{EDMONDO'S POV}
**I look at her, Cara; her eyes are wide, intense. As if she’s waiting for the truth to break her.But the truth has always been the one thing I can’t lie about. And especially not to her.“That’s not all, Cara,” I say, my voice low and purposeful. “The same way your sister wasn’t innocent, the rest of your family wasn’t. Especially your father.”Her eyes flash with a fury that burns brighter than I expect. “You dare not talk about Papà, Edmondo. You dare not say a word about him,” she spits. Her voice trembles with anger.I move closer to her there on the bed. My own pulse is steady but I feel her anger ripple through the room like a storm.“I only dare not lie to you because I promised you the truth,” I say, keeping my tone firm. “And do not point that finger at me, Amora (love). I’ll chop it off before you ever get the chance to use it.”Her breath catches in her throat, and for a mome{EDMONDO'S POV}**I don’t answer right away. Instead, I hold her tighter, letting the intensity of the moment pull us deeper into something neither of us can avoid. Her face is a canvas of emotions; shock, disbelief, and something else I can’t quite place. Fear, perhaps. She doesn’t say a word. But her silence screams louder than any accusation ever could. I don’t stop. She needs to hear this, no matter how much it hurts. “I couldn’t save her,” I begin, my voice calm. “Agata wasn’t just a woman. She was everything; the embodiment of ferocity in a world that feeds on corruption. Just perfect for it. And when I heard about her committing suicide, it felt like I lost the only thing that made sense in reality.” Her lips part as if to speak, but she stays silent. Her chest rises and falls with each shallow breath. I move my hand from her naked curve to her
{CARA'S POV}**Everything is starting to fall into place. The chaos in my mind is organizing itself into something coherent. It’s not even a puzzle anymore; it’s laid out before me, clear and undeniable. A platter of gold, served cold and ruthless.I think back to that day; my father’s words, his tone. He hadn’t talked about sending me abroad or finding a way for me to escape. He’d said something else, something that now feels like a confession I missed entirely.“You need to go, Cara,” he’d said.At the time, I thought he was trying to protect me. Push me away from the violence of his world. But now…now I see it differently. You need to go. It wasn’t protection. It was a deal.He wasn’t saving me. He was selling me.The realization slams into me with brutal clarity. In the mafia world, business always comes before blood. Loyalty to the cause is worth more than family. My father didn’t see
{CARA'S POV}**No wonder the bitch, Agata, always traveled, saying she was going to do Papà's bidding. She came instead to the North to fuck with Edmondo.No wonder she had me make that swimsuit for her. Even Papà was against us wearing such things that'd make us qualified as ladies. The bitch wanted Edmondo to fuck her in that attire. Or did they go on a swimming vacation?No wonder she came to me most times with shoes, make-ups, revealing clothes. It was all Edmondo gave her. She couldn't hide it because she stays with Papà in the estate so, she brought it to me, who stayed far away from them.Bitch!!!!Dead bitch!!!!Why was I angry at her though? It's not a crime to be discreet or… to fall in… wait, did she fall in love with Edmondo? Edmundo’s soften voice that sounds like twisted kind of tenderness breaks my thoughts. “He blamed me for it. But the truth, Cara... the truth is, your father ma
{EDMONDO’S POV}**The door shuts behind me with a soft click, and I finally exhale, dragging a hand through my hair. The tension of that moment still clings to me, but at least it’s over. For now. I told her the truth, or at least most of it. Fuck, I hope she doesn’t dig deeper. She’s smart, too fucking smart for her own good, and if she finds out everything before I’m ready to tell her…I shake the thought from my head as Donatello falls into step beside me. He looks at me like he’s been waiting for something. His silence grates on my nerves.“Christ, Donnie, you couldn’t have waited five goddamn minutes?” I growl, keeping my voice low but sharp.“You seemed busy,” he says without apology, his tone deadpan. “But it couldn’t wait. Your father’s back. He wants to see you.”That stops me cold. My father. That bastard. “He’s back already? What the fuck? You just brought word that he was
{EDMONDO'S POV}**My father’s eyes narrow as he leans back in his seat, the leather groaning under his weight. He adjusts his tie with slow precision, as if trying to keep the words boiling inside him from spilling out. But eventually, he let loose.“Edmondo, can you just… fuck’s sake, he’s your brother. Okay? No matter what, he’s your goddamn brother,” he snap, his voice edging with frustration.I laugh bitterly, shaking my head. “My brother? My fucking brother?” I lean forward to growl. “You fucking know what he did. Or are you going senile, old man? Giordano wouldn’t have been able to flee without me knowing… unless someone good helped him. And, hell, I can as well track him down. Let’s get that shit straight.”Father rubs his temples. He's visibly irritated. “I know you, Edmundo,” he says, his voice going softer but still carrying that weight of authority. “I gave birth to you. You’re my son. It’s my fuc
{EDMONDO'S POV}**I slam the door behind me as I walk into my study. I feel the tension in my body, the way the air seems thick with the pressure that has been building up in my skull for hours. My head is pounding like a motherfucker. It's a constant, mind-numbing rhythm that doesn’t stop. It’s like there’s a hammer inside, banging away, relentless and unforgiving.“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I curse to myself, my voice low and ragged. My eyes burn, sore and raw from whatever the hell is happening to me. I feel like I’m losing my grip on everything… everything.I drop into the chair behind my desk, burying my face in my hands. I'm trying to steady my breathing. But it’s no use. The dizziness, the blur of faces; it’s getting worse.The men who followed me in those two SUVs; those faces, their fucking faces... they’re gone. No, not gone. Blank. Like someone erased them from existence.
{CARA'S POV}**What the hell just happened?I had just been with Edmondo not even close to two hours ago, and things were, well, they were fine. He was sweet, affectionate, the way he always was when he wanted to be. I was on cloud nine, feeling the warmth of his attention, his smile. But now? Now he’s back to being this fucking… cold prick.I stand there, staring at him with a sinking heart. One minute, he’s the charming, sexy man I can’t get enough of. And the next, he’s this cold, grumpy asshole. I don’t get it. And I hate not getting it.His face is hard, his eyes unfocused like he’s staring through me, and his voice? It’s sharp, cutting into me like a blade. “Who the fuck are you?”I blink, not even sure if he’s looking at me properly. His expression is all fucked up, and there’s a blankness to it. I feel my stomach twist. What the hell is wrong with him? I wanted
{CARA'S POV}**I blink in confusion. The Blue Room? I stare at the fair lady, trying to piece this all together. I’ve never heard of it. What kind of place is that? Must be a room in this estate. “I wasn't going there. Where's that? Where's the blue room?”She looks like I just said something stupid. Her eyes widen. “Oh, you're not going to the Blue Room?” She whispers, her voice lowering to almost a gasp. “Sorry, you didn’t hear anything about the blue room from me today.”My brows furrow as I try to make sense of her reaction. “No problem... but, um... where can I find Edmondo's mother?" I lean in, lowering my voice just enough to avoid making a scene.The moment I say Edmondo's mother, her eyes widen even more, and she stumbles back. “DIO MIO!” She sounds genuinely horrified. “You… you.”Me what? I nod, trying to make her go on with her words. Though her reaction is starting to make me uneasy.
{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