ROSALINDA."Liam, please don’t do it. Just withdraw the gun.” I urged him when I didn’t get a response from him.Liam tilted his head, his menacing gaze lingering on Antonio. “Not until he gets his hands off my collar.”“Antonio. Swallow your pride and comply." I said to him, and his frown deepened. After a few seconds, he reluctantly withdrew his hands, sighing.A sigh of relief escaped me as I lifted Carlo up and pressed him to my chest.“Just so you know, the only reason I won’t kill you is because she hates me right now, and I don’t want her to hate me even more. Consider yourself lucky, because no one threatens me and gets away with it.” Antonio warned, his eyes dark as he poked Liam hard in the chest.“Antonio!” I groaned, eying him for trying to stir up another trouble.“I really don’t have time for this,” Liam said calmly, crushing Antonio’s ego once more.I turned to look at Antonio, hoping Liam’s words wouldn’t provoke him further.But when Antonio shut his eyes tightly, sha
ROSALINDA. Catching a break from Antonio seemed nearly impossible. After barely resisting his charm earlier, he was sitting in front of me, dressed in a white shirt that accentuated his muscles, looking as ravishing as ever.Papà invited him for dinner, and we were all gathered around the dining table. My other nemesis, Piero, was also seated with us, and I hated the sight of him. Seeing him always reminded me of the horrible thing he made me do as a teenager. Something I hated myself for.“Piero.” My father suddenly called, sipping from his glass of wine.“Yes, uncle.” He answered, raising his head to pay attention to what Papà wanted to say.“I guess you’ll be here till Sofia’s wedding, which is next month, right?” Papà asked.“Of course.” Piero replied, grinning, and I felt a sudden twist in my stomach.I couldn't bear the thought of being in the same space with Piero until then. I hated him, and I wanted him out of my sight as soon as possible. His presence brought back all the d
ANTONIO.“What?!” I exclaimed as rage started building up within me.“Rosalinda and Giovanni almost died because of your reckless action," Roberto accused, glaring at me.“First of all, that was my men’s doing, and I made sure I punished them. And again, I promised I would help find Carlo’s father, and I was doing just that!” I fired back.“You promised to help find Carlo’s dad, not murder my daughter!” He countered as he sprinted towards me and tightly jerked my collars.“Think before you act, Roberto.” I warned, our raging eyes staring daringly at each other.I allowed the first punch without retaliation because I deserved it. But another punch? I won’t tolerate it.“So, have you found the father?” He asked, squinting.“No.” I replied firmly.His daughter was one smart woman who had managed to cover up her tracks perfectly. She was the only one who knew who Carlo’s father was and the only one who could disclose that secret. But apparently, she wasn’t willing to.“So everything was f
ROSALINDA. “You know I’m still mad at you for not telling me earlier on that Ruby was abducted, right?” I told Giovanni as we walked to his car. He was finally leaving after a very long stay with us. “If you had told me what Piero made you do, I would have pulled his teeth out of his gum.” He grinned, changing the subject. I rolled my eyes, sighing. “Oh, please.” “What?” He asked, arching his brows. “Did I just see those eyes roll?” “So, would you come back soon or will you be gone for a long time?” I asked curiously. Even though he was the most annoying cousin ever, I’d still miss him. “Ah! Rosalinda would miss me!” He boasted, a face-splitting grin tugging his lips apart. “In your dreams, Gio. In your dreams!” I rolled my eyes and quickly averted my gaze to hide the smile that formed on my lips. He suddenly wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and I hoisted my head up to look at him as he spoke. “I’ll miss you too. And—” He paused. “What?” I quickly asked. “Be car
ROSALINDA.A knock sounded on my bedroom door, and before I could grant permission to whoever it was, the door swung open, and Antonio slipped inside.I wasn’t in any way surprised when I saw him. It wasn’t his first time sneaking into my room, anyway.“You shouldn’t be in here.” I stated, closing the book in my hand and lazily sitting up from the bed.Ignoring my statement, he leaned on the door, gazing at me menacingly as he folded his arms across his chest. “I can see that you enjoy the company of that guy. What’s his name again? Liam? What were you discussing with him?"“It’s none of your business.” I hissed, shrugging.“It is my business!” He retorted firmly.“Why do you make everything your business?” I challenged, jumping to my feet and closing the distance between us. “Sofia is your fiancé, and you never meddle in her business, but mine. When last did you even converse with her? Yet, here you are, in my room, talking about sh*t that doesn’t concern you.”I had been allowing my
ANTONIO.“You’ve gotten your answer, and now you’re suddenly quiet.” She pressed on. “Why don’t you go ahead and call me a whore?!”“I’m sorry—I—“ I swiped my hand across my face, too perplexed to form a coherent sentence.Abruptly, I turned around and dashed out of the room. I needed to leave there in order to think well. My thoughts were clouded, and only one thing kept echoing in my mind—getting a DNA paternity test done. That was the only way to confirm my suspicions, and to do that, I needed to find a way to get something with Carlo’s DNA.After racking my brain, an idea came to mind, and it was to get Carlo’s toothbrush. I have heard a couple of times that toothbrushes contain a considerable amount of DNA.Changing my direction, I made my way to Carlo’s bedroom.Fortunately, he wasn’t in there, and none of the maids were there either. I successfully got hold of his toothbrush, but as I pulled the door open to exit the room, Carlo and one of the maids came into view.“There he is
ROSALINDA.Clearly, I was not in my right senses when I spilled the secret I had always guarded to Antonio. I allowed my anger to control me, and what made it even worse was that he said nothing to me afterward. Nothing!I didn’t know what he thought of me, and that was driving me crazy. I only hoped he wouldn’t spill my secrets to Papà because I’d die of shame and embarrassment if my family found out that I slept with a total stranger and had no idea who Carlo’s father was.Papà invited the Russo’s for dinner tonight, and I didn’t even know how to face him. What type of eyes would he use to look at me? Would it be the usual lustful ones, or would it change to one of disdain?The door suddenly dinged open, pulling me out of my trance as I turned to see Sofia venturing into the room.“Sofia.” I called and immediately inched closer to her when I sensed her mood. She looked really downcast.“What happened?” I asked, concerned, when I came to a stop in front of her. “What’s wrong?”“I am
ROSALINDA. The shock on everyone’s faces when Sofia announced that she was pregnant was palpable. I was really worried that things might escalate and get really bad after her announcement, which was why I told her to hold on and not just drop the bomb at the dinner when she told me that that was what she planned to do. I told her to wait for us to find a plan on how to announce it, and she pretended to agree, not knowing that she had already made up her mind. She had always been stubborn anyway, so I wasn’t so surprised. Well, at least I was not as surprised as I was when she uttered those five words. ‘I am pregnant for Oliver.’“You both should have been careful before the wedding.” Papà sighed disappointedly.“I agree. You shouldn’t have been sleeping around before the wedding.” Antonio muttered, his voice calmer than I expected.“Sofia!” Papà growled, registering what Antonio just said as he sprung to his feet. “Who are you pregnant for?”“Papà please.” Sofia whimpered, leaping to
Third-person POV.Antonio’s lips pressed against the softness of Rosalinda’s cheek, his eyes filled with adoration as he gazed at her.“Good morning.” He whispered sensing her stirring. When she didn’t respond, he murmured playfully, a lazy smile spreading across his lips. “I know you are awake.”“I didn’t want you to stop staring at me.” Rosalinda admitted with a smile, her eyes still closed. “I like it when you stare at me; I wanted to keep feeling your eyes on me.”“It doesn’t matter if your eyes were opened or closed. I could stare at you anyhow, anywhere, anytime.” He said, tracing her nose and lips with his finger. “But do you know when I love staring at you the most?”She shook her head, a smile still on her lips. “When you are naked in the shower.” Her eyes shot open immediately, and she playfully smacked his arm. He chuckled softly, his eyes gleaming with delight. “Good morning, Pretty.” “Good morning, handsome.” She replied, her voice still laced with sleep. Placing his
ROSALINDA“Mommy is getting married today.” I told my little girl as I rubbed my belly, my smile stretching from cheek to cheek while I stared at my reflection in the mirror. Every detail fell into place flawlessly—my dress, hair, makeup, everything was just perfect. I couldn’t believe that this day was finally here—the day I had always looked forward to—and I couldn’t be happier that I was doing this with Antonio.It’s been a month since the incident that happened at Liam’s mansion. Antonio healed in no time, and I haven’t left his side ever since. I couldn’t imagine how life would have been without him. After two weeks of tirelessly searching for Diego and Liam, Nikkolai found them and ended them immediately. I also heard that it was Nikkolai Petrov who killed Lorenzo’s father, Sergio. I couldn’t fathom why Nikkolai was so keen on taking care of Antonio’s dirty businesses, but I just hoped he wouldn’t demand a huge price in return down the line. One thing was sure—Mafia bosses neve
ROSALINDA “He’s a fighter. He survived it. Luckily, the bullet narrowly missed his heart. He’ll recover soon enough.” These words from the doctor were the best news I had ever heard in my entire life. I couldn’t even imagine what would have happened to me and to my son if I had lost Antonio. My entire existence would have been wounded, and I would have never recovered from it. I was glad about the information the doctor passed, but I was still insanely worried and wanted to see him awake and talk to him before I could break free from the anxiety twisting my insides.It’s been thirty-two hours since the bullet extraction surgery, since the doctor assured us that his vital signs were okay and that he would wake up soon enough, but he still hadn’t. I was sitting by his bedside, silently praying, hoping, and wishing for him to wake up. I was mentally and physically exhausted, and everyone had asked me to go home and rest because of my condition, but knowing that he was in that situation
ROSALINDA I wasn’t going to give up. I had to find a way to leave there as soon as possible. I kept looking through the windows at regular intervals, hoping the men there would leave so I could escape. The sky outside was already dark, and the rope I had tied together was still dangling, calling on me to descend with it. But the only thing stopping me from doing that were the fucking men out there. My mind drifted to Antonio, and my already painful heart was broken even further at the thought of what he would be going through at the moment. He’d be so broken and frustrated looking for me. I just hoped he had found a clue and was on his way to come get me. I had to be found, or escape, for him and for my son. I looked through the window again, expecting to see the men guarding it, but my eyes widened and a pang of hope filled my chest when I didn’t see them there. Without hesitation, I climbed over it and began to descend very quickly. But just as I was about to alight, the men app
ANTONIO My men and I had tried every possible means to look for Rosalinda, but there was no cue. Nothing at all. I was frustrated, scared of losing her. Even the thought of it blocked my airways, making it difficult to breathe. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to get my woman back. Nothing at all. Vito and I had just finished looking through the footage from the security camera from all the buildings around the gas station, but we got nothing. My phone started ringing, and I picked it up, hoping it was one of my men calling me to give me positive feedback, but I drew a long hiss when I realised it was Sofia calling. She had been buzzing my phone for over an hour now, demanding to speak with Rosalinda. I had told her that she was fine and was only sleeping, but she wouldn’t buy it. Fuck! She was fucking adding to my frustration with her persistent calls. “Don’t you think you should tell her the truth?” Vito suggested, as I rejected the call. “She’d tell Roberto, and I don’t want hi
ROSALINDA My head was banging so much that it felt like it was going to explode. For how long have I been sleeping? I wondered, as I tried to open my eyes, only to abruptly close them back due to the blinding light. After a few seconds, I tried again, but this time, slowly, until my eyes adapted to the light. Suddenly, I caught sight of a familiar face sitting on a sofa not so far from the bed, and I jerked up in perplexity. “What are you doing here?” I demanded. “You’re awake.” Liam grinned, and just then, reality sank in. I looked around the room, fear crawling through me as everything that happened rushed back in. I remembered everything—how I was kidnapped from the gas station and drugged until I was knocked out.“Liam. What the hell is this?” I demanded fiercely, hiding the fear crawling through me. “What do you think it is?” He raised a brow, expecting a response from me. And when he didn’t get any, he continued. “I told you, Rosalinda, that I adore you. And whatever I wan
ROSALINDAThe very next day after Sofia’s wedding, our own wedding preparation began. Antonio called Papà over the phone to inform him of our plan, while I, on the other hand, planned to tell Mama, Sofia, Matteo, and Giovanni in person—that is, if Papà hadn’t already told them before we got to the mansion. Antonio and I planned to go to my parent’s place today. We had a lot on our schedule, but the first place we visited was the hospital. I had an appointment with the sonographer to get the baby’s ultrasound done. “She’s so healthy.” The sonographer said, smiling as she moved the transducer around my belly. This wasn’t the first time I saw my baby girl, but each time I heard the whooshing sound of her heartbeat, I felt an unexplainable warmth radiate through my entire being. I couldn’t wait to hold her in my arms. “She’s so cute.” Antonio said, a small smile on his face. “I bet she’d look like me.” “She’d definitely be my carbon copy.” I countered. He chuckled softly. “We’ll find
ROSALINDA Who said dreams were unattainable? Whoever said that bluffed because Sofia defied that claim. The dream she thought was out of reach was coming to pass. It’s been two months since she had the emergency surgery; she and the twins—Isabella and Alessia—were healthy and out of the hospital. Today was her wedding day. She was getting married to the love of her life, and I couldn’t be more happy about her finally getting her happy ending. She deserved it, they both deserved it. I had asked Antonio to wait a bit more before we got married, and he agreed without protest, even though I knew he wasn’t so happy about it. He just wanted to do right by me. He had been the perfect man ever, and I couldn’t even imagine my life with any other man. I didn’t even know why I had delayed the marriage, but anyway, that was the least of my problems at the moment. The dress I had on was. I turned around to look at my reflection in the mirror, and Goddamn it, I captivated myself. The thigh-hig
ROSALINDA Antonio grabbed my hand and dragged me outside. I had the strong urge to protest, but I didn’t because I knew whatever I did would have been useless. He would never leave me there, and we would only end up causing a scene. “Why the fuck did you come out here alone, Rosalinda?” He groaned once we were outside, his furious eyes staring intently at me. “And don’t tell me you took alcohol with your condition.”I folded my arms over my chest, casting my gaze away as I retorted. “I only took sparkling water, and you are not the only one allowed to leave the house after a fight.”“Does that mean you should endanger your life?” He fired back. “I don’t care whatever danger surrounds you, but she is an adult and could make her own decisions.” Ruby suddenly chimed in, her voice filled with irritation. He drew his brows together, his frown deepening as he turned his attention to her. “Really? I’m starting to wonder if they used you to lure her out so that they could kidnap and harm