Elena He sat in front of an old restaurant I used to frequent when I was younger, drinking a cup of tea and trying to avert his eyes when I saw him. He was definitely not someone from around town because if he was, he would most likely be eating the restaurant's signature pasta. Feeling as though I was cornered, I picked up my pace and made a mental note to take another route from the farmers market when I was going back. Luckily for me, there were no more incidents on my way back since I took the other side, but I was still apprehensive. With every couple of steps I took, I would turn to check. "I need you to help me pick up something from Antonio," Pablo told me when I got back home. "Antonio? Who's that?" I asked as I stepped into the house. "You don't know him? He's my friend. He was supposed to meet up earlier, but he said he had a problem. Anyway, go help me pick up something. You don't need to know what it is," Pablo said, waving his hands as though to send me away, which
Elena Somehow, in my mind, the monster lurking outside would hear me and burst open my door. But this was real life, and there was no monster outside to burst open my door once I opened it. I met an empty hallway, and silence greeted me. I slowly walked down the slim staircase and made my way into the living room. I stopped once I reached the atrium. There was broken glass on the floor from the door, and a few potted plants had been injured in the fight. I turned to the living room, and my heart fell at the sight in front of me. Pablo sat hunched in his usual spot in the living room. From his bruised and bloodied knuckles, blood dripped onto the tiled floor beneath him. I was willing to bet that his face was just as bad. "What happened?" I asked, setting a bowl of cold water beside him, ready to clean his hands and face. Silence was my response as I wiped off the blood from his knuckles. Just as I was about to move to his face, he flung backwards and snatched the cloth and my hand.
Elena Instead of picking up the call, I simply turned off the landline and hung up. "What was it?" Pablo asked behind me. "Wrong number," I said, forcing a smile as I brushed past him to get to my room. I needed to leave. My presence might put Pablo in danger, and even though he wasn't the best of fathers, he had raised me and provided for me since I was 15, for which I was grateful. Looking around my room, I decided I needed to leave the day after. Without much motivation, I got up and stuffed the little clothes I brought back into the bag. It didn't take me too long, and by the time I was done, I almost considered leaving that night. Shaking my head, I banished the thought from my mind. It was too risky for a young woman like me to travel so late. Sicilia was not the problem; Rome was. If the following wasn't bad enough, if anything happened, it would be hard to get out of it being so late. I sat back on the bed, biting my fingernails and thinking of a way out of this. The me
Elena Unfortunately for them, I had many stops to go, and I had discovered that the bus had many other people that were going to the same place I was. I hit a stroke of luck when a flood of people highlighted before me, and so I got ready as well. I pulled out a scarf from my bag and covered my hair with it so I wouldn't stand out too much. The bus stopped, and we all highlighted. In the distance, I could see the car, but it was obstructed by many people, so I was glad. Luckily for me, most of us were walking in the same direction as my house, and it was very easy to move with them. I wanted to do a happy dance when I saw the bus move and was followed by the car. As soon as the car left and was a long distance away, I sped up my steps to my apartment. Only when I got home was I able to release a breath of relief. I struggled to find my footing once school resumed. There was so much to do, and the stark contrast between my way of life in Sicily and my way of life in Rome was more
Elena The next few hours went by in a breeze and I didn't see Damon when I came out. He had probably left with the woman but I didn't care, at least that was what I told myself. The next day school came by in a flash and it was back to work yet again. “They should give you employee of the Month.” Damon said as I was walking to the restaurant. He was sitting in the outdoor dining area with his legs crossed. He was clad in black slacks, brown loafers and a knitted white shirt that left his collar and the top part of his chest open revealing some of his tattoos. I close my eyes briefly. I shouldn't let Damon get to me. I told myself. “I don't think we have stuff like that here.” I said. “Come sit.” He said as he potted the seat next to him. While I hadn't resumed for work yet I had time so I decided to indulge him. “ You are so guarded.” He said. “Did you go through some sort of childhood trauma question?” He asked with a sly smile. I shook my head.” I can smell men like you comi
Elena Paula, one of my roommates, was around when I got home. She flashed a cheerful smile at me, and her inquisitive self couldn't help but ask what I had in my hand. "Is that box dye?" she asked, pointing at the white plastic bag in my hand. Unable to hide it, I smiled back and gave her a short "yes." "Well, why do you want to dye your hair?" she asked, pushing further. "I just want to change my look," I told her, lying through my teeth. "You have such beautiful hair in… hm…" She looked at me for about a minute before concluding, "I think black would be nice on you. Your face, your skin, everything—it would pop." She held up her hands as though she was about to take a picture of me, and then I remembered she was attending fashion school. Her actions made so much sense now. I had always thought Paula was an unapproachable person when I first moved in. I would eventually be proved wrong as I discovered that she was simply busy. She was nice and always offered me smiles, but she
Elena Trying to find a comfortable position with the Unicorn thing was weird. My head was uncomfortable as I had no choice but to hang myself over my pillow. Nonetheless, sleep came as exhaustion wore me down and closed my eyelids. The next day, Paula helped me remove the Unicorn thing, even though she was bouncing on her toes, claiming that she was running late. She hurried me out of bed and wet her hands with oil as she helped me take it out. My hair was frizzy normally, but whatever she had done changed the curl pattern of my hair to a bouncy wavy texture. The black of my hair stood out in stark contrast against the paleness of my skin, making my features stand out even more. Did I look different? Definitely. Did I look like a different person? Not really. In fact, I thought it was worse. I thought I looked exactly like my mother, meanwhile, my goal was to look further away from my heritage. Suddenly, the thought occurred to me that perhaps I should cut my hair, but I shook my
Elena Her eyes were still the same bright and vivid green, and freckles were still a light dust on her nose. Her otherwise pale skin was pink from the hot water of the shower. Perhaps the woman in front of me was unknown. Perhaps Cassandra was yet to see this version of me that was neither Elena nor Isabella. I played with the necklace I had fished out earlier. It belonged to the original Elena, as did my name and the life I was living. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts to get ready for work. A glance at the clock told me that I would be late despite trying to hurry. But I didn't care; I wouldn't have cared if Guiseppe rained down all the insults he could think of on me. At this point, I was completely unsure of what to do with myself. Granted, I had made some money from betting earlier, but I was yet to pick up the form from school. I don't know why I decided not to; perhaps I had some misguided hope that my past would magically disappear. It was no surprise when Guiseppe sta
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