I closed the door of my pickup truck as I scaled the stairs, two at a time, and made my way into the conference room. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the large screen. I briefly glanced at Syrius, his face was set with concentration and anger as he chewed on his bottom lip, his eyes narrowed into slits."I got here as fast as I could. Has anyone traced the E-mail with which the video was sent?" I asked.To apologize after scarring me with Maya’s severed head, Syrius had brought me into his circle much to his associate’s surprise but they didn’t dare argue with him. "We hit a dead end. But, it doesn't matter anymore. They made their intent clear already, this is a statement of war." Syrius bit out."I know for certain that these same guys are the ones behind the constant attacks on our businesses. They couldn't have done all these without having an inside man.""If you believe there's a mole in your organization. Why haven't you taken him out yet?" "How do you know we're not?" Abel, Sy
The war between both sides of the Mafia began, and the war shook the whole state. Eventually, Alessandro's side won, but that was because of Gianna, who used Syrius's obsession over her to play him and lead him to his death.I could feel that sharp pain again, intensifying with each passing second. It was getting difficult for me to breathe and I decided it was because of the eagerness coursing through my body. The docks were quiet, you could only hear the sound of the sea as they rocked the boats, swaying them gently.I checked my watch once more as we hurriedly walked to the motorboat Syrius had arranged a few hours ago with a former business associate of his and a friend of mine.Five o'clock.We drove for nearly two hours to get here. Naturally, it should’ve been a little close to three hours but Alessandro did it in record time. We spotted Syrius on a motorboat that was yet to take off. "I wouldn't do anything stupid if I were you." Alessandro’s voice rumbled.I watched Syrius
For the first time in months, I felt a sense of relief wash over me completely, serenading every inch of my body as I felt at peace. It had been a long, ugly battle that resulted in the deaths of a handful of people but it was worth it in the end. Syrius had been dealt with and defeated. His body was never recovered from the explosion but it was clear to everyone present there that there was no way he had survived it–Alessandro testified to it himself. He had triggered the explosion. As much as this battle was won to help me claim my birthright, I also knew that Alessandro took his revenge on Syrius to avenge the death of Maya who had been murdered in cold blood. It's been a week since Syrius was killed and I hadn't had the chance to celebrate this victory with Alessandro yet. He had sent me home with instructions not to leave the grounds until he returned. I heard a knock on my door and I glanced at the watch. 02:45 AM.Who could it be? The mansion was quiet, there was no comm
“I’m pregnant,” I whispered, holding my palms to my face as I felt a mixture of emotions coursing through me. I’d been pregnant for over two weeks now since I did the strip test twice to confirm if it was real but I hadn’t told anyone about it yet—until now.Andra and Aiden screamed at the top of their lungs as soon as I spoke, they both rushed over to envelop me in a bone-crushing hug, Andra was kissing me all over my face much to her delight and my dismay.I'd made a quick stop in Greece to see a fashion show and I had gotten into the country a couple of days ago with Andra and Aiden who had escorted me. We were having a fun day out and they were just discovering that I had been pregnant for two weeks now. I had earlier thought that I was down due to accumulated stress but after Aiden had forced me to go to the hospital, the doctor had dropped the bombshell on me with a flurry of congratulatory messages. Andra on the other hand was dividing godmother duties with a couple of my f
A few days later, I was resting out beside the pool. It had been a strenuous week and I was trying to use up my free time before I would need to get to work again. Things were speeding up already, the plan was in its final stages. Alessandro had decided that the time for sitting back was over and we needed to be on the front foot for once. Everyone had taken their stand and anytime from now, war cries would be called out in the streets and lives would be lost on both sides fighting for what they believed in. I had been gearing up to join in the fight because it was clear that even though my father had signed the indenture, he wasn’t going to give up so easily and I couldn’t just sit and wait for them to come at us, I wanted to contribute out there in the field but Alessandro had instantly rejected my offer. He wanted me here, safe and with soldiers to guard me and the baby growing inside me. It made no sense to me because shying away from the same people I was to lead after givin
Alessandro continued. “Lydia, meet Gianna, my wife who I told you about, she’s been an amazing partner right from the start.”I reluctantly stretched out my hand to take Lydia’s, who hesitated for a few seconds. “You’ve never mentioned her in any of our discussions before.” I reminded Alessandro, a forced smile plastered on my face. Alessandro opened his mouth and snapped it shut before recovering from the shock. “Well, my bad. I guess we never had that much time to discuss our previous personal relationships and the like. But Lydia is like family to this mafia, she’s been coming ever since our childhood days and she’s our honored guest here whenever she makes time to be around.”“I see,” I mused, uninterested in knowing anything about her. I remained silent and engaged in a stare-off with Lydia. I didn’t need a soothsayer to tell me Lydia had previously been involved with Alessandro's mistress. Lydia looked smug as she provocatively looked at me, I was still seething in jealousy
Having Lydia around wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and for the first few weeks, she had carried herself accordingly. A small part of me had believed she was here to take Alessandro from me and despite the conversations we’ve had in the past, I wasn’t quite convinced until I saw it for myself. We’d grown closer as the days went by, she often joined Delight, Andra, and me in the gardens now and then as we shared a bottle of wine and traded jokes about our love lives.My relationship with Alessandro was deteriorating rapidly as we had both preferred to act delusional about the incoming split rather than discuss it like civilized adults. He would often give me the excuse that he had a lot to do at the office and between that and combining controlling Syrius’ investments, he never had any time for me. Every morning before I woke, he’d be gone and his side of the bed would be cold.I couldn’t talk to Yoda about this and I couldn’t tell the girls either, so I kept it within myself,
Lydia’s POVIt had taken me several months to come up with this plan and I wasn’t going to fail. Not now, not ever. Everything I’ve ever worked for depended on the success of this plan and I was willing to risk everything and anything to ensure that it succeeded. Not everything I told Gianna had been a lie. The truth was that we were a lot more similar than I would’ve loved to admit but that was the truth. I had a father who wanted to hand over everything we built to my brother who was unfit for the role despite my protests, he wasn’t going to change his mind and I didn’t have it in me to stay calm and watch everything be taken away from me. What neither Alessandro nor Gianna knew was that I’d left home for the past three years and I’d been bouncing around countries, trying to build a name for myself before going back to Russia to claim my birthright. During my visits to the United States with my family when I was a teenager, I fell in love with Alessandro, who was a decade older
I had lost my touch. That's what happens when you become docile after years of being on guard."Do exactly what I say or you die." I could feel my heart racing despite my best attempts to compose myself.I knew I was walking into a trap but I had no choice. I wasn’t entirely sure that the letter came from Syrius, maybe it was only a silly joke being played by some crazy maniac but what I was certain of was that whoever sent the letter had my son and I was willing to do anything to get my child back. The accent was masculine and Eastern European. There was no quake or tremor in the man's voice. His tone sounded calm and detailed. This was no hoax, if I went out of line, I would die.I tried to remember if either Alessandro or myself had any issues with any mafia from that part of the world but I couldn’t come up with anything. "What do you want?"I asked fearfully as the cold steel of his gun pressed into the small of my back.I needed a distraction. My first instinct was to lean
I felt dejected as I searched each room hoping to find him in there but I knew the truth, he was gone and I had no idea where he had gone to. The wardrobe was empty as well, he had packed his bags and he was probably halfway across the world for all she could know. Despite sitting in our room for hours, I knew I missed him and I could feel the tears stinging the back of my eyes. This wasn’t how I had envisaged my life a few weeks and it hurt now that I was faced with this shitty reality. Our first conversation after he’d been discharged from the hospital didn’t go too well. I couldn’t stop myself from blaming him for the disappearance of our son. I categorically told him that I believed our son was kidnapped because of the ties he has to him and the mafia. Alessandro had tried to reason with me but I didn’t want to hear any of it, all I wanted was my son. My phone rang and I retrieved it from my pocket, it was Tiffany. She had promised to call back after a couple of hours.“Hey
I had lost my touch. That's what happens when you become docile after years of being on guard."Do exactly what I say or you die." I could feel my heart racing despite my best attempts to compose myself.I knew I was walking into a trap but I had no choice. I wasn’t entirely sure that the letter came from Syrius, maybe it was only a silly joke being played by some crazy maniac but what I was certain of was that whoever sent the letter had my son and I was willing to do anything to get my child back. The accent was masculine and Eastern European. There was no quake or tremor in the man's voice. His tone sounded calm and detailed. This was no hoax, if I went out of line, I would die.I tried to remember if either Alessandro or myself had any issues with any mafia from that part of the world but I couldn’t come up with anything. "What do you want?"I asked fearfully as the cold steel of his gun pressed into the small of my back.I needed a distraction. My first instinct was to lean
I felt dejected as I searched each room hoping to find him in there but I knew the truth, he was gone and I had no idea where he had gone to. The wardrobe was empty as well, he had packed his bags and he was probably halfway across the world for all she could know. Despite sitting in our room for hours, I knew I missed him and I could feel the tears stinging the back of my eyes. This wasn’t how I had envisaged my life a few weeks and it hurt now that I was faced with this shitty reality. Our first conversation after he’d been discharged from the hospital didn’t go too well. I couldn’t stop myself from blaming him for the disappearance of our son. I categorically told him that I believed our son was kidnapped because of the ties he has to him and the mafia. Alessandro had tried to reason with me but I didn’t want to hear any of it, all I wanted was my son. My phone rang and I retrieved it from my pocket, it was Tiffany. She had promised to call back after a couple of hours.“Hey
It’s been a week since the ugly incident and Alessandro hadn’t woken up yet. I was struggling to pull it together but I knew that I didn’t have any other option, I couldn’t afford to break down right now not when I had to look after myself and Alessandro as well. I needed him to be up and running if we were going to get to the bottom of this tragic incident that had befallen us. The doctor urged me to give him time and be patient till he decided to come around. His vitals were good and his condition was improving, he was going to wake up any moment from now, the doctor would always say giving her a warm smile in return. The conviction in his voice always seemed to calm my nerves so I waited calmly until Alessandro decided to come around.I was in his hospital room, sitting on a chair next to the hospital bed, my knees were pulled up under my chin with my face buried between the latest reports from the investigators who were handling the case until Alessandro took over. Reading help
“Are you sure it’s safe to go on this trip?” I asked, nibbling on my lower lips as I shuffled from one foot to another, unable to be at peace. Alessandro had offered to take me on a three-day trip while Tiffany and the maids we hired would look after our son until we were back. “I had to spend three days convincing Ethan to let you go, Gianna. Do you think I’m not going to take you out to celebrate accomplishing the biggest goal I’ve ever set for myself?” Alessandro chuckled. “Tone down with your flattery, dude.” I laughed, playfully smacking his arm. “I’m only worried about the safety of our son and I hope you can understand that.” Alessandro pulled me close and I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I understand why you’re worried and you have every right to be. You’ve never been away from him for more than a few hours and now, I’m asking you to spend three days without him.” “He’s been through so much already, I don’t want him to suffer anymore.” I sighed, placing my head on his
I didn’t exactly know how long it had been but a few hours had passed since Alessandro left the house after our heated argument about him going out despite the doctor’s advice. Unable to bring myself to do anything tangible, I had spent the rest of the afternoons wandering around the house and counting the hours until he would return while taking care of Ethan as well. He had called me earlier but I wasn’t in the mood to talk, else I would break down and I didn’t want that to happen. For my sake, it would be best if I remained silent until I regained every trace of my composure before tackling everything Alessandro had disregarded. I couldn't be worried about him and our son simultaneously, my poor heart wouldn’t be able to take it. Alessandro had assured me that he would be back early enough and I couldn’t wait, the suspense already had me in a chokehold.As soon as she heard Alessandro’s car pull up in the driveway, I bolted off the couch where I had been sitting and rushed out
The operation was successful and the doctor assured me that my son was going to live as soon as his recovery phase was complete. The whole turn of events seemed so surreal. Never in a million years would I have ever come up with something like this. Three years ago, I ran away from Alessandro to start a new life for myself in a different state after abandoning everything I’ve ever known or had to stay hidden and three years later, the same man that I ran away from had just saved the life of the child we created together all those years ago. If this was the universe’s way of patting my back and giving me solace after everything I’d been through, I would gladly accept it after years of turmoil. “I’ve been patient enough, Gianna.” Tiffany began as she stared at me. “I think it’s time you tell me the truth about everything that’s been going on.” She was right. She was my friend—my only friend here and she deserved to know the truth. “You’re going to want to sit down for this one.” I
“I want you back home, Gianna. It’s where you belong, not here in a strange mafia with another mafia Don and you have our son as well, I couldn’t just sit back and watch him grow somewhere else. The thought of that happening didn’t sit right with me one bit.” I explained, drumming my fingers softly against the protective glass as I stared at Gianna.“Have you stopped to wonder if he’s your son or have you made yourself believe he’s yours because we were once involved?” Gianna asked. I knew she was trying to throw me off balance. I’d been expecting this. This was the only way I was going to get the answers I wanted, I was having doubts if she would willingly open up to me if I didn’t persist so I pressed on. “The months don’t tally with when you met Ethan and had that brief fling of yours,” I said after a moment’s pause. “There’s no way he can’t be my son. Nice try, Gianna, but you’re not going to pull a fast one on me. The child doesn’t look like Ethan or anyone else to begin with.