Rena’s POV.
Night fall… Roland and I arrived at an island and he led me to an exclusive auction house. Apparently, where he wanted to bring me, the reason he was acting so weird earlier, was this auction house. He explained that he didn't want to tell me about it because I wouldn't want to accompany him, which was why he acted detached to pique my interest. As for our party, he said it was after the auction. His grandmother's birthday was fast approaching and he wanted us to get her a memorable gift. Roland wasn't wrong. Big gatherings with wealthy people always unsettled me, so I don't go with him. But this time, I couldn't be angry because he did it for his grandma, and my interest at heart. As we entered the hall, the atmosphere buzzed with high-society men and women, their designer attire and jewelry gleamed under the crystal chandeliers, though my outfit wasn't lacking in the sea of luxury. I could even boast of being the best dressed, and most beautiful woman in the room. Roland made sure of that. As we navigated through the crowd, Roland held my hand, introducing me to everyone with a smile. "This is my gem, the treasure I picked and polished. A priceless piece,” he said boastfully, making me blush. Every pair of eyes shifted to me, checking me out with unmasked lust. “Indeed, she's one of a kind.” “She's an extremely rare gem you've got there, Roland, my boy. Good job. You never disappoint,” An obese man with messy hair and lazy aptitude spoke, patting Roland on the shoulder. I felt disgusted and I couldn't stay there anymore, but couldn't leave my man. Glancing around, I suddenly realized the caliber of men in the room. They all had dark auras around them, as if I'd stepped into the underworld. Every man walked with two guards. Many had bald heads, tattoos, and were excessively strong. I may not have encountered members from mafia organizations before, but from reading and watching TV, I could tell this was a mafia gathering. The discovery sent a shockwave through me and my grip on Roland tightened. However, he seemed oblivious to my fears. He was too engrossed in making connections and exchanging pleasantries with the other elite guests. And when he found his best friend, Soni, I became a backdrop. I was soon left alone and abandoned by my boyfriend who was now focusing on discussing business with Soni. Soni, with a nonchalant air around her, had never put me in her eyes. She's told Roland a few times that I wasn't worth his time, not caring if I was there. She made it clear she didn't like me, and I also tried to stay away from her. And now was one of those times. Although I was alone, those lustrous gazes accompanied me. I could even see some disgusting men licking their lips as they watched me. Feeling overwhelmed, I excused myself to use the restroom, seeking refuge from the suffocating attention. The auction hadn't started yet, but I already felt like a prize on display. Inside the safety of the ladies room, I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror. Roland's "gem" was dressed to impress, but beneath the elegant facade, I felt useless, sad, and angry. My mind suddenly drifted back to the contract. I had scrutinized it before signing it. There was nothing wrong with it. There were only two clauses. The first clause stated that I'd sleep with Roland's potential business partner for a night. And the second clause, however, brought me immense relief. It stated that my mother would start receiving medical treatment tomorrow. That thought alone made my apprehensions fade away. Although I couldn't believe that my boyfriend would make me sleep with another man, and it made me really disappointed. . However, he made me understand that he was desperate to get the contract. His other brothers were also vying for the same contract. So, when the man told him he could only get the contract if he let me share his bed, Roland couldn't say no. I clenched my fist. Once my mom gets better, I'm breaking up with Roland and leaving the country. He has sold me to get a contract, who would say that he won't sell me again in the future? As I stepped out of the ladies' room, I collided with another woman, almost knocking her off her feet. It was an accident but she didn't see it that way. “What the fuck, are you blind, bitch?!” “I'm sorry, it was an accident,” I apologized. “Fuck you and your clumsy self!” she hissed, but as she walked past, she rammed her shoulder against mine, making my step falter. I lost my balance, but before I could react, my feet slipped from beneath me, making me shrill. As I hovered the floor, almost hitting the ground, I felt a pair of strong arms encircle my waist, steadying me. Dazed, I lifted my gaze to thank my savior. My eyes met the piercing stare of a mature man in his early forties. His rugged features, chiseled jawline, and silver-flecked hair exuded an air of authority and confidence. Time seemed to freeze as our eyes locked. I felt a flutter in my chest, surprised by the intensity of his gaze. His firm grip remained around my waist, holding me upright. "Are you alright?" he asked, his deep voice rumbling with a gentle vibration that resonated through my entire being. I swallowed hard, feeling my heart drum wildly in response. His words were laced with genuine concern, but it was the sound of his voice that truly unsettled me, in a good way. It was deep, too deep with a vibration that made me want to keep hearing him speak. I nodded silently, still entranced by his commanding presence. My gaze remained locked on his, spellbound by the intensity of his eyes and the handsomeness I'd never seen before. . "Y-yes, thank you," I stuttered finally, my words tumbled out awkwardly, but he smiled kindly, softening his expression as he steadied me. “Why are you alone? This is not a place to walk around unattended.” “I…” my voice came out in a whisper. I felt embarrassed and cleared my throat, soliciting another smile from him, making me blush. I couldn't understand the feeling I was habouring for a man twice my age, old enough to be my father. Although he's in his forties - so he looked, I was just twenty-two. “Head back and stay around your people.” With that he passed a hand over my head and patted it like I was a child! The gesture caused my heart to race wildly against my chest, that even when he walked away, I was still standing there, staring at his back in a daze. His confident stride ate up the distance. One hand casually tucked into his pocket, the gesture exuding an air of nonchalant, sophistication, and power. Dark aura shrouded him like a cloak. It made my hair stand on ends. My savior wrecked of pure evil and death. Still, I was drawn to him, a feeling I've never had before in my life.Rena’s POV. Snapping out of my thoughts, I joined the crowd, scanning the room for Roland. But he was nowhere to be found. I took the chance to look around for my mysterious savior, but he had vanished too. Feeling a bit disappointed, I decided to hang around until Roland returned, but after a while, he didn't show up. I tried to call him but realized there was no network. I'd returned to the limelight. Those lustful eyes were on me again, making my skin crawl. Using network as an excuse, I slipped out of the auction room and made my way to the balcony, craving fresh air, and also network. I needed to call Roland, and also message doctor Mark on WhatsApp so I could see my mom on video call. Holding my phone up, I began to search. By the time I realized where I was, I'd walked into darkness, the auction was now a far distance away and the light from the building couldn't penetrate this area. I was standing by the shore, a ship sitting ahead. I sighed. It seemed I couldn't get a ne
Rena’s POV. Fear fueled my flight. I pumped my arms, racing toward. I didn't know how to pray, but I prayed anyway, begging to be saved, and my savior’s face flashed in my mind. If by luck I saw him, would he save me? As my thoughts consumed me, I stumbled on the sand, but sheer determination kept me upright. Tears blurred my vision as I wailed, overcome by anguish. Roland's betrayal cut me deep. Who would have thought that entering a relationship with Roland, from the very beginning, was a scheme to auction me off like a commodity? As I reached the boat, I saw it was tied. I cursed, frustrated and desperate. I frantically tried to loosen the rope, but my trembling hands failed me multiple times. The men closed in, their footsteps pounding the sand. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, urging me to move faster. I yanked the rope, my muscles straining with effort. "Please," I whispered desperately, "untie yourself for me, please." The rope finally came loose as if it heard me, b
Rena’s POV. Simultaneously, the thick black covering was pulled away. The sudden burst of light pierced my eyes, forcing me to squint."Wow! She's indeed a gem!""She's beautiful, I want her!"“Look at that lingerie, so sexy!” "A true masterpiece, worthy of the highest bidder," the auctioneer's voice cut through the murmurs, fueling the growing excitement.As my vision adjusted, I realized the room was crowded with men of all sizes and ages, eager to start bidding. And I was the object of their desire.I'd seen some of the men earlier, especially that ugly obese man. My heart chilled, fear gripping me like a vice. I didn't want to stay there, trapped like a helpless animal. I wanted to find a way out.I scanned my surroundings, desperately searching for any glimmer of hope, any chance of escape. But none came.The bidding began, voices rising in a frenzy of greed and lust. I stood vulnerable, barely wearing anything, and the cold air slapped my skin, making me shiver.Just then, th
Rena’s POV I swallowed hard, lifting my head to meet his piercing gaze. I couldn't find that softness they held when he saved me earlier. “Surely, I can fit in somewhere, anywhere,” I replied hopefully. He gave me a once-over and I felt ashamed as his eyes ate me from head to toe. That was when I realized that I was only wearing a g-string and lace bras that hardly covered anything. I suddenly found myself covering my chest with my hands. “You've not killed before, have you?” A chill ran through me, like a bucket of icy water was doused on me. My eyes snapped to his, and I could swear they were unnaturally wide as if I was staring at a ghost. "I–" Words failed me. Did he want me to kill someone? Earlier, in my desperation, I had thought I could kill that repulsive old man, but now that I was back to my senses, the idea was unthinkable. As I stood there, lost in thought, I felt a warmth envelop my shoulders. He was draping his long black coat over me, concealin
Rena’s POV. It was midnight when the car drove into an estate, the moonlight hung in the sky, guiding us to the front of a villa. As I stepped out of the car, I was amazed by the beautiful view. The beachfront estate was huge, spreading as far as my eyes could see, with a white villa sitting on top of a hill, overlooking the beach. The sound of the waves was soothing and made me feel slightly better. As we walked to the villa, I saw some men hiding in the shadows. They looked scary and their eyes seemed creepy. They bowed as we approached. My savior nodded curtly and we kept walking. Just as we were about to enter the villa, someone stopped my savior, whispering things in a hush tone to him. "Go in," he told me before leaving with the guy, who didn't even spare me a glance. I nodded and went inside, under everyone's curious stares. The living room was large, but dim and spooky. I felt like I was being watched the entire time, and the silence was eerie. I stood in the livi
He has an impressive thick chest, arms that fill out a shirt, a well defined six pack, broad shoulders and narrow waist. How can this man look to be in his middle age, yet gives a youthful man's vibes? He's dripping with sexiness, hot, and big. I feel small in front of him. I was lost in my own lewd thoughts that I didn't notice he'd been staring at me as I trailed my fingers across his abs, until he gripped my wrist. Snapping back to reality, I realized my fingers were hovering over his torso. My face burned with shame and I looked away, apologizing in a small voice. He lifted my jaw to meet his deep, unfathomable gaze. “If someone else had done that, their fingers would have fallen off.”Chill ran down my spine. He didn't sound like he was joking, and his eyes admitted he was saying the truth. Why was he telling me this? I tried to pull my hand away, but his hold on me was like a vice. “...granted, you may become my wife. I'll let this slide.” “I - I'm sorry.” I wished the gro
The temperature in the bathroom was warm. He was already in, soaked in bubbles, in a drop-in dark bathtub. The bathroom was equally lit with candle lights, but a lot brighter than the room. It seemed that this man is romantically involved with darkness, because, why would anyone want to live in darkness? I didn't wallow in the theme of the bathroom for too long and went to kneel behind him. Picking up the brush, I began to scrub his shoulders. “Pour me a drink, Rena.” He said, as if I was supposed to have done that before anything else. “I'm sorry,” I quickly got down from the platform and rinsed my hands in the sink before getting a glass that had been arranged beside a bottle of wine. Not long after, I returned with a glass of crystal clear wine and handed it to him, but instead he said, “Taste it.” “I don't drink alcohol,” I replied and he didn't push it. He took it from me, smelt it and tasted it. “Begin.” Just as I was about to go behind him, he uttered again, “A coat doe
Rena’s POV The night was supposed to be shorter now, since I went to bed past 3 AM, but it seems the night was longer than usual today. I tossed and turned in bed, the last words he said to me about his daughter having the last say really got to me. What if his daughter was a spoiled brat? Ah, what if his daughter only wants her biological mom? Right, shouldn't I have asked him about his first wife? I sat up, feeling my anxiety growing stronger now. Maybe his wife died, but what killed her? Could she have died as a result of this dangerous world they belonged to? The thought of this world made my head ache, and so was my stomach, protesting. I was hungry. Biting my lips, I tried to fall asleep again, but my mind drifted to the mess I made earlier in his room. A soft sigh escaped my lips. This is too much. I can't even mourn my mother properly with all these jumbled thoughts running through my head. I willed my mind to focus on my mom since I couldn't fall asleep. Her smiling fac
Kaan~Five years.Five goddamn years. I built an empire in that time. United the mafia families under my rule, spilled rivers of blood to become the overlord of Italy's underworld. Those politicians, businessmen, bankers, and demons who pushed Pablo to go against me, I made them all bleed. Slit their throats one after the other. I made men kneel, buried traitors, burned cities. And my name clawed its way to the most ruthless and most feared Overlord in history. I did it all, for her. For them. But no crown, no throne, no victory ever filled the void her silence left.And now… now the silence was broken.The moment I got the call, my heart stopped. She was awake, the doctor said. Just two words, but they shattered me more than any bullet ever could. I drove like a madman, ignoring every red light, every law, every rule except the one screaming in my chest: Get to her! The guards at the hospital entrance stood aside without a word. They knew better than to stop me. I stormed through
Alessia~They say you don’t hear the bullet that kills you.But I heard it.Not in the way of metal ripping through flesh – but in the silence before it. The moment the world goes still. When your heart finally realizes it’s run out of reasons to beat.That’s what I felt when I heard Kaan had taken Pablo’s head.He came for us like death with a vendetta. A storm that remembered every name. A god, bleeding but unbroken. I should’ve known he’d survive. I should’ve known love wouldn’t be enough to kill a man like him.Because I tried. God help me, I tried.I loved him once. Maybe I always did. But you can’t love a storm and expect to stay dry. You can’t want the throne and the king. And I wanted it all.That’s what ruined me.We’re hiding in what’s left of the Castellano estate. It’s nothing now – cracked walls, shattered marble, the perfume of gunpowder curling through the halls like incense for the dead. My people are scattered. My second-in-command is missing. And I have a bullet lodg
Kaan ~He holed up in a countryside villa near Caltanissetta, surrounded by luxury and fools. It was almost funny. He always thought money made him untouchable. Now, he hid behind marble walls while my soldiers scale them like wolves.We breach the gates in under three minutes.I stormed the hall myself – gun in one hand, machete in the other. Pablo’s men scatter like insects. I killed three before they could blink. Matteo dropped the guards near the staircase. Blood slicked the floors. Screams echoed off the high ceilings.Pablo tried to run but I seized him by the throat. He said a lot of jargon, but I only asked one question:“Who went after my family?”Without hesitation, he gave her up. “Alessia! It– It was her doing. I tried to talk her out of –”I drove the machete through his chest. I didn't care about his nonsense. I watched the horror in his eyes, the regret, and remorse. But it was too late. He should have listened when I warned him. Two down, one more to go. *******Pabl
Kaan ~He didn't speak. He was brave. But not brave enough. “Bang!” I put a bullet through his kneecap.“Ahhh!!” He screamed like a pig on a butcher table.“I’ll ask once more.”His lips tremble. “The Al…I don’t know her name, just…the Alessandro woman and Pablo. They brought maps. Codes. Said they had someone close to Ferrente feeding intel.”I already knew.But hearing it confirmed the truth I’d been avoiding.“I want every man vetted. Every file reviewed. If they’ve looked at me wrong in the last year, I want their head on my desk,” I snarl at Matteo.He nodded, his face paled. He was scared of me, I could see it. I take one last look toward the sea, where the fog has swallowed the horizon whole.You want a war, Alessia?You’ll choke on it.… We burned the docks by morning.No more shadows for the Vipers to hide in. No more Alessandro scouts weaving through cargo yards under the flag of smoke. The flames licked the sky like a beacon. But victory tasted like ash when you knew it
Kaan~I was halfway to Catania when the call came in.One ring.Two.Then silence.It wasn’t unusual. Not for men like me. Sometimes silence was safer. Cleaner. But something in my gut twisted the wrong way. Something colder than instinct, sharper than a blade. I stared out the window of the moving car, watching Sicily blur past.Then the second phone rang – the one no one was supposed to use, except one person. I picked it up immediately.“Soni?”Her voice was cracked glass. Choked with dust. “D– Dad…?”My blood froze. “Talk.”“They bombed it. The villa. It's – it’s all gone.”Everything stopped. My lungs. My pulse. The world. “What?”“I got her out. B– but Rena…. She… she's receiving medical care. We’re in the tunnels now.”“Turn the car around!” I barked the order. My driver didn’t even ask. He saw my face, and the fear in his eyes was answer enough.“Who did this?” I asked, voice low. I already know. It couldn't have been anyone but Pablo. “Dad?” she called. “Burn them to the gr
Rena~I knew something was wrong. When he kissed my forehead and my stomach, I was awake. But I didn't stop him from leaving. I knew it was important. I knew that to build a safe haven for our child, he needed to weed the poison out of the roots first.Still, when the door clicked shut and his footsteps faded into silence, my chest felt hollow.I rolled onto my side, placing a protective hand over my still-flat belly as I strained myself to get the note he left for me. It was a lullaby. I chuckled despite myself, because I couldn't tell if it was for me or our baby. But either way, I read it aloud, softly, my voice cracking with emotion."Little light in darkest night,Rest your soul, the world’s alright.Though I walk through storms and flame,My heart returns when you whisper my name."I pressed the paper to my lips, breathing in his scent faintly lingering on it. The tears came quickly - warm and silent - because it was for both of us. And because I knew what it meant.He was walk
Kaan~She looked at me like the whole world had just changed.And it had.The doctor’s words echoed over and over in my mind, warping time itself.Pregnant.My Little cat, my woman, my wife, was carrying my child.I couldn’t move at first. Couldn’t speak. I just stared at her, at the disbelief and wonder lighting up her beautiful face. The soft shine in her eyes. The tears she didn’t try to hide.And suddenly, nothing else mattered.Not the blood I’ve spilled. Not the empire I built. Not the war that was still waiting just outside the hospital walls.None of it.Only her.Only this moment.I dropped to my knees before her and laid my hands over her belly like it was holy. I bowed my head – not because I was defeated – but because I was undone. By her. By this.“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice too full to be strong.She touched my hair, so gently I nearly broke apart.I pressed my lips to the soft cotton of her dress, right where our child was growing, and closed my eyes. I couldn’t
Rena~His mouth was fire. His hands were everywhere. He pressed me down into the sheets like he was afraid I’d vanish if he let go. I could feel it - his desperation, his need, his relief.My robe fell open. His shirt followed. The space between us became airless.“I thought of you every night,” he whispered, voice hoarse. “I counted the days.” I said as my fingers desperately worked on his belt. Even after I was discharged from the hospital, he didn't touch me, afraid he'd hurt me. But it's been almost two weeks and I couldn't wait anymore. “You didn’t lose count?” His lips curled, his nose brushing against mine. “No. I carved each one into my bones.” The sound of his belt leaving his trousers as I pulled filled the air. He froze above me, eyes darkened, full of something dangerous and tender. “Say it again.”“I missed you,” I whispered. “I missed you so much, it hurt. I thought I'd die.”He kissed me. I moaned, my body arching from the bed, wanting to feel the heat of his body,
Pablo~They were all fools.The mayor. The other dons. Even Kaan, with his clean-cut suits and those sharp, unforgiving eyes. He thought peace could be bought with threats and forced surrender.I chuckled. The fool didn’t know we were already sharpening the knives, waiting impatiently to butcher him. The general meeting ended at dusk with Kaan’s agreement for a ceasefire, rebuilding the city, and unity for Sicily’s sake. The mayor looked like he'd die if Kaan didn't agree. And when the idiot did, the Mayor was like a newlywed, married for love. Stupid. It was comical. Kaan looked smug when Alessia stood and bowed her head to him, declaring surrender, begging him not to hurt her clan. What a performance, what a laughable joke. Everything made me laugh. Honestly, I couldn't stop laughing, even now. That bitch played him. She baited him. And the so-called almighty Kaan fell for it. “Hahahaha…!… We met an hour later in an abandoned stone chapel on the outskirts of Trapani. The per