CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-SIX: Carlo's POV:MEANWHILE… BACK AT THE MANSION…It might seem creepy that I watch Natalia more than a normal human should, right? But I couldn't help it, especially now…I'd obsessively called Camilla more times in a single day than necessary and I'm sure she was tired of my calls and too many questions already. Few minutes earlier, I'd just got off the phone with her and her parting remark was, “I know I said to be more careful and treat her well because it's her first time and all of that but I didn't ask you to overdo it! You're being excessive and it's barely a week!” Overdo it? Was she kidding? And how is it that she tells me what to do and then turns around to switch up? Also, what's considered as excessive? How do I not be ‘excessive?’ Fuck that, I was paying her handsomely for this and if I wanted her attention on Natalia all the time, then so be it…Also, there was one more thing I needed to get done in order to ensure Natalia's safety and com
Carlo's POV: With a shaky hand, I grabbed the phone from Enzo, placing on my ear. “Miguel! How did this happen?” I barked out, my breath shaky, sweat breaking out on my skin. “Where the fuck are you?!” “Th‐the nngh! M-mall,” He grunted in pain. He'd been injured. Shit. My wide eyes met Enzo's, my heart was in my mouth but I pretened to be calm. “What mall?” I asked impatiently, pacing, unable to keep still. “Where are they?! Angela and Ava?!” This news was going to hurt Natalia badly, the little girl was her only family, I've seen how much she loves her and Angela… My heart ached at the thought of my sister going through another pain…. “Miguel, speak up,” It was supposed to come out as a command, but it sounded more like a plea. My was heart racing wildly, chest tight with a mix of emotions. “Are the girls with you?” Please tell me they are unhurt. “Ah… nngh!... Th-the atta…ckers, too-took—” His words ended on a cough, almost like he was coughing off blood from the sp
Carlo's POV: ALMOST SEVEN HOURS LATER… I was wrong. So fucking wrong. Seated at the backseat of my car while we drive back home, I couldn't help the way nerves thrummed in my body, panic skittering across my chest… This was bad. This was trouble. I couldn't sit still, couldn't breathe. What do I do now?! We'd searched everywhere and everyone we'd suspected and came up with nothing. I'd been too fucking sure that'd we'd find them in no time. But we'd failed woefully. The police couldn't find a trace, even Miguel who was being treated at the hospital said he couldn't identify any of their attackers since they'd all been on masks. The other heads were innocent, hell, Gianpaolo had no idea about anything that had happened and it had been a goddamn war getting the fucker to cooperate with us even after being threatened. Stronzo. Laughed in my face and called me, ‘weak and pathetic.’ That'd earned him a black eye and a broken nose, would have loved to send a bullet through h
Natalia's POV: HOURS EARLIER…It's been an hour since Angela and Ava stepped out and I decided to take another shower—lately, I'm always sweating even with the air con on—and then go downstairs to practice baking some brownies. The other day, I saw a random tutorial on Snapchat, the way the lady had made it look so simple and stress free, I'd decided then and there to practice. I also added her page in case she does more tutorials that I may be interested in—I think that's all she ever does anyway, baking and cooking tutorials, I mean.I know Caterina would throw a fit about how I don't need to do that and that she could do it for me but I've got a perfect plan to manipulate her into giving in. I'm not sure why I'm suddenly determined to bake something—preferably the brownies I saw—but I just know I wouldn't be able to sit still for another week if I don't do it.After a nice warm bath, I stepped out of my bathroom, throwing on a nice, comfortable tee shirt and a washed denim cut off
Natalia's POV: Several failed attempts, almost three hours and much talking from Caterina, I did it! I finally did it! My first brownies. Hell, my first baking ever. They looked ugly though, I did mess up their square shapes pretty badly but they taste absolutely delicious. “This is nice, cara,” Caterina smiled warmly as she took another piece into her mouth. I watched with a big grin as she munched on the chocolate-y goodness, her eyes gleaming with pure delight. “Thank you, Caterina.” Now I just have to wait for Angela and Ava to be home so they could try it out too. Should I give some to Carlo? Naaa, I must pretend to still be upset with him. The goal was to make him grovel. A mischievous smirk tugged the corner of my lips, faltering when Alessandro came out of nowhere and grabbed a piece. I was fast, but he was faster. “Hey!” I snapped, glaring as I snatched the tray filled with the brownies. “I didn't make any of those for you!” He took a ridiculously big b
Natalia's POV: PRESENT… His face twisted with guilt as his hands came up, trying to grab me but I jerked backwards, snarling. ‘You didn't think that I deserved to know that my sister was kidnapped?!’ I yelled, harsh breath sawing in and out my lungs as I glared up at him. Something flashed in his eyes but it disappeared as quickly as it came. “How did you know they were kidnapped?” Was he seriously asking me that?! “We got a call,” Alessandro answered instead, his voice hard and Carlo sucked in his breath. “They are asking that you call off the search.” “They called.” In an instant, Carlo's face hardened, turning serious. “Did you get their number? Trace it, perhaps?” “No,” Alessandro replied, his tone sharp while I just stood there, confused, shattered, scared shit less. “They covered their tracks well.” I didn't care about whatever discussion they were having, I just wanted my sister back home, safe and sound! “You have to do something!” I cried, grabbing
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & SIXTY-TWO: Angela's POV: Useless. I'd never felt as useless as I did right now. I wasn't chained to a chair, didn't have my hands tied behind me, worse, i wasn't even blindfolded yet, I couldn't escape. These assholes were having the time of their lives showing me just how much of a disadvantage a disability was. They didn't bother taking extra care securing me because they knew for a fact that I couldn't run. So here I was, sitting uncomfortably this cold, hard, rocky ground. My back pressed against the cold, hard wall while Ava rested her head on my lap, her little feet bound together with a chain. It was stupid. There was no need for it seeing as she was really fucking scared and wouldn't dare leave my side. She'd been clinging to me for hours, even when I'd be roughly pulled off my wheelchair and tossed to the ground like a rag doll. She'd cried and called for Natalia for hours, our captors, clearly unbothered. I'd begged amd tried to convinc
Angela's POV:Wait…Were we really the only ones here? Like just Ava and I?I peered harder into the darkness, squinting harder like that would make me see any better. But there was nothing in the shadows, no movements, no sound, nothing.We really are alone.That realization made my heart pound harder as a thought formed in my head. My eyes darted to where my wheelchair lay, discarded carelessly from where one of the men had kicked it while making fun of me.“We could escape,” I whispered to no one in particular. All I needed to do was get to my chair. I had zero clue about where we were but I could come up with something when we finally made it out of here. Hopefully.With that plan set in mind, I shook Ava slowly. God, she was really hot, it was scary. She mumbled incoherently in her sleep making soft whimpers. She must be in a lot of pain.“Hey,” I whispered so close to her ears, trying to get her to wake up and I wondered if it was a good idea waking her up. “Ava, baby. Please
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & EIGHTY-NINE: Natalia's POV: My eyes fluttered open and the first thing I noticed was the big hand resting on my waist and I stiffened.Carlo?Carefully and slowly, I turned around coming face to face with a sleeping Carlo. Like this, he looked so peaceful and even more gorgeous. So he came back to bed, cuddling with me. I thought. I could stay like this for hours—days—and not move, I love being in his arms like this, I love being this close to him. For the next ten minutes or so, I lay quietly, until his eyelashes fluttered open revealing those gorgeous eyes to me.“You're awake,” he mumbled in a deep, throaty voice and I smiled.“Yes,” I whispered. “I was watching you sleep,” I said before I could stop myself, almost like my mouth had no filter.He smiled. “You enjoy watching me sleep?” Maybe more than I'd like to admit. “I don't know,” I lied, avoiding his eyes. “I'm thirsty, could you move your arm?” “Don't stress yourself, I'll get water for you,” he i
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & NINETY:Angela's POV: HOURS EARLIER….Rueben was finally getting better and Camilla said his infections were gone. I couldn't stand being close to him like this out of guilt but I couldn't leave his side either. Of course, being the man he was, he didn't blame me, in fact, he was relieved I had gotten home safe. Can you believe it?I was the reason he almost died and he was worried about me?‘Tell him what happened and watch if he'd still care about you,’ A voice mocked in my head and I shut my eyes tightly to make it go away.Every day was an internal battle with my head and heart. Do I tell him or not? I know if I didn't there would be no way of him knowing since none of the people who already knew were going to spill it anyways.But it was eating me up inside. No one knew how I kept reliving that day every time I shut my eyes, no one knew how I kept looking behind me. How could they tell I could still feel those bastards moving in and out of my mouth?They
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & NINETY-ONE: Carlo's POV: My knees buckled. I can count on a single hand the number of times I've felt this way. Helpless, frightened, powerless.“Don't you dare lay a finger on her!” I barked, my voice trembling. “I can't promise that, Carlo,” the bastard drawled. “Your cooperation determines how this goes. If you do as I say, she gets to walk free, unharmed.” “What do you want?” I gritted, grabbing my phone so hard it was a surprise it didn't Crack. “Name your price.”“You, Carlo?” I could hear the smile in his voice. “You're the prize.” This fucking bastard. “Fine!” From the corner of my eyes, I could see Enzo shaking his head, saying no but my mind was made up. “You will come to the location I've just sent you,” he ordered. “Come alone, Carlo. I don't need any of your minions, just you. You in exchange for your whore.” I didn't wait for any more babbling from me, I hung up, checking the location he sent as Enzo walked up to me.“You can't go there alo
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & NINETY:Angela's POV: HOURS EARLIER….Rueben was finally getting better and Camilla said his infections were gone. I couldn't stand being close to him like this out of guilt but I couldn't leave his side either. Of course, being the man he was, he didn't blame me, in fact, he was relieved I had gotten home safe. Can you believe it?I was the reason he almost died and he was worried about me?‘Tell him what happened and watch if he'd still care about you,’ A voice mocked in my head and I shut my eyes tightly to make it go away.Every day was an internal battle with my head and heart. Do I tell him or not? I know if I didn't there would be no way of him knowing since none of the people who already knew were going to spill it anyways.But it was eating me up inside. No one knew how I kept reliving that day every time I shut my eyes, no one knew how I kept looking behind me. How could they tell I could still feel those bastards moving in and out of my mouth?They
Natalia's POV: My eyes fluttered open and the first thing I noticed was the big hand resting on my waist and I stiffened.Carlo?Carefully and slowly, I turned around coming face to face with a sleeping Carlo. Like this, he looked so peaceful and even more gorgeous. So he came back to bed, cuddling with me. I thought. I could stay like this for hours—days—and not move, I love being in his arms like this, I love being this close to him. For the next ten minutes or so, I lay quietly, until his eyelashes fluttered open revealing those gorgeous eyes to me.“You're awake,” he mumbled in a deep, throaty voice and I smiled.“Yes,” I whispered. “I was watching you sleep,” I said before I could stop myself, almost like my mouth had no filter.He smiled. “You enjoy watching me sleep?” Maybe more than I'd like to admit. “I don't know,” I lied, avoiding his eyes. “I'm thirsty, could you move your arm?” “Don't stress yourself, I'll get water for you,” he insisted, pulling away as he rose to
Carlo's POV: I don't know what I'm feeling, but I can't say I didn't understand it either. I do and that's what terrifies me. I might be overreacting, freaking out because I was slowly realizing that things have completely changed for me, that my normal was now a completely different thing. And I see it now, what Camilla had been trying to tell me, Enzo too. But how could this have happened? When did the lines get blurred? How did I get here? It's just been months, how didn't I see this coming?“Don?” My head snapped up at Enzo's voice. How hadn't I heard him come in? “Enzo,” I muttered, watching as he closed the door behind him and walked in. “You're up late.” He pulled out the chair from across me and lowered onto it. “Yes, I had to round up some things,” he laced his fingers. “I noticed you walking aimlessly in the garden before coming here. Are you okay?” I should tell him, shouldn't I?He understood me better and was my most trusted man.I heaved a sigh rubbing a finger o
Natalia's POV: “Are you asleep?” Carlo asked, his fingers toying with my hair was already taking me there…“No.” We lay together on his bed, after a good round of sex, we'd showered together and now, I had my head on his chest and his arms wrapped around me.A beat passed. “How do you feel about going to university?” Huh?!I jerked up to look at him. “I don't understand.” He smiled, and pulled me back down to his chest. “I don't know, I just thought you might want that. Maybe after you've had the baby or maybe you can start now,” he shrugged. “I heard even pregnant women attend university these days. Anyone you're comfortable with is fine.” Wait…. Am I dreaming?“You're for real?” I asked carefully.“When have I ever joked about something so serious, monella?” He planted a kiss on my hair. “I'm serious about this, you can attend university if you want. I don't know if I'm wrong, but it was your dream, yes? To go to school. I do not want to take that away from you…” he trailed off
Natalia's POV: I'm easy and cheap. I thought to myself as I melted against his bare chest. His arms came around me, holding me so close as if he was trying to merge us together and for a moment, we just stood like that. And then one hand came up to my hair, stroking it gently.“You confuse me,” he murmured. “I do not know what to do with you, how to deal with..” He trailed off and I was tempted to ask him to continue but I didn't want to ruin the moment.“I didn't mean to ignore you,” he continued. “And you're right, I should've communicated better. I guess I didn't think it was important… I …I.. I've never done this…”This? What did he mean by that? “I'll do better, monella,” He whispered softly. “I'm sorry.” He didn't have to keep saying sorry because I'd forgiven him the moment he held me back. You see? Easy and cheap. But then, he was apologizing wasn't he? Didn't that mean I was a little bit important to him?‘Because of the baby!’ A little voice in my head snapped and I
Natalia's POV: What the fuck? Blood rushed to my ears as my face flamed hot. For fuck's sake, I'd just been caught toying with my pussy, I could literally feel my wetness drying on my fingers.How the fuck did this happen?Before me, standing in nothing but a grey sweats which hung loosely on his waist was Carlo.But the guard said he wasn't in!He had an amused smirk on his face—one I'd very much like to wipe off his face—but other than that he looked good, strong, gone was the big white bandage that went around his torso. In its place was a small white bandage placed on his wounded area.“Do not stop on my account,” he teased. “I was enjoying the show, dolcezza.” I should have turned off the light. And how didn't I hear him come in.I adjusted my nightgown climbing off the bed, missing the orgasm that I would have gotten if I wasn't so rudely interrupted. “How are you here?” I asked, shifting uncomfortably on my feet. “The guard said you weren't in.” He shrugged. “He wasn't at