Hell no! was the answer Don Antonio gave his friend when he begged him to come work with his daughter. Crazy enough, that was Alexa's answer too when she learned that she would be working with her godfather. They both knew exactly what they were running away from. Alexa, a beauty with a body most women would kill to have, and most men lust after, including her godfather. She had brains too. Except that her father thought she wasn't smart enough to handle the family business. He went ahead and took away the CEO position from her, which was the one thing Alexa wanted the most. Don Antonio knew quite well that he would be playing with fire when he was asked to come work with his goddaughter, whom he was very much attracted to. But her job was on the line, and he was the only one who could save it for her. How would both of them handle the brewing dangerous passion that was about to burn them? Knowing what was at stake, would they run away from the sensual heat? Or would they allow it to consume them?
もっと見るAlexa's POV
Tears stung at the corners of my eyes as his words reverberated through the large office space, bouncing back to my ears. I couldn't bear the harshness, nor could I bear the man from whom those words were coming. "You're a worthless piece of shit! Just take a look at what you have caused! We lost all those millions because of you!" he screamed. "Dad…" I began. "What is it, Alexa? Are you ready to explain how these documents were signed?" he demanded, flinging the papers at my face. The tears that had stung at the corners of my eyes now clouded them, threatening to spill down my face. "I don't know anything about those papers, Dad. I wasn't the one who signed them." He snorted at my words. "But those are your damn signatures! If you weren't the one who signed them, then who did? Who freaking did?" His eyes burned with fury as he glared back at me. I had to bend my head when I could no longer stand the heat of his gaze. Just then, the office doors opened, and the familiar sounds of heels clicking on the floor announced who had entered. I didn't bother raising my gaze from the floor, knowing it was none other than Elsie, my step sister. Her confident steps told me she was more than excited about the issue I was having with our father. It's not that I was expecting her to be anything else but happy. Elsie hated my guts with everything within her and hadn't hidden it even for one day. "Here are the papers you asked for, Daddy," she said in an excited tone. "Hand them over to your sister," Dad replied to her. She came closer to where I was and gave me the papers. "Take, Alexa." The amusement underlying her tone told me that whatever was in those papers wasn't good for me. My eyes widened as I scanned through the words written on it, "you want me to resign from my position as the CEO?" "That's right," Dad confirmed, "I've lost enough millions all because of you. I need you to sign those papers right now." "But Dad…" I began. "I said now, Alexa! I don't want to hear any more of your silly excuses," he stormed over to where I was and landed a thunderous slap on my cheek, "the damages you have done to the family business are enough!" I held the side of my cheek where the slap had landed and signed the papers with shaky hands. "Good," he scoffed, "This is the only good thing you have done in a long time." I heard Elsie squealing excitedly behind me. I thought she was being the typical Elsie until Dad motioned for her to take a seat. She rushed to my former chair with a speed faster than that of light and relaxed in the chair. "Even though you are the younger one, I believe you are smarter than your sister and will take good care of our family business," Dad told her. "Of course, Daddy! I am way better than my older sister. Don't worry, Daddy, Bavarish brand is in the best hands," she bragged and shot me a mischievous look. I gasped on realizing what just happened. Then I burst into tears the next second, while Elsie burst into laughter hearing my cries. "This is not fair, Dad!" I cried out. "Life is not fair, Alexa," he replied, "Besides, I can't sit still and watch you run down my company to the ground. I put blood, sweat, and tears to get Bavarish to where it is now." "And mind you, those aren't the kind of tears he is talking about," Elsie chimed in with a mocking tone. "You're so smart, my baby," Dad told her. He went further to where she was and kissed her lovingly on the forehead. "See, I told you," Elsie boasted as a reply, "And I am going to make you proud, Daddy." The tears continued flowing. I couldn't control them, nor could I stand the betrayal I was witnessing. My dad seeing me as a dumb blonde, instead of the smart girl he raised me to be, was one of my worst nightmares. And I was seeing it come to pass. The pain felt stronger with each passing second. Running the family business was so important to me. He just broke my heart into a million pieces by taking the one thing I loved doing. Never had I imagined that there would be a day when Dad would compare me to Elsie, my younger stepsister, who I gave a solid five-year gap. To think he just chose her over me. What else would he do? Fire me from the family business and marry me off to some old grumpy billionaire? My broken heart shattered more at that thought. And just when I thought I had had enough heartbreaks and embarrassment for one day, the universe sent another. The door opened while I was still sobbing uncontrollably, and the voice I heard next made me wish that the floor would open and swallow me up. "Donald," he greeted my father. "Don Antonio. You are here," my dad responded. My godfather came into the office with his majestic steps and stood right next to me. He cupped my face and raised my head to look at him. That single touch from him sent shivers running down my spine. When I stared up at him and into his gorgeous gray eyes, it felt like the world stopped rotating. "From the looks of it, I believe you have broken the news to her," he said to my father without taking his eyes off me. "And she isn't taking it well. She has been grumpy ever since," Dad responded to him. "But there is no need to be sad, little Alexa. It's not as if you are leaving the company or anything. You are simply changing positions." He must have noticed my confused frown because he continued, still not breaking eye contact, allowing me to remain mesmerized by them, "Instead of being above every other person, you will now be working under me." My eyes widened at what he just said. No! Hell no!Don Antonio’s POVThe plan was simple, and that was the part I loved the most. For the first time in my life, a grand gesture wasn't about power or an advantage; it was about love. I had spent weeks planning, making sure every detail was perfect. The idea had come to me one night as I watched Alexa sketch in our peaceful little studio. She was so happy there, but the space was still on our property, a reminder of the life we had left. I wanted to give her a place that was completely her own, a sanctuary that felt miles away from everything we had been.I told her we were going on a day trip, nothing more. She didn't ask questions, just packed a small bag and hummed a song as she got in the car. The drive was beautiful. We left the winding country roads of our home and headed north, towards the mountains. The landscape changed from rolling hills to towering trees and rocky cliffs, and the air grew cool and fresh. Alexa pointed out a hawk circling high above, and I watched her face, so
Alexa’s POVThe restaurant was quiet, chosen for its privacy, but the silence at our table was deafening. The crisp white tablecloth felt like a barrier between the three of us. My father, Donald, sat across from me, his shoulders a little slumped, looking at his hands. Don Antonio, beside me, was his usual quiet self, but I could feel the tension radiating from him. They hadn't said a single word to each other since they sat down.I had arranged this meeting because it had to happen. We couldn't build a new future while a ghost from the past still lingered. I was the bridge between them, the only person who could possibly make them face each other.I picked up my water glass, setting it down with a deliberate clink. The small noise was enough to make both men look up."We aren't leaving until we talk about it," I said, my voice steady and firm. "We're not here to make small talk. We're here to talk about what happened. For real."My father shifted uncomfortably. "Alexa, there's nothi
Don Antonio’s POVThe rain in my dream was cold and slick, just like it was the night everything changed. I could hear the muffled shouts, the screech of tires, and the angry, desperate voices. I was back there again, in the middle of the chaos, feeling the familiar, heavy weight of a gun in my hand. I could feel the old rage, the kind that used to fuel me, boiling in my veins. The world was a mess of blurry lights and loud noises, and I was at the center of it, a general in a war I couldn't escape.Then, a jolt.My eyes snapped open, and for a moment, I was disoriented. The loud noises were gone. The cold rain was replaced by the soft warmth of our blankets. The only sound was the quiet hum of the country night and the slow, steady rhythm of Alexa’s breathing beside me. But my heart was hammering against my ribs, and a cold sweat slicked my forehead. I was back in our new, peaceful home, but the fear from my old life clung to me like a ghost.I sat up, trying to catch my breath, to s
Alexa’s POV The phone rang, a jarring sound in the quiet of my studio. For weeks, the only sounds I’d heard were the soft hum of my sewing machine, the whisper of fabrics, and the gentle creak of the floorboards. Our new life was a sanctuary, and the city’s chaos felt a million miles away.I answered, and the voice on the other end was my fabric vendor, Marco. He sounded flustered and confused. "Alexa, I don't know what happened. The new shipment of silk... it's gone. The truck was supposed to drop it at your studio this morning, but I just got a call saying it was 'misdirected.' But the driver claims he never got that call and was told to take it somewhere else."A wave of frustration washed over me as I tried to analyze the situation. I sat down at the nearest stool I could find. This was a huge setback. The silk was for my new collection, and every day counted. I was about to dive into the details, to figure out the logistics and where the shipment could have gone when Antonio wal
Alexa’s POV The silence was the first thing I noticed every morning. It wasn't the silence of an empty room, but the deep, natural quiet of the countryside. Instead of sirens and car horns, I woke to the sound of birds and the soft rustle of leaves outside our window. It was a complete change from my old city apartment, and even more so from the chaos of my life before.Don Antonio and I had been living in our new home for a few weeks, and every day felt like we were learning to walk again. We weren't just a couple; we were two people who had spent their entire lives in separate worlds, now trying to fit them together. We were so used to being on our own, making our own rules, that the small, everyday things became a new kind of challenge.I learned that he was a man of precise habits. He woke up at the same time every day, made his coffee in the same French press, and folded the newspaper with military precision. He organized his clothes by color and had a special place for every si
Don Antonio’s POVThe heavy, ornate door of the library closed behind Donald, and the lock clicked with a quiet finality. There were no assistants, no lawyers, no reporters. Just the two of us, surrounded by old books and the scent of leather. This wasn't a business meeting or a negotiation. It was a final meeting between two men who were finally free.He didn’t sit down. Neither did I. We just stood there, facing each other across the polished hardwood floor, a lifetime of animosity stretched out between us like a physical thing. We didn’t shake hands. There was no need for a formal truce. I looked at him, truly looked at him, and saw a man who had lost everything he thought was real. The fire in his eyes was gone, replaced by a hollow emptiness that mirrored my own. We had both been so consumed by this war, so focused on destroying each other, that we had failed to see the truth right in front of us. We had both been victims of a lie we believed in, and we had both paid a terrible
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