Cara's POV The last twenty-four hours have been hard... there was a chill in the atmosphere at the Bernardi mansion. At least to me.There had been an unusual quietness as opposed to the chattering since the death of Dimitri. It was like everyone had a mutual agreement to do it in his honour. Another intense stabbing pain erupted in my chest and my face scrunched up in discomfort.The previous battle had no direct effect on me, yet I had a lot of reasons for the throbbing ache; I didn't know which it was.Perhaps because of Dimitri's death, I'd come to care for the elderly man. He was, after all, the one person, the man I had feelings for, cared about. Or because I'd come to accept the family as mine, and when a family hurts, they all hurt together.Okay, it might be because I watched the entire scene play out that night. Adonis response to his grandfather being shot. The massive killings and decapitation. The pained look on Luca's face when Dimitri was being rushed to the hospita
"Where is he?" Cara asked Luca. She wanted to get to him as soon as possible; the longer she waited, the more liable she was to change her mind. Without waiting for a reply, she was already out of the room and heading towards the elevator. If Adonis wasn't on their floor, then he was definitely on the second floor, she concluded, but Luca's reply caused her to halt for a second."The fourth floor." Cara looked back with a questioning expression. "The fourth floor?" He nodded. The same fourth-floor Adonis had firmly warned her not to ever go into. She was torn. He was already pissed at her; this was not the right time to test his patience.She frowned. "Are you sure?" And Luca exhaled deeply with a disgruntled expression. He knew Adonis never liked anyone going up there. It was the only floor in the mansion. Even the maids weren't allowed to clean that particular floor."I'm not sure about anything right now," he confessed."But you still think I should go...""Yes."Cara nodde
Cara felt her heart being torn apart as the elevator slid closed. She fell to her knees, her throat closing up.So this was it? Adonis was really telling her to-Bang!A loud thud echoed, and she jumped to her feet as the elevator automatically slid open again."Adonis?"There he was, covered in cold sweats in a barely conscious state. The only reason he was still standing was due to the walls holding his weight.Her brows shot up and she ran towards him."Adonis, what's wrong?" Cara asked, but he could only let out a painful groan in reply, tightly shutting his eyes to ease his pain.Cara was in two minds. He was fine just a moment ago. Why was he suddenly acting like this? Her eyes followed the movement of his hand as it moved to rub at his forehead. "Are you having a headache? Should I call the doctor? Do you want to go to the hospital? Tell me what I should do." She fretted, extending her arms towards him, but he moved out of her hold and with great difficulty, Adonis gritted o
"I did nothing of the sort. I only told her to leave, and the next thing I knew, she was lying unconscious on the floor." Adonis defended, leaning back against the sofa.He was in a bad mood.Not only was his sleep interrupted because of Cara's situation, but they even dared to send him away from the bed. Luca placed his hands on his hips, giving him a reprimanding look."Oh really? How come she has been unconscious for the last five hours then? Why isn't she waking up? Why would you even tell her to leave? And why does she have all her stuff packed?" He exclaimed, gesturing to the suitcases and travelling bags that had been pushed aside when they came barreling in."I have no idea," Adonis replied coolly."You." Luca gave him a look that said 'I'm not stupid', "Have no idea? I sent her up to get you out of your comatose state, not to end up in one!" He retorted, unable to understand how Cara ended up unconscious.Nothing seemed to be making sense at the moment. When his phone beepe
Cara's last two words snapped Adonis out of his dazed state, and he stomped over to her with annoyance polluting his facial musculature."Little Adonis? Are you serious right now? Did you know about this before? You did this on purpose, didn't you?" "Excuse me? I just found out, and why would I want to get pregnant intentionally?" Cara snapped back at him, meeting his glare head-on."Then why?" She scoffed. "If you've forgotten, this is what happens when two genders of the opposite sex have unprotected sex, and we've been having a lot of that!" Her voice rose at the end.Was he going to blame her for this too? For getting pregnant?"Okay, okay, let's not forget that you have company." Luca raised his arm to call them to order but was promptly ignored.Adonis began to pace around the room, his hand restlessly running through his hair."How can you get pregnant? It's too early for a child; the circumstances right now are not even palatable. I thought you were being careful or preventi
Things had ultimately returned to normal at the Bernard's mansion. The men were back on their feet, and the regular chattering had resumed.Adonis looked better and was trying his best to restore order, and Cara was beginning to love her new pregnancy glow.—except for the constant vomiting, that is.The next day, after they'd settled on a compromise, Adonis had instructed that she be driven to the hospital for a thorough check, and the pregnancy was estimated to be a little over a month.He was back to being the cold man he was before they confessed their feelings to one another, just a little more attentive. They rarely shared conversations other than simple greetings and small talk over meals and he was very occupied with finding Antonio.He had invested a lot of time, effort, and resources in his search, but Antonio was doing a very good job of staying hidden. His hideouts and home had been thoroughly searched, but there was still no sign of him anywhere. Cara could see it made
Caras's POV"She's staying over?" I exclaimed as Adonis broke the news to me. "Why?"He sighed, taking off his shirt."She says she's here for emotional support. I don't need one, but there are a lot of rooms in the mansion, and I'm sure it was her father's idea. I don't want to seem ungrateful." "I don't like her," I confessed, and Adonis raised an eyebrow at me."You don't even know her.""I don't have to know her to not like her. Call it female intuition." He rose. "Well, good for you. I'm going to bed." And with that walked back into the room, leaving me to think it over with a dissatisfied pout.Have you ever met someone and just developed an instant dislike for the person? That's how I feel right now. There's something about that Natasha lady that doesn't just sit right with me.She could've introduced herself as the daughter of Bernardi's closest ally only. Why add Adonis's ex-fiancée? And that forlorn look on Adonis's face when he saw her. What was that? I was no seer or
Cara's POV"I don't like her, I don't! It's been more than a week. Why is she still here? Is Antonio that hard to find?" I complained to my companions as we lay binge-watching in the movie room.It's been over a week, and Natasha was still around. Her behaviour was beginning to get on my nerves. Not that she had done anything directly, but I just didn't like her closeness with Adonis."But you said she was being mindful of you." Cecelia chimed in from beside her man. They had been unusually cuddly today, and I made a mental note to ask her if everything was fine."Yes, she has been, but ah..." I groaned. "I don't know how to say it.""Then explain it." Tina piped in from the video call. She couldn't join us at the mansion due to a late work shift, so we had to settle for a call.I sat up. "Okay. Two days ago, after I got back from my check-up, she was sleeping on our living room sofa, and when I woke her up to ask why, she said she came to see Adonis but slept off. I mean, why wait?
Cara's POV"So we do not just live for today..." Adonis said, rounding up his speech, "We live for tomorrow, too. People say do not be stuck in the past; we're not. We're just bringing a part of it that we never want to forget." He placed his hand against his heart, the raw pain in his eyes betraying his composed self. "My brother would forever be remembered for his tenacity and courage in the face of trouble. He made this happen." He gestured all around, referring to our family. "And that's why I'll step down with one last word." Adonis's eyes met mine, and I gave him a smile of encouragement. This was the moment—the highlight of his speech. The words we'd been practising for days. He was going to say them..."I love you, Luca Romano. Rest on."The atmosphere was sober, not tearful as I expected, but at the same time, we've all shed a handful of tears during the last few weeks; I didn't think anyone had more in stock.Weeks had passed since the raid, and now, under the Italian sun,
As soon as they filed out of the study, the guard waited till he heard the elevator ding close before slipping out. He immediately dialled Luca's line."Hello? Are you here already? Hold up, I'll meet you at the reception.""No! The mansion is being raided. Diavolo..."Luca, who was already walking out of the waiting room, halted. Oh shit... what perfect timing!"What's going on there?"The guard proceeded to fill him in on everything he had heard, and Luca patiently took them in, some familiar, some new."What did they mean by transfer of ownership?""I do not know. But I think whatever it is, it has to do with Sarah, and they're going to kill her. He already instructed that all the men in the house be killed. What do we do, boss?"That was a question Luca wanted to ask himself. He never noticed any transfer. They were cornered, and walking into that house without a plan was suicide.He glanced back at Miguel, who was whispering harshly over the phone. He had been doing that for a w
Cara's POV As soon as the words left my mouth, all necessary documents were brought to me, and Adonis was wheeled off.Standing in the waiting room while I nearly ran out of my mind felt like a luxury with everything that was going on, and I was somewhat grateful for that.I needed to get to my father, but my phone was broken. Reaching into the bag on the sofa, I pulled out Adonis's phone, which I had intentionally hidden and lied that we left at home, immediately dialling his number.First ring. Second ring. Third ring.The call didn't connect. Who then sent the text that Adonis saw? Perhaps...My finger pressed on his contacts, scrolling through until I settled on the one I had an inkling about. The first ring didn't even complete as the receiver picked up the call."Freddie. What the f*ck is going on? What did you say about Luca?""Cara? Dio, siamo fottuti (god, we're screwed). I don't know what to do." He cried, sending a pang through my heart, but I cleared my throat."What do
Cara's POV"Any news?"Frustrated, I clenched the fabric of my gown to control myself from snapping at my stressor of a husband, gritting out between clenched teeth."No." He stared at me for a second more before turning his face the other way.I began a mental countdown.Three, two, one—"Shouldn't they have reached out by now?""No. No, they shouldn't have." I replied with a tight smile. "It's been barely an hour since they left." "Just an hour?" Adonis breathed heavily, showing how weaker he was getting by the minute. "It feels longer." Yeah. Definitely weaker. The normal Adonis wasn't this talkative."It wouldn't feel that way if you stopped asking. You've asked five times since they left. The phone is on the table." I gestured to my device, which I had placed on a desk I had dragged between the sofa and the bed to prove to him that I wasn't hiding anything when he asked the second time."Look at it. The moment it beeps, you'd know." "Yeah, I would." He murmured. "I just feel
Cara's POVAdonis and I paused, staring at their wide eyes—well, Luca's. The atmosphere immediately switched into one of urgency. "For heaven's sake! Why did he choose to attack now?" I cried out."Because we're occupied at the moment? What better time to strike the sheep than when the shepherd is away?" "What did the men say?""He has over two hundred men with him, and they're heavily armed. I believe it's a takeover. About fifty were ours.""The takeover we've been expecting." My father clarified and I gave him a pointed stare."But everything is set right?""Everything but Adrian's sample.""That shouldn't be a problem, I'll find a way to get close to him and snip one." Luca offered."That isn't necessary. I already did."We all paused, staring at Adonis in surprise. "You... did? When?""Just before I collapsed, remember I fell on him?""Dude... you're crazy," His second-in-command commented. "Hmm... you're very competent." My father supported. "That's settled then. We should le
Cara's POV"Cara." I jerked awake at the sound of my name, blinking away the sleep in my eyes. "You can see him now." Doctor Bruno said. Exhaustion displayed across his face, showing how draining the last few hours had been."He's awake?" I rasped, stifling a yawn. My entire body felt sore from sleeping on the chair.How many hours had it been?Eyeing the big clock on the wall—5am. Thirty-one hours. Sun rays were beginning to stream in from outside lighting up the hallway. This was the second sunrise since Adonis had his...I sighed, pulling myself up when I noticed something odd. Before sleep finally claimed me last night, I was sure there were two men passed out on the chair opposite me. Now I could see just one.My brows knitted in a frown, "Where's my father?""He left to get a cup of coffee. He woke up a while ago." Doctor Bruno replied. My eyes darted to Luca, who still had his head bent, eyes closed, and arms folded over his chest. From the weird position he was in and the
Cara's POVAll through the drive to the hospital, I couldn't stop imagining the what-ifs.What if his case had worsened? What if his case was already beyond the point of recovery? What if he doesn't regain consciousness at all?I didn't know what to expect, and the fact in itself was sickening. Literally speaking.At the hospital, we found my father and Doctor Bruno talking at the reception and were immediately escorted to Adonis's room."What happened? He was fine before I left." I asked, my eyes zeroed in on my husband's unconscious form. "I don't understand either. We stood up to see Diavolo out when fluid suddenly began to leak from his nostrils—My face contorted, "Excuse me, what? Fluid?""I wouldn't say it was sudden. The fluid is from his brain. I believe there's a leak somewhere." Doctor Bruno cut in, "Remember, we have left this untreated for long, so adverse effects like this are bound to occur."My heart skipped a beat. At the end of the day, it was due to Adonis's stub
"To warn you." Was all Cara said, but those three words were enough to get his full attention if it was still divided. "Diavolo's at my father's." Luca leaned forward, clasping his hands in concentration. "The time has come then?" "Yes, it has." She confirmed. Both were speaking in parables... half words. Despite not using complete sentences, they understood each other. "I'm surprised Adonis let you leave the house at all." "He didn't have a choice. My presence there would only cause chaos. It was better for me to be away, believe me." "Still, you could've sent someone. It's not safe for you to be moving around unprotected. Adrian had recruited a lot of people. The threat would be too overwhelming for a mere dozen guards." "I don't have a dozen and have you forgotten what I said?" Cara stressed. "I needed to warn you." "Yeah. From what? Adonis couldn't come himself to do so?" He scoffed, rising to his feet to get his pills. One of the few things he was gratefu
Cara's POV One would think arriving at the mansion I'd missed so much would bring me joy, but it only made my anxiety turn sour.What are the odds that I'd meet Tina at the door just as I was about to walk in?"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in..." she taunted.As usual, I was taken aback; it would take a million years for me to get used to this version of her. She used to be the only reason I looked forward to working at the restaurant... one of the sources of my rarely enjoyed happiness. Now she was... different.She gave me a once-over, her face scrunched up like she was disgusted. "You look fat... I must say. And how is life treating you, now that your rich husband is not so rich? Did you think all your problems would go away when you married him?" Tina laughed mockingly.I eyed her outfit, composed of the latest pieces of Louis Vuitton from her head down to her feet. "Are you sure you're not projecting yourself on me?""Excuse me?""You're the one who changed because you