{LUIGI’S POV}
* * I, of course, know why the fuck I’m here. Massimo is across from me, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. And I feel the same. The air in this rundown tavern reeks of stale whiskey and sweat, and the dim lighting does little to hide the filth clinging to the wooden walls. My ribs ache like hell. My knuckles are busted from the last fight and the cigarette between my fingers burns slow. But none of that matters. What matters is the Irish Consigliere, Cormac Donnelly. “We’re working together now?” Massimo mutters, arms crossed. His eyes are dark with something close to resentment. He hasn’t touched his drink. I don’t blame him for that though. “You tell me,” I reply, my voice even. I take a drag of my cigarette, letting the smoke curl between us. “You’re the one who agreed to this.” He scoffs. “Old times’ sake,{LUIGI'S POV}**Cormac Donnelly smirks. “The bastard doesn’t even know who he really is, does he? Picked up off the streets by Lord D'Avi, Don D'Avi’s father. Just taken in like a stray dog.” He exhales, shaking his head pitifully. “But he’s more than that. Half-Irish, half-Italian. A perfect weapon. The Irish already know what he’s worth.” Giovanni. A weapon. I school my expression. I do the calms. “So what’s the plan? Use him?” Cormac Donnelly chuckles. “Oh, not just him. We have another asset. The girl.” Massimo tenses. I feel my own pulse spike. “Cara La Rosa,” Cormac Donnelly spits out easily. I don’t move. I still. “They’ll break her,” he continues, his voice casual. Like he’s discussing the weather. “Turn her against Edmondo. And when he falls, we get her to get back all of the La Rosa
{EDMONDO'S POV}**I’m fucking tired. I don’t know what it is today, but my brain is screaming at me. Every word, every whisper, every fucking second feels like it’s coming at me from all directions. But I don’t get to stop. Not yet. Not when everything’s on the line.I sit in the middle of the ceremony, watching people bustle around like it’s just another fucking day. But it’s not. Not anymore. There’s something wrong in the air. Something thick, like a storm’s about to break. I try to shake it off, but my head won’t stop spinning. The sharp, pulsing pain in my skull is there again, tugging at the corners of my vision. I rub my temple, trying to drown it out. But it gets worse.Fuck.I blink and glance at Cara. She’s standing across the playground, all bubbly and happy, bouncing around like she doesn’t have a care in the world. Her smile is wide, her energy is filling the whole outside sp
{CARA'S POV}**Months have passed since the explosion; a blast that shook the whole North and beyond, changing and unchanging everything. Edmondo still lies in a sterile hospital bed with his mind deteriorating. The doctors call it brain rot, a stupid irony for someone who once prided himself on his sharpness. The part of him responsible for recognition is gone now and that's even the most painful part. By the time he wakes up, what will be left behind for him is only confusion. The irony stinks, but it’s not something I can linger on anymore. The people, family, Il Noce and Underwood can’t afford to wait for him to regain himself. And neither do they want me to.I’m not just a Donna anymore.It was Massimo and Luigi who came to me first. They were careful, measured, but clear. Then came men and Edmondo's mother with whispers of power, of a gap needing to be filled. They’d all made it official. They ma
{CARA'S POV}**But even in the quiet moments, I can feel the pressure building. Edmondo’s family isn’t backing down. They think I’m weak because I’m a woman. They think I don’t know what it’s like to control men, to play the game.One night, one of them, a younger brother whose name I don't care to know, approaches me. His eyes are dark and desperate. "If you really think you can run this family, I suggest you stop playing pretend. This isn’t a game, Cara La Rosa."I stand, stepping close to him. I feel the weight of my words before I even speak them. "You’re right about one thing. This is no game. But if you think you can just walk in here and take control from me, then you’ve got another thing coming."He hesitates, his lip curling. "I’m not afraid of you.""You should be," I say, my voice low, each syllable carrying the threat I’m not afraid to make real. Edmondo taught me this. “And it's Don Cara D’Avi.”
{CARA'S POV}**The air in the room was thick. Oppressive, as the long dinner table stretched out before me. It's laden with delicacies and fine wines. The dim light from the chandelier cast long shadows across the marble floors, making the space feel colder than it should have. The faint clinking of glasses and soft murmur of voices filled the room. But there was an unmistakable undercurrent of tension.I wasn’t sure what everyone expected from me… what they thought they could get away with, as if I was still the meek little girl they once tried to dismiss. But those days were over. I was the Woman Don now. Not just a Donna or a piece of flesh at their disposal. And if anyone here didn’t like it, they could leave.Lavanda’s return had set the stage for this dinner. She was back, after years of being absent, after everything had changed. And Giovanni? He hadn’t been around for a while either; not since everything came to l
{GIOVANNI'S POV}**I watch her walk in, and for a moment, it’s like time stalls. I didn't expect to feel this unsettled. I’ve been away for so long, over five months. Yet the moment that girl… Ingrid? Ingrid… the moment she steps into the room, something inside me shifts. She’s bigger, fuller than before. Makes me wonder, has she put on weight? I swallow the thought, I push it down. But a nagging feeling tugs at me. I can’t help it. My first instinct? Fuck, I hope she’s not pregnant.I push the thoughts aside and force myself to focus, to keep my cool. The girl’s always been good at making me second guess myself, but I can’t let her have that power anymore.Then Cara, damn it, Cara, the brave lady, gets up like it’s nothing. She practically throws herself at Ingrid, hugging her. The little girl follows suit, wrapping her arms around Cara as they hug. “This is my younger sister,” Cara says, trying
{INGRID’S POV}**I fold the clothes out of my bag and into the wardrobe, pressing them down neatly, making sure each crease is perfect. It’s not really about organization; it’s about keeping my hands busy, and keeping my mind from straying away. The room is quiet except for the rustle of fabric and the occasional creak of the floorboards beneath me. My sister, Cara, chose this room for me in the D’Avi Family House.I believe she had no choice and that's why. It's not her house nor her husband's after all.A knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts. Cara steps in. Even without looking, I could tell her familiar presence but it's heavier than I remember. It's like she’s carrying a burden she doesn’t want to talk about. “I hope everything’s been fine since you moved in,” she says, her voice softer than usual.I nod, forcing a small smile. “No problems.” But even as I say it, I wonder if she sees through me. I wonder if she knows how different I feel, and how much I’ve changed.
{INGRID’S POV}**I push open the door to Cara's office, the soft click of the handle ushers me into the room.She’s sitting at her desk, facing the computer screen and with a thick stack of papers beside her. The room smells faintly of ink and fresh coffee, and I’m hit with that familiar, almost oppressive sense of being in a place I think is quite rich for me.She doesn’t notice me at first, and for a moment, I just stand there. There’s a heaviness in the air between us, something unspoken that I can’t quite pin down. But then she looks up, her sharp eyes meeting mine, and I feel like I’ve been caught in some kind of quiet trap.In the dim light, her gaze is assessing and flicking over me before it softens. “You look dizzy,” she says, her voice softer than usual. She's concerned and it is evident, but not overwhelming. “Are you okay?”I don’t answer immediately. I’m dizzy, yes, but it’s not from the room spinning or from some feverish illness. It's the weight of it all; everything
{BONUS × FINAL CHAPTER} * * The first time I hear the fridge open, I ignore it. The second time, I hear the unmistakable clatter of a spoon against a plate. I ignore it.. again. I roll over, reaching for Carina and as I suspected, her side of the bed is empty. It's warm but empty. The third time I hear noise, I sit up, groggy and blinking against the dim glow of the kitchen light spilling into our bedroom. “Carina?” With that follows an funny, guilty silence. Then, a crunch sound. I throw the covers off and shuffle to the kitchen, where I find my very pregnant wife sitting on the floor in one of my old shirts, surrounded by an assortment of food. A half empty tub of ice cream. A jar of pickles. A box of cereal. A slice of pizza on a napkin. And, God help me, a jar of peanut butter with a spoon sticking out of it. She looks up at me with those big brown ey
{EDMONDO'S POV}**Tomorrow comes fast. And it's morning again.The morning spills through the massive windows, drenching the room in soft gold. Outside, Vegas hums with life; cars weaving through the Strip, neon signs still flickering even in daylight, the distant sound of laughter and slot machines. But in here, in this bed, it's quiet. It's just us.Carina Morelli is curled beside me, wrapped in the sheets. Her bare shoulder is exposed and her hair is a dark tangle on the pillow. I reach out, brushing a strand away from her face. She stirs. Her lips part slightly and I pause, watching her. Before, love was brutal. It was a battle. But this… this is something else entirely.Her eyes flutter open, it's hazy with sleep."You're staring again," she murmurs, voice thick with drowsiness.I smirk, running a thumb over her cheek. "You're in my bed. What else am I supposed to do?"She shifts. She stretches her arms above her head, the sheet slipping lower. My gaze follows and she knows it
{EDMONDO'S POV}**I am wide awake……and the world is too bright.Or maybe it’s just this city: Las Vegas, with its neon lights and chaotic energy, its crowds of dreamers and gamblers. The world is too loud, too open, too free. I used to think freedom came with power, with control, with a gun in my hand and a city at my feet. But here, in a five bedroom condo that is too small compared to my estate back at Trento but too big for just the two of us, freedom tastes different.It tastes like her.Cara moves around the kitchen barefoot, wearing nothing but my shirt. The sleeves are too long, the hem brushing her thighs, and she looks like she belongs in a life I never imagined for myself. Her hair has all grown out, the soft waves are now framing her face. I remember when I forced her into dying it black, then she cut it short. She looked as untouchable as she tried to be. Now, she looks… happy.Happier than I have ever seen her. The woman who once lived in black, whose eyes carried
{INGRID'S POV}**The air in Italy is different when we arrive. It’s thick, suffocating, and all pressing down on me from all sides. From the moment we land and got into the car, I feel it in my bones.. like something is wrong.I step out of the car. The gravel crunches beneath my feet. My breath catches at the sight before me.Something is indeed wrong. Not because of the silence, not because of the way the sky hangs low and gray over Trento, Northern Italy, but because of them. Everywhere; black.I see a sea of black. Men and women standing in eerie silence with their heads bowed and their faces unreadable. The only sounds are the occasional rustle of fabric, a sniffle, the sharp bite of the wind against my skin. And then I see another; six men standing apart from the rest, wearing black suits but with blood-red hood capes.Blood-red. Is that a deliberate choice? Or is it a symbol?I swallow hard, glancing sideways at Mr. Giovanni, but his expression is unreadable. His gaze sweeps
{GIOVANNI'S POV}**The jet hums with a steady vibration, a soft, luxurious purr beneath us as we soar above the clouds. The private cabin is dimly lit, a golden glow casting soft shadows along the leather seats. Outside, the world is a stretch of endless dark, pinpricked with distant city lights below.I sit comfortably, my legs stretched out as a glass of whiskey rests in my palm. Across from me, Ingrid is curled up in her seat, het legs tucked beneath her. She's scrolling through something on the new phone I got her. She looks up, catching me watching her and arches an eyebrow. “You’re staring,” she murmurs.I take a slow sip of my drink. “Admiring, bambina. That's the word.”She huffs but doesn’t look away. “That’s new, uncle.”“Is it?” I smirk, tilting my head. “I seem to recall a certain young little lady throwing herself into my arms just hours ago. Was that not you?”She rolls her eyes but shifts slightly, uncoiling her legs. “You act like you didn’t force me onto this plane
{INGRID'S POV}**The swollen head of Mr. Giovanni's cock pushes just inside me, making me gasp and grab his shoulders. I can't tear my eyes away from the sight of his thick, veiny manhood held tight in his strong hand as it plays over my cute pink flesh.All the ways I imagined I’d give myself to man maybe in marriage or love relationships, it was never like this. Never like meeting Mr. Giovanni, losing my virginity while doing this with him, and doing it again.Actually, there was only ever one way I imagined loving a man for life. In a normal, average style, falling in love with a guy my age when I'm at least twenty one, kissing him, dating him, loving him and then we get into a relationship. The only way I believed my mother would want me to be happy.But with Mr. Giovanni, on his study desk, in Ireland not even Italy, in the light day evening of the day? This is better actually.This is sexier. Officially, I’ll lose myself to him even if not in the proper way. Even if he's actua
{GIOVANNI'S POV} * * Love her? Now, that's a funny one. Men like me don't fall in love so easily. But it is strange that I so much have this overflow of urge to control this little one. “Believe whatever you want.” I press my mouth over hers in a searing kiss, and this time, she doesn’t have time to pull away. She melts against me, and as I thrust my tongue into her mouth, her lips part for me. I feel her sharp inhale that pushes her little swollen breasts against my chest. I break the kiss and glare down at her. “Just in case you were thinking something foolish, I’ll make this clear now. I don't fall in love. Maybe obsessed with you but I'm not sure. What I'm sure of is that there are too many out there. I don’t want to see you around other men, not even someone you knew before me. Or I won’t be responsible for what I do to you and him.” She arches her eyebrow, her expression challenging me. As always. But I'm growing to hate her feistiness. “Oh, really?” But I will
{GIOVANNI'S POV}**I watch her from the doorway, unseen.Ingrid stands in front of the mirror, holding the dress against her frame, tilting her head as if trying to decide whether it suits her. The fabric spills over her arms like liquid, deep green, rich, the kind that makes her look older than she is. The gift had been deliberate. A test, maybe. Or just another way to remind her of who decides what she wears, where she goes, what she becomes.She turns slightly, checking the side of the dress, her expression unreadable. And yet, I know exactly what’s going through her mind. She wants to refuse it. Reject it on instinct because it’s too childish. But she doesn’t. Because, in some ways, she already understands that acceptance is easier. And Safer.I lean against the doorframe, waiting. She runs a hand down the silk one last time before exhaling sharply, setting the dress aside, and walking toward the door. I step away just before she opens it, making it seem like I just happened
{GIOVANNI'S POV}**I make sure the room is dimly lit so my little girl can be comfortable. The heavy curtains are drawn against the early evening sun. I sit across from my bambi, a bowl of fruit in my hand. My fingers peel a piece of orange with slow precision. She watches me with her expression unreadable, and I see the tension in her shoulders; the way her fingers tighten around the fabric of her big shirt."Eat," I say, holding out a slice. "I want you to be healthy for me. Soon, I will begin hand-working those tiny tits, I want them bigger."She rolls her eyes but takes the fruit from my fingers. Her lips brush against the tips in a way that is entirely too deliberate. I ignore it. For now I always ignore her petty advances.Silence stretches between us. I pick up another piece, twirl it between my fingers before offering it to her. She leans forward, her gaze locked onto mine. The game she plays is subtle, but I’ve always been good at seeing through people. Always."You want