Alessio"I want you to meet up with the Baldinis, ask them for the one responsible for your Uncle’s death, and if they don’t want to give him—then we’ll go with your plan." Gustavo’s words were of no use.It would have been a failed and hopeless attempt. There was no negotiation possible with the Baldinis, especially not to ask for the head of Maxine’s fiancé.Not to mention, meeting up with the Baldinis would have been dangerous.I glanced back at my uncles, seeking their guidance. All they did was return my look with a nod, agreeing with Gustavo, although they too were certainly not eager to patch things up.Despite being the one with the final say, I respected them more than anything. They were more experienced and had never worked against me."I’ll do what you say—and I’ll get back to you at our next meeting," I said to please him. I would play his stupid game, meet up with the Baldinis, and show him there was absolutely no other option but to go to war.Gustavo smiled, satisfied
MenaThe days dragged on, some even worse than the others, and I was feeling lonelier by the day. I knew this would happen, and I knew Alessio wasn’t doing it on purpose—so I kept that in mind.It didn’t help that he took Donni, Levi, and Dante with him. The three I would hang out with from time to time. They followed him wherever he went. Gian was too busy with therapy, and if not, he was either resting or hung out with some of the guys. His real friends.I gazed out of the window, listening to the excited squeals of the girls behind me as they played with their dollhouse. Yet another car drove past the gates. When I first came here, I used to take a peek every now and then in fear of Anson coming for us. But now it had become a habit, and I didn’t know for what reason.I guess after playing dollhouse for a bit too long at my big age, I was just getting bored. Don’t get me wrong, I loved playing with Naty and I loved being around Melody—but playing ten different characters just wasn’
MenaI woke up the next morning, with Pilar still asleep beside me. Careful not to disturb her, I managed to slip out of bed and headed to my room.As expected, Alessio had already left for the day. Nothing new.After a quick shower, it was time to get the children ready for school. I sat with them at the kitchen table as they ate their breakfast.“Good morning, guys!” Pilar joined us, walking into the kitchen. The girls immediately greeted her back, and she gave them a back hug. Then she took a seat beside me."Morning. What are our plans for today?" Pilar asked, stealing some food off my plate."I have to get these two to school.”Pilar leaned closer. "Even with everything going on?" she whispered.“They have security at the school,” I whispered back.Pilar shrugged. "I guess you’re right. It’s not like anyone from the West is stupid enough to enter this territory right now."Her acknowledgment that no one dared to enter this territory put me at ease. I was indeed nervous about lett
AlessioWalking through the halls of the escort agency, I headed toward my destination. Between visiting Estelle for a favor and having to get to a meeting to face the devil himself—something I didn't want to think about—it would be a busy day.As I reached the door, Estelle was already there, staring at me with an intense gaze. Our arrangement was clear. She had agreed to visit Mikael to be my voice and would deliver the words I had rehearsed with her. She would be the key to the information Mikael would give me."Hi again," Estelle greeted, looking me up and down. She wore high heels and a tight black dress, which she pulled down a bit with a teasing grin."What's up," I raised my head.She brushed her hand through her hair, "Are you going to come in or not?"I entered her room. Music played in the background, and the smell of scented candles hit my nose. She was trying so hard, she had even dimmed the light. My gaze drifted to a collection of pictures on her wall. From portraits to
Alessio“Boss, you should know that your fiancee and Miss Pilar followed you to your last location,” the voice on the other end of the phone informed me as I sat in the car.I had instructed some of the guys to discreetly watch over Jimena if she ever left the mansion. It was only a precaution, nothing as bad as that tracker in her ring.Hearing this made me feel irritated. "Where is she now?" I demanded."She was headed to the mall," he replied."Keep me updated. Make sure she doesn’t follow me to my next location," I instructed before ending the call.Cursing under my breath, I let my forehead fall to the steering wheel. The thought of Jimena seeing me at that escort agency made me nauseous. It wasn’t a good look, and I knew it looked wrong.I had been working hard to protect her, to keep her away from everything—yet she felt the need to track me down.Why would she do that in the first place?All she had to do was sit back and enjoy her day.It was a good thing I had chosen to visi
AlessioThe tension in the room ran high as we all waited for Leonardo to enter. “I want no fights, no guns, just stay chill, don’t say a word—and I’ll do the talking,” I commanded the men, making sure no one would do something out of the ordinary.Dante clicked his tongue, “You telling us or yourself?”Good question.The door opened, and Leonardo entered with his men, a wicked smirk plastered on his lips. Among them was Anson, and I felt a storm of rage brewing inside me.Our eyes locked, and he carried the same smirk as Leonardo, his eyes quite different from the last time we had met. I could hardly believe this was the same man who had begged me for mercy when his life hung by a thread and I was kind enough to let him live.Now he was glaring at me, as if daring me to make a move, and it took every ounce of self-control not to react. I had to remember the bigger picture and the reason we were here. I would get my revenge, just not today.Leonardo seated himself directly across from
MenaSitting in the dark kitchen, I waited for Alessio to get home. It was already well past midnight, but I didn’t care. I would sit here and wait for him the whole morning if I had to.I couldn’t shake off the thought of him at an escort agency, and got sick to my stomach every time it would cross my mind.Pilar had already gone to bed, as she was against the confrontation. She had painted a picture that cheating was a common thing among these men, she was the one who told me to stay on top of everything—and now that I was doing just that, it had all of a sudden become a problem.I took a sip from my tea, a million thoughts going through my head. Would he still be with whoever he met at that agency?Right at that moment, he finally came walking into the kitchen. Our eyes locked, but neither of us said anything. He wasn’t smiling, and he wasn’t in a good mood."What are you doing down here? You should be in bed," he said, his tone a bit cold, or maybe I was just imagining it.I got u
Mena"New garden supplies? I'll get to it as soon as possible," I told the head gardener who had come with a request. It was an old man who had been working here since Alessio’s grandpa was still alive.“Thank you, Ma’am,” his eyes crinkled with a smile. “We are lucky to have you here.”The man gave a quick bow with his head, then left the office. This was how I now spend my days, sitting behind Alessio’s desk while he was out, fulfilling my new duties.Pilar was by my side so I wouldn’t get bored, and Gian too, to make sure I wouldn’t make any mistakes. Despite all that happened between us, he had been helpful in showing me the Fanucci ways.I huffed, sharing an eye roll with Pilar. A message only the two of us could understand, and the message was that all of this was tiring. Accepting request letters and saying yes on Alessio’s behalf was easy, but saying no is where it got difficult."I set myself up, didn’t I?" I complained out loud."You sure did," Pilar agreed with a cackle."D