SARAHI stared at her, confused and taken aback. “What do you mean, replacement for a ghost?” I managed to ask, my voice shaky.She smirked, taking a step closer to me. “Oh, you don’t know, do you?” She relished the moment, enjoying my discomfort. “Noelle was Marco’s… special friend, let’s say. She had everything—beauty, class, and sophistication. Everything you lack.”My heart pounded in my chest. I felt a mix of confusion and anger boiling up inside me. “Noelle? “Special friend?” I repeated, my voice trembling. “What are you talking about?”She chuckled, a cold, mocking sound. “You really are clueless, aren’t you? Noelle was the one who mattered, the one who—”“Isabella!” Marco’s voice cut through the air like a knife, sharp and unyielding.She spun around, her demeanor changing in an instant. She threw herself at Marco, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Marco, darling, I was just having a little chat with your… new addition,” she said, her voice dripping with sweetness.Marco bar
The party dragged on, and I did my best to stay out of trouble. I found a quiet corner, keeping my head down and my eyes on the floor, making sure not to look in Daniel’s direction. I had already caused enough problems for myself tonight. The last thing I needed was Marco’s wrath extending to someone else. I stole a glance at Marco, but quickly looked away. His earlier threat of a new punishment played over and over in my head, an annoying thorn looming over my thoughts. What evil ideas does he have waiting for me this time? The very thought made my stomach churn, my mood souring with each passing minute that passed.Marcos people moved around me, mingling and laughing, their voices blending into a distant hum. It felt like I was in a bubble, separate from it all, the noise muffled by the weight of the anxiety I felt. I tried to focus on my tasks, refilling drinks and picking up empty glasses, anything to keep myself busy and out of Marcos sight. My hands worked fast, the routine mot
MARCO I sat in my study, the air thick with the remnants of the party. The soft glow of the desk lamp barely cut through the darkness, casting long shadows on the walls. I fumbled with the lighter, my fingers shaking as I tried to ignite the cigarette. The flame finally caught, and I took a deep drag, the smoke filling my lungs, slowly calming my racing mind. The party was supposed to be a clever ruse, a trap to draw out anyone from the Rossi family. Weeks of planning, careful invitations, and strategic conversations all leading up to tonight. I had hoped to see even a flicker of recognition, a fickle sign sign that one of them had taken the bait. But the night had been a complete disappointment. Not a single Rossi had shown their face. Not a single lead to follow, not a single crack in their facade. I sighed, the frustration boiling inside me. “Che disastro,” I muttered under my breath. This whole charade was starting to feel like a waste of time. As I exhaled a cloud of smoke
SARAH I stepped into the bathroom, the darkness wrapping aroundme as I tried to find the switch. I couldn’t see a thing, and in my rush, I stumbled, nearly losing my footing. “This night could not get any more annoying,” I hissed, catching myself on the sink. I fumbled for the light switch, finally flicking it on. The harsh light made me squint, but at least I could see now. I faced the sink and looked up at the mirror, my heart sinking at the sight before me. The woman staring back looked defeated, her eyes hollow and tired. I barely recognized myself. This wasn’t the life I wanted, and every day felt like a new kind of torture. I turned on the faucet and cupped my hands under the cold water, splashing it on my face. As I worked to remove the makeup, I couldn’t help but think about how much I hated this ritual. Makeup was such a drag. It felt like a mask I had to wear, hiding the real me underneath. And Marco, of course, insisted on it. He loved to control every aspect of my l
SARAH I sat on the desk as Marco instructed, my mind racing. My heart pounded in my chest as I tried to find my voice, my words coming out in a shaky whisper. “Marco, I think you’re drunk. You don’t want to do this.” He leaned in closer, his breath warm on my neck. “Oh, I want this, Sarah,” he murmured, his voice low and dangerous. “And you want it too. You know it.” I swallowed hard, trying to push down the conflicting emotions swirling inside me. Marco’s presence was overpowering, his hands gripping the desk on either side of me, trapping me in place. I could feel the heat radiating off his body, the intensity in his eyes. “I’m going to teach you a lot Sarah” he growled, his voice filled with possessive anger. “You need to learn who you belong to.” I tried to protest, to reason with him, but the words got stuck in my throat. My fear mixed with a strange, unwanted arousal, creating a confusing cocktail of emotions. I felt a tingle of anticipation and dread, my body betraying my m
SARAHMarco’s eyes bore into mine, a mixture of intensity and something I couldn’t quite place. He moved closer, his touch electric. I felt a shiver run down my spine as his fingers explored my skin. I wanted to resist, to push him away, but my body had other ideas. The wetness between my thighs was undeniable, and I hated myself for it.“This is just a one time thing,” I told myself, trying to maintain some form of control. “Just one time, and then it will never happen again.”Marco’s hand trailed down my side, his touch firm and possessive. He was in control, and he knew it. I bit my lip, trying to suppress a moan as he continued to edge me closer and closer to the brink.“Do you like this, Sarah?” he whispered, his voice low and dangerous. “Tell me you like it.”I glared at him, refusing to give him the satisfaction of hearing me admit it. But my body betrayed me, a soft moan escaping my lips as he increased the pressure.“Stubborn as always,” he murmured, a smirk playing on his li
SARAHIt had been a week since Marco’s cruel stunt, and I did everything in my power to avoid him. Every time I heard his voice, a chill ran down my spine. I couldn’t even bear to look in his direction. Our last encounter was still painfully fresh in my mind, and the humiliation and anger I felt had not subsided.I had become an expert at timing my movements around the house. If I heard his footsteps coming down the hall, I found a reason to be somewhere else. If he entered a room, I made an excuse to leave. It was exhausting, but the alternative—facing him and risking another encounter like the last—was unbearable.“I can’t keep doing this,” I muttered to myself, trying to summon the courage to face him, but my resolve crumbled every time I thought of his mocking laughter. The memory of him edging me, leaving me on the brink, then walking away with that smirk on his face, still haunted me.I sat in the kitchen, pretending to read a magazine, but my mind was elsewhere. The maids bustl
SARAHI spent the next few days studying the guards’ patterns. Every moment was an opportunity to observe, to find the weak spots in their routines. I felt like I was going crazy, but I knew it was the only way out.Every morning, I positioned myself near a window with a clear view of the front gate. I noted the times they manned the gates, their shift changes, and when they seemed less vigilant. I had to be meticulous. I had to know every detail.“Alright, they switch shifts at 8 a.m.,” I muttered to myself, scribbling down notes. “The next shift comes at 4 p.m., and the night shift starts at midnight.” It felt like I was planning a heist, but instead of stealing something, I was trying to steal my freedom.I noticed that around noon., the guards gathered near the gate for a smoke break. They would chat and laugh, momentarily distracted. “This is good,” I thought. “A potential opening.” I couldn’t help but feel a small thrill of excitement.During meal times, the number of guards dec
SARAHThe cold woke me before the pain did. My body was already curled tight, but it didn’t help. The chill still found its way into my bones, into my stomach, into everything. I tried to stretch, just a little, but my back screamed and my legs cramped. My head throbbed with that dull pressure that never really left. I didn’t even open my eyes right away. I just laid there, breathing through it, waiting for the nausea to pass.I was starving. And still, the idea of food made my stomach twist. It wasn’t just the baby. It was the food they brought. Cold, bland, rough like they’d scraped it off the bottom of a pan and tossed it at me out of pity. Or worse, duty. I’d thrown it up more than once. Now I just took small bites and held it down as long as I could. My throat stayed dry. My mouth too. I’d started cutting what little food I got into pieces, counting the bites like that somehow helped. It didn’t. But it gave me something to do, something to control.I turned onto my side slowly. T
MARCOThe city was already buzzing by the time I stepped into the club. Word had spread like it always did when there was fire involved. Loud. Messy. Unavoidable. The warehouse attack I sent Gio on didn’t just go up in smoke, it sent the exact message I wanted it to, just the one we wanted out there.I kept my head down as I moved past the crowd. Familiar faces, familiar noise. A few of my guys were already drinking like nothing happened, laughing like we hadn’t just made the loudest move in weeks. All part of the script. They were playing their roles. I was about to play mine.I slid into the usual booth in the back. Dark corner. Good view of the whole room. I threw my coat beside me and knocked on the table once. Bartender looked over, already moving.“Double,” I said when he got close, tapping the glass down like I needed it more than air. “And don’t stop unless I say.”Tony was leaning against the wall by the booth, arms crossed, eyes scanning the floor. He always looked like he w
MARCOThe room was quiet. Real quiet. The kind where you can hear someone blink. Denis sat across from me, hands on his knees, eyes low. Petrov leaned against the wall, arms crossed, jaw clenched. Tony stood by the window, one hand in his pocket, the other tapping the frame like he couldn’t stand still.I didn’t say much. I just stared at Denis. Made him squirm a little. He knew what was expected.“You can start talking,” I finally said.His head jerked up like I pulled him out of a bad dream. He looked at each of us. Then down again.“Alright,” he muttered. “I’ll talk.”He took a breath. Then it all started pouring out.“Marcel’s base isn’t at the club. That’s just his face. The real spot’s a compound in the industrial zone, the one behind the fake textile plant. Everything happens there. The trucks, the drops, the meetings.”I didn’t move. I kept watching him. Trying to see if he was holding anything back.“There’s a basement setup. Clean. Sealed. That’s where he’s keeping her. Sara
MARCELThe city looked soft from up here. All that noise, all that movement, and still, it bowed. I stood at the window in my suite, cup in hand, nothing but silence around me. That was the kind of power I liked. Quiet. Steady. It meant everything was still running how I wanted it.The espresso was hot, bitter, smooth. Just how I liked it. The robe hung loose on my shoulders. I didn’t need armor in my own kingdom. Marco was definitely out there throwing tantrums, yelling into the wind, kicking at doors no one opened. He thought if he made enough noise, something would shake loose. But that’s all it was, noise. His people were scrambling. Mine were planted.I set the cup down as I went to freshen up. I had a meeting to attend. The new head of the Rossi family.. young, loud, trying to act like he had his brother's shoes on, but everyone in the room could see the fit was wrong. He needed to be reminded who still ran the rhythm of this city.I picked a black suit. Simple. Heavy fabric. N
MARCOI stared at the dartboard across the room. Three darts were stuck in it. One near the bullseye, two scattered like they were thrown without care. I hadn’t touched it in a week. Didn’t feel like playing games. Not until we had something real.The room was quiet, just the sound of the coffee pot clicking under the small warmer. I poured myself a cup, black, no sugar. I needed to stay sharp. Petrov said he had gotten Denis, I could feel it. Something about tonight told me this was it. This was the closest I had been to getting Sarah back.I cracked my knuckles and leaned on the edge of the table, still staring at that board. One dart for Denis. One for Marcel. One for Isabella. That last one would get replaced soon, maybe with a blade. I smiled at that thought.A knock came at the door. I didn’t even turn around.“Yeah?”It was one of the guys from the main floor. “Boss. Petrov’s back. He says he’s downstairs. Dungeon.”I took one more sip of coffee and nodded. “Alright. Let’s go s
PETROVThe engine was quiet, but I still kept my foot light on the brake. Sitting in an unmarked black car in the middle of a warehouse lot at night ain’t glamorous. It’s cold, it’s slow, and you’ve gotta know how to sit in silence without letting it eat you up.Gio sat beside me, chewing on a toothpick. He didn’t say much. That’s why I liked him. Good eyes, sharper hands. One of Marco’s quiet soldiers, but sharp enough to make noise when it counted.I flicked the ash of my cigarette out the half-cracked window. The smoke stayed low inside the car, curling slow, the way my thoughts moved when I was on a tail. We weren’t here to guess. We were here to read the pattern.“He’s in there,” I muttered. “Warehouse across the lot. Denis. Carrying a duffel. No escort.”Gio nodded once. Didn’t need to speak. He knew what that meant. For a guy like Denis, showing up solo? Out of place. Logistics men don’t walk around without backup unless they’re doing something they ain’t supposed to.“Somethin
ISABELLAI needed to see Sarah. Needed to look into her eyes and knock that calm out of her face. I was sick of hearing the guards say she wasn’t making trouble. That she wasn’t even flinching. That she just sat there like she was above all of this.Like this place wasn’t real to her.I walked down to the basement. Two guards at her door stood straight when I showed up. One of them moved to unlock it.“Open it,” I said. My voice didn’t shake.The door creaked and I stepped inside.She was sitting by the window. Again. Her back to the door. Same white T-shirt. Same silent attitude. Like she didn’t even hear me come in.That alone made my jaw clench.I shut the door myself and crossed the room, slow. Waiting for her to move. Say something. Look at me.She didn’t.“You’re quiet,” I said.No answer.“Still dreaming, huh? You think he’s coming for you?”Nothing. She didn’t even turn her head.I walked right behind her chair.“He doesn’t even still know where you are,” I said. “And if he di
MARCOPetrov walked in without knocking. He didn’t have to. The door was open, and when things are heavy like this, you don’t waste time with manners. He stepped into the office and came to a stop near the board behind me. Eyes sharp. Face serious.I didn’t say anything for a few seconds. Just stared at the photos, the pins, the lines that connected nothing but dead ends.Then I turned to him. “Denis.”Petrov looked at the picture I was pointing to. “Marcel’s logistics guy?”I nodded. “Yeah. One of our guys spotted him earlier today. Said he was moving different. Not his usual routes. First stop was a fuel depot. He lingered, made a few calls, then drove across town to a shut-down warehouse. Didn’t go in, just parked across from it, like he was checking something. Then he drove to the pier. Got a coffee. Sat there for almost forty minutes. Staring at the water.”Petrov didn’t speak right away. He just stared at Denis’s face like he was reading a puzzle out of it.“That sound like erra
MARCOI stood in front of the board again. Maps. Pins. Strings. Scribbled notes. All of it looking back at me like it had answers. But it didn’t. Not yet.The Bronx setup still replayed in my head. That moment when I saw her. The fake her. How sure I was. The way her hair smelled. Her trembling hands. For a second, I let myself believe it was Sarah. I let my guard down. I walked right into Marcel’s damn show. And he played me like a fool.I stepped closer to the board, staring at a red pin that marked another location upstate. The lead had was still weak, a whisper from a runner who barely made it out alive. But I kept it. I kept every maybe. Because right now, a maybe was all I had.I dragged my fingers through my hair, jaw tight. Every goddamn angle I took just looped me back here. To this board. This silence. And her still missing.“Where the fuck are you, Sarah?” I muttered.The room was dim. Just the lamp by the desk on. Everyone in the house knew to stay away when that light was