Lorenzo's POV“Really?”Even though she was drunk, she could still think sanely.“Yes, Nadia,” I said, tugging at my tie as it came loose.I could feel Talia's eyes on me, and it made me smile. I was going to show her what she was missing out on.I turned my attention back to Nadia and cupped her ass as she straddled me. Low grunts and moans escaped our mouths as we both kissed passionately.I pulled away from her and looked up to meet Talia's burning eyes on me. It was time to put on a show for her, I had her attention now.I kissed Nadia hard and long before taking off her dress, leaving her in just a black-laced thong.Her hands moved over my body as she hurriedly undid the buttons on my shirt."I need you to make me scream now, Lorenzo…" she managed to let out some words."That's my girl." I smiled and shrugged off my shirt before reaching into my pockets to pull out a condom, ripping it open with his teeth.Nadia's focus was on me and she trailed her fingers down my perfectly chi
Lorenzo's POVI made my way toward my office when one of my guards walked up to me.“Is there a problem?” I snapped, feeling frustrated after everything I've had to endure after the failed meetings with potential investors earlier today.“We finally managed to capture him.” The guard said with a stern expression on his face.“About time!” I nodded, heaving a sigh of relief as I made my way down to the basement where the man would be held.I've been trying to capture him for the past few days but he'd proven to be elusive until now. I licked at my lips at the prospect of unleashing my fury on one of the most wanted men on my list.The lights turned on as I walked in through the door, there was a man in the middle of the room, mid-fifties at first guess, slightly overweight, tied to a chair. He looked pretty beaten up but it was only understandable as a result of the stress he'd put my men through. He was snoring lightly and I figured out that he was drunk.“Wake the hell up!” I slapped
Talia’s POVTrue to Don Lorenzo’s words, I was kept here in this room for such a long time that I couldn’t count how many days had passed since I last stepped out. I’d earlier thought he’d be willing to forgive me and maintain our somewhat cordial relationship but the past few days have shown that he was a cold-hearted man. My eyes brimmed with tears for the umpteenth time and I wiped them away. I was tired of crying because it wasn’t going to change anything—nothing would except I would be successful in my attempts to request an audience with Don Lorenzo. I heard the door unlock and I bolted out of bed immediately. It was the same guard I’d been seeing since I was locked up. He never said a word to me and his movements were robotic. He placed the tray on the table and turned to leave without sparing me a glance. “I’m sorry but have you told Don Lorenzo that I’d like to speak to him for a minute?” I asked in a pleading voice. The man simply stared at me before he walked out of th
Talia’s POVI was expected to put on a show, it was expected, and I had to live up to the hype. As soon as my alarm went off, I practically jumped out of the chair and headed straight for the bathroom to relieve myself. We were going to leave in a few minutes, and the first impression mattered a lot; Ludovic had instilled that in me from my time working under him. Within the next minute, I went downstairs to find Lorenzo outside the front door, waiting for me. The engine was already running, and everything had been prepared for our departure. “You’re all so eager to leave,” I said under my breath as I approached the front door. “Punctuality is the key word here,” Lorenzo replied, motioning to the guards standing around to start moving. We’ll be having lunch at their mansion while we discuss our terms and reasons for coming to their home. I’ll hand you a file on our way out.” I nodded and entered the limousine, with Lorenzo following suit. Within a minute, we were pulling out of
Talia’s POVLorenzo had masterfully gotten out of Marissa’s clutches when she attempted to bombard him with questions about what kind of relationship we had together and I’d been left to face it all. "Talia!" I suddenly heard my name in an echo and I was slowly pulled out of my reverie."Talia" I looked up to see Marissa towering over me, her concerned eyes scanning all over my face. ''Good evening, Marissa. When did you get here?" I asked in a low mutter."What do you mean when did I get here? I've been here since last night!" Marissa said, her face pulling into a frown.Shit. I’d forgotten that after we spent the whole night talking about everything and nothing in particular over a few bottles of red wine, she decided to pass the night in her designated bedroom here at the mansion instead of going home. "Oh, yeah, you're right. You’ve been here since last night, I'm sorry, I was …..lost in thoughts." I responded, pushing off the seat and going to my bed where I pulled the covers
Talia’s POV“If that’s the case, I hope you can see what I see you in as well. You can do better than Carter. I know it.”I said like I was some kind of relationship expert. For what it was worth, I’d always been like that, never one to shy away from speaking my mind and calling it as it is. Having conversations with me was never always soothing and I found myself talking and Marissa was opening up to me more, it felt surreal. “She’s a real bitch.” Marissa agreed with me. "I know you loved him and you thought your love was enough for him, for the both of you but it’s time to move on now. Don’t you think so?” I said, hoping she’d listen to me this time. "I know you’re right and I need to move on. And with that said, this is why we need to go out tonight! To free our minds from men and their problems. He doesn't deserve my tears and I need to show him that." She said with a big smile spreading on her face as she turned to look at me. "I don't think I wanna do that, I mean….. I cou
Talia’s POVWe entered the club using our VIP access card and it was already filled with people on a Thursday night, I couldn’t believe her eyes. Do people have nothing else to do with their lives other than party it away all day long?It was one of those things I could never wrap my head around. I’d never been in a club as big as this on a weekday and it was probably one of the rich people's acts that I’d never understand until I spent considerable time around them but I wasn’t sure this was going to be my lifestyle or if Lorenzo would ever permit it. Dim lights and loud music filled the atmosphere and I could feel people's lingering stares at me, Marissa and Jasmine making me feel awkward even though I didn’t know if they were good or bad. All that I knew was that their eyes were on us and it was making me feel uncomfortable. I glanced at Lorenzo but he didn’t seem fazed about the attention. He’d been getting them since he was a child. He signaled to Matteo and after whispering a
Talia’s POVThe angry look was replaced with a charming smirk and for a brief moment, I could’ve sworn that I saw Lorenzo smile but that wasn’t the most shocking part.I heard Lorenzo call John’s name. I’d never talked to him about John and I was sure as hell aware of the fact that John knew nothing about mafias let alone being on a first-name basis with someone like Lorenzo. There was something bigger at play and I had to figure it out. “Don Lorenzo, it’s a—““What are you doing out here, Talia?” Lorenzo rudely cut him short as he addressed me. I stood there staring at him, at a loss for words. I had downed three shots of vodka contrary to my earlier decision to take just one, and I was starting to feel tipsy. “Well, I…” I began before trailing off. “What did you do to her, John?” Lorenzo asked, his eyes blazing with fury as he stared at John. “I don’t know what business you have with Talia but she’s my girlfriend and you need to stay away,” John said. “You think you can addr
Talia’s POV“I’m trying to save you, Talia! Why can't you believe that?” I said, raising my voice. “When I wanted you to do that several months ago, you discarded me to the side despite everything I did to make up for what happened!” Talia yelled back. “I couldn’t forgive you then, Talia. It was a different story back then.” “Oh, yeah? So what has magically changed since then? The old you I know wouldn’t give a fuck about what happens to me.” Talia argued. “Everything has changed, Talia,” I said in a clipped tone. “You’re driving me crazy, Lorenzo!” Talia yelled, pulling at her hair. “Why are you acting like you want me when your body language is saying something entirely different? I’m tired of playing these games with you, you’re messing with my emotions.”“And you think you’re not doing the same thing to me, Talia? I can’t go a day without thinking about you and that’s why I’m here and not buried in the mountain of work I have on my desk!” “You don’t love me, Lorenzo. You don
Lorenzo’s POV“Did he talk to you about the prenup?” Talia asked excitedly. “Is that why you’ve been wound up since you arrived here, you think it’s too early, isn’t it? Well, I’m not going to—““There’s no prenup, Talia.” I cut in, pouring the contents of his glass cup down my throat, welcoming the burning feeling as he tried to douse my rising anger. I was starting to drink a lot these days and it wasn’t wasn’t a good thing. For the past month, I've constantly deluded myself that Talia was going to be better off without me and that Asher was going to be the one for her, the answer to all of her relationship and love issues if she gave him the chance.I put her in this position and right now, I was disgusted with myself above anything else. “What are you talking about, Lorenzo?” Talia was confused now. “What do you mean by there’s no prenup? I just saw it in his room a couple of hours ago.”“You saw a draft with no name, placed carelessly by Asher of all people, you haven’t figure
Lorenzo’s POVI climbed up the stairs and knocked twice on the door, waiting for Talia to open. A couple of minutes later, she was standing in front of the door, glaring at me. “What do you want this time, Lorenzo?” “Can you give me five minutes of your time and then I'll leave?” I asked. “Lorenzo, I don’t—““Just five minutes. I know Asher isn’t home and I intend to leave before he’s back.”She stared at me for a moment before pushing the door open and inviting me in. “Tell me something, Talia. How has this been for you?” I asked as soon as we sat down. “What are you talking about?” Talia asked. “You mean being with Asher?”“Yes, that’s what I meant,” I confirmed. “Has there been any need for worry at any point in time?”“Asher has been good to me, Lorenzo.” Talia began. “He’s treated me and spoiled me better than I could imagine. I won’t lie to you, Lorenzo. I’ve been waiting for him to make a mistake or step out of line so I can hold it against him and put him in the same cat
Lorenzo’s POVI was struggling to keep my temper in check as I stormed out of the golf clubhouse while trying to maintain a calm demeanor on the outside before someone figured something had gone wrong and started trying to rile me further by asking questions. In the end, I wasn’t paranoid and I hadn’t been sounding like a lunatic. I knew something wasn’t right from the first time I saw Asher and Talia together after Marissa confirmed to me that they were involved and trying to sort their feet in their budding relationship. I knew men like Asher. I’ve always known men like Asher. They were everywhere, in the mafia, in the corporate world, in politics, everywhere and they all treated women that had no class in the same way. They see them like a piece of clothing that catches their fancy for a limited period of time and then, they discard them when they get tired.I know this because I was once like them and I once treated Talia like this and I couldn’t stand to see her go through the
Lorenzo’s POV “I’ve been looking for a chance to get away from this group of people I’m with and you might just be my saving grace,” Asher replied.He didn’t quite give me an answer and I didn’t quite understand if he was going to indulge me or not. “Do you mean that as a yes?” I asked, wanting to be certain about what I was going into. “Yes, Lorenzo,” Asher confirmed. “We can talk about whatever it is you want to talk about.”“Is there a private space around here?” I asked, looking around as I tried to pick out a spot far away from people’s hearing. I didn’t want anyone interfering in my private matters or better still, Talia’s private matters with Asher. This was a lot easier than I thought it would and it was starting along nicely. “Yes, there’s a spot behind that tent. It’s restricted and it’s the best place we can talk around here,” Asher pointed out. “You’re sure people won’t listen in on our conversations, Asher?” I asked. “I’ll secure the area. I don’t need people liste
Lorenzo’s POVIt didn’t take long after that for me to find Asher with the steward’s help. I didn’t particularly have a plan on how I was going to approach the subject so I decided that I would go with whatever my guts say. That was the best plan I could come up with and I was going to stick with it. It was unlike me to confront any situation without having a solid plan but this was one of those rare moments where I had to make the best of what I was given. But I wasn’t given anything or rather, I came unprepared. I was merely facing things head on without giving a second thought to if it would end well or not. Marissa had said that I was in need of an adventure and that was why I was here. Deep down, I knew what she wanted to say and it wasn’t this. A large part of me didn’t want to admit it but I cared about Talia, I always have, more than I was ever willing to admit.One of the perks of being bigger than everyone in here was that it was pretty easy for you to stand out from e
“You should’ve considered a career as an investigative journalist, Marissa.” I frowned over the phone. She took after our mother in that aspect. They always had an answer for everything whether right or wrong and she was proving it here. “Maybe I just might, if I ever get bored of working for you at any point.”“If I remember correctly, you said you wanted me to turn your temporary post into a permanent one and I did just that. Are you bored already?”“No, I love my job. I just said it for the dramatic effect it would give and I guess it worked.”“You’re crazy.” “That’s a story for another day. But seriously, where would you go when you leave Paris? I don’t need you back here if your head isn’t in the game so go somewhere else. Probably not Greece, you’ve always had a disdain towards the people there.”“I was thinking about going to Zanzibar this time around but I don’t know. Maybe I just might change my mind when the time comes.”“Somewhere new wouldn’t hurt, you know? You need to
Lorenzo’s POVEverything had gone as smoothly as I could’ve wanted it to be.I’ve been watching Talia and Asher for several days before I decided to meet her in person and from what I had observed she was very happy. I couldn’t have been more impressed with how I had handled everything concerning this situation but I still had one more case for worry. No matter how hard I had tried to disregard the warning signs I couldn’t bring myself to. Naturally, I shouldn’t be here. I was supposed to be back in New York, behind my mahogany table discussing with a number of prospective clients or trying to close a couple of deals that have been pending on my desk for the past week but here I was, trying to play the knight in shining armor. Ever since I pardoned Talia and allowed her to be Marissa's mentee, we’ve barely talked except for a handful of occasions where we had to act courteous towards each other. Marissa had tried and failed to set us up as a couple until she decided she would let
Talia’s POV“Asher’s right, Talia,” Lucas began, seated behind the mahogany table in the private study, his eyes glued to the computer screen in front of him. “The honeymoon period is over. We need to get to work before we get caught flat-footed once again.”I sat with my mouth closed. I was unsure of what to say as I had zero clue about what they were talking about but it sounded serious.Lucas was Asher’s best friend and he was also the co-managing Director of the company I worked for. He was rarely around, he preferred to handle the businesses that needed their attention around the world while Asher focused on steadying the ship from the headquarters. I had a cordial relationship with Lucas and we barely spoke to each other except on rare occasions like this. Asher was talking to a couple of investors on the screen in front of him while I waited for him to finish. He had suddenly lost interest in the conversation midway. He often did that a lot and I wondered how short his attent