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Alessandro ☩══♛══☩ When I walked into the apartment, the first thing that hit me was the smell—blood, sweat, and something metallic in the air. A symphony of violence. Perfect. The old man was tied to a chair in the middle of the room, slumped forward, whimpering through the gag Viviane had shoved in his mouth. His body was a mess. Rope burns around his wrists, blood streaked down his arms, and bruises blossomed across his skin like flowers in bloom. She’d done a number on him, I’d give her that. But what I hadn’t expected was Viviane, lying sprawled on the floor like a discarded doll. I paused, standing in the doorway for a moment, taking it all in. The way the old man’s chest shuddered with every breath, the way Viviane was passed out cold. Goddamn it, Freckles. I knew she’d pull through with the torture, but this…this was unexpected. I took a slow step into the room, my shoes making a soft click on the hardwood floor. I wasn’t in a rush. The old bastard wasn’t going anyw
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ I hate being hungover. My head pounded like a sledgehammer against my skull. I never let myself drink enough to get to this point—always kept it in check—but this was next level. Something was off. Wait. I never drank. I didn’t drink anything last night, did I? The last thing I remembered was being at that old man's apartment. I sat up fast, too fast, my stomach lurching in protest. The room swayed as I blinked against the fog clouding my brain. My vision was blurry, the edges of the room hazy like I was seeing through a dirty lens. Where the hell was I? The sheets felt wrong, too smooth, too cold—definitely not my bed. Panic crept in like ice water down my spine, my pulse speeding up. My heart thudded in my chest, and my hands shook as I pushed myself up. The air felt thick, heavy, like it was suffocating me. I wasn’t home. This wasn’t right. What the fuck happened? I looked down and froze. My clothes were gone. All I had on was my bra and underwear.
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ I didn’t even think about it. My hands were on his chest, shoving him back before I could stop myself. He barely staggered, just a step or two, but the look on his face said I’d done exactly what he wanted—lit that twisted spark in his eyes. Alessandro’s smile vanished, replaced with a dark gleam of amusement. “Feisty this morning, are we?” I pointed my finger at him, “You need to back off.” His grin returned, crueler this time. “Is that right?” he moved back in closer, crowding my space, making me feel every inch of his presence. “And what are you going to do about it? Push me again?” I shoved him harder, this time with more force, my palms hitting his chest, I didn't have the energy to fight him after being drugged, “Get out of my way.” He took the push, his body tensing like a spring ready to snap, but his smile stayed in place, “You want to play this game, fine. But don’t cry when you lose.” “Who says I’m losing?” I shot back, stepping right into his
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ I made my way back to his closet, shutting the door behind me. The space was enormous, the kind of luxury you’d expect from someone like Alessandro Costello—opulent and excessive, with dark wood panels and a chandelier hanging overhead. Everything was meticulously arranged, an almost military-like precision to the rows of clothes. Suits in shades of black, navy, and charcoal lined one side, each one perfectly tailored. I ran my fingers over the fabric of a charcoal-gray suit jacket. It felt like liquid under my skin, softer than anything I’d ever touched. The label read: Kiton. I pulled another out. Cesare Attolini. Stefano Ricci. Each piece spoke of exclusivity and luxury. Then the tag caught my eye: A. Costello. I pulled it out to inspect further. The label was sewn in with gold thread, every piece of clothing in this closet marked with his name, as if it were a brand all on its own. There were dozens of suits, each one with the same arrogant tag, like a si
Alessandro ☩══♛══☩ She froze, her eyes locking onto the vases like she’d just seen a ghost. I audibly heard her breath hitched, and could practically see the wheels turning in her head. Something about those vases didn’t sit right with her, and I knew exactly why. “Are those—” Her tone confused as she tried to hold it together. “Are those the same vases I brought from Canada?” I watched as the men shaved off the clay, revealing the shining diamonds buried deep inside. The small flickers of light caught her attention, but her mind was racing to catch up. “Yes,” I said, walking up to Niko's office, taking her along, “Some of them.” Her jaw tightened, the shock starting to fade into something sharper, more suspicious. Her eyes darted between me and the vases, connecting dots I had deliberately left scattered. “You’re telling me those vases,” she gestured with a stiff hand toward the men meticulously pulling out diamond after diamond, “were contraband? You—” She stumbled over her
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ I don't usually get rattled over shit. But when five sets of eyes, dark and menacing, locked onto me like I was their next project, it took everything not to let them see my nerves. “The FBI?” I repeated, leaning back like I’d misheard. My mind was already running a mile a minute. “You seriously want me to hack the FBI?” I wasn’t looking for an answer. I knew they meant every word. But I needed to stall, just for a second, to wrap my head around the insanity of their demand. I glanced from face to face before glaring at Alessandro, "You do realize they have encryption that takes years to crack and surveillance on a scale you wouldn't believe." But the silence in the room was thick—no one even blinked. They expected me to do it. I raised an eyebrow, letting out a dry laugh, "We’re talking federal heat, not your everyday gangster rivals. You want me to walk into a minefield, and you're telling me to bring a lighter?" "It's not that big of a deal," Scott said c
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ We’d been at it for hours. My eyes burned from staring at the screen for so long, and the blue light reflected off Alessandro’s face in the dim room. The clock on the wall showed just past two a.m., but we still had a long way to go. FBI servers weren’t exactly child’s play, even for us. Alessandro leaned back in his chair, the leather squeaking as he stretched his arms above his head. “We’re in the final layer of encryption. Once we get through this, their database is ours to play with.” I glanced sideways at him through the haze of exhaustion. “Sounds like you’re enjoying yourself a little too much.” He smirked, that slow, arrogant twist of his lips. “Hacking the FBI? It’s better than sex.” I rolled my eyes, typing rapidly as I bypassed another firewall, “You must not be doing it right, then.” “Hacking or sex?” he asked. “Sex,” I answered. He let out a low chuckle, leaning in closer as he watched my fingers fly over the keys. His arm brushed mine, and then I
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ I don’t usually feel like this—this mix of exhilaration and satisfaction. That rare sense of being fulfilled. Sure, I love what I do, but today... today was different. Working in that office with Alessandro, everything felt right in the most unsettling way. Like that’s exactly where I was meant to be, and I couldn’t tell if it was fate or something much darker pulling the strings. Being around him, it’s like walking a tightrope between fascination and annoyance. Alessandro thrives on pressure, on failure. And I knew, without a doubt, that if I made even the smallest misstep, if I missed a detail so minor it could slip past anyone else, he’d see it as an unforgivable failure. It’s unsettling, this need he has for perfection, like he’s always daring you to trip up, and I can’t tell if I should be repulsed or flattered that he holds me to such a high standard. Flattered? No. Repulsed, definitely. He repulses me because he knows how to get under my skin without lif
Hey, everyone! I know this might feel like it’s out of nowhere, but I did try to give you a heads-up a few chapters back that this book was coming to an end. If you’ve loved reading this first part, please don’t forget to leave a 5-STAR review. It really makes a difference, not just for me, but it helps other readers find their way to this story. Your support means more than you’ll ever know. And now for the exciting part… Mafia Men VI - Alessandro’s Ruin.is coming soon. It’ll be right here, waiting for you. As much as I wish I could get straight into it, I need to sort out some things on my end first. Life’s gotten a bit messy, and I need to tackle it before bringing A and V's story back to life. So, thank you again for every vote, comment, and moment you've spent with me in this world. I’ll be back soon... P.s. Don't worry, I'll be back in a few days. XOXO 💋
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ He had my attention, all of it. And yeah, I know how that sounds—stupid as hell. But there it was, pulling at me, sneaking up every time I tried to put my focus anywhere else. I told myself it was nothing. Just a phase. A momentary lapse of judgment because we were alone with nothing better to do. He’s not special, I kept repeating. But now that I am here, he still has all of my attention, that pissed me off more than anything. I clenched my jaw, forced myself to focus on anything—emails, documents, hell, even staring at the coffee stain on my desk would’ve been better. But every damn time I tried to get back on track, my brain betrayed me. A flicker of movement from him, a low hum in his voice when he was on a call, and I was right back where I started. "Viviane," his voice slid over me, smooth as sin, "What did you have on your desk today?" I forced myself to glance back at him after trying so hard not to, "The security breaches," I said, as if he didn’t a
Alessandro ☩══♛══☩ When I walked into the office today, something was different. I felt it before I even crossed the threshold. It was surreal—me, actually smiling. And not the kind of smile that came from hacking, landing a deal or putting someone in their place. No, this was something else. Dom was the first to spot me. He froze, mouth half-open, and then, like a domino effect, everyone in the room followed his gaze. I watched as they all rose from their seats, shock and relief written across their faces. They looked at me like I had died, as if I’d been buried six feet under instead of just off the grid for a bit. Then came Calla and Ha-yoon, practically tripping over themselves in their rush to get to me. Calla moved like she was on a mission, she didn't even let Ha-yoon get close; instead, she practically threw herself into my arms, clutching onto me like I’d vanished forever. She smelled like vanilla and some kind of floral perfume, something I recognized from the countles
Alessandro ☩══♛══☩ The elevator doors slid open, and the second we stepped into Scott's penthouse, I barely had time to blink before Magnus shot across the room, launching himself at me. “Hey, bud,” I murmured, burying my face in his fur as he head-butted me, purring loud enough to drown out Allegra’s laughter. “Did you miss me, little troublemaker.” Allegra, who was waddling in right behind him, laughed softly, holding her belly with one hand. "Oh, believe me, he did. I’ve tried to keep him happy, but I think he’s been counting down the days till his ‘dad’ came home.” Scott gave me a dry look, walking over to Allegra, he pulled her into his arms, one hand cradling her belly like she was made of glass, "He could’ve fooled me. Little menace acted like I was a complete intruder in my own place," he muttered, half to himself, half to Allegra, who simply laughed at him, "And for the record, the little beast was living like a king here." I nodded, "Thanks, Allegra. Really, I owe yo
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ No one had ever killed for me—never for my honor, my safety, or anything at all. The blood was still fresh, still seeping through the cracks in the boat’s wooden floor. Sal’s body was nowhere to be seen, and here I was, wrapped in this strange sense of safety. I glanced around the boat. Nearly a dozen men, all of them tattooed and scarred, men with knuckles rough enough to scrape bone and eyes that didn’t blink twice at the sight of blood. I was strong, I have worked my ass off to be this strong, tougher than people usually guessed but against a group of men like this? Against the strength in their fists, I’d be crushed in seconds. But Alessandro alone made me feel safe around them, a barrier they wouldn’t dare breach. I felt safer with Alessandro than I ever had with anyone, safer than I probably had any right to feel in a place like this. He made me feel... soft, in the best, most terrifying way. With him, I didn’t have to be the strong one. With him there,
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ Two days… Nikolai said he’d send a boat for us in two days. After that, everything became a haze. Time didn’t exist here, not in the way it did out there. Hours, days—it all blurred together, the lines between night and day erased by the way we drowned in each other. The sun had dipped lower, casting an orange glow over the beach as we swam in the ocean. The water was warm against our skin, the sound of our laughter echoing around us but then he stopped, eyes darkening as he pulled me close. His lips found mine, like he had no intention of rushing. Like we had forever. His hands traced lazy patterns on my back as we floated together, I wrapped my legs around him, and for a moment, we were weightless, suspended in the water and in each other. The setting sun became the perfect backdrop to our kiss in the ocean, the fading light wrapping around us like it was made for this moment. Alessandro wasn’t one to keep things gentle for long. We were barely out of the wate
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ If this is heaven, then screw everything else. I could throw my entire life away for this. This is the only thing that makes sense right now, and if I get to feel like this for the rest of my life, sign me the fuck up. His head was buried between my thighs, and the morning light spilling through the window made my bare skin glow. My nipples were stiff, the air teasing them, and all I could hear—aside from the waves crashing outside—was the sound of Alessandro’s mouth on me. My fingers dug into his hair, pulling him closer, harder. His tongue moved in ways that had my head spinning, and every inch of my body felt like it was on fire. I let out a low moan, my back arching off the bed as I gripped the headboard like it was the only thing tethering me to reality. He was everywhere—teeth scraping along the inside of my thigh, tongue pressing against me like he was a man on death row savoring his last meal. His stubble burned deliciously against my skin. The way
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ The day Viviane turned sixteen, her life split in two. According to her, that was the day everything changed—for the better. She sat on her bed, legs crossed, laptop propped up in front of her, while her family sang from miles away. Stella, John, and their daughter Felicity were huddled on one side of the video chat, Brandon on the other. The cupcake with a single candle flickered beside her. She wasn’t with them. She was here, in this empty house that barely acknowledged her existence. She blew out the candle, holding back the sting in her eyes. When she playfully pretended to feed them the cupcake through the screen, Stella opened her mouth wide in a theatrical "ahhh," and Brandon joined in with an exaggerated laugh. They were trying, but it wasn’t the same. It never was. Her siblings had sent gifts ahead of time, and after the song, they asked her to open them. Brandon’s was first. She didn’t bother with caution; she tore into the box like she was opening the
Alessandro ☩══♛══☩ High School Graduation... Alessandro Costello was the guy every guy wanted to be. Good-looking in that unfair way—sharp jawline, blue eyes that seemed to pull you in, and a smile that made people weak at the knees. He wasn’t just popular, he owned the school. Captain of the football team, straight A's without even trying, and with a last name that carried power far beyond the hallways. The kind of name that made teachers look twice, that had parents whispering when he passed by. He drove cars that turned heads—sleek, fast, and expensive—cars that left everyone else staring in his rearview mirror. Girls flocked to him like he was the sun, orbiting his every move, waiting for just a glance or a smirk thrown their way. He didn’t have to chase anyone; they came to him. Alessandro didn’t need to try—he was it, the one everyone wanted to be close to, even if it was just to get a glimpse of what life looked like on his level. But that was just what people sa