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Author: Ink Sorcerer
last update Last Updated: 2025-01-31 23:10:07

ZAVERIO’S POV

I lit a cigarette, my fifth that afternoon and blew casually blew the smoke out of my mouth. People walking by gave me disgusted looks as they hurried into the hospital behind me. I didn’t care.

The security had even asked me to leave, but I had always been defiant. The management was going to create a smoking area if they wanted me gone. My jaw itched and I winced as I scratched the scattered hairs jutting out of my chin.

The hospital had been my home for practically a week. I stayed there by my mother’s side all day waiting for her to wake up. The doctor said she could wake up anytime.

The coma wasn’t the hurdle though; her stroke was the enemy we needed to tackle when she woke up. Her left cheek had started to sag and I refused to take stock of the rest of her body. My mother was strong, she would pull through.

She was the matron of the house of Riccardo; she had dealt with me since I was a young boy, taking all the boyish pain I caused her and landing a slap on my bu
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  • The Mafia's Hidden Obsession    19

    ALMA’S POVThe joy that had permeated every corner of the Riccardo household grew stale under the rule of Selene; she was ten times worse than Mrs. Riccardo, barking out orders and raising her hand at the slightest inconvenience.My cheek stung from one of her heavy back hands, she wore sharp rings on every finger, and didn’t hesitate to strike when provoked. I cleaned the blood rolling down my face with the back of my hand.“If you get your worthless blood on the carpet, I swear you’ll scrub that spot non-stop for a week.” Selene stepped on my hand, digging her heels in. “When I ask for orange juice, I expect to be asked what kind, do you get that?”“Yes ma’am” I bit my tongue; I would never give her the pleasure of seeing my pain. “I understand ma’am.”“Get out of my sight and get me freshly squeezed orange juice.” Selene walked back to her seat. “You have thirty minutes or you’ll be licking it from the floor.”I rose to my feet and rushed into the kitchen. Nadine was standing in fr

    Last Updated : 2025-01-31
  • The Mafia's Hidden Obsession    20

    ALMA’S POVZaverio’s lips closed around one of my exposed nipples, and I cried out holding his head closer to my chest. I was lying on my back with my gown gathered around my waist. Zaverio fit snugly in between my thighs.I grinded against his hot member, whimpering desperately to be filled, I wanted him inside me. Despite being intoxicated, Zaverio took his sweet time with my body, in no rush to touch me.I didn’t want him this way, there would be a time for him to explore my body, or make me feel desired. Right now I needed him to fuck me until I lost my breath. This was the only time I had to have him, if Selene arrived at the height of my passion, I knew I would not be able to release him.“Zaverio” I sighed breathlessly. “I need you inside me, please.”He hummed, sucking my breast deeper into his mouth. “I want to take my time; your body deserves to be worshipped. I have fantasized about these breasts. I have thought of fucking them-”“I want you to fuck me from behind Zaverio,

    Last Updated : 2025-01-31
  • The Mafia's Hidden Obsession    21

    ZAVERIO’S POV“What the fuck?” I held my head, rolling around in my bed. What the hell had Von loaded me with? I barely remembered anything about yesterday, except Alma.A smile forced my lips apart and I laughed, spreading my hands over my bed- my bed? The realizations made me sit up, which was a horrible mistake. A headache pounded at the base of my skull like a hammer.“Oh good! You’re awake.” Selene’s voice worsened my headache. “I got you some pills and a glass of water.”“What the hell are you doing in my room?” I slapped away the glass she offered me, not caring when it shattered. “Who gave you the permission to be here?”Selene glared at me, “I stay here. I found you passed out on the bed when I got back yesterday from my outing.”I looked around my room, noticing all the boxes and items that weren’t mine. “Get your things out of my room Selene! I’ll warn you only once.”“I’m not going anywhere Zaverio.” Selene crossed her arms. “Your mother told me to make myself comfortable;

    Last Updated : 2025-01-31
  • The Mafia's Hidden Obsession    22

    ALMA’S POVZaverio was barely home these days; I didn’t mind his absence either because my heart felt full. We hadn’t spoken about the words he said to me, but I could wait for him to return home.Mrs. Riccardo was doing well, and we were all waiting for her to return home. Selene had grown more agitated now that she was awake and piled any and every work she could think of.I got the short end of the stick when it came to her mercy, thankfully she had striking me across the face but the belt marks on my back weren’t any better.I shivered in my wet dress, pushing the brush harder into the floor. Selene had dumped a bucket of water over me and ordered me to clean it up in my wet clothes. Nadine had offered to help me, but Selene was not going anywhere anytime soon, and I couldn’t afford to put my friend in trouble. I also needed to prepare lunch for Zaverio and time was running out.I didn’t want him to know what was happening in the house; Selene had become an uncontrollable force,

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  • The Mafia's Hidden Obsession    23

    ZAVERIO’S POVSomething strange was happening, I didn’t know what but something kept hitting the base of my skull seeking attention. I gritted my teeth, keeping my eyes on the morning papers I had stopped reading minutes ago.My breakfast had also gone cold but I had no appetite, and I felt the trepidation of the staff waiting on me. Their eyes darted to me and then the untouched breakfast, probably expecting me to throw a fit like my mother.I’d admit I never stopped her from exhibiting her dramatic flair. My father had spoiled her rotten when he was alive, this house was hers, and I tried my possible best to stay out of the matters regarding the Riccardo's estate.I thought I didn’t interfere in the matters of the house, but I had overran my mother’s special request that Selene remain in the house. There was no way she could have predicted her stroke and not for the first time, I detested my mother’s involvement in my life.Selene stood nowhere close to Alma, the one who truly held

    Last Updated : 2025-02-04
  • The Mafia's Hidden Obsession    24

    ZAVERIO’S POVNadine whirled around and stabbed me in the chest with her finger the moment I shut her bedroom door.“I will not sleep with you, Mr. Zaverio; I refuse to betray my friend like that. You’ll have to kill me before you have my body.” Her eyes hardened. My brows fused into a frown of confusion. My thoughts faltered. “What the fuck are you talking about? Why would I want to sleep- did you say rape you? Why would I do that?”Nadine observed me as if weighing the words of an enemy. “You’re well known in the estate, Mr. Zaverio. With all due respect, everyone knows you will fuck anything that has a skirt on.”I wanted to refuse, but my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. What was the point in denying the truth?“Watch your mouth, Nadine,” I sais sternly, and she presses her lips, shutting her mouth. “Sorry, but I can't,” she muttered. “I have no desire to sleep with you, Nadine. You can stop being on the defensive side.” I leaned against the door, keeping my distance. “I

    Last Updated : 2025-02-05
  • The Mafia's Hidden Obsession    25

    Alma's povI stopped myself from skipping across the hall, it was unbecoming of a staff of the Riccardo estate, but most importantly it was dangerous to let others see a spark in my life.Everyone had recovered from the scare Mrs. Riccardo had caused the house; those who had mourned her now went back to seeking information for the mistress of the house who would be returning to lead us with an iron fist. The happy home was a jungle all over again. I was aware of the prying eyes and quick footsteps following me around at night and sometimes in the daytime; I had no idea if Selene had said anything to someone before she left.The uncertainty fanned the waves of fear in my heart, dimming my smile until my lips were turned downwards into a frown. I was playing with fire, even when I knew this kind of fire wouldn’t just burn me, but also take my life.For weeks I had called Mrs. Riccardo’s bluff, reading and rereading the papers I had torn to pieces. It had taken a while to piece the full

    Last Updated : 2025-02-05
  • The Mafia's Hidden Obsession    26

    Alma’S POV It was another day, and Zaverio’s laboured breath fanned my neck as I let my tired legs drop from his waist. We were on the floor in his study, not completely naked, but had just finished having sex. It was harder to meet up due to the paranoia I was experiencing. The house was a station of gossip, and I kept my ears glued to the wall, trying to pick up pieces of information. No one was talking about the little affair I was having with Zaverio. They were more interested in my fight with Nadine. It hadn’t been a public fight, but anyone could feel the heated tension between us whenever we were in the same space. Nadine had kept to herself after our exchange, barely sparing me a glance. It hurt more than I would ever admit; she had always been my safe space, and I realized how selfish I was to ever think she would throw herself into Zaverio’s arms. I had practised my apology a million times in my head, but whenever I saw her, the words evaporated. She had also asked

    Last Updated : 2025-02-06

Latest chapter

  • The Mafia's Hidden Obsession    131

    ALMA’S POV“The men I sent to the house didn’t see anything out of the ordinary and the shop is empty and untouched. Martha wasn’t snatched from your home or the shop, so I’ll have to dig deeper and ask some people a few questions.”I nodded, half listening to what my mother was saying. I was riddled with guilt over the fact that Martha was missing, she could be anywhere with anyone who wanted to hurt me or use me to get to my mother.The endless circle of looking over my shoulders even when I hadn’t left the house was exhausting to say the least. If I had somehow dragged Martha into my family’s mess, I would never forgive myself.“You don’t have to get too worried about it, Alma. I can’t promise that nothing will happen to her because we don’t know who has her, but I can promise to bring her back safely when we find out who does.”“What if she’s dead and we’re running in circles chasing our tail.” That question hung heavily in my mind; I lost sleep thinking of Martha drowning or gett

  • The Mafia's Hidden Obsession    130

    GIO’S POVI watched the way her fingers tightened around the steering wheel and I feared she would rip it off. Her question hung in the air like a harsh noise, and I opened my mouth to answer several times but the words died in my throat.“Is this a new way to throw someone off, you send them to get breakfast and then go on a date with someone else?” Rose flexed her fingers again. “Why didn’t you tell me?”“I was going to tell you and it wasn’t a date.” The words didn’t sound believable to my own ears. “It’s not what you think I promise, I would never try to get rid of you like that.”“You’re saying what you’re saying but I saw something else, I waited outside that fucking restaurant for hours Gio with my phone in my hand, you couldn’t even shoot me a sympathy text?”I closed my eyes, “I was going to text you I swear, I calculated the time it would take you- Look, I didn’t want to you to get home and panic when you couldn’t find me but I didn’t want to be rude.”Rose nodded. “Right, y

  • The Mafia's Hidden Obsession    128

    GIO’S POVRose and I were passing a bowl of popcorn while we watched a re-run of Grey’s Anatomy in the living room. We had been holed up in this space for almost three days; it would be obvious to anyone who walked in that we were in our honeymoon phase.I smelt like her and she smelt like sin. Rose was right when she said I was the initiator in this relationship. I had never doubted my stamina but with Rose, I knew that was a battle I was never going to win.She was always ready when I reached for her, and she fucked me so good, it made me crave more like a sex junkie. Rose had turned me into a sex addict and it wasn’t even up to a week.“Do you think they are going to wrap up this series one day?” Rose asked around a mouth filled with popcorn.“Do you know when the world is going to end? If you do then maybe when the world is ending, because Grey’s Anatomy is going to be here until all the current actors die and they recruit new ones.”Rose chuckled. “I love popcorn and your legs pi

  • The Mafia's Hidden Obsession    128

    GIO’S POVI uncrossed and crossed my leg for the fifth time, trying to focus on the file I was supposed to be reading. My subordinates were going to dish their case out to me and I needed to be updated, it wouldn’t help me make up my mind, but it would paint a picture for me.I had twenty minutes to drag my brain from the high Rose had kept me in all morning to the present. Like the kiss, we didn’t talk about the fact that we had had sex. When I walked out of my bedroom, dressed for the hour, she was back to being my bodyguard.The heat lingered in her eyes but they didn’t reach mine, not when we were in a space that clearly defined our positions. I was her boss and she was my employee- not directly but if she looked at me the way she did this morning, I wouldn’t mind if she took me on my table.I bit my finger hard, it did the job of centering my focus. Why was I thinking of Rose’s fingers and the way they felt inside me, how they moved and how full I-“Miss Gio.”The file in my hand

  • The Mafia's Hidden Obsession    127

    GIO’S POVI heard the light footsteps of Rose walking past my door to the kitchen, then the telltale sound of water filling the coffee pot, she never drank coffee the way I do, but she always put a pot on for me to drink away.I hadn’t slept a wink but I didn’t feel tired. I was confused about our current situation. Was the kiss a figment of my imagination? I touched my lips and pulled my hand back when they tingled. Was that normal?What were supposed to do now that it had happened? Maybe it was a spur of the moment thing and she had forgotten about it. Energized by that thought, I jumped out of bed with a light spring in my step.I was going to go out there and behave normally; there was no need to make anything awkward she had probably just kissed me in passing or something, pushing the painful squeeze in my chest away I opened my door and stopped short.Rose was sitting at the dining table, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Her hair was wet which meant she had taken a shower and

  • The Mafia's Hidden Obsession    126

    ALMA’S POVMy mother pushed the food in her plate around, more focused on the file she was reading. I didn’t want to interrupt so I kept my movements silent; eyeing her in case she needed space.We hadn’t spoken much since her checkup with the doctor. Big Mac had tried to make me more at home in my mother’s huge house. I used the excess time on my hands to explore the many rooms that were unoccupied.Big Mac kept Zara entertained when I was busy keeping myself from losing my mind. He didn’t communicate much with me about anything, and I didn’t mind much since we didn’t have a lot to talk about.My main worry was with Martha, she hadn’t answered any of my calls since I left with Big Mac after my mother was shot. I was too worried to function properly. What if something had happened to her? I shook my head, printing the details of that day into focus.Martha hadn’t been in the house when my mother arrived, she had convinced me to let her check the store, it had been closed indefinitely

  • The Mafia's Hidden Obsession    125

    ZAVERIO’S POV“The next shipment is scheduled to fall next week.” Von said, tapping on the screen of the tab in his hands. He wasn’t a man used to advanced gadgets, but he had to get used to them seeing as our whole organization was leaving the paper trail era.“What about Ambrose? Did he like the guns we shipped to him the other day? If he did then he needs to finish paying for them.” I threw the tennis ball in my hand into the air and caught it. “Alvaro said he was going to drop by today, I have no idea what he wants to discuss, do you?”Von shook his head, “Our little bird is also back in her nest.” He was referring to Gio who had been incognito for some days. We tracked her to a rundown bar but kept our distance, leaving the overall surveillance to her bodyguard who acknowledged our presence but didn’t give room for any slip-ins. Rose was impressive, and if she decided to join the dark side, I would hire her.“We will find out what happened when she is ready to come back in, we ca

  • The Mafia's Hidden Obsession    124

    GIO’S POVMy phone vibrated on the bedside table in the shitty hotel I had found to hole myself into. I ignored it like I had for three days, staring at the ceiling until my eyes felt raw. It was my morning routine before I proceeded to drown myself in alcohol at night.I didn’t know how far I had walked after I left Rose but when I came to my senses, it was raining, I was soaked and as the universe pointed out, in front of a seedy hotel with lights that blinked haphazardly. I didn’t think twice about walking in, the girl manning the register took one look at my suit and sneered.“We don’t give rooms to cops.” She looked like she was ready to spit in my face.I blinked, looked down at my corporate attire. “I am not a cop, I work well with numbers.”She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She snatched a key from the few on the rack and threw it at me. “Keep the noise to a minimum, don’t expect any breakfast in bed and be gone in the morning.”Her eyes bore a hole in my back as I walked away.

  • The Mafia's Hidden Obsession    123

    GIO’S POVI avoided eye contact with everyone I walked past, hiding my shame in my eyes. If they looked hard enough, they would know what I had done, who I had chosen and whose blood was going to be on my hands.The pounding headache was the retribution I needed, it was a result to the restless night I had had. The five files Emily had given to me held information of a few powerful people in the world.Their deaths would shake the core of what they were heading, and that was the reason Emily was asking me to take my pick from the litter. Norma’s face had haunted my dreams, making it extremely hard to sleep.She may not have ratted me out to Emily and Rose had said she would keep my other business in strict confidence but I couldn’t trust her. I couldn’t trust anyone, not even myself.File one, Norma- Prime minister of Spain, married and divorced three times before she was elected, finally, she got married to her childhood sweetheart and they were the couple of the year. She and her on

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