Alice could hear the faint sound of footsteps approaching her. She struggled to open her eyes, feeling as if she were experiencing sleep paralysis. Her eyes flew open when she felt someone pour something cold on her.
She scrunched her nose in disgust as she looked at the cold liquid that dripped down her body. She was tied to a chair and gulped fearfully at the thought of Collin finding her. It had to be him.
She heard the sound of steady footsteps approaching but couldn’t see because her eyes were covered with blood. Her vision cleared, and her eyes widened when she saw Alfonso Ferdinando, the Consigliere of the Vicenzo empire, standing in front of her. Alfonso was the direct advisor to the Don, giving him a rank much higher than her father’s.
She was shocked to see him. Why on earth had he had her kidnapped? She hadn't done anything wrong to him unless he was related to Collin, which seemed impossible.
Alfonso easily intimidated everyone with his tall frame and cold nature. His words were law, and no one dared to go against him except the Don and his underboss.
"Mr... Mr. Ferdinando," Alice stuttered fearfully. This man could sever her head from her body, and Sergio wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
"Shh," he placed a finger on her lips, and Alice shuddered at the sudden contact.
"Don't fret. We're just here for a simple chat," Alfonso said as he made himself comfortable in the chair in front of her.
Alice gulped, knowing there was nothing simple about this man. Alfonso snapped his fingers, and a man hurried over to hand him a tablet.
Alfonso showed her the screen, and Alice gulped when she saw herself, masked, on the screen. It was a picture taken during her theft from the city museum.
"She looks familiar, doesn’t she?" Alfonso chuckled, and Alice's face paled as dread overwhelmed her.
"I must commend Sergio for hiding such a treasure from the empire. Too bad he wasn’t smart enough, as he left a slip. But don’t worry, I don’t plan on handing you to the cops. If you follow my instructions, there will be no need for that," Alfonso said, making eye contact with her.
……
Alice stood in front of the mirror in her room, dressed in a baggy black trouser and a baggy t-shirt. Her breasts were flattened with a chest binder to make it look like she had none. She wore a short wig with neatly trimmed hair to resemble a man's hair and a fake mustache and beard.
She vividly remembered Alfonso's instructions. She was to be a bodyguard for one of the richest billionaires, Enzo Vicenzo. He was the CEO of one of the most successful companies, Vclass Mobile. Alfonso had told her that Enzo needed a bodyguard but despised the idea of a woman being his bodyguard. Alfonso knew she was a skilled fighter because she had been trained by Sergio.
Alfonso had warned her that he would personally hand her to the cops if she refused the job offer and told her not to communicate with Sergio until her job was over. More importantly, he had instructed her to ensure no one discovered she was actually a woman. If anyone found out, he would kill her.
Alice could not care less about Alfonso's threat. Her main goal in accepting the job was to find her mother’s murderer. She figured finding the murderer would be easier if she mingled with influential people, like Enzo Vicenzo.
Alice paused as a thought occurred to her. She hadn’t checked up on Collin. She hadn’t stabbed him that hard to cause severe injury. She walked to the far end of the room, where a large picture of Collin was hung on the wall. She was madly in love with him. She knew that being in love with someone who wanted nothing but her doom was crazy, but she did anyway. She texted Chiara to help her check on him.
Alice sighed as she stared at her reflection in the mirror again. She really looked like a boy, and to make her appearance seem more realistic, she put on her glasses.
Alice walked out of her apartment and took a cab to Vclass Mobile. She arrived 20 minutes later and stood in front of the magnificent skyscraper with both hands tucked in her pockets.
The building had "Vclass Mobile" inscribed at the top. Alice charismatically made her way inside, unable to shake her nervousness about her disguise. It wasn’t the first time she had disguised herself, but she couldn’t get rid of the anxiety.
She walked over to the counter where the secretary was. After exchanging a few words, the secretary directed her to Enzo’s office.
It seemed Alfonso had informed Enzo about her. Reaching the front of Enzo’s office, Alice took a deep breath. She rang the bell, and Enzo’s secretary came out.
"Please come in, sir," the secretary said. Alice nodded and walked inside.
According to her disguise, she was now Simone Leonardo. Alice shook off her nervousness as her eyes fell on Enzo Vicenzo.
He wore an expensively tailored suit and reeked of wealth and arrogance. His gray hair stood out, indicating he was well past his fifties.
"Mr. Vicenzo," Alice bowed slightly, speaking in her practiced manly voice. "I am Simone Leonardo," she said.
Enzo hummed in approval as he stared at the man Alfonso had described. He looked quite frail for the role of a bodyguard and wondered if he would be suitable for the job.
"Enzo Vicenzo," Enzo said with a grim look on his face. "You’re dismissed for now. You can come back tomorrow for your test," he said.
Alice looked apprehensive, wondering what the test would involve. Nevertheless, she nodded and left the room.
She walked as quickly as she could, needing to go home and start practicing for the test, as she had an inkling about what it might be.
She got outside the building, and unfortunately, it began raining. Alice stood rooted to the spot for a while, and at that moment, a black sleek SUV pulled up in front of her.
The chauffeur got out and opened the door for the person inside. The expensively polished black shoes touched the ground first, and then the person fully emerged.
Alice's eyes almost bulged out of her sockets. She recognized him; he was the same man from the hotel. She had forgotten about him until this moment. What was he doing here?
He suddenly made eye contact with her, and Alice felt her heart momentarily stop beating.
Alice quickly tore her eyes away from his. Luckily, a cab stopped nearby. She hastily walked towards it and quickly got inside.Zade's eyebrows creased as he watched the strange guy get into the car. His friend, Francesco, came down next and pushed his platinum hair backward."What are you staring at?" Francesco asked Zade, who seemed to be lost in thought."Nothing," Zade said, and he walked into the large building with Francesco behind him.He had been immersed in finding the little thief who had double-crossed him, but it seemed she had vanished into thin air. That was fine, though; he would definitely find her. It was just a matter of time.The workers who passed him kept greeting him, but he never responded. He wore a cold and stoic expression on his face, his aura commanding respect from passersby.He arrived at the front of Enzo's office and entered unannounced, with Francesco behind him."Zade," Enzo called, surprised by his presence in his office."Grandfather," Zade replied
Alice's heart raced even more, and she clenched her fists tightly to snap herself out of her wild imaginations.Zade Vicenzo observed her with keen eyes after he had introduced himself, seemingly waiting for her response. "I am Simone Leonardo, Mr. Vicenzo's bodyguard," she introduced herself."I heard. If you need anything, let me know," Zade smiled warmly, causing a shiver to run down her spine.Alice would have fallen for his charm if she hadn’t encountered him at the hotel. She stared at him warily. Nevertheless, Alice nodded with a faint smile. "It seemed like you were in quite a hurry yesterday," Zade drawled, his intelligent gray eyes fixed on her brown eyes."Yesterday? Ah, yes, I was," Alice replied. Did he remember? Why was he so insistent on tormenting her?"I see." Zade nodded. "We'll be seeing more of each other lately. How about dinner sometime?" he asked.Alice felt a cold sweat trickle down her back and quickly shook her head. "I have a very busy schedule. I'm not s
Zade kicked the door open and frowned at the sight he saw.. The bathroom was completely empty, with no hint of Simone anywhere. It was obviously impossible for him to have disappeared into thin air, so where did he go?Zade shoved his hands into his pockets as his eyes zeroed in on the faint droplet of blood on the floor, and a sinister smirk found its way to his pale lips.Alice walked as fast as her feet could carry her. Her stomach still hurt painfully, but she had to get out of the mansion somehow. Minutes ago, she had called Chiara and explained everything that was happening to her. Chiara, being one of the smartest hackers alive, easily hacked into the CCTV cameras in the mansion and discovered a back door she could use to escape.Alice had the faintest idea of what she would tell Enzo or Zade the next day, but she couldn't let them see her like this, or her cover would be blown. Chiara sent another text, explaining the routes to the back door. She was currently in a dark hallwa
Chapter 7: Under the Mafia's VeilAlice's heart drummed loudly in her ears as she helplessly stared at Collin Marcello—the same man who was after her life and whom she was madly in love with.For a fleeting second, she wanted to run away, as she had always done whenever she saw him. He was the red light in her missions, and she had only encountered him when trying to make her escape. This was the first time she stood in front of him, not as a criminal but as a normal person.He cleared his throat, and she immediately snapped out of her trance. His brown locks were neatly pushed back, but two stubborn strands hovered over his face. Collin was handsome; it was a miracle she was able to tear her eyes away from him."Collin Marcello," he said in a friendly tone, extending his hand. Alice looked down at his outstretched hand, not noticing when he stepped closer to her.Alice composed herself, not wanting to architect her own doom. "Simone Leonardo," she said in her pretend male voice."I kn
Alice clenched her fist tightly as she tried to think straight. She couldn’t possibly strip; she wasn't a man, and she was in a room full of them. Stripping would mean shedding her disguise along with her dignity, and 100 push-ups? Who was she kidding? Her bones would probably break before she reached 50. In summary, Enzo’s punishment was far worse than Zade’s. She had considered quitting and running as far away as possible from Alfonso or getting a new identity, but that idea collapsed when Enzo told her she couldn’t quit. She was now… a suspect.There was only one thing she could do. Alice cleared her throat and turned to face Enzo."I choose to take Zade's offer instead," Alice said in her manly voice. She bowed deeply and quickly headed toward the exit. She opened the door and stifled a gasp when she saw Zade standing right in front of her. She bowed slightly and quickly ran out, reaching her office and shutting the door with a loud bang."Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Alice ran her hands th
Inside a five-star hotel, more than ten police officers ran through the hallway, searching for a criminal. The chase left the hotel in disarray as onlookers watched the scene with anxiety. This wasn’t uncommon in Milan; officers would pop out of nowhere in an attempt to catch the legendary criminal who was always behind a mask. It had been seven years, but every attempt to catch her had been unsuccessful.Alice ran through different halls, taking various turns in the hotel. No doubt, the police were still behind her, but she had given them a significant lead. This wasn’t her first getaway, nor her tenth.Alice checked her backpack to ensure the bars of gold were still inside. There were three large bars, and she knew they would cost a fortune. She zipped the bag and adjusted it on her back properly.Her life would have been easier without Collin Marcello. From what she knew, he worked with the international crime agency and was obsessed with apprehending her. He made all her missions
Alice got out of the rickety car, gasping repeatedly. Her best friend, Chiara Niccolo, followed next—a pretty, blue-eyed damsel."You're lucky I was driving by when you called. You could have gotten caught, for fuck's sake," Chiara reprimanded.Alice had managed to change out of the black getup in the car; now she wore a simple blue gown and had her dark brown hair tied in a neat ponytail. The bag containing the gold was slung over one shoulder as she stared back at Chiara with her emerald green eyes."Lucky me. Thanks, though," Alice said, and Chiara smiled back at her. She got back into the car, and it took quite some time before she could get the engine running again. She drove off afterward.Alice sighed and turned to face the large building in front of her. It was heavily fenced, making it a 'no-go zone' for intruders—Vicenzo Empire. If the mafia world had a king, it would be the Don of Vicenzo. The Vicenzo mafia empire was first in terms of rank, wealth, and affluence.Alice wal