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ADRIAN When I asked Giovanni to tell me more about himself, I never really expected his story to be so heart-wrenching.I had always thought being a mobster was the life he chose, but I never really considered that he had no say in the person he wanted to become. His future had been decided from the day he was born into the family. He wasn't born for himself, but was born and raised for the organisation.All the bad things he said the organisation made him do at a young age were the most depressing. How could anyone starve and beat up a twelve-year-old boy just because he refused to torture an innocent person?Giovanni told me how he was forced to watch people die in the underground torture room where he was held for a year. In an attempt to break him and mold him into one of them, he was ordered to torture people, effectively stripping him of his innocence. Each time he refused, people were killed, and he was forced to witness their gruesome deaths.I knew he wasn't a good person; G
GIOVANNI I wasn't at all surprised when Adrian's demeanor turned cold immediately that night, upon mentioned of him returning to school.I had read his profile so many times that I knew he didn't have a college degree. I couldn't help but wonder why, especially since his brother was nearing graduation and seemed to be doing well.I knew Adrian wanted to say something to me, but he forced out a smile and said he'd think about it. I was tempted to press for an explanation about why he dropped out of college, especially since financial struggles seemed unlikely given his father's wealth. However, I decided to hold back. If he felt comfortable enough to share his struggles with his family regarding his sexuality, I trusted that he'd eventually open up about why he left college when he was ready.I wanted to be someone he could always turn to. Someone he could trust and rely on. I don't want to be like his family who made him think less of himself.It had been three days since we had tha
ADRIAN I fucking owned a bike now, and it was my dream bike.The last time I had a bike to myself was years ago, back in 7th grade when I was still in middle school.I had come first in my class that year, beating Aston for the first time. For the first time in forever, Dad was so proud of me. He got me a bike as a reward, something he later took away from me when my grades slightly dropped in 8th grade.I wasn't able to get my bike back, and it took me over three years to get over the hurt and pain of losing my first-ever gift from Dad.But now, no one is going to take this new bike away from me. Giovanni told me it was a gift from him to me, and he would never take it back.Harley!My fucking Harley!My heart almost jumped out of my chest when Giovanni took me to the garage this morning and showed me the bike. At first, I thought he was joking when he said it was mine. I only believed it was real when he asked me to sign the receiptFucking hell!I was still on cloud nine about own
GIOVANNI Adrian had disappeared into the building, and it had been over twenty minutes since he went in, but he still hadn't come out.Standing here in the cold, with the scent of animals and fur wafting from the vet hospital, was making me feel sick. I wished I could go in there and drag him out, but I couldn't. Can't get close to those whining pets.I would never understand humans' obsession with animals. I mean, we have enough animals amongst us humans already, why need another one?"Fucking dammit!" I grumbled, leaning slightly against the bike. I needed to do something to distract myself from my surroundings. So I pulled out my phone from my pocket, dialing Dominic.He picked up on the first ring and I wondered if he had been wanting to call me as well."Did you schedule a meeting with Price Russell?" I asked, my hand clenched tightly inside my coat pocket as I exhaled deeply.I fucking need a smoke.One wasn't enough.The line went dead for just two seconds before Dominic grum
ADRIAN Working at Great Fisher had never felt so gloomy. Having already informed my boss of my decision to quit, today being my last day made every task feel surreal. It was strange to go about my duties as if it weren't my final day here.Noah had been acting weird since my shift started. He wouldn't talk to me, and he wouldn't even look me in the eye. He was straight-up avoiding me.I hadn't even told him yet, and I wondered what was making him act like that. My shift flew by in a blur, and before I knew it, it was already time for me to leave.I disappeared into the backroom, packing my bag, when someone walked in, slamming the door shut behind them.It was as if they were trying to announce their presence."You're really gonna quit?" Noah half-yelled, and I felt my body shudder a little at how annoyed he sounded.So this is what it's all about? "H–how did you know?" I asked, swallowing down a ball of lump as Noah walked over to me.He plugged into the empty beside me on the ben
ADRIAN "Where the hell are you?" I half-yelled into the phone, casting a nervous glance over my shoulder to make sure the guys weren't eavesdropping.I would absolutely hate myself if T-Jay should found out I was here talking about him behind his back with Marcelo."At the office." Marcelo grumbled tiredly, there was a sickening sound in the background. "I'm fucking busy."The sound of metal hitting something solid, like a wall or floor, echoed again, followed by a muffled groan.What the fuck was that sound?It was as if he was at a butcher shop."That means you're not coming here." I asked, deciding to let go of the weird thoughts that were running through my mind.It wouldn't do me any good to know if Marcelo was really at a butcher shop, butchering a human instead of beef.Fuck!This whole thing was messed up."I will be there. Soon. Not now." Marcelo grumbled again, he was sounding a little bit irritated now, instead of sounding tired like before."You're a bastard, Marcelo!" I
ADRIAN "Here you go ma'am." I smiled warmly, tried not to wince as I handed the customer her order of green god smoothie with some wellness boosts to go with it.Good stuff."You are such a sweet young man." The woman, who was probably in her late sixties, smiled back at me, giving my hand a light pat as she retrieved her order.Right? You can never find another sweet smoothie maker like me.Being sweet was part of the ingredients. The main ingredient even."Thanks for sipping with us! Have a berry smoothie day!" I smiled, waving at her as she exited the shop.Immediately the old woman was out of the shop, I turned around, crossing my arms as I glared at Grace who had been cleaning the same blender for the past forty minutes."Now, what?" I demanded, shooting Tobi a deadly glare when he wouldn't stop poking a hole in the poor orange. "For the love of God, you guys, please stop being weird.""Tell me you're a traitor without actually saying it." Tobi hissed, tossing the orange into th
ADRIAN It had never occurred to me that I would one day feel the sorrow of losing someone I barely knew this deeply.Leah, I believed that was her name, was really a nice woman. She was one of the kind hearted people I had ever seen.Sometimes I found myself wondering what made me love her donuts so much. Was it because of how great they tasted, or because the treats were made by someone as special as Madam Leah?I wished she was still here, alive, so I could appreciate her for everything. The reason I always looked forward to the end of my shifts at the Queen's was her delicious donuts. It was beyond doubt that I was going to miss such a beautiful soul."Your mom," I smiled, packing up some utensils and passed them to Gabe who retrieved them from my hands without a word. "She was a nice woman."Gabe shrugged, still wouldn't say anything as we box the rest of the stuff inside the shop.He was grieving, I knew. That's why I stayed behind, helping him in any way I could, so he wouldn't
ADRIAN "What are you doing here?" I demanded, my mind reeling as I closed the distance between us. My breath hitched as I took in the toxic smoke from his cigarette, the acrid smell burning my lungs.Benedetto Marino casually shrugged one shoulder, his fingers scratching behind Peaches' ear. "To see you," he replied, his tone nonchalant."Let go of those cats, now!" I gritted out, my eyes narrowing as I watched him touch my pets. His hands seemed to be lingering on their fur, and I felt a surge of possessiveness.Benedetto raised an eyebrow, slowly releasing the cats. They darted away, seeking refuge in the kitchen. It was as if the cats could also sense the danger emanating from him, their instincts warning them to flee from his presence."What?" he scoffed. "I'm not going to hurt them.""I don't trust you," I hissed, my fingers pinching my nose shut to block out the foul smell of the cigarette smoke.Benedetto smirked, leaning backward as he planted his arms on the armrests of th
ADRIAN It had been over eight agonizing hours since I received that frantic call from my brother. The sound of his panicked voice still echoed in my mind, followed by the deafening silence that had left me shattered. I had been desperately trying to call him back, my fingers flying across the keypad as I dialed his number repeatedly, but my calls had been met with the impersonal automated voice of his voicemail. Each failed attempt had escalated my anxiety, my heart racing with every passing minute.I'm not insane. I'm not fucking insane. That was the mantra I'd been repeating since I left home, the words echoing in my mind like a desperate prayer. I'd chanted them to myself like a lifeline, clinging to sanity as the world around me spiraled out of control. But as the hours ticked by, the words began to lose their potency. The silence was suffocating, and the darkness closing in around me was starting to seep into my soul.For real, I think I'm losing my grip on reality now. Th
GIOVANNI Nikola's voice thundered through the empty hall, his phone pressed firmly against his ear. "Where the fuck are you?" He paced in circles, his heavy boots pounding against the concrete floor. His finger bit into his lip, a mixture of anxiety and frustration etched on his face. "These fucking calls keep going straight to voicemail. What the hell is going on with that stupid boy?" He barked, glaring at me. "Got anything yet?""No," I said, groaning. I pulled my phone away from my ear, and let out a frustrated sigh. "The boys can't get a lock on his location."Nikola's anger boiled over. "What about his phone? They should be able to track the damn thing!" He kicked a table, his foot stomping down on it as he unleashed his rage. I watched him, hesitant to intervene. If I stood up, I would be tempted to find something to punch too. But I knew I had to stay in control. Both Nikola and I couldn't afford to lose our cool at the same time."They can't track his phone," I grumbled,
ADRIAN It had been a week since my encounter with my father, and surprisingly, he hadn't done as much as sending me a message or calling my phone since then.I was partly happy, knowing I had finally put him in his place. But somehow, I couldn't shake off the uneasiness that was eating away at me deep inside. Something didn't feel right. My father wouldn't have given up on his threat that easily unless he was up to something. I wondered what he was planning.I should have informed Giovanni about how my father tracked me down to find me at Grace's apartment. I shouldn't have kept it a secret from him.I still had no idea how my father discovered my location that night, and it worried me. What if he had put a tail on me? What if... What if he had been watching me all along and I had been oblivious to my surroundings? What if, because of me, Giovanni ended up in danger?"I can't let that happen. I should call Giovanni." I breathed out and reached for my phone. My finger hovered over
Hi! I'm excited to share my new M/M romance novel with you. Please take a look! ❤️Title: Steaming the RoseGenre: MM Mafia romance Forced Proximity Childhood sweetheart BLURB "I can't do this anymore!" Easton cried, trying to break free from the man who had him pinned to the bed by his throat. ''It's been six years, Ilya! Six fucking years of abuse. When am I going to be free from you?""Does it look like you have any choice?" Ilay smirked coldly. He produced his knife, wanting to carve his name into Easton's heart, so that every time Easton looked in the mirror, he'd know who he belonged to."You either obey my every command, or watch as I ruin every last bit of the reputation you've toiled tirelessly to build. Don't push me too hard, East, or I'll unleash a storm that will render you breathless and begging for mercy and it won't be cute."As a pop star, Easton Reese had everything he had always hoped for: money, luxurious lifestyle, fame, and fans all across the globe wh
ADRIAN It had been over three weeks since my mother was laid to rest, and I was surprised to find that life was slowly healing. The ache in my heart still lingered, but glimpses of happiness began to peek through the cracks. It wouldn't have been possible to get through it all alone without Giovanni in my life.Giovanni had taken it upon himself to be my happiness guardian, and he excelled at it. He went out of his way to do the most thoughtful, random things that would catch me off guard and leave me beaming. Like surprising me with my favorite smoothie in the morning, or leaving sweet notes around the penthouse for me to find. It was as if he had a sixth sense for knowing exactly what I needed to brighten my day.As I thought about all the little things he did for me, my heart swelled with gratitude. I wished I knew how to repay him for everything he'd done, for being my rock, my safe haven. But Giovanni never asked for anything in return; he just smiled and told me that seeing m
GIOVANNI Adrian was awfully quiet as I drove off the property. Although it was already getting dark and the moon was rising, Adrian gazed out the window, his eyes fixed on the passing trees and bushes. He didn't pay me any attention, his silence a heavy presence in the car.Although he had just lost his mother and was likely preoccupied with grief, I was selfishly consumed by thoughts of our relationship. I couldn't help but wonder if I had damaged our relationship by giving in to his request earlier.Should I have refused? Should I have simply said no and taken him home instead? My head was reeling with conflicting thoughts and doubts running through my mind. I was unaware that Adrian had been staring at me, his gaze fixed on my clenched fist gripping the steering wheel, until he spoke up. "Relax your grip on that thing, or you're going to break it.""Oh," I let out a nervous laugh as I relaxed my grip on the steering wheel, stealing a quick glance at him. When our eyes met, I has
ADRIAN I felt an unrelenting emptiness inside, a hollowness that echoed through every fiber of my being. I was shattered, broken into a million pieces, and I had lost all sense of what it meant to be happy. The memory of joy felt like a distant, fading whisper, a fleeting glimpse of a feeling I would never know again.In that moment, I was consumed by the crushing weight of my own fragility. I was a puzzle with missing pieces, a canvas torn apart, a soul fragmented beyond recognition. It felt as if nothing in this world had the power to heal me, to mend the fractures that ran so deep. Every glimmer of hope seemed extinguished, leaving only an endless, desolate landscape of agony.The pain of being in my mother's presence yet unable to feel her was like a dagger piercing deep into my heart. My eyes burned with unshed tears, and warm droplets continued to stream down my face like a dam burst. I gripped my mother's gravestone so tightly that a sharp pain shot through both my palms. B
ADRIAN "Boyfriend?" The word dripped from my father's lips, his disgust rolling off him in waves as he stared at Giovanni in utter disbelief. The punch seemed to be the last thing on his mind; he was incensed by Giovanni's revelation. "Are you dating him?"Giovanni remained silent, his expression stunned as he met my father's hard gaze. Clearly, he had been expecting a different reaction from my father, but the question had caught him off guard.What was he expecting?For my father to pull out his gun from his coat inner pocket and shoot him? "Is it true?" my father asked no one in particular, his voice trembling slightly. For the first time in twenty-three years, I saw a flicker of fear in his eyes as he wrestled himself free from Giovanni's grasp and stepped in front of me.Giovanni made to step closer, but I shook my head, stopping him. I could handle this. "Son?" my father barked, his anger evident as he startled me. He seized my shoulders, his grip like a vice, and shoved me b