Her Enemy. Her child's Father; Hate and Love

Nyla POV Who would have thought that the sweet sound of melody and laughter echoing all over the mansion, and the fresh scent of jasmine and summer wine…would be replaced by screams, the stench of blood, and the sting of gunpowder? “Mom asked me to come drag you downstairs,you know how important today is”Isla burst into my room in her blue dinner gown and her hair parked in a low sleek bun with side part,her face wearing a big frown as her eyes landed on me with my body still spread all over the bed. “Oh common Sister,you were supposed to knock yeah?” I grunted loudly,my body was beginning to ache from lying in bed all day,but I didn't want to get up from it yet,and with the look on my older sister’s face,there was no way i could avoid this one especially not on an important day like this, our parents marriage anniversary. “Are you being dead serious right now?”Isla folded her hands in disbelief. She knew how much I hated gathering like this and that was why our mother had specific

Nyla POV I took one shaky footstep back and dropped to the floor, my legs unable to hold my weight beneath me.Then it came,the loud scream.Sharp, heartbreaking,piercing and rawly painful.It tore through the hallway like a very sharp blade, and I immediately knew who that voice belonged to. It was Isla!.I sprang up,my body reacting even before my brain did. Every nerve screaming, every instinct telling me to run very far but my heart kept dragging me forward. I ran towards the dining room,my dress catching on my heels which were clicking hard onto the marble floor.No no no it can't be what I'm thinking,my mind refusing to process what I already knew deep down.The moment I stepped past the arched doorway, the world shattered before me.Gunshots.The room was in a mess of screams and broken glass. Plates shattered, chairs knocked over, blood soaking the silk tablecloths.The violins were silent now,the strings were sliced cut, their players laid dead on the floor covered in blood.

Luca's POVFour years laterIf anyone had told me four years ago that a single night would still haunt me like this, I would have laughed and lit a cigar over it.But here I was.CEO of Valenti Empire,at least the version of it the world was allowed to see, not what was underneath the tailored suits, private boardrooms, and skyscraper glass, the real business that ran on blood, silence, and leverage.And yet, she still lived somewhere at the back of my mind. Not her name which I never got but the way she looked at me that night. Like I was the last good thing in a world that had betrayed and forsaken her.Then she was gone. Vanish completely from the surface of the earth. I had my men look into every corner of Ironvale both near and far away but she was never found, not even a strain of her hair.I never stopped looking, not once."Sir, the investors from Berlin are on line two," Carmine, my head of finance, called as I walked into the executive suite."Tell them I’m ten minutes behi

Nyla's POV “Ms. Caruso!” A man in his late sixties or so exclaimed the moment I stepped out of the vehicle; behind him were staff dressed in uniform as they proceeded to take my luggage inside the mansion.“Mr. Valenti,” I forced a smile, one that didn't meet my eyes, as I stretched out my hands for a handshake.“You are even prettier than the rumors said.” He laughed heartily, and for a minute, I started questioning myself. Was this actually the same man that murdered my family in cold blood? I guess everyone wears a mask that fits properly, and this wasn't an exception.“You are too kind, Mr. Valenti.” I forced a smile as we walked side by side towards the living room.The hallway leading to the living room was silent with heavy air. Burgundy velvet curtains hung high over windows, thick enough to block out more than light. A Persian rug ran the length of the floor, its deep reds and golds swallowing our footsteps as we walked. Golden sconces cast long shadows that moved with us.

Nyla's POV The words stayed with me all night.I barely slept, replaying them in my mind, wondering if I had misheard him….Morning came too quickly. Sunlight filtered through the heavy drapes, softening the sharp edges of the room. I dressed simply in a fitted black blouse tucked into high-waisted trousers, a reminder that I wasn’t just here as a bride-to-be. I trailed my step down the staircase, and Luca was already in the dining room; he raised his head at the click of my heels against the marble floor of the ground that wasn't covered with thick rugs.Our eyes met briefly, but he didn’t say a word and just gestured toward the seat beside him.