Sienna Serena looks at me dumbfounded as I told her of my tryst with Christian yesterday. Then she chuckles and crosses her legs. “Damn, sounds like you had a good time. You’re even glowing.” She jests, wriggling her eyebrows at me. We are currently using Christian’s private jet and on our way to New York. I slap her knee and feel my face redden. “Hey, I needed that yesterday, and I won’t feel guilty about putting my needs first for a change,” I say, deciding not to tell her that I am not feeling guilty at all. On the contrary, I feel empowered. “Hmm, I don’t want you to feel guilty, Sienna. You deserve happiness again, and if that lies with Christian, I want you to know that you have my full support. Ten years is a long time to mourn someone.” She says, then gets up and walks towards the wine decanter. I look at the woman whom I deemed my sister and smile; her approval means the world to me. But looking at her also makes me miss Sylvana; we haven't been able to track her down at
Sienna The estate is as beautiful as my own back home, but I decide not to dwell on pleasantries right now. I have an ally to face, and I hope to God he will still keep true to his promise. He’s expecting me, this I know by the Bratva warriors leading Serena and me inside, but I can’t help this uneasy feeling gripping my heart. I’ve never met this man before, but I have heard of his infamy. This family has suffered betrayal, but then again, don’t all mafia families? A warrior opens the door leading to his study, and as soon as I lay my eyes on the old Pakhan, I know that my accord with his still stands. He gets up from his office chair and walks around to greet me, his clouded blue eyes twinkling with curiosity. “Sienna,” Aleks Kuznetsov says with a smile, gripping my shoulder with his hands. “You are as lovely as ever. How have you been?” I offer him a smile. “Thank you, Aleks, I’ve been as well as can be expected, I suppose,” I say as he leads us over to his desk. “I suppose yo
Sienna Ever since my encounter with Arman, I have felt somewhat empowered. This is why I’m currently walking to Nico’s place by myself and with no weapon. This man used to be as close to me as my own brother, so why am I allowing jealousy to break us apart? After three knocks, he opens the front door and looks surprised to see me. “Sienna? To what do I owe the pleasure?” He says, stepping aside to let me enter. I shrug. “I decided to come to speak with you about something important, with no weapon or entourage,” I say and watch as his eyes widen at my words. “Okay? But I don’t understand why you think you would need a weapon to face me. We’re family, aren’t we?” He asks, leading me into his living room. I nod, then take a seat opposite him on the leather couch. “We are family, yes. We’re supposed to be closer than we are, but lately, it seems as if you would rather have me out of the equation.” I say, watching him and gauging his reaction to my words. Nico blinks, then lets ou
SiennaI get up, and Christian crosses the distance between us, taking me roughly into his arms and surprising me with a kiss. I don’t think I’ll get used to his kisses; they leave me breathless and wanting more.“Hmm, hello beautiful,” he purrs, placing light kisses on my neck that sends shivers up my spine.“You’re… you’re leaving?” I say while trying to catch my breath, feeling his day-old stubble scraping against my skin and letting out an involuntary groan.He chuckles, then looks at me. “Yes, unfortunately. My aunt has called for me, and the way she spoke made it sound like I might be gone for a while.”I don’t know why, but when he says this, my heart plummets. “You think? How come?” I ask.Christian lets out a sigh and gives me a wan smile. “I can’t speak about it; family business.” He says, looking disappoint
SiennaChristian pulls me into his arms after our passionate tryst and sighs. “I hope I’ve measured up to your expectations.” He says.I chuckle at this, cuddling closer to him. “I think you’ve more than measured up, Christian. I’ll be lucky if I walk tomorrow after you still weren’t satisfied after the second time around.”Three times. We went at it three times, and truth be told, I felt exhausted right now. But there were people downstairs, and they were waiting on us.“I’m not going to apologise. Besides, my back will attest to you needing it as badly as I did; how will I walk without a shirt now?” He says.God, and I just had my nails done too.I shake my head and sit up. “We need to go downstairs, but since we stink of sex, we should probably shower first. And before you even think of it, you’re doing it in your own bedroom; I don’t trus
Sienna Days like these make me question my role as a leader. Alcohol never helps anyone when they’re angry or sad, but I am in the mood to wallow right now. I never give in to my anger or self-pity like this; I always stand tall and tough it out for the good of my family. So what the fuck is wrong with me right now? Nico was drunk and obviously spewing his own hate and displeasure; I probably should not have reacted to what he said. These Italian bosses are always calling me a whore, saying I slept my way to where I am right now when it couldn’t be further from the truth. I don’t want to give up; I don’t want to give in to the people threatening my family. I need to be strong for them… but what about me? Who will put my pieces back together when I’m falling apart? I take another swig of my glass then hear a door opening behind me. It’s probably Serena or, even worse, Christian. “Please, leave me be for tonight,” I say with my back to them, but I still hear them approach. “Hey,
Sienna Out of all things, I never expected this to happen; Arman Kuznetsov’s wife has offered us safe passage out of Italy and to their home in New York. Surely he can’t be happy about it, but I have Daniella and Donato to think about right now. Especially after what happened a few hours ago. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on or continue to leave me in the dark?” Christian says, breaking me out of my reverie. After the phone call with Nadia Kuznetsova, I’ve been quiet and haven’t told him a damned thing. I know that he’ll be utterly livid with me, but as I have said, the children need to be kept safe. I sigh and beckon him over to my hospital bed; luckily, I only got away with three broken ribs, but I should be fine. Taking his hand in mine, I look up at him and give him a tight smile. “You won’t be happy with my decision,” I say and shake my head. “Please trust me when I say that it’s the best option for me right now.” Christian frowns. “What do you mean?” “I’m going
Sienna We’ve just set foot in New York, and I’m already at odds with Arman and Nadia Kuznetsov. Perhaps coming here was a mistake; maybe I should have gone with Christian instead of entering a lion’s den where everyone here would rather see me dead. I’m not in the mood for arguments or arrogant mafia leaders who think they know you. I’ve struggled hard to get where I am, unlike some who get the mantle handed to them. I paid my dues. I’ve killed, I’ve faced off traitors, and tortured them with my bare hands. I’ve done all of that, and yet I still feel powerless. “Sienna, calm down. This is not the time or the place,” Serena tells me as I glare at Nadia’s back when she leaves. I turn to look at Serena. “I know that, and even though we found out things about Allessio, I am starting to regret coming here after only being here for less than an hour.” Then I sit back and breathe out a sigh, wincing at the pain in my side. “This is fucked up, Serena. Brainwashed soldiers? What is Alles
Matteo Dragonetti - 21 Years Old I watch her get out of the armored limousine and know immediately that she’s my target. Dressed in white and looking as radiant as any blushing bride should look on their wedding day. The only problem is that her last name is Cerulli, and she owes my family a blood debt. Things would have been fine if my father didn’t complete my Dragonetti Blood Training two years ago, then I didn’t have to step up to the plate. But then I had to become Capo at nineteen when they attempted to assassinate my mother. There would have been no blood feud or vendetta, but they decided to touch someone as innocent as Sienna Dragonetti, and now they will all pay the fucking price. “The blushing bride,” my cousin, Lukas, comments when he sees her. “She’ll regret being a Cerulli after today.” “Hmm,” I comment, checking my weapons once again. We’ve planned this ambush for weeks and know exactly which families are inside and which are our allies. “After today, not only will s
Sienna - 5 Years LaterWhoever said that a second chance at a first-time love was impossible was lying through their teeth. Whoever said that a 20% chance of falling pregnant was a pipe dream hasn’t seen my three-year-old son running through my garden on the original Dragonetti Estate.Of course, giving birth nearly killed me again, so we eventually had my womb removed. This means that I cannot have any more children at all, so my protectiveness over Matteo has increased tenfold. He’s Dante’s only heir, the only child I can give him after Daniella, so he needs to be protected at all costs.These last few years have been anything but easy. We recently came to an agreement with my half-brother about my supposed claim to his birthright. He understands now that I have zero interest in the throne and that no one will come to claim it; he and Dante even came to an amiable accord.Nico and Dario have branched out into different parts of Italy and now rule as Capos in their own right. Dante s
Sienna“Come back to me, mia regina. I need you,” I can hear Dante’s voice as if my head is being held underwater, but where I am feels safer, so I don’t try to bridge the surface. It’s warm here; there’s no constant thoughts or overwhelming feelings… there’s nothing. I haven’t felt ‘nothing’ in ages, and right now, I am content.“I’m so sorry,” Dante’s voice comes again and forces me to pay attention to him. “You saw the scared side of me trying to forget about you through using women. I shouldn’t have fought what I felt for you, I should have been open about everything from the start. This is my fault; yet again, you end up close to death because of me.”I try to frown, but my face feels stiff; in fact, everything feels stiff right now. Does Dante still love me? That fact alone should make me happy, but I think that I am past feeling anything for anyone. He crushed me when I walked into his office and shattered my heart like those plates I dropped.Will we ever get past this, thoug
Dante“Find her!” Fuck, fuck fuck! What just happened? It’s well after nine; why the fuck was Sienna not in bed? I pace the floor and drag my hands through my hair in frustration; there’s no way she could have gotten far, not with the men after her.A few seconds later, I hear the gate to the villa crashing open, and when I rush out to see what the fuck is happening, I see an SUV speeding away. Dario comes running towards me, with a concerned look on his face, and he hands me his cell phone.“She took my SUV,” he says, and I can see the little blip that is Sienna rushing to what I assume to be her cottage off the coast. I hand my little brother his cellphone back and give him a nod of thanks before deciding to follow Sienna.Why did she even run out like that? I thought we were through, I thought this is what she wanted! So why did she look so fucking shattered when she saw what I was doing with another woman?“Fuck, Sienna,” I growl while looking at the GPS and seeing Dario’s SUV co
SiennaI feel like an idiot. Not only does Dante not truly want me, but I’m a product of an affair my mother had years ago. A mafia bastard; not a true Vincenzo, and the fact alone makes me hate myself even more.No wonder my mother never cared for my father’s infidelities; she had been unfaithful right at the start of her marriage. Did my father know about it? No, if he did, then I would have been killed a long time ago along with my mother.I sigh and sit up in bed; it’s been three weeks, and Dante hasn’t been back into this room. After he told me about everything, he took it upon himself to turn into a ghost, and we haven’t seen one another since.Dario told me that the day Dante ‘kidnapped’ me, there was a sniper stationed at the cemetery, but they took care of him before he could fire his rifle. All this time, I thought he came for me because he wanted me, or he still loved me when in fact, I’m simply here for my own safety. But even so, why am I here? Why try to keep me safe if
DanteThat wasn’t supposed to happen; that wasn’t supposed to fucking happen!I slam my fist against the tiled shower wall and let out a frustrated growl when I see blood against the ruined tiles. How did we go from arguing to fucking? There was nothing intimate about what we just did, nothing at all, just a raw, primal need for me to claim what’s mine.But Sienna is not mine, not anymore. She’s only here because of the hit on her life, anyway. But then a-fucking-gain, why do I even care that she has a hit out on her? She wanted to be stupid and step back onto Italian soil, so she should face the consequences.Fuck, I need to get out of here for a few days to clear my head.I’m about to turn the taps and get out when I feel Sienna’s arms wrap around my waist. She’s naked against my body, and I can feel every dip and curve of her against me. I breathe out a sigh, then she kisses the scars on my back, and I lean my head back.“What are you doing, Sienna?” I ask, fighting the comfortabl
SiennaIt’s late evening, and Dante’s scent teases me when I amble into our shared walk-in closet; a shiver shoots up my spine, causing goosebumps to pucker all over my skin. As much as I hated to admit it, Dante still had the same effect on me as he did back when we lived in New York.Slipping on a silk camisole and shorts, I sigh as everything hits me at the same time, and I leave the walk-in and head straight to sit back on the bed.I thought that my feelings for him had died; I thought that I had replaced him with Christian, but the truth is that Christian was simply a scab forming over an old wound in my heart. And once that scab fell off, what would have been left of me? What would have been left of Christian?Those scars on Dante’s back sort of brought me down to earth, and I remembered that he wasn’t just this monster who kidnapped me. He went through literal hell at the hands of Allessio Speranzini, and somehow I still blamed him for almost killing me.I blamed him for doing
DanteI knew that getting Sienna back here would cause her to push back, but I didn’t expect her to be this fucking stubborn. The look of disgust in her eyes when she looks at me bothers me a fuck ton, but I can’t force her to love me again.She’ll see that being here is in her best interest. I finish up in the shower, dry off and walk across the bedroom to my closet, but I can feel her eyes on me. When I turn my head to face her, she quickly looks away. I can’t help but grin at her reaction because even though we’ve been apart for over twelve years, I still know Sienna.After throwing on a pair of boxers, I head to the bed, and her eyes widen when she sees me. She sits up in bed with a horrified expression on her face and a trembling hand over her mouth.“Wh…what happened to you?” she stutters as her eyes take in the long thick, jagged welts all over my torso. “Speranzini’s favorite toy was a barbed whip,” I say as I get in bed and turn off the light on the nightstand. “Staring at
SiennaI sit on the once familiar bed and draw my knees closer to my chest. Never in a million years did I think that I would feel this hopeless again; trapped in my own home by my husband like some prisoner. That Sienna died a long time ago, and now she seems to have returned.Dante hasn’t been back since he brought me here, and I didn’t hear him lock the door, but I am still too apprehensive to leave this bedroom. There are a lot of memories here, some that are threatening to choke me with their traces of Daniella, but I push them down. Hopefully, I don’t snap soon.A movement at the bedroom door gets my attention, and I jump up, fully expecting Dante to come back after what happened this afternoon. What I didn’t expect was Sylvana and Serena to be standing at my door with Sylvana holding a tray of food.“Seems like deja vu, just flipped around,” I say, recalling that I did the same to them when they were taken by Dario and Nico.They’re both wearing sheepish smiles as they approac