MasukGIANNA'S POVI smiled as he led me onto the dance floor, his hand resting firmly on my back.The music played around us as we moved together, falling into an easy rhythm.For the first time that night, I really looked at him. His grey eyes held mine, and the dark suit fit his broad shoulders perfectly.His white shirt was slightly undone at the top, revealing a glimpse of his olive skin.The auction night flashed through my mind. He had been sitting in the dark.The connection had been instant."From the first moment I saw you, I knew I was never letting you go," he murmured, as if he'd somehow read my thoughts.Heat rushed to my cheeks. I looked away, fighting the smile tugging at my lips."Hmm..." I dragged the sound out before looking back at him. "Little wonder you made me sign that contract to be your lifelong mistress. Now your wife."A smug smile spread across his face."I had to make sure you couldn't escape me."I laughed, shaking my head."Have I told you how handsome you lo
GIANNA'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
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
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
Gia’s POV Bruno walked into the dining room mid-bite, and honestly, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear he looked like a big, scary man suddenly made harmless. He wore an almost dorky smile, eyes bouncing between Dante and me as though he had stepped into forbidden territory. He leaned down and w
Gianna’s POV I walked the length of the room for what felt like the hundredth time, fury rolling through me. Dante DeLuca, with all his arrogance, had actually ordered me to my room at breakfast, like he was the principal and I was the disobedient student. What angered me most was that I had to ag







