{CARA'S POV}
**"Let’s fuck, Cara,” he says. No. He orders in a low, calm way as he reaches both hands up to my chest. His left hand cups my breast. The other reaches underneath, where my scars are to trace it. His voice is gravely cold and full of desire. “I'd make you two promises. One, I won't fuck hurt you but I won't hold back either. Two, you'd scream so loud, every damn soul in this estate would find it hard to sleep after your scream must have awakened them.” My mind spins. The spinning has quite little to do with the alcohol and a lot more to do with knowing he is in total control of me and what happens next. I’ve never trusted a man with total control aside from Edmondo. Now, fear isn't even involved. Hey, now if we're talking about the ‘nevers’; I've never had sex before. Ha! And then again I’ve never been tied to a coat rack either.{CARA'S POV} * * “It’s Cum, Cara. And I know you liked that you let it out on my face.” He reaches up with one hand and works on the knot binding my hands while his other hand works on me. As soon as I feel my hands free they’re shamelessly on his belt, unbuckling and pulling it out of the way. Bitchy Me. Mio Dio. I don't know where it comes from but now I start to imagine having his manhood in my mouth. And that stupid thought makes me seem… frustrated. It's the magazine. Agata's magazine. She'd brought it one of the days she came to stay over at my place. Papà never lets us touch those stuff. In fact, anything girly, anything that gives us the impression that we are girls… he made sure we never got that. One time I had gone to stay with them for a week in the estate, I got to find out my sisters used sanitary pads secretly. He never got those for them
{CARA'S POV}**My body is still trembling from the sex rounds. My mind is a whirlwind of emotions. We've gone four rounds and it's almost a bright morning. The alcohol did help. The courage, the stamina… and now, I'm finally coming down to my weak self. My eyes are clear now.Mio Dio.I don't know how it got to this point, how I ended up in his bed, tangled in his sheets, my body humming with a strange mix of exhaustion and satisfaction. What I do know is that the night started in chaos. But now... now I feel warm. Safe. Happy, even.I shouldn’t be happy. Pietro is suffering because of me. Edmondo made it clear what he did to Pietro. But despite everything, I can’t deny the fire Edmondo has ignited within me.He’s lying next to me, his eyes closed, his breathing steady, like nothing ever disturbs him. He’s carved from stone, I swear. This man is so cold and unyieldingly forceful… yet when his h
{EDMONDO'S POV}**She’s fucking stupid. No, scratch that. She’s beyond fucking stupid.Her foolishness isn’t just her problem anymore; it’s mine now. She’s dragging me down into the same bottomless pit of idiocy she’s dancing around in, blind and blissful.She doesn’t even know half the goddamn truth, and here she is, batting her lashes, giving me those lovesick stares like this is some fairy tale. What does she think this is? Some kind of happy-ever-after bullshit?She has no fucking clue about her father’s state. She doesn’t know the blood I’ve spilled, the threats I’ve made, or the monsters I’ve provoked to protect her. How the hell is she going to react when she finds out?Fuck.She’s a nobody.A nobody living under my roof, eating my food, and breathing my air. And now she thinks she has the audacity to fall for me? Showering me with those pathetic glances, hoping I’ll look at her like she’s something
{EDMONDO'S POV}**The streets are quiet at this hour. The kind of quiet that only comes when the night is almost dead and dawn hasn’t yet begun to stir. It’s 3 a.m., maybe 4. This is when the filth of Trento starts crawling back to their holes. Thieves, burglars, scavengers; they think they’re safe now, that no one is watching. But in this city, I see everything.Most of the thieves in Trento work under me. They know the rules: take what I allow, stay in the shadows, and never cross me. But every now and then, there’s a rat. A cocky bastard who thinks they can steal without paying their dues. And rats? They don’t get warnings. They get pain. A long, bloody lesson before the end.I light a cigarette, leaning against the doorway of my estate. The smoke curls around my face. I’m not just stepping out for fresh air; I’m going hunting. Not for deer or rabbits. No, I’m hunting a man tonight.
{CARA'S POV}**I wake up tangled in the chaos of blankets. My skin is bare, I'm naked and the air is heavy with the scent of sweat and something primal and dark; him. The duvet lies discarded across the room like an afterthought. Every inch of me aches. It's a reminder of last night’s collision of anger, fire, and surrender.And then, I feel it. His presence.The shadow in the corner shifts, and my stomach knots. Edmondo. Always Edmondo. Standing there, silent. Composed. Watching.“Mom?” The word tumbles from my lips, a slip of my subconscious searching for a shield. But it’s ridiculous. What could I possibly say to protect myself now?He steps into the light. His eyes are dark and unreadable. “Your mother is in the land of the dead, Cara.”I swallow hard. My voice betrays me, trembling as I mumble, “Good morning.”“It’s noon,” he replies, his tone maddeningly even. Controlled. No trace of t
{CARA'S POV}**The tension between the both of us is hot. And I have come to a conclusion that I can’t be in the same roomwith Edmondo without my heart racing and my panties getting wet. Well, the second part is actually a secret. Things have been going on in my insides and I really hate to think about it or let it show.He kisses me; but don't take it further. Just the kiss.I’m ready. I want him more than I ever imagined I would want anyone. I want him to have sex with me again. He was ever so gentle with me hours ago and I want to taste that feeling again.But he moves away. “Fucking seduce me, Cara. Make me hunger for you.”There. He made his demand. That's the only thing stopping us from sexing again.I don’t know what kind of seduction I can offer, but I know I have to try. Especially if I wanted that gentle side of Edmondo once again. It was addictive.I give ourse
{EDMONDO'S POV}**The cold air bites at my skin, it's mostly cold here in the North. But the cold does nothing to distract me from the spectacle unfolding in front of me. Cara’s struggling.And it’s becoming painful to watch. She’s stumbling around like a damn rookie, tripping over her own feet. Clumsy as hell. The others circle her like sharks, waiting for her to fail. And to be honest, I’m not sure I care one way or the other.Her stance is all wrong. Her hands twitch at her sides. Her eyes darts here and there for no reason, no real focus. She doesn’t even know how to fall properly; just crumpling onto the ground every time she loses her balance. The others can’t help but laugh. But I don’t join them. I keep my arms crossed, leaning against the side of the training field.She’s not cut out for this. She doesn’t have the grit.Another shove, and she’s on the ground again.
{CARA'S POV}**I’m a mess. Sweat clings to my skin like a second layer, mixing with the dust and sand that seem to have a death grip on me. The stench of it all; the grit, the sweat, the heat.. it's suffocating. My body is on fire from those falls. Every bruise is pulsing with pain. My face feels like it’s been ground into the earth. And my hair… God, my hair’s a tangled mess, sticking to me in all the wrong ways. But none of it matters, right? I’m supposed to get into a car with him, look the way I do, and pretend it’s fine.Well, Edmondo? He doesn’t care. Not one bit. He doesn’t even give me a chance to breathe before he motions for me to get in the car, like I’m some damn delivery… or an obligation he can check off his list. And you know what? Maybe I’m too tired, too beaten, too desperate for something, anything, different and new from this goddamn underworld shit.
{INGRID'S POV}**The air inside the guest house in the clubhouse feels as stale as a musty basement, it's like it’s pressing in hard on me. The walls are too close. The furniture, too still.I’m curled into a ball, crying myself into nothingness in the same room. I felt bad, but everything feels different now. And it's because of him. Because of his words to me.‘I’m giving you five minutes,’ is all he says in the end. That was all he said before leaving me here, alone with the weight of it.Five minutes for what? To breathe? To collect myself? Or to decide what to do next? That time was never enough and couldn't be.I press my fingers against my temples. My mind is a mess. My pulse is erratic. I need to move. I need to get out of here.I grab a dress from the cupboard. It's good there's one there, even if it's bigger and longer. And so out of shape.I leave the room quietly and the place entirely.The moment my feet hit the ground outside, the cold air rushes against my skin, clear
{GIOVANNI’S POV}**I shut the door behind me seeing to it that the slam echoes in both my ears and hers. My hands flex at my sides, my fingers tingling from where they had just been wrapped around her throat.She wanted me to hurt her. She fucking wanted me to hurt her. Punishment, hard sex... anything that would hurt her she wanted it.And for a second…. for one fucked up second, I almost did. I saw it in her eyes, that plea for something more than just words, something deeper, something that would cut through whatever storm was brewing inside her. And I could have given it to her.But I didn’t.I don't break little girls. Or maybe I do, but I don't want to break her. Also, I don’t indulge their self destruction. Not like that. Okay, maybe I do too but if and only if I should find interest in a little girl, which has never happened aside from Ingrid La Rosa. My jaw tightens, and I push the thought away. I move down the dimly lighted hallway. The weight in my chest is a familiar
{INGRID'S POV}**“Maybe it’s because nobody will ever love me because of my past. Nobody will ever really touch me, no, not after someone else did. Nobody will ever let me know what it’s like to have a man fall in love with me for all time when my heart beats for someone else who doesn't even care. They wouldn’t, now would they? There's nothing good or lovely about me or my life.”His eyes widen on mine, and I see more than those emotions. Worse than hate or disgust. It's Pity. I see damn pity. It's directed towards me. And I hate that. “You need to get some fucking therapy and work on your self and mind,” he says, his hands still gripping tight on my wrists.“....” God I'm speechless. Really? Therapy?! What does he think of me? A lunatic? I have not lost my mind!He stares at my thighs, and I feel ashamed of them, so fierce in my pain. I have a low waistband on, which I made by myself because I feel bold wearing them, but he barely even notices. His attention is so fixed on my fla
{INGRID'S POV}**I feel him nudge me from behind so I move away from the space close to the door. He steps forward and keys into the lock, opening the door and stepping in ahead of me. I enter. I don't even attempt to shut the door behind me after I enter, only fold my arms like a spoilt kid who is being grounded.He finds the light switch as soon as I'm in after him. He peeks out the door, his eyes checking out the neat little hallway before shutting the door. This is definitely a hotel room. No, more like a condo. But it's... unusual. There's a handmade tapestry of a dolphin breaching beside a boat hangs above the bed, and a photo of pirate colleagues on the deck sits on the kitchen counter. It isn't exactly the kind of decor I'd expect to find in a… sort of hotel condo room. But then again, life is full of surprises, and sometimes the most unexpected places can become the most memorable. So, the lady always in a yellow scarf who fed me on the street for a month before she die
{INGRID'S POV}**I really am done with it. I am done with caring. Done with feeling. Done with living like some goddamn pushover. Maybe that punishment will really help in liberating me from this crappy stubbornness of mine and make me a better person that everyone will be satisfied with. Right?I mean, it isn't my fault I grew up to be like this, now is it?To the outside world I am a kid who should listen and be good, but my inside world is a pit of pain and memories of my lonely past. A pit of pain I’ve been breathing through in agonizing little gasps since I was a little girl trying to be good for people around to spear me some food, alms and some money. But now, I feel so fucked up, and used, and twisted with all these looks and words Mr. Giovanni especially throws at me. I've been hurt and is still being hurt by so much of the life I'm still holding dear.Yeah, I am done.And what is with all these? All these family shit, and more secrets. More secrets. The underworld, alcoho
{GIOVANNI'S POV}**I move. Silent. The door clicks shut behind me.In the mirror, I watch her freeze.Her shoulders tense first. Then her grip on the sink tightens, like she’s bracing for a hit.Slowly, so fucking slowly, she lifts her head. Our eyes meet in the mirror. Her pupils go wide, her throat tightens. What does she fucking know? What is she afraid of? Me? And yet, she doesn’t move.I step closer, watching the shift in her body. It's small movements, but still there. The way her breathing changes, the way her lips part like she wants to say something but the words won’t come.She still doesn't back away. So I move closer still.Her breath catches. She still doesn’t speak.She’s holding herself together, but I can see the tension in her arms, the weight of a thousand unspoken things pressing down on her. And I wonder, just for a second, how far she’s willing to push before I fucking break her to total obedience surrender to me.“Well, well, well,” I say. “I never expected to
{GIOVANNI'S POV}**She asks for her father. She says she's here only and only to ask me of her father. Does she know that he is a monster? That he and his empire tore the happiness of Trento apart once. Edmondo's people who are also mine.. some bled to death, girls raped, a few murdered in the eyes of their own children and loved ones.I wonder how pretty little girl La Rosa will look when it is revealed to her just how tainted she and her now dead La Rosa empire is. I wonder how her eyes will glisten with tears as she stare up into the malice in mine when I break it to her what Edmondo and I did to them in return.I wonder how much I can make her pussy stretch for me before she screams when I force myself into her again.Shit. That was random. I'm crazy. I'm a crazy old man. Haha.It's funny, looking around me at all the people in this blue hue room. They don't even have the slightest idea of just how evil a monster I am amongst them. So many idiots… living their idiot lives, havi
{GIOVANNI'S POV}**The ring display is full of light; fucking bright diamond reflections sharp like cut glass, bands of gold and platinum polished to a perfect gleam. Elise is to my right, examining a row of engagement rings with the focused eye of a woman who already knows exactly what she wants.I should be doing the same. After all she's my wife-to-be, right?Instead, my gaze drifts, tracking over the cases until it lands on a section that's further down. There's a different style that seems simpler, yet shiny and clear. It's a pretty section. My eyes skim over the sizes without thinking….. until I pause.Nine.It’s becoming a habit; assessing things that might look good on bambina, measuring them without needing to be told. I better not let it stay till it becomes old and hard to die. My fingers twitch, recalling something unbidden: the weight of a hand gripping mine in the dark of the bunker as I pound into her pussy. So small hands but steady and firmly gripping my shoulders
{INGRID'S POV}**“You don’t look like an Irish lady either,” he counters.I arch a brow. “What do I look like?”He tilts his head slightly, studying me. “Like someone who’s waiting for a reason to burn this whole place down.”The air between us tightens. He has a good sense of humour. And he just called me a lady, not some bambina. Wow. It's weird.The white haired man makes a noise; something between a laugh and a knowing hum, but I don’t break eye contact. I don’t let Ronan think he’s got me figured out just because he threw out some poetic bullshit that happened to land close to the truth.Instead, I set my drink down, lace my fingers together, and give him the smallest, sharpest smile I can muster.“Good thing I left my lighter at home.”Ronan holds my gaze. His own mouth twitches like he wants to say something else. But before he can, the white haired man claps his hands together, breaking the tension. “Well,” he says, amused, “This is going exactly how I hoped.”I shoot him a