Dante's POVThe man whose fist had been hitting my abdomen was too weak. I barely felt his punches. What the hell did this mean? Was this what I had been spending time training in my mafia?With just one hand, I grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up, his feet dangling as he struggled to free himself."Boss, please let me go!" His hoarse voice managed to let out. I was out for blood and so I kept holding on, while landing punches of my own on his abdomen."That's how you punch you stupid fool! You all hit like little girls.""Don," Marco’s gruff voice sounds behind me. "You're going to kill all the men with how frequently you're doing this."I dropped the idiot to the floor. He gasped for air, running away to join the other eight men who had already been through the same. I had been trying to let out the rage that had been inside me, but nothing worked. All I could think about was Alora’s tearful face as she was dragged away to the dungeon.But did that mean I was going to pull her
Dante's POVI took a deep breath, feeling my heart race wildly in my chest. No, Alora couldn’t have escaped this dungeon. No one could get past it. Unless maybe the men who brought her here were the ones working with her. Maybe they let her go somehow."Marco," I barked into the phone. "Get me the men who were supposed to lock Alora up.""Yes, don."In no time at all, the two men were brought in front of me, their hands bound. Marco and Vittoria stood behind me, and the two men, almost completely naked, were tied to the poles. I could see the fear in their eyes."So, men, where is the girl?" I asked coldly."I don't understand, don. What do you mean?" one of them stammered."What do you mean, 'you don’t understand'?" I snapped, my voice low with anger. "Where is Alora? The girl you were supposed to lock up? Why isn’t she here?""Boss, we... we don’t..." They exchanged uncertain glances, clearly panicked.I stepped closer to them, my gaze hardening. "Well then, it seems like you came h
Alora’s POVA few hours later, I woke up again, expecting to be in the same cold, enclosed space. But apparently, I really was out. I was in the medical bay, connected to an IV line and a heart monitor. My hands were bandaged up to my elbows, and I winced as I remembered how much I had scratched them in that terrifying place.Despite trying hard to forget, my mind kept drifting back to the dungeon. Each time it did, a shiver crept down my spine, making it feel like I was back there, reliving the memories.A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts. A girl poked her head in. She looked beautiful, with bright hazel eyes and blonde hair. She looked like a model but had a stronger build than most girls and was a bit on the curvy side.“Hi,” her soft voice greeted me.“Hi.” I paused, studying her. Why did she look so familiar? Oh, I know—she looks like Luca.“My name is Vittoria,” she said, extending her hand.I showed her my hands, and she stared, taking in my injured right wrist.
Alora's POVWhen Gianni stepped into the room, I kept my eyes locked on the door in anticipation of the person Bianca said was her supporter against me. But when nobody came in after almost 10 seconds, my heart dropped. It was Gianni? God no!As if confirming my thoughts, Bianca smirked."Gianni, go ahead and tell them everything."My eyes widened, and the question spilled out before I could control myself. "What is she talking about?"Without even glancing at me, Gianni turned to Dante. "I'm sorry, brother. I'm really sorry. But, Alora, indeed, did everything.""No! Gianni, what are you talking about? Just shut up. You don't even know what you're saying," I shouted, but he didn't look at me."Do not tell my brother to shut up, you stupid girl," Dante snapped, making me clamp my mouth shut. My heart was beating wildly in my chest.Bianca chuckled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh, Alora, the evidence is right here, and you’re going to deny it? If it was on camera or something, it
Alora's POV"Uh, sir? I'll stop here," I told the cab driver, who had carried me a few meters from Dante's mansion. I was tailing Gianni. The little boy had boarded an SUV that seemed to have been waiting for him, and I had followed, tossing all rationality out the window.This could very well be a trap set up by Bianca, but I was beyond caring. After days of being cooped up in Dante's property, I was finally able to visit the outside world.A strange urge filled me—the urge to run, to start a new life somewhere else.As the cold breeze hit my skin when I stepped out of the taxi, I paused, considering—maybe I should just escape. This was my opportunity, right? Gianni had unknowingly helped me, and I could leave. If it were a trap, by the time they came for me, I’d be long gone.But I couldn't abandon Gianni. Not after all that happened today. Bianca might hurt him, or worse. No, I couldn't just leave him. I'd stay and—"Hey, lady, are you gonna pay me or what? I gotta go to work," a v
Dante's POV“Vittoria, do you and Marco have a death wish?” I snapped. They shook their heads, eyes wide.“No? Good. Then shut the hell up and let me think.”I was pacing, frustration boiling over. Everything seemed to be going wrong. I’d just gotten a call that one of my warehouse shipments had been tampered with, only to get there and find nothing wrong.It was most likely a setup—a ploy to lure me out, to either attack me or distract me for something else to go down. My men were clearing the way for us to head back, while I was thinking of what could possibly have gone wrong. But these two idiots were making it difficult with all their mindless bickering.And, of course, they were talking about the one person I hated right now. Alora Marino. I couldn’t believe I’d even considered giving her a chance. And yet, after everything, she turned out to be the worst woman I’d ever met.“Don, I understand your frustration, but don’t you think all of this seems... weird?” Vittoria’s voice cut
Dante's POVThe tension hung in the air as I stood up, my gaze fixed on Alora—her shaking form standing just a few feet away from my desk. Alora’s pretend act wasn’t going to save her this time. She had barged in, hoping she could trick her way out of this situation, but her plans were incomplete—too bad for her. I was already way ahead of her.Unfortunately, I hadn’t foreseen Gianni’s kidnapping, but having her here as my hostage would send a clear message to whoever had sent her: mess with Gianni, and she’s gone. If she was even important to them anyway."Dante, I’m talking to you. Gianni has been kidnapped," she blurted out, her voice trembling."Shut the fuck up!" I shouted, slamming my hand on the desk.She flinched, jumping back as if the force of my words had physically hit her. I almost laughed at the sight, but the anger boiling in me wouldn’t let me. Her wide, startled eyes locked onto mine.I stood and glided across the desk, closing the distance between us in seconds. "So,
Alora's POVDante’s carefree attitude about Gianni’s kidnapping didn’t sit well with me. Could it be a prank? Was it possible he had done it just to trap me? I shook my head. No, it looked real. Nobody would hurt a little kid—their own brother—in that manner for a prank.I paced back and forth in my room, my head spinning with confusion and worry. My mind was a mess, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t sit down. My eyes kept darting back to my phone. Could Dante have put some kind of chip on it to monitor my movements? Why would he just return it out of the blue?What was going on? Gianni had been kidnapped, and yet Dante seemed to be acting like it was a normal occurrence. Maybe it was just routine in the mafia world for someone to be taken. After all, I was the only one here who wasn’t used to this lifestyle. To me, it seemed strange and unreal, but maybe that was just how things went in their world.A deep sigh escaped my lips. I just hoped to God that I was wrong—that Giann
Alora's POV"You like her, don’t you?" I asked Luciano, diverting from the topic at hand."Get whatever is in your head out of the gutter. Vittoria and I were only talking about you. She just met me by chance the other day and told me to meet with her here."Yeah, could have fooled me. I don't know why they're hiding the fact that they like each other. There's nothing wrong with it. If anything, it makes me glad that my brother has found a woman he loves."Back to earth, Alora," Luce snapped his hands in my face, making me jolt.Ignoring my glare, he continued, "In the meantime, don’t tell anyone about our real identity, Alora. There is just too much at stake, which is why I can’t leave Dad and follow you."When he said that, I knew there was a secret they hadn’t told me yet. And they wouldn’t.Because that’s how my life has been now—just secretive people and hidden truths.But that doesn’t mean I won’t find out.Just like I found out about him and Vittoria here today, I believed I co
Alora's POVIf anything could have told me that Dante didn't like Anton, then the forced smile on his lips definitely did.Despite this, they gave each other a bro-hug."Man, you have been missing. Office duties?" Anton asked again."Yes, Anton. I have been very busy in the office managing a lot of things," Dante replied.If they were talking about the "office," it probably meant Anton didn't know Dante's true identity. Or maybe he thought I didn't know. Well, it was up to them.While I stood there, all I could feel were my nerves coiling at the thought of what Dante had in mind for me. Damn Luca—why hadn't he told me Dante had left the house? Or maybe Dante had caught on to us earlier than I thought, and there was really nothing we could do to escape it.The men kept discussing for a while as if I didn't exist, and I took that as my perfect opportunity to disappear. Slowly, I slipped down the hallway, moving silently like a pro.I was about two doors away from them when Dante, even w
Chapter 70Alora's POVI was doing it.I was succeeding.I had actually escaped the tight confines of the mafia mansion. My legs were hitting the pavement hard as I tried to get away.Nobody was chasing me. Yet.But even as I ran, I felt like someone was about to pounce on me and take me back to the mansion. The look of disappointment and rage on Dante's face propelled my legs forward until I finally spotted a cab.Hailing it, I told the driver to follow Vittoria to the place she had just gone to. The device in my hand was indicating not only her journey but the time it would take for me to meet her.“Right here, sir. Thank you very much,” I said, handing the driver his money. Yes, this time I brought money with me.Although I was doing something risky by being here, a thrill was coursing through me. For the first time in a long time, I felt alive. The desire to explore the city hit so hard that I almost forgot my mission—follow Vittoria, record her, and send it to Luca.I didn't know
Alora's POVI walked into the mansion on trembling feet, relieved that I had managed to fool Vittoria into thinking I was fine.Then again, I doubted she would have noticed anything was wrong. Her attention had been glued to her phone from the moment she saw me until we got into the cars and left the mall.Enough about Vittoria—the real issue was, how did he keep finding me?I checked my hands and neck, searching for any bracelet or jewelry that could have a tracker, but there was nothing. I would have to ask Gianni or Luca about the different ways the Mafia tracked people so easily.Unless… he wasn’t tracking me through something on my body at all.Which could only mean one thing—one of Dante’s men was working with my father.That possibility made too much sense. My father had been finding me at the most unexpected times, even knowing about my private date with Dante in the garden of his mansion. Something was definitely off, and we needed to get to the bottom of it.But now, he had
Dante's POVVittoria was a nervous wreck.Vittoria trembled.For the first time since I had become Don years ago and appointed her as Underboss, Vittoria trembled.It wasn’t something to take lightly because she was my Underboss—the person in whose hands I had placed my mafia.So what exactly was wrong with her? Why was she acting so off? Doing things she had never done before… going out at odd hours?I didn’t want to have her tailed. No.Loyalty was a very important aspect of trust and belief in my mafia. None of the top people were ever to be suspected.These were my family.But at this point, it seemed like I was going to have to go back on my word and send my men to find out what had Vittoria so occupied—occupied enough to be nervous when I called her to ask why she hadn’t been around much.The knock on my door pulled me from my thoughts. I had been tapping my pen incessantly on my desk, my mind struggling to piece together what Vittoria was up to.“Hey.”Luca’s head popped in. “A
Alora's POVDante is onto me. My dad is onto me. It seems like the whole world is onto me at this point.What the hell am I supposed to do?Maybe I can find someone to confide in. Yes, that’s what I have to do, I thought to myself as I paced up and down in a room in the medical bay. The nurses were in the other area.They had asked me why I was here when I clearly wasn't working much anymore—thanks to Dante. I told them I needed to practice something small and for them to give me privacy, which they had done, thankfully. I wouldn’t want anyone to see me in this state.I thought I’d been masking it quite well—the fear in my eyes. But it seems like Dante noticed.What the hell? Just how does he notice everything about me?I didn’t want him to know. Dad said not to make anyone suspect.No. I was not obeying my dad. I was just scared of what the outcome would be. His words still rang in my head even today."You are going to act like my beautiful little spy in that mansion. Get me all the
Dante's POV"Where is Vittoria?" I asked two men who were in the gym. Normally, this was her gym time, as she didn’t train with everyone else."No idea, boss.""We don’t know, Don," they responded.This was the fifth time I had looked for her in the mansion. What is going on? Her movements had just been… weird and too frequent.The Vittoria I knew only went out when there was a mission. She didn’t even have much of a social life, had no female friends, or anyone she would want to hang out with. I know her first female friend is Alora, which is why she values their friendship so much.Maybe I could ask Alora about Vittoria? Girls gossip, right… so she’d know something.Who am I kidding? Both of them are the same. Ever since we came back from the date, Alora has been avoiding me. Now, I had taken it to heart. It is definitely my fault.What could I have said during the date that would make her so worried and scared of me? Damn it, I knew it. I shouldn’t have spoken so much. Now, I have
Alora's POVDespite all the pacing I had been doing up and down in my room, I still hadn't calmed down. The time was ticking by, and she was nowhere to be seen. I wonder what could be delaying her arrival.I don't know what’s wrong with this girl. She just seems a bit off these days. But that is beside the point now. I need to focus on this emergency, and then I was going to ask her what exactly had her so occupied that I barely saw her, even though we basically lived rooms apart from each other.Finally, after another excruciatingly long wait, I heard a knock on my door before she pushed it open, strolled into my room, and slumped down on the bed like she owned the place."Who dares summon her royal highness? How mayest I be of help to you low—""Vittoria, this is not the time for jokes, okay? We need to do something now.""Oh, Alora, I'm tired. I didn't sleep last night. I was out the whole time.""That is none of my business, Vittoria, okay? Get up. You need to help me out here. Co
Alora's POVMy laughter slowly died when I noticed that Dante was glaring at me. I scooted closer to Gianni, who wass justl staring at our exchange as though he was in the most boring moment of his life. How can this kid put on such a brave facade at such a tense moment when the Mafia Don's icy eyes are digging our graves already"Alora, for the last time, I'll ask-""Brother, I went out with Alora. You should also ask me where we were, right?" Gianni cut in, making my eyes widen.Is he having a death wish?"Gianni, stop!" I exclaimed, horrified at his nonchalance.But he just turned to me and rolled his eyes."I'll tell you where we were," he said to dabte, and my heart started thuddingng.Oh, shit. I just hope he doesn't throw me under the bus. We made an agreement That if I took him out, he was going to keep my own secret."Yes, I took him out. We went to see Cherry," . "I haven't seen her in a long time.abd I promised I'll pass by today," Gianni saids, confirming my words.Dante