LOGINMilaI had checked the front gate twelve times in the last hour.Every time a car passed outside Levi's villa, my heart stopped for a second.Waiting for Luca was becoming worse than facing him.“Sorry, ma’am,” came a male voice from the other end of the phone. “Our company doesn’t have free guards at the moment.”This was the same hundredth reply from a hundred security companies. “I’ll pay you four times more than the other clients would,” I said, my voice sounding more desperate than I intended.He paused a little… a breathed, but just for a short moment, as he said, “Ma’am. No one will dare to take your offer even if you offered a hundred times more.”Before I could say anything else…Tooot.The other end of the call had already ended.I looked at the screen as I realized it wasn’t useful for searching for another security company. Every legal security company in the country was compromised.Some politely declined. Some suddenly unavailable, while others told me they already hav
LucaI stared at the closed door in disbelief. She really did this. I pulled harder against the shackles until the metal cut deeper into my wrists and blood slid slowly down my skin.“Mila…” I growled her name again, staring at the closed door as if I could drag her back through it by force alone; but only silence answered me.Where the fck all the guards? Why no one answering me?For the first time in years someone had played me. Only her.The woman I let inside my head. Inside my space. Inside my fcking guard.A dark laugh escaped my throat, low and dangerous.“She drugged me…” I muttered to myself, remembering the sweetness of her voice, the softness of her body on top of mine, the innocent look in her eyes while she was planning all this..My jaw tightened violently.The wine. The cookies. The sweet little smiles.Every single thing was calculated.“Fck…” I hissed, throwing my head back for one brief second.Then rage exploded through me again. I pulled against the shackles with b
I halted at the door, a small smile slowly stretching across my lips as I turned back to meet his gaze.His chest rose and fell in sharp, uneven breaths. Veins stood out against his forearms as he pulled violently against the shackles. Blood had already started forming around his wrists.“Mila,” he warned darkly.I took slow steps toward him until I reached the edge of the bed.Then I leaned closer. Close enough to feel the heat radiating from his body, but still far enough to stay out of reach.“How does it feel, Luca?” I asked softly. “To be helpless like this?”His jaw clenched.“I trusted you,” he growled.The words struck somewhere deep inside my chest.For one brief, stupid second… he didn’t look like Il Cattivo.He looked like a man genuinely hurt.A dangerous man. A cruel man. But hurt nonetheless. And somehow, that was worse.Something twisted painfully inside me. guilt? Almost.I straightened slowly, forcing my expression back into place.“Your bad,” I said calmly. “You shou
I bit my lower lip, staring at the pen in his hand.“What?” he asked. “Are you changing your mind now?”There was nothing overtly suspicious about the contract. He stated clearly that the marriage would last for three months, unless we decided to cancel that condition. But somehow, I felt—no, I knew—there was a layer of manipulation hidden in the fine print.I reached out and pulled the pen from his fingers, locking my eyes with his. He smirked, his gaze roaming over my face before slowing on my parted lips as I playfully slid the end of the pen between them.“Still hesitating?” he mocked. I could see it in his eyes; he didn’t truly believe I would go through with it.But who cared what he thought? I needed to teach him a lesson, and I was going to enjoy every second of it.Did he really think he could just kidnap me and expect submission? Nadia had already warned me that some of the Russetti family members were questioning my ability to lead.It was time to prove everyone wron
I looked at Angelo as he entered through the main door, holding a big plate carefully in his small arms.“Did you give some to all the guards?” I asked.“Yes,” he said proudly. “And they said thank you to you and that they liked them so much.”A small smile curved my lips. “Okay, buddy.” I took the plate from him. “Let’s get you ready for bed.”It was already ten at night, which meant it was long past his bedtime.After placing the empty plate in the kitchen, we headed back to our room. Angelo and I had been staying in the same room ever since we arrived at this villa.I helped him shower and tucked him into bed afterward.“You sleep,” I said softly, pulling the blanket over his small body. “I’ll take a shower and come sleep beside you.”“Okay, Mommy.”I kissed his forehead before heading to the bathroom.Before stepping inside, I quickly sent Levi a message. He had already arrived in the United States.I didn’t spend much time showering.Tonight, I chose one of the silk sets Luca had
The smell of vanilla and melted butter filled the kitchen air.I sat on a stool near the counter, rolling my sleeves up to my elbows. My cheeks were dusted with flour. I had learned this recipe in Italy, just for Angelo back then.“The smell is so good,” Angelo chuckled happily, sniffing the air.“I’m almost done, hun,” I said, something flickering in my mind.“This is a huge amount of cookies, Mommy. Are we going to eat all of them?” he asked, his big eyes following the movement of my hands over the oven tray.“No, bebe.” I smiled. “We’ll invite the others to eat with us. What do you think?”“Yay!” he cheered. “Everyone will see how good my mommy is at making cookies.”He spun in circles around me as if he was driving a car. “Their moms can’t make them like you.”I laughed softly. I knew he believed I was the best cook in the world, after Mama of course.“What’s that smell?” I heard Ricardo’s voice behind me.“Just boredom,” I said nonchalantly. “Do you want some?”When I turned, my
She followed behind me as I walked into the mansion. Our family was eating their dinner. Once they saw us, their eyes trailed between us. I could see them examining the clothes Mila was wearing. I bet every one of them realized what happened between us. And I didn’t give a fck.Fck them all.They m
I think she messed things up because she heard the name frequently, and it must’ve been similar in pronunciation to that name.I pushed the thought away and kept listening to her, a pain in my heart for letting her suffer alone all this time.“Every touch was a torture. I was so innocent—I used to
I could sense her anxiety in bringing this matter up. Maybe it was purely selfish of me. And it was—indeed. But I had to know.We were sitting on the bed in the bedroom. I held her hands to assure her. They were so cold, freezing. And as she looked up at me with an unfocused gaze, I knew she wasn’t
LucaThe moment I saw her standing there—in the middle of the room I always ran to whenever I felt sick of this filthy world—my heart skipped a beat.All I could think about was that she now knew the truth. That I was nothing but a pathetic stalker who had been obsessed with her for ages.The mere







