I was too scared to open the message that had just popped up on the tablet no matter how drawn I was to do so. I contemplated in my heart what the worst could be as I bit my lip like one would do when something of great value had been forgotten.“Ce…sa..re…Ro…set…ti,” I managed to read out from the letters that were self-revealing without touching the main message.“Cesare Rosetti,” I pronounced the words fully, contorting my brows a bit as though it would help me to know the bearer of the name that sounded exactly like my surname. I gave little thought to it and continued.After all, my husband was the leader of a notorious organization and to be able to pull that successfully, he must really know a lot of big fishes. I looked at the messages and still didn’t click on it till another one popped up but this time it was an address.Since the tablet was in my hands when it entered, I had the privilege of seeing the whole message before it folded up into a clickable notification box at
“Ermmmm….”“Listen up you three,” I cut in, stroking his chin as I breathed heavily before speaking. “It seems you all are missing something here and need I remind you that your loyalty is to me and none other. Even though you are acting as undercover out there, you owe me everything I ask of.” I explained, only to look at my screen and realize that I had been disconnected. I wondered what was happening so I pulled the laptop closer, opened the encrypted line, and waited for the screen to connect again.The face of one of the men who goes by the name Franco appeared, grainy in the poor lighting of his location yet again. “Talk,” I ordered, my tone sharper than I intended.Franco swallowed. His gaze shifted offscreen as if someone stood nearby, then returned to me. “Boss… the place we traced, the cottage…it wasn’t just some forgotten hideout. Someone had been maintaining it long after Rosetti’s death, not just for weeks but for years.”“You have told me this before, get straight to i
I stormed out of Clara’s room, the taste of her still on my lips, but fury already burning through my chest. The sound downstairs had shaken the house like a warning, and I knew better than to ignore it. My steps pounded against the hallway floor as I made my way to the landing. Through the high windows, I caught sight of shadows moving. Marco and his men. I didn’t need to step outside to know it was them. They were already parading the grounds, making a show of force as if to remind everyone inside whose presence loomed over this house But my eyes didn’t stay there. They shifted and then my heart stuttered.Luca stood at the doorpost of Veronica’s room. He looked sharp and rigid, like a soldier bracing for impact. His eyes cut to me as I approached, and I knew before he opened his mouth that fire was coming.“What happened?” I demanded, my voice rougher than I intended. My gaze flicked past him, to the pale figure slumped against the bedpost inside. “Did she faint again?”Luca’s
“What the fuck is going on downstairs?” He mumbled, still lost in thrusting his cock in and out of her like he wanted to get every last drop of pleasure. He pinned her hands above her head to keep her from struggling. Breathing hard, Carol could see already that he was torn between his desire and the reality hammering at the door. Here was a man who wanted control of her battling with the man who hated losing control of anything, including her. Carol flinched at the second loud bang, her body tensing beneath Antonio’s weight. His lips had been at her collarbone only a moment ago, the heat of his breath stirring something long buried inside her but the sound and the sheer violence of it, cut through the haze. Antonio growled in frustration, burying his face in the crook of her neck.“Don’t,” he muttered, almost like a command, his hand pressing against her hip as if to hold her there, as if to insist that whatever was outside was not important.Carol’s fingers, which had been clutc
I couldn’t believe my eyes when Antonio stepped into my room without a word and lay down on the bed like it was the most natural thing to do. He didn’t even attempt to touch me, not even a brush of his hand against mine. All he did was reach for his tablet and began fiddling with it, his face lighting up with the glow from the gadget in his hand.I sat at the edge of the bed, torn between relief and disappointment. Relief, because his silence meant he wasn’t in one of those fiery moods. Disappointment, because I needed something more from him.“Antonio,” I whispered, my voice unsure, “Is everything alright with you?”To my amazement, he replied softly, not with the cold sharpness I’d grown used to. “I’m fine, Carol.”That tenderness in his voice startled me. It was rare to hear softness in his voice, and for a while I was almost disarmed but I couldn’t waste the chance. I had been carrying questions in my chest like heavy stones, and now was the moment to let them all out.I turned
“Clara, you can talk to me,” I urged even though I knew she may not because I had never met her in one of her vulnerable states before.She didn’t reply to me, she just kept sniffing and sighing. I knew that with such a sniff comes tears, and I froze a little because I didn’t know how to handle it when someone cried around me.Suddenly, there was a loud slam of the door and the sound reverberated all over the space. My eyes fluttered open immediately as the sound of her bedroom door echoed through the house like a gunshot, and for a second, I just closed my eyes and rubbed my temple. When I exhaled, I noticed Clara still in the kitchen, clutching the tray of coffee against her chest like it was a shield. Her eyes were downcast, and I could see the faint redness on her scalp where Veronica had yanked her hair.“You alright?” I asked, softer than I had spoken in the last hour.“Yes, sir. I’m fine.” Clara nodded quickly, almost too quickly. “Why are you holding that tray very close to