Novels by Annabel Patrick

Cassie:The car pulled up in front of an estate, and the driver opened the door without a word. I stepped out, adjusting the neckline of my dress and smoothing my palms down the front. My hands were sweating, but everything else about me looked calm.The estate was huge. White stone, tall columns, clean-cut hedges, it was like something out of a magazine. I wasn’t really surprised. Luca never did anything halfway. This was just the rehearsal, but it looked like the real thing. Armed men stood near the entrance, earplugs in, eyes sweeping everything. I didn’t recognize most of them. Probably extra security brought in for the wedding rehearsal.I walked toward the front doors, my heels clicking against the polished stone steps. A staff member guided me through the entrance and down a hallway that smelled like fresh flowers and expensive cologne. When I stepped into the main room, I stopped.Luca was already there, talking to one of the organizers. He wore a fitted black suit, no tie. Th

Luca:The morning started with a knock on the door and Matteo stepping in, with a folder in his hand. He didn’t waste time. “The Moretti’s are shifting their weight again. South port. Unmarked cargo. Castellanis saw it and let it pass.”I pushed the papers on my desk aside and took the folder. Photos, timestamps, movements, it was all too clean. “They want a reaction.”“They expect us to take the bait,” Matteo said. “Or they think we’re too distracted to respond.”I knew which one it was. The wedding. The temporary peace. The idea that maybe I was going soft.“They’re pushing Castellani territory now,” he added.I closed the folder. “They want to provoke a response we can’t afford to give publicly. Not yet.”“Gianni Castellani called this morning. He’s waiting to see how we handle it. I don’t think he wants war. But he won’t stop it if it comes.”Of course he wouldn’t. The Castellanis never get their hands dirty unless they’re sure they can walk away clean. They were watching. So were

Cassie:The moment I stepped foot back on campus, I knew almost everything had changed.People didn’t look at me the same. I caught the lingering stares, the quick glances when they thought I wasn’t looking. Some people didn’t even bother pretending. Whispers curled around the courtyard like smoke, low and sharp.“That’s her,” “She was there when the attack happened,” “Is she really getting married?”I kept my head high, pretending I didn’t hear any of it. Pretending like I hadn’t spent the last week locked away in a mansion, protected, monitored, and ultimately pressured into signing a marriage contract with a man who terrified me.The attack on the college had been all over the news,brief, violent, and unexplained. We didn't know the names. We didn't have leads. No answers. But somehow everyone knew I’d been involved. Maybe not the details, but just enough to feed the rumors.My friend Sydney was waiting for me by the library steps. Her arms crossed, eyes narrowed, mouth set in a str

Cassie:My breath fogged the inside of the car window as I stared out at the university campus gate. I was happy to be out of Luca's penthouse and I needed the space to think about what he just dumped on me.It was supposed to be a normal college day, and I was good at pretending things were okay, I just needed to pretend a little longer. Just another fake smile to convince my friends I was okay mentally. Given that I was just kidnapped by a Mafia Don who proposed to me out of the blue. But asides that, something was off.I couldn’t explain it, not exactly. Just this weird pressure in my chest. It really felt Like I was being watched, and I couldn't shake the feeling.The driver Luca assigned, a man who never said a word to me and barely blinked—nodded toward the sidewalk. “Miss Reed.”I didn’t respond. Just pushed open the door, hoisted my Tote bag over my shoulder, and stepped out. My shoes clicked against the pavement, loud in the quiet.The second I crossed the gate, the weird fe

Luca: I poured myself a drink, nothing too heavy, just enough to settle the pressure in my chest. The office was quiet except for the low hum of the security monitors. I didn’t look up when Muiccia stepped in. I’d seen her reflection in the glass ten seconds before she spoke. "You’re slipping." I took a sip before responding. "Come in Sis, Always a pleasure." She walked in like she owned the place. Her heels clicked once, sharply, before she came to a stop near the edge of my desk. "Do you really think this marriage thing is going to work?" I finally looked at her. Cold eyes. Perfectly put together. No warmth. My sister was every bit my equal, just less patient. "I don’t think," I said flatly. "I know." She raised an eyebrow. "You’ve got Cassie Reed under your roof, but you’re still playing games. You think the Castellanis are going to wait while you finesse a college girl into handing over a fortune?" I leaned back in the chair, watching her. "She’s not just a college girl.

Cassie: The knock on my door was soft, but there was a precision to it that made my stomach clench. "Miss Reed," Elias's voice followed. Calm, way too calm. "Mr. Martelli would like to see you in his office." I stood from the bed where I hadn’t so much been resting as counting the tiny cracks on the ceiling. The moment Elias said Luca's name, I already knew something was up. No one went to see the Don unless he wanted something. I opened the door slowly. Elias, the ever perfect butler, had his hands clasped neatly in front of him. He didn’t make eye contact, but he didn’t need to. The message was clear. "Now?" He gave a single, sharp nod. I didn’t ask any other questions. The halls of Luca’s mansion always felt colder than necessary, like the walls themselves had eyes. I followed Elias silently, aware of every footstep I took. The guards outside the office barely looked at me, but I could feel their presence like weights pressing down on my chest. Elias opened the door