Author's POV'"Can you fill my one more wish."The driver looked at her stunned through the mirror."I'm just a mere driver, Miss."He responded while keeping his eyes on the road."I know, and I won't ask you to do anything which is out of the box for you."Elena fidgged her fingers together nervously."What's it, Miss?"Her eyes snapped at him when he said that."Actually I want to meet my mother, and she's in hospital."She looked at him through the mirror, hopefully, while he looked hesitant."But it's not up to me, Miss."He tried to convince her."I know, but the hospital is just near."She spoke while pointing outside."I'll just come back after meeting her. It won't take long, I promise."The driver's eyes looked hesitant before he picked up his phone to call his capo, making her annoyed."Capo, Mrs. Romano is asking to meet her mother, who's in a nearby hospital."Elena frowned when the driver addressed her by her soon-to-be husband's surname.Placing the phone aside after ha
When I entered the huge glassed building, a man whom I consider to be one of Vincenzo's men escorted me towards his penthouse. My jaw dropped when I saw the interior inside. It was a huge penthouse. Maybe a whole floor was gathered into making it and, as usual, the interior had a dark aesthetic with a classy look.Clutching my bag, I made my way towards his study room, following the man who was escorting me."Here!"Opening the door after knocking on it, he indicated me to go inside. With a racing heart, I went inside and heard the closing of the door shut behind me. Can't he just keep it open for my sake?I gulped, looking at the scenario in front of me. Vincenzo, who was shirtless, was busy playing chess with Lorenzo. Focused on their game. I swallowed hard. What am I supposed to do now? Just stand there and watch them play until the game was over?"Welcome sister-in-law!"I flinched out of my thoughts when Lorenzo greeted me out of nowhere.He played his side of chess while my gaze
"There's nothing serious."I groaned when I heard someone speaking and grabbed my head unconsciously. I felt the soft mattress underneath me and those soft cushions. Where am I?I slowly opened my eyes to clear the vision and my head hurt like hell. Literally like hell. Setting up my vision clearly, I looked around my surroundings just to find the devil standing beside the bed, tall and dangerous.That's when I recalled how suddenly I fainted on his chest and the next thing I felt was him picking me up in his strong arms.Did I anger him by spoiling his mood because of the way he was staring at me with a scowling face before returning his gaze towards the doctor who was still busy inspecting me!"Give me the genuine reason behind her passing out."Vincenzo demanded in his scary voice."Lack of eating and skipping meals. How many days has it been since you haven't eaten anything?"I tried to avoid Vincenzo's gaze before responding.I knew I had to be genuine."Three days to be more spe
Author's POV''One week later!'The day had betrayed her before it had even begun. Elena woke up to the shrill, mocking tone of her alarm, but it wasn’t just the clock that was relentless; life itself seemed to conspire against her. The sun, hidden behind a thick veil of clouds, cast a dim and suffocating light through her window—neither warm nor welcoming, just a muted gray that matched the heaviness in her chest.There was no ray of hope, no grand epiphany. Just a heavy sigh and the faint, distant echo of a woman who had given her all, only to be left with nothing to show for it but the ache of a day gone wrong.The room was a gilded cage, shimmering with luxury yet suffocating in its purpose. The bride’s chamber was an orchestra of chaos—styling tools hummed, brushes swept across delicate skin, and a dozen pairs of hands fussed over her as though she were a doll rather than a woman with a mind of her own. But Elena, the reluctant bride, sat motionless at the center of it all, her e
Elena's POV'"I’m here, aren’t I?”I snapped at him, my voice sharper than I intended.I turned to face him, my eyes flashing with defiance.“I’m dressed, I’m ready. There’s no need to babysit me.”Lorenzo tilted his head, studying me with a cool, unreadable expression.“You say that, but your eyes tell a different story, doc.”I froze, my mask of composure slipping for a moment. Did he see through me so easily?"That's not the case right now. I'm here to take you to the Aisle."I looked away, controlling my tears, which were threatening to fall."I don't want to go."His eyes studied me once again with his unyielding gaze before saying the next unexpected words."I know that you are forced into this marriage, and maybe you consider it as your nightmare, but you should know that every nightmare has its own ending."I stared at him blankly, not believing a word he said to me just now. How could he say something like that and keep those hard expressions on his face?He was soft somewhere
Elena's POV'He leaned closer to my ear so only I could hear it."Maybe you can prevent me from touching you now, but you can't carry it later when we are alone. Until then, behave well because I don't want to harm your sick mother who's going to get a discharge soon."I looked at him utterly shocked and scared, but I was more scared than shocked because I know this man has more psychotic tendencies, and he could actually hurt my mother without a second thought. I still remember how he killed the man inside the bus who helped me to escape that day.My mother was my weakness and hearing about her made me more scared than before. I wish I could do something about it. I wish I was powerful like him, but I'm not weak either. I'm powerful in my own way, but my power becomes powerless when he's standing against me just like a queen without a king.If I was shocked before, then I'm blank and speechless right now."You are a heartless monster."I didn't know what else to say to my groom, who h
My captor—no, my husband now—barely reacted. His lips curved into a smirk, as if he'd expected this, making me stunned at his reaction. I tried to pull away, but he only tightened his grip on my waist more and continued to kiss me mercilessly despite the chaos in the background.“Stay still,”He murmured, his tone dangerously calm, before his mouth closed over mine.My body stiffened, my heart pounding against my ribs as his lips pressed against mine. The kiss wasn’t passionate or tender—it was a performance, a declaration of ownership in front of an audience. And it chilled me to the bone. This says he doesn't have a gentle bone in his body.When he finally pulled away and turned toward the chaos erupting behind them, his sharp commands cut through the noise. His men moved like shadows, efficient and deadly, and within seconds, gunfire erupted in return.“Wait here,”He said, his voice low and commanding as he unbuttoned his jacket and handed it to me. Beneath it, a holster glinted i
"Now let's do other rituals, like taking blessings."I looked at him done, when he said something like that. After all the chaos, how can he be so calm? Is it his daily routine?I broke our eye contact when someone got our attention. My gaze landed on a mid-aged couple who walked towards us."Congratulations! My son and my new daughter-in-law."I assume they are his parents. The old man, who I assumed to be his father, patted Vincenzo's shoulder in appreciation with a genuine smile."Thanks Father!"He said with his usual emotionless face. Is he always like this, even with his parents? I slightly nodded my head when the old man's eyes landed on me."We would have arranged your marriage with some better girl."The old woman beside Vincenzo's father spoke with a voice filled with distaste, making me shift uncomfortable in my place. I didn't marry her son out of my will, but against my will.I wish I could say it out loud in her face, but couldn't as I was too tired for it and the woman
Author's POV'Vincenzo made his way towards my private club's meeting room where bunches of trash were present waiting for him. Vincenzo stepped into the meeting room with a measured air of indifference, his polished shoes clicking on the marble floor. The heavy oak door closed behind him with a soft thud, but the weight of his entrance wasn’t lost on the people already gathered. They were all waiting, not just for him to speak, but for him to decide.As he surveyed the room, he could feel the gaze of each person in the room slide over him—calculating, cautious, or downright resentful. He knew what they thought of him. He didn’t need to hear their backtalk or see the subtle shifts in posture when he entered the room. Vincenzo had been playing this game for too long, and he knew their hearts as well as his own.They all stood in union and bowed their heads as a show of respect for their upcoming mafia king. A few faces were open with approval. The old guards who had long since reconcil
I was silently sitting inside the car while Vincenzo was driving with Arianna in the backseat. I gulped at the extreme silence. Vincenzo hasn't spoken a word with Arianna, which makes the situation ten times worse. She was sitting nervously in the backseat while Vincenzo's men were in numerous black SUV's following us.I glanced at Arianna through the mirror. She gulped, staring outside the window, silently praying for herself, maybe. I wish I could confront her, but my bad I wasn't in the situation to help her out. When Vincenzo and I had that intense session, I wasn't in the condition to stand on my own, so he carried me all the way to the car."Vincenzo?"Arianna finally spoke."Shut the fuck up!"Arianna and I both flinched at his harsh tone of voice and that's when I knew she was doomed. I could only pray for her."What the fuck were you thinking when you were going out without fucking guards?"I clutched my dress when he suddenly sped up the car."Vin--""How dare you take my wi
"Give me the honor of dancing with a hot girl like you?"My body froze when I felt that unfamiliar touch. My anxiety was reaching its height. I looked out for Arianna who was busy dancing with that guy. How do I call her for help?That man was about to move his hand up but was pulled away from me with a jerk. Turning around, I gasped when I saw my Vincenzo punching the shit out of that man who tried to harass me.I gulped when I witnessed Vincenzo's bloodshot eyes. They were turning red with anger. How do I stop him? Hell I should be more worried about myself. What did I get myself into? What will he do to me? By now the man was bleeding and nearly on the verge of passing out, but still Vincenzo was raining punches on that man."You dare to touch what's mine with your fucking hands."Vincenzo threw one last punch and spilled blood out of his mouth. The people surrounding me were terrified like me. My breathing turned heavy. Still not satisfied, Vincenzo crushed his hand with his leath
Elena's POV'Once again, I was alone at the breakfast table with no one by my side and once again alone on the bed when I woke up and found the space beside, empty not that I'm disappointed. Suddenly, the breakfast felt suffocating. Even though I tried hard, Maria still refused her oath to sit with me for breakfast. As I was sitting with a sulking face, the doorbell rang, catching off my attention. Is it Vincenzo? The thought alone makes me nervous.An instant smile appeared on my lips when I saw that bright joyful girl just right on time. I got up from my seat when I saw her approaching towards me, and before I could ask her anything she pulled me into a bone-crashing hug. Girl, take it slow!"Oh my god I can't believe that I got to see you again!"She exclaimed excitedly before pulling away. I looked at her with a happy face and noticed her dress style. The dress she wore—ivory, almost ethereal in its simplicity—clung to her figure with the grace of water flowing over stone. Its gen
Vincenzo's POV'sI took a breath of relief as my crazy family finally left. My fingers played with the little ball on my desk, my sleeves rolled up as I sat on my study chair deeply lost in my thoughts. Pissed by my wife's little play of challenging me back, annoyed by my sister's behavior to annoy me and last but not the least, angry that I still found the culprit of my mother's killer, but soon I will because I have waited years to do so.My aim for becoming the next mafia king was only to reach the culprit who killed my mother. I studied the file on my desk one by one as not only, I had to focus on that culprit, but I had business to run to. That's when I received a call from Lorenzo.Picking the phone up to my ear, I asked."Did you get the autopsy reports?""Fortunately No!"I clenched my jaw as my anger started to rise."But don't worry! We have got that hospital's name so it won't take too long to find out, do we?"I knew which methods he was referring to, and I was proud to ha
Elena's POV'I sulk standing in the kitchen for hours as the cooks won't let me cook anything, saying their capo will fire them if they let me work even after my constant tries to convince them. Not even Maria helped me, but she took their side. She's a tough nut to crack, but soon I'll melt her by being her friend.My eyes sparkled up when I saw them almost done with cooking as they did their last touch. I was more than happy that they approved me to make dessert after my millions of trials to convince them. It was more difficult than I thought, but yet I succeeded into convincing them and that is all that matters. And just like their capo, they had set one condition for me. Guess what it was that I had to complete the baking before their capo returned. I wore a floral dress with beautiful straps for tonight's family dinner.They all moved out of the kitchen one by one, and I excitedly rushed towards the kitchen island to bake for dessert. My face turned into a thinking one."Ummm...
Vincenzo's POV'I stared at the details on the file in front of me. My gaze moved towards Lorenzo, who was busy playing with the magic cube in his hand with his focused face."Did you find any traces of those fuckers who tried to ruin my wedding day?"I asked, catching off his attention. That's what I like about him. He was like a little brother to me and his behavior proves it. He should have been my frostier brother instead of that fucker Levi."There are no traces to be found, Vin."My jaw clenched in anger because there was no one who could be saved from my eyes. I have solved dozens of impossible cases where only little evidence was present. Still, I have reached the culprits, but this is the only culprit whom I have been searching for years. My mother's killer. Who's still taking those forbidden breaths? This Fucker has lived more than enough. I need to send him to hell as soon as possible.Lorenzo's face turned alarmed before asking the theory which I was thinking right now."D
Elena's POV'The next morning, I was alone in bed, a little disappointed. I don't why I felt that, but I just did when I found his side of bed empty. This was the first time I slept peacefully in so many years without having any nightmares, thankfully. I groaned lazily, forcing myself to get off bed when the golden ray of sunshine tickled my face.This is one of the worst things when you don't want to leave bed, yet you force yourself. I glanced at the watch and it said eight o'clock. Yawning one more time, I stretched my arms before finally getting out of bed. Mission successful!I suddenly blushed thinking about last night, where he could have demanded sex from me but chose not to when I already lost in that bet and lost the right to my own body, yet he didn't.I smiled slightly, then mentally slapped myself."Elena!... Ashh don't fantasize a crimininal. You're a grown-ass doctor!"I went to the bathroom and took a quick shower, but my mind wandered back at him."Where is he?"I sig
"He was my school bully."She said carefully not to trigger his beast. It wasn't a proper lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either."Bully or not, I don't want you near him again, understand?"He demanded with his dark gaze, making her shiver as she instantly nodded her head."Words, doll!"He asid, laziliy. A buzzer installed in the car indicated that they had arrived home. A new mansion gifted by his father. He signaled her to get up, and she quickly complied. Getting outside the car with his help, her jaw dropped open, witnessing the view in front of her.The mansion stood like a sleek predator in the shadows, its lines sharp and unforgiving, as though designed by an architect who had never heard of softness. Black glass and smooth, polished concrete made up its angular facade, reflecting the moonlight in fractured gleams. It was modern, but its luxury was dark—brutal in its precision, yet undeniably elegant in its restraint. Every detail had been chosen not to impress, but to com