The world outside Alessandro’s estate was a different kind of prison—one built on fear, power, and absolute control. I had seen glimpses of it before, but now, locked in his grasp, I was starting to understand just how deep his influence ran.The morning after the warehouse incident, the mansion was eerily quiet. Alessandro had left before dawn, his usual entourage trailing behind him, leaving behind only his guards and the ever-watchful eyes that never let me forget I was a prisoner.But I wasn’t the only one trapped.From the moment I arrived here, I had begun to notice the subtle signs—the servants who never spoke unless spoken to, the guards who stood at attention like machines, their eyes betraying nothing. Even the most luxurious of halls held an invisible weight, as if the walls themselves whispered the truth no one dared to say aloud.Alessandro owned everything. Everyone.And that extended far beyond this estate.Late in the afternoon, I overheard murmurs from the guards stat
Elena PovThe silence of the estate was deceiving.For a place that held so much bloodshed, so much power, it was unsettling how calm it appeared on the surface. But I know the truth now. I had seen it with my own eyes.Alessandro wasn’t just a ruthless man he was a force that controlled everything in his path. And tonight, I was about to witness more of it.The air outside was thick with tension. Something was happening, something I wasn’t supposed to know about. The guards had doubled in number, their hands resting on their weapons, their gazes scanning the property with sharp alertness.I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the locked door. I had no idea what time it was, but I knew Alessandro had left hours ago. And he hadn’t returned.A part of me wanted to ignore it, to stay as far away from his world as possible. But another part the foolish, reckless part wanted to know more.Why was the entire estate on edge?What had Alessandro gone to deal with?And why did it matter to m
Elena Pov The sound of running water echoed from the bathroom, filling the silence in the room.I sat frozen on the bed, my thoughts a tangled mess.Alessandro’s words lingered in the air.....Tomorrow will be eventful.That could mean anything.A meeting? A deal? Another brutal show of power?No matter what it was, I knew one thing it wouldn’t be good for me.I had learned enough in the short time I’d been trapped here to understand that Alessandro never acted without reason. If he wanted me to know something, it was because he wanted a reaction. And if he wanted a reaction, it meant he was testing me.Testing how much I could take.Testing how much I feared him.I swallowed hard, my fingers gripping the sheets beneath me. I should have been afraid. No, I was afraid. But there was something else beneath the fear something I couldn’t quite name.The water shut off.A moment later, the bathroom door opened, and Alessandro stepped out, steam curling behind him. He had a towel slung over
The night air was thick with cigar smoke and whispered conversations. The party had long since reached its peak, but the weight of my presence still clung to the room like an unresolved storm.Alessandro had barely left my side. Whether it was possessiveness, protection, or simply his need for control, I wasn’t sure.But I could feel his presence like a shadow, a constant reminder that no matter how much I tried to reclaim my power, I was still trapped in his world.A waiter passed, and I reached for a glass of champagne. Before my fingers could wrap around the delicate stem, Alessandro’s hand intercepted mine."Not tonight," he murmured, his voice low enough that only I could hear.I turned, arching a brow. "Why not?"He leaned in, his breath brushing against my ear. "Because I don’t trust anyone here."A shiver ran down my spine.Not because I feared the people around us—but because I realized Alessandro did.For a man who controlled everything, for a man who moved through this worl
The ride back to Alessandro’s estate was silent, but the tension between us crackled like a live wire. His grip on my hand hadn’t loosened since we left the gala, as if he feared I might vanish into thin air.I wasn’t sure if it was possessiveness or control, but whatever it was, it made my pulse race.The moment we stepped inside the grand foyer, Alessandro’s men scattered like shadows into the night. The heavy doors shut behind us with a quiet finality, sealing me inside his world once more.I pulled my hand from his grasp, needing space to breathe. “I’m tired,” I muttered, turning toward the stairs.Before I could take a step, Alessandro’s voice sliced through the silence. “That dress,” he said, his tone unreadable.I froze, my fingers tightening around the fabric at my sides.Slowly, I turned to face him. His dark eyes roamed over me, something flickering behind them—something I couldn’t quite name.“You liked it?” I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.A slow smirk curved his li
The atmosphere had shifted.It was subtle at first so subtle that I almost convinced myself it wasn’t real. But as the days passed, I could no longer deny it.Alessandro was changing. Or maybe, I was.I still despised him for taking me, for controlling me like a pawn in his violent world. But something had cracked between us, a fragile thread binding us together in ways I didn’t understand. He had stopped treating me like an object to be controlled and started treating me like...something else.I wasn’t sure what yet.But I felt it.The way his eyes lingered on me a second longer. The way his voice softened, just barely, when he spoke my name.The way my own heartbeat betrayed me when he was near.Tonight was another one of his extravagant events, and like before, I was expected to be at his side. But unlike before, I had chosen my dress.It was a deep red, made of silk that clung to my body in all the right places. The neckline dipped just enough to be daring but not desperate. When I
I barely slept that night.Even after returning to my room, I could still feel the weight of Alessandro’s gaze, the heat of his touch lingering on my skin like an unshakable curse. I paced the floor, running my hands through my hair as my mind replayed every word, every look, every moment of weakness.What was happening to me?I should hate him. I did hate him.But my body told a different story.The worst part? He knew it.Alessandro wasn’t a man who questioned things. He saw, he wanted, he took. And now, he had set his sights on me—not just as his prisoner, not just as his possession, but as his.A shiver ran through me, though I wasn’t sure if it was fear or something far more dangerous.I needed to get my head straight.{The Morning After}By morning, I had forced every lingering thought of him into a locked box in my mind, determined to pretend last night never happened.A knock at my door shattered that illusion."Miss Elena," a voice called. "Breakfast is served. The boss is ex
The car ride back to the estate was suffocating.I could still feel the tension lingering between us, thick like the smoke that curled from the cigars those men had been puffing in the club. I sat rigid, my fingers curled into the smooth leather of the seat, my mind racing with thoughts I didn’t want to entertain.Alessandro had exposed me to his world today, peeled back a curtain I could never unsee. The power he wielded, the respect he commanded—it was terrifying. But what unsettled me most was that it wasn’t just terrifying.It was intoxicating.I stole a glance at him, my eyes tracing the sharp lines of his face, the way the dim light from the city cast shadows over his features. He looked so at ease, as if orchestrating backroom deals and bending dangerous men to his will was as simple as breathing.He turned his head slightly, catching me staring.I quickly looked away, my pulse quickening.The car slowed as we reached the estate, the heavy iron gates swinging open. The moment w
Elena Pov Later that evening, a heavy silence hung in the air inside the small, dimly lit room. Elena sat near the window, her back turned towards Alessandro as she gazed into the distance. The gentle flicker of the candlelight illuminated her features, casting long shadows across her face. Despite the warmth in the room, she felt an unsettling chill creep up her spine. The conversation she’d had with her father earlier had left her feeling uneasy, her instincts screaming that something wasn’t right.Her father’s voice had been calm, reassuring even. He had promised to help, to send aid for both her and Alessandro. But something in his tone, the way he avoided certain questions, had gnawed at her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t being completely honest. She wanted to trust him, to believe that he had the best intentions, but the dark past of her family’s ties to the Mafia whispered doubts in her mind. Could he truly be the ally they needed, or was he already playing a d
Elena’s POvThe silence between us stretched, heavy and thick, broken only by the distant sounds of birds chirping beyond the cracked window. Alessandro sat on the edge of the bed, the early morning light streaming over his face, painting shadows beneath his eyes. He looked different now—less the unshakeable Mafia boss, more the man behind the walls, the one I was just beginning to understand.He was staring at me.Not with that usual smirk or the commanding glare he wore like armor, but with something softer, deeper.“What is it?” I asked, voice barely above a whisper.He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his gaze dropped to the bruises along my arms, the small tear along my shirt where blood had dried in the fabric. I caught the flicker in his eyes—the storm of emotion barely held back.“You fought like hell,” he said finally. “You moved like you were born for it.”I almost laughed, the sound catching in my throat. “Wasn’t exactly a choice, was it?”“No,” he said, “but you didn’t
Elena’s POVThe air in the hidden room was thick with tension. Every breath felt like a struggle, every heartbeat like the ticking of a time bomb. Had they truly left? Or was this another trap?Through the thin cracks in the wooden planks, I could still hear the heavy boots retreating, the muffled curses of men frustrated that their prey had slipped through their fingers.Then came the voice that sent a wave of relief through me.“Let’s move,” the leader of the gang ordered. “There’s nothing here. We’ll search the other sectors before dawn.”I stayed frozen, barely daring to breathe, as the enforcer who had been moments away from opening our hiding spot hesitated.“But, boss, I swear I—”“I said we move,” the leader cut in sharply. “Do you want to waste time on ghosts, or do you think they could escape the gun we shot at them?”A tense silence.Then, finally—A grunt of frustration, followed by heavy footsteps retreating toward the door.The battered man who had saved us groaned in pa
Elena’s POVThe air was thick with dust, the scent of blood clinging to the wooden walls of our hidden space. Every nerve in my body was on edge, my breath shallow as I pressed myself against the cold wall, feeling the faint rise and fall of Alessandro’s weak breathing beside me.The only thing between us and death was a thin wooden partition—and the man who had saved us was now at the mercy of the killers searching for us.Then came the sound that made my stomach lurch.Shattering glass.A loud crash, followed by the heavy stomping of boots. They were inside.My body tensed. I knew this moment would come, but I had hoped—prayed—that we would have had more time.“Search every damn room!” a voice barked. The authority in it sent a cold chill through my veins. These men were trained killers. Ruthless. Efficient. If they found us, there would be no second chances.I swallowed the fear rising in my throat, shifting my focus to Alessandro’s unconscious form beside me. His wounds still look
Elena’s POVDarkness.It wrapped around me, thick and suffocating. My body felt like dead weight, pain pulsing through every limb, my mind struggling to surface from the void.Then, a sharp ache in my side made me gasp.I was awake.I blinked, my vision blurry as the dim lighting of an unfamiliar room came into focus. The air smelled of antiseptic and something earthy, like damp wood. The mattress beneath me was thin and stiff, and a rough wool blanket scratched against my skin.Where the hell was I?Memories hit me like a sudden storm—gunfire, Alessandro bleeding out, the car chase, the crash. The darkness swallowing us whole.My breathing hitched.Alessandro.I tried to sit up, but pain sliced through my ribs. A groan slipped from my lips, and my body betrayed me, too weak to fight. My arms trembled under my weight before I collapsed back onto the bed.The door creaked open.I forced my gaze toward it, my muscles tensing as a shadow stepped inside.A man—broad-shouldered, mid-fortie
Elena’s POVA deadly silence filled the room after Alessandro hung up the phone. His face was carved from stone, his usual calm sharpened into something lethal.“They’re coming,” he said, already strapping a gun to his side.I swallowed hard. “How many?”He looked at me. “All of them.”My stomach twisted, but I forced myself to stand straighter. This was what I had been training for.A voice crackled over the radio. “Boss, we’ve got movement. Black SUVs approaching fast. They’re not here to negotiate.”Alessandro grabbed another gun, handing it to me. “Stay close. Don’t hesitate.”I nodded, gripping the cold metal in my hand. My heart pounded, but I wasn’t the same woman who had been helpless weeks ago.I was ready.The moment we stepped outside, chaos erupted.The first SUV screeched to a halt at the mansion gates, and the second followed right behind it. Then the doors burst open, and they poured out—men dressed in dark suits, armed to the teeth.Gunfire cracked through the night.I
(Elena’s POV)It started with small things.At first, I was just watching. Observing the way Alessandro moved through his world, the way his men responded to him with unquestioned loyalty. It was fascinating—and terrifying.But slowly, I found myself getting more involved.It wasn’t intentional. Maybe it was curiosity, or maybe it was the strange pull I felt toward Alessandro and his life, a world I had spent so long trying to escape.Either way, I was learning.And Alessandro noticed.“You’ve been paying attention.”I glanced up from the papers spread out in front of me, my fingers still hovering over a document I had been reading. It was coded in a way I didn’t fully understand yet—lists of transactions, shipments, and names that carried more weight than I could comprehend.Alessandro leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching me with an unreadable expression.I swallowed, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “I… was just curious.”He smirked. “Curious about how crimina
(Elena’s POV) The silence between us stretched, thick with unspoken words. Alessandro’s fingers were still intertwined with mine, his grip firm yet hesitant—like he wasn’t sure if I would pull away. But I didn’t. For the first time, I wasn’t running. I wasn’t sure if that made me brave or foolish. Maybe both. He exhaled slowly, his thumb brushing against my skin, sending a shiver up my arm. “So, what now?” I swallowed, my throat dry. “I don’t know.” A wry smirk ghosted his lips. “For someone who just made a life-changing decision, you don’t seem very sure about anything.” I let out a breathless laugh, shaking my head. “That’s because I’m not.” I wasn’t sure what this was between us. I wasn’t sure if it was built on something real or if it was just the weight of shared scars pressing us together. But for once, I wasn’t trying to analyze or escape it. Alessandro’s expression softened in a way I wasn’t used to seeing. He wasn’t the cold, calculated Mafia boss in this moment.
(Elena’s POV)The night was unnervingly quiet. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my body aching from exhaustion but my mind refusing to shut down.I wasn’t sure how I ended up back here, in Alessandro’s world, in his space. I had spent months convincing myself that I was better off without him, that I needed to be free from his control.And yet, here I was.I turned on my side, wincing at the dull pain in my ribs. The wound wasn’t deep, but it was enough to remind me how close I had come to dying tonight.If Alessandro hadn’t shown up…I shook the thought away, unwilling to dwell on it.I hated that I owed him my life.I hated even more that some part of me didn’t mind.A soft knock on the door broke through my thoughts.I hesitated. “Come in.”The door creaked open, and Alessandro stepped inside. He had changed out of his bloodstained clothes, now wearing a black fitted t-shirt and sweatpants—something far more casual than I had ever seen him in.His presence filled the room imme