ANTONIO.On my way, I called Marco and instructed him to make sure Oliver took his bath and looked presentable before my arrival.Marco was standing on the front porch, waiting for me to arrive when I got there.“Welcome.” He greeted me as I approached him.I nodded slightly in response. Noting the curiosity on his face, I decided to brief him before he asked the question I believed he had in mind.“Nikolai Petrov called me, asking for Oliver. They have Camilla.” I told him as I walked past him, and he followed suit.“What? How is he connected with the Petrovs? Why do they want him?” He asked, surprised.I sighed. “That’s what I also want to find out. Where is he?”“In the living room.” He replied.In the living room, Oliver was seated on one of the sofas, guarded by Vito. He had taken his bath and changed clothes. Though still dishevelled, he looked way better than the way I left him.The second he saw me approaching, a hint of fear flickered in his eyes.“You said I was free to go.
ROSALINDA.Today was birthday, and as planned, the party had already begun downstairs.I was dressed in a neon orange fitted dress with my raven black hair packed in a tight bun, accentuating my facial features.“Mommy. No. I want the blue one.” Carlo whined as he stared at the white shirt in my hand.I was in his room, dressing him up for the party.“The blue one it is, then.” I smiled sweetly as I leapt to my feet and trudged to his wardrobe to drop the white shirt.He giggled happily as I returned with the blue shirt, and I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my lips."Mommy, is Uncle Antonio coming?“ He asked, reminding me of the wound I had been trying to close.Antonio hadn’t reached out since that night, and it hurt like hell. He told me that he’d explain everything to me when he got the full details, but that explanation never came. I guess I expected too much from a mafia lord. How absurd.I got to hear a little bit of what happened from Sofia, though. Oliver called h
ROSALINDA.“Who is it?” I quickly asked.Leaning in, he planted multiple gentle kisses on my neck, causing heat to rush to my core.“Don’t give me a hickey.” I said, a soft moan escaping my lips.He flicked his gaze at me, a wicked smile playing on his lips. “Too late.”“Oh, no.” I worried as I wiped my neck with my hand. How was I supposed to hide it with the off-shoulder dress I had on?“Kidding.” He chuckled.He got me.“I dislike you.” I gritted out, obviously not meaning it.“It’s quite the opposite, Love.” He sought my lips, engaging me in a soft, sweet kiss.“So, who is it?” I got back to the matter at hand after we pulled away from the kiss.He brushed my lips with his thumb, staring intently into my eyes with sinful desire. “I’m not sure yet. But I’ll tell you once I confirm."“There he goes again. With the secrets.” I remarked, rolling my eyes.A small smile touched his lips as he continued staring at me with intense desire. “You pretty woman.”Before I could reply, he smash
ROSALINDA.My heart pumped rapidly. My entire world froze as the doctor’s words rang repeatedly in my head.“Mr. Moretti has been keeping this to himself for a while now and asked me not to tell you guys, his family. But I don’t think I can hide this anymore. I’m sorry, but you all deserve to know that he has cancer. Cancer of the lungs. But it is still in the early stages, and there is a great chance of it being cured since it was detected early. He has been coming here for treatment, and I suppose he fainted as a result of the side effects of the treatment.”Papà. Cancer? The news was too painful to take in, and I found myself unable to breathe well. I couldn’t imagine a life without my Papà. I didn’t want to lose him. Not now.“Papà why? Why didn’t you tell us?” I queried, tears streaming down my face as I held his hand in mine.“This is why.” He smiled sadly, lightly squeezing my hand in his. “I didn’t want to see you cry like this.”“You should have told us.” Sofia, who was sitti
ROSALINDA.His primal needs were palpable in the way he aggressively unbuckled his belt and ripped my panties apart.Without hesitation, he positioned me on his cock and pushed inside me with a powerful thrust.An intense sensation rippled through my body when his full length filled me up, and I took over from there, bouncing on him, while our shared heavy breaths filled the car.“Fuck!” He groaned in pleasure, and in an instant, he grabbed my butt cheeks and began thrusting forward in rapid movements.The pleasure dancing through my body intensified, and it became difficult to breathe. I couldn’t think of any other thing. Just him. Us. And the sinful act we were indulging in.I dug into the softness of his hair as the pleasure became unbearable. It was unbearable, yet I craved more. I wanted to feel all of it.“Fuck me harder.” I moaned.And he obeyed.The thrusts became insanely rapid. It was as though a beast was doing the movement. Intense sweetness erupted within me, and it felt
ROSALINDA.In all honesty, I didn’t want to return home. I wanted to remain with him. In his arms. Until the sun rises.But unfortunately, that wasn’t possible. We got some pills from the pharmacy, and he drove me home afterwards. We had one last scorching kiss in his car before I hopped out. Upon entering the building, I learned from one of our maids that Sofia, Mama, and Matteo were in Papà’s room, so I went there to join them.Papà was on his bed, lying down with Mama, Sofia, and Matteo seated all around him. As I stared at him, reality hit me in the chest. A few minutes of pleasure couldn’t erase the pain that lingered in my heart. Papà was sick, and the only thing I could hope for was for him to respond to treatment.“What took you so long?” Papà asked as I approached him.“Antonio had a flat tyre, so he had to fix it.” I lied.He nodded. “Okay.”My eyes subconsciously darted to Sofia, and the look she had in her eyes said that she didn’t believe my excuse.“I was just telling th
ANTONIO.I had to calm myself down to speak with Lorenzo. I didn’t want him to know that I knew he was the one who was after my life, as I wasn’t totally sure yet. The tattoo could be a coincidence. So to confirm, I came up with a plan and asked us to meet.We met at a coffee shop the following morning. My men were positioned strategically all over the place because I wasn’t so stupid to go alone when I suspected that Lorenzo was after my life.“So, what did you want to discuss with me?” Lorenzo asked as he planted his elbows on the table and made a steeple with his fingers.“I’ll go straight to the point. I want us to do business together.” I told him.“Business?” He raised a brow.“Yes, business.” I replied.He let out a soft chuckle, slightly shaking his head. “It’s surprising how you were determined to fight me over a woman yesterday. And now you want to do business with me?” A frown crossed his features. “Make that make sense.”“I apologise for what happened yesterday. I was just
ANTONIO.I called Marco and asked him to come to the room I was in while the other men remained in the respective rooms they were stationed in. It wasn’t over yet. Lorenzo’s men could still be lurking around, and all of us couldn’t be in the same place. We had to be careful.“Please, I am innocent.” The woman begged, tears streaming down her cheeks.“You weren’t innocent when you decided to aid in killing me.” I groaned.“Kill you? No. I wasn’t going to kill you. I was only asked to tranquillize you.” She quickly defended herself.“What did you think the person who sent you would do after I became unconscious?” I raised a brow, waiting for her to connect the dots.“Kill you?“ She asked, her eyes filling with horror.Nodding in response, I reached for her wrist and uncuffed her.“Get up and get dressed.” I told her.“Don’t even think of running.” I warned her as I pulled out a gun and pointed it at her.She nodded, her body trembling in fear, as she walked to where her dress was and sl
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