LUCIANO'S POV Doctor Johnson told me the girl's health was better than last night and that she recovered pretty fast. There is an ointment he gave me to apply on her bruises to heal them faster.After Johnson left, I decided to see her myself. I went into the room only to find Laila, my cook and only female servant. She does most chores inside the house alone. I was going to ask her where the girl was, when the door to the bathroom suddenly opened revealing her cute scarred face and petite figure wrapped in a towel that was barely covering her.She gasped as soon as her gaze landed on mine, like a teenage boy, I felt my heart fluttering. Her gaze was fixed intently on me, I could already tell that she didn't recognize me, of course she was quick to leave after that night.My gaze lingered on her lips, her cleavage and her thighs, and she instantly crossed her feet, and lowered her head. My mind raced wildly with evil thoughts, as I stepped closer and closer to her, I placed my finger
NADIA'S POVI was jolted awake from sleep, by the pungent and choking smell of tobacco. I coughed and opened my eyes clearly, to see him - the man from the other day. He was seated calmly on one of the couches in the room, his long legs crossed together. His face covered with smoke flakes, he was smoking, immersed sorely in it.“How can someone be so handsome, yet beautiful, even when doing the most random things?” I thought, trying to push away the thoughts that were flooding my mind.He seemed to realize that I was awake, because he suddenly looked at me, causing my heart to start thumping. His gaze swept over my body, lingering on my thighs before he looked up to me again and got up.I swallowed nervously and lowered my head, avoiding meeting his piercing gaze. It felt stark naked under those gaze.He strode slowly towards me, coming to sit at the edge of the bed. His arms caught my waits and yanked me towards him, my skin tingled as his scent wafted into my nose, a mixture of toba
LUCIANO'S POVI was in my office when Jeff called me, and Informed me about holding one of Carlos' men captive. Carlos escaped with the rest of his men, but the one that was held captive had a reputable rank and could be of importance to me.I immediately went to the basement, the heavy scent of flood wafted into my nose, I shrugged, I was used to it already. Noticing my presence, my men unlocked the cell for me and I went in.Jeff really knows how to make me happy. The man was tied up in the chain, any movement he made was going to scrape his bare skin, although he was bleeding and seemed out of strength. I circled him, and finally stopped in front of him.“Has he said anything?” I asked, still facing him.“No, boss.”I hummed, and grabbed my gloves that were sent out for me on the table. I pinched his chin, raising his head.“What's your name?”He cowered in fear, upon seeing my face and I instantly smirked. “Mario” his lips quivered.He's too cowardly to be among Carlos' right han
NADIA'S POVI thought I was dreaming not until I opened my eyes, and saw him next to me. All these while he's been the one touching me, his fingers roaming around my body, tingling my flesh.He clasped my mouth shut, upon realising that I was awake. My heart was pounding hard in my chest, as if it was going to jump out, my nervousness and adrenaline already kicked in.What's he trying to do?I struggled to get away from him, just like every other time, I failed. He was still, holding me firm and unmoving like a log of wood or more so an immovable mountain.“Let me go!” I tried to bite off his palm, which covered my mouth.After several attempts, he let me go, his hooded and lust filled gaze etched on my face. My eyes were stinging with tears, which were threatening to fall. Why am I crying now? I thought, trying hard not to let them fall.“What do you want from me?” I asked, glaring at him.His eyes darkened, his lips curving into a smirk that made my skin crawl. He leaned in closer,
NADIA'S POVThe incident from last night instantly filled my mind the moment I woke up from sleep. I stared blankly into space, my mind consumed with thoughts.Is this how I'm going to leave my life? Trapped in the house of a man I knew nothing about, apart from saving me twice? I thought.I don't doubt the fact that staying anytime longer with him, will make me succumb totally to what he wants me to. I need to leave his house and find shelter somewhere else or maybe leave this country.Tears clouded my eyes, as I remembered being tortured for what I knew nothing about. What if I leave and I get kidnapped again? What if staying here was the best, since my drug induced body had already agreed to his deal? I ruffled my hair, feeling utterly confused. What should I do?I got down from the bed and went into the washroom to wash and change into something. The fact that the wardrobe was already filled with clothes and luxurious designs from the most expensive brands and they were all my siz
NADIA'S POV Although I've looked away from Logan, I could still feel his gaze on me. I tried not to look at him again, letting Luciano take me to sit with him. “I'd be right back, stay here, don't leave or move about, got?” I nodded, meeting his icy gaze, he leaned in and kissed my cheek, his manly scent tingling my nose. I had my head lowered, not wanting to meet anyone's gaze, but that didn't stop their judgemental and suspicious gaze from looking at me. My hands began trembling, as my mind started racing wildly, my heart was pounding hard in my chest. I don't know what was happening to me, but I was finding it hard to breathe, the environment changed drastically and everyone turned their eyes to me. It was filled with hatred and malice, while they kept saying vicious words to me. “You belong to the scum, what are you doing here?” “Do you not know the meaning of leave, my parents can't take you back!!” “You think I was going to marry an orphan with no background like you, wha
NADIA'S POVEveryone fell silent, as they whipped their heads backwards to see who spoke. Their gaze followed him as he took slow, yet majestic steps towards the stage. His piercing blue gaze was fixed at me, an uncertain emotion burning in his eyes, anger? Rage? I'm not sure. A mischievous smirk was etched on his lips, as he swirled the glass of red wine in his hand.Murmurs broke out, as he didn't say anything else apart from standing in front of me, his back against the audience.“Is this not Lord Moretti? Why is he buying her for such a huge amount?”“Hold on, didn't he come in with her? Gosh! What game is he playing?”“I'm just curious to see her face clearly, can't she raise her face a little??””Their murmurs filled my ears, but my gaze was locked with his, his huge figure was making it impossible for them not to see my tiny frame. I'm restraining the strong urge not to break down in front of him.“It seems like I'm her owner now, no one is ready to show off their wealth.” His
NADIA'S POV I felt my heart race as I heard the faint sound of footsteps approaching. My body tensed, and I held my breath. After a long moment, he stopped, standing close enough that I could feel his presence. I squeezed my eyes shut, unable to meet his gaze but aware of the weight of it. "Miss, we need to leave." I flinched, realizing with a flush of embarrassment that it wasn’t him. Instead, it was the red-haired man, standing stoically in front of me. I opened my eyes slowly, deliberately avoiding his gaze as I felt my cheeks warm. Had they found out I’d been eavesdropping? Would Luciano be angry with me for listening in on his plans? My thoughts were a whirlwind, fragments of the conversation I’d overheard running on a loop in my mind, filling me with unease. I quickly gathered my things, clutching my purse and Luciano’s coat tightly as I followed him out. My head was buzzing with questions, each one pressing but uncertain where to even begin. I watched the red-haired ma
NADIA It's been weeks already, with Luciano and I barely speaking to each other, I barely see him not to talk of crossing paths with him. If he was avoiding me or was just too busy at work, I have no idea. These past weeks, I've been feeling a lot of things, tired, when I actually did nothing, sleepy and extreme dizziness. My sleep wasn't as peaceful as it was before. I kept seeing myself, or rather, the little version of me, as a kid, laughing and playing around in a huge mansion. The sounds of her laughter were filled with so much happiness and contagious playfulness. Amidst her happiness, a deep voice called out her name, his voice dripping with love and genuine affection, but then, the name he called wasn't Nadia. Vesper, he called her Vesper. He was calling her to stop running, but she kept running, her laughter growing louder and echoing in all corners of the mansion.I was desperate to see his face, to know who he was, but just each time, I failed. He either seems to disappe
NADIAThe house felt like a hollow shell without Luciano. For a month, he had left without a word, leaving me to wonder if it was because of that night. Although I still bore the scars, not on my body, but deep in my heart, and everytime i passed his closed bedroom door, the memory of his drunken rage haunted me.Yet, there was a part of me that couldn’t help but yearn for him, a part of me that couldn’t let go. Something in his eyes that night had looked broken,desperate and betrayed, and that’s what made it so hard to resent him fully.With Luciano gone, it was easier going outside, venturing beyond the walls of the mansion, although his men never ceased to follow me around wherever I went, but they gave me breathing space. On one of those outings, I met Damon, the man from the restaurant.I had just finished walking through a local bookstore, holding on to the small bag of novels, when he appeared. “Hi Nadia, we met again.” he smiled softly, waving at me.I waved back and looked aw
AUTHORLuciano's anger was triggered by his father and brother, at his mother's memorial service.A day Ago,Luciano stood at the vast, ornate hall where his mom's memorial service was being held. His jaw was clenched so tightly that it ached. He knew that behind the facade of those gathered belied the insincerity of their whisper. Not any one of them had a single sympathy for the woman who they claimed to mourn, they only cared about their power, appearance and no one was more obvious to flaunting those than Luciano's father, Silas Moterno.Dressed proudly in a black suit, Silas held court at the center of the room, a picture of a grieving widower. His words were laced with honey, his demeanor composed, yet the sight of him filled Luciano with fury and hatred, so intense it made his vision blur. Silas, standing tall, had stolen everything from Luciano, his mother, his childhood, Damon, and every semblance of his peace.Luciano's hand clenched tightly into fists by his sides, his rag
NADIAI was already done with the business files Jeff returned home. I'd told him to increase it a bit more which he did, working on this file for a while. I could only say that Luciano was intelligent and professional with the dealings of his company. Time flew by and it was night already. Luciano wasn't home yet, so I returned to my room. Later in the night, I woke up because I was having a nightmare. Amidst my thoughts, I heard slow, and unsteady footsteps approaching my room, before I could react, the door burst open, revealing Luciano's imposing figure.He staggered through the door, muttering under his breath. The heavy whiff of alcohol followed, consuming the air, as soon as he walked into the room.Was he drunk? I frowned and got up to help him. “Luciano, are you okay?” I asked, for some reason, feeling deeply worried.He laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. “Am I okay?” his words slurred, his voice mocking. “Why wouldn't I be? My family's circus, my brother's snake, my father,
NADIAI still couldn't believe that Luciano would murder my adoptive parents and take Vanessa. Why didn't he kill Vanessa also? The more I thought about it, the more confusing it was. If I hadn't seen him kill Sophia, maybe I wouldn't believe it, but I was there when he killed Sophia.Logan might be my Ex and the last person I'd ever want to talk to, but he couldn't make up such a lie. He was sure about what he was saying, even over the phone.There's a way to find out.Luciano was in his study, when I went up to him. I wouldn't lie, I was scared, I was afraid, the courage I had managed to gather, all faltered in the face of his intense gaze.“This is my study, not your room.” “Luciano, did you kill my adoptive parents?” He paused what he was doing and turned to look at me. His gaze darkened, a flicker of surprise dancing in his stormy eyes, as he took a deliberate step towards me. His calm demeanor only served to heighten the tension in the air.“Who told you that?” he asked, his
NADIADespite Luciano's normal attitude, I still couldn't shake off the sight of Sophia's dead body. Few days back, he returned home very late and I happened to go to the living room to retrieve my phone which I left there earlier. The first thing I heard was hurried steps, I hid to see who it was, only to find out it was Luciano's men, Jeff and Luke. They were heading to his room. Their faces etched with worry, but what caught my attention was the blood stains on their hands.Once they had gone a very good distance, I made sure to not make any noise and followed them. The door was slightly opened and I could hear whatever they were saying. Luciano seemed to be deeply hurt, his voice was laced with pain, yet rage. He had a clash with his brother and some other groups, I didn't quite remember their names. It was because of Sophia's death. They'd attacked him, to eliminate him. At this point, I needed no more evidence or words to believe that Luciano was a Mafia boss and did shady bus
NADIA By the time I was awake, Luciano was already gone. After what happened in his study, he had come to the room last night, and only let me be, when it was already daybreak. I could remember that, plus when he cleaned me up and applied some ointment. Cleaning me up after intercourse, was something he never forgot to do, after which he'll tuck me back to sleep.The workload Jeff returned home was getting lesser each day. I'll have to remind him to bring back more work. Later, while I was watching a TV show in the living room, an idea popped into my mind. The sudden thought of it only made my heart race, since no one was at home, and Luciano might not find out, I headed to his study room. Maybe I could find something that'll give me more clue about who he really is, or what exactly he was into. I went into his study, checking out every document I saw there. I had no knowledge that there was a device installed in the office, which would notify him when someone apart from him went i
NADIALuciano didn't leave the house for the rest of the week. Jeff brought over some files for him, and he worked from home. Although he is not going to admit it, I knew it was because of my injury. The thought of it brought a warm feeling to my chest. I already told him it was gone, but he chose to act deaf on it, so I let him do what he wanted.This time, I was the one trying to start a conversation with him, trying to talk to him. But each time, he finds excuses to dismiss me, probably still angry about me trying to cook. But that doesn't make sense, I can't keep making food orders for a long time. I'd wanted to prepare a quick dish, to fill myself, who knew the knife was going to slip from my hand and slit my leg and who asked him to home to witness it?Feeling fed up with his cold shoulders, I decided I was going to talk to him, no matter his excuse this time, I'm going to find a way to talk to him. A part of me decided against it, but I shrugged it away. Despite his cold attit
LUCIANOAs usual, Nadia had begun avoiding me again. She only came down when she was sure that I've left for the office. When Luke told me about that message, I was furious. The phone I gave her was connected to one of my devices and I can access her phone through mine. Luke was in charge of that, although it had issues and was sent for repair, which he retrieved not long ago, before he saw the message.I tried to hold in my anger, not until Jeff Informed that Damon and his men had infiltrated the restaurant, meanwhile, Nadia had gone out to wash off the stain on her dress and was taking too long. I knew how extreme Damon could be, and I knew he had only come for her.But her replies when I'd asked her what took her long, infuriated me more. Maybe I'd been too soft on her, which made her overestimate herself and thought I wouldn't do just anything to make sure she remains by my side.Then again, I dislike that emotion that crawls into my chest, when her tears spill and it's painful.