Sofia's POV"Um..." He stammered for a moment before saying, "What do you want me to do for you? Miss. As long as it's in my capability I'll do my part. We're on the same side, it's been hell since the Tree dictatorship took over and I want the Di Marco to take over as before""I swear on my dead parents. If you ever try to play smart, I'll kill you myself... I don't care the method I prefer" Just as Gloria said, this man only has his loyalty tied to the winning side and so, trusting him completely is not an option."My Queen... I'll forever be loyal to you""Good. I heard you and your government have taken side with the Tree syndicate after my father's death and--" President Enzo did not let me finish as he quickly said, "We're on your side now, My Queen. I'll let my government understand that immediately. We would serve you"Now that's easier than expected."I hope you keep to your words. Also, I'll be dealing with the governor of the Bank of Italy...I hope you won't stand in my way
Sofia's POV"I did, Mr. Governor. This is the woman the President talked about" The old man behind me quickly said and there was a slight change in his complexion. Lorenzo dropped his legs and said, "Leave us, Harry....""And you.." He turned to the brunette-haired woman, "Fvck away and do your job" "Yes sir" She turned around and headed for the door. I could hear silent sobs from her and when she got to the door, I kicked it close with my foot. Her sobbing stopped, obviously in shock and she raised her face to meet mine. The lady's face was swollen and she had a black eye which ruined her look beyond measure. There were visible strangulation marks on her neck and I noticed the bleeding cut on her lower lip as well. How would someone do this to a woman? Gloria's research was right. This woman was definitely the maltreated secretary. "You must be Katrina Esposito," I said in a low tone and her black eyes dimmed at me in surprise, "How do you know my name?" "Hey, what's going
Sofia's POV"Lorenzo has been taken care of, thanks to you. Katrina Esposito will be the new governor of the Bank of the Republic Of Italy" The president had received my call immediately when I called and hearing this, he first went silent then blurted out, "Katrina Esposito? Isn't that his secretary? I have a better candidate to take over his position and serve you"I scoffed internally and said, "No, I choose Katrina and it stays that way. Do you have a problem with that?"The president's loyalty will no doubt waver at some point in time so I need someone I trust and not one of his people."If that is what you want. I'll sign a decree for her appointment...She just needs to assume the position thereafter""I'll be waiting" I replied and then hung up the call to contact Gloria but Katrina interrupted, "That voice sounds familiar... That can't be the president, right?"Katrina was still standing, refusing to believe that she could be the governor in the blink of an eye. I didn't res
Sofia's POVThe Rolls-Royce Phantom came to a halt at the intersection that led to the cancer research institute and I tilted my head to Katrina who had her fingers wrapped around the steering wheel.A smile curved at the corner of her lips the moment she noticed and a brief exhale left her lips."How do you feel?" I asked, my brows slightly raised.Just as I predicted, she was a good driver, better than my chauffeur assigned by Gloria. "I..." She stammered, "I don't know. I was scared at first" Katrina chuckled briefly and added, "Thank you, Miss" "Call me Sofia" "Miss Sofia" Katrina grinned and unlocked the door. "Take care, Katrina, and if you ever encounter a problem, don't hesitate to call me," I told her and she first responded with a nod, then said, "I don't know why you've taken an interest in me but thank you, Miss Sofia" She bowed her head slightly in respect and stepped out of the vehicle. Almost immediately, my chauffeur entered the vehicle and said, "I hope you wer
Clancy's POVI was looking haggard and disappointed when I arrived at the mansion all by myself that night.After spending the entire day searching for Sonia, I still couldn't find her even with the help of Matteo who could access virtually all CCTV in New York.Sonia had taken into one of our blind spots and vanished without any digital footprint left.My only fear was Sonia going after Sofia in Italy.The latter was now the Di Marco Princess and the power she wields is typically unfathomable.If Sonia was with her device, she should have seen the global notice already and irrational behavior was no longer an option.I walked down the red carpet that led into the living room and unannounced, Little Lily jumped out of nowhere and hugged my legs."Daddy! Daddy! Where have you been? I've been crying" I went low to level with her height and noticed her eyes were red indeed with a trail of dry tears down her cheeks.My heart sank low for a moment and the first sentence that I muttered was
Sofia's POVI was awakened from my sleep by the buzzing noise of my phone and I yawned loudly before turning to the other side of the bed.Who could it be?I managed to pick up my phone and realized the caller was Mr. Romano from the newly purchased company, SuperNet Technologies."Hey..." I moaned out, feeling tired, and noticed the time was 10 a.m.Fvcking hell! Have I been in bed since 9 p.m. last night?Unbelievable!My bones arched me still and the feeling of tiredness was heavy on me.Shouldn't I be relieved after such a long sleep?What's going on with my system?"Young Miss, there are some people causing trouble at the office now. They claim they are your people and intend to continue the cell tower project behind the building. I've been trying to reach you" Mr. Romano explained and I could hear a noisy commotion in the background.I had forgotten to tell him about it yesterday."Yes, Mr. Romano. They would be handling the cell tower project from now so give them the necessary
Sofia's POV"Mistress, what are your orders at the moment?" Carl's voice sounded from the other end of the phone as I sat on my bed and took my heels off.No one has made any communication to the Tree syndicate since they arrived at the new spot in San Bernardino and that shows the gang was clear of spies now.I called Carl immediately after I arrived at the mansion from the Rome.It was dark already and I was going to bed after the call."You're all clear now, Carl. Gather the Eastern gang tonight in a location I'll provide and be prepared for transportation to Italy where the Tree syndicate cannot touch you""Miss, is it safe now? Those you mentioned as snitches are really guilty after investigation. All 57 of em'. There could be more" Carl told me his worries and I couldn't help but beam a smile, "Like I said, you're clear now. The longer you stay in North America, the harder it can become to take you all out""Understood, Mistress. I'll contact the elders of the various branches o
Sofia's POV"Fvck! Fvck! Fvck!" I cursed, slamming my hands on the keyboard of my laptop.My breathing was heavy as I dropped the system and picked up my phone to check the time.It was 5 pm already and my stomach twirled with intense hunger causing my eyes to be red.I've been on my computer since early that morning, trying to override the passcode that protected the drive but all my trial was to no avail. I've overridden several security setups and gained unauthorized access to well-protected software but never in my cyber exploits have I come across a blockade so difficult to trick. The security protocol predicts every move of mine and adjusts to cover the entry point I manage to create. Who under the earth could do something this good? Was Papá also unique with computers when he was alive? Right now, I was frustrated and on my last foot.I've tried everything possible to my capability but the situation remains unchanged.I guess Papá was supposed to give me the password befor
Sofia's POV"Sofia..."Oh my God.. She knows it's me.How? How exactly?"Why do you speak like Sofia?" She added and this made me stare directly at her, beads of sweat still scattered all over my forehead."Are you alright?" Her little voice asked me and I managed to calm myself down.A sigh of relief that my cover wasn't blown but I'm under the suspicion of a child.She must have noticed from the way I communicate with her but how is that still possible?I trained myself for months... years... to change the way I act and communicate with people when using my Aurora DE Santa identity.Aurora DE Santa is supposed to be someone else entirely.Did I let my emotions slip in and allow Sofia to surface a little?Oh shit. Fvck me!"Sofia...?" I laughed nervously and rubbed the side of my face.Lily let down her head and played with the helm of her dress, "Yes. She used to be lovely like you""And I speak like her?" I scratched the back of my head nervously."I think I'm just missing her and-
Sofia's POVShe blinked her ocean-blue eyes at me and the two men stared at each other before staring at me.I opened my mouth and made to come up with the best lie ever."You! Are you Aurora DE Santa?" Lily's face brightened as she stared even closer at me, "You are Aurora DE Santa, the beautiful woman who makes a lot of games"Her mouth opened and I could see a smile forming on her face.I sighed in relief and nodded with a small smile on my face.Aurora Technologies also dealt with the mass production of new software every month which includes games.And yes, mobile games for children too.My face is now on everything in newspapers and online news outlets so I'm not surprised at being recognized easily.Lily embraced me and I felt my heart stopped beating at that moment.She had really grown and could even touch my waist now. Tears covered my eyes and emotions whirled inside of me because of the contact with her.This feeling of her hug since five years ago.It felt special and go
Sofia's POVI was pacing around in the room, from one end of the wall to the other with my fist tightly clenched.How dare he?How dare Clancy McCain think he can do whatever he wants?For a moment, it felt like I was under his control and wanted to break free but he is ever cunning to know the right words to use.I couldn't imagine him taking over my room and going through my things.Apart from him seeing my underwear which is of great concern to me and would make my face hot when I think about it, he might find out about my identity because of my gadgets that can be linked to Tuscany."Your Highness, your system is connected" Giada pulled me out of my thoughts from the bed where she was seated with my laptop.I collected the system from her and glanced at the phone in her hand."The code stopped running, broken or something. The CCTV server might not be active right now?" She told me.I took the phone from her and made adjustments to the program I was running, "The storage appeared
Clancy's POV I had a lot to think of and figure out as I entered the Night Moon Hotel and made my way to the elevator but stopped because of the noise in the lobby. I was angry and looked around to see the hotel manager having a heated conversation with two women and the security team with him seem to be ready to take action at any moment. I was going to ignore them when I caught a glimpse of the side of one of the woman's face and a gulp went down my throat. Now my attention was gotten. Aurora DE Santa. I adjusted my suit and walked towards them when the manager of the hotel noticed my presence. He quickly rushed over to me and acted polite with a smile on his face, "Mr. McCain, I didn't know you were around. I was about to send this women away" "Send us away. What the fvck are you talking about?" The other woman with Aurora had stepped out to throw a tantrum but when her eyes met with mine, she shrank away. I've seen them hanging around too often so they must be really close
Sofia's POV"What are you smiling about? Did you find a cute little boyfriend down here?" Giada's tone was a little suspicious as she spoke to me from the front seat where she was driving.I lifted my head from the screen of my phone and snorted coldly, "Don't say nonsense, Giada. I'm a mother of four, not some Italian sugar mama. Moreover, I'm still in my twenties"She laughed hysterically, "You are the richest woman in the world so there's definitely no restriction to you. What do you think?""I'll send you back to Tuscany" I threatened her playfully."Alright, Queen. You got all the power" Giada became quiet and concentrated on her driving.I smiled softly and returned my gaze to the screen of my phone to see the reply from my mysterious American friend.'Dead? Do you want me dead?'The smile on my face broadened as I asked him through the text, 'Are you not angry? I snubbed you for the longest time''As long as it makes you happy' His response was quick.I rubbed the roof of my no
Clancy POVI guess I knew this wasn't right from the beginning.It never was.Everything sane about me must have died the moment Sofia left me and I seize to care about whatever madness goes on in me.If I have to go out of my way to get vengeance, I'll do just that.There's nothing left of me that matters."Yeah! Fvck me, that's just the way I want it!" She moaned insanely as I pounded her recklessly from behind but my mind was absent.I felt nothing for her.She was simply a tool for me to get what I wanted.My hand was wrapped around her hair and I had her face pressed against the bed.There was no holding back as I released all of my frustration on her but it turned out that was just what she wanted.To be handled recklessly.Such an insane woman.I finally climaxed and collapsed to the bed with her body pressed against mine.For a minute, I was overwhelmed with the guilt of betraying Sofia for the second time but the next minute, I felt nothing anymore.We're not together anymore
Sofia's POV "Here... I got this for you" Giada slid a cup of coffee across the table in my direction and I raised my head from the screen of my laptop to see her."Are you alright?" She inquired with a concerned look and I first responded with a shrug of my shoulders."Of course I am""You just canceled our meeting with the richest man in Los Angeles so don't tell me you're alright. But then, you know best and you should take enough rest. C'mon, I'll drive us to the hotel" She beckoned at me."Give me a few more minutes, G" I returned my gaze to the screen and stared endlessly at the reply I had given to Sarah's message on the dark web.I was waiting patiently for her response but it wasn't coming forth.Just when I made to close the system, her message pinged in and I had my seat again.'Hey, I was away for a while'I sighed and typed my response quickly. 'That's fine. Are you free now? I just need you to answer a couple of questions for me''Okay. Shoot' Her reply was instant.'The
Clancy's POV "Do you think I'm joking?" I was going to lose my patience soon and do something I'm not supposed to do.Now Rosita was the only one I knew who could tell me the information I wanted but more importantly, killing her wasn't an option.I won't even get the opportunity to avenge my sister because the full force of the syndicate will be unleashed on me.She knew this and that's just why she can act fearless around me.Not even a gun to her face would make her flinch."What the fvck do you want?" I gritted my teeth, grabbed her by the arm and raised her from the bed."What I want is something you're refusing to give me" She placed her fingers on my shoulder but I slapped them off."I can give you the name, Clancy. He is not someone you can't take on with your current influence. You should know that already. The high ranking members of the high table are like gods of this world. I know what it feels like to have your loved one killed by one of them. Don't you think you need m
Clancy's POVThe noise of gunshot echoed in the air as the man I shot rolled over the staircase until he slumped dead to the ground with a soft thud and was soaked in his own pool of blood.I walked down the staircase and looked down the hallway to see the blood-stained wall on both sides.The bodies of the men I had killed were scattered all over the narrow floor and I walked around to make sure no one was still alive."Guess this is all..." Whispering, I tucked back my gun behind me. I entered my room and put a call through to the manager of the hotel."Boss, should we send your breakfast over now?" I asked quickly."No. I called to give you an instruction. No one is allowed on the top floor until I give you permission to. Not even the cleaners or room service. I'll send a woman to the top floor, she'll give you my name and you'll let her through "The Hotel manager didn't reply immediately." Yes... Yes... I'll keep that in mind, Mr. McCain ""Not even you are allowed on the top fl