(Alessio's POV) I stormed into my room, fists clenched in rage and my heart pounding with fury. Why is she so fucking stubborn? I warned her. I fucking warned her not to try to escape again, but she took my words for granted. If I hadn’t been home on time, she'd have died from the smoke and the traps. My house isn’t like the typical house you see every day; it’s not just a maze-like structure, it’s filled with so many hidden dangers that if you're not cautious, you’ll fall right into them. My enemies don't dare to attack me from the inside because they know what will happen if they do—what will befall them if they try. "Tie her up and lock her in the cold room," my order from earlier echoed in my mind, fueling my anger even further. If she had just listened to me, I wouldn’t have had to issue that command. The way I treat her is different from how I treat everyone else, yet all she thinks about is escaping from me. Why can’t she fucking understand that she is mine and I won’t le
(Alessio's POV) All heads bowed to me as I arrived at the clan. They were all shivering at the sight of me—just the way I wanted it. Ivan was beside me; he’s my right-hand man, so he is often everywhere I go. "Good evening, Don," they all greeted in unison, their heads bowed horizontally in front of me. In the DeLuca empire, I’m referred to as Don by everyone who works under me. "Have all the drugs been packaged well for shipping?" I asked, my face cold as ice. It had always been that way, but tonight was worse, and it was all because of Lisa. My mind kept drifting back to her being in the cold room alone with every second that passed. "Yes, we did, Don. But one of the mobsters tried to escape with a drug." My face tightened at the words I just heard. Just when I was thirsty for blood, someone had offered himself. "Where is he?" I asked, my voice laced with fury. I was led to the dungeon of the clan, and the man who had tried to run away with one of my drugs was sitting o
(Lisa's POV) I felt his huge arm wrapped around me as he lay next to me on the bed. I took a moment to visualize where I was, and when I realized I was in his room, I let out a deep sigh. My eyes slowly met his closed eyes, and I couldn't stop myself from admiring him. He looked like an innocent angel who couldn’t hurt a fly while sleeping. His long eyelashes curled up to his eyelids, his pointed nose was well-defined and structured, and his soft, thin lips—it felt so kissable right now. I had to look away, reminding myself that he is a monster and shouldn’t be swayed by how innocent he looks while sleeping. Once those eyes of his open, he becomes a monster who won’t hesitate to gouge out someone’s eyes or kill a person. Not only that, he even asked Ivan to lock me up in a cold room, caring less whether I was going to die or not. When I was locked up in there, I said a short prayer, hoping to make it to heaven because I thought I'd die. How could he have done that to me? He kidn
(Lisa's POV) He took my legs and placed them on his lap, and all I could do was watch him in shock. Was this the same monster who had gouged out someone’s eyes without thinking twice? Why would he even bother to treat my wounds? I thought to myself as I watched him open the first-aid box, pulling out an antiseptic solution. The warmth of his hands moving gently across my feet as he examined my injury sent shivers down my spine. I should have been focused on the pain in my foot, but instead, I was hyper-aware of his touch—almost as though it were igniting something deeper within me. His hands always seemed to evoke sensations I couldn’t suppress, no matter how much I hated him. He applied the antiseptic solution to the wound, and that’s when I winced. “Does it hurt?” His voice was soft, almost a whisper. I nodded slowly, feeling strangely childlike. He lowered his head to my feet and began blowing cool air over the wound to soothe it. I stared at him, utterly baffled. Was this Ale
(Alessio's POV) "Alessio," she called my name, and when I turned to look at her, she raised herself on her toes just so she could reach my height, and she kissed me. The kiss came so unexpectedly that the cigarette stick fell from my hand. I wasn’t expecting this from her. She nearly accused me of trying to have sex with her when she was unconscious, and now she’s kissing me—her lips all over mine as though she was waiting for an invitation to enter my mouth. She devoured my lips even though I wasn’t kissing back. I was too shocked to reciprocate. The way she was kissing me wasn’t the same as that night. That night, it was passionate and filled with longing. But this time, her kiss felt empty, like she was doing it on purpose. Recovering from my shock, I pulled her away. "What are you doing?" I asked, and she smiled at me—something she had never done before. All she ever did was glare at me or look at me with fearful eyes. "Kissing you," she replied, trying to kiss me again, b
(Lisa's POV) "I don’t know what you’re up to, but whatever it is, don’t even think about it. I already told you I can’t control myself when I’m angry. I don’t want to hurt you, but if you push me, I will—and it’ll be bad. You can ask Ivan; I don’t say things I won’t do. Do I make myself clear?" His words echoed a thousand times in my ears, each syllable searing into my consciousness. It was a warning, but I didn’t care. His threats didn’t scare me anymore. I was still going to push through with my plans. Since he refused to let me go and chose to lock me up in his house, I was determined to do whatever it took to leave this place—even if it meant becoming a seductress. If gaining his trust was the key, then I would play the part to earn it. I was resolute in my plan to escape the grasp of a monster like him and the chaotic world he lives in. A small smile spread across my face as determination filled me. I looked around the room, but he was nowhere to be found. I was sure I had f
(Lisa's POV) "Am I really the first woman he ever brought to his house?" This thought surged through me as I sat down on the bed. Ivan had long gone because he said he had some business stuff to handle with Alessio. I didn’t bother to ask Ivan about it because I knew I wouldn’t understand a thing about the kind of business Alessio does. But was Ivan telling the truth when he said I am the first woman Alessio has brought home, or was he just lying to make me stay here and try not to escape again? He’s Alessio’s right-hand man and supports him even when he’s wrong. Besides, no woman in her right senses would want to live in a house where the exit is hard to find. I don’t care if I’m the first woman he ever brought home; I’m still going to push through with my plans. There’s nothing to be impressed about. He was my first, but I wasn’t his first. He has been with lots of women, so I shouldn’t be swayed just because I am the first woman he’s kept close after the night we had sex. Som
(Alessio's POV) Does she like Isabella already? Does that mean she won't try to escape again since she already has someone to talk to? I asked myself as my fingers tapped on the table occasionally. I decided to go through with what Ivan suggested—giving her someone she could chat with anytime she feels bored. The maids won't talk to her freely because I’ve instructed them to show her the same respect they show me. Isabella is one of my workers in the clan. I chose her because she seems less corrupt than the other female mobsters. The female mobsters in the clan are nothing but bitches who sleep with anyone they come across, and I don’t want Lisa to be corrupted by any of them. That’s why I chose Isabella. I hope Lisa won’t try to escape again now that I’ve given her someone to talk to. I only went through with Ivan’s advice, not because she’d succeed in escaping, but because I don’t want to hurt her if she tries escaping again. I just hope this time she won’t disobey, so I won’t
(Alessio's POV)"Where are you?" I read the message Lisa had sent me. I was about to reply when another message came through, demanding that I come back to the clan, because she had something to give me. "A gift? What kind of gift?" I texted back. She replied that she would only show it to me when I returned back to the clan. I smiled lightly, imagining how cute she must have looked while typing the message. "Don Alessio? Are you still listening to me?" the woman across from me asked, and I shifted my gaze from my phone to look at her. She had come to meet me because she claimed to have an abusive husband who beat her and her twelve-year-old child. Right now, the child was in the hospital with only a ten percent chance of survival. "Yes, I'm listening. Go on," I said, and she began sniffling. "I know it’s all my fault for marrying an abusive man. Even when everyone warned me not to, I insisted on marrying him. I tried to run away, but no matter where I hide, he always find
(Lisa's POV) I have always been curious about Alessio's family. Anytime I brought up the topic, he always found a way to change it. Though he had said it was something he didn’t want to talk about, I couldn’t help but wonder why. Even Ivan had once warned me never to mention his mother to him. Bianca might be the second person I hate after the devil, but at least she was right about one thing. I can't claim to love a man and have countless sex with him without knowing anything about his family—what they look like, what happened to them, and, most importantly, his relationship with his parents. "You know everything about his family?" I asked as curiosity took over me. Bianca walked up to me, the smile on her face unwavering. "Do you think I was joking when I said I grew up with Don Alessio? We grew up together, Lisa. I ate from the same plate as him and even slept in the same bed. I knew the cheerful side of Don Alessio when he was still a kid, before he transformed into a
(Lisa's POV) "Whoa, Lisa! You're improving so much," the lady in charge of teaching me Italian complimented after I finished reading some words in Italian. Though it was hard to pull off, I was happy my efforts weren’t going down the drain. "Thank you so much, ma. But I'm still not fluent in it," I simpered. "Yeah, you're not, but you're doing a very good job. If you keep learning, you'll be perfect—not as perfect as a native speaker, but at least you'll be able to understand when someone speaks Italian," she said with a smile, her Italian-English accent evident. Some people in the clan could speak basic English, but Italian tones were always detected in their voices whenever they spoke. I was the only fluent English speaker here, which is why I was determined to learn, so I could interact with them in the language they were comfortable with. Not to forget, there was also my deal with Salvatore. I had been getting a lot of compliments on how much I was improving in terms o
(Writer's POV) Isabella sighed deeply when she woke up the following morning and found herself naked in Ivan's room. She had clearly been somber when she asked him for a one-night stand, and right now, she didn't regret it because it wasn't the first time it had happened. Before she had come here to be a chitchat buddy to Lisa, she had always gone to the clubhouse once every month, bought herself some drinks, and then get laid with any man who approached her. Just like she had told Lisa, she shut her heart from love after her love story was cut short when her first love died. She believed she would never find a man like him or a man who would love her the way her first love did. Sighing again, her eyes scanned the room in search of Ivan, and that’s when she noticed the sound of the running tap coming from the bathroom. Her clothes were scattered all over the room due to how Ivan had hastily discarded them. She clearly enjoyed the sex from last night, and she'd admit that
(Writer's POV) Enzo had always kept an eye on Alessio. He followed him everywhere he went, making sure Alessio didn’t notice him. The DeLuca family had always been known to move silently, as it was a part of their training. Enzo had witnessed how Alessio’s eyes were fixed on Lisa the night she walked into the bar after she got her heart broken by Nathan. He had also witnessed how Alessio saved her from the man who tried to harass her and how possessive he was when he held her fragile arms. Enzo was also aware of what had transpired between them when Alessio took her to a hotel. He had thought Lisa was just one of the flings Alessio had a one-night stand with—until he overheard Ivan talking to Marco about finding a chef who knew how to cook California dishes. He disguised himself and went to Marco's clubhouse since he had been following Ivan too. That’s how he learned that Alessio needed a chef. At first, he didn’t know why Alessio needed a chef who could prepare Californ
(Writer's POV) Isabella sat in the dining chair, enjoying a bowl of pears while grinning to herself. She loved pears a lot and couldn't go a day without eating them. Fortunately for her, they were always among the items delivered to Alessio's residence every month. Ivan was always the one who took the deliveries from the gateman and brought them inside the house since he knew both the exits and entrances of the mansion. "Anyone who doesn't love eating pears must be from ancient Greece," she said and chuckled at her own words. She was still enjoying her bowl of pears when Vanessa approached her with a worried expression. "What's wrong, Vanessa? Why are you wearing a sad face?" she asked. "Aren't you worried about Lisa? She hasn't been home for seven days," Vanessa voiced her concern. "There's no need to be worried about her, Vanessa. She already started her training at Don Alessio's underworld." "Really? Even if she has started her training, that doesn’t prevent her fro
(Alessio's POV) "Am I interrupting something?" I asked, jealousy evident in my voice. I was clearly not happy about the unnecessary attention she was getting. Everyone in the clan was talking about her, and some of the male mobsters even went as far as complimenting her beauty. I was sure that if I had introduced her as my woman, none of them would have dared to talk about her or even try to compliment her beauty. As if that wasn't enough, here was Angelo, the clan's hacker, offering her a can of soda. "Good afternoon, Don Alessio. Lisa and I were just talking," he said in Italian with a smile. "What were you both talking about?" I asked in English, just so Lisa would understand. Before Angelo could reply, Lisa interrupted him with a laugh, stepping in between us. "You should get going, Angelo. I'll just talk to Don Alessio," she said with a smile. I didn't like the idea of her calling me 'Don Alessio,' and what intensified my irritation was how she was smiling at him. T
(Lisa's POV) I walked around the clan, feeling so excited to be here. There were lots of training grounds to learn martial arts and how to handle guns too. When Alessio showed me around the clan, I couldn't even count the number of guns, dangerous weapons, and explosive bombs they had. I guess the mafia world sometimes calls their clan the underworld because it’s filled with all the dangerous things you could find. Alessio said he needed to attend to something, which was why I was taking a walk and going through the places he had shown me. I smiled when I saw two young ladies like me fighting in the training ground. I’m definitely going to learn how to fight like them. "Hi," I waved at them with a smile, and they waved back before continuing with their combat. This was what I wanted, for everyone to be comfortable with me. If Alessio had introduced me as his woman, I’m sure they'd have bowed to me instead of just smiling and waving at me. Well, everyone except for Bianc
(Lisa's POV) I kept grinning as Alessio drove toward his clan. It would be my first time seeing the underworld he ruled, and I felt so thrilled about it. When he told me he had agreed to let me join his clan, I was overjoyed, and last night was mesmerizing. It was wild, passionate sex. He made me experience what it feels like when a man teases you with his tongue. I enjoyed every bit of it and would love it if he did it again. Damn! I’m becoming more corrupt with each passing day, I grinned to myself. "What's making you so happy?" he asked when he noticed my smile. "Why don't you guess?" I teased, my eyes boring into his. Alessio glanced at me, and a naughty smile played at the corner of his lips. "You loved last night, didn’t you? And you want me to do what I did to you again, right?" he asked, his eyes flickering between the road and me. "How on earth are you capable of that? Are you sure you're not a wizard?" I asked, and he chuckled. It was still hard to get us