Grace paced the small room, her gaze sharp with concern. “Ali, I would never accept the fact that you want to go and see your uncle, Simone.”Alessia shook her head, frustration evident on her face. “I can’t keep staying here with you, Grace.”“Do not worry,” Grace said, shaking her head. “I’ll get enough money to help you go to Scilla.”Alessia sighed, “But it’s not going to be enough. I can’t keep waiting here. I can always go back to my uncle’s place, you know?” “The same uncle who tried to take advantage of you? Come on girl, think with your head. He might try to kill you since you hit him on the head.” Grace reasoned, folding her both hands against her chest.Just then, a knock came at the door, breaking the tension. Grace’s mother entered with a tray of food, smiling warmly at them. “Here, I brought you both something to eat.”The aroma of freshly cooked gnocchi Alla Sorrentino filled the room, easing some of the tension. Grace and Alessia sat down to eat, the simple act of sha
Dante leaned against a car, his piercing gaze locked onto her. “What are you doing here?” he asked, his tone laced with curiosity and a hint of suspicion. Grace’s heart raced, and she stuttered, “Uh, I…. I came to get something.”Dante raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “Get what? Because I don’t see why you would come to the parking lot to get something. It’s not like you own a car. I have never seen you ride anything. So why are you here?” Grace glared at him, trying to maintain her composure. “What if I came here to check it for someone?”Dante’s expression suddenly changed, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. “Did you enjoy the view earlier?” he asked mischievously. “What?” Grace blinked, taken aback. “Excuse me?”“I asked, did you enjoy the view earlier?” he repeated, the smirk now fully visible.Grace narrowed her eyes, seeing through his attempt to tease and taunt her. She decided to play along then. “Of course, you looked so good performing.” She replied, her v
“Grace," Alessia called out, her voice breaking the silence that had enveloped the entire place. "Was that Dante?”Grace froze in place, her eyes widening in shock. "What are you doing outside by this time, Ali?” She stuttered, her lips trembling. Alessia’s gaze never wavered. “I couldn't sleep, so I came out for some fresh air," she said, her tone calm yet firm. "Was that Dante?” Grace hesitated, finding it difficult to affirm. But she eventually gave a reluctant nod."Yes, it was Dante." “Why? You're hanging out with Dante now?” Alessia’s voice rose, her frustration getting the best of her. "You know he is related to Marco, what are you thinking, Grace?" “Forgive me," Grace said, lowering her gaze. “We just became friends, but just a casual one, I promise. I never meant to get too close to him,” “Grace," Alessia called out and held her hand, “I'm trying to keep you safe, I'm just looking out for you." Alessia continued, her voice low. “We all know that Marco isn't a good guy.”
Marco stood before his mirror, lost in thought. Mimi’s words echoed in his mind. The part where she called him a coward, it actually left a lasting impact on his heart. When had he ever fought for love? Never! He had never, and would never fight for anyone. At least that was what he thought. Her accusations stung, reverberating through his thoughts, like an incessant drumbeat. Did he have to go fight for Alessia after everything that happened? She didn’t even like him to begin with, and he was ready to let her go this time. So what wrong did he do by actually abandoning her? Well, he wouldn’t say he abandoned her. He left her to live the way she wanted to. As he pondered Mimi’s words, Dante walked into the room, noticing Marco’s distant expression. “Hey, are you ready for the meeting?” he asked, his voice sounding firm. Marco blinked, snapping out of his reverie. “Yes, it’s not like I have a choice,” he said, “Let’s get this over with.” Dante moved to help Marco fix his suit,
The meeting finally ended and Marco left the main mansion satisfied that Francesco was absent during the entire discussion. When he asked Francesco to leave, he wasn’t bluffing or joking around.Francesco ended up leaving so the meeting would progress.Also, Francesco was never the type to go down without a fight. That is why, Marco would have to watch his back from now on.Dante drove the car himself, Marco had insisted on that as he sat in the passenger seat by Dante’s side.“Francesco is such a pest, I'm glad you sent him away,” Dante muttered, his gaze still focused on the road ahead.Marco merely hummed in response, no expression on his face at all.“Drive to Devil’s Den.” He instructed after a while of staying silent.Dante nodded and made a U-turn, heading towards the club.Marco hoped it would offer some distraction to visit the club at least. Since that place had always been the elite clientele.Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the place. Marco didn't wait for the guards
Alessia stood by the window, her face grim as she watched the ocean in the distance. For the past few days, she hadn’t been herself. Then unfortunately for her, today happened to be Marco’s wedding day. She couldn’t bring herself to forget so soon after she was informed by the maid.Just then, a knock sounded on the door and she sighed. “Come in.” She yelled out, At the same time the door opened to reveal Grace’s mother walking in with a plate of food.“Ali, I brought you food.”Alessia hurriedly wiped the tears on her face and turned with a smile. “Oh, Aunt, you shouldn’t have.” She said and walked to receive the tray from her.Grace’s mother already saw through the strong front she was putting up and raised her brow.“I noticed you’ve been so bothered these past few days. You’re always bothered for some unknown reason. Mind telling me why?” She asked seriously.Alessia froze in her tracks, realizing how feeble she had become. She let Grace’s mother see through her so easily.“Aunt,
After Grace’s mother had said those words to Alessia, she left the room to let Alessia think it through.She knew it wouldn’t be easy for Alessia to accept everything, but she had to accept it.It was best for both her and Marco. If only Grace’s mother knew the reasons behind the marriage Marco was getting into.Alessia contemplated for one whole hour, trying to think it through before acting rashly.“But, would he even want to see me again?” She muttered to herself, remembering that Marco had willingly let her go out of anger. Would he even want her around again? He seemed to have been mad at her at that time. Maybe he hated her now, so there was no use going after him.“No,” she shook her head and walked back to her bed. “There’s no need to go after him.” She said and lay on the bed.********Back at the base, in Marco’s bedroom.“Ah, you don’t know how much I hate Miracle,” Dante mumbled as he helped Marco fix his tie. Marco didn’t crack a smile, keeping his face grim as glaring
Gasps erupted in the entire hall the moment she rejected Marco.Her father, Ignacio already stood up from his seat, his eyes darkening when her words rang out continually in his head.“Miracle!” He yelled, storming towards the altar.Mimi turned to look at her father, seeing the anger in his eyes, she hurriedly ran towards the exit.Ignacio fumed at the stupid actions of his daughter. He signaled for his men to hold her down at once.But something unexpected happened the moment his men moved to stop Mimi.A group of armed men dressed in black stormed into the church just then, and without warning, they began to shoot mercilessly.Ignacio was gunned down the moment they stepped in. But thankfully, the bullet only shot at his shoulder instead, missing his chest.Marco and Dante sprang into action as they returned fire.Their men who were on guard also began to fire back at them.The armed men came prepared because more troops began to rush in.Mimi who already ran forward first was sho
Marco leaned back in the leather, his gaze fixed on the glass of whiskey swirling in his hand. The amber liquid caught the light from the morning sun, shining a warm glow across the room. Dante sat across from him, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the armrest, a thoughtful expression on his face.“So,” Dante began, breaking the comfortable silence, “you’ve been quiet since that rooftop moment with Alessia. What’s going on in that head of yours, Marco?”Marco sighed, setting the glass down on the polished mahogany table.“I’m just thinking about how things are going to change soon,” he said, his voice heavier than usual. “In a few days, things are going to be changed.”Dante understood where he was heading, it was about his position as head of the clan. Before Dante could say a word, Marco continued, “Before anything changes around here, I want to do something fun.” Dante raised a questioning brow, already showing interest. “You’re thinking about a party, aren’t you?” he asked, e
The sight before her left her utterly speechless as she stepped out of the guest room. Her eyes darted between Marco and the woman who stood beside him. Were they just locked in each other’s embrace, kissing?Her anger surged, boiling over into a fury. “What the hell is going on here?” She demanded as if entitled to their explanation.Marco rolled his eyes and shoved both his hands into his pants pocket.“What does it look like to you?” He returned the question with his.Miracle’s gaze darkened, her eyes now locked onto Alessia. She had red hair—just like hers, and they both looked similar, which was uncanny for Mimi. It only riled her up even more. “Who is she?” She went ahead to ask Marco. “Is she the one? Your lover and the reason you’re refusing to accept me?”“She has nothing to do with you,” Marco interrupted her words, his face grim. “And I think it’s time for you to leave.” He added, his tone leaving no room for argument.But Mimi was far from done. Her first clenched at her
The sight before her left her utterly speechless as she stepped out of the guest room. Her eyes darted between Marco and the woman who stood beside him. Were they just locked in each other’s embrace, kissing?Her anger surged, boiling over into a fury. “What the hell is going on here?” She demanded as if entitled to their explanation.Marco rolled his eyes and shoved both his hands into his pants pocket.“What does it look like to you?” He returned the question with his.Miracle’s gaze darkened, her eyes now locked onto Alessia. She had red hair—just like hers, and they both looked similar, which was uncanny for Mimi. It only riled her up even more. “Who is she?” She went ahead to ask Marco. “Is she the one? Your lover and the reason you’re refusing to accept me?”“She has nothing to do with you,” Marco interrupted her words, his face grim. “And I think it’s time for you to leave.” He added, his tone leaving no room for argument.But Mimi was far from done. Her first clenched at her
“Fuck! The miracle is here,” Marco announced to their surprise. “Find a place to hide yourselves, I’m not ready for any explanations yet.” He directed at Grace and Alessia.Grace snorted in disapproval, “why do we have to hide? I mean we work for you.” She said.Dante sighed and shook his head.“He knows that, Bestie. But you still need to stay hidden.” And with that, Dante pulled her up and directed her towards the staircase.Alessia glanced at Marco for a while, she couldn’t help the feeling in her heart. Miracle had been the woman he was supposed to marry, but she rejected him at the altar, which was good enough for Alessia to believe that Mimi didn’t love Marco. But her sudden arrival stirred up something in her, maybe jealousy if she must admit.Marco turned to see that she was still standing there and frowned. “What are you waiting for? Go!” He ordered in a gruff voice.Alessia nodded, wanting to turn and do as told, but instead, she rushed over to Dante and pulled him in for a
The next day crept in faster than usual, Grace stirred and to her surprise, she was wrapped in someone's embrace. Her first thought was if she unknowingly went with one of those men at the table. Her heartbeat accelerated in fear as she actually thought maybe she had done it. She hurriedly pulled away from the figure but also realized it wasn't one of those men as she had thought. It was actually Dante. Dante's eyes fluttered open, as he jerked up from his sleep, reaching under his pillow as fast as lightning as he pulled out a gun. "Who's the fool?!" He yelled, aiming aimlessly. Grace, who hadn't expected that, froze at the sight of the gun he pulled out. Did... Did he just pull out a gun? The grogginess he felt slowly wore off and he could finally see it was Grace in the room with him and not someone else. He released a sigh of relief and put the gun aside. "Fuck, you scared me." He muttered and fell back on the bed. Grace then glared at him before yelling. "Was that a gun
A day after Dante had exposed his relationship with Grace, he drove directly to Devil's Den to find her. On his way to the place, he suddenly caught sight of a chocolate store by the roadside. An idea struck him, why not buy her a box of chocolate?With a small smirk on his face, he parked the car right beside the store and stepped down, ready to buy a box of chocolate for his bestie. But the moment he stepped before the store, ready to enter, he suddenly thought about something. What if Gracino didn't like chocolates? Yes, he knew girls liked it, but Grace was a hooligan. She wasn't like other girls. She and Alessia were crazy girls who didn't mind ripping a pack of chocolate apart in the twinkle of an eye. "Fuck, I don't think she likes chocolates." He said to himself, rubbing the back of his neck and standing there awkwardly. He groaned, throwing his head back as he turned to leave. He'd better not do something that would end up having Grace mock him at the end. He got back int
When Grace and Alessia arrived at Devil's Den, Grace brought her directly to the counter where she served the customers. Alessia felt out of place standing there, but she watched patiently as Grace went about her job. The men at the club couldn't keep their eyes off Alessia whose red hair was tantalizing and beautiful. Alessia felt very uncomfortable having so many people watching her as she tried to fit in. "Hey, do something. Don't just stand there." Grace said and nudged Alessia slightly, aiming to earn a reaction from her. "And what exactly am I supposed to do?" Alessia asked as she glared at Grace. She flipped her hair to the back, turning back to the counter as a man in a luxurious-looking outfit walked over to her instead of Grace.Alessia knew without a doubt that this man wasn't here for anything good. "Hey, beautiful." He called out with a smile, licking his lower lip as his eyes went directly to her cleavage which was a bit exposed.Alessia noticed his gaze on her, so
“So what exactly do you plan to do now,” Dante’s voice cut through the silence, his tone calm but probing.Marco turned to look at Dante, a brow coming up. “What do you mean?” he asked.“I mean,” Dante paused, then continued. “I know you aren't going to marry Gaia.”Marco’s gaze darkened as he glared at his cousin. A scowl formed on his face as he said in return.“I never had any intention of marrying Gaia. I made it clear from the start.”Dante nodded in understanding, “Of course, I knew that, But after the conversation with your father today, you'll have to get married to her.” Marco’s gaze shifted as the words Ezekiel had said to him earlier clicked in his head.“I found out something suspicious today, something my father said to me while on call.”“What's it about and who?” “Alessia. He said something about her father’s identity. I feel there’s something we don't know.” Marco explained seriously. Dante frowned. “What exactly did he say?” “It doesn’t matter, I need you to help
Marco got into the car, directing the driver to Salvador's home. If he has to set everything on track, then he needs to get Gaia to reject the proposal.Just then, Marco got a call from Ezekiel, his father. He wanted to reject the phone call, but he ended up accepting the call.“This better be important_”“Return to the mansion at once.” Ezekiel cut him short in a stern voice.“And what gave you the impression that I’ll obey you?” Marco asked with an amused expression.“That’s because I just found out about something remarkable. If I were you, I’d return at once.”Ezekiel’s words made Marco’s face contort into one of confusion.“What are you planning, father?” He asked calmly, waiting for the impending response.“It’s simple, who is Alessia Simone?”Ezekiel asked, his question accompanied by an evil chuckle.Marco’s hand which was holding the phone froze mid-motion. His eyes widened, shock crossing his features before he quickly masked it. He gripped the phone tighter, trying hard to