MARKI stepped outside with Giulia’s so-called parents, the cool breeze doing little to quell the fire simmering beneath my skin. The two of them followed, exchanging a glance as I led them away from the house, where Giulia wouldn’t hear what I was about to say."We need to talk," I began, keeping my tone measured. "Giulia’s condition is delicate. She needs medical attention, something she won’t get if you take her with you. She doesn’t even remember who she really is, and if she stays in this state, things could get worse."The woman squinted at me, her face a mask of suspicion. "We can take care of her," she said sharply, crossing her arms over her chest. The man beside her nodded, his expression equally sceptical. "But I’ve seen the way you look at her."I bristled at her words. My fists clenched at my sides, but I stayed calm. For now."We’re willing to leave her here," she continued, her voice lowering as she leaned closer. "But it’ll cost you."I narrowed my eyes as my patience
GUILIAMark left immediately after Kenzo showed up, promising that he would be back with my parents the next day. I didn't trust those words because he didn't seem like he was telling the truth. I could tell from his gaze that there was something he was keeping from me. Oddly enough, I didn't feel scared about it. Though I kept on yelling for him to get my foster parents back, I wasn't that eager to meet them again. I just wanted to keep him on his toes, so he wouldn't think I was ready to embrace a life I couldn't remember. After meeting my foster parents, I realized something. Mark wasn't lying when he said I wasn't sixteen like I thought I was. Not only that, but Kenzo brought my phone back last night, and I had gone through the pictures.Though I couldn't recall any of them, I knew they couldn't have worked on such convincing pictures, not even with the help of an AI. With those thoughts in mind, I went to bed after having dinner — I had to sneak into the kitchen to do that afte
MARK"What the fuck is going on?" I murmured to myself, my brows creasing at the parked cars out front. My gates were flung open, men in black lining the sidewalk and driveway. I clocked my gun and fixed it into the waistband of my jeans. I fucking told Kenzo not to let anyone in!I literally took only twenty minutes—okay, it was about thirty or so—to get some things from the store and clear my head. Giulia had incessantly whined for biscuits and candies like a child, so I decided to do what was best for us all: get a basketful of those things she wanted badly. I'd present them to her like a gift."Hey, what the hell is happening here?" I asked the men outside the gate, but they said nothing. Gripping my gun through my shirt, I walked into the compound.The scene was chaos: bloodstains on the ground, men ducking for cover, and bodies lying still. I saw Kenzo near the gate, pinned down behind a wall. But what really set me off was the sight of Giulia in the presence of a strange man, s
GUILIAEverything happened in a blur after that. From the time Roberto told me I was his daughter, to his conversation with Mark before he took me with him. Within a month, I had changed from a girl who had nothing to a princess of a damned villa. It was surreal. Like a dream, I would probably wake from if I pinched myself hard. But I dared not do that. The dream was one I didn't want to wake from. A month into living in the villa, and getting dotted on, I started picking up titbits of memories I'd forgotten. More intense was the one that hit me last, one that caused tears to stream down my eyes.I had lost a baby. Not only that, but it would be difficult to conceive again, if not impossible. Though Dr Sheldon promised it would happen.Roberto tried to console me, but I refused to be consoled. Oddly enough, the thoughts of so many things at my disposal didn't ease the heaviness in my heart. Wealth couldn't fill the hole, couldn't mend the broken heart. I cried myself to sleep last n
MARKHolding Giulia close, I buried my face in her hair, inhaling the familiar scent that grounded me. Fuck, I missed this. It felt like I’d been drifting for so long, waiting for this exact moment to feel whole again. Just holding her, feeling the gentle rhythm of her breath, was enough to make the world outside our embrace fade away. As I sighed, she slowly pulled back, her beautiful eyes searching mine, sending silent messages only the two of us could understand. Her gaze softened, and I felt an ache that I recognized as much in her expression as in myself.A single tear slipped down her cheek. My guts twisted. Her lip trembled slightly. “I missed you,” she whispered. Despite how beautiful she looked with the silent stream on her face, I couldn't bear to see her this way. I reached up and brushed the tears away, lingering my touch on her cheek to enjoy the warmth a little longer. Without saying a word, I leaned in and pressed my lips softly to hers, savouring the taste of her l
NOTE: You can read this work as a standalone, but for better clarification, I would recommend that you read the first book.GIULIAI kept peeking behind me as I dashed down the busy streets of Madrid. Most of the pedestrians gave me curious looks as I weaved through them. My heart was thumping violently in my chest. I was sweating, but that was the least of my problems.I knew there was no way those monsters could have tracked me from the States to Spain, but I couldn't help my intrusive thoughts.I securely gripped my purse, clutching it to myself to discourage pickpockets. The minute I left the airport, I went to a Bureau de Change to get my currency changed from Dollar to Euro. I only had 700 Euros with me, and I hoped to use it sparingly.I intended to find a motel that wouldn't cost more than £3. If that was possible. I didn't mind living in a rat-infested place until I got a job, which didn't sound like something that would have happened anytime soon.“Sorry!” I apologized to a
MARK"This isn't all." For the second time, I grabbed the bundle of cash on the table, threw it up, and promptly caught it midair. "You're lying. This isn't all."The idiot, who stood by the fireplace with his palms clasped before him, laughed nervously."Boss, that's all."I sighed and leaned better into the chair, so my head could rest on the pillowy boobs of the lady I was to spend the night with. She promptly weaved her fingers into my hair and began to massage my scalp.The room was dark—I had ordered all the lights to be turned off—because it was better to think in the dark, and I didn't want to miss the natural glow from the sky.The embers in the fireplace combined beautifully with the glow from the moon to give the sitting room just the amount of light sufficient for me."Kenzo," I called out softly. A figure materialized from the dark and stood before me. The room became pin-drop silent."Yes, boss. You called me." A dark handsome man with a few scars on his face — his pride
GUILIAFucking arse hole! I gritted my teeth, trudging down the street, still thinking of that weirdo. Grumbling, I shoved what I purchased into my purse. I would have to eat that when I got to the place I would spend the night in. My stomach rumbled, but I ignored it. It wasn't as if this was the first time I had gone hungry for the entire day. My foster parents frequently starved me whenever I did something they warned me against. And did it work? Of course, not. Mary, most times, laughed at how willful I was. A pity she never fully got to know why I was that way. Halfway down the streets, my eyes landed on a neon light. 'De Parish Bar.' Huh? I frowned at the long line of people waiting at the door to be ushered in. I peered around the place, noting how deserted it was. In my angry state, I didn't realize where I was heading. It seemed I left the road I took to the convenience store, for the one behind it. I grimaced as a certain thought came to mind. I touched my purse. The