I was confused for a bit there. "What are you saying?" "I'm being truthful, Miss. Claire." He replied to me and I stood up from the sofa slowly."You? He nodded and I moved closer to him, then dragged him by the collar. "You were part of those people that caused my parents: death?" I raised my brows, getting pissed off already."Calm down, I never said I killed them." He cooed."It's called abetting, you fool! You were there so what?" I pointed out. "Will you listen to me?" He frowned, removing my grip off his collar forcefully. "But...how? You are...around thirty two years so how...?" I thought aloud, because the link was not connecting. Then it dawned on me... "Don't tell me..""Yeah, I was a teenager like you then, almost 18." He replied. Then, it made sense. "That still does not justify the fact that you abetted murder." "I was forced to be there, okay? Luciano assassinated my parents like he did to yours." He explained and I became a bit calm. I think I was ready to listen
My life had never remained the same ever since I signed the contract with Don Dada. I mean, it was good that I was getting to discover things about Luciano and everything he did to my family but then, I did not feel so good about it.Maybe I should not have dug into it? Maybe I should not have given Zachary the audience? Argh..I just could not think straight. After leaving his home, I realized I still loved my job very much so I headed there even though it was already past 9 AM - past my check-in time. At least that was better than not coming at all.I got scolded by Alex, I did expect that of course, then I resumed work for the day. We did not get so many customers that morning so I was free, left with my thoughts. I nursed and nursed them till I was tired. Asking questions with no one to give answers to them, reminiscing on my whole life, thinking of my parents because I missed them... series of thoughts. Wondering if my life would have been so great at this age if my family did no
It was a big surprise that Luciano was yet to visit me impromptu, I wondered what was going on in his head. Maybe he was cooking my punishment or he was just too busy to pay attention to me yet.The day Don Dada talked about arrived so soon. And ever since the day broke, I have had no peace. I was quite anxious and skeptical about the date thing because of Luciano. I could not let him find us out yet. As early as 6 AM that morning, I received a knock on the door. "Who's there?" I raised my voice, asking from the kitchen. "Delivery!" The person shouted back and as I walked to the door, I contemplated opening it because I had not ordered anything. Maybe this was just a way to trick me out and have me abducted again?Oh, too bad...I would not take any chances. I peeped through the small hole on the door and saw that it was a delivery man truly. "Package delivery from who please?" I asked again and I watched the guy go through the document he had with him and then the box. "It's j
I had no idea where I was being driven to but I trusted Don Dada's men, for some reason I felt safe around them. I was not supposed to trust him but I found myself doing it.We drove for a long time and then the car turned at some point. The moment we took that turn, I could no longer see buildings on both sides or even roaming cars or bikes, as if we were driving down an isolated place.The driver drove for about fifteen minutes in and then I finally saw a huge gate from afar, with some men stationed there. 'D.D.'s Estate'. It was inscribed on the gate. This was a different place from where I went the last time.The Don's residence I went to the last time was just a mansion but this time, it was an estate. Maybe this was his main residence and that one was just a cover? How secretive. The men at the gate seemed to recognize the car I was in as Don Dada's and the one behind us too, where the other guards were. The gate was opened immediately for us to drive in.The driveway was qui
As we drove off in a convoy, I started to feel quite insecure even though there were many cars escorting us. The memories of what happened during the drive with Don Dada came replaying in my head and I gently fisted my finger. I was supposed to be angry.He seemed to pay so much attention to me despite the fact that he had a tablet in his face, where he was probably working. "Is anything the issue, Gattino?" He asked and I took the chance to express myself. "I am yet to know why I almost got killed in the middle of the night." I said to him and then in a few seconds, he seemed to remember what I was talking about.He smiled as if it was nothing, waving it off and saying to me, "You can never get killed, Claire. Not under my watch." That sounded more like an assurance than a declaration. He sounded too sure about it. Why? "Why?" I did not hesitate to ask. I was not ruling out the possibility that he might be keeping me for the same reason as Luciano."Because no one would dare come
"Don't just go out of my sight whenever we are together. Ever again." That sounded more like a plea that a warning I nodded my head, staring at him innocently. We left the hallway and headed to the main hall. The lights were dimmed to make the hall dark-themed so there a focus light on the podium, where a man was addressing the guests. With Don Dada holding my hand, we found out way back to our seats. Some other people who were not initially there were seated at the table."Dada Ardito." One of the old looking men at the table called and Don Dada bowed to him. Idrio? That was his name too?It looked like he respected the man a lot so I nodded my head at the man too, in greeting."I didn't know you would make it here, M.O." Don said to him, addressing him by his initials i suppose. Who was he by the way? When we sat down, the lady who had confronted me in the restroom earlier, came around and sat at the table too, right beside the old man."Father, I am back." She said to him and
It was barely dawn when my instincts told me something was not right somewhere. I felt like I was not the only one in the house and I got off my bed immediately and walked quietly to the living room, to see Luciano sitting there.My grip tightened around myself. "I didn't...know you were here." I stuttered. "I don't need your welcome. You must have been so happy with being free from me for a few days but guess what? You can never be free from me, not in this life." He asserted.'Jokes on you.' I thought in my heart. I would get my freedom once, for all and for good. "What do you want?" I asked him. It did not look like he was angry or in a too good mood to want to use me sexually so I wondered why he was there."I want to make your life hell of course, but not today." He paused for a while and I stared back at him. "8PM today, come to the usual club, you are stripping tonight."My ears perked up when I heard that. What the heck? I could handle the secret embarrassment with him usi
Elyse was trying very hard to engage me, get me to laugh and all but my mind was totally fixed somewhere else. I did not have time for all these. Why did Don Dada suddenly step out with his SIC after I told him what Luciano did to me. "Big sis, are you here?" Elyse called my attention and I got jolted out of my thoughts. "I am sorry, it's just...I am caught up with a lot of things." "I understand. You must be worried about my brother. Idrio does not get involved in fist fights, he's not that petty. He would probably just pull a string and have Luciano's business stocks fall a bit." She said and I scrunched my brows."How did you...know about that?""I overheard you two speaking. I was going to come call you down because I was getting impatient and I met you guys speaking. What kind of accident could you have gotten into to hurt your head like this? I did not believe your lie." She explained then I apologized to her for lying."It's fine. I have once been abused so I know how this
Claire's POV"I'm so excited for the baby shower," Elyse said, looking up at me with a smile. "We need to start planning the details. What's your theme? Have you thought about games and food?"Elyse and I were resting on the couch in the penthouse, enjoying a lazy afternoon together. We'd just finished lunch, and Elyse couldn't get over her excitement about the baby shower I was planning.I laughed. "Slow down, Elyse. I've barely had time to think about it. But I do know I want something simple and intimate. Maybe just close friends and family."I was almost due…oh, I could feel this baby coming and I was excited at the thought of going into labor and birthing Don's son.Elyse nodded. "That sounds perfect. And I've already started thinking about baby names. I have a few favorites for a boy."I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What are they?"Elyse grinned "Well, I think 'Atticus' is a great name. Or maybe 'Ethan'?"I chuckled. "Those are both nice names. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. W
Claire's POV The ringing doorbell interrupted my movie, causing me to wonder how it was, but I felt too lazy to stand up. Maybe it was my pregnancy after all. The doorbell rang again almost immediately but I didn't see any sign of anyone else coming to answer it. I took that as my cue to answer it. But just as I was about to stand up, Elyse appeared in the living room. “I'll answer it, don't worry” Elyse said I turned to the door when Elyse opened it, and I was greeted by the sight of Romano standing there, with a warm smile on his face. He looked just as handsome as I remembered, with his tousled hair and charming eyes. “Heyyyy” he drawled, stepping forward to wrap her in a hug. I could see the delight on her face as she embraced him. It was a sweet moment, one that made my heart swell and miss Don . I suddenly wished he were here. Damn you, Salvatore! I cursed inwardly. “Heyyy” She replied back “It's so good to see you” Elyse said, pulling back from the hug but keeping her han
Romano’s POV I walked into the room of one of my underground houses set aside as a ward for Don’s healing and recovery. It all came as a flashback, rushing into my memories. How I had been tracking Don for hours, following the clues. I knew Salvatore's men were closing in on him, and I had to act fast if I was going to save his life.From a distance, I had seen Don sprinting towards the river, Salvatore's men drew their guns, aiming at Don who had just jumped into the river. I had to act fast, but I didn't have a choice till they weren't watching and I had stopped shooting. A few minutes after they had gone, I sprinted towards the water's edge, scanning the river for any sign of Don. That's when I saw him, his body in the water as he tried to swim away from the riverbank.But he was hurt, badly. I could see the blood spreading through the water, and I knew I had to get to him, fast. I dove into the river and I swam towards Don. As I reached him, I wrapped my arm around his chest, h
Elyse's POV Just as I settled into the couch for a movie on Netflix with a tube of Pringles and a glass of lemon squash, my phone beeped and a notification came in. It was a message from Romano. My heart skipped three beats. I abandoned my movie for his text. ‘I can't wait to see you in the dress. Sign and collect ASAP. And no, I'm not spilling the location’ Wait, what? This could only mean one thing. Romano was taking me out. He was asking me out on a date. A proper, restaurant date. We hadn't done this before, although we had a lot of chemistry. I liked Romano a lot and he liked me right back, so there was no way I was going to say no or stand him up. The doorbell rang immediately and I answered it. A face–capped man with a package, clipboard and pen stood, waiting for me. I wrote my signature hastily, got the package and dashed back inside.I didn't even bother exiting Netflix, I just grabbed my phone and sprinted up the stairs. I got into the shower right as I got into my roo
Claire's POV Today was the day of baby Nolan's baptism, and I couldn't wait to celebrate this special moment with our little family.I noticed the bodyguards stationed outside our door. A reminder that I still needed to be protected from that monster, Salvatore.The chapel was beautiful, it had been a long time. It had never felt that far. It was so good to be home. Madam Desideria, Elyse, and I took our seats, surrounded by our securities The ceremony was lovely, with baby Nolan looking adorable in his tiny white outfit.As the priest poured the holy water over Nolan's head, I felt a lump form in my throat. And although Don might not admit or it might not seem like it, this baby had brought so much joy into our lives, and I was grateful to be a part of his journey.As we stepped forward, Madam Desideria, Elyse, and I walked over to the front steps of the cathedral, where we knelt on the stone floor."Let us pray," Madam Desideria said, in her soothing voice.We bowed our heads, and
Claire's POV I watched as Elyse and Romano said their goodbyes. He gave her a long peck on her right cheek as they hugged. “Alright guys, let's get going now” I signalled to them. The sun was getting brighter and I wanted us to get to the penthouse before late afternoon. I looked at the wall on the clock. The time read 09:10 am. “Take care, Elyse, I'll miss you” Romano smiled at her “I'll miss you too” She smiled back Our bags were hauled by some bodyguards to the trunks of the two vehicles taking us. When they were done, we said our final goodbyes to Romano, waving and smiling. We boarded the vehicles and soon, we were speeding down the road. It was going to be a long ride so I decided to keep myself busy. I plugged in my earphones and selected a movie –Disney’s Mufasa– to watch. Baby Nolan on the other hand was enjoying Cocomelon which was playing on the mini television in the car. I wasn't sure exactly how long we took but we were at the underground penthouse already. We ali
Claire's POV "Let's take a moment to remember…" I held back more tears, even when my face was red and swollen. "…a mentor, a brave man, a brother, ...a husband" I couldn't control it anymore.Romano came to my side, rubbing me by the side as he comforted me. Elyse sat at a side, her expression numb, she said no word nor did I hear a sob, but her face watered.I wanted to tell her again that I was sorry. That this was entirely my fault. How would I be able to live through this guilt? Staying in the same house knowing that I pulled the trigger and even made no effort to find his body for a proper burial."Don was everything…to me, ..to us" I continue, in between my sobs. "I love you, Don." I kissed the flowers, as I placed them on the little pavement around our former house, where Don and I spent most of our memories.Since there was no corpse to mourn, I thought it was only proper to pay tribute to his property. This wasn't a mode to move on. Never, could I move on from this. But ra
Claire's POV Tears streamed down our cheeks as I returned to hug my late husband’s sister. If only she knew how her brother died. I sighed. We remained in the embrace for God knows how long. After a while, Elyse slowly pulled away, first wiping her tears before she wiped mine. “That's okay, Claire, that's okay. Enough with the tears” She wiped under my eyes “What matters right now is that you're back, hale and hearty” “I know, right “ I replied, my eyes still teary “I'm so glad to be home, Elyse. You don't know how much I've missed you guys” I broke down into fresh tears. My outburst lasted for quite a while and Elyse did nothing but be patient with me, while rubbing my back and saying soothing words to me. I calmed down after a while, only shaking with silent sobs. “Come right in. Sorry we left you at the door” Elyse ushered me into the house “It's fine. You all were surprised to see me” I replied as I sat on a couch. I looked around the house, taking in everything. I had miss
Claire's Pov"Hey, Bambina" the soft voice of Don, like a wind had brought it and taken it away too. "Bambina, you look so good…spreading out your fucking legs like that" The voice suddenly changed into Salvatore's voice and I sprang up from the bed, waking up from a terrible nightmare.The switch from my sweet Don to Salvatore the monster had startled me. It was like Salvatore kept interrupting every moment I wanted to have with Don, even in my dreams.I rolled on the bed, cuddling the pillow to my chest as I resumed crying. I had cried all through the night and had begun again this morning. The feeling of being in New York is all of Don's memories and I thought I was ready, but I was not.I went on my knees beside the bed, in prayer mode. "I am sorry Don, please forgive me." I sobbed. "You were my literal existence and I took that life from you. I hate myself right now. I am so sorry, Don" I cried."I love you, my husband. I do"After more confessions, like Don's spirit was beside m