(Alessio's POV) That smile of hers always pulls me in, in ways I can't explain. When she asked about my life and why I didn't become an architect or a baker, I got mad; one thing I don't like talking about is my painful childhood. If it had been anyone else who asked me such a question, they would have been begging me to spare them, but it was Lisa who asked, and somehow she was exceptional. I even had to scare her with my voice, which is why I decided to leave before I frightened her further. I didn't want Lisa to look at me with fearful eyes, like I was her worst nightmare that came to life to haunt her. But here she was, holding my hand and asking me to share the cake with her. I didn't even admit that I was the one who brought the cake for her because it felt embarrassing—this was the first time I had experienced what it felt like to be embarrassed. "You can have it all to yourself," I said, stepping away from her, but she grabbed my hand again. "I can't eat it all because it'
(Lisa's POV) A smile crept onto my face as I stared at myself in the mirror. I had purposely allowed him to kiss me, just the way he wanted, because my plan all along was to stop him the moment he tried to take off my blouse. And it worked just as I had pictured it in my head. I could see the desire in his eyes when I halted him—it was the first time I saw desire in his gaze, rather than the usual cold demeanor he portrayed. He wants me—he wants all of me. He wants to bury himself inside me just like he did the first time we met, but I won't give him what he so desperately desires. Now that I know I can easily seduce a ruthless Mafia boss like Alessio, I’ll keep playing this game. He kidnapped me without my consent, right? I will play my part by always seducing him but never letting him touch me. I want to make him fall in love with me so I can escape this place, but since he's a man made of stone, that plan can wait for a while. I'm going to make him long for me, yet I won’t give
(Lisa's POV) "Are you already afraid of her?" Isabella asked as my gaze fell on her, already indulging in the velvet cake on the table. "No, I’m not. I have no relationship with Alessio, so why should I be afraid of her?" I replied, though I knew it was a lie. I hadn't even seen this Bianca, but the thought of her scared me. If she could kill her best friend, then I would be an easy prey for her. All my life, I had lived peacefully, without knowing how to handle guns or anything related to fighting skills. Since Bianca was part of Alessio's underworld, I was sure she was strong enough to beat me to death without much effort. "But don't worry, Lisa. I think she won't be able to kill you." "You think so?" My voice was low, revealing how scared I felt. "Yeah. You belong to Don Alessio. I'm sure she values her life and wouldn’t dare do anything to you—unless she wants to die." "You really think Alessio will protect me from her?" I asked again. "That's a silly question, Lisa
(Alessio's POV) "She asked about where the exit of the house is," I said to the maid who had reported Lisa to me. "Yes, Boss Alessio," she answered, her head bowed to the floor. "And what did you tell her?" I asked, displeased with the fact that she still wanted to leave. "I told her the truth. We don't know the exit of this house because we were brought here unconscious," she said. My eyes fell on her, and she quickly dipped her head to the ground, afraid that I might kill her. "Leave," I ordered, and she rushed out of my suite immediately. I lit up a cigarette, clearly not happy that Lisa had inquired about the exit of my house. If she hadn't accepted that she couldn't leave, what were all those smiles of hers for? The maid who had just left was right when she said they were brought here unconscious. When they accepted to work for me, I had brought them into my house unconscious. Even Isabella was brought here the same way. So, apparently, only Ivan and I knew that the library
(Alessio's POV) "Lisa!" I called out as I barged into her room. She quickly tightened the towel wrapped around her body. Her skin was slightly wet, indicating she had just taken a shower. "You should know how to knock, Alessio," she said, her voice low. I walked up to her, turning her around to check if she was hurt. "Are you okay?" I asked, my voice filled with concern—something that had never happened before. Lisa stared at me before nodding, and I let out a sigh of relief. "Did someone come in here while I was away?" I inquired, despite knowing that only Ivan and I knew how to exit the house. That left me wondering how the stranger had found out about Lisa's room. "No one came in, Alessio. I was alone in here." "Were you sleeping just a few minutes ago?" I asked, locking my eyes on hers. "No, I wasn't," she replied. Did that mean the strange voice was just playing tricks on me? I clenched my fists, angry that I had fallen into his trap. But I couldn't shake the qu
(Lisa's POV) Why didn't he fall for my tricks? I had asked him to watch me dress, but he chose to leave. Why didn't he give in? I pondered while sitting on the couch in Alessio's suite, where he had instructed me to stay until he returned. Had I not done it properly? Come to think of it, he had barged into my room, asking if I was alright or if someone had entered while he was away. It was the first time I had seen panic in his eyes, and it made me wonder what could have happened. Was he attacked? I sighed, realizing that the quietness of his suite offered no answers to my questions. If he were under attack, he should release me and let me return to my simple life. I don't want to be involved in his chaotic world, which seemed more dangerous than the Great War. After sitting on the couch for almost thirty minutes, I stood up and began pacing around the suite, feeling bored. I wanted to leave, maybe go to the library or go to Isabella, who could easily entertain me with her jokes a
(Alessio's POV) "What happened? How did the explosion start?" Salvatore asked over the phone. "It was an attack from our enemies," I replied, puffing the smoke from my cigarette through my nostrils. Ever since the strange phone call, I had been smoking nonstop due to paranoia. He dared to play games with me—no one had done that before, but this stranger did, even laughing at me for not being able to detect his voice. I had tried calling a thousand times, but whenever I did, it was always unreachable. "Which of our enemies attacked us?" Salvatore inquired. "Leave it to me. I'm going to handle it," I said. Telling the Godfather that I didn't know who had attacked our clan was the last thing I would do. It wasn't that I was afraid; I wasn't afraid of anyone, not even the creator of the earth. I chose not to tell him so he wouldn't have any reason to come back to Italy. I didn't want him to return and see Lisa—maybe I forgot to mention that the Godfather is the third person who knows
(Alessio's POV) "Don Alessio!" Marco approached me as I arrived at the nightclub with Ivan. "I'm glad you came; it's been a while. Should I get the best women ready for you?" he asked, speaking in Italian. "I'm looking for someone," I replied. "Who could it be? Tell me right away, and I'll fetch the person for you," Marco said with a smile. He had always wanted to get on my good side, but unfortunately for him, he was trying to please the wrong person. Signaling to Ivan, he showed Marco a picture of the boy we had obtained from the CCTV cameras. He must have been foolish not to realize that there were cameras around. "Do you know him?" I asked. Marco took the picture from Ivan and stared deeply at it. "I think I know him, Don Alessio. His name is Zach, and he comes here every Friday to gamble," Marco said. "Why are you looking for him?" he added. I took the picture and handed it to Ivan. "I need a VIP seat at the gambling hall," I said. "You want to gamble?" Marco asked, but I
(Lisa's POV) I went back to the head teacher's office with Alessia, and Kayla's mom smirked at me, her arms crossed. "Are you here to finally kneel before me?" she asked, her voice laced with pride. My anger was burning, but I was trying my best to stay calm, and it was all for Alessia. "I thought this was a preschool where kids are brought up in love, without anyone being treated unfairly." "What are you talking about, Ms. Simpsons? You should be apologizing, not telling us how to handle this school. We treat every kid equally," the head teacher said, while Kayla's mom blew air onto her manicured nails, awaiting an apology that would never come. "You call this treating every kid here equally?" I fumed, showing them the bitten wound on Alessia's wrist. "Kayla was the one who bit my daughter first, and rather than handling the situation equally, you pinned the blame on my daughter!" I snapped at Alessia's teacher. Being a mother has really changed me a lot. I was no longer the
(Lisa's POV) "Thank you so much, mister!" I thanked the repairman with so much excitement in my voice after he handed the phone to me. "It wasn't easy to bring it back to life, but I'm glad I did," he said, smiling back at me. I grinned at him, placing the phone on my chest with a broad smile. "The phone must be of sentimental value to you, right?" he asked, and I nodded with a smile. "Was it given to you by your boyfriend?" he teased, but I covered his question with a laugh. I paid him for his service before leaving. The excitement inside of me didn’t leave my face for even a second. I was just so happy to have the phone back to life. Returning home, I sat on the sofa, watching the videos of Alessio from five years ago. It’s been five years, but I never get tired of watching him. I was addicted to watching the videos of him, and anytime I did, I always had this sad smile on my face. Oftentimes, I wondered how life would have been for the both of us if I hadn’t betrayed
(Alessio's POV) It's her birthday today… it's something I can't forget, since everything about her was stuck in my brain like a tattoo. If she were here, we'd be celebrating her birthday, but I don't want her to be here, neither do I want to see her. Five years have passed, but the pain still lingers as if everything had happened yesterday. Her betrayal is still intact, and the pain she inflicted on me when she betrayed me is still fresh. It's like it never heals no matter how much time has passed, and it only makes me burn in fury. Do I still hate her? That I can't really tell, but one thing is for sure, I never want to see her face again. It would only remind me of how much of a fool I was for falling in love with a woman like her. She took my love for her for granted. Even when I didn't tell her how much I loved her five years ago, I did say it so many times through my actions and the way I treated her differently. I never want to see her face. She and my mom are
(Lisa's POV) "I think it's best if you get a new phone, Miss," the phone repairman advised, but I shook my head in disagreement. It was my very first gift from Alessio, and I couldn't let go of it. It's been five years since I last saw Alessio. Five years, but nothing seems to have changed. The feelings I have for him was still there like it was just yesterday, but my betrayal toward him still haunts me in my quiet moments. Every day I long for him—for his smile, for his touch, and to hear the way he talks. But I was scared... scared to reach out to him and most especially scared to go to Italy. I knew I could easily see him if I went to Italy, but the deadly warnings he gave me before we separated were still fresh in my ears, so I couldn't dare go back to Italy even if I desperately longed to. The only thing that was left with me were the memories of my life with him, before my unforgettable betrayal. "You need to try your best. The phone is important to me, and it's not so
(Lisa's POV) "It's been a while, Lisa. How have you been?" Nathan asked me with a smile. I furrowed my brows at him, wondering if he had forgotten what he did to me, but nevertheless, I beamed a smile at him. If he hadn't shattered my heart, I wouldn't have gotten the chance to know a man like Alessio. "I've been good. What about you?" I asked, trying my best to be formal. There was no reason to be informal with him. "I've been good too. Where have you been all this while? I constantly go to your workplace, but all what your boss keep saying is that you're on a business trip. I couldn't go to your dad, because you must've told him what I did to you." "Exactly, Nathan. I'm glad you still remember what you did to me. So why do you keep going to my boss asking about me?" I asked sharply. "It's because I miss you, Lisa," he murmured, and I chuckled, finding his words so funny. "You miss me? What about the woman you were with? Didn't she sponsor your business like you claimed
(Lisa's POV) I betrayed the man I love and the man who loves me, and no matter what my reasons were, it wasn't justified. I had a chance to ask him about it, but rather than confronting him, I acted rashly. He lost everything. A lot of innocent souls died because of me, and it's best if I leave. If he had wanted to kill me, I would have accepted it, but since he wanted me out of his life, I will do as he says, even though it hurts being separated from him. Staring at the entrance of the airport, my tears fell down my cheeks, but I wiped them off with a sob. With the despicable thing I have done, I don't know if I could live a normal life. I will forever be haunted for betraying him and for killing innocent souls. I sniffled one last time. I made to enter the airport, but I bumped into someone. "I'm sorry," I managed to say, but fresh tears fell from my eyes and down to my cheeks when I saw I had bumped into Angelo. "Angelo," I said, nearly breaking into tears. I had
(Alessio's POV) "How long have I been unconscious?" I asked. "For a few days," Ivan answered. I sighed, trying to sit up on the bed, but Ivan quickly stopped me from doing so. "You shouldn't do that yet. Your wounds are still fresh," he said, but I ignored him and sat up on the bed, enduring the pain. Every part of my body was filled with injuries. It hurt and itched at the same time. "Where's Salvatore?" "He left a few minutes before you woke up," Ivan replied. "Is it true that Enzo destroyed everything, including my house and the clan?" Ivan looked at me and sadly nodded his head. "We lost the mobsters at the clan. The innocent maids also died from the explosion." "No single person survived?" I asked, hiding how bad I felt. "No one, Boss Alessio. We have nothing left," Ivan answered, wiping his tears, as he was too emotional to control them. I failed to protect my men. If I hadn't been trapped under Enzo's custody, none of this would have happened. "Aren’
(Writer's POV) "What did I just hear you just say? You gave who to who?" Salvatore sneered. He had booked an early flight to Rome so he could know the happenings of the clan, only for him to meet dead monsters and a destroyed clan. Lisa took in her lips, unable to say anything. Salvatore had always said she'd betray Alessio, and she felt so embarrassed because his instinct came to pass. She betrayed the man who loves her. A man who always showed up whenever she was in danger. She made a promise… but couldn't keep her promise. She was just like his mother. "Have your tongue been cut off? Repeat what you just said!" he snapped at her, and tears strolled down her eyes. No matter how much she cried, it wouldn't justify what she had done. "I didn't mean to betray him," she began sobbing. "I thought he killed my dad, so I gave him an apple injected with succinylcholine. He became weak because of it, and Enzo was able to trap him. Enzo has him in his custody and it's all
(Writer's POV) "Did Don Alessio answer the phone?" Isabella asked Ivan in a panicked voice, while Ivan shook his head with a sigh. "Why would Lisa even think of leaving the house?" Isabella murmured, her worries palpable. She had earlier gone to Lisa's room to talk to her, only to find out she wasn't in her room. When she got worried, she asked Ivan for help, and he looked into the surveillance cameras and they both found out that Lisa had sneaked out of the house by secretly entering the car trunk of Alessio's car. "Do you think Don Alessio has seen her already?" "I don't think so, Isabella. It's unlike him not to answer the phone either. Something seems off and I can feel it," Ivan muttered. Isabella swiped her hand through her hair in frustration. "Why can't Lisa just believe that Vanessa was indeed a spy?" "Asking questions won't do. If Alessio still doesn't know she's not in the house, then we should find her before he does." Isabella nodded, and just as they were about t