“I told you not to involve her in this world. She was hurt because of you. The mafia is a dangerous place to drag a woman. She’s not built for this no matter how tough she is.” Raffaele told me.He had been my right hand man and my enforcer before I went to prison. When I lost my spot as the leader of the Sicilian mafia, he went on running some shit without me and made sure I lived in jail like a king and that I didn’t lose my support among the mafia families.I didn’t understand why he was a part of the mafia. He had a choice to live a normal life and instead of staying away from danger, but he craved it like a drug addict craving their drug of choice. His drug of choice was violence and chaos.He and I were in my office at my mansion. He was leaning against the wall as he nursed a glass of whiskey while I sat behind the desk nursing a glass of my own. “Don’t lecture me about this. I thought she was going to be a little safe with my necklace around her neck. No dares defy me, except
There was a car waiting for us there with the back door open. He ushered me into the car with haste and it drove off. I found it weird that he had a car waiting for our escape. I wasn’t sure whether he had anticipated what would happen, or if he was always waiting for the worst to happen.I was shaking everywhere and I didn’t notice I was shivering until Milo wrapped his jacket around me. Palermo was usually hot, so I hadn't felt the need to wear a jacket.I should have known it wasn’t the weather that would make me cold, rather than the environment Milo was thrusting me into.“Turn up the heat,” he said to the driver.He had his hand in mine and I refused to let go. I kept replaying the events of the night over and over again in my brain. I couldn’t believe that I had been at death’s door.“Here,” Milo said as he handed me a bottle of water. I grabbed it from him and drank it all in one go. I took off my mask and tried to slow down my breathing but it was useless. My body refused to
Emilio had a mother? Wasn’t his mother dead? But how would she be when the woman in front of me was claiming the title? She couldn’t be dead if she was standing right in front of me.There were two men behind her who I guessed were her bodyguards. I couldn’t deny how gorgeous she was. She looked straight out of a magazine.She was in a white silk shirt, a beige long skirt that hugged every single curve, and beige Christian Louboutin pumps. Her blonde hair was in waves, her makeup flawless, and bright red lipstick to match the whole look.“I’m not—”“I hate lies,” she said as she came closer. I could see her clearly, and there was no resemblance between her and Milo. She was also too young to be his mother. He was in his late twenties, and she looked like she was in her mid-thirties.“I’m not lying. Who are you anyway? Emilio has no parents.” I said against my will.The man who had brought me there pistol-whipped me so hard that I fell to the ground, my ears ringing. I thought he had p
“I shouldn’t…” I said.The man has the mask of an owl. It only covered half his face, so you could clearly see his nose and mouth. His eyes were dark as night, he was tall, and he had the build of a man who trained in the gym regularly.He wasn’t as tall and muscular as Emilio, though. Without the mask, I would have bet that he was handsome. But what exactly did he want from me?Everyone in that room was evil, one way or another. He wasn’t any different.“Why? Does Vitale have you on a tight leash?” He asked as he laughed. He knew how to rile me up. No woman liked being told what to do by a man if it wasn’t in the bedroom.The necklace around my neck told him who I belonged to, but instead of ignoring me like everyone else was, he wasn’t. He was bold, I would give him that. Even I was scared of Emilio, and he had never physically hurt me.I didn’t want to imagine what Emilio would do to him if he found us dancing. But something told me he knew how to handle himself.“You know him? Is
I couldn’t seem to process the information he was telling me. Why would he take me to a mafia party? I wasn’t a part of that world and I didn’t deserve to be thrust into it so quickly.“Excuse me?” I asked as I stopped. “You can’t take me to a party where there are criminals. My father has probably put some or most of their families or associates in prison. You are putting a target on my back.“You are wearing a mask. No one will know who you are.”“Why am I here? You could have taken anyone you wanted, and you chose me. You can’t do this to me. I signed up to help exonerate you so you can walk a free man. You’re not supposed to take me as a date to a party.”“You’re discreet and I know you won’t say that you have seen at this party. If I take another girl, I’m not sure she will do the same. Look, I am here for business and not pleasure. We won’t stay long. I know you need to sleep because you haven’t had a rest in a long time.”I sighed, knowing arguing was useless. There was no way
When I went home, there was a dress waiting for me. It was hard to miss the huge black box sitting on my bed. There was a black rose on top of the box. Instinctively, my eyes went to the one that had died by my window.I didn’t know why I kept the roses he gave me but I did, and I wasn’t ashamed of it. Flowers deserved to be cherished.I opened the box and took out the dress. It was clearly a haute couture dress. I wondered how much the dress cost. It looked very stunning and it was white. I thought white complemented my olive skin well.The bust area of the dress was structured like a strapless corset with a sweetheart neckline, and the midsection was made with sheer, nude mesh fabric decorated with crystals arranged in curved, vertical patterns that mimicked the lines of a corset.The skirt area was a flowing white fabric that cascaded down, split high on one leg, revealing too much skin—just how I liked it. Strings of pearls and crystals were draped all across the body, adding shim