CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHTMAXIMOSeeing Aria on her knees before me was a sight I’d played out in my head a million times. Yet, all the fantasizing and daydreaming could not prepare me for the reality of what it felt like. One strap had slid down her shoulder, exposing the soft curve of her neck and collarbone. My eyes trailed to the tops of her breasts, and I clenched my jaw at her hardened nipples peeking through her thin silk dress.My eyes remained locked on hers as she slowly slid her hands over my firm thighs. She looked so sexy kneeling there in front of me, the dim light from outside illuminating her figure and the dark space that surrounded us. “This is how you plan to thank me?” I asked, somehow managing to keep my voice steady. “Don’t you like it?” She purred.Her voice was soft, sultry and a little bit throaty. And that damn accent…fuck! “I do,” I said through gritted teeth.Very, very much.A sensual smile spread across her lips as she continued stroking her hands slowly up
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINEARIASunlight streamed into the room through dark curtains, hitting my face. I winced and buried my face into the pillows.“It’s time to wake up, Aria.”I frowned at the sound of the voice. It was light and high-pitched. It wasn’t Maximo.My eyes snapped open to reveal Maria pulling the curtains open. “What are you doing?” My voice was groggy and husky from sleep. Maria turned to me, running a hand down the front of her maid uniform. “I was given specific instructions to wake you up for breakfast if you slept past 10 am,” she replied. I didn’t need to ask who gave the instructions or why. Instead, I felt a flutter in my stomach at his thoughtfulness.Maximo and thoughtful in the same sentence. Who would have thought?With a sleepy groan, I threw my legs out of bed. “What’s for breakfast?”“Whatever you want. There’s a whole banquet waiting,” Maria replied.I halted in my steps as a feeling I couldn’t describe washed over me. I felt like I was in a trance. Wee
CHAPTER THIRTYMAXIMO“I think this is the right time for you to get married, Scar.”The chatter in the room slowly died down at Uncle Roberto’s words. We were in a private room in one of my bars where I usually held meetings with the top leaders of the mafia.Every man at the table stared at me as I took one long drag of my cigar and blew the smoke out. The silence only lasted for about thirty seconds, but the tension in the air made it seem like it had stretched on for hours.“You think?” My voice sounded calm, a contrast to how I felt on the inside.“You turn thirty this year. You are the Don of our mafia. To solidify your position, you have to get married,” he said.If my eyes could kill, he would have dropped dead the minute he opened his mouth to speak. I assessed him, taking in his greying hair and the permanent scowl that was always etched on his face. All the members of the council feared and respected me, despite all of them, except Lorenzo, being much older. My blood carrie
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONEARIA‘Nothing has changed, Aria. Don’t let a few kisses get into your head.’A bitter scoff escaped my lips as Maximo’s words replayed in my head. What a douchebag. If nothing had changed, then why did he keep me in his room? Why did he let me sleep in his bed and take showers in his bathroom? If nothing had changed, why wasn’t I chained to the headboard and locked inside my room? Why did he carry my sleeping body from the library to his room?A mixture of anger and embarrassment washed over me anytime I remembered the way he’d taken a shower, changed and came back to the bed before drifting right into sleep beside me. I’d remained by his side, pissed, on edge and horny. My brain seemed to malfunction whenever I was close to him. I was furious, and yet I still wanted to feel his hands against my body.“Foolish girl,” I hissed at my reflection in the mirror before spitting into the sink.After rinsing my mouth, I ran my toothbrush under the sparkling tap water befo
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWOARIA“What?” I could only manage to say as he handed the bag over to me. It felt very heavy in my hands, the weight of my shock and confusing emotions dragging me down. “Yes, a ball,” Maximo exhaled, working on the cuff links on his wrist as he headed towards the door. “I have to show up with a pretty date. You’re so bored out of your mind in this house. I think it’s a win-win situation—somehow, we both get what we want.”With that, he turned on his heels and exited the room, leaving me with a pounding heart and my jaw dropped open. ‘Maximo asked me to be his date!’‘I’m going to a ball—my first ball.’‘I’m going to leave this house. My little seduction game is working. I can finally escape!’The last thought brought a chuckle of disbelief out of my lips. It turned into full-blown laughter. For the first time since my last escape attempt, I let myself hope again.***The warm evening air caressed my bare shoulders as Maximo and I stepped down from his sleek car. I
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREEARIAMy heart stopped beating for a moment, Caterina’s words sinking into my bloodstream. There was no way she was telling the truth. She was just trying to get to me.When I ignored her, I heard her chuckle behind me.“You think I’m lying?” She chuckled, raising her hand for me to see.“He gave me this ring when we were in high school,” she continued in a soft, dreamy tone. “I’ve been his ever since, and he’s mine. So,” her tone turned bitter, “He might be fucking you now and bringing you here to annoy me since we are currently fighting, but he’s mine. When he’s done with you, he knows where home is.”Her heels clicked against the floors again, the sound getting fainter in my ears as she walked away.That was when I exhaled a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. My throat felt tight. My eyes welled up with tears, hurt searing through me like a dagger in my chest. I couldn’t describe the pain I was feeling or why I felt it in the first place. I shouldn’t be bot
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOURMAXIMO“I believe every business proceeding should be discussed in my office, Mr. Russo, not at a ball,” I said, shaking my whiskey glass to swirl the liquid inside.Russo Gonzalez had been trying to sell me a business idea for a year now, and I was getting tired of it. He wanted me to partner with him in the shipping business he wanted to open, claiming it would make it easier for us to transport drugs, guns and other things across borders. I knew what he wanted from a business deal like this one, of course. A good partnership between me and him would help boost his reputation as a great businessman and give him more clout. The problem was, I never gave trust easily, and Russo Gonzalez was one sneaky man. Like every man desperate for great wealth, he could put anyone's life at risk just to save himself. He lacked loyalty, and I could never work with someone like that.“Of course,” he let out a small chuckle. “It’s just that you’re a busy man and it’s almost impo
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVEARIADrip, drip, drip.Drops of brown-coloured water dropped from the leaking tap into the dirty sink across the empty room. The sound was steady and predictable with an interval of five seconds between each drop. It echoed in the silent, dimly lit room. It drove me crazy, but at the same time, it was the only thing that kept me awake and grounded.Tired of lying on my left arm, I sat up and rested my back against the wall behind me. A sharp wince escaped my lips as my naked back came in contact with the cold, rough surface. My head dropped slightly forward as I looked at my beautiful dress, the one Maximo had bought me, the one I tried to escape in. The beautiful chiffon material had been sullied, now covered with a mixture of grime, dirt and blood. I wished it was my blood. I wished I didn’t have to go through this again. In the past few months, I’ve been kidnapped a good number of times and I am now accustomed to what a cell looks and feels like. It is always
CHAPTER EIGHTYMAXIMOPanic surged through me as I cradled Aria in my arms. Her body felt limp, and her skin was cold against mine. “Aria, please!” I choked, desperation clawing at my throat. I could still feel the warmth of blood seeping through her dress, soaking her clothes and drenching my arm. So much blood...our baby!A wave of dread crashed over me. “Maximo!” Lorenzo shouted, his voice cutting through my panic as he rushed towards the car. I carefully laid Aria in the back seat before slipping in, my heart racing. I could hardly think straight; all I could focus on was getting her to safety, making sure that she and our unborn child survive this.Lorenzo jumped into the driver’s seat, and we sped away from the junkyard, the night air rushing past us. The city lights blurred into streaks of color as we sped past the buildings and roads. My hand clutched Aria’s firmly, and as I stared at her pale face, I was thrown back to a time when Aria had hurt herself. The memory hit me li
CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINEARIACold sweat dripped down my forehead despite the chilly atmosphere in the dark room. My head felt light, my body was heating up. The cold floor bit against my open wounds, sending sharp jolts of pain through my body. My whole body hurt, but when I tried to change my position by sitting down, I realized I could barely move my legs. My stomach twisted painfully, the pain getting worse with each passing second.“Help...someone,” I gasped in pain, clutching my stomach with one hand. My lungs felt heavy with each breath that I took. My throat felt constricted as I tried to call out again, this time louder.I didn’t know what was happening. All I knew was that my body didn’t feel good. At that moment, I felt another sharp pull in my lower stomach, this time more painful and agonizing than the last. I let out a low groan, the sound echoing in the empty room. Tears stung my eyes at the knowledge that no one could help me. Placing my palms against the cold floor, I
CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHTMAXIMOI stared at the image on my phone, the knife in my stomach twisting deeper and deeper. Aria was pregnant?My mind reeled as panic surged through me, my heart racing and my fists clenching. Aria was pregnant? Carrying our baby? Our offspring?My shock dissolved into overwhelming fury as the urge to kill Roberto with my own bare hands filled me. How dare he lay a hand on her, especially after knowing that she was pregnant?I ran a hand through my wild locks, feeling my throat constrict as I continued to stare at the message. Anger boiled inside me, a raging beast fueled by the thought of Aria, my pregnant wife, in pain. I felt betrayed and furious, but not just at Roberto. I was angry at myself for walking away from her that day. If I had stayed like my heart had wanted, maybe just a minute or an hour longer than I did, I might have found out that she was pregnant. I would have taken her with me. I had thought I was protecting her by staying away, but now i
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVENMAXIMOThe moment I stepped into the gym, the smell of sweat and metal hit me like a wave. The sound of weights clanking and heavy breathing filled the air. It was a welcome atmosphere to the silence that had enveloped me since I left Aria at the hospital. Cold.Detached.Empty.Those were the feelings that enveloped me since I walked out of that hospital room without turning back. They weren’t foreign feelings. My life had been dark and meaningless before she came in, bundling into my life with her sass, her defiance, and a mass of red hair that I could not get out of my mind.The red hair that floated around her pale face when I saw her lifeless body in the bath.Ever since I walked away, I turned into the man I used to be. Scar. But the difference was, I wasn’t living anymore. I was just existing.Like I’d promised, I haven’t tried to contact her since that day. I didn’t ask any of my men to spy on her either. If she was desperate enough to attempt ending her
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIXARIAThe world around me stopped as Roberto’s words settled thick in the air around us.At the shocked look on my face. Roberto leaned closer, his voice low and mocking. “You think Maximo is some brave hero that killed his brother’s murderer?” He chuckled. “He was petrified. He almost peed in his pants that day like the coward he has always been.”My breath caught as my heartbeat settled into heavy thuds against my chest. I couldn’t breathe as tears blurred my vision.“Angelo forced the gun into Maximo’s hand,” Roberto continued, a twisted smile on his face. “He made your husband point his gun to your father’s head. Maximo kept crying, saying he didn’t want to. He just wanted to go back to Lorenzo and his mother. What a pathetic little child he was.”My tears had stopped pouring now, a hollow ache throbbing in my chest.“His father smacked him. It was the first time Angelo ever hit any of his children,” Roberto said, his tone dripping with satisfaction. “Called him
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVEARIAIsa’s revelation made the entire room fall quiet. Caterina released a choked gasp before taking a step back. A pained groan slipped out of my lips, tears springing at the corners of my eyes as I covered my stomach even more, feeling exposed to the information Isa just gave them. I knew she said it to make Caterina stop hitting me, but this revelation would only fuel Roberto’s twisted fantasies even more. “Well, well, well,” Roberto drawled. “What a pleasant turn of events.”I heard the sound of his wheelchair approaching me, and the next thing I felt was his hand grabbing a chunk of my hair and pulling me harshly to look at him. His fingers curled into my hair so tightly that it almost cut off my circulation, but I barely noticed because I had other things on my mind.Hatred. Pure and thick blinded my gaze as I glared up at him. In that moment, I wished Maximo had killed him. Surely, the only parts of his body that got affected by the bullet to his spine wer
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOURARIAI felt my throat hitch at the sound of her voice. I looked at Roberto, who also had a sinister look in his eyes. I had thought Roberto would still be in the hospital, recovering from the severe injuries I watched Maximo give him. The man was shot in the spine for crying out loud. He should be bedridden, not here, orchestrating a kidnapping and staring at me with darkness lurking in his eyes. “You look shocked, Aria,” Roberto chuckled. “Did you think I was going to die when your precious husband shot me because of you? Huh?”Fear overcame me. This was his revenge. How could I have thought that a man like Roberto would let me go Scot free?Feigning bravery, I raised my chin and pinned him with a steady gaze. “If I’m the one you want, then let my friend go.”Roberto chuckled darkly.“You must think this is some sort of mistake,” he said, his eyes glancing between the both of us. “I knew exactly what I wanted—the two of you—and that’s what I got.”His eyes glint
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREEARIAMy eyes snapped open, revealing the dark, musty room I was in. My head was pounding, as if someone had hit me with a brick. At some point during the car drive, the men in masks had placed something over my nose, knocking me unconscious. The air in the room was thick with the smell of dampness and decay, churning my stomach. Panic gripped me as I tried to move, only to find my wrists chained to the cold, hard floor. ‘No..not again,’ I thought as tears burned at the corners of my eyes.My heart raced, pounding in my ears like a war drum. And that was when I remembered Isa had been captured with me. “Isa!” I called out, my voice trembling.From the shadows, I heard her soft but steady voice. “I’m here, Aria. I’m awake.”I blinked, trying to adjust to the dim light. My eyes finally focused on my best friend a few feet away; her own hands were also bound. Relief washed over me. She was alive. But it quickly turned to guilt. Tears spilled down my cheeks as the w
CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWOARIAThe morning sun streamed through the windows of Isa’s studio apartment, casting a warm glow over our packed bags lined neatly by the door. I felt an exhilarating rush in my veins. I didn’t know I was still capable of having such emotions. Isa’s father, a tall man with salt-and-pepper hair, directed his drivers to load our luggage into the sleek black sedan. Isa’s father was the CEO of a prominent Italian oil conglomerate, a man who had navigated the complexities of the corporate world in such a dangerous city. Despite his cold and intimidating exterior, there was a tenderness in his eyes as he prepared to send off his daughter.“I can take you to the airport myself,” he said, his voice deep and authoritative as he glanced at Isa, who stood beside me.Chuckling, she stepped forward to adjust his tie.“Dad, you have so much to do. You have a board meeting in an hour!” Isa replied, shaking her head with a mixture of affection and exasperation. “We’ll be fine wit