A fiery storm brewed within Silvio's gaze, his eyes ablaze with a tempest of fury. Silas clasped onto my arms, his grip growing ever tighter, as Silvio's searching gaze followed the path of Silas's touch. I could sense the grinding of his teeth, and witnessed a deep well of loathing fill his eyes, like a piercing flame.
“Guards!” Silas shouted loudly, causing me to startle at the sound of his voice. I kept my gaze fixed on Silvio's face while he simmered with anger and a group of men closed in around us. I felt a lump form in my throat as I assessed the predicament we were in. Silvio was at a clear disadvantage, and Alejandro approached Silas with a manic grin on his face.“Give me the girl,” he said and Silas shook his head. His eyes were on Silvio as he said.“She’s coming with me.” With his words, he jerked me to him as his arm slid from my bicep to my waist and he squeezed as Silvio roared.“Don’t fucking touch her.” He said calmly, too calmly. And my eyes shed tears as Silas smirked and said.“I’ll do more than just touch.” He said and Silvio took a threatening step forward when Silas’s men surrounded him. Silas dragged me with him to the stairs and grinned.“You lost, Salvatore,” Silas said as my screams echoed his men raised their guns at Silvio and he dragged me to the stairs before he disappeared from my sight.****Micah and Donovan rushed to the elevator.“I-I have to take Silvio and Dante out.” Micah panted pressing several buttons on the elevator as it opened. The ground floor was clean. Miranda was dead. “You stay here and watch out for Silas.” He said as Donovan nodded and tightened his grip on the gun.“Bring my sons back.” He said as doors closed. Simultaneously, as the door opened to the fifth floor, Micah immediately took cover behind the pillars. His ears shot up as he heard several gunshots and his blood run cold. Sneaking behind the pillars and he finally reached the area. His eyes widened and his chest filled with pride.“Took you long, Morris,” Silvio grumbled wiping his bloodied hands with his pants as he knelt and grabbed the gun before stuffing one in his belt as he raised his head key to Micah’s eyes. “Look for Dante. I’ll go after Silas.”Micah shook his head.“They’ll be out by now. The building is wired with bombs. We’ve to get out now.” Silvio frowned.“But Dante. We can not leave him behind.” His mind ran wild. Silas had Sadie, and Dante was somewhere injured. “Find him. I can not leave her.” Silvio commanded as Micah sighed as Silvio ran to the stairs. His eyes took over the mess Silvio created. There were ten to twelve guards he mercilessly killed. And blood was splattered all over. He cursed as he looked for Dante.*****Silvio rushed cursing to the ground floor. His eyes looked around when his gaze is Meg Donovan's. His eyes narrowed and he asked.“Did Silas escape?” He asked and Donovan frowned.“No one.” If Silas' hand escaped, he was still somewhere in the building.“Fuck!” He cursed as he slammed his fist on the wall. Every fibre in his body roared with rage. He wanted to end what Alejandro started years ago and he didn’t know how to do it. His breathing was unstable as he runs to the stairs again before barking. “Hide somewhere.”He searched the second floor and still no sign of any living being. The building seemed empty. Cursing and gritting his teeth he was about to go to the third floor when he heard incoming footsteps but he frowned when he saw Micah carrying unconscious Dante down.“The building’s empty,” Micah grumbled. Silvio felt an invisible force clasping around his throat. Sadie wasn’t here. He was this, this close to her and now he had lost her. His anger intensified when Micah groaned with pain. Silvio noticed a bullet wound in his abdomen and carried Dante himself.“We have less than two minutes left, we’ve to leave now,” Micah said as they rushed downstairs. Donovan was pacing with worried eyes as his gaze landed on unconscious Dante. He was about to ask when Silvio interrupted.“You go, I’ll look for it again,” Silvio said as he led them all to the outside. His muscles straining.“They are not here. Building’s empty.” Micah argued. Silvio gave him a death glare and grinned his teeth. The muscle beneath his jaw twitched.“She might be still there. I can not leave her to “An explosion was heard as the top floor of the building blasted, Donovan panicked. “We need to find shelter!” He said as Silvio looked wide-eyed at the explosion.“Twenty seconds till the second last floor!” Micah screamed as he tried to grab Dante but rather groaned as the pain become unbearable. At the last floor, the ring of capacitors fired, dumping their stored electrical power into a precisely-constructed network of wires.Silvio contemplated. Sadie might be still inside and he would never forgive himself if something happen to her. At the end of his thought, he was already walking to the building as Micah yelled. “I can not pick Dante. We all will die!”Silvio’s stilled and cursed as he ran back and picked up Dante as they all ran to the far end as fast as they could.The blast happened again, and the second last floor blasted. Heat, radiation, and mechanical force erupted outward in a thunderous explosion of atomic energy. Screams of surrounding people could be heard. With each heat, his heart followed. What if-But it didn’t stop there. The mechanical pressure and radiation of the primary stage attacked the secondary core of depleted uranium at the heart of the bomb. Metals merged with bricks, and the expanding fission reaction was magnified by another explosion followed by another explosion after explosion.The force of the explosion send them ten feet away flying back as he watched while his heart screamed as the building blasted fully.As the ominous mushroom cloud ascended towards the ethereal expanse of the Italian sky, it mirrored the solemn ache in his heart. Helplessly, he watched as she slipped away, swallowed by the devastation. His heart tightened, a bittersweet mixture of sorrow and disbelief filling his being. And then, in a poetic twist, he became aware of the heavens weeping alongside him. Tears, like silent messengers of grief, streamed down his face unchecked. But amidst the chaos, not a soul caught sight of his quiet despair. The heavens cried with him, showering him with heavy raindrops that mirrored his own tears, each drop hitting the ground with a resolute finality. In that sorrowful moment, he knew that his loss would be eternal.Forever.“The deal is closed.” He said evenly. I stare at him as he closed the file and his sharp blue eyes snapped to me. He looked same terrifying man I met last week. A muscle pulsed in my jaw. If we didn't have a long history together, his life would already have been mine. “It was nice working with you, Mr Salvatore.” He said extending his hand as I take it. My cold smile told him how little I cared. “I’m sure you weren’t very mortified. Now, why don’t we set aside the business for a second and focus on the matter at hand?” I said leaning forward. He considered my words for a moment and nodded. The atmosphere shifted with the change of a new topic. “By all means, Mr Salvatore.” Maverick didn’t bat an eye. His ‘Mr Salvatore’ irked my ears like a nail dragging on metal. “Go right ahead,” I said smoothly. Maverick gave me a wry look. “The Anderson’s business is on hold for the past six months. Since the blast, there is no investment, no partnership, and no involvement in armoury or ship
"One black coffee, please. No sugar." "Anything else?" "No. That’ll be all." "Please, wait." I let out a sigh as I realized that this was not a good decision. I knew I shouldn't be here, fully aware of the consequences that awaited me. However, I couldn't shake this overpowering emotion. Despite my best efforts and countless attempts, it persisted. It was a presence that I could sense but never grasp, similar to a distant breeze. At times, it was soothing and comforting, but more often than not, it was destructive and chaotic like a ravaging storm, obliterating any semblance of emotions I tried to hold onto, forcing me to endure.However, today I was experiencing a sense of restlessness. The mirror's reflection confirmed this, displaying my pale complexion, disheveled appearance, and signs of trauma - evident through my fidgeting fingers and shaky breath. The thoughts that had accumulated over the past few months overwhelmed my mind, suffocating me and trapping me in a self-cre
“Pack these.” Shuffling through my pocket for a very familiar black card, I passed the groceries to the cashier. “How much?” I asked withdrawing it from my pocket. “Two thousand. Card or-“ the kind-looking young woman started packing while typing the bill. I watched and looked around. I had been coming here regularly for the past seven months. This place was my end point, one step away from the downtown convenience store, and Silas would threaten to chain me. “Card, please.” I handed over the card to her as she swipe it. Silas had given me his black card, and I had not used it once. But today, I was out of money. So, to prepare breakfast for him, I had to use his money. “Have a good day.” She handed me a card and grocery bag and waved at me. I smiled. It was nice to be here. The hustle-bustle of people and the lively environment. It was early in the morning so I didn’t bother to dress up, only wearing my pyjamas and a loose emerald sweater that Silas brought for me last month. He s
In the blink of an eye, a moment unfolded before me, engulfing my senses in a fantasy world that seemed to transcend the boundaries of reality. My once mundane existence shattered, I found myself utterly convinced that I had stumbled into a world of dreams. Yet, with an intangible mental pinch, the gravity of the situation gripped my soul, affirming that the inexplicable figure reflected in the mirror was not a mere illusion, but an astonishing embodiment of an alternate version of myself.I hadn’t gotten a good look at my surroundings lately, not because I didn’t want to but because I had little time left to get ready for the party Silas thought would bring me happiness. I was still not fully convinced if he was planning to expose himself to the public after playing dead for seven months, but like Silas, his plans were mischievous. Silas had complimented me many times on how ‘beautiful’ I looked in the cool shades and it wasn’t surprising that he had prepared a cerulean blue floor-l
Awareness that his arm was wrapped around my waist as we entered the grand fancy-looking hall flushed through me at the hint of his possessiveness in his actions. A start strand of my hair whisked through the waves and fell upon my forehead. But I couldn’t bring myself to tuck it behind my ear as my lips were sealed shut and my body taut. The way we entered the venue had the attention of most of the people gathered around, some in circles discussing and while others scattered all over the place–just like my stray thoughts. Silas led us to the middle of the floor, the movement was languorously whisper-light, but the hairs stood at the back of my nape at the awareness that we were so close to each other. My body trembling–and that did not have anything to do with the glacial breeze of the night. Silas slowly turned me to him, his hand on my waist shifting to the bareness of my back. I stilled, not liking the way my body reacted. His whiskey-neat fiery eyes glistened with something cra
I was so stunned and disoriented that I couldn’t move for a second. And by the time I did, I was already backing away. My mouth parted as I took several short breaths, and my eyes widened. My broken ankle burned with every step and I struggled to breathe as I recognised the steel gaze and hard features of the man in front of me. Silvio Salvatore.My destruction.And he was frenetic.Tears of panic and bitter frustration rolled down my face as his piercing gaze send my thoughts into turmoil. The music faints in the distance, the speaking lights coming from the event darkening my vision of him. Now that he was in front of me, I realised he was the same man who snatched my life, my career, my friends, and my freedom from me. My stomach rolled with nausea but worst of all was the suffocating sensation in my heart, the awful sensation that I couldn’t get enough oxygen. I took deep breaths to fight it, but it only worsened. His voice was low. “Come here.” I was so startled that I just bl
I swallowed.Fight or flight kicked in and it robbed me of the ability to talk--to beg. I didn’t want to run because he'd find me. I didn’t fight because I couldn’t escape whatever he was gonna do to me.It shouldn't be a surprise considering Silvio was a power that could easily shatter me, capable of ensnaring me in an inescapable grip. He was masterful in his ability to bend and manipulate, rendering any notion of his words as mere empty threats utterly futile. In my eyes, he existed as a figure of unwavering power, someone I knew deep down I should have never underestimated.Silvio directed his gaze towards me, captivating me with his eyes resembling exquisitely polished sapphires, radiating an aura of power and grit. "Did he touch you?""I-" I decided against an explanation and shake my head slowly from left to right. My head was spinning, a raven curtain of hair swishing back and forth. "He better, 'cause I won’t be merciful when I get my hands on him.” he sneered with disgust a
As the icy sheets enveloped my body, a fiery sting seared through my skin, bringing forth a cascade of tears. Waves of self-loathing and hostility surged within me, flooding my senses with a bitter familiarity. It felt strange to be back in this same room Silvio first brought me in. It was more than seven and half months till I last saw him, I also realise it had been more than a year since Silvio came into my life. Destroying everything. I hadn’t seen my family in a year, and if I stay with him, I might never see them again. I felt a chill running down my spine as I wrapped the sheets tighter around me, trying to hide my nakedness. Silvio left soon after his bitter confession. His eyes, when he whispered those words still lingered making my chest tighten with each breath. I tossed and turned till exhaustion took over and soon amidst the storm of thoughts, I found myself drifting into unconsciousness. Amidst this turbulent storm of my subconscious mind, I was hauled into a vivid and
I guess it hit me harder than I expected because I've been super busy all week. Silvio suggested I take a vacation, but I didn't listen because I'm stubborn. Between looking after Sandro, who's growing up fast, and my job at the clinic, I've been getting tired too quickly.And on top of that, this week was our marriage anniversary. Silvio warned me if I neglected my health one more time, he’d tie me up and lock me in our bedroom. My husband was over-protective ever since I gave birth to Sandro. My pregnancy was tough, in the sixth month, I started feeling nauseous and I was diagnosed with jaundice. My partial depression was the sole reason, I skipped meals, started remaining distant, and barely would talk. I didn’t know how but I was slowly rolling into the pit, not knowing how to deal with all that happened.But Silvio helped me get through all that. He was by my side, in my tough times, when I was riding the low tides. My husband wrapped me in his own darkness and everything else f
Nothing seemed right. The more I tried, the messier it became. Ever since the day Deliah had a panic attack, Silvio and her had been avoiding each other. As much as I wanted, all of this kept getting worse.Not to mention there was no one I could talk to either. Olivia and Dad flew back to the States yesterday. Dante and Micah seemed busier than ever. The security in the mansion was tighter and more cameras were installed. Today I had an appointment with Doctor Rachel. My baby was doing well, he was healthy and that relieved me. These past few days had been so painful and turning I was even scared to close my eyes.Alessandro’s dead eyes still haunted me, but I was learning to cope with all that. Silvio arranged therapy for me despite my refusal, he said my mental health would affect our child and I couldn’t argue.Even with lows, we had highs too. We were closer than ever. He was extra careful with me. We haven’t had sex ever since the plane and that was fine with me. He was giving m
Blood rushed through my veins violently and the need to destroy something- anything intensified. I knew her tactics; she was too transparent to even hide her thoughts. The moment my eyes met hers, I knew what she wanted.The adrenaline that rushed through my body a moment earlier was now slowly subduing, replacing with more volatile things. Emotions. So raw and gut-wrenching that I felt it hitting my heart with force that consumed me gradually.I averted my gaze off her face, focusing on anything or better, I should just leave. Before I destroy us, the things we had some time ago, many years back, many years ago before she let go of me.The room felt oppressively still, mingling with the tension.My back was turned to her, but I could sense her presence, the weight of her gaze bearing down on me. Every muscle in my body was taut, ready for flight or fight, yet her voice had a way of holding me in place.I could feel the emotions rising in my throat, tearing me apart."Your wife is a k
The scream that woke me up was like something out of a horror movie, I swear. It was full-on bloodcurdling, dripping with desperation and terror. It bounced off the walls, echoing through the whole darn house and sending a shockwave of adrenaline coursing through my veins.I shot up in bed, heart pounding like crazy in my chest. The darkness seemed thicker than ever, pressing in on me as I strained to figure out where the scream was coming from.My mind was racing a mile a minute, trying to make sense of it all. But one thing was for sure, whatever was going on, it wasn't good.I was on my feet and out of bed before I even had time to fully wake up. The scream had died down, but my heart was still racing like crazy. Fumbling in the darkness, I reached for the lamp and flicked it on, the sudden brightness momentarily blinding me.My eyes darted around the room, panic rising in my chest as I realized that Silvio wasn't there. The bed was empty, and that fuelled my fear tenfold. Where wa
The aroma of roasted chicken lingered in the air, but it seemed like even the savoury scent couldn't quite dismiss the tension hanging over the dining room. My husband sat across from me, his usual warmth replaced by a distant look in his eyes as he toyed with his fork, avoiding his mother's gaze.I could sense his inner conflict, the desire to bridge the gap with his mother battling against some unseen force keeping him at arm's length. It tugged at my heartstrings, seeing him like this.To break the awkward silence, I cleared my throat and spoke up, hoping to steer the conversation toward safer shores. "So, what names have you guys been tossing around?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood.Relief washed over me as Olivia clapped her hands with enthusiasm. Her sudden burst of excitement seemed to jolt everyone, and I heard Papa chuckling. “Papa and I came up with some names. Do you want to hear?”"Absolutely!" I replied with a grin. “I'd love to." My eyes met Silvio’s for a brief mom
It was dark when we landed. I lead a sleepy Sadie off the plane, and we get in the car to drive home. Micah was her to pick us up. Home. It was strange thinking of this place as home again. It was my home when I was a child, and I hated it. I hated everything about it, from the humid heat to the walls that had us trapped. Where my father was buried and my brother- Sandro. Yet when I got older, I found myself drawn to places just like this—trapped, something that gave me power and control.It took Sadie’s presence here to make me realize I didn’t hate the mansion after all. This place was never the object of my hatred—it was always the person it belonged to.My father.My childhood was what people would trade their souls for, my father was the son of Italy’s most influential man- Lucius Salvatore. My grandfather was a nice man, wealthy and kind. He lost my grandmother when my father was born. And Antonio Salvatore became the reason why Lucius drifted into darkness. For him, my father
He let out a low groan as our lips met. Our tongues intertwined, burning a fire between us. His strong arm pulled me closer, drawing me into his hold, and I could sense the tension building in his powerful body.His breath quickened against my lips, matching the rapid beat of my own heart. And the kiss deepened, becoming almost primal as if he couldn't get enough of me. Each movement sent a shiver down my spine, my body responding eagerly to his touch.With every touch, every kiss, the desire just grew stronger, the hunger consuming us both. Nothing else mattered except the electric connection we shared, sending waves of pleasure coursing through my body."Hands on the table. Now." His voice carried a low, almost predatory edge, causing a shiver to run down my spine as he abruptly broke away from our kiss and rose to his feet. With a firm grip, he pulled me up from my seat, leaving me momentarily speechless.Before I could utter a word, his fingers closed around my wrist, harshly turn
The jet took off, and Dante checked the security once again. Silvio's mother was in the cabin in front, I offered to sit with her, but she refused. I had barely talked to her, but she seemed like a nice woman. For the next hour, I sat in silence, nibbling on my fruits and sipping my coffee. Silvio seemed engrossed in his emails, so I chose not to disturb him. Instead, I tried to lose myself in the scenery unfolding outside the window as we soared over the London countryside. But no matter how hard I tried to focus, my mind kept drifting, my thoughts wandering off with every blink.Sitting there felt surreal, almost out of place. It was as if we were in a bubble, untouched by the horrors we had just endured. It was hard to believe that mere moments ago, we had faced terror and torture, yet here we were, seemingly unscathed, flying above the peaceful landscape below. As if I hadn't ended a man's life in cold blood, the memory of his death haunting me with every passing moment. As if I
My hands shook. The more I tried to keep myself calm, the worse it was getting. I didn’t know how or when, but when I woke up, I found myself being held by two nurses as they injected me with Diazepam. There were blurry images in my head, so horrifying and disturbing I didn’t know if it was reality or just my imagination.“Do you want me to call your husband?” I shook my head. That would only make things worse. He would ask me questions and again, I wouldn’t be able to answer. How would I when I was clueless myself? I thought with time these nightmares would fade, but it was getting worse. This time I saw the mangled body of our unborn child, his eyes gauged out and blood spilling everywhere.The terror seeping through me was unwavering, I… I felt so scared.The fright crept through my veins like icy tendrils, freezing every ounce of courage within me. My heart raced, a frantic drumbeat echoing in my chest, while my breaths came in shallow gasps, barely enough to sustain me. The darkn