ROSALINE I looked up at the twinkling stars while a soft breeze blew, making me shiver in my sleeveless maxi gown. The sounds of waves crashing to the shore filled my ears like music. There was nothing but peace and sanity in me. I loved coming here because I had never felt freer in a lifetime. Aw
If Mama, Antoine and Esme had been home, I would not have had the space to think about every-fucking-thing, but overthinking had become inevitable, being alone in a house this giant with Luciano walking out on me like that, especially after what had happened last night. “I was so worried. You sound
ROSALINE I could not stand the sight of the crowd, of too many people talking over their lungs, of the bright colours that surrounded me. Their laughter mixed with the music in the background hurt my ears. The smell of perfume, flowers and food was making me nauseous. My eyes shifted to Adonis’s t
His throat bobbed, and I knew I had caught him completely off guard. I had known about his on-and-off relationship with his ex-assistant for a long time now. He had often talked to me about her and how he loved spending time with her. His situation felt very similar to mine. “You’d kill me if you k
Luciano had been ignoring my call for weeks now, so it was about time I gave up. It was not as though we were lovers or anything. All we had was sex. It was my fault I had gotten involved in more. I twisted my head in Dom’s direction and noticed the scar below his ear. As I touched the spot, he til
LUCIANO My phone rang in the middle of the meeting, and I took it out to look. Rose’s name flashed on the screen. I wanted to pick it up. Had wanted to do it for a long time. I had been baffled by thoughts of Rose. Never had I imagined a woman rumpling my thoughts like this. But whatever happened b
Brando shifted in his seat and cautioned, “But I wouldn’t trust many if I were you.” “Oh, I don’t trust anyone,” I said. “Trust is a frail thing that can break anytime. What I put into deals is my belief that the other party will uphold their side of the contract and continue doing fair business wi
ROSALINE “Tanti auguri a te. Tanti auguri a te,” the entire room sang cheerfully while Fabiola stood in the centre, under the grand chandelier, in her red glittering ball gown. “Tanti auguri, dear Fabiola. Tanti auguri a te.” The glint in Fabi’s eyes said it all. Today she was the happiest I had e
“Thank fuck, you’re here,” Pietro sounded. “She didn’t take an epidural or whatever the fuck that is.” “What?” Rose had told me about it, how it could reduce the pain. But if she had not taken it— A loud cry sounded from the other side of the door, and my breath hitched. “Luciano, you need to go
LUCIANO “Have our men withdrawn from New York?” I asked, scrolling through the articles on my laptop. “It’s been eight fucking months since the break.” The inactivity in the east and west, both Cosa Nostra and Outfit, had been very nerve-wracking. Since the dramatic outbreak between Belle and Adon
I smiled. “What do you plan?”“Do you have any plans?”“Nothing big, but I was hoping to buy a country house.” Her smile lit up. “I mean, we certainly can’t raise this kid and our future children in a penthouse. They need a proper environment, sizeable space to run around.”“Our future children? How
Luciano was at the altar, his hands behind his back, his curly, dirty-blond hair pushed back, and behind him was Pietro, dressed in a tuxedo, since he was the best man along with Rione, and Lys and Sabina were the bridesmaids.I met Luciano’s stare and every thought I had left my mind. Even with all
ROSALINEI was not sure why I was doing this. What I knew was my attempts would go in vain and I would be shattered yet again, but I had to try one last time. I had to call Dom.Standing in front of the long mirror—dressed in an off-shoulder sheath-wedding gown with netted sleeves and hair properly
“Even my extra weight?”“Yeah, even my child’s weight.” Smirking, he added, “I liked you with the pink hair. What else could you possibly want?”“Okay, my pink hair wasn’t that bad.”***“There’s a tradition we should talk about,” Luciano said, coming out of the washroom in nothing but a towel wrapp
My eyes widened. “Shit! That was you?”“Do I look that different now?” he asked with his head tilted to the side.“We were in the garden with very low-quality lighting. I did not see your face properly. You were alone, and I thought of keeping you company.”“By asking me to fetch you a drink?”I nar
ROSALINE[SIX MONTHS LATER]I doubted I would ever stay in the studio apartment, except for when I was working. The good thing about this place was it was right above my own office for wedding planning and coordination. After months of research, I was finally into it. Besides, I enjoyed planning the
“I hate it when you try to be one.”Soft laughter tore out of his throat and I licked his bottom lip. His mouth parted immediately but I had other plans. Drawing my face close to his cheeks, I kissed him and then traced my tongue down the stubble to his jawline.He closed his eyes and released a sha