Elena“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Mom asks, looking up from her laptop. She’s in bed and I’m lying down next to her, just wanting to be close to her. I hate letting her out of my sight. I’m scared of losing her again. I look up at her and shake my head, struggling to snap out of my thoughts.“You’ve been acting strange all week. What’s going on? Alec has barely been home either. Are you two fighting?”I grimace, and Mom squeezes my hand. “Sweetie, you’re worrying me. What’s going on?”I shake my head and sniff. “It’s nothing, Mom.”I don’t want to burden her with my relationship issues. I don’t want her to worry about me. I wish I could hide how I’m feeling so she’d never have noticed in the first place.Alec and I have barely spoken in days. It’s like we just co-exist. Ever since the topic of divorce came up, our relationship deteriorated beyond repair. He’s making me feel like he has no further use for me now that he’s become chairman. The way he’s treating me… it’s what I expected all
Alexander I glance around my new office, feeling oddly uneasy. This office is all I’ve ever wanted, so why does attaining it feel so bleak? I sit up in surprise when my office door opens. No one but my grandfather ever walks in without me being notified first. My grandfather… and Elena, it seems. My eyes roam over her body, my heart stirring involuntarily. She looks beautiful—she always does. It feels like I haven’t seen her in weeks, and I guess I haven’t, not really. We barely speak. I asked her for space and she’s giving it to me, whether I like it or not. Just a few months ago, I’d have gotten up to kiss her. She’d have smiled at me as she walked over to me, sitting down in my lap. Now she looks at me expressionlessly. “I wasn’t expecting you. What are you doing here?” I glance at my watch and frown. “I have a meeting in ten minutes.” She nods and sits down in front of me. “I apologize for intruding,” she says, placing her bag in her lap. She glances around, a small s
ElenaI stand at the entrance of the house I grew up in, everything feeling unfamiliar. I walk up the stairs to what used to be my childhood bedroom and pause in the doorway, shocked. My entire room has been converted into a walk-in closet, not a single one of my belongings remaining.I walk into the room, my fingers tracing over the brand-new dressers that replaced all my furniture. There are over a dozen rooms in this house—there was no need whatsoever to wipe away every memory of my childhood.I sink down to my knees in the middle of my room, tears filling my eyes. My head drops down to the thick carpet, and I let myself fall apart for the first time in years, hot tears streaming down my face. A sob tears through my throat and I try my hardest to keep it in, but I fail. All I accomplish is choking on my tears, my lungs burning. All the while, my heart feels like it’s in physical pain. I’ve never felt thisbroken.I curl into a ball, my heart shattered beyond repair. I’ve lost so muc
AlexanderI walk into my bedroom and pause. I’ve always loved solitude, so why does this room suddenly feel so… empty?I tug on my tie and walk into my closet, my eyes pausing on the empty shelves. There are traces of her everywhere, even the faint scent of her perfume lingers. I sigh and walk toward my bed, but that just makes things worse.When I look at my bed all I can see is the way her hair spreads out on our pillows, the way she rolls toward me in her sleep, clinging onto me. I’ll never have her in my arms again.I sit down on my bed and run a hand through my hair. I grab my phone against better judgment, a photo of Elena and me staring back at me. I’m pressing a kiss to her cheek and she’s smiling, her eyes twinkling with happiness.I can’t do this. I sigh as I walk back out of my bedroom and down the stairs, needing a fucking drink. I can’t get her out of my damn mind. Everything reminds me of her. No matter where I look, there are traces of her everywhere. I see her kissing
AlexanderI’m certain I’m fucking hallucinating when I hear Elena’s laughter as I walk into the house. I stop in my tracks, my eyes closing as my stomach drops. My heart clenches painfully and I take a steadying breath.I’m almost at the stairs when I hear it again. Laughter. But this time, it’s my mother’s. I tense and turn to follow the sound toward the kitchen. My heart races with every step I take. She can’t be here. She left.My entire body is rigid as I lean against the kitchen doorway, my eyes finding her instantly. Fucking beautiful.She’s got flour in her hair and a smear of chocolate on her cheek, but she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.Her smile drops when she notices me, and she looks startled, her cheeks turning rosy. The room falls silent, and it isn’t until then that I realize my entire family is here.Lucian and my mother are standing opposite Elena, while my grandfather is standing next to her. They look guilty when they see me standing here, and my mother
AlexanderI stare up at Elena’s house and lean back against my car, my eyes on her window.“Are you ever going to talk to her?”I jump in surprise, my eyes widening when Sarah walks up behind me.“You’ve been coming here every night for two weeks now. This is getting creepy, Alec.”I smile nervously. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were aware of my presence. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”I don’t even know what I’m doing here. I keep telling myself that I’ll do what’s best for her, that I’ll let her go. When she married me, she never had a choice. I want her to find her own happiness, I don’t want to hold her back and chain her to me. Yet I can’t get myself to sign the papers.Sarah smiles and leans back against my car, standing next to me. She looks up into Elena’s window the way I just did and shakes her head.“So instead of calling her, you just stand here for hours in hopes of catching a glimpse of her?”I look away and shake my head. “No… I… I don’t mean to come here, yet someho
ElenaI walk into my house after an incredibly long day at work and pause in the doorway, my eyes roaming over the hundreds of peonies filling the room. Mom smiles up at me, a beautiful bouquet in her hands.“Honey, if you don’t speak to him, he’ll just keep sending you flowers.”“Donate them.”We’ve been donating flowers to a different charity every day, for weeks now. Alec knows I don’t ever keep them, yet somehow new flowers appear in my house every single day. Mom denies it, but I know she’s colluding with him.I shake my head and walk towards the staircase, ignoring the flowers. How does he even know that peonies are my favorite? Was that part of his background check too?“I had the staff put the bouquets with notes on them in your bedroom,” Mom says, and I pause on the stairs. The notes… it’s the notes that always get to me.“You should’ve thrown them out.”My heart is racing as I walk into my bedroom, dozens of bouquets covering every horizontal surface in my room. I hate mysel
AlexanderJust having her sitting next to me has my heart racing. It’s been weeks since I last touched her, and part of me thought I never would again. I didn’t think she’d ever speak to me again. For weeks, she’s been ignoring my presence at her house and every gift I’ve sent… she’s been ignoringme.“Don’t take me anywhere public.”I tighten my grip on the steering wheel and glance at her. “Why not?”She looks at me, her expression unreadable. “I don’t want people to think we got back together. I saw the speculations in the tabloids, the rumors. I want no part of it.”My heart wrenches and a sense of loss washes over me. I park the car by the side of the road and glance out my window, unsure what to do, what to say.“Are you seeing someone?” I ask, the words leaving my lips involuntarily.Elena looks at me, her eyes flashing with something I can’t quite decipher. She’s never been hard to read, but tonight she’s shutting me out.Elena turns away and opens her door, stepping out of the
“Nervous?” He drops his hand under the table, probably because it’s the only way he can stop the tapping. “I see why you brought me back here now. You didn’t want to disrespect me in front of my men. How courteous of you.”“Whereas you are content with disrespecting the Morettis in front of the entire city.”He narrows his analyzing eyes. “Am I missing something?”“Have you ever heard of Paths of Promise Foundation?”He swallows. “That’s your pet project, isn’t it? Your charity? It’s a great thing, Dario. Helping underprivileged youth to find a way out of the ghettos and the crack houses, helping them get away from the abuse they’re suffering. Of course, I’ve heard of it. It’s one hell of a thing.”I lean forward, leaning my elbows on the table and glaring at him. Anger pumps through me, reminding me of who I am. I’m not the man having flirtatious banter with a young actress. I’m this—the man who makes people cringe away and inspires fear. It’s all I’ll ever be.“Do I look like a fuck
DARIOPaolo drives with an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth. His fingers drum on the steering wheel as if he can’t wait to light up, his calculating eyes always hinting that he’s working something out. Allessio sits next to him, and I take the back seat.“You two are the only ones who know the truth,” I tell my two most trusted soldiers. Every man is loyal to the Moretti Family as a whole, but these two are faithful to me specifically. We’ve fought together. We’ve bled together. Allessio and I grew up together.“It’s going to stay that way,” Allessio says.“Or off with our heads, be it,” Paolo comments.I smirk. “You almost sound afraid.”He looks at me in the rearview mirror. “Of you, Dario? Why would that be? You’re such a pussycat.”With no other men here, we’re able to banter like this. That’s one reason I like these two so much. They almost make me feelnormal, like just another soldier in the Moretti army, which is what I feel like most days.“How’s it going, anyway?” Alles
ELENAWe have brunch on the back porch. The grated fires are lit since autumn is coming in. My eyes ache from spending hours last night scouring the internet. I searched “how to seem upper class” and “Italian classic films, paintings, books.” I’m doing my best to absorb as much information as possible. I need to sell Elena Esposito.Platters sit on the table: assorted meats, cheeses, marinated vegetables. Mr. Moretti Senior, Salvatore, couldn’t make it. That’s a relief because he stared me down yesterday like he could see right through me. Mrs. Moretti, Maria, watches me, too, but not withas muchjudgment.She’s an elegant woman, her cheekbones sharper than mine will ever be, and she’s wearing an elegant dress that is undoubtedly expensive but not tacky. Her hair is a graceful silver. Dario sits opposite me in a sleek suit, his expression difficult to read—no near-smiles this morning.“How did you sleep in this new environment?” Maria asks.“Excellently,” I say. “The bed was ever so co
After they’re gone, I return to the dining room to find Elena sitting with her head in her hands. I pause in the doorway. She doesn’t realize I’m back.“Stupid, stupid,” she mutters.I clear my throat, taking a step forward.“That wasn’t good, was it?” she says while looking up at me, her hair tousled around her shoulders. The strange urge to run my hand through it strikes me.I should tell her the truth:No, that was terrible. They’re suspicious already. However, something about the panic on her face stops me.“They’re always like that,” I tell her.“Was I supposed to memorize every obscure fancy-pants reference?”I chuckle. It feels good, but then I kill it. It seems wrong to squelch such a slight reaction, but it’s necessary.“What’s so funny?” she snaps.“I don’t think anyone in this house has ever used the termfancy pantsbefore.”“Well, that’s what you all are,” she shrugs. “Sorry.”“Something tells me you only said that because I’m paying you.”“Isn’t that what this whole thing i
“That seems random, Mother,” I mutter, wondering if she’s trying to trip Elena up already.She rolls her eyes at me. “We have to startsomewhere, don’t we?”Elena’s cheeks flush, her lips parting slightly. It’s clear she’s never heard of the classic Italian film, which is surprising considering she’s an actress. Then again, maybe her tastes are more recent than nineteen-sixty.“I think they’re way better than Dolce & Gabbana,” she says.I force out a laugh, pretending it’s a joke. Elena might not be as prepared as I’d like, but she’s quick to react and follow my lead, laughing with me. “I told you she was funny, Mother,” I say.“Hmm,” Mother says, with that searching expression on her face.I usually feel stifled at these sorts of dinners, with both of my parents watching me for any sign of boredom or impatience with Family customs. This evening is even worse. For a few moments, when walking down the hallway with Elena, it was like I wasn’t part of the Family at all. It felt, for the b
DARIOI chose Elena because she has no extended family, and hell, I don’t know. I didn’t overthink it. I saw her, and I picked her, and that’s that, goddamn it. Father’s been bothering me for a long time to get married, quiet the tongues wagging that I hadn’t settled down yet, and I needed to get him off my back finally. Sitting at the table, I feel something stir inside as I look across at her.She’s wearing a silver dress that subtly hugs her figure. She’s curvy in the extreme, her shape rising and falling in a way that triggers something deep and hungry in me. I’m not used to physical attraction like this. Even with family at the table, something moves me as I look across at her.“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Mother says in her usual detached way.“Yes,” Father says in the same manner. He looks at me, not at Elena, as he speaks. “A pleasure.”I give him a blank stare in return. He’s clearly trying to make some point, perhaps pissed I haven’t taken a woman from aFamily which might
She takes my arm and leads me up wide stone steps toward an imposing front door at least as tall as two men and just as wide. As she pushes it open, I almost reach forward to help her. It looks heavy. She waves me inside and then leads me down a wide hallway. Artwork dots the walls, including classical paintings, landscapes, and nature scenes, with the occasional battle scene.“Mr. Moretti is in his study,” she tells me, looking over her shoulder with a coy smile. “He isveryexcited to see you. He’s told us all about you, Miss Esposito.”“Please, call me Elena,” I say.Esposito is the fake name I’ll have to use while going through this charade. My heart beats a little faster when Clara stops outside another imposing door.“I’m sure you’d like me to leave you two lovebirds alone,” she says.“Uh, sure,” I mutter. “Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks.”My head is spinning. I need to get my actor’s brain to work correctly. I’m supposed to be from this world, a wealthy princess worthy of the mob
Book 2 Is another standalone novel that also introduces new plot and characters while still maintaining The Billionaire's Contract marriage series.************With my aunt’s medical bills piling up, I can’t afford to say no to this payday: pretend to be a mob prince’s fiancée, plan a fake wedding, and keep my emotions out of it. Simple, right?The only hitch? I’m falling for him.Dario Moretti is everything I’m not—wealthy, refined, and dangerously charming. He belongs to a world of luxury and power, while I’m just trying to stay afloat. I never imagined I’d start caring about him, but the more time we spend together, the harder it is to remember that this is all just a job.Dario’s gaze lingers a little too long. His touch sends shivers down my spine. And when we kiss, the line between fake and real blurs. But his Family would never accept someone like me. My aunt, the whole reason I took this gig, warns me against getting involved with a criminal.Then, a rival Mafia family target
Epilogue ElenaMy heart squeezes painfully as I stare at my brother on the stand, the judge passing a life sentence, his punishment the same as Jade’s and my father’s.Their trial took almost four whole years, and they nearly got away with what they did—until Alec revealed the last judge’s corruption, and a new judge was assigned, putting us back at square one. My mother’s case was practically unheard of, and that delayed their judgment even longer than I would’ve liked, but it didn’t prevent it.I glance at my husband, my heart overflowing with gratitude. Without him, my family would have gone unpunished. My mother would have died.And I? I’d have lost my reason to live.He looks at me as though he can read my mind and wraps his arm around my shoulder, offering me silent support. I drop my head to his shoulder, a bittersweet smile on my face.Mom grabs my hand and squeezes tightly, her eyes on Matthew. He’s led away, and I don’t see an ounce of remorse in his eyes. There wasn’t any