Receiving a glass of wine from her sister on the night before her wedding was the worst mistake Annalisa could have ever made. Unknown to her, the drink had been spiked, setting her up into having a one night stand with a stranger. But the stranger had been none other than Cristiano Morano, a powerful and ruthless man who controlled half of the city's underworld. To make matters worse, he was also the sworn enemy of her fiancé. Annalisa thought she was going to lose it all, her career and her life, when a scandal about her unfaithfulness broke out. Not only that, she found out her fiancé had been cheating with her blood sister. As her family were about to announce their disowning in a press conference, a dashing man from the audience had come out and said he was going to take responsibility for Anna. They got married, but Cristiano had stated a condition in the contract she signed; He would have full control over her life and career. Would a timid girl like Annalisa survive in Cristiano's world? “You’re mine now, Annalisa. And I always get what's mine.” “W-what do you mean?” “I mean I'll break you,” Cristiano said, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “And then, I'll put you back together again, my way.”
Lihat lebih banyakChapter 54AnnalisaIf there was one thing about the internet, it was that it never forgets. Like, ‘never ever’ forgets. You could sneeze in public, and ten minutes later, there would be a skit remix of it going viral with the caption, “Bless you, queen.” So yeah, my little “I’m married” moment on the livestream? That had the world laughing their asses out.There were memes, reaction videos, articles, and even some random guy claiming to be my husband for clout. Let him just fear the return of Cristiano from wherever he zoned off to. And my DMs? They were a complete circus. People alternated between congratulating me and asking where Cristiano had been lately. The cherry on top was a tweet that said, “Giovanni got married in the group project and didn’t even get picked as a partner.” Hilarious. Truly.And now, my flu-ridden self was dragging through another day on set, my nose redder than a stop sign, on the verge of losing the very last iota of my patience. Every time I sneezed, my m
Chapter 53AnnalisaYou know that thing your brain does when it reminds you that you were a trash person for forgetting something important? Yeah, that was where I was at. I swore I wanted to be worried about Cristiano’s health. Like, I even mentally bookmarked the idea of texting or calling Ricardo—Cristiano’s right hand man and tech guy with a gun—but, you know, life happened. Or rather, Giovanni happened. And when Giovanni happened, he happened hard.Take today, for example. I was on set, trying to nail a scene where I was supposed to look effortlessly glamorous while fake-sipping coffee in a ridiculously overpriced designer dress, and suddenly—boom—there he was. Giovanni, with his stupidly perfect hair, his stupidly cocky smirk, and his stupidly loud cheer team.Yup, you heard that right. An effing cheer team!They burst into the studio like they were storming the gates of hell, holding this obnoxious banner that read: GO ANNALISA! THE STAR OF MY HEART! I could feel my soul leave
Chapter 52AnnalisaThe funniest thing about forbidden places was that they scream at you to explore them. And tonight? That scream was practically deafening. Stepping out of the elevator and onto Cristiano's forbidden floor, I felt like I was breaking into Area 51, except instead of aliens, I was probably about to uncover some deep, dark mafia secrets.The lights overhead shining from the ceiling were dim, casting the massive space in this moody black-and-white vibe that was so… Cristiano. Everything was perfect, simple, and cool, like a luxury penthouse straight out of a Pinterest board titled “Rich Villain Aesthetic.” There was no clutter, no personality really—just sharp lines, sleek surfaces, and black and white of everything.At the far end of the room, a small gym area sat tucked in the corner. There was a punching bag swinging slightly like it had recently been used, a treadmill that looked more like art than workout equipment, and a rack of weights neatly arranged by size. Ne
Chapter 51AnnalisaSeriously, what in the world was my mom thinking? “Forgive your sister,” she said, not in those exact words but her eyes did. Ha! Over my dead, unrecognizable, burnt-to-ashes body. Forgive Bianca? The same sister who drugged me and practically pushed me into the bed of a random stranger like I was part of some weird human auction service? Yeah, sure, let me just grab my Nobel Peace Prize while I was at it.I sat there fuming in the back seat of my blacked-out SUV, the vents blasting AC on my face, but somehow, I was still burning up. How could my mom even think I would forgive Bianca? My blood sister—the one person who was supposed to protect me, have my back, be my only friend, and, I don’t know, not ruin my life—literally set me up like I meant nothing to her. And for what? So she could run back to Giovanni, the guy who couldn’t keep it in his pants long enough to remember her name?God, the audacity of that woman. If betrayal had a face, it would be Bianca’s smu
Chapter 50AnnalisaIf bad decisions had a scent, it would be whatever cologne Aunt Catherine was wearing when she opened her apartment door. I perceived a mixture of vanilla, desperation, and "I’m a single mother trying my best," and it hit me like a punch to the face as I stood there in my oversized hoodie, clutching a Starbucks coffee cup like it was the only thing holding me together.“You came,” she said, looking more shocked than pleased.“Yeah, don’t get too excited,” I replied, stepping inside before she could invite me. I wasn’t here for her warm hugs or her recycled wisdom. I was here for my mom.The apartment smelled like lemon-scented floor cleaner and freshly baked bread, and I hated how cozy it felt. Cozy meant safe. Cozy meant “you can trust me,” and Catherine had never been that for me. Not when I was a kid, and certainly not now.My mom sat on the couch, wearing one of her old knitted sweaters and looking so small I almost didn’t recognize her. She glanced up, her eye
Chapter 49AnnalisaIt started with a shot. Not a vaccine—I wish. A vodka shot, courtesy of Bree, who shoved the glass into my hand with the energy of a woman who thought alcohol could solve all the world’s problems."Down it!" she cheered, her perfectly manicured nails waving me on like a race starter. The crowd around us cheered their approval, some holding their phones up to record what I was sure would end up on Instagram by morning.I hesitated, staring at the clear liquid like it might come alive and bite me. “I don’t know if I’m drunk enough to get drunk yet.”Bree rolled her eyes, her grin widening. “That’s the point, dummy. Now drink!”So, I did. It burned going down—so hot and sharp, like swallowing a tiny sun. My throat felt like they were on fire, but before I could even finish wincing, Bree was thrusting another glass into my hand."To Annalisa," she declared, raising her own glass high. "The star, the legend, the only person I know who can look this hot after dodging Gio
Chapter 48AnnalisaMac and cheese for dinner? Classy, I know. But don’t judge me—comfort food fixes everything, or so they say. But, spoiler: it doesn’t. It’s just cheese and carbs pretending to be therapy.After scraping the last cheesy bits from my plate, I ditched the dishes for later. I mean, who actually has the energy to become an adult after the day I’d had? Not me. Instead, I dragged myself to the bathroom, craving the only thing that might save me from losing it all—a hot shower.Stepping under the stream of water, I let it wash away the day, the drama, the existential crisis that seemed to be my new normal. The steam blurred the edges of everything, and for a moment, I felt... lighter. Safer. Until my thoughts betrayed me.‘Cristiano.’His name hit me like a wave, knocking the air from my lungs. It started as a flicker, a memory of his smile—sharp enough to disarm but soft enough to melt you. Then it was his voice, the way he used to scold me for not eating enough food, his
Chapter 47AnnalisaThe next day arrived so quickly, almost like an unexpected slap in the face. Because I wasn’t ready. My mood was trash, my patience felt like they didn't exist, and my energy? Let’s just say it took everything I had not to throw my alarm clock across the room. But life doesn’t wait for meltdowns, and apparently, neither do contracts. So there I was, dragging my tired self to the building where my next big acting role awaited me. Yay, career moves. Boo, life falling apart.I kept my shades on and my face blank as Bree and Buddy, my “support system,” flanked me like bodyguards. Except, I wasn’t feeling supported. I was feeling... off. The Giovanni situation from last night still clung to me like a bad smell on a fabric, and the fact that Cristiano was still MIA? Yeah, that wasn’t helping.“Wait for me at the car,” I told them after we had wrapped up the paperwork. My voice sounded flat, even to my own ears. Bree raised a brow but didn’t argue. Buddy gave me a little
Chapter 46 Annalisa I pushed Giovanni away. I pushed him slightly harder than I meant to, but I couldn’t help it. The confusion was messing with my head and the anger that boiled up in me was so hot that all I could think was ‘this can’t happen’. I stepped back, wiping away the remnants of my tears, trying to gather whatever little bit of control I had left.“We can’t be friends, Giovanni,” I said, my voice a little shakier than I wanted it to be. “We can’t.”His face dropped, and for a second, I almost felt bad for him. But no. I couldn’t go back to my past. Not after everything. He called after me as I turned away, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction of turning back. The door slammed shut behind me, and I heard him say something from the other side.“You think I’m going to give up on us? You think this is over? Annalisa, I’m going to prove to you that I’m ready. I’m ready for us again. I swear.”“There's no ‘us’, Giovanni…” I whispered to myself in a shaky breath.His words h
Chapter 1AnnalisaI could barely recognize the blue-eyed brunette staring back at me in the mirror. It was me, I knew. But at that moment, I felt like a prisoner preparing to be judged. Tomorrow, I would marry Giovanni Rossi, the man who controlled my father's business and soon, me. I couldn't complain because I had been raised for this; Marrying him wasn't about love, it had never been. This was simply a business deal where I would be the sacrificial lamb. A knock on the door to my hotel room interrupted me from overthinking like every other time. “Anna? It's me,” the voice of my elder sister, Bianca came through the door. “Can I come in?” She asked.I had no idea how, but Bianca always managed to escape from my father's dark decisions. It was always me, all the time, sometimes I even began to question if I was truly his child.“Come in.” I forced out as smile as I stood up from the chair, waiting for her to come in. Bianca entered in the usual way she had always been, her brown h...
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