Chapter: A few tens Chapter Twenty-SixAndrea's POVI smell them before I even reach the bottom of the stairs.I stop on the third step from the ground and just stand there for a second, taking in the sight in front of me. Flowers. Flowers absolutely everywhere. On the console table, on the floor in tall vases, on the coffee table through the open living room doorway, bunches and arrangements in every direction, white, pink, yellow, lavender and deep red, some still wrapped, some already open, petals catching the warm light of the chandelier like something out of a magazine spread.And in the middle of all of it, Tristan Hale, standing with his hands in his pockets looking like a man who is waiting for applause.“Mr Hale.” I blink. “What is all this?”He looks around the room and then back at me and for once, just once, he looks genuinely uncertain. “That's not the reaction I was expecting.”“What reaction were you expecting?”“My assistant, Daniel said when women receive flowers there's supposed to be
Last Updated: 2026-04-18
Chapter: The unknown number Chapter Twenty-FiveAndrea's POVMy mom picks up on the third ring.“Andrea!” The way she says my name, like she's been waiting by the phone, makes my chest do that warm, guilty thing it's been doing every time I call home lately.“Hi Mum.” I pull my knees up on the bed and lean back against the headboard. “How are you? How's Dad?”“We're fine, we're fine. Your father is resting.” She replies, and I can hear her moving around in the kitchen, the familiar sound of pots and the tap running. “Ethan went for his check-up yesterday.”I sit up a little. “And?”“The doctor says his numbers are better.” Her voice lifts when she says it, genuinely lighter, and I feel something loosen in my chest that has been tight for weeks. “They're adjusting the medication again but they said it's a good sign. A really good sign, Andrea.”“Okay.” I let out a breath. “Okay, that's good. That's really good, Mum.”“We saw the transfer too,” she says, quieter now, more careful. “Your father didn't want me to c
Last Updated: 2026-04-17
Chapter: Her fault, obviouslyChapter Twenty-FourTristan's POVThe last document lands on my desk at exactly 6:14 in the evening.Daniel sets the folder down with the quiet precision of someone who has learned exactly how much sound is acceptable in this office and stays well below it. “That'll be all for signing, sir.”I lean back in my chair and reach for my phone. My neck aches from hours of sitting forward and the board presentation from earlier is still sitting somewhere behind my eyes, numbers and projections and contingency plans I've been turning over since this morning. Reynolds is gone. Laurent has him. Fine. We'll be fine without him, we always are, but the irritation of it hasn't fully left my system yet.I swipe up on my phone without thinking about it.And there she is.Three photos sitting in my gallery from two nights ago when I'd picked up my phone during a quiet moment and found myself scrolling through them instead of doing anything useful. I hadn't deleted them. I'd told myself I would and the
Last Updated: 2026-04-17
Chapter: Just BreakfastChapter Twenty-ThreeAndrea's POV“But Tristan…”“Don't.” He cuts me off, frowning, stepping into the kitchen doorway. “Don't do that.”I open my mouth again but the look on his face stops me. There's something tight and controlled about it, the specific expression he gets when he's already decided how a conversation is going to go.“I've told you before,” he says, his voice measured but firm. “Do not try to act like something you're not. You are not my wife. This kitchen is not your responsibility.”He walks toward me slowly as he says it, and I take an unconscious half step back until the counter catches me.“I know that.” I keep my voice steady even though my chest is starting to feel tight. “I just wanted to do something nice. I didn't think it was going to be such a bad idea.”“I hired chefs for a reason, Andrea.”“Wow.” The word leaves my mouth before I can stop it.I set the wooden spoon down on the counter. Not hard, not dramatically, just down. I untie one side of the apron s
Last Updated: 2026-04-16
Chapter: Without ReynoldsChapter Twenty-TwoTristan's POVThe vibration and ringtone of my phone pulls me out of sleep before I'm ready.I reach for it on instinct, eyes still closed, muscle memory doing the work my brain hasn't caught up to yet. Daniel's name is on the screen when I finally bat my eyelids open. “Talk.” I say after swiping to accept the call.“Good morning, sir.” Daniel's voice carries the particular careful energy he uses when the news isn't good but he's been trained to deliver it anyway. “I apologise for calling this late. I wasn't sure if you wanted to be notified immediately or…”“Daniel.”“Right. Yes.” He waits for a second before continuing. “There are reports this morning that Mr Reynolds has signed with Laurent. The Meridian project. Sources are saying it went through late last night.”I'm quiet for a moment.“Where did you get this?”“Two separate contacts, sir. Both reliable. Nothing official yet but it's credible enough that I thought you should know before the morning gets any f
Last Updated: 2026-04-16
Chapter: Exclusively mineChapter Twenty-OneAndrea's POVI am already drifting off, my body heavy and warm against Tristan’s chest. My eyes feel so heavy I can barely keep them open. The steady beat of his heart under my ear is making me sleepy. Everything hurts in the best way, my ass is still stinging from the spanking, my pussy feels used and satisfied, and my legs are weak. I just want to curl up and sleep.Then I hear his voice whisper my name.“Andrea.”I make a sound that isn't really a word.“Don't sleep yet.” His voice is quieter than usual, softer around the edges. “I want to talk to you.”I lift my head from his chest and look up at him, blinking slowly to clear away the sleep. His thumb moves across my cheek, gentle in a way that still catches me off guard every time he does it, like my brain hasn't quite accepted that his hands can be this soft after everything else they're capable of.“For your boldness tonight,” he starts, the corner of his mouth lifting just slightly, “I want to reward you. Wh
Last Updated: 2026-04-15
The Mafia's Bride
Receiving a glass of wine from her sister on the night before her wedding was the worst mistake Annalisa could have ever made. Unknown to her, the drink had been spiked, setting her up into having a one night stand with a stranger.
But the stranger had been none other than Cristiano Morano, a powerful and ruthless man who controlled half of the city's underworld. To make matters worse, he was also the sworn enemy of her fiancé.
Annalisa thought she was going to lose it all, her career and her life, when a scandal about her unfaithfulness broke out. Not only that, she found out her fiancé had been cheating with her blood sister. As her family were about to announce their disowning in a press conference, a dashing man from the audience had come out and said he was going to take responsibility for Anna. They got married, but Cristiano had stated a condition in the contract she signed; He would have full control over her life and career.
Would a timid girl like Annalisa survive in Cristiano's world?
“You’re mine now, Annalisa. And I always get what's mine.”
“W-what do you mean?”
“I mean I'll break you,” Cristiano said, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “And then, I'll put you back together again, my way.”
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Chapter: EPILOGUEEPILOGUEGiovanni's Story Before every villain, there was always a hero.Once upon a time, I was that hero.I was the man with loyalty, with honor, with a love so deep it could burn the fucking world down. Daniella was my world. She was mine. Until Cristiano Morano decided she wasn’t.He was my brother in arms, the man I trusted with my life. And yet, one drunken night was all it took for him to betray me. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t even think about how I would feel. He just took her like she was a slut. And Daniella? She chose him.That was the day I buried my soul six feet under and became something else.Revenge became my heartbeat. My every breath. My reason for waking up each morning. It started with his uncle—Armando, the man who dared to stand in my way when I reported Cristiano to him. A bullet between the eyes took care of that. Of course, I made sure someone else took the fall. That was the easy part.Then there was Annalisa.The woman he couldn’t resist growing up.I wa
Last Updated: 2025-03-25
Chapter: Chapter 97Chapter 97- GRAND FINALE Cristiano“You are staring at me again.”Annalisa’s voice was soft, teasing, but I didn’t miss the way her fingers traced small circles over the curve of her belly. Like she was just as mesmerized as I was.I smirked, leaning against the armrest of the couch, my gaze drinking her in. “Can you blame me? You look like a literal goddess right now.”She rolled her eyes, but the corners of her lips twitched, betraying her. “I look like a woman who has been eating way too many croissants.”I shook my head, shifting closer until our knees touched. “Nah, you look like my wife carrying our baby. That’s hot as hell.”She let out a short laugh, shaking her head at me, but I saw the way her eyes softened.God, she was beautiful.The soft glow of the chandelier cast a golden hue over her skin, making her look almost unreal, like something out of a dream I never thought I deserved. But she was here. She was real. And for the first time in my life, I felt… whole. Like every
Last Updated: 2025-03-25
Chapter: Chapter 96Chapter 96Annalisa“You know, if you keep staring at him like that, you might as well put up a neon sign that says ‘I have unresolved issues with this man.’”Grace snapped her head toward me, her eyes narrowing when she realized I was referring to her. “Ma’am?”“Drop the formalities, please since you'll soon no longer be our housekeeper.” I smirked, folding my arms as I leaned back in my seat. “And yes, you heard me right.”The wedding was over, and the guests were slowly trickling out, leaving behind the soft hum of conversations and the scent of roses still hanging in the air. The fairy lights twinkled above us, casting a warm glow over the entire setup, but none of that was as interesting as the way Grace kept stealing glances at Ricardo.I mean, she wasn’t even trying to be subtle about it. One second, she would sip her drink, the next, her gaze would flicker toward him like a damn magnet. And the tension? Whew. You could cut it with a butter knife.Grace let out a deep sigh, slu
Last Updated: 2025-03-25
Chapter: Chapter 95Chapter 95Annalisa“You do realize you’re talking to your stomach, right?”I blinked and turned my head to see Grace smirking at me, her arms crossed as she leaned against the back of the white wedding chair.“I wasn’t talking to my stomach,” I lied, quickly dropping my hand from my slightly rounded belly.Grace raised an eyebrow. “Mhm. Sure, ma'am. You totally weren’t whispering, ‘Are you going to behave today, little one?’ like some possessed mother-to-be.”I huffed, crossing my arms. “First of all, I was only exhibiting good behavior. And second, I am a mother-to-be. So, yeah, I talk to my baby. Got a problem with that?”Grace grinned, plopping down into the seat beside me. “Not at all, ma'am. It’s actually kinda cute. Like, disturbingly cute.”I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help the small smile tugging at my lips. The wedding was about to start, and Buddy and Bree’s guests had all settled into their seats. I smoothed out the silky blue dress draped over my growing bump, adjusting
Last Updated: 2025-03-25
Chapter: Chapter 94Chapter 94Cristiano“You keep staring at me like you're in a dream.” Annalisa’s voice was soft, teasing me, but I could hear the nervous emotions beneath it. She stood in front of the window, wrapped in nothing but the white silk robe that matched the sheets on our honeymoon bed. The street lights outside cast a soft glow against her skin, and for a second, I really did wonder if this was real.I leaned back against the pillows, my shirt unbuttoned, my tie long gone. “Maybe I am.”She turned, raising an eyebrow. “So you think you’re dreaming?”I smirked. “I’m pretty sure I died back there when you walked down the aisle. This is just heaven.”She rolled her eyes, but I caught the way her lips twitched, fighting back a smile. She stepped closer, sitting on the edge of the bed. Her fingers played with the fabric of my sleeve, tracing slow patterns.“We went through so much as a couple,” she whispered.The tone in her voice hit me like a punch to the gut. Because she was right. Every da
Last Updated: 2025-03-25
Chapter: Chapter 93Chapter 93Annalisa“Breathe, Annalisa. Just breathe.” I whispered the words to myself, staring at my reflection in the grand mirror.The dress—my dress—was a masterpiece. Snow-white satin hugged my body perfectly, the delicate lace trailing down like poetry. My veil cascaded over my shoulders, soft and weightless, and my makeup was flawless. I looked like a bride. I was a bride.So why did my heart feel like it was trying to punch its way out of my chest?My hands trembled as I gripped the dressing table, trying to steady myself. This was happening. This was real. In a few minutes, I would walk down that aisle, and Cristiano would be there, waiting for me.“Annaliisa, are you good?” Bree peeked in, holding a glass of champagne. “Because you kinda look like you might pass out.”I exhaled shakily. “I’m fine.”She arched her brow, sizing me up with her eyes. “Yeah, no. Try again.”“I said I’m fine.”Bree wasn’t buying it. She walked over, set the champagne down, and placed both hands on
Last Updated: 2025-03-25
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