Renée
The moment the call drops, my heart sinks into my stomach. I pull the phone from my ear, staring at the dark screen. The battery’s dead. It hadn’t fully charged when I took it off earlier to call Alessandro. I groan in frustration as I fumble to connect it to the charger. My hands are trembling as my mind races back to his last words. I couldn’t quite catch them, but he said something about Emilia.
I don’t know what he said she was, but I’m scared.
My fingers fumble with the charger until I finally manage to plug it in. The phone lights up, the charging symbol glowing on the screen. I impatiently stare at it, praying it will charge faster.
What did he mean?
Why did he sound so terrified?
What did he see during that video call?
And what did Emilia see that made her sprint out of here so fast?
Why did he want me to find Marco and Mateo and have them take me away from here? These people a
The car is silent except for my pounding heart, Marco’s labored breathing, and the soft clicking sound of Emilia tapping her nails on the gun pointed at me. Her other gun rests lazily on Marco, a silent threat that keeps me gripping the steering wheel tighter than I should. My hands are trembling and slick with sweat and blood from when I tried to stop Marco’s bleeding. The whole car reeks of iron—a nauseating smell—but I’m too focused on the gun pointed at me and Marco’s worsening condition to care.“Where are we going?” I ask. Emilia only shrugs and waves for me to keep my eyes on the road. I blink rapidly, trying to keep the tears at bay so I can see where I’m heading.“Where are my father and Raul?” My voice cracks despite my best effort to sound calm. I don’t know what she’s done to them. I should’ve been more suspicious when I returned and couldn’t find my father, or when Ra
The two women exchange a knowing glance, a silent communication passing between them, before one of them stands up. She is slightly taller and more petite than me, though I suspect that’s due to the harsh conditions here. She deliberately walks toward me, the fear she initially displayed now replaced by feigned confidence. The second woman, much shorter with cropped hair, follows close behind, and my heart races with every step they take closer.“So, you’re the new one,” the first woman says, her voice sharp and biting. Even with the coldness in her tone, there’s a hint of curiosity in her eyes, as though she’s heard of me and wants to know more.I blink, confused by her words. “What do you mean?” I ask, though deep down, a part of me already knows.There can only be one reason we look so similar, and I desperately hope it isn’t true—because if it is, I’ll lose my mind.She tilts her head,
“Hey! Hey! Let us out of here, you sons of bitches!” Mateo’s scream tears through the heavy silence in the room. He thrashes against the ropes binding him to the chair, his voice hoarse as he shouts.“Let us out of here! Do you hear me? You bastards! You’re going to pay for letting Marco die. I swear to God!” he screams again, his voice bouncing off the walls, but no one comes. The night is quiet except for the sounds of the crickets and my sobbing. I turn to look at my father and brother, and they have that same sad look on their faces.Mateo keeps screaming in rage at no one, yet still, no one seems to hear his cries.I remain seated on the floor, my hands still stained with the now-dried blood that belonged to Marco. Tears stream down my face, and my whole body shakes. He was alive not long ago. But now he is gone. He’s really gone. My chest feels tight, and I can barely breathe. If only Emilia had let me help him&hel
I watch as the rain comes down in sheets, battering against the windows, blurring the world beyond. Had this been a different scene, I would say it was beautiful, but that's far from the case. Inside the villa, everything is chaos. The room is a mess—furniture overturned, glass scattered across the floor, and something red that shouldn’t be there, is spread across the marble like a warning. I step over it, barely feeling the cold seep into my shoes.My hands are shaking and I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I’m frozen, trapped in this moment that feels like it’s dragging on forever. I can hear his breathing, heavy and sharp. He is standing in the center of the room, a shadow of the man I thought I knew. His eyes are wild, watching my hand that's gripping a gun I never thought I would hold, and I’m shaking—terrified of what’s happening, terrified of what I’ve done.“Renée,” he says, his voice breaking through the silence like a razor. I can’t tell if it’s anger or desperation. Maybe both
I probably spent my last dime on this gown, but I kind of needed to fit into this ball without anyone suspecting I was out of place, so I went all out on it. It is a sleek black dress that clings to my curves with a slide slit. It is far more glamorous than anything I’ve ever worn, hell, I rarely dress up and I am not quite a fan of dresses, I could count the number of dresses I own in my closet, and they aren’t a lot, but tonight, I need to look the part. I even hired a makeup artist to achieve this flawless look. I don’t trust myself to create the perfect makeup for such an event, and it was worth every penny. I adjust my mask, and take in a deep breath. I am nervous. This is my first time not just attending a masquerade ball, but one that is being attended by the who and who in the society, the big names, from politicians to billionaires, and without forgetting the leaders of the mafia groups. I don’t even know how such groups get to mingle because from all I know about mafia grou
I'm nervously tapping my fingers on the steering wheel as I navigate through the maze of Bellacity’s winding streets. Last night was a sleepless blur, my mind is haunted by the memory of Alessandro’s intense gaze and the shiver his voice sent down my spine. Even the scent of his cologne still lingers in my nose. How could a stranger, a dangerous one at that, unsettle me so deeply with so few words? I shake off the memory. I need to focus on my work, not on the enigmatic man who is behind bars now.Dell said I had done a good job and that I shouldn’t worry about my safety because he could guarantee it, but no matter how hard he tried to convince me, I couldn’t help but worry. He wouldn’t understand even one bit of it because I was the one who was forced to seduce one of the most ruthless people not just in the city, but in the country. I was the one tasked with getting him apprehended. Me, some stranger from a different land who no one would miss if I disappeared. I took a risk that co
'Honey'She called him honey.She takes striking steps toward us, her heels clicking softly against the pavement, then stands beside Alessandro. The closer she gets, the more I realize she is even more gorgeous up close. She walks like she owns the room, and watching her stand next to him, I don’t think I have ever seen a couple as perfect together as they are.“Are you okay, sweetheart?” she asks, her voice laced with genuine concern. I am a little surprised that she would ask that. “I hope my husband and his little minion bullies aren’t bothering you,” she adds, and I am taken aback by what she just said. Alessandro is her husband. He is married!My mind flashes back to the ball, remembering how I flirted with him and how he was clearly flirting back. I feel a pang of embarrassment.Didn’t the FBI think that was something I ought to know before sending me on a mission to flirt with a married mafia lord? I am starting to think they don’t exactly care about my safety, because if he ha
I am awoken by a throbbing pain in my head and feel disoriented. I can smell a mix of blood and chemicals around me, and when I open my eyes, I realize I am in what looks like an abandoned building. My first instinct is to try and walk out of this place, but I realize that I can barely move. My arms are stretched above me, my wrists bound together and tied to something high above. My feet can barely touch the ground, and I realize that I’m standing, my body suspended awkwardly.My heart starts racing as I remember the last thing that happened to me before this moment. I was kidnapped by some men in masks. I don’t know what is going on, but I am scared.“Boo!” a voice startles me, and when I look up, it’s a man standing in front of me, a toothpick jutting from the corner of his mouth and a smirk on his lips. It is one of Alessandro’s bodyguards, the one that was at the gate a while ago—Mateo, if I remember correctly. A surge of panic overwhelms me as I realize what has just happened. I
“Hey! Hey! Let us out of here, you sons of bitches!” Mateo’s scream tears through the heavy silence in the room. He thrashes against the ropes binding him to the chair, his voice hoarse as he shouts.“Let us out of here! Do you hear me? You bastards! You’re going to pay for letting Marco die. I swear to God!” he screams again, his voice bouncing off the walls, but no one comes. The night is quiet except for the sounds of the crickets and my sobbing. I turn to look at my father and brother, and they have that same sad look on their faces.Mateo keeps screaming in rage at no one, yet still, no one seems to hear his cries.I remain seated on the floor, my hands still stained with the now-dried blood that belonged to Marco. Tears stream down my face, and my whole body shakes. He was alive not long ago. But now he is gone. He’s really gone. My chest feels tight, and I can barely breathe. If only Emilia had let me help him&hel
The two women exchange a knowing glance, a silent communication passing between them, before one of them stands up. She is slightly taller and more petite than me, though I suspect that’s due to the harsh conditions here. She deliberately walks toward me, the fear she initially displayed now replaced by feigned confidence. The second woman, much shorter with cropped hair, follows close behind, and my heart races with every step they take closer.“So, you’re the new one,” the first woman says, her voice sharp and biting. Even with the coldness in her tone, there’s a hint of curiosity in her eyes, as though she’s heard of me and wants to know more.I blink, confused by her words. “What do you mean?” I ask, though deep down, a part of me already knows.There can only be one reason we look so similar, and I desperately hope it isn’t true—because if it is, I’ll lose my mind.She tilts her head,
The car is silent except for my pounding heart, Marco’s labored breathing, and the soft clicking sound of Emilia tapping her nails on the gun pointed at me. Her other gun rests lazily on Marco, a silent threat that keeps me gripping the steering wheel tighter than I should. My hands are trembling and slick with sweat and blood from when I tried to stop Marco’s bleeding. The whole car reeks of iron—a nauseating smell—but I’m too focused on the gun pointed at me and Marco’s worsening condition to care.“Where are we going?” I ask. Emilia only shrugs and waves for me to keep my eyes on the road. I blink rapidly, trying to keep the tears at bay so I can see where I’m heading.“Where are my father and Raul?” My voice cracks despite my best effort to sound calm. I don’t know what she’s done to them. I should’ve been more suspicious when I returned and couldn’t find my father, or when Ra
RenéeThe moment the call drops, my heart sinks into my stomach. I pull the phone from my ear, staring at the dark screen. The battery’s dead. It hadn’t fully charged when I took it off earlier to call Alessandro. I groan in frustration as I fumble to connect it to the charger. My hands are trembling as my mind races back to his last words. I couldn’t quite catch them, but he said something about Emilia.I don’t know what he said she was, but I’m scared.My fingers fumble with the charger until I finally manage to plug it in. The phone lights up, the charging symbol glowing on the screen. I impatiently stare at it, praying it will charge faster.What did he mean?Why did he sound so terrified?What did he see during that video call?And what did Emilia see that made her sprint out of here so fast?Why did he want me to find Marco and Mateo and have them take me away from here? These people a
AlessandroMy heart races as I stare at the screenshot I took. I lean back in my chair, gripping the edges of the desk as if anchoring myself to reality. The video wasn’t clear—too much movement, too many shadows—but something about her. The voice. That look. I can’t shake the feeling.It can’t be.But if it is…When I knew her she used to go by a different name, it wasn't Emilia.I rub a hand down my face, trying to steady my breathing. I don’t care if I’m right or wrong, but if I am, then Renée’s life might be in danger, and I would die before letting anything happen to her.There’s only one person who can confirm this suspicion, but I hate the idea of going to her. Maria. She is the last person I want to talk to right now, not after the fight we had earlier when I came back.But I don’t have a choice.I push out my chair, the screeching sound echoing i
I got back to Raul’s place a few hours ago. My father wasn’t home, and when I asked Raul where he was, he said he left earlier with one of the security guys to deal with something. He didn’t give me much detail about it, so I’ll just have to call my father and ask him. Although Raul assured me he’d be fine and the security guy would make sure nothing happened to him, I still want to check on him myself.When I returned, I was too tired and just wanted some peace and rest, but Raul couldn’t let me have that the moment I told him I’d be moving in with Alessandro. I drove back with Alessandro, but along the way, he had Mateo pick me up because he said he needed to rush somewhere.So here we are, seated in the dining room across from each other. Raul looks like he wants to scold me but doesn’t know how to start.“You’re moving in with Alessandro?” he asks sharply.I shrug, nodding. “Yeah,
I step out of the washroom, a bathrobe securely wrapped around my body. As expected, he’s waiting for me, leaning casually against the doorframe, his eyes fixed on me like he’s been standing there for a while. This feels like a repeat of the other night, except this time, I’m so done with him.“I don’t want to fight,” he says, his voice calm but firm.“Neither do I,” I reply, walking past him. I knew he would be waiting for me after my shower to talk, but honestly, I’m too pissed to entertain him.There’s tension in the air, but I try to focus on the immediate problem: my clothes. I glance at the pants and top I wore last night, crumpled in the corner, and sigh. Am I really about to put that on again? Before I can decide, he interrupts.“There are clothes in the closet,” he says, nodding toward the adjoining room.I pause, confused. “Clothes? In the closet?” I didn&
I can hear his voice when I wake up. The sun is peeping in through the window. My eyelids flutter, but he’s talking on the phone, so I keep them closed, pretending to still be asleep. A blanket is draped over my naked body, and it smells faintly of him—clean, woodsy, and familiar.“What do you mean another one of our shipments is delayed?” he asks on the call, and I can’t help but wonder what the shipment is about. Could it be drugs? When I once asked him if he dealt drugs, he only chuckled but never really answered. Then there was that one time I saw Luca using coke at the club, so I don’t know. When I asked if he was into money laundering, he had the same reaction.He’s quiet for a moment, and when he speaks again, I can tell he’s even more pissed. “We’ve been doing business for years. We pay our part, and the cops look the other way. I don’t know why they’re suddenly giving us trouble now,&rdquo
The jet’s engines hum softly as we land smoothly on the private runway. My body still feels like it’s floating from the ride, the sheer luxury of the experience leaving me a little giddy. This is the most beautiful surprise—exactly what I needed today. I never thought a jet ride could feel this magical, but it does. Alessandro has been quiet during the descent, but his hand never left mine. As he helps me down the stairs, his touch firm and protective, I feel completely fulfilled.I’m expecting a car to be waiting for us, maybe another sleek black vehicle like the ones he always seems to have on hand. Instead, my jaw practically unhinges when I spot a helicopter—a sleek, black beauty with blades shimmering under the faint glow of the runway lights. Its propellers are spinning slowly, as if it’s waiting just for us.“No fucking way,” I say, blinking repeatedly just to convince myself this is real. “Are you serious?&r