INICIAR SESIÓNAIDEN“Find him,” I ordered, buttoning my jacket. “The next time Luigi shows his face, I want him brought to me.”Stephan nodded. “And if he resists?”“Then you remind him that I asked for him alive.” I shot him a warning look. “Don't hurt him, Stephan. I want answers, not another fucking problem.”“Yes, Don.”I turned toward the window, my jaw tightening.Luigi Giovanni.The name had been circling my mind since Avery mentioned him. Giovanni, the family I swore to destroy. I had tried to hide my reaction to the name. Giovanni or not, I—I loved her.Avery had asked me to let her figure things out on her own, and I'd given her my word. I intended to keep it.That didn't mean I couldn't seek answers. If Luigi had answers, I wanted to hear them from his own mouth.And if he was lying, he'd better have a damn good reason. ****I did the last button on my shirt. quietly, I slid out of the room, careful not to stir Avery. I hadn't been to the office in weeks. I had an important conference
AVERYI stood by the window, staring at the garden without really seeing it. My thoughts were a mess, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make sense of what Luigi had told me.My cousin.The words sounded ridiculous even in my head. Yet, the photograph he had shown me kept flashing before my eyes. The woman in it looked so much like me that I couldn't dismiss it as a mere coincidence.What if he was telling the truth?What if the people I'd spent my entire life believing were my family weren't actually my family?The Mafia had a way of ruining lives, considering my supposed long lost family were into the Mafia as well.What would my baby's life look like?My hand instinctively drifted to my stomach. Would his life end up being as horrible as his father's or mine?I swallowed hard, blinking away the tears gathering in my eyes.What if this feud ends up like it did decades ago, leaving or child exposed to the dangers of the world. I wouldn't want my baby to go through all that i
AIDEN“Rosa?” I asked, leaning back on my seat. “Possibly,” he said, studying me for a moment.As much as I knew everything was possible—Everyone had a price— I wanted to believe Rosa didn’t. Stephan placed a tab in front of me.“These are a few pictures of Rosa and—”I held up my hand to stop him. Racking my brain for excuses on why she would associate with our enemy, I pushed the tablet back at Stephan.“There’s something else.”I raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what else he wanted to add. “There was someone in the garden with Avery,” he muttered.“Who?”“We don’t know for sure.” “Let me get this right,” I sighed, pressing a hand to my forehead. “You’re telling me, nobody slid through my security and close to my wife while you all watched?”He shook his head. “No, Don. I saw it a few minutes ago. He didn’t try to harm her or anything. From the footage, she let him escape.”“What do you mean, helped him escape? Avery?”“Did you notice anything strange, Boss?” he asked, ignori
AIDEN‘There’s more to life than revenge, hatred, violence.’ Indeed. Little things like lying beside Avery, knowing she actually cares—loves me, make it even better. Maybe I was becoming the version of a man I considered weak. Still, with this weakness comes a renewed thirst for revenge—protection.Memories of the peaceful hangout that turned into a disaster flashed in my mind. Shaking it off, I gently got out of bed, taking in the beautiful sight of Avery's lovely face. Her long lashes rested softly on her cheeks. A soft smile appeared on her luscious lips and quickly disappeared, replaced by a frown.“I love you.” Her voice was a breathy whisper.“Avery?” I called softly.She didn’t stir; her eyes didn’t flutter. She was asleep. I wondered what she was dreaming about. Hopefully, something good… involving me.Reaching forward to touch her, I thought better of it. I stepped into the bathroom for a cold shower, something to ease the tension in my bones and, well, my boner.Taking the so
AveryThe room was bright with lights, decorated like a ceremony for celestial beings. I smiled, staring up at my handsome groom dressed in white—strange, I had never seen him in such a bright color. His perfectly sculpted face was even more handsome, and it glowed radiantly.The priest asked the questions. Aiden smiled some more. “I do.” Sliding the cold gold ring onto my ring finger, he murmured, “I love you, Avery.”My heart leaped for joy.Suddenly, Aiden frowned.“Avery!” he screamed.The voice was distant, yet he was so close to me. Everything began to fall apart. The decorations—everything! Aiden seemed to be slowly disappearing into thin air.Suddenly, it all went dark as Aiden screamed my name. Tears streamed down my face. Do I not deserve anything good? I wondered.The sound of the door being slammed snapped me back into reality.“Avery!” Aiden's voice was so loud it could hurt the ears of the deaf. Surprisingly, Sydney didn’t flinch—not a stare, nothing.“Aiden—” the words
AidenTightening my fingers on the steering wheel, I wondered what awaited. One thing was certain: I was not going to fail, not when I had so much to lose.I had taken the sports car, deciding to drive myself while the others followed behind me. My phone buzzed, the caller ID reading: “Aunt Rosa.”I hesitated, half expecting something horrid. Right after she'd called earlier, the call had cut off, and then I had gotten another call from her number.“The cabin where you took the lives of my men… You know what to do. Or you can say goodbye to your darling aunt.”His snicker lived rent-free in my head, and his words kept replaying over and over.Slowly, I stretched my hand forward to tap the answer icon.“What the fuck, Aiden!” Rosa's voice buzzed from the other end. “Are you trying to call me to glory or what? Who died? Because it better be something that important for you to be blowing up my phone!”Confusion and relief washed over me.“Aunt, you're not safe.”That was all I could
AIDEN'S POV My innocent bride has no idea what I have planned for her tonight. I'll let her be for now. Spending some time with the Cartel wouldn't hurt; it's a great way to pass the time. "Boss, you just got married. Shouldn't you be busy with your bride?" "You called me 'Boss,' which means you
AIDEN'S POV "Did you get info on their location?" "No, boss," Stephan replied, his tone laced with heavy disappointment. "What exactly do I pay you for?" "I'm sorry, Boss." "Are you sure you actually tortured the man, or do I need to go down there and handle it myself?" "We broke him, Boss, bu
AIDEN'S POV "Boss! What's wrong?" Stephan rushed to my side, deep concern etched into his features. I had drifted off once more, my body fighting the residual toxins. "Lana... She—" I choked on the words, unable to form a coherent sentence. "Make sure she never steps foot into this house ever agai
AIDEN'S POV I woke up with a pounding hangover. I had fallen asleep right there in the home bar, and as the haze cleared, memories of last night came flooding back. *Avery...* I could still hear how heart-wrenching her sob had been. I hadn't been able to go after her or soothe her, because the brut







