LEONARDO Shit. That was the only thought in my mind as I watched my wife shoot her best friend. As soon as Valentina's body hit the floor, I started moving toward her, eager to check on her condition. But Alessandra's furious voice cut through the shocked silence, “Don't you dare take another step, Leo.”I shot a look to Dante who immediately went to examine her. After a few tense seconds, he glanced up at me and said, “It's nothing serious. She got hit on the shoulder but she will make it.”My body slackened from relief after hearing his words. I spun around and pulled away my weapon from Alessandra. There was not a single trace of remorse on her face. Although it should have worried me, the fact that she had pulled the trigger because of me turned my cock into stone. “We need to talk,” I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to the bedroom. I wished I could say that I had done it only with the intention of scolding her but something about being alone with her after what she had d
ALESSANDRAI hurried after Mia, buttoning my shirt with shaky hands. My legs felt like jelly and perspiration clung to my skin when I came out of the apartment and into the hallway. I was so preoccupied with thoughts of my sister that I didn't notice when another figure collided with me. I quickly steadied myself, looking up to see Rocco standing in front of me.Rocco made a disgruntled noise as he turned to face me, “Keep your eyes on the road, woman,” he snapped. My first instinct was to reply with a sassy comeback but the wet patch of blood on his black shirt stopped me from speaking. I asked him, “Have you seen my sister?”“Mia?” He shook his head, glancing back at at hallway behind him, “No, I didn't. Isn't she supposed to be sleeping at this time?”Worry gripped my heart when she was not within my sights anymore. Mia might be bubbly and cute, but she was also very willful sometimes and always got into trouble. If we were in California, I would not be this concerned about her w
ALESSANDRAAfter my fight with Mia, she stayed cooped up in her room whenever I was around. In the past, I would have been the first to give in and try to reconcile, but this time, I was thoroughly pissed at her behavior. I was risking everything to protect her from our father's evil schemes, yet she hurt me with her words.Despite my anger, I refused to give up on her and decided to keep her with me for the meantime. However, I was determined to stay mad until she apologized. I kept glancing at the direction of her room, lost in thought until I felt a sharp flick on my forehead. I cried out in pain and said, “What the hell was that for?”“How many times have I told you to stop thinking about other people when you are with me?” Leonardo supported his face with one hand as he stared at me. I had to admit that he looked incredibly handsome today, dressed in a leather jacket, worn-out jeans, and boots. He looked every inch of a heartbreaker my mother had always warned me about, with his
LEONARDO In my world, there was no such thing as weakness. That was the first thing my father told Giovanni when he had finished his induction ceremony as a Made Man, but I was eavesdropping at the door because I knew he would never let me have such a ceremony. Davide De Castello was well aware of my superior capabilities; I was smarter, faster and stronger than his first son, and he didn't want any competition between us. But that advice had never left my mind since the day I returned to the mafia and took over my father's throne. I was done a good job of making everyone believe that I had no problem sacrificing anyone on my chessboard because that's all they were to me. Pawns. Now things had changed. And it was not looking good at all. “Leonardo?” Alessandra's teary eyes locked onto mine, her voice trembling with worry. “Where is Mia?”I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should tell her the truth or not. It had taken me hard work to fix our relationship, but now everythin
LEONARDO An hour later, Dante and I decided to take Mia to one of our warehouses in the area, instead of taking her home. I insisted on keeping her gagged and tied for private reasons until we reached my office. Dante placed the unconscious girl on the couch near the door and cut her binds, an action that did not go unnoticed. My hands felt slightly sweaty under the black leather gloves, the material growing slick under my palms. However, I resisted the temptation to remove it and simply rubbed them against each other to steady myself. “Okay, you can go now,” I dismissed him, rolling back my sleeves to reveal the black inked tattoos underneath. “I need you to buy some clothes and other essentials she might need. Take one of the girls with you.”My brother sensed my intentions and cast a hesitant look at the girl lying on the couch. He turned back to me and said, “Go easy on her, Leo. She just went through a traumatic experience and needs to-”“Why the hell do you care?” I snapped,
LEONARDO After we confirmed who was behind the attack, Dante stayed with the women to help them pack their stuff while I stayed in the office to make a call. As soon as the person answered, I released a stream of curses in Italian before switching back to English. “You mothefucker, you dare betray me and attack my woman?”“What the hell are you talking about?” A thick, accented voice responded, filled of confusion. The fact that he was trying to deny it made my blood boil. He was like a brother to me, and his betrayal cut deep like a hot knife through butter. I snarled, “I know what you did, Ivan. Your men left one of his weapons in my apartment and I'll be using it to pull out your guts when I find you.”“Don't you dare threaten me, De Castello,” he snapped, his voice cold as ice. “You might be a dangerous man, but don't forget that I'm just as dangerous.”I chuckled sinisterly. “Is that so? Then you can expect me to return the favor, especially after I cancel our little business.
ALESSANDRA The next day, Leonardo took me and Mia to another mansion. He had not spoken to me since the day he saved me in his apartment. I gazed at him, observing every minute expression on his face. He had furrowed eyebrows, tensed jaw as he maneuvered the car on the road. His silence added to the tension around us, and I could tell that something was disturbing him. I shared a look with Mia before I turned to him and asked, “Where are we going, Leo?”“You'll see,” he replied curtly. I fell silent as we approached the mansion, stopping in front of the big, fancy gate. My eyes widened slightly as a spark of recognition lit up in my mind. I knew this place. I was sure about it because I had lived her for three years. This was the De Castello mansion. A security guard stopped our car but when he glanced at the license plate, he immediately rushed out and came to greet us. Leonardo exchanged pleasantries with the old man when we stepped down from the car. I took opportunity to gla
ALESSANDRA After thirty minutes, I returned from the bathroom to meet Isabella leaning against the wall on the hallway. My mood sank further when I saw her walking towards me. It was obvious that Leonardo shared a deep sibling bond with her, but the truth was that I was still pissed about the trick she pulled on me. If it wasn't for her, I would have never ended up in bed with Leonardo that night. He must have crafted that plan by telling her I was a lightweight. Isabella blocked my path, holding a small box in her hands. She glanced at me carefully before offering the box, batting her lashes in a remorseful manner. “I don't think I have officially apologized for what I did. I'm very sorry, Alessandra.” "Yeah, I've heard you," I replied coldly. When I tried to walk past her again, she grabbed my hand to stop me. My expression turned into frost as I glared at her. "Look, I have to go to my husband now. You know him, right? He's the one who offered you a house in Hudson Yards
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