Damon"I don't understand why you are feeling attached to this girl," the woman said. "Her existence is an attack on your dynasty. Her existence is a question to the legitimacy of your rule."If Martino was power hungry, perhaps he would listen to his wife. If I was like the Rodrigos, I would definitely listen. But Esmeralda didn't understand something. She didn't know that I had taken the mafia throne on instruction. But she didn't need to know. After all, she and her husband would be dying shortly.The snake woman seated in the middle of both companies looked at me and cleared her throat. She scribbled something on a note and passed it over to me.In elegant words, it read: "If anything happens to the Rivaldis, there's a chance that all of the mafia in Italy will come after you. They are here under the protection of the the Don of Rome."I crumpled the paper when I was done and tossed it over my shoulder. "I don't like repeating myself," I said. "The Montenegros are the rightful own
Isabella Once Damon left, I went back into my room and put on a clean pair of gray tracksuits and a dark t-shirt. Just as I was dressing myself, my door was assaulted by a knock. I didn't want visitors; my biggest interest at the moment was to sleep and gather the energy that Damon had taken from me. I blushed suddenly, remembering Damon. As I opened the door, I found Julian standing there. His face looked better; the black eye had mostly reduced in swelling, even though the color was darker. His cheek had a large plaster on it, indicating that the skin must still be healing. "Do you need something?" I asked him as he walked in. "No, I want to ask you some things," he said, taking a seat on one of my couches. His right foot started to bounce, a nervous tick that made me wonder why he was nervous. "What is it?" I asked gently. "Your boyfriend. Just to clarify... he's that tattooed guy, right? From the arena?" he asked. "Yes," I said. Julian looked confused for a moment, then l
Isabella Julian's face remained a mask of strength. In fact, if anything, he looked as though he was ready to pull me out and run away with me. I shook my head at him, a silent warning, and decided to tell him. "If you try anything funny, you're going to get hurt," I warned Julian. He didn't like the sound of that. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the door. His grip was strong, and it felt as though it would bruise my hand. "Julian, stop!" I yelled. Once we left the room and came into the passageway, I had made so much noise that Paula stepped out of her room. She looked disheveled and cute to a certain point. I wondered why Julian didn't find her attractive. Instead, he had pushed his emotions toward the wrong place. I realized that perhaps Julian had always liked me, but I never saw it. Maybe one day he planned to ask me out, but he never did, even though we had known each other for a couple of years. "Julian, stop," I said, putting more force into my words, hoping he wo
Isabella"Damon," I whispered in fear, as though the wind would carry the sound of my voice to him. It was no surprise that my voice didn't reach him.I called out again, slightly higher than a whisper. It was a silent plea, an intimate one only meant for his ears. I walked to him and caught sight of Alessandro at my periphery.He was stoic. He had seen this before. He was familiar with Damon looking like that. I touched Damon's shoulder when I finally reached him. He didn't move. Because I was still locked on Julian, who had begun to sweat. "Damon," I said with more force to my voice. He was still unresponsive. I had only one choice left, and I was going to do it. I quickly grabbed Damon's collar and pulled his head down towards me, then planted the kiss on his lips. He was quick to respond, with his mouth opening up and receiving my tongue. His hands, which were clenched beside him, wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer. Bad move.My shoulder was in excruciating pain, caus
IsabellaDamon scoffed and looked away, wearing a frown mixed with an expression that I hadn't seen before, and frankly, it made me apprehensive.Perhaps I truly didn't know this man, and I was getting way over my head with him. I wasn't ready for this.“I spent my whole life until I was 13 in the lower City.” Damon started talking in a low voice with his face turned away from me.“In that place, I barely saw the sun, and buildings were packed tightly together.Every street smelled like feces and death. There was no bright side to things. Even the beach was littered with filth, and every so often, we would find the body of a child or two washed up by the waves.I heard that your father became the mafia King when I was younger, but frankly, most of us who grew up in the lower City didn't care. It didn't matter who was the mafia king; after all, the lower City was the mafia's playground for farming poor toys like us.Every week or two, I would lose a childhood friend to some mysterious
Isabella"You clearly don't remember who you are," Damon said. "Marcel did not raise a weak child. You've forgotten his sacrifice. You've forgotten your mother's sacrifice, and you have forgotten the betrayal.Maybe I should leave you alone so you can remember. But come what may, you will sit on the mafia throne. You will take your place."Damon got up and left with his blazing heat, leaving me cold. But most importantly, his words resonated in my mind, and perhaps I had forgotten.But what was so wrong in forgetting? After all, I needed to survive. I needed to. Suddenly, it struck me that I was the problem. The fact that I needed to survive, or at least I told myself that I needed that.Survival instinct took the fight away from me and made me want to run.There was suddenly a knock on the door, and an announcement by Alessandro told me that it was the doctor. I said nothing as the man came in.He was dressed in a simple blue shirt and black slacks with a dark blue tie. He had glasse
IsabellaAlessandro entered after a gentle knock, holding a small plastic bag containing the medications and ointments prescribed by the doctor. "Thank you," I said as he handed it over to me."Where is he? Damon?" I asked."He is outside," Alessandro replied. "He said he has some quick business to attend to. He'll be back shortly," he said in an even-toned voice.He looked as though he would never get angry in his life. Perhaps he would, but I had never seen expressions on his face thus far. He gave me a nod and left.Paula walked in soon after. "Are you okay?" she asked. "They said I could see you once the doctor was done." Her face was a mask of deep concern.I gave her a reassuring smile and patted the foamy couch beside me for her to sit. She was still dressed in a bathrobe, and I made a mental note to give her some of mine. Although I wasn't sure they would fit, at least it would be better than the robe."I didn't know he was like that," Paula said referring to Julian, tears sti
Damon I was hoping that Isabella would think about what I told her. I trusted that she would, knowing that she was capable of doing so. I had left for the hotel for a meeting with the secretary of the mafia. The snake woman had sent me a message while I was talking to Isabella. The soft vibrations would have been too silent for her to hear, but I felt it. "I have some information for you," she said. "Meet me at the place of our last meeting." I directed Alessandro and Miguel to keep an eye on the women while Philippe drove me. He was socially awkward, but where he made up for his shyness was his speed in a fight. I trusted the man with my life, as he had taken a bullet for me twice. The last time he did was at one of my first functions as the mafia King. The Vivaldi's had hired a pathetic gunman from the lower City, hoping that his anonymity would throw us off their trail. Apparently, the man had been taken from the lower City when he was a child, but it was quite easy to trace w
IsabellaPerhaps it was Donatella's face that was the most surprising, but the days following my declaration and official ascension to the throne were followed by endless visits to my family's estate.I had to temporarily move there because I was worried about the constant movement and how my son would take it. However, according to Julio, it also applied pressure to bring Cassandra back to the city.She had disappeared a few days ago, and I believed she went to have her child."I must say, he's a very handsome boy," Nicholas said as he carried my son and began to walk around the new nursery. The baby cooed in his arms and raised his little fists towards his face. I smiled but began to miss the little bundle of warmth that he provided. I had once complained to Damon, and his reply was,"You'll just have to get used to it. Or are you going to take my son away from me?" Damon said with a smile.***To my surprise, Cassandra didn't show up over the next few weeks. I began to genuinely w
IsabellaGeorge knelt in front of me in the gazebo. I had given Alessandro the go-ahead to let him come to the mansion. He came accompanied by three more people that I didn't recognize."There was a mistake, Princess. If I had known…”“I know you think that I am a benevolent figure of never-ending kindness that might accept you. But you must understand that given my position, I simply cannot forgive you right off the bat. You have to prove yourself to me. You have to prove yourself to the city. You have to prove your loyalty, and it will cost you more than it did the last time," I found myself saying.Shortly after that, I left the men alone and made a beeline for the nursery where I felt my son squirming and crying in his cot. The maid I had instructed to stay with him was trying to keep him calm, but she was failing miserably, making me laugh.I stretched out my hands, and just as she placed him in it, the infant settled down. Shortly after passing him and singing to him, I felt ar
DamonAfter Isabella told me that I should handle Cassandra, Valentino, and her allies, I got to work instantly, telling Ted to pull out the old files he had on the trust of those she committed."So what do we do with them?" he asked. "We pick the weakest link. We pick the one most sympathetic to the lower City. Find me a couple of them and show them the pictures."A few days later, I received a call from Ted while I was out in town on a meeting with Nicholas."We have a number of them. What do you want us to do?" he asked. "Tell them to come to my place," Nicholas said with his arms raised. "I'm sure we'll do a good job convincing them." I smiled and told Ted to do the same. Six men, members of the lesser families, came through his gate.I recognized Antonio and George to be some of them and stopped myself from snickering behind my mask. The men bowed when they saw me, but it was clear that their initial fear of me was gone. I smirked behind the mask and looked at them.I loved se
IsabellaDamon had carried me into the tub filled with cold water. As soon as my body came in contact with the water, I instantly sighed in relief. Marie came to me with a small figure half wrapped in a cloth and laid the pink infant on my naked chest.I leaned my back against the foam headrest and let my child lean against my skin. He squirmed and cried, but Marie said it was all part of the process, even though my heart was aching as I desperately searched my mind for what to do to ease his sorrows somehow."If he doesn't cry, his lungs wouldn't be strong. You have to let him cry, princess," she had told me before I struggled with her, and Damon carried me into the bathroom. Even now, he was still crying, but I felt a bit assured as Damon held my hand and began to rub soothing circles over my knuckles. "You are so strong," he whispered. "I'm so proud of you." He whispered again, and this time his hand reached up to caress the head of the infant that laid on my chest. I smiled, bu
IsabellaDamon laughed suddenly, his shoulders quaking, and the room filled up with the hearty sound of joy. He stopped after a while and turned his head towards Cassandra. "It looks as though this wannabe princess is uninformed about what's happening in the city. Someone please tell her."Andrew cleared his throat. "The King…" Damon took off his mask, revealing his face, causing Cassandra to gasp and cover her mouth, as did Donatella. "The King has been married to the princess for quite a while now. I happen to be one of those privileged to witness the ceremony and the signing of their marriage certificate.This, of course, meant that as one without a surname, he would take his wife's own, making him Damon Montenegro Therefore, your challenge… your stake on the throne is very much mitigated by him.""That's not possible!" Cassandra screeched. "You wouldn't do that," she said as she turned her head towards me and stared daggers at me through the screen. "I did. Would you like to h
Isabella"Do I need to remind you that you are a fugitive?" Damon's voice cut through the silence like a hot knife through butter."Do I need to remind you that your crimes are so great you deserve to be put to death?" Damon stood up from his seat and walked towards the pregnant woman."Get out, or I will pull my gun and shoot you between your eyes, not caring about the child within your belly." Instantly, Donatella gasped and covered her mouth with surprise.She got up and walked towards both of them and set herself in their midst as though to protect Cassandra. "Ouch," I thought to myself. "So much for loyalty forever," I said out loud. Donatella turned to me."You must understand, princess, it's not as though I will not be loyal to you. It's just with the recent developments, we find ourselves needing an heir. Perhaps once she gives birth, she can leave." "I'm not going anywhere," Cassandra said, protesting as she pushed the older woman out of the way."I'm here to challenge her
Isabella“No, Isabella. We still need Cassandra to come out. We need her to show her cards. I'm sure it's not going to take long, but... you have to hang tight, Mia Bella," Damon said, shaking his head.He raised his hand and began to caress my belly before leaning in and pressing a kiss on my swollen abdomen. As if in response, the baby kicked where his hand was."He's saying hello to me," Damon said with a smile as he leaned forward and then pulled open the robe I wore to reveal my naked belly."So perfect," he said as he pressed another kiss on the pale skin. "So damn perfect," he said again as he met my eyes. I could see the expression there, his eyes flashing red before returning back to their normal hazel color. He spread open my legs and slowly removed the outer robe to reveal my naked pussy. Slowly, he kissed his way from my belly button down to my weeping pussy.***The extra wait was grueling, but I didn't mind it. I filled my days with walking, with Paula up and down the
Isabella"It was just a rumor," I told my husband as he paced the length of the room, hitting one wall and then going to the next to do the same."We both know rumors are next to truth. It wouldn't be said if it wasn't seen at some point. But you're the same person that said the city thrived on rumors. Why is this one only different?" I questioned him, but the man continued his insistent pacing. He had taken off his shirt, leaving him half naked and making my eyes wander to strange places."Please," I begged him as I stood up. I took off my coat."You're making me dizzy," I said.Damon stopped suddenly and looked at me. "And if the rumor's true?""Then we laid a trap. And I think traps are your thing… at least Julio's thing.""So let's call the ultimate trap master and have him whip up something for us," I said as I reached up towards my husband's head.***The day after, Julio sat opposite me in the gazebo. "How could you not tell me you were pregnant?" He asked, his eyes wide and f
DamonIsabella's face was pale when I saw her as she came out of the bathroom. She had a stunned look as though she was trying to remember something. I grabbed her hands and rubbed circles over her knuckles until she smiled at me."I am fine," she said with a shaking voice."Champagne?" I asked as I handed her a flute. She shook her head. "I can't keep it down," she said, forcing another smile at me."Isabella, what is wrong?" I asked with my mouth close to her ear. "I'll tell you when we get home," she said as she squeezed my fingers back.The rest of the evening couldn't come fast enough as I began to wish time could go faster. Finally, three hours after we arrived at the party, she tugged on my arm, telling me she wanted to go home. I bade goodbye to my friends and some others who were desperate to see me for some reason. We decided to take the chopper, being impatient and me wanting to find out what was wrong with my wife.I helped her out of her dress when we reached our room. S