Adriana’s POV
The room felt eerily silent after the strippers left leaving the lingering scent of cheap perfume and sweat clinging to the air like an unwanted memory. My eyes followed them as they strutted out with their hips swaying in exaggerated movements all traces of their earlier hostility (of course towards me) disappearing the moment the guard slipped them their payment. They giggled whilst whispering to each other as they disappeared through the door not sparing me another glance. Just another job for them, another night of easy money. Something I wanted to try but didn’t have the confidence to go through. I, however, couldn’t move from the floor. My body refused to cooperate. I remained kneeling in the middle of the cold floor with my hands clenched so tightly in my lap that my knuckles had turned ghostly white. I wasn’t sure how long I sat there staring down at my trembling fingers but the weight in my chest grew heavier with every passing second. I guess The shock was finally setting in, pressing down on me until I could barely breahte. It wasn’t just the shock of seeing Rafael again. That would have been enough on its own. But it wasn’t just that. It was who he had become. The Rafael I knew or more like the boy who had once kissed away my tears, who had held my hand when I was scared, who had whispered soft promises against my skin was gone. And in his place stood a stranger. A totally fucking stranger I never would have seen coming. He was no longer just Rafael, the boy I had left behind. No longer my high school sweetheart. No longer the man who had once loved me with everything he had. This Rafael was something else entirely. Something darker. Something terrifying. I shivered violently while hugging my arms around myself but it did nothing to stop the tremors racking my body. I squeezed my eyes shut but the image of him wouldn’t leave me. He had been sitting there, cold and unbothered while another man lay dead at his feet. Rafael had murdered someone. Right in front of me. Without batting an eyelash. The same Rafael that wouldn’t want me distressed even for a single minute and when he wants to fight, he makes sure I wasn’t there to witness the violence. He knows how much I used to hate it. My mind struggled to accept what my eyes had already seen. The sound of the gunshot still echoed in my skull all sharp and violent. The thing that rattled through my bones like I was the one being shot. I could still feel the heat of his touch on my jaw, the way his fingers had dug in with bruising force, the way his eyes that are now unfamiliar and hollow had pierced through me with nothing but cruelty. This wasn’t the Rafael I had known. The Rafael from six years ago would never have handled me like this. He wouldn’t watch anyone do it either. That Rafael had loved me. Had adored me. Had given me the kind of love that had once felt unshakable. But this man? This man only wanted to break me with anything he could use. I lifted my gaze hesitantly my eyes locking onto his image once more. He looked expensive now, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit every inch of him exuding wealth and power. His shoes alone looked like they could cover my daughter’s surgery. What the hell had he done in these last six years to get here? Was it the guns? The bloodshed? A sick feeling curled in my stomach. I had always known Rafael had a darkness inside him something violent lurking beneath the surface but back then… back then, he had kept it at bay. When I was with him, he had tried to be good. He had even wanted to be good. But now? There was no goodness left in him. He had become the darkness itself. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks about him anymore. Not when the one person that mattered made life hell for him. A single ruthless kiss had confirmed that for me. One moment of his lips crashing against mine, one moment of heat and fury and devastation and everything I had fought to bury came rushing back to the surface. I had spent years trying to kill those emotions and to suffocate them and to pretend they didn’t exist. But it had only taken one kiss to unravel me. I could still feel the imprint of his mouth against mine, still taste him on my lips. It was dangerous. The way my body had reacted along with the way my heart had nearly betrayed me. Old feelings are the most dangerous. I swallowed hard, my throat burning as my mind replayed the way he had looked at me afterward. Like I was nothing. Like I was disposable. His hand had gripped my jaw like I was something to be handled not cherished. It left behind a dull aching pain that settled deep inside me not just on my skin but somewhere even more painful. Rafael hated me. I could see it in his eyes, feel it in the way he touched me, hear it in his words. He hated me with everything in him and I knew that he wouldn’t stop until he had his revenge. A vengeful Rafael was a terrifying thing. I had seen glimpses of it before but never like this. Never directed at me. There are so many unanswered questions between us but I’m sure he’s placed the dots already. The air in the room shifted and I tensed as I heard movement. The guard, who had been silent this entire time finally stepped forward. I hadn’t even thought about him too consumed by my thoughts and too shaken by what had just happened. He stopped a few feet away from me, his towering presence making my skin prickle. "Get up!” He ordered in a flat tone while staring at me like I was a nuisance he needs to get rid of. Like Rafael had only that his had more hatred. I didn’t move. He exhaled sharply then took another step forward. "We can do this nicely. Or we can do it the hard way.” He said again and I’m sure he is trying hard not to send bullet between my eyes like he did that man. "Do what?" My voice came out hoarse. I swallowed thickly my pulse hammering in my ears. "You’re coming with me." He didn’t even blik as he answered. "I have something important to do. I can’t…" I shook my head quickly trying to steady myself. My thoughts immediately went to my daughter. What the fuck does this mean? Her babysitter is about to leave! I need to go home. "Then you can tell that to the boss yourself." The boss. I felt the words like a slap. Rafael is a fucking boss now. I didn’t know why that part stunned me so much. I should have known. The power he carried and the way people obeyed him without question and the fact that he could shoot a man dead in a crowded room without anyone daring to speak against him. This wasn’t just money. This was power and it is the kind I cannot even imagine. Rafael had built an empire from nothing. I would like to know the story of how he did it. God knows he had went through hell. My stomach twisted violently and I forced myself to take a deep breath. My mind was screaming at me to run but I knew better. I had signed a death warrant the moment I stepped into his world again and there was no escaping it now. A world where Rafael exists. The guard didn’t wait any longer. He reached into his pocket and before I could react a blindfold was slipping over my eyes. And there was nothing but darkness. Then I lose conscious at the same time just for a moment. Fuck.Adriana’s POVThe guard's grip on my wrist was unforgiving with his fingers digging into my skin as he dragged me forward without a word. He didn’t spare me a glance or acknowledge the way my legs stumbled to keep up with his brutal pace. There was no hesitation and no care just relentless force like I was nothing more than cargo being transported. The hallway blurred past me, my mind racing as I struggled to make sense of why they wouldn’t even let me see where I was being taken. What the hell is Rafael playing at? What kind of game is this? I wasn’t told about any of this. The muffled pulse of the club’s music faded and then we wree swallowed by eerie silence. The further we walked, the more the world I knew disappeared and is replaced by something darker and shadier than I’d expected. Was this not just about revenge? Was I not just an old wound he wanted to reopen for the sake of making me suffer? Because this felt like something else entirely. Then suddenly the dragging stopped
Adriana’s POVThe grip on my wrist was merciless as if the guard was dragging along something less than human. He didn’t look at me and didn’t acknowledge the way my feet stumbled against the polished marble floors. He simply moved forward knowing I had no choice but to follow. His silence was unsettling. No threats, no taunts just a firm hand that refused to let me go while guiding me deeper into a world I had no business being in. As we stepped inside the grand estate I felt the shift immediately. This wasn’t just a house. It was a darn fucking fortress. A kingdom where Rafael ruled with an iron fist from the looks of thinsg. The air itself seemed heavier and thick with something unseen but deeply felt. The guards stationed around the entryway barely flicked their eyes toward the one leading me but they acknowledged him in small ways by straightening their backs or nodding in respect or stepping aside with silent obedience. They didn’t just respect him but they knew him. He was
Adriana’s POVI clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I forced myself to stand my ground. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was rattling my ribs but I refused to let Rafael see an ounce of fear. He would suck me in like the cruel man he has become. “You need to let me go. I have somewhere important I need to be reight now.” I demanded my voice steady even with the chaos in my chest. I need to do this for my daughter. His lips twisted into something cruel and mocking and before I could react, his hand shot out. A gasp slipped past my lips as his fingers curled around my jaw, not squeezing but firm enough to remind me that he could. That he was stronger, that he was in control. He tilted my face up toward him, his grip was forceful as he studied me with those cold, merciless eyes. "Let you go? You think I would do that?" He echoed with wicked amusement laced with venom. “Why? What’s waiting for you out there?” “I have…” I started but he didn’t even allow
Adriana’s POVSix years ago…I left the house as soon as the sun crept over the horizon with the weight of last night’s revelation pressing heavily on my chest. I barely slept, tossing and turning as my hands unconsciously drifted to my stomach as if trying to feel for something or some kind of proof that my world had truly changed. Marco had already been up when I slipped out of bed, working on his laptop in the dim light of our shared bedroom. His brow furrowed in deep concentration, jaw locked and fingers moving quickly over the keyboard. He had barely looked up when I murmured that I had errands to run, only nodding absently. He was too preoccupied with proving himself to his father. I knew how much pressure he was under. His father was a cold and ruthless businessman and never saw him as capable enough to take over the company. The only reason Marco was even in consideration was because of me. Because I had convinced his father that he was competent enough to be the next CEO.
Rafael’s POVThe heavy thud of my footsteps echoed down the grand hallway as I made my way to my home office. The entire mansion was silent but the air was so fucking thick. It was thick with the kind of tension that came when something big was about to go down. And something was about to go down. I could feel it in my bones. It isn’t just one thing. One has to do with having my highschool sweetheart under my fucking roof after years of watching her from afar and the other has to do with the shipment we are about to conduct. Nathan and two of my senior guards were already waiting for me when I pushed open the doors. They stood stiffly in front of my mahogany desk, their expressions unreadable and their backs straight as steel rods. They were disciplined and trained to be alert at all times. It’s been rumored that I’ve got the best trained men and there is not an ounce of doubt in that. These are men I gathered from the streets. Men that were doubted by their own loved ones and they
Adriana’s POV It was a pounding headache that welcomed me back to consciousness. the dull throb settling deep behind my temples as I groaned and forced my eyes open. Sunlight filtered through the open curtains, its rays slicing through the room. It should have been warm and comforting. Instead, it felt intrusive while stabbing into my skull like tiny needles. I blinked rapidly, my vision adjusting and that was when I saw her. Why would someone be standing there looking at a sleeping person? Who the hell is this woman and where the hell did she come from? Why is she staring like she wants to stab my eyes out? The woman hovered over me, arms folded tightly over her chest and her sharp gaze practically dissecting me. She was older, maybe early fifties, with graying hair pulled back into a severe bun that fits her face really. Her face was lined with age, her mouth pressed into a thin, unimpressed line and the plumpness of her body didn’t soften the steell in her posture. She loo
Adriana’s POVEverything inside me froze when his words settled. My breath stalled and my stomach clenched at oncs. "She’s here?" I screamed out the question as My eyes widened. My voice was raw and so fucking desperate but I didn’t care. The guard gave a single nod and I shot to my feet so fast I nearly stumbled. "She’s here?" I repeated, practically begging. "Yes. But you need to be dressed to see her." he said simply and his eyes didn’t even drift down my body. I didn’t need to hear anything else because I bolted from the floor. Rushing past him, I ran straight to the bathroom, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. The second I saw myself in the mirror though, I flinched. Mascara streaked down my cheeks in jagged lines and my green eyes red and puffy and my lips cracked from crying. My red hair was tangled, wild and that dress. God the dress clung to me like a second skin. Heat crawled up my face as the memory of everyone seeing me like this came crashing back. No wonder t
Adriana’s POV“Mommy, the scary man said he’s my daddy.” Isabella said after I felt the trembling and I asked what happened to her. The words struck me like a hammer to the chest, knocking the air from my lungs as my hands froze on Isabella’s tiny shoulders. For a moment, my entire body went rigid and my mind unable to process the weight of what she had just said. My heart pounded so hard I could hear the blood rushing in my ears, a deafening roar that drowned out everything else in the room. The sheer terror creeping up my spine sent a violebt tremor through me, making it difficult to even breathe let alone speak. I struggled to form words, my throat dry and tight but when I finally forced my voice out, it came hoarse and unsteady and barely above a whisper. “What… what did he say to you baby?” I asked my eyes widening then coming back to normal so I don’t scare her further. Isabella hesitated for a moment, shifting on her feet as if unsure whether she should repeat it and that h
Rafael’s POVI stood at the edge of the bed watching the slow rise and fall of Adriana’s chest and making sure she was still breathing. The bandages on her shoulder were clean, the color returning to her face little by little but she still looked so fucking fragile and too pale against the dark sheets. A part of me hated seeing her like this all weak and vulnerable. Another part of me hated that I cared enough to stay here and that I did what I did. It’s just that the thought f someone hurting her that wasn’t me didn’t seat well with me. Nathan hovered by the doorway with arms crossed and his jaw clenched so tight I could hear his teeth grinding. He hadn’t spoken much since I brought Adriana back but his eyes had said enough. “She’s stable. There is nothing more you can do for her now.” I said in a firm but low voice knowing I had to keep it down. “She almost died.” His fingers curled into fists at his sides. I think he has repeated that for the billionth time now. “I fucking kn
Adriana’s POVThe first thing I felt was pain. A deep throbbing ache that pulsed through my entire body but especially in my shoulder, where fire seemed to have lodged itself beneath my skin. I tried to mov but even the smallest shift sent sharp, biting agony through my limbs. A groan slipped past my lips before I could stop it. Where the hell was I? I forced my heavy eyelids open blinking against the dim lighting. The ceiling above me was unfamiliar, all dark wood and old-fashioned molding. The bed beneath me was softer than I expected witg the sheets cool against my overheated skin. The faint scent of antiseptic lingered in the air mixing with something darker and something unmistakably metallic. My blood. Memories crashed over me in waves. Starting from the party. The Brotherhood. The secret meeting. The gunshot. And nathan. I had thrown myself in front of him. Why? That question lodged itself in my mind, refusing to leave. Why the hell had I moved? Why had I risked my own life
Rafael’s POVThe moment the first shot rang out everything shifted. Chaos erupted in the club AND people scrambling for cover along with the bodies pressing against each other in a frenzied panic while drinks are spilling and tables overturning. The scent of sweat and alcohol and gunpowder thickened the air clashing with the heavy bass that still thumped through the speakers, oblivious to the mayhem breaking out. My instincts kicked in immediately, one hand reaching for my gun as I scanned the dimly lit space for the source of the attack, my mind already calculating the angles and the possible positions of the shoote followed by the exitsa nd the threats. And then I saw Adriana. She wasn’t running. Wasn’t ducking for cover like any sane person would. She was moving toward Nathan. A sharp slicing fury cut through me as cold and swift as a blade. What the hell was she thinking? The idiot wasn’t even trying to protect herself and wasn’t thinking about the consequences of throwing he
Adriana’s POVThe world was dark. Thick and suffocating like an endless void that stretched on with no sense of time witj no sound and no thought. Just emptiness. It felt like I was floating all weightless yet at the same time something anchored me down, something heavy pressing against my chest, pinning me to a reality I couldn’t quite grasp yet. My mind drifted in a sluggish and unfocused way that was trapped in a haze that refused to let me surface. Then, a voice that was sharp and furious reached me dragginv me up and yanking me out of the abyss with a force that sent a violent jolt through my entire body. “Adriana!” A white hot bolt of agony that tore through my shoulder ripping a strangled gasp from my lips. It wasn’t just my shoulder anymore but it was everywhere. A raw and pulsing fire radiating outward burning through my limbs and curling deep into my bones making every shallow breath feel like I was inhaling shards of glass. My body felt too heavy like lead had been po
Adriana’s POVThe moment Nathan disappeared down the stairs the tension in my chest coiled so tight it was suffocating. My hands were clammy and my heartbeat slamming against my ribs like a warning drum. The corridor around me felt eerily quiet despite the distant murmur of voices downstairs. Every second that passed only made the unease in my stomach twist deepe and I knew— I couldn’t stay here and do nothing. Fuck what Nathan said. Ugh I’m not a martyr but I hate when I’m not in the show either. I edged away from the marble pillar pressing my back against the cold wall as I listened for any movement. Nothing. Not yet. But I wasn’t stupid enough to believe I had time. The men I overheard weren’t hesitating and if I stood here, waiting like some helpless fool I might as well have pulled the trigger on Rafael myself. I forced my legs to move with each step ligh and carefully controlled. My bare feet barely made a sound against the polished floors as I crept forward inching toward
Adriana’s POVThe first thing I noticed when I stirred was the smell of old paper and polished wood was thick in the air and mixed with something richer. Leather, aged whiskey and a faint trace of cigar smoke clung to the atmosphere like a second skin. My eyelids were heavy my my head pounding with a dull, relentless ache as if someone had cracked my skull open and stuffed it with cotton. Everything felt off and so freaking unfamiliar. My body was sluggish and my limbs weighed down by exhaustion and remnants of alcohol. Where the hell was I?Blinking against the dim glow of a single antique lamp, I forced myself to sit up groaning as a fresh wave of dizziness hit me. The room around me was large lined with towering bookshelves that stretched high toward the ceiling and each packed with thick, leather bound books that looked expensive. But never read. Aesthetic much. A heavy wooden desk stood near the window with papers stacked in neat piles and a crystal decanter of dark liquor sitt
Rafael’s POVThe room was thick with the scent of cigar smoke and the quiet simmering tension that always lingered when the Brotherhood gathered. The low amber glow of the chandelier casting eerie silhouettes over the faces of men who had built empires on blood and fear and unwavering loyalty. I sat at my usual spot at the long mahogany table with fingers drumming idly against the polished surface my gaze locked on Don Vittorio Romano. The man with a similar last name to mine but we still don’t share a single thing. The Capo dei Capi. The man who despite his failing health still had the audacity to challenge me. He leaned heavier in his chair than usual with the weight of his illness pressing into his bones but the bastard still had fire in his eyes. A lesser man would have taken his condition as a sign to keep his mouth shut and to pick his battles wisely but Vittorio had never been a lesser man. He was a relic of an older time and stubborn in his ways and perhaps that was why
Adriana’s POVThe weight of the room settled heavily on my shoulders thick with cigar smoke and the scent of expensive whiskey. The men around Rafael weren’t just powerful but they were dangerous in a way that made my skin crawl and their presence filling every inch of space with something coldu. Anthony had told me their names earlier but now, standing here I could put faces to them. I had expected them to be closer to Rafael’s age all young and ruthless but I quickly realized that most of them were older and seasoned in their brutality strike wickedness. These weren’t men who had stumbled into power but they they had built it, brick by bloody brick through years of survival, deception, manipulation and violence. The Capo dei Capi was still lounging in his seat like a king surveying his court as he had introduced them with a lazy flick of his fingers as if they were nothing more than pieces on a chessboard. First, there was Vincent Bianchi an older man with silver hair and sharp
Adriana’s POVThe air inside the place was thick with smoke and power and the kind of power that wasn’t flaunted with empty arrogance but carried with lethal assurances. These men didn’t need to boast about what they had done to get here and the way the world bent around them spoke loudly enough. The weight of their presence alone demanded submission. Not the same as the men around Marco.I could feel it pressing against my skin like an invisible forve reminding me that I didn’t belong here and that I was an outsider in a room full of men who thrived in shadows. The club itself was exclusive and far removed from the kind of places Marco used to take me to. This wasn’t a playground for wealthy businessmen or politicians pretending to be untouchable. This was something else entirely like a den of wolves. The music was a deep and pulsing thrum in the background but it did nothing to dull the tension crackling in the air. The lighting was dim, casting long shadows across the room amd m