ALESSANDRA Since I was little, my father had always integrated the principle of strength in me and my sister. He told us never to show our weakness to anyone, even our spouses because the feeling of love didn't exist infinitely. He was right. Bianca's face twisted into fury as she grabbed my arm and yanked me up. “You have no idea who you are messing with, Alessandra. If you dare renege on our deal, your husband won't be the only one to suffer.”Anger surged through me when I heard the implications of her words. I snarled, “No, you are the one who has no idea who you are dealing with. We both know you can't do shit without my father's help and all that favor would disappear very fast if you touch a single hair on my younger sister.”“Are you behaving like this because of Leonardo?” Bianca gritted her teeth. “Do you actually think he's worth losing your freedom for? Is that it? You think he loves you so you want to grow a conscience and-”I slapped her hard before she could even fin
ALESSANDRA When I finally regained consciousness, I found myself in a dimly lit, old warehouse. My hands and feet were bound tightly behind me to a chair. The air was dry and stale, causing goosebumps to rise on my skin beneath the thin nightgown I wore. I took a deep breath, my head throbbing from the aftereffects of the chloroform. My body felt weak and sluggish as I struggled against my restraints, feeling the tight binds chafing my skin. Fear coursed through me when I realized how helpless I had become in such a situation. What was going to happen to me now? Was Bianca planning to torture me to get the notebook?My heart raced as I considered all the possible scenarios, thinking of a way to deal with them before they even occurred. It was just a matter of time before someone in the mansion noticed my absence, and then Leonardo would come to save me. So that meant I had to buy him some time. At that moment, Massimo walked into the room, his step unsteady as he glanced around t
LEONARDO I paced back and forth in the living room, anxiety gnawing at every fiber of my being as I moved my gun between my fingers. My mind raced in my silence, desperate to find a way to save my wife. I heard a faint whimper, which grabbed my attention. The middle-aged woman who was my aunt was shaking with fear because I pointed my gun towards her in a moment of carelessness. “Shut the fuck up!” I scowled, pulling back the safety of the gun. My sanity felt like it was hanging by a thread, and the noise only pushed me closer to the edge. Dante, who had been observing me, quickly approached the woman and struck her on the back of the head with his gun. The room returned to its usual quietness.I asked him, “Is everyone here like I instructed?”“Yes, Leo,” he affirmed. “All the members of the De Castello family from all across the city are gathered here, except Bianca and Massimo.”My lips tightened at his words. I turned to face the rest of my family, who were lying on the floor
ALESSANDRA As time went by, I began to feel more apprehensive and scared about my husband and my younger sister's well-being. Perhaps I should have been more worried about myself since I was the one who was captured, but I knew Bianca wouldn't lay a finger on me until she got her hands on my notebook. I found it a bit suspicious why she was hell-bent on obtaining the secrets to the Russian secret trade, but then, a lot of people in my world valued power over their own lives. When they left me alone to talk privately, I seized the opportunity to search for something to cut the ropes binding my wrists. After much searching, I found a small piece of broken glass and began slowly cutting through the thick ropes.Bianca and Massimo's voices echoed by the door as they argued. From what I overheard, Leonardo had retaliated by capturing Bianca's mother, who had been in a psychiatric hospital after my kidnapping.A moment later, Bianca stormed back into the warehouse and stopped in front of
ALESSANDRA Immediately after Bianca spoke those words, chaos erupted. Her guards emerged from the shadows and started shooting at Leonardo's men. The place became a battleground, filled with sounds of loud gunshots. The smell of gunpowder and blood rose in the air, testifying to the overwhelming violence that was taking place. Meanwhile, Massimo instantly pointed his gun at my head, but Leonardo was faster. He fired his gun before Massimo could even pull the trigger. The man fell to the ground with a loud thud as my husband sprinted towards me. Rocco immediately covered Leonardo as he closed the distance between us. Leonardo brought out a knife from his pocket and cut the ropes loose from my wrists. My hands slackened, and he scooped me into his arms, running towards the exit. My eyes met Bianca's own as she watched them take me away. She roared, “Where do you think you are going? You are not leaving this place alive, Leonardo!”Dante, who had been standing a few feet away from us
ALESSANDRA After that day, my sister and I returned to Leonardo's apartment, attended by a trusted housekeeper that Leonardo hired. The doctor also visited me daily to check up on me, while Mia ensured that I took my medicine daily. However, there was no cure for the pain and loneliness that gnawed at my soul, piece by piece. Everyone around me tried to comfort me the best way possible, but the one person I truly needed kept avoiding me. My husband had not visited me since the day he discovered that I had lost our baby. As time passed by, I began to wonder what exactly was his reason for not coming to see me. Was he still angry that I had colluded with Bianca and my father, or did he blame me for losing our baby?My thoughts were cut off as I felt a touch on my shoulder. I quickly wiped away my tears as I turned to face my sister. Mia quietly pulled me away from the window and brought me to the breakfast table. When I sensed her gaze on me, I tried to reassure her with a smile. “
LEONARDO I rushed back to the apartment as soon as Mia called me. My heart burned with rage, my fingers twitching at the gun tucked at my back. When the elevator stopped, I stepped out and strode towards the last apartment on my floor. “I can't believe Patrizio sent those gifts to Alessandra even though he was aware she miscarried.” Dante's harsh words burned into my ears as we walked. “What kind of father is he?”I replied bitterly, “Well, he can't be worse than our own father, right?”We walked in tense silence until we reached the apartment. Dante held my arm before I knocked on the door. When I turned to him, he warned, “Leo, I think you need to rein in your temper a bit before you face your wife. You have to remember that she is still mourning your child, so let's not cause her any more pain, okay?”I yanked my arm away with a low snarl. “That would depend if that bastard is still in my apartment. I don't care who he is, I will kill him for what he has done.”Dante parted his l
LEONARDOAfter my outburst, the room was suffocatingly silent as we locked eyes. Since the death of our child, I had spent my time working myself harder than I ever did, and I tried my best to forget about it every time I poured alcohol down my throat. But the guilt and pain were like a tight grip, clutching my heart ruthlessly whenever I regained clarity. I told myself not to grieve for something that was gone before I even knew about it, but my actions failed in the end. And all of this happened because of Alessandra. “I failed our child?” My wife stood up from the vanity table and faced me, her body trembling from anger and pain. She yelled, “How was I supposed to accept your love when it wasn't even my choice to make? From the moment you stormed into my father's house, you took away my freedom and my happiness!”Her words stung more than I had anticipated. My chest suddenly felt heavy, making it difficult for me to breathe. There were a lot of things I wanted to say to her, but
ALESSANDRA One month later... The hot midday sun shone upon the city as we clicked glasses with each guest at the party. Today was the grand opening of my new restaurant, Il Comando di Leone, and it was supposed to be a private event. But Leonardo decided to kick it up a notch by inviting every prominent figure in the city. Or so he claimed. While I stood at the entrance to welcome the guests inside, Leonardo kept the guests inside entertained with practiced ease. Our eyes met for a short while and then, we smiled before we returned to our various activities. The atmosphere in the restaurant was filled with an elegant and sophisticated vibe as an array of different gourmet dishes filled the tables for our guests' preferences. After spending some time chatting with some friends and local business owners, I finally felt a hand wrap around my waist. A small smile tugged my lips as I leaned into the solid chest behind me and teased. “If all my supplies run out today, then it's you
ALESSANDRA Several minutes had passed since Giovanni called Leonardo and gave him our precise location. According to him, he had taken me to an abandoned metal workshop outside the city. He swore he was going to cut me up if Leonardo didn't arrive in one hour. I wasn't very good with numbers, but I was pretty sure that over thirty minutes had passed. Giovanni seemed to be counting too. Once in a while, he would check the time and glance at me to make sure I wasn't doing anything funny. My heart jumped in my chest whenever I heard him laugh after checking the time, causing me today tighten my fists. Leonardo had to know that this was a trap. That's why he was taking so long. I didn't want him to walk here alone like Giovanni demanded but my intuition told me that he was more than capable of doing that. I had to find a way to stall for time. Enough time for Leonardo to come to rescue me. “What happened to Sofia? Why's she not with you?” I asked. After several minutes of searching
ALESSANDRA I woke up with a loud gasp, in a dimly-lit room, bound and tied on a cold, metal table. The single light hanging on the ceiling shone directly over me, nearly blinding my eyes so I shut them immediately. Fear coursed through me as I struggled against my restraints but this one's were much more tighter than the ones Bianca used when she kidnapped me. Handcuffs. This time, I knew it was pointless to try and free myself but that didn't stop me from feeling so scared. I had no idea what Giovanni planned to do with me. Well, except luring Leonardo here so he could finish him. “Shit,” I muttered. There was no way I could let Leonardo come here because of me. I turned my head to the side, squinting my eyes to see if I could recognize any familiar signs about the place. But my attempts were cut off by a single cough at my other side. My head instantly whipped towards the direction of the sound to see someone sitting on a chair in the shadows. “You're finally awake, Mrs. De Ca
ALESSANDRA After a whole day had passed, Rocco finally appeared. He looked so guarded and cautious that I tried hard to stifle a laugh despite my fuming deposition throughout the previous night. I didn't blame him for acting that way, though. Everyone knew how dangerous I could be when I was really pissed. He warned me sternly before closing the distance between us. “Don't do anything stupid, Alessandra. You know Leo's only doing it for your sake.”Like hell, he was. The only reason he had imprisoned me here was because he was afraid that I'd run to another country. I guessed he has traveled someplace very far, and he feared that he wouldn't return in time to catch me. Regardless, I still nodded with an innocent expression. Sometimes, men were very easy to fool if one played their cards right, so I had to adapt to the situation. I replied, “I understand. It's just that I also want to do what's right for him too.”Rocco's shoulders relaxed slightly as he brought out the keys of th
LEONARDO As the bright moon settled in the sky, I stood at the entrance of the dimly-lit warehouse located near the dock, personally overseeing the last batch of shipments being delivered to the Russians. The quietness of the night was broken by the sounds of my men loading the weapon crates into the ship. Ivan, who was also dressed in a black shirt and pants, barked out orders to the Russian men on the ship. After most of the shipments were loaded, he finally descended from the ship and came to the warehouse. “Remind me why you are here again?” I asked him a few seconds before lighting my cigarette. Ivan pulled the cigarette out of my lips and flung it away before replying. “Because your stepbrother is still alive, and I don't want to take any risks with this deal. After tonight, the deal will be finalized, and I'll stop nagging you about it.”I glanced at the little army he brought along with him and smiled. “Ah, that must be the reason why you decided to tighten security. Is Gi
ALESSANDRA I gently drank the warm soup Isabella brought for me, intentionally ignoring my husband's gaze as we sat down in silence. The hot, soothing liquid slid down my throat, spreading warmth throughout my cold body. Leonardo waited until I placed the bowl down before he slowly closed the distance between us on the bed. Seeing the anxiety and concern on his face hurt a lot because the last thing I wanted was for him to be so worried about me. “Why are you here?” My voice felt a bit stronger this time, but I still refused to meet his gaze. Leonardo reached for me, but then his hand froze midway when he saw my expression. He dropped his hands quietly and stood up from the bed. “I just wanted to explain what really happened back then, Alessandra,” he replied. He started pacing back and forth as he spoke, his hands buried in his pocket. “Look, I know you won't believe anything I tell you now, but I really didn't marry you because I thought you were Stefano's daughter. The truth i
ALESSANDRA I entered my room with shaky legs, my mind reeled from the revelation I had just discovered. From the very beginning, I had been somewhat suspicious of Leonardo's motive of marrying me, but I never expected that he was only doing it because he mistook my identity. He must have planned to take over the California mafia after exposing my father for killing his older brother, but then he changed his mind when he found out the truth. Now, it all made sense why he brought Mia to live with us. He claimed he was doing it to protect her from our father, but he must have wanted her to be his woman instead! The feeling of betrayal and hurt burned into my chest as I sat on the bed. Everyone in my life only ever stayed with me because they thought I was useful, and they left when they were disappointed. Even Leonardo. That night, I cried myself to sleep and woke up with a throbbing headache. My eyelids felt too heavy to even lift, and my throat hurt a lot. I figured I should ju
LEONARDO After making the phone call, I got up from the bed and grabbed a packet of cigarettes and a lighter from the bedside table. I walked to the balcony to clear my thoughts and plan my next steps for handling some unfinished business. The night sky was starless, clouds covering half of the bright moon.I lit a cigarette in my mouth and took a long drag. The nicotine sent a heady rush to my brain, making me feel much light-headed than before. The throbbing headache began to fade away as I released a puff of smoke into the air. Giovanni, my dear stepbrother. I had to admit he had done a very good job hiding in the dark like a cockroach. But if he thought he could reap my pained efforts and take over my mafia organization, then he clearly had a death wish. Now that I have talked to Charles, one of my clients who worked in the city's administrative office, there was no way he was going to survive past the week. As the mayor's defense secretary, Charles had major connections with
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