Alora's POV I really needed to sell Vittoria and get a puppy. She was just like Luciano–so infuriating that it was hard for me to keep up with him growing up, like the annoying sibling you really loved but wished sometimes they could get hit in the face with a baseball. How could she tell him? Although not detailed, she hinted! Dante’s smirking face was staring down at me. When I looked up, he chuckled, placed a kiss on my nose, and lifted me up. I squealed and, out of instinct, wrapped my legs around his waist. A few seconds later, I was in the air, and in the blink of an eye, I hit the soft mattress beneath me. “It’s late, and you’ve had a very busy day. Go to bed now, Alora.” It was barely a minute to midnight, and he was trying to coax me into sleeping. I hadn’t even told him happy birthday yet. So I remained still, watching him while waiting impatiently for the next fourteen seconds. “I’m serious, Alora. Go to bed n—” “Happy birthday, Dante. I wish you the best in this l
Dante's POV What in the actual hell am I staring at right now? Alora stood before me, a cute pout on her lips, her hands on her waist, causing my shirt–which I didn’t even know she had–to ride up to her mid-thigh. I guess someone really could die on his birthday because, staring at her, with a lump in my throat, I felt like life would slowly slip away before I even noticed. “Dante, I was asking why you're still awake. You know sleep is good for the body. I know you. You'll only sleep for two hours after—” I blocked out her words, unintentionally though. My eyes had a mind of their own, drifting down toward those creamy legs standing straight before my face. My hand tightened around my laptop so hard I knew I was likely going to ruin a few buttons. Meeting long forgotten, I slammed the damn thing shut and walked to lock my door. But as I opened it to check the corridor, my eyes locked onto two guards standing on either side of the wall, a few feet apart. For Vittoria’s and Alo
Alora's POVI woke up at eleven a.m. I blame Dante's comfy bed. Definitely not the man who had caused me to sleep in. Nope, he had nothing to do with my sleep. It was just that his bed was softer than mine. Yeah, that was the reason why I woke up so late. That could be the only reason.'Alora, all the beds are basically the same,' a voice in my head taunted.I shook my head to get rid of it and its truthful words.I turned to the men who were carrying some decorations. The sight was almost hilarious. The mafia men had turned into my errand guys. Haha."Oh, come on! That’s not how you hang it! You’ve put it all upside down. We need to start arranging it all over again," I scolded one of them, placing my hands on my waist.He shrugged and looked away from it. "Come arrange it then."I frowned, glaring at him. "How do you expect me to reach up there? I’m not a mountain. You are."He still didn’t continue doing it, so I had to step in, grumbling all the way. "I don’t even know who sent m
Alora's POVTwo weeks later, and the cake incident still hadn't died down. I noticed the men sharing laughs when I walked past. Of course, I laughed along. It had become a kind of bonding between us.I had made the mistake myself because the salt and sugar bottles were almost the same. Even though they were clearly labeled salt and sugar, in my haste, I had poured in double the salt and no sugar.Dante, who had been determined to eat it—not wanting to hurt my feelings—pretended like it was okay and silently sent a command for all his men to do the same.But these men were Italian, and being used to good cuisine, they couldn't bring themselves to keep eating terrible food. So that was how I caught on to it quite fast.Vittoria told me that if she had been in the room at that time, she would have spat it out in my face without listening to Dante’s orders because she hates and detests bad food.Gianni too.I got angry with Dante, but also found his actions really adorable. He was willing
Dante's POVCarlos was really asking for it. He knew very well what it would do to me to see him with Alora or Vittoria, and yet he went close to them. Then smirked like he had won when I came, when I found him.The only thing that stopped me from putting a bullet through his head that day was Alora. But the next time, even if it's in front of Vittoria, I don’t care if she’s going to cry that her mother will be sad. I am going to kill the man.I hate being powerless. It's not me. As Don, I should always have control over situations, but these days, everything seems to be slipping through my fingers.Perhaps I need to change my way of doing things. I need to find another path to follow.Before we could even start training, news came that some men had been injured in a mission, so her services were needed in the medical bay.I spent the rest of the day in my office, drowning my head in work. There was just so much sabotage going on. Bianca's father had taken the war to my legal front, t
Dante's POV"D-Dad, y-you are alive...?" I stuttered, disbelief etched on my face."Yes, son, I am alive," he said in a calm tone, sipping wine from a glass.He was acting like the revelation he just made wasn’t something big. Like he was telling me about his next business project. Not about him being alive after... no."No, you can’t be alive. You died six years ago. You were killed on a mission—I saw you. Your burnt body..."Oh. Could it be it wasn’t him...?"Good. I see the puzzle fitting into place. Yes, son, my burnt body—but not me. I didn’t die in that mission. I’ve been alive since then.""Then why didn’t you tell me? Do you know how worried I’ve been? For goodness’ sake, Dad, Gianni had to grow—""Calm down, son. Everything is going to be fine, alright? I don’t have time for chit-chat right now. I called because of something very urgent."My mind was a mess, thoughts clashing against each other. I nodded for him to continue.It was hard to believe that this was my father, the
Alora's POVI had just finished routine checks on the injured men as per the doctor's orders and was about to leave the medical bay when I bumped into Dante."Hey, Dante, they're resting now, so you might have to—"I didn't complete my sentence as he seized my wrist, pulling me along with him."Dante, what the hell do you think you’re doing? Let me go!"Could it be he had a surprise for me? I wondered, but on getting a closer look at him, I noticed he was enraged, and his grip on my hand was so tight that I winced."Dante, is everything okay?" My voice calmed to a low whisper, my mind spinning."Will you shut up?" he growled, making me flinch and stagger back. If not for his grip on my hand, I'd have hit the floor.What was happening? Had I done something? No… I believed it was nothing, right? Maybe he was just in a bad mood.Deciding to keep quiet and not anger him further—since I didn’t even know the cause—I let him pull me along.We reached the living room, and he shoved me hard. I
Alora's POVI didn’t spend up to five minutes in the dungeon, or at least it felt like just a few seconds before there came a jingling at the door and Vittoria walked in. Great, just the person I needed."Alora, it's okay, you can come out now," she said.I hesitated, seeing that we could best discuss everything in here."Vittoria, can we please talk?""Alora, we can talk in your room. Come on, let's go."She chuckled, but I shook my head. "No, it's private."Her face grew serious as she saw mine."Vittoria, I want you to understand that this doesn’t mean anything, okay? Luciano and I are still your allies."Her brows creased together. "What do you mean, Alora? Is Dante right? Are you the one selling the information?" she whispered. "If you are, tell me, and I’ll look for ways to hide you.""No, no. I think there’s someone here who is working for an enemy.""Oh, hello. No shit, Sherloc
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