{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.
{EDMONDO'S POV}**I pace the fucking room, my mind a tangled mess. It's been minutes, yet feels like hours, no.. days, goddamn it. Where the hell is Cara? I seethe. The silence of the room is pressing in like a vice. My fingers curl into fists, but there's no one here to fight.I stop, my breath coming sharp. Where's Cara?“Where the fuck is Cara?” I bark, my voice echoing in the dead silence. I don't care if anyone hears me. I rip open the door and storm out into the hallway, practically snarling with rage. My boots slap against the floor like they might be the only thing keeping me grounded.And then there’s a face.It's a goddamn blur at first. A round, unrecognizable blob of a face. But the clothes.. those fucking clothes I know them. I know this shit. This was Donatello, my consigliere. I could smell the bastard’s cologne from a mile away.“Donnie,” I grow
{LUIGI’S POV}**You don’t crawl back to Edmondo D’ Avi. Not after you’ve fucked up like I did. And definitely not unless you’ve got a death wish.I lurk in the shadows now, watching him from a distance like some pathetic ghost. I don’t deserve to stand in his light anymore, not after the shitstorm I brought down on him with Massimo. But I still love him. I’d still kill for him. Maybe one day I’ll even die for him. That’s all I’ve got left to offer; a loyalty he doesn’t even fucking know is still here.The tunnel’s cold and damp. This is the kind of place where rats thrive and bodies disappear. I blend into the dark like a goddamn phantom, watching Edmondo square off with the Irish Consigliere.Donnelly.I’ve heard his name whispered in back rooms and barrooms. The Irish Consigliere is a legend. A man with a silver tongue and an iron fist. He’s sharp as a switchblade and
{EDMONDO'S POV} * * The bastard’s trying to rile me up. And it’s working. My hand itches to reach for my knife. But I hold back. Not yet. Not here. He surely didn't come here to hug but to attack. “You’ve got balls, I’ll give you that,” I say, my voice is low and cutting. “But balls won’t save you when you’re six feet under.” “Ah, but I’ve no intention of being buried tonight,” he replies, his smile fading as his eyes harden. “I came here to talk.” Talk? “Talk?” I spit the word out like it tastes bad. “The Irish don’t talk. You threaten, you scheme, and you stab people in the back. So, cut the bullshit and tell me why you’re really here.” Donnelly shrugs. His movements are quite slow. Slow like a poison but delib
{EDMONDO’S POV} * * If there's anything I hate about myself, it's the lack of patience towards bastards. I hate chasing ghosts. The Irish Consigliere; a slippery bastard, is the kind of problem I like to solve immediately… with a bullet. Fast, simple, no bullshit. But here I am, trudging through this piss-soaked tunnel, hunting him down because my men couldn’t catch him outright. The underground reeks of rot, mildew, and something worse. Darkness. They all cling to my suit like a second skin. This isn’t where a man like me: The Don belongs, no, I should be sitting in the estate, drinking my scotch and celebrating the little blocks I've set for the empire I'm building. But ghosts don’t respect empires. They sneak in, lurk and poke around, and see how much they can steal before they vanish. And this ghost? I’ll make sure he vanis
{GIOVANNI’S POV}**So, I left her.It wasn’t like I didn’t have a choice. I could’ve stayed back with her. Hell, a part of me wanted to. But I just... I just walked away.She knew my name, but I didn’t bother learning hers. Why would I? She was just a kid. Well, legal, barely 18, so no problem there, right? That’s how it goes. First time, one time. No strings, no complications.She wasn’t special. To me, she was just another warm body in a long, forgettable list of bitches. Names? Faces? They didn’t matter when you lived a shitty life as mine. So, in summary, thanks to my shitty life, I took what I wanted. When I wanted. And moved on.But damn. There was something about her.Not love or anything stupid like that; let’s not get carried away. But there was this way she looked at me, like she saw past the bullshit. Like she could strip me down to nothing with just her eyes.It pissed me of
{INGRID'S POV} * * Sharp, threatening voices wake me up the next morning. I stir from my sleep, waking up in a heap on the floor. I must have rolled over from the mat. My bones are aching from the position I slept in still, and I realize I must have fallen asleep sometime during the night. Wait. Hold up. I feel somewhere else too. Oh…yeah. Uncle. Uncle and I had sex. What's that pain? I look up to my wrists. The bind. The bind have rubbed my skin raw and my sleeping arrangement made my whole body sore and tense the more. Why didn't he take off the bind? But the most important thing right now are the voices. I hear them out in the hallway, deep and unfamiliar. And I think they're coming towards… here. I crawl into the corner of the room and pull up Mr. Giovanni's leather coat. He must have left it here after we…, probabl
{INGRID'S POV}**“Put your hands above your head,” he tells me.I do, looking into his eyes as I obey.My mind turns to the first time I saw him when I awoke in here. I can practically feel his hands on me as he holds me down, the intense powerlessness I felt at their touch.I breathe deeply, calming the emotions that race through me at the thought.I feel his hands on my wrists, pushing them together. The tie slides around them, the same fabric as before caressing my sensitive skin. I feel as it begins to tighten and look up to watch.He binds my wrists tightly, securing them with practiced hands.I give them a tug, experimenting with the length. The constraint leaves me feeling utterly powerless, and I wonder at the spark that spreads through me at the thought of it.I turn to find his eyes. They pierce me in question.I answer with my own, my chest heaving in anticipation. I
{INGRID'S POV}**His touch sends fire racing through my skin. Sparks burn through me in a high blaze.Every touch of his fingers, every flick of his tongue, and I’m burning up and I can’t find it in me to care.I never knew that anything could be as intense as the pleasure racing through me now. One moment I’m unthinking, lost in it completely. The next I’m so overwhelmed, I feel the need to run away.How much can I possibly take?No one’s ever touched me the way Mr. Giovanni is now. No one has ever looked at me with the fire presently burning through his brown eyes. I feel ready to collapse under that gaze.This man is more than I ever thought a person capable of being. With every movement, with every touch, he’s showing me that I am not alone.Loneliness has always been my phobia, my hate.. but Mr. Giovanni.. no, Uncle is telling me, showing me that I'm not alone now.I scream ‘Un
{GIOVANNI'S POV}**“That was a stupid move, bambina (little girl). A bloody stupid move,” I say, not knowing what else to say or how to just get her in there and pull away and end this cat and mouse rubbish.Though, I want to be with her. That's why I left Edmondo and came here.I want to finish what we’ve just started too.She looks at me with rage and fear all over her face and demeanor. “Just let me go. I owe you nothing and all you want to do is take advantage of me.”She looks at me, daring me to say the truth. She knows it, and I know it. We’re walking the faint line between lust and abomination. I knew from the moment I set eyes on her, loosing her cool and yelling for someone to save her sister, that she was going to be different and nice to own.This is lust. Compared to love… this… lust… It’s a lot more complicated than I ever would’ve thought. I pull
{INGRID'S POV}**The tension in the air is really palpable. The atmosphere is electric. I want him to touch me. I want him to do bad things to me. And I know it's so damn wrong, but I just can't resist. He's done something to me, definitely. He has messed with my head and played with my heart. All on the first day.It's like I'm the puppet and he's pulling on every one of my strings.He's breathing heavily, and he gently pushes down my panties until my hip bones poke out. I hiss as the air hits my skin. Mr. Giovanni groans when his fingers connect with my feverish body. "God," he says. "So fucking delicious. So damn wrong. I can't resist. I'm sorry, bambina, but I'm not even going to try to resist."With that, his fingers push off my white lacy panties and I arch my back, helping him along. What the hell am I doing? I don't even know him!Alarm bells are going off in my