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Raphael━━ ⛓ ━━Claire’s voice echoed across the room before I even looked up, “I’m serious,” she said, shifting the small bundle in her arms, “we should do this every week.”The baby made a small sound, his fingers curling into her shirt. She smiled down at him, soft and gone for a second, then snapped right back to us with that same wild energy she always had.“Family game night,” she added, grinning. “Mandatory attendance. No excuses.”Adriano let out a low laugh from where he was already sprawled on the floor, one arm behind his head. “You just want legal permission to boss everyone around.”“I already do that,” Claire shot back without missing a beat, “This just makes it official.”Madeleine shifted beside him, sitting cross-legged, hands folded in her lap holding baby Nero, “I like it,” she said softly. “It feels… normal.”Vincenzo sat against the couch instead of on it, Aurelia between his legs as he carefully tilted a glass of orange juice toward her mouth. His hand brushed Cl
Gianna━⊰ ❦ ⊱━“I’m nobody’s princess,” I said but my body locked in place the second his voice settled into the room like something rotten.Cole leaned against the doorway like he owned it. His eyes dragged over me slowly, taking his time, like I was something he had already decided the price of.He walked closer. One step. Then another. Boots heavy against the floor. I forced my chin up.“Stop right there.”An ugly smile pulled at his mouth, “You don’t get to give orders here.”His gaze flicked over my face, then down, then back up again. I held his stare. Inside, something twisted tight. Don’t show it. Don’t you dare show it.“You’ve got nerve,” he went on, “Walking around with that last name tied to you now. Your mother moved fast,” he added. “One day she’s drowning, next day she’s sitting pretty under a rich man’s roof.”My hands curled into fists at my sides, “Say another word about my mom, I dare you.”He smiled wider. His eyes flicked past me for half a second, toward the couc
Gianna ━⊰ ❦ ⊱━ I didn’t remember walking back to my desk. One second I was standing in front of him, holding that stupid folder like it meant something, and the next I was sitting in my chair, staring at my screen while the words blurred together. I yanked my bag open harder than I needed to and started shoving things inside. Charger. Notebook. Pens. My fingers moved fast, messy, like if I stopped for even a second, something in my chest would crack open and spill everywhere. God, I hated him. I hated his voice. I hated the way he looked at me like I was something he could take apart piece by piece. I hated the way he stood too close like space belonged to him. Arrogant, controlling, egoistic asshole. Psychopath. Sick, power-hungry freak. My jaw clenched as I shoved my laptop into my bag. Who the hell does he think he is? You hesitate once and suddenly you don’t deserve to get paid? I let out a quiet, sharp breath through my nose, blinking fast. I zipped my bag shut, a lit
Raphael ━━ ⛓ ━━ The Midland Trust team was early and that told me everything I needed to know. Banks only showed up early when they were bleeding. I stepped in first. I gave no greetings beyond a short nod. My team followed behind me like a shadow, disciplined, silent, in sync. I took my seat at the head of the table, set my laptop down, and connected to the display. The Orion Vector interface lit up the main screen. Across from me sat Midland’s people. CFO. Head of Risk. Chief Compliance Officer. Two analysts who looked like they hadn’t slept in days. “Let’s not waste time,” I said, voice even. “You’ve already lost thirty million. The only question is how much more you’re planning to lose before you fix it.” The CFO leaned forward slightly, “We’re here to understand how your system prevents that.” I glanced to my right, “Daniel.” Daniel was my Lead Machine Learning Engineer, late thirties, sharp mind and built the base architecture of the model we were selling today. He sto
Gianna ━⊰ ❦ ⊱━ “Gianna,” Aileen’s voice made me jump. My mouse skidding across the pad. I looked up, my heart already starting that frantic, thumping rhythm against my ribs. Aileen was walking toward me, her heels clicking perfectly on the floor. “Take this to Mr. Capone,” she said, dropping a stack of papers on my desk. “It’s the predictive fraud model for the Midland Trust meeting. He needs to approve the risk thresholds.” Aileen reached over and set a steaming cup of black coffee on my desk, the dark liquid swirling near the rim. “Black. No sugar,” she added, “And Gianna? Don’t mess this up. The client is waiting.” I stood up, and picked up the coffee tray with one hand and the report with the other. The video flashed in my mind again. It was like a movie playing on a loop behind my eyes. I could see the garage. I could see the way my body was arched, my hips moving against him while he just sat there on that bike. I walked toward his office, every step feeling like I w
Gianna ━⊰ ❦ ⊱━ "Where were you last night?" My mom stood in the doorway. I didn't turn around immediately. I just kept my back to her, slowly setting my hairdryer down on the dresser. "What?" I asked, trying to keep my voice flat. She stepped into the room, crossing her arms tight over her chest. As she moved, I noticed a slight, heavy hitch in her left leg, a tiny stumble she tried to hide by leaning against the doorframe. Her fingers twitched against her elbows. "Where. Were. You," she repeated. She was using her "Mom voice," the one that usually meant I was in deep trouble. "I—I was here," I lied. "Don't you dare lie to me!" she snapped, "You weren't here. I checked this room every hour. I called you a hundred times, Gianna. I was ten seconds away from telling Salvatore. I almost begged him to send his sons out to find you, but I stopped myself because I knew you’d hate it. So, give me the respect of a real answer!" I looked down at my lap, "I went to a party
Raphael ━━ ⛓ ━━ The Minister of Defense had been speaking for twelve minutes and thirty-two seconds. A blue map of the city flickered on the wall, covered in red dots that moved and changed as our behavioral AI predicted the next hour of traffic and crime. I sat at the head of the long glass tab
Gianna ━⊰ ❦ ⊱━ The sun was barely up, but I was already dressed and ready to go. I had on my favorite pair of baggy cargo pants and a simple gray crop top. My light brown hair was pulled back into a bun, and my heavy backpack was slumped over one shoulder. I looked like every other girl on the U
Gianna ━⊰ ❦ ⊱━ The room was too big. It was too quiet, and it smelled too much like expensive flowers and floor wax. I lay in the middle of the massive bed, feeling like a speck of dust in this giant, cold mansion. I pulled the silk sheets up to my chin, but they didn't feel warm. They just felt
Gianna ━⊰ ❦ ⊱━ I stood in front of the full-length mirror, my hands shaking so much I had to tuck them under my arms. I was dressed in a white button-down shirt and black slacks. I spent ten minutes pulling my hair back, brushing it until every stray strand was flattened into a sleek, tight bun







