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Chapter 33
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2021-12-22 23:32:01Emiliana
“You better be dying Em!” Oli called out dramatically from the bed.
My eyes moved from Vinnie to his hands that were clutching a sheet around his waist.
“Put it away,” I mocked through the doorway. I heard the sound of Oli groaning but I was too busy focusing on the thoughts racing through my head to be distracted by him.
“What is it?” Vinnie huffed, tightening the sheet in his hands.
“Something Gio said to me, it was the same thing he said to me at Veronica’s birthday. It might be nothing but—”
“What did he say?” He interjected, impatience crystal clear on his features
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Emiliana The sound of flesh pounding into flesh over and over again echoed around the room. Whimpers cried out before they were cut short by another impact. My footsteps were the only other sound to greet the prisoner as I pushed the door open. I steeled my features, taking in the sight of the guy tied to the chair in the centre of the room. Luis’ fists were covered in blood, so was the poor guy in the chair. Mateo snarled at me. Broken teeth and bloody saliva gaped and drooled from his mouth, but his brother didn’t even flinch. It had to be hard for him to be inflicting such pain on his little brother, but I could not deny his loyalty impressed me. “¿Vas a hablar, Mateo?” (Are you going to talk, Mateo?) I asked nicely, because usuall
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Emiliana I watched Vinnie escort José away. His pleas and cries grew louder despite the distance that increased between us. I heaved a sigh, pacing back to the chair and slumping into it. Who knew attempting to be an intimidating bitch was so draining? I could physically feel the energy drawing away from me, syphoned into the words I used on José. The house was stark quiet for a moment. All was still until I heard the familiar footsteps of Oli, who had just bypassed Vinnie with our new detainee. “I don’t even want to know.” Oli entered, shaking his head, worry evident on his face. I sighed exasperatedly. My hand found my brow and rubbed it profusely. I didn’t have the time to deal with Oli; I didn’t have the energy. There was still so much to do,
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EmilianaEverything was moving at a quick pace, and I wasn’t sure if I could keep up or if I was even ready. My semi-adequate sleep over the last few nights seemed to be enough to keep me sane, for now, but that was all it was, semi-adequate.I straightened my jacket and dusted off the near non-existent lint from my shoulder. I’m constantly in business mode these days and it seems to evoke respect and fear from those around me.Vinnie offered me a nod as soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs. Oli had already left for the States the day before and I sensed he was feeling a similar emptiness to me. I pulled on my coat as we reached the door. We were a month away from Christmas and there was a chill setting over the Mediterranean climate.The familiar house came into view, the Castellano’s. The once vibrant flowers were now dull and crisp from the winter air. I stepped out of the vehicle, and Don Castellano wa
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EmilianaAfter meeting with her father, I felt a shred of compassion towards Veronica. Vinnie had filled me in, with more detail, on how Giovanni and Veronica were meant to be wed. Somehow I understood why she was so bitter about her cancelled marriage to Giovanni. It was meant to be a way to escape the clutches of her misogynistic father. By the way Vinnie described it, she believed Giovanni could give her a better life and I knew more than anyone that he could have provided that for her.The drive home gave me time to think, time to consider my options. Despite the current situation, I was thankful that fate designed both mine and Giovanni’s life differently. Having him in my life had brought me a sense of love and passion I had never felt before. I don’t think I could fully understand it if it was anyone else.
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EmilianaThe shooting range had quickly become my own place of solace. Somewhere I could disappear to focus. While working out strengthened me mentally as well as physically, something about shooting targets created a different kind of haven for me. I had never felt more in control than when I had my pistol sitting comfortably in my hand, barrel aimed at the heart of the target.I had the strength, the talent to hit my target so precisely, the power to pull that trigger and smite down my obstacle. This was where I mostly felt myself; invincible, indestructible, powerful.“Chiquita,” Vinnie called to me through the doorway as I changed the magazine in my weapon. I turned at the sound, observing the way his face turned down. “We’re finished here.”
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Giovanni“Cruz!” I shot up at the sound of my name, swallowing the surfacing anxiety. A guard appeared at the bars of my cell, clanging his baton against them. “¡Visitantes!” (Visitor!)The sound of the doors sliding was a piercing screech that made me wince every time, and no matter how long I stayed here, I would never get used to it.It had been a week since Emiliana last visited. My grandfather had visited two days ago, and that was only to tell me that Emiliana had a plan. I hated that she was so involved with this. It killed me that I was the one needing her help.Never in my life had I relied on anyone else like this, and it didn’t sit right. I was already on edge with the mere fact that there were enemies su
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Mrs Cruz [BOOK 2] Epilogue
EmilianaIt had been five years since I had last seen him. Five years since Giovanni last told me he loved me, kissing me with everything he had.It was hard on both of us, knowing we had to part once more and the more we spoke that night, the harder it became. Neither one of us wanted to leave with bad memories–despite losing Vinnie–so he held me, promising the following two days would be filled with happiness.It was a promise I was all too happy for him to break because I understood why he did it. I respected him even more for leaving in the dead of night, while I fell asleep with our son beside us. It can’t have been easy for him, in fact I knew it wouldn't have been. He had lost so much in one night, and walking away from the only thing he had left would have broken him.I put on a brave face, the same one I had painted on for the last five years, even though it killed me.Five years was a long time to pretend that the father of your child didn’t exist, but the truth was so much
Mrs Cruz [BOOK 2] Chapter 65
EmilianaI could hear the distinct sound of voices traveling through the darkness. Words were mumbled, jumbled into sentences I couldn’t quite make out. It was the wave of nausea that awoke me, dragging me to a conscious state and thrusting me into bright lights and agony.“Em!” Giovanni’s voice called to me, and when I blinked and turned my head, his green eyes brought me down to reality. They were red rimmed and tired, a torrent of emotions played on his face as he leaned forward and kissed my head and in my confused state, I couldn’t understand why.I let my gaze wander. My eyes focused on the minute details around me.A white room. Monitors. The incessant beep. The wires.And all I felt was white hot pain shooting through my stomach.“Gio?”I felt him grip my hand, his face solemn and pained, like he had lost everything in the blink of an eye.I could only vaguely remember what had happened. I remembered seeing my mother. I remembered parts of my conversation with my father, and
Mrs Cruz [BOOK 2] Chapter 64
Giovanni “Why? What did I do that made you hate me so much?” Emiliana’s voice broke into a million pieces, fragments of her words piercing the much awaited declaration. It was the same question I asked myself and my heart broke as I heard the words leave Emiliana’s mouth. I didn’t think Emiliana had this much strength. Yet again, she astounded me with how strong she really was. I should have never doubted her decision. Emilio stepped forward, his features softening a fraction as he said, “I don’t hate you.” It was a fleeting moment where I saw sympathy pass across Emiliana’s face. It was so quick that I was uncertain I had seen it in the first place. She didn’t believe her father. None of us did. No man could say they loved their daughter, yet put them through so much pain. Only a monster could do such a thing. “Then what is it? Why are you so hellbent on ruining Gio? Ruining our family?” I didn’t miss the way she clutched her belly protectively. Just like me, she was prepared to
Mrs Cruz [BOOK 2] Chapter 63
Emiliana“I’m fine!” I snapped as Ollie touched up my makeup.We already decided that we would visit my parents tonight, and I wasn’t about to miss out on seeing the look on my father’s face before Giovanni dealt the final blow.“Em.” Giovanni’s stern voice had me spinning around on my stool.“Don’t ‘Em’ me! I’m more than capable of making my own decisions,” I reminded him.He leaned against the door, black shirt stretching across his delicious chest, a sexy smirk spreading his lips. “Always so stubborn,” he tutted, shaking his head.I ignored his comment and turned back around so Ollie could finish my makeup. It was something we both enjoyed, spending time chatting and gossiping while Ollie worked his magic on my face.“Done,” he sang, plopping a brush down on the side. He tugged me by the hands, spinning me around, and the bright blue summer dress floated around my fleet. “Don’t you think she looks gorgeous?” he asked Giovanni.He stepped forward, sliding his arms around my waist. “
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GiovanniI left Emiliana with Vinnie at her apartment while she awaited her surprise. It wasn’t just for her, but for Vinnie, too. Having Ollie around would keep them occupied, keep them happy and hopefully give me enough time to talk business with Massimo.Neither of them had seen Ollie since the wedding, since my incarceration. I was all too aware of how much they both missed him and before this all went down; I wanted to give them something to enjoy.It was much more than Emilio’s death that I had planned.The future of the Magnone’s empire, and the Castellano’s support, was to be aligned in this meeting. Not only did my grandfather want Emilio gone, but Massimo had no qualms about seeing his uncle’s demise. Emilio had done far too much damage, destroying his family and his father’s legacy. It was about time the man served his sentence.Luis drove us through the city, back through the streets I once drove Emiliana. It brought back so many memories. Right from the start, she had cap
Mrs Cruz [BOOK 2] Chapter 61
EmilianaI hadn’t realized how tired I was until I woke up with Vinnie carrying me to my room. After the week of rest Giovanni and the doctor had ordered me to take, I didn’t think I could sleep much more, apparently, that’s all I needed.The gentle sway of Vinnie’s massive shoulders, the air that whipped around me, and the quiet conversation between Giovanni and Vinnie, stirred me from my sleep.“Hey, Principessa,” Giovanni smiled down at me as Vinnie laid me down on the bed.A yawn escaped me, my body stretching and adjusting to the sudden change in position.Vinnie left the room, and Giovanni perched on the edge of the bed, stroking my face. I didn’t miss the tiredness in his eyes or the way he watched me with uncertainty.I reached up, cupping his cheek. “What’s wrong, Gio?”He sighed, leaning into my touch. The silence between us was almost deafening and I realized I didn’t need to ask to know what was going on in his head. Vinnie’s words still sat with me a week after our conver
Mrs Cruz [BOOK 2] Chapter 60
GiovanniI waited until Emiliana was in the car with Vinnie before I called Massimo. It was something Vinnie wanted to do, not because he loved shopping, but because I had business that couldn’t wait, and I needed Emiliana away from this.She might have given me her decision, approval over her father’s fate, but I wasn’t about to discuss the demise of her father or the details of how I was going to kill him. She also didn’t know that the man I needed to speak to was aware of the entire situation.After what Luciano had done to the Magnone company, it was only a matter of time before it fell into the hands of another Magnone. Only I was happy that Massimo was in charge. From what I had gleaned through intel, business was booming, his ability to manage, direct and hold the company was better than Emilio had ever done.I was already aware of what Massimo thought of Emilio. From what my father had told me, Massimo maintained a safe distance from his uncle, keeping his focus solely on the
Mrs Cruz [BOOK 2] Chapter 59
I had always loved shopping. It was always the one time I felt free; free to explore, free to spend money on whatever I wanted and choose whatever I wanted to do. When Vinnie came into the kitchen and said he was taking me, I didn’t know whether it was his suggestion or Giovanni’s. Something told me it was a bit of both because both men had the widest smile on their faces when I finally agreed.Being seven months pregnant had taken it out of me and our boy was growing fast. Over the last few months, Vinnie and Giovanni had walked on eggshells, force fed me vitamins and made sure I got the right amount of exercise, even when all I wanted to do was sleep.It was warming up with the changing seasons and my feet were swollen, aching and sweaty.Vinnie ignored all my protests and took my hand, escorting me out of the car and into the marketplace of Barcelona.“Chiquita, Te ves radiante!” (You look radiant). Vinnie beamed, his cheeks dimpling as he looked down at me.“Parezco un…” (I look l
Mrs Cruz [BOOK 2] Chapter 58
Giovanni From day one, the day the Magnones hired me, Emilio had a plan. That much was clear. He had only one goal in mind and that was to make the Castellano’s pay. While the Verdi’s had their own vendetta, it seemed Emilio had one of his own and it was only a matter of time before Emiliana found out the truth. “Please tell me you’re going to tell her?” Vinnie pleaded from the other side of the desk. “I swore no more secrets. I will tell her.” It was a promise not only to myself, but to her as well. We had come a long way over the last year. So much had happened, and it made me realize Emiliana was a hell of a lot stronger now than she was back then. She had every right to know what her father was capable of—if she wasn’t already aware. Emiliana and I were destined. We were meant to be together, and I wasn’t about to destroy what we had before telling her everything. “Have you spoken to Oli?” I returned my gaze to the computer screen. My grandfather had sent many emails over the
