Three

I woke up the next morning, wincing in pain as the side effects of the alcohol kicked in. Glancing to my left, I saw the man still sleeping peacefully beside me. He looked so peaceful when asleep, one could barely believe he was the man taking me in such wild way the night prior.

I tried to move my legs and winced at the soreness between my thighs. Just how intense had last night been? Despite the discomfort, I had to admit it was the best experience I had ever had. Even now, seeing him clearly, he was still impossibly handsome. My eyes roamed over his shirtless body, covered with some nice tattoos, and I gulped.

I quickly gathered my things and pulled out some cash from my bag, leaving it on the table with a note that read, “Thanks for the night.” I felt it was the least I could do, given how great the night had been.

I scrambled into my clothes as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake him, and made my way out of the room and the hotel.

Fortunately, my car was parked outside. I climbed in and drove home, not looking forward to face my father and my irritating brother. When I got home, I tossed my keys to one of the drivers to pack the car and was met by a maid who hurriedly said, “Your father is looking for you in his study.”

Confused, I arched an eyebrow but didn’t asked for details. I headed to my father’s study. When I opened the door, I found him searching frantically through his desk. He looked unusually scared and nervous, emotions I rarely saw from him unless something was seriously wrong.

“You called for me?” I asked. His head snapped up.

“Yes, you are here. Change quickly and get to the helicopter. We’re going to Tuscany right now. We have important meetings to handle.” He spoke hurriedly, pulling out his pistol and tucking it away.

“What’s going on, Father?” I asked, growing concerned by his unusual behavior

“Your brother has done something incredibly wrong. He operated in Don Alessandro’s territory. Most of our men were killed, and now your brother is being held captive. We need to rescue him.” My eyes widened in shock at the information. Why would anyone be reckless enough to operate in Don Alessandro’s territory? But then again it is Miguel, he is actually stupid enough to do something like that.

He was the most powerful Don, with only my father coming close in terms of influence. The last time we tried to challenge him, the losses were crazy. He controlled many territories and towns, and while I didn’t know his exact appearance, one thing was clear: he was not to be taken lightly.

Although I didn't want to deal with my father’s affairs right there and then, my brother’s life was at stake, leaving me no choice but to get involved. They would kill him without mercy, and the only way to prevent that was to act quickly.

I wanted to tell my father, “I told you so,” but it was better to avoid provoking him further. I quickly showered, changed into something more professional, and dashed out.

The trip to our destination was silent. Once we arrived, my father and I exited the helicopter and headed straight to the meeting location. There was no one around, so we waited, glancing at our watches impatiently.

An hour later, I could see my father fuming with anger, but there wasn’t much he could do. If he hadn’t made Miguel the underboss due to his sexist views, we might not be in this situation.

A few minutes later, we heard footsteps. My father and I turned to see my brother, his hands handcuffed and his appearance scattered and beaten. It broke my heart. Despite my hatred over the favoritism my father showed him, I still cared deeply for my brother.

Following him was someone I never expected to see—Maya, the girl my ex-fiancé was supposed to marry. What was she doing here? Her expression hardened when she saw me, which stunned me.

What were the chances of striking a deal with someone like her in charge? I would say pretty low if you ask me.

“Well, well, well,” she said, settling into a chair opposite us. Her eyes traveled between my father and I as she was served a glass of wine, which she sipped before setting aside. “I wouldn’t say I’m surprised to see you here, Gianna.” She leaned back, clearly amused by the situation, while my father spoke.

“And who might you be?” My father asked. Maya’s eyes traveled to him as she smiled and said, “My bad, I haven’t had the chance to properly introduce myself. I'm Maya, daughter of Don Alessandro.” It then occurred to me why she had the audacity to act as she did that day—her father was Don Alessandro. That is why she was so confident around me and even ordered her guards to treat me the way they did.

That lying bastard Mike. He went for her because her father was such a powerful Don, and one could tell her father wasn’t sexist since he allowed her to come to this meeting today to speak on his behalf. “My father will be here soon, don’t worry. He has decided to come himself to make the bargain; he’s just running a little late,” she said. Her eyes traveled to Miguel, who looked scared, as she continued,

“Although I can’t promise you that you won’t have to watch your brother being chopped to pieces right in front of you, we all know how merciless my father can be when his territories are invaded by neighboring organizations.”

“We do not want any trouble,” I said. “We are willing to strike a deal as long as you release my brother,” I added, while Maya simply let out a small laugh, rolling her eyes before responding.

“Then what do people like you have to offer my father that can be of any use to him?” She raised an eyebrow as if asking a question before adding, “Besides, he already asked for trouble when he decided to cross our territory.” I inhaled deeply, trying to control my rising anger, before Maya's eyes shifted elsewhere.

Her face lit up slightly as she said, “Look, my father is here.” At that moment, I stared at her for a while, hearing the sounds of footsteps coming closer. I rose to my feet to pay respect to the Higher Don, and as I looked in the direction of the sound, my eyes immediately landed on someone who shocked me slightly. My heart skipped a beat, and my eyes widened in surprise.

He also seemed to notice me, the expression on his face changing slightly before he let out a small smirk, his eyes traveling up and down my frame before he settled into the chair. Was I seeing correctly, or was there something going on here?

“Don Alessandro, good to have you here,” my father said, seeming to recognize him and smiling, but the man didn’t return the smile. This man was Don Alessandro, my father's arch-nemesis, the biggest mafia boss?

“I will take over from here,” he said to Maya, who nodded and replied, “Okay, Dad.”

Dad?? How could this man be her dad? He didn’t even look old enough to be anyone’s father, so how was he Maya’s dad and also Don Alessandro? I stood in place, trying to figure out if I was dreaming, as he stared at me and said,

“Take a seat.” I raised my brow, the look of shock on my face still there as he added teasingly and in a humorous tone, “Thanks for the money; it really helped me a lot today.”