There were a lot of people in this house, mostly, servants. They couldn't have the answers to my questions. I needed to talk to the woman who brought me here, what was her name? Sabrina? That's what she told me, the moment she helped me get out the cell.I needed to know, who they are. What do they want from me? Why am I here? What happened to my parents? Who killed them? What will happen to me? What are they going to do to me all because I was a witness.An unexpected wail bubbled up from my chest as I thought about my parents again especially my father. We had so many plans... I sobbed even more as I realized that I will never see him again. When my mum died, I beared up with my pain but right now, it was too much.I missed them... I missed my father.I missed him so much...A knock on my bedroom door startled me, I wiped my tears away immediately and croaked out a rough come in. The maid entered my room with a tray full of food. Her face contorted with pity as she approached me."I
"Come closer"I remembered that Sabrina told me to listen to his every order and answer his every question honestly. I braced myself and walked to him, halting when I was only two steps away from him.He breathed out softly, appraising me up and down once again. "What is your name?""Natalya Martinez" I answered"And Nikolai and Sofia were your...?"I swallowed. "My parents...""How old are you?""I turned nineteen last month,"Answer every single question honestly, Natalya."Hm..." a deep masculine hum that was enough to scare me even more if that was possible. "I have known Nikolai Martinez since I was born... he never mentioned you. I have been to his house a few times and I never saw you there before..."My mouth dropped open, my heartbeat got erratic; I breathed in to calm my nerves.How do I tell someone that I have spent my entire life locked up in a bedroom and I was only allowed to go outside of my bedroom when it was time for me to eat?He took a step toward me and that made
In the world that I grew up in, there weren't many things that surprised me but somehow this did.All this time, I have been thinking about Natalya was a pawn that Bercado had sent my way but she was telling the fucking truth. Every word she had said was true.We dug up Nikolai Martinez's security camera footage, there was only one in the house, it was set in his living room. After going through hours of footage, my men only found Natalya appear in it three times a day, just like she had said- breakfast, lunch, and dinner.I shut the laptop's screen and rolled my neck to loosen the kink. I lit up a cigar and lodged it in my mouth.Sabrina entered my office, it had been three days since Natalya Martinez has been staying in my house. I hadn't seen her after the first day in my office. I thought that all her crying and pleading was fucking fake but now that I know the truth, it amused me.That girl was as innocent as the day she was born and the sudden urge to ruin that innocence crept u
Marrying Hellen Russell was a smart move for our business, so, I had to fucking swallow this pill. I don't have to have a relationship with Hellen. She will be my wife in the title and she will bear my children. I don't have to play fucking house with her.Father seemed too pleased with his plans and that is when I decided to speak up. "I have one condition"Paul raised an eyebrow. "A condition?" he looked between Pops and me.My father cleared his throat. "What condition, Alessandro? You know everything is...---""We will get married after a year""A year?" Paul repeated."Why?" father asked."I need some time. Hellen and I will get engaged, but we will get married after a year. If you don't agree with this then I will---"Hellen fucking Russell cut me off. If she is going to be my wife, she better learns some fucking respect. "Alessandro s right, I need some time as well. I'll graduate from university in six months, so, I don't mind if we wait."I turned to her as she beamed up at m
"You are free to do whatever you want," Sabrina told me.My mouth fell open and I was out of words. I didn't know how to react. No one had ever said those words to me. Hearing her words, I brightened up a little despite still mourning my parents' death.I was free to do whatever I wanted...I wanted...When I was locked up in my room I used to think about all the things I'd do when I'd get out of there. Now that I had the chance, I had no idea what I wanted to do first. I looked around, taking it all in.I have been living here at my dad's friend's house for four days now and everything has been so surreal. I have never lived this life before, there is a single lock on the door that is for me not for anyone to lock me inside.I don't really have anything to do, I roam the gardens in the morning just like I always wanted to, it was nice to feel the sunlight on my skin. There is a huge library in the house, it has so many kinds of books, the kind of books I have never seen before or rea
Alessandro put his hands in his pockets and strolled toward me. He stopped when he was at the foot of the couch. I slightly pulled my legs more into myself, so they won't touch him.Both of his big, inked hands landed on the armrests on either side of me. I clutched my book a little more tightly and held my breath, slightly startled.He was so close that his smell lingered in my nose, he smelled like heady, expensive cologne, it was so clean and masculine. I just couldn't describe his smell in any other way."Look at me," he said in his authoritative tone.I'm pretty sure that any person will do whatever he wants them to do whenever he uses such a tone. Unable to not listen to him, I looked up.His jet black hair mopped over his forehead contrasting beautifully with the bluest eyes I have ever seen. It was the first time I was looking at him from this close, I took in every single feature of his. He had a really sharp bone structure, the dark stubble only added to his good looks.I ma
I paced back and forth in my supposed bedroom. I will leave soon, go back to my home. I shouldn't get too comfortable here like I did with the library.You are sitting in my chair...God damn it! I should have asked for permission first.I glanced at the wall clock and it was almost midnight. He asked me to come to his office at night but he didn't specify exactly when.I combed my hair and smoothed my dress before I stepped out of the bedroom. I descended the stairs and then stopped, is it appropriate to go to his office in the middle of the night?"Hey, sweet cheeks."I jumped up at the deep voice from behind me, I turned and saw the man who was with Alessandro earlier in the library.He was almost as handsome as Alessandro but less intimidating, he and Alessandro could almost pass off as brothers -maybe they were brothers- but this guy had a friendly aura, the kind of personality that one can easily warm up to, Alessandro, on the other hand, seemed like he was carved with ice.I tu
It's only been a few days but I have come to realize that people knew so much, there was so much in this world that I know nothing of. People who worked here looked at me like I was some kind of stupid animal, it made me feel embarrassed and less about myself. I didn't like this feeling at all.I wiped the single tear that slid down my cheek and continued on my way to Alessandro’s home office. Once outside, I knocked on the large wooden door and waited."Come in..." came his low manly voice.Heaving a sigh, I entered the office and looked up to see him sitting behind his desk. He was busy working on something as he typed on his laptop. My dad had one exactly like it.He seemed angry, irritated over something. He wasn't wearing his coat, his tie was hanging loosely around his neck and he had folded his sleeves, revealing more of his tattoos.How many tattoos does this man have?I cleared my throat. "Is it a bad time?""Yes..."Blunt.I nodded. "I could come by later...""No, spit it ou
"I'm not bedding you before our wedding."She grinned. "When have you turned so old-fashioned?""Since my father wants me to give you the respect you deserve as my wife," I told her, glaring at her, letting her know that her presence wasn't fucking needed here.Her shoulders sagged, she tucked her hair behind her ears from both sides and sighed. "Do you not like me, Alessandro"I let out a breath, not this again. "I'm marrying you, aren't I?"She crossed her arms over her chest. "Not by choice! You're marrying me because it is expected of us.""Hellen, I'm in no mood to have this conversation with you right now. I just want to get some fucking rest."She glared at me and then stomped out of the room like a fucking brat she was. I sat down on my bed and held my head in my hands. My cell phone vibrated, I grabbed it and stared at the screen for a few minutes Evangeline.I picked up the call faster than I should have."Natalya?"I didn't hear her voice in return but a muffled sobbing. It
ALESSANDRO’S POVThe gunshot rang out the entire dining room. Everyone glanced at me and then diverted their gazes back to their meals not questioning me or my authority. The Russells seemed wary of my decision to kill my own men off.The truth is he had pissed me off two months ago and since then I have been trying to get my revenge. He had shown a desire to marryNatalya and that for some reason pissed me the fuck off.Leaning back, I rested a forearm on the table. Anger burned in my chest, I had to keep it in check so, I won't kill every single fucking person in here. And I really wanted to put a bullet in Paul Russell's head.Hellen's mother showed her distaste by glaring directly at me. Apparently, she did not like the idea of blood while she was peacefully eating her dinner. Why the fuck was she married to a Don then? I'm pretty sure Paul had done some pretty fucked shit in front of his family. It was the reason Hellen turned out to be a fucking walking disaster.In all honestly
It had been hours and they still weren't tired. I was tired, way too tired. I didn't have the energy to keep my eyes open anymore but couldn't close them. If I did they would scream at me, and slap me around.My eyelids felt heavy, I felt dizzy, and I could not hold my eyes open. I just couldn't... Slowly my eyes closed of their own accord. I tried, I tried so hard to keep them open but couldn't."OPEN YOUR FUCKING EYES, BITCH"A stinging slap against my swollen, bloodied cheek. My teeth hurt, my jaw hurt, my ears were ringing, and every part of my body felt tender, it was bruised, busted, and bleeding. I have never experienced this much pain in my life before."I don't h-have the k-key..." I whispered on the verge of passing out.Another slap to my face.And then another."You don't get to pass out on us!" he snarled.His voice turned heavier, I tried to keep my eyes open but in the end, I lost the battle and succumbed to the darkness.I woke up and saw the empty cell. The men had fi
For the past hour, I have lain in my bed trying to make sense of what happened between Scott and me. Was it all there was to his friendship? Is that what he wanted all along? I couldn't believe it, I refused to believe that it was the only thing Scott wanted, from the past few weeks our relationship had been nothing but platonic.He never showed any interest in me, he treated me like you would treat your best friend.I picked up my cell phone from the nightstand and scrolled to his number. I contemplated if I should call him or not.As I was about to click on his number, a loud clattering sound from downstairs fell on my ears. I shot up from my bed, there was no one else in the house except for me. All of the household staff had gone home, maybe it was one of the guards.I swallowed as a feeling of unease crept up, I felt heavy footsteps coming upstairs. This doesn't feel right. Scared out of my wits, I clicked on Scott's number, it rang and rang but he didn't pick up. I again tried c
A MONTH HAD PASSED in a blink of an eye. I settled into my new life quite well. Scott regularly came to check up on me and the house staff. I now had a driver, a cook, and security guards by the gates. Sometimes I felt like he was the one pulling everyone's string but then I would shake that thought away.This is a Alessandro Costello free zone.I had grown closer to Scott, he had been nothing but helpful, yes, he had his annoying moments but other than that, I was glad that I moved back to my place. Sabrina had asked for forgiveness way too many times and I had forgiven her. If it wasn't for her I still might be stuck in that life... with him.I will never accept the fact that a tiny, little part of me missed him.I was trying to learn how to cook and right now I was busy preparing a birthday dinner for Scott. My cook was a middle-aged woman named Eleonora, she was Italian but knew how to make all types of cuisine. She was teaching me how to cook and right now she was the one helping
I scrubbed it again and again and again but it just won't get cleaned. The stubborn bloodstains were starting to get on my nerves.I didn't go to sleep last night. I couldn't, I kept thinking and thinking and thinking about so many things, so, now here I was. Cleaning. I decided to tidy up the house myself. And for the last hour, I have been trying to remove the bloodstain from the floor.Ugh!Annoyedly, I threw the washcloth onto the stain and held my head in my hands. "I hate this...""Woah!" Scott strolled down the stairs, looking at me with confused eyes. "What the fuck are you doing?""Cleaning..." I mumbledHe frowned. "Why?""Because..." I heaved a sigh. "I couldn't sleep... I just wanted to do something and turns out I suck at cleaning!"His eyes lit up with amusement and he laughed "Alessandro has sent me your bank details, I'll hire a team of cleaners to take care of this, replace the furniture and I think it's time I buy a new cell phone."Hearing his name did something to
I saw a deep frown etched on Alessandro’s forehead. He brushed two of his fingers against his lips quite aggressively. "I have no use of these things, you can take them, they are yours anyway""No, thank you, Don Alessandro. I don't want anything of yours"He picked up something from his desk and threw it at the wall behind me. I didn't flinch, I didn't jump. I just sat there with indifference."What the fuck do you want?"You...A tiny voice echoed in my head. I had no idea where that thought had come from. I shook my head and looked back down at my lap.He doesn't want me the way I want him. He is now an engaged man. He wants her... the woman who wore his ring.He said that little girls like me fall in love and I had denied it, told him that I won't but what I didn't know was that little crush I had on him since I got here, blossomed into something else way before he ever touched my body."I want to go back to my home and I never want to see you again"He smiled but it wasn't a norm
"I'll be outside, go on..." Scott announced once we reached Nikolai's home.I fiddled with my fingers resting on my lap. Nervousness crept up from the pit of my belly, I didn't want to see him, face him or talk to him after what he had done. I wanted to get away from him and never see his face again.His words resonated in my mind. His shouts, his monstrous dark eyes."JUST STOP WITH YOUR FUCKING ALESSANDRO BULLSHIT! CALL ME DON ALESSANDRO LIKE EVERYONE ELSE! FUCKING GIVE ME THE RESPECT A DON IS ENTITLED TO"A shiver ran down my spine and I chewed on my bottom lips to keep the tears at bay."You weren't saying that three nights ago when begged me to fuck you like the whore you are"He humiliated me, insulted me, and then left me alone for a week just to get engaged to some other woman. The woman he loved. That is why he didn't want me in the first place and I was too dense, too stupid to throw myself at him like that.I mustered up some courage and nodded at Scott before I finally ste
"Your father is asking for you," Scott said to Alessandro.I breathed out in relief as I saw Alessandro' walking past me and towards Scott. He stopped before him and said something to him under his breath. Scott nodded and responded to his words before Alessandro walked back toward the hall."Scott, can you please drop me off at my parent's place," I asked him nicely. I didn't have any other option and he and Sabrina were the only two people I knew here. I was not going to ask Sabrina as she had lied to me and I was furious at her for that.He blew out a breath. "Sweet cheeks, we will go to Alessandro's home first and then I'll take you anywhere you want to go, alright?"I stared at him. He was as bad as Alessandro, I didn't trust him, and the fact that he had suddenly started to treat me better made me even more cautious of him. He and I have never seen eye to eye since the day we met. There was a reason behind the sudden change in his demeanor, I needed to know what it was but right