Alora's POV
The tension in the air was thick as everyone awaited Dante's response to Bianca's request. Hell no, this girl gave me bad vibes, and I definitely would not like to live with her in the same house. Just looking at her gave me a bad feeling that things would not be easy. As I glanced at Dante, I prayed in my heart for him to say no. Please, Dante, say no. Don't say yes. Dante sighed, running a hand through his thick locks of hair, making some strands fall on his face. I almost wanted to help him push them back into place. "Bianca, baby, I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay here, okay? You know your dad and how protective he is. He isn't going to be happy about this," he said, his tone calm. Bianca crossed her arms defiantly. "I am my own woman, Dante. I can take care of myself. Forget about my father—I’ll explain to him, and he will understand." Dante seemed lost in thought, the silence stretching on for a few excruciating seconds. Then he finally spoke. "No, Bianca, you will not move in here. I do not want this to happen." At his words, both Gianni's and my eyes lit up with happiness, while Bianca's face fell. Aw, sorry, poor girl. I snickered quietly, earning a glare from her. "But..." Dante suddenly continued. Gianni and I exchanged a panicked look. Why was he saying "but"? Was there something else he wanted to tell her? "Bianca, you will not move in here permanently," Dante said, his voice steady. "But you are going to stay for a few weeks, just until Gianni is fine." Gianni's eyes widened in shock. "What? But, Brother, I am—" Dante held up his hand, cutting him off. "You will not argue with me on this, Gianni. Alora is a nurse, but I want a doctor to be around as well. It isn't safe for us to be taking you out to the hospital constantly, so it will be easier if Bianca is here." His tone brooked no argument. Then he glanced at Gianni. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things to do. Gianni, you want to come with me now? I need to show you something." Gianni sighed and stomped off in the opposite direction from where Dante was headed. Dante watched him for a moment, running his hand through his hair again with another sigh, then turned his attention to Bianca and me. "You guys want to head inside now? It's getting chilly out here." I was just about to go in when Bianca piped up, "Dante, we’ll come in soon, but I’d like to have a word with Alora first. You know, get to know her since we’re working together." She had a sugary tone that made a chill run down my spine. I definitely didn't want to stay out here with her, but as I tried to walk past, she grabbed my wrist, halting my movement. Placing a forced smile on my face, I told Dante, "I'll be in soon." This girl better pray I don’t slap the hell out of her for holding me like this. She's stepped on my toes a lot today. Dante looked between us, raising a brow, then shook his head and walked inside. The moment he was gone, Bianca's grip tightened as she leaned closer. "You would do very well to know your place, Alora, because I will not hesitate to show you." I let out a chuckle, unfazed by her attempt to intimidate me. It felt like a puppy barking at a tiger. "Oh, my place? Sure. Maybe you can let go of my hand first, so I can get inside and do what I need to do. I need to rest. It's been a long day." She rolled her eyes, her expression turning colder. "You think I’m joking, huh? You really think I’m joking?" The anger in her eyes flared, and she yanked me closer, running her manicured fingers along my chin before gripping it tightly. Was she trying to scare me? Because it wasn’t working. I stared back at her with a calmness that only seemed to rile her up more. "You would do well to respect me," she hissed. "You don’t know who my father is. You don’t know what Dante could do to you... or what I could do to you." Her words dripped with menace as she stepped back, giving me a final scrutinizing look from head to toe. Her lips twisted into a mocking smile before she turned and sauntered off, clearly satisfied with her little performance. I clenched my fists at my sides, resisting the urge to chase after her and slam her head into the wall. But I wasn’t here to pick fights with petty, insecure girls. I was here for my safety, and once everything was settled, I would go back to my life. With that, I headed in the direction Gianni had gone. I needed to find my one friend here and spend some time with him. --- Gianni and I were playing video games, and I was finding it difficult to keep my eyes open. But then again, a little extra time with the kid who didn’t seem to want to sleep wasn’t going to kill me. I was used to sleepless nights as a nurse, especially during those hectic hospital shifts when I had to work for days on end without rest. “So, Alora, do you have a boyfriend?” Gianni asked suddenly, making me almost choke on my spit. I glanced over at the seven-year-old with wide eyes. “Huh?” I sputtered. "What kind of question is that, Gianni?" He grinned mischievously, wiggling his eyebrows. “You don't? So, I have a chance, huh?” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Where do you even know about girlfriends?” He shot me a smug look. “Oh, don’t worry. My brother and I will be fighting over you soon.” My mouth fell open. “What in the world did you just say?” His brother? Before I could respond further, a squeaky voice cut in. “Gianni, I brought you something to eat!” I rolled my eyes. The devil had appeared. I turned to see Bianca standing there, a tray in her hands, while Gianni looked at her with an amused expression. “Oh, I’m not hungry, Bianca,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “And by the way, aren’t you supposed to be a doctor? Feeding your patient at...” he checked the clock on the wall, “1:36 a.m.? Seriously? You should be encouraging me to sleep.” Bianca’s expression tightened. “Well, yes, but Alora wasn’t doing that either,” she said, her tone turning snide. “And she’s just a nurse. That’s her low-level duty. So eat something and then go to sleep.” I clenched my jaw, biting back a retort. “Gianni, would you like to go to bed now?” I asked, my voice steady. “Of course, Alora." He dashed past Bianca without another glance and turned to me, saying, “Alora, please come and put me to bed, will you?” I shot Bianca a wide grin as I walked by, bumping her shoulder lightly in the process. She glared at me, but I just smirked back as I followed Gianni to his room. As I was heading back to my room, Bianca suddenly appeared out of nowhere, blocking my path. Oh wow! Here we go again. “What now?” I sighed, preparing myself for another round of her drama. Thankfully, she wasn't able to say a word because the door suddenly slammed open, hitting loudly against the wall as numerous men with guns and black suits rushed in. Out of instinct, I nearly ran out before remembering that I am in the Mafia headquarters and this is probably something normal. I looked towards Bianca, and she just rolled her eyes as she looked at them. But then, her eyes widened, and so did mine, when I turned and saw who the men were carrying. Oh my god, Dante has been shot.Hello dear reader. I am delighted to have you reading my book. Please enjoy the ride because it isn't an easy one. I appreciate comments and feedback too. Thank you 🙏🏿
Alora's POVFor a moment, everything froze around me as I watched Dante's bloody body being carried in, looking nearly lifeless. His skin was pale, and the sight of him in such a state sent a chill through me. I almost thought he was gone, but then I noticed the rapid rise and fall of his chest—a faint sign of life.Suddenly, Bianca's voice pierced the atmosphere. "Oh my God, baby!" she screamed, rushing forward, her shoulder almost knocking me off balance as she shoved past. "Alora, what are you doing? Move!" Her urgency snapped me out of my daze.We scrambled into the medical bay where we had treated Gianni earlier. The room filled with the scent of antiseptic, and the metallic clatter of instruments being set up echoed around us. Bianca surprised me with her speed and precision. She was clearly skilled, though it was easy to forget that when I was used to her prickly attitude. If she wasn't so annoying, I might have even respected how quickly and smoothly she moved.When Dante was
Alora's POVI had had enough of Bianca threatening me like she was some queen. I was my own person, and she had no right to talk to me like I stole her treasure. I walked into my room and slammed the door hard behind me.Just as I headed to the bed to rest and think about what Dante had said during breakfast, a knock sounded on the door. I groaned, covering my ears with the pillow, but the knock didn't stop. I sluggishly walked to the door. “Gianni, I swear if you don't–”Luca's smiling face greeted me from outside. Oh, it's not Gianni, then. “Hello, Alora. Can I ask you something?”“Uhh, sure,” I replied, staring at him skeptically. What exactly does he want to ask me? My heart thudded with anxiety.“Would you like to go out with me this afternoon? Just for a stroll in the garden. I want us to be friends, if you wish.”I furrowed my brows. Friends? Okay then. “Okay… but let me get a scarf. It's really cold outside.”“Sure, go right ahead. I'll be waiting for you in the living room,”
Alora's POV“What?” Three voices exclaimed at once—Luca, Gianni, and me.I glanced around the room, my eyes taking in the men, all staring at me with different looks on their faces. My pulse quickened. “What are you talking about?" This had to be some kind of prank, right? "Gianni, come on, you should’ve told me that the Mafia pulled these kinds of stunts on new people. This is serious! You all shouldn't mess with people's lives like this.” I laughed nervously, but my voice faltered when I realized no one else was laughing.This couldn't be real. It was a joke... right?The man carrying the item stepped forward, his expression stern as he spoke. “Boss, we found this in her room,” he said, holding up a glittering piece of jewelry. “It was hidden with her belongings in the back of the closet.” “What do you mean by saying I’m the thief?” I stammered, trying to process the words. “What are you even talking about? I haven't even seen the closet yet. I don't even have dresses yet.”Luca's
Alora's POVI sank down to the floor, crying, my head dropping as despair took hold. Who would plant such evidence against me? I hadn’t even been here for 48 hours, and things like this were already happening to me. Was this how life was going to be from now on? Maybe I should have just refused to stay here and gone out into the dangerous world outside.But deep down, I knew that wasn’t an option—I had already involved myself too deeply to try backing out now.“Alora,” Gianni’s soft voice sounded as he approached, his footsteps barely audible. “Are you okay? Oh my God, what did Dante do to you?” He knelt down beside me, his expression one of worry. “I’m going to go find him right now and give him a piece of my mind. He hurt you, didn’t he?”I wiped my eyes quickly and tried to smile. “I’m fine, Gianni. Really. You have nothing to worry about.”“Alora, you don’t have to pretend,” he insisted, his voice filled with concern. “Dante said or did something to you, didn’t he?”“Gianni, it’s
Alora's POVUnfortunately for me, Bianca began pacing, muttering under her breath, “No… they couldn’t have just left this here. I was here earlier, and this phone wasn’t here… I think someone’s here.”Feeling trapped, I looked around frantically. The restroom was my only option, but I knew it would be the first place she’d search. Left with no other choice, I took a deep breath, stepped out, and pretended I’d just come in, unaware of her presence. I “accidentally” bumped into her, letting my expression shift to surprise.“Bianca? What are you doing here? It’s late, and there aren’t any patients tonight.”She narrowed her eyes, a mocking smile playing on her lips. “Alora, I should have known. What are you doing here? Snooping around, trying to plant poison or who knows what else?”I frowned, holding my ground. “Bianca, you know I didn’t do any of that. You stole that evidence and planted it in my room.”She gasped, feigning shock. “What? How dare you accuse me of something so vile, Alo
Alora's POVDante finally freed me once we reached his office. He dropped me onto the chair, and the pain in my hand was unbearable, causing tears to stream down my face. He stood over me, frustration and confusion etched on his face."Alora, why are you doing this?" he demanded, his voice cold. "I took you in to save your life, but you’re making me rethink my decision. Please, tell me why you’re doing this.""Dante, I didn’t do anything wrong," I said, my voice trembling. "I don’t know why you keep blaming me. I’m innocent. Bianca is the one attacking me for no reason."Dante gripped his hair, then slammed his hand down on the desk, making me jump. "Alora, do you really think I’m a fool? Are you trying to make me look like the bad person here?""Dante, you’re not a bad person. You’ve helped me," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. "But you can't trust Bianca… she’s planning something terrible, not just against me but against others. Against your family."He narrowed his eyes at me,
Alora’s POV"Hand it over," Bianca said.I tightened my fist around the USB flash drive. What could be in here, and how could I get this to Dante?"Don't even think about it," she said, as if reading my thoughts. "Hand it over. Now."I turned around to face her. "Or what, Bianca? What if I don't? I could just scream Dante's name right now. And what would happen?" I said confidently, though my insides were shivering with fear, my nerves on edge at the thought that any moment she could pull the trigger, and I’d be done for."Wow, I see you've grown confident, huh? You don't want to hand it over? Fine, I'll just shoot you, and Dante will come in here. Guess what I'll tell him?" She fiddled with her hair as a smirk stretched across her face. "I'll tell him you came into my room to steal from me. By the time he gets here, that flash drive will be in my keeping. He won't even know it exists."I took a deep breath. Okay, now she sounded scary. I needed to find a way out."So this flash drive
Alora's POVThe room seemed to grow colder by the second, anticipation building with every minute that passed until Dante arrived. Though I knew it had only been five, maybe ten minutes, it felt like he arrived in the blink of an eye.“What’s going on here?” he asked sharply, his gaze landing on me, his eyes widening. “Heavens. Alora… you again? What have you done this time?”Gianni stepped forward, trying to redirect Dante’s attention from me. “Brother, it’s me.”Dante’s gaze snapped to Gianni, his expression a mixture of disbelief and anger. “What are you doing here, Gianni? I thought I told you this room is off-limits. Go play with your gaming computers. I always knew Luca was a bad influence.”At that moment, Luca entered, muttering, “What have I done now?”Dante turned to him, fuming. “Luca, you’re going to stop teaching my brother how to hack. I’ve told you this life isn’t for him—leave him out of it!”Luca raised his hands in defense. “Hey, I didn’t do anything. The kid and I w
Alora's POV I was crying again while Marco and Luciano looked at me, both panicked, a tinge of concern all over their faces. Vittoria was laughing her ass off on the couch, and Gianni still seemed unbothered, typing away on his phone while his AirPods filled his ears. Dante marched in, his face already twisted with concern and anger because he suspected what was going on. "What is it, baby?" I jumped into his arms, letting my tears soak his crisp white shirt. I felt sorry for him. He was just about to go to a gala, but at this point, I doubted he was going to go anyway. "What is it, Alora? Who? Just tell me the name." I lifted a shaky finger and pointed at both Marco and Luciano, who were shaking their heads. Once Dante’s eyes fell on them, they both pointed at each other. "It was him, not me!" "I have told you guys to stop. You're grown men, for shit's sake. You know what? You are going to get punished for this." "Wait, what? Come on, Dante, it wasn’t even that serious!" Luci
Alora's POVI still couldn't believe I had two brothers. And that Bianca was my sister. We looked nothing alike.I was chubby; she was slim. I had black hair; she had blonde. I was good. She was evil.See? Nothing alike.Marco and Luciano, too, took it upon themselves to make me miss growing up with siblings. Yep, you guessed that right—annoying me."Marco, Luciano, if you don't get out of this room, so help me God, I am going to castrate you and feed your balls to my alligator! Get out now!"Vittoria screamed, making them stop snickering and start walking toward the door with their heads bowed.Both of them had something for her—I could feel it. But she hated Luciano and tolerated Marco, according to what she had told me."Luciano, give me the brush before you leave."Marco laughed at Luciano, who pouted and brought out the comb he was hiding in his pocket. They both walked out, and I turned to Vittoria, who huffed.“These men act like children. Tell me, how are they even in the Mafi
Alora's POV"Wait, what?"The men holding Dante back stepped aside, moving backward with their heads bowed. All the men who had entered with Dad did the same, placing their guns at their sides, leaving the guests to stand up—except for a few, who I now knew were working with Dad.The elders. Not surprising."What the hell is going on? You're supposed to have them at gunpoint until I say we leave. What is happening?""What is happening is that you, Giovanni, have just been outsmarted. You thought you were the most intelligent, you thought you were the wisest, and now what? You have been reduced to nothing. Boys, you can come out now."Marco and Luciano emerged from the corner, Marco giving me a small wink and a nudge on my shoulder."I never wanted to betray you. It was all part of the plan—infiltrate him, get his men on our side, and win," he whispered to me, making me nod, though I was still dazed."Yes, sister, it was tough, but with your help, we managed to do everything as we shou
Alora's POVNo.It couldn't be.Bianca froze, same as me, and everyone else, as we watched the man I thought was my father—and whom she thought was hers—walk up to us. He had glasses on, but I knew my dad, even if I hadn't seen him for some years, thinking he was dead.His words were still ringing in my mind."One of my children."Daughters? We were his daughters? Bianca was my sister? No. I shook my head. No, it couldn't be."What the hell do you mean, Dad? What do you mean by children? Do you mean...?" Bianca trailed off, disbelief etched on her face."Of course, Bianca. You are a very intelligent girl—catch up quickly. I am your father, and I am Alora's father. Just a few years apart and two different women, and I got both of you." He explained calmly, as if discussing the weather."Wait... so, all my life, when you left saying you were going on business trips, you were with her?" Bianca cried, tears slipping from her eyes.For me, shock was all I could feel—no other emotion. He ha
Alora's POVI ran my hands over the delicate ends of the mask I was wearing. Black. Paired with a black dress, black shoes. Everything on me was black. The dress was floor-length and hugged my curves.This was never me. I don't think I had ever dressed like this before. But Vittoria said, "The sexier, the wiser." Whatever that meant.I was coming in with Luciano as his date so that no one would suspect who I really was.My black hair was covered up by a blonde wig. Everything about me had changed, and only someone who knew me extremely well would even suspect I was still the same person.Black lip gloss as well. I didn't know if I was going for a Halloween party or a masked party.This ball was by Bianca's father, Giovanni—to celebrate his daughter's engagement to the Italian mafia don. How he thought that was going to happen baffled me.Grand. Elegant. Those were the words to describe the hall. The crowds were gathered, showing off their finest. And thankfully, Vittoria's choice of m
Alora's POV"Hey, little man, don't scare us like that again," I told Gianni as soon as I sat down by his hospital bed, where he was receiving his last infusion before being discharged.All in the same house."I didn't scare you, but that scary aunt—gosh, I hate her now. She just told me she wanted to show me something, and I followed, a-and—"My heart broke alongside his voice."It's okay, it's okay, don't say any more," I whispered, trying to stop him from talking. That kind of memory should be left behind. How was it that she had planned to kill a kid? It baffled me."Are you feeling any pain? Are you strong? Do you want something? I can get anything for you."Gianni rolled his eyes. Yes, he rolled his eyes at me. Again."Come on, Alora, I'm not dying. I'm just a bit weak, but I'll sleep, and I'll get stronger when I wake up.""If you're weak again, you should eat something. Let me go get something for you, alright?""No, I won't eat now. I'll eat later. Let's just—"A knock on the
Dante's POVI strolled into the dungeon, a small smile on my face.They thought they had won. They thought we would never know. Unfortunately for them, it was too late.Luca, upon seeing me, smirked, making Carlos turn to me with a smug smile. They had been chatting as if they were in seventh heaven, not knowing what fate awaited them. Or maybe they knew, but they thought they would take my happiness away with it.Hell no."Nice to meet you again, guys. How are you coping in this beautiful place?" I asked as they dangled from the chains in the ceiling."We are enjoying it just fine, aren't we?" Carlos sneered. "Making funeral arrangements already?"They had no idea that we had caught Rosa yet, and it was going to be painfully exciting to watch them see her drown in the same way she had planned to drown Gianni. Fortunately, something had distracted her, and she left the bathroom. That was how—why—we met him still fine."Oh, no, no, no. Don't worry. There's no need for a funeral. Why sh
Alora's POVThe world was falling apart, and it was all my fault. I shouldn't have kept quiet. I should have said something. All of this would have been avoided if I hadn't been such a scaredy cat. Now lives were endangered, including Gianni's. The one person I swore to take care of.As we ran down towards Vittoria's room, as the cameras had shown us, my heart was almost beating louder than the numerous footsteps hitting hard on the floor.Since the kid hadn't placed cameras in people's rooms, well, private areas, none of us knew what we'd find there.It could be an unconscious boy. A badly beaten one or, worst-case scenario—a corpse.I would never forgive myself if he was killed because of my stupidity.My nerves spiked as we ran in. Dante kicked down the locked bathroom door and went inside. Marco held me back from following them.I was the nurse. I was the one who was supposed to go in first. I glared at him. He probably thought he was safe. Ha! There was no way I was going to keep
Dante's POVEver felt like your heart was going to be ripped out of your chest? Or that it was beating at 250 beats per minute? That was exactly how I felt as we ran down towards Gianni's room. I had been a fool.The signs were there, but I chose not to believe them. I should have been wiser. I am the Don, for goodness' sake. If anything happens to Gianni, I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself.The moment we barged into the room, it was all chaos, making my mind buzz even more. Clothes were scattered around, his gaming instruments lay on the floor, and blood—so much blood that I couldn't comprehend what my eyes were seeing.Worst of all, there was no Gianni in sight."Gianni? Gianni?"Silence.Utter silence. Except for the noise from the corridor as everyone ran around, trying to spot him or the shooters, if they were still around."Gianni!"Alora's voice was shaky. When I looked at her, my heart clenched even more at the sight of her red-rimmed eyes. Marco stood beside he