Jacopo Nicolo...I stood in front of the closed doors of the elevator, recalling the way Connor spoke to Ezabella Viper.I knew that Cane's twin brother grew up in the web after the two were separated. And until very recently, Connor was working for the Vipers, while Cane was working for the web.Everybody thought Connor would return to the Viper city. But he chose to remain.While I had no reason to doubt him since the so-called peace was in place, I still had this feeling deep in my gut. I didn't trust Victor Viper, which meant that I couldn't trust anyone associated with him. I assumed Connod was no longer in contact with anyone from the Vipers, let alone Victor Viper himself. But it seems I was miserably wrong.Was Connor someone else I need to be worried about as well?Were the two working together?I put my pass code in to stop the elevator from coming up to my floor and walked away.I had a lot on my mind. I've been going around town with Cane looking for more clues that
I laid on my back, my eyes closed, yet my mind sharper than ever.Before I decided to give my mind some rest and slid under the cover, I'd sat on the edge of the bed, casting my eyes over to the bathroom door once in a while. I wondered what the heck she was doing there. Since Connor dropped her off at the apartment, Ezabella Viper had not walked out of the bathroom.For an instant, I'd wondered if she had slipped in a bar of soap and fell to ger death. That would have made a lot of things easier for both the web and I. Yet I would once in a while see a shadow cast underneath the bathroom door, her shadow giving her away.It felt like she ws giving me time to settle in and fall asleep so she would be able to sneak around.I'd waited for an hour to see what she was going to do, and when I realized that she was playing a long game, I decided to go to sleep.Of course, I was not stupid enough to rest my head on my pillow without making sure that I would be able to defend myself.I'd re
Ezabella Viper...I slept in.I don't know why I had such a peaceful sleep, but it was the best rest I have had in a very long time. Maybe it was because I had such a nice day with the Smiths. Maybe it was because they successfully drew the bad energy out of me. Or maybe it was because I had such a good hair day.Either way, I woke up totally refreshed, and the first thing I did was run both of my hands through my hair, my fingers effortlessly parting the strands.I threw the covers off my legs and stood up, stretched my arms over my head. A yawn split my lips wide open.I looked around the dark living room, trying to see if there were any signs of the man I married. I glanced down the dark hall and saw that the door to his office was closed. I reached for my phone that I had tucked between the cushions and checked what time it was. That was when I realized that I had slept in. I was sure Jacopo wouldn't be at the apartment this late, and that gave me a sense of relief.I che
Jacopo Nicolo...I looked down at Ezabella Viper with pure amusement. She looked scared, terrified for her life even. Yet she didn't take a step away from me as I had assumed she would."You don't think I can use force, Ezabella Viper?" I asked again, but this time around, she didn't give me a reply.She just pressed her lips in a tight line and continued to stare at me through her lashes, clearly terrified to speak up again.The previous night was horrible.After I had my nightmare, I returned to my home office and thought about what I was going to do. The nightmare I had reminded me of just how much I hated the man I had become. It made me realize just how selfish I grew to be at wanting to keep my space clean from anyone. It also made me realize just how cruel I had become, considering how I treated the woman I recently married on the night of our wedding. I almost died the night of my wedding, and I kind of tried to take it out on Ezabella Viper. No matter what my reason wa
Ezabella Viper...It would be an understatement to say that Jacopo Nicolo was becoming unbearable to live with.The first week of our marriage, I was terrified of him. I did my best to avoid him, and I mostly kept my complaints to myself, too afraid to speak to him and cause him to react in a way that would cost me my life.However, after he suggested that he wanted to negotiate with me to take the metal flash my father gave me, he was insufferable.Jacopo must have really wanted me to give him the flash myself. I couldn't begin to understand his tactics or why he wanted me to give in and hand over the flash to him, when he could snatch it away from me using the obvious strengths advantage he has over me.But whatever his reason was, he was out for the flash, and I was not willing to give it to him.At first, it was all about wanting to keep the one thing my father wore around his neck safe. It must have been precious enough to wear and then give to me as a gift. There was no way
Jacopo Nicolo..."Have you forgotten that I've put you in charge of my biggest casino?" Dante asked, annoyance evident in his voice.Dante had the right to be upset with me. Yes, I had a job to do back at the casino, and no, I was not doing the job I needed to do back at the casino.I have been too busy trying to get the flash out of Ezabella Vipers grip, while also proving to myself that I was not as sick and twisted as I thought I had become.I was also neglecting the mission Dante had given Cane and I to find out what the heck was going on with Alex Fimbar and the case the detectives were trying to build against him.Cane never called me. I assumed he was always the kind to work solo better, but Dante was not as optimistic as Cane and I were no longer working together."I have been busy," I replied."Busy doing what?" Dante snapped back. "Busy rotting away in your apartment when you have important things to do and a case to fix?"I let out another sigh."Listen Nicolo, I have be
Ezabella Viper...I watched as Jacopo Nicolo walked away from the bed and stood across from me, his back pressed against the drape-covered window."Go ahead," he commented.I placed a laptop on my lap and waited for it to finish powering up. Anticipation was making my guts twist, that along with the fear of finding something horrible.I truly didn't know what to expect and why my father kept the flash close to himself.But I was going to find out very soon. I plugged the flash in, and within seconds, it automatically opened.I narrowed my eyes and leaned closer, trying to see what it was.There was a single video, one that was seven hours long.Goodness, why the heck was my father carrying around a video seven hours long? To what end?Confusion clouded my head as I pointed the arrow in the video and double-clicked it, ready to see the secret my father was wearing around his neck and my husband was desperate to find out about.The video started, and the first thing I heard was the
Jacopo Nicolo...I stood in the dark hall, just silently staring at the woman sitting behind the drapes, softly sobbing.She was pulling a certain string in my cold heart.Her reaction to what was on the flash took me aback. It was not at all what I had expected from her.I recalled the terrified look on her face. She looked traumatized, like she was looking at something she had never expected to see before.I was curious as to what the flash contained. I was surprised when she went back on her words and offered to return the things I gave her in my home office. I had seen the fire blazing in her eyes when I gave her the things she had previously wanted, but I'd also seen them die down when she returned them back to me.Instead of reaching for the laptop, I walked after her, taking in a full reaction, wondering why she was suddenly breaking down.I didn't know what to do. A small part of me was telling me to return to the bedroom, so I would be able to retrieve the laptop and se
Jacopo and I sat at the dining table with the Smiths, along with Connor and Cane."It is too dangerous, Ella." Elijah commented, looking at her with a pleading gaze."Come on..." Ella playfully groan. "You can have more people around during the gathering. I just want to have the ladies over for lunch and tea, maybe even paint a little."Elijah sighed."Don't act like we haven't done this before." Ella continued. "Heck, we'll have Connor sticking to us like a gum, right Connor?" Ella stated at Connor, who immideately nodded his head.Another sigh.Jacopo and I shared a look. Ella has been asking Elijah to let her have a gathering in the house since the moment we sat down. Heck, she might have even been asking before we got to the dining room."What do you think, Nicolo?" Elijah asked, and I knew it was just to divert the attention on him to my husband so he would no longer be the target of Ella's pursuit."Like you care what I think." Jacopo mumbled, glaring at Elijah over a cup of co
Ezabella Viper...I had a lot on my mind to the point that I lost track of time. Ella's twin daughters were a great distraction, keeping Ella, Cilvia, and I company for the rest of the day.I got to see first-hand Ella in her mother mode, taking care of the kids with such care that it made me miss the baby I am yet to give birth to.I tried to spend as much time as I could with the kids. Ella even taught me how to properly change diapers. I tried my best to forget all of the drama, tuck it deep at the back of my head, and focused on the girls, so much so that Cilvia came to me just to whisper that I was going to make a great mother.Damn it if I didn't tear up at that moment. The day actually went by quickly, and before I knew it, we were putting the twins in their beds and gathering up in the sitting room after we had our early dinner, having a conversation over tea.We must have been in the sitting room for ten minutes before we heard the door open."They're finally back." Cil
Jacopo Nicolo...I parked my car near the front door of Dante's house and cut off the engine.A soft sigh escaped my lips as I leaned my head back against the head rest and closed my eyes.Damn it.I didn't want to be here.I wanted to be in the arms of the woman I love. Why was I here again away from her?Right. To interogate the shooters who almost took her away from me.I wanted to at least take a few seconds for myself, but I was interrupted by a quick tap on the window, jointing me out of my peaceful state.I glanced over and saw Victor leaning down to face me, the window fogging due to his breath at how close he was."You coming?" He asked, his voice barely making it into the inside of my car.Another sigh escaped my lips before I nodded my head, unlocked the door, and pushed the car open to hop out. I looked at Victor up and down, still wearing the same clothes he had on the previous night."Did you spend the night here?" I asked as I slammed the door of my cat shut.
"Helena, hi..." Ella finally spoke into the phone, and it was obvious from her voice that she did not expect Helena to answer the phone."Hi." Helena chuckled at how awkward Ella sounded."How have you been?" Ella asked."I've been better. But honestly, I'm fine. More than fine, actually. I feel like I'm finally finding my footing again, you know, getting back on my feet. I feel like I can finally breathe again." Helena replied.Her enthusiastic voice and manner rubbed me the wrong way, and it was obvious that the other ladies were feeling the same way as well."The last time I saw you was at the Fimbar Mansion, and you really didn't want to look at us anymore, let alone speak to us. What changed?" Ella slowly asked, trying her best not to upset Helena."Well... I was a bit mean back then, weren't I?" Helena chuckled. "I was just a hit under pressure...""Under pressure from what?' Cilvia spoke up, and we looked at her. The three of us had agreed that if by some miracle the phone is
Ezabella Viper...I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed, and it was not because I had the bed sleep ever of because I had the long sleep my body craved. No. It was because of what Jacopo did the previous night, and how he stepped into the shower knowing it was something his body didn't want him to do.This man was constantly putting his body in the line for me, and I don't know what more proof I could possibly need to know just how much he loves me.First it was running into a burning building for me, and then it was choosing to save me first, and then it was stepping in front of a bullet for me the previous night, and then on the same night, it was stepping under the warm water knowing he would have a bad reaction to it because of his horrible experience.It felt like I truly don't deserve the amount of love he has for me, like I haven't given him enough as much as he has given me.Waking up next to him after we had a scary night and then an amazing moment in the shower f
Jacopo Nicolo..."What are you doing, Jacopo?" Eza asked as she watched me push my shoes off my feet and then lean down to take my socks off."I just told you..." I softly replied. "I don't want to stay away. I can't stay away."Once the socks were off, I pushed myself to my feet.I shrugged the suit jacket off my back before dropping it to the floor."Jacopo?" Eza whispered, realizing what I wanted to do.I carried on to unbutton my shirt no matter how hard the shaking of my hands tried to sabotage me. To succeed in taking my shirt off before I carried on to my suit pants.Once I was done peeling my clothes off, I looked towards Eza and the steam that was coming out of the shower from the hot shower.The second I started stepping closer to the shower, Eza reached for the shower nob to turn it towards the colder side."Don't, Eza." I called out, stopping her from turning the water off and then on to cold.I stood just outside of the shower, just out of the reach of the hot water.
Ezabella Viper..."So, you decide to create a club of your own?" Cilvia asked, her back hunches and her elbows pressed against her knees as she attentively listened to the three women speak one at a time about their stories.I didn't even realize when it happened, but we were all suddenly talking to each other about our lives, sharing moments that we usually would not share with strangers."Yes." Red replied. "It was the only logical next step. We were able to find a fee working bikes from the last house we escaped from, and on the road, we were able to learn more and grow as a team. We got to take revenge and acquire more wealth from those men, which led us to get ourselves a small club house in a small town. People started hearing about us, and women and little girls started coming to us for help. Some needed help getting rid of people who were troubling them while others needed a place to stay. And so it all started. A small club grew bigger and bigger until we had to move to
Jacopo Nicolo...I sat in the passanger sit of Victor's car, while Elijah and Dante followed us in Elijah's car. My heart refused to settle down, my head still filled with the image of that red dot on my wife's forehead.There goes my heart again, almost beating out of my chest with fear, fear that I could have lost her.My hands refused to stop shaking, itching for a trigger to squeeze, my nose desperate for the scent of the blood of whoever tried to kill my wife right in front of me despite my own blood already attacking my nostrils.I had to tuck my hands into my pockets to stop them from visibly shaking."Heard you stepped in front of a bullet." Victor commented. "Pretty brave of you." "Not now, Victor." I mumbled.I couldn't deal with the voice in my head, let alone get nagged by my father-in-law."I am trying to thank you for saving Bella's life." He said, forcing my eyes towards him."It's the bare minimum. I am her husband. That's what I'm supposed to do. I'm supposed to
Jacopo was sitting in the sitting room the ladies of the web and I were chatting in earlier while the members of the web were having their meeting. I had calmed him enough to forget about his gun, and someone had suggested that we moved to the sitting room until a thorough search has been made around the area to make sure that there were no more shooters so it would be safe enough for the rest of us to leave.The only people left in the villa besides Jacopo and I were Ella and Elijah, Connor and Cane, the three women of the Motorcycle club, and Cilvia and Dante, along with my father, who was apartment in one of the bathrooms while everything was happening and only came the join the chaos while Jacopo and I were in each other's arms.I was sitting right next to Jacopo, his right arms around me while his left was balled into a fist as if he was trying to stop himself from reaching for him gun again."Dante?" My father called out. "Did thay have anything to do with this,""We are standi