LOGINNEUTRAL GROUND••Luciana••"Roman, Roman!" I called after him as he stormed out, clearly angry. My heart was racing, not just because of the tension in the air but because of the anger that was radiating off him. I looked at Theo, and he gave me a signal to go after him.I took a deep breath and followed him outside, where he stood by the wall, a cigar now dangling between his fingers. The night air was cold, but I could feel the heat of the situation burning between us."Don't start," he muttered, not turning to face me.I stopped just a few feet away, standing still as I watched him in silence. Sometimes, it was better to let him be, to let the air clear. Something like the calm before the storm—or rather, the calm after the storm.I stepped closer, my fingers itching to do something, anything to ease the tension. So I reached for his hand, entwining my fingers with his, taking the cigar from his fingers and snuffing it out on the ground.He didn't say anything at first, his jaw ti
OUR HOME••Luciana••It took a month and a week for our new home to be ready. When I say "our home," I mean the place where Roman and I would finally build our life together, a place for us to start our family.The process took longer than expected because Roman and I had our fair share of disagreements. We couldn't decide on the location of our new home for the longest time. We considered many options, but in the end, we both agreed on a beautiful area near Tver, a city close to Moscow, but far enough for us to feel like it was our own space while still being connected to the Orlov family. Roman left me in charge of the interior design. He trusted me completely with the aesthetics, and honestly, I was excited to make this place feel like it was truly ours. I had everything at my fingertips, and for the first time, I got to create something that was purely for me, for us. I had the freedom to choose the colors, the textures, the furniture, everything that would make this house our sa
HEAD OR HEART?••Roman••"Did I just hear her say spider?" Oh shit!I turned to Theo, my eyes wide in disbelief. "It’s a fucking spider, Theo.""What? A spider?" Theo burst out laughing, but his laughter died down when I gave him the bad eye.I slammed my foot on the accelerator, speeding up as I cursed under my breath. Just then, my father’s call came through on my phone."What does he want now?" I muttered.I picked up, "Roman, what’s wrong with Luci?" His thick, authoritative voice came through, causing my chest to tighten.Holy shit, I muttered under my breath. How the hell did he know?"Nothing’s wrong," I said, trying to keep my tone calm, but it came out a little too defensive."You mean nothing’s wrong, and you called Vikoz to shout like that, allowing him to alert the whole security that there’s danger?" My father continued, his voice laced with irritation.I ran a hand through my hair, frustration boiling up. "Sorry for that, Father." Luci had put me in this position, and I
WOMAN DRAMA••Roman••"Take the right turn," I instructed Theo.We were heading out to check on a new inn being built, one of the Orlovs' projects. Our plan was to expand our territory, ensuring we had eyes and ears everywhere. It was all part of growing our influence.We drove through the compound, the security guards and workers already busy with their tasks. The area was under construction.As I stepped out of the car, I took off my sunglasses and waved over to one of the guys at the front."Good day, Signor," he greeted, giving me a respectful nod."Where’s the capo in charge?" I asked, glancing around."He must be inside, let me call him out, sir," the man replied, quickly turning to head inside.Theo was parking the car while I kept an eye on the scene, observing the environment.I was starting to wonder why I hadn't seen the capo yet, he should have been the one giving me the progress report."Let's go in," I told Theo when he got to where I was.We approached the entrance of th
YOU'RE AMAZING ••Luciana••My hand moved instinctively, without thought or hesitation. It all happened so fast, one moment I was standing there, staring at Roman, and the next my hand was striking his face.I froze immediately, the weight of what I had just done hitting me like a ton of bricks. I had just slapped Roman, the heir to the Russian Bratva, the soon-to-be boss of the Russian mafia, the silent prince, the man I married. My husband.Reality set in, and the guilt hit me harder than anything else. I hadn’t even processed what I did before it was done. What did I just do? I asked myself.I stood in front of him, my breath ragged, feeling like the room had suddenly gotten smaller. And then, the tears trickled down my cheeks uncontrollable.I didn’t even know why I was crying. Was it because of what he said or because of what I had just done?Maybe it was both, but I couldn’t stop. The tears just kept flowing, and the guilt weighed me down like an anchor.But his reaction to what
I OWN YOU••Luciana••Marco Valerio. The name rang in my mind like a bell, loud and unsettling.I remembered the accident that took Andrian and gave me this scar at the side of my stomach. It was the Valerios who were behind it, the ones who tried to destroy Roman. This man, the one responsible for so much pain, was at the core of all the tension.As soon as Roman heard the name, I saw his reaction shift. His body stiffened, and his shoulders tensed. His eyes burned with an intensity I hadn’t seen before. His anger was palpable.Vikoz and Theo returned to our booth. "They’re gone now," Theo said, his voice low but steady.Roman’s gaze didn’t falter. He kept his eyes on the door where they had just left. His voice was sharp when he spoke. "Who allowed them in?" he demanded."They're new security guards. Just on shift," Vikoz explained. "They claimed not to notice anything off about those guys. That’s why they let them in."Roman’s eyes narrowed, a sign that his patience was running thi
HAPPY NEW YEAR••Luciana••I arrived at the Orlov's house a few minutes past 4 PM, just in time for New Year's Eve. The whole house was filled more than I had ever seen before.Theo had come to pick me up from the airport, filling me in with details about the events going on in the house. Roman was
HOME AGAIN••Luciana••“Yes, I just arrived home.” I said into the phone, my voice muffled from the excitement. Roman had called to ask if I had made it back yet.I was just pulling into the Moretti compound with Damian, the familiar smell of Sicily greeting me.“Bye, Rom.” I ended the call, unable
HEAD OVER HEELS••Luciana••That was how we ended up fifteen minutes late for breakfast.I couldn’t even wear the dress I originally planned because it required too much fitting and adjusting, and after everything that happened earlier in the room, there was simply no time left. My hair was barely
MY FIRST KISS IS SPECIAL ••Roman••I didn’t expect Luci’s next move.She stayed still for a while, as if she was trying to process the words I had just said. "You are going home for Christmas." Her eyes remained fixed on mine, wide and searching, like she needed confirmation that this wasn’t anothe







