MasukGIANNA'S POVMira looked stunning in a deep burgundy dress that brought out the richness of her dark hair. But her attention wasn't on the party or the celebration happening around us.Her gaze kept drifting across the room to where Bruno stood talking with some of Dante's men.I stepped beside her, following her line of sight. "You've been looking at him all night."She jerked, her eyes snapping to mine. "I haven't.""You have." I smiled. "And he's been looking at you too."Her expression crumbled slightly before she caught herself, her shoulders straightening. "It doesn't matter.""It clearly does." I turned to face her fully. "Talk to him, Mira."She shook her head, her fingers tightening around her glass until her knuckles went white. "What's the point? Nothing's changed.""Everything's changed." I gestured to the room around us, to the families mingling freely, the laughter that had replaced tension. "Lorenzo is dead. The war that's been looming over all of us is finally over. Yo
DANTE'S POVShe stood at the far end of the hall, engaged in conversation with Vivian Luther. I drew in a ragged breath at the sight of her.She wore a gold dress that hugged every curve of her body like it had been poured onto her skin. The fabric shimmered in the candlelight, catching and reflecting every stone.The neckline dipped low enough to make my blood heat, revealing the swell of her breasts. The dress cinched at her waist before flowing down her hips, accentuating the feminine curves that I knew intimately.Her dark hair fell over one shoulder in soft waves, revealing the elegant line of her neck.Even from across the room, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.My wife and queen.My body responded immediately. The desire was so intense it bordered on pain."Don Dante?"The voice cut through my thoughts. I blinked, realizing the clan members around me were all staring expectantly, waiting for a response to a question I hadn't heard."Don Dante, your thoughts on t
DANTE'S POVThis gathering marked the end of a bloody chapter that had consumed too many lives.I stood at the head of the room with Gianna beside me, her hand resting in the crook of my arm. Arielle stood on my other side, her hand also tucked into mine. My family. Whole and safe.I raised my glass, and the room fell silent. Every eye turned to me."Tonight, we gather not just as allies, but as survivors of a war that threatened to tear our world apart." My voice carried across the hall. "Lorenzo Giovanni is dead. The threat that hung over us like a darkness has been eliminated."Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd."But this victory did not come from my hand alone." I turned slightly, my gaze falling on Gianna. "My extraordinary wife risked everything. She put her life on the line to protect my daughter, to protect our family. She stood in the face of danger when she could have run. She is the reason Arielle is here tonight, safe and whole."Gianna's cheeks flushed, but s
DANTE'S POV Guilt twisted in my chest. I'd killed her father right in front of her, ended the man who'd given her life regardless of how twisted he'd become. "I'm sorry. I had to kill him. I know this is hard for you." "No." She shook her head, the motion violent. "I'm not crying for him. He doesn't deserve my tears." Her attention returned to my face, and beneath the tears I saw relief. "He was never really a father to me anyway, and justice has been served for Esme." Then her voice trembled. "I'm crying because it's over. I'm crying because Arielle is safe. You're safe. You're not dead. We can be together now, be a family without this threat hanging over us." Understanding washed over me, warm and devastating. She wasn't mourning Lorenzo. She was mourning the father she'd never had, the parent she'd always deserved but never received. "God, I love you." The words came from the deepest part of me, the part I'd thought died with Esme. Gianna had resurrected a piece of myself I
DANTE'S POV Every weapon in the room swung toward him, but no one could get a clean shot. He'd positioned Gianna perfectly, her body blocking any angle that wouldn't risk hitting her. My heart stopped. Everything in me went still. "Dad." Gianna's voice came out small and terrified. "Please. Don't do this." "Shut up." Lorenzo pressed the gun harder against her head, making her whimper. His eyes were wild, darting between all of us. "Everyone put your weapons down. Now. Or I swear to God, I will paint these walls with her brain." "Lorenzo." I kept my voice calm despite the rage and terror warring in my chest. "Think about what you're doing." "I am thinking." Spittle flew from his mouth as he spoke. "I'm thinking that you're going to let me walk out of here with her, or I'm going to kill my own daughter. Do you understand me?" Alfonso shifted slightly to the left, trying to find an angle. Lorenzo saw the movement and jerked Gianna's head back, eliciting a cry of pain. "Don't move
DANTE'S POVThe moment Lorenzo's text arrived with proof that Gianna was in his custody, ice flooded my veins.The attached photo showed her unconscious, head lolled to the side, blood matting her hair.Rage and terror warred for dominance as I gathered what remained of my forces.I knew my numbers weren't enough. Lorenzo would expect me to come undermanned, desperate, and reckless.He'd use that to his advantage, surround me with his hired guns, and end this war with both Gianna and me dead.So I did what he wouldn't anticipate.I called in every favor owed, activated every alliance I'd spent years cultivating.The other clans owed me blood debts, and I collected them all at once.Within half an hour, I had three times the forces I'd started with, men from families who understood that Lorenzo Giovanni's vendetta threatened the entire power structure we'd built.Lorenzo thought he knew the playing field. He had no idea how thoroughly the landscape had shifted against him.We moved in
Gianna’s POV A cocky grin spread across Dante’s face as he withdrew his hand from my dress, fingers dragging against my skin like he wanted me to feel every inch of his retreat. When his grip loosened on my wrists the sudden absence of pressure made me sway, dizzy from the force he’d held me with
Gianna's POVSunlight filtered through the curtains, warm and bright against my closed eyelids. I stirred, every muscle in my body protesting the movement.God, I was sore.Not just sore, aching, deliciously exhausted in ways I’d never experienced before. My thighs trembled as I stretched, and heat
Gianna’s POVOur tongues met, and he thrust into my mouth with slow, hungry strokes, tasting me like he’d been waiting for it. He kissed me deeper, his tongue sliding and playing with mine, teasing, taking control. He nibbled on my bottom lip, then soothed it with another kiss, his breath warm agai
Gianna’s POV Dante's hand moved faster, rougher now, veins straining as he pumped his cock with furious precision. “You like this, don’t you?” His words came broken, ragged with lust. “You like watching me stroke it, imagining how deep I’ll fuck you with it. Look at you… writhing like my little m







