ALESSANDRA After what happened that night, I couldn't sleep at all. I turned on the TV, hoping to see any news that would report the bald man's death but there was nothing throughout the entire morning. When I couldn't wait anymore, I decided to reach out to the only person I could trust at this moment. I dialed her number and waited for her to pick up the call. After two attempts, she did. “What the hell do you think you are doing, Alessandra? You do know that your husband will be tracing your calls, right?!” she scolded. “I'm sorry, Bianca,” I paced back and forth in my bedroom, worry gnawing my mind. I defended, “But you know I wouldn't have reached out to you if I didn't have a big problem.” She sighed, “So what's this problem about?”“I want to know about a gang that has a star tattooed on their neck,” I described some no further details to her and asked, “Who are they?”Bianca sucked her teeth thrice, “Bad news. They are from the White Star gang, the fourth largest gang in
ALESSANDRA After jotting down the address he had given me, I waited until it was almost midnight before scaling the walls of the house. All these days of subtly observing their work shifts had finally come in handy but I barely escaped just before the guards switched. I walked a few blocks down the street, just to be cautious, before hailing a cab. A few minutes later, I arrived at the hotel he'd mentioned. I strode straight to the reception desk and asked, “Hello, do you have anyone named Duncan Crescent living here?”The lady's eyes went alert when she heard the name. She scrutinized me carefully, eyeing my pink shirt and jeans with sneakers. When she was done, she grabbed the telephone and made a call. I used the distraction to activate my GPS tracker, just in case things turned messy. While I was determined to resolve this situation calmly, I couldn't ignore the fact that most mafia men were patriarchal and irrational. The longer I stood there, the more my resolve wavered, and
ALESSANDRA Sofia's face lit up immediately when she heard his words. While I was struggling to stay alive, she approached us and hugged his back tightly. She praised him, “Oh, honey, I just knew you were the best! You are a real man, the type who would do anything to avenge his child.”Duncan hummed apathetically. He seemed to remember something and turned to her, “Does that mean that after I take care of her, we can try and have another baby?”“O-Of course!” Sofia's face blanched when she heard his words but then, her eyes landed on me. She reassured him, “All you need to do is get rid of her and we will have the family you have always wanted.”My eyes rolled to the back of my head as his grip tightened on my neck. Digging my hand into the back pocket of my jeans, I desperately pulled out a knife and immediately dug it into his side. As he let go of me, I raced towards the elevator, hoping to reach there before any of his guards caught up with me but I was too slow. I cried out whe
ALESSANDRA This time, I heard Dante's footsteps approaching towards us. Although Duncan looked tensed about the situation, he didn't object to the search but instead reached for his cup of rum. As soon as Dante's eyes landed on me, he immediately whipped out his gun and shot the guard beside me. The man fell down with a large thud as he moved towards me. He ripped the tape over my mouth, making me cry out in pain.His eyes were wide from shock and disbelief when he saw my tattered appearance, “Oh mio Dio, Alessandra! Perché sei qui?” he asked. When Duncan heard the gunshot, he reached for his weapon but froze. Leonardo pointed his gun at his head as he called for his brother, “Dante, is everything alright over there?”Dante's grim eyes met mine after his brother's question, so he simply peeled off his jacket and wrapped it around me. He swore under his breath as he helped me stand up, “Leonardo is going to lose his shit again...”I barely registered his words as we walked towards L
LEONARDO When I said I wanted to know exactly what happened with my wife, I meant every word of it. As soon as we returned to the safehouse, I carried Alessandra in my arms to the bedroom. My heart broke when I saw her physical state after placing her gently on the bed. She was covered in bruises and small cuts, but the most infuriating part was her split lip.I shouldn't have killed that son-of-a-bitch so easily.I barely restrained my rage and turned to Keith, my in-house doctor. “When do you think she'll wake up?”Keith replied carefully, “I’m not sure, Leo. She’ll probably regain consciousness in a few hours, or by tomorrow at the latest.”“Please take care of her.”He nodded solemnly and moved aside as I exited the room. I descended the stairs and strode into the living room, where all my guards had been summoned. The room fell into a tense silence upon my arrival, all unnecessary noise quickly dying down.I took a seat on the couch, glancing around everyone in front of me. Dan
ALESSANDRA A whole day had passed when I finally woke up. My body hurt like hell, each step filled with pain, but I was grateful to be alive. I was slightly nervous about facing Leonardo after what had happened, but I couldn't think straight with fear and anxiety clouding my mind.I descended the stairs with slow, steady steps, watching the maids cleaning the place as usual. My eyes roamed the room until they landed on a guard at the entrance of the kitchen, changing his shirt.A gasp escaped my lips when I saw his back. Angry red welts crisscrossed his skin, each one open and bleeding. The cuts looked raw and painful, the flesh swollen and bruised with purple hues.The horrible sight drew me closer, my hands touching his arm before I realized it. “What the hell happened to you, Silvio?” I asked, my voice shaking with disbelief and horror.Silvio flinched from my touch and retreated several steps, his eyes widening at the sight of me. I tried not to feel hurt concerning his reaction
ALESSANDRA If Leonardo's plan was to punish me through the silent treatment, then it was definitely working. He refused to pick up my calls or reply to my texts ever since I returned to the De Castello mansion two days ago. Although I was relieved to be reunited with Mia once again, I couldn't help but worry each time my calls went to voicemail. “Ugh!” I threw my phone on my sister's bed out of frustration. I stayed in her room in the mornings and then, I slept in my room at night since I still had appearances to keep up. Mia grabbed my phone as I sat down on the chair, scrolling through the messages. She was on her back, facing the ceiling with her legs on the wall as she said, “Look, maybe he's just busy, Alessandra. You know, he might be doing one of those important operations that Father used to go on every month.”The so-called operations she was referring to was my father's monthly visit to the strip clubs and escort agencies but no one wanted to tell Mia the truth. She stil
ALESSANDRA The room was heavy with silence as we stared at each other. Leonardo's intense glare pinned me in place, making me squirm. I wanted to say the words of apology I had rehearsed earlier but they refused to come out, no matter how hard I tried.Leonardo leaned back on the chair and crossed his legs with an air of leisure. “Well? Don't you have anything to say to me?” he snapped, his voice edged with impatience. I stiffened at his harsh tone, finally realizing why I wasn't able to say the words I was supposed to say. It was because of him, his overbearing attitude and his condescending demeanor. “Why did you refuse to pick up my calls, Leonardo?” I blurted out. The moment the words left my mouth, I wanted to kick myself for straying off topic. But I couldn’t back down now. “Are you angry that I ruined your business relationship with the White Star Gang? Do you regret saving me?”My husband's eyes flashed with anger when he heard my words. Deep down, I dreaded his response so
ALESSANDRA A week later...I ate breakfast and was reading a novel when I suddenly received a phone call from Rocco. Anxiety gripped my heart as I picked up the call and said. “Hello, Rocco.”“Leo has woken up, and he's been asking for you.” He announced. “I'll text you the address so you can come visit him immediately.”I shot up from my seat. “Really? I'm coming!”My heart pounded in my chest as I changed my clothes and rushed into the waiting car. When we finally arrived at the location Rocco sent us, I was already a bit dizzy from anticipation as I entered the house, ignoring the guards’ greetings. I just wanted to confirm it myself. I needed to see him with my two eyes and touch him with my fingers to convince myself that he was truly awake. After taking several turns in the large house, I finally found Isabella in the hallway. As I closed the distance between us with hurried steps, I called out to her. “Isabella, where's he?”Isabella pointed at the door near her with a smile
ALESSANDRA By a few minutes before six in the morning, Henrietta finally emerged from Leonardo's room, wiping her hands with a white handkerchief. She and Cortez looked exhausted, though Cortez tried to hide it better than Henrietta.She yawned and said, “He's out of danger for now. But he still needs to be checked for any other internal injuries and broken bones.”I turned to Cortez. “Is there something you can do about this?”“I'll make some calls to find someone in the city to help us,” Cortez replied grimly. “But that means we'll have to move him if possible.”I suddenly understood why they had been beating around the bush when speaking to me. The thought of Leonardo not being nearby sent a cold shiver down my spine. I needed him close, and I couldn't trust anyone else right now. I didn't want him out of my sight until he regained consciousness.A undercurrent of tension and unspoken words passed between me and my enforcer as we stared at each other. Henrietta's eyes darted betwe
ALESSANDRA After what happened to Keith, Rocco and Cortez decided to conduct another identity check of every single person staying was in the private house. I stayed behind, personally watching over my unconscious husband alone while they carried out their operations.Although I had been very firm and strong on the surface when facing Keith, the truth was that I was extremely shaken by the extent of my Father's vicious plans. If I had arrived a second later, I would have surely lost Leonardo. So who could I trust now? Who exactly was my ally and my foe here?A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts. Since the knocks were light and gentle, I already had an idea who was the visitor was so I called out, “Come in.”Isabella poked her head in and said, “Cortez wanted me to tell you that he's going to personally fetch a doctor to treat Leonardo.”“Alright, thank you.” I replied. After carefully examining Leonardo's injuries, Rocco and I had come to the conclusion that his life w
ALESSANDRA When I finally arrived at the address Isabella sent me, I rushed into the house to see Rocco talking to Cortez. He leaned against the wall, one of his hands holding his abdomen while he chugged down large gulps of whiskey from the bottle. I approached them quickly and asked, "Where's Leonardo? I want to see him right now.”“He's now receiving treatment from Keith.” Cortez replied. With a single glance, he grew alarmed as he pulled me close. “Is something wrong? Were you attacked?”I shook my head. “Not me. But I think Leo's in danger.”Rocco frowned. “What do you mean?”I told them what my younger sister, Mia had told me. The expression on both their faces was not pleasant at all, but then Cortez finally said, “I have already tightened security around the place, but I'll do an extra round just to make sure no one sneaks into the place.”“I'm afraid that person is already in this building,” I snapped, running my hand in through my hair. My mind raced as I thought deeply ab
ALESSANDRA I paced back and forth in the living room of my private residence that evening, waiting for some news from Rocco and the rest. As soon as Sofia gave me that address, we held a meeting as soon as I got home. Rocco folded his arms and stared at the note on the table. “How sure are you that this isn't some sort of trap? We can't afford to have them ambush us.”I smiled reassuringly. “That's why we have Cortez here.”“Yes,” My second mafia lieutenant confirmed, stepping forward. “I'll have a few police officers on standby for backup, so they don't have the upper hand over us.”“But that would actually leave us defenseless here.” Rocco protested. “Well, it's not like they know our new mafia headquarters, and I'll just hide here until you guys return, so don't worry about it.” I assured him. When there were no further objections, Rocco finally fell silent, so we were able to make a very meticulous plan to save Leonardo. That evening, I stayed at home with my phone glued to my
ALESSANDRA On the last day of the ultimatum, I sent word to Sofia to come for a meeting. Isabella and Rocco tried to convince me to wait until the ultimatum was over, but I just couldn't wait anymore. The previous night, I had a frightening nightmare that the couple had delivered Leonardo's corpse to me. That dream had scared the shit out of me that night, so I decided to take care of this mess once and for all. “What am I here, Alessandra?” Sofia questioned. Apparently, she wasn't pleased to be summoned on a Saturday because she had plans with Giovanni to go shopping. “Did you call us to give some good news about our agreement? Where's Dante?”“He's not here, and I didn't tell him anything about the deal you offered me.” I said. The couple's eager faces instantly dropped when they heard my words, but I didn't care. I came here for a mission, so I wasn't going to rest until I fulfilled it. Sofia slammed the table and fumed. “Then it means you are prepared to see your husband again
ALESSANDRA After waiting for several days, Cortez finally returned with news about his investigation. According to him, Sofia was an orphan from the city of San Remo who snuck out the country illegally through a stowaway. She was then caught by a prostitute smuggling ring and worked for them for four years before she met Giovanni, who paid for her freedom. “Are you sure that's all you have about her?” I asked Cortez. A wave of desperation and helplessness gripped my heart when I discovered he had brought nothing useful like I'd hoped. Today was the second day after Giovanni had given us that ultimatum, but I still didn't have anything on him or his woman. The clock was ticking, and I feared Leonardo's life would soon be forfeited if I didn't do something. Cortez glanced away before nodding, “Yes, that's all I could find. You can ask somebody else to search if you'd like.”I observed him for a few more seconds, trying to see if I could actually trust him. After the little disagreem
ALESSANDRA Silence enveloped the room after my confession. Cortez didn't look as surprised as I would have imagined while Rocco's expression darkened as he tried to process what this revelation would mean for his friends. “Your father killed his brother?!” Isabella half-asked, half-screamed. I understood her reaction the most because I had struggled to live with the secret for years. In the mafia, everyone did anything they could for power and money. But there was one concept that was sacred to all, something that allowed them to preserve their last sense of humanity. Family. Both betrayal and murder of one's kin were frowned upon, and if someone dared to touch another's family, then that person was definitely prepared to go to hell and beyond that. That's why most grudges were always settled with a person's death. "I'm so sorry, Alessandra.” Isabella wrapped her arms around me as my vision blurred with tears. Rocking me gently, she added, “Now it makes sense why you didn't wan
ALESSANDRA That night, another private meeting was held between all of Leonardo's mafia lieutenants. No one believed us about Giovanni's reappearance at first until we showed them the pictures he gave us. Some were still in disbelief, while the others were completely shocked that my ex-husband was the one behind Leonardo's demise. Cortez stepped forward and said, “I'll get a search issue for him and arrest him. It's best we use the police to deal with him since he might have other allies that we're not aware of.”“No,” Rocco growled, pacing back and forth in the office. “We both know that the police can't be trusted in this case. I say we solve this issue between us no matter what.”As they argued back between us, I remained stuck in my head, wondering how the hell Giovanni survived. Before my marriage with him, he had been very gentle and attentive, a stark contrast to Leonardo's intense personality. My mother even swore that I'd have a happy marriage, and I believed her. After a