Nobela ni alibome013

RAFAELI tried to stand up, but the room tilted violently around me."Damn it," I muttered, clutching my head as a wave of dizziness nearly knocked me over. I collapsed back onto the mattress, groaning as a sharp pain exploded at the back of my skull.What the hell?I sat up slowly this time, blinking through the blur in my vision until the outlines of my room came into focus.Wait… this is my bed.How did I get here?And then it hit me.Ricardo.His men.He really ordered them to knock me out?What the actual hell is wrong with him?I reached back and touched the throbbing spot behind my head, my fingers coming away sticky with half-dried blood. A growl rumbled in my throat.Ryan.My heart leapt.Shit… Ryan.I swung my legs off the bed, ready to jump up and storm out…And froze.There was someone sitting by the window.A woman.She was perched on the armrest of the sofa, legs crossed, staring out into the garden “Who the hell are you?” I snapped, still too disoriented to filter my to

RYANRicardo didn’t answer me.Instead, he turned slightly and snapped his fingers at one of the guards standing by the door."Bring in the chef," he barked, and that made my stomach twist tighter.A few seconds later, the door swung open again and in rushed a woman in a white chef's jacket, her hands trembling, her eyes darting between me and Ricardo like she already knew she was standing in the middle of a war zone."Tell him," Ricardo growled. "Tell Ryan exactly what you told me."The chef swallowed hard, wringing her hands."I…" she squeaked, then cleared her throat and tried again."Yesterday, while I was taking Ricardo's dinner up to his room... Ryan stopped me in the hallway."I stiffened."What?" I said sharply, but she didn’t even glance at me."He said..." she continued, voice shaking, "he said Ricardo had ordered something special for the night. That he… Ryan… had made changes to the meal based on Ricardo's new preference."She squeezed her eyes shut for half a second, as i

RYANThe crack of it echoed off the sterile walls.My head snapped to the side from the force of the slap.I let out a low whistle under my breath, slowly turning my face back toward her."What the hell do you take me for, Ryan?" she spat, her chest heaving."You think I'm some replaceable toy you can just toss aside when you're bored? You dare bring a replacement for me right under my nose?"Her voice was shaking with anger, I kept my face unreadable, even as my jaw tensed.She jabbed a finger into my chest. "I’m done playing by your rules. You hear me? I'm going to Ricardo. I'm telling him everything I know."A slow, dangerous smile crept across my lips."Okay, you're free to do that.” I said casually.Bella’s eyes widened, thrown by how calm I was."Yeah," I said, leaning down a little so we were eye-level. "Go ahead, Bella. Run to Ricardo. Tell him everything."I let the words hang for a beat, then added. "And when you do, I'll make sure he knows that you were the one who installe

RYANThe shrill ring of my phone jolted me out of sleep.Groaning, I slapped around blindly on the nightstand, knocking over a half-empty water bottle and a pack of gum before finally snagging the vibrating device.I squinted at the screen, my brain still foggy.Elena.Who the hell is Elena?Oh. Right.The doctor.The pretty lady with perfect aim who I somehow convinced yesterday to work for me.I thumbed the green button and pressed the phone to my ear."Yeah?" My voice came out rough and groggy."Hey," Elena said brightly. "I’m at the gate."For a second, my brain struggled to compute what she meant.Gate? What gate?Then it clicked.The building."Shit. Uh… right," I mumbled, sitting up and scrubbing a hand over my face. "Give me a sec. I’m coming."I ended the call and let the phone fall onto the bed beside me.For a moment, I just sat there, blinking into the dim light of my room, still half-asleep and fully stunned.She actually came.She actually agreed.Even after I told her s

RYAN"Marco," I said, "I don't trust him."Ricardo frowned, looking confused. "What are you talking about?"I sat up a little, rubbing the back of my neck. "I don't know exactly. It's just... I've been seeing some weird behavior lately. Feels off."Ricardo let out a short laugh, shaking his head like I was being ridiculous. "You're overthinking it, pretty boy. Marco’s been with me for years. Him and Matteo... before Matteo decided to be a backstabbing little shit."He chuckled again, but softer this time. "I can vouch for Marco. Or maybe it’s just his cold-ass demeanor. He’s always been like that. Makes you feel like he's planning to kill you in your sleep when he’s really just deciding what sandwich he wants."I gave a tight smile, but inside, my stomach twisted.Oh, if only you knew, I thought grimly.If only you knew who Marco really is… what he really wants from you."Alright," I said, forcing lightness into my voice as I stretched my arms overhead. "If you say so, bossman. But I

LUCAS"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?!" I roared, sweeping my arm across the table and sending everything crashing to the ground… glasses, plates, bottles, papers… all of it. Shattering, splintering.I grabbed the edge of the table, slamming it again, my chest heaving like I couldn't fucking breathe.How?How the fuck did this happen?We were ready. We had the numbers. We had the fucking plan.And still...Dead.Most of them fucking dead.The ones that survived? Barely breathing.Matteo...Matteo was hanging by a fucking thread in some hospital bed, and I didn’t even know if he was going to wake up.My fists smashed into the wall before I could stop myself.A loud crack.Pain shot up my arm, but I welcomed it. Needed it.Blood ran down my knuckles, dripping onto the floor, but it barely registered.Where the fuck do I start?Where the fuck do I even start picking up the pieces?I pressed my forehead to the cold, cracked wall, my chest shaking, rage burning a hole straight through me.And th