LOGINLiam was finally all better and could be discharged. Marco had handled the discharge with his usual efficiency. He didn’t say much as he stood by the hospital bed, watching me carefully fold Liam’s few belongings into a duffel bag."I can do that, Dante," Liam had muttered, his voice stronger now but still possessing that soft, melodic quality that set my nerves on edge. He’d reached for the bag, his fingers brushing mine. "You’re the head of the Giordano family, not a little servant boy." He grinned softly. "Today, I’m whatever I need to be to get you out of this place," I’d replied, my voice a low rumble. I didn't tell him that I didn't trust anyone else to touch his things. I didn't tell him that every time a nurse came near him, I felt the urge to snap their wrists for daring to touch him. Marco had cleared his throat, handing me the final paperwork. "The perimeter is clear, Boss. But Rocco... he’s still out there with his obsession to catch Raymond. He hasn't slept in forty eig
~ Dante's POV ~I watched Liam as he drifted into sleep after taking his medication, his chest rising and falling under the covers.I sat back in the armchair, the leather creaking under my weight. My body ached badly, not from the walk through traffic or the lack of sleep, but from the grinding weight of being the sun around which this violent system orbited.Everything was fracturing bit by bit and I was watching it all crumble. I wondered how I would be able to protect this family of mine when I could already see the danger ahead. I didn't want my brothers around but they were still too stubborn to listen to me and stay away from the country for this time being. Another thing which bothered me was the fact I had severed ties with Antonio. He was one of my oldest friends, my right hand, the man who knew more about me than I even did about myself. I had cast him into the dark because he had dared to touch what was mine. Did I regret it? I won't say I did, but a part of me still fel
"Take care of yourself too, William," Emily’s voice crackled through the receiver, sounding smaller than I’d ever heard it. "And if things get too dangerous... if you feel like they’re closing in... just run. These mafia bastards, they aren't human. They’re monsters that will do anything to keep their filthy lives going.” She sneered. I forced a low chuckle, though my ribs protested the movement. "I can handle myself. I’ve survived worse than a few guys in expensive suits."A heavy sigh drifted across the line. "This isn't funny. You know the reason they gave you this mission is because it's really dangerous right?”“And I'm still alive ain't I?” I raised a brow.She was quiet, before speaking again. “I miss you so much Willy." Her voice was low and was supposed to be soothing but it only made my heart give a sudden, painful throb, not out of love, but out of a crushing sense of displacement. That life, the one where I could return her feelings, felt like a movie I’d watched a lifeti
The days that followed moved in a repetitive cycle of white sheets, blood pressure cuffs, and the constant hum of the city beyond my window. My recovery was moving faster than the doctors expected. Probably one of the perks of being young and having the best medical care blood money could buy…but my mind was restless despite my quick recovery.Dante was still here. Every time I woke up, he was the first thing I saw. He’d become a permanent fixture in the room, his presence as steady as the IV drip but infinitely more suffocating. He pampered me with a gentleness that felt wrong, given who he was and who I was. He shouldn't be this gentle, it was weird seeing him acting this soft, but he was and I must confess that I liked it even though I told myself not to. I shouldn't get used to this.He’d brush my hair back from my forehead, feed me soups he’d had his private chef prepare, and read the news to me in that low, hypnotic voice of his I find utterly alluring. It was a domesticity buil
"Forget the fruits, darling," Laurent declared, his feathered sleeves fluttering like a panicked bird as he reached into the basket. "I'll have the chefs prepare something nice for you.”“Plesse don't involve the chef or what not, a fruit would do…. For now.” I smiled. He sighed. “Then I'll peel an apple for you. I can actually make them bunny shaped if you want.” He said excitedly. “Actually, a tangerine would be nice.” I suggested and he made a disappointed face before picking out the tangerine for me. Watching him peel the fruit was a performance in itself. He used a small silver knife with a handle shaped like a mermaid, his movements exaggerated and precise. The sharp, sweet scent of the zest filled the air, a welcome relief from the clinical smell of rubbing alcohol. He handed me the segments one by one, watching me eat as if he were a mother bird."You look stuffy, Liam," Laurent said suddenly, pausing with a half-peeled fruit in his hand. "This room is definitely so boring
It had been more than a week that I've been awake in this hospital and the mind numbing beep-beep-beep sound of the heart monitor was driving me partially insane. The smell of antiseptic was making me nauseous too and it was fucking hard to even move my body.But through every single second of it, there was Dante here with me. For all these days here, he was with me and stubbornly refused to leave. He would disappear for an hour or two to head home, shower, and change, but he was always back before the scent of his expensive cologne had even faded from the air. He had essentially moved his office into my VIP suite. I’d wake up at three in the morning to find him hunched over a laptop, the blue light of the screen illuminating the sharp, weary lines of his face, his fingers tapping silently as he managed his empire from a hospital chair."Dante, just go home and rest properly," I’d tell him, my voice still a bit scratchy. "You’re going to get a back injury in that chair, and then I’ll







