LOGIN"You and your baby are mine. Don't even think of running away." Renata Neroni was never meant to lose control, especially not on a night that would change her life forever. Raised in a powerful and respected family, she had always lived under rules, expectations, and the constant weight of her father’s reputation. After discovering her boyfriend’s infidelity, Renata turned to alcohol to numb the pain. That night, she made a mistake with a stranger whose face she barely remembered by morning. She never imagined that the stranger was Domenico Veronesi, the most feared and dangerous man alive. Three weeks later, her world shattered once again when she discovered she was pregnant. She had no name to blame, no face to confront, and no way to undo what had happened. Before she could decide what to do, her stepsister exposed her secret to the family. Furious and obsessed with preserving his honor, her father arranged her marriage to Giovanni, a man old enough to be her father. But fate had other plans. On the very day of her wedding, when all hope seemed lost, the stranger from that night appeared. In front of everyone, he stopped the ceremony and took her away, revealing a truth far more dangerous than she had imagined. Domenico Veronesi was not an ordinary man. He had become a mafia boss at just fourteen, after his father was killed in a brutal war between rival families. Forced to grow up in blood and violence, he built an empire feared by all. His name alone was enough to make powerful men kneel. Until he met Renata. She was never supposed to matter to him. Yet she became the one thing he could not forget, and the one person he refused to lose.
View More“Congratulations, Miss Neroni. You’re pregnant.”
Renata froze at her spot, her breath caught in her throat as those words fell from the doctor's mouth.
“What? There must be a mistake with the filing. How can I be pregnant?” She panicked. “I—I can’t be. I’m not even married.”
The doctor offered a polite smile to her. “The tests are positive. You are three weeks along, and you are the only Renata Neroni on our charts. The HCG levels don’t lie.” He slid the folder across the mahogany desk. “I suggest you inform the father. We’ll need to see you back at the clinic next month for a formal ultrasound.”
Renata’s fingers trembled as she gripped the report. She stumbled out of the cabin, her mind filled with impossible questions. She had a one-night stand with a man after drowning herself into the alcohol that night.
‘Why didn't he wear the protection? How am I going to–’ her thoughts abruptly stopped upon seeing a shadow fall over her. Before she could react, the report was ripped from her grasp.
“Natasha!” Renata gasped, her heart leaping into her throat.
Her stepsister stood there with a smile playing on her lips. Without a word of greeting, Natasha flipped the pages open, her eyes scanning the results with wicked delight.
“My, my. Pregnant?” Natasha’s voice was a low, dangerous purr that carried across the waiting room. “Our father is going to disown you before the sun sets, little sister. You’ve dragged the Neroni name through the mud.”
“Give that back,” Renata hissed. She lunged for the paper, but Natasha stepped back gracefully, holding it high like a trophy.
“Oh, I’ll give it back,” Natasha mocked, her eyes glinting with malice. “Right after I show it to the our father, Renata”
Before Renata could bridge the gap between them, Natasha dashed through the hospital lobby.
Renata ran after her, but two of the family’s towering bodyguards stepped into her path. They hauled her toward the waiting black sedan and shoved her into the backseat, locking the doors just as Natasha’s car drove ahead of them.
The drive back to the Neroni Estate. When the car screeched to a halt on the porch, the guards dragged Renata out of the car.
“Father! Look at what your prideful daughter has been hiding!” Natasha’s voice echoed through the vaulted living room the moment she crossed the threshold.
Paolo Neroni stopped mid-conversation with his wife, Luisa. He turned, his brow furrowing as his eyes shifted from Natasha’s triumphant expression to the guards forcibly holding Renata.
“Natasha, what is the meaning of this scene?”
“What happened, darling?” Luisa walked toward her daughter. She took the crumpled report from Natasha’s outstretched hand, her eyes scanning the text.
“This… this can’t be. Renata, you’re pregnant?” Her face went pale.
“What?” Paolo’s voice was a low rumble. He snatched the document from his wife, his grip so tight the paper threatened to tear. His gaze snapped to Renata, burning with fury and disbelief.
“Who is the father? You are unwed, a Neroni! Have you no dignity and no shame left for the blood in your veins?”
Luisa stepped closer to her husband, her sneer deepening as she watched her stepdaughter tremble. “I warned you, honey. I told you Renata was nothing but a stain on this family’s reputation. The day she accused Natasha of adultery, I knew she's brewing something in her head.”
“Why the fuck are you quiet?” Paolo's voice thundered through the living room this time as he marched to Renata. “Tell me, what is this?”
“Dad, please listen to me,” Renata’s eyes brimmed with tears.
“I'm listening. Tell me, this isn't true,” Paolo said, his eyes fixating on her daughter.
“Dad, I-I don't… I don't...”
A sharp slap stung across Renata's face, making her stumble and vision go blurry. She almost stopped breathing as her entire body shook.
“Who is the father of this child?” Paolo questioned in a much louder voice this time.
“She doesn’t even know who it is, Dad. She was all alone at the hospital. I bet it was some pathetic one-night stand with a nobody,” Natasha remarked with mock pity.
Paolo’s face contorted with pure rage. “You’re aborting this child. Either you live, or this mistake dies!”
“Honey, I have a much better idea,” Luisa intervened as she stepped toward her husband. “Why not marry her off to Giovanni? He’s been obsessed with Renata since the day she graduated. Think of the empire, Paolo. A union with him would make our business flourish overnight. He’s already offered to invest millions.”
“I won’t marry that old man!” Renata cried, her voice trembling. “Please, Dad, don’t do this. I’ll leave. I’ll go far away and never—”
“So you can drag the Neroni name through the mud even more?” Luisa cut her off sharply. “You’ll get rid of the brat and you’ll marry Giovanni!”
“Then marry your own daughter to him!” Renata snapped defiantly. “He’s my father’s age!”
The words had barely left her lips when Luisa’s hand lashed out, the second slap stinging Renata’s other cheek. Before she could recover, Luisa gripped her hair, yanking her head back.
“Your tongue is far too sharp for your own good. If you weren’t a Neroni by blood, we would have discarded you like trash years ago.”
Renata ignored the pain, her blurred vision searching for her father. “If my mother were still alive, she would never have let this happen to me, Dad.”
“Don’t you dare speak that whore’s name in this house!” Luisa hissed into her ear. “Your mother betrayed Paolo’s trust. That’s why she’s dead.”
“Dad, please... my life will be over if you force me to marry that man,” Renata sobbed, the tears finally streaming down her bruised cheeks.
Paolo didn't even look at her. His heart had turned to stone. “You’re marrying Giovanni. You already ruined your life the moment you let an unknown man touch you. A disgrace like you can’t be set free to cause more scandals. Luisa, call the doctor. Have the procedure done immediately. I’m going to call Giovanni to finalize the arrangements.”
Without another glance at his broken daughter, Paolo turned and stormed out of the living room.
Renata fell to the floor helplessly. One mistake ruined her entire life. And Natasha and Luisa were enjoying her downfall.
“I won't marry,” she murmured.
Emilio and Chase met at a cafe they decided upon. Reaching the second floor, Emilio spotted Chase already waiting for her. He walked to him and the two shook hands before taking their seats."One cappuccino, please," Emilio told the waiter."I'll take the same," Chase stated.Once the waiter left, Emilio turned serious, his one leg resting above the other."Did you find the footage?" he asked. "The lady who seemed to meet an unknown guy.""Yes. I did retrieve it. But you should know that she's already dead. I went to her home today after a report was filed. Someone killed her at point blank. It's a mercenary work," Chase said in a low voice.Chase slid a small flash drive across the table. "You’ll have to dig for the unknown man. He’s completely off the record."Emilio nodded and slipped the drive into the inner pocket of his leather jacket. "I appreciate the legwork, Chase."The waiter returned with their orders, and the two men lapsed into a brief, necessary silence as they drank th
The sharp ring of the phone echoed in the room causing both of them to stop."Damn it," Domenico cursed, his jaw tightening. "I'm not answering that."When the phone rang again, Renata broke the sudden tension with a breathless laugh. She sat up, pulling the sheets up to cover herself. "You should check it," she said, offering a playful shrug. "It might be something important.""Next time, it's going on silent," Domenico muttered, clearly frustrated by his own oversight as he reached for the device.Domenico’s brow furrowed as he saw Emilio’s name on the screen. He answered and stepped out onto the balcony while Renata retreated to the washroom, gathering her scattered clothes as she went."Emilio," Domenico said, his tone clipped. "You picked a hell of a time to call."There was a brief pause on the other end, followed by a sharp, knowing sound of amusement. "Wait, really?" Emilio teased, his grin audible through the phone. "Don't tell me you were—oh, forget it. I'll call you later."
Domenico’s eyes widened, the breath leaving him as if he’d been struck. Elena's and Luca's presence didn't matter at that time.Without a word of explanation to anyone, he took Renata’s hand, and steered her straight back to the car.The drive home was silent. The moment the bedroom door clicked shut behind them, he turned to her, his gaze burning with intensity. "You didn't lie, did you? About your feelings?"Renata bit her bottom lip, her heart hammering against her ribs. "I didn't," she breathed. "Seeing that woman... hearing about your past from someone else... it made me realize. I was jealous, Nico. I felt like I didn't know those parts of you, and that scared me. That’s why I finally said it."Domenico moved into her personal space, his hand coming up to cup the nape of her neck, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw until she was forced to look directly into his eyes. "You said you loved me," he repeated, his voice dropping to a low, raw rasp. "Say it again."Renata started to
They headed back down toward the town, the cobblestone streets feeling more familiar now.As they strolled through the main square, the atmosphere was light and sunny, momentarily making Renata forget her earlier grumbling.However, that peace was interrupted by a familiar, high-pitched voice.“Nico! You’re back so soon!”Renata felt her muscles tighten instinctively as Elena appeared from a nearby flower stall, clutching a small bouquet of wild lavender.She looked just as bright and cheerful as the day before, her eyes instantly lighting up as she spotted them.“Hello again!” Elena said, beaming at Renata before turning her gaze back to Domenico. “I was just telling my father that I saw you yesterday. He couldn’t believe it! He’s at the café just around the corner if you want to stop by and say hello.”Domenico’s expression remained polite but distant, his hand firm on the small of Renata’s back. “We’re just passing through today, Elena. We have a lot to see.”“Oh, of course, of cou
Renata hadn't expected Domenico to actually bring her into the heart of the city, let alone out in public.They arrived at a high-end restaurant situated at the top of a glass tower. Their table was in a semi-private lounge, not boxed in by walls, but partitioned off to allow the natural light to f
Reneta really wanted to crack open Domenico’s head and see if he was even in his right mind. The audacity of his words made her blood boil as she rolled her eyes at him, refusing to let him see even a hint of fear on her face.“No thanks,” she said firmly as she took a step back, putting distance b
The phone had no signals. She couldn't even use the internet services. "So, they don't want me to use any online services," Renata murmured. She looked at the contact list and found only two numbers as Emilio mentioned."Why would I even call them?" she tsked and tossed the phone on the mattress.S
Renata was still seething over everything that had happened earlier. No matter what explanation Domenico might have had, the way he had treated her refused to leave her mind. The anger burned inside her chest, restless and sharp.Still, she forced herself to calm down—for the baby growing inside he
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