ALESSANDRA “What?!”Mia walked out of the bathroom fully dressed as her eyes flickered between Dante and Rocco. Before I could say anything, she stepped in front of me and raised her arms in the air in a protective stance. Her eyes blazed with fire as she declared, “No one's going to kill my sister!”Warmth spread through my heart as Dante and Rocco shared a look between themselves. I understood what that meant from afar, and the sight alone made me push my sister behind me just before Dante could approach her. ““Please explain what you just said,” I implored. But it was clear that Dante wasn't going to speak as long as Mia was present. I had a feeling he hadn't expected her to still be awake at this late hour. So I turned to Mia and asked, “Mia, could you give us a moment to talk?”Mia shook her head defiantly, her stubborn gaze locked on the two of them. Even though her voice cracked with fear, she still said, “No way, Alessandra. I'm not going to let these men take you away from
ALESSANDRA Dante drove me blindfolded to a safe house, far from the De Castello mansion. I had no idea where he was taking me, but I wasn’t scared. He had let me keep my phone, knowing Mia would be frightened if she woke up and I wasn’t there.When we finally arrived, I stepped inside, scanning my surroundings for any clues about our location, but there were none. Leonardo was clearly smart enough to keep this place a well-guarded secret.Dante led me to the stairs. We walked silently, each of us lost in our own thoughts. His steps were quick and eager, revealing his desire to see his older brother.He finally stopped when we arrived in front of a room, door closed. He turned to me and said, “Wait here, I will go and find out what's going on first.”I slowly nodded, watching surprise flicker across his face. He didn't expect me to agree so easily to his request, but all I wanted was to confirm Leonardo's well being with my own eyes. After Dante entered the room, I leaned against the
ALESSANDRAThe entire room was filled with our labored breaths, our scents infused with sweat and lust as we movedagainst each other. My whole body threatened to combust under his touches and his words. When he captured my lips once again, I instantly melted into the kiss, chasing his mouth with mindless hunger. Leonardo chuckled against my lips, his eyes filled with amusement and happiness. He leaned back to study me, his gaze growing heated. He asked me, “Are you sure about this, Alessandra?”I knew this was his way of being considerate towards me but I didn't need it. His habit of undermining my efforts didn't sit well with me in this moment, so I rolled my hips wordlessly, pressing my core against him. “Ah!” Leonardo's breath hitched, throwing his head back to reveal his his tight neck cords. His hips buckled immediately, seeking more friction but I managed to retain control. His large hands gripped my thighs roughly as he rocked against me, trying to force me into submission.
LEONARDO In the middle of the night....I stood in the balcony, admiring the beautiful moon in the sky. A cigarette hung from my lips while I reflected over what happened between me and Alessandra. When she barged into the room earlier, her eyes filled with worry and tears, I was so fucking happy that I gotten such a fatal gunshot wound. We'd been fighting a lot since we got married, but this was the first time she apologized, willing to do anything to make things right. Her heart and body were so open that I couldn't resist, even if it meant getting burned.Now, she was back in my bed and my life. I had no intention of letting her escape again. She always claimed she didn’t care about what I did in my private time, but she couldn't stand seeing any woman near me. Deep down, she knew she owned me, whether she admitted it or not.But this ownership was also a two-way street. I grew hard again, thinking about how sweet her moans sounded in my ears like a fucking love song. Her body cr
LEONARDOThree days later, Keith finally gave his medical consent for me to resume work. Even though my subtle threats and aggressive demeanor had worked with him, there was still someone else who wasn't too happy to let me leave. “I still don't think you are ready, Leo,” Alessandra complained. These days, she had been very attentive and sweet towards me, refusing to leave my side. Although I was very happy seeing her new change towards me, she had become very vigilant in my affairs.I pulled her close, inhaling her sweet jasmine scent as color splashed across her cheeks. She was wearing one of my black shirts with nothing underneath, and she looked incredibly sexy. I still hadn't created a plan to seduce h again, but I had decided she would end up beneath me before I resumed work.“I have some unfinished business to take care of, babe,” I pressed my lips to her temple as she ran her hands over my torso. Alessandra seemed to like my body more than she cared to admit, something I ment
ALESSANDRA Despite my efforts to keep Leonardo away from his business, he still managed to escape after leaving me nearly brain-dead from his fucking. I grew hungry after such a rigorous exercise so I came down to eat. As I reached the stairs, I spotted Rocco speaking with the guards in the living room. The moment he saw me, he turned and hurried away.It felt satisfying to watch him flee, especially since I had forgotten to report his actions to Leonardo. My plans had vanished the moment I saw my husband injured and weak that day. I was so relieved when we finally saw each other, causing me to wave the white flag between us. The truth was, I still hated his job as the head of an entire mafia organization but the only difference was I didn't want anything to happen to him. Especially since my father was actively trying to kill him. Leonardo seemed determined to be follow through with his plan to carry out that secret trade, and my father was never going to let him succeed. I overh
ALESSANDRA I sat in the back passenger seat, checking my phone as we drove down the street. Spotting the gym around the corner, I knew we were getting close, so I texted Bianca again. My heart pounded in my ears as I anxiously waited for the distraction I needed, but it didn't come.Just as I was about to reach out to one of my father's people in the city, the car jolted, causing me to lurch forward. Once everyone recovered from the shock, one of the men, whom I assumed to be the leader, turned to check on me. “Ma’am, are you alright?”“Yes, I am,” I replied, my chest heaving. The men stepped out to examine the damage, and I smiled with relief as I watched them talking to the other driver.I quietly snuck through the back door and blended into the streets. This was not the first time I was doing it anyway, but it was something I swore I would never do again when my father pushed a man's teeth down his throat for taking me out on a movie date. But I was very good at this. I avoided a
ALESSANDRA It took Leonardo's men less than ten minutes to find me. All of them stormed into the boutique, dressed in black suits and gloves with labored breathing. As soon as he saw me, the leader approached me with sweat trinkling down his forehead. His voice went hard as he demanded, “We have been searching for you everywhere. Where did you go?”“I came here to shop since you were busy fighting those men who bumped your car,” I replied without looking at him. I shoved the shopping bags into his arms and warned, “And you’d better be careful what you tell my husband when we return. I mean it.”He remained silent as I strode past him and exited the boutique. During the ride, my mind was consumed with worry about the missing note. It was an important piece of evidence, something that could incriminate me and my sister if revealed to Leonardo.I was so lost in thought that I didn’t even notice when we arrived home. Maybe Bianca could help, I thought as the door beside me suddenly open
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