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Chapter 43
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2022-03-03 05:17:56Emiliana
“There’s someone who wants to talk to you.” Vinnie handed me the cell phone before turning away.
Time stood still for a moment as I stared down at my hand, my fist gripping the phone like a vice. My nerves flared and as I answered, every drop of curiosity diminished when I heard the familiar voice.
“Mimmo,” my mother spoke into the silence.
“Mamina,” I gasped, tears welling in my eyes.
Desperate to find solace, I pushed open my door and sank onto the plush bed. There were no words to describe my emotions as the silence engulfed us. Neither of us knew what to say, and at that point I didn’t care. Knowing my mother was on the other end of the phone somehow soothed the smallest part of me
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Emiliana It didn’t take us long to reach Luis who was waiting patiently out on the roadside, just on the outskirts of where Vittoria resided. Beside his black SUV, Luis stood tall and proud, with folded arms as he puffed his chest out. Vinnie and I exited the vehicle, the convoy behind us waiting in the shadows of the dimly lit road. While Vinnie updated Luis on the plan, and the new developments, I kicked stones beneath my feet. My thoughts drifted to Vittoria, to the arsenal that awaited us. Despite Vinnie convincing me that everything was taken care of, there was still a sliver of doubt that crept in the cracks of my thoughts. I didn’t want them to linger too long for fear of letting it overcome me. If I didn’t pay attention to them, I wouldn’t risk
Last Updated : 2022-03-16Mrs Cruz [BOOK 2] Chapter 45
Emiliana “What is it that you want, Emiliana?” Vittoria sneered through gritted teeth. Blood trickled down her chin and she was now sporting a bruise on her cheek. In his efforts to tie her up in a chair, Vittoria had drawn a knife out from nowhere and plunged it into Vinnie’s hand. While he was against beating the crap out of her, her attempts to harm and escape warranted a backhand. I don’t blame him. Vittoria was more than aware of how this was to go down and she was prepared. It did make me slightly fearful of the man I had come to trust and love, the man who swore to protect me. But I couldn’t let that distract me. I couldn’t let that affect when we came here to do. “Answers,” I replied, twisting her knife between my fingers. Vittoria scoffed, her distaste evident in her facial expressions.
Last Updated : 2022-04-18Mrs Cruz [BOOK 2] Chapter 46
Emiliana “No.” I shook my head and took a wary step back. “You’re lying.” Even though I said the words, they held no weight. I could see the honesty in her eyes and the way Vinnie shifted behind me told me there was no way this woman was lying. Not about this. My mind threw up all sorts of questions, all kinds of accusations, but I knew none of them would remove the fact that my father had been in contact with a Verdi. This wasn’t just any Verdi, though. This woman was once his betrothed and no amount of words could explain why these two would work together. I wanted so badly for Vittoria to be lying. The reality that my father would help the Verdi’s, in particular, Vittoria, was too much to handle. “I’m dead, whether you believe me or not, Emiliana.” She cackled and shifted in the chair that she was bound to, sneering as she watched me finally absorb her words. She was satisfied with my shock. It appeared that any proverbial knife she could stab me with, she would make sure I fel
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My brain was fogged with emotions. A mixture of despair and desperation weighed me down. The few hours between Italy and Spain gave me time to think about everything that had happened. Vinnie remained silent and wary. From leaving Vittoria’s to arriving at the hangar, he hadn’t uttered a word to me. The way his eyes flitted around us, surveying, observing, thinking. He was deep in thought through the time we were suspended in flight and as much as I wanted to question where his unusual silence had blossomed from; I bit back the urge and focused on my own thoughts, my own feelings. Luis continued watching me as if held the answers to all his questions. I probably did if I wasn’t so focused on the next part of my plan. I had no idea how I was going to do it, but desperation had reached the darkest depths of my mind and with that, it had affected my rational thinking. I glanced out of the window at the sea that separated my family's heritage from Giovanni’s. My thoughts were crashes of
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Emiliana “Wait for the right time,” Vinnie whispered in my ear. His words were intended to catch my attention but I was too busy focusing on Giovanni being guided out of the visitation room. My heart sank. Time spent with him felt short and it continued to feel that way every time I visited. Eventually, I caught on to what Vinnie had said and I whipped my head around so fast my neck cracked. “What the hell does that mean?” I snapped, shrugging his arm off my shoulders. My anger was already at a boiling point, and the stifling proximity of Vinnie was beginning to piss me off. Vinnie gripped my upper arm with ferocity, his brown eyes darkening even more as if he was warning me. I took the silence he was urging me to hold onto and stepped away from the table with him. I barely had one last glance at Giovanni before the door slammed behind him. I couldn’t help noticing that the month hadn’t been kind to him. He looked tired, more than usual. The man would refuse to admit anything oth
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EmilianaI should have paid close attention. I should have questioned what the hell he meant. I should have realized that Vinnie and Giovanni had a plan, a way out of this. The clues were there, staring me in the face, like flashing signs. I just hadn’t seen them until it was too late.Destiny was clearly playing a sick joke on me.It was the commotion that stirred me from my bed—or lack of. I had barely stepped into the kitchen when I spotted the three police cars in the courtyard.My stomach twisted in knots and my head pounded with worry. I didn’t really know what I was expecting until I was out of the front door and watching Vinnie being handcuffed.Flashing lights filled the courtyard, men and women in crisp white shirts flitted around the vicinity.“Vinnie?” My meek voice pierced the calm atmosphere of the courtyard. I looked to my right, to where Luis stood silently with his hands clasped in front of his body. He never made a noise to demand answers, he never shifted nervously
Last Updated : 2022-05-21Mrs Cruz [BOOK 2] Chapter 50
Giovanni Freedom. It’s the sweetest thing to experience once it has been stripped away from you. Two months wasn’t long, some of my men had longer stretches than that. Some were still doing time. It happens, it comes with the line of work. But it’s something I knew Emiliana had been struggling with. Vinnie didn’t need to tell me. I could see it in her large brown eyes every time I saw her. I could hear it in her words every time we spoke. She could hold onto the lies all she wanted but I knew the truth. Emiliana was struggling. I paced my grim cell. My anticipation rattled my nerves. As much as I hated the thought of Vinnie taking my place, he had convinced me that it was the right thing to do. I still didn’t like the idea, but I had a better chance of fixing this mess from the outside. Thanks to Emiliana, Vittoria Verdi was no longer a problem. Although she had bought out the entire force of Barcelona, they wouldn’t fight the Castellano’s now that the Verdi’s were no more. Stil
Last Updated : 2022-06-30Mrs Cruz [BOOK 2] Chapter 51
EmilianaIt only took half an hour before the doctor called. He came bounding into the room like he owned the place and judging from the look on his face, he meant business. Luis stood sheepishly in the corner, watching on with a suspicious look on his face. And that look swiftly flashed to worry and I glared at him. That was apparently all it took for him to disappear.He disappeared for two hours, and after asking what little staff I could find, because I was too unwell to venture further than the staircase. After battling the doctor, I finally gave in. I answered his annoying questions, let him prod me with a thermometer, and take the usual bloods from me before he came up with his conclusion and left some pills on the side.I eyed them up for all of ten minutes before I tossed them across the room, my anger spiking and taking me to new levels of frustration. I knew exactly what was making me ill, I didn’t need a doctor to tell me. And those pills were not the answer. They might s
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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. “
Mrs Cruz [BOOK 2] Chapter 62
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
