Shadows of the Vow
All Annabelle Gracia wanted was a quiet life. But after losing Mama—the only mother she knew, she poured herself into running their flower shop (the legacy Mama left behind), selling flowers and wrapping them into powerful portrait designs and around her aching heart.
Sold into an arranged marriage to Antonioni D’Angélo, a ruthless billionaire mafia king known as “The Shadow King” A man who sees love as a weakness and betrayal as inevitable.
Now, Annabelle is the price of a deadly deal, thrown into a world of power and shadows. She becomes a pawn in a dangerous game of secrets and betrayal all because of her father's accumulated debts from gambling, causing her to be trapped in a world of danger.
But then, amidst Antonioni's ruthlessness, lies a feeling he has for Annabelle that he fought hard to control.
Antonioni didn’t expect Annabelle’s fire, her defiance, or the way her quiet strength drew him in.
Their nights are an intoxicating mix of pain, raw pleasure, and control. Yet, in her innocence and softness, she tries to shield herself from his cruelty. Antonioni finds something he thought the world had beaten out of him long ago—hope.
As enemies and hurt close in from all sides—old rivals, betrayals, and hidden threats, Annabelle becomes more than a pawn in Antonioni’s world; she becomes his unexpected ally, and her courage steadies him. In protecting her, he learns how to protect himself from the deadly shadows within.
Together, they must navigate a battlefield of purpose, blood and trust. Each battle forges them into something stronger.
And when the truth about her past threatens to burn everything down, he must choose—will he cling to the darkness he's known forever? Or fight for the one he never deserved?
Find out in the story.
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Chapter: Chapter One Hundred and Twenty The Journey to Malta For The First HearingAnnabelle’s POVI woke before the sun, the faint gray of dawn slipping through the half-opened room's windows. The room was quiet, almost reverent, the kind of silence that demanded attention. I rose quickly, pulling on a simple jacket and sneakers, my mind already racing through the tasks ahead.I slid through the Dome. Most workers were still sleeping. A handful of them were awake too.Before leaving, I needed to make sure the Dome would hold together in my absence. I moved from room to room, organizing, assigning tasks, and setting rules that would keep the house running smoothly. The maids had their instructions: meals, cleaning schedules, rounds in the garden. I double-checked the inventory, made notes for essential supplies, and ensured that everyone understood their responsibilities.Mama Espe received supervision duties. Her calm presence could manage both staff and residents. Mr. Martinez, overseeing the technical and security systems of the Dome, had a clear mandate: report
Last Updated: 2026-01-08
Chapter: Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen The Lion in the CourtAntonioni’s POVThe courtroom's air conditioner was rather too cold, but not the kind of the sterile chill of Fort San Vittorio's detention cell. This one was the cold of inevitability.I didn’t expect her to be here for this first hearing. Not in this hall, not at the heart of this storm. But then I saw her. Annabelle. She was sitting near the front, calm but alert, her eyes scanning the room with quiet authority. Relief struck me like a pulse in my chest. She looked… whole. Her presence steadied me in ways no strategy, no lawyer, no dossier could. She was my heartbeat here, my tether to everything I was trying to protect.Bukky, Luca, Diego, Matteo, and Milo were all seated side-by-side, with her in the middle. Surrounded. Protected.My chest loosened just slightly, a warmth where cold should have reigned. Seeing her there, alive, unbroken, determined, made the weight of consequence feel… manageable.Petra Almassi sat across the room, her posture perfect, her gaze sharp, her lawye
Last Updated: 2026-01-08
Chapter: Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen Holding the Dome TogetherAnnabelle’s POVI walked quietly down the corridor toward Patty Mama’s room, each step measured as though the walls themselves were listening. The Dome was quieter than usual, a tense, fragile quiet, as if something had shifted and was waiting for reassurance.Patty Mama was lying on her bed, shoulders trembling, eyes red from hours of crying. Mama Espe sat beside her, hands folded, watching her with that calm authority only elders carried, the kind that made you feel even chaos had rules.I sat beside Patty Mama, placing my hand over hers. “She’s scared,” I whispered to Mama Espe, but it came as though it was to myself, or though it was to both of us. “But she’ll be okay.”“He’ll be back soon,” I said gently, as if speaking the words out loud might anchor them into reality. “Antonioni will be back. I know it. The letter… he promised. He always keeps his word.”Mama Espe nodded slowly, her eyes meeting mine. “I see him too,” she said softly. “He is not a bad man. He is a good man. He
Last Updated: 2026-01-07
Chapter: Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen The Weight of EvidenceAntonioni’s POVThe room was colder than I expected. Not the sterile chill of the detention cell, nor the calculated temperature of stone and steel. It was colder than usual. It penetrated into my bones before it even reached my head like a consequence.By the way, as someone who knows my rights, I’d made it clear that I couldn't be detailed for more than 48 hours, and it was granted to me.Other fellow detainees were pointing fingers at me across their cells and whispering things to each other. They know me…I was the only one alone in my cell. Alone, yes, but not powerless. Not yet.Petra Almassi stood across from me, heels clicking against the floor. She carried folders stacked neatly in her arms. No flourish, no dramatics. She didn’t need any. Every step she took screamed purpose. A predator walking in daylight, calm, unyielding.“Mr. D’Angélo,” she said softly, almost politely, and yet I felt the accusation like steel pressing against my chest. “I thought you might want to see wh
Last Updated: 2026-01-07
Chapter: Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen His Trust In My Frozen Fractals Annabelle's POV Still frozen, I realized I was already sitting in the sitting room for a rather too long time, and I decided to step outside.The men were already on their way to meet Antonioni in the place where he was detained.As I stepped out, the Dome did not erupt all at once in my ears.It cracked first.I noticed it in the smallest things, the way footsteps stopped echoing, the way doors that were usually slammed shut were now pulled closed gently, as though the house itself had become fragile. Men who never hesitated were suddenly standing still, hands in their pockets, staring at nothing. Voices dropped. Even laughter, when it appeared, sounded wrong… brittle, like glass tapped too lightly.Then the crying began.Not screaming. Crying.It traveled through the Dome like a slow, spreading stain. From the servants’ quarters to the inner halls. From the kitchens to the corridors Antonioni rarely walked. Grown men wiped their faces with the backs of their hands and turned away q
Last Updated: 2026-01-06
Chapter: Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen The Day the Lion Was CagedNobody's POV Annabelle's call reached Bukky while he and Diego were bent over the snooker table in the west lounge, chalk dust on their fingers, low music humming in the background. It was Christmas, but the Dome did not rest. It only softened.The phone vibrated once. Then again.Bukky glanced at the screen, exhaled cold vapor, and then took the call.“Yes?”“Bring Diego,” she said. “I need you guys to come to the sitting room now, please…”Bukky exhaled again, this time, almost quietly.“Diego,” he muttered.Diego answered.“Antonioni's private quarters now,” he said “Sitting room. Annabelle says we come.” He added.Diego frowned but followed anyway.When they got there, Annabelle was standing in front of the television, obviously tense.“They arrested Antonioni in Naples. It's on the news,” she said.“Holy shit,” Bukky muttered. Arms folded.Diego reached for the remote first, flipping the television on more out of irritation than curiosity. The screen blinked, then settled on a n
Last Updated: 2026-01-06
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