Dominic’s POV“Alessia,” I called, but she couldn't hear me. “Alessia!”This time she moved, looking at me.“Are you okay?” I asked, looking suspiciously at her.She looked scared.Had I been too harsh on her?“Y…yeah. I'm fine. I was just thinking of what to say to them,” she replied.I nodded, watching her dial the number and talk on the phone.My heart melted and I had to stop myself from smiling every time she spoke to the twins.“What kind of crazy boss keeps you at work for days?” her friend spoke through the receiver.“It's not his fault,” Alessia answered.I listened to the twins tell her they missed her and I glanced at my watch. Three minutes passed and she was still on the phone, but I could sacrifice more.She looked beautiful when she smiled and I started to feel bad for holding her here.She turned to me, and followed my gaze on the watch then said her goodbyes.“You'll see me soon, baby. Mama loves you,” she said, with kissing sounds and I had to stop myself from smilin
Dominic's POV:“What the hell did you do?” My voice thundered.The other women stopped laughing and they swallowed.“What do you mean darling?” She asked calmly.“Don't act dumb. I hate it,” I warned.“Darling, you're embarrassing me. My friends are here,” she cooed.I looked at them, and my anger rose to the top. “Get out! All of you.”They stood up, dropping the glass on the table and rushing out of the room.She watched them go and looked at me with a frown. “What the hell is wrong with you?” She asked, almost yelling.“Who gave you the right to put her up in the bounty list?” I asked, walking towards her.She looked around, trying to remember, then her face brightened. “Aaah! Alessia isn't it?”I stopped in front of her, withholding every urge in my body not to hit her. I never hit women.“I thought I should do us both a favour and have her out of the picture,” she continued.“Why?” I asked.“Because I won't have another woman to have my fiancé's children and stay around him!” She
Dominic POV:I drove quickly ignoring the traffic lights and stepped on the brakes. The speedometer climbed higher. I had to get to Alessia before Sophia's man did.She was a stubborn woman and if she knew I had her, then she also knew where I had kept her.I chuckled slightly at the thought of racing crazily on the road, because of a woman.Sophia! You crazy woman!I stepped on the gas again, and zoomed past the bus stop. Soon, I noticed red and blue lights twirling on the road behind me.Glancing at my rearview mirror, I saw the police patrol van.“Shit! How could I forget about that?” I murmured and continued driving. They were on my tail.The best I could do was not to turn this into a wild goose chase. And I was the idiot that drove more than the speed limit.I kept my foot on the gas pushing the speed further outrunning them, but I soon slowed down.Getting noticed on the news wasn't something I wanted for myself.I sighed, and loosened my grip on the wheel. And slowly took my f
Dominic’s Pov It wasn't hard before the chief agreed. He smiled and shook my hand. “Pleasure doing business with you,” he said. “Same chief. Same,” I replied, dropping his hand. “Then, I'll take my leave,” I said, and adjusted my shirt. The chief nodded, and I opened the door. I walked out, smirking as I glanced at the officers that had brought me here. James, the blonde officer looked surprised, and had his mouth wide open in shock. I made a small wave and walked out of the station. My hands drove down into my pocket and pulled my phone out. I rang Matteo's number and counted silently until he picked. “Yes, boss,” he said. “Has the bastard spoken?” I asked. “No. He's unconscious and I doubt he'll be waking up anytime soon,” he replied. “Huh?” I asked. “He must have slipped a pill in. It's obvious who sent him,” Matteo answered. “Make sure the bodyguards stay with Alessia. If a single hair on her head goes missing, they are going to answer to me,” I warned.
Sophia's POV:“You jerk!” I screamed, grabbing the first thing close to me. I threw the crystal vase to the wall and it smashed into pieces flying into every direction with the dirt in it.“How dare you?” I continued, not satisfied. I needed more to quench my anger and I stormed to the table, breathing harshly and swept everything off it in one hard shove. The tea cup and wine bottle fell to the floor shattering into little pieces.I walked over to the table stand by the side of the room, and picked the lamp smashing to the floor.“No one insults me in front of my friends!” I yelled, and ripped the curtains off the wall. The fabric tore, breaking my newly done nails.I hissed, as the pain hit me. I had the worst type of anger. It kept moving until I acted.Dominic! You son of a bitch!If he thought he could play me and humiliate me as he wished, then he was joking. I would never stand for it.Slamming my fists on the table, I panted. “Screw you! Screw your whore! I'm not letting you o
Sophia's POV:“Elena!” I yelled, but no one answered.“Jasmine!” Continued. “Or whatever you guys are..”I didn't know who was who, but I needed them now.Where the hell were they? Bloody maids. They knew nothing but to be idle. I slowly stood, and three maids rushed in, with their heads bowed.Their hands folded in front of them like obedient lambs. I was sick of staring at their pitiful sight. They made me sick.They were slow, useless and boring.“What the hell took you so long?” I asked.They kept quiet, and it only made my anger boil even more. I silently counted to ten and got calmer. I did another ten before I spoke. “Get me a phone.”They raised their gaze at the same time, and exchanged nervous, shifting uncomfortably.“Are you deaf?” I asked, watching them. “I need a phone. Get me one.”“Um, do you mean your phone, Miss or…?” One of the maids asked hesitantly.I rolled my eyes, wondering where their senses went? “Obviously not, you idiots. Mine's ruined,” I said, looking at
Sophia’s POVAlessia looked aghast, her mouth opened wide, her eyes brimming with astonishment. She stepped back slowly, her hands clenched by her side."Fiancée?" she whispered, surprised. Her voice was almost inaudible.I smiled smugly while turning my diamond ring on my finger, that low light made it shine. "Of course, darling. And I do not like indeed when girls like you come and nuzzle around my man."Her throat bobbed with emotion as she swallowed. "I…I didn't know.""Oh yes, you did," I answered and cocked my head at her. I took a step closer, frightening her. "Now, I really don't care how innocent you think you are. Girls like you?"I laughed, leaning close enough to see her flinch. "Y'all love to play the victim card. Act all weak and helpless while men fall at your feet. But I see through that little act."Her breath was shallow, but she held her silence. Wise girl. She knew how to read the room.I dragged my painted nails on the couch in frustration. My anger got the best o
POV:That hesitation was almost indiscernible from her. But almost. Then she stepped back, hypothetically folded her hands in her lap, and sat right in front of me, looking just like the woman who was trying to appear calm while the exact opposite was true.Lengthen the silence, and just look her in the eye. Wait.Just when she opened her mouth to speak, I spoke."How strange," I mused, and swirled the wine in my glass yet again. "Today I heard something interesting."She blinked, "Oh?"I nodded. "Someone was spotted- a certain someone- somewhere he/she shouldn't have been."I was not mentioning any names; there was no need.The fingers of Sophia were twitching against the table.Perfect. You're buying it."Someone?" she asked cautiously."Indeed." I took another sip and studied her closely. "Someone who ought not to have been anywhere near the city; someone who was to be...relocated."Her face suddenly drained of all color.I leaned, and zipped in. "But I guess he or she wasn't moved
Flynn’s POVI had done plenty of questionable things in my life, but the thought of doing anything that would betray Dominic felt like I was striking a match at the end of a gas line. Dangerous. It was so foolish and so suicidal that I wondered if love was worth this level of stupidity.But here I sat, perched on the edge of a barstool in the house’s security room, phone pressed to my ear as Sophia’s cold, calculating voice played out on the other end.“You know what to do.” Her tone was snappy, and bracing. “You have one job, Flynn. Don’t screw it up. Be sure she sees the news and I hear she’s got an update about herself! Make sure she sees that one! Got it!”I rubbed my mouth with the back of my hand, the taste of half chewed sandwich in my mouth. My stomach tightened, not because I was hungry, but because of the heft of the order I had just received.“Yeah,” I muttered. “Got it.”The line went dead. I let out a slow breath, rolling my shoulders to shrug off the discomfort crawling
Dominic’s POVThe moment I stepped out of the elevator, the office was in chaos. Phones rang nonstop, workers spoke in urgent whispers and every screen around them blared with financial updates and breaking news. The air was thick with tension, but everyone was afraid to make eye contact with me.“Mr. Rossi,” Matteo ran at me, color drained out of his face. "We have a serious problem."“Of course,” I said, pushing past him into my office. “What is this time Matteo?”The floor vibrated with discomfort, eyes buzzing toward me before reading my irritation. I opened the door and stepped in, my executive team already seated.Franco, my C.F.O., brushed a hand through his graying hair. "It's bad, Mr. Dominic. Really bad."I settled into the head of the table and looked at him the way a hawk does. "Explain."Matteo pushed a tablet over the table. "This."I glanced at the screen, and read the article’s headline. The Double Life of Dominic Romano: Mafia Boss or Corporate Mogul? The headline sea
Dominic’s POVThe vibration of my phone against the polished oak desk broke me out of my thoughts. I had been looking at financial reports before, but when Matteo’s name came across the screen, I recognized this was more important than the numbers.I answered, calmly. “Talk.”“You’re not going to like this,” Matteo’s voice crackled over the phone, his tone layered with the sort of weight that told me whatever he was about to say would be more than just bad news. “Diego Maze has been doing a bit of digging around. “Not only into you but also Alessia.”“What?” I railed and ground my teeth. The mere name was enough to make my hands tighten around the phone.Diego Maze!The self-satisfied journalist known for digging things up that should be best left to remain buried in the ground. I had not foreseen how far his curiosity would lead him.“What exactly has he found?” I spoke in low tones, but something dark curled inside under the calm.“He’s been tracking her history, Dominic. He’d flown
Diego’s POVAs soon as I stepped out of that restaurant I knew that Dominic Rossi was lying. Not a single man it takes to reach the top of the food chain, without stains of blood in his hands. His success was too slick and too clean, and I didn’t trust clean. It meant that something was being hidden.Men like him in the high ranked business men were not always clean. I just needed to find what they were hiding so everyone could see.I needed proof. Well, Mr. Rossi, I am going to dig up your closet dirt. Get ready, because your sweet days are going to be over.I chuckled and went immediately to my personal office that evening. It was a small, nondescript building just on the edge of Rome where I did more of my sensitive work. The hum of servers greeted me inside and my computers booted. I poured myself a drink and readied for a long night.I went with the obvious one which was Dominic. His name was associated with dozens of legitimate businesses, involving real estate and high-end tech
Dominic’s POVAs soon as I laid my eyes on him, I knew there was no peace for the night.Damn it. How far can this mad man go?Diego was seated at a table across from ours. I knew what he wanted and I knew I wasn’t going to give him any story.Charity work news, my ass. He’s onto something else and I know that one of those lunatics sent him to Me. Are they attempting to get him killed? Or is he that foolish?I watched him, swirling a glass of wine in his hand as if he had all the time in the world. His eyes were fixed on me with an annoying smirk as a challenge hung in the air. The bastard was having the time of his life. I reclined back against my chair, twirling the glass of wine around my fingertips, neglecting his existence. He was trying to bait me, and I had no intention of falling into whatever sick trap he thought he was setting to win.But Diego had other plans.He stood, with a bottle in hand, and walked toward my table with an air that belonged to a man who believed the upp
Dominic’s POVI heard Sophia inhale loudly from the other end. “How could you?”I leaned back in my seat, rubbing my temple. “You’re going to need to be more specific,” I said.“You humiliated me,” she said curtly. “In front of everyone.”I let the silence linger, waiting. She wasn’t finished.There was a softness to her voice, the anger tinged with something in it. “Do you still even love me?”I closed my eyes briefly. “You know what the answer to that is.”A second breath, the first one quakier. “So, that’s it? You’re canceling our engagement as if it were nothing?”“It never meant anything.”A sharp gasp escaped her over the line. “You’ll regret this.” Her voice fell to a hissing whisper. “I swear to God. I’ll make you pay.”The call ended.I looked at the phone for a long moment and then put it down. There was no remorse, no guilt. If anything, I felt lighter.Sophia was my past. I wish she had dismissed the engagement because she was not going to be calm. She was never calm.If s
Dominic’s POVI downed the remainder of my whiskey, warmth spreading through my chest, before setting the glass down with a dull thud. The evening stretched long, but fatigue never came easy to me. Alessia was already in bed, and for the first time in ages, I was loath to get up and go to her.As I pushed my chair back and rose to my full height, Matteo stood against the wall, eyeing me with the same craggy gaze he had previously displayed.“Should I investigate the reporter?” he asked, his voice low but firm. Should I keep him at bay?”I played with the cuffs of my shirt, thinking about it. “No,” I said finally. “Not yet.”Matteo’s eyebrows knitted a little. “I don’t like him, Dominic. He’s trouble.”My facial expression was neutral as I turned to him. “I know.”We exchanged silence, and I gave him a curt nod, then turned on my heel and walked away.The bedroom was dark, the city lights softly gleaming through the curtains. Alessia was curled under the covers, her breathing slow and
Dominic's POVAt the instant Alessia uttered her last words, the room became heavy. Gasps surged through the crowd, cameras burst like a thunderstorm, and eyes zeroed in on her. I could feel the stares, the keen curiosity, and the slow dawning acknowledgment rippling through the spectators. But none of it mattered.What mattered was her.Sophia froze, mouth parted slightly, trying to hide the fury contorting her face. That carefully polished mask of poise and arrogance shattered in an instant. The self-assured woman who had once been certain she owned the stage now seemed a damn fool."You bitch!" She said.Alessia gasped as she served the best stink eye I've ever seen, and I struggled to stifle my chuckle."Be polite to people, Sophia. Maybe you won’t get slapped again,” I said sternly."You..." Sophia quivered. "You're my fiance. You're supposed to be on my side.’”“I am not a fan of evil, Sophia. It’s about time you stopped being a shit to people, and you just might get some nice t
Alessia’s POVThere was an agitated buzz in the ballroom, the air heavy with tension that had been in the air all night. The whispers snaked, venomous, among the guests, wrapped around me, constricting like an invisible noose. No amount of pricey perfume and expensive champagne could cover the fetid aromas of pretension.I had stood tall, unmoved, but inside, my patience was wearing thinner.The presentation for the charity had begun and the focus moved to the stage where the host, a classy older gentleman with gray hair, cleared his throat.“Ladies and gentleman,” he said, his voice heavy with practiced elegance, “this evening, we are graced with the generosity of some of the most powerful people in this city. Let us begin the donations."One by one, the society’s finest stood up and threw around obscene donations like confetti at a parade. Five million, seven million, or even a comically inflated twelve million from some tycoon pulling out all the stops.Then, it was Dominic’s turn.