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Chapter 58

Author: Tochi Monroe
last update Last Updated: 2025-04-16 05:09:20

The sun was already setting at the time Pietro glanced at the old wall clock above the stove. The ticking hands mocked him with their indifference. 6:42 p.m.

Rhea was late.

It wasn’t unusual by itself. Sometimes the café stayed a little busy, and other times she got caught up chatting with that older woman who worked at the bakery next door. But today, it felt different.

He hadn’t touched his stew. The pot simmered untouched on the stove, and the chair across from him remained empty. The house was quiet. Too quiet.

He stood abruptly, the wooden chair scraping against the tile. He stepped outside, scanning the narrow dirt path that led to the main road. He could find no trace of her.

“Maybe she stopped to pick something up,” he mumbled, rubbing his jaw, but the excuse didn’t sit well with him.

He waited another twenty minutes. Then thirty. The knot in his gut only tightened. Finally, Pietro grabbed his coat and headed into town, ignoring the ache in his knees and the cold creeping into
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  • Twisted Loyalties    Chapter 59

    Welcome, gentlemen,” the auctioneer’s smooth voice echoed through the darkened room, slick with excitement.“Tonight’s collection is one of the finest we’ve had in months. Fresh, untouched, exotic, each more tempting than the last. Let’s make this a night to remember.”A low murmur of anticipation rippled through the men. This was taking place in a private underground club somewhere in Italy with an undisclosed location and based on invitation only. A place where daughters, sisters, and wives of men who couldn’t pay debts were packaged and sold to the highest bidder.The room was dim, lit by clusters of golden bulbs, casting shadows on expensive suits, whiskey glasses, and barely restrained grins.Laughter and conversation simmered through the crowd.“Looks like they’ve upped the quality this time,” a man in a tailored grey suit whispered to his companion. “Last time was full of drugged-up messes.”“I heard they have a virgin in the lineup tonight,” another chimed in. “Apparently a

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  • Twisted Loyalties    Chapter 60

    “Come with me.”The voice was low and calm but it cut through the noise like a blade.Rhea turned sharply, her eyes locking with the man who had pulled her from the stage only moments ago. He stood in front of her now, his posture relaxed but undeniably commanding. There was no question in his tone, no space for negotiation. The moment she hesitated, he turned his head just slightly, as if wondering who gave her the guts.“Where are you taking me?” she asked, her voice stronger than she felt.The man tilted his head.“I don’t hit women,” he said flatly, “so don’t make me consider exceptions. Walk.”The room around them seemed to blur as panic swirled inside her, but her legs moved before her mind caught up. She followed him, unsure if it was instinct or fear pushing her forward.They moved through a narrow corridor lit with golden lightbulbs, the muffled sounds of the ongoing auction fading behind them.Two men followed from a distance, they had to be his guards, she assumed.Rhea st

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  • Twisted Loyalties    Chapter 61

    Chapter 61He didn’t flinch when she called him a monster.If anything, it seemed to amuse him.“I’ve been called worse,” he said dryly, smirking.“I hope your money was worth it, you monster,” she hissed, eyes blazing.Again he didn’t react, not with anger or violence He was just looking at her the way someone would look at their poorly behaved pet.Rhea’s chest rose and fell with quiet anger, but then her expression shifted. From defiance to desperation.“I’ll cooperate,” she said, with a steady voice. “If that’s what you want: obedience, compliance, silence, and no dramatics, I’ll give it to you.”He tilted his head slightly, curious but unmoved.“But I want one thing in return,” she continued, stepping forward a little. His expression hardened.“Do you think you’re in any position to ask for anything?” he said sharply, his voice low and unyielding. “I paid for you. I don’t need extra conditions to make you obey.”Rhea hesitated, throat tightening, but she forced herself to speak

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    A few days passed with Rhea being in her buyer's custody.The initial shock of being bought in at an underground auction had settled into something more complex within her.She had expected to be treated like a prisoner, a commodity to be exploited or discarded. But instead, much to Rhea’s surprise, she was left to herself. Even though her every move was watched, she was not being controlled.She was fed well, allowed to sleep in comfort, and most surprising of all, she wasn’t treated as a sex slave. Dmitri had not made any advances, not even a word suggesting that he might expect her to serve him in ways she feared.If anything, his distance was even more unnerving because it made her question what he wanted from her after buying her at such a ridiculous rate.He had barely spoken to her since the day he’d bought her and interrogated her. His presence loomed all over the mansion but it was always at a distance.Rhea couldn’t decide if it was a blessing or a curse.However, she knew

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    I’m pregnant,” she said.He blinked.The room felt like it shrank.“What?”She held his gaze. “I’m not showing yet. But it’s true. I didn’t tell you before because I didn’t know if I’d live long enough to need to. But now… I have to. Because whatever happens next, it affects more than just me.”He didn’t respond right away.His expression shifted. He had always suspected something was off about her, but he didn’t expect it to be this.He looked her over as though trying to determine if this was another trick. But there was no sign of deceit in her face.“Fine,” he said at last. “We’ll deal with that… later.”He sat again.“Now speak,” he said, more serious than before.He knew what Glasnost was: it was a code word for when enforcers wanted to take out their leader either to join another gang or to try to take over from their boss. Sort of a coup. He just needed the details in this case.“Some of your men,” she began, “I don’t know how many, but probably more than two. One of them sai

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  • Twisted Loyalties    Chapter 64

    The heavy knock on Rhea’s door came as the chaos downstairs was settling. She didn’t flinch because she was expecting him.Dmitri entered without waiting for a response. His coat was still stained with blood, and he still had a blank expression on his face. He closed the door behind him with a quiet click.“You weren’t lying,” he said with a low voice Rhea said nothing. She didn’t blink.Dmitri tilted his head. “Explosives. Just like you said. In the lower garage. Trigger was set for tonight. If I had left in that car…”He let the words hang.Rhea held his gaze. “What did I have to gain by lying?.” She asked boldly. “I wanted to survive.”“And now you have.” Dmitri stepped closer, his dark eyes. “How did you know? Who told you?”“No one,” she replied sharply. “I observed.”Dmitri narrowed his eyes, almost amused. “You just… picked it up?”She nodded. “I pay attention and also I like to observe my environment and the people in it .”He looked at her like she was a puzzle he was tryin

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  • Twisted Loyalties    Chapter 65

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  • Twisted Loyalties    Chapter 66

    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,

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  • Twisted Loyalties    Chapter 71

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  • Twisted Loyalties    Chapter 70

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  • Twisted Loyalties    Chapter 69

    “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

  • Twisted Loyalties    Chapter 68

    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

  • Twisted Loyalties    Chapter 67

    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

  • Twisted Loyalties    Chapter 66

    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,

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