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
Dante's POV I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, glancing briefly at Marco, who was seated across from me. There was something off about all that had been happening these days, something I couldn’t put my finger on. I felt restless and uneasy, especially as I couldn't figure out anything. What was wrong with Alora? I couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible had happened. "Luca, what happened to Alora?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm, although my heart was thumping wildly in my chest. He sighed heavily, as though he could sense my impatience. "Listen, I know what you're thinking. But you’ve got to understand me. I was only going to see how she was doing." A frown crept its way to my face. "Luca, didn’t I say you shouldn't go to Alora's room? Why don't you ever listen?" "I know you said to stay away from her, but you can’t blame me for wanting to check on her. She’s my friend, Dante," he emphasized. I sighed, pinching the tip of my nose. "Just get to the poi
Alora's POVThe ease with which I had left Dante's mansion surprised me. But that is what happens when the person who is basically about to kidnap you gives you all the directions to follow. I had taken turn after turn, as he had directed me, telling me where to avoid going and which paths to take.He must have planted cameras everywhere, enough to tell me how to escape. I had copied all his instructions on a piece of paper, including what I was to do if someone started following me.When I got out, there was a black car waiting. A big, burly man stepped out and gestured for me to get inside.I climbed into the car, trying to ask questions, but the man didn’t answer any of them. He just drove, ignoring me entirely.We finally arrived at what looked like an abandoned warehouse. The place was eerie, and I almost thought of running away, but I reminded myself that I was doing this for Gianni's sake.Now, here I was, tied to a chair. They had thrown me in and tied me up without a word. Th
Alora's POVMy mind was racing with questions—questions I didn’t know if I was ready to get the answers for.“Gianni?” I asked finally, after a long ten seconds of silence. “I don’t understand.”He turned to stare at me, a small smile appearing on his face. “What don’t you understand, Alora?”“Gianni, I don’t understand how you have proof against Bianca. Isn’t that... like, what proof do you have?” I asked, my confusion evident.“Well, it’s a long story,” he replied. “But I have proof, okay? And I think if Uncle Luca is as wise as he claims, he should have noticed it somewhere in the house by now. I kept it in his room so it would be safer there. Since he and Bianca hate each other’s guts, there’s no way she can get into his room.”My eyes widened. “Wait, you mean you really do have proof?”“Yes, I do have proof, Alora. Trust me, in less than no time, Bianca will be out of Dante’s—and our—lives for good. Then you and Dante can start your lovey-dovey acts.”“Gianni!” I shouted, making
Dante's POV"And are you sure they’ll be in this building?""Yes, this is the one," Marco replied, his tone firm. "If the picture sent to Alora was real, then we know who has her. And we know what they’re capable of. Fortunately, we’ve destroyed most of their hideouts, leaving only a few behind. They probably don’t even realize we know about this one, which makes it their most secure location for now.""Perfect," I muttered, studying the map in front of us. "We’ll attack from here, push through to this side, and surround these areas. Once we do, we’ll find them, explode the area, and get out. Let’s move!"As Marco, Vittoria, and I prepared for the mission, the door suddenly burst open, slamming hard against the wall. Luca’s panicked face appeared in the doorway."Dante, you have to see this.""What now, Luca?" I barked. "We’re about to move out and get Alora and Gianni back. I don’t have time for any of your nonsense.""Please, Dante," he insisted, stepping closer. "You really need to
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