All Chapters of I'm Not Your Property , Don Vincenzo: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

~Vincenzo’s POV~Taking a moment to steady my breathing, I turned back to Paulo, whose eyes now held only terror.I knew why. He alone had been high up in the De Luca subordinates hierarchy to know the many ways that we took care of our traitors. And he also knew of my own specific exploits and how I ran things.He knew that this may have very well been his last day on earth. “You’re done,” I said, my tone final. “Your men will talk. You will talk.” I shoved him forward, and one of my men grabbed him roughly by the collar, hauling him to a makeshift interrogation table we had set up near the back of the basement.Within minutes, the rest of the surviving henchmen were secured. I had a handful of them now, their faces pale and eyes wide with fear. They were my bargaining chips—loose threads that might unravel the greater conspiracy behind Dumas.I stood before them, gun in hand, and the silence in the room was absolute. “I want names,” I commanded, my voice echoing in the cold, concre

~Hayden's POV~The sunlight streaming through the curtains felt like a cruel reminder of the long, restless night. I hadn’t slept well. The weight of Vincenzo’s anger, the pull of my own fears, and the strange, lingering thoughts of Max all collided in a chaotic mess in my head. I was a mess.Waiting for any sense of punishment from Vincenzo was a punishment in itself. I was left tossing and turning in the bed which Vincenzo had left me in. That he hadn’t even slept beside me throughout the night made me wonder what he had planned for me. It felt like I’d only just closed my eyes when I heard the sound of movement followed by a small knock that made me sit up.It was the only warning I got before Vincenzo strolled into the room looking majestic. The faint scent of cologne filled the air as I took in his already bathed and dressed visage.Had he gotten another room or something?“Hayden,” Vincenzo’s voice came, firm and commanding. “Get up.”I rushed to my feet stumbling a little while

~Vincenzo’s POV~I got dressed with purpose. The clock read 4am by the time I had given up ideas of rest. My mind moved a mile a minute and the thought that we still hadn’t caught Dumas lingered in the back of my mind.Therefore I had left the bed and had a scalding hot shower to ease my muscles. Stepping out of the shower my eyes caught on the reflection in the foggy bathroom mirror. A scratch mark on my shoulder that went all the way down to my upper arm. Turning around, I glanced at the reflection of my back at the mirror and couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of fingernail scratches painting my back with thin red lines.It didn’t hurt; were it not for the bathroom mirror I wouldn’t have noticed at all.But Hayden was simply a delight. I got dressed quickly, tugging on a clean pair of pants and shirt. I put on my boots and was about to grab my coat when I heard Hayden stir.“Where are you going?” Hayden softly murmured as though he were still asleep. I turned to glance back at

~Hayden's POV~I swallowed hard. Being involved in the operation felt natural in some ways, but there was also a knot in my stomach. The intimacy between Vincenzo and me hadn’t made things easy. His possessiveness and constant watchfulness were wearing me down. It was hard to focus when I knew that he was always watching, always controlling the situation, always keeping me in his grasp."Understood Mas– Don," I said. "When do we leave?"Vincenzo raised a brow at my words. A faint feeling of embarrassment filled me and I looked away and glanced at Faye."Now.,” Faye replied to me. She blinked slowly and I could see questions in her mind regarding me. “The auction begins in two hours. We’ll head out early to scope the place and make sure there’s no ambush this time. We’ll need to be fast too."I wasn’t sure what to expect when we left. Vincenzo only gave orders for Faye and I to keep our comms open and always stay alert. I could see the warning in his eyes as I left, walking beside Faye

~Hayden’s POV~I wondered what had gotten into Vincenzo today as I pulled the shirt off my body. I had just had a shower and now was trying to decide what would be a fitting piece of clothing to wear going out with the De Luca Capo.Not that I was trying to impress him, I thought with a mild grumble as I reached for the royal blue button down. It was rather that Vincenzo would likely disapprove if I embarrassed him because of how I looked. I glanced at my reflection and decided that the shirt would do.I was on a mission you see. It was a mission that required a delicate touch. Something I hadn’t been doing before. Now that Vincenzo had given me a chance to work alongside his men I wouldn’t waste that opportunity. But I had to make sure to keep him as happy as possible so that opportunity wouldn’t slip from my hands. The sound of my phone vibrating caught my attention and I picked it up curiously. I’d never received a call from this phone which Vincenzo had given to me.I doubted an