(Writer's POV) Enzo had always kept an eye on Alessio. He followed him everywhere he went, making sure Alessio didn’t notice him. The DeLuca family had always been known to move silently, as it was a part of their training. Enzo had witnessed how Alessio’s eyes were fixed on Lisa the night she walked into the bar after she got her heart broken by Nathan. He had also witnessed how Alessio saved her from the man who tried to harass her and how possessive he was when he held her fragile arms. Enzo was also aware of what had transpired between them when Alessio took her to a hotel. He had thought Lisa was just one of the flings Alessio had a one-night stand with—until he overheard Ivan talking to Marco about finding a chef who knew how to cook California dishes. He disguised himself and went to Marco's clubhouse since he had been following Ivan too. That’s how he learned that Alessio needed a chef. At first, he didn’t know why Alessio needed a chef who could prepare Californ
(Writer's POV) Isabella sighed deeply when she woke up the following morning and found herself naked in Ivan's room. She had clearly been sober when she asked him for a one-night stand, and right now, she didn't regret it because it wasn't the first time it had happened. Before she had come here to be a chitchat buddy to Lisa, she had always gone to the clubhouse once every month, bought herself some drinks, and then get laid with any man who approached her. Just like she had told Lisa, she shut her heart from love after her love story was cut short when her first love died. She believed she would never find a man like him or a man who would love her the way her first love did. Sighing again, her eyes scanned the room in search of Ivan, and that’s when she noticed the sound of the running tap coming from the bathroom. Her clothes were scattered all over the room due to how Ivan had hastily discarded them. She clearly enjoyed the sex from last night, and she'd admit that s
(Lisa's POV) "Whoa, Lisa! You're improving so much," the lady in charge of teaching me Italian complimented after I finished reading some words in Italian. Though it was hard to pull off, I was happy my efforts weren’t going down the drain. "Thank you so much, ma. But I'm still not fluent in it," I simpered. "Yeah, you're not, but you're doing a very good job. If you keep learning, you'll be perfect—not as perfect as a native speaker, but at least you'll be able to understand when someone speaks Italian," she said with a smile, her Italian-English accent evident. Some people in the clan could speak basic English, but Italian tones were always detected in their voices whenever they spoke. I was the only fluent English speaker here, which is why I was determined to learn, so I could interact with them in the language they were comfortable with. Not to forget, there was also my deal with Salvatore. I had been getting a lot of compliments on how much I was improving in terms o
(Lisa's POV) I have always been curious about Alessio's family. Anytime I brought up the topic, he always found a way to change it. Though he had said it was something he didn’t want to talk about, I couldn’t help but wonder why. Even Ivan had once warned me never to mention his mother to him. Bianca might be the second person I hate after the devil, but at least she was right about one thing. I can't claim to love a man and have countless sex with him without knowing anything about his family—what they look like, what happened to them, and, most importantly, his relationship with his parents. "You know everything about his family?" I asked as curiosity took over me. Bianca walked up to me, the smile on her face unwavering. "Do you think I was joking when I said I grew up with Don Alessio? We grew up together, Lisa. I ate from the same plate as him and even slept in the same bed. I knew the cheerful side of Don Alessio when he was still a kid, before he transformed into a
(Alessio's POV)"Where are you?" I read the message Lisa had sent me. I was about to reply when another message came through, demanding that I come back to the clan, because she had something to give me. "A gift? What kind of gift?" I texted back. She replied that she would only show it to me when I returned back to the clan. I smiled lightly, imagining how cute she must have looked while typing the message. "Don Alessio? Are you still listening to me?" the woman across from me asked, and I shifted my gaze from my phone to look at her. She had come to meet me because she claimed to have an abusive husband who beat her and her twelve-year-old child. Right now, the child was in the hospital with only a ten percent chance of survival. "Yes, I'm listening. Go on," I said, and she began sniffling. "I know it’s all my fault for marrying an abusive man. Even when everyone warned me not to, I insisted on marrying him. I tried to run away, but no matter where I hide, he always find
(Alessio's POV) How could I? How could I have done that to the woman I love so much? How could I have vented my anger on her like that? I should have held back. I should have held back my anger no matter how angry I was. I shouldn't have done that to her. I should have simply torn the picture when she gave it to me. But if only she had told me where she got the picture and didn't keep insisting I missed that despicable woman, I wouldn't have lashed out at her like that. Still, it didn't justify what I did to her. I didn't just choke her almost to death, I threw her like a piece of paper, making her back land forcefully on the wall. Kindness? The woman from earlier who had an abusive husband must be mistaken. There's no single kindness inside of me. The boy from decades ago is already dead. If I still had that kindness in me, I wouldn't have done what I did to Lisa. I would have held back. I had promised her I was never going to hurt her, but still, I broke that promi
(Lisa's POV) I still couldn't believe Alessio would do that to me. He had promised he would never hurt me, but yet he did. When he choked my neck, I pleaded with him, hoping he'd stop, but he ended up throwing me against the wall like a piece of paper. I had never imagined he would do that to me. Even though he hasn't said he loves me yet, I thought I was the most important person to him. So how could he do that to the most important person in his life? I was just looking out for him because it's been years since he saw a picture of his mother, and yet he reacted as if I had just shown him his worst nightmare. I want to hate him. I want to hate him for what he did, but I couldn't do it, because I was completely head over heels for him. When I sent him away, I felt hurt doing that to him, but it was the only way to show him I was mad at him for what he had done. I must have nine lives because I don't know how I've kept surviving with everything that has been happening
(Lisa's POV) It's been a week since Alessio told me about his family. I felt pity for him because he had witnessed his own mother murder his father. It must have really been hard for him since he had no one to defend him when Salvatore heartlessly trained him. Hearing his past, I finally understood why he turned out the way he did, and why he didn't want to talk about his family. No one can grow up normal after experiencing such tragic incidents at a young age. "What are you doing?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. I simpered then turned to look at him. "We aren't in your office, Alessio. What if the members of the clan see us together?" I muttered with a smile, looking around the shooting range. "Who cares about them?" he replied, trying to kiss me, but I resisted with a smile. "I'm training, Alessio. I don't want to get distracted," I said and shot at the shooting target, but I let out a frustrated sigh when I missed the scorning zones. "Why is it
(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