Swipe up for the next update! ✨
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ “I need you to trust me too, Alessandro. Who is Sofia?” I whispered. His body tensed slightly under mine, the shift was so subtle but I noticed it. I could feel him about to pull back—not physically, but in that guarded way he always does. His eyes flicked to the side, avoiding mine. Oh no, not this time. I grabbed his face gently forcing him to look at me. “Tell me about the burns on your chest,” I pressed, “When did it start? How did it start? Who is she?” I could feel the anger bubbling up inside me. The burns. Every time I thought about them, it sent a wave of disgust crashing over me. And no one had protected him. No one had stopped it. Not even him. He took my hand off his face, “I want you to promise me something first,” he said, “If I tell you, you won’t tell anyone. You won’t act on it. And you sure as fuck won’t go after her for revenge or any of that. Whatever I tell you stays between us. Do you understand me, Freckles?” My stomach twisted at hi
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ Love... It's a foreign concept for me. What even is love? Honestly, I’ve never figured it out. Not the romantic kind, at least. The only kind I’ve ever known is what I feel for Felicity, Stella, and Brandon. That fierce, protective bond you share with the people who share your blood—the people you’d burn the world down for. But what I felt for him wasn’t like family—it wasn’t safe or comfortable. It was all-consuming. The kind of thing that worms its way into your veins and refuses to leave. Being close to him wasn’t a choice. It was magnetic, inevitable, like I was pulled into his orbit and couldn’t fight my way out even if I’d tried. Every time I thought I’d find a moment to breathe, he was there, invading my thoughts. In the shower, I’d catch myself thinking about the way his hand slid down the curve of my body. Eating breakfast, I’d remember the way his lips curled into that sly smile that made me want to slap him and kiss him at the same time. Even pick
Alessandro ☩══♛══☩I watched Viviane pace the room, arms folded across her chest, the slight furrow in her brow that said she was already two steps ahead, calculating every angle. Smart. Prepared. Just what I needed at my side. I have never admitted it out loud, but her mind was something else entirely. It drew me in more than anything else. It wasn’t just the way she picked up on everything I said, it was how she pieced things together, how she challenged me without even trying. Every conversation with her felt like a match I didn’t mind losing. Her intelligence was a turn-on. I was proud of her in a way I didn’t even know I could feel, like having her by my side made me sharper, better, more alive. She paused by the window, the sunlight hitting directly into her hazel eyes and setting them aglow, turning them a shade lighter, like molten gold melting into green."Our decoys are in place, right?" she asked, her voice holding an edge of excitement.I leaned back, fingers tapping
Viviane☩═✦═☩The warehouse was cold, and the air was filled with the smell of salt and iron. I kept my face still, breathing evenly as I took in the scene in front of me. Pallets stacked with bricks of cocaine stretched toward the ceiling, row after row of neatly wrapped product, each one stamped with a symbol I’d come to recognize too well. It was enough to drown the streets in a storm of white powder, and the thought twisted in my gut. I could see it so clearly, people slumped in alleyways, overdosing without a soul to care. Kids pushing limits they didn’t even understand. Men and women chasing an escape like they weren’t feeding the same monster that was killing everyone else. Drugs didn’t discriminate. No one was safe.Tomorrow, every ounce of this would be out there, touching lives, ripping through neighborhoods like a fire set by men who didn’t give a damn about the damage.Nikolai stood at the center with arrogance that he wore like a crown. He moved with such confidence,
IMPORTANT If you haven’t read Mafia Men VI – Alessandro’s Games, stop right here. Seriously, close this book, go read that one, and then come back. Trust me, you’re going to need the backstory, the drama, and all the twists to fully get what’s about to happen here. This book kicks off right where Alessandro’s Games left us hanging. No time skips, no recaps. You’ll want to know who everyone is, why they act the way they do, and what’s already gone down to set the stage for what’s next. So, if you haven’t been introduced to the chaos, deception, and mind games Alessandro and Viviane wrapped up in the last book, hit pause on this one. Read it, live it, and then come back to this book and get ready for more. •───⋅☾ ☽⋅───•DISCLAIMER This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and events are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is purely coincidental and unintentio
Viviane☩═✦═☩The warehouse was cold, and the air was filled with the smell of salt and iron. I kept my face still, breathing evenly as I took in the scene in front of me. Pallets stacked with bricks of cocaine stretched toward the ceiling, row after row of neatly wrapped product, each one stamped with a symbol I’d come to recognize too well. It was enough to drown the streets in a storm of white powder, and the thought twisted in my gut. Tomorrow, every ounce of this would be out there, touching lives, ripping through neighborhoods like a fire set by men who didn’t give a damn about the damage.Nikolai stood at the center with arrogance he wore like a crown. He moved with such confidence, hands tucked in his pockets, an amused smile playing on his lips. To him, all of this was his empire—New York his kingdom, and its people his subjects, whether they knew it or not.Marco poured a generous amount of whiskey into his glass, raising it with a smirk. “Gentlemen, a toast,” he drawled,
Viviane☩═✦═☩I was slipping, and I knew it. It was like trying to hold onto water, and the more I fought, the faster it slid through my fingers. Alessandro was everywhere—in my thoughts, in my dreams, in the way my pulse spiked every time I heard his voice. He’d wormed his way into my mind, and I hated it. I hated how much I thought about him, how some part of me had started to crave him. How I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was losing pieces of myself, piece by piece, and he was the one holding them. Standing alone in my bathroom, steam still clinging to the walls, I pressed my hands against the sink, holding myself in the coolness of the marble. I stared at my reflection, wrapped in nothing but a towel, hair damp and sticking to my skin. My eyes looked harder, but underneath that hardness, there was a crack, one that had only started to show since I came back from the island.“Get a grip,” I said through clenched teeth, as if saying it would snap me out of this. Who was I
Alessandro ☩══♛══☩I grabbed my phone and called my driver, “Change of plans,” I said, jaw tight. “Switch out the champagne for… I don’t know. Juice. Something kid-friendly.” “Yes, Boss, anything else?” he asked. “And make sure everything is… appropriate in the back,” I cut the call before he could respond. What the hell was I doing? My pulse kicked up, an ache right behind my temples. I was taking a little girl along on a night I’d planned for her aunt? And the plans I’d had for her aunt weren’t exactly kids-friendly. I’d planned to fuck her in the backseat of the limo, while my driver drove through the city lights. The image played out in my mind: her breathless under me, our world reduced to that dark leather seat, her only focus on me. But with this little change of plans? Guess I’d have to wait.I had made space for Viviane’s niece like it was the most natural thing in the world. Couldn’t even pretend this wasn’t my idea because it was. The kid wasn’t just some extra lugga
Viviane☩═✦═☩The warehouse was cold, and the air was filled with the smell of salt and iron. I kept my face still, breathing evenly as I took in the scene in front of me. Pallets stacked with bricks of cocaine stretched toward the ceiling, row after row of neatly wrapped product, each one stamped with a symbol I’d come to recognize too well. It was enough to drown the streets in a storm of white powder, and the thought twisted in my gut. I could see it so clearly, people slumped in alleyways, overdosing without a soul to care. Kids pushing limits they didn’t even understand. Men and women chasing an escape like they weren’t feeding the same monster that was killing everyone else. Drugs didn’t discriminate. No one was safe.Tomorrow, every ounce of this would be out there, touching lives, ripping through neighborhoods like a fire set by men who didn’t give a damn about the damage.Nikolai stood at the center with arrogance that he wore like a crown. He moved with such confidence,
Alessandro ☩══♛══☩I watched Viviane pace the room, arms folded across her chest, the slight furrow in her brow that said she was already two steps ahead, calculating every angle. Smart. Prepared. Just what I needed at my side. I have never admitted it out loud, but her mind was something else entirely. It drew me in more than anything else. It wasn’t just the way she picked up on everything I said, it was how she pieced things together, how she challenged me without even trying. Every conversation with her felt like a match I didn’t mind losing. Her intelligence was a turn-on. I was proud of her in a way I didn’t even know I could feel, like having her by my side made me sharper, better, more alive. She paused by the window, the sunlight hitting directly into her hazel eyes and setting them aglow, turning them a shade lighter, like molten gold melting into green."Our decoys are in place, right?" she asked, her voice holding an edge of excitement.I leaned back, fingers tapping
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ Love... It's a foreign concept for me. What even is love? Honestly, I’ve never figured it out. Not the romantic kind, at least. The only kind I’ve ever known is what I feel for Felicity, Stella, and Brandon. That fierce, protective bond you share with the people who share your blood—the people you’d burn the world down for. But what I felt for him wasn’t like family—it wasn’t safe or comfortable. It was all-consuming. The kind of thing that worms its way into your veins and refuses to leave. Being close to him wasn’t a choice. It was magnetic, inevitable, like I was pulled into his orbit and couldn’t fight my way out even if I’d tried. Every time I thought I’d find a moment to breathe, he was there, invading my thoughts. In the shower, I’d catch myself thinking about the way his hand slid down the curve of my body. Eating breakfast, I’d remember the way his lips curled into that sly smile that made me want to slap him and kiss him at the same time. Even pick
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ “I need you to trust me too, Alessandro. Who is Sofia?” I whispered. His body tensed slightly under mine, the shift was so subtle but I noticed it. I could feel him about to pull back—not physically, but in that guarded way he always does. His eyes flicked to the side, avoiding mine. Oh no, not this time. I grabbed his face gently forcing him to look at me. “Tell me about the burns on your chest,” I pressed, “When did it start? How did it start? Who is she?” I could feel the anger bubbling up inside me. The burns. Every time I thought about them, it sent a wave of disgust crashing over me. And no one had protected him. No one had stopped it. Not even him. He took my hand off his face, “I want you to promise me something first,” he said, “If I tell you, you won’t tell anyone. You won’t act on it. And you sure as fuck won’t go after her for revenge or any of that. Whatever I tell you stays between us. Do you understand me, Freckles?” My stomach twisted at hi
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ The rest of the night went on without much drama... At first, Alessandro stuck to my side, but now, as the hours dragged on, the dynamic shifted. Somewhere between the stolen glances and the meaningless conversations, I found myself clinging to him instead. Protective of him. And that feeling... that wasn’t like me. That wasn't like me at all. We were steps away from leaving when Evangeline’s voice stopped us. “Wait, Viviane, can we talk,” she approached us, her gaze darting nervously between me and Alessandro. Alessandro leaned closer to me and whispered, “I'm waiting for you outside.” I nodded at him, and turned back to Evangeline, “Tonight didn’t go as planned,” she let out a laugh, "I’m sorry—for everything that happened. You were right about her. I’ve tried to stop Bianca before, so many times, even in the past, Viviane, but she doesn’t listen to anyone—not even me. And Nikolai treats her like his little sister. I’ve never seen him raise his voice at
Alessandro ☩══♛══☩ “It’s been six months,” Elijah Bolton’s voice echoed, as one of the Capos, he’d been in this business long enough to recognize a lost cause. “Six months, and we’ve found nothing. Whoever planned this was ten steps ahead, covered every angle. No trails, no witnesses, nothing. Face it—we may never see Vito again.” Luciano Costello, father of Nikolai and former head of the family, clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, and then slammed one down on the table with a crack that echoed around the room. “That’s my brother you’re talking about, dammit!” he thundered, anyone could hear the fury and grief that bordered on desperation in his voice, “I can’t—no, I won’t accept that. I’ll burn through every last cent I’ve got if that’s what it takes. Dead or alive, he’s a Costello, and he deserves a proper funeral, not to be some ghost everyone’s forgotten.” The men shifted uneasily, their eyes casting wary glances at each other, knowing that Luciano’s anger cou
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ I stormed out of that suffocating mansion, cursing under my breath, every step harder and faster than the last. The the weight of all their judgment and bullshit pressing down until I could barely breathe. I had to get out. Alessandro was right behind me, his hand in mine. He didn’t say a word, didn’t try to stop me. For once, he just followed, letting me lead the way without a fight. The second we stepped outside into the biting cold night air, I dropped his hand and sucked in a breath, but it wasn’t enough to calm me down. Not even close. I clenched my fists, trying to force myself to breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Come on, Viviane. Inhale and fucking exhale. My pulse was racing, my blood boiling from the crap I’d just dealt with in there. Those self-righteous assholes. Acting like I was the one out of line. Like they haven’t let Bianca run wild for years, making excuses for her tantrums because Daddy broke her precious heart. I let out a bitter laugh, my bre
Alessandro ☩══♛══☩ From the corner of my eye, I watched Viviane—laughing, head thrown back, that carefree sound spilling out of her like it belonged in a different world than mine. What really got me was that even Bianca was laughing along with the rest of them. Bianca, who I expected to pull her usual crap, throw a snide remark, stir up trouble, or worse, drop some comment meant to chip away at me in front of Viviane but none of it happened. She was smiling like she wasn’t the viper I knew her to be. And it twisted something dark in me, this realization that Viviane fit here more easily than I wanted her to. I hated it—seeing her at ease with people, people who shouldn’t get to know her, who shouldn’t get to see her this relaxed. That laughter, those little smiles... They weren’t for them. They shouldn’t be. I realized it in that moment: Viviane wasn’t someone I could just share. Not here, not with them, maybe not with anyone. She’s mine. And the thought of anyone
Viviane ☩═✦═☩ I'd never felt the urge to stomp someone so hard I’d leave an imprint, but this bitch? She was testing my patience like no one else ever had. There were a lot of things I could handle, but watching her perfectly manicured hand reach out, to touch Alessandro’s tux? Yeah, that wasn’t one of them. Her smile was all sweetness and sugar, but I could see right through it—she wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all me. She leaned in, eyes lingering on him in a way that made my blood simmer, fingers brushing his lapel. “Can we talk for a moment... alone?” she asked, voice dripping with a little too much familiarity as she toyed with his collar. A heat rose up in me, a possessiveness I’d only felt for Fliss but somehow ten times more potent. In the span of a second, my mind was made up. I didn’t think, I just acted. My hand shot out, and I slapped her hand away from him—not a gentle brush-off either, but a smack that echoed in the space around us. Francesca jerked her hand b