Sierra’s POV“You love me?” I repeated.I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. Jordan said he loved me! He loved me! “Yes, Sierra. I do love you. As you said, this was an arranged marriage, so I didn’t have any expectations. I was hoping to see the kind of person you were first before anything. After we got married, I realized you weren’t daddy’s little pampered princess and I admired that about you. I respect you.”Jordan held my hand in his. “We got talking and I started having feelings for you. I didn’t want that, so I would step back a bit, only to return to the scene eventually. It also didn’t help that we started having complications not long after we got married; with the media, your sister, and my brother.”My stomach growled, causing Jordan to chuckle. “Let’s fill your stomach with food first.” He held me by the hand and we both went downstairs to the kitchen. After we had both eaten, Jordan led me to the living roo
Jordan’s POVAfter the conversation Sierra and I had, I decided to go and finish off some work. Since Lorenzo was out of the picture, I had to ensure all trading routes were redirected and I had to create a central route, one I could control. I pulled up my contacts and started making some calls. Crystal Bay wasn’t going to be trafficking girls anymore. Lorenzo did that shit when he had power, but not anymore.According to the data I was looking at, the mafia got about half of their income from human trafficking while the other half came from protection services, which I handled.I had people who depended on me for hard drugs, so I wasn’t going to stop supplying. As a matter of fact, I didn’t think I was ever going to stop. The drug market is so vast and profitable.For the past two years, I let Lorenzo handle drugs. I told him where he could get the good stuff. But, eventually, he got greedy and cut me off. He started pulling in deals t
Sierra’s POVJordan’s guards bowed their heads as we both entered his office. He plopped me on his chair and walked around his desk to sit by the edge.“Can somebody explain to me why my wife was under water for over three minutes, yet nobody thought to do anything about it? I ran downstairs and found you guys standing around. What if she was drowning?” Jordan directed at his guards, looking from one to the other.“I don’t want a repeat of this. My wife is my utmost priority, whether or not I’m around. She commands the same respect and attention that I do. Am I clear?” The guards nodded. “Treat her like you treat me. Respect her as you respect me. Protect her as you protect me. What happened today must never happen again.” All the guards chorused ‘Yes, boss’ prompting Jordan to point at the door. “You may return to your duty posts now.”The men filed out of the room. Andrew was going to leave too, but Jordan called him back.“Finalize the details with Gordon today. I don’t want anyth
Sierra’s POVAfter my appointment at the salon, I decided to go shopping. My plan was to distract Jordan while his meeting was still on. My hair had been straightened, so it was sleek and shiny. I loved it! I just had to find the perfect outfit to pair with it. Finding what to wear wasn’t so difficult. Jordan often told me how much he loved that I was curvy, all I needed to do was to find an outfit that would highlight all the sexiness in me. I finally settled for a pair of short, leather shorts and a black, leather bralette. To crown my outfit, I finished the look with a pair of boot heels. My makeup was simple, yet alluring. I didn’t do much, I told the makeup artist I wanted a smokey look with some red lipstick. And boy, when I looked in the mirror, I couldn’t even recognize myself.I looked drop-dead gorgeous.When I got to the club, I walked directly to the bouncers at the entrance and told them I was Mrs Pierce. They both looked at me like I had grown horns. They requested my
Sierra’s POVAmelia gave me the cue to go in. As I walked in, all the lights went off except for the one in the dancing section. It was a small space with a pole sitting right at the center. Thank god I was wearing shorts because I didn’t know how I would have danced around the pole with a skirt or a dress. I seductively walked towards the pole, swaying my hips, and walking around it for effect. I had a mask on because I wanted to see if Jordan would recognize me with the mask on. I started dancing like I saw the ladies do in the bar. I could see the men from where I was. Jordan was sitting with a man whom I figured was the Gabriel Amelia told me about earlier. Beside Gabriel was another man I didn’t know. Andrew was behind the couch on Jordan’s side. When our eyes met, he silently shook his head. I almost gasped. Andrew had caught me! He knew who I was. The silent shake of his head was probably a form of scolding. I didn’t care though. I was more concerned about whether Jordan had
Jordan’s POVI knew right from the moment she walked into the room that she was Sierra. She was my wife, how did she think I wouldn’t recognize her simply because she had a mask on?Gabriel Draven, the guy I was having the business meeting with, couldn’t stop grinning the whole time. Gabriel led a dangerous cult and they specialized in producing any kind of weapons, including bombs. Usually, we’d buy from them and my men would go pick them up, after a proper checkup. But with the way my empire was growing, I wanted us to have a renewable contract binding both businesses together.That way, we didn’t have to run out or wait for when we had a new mission before getting weapons. With a steady supply, we could build an arsenal of our own and eventually become a supplier to other empires.However, I forgot all about that when I realized that Gabriel was ogling my wife. The first thing I thought about was getting somebody else to replace Sierra, so I called Andrew and told him to get some
Sierra’s POVAs soon as Jordan shut the door, Amelia screamed excitedly, forcing me to scream as well. Her expressions were contagious!“Girl! Your husband is whipped!” She exclaimed.“I don’t think so.” “Don’t you dare pretend to be humble about it. You told the man to put you up in all his offices and he agreed. Do you know how much of Crystal Bay Jordan controls? You’re basically going to be everywhere.” “Stop exaggerating, Amelia. It’s only in his offices.” I took the dress out of her hands and started taking off Jordan’s jacket.There was no stopping Amelia. “And do you know how many people go in and out of those offices on a daily basis?”She had a point, so I stopped arguing. Amelia didn’t come with underwear, so I had to put on the dress the way it was. Thankfully, the bust area was a little padded. “What happened to your panties?” Amelia asked knowingly. When I remembered where Jordan kept them, I started coughing. “I don’t know,” I said to her and got up to leave. The dr
Sierra’s POV Jordan was turning forty-five next week! I figured he didn’t want to mention it since Leila’s funeral service had just concluded. He didn’t tell me either. I found out when I went snooping around his study in the house. I was bored and I didn’t know what to do, so I thought to snoop around. Usually, I would call or text Amelia, but she was also busy running Cloud Nine with her husband. And yes, I knew she wouldn’t mind, but my mother raised me better. I needed to tell Jordan that I would love to start working. I didn’t even mind it being remote, as long as it kept me busy. I studied English Language and Literature in college and writing had always been my passion. It was either that or teaching English to students, especially non-natives in Crystal Bay. If Jordan didn’t agree to either of those, I was going to request that I begin my formal training. According to Jordan, my formal training basically entailed training to fight and kill. As the wife of a mafia don, t
Jordan’s POVThe war didn’t end overnight. It took us months of intentional planning, restructuring and rebuilding trust.Carlos and Lorenzo Moretti not only maintained control of their syndicate but did so under stricter rules. Enough with the senseless bloodshed.” No more betrayals.Alessandro emerged as the power broker but moved to settle relations among erstwhile opponents.What about Gabriel Dravamen? He continued to be a wild card but honoured the pact. It meant Sierra would never have to see him again. He slipped away into the shadows, leaving us in peace.***I should have known that peace was an illusion. The second we made a truce, I felt the claws of the past itch at my back, lying in wait for an opportunity. The life we had struggled to break free from wasn’t going to be free easily. When our fragile new beginning unravelled, it was the enemy without who tore it apart but it was one of our own. Night had descended, cloaking the safehouse in lulling tranquillity. Sierra
Jordan’s POVIt was a lengthy, ruthless and tumultuous struggle. Blood spotted the pavement, and the air was still tinged with gunpowder and sweat. Gabriel Dravamen’s cultists had shaken the very foundation of the city’s underworld when they turned against the men of Carlos Moretti. But now, looking at the rubble, I knew this battle would not last forever. I glanced at Sierra, her face smeared with dirt, her hair a wild tangle from their adventure, but the spark in her eyes was still bright with fierce determination. She had fought for me, she had risked everything, and I’d be damned if I was going to let her spend the rest of her life in constant fear. We had to put an end to this insane battle by hook or crook regardless of how weak I felt.“Jordan…Do you think this battle is worth it,” she asked but I looked at her and suddenly lost my words.“What do you suggest we do?” I asked her after taking time to think on her question for a few minutes.“End it. Reconcile with your enemies
Jordan’s POVThere was a palpable tension in the night air, a heavy mix of unvoiced threats. My fingers flexed at my sides, and every muscle in my body stood up, ready to pounce. The instant the door opened on the van I sensed it. Before us, lined up like a barricade, the fleet of cars stood, their headlights casting harsh beams into the dark, illuminating the figures waiting beyond. Dressed in shades of dark, masked under darkness, armed men stood at attention. Their postures screamed discipline, precision, and most importantly, prepared to unleash hell. From the outside looking in, it was evident these were not just hired guns. They were men trained for combat, their loyalty inextinguishable, and their mission palpable. Carlos Moretti moved like a man in command, rolling the cuffs of his pricey suit as though he wasn’t in the heart of a goddamn battlefield. He flourished on chaos; it had shaped him, and if nothing else, I knew he never walked into a fight he didn’t think he coul
Sierra’s POVSilence enveloped us for a heartbeat, the only noise the drone of the engine and the uneven gasps of our party. Inside the van, the air was thick with anticipation and something more, something dark.Then, as my eyes adjusted to the low-light interior, I froze in my throat. In the corner sat Carlos Moretti, wearing a sleek black suit, and dark glasses on the bridge of his nose. A cigar hung limply from one side of his mouth, a thin wisp of smoke curling up to the ceiling.“You all didn’t know I was here. Well, I accept that compliment you gave earlier,” he said, “Oh, you are welcome,” he barely echoed and pumped out more smoke into the air with reckless abandon.Still talking to himself and all, he chuckled, a slow and gruff laugh that sent a shiver down my spine. It went on too long, stretching that moment into something just disgusting, something grotesque and even annoying, that made my stomach flip.I felt like reaching out to him and smacking him in the face to keep
Sierra’s POVA sharp crack of gunfire pierced the night, and instinct kicked in. Jordan was tumbling down with me as a bullet whined past us and struck the concrete wall behind us.My pulse throbbed so violently that I feared it might rupture my ribs. Dominic was already shooting back, his responses quick and exact. Ethan drew his weapon too, well braced as he shot at the men surrounding us. “Go! Go! Go!” he shouted to his men and directed them with one hand in the air as he plunged them ahead whilst the other hand rested solidly on his gun. He looked in our direction as well and nodded his head for us to move to where the huge crates were stacked.I held Jordan and moved towards the crate whilst Ethan watched our fours ensuring we were behind the crates before going head into the battle that had been staged. I wondered where all the police vans had gone because such chaos and ceaseless firing should have bought them out of their cocoons except they had been bought over.Hiding behin
Sierra’s POVI wrapped my arms around Jordan when balance abandoned him and he walked with me like an old man slowly finding his step. He had just been through a serious coma, and I knew he needed time to get his strength back. His body had not fully recovered, but his spirit, his fighting spirit, was as full as a young man's spirit should be. Every step we took together led us onto shaky ground, but I was unwilling to drop the thread. I wasn’t about to let anything or anyone pull him away from me again. As I led him down the sterile corridor, I kept looking back at him, asking him over and over if he was in pain. "How do you feel? Is anything bothering you? Does anywhere hurt?”We had to put up a brave front, of course, but Jordan shot me a cheeky smile with twinkling eyes that had mischief reflected in them, even with that happening.“You’re babying me too much, Sierra. I'm fine," he pouted back with love in his eyes.I couldn’t help but chuckle, though every fibre of my being wa
Author’s POVCarlos stared blankly for a moment, trying to process the gravity of what had been revealed. But he also knew that in a game like this, someone was always behind the curtain, calling the shots. But this new player, this enigma, was the wild card he hadn’t counted on. He looked over at the door, his brain already working out the next few things. The stakes had never been higher. The fate of his family, even the power dynamic in Crystal Bay, it all was at stake and if this new player had been behind it all, the rules of the game would have changed and Carlos needed to adapt fast, or else lose it all.He walked around the room, the quietness in the area surrounding him was murky. The unknown player stuck in his mind and gnawed at him. Who were they? Why had they decided to make their move now? Because he knew all too well that everything was about power in this world, but the ones pulling the strings, those behind the scenes could make or destroy it all.His men had been
Author’s POVOnce Lorenzo and Alessandro were gone, Carlos settled into the same chair, fingertips tapping a gentle beat against his desk as he processed the contents of the file. There was an atmosphere of tension around, and the doubts he had been trying to suppress grew louder by the second. There was no telling the moves of a man who might be willing to betray his own brother.Dominic Pierce was a wild card. But that was something Carlos could not lose, not at stake. Carlos picked up the phone off the desk and dialled a number he recalled by heart with a soft sigh. It was one of his most trusted men, a loyal veteran beyond question. Moments later, there was a click on the phone, and a voice came through to the other end.“Did you knock, boss,” the voices said, low and steady. "What’s the situation?"“I want an update,” Carlos said. His tone was steady, but there was an undercurrent of urgency. “How is it along the outside of the facility where Jordan’s being held?”There was a b
Author’s POVAlessandro had his hands clasped behind his back, standing with a proud and confident posture, but there was a glimmer of awareness in his harsh features. He was expecting this conversation. He knew Carlos would bring up his concerns, it was his nature. No victory was ever too quickly celebrated, and no ally was ever completely trusted.After a long silence, Carlos released a breath. “You’ve done well, Alessandro,” he eventually said with a smoothness that had an edge of something sharper.“Getting Dominic Pierce to play our little game was no small task. You managed to do it, and for that, I salute you.”Carlos leaned back in his chair, his eyes cold, and warm applause echoed through the crowded room. The gentleness of his tone was just a preface to something colder.“But…” he said, letting the single word hang in the air like a dangerous pause. “A brother betraying his own blood?” He cocked his head a little, studying Alessandro’s face. “A man of this sort is not to be