(Lisa's POV) "Whoa! All these dresses for me?" I exclaimed in excitement as my hands felt the dresses on the standing rack. "Yes. You can pick whichever one you like," Alessio replied, his hands stuck in his pockets. I strode toward him, my hands reaching out to his neck. Gosh! He was just so damn tall. "What's with the expensive dresses? Are you we going on a date?" I asked sheepishly. "No, we aren't," he replied. "If we're not going on a date, why did you buy so many expensive dresses?" I inquired. I was kind of sad because I really wanted to go on a date with him and do the cute little things couples do. But then I realized he wasn't the kind of man to engage in such things. Moreover, our relationship hadn't been defined yet. "We are going to a party," he moved away from me, sat down on the sofa, and signalled me to come sit on his lap. I did so, simpering. "What kind of party are we going to?" I asked, my excitement building. Even if it wasn’t a date, at least
(Alessio's POV) The drive to the party was a quiet one. Lisa didn’t speak to me; her eyes were fixed outside the car window, and I could see her sad face from the side mirror. Speaking harshly to her earlier was never my intention. I just snapped in anger when I noticed she wasn’t wearing the crystal necklace she had promised never to take off. If I wasn’t so observant, I wouldn’t have realized it was missing. I don’t know if she was created on the same day stubbornness was, but she never listens and always wants to act on her own. Still, I felt bad for raising my voice at her. The fear in her eyes—the one I hadn’t seen for a while—reappeared after I shouted at her. If I hadn’t reacted so harshly, she would have been smiling, admiring the beautiful night view of Rome. Instead, her head was resting against the car seat, her gaze lost outside the window, reflecting her sadness. She wasn’t even looking at me, let alone talking to me. I don’t like seeing her this way. I prefer
(Lisa's POV) "She is no one." His reply to the man broke my heart a billion times. He had spoken in Italian just so I wouldn't understand what he said, but little did he know—I did. After he told me about the mafia party we would be attending, I had asked Isabella to teach me a little Italian, just so I wouldn't feel too foreign at the party—at least, I'd be able to respond when someone greeted me in Italian. I was getting tired of explaining to everyone that I didn't understand the language. Isabella was kind enough to teach me the basics. Though I didn’t fully grasp all the words she taught me, some of them stuck in my brain. "How do you say 'she is my girlfriend' in Italian?" I had asked with a smile. "Why would you ask me that? You should be learning the important words first," she replied. "Just tell me. I want to know." I pouted, and she smiled before telling me how to say it in Italian. "Lei non è nessuno," she said with a smile, making me furrow my brows. "What
(Alessio's POV) If only she knew I had said that just to protect her, she wouldn't have been so mad at me. I couldn't possibly tell Vincenzo that she is the woman I love. Saying that to him would mean risking her life more than I already have. I haven't even found the strange caller who claims to be watching my every move, and if I had told Vincenzo that Lisa is the woman I love, it would have spread around the hall. They already believe I'm someone who doesn't have a heart. It's not that I can't protect her, but I didn't want her life to become a nightmare because of me. Saying she was no one to me meant no one would pay much attention to her. Isabella will definitely get it for me, because I’m a hundred percent sure she was the one who told Lisa. It had to be her; Lisa can’t just wake up one morning and know some words in Italian. When she couldn’t stand me anymore, despite how I had ordered a drink for her, she stood up to leave. I stopped her, only for her to tell me she
(Lisa's POV) I felt the aching in my head as my eyes slowly opened. The blood coming from my head mixed with my skin. Even with my eyes open, I couldn't see clearly until I heard the massive horn of a train coming from a distance, with its light shining from afar. My eyes widened in shock as I realized I was in a tunnel where trains normally pass by. I was lying on the tracks. How the heck did I end up here? Then I recalled how someone had struck a baton against my head, leaving me unconscious. Who on earth could have brought me here? This thought ran through my mind a thousand times in a row. The sound of the train grew louder, signaling that I needed to get out of here if I didn’t want to be crushed by it. I tried to stand up, only to discover I couldn't move my feet. My feet were tightly bound together, making it impossible to move them, let alone stand. As the train's horn got louder, fear gripped me. I kept struggling to stand, but it was futile; I couldn't loosen t
(Writer's POV) Bianca had her leg crossed over the other as she waited for someone at the far end of the bar. She entertained herself with a cigarette, losing her patience as she waited for the man she was supposed to meet. "Another bottle of vodka," she ordered a waiter who quickly brought it to her. She gulped it down in one go and returned to smoking. Having lived like a gangster for more than a decade, she was used to drinking and could withstand alcohol no matter her intake. "Why the heck is he wasting time?" she fumed. She took her phone from her bag, and just as she was about to call him, he showed up in front of her. "Hi, Bianca," he grinned. "What the heck took you so long?" she growled. "You're not the only one who pays me for an assignment, Bianca," he replied, sitting in the chair across from her. "Were you able to see the woman Don Alessio came with at the party?" Bianca asked, puffing out a cloud of smoke. "Yes, I did. I was one of the security guards the
(Lisa's POV) I stood by the window in my room, watching the men on guard. Though my eyes were fixed on them, my mind wasn't. My heart still ached from Alessio's behavior. How he had walked out on me, not caring how I’d feel, replayed in my mind, adding to the sadness I was already feeling. If I had my way, I wouldn’t think about it, but the memory of him leaving continued to haunt me, even when I tried not to dwell on it. Was it wrong to ask where I stood in his life? He couldn't just have sex with me whenever he wanted and expect me not to question what kind of relationship we had. Some of the men who spotted me bowed with smiles, but I didn't wave at them as I used to because my heart was heavy with pain. My phone rang, and when I picked it up from the table, I saw it was my dad calling. I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes before answering. “Dad!” I said, ensuring I sounded cheerful so he wouldn’t ask why I was sad. I wouldn’t even know what to tell him, because all
(Alessio's POV) "Really? I'm the most important person in your life?" she asked with a smile, her face turning red. I hadn't intended to say that out loud. I felt compelled to respond because she kept insisting that the sex we had were meaningless. How could it be meaningless? I didn't just have sex with her, I made love to her. When she confronted me about where she stood in my life and what she meant to me, I was almost tempted to tell her how much I loved her. But I held back, which is why I chose to walk away from her instead of expressing my true feelings. It's so hard for me to say those three words to her, even though I know I'm madly in love with her. It feels pointless to say it. Whenever I think about my dad and how he was killed by the woman he always confessed his feelings to, it weighs me down. It's not like Lisa could do the same thing my mom did, but I just didn’t want to tell her how I felt. Maybe it’s because I’m still traumatized by what happened to my dad.
(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. "Aren’
(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 promise… 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 didn’t know what to do at that moment. There was no way I could possibly leave this house—not 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? “I… I can't leave. Alessio’s got his eyes on me,” I sniffled. “Then it means you're not interested in knowing who killed your dad!” he snapped and hung up. “Please, don’t hang up on me!” I cried out. Sobbing, I called the number again, but he didn’t pick up. “Please answer the phone,” I cried, almost at the brink of losing myself. I wished this was all just a dream—one where I’d 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 don’t know what had gotten into Alessio, but he had completely changed in just few hours. First, he killed Vanessa, and now he didn’t 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 Vanessa—an 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 wasn’t. She was dead. The door creaked open, and he stepped inside, his hands in his pockets. “You’re finally awake?” 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. “Lisa…” he took a step closer. “Don’t. Don’t come any closer, Alessio,” I said firmly, though my eyes continued to