since he left, and I wondered when he would be back. It's not like I missed him, but I was just used to seeing his face every single day. I sighed in frustration, wondering where the exit of his house might be. Ivan had shown me around, but there were no place that looked like they led outside. I had been brought here while I was unconscious, which was probably why I hadn’t figured it out. Should I interact with the maids? I was sure they knew where the exit was since they were brought in by Alessio. But what if they chose to keep it a secret, like Ivan and Isabella? I don't believe Isabella; it was impossible for her not to know where the exit was. She must h
(Alessio's POV) That smile of hers always pulls me in, in ways I can't explain. When she asked about my life and why I didn't become an architect or a baker, I got mad; one thing I don't like talking about is my painful childhood. If it had been anyone else who asked me such a question, they would have been begging me to spare them, but it was Lisa who asked, and somehow she was exceptional. I even had to scare her with my voice, which is why I decided to leave before I frightened her further. I didn't want Lisa to look at me with fearful eyes, like I was her worst nightmare that came to life to haunt her. But here she was, holding my hand and asking me to share the cake with her. I didn't even admit that I was the one who brought the cake for her because it felt embarrassing—this was the first time I had experienced what it felt like to be embarrassed. "You can have it all to yourself," I said, stepping away from her, but she grabbed my hand again. "I can't eat it all because it'
(Lisa's POV) A smile crept onto my face as I stared at myself in the mirror. I had purposely allowed him to kiss me, just the way he wanted, because my plan all along was to stop him the moment he tried to take off my blouse. And it worked just as I had pictured it in my head. I could see the desire in his eyes when I halted him—it was the first time I saw desire in his gaze, rather than the usual cold demeanor he portrayed. He wants me—he wants all of me. He wants to bury himself inside me just like he did the first time we met, but I won't give him what he so desperately desires. Now that I know I can easily seduce a ruthless Mafia boss like Alessio, I’ll keep playing this game. He kidnapped me without my consent, right? I will play my part by always seducing him but never letting him touch me. I want to make him fall in love with me so I can escape this place, but since he's a man made of stone, that plan can wait for a while. I'm going to make him long for me, yet I won’t give
(Lisa's POV) "Are you already afraid of her?" Isabella asked as my gaze fell on her, already indulging in the velvet cake on the table. "No, I’m not. I have no relationship with Alessio, so why should I be afraid of her?" I replied, though I knew it was a lie. I hadn't even seen this Bianca, but the thought of her scared me. If she could kill her best friend, then I would be an easy prey for her. All my life, I had lived peacefully, without knowing how to handle guns or anything related to fighting skills. Since Bianca was part of Alessio's underworld, I was sure she was strong enough to beat me to death without much effort. "But don't worry, Lisa. I think she won't be able to kill you." "You think so?" My voice was low, revealing how scared I felt. "Yeah. You belong to Don Alessio. I'm sure she values her life and wouldn’t dare do anything to you—unless she wants to die." "You really think Alessio will protect me from her?" I asked again. "That's a silly question, Lisa
(Lisa's POV) My eyes slowly opened, and I winced in pain from my stab wound. I tried to comprehend where I was, but the room was dark. I attempted to stand up despite feeling weak, but I couldn't move. I was tied up with heavy chains that I couldn't break free from. What happened? Why am I here? I asked myself these questions, slowly remembering how I had asked Rosita for help and how she had willingly agreed to assist me, only for me to fall unconscious in her car. "I’ve found someone for the job" I recalled her words from earlier, and fear gripped me as I realized I had been kidnapped. What job was she talking about? Did I jump from frying pan into a lake of fire? I was trying to run away from Alessio, only to be kidnapped again. I struggled against the chains, but they were too heavy for me to break free from. Even when Alessio had kidnapped me, he had never tied me up with chains. "Someone please help me!" I screamed. My wounds were bleeding, and it hurt so much, even
(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