“Well, well. Looks like you’ve been sleeping with the enemy, Vitale.” Lorenzo Mancini spoke out.Adrian’s anger was burning like a furnace. He immediately glared across the room at DanteAs soon as Dante saw Adrian storm towards his direction, he stood from his chair, with Gabriel, his lieutenant, rushing to his front to stand between him and Adrian.“Look, this is news to me, Adrian. I swear I had no idea my sister was working with the Bianchis.”Adrian couldn’t contain himself any more. He was standing in front of Dante with his fists clenched, ready to lash out on him. The only thing standing between Adrian’s fist and Dante was Gabriel, who had stepped in to protect his boss.Adrian’s voice was an eruption of pure fury. “You’re lying! You’ve been working with them all along, haven’t you? You knew, Dante. You set this up!”“Damn it, Vitale!” Dante yelled, shoving Gabriel aside so he could address Adrian directly. “I was attacked as well; my shipment was ambushed on your wedding day,
“She has to die.”It was as if a bomb of silence was dropped in the room.Rhea froze as she heard those words from her father-in-law. Her eyes were wide open, filled with horror, and she could feel her heart drop into her stomach.Adrian, as well, was caught in the moment, his jaw clenched as he allowed the weight of his father's words to sink in. He looked at his father and only saw seriousness in his eyes. This was the man who showed him what it meant to be ruthless, so he knew very well what the look in his eyes stood for.Adrian’s gaze flickered back to Rhea, and now he was torn between his love for Rhea (not that he was ever going to acknowledge that feeling) and his unyielding loyalty to his family name.The room seemed to close in on him, and for the first time, Adrian didn’t know what to do.Rhea felt her knees wobble under her, and she just collapsed to the floor in shock. She couldn’t speak, and when she turned her face to Adrian, she couldn’t read any particular emotion fro
Right above where Rhea was held, the Vitale men gathered as usual, discussing the matter at hand.Not that it needed any argument. Rhea was going to die. She had to, as long as Victor Vitale was concerned. As long as word had spread that Rhea Moretti, who was a product of trying to broker peace between two families, had betrayed them, the following news should be that she was dead. Killed without reckoning.Victor stood by the fireplace with his stone-cold facial expression even though his eyes held disgust in them.“I expected better from you, Adrian.” His voice was sharp. He wasn’t one to hide his disappointment.Adrian stood near the desk with his hands in his pockets. Among the many things he learned from his father was looking calm in such scenarios.“It’s not like I even wanted to marry a Moretti,” he reminded his father. “The bitch was literally forced on me as a wife.”Victor scoffed, shaking his head. “That’s not the point.” He turned fully, stepping closer, “You had her unde
Izzy Moretti pushed the doors of Dante’s office with full swing and they opened with a loud bang that echoed throughout the house.From her expression, you could see she was visibly angry and scared as her chest was rising and falling with her sharp breaths.Dante looked up from his desk and glanced at her with indifference. He knew why she was here, but he was not having it.“Izzy, what the hell are you doing here?”“What’s the deal with Rhea? She asked with a voice that trembled slightly. “You know the Vitales are a ruthless bunch of men. What are you doing to save her?”Dante didn’t flinch, instead he leaned back into his leather seat. “Save her?” He chuckled. “You think I can just save her? That’s not how this works, Izzy. You think she hasn’t already made her choice? She’s the one who decided to cross me.”Izzy stepped forward, clenching her fists to her side. “You’re really going to let them kill her, aren’t you? Your own sister, Dante!”His eyes hardened and then he quickly ros
“She’s done. Throw her in the canal. Let the fishes take care of the rest.”Adrian wanted to speak, to protest so that they don’t throw Rhea’s body away like garbage. But he couldn’t. He was paralyzed by the pain of the whole incident. He watched as the men dragged Rhea’s limp body away.The two men, one holding her by her legs and the other holding her by her hands, made their way towards the cold river, and when they got there, they threw her body into the water, creating a soft splash. Victor looked at Adrian one final time. “Let the fishes take her. She’s no longer worth anything.”Adrian shook his head. And they all headed back into their cars in silence and left the scene.****Everything around her is a blur. She could feel pain explode through her body like fire. She was shot; she knew that, but even with the pain, she felt her world slipping away.Her knees buckled beneath her, and she collapsed as there was nothing to hold unto. And then… cold!!Cold, icy water swallowed h
Blink… blink… blink… blink….blink.A pair of eyes flutters open. It’s Rhea’s, and immediately she felt a pulse of warmth. Her body was sore, and every muscle and joint was stiff, but the warmth felt strange and foreign.She blinked slowly.At first, everything was blurry; shapes and light blended together, looking unclear like a smeared painting. Her body felt heavy, like it had been weighed down by sleep for days. Every breath was tight, and her heart ached in a way that made it hard for her to move.She forced herself to take a deep breath, and she felt this aching pain in her lungs. There were bandages around her midsection, not too neat but tied tightly enough to keep her wound from bleeding.Every part of her body hurt.She squinted her eyes against the soft light coming from a nearby window. It wasn’t too bright, and it seemed like it was late in the afternoon going to evening.Her head was pounding with a throbbing headache.She was lying on something; it was soft but uneven. W
As days went by, Rhea tried to remember who she was.She would close her eyes and try to chase shadows in her mind. There were no faces, or names, or places she could remember. The only thing she remembered was slipping into the river, feeling cold and her body sinking into the darkness.Her entire mind was blank; it was like if her mind and memories was a painting of different colours and then someone painted over it with a thick brush of black.Her whole body still ached, and her chest was still heavy from where she was shot, but at least she was breathing better now. She was finally able to move around the cottage house by the river.One of those evenings, she came outside and sat on a wooden bench just outside the house, her shoulders still wrapped around with a thick, long cloth. As she sat there, the breeze from the water carried the scent of salt and distant memories.She watched the sunset, and this was usually the time that Pietro, the fisherman who had saved her life, would
That night, Rhea’s dream was quite vivid.She had decided to stop trying to force her memories, but there was nothing forced about that night’s dream. It was different.In her dream, the world around her was different, more modern and sophisticated. The environment and the house she found herself in oozed of wealth and power. She was standing in a lush, floral garden in the big compound, caressing the flowers and smelling them.And then she lifted her face from the bunch of rose flowers she was smelling and turned around; that was when she saw him.He was a tall, handsome man with striking features. Jet black hair that was sleeked back in an effortless manner, icy blue eyes that stared directly into her soul and a well-defined muscular structure.She couldn't tell who he was, but she could feel the connection between them like a magnet. It was undeniable, and she could sense him longing for her and vice versa. He was a part of her and it felt like they had known each other forever.He
The villa had gone silent.The last of the mourners had driven off hours ago, the scent of cigar smoke and expensive perfume lingering faintly in the hallways.Staff moved like shadows through the corridors, cleaning up after the storm of people and power.Upstairs, behind a heavy oak door, Luca Vitale lay back on silk sheets, his chest rising and falling slowly and his skin, bare.The girl beside him was sprawled out with her limbs tangled in the sheets, her body still glistening from their earlier session. She was out cold, breathing softly. Her black hair was scattered over her face and her red lipstick was smeared. Her presence didn’t hold his attention anymore.Luca reached for his phone on the nightstand, the screen lighting up his face as he swiped it open. He hesitated a moment, then dialed a number.He brought it to his ear, staring blankly at the ceiling.“Hello,” he said in a low and smooth tone A pause. Whoever was on the other end responded, but their voice was low.Luc
“My deepest condolences, Don Vitale. Your father was a pillar of this community," said Governor Ricci to Adrian, stretching his hand out for a handshake and a politician’s smile plastered on his face.The church service for the burial of Viktor Vitale was brief and solemn. No tears or overdragged eulogies; just the cold efficiency of a mafia sendoff. The real business happened afterward at the Vitale estate, where crystal glasses clinked and alliances were tested under the guise of paying respects.Now, the reception hall was full of men in black designer suits, expensive perfume, and silent posturing.Adrian stood near the grand fireplace, his black suit blending with the shadows. The room was packed with every significant name in Italian organized crime. It was the gathering of who's who of power brokers.Adrian accepted the handshake, his grip was just tight enough to remind the governor who really controlled the city. "We appreciate your presence."The governor lowered his voice
“I’ll take care of it.” Luca jumped in. “Son of a bitch killed my father.”Adrian and Marco left the basement for Luca.It wasn’t that Adrian didn’t want to kill the traitor himself but he decided to let Luca get the closure of being the one who killed their father’s murderer.After what seemed like an eternity of interrogation, Luca came and joined Adrian and Marco with blood stains all over his shirt.His eyes were hollow and darkened like a predator who just fed on a prey.Adrian was at the bar in the living room gulping down whiskey with Marco. Neither of them spoke as Luca approached, they just waited.He got to the bar, picked up a bottle of scotch, unscrewed it, and then brought the bottle to his mouth. He gurgled down the drink like it was water.He pulled the bottle from his mouth, with a frowning face depicting the bitterness and burning sensation he had just gotten from the drink.“It’s done,” Luca said.Adrian raised a brow. “He talked?”“Everything,” Luca replied, still f
The dining hall in the Vitale property had been turned into an interrogation room.Every member of the estate: maids, drivers, guards, gardeners, and even the damn chef, had been lined up randomly and forced to sit at the long table with their hands held out on the wood.They were all made to submit their phones and no one was allowed to communicate with each other. There was a heavy and suffocating silence broken only by the sharp click of Adrian’s shoes as he walked on the marble floor “Someone knew my schedule,” he said. His voice was quiet, but it cut through the room like a blade. “Someone knew I was supposed to be in that car.”No one moved or said anything. It was as if they were all afraid even to breathe. Knowing Adrian, they knew not to compose themselves to not be in danger of being shot dead even if innocent.He didn’t raise his voice; he didn’t need to. His presence and demeanor alone were enough to instill fear in them.Adrian stopped behind the chair of the head mecha
“Shit, Adrian.” Marco’s voice broke the silence. He had just ordered one of the men to gather everyone within the estate and while they waited, it struck Marco they had forgotten something in the whole frenzy of the situation.There was still business to be dealt with, even with Viktor’s death hanging heavy in the air “What about the Russians?” Marco asked. “ We were almost on our way to meet them,” he said with furrowed brows.Adrian glanced at the clock, and when he realized the time, his frustration skyrocketed. His mind was still spinning from the explosion and Viktor’s sudden death that came with it. It was hard enough trying to process everything so it made sense the Russians were the last thing on his mind. He let out a curse under his breath. He hadn’t even left the estate to make it to the fucking meeting. The chopper he was in had barely made it into the midair when the loud bang tore through the air.“Fuck,” Adrian muttered. He picked up his phone which he hadn’t looked
“You keep kissing me like that,” Dmitri muttered against her mouth, voice rough with a sleepy edge, “and I stay in bed all fucking day.”It was morning in Milan, in Dmitri’s mansion. They had both just woken up to the rays of light streaming into Dmitri’s gigantic room, after a night of passion between them. Rhea smirked, with her breath warm on his skin. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”He smiled and held up her chin, looked into her eyes, and kissed her again, this time slow enough to savor every inch of her mouth. Rhea sat up from the bed to reach him, she returned his kisses, hers was accompanied with light moans.She moaned into his mouth as she compulsively ran her fingers through his hair. He cupped one of her breasts into his hand and fiddled with the taut nipple. He felt her body twitch in response so he pulled away from her lips gently and engulfed her full breast into his mouth. Rhea’s breast was fuller and rounder because of her pregnancy, so it made a better sexu
The estate was crawling with police, fire trucks, and forensics teams. Yellow caution tape was wrapped around where the blast occurred.The blackened remains of the SUV sat at the center of it all, a grim reminder of what had happened.The estate was usually silent and a no-go-area was now crawling with outside eyes.Marco was standing just beyond the perimeter when a black car went through the security and pulled up into the compound.The moment the car stopped, the driver’s door opened and out stepped Inspector Nicola Galli, adjusting the badge around his neck. No one had expected Galli to show up especially since he was someone who had threatened constantly to bring them down.Marco’s eyes narrowed at the sight of him. No one had the energy or the time to engage him at the moment.“Turn around, Inspector,” Marco said sharply, intercepting him near the walkway. “You’re not needed here.”Galli didn’t stop walking. “Good to see you too. I’m Inspector Galli,” he said, showing his badg
CHAPTER 67The blast ripped through the compound like a scream from hell.The ground shook violently, and a wave of heat slammed against the helicopter just as its tires lifted off the ground. The blades staggered, slicing through smoke and debris, jolting the entire helicopter sideways in midair.For a second, it felt like the whole world tilted.Adrian’s body jerked with the force. He grabbed the overhead strap, his heart pounding, and his ears ringing with a high-pitched whine that drowned out all other sounds. Across from him, Marco yelled something, but Adrian couldn’t hear it. His vision was blurred from and his lungs were burning with the smell of fire, diesel, and scorched flesh.Outside the window, flames engulfed what used to be the Vitale convoy.Black smoke twisted up into the sky like a signal flare of death.Adrian looked down from the helicopter and saw the fire emanating from where the cars were.“No!” he shouted, finally finding his voice.“LAND THE FUCKING CHOPPER
Sixty-forty?” Marco’s voice was sharp. “These sons of bitches have lost their fucking minds.”As the late afternoon light filtered through the windows of the meeting room, the Vitales were gathered in their usual spotThe massive mahogany table in the middle of the room was covered in papers, contracts, and business proposals. Adrian, Luca, their father Viktor, and the ever-present right-hand man Marco were seated, each with their thoughts.Today’s agenda was business, as it often was.A deal was on the table with a Russian mafia group operating in Italy. The group needed the Vitale empire’s extensive network to launder their illicit money. The Russians didn’t own businesses or have the necessary channels to make their dirty money flow cleanly through the system. That was where the Vitale family came in.Adrian’s Ukrainian contact had brokered the deal, bringing the Russians to their door, making it a huge win for the family business. The Vitales controlled a lot of real estate,