TRISTAN'S POV
I knelt on the cold stone floor, my breath coming in shallow gasps. Giovanni loomed above me, his shadow casting a dark silhouette against the flickering light. His presence was commanding, his scent... a mix of leather and something distinctly masculine—filled my nostrils. I could feel the weight of his gaze on me, heavy and unrelenting. My heart pounded in my chest, a mixture of fear and anticipation coursing through my veins.A slow, satisfied smile spread across his face, transforming his features, making him even more breathtakingly dangerous. He pushed me back, gently but firmly, until I was lying flat on the bed, my head resting on the soft pillow.With deliberate slowness, he began to unbutton his shirt, his movements languid and teasing. My gaze followed his hands, mesmerized by the way his fingers moved, the way the fabric parted to reveal glimpses of tanned skin and sculpted muscle.He shrugged out of the shirt, tossing it carelessly onto theGIOVANNI'S POVThe sun scorched the stone statues of the courtyard, highlighting the boredom festering within me. I traced the intricate carving on my signet ring, each spiral a testament to my family’s relentless grasp on power, a power I was increasingly forced to embody.Across the table, Juliana, was prattling on. Her voice, like the incessant chirp of a bird, flitted between details of a wedding that felt less like a celebration and more like a corporate merger.“...and the peonies, of course, must be flown in from Holland, darling. Nothing less will do for the centerpieces,” she declared, gesturing dramatically to an unseen floral arrangement.My gaze drifted past her, past her parents, Luca and Giulia Conti, and landed on my father, Viktor. He sat there, a smug satisfaction plastered across his face, soaking up the fake flattery like a sponge.“Then the caterer, Mama,” Juliana continued, oblivious to the silence she had inadvertently created. “I was thinking Chef Benoit. His tr
TRISTAN'S POVThe first thing that registered was the searing pain. A deep, throbbing ache that radiated from the very core of my being, encompassing every muscle, every bone. My eyes fluttered open to the familiar softness of my bed, the morning light filtering through curtains.I tried to shift, a low hiss escaping my lips as the pain flared, protesting even the slightest movement. My body felt like a battlefield, a testament to Giovanni’s… wildness from the night before.The fountain in the garden maze. The chill of the water against my skin, the rough stone pressing into my back, the relentless, punishing thrusts that had me gasping for air, for release, for anything but the brutal ecstasy he extracted.It was all a hazy, nightmarish blur now. I remembered the desperate struggle to pull my torn clothes back on, the fabric clinging to my sweat-slicked skin, the shame already settling deep in my gut. After that, nothing. A blank. I must have passed out, completely,
GIOVANNI'S POVI stood there, my chest heaving with a tempest of emotions.... anger, jealousy, and a possessive lust that had been simmering for three long days.My eyes, dark and unyielding, were fixed on the red marks that striped Tristan’s exposed ass, the result of the harsh whipping I had delivered with my belt. The image of him naked, another woman’s hands stroking his cock, then a few minutes ago... Tristan's laughter mingling with the voice of another man, replayed in my mind like a curse. It was a betrayal I couldn’t forgive, yet my desire for him only deepened with every memory.Tristan lay bent over the garden fountain, his body trembling, tears streaming down his face. The marble beneath him was cold, a stark contrast to the heat radiating from his skin. The garden maze, once a place of tranquility, now felt like a cage, its high hedges closing in around us, trapping us in this moment of raw, unfiltered emotion. I stepped closer, my boots crunching on the gravel path. My
TRISTAN'S POVThe cool evening air of the garden, which had moments ago kissed my skin with the promise of a peaceful respite, now felt like a shroud. The scent of jasmine and damp earth, usually so comforting, twisted into something terrifying, choked by the sudden, suffocating presence of him.Giovanni.I saw the black on his demeanor, a darkness so profound it seemed to leach the colour from the vibrant surroundings. His eyes were now chips of obsidian, devoid of warmth, reflecting only a searing, unadulterated rage. He stood by the arched trellises, framed by climbing roses, but he looked less like a figure in a romantic painting and more like a predator, coiled and ready to strike. My heart, a panicked bird, hammered against my ribs, an urgent, frantic rhythm that felt impossibly loud in the gathering silence.He was seething, I knew it. Every fibre of his being vibrated with anger, with that raw, untamed jealousy that always simmered just beneath the surfa
GIOVANNI'S POVThe phone felt like a live coal in my hand, burning, scorching, fueling a rage that simmered beneath my skin, threatening to boil over. Juliana’s message, a vile, taunting package of pixels, was seared into my brain. The photo: Tristan, my Tristan, sprawled on a bed, his body so utterly naked, so shamelessly exposed. The video: Ksenia, Juliana’s conniving friend, her hand stroking… stroking him.“Fuck!” The word tore from my throat, a guttural roar that echoed in the sterile silence of my Italian villa study. My knuckles were white, pressing the phone so hard I feared it might shatter, just as my composure threatened to. Tristan. My Tristan. Letting someone else touch him, pleasure him, while I was a world away, my own body a taut, aching mess of unfulfilled desire. It felt like a betrayal so profound it was physical, a knife twisting in my gut.Just last night, at the bar, the women had practically thrown themselves at me, their eyes promises of fleeting release, but
TRISTAN'S POVThe sterile white sheets of the bed felt impossibly heavy, suffocating me with the lingering phantom touch of Ksenia.Anastasia, her face a storm of fury barely contained, stood over me, her sharp gaze pinning me down. “Please, Anastasia,” I managed, my voice raspy, a desperate croak that barely escaped my throat. I shook my head, avoiding her piercing stare, my gaze fixed on the intricate pattern of the duvet. “Please don’t tell Giovanni what Juliana did to me.”Her breath hitched, a sharp intake of air that spoke of disbelief and incandescent rage. When she spoke, her voice was low, laced with a dangerous edge that made the hairs on my arms stand on end. “Why, Tristan? Why you don’t want Giovanni to know what his scheming fiancée did to you? You were almost violated by a different person if I hadn’t intervened.”The words struck me like physical blows.Violated.The truth of it, delivered so bluntly, made my skin crawl. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, fighting