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
SiennaMy head hits the wall so hard that I am momentarily dazed. I try to level out my breathing, but it is proving futile with a fractured rib - not to mention the grip of a hand around my neck.“What… What do you want?” I stammer, digging my nails into his knuckles and struggling to wrest them from around my neck. With his hood on, I can barely see who it is that has broken into my home and started assaulting me while I was under the influence of alcohol. With my senses inebriated and my guard down, I cannot defend myself; this man will surely kill me.Someone must have known… and I am starting to see a pattern.His grip tightens around my neck, and I let out a strangled grunt. “Pl…ease…!” I beg with tears slipping down my face. Daniella’s unhappy face this evening flashed in my mind; I have to apologise. I have to make it up to her!Conjuring up enough strength, I push h
SiennaWhat is a queen without her king? Well, historically speaking; a lot more powerful. From Hatshepsut and Cleopatra to Catherine the Great and Queen Victoria - all these women ruled and prospered without a king.So why shouldn’t I?Ten years ago, our enemies ripped apart my family, the love of my life taken from me, and our family name obliterated. We all thought this would ruin us, but they did not nickname me 'Dragonetti Queen' for nothing. I now stand as Capo Dei Capi as my husband did, only this time it is in Italy instead of New York.Still, some people doubt me and refuse to bow just because I am a woman, just like this idiot at the end of the heel of my stiletto. “You are not my queen!” he cries out in Italian, spit flying against my heel. I shake my head and give him a sweet smile. “You will bow to me in death, buscetta,” I say, digging my heel deeper into his throat and watching him tra
SiennaI step downstairs and hear a murmur of voices, including those of children. “The Dragon Queen herself,” comes the voice of Nico, who shoots me a grin as I stride into the lounge area. I offer him a smile then walk over to Sylvana, struggling to reign in her two boys, Lukas and Marcus.Ever since I took matters into my own hands and gradually restored our name into the underworld, things have been strained between Nico and me. That fierce loyalty he had towards me when Dante was still alive has all but disappeared. I know that he thinks I stole his mantle, but he would be standing where I am right now if he had been man enough.I glance towards Sylvana, who offers me an apologetic look. “They get like this whenever I mention that we would visit Zia Enna and Daniella,” she says, tugging on their arms and passing them death glares. Well, Lukas is the out of control one; Marcus just goes along with whatever his brother
SiennaWell, that went down as smoothly as a razor on dry skin. As usual, these surly old men cannot get it through their heads that I am the leader of my family and would only speak to Nico. My brother-in-law made them listen to me and I am eternally thankful for it, but I know that he loved doing it. I trust Nico as far as I can throw him, and that is not very far.This is like a knife twisting in my side, knowing that these men would rather listen to someone like Nico instead of me. After our argument before the meeting, I didn’t expect Nico to jump to my defence, but I am sure there was a reason for his help.Damn it, can’t I just catch a break?“Honey,” I hear the familiar voice of my friend, Bamba. She’s Daniella’s minder who has come to be a close confidante of mine, it helps that she’s not a part of this life. She knows what I do, though, and will give me the honest truth when I need it an
SiennaWith bodyguards on either side of us, I watch as Christian walks ahead hand in hand with a bundled up Daniella. She’s taken such a shine to him already; I suppose that it will happen since he’s been a constant in her life over the last two years. She still asks about her real father; and I can’t do much but tell her that he’s gone forever. I contemplated telling Christian to leave my side last night and knowing it would not only break Daniella’s heart, but mine as well; I relented.Besides, who would wait around for a woman they haven’t even kissed yet?“Mama! Come!” Daniella calls as they walk through the market on the Pavillion. This was her favourite thing to do with Christian; buying sweets at the market even if the weather was chilly. He treats her to everything her heart desires, and she feels like a right princess.Breathing out a content sigh, I walk over to them and see that
SiennaAfter Serena calms herself down, I call Dario to come and collect her. I wasn’t certain whether or not she told him about her discoveries, but I resolved to keep it to myself for now. There is no way for us to know what Sylvana’s true intentions are by her encounter with someone linked to our greatest enemy. All I know is that it can’t be a good thing.I lean back in my chair and breathe out a frustrated sigh; is there anyone worth trusting nowadays?A knock on the office door snaps me out of my thoughts and a smile crosses my lips when I see who it is. “Done for the day?” I ask Christian as he strides towards my desk and he replies with a terse nod. “Finally, yes. But it resumes tomorrow,” he says, taking the seat where Serena had been in a few hours ago.I offer him a strained smile and look down. “Mine never ends,” I murmur, hating the fact that I sounded so vulnerable and in
SiennaChristian walks with me to Nico and Sylvana’s villa, which is on the same estate as this. I start telling him about Serena’s discovery, and when I conclude my story, he has an impassive look on his face.“Allessio fucking Speranzini,” he says with disgust in his voice.“I guess you know him, then?” I say sarcastically, knowing the reputation that bastard has and how they compare me to him in mafia circles.“Know him? If I knew what the fucker did to you and your family back in New York, I would not have an accord with him right now.” He says.I stop walking and look up at him. “You have an accord with my greatest enemy?”He looks at me. “As I said, Sienna, if I knew he was the reason he caused you pain, I would not have met with him a year ago. You play your cards close to your chest; how was I supposed to know what you two meant to one another? I didn&
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