EIGHT

Bab terbaru

• Matteo’s obsession    THIRTY

  Russo’s POVI sat in my office, staring at the cigarette burning between my fingers, watching as the smoke curled toward the ceiling. I haven't smoked in a while now, only whiskey and vodka as my companions lately.But today I just felt the urge, it's about time anyway.I hadn’t taken a single drag, but I liked its weight in my hand, something solid to focus on while my thoughts spun in a hundred directions.Rick wasn’t the mole.That was what Marcus had just told me.I know the surveillance video was a bit blurry, but the person looked like him.I leaned back in my chair, tapping my fingers against the desk.I should have been that relieved by the news, Rick is not the mole but inste

• Matteo’s obsession    TWENTY NINE

  Valentina’s POVThe sound of the lock clicking open pulled me from my thoughts. Making me jump to an upright position.It was Marie, her quiet presence filling the room. Perfect timing I guess. She moved without haste like she always did, her eyes carefully avoiding mine as she placed the tray of food on the table near the window, just like yesterday.“Hey,” I said.Marie didn’t respond as she was busy arranging the tray. I admired her quiet, composed attitude.“Thanks for the tip yesterday, but I think I have already seen what your boss is capable of already,” I whispered.She smirked.“you think so?”“Can I ask you a question? I know you said no mor

• Matteo’s obsession    TWENTY EIGHT

  Russo’s POVThe guards outside her door stiffened as I approached, their eyes flicking between me and the door they were guarding. I nodded once, dismissing them with a sharp gesture. They knew better than to linger when I wanted privacy.I hesitated for only a bit, my hand resting on the doorknob. I told myself I was there to ensure Valentina wasn’t causing more problems. That was the excuse I clung to. But the truth was far more complicated. She had been on my mind more than I cared to admit, her stubbornness a constant thorn in my side, and a spark I couldn’t seem to extinguish.I pushed the door open without knocking, what's the use anyway, as I stepped into her new place?Though I made the room suited to her, I doubted she would appreciate it. The wallpaper was glowing in the light, and the furniture was perfect, a mix of antique and modern, which made the room look elegant. Valentina’s presence disrupted that perfection. She was standing by the window, pressing her hands agai

• Matteo’s obsession    TWENTY SEVEN

  Valentina’s POVThe silence here was more.I sat up in the large, plush bed Mr. Russo had relocated me to. The room was bigger than my last one, and more lavish too, but it wasn’t comfortable, at least not to me.The wallpaper, the finely carved furniture, and even the scent in the air felt different. This wasn’t a room, it was a cage also, dressed up to look like something else.I explored the room, when I moved towards the window the view outside was almost weird, there was the garden with perfectly trimmed hedges and a fountain. But the walls were high and armed guards patrolled the perimeter, which made it clear this wasn't paradise.I pulled the hook on the window, even though I already knew it was locked and would not move. I also noticed the new layer of security Russo had added since moving me here. Guards were stationed outside the door now, their shadows visible through the gap at the bottom. I could hear them murmuring faintly, no doubt about me.He wasn’t just holding me

• Matteo’s obsession    TWENTY SIX

  Russo’s POV“We have a bigger problem than I thought,” I said to Marcus over the phone. I continued.“I think I just saw Rick with the Moretti, I want you to monitor him closely and gimme a report of his location during and after your operation.““Okay Boss" Marcus answered reassuringly.Rick was in charge of the Western territory, I took over, the same one that made the Morreti family start lurking around. Suddenly I heard faint voices and rushed footsteps from the hall which barely drew my attention at first. My focus had been locked on the blur surveillance footage from Marcus’s failed operation. But when the muffled sounds grew louder, sharp, and urgent, I became alert.The door swung open without my permission. Valentina brushed past, her face very flushed.Then a guard followed behind.“Get out,” I said, my eyes fixed on her. The guard obeyed, shutting the door behind him.Valentina was breathing hard, her fingers fidgeting at her sides. She glanced at the papers scattered acr

• Matteo’s obsession    TWENTY FIVE

  Russo’s POV“We have a bigger problem than I thought,” I said to Marcus over the phone. I continued.“I think I just saw Rick with the Moretti, I want you to monitor him closely and gimme a report of his location during and after your operation.““Okay Boss" Marcus answered reassuringly.Rick was in charge of the Western territory, I took over, the same one that made the Morreti family start lurking around. Suddenly I heard faint voices and rushed footsteps from the hall which barely drew my attention at first. My focus had been locked on the blur surveillance footage from Marcus’s failed operation. But when the muffled sounds grew louder, sharp, and urgent, I became alert.The door swung open without my permission. Valentina brushed past, her face very flushed.Then a guard followed behind.“Get out,” I said, my eyes fixed on her. The guard obeyed, shutting the door behind him.Valentina was breathing hard, her fingers fidgeting at her sides. She glanced at the papers scattered acr